Part 41 (1/2)

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

A NARROW ESCAPE--HOME--AN ACTION SUDDENLY ENDED

The one down to the beach with Mr Saltwell, anted, he said, to have another look at the re the black ribs of the wreck appearing above water through the telescope which the lieutenant had lent him, when the latter exclaimed, ”Do you see a sail away to the south-east?”

The sun glanced for a moment on her canvas

”Yes, sir,” answered Rayner ”She's a large craft, too, for I can only just see her royals rising above the horizon She's standing in this direction”

”Hand ster,” he continued, looking through it ”I only hope that she may be one of our own cruisers, but it will be some ti the approaching stranger for some time the lieutenant and ence to the farm-house where the captain and several of the other officers were quartered

Hoping that she ht be the _Ione_, Captain Martin ordered the first yawl to be got ready to go off to her The creere then ht did not answer to their names It was kno five had died, but what had beco the ht, and had fallen below, stupefied by the sreater nuer, now approaching under all sail

Three cheers were uttered as the flag of England flew out at her peak

The captain i to pull off to her, and to request that his officers and shi+p's coht be received on board

”You will lish,” he whispered ”The Frenchman may have a fancy to take soet hold of you”

Rayner went as ood way towards the frigate now lying hove-to about three miles from the shore

”What do you think of her, Noakes?” asked the lieutenant of the coxswain, as they got nearer

The old sea her from truck to water-line

”If she doesn't carry a British crew, the Frenchot hold of her since we parted coo, and I don't think that's likely, or there would be not a few shot-holes in her canvas, and a pretty good sprinkling in her hull, too,” he answered, in a confident tone ”She's the _Ione_, sir, or I don't know a frigate froer”

Now certain that there was no side, he and Rayner stepped on board Captain dickson, with most of his officers, were on deck

”Where is your shi+p?” was the first question the captain asked of the lieutenant

”There is all that re to the blackened ribs of the shi+p, which could be distinguished through a telescope near the shore; and he gave an account of what had happened

Due regrets at the occurrence having been expressed, Captain dickson saying that he had been induced to stand into the bay in consequence of hearing the sound of the explosion, at once ordered out all the boats, and in a fewfor the shore, acco in somewhat nearer, to be ready to receive the crew of the store-shi+p on board

No ti, and it ith intense satisfaction that Captain Martin and those under hiate

Sail was at onceat that tilish As the two shi+ps' companies had to be stoay below, they were compelled to pack pretty closely, but no one e to the Rock, while the officers and crew of the store-shi+p hoped iland

It is too true a saying that ”There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip” The _Ione_ was aboutbroke, a nu out from the direction of Minorca At first it was supposed that they were part of the English fleet, but after two of the lieutenants had taken a careful survey of them from aloft, it was decided that they were French