as he had
fired them he began to reload, tending the wheel at the same time.

"Now give them a taste of the big guns!" he shouted out. With a shout
we let fly our whole broadside, but the way in which of necessity we ran
the guns in again to reload might have betrayed us.

We had hoped that after the hot reception we had given the lugger she
would have sheered off, but not a bit of it. On she came as boldly as
at first, and before we had time to run one of our guns out again she
had come alongside, and hove her grappling-irons aboard us.

To hope to defend ourselves was useless, so retreating aft we rallied
round Mr Randolph, while we allowed the enemy, who swarmed in numbers
up the side, to expend their rage on our dummies. They seemed highly
amused at our trick, for loud shouts of laughter broke from them when
they discovered the enemy to whom they had been opposed. As we made no
further resistance, they did not attempt to injure us. Their officer
came aft and put out his hand to Mr Randolph.

"You are a brave young man," said he, in very fair English. "You have
defended your ship nobly, and had I not before perfectly known the
number of people you had on board, and your means of defence, you would
have deceived me, and I should have sheered off."

Mr Randolph took the hand offered to him, and thanking the captain of
the French privateer (for such he was) for the good opinion he
entertained of him, inquired how he came to know anything about us.

"I took your consort, the _Nautile_, three days ago, and have ever since
been on the look-out for you," was the answer. "They told me on board
when to expect you, and how many you were in crew. When, therefore, I
saw the figures you had dressed up, I watched them narrowly, and seeing
that they did not move, suspected a trick. But what have you done with
my countrymen? You have several as prisoners."

Mr Randolph assured him that they were safe, and that we had shut them
up that they might be out of harm's way, and might not interfere with
the defence of the ship.

Altogether, the French captain was so delighted with his success in
capturing us and the rich prizes he had obtained (for we found that he
had already taken several other vessels besides the _Nautile_), that he
promised we might depend upon being treated with every courtesy. He
then went below and released the other Frenchmen, who were so overjoyed
at their escape from the English prison in which