riable and light, and the French line-of-battle ship did
not come up so fast as before. We sounded after we hove to, and found
that we were in five and a half fathoms water.

At twelve o'clock, in consequence of our having hove to, the relative
positions of the vessels were as follows:--The two merchant vessels
which had been about four miles astern of us were now alongside of us;
the third was about three miles astern of us; and the Frenchman was
about the same distance astern of her; so that our frigate was about six
miles from the French line-of-battle ship.

Captain Delmar had given orders to pipe to dinner at seven bells
(half-past eleven o'clock); that in case the boats were required, the
men might have dined before the were sent away. A few minutes after
twelve o'clock it fell a dead calm; the hands were turned up, the boats
hoisted out and lowered down, the guns and ammunition put in them, and
everything in readiness; we keeping our glasses upon the enemy, and
watching her manoeuvring, which, at the distance we were, was now easily
to be distinguished. Captain Delmar was aware that he ran some risk in
sending his boats away, for it might so happen that a breeze might
spring up from the seaward, and the enemy have the advantage of it long
before us; if so, it might bring her up to the vessel astern, and the
boats be captured: indeed it might bring her up nearly alongside of us
before we caught the wind. It was necessary therefore, to be very
cautious, and not send the boats away till the last moment--that is,
before we saw the French ship hoisting out or lowering down her own.
That the Frenchman knew that our boats had been hoisted out, could not
be doubted, as their eyes were quite as sharp as ours. They, however,
tried to double us; for all of a sudden, as I had my glass upon the
French ship, I perceived three boats coming round her quarter, and
pulling right for the merchant vessel: the fact was, that she had
lowered down her stern and quarter boats to leeward, which we could not
perceive. I reported this immediately to the captain, who ordered the
boats' crews to be piped away.

"Who is to command the boats, sir?" said the first lieutenant.

"Mr Keene," said the captain.

"Mr Keene, I wish to speak with you before you go."

Captain Delmar then walked to the capstern, and, in few words, pointed
out what I have just stated as the difficulty which might occur, and the
chances of capture.

"You unde