_Betsy_ was a fine
large ship, carrying guns, to enable her to defend herself against the
pirates and small privateers, often no better, which at that time
infested the Caribbean Sea, and especially on the Spanish main and round
the coast of Cuba. The cabins of the _Betsy_, on board which many
wealthy West India planters frequently came backwards and forwards, were
for their accommodation fitted up in a style of luxury seldom found on
board merchantmen in general. The _Betsy_ put into Falmouth to take the
family and their baggage on board. She then had to remain till joined
by several other West India ships. Everything was then made ready for
sailing, and a bright look-out was kept for another fleet, bound in the
same direction, coming down channel under convoy of two men-of-war.
They were at length descried, and the ships in Falmouth harbour
immediately got under weigh, and stood out to join them. At that time,
although most of the men-of-war carrying the flag of England's enemies
had been swept from the seas, a large number of their privateers still
remained to annoy and often injure her commerce. It was therefore not
considered safe for merchantmen to sail without the protection of one or
more men-of-war. Mary was delighted with the appearance of the cabins,
so luxurious compared to what she had expected; and she was still more
pleased when, on going on deck, she observed a large fleet of stately
ships with which she was surrounded. The water was calm, the sky clear,
and the sun shone brightly on the pyramids of white canvas towering up
from the black, shining, freshly painted hulls which floated on the blue
ocean in all directions. On the outskirts were the still more stately
men-of-war, their bright-coloured signal flags continually moving up and
down, while they occasionally fired a gun either on one side or the
other, in rather a difficult attempt to keep their somewhat refractory
charges on their proper course. Mary, after watching the manoeuvres of
the men-of-war and the fleet of merchant vessels for some time,
exclaimed--

"Why, papa, they put me in mind of a herd of cattle driven through the
country, the drovers running here and there, shouting loudly, and
sending their sharp barking dogs now to one side, now to the other, to
keep them together."

"Not a bad idea, Mary," answered Captain Rymer. "But should thick
weather come on, or a heavy gale spring up, the work will be much more
difficult. S