to be encountered, a heavy sea was running, which
washed up alongside the stranded frigate, and created a considerable
risk of causing the boats to be stove in.

"Pull away, my hearties, pull away!" sang out our gallant commanding
officer. "We'll make a short business of the work in hand when we once
get alongside."

He was as good as his word. In spite of the iron and leaden shower
which rattled around us, we dashed on. The masts had gone by the board,
but had been secured, and by this means a stage had been formed leading
from the ship to the shore. Along this stage the enemy, till we drew
near, were busily engaged in carrying off the stores and provisions out
of the ship. When they saw us coming they gave up the work and poured
instead a number of armed men on board. The bowmen stood ready,
boat-hooks in hand, to hook on as the sea sent us surging alongside.
When our boats rose to the top of the waves we tumbled in on deck
through the ports, with our cutlasses in our teeth and all sorts of
combustibles under our arms. The enemy did not like our looks, and as
retreat was open to them they could not resist the temptation of taking
advantage of it; so when we appeared through some of the headmost ports,
they retired over the stern. To set fire to our grenades and other
fiery engines of destruction, and to heave them down below and to
scatter them fore and aft, was the work of little more than a minute.
The enemy scarcely understood what we were about, or they would have
tried to interrupt our proceedings. The effect of our combustibles was
very rapid. A number of inflammable things were scattered about; they
at once caught fire, and thick wreaths of smoke, followed by fierce
flames, darted upwards on every side.

"To the boats! to the boats!" sang out our commander.

It was time indeed to be into them, for the fiery element was already
surrounding many of the guns, which, being shotted, were going off as
the touch-holes became heated. Almost enveloped in wreaths of smoke and
fiercely crackling flames, we rushed to the ports, aware that any moment
the ship might blow up and carry us high into the air. Explosion after
explosion followed each other in rapid succession, giving us warning of
what might occur. Our gallant leader got dreadfully burned. I saw him
just as he was about to fall, I feared, into the flames. I grasped his
arm, and together we leaped into the first boat we saw alongside.

"All hand