th muskets.'

"We waited anxiously for the two ships to appear; but the wind had
gradually died away until it fell a dead calm. Then a native runner
hailed us from the shore, and said that both vessels had anchored off
the reef, and were manning their boats.

"'All the better for us,* said Watts grimly;'we'll smash them up quick
enough if they try boarding. If they had sailed in, the Frenchman's long
guns would have sunk us easily, and our wretched guns could not have
done him much harm.' Then he went round the decks, and saw that the crew
and their native allies were all at their proper stations.

"Presently he saw the boats--five of them--come round the point. Two
of them we recognised as belonging to my husband's vessel, though they
were, of course, manned by Frenchmen. They rowed leisurely in through
the entrance till they were within musket-shot, and then the foremost
one ceased rowing, and hoisted a white flag.

"'They want us to surrender without a fight,' said Watts, 'or are
meditating some treachery,' and taking a musket from one of the crew he
levelled it and fired in defiance. The bullet struck the water within
a foot of the boat. The white flag, however, was held up higher by the
officer in the stern. Watts seized a second musket, and this time his
bullet went plump into the crowded boat, and either killed or wounded
some one, for there was a momentary confusion. Then the white flag was
lowered, and with loud cheers the five boats made a dash towards us.
Telling the gunners to reserve their fire of grape until he gave the
word, Watts and the natives now began a heavy musketry fire on the
advancing boats, and although they suffered heavily the Frenchmen came
on most gallantly. Then when the first two boats, which were pulling
abreast, were within fifty yards' distance, Watts and a white seaman
sprang to two of the guns and themselves trained them, just as I heard
a native near me cry out that in the bows of each boat he could see a
man--my husband and his chief mate, who were both bound. Before I could
utter a warning cry to Watts, both of the guns belched out their volleys
of grape, and with awful effect. The boats were literally torn to
pieces, and their mangled occupants sank under the smooth waters of the
lagoon; only two or three seemed to have escaped unwounded, and as
they clung to pieces of wreckage our savage allies, with yells of fury,
picked them off with their muskets; for the same native who h