Before they sailed for Boston, Miles honored his word and released the British crew members who did not wish to join the privateer. They were put on a whaleboat taken from the Abigail Cobb for the purpose, in order to keep the longboats from the Scot. Only three wished to leave in the end, and took the personal effects of the ship's previous officers with them. Miles wasn't certain how many of those items would be rightfully returned, but he was happy to have made the attempt. Surely at least one of the men would return to the Royal Navy with the tale of how the ship had been lost.

The cruise to Boston was short, and once there Miles and Mack, as prize-master, were taken into the city with Mr. Finley and Mr. Goodman. Miles made certain the Scot displayed the striped pine tree flag so as not to alarm the city with a British warship. Miles had been to Boston before and had remembered it as being much livelier, but he recalled that it had, until only recently, been a city besieged. It was littered with debris still and strangely quiet in the streets. He also occasionally saw armed men who he was told were American soldiers. Finley assured him the city was usually not so disheveled.

"Work has been slow when it comes to repairs and returning the city to a similar condition to what it once was," he explained. "Many resources go to the army, and much of us were left with little to nothing when the British left here only last month. We are slowly returning to business here."

"An influx of goods brought in by privateers may help to return Boston to a thriving city," Mr. Goodman added.

"I will do my best to assist in that," Miles replied in agreement.

As Miles had hoped, everyone he interacted with was excited and impressed by his possession of a British frigate. The method with which he had acquired it seemed to be of little concern to any official Miles met. It was considered an unquestionable victory against England, for which he was both thanked and congratulated. In truth, he and the crew were indeed celebrated when their connection with the frigate was known, and a small crowd gathered by the water to gaze at and gossip over the British ship of war that had now become a Massachusetts privateer. Miles sent Clark about to accept any new crew members he could locate among the interested residents of the city.

The cargo from the Abigail Cobb was taken to shore, where Miles was assured it would be kept secure until its sale. Mack was left to answer any questions about its capture, if it was thought the prize could possibly have been improperly obtained, until a decision was made as to its legality. Finley believed the case would be decided quickly so the cargo could be sold. Miles hoped that Mack would be permitted to return home soon, regardless. He had also supplied both Mack and Finley with copies of his own record of the capture of the whaler, complete with details of quantities of cargo taken. He also included a list of what supplies he had taken for use of the crew, in the event it was asked for.

Among those papers were his regular statements that he had advised Mr. Cobb of the ship's need for repairs and that he had doubted the ship would have been able to sail to Whitby or even to Boston without mishap. He stated that, after much consideration, he deemed it prudent to scuttle the damaged vessel after taking the cargo. Though he usually considered himself an honest man, he felt no qualms about the lie. He thought it unlikely the truth would be discovered very soon at all, especially as Mack had a great interest in seeing them paid for the prize. A touch of dishonesty, Miles assured himself, was a necessary aspect of the privateering trade. He wanted to ensure his crew were paid for the work they had done, and he would say what needed to be said to secure them their pay.

They left Boston the same day and Miles, hoping to avoid both New York and the most likely path a British fleet would take from England to America, sent them to open water, then south. He hoped for time for the crew to drill with the guns before encountering any prizes or enemies, and so set regular watches with crewmen tasked solely with looking for ships on the horizon. He quickly determined who had the best eyesight and made the task one of their most important duties, while taking those with poorer eyesight for other tasks aboard the ship.

Miles had requested his lieutenants assist in assigning the crew to watches, taking care to as equally as possible mix the former crew of the Spar with that of the Abigail Cobb, and placing landsmen and others from Boston and Nantucket among them. There were difficulties at times, as Miles had expected, but he permitted those involved to settle issues themselves as often as possible. A few of the new crew members took issue fighting and working beside blacks and Indians, something that was only outwardly solved by firm reminders that Captain Dunn ran ships with respectful crews and anyone who didn't wish to work with their fellow sailors could leave at their earliest convenience. They weren't all expected to become friends, but they would work together or be left at the next port.

The crew drilled on the guns without firing or fully loading them, to preserve powder and shot. They did the same with the muskets and pistols. The swords were a far more awkward matter, but Miles had seen most privateersmen simply hack at each other during boarding with little formal skill. It would be damaging enough that they had a minimal amount of skill with blades.

The days of drilling also allowed himself, his sailing master, and his best helmsmen to learn the capabilities of the larger ship. The Scot certainly handled very differently from the Abigail Cobb, and Miles was determined they would master all aspects of her sailing. Miles regretted that the sailing master who had originally been aboard the ship when it was the Spar had chosen not to join the privateer. His knowledge would have been appreciated, but they would do without.

Soon they would be ready to set out on their cruise.