Part 61 (1/2)

It was Oliver's duty to go on board and take possession of the prize

Unwillingly he left his friend's side Of the _Lily's_ crew five had been killed, and many more beside her commander, wounded But Oliver saw, as he stepped on board the prize, how muchmen How dread and terrible a fact is war! A lieutenant, co forward, presented his sword

”My captain lies there,” he said, pointing to a for

”The second lieutenant is wounded below; three other officers are a the dead We did not yield while we had a chance of victory”

”Yours is a brave nation, and I ht your shi+p,” answered Oliver, in the best French he could command

To lose no time, the prisoners were removed, the prize taken in tow, and all sail eon come on deck

”The colad to get him on shore as soon as possible As soon as I had extracted the bullet, he sentthat they wanted ave a suppressed cheer It would have been louder andthe commander and the other wounded men

All were proud of their achievement as they sailed up Plymouth Sound with their prize in tow, but no one felt prouder than Jack Peek

”I knew Captain would do so as soon as he had the chance,” he had res

Rayner was at once removed to the hospital As he was unable to hold a pen, Captain Saltrote the despatches, taking care to give due credit to the active commander of the corvette

A short time afterwards Oliver carried to the hospital--to which he had never failed to pay a daily visit--an official-looking letter

”Ah! that will do hieon, to whom he showed it

Oliver opened it at Rayner's request It was fro hi hiiven to the prize), which, being a fine new corvette, a hundred tons larger than the _Lily_, had been bought into the service

”It will take soain before she is ready for sea,” said Oliver ”I have brought a s, as soon as you are ready to be reood nurse, and you will enjoy ladly accepted the invitation Neither Oliver nor Mrs Crofton had thought about the result, but before ed to entle a heart as ever beat in woman's bosom

He told her how often he had talked about her when away at sea, and how often he had thought of her, although he had scarcely dared to hope that she would marry one who had been a London street boy and powder monkey

”I love you,noble, true, and brave, and such you hen you were a powder ht not have discovered those qualities in yourself”

He was noell able to ents had in their hands several thousand pounds of prize-ht reasonably hope to obtain much h to assume the command of the _Urania_ by the time she was ready for sea Oliver, as his first lieutenant, had been busily engaged in obtaining hands, and had secured many of the _Lily's_ former crew The coed hi a boatswain's warrant