watching the battery, he observed the sentry
suddenly stop, and eye the spot narrowly. "Hold fast," he whispered to
the man; "don't move, as you value your life." The man obeyed, and, to
the lieutenant's infinite relief, he at last saw the sentry move on.

Daybreak of the 4th came at length; the wind blew fairly down the
stream, and everyone was on the tiptoe of expectation, listening for the
report of two guns, the preconcerted signal of the fleet being about to
sail. It was a time of the greatest anxiety, for any moment, if
discovered, the twenty-eight pieces of ordnance might have commenced
playing on them, and blown them all to atoms; but fortunately the eyes
of the enemy were turned up the stream, towards the point from whence
the fleet was expected to appear. Slowly the hours seemed to pass, till
at length, at nine a.m., the welcome sound of the two guns came booming
along the water; and immediately the men proceeded from the boat to the
rocket-stands, creeping along like a band of North American Indians on a
war expedition to surprise a sleeping foe.

A long pole, with the British flag made fast to it, had been prepared,
on the elevation of which the first discharge of rockets was to take
place. The squadron of men-of-war and merchantmen now approached, the
_Gorgon, Fulton_, and _Alecto_ leading. Majestically they glided on
till they came within range of the batteries, at which they commenced
firing their shells with admirable precision. The long and anxious
moment at length arrived for the discharge of the rockets. Lieutenant
Mackinnon waved his cap aloft; at this signal Lieutenant Barnard planted
the British flag under the nose of the enemy, and, taking off his cap,
made them a low bow.

Up went a flight of rockets; two of them flew into the very centre of
the most crowded part of the batteries, completely clearing them of
their defenders, two went over their heads, and two stuck in the cliffs
beneath them. The elevation of the four stands which were wrongly
pointed being rectified, they were once more charged; and as soon as the
enemy had returned to their guns, and were looking along the sights to
take aim at the steamers, Lieutenant Mackinnon, jumping up on the
embankment, thoughtless of how he was exposing himself, sang out,
"Pepper, lads! pepper, lads! pepper, pepper, pepper!" and pepper away
the men did with a vengeance. The crash was tremendous.

The enemy, with dismay, deserted their guns;