you an apology, my dear sir. I never
saw a more gallant action in my life. The man 's gone, of course, but
he shall have full credit for it in my report; 'twas bravely done, and
successfully, too. We are frightfully cut up, and in no condition to
pursue. In fact, I will not conceal from you that some of our spars
are so severely wounded, and the starboard rigging so damaged and
scorched and cut up, that I know not how we could stand a heavy blow.
Twenty-five are killed, and upward of sixty wounded too, and about
thirty missing, killed, or wounded men of the boarding party, who were
undoubtedly blown up with the frigate. Beauchamp is gone; and that
little fellow there," pointing to a couple of seamen bringing a small
limp body aft, "is Montagu. Poor little youngster!"

"This has indeed been a frightful action, captain," replied the
colonel. "I knew young Seymour well. He was a man of the most
consummate gallantry. This sacrifice is like him," he continued
softly, looking at Katharine and then turning away. Perhaps the
captain understood. At any rate he stepped to her side and said
gently,--

"Mistress Katharine, this is no place for you; you must go below.
Indeed, I must insist. I shall have to order you. Come--" and then
laying his hand on her arm, he started back in surprise. "Why, you are
wounded!"

"'Tis nothing, sir," said Katharine, faintly. "I welcome it; 'twas an
American bullet. Would it had found my heart!"

"Only a flesh-wound, colonel; no cause for alarm," said the captain,
looking at it with the eye of experience. "It will be all right in a
day or two. But now she must go below. I can't understand how you
were allowed to stay here, or be here. What were they thinking of?
But you saw one of the hottest and most desperate battles ever fought
between two ships since you were here. They can fight; you were right,
colonel," he went on in ungrudging admiration.

"Here, Desborough," he added, addressing the lieutenant, who just then
put his foot on the deck, "take Miss Wilton below, and ask the surgeon
to attend her at his convenience; she 's gone and got herself wounded
by her friends."

Lieutenant Desborough, black and grimy, streaked with smoke and powder,
turned pale at the captain's words, and sprang forward anxiously and
led the object of his love down the steps to her cabin. "Wounded!" he
murmured. "Oh, my love, why did no one take you to a place of safety?"

"'T is nothing,"