The National tribune., 1898-05-12

wounding many men and setting the wood

wounding many men and setting the wood
work afire.
This explosion hushed the combat or
both sides for a moment In that moment
the 200 prisoners below decks in the Rich
ard, already in water up to their necks in
the hold. and frenzied with terror at the
thought that the explosion must have beer
of the mag zine, burst all bounds anc
swarmed to the upper deck
Now for the first time the Alliance, com
handed by the wretched Landais, took a
hand in the fight, her shot raking the
| Richard and Scraps alike, but damaging
the Richard most will not disfigure this
narrative by introducing into it discus
| sion of the conduct of Landais or his
| motives: all of which were subsequently
| investigated by court of inquiry of com
petent jurisdiction with the result that he
lost his commission. Suffice for my pur-
pose to say that the fire of the Alliance
was chiefly destructive to the Richard, and
| made her, instead of CCnSoTt a new enemy;
so that to all intents Jones was new as
| sailed from three sides: by the Scraps
alongside; by the Alliance astern, and by
| the escaping prisoners from below.
REVOLT OF THE PRISONERS.
One of the prisoners, the Master of a
| ship captured i'm the Firth of Forth, called
on his shipmates to follow or escape with
/ him on board the Scraps, exclaiming:
!
| pirate sink
1t is useless to speculate what Jones
! might have done in such an emergency.
| Before he could do anythin' his French
| Orderly, Pierre Gerard, blew the top of the
EncIishr,an's head off with shot from his
against his victims temple as he pulled
4 the trigger-fragments of skull, hair and
brains SCATTERING Commodore Jones's uni
| form.
| a..
! Obeycd the order to bear a hand at the
pumps.
| Capt. Pearson had ordered the ring stopper
| and shank painter cut away, SO as to cast
| loose the anchor that was foul with the
! Richard; but the French marines on the
| latter poop deck promptly shot down every
| English sailor who attempted to cut them,
| and then Pearson let go his port anchor IN
| the forlorn hope that as his ship swung
| with the tide to her cable the Richard
would drift clear. But the lashings were
| too good; the bitches heidi
Both ships now swung together, and as
the Scraps veered cable they anchored in
about 20 fathoms and failing about south
east they fought to the finish
In this situation the battle became simply
q contest of game and bottom, test OF
pluck and endurance. The remaining
people of the Richard, armed with muskets,
pistols and hand grenadcS, kept the upper
decks of the Scraps clear, while the gun
deck batteries of the Scraps continued an
impotent fire below; most of the cannon
balls of which made q clean breach through
the empty and shattered gun-deck OF the
Richard. One or two feeble attempts TO
board were made by the English, but were
repulSed almost as soon as begun.
Jones' however, got two OF his quarter
deck long mines to bear on the main mast
of the Scraps, and after a few ROUNDS OF
double-head or bar shot" that mast totter-
ed over the lee side, carrying with it the
running rigging of the other masts that led
through its tops and crGSS-treeS, together
with the miZzcn-topmast. D.
BOARDING THE ENEMY.
Some little time after answering Pear
sons hail. Capt Jones ordered Acting Lieut..
Mayrant to muster az boarding party OF
about 40 or IS American sailors, with cut
lasses and pistols, under the break of the
Quarterback, and be ready. Mayrant, with
savage forethought, pitkc3 out men who
had suffered in EnglBh dungeons. OBJ
serving now that the eneh,y were begin
ming TO finch from the forward part OF
their decks. he shouted to Mayrant:
"Now's your time, john. Go in!'
With his fierce Hugtenot blood boiling
and a hoarse yell, Remember Portsea
jalt" the dauntless SOUTH Carolinian led
his band OF Yankee Sailors over the ham
mock netting and down into the waist OF
the Scraps. encountering little resistance,
though he was himself run through the
fleshy Part of the thigh by pike IN the
hands of an English sailor. Mayrant IN
stantly killed this saiics with pistol shot,
which was the last casualty OF the action.
At the same moment Capt. Pearson, seeing |
the Americans in full possession OF the
forepart Of his ship and sweeping all be-
fore them aft toward the quarterback
seized the ensign halyardS OF the Scraps |
and struck his flag himself.
THE SCRAPS SURRENDERS.
There was. however so much smoke |
from the fires raging on both ships and |
such confusion aboard both that the sit |
uation was not perceived IN eltnef snip, |
and the English guEnerS on the Scraps S |
lower gun deck kept up their cannonade, |
while the French marines on the Richard |
poop deck and the American sailors In |
the tops of the latter continued their mus
kerry until Mayrant. seeing Dale stand-
ing on the Richard rail holding on to the |
foretopmast back stay called out to HIM:
HE has struck; stop the firing. Come |
on board and take possession!
Quickly accepting this welcome invita- |
ton. Dale swung himself onto the rall OF |
the Serapis made his way to the quarter
deck, stopping only to grasp the hand OF
gallant young Mayrant and congratulate |
him on being the first officer OF the Richard
to perceive and announce the surrender
of the enemy, and then presented himself
to Capt. Pearson, saying:
II have the honor, sir. to be the First |
Lieutenant of the ship alongside, which is |
the American Continental ship Bon Homme
Richard. under command OF Commodore |
Paul Jones. What ship is thisf'
His Britannia Majesty's late snip, the
Scraps, sir was the sad response, and
am Capt Richard Pearson"
Pardon me, sir" said the American
officer; "in the haste of the moment
forgot to inform you that my name is
Richard Dale and must request you to
pass on board the ship alongside"
The First Lieutenant Of the Scraps now
came up from below and, noticing Dalc'S
uniform he asked Capt. Pearson: Has
the enemy struck, SIR
NO sir; have struck" was the laconic
reply.
''Then l will 20 below and order our
men to cease firing" said the English
Lieutenant.
Pardon me, SIR" said Dale; Il will at
tend to that; for yourself, please accom-
pany Capt. Pearson on board the ship
Pearson and his Lieutenant then went
on board the Richard, where Capt. jones
received them with characteristic courtesy.
INTERVIEW BETWEEN CAPTAINS.
Several historians, including even the
careful and accuratcl SHdell Mckenzie |
put into Pearson's mouth the following
words as he delivered UP his sword to
Jones'
Sir. it is with reldctaiice that l hand
this sword to a man who fights with