45 



difcretion he held no fort of acquaintance. Cer- 

 tainties alone were his affociates. He faw 

 every thing plain before hirn, and believed 

 that he need only put out his hand to poflefs 

 it. It muft be the fleet ! Thefe fhips were 

 certainly of the convoy, and the Lord Sheffield 

 as certainly one of them. Another boat was 

 accordingly hired, and he infifted upon going 

 out to fea in order to be put on board. It is 

 unaccountable that, evenyet, it fhould not have 

 occurred to him to go on board any fhip of 

 the convoy, which they might be able to make* 

 But no ! he was fure of the Lord Sheffield — * 

 his baggage was on board the Lord Sheffield — 



and the Lord Sheffield was the only 



fhip upon the ocean ! Were it poffible to reach 

 any part of the fleet, it muft be equally fo to 

 gain the Lord Sheffield. But, to his further 

 difappointment, we had again outfailed his 

 fpeed, and had paffed beyond the port from 

 whence he failed to meet us. The veffels feen 

 were a few of the very dulled failors of the 

 convoy— and even thefe were probably too far 

 out at fea to be overtaken in a boat. Yet the 

 boatmen, either from believing it poffible to 

 come up with them — or from availing them- 

 felves of Mac— 's eager impetuofity, to their 



