was on his head, the
foremost gun was fired, the others being rapidly discharged in
succession.

We were not to have the game all on our own side, for the French ship at
once returned the compliment, and her shot came crashing on board of us.

We now, being within rather less than hailing distance of each other,
kept blazing away as fast as we could run our guns in and out. We were
doing considerable damage to the Frenchman, we could sea, but we were
suffering not a little ourselves. Two of our midshipmen had fallen,
killed while steadily going about their duty. Soon afterwards I saw
another poor young fellow knocked over. Then the boatswain, in the act
of raising his whistle to his mouth, had his head shot away; and some of
the men declared that they heard it sounding notwithstanding, as it flew
overboard. I saw three or four of our jollies--as we called the
marines--drop while firing away from the forecastle. A round shot also
striking our mainmast, I every instant expected to see it fall.

Though badly wounded, it was not cut through, however, and the carpenter
and his crew set to work immediately to fish it.

We had been engaged some twenty minutes or so, when we saw the
_Cleopatra_ haul up some eight points from the wind.

We followed her closely, having no intention of allowing her to escape,
if such was the expectation of her commander.

After blazing away some little time longer, down came her mizenmast;
directly afterwards her wheel was shot away. She was thus rendered
unmanageable, though for some time her crew endeavoured to keep her on
her course by trimming sails; but our shot soon cutting away her braces,
she played round off, and came stem on towards us, her jibboom passing
between our fore and main masts, pressing so hard against the already
wounded mainmast that I expected every instant to see it fall,
especially as we had lost the main and spring stays. It was a question
which would first go, our mainmast or the Frenchman's jibboom.

Fortunately for us, the latter was carried away, and our mainmast stood.
The moment our captain saw the stem of the _Cleopatra_ strike us,
supposing that the French were about to board, he shouted out,
"Boarders, repel boarders!" But the Frenchmen hadn't the heart to do
it, and instead of their boarding us, we boarded them.

One party, led by our first lieutenant, rushed on the enemy's
forecastle; while another division, headed by the master, got through