Mr Woods’ report was to the effect that he had got on board without much resistance and without any casualties, but that the schooner had been anchored so close in under the battery that its garrison had heard the sounds of the scuffle, and had, upon the schooner’s weighing, opened fire upon her with effect, hulling her several times, inflicting rather severe injuries from splinters upon four of our people, breaking Master Bob Summers’ right leg below the knee, and cutting poor old Gimbals in two.
The schooner was a French privateer mounting eight long-sixes, and a long-nine upon her forecastle, with a crew of forty men.
Arrangements were being made for the transfer of the prisoners to the frigate when the French skipper sent a message begging that, before anything else were done, he might be favoured with an interview with Captain Annesley. The request was granted; he was brought on board the “Astarte” in the gig, and conducted below into the skipper’s cabin.
He was there for about half an hour, and when he at length returned to his own ship, orders were sent to Mr Woods to secure the schooner’s crew below and make sail in company with the frigate. We both accordingly bore up, and running round the south-west end of the island, hauled up for North-East Bay in the Grand Terre, which we reached by daylight next morning.
Here a fine frigate was found snugly anchored in the south-east corner of the bay, in a sheltered bight, and under the protection of a battery mounting ten heavy guns.
It now came out that this frigate, a French craft of forty guns named “L’Artemise,” had arrived at the islands on the previous day, and, hearing of our being in the neighbourhood, had immediately made her way to the spot where we had found her; whether to be in wait for us, or to hide from us, could not yet be said. The skipper of the schooner had picked up this piece of news, and had bargained with our captain to pilot him to the place where the French ship lay on condition that he, with his ship and crew, should be allowed to go free. The bargain was struck; our skipper insisting, however, upon the total disarming of the schooner.
The “Astarte” and her prize now hove-to; and, being still in deep water, orders were sent on board the schooner, to flood her magazine, and to throw her guns and all the small-arms into the sea, leaving weapons only in the hands of the master and his two subordinates, for the maintenance of proper discipline. This done, and all our people being taken out of the schooner, Captain Annesley wrote out a challenge to the captain of the French frigate and sent it in by the schooner. We then hoisted our colours and fired a gun. The French frigate and the battery on shore hoisted the tricolour soon afterwards; but though we watched the schooner into the anchorage, and saw a boat go from her to the frigate presumably with our challenge, no farther notice was taken of our presence; the frigate remaining all day obstinately at anchor in her secure position.
Of course everybody on board the “Astarte” was on the qui vive during the whole of that day. Our three tops were permanently occupied by relays of officers; and every telescope, good, bad, or indifferent, was kept constantly levelled at the noble craft inshore.
As for Captain Annesley, he never left the deck a moment as long as daylight lasted, except to snatch a hasty mouthful at meal times; and he that day exhibited the nearest approach to ill-temper that I ever saw in him.
At length night fell; and still no sign had been made by the Frenchmen. Dinner had been postponed for an hour in the cabin, in hopes that the frigate would yet come out; and when at last all hope had been given up, the whole of the officers were invited to dine with the skipper.