Lieutenant Allen was examining the muster rolls of the _Macedonian_ when a sailor pushed his way toward the quarterdeck. "I am an American, sir! 'Pressed against my wishes, and there were seven more of us." "Where are the others?" "Three are dead, sir, the others want to be taken into your crew." "And you fought against your country?" "We had to do it, sir." "You should have begged to go below." "We did, and were ordered to the guns or to be treated as mutineers." "I will see what can be done." "Thank you, sir. We shall be happier fighting for our own flag." When the first boat was filled the first lieutenant of the _Macedonian_ insultingly asked Lieutenant Allen if he was to lose his baggage. "We are not privateersmen," answered Allen. "I do not know what you are," sneered the Englishman. A powder-monkey on board the _Macedonian_ told the story of the fight so graphically that Decatur sent for him and begged him to recount it once again. "What is your name?" "Samuel Leach, sir, as good a Briton as ever carried powder to a gun." "I do not doubt it. Will you tell me what you know of the battle?" "If your honor would like to hear it." "I am waiting." "Well, sir, I don't know as how you would care about hearing about what we thought of you when we saw you bearing down on us." "Of course you were confident of victory?" "That's true. And many a bet we made as to the amount of prize money we'd receive. You see, your honor, the men who gets most of the fighting, and who have to work the hardest, gets the least of the prize money. But when your boat fired I heard such a strange noise. It was like the tearing of sails just above our heads. That's the Yankee wind, said I, and so it was. "My, how the cannon did roar! Both sides were hard at it, and made a most hideous noise. "Then I heard the shots strike the sides of our ship, and the timbers flew in pieces like kindling wood. "It was my first battle, and I trembled at the noise. "Presently I saw the blood fly suddenly from the arm of a man serving at my gun. I don't know what hit him, but there was the blood. "I hadn't much time to look around, for the boys belonging to the guns next to mine were all wounded, and I had to serve four guns. And that was hard work. "My chum, Harry Lanyon, was serving at the next gun to me, and I saw a great ball strike him on the leg. "Before he could be moved, the boy at the next gun had some canister sent through his ankle. "A stout Yorkshireman lifted the boys, one after the other, and carried them to the cockpit. Each had to lose a leg. "Then I rushed on deck. I was made frantic with what I had seen. "I ran up to Tom Smithers--your honor didn't know Tom, but he was one of the bravest men that ever lived. Tom sprang forward to bid me go back to my duty, but before he could finish what he was saying he was cut clean in two by a terrible shot.