But at 6.35 o’clock a new complication had arisen. The Levant, lying ahead of her consort, Cyane, and out of the fire of the Constitution, began to luff up where she could rake the Yankee. But the wakeful Captain Stewart had his eyes on her, and as she sailed up to cross the Constitution’s bows he rapidly filled the Constitution’s sails, put his helm up, bluffed the Cyane down to leeward, and, running forward, crossed under the stern of the Levant and gave her two raking broadsides in swift succession.

For the moment the Levant had had enough, and sheeting home her top-gallant sails, she sped away from the giant Yankee.

At that the little frigate Cyane began to wear around before the wind as if to escape also, but the Yankee wore around after her with greater speed, and crossing her stern from starboard to port, raked her much as the Levant had been raked. At that the Cyane came farther around and fired her port battery into the starboard bow of the Constitution, but when, at exactly 6.50 o’clock, the Constitution ranged up beside her, she hauled down her flag. It was just forty minutes since the action at close range began. Second Lieutenant B. V. Hoffman, of the Constitution, was at once sent to take charge of the Cyane.

This much accomplished, the Constitution stood up-wind in chase of the Levant, that had made sail to get out of the fight, and soon saw her coming “very gallantly back to find out his friend’s condition.” Here, indeed, was the “uncircumspect gallantry” of which Sir Howard Douglas speaks. For the Levant met the Constitution at 8.50 o’clock, just two hours after the Cyane had surrendered. Captain the Honorable George Douglas should have known that the little frigate Cyane could have had no hope in the fight alone with the giant Yankee—that he himself would have still less in returning. It was a foolhardy movement, yet one that necessarily appeals for sympathy to the fighting men of both nations. The Levant luffed to pass to windward of the Constitution, failed, passed to leeward, and the two exchanged broadsides. Then the Levant spread everything to escape, but the Constitution wore around in chase, and by 9.30 was sending shot from her bow-chasers into the fleeing Englishman. At that the Levant also hauled down her flag.

Action of the Constitution with the Cyane and Levant.

From an aquatint by Strickland.

As the Levant’s flag came down, John Lancey, of Cape Ann, one of the Constitution’s men, was dying under the surgeon’s hands. The surgeon had told him that death was near, and the man replied:

“Yes, sir, I know it. But I only want to hear that the other ship has struck.”