e of the rind of pork for bait, caught a quantity of
Spanish mackerel, a fish of excellent flavor, weighing four or five
pounds each.

And I will here state, for the benefit of those navigators who have
little experience in those seas, that on the edge of soundings in all
parts of the West Indies, and particularly on the edges of the Bahamas
and Salt Key Bank, abundance of fish of excellent quality, as black
perch, kingfish, barracooter, and Spanish mackerel, may be taken by
trailing during a breeze, in any reasonable quantity.

By steering a course directly from the Rocas to LaGuayra we could
have reached that port on the following day, but Captain Moncrieff
was impressed with the idea that a strong current was setting to the
westward. Therefore, instead of proceeding directly to the Spanish Main,
as he should have done, he commenced beating to windward, and continued
this absurd process for two days, when, having made the island of
Tortuga, he satisfied himself he was far enough to windward, and
that there was no current at that time in those seas. The helm
was accordingly put up, and with a free wind we now steered to the
south-west, to fall in with the coast somewhere near Cape Codera.
We made the land about fifty miles to windward of LaGuayra, in the
afternoon, about three o'clock. Captain Moncrieff clapped his hands in
ecstasy when he saw the land. "If this breeze holds," said he, "we can
run along under easy sail and be off the harbor before daylight tomorrow
morning."

His exultation was moderated by the sight of a large topsail schooner
on our starboard quarter, dead to windward, steering towards us under
a heavy press of sail, and coming up hand over hand. We hoisted our
square-sail and wet our other sails, but the schooner gained upon us
rapidly. Ere the darkness of night concealed us from her view, we became
aware that the schooner in chase was a Spanish government vessel, termed
a Guarda Costa, one of the very few armed vessels stationed on that
coast to show that the blockade of the Patriot ports on the Spanish Main
was not a mere paper blockade.

A hasty consultation between the captain and the mate was now held, to
devise means of keeping out of the clutches of the Spaniard during the
night. They both agreed in the opinion that the Guarda Costa would keep
on the course she was steering when last seen, with the expectation of
soon overhauling us. Therefore, the best mode of disappointing those
expect