he pinnace and the barge," cried one of
the men, who stood on the rattlings of the main rigging. "Hurrah, my
lads! keep it up," continued the man, in his feeling of excitement,
which, pervading Captain M---, as well as the rest of the crew, received
no check, though not exactly in accordance with the strict routine of
the service.

The combat now became warm; gun after gun from the privateer was rapidly
fired at the boats, who were taking their stations previous to a
simultaneous rush to board. The pinnace had pulled away towards the bow
of the privateer; the barge had taken up a position on the quarter; the
launch remained on her beam, firing round and grape from her
eighteen-pounder carronade, with a rapidity that almost enabled her to
return gun for gun to her superiorly-armed antagonist. Both the cutters
were under her stern, keeping up an incessant fire of musketry, with
which they were now close enough to annoy the enemy.

"A gun from the rock close to the barge, sir!" reported the signalman.

"I expected as much," observed Captain M--- to the officers standing
near him.

"One of the cutters has winded, sir; she's stretching out for the
shore," cried the master.

"Bravo--that's decided--and without waiting for orders. Who commands
that boat?" inquired Captain M---.

"It's the first cutter--Mr Stewart, sir."

The cutter was on shore before the gun could be reloaded and fired a
second time. The crew, with the officer at their head, were seen to
clamber up the rock! In a minute they returned, and jumping into the
boat, pulled off to give their aid to the capture of the vessel.

"He has spiked the gun, I am certain," observed Captain M---.

Before the cutter could regain her station, the other boats, were
summoned by the bugle in the launch, and, with loud cheering, pulled up
together to the attack. The booms, which had been rigged out to prevent
them from coming alongside, already shot through by the grape from the
launch, offered but little resistance to the impetus with which the
boats were forced against them; they either broke in two, or sank under
water.

"There's _board_--Hurrah!" cried all the men who remained in the
_Aspasia_, cheering those who heard them not.

But I must transport the reader to the scene of slaughter; for if he
remains on board of the _Aspasia_, he will distinguish nothing but fire
and smoke. Don't be afraid, ladies, if I take you on board of the
schooner--"these our a