fore seen a shot fired in anger, he stood at
his post close to the wheel as calm and collected as the oldest seaman.

The eager crew had not much time to wait, before, by a clever manoeuvre,
the frigate had been brought with her starboard broadside to bear
directly on the stern of the French ship at less than pistol-shot
distance. At the same moment the order to fire was passed along the
decks and rapidly obeyed. Every shot went crashing into the French
ship, raking her fore and aft, and probably killing the men at the
wheel; for before she had time to alter her position the _Falcon_ luffed
into the wind, just scraping clear of her spanker-boom, and shooting up
to leeward, let fly the whole of her other broadside with terrible
effect into her opponent. So rapidly had this manoeuvre of the English
frigate been performed, that several of the Frenchman's weather guns
went off after she had passed to leeward. The action was now carried on
broadside to broadside, the position in which British seamen most
delight.

"Aim low, my lads! aim low!" was the oft repeated order of the officers
in charge of the guns, as they moved along the decks; not that there was
much necessity for it, as the men had got a good mark before them, and
were pounding away at it as fast as they could load and run out their
guns. The Frenchmen were at the same time vigorously returning their
fire, but as if intent on crippling their foe and then taking her at a
disadvantage, they sent most of their shot flying through her rigging,
bringing blocks and spars and ropes in thick showers down on deck.
Though most of the enemy's shot flew high, others came whizzing between
the men's heads, crashing into the sides of the frigate, or knocking
away her bulwarks. Several of the crew had been wounded and carried
below, but as yet two only had been killed, their bodies being drawn
aside, when it was found that they were really dead, out of the way of
their shipmates at the guns. Hitherto Ralph had escaped unhurt, though
the head of one of the men at the wheel close to him had been taken off
by a round shot, and an officer near him had been struck to the deck.
By the lurid glare from the quick succeeding flashes and the light of
the lanterns, he caught a glimpse of Dick working away manfully at one
of the upper deck guns, he, like most of the crew, stripped to the
waist, with a handkerchief tied round his head. Now he was visible, now
he was concealed by the