“Very good, Mason, for a first attempt!” remarked the skipper approvingly. “Try again, my lad.”
The gun was sponged, loaded, and again fired, and this time the shot hulled the frigate fair and square, striking her about a foot below the larboard hawse-pipe.
“Now,” remarked the skipper, “try her again, my fine fellow. You ought to do something worth the powder this time.”
The words were hardly spoken when the frigate bore almost square up for a moment, and let fly her whole weather broadside at us; but every one of the shot fell short. The moment that she had fired she luffed up into our wake once more.
Again Mason pointed the long gun and fired, but this time—perhaps because he was too careful—the shot flew wide, striking the water some distance to leeward and, as we all thought, astern of the frigate.
“Keep cool, Mason, keep cool, my man,” warned the skipper. “That shot was well meant, and shows that you have got the range to a nicety; but you were in too much of a hurry. Try again.”
Mason mopped his forehead with his handkerchief, although the wind was piercingly cold; the gun was reloaded, and then Mason pointed and levelled it with the utmost care. When this was done, taking the lanyard in his hand he stepped back to the utmost length of the line, and with arm outstretched, stood for more than a minute squinting along the sights of the gun. Suddenly he pulled the lanyard, the gun belched forth a torrent of flame and smoke, and, as I stood looking at the frigate through my own telescope, I saw a small round hole appear in the foot of the fore-topgallant-sail, another moment and the topgallant-mast doubled over and went, hanging down by its rigging, under the lee of the topsail, with the topgallant-sail and royal attached.
“Hurrah!” shouted I, in an ecstasy of delight; “winged her, by all that is fortunate!”
The men heartily echoed my cheer; one or two of them playfully patting Mason on the shoulder, by way of encouragement.
“A most excellent shot!” remarked the skipper. “I owe you a glass of grog for that, Mason; and you shall have it, my lad, but by and by, not now; you must keep your head perfectly clear until we have done with that gun. Try her again!”