as not to be undertaken with twenty men, the
extent of Daly's command; and he had recourse to the assistance of his
enemies. A good natured, facetious Irishman, himself, with a smattering
of French, he soon got forty or fifty of the prisoners in a sufficient
humour to lend their aid, and the sail was set, though not without great
risk of its splitting. From this moment, la Victoire was better off, as
respected the gale and keeping a weatherly position, than any of the
English ships; inasmuch as she could carry all the canvass the wind
permitted, while she was relieved from the drift inseparable from hamper
aloft. The effect, indeed, was visible in the first hour, to Daly's
great delight and exultation. At the end of that period, he found
himself quite a cable's-length to windward of the line. But in relating
this last particular, events have been a little anticipated.

Greenly, who had gone below to attend to the batteries, which were not
worked without great difficulty in so heavy a sea, and to be in
readiness to open the lower ports should occasion offer, re-appeared on
deck just as the commander-in-chief showed the signal for the ships to
follow his own motions. The line was soon formed, as mentioned, and ere
long it became apparent that the prize could easily keep in her station.
As most of the day was still before him, Sir Gervaise had little doubt
of being able to secure the latter, ere night should come to render it
indispensable.

The vice-admiral and his captain shook hands cordially on the poop, and
the former pointed out to the latter, with honest exultation, the result
of his own bold man[oe]uvres.

"We've clipped the wings of two of them," added Sir Gervaise, "and have
fairly bagged a third, my good friend; and, God willing, when Bluewater
joins, there will not be much difficulty with the remainder. I cannot
see that any of our vessels have suffered much, and I set them all down
as sound. There's been time for a signal of inability, that curse to an
admiral's evolutions, but no one seems disposed to make it. If we really
escape that nuisance, it will be the first instance in my life!"

"Half-a-dozen yards may be crippled, and no one the worse for it, in
this heavy weather. Were we under a press of canvass, it would be a
different matter; but, now, so long as the main sticks stand, we shall
probably do well enough. I can find no injury in my own ship that may
not be remedied at sea."

"And she has had t