Soon we were out of range of the grape, and then we ran across the ship's bow, every man loading and discharging his musket at the crew of the towing-boats as rapidly as possible. [Illustration: SOON WE WERE OUT OF REACH OF THE GRAPE, AND THEN WE RAN ACROSS THE SHIP'S BOW.] "They can't stand that kind of a game very long," Master Hackett said, as he wounded one of the Britishers in the foremost boat. "They've come out to pull an oar an' ain't in shape for a fight, so it don't stand to reason they'll hold their ground a great while." The British oarsmen were already beginning to slacken their pace, and I looked astern to make out what our people counted on doing while we lay there preventing the work of towing. The sight was one to warm the blood even of a coward. All our boats were out and being manned rapidly, and I had no need to ask what would be the next move. "Ay, lad, the captain is goin' to board her," Master Hackett said quietly, when I called his attention to the frigate. "I counted the old man would be at that fun mighty soon after we'd got into position, an' the worst of it is that we don't have a hand in the scrimmage." We soon learned to our sorrow that we had a scrimmage of our own which would occupy us in good shape so long as the towing-boats were kept out. The Britishers had brought two guns on the forecastle-deck, and began giving us our medicine just as the _Essex's_ crew were pulling away from her side. The first discharge did us no damage; but it was not difficult to guess that after the gunners once got our range we would suffer severely, and again I had hard work to prevent showing the white feather. The grape came nearer and nearer, the gunners working the pieces faster than I had ever thought could be possible, and we kept peppering away at the men in the boats, firing so lively that soon they were driven in; but it had cost two of our fellows slight wounds. The grapeshot would settle our business very speedily, I believed, unless our boarding party came along soon, and I looked anxiously astern. The oars flashed in the water at the rate of forty strokes a minute, and our men were cheering lustily as they thought of adding another to the long list of prizes credited to the _Essex_. Now the grape was coming with truer aim; two of our oars had been sheered off close to the rail, as neatly as if done by an axe, and it seemed certain some one of us would soon lose the number of his mess; yet, strange to say, I was not so terribly frightened as the situation warranted. "The boarders will soon be goin' over the Britisher's rail, an' then comes the time for us to pull a little nearer," Master Hackett whispered to me, as if thinking I needed cheering. "Take aim at the gunners, an' it'll make you a heap easier in mind if you can knock one over." I discharged my musket with careful aim, and then looked over my shoulder while reloading to ascertain whether the rest of our people were coming up.