In the meantime, we observed that the two praams, and
two gun-boats, which had remained behind us, and had been firing at the
_Racehorse_, had also divided--one praam attacking the _Acasta_, the two
gun-boats playing upon the _Isis_, and the other praam engaging the
_Rattlesnake _and _Reindeer_; the latter vessel being in a line with us,
and about half a mile further out, so that she could not return any
effectual fire, or, indeed, receive much damage. The _Rattlesnake_ had
the worst of it, the fire of the praam being chiefly directed to her. At
the distance chosen by the enemy, the frigate's guns reached, but the
other men-of-war, having only two long guns, were not able to return the
fire but with their two, the carronades being useless.
One of the praams mounted ten guns, and the other eight. The last was
opposed to the _Rattlesnake_, and the fire was kept up very smartly,
particularly by the _Acasta_ and the enemy. In about a quarter of an
hour I arrived with my division close to the vessel which was nearest to
the enemy. It was a large Sunderland-built ship. The gun-boats, which
were within a quarter of a mile of her, sweeping to her as fast as they
could, as soon as they perceived our approach, directed their fire upon
us, but without success, except the last discharge, in which, we being
near enough, they had loaded with grape. The shot fell a little short,
but one piece of grape struck one of the bowmen of the pinnace, taking
off three fingers of his right hand as he was pulling his oar.
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