"Hurrah, lads!"  I cried exultantly; "now we have her.  See how she pays off!  She is bound to come to leeward now; she cannot help herself. Down helm, Mr Willoughby, and let her go round.  Stand by to give her our starboard broadside as we cross her bows.  Slap it right into the eyes of her--Phew! that's a nasty one," as a shot from her 32-pounder came along, smashing right through both our quarter-boats, cutting their keels clean in half, tearing a great gap in the bottom planking of each, filling the air in the immediate neighbourhood with splinters, and whizzing so close past my head that the wind of it whipped my hat off and overboard.