raphed Quench from the flag-ship.

Stygians prefer to fight at close quarters. They have no weapons like
the Brownie davids, fit for doing battle at long range, and therefore
bear straight down upon the enemy; fling out from their spinnerets
grapnels of silk cable; leap upon the enemy's deck and with fangs,
swords, spears, and lassoes fairly weigh down and overpower their foes.
A company of trained boarders known as the Vaulters, commanded by one
Saltus, were especially formidable. Their duty was to station themselves
upon a yard-arm, cross-trees, top or shroud, and attach their bodies
thereto by elastic ropes; thence they would leap down upon their foe,
seize him, and by the backward rebound of the cord, draw him with
themselves up to the point of departure. When thus seized and carried
aloft a Brownie rarely escaped.

The sudden change of wind enabled the Natties to keep clear of their
powerful adversaries. They tacked back and forth across the channel,
avoided the Pixie ships and poured in at long range their david shot.
Rodney, however, had no thought of shunning a hand to hand fight. He had
determined upon a decisive struggle. He believed that his Natties in
their present humor would be invincible. Having therefore pounded the
Stygians thoroughly with his davids, and thus disabled one or two ships
and weakened several crews, he hoisted the signal "Bring the enemy to
close action!"

The order was received with cheers and briskly obeyed. The Natties bore
down upon the enemy and poured in volley after volley of shot. The
Stygian sails were riddled, masts were knocked over, decks were covered
with wounded Pixies; splinters flew in the air like snow flakes.

The fleets were now within grappling distance. The two parties stood
with weapons drawn, eager for the meeting that should test their
courage, skill and strength. The ships closed. Hull grated upon hull;
yards interlocked; the grapnels were hove; ship to ship, all along the
line, Stygians and Natties were coupled in conflict. The Kind and
Tattle, the Trusty and Fast, the Hope and Despair, the Old Honest and
the Littleone, the Perseverance and the By and By, the Ken and the
Doubt, were locked together. The Tipple and the Treat were both
alongside the Steady, the Smoke and Cigarette were doubled against the
Wholesome, and the Styx and Goodtime had grappled the Emma.

In some cases the Natties were the boarder, in others the Stygians. The
better policy of the Brow