im, for her
main-mast was gone by the board, only a short stump rising above the
deck, and as she came nearer, her shattered bulwarks told of a desperate
fight.

There was a signal of recall flying; and at this the lieutenant shook
hands warmly, and with the middy bade us good-bye, setting sail directly
after with the prisoners in their own vessel, and towing the frigate's
boat behind.

We learned afterwards that there had been a most desperate engagement,
far away to the west, and that the Frenchman was becoming hopelessly
beaten with half her guns silenced, and that she was on the point of
striking her colours, when a lucky shot from one of her big guns cut
through the frigate's main-mast, and it toppled over into the sea,
whereupon the French sloop made her escape, sinking the cutter which
bravely tried to check her, and carrying off her crew as prisoners.

We only obtained this information in driblets; but one thing was
certain, the French sloop had got right away, and my father frowned as
he thought of his lost silver.

He bore up famously for a few days, working hard, in spite of Doctor
Chowne's orders, in trying to make his wounded work-people comfortable,
and then when by the doctor's orders I was lying at home on a sofa in
the same room as Bigley, my poor father broke down and took to his bed.

"I'm not surprised," Doctor Chowne said to me shaking his head. "You're
all a set of the most obstinate mules that ever kicked. I should have
had you all well by now, only young Bigley there would walk on his
crippled leg and irritate it; you would keep rolling and dancing about
and keeping your ribs from mending; and your father has gone on walking
about just as if nothing was the matter, when all the time he ought to
have been in bed."

"But a little rest will soon set him right, will it not, doctor?" I
said anxiously.

"A little rest? He'll be obliged to take a great deal now, and I'm glad
of it. Hang him: I'll bring him in a bill by and by!"

The doctor was quite right; we had all been very disobedient, and
suffered for it; but in spite of the pain, and fever, and weakness, that
was a very pleasant time. How we used to lie there listening to the
birds! Sometimes it was the blackbirds piping softly in the garden.
Then from high up over the hill we could faintly hear the skylark
singing away, and then perhaps mingling with it would come the wild
querulous _pee-ew_! _pee-ew_! Of the grey and white gull