fore the wind. "I don't go with you
this time," said I; "_J'ai ete_", as the Frenchman said, when he was
invited to an English foxhunt.

I was as black as a negro when I returned on board, and dying with
thirst. "Very well done, Mildmay," said the captain; "did you find it
warm?" I pointed to my mouth, for it was so parched that I could not
speak, and ran to the water-cask, where I drank as much as would have
floated a canoe. The first thing I said, as soon as I could speak, was
"D---- that fire-ship, and the lubber that set her on fire."

The next morning the French squadron was seen in a very disastrous
state; they had cut their cables, and run on shore in every direction,
with the exception of the flag ships of the admiral and rear-admiral,
which lay at their anchors, and could not move till high water; it was
then first quarter flood, so that they had five good hours to remain.
I refer my readers to the court-martial for a history of these events:
they have also been commented on, with more or less severity, by
contemporary writers. I shall only observe, that had the captains of
His Majesty's ships been left to their own judgment, much more would
have been attempted; but with what success I do not presume to say.

My captain, as soon as he could see his mark, weighed, ran in, and
engaged the batteries, while he also directed his guns at the bottoms
of the enemy's ships, as they lay on shore on their beam ends. Isle
d'Aix gave us a warm reception. I was on the forecastle, the captain
of which had his head taken clean off, by a cannon-ball; the captain
of the ship coming forward at the same moment, only said, "Poor
fellow! throw him overboard; there is no time for a coroner's inquest
now." We were a considerable time engaging the batteries, and the
vessels near them, without receiving any assistance from our ships.

While this was going on, a very curious instance of muscular action
occurred: a lad of eighteen years of age was on the forecastle, when
a shot cut away the whole of his bowels, which were scattered over
another midshipman and myself, and nearly blinded us. He fell--and
after lying a few seconds, sprang suddenly on his feet, stared us
horribly in the face, and fell down dead. The spine had not been
divided; but with that exception, the lower was separated from the
upper part of the body.

Some of our vessels seeing us so warmly engaged, began to move up to
our assistance. One of our ships of the line