We reached the boat, and time
it was we did so, for a number of stout fellows, who had followed us in a
gradually increasing crowd, until they amounted to forty at the fewest, now
nearly surrounded us, and kept closing in. As the last of us jumped into
the boat, they made a rush, so that if we had not shoved off with the speed
of light, I think it very likely that we should have been overpowered.
However, we reached the ship in safety, and the day following we weighed,
and stood out to sea with our convoy.
It was a very large fleet nearly three hundred sail of merchant vessel
and a noble sight truly.
A line--of--battle ship led--and two frigates and three sloops of our class
were stationed on the outskirts of the fleet, whipping them in as it were.
We made Madeira in fourteen days, looked in, but did not anchor; superb
island--magnificent mountains--white town,--and all very fine, but nothing
particular happened for three weeks. One fine evening, (we had by this
time progressed into the trades, and were within three hundred miles of
Barbadoes,) the sun had set bright and clear, after a most beautiful day,
and we were bowling along right before it, rolling like the very devil; but
there was no moon, and although the stars sparkled brilliantly, yet it was
dark, and as we were the sternmost of the men of war, we had the task of
whipping in the sluggards. It was my watch on deck. A gun from the
commodore, who showed a number of lights.
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