tes, and in the lee
division four sail of the line, five frigates, two brigs, and two
cutters. These were somewhat fearful odds, but notwithstanding, as far
as I could judge, the hearts of none on board our ship, and we were the
most exposed, quailed for a moment. We had made up our minds to a
desperate fight, but we had confidence in our old admiral, and we knew
that if any man could rescue us, he would do it.

Stripped to the waist, we stood at our quarters, waiting the order to
fire, and resolved to fight to the last. At that moment I did not think
of my wife, or home, or anything else, but just the work we had in hand.
At such times it does not do to think. We all knew that it was our
business to run our guns in as fast as possible and fire when ordered.
We watched the approach of the French ships, eager for the moment when
we should begin the fight.

A seventy-four was the van ship of the weather division, and a frigate
led the centre division. We had had our breakfast and returned to our
guns, when the seventy-four opened her fire upon our ship, the _Mars_.
We immediately hoisted our colours, as did the rest of our squadron, and
returned it with our stern-chasers. Directly afterwards the French
frigate ran up on our larboard and lee quarter, and yawing rapidly,
fired into us. This sort of work continued for nearly half an hour.
Several of our men by that time had been struck down, though none that I
could see were killed, while our standing and running rigging was
already a good deal cut up. We had been blazing away for some time, and
the enemy's shot were coming pretty quickly aboard, when I heard a
crash, and looking up saw that our main-yard was badly wounded. Now for
the first time I began to fear that we should get crippled, and, being
surrounded by the enemy, should be unable to fight our way out from
among them.

Two other ships, the _Triumph_ and _Bellerophon_, were now warmly
engaged, and soon afterwards the remainder of the squadron began firing
their stern or quarter guns as they could bring them to bear on the
enemy. The _Brunswick_, it should be understood, was leading, then came
the _Royal Sovereign_, next the _Bellerophon_ and _Triumph_, we being,
as I before said, the sternmost. We now saw the _Royal Sovereign_
making signals to the two ships to go ahead, while she, shortening sail,
took her station next in line to the _Brunswick_.

We had kept up so hot a fire on the first ship whic