Page:The Naval Officer (1829), vol. 2.djvu/39

 prey, when they were surprised, taken prisoners, and marched away to the British camp, leaving the dead body behind.

We, quite unconscious of what was done, came soon after, found our veal, and marched off with it.. The prisoners were in the meantime sent on board the flag-ship, with the charge of robbery strongly preferred against them. indeed, the flagrante delicto was proved. In vain they protested that they were not the slayers, but only went in search of what others had killed; the admiral, who was a kind-hearted man, said, that that. was a very good story, but desired them "not to tell lies to old rogues," and ordered them all under arrest: at the same time giving directions for a most rigid scrutiny into the larder of the other gun-boat, with a view, if possible, to discover the remains of the calf. This we had foreseen would happen, so we put it into one of the sailor's bags, and sank it with a lead line in three fathoms water, where it lay till the inspection was over, when we dressed it, and