that time so sick and weak I could scarcely keep life and soul
together; but after grew better and better. We prosecuted our voyage,
touching for about a week at the Madeiras in our way. The captain grew
very fond of me, and never put me to hard duty, and I passed my time,
under his favour, very pleasantly. One evening, being within sixty
leagues of the Cape of Palms, calm weather, but the little wind we had
against us, one of our men spied a sail, and gave the captain notice of
it He, not suspecting danger, minded it little, and we made what way the
wind would permit, but night coming on, and the calm continuing, about
peep of day we perceived we were infallibly fallen in with a French
privateer, who, hoisting French colours, called out to us to strike. Our
captain had scarce time to consider what to do, they were so near us;
but as he had twenty-two men on board, and eight guns he could bring
to, he called all hands upon deck, and telling them the consequence of a
surrender, asked them if they would stand by him. One and all swore
they would fight the ship to the bottom, rather than fall into the
privateer's hands. The captain immediately gave the word for a clear
deck, prepared his firearms, and begged them to be active and obey
orders; and perceiving the privateer out-numbered our hands by
abundance, he commanded all the small arms to be brought upon deck
loaded, and to run out as many of the ship's guns as she could bring to
on one side, and to charge them all with small shot, then stand to till
he gave directions. The privateer being a light ship, and a small breeze
arising, run up close to us, first firing one gun, then another, still
calling out to us to strike, but we neither returned fire nor answer,
till he came almost within pistol-shot of us, and seeing us a small
vessel, thought to board us directly; but then our captain ordered a
broadside, and immediately all hands to come on deck; himself standing
there at the time of our first fire with his fusee in his hand, and
near him I stood with another. We killed eight men and wounded several
others. The privateer then fired a broadside through and through us.
By this time our hands were all on deck, and the privateer pushing, in
hopes to grapple and board us, we gave them a volley from thence, that
did good execution; and then all hands to the ship's guns again, except
four, who were left along with me to charge the small arms. It is
incredible how soon they had