The one thing that kept them all from quarrelling was the hope of plunder; and it was easy to guess that, in the matter of the stolen guns, although the credit of that achievement belonged to Captain Cochin alone, the men would not have agreed on this peaceable journey to France if they had not been promised a share in the fruits of the cargo when sold.
Captain Cochin found out that it is as hard to avoid the enemy's ships when you do not want them as it is to fall in with them when you do.
We had been out nearly a week, beating about against fitful winds down the west coast of Ireland, when one evening just before nightfall we sighted land on our weather-bow, and between us and it a sail bearing down our way.
As far as we could make out the stranger was a cruiser, in all probability one of the government vessels at that time stationed off Bantry Bay, on the look-out for some of the foreign smugglers and privateers that made it their hunting-ground.

The light fell too suddenly to enable us to see more, but Captain Cochin flew the English colours at his mast-head, and held on his course until night hid us completely.
Then we put out into the wind and ran for the open sea, and waited for the morning.
The short midsummer night left us little waiting; and as soon as day broke, the first thing we saw, within a league of us, and bearing right across our course, was the stranger in full chase.

She was a brigantine fully armed, and carrying a great spread of sail, but to our surprise she flew not the English but the French colours.
On seeing this, Captain Cochin quickly hauled down the English flag, and ran up that of his own country; but he disregarded the stranger's signal to come to, and held on with every breath of wind he could get into his canvas.
"Set a thief to catch a thief," they say.

And so, the French privateer suspecting the French pirate to have good reason for running away, pressed on all sail, and gave full chase.
What surprised me most was to see that she was fast coming up on us.

I had never contemplated such a thing as the _Arrow_ being caught by anything on water; but I had to admit now I was wrong.