or the past five months engaged in the dreary work of
blockading the Texel; and when they had seen the Dutch with their topsails
bent, as if intending to come out, they had offered to advance into the
narrow entrance to the Texel, and in that position stop the way against
the whole fleet, or at least fight their ship till she sank. Now they
proved that their offer had been no empty boast, for, although fighting
against overwhelming odds, they stuck to their guns with unexampled
devotion.

More than once every flag they hoisted was shot away, and at last one of
the sailors went aloft and nailed the admiral's colours to the stump of
the main topgallant mast. The _Vryhide_ also fought with desperate
courage. Other British ships, however, came up, and the disparity in
numbers turned the other way. The _Ardent_ attacked her on the other side,
and the _Triumph_ and _Director_ poured a raking fire along her decks. One
after another her masts fell, and the wreck rendered half her guns
unworkable. Her crew were swept away, until De Winter was left alone on
her quarter-deck, while below there were hardly enough men left to man the
pumps. Then the gallant admiral with his own hand hauled down his colours,
having fought to the admiration of the whole British fleet. The
_States-general_, almost disabled by the fruitless attempt to foul the
_Venerable_, maintained a vigorous conflict for some time against a
succession of adversaries, during which she lost above three hundred men
killed and wounded, until at last her captain was compelled to strike. No
one, however, attempted to take possession of her, and, gradually dropping
astern until clear of both fleets, she rehoisted her colours and made off
to the Texel.

[Illustration: "AT LAST HER CAPTAIN WAS COMPELLED TO STRIKE"]

Ship after ship struck, and of the whole Dutch fleet but six ships of the
line and two frigates managed to reach the Texel, and this was only due to
the fact that several of the Dutch vessels, knowing that the orders had
been that they were not to fight, stood aloof and disregarded their
admiral's signal to engage. The entire casualties among our men exceeded a
thousand. Many of the ships were completely riddled by shot, and on some
of them the men were employed day and night at the pumps to keep them
afloat till they could cross the Channel to our own harbours. Two
seventy-fours, five fifty-fours, two gun-ships, and two frigates remained
in our hands, but all