These accidents contributed largely to
our success, causing the enemy to abandon the defence as hopeless. We
had not a soul hurt.
The prize proved to be the ship I have mentioned, a letter-of-marque,
from Guadaloupe, bound to Nantes. She was a trifle larger than the
Crisis, mounted twelve French nines, and had eighty-three souls on
board when she sailed. Of these, however, no less than twenty-three
had been killed and wounded in our previous affair with her, and
several were absent in a prize. Of the wounded, nearly all were still
in their hammocks. Among the remainder, some sixteen or eighteen
suffered by our close and destructive broadside on the present
occasion, reducing the efficient part of her crew to about our own
numbers. The vessel was new and valuable, and her cargo was invoiced
at something like sixty thousand dollars, having some cochineal among
it.
As soon as assured of our victory, the Crisis's main-top-sail was
braced aback, as well as it could be, and her helm put down. At the
same time, the Dame was kept away, and the two ships went clear of
each other. Little injury had been done by the collision, or the
grinding; and, in consequence of our guns having been so much shotted,
no damage whatever was done the lower masts of the prize. The shot
had just force enough to pass through the bulwarks, make splinters,
and to lodge.
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