“Think so? I knows it. Do you see that ’ere battery over there?” “I’ve seen it before to-day.” “Do you expect this piece of shingle-work to stand up afore them guns?” “I don’t know; but I think Mr. Granger wouldn’t take us in where there isn’t a fair chance for us.” “The leftenant’s a brave man; but he’s hot-headed. Now, you mark my words, not one in five of us will ever get back to the ship; and the cap’n of the Harrisburg never’ll set eyes on this ugly hulk of a steamboat.” “You forget that you told us once before to-day we should come to a bad end.” “Didn’t I tell you the truth? There’s Graves a-layin’ there: his pipe’s out.” “But he’s the only man killed.” “Avast growling, Grummet!” said Tom, joining his crew at the gun. “The worse you makes it, Old Blower, the better it’ll be for us. When you says anything’s goin’ wrong, it always goes right.” “How’s your hand, Tom?” asked Jack. “Good as new: the doctor patched it up, and it’s all right now.” “I’m glad to hear it. How are our poor fellows in the cabin?” “All doing well but Jones, and the doctor says he’ll die, in spite of all he can do, poor fellow.” “Didn’t I tell you so?” exclaimed Grummet. “No, you didn’t,--you old bruiser! You aren’t a goin’ for to frighten the boy with your ghost-yarns. I tell you----” At that moment, a twenty-four-pound shot from the battery, which the steamer was rapidly approaching, dropped into the water on one side of her, and interrupted the conversation. All the steam that the Wizard’s boilers would bear was now crowded upon her; and, when she had advanced a quarter of a mile farther, the order was given for the battery on the forward-deck to open upon the fort, which was an earthwork, mounting four guns. The firing was vigorously kept up on both sides. Two of the shots from the shore-battery struck the steamer, but without inflicting any serious injury. As each party had an equal number of guns, it was a fair thing; but the gunners in the fort were evidently not accustomed to their work, while the old man-of-war’s men on the deck of the Wizard were perfectly at home at this business. As the steamer approached nearer to the land, the fire from the fort was sensibly diminished; and Mr. Granger was confident that two of its guns had been disabled. The Wizard’s course had been made by various angles, so as to disturb as much as possible the calculations of the gunners, and to prevent any chance shot from raking her. The two balls that had struck her, therefore, passed across her, instead of through her from end to end. Both went under the cabin, abaft the paddle-boxes; one of them crushing through the pine-wood partitions, and the other knocking off one of the quarter-pieces at the stern. While the men were still busy at the guns, Mr. Granger came down from the wheel-house. “Give it to them, my men!” said he with a smile, as he observed the vigor with which they worked. “We must hoist the stars and stripes on that battery.”