nd destructive a fire, that at
length the gallant Frenchman, deserted by his ships, was compelled to
haul down his flag, just as the sun sank beneath the horizon.

The French fleet were now going off before the wind, pursued by some of
our ships. Others would have joined in the chase, but Sir George
Rodney, wishing to collect the fleet and secure his prizes, made the
signal to the fleet to bring to.

Our captain meantime had ordered us at once to commence removing the
prisoners.

I had shoved off with one boat-load, and just got alongside the
_Cerberus_, when I heard the cry, "The _Caesar_ is on fire!" I hurried
the prisoners up the side, eager to assist in extinguishing the flames,
or to bring away as many as I could of those on board. Several of the
other ships were also sending their uninjured boats to the rescue; but
before they could reach the blazing ship, we heard a fearfully loud
explosion. Up went her decks. Fragments of planks and timbers, and
even heavy guns, with human bodies torn and rent asunder, rose in the
air; the whole ship blazed furiously, lighting up the surrounding
vessels with a lurid glare, when suddenly her hull sank, and all was
dark around. In her perished our third lieutenant and boatswain, and
fifty of our gallant crew, besides four hundred Frenchmen.

Our most valuable prize was the _Ville de Paris_, as she had on board a
quantity of specie, and she was considered the finest ship afloat; but
we had a heavy price to pay for our victory: Captain Bayne, of the
_Alfred_, and Captain Blair, of the _Anson_, were killed, besides
several lieutenants and other officers. Altogether we lost two hundred
and fifty-three men killed, and eight hundred and sixteen wounded. The
French ships, having numerous troops on board, and carrying more men
than ours, suffered more severely in proportion, and it was generally
believed that three thousand were killed, and double the number wounded.
On board the _Ville de Paris_ alone four hundred were slain.

We remained three days under Guadaloupe, repairing damages, when Sir
George Rodney ordered Sir Samuel Hood to proceed with his division in
search of stragglers. In spite of the fighting we had had, with
cheerful alacrity we stood away; and on the 19th sighted five of the
enemy's ships. They were standing for the Mona passage.

"They hope to escape us," said Nettleship. "But never fear, if they can
get through, so can we."

This proved to be the c