ear touch-hole, I expect," said O'Brien, as he watched the officer.
And here I must observe, that O'Brien showed great presence of mind in
spiking the last gun; for had they had one gun to fire at our boats
towing out the prizes, they must have done a great deal of mischief to
them, and we should have lost a great many men; but in so doing, and in
the attempt to save me, he sacrificed himself, and was taken prisoner.
When the troops ceased firing, the commanding officer came up to
O'Brien, and looking at him, said, "Officer?" to which O'Brien nodded
his head. He then pointed to me--"Officer?" O'Brien nodded his head
again, at which the French troops laughed, as O'Brien told me
afterwards, because I was what they called an _enfant_, which means an
infant. I was very stiff and faint, and could not walk. The officer
who commanded the troops left a detachment in the battery, and prepared
to return to Cette, from whence they came. O'Brien walked, and I was
carried on three muskets by six of the French soldiers,--not a very
pleasant conveyance at any time, but in my state excessively painful.
However, I must say, that they were very kind to me, and put a great
coat or something under my wounded leg, for I was in an agony, and
fainted several times. At last they brought me some water to drink. O
how delicious it was! In about an hour and a half, which appeared to me
to be five days at the least, we arrived at the town of Cette, and I was
taken up to the house of the officer who commanded the troops, and who
had often looked at me as I was carried there from the battery, saying,
"_Pauvre enfant_!" I was put on a bed, where I again fainted away.
When I came to my senses, I found a surgeon had bandaged my leg, and
that I had been undressed. O'Brien was standing by me, and I believe
that he had been crying, for he thought that I was dead. When I looked
him in the face, he said, "Pater, you baste, how you frightened me: bad
luck to me if ever I take charge of another youngster. What did you
sham dead for?"

"I am better now, O'Brien," replied I: "how much I am indebted to you!
you have been made prisoner in trying to save me."

"I have been made prisoner in doing my duty, in one shape or another."

I squeezed the offered hand of O'Brien, and looked round me; the surgeon
stood at one side of the bed, and the officer who commanded the troops
at the other. At the head of the bed was a little girl about twelve
years old,