To show how valuable the lost time was to us, of our not discovering the frigates earlier, we had not rounded-to one minute, not long enough for either of the frigates to heave up in the wind, when the one to leeward lost her jib-boom, fore, and maintop-gallantmasts, and broke her mizzen-topsail-yard in the slings. The other to the windward carried away her mizzen-topsail, maintop-gallant-yard, and strained her fore-topsail-yard, so as to endanger it by carrying sail. If we had had but half the start of the twenty minutes lost in the morning, we should, by these mishaps, have been out of their reach. Besides, in less than a quarter of an hour the wind lessened, and continued to abate till ten o'clock, when it was no more than a stiff wholesail breeze, the very one wanted for the brig; for with such, she could outsail any vessel in the British navy. All, now, however, was of no use to us, as we lay encircled by three of the best frigates old England could boast of, within the distance of half point-blank range of their heavy guns; and before we could have sheeted down the foresail and filled away, we should have been saluted with a full broadside from each.
A boat put off from the commodore's ship, shortly after we hove-to, to take charge of the prize during the night, but did not reach us for three quarters of an hour or more, so greatly was her progress retarded by the roughness of the sea. I watched the boat with much interest and solicitude, from the time it left the frigate's side, till it reached that of the brig. For minutes the boat and crew were entirely lost to my sight, and I would suppose them sunk, when it would shoot its bows upon the crest of a wave, seemingly almost standing upon its stern, and then plunge again out of sight, into the gulf formed by the heaped up waters, as grand and picturesque, as they were sublimely awful. As the boat neared us, it was plainly seen that the four men at the oars were nearly exhausted, and had but little strength remaining to contend much longer with the raging waters around them; besides she was fast filling, by the breaking of the spray over her bows, in spite of the exertions of the lieutenant in the stern, who was doing his very utmost to lessen the water in the boat, by bailing with his hat, the quickness of his motions showing his office was no sinecure, as well as that he was not altogether indifferent to their situation. Neither were the brig's crew insensible to the fate of these hardy mariners, enemies though they were, but had ropes, boat-hooks, and slings in readiness for their help, the moment they came near enough to be reached. This proved a lucky circumstance for those in the boat, and saved them from a watery grave; for it had but just touched the side of the brig when it went adrift, leaving the men dangling to the ends of the ropes thrown them. At the other end of these same ropes, however, were sturdy hands and willing hearts, who in a trice landed them in safety on deck.
The boarding-officer, a blustering and noisy John Bull, in make, weight, and swagger, seized the trumpet and ordered the brig's crew aloft, to secure the sails that were flapping in the wind. In his anxiety to show himself conspicuously before strangers, he gave one of the men a man-of-war's slap with his trumpet, to quicken his motions. For this kindness he was told his protection was small, and hints were thrown out, that unless he mended his manners, he would be set adrift to keep company with his boat, as soon as the darkness was sufficient to hide the kindly act. This he took so much at heart (lest he might be among the missing on the morrow), that he went aft to the captain, and demanded a guard for his safety during the night, or till reinforcements were received from the frigates. The necessary guard was granted him, with an understanding that he was not to leave the cabin, but that the duty should be carried on as usual by our own officers and men.
The sails were furled in part only, for the men and officers cared but little, how soon they were torn from the yards, or how much damage was done to the brig, now she was belonging to the enemy. An old salt that had passed the lashing around the foresail, on the windward yard-arm, said, when he came down, "my slipnoose won't hold longer than a tie of pig-tail, nor is it half as strong (twisting off the lesser part of a fathom while speaking) as this I bought for ladies twist, gentries' best — if the sail works loose, it's more the fault of the knot than the one that made it, for I've done my best to please all hands."
It did work loose, and no effort of the officers was sufficient to get the men aloft the second time, to secure the sails from the fury of the wind, which soon blew them from their bolt- ropes ; and we were left without a sail we could set, except the mainsail and jib.
The men had free license during the night, no one checking them in their pursuits, wishes, or propensities; each doing what seemed most congenial to his nature, under present circumstances. It was but the work of a moment to break through the bulk-head, or partition which separated the hold from the store-room; and thus a free ingress and egress was kept up all night between the brig's hold and this "land of plenty."
To narrate a small incident that occurred, while this privateering was going on, I must go back a little, for a better understanding of the subject, craving pardon at the same time for the digression.
While the brig was under the command of her former captain, it was generally understood, nay it was the common every-day gossip, that his determination was "never to surrender, never to give up the brig into the hands of the enemy, however great the odds he might encounter." His late conduct strengthened this opinion, when in command of the brig, at the time of being attacked by the boats of an English frigate. During the fight, he seized a lighted match, (as the remnant of his crew fell back before the overwhelming numbers from the boats, who had gained the deck), and taking a position half down the companion way, which led to the magazine, threatened to fire it the instant they retreated farther, and issued his orders from thence with the match lighted, ready and determined to put his threat into execution, if the enemy were not beaten back to their boats. Whether this be true or false, there are no positive documents to show, but such is the version of the story told by those in the brig at the time of the aforesaid fight, and such passed current and was believed by those in her when she was captured.
It was likewise supposed the present captain had received his appointment under a pledge never to surrender, instead of any superior qualification or knowledge of naval affairs he possessed. One or more subsequent circumstances, helping to confirm this supposition, I will detail as I received them; a matter of little concern, however, whether true or false.
At the time of our capture, there were on board five or six French and Portuguese seamen, who had belonged to the brig during her former cruisings, and who appeared to be upon good terms with the captain, but had no intercourse with the crew; they messed by themselves, and had as little to say to the "Americans" as the Americans manifested disposition to associate with them. These men were overheard to say, more than once during the chase, that the "brig never would be taken by the frigates"; assigning no reason why, only, "she shall never be under a British flag." One of the men had been a prisoner of war ten times, and declared he would sooner go to the bottom of the ocean than again to prison. To this no one objected, provided he went without company; for he was a Frenchman by birth, a Calmuc in appearance, a savage in disposition, a cut-throat at heart, and a devil incarnate.
Our first lieutenant kept a strict eye upon tis coterie, during the whole day that the chase continued, the idea strengthening, as the captain held on his course long after any hope remained of the chance of getting clear of the frigates, that all was not right. In the hurry of the moment, at our rounding-to, Jose, one of the mess above spoken of, seized a brand from the caboose, proceeded towards the magazine, and would have carried his diabolical intentions into effect, only for the vigilance of our ever watchful lieutenant, who checked him ere too late, brought him on deck, nor quit his hold till the brand was cast overboard, and the dastard thrown thrice his length, by an indignant thrust of the lieutenant's powerful arm. When the Portuguese found his aim was frustrated, he came up directly before me (thinking, no doubt, I looked less pugnacious than his late rough handler) crying like a child, and declared all on board were cowards, rank cowards, and afraid to die and go to h — ll. No one attempted by argument to disprove his absurd reasonings — rather wishing him first to prove his own bravery, without hazard to others, when each then could choose for himself in these matters of nicety.