PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
181 
escape me, I caused the prizes to spread off in different directions, 
keeping at signal-distance, and there to keep a good look-out, 
with orders to make a signal to me in the event of their discover¬ 
ing any strange vessel, but ordered them to close in with the 
Essex at night, to guard against separation. 
Benjamin Geers on this day departed this life, after an illness 
of about two hours. He complained of a violent pain in his 
breast, was constantly calling for water, and died in violent con¬ 
vulsions, frothing very much at the mouth. His death could not 
be well accounted for; many were of opinion, and myself among 
others, that he had taken arsenic ; and yet we could assign no 
reason for his doing so, as he always appeared perfectly happy 
and contented. He was a valuable man on board the ship, and 
his death was much regretted. 
On the afternoon of the 28th, as we were standing to the 
northward with the Montezuma in tow, the Barclay looking out 
on our starboard, and the Policy on our larboard quarter, the men 
on the look-out on board the Essex discovered a sail right a-head; 
immediately the Montezuma was cast off, and all sail made in 
chace. At sunset we could see her plainly from deck, and, as 
she was standing from us with all the sail she could crowd, I en¬ 
tertained no hopes of coming up with her in the night, as I had 
no doubts of her altering her course, and thus eluding us. I 
continued, however, to carry all the sail the ship would bear, in 
hopes of nearing him as much as possible; and, being well aware 
of the prevalence of calms in this quarter, I had strong hopes 
that, as usual, it would fall calm before morning, and keep us in 
sight of each other; but as the wind continued fresh, and believ¬ 
ing he would change his course as soon as it grew dark, I hove 
to, at 9 o’clock, for the other vessels to come up, when I directed 
the Montezuma to run N.W. (which was his bearing when we 
last saw him) seven miles, and then heave to, the Barclay to run 
the same distance to the east, and I intended sending the Policy 
to the S.W., but she did not come up in time. This arrange¬ 
ment I hoped would enable one or the other of the vessels to get 
sight of the chace in the morning, and I was not disappointed ; 
for next day the Montezuma made a signal for a sail to the north- 
