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Updated: May 7, 2025
"We've had enough of prize-crews in this ship, and want no more." "Heave-to, sir, on the pain of being treated as a pirate also." "Ay, ay " shouted Marble, who could keep silent no longer "first catch a pirate. Fire, if you are tired of your cruise. I wish them bloody Frenchmen had stopped all your grog!" This was neither dignified nor politic, and I ordered my mate to be silent.
I informed the commodore of the nature of the duty upon which I had been sent out by the Admiral on the station, and inquired whether any suspicious craft had been sighted during the passage; to which he grimly replied in the affirmative, but added that they had all been accounted for, and would be found, with prize-crews aboard them, in the main body of the fleet.
To the credit of the Spaniards it must be recorded that the English prize-crews which landed from the wrecks were treated with the greatest kindness. Although there were few trophies, the result of the victory was completely to disconcert Napoleon's plans, and to prevent him from invading England.
But the affair did not by any means end here; for on the following night, which was almost as dark as the preceding one, three ships belonging to the merchant-fleet under convoy gave an unusual and altogether extraordinary amount of trouble to the captains of the gun-brigs by their persistent straggling; and, suspicion being at length aroused, they were all found to be in the hands of French prize-crews, having been surprised and captured by the Jeune Virginie immediately prior to her unsuccessful attempt upon the Aurora.
Proper prize-crews were now told off to the three prizes Ryan being placed in charge of the Mercedes; Gowland, the master's mate, in charge of the Dona Hermosa; and Good, one of the midshipmen, in charge of the Felicidad and the order to weigh and proceed in company was given.
The Essex Junior brought back the prize-crews and prize-masters who had navigated the captured ships to Valparaiso, and with the others Farragut now rejoined the frigate. During their absence Porter had taken four more valuable vessels. According to his information, there remained but one uncaptured of the British whalers which centered around the islands.
The weather being bad, it was not without great difficulty that the fleet, which had got into shoal water, could work off again. Two of the prizes, on board of which prize-crews had been put, but from which on account of the bad weather it had been impossible to remove the officers and men, were recaptured by the Spaniards and carried into Cadiz.
Courtenay's assumption that the three vessels we had marked out for attack were privateers was speedily strengthened by the circumstance that boats were seen to put off from the smaller craft doubtless prizes of the others conveying what were probably the prize-crews back to their own ships, to assist in their defence.
Two days later, however, the prizes were taken into the Hamoase and their crews landed, after which the prize-crews returned to the Europa, where the joyous news was communicated to us that we were to proceed at once to Portsmouth to refit.
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