tle and after hatchway, stove our
compasses to pieces in the binnacles, cut away tiller-ropes, halliards,
braces, and most of our running rigging, cut our sails to pieces badly;
took a tub of tarred rope-yarn and what combustibles they could find
about deck, put them in the caboose house and set them on fire; then
left us, taking with them our boat and colors. When they got alongside
of the schooner they scuttled our boat, took in their own, and made
sail, steering to the eastward.

As soon as they left us, we got up out of the cabin scuttle, which they
had neglected to secure, and extinguished the fire, which if it had been
left a few minutes, would have caught the mainsail and set our masts on
fire. Soon after we saw a ship to leeward of us steering to the S.E. the
schooner being in pursuit of her did not overtake her whilst she was in
sight of us.

It was doubtless their intention to burn us up altogether, but seeing
the ship, and being eager for more plunder they did not stop fully to
accomplish their design. She was a low strait schooner of about one
hundred and fifty tons, painted black with a narrow white streak, a
large head with the horn of plenty painted white, large maintopmast but
no yards or sail on it. Mast raked very much, mainsail very square at
the head, sails made with split cloth and all new; had two long brass
twelve pounders and a large gun on a pivot amidships, and about seventy
men, who appeared to be chiefly Spaniards and mulattoes.

[Illustration: _Pirates robbing the brig Mexican of Salem, Mass._]

The object of the voyage being frustrated by the loss of the specie,
nothing now remained but for the Mexican to make the best of her way
back to Salem, which she reached in safety. The government of the United
States struck with the audacity of this piracy, despatched a cruiser in
pursuit of them. After a fruitless voyage in which every exertion was
made, and many places visited on the coast of Africa, where it was
supposed the rascals might be lurking, the chase was abandoned as
hopeless, no clue being found to their "whereabouts."

The Panda after robbing the Mexican, pursued her course across the
Atlantic, and made Cape Monte; from this she coasted south, and after
passing Cape Palmas entered the Gulf of Guinea, and steered for Cape
Lopez which she reached in the first part of November. Cape Lopez de
Gonzalves, in lat. 0 deg. 36' 2" south, long. 80 deg. 40' 4" east, is
so called from its fir