He was now ready to force his passage through Blake's {244} fleet, or "perish in the attempt." But meanwhile Blake had captured the Portuguese fleet coming from Brazil, and the poor King, not knowing whom to trust, came in person to Rupert to beg him to rescue it. The Prince willingly agreed, but Blake was not anxious to fight just then, and the mists and contrary winds prevented the Royalists from coming up with him. The King thanked Rupert for his efforts, but the continued misfortunes which the presence of the Royalists was bringing on Portugal forced them to leave Lisbon. From that time, September 1650, the Princes were, in truth, little more than pirates. The small number of their ships prevented them from ever engaging the fleet of the Parliament, and they could only carry on a depredatory warfare, injuring English trade, and at the same time supporting the exiled court, by the constant capture of merchantmen. Any English vessel that refused to own Rupert as Lord High Admiral of England was a fair prize, and from the time that Spain allied herself with the English Commonwealth, Spanish vessels also were fair game in the Princes' eyes. And thus, says one of the Royalist captains, "our misfortunes being no novelty to us, we plough the sea for a subsistence, and being destitute of a port, we take the Mediterranean sea for our harbour; poverty and despair being our companions, and revenge our guide."[9] On leaving Lisbon, Rupert returned at first to the coast of Spain. Off Estepona he crippled, but could not take, an English vessel. At Malaga he found some more English ships, but was peremptorily forbidden to attack them by the Spanish Governor. To this order he only replied that he would not shoot, but that, since one of the vessels in question was commanded by a regicide, he could not possibly forego this opportunity of revenge. In accordance with this declaration, he sent a fire-ship by night, which successfully burnt the ship of the regicide, Captain Morley. {245} The anger of the Spaniards forced him to put to sea at once, and he next came to Montril, where he attacked and destroyed three English ships, in spite of the efforts made from the Spanish forts to defend them.[10] Between Cape de Gatte and Cape Palos, he took several prizes, and from there he stood for Tunis. But most of his captains disobeyed orders, and entered Cartagena, where they hoped to find booty. There the Spaniards allowed Blake to attack them, and, to escape capture, they ran their ships ashore and burnt them. Rupert and Maurice, unaware of the disaster, left letters for their missing captains, under a stone, on the coast of Tunis, and sailed for Toulon. But a sudden storm separated the Princes, and Maurice arrived at Toulon alone with his prizes; not knowing what was become of his brother, and fearing the worst.[11]