The boat was quickly got round, but we had pulled to no great distance before the Frenchmen, reaching the beach, began to blaze away at us. We returned the compliment by firing the only two muskets which had been brought. The Frenchmen standing up on the rock presented a good target. First one shot struck the stern, and another the blade of an oar, but no one was hurt, and the Frenchmen, finding that they were the greatest sufferers, prudently retired from the beach. After a long pull we got back to the frigate. The captain, to whom I delivered General Fraser's letter, complimented me on having performed the duty. "Your conduct will be noted, Finnahan, and you may depend upon obtaining your promotion as soon as you are old enough." I expected to be able to turn in, but he sent me with the letter at once on board the flag-ship, and I delivered it in person to Sir Samuel Hood. The admiral almost repeated what the captain had said; and I had good reason to congratulate myself at the success of my adventure. Next day, General Prescott's division was re-embarked, as it was not a sufficient force to fight its way to General Fraser at Brimstone Hill. Other attempts were made to communicate with him, and two officers were captured; so that I had good cause to be thankful that I had escaped. Dubois and La Touche confessed that they were very sorry to see me back. "I felt sure that you would be made prisoner, and fully expected to have had the satisfaction of being exchanged for you," said the latter. "But we have to practise patience and laugh at our misfortunes, to get on in this world." "I'm very glad you were not caught, Paddy," said Tom Pim. "I envy you your success, and only wish that I could talk French as you do, to be employed on the same sort of service. La Touche is teaching me, and I'm trying to teach him English, but we make rum work of it without a grammar or dictionary, or any other book. I suspect he gets more out of me than I do out of him, though I try very hard to pronounce the words he says." We could hear the French guns thundering away at the fort, and those of the fort replying, hour after hour, without intermission, but the signals made by General Fraser were not supposed to be satisfactory. At last, one day, we saw the flag hauled down; the guns at the same time ceased, and we knew that all was over, and the gallant garrison had been compelled to capitulate. Information of this was sent on board to the admiral, with a flag of truce, by the Marquis de Boullie.