Evening star., 1928-11-18

slowly. neither in the gathering
twilight being yet certain OF
4 the others nationality. On the
men of the Bonhomne Rich
ard fell a profund silence. Few OF
them had anything to gain by battle,
and no small part of them were
Englishmen. looking desolately across
the six miles Of blue water to England,
home and beauty"
The moon rose and in its light Jones
called Richard Dale and Pierre Ger
ard, his French orderly, to his side;
Through their telescopes they studied
the biz ship approaching on the oppo-
site tack. About Z o'clock they made
her out to be the British ship Scraps,
"A guns, but actually carrying SO. Her
crew was smaller but she threw a much
superior weight of metal
She was new ship; her yellow sides
and brasses cleaned in the moonlight
The sound of her name ran swiftly
from mouth to mouth of the Richards
crew. The Americans were not sure
how her name should be pronounced.
They knew nothing about the Egyptian
goddesses for which the more classical
English loved to name their ships.
look out, men," bawled a voice
here comes the Sea Raper!'
That broke the leaden spell OF
silence A raucous chorus of jeers and
outlaws rose from the decks of the
Richard. It was a tonic sound. 1t
made everybody feel better. The affiict-
ing silence and the awe which many
of the crew felt, having never before
seen a British ship-of-war at close
range, had been rapidly spreading a
nervous uneasiness.
A narrative by the surgeon Of the
Scraps says there was a like scare or
that ship. Her commander, Capt
Pearson, at first thought the broad
black stranger might be French
"ffty." This bears out Napoleon's OBJ
servation that at the beginning of 9
battle both sides are afraid of eacf
other.
At last the English captain lowered
his glass.
| there's work ahead"
| Meantime Jones had been sending
| his men to their posts. His battery O!
| l2-pounders, on which he placed CHIEF
reliance, he gave to Lieut. Richard Dale
and Col. Weibert, with a mixed crew
of Americans and French. The steer
age battery of decrepit 18-pounders h;
assigned to John Mayrant, who haC
come over from South Carolina in thi
hope of joining Commodore Gillon il
the Indien. On the high poop decl
Jones stationed Col. Chamillard and hi
French marines
Both ships now maneuvered for posi-
ton. the Bonhomme Richard beint
much the slower. Tacking gradually
brought the ships side by side, botf
pointing in a northwesterly direction, g
pistol shot apart Silence again fel
J tY1 ta ntXyAs
at Scarborough Fort and F'lamborougf
Head.
The last entry in the log of the
| Scraps reads:
"Ships now fairly abeam. a cable;
length apart on the same tack, vino
abeam, southwest, light but steady
Sea smooth, moon full sky clear, timt
7:15 pm. We hail second time, enemy
answers with broadside."
| Gunners on both ships, stripped tt
the buff, began to work like eels in 6
pond, and broadside after broadsidt
spurted through enormous black roll
of smoke which could be seen far in
land.
In a moment a red streak Of flame
pierced the sky and the Richard rocked
clurnsily in the wash. Two of her ole
l8-pounders, cast off by the French bu
in desperation borrowed by Jones, hat
burst on the lower gun deck, killing al
most the entire gun crew. partl!
wrecking the main deck above, anC
opening a gap In the hull.
In the explosion Acting Lieut.. May
rant was hurt in the head and severel!
scorched. Dale ordered him to clos
the lower deck entirely and report witt
! his men to the main deck.
Il x Il 4
THIS disaster left the Richard will
L. but one tier Of guns. while TIN
Scraps increased her destructive fir
from two decks, equipped with ten Is
Founders. The British ship also showe'
herself to be q much better sailer. Il
turn she nosed ahead and then droppe