. She was chiefly
laden with silks and wine, and was a very valuable prize. Celeste had
time to tell me that her father had been four years in Martinique, and
had left her at home for her education; and that she was then coming out
to join him. The other ladies were all wives or daughters of officers
of the French garrison on the island, and the gentlemen passengers were
some of them French officers; but as this was told me in secrecy, of
course I was not bound to know it, as they were not in uniform.

As soon as we had closed with the brig, I hastened on board to O'Brien,
and as soon as a fresh supply of hands to man the boat, and the surgeon
and his assistant had been despatched on board of the prize, to
superintend the removal of the wounded, I went down with him into the
cabin, and narrated what had occurred.

"Well," said O'Brien, "all's well that ends well; but this is not the
luckiest hit in the world. Your taking the ship has saved me, Peter;
and I must make as flourishing a despatch as I can. By the powers but
it's very lucky that she has fourteen guns--it sounds grand. I must
muddle it all up together, so that the admiral must think we intended to
cut them both out--and so we did, sure enough, if we had known she had
been there. But I am most anxious to hear the surgeon's report, and
whether poor Osbaldistone will do well. Peter, oblige me by going on
board, and put two marines sentry over the hatchway, so that no one goes
down and pulls the traps about; for I'll send on shore everything
belonging to the passengers, for Colonel O'Brien's sake."

The surgeon's report was made--six killed and sixteen wounded. The
killed were, O'Farrel and Pepper, midshipmen, two seamen, and two
marines. The first lieutenant, Osbaldistone, was severely wounded in
three places, but likely to do well; five other men were dangerously
wounded; the other ten would, in all probability, return to their duty
in less than a month. As soon as the wounded were on board, O'Brien
returned with me to the prize, and we went down into the cabin. All the
passengers' effects were collected; the trunks which had been left open
were nailed down: and O'Brien wrote a handsome letter to General
O'Brien, containing a list of the packages sent on shore. We sent the
launch with a flag of truce to the nearest battery; after some demur it
was accepted, and the effects landed. We did not wait for an answer,
but made all sail to join the admir