Again these cheers were answered with yells of defiance from the deck of the privateer, whose sails now began to fill rapidly, so that she quickly wore round.
This brought the ships opposite to each other.
And now commenced a murderous exchange of broadsides. Roar followed roar! Crash came upon crash! The shrieks of the wounded on both sides mingled with each other and with the cheers of their unhurt companions.
Justin was everywhere—inspiring the brave to still greater deeds of valor, encouraging the faint-hearted till they outrivaled the most heroic, helping all by precept and example, and serving at the guns where men had fallen, until relieved.
And now the foremast of the Sea Scourge was seen to totter and fall!
While the enemy was encumbered with this wreck, Captain Yetsom set his courses and, shooting ahead, took up a raking position, from which he poured into the Sea Scourge a galling fire of grape and canister.
The privateer persistently returned the fire with her bow chasers, and promptly cleared her deck from the wreck of the foremast.
Captain Yetsom, seeing that with the indomitable courage of his countrymen she would sink before she would surrender and seeing also that she was manœuvring to get into position again, determined to carry her by the board.
He stood off for a short time and gathered his officers and men about him and said:
“That privateer is well fought. Her commander will go to the bottom with her colors flying, rather than haul them down. He cannot have many men remaining fit for duty. So, to save the lives of my men, as well as that ship and her crew, I am resolved, by the help of the Lord, to carry her by the board.”