However, I persevered, and had nearly reached the boats which were putting off, not aware of my absence, when a noise like distant thunder reached my ears.  This I soon found was cavalry from Cotte, which had come to defend the battery.  I mustered all my strength, and plunged into the sea to swim off to the boats, and so little time had I to spare, that some of the enemy’s chasseurs, on their black horses, swam in after me, and fired their pistols at my head.  The boats were at this time nearly a quarter of a mile from the shore; the officers in them fortunately perceived the cavalry, and saw me at the same time:  a boat laid on her oars, which with great difficulty I reached, and was taken in; but so exhausted with pain and loss of blood, that I was carried on board almost dead; my foot was cut to the bone, and I continued a month under the surgeon’s care.

I had nearly recovered from this accident, when we captured a ship, with which Murphy was sent as prize-master; and the same evening a schooner, which we cut out from her anchorage.  The command of this latter vessel was given to me—­it was late in the evening, and the hurry was so great that the keg of spirits intended for myself and crew was not put on board.  This was going from one extreme to the other; in my last ship we had too much liquor, and in this too little.  Naturally thirsty, our desire for drink needed not the stimulus of salt fish and calavances, for such was our cargo and such was our food, and deeply did we deplore the loss of our spirits.

On the third day after leaving the frigate, on our way to Gibraltar, I fell in with a ship on the coast of Spain, and knew it to be the one Murphy commanded, by a remarkable white patch in the main-topsail.  I made all sail in chase, in hopes of obtaining some spirits from him, knowing that he had more than he could consume, even if he and his people got drunk every day.  When I came near him, he made all the sail he could.  At dusk I was near enough almost to hail him, but he stood on; and I, having a couple of small three-pounders on board, with some powder, fired one of them as a signal.  This I repeated again and again; but he would not bring to; and when it was dark, I lost sight of him, and saw him no more until we met at Gibraltar.

Next morning I fell in with three Spanish fishing-boats.  They took me for a French privateer, pulled up their lines, and made sail.  I came up with them, and, firing a gun, they hove to and surrendered.  I ordered them alongside; and, finding they had each a keg of wine on board, I condemned that part of their cargo as contraband; but I honestly offered payment for what I had taken.  This they declined, finding I was “Ingles,” too happy to think they were not in the hands of the French.  I then gave each of them a pound of tobacco, which not only satisfied them, but confirmed them in the newly-received opinion among their countrymen, that England was the bravest as well as the most generous of nations.  They offered everything their boat contained; but I declined all most nobly, because I had obtained all I wanted; and we parted with mutual good will, they shouting, “Viva Ingleterre!” and we drinking them a good passage in their own wine.