tal men might
to get at us, we beat them back time after time.

Joe, beside me, was a host in himself. 'Twas clear fighting and not
coopering was the trade he was born to; he cut and thrust and
jabbed and smote with his musket, and more than once drove a
Frenchman backward by mere shoving with his mighty shoulders,
breathing hard, shouting loving farewells to the men he heaved into
the smack or the sea, some of them, I fear, never to fight again.
But in truth we all fought with might and main; we knew how much
depended on the issue.

And let no Englishman ever despise the French as an enemy, as 'tis
the fashion with some vainglorious folk to do. I have fought them,
and I know, and I say they are gallant fighters, and as brave as
men can be.

How long the light continued I could not tell; but all at once, as
it seemed to me, the enemy disappeared; there was no one in front
of me to hit.

"Fling off the grappling irons," I shouted, and in a trice we
disengaged them and cast them back whence they came. The two
vessels broke apart, and though ere we had left the smack behind, a
volley of bullets fell among us, hitting three of our men, and
giving me a burning wound in the leg, the fight was over. We hailed
our victory with a true English cheer, and I own I felt no little
pride in having worsted so renowned a captain as Duguay-Trouin.

But I was by no means sure that we were wholly out of peril. The
sound of firing must have been heard for miles around, and we could
not tell but that Duguay-Trouin's own vessel, and maybe others,
too, were making sail towards us. Dilly had now set the course of
the vessel due north, but the wind was against us, and we had still
many hours to sail before we gained the open Channel. A big red
moon was peering above the horizon, and (having stanched my wound
and done what was possible for my comrades who were hurt, none
seriously, thank God!) I looked anxiously for signs of vessels.

By and by, as the light increased with the whitening moon, I did
indeed behold a large vessel under full sail beating towards us,
and I made no doubt 'twas Duguay-Trouin's privateer. The bosun said
her course would bring her athwart ours, and I felt how barren our
late victory would prove if she came to grips with us. 'Twas clear
she was outsailing us, and the seasoned mariners among my comrades
foretold that in a couple of hours we should be at her mercy.

We had spread all the canvas we could carry, and