iled into the narrow entrance of
Port Royal, where the tide runs like a mill-stream. One vessel was
driven upon the rocks, and twenty-six men were drowned. The others got
in safely, and anchored above Goat Island, in sight of the French fort.
They consisted of three fourth-rates,--the "Dragon," the "Chester," and
the "Falmouth;" two fifth-rates,--the "Lowestoffe" and the "Feversham;"
the province galley, one bomb-ketch, twenty-four small transports, two
or three hospital ships, a tender, and several sloops carrying timber to
make beds for cannon and mortars. The landing force consisted of four
hundred British marines, and about fifteen hundred provincials, divided
into four battalions.[144] Its unnecessary numbers were due to the
belief of Nicholson that the fort had been reinforced and strengthened.

In the afternoon of the twenty-fifth they were all on shore,--Vetch with
his two battalions on the north side, and Nicholson with the other two
on the south. Vetch marched to his camping-ground, on which, in the
words of Nicholson's journal, "the French began to fire pretty thick."
On the next morning Nicholson's men moved towards the fort, hacking
their way through the woods and crossing the marshes of Allen's River,
while the French fired briskly with cannon from the ramparts, and
small-arms from the woods, houses, and fences. They were driven back,
and the English advance guard intrenched itself within four hundred
yards of the works. Several days passed in landing artillery and stores,
cannonading from the fort and shelling from the English bomb-ketch, when
on the twenty-ninth, Ensign Perelle, with a drummer and a flag of truce,
came to Nicholson's tent, bringing a letter from Subercase, who begged
him to receive into his camp and under his protection certain ladies of
the fort who were distressed by the bursting of the English shells. The
conduct of Perelle was irregular, as he had not given notice of his
approach by beat of drum and got himself and attendants blindfolded
before entering the camp. Therefore Nicholson detained him, sending back
an officer of his own with a letter to the effect that he would receive
the ladies and lodge them in the same house with the French ensign, "for
the queen, my royal mistress, hath not sent me hither to make war
against women." Subercase on his part detained the English officer, and
wrote to Nicholson,--

Sir,--You have one of my officers, and I have one of yours; so that