is never quiet; and a vessel that is not steadied by the
pressure of her sails, frequently rolls in a way to render it no slight
task even to maintain one's footing on her decks; frigates and ships of
the line frequently proving more inconvenient than smaller vessels, under
such circumstances.

There was one fortunate occurrence to the British, connected with this
disaster. The French had been so thoroughly bent on dismasting the Black
Prince, that they paid little attention to the Speedy; that ship actually
passing a short distance to windward of her consort, unnoticed and
unharmed. As the French were going to leeward the whole time, it enabled
the Speedy to get out of the range of their guns, before she bore up. As
soon as this was effected, she followed her enemies, under twice as much
canvass as they carried themselves. Of course, in less than half an hour,
she was enabled to close with le Cerf, coming up on one of her quarters,
and opening a heavy fire close aboard her. All this time, the Black Prince
remained like a log upon the water, trying to get clear of her wreck, the
combat driving slowly away from her to leeward. Her men worked like ants,
and we actually heard the cheers they raised, as the hull of their ship
forged itself clear of the maze of masts, yards, sails, and rigging, in
which it had been so long enveloped. This was no sooner done, than she let
fall a sail from her sprit-sail-yard, one bent for the occasion, and a
top-gallant-sail was set to a light spar that had been rigged against the
stump of the main-mast; the stick that rose highest from her deck.

As the battle, like a gust in the heavens, was passing to leeward, Marble
and I determined to fill, and follow the combatants down, the course being
precisely that we wished to steer. With a view, however, to keep out of
the range of shot, we hauled the Dawn up to the eastward, first, intending
to keep her away in the wake of the Black Prince. Of course we were in no
hurry, it now being in our power to go six feet to that ship's one.

In executing our purpose, we passed close to the wreck of the English
frigate's spars. There they were rolling about on the troubled water, and
we actually saw the body of a man caught in some of the rigging, as the
sea occasionally tossed it to the surface. The poor fellow had probably
gone over with the mast and been drowned before assistance could be
rendered. With an enemy escaping, man-of-war's-men are not very pa