or exercise, and in a few
minutes the decks were cleared, and every man at his post.

But the order which had been given to engage in mimic warfare, for the
sake of training the new hands, was suddenly changed into the command to
clear for action in earnest, when the look-out reported a French vessel
on the weather-bow. Sail was immediately crowded on the _Waterwitch_,
and all was enthusiasm and expectation as they gave chase to the enemy.

CHAPTER FOUR.

OUR HERO AND HIS FRIENDS SEE SERVICE.

The _Waterwitch_ was commanded at this time by Captain Ward, a man
possessed of great energy and judgment, united to heroic courage. He
had received orders to join that portion of the British fleet which,
under Nelson, was engaged in searching for the French in the
Mediterranean, and had passed Cape St. Vincent on his way thither, when
he fell in with the French vessel.

During the morning a thick fog had obscured the horizon, concealing the
enemy from view. When the rising sun dispersed it he was suddenly
revealed. Hence the abrupt order on board the _Waterwitch_ to prepare
for action. As the fog lifted still more, another French vessel was
revealed, and it was soon found that the English frigate had two
Frenchmen of forty-four guns each to cope with.

"Just as it should be!" remarked Captain Ward, when this was
ascertained. "There would have been no glory in conquering one
Frenchman equal to my own ship in size!"

The _Waterwitch_ was immediately steered towards the ship that was
nearest, in the expectation that she would show fight at once, but the
French commander, probably wishing to delay the engagement until his
other vessel could join him, made sail, and bore down on her. Captain
Ward, on perceiving the intention, put on a press of canvas, and
endeavoured to frustrate the enemy's design. In this he was only
partially successful.

"Surely," said Bill Bowls to his friend Ben Bolter, with whom he was
stationed at one of the starboard guns on the main deck, "surely we are
near enough now to give 'em a shot."

"No, we ain't," said Tom Riggles, who was also stationed at the same
gun; "an' depend on it Cap'n Ward is not the man to throw away his shot
for nothin'."

Ben Bolter and some of the other men at the gun agreed with this
opinion, so our hero, whose fighting propensities were beginning to
rouse up, had to content himself with gazing through the port-hole at
the flying enemy, and restrained his impa