The frigates were now within gunshot of each other, and it was impossible to say which vessel would first attain the desired goal. The foremost guns of the respective ships which had been trained forward were reported to bear upon the enemy, and both commanders were aware that “knocking away a stick” — i.e., the shots striking the masts or yards of her opponent, so as to occasion them to fall — would decide the point.
— Frederick Marryat, The King’s Own
Action at sea: a French frigate completely dismasted, by Robert Dodd, late 18th century to early 19th century.
