e you the slip,"
shouted the first lieutenant. "Let them understand that they must
remain under charge of the sentry, and that if they give leg-bail he has
orders to shoot them. Now shove off."

I told my friends what Mr Saunders had said.

"Ah, that lieutenant of yours is very suspicious," remarked Dubois. "We
wish to get away! What folly to think of it."

I said nothing more, but there was a twinkle in Dubois' eye, which made
me fancy he did think of it.

The shore was soon reached; providentially there was no surf, and the
men quickly landed. On this the boats at once put off to bring away the
remainder of the crew. The men bent to their oars. There was no time
to be lost, for the French frigates were approaching, and would soon be
blazing away at our ship. On they came under all sail.

"We'll have them right enough if they run ashore," cried one of the men;
"there'll then be fair play maybe."

"I wish that our captain would only just let us go back and fight them,"
exclaimed another; "we'd soon show them that the saucy _Liffy_ hasn't
done barking yet."

But the Frenchmen seemed to have no intention of running ashore if they
could help it. As we got alongside they had come almost within range of
our guns. The remainder of the crew and officers stood ready to embark.
Just at that moment I recollected that I had come away without my
grandfather's sword, which was hung up in the berth. I sprang on deck
and rushed down below to obtain it. Having got it in my hand, I was
hurrying out of the berth, when I saw the captain, accompanied by Mr
Saunders with the gunner and his crew, just coming aft. At the same
time I observed a dense smoke issuing from the fore-hold. They had
matches in their hands, with which they had lighted some trains which
had been laid leading to the after-part of the ship. I sprang back into
the boat, into which the gunner and his crew followed me, the captain's
gig still waiting alongside. Mr Saunders came down and took his seat.
The captain stood for some moments gazing along the deck, then, lifting
up his hat, he also descended. "Shove off!" I heard him cry out, in a
husky voice, just as we were pulling away.

He was the last man to leave the frigate. As he did so several shot
came crashing aboard her from the opposite side. We pulled away as fast
as we could lay our backs to the oars, for we had a good chance of being
hit. The shot dropped round us pretty thickly, but w