ion were the first cutter, under Mr Woods, the second lieutenant,
the second cutter, under Gimbals, the quarter-master, with little
Smellie to lend a hand, and the jollyboat, under the command of no less
a personage than Mr Robert Summers.

We allowed them an hour and a quarter to get down to the schooner, at
the expiration of which time we filled and stood after them.

As we rounded the end of the island I slipped up as far as the fore-
topmast crosstrees, to see if I could make out anything of what was
going on. All was perfectly dark and quiet to leeward, however, for the
first ten minutes of my stay, and then I saw a bright flash--another--a
third--then two more in quick succession, and presently the distant
_boom_ of heavy guns came rumbling up to windward.

"Ah!" thought I. "That is the battery playing upon our people, I
expect."

The fire was kept up pretty briskly for about ten minutes, and then it
ceased. Shortly afterwards a red light appeared inshore of us (the
preconcerted signal of success), and almost immediately after its
appearance I could make out the schooner, on board which it was
displayed, coming out from under the land. A quarter of an hour
afterwards she was hove-to on our lee quarter.

Mr Woods' report was to the effect that he had got on board without
much resistance and without any casualties, but that the schooner had
been anchored so close in under the battery that its garrison had heard
the sounds of the scuffle, and had, upon the schooner's weighing, opened
fire upon her with effect, hulling her several times, inflicting rather
severe injuries from splinters upon four of our people, breaking Master
Bob Summers' right leg below the knee, and cutting poor old Gimbals in
two.

The schooner was a French privateer mounting eight long-sixes, and a
long-nine upon her forecastle, with a crew of forty men.

Arrangements were being made for the transfer of the prisoners to the
frigate when the French skipper sent a message begging that, before
anything else were done, he might be favoured with an interview with
Captain Annesley. The request was granted; he was brought on board the
"Astarte" in the gig, and conducted below into the skipper's cabin.

He was there for about half an hour, and when he at length returned to
his own ship, orders were sent to Mr Woods to secure the schooner's
crew below and make sail in company with the frigate. We both
accordingly bore up, and running round t