Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

RETURN TO ENGLAND. 285
The chasing ships no sooner returned than the
privateer was in company again. As by this
every night some accident happened to some of
the convoy by keeping so close together, a fine
ship of thirty guns, belonging to Marseilles,
hauled out a little to windward of the rest oi
the fleet; which L’Etanducre perceiving in
the morning, ordered the frigate to bring the
captain of her on board of him ; and then mak¬
ing a signal for all the convoy to close to him
he fired a gun, and hoisted a red flag at the en¬
sign staff; and immediately after the captain
of the merchant-man was run up to the main-
yard-arm, and from thence ducked three
times. He was then sent on board his ship
again, with orders to keep his colours flying
the whole day, in order to distinguish him
from the rest. We were then told that the
person who was treated in this cruel manner,
was a young man of an exceeding good family
in the south of France, and likewise a man of
great spirit; and that he would not fail to call
Monsieur L’Etanducre to account when an op¬
portunity should offer; and the affair made
much noise in France afterwards. One day,
the ship we were in happened to be out of her
station, by sailing so heavily, when the com-