Phil and I had by this time come to believe we were quite brave, and counted on the moment when in action we should do that which would cause Captain Porter to praise us from the quarter-deck in the presence of all the ship's company. On the 9th of July the _Essex Junior_ was in good sailing trim, and the fleet was hove to in order to part company with the new sloop of war. Our commander had decided to send the prizes, _Hector_, _Catherine_, _Policy_, and _Montezuma_, as well as the recaptured ship _Barclay_, into Valparaiso, and Commandant Downes was to take charge of the matter. We parted company about noon, the frigate, with the _Greenwich_ and _Georgiana_, remaining hove to until the _Essex Junior_ and her convoy were hull down in the distance, after which we squared away for a cruise among the Gallipagos, so the marines who had stood guard in the cabin reported; but we knew that between where we then were and the islands in question was a good chance of taking more prizes, and, because of the "luck of the _Essex_," reckoned on adding to our list of captures before arriving at this new cruising ground. We counted on having our average good fortune; but never dreamed, confident though we were, of the success which was so soon to be ours. Four days after we parted company with our prizes and the _Essex Junior_, that is to say, on the 13th day of July, the lookouts sighted three sail off Banks's Bay, all on a wind, but a good deal separated. Phil and I were no longer excited by such information. Both of us felt elated; but we had thus far captured everything which had been sighted, and when a sail was reported, we of the gun-deck at once reckoned her as a prize. Had we failed to take two or three craft during our cruise, then we would have been in suspense until the chase was ended; but so good had been our fortune that the worst grumblers among the crew began to find fault because the Britishers fell into our hands like over-ripe apples. Our little fleet was in a bunch, hardly more than a quarter of a mile separating each craft, when the word was given that more ships had come up to be captured; and on this day we had an opportunity of learning how well the squadron could manoeuvre. Captain Porter signalled that he would give chase to the ship in the middle of the line, which was farthest down to leeward, while the _Greenwich_ and the _Georgiana_ endeavored to cut off one of the others. This race was different from others which had fallen to our lot, inasmuch as we were eager to know what was going on astern as well as ahead; and every man jack of us off duty gathered on the forecastle-deck, confident that all three of the strangers would be taken, but curious as to how it might be done.