In view of the fact that the enemy might appear at any moment, shore leave was forbidden the crew, and only three of the officers had been allowed to land since they made their calls upon the governor; but these last visits were enough to show that Master Hackett's predictions were verified.
The officers found, so the marine gossips reported, that there was no longer any great show of friendliness among the people regarding us, and, in fact, it was openly said that the Chilians would be well pleased if we were beaten in the battle which seemed so near at hand.
"The British government has been threatenin', I reckon," Master Hackett said with an air of great wisdom, "an' the governor himself is countin' on our gettin' the worst of the fight; but there's where he's makin' a mistake, unless it so chances that too many Englishmen come up at the same time."
"We shall have the Essex Junior to help us," I said like a simple, whereupon the old man replied scornfully:—
"What would she amount to in a fight? In an action with a frigate she wouldn't be any force to speak of. A craft carryin' ten 18-pound carronades and ten short sixes, with a crew of only sixty men, would likely be in the way rather than lend any help. No, lad, the Junior ain't to be thought of; an' when we go to quarters, you'll find that she'll get orders to keep at a proper distance, if only for the sake of showin' that we don't put two craft against one. The Phœbe will get fair play, an' no mistake."
There was never a thought in Master Hackett's mind that the commander of the Phœbe might not count on giving us fair play; but the fact was soon made known to us.
"How many men can we muster?" Phil asked.
"What with prize crews, an' them as have been drafted to the Junior, I'm told that there are only two hundred an' twenty-five aboard this 'ere ship, countin' officers, cooks, boys, and sich-like useless raffle."
"How many would likely be on board the Phœbe?"
"A full hundred more than we've got, an' when it comes to boardin', or close quarters where muskets can be used, that extra hundred will count against us terrible."