fire a gun, Captain Keene, to attract their
attention?"

"Yes," replied I; "it will look as if we really were Frenchmen." The
gun was fired, and we continued to stand towards them with a good
breeze. About seven o'clock we were within two miles, and then we
observed the Englishman haul down her colours, and the schooner
immediately went alongside, and took possession. I continued to run
down, and in half an hour was close to her. Calling up the boarders, I
laid the brig alongside the schooner; as half her men were on board the
Indiaman, they were taken by surprise, and we gained possession with
very trifling loss on our side, much to the astonishment of the crew of
the privateer, as well as that of the Indiaman.

The captain, who was on deck, informed me that they had engaged the
schooner for nine hours, and that he had some hopes of beating her off,
until he saw me come down under French colours, upon which he felt that
further resistance was vain. I told him I was afraid the schooner would
escape, if I had not deceived him, and complimented him upon his
vigorous defence. The schooner was a very fine vessel, mounting
fourteen guns, and of three hundred tons burthen. In fact, she was
quite as large as the Diligente.

While we were handing the prisoners over to the brig, and securing them,
I accepted the invitation of the captain of the Indiaman to go into the
cabin with him, where I found a large party of passengers, chiefly
ladies, who were very loud in their thanks for my rescue. In another
hour we were all ready. I left a party on board the Indiaman to repair
damages, and my surgeon to assist the wounded men, and hauled off the
brig and schooner. The latter I gave into the charge of Tommy Dott, and
we all made sail.

As I was walking the quarter-deck, delighted with my success, Cross, who
had the watch and was by my side, said, "I think, Captain Keene, you did
very right in hoisting French colours."

"Why, yes, Cross," replied I; "she is a very fast sailer, that is
evident, and she might have escaped us."

"That's not what I mean, Captain Keene."

"What then, Cross?"

"Why, sir, I would not tell you why I wished you to hoist French colours
at the time, because I was afraid that, if I did, you would not have
done so; but my reason was, that it would make a great difference in our
prize-money, and I want some, if you do not."

Even then I could not imagine what Cross meant, for it never came into