when, as we were within a cable's length of the brig,
suddenly a flame of fire burst from her ports, with the loud reports of
six heavy guns, followed by the rattle of musketry.

"On, lads, on!" cried our commanding officer; and the boats casting off
from each other, we pulled away as hard as we could.

The first lieutenant and Mr Harvey in our boat, pulled for her bows,
one on either side, while the other boats were to board on her quarters.
Our boat was to go round to the starboard side, which was the inner
one. The instant we hooked on, we clambered up, Mr Harvey gallantly
leading, Dick and I being close to him. We reached the deck without
opposition, for the Frenchmen were all over on the other bow, attempting
to beat back the lieutenant and his people, so that we took them
completely by surprise, and were cutting and slashing at them before
they knew we were on deck. They quickly turned, however, to defend
themselves, and this allowed the lieutenant and the gig's crew to
clamber on board. United, we drove them back from the forecastle.
Some, to save themselves, tumbled down the fore-hatchway, but others,
unable to get down, retreated aft. Here they joined the rest of the
crew, who were fighting desperately with the third lieutenant and
boatswain's party, but were being driven slowly back.

The uproar we made, the flash of the pistols, the clash of our
cutlasses, the shouts and shrieks of the combatants, served to arouse
the garrison in the fort and the crews of the other vessels. The guns
in the fort had not opened upon us, probably because the Frenchmen were
afraid of hitting their friends, not knowing whether we had captured the
brig or been driven back.

The Frenchmen, as they generally do, fought bravely, but they could not
withstand the desperate onslaught we made. Attacked as they were on
both sides, they were unable to retreat, and those who had been aft
leapt down the hatchways, crying out for quarter. Mr Harvey told them
that if they made further resistance they would be shot. He then called
his boat's crew away, as had been arranged, to cut the cable, and began
to tow the brig out of harbour, while the crew of another boat flew
aloft to loose the sails. The canvas was let fall and rapidly sheeted
home. The moment we began to move the fort opened fire. One of the
first shot struck our boat, which at once commenced to fill. Strange to
say, not a man among us was hit. We on this dropped alon