Channel was thronged with privateers from both countries. The
_Richard_ and a French privateer, in company, re-captured a large ship
belonging to Holland, but bound from Barcelona to Dunkirk, France,
which had been taken some days before by an English vessel off Cape
Ortegal and ordered into Falmouth, England. England and Holland were
still at peace, at this time, but the English claimed the right to
intercept and send into their own port for examination, all neutral
vessels bound to French ports, as England and France were then at war.
Commodore Jones took the English prize-crew out of the Dutch ship, as
prisoners of war, and then ordered the ship into l'Orient in charge of
her own crew, but under the command of one of his midshipmen, until
she could come under the protection of a French port.

"Things are going well with us!" cried Captain Jones, rubbing his
hands gleefully.

He soon felt much happier. For, on the morning of August 23rd, when in
the vicinity of Cape Clear, the _Richard_ sent three boats, and
afterwards a fourth, to take a brig that was becalmed in the northwest
quarter--just out of gun-shot. It proved to be the _Fortune_, of
Bristol, bound from Newfoundland for her home-port with whale-oil,
salt fish, and barrel staves. Manned by a prize-crew of two warrant
officers and six men, she was sent to Nantes.

All were happy. All were looking forward to a good fight. It was to
come to them.

The little fleet of war-dogs sailed northward, and, on September 1st,
about ten o'clock in the morning, the northwest promontory of Scotland
was sighted. At the same instant, two large ships bore in sight on the
same quarter, and another vessel appeared to windward.

"Bear up! Bear up!" cried Jones.

The _Richard_ held over toward the first two ships until he saw that
it was the _Alliance_ and a prize she had taken about daylight,--a
vessel bound for Jamaica, from London.

"Now chase the other fellow!" he cried, turning the wheel with his own
hands, and soon the _Good Richard_ was bounding over the waves in hard
pursuit of the second sail. Slowly but surely she was overhauled.
Heavily armed, she did not surrender until after the exchange of
several shots, which the _Richard_ pumped into her, after running up
close enough to show her broadside.

A boat soon carried a number of seamen to take possession of her, and
she proved to be the British privateer, the _Union_, mounting
twenty-two six-pounders, and bound