about midnight
The sun had now set , but far into the darkness of the tropical night the running fight continued , Foster always out-manouvring the Dutchman , and the crews of both vessels , when they closed near enough to be heard , cursing and mocking at each other . Owing to the darkness and the extremely bad gunnery on both sides , little blood was spilt , and the damage done was mostly confined to the sails and rigging . Now and then a eighteen-pound shot hulled the _ Policy _ , and one went clean through her amidships . Suddenly , for some cause or other , about midnight , a light was shown in the privateer 's stern , and Foster 's second mate at once sent a lucky shot at it , with the result that the six-pound ball so damaged the _ Swift 's _ rudder that she became unmanageable . And then , a few minutes later , another shot dismounted one of her guns by striking it on the muzzle , and ere the Dutchman 's crew knew what was happening , a final broadside from the whaler brought down her two topsails and did other damage aloft . That practically ended the battle . So thought Captain Portveldt , who now hailed the _ Policy _ in not quite so boastful a voice as when the vessels met earlier in the day .