senseless shot--ah!--that was a very different thing. May I never see it
again!

If my face showed anything of what I felt I must have looked a very sick
man. But the surgeon's face was as white as paper and as grim as death, and
when he jerked out a word it was through his set teeth, as though he feared
more might come if he opened his mouth.

We worked like giants down there, but could not keep pace with Giant Death
above. Before long all the passages were filled with shattered men; and
with no distinct thought of it, because there was time to think of nothing
but what was under one's hand, it seemed to me that the fight must be going
against us, for surely, if things went on so much longer, there would be
none of our men left.

Then with a grinding crash, and a recoil that sent our broken men in
tumbled heaps, the two ships grappled, and above our gasps and groans we
heard the yells and cheers of the boarding parties and their repellers, and
presently from among the broken men brought down to us, a rough voice,
which still sounded homely to my ears, groaned--

"Oh,--you-- ---- Johnnies! One more swig o' rum an' I'd go easy," and he
groaned dolorously.

I mixed a pannikin of rum and water and placed it to his lips. He drank
greedily, looked up at me with wide-staring eyes, gasped, "Well ----! my
God!"--and died.

Captain Duchâtel, as I heard afterwards, and as we ourselves might then
judge by the results that came down to us, made a gallant fight of it. And