“You see, gentlemen,” he said in French, “what I have patiently endured for the sake of the great cause in which we are all engaged. M. de Landais was in my power, and you see how merciful I have been to him.”
“And we will remember it,” answered De Chamillard, also much moved.
The Bon Homme Richard remained on and off the coast until the 26th of August, hoping to find the missing boat, but at last was forced to give it up, and steered for the northward. The Cerf had never reappeared, so the squadron was reduced to the Bon Homme Richard, the Alliance, the Pallas, and the Vengeance.
On the morning of the 27th of August, when Paul Jones came on deck at daybreak and swept the horizon with his glass, the Alliance was not in sight, nor did she turn up any more until the 31st, when her appearance proved most inopportune, as it always seemed to be during the memorable cruise.
The Bon Homme Richard was then off Cape Wrath, and was chasing an armed vessel—the Union, of twenty-two guns. The American cruiser was flying British colors, hoping by that means to get very near before her nationality was discovered, so that if the Union had any valuable dispatches (which were often carried by fast letter-of-marque vessels) there would not be time or opportunity to destroy them. But as soon as Landais got near enough to the Bon Homme Richard, although he must have known that the commodore for some purpose did not desire American colors to be shown, the Alliance set two American ensigns. That was warning enough to the Union. She, indeed, carried important dispatches from the home Government addressed to the authorities at Quebec, and upon seeing the Alliance hoist her ensign knew what to do.
When the British captain was brought on board the Bon Homme Richard, his first remark to Paul Jones, as he handed out his papers, was:
“I had letters containing important information, but the warning so kindly given me by the frigate yonder enabled me to destroy them.”
Paul Jones ground his teeth with rage. He was tempted for the twentieth time to put Captain Landais under arrest, but a mistaken clemency induced him to forbear.
On the 4th of September the commodore signaled all the captains to come on board the Bon Homme Richard. In a little while boats were seen coming from the Pallas and the Vengeance, but none from the Alliance. Seeing no motion toward Captain Landais obeying orders, although the signal had been flying for half an hour, M. Mease, the purser of the Bon Homme Richard and a Frenchman, asked for a boat without saying what he wished to do. It was granted, and the purser went on board the Alliance and implored Captain Landais to save himself and his ship the disgrace of a disobedience of orders. Captain Landais appeared inclined to yield at first, but finally refused. M. Mease returned to the Bon Homme Richard, and, thinking that some other of the captain’s countrymen might have better luck, persuaded De Chamillard and the captain of the Pallas (Cottineau) to return with him. They went and found Landais on his quarter-deck. He had worked himself into a passion, and as they approached he roared at them:
“Tell your Commodore Jones that we must have a meeting on shore, and one or the other of us must die. I will not longer bear his tyranny!”