nd hastily
retreated behind the levee. Frank took advantage of this, and lifting the
insensible form of his friend, retreated under cover, and laid him on a
mattress behind a pile of coal, where he would be safe from the bullets of
the guerrillas, which now began to come through the sides of the boat in
every direction.

This was the first time Frank had ever been under fire, and he was
thoroughly frightened; but he knew that it was his duty to resist the
rebels, and to do them as much damage as possible; so, instead of looking
round for a safe place to hide, his first impulse was to run up on deck
after a gun. This he knew was a dangerous undertaking, for the vessel lay
close to the bank, the top of which was on a level with the boiler-deck;
and behind the levee, scarcely half a dozen rods distant, were the
guerrillas, who were ready to shoot the first man that appeared.

Nevertheless, Frank resolved to make the attempt, for he wanted to take
revenge on them for shooting Simpson. But, just as he was about to start
out, he heard the captain shout down through the trumpet which ran from
the pilot-house to the engine-room:

"Back her, strong! We must get away from the bank or they will pick us all
off."

In obedience to the order, the engineers let on the steam, and a heavy
puffing told Frank that the powerful engines were doing their utmost to
break the line which held them to the bank. Here was another thing that
Frank knew he ought to do; he knew that he ought to cut that line, for it
would be an impossibility to break it. There was an ax handy, and a sudden
rush and a couple of lusty strokes would put the vessel out of danger.
But, at short intervals, he heard the bullets crashing through the side of
the boat, and he knew that the guerrillas were on the watch. If he made
the attempt he could scarcely hope to come back alive; and he thought of
his mother and Julia, how badly they would feel when they heard of his
death. But even where he stood he was in danger of being struck by the
bullets that were every moment coming through the vessel; and would not
his mother much rather hear that he fell while performing his duty, than
that he was shot while standing idly by, taking no part in the fight? He
did not wait to take a second thought, but seized the ax, and, with one
bound, reached the gangway that led out on to the forecastle. Here he
hesitated again, but it was only for a moment. Clutching his ax with a
firmer ho