Year: 1876

the several arteries of the wounded men.
Hastings, half suffocated with the stencil
of blood and powder III that narrow
space, had taken up his position on
water-b barrel, just under the port through
which the little current of air in that
sitting, polluted atmosphere managed to
creep. The surgeon, whose hands were
full enough, looked up from his work
the amputation of sailors arm which
had been smashed into atoms by mus
-ball-and said dryly:


"You had better descend from there,
my friend, in case of accidents, for l
shall not have time to attend to you.


The remark was well-timed, for scarcely
had Hastings vacated his seat than-bang
-crash-smash l-came cannon-ball
through the port, smashing the barrel
into atoms, mingling the water with that
other liquid with which the floor was
already saturated, until the crimson sea
rose above the Lishmen's ankles, and
saving the surgeon job by putting three
of his patients out of their misery. He
looked up with a grim smile.


Mile tOnnerTeS, Monsieur, but
yours was an escape! Look there He
is better operator than | he does his
work cleanly-he |" he said, pointing to
the three dead bodies.


AT last Hastings could contain himself
no longer. Boom-boom went the
guns overhead, and with every moment


he carnage increased. The atmosphere
OF the cockpit became oppressive and
sickening, the stencil SO foul that he was
determined come what might, to have
. / I,,ln@h sc F,,,1, Of 4l,o
time, if possible, discover in whose
favor the battle was being decided. So
he ran quickly up the ladder and arrived
on deck just as the brave old French
Captain was carried past dead with bull
let through his brain. The English were
evidently gaining the day, and the direst
confusion reigned OIL the Frenchman's 8
deck. Young Hastings was on the point
OF going below again when n horrid
sight met his view. A sailor fear
fully wounded, the outer wall of his
chest being literally torn away by a
round shot, was lying still alive close to
the bulwarks two sailors, almost naked,
presenting terrific appearance from the
blood and powder with which they were
besmeared, at signal from the second
officer, advanced, and lifting the culver
ing body OF their unfortunate messmate
! proceeded deliberately to throw him
overheard. The Irish lad with cry of
horror sprang forward to the rescue. but
an officer stopped him., saying firmly:


" 1t must be so the men are already
panic-stricken, and such sights make
them worse at furthest NE could only
live a few moments, and it is more merci-
/ f,,l 10 hi,,, e h,g -


The men then raised him and with all
their force threw him over the side F; but
the wretched creature, with an amount
of vitality which in his condition Hast
ings would have deemed impossible had
he not seen it, clutched at a rope hang
! ing over the ships side with the tena-
cious grippe Of drowning man. 1t was
hideous sight The POOR wretch hung
on, his face livid and distorted with
agony, his eyes starting out of his head,
and the blood yelling from the wound
in his chest. They tried unsuccessfully
to shake him off; at length an officer
stepped forward with cutlass in his
hand, and, bending over the side, cut
the rope across, and with and awful des-
pairing cry which made itself heard
above the booming of the guns and the
yells of the sailors the miserable creature
sank beneath the waves. Sick with hor-
ror the boy, unaccustomed as yet to the
active duties of mis- profession, turned
to go below, when-ping-ping a bullet
struck the tleshy part OF his arm, and
the limb fell nerveless at his side. His
friend the surgeon quickly extracted the
wicked little bit of lead, and with grace
which only Frenchman could assume
under the circumstances presented it TO
him as SOuUenir of his sojourn ON
board the st. Pierre then he bound up
the arm, and half an hour afterward the
French ship, communicates, with more
than half her crew dead or dying, struck
to the English commander.


The officers of the lnvincible-such
was the name of the British vessel
boarded their prize, and on going below
the first sight that met their eyes was the
four Irishmen, who on the entrance of
their countrymen rose, scarcely able TO
contain their JOY ut this unexpected de
hverance.


But you may imagine their horror
when, instead of being welcomed with
open arms as they had expected, their
story was received with evident incre-
dulity and suspicion. They implored
TO lie taken before the English Cap
tain, and their request was complied
with; but unhappily for them that indi-
vidual was of very different stamp from
the courteous French commander. He
was one of those tyrannical, hectoring,
clustering bullies who some years ago
were rather too frequently to be met
with IN the Royal Navy, who, having as
a youngster him 3elf tasted weeviled bis
cult and the ropes end pretty freely,
had determined, when his day came,
that life should not be one whit sweeter
for his subordinates than it had been
for him. Added to these amiable quail
ties he had the bitterest contempt and
hatred for his neighbors on the other
side of the Channel-in fact, the very
name of Frencbman had pretty much
the same effect on him as bit of red
rag on bull, and as for Irishmen I'm
not sure that he did not hate them rather
more cordially.


This individual went through the form
of hearing their defense, growing to
himself the while, e. rebels, -
rebels !" and when they had finished or
L. al l. e.