nes. "Two out of three of them burst at the first fire, killing
almost all the men who were stationed to manage them."

The gunnery of the _Good Richard_ was excellent. Though her battery
was one-third lighter than that of the _Serapis_; though her gun-crews
were composed--to a great extent--of French volunteers, who had never
been at sea before--in quickness and rapidity of fire, the shells from
the American fell just as accurately as did those from the Britisher;
pointed and gauged by regular, trained English men-of-war seamen. The
roar of belching cannon was deafening. The superior weight and energy
of the British shot began to tell decisively against the sputtering
twelve-pounders of the _Richard_, in spite of the fact that they were
being served with quickness and precision. As the two battling
sea-monsters drifted slowly along, a pall of sulphurous smoke hung
over their black hulls, like a sheet of escaping steam. They were
drawing nearer and nearer to each other.

It was now about a quarter to eight. Wounded and dying littered the
decks of both Britisher and American, but the fight was to the death.

"Luff! Luff!" cried Captain Pearson, as the _Richard_ began to forge
near him. "Luff! Luff! and let fly with all guns at the water-line.
Sink the Yankee Pirate!"

But Paul Jones was intent upon grappling with his adversary. Quickly
jerking the tiller to one side, he shoved the _Richard_ into the wind
and endeavored to run her--bows on--into the side of his opponent. The
_Serapis_ paid off, her stern swung to, and, before she could gather
way, the _Richard_'s jib-boom shot over her larboard quarter and into
the mizzen rigging.

Jones was delighted.

"Throw out the grappling hooks!" cried he, in shrill tones. "Hold
tight to the Britisher and be prepared to board!"

In an instant, many clawing irons spun out into the mizzen stays of
the _Serapis_; but, though they caught, the lines holding them soon
parted. The _Serapis_ fell off and the _Richard_ lurched ahead.
Neither had been able to bring her broadsides to bear.

"We can't beat her by broadsiding," cried Jones. "We've _got_ to
board!"

_Crash! Crash! Crash!_

Again the cannon made the splinters fly. Again the two game-cocks spat
at each other like angry cats, but, the fire from the _Richard_ was
far weaker than before.

Commodore Jones walked hastily to the gun-deck.

"Dick," said he to Lieutenant Dale, "this fellow's metal is too heavy
for us at thi