Year: 1876

At last Hastings could contain himself
no longer. Boom-boom ! went the guns
overhead, and every moment the carnage
increased. The atmosphere of the cockpit
became so oppressive and sckening, the
stencil so foul, that he was determined.
come what might, to have one breath of
fresh air, and at the same 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 bullet through his brain. The


English were evidently gaining the day and
the dlrest confusion reigned on the French.
mans deck. Young Hastings was on the


point OF going below when horred sight


met his view. A sailor fearfully wounded.


the outer wall of his chest being literally


torn away by round shot, was lying still


alive close to the bulwarks; two sailors.


almost naked,presenting terrific appear


ance from the blood and powder with


which they were besmeared, at a signal


from the second officer advanced and


lifting the quivering body of their unfortu.


nate messmate, proceeded deliberately to


throw him overheard. The Irish lad, with
a 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 he could only live few
moments, and it is more merciful to put
him out of his agony"


The men then raised him and with all
their force threw him over the side: but
the wretched creature, with an amount of
vitality which in his condition HASTINGS
would have deemed impossible had he not
seen 1t, clutched at rope hanging over the
ships side with the desperate, tenacious
grippe OF drowning man. 1t was hideous
sight! The poor wretch hung on, his face
livid and distorted with agony. his cves
starting out of his head, and the blood well
ing from the wound in his chest. They
tried unsuccessfully to shake him off; at
length an officer stepped forward with
cutlas III his hand, and bending over the
side cut the rope across, and with an awful
despairing 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 horror
the boy, unaccustomcd as yet to the active
| duties OF his profession, turned to 90 below.
when-ping-ping bullet struck the
tieshy part of his arm, and the limb fell
nerveless at his side. His friend the sur
geon quickly extracted the wicked little
bit OF lead, and with grace which only a
Frenchman could assume under the circun.
stances presented it to him as a souvenir of
his sojourn on board the ST. Pierre: then
he bound up the arm, and half an hour
afterwards the French ship, commander
less, with more than half her crew dead or
dying, struck to the English commander
The officers of the MrincJI-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 Irish.
men, who on the entrance of their country
men rose, scarcely able to contain their ioy
N-N - ACllFtIdICe.


But you may imagine their horror when.
instead Of being welcomed with open arms
as they had expected their story was re-
ceived with evident incredulity and suspi-
cion. They implored to be taken before
the English, captain, and their request was
complied with but unhappily for them
that individual was of very different
from stamp the courteous French comman.
der Hewas one of those tyrannical, hector
ing, clustering bullies who some years apo
were rather too frequently to be met with in
the royal navy, who, having as youngster
himself tasted weevilled biscuit 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 qualities, he had the bitterest con-
tempt and hatred for his neighbors on the
other side of the channel-in fact, the |
very name of Frenchman had pretty much |
the same effect on him as a bit of red rag
on bull and as for Irishmen, Pm not |
sure that he did not hate them rather more
COTuldlly'


This individual went through the form of
hearing their defense, growing to himself
the while, "--rebels, s,--rebels p and
when they had finished ordered them, with
few choice nautical expletives, to be put
in irons until the next day, when they
would be tried by naval court-martal for
the capital offense of high treason and Lese
majestic, in having joined cause with the
enemies of his most sacred Majesty, George
III.


Arraigned they were accordingly, and in
spite OF all that poor Hastings could say
in spite even of the exculpatory evidence
of the French officers, which Captain
Bulmer, not comprehending, sneered at
they were found guilty and condemned to
be hung, all four, from the yard-arm!