1812     FROLIC AND WASP     111

in broadside after broadside, until, believing that he had so thinned the deck of the British brig, that no opposition could be offered, Captain Jones determined to board and end the contest. The Wasp accordingly wore, and, running down upon the Frolic, soon brought the latter's jib-boom between her fore and main rigging, and two of her own carronades in a direction with the bow ports of her defenceless antagonist. Having so fine an opportunity of further diminishing the strength of his opponent, Captain Jones would not board until a raking fire was poured in : it was poured in, and swept the whole range of the Frolic's deck.

A British seaman belonging to the Wasp, named Jack Lang, was now about to spring on the brig's bowsprit and put a stop to the carnage ; but Captain Jones, observing that some one yet lived on the Frolic's deck, pulled him back, and ordered another broadside to be fired. At length, when the action altogether had lasted 43 minutes, and when the American ship had had nearly the whole firing to herself for 33 minutes, the officers and men of the Wasp, led by Lieutenant George William Rodgers, boarded the Frolic. The Americans, according to their account, did not see a single man alive upon the Frolic's deck, except the seaman at the wheel and three officers. Two of those officers were Captain Whinyates and his second lieutenant, Frederick Boughton Wintle; both so severely wounded as to be unable to stand without supporting themselves. Contrary to the American statement, however, 17 of the Frolic's men were also on deck. The remainder of the survivors were below, attending to the wounded, and performing other necessary duties. Lieutenant James Biddle, first of the Wasp, had now the honour of striking the Frolic's colours, as they were lashed to the main rigging.

The Frolic was of course much shattered in her hull ; and her two masts, from the wounds they had received, fell over the side in a few minutes after her surrender. Out of her 92 men (including one passenger, an invalided soldier) and 18 boys, the Frolic had 15 seamen and marines killed, her commander, two lieutenants (Charles M'Kay, mortally, and Mr. Wintle), master (John Stephens, mortally), and 43 seamen and marines wounded. The Wasp received a few shot in her hull, one near her magazine ; and her three lower masts were wounded, but, owing chiefly to the goodness of the sticks, none of them fell. The American sloop began the action with a crew of 138, one of whom was a lad of 17 or 18 years of age, the remainder young and able-bodied seamen, with, as subsequently proved, many British among them; and even the midshipmen, of whom the Wasp had 12 or 13, while the Frolic had but one, and he a boy, were full-grown men, chiefly masters and mates of American merchantmen. Out of this fine crew, the Wasp had eight killed, and about the same number wounded.

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