The appearance of Mr. Hugh St. Mark naturally caused another consultation.  He discouraged their desperate attempt to carry the ship by the board, and Fernando, after sending six fishermen to the headland to acquaint their companions there with the change, marched with his force back to the fort.  An hour later the others came.

When day dawned, the Xenophon renewed her cannonading.  Mr. Hugh St. Mark was given charge of the thirty-two, and after carefully measuring the distance with an experienced eye, he weighed the powder and loaded the gun.  Fernando watched the flight of the first ball, which went whizzing over the leeward rail across the deck and out at the opposite port into the sea.  The second shot cut some of the rigging.  The British supposed those two shots accidents, but after the third, they were convinced that there was an experienced hand at the gun.

Fernando, in his anxiety to mark the effect of the third shot, forgot his promise to Morgianna and, with the glass in hand, mounted the rampart.  The heavy boom of the cannon shook sea and shore.  There was no need of a glass to mark the effects.  The ball crashed through from side to side sending the splinters flying in every direction.  A wild cheer rose from the fort, and Fernando saw five or six carried below the deck, while one of the guns was dismounted and useless.  In a few seconds the great gun was again loaded.  This, time the ball crashed through the hull.  The fifth shot struck the mizzenmast about four feet above deck, and cut it almost away.

“Victory is ours!” cried Fernando, waving his sword in the air.

“Hurrah for ould Ireland and the United States foriver!” shouted Terrence, leaping on the embankment, and dancing a jig.  But the Xenophon had not given up the contest yet.  She continued to fire her balls and shells with murderous intent until the balls from St. Mark’s direction had cut her mainmast down.  It fell over on the lee side dragging with it the fore mainstay and crippling the rigging to such an extent that Captain Snipes began to fear he could not get his vessel out of the harbor.  The weight of the mainmast hanging over the side of the vessel was so great that the vessel heeled over to leeward.  A dozen carpenters with axes flew to cut away the wreck and the ship righted herself.

While others were rejoicing, Hugh St. Mark was busy sending ball after ball crashing into the Xenophon as if he had many old scores to settle.  Sukey, who stood by his side, said: 

“Mr. St. Mark, don’t hit the captain—­leave him for me.”

The wind and tide bore the Xenophon to the mouth of the harbor just beyond the point of Duck Island, where she was temporarily safe from the balls of the avenging thirty-two.

It soon became evident that the land force under Lieutenant Matson intended to march to the point of land, embark, and return to the ship.  Fernando determined to spoil their plan.  He mustered two hundred and fifty of his soldiers, marines and militia and started to head them off.  Lieutenant Willard was left alone in charge of the fort.