e Frenchmen."

True Blue was soon back. "The English frigate has shot away the
Frenchman's fore-topmast and foreyard, and she's up in the wind, and the
Englishman is ranging ahead to rake her!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
"We shall have it in another half minute. And do you know, Paul, the
more I look at the stranger, the more I fancy she is like our brave
little _Ruby_. Here it comes."

True enough, the shot did come, thick and fast--not one seemed to have
missed--right into the bows of _La Ralieuse_. Some seemed to be
sweeping her main, others her upper deck, or flying among her masts and
spars, while more than one struck between wind and water. At the same
moment shrieks, and cries, and groans, arose from all parts of the ship,
mingled with shouts and oaths, levelled at the heads of their enemies.

"Keep quiet, Billy," said Paul. "The French, if they saw you, might do
you an injury, boy. We shall soon have the flag of England flying over
our heads."

As True Blue peeped out as before from the berth, he saw numerous
wounded men brought into the cockpit, where the surgeons were already
busy at work with their instruments and bandages. More and more were
brought down. Further supplies of shot were being carried up, and the
rapid passing of the powder-boys to and from the magazine showed that
there was no expectation of bringing the contest to a speedy
termination.

Nearly all this time the Frenchman's guns kept up an incessant roar.
They ceased only now and then, when, as Paul conjectured, the English
frigate was passing either ahead or astern of them, so that they could
not reach her.

Now _La Ralieuse_ had to stand the effects of another raking broadside.
This time it was astern, and came in at the after-ports, tearing away
the head of the rudder, and sweeping both decks from one end to the
other. Thirty men or more were killed or wounded as they stood at their
guns by this one broadside. True Blue ran up on deck to take a look
round and saw them stretched on the decks in ghastly rows, pale and
still, or writhing in their agony. The mizen-topmast was also gone, and
the rigging of the mainmast seemed terribly cut up.

He rapidly again dived below to report what he had seen.

"That's enough, boy!" exclaimed Paul in a voice of triumph. "She cannot
get away from the English ship, and sooner or later our brave fellows
will have her. Ah, there they are at it again. Hurrah for Old
England!"

"Ol