I do care a
great deal about losing even the leg, or the arm, much more the life of
any of my men, when there's no occasion for it; so in future, recollect
it's no disgrace to keep out of the way of a battery, when all the
advantage is on their side I've always observed that chance shots pick
out the best men. Lower down the mainsail and send the sailmaker aft to
repair it."

When O'Brien returned to the cabin, I remained on deck, for it was my
afternoon watch; and although O'Farrel had permission to look out for
me, I did not choose to go down again. The bay of Fort Royal was now
opened, and the view was extremely beautiful. Swinburne was still on
the carronade, and as I knew he had been there before, I applied to him
for information as to the _locale_. He told me the names of the
batteries above the town, pointed out Fort Edward, and Negro Point, and
particularly Pigeon Island, the battery at the top of which wore the
appearance of a mural crown.

"It's well I remember that place, Mr Simple," said he. "It was in '94
when I was last here. The sodgers had 'sieged it for a whole month, and
were about to give it up, 'cause they couldn't get a gun up on that 'ere
hill you sees there. So poor Captain Faulkner says, `There's many a
clear head under a tarpaulin hat, and I'll give any chap five doubloons
that will hitch up a twenty-four pounder to the top of that hill.' Not
quite so easy a matter, as you may perceive from here, Mr Simple."

"It certainly appears to me to have been almost impossible, Swinburne,"
replied I.

"And so it did to most of us, Mr Simple; but there was one Dick Smith,
mate of a transport, who had come on shore, and he steps out, saying,
`I've been looking at your men handling that gun, and my opinion is,
that if you gets a butt, crams in a carronade, well woulded up, and fill
it with old junk and rope yarns, you might parbuckle it up to the very
top.' So Captain Faulkner pulls out five doubloons, and gives them to
him, saying, `You deserve the money for the hint, even if it don't
succeed.' But it did succeed, Mr Simple; and the next day, to their
surprise, we opened fire on the French beggars, and soon brought their
boasting down. One of the French officers, after he was taken prisoner,
axed me how we had managed to get the gun up there but I wasn't going to
blow the gaff, so I told him as a great secret, that we got it up with a
kite; upon which he opened all his eyes, and crying `_Sac