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Remember, you are Englishmen, and should scorn to injure people who, though they are called our enemies, have not lifted even a finger against us. Let them remain in quiet; they will bless you, and wish you well. "This considerate speech had a good effect. The men cheered, and said they had no wish to hurt the mounseers.
"Never mind; but she will be before many minutes are over," persisted McAllister. "Now, lads, just follow suit to that shot, and we'll do for the mounseers in a very short time." By this fortunate shot we had the enemy almost in our power. She ran off before the wind, and we soon came up with her, and hung on her quarter, so that she could rarely bring more than one gun at a time to bear on us.
When I saw the men shaking hands with each other, I ran about, and, putting out my tiny fist, shook their hands also, exclaiming, `We've licked the mounseers, haven't we? I knew we would. Hoora!
All day they waited, but Le Duc did not return. Tom muttered, "The Frenchman has deserted us after all." Even Brown expressed some doubts about his honesty. "You never can trust those mounseers," he said in reply to Tom's remark. "Be silent there, men," said Rayner. "Our good friend has probably thought it safer to hide himself, and will manage to get back at night."
After this little bit of vanity, Tom, as if to prove his ability to make good his boast by deeds, with a few well-directed blows, that seemed to be made without effort, lopped off an enormous limb from the tree he had just cut down. "I've heard tell," said Tom, continuing his employment of cutting off the limbs, "that the Britishers and the Mounseers don't use no such axes as ourn.
To my thinkin', war wouldn't be worth a brass farthin' if there wasn't a deal o' blood and thunder about it; an', of coorse, if we're goin' to have that sort o' thing we must pay for it. Then, we didn't do it for nothin'. Is it nothin' to have the honour an' glory of lickin' the Mounseers an' bein' able to sing `Britannia rules the waves?"
This was succeeded by the sudden blaze of a blue light, which revealed the whole port swarming with boats and armed men, a sight which acted so powerfully on the warlike spirits of the sailors that they started up simultaneously, flung their red caps into the air, and gave vent to a hearty British cheer, which Ben Bolter followed up as they resumed the oars, with "Old England for ever! farewell, Mounseers!"
Just then a flaw of wind came down the harbour, when our third lieutenant, Mr Webbley, hurrying up to the captain, said, `I believe, sir, if we can get her under sail, we shall be able to fetch out. `We will try it at all events! cried the captain; `send the men to their stations, and hand those French gentlemen below. The mounseers, on finding that they were not yet masters of the ship, began to bluster and draw their sabres, but the marines quickly made them sound another note, and in spite of their `Sacres! they were hurried off the deck under a guard.
"I am hungry enough myself, and I hope the mounseers don't intend to starve us, though maybe we shan't get roast beef and plum pudding." "Don't talk of it," cried Brown; "I could eat half an ox if I had the chance." While they were talking the door opened, and a man appeared, carrying a lantern and a pitcher in one hand, and a basket in the other, which he placed on the bench near them.
If all those fellows get round us, they'll blow us out of the water, and send us to the bottom," I heard one of the sailors who had been pressed out of the Indiaman observe. "Our captain doesn't think so, my boy," answered an old hand. "Depend upon it, he intends trying what the mounseers will think of our big guns."
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