"Well, you have no business where you are," said Porter. "If you touch a rope yarn of this ship, I shall board instantly." With that the _Phoebe_ wore round and went off. It was a neutral port and there was a good excuse for not fighting, but it was well for Porter that he was ready. A few days later he heard that some other British ships were coming from Valparaiso and he concluded to put to sea. He didn't want to fight a whole fleet. But the wind treated him badly. As he sailed out a squall struck the _Essex_ and knocked her maintopmast into the sea. Porter now ran into a small bay near at hand and dropped anchor close to the shore. Here was the chance for the _Phoebe_ and the _Cherub_. They could stand off and hammer the _Essex_ where she could not fire back. They had over thirty long guns while the _Essex_ had only six, and only three of these could be used. The rest of her guns were short ones that would not send a ball far enough to reach the British ships. The _Essex_ was in a trap. The British began to pour solid iron into her at the rate of nearly ten pounds to her one. For two hours this was kept up. There was frightful slaughter on the _Essex_. Her men were falling like dead leaves, but Porter would not yield. After this went on for some time there came a change in the wind, and the _Essex_ spread what sail she had and tried to get nearer. But the _Phoebe_ would not wait for her, but sailed away and kept pumping balls into her. Soon the wind changed again. Now all hope was gone. The American crew was being murdered and could not get near the British. Porter tried to run his ship ashore, intending to fight to the last and then blow her up. But the treacherous wind shifted again and he could not even reach the shore. Dead and wounded men lay everywhere. Flames were rising in the hold. Water was pouring into shot holes. The good ship had fought her last and it was madness to go on. So at 6.20 o'clock, two and a half hours after the fight began, her flag came down and the battle was over. The story of the cruise of the _Essex_ and her great struggle against odds was written for us by her young midshipman--David Farragut. President Roosevelt, in his Naval History of the War of 1812, says the following true words about Captain Porter's brave fight: "As an exhibition of dogged courage it has never been surpassed since the time when the Dutch Captain Keasoon, after fighting two long days, blew up his disabled ship, devoting himself and all his crew to death, rather than surrender to the hereditary foes of his race." Porter was the man to do the same thing, but he felt he had no right to send all his men to death. CHAPTER XVIII COMMODORE MACDONOUGH'S VICTORY ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN HOW GENERAL PREVOST AND THE BRITISH RAN AWAY THE United States is a country rich in lakes. They might be named by the thousands. But out of this host of lakes very few are known in history, and of them all much the most famous is Lake Champlain.