swore that they had
never worn out so many cats-o'-nine-tails before.

I don't know that it was the officers' fault, for they knew no better
way of maintaining discipline. It was because some hundreds of men, few
of whom had ever served on board a man-of-war, were brought together.

I had been on board some days when I caught sight of a face I knew too
well; it was that of Charles Iffley. I was certain it was him, though
when I inquired I found that he had entered under the name of Charles
Trickett.

I saw him start when he first recognised me, but he kept out of my way,
and I had no wish to speak to him. His presence, I feared, boded me no
good. Whether his feelings of revenge were satisfied, I could not tell;
but if not, I was very sure that he would wreak them on my head if he
could.

During the early spring, merchant vessels of all sizes, but mostly large
ones, kept coming in until nearly a hundred were assembled, when the
whole fleet, including men-of-war, amounted to one hundred and
forty-eight sail,--three being of a hundred guns, four of ninety-eight,
while a large number were seventy-fours. The merchantmen were bound out
either to the West Indies or Newfoundland, and some of the men-of-war
were intended to convoy them.

At last, on the 2nd of May, a frigate came in with the news that the
Brest fleet had put to sea. We immediately made sail from Saint Helen's
and stood down Channel.

Besides looking out for the French fleet, which Lord Howe had determined
to attack, we had to see the merchantmen clear of the Channel, and
besides that to try and intercept a French convoy coming from America,
said to consist of three hundred and fifty sail, laden with provisions
and stores, the produce of the West Indian islands, of which the French
Republic stood greatly in need.

On arriving off the Lizard, eight of the large ships and six of the
frigates were detached to see the merchantmen clear of the latitude of
Cape Finisterre, while the Channel fleet, thus reduced to twenty-six
sail of the line, besides seven frigates and smaller vessels, stood for
Ushant. Before long the frigates made the signal that the French fleet
were at sea.

We after this kept cruising up and down looking for them, though our
Admiral knew that many of the ships were far larger than ours, but our
numbers were equal.

To describe all that took place is more than I can do. I know that it
was on the 28th of May that the Admiral hear