18 MEMOIR. 



at his post. The ships having nothing particular to fire at, the 

 guns' crews of the various ships vied with one another in hitting 

 some particular mark to prove their skill in aiming. This door 

 happened to attract notice, and so many shots were directed 

 against it. At last one pierced it, bursting it open at the same 

 time. Upon this the old custodian came, and after looking out 

 as if to see who had knocked, he shut the door and retired. 

 This happened several times, till at last a shot came and knocked 

 the door all to atoms, upon which the porter for the last time 

 presented himself, and finding that his occupation was gone, 

 calmly walked away from the spot. A flagstaff displaying the 

 Egyptian banner was the next mark, and it was soon bowled 

 over, upon which they set up another flag in the interior of the 

 town in such a difficult position that, though every ship felt her 

 honour concerned in knocking it down, yet none could succeed, 

 till the evening put an end to the contest. 



At night a wild notion entered the heads of some of the 

 ' Bellerophon's ' midshipmen to go on shore in the dark and get 

 the flag. Of course they would be obliged to leave the ship 

 secretly, without the knowledge of the superior officers. Accord- 

 ingly, without more ado, H. and D'A. swam ashore half naked, 

 each with a sword hung round his neck. They landed on the 

 rocks and crept over a breach made by our guns in the wall 

 of the city, and, finding no one stirring, they cautiously made 

 their way over the ruins until they arrived at the flagstaff, where 

 to their great disappointment they found that the ensign was not 

 flying, and so they had nothing to do but to return without it. 

 Looking down into some courts below, they saw a great number 



