aces he recovered himself. He added, "I will thank some one to bind up
my wound."

"Shure, I'll be glad enough to do that same," exclaimed Dan Connor; "and
if you'll just step into your cabin, sir, we'll have you all to rights
in a jiffy."

"I shall not be the only one hit," observed the second mate, as he
allowed Dan to take off his coat.

Still the captain had not abandoned all hopes of escaping, and kept to
his resolution of persevering to the last. He ordered the guns on the
lee side to be hauled over to windward, and as they could be brought to
bear on the enemy they were fired; but what effect they produced was not
perceptible, as both vessels were encircled in smoke. Several more shot
struck the _Ouzel Galley_, and at length two of her gallant crew fell,
desperately wounded, to the deck, and the next instant a third had his
head taken off. Still no one thought of giving in.

"We'll shift the stern-chasers, Owen," cried the captain; "they'll soon
be of little use where they are."

"Ay, ay, sir," answered the first mate, and he with several hands began
to haul one of the guns along the deck, when again the enemy fired his
whole broadside. The guns had been elevated--the shot whistled
overhead--a crash was heard, and down came the main-topmast of the
_Ouzel Galley_ on her deck, striking dead another of her crew. The
survivors made a desperate effort to clear the wreck and prevent the
fore-topmast from sharing the same fate, but even the captain now saw
that all hope of escaping the enemy must be abandoned. On looking round
to direct Owen to haul down the ensign, to his grief he saw that he too
was wounded, and apparently severely so from the stream of blood flowing
from his shoulder. At the same moment the French ship, which had
rapidly shot up abeam, ran alongside and, throwing grappling-irons on
board the chase, held her fast, while a party of the enemy headed by an
officer leaped on the deck from the bows. Resistance was vain, but a
few of the British crew instantly attempted to defend themselves with
their cutlasses, the fallen topmast serving as a barricade; but the
Frenchmen scrambling over it, the former were quickly driven aft. Owen
had in the mean time hauled down the ensign by the captain's orders, and
shouted out that they surrendered. The enemy, however, enraged at the
stubborn resistance they had met with, were rushing aft, when the second
mate appeared from the cabin with his arm in a s