of the chorus we had heard before.

"Burst me if they be not lying down in the bottom," said Joe,
standing at my side, "and the shot have passed clean over them."

"And 'tis no good firing again," I said. "We can't depress the gun
enough to hull her or hit the men, and the shot will only cut holes
in the rigging. Would we had tried round shot and brought down her
mast."

"'Tis all hands to repel boarders now," returned Joe, "and there'll
be a few broken heads afore we are done."

Runnles meanwhile had had the good sense and the ready wit to load
three muskets apiece from the ship's armory. We each of us took
one, having the other two in reserve at our feet. The smack came on
bravely, and I could now see that her deck was swarming with men.
She had deflected somewhat from her straight course, and was coming
up on our larboard quarter, whither we hastened to meet the attempt
to board us. In another minute the vessels touched, and a few shots
were fired from the smack, but without damage to us, for the impact
had set her rocking, so that 'twas impossible for the Frenchmen to
take good aim. Next moment they threw grapnels into our rigging,
and the vessels were locked together.

The whole of our company, save Dilly at the wheel, was spread along
the bulwarks, and at my word twelve muskets sped their slugs among
the men endeavoring to swarm up our side. There were cries and
groans enough now, and not merely from the enemy, for while the
foremost of them was attempting to board, others beyond fired at
us, and I knew from the bosun's bellow of rage that he for one had
been hit. We snatched up a second musket each, but before we could
turn to fire them, three of the Frenchmen had gained a footing on
our deck.

Making a rush for these, we shoved them by main force back over the
side, only just in time to meet another group who had scrambled up.
It was no longer possible to fire. We clubbed our muskets and dealt
about us lustily, cheers and yells and groans mingling in a babel
the like of which I had never heard before. I reckoned that there
were at least three Frenchmen to every one of us, and Duguay-Trouin
was with them; I heard his voice shouting encouragement. 'Twas
lucky that their deck was lower than ours, for if we had been level
I doubt not we had soon been overpowered by the weight of numbers.
But they, being below us, and crowded to boot, could not use their
superiority to advantage, and though they did what mor