392 The Story of the New England Whalers 



modore. Said Captain J. M. Willis, one of the 

 captains, in regard to this choice: 



"When all preparations were made, we decided 

 on Rodney French for commodore of the fleet. 

 Rodney, who was afterwards mayor of New 

 Bedford, was a pretty good fellow, told a good 

 story, and was generally liked by the rest of the 

 captains. There was only one of the captains 

 who thought Rodney was not the man for the 

 position." 



On November 20, at 7 o'clock in the morning, 

 the fleet weighed anchor and reached down 

 Buzzard's Bay in a flock, piling on the canvas 

 and racing like a fleet of yachts on a club cruise. 

 They were bound for Savannah as a rendezvous, 

 and the survivors yet tell with glee that the com- 

 modore's ship was the last to arrive because 

 he took the coast route while the others reached 

 offshore and held a good wind. On December 

 19 and 20 they gathered in the channel at Charles- 

 ton, where Acting Master George H. Bradbury, 

 of the frigate Wabasb^ located each ship. Then 

 all were stripped of their sails and rigging, the 

 masts were cut away on most of them, and, the 



