[Illustration: Perry and his Officers on Board the Flag-ship _Lawrence_, Preparing for the Engagement. _From an old wood-cut._] Reaching the open lake the enemy was seen five or six miles away--on the horizon line--the new sails of the _Detroit_ gleaming silver-white in the morning sun. The wind, although the day was now beautiful to the eye, was variable--first from one quarter and then from another, and not too much of it from any direction. Heading away toward the British squadron, Perry strove as a yachtsman might do to get to windward, but finding that some of the islands were in the way he determined in order to end the jockeying and reach the enemy the sooner that he would square away under the lee of the islands. As he gave this order his sailing-master ventured to remonstrate: “Then you will have to engage the enemy to leeward, sir,” he said. “I don’t care,” replied Perry; “to windward or to leeward, they shall fight to-day.” [Illustration: PERRYS VICTORY. The Approach. Ward’s “Naval Tactics.”] But before the order could be executed the wind shifted once more and came in a light but fairly steady breeze from the south shore. The Americans now had the weather-gage and could run down with free sheets upon the enemy. At this the American ships were formed in line of battle upon the plan decided on the night before, and all hands cleared ship for action. This done, the purser brought up from the cabin a roll of bunting, which he handed to Captain Perry. Calling the attention of the men to it as they stood at their guns, Perry spread it out before their eyes--a field of blue bunting more than eight feet square, on which had been sewed in big white muslin letters the last words of the dying Lawrence: “Don’t give up the ship.” “Shall I hoist it?” said Perry to his men, and with one voice they shouted: “Aye, Aye, Sir!” A minute later it was run up fluttering to the main truck, and there it remained until one of the most remarkable events known to the history of naval warfare demanded that it be lowered. By the time this flag was set 10 o’clock had come, and the enemy was still a long way off, for the wind was very light. So Perry, thoughtful for the comfort of his men, ordered food and the usual allowance of grog served to all hands. This done, the mess kits were cleared away, and then men drew water in buckets from over the rail and thoroughly wet down the decks fore and aft, so that powder scattered in the haste of battle might be made harmless. And when these were wet other men went to and fro sprinkling clean sand, gathered from the lake shore, thickly over the deck. It was to give the men at the guns a good foothold, even when the deck should be flooded with blood.