Porters Voyage 



My shi^ had received many injuries, and several men had 

 been killed and wounded — but my brave officers and men, not- 

 withstanding the unfavourable circumstances under which we 

 were brought to action, and the powerful force opposed to us, 

 were no wise discouraged— all appeared determined to defend 

 their ship to the last extremity, and to die, in preference to a 

 shameful surrender. Our gatf, with the ensign and motto flag at 

 themizen, had been shot away — but fuee thade and sailors' 

 RIGHTS continued to fly at the fore. — Our ensign was replaced 

 by another — and to guard against a similar event, an ensign 

 was made fast in the mizen rigging, and several jacks were 

 hoisted in different parts of the ship. The enemy soon repaired his 

 damages for a fresh attack ; he now placed himself, with both his 

 ships, on my starboard quarter, out of the reach of my carronades, 

 and where my stern guns could not be brought to bear ; he 

 there kept up a most galling fire, which it was out of my power 

 to return, when I saw no prospect of injuring him without getting 

 under weigh and becoming the assailant. My top-sail sheets and 

 halliards were all shot away, as well as the jib and fore-top-mast- 

 stay-sail-halliards. The only rope not cut was the flying-jib-hal- 

 liards ; and that being the only sail I could set, I caused, it to be 

 hoisted, my cable to be cut, and ran down on both ships, with an 

 intention of laying the Phoebe on board. The firing on l)oth 

 sides was now tremendous ; I had let fall my fore-top-sail and 

 fore-sail, but the want of tacks and sheets had rendered them al- 

 most useless to us. Yet we were enabled for a short time to 

 close with the enemy ; and although our decks were now strewed 

 with dead, and our cock-pit filled with wounded, although our 

 ship had been several times on fire, and was rendered a perfect 

 wreck, we were still encouraged to hope to save her, from the 

 circumstance of the Cherub being compelled to haul off: She 

 did not return to close action again, although she apparently 

 had it in iier power to do so, but kept up a distant firing with 

 her long guns. — The Phoebe, from our disabled state, was en- 

 abled, however, by edging off", to choose the distance which best 

 suited her long guns, and kept up a tremendous fire on us, which 

 mowed down my brave companions by the dozen. Many of my 

 guns had been rendered useless by the enemy's shot, and many 

 of them had their whole crews destroyed. We manned them 

 again from those which were disabled, and one gun in particular 

 was three times manned — fifteen men were slain at it in the 

 action ; but, strange as it may appear, the captain of it escaped 

 with only a slight wound. 



Finding that the enemy had it in his power to choose his dis- 

 tance, I now gave up all hopes of closing w ith him, and as the 

 wind, for the moment, seemed to favour the design, I determined 



