y possessing the
advantage at long range.

Most of the shots from the British vessels were directed against Perry's
flagship, which suffered considerably. He therefore made sail to get to
close quarters. His ship and the _Scorpion_ and _Ariel_ drew
considerably ahead of the rest of the fleet. As a consequence they
received the main fire of the enemy, which soon became concentrated on
the _Lawrence_, that was gallantly fighting against overwhelming odds.
Moreover, she was at a hopeless disadvantage with her short guns, and
soon became a wreck, with a large number of her men killed or wounded.

Gradually the boats drifted nearer and the Americans were able to make
use of their short guns and small arms. Perry's clothing was torn by
splinters and two musket balls passed through his hat. The battle
continued for more than two hours with the utmost desperation, during
which the scenes on the _Lawrence_ were too frightful to be described.
Finally the wrecked flagship began drifting helplessly out of action,
when Perry determined to transfer his flag to the _Niagara_.

[Illustration: COMMODORE PERRY AT THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE.]

With his broad pennant folded over his arm, and accompanied by a younger
brother and four seamen, he stepped into the small boat, which began
pulling in the direction of the _Niagara_. The thick smoke concealed
them for a time, but it soon lifted, and Barclay aimed a shot at the
boat. He said in his official report that he saw the shot strike the
boat, whereupon Perry took off his coat and plugged the hole with it.
But for the temporary veil the American commander could not have made
half the brief distance between the _Lawrence_ and the _Niagara_. As it
was, however, he reached the latter without a scratch. He hoisted his
pennant and the flag bearing the immortal words of the gallant Lawrence.
Then an officer was sent in a boat to communicate the orders of the
Commodore to the other vessels. This was hardly done when Perry saw with
the keenest distress the surrender of the _Lawrence_. Such submission
was inevitable, for almost every man on board was either killed or
wounded and every gun on the engaged side was disabled. The English
crews broke into cheers, believing the battle won, but they could not
take possession of the _Lawrence_, which drifted out of range.

Captain Barclay now made an attempt to change his line of battle with a
view of bringing his other broadsides into action. The line bec