The smuggler’s crew then cried out for quarter in English.  This was granted by the Badger’s commander, who had a boat lowered, but whilst in the act of so doing the treacherous smuggling craft recommenced firing.  It was a cowardly thing to do, for Reymas, their own captain, had particularly asked the Badger’s commander to forgive them and overlook what they had done, whilst other members of the crew cried out to the same effect.  This had caused a cessation of fire for about five minutes, and was only reopened by the smugglers’ treachery.  One of the Badger’s mariners named William Cullum, was in consequence shot dead by a musket aimed at him by one of the smugglers.  Cullum was standing by the windlass at the time, and died instantly.

[Illustration:  “The Cruiser’s Guns had shot away the Mizzen-Mast.”]

The Badger, therefore, again began to fire into the other ship, but in about another five minutes the smuggler again called for quarter, and this was again granted.  The cruiser sent her boat aboard her, and brought off the smuggler’s crew, amounting to twenty-three men, though two others had been killed in the affray.  The Badger’s chief mate, on boarding the smuggler, sent away the latter’s crew in their own boat, and seven of these men were found to be wounded, of whom one died the following morning.  The name of the vessel was seen to be the Vree Gebroeders.  She was of 119 tons burthen, and had the previous day started out from Flushing with a cargo of 42 gallons of brandy, 186 gallons of Geneva—­these all being in the 3-1/2 gallon half-ankers.  But there was also a good deal of other cargo, consisting of 856 bales of tobacco which contained 51,000 lbs., thirteen boxes of tea, and six bags of sugar.  All these goods were made up in illegal-sized packages and she had nothing on board except what was contraband.  The chests of tea were found all ready slung for landing with small ropes.

The Vree Gebroeders was provisioned for three months, and was armed with four carronades, 9-pounders, and two swivel muskets, bayonets, and other arms of different kinds.  Her destination had been for Ireland.  When the chief mate of the Badger boarded her he found that the cruiser’s guns had shot away the mizzen-mast, but the smuggler’s skipper remarked to the chief mate that the spare topmast on deck would serve for a mizzen and that the square-sail boom would make an outrigger, and that the trysail would be found below, but so far, he said, this sail had never been bent.  Later on the chief mate found also the deck-log of the Vree Gebroeders, which had been kept on two slates, and it was a noticeable fact that these were kept in English.  They read thus:—­