vinced that the successful American frigate was
the "Constitution;" a conjecture in which he was correct, for the news
referred to the celebrated action of that ship with the "Java." The
captured American corvette, he concluded, must be the "Hornet;" but
herein the captain was wrong, for the "Hornet" was at that moment
blockading the "Bonne Citoyenne."

Porter now found it necessary to decide upon a course of action. The
news which he had received made it appear most improbable that he
would fall in with either of the United States vessels for which he
was seeking. He was far from home, cruising in seas much frequented by
British men-of-war. There were no naval stations or outposts belonging
to the United States, into which he could put for protection or
repairs; for then, as now, the nation ignored the necessity of such
supply-stations. To return home was peculiarly distasteful to the
captain, who had set sail with the intention of undertaking a long
cruise. In this dilemma, he wasted but little time in thought. By
rounding Cape Horn, he would carry the "Essex" into the Pacific Ocean,
where British merchantmen abounded and men-of-war were few. It was an
adventurous and a perilous expedition to undertake; but Porter, having
decided upon it, wasted no time in getting under way. That very night
he took his ship out of the snug harbor of St. Catherine's, and
started upon his long voyage around the Horn.

A winter voyage around Cape Horn, even in the stoutest of ships, is an
undertaking to be dreaded by the most courageous seamen. The "Essex"
seemed to meet with more than her share of stormy weather. From the
night when she set sail from St. Catherine's, until she dropped anchor
in a harbor of the Island of Mocha, almost every day witnessed a
struggle for supremacy between the raging ocean on the one side, and
skilful seamanship and nautical science on the other. Capt. Porter,
however, proved himself ready for every emergency. No peril of the
deep was unforeseen, no ounce of prevention unprovided. The safety of
his ship, and the health of his men, were ever in his thoughts; and
accordingly, when the "Essex" rounded into the Pacific Ocean, both
men and ship were in condition to give their best service to the
enterprise in which they were embarked.

After rounding Cape Horn, the "Essex" made her way northward along the
desolate coast of Chili, until she reached the Island of Mocha. Here
she anchored for a day, giving the c