n iron shower
issued from the guns beneath their feet, crashing through the
Frenchman's bows and tearing along her decks. Instead of coming on, she
suddenly threw all her sails aback, and hauled off out of gunshot. On
seeing this, the British crew uttered three hearty cheers, and Rayner,
with others who had hurried from below, fully believed that the enemy
had hauled down her flag, but instead of that, under all the sail she
could carry, she continued standing away until she had got two miles
off. Here she hove-to, in order, it was evident, to repair damages.
These must have been very severe, for many of her men were seen over the
sides engaged in stopping shot-holes, while the water, which issued
forth in cascades, showed that the pumps were being worked with might
and main to keep her from sinking.

The _Thisbe_ was in too crippled a condition to follow. Several shot
had passed between wind and water on both sides. One gun on the
quarter-deck and two on the maindeck were dismounted, and almost all the
tackles and breachings were cut away. The maindeck before the mainmast
was torn up from the waterway to the hatchways, and the bits were shot
away, as was the chief part of the gangways. Not an officer had been
killed, but two midshipmen, the master, and gunner, were wounded.
Twenty men were wounded and eleven lost the number of their mess.

The wind, which had been moderate when the action began, had now greatly
increased. Not a moment was lost in commencing the repair of damages.
The sky indicated the approach of bad weather, and a westerly or
south-westerly gale might be expected. Before all the shot-holes could
be stopped it came on to blow very hard. Plymouth being too far to the
westward, the nearest shelter the _Thisbe_ could reach was Portland,
towards which she steered.

The moon coming forth, she had light sufficient to run in and anchor,
protected by the projecting headland from the furious gale now blowing.

Many a brave man on board besides the captain breathed more freely than
they had done for some hours when the anchor was dropped and the torn
canvas furled. Still the _Thisbe_ would be in a critical position
should the wind shift more to the southward, as she would be exposed to
the seas rolling into the bay.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

THE SHIPWRECK.

As soon as Rayner could obtain a spare moment, he hastened below to
visit poor Jack. He met Tom on the way.

"Jack's very bad, Mr Rayn