ed a
very pretty mark for target practice; and our long eighteen was brought
to bear upon her most effectively. Shot after shot we gave her, as fast
as the men could load, and almost every one of them struck her
somewhere. Mason's blood was now thoroughly up; he was making a
reputation as a crack shot, and he knew it. I saw, by the increasing
care with which he every time sighted his piece, that he was striving to
do something specially good; and presently he did it. Taking an
unusually long and careful aim he at length gave a smart tug to the
lanyard, and immediately sprang aside to watch the result.

"Did it, by the great horn spoon!" shouted he delightedly; and even as
he spoke we saw the white splinters fly from the frigate's mainmast-
head; the topmast swayed aft, tottered for a moment, and came down by
the run!

The delight of our men--every soul of whom was by this time on deck--was
a sight to see! They cheered shouted, laughed, patted Mason on the
back, and were in the midst of a variety of ludicrous antics, expressive
of supreme gratification, when another broadside rattled out from the
frigate, and this time the shot went humming close over our heads,
drilling half a dozen holes in our canvas, and showing us that we had
drifted within range of her guns. We immediately filled on the
schooner, and hauled off to a respectful distance; for we had no fancy
for being reduced to the same plight as the Frenchman. But the moment
that we considered ourselves safe from her guns we again hove-to, and
resumed our attentions with the long gun.

They were now in a very pretty mess on board the frigate; but they
managed at length to box her off again; and this time they bore up for
the land; making as though they would run in behind the Saint Riom
islands. We immediately bore up in chase, and, running parallel with
her, and taking care to keep just beyond the range of her broadside,
plied her with the long gun again so effectively that some twenty
minutes afterwards her foremast went over the bows, and, broaching-to
once more, she lay completely at our mercy.

"There," exclaimed the skipper, in a tone of great gratification, "that
will do with the gun. We have done enough for honour, I think, and have
given him a thorough good licking, so we may as well be off. We cannot
take him," he continued, in answer to my exclamation of astonishment at
this decision on his part; "he is altogether too big a fish for our net