he set sail
With a free and pleasant gale,
But his captains they turned tail.
In a fright, in a fright.

Says Kirby unto Wade,
I will run, I will run;
Says Kirby unto Wade, I will run;
I value not disgrace,
Nor the losing of my place,
My en'mies I'll not face
With a gun, with a gun.

'Twas the _Ruby_ and _Noah's Ark_
Fought the French, fought the French;
'Twas the _Ruby_ and _Noah's Ark_ fought the French;
And there was ten in all;
Poor souls they fought them all,
They valued them not at all,
Nor their noise, nor their noise.

It was our Admiral's lot,
With a chain-shot, with a chain-shot;
It was our Admiral's lot, with a chain-shot
Our Admiral lost his legs;
Fight on, my boys, he begs,
'Tis my lot, 'tis my lot.

While the surgeon dressed his wounds,
Thus he said, thus he said;
While the surgeon dressed his wounds, thus he said,
Let my cradle now, in haste,
On the quarter-deck be placed,
That my enemies I may face,
Till I'm dead, till I'm dead.

And there bold Benbow lay,
Crying out, crying out;
And there bold Benbow lay, crying out,
Let us tack about once more,
We'll drive them to their own shore;
I don't value half-a-score,
Nor their noise, nor their noise.

In 1703 Rear-Admiral Dilkes did good service by pursuing a fleet of
forty-three French merchantmen, convoyed by three men-of-war, into a bay
between Avranches and Mount Saint Michael. He first sent in his boats,
under cover of the ships, when fifteen sail were taken, six burnt, and
three sunk; and, on the following morning, the enemy having got into too
shoal water for the large ships to approach, he in person led the boats,
when two men-of-war were burnt, a third was taken, and seventeen more of
the merchant-vessels were burnt, so that only four escaped. For this
signal service the queen ordered gold medals to be struck, and presented
to the admiral and all his officers.

Parliament this year voted 40,000 men, including 5000 marines, for the
sea-service.

On the night between the 26th and 27th of November, one of the most
fearful storms ever known in England began to blow. It commenced
between eleven and twelve o'clock, from the west-south-west, with a
noise which resembled thunder, accompanied by bright flashes of
lightning, and continued with almost unrelenting fury till seven the
next morning. During these few hours thirteen men-of-war were cast
away, and 1