HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE,
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swivels, and may be rowed by their crews, which are very numerous, at therate of four knots, or miles, an hour.
The mode of attack generally practised by these naval marauders was ex-tremely formidable, and difficult to be resisted, insomuch that they had fre-quently the boldness to attack, and, very often make themselves masters of,vessels whose force was deemed considerable. Angria’s fleet, in particular, had theresolution to assail three Dutch ships at one time, the largest of which mountedhfty guns : two of these were burnt, and one captured. It was their custom toslip their cables, and put to sea on the instant of discovering any one, or morevessels, which they thought proper to attack. Provided there happened to bea fresh breeze, they relied solely on their sailing, which seldom failed to bringthem quickly up with their prey : if it chanced to be calm, the grabs weretowed by the gallivats, and by that means gained on the chace, which had inneither instance any chance of escape. As soon as they arrived within point blankshot, they all, commonly, drew up in a line under the stern, the grabs commenceda cannonade from their prow guns, and firing constantly at the masts, were, ingeneral, fortunate enough to render the chace so completely defenceless and pow-erless, as to prevent escape; the gallivats then rowing up, poured in their crewson all sides, when all further resistance became an act of folly and desperation.
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VOL. III.
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