ing up against a fiery sea breeze tries the minds of those on
board as well as the rigging, masts and yards of His Majesty's ships. A
few top-masts sprung and yards carried away are trifles, and you may think
yourself fortunate if it does not happen to a lower mast. We looked into
Tiberoon, crossed over to Cape St. Nicholas Mole, beat up between the
island of Tortuga and the larger island, overhauled the Grange and Cape
Francois, took a small row-boat with six swivels and fourteen
sharp-looking, smutty-coloured gentlemen, destroyed her, and bore up for
the north side of Cuba, where we captured a small Balaker schooner, who
informed us that a Spanish corvette of eighteen guns was lying at
Barracow. I immediately proceeded off that port, and finding the
information correct, sent her a challenge, and that I should remain three
days waiting for her. I might as well have sent my defiance to the
Eddystone lighthouse. She sent word that I might remain three years if I
chose. The harbour was difficult to enter, and well fortified, otherwise
her three years would not have been three hours before we were alongside
of her. I remained a week watching her movements, which, by-the-bye, were
no movements at all except that she had struck her top-masts and hauled
further inshore. Finding hope, respecting her, hopeless, and our cruise at
its last gasp, I stood close in and fired a gun unshotted by way of
showing our contempt, which probably the Spaniards laughed at, and made
sail once more for Jamaica.

CHAPTER XXI.

HOME WITH MAHOGANY.

My new ship--Sail for Belize--Native and alligator--Sail for England
with convoy of ships--Hear of peace being signed between Spain and
England--Arrive in England--Paid off at Sheerness--Return home--Tired
of country life--Apply for ship--Appointed to H.M.S. _Apelles_.

The sloop of war I now commanded was a fine sixteen-gun brig carrying
twenty-four-pound-carronades, with a crew of one hundred and twenty as
fine men as any in the fleet. They had been some time together, and only
wished for an opportunity of making the splinters fly out of a Frenchman's
side, and hauling down his tricoloured piece of bunting. I found on my
reaching Port Royal that Admiral Rowley had arrived to supersede Admiral
Dacres. In the afternoon I dined with both Admirals, and met the Duke of
Manchester, who was a fine-looking man, but unf