"In the way of service to the public, perhaps the greatest performed by the _Essex_ was protecting American ships in the Pacific, nearly all of which would probably have fallen into the hands of the enemy but for her appearance in that ocean. But the positive injury done the English commerce was far from trifling. The _Essex_ had now captured about four thousand tons of its shipping, made near four hundred prisoners, and for the moment had literally destroyed its fisheries in this part of the world. In October, 1812, she had sailed from America alone, with six months' provisions and the usual stores in her; and in October, 1813, she was lying, in perfect security, at an island in the Pacific, with a respectable consort, surrounded by prizes, and in possession of all the means that were necessary to render a frigate of her class efficient. Throughout the whole of these movements we see a constant tendency to distress the enemy, and to maintain the character of the ship as an active, well-organized, and high-toned man-of-war." All this was written concerning us after we had made that island port which I shall describe later; but before entering it we were to see some service, and experience our first disappointment in the way of capturing every sail we sighted. It was on the 25th day of July when the _Georgiana_ left us, only to be recaptured, as we afterward learned to our sorrow, before gaining an American port. We remained hove to until the oil-laden prize was hull down on the horizon, and then, with the _Essex_ leading, our little squadron, consisting of the frigate, the _Greenwich_, _Seringapatam_, and _New Zealander_, trailing along in fine style, cruised here and there in search of another Britisher. On the morning of the third day thereafter, while we lay becalmed, a strange sail was sighted carrying with her a fine breeze. As a matter of course she soon ran out of our range of vision, but Captain Porter was not the kind of a commander to give up the hope of catching an enemy, once having clapped his eyes on her; and at sunset, when the wind sprang up again, signals were set for every ship to crowd on sail in pursuit of the Britisher, although by this time she had many leagues the start. The "luck of the _Essex_" was with us yet, for next morning at sunrise the lookouts at the masthead sighted the stranger standing across our bow on a bowline. By this time the breeze fined down again, and the dullest among us knew that unless we could get the frigate through the water at a better pace, our hope of taking another prize that day was at an end. Captain Porter had a scheme of his own, however, and at once set about executing it, to the surprise and admiration of all our old shellbacks, even though it cost us considerable labor.