ot receiving an answer, she fired a volley of
musketry at us. The strokesman of my boat fell shot in the brain, and two
others were seriously wounded in the arm and leg. We had three marines,
two additional seamen and my volunteer messmate in our boat. This last had
smuggled himself in without the first lieutenant's leave. We cheered and
stretched out. The killed and wounded were placed in the bottom of the
boat, and the extra men took their oars. The barge was nearly alongside of
her, and we boarded at the same time, she on the starboard quarter and we
on the larboard side. The marines kept up a constant discharge of their
muskets, and fired with much effect on the foremost of the enemy. We soon
gained her deck, and found about twenty-five of her crew ready to oppose
us abaft her mainmast. The man who appeared to be the captain waved his
cutlass and encouraged his men to attack us; at the same time he sprang
forward, and about twelve followed him, when the conflict became general.
I was knocked down on my knees. I fired one of my pistols, which took
effect in my opponent's left leg, and before he could raise his arm to cut
me down with a tomahawk, the coxswain of my boat, who had kept close to
me, shot him in the head, and he fell partly on me. I soon recovered and
regained my legs. I had received a severe contusion on the left shoulder.
The lieutenant had shot the captain, and the marines had knocked down nine
men. The rest now called for quarter and threw down their arms. She proved
to be the French privateer _Salamandre_, of twelve long brass six-pounders
and forty-eight men. She had also on board nine English seamen, the crew
of a Liverpool brig, who informed us they had been captured in the Turk's
Island passage three days before. The privateer's loss was eleven killed
and seven severely wounded, ours three men killed and five wounded. On our
drawing off from the shore, a small battery opened its fire on us and
wounded the boat-keeper of the barge. We discharged the guns of the
privateer at it, and as it did not annoy us a second time, we supposed our
shot had rather alarmed their faculties and probably subdued their
courage. By 3 A.M. we rejoined the ship. Our mates gave us three hearty
cheers, which we returned. We soon got the wounded of our men on deck and
the prisoners out. I was ordered to go as prize-master, taking fourteen
men with me, and carry her to Cape St. Nicholas mole, where I arrived the
same evening.