red, we made her
out to be a large ship, deeply laden, and we imagined that she would
be an easy prize, but as we saw her hull more out of the water she
proved to be well armed, having a full tier of guns fore and aft. As
it afterwards proved, she was a vessel of 600 tons burden, and mounted
twenty-four guns, having sailed from St. Domingo, and being bound to
France.

She had been chartered by a French gentleman (and a most gallant
fellow we found him), who had acquired a large fortune in the
West-Indies, and was then going home, having embarked on board his
whole property, as well as his wife and his only son, a youth of about
seventeen. As soon as he discovered what we were, and the
impossibility of escape from so fast a sailing vessel as the Revenge,
he resolved to fight us to the last. Indeed, he had every thing to
fight for; his whole property, his wife and his only child, his own
liberty, and perhaps life, were all at stake, and he had every motive
that could stimulate a man. As we subsequently learnt, he had great
difficulty in inspiring the crew with an equal resolution, and it was
not until he had engaged to pay them the value of half the cargo
provided they succeeded in beating us off, and forcing their way in
safety to France, that he could rouse them to their duty.

Won by his example, for he told them that he did not desire any man to
do more than he would do himself, and perhaps more induced by his
generous offer, the French crew declared they would support him to the
last, went cheerfully to their guns and prepared for action. When we
were pretty near to him, he shortened sail ready for the combat,
having tenderly forced his wife down below to await in agony the issue
of a battle on which depended every thing so dear to her. The resolute
bearing of the vessel, and the cool intrepidity with which they had
hove to to await us, made us also prepare on our side for a combat
which we knew would be severe. Although she was superior to us in
guns, yet the Revenge being wholly fitted for war, we had many
advantages, independent of our being very superior in men. Some few
chase-guns were fired during our approach, when, having ranged up
within a cable's length of her, we exchanged broadsides for half an
hour, after which our captain determined upon boarding. We ran our
vessel alongside, and attempted to throw our men on board, but met
with a stout resistance. The French gentleman, who was at the head of
his men