ng done, and with such
good-will did our lads lay about them, that the party opposed to us
recoiled in a sudden panic. Taking instant advantage of this, we
charged them with a wild hurrah, whereupon they fairly turned tail and
fled before us, rushing helter-skelter in among the other party. The
whole body of defenders being thus thrown into disorder, the first
lieutenant's party managed to make good their footing on deck; and then,
after one desperate but ineffectual charge on the part of the Frenchmen,
we had no further trouble, the defenders throwing down their weapons and
calling for quarter. This was, of course, at once accorded them, and
they were ordered below, the hatches being clapped over them, whilst the
ship was subjected to an overhaul. She proved to be both empty and old,
besides being apparently a particularly leaky tub; she was consequently
valueless, and except for the purpose of destroying her, and thus
putting a stop to her depredations, not worth the trouble of taking.
This fact definitely ascertained, Mr Reid ordered the crew on deck
again; and, giving them five minutes in which to collect their personal
belongings, directed them to take the brig's boats and make the best of
their way ashore. The crew thus got rid of, the vessel herself was
effectually set on fire in three places, and as soon as the flames had
taken such a hold as to prevent all possibility of their extinction we
left her.

Meanwhile, the second lieutenant and Courtenay had been equally
successful with ourselves, each having captured one of the schooners
without very much difficulty. They proved, however, to be, like the
brig, very old and weak, having evidently been strained all to pieces in
the effort to make them perform services for which they were never
built. They, therefore, were also set on fire. And as for their
prizes, they consisted of half a dozen wretched little dirty coasters,
the largest of which could not have measured over sixty tons. Their
crews, we were informed, had been landed on various parts of the coast,
so, their lawful owners not being there to take possession of them,
these craft were likewise devoted to the flames. By the time that the
Frenchmen had all been got rid of, and the little fleet effectually set
on fire, it had fallen dark, and all hands being pretty well tired out,
we made the best of our way back to the frigate. We had eight hands
wounded in this skirmish, all the wounds proving for