red our charter invalidated, and Garrard, Janrin and Company
would have been the sufferers.

We were much relieved by seeing a blue light suddenly burst forth in the
darkness. It came from the deck of the frigate, which had stood after
us to ascertain the cause of the firing. Our adventure had the effect
of keeping the convoy much closer together; for no one could tell when
Captain La Roche would take it into his head to pounce down upon us and
pick up a stray bird, should the frigate be at a distance. He would
have had no chance, however, with the Indiamen, whose officers were in a
very combative mood. Not long before a very gallant action had been
performed by a squadron of them in the Eastern seas--indeed, no country
ever possessed a body of officers in her mercantile marine equal to
those of the Honourable East India Company.

I heard all about the action on board the _Cuffnells_. One morning,
when I went on deck, I found that there was what might well be called a
calm; the sails of the ships hung up and down the masts without moving,
except every now and then, as they slowly rolled from side to side to
give a loud thundering clap, and once more to subside into sullen
silence. The sea, smooth as a mirror, shone like burnished silver, its
surface ever and anon broken by the fin of some monster of the deep, or
by a covey of flying fish, which would dart through the air till, their
wings dried by the sun, they fell helpless again into their native
element.

Looking round I recognised the _Cuffnells_ not far off, and, remembering
my promise, asked for a boat to go on board. I was received in the most
friendly manner, and was asked to stop to tiffin and to dinner, if I
could remain as long.

"Yes, sir, he richly deserved it; every rupee he got--that's my
opinion," observed a yellow-faced gentleman in nankeens and white
waistcoat, sitting at the other end of the table. "I was on board the
_Earl Camden_ on my way home, and I know that, including public and
private investments, the cargoes of our ships could not have been of
less value than eight millions of pounds sterling. We had fifteen
Indiamen and a dozen country ships, with a Portuguese craft and a brig,
the _Ganges_; Captain Dance, our captain, was commodore. This fleet
sailed from Canton on the 31st January, 1804. After sighting Pulo Auro,
near the Straits of Malacca, the _Royal George_, one of the Indiamen,
made the signal for four strange sail in th