was--

"The Spanish frigate _Ceres_."

"Then strike your colours," cried our captain.

The enemy did not obey the order, and we immediately poured a broadside
into her. The Spaniards returned it, doing us little damage. While we
were loading our guns, to give her a second dose, she put up her helm,
and endeavoured to join her consorts to leeward. We immediately kept
away and engaged her to leeward, and in about twenty minutes we had
silenced her fire, having had only a couple of men hit; we were about to
take possession, when we saw the other four frigates close to us. While
hauling up, to avoid being raked by the leading frigate which had opened
her fire on us, we fell aboard her, carrying away her main-topsail-yard.
We had handled her pretty roughly, when two more frigates coming up,
one on each side of us, we kept blazing away at both of them, till the
fourth arrived, followed by the two brigs. We were now surrounded by
more enemies than even our fire-eating captain thought it prudent to
contend with. However, either the Spaniards forgot to put shot in their
guns, or fired them wildly, for we received but little damage, only two
more men having been hit; we quickly hauled to the wind and stood out
from among them, unharmed, although they were blazing away as fast as
they could get their guns to bear on us. We then steered for a part of
the convoy which had been somewhat scattered during the action, and
succeeded in cutting off a large brig; but as the frigates were close
upon our heels, we had only time to send a couple of boats on board,
under the command of Harry and Mr Leslie, who, having taken out her
crew, set her on fire fore and aft. So rapidly had they executed their
orders, that they were back again in a little more than five minutes,
and we again made all sail, just as the four Spanish frigates coming up
got us within range of their guns. As we had no longer any chance of
capturing either of them, we continued our course, and soon ran them out
of sight, they evidently having no inclination to follow us. Though it
was not to be compared to our escape from Toulon, still it was a dashing
piece of business, which required good seamanship to accomplish, and I
therefore think it worthy of being mentioned.

Both Harry and Reginald were naturally anxious to do something to
distinguish themselves, by which they might make sure of their
promotion. They had behaved admirably on every occasion, and all th