On the Ocean 77 



carronades) ; No. 23, Lieut. Isaac McKeever, 39 

 men and 5 guns (i long 32 and 4 light sixes). 

 There were thus, in all, 182 men and a broadside 

 of 14 guns, throwing 212 pounds of shot. The 

 British forces amounted, as I have said, to 980 men, 

 and (supposing they had equal numbers of 24% 

 i8's, and I2's), the flotilla threw seven hundred 

 and fifty-eight pounds of shot. The odds of course 

 were not as much against the Americans as these 

 figures would make them, for they were stationary, 

 had some long, heavy guns and boarding nettings ; 

 on the other hand the fact that two of their vessels 

 had drifted out of line was a very serious misfor 

 tune. At any rate, the odds were great enough, con 

 sidering that he had British sailors to deal with, 

 to make it anything but a cheerful look-out for 

 Lieut. Jones ; but nowise daunted by the almost cer 

 tain prospect of defeat, the American officers and 

 seamen prepared very coolly for the fight. In this 

 connection it should be remembered that simply to 

 run the boats on shore would have permitted the 

 men to escape, if they had chosen to do so. 



Captain Lockyer acted as coolly as his antagonist. 

 When he had reached a point just out of gunshot, 

 he brought the boats to a grapnel, to let the sailors 

 eat breakfast and get a little rest after the fatigue 

 of their long row. When his men were rested and 

 in good trim he formed the boats in open order, and 



