, but at last it
was successful. Scarcely, however, was it done, and we had the
Frenchman fast, than we saw the greater portion of her crew rushing
forward, ready to spring down on our decks. It was as much as we could
do, I can tell you, to keep them at bay. Our marines, stationed on the
quarter-deck, fired away at them as fast as they could load and
discharge their muskets, but not until our captain himself, at the head
of our own boarders, armed with cutlasses, pikes, and pistols, rushed to
our quarter, over which the enemy had begun to pour, was their progress
stopped. It was desperate work; those who had gained our deck were cut
down, others were hove into the sea, while the remainder beat a rapid
retreat. Their foremost guns then began to thunder away at us, and we
could not bring one to bear in return, until a couple of pieces were
dragged aft on the main-deck and run through the cabin windows, which
had been cut down to serve as ports. We had now an advantage of which
we made good use. Every shot we fired told with tremendous effect, but
the enemy was still unconquered. The lashings which held the bowsprit
of the French ship to the mizzen rigging giving way, she began to forge
ahead. As she did so, a fortunate shot cut away the gammoning of her
bowsprit. We were now exchanging broadsides yardarm to yardarm, but the
drubbing they had already received seemed to dishearten the Frenchmen.
Still they held out, showing a wonderful amount of pluck. They had sent
men into the tops, armed with muskets, who were firing down on our deck,
and had already wounded several of our officers. I was standing a short
distance from our captain, when I saw Lord Reginald seize the musket of
a marine who had just been killed, and at the same time shove the
captain aside and fire at the maintop, when down came a man on deck.
The captain was saved. The fellow had been taking aim at him, and there
is no doubt that he owes his life to the coolness and resolution of Lord
Reginald, although he looked rather astonished at being treated in so
unceremonious a manner by a midshipman--"

"Why, you make Lord Reginald a perfect hero," observed a dowager duchess
sitting opposite to Voules, who might possibly have suspected that the
young gentleman was drawing on his imagination as to the details of the
action.

"Pray go on, Mr Voules," said Lady Julia. "I could not listen to you
without trembling; and, did I not see my brother sitting