The crew of the Indiaman filled my hold with prisoners; and as she required a considerable number of men to work her, it would have been impossible for me to spare another prize-crew, even had there been a dozen ships to be had for the work of taking them. My prize was the Charlotte; and compared with her the Marguerite resembled a terrier alongside of a great mastiff, or a mastiff standing near a big cart-horse. She was not prepared for fighting to any extent, as she carried only four light guns and some cutlasses and muskets; quite sufficient for keeping off Malay pirates, but of little use against an American privateer. I permitted the passengers to remain on board with their cook and private servants, the latter being natives of India, and quite indifferent to what happened around them as long as their own skins and heads did not come to harm. We kept in company, my orders being very positive in that particular, and I had arranged points of meeting in case we became separated by bad weather, or for any other reason. Luckily the weather was favorable, and we went along in fine style; I was already counting the days, and almost the hours, when I should reach New York and bring my rich prize to anchor off the Battery, at the point where the Marguerite lay on her previous return. We were within three hundred miles of New York when one afternoon I sighted a sail to windward, and bearing down in our direction. It was a big sail, large enough for a man-of-war; and as it came nearer I made out that it was a thirty-eight-gun frigate, with a very ugly look about her, and the British ensign waving in the wind. Here was a pretty mess of things! But I had thought of an emergency of this very sort, and laid my plans accordingly. Now was the time to see how they would work. The Charlotte and the Marguerite were running with the wind on the larboard beam, the Charlotte leading by about a mile. I hoisted the American ensign, while the Charlotte showed no colors. The Marguerite gained on the Charlotte slowly but steadily, while the frigate was running with the wind in her favor, and bearing down so as to come disagreeably near to both, unless a diversion could be made. As I drew up within what might possibly be effective range of the Charlotte, I fired at her with our midship gun. The shot struck two or three hundred yards astern of her, plowed up the water; and a few moments later I gave her another gun, with the same result. My intention was to give the impression that an English merchant ship was being pursued by an American privateer. The Englishman was evidently doing his best to escape, but was in danger of being overhauled by the American, which was a better sailer. I had the satisfaction of seeing that my ruse was successful, as the frigate changed her course so as to cut off the privateer and enable the merchantman to escape.