arking carefully the spot for which she was making, silently placed a
strong body of sharpshooters in ambush to await her coming.

Had the Frenchmen in ambush but observed the most ordinary caution,
there is no doubt they would easily have captured the boat and the whole
of her crew, but instead of this they gave way to the excitement which
is one of their failings, and indulged in such loud and continuous
chatter that the coxswain of the pinnace heard them when within about
twenty yards of the landing-place, and the boat was at once pulled round
with her head off shore, and the crew ordered to "give way with a will,"
in order to escape the very obvious danger.

But it was too late. The moment that it was observed that their
destined prey had taken the alarm, a terrific volley of musketry was
poured into the boat, and the gallant young officer who had undertaken
the chief risk of the expedition fell forward into the bottom of the
boat, dead and riddled with bullets. The coxswain also and two of the
crew were more or less severely wounded. The boat was as speedily as
possible taken out of range, and though, when it was found that there
was a prospect of her escaping, some of the batteries opened upon her,
and two or three boats started from the shore in chase, she reached the
"Victory" without further mishap, about an hour and a half from the time
when she started upon the disastrous expedition.

Much grief was felt throughout the fleet at the loss of this gallant and
promising young officer, whose distinguished services at the evacuation
of Toulon, as well as his kindly and genial disposition, had made him
universally liked and respected.

After this, there was no further talk of obtaining information
respecting the condition of the enemy.

But the idea had taken hold of me, and I had thought about it until I
had become completely fascinated.

It certainly seemed to me a preposterous piece of presumption that I
should flatter myself I could succeed where an older and much more
talented officer had failed, but the idea had got into my head, and the
more I thought of it, the more sanguine did I become of success.

I had, after much thought, evolved a scheme which appeared to me so very
promising that I determined to put it to the test without delay, taking
care, however, not to breathe a word of my purpose to any of the
officers, because I felt certain that after the late lamentable failure,
no further attempts