Page:Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas.djvu/120

92 A few days later Surcouf was in pursuit of another merchantman and was fast approaching her, when he perceived bearing down upon him from an opposite direction a vessel which was unmistakeably a ship of war.

This was no other than the English frigate La Sybille of 48 guns, which had but recently captured off the Sandheads the French frigate La Forte of 52 guns. Surcouf was apparently lost, as the English frigate soon showed herself a better sailer than the Clarisse. But he did not despair. He cast overboard his spare masts and spars; then eight of his heavy guns; and that not being sufficient he half-emptied his water casks. Thus lightened the Clarisse gained rapidly on the frigate and at daybreak the following morning the latter was completely out of sight. Two days later Surcouf captured an English merchantman, the James, laden with rice, and on the fourth day after that the American ship Louisa. With these captures Surcouf closed his career in the Clarisse. Returning with his prizes to the islands, he was offered the command of a new privateer, just arrived from Bordeaux, and reputed to be the fastest sailer afloat. Surcouf accepted the offer.

The new privateer was named La Confiance. She was of between 400 and 500 tons burden, and carried 16 guns. Her crew consisted of 159 Frenchmen, twenty-five volunteers from the island of Bourbon, and about twenty natives. She left the islands for her cruise in the Indian waters the middle of April 1800.

Surcouf went first to the Malabar coast on account of