upon opening the cartouch boxes, I found the gunner’s mate had given me the wrong ones, for one contained five, and the other only three ball cartridges. In about ten minutes after leaving the ship, the gig was sent to join me, with orders to attack the convoy, and take as many as possible. I therefore ordered the gig to go and attack a merchant vessel, which I pointed out, while I went after the row-galley. A short time brought us within musket shot; at this period the ship was four or five miles off to leeward, and we about the same distance from the shore. The few musket balls I had, were soon expended; observing, however, that whenever I took up the musket and pointed it the Frenchmen bobbed down, we pulled alongside and boarded her, and for a few minutes we had the vessel in possession, when a gun fired from the shore unfortunately drew my attention. The Italian whom I brought with me thinking it a good opportunity for revenge, joined the Frenchmen, and excited them to rise, and they being more than double our numbers, soon overpowered us--stabbed one of my men, threw two overboard, laid me sprawling by a blow on the head and a cut in my right hand. In half-an-hour I was safely landed in the lazaretto at Leghorn. I must do the enemy the justice to say, that the moment they had recaptured their vessel, they picked up the two men thrown overboard. We remained in the lazaretto three weeks, a surgeon coming occasionally to see the wounded man and myself, and give us some plasters. We not being touchable on account of our quarantine, old Sangrado brought a long slender white stick, with which he used to feel the seaman’s wound,--a stab in the left side,--and my hand; however we did not trouble the old fellow long, for low diet and good constitutions soon healed flesh wounds. At the expiration of three weeks, we were considered free from any possibility of our having the plague; a guard of French soldiers was therefore sent down to the door of the lazaretto, and we were committed to their charge and marched to the sound of an old brass drum to the fortress at Leghorn, where I had the option, either to sign a parole not to attempt to quit it, or be locked up in a prison. Of two evils always choose the least,--escape was impossible, for the castle or citadel was built upon a small islet joined to the town by a draw-bridge; a strong guard was constantly mounted there, and at sunset the bridge was hauled up, and the sea surrounded the place on all sides, while sentinels were posted at every angle. I therefore was glad to have permission from ten in the morning until six in the evening to walk round the fortress to breathe fresh air, with a young Russian mid who was taken with me. After that period we were locked up in the prison of the fortress until the next morning, when we were again let out to enjoy fresh air.