in on the
gun-tackle, every muscle strained to the utmost. "Hurrah, boys! we've
already sent twice as many shot aboard him as he has given us."

With similar cries and exclamations, True Blue and others of the best
seamen encouraged the rest, while the commissioned and warrant-officers
kept their eyes on any who seemed to despair of success, and urged them
to persevere.

Captain Brine seldom for a moment took his eyes off the French ship, and
kept his own just at sufficient distance to let his carronades have
their full effect, and yet not near enough to run the risk of being
suddenly boarded, should any of his masts or spars be shot away. This
seemed to be the aim of the Frenchman, for but very few of her shot had
struck the hull of the corvette, though they had considerably damaged
her rigging.

At length the frigate put up her helm to close. Captain Brine, who had
been watching for this manoeuvre, shouted to his men to cease firing for
an instant, till her head came round.

"Now rake her, my boys!" he cried; and the shot and various missiles
with which the guns were loaded went crashing in through the frigate's
bow-ports and along her main deck.

He then put his own helm down, and, hauling the tacks aboard, would have
shot ahead of the Frenchman, had not the latter done the same to prevent
her opponent obtaining the weather-gage. Just as she was doing so, she
received the larger portion of another broadside. Thus the two ships
ran on. Nothing could exceed the rapidity with which the _Gannet's_
crew kept up their fire. For nearly two hours they had fought on. One
man only had been wounded. What the casualties of the enemy were, they
could not tell; but they had every reason to believe them severe.
Suddenly the frigate ceased firing; she was seen to haul her tacks
aboard, and away she stood to the northward, under a press of sail, the
corvette being too much cut up in rigging and sails to follow.

Right hearty were the cheers which burst from the throats of the seamen
when they found that their Captain had fulfilled his promise and beat
off the Frenchmen. No one cheered more loudly than Gregory Gipples,
whether or not at pleasure at having escaped without harm, or at the
honour of having beaten the enemy, may be doubted.

"Well shouted, old Gipples!" cried Tim Fid. "One would suppose you'd
been and done it all yourself."

Just then a puff of smoke was seen to proceed from one of the retreating
frig