Page:A narrative of the life of Solomon Mack.djvu/15

 were chased by five British privateers; they drove us in upon Horse-neck, where we got some of our guns on shore; we brought them to bear upon the enemy, we exchanged a great many shots; they mattered our vessel and cut away our rigging. The next day our officers went up into town, and five repaired our vessel — then hauld off from the wharf — then cast anchor — every man on board went to their rest except myself in the month of March and very soon I espied two Row-gallies, two sloops two schooners; I rallied all hands on deck; they quick obeyed and we weighed anchor; then hauld by the side of the wharf but had only time to get two cannon out on the point of land, and two on the stearn of the vessel; this engagement began in the morning — the enemy gave us a broad side and where the bullets struck it had the appearance of a furrow made by a plough. Staddles in gun shot was all cut asunder; one of the Row-gallies went round the point of land to hem us in, and they had near ran aground, but with our finall arms we killed forty of the enemy. We sent our cabin boys up to a house near the shore with a wounded man. Just as the boys entered the door there came an eighteen pounder into the house, and the woman was frying cakes over the fire, Says the woman to the boys, take the cakes, and I will go down cellar. By our killing so many of the enemy they thought proper to