es, till he had assisted me in making further efforts
to get her off," answered Adair; "and I only ask you to desist from
firing till you have his opinion."

Now Commander Allport did not recollect that Murray was his senior. The
latter had been promoted a few weeks before him, and would have power to
decide the question. Instead of desisting, however, he directed his
guns so as to concentrate their fire upon one portion of the _Flash_,
thus more completely to ruin her. Adair knew that it would be useless
to plead any longer; his only regret was that he had obeyed his superior
officer's command, and quitted the vessel, instead of remaining on board
and taking the consequences. Had he remained he felt that he would
certainly have run the risk of censure for disobeying orders, but he
would have saved his ship, and that alone would have proved a sufficient
excuse had Commander Allport brought him to a court-martial; which it
was very likely he would not have dared to do. Terence consoled himself
with the reflection that he had fought his ship gallantly, and would
have continued to fight her till she had been knocked to pieces, and
that he had acted in obedience to the orders of a superior in quitting
her.

"Well," he said to himself, "as Murray always used to advise, `Do right
and take the consequences.' I have done right in obeying, but the
consequences are not less unpleasant. I shall be reprimanded for losing
my ship, and shall be sent on shore with a black mark against my name,
and all my prospects in the service ruined; and Sir John will be less
likely than ever to allow me to marry Lucy. I _am_ the most unfortunate
fellow alive." This was about the twentieth time poor Terence had
uttered the expression since he had been compelled to leave the _Flash_.
As long as he continued on her deck, fighting her bravely, he had not
cared half so much about her having run on shore; besides which, he had
never abandoned the hope of getting her off. So completely did his
feelings run away with him that he even began to contemplate, though his
calmer moments would have forbidden him doing so, the idea of calling
out Commander Allport, as the only way of avenging the injury he had
received; but he, happily, had strength to banish the thought almost as
soon as it was conceived, and, walking to the other side of the ship, he
anxiously watched the approach of the _Giaour_.

As soon as she drew near, he ordered his gig, and,