ain.

I was at that moment on the wall of the fort, nearly thirty feet high,
but sloping. I jumped one part, and scrambled the other, and ran away
as fast as I could, amidst a shower of stones, which fell around me like
an eruption of Vesuvius. Luckily I was not hit, but I had cut my foot
in the leap, and was in much pain. I had two fields of stubble to pass,
and my shoes and stockings were on the other side of the canal--the
sharp straw entered the wound, and almost drove me mad, and I was
tempted to sit down and resign myself to my fate. However, I
persevered, and had nearly reached the boats which were putting off, not
aware of my absence, when a noise like distant thunder reached my ears.
This I soon found was cavalry from Cotte, which had come to defend the
battery. I mustered all my strength, and plunged into the sea to swim
off to the boats; and so little time had I to spare, that some of the
enemy's chasseurs, on their black horses, swam in after me, and fired
their pistols at my head. The boats were at this time nearly a quarter
of a mile from the shore; the officers in them fortunately perceived the
cavalry, and saw me at the same time: a boat laid on her oars, which,
with great difficulty, I reached, and was taken in; but so exhausted
with pain and loss of blood, that I was carried on board almost dead; my
foot was cut to the bone, and I continued a month under the surgeon's
care.

I had nearly recovered from this accident, when we captured a ship, with
which Murphy was sent as prize-master; and the same evening a schooner,
which we cut out from her anchorage. The command of this latter vessel
was given to me--it was late in the evening, and the hurry was so great
that the keg of spirits intended for myself and crew was not put on
board. This was going from one extreme to the other; in my last ship we
had too much liquor, and in this too little. Naturally thirsty, our
desire for drink needed not the stimulus of salt fish and calavances,
for such was our cargo and such was our food, and deeply did we deplore
the loss of our spirits.

On the third day after leaving the frigate, on our way to Gibraltar, I
fell in with a ship on the coast of Spain, and knew it to be the one
Murphy commanded, by a remarkable white patch in the main-topsail. I
made all sail in chase, in hopes of obtaining some spirits from him,
knowing that he had more than he could consume, even if he and his
people got drunk every da