Evening star., 1928-11-18

back, each time raking her opponent at
close range, while the Richard, with
her braces shot away, answered her
helm only after laborious efforts.
One after another of the American
guns were Silenced.
Mease. the middle-aged merchant
from Philadelphia, dropped to the floor
with hole in his head and his gum
ners retreated from the terrible gases.
He was carried below. where DR.. Brooke
was using raw knife and saw on the
limbs of the quivering men. The
surgeon trepanned his skull and MeaSe
returned to his guns. where he found
Jones himself serving one of the g.
Founders borrowed from the lee side OF
the ship.
At the No. gun 10 men were killed
in succession, and at last Anthony
jeremiah alone remained to serve it.
And now new weakness appeared
aboard the Richard Col. Chamillard
fell wounded. and his marines on the
had virtually decimated them, were
wavering.
There was afterward some diSpo-
sition to criticize these men. but there
is plenty of excuse for them. Few Of
them had ever been under fire before
and not all of them had even been
aboard a fighting ship, but the roster
of the killed shows how valiantly these
French marines stood their ground
and how grievously they suffered.
There was no protection for them on
their high and open deck, and they
fell in clusters. For an instant only
they were shaken and then John Paul
Jones himself sprang among them.
"Frenchmen!" he shouted, will you
give way under the eyes of the Amer
leans and English?"
He seized a musket from the nearest
and, mounting the rail, fired it at the
enemy. He discharged six musketS as
fast as they could be handed to him.
His example was infectious. The
marines rallied with a cheer for the
captain, and thereafter held the deck.
But the Richards position was serious,
and might have become worse but for
the quick and accurate fire from her
tops whence French and American
marksmen repeatedly swept the enemy's
deck clean.
The quiet moon rose higher and the
battle now entered a new phase. The
Scraps luffed and advanced as If to
cross the Richards bows. But the wind
was against Capt. Pierson, and the men
who tried to handle her sails were shot
down from the Richards tops. Eleven
men In succession fell at his wheel.
Jones was then directing the fire OF
one of his three remaining cannon
against the enemys mainmast. AS
both ships were afire and the Richard,
pierced through and through, was Leak
ing badly, Jones recognized that a
critical moment had come. He put
his helm over and braced back his
main and top sails A lucky puff of
wind caught the Richard and pulled
| her ahead The Scraps, losing way,
was struck on the larboard quarter,
and Jones at once forced his jib-boom
we'll over the enemys rail and into
her mizzen rigging. This was what he
wanted.
Calling for boarders, he ordered the
| forecastle crew to grapple the enemy
Anthony jeremiah his gun having been
dismounted, was the first to come run
ming UP with a pike in his hand but
the graphing irons failed to hold, and
the Scraps, with rattle and creak,
fell off and lay almost in line behind
the Richard.
| TT was now clear to Jones what he
must do. He was on laundering
ship with several feet of water in the
hold. She no longer held her trim.
His cannon were almost gone and half
4 his gunners were dead or wounded.
He hurried to Dale's deck.
| Dick" he cried, "his metal is too
I heavy for u.s., He is hammering us to
| pieces. We must close with him. Bring
| your men on the spardeck and give
them the small arms"
| Again the wind helped the Richard
1t filled her sails, which blanketed the
Scraps and left her momentarily sta
| tionary. Gradually Jones wore ahead
| and began to round the enemy's bows
| And then chance shot broke his
tiller and continued his attempt to foul
! the Scraps, which was frantically
backing her sails in the effort to get
clear.
| At this moment ship appeared to
windward. Through the glass she was
made out to be the Alliance. Though
she was captained by the desertine
Landais, Jones was heartened. The
arrival of this reinforcement would
! quickly end the battle Capt. Pearson
afterward reported he also thought IT
was now all up with him. The Alliance
came up swiftly; the Richard hung out
signals for her; but to the amazement
of both the fighting crews and despite
| yells of warning, the crazy Landais fired
a broadside into the stern of the Bon
homme Richard and followed this with
round of grapeshot. He then passed
to leeward in the darkness
The Richard continued her SLOW
mar,euver. AS she cut across the nose
Of the Scraps, the duke ot>the latter'i