long before
the _Vincejo_ had reached her rendezvous, her late prize was safe in
the harbour at Nice. When Captain Long had reported to Captain
Cockburn what had taken place, the latter was by no means disposed to
approve of his junior's decision. He thought the circumstance
extremely suspicious, and quite sufficient to have justified the
detention of the American; and not being under the influence of the
gaunt aspects and energetic pleadings of the Frenchmen, he was not
inclined to admit the weight of their arguments. 'I think,' said he,
'you might as well have brought her to me: I daresay I could have made
something of her.' From the other captains of the squadron, too,
Captain Long had to undergo much good-humoured raillery for his
tender-heartedness and gullibility; raillery which certainly lost
nothing in force, when in a few days the real nature of the adventure
became known.

The French having soon afterwards abandoned Leghorn, Captain Cockburn
sent one of his squadron into that port for supplies. The intelligence
she brought back was truly mortifying. On the arrival of the _Theresa_
at Leghorn, it appeared that the _Hercules_ was the object of much
interest there, and great eagerness had been displayed to learn
whether anything was known of her fate. When the facts were
communicated, they were received with absolute incredulity. 'Captured,
examined, and let go! It was impossible. Nothing to condemn her! Why,
she was loaded with booty. The plunder of Italy was on board her.
Pictures, church-plate, statues, the _elite_ of the spoilers'
collections, had been sent off in her. She was actually ballasted with
brass guns!' It was too true. Upon further inquiry, it appeared,
beyond a doubt, that the vessel which had been so unfortunately
dismissed as not worth detaining, had French plunder on board, which,
on a moderate estimate, was valued at a million and a half sterling;
and what made it still more vexatious was the discovery, that a
detention of the vessel even for a few hours longer, would have led to
the disclosure by the captain of the real nature of his venture. He
had with difficulty been prevailed on to undertake the transport of
the articles in question, and had only at last consented to do so, on
an express agreement, that if he should be detained twenty-four hours
by a British cruiser, he should be at liberty to make terms for saving
his vessel by denouncing the contents of his cargo. No doubt it was
his