ake the command.

"You, Mr Simple, will take the pinnace, and order Mr Swinburne into
the cutter."

"Mr Swinburne, sir!" replied I; "the brig will, in all probability, be
in action soon, and his services as a gunner will be required."

"Well, then, Mr Hilton may go. Beat to quarters. Where is Mr
Webster?" The second lieutenant was close to us, and he was ordered to
take the duty during my absence.

I jumped into the pinnace, and shoved off; ten other boats from the
_Acasta_ and the other men-of-war were pulling in the same direction,
and I joined them. The gun-boats had now opened fire upon the convoy
astern, and were sweeping out to capture them, dividing themselves into
two parties, and pulling towards different portions of the convoy. In
half-an-hour we were within gun-shot of the nearest, which directed its
fire at us; but the lieutenant of the _Acasta_, who commanded the
detachment, ordered us to lie on our oars for a minute, while he divided
his force in three divisions, of four boats each, with instructions that
we should each oppose a division of two gun-boats.

This was well arranged. I had the command of one division, for the
first lieutenants had not been sent away from the _Isis_ and _Reindeer_,
and having inquired which of the divisions of gun-boats I was to oppose,
I pulled for them. In the meantime, we observed that the two praams,
and two gun-boats, which had remained behind us, and had been firing at
the _Racehorse_, had also divided--one praam attacking the _Acasta_, the
two gun-boats playing upon the _Isis_, and the other praam engaging the
_Rattlesnake_ and _Reindeer_; the latter vessel being in a line with us,
and about half a mile farther out, so that she could not return any
effectual fire, or, indeed, receive much damage.

One of the praams mounted ten guns, and the other eight. The last was
opposed to the _Rattlesnake_, and the fire was kept up very smartly,
particularly by the _Acasta_ and the enemy. In about a quarter of an
hour I arrived with my division close to the vessel which was the
nearest to the enemy. It was a large Sunderland-built ship. The
gun-boats, which were within a quarter of a mile of her, sweeping to her
as fast as they could, as soon as they perceived our approach, directed
their fire upon us, but without success, except the last discharge, in
which, we being near enough, they had loaded with grape. The shot fell
a little short, but one piece of grape stru