ch, although, as
Dick Driver, from whom I got the particulars, said, properly belonged to
England, at least, it once had. Of course, therefore, it was their
business to get it back again. Dick could not recollect its name, nor
the exact date of the occurrences I am describing, for, being no
scholar, he was a very bad hand at recollecting dates; and as he could
not write his own name, of course it was not to be expected that he
would keep a journal, or remember very accurately all the places he had
visited.

The _Laurel_ and her consorts, having hoisted French colours, stood
along the coast, which the captain and officers of the former ship
narrowly examined with their glasses.

At length the shades of evening drew on, and they came off a small town,
situated on the shore of a bay, the entrance of which was guarded by a
fort. The _Laurel_ stood on, as if about to enter the bay, but the
land-wind coming off the shore, she and the other two vessels stood away
till they had got such a distance from the harbour that there was no
chance of their being seen by the sharpest eyes, with the best of
night-glasses, looking out for them.

The ships having hove-to, the commanders of the other vessels came on
board the _Laurel_, when Captain Blunt announced his intention of
attacking the town, hoping to hold possession of it till another
squadron, which had been destined for the purpose, had captured a more
important place on the other side of the island. The captain's plan was
to send in the different boats of the squadron with a strong party of
marines and blue-jackets, in three divisions, a couple of hours before
daylight, as it was hoped at that time, the garrison of the fort being
less on the alert than at an earlier hour, the boats might enter the bay
unperceived.

The first and largest division was instructed to take possession of the
town; the second was to attack the fort; and the third to cut out any
vessels found in the harbour, in case the other two should be compelled
to retreat, so that, at all events, there might be something to show for
the night's work.

The boats' crews, and all who were fortunate enough, as they considered
it, to be selected for the expedition, were soon busily employed in
sharpening cutlasses, fitting fresh flints to their pistols, and making
other preparations for the possible bloody work in which they were to be
engaged. Dick Driver, who belonged to the cutter's crew, was among the
mo