ng eights to tell, and
the very first shot, flying high, knocked away the jaws of the enemy's
main gaff, wounding at the same time the head of the mainmast. At
seeing this, a hearty cheer rose from all on board. It was a prognostic
of success.

"If we'd tried to do that same we could not have succeeded," observed
McAllister. "I say, Perigal, you must let me take that craft to
Jamaica."

"With all my heart, my boy, when she's ours; but it's ill-luck to give
away what doesn't belong to us," answered our skipper.

"Never mind; but she will be before many minutes are over," persisted
McAllister. "Now, lads, just follow suit to that shot, and we'll do for
the mounseers in a very short time."

By this fortunate shot we had the enemy almost in our power. She ran
off before the wind, and we soon came up with her, and hung on her
quarter, so that she could rarely bring more than one gun at a time to
bear on us. She had fired several shots without effect, but at last, to
make amends, one came flying diagonally across our deck, taking off the
head of one of our men, and knocking over a second, who survived but a
few moments. A few more such fatal shots would sadly have thinned our
numbers. The enemy had a good number of men on deck, but not so many as
we expected. Some were sent aloft to try and repair the damage to the
gaff, and this, as we had got within musket range, we did our best to
prevent by keeping up a fire of small-arms at them. I had seized a
musket, and with others was blazing away, not very effectually, for the
men continued their work, and no one appeared to be hurt, when, just as
I had fired, I saw a man drop stone dead upon the deck. It was my shot
had done the deed. A sickening sensation came over me. I felt as if I
had committed a murder. It would have been different had I hit one of
the men at the guns, but the poor fellow was performing, so it seemed,
but an ordinary piece of a seaman's duty; my blood was cool, I did not
feel that he was an enemy. Perhaps the idea was foolish; it did not
last long. The rest of the men aloft were soon driven on deck, and
shooting ahead, we ranged up alongside, and poured in the whole of our
broadside. The enemy returned our fire, but our men worked their guns
almost twice as quickly as the Frenchmen did, aiming much better, and
the effect was soon apparent in their shattered bulwarks, decks strewed
with slain, and torn sails.

"Blaze away, lads," shouted