Ithuel on a great horse in the way of bragging; for he not only imagined that great victory a New-England triumph, as in fact it was, but he was much disposed to encourage the opinion that it was in a great measure " granite." "Bon," interrupted Raoul-"Bunkair was good;—mais, les Rochess aux Sirens is bettair. If you have more de ces balles, load encore." "What think you of this, Captain Rule?" asked the other, pointing up at a little vane that began to flutter at the head of one of his masts. "Here is the west wind, and an opportunity offers to be off. Let us take wit, and run!" Raoul started, and gazed at the heavens, the vane, and the surface of the sea; the latter beginning to show a slightly ruffled surface. Then his eye wandered towards Ghita. The girl had risen from her knees, and her eyes followed his every movement. When they met his, with a sweet, imploring smile, she pointed upward, as if beseeching him to pay the debt of gratitude he owed to that dread Being who had, as yet, borne him unharmed through the fray. He understood her meaning, kissed his hand in affectionate gallantry, and turned towards Ithuel, to pursue the discourse. "It is too soon," he said. "We are impregnable here, and the wind is still too light. An hour hence, and we will all go together." Ithuel grumbled; but his commander heeded it not. The judgment of the latter had decided right. The boats were rallying within musket-shot, indifferent to the danger, and it was evident the attack was to be renewed. To have attempted to escape at such an instant, would have been throwing away the great advantage of the ruins, and might have endangered all, without benefiting any one. In point of fact, Sir Frederick Dashwood had become keenly alive to a sense of the disgrace he was likely to incur, in the event of the ship's getting round, and robbing him of the credit of capturing the lugger. The usually apathetic nature of this young man was thoroughly aroused, and, like all who are difficult to excite, he became respectable when his energies were awakened. The boats were already collected; all the disabled were put into one of them, and ordered off to the ships; and with those that remained arrangements were made to renew the attempt. It was for. tunate that Cuffe had sent an expedition so strong-handed; for, notwithstanding the loss, the three launches and the cutters could still muster double the number of the French. This time, Sir Frederick was willing to listen to counsel. Winchester, McBean, Griffin, and Strand, united in advising that the boats should separate, and make their assaults from different points. This would prevent the possibility of a recurrence of so concentrated a disaster as that which had already befallen them. To the Scotchman, was assigned the felucca; the Terpsichore's launch was to assail the lugger; while the two cutters, and the heavier boat of the Proserpine, were to dash in at the ruins. Sir Frederick still remained in his own gig, to push for the point that might seem to require his presence. McBean was the first to fire on this occasion. He threw a round-shot from his carronade into the felucca, aimed by himself, and directed with care. It fell upon one of Ithuel's carronades, broke into a dozen pieces, knocked down no less than three men, besides injuring others less severely, and actually drove the gun it struck off its slide into the felucca's hold. This was a rough commencement, and the result being seen by all hands, it greatly encouraged the assailants. Three hearty English cheers followed, and Ithuel was so far disconcerted as to fire the remaining gun, loaded as before, with bullets, at least two minutes too soon. The sea was thrown into a foam, but not a man in the boats was hurt. Then the fire became general; gun after gun exploding; the rattling of small-arms filling up the pauses. The boats came on with steady, strong pulls of the oar, and this too with an impunity that often happens, though difficult to be explained. Several shot fell among the ruins, knocking the stones about, and for a minute or two all the injury was on one side. But Pintard and Ithuel felt the security conferred by the rocks in their front, and each endeavoured to give one effective discharge. Ithuel succeeded the best. He repaid McBean in his own coin, sending a grist of bullets into the bows of his launch, which admonished that prudent officer of the necessity of sheering towards the islet of the ruins. Pintard's assailant was brought up by the barrier in front, and turned aside also. Then, in the midst of a cloud of smoke, shouts, curses, cries, shrieks, orders, and the roar of guns, all the English precipitated themselves in a body on the principal post, and became the masters of the battery in the twinkling of an eye. CHAPTER XXIX. "Thus doth the ever-changing course of thugs And that same day, that highest glory birg DANIEL. In scenes like that just related, it is not easy to collect details. All that was ever known beyond the impetuous manner of the assault, in which the ruins were carried, was in the dire result. Half the French on the islet were weltering in their blood, and the surface of the rocks was well sprinkled with enemies who had not been more fortunate. It had been a desperate onset, in which mortificauon increased natural intrepidity, which had been nobly resisted, but in which numbers had necessarily prevailed. Among the English slain was Sir Frederick Dashwood himself; he lay about a yard from his own gig, with a balı directly through his head. Griffin was seriously hurt, but Clinch was untouched, on the low rampart, waving an English Jack -after having hauled down a similar emblem of the French. His boat had first touched the rock, her crew had first reached the ruin, and of all in her, he, himself, had taken the lead. Desperately had he contended for Jane and a commission, and, this time, Providence appeared to smile on his efforts. As for Raoul, he lay in front of his own rampart, having rushed forward to meet the party of Clinch, and had actually crossed swords with his late prisoner, when a musket-ball, fired by the hands of McBean, traversed his body. "Courage, mes braves! en avant!" he was heard to shout, as he leaped the low wall, to repel the invaders--and when he lay on the hard rock, his voice was still strong enough to make itself heard, crying—“ Lieutenant-nom de Dieu-sauve mon Feu-Follet!" It is probable that Pintard would not have stirred, even at this order, had not the English ships been seen, at that instant, coming round Campanella, with a leading westerly wind. The flap of canvass was audible near by, too, and turning, he saw the Michael falling off, under her foresail, and already gathering steerage way. Not a soul was visi ble on her decks, Ithuel, who steered, lying so close, as to be hid by her waist-cloths. The hawsers of the lugger were cut, and le Feu-Follet started back like an affrighted steed. It was only to let go the brails and her foresail fell. Light, and feeling the breeze, which now came in strong puffs, she shot out of the little bay and wore short round on her keel. Two or three of the English boats attempted to follow, but it was idle. Winchester, who now commanded, recalled them, saying, that it remained for the ships to perform their task. The day had been too bloody, indeed, to think of more than securing the present success, and of attending to the hurt. Leaving the party on the islets for a moment, we will fol low the two vessels in their attempt to escape. Pintard and his companions abandoned Raoul with heavy hearts, but they plainly saw him prostrated on the rocks, and by the hand placed on his side, understood the desperate nature of his wound. Like him, they felt some such interest as one entertains for a beloved mistress in the fate of the lugger, and the words—"sauve mon Feu-Follet!" were ringing in their ears. As soon as the lugger got round, she set her after-sail, and then she began to glide through the water, with the usual knife-like parting of the element under her bows. The course she steered led her directly out of the bay, seeming to lead across the fore-foots of the English ships. Ithuel did not imitate this manœuvre. He kept more away in the line for Pæstum, rightly enough believing that in the greedy desire to overtake the lugger, his own movement would pass unheeded. The owner of this craft was still on board the Terpsichore; but every remonstrance, and all the requests he made, that his own vessel might be followed and cap. ured, were utterly unheeded by the lieutenant now in com mand. To him, as to all others in authority, there seemed to be but one thing desirable, and that was to secure the lug. ger. Of course none yet knew of the fatal character of the struggle on the rocks, or of the death of the English leader, though the nature of the result was sufficiently understood by seeing the English Jack flying among the ruins, and the two vessels under way, endeavouring to escape. The season was now so far advanced as to render the old stability of the breezes a little uncertain. The zephyr had come early, and it had come fresh; but there were symptoms of a sirocco, about the barometer, and in the atmosphere. This rendered all in the ships eager to secure their prize before a shift of wind should come. Now that there were three fast vessels in chase, none doubted of the final result; and Cuffe paced the quarter-deck of the Proserpine, rubbing his hands with delight, as he regarded all the propitious signs of the times. The Ringdove was ordered, by signal, to haul up southsouth-west, or close on a wind, with a view to make such an offing as would prevent the possibility of the lugger's getting outside of the ships, and gaining the wind of them; an achievement Cuffe thought she might very well be enabled to accomplish, could she once fairly come by the wind under circumstances that would prevent any of his vessels from bringing her under their guns. The Terpsichore was directed to run well into the bay, to see that a similar artifice was not practised in that direction; while the Proserpine shaped her own course at the angle that would intercept the chase, should the latter continue to stand on. It was an easy thing for the French to set all their canvass, the hamper of a lugger being so simple. This was soon done; and Pintard watched the result, with intense interest, well knowing that everything now depended on heels, and ignorant what might be the effect of her present trim on the sailing of his beautiful craft. Luckily, some attention had been paid to her lines, in striking in the ballast again; and it was soon found that the vessel was likely to behave well. Pintard thought her so light as to be tender; but, not daring to haul up high enough to prove her, in that way, it remained a matter of opinion only. It was enough for him that she |
