On October 6th the squadron had been watering in Lagos Bay--that same harbour in which we saw Bernard D'Ongressill so scurvily treated by the Portuguese nearly five hundred years previously--and the _King George_ and _Prince Frederick_, coming out about five o'clock in the morning, leaving the _Princess Amelia_ still at anchor, saw a large sail standing to the northward. Walker made the signal to chase, and sent a small vessel, a recent prize, into the anchorage to hurry up the _Princess Amelia_. The _Duke_ and _Prince George_, having completed their watering earlier, were in sight; but, after chasing for about an hour, for some unexplained reason discontinued--or could not get up. The chase, seeing she was likely to be hemmed in by the two nearest ships, kept away to the westward, making all sail; and Walker, with his two ships, chased her until noon, when the _King George_ was nearly up with her, the _Prince Frederick_ some distance to the southward. They had not yet disclosed each other's nationality, but Walker realised by this time that the stranger was a very big ship, and he was within gunshot of her, practically alone; and then it suddenly fell a flat calm, and the chase, hoisting her colours, ran out her guns, disclosing herself as a 74-gun ship. The colours, however, hung down in the calm, and it was impossible to tell whether they were Spanish or Portuguese--for the two ensigns were very similar at that time, though they are not so now. After about an hour, during which the _Prince Frederick_ could get no nearer, and Walker and his big opponent were eyeing each other curiously, the latter ran in her lower deck guns, and closed the ports. This looked as though she was a treasure ship, unwilling to fight if she could avoid it; and, as a matter of fact, she was just that; only she had already--after being chased by some English men-of-war--landed her treasure, to the value of some three millions sterling, at Ferrol, and was on her way to Cadiz. However, seeing her somewhat shy, Walker's officers and men were all for fighting; and when a light breeze sprang up about five o'clock, and the big ship again made sail on her original course, the _King George_ at once continued the chase, leaving the _Prince Frederick_, which did not get the breeze so soon, yet further astern.