now?"

"That's the 'Achilles'; brought to; with her main topsails laid aback,
and her fore topsails full; ready for action."

"I do not know what are topsails or fore topsails," said Dolly.

The midshipman explained; to illustrate his explanation sketched
lightly another figure of a vessel, showing more distinctly the
principal sails.

"And this is the 'Achilles,'" said Dolly, recurring to the principal
design. "You have put her a great way off from the enemy, it seems to
me."

"No. Point blank range. Quite near enough."

"Oh, what is 'point blank range'?" cried Dolly in despair. Her new
friend smiled, but answered with good-humoured patience. Dolly listened
and comprehended.

"Then, if this were an enemy, and that the 'Achilles,' and within point
blank range, you would load one of these guns and fire at her?"

The midshipman shook his head. "We should load up all of them--all on
that side."

"And five them one after another?"

"As fast as we could. We should give her a broadside. But we should
probably give her one broadside after another."

"Suppose the balls all hit her?"

"Yes, you may suppose that. I should like to suppose it, if I were the
officer in command."

"What would they do to her?--to that enemy ship?"

"If they all hit? Hinder her from doing any more mischief."

"How?"

"Break her masts, tear up her rigging, make a wreck of her generally.
Perhaps sink her."

"But suppose while you are fighting that she fights too?"

"Extremely probable."

"If a shot came in here--could it come in here?"

"Certainly. Cannon balls will go almost anywhere."

"If it came in here, what would it do?"

"Kill three or four of the men at a gun, perhaps; tear away a bit of
the ship's side; or perhaps disable the gun."

"While you were firing at the enemy on this side, the guns of the other
side, I suppose, would have nothing to do?"

"They might be fighting another enemy on that side," said the
midshipman, smiling.

"I should think," said Dolly, looking down the long line of the gun
deck, and trying to imagine the state of things described,--"I should
think it would be most dreadful!"

"I have no doubt you would think so."

"Don't _you_ think so?"

"I have never been in action yet."

"Don't you hope you never will?"

The young man laughed a little. "What would be the use of ships of war,
if there were never any fighting? I should have nothing to do in the
world."

"You might do something