ates secured the
yards; the ship's carpenter brought up shot plugs for repairing any
breeches made under the waterline; and the gunners looked to the cannon
and prepared charges for them and the small arms.

Bulger was in charge of the twelve-pounder aft, and Mr. Toley had tolled
off Desmond to assist him. They stood side by side watching the progress
of the grab, which gained steadily in spite of the plunging due to its
curious build. Presently another shot came from her; it shattered the
belfry on the forecastle of the Good Intent, and splashed into the sea a
hundred yards ahead.

"They make good practice, for sartin," remarked Bulger. "I may be wrong,
but I'll lay my life there be old man-o'-war's men aboard. I mind me when
I was with Captain Golightly on the Minotaur--"

But Bulger's yarn was intercepted. At that moment the boatswain piped,
"All hands to quarters!" In a surprisingly short time all timber was
cleared away, the galley fire was extinguished, the yards slung, the deck
strewn with wet sand, and sails, booms, and boats liberally drenched with
water. The gun captains, each with his crew, cast loose the lashings of
their weapons and struck open the ports. The tompions was taken out; the
sponge, rammer, crows and handspikes placed in readiness, and all awaited
eagerly the word for the action to begin.

"'Tis about time we opened our mouths at 'em," said Bulger. "The next
bolus they send us as like as not will bring the spars a-rattlin' about
our ears. To be sure it goes against my stummick to fire on old
messmates; but it en't in Englishmen to hold their noses and swallow
pills o' that there size. We'll load up all ready, mateys."

He stripped to the waist, and tied a handkerchief over his ears. Desmond
and the men followed his example. Then one of them sponged the bore,
another inserted the cartridge, containing three pounds of powder, by
means of a long ladle, a third shoved in a wad of rope yarn. This having
been driven home by the rammer, the round shot was inserted, and covered
like the cartridge with a wad. Then Bulger took his priming iron, an
instrument like a long thin corkscrew, and thrust it into the touch hole
to clear the vent and make an incision in the cartridge. Removing the
priming iron, he replaced it by the priming tube--a thin tapering tube
with very narrow bore. Into this he poured a quantity of fine mealed
powder; then he laid a train of the same powder in the little groove cut