Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-07-13

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while three hearty cheers rang out
from the Randolph.
The advantage of the first blow In the
grim game, the unequal combat, was
with the little one
"How now, captainv' shouted the
colonel in high exultation Wont
fight, Ell? What do you call this?''
Fire! Fire! Let him have it, men!
The mans a hero! Twas cleverly
done!" roared the captain excitedly. Il
retract. Give 1t to him, boys! Give 1t
to the impudent rebel!'' he roared.
Katharine, forgot by every one in the
breathless excitement of the past few
moments, bowed her head on her hands
on the rail and breathed prayer of
thankfulness, oblivious of everything
but that her lover had proved himself
worthy the devotion her heart so I'M
grudgingly extended him. There was
great confusion on board the Var
mouth from this sudden and unexpect-
ed discharge, which, delivered at short
range, had done no little execution on
the crowded ship; but the officers raj
lied their men speedily with cool words
Of encouragement.
STEADY, men, steady"
"Give it back to themr'
'Look sharp now!"
'tAim! F'irer'
And the forty odd heavy guns roared
out in answer to the determined attack
The effect of such broadside at close
range would have been frightful had
mot the Randolph drawn so far ahead
and her course been so changed that a
large part Of it passed harmlessly
astern Of her One gun, however, found
its target, and that was one aimed and
fired by the hand of Lord Desborough
himself-a heavy shot, thirty two,
from one Of the massive lower deck
guns of the Yarmouth, which the pleas
ant weather permitted them to use eff
fectively, came through one of the aft
Ter gun ports of the Randolph and swept
away the line of men on the port side
of the gun. Some of the other shot did
slight damage also among the Spars
and gear, and several of the crew were
killed or wounded in different parts of
the ship; but the Randolph was prac-
tically unframed and standing boldly
down to cross the stern Of the Var
mouth to rake her.
But the English captain was sea-
man, every inch of him, and his ship
could not have been better handled.
lDivining his bold little antagonists
purpose, the Yarmouth's helm was put
Iup at once, and in the smoke she fell
off and came before the wind almost as
rapidly as did the Randolph, her
promptness frustrating the endeavor,
as Seymour was only able TO make an
ineffectual effort to rake her as she
flew round on her heels. The star
board battery of the Yarmouth had
been manned. as she fell off, and the
port battery Of the Randolph was rap
idly reloaded again The maneuver
had given the Englishmen the weather
gauge cnce more, the two ships now
having the wind on the port quarter.
The two batteries were discharged
simultaneously, and now began a run
ming fight of near an hours duration.
The guns were served ON the Ran
Idolph with the desperate rapidity Of
men who, awfully pressed for time,
had abandoned hope and only fought
Ito cripple and delay before they were
Isilenced; those ON the Yarmouth, on
the contrary, were fired with much
more elaboration and did dreadful
execution The different guns were
disabled on the Randolph by heavy
shot; adjacent ports were knocked into
one the sides shattered, boats smash
ed, rails knocked to pieces, all of the
weather shFouds cut, the mizzen mast
carried away under the top, and the
wreck fell into the fortunately on
the lee side, the little body of men In
the top going to sudden death with
the rest.
The decks were slippery with blood
and plowed with plunging shot, which
the superior height of the Yarmouth
permitted to be fred with depressed
guns from an elevation. Solid shot
from the heavy main deck batteries
swept through and through the devot-
led frigate; half the Randolph's gums
were useless because of the lack of
men to serve them; the cockpit over
flowed with the> wounded; the surgeon
and his mates, covered with blood,
worked like butchers in the steerage
and finally In the ward room: dead and
NyIlS men lay WASTO they 1Glis LuCEG
were no hands to spare to take them
below, no place in which they could
lie with safety, no immunity from the
searching hail which drove through
every part Of the doomed ship. Still
the men, cheered and encouraged by
their officers, stood to their guns and
fought on. Presently the fore top
mast went by the board also as the
long moments dragged along. Seymour
was now lying on the quarter deck,
bullet having broken his leg, another
having made a flesh wound in his arm.
He had refused to go below to have
ibis wounds dressed, and one of the
midshipmen was kneeling by his side,
applying such unskillful bandages as
he might to the two bleeding wounds.
Mason had been sent for and was in
charge under Seymour's direction. That
young man, all his nervousness gone,
was most ably seconding his dauntless
captafn.