ime being. But we were willing to
fight her outside, away from the batteries, and word to that effect
was sent ashore, challenging her to come out and tackle us. She carried
sixty guns, and was commanded by a Frenchman of great bravery. As soon
as he received Captain Duck's challenge he got under way, and sailed out
to meet the _Lucy_ and _Port-au-Prince_. In half an hour we commenced a
close action with the Spanish ship, and almost at the first shot I was
stunned by a splinter which nearly put out my left eye. But young Mr.
Mariner told me all that followed after I was carried below.

"The frigate's decks were crowded with men, for in addition to the
ship's company she had on board nearly three hundred soldiers, who kept
up a continuous but ineffective musketry fire. They and the Spanish
sailors cursed us continually as they fired, and our crew returned the
compliment, for many of our men could swear very well in Spanish. After
fighting us for about an hour she bore up for the land, we sticking
close to her and meaning to board; but at two o'clock our mizzen topmast
was shot away, and falling athwart of our mainyard prevented us from
bracing about. Then before we could get clear of this, the Spaniard
came to the wind and sent a broadside that shot away our mizzen and main
topmast and fore topsail yards, and played sad havoc with our braces and
bowlines. In this condition, and being now almost under the guns of the
forts, we had to discontinue the fight, and with the _Lucy_, haul off.
The _Astraea_, too, had suffered much, and was glad to get back into
Paita as quick as she could. We had several men badly wounded, among
whom was our captain; and one poor boy, named Tommy Leach, was cut in
halves by grape-shot. We made a second attempt to capture her two days
later, but were again beaten off.

"Next morning Mr. Brown and Captain Duck had more angry words. And then
two parties began to form, one in favour of whaling, and the other in
favour of taking prizes. However, Captain Duck said he would go first
to the Galapagos and refit before anything else was done. We anchored at
James Island on the 16th, and found there three ships, the _Britannia_
and _British Tar_ of London, and the American ship _Neutrality_. From
Captain Folger, of the _Neutrality_, which had just arrived from Paita,
we learnt that the _Astraea_ had had her fore-topmast shot away, thirty
hands killed, and one hundred and twenty wounded. Monsieur de Vaudrie