e-Admiral Hall with another squadron of seven
ships joined us. The admiral had now under him a fleet capable of
coping with that of either France or Spain. His first object, however,
was to capture the corsairs, who were committing much damage among the
merchant vessels. It was still unknown in what direction they had gone,
when, the day after Admiral Hall's squadron had reached us, a vessel was
seen coming from the south.

On approaching she hove to, and her master came on board the flag-ship.
His vessel, he said, was the only one which had escaped from Malaga, on
the coast of Andalusia, into which the corsairs had entered and burnt
six of his consorts under the very guns of the Spanish batteries.

"We shall catch them at last!" exclaimed the admiral on receiving this
information, a gleam of satisfaction lighting up his countenance.

Having taken some stores on board which had just arrived from England,
we made sail for the Straits of Gibraltar, Admiral Penn with his
squadron being left to watch outside the entrance to catch the corsairs,
should they endeavour to escape from the Mediterranean. With a fair
wind we stood in for the gut, the lofty rock, on which we could discern
only a few ruins on our left, and the coast of Africa on our right.

For centuries no English admiral's flag had been seen in the
Mediterranean, our merchant vessels trading in those seas being thus
exposed to the attacks of pirates without hope of redress. On coming
off Malaga, we found to our disappointment that the princes had fled, in
what direction no one would inform us. While we lay there, a furious
gale threatened the destruction of our ships, but we rode it out in
safety.

Just as we were sailing, information was brought that the pirates were
in Cartagena. Pressing on all sail, we made for that port. As we came
off it, our hearts beat high with satisfaction, for there lay the fleet
for which we were in search.

The admiral, who was well acquainted with the dilatoriness of Spanish
diplomacy, not waiting for leave, bearing down on the corsairs attacked
the _Roebuck_, the largest of their ships, and quickly mastered her.

Another was set on fire, while the remainder, cutting their cables, ran
on shore utterly disabled. Great, however, was our disappointment not
to find either of the princes; and we learned from some of the prisoners
that they had both been separated from the rest of the squadron during
the gale, but what had