602 The Spirit-Seeker. [Dec. 



We proceeded on oux* voyage without any remarkable incident, till 

 one morning the man at the mast-head cried out " a sail !" and in an 

 instant all the telescopes in the ship were in requisition. I discovered, 

 after a long search, a speck in the distant horizon, which gradually en- 

 larged till it bore the figure of a ship. It was soon discovered to be a 

 Frenchman, of superior force, bearing down upon us with all her can- 

 vass set. 



The captain caught up a speaking trumpet, and shouted forth to the 

 crew a quick succession of orders, which were as promptly executed. 

 The officers bestirred themselves in every direction ; all was bustle and 

 activity. In what appeared to me an incredible short space of time, the 

 decks were cleared, the port-holes opened, and the sails furled for 

 action. 



I offered my services to the captain, who shook me by the hand with 

 all the frankness of a sailor, and led me to his cabin. There he thanked 

 me, and declared he expected to need the help of all who were ready 

 to fight for their lives, for the enemy had much the superiority in point of 

 force, and shewed a determination of attacking. It was his intention, 

 he said, of defending the ship to the last, as she contained a valuable 

 cargo ; then pointing to the arms, which lay in all directions, he asked 

 me to choose for myself. I was soon equipped with pistols and cutlass, 

 and determined to use them with as much effect as I possibly could. 



I ascended again on deck, to see how things were going on. I found 

 the men half stripped, and strongly armed. Some in groups, eyeing the 

 approach of the enemy ; others attending to the guns, or busied in the 

 rigging. Loblolly-boys were running about with powder for the gun- 

 ners, gliding from the gun-room to the deck, like so many imps of 

 darkness. The boatswain sat on the breach of a gun, for which he 

 seemed to feel a particular affection, and was holding forth to a group of 

 attentive listeners — occasionally stopping in his discourse to pay atten- 

 tion to a capacious can of grog, that was placed within his reach. I 

 viewed the scene with much interest, for although I had seen a good 

 share of service on land, this w^as the first sea-fight I had ever had an 

 opportunity of witnessing. It was new to me, and, I must say, I felt in 

 a strong degree the general excitement. 



The privateer, for such she proved to be, was a beautiful ship, and 

 cut through the water like a swan. Her decks appeared to be covered 

 with men, and she carried many more guns than we did. Our sailors 

 viewed her with evident interest. They praised her sailing, and watched 

 her with the eyes of experienced judges, while she was manoeuvring to 

 get the wind of us. AVhen she was within shot, she tacked, took down 

 most of her canvass, and fired two guns. The shot came hojiping along 

 the water, but passed us without doing any damage. 



" A roU o' pig-tail to a can o' grog," exclaimed the boatswain to his 

 grinning auditors, " them 'ere Frenchmen as fired them shot, got out o' 

 their hammocks this morning the wrong end uppermost." 



" Brown !" shouted the captain, from the quarter-deck, " bring yoiu- 

 gun to bear !" 



In an instant the boatswain obeyed orders, adjusted the gun with the 

 pi'ecision of a finished marksman, and fired. Splinters were seen flying 

 about the deck of the enemy's vessel, and the gunner exclaimed, witli 

 an appearance of much satisfaction, '" Aye ! aye ! I arn't been at sea 

 man and boy for nothing !" Orders were given to continue firing, which 



