e heard remarks made by the wounded, by which he guessed
that the enemy was indeed vastly superior, and that many a man, if not
possessed of an indomitable spirit, would have yielded long ago; but
that their captain would fight on till the ship sunk beneath his feet,
or till not a man remained to work the guns. Several officers were
among the badly wounded, and many were reported to be killed. At length
there was a cry of grief, and their brave captain himself was brought
below. Still the first-lieutenant remained to fight the ship, and his
captain's last order to him was never to yield while the remotest hope
of victory remained.

"Am I likely to survive?" asked the captain of the surgeon, after his
wound had been examined.

"It is possible, sir; but I will not disguise from you that your wound
is dangerous," was the answer.

"I should be resigned," said the captain, "could I know that the victory
would be ours."

At that instant the sound of cheering came down into the cockpit. The
captain heard it, and lifted up his head with a look of intense
eagerness. Directly afterwards an officer appeared. His head was bound
up, and his coat at the shoulder was torn and bloody. It was Devereux.

"The enemy has sheered off, sir, and is making all sail to the
southward," he exclaimed, in a hurried tone. "We are unable to follow,
for our fore-top-mast and main-mast are gone, and the fore-mast and
mizen-mast, until they are fished, cannot carry sail."

"Thank heaven! thank heaven!" whispered the captain, falling back. The
surgeon, whom he had sent to attend to others worse wounded than
himself, as he thought, hurried back to him with a restorative cordial;
but he shook his head as he vainly put it to his mouth: it was too late.
In the moment of victory the gallant spirit of the captain had
departed. The enemy with which the _Proserpine_ had for so long thus
nobly sustained this fierce engagement, was a 74-gun ship, more than
half as large again as she was, and having on board nearly twice as many
men. The sea was fortunately calm, and the masts being fished, sail was
made, and in two days the frigate reached Portsmouth. As she had
suffered much in the action, she required extensive repairs; and the
sick and wounded were sent on shore to the hospital. In the list of the
former was Paul; in the latter, Devereux. Paul still continued very
weak and ill. Devereux was not dangerously hurt; but the surgeons would
not