is instant."

"It is well, my lord; steady your bowlines, and make room for the
Thunderer."

Morganic gave the order, but as his ship drew ahead he called out in a
pertinacious way,--"I hope, Sir Gervaise, you don't mean to give that
other lame duck up. I've got my first lieutenant on board one of 'em,
and confess to a desire to put the second on board another."

"Ay--ay--Morganic, _we_ knock down the birds, and _you_ bag 'em. I'll
give you more sport in the same way, before I've done with ye."

This little concession, even Sir Gervaise Oakes, a man not accustomed to
trifle in matters of duty, saw fit to make to the other's rank; and the
Achilles withdrew from before the flag-ship, as the curtain is drawn
from before the scene.

"I do believe, Greenleaf," observed Lord Morganic to his surgeon, one of
his indulged favourites; "that Sir Jarvy is a little jealous of us,
because Daly got into the prize before he could send one of his own
boats aboard of her. 'Twill tell well in the gazette, too, will it
not?--'The French ship was taken possession of, and brought off, by the
Achilles, Captain the Earl of Morganic!' I hope the old fellow will have
the decency to give us our due. I rather think it _was_ our last
broadside that brought the colours down?"

A suitable answer was returned, but as the ship is drawing ahead, we
cannot follow her to relate it. The vessel that approached the third,
was the Thunderer, Captain Foley. This was one of the ships that had
received the fire of the three leading French vessels, after they had
brought the wind abeam, and being the leading vessel of the English
rear, she had suffered more than any other of the British squadron. The
fact was apparent, as she approached, by the manner in which her rigging
was knotted, and the attention that had been paid to her spars. Even as
she closed, the men were on the yard bending a new main-course, the old
one having been hit on the bolt-rope, and torn nearly from the spar.
There were also several plugs on her lee-side to mark the spots where
the French guns had told.

The usual greetings passed between the vice-admiral and his captain, and
the former put his questions.

"We have not been quite exchanging salutes, Sir Gervaise," answered
Captain Foley; "but the ship is ready for service again. Should the wind
moderate a little, I think everything would stand to carry sail _hard_."

"I'm glad to hear it, sir--_rejoiced_ to hear it, sir. I feared m