_ Captain Robarts, with his characteristic
good-breeding, went to anchor in-shore of Her Majesty's ship: the wind
failed at a critical moment, and a foul became inevitable. Collier was on
his quarter-deck, and saw what would happen long before Robarts did; he
gave the needful orders, and it was beautiful to see how in half a minute
the frigate's guns were run in, her ports lowered, her yards toppled on
end, and a spring carried out and hauled on.
The _Agra_ struck abreast her own forechains on the _Salamanca's_
quarter.
(Pipe.) "Boarders away. Tomahawks! cut everything that holds!" was heard
from the frigate's quarter-deck. Rush came a boarding party on to the
merchant ship and hacked away without mercy all her lower rigging that
held on to the frigate, signal halyards and all; others boomed her off
with capstan bars, &c., and in two minutes the ships were clear. A
lieutenant and boat's crew came for Robarts, and ordered him on board the
_Salamanca,_ and, to make sure of his coming, took him back with them. He
found Commodore Collier standing stiff as a ramrod on his quarter-deck.
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