PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
223 
he kept up a constant fire on our boats, having hauled down his 
American colours and hoisted English. At 4 o’clock on the af¬ 
ternoon of the 30th, both ships were perfectly becalmed, at the 
distance of 31 miles from each other, our two boats lying ahead of 
the enemy, and preventing his boats from towing ; my crew so 
worn out with fatigue, as to be incapable of working the drags to 
any advantage ; the enemy with English, and we with American 
colours flying. I considered him as already our own, and that the 
ceremony of taking possession was all that was now requisite. I 
could plainly perceive that his force did not exceed 10 guns and 
30 men ; and, as any alternative was preferable to working the 
drags any longer, I, to the great joy of every one on board, gave 
orders for attempting her with the boats, which were soon hoisted 
•ut, manned, and armed, and dispatched after her. The enemy, 
seeing so formidable a force coming against him, fired a few guns, 
apparently with a view of intimidating them, but finding that they 
continued to advance, he ceased firing and hauled down his co¬ 
lours. The boats had now got within three-quarters of a mile of 
her, when a fresh breeze sprung up from the eastward, with which 
she made all sail to the northward, hoisted her colours, fired at our 
gig and whale-boat as she passed, which in return gave her vol¬ 
leys of musketry, and before sunset she was hull down ahead of 
us, while we were lying the whole time perfectly becalmed. 
Our boats continued the chace, with the hope that it would again 
fall calm, and made flashes occasionally to guide me in the pur¬ 
suit, which I was enabled to renew when the breeze struck me, 
which was not until after sundown. I came up with the boats at 
9 o’clock at night; we had all lost sight of the enemy, and the ap¬ 
prehension of losing all my boats and officers, and the greater part 
of my crew, induced me to heave to and take them on board, 
which was soon done, when I renewed the pursuit on the same 
course I had before observed her standing, as I did not think it 
proper to run away before the wind, on the expectation of her ha¬ 
ving changed her course ; as this would have caused a separa¬ 
tion from the prizes, and the strong current setting to leeward 
would have prevented our rejoining them again for some time f % 
I therefore concluded it best to continue my course on a wind all 
