rating you like, remember that,' said he, taking my
hand. `We must have medals and prize-money for you; you have gallantly
won them, all of you.'

"He passed on, for he had a kind word to say to many hundred poor
fellows that day. When I got well I went home for a spell; but before
long I heard that Lord Nelson had hoisted his flag as commander-in-chief
of the channel squadron on board the `Medusa' frigate. I went on board,
and the admiral instantly rated me as quartermaster. We had plenty of
work before us, for General Bonaparte, who was now Emperor of France,
wanted to come and invade England. He had got a flotilla of gunboats
all ready to carry over his army, and he had a large fleet besides.
Many people thought he would succeed. We knew that the wooden walls of
old England were her best defence, and so we afloat never believed that
a French soldier would ever set foot on our shores.

"They had, however, a large flotilla in Boulogne harbour, and it was
determined to destroy it with the boats of the squadron. I volunteered
for one of our boats. The boats were in three divisions. We left the
ships a little before midnight. It was very dark, and the divisions got
separated. We knew that it was desperate work we were on. Ours was the
only division which reached the harbour. There were batteries defending
the place, and troops on the shore, and soldiers on board the flotilla,
and the outer vessels were guarded with iron spikes, and had boarding
nets triced up, and were lashed together. In we darted. It was
desperate work, and the fire of the great guns and musketry soon showed
our enemies to us, and us to them.

"`Just keep off, you brave Englishmen, you can do nothing here,' sung
out a French officer in very plain English.

"`We'll try that!' was our reply, as we dashed on board, in spite of
iron spikes and boarding nettings. On we went; we cut out several of
the vessels, and were making off with them with loads of Frenchmen on
board, when, would you believe it, if the enemy didn't open their fire
on the boats, killing their own people as well as us. To my mind, those
French, in war, are as bad as cannibals--that's what Lord Nelson always
said of them. If it hadn't been for this we should have burned or
captured most of them. While I was just springing on board another
vessel, among the flashes from the guns, the flames and smoke, the
hissing and rattling shot, I got a knock on my head which sent me