e mischief, the lieutenant and two
remaining officers also fell a few seconds after him. Astonished and
terrified, the men stopped short in their career of success, and
wildly looked round for a leader. The French, who had retreated to the
forecastle, perceiving our confusion, renewed the attack, our few
remaining men were seized with a panic, and throwing down our arms, we
asked for quarter where a moment before victory was in our hands--such
was the finale of our bloody drama.

Out of fifty-five men twenty-two had been killed in this murderous
conflict, and almost all the survivors desperately or severely
wounded. Most of the remaining crew after we had cried for quarter
jumped down the hatchway, to avoid the cutlasses of their enraged
victors. I and about eight others, having been driven past the
hatchway, threw down our arms and begged for quarter, which we had
little reason to expect would be shown to us. At first no quarter was
given by our savage enemies, who cut down several of our disarmed men
and hacked them to pieces. Perceiving this, I got on the gunwale ready
to jump overboard, in the hopes of being taken up after the slaughter
had ceased, when a French lieutenant coming up protected us, and
saved the poor remains of our crew from the fury of his men. Our
lives, however, were all he counted upon preserving--we were instantly
stripped and plundered without mercy. I lost every thing I possessed;
the watch, ring, and sword I had taken from the gallant Frenchman were
soon forced from me, and not stripping off my apparel fast enough to
please a Mulatto sailor, I received a blow with the butt-end of a
pistol under the left ear, which precipitated me down the hatchway,
near which I was standing, and I fell senseless into the hold.

CHAPTER III.

We are sent in, on board the Revenge and treated with
great cruelty--Are afterwards recaptured by the Hero
privateer, and retaliate on the French--I am taken to
the hospital at Port Royal, where I meet the French
lady--Her savage exultation at my condition--She is
punished by one of my comrades.

On coming to my senses, I found myself stripped naked, and suffering
acute pain. I found that my right arm was broken, my shoulder severely
injured by my fall; and as I had received three severe cutlass-wounds
during the action, I had lost so much blood that I had not strength to
rise or do any thing for myself. There I lay, groaning and naked,