four
vessels failed of her duty, though, I think, as a whole, Sir Hotham Ward
showed the most game; probably from the fact that he had the most need of
it. Encumbered by so much wreck, of which it was impossible to get rid,
while exposed to so heavy a fire, the Black Prince, however, was finally
dropped by her adversary, la Desiree drawing gradually ahead, until
neither of those two vessels could bring a gun to bear. The English now
turned to, to clear away wreck again, while the Frenchman bent a new
fore-course, and a new spanker; those that had been standing being
reduced to rags.

The Speedy and Cerf had not been idle the while. The French vessel played
her part manfully, nor was there much to choose between them, when the
latter wore round, and followed her consort, exchanging a fire with the
Black Prince in passing her.

Had not the real superiority of the English over the French on the ocean,
now come in play, this combat would have been a drawn battle, though
accompanied by the usual characteristics of such struggles, at the close
of the last and the beginning of the present century; or the latter
considering an escape ti sort of victory. But both parties were reduced to
the necessity of repairing damages, and this was the work to prove true
nautical skill. Any man may load and fire a gun, but it needs a trained
seaman to meet the professional emergencies of warfare. A clodhopper might
knock a mast out of a vessel, but a sailor must replace it. From the
beginning of this affair, all of us in the Dawn had been struck with the
order, regularity and despatch with which the Black Prince and Speedy had
made and shortened sail, and the quickness and resource with which they
had done all that seamanship required in securing wounded spars and torn
sails; while, there had been no end to Marble's sneers and comments on the
bungling confusion of the French. This difference now became doubly
apparent, when there was no smoke nor any cannonading to divert the
attention of the respective crews. In half an hour the Black Prince was
clear of the wreck, and she had bent several new sails, while the
difficulties on board her antagonist appeared just then to be at their
height. This same difference existed between the two other vessels,
though, on the whole, le Cerf got out of her distress sooner and more
skilfully than her consort. As to the Speedy, I must do my old
acquaintance, Lord Harry Dermond, the justice to say, that he b