ed how he had been prevented from conveying
them to Granville in his own vessel, and begged that any English
prisoners who chanced to be at that place might be sent to one of the
Channel Islands. The sequel will show in what manner this courtesy and
generosity were repaid by the French government.

At six, A.M., December 30th, all was in readiness for the Grappler to
leave the harbour. The anchor was up, and the vessel was riding
between wind and tide, with a hawser made fast to the rocks.
Unfortunately, the hawser either broke or slipped while they were in
the act of close reefing the topsails, and the brig cast to port. She
drifted about three or four hundred yards, and struck at last on a
half-tide rock, from which all their efforts were unavailing to haul
her off again, and at low water she bilged, and parted in two abreast
the chess tree.

Lieutenant Thomas, foreseeing the inevitable loss of the brig, had
ordered the master to proceed with the cutter and eight men to Jersey
for assistance; and he was directing the crew in their endeavours to
mount some guns upon a small rocky islet, to which they had already
carried the greater part of the provisions, small arms, and
ammunition, when the look-out man, who had been stationed on the
summit of the rock, reported that several small craft were steering
towards them. Upon receiving this intelligence, the commander and
pilot repaired to the high ground, and after carefully examining the
appearance of the vessels, agreed that they were merely fishing boats,
and considered that it would be imprudent to let them depart before
assistance had been procured from Jersey, as, in case there were no
ships of war at that place, these boats might possibly be hired to
carry the men and stores to Jersey. With this object in view,
Lieutenant Thomas pushed off in the jolly boat, accompanied by the
French fishermen's small boat which had come to the assistance of the
Grappler's crew.

In order to approach the supposed fishing boats, it was necessary to
double a point of the Maitre Isle; and this they had no sooner
accomplished, than they came in sight of three chasse marees, which
had been concealed behind the point. On the sudden appearance of the
English boat, the men on board the chasse marees were thrown into some
confusion, and Lieutenant Thomas determined to attack them before
they had time to recover themselves. On communicating his intention to
his boat's crew, they dashed for