Chapter Seven.
Further Successes.
The hopes of those who expected to return home were destined to be disappointed. We were still at sea, keeping a look-out for the fleet of the royal corsairs, when a shout from the mast-head announced the approach of several ships from the northward, and as they got nearer the white flag with the red-cross flying from their peaks told us that they were friends.
The leading ship proved to be the Fairfax, of fifty-two guns and two hundred and fifty men, carrying the flag of Vice-Admiral Penn. Following her came the Centurion, Captain Lawson, the Adventure, Captain Ball, and two others commanded by Captains Howett and Jordan, with the Assurance, Captain Benjamin Blake, the younger brother of the admiral.
Directly afterwards Vice-Admiral Hall with another squadron of seven ships joined us. The admiral had now under him a fleet capable of coping with that of either
France or Spain. His first object, however, was to capture the corsairs, who were committing much damage among the merchant vessels. It was still unknown in what direction they had gone, when, the day after Admiral Hall’s squadron had reached us, a vessel was seen coming from the south.
On approaching she hove to, and her master came on board the flag-ship. His vessel, he said, was the only one which had escaped from Malaga, on the coast of Andalusia, into which the corsairs had entered and burnt six of his consorts under the very guns of the Spanish batteries.
“We shall catch them at last!” exclaimed the admiral on receiving this information, a gleam of satisfaction lighting up his countenance.