At that moment, when it all seemed over, Captain Landais fired a broadside from the Alliance into the Bonhomme Richard.  Captain Jones called to him in God’s name to desist, but he circled about the two ships and fired again and again into his ally, killing and wounding a number of men and officers.  It was believed that the Alliance had been captured by the enemy and had joined in the attack on the Bonhomme Richard, which was so injured that she began slowly to sink.  Having wrought this irreparable damage, the Alliance drew off and ceased her murderous work.

Jones incited his prisoners to desperate pumping by the report that the Serapis must soon go down and that the only way to save themselves from drowning was to keep the Bonhomme afloat.  An officer ran to the quarter deck to haul down the colors, but they had been shot away.  He then hurried to the taffrail and shouted for quarter.  Jones, being in another part of the ship, did not hear him.  The British commander mustered his men to board the American, but they were driven back by the firing from the rigging of the Bonhomme Richard.  The condition of the latter could not have been more desperate.  She was so mangled that she began to settle, most of her guns had been disabled, a fire that could not be checked was already close to her magazine and several hundred prisoners were stealing here and there, waiting for a chance to strike from behind.

[Illustration:  OLD-TIME BATTLESHIPS.]

A deserter had slipped on board of the Serapis in the confusion and acquainted the commander with the frightful plight of the American.  After firing with renewed ardor for several minutes Captain Pearson again called to know whether Jones had surrendered.  He shouted back a defiant negative, and, pistol in hand, ordered his men to the guns, threatening to kill the first one who refused.  All knew his temper too well to hesitate, and the battle was renewed with greater fury than before.  Captain Pearson could not believe the condition of the Bonhomme Richard as bad as was represented by the deserter.  He had lost a great many men, all his guns were silenced, and, being utterly unable to make any further defence, he hauled down his flag with his own hands.

The surrender was just in time to save the Bonhomme Richard, which was in danger of going down and blowing up.  The united efforts of both crews were necessary to extinguish the flames before they reached the magazine.  She was kept afloat through the night, while the wounded and prisoners were transferred to the Serapis.  Then the battered and riddled old hulk plunged downward bow foremost into the depths of the German Ocean.

[Illustration:  MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN JOHN PAUL JONES.]