The Battle of Flamborough Head, an eye witness account of the battle of Flamborough Head by John Paul Jones's Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning of Conneticut (part h)

She had by this time got under our stern which we could not prevent.  And now she raked us with whole broadsides, and showers of musketry.  She made a dreadful havoc among our crew and could outsail us by two feet to one.  They kept under our stern, raking us fore and aft till at length the poor French colonel, who was stationed upon the poop, finding almost all his men slain had to retire the quarter-deck.  If it had lasted one half hour longer the enemy would have slain nearly all our officers and men.   Captain Jones ordered the sailing master, a true blooded yankee whose name was Stacy, to run our jib boom into Serapis.  Jones at the same time cried out "Well done, my brave lads, we have got her now; throw on board the grappling irons and stand by for boarding." Jones assisted Mr Stacy fasten the end of the enemies jib stay to our mizzen mast where he checked him for swearing by saying "Mister Stacy, it is no time for swearing now, you may by the next moment be in eternity".