Four of the five vessels sustaining Dance's apparent battle line were built as merchant ships rather than warships. Their hulls were less robust, their holds carried valuable and sometimes flammable cargo, and none mounted more than thirty-six 18-pounders in the configuration discussed. They nevertheless pursued a French force centred on a 74-gun ship of the line. That imbalance makes the bluff's success more striking and explains why such aggressive behaviour persuaded Linois that ordinary traders could not be approaching him.
Notable Point · 1:10:50-1:11:37
Pulo Aura's bluff risked merchant hulls and cargo
Dance's leading ships were cargo-laden merchantmen with lighter construction and at most 36 18-pounders each, yet they chased a French 74 and its escorts.