In sea-actions, if by good or bad luck, as the case may be, a round shot, fired at random through the smoke, happens to send overboard your fore-mast, another to unship your rudder, there you lie crippled, pretty much at the mercy of your foe: who, accordingly, pronounces himself victor, though that honour properly belongs to the Law of Gravitation operating on the enemy's balls in the smoke.

Instead of tossing this old lead and iron into the air, therefore, it would be much better amicably to toss up a copper and let heads win.
The carronade at which I was stationed was known as "Gun No.

5," on the First Lieutenant's quarter-bill.

Among our gun's crew, however, it was known as _Black Bet_.

This name was bestowed by the captain of the gun--a fine negro--in honour of his sweetheart, a coloured lady of Philadelphia.