"They're badly crowded." Then, turning to his companions, he said:-- "Lie down, quick, they'll fire in a moment." The boys could see no indication of any such purpose on the part of the British marines, but Sam knew what he was about and he knew that his next order to his boys would draw a volley upon them.
Turning to Tom, and straightening himself up to his full height, while the British officer was loudly calling to him to lie to and surrender, Sam cried out: "Jam your helm down to larboard, Tom, quick and hard, and ram her into 'em!" Tom was on the point of hesitating, but remembering Sam's previous injunction and his own promise, he did as he was ordered, suddenly changing the boat's course and running her directly toward the British row boat, which was now not a dozen yards away.

The speed at which she was going was fearful.

The British, seeing the manoeuvre, fired, but wildly, and the next moment Sam's great solid hulk of a boat struck the British craft amidships, crushed in her sides, cut her in two, and literally ran over her.
"Now, bring her back to the wind," cried Sam, "and hold your course." The boat swung around and was flying before the wind again in a second.

Boats were rapidly lowered from the war ship to rescue the struggling marines from the water into which Sam had so unceremoniously thrown them.
"Three cheers for our naval victory, and three more for our commodore!" called out Billy Bowlegs, and the response came quickly.
"It's too soon to cheer," said Sam.

"We're not out of the scrape yet." The next moment a puff of smoke showed itself on the side of the war ship and a shower of grape shot whizzed angrily around the boat.