712 NIGHTS IN THK GALLEY. 



give her two or three more broadsides.' At it they went. Watts 

 had now fifteen men killed, and ten wounded. ' Reduce your charges, 

 lads but double-shot your guns ! we'll fight her till she sinks. 

 The harder she is to conquer the more credit it will be to us to take 

 her and take her we will, or else go down with the buntin flying,' 

 said young Watts, who had, in his last encounter with the French 

 captain, received a stab in the thigh, but not sufficient to make him 

 quit the deck it was a mere flesh wound ; and, tying his pocket- 

 handkerchief tight round it, did not inconvenience him much, except 

 making him limp a little. The Dandy Lion's men were terribly cut 

 up they had only twenty fighting men left out of the fifty they went 

 into action with ; but by the Frenchmen's fire not being so regular as 

 it was, they fancied she was hurt more than themselves ; this made 

 them keep at it cheerfully, in hopes of silencing her. After they had 

 fired a few more rounds, the Frenchmen's fire became so slack, that 

 Watts said, ' Leave your guns, lads, and follow me ; we'll try her 

 again we shall have better luck this time. The starboard-bow 

 again, lads ! well go in at the hawse-holes, and wprk our passage 

 aft.' Fored they run. The French captain was there with about 

 eight or nine men : his left-arm was in a sling, and his clothes all 

 covered with blood. Watts had about twenty men. ' Forward, lads ! 

 they are done up she must be ours this time.' Forward they rushed. 

 The Frenchmen fought well, and opposed them as well as they 

 could; but it was no use they hadn't men enough. The French 

 skipper was every where calling on his men to remember the great 

 nation the conquerors of the world ! but it wouldn't do ; nothing 

 could rally them they fell back, seeing it was no use. Watts fol- 

 lowed them to the quarter-deck, where they laid down their arms. 

 And then, the Frenchman coming forward, said to Watts, ' It is truly 

 mortifying to be beaten ; but it greatly allays the pain when we 

 know it is by a brave enemy, and to such a one I now resign my 

 sword. At the same time he handed his sword to Watts, who took 

 hold of it ; and, turning it round again, so as to offer the handle to 

 the French skipper, he said, ' Keep it ; for you have proved to-day 

 it could not be wielded by a bolder hand, or directed by a nobler 

 heart.' Well, directly they were in possession of the shooner, they 

 set to and repaired damages ; for they were both terribly cut up. 

 They found the Frenchman was called theLespire (L'Espoir) of twelve 

 guns, and seventy-five men. Out of these, she had forty killed, and 

 twenty-seven wounded, the captain among the number, leaving only 

 eight men; while young Watts, who went into action with fifty men, had 

 twenty killed and ten wounded, including himself in the latter num- 

 ber. After they had rove some fresh running gear for that which had 

 been shot away, and got both crafts a-tanto he got his anchor up that 

 he had slipped on first seeing the schooner, and made sail for Oporto. 

 The French captain, having accepted his parole, he messed with 

 Watts in the cabin, and came on deck, and acted altogether as he 

 liked, without any watch being kept upon him, the men of course 

 were kept generally under hatches, allowed to come up now and 

 then. The wind was very light and variable, veering right round 

 the compass, and, after a tedious passage of two days, they anchored 



