here was no vessel particularly near her. Those
of the mercantile navy that most enjoyed her propinquity did not seem,
by the press of sail that they were carrying, to think the situation
very enviable. However, the Falcon, one of our men-of-war brigs, was
between this schooner and all the convoy, with the signal flying, "May I
chase?"

But this was not all; a whitish haze cleared up; to the northward there
was a spanking felucca, with her long lanteen sails brailed up, and
sweeping about in the very centre of a knot of dull sailing merchant
vessels, four of which, by their altered courses, had evidently been
taken possession of. Reversing the good old adage, first come first
served, we turned our attention to the last appearance. We made the
signal to the other man-of-war brig, the _Curlew_, to chase and capture
the felucca, she not being more than two miles distant from her.

No sooner did the convoy generally begin to find out how matters stood,
than like a parcel of fussy and frightened old women, they began to pop,
pop, pop, firing away their one and two-pounders in all directions, and
those farthest from the scene of action serving their guns the quickest,
and firing the oftenest. It seemed to them of but little consequence,
so long as the guns were fired, where the shot fell. Now this was a
great nuisance, as it prevented, by the smoke it raised, our signals
from being distinguished, even if these belligerents in a a small way,
had not been so occupied by these demonstrations of their valour from
attending to them. Indeed, the volumes of smoke the popping created,
became very considerable. I do not now know if there be any convoy
signal in the merchant code equivalent to "cease firing." If there were
at that time, I am sure it was displayed, but displayed or not, the
hubbub was on the increase. We were at last compelled to fire shot over
these pugnacious tubs to quiet them, and there was thus acted the
singular spectacle of three vessels capturing the convoy, whilst the
artillery of its principal protector appeared to be incessantly playing
upon it.

Having our attention so much divided, there was a great deal of activity
and bustle, though no confusion on our decks. We were hoisting out the
boats to make the recaptures, and dividing the marines into parties to
go in each. In the midst of all this hurry, when Mr Farmer, our
gallant first-lieutenant, was much heated, a droll circumstance
occurred, t