Page:The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.pdf/138

 their sails, and slipping their cables; many people and ship's boats were left on shore in the bustle. We had two captains on board of our ship, who came away in the hurry and left their ships to follow. We shewed lights from the gun-wales to the main-top-mast-head; and all our lieutenants were employed amongst the fleet to tell the ships not to wait for their captains, but to put the sails to the yards, slip their cables, and follow us; and in this confusion of making ready for fighting, we set out for sea in the dark after the French fleet. Here I could have exclaimed with Ajax.

""Oh Jove! O father! if it be thy will "That we must perish, we thy will obey, "But let us perish by the light of day.""

They had got the start of us so far that we we not able to come up with them during the night; but at day-light we saw seven sail of ships of the line some miles a-head. We immediately chased them till about four o'clock in the evening, when our ships came up with them; and though we were about fifteen large ships, our gallant admiral only fought them with his own division, which consisted of seven: so that we were just ship for ship. We passed by the whole of the enemy's fleet in