ntinuous stream from their mouths.

What a contrast to the previous awful silence was there in the report of
the guns, the rattle of musketry, the shouts of the officers, the cheers
of the men, the crashing of spars and timber as the shot struck home,
and the shrieks, and cries, and groans of the wounded! To these
expressions of pain even the bravest cannot help giving way, when
wounded where the nerves are most sensitive.

Several times the enemy attempted to close, when her greatly
prepondering force of men would have told with fearful effect on our
decks; but each time the attempt was made it was dexterously avoided by
our captain. We had, however, begun to suffer considerably in spars and
rigging, and the number of our killed and wounded was increasing. Our
second lieutenant had been severely injured by the fall of the
foretop-gallant-mast. A midshipman, a young lad who had just come to
sea, was struck down close to me. I lifted him up in my arms for a
moment, to get him carried below out of harm's way; but the terrible
injury he had received convinced me that no help could avail him. I put
my hand on his heart: it had ceased to beat. Yet what voice sounded
more full of life and spirit than his as we cheered at the captain's
answer to the Frenchman's hail? On the other side of me a fine young
fellow fell mortally wounded. He was just my own age, but not, like me,
left alone in the world--he had many dear ones in his humble home. He
felt that he had not many moments to live, though his mind was as active
as ever.

"Williams!" he faintly cried. "Stoop down, lad! Don't let them take me
below: I want to die here! And I say--you know my poor mother, and
Sally, and George: just tell them that you saw the last of me; that I
thought of them, and prayed for them, and that I hope we may meet in
that far, far-off port to which we are all bound! I haven't forgot the
prayers mother taught me, tell her. It will comfort her to know that!
Good-bye, Jack!"

He pressed my hand as he uttered these words, but instantly afterwards
his fingers relaxed. His spirit had fled, and I returned to my duty at
my gun!

There were not many seamen, unhappily, in those days, like poor James
Martin. Another shipmate was killed not far from me, and he died
uttering fearful curses on our enemies, utterly ignorant of the future
world into which he was entering.

Thus we fought on. Although we were severely punishing our big
opp