nk all the
enemy we can, not get took or sunk ourselves."

"But the glory, Barney."

"More glory in keeping afloat, my lad, than in going down. You let the
skipper be; he's a better sailor than you are, I'll be bound."

Syd, after a further conversation with the boatswain, saw the night come
on, with the enemy's little squadron evidently in full chase. He had
clung to the hope that his father was manoeuvring so as to attack the
ships one by one; but though the frigate had been cleared for action,
and the men were full of excitement, there seemed as if there was to be
no fighting that night.

The boy was disappointed. He was not free from the natural terror that
any one would feel, but at the same time he was eager to see a naval
encounter. For home conversation between his father, uncle, and their
friends had frequently been of the sea and sea-fights; and he was
thoroughly imbued with the belief that a British man-of-war could do
precisely what it liked with the enemy, and victory against any odds was
a certainty.

And here were they undoubtedly running away, to Syd's great disgust, for
he had yet to learn that the better part of valour is discretion, and
that a good commander is careful of his ship and men. He was the more
annoyed upon encountering Terry soon afterwards discussing the state of
affairs with a couple of the lads below, and finding that he ceased
speaking directly, and turned away with a laugh.

Syd sat down pretending to ignore what he had seen, but the feeling
within him drove him on deck again, where he was not long before one of
the hearers of Terry's remarks took care that he should know what had
been said. Syd was leaning over the stern gazing away into the
transparent darkness, with the stars shining brilliantly overhead, when
Jenkins came to his side.

"See 'em now?" said the boy.

"No. It is too dark."

"Then we shan't take any prizes this time. What a pity!"

"Perhaps we should have been turned into a prize, Jenky," said Syd, for
he was now on the most familiar terms with all his messmates.

"Yes," said the boy, "perhaps so; but Mike Terry says if our old captain
had been in command, he'd have put his helm down when those four
frog-boxes were well within range, cut right between them, giving them
our broadsides as we sailed, then rounded under their sterns, raked
first one and then another as we passed, left two of them with their
masts gone by the board, and gone on across