The next day three British ships-of-war were discerned far away to the windward. Jones, with his four vessels, bore down upon them. The frigates, seeing that they were outnumbered, escaped by superior sailing. A few days after this there was a fog. Though Captain Jones fired signal guns, to keep his squadron together, when the fog cleared away neither the Alliance nor the Pallas was anywhere to be seen. Captain Jones was thus left with but two vessels; and his own, the Richard, was so seriously damaged by the collision with the Alliance, that it was needful to make port as speedily as possible, at L’Orient, for repairs.
When a few leagues from L’Orient, between Belle Isle and the Isle of Croix, he gave the Vengeance permission to run into the harbor while he moved slowly along with his disabled ship. Thus he was left alone. After the Vengeance had left him, in the night of the 31st of June, two British war-vessels attacked him. In his crippled state his vessel amounted to but little excepting a floating battery. But he served his guns so well and gave his foes so warm a reception, that they speedily retired.
“They appeared at first,” writes Jones, “earnest to engage, but their courage failed, and they fled with precipitation, and to my mortification outsailed the Bon Homme Richard and got clear.”
The Richard had proved a failure. Upon inspection at L’Orient, she was pronounced to be unworthy of the great alterations essential to fit her for a successful campaign. The ship was, however, tinkered up for temporary service, and again Captain Jones was sent forth to cruise in the Channel, with a small squadron, under circumstances which would have disheartened any man of ordinary temperament.
At daybreak on the 14th of August, 1779, the vessels weighed anchor from the harbor of L’Orient. The squadron consisted of the same vessels which had sailed before, and all of which had rendezvoused at L’Orient. Two French privateers also sailed in company, the Monsieur and the Granville. When four days out, on the 18th, the fleet came in sight of a large French ship which had been captured by an English privateer. A British crew was hurrying with the prize to the nearest British port. The squadron gave chase, and the prize was overtaken and recaptured by the swift-sailing privateer Monsieur. This fine ship carried forty guns.
The privateersman assumed that the prize was his own property, to which the squadron had no claim. He therefore, in the night, dropping astern, took from the prize such articles as he needed, and placed a portion of his crew and one of his own officers on board to hold possession. But Captain Jones promptly reversed this decision, and sent the prize, under his own orders, to L’Orient, to be disposed of in accordance with the laws provided for such an occasion. The captain of the Monsieur was so displeased with his manifestly just decision, that the next day he separated from the squadron.
Two days after, on the 20th of August, another large ship was caught sight of, far away to the windward. The squadron gave chase, but the ship escaped. The next day another ship was seen in the distant horizon, and pursued. But being to the windward, she also escaped. While engaged in the chase, one of the squadron overtook a brig laden with provisions, bound for London. She was easily captured, and under a prize crew was sent into L’Orient.
On the 23d, the squadron was in sight of Cape Clear, the extreme southwestern point of Ireland. Scarcely[Scarcely] a breath of wind rippled the mirrored surface oi the sea. The sails flapped idly against the masts, as the vessels gently rolled on the vast ocean swells. Far away in the northwest a brig was seen. The calm prevented any advance of the squadron. Captain Jones sent two large boats, well manned, and propelled by oars, to capture the vessel.
The afternoon wore away, and as evening came on it was perceived that a strong ocean current was sweeping the Richard into a very dangerous position, between two rocks, called the Skallocks and the Blaskets. The captain sent out his own barge, with strong rowers, to tow the ship from her dangerous course. About one-third of the crew were English sailors. The best men had been sent off in the boats to capture the brig. He had therefore to man his barge mainly with the English. They were unprincipled adventurers, and when night came on they cut the tow-rope, and pulled for the shore.
The evening was clear and serene. Mr. Trent, who occupied the position of sailing-master on board the Richard, immediately sprang into another of the ship’s boats, with a few armed men, and pursued the deserters. At the same time several cannon-shot were unavailingly thrown at them. A fog came on, and the pursuing boat was lost in the darkness. The deserters reached the shore and escaped. The fog continued, a genuine English fog, until noon of the next day. The boats sent to capture the brig were successful. The crews under the command of the lieutenant took possession of the prize.