SOME ACCOUNT OF A CAPTIVITY. 91 



much way as we did, heavily laden as we were with the wind upon 

 our quarter. She had a British ensign flying at her mast-head, and 

 had a number of men upon her deck, but mounted no guns. She 

 might have been a fishing-boat or a smuggler's craft ; at all events, 

 she excited no apprehension in our captain, who kept steadily on his 

 course. I ought to mention, that the time I speak of was in 1808, 

 the very height of the French war, and privateers were running as 

 thick as musquitoes. 



" Steady there, keep her steady ! you d d Portuguese lubber !" 

 bawled the captain to the man at the helm. 



" Steady she is, sare !" muttered the Portuguese steersman but 

 the fellow was evidently attending but little to his steerage. His 

 eyes were wandering towards the lugger which was rapidly 

 nearing us. 



" What the devil is the fellow staring at?" cried the skipper; ee she 

 is but an English fishing-boat." 



" I no mind eat all de fish she eber caught," said the Portuguese, 

 with the look of one who knows well what he is saying. " Senhor 

 Capitaine, I tell to you, if she be no privateer, I be no Portuguese." 

 Now the Portuguese was an old man-of-war sailor, and was a tolerable 

 professor of naval physiognomy ; he could tell you directly what a 

 strange sail was by the " cut of her jib," but our captain was on his 

 first voyage from England ; he had been accustomed to the collier 

 service, and therefore had but little experience in these matters. The 

 thing seemed to him to be absurd a privateer coming down upon 

 and in sight of his own shore. 



" Privateer or devil," said Ward, " while we've six guns weneed 

 not go out of our way for her." 



" Just hold your palaver about privateers," said the master ; " she's 

 just as much a privateer as I am, and lift a thowt in the fore- top- 

 sail there belay there steady now. There, master Portuguese, 

 you see the craft wants nothing of us." The little vessel was indeed 

 passing like a shot without taking any notice. She appeared full of ' 

 men, as odd a looking group as ever I saw, all wearing red night- 

 caps and large fishermen's boots. The captain took his speaking 

 trumpet. 



" Lugger a-hoy !" No answer. " You see she's a smuggler 

 evidently," said the captain, " but that's no concern of ours ; we're 

 no revenue cutter." 



" You shall see, sare," said the Portuguese ; ' ' you tink she got 

 noting to say." (l You shall see." " Mind your helm, and be d d 

 to you, or I shall have something to say to you," returned the other, 

 though evidently a little disconcerted. 



" By my sowl, and the Portugee's right !" cried Ward ; " look at 

 her." The lugger having slanted across our stern upon a tack, now 

 bore up before the wind, and was rapidly overhauling us sailing 

 about ten feet for our one. 



' ' Ah, sare," said the Portuguese, " you tink she noting to say now ?" 



" Now, captain," cried Ward, " this is past a joke ; but let us run 

 out our guns, and bring our broad-side to bear on 'em ; by Jazus, if 

 one round shot catches 'em it will blow the tieves out of the water." 



