[Illustration: JEAN BART, A FAMOUS FRENCH PRIVATEER CAPTAIN] CHAPTER XIII JEAN BART Privateering was very much resorted to in France, from the middle of the seventeenth century onwards; it was greatly encouraged by the State, and frequently men-of-war were lent to private individuals or corporations, who maintained them at their own cost, and of course pocketed the proceeds of the prizes captured. Some of these were large and powerful vessels, mounting fifty or sixty guns, and, having been built for men-of-war, were far superior to most privateers, which were frequently merchant vessels adapted for the purpose. Their crews were very numerous, not infrequently outnumbering those of our 64-gun ships, and it was not of much use for any vessel of less force than these to tackle them. One of these big privateers, in the year 1745, was engaged off the south coast of Ireland with the 40-gun ship _Anglesea_, Captain Jacob Elton, with a very sad and tragic result. The _Anglesea_, having put into Kinsale to land some sick--her senior lieutenant being one--sailed again on March 28th, being one of the vessels ordered to command the entrance of the channel. On the following day, with a fresh breeze blowing, a large sail was reported to windward. Captain Elton, for some reason, assumed that this was his consort, the _Augusta_, of 64 guns; it was just twelve o'clock, so he ordered his boatswain to pipe to dinner, making no preparation for action. The stranger came down rapidly, displaying no colours, apparently--which should have aroused Elton's suspicion--and suddenly, when he was quite near, it was realised that the ornament on her quarter was in the French style. Then, all in a hurry, they beat to quarters, and the English captain, in order to gain time for his preparations, made more sail, setting his foresail; but the wind was strong, with a lumpy sea, and the increased pressure of sail, as the gun's crews opened the lee ports, brought tons of water in on to the lower deck, threatening to water-log the ship.