Now, Haraden's craft was of 180 tons, and an American frigate of the largest class at that time--the year 1780--would be at least 800 tons; the two vessels were close together, and we have seen that the American captain had, some time previously, been able to estimate the size and probable strength of the other; so what was the use of shouting such a fable to the Britisher? Any seaman of moderate experience would ridicule the idea of mistaking a vessel of 180 tons, close alongside, even at night, for a first-class frigate, with her comparatively large hull and immense, towering spars. Some of the English privateer captains whom we have been discussing would have had a very short reply for Haraden--"Frigate, be d----d!" and a broadside; and it was really very lucky for the American that he had dropped upon a "soft thing" in finding a British skipper so extremely unsophisticated as to be deceived for a moment. However, the captain of the _Golden Eagle_ chanced to be the one man in a thousand who would be so taken in, and he hauled down his colours without firing a shot! Had he been a naval officer, he would have had to answer at a court-martial for his conduct, and it is impossible to imagine any punishment for such an offence, short of death. However, nothing succeeds like success; Haraden--according to the story, as narrated by Mr. Maclay--made good his piece of "bounce," and took possession; and the most appropriate comment appears to be that each captain got what he deserved.
Shortly afterwards Captain Haraden engaged a privateer--the _Achilles_--of vastly superior force, off Bilbao, so close in shore that the Spaniards crowded the headlands in hundreds to see the fun. Haraden, by superior seamanship, succeeded in beating off his big antagonist and in recovering the _Golden Eagle_, which the enemy had recaptured but could not hold, and which had on board an officer and prize crew from the _Achilles_. So the balance was in the American's favour.
An onlooker--one Robert Cowan--is reported to have said that the _General Pickering_ looked like a longboat in comparison with the _Achilles_, and that "Haraden fought with a determination that seemed superhuman; and, although in the most exposed positions, where the shot flew around him, he was all the while as calm and steady as amid a shower of snowflakes."