Page:Narrative of a captivity and adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1803 and 1809.djvu/20

 was almost the only act that could afford consolation in so painful a situation; for, notwithstanding I was myself a prisoner, I could but indulge in feelings of triumph at seeing the Phœbe walk off in the face of a superior and much faster sailing foe. As the other frigates closed, they also hove too, thus allowing the Phœbe to make one of the most miraculous escapes that occurred during the war. In the mean time the corvette captured the transport. About half an hour was occupied in removing the prisoners and dispatching the prizes to Toulon: during which period, the Phœbe was manœuvring in defiance, firing guns and making signals as if communicating with a friendly force. The chace was renewed, and an officer ordered to the mast head to look out, who reported that he saw several large sail to windward; the signal "a fleet in sight," was immediately made to the commodore, and soon after the squadron bore up for Toulon; on approaching which, Admiral Gantheume, the commander in chief, by signal, ordered the chace to be resumed,