hat the wind of it actually blew my cap
off and all but overboard. I stooped, picked it up, and replaced it on
my head.

As I again turned my gaze to leeward, there was the galley, with a
clean, neat shot-hole in her starboard bow, so close to the water-line
that the furrow ploughed up by her rush through the water was flashing
and leaping right over it; and--what was of at least equal importance to
us just then--both banks of oars were trailing limp and motionless, as
if suddenly paralysed, in the water alongside of her. And paralysed
they certainly were, for the moment at least, because our thirty-two-
pound shot had evidently raked the oarsmen's benches from end to end of
the ship. Her way immediately began to slacken; and although I saw an
officer dash aft and with his own hands jam the helm hard over to lay us
aboard, her movements became so sluggish that we had no difficulty in
avoiding her, she being fully ten fathoms distant when she went drifting
slowly across our stern. As she did so, a heavy, confused volley of
musketry was poured into us from the boarders that lined her gunwale,
but although the bullets flew past us like hail, not one of us was
touched; and immediately afterwards a loud outcry arose aboard the
galley, upon which every man at once threw down his arms and jumped
below.

"Ready about!" shouted I. "And you, Tom, load again, and stand by to
give her another shot as we cross her bows. We must not leave her now
until we have rendered it impossible for her to get up to windward again
and tell of our whereabouts, and that of the galleon. If you could
contrive to smash a good number of her oars with a raking shot it would
be better even than hulling her; for, after all, it would be a terrible
thing to destroy so much life. She must have at least two hundred and
fifty people aboard her."

"Ay; all that--or more, sir. It'll take at least four men to handle one
of them long, heavy sweeps, the way that they was handled just now.
But, as to smashing of 'em, I don't know as I can do it; a man would
have to be a very tidy shot to hit more'n one or two of 'em. But I'll
do my best, sir; and no man can't do no more."

The schooner's helm was put down, and she was hove round upon the
opposite tack, and at once kept away for the galley, which had by this
time fallen broadside-on to the sea, her oars still remaining
motionless. We steered a little to leeward of her, with the intention
of luffing in