The discipline of the crew was perfect, and, after all, therefore, it is little wonder that one of the last acts of the famous ship was the most brilliant of them all.
It is stated by Richard Watson Gilder that when Captain Stewart was talking with the respective captains of the _Cyane_ and _Levant_ in his own cabin, the two fell into a dispute, each charging the other with failing to do the right thing during the engagement, and insisting that if it had been done they would not have been defeated.

Stewart sat amused and interested until he saw they were becoming angry, when he interfered.
"Now, gentlemen," said he, "there's no need of your growing warm over this affair; no matter what evolutions you made, or what you did, the end would have been the same.

If you don't believe it, I will put each of you back on your ship with the same crews and we'll fight it all over again." Neither of the gentlemen was prepared to accept this proposal, and there can be no doubt that Captain Stewart was warranted in his declaration, and his prisoners knew it.
Stewart started for home with his prizes, and early in March anchored in Port Praya.

While there, three powerful British frigates approached, which, through a series of singular coincidences, were blockading Boston at the time the _Constitution_ made her escape some months before.

They were anxious, above everything else, to capture the most dreaded ship in the American navy.