ne, and the impressive quiet was
broken only by the excited voice of the first lieutenant, Nason--a
young officer, and this his first serious battle--reporting to the
gloomy captain that the ship was clear and ready for action.

Seymour had of course taken personal charge of the deck himself. Oh,
he thought, after scanning closely the approaching ship with great
care, if he had only a ship of the line under his command, instead of
this little frigate, how gladly would he have entered the coming
conflict! Or if his own small vessel had been, instead, one of those
heavy frigates which afterward did so much to uphold the glory of
American arms, and exhibit the skill and audacity of American seamen,
in their subsequent conflict with Great Britain, he might have had a
better chance; but none realized more entirely than he did himself the
utter hopelessness of the undertaking which was before him. At the
same time he was determined to carry it through, seeing, as few others
could, the absolute necessity for the sacrifice, if he were to effect
the escape of his fleet. Calling the men aft, he spoke briefly to
them, pointing out the necessity for the conflict, and the nobility of
this sacrifice. He entreated them, in a few brave, manly, thrilling
words, to stand by him to the last, for the love of their country and
the honor of their flag. As for him, he declared it to be his fixed
purpose never to give up the ship, but to sink alongside rather,
trusting before that happened, however, so to damage his mighty
antagonist as to compel her to relinquish the pursuit. The men, filled
with the desire for battle, and inspired by his heroic words, were
nerved up to the point where they would cheerfully have attacked not
one line-of-battle ship but a whole fleet! They answered him with
frantic cheers, swearing and vowing that they would stand by him to the
bitter end; and then, everything having been done that could be done,
in perfect silence the taut frigate boldly approached her massive enemy.

CHAPTER XXXII

_The Prisoners on the Yarmouth_

It is usually not difficult for an individual to define the conditions
of happiness. If I only had so and so, or if I only were so and so,
and the thing is done. Each successive state, however, suggests one
more happy, and each gratified wish leads to another desire more
imperative. Miss Katharine Wilton, however, did not confine her
conditions to units. There were in her case