Two  other  batteries  were  manned  by  the  Barra-
tarians,  who  served  their  pieces  with  the  steadiness
and  precision  of  veteran  gunners.  In  the  first  attack
of  the  enemy,  a  column  pushed  forward  between  the
levee  and  river;  and  so  precipitate  was  their  charge
that  the  outposts  were  forced  to  retire,  closely  pressed
by  the  enemy.  Before  the  batteries  could  meet  the
charge,  clearing  the  ditch,  they  gained  the  redoubt
through    the    embrasures,   leaping   over   the    parapet,


JEAN  LAFITTE  263

and  overwhelming  by  their  superior  force  the  small
party  stationed  there.
Lafitte,  who  was  commanding  in  conjunction  with
his  officers,  at  one  of  the  guns,  no  sooner  saw  the  bold
movement  of  the  enemy,  than  calling  a  few  of  his  best
men  by  his  side,  he  sprung  forward  to  the  point  of
danger,  and  clearing  the  breastwork  of  the  entrench-
ments, leaped,  cutlass  in  hand,  into  the  midst  of  the
enemy,  followed  by  a  score  of  his  men,  who  in  many
a  hard  fought  battle  upon  his  own  deck,  had  been  well
tried.
Astonished  at  the  intrepidity  which  could  lead  men
to  leave  their  entrenchments  and  meet  them  hand  to
hand,  and  pressed  by  the  suddenness  of  the  charge,
which  was  made  with  the  recklessness,  skill  and
rapidity  of  practised  boarders  bounding  upon  the
deck  of  an  enemy's  vessel,  they  began  to  give  way,
while  one  after  another,  two  British  officers  fell  be-
fore the  cutlass  of  the  pirate,  as  they  were  bravely  en-
couraging their  men.  All  the  energies  of  the  British
were  now  concentrated  to  scale  the  breastwork,  which
one  daring  officer  had  already  mounted.  While
Lafitte  and  his  followers,  seconding  a  gallant  band  of
volunteer  riflemen,  formed  a  phalanx  which  they  in
vain  essayed  to  penetrate.
