cers of the _Phoebe_ in charge of the
prize, who were in high spirits at having captured a vessel which had
proved one of the greatest pests to British commerce in the Eastern
seas. The Frenchmen had not yielded till more than a third of their
number lay dead or desperately wounded on her decks. Among them were
several of the seamen of the unfortunate _Kangaroo_, including her
wretched captain and mate. The survivors of the Englishmen declared
that they had been forced on board and compelled to fight. We declined
to express any opinion on the subject. All we could say was that we had
missed them from the encampment, and had every reason to suppose that
they had fallen into the hands of the French. They thus escaped
hanging, which I certainly believe they deserved. The chief offenders
had already paid the penalty of their crimes. I need scarcely describe
the delight of the passengers of the Indiaman on finding that they could
now proceed on their voyage, or of the prisoners who were released from
the different hulks. They were the officers and seamen taken in
different prizes by the _Mignonne_. The excuse the Frenchmen gave for
treating them thus barbarously was that the French taken by English
cruisers were shut up on board hulks in English harbours without good
food or any exercise. They pretended not to understand that, in one
instance, the prisoners would inevitably have escaped had they been left
at liberty, while in the present they had had no opportunity of
escaping. The mouth of the harbour having been surveyed, the frigate
came in the next day, that her crew might assist in repairing the
_Mignonne_ and getting the Indiaman and the other vessels ready for sea.
I was curious to ascertain what O'Carroll would say to finding La Roche
at length a prisoner. I asked him if he would go on board the frigate
with me to see the French captain.

"I would not do so to triumph over a fallen foe, but perhaps if I was to
set eyes on him again for a few times I might get over the intense
dislike--even more, the dread, I feel for him," he answered. "I have
reason to feel dislike. He ruined my prospects, he killed my
companions, and he treated me with every indignity and cruelty he could
devise while I remained on board his ship. He made me serve him as a
menial--wait behind his chair, clean his shoes, arrange his cabin, and
if I displeased him he ordered his men to flog me. Ay! I never told
you that before, I wa