On the Lakes 135 



cution, and also gradually crippled the guns. On 

 board the Confiance the confusion was even worse : 

 after the battle the charges of the guns were drawn, 

 and on the side she had fought one was found with 

 a canvas bag containing two round of shot rammed 

 home and wadded without any powder; another 

 with two cartridges and no shot; and a third with 

 a wad below the cartridge. 



At the. extreme head of the line the advantage 

 had been with the British. The Chubb and Linnet 

 had begun a brisk engagement with the Eagle and 

 American gunboats. In a short time the Chubb had 

 her cable, bowsprit, and mainboom shot away, 

 drifted within the American lines, and was taken 

 possession of by one of the Saratoga's midshipmen. 

 The Linnet paid no attention to the American gun 

 boats, directing her whole fire against the Eagle, and 

 the latter was, in addition, exposed to part of the 

 fire of the Confiance. After keeping up a heavy fire 

 for a long time her springs were shot away, and she 

 came up into the wind, hanging so that she could 

 not return a shot to the well-directed broadsides of 

 the Linnet. Henly accordingly cut his cable, started 

 home his topsails, ran down, and anchored by the 

 stern between the inshore of the Confiance and 7V- 

 conderoga, from which position he opened on the 

 Confiance. The Linnet now directed her attention 

 to the American gunboats, which at this end of the 



