We'll close with him at all odds, and then the British bull-dog must see to it." We gave him another cheer, and then a cloud of white smoke burst from the Frenchman's fore deck, and our topmast and all its hamper came down with a crash, and our deck rumbled with bitter curses.
"-- -- him!" said Martin Cohu.

"That's not fair play.

Dismantling shot or I'm a Dutchman! It's only devils and Yankees use shot like that.

---- me, if we don't hang him if we catch him." John Ozanne tried him with our long gun forward, but the shot fell short.
In point of metal the Frenchman beat us, and our best hope was to close with him as quickly as possible.
But he knew that quite as well as we.

He was well up to his business, and chose his own distance.