there senior in rank to the acting-master, and the prize not yet taken possession of, he immediately jumped into her main-chains, followed by a party of boarders, and, although unexpectedly opposed, soon subdued the Frenchmen who had thus unwarrantably resumed their arms, driving the greater part of them into the main-chains of the Mars. In this hand-to-hand conflict he had the misfortune to miss his aim when making a thrust with his pike at the second captain, and his foot slipping, he was precipitated from the quarter-deck down to the orlop, by which fall he lost three teeth and received a severe contusion in the right knee, but luckily he was not incapacitated from retaining the charge of l’Hercule[1].
After finally subduing the enemy’s ship, and getting her clear of the Mars, Lieutenant Bowker and his followers, only one of whom was wounded, had to contend with an alarming fire in four different places; and from the great quantity of powder which they found, at day-light, had been spilled on various parts of l’Hercule’s decks, it may fairly be inferred that she was only saved from being blown up by the bodies of the killed and dying Frenchmen lying so thick in all directions as to prevent the formation of a continued train to the magazine.
After conducting l’Hercule to Lord Bridport’s fleet, the subject of this memoir returned to the Mars, and remained in her as first-lieutenant, until the spring of 1799. From that period till the peace of Amiens we find him serving in the Prince, and another second rate, both bearing the flag of his friend Sir Charles Cotton. On the renewal of hostilities, in May 1803, the same amiable officer being appointed second in command of the Channel fleet, was pleased to select Mr. Bowker to be his first lieutenant, in the San Josef of 120 guns; and in the autumn of 1806 he gave him an order to act as commander of the Atalante brig, forming part of a squadron stationed off Rochefort, under the orders of Sir Samuel Hood.
- ↑ Errata – Vol. II. Part II. note † at p. 616 – after wounded, insert officially reported; and after second lieutenant, insert who had a fair claim to be included in the report.
