Connecticut. He went to sea when only eleven years old and was a
midshipman with Commodore Truxton. He was still a young man--only
thirty--when the event of which we are talking occurred. That was on the
26th of September, 1814, in the harbor of Fayal, one of the Azores islands
belonging to Portugal.

"While lying there at anchor the _Armstrong_ was attacked by a large
British squadron. That was in flagrant violation of the laws of
neutrality. Commodore Lloyd was the commander of the squadron. At eight
o'clock in the evening he sent four large well-armed launches, each manned
by about forty men, to attack the American vessel.

"The moon shone brightly, and Captain Reid, who had noticed the movements
of the British and suspecting that their design was to attack him, was
getting his vessel under the guns of the castle. Those guns and his own
opened fire at almost the same instant and drove off the launches with
heavy loss."

"That means a great many men killed, grandma?" queried little Elsie.

"Yes, dear, a great many of the British; on our side there was one man
killed, and a lieutenant was wounded. But that was not the end of the
affair. At midnight another attack was made with fourteen launches and
about five hundred men.

"A terrible fight ensued, but at length the British were driven off with a
hundred and twenty killed and one hundred and eighty wounded."

"That was a great many," commented the little girl. "Did they give it up
then, grandma?"