h other that their
colors could be seen. Stewart ran up the stars and stripes, to which
the strangers responded by setting the British flag at their
mastheads.

The purpose of the enemy was to delay the opening of the action until
night should give him opportunity to manoeuvre unobserved; but the
"Constitution," suspecting this, pressed forward hotly, and opened
fire a few minutes after six o'clock. By skilful seamanship Stewart
kept the windward gage of both enemies; and the fight opened with the
"Cyane" on the port-quarter, and the "Levant" on the port-bow of the
American frigate. Fifteen minutes of fierce cannonading followed, the
combatants being within musket-shot most of the time. Every gun was
engaged; and the heavy broadsides shook the ships, and thundered far
over the placid surface of the ocean, which was now faintly illumined
by the rising moon. The triangular space between the ships was filled
with the dense sulphurous smoke of the burning powder; so that the
gunners could see nothing of the enemy at whom they were hurling their
ponderous iron bolts. The men in the tops could now and again catch a
glimpse of the top hamper of the enemy's ships, but those on the
gun-deck were working almost at random. After a few minutes of rapid
firing, the fire of the enemy slackened; and Stewart directed his
gunners to cease until the smoke should have cleared away. At this
command a silence, almost oppressive after the heavy cannonading,
ensued, broken only by the occasional report of a gun from the unseen
enemy, sounding like minute-guns of distress. Anxiously Stewart waited
for the smoke to blow away. When it did so, the "Cyane" was seen
luffing up, to come under the frigate's stern, and get in a raking
broadside. The movement was discovered just in time to be checked.
Stewart gave a heavy broadside to the "Levant;" then, bracing back his
topsails, backed his ship down abreast of the "Cyane," pouring in
rapid broadsides, before which the fire of the corvette died away. Two
raking broadsides that crashed into the stern of the "Levant" sent
that craft out of the action, to refit. The frigate then pressed down
upon the "Cyane," and with a few heavy broadsides forced her to
strike.

Capt. Douglass of the "Levant" then proved his bravery by standing by
his captured consort; although he could have escaped easily, while the
"Constitution" was taking possession of her prize. No thought of
flight seems to have occurred to the