em with the Admiral's barge,
the guard boat, and the two feluccas; nor would they even ask for their
parole nor impose a restriction of any sort upon them. The Spaniards'
astonishment on being captured had been very great, but it was greater
still when they received this information. I did not hear what the
Admiral said, but I know he made a very long speech, full of
grandiloquent words, that he pressed his hands to his heart very often,
and in other ways endeavoured to show his sense of British magnanimity.
Evening coming on, he and his countrymen took their departure in their
respective boats, some of which were rather overcrowded, as, of course,
they had to carry the crews of the gunboats which we had detained.

Our ship's company shook hands with all the men as they helped them into
their boats, and parted from them with three hearty cheers, as if they
had been their dearest friends. As soon as our guests had departed, we
once more stood out of the bay with our three prizes, keeping away to
the south in the hopes of visiting other places before the information
of our true character could reach them. The gunboats were manned, a
lieutenant from the "Zephyr" taking charge of one of them, and our
junior lieutenant and Mr Oliver having the command of the other two.

They were respectively named by the ship's company the "Bam," the "Boo,"
and the "Zel". The "Zephyr" took the "Bam" in tow, while we had the
"Boo" and the "Zel". It was young Mr Oliver's first command, and with
no small pleasure he descended the ship's side to go and take charge of
the craft, fully expecting to perform great deeds in her. Many another
young man has done the same, and found, after all, his expectations
sadly disappointed. I remember perfectly watching the little vessels as
they followed in our wake. They were handsome, graceful craft, very
well fitted for the work for which they were intended, cruising along
shore, and being able to run into harbour again on the appearance of bad
weather. Somehow or other Englishmen are apt to think if a vessel can
float she is fit to go anywhere, and that there is no considerable
difference between smooth water and a heavy cross sea,--a summer breeze
and a snorting gale.

Mr Oliver had with him a young midshipman, ten seamen, and a boy--a
very much smaller crew than the gunboat had under the Spanish flag. Of
course, however, fewer Englishmen are required to man a vessel than
Spaniards, not but th