ffront I had offered him. I was
glad, however, to find it was no worse. I laughed at his threat; and,
as the very head and front of my offending was only having compared him
to the captain, he could not show any resentment openly, for fear of
displeasing his patron. In short, to be offended at it, was to offer
the greatest possible affront to the man he looked up to for promotion,
and thus destroy all his golden prospects.

As I put this well-timed challenge into my pocket, I walked down the
side, got into my boat, and put off. It wanted but one hour of sunset
when I reached the part where this infernal gig was supposed to be, and
the sky gave strong indications of an approaching gale. Indeed, I do
not believe another captain in the navy could have been found who, at
such a season of the year, would have risked a boat so far from the
ship, on an enemy's coast and a lee-shore, for such a worthless object.

My crew consisted of twenty men and a midshipman. When we arrived off
the mouth of the harbour, we perceived four vessels lying at anchor, and
pulled directly in. We had, however, no opportunity of trying our flag
of truce, for as soon as we came within range of musket-shot a volley
from two hundred concealed militiamen struck down four of my men. There
was then nothing left for it but to board, and bring out the vessels.
Two of them were aground, and we set them on fire, it being dead low
water (thanks to the delay in the morning): in doing this, we had more
men wounded. I then took possession of the other two vessels, and
giving one of them in charge of the midshipman, who was quite a lad, I
desired him to weigh his anchor. I gave him the boat with all the men
except four whom I kept with me. The poor fellow probably lost more
men, for he cut his cable, and got out before me. I weighed my anchor,
but had one of my men killed by a musket-ball in doing it. I stood out
after the midshipman. We had gained an offing of four miles, when a
violent gale and snow-storm came on. The sails belonging to the vessel
all blew to rags immediately, being very old. I had no resource except
to anchor, which I did on a bank, in five fathom water. The other
vessel lost all her sails, and, having no anchor, as I then conjectured
and afterwards learned, drifted on shore and was dashed to pieces, the
people being either frozen to death, wounded, or taken prisoners.

The next morning I could see the vessel lying on shore a