and Philip had no
longer doubt of his friendly intentions.

"I had the frigate Araminta, twenty-four guns, a fortnight out from
Portsmouth," responded Philip at once. "We fell in with a French
frigate, thirty guns. She was well to leeward of us, and the Araminta
bore up under all sail, keen for action. The Frenchman was as ready as
ourselves for a brush, and tried to get the weather of us, but, failing,
she shortened sail and gallantly waited for us. The Araminta overhauled
her on the weather quarter, and hailed. She responded with cheers and
defiance--as sturdy a foe as man could wish. We lost no time in getting
to work, and, both running before the wind, we fired broadsides as we
cracked on. It was tit-for-tat for a while with splinters flying and
neither of us in the eye of advantage, but at last the Araminta shot
away the main-mast and wheel of the Niobe, and she wallowed like a tub
in the trough of the sea. We bore down on her, and our carronades raked
her like a comb. Then we fell thwart her hawse, and tore her up through
her bowline-ports with a couple of thirty-two-pounders. But before we
could board her she veered, lurched, and fell upon us, carrying away our
foremast. We cut clear of the tangle, and were making once more to board
her, when I saw to windward two French frigates bearing down on us under
full sail. And then--"

The Prince exclaimed in surprise: "I had not heard of this," he said.
"They did not tell the world of those odds against you."

"Odds and to spare, monsieur le due! We had had all we could manage in
the Niobe, though she was now disabled, and we could hurt her no more.
If the others came up on our weather we should be chewed like a bone in
a mastiff's jaws. If she must fight again, the Araminta would be little
fit for action till we cleared away the wreckage; so I sheered off to
make all sail. We ran under courses with what canvas we had, and got
away with a fair breeze and a good squall whitening to windward, while
our decks were cleared for action again. The guns on the main-deck
had done good service and kept their places. On the quarter-deck
and fo'castle there was more amiss, but as I watched the frigates
overhauling us I took heart of grace still. There was the creaking and
screaming of the carronade-slides, the rattling of the carriages of the
long twelve-pounders amidships as they were shotted and run out again,
the thud of the carpenters' hammers as the shot-holes were plugged-