The latter
called two or three sailors and bade them bring some short lengths of
thick hawser, while a strong party were set to reeve tackle to the
mainyard. As soon as the hawsers, each thirty feet in length, were
brought, they were dropped on to the deck of the _Fan Fan_, and the
officer told the crew to pass them under her, one near each end, and
to knot the hawsers. By the time this was done, two strong tackles
were lowered and fixed to the hawsers, and the crew ordered to come
up on to the ship. The tackles were then manned and hauled on by
strong parties, and the _Fan Fan_ was gradually raised. The
boatswain went below again and knocked out the plug, and, as the
little yacht was hoisted up, the water ran out of it. As soon as the
hole was above the water-level, the tackle at the bow was gradually
slackened off until she lay with her fore-part in the water, which
came some distance up her deck. The carpenter then slung himself over
the stern, and nailed, first a piece of tarred canvas, and then a
square of plank, over the hole. Then the stern tackle was eased off,
and the _Fan Fan_ floated on a level keel. Her crew went down to her
again, and, in half an hour, pumped her free of water.
By this time, the results of the victory were known. On the English
side, the _Resolution_ was the only ship lost, she having been burnt
by a Dutch fire-ship; three English captains, and about three hundred
men were killed. On the other hand, the Dutch lost twenty ships, four
admirals, a great many of their captains, and some four thousand men.
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