in among the struggling men, and hauling them into the
boats as fast as we could, the shot all the time rattling about us. The
admiral seemed to have recovered his strength, and worked away with his
left arm, assisting in saving a great many. Eighty men were saved, but
more than half the crew were lost. The first ship we came to was the
`Seahorse.' Her captain's wife, Mrs Freemantle, was on board, but he
was with the boats, and no one could tell whether he was alive or dead.

"`No, no,' exclaimed the admiral; `I can give the poor lady no tidings
of her husband; she shall not see me in this state. Pull to another
ship.'

"We managed to reach the `Theseus.' When a rope was lowered, he sprung
up the side, and would have no help. We could scarcely believe our
eyes, for we thought he was half dead. His was a wonderful spirit.
Then he sent us off to try and save a few more of the poor fellows from
the `Fox.' When we got back we found that he had made the surgeon at
once cut off his arm. We brought him the news that Captain Freemantle,
though badly wounded, had got off in safety to his ship. You may be
sure that both he and all of us were very anxious to know what was going
forward on shore. At length we heard that Captain Troubridge had
managed to collect two or three hundred men--all who were not drowned or
killed by shot--and having marched into the square, had taken the town.
Of course, he could do nothing against the citadel. Some eight thousand
Spanish troops were collecting about the place, but he was not a man to
be daunted; telling them that he would burn the town if they molested
him, he was able to draw off all his men in safety. During that
business we lost two hundred and fifty men and officers. It was a sad
affair, but though it was a failure every man engaged in it did his duty
bravely, and no one could blame the admiral for what had happened. We
heard that the Spaniards treated our wounded men who were left on shore
with the greatest kindness and care. No one among the wounded suffered
more than the admiral, and it was some months, I've heard say, before
the pain left his arm.

"Once more we returned to old England, and the admiral went up to London
to try and get cured of his wound. Since he left home he had lost an
eye and an arm, and had been terribly knocked about besides; but people
thought of what he had done, not of how he looked, and he was received
with honour wherever he went.

"