On the Ocean 51 



ciplined than the Wasp's. At 3.26 Captain Blakely, 

 finding his enemy did not get on his beam, put his 

 helm a-lee and luffed up, firing his guns from aft 

 forward as they bore. For ten minutes the sloop 

 and the brig lay abreast, not twenty yards apart, 

 while the cannonade was terribly destructive. The 

 concussion of the explosions almost deadened what 

 little way the vessels had on, and the smoke hung 

 over them like a pall. The men worked at the guns 

 with desperate energy, but the odds in weight of 

 metal (3 to 2) were too great against the Reindeer, 

 where both sides played their .parts so manfully. 

 Captain Manners stood at his post, as resolute as 

 ever, though wounded again and again. A grape- 

 shot passed through both his thighs, bringing him 

 to the deck; but, maimed and bleeding to death, he 

 sprang to his feet, cheering on the seamen. The 

 vessels were now almost touching, and putting his 

 helm a-weather, he ran the Wasp aboard on her 

 port 39 quarter, while the boarders gathered for 

 ward, to try it with the steel. But the Carolina 

 captain had prepared for this with cool confidence; 

 the marines came aft; close tinder the bulwarks 

 crouched the boarders, grasping in their hands the 

 naked cutlasses, while behind them were drawn up 



39 Letter of Captain Blakely, July 8, 1814. Cooper says 

 starboard; it is a point of little importance; all accounts 

 agree as to the relative oositions of the craft. 



