ination
to wreak vengeance upon the ships of both nations.

Not two days later we were roused at dawn by the muffled cry of "Ship,
ho!" and slipping up on deck, found the _Siren_ within a cable's-length
of a British frigate. The surprise was complete, for the British sighted
us within a few moments after they were themselves seen. Detecting
Lafitte's attempt to set more sail, they fired a solid shot across our
bows. Our captain could do no other than obey this grim signal to
heave-to, since disobedience would have meant the blowing of the sloop
to matchwood by the frigate's broadside of long eighteen-pounders.

According to a prearranged plan, the half-dozen British seamen in our
crew and a dozen of the more English-appearing Americans at once slipped
down into the hold, where they were hidden by their shipmates in a
stow-hole prepared for the purpose in the midst of the cargo. Meantime,
cursing beneath his breath, Captain Lafitte paced his little
quarterdeck, if so it may be called, and stared at the frigate's cutter,
which came racing toward us over the dancing waves in the refulgent glow
of the low, red sunrays. It was a pretty sight, but one which not a man
aboard looked upon with other than a sour face.

Very shortly the cutter came alongside, and we were boarded by a pert
young cockerel of a midshipman, with a following of six or eight
heavy-jawed British tars. Meeting Captain Lafitte's punctilious bow with
a curt nod, the young fellow demanded to see his papers, and added with
the lordliness of an admiral: "Pipe all hands on deck, and let there be
no stowaways, for I warn you I shall exercise the rights of search and
impressment."

Captain Lafitte made a formal protest against these so-called rights of
search and impressment aboard an American sloop sailing from the neutral
port of New Orleans to the unblockaded port of Vera Cruz. Without
waiting for the insolent reply which this elicited, he sent for the
ship's papers and ordered all hands on deck. While the midshipman
glanced through the papers and log, all the crew, other than those
concealed, assembled in the bows for inspection.

Unable to find a flaw in the papers, for Lafitte and the _Siren_ were
alike certified to as belonging to the port of New Orleans, our
unwelcome visitor ordered the crew to file before him. In all the lot
there was not one British subject nor one who looked like a Briton, yet
the young tyrant picked out, without hesitancy, ten o