Fox was the first British ship into the anchorage , and was consequently approached by the guardboat , whose crew came aboard . Malcolm , like Cooke , spoke French fluently and with Bernard translating was able to persuade the officer in charge that the new arrivals were Forte and Prudente seeking supplies and Spanish reinforcements for commerce raiding operations . The officer offered supplies but cautioned that none of the Spanish ships would be in a position to sail until March at the earliest . Cooke then joined the party on the deck of Fox , claiming to be Commodore Latour , a French officer who , unknown to the Spanish , had been killed in the Action of 9 September 1796 off Sumatra . The Spanish officer was now completely convinced by the ruse , which had been augmented by fake French uniforms . Inviting the visitor below decks , Cooke then passed wine around and together they drank a series of toasts , including " the downfall of England " .