about one o'clock in the morning
This , to be sure , was a most extraordinary exploit ; I will not , however , take the whole merit to myself ; my judgment was the principal engine , but chance assisted me a little ; for I afterwards found , that the man who charged our forty-eight pounder put in , by mistake , a double quantity of powder , else we could never have succeeded so much beyond all expectation , especially in repelling the enemy 's ball . General Elliot would have given me a commission for this singular piece of service ; but I declined everything , except his thanks , which I received at a crowded table of officers at supper on the evening of that very day . As I am very partial to the English , who are beyond all doubt a brave people , I determined not to take my leave of the garrison till I had rendered them another piece of service , and in about three weeks an opportunity presented itself . I dressed myself in the habit of a _ Popish priest _ , and at about one o'clock in the morning stole out of the garrison , passed the enemy 's lines , and arrived in the middle of their camp , where I entered the tent in which the Prince d'Artois was , with the commander-in-chief , and several other officers , in deep council , concerting a plan to storm the garrison next morning . My disguise was my protection ; they suffered me to continue there , hearing everything that passed , till they went to their several beds . When I found the whole camp , and even the sentinels , were wrapped up in the arms of Morpheus , I began my work , which was that of dismounting all their cannon -LRB- above three hundred pieces -RRB- , from forty-eight to twenty-four pounders , and throwing them three leagues into the sea . Having no assistance , I found this the hardest task I ever undertook , except swimming to the opposite shore with the famous Turkish piece of ordnance , described by Baron de Tott in his Memoirs , which I shall hereafter mention .