A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 31: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

28 A QUMER RACE. concluded (.n which opinion Bolsover, with whom i afterward discussed the point, coucurred) that at this time she was probably a few degrees south of the equator, and not far from the coast of Brazil, sailing west-son’- west; while the galleons, when first seen, were sailing nor’-cast by north. One of them scems to have been a little in advance of the other, and Captain Barnaby’s plan was to entice the first-—-and therefore presumably the faster sailer—to follow him, and so separate the two ships as widely as possible before engaging. ‘lo this end he spread ull the canvas he could, but slowly and clumsily, in order to give the idea that he was short-handed, and then slipped a spar over the ship’s stern as a drag to check her speed. ‘The bait took. The galleons, after exchanging signals, hoisted the Spanish flag, whereupon the leading vessel (which, as afterward appeared, was the Santa Anna, the other being the Ruy Blas) gave chase. She -was by no mens a bad sailer, and came on so fast that Captain Burnaby soon found it expedient to haul in the spar and go uheud. But when he had got her fairly away, the course of the Hecate was suddenly changed. ‘Turning on her heel, so to speak, she passed the Santa Anna’s bows, deiivering a broadside that raked her from stem to stern; and before the Spaniards had time to recover from the confusion into which they were thrown by this unex- pected salute, the frigate ran alongside and gave her a second broadside. As Captain Barnaby had given orders to fire high and take careful aim, the two broadsides wrought great havoc among the Santa Anna’s rigging. A top- mast and several other spars were shot away, the shrouds cut into ribbons, and altogether so much damage was done that she could by no possibility make a move for several hours. Captain Barnaby next turned his attention to the Ruy Blas, which was gallantly bearing up to her consort’s help. ‘The Hecate, having got the weather gauge, was quite prepared, and the two ships were soon at close quar- ters. The Spaniards stood well to their guns, and a hot fight followed, which, according to Mr. Hare, lasted nearly an hour. ‘“'The scene on deck,” wrote the poor chaplain, “ was past describing. The half-naked sailors, working the ~ Gomme JOO ‘S.Cco m