e were marks for them, but one midshipman
was their only victim at this time. The masts began to suffer in all
parts, splinters were falling from them, and shreds of canvass from the
sails came down upon us in great quantities; traces, bowlines, and other
running gear, suffered equally; the shrouds, fore and aft, got cut up so
quickly, that the rigging men attempted in vain to knot them, and were at
last forced to leave the rigging to its fate.

When the boats returned, we recommenced our fire with renewed vigour;
occasionally a flag-staff was knocked down, a fact which was always
announced with a cheer, each captain of a gun believing himself to be the
faithful marksman. The Algerine squadron now began, as it were, to follow
the motions of the outer frigate; the rockets had taken effect, and they
all burned merrily together. A hot shot, about this time, struck a
powder-box, on which was sitting the powder-boy, he, poor fellow, was
blown up, and another near him was dreadfully scorched.

Through the intervals of smoke, the sad devastation in the enemy's works
was made visible; the whole of the mole head, near the Queen Charlotte,
was a ruin, and the guns were consequently silenced; but we were not so
fortunate with the Fish-market; the guns there still annoyed us, and ours
seemed to make no impression. A battery in the upper angle of the town
was also untouched, and we were so much under it, that the shot actually
came through our decks, without touching the bulwarks, and we could not
elevate our guns sufficiently to check them.

As the sun was setting behind the town, the whole of the shipping in the
mole were in flames; their cables burned through, left them at the mercy
of every breeze: the outermost frigate threatened the Queen Charlotte
with a similar fate, but a breeze sent her clear on towards the Leander;
a most intense heat came from her, and we expected every moment to be in
contact; the flames were burning with great power at the mast heads, and
the loose fire was flying about in such a way that there seemed little
chance of our escaping, but we checked her progress towards us, by firing
into her, and in the act of hauling out, we were rejoiced to see a
welcome sea-breeze alter the direction of the flames aloft, the same
breeze soon reached her hull, and we had the satisfaction in a few
minutes to see her touch the shore to which she belonged.

The guns were now so much heated by the incessant fire kept up,