at island. We accomplished the passage in five
days, and landed the men, who were glad enough to plant their feet on
mother earth once more, after knocking about in their confined quarters
for nearly a fortnight.

During our absence, information of the evacuation of Toulon by Lord Hood
had reached the island, and it was taken quite for granted that, going
to the place in ignorance of this important fact, as we were, we should
inevitably fall into some trap and be made prisoners; when therefore we
put in an appearance once more, and the details of our escape were made
known, we immediately became the object of unbounded curiosity and
admiration. Hundreds flocked to see the ship (many of them being
intensely disappointed at the almost entire absence of visible
indications of the peril through which she had passed), and officers and
men alike were pointed out and looked after in the streets, until we ran
the greatest risk of becoming inordinately vain of our exploit. The
admiration of the islanders did not end here, however; for it being
deemed advisable to place the frigate in dry dock to examine her bottom
and smooth her copper, after having touched the ground, as well as to
make good a few defects which were beyond our own unaided powers, we
were balled, _feted_, picnicked, and generally made much of for three
days by the excitable and pleasure-loving inhabitants, at the end of
which time, our repairs being completed, we were hurried away to sea
with sealed orders, to be opened off Cape Spartivento.

We arrived off this headland on the 22nd of January, and Captain Hood
then learned that we were to remain on the spot until the evening of the
24th, when, if no farther instructions reached him, he was to open a
sealed paper which he found enclosed with his orders. The ship was
accordingly hove-to and placed under reefed topsails, a private signal
was hoisted at the main-royal-mast-head, and in order that the time
might not be absolutely wasted, the crew were put through a special
course of drill.

A sharp lookout was maintained, in order that there might be no
possibility of our being passed unobserved by any craft bearing later
instructions; but though we saw plenty of feluccas passing along the
coast, the only craft which came at all near us was a magnificent 40-gun
frigate, which hoisted French colours and bore down towards us on our
showing our ensign; but having approached within four miles and lying
hove-to fo