Half an hour or more passed, when again the leading French frigate fired, the shot falling close to the counter of the Diana, which by this time, having got up a fresh maintopmast, was able to make more sail.
Captain Martin now ordered Lieutenant Sterling to cast off the tow rope and to stand on ahead of him, while, to allow the Diana to do so, he clewed up the Thisbe’s topsails.
“Make the best of your way to Plymouth,” he shouted, as the Diana passed the Thisbe; “we’ll keep these two fellows in play, and shall, I hope, be soon after you.”
As soon as the prize had got some distance ahead, Captain Martin, who had been watching the two frigates coming up on the starboard quarter, ordered the Thisbe’s helm to be put to port; at the same moment, her starboard broadside being fired, the shot raked the two Frenchmen fore and aft. The helm was then immediately put over, and the frigate coming up on the other tack, her larboard broadside was poured into her antagonists. The shot told with considerable effect. The foretopmast of the leading frigate was shot away, and the mizenmast of the one following was seen to go by the board. This, however, did not much alter their rate of sailing, as, the wind being aft, all the canvas they required continued set. They also opened their fire, and their shot came crashing on board the Thisbe, killing and wounding two or three men, but not doing any material damage to her spars or rigging. She having shortened sail, her antagonists were compelled to do the same; and while they poured their broadsides into her, she returned them as rapidly as the crew could run the guns in and out.
Captain Martin’s great object was to keep them engaged, and, if possible, to knock away their masts, so as to enable the Diana to escape, for although he might hope to get off himself, he could not expect to capture either of the enemy’s ships.
The Thisbe had been several times hulled, and her sails were already completely riddled, while many more of her crew had fallen.
“It is going hard with us, I fear,” said Jack to Tom, who was seated next him on his powder tub. “There’s well-nigh a score of poor fellows killed or wounded within the last half-hour. It may be the lot of one of us before long.”
“Oh, dear! I hope not,” cried Tom. “I wish the skipper would try and get away instead of fighting the Frenchmen. Two to one is fearful odds against us, and we shall have the two other ships blazing away at our heads before long.”
“We haven’t much to fear from them,” said Jack. “I have just heard they’re corvettes, and they won’t be up to us until we’ve given the other two a drubbing, and have made sail again to the northward.”
The two corvettes were, however, likely to prove no despicable opponents, and Captain Martin was only watching until he had knocked away the masts or spars of one or both of the frigates, to make sail and escape, for it would have been madness to have continued the fight longer than was necessary to accomplish that object.