of their artillery, and the ships
sent back the chorus of thousands of cheering voices for every well-aimed
shot.

Frank was in the rigging of the schooner, watching the fight, making
drawings to send to his mother, and talking with his comrades, among whom
Sinjin's glass passed from hand to hand.

"I tell ye, boys!" remarks Seth Tucket, "this is a leetle ahead of any
game of bluff ever I took a hand in! The battery is about used up. S'pose
you look at your--my--our watch, Frank, and see how often the darned
rebels fire."

"Once in about ten minutes now," Frank informs him. "O! did you see that
shell burst? Right over one of our gunboats!"

"She's aground," says Gray, with the glass. "She can neither use her guns
nor get off! A little tug is going to help her."

"Bully for the tug!" says Jack Winch.

"Hurrah! hurrah!" ring the deafening plaudits from the ships.

"What is it?" is eagerly asked.

"The battery's flag-staff is shot away!" shouts Frank at the top of his
voice. "Hooray!"

"Some think the flag has been hauled down, to surrender the fort, but
it's a mistake," declares Gray. "See! up it goes again on a piece of the
pole! And the guns are at it again."

"Where's Burnside?" asks some one. And Tucket quotes,--

"'O, where was Roderick then? One blast upon his bugle horn were worth a
thousand men!'"

"He is sending off a boat to the shore yonder, to look for a
landing-place. We'll be going in there soon, boys!"

The boat approaches a cove called Ashby's Harbor, taking soundings as it
nears the land. On board of her is one of the negro lads, who fearlessly
pilots her towards scenes familiar to his days of bondage.

"They'd better keep their eyes skinned!" says Tucket. "There's rebels in
the mash there, I bet ye a dollar!"

The officers of the boat land safely, and reconnoitre. As they are
reembarking, however, up spring from the tall grass a company of rebels,
and flash, flash, goes a volley of musketry.

"I wish somebody had took me up on my bet," says Tucket; "'twould have
been a dollar in my pocket."

"They're off; nobody left behind; nobody hurt, I hope," says Gray,
watching the boat.

"Look, boys! the rebels works are afire!" is now the cry.

Flames break through the smoke, and the firing slackens on both sides for
a short time.

"It's only the barracks, probably, fired by a shell," says Gray. "They've
no idea of surrendering. They hold out well!"

The battery is completely enveloped