indeed, did he always
spare the Protestant slaves themselves in the heat of an engagement.
They were fighting against England, and that was enough for him.

"_Saperlote!_" exclaimed the captain of the galley to the
_maitre-canonnier_, by whose side he now stood in the fore part of the
galley, "the _cochons_ will not be pierced! See how they change course
with us! _Grand Dieu!_ they have our beam. To your guns, at once! What
will they do now?"

What they would do in the frigate was obvious. _Their_ master gunner
was also busy at his work; they could see his figure with the linstock
in his hand, or could rather catch the gleam of the linstock itself,
as he moved behind his gun ports. A moment later what he did was
equally obvious. He ran along his tier, firing his cannon. Then there
was a crash, followed by another, and another, and another, as cannon
after cannon were discharged and the balls smashed into the galley.
Some swept the _coursier_, cutting down the captain, two of the
blaspheming and brutal _comites_, and the _aumonier_, or chaplain--who
was encouraging the Protestant and Turkish slaves by reciting the
Catholic service to them. Half a dozen more balls struck the benches
of the _galeriens_, wounding and killing one fifth of them, smashing
even the chains by which some were bound to their seats, even smashing
the benches themselves, and taking off legs and arms and heads. Then
by a quick and masterly manoeuvre the frigate altered course, came
round on the other side, and repeated the broadside with her other
tier.

As that was delivered, and a moment afterward her boats were lowered,
filled with sailors to board L'Idole, the galley heeled over and began
to sink.

And No. 211 muttered, as with a jerk from the lurching craft he was
thrown into the sea, "Thank God, the end has come!"[6]

[Footnote 6: The description of the galley is taken from Memoirs d'un
Protestant condamne aux Galeres de France, and written by one Jean
Marteidhe. It was published in Rotterdam in 1757, and again in Paris,
by the Societe des Ecoles du Dimanche, in 1865 and 1881, and is
perhaps the best account in existence of the sufferings and terrible
existence of French galley slaves. It is also well known in the
translations by Oliver Goldsmith, a reprint of which, edited by W.
Austin Dobson, has just appeared.]

CHAPTER XIX.

"A NEW LIFE."

From the frigate there floated at the maintop-gallant-masthead the
flag of a rear