officer, and I liked him very much.
I now, I own, began to think that we were getting the worst of it, and
should have to strike our colours, or go down with them flying. Just
then the gun, double shotted, was run out aft, and fired right into the
enemy's bows. Our men's cheers drowned the shrieks and cries which
followed from the French ship. Again the gun was loaded and fired with
the same terrific effect. The French marines continued blazing away at
the people in the cabin, but were at length driven from the gangway by
the hot fire of our jollies and small-armed men. The latter had also to
direct their attention to a carronade which the enemy had got on his
forecastle, and which might have done us a vast deal of mischief, but
such a shower of musket balls whistled round it the instant a Frenchman
got near, that none would venture to work it.

As Mr Lukyn had ordered me out of the cabin when I found that I could
be of no use to Mr Downton, I went on deck again. The bullets were
whistling along the deck as thick as hailstones. This sort of work
would have continued probably till we had treated each other like the
Kilkenny cats, or till the French ship had given in, when her jib-boom
gave way, and she forged ahead. As she did so, our next aftermost gun
was manned and fired, cutting away her head rails, and, what was of
greater consequence, the gammoning of her bowsprit.

"Hurrah, lads! the day's ours," shouted Mr Collman; "over to the
starboard guns."

The master was on the main-deck with the captain.

"Now the battle's going to begin in earnest, Mr Merry," observed the
boatswain, near whom I found myself.

Thought I to myself, "It has been going on in pretty serious earnest for
the last two hours or more."

Now both frigates, running on yard-arm to yard-arm, fired their guns in
succession as they could be brought to bear; but our people, from
constant practice, tossed our guns in and out twice as rapidly as the
Frenchmen. This soon told; the enemy's main-topmast was shot away, the
foremast was badly wounded, several of her ports were knocked into one,
and instead of the cloud of canvas which lately swelled proudly to the
breeze, her sails were riddled, and, with rope ends, hung useless from
every shattered yard. In some respects we were not much better off, and
our rigging was so cut about that the ship was no longer manageable.
Taking advantage of her greater speed, our antagonist drew ahead till
she