ers. Under such circumstances, who, in your opinion, should be
sent to deal with the battery?"

There was a dead silence for a minute. Then up spake Paddy Flinn.

"Bedad thin," said he, his eyes sparkling with animation, "it's myself
would like to take the job in hand if it wos _shtorrrming_ the battery
that was wanted, captain, darlint; but since it's a surprise, for your
own sake and that of iverybody else, don't send me; for I _know_ I'd be
puttin' me fut in it and raising no end of a distorbance before I'd done
wid it."

There was a hearty laugh at this frank speech, in which the skipper
joined until the tears rolled down his cheeks.

"No, no, Flinn," said he. "You are the last man I should think of
sending upon such a business. Besides, I shall want you to lead one of
the boarding-parties, where I know you will be in your element. Mr
Woods, I shall also want _you_; and I really don't see how I can well do
without you, Mr Martin. So that we now come down to the midshipmen;
and to tell the candid truth, young gentlemen, I have great qualms about
entrusting so important a business to any of _you_. What do you say,
Ralph, do you think you could manage so delicate a business without
making a hash of it?"

"Yes, sir," said I, "I believe I could. At all events, I'll _undertake_
to _silence_ the battery; and if care and patience will enable me to do
so without alarming the frigate, it shall be done."

"Very well, then," said the skipper; "you shall conduct the enterprise;
and remember that a surprise is eminently desirable, but that the
spiking of the guns is _an imperative necessity_."

We sat a little while longer, and then, rising and making our bows,
retired in a body.

We stood on until within an hour and a half of midnight, when we wore
ship and began to retrace our steps.

By three o'clock next morning we were off the spot which Captain
Annesley had selected for the landing (a small strip of sandy beach,
distant about a mile to the southward of the southernmost end of North-
East Bay); and the frigate was once more hove-to.

The first cutter, which was the boat selected for the service, was
lowered, and at four a.m. left the ship, having on board twenty picked
men, in addition to the coxswain and myself, all fully armed.

On approaching the shore, we found ourselves to all appearance with a
rock-bound coast under our lee, upon which the sea was breaking with
considerable violence. As we drew cl