“ Disappointment is not a feeling that arises in the mind, and then instantaneously passes away; it recurs again and again, to vex the spirit, and to rouse its energies to redeem the mistaken or neglected step by which it has been troubled. With the crew of the drugger-boat it operated with instantaneous effect, and they were at the same time stimulated, by the severe presure of existing neeessities, to form the desperate resolution of attempting the eapturo of the Minerva. ”

“ The banner of freedom indeed, had hardly been raised on the towers of Valparaiso, when numerous bands of hardy seamen fitted out their barks for predatory adventure; and privateers in particular, received both encouragement and assistance from the insurgent government, whose policy it was to weaken, by every possible means, the maritime power of the mother country. Foreigners, as well as Americans, eagerly embarked in the business of legalised plunder, not from any principle of patriotism, it is obvious, but upon more mercenary speculation. ”

“ To use a homely simile, the broadside of heavy grape made a commotion among the boats, similar to that which is produced by an unexpected shot from a well loaded fowling-piece among a flock of ducks on the bosom of a pond. Instead of one such shot, however, five-and-twenty double shots of grape and canister were sent by deliberate aim among the boats of Arica, and caeh shot struck its allotted portion of the line of attaek. At the scene which presented itself when the smoke eleared away, even the drugger's erew were appalled. ”

“ Towards evening the wind died away into a dead calm, and the moon rose with just as much light as sufficed to render objects close at hand sufficiently distinguishable, while there was not enough of it to expose to view thoso at a distance. ”

“ The boats advancing in a dense extended line, each gun was brought to bear upon particular parts of them, so that there should be no useless expenditure of powder and shot. The Minerva being a deep-waisted vessel, with a top-gallant forecastle and poop, the boats' crews did not discover the preparations that had been made for their reception-so they pulled on until they were within pistol-shot of the ship's side. At that moment Mackay, to whom all eyes on board the Minerva were now directed, every thing having been in perfect readiness, gave the signal to "fire." ”

“ How true it is, that out of evil often some good will spring; for while I was enduring this thumbscrew on my gums—this gout in my jaw—this rack of my nerve—this destroyer of brains-amid this desolation I acquired much useful information respecting the toothache. One friend informed me that half the suffering was occasioned by nervous irritability; for, if I went to a dentist with a determination to have the tooth extracted, the moment I entered the door the tooth would cease to give me pain. ”

“ Meanwhile the drugger had been swung round by the swell, till she came right alongside of the Minerva, and tho remainder of the assailants easily scrambled on deck. The conflict was bloody, but of brief duration, for so instantaneous had been tho assault, and panic struck as the Spaniards were by its temerity, they made little or no resistance; and their unexpeeted visitors experienced little difficulty in driving those who had escaped with life down the hatehway. The only man amongst them, indeed, who defended himself with true eourage, was the Minerva's boatswain. ”

“ All was quiet, until they reached within musket shot of the ship; it was then that the night-watch sung out a challenge. “Dispatches from the fleet for the captain,” was the fisherman’s answer. “Keep off—the captain is on shore,” replied the sentry. “Pull on, pull on, ye devils,” whispered Mackay. “Stand off, you there, or I’ll sink you, by Saint Maria,” reiterated the sentry; and tho threat having been disregarded, he fired his musket into tho boat, but without effect. “Slap alongside, my lads,” cried Tom Martin; “keep clear o’ her stinsails.” ”

“ In the hurry and heat of the moment, they seemed only to strive whieh should first reach the Minerva by the shortest road. To men of cooler passions and calmer judgment, it would probably havo occurred, that the safest, and in other respects tho best modo of attack, would have been to disperso tho boats, and, by surrounding the vessel, be in a situation to board on all points at once. Had this been done, the handful of Englishmen must inevitably have been cut to pieces. But tho Spaniards did not condescend to consume time in concerting a plan of co-operation. ”

“ Having reached this wind, they bore down for Valparaiso, with the view of disposing of the ship and cargo, and of dividing their spoil. Off Valparaiso lay a strong Spanish fleet, bloekading the port; but of this eireumstanee our adventurers were not aware, neither did they entertain the slighest suspieion that an obstaele of so formidable a nature was at all likely to oppose itself to the completion of an adventure already nearly erowned with sueeess. ”

“ To attempt a fair stand up fight with a force numerically so far superior, would be to court certain destruction. It thereforo appeared to them that the only means by which the difficulty might, by possibility, be obviated, was to board tho vessel by surprisc at midnight, and to securc her hatches—a plan sufficiently simple in itself, and effectual too, provided it could be promptly accomplished. ”

“ Tho crew of tho Minerva did not enter into their calculation at all; for, once on board, with cutlass in hand, they would speedily be overcome; and the fort, though strong enough to blow them out of the water in five minutcs, would not surely (so they reasoned among themselves) bo so regardless of Spanish life and Spanish property, as to sink the Minerva in order to destroy a few impcrtinent maurauders already on board of her. ”

“ It would almost appear, indeed, that, instead of there being any general curo for the toothache, every body would require to have his own cure; for though certain preparations have been found effectual in certain cases, nothing is so common as to find thcsc fail when applied to others. Probably there is ono particular cure for every man on earth, if ho only could discover what it is. ”

“ By the Indian they were informed that the coast was elear of king’s ships—that an armed merehantman from Old Spain had arrived at Ariea (a fortified town still in the hands of the royalists) a few days before, and that she was lying under the proteetion of the fort, ready to discharge a valuablo eargo. ”

“ They next collected a quantity of old arms, eonsisting of muskets, pistols, cutlasses, boardingpikes, and two small swivels, which they mounted on the boats timber-heads; but as they were to trust chiefly to boarding, they took on board no cannon—their bark, indeed, was, from its diminutive size, utterly unfit for this grand instrument of war. ”

“ Thus favoured, the sixteen lion-hearted British seamen left their lurking place, and stole into tho bay towards the Minerva. About midnight the dull light of a lantern on board bccame visible, and in a few minutes afterwards the dim outline of tho vessel’s hull was discovcred. For a moment tho drugger’s oars were suspended to allow her crew to draw one deep breath beforo striking the desperate blow. During this pause, each man ascertained that his brace of pistols was in his belt, and his cutlass and boarding-pike at hand. ”

“ They would not have been true British seamen, however, had they hoarded up their wealth. No less characteristie of their profession, was the reekless intrepidity whieh ono and all of them had displayed, than was tho profusion of their expenditure after getting fairly on shore. ”