ships, undoubtedly built from
the same model, most probably launched from the same stocks, and made to
resemble each other so absolutely in every respect, down to the most
insignificant detail, that it was impossible to distinguish one from the
other, excepting at close quarters. But one was an American--named the
_Virginia_, hailing from New Orleans, and manned by a Yankee crew--while
the other--the _Preciosa_--sailed under the Spanish flag, and was manned
by Spaniards. They were phenomenally fast vessels, and simply laughed
at the efforts of ships of the squadron to overtake them; but they had
been caught in calms on three or four occasions, and boarded by means of
boats; when, by a curious freak of fortune, if the boarding party
happened to be British, it always proved to be the American that they
had boarded; while, if the boarders happened to be American, it was the
Spaniard that they found themselves meddling with. Thus, as there was
no treaty existing between Spain and the United States of America on the
one hand, and England and the United States on the other, conferring
mutual rights of search and capture, the vessels had thus far escaped.
But now, with two such speedy craft as the _Eros_ and the _Dolphin_, it
was confidently hoped that the Spaniard at least would soon be brought
to book; when, there being no possibility of further confusion, it was
believed that the Americans--who, in consequence of repeated
disappointments, had manifested a disposition to leave both craft
severely alone--might be induced to renew their interest and speedily
capture the _Virginia_.

As soon as Captain Perry learned that his special mission was to put a
stop to the operations of these notorious vessels, he made it his
business to institute exhaustive inquiries in every direction, with the
object of acquiring the fullest possible information relative to their
movements. Although he had been unable to learn anything very definite
he had finally come to the conclusion that at least one of them--which
one he could not be certain--was now well on her way to the other side
of the Atlantic; so he reasoned that if we proceeded with all despatch
to the West Indies, and maintained a careful watch upon the mouth of the
Old Bahama Channel, we should be almost certain to fall in with one or
the other of them upon her next eastward trip.

Accordingly, on a certain day, the _Eros_ and the _Dolphin_ sailed in
company from Sierra Leone, an