a noble ship, of twelve hundred and fifty tons,
frigate-built, and only nine years old, splendidly fitted up, and full
to the hatches of coffee, tobacco, spices, and other valuables; she also
had a reputation for speed, which had induced her skipper to hazard the
homeward voyage alone, instead of waiting for convoy. The poor old
fellow was of course dreadfully cut up at his misfortune--for, having
been in the enemy's hands more than twenty-four hours, she was a
recapture in the legal sense of the term, and, as such, we were entitled
to salvage for her. However, unfortunate as was the existing state of
affairs, it was of course vastly better than that of a _few_ hours
before, and he interrupted himself in his bemoanings to thank me for
having rescued him out of the hands of those Philistines, the French
privateersmen. I informed him that it would be my duty to take him into
Fort Royal, but he received the news with equanimity, explaining that
even had I not insisted on it, he should certainly, after his recent
experience, have availed himself of my escort to return to Kingston, and
there await convoy. I breakfasted with him and his passengers, and
then, leaving Christie aboard as prize master, returned to the schooner;
and we all made sail in company, arriving at Port Royal five days later,
without further adventure.

The admiral was, as might be expected, immensely pleased at our
appearance with _three_ prizes in company, and still more so when I
reported to him the discovery and destruction of Morillo's headquarters.

"You have done well, my boy, wonderfully well; better even than I
expected of you," said he, shaking me heartily by the hand. "Go on as
you have begun, and I venture to prophesy that it will not be long
before I shall feel justified in giving you t'other `swab,'" pointing,
as he spoke, to my single epaulet.

To say that I was delighted at my reception but very feebly expresses
the feelings that overwhelmed me as the kind old fellow spoke such
generous words of appreciation and encouragement. Of course I knew that
I had done well, but I regarded my success as due fully as much to good
fortune as to my own efforts, and I was almost overwhelmed with joy at
so full and complete a recognition of my efforts. So astonished indeed
was I, that I could only stammer something to the effect that our
success was due quite as much to the loyalty with which Christie and
Lindsay had seconded me, and the gallantr