h."

"While I've breath for my pipe, and legs to stand on, I'd rather be
here, Captain Courtney, thank you, sir," answered Rolf. "I would lose
an arm rather than let our prize be retaken."

"So would I, Mr Morton, and we will do our best to help her escape,"
said the captain, and he passed on.

With like kind words of encouragement both to officers and men, the
captain passed along the guns; not a man of the crew who would not have
dropped at their quarters, or gone down with the ship, rather than yield
as long as their brave chief bade them fight on.

By the time Captain Courtney regained his post on the quarter-deck, the
enemy had got within gun-shot, and commenced firing with her longer
pieces at the "Thisbe," but the shot fell wide.

"The enemy's gunners want practice," observed the captain to the third
lieutenant, who was doing duty as first, though he himself was severely
wounded. "We'll reserve our fire till they get a little nearer, and
then give it them with a will. They probably expect that we shall haul
down our colours after we have satisfied the calls of honour with a few
shots."

"They don't know of whom they have got hold then," answered Mr Trenane,
the lieutenant. "In a light wind they might have had too much the
advantage of us, but with this breeze, the loss of our masts will matter
less, I hope."

The enemy was now coming up rapidly on the "Thisbe's" quarter. A shot
from her bow chasers whistled through the latter's rigging; several
others followed as the guns could be brought to bear.

On she came.

The "Thisbe" had not fired.

"Down with the helm and give it them, my lads!" suddenly shouted the
captain.

The English frigate luffed up, and poured her whole broadside into the
bows of the approaching enemy. The Frenchman put down his helm and
returned the compliment, and now the two ships stood on for some time
exchanging broadsides as rapidly as they could. At length a shot struck
the "Thisbe's" fore-topmast; it had been wounded in the previous
engagement. Down it came with a crash, but so eagerly were the crew
engaged that few discovered what had happened.

The master with a few hands flew aloft, and quickly cut away the wreck;
the crew redoubled their efforts. Still the uninjured condition of the
enemy's rigging gave her an important advantage; her shot came crashing
on board the "Thisbe."

Whatever Captain Courtney might have thought, he appeared as cheerful
and confident