atest caution; the night was
intensely dark, and we could distinguish nothing. After pulling ten
minutes more, we appeared to be close to the lights in the town; still
we could see no privateer or any other vessel. Again we lay upon our
oars, and held a consultation. Swinburne declared that if the privateer
lay where we supposed, we had passed her long ago; but while we were
debating, O'Farrel cried out, "I see her;" and he was right--she was not
more than a cable's length from us. Without waiting for orders,
O'Farrel desired his men to give way, and dashed alongside of the
privateer. Before he was half-way on board of her, lights flew about in
every direction, and a dozen muskets were discharged. We had nothing to
do but to follow him, and in a few seconds we were all alongside of her;
but she was well prepared and on the alert. Boarding nettings were
triced up all round, every gun had been depressed as much as possible,
and she appeared to be full of men. A scene of confusion and slaughter
now occurred, which I trust never again to witness. All our attempts to
get on board were unavailing; if we tried at a port, a dozen pikes
thrust us back; if we attempted the boarding nettings, we were thrown
down, killed or wounded, into the boats. From every port, and from the
decks of the privateer, the discharge of musketry was incessant.
Pistols were protruded and fired in our faces, while occasionally her
carronades went off, stunning us with their deafening noise, and rocking
the boats in the disturbed water, if they had no other effect.

For ten minutes our exertions never ceased; at last, with half our
numbers lying killed and wounded in the bottom of the boats, the men,
worn out and dispirited at their unavailing attempts, sat down most of
them on the boats' thwarts, loading their muskets, and discharging them
into the ports. Osbaldistone was among the wounded; and perceiving that
he was not in the launch, of whose crew not six remained, I called to
Swinburne, who was alongside of me, and desired him to tell the other
boats to make the best of their way out of the harbour. This was soon
communicated to the survivors, who would have continued the unequal
contest to the last man, if I had not given the order. The launch and
second cutter shoved off--O'Farrel also having fallen; and, as soon as
they were clear of the privateer, and had got their oars to pass, I
proceeded to do the same, amidst the shots and yells