eep silence, fore and
aft!'

"Silence being secured, he hailed the lookout, who to his question of
'What does she look like?' replied, "A large frigate bearing down upon
us, sir.'

"A whisper ran along the crew, that the stranger ship was a Yankee
frigate. The thought was confirmed by the command of 'All hands clear
the ship for action, ahoy!' The drum and fife beat to quarters,
bulkheads were knocked away, the guns were released from their
confinement, the whole dread paraphernalia of battle was produced;
and, after the lapse of a few minutes of hurry and confusion, every
man and boy was at his post ready to do his best service for his
country, except the band, who, claiming exemption from the affray,
safely stowed themselves away in the cable tier. We had only one sick
man on the list; and he, at the cry of battle, hurried from his cot,
feeble as he was, to take his post of danger. A few of the junior
midshipmen were stationed below on the berth-deck, with orders, given
in our hearing, to shoot any man who attempted to move from his
quarters.

"As the approaching ship showed American colors, all doubt of her
character was at an end. 'We must fight her,' was the conviction of
every breast. Every possible arrangement that could insure success was
accordingly made. The guns were shotted, the matches lighted; for,
although our guns were all furnished with first-class locks, they were
also furnished with matches, attached by lanyards, in case the lock
should miss fire. A lieutenant then passed through the ship, directing
the marines and boarders--who were furnished with pikes, cutlasses,
and pistols--how to proceed if it should be necessary to board the
enemy. He was followed by the captain, who exhorted the men to
fidelity and courage, urging upon their consideration the well-known
motto of the brave Nelson, _'England expects every man to do his
duty.'_ In addition to all these preparations on deck, some men were
stationed in the tops with small-arms, whose duty it was to attend to
trimming the sails, and to use their muskets, provided we came to
close action. There were others, also, below, called sail-trimmers, to
assist in working the ship, should it be necessary to shift her
position during the battle."

Thus, with her men at their quarters, her guns primed, and matches
lighted, the "Macedonian" bore down to open the action. On the "United
States," very similar scenes were being enacted. In some respects,
the A