Now, although Captain Hull headed the _Constitution_ offshore, he did not by any means try to avoid the _Guerrière_. He held a course enough to the eastward to enable her to draw near. What he wanted was to draw her clear of the rest before he fought her. But in this he was not successful. At 3.30 o’clock the next morning (July 18th) the _Guerrière_ was but half a mile from the _Constitution_, and the two were nearing each other hopefully, when the _Guerrière_ saw for the first time the other ships spread out inshore in chase. At that Captain Dacres made the private British signal, but it was not answered because the captains inshore assumed that Dacres knew who they were--and that misunderstanding led these captains to say unpleasant things to each other afterwards. Supposing that the failure to answer his signals was due to the ships inshore being Yankees, Captain Dacres wore the _Guerrière_ around and ran away from the _Constitution_ for some time before he discovered his mistake. Meantime the ships inshore had had the benefit of enough wind to bring them within dangerous distance of the _Constitution_, so that when the wind failed the _Constitution_, as it did at 5.30 in the morning, her condition was desperate. The _Guerrière_ having once more entered the chase, there were four frigates and a ship of the line all spread out in such fashion as would enable them to take advantage of the slightest change in the direction of the wind, and three of them were less than five miles away. It was then that the most famous race between warships known to the annals of the American navy really began, for up to that time Captain Hull had not tried to avoid the _Guerrière_. Seeing now that he must fly from all, Captain Hull called away all his boats, and running a line to them, sent them ahead, towing the _Constitution_ away to southward. Although some little air was still wafting on the enemy they very promptly imitated the example of the _Constitution_. In fact, they did better, for the boats of the squadron were concentrated on two ships, and what with their aid and the faint zephyr blowing they gained rapidly on the _Constitution_. In fact, at 6 o’clock the _Shannon_, which was in the lead, opened fire on the _Constitution_, her captain being of the opinion that she was within reach of the long guns. The shot failed to reach, but the captain of the _Constitution_ “being determined they should not get her without resistance on our part, notwithstanding their force,” ordered one of the long twenty-four pounders brought from the gun-deck up to the poop where it would bear over the stern at the enemy. A long eighteen was brought from the forecastle to do similar service, while two long twenty-fours were run out of the cabin windows below. [Illustration: _Africa._ _Constitution._ _Shannon._ _Eolus._ _Guerrière._ _Belvidera._ The _Constitution’s_ Escape from the British Squadron after a Chase of Sixty Hours.