een taken off the man, who
was in a dead faint. The assistant-surgeon was endeavouring to restore
him to consciousness, while the surgeon was engaged in taking up the
arteries. Another, who had lost an arm, was lying on a locker, waiting
to be carried to the sick bay; and several others sat round with their
heads and shoulders bandaged up. At last the doctor looked up, and I
then delivered my message. "Five killed and nine wounded, and I'm
afraid one or two of the latter may slip through my fingers," he said.
I was thankful when I was able to hurry back on deck with my report.
The captain was not addicted to the sentimental, but I heard him sigh,
or rather groan, after I had delivered it. As soon as any of the men
could be spared, the bodies of the killed were sewn up in canvas, with
shot at their feet. As we had no chaplain on board, the captain read a
portion of the burial service, and the sound of quick successive plunges
told that they had sunk into their ocean grave. We and the _Amethyst_
then stood away after the convoy.

"Our first action has not been a very glorious one," I observed, when
most of the mess was once more assembled in the berth. "I made sure we
should have captured one of those frigates."

"It has been a successful one, Paddy, and we should be content with
that," said Nettleship. "If we had taken one of the enemy, we should be
probably more knocked about than we are, and should have delayed the
merchantmen, or allowed them to run the risk of being captured. Depend
upon it, our captain will get credit for what he has done, and the
credit he gets will be reflected on us."

The wind fortunately continued fair, the sea smooth, and by the time we
sighted Jamaica we were again all ataunto. Having seen the greater part
of our charge into Port Royal, and sent the wounded ashore to the
hospital, we stood on with the remainder of the merchantmen to Barbadoes
and other islands, where we left them in safety, and then made our way
back to Port Royal. We saluted the forts, and the forts saluted us;
flags were flying, the sea glittering, and everything looked gay and
bright as we entered that magnificent harbour.

"Shure it's a beautiful place this, Misther Terence," said Larry to me,
as, the anchor being dropped, and the sails furled, we lay floating
calmly on the placid waters. "There's only one place to my mind that
beats this, and that's Cork harbour, though, to be sure, the mountains
there a