“‘We are sinking fast,’ he said, as he embraced his boy. ‘Mon Dieu, we have lost the ship, but we have done our duty;’ and in truth they had. The Vengeance had fought three line-of-battle ships. The firing had ceased on board the Brunswick. She had lost her mizen-mast and all her boats; so had the Vengeance, all but one small one. There was great excitement on board, for all knew they were sinking. “Into the small boat Captain Renaudin desired me to get, and take his son with me and four men, and pull on board the nearest frigate that could afford assistance to save the crew. I slid down a rope first into the boat ready to receive young Alfred, but six or seven men slung down the rope, and one with his knife cut the warp. “‘Rascal!’ I exclaimed, ‘what did you do that for? there are neither oars nor sail in the boat,’ and she drifted away from the Vengeance. “‘Hold your jaw,’ said one of the men, ‘you skulking rascal, or I’ll stick my knife in you.’ I knocked the man over the side and shouted to the Vengeance, but the next moment a chance shot struck the boat, and cut her nearly in two, plunging us all into the water. As I scrambled up on the bottom of the boat, I beheld the main and fore-mast of the Vengeance fall, carrying away the mizen, but I had scarcely gained a firm hold on the boat’s bottom, when a wild and never-to-be-forgotten cheer startled me, and attracted my attention, despite my awkward situation. I looked in the direction of the sound. The cheer came from the lion-hearted crew of the poor Vengeance. She was going down; one moment she surged upwards; again another cheer. A tricolour was waved in triumph as she disappeared with her living freight of brave, devoted men beneath the waves. “I was horror-struck; I looked at those clinging to the broken boat; three were there, the others had been killed by the shot; but the savage culotte, who had threatened to stick me with his knife was one, and he glared at me savagely.