I do not believe, though, that such an idea occurred to many
of us. We only thought of driving back the enemy, of striving to gain
the victory. All this time our great guns were blazing away, and the
marines were keeping up a hot fire of musketry, while the enemy were
pounding us as sharply in return.

Not a minute of rest did they afford us. Led on by their officers, with
shouts and shrieks they rushed over their bows and down by the bowsprit
on to our deck. Every inch of plank was fiercely contested, and
literally our scuppers ran streams of blood.

Try and picture for a moment the two ships rolling, tumbling, and
grinding against each other, the wind whistling in our rigging (for it
was blowing heavily), the severed ropes and canvas lashing about in
every direction; the smoke and flames from our guns, their muzzles
almost touching, the cries, and groans, and shouts; spars and blocks
tumbling from aloft; the decks slippery with gore; the roar of big guns,
the rattle of musketry, the flash of pistols, the clash of cutlasses as
we met together; and some faint idea may be formed of the encounter in
which we were engaged.

Once more the enemy were driven back, leaving many dead; but we also
suffered fearfully. Still we persevered. For an instant I had time to
look round. I saw the shattered condition of our ship, my brave
companions dropping rapidly around me, several of our lieutenants
severely wounded, and for the first time the dread came over me that we
must strike our flag or sink at our quarters, for I felt convinced that
the ship could not stand much longer the sort of treatment she had been
undergoing.

Again the shout was raised, "Repel boarders!"

"Steady, my brave lads, meet them!" cried our gallant captain. We saw
the Frenchmen hurrying along the waist, leaping up on the forecastle,
and then in dense masses they rushed down on our decks. We met them as
bravely as men can meet their foes, but already we had nearly sixty men
(more than a quarter of our crew) either killed or wounded, and,
terribly overmatched, we were borne back by mere force of numbers.

The way cleared, the Frenchmen continued pouring in on us till our
people were literally forced down the hatchways or against the opposite
bulwarks, while our cutlasses were knocked out of our hands, no longer
able to grasp them. The bravest on board must have felt there was no
help for it, and no one was braver than our captain. The British
c