ain as we
sent the boat flying through the bubbling water. We sung out in our
eagerness, encouraging each other. Every moment the space between the
two boats was narrowing. We did not give in though. The Frenchmen now
saw that there was a chance of our escaping, and began firing. The
bullets flew thickly about our heads. Several hit the gunwale of the
boat, but none of us were hurt. Their firing rather encouraged us to
persevere, in the hope of escaping.

At last I felt a severe blow on my arm, and involuntarily dropped my
oar. A bullet had struck it. Still, I was sure it was not broken; so I
took my handkerchief off my neck, and bound it up. I seized my oar, and
pulled on. "Oh, the blackguards! sure if they'd give us a fair start,
and not be sending their dirty bullets at us, we'd be after bating them
entirely, now!" sung out an Irishman, who pulled the bow-oar. Many
people would, under the circumstances we were placed in, have given up
before this; but Mr Ronald still hoped that we might dodge our enemies,
and escape. The boats were not a hundred yards on either side of us.
They gave way with a will. So did we. Still we might slip between
them. If we did, we should have a good start; and pulling fast, as we
could do, we might escape, should they not continue firing at us; but
how could we expect them to be so lenient? On they came; narrow,
indeed, grew the space between them. We dashed on. With a cry of
dismay, we saw that our efforts were of no avail! With such force did
they come on, that they literally almost cut our boat in two; and as she
sunk between them, we had to jump out--some into one boat, some into the
other--to save ourselves from drowning, and to find ourselves prisoners.

How the Frenchmen did jabber away, and ask us all sorts of questions,
none of which we could answer, from not being able to muster a word of
French amongst us. The other boats came up, and then there was still
more jabbering; and then the Frenchmen made us all get into one boat,
and pulled with us towards a point of land on the east side of the bay.
The boat soon reached a small, rough pier, and then two of the men,
jumping on shore, ran off towards the town, which stood a little way off
from us. We sat, meantime, wondering what was to be our fate.

Shortly afterwards the tramp of feet was heard, and six or eight
soldiers, or militiamen, or gendarmes, appeared, and halted near us.
The officer of the boat then h