Early on the morning of November 20, 1798, while cruising with the _Montezuma_ and the _Norfolk_, two small fleets were seen. The _Retaliation_ went looking at one fleet and the other two at the other. When too near for comfort the _Retaliation_ found she had two French frigates before her, and one, the _Insurgent_, of thirty-six guns, quickly overhauled her when she strove to fly. Captain Bainbridge, after surrendering, was taken on board the second Frenchman, the _Volontaire_. Her captain refused to accept his sword, and after the proper civilities of the occasion he was allowed to go to the topgallant forecastle with the other officers to watch the _Insurgent_ chasing the _Montezuma_ and _Norfolk_. It was a mighty cheering spectacle to the French, for the _Insurgent_, with her great spread of canvas bellying to the wind, was overhauling the Yankees hand over fist. But just when the _Insurgent_ was expected to open fire Captain St. Laurent of the _Volontaire_ turned to Bainbridge and said: “Pray, sir, what is the force of those vessels?” “The ship carries twenty-eight twelve-pounders and the brig twenty nine-pounders,” replied Bainbridge in a matter-of-fact way. That was double their real weight of metal, and it was a weight that outmatched the _Insurgent_. Greatly alarmed, Captain St. Laurent, who was the senior French officer, ordered the _Insurgent_ recalled. When she got back within hail her captain shouted: “Sir, if it had not been for your signal I should have had those vessels in ten minutes more.” “Citizen Captain, you do not know, sir, what vessels you were chasing. Your ship is not able to contend with a force of twenty-eight twelve-pounders and twenty nine-pounders,” said Captain St. Laurent. At that the _Insurgent’s_ captain chopped the air violently with his hands and replied: “Sir, they have nothing heavier than _sixes_, and do you suppose that this ship could have anything to fear from such guns?” [Illustration: A French Vessel of 118 Guns, a Century Ago. _From an engraving by Canali._] “Did you not say, sir,” demanded St. Laurent, turning on Bainbridge, “that the ship carried twenty-eight twelve-pounders and the brig twenty nine-pounders?” “Yes, sir,” replied Bainbridge, cheerfully, “and if I had thought at that moment that I could have saved the ships, by telling you that they carried twenty-four-pounders, I would have done so.” Three months later the fighting captain of the _Insurgent_ (his name was Barreaut) had an opportunity to show his metal, and it is fair to say that he took advantage of it nobly.