212 THE CALL OF THE SEA 



ordered his sailors to man their boats, and would 

 have led them to encounter the enemy in the bay. 

 But his example and his exhortations were vain. 

 His boats turned round and fled in confusion. 

 The ships were abandoned. The cannonade from 

 Fort Lisset was so feeble and ill directed that it 

 did no execution. The regiments on the beach, 

 after wasting a few musket shots, drew oft'. The 

 English boarded the men of war, set them on fire, 

 and having performed this great service without 

 the loss of a single life, retreated at a late hour 

 with the retreating tide. The bay was in a blaze 

 during the night ; and now and then a loud ex- 

 plosion announced that the flames had reached a 

 powder room or a tier of loaded guns. At eight 

 the next morning the tide came back strong ; and 

 with the tide came back Rooke and his two 

 hundred boats. The enemy made a faint attempt 

 to defend the vessels which were near Fort Saint 

 Vaast. During a few minutes the batteries did 

 some execution among the crews of our skiffs ; 

 but the struggle was soon over. The French 

 poured fast out of their ships on one side : the 

 English poured in as fast on the other, and, with 

 loud shouts, turned the captured guns against the 

 shore. The batteries were speedily silenced. 

 James and Melfort, Bellefonds and Tourville, 

 looked on in helpless despondency while the 

 second conflagration proceeded. The conquerors. 



