ossession of by the _Alcide_, and made sail after the
French Admiral in the _Ville de Paris_, who, with his seconds, was
endeavouring to rejoin his scattered and flying ships.

Boldly the brave Cornwallis approached the huge _Ville de_ _Paris_, and
right gallantly opened his fire; and so ably did he hang on her, and cut
up her sails and rigging, some other ships coming up to his support,
that it was impossible for her to escape. Still the Comte de Grasse,
although his fine ship was almost cut to pieces and multitudes of her
crew killed, seemed determined rather to sink than to yield to any ship
under that of an Admiral's flag. At length Sir Samuel Hood came up in
the _Barfleur_, and poured in a tremendous broadside. Even then the
gallant Frenchman held out, firing away from both sides of his ship on
his numerous opponents for a quarter of an hour longer; when at length,
seeing that all his own ships had deserted him, and that night was
coming on, just as the sun set he hauled down his flag.

The enemy's fleet continued going off before the wind in small detached
squadrons and single ships under all the sail they could crowd, closely
pursued by the British ships, which were consequently much dispersed.

Sir George Rodney, on seeing this, made the signal to bring to, in order
to collect his fleet and secure the prizes. The signal was seen from
many of the ships, and obeyed; but Commodore Affleck, in the _Bedford_,
with other ships which were ahead, not observing it, continued the
chase, keeping up a hot fire on the flying enemy.

"Well, mates!" exclaimed Paul Pringle, as that evening, with little
Billy on his knee, he sat at the mess-table between the guns which had
been so well served, and had served their country so well, "we've had a
great loss, for we have lost as brave a captain, and as true a man, as
ever stepped aboard of a man-of-war; yet, mates, he died as he would
have wished, in the hour of victory; and then, just think on't, we've
had as glorious a day as I'd ever wish to see. Maybe few of us will
ever live to see another such. But, mates, there's another thing we
have to be grateful for--that is, that our little Billy here has escaped
the Frenchmen's shot. What should we have done if he had been killed?
It would have broken my heart, I know."

"Grappled with the first Frenchman we could have met, and blown her and
ourselves up together--that's what I'd have been inclined to do!" cried
Tom Snell, wh