ed
46 guns. Then there were the _Incorruptible_, of 32 guns; the
_Magicienne_, of 36; the _Republicain_, of 28; and the two corvettes, of
22 guns each.

On we stood. Whatever the enemy did, we were not to fire till we got
close up to them. There were to be no long shots with us. It had
become almost dark before we arrived abreast of the three sternmost
ships. "Take care that not a gun is fired till I give the order," cried
the captain. "Steer for that big fellow there." This was the _Brutus_,
the second from the van. We were within thirty yards of this ship.
"Strike to His Britannic Majesty's ship _Glutton_!" cried the captain,
waving to the Frenchman. This order the Frenchmen were not likely to
obey. Up went the French colours at the peaks of all the ships, and
immediately they began firing as they could bring their guns to bear.
We glided on a few yards nearer the opponent our captain had singled
out. "Now, give it them, my lads!" he shouted; and immediately we
poured our whole broadside into the hull of our enemy. The effects were
as terrific as unexpected--she seemed literally to reel with the force
of the concussion. Meantime, the leading ship stood past us to
windward, with the intention of cutting us up with her shot; but she got
more than she bargained for, in the shape of our larboard-broadside.
The heavy shot, nearly every one of which told, shattered her hull, tore
open her decks, and damaged her spars. Meantime we were standing on the
larboard-tack, with the French commodore to leeward of us, with whom we
were exchanging a hot fire--rather hotter than he liked, indeed.

The pilot had been anxiously watching the coast--not indeed relishing,
probably, the sort of work going on. He now hurried up to the captain:
"We shall be on shore to a certainty, sir, if we stand on in this
course."

"Never fear," answered Captain Trollope. "When the Frenchman takes the
ground, do you go about."

All this time the enemy's shot were flying about us terribly, cutting up
our spars and rigging; but, strange to say, as I looked around, I did
not see one wounded! It was light enough all the time to enable us to
see all the enemy's ships, and yet sufficiently dark to allow the flash
of the guns to have its full effect, as we and our many opponents
rapidly discharged them at each other. Still the French commodore stood
on. Perhaps he hoped to drive us on shore. At last he was compelled to
tack. Captain Trol