“Load again, and keep them from closing,” said our hero, springing ashore with his men, and seeking to find what the chain was fastened to. The men who had fled rallied as soon as they had gained the shelter of the rocks, and again opened fire, the balls knocking up the sand all round the launch; but Bill was soon ready with another dose of grape, and dislodged them from their position. Lieutenant Thornton, to his dismay, found the chain was riveted to an anchor, stuck in the sands, over a ton weight. Confounded at this contretemps, he was hesitating what to do, when he was hailed from the Vengeance, telling him they had cut away the deck with axes, and freed the ring-bolt to which the chain was fast, the enemy having, probably, in their hurry, hastily riveted the chain to a bolt, instead of taking a turn round the main-mast, and then riveting it. The Frenchmen, still from a distance, kept up a dropping fire upon our hero and his party; but, wading on board the launch, with only two men slightly wounded, they all returned on board the Vengeance. CHAPTER XXXIII. “We have her at last, by St. Patrick!” said Captain O’Loughlin, shaking our hero by the hand; “though I am sorry to say we have lost three men and seven hurt, three or four severely. You had a sharp fight on board here, I see. There are six poor fellows dead, and more than a dozen severely hurt with cutlass wounds. Confound those fellows ashore, they keep popping away.” As the Captain said the words, he stooped and picked up his hat, knocked off by a musket ball just as the lugger was dropping down the reach, under her fore-lug, with the down tide. Putting all the enemy’s wounded or hurt into the boats, they sent them on board the nearest fishing lugger, whose crew had pulled on shore. Sail was then made on the Vengeance, and, a fresh breeze blowing, they ran rapidly down the creek, Lieutenant Thornton steering, and keeping close to the west side of the inlet, thus avoiding the sunken rocks that lay along the other shore. As they gained the open sea, they perceived the brig, with her fore-top sail aback, waiting for them. On running up alongside, the second mate of the Onyx, who had the command of her, said they had struck hard against a sunken rock in coming out, but that the brig did not appear to have received any damage, as she made no water; but they were at first afraid she would have remained fast. “I told you, O’Loughlin,” said Lieutenant Thornton, “to keep well to the westward, for the other day, at low water, I remarked a range of sunken rocks on the east side.” “By Jove! in the confusion I forgot your warning,” returned Captain O’Loughlin; “however, our expedition has turned out well.”