XVIII

It was a lucky and a stubborn sea-fight. More blood to the number
I never saw than fell on the _Lawrence_, eighty-three of our
hundred and two men having been killed or laid up for repair. One
has to search a bit for record of a more wicked fire. But we
deserve not all the glory some histories have bestowed, for we had
a larger fleet and better, if fewer, guns. It was, however, a
thing to be proud of, that victory of the young captain. Our men,
of whom many were raw recruits,--farmers and woodsmen,--stood to
their work with splendid valor, and, for us in the North, it came
near being decisive. D'ri and I were so put out of business that
no part of the glory was ours, albeit we were praised in orders for
valor under fire. But for both I say we had never less pride of
ourselves in any affair we had had to do with. Well, as I have
said before, we were ever at our best with a sabre, and big guns
were out of our line.

We went into hospital awhile, D'ri having caught cold and gone out
of his head with fever. We had need of a spell on our backs, for
what with all our steeplechasing over yawning graves--that is the
way I always think of it--we were somewhat out of breath. No news
had reached me of the count or the young ladies, and I took some
worry to bed with me, but was up in a week and ready for more
trouble, I had to sit with D'ri awhile before he could mount a
horse.

September was nearing its last day when we got off a brig at the
Harbor. We were no sooner at the dock than some one began to tell
us of a new plan for the invasion of Canada. I knew Brown had had