thrown on board. She was therefore retaken by the French. Lieutenant
Lloyd, the officer in charge, escaped with a part of the prize crew,
taking with him also a number of Spanish prisoners; but a junior
lieutenant and some seamen were left behind and captured. The _Berwick_
being compelled to follow her division, Lloyd could not rejoin her till
the following day, and sought refuge for that night on board another
ship.

The next day, February 23d, Mathews had another chance. As he did not
pursue during the night, while the allies continued to retire, he was a
long way off at daylight; but his fleet was now united, and the enemy
retreating. He need therefore have no anxiety about the crippled
_Marlborough_, but could follow freely; whereas, the enemy being
pursued, their injured ships both retarded the movement and were
endangered. In the course of the day, the _Poder_ had lagged so far
behind that Admiral Rowley, who had recognized Hawke's enterprise the
day before, directed him to move down upon her. As he approached, the
French ship in company abandoned her, but in taking possession Hawke was
anticipated by the _Essex_, which Mathews himself had ordered to do so.
The captain of the _Essex_ got hold of the Spanish flag, with some other
small trophies, which he afterwards refused to give up unless compelled;
and, as Mathews would not give an order, Hawke never got them. Thus
curiously it came to pass that the one man who above several
misdemeanants distinguished himself by bad conduct, amounting to
cowardice, and who ran away to escape trial, kept the tokens of the
single achievement of the day from him whose valor had won them. The
_Poder_ herself was set on fire, and destroyed.

The British fleet continued to follow during the 23d, and at nightfall
was within three or four miles of the enemy, when Mathews again stopped.