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216 The National Music of America.
when the smoke cleared away, it was seen that in his energetic antics the captain had split his beautiful new breeches from waist to knee; but he did not stop to change them during the combat which followed.' Another, less humorous sight was afforded, when the smoke of the broadside lifted; the deck of the Guerriere was strewn with dead and dying; in a few moments the mainyard came toppling down, and the miz-zenmast soon followed. " Hurrah, boys," shouted Hull, " we've made a brig of her!" The Guerriere brought up in the wind as the mizzenmast gave way, and the Constitution bore slowly ahead, pouring in a tremendous fire, and luffing short around the bow of the Englishman, to avoid being raked in return; in doing this, however, she fell foul of the Guerriere, her bowsprit running into the port quarter of her enemy.
1 Statement of Lieut. B. V. Hoffman, quoted in Los-sing's " Pictorial Field-book of the War of 1812," p. 443. |
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