1812	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	134

The midshipman Keele was not killed outright, but died the day following. He was only thirteen years of age, and it was the first time he had ever been at sea. He had his leg amputated, and anxiously inquired, soon after the action was over, if the ship had struck. Seeing a ship's colour spread over him, the gallant youth grew uneasy, until he was convinced it was an English flag. The following is the account, which Mr. Humble, the boatswain, gave of himself at the court-martial: " I was down about an hour, when I got my arm put a little to rights by a tourniquet being put on it - nothing else ; my hand was carried away, and my arm wounded about the elbow. I put my arm into the bosom of my shirt, and went up again, when I saw the enemy ahead of us, repairing his damages. I had my orders from Lieutenant Chads, before the action began, to cheer up the boarders with my pipe, that they might make a clean spring in boarding. "

The Constitution received several shot in her hull, and also in her masts, particularly her fore and mizen masts ; but these, the mainmast especially, were far too stout even to require fishing in consequence. Out of her eight boats, it is acknowledged that the ship, when the action ended, had only one left in a state to take the water; a tolerable proof that her damages were by no means so trifling as was afterwards represented by the Americans. From the same cause, the loss on board the Constitution, although stated by Commodore Bainbridge at only nine killed and 25 wounded, must have been quite as much as the British official account makes it : 10 men killed, her fifth lieutenant, Mr. John C. Aylwin (the same who was wounded as master in the Guerrière's action), and four men mortally wounded, the commodore wounded slightly, and about 42 others, most of them severely. Having none of her men absent in prizes, the Constitution had on board her full complement, besides two or three supernumeraries ; making 477 men and three (as we shall say, although one only, a lad of 17, was seen) boys. By adding about 100 men to the Guerrière's crew, the " Comparative force " in her action will suffice to refer to on the present occasion.

The Constitution captured the Java certainly, but in so discreditable a manner, that, had the latter been manned with a well-trained crew of 320 men, no doubt remains in our mind, and we have considered the subject seriously, that, notwithstanding her vast superiority of force, the American frigate must either have succumbed or have fled. Indeed, if American report be worth attending to, Captain Bainbridge, once during the heat of the action, had an idea of resorting to the latter alternative ; but his first Lieutenant, Mr. Parker (a native of Great

* See p. 104.

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