better before long, and, as Abel was a-saying, so you will in the end."

"Right, right!" said Abel impressively. "Suppose now they were for to
go for to cover up their ships with padding, or thick coats of wood or
iron, just as men once had to do their bodies, I've heard tell, when
they went to battle,--not that in the matter of ships it could be done
on course, ha! ha! ha! but we never knows what vagaries the Monsieurs
may try. Well, what should we do? Stand and play at long bowls with
them? No, I should think not; but go at them, run them down, or lay
them alongside just as we do now, and give them the taste of our
cutlasses. They'll never stand them as long as there's muscle and bone
in an Englishman's arm."

"Never did you say a truer word, Abel!" exclaimed Paul. "And mind you
remember it, True Blue. But I say, mates, what's the _Caesar_ about
there? I've been watching her for some hours, and there she is still
under treble-reefed topsails; and, instead of boldly standing up along
the French line, she has been edging away, and now she's been and tacked
as if she was afraid of the enemy. What can she be about? He's making
the Frenchmen fancy that there is a British officer in this fleet who
fears them. Oh, boys, for my part I would sooner be the cook than the
Captain of that ship! But don't let's look at him; it makes my heart
turn sick. Look instead at our brave old Admiral! He is a fine fellow.
See, see! he has tacked. He doesn't care a rap for the Frenchman's
fire. The _Queen Charlotte_ must be getting it pretty warmly, though.
There, he's standing right down, and he's going to break the French
line. There's a broadside the old lady has poured into the quarter of
one of those rear French ships. Now he luffs up right under her stern,
and has repeated the dose. The Frenchman will not forget it in a hurry.
There go the _Billy Ruffian_ and the _Leviathan_. They'll cut off a
couple of Frenchmen if they manage well. Hurrah! That's the way to go
about the work. It cannot be long before our fine old chief makes the
Frenchmen fight, whether they will or not."

Several other ships, besides those observed by Paul Pringle and True
Blue, were hotly engaged during the course of that 29th of May, and lost
a considerable number of officers and men.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

On the first of June 1794, the British fleet was steering to the
westward with a moderate breeze, south by west, and a tolerably smoo