r venturing, without much risk, over to
our side of the Channel, on the look-out for homeward-bound British
ships. To encounter such a customer as this would mean plenty of hard
knocks, without very much profit, and with just the chance of losing one
or the other of our prizes. We were, therefore, heartily thankful to
find a clear horizon all round us when the fog cleared away. We were
destined, however, to have another bout with a Frenchman before long, as
will presently appear.

We had made the high land of Portland about half an hour when the sounds
of distant firing were faintly borne to our ears; and shortly afterwards
two craft, a cutter and a brig--the latter evidently in chase of the
former--hove into view, broad on our weather-bow. The firing was not
very heavy, it is true, but it was briskly maintained; and as they came
sweeping rapidly down toward us it became apparent that the two craft
were exchanging shots from their bow and stern-chasers respectively.
The cutter was flying the British ensign, while the brig sported the
tricolour; and, the two vessels being dead before the wind, the brig
carrying studding-sails on both sides, the Frenchman seemed to be
getting rather the best of it, overhauling the cutter slowly but surely.
As soon as this was seen, the _Dolphin_ hove-to and put ten more men on
board the _Belle Jeannette_, with orders to me to close with the
Indiaman, and to clear for action, both which orders I obeyed without
loss of time. And, while doing so, the _Dolphin_ and ourselves hoisted
British colours, as a hint to the brig that if she dared to meddle with
us we were quite ready for her. The cutter and the brig happened to be
steering a course that would bring them close aboard of our little
squadron, and when the Frenchman saw the colour of our bunting he began
at once to shorten sail by taking in his studding-sails, preparatory, as
we supposed, to hauling his wind out of so perilous a neighbourhood.

But in supposing thus we were mistaken; the fellow evidently at once hit
off our respective characters to a T; he saw that the lugger--under
jury-masts and bearing other unmistakable signs of having been very
recently in action--was a prize; no doubt judged the Indiaman to be a
recapture; and--perhaps believing that, with these two prizes, the
schooner would be very short-handed--quickly made up his mind that
either of the three would be more valuable than the cutter to him. At
all events