n his station, and his good word with the
Admiralty, and said that he would send down my despatches at daylight.
I went on board, gave the necessary orders, and then returned to the
hotel to pack up my portmanteau and pay my bill; but Mammy Crissobella
would not hear of my paying anything; and as I found that she was
beginning to be seriously angry, I gave up the point. So I gave the old
lady a kiss as a receipt-in-full, and another to Leila, as I slipped a
couple of doubloons into her hand, and went on board. The next morning
shortly after daylight the despatches were on board, and the Diligente
was under all the sail she could carry on her way to England.

The Diligente sailed as well as ever, and we made a very quick passage.
I found my ship's company to be very good, and had no trouble with my
officers. Tommy Dott was very well behaved, notwithstanding all his
threats of what he would do. It was therefore to be presumed that he
was not very ill treated.

We were now fast approaching the end of our passage, being about a
hundred miles to the South West of the Scilly Islands, with a light wind
from the southward when, in the middle watch, Bob Cross, who had the
charge of it, came down and reported firing in the South East. I went
up, but, although we heard the report of the guns, we could not
distinguish the flashes. I altered our course to the direction, and we
waited till daylight should reveal what was going on. Before daybreak
we could see the flashes, and make out one vessel, but not the other.
But when the sun rose the mystery was cleared off. It was a French
schooner privateer engaging a large English ship, apparently an
East-Indiaman. The ship was evidently a good deal cut up in her spars
and rigging.

Bob Cross, who was close to my side when I examined them with my glass,
said, "Captain Keene, that rascally Frenchman will be off as soon as he
sees us, if we hoist English colours; but if you hoist French colours,
we may get down and pin him before he knows what we are."

"I think you are right, Bob," says I. "Hoist French colours. He will
make sure of his prize then, and we shall laugh at his disappointment."

As Cross turned away to go aft, I perceived a chuckle on his part, which
I did not understand, as there was nothing particular to chuckle about.
I thought it was on account of the Frenchman's disappointment, when he
found that we were not a friend, as he might suppose.

"Hadn't we better