was to be
lost. He fired, and the enemy's foreyard came instantly down. The
effect was to throw her up into the wind, in which position she received
a raking broadside from the _Ruby_.

"That's your doing, True Blue. All at the gun saw it--I know they did."

"Yes, that was True Blue's shot, as sure as a gun!" cried Tom Marline.
"You shall have as many more as you like, Billy."

Again True Blue fired, and the enemy's mizen-topmast came down. This
enabled the _Ruby_ to sail round and round her, giving her numerous
raking broadsides. Still the gallant Frenchman held out. All this time
not a shot had been fired from the cutter, and, greatly to the annoyance
of the British sailors, she was seen making off under all sail for
Cherbourg.

At the same time, during a pause in the action, when the smoke cleared
off, another sail was descried to the northward, three or four leagues
off. The sound of the firing had undoubtedly brought her thus far, and
there she lay becalmed, unable to get up and join in the fight. Her
presence, however, was not welcomed by the _Ruby's_ crew. She was
evidently a frigate. If an enemy, she might prevent the capture of the
other Frenchman, and indeed endanger the safety of the _Ruby_ herself.
If a friend, they would rather have had the honour of taking their
antagonist singlehanded, as they fully expected to do.

As to there being any danger of their being captured, that did not enter
the heads of the British tars.

"Come, bear a hand, boys," said Paul. "We must take this here chap
first, and then, if the calm holds for a little longer, we may get all
ataunto and be ready for the others. One down, the other come on.
That's it, boys."

Strange to say, except one man, who had his leg broken by the recoil of
a gun he was fighting, not a man on board the _Ruby_ had been hit,
though it was evident that numbers of the Frenchmen had been killed, as
several were seen thrown overboard. The British began to grow
impatient. The French frigate was holding out, probably in expectation
of assistance from her consort. The breeze now increased, and the
stranger in the offing approached.

"Hurrah!" cried Paul Pringle, "another broadside, lads, and the
Monsieurs will haul down their flag."

Paul's assertion proved correct. Down came the Frenchman's colours,
after an action which lasted two hours and ten minutes. She proved to
be the thirty-eight-gun frigate _Reunion_, Captain Francois Adenian