e "Royal Family" continued upon its way, made many captures,
and--after eight months--put into the harbor of Lisbon with prizes and
prize-money amounting to L220,000 (about $1,100,000). So you can see
that privateering was a very lucrative trade in those days, when
successfully pursued. Not a single man had been killed aboard the
little fleet, but many had been severely wounded. The ships were
overhauled, refitted, and, being joined by the _Prince Frederick_,
amounted to six in number, for the vessel captured in the harbor of
Safia had been converted into a full-fledged privateer. Now was to be
one of the most gruelling sea-fights in which George Walker ever
engaged.

In the month of October the squadron was cruising off of Lagos Bay, on
the coast of Portugal, when a large sail was sighted at about five in
the morning. The _Princess Amelia_ was at anchor in the harbor of
Lagos, so Captain Walker sent a small sloop (a recent capture) after
her to tell her to "Hurry up and get under way," while he gave signal
to the other vessels to chase the stranger at once. All started after
the foreigner, who stood to the northward and could be seen to be
crowding on all possible canvas. There were four ships in this merry
little chase, but two of them--the _Duke_ and the _Prince
George_--dropped out, after about an hour's run. They either could
not get up, or else their captains grew tired of the affair.

On, on, went the other privateers, and--at about noon--Walker drew
near the fugitive, in the _King George_. The _Prince Frederick_, with
her twenty-six guns, was still some distance away, but Walker kept
after the stranger, although he now saw that she was a large
vessel,--much more powerful than the _King George_, with her
thirty-two guns and three hundred men. He was rapidly nearing the big
fellow, when it grew suddenly calm, so that neither could move.

At this moment an ejaculation of astonishment burst from the lips of
some of the officers aboard the saucy _King George_.

"She's a seventy-four!" cried several. "We're in a tight hole!"

Sure enough, the pursued hoisted her colors, ran out her guns, and
showed herself to be a man-of-warsman carrying seventy-four cannon:
over double the amount of armament aboard the plucky _King George_.

"I can't make out whether she's Spanish or Portuguese," said Captain
Walker, gazing carefully at her drooping flag.

The colors hung down in the dead calm, and it was impossible to tell
w