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Chapter 2 - Old Sea Dog -
From There Go the Ships by George Shirley

Page 30
the poop by an halyard on the quarterdeck, shouting, "Don't fire until I command." The consequences were that we received the French broadsides first, which brought down our foretop-mast. We immediately replied, but it was not so effective, as we were put in some confusion by clearing away the, foretop-mast. We continued the action for forty minutes, sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other within pistol shot, the Guillaume Tell making every effort to run into us, which was skilfully avoided. At last she was so much disabled, that, getting

 
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under our weather-bow, she lay there until dismasted, when she struck her colours, we having lost our foretop-mast and mizzen-mast, and a number of killed and wounded, I being wounded slightly in the right shoulder by a large splinter. As it blew rather fresh, an officer of the boat's crew was put on board to take charge of her. She was taken in tow by the Penelope frigate, and we by the Lion, 64. The other ships returned to continue the blockade of Malta. The next morning the Lion left us to go to the assistance of the frigate, for it appears that she had the Guillaume Tell in tow, and none of the French crew had been removed, only the principal officers. A British officer and a few sailors were in nominal possession. A little before dawn, one of the crew of the watch on board of the frigate observed that the Guillaume Tell was getting nearer to them, called the attention of the officer of the watch, who thought he saw a number of the French crew in the forepart of the ship, had his suspicions aroused, ordered the hawser to be cast loose, and to let her

© Peter Smith 2008