By a close shave he gained the open sea and made off up the coast.

For several weeks the _Hornet_ idled to and fro, vainly seeking merchant prizes, and then off the Demerara River on February 24, 1813, she fell in with the British brig _Peacock_, that flew the royal ensign.

The affair lasted no more than fifteen minutes.

The _Peacock_ was famous for shining brass work, spotless paint, and the immaculate trimness of a yacht, but her gunnery had been neglected, for which reason she went to the bottom in six fathoms of water with shot-holes in her hull and thirty-seven of her crew put out of action.

The sting of the _Hornet_ had been prompt and fatal.