PAUL JONES OFF FLAMBRO' 331 



and driven into obedience by Lieutenant Dale and the 

 sense of their own extremity, the captives obeyed. 



At this time the Richard was almost a shattered 

 wreck, for her sides were smashed in by the British fire 

 and she had five feet of water in her hold. She was not 

 a large ship, and at that crisis, with more than six 

 hundred men and boys on board, the decks red with 

 blood, and the dead and wounded everywhere, she was 

 in very truth, as Jones had said, a deplorable thing. 



The Serapis, however, was in worse case than her 

 opponent, especially as the Alliance gave her the same 

 attention that had been shown to the Richard. Con- 

 tinuous fire had been kept up on her mainmast, and that 

 immense spar was tottering to its fall, soon to crash 

 down. She had maintained a splendid fight, and, if 

 one has regret at all, it is that Pearson did not longer 

 wage his gallant defence. He had, however, done well ; 

 he believed that no further good could result from con- 

 tinuing the combat, now that the Alliance had joined 

 the Richard^ and with bitter reluctance he surrendered. 

 How deeply he felt his humiliation was indicated by his 

 caustic remark to Jones when, on the deck of the 

 Richard, he yielded up his sword. He gave it, he said, 

 to " a man who may be said to fight with a halter round 

 his neck." Jones ignored the taunt, and generously 

 replied that Captain Pearson had fought like a hero and 

 hoped that his sovereign would reward him in the most 

 ample manner. 



Fire was raging in the Richard, and it was ten 

 o'clock next morning before the flames were put out. 

 Jones was anxious to carry his ship into port, but he 

 could not save her. He removed his wounded, and at 



