Moreover, there was no need for that movement. The _Hornet_ forged ahead over the heavy sea, and the bowsprit of the _Penguin_ caught her mizzen rigging and carried it away, and then the boat davits and spanker-boom as well. The broken boom dropped on a marine who had already had his leg broken by a musket-ball and it broke the leg again, yet the eager fellow wriggled around and strove to point his musket at the British in the foretop of the _Penguin_. The _Penguin’s_ chief officer shouted that he had surrendered, and Captain Biddle, after ordering his men to cease firing, climbed up on the _Hornet’s_ rail. At that two of the British marines, who, very likely, had not heard their chief officer surrender, fired at Biddle and at the man at the _Hornet’s_ wheel. Biddle was severely wounded, and the two marines were instantly killed by a return fire from the Americans. Then the _Penguin_ drifted clear. Her bowsprit fell into the sea, broken short off above the figure-head, and her foremast fell over the lee rail. Her bow came up into the wind, and with such canvas as was spread on her mainmast flat aback, she drifted stern on, a helpless wreck. The _Hornet_ wore around before the wind and came back with a fresh broadside ready, but McDonald hauled down the _Penguin’s_ flag and once more shouted that she had surrendered. The first of the two “actions of a disgraceful character to the Americans” was ended. It had lasted but twenty minutes from the first gun. The comparison between the ships, their armament and their crews, is exceedingly pleasing to an American. Rarely have two vessels so nearly equal met in deadly conflict. Under the arbitrary rule of measuring ships the Yankee was three tons larger than the Englishman, but the Englishman had “a slightly greater breadth of beam, stouter sides, and higher bulwarks.” That is to say, the British sailors were protected better than the Americans were. The Yankee carried eighteen short thirty-twos and two long twelves, making an actual-weight broadside of two hundred and seventy-nine pounds of metal. The _Penguin_, according to Captain Biddle, carried sixteen short thirty-twos, one short twelve on the forecastle, and two long twelves arranged so that both could be fired on one side, but James says she had long sixes instead of long twelves. It is certain that before this war the British vessels of the class of the _Penguin_ did usually carry long sixes for bow-chasers, but the _Penguin_, was a new vessel, built after the effectiveness of the larger guns carried by the Yankees had been abundantly demonstrated. The new British frigates carried long twenty-fours instead of long eighteens, as the older frigates had carried, so it is entirely reasonable to believe that Captain Biddle told the truth when he reported on the size of the _Penguin’s_ guns. Moreover, Biddle was a careful man. He put a tape-line on the _Penguin’s_ hull to get at her dimensions, and no one disputes the measurements he made there.