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Updated: June 6, 2025
The night being calm, the British attempted to take the ship by boarding from small boats, for what reason does not readily appear, since the vessels were within range of each other, and the frigate's superior metal could probably have reduced the Americans to subjection. Instead, however, of opening fire with his broadside, the enemy sent out boarding parties in five boats.
To prevent the corvette from following, the Frenchmen again returned to their guns, and the frigate suddenly hauling up let fly her broadside. Pearce saw the manoeuvre about to be executed, and was just in time to haul up also to save the "Vestal" from being raked. The frigate's shot, accompanied by a shower of musketry, came tearing on board.
It had been my intention to sail into the latitude of the Azores, and then to return to Rio de Janeiro; but strong gales coming on we made the unpleasant discovery that the frigate's maintopmast was sprung, and when putting her about, the main and maintopsail yards were discovered to be unserviceable.
She therefore immediately bore up, set her square-sail and studding- sails, and, maintaining her distance, steered a parallel course to that of the frigate, while the brigantine stood on, with the now evident intention of taking up a raking position athwart the frigate's stern.
"I came from the land of tombstones, which is an advantage; as I know the road we all must travel, sooner or later. My name is Marble, at your service; and there's a hard natur' under it, as you'll find on trial." Just at this moment, the frigate's boat came round her stern, carrying the Hon. Mr. Powlett, or the gentleman whom Sennit had announced as her first-lieutenant.
"Starboard your helm," the captain said, to the man at the wheel. "Lay her head due east." "I fancy the wind is dying away, sir," Mr. Probert said. "So long as it don't come a stark calm, I don't care," the captain replied. "That would be the worst thing that could happen, for we should have the frigate's boats after us; but a light breeze would suit us, admirably."
Of a certain moonless night, he was to bring off three gallons of spirits, in skins, and moor them to the frigate's anchor-buoy some distance from the vessel attaching something heavy, to sink them out of sight.
But Winter soon very cleverly got himself out of this awkward situation, and, while the Frenchmen were busily engaged in an endeavour to clear away the wreck and get their ship once more before the wind, laid himself athwart their bows and, with his topsail aback, poured broadside after broadside into the helpless craft; while the Dolphin, gliding hither and thither, beyond the reach of the frigate's guns, sent home an eighteen- pound shot every two or three minutes, every one of which appeared to tell somewhere or other on the Frenchman's hull.
The hole through which their oar was worked had been split wider by the crash; and now, looking out, he saw that it lay just opposite the mouth of an English cannon. In this position they had been brought up by the frigate's grappling-irons. It took him but an instant to see also that the cannon, as it stared him in the face, was loaded.
Meanwhile, the brigantine had, as I had anticipated, placed herself athwart the frigate's stern, well within range, and now traversed the Frenchman's wake, sailing to-and-fro athwart his stern, pouring in a whole raking broadside every time she crossed it, and receiving but two guns in reply.
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