frigate had opened her
fire, and still the little sloop held out. Commander Saltwell's great
object was to avoid being run down or boarded. This he managed to do by
skilful manoeuvring. At length Rayner, through his glass, observed the
crew of the frigate running about her deck as if in considerable
confusion. Once more the _Lily_ fired, but what was the astonishment of
the British seamen to see her haul her main-tack aboard and begin to
make all sail, putting her head to the northward. To follow was
impossible, as the _Lily_ had every brace and bowline, all her after
backstays, several of her lower shrouds, and other parts of her rigging,
shot away.

Her sails were also torn, her mainmast and main-topsail yard and
foreyard a good deal injured. Yet though she had received these serious
damages aloft, strange to say one man alone of her crew had been
slightly injured.

"We must repair damages, lads, and then go and look after the enemy,"
cried the commander.

The guns being run in and secured, every officer, man, and boy set to
work, the commander with the rest. In a wonderfully short time the
standing rigging was knotted or spliced, fresh running rigging rove, new
sails bent, and the _Lily_ was standing in the direction in which her
late antagonist had some time before disappeared.

Not long after, however, the man at the mast-head discovered a large
ship on the lee beam in the direction of Guadaloupe. The _Lily_ at once
steered towards the stranger, when in the afternoon she came up with a
vessel under French colours, which endeavoured to escape. Several shots
were fired. The stranger sailed on.

"She looks like an English ship," observed the commander. "It will
never do to let her get away. See what you can do, Crofton."

Oliver went forward and trained the foremost gun. He fired, and down
came the stranger's main-topsail yard. On this she hauled down her
colours and hove-to.

She proved to be, as the commander had supposed, a large English
merchantman, a prize to the French frigate. The prisoners were at once
removed, and the second lieutenant sent with a prize crew on board, when
the _Lily_ took her in tow. The wind was light, but a heavy swell sent
the prize several times almost aboard the corvette, which was at length
compelled to cast her adrift.

The next morning the look-out from the mast-head of the _Lily_ announced
a sail on the lee bow. In a short time, daylight increasing, she wa