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As the wind had hauled round somewhat more to the north also, it might be possible to set a sail, and with less difficulty reach the frigate. Patrick was summoned, and with his father and the fishwife, the boat was launched. She was cleared of all superfluous lumber, while Shane lashed under her thwarts several empty casks, which would assist in giving her buoyancy.
It appeared as if they were about to crush the little frigate with their united weight. "Ready, lads!" shouted the captain of the "Pallas." "Clew up! Haul down!" Those magic words put every human being on board the frigate in motion. Tacks and sheets were let go. Some hauled away at the brails.
Roger Riddle continues his story Goes to sea as a man-o'-war's-man His voyages The Mediterranean Toulon Chasing the enemy Caught in a trap A hard fight for it Escape of the frigate Corsica Martello Bay The tower and its gallant defenders Its capture Origin of its name San Fiorenzo Convention redoubt What British tars can do Capture of the "Minerve" The taking of Bastia Nelson loses an eye "Jackass" frigates Toulon again More fighting The advantage of being small Prepare to repel boarders The colours nailed to the mast The chase Never despise your enemy Teneriffe Attack on Santa Cruz Nelson loses his arm Abandonment of the enterprise What people call glory The Hellespont The captain steers his own ship The island of Cerigotto Breakers ahead The ship strikes The value of discipline Their condition on the rock The ship goes to pieces Their chances of escape The gale A brave captain A false hope The effects of drinking sea-water Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink Reduced to extremities They lose their brave captain and first lieutenant They construct a raft Cowardice of the Greek fishermen The rescue of the survivors Fresh adventures The Dardanelles Fire!
Her historic achievement, however, was beating off the British frigate "Endymion," off Nantucket, one dark night, after a battle concerning which a British naval historian, none too friendly to Americans, wrote: "So determined and effective a resistance did great credit to the American captain and his crew."
The surgeon and his assistant now trundled down over the side, with their tools under their arms, and went on board the prizes to attend to the poor fellows who were wounded, Mr Flinn returning with them to arrange the prize crews, and to anchor the prizes, the skipper having come to the determination to remain in smooth water until the wounded had all been attended to and placed comfortably in their own hammocks on board the frigate.
"Well," said the admiral, "it's lucky that you have taken the command, as they cannot well displace you, or send her into dock without a survey, and upon your representation." And so it proved; the First Lord, when he found that O'Brien had joined, took no further steps, but allowed the frigate to proceed to her intended destination.
By the time we had weathered the reef, the frigate had swung off from the pinnacle of rock on which she had been in a manner impaled, and was making all the sail she could, with a fothered sail under her bows, and chain pumps clanging, and whole cataracts of water gushing from them, clear white jets spouting from all the scuppers, fore and aft. She made the signal to close.
In a short time we were all transported on board the brig, where we found the lieutenant of the frigate, and some others who had been wrecked with us. Compassion was painted on every face, and pity drew tears from every eye which beheld us.
The heavy yards swung round, as if they had been vanes to indicate the currents of the air; and in a few moments the frigate again moved, with stately progress, through the water, leaving the rocks and shoals behind her on one side of the bay, but advancing towards those that offered equal danger on the other.
The victory cost the Shannon eighty-two men killed and wounded, while the American frigate lost one hundred and forty-seven of her crew, or more than one-third of her complement. Even in defeat the Chesapeake had punished the enemy far more severely than the Constitution had been able to do.
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