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him Crampley had singled me out, as if by his express command, at which he seemed surprised, and threatened to punish the midshipman for his presumption on after the engagement. I got safe back and delivered my commission to the doctor who flately refused to quit the post assigned to him by his instruction. The Captain finding the surgeon obstinate suffered himself to be dressed and swore he would confine him soon as the service should be over.
Having cannonaded the fort during the space of four hours, we were ordered to slip our cables, and sheer off; but the next day the engagement was renewed, and continued from the morning till the afternoon when the enemy's fire from Bocca Chica slackened, and towards evening was quite silenced. A breach being made on the other side, by our land-battery, our soldiers took possession of the ramparts without resistance. The same good luck attended a body of sailors, who made themselves masters of St. Joseph, the fascine batteries, and the Spanish man-of-war; the other three being purnt or sunk by the foe.
After having garrisoned the forts, and reimbarked our soldiers and artillery, we ventured up to the mouth of the inner harbour, which was blocked up by several old galleons that the enemy had sunk in the channel. We made shift, however, to open a passage for some ships of war, that favoured a second land-
