ng
out at the port-holes of the gigantic ship. The sides of the _L'Orient_
had been recently painted, and the paint-buckets and oil-jars which
stood on the poop soon caught, and added brilliancy to the great
conflagration which speedily followed the first outbreak of fire. It
was about nine o'clock when the fire was first observed. Before this
the gallant French Admiral had perished. Although three times wounded,
Brueys refused to quit his post. At length a shot almost cut him in
two, but still he refused to go below, and desired to be left to die on
his quarter-deck. He was spared the pain of witnessing the destruction
of his vessel.

Soon the flames got the mastery, and blazing upward like a mighty torch,
threw a strong and appropriate light over the scene of battle. The
greater part of the crew of the _L'Orient_ displayed a degree of courage
which could not be surpassed, for they stuck to their guns to the very
last; continuing to fire from the lower deck while the fire was raging
above them, although they knew full well the dire and instantaneous
destruction that must ensue when the fire reached the magazine.

The position and flags of the two fleets were now clearly seen, for it
was almost as light as day, and the fight went on with unabated fury
until about ten o'clock, when, with a terrific explosion, the _L'Orient_
blew up. So tremendous was the shock that it seemed to paralyse the
combatants for a little, for both fleets ceased to fire, and there
ensued a profound silence, which continued for some time. The first
sound that broke the solemn stillness was the splash of the falling
spars of the giant ship as they descended from the immense height to
which they had been shot!

Of the hundreds of human beings who manned that ship, scarcely a tithe
were saved. About seventy were rescued by English boats. The scattered
and burning fragments fell around like rain, and there was much fear
lest these should set some of the neighbouring vessels on fire. Two
large pieces of burning wreck fell into the _Swiftsure_, and a port fire
into the _Alexander_, but these were quickly extinguished.

On board the _Majestic_ also, some portions of burning material fell.
While these were being extinguished, one of the boats was ordered out to
do all that was possible to save the drowning Frenchmen. Among the
first to jump into this boat were Bill Bowls and Ben Bolter. Bill took
the bow oar, Ben the second, and in a fe