Next he encountered two large American ships: there was much ill-feeling between France and the United States, though war had not been declared, and when they met they fought like dogs of hostile owners. One of these vessels Surcouf captured by boarding, the other escaping; and this was his last cruise in the _Clarisse_. It is in connection with his next command that Surcouf's name is, perhaps, most familiar. This was the _Confiance_, a new ship, and by all accounts a regular beauty. Before he got away, however, he had a quarrel with Duterte, another privateer captain of some note, commanding the _Malartic_, who had recourse to a ruse to obtain the pick of the available seamen in Mauritius for his own ship. Surcouf eventually contrived to circumvent him, and, after some high words in a café, they arranged a meeting with swords at daybreak. The Governor, General Malartic, however, intervened, commanding their attendance at the hour arranged for the duel, and, after an harangue from him, the two corsairs embraced and remained friends thereafter--they cruised, in fact, in consort for a time, in the Bay of Bengal, with much success. Surcouf's great exploit in the _Confiance_ was the capture of the _Kent_, East Indiaman, at the end of her voyage. M. Robert Surcouf, in describing this event, dwells upon every detail, from the moment the _Kent_ was sighted, with most tedious prolixity, as though this was one of the decisive battles of the world. What happened is as follows: On October 7th, 1800, a large sail was sighted at daybreak. After careful scrutiny, Surcouf decided that she was an Indiaman, a rich prize, and determined to have her if possible; so he hailed from aloft, where he was inspecting the stranger: "All hands on deck, make sail--drinks all round for the men! Clear for action!" Then, coming down from aloft, he mounted on the companion hatch, ordered everybody aft, and harangued them--he was great at a speech on an occasion of the kind, though probably his biographer has embellished it--told them the Englishman was very strong, but that he intended to board at once. "I suppose each one of you is more than equal to one Englishman? Very good--be armed ready for boarding--and, as it will be very hot work, I will give you an hour of pillage." It was very hot work. The _Kent's_ people certainly greatly outnumbered the privateer's; she had on board a great proportion of the crew of the _Queen_, another East Indiaman, which had been destroyed by fire on the coast of Brazil. Surcouf says she had 437 on board, and the _Confiance_ only 130; but the figures for the _Kent_ are probably greatly exaggerated.