the Spaniards tried in vain to board their sturdy little foe. Lord
Cochrane then determined to meet them on their own deck, and the
daring project was facilitated by one of the smart expedients in which
he was never wanting. Before going into action, "knowing," as he said,
"that the final struggle would be a desperate one, and calculating
on the superstitious wonder which forms an element in the Spanish
character," he had ordered his crew to blacken their faces; and, "what
with this and the excitement of combat, more ferocious-looking objects
could scarcely be imagined." With these men following him he promptly
gained the frigate's deck, and then their strong arms and hideous
faces soon frightened the Spaniards into submission.

The senior officer of the _Gamo_ asked for a certificate of his
bravery, and received one testifying that he had conducted himself
"like a true Spaniard." To Spain, of course, this was no sarcasm,
and on the strength of the document its holder soon obtained further
promotion.

That achievement, which cost only three men's lives, led to
consequences greater than could have been expected. Lord Cochrane,
after three months' waiting, received the rank of post captain. But
his desire that the services of Lieutenant Parker, his second in
command, should also be recompensed led to a correspondence with Earl
St. Vincent which turned him from a jealous superior into a bitter
enemy. In reply to Lord Cochrane's recommendation, Earl St. Vincent
alleged that "it was unusual to promote two officers for such a
service,--besides which the small number of men killed on board the
_Speedy_ did not warrant the application." Lord Cochrane answered,
with incautious honesty, that "his lordship's reasons for not
promoting Lieutenant Parker, because there were only three men killed