s, and as they
may, in their anxiety to do so, omit to dwaw the shot from their guns,
allow me to suggest that you wetire below. Mr Carnegie--our lieutenant
of mawines--has, I see, been thoughtful enough to pwovide an escort for
you, and in his hands I have much pleasure in leaving you; you will find
him a twuly delightful companion. Good evening, gentlemen, for the
present."

At first the Frenchmen appeared unable to believe their own ears. Then,
as they began to realise that we were actually about to attempt our
escape, they rapidly threw themselves together, back to back, and began
to handle their sabres menacingly. Carnegie, however, who upon hearing
the Honourable Mortimer's remark had grasped the situation in an
instant, had at once slipped off, returning in a very few minutes with
some five-and-twenty fully-armed marines, and with these he promptly
surrounded the chagrined Frenchmen, who found the way in which the
"jollies" handled their half-pikes so little to their taste that they at
length came to the conclusion that discretion was, in their case, the
better part of valour, and sullenly suffered themselves to be conducted
below.

In the meantime our lads had been anything but idle. With the activity
of so many cats they had scuttled away aloft, laying out upon the yards,
and casting off the gaskets in a style which must have done Mr
Annesley's heart good, and which, to a moral certainty, considerably
astonished the Frenchmen on board the surrounding ships and in the
batteries. There was no confusion whatever; everything was done with as
much method and precision as if we had been merely exercising the crew;
but, on the other hand, not one second of precious time was wasted, and
it really was a pretty sight to see all the canvas falling
simultaneously from the yards, the topsail sheets instantly going home
into their places, and the three topsail-yards directly afterwards
soaring away up to the mast-heads. Then home came the topgallant
sheets, and up went the yards, the royals following, and being set
literally before the topgallant halliards were belayed. The fore-and-
aft canvas was at the same time set, and the moment that the royals were
at the mast-heads the yards were braced for casting the ship. The
carpenter and one of his mates were stationed at the hawse-pipe, armed
with their keenest axes, and stood ready to strike directly the word was
given. In three minutes from the time that the order