up and dropped anchor a few hundred yards from the _Saratoga_. Then
she blazed away with all the guns on that side of her deck.

This was a terrible broadside, the worst any American ship had felt in
the whole war. Every shot hit the _Saratoga_ and tore through her
timbers, sending splinters flying like hail. So frightful was the shock
that nearly half the crew were thrown to the deck. About forty of them
did not get up again; they were either killed or wounded. A few
broadsides like that would have ended the fight, for it would have left
the _Saratoga_ without men.

On both sides now the cannon roared and the shots flew, but the British
guns were the best and the Americans had the worst of it. The commodore
was knocked down twice. The last time he was hit with the head of a man
that had been shot off and came whirling through the air.

"The commodore is killed!" cried the men; but in a trice he was up
again, and aiming and firing one of his own guns.

This dreadful work went on for two hours. All that time the two biggest
British vessels were pelting the _Saratoga_, and the other American
ships were not helping her much. Red-hot shots were fired, which set her
on fire more than once.

At the end MacDonough had not a single gun left to fire back. It looked
as if all was up with the Americans, all of whose ships were being
battered by the enemy. But Commodore MacDonough was not yet at the end
of his plans. He now cut loose his stern anchor and bade his men pull on
the rope that led to the bow anchor. In a minute the ship began to
swing round. Soon she had a new side turned to the foe. Not a gun had
been fired on this side. When the British captain saw what the Americans
were doing he tried the same thing. But it did not work as well with
him. The _Confiance_ began to swing round, but when she got her stern
turned to the Americans she stuck fast. Pull and haul as they might, the
sailors could not move her another inch.

Here was a splendid chance for the men on the _Saratoga_. They poured
their broadsides into the stern of the _Confiance_ and raked her from
end to end, while her position was a helpless one. The men fled from the
guns. The ship was being torn into splinters. No hope for her was left.
She could not fire a gun. Her captain was dead, but her lieutenant saw
that all was over, and down came her flag.

Then the _Saratoga_ turned on the brig _Linnet_ and served her in the
same fashion.

That ended the b