PORTER S JOURNAL, 



235 



terj fast. At meridian, we were sufficiently near to ascer- 

 tain that she was a whale-ship, and then employed in cut- 

 ting up whales. From her general appearance, some were 

 of opinion that it was the same ship that had given us so 

 long a chase, and put us to so much trouble, near Abington 

 Island. She was, however, painted very differently, and 

 from her showing no appearance of alarm, I had my doubts 

 on the subject. I had got possession of some of the whale- 

 men's signals, and made one which had been agreed on be- 

 tween a captain William Porter and the captain of the New 

 Zealander, in case they should meet. I did not know but 

 this might be captain Porter's ship, and that the signal might 

 be the means of shortening the chase, by inducing him to 

 come down to us. 



At one o'clock we were at the distance of four miles 

 from the chase, when she cast off from the whales she had 

 along side, and made all sail from us. Every thing was 

 now set to the best advantage on board the Essex, and at 

 four o'clock we were within gunshot, when, after firing six 

 or eight sliot at her, she bore down under our lee, and 

 struck her colours. She proved to be the British letter of 

 marque ship, Sir Andrew Plammond, pierced for twenty 

 guns, commissioned for sixteen, but had only twelve mount- 

 ed, with a complement of thirty-six men, and commanded 

 by the identical captain Porter whose signal I had hoisted. 

 Bat the most agreeable circumstance of the whole was, 

 that this was the same ship we had formerly chased ; and 

 the captain assured me, that our ship had been so strangely 

 altered, that he supposed her to be a v/hale-ship until we 

 were within three or four miles of him, and it was too late to 

 escape. Nor did he suppose her to be a frigate until we 

 were within gun shot, and indeed never would have sus- 

 pected her to be the same ship that had chased him be- 

 fore, as she did not now appear above one half the size she 

 did formerly. 



The decks of this ship were full of the blubber of the 

 whales they had cut in, but had not time to try out. The 

 captain informed me there was as much as would make 

 from eighty to ninety barrels, and that it would require 

 three days to try it out. But as I understood that it would 

 be worth between two and three thousand dollars, I deter- 

 mined that it should not be lost. I therefore put on board 



