passing through our
sails and cutting up our rigging. The enemy, seeing our intention, wore
and foiled the manoeuvre. As she sailed much better than the _Wolf_,
our captain at length saw that he must adopt a different plan to that
which he had at first intended. The Frenchman several times filled and
wore so as on each occasion to bring a fresh broadside to bear on the
_Wolf_, which annoyed us greatly. It was trying work to have her shot
crashing on board without being able to return the compliment.
Fortunately, the Frenchman firing high, few of our men were hurt. We
now steered directly down upon the enemy, and having got within
pistol-shot of her, the satisfactory words reached us, `Give it her, my
lads, and enough of it.' We did give it her, the men tossing their guns
about like playthings, running them in, loading and firing two shots to
the Frenchman's one. We were now what we wanted to be, engaging the
enemy broadside to broadside, within pistol-shot distance, pouring into
each other a fire of round, grape, and musketry. I am afraid you would
not understand the various manoeuvres we performed. As we carried a
press of sail, we shot past the enemy, who, bearing up, managed to cross
our stern and pour in a raking fire. As our captain saw what she was
about to do, he ordered all hands to fall flat on the deck, and many who
might have had their heads knocked off thus escaped. As the shot flew
over us like a shower of hail, the only person I saw on his feet besides
the captain and first lieutenant was Lord Reginald. He told me
afterwards that he could not bring himself to bend before a Frenchman.
`Better, my dear Oswald, to do that than to be knocked down by a
Frenchman's shot,' I observed. `No, no!' he answered. `I should have
died an honourable death.' I beg to observe that I did not agree with
my noble messmate; but I mention the circumstance only to show what
stuff he is made of.

"We were quickly on our feet again, and engaged in firing every gun we
could bring to bear. After some time, having crossed each other's
courses, we being ahead of the French ship, she stood right at us,
bringing her larboard bow against our starboard quarter, over which her
bowsprit ran, pressing against the mizzen rigging. The captain
immediately ordered it to be lashed there, to prevent her escaping.
Lord Reginald was, I can assure you, among the first to obey the
captain's order. Several men were shot in the attempt