'Twas like a death-struggle.

A chap who looked as if he had just seized the wheel was grinding it hard over to get away from us; and so the steamer fled past, more like a nightmare than a reality, and in a few minutes was standing with full speed to the norrard, where, in less than a quarter of an hour, she faded slick out of sight.
"It was some time after I had left the 'Evangeline' and was at home before I got to know the meaning of this here wonderful adventure.

The party, it turned out, was no less than the wife of the general as owned the 'Violet,' and she was running away with Mr.Robinson.May be our men had talked about our going to the Mediterranean, but anyhow the general who was in London at the time, got scent that his wife had bolted with Mr.Robinson in the 'Evangeline,' and in less than twenty-four hours he was after us in his steamer.

He tracked us by speaking the vessels we passed; and the light airs and calms we had encountered easily allowed him to overhaul quickly.

And it turned out that when he had fairly sighted us, he sent the man at the wheel forward, and took the helm himself.