nd determined to attempt her capture
during the night. Accordingly he dropped anchor near by, and, while
carefully concealing the character of his craft, made every
preparation for a midnight fight. The men sat between decks,
sharpening cutlasses, and cleaning and priming their pistols; the
cannon were loaded with grape, and depressed for work at close
quarters; battle lanterns were hung in place, ready to be lighted at
the signal for action.

At ten o'clock, the tramp of men about the capstan gave notice that
the anchor was being brought to the catheads. Soon the creaking of
cordage, and the snapping of the sails, told that the fresh breeze was
being caught by the spreading sails. Then the waves rippled about the
bow of the ship, and the "Ranger" was fairly under way.

It was a pitch-dark night, but the lights on board the "Drake" showed
where she was lying. On the "Ranger" all lights were extinguished, and
no noise told of her progress towards her enemy. It was the captain's
plan to run his vessel across the "Drake's" cable, drop his own
anchor, let the "Ranger" swing alongside the Englishman, and then
fight it out at close quarters. But this plan, though well laid,
failed of execution. The anchor was not let fall in season; and the
"Ranger," instead of bringing up alongside her enemy, came to anchor
half a cable-length astern. The swift-flowing tide and the fresh
breeze made it impossible to warp the ship alongside: so Jones ordered
the cable cut, and the "Ranger" scudded down the bay before the
ever-freshening gale. It does not appear that the people on the
"Drake" were aware of the danger they so narrowly escaped.

The wind that had aided the tide in defeating Jones's enterprise blew
stronger and stronger, and before morning the sea was tossing before a
regular north-east gale. Against it the "Ranger" could make no
headway: so Jones gave his ship her head, and scudded before the wind
until within the vicinity of Whitehaven, when he determined to again
attempt to destroy the shipping in that port. This time he was
successful. Bringing the "Ranger" to anchor near the bar, Capt. Jones
called for volunteers to accompany him on the expedition. He himself
was to be their leader; for as a boy he had often sailed in and out of
the little harbor, knew where the forts stood, and where the colliers
anchored most thickly. The landing party was divided into two
boat-loads; Jones taking command of one, while Lieut. Wallingfor