ers fled like sheep before the advance of the boarders.

[Illustration: On Board The "Chesapeake."]

The British reached the quarter-deck with hardly the loss of a man.
Here stood Mr. Livermore, the chaplain of the "Chesapeake," who had
cruised long with Lawrence, and bitterly mourned the captain's fate.
Determined to avenge the fallen captain, he fired a pistol at Broke's
head, but missed him. Broke sprang forward, and dealt a mighty stroke
of his keen cutlass at the chaplain's head, who saved himself by
taking the blow on his arm. While the boarders were thus traversing
the upper deck, the sailors in the tops of the "Chesapeake" were
keeping up a well-directed fire, before which many of the Englishmen
fell. But this resistance was not of long duration; for one of the
"Shannon's" long nines, loaded with grape, swept clean the
"Chesapeake's" tops. With this, the British were in full control of
the upper deck.

Up to this time, the Americans on the gun-deck had known nothing of
the events occurring on the deck above them. When the news of the
British assault spread, Lieut. Budd called upon the men to follow him,
and drive the boarders back to their own ship. A number of the marines
(who behaved splendidly throughout the fight) and some twenty veteran
sailors were all that responded to the call. Broke had in the mean
time summoned the marines of the "Shannon" to his aid; and the
British, led by their dashing commander, were pouring in a dense
column down the companion-ways to the gun-deck. Budd and his handful
of followers attacked them fiercely; and, by the very desperation of
the onset, the British were forced back a few paces. Broke threw
himself upon the Americans. With his cutlass he cut down the first man
who attacked him, and bore down upon the others, dealing deadly blows
right and left. His followers came close behind him. The Americans
fell on every side, and began to retreat before the overwhelming force
of their foes. Up from the wardroom came Lieut. Ludlow, already
suffering from two dangerous wounds. He placed himself beside the
younger officer, and the two strove in every way to encourage their
men. But Ludlow soon fell, with a gaping wound across his forehead.
Budd was cut down, and fell through the hatchway to the deck beneath.
The sailors, seeing both officers fall, gave way in confusion; and the
ship was in the hands of the British. A few marines kept up a fire
through the hatchway, but soon were sil