Concluding Operations 147 



to close. 20 So things continued for half an hour, 

 during wjiich the President suffered more than dur 

 ing all the remainder of the combat. 21 At 6 .00 the 

 President kept off, heading to the south, and the 

 two adversaries ran abreast, the Americans using 

 the starboard and the British the port batteries. 22 

 Decatur tried to close with his antagonist, but when 

 ever he hauled nearer to the latter she hauled off, 23 

 and, being the swiftest ship, could of course evade 

 him ; so he was reduced to the necessity of trying to 

 throw her out of the combat 24 by dismantling her. 

 He. was completely successful in this, and after two 

 hours' fighting the Endymion's sails were all cut 

 from her yards 25 and she dropped astern, the last 

 shot being fired from the President?* The En- 

 dymion was now completely silent. 27 Commodore 

 Decatur did not board her merely because her con 

 sorts were too close astern ; 28 accordingly the Presi 

 dent hauled up again to try her chances at running, 

 having even her royal studding-sails set, 29 and ex 

 posed her stern to the broadside of the Endymion? 

 but the latter did not fire a single gun. 31 Three 

 hours afterward, at n, 32 the Pomone caught up 



80 Letter of Decatur. 81 Cooper, 470. 



95 Log of Pomone. ** Report of Court-martial. 



94 Letter of Commodore Decatur. 



95 Letter of Captain Hayes. * 6 Log of Pomone. 



97 Log of Pomone. 98 Report of Court-martial. 



99 James, vi, 538. M Letter of Com. Decatur. 



31 Log of Pomone. ffl Letter of Captain Hayes. 



