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the wake, or, at mod, to the weather quaftei* of the (hip 

 againll which the attack is meditated ; taking care to con- 

 tinue fleering, fo as not to be raked by any of the guns that 

 belong to tiie quarter on which he (lands. In order to come 

 up with his adveriary, he mud edge away a httle, and range 

 round aft, fo clofe upon the enemy's lee-quarter, that his 

 cat-head may almoft touch lier quarter-gallery. When the 

 ftiip has Ihot fufHciently a-head, and is parallel to that of the 

 adverfarv, the fore-caftle being a-breall of the enemy's main- 

 maft, the mizen and mizen llav-fail flieets are to be well 

 hauled aft, the helm put hard a-lee, and the head-flieets let 

 fly; then the (hip, coming rapidly to the wind, fhivers her 

 fails, and clofes with the oppoCng veflel fide to fide. In 

 executing this manoeuvre, which cannot fail to fucceed with 

 the advantage of failing, great attention is neceflTary ; be- 

 caufe, if at this moment the weather-diip, which wiflies 

 to avoid being boarded, either fets her courfes, or lays ail 

 thofe flat a-back which flie had fet, flie may chance to break 

 the grapnels, if the fails of the boarding veffel have not 

 been trimmed like thofe of the other ; for, by making more 

 fail, if the wind be a little fre/li, ihe vnW fhoot a-head through 

 the water, and drag the boarder with fuch force as to break 

 the chains or hawlers by which the two (hips are confined 

 together. By laying ail flat to the maft the boarded veflel 

 is ftill more likely to fucceed, fince the fails of one (hip will 

 be full, while thofe of the other are a-back. 



This mode of boarding may be avoided, if the boarder does 

 not pay ftricl attention to his own manoeuvres, as well as to 

 thofe of his adverfary ; and it may be more readily avoid- 

 ed, if the adverfary's vedel braces her head-fails (harp 

 a-back, fetting only, if necedary, the foie-fail, at the fame 

 inllant laying to the maft or (hivering, according to the ne- 

 ceflity for more or lefs ilern-way, all thofe which are abaft, 

 and putting the helm hard a-lee. This is to be executed, 

 when the boarder is about a (hip's length a-ftern of the other 

 veiTel. The quicknefs of this evolution, and the rapid veer- 

 ir.g of the weather-fliip, may bring the boarding veflTel, 

 which is a little to leeward or a-ftern of the other, into 

 the moft dangerous fituation, if (he does not manoeuvre in 

 the fame manner, and with equal celerity ; as the boarder's 

 fails being full, keep up his velocity, and may, before he 

 can veer, engage his bowfprit in the main ftirouds of the 

 enemy, who pays (hort round on her head. Thofe who 

 wi(h to board a (hip, and to engage the enemy's bowfprit in 

 their main flirouds, need only to get a little to windward of 

 her, and about one or two (hip's lengths a-head, according 

 to the eftimated celerity of their movements ; then brace 

 (harp a-back the head- fails, (hiverthe after-ones, or lay them 

 flat to the maft, with the helm a-lee. This manoeuvre, well 

 performed, and covered by a brifl< fire, will commonly fuc- 

 ceed ; but care muft be taken not to come round too foon, 

 but to range very clofe to the adverfary ; becaufe, if the 

 boarding vtlTel be not fufficiently a-head of him, it might 

 fail in boarding, by paying too (hort round, and its bow- 

 fprit get foul of his lore-niroud<;, which would be ver)- dif- 

 advantageous. The defign will be fruftrated, if the board- 

 ing (liip, being too far a-head, pafles under the bowfprit of 

 the enemy, who will thus, however, be expofed to be raked 

 at his head, if he does not manoeuvre in the fame manner 

 and equal quicknefs as the boarding velTel, which has the 

 great advantage of priority. In order to engage the bow- 

 fprit of the enemy's fliip in the rigging ot the boarding 

 veifel, this (hould be ranged very clofe to the other ; becaufe, 

 if this were attempted at only a (hip's length large, and to 

 windward of the enemy, he need merely, upon perceiving 

 the defign, to put the helm hard a-lee, and heave in ftays. 

 if this laft method be properly executed, the two (hips can 



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only range very near each other, and exchange their broad- 

 fides, and the lee-fliip will immediately gain the wind of her 

 adverfary. Confequently to execute this manoeuvre well, 

 the veflcls muft be nearly yard-arm and yard-arm. 



If the boarder be at a certain diftance aft on the weather- 

 quarter, the fliip wifhing to avoid boarding muft heave in 

 (lays, as foon as the othL'r vefkl is in ihe aft of veering, in 

 order to clofe with her to leeward. By this manoeuvre they 

 will come head to head, fo that they may reciprocally fire 

 their broadfidcs, in nafling on oppofite direftions, and the 

 lee-(hip will get to windward. 



In the third cafe, when two flips engage with the wind 

 large, the boarding veffel fhould keep as clofe as pofuble on 

 the lee-quarter of the (hip (he n^ans to attack by boarding, 

 that (he may execute her purpofe by coming rapidly to the 

 wnd, and being careful not to pafs ?.-head of her opponent. 

 The weather-fhip, in order to avoid being boarded, muft adl 

 according to circumftances, in the manner directed in the 

 laft cafe. A fiiip may be boarded on the weather-fide, by 

 conforming to the inftruftions relating to boarding to wind- 

 ward. When two veffels are engaged with the wind right 

 aft, the boarder ought to drop a-ftern of the enemy, in order 

 to run up clofe along-fide of him. if the boarder has the 

 advantage of failing ; for, as (he then advances towards her 

 adverfary, the adverfary can only endeavour to range rapidly 

 to the wind on the other tack, as foon as the bowfprit of the 

 boarder is a-breaft of her ftern, and thus gain the wind, in 

 order to be in a fituation to extricate herfclf more eafily by 

 a good manosnvre. The boarding veffel (hould be allowed 

 to come a-breall of the ftern of her adverfary, before (he 

 hauls her wind ; becaufe, if this were done looner, the (hip 

 a-ftern, at a fmall diftance, would board her perfectly well, 

 even if (he failed with equal celerity, fince the boarder 

 would be to windward, would run large longer than the 

 other, would range more (lowly to the wind, and continue 

 to ftem a-head of the flying (hip. This will appear more 

 evident by confidering, that the boarder coming from wind- 

 viard preferves his velocity longer, trimming his fails only as 

 the fhip comes to the wind, and cuts the courfe of his adver- 

 fary with a fine lefs curved than that defcribed by the re- 

 treating (hip. If, by coming too foon or too faft to the 

 wind, the boarder chofe to abandon his defign, he might do 

 fo by veering a few points on the other tack, and (horten* 

 ing fail ; fo that the retreating (hip will fhew her ftern, and 

 the boarder can then rake her by palhng under her ftern. 



In attacking a (hip clofely to leeward, the boarder fhould 

 keep away a little when abreall of her, and feem to yield un- 

 der her fire. If the enemy's fhip (hould thus be induced to 

 veer, in order to bring the boarder more under her guns, the 

 latter (hould heave rapidly to the wind, by putting the 

 helm a-lee, trimming all (harp abaft, and fupprefling the 

 effeft of the head-fails ; which (hould be done at the inftant 

 when the enemy is perceived to be bearing down. The 

 two (hips will, by the quicknefs of this manoeuvre, and the 

 priority of the movement thus gained on the enemy, foon 

 clofe, and, with proper attention, the enemy's bowfprit may 

 be entangled in the fore or main rigging of the boarding 

 veflel, which would be a favourable circumftance in the at- 

 tempt to board. However, it may happen that no attempt 

 can be made to board, if the weather-fhip, inftead of bear- 

 ing away, phes more and more to windward; ibr this faint 

 manoeuvre may take the boarder too far off to leeward of the 

 adverfary. If the boarder fnould chamce to be a ftiip's 

 length to leevi-ard, and about the fame diftance a-head of the 

 enemy's veffel, it may, under cover of a heavy fire, heave 

 in ftays ; and thus come right athwart the enemy's hawfe, 

 rake him fore ?.nd nft, and board him, his bowfprit being 

 3 right 



