ering the wreck,
they were resolved to take their chance, and stand to the northward between
the two islands.

In the evening, a fresh breeze sprung up, and we shaped a course
accordingly. The two ships had it presently afterwards, and neared us
amazingly fast. Now every body on board gave themselves up; the officers
were busy in their cabins filling their pockets with what was most
valuable; the men put on their best clothes, and many of them came to me
with little lumps of gold, desiring I would take them, as they said they
had much rather I should benefit by them, whom they were acquainted with,
than those that chaced them. I told them there was time enough, though I
thought they were as surely taken as if the English had been already on
board. A fine moonlight night came on, and we expected every moment to see
the ships alongside of us; but we saw nothing of them in the night, and to
our great astonishment in the morning no ships were to be seen even from
the mast-head. Thus did these two cruizers lose one of the richest prizes
by not chasing an hour or two longer. There were near two millions of
dollars on board, besides a valuable cargo.

On the eighth, at six in the morning, we were off Cape La Grange; and, what
is very remarkable, the French at Cape Francois told us afterwards that was
the only day they ever remembered since the war, that the cape had been
without one or two English privateers cruising off it; and but the evening
before two of them had taken two outward-bound St Domingo-men, and had gone
with them for Jamaica, so that this ship might be justly esteemed a most
lucky one. In the afternoon we came to an anchor in Cape Francois harbour.

In this long run we had not buried a single man, nor do I remember that
there was one sick the whole passage, but at this place many were taken
ill, and three or four died, for there is no part of the West Indies more
unhealthy than this; yet the country is beautiful, and extremely well
cultivated. After being here some time, the governor ordered us to wait
upon him, which we did, when he took no more notice of us than if we had
been his slaves, never asking us even to sit down.

Towards the end of August, a French squadron of five men of war came in,
commanded by Monsieur L'Etanducre, who were to convoy the trade to France.
Neither he nor his officers ever took any kind of notice of Captain Cheap,
though we met them every day ashore. One evening, as we were going