224 PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
night, but at day-light, seeing nothing of the enemy, I hove about 
to rejoin my prizes. 
At 12 o’clock next day, we were joined by the Greenwich and 
Seringapatam, but we saw nothing of the New Zealander until the 
day following. Nothing, perhaps, could equal our disappointment 
in not taking this vessel. We had already calculated with such 
confidence on her, as to arrange her prize crew, and were exult* 
ing that we had completely destroyed (with the exception of one 
vessel more) the British whale-fishery on the coast of Peru. We 
believed the vessel we were in pursuit of to be the British whale* 
ship Indispensable, and we knew of no other besides her on the 
coast, except the Comet, of 20 guns, fitted out both for whaling 
and cruizing against the Americans. Great, however, as our mor¬ 
tification was that he should make his escape after so long a chase, 
we consoled ourselves in some measure with the reflection, that 
this was the first enemy who had ever escaped us where we had 
known him to be such, and that his escape was owing only to a 
fortuitous circumstance, which might not happen again in a thou¬ 
sand chases, and not to any good management on his part, or bad 
management on ours; but yet, such is our nature, that we could 
not help blaming fortune for thus jilting us, and for this freak of 
hers forgot for a moment all the favours she had hitherto lavished 
on us. 
I now made every exertion to reach James* Island ; but light 
and baffling winds, and a constant lee current, prevented our mak¬ 
ing any progress until the 3d of August, when the current chang¬ 
ed, and ran with great rapidity to the eastward, as it had hitherto 
done in a contrary direction. 
On the 2d, being close under Abington, i had an opportunity 
of examining the west side of that island, and under a high and in¬ 
accessible precipice, opposite to a sandy beach, at the distance of 
three-quarters of a mile from the shore, found a good anchorage 
in 22 fathoms water, over a smooth sandy bottom, well sheltered 
from the prevailing winds by a point to the north-west of that, 
called by Colnet Cape Chalmers. This place, however, affords 
anchorage and shelter only; it is impossible to penetrate from 
thence into the island; but I have no doubt landing may be effect* 
