Fortunately--there were many aboard us who would say _unfortunately_--the two frigates did not come into actual contact, and, seeing that he had put his ship into a most dangerous situation, Captain Hillyar began shouting:-- "It is all an accident, sir! I have no intention of opening an engagement!" While he spoke he waved his hands, the better to attract attention, and otherwise behaved much like a man who is afraid after he has voluntarily got himself into a bad scrape. Captain Porter gave the word for our men to retire from the forecastle-deck, and the Britisher slowly drifted by, her captain bowing and waving his hat, as well he might, considering the fact that our commander would have been justified in sinking him while it was not possible for him to strike a blow. How our men raved and stormed when the Englishman went by to the inner harbor uninjured; but they took precious good care that our commander did not hear their angry words. Then, after the _Cherub_ passed us and joined the _Phoebe_ at a berth nearer the town, leaving our men at liberty to do as they pleased, what a noisy confab went on among the deck lawyers! All were agreed that we should have sunk the Britisher; that the boarders should have been sent away because by coming across us there was every indication that the enemy intended mischief; and again, that there can be but one meaning when a man-of-war approaches with her crew at quarters. I do not think the men were actually enraged with Captain Porter for not having taken advantage of the opportunity; but they blamed him severely for accepting the apology instead of beginning an action which could have had but one ending, owing to the fact that the _Phoebe_ would surely have been sunk before her consort could creep up. "Mark my words!" one of the old barnacles shouted. "Captain Porter won't find the Britisher so willin' to let him sneak out of a small hole; an' if the time ever comes when he can get at us unfairly, we may count on his doin' it." "That's the solemn truth!" half a dozen voices shouted, and I asked Master Hackett to tell me exactly what he thought of the whole affair. "Well," the old man said slowly and thoughtfully, "I don't feel called upon to rough into our commander simply because he acted the part of a gentleman. That man Hillyar is a bully, or he'd never come into the harbor with his men at quarters, an' I'll lay all my prize money against a herrin', that if he'd found us unprepared, his boarders would have been called away in short order." "Then you think he really meant to attack us?" Phil, who had just come up, asked.