ithings caught and fixed by death; others calm and
peaceful, as though sleeping. Powder-boys, young and tender, lay by
the side of grizzled old seamen. Words cannot picture the scene. In
his journal Capt. Jones wrote:--

"A person must have been an eye-witness to form a just idea of the
tremendous scene of carnage, wreck, and ruin that everywhere appeared.
Humanity cannot but recoil from the prospect of such finished horror,
and lament that war should produce such fatal consequences."

But worse than the appearance of the main deck was the scene in the
cock-pit and along the gun-deck, which had been converted into a
temporary hospital. Here lay the wounded, ranged in rows along the
deck. Moans and shrieks of agony were heard on every side. The
surgeons were busy with their glittering instruments. The tramp of men
on the decks overhead, and the creaking of the timbers of the
water-logged ship, added to the cries of the wounded, made a perfect
bedlam of the place.

[Illustration: The Action Between The "Bon Homme Richard" And The
"Serapis," September 23, 1779.]

It did not take long to discover that the "Bon Homme Richard" was a
complete wreck, and in a sinking condition. The gallant old craft had
kept afloat while the battle was being fought; but now, that the
victory had remained with her, she had given up the struggle against
the steadily encroaching waves. The carpenters who had explored the
hold came on deck with long faces, and reported that nothing could be
done to stop the great holes made by the shot of the "Serapis."
Therefore Jones determined to remove his crew and all the wounded to
the "Serapis," and abandon the noble "Richard" to her fate.
Accordingly, all available hands were put at the pumps, and the work
of transferring the wounded was begun. Slings were rigged over the
side; and the poor shattered bodies were gently lowered into the boats
awaiting them, and, on reaching the "Serapis," were placed tenderly in
cots ranged along the main deck. All night the work went on; and by
ten o'clock the next morning there were left on the "Richard" only a
few sailors, who alternately worked at the pumps, and fought the
steadily encroaching flames.

For Jones did not intend to desert the good old ship without a
struggle to save her, even though both fire and water were warring
against her. Not until the morning dawned did the Americans fully
appreciate how shattered was the hulk that stood between them and a
wa