rt.

As soon as the crash was over, Captain Delmar cried out--"Up, men, and
fire, as I round to under her stern."

In a few seconds we had passed through the volumes of smoke, and luffed
up under her stern: we poured in our whole broadside.

"Let her go off again--flatten in there forward. Reedy about," was the
next order given.

We ran away from her about three cables' length, until we had sufficient
way to tack, and then we went about and stood towards her, steering for
her weather quarter, as if we were going to engage her to windward.

"Over to the larboard guns, my lads. Hands by, after bracings and
howlings, Mr Hippesley."

"Aye, aye, sir, all ready."

As soon as we were near enough, the after-yards were shivered, the jib
sheet to windward, and the helm put up. The Calliope worked
beautifully; she paid sharp off, and we again passed under her stern,
and gave another raking broadside; very unexpected on the part of the
Dutchman, who presumed that we were going to engage him to windward, and
had his men all ready at his larboard guns in consequence.

The Dutch captain was evidently much annoyed: he stood at the taffrail,
and, much to our amusement, cried out, in bad English, "You coward--not
fight fair."

As we shot ahead of her, to leeward, she gave us a portion of her
starboard broadside: but the men, having been over at the guns on the
other side, were not quick enough, and they did us no injury; whereas,
her mizzen-mast fell over the side a few minutes after we passed her.

She then raid off, and so did we, so that she might not rake us, and
broadsides were exchanged on equal terms; but before we had exchanged
these broadsides, both ships running with the wind on the quarter, we
found that our superiority in sailing free was so great, that we shot
ahead of him out of his fire, and we were enabled to luff up and rake
him again.

The last raking broadside brought down his main-topmast and then she was
all our own, as Bob Cross said; as she could not round to with no after
sail, and we could from our superiority in sailing, take our position as
we pleased, which we did, constantly keeping ahead of him, and raking
him, broadside after broadside, and receiving but one broadside in
return, until his foremast went by the board, and he had nothing but his
main-mast standing.

This bettered his condition on the whole; as, although hardly manageable
with so little wind, he had more power over his vessel,