-I AM PLUNDERED AND WOUNDED.

About six weeks after the unlucky affair before described we met with a
still greater disaster. We had cruised off the Spanish main, and taken
several prizes; shortly after we had manned the last and had parted
company, the Revenge being then close in shore, a fresh gale sprung up,
which compelled us to make all sail to clear the land. We beat off
shore during the whole of the night, when the weather moderated, and at
daybreak we found out that we had not gained much offing, in consequence
of the current; but, what was more important, the man who went to the
look-out at the masthead hailed the deck, saying there were two sails in
the offing. The hands were turned up to make sail in chase, but we
found that they were resolutely bearing down upon us; and as we neared
each other fast we soon made them out to be vessels of force. One we
knew well--she was the Esperance, a French schooner-privateer, of
sixteen guns and one hundred and twenty men; the other proved to be a
Spanish schooner-privateer, cruising in company with her, of eighteen
guns, and full manned.

Now our original complement of men had been something more than one
hundred; but by deaths, severe wounds in action, and manning our prizes,
our actual number on board was reduced to fifty-five effective men.
Finding the force so very superior, we made every attempt with sails and
sweeps to escape, but the land to leeward of us, and their position to
windward, rendered it impossible. Making, therefore, a virtue of
necessity, we put a good face upon it, and prepared to combat against
such desperate odds.

Captain Weatherall, who was the life and soul of his crew, was not found
wanting on such an emergency. With the greatest coolness and
intrepidity he gave orders to take in all the small sails, and awaited
the coming down of the enemy. When everything was ready for the unequal
conflict, he ordered all hands aft, and endeavoured to inspire us with
the same ardour which animated himself. He reminded us that we had
often fought and triumphed over vessels of much greater force than our
own; that we had already beaten off the French privateer on a former
occasion; that the Spaniard was not worth talking about, except to swell
the merits of the double victory, and that if once we came hand to hand
our cutlasses would soon prove our superiority. He reminded us that our
only safety depended upon our own manhood; for we had done such m