Here on February 24th a British war-brig called the _Espiègle_, Captain John Taylor, was seen at anchor in the mouth of the river. As that was British territory there was every incentive to attack her, and as she carried eighteen thirty-twos she was a fair match. Captain Lawrence therefore went hunting her, but while following the channel around Caroband Bank he “at half past three P.M. discovered another sail on our weather-quarter edging down for us. At twenty minutes past four she hoisted English colors, at which we discovered her to be a large man-of-war brig--beat to quarters, cleared ship for action, and kept close by the wind in order, if possible, to get the weather-gauge.” So runs the report of Captain Lawrence. The enemy was the British man-of-war brig _Peacock_, Captain William Peake. When the British brig was discovered the _Hornet_ was in less than twenty-four feet of water, and although she stood off shore somewhat to weather the enemy, the contest that followed was over good anchorage ground from beginning to end. From 4.20 P.M. until 5.10 the two vessels jockeyed for position, as yachtsmen would say, and then, seeing he had won the position, Captain Lawrence brought the _Hornet_ around from the port to the starboard tack and headed across the bows of the enemy, who was still on the port tack. As the sails filled he flung the American ensign to the breeze. Silently but swiftly the two ships approached each other, sailing almost in opposite directions for fifteen anxious minutes, and then at 5.25 o’clock “within half pistol shot,” both ships opened fire, not with all their guns in one thunderous discharge, but gun after gun in swift succession, as each one could be brought to bear--gun after gun until ten on each had boomed. From the Englishman ten shots flew high over the _Hornet’s_ deck. One of them killed a man in the mizzentop and another slightly wounded two men in the maintop. From the Yankee ten round shot were driven straight into the _Peacock’s_ hull. [Illustration: Diagram of the HORNET-PEACOCK BATTLE.] In a moment the two ships had passed each other. The _Peacock_ at once wore around before the wind to come to it on the other tack, while the _Hornet_ squared away across the _Peacock’s_ stern, and in a jiffy the Yankee’s bow was against the enemy’s quarter and the Yankee gunners were shooting her literally full of holes. At this moment Captain Peake of the _Peacock_ was killed. The Yankee gunners worked so swiftly that the guns got heated and some of the men dipped up the water of the sea in buckets to pour on the guns to keep them cool. The enemy were unable to face the murderous blast and hauled down the flag at 5.39 o’clock. The action had lasted from the first gun-fire until the flag came down but fourteen minutes.