English had built expressly to overlay the Oneida, two or three years
before, and which was big enough to eat us. Her officers, however, did not
belong to the Royal Navy; and we made such a show of schooners, that,
though she had herself a vessel or two in company, she did not choose to
wait for us. We chased her into the Bay of Quinte, and there we lost her
in the darkness. Next morning, however, we saw her at anchor in the
channel that leads to Kingston. A general chase now commenced, and we ran
down into the bay, and engaged the ship and batteries, as close as we
could well get. The firing was sharp on both sides, and it lasted a great
while. I was stationed at a gun, as her second captain, and was too busy
to see much; but I know we kept our piece speaking as fast as we could,
for a good bit. We drove the Royal George from a second anchorage, quite
up to a berth abreast of the town; and it was said that her people
actually deserted her, at one time. We gave her nothing but round-shot
from our gun, and these we gave her with all our hearts. Whenever we
noticed the shore, a stand of grape was added.

I know nothing of the damage done the enemy. We had the best of it, so far
as I could see; and I think, if the weather had not compelled us to haul
off, something serious might have been done. As it was, we beat out with
flying colours, and anchored a few miles from the light.

These were the first shot I ever saw fired in anger. Our brig had one man
killed and three wounded, and she was somewhat injured aloft. One shot
came in not far from my gun, and scattered lots of cat-tails, breaking in
the hammock-cloths. This was the nearest chance I ran, that day; and, on
the whole, I think we escaped pretty well. On our return to the harbour,
the ten Scourges who had volunteered for the cruise, returned to their own
schooner. None of us were hurt, though all of us were half frozen, the
water freezing as fast as it fell.