ne, laden with treasure. "Two
are first-rates," said he, "but the larger the ships the better the
mark, and who will not fight for dollars?" Foul winds prevented his
getting away until the 5th. From that date until the 12th of April he
remained cruising between Cape St. Vincent and the coast of Africa,
covering the approaches to Cadiz; frigates and smaller vessels being
spread out to the westward, to gain timely notice of the approach of
the specie ships, upon whose safe arrival Spain depended both for her
commercial affairs and her naval preparations.

But while thus actively employed, and not insensible to the charm of
dollars, the immediate business on board was not in itself so
engrossing, nor to him so attractive, as to obtain that exclusiveness
of attention which he prided himself upon giving to matters more
military in character, and more critical in importance. "The Spaniards
threaten us they will come out, and take their revenge," he writes to
an occasional correspondent. "The sooner the better; but I will not
believe it till I see it; and if they do, what will the mines of
Mexico and Peru signify, compared with the honour I doubt not we shall
gain by fighting an angry Don? They will have thirty sail of the
line, we twenty or twenty-two; but fear we shall have a peace before
they are ready to come out. What a sad thing that will be!" His mind
reverts to the troops in Elba, which had been left in a most exposed
position, and were now about to withdraw under the protection of some
frigates, passing through a thousand miles of hostile sea open to the
line-of-battle ships at Toulon. He is more concerned about them than
about his possible prize-money in the rich ships from Vera Cruz and
Havana, whose danger from his own squadron was agitating all Spain.
"Respecting myself," he writes to Jervis, "I wish to stay at sea, and
I beg, if line-of-battle ships are left out,[55] either on this side
the Gut, or to the eastward of Gibraltar, that I may be the man. This
brings forward a subject which I own is uppermost in my mind,--that of
the safety of our troops, should they embark from Elba. The French
have a number of ships at Toulon. They may get two, three, or four
ready, with a number of frigates, and make a push for our convoy. I am
ready, you know, to go eastward to cover them, even to Porto Ferrajo,
or off Toulon, or Minorca, as you may judge proper."

This exposed detachment continued to occupy his thoughts. A month