a smart fire was returned by the _Revenge_ and the _Defiance_, that were
close astern. On both sides there was no willingness to fight. The pirates
were at first seized with consternation at discovering their mistake; they
had turned their prizes adrift after throwing their sails overboard, and,
with only three hundred men for their joint crews, forty of them negroes,
were not strong enough to engage the Bombay squadron. But England was a
man who preferred fighting to running, so putting a bold face on the
matter, the _Cassandra_ ran through the fleet, firing into the _Victory_,
the _Chandos_, and the _Phram_. The _Chandos_, which was towing the
_Phram_, at once cast it loose. The fleet scattered in all directions,
like a flock of sheep when a strange dog runs through it. Upton, of the
_London_, a chicken-hearted fellow, persuaded Brown that they ought not to
engage, as Boone had sent them to attack Gheriah, but had given them no
instructions about the Madagascar pirates. Brown seemingly did not want
much persuading, and crowded all sail to escape; at the same time striking
his flag to show that he did not intend fighting, which excited the
indignation of his own sailors and the derision of the pirates. He next
sent orders by a gallivat for the _Phram_ to be burned, and thus that
useless machine, from which so much had been expected; and that had cost
so much money and labour, came to an end.

These foolish proceedings gave England the measure of his antagonists.
'Observing the indifferency of the fleet,' the best way of saving himself
was, he thought, to 'play the Bull-beggar' with them; so he set to work to
chase them northward. The superior sailing powers of the pirates enabled
them to do as they pleased.

When they overtook the rearmost of the ships Brown had still got with him,
they backed their sails and fired into them till they had got well ahead
again. In this ignominious fashion the greater part of the fleet was