After that, we made short business of the Republic One and Indivisible in the island of Chanson. The _Diana_ slipped out cleverly in the wind's eye, with a broadside a-piece to her opponents, who, when they found themselves caught between the two fires, thought better of their enterprise, and tried to get out of it. Only one of them succeeded; and our fellows spent a merry morning and afternoon with the other, boarding her and running the king's flag to the top of her mainmast. This adventure--though, as I say, I deserved no more credit for it than the score of gallant fellows who lost their lives--gained me no small renown; and when presently the _Diana_ was ordered home to British waters, one of the first pieces of news that met me when we landed at Portsmouth was that I had been recommended to the Admiralty as a suitable person to receive his Majesty's warrant as boatswain to my ship. Meantime, as necessary repairs to the _Diana_ would necessitate a full month in dock, leave of absence for a week or two was granted to most of her crew in consideration of their long service. CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. LORD EDWARD. Captain Swift, himself an Irishman, when he understood that I was desirous of spending my leave of absence in Donegal, was gracious enough to appoint me his secretary for the time being, and thus made easy what might otherwise have been a difficult journey. The captain's destination was a few miles south of Derry, where his family resided, so that I was brought well on my way. Our journey took us through Dublin, in which city the captain remained some days, to confer with the naval authorities there as to the future service of the _Diana_ in Irish waters. During that short halt I had time to look about me, and form some impressions of a place of which I had so often heard but never yet seen. I am not going to trouble my readers with those impressions. Indeed, when it came to looking about me, I found my attention taken hold of by matters far more important than streets and edifices. On the day before our departure for the north, one of my first errands was to the coach-office, to engage places for the captain and myself for the journey. I had done this, and was about to quit the yard, when a private travelling coach, evidently about to start (for it was piled with baggage on the top), drew up at the gate, to take on board a sack of corn for the horses.