mensions. She had
no pretensions whatever to speed, while the schooner was, as I have
elsewhere said, exceptionally fast; it was not wonderful, therefore,
that we rapidly overhauled her without an effort.

It was my impression that, as the Spaniard was probably homeward-bound
from that part of the world toward which we were steering, Renouf was
anxious to speak her and obtain what information he could with regard to
the state of affairs generally in that quarter; and I was therefore not
surprised at his persistent pursuit of the ship. But when later on in
the day we had closed her to within gun-shot distance, and he began to
fire into her, I certainly thought he was again carrying things with
rather a high hand, and that, if he was not careful, he would probably
get himself into serious trouble over the affair. Still it was no
business of mine. The Spaniards, like the French, were at war with us,
and if they chose to make war upon each other also it was not for me to
object; on the contrary, any action calculated to produce a feeling of
ill-will between the two nations could not fail to be of advantage to
Great Britain. I therefore felt no qualms of conscience whatever when
called upon to take my station at one of the guns, and did my duty with
hearty good-will.

We continued firing at the Spaniard for about half an hour, in a very
leisurely way, but with such deliberate aim that every shot struck her;
and then, without firing a shot in return, the great hulking craft
shortened sail and hove-to. Ten minutes later we, too, were hove-to
within pistol-shot of the Spaniard's weather quarter, and we then had an
opportunity to learn, by the gilt lettering on her stern, that she was
the _Santa Theresa_, of Cadiz. The _Jean Bart's_ three boats were at
once lowered, and a party of about forty men, armed to the teeth, and
led by Captain Renouf, his brother Gabriel, and young Dumaresq pushed
off to take possession.

I thought this last a most extraordinary proceeding, France and Spain
being then on friendly terms with each other; moreover, it at once
disabused me of the impression that it was information only that Renouf
was seeking. Still, it was no business of mine; and even had it been,
that was certainly not the moment for me to interfere, surrounded as I
was by some forty evil-looking ruffians, fully armed, and the schooner
in charge of the second mate--the most evil-looking scoundrel of the
lot, and, moreover, a m