ans. The seamen, twenty of whom went from our ship, were headed
by Lieutenant Seagrave: I went to assist in the landing. We had shoved
off, when I found that Reginald Leslie and Harry had jumped into the
boat. Reginald said that he was resolved to see the fun. Harry told me
that he had been ordered to take charge of the men instead of a master's
mate, who was unable to go, so he was all right; but Reginald had no
business to be where he was, and had there been time I should have sent
him on board again. It was dark by the time we had reached the shore;
the troops and bluejackets, mustering eight hundred, formed as they
landed, and were immediately ordered to push forward. I had intended,
as in duty bound, to keep Reginald Leslie in the boat, but he leapt on
shore among the first, and I was too busy to see what became of him.
The hills which rose above our heads were steep and rugged,
notwithstanding which, soldiers and bluejackets pushed up them by a long
and narrow path, with a rugged precipice on one side. At any moment
they might arouse the enemy, who would soon have stopped their progress.

I knew it would take a couple of hours or more, from the distance they
had to go, before the party could be back. I waited anxiously, thinking
more perhaps of Harry and his messmate than of the success of the
expedition, about which I had little doubt. The time seemed very long.
At last, hearing the sound of firing from among the hills, I knew that
the batteries were being attacked. The firing then ceased, the sound of
only an occasional shot reaching my ears. I now waited more anxiously
than before for the return of the party. Suddenly the sound of great
guns and musketry came down from over the hills, and I began to fear
that our party were being again attacked by a superior force. I had
posted a couple of lookouts on the neighbouring heights which commanded
the path, to give notice of the approach of either friends or foes. One
of them came running down, crying out--

"They are coming, sir, they are coming!"

"Our people or the French?" I asked.

"Sure it must be our people, sir," answered the man, who was Irish but
as he seemed somewhat doubtful about the matter, I ordered the men into
the boats, to be ready to shove off, should by any chance our party have
been cut off. At last I saw a large body of men coming down the hill,
and was greatly relieved when I discovered that they were Spaniards, and
that our