hink further that they who dream of us far
away need not despair. For assuredly Heaven wants something more of us
before we go under; else we had not been standing here."

But whatever Heaven wanted of us, the ship's master angrily ordered us
off to the forecastle, to look to the tackle of the bowsprit. This, but
for the plunging of the vessel, was safe work compared with our labour
on the poop; for here we were clear of the enemy's shot. But Ludar and
I were clumsy with the tackle, not being seamen born; and on that
account a trouble arose. For the fellow who overlooked our work chose
not only to swear at us by all the saints in the Spaniards' calendar (to
which he was welcome), but he pulled out a whip from under his coat and
gave Ludar a crack with it, which laid open his cheek-bone, and well-
nigh sent him backwards by the board.

Whereupon Ludar, seizing the whip with one hand and the fellow with the
other, gave him such a lashing, as the wretch, may be, wished he could
give to any man himself; and when he had done that, he threw the whip
overboard. But the fellow's howls and yells (for he had a great voice),
soon brought a parcel of his mates around him, who, seeing him wallowing
on the ground and pointing at Ludar and me, asked no questions, but set
on us, with oaths and Spanish cries of "English curs!"

So we too had a pretty time of it, and, but that we got our backs
against a bulk-head and had our splicing tackle in our hands, we might
have seen no more of that great sea-battle. We fought for our lives for
five minutes or so, and then, so great became the uproar, that up came
some of the soldiers and an officer, who, seeing two men set upon by
twenty, ordered every man to stand.

The officer, as fortune would have it, was our old acquaintance Captain
Desmond, who demanded what the noise was all about.

Whereupon the fellow whom Ludar had flogged hobbled up in a white heat,
and proclaimed his wrongs to heaven and earth, accusing us of being on
the _Rata_ for treasonable purposes, and vowing, even, he had heard us
plot to get at the powder and blow up the ship.

Before we could say a word up came a messenger from the Don himself,
who, on hearing the story, ordered us to accompany him forthwith to his
Excellency.

I could not help observing, as we marched abaft, the gloom which seemed
to have fallen on the ship. Not that the gay young lordlings did not
still swagger and laugh; but it seemed to me th