ttle trouble before we
can get the required truth out of him. However, as it can be proved
that he committed an act of piracy in attacking a Spanish vessel, I
shall take the liberty of putting him into irons, to prevent the chance
of his escaping."

Pedro Alvarez was well satisfied with the arrangements made by Morton,
while the miserable Tacon complained bitterly of the hard fate to which
he was doomed.

"Oh, the malice and cruelty of this world!" he exclaimed. "I no sooner
get my legs out of one pair of irons than I find them clapped into
another--wretched--ill-used man that I am! What have I done to deserve
such a lot?"

When daylight returned, the effect produced by the fireships became
apparent. The whole French fleet lay scattered about in every
direction. Some had disappeared altogether. They had either sunk or
effected their escape up the harbour, but the greater number lay hard
and fast on shore, some so much on the heel that a few shots from the
British ships would have knocked holes in their bottoms, and when the
tide rose have effectually prevented their again floating.

Soon after daybreak the gallant Lord Claymore, the soul and moving
spirit of the enterprise, signalised to the Admiral that the whole might
be destroyed. For a long time no notice of his signals was taken. At
length some vessels were sent to his assistance, but much valuable time
was lost, and several of the French ships, by throwing overboard their
stores and guns, floated, and got higher up the harbour.

When the British squadron did get into action, they performed their work
effectually, and four line-of-battle ships and a fifty-gun ship were
taken, two of which were at once destroyed. The other two were not set
on fire till night, when a panic seized the French crews, who believed
them to be more fire-ships, and then some again cut their cables, and
endeavoured to escape up the harbour, while one captain and his ship's
company abandoned their ship altogether. One man only was left on
board, who, by his bravery and presence of mind, prevented her from
becoming a prize to an English midshipman and his boat's crew. When the
boat pulled up, he hailed in a loud voice, ordering her to keep off, and
having a number of marines' muskets ready, he fired them one after the
other with such rapidity, that the midshipman of course fully believed
that a considerable part of the crew were still on board.

The next day some fresh fire-s