Ninety-three By Victor Hugo, Aline Delano

Ninety-three By Victor Hugo, Aline Delano: "All at once it rushed on the gunner who sprang aside with a laugh crying out Try it again as the cannon passed him The gun in its fury smashed one of the larboard carronades then by the invisible sling in which it seemed to be held it was thrown to the starboard towards the man who escaped Three carronades were crushed by its onslaught then as though blind and beside itself it turned from the man and rolled from stern to stem splintering the latter and causing a breach in the walls of the prow The gunner took refuge at the foot of the ladder a short distance from the old man who stood watching He held his handspike in readiness The cannon seemed aware of it and without taking the trouble to turn it rushed backward on the man as swift as the blow of an axe The gunner if driven up against the side of the ship would be lost One cry arose from the crew The old passenger who until this moment had stood motionless sprang forward more swiftly than all those mad whirls He had seized a bale of the false assignats and at the risk of being crushed succeeded in throwing it between the wheels of the carronade This decisive and perilous manoeuvre could not have been executed with more precision and"