^. ^ ^^' .0. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 Ui|2£ |2.5 150 i"^" Mas ■ •10 ^ liii ill 2.2 - ■- IIIIM I.I u 1.25 JA 16 V <^ /a Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 •jmrnixummpif^-^^^^^^?^'^^^^^'^^^^*^^*^^'''^^^^^^'^'- CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques >!'! !4i ' egA<£iMlM!l»IW«lrJ Technical and Bibliographic NoAs/Nofes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a At6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^thode normale de filmage sont indiquds ci-dessous. D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ D D D D Couverture endommag^e Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^e et/ou pelliculAe Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reiiure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int6rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmies. I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommag6es I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ m Pages restaurdes et/ou peliiculdes Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es. tachetdes ou piqu^es I I Pages detached/ D D D n Pages d6tach6es Showthrough/ Transparence I I Showthrough/ Quality of print varies/ Qualit^ indgaie de i'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel suppitSmentaire Only edition available/ Seule Mition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc.. ont M film6es d nouveau de fagon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. ^p^ Additional comments:/ 't-.J Commantaires supplAmentaires: /l XI uommani f This item Is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 12X 16X 20X 26X 30X m 24X 28X n 32X ■9 6tails IS du nodifier ir une ilmage 9S errata to ' pelure, >n d n 32X i The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library of Congress Photodupilcation Service The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire filmA f ut reproduit grAce d la gAnArositA de: Library of Congress Photodupilcation Service Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nottetA de l'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de fllmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprlmie sont film6s en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Imprassion ou d'iilustratlon. soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commenpant par ta premiAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la darnlAre page qui comporte une teile empreinte. Un dea symboles suivants apparaftra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, seion le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole y signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmte A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lcrsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul cllchA, il est f llmA A partir de I'angle supArleur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. '8! r " Likeness of Heaven !— Agent of Power! Man is thy victim!— Shipwreck thy dower! Spices and jewels, from valley and sea. Armies and banners are buried in thee! " ■• u I "^^SS^^T*''"" J t • -' :r "i' ►i^iaUiiiMifeJa***^.* ■ '*i» -.iii*..*u.A'^»>..*>,. LIFE AND DEATH ON THE D © 1 ^ ffiO a a A ooixsonuN or EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES, IN TBB POBM OP PERSONAL NARRATIVES; illustrating lifk on board op merchant vessels and of ships of war; combined with thrilling relations of kzpxribnces and of suffering. IILVSTBATED WITH SLEaAHT TINTED ENOBAVINOS. FBOM DSUONS BT DABUET, K'LENAN, HAMILTON, ETC. "Ikn tlMt go down to^ n* in Rhipi, that do buslneM hi great waters, then Nt the workf or toa Lord and bis wonders in the deep."— Aotot evil, ii3-24. BY HENRY HOWE, A«nitoh* l-.ife«*k:lJ 1 865, by District of OJdo. PREFACE. MuLTTTDDEs of books bave been published upon life on the sea. These almost invariably are collections of only one of its many phases — its disasters. A few narratives of this kind are undonbt- edly attractive; yet he who attempts to read a series of only such, will discover, as he progresses, that his interest gradually weakens, until thoroughly palled, he casts the book from him, half unread, in disgust at its absence of variety. In these pages we have endeavored to present all that goes to form the life of the mariner, and in the natural connection to give descriptions of the hardships and perils, even unto death, in its most appalling forms, to which that life is peculiarly exposed. These are combined with personal narratives, the most attractive of all compositions, for they reveal to us not only the events them- selves in the minutest particulars, but excite intense sympathy by the disclosures of the thoughts and emotions which influence the minds and ihe hearts of the narrators. To most of us who have never been " fr «. sea," the revelations of those whose lives have been passed upo, . ue deep, are invested with a peculiar interest, from their novelty, and from their instruc- tion in human conduct, under circumstances so foreign to our own experience. The ^eat truth illustrated by this is, that man is the same everywhere ; and, furthermore, we possess in these incidents in the Uvea of our fellow-men, and the action of the same upon their characters, that which enlarges our own range of thought, and better prepares us for the performance of those duties which fall within our own peculiar sphere. ( iii ) " ^ '*'""_."'"' "" 1!'' ■ ;a.^' If PRKFAOE. In preparing this work, wo have had constantly in view the hcayy responflibility which all incur who issue books, lest scntimentfl ehould bo at Bcntimcnts vil tendency, been by the our common lan beaeficial CONTENTS. \ Tm Perilous Voyage of CapUin Norwood, an Officer of the Army of Ohulea the First, and the sufTeringH endured by bimeelf and Companions, on a Desert Island, on the Coast of Virginia 9 Seren Years of a Sailor's Life, among the Savages of the Caroline Islands . . 35 Successful Resistance of Three Sailors against sereral thousand Savages .... 58 Paddock's Narrative of Bondage among the Arabs, detailing the Sufferings of the Master and Crew of the Ship Oswego, upon the Coast of South Barbary 5, The Abandonment of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish Sailor, on the Island of .Inan Fernandez, where he dwelt in solitude for several years 113 Ethan Allen's Narrative of his Captivity on board of British Vessels, in the Revolutionary War .,» Incidents in the War with Tripoli I49 The Chase of the United Stetes Frigate Constitution by a British Squadron. . 161 Description, by an English Sailor Boy, of the Battle between the American Frigate United States, and the British Frigate Macedonian, together with his subsequent Adventures in the American Naval Service during the War. 166 -The Extraordinary Sufferings of Donald Campbell, who, being shipwrecked, fell into the hands of the cruel Hyder Ali igi The Captivity of Thomas Andros, since Pastor of the Church at Berkeley, Mass., on board the Old Jersey Prison-Ship jg^ A Sailor's Story of what he saw and suflbred in the Naval Service of the CTnited SUtes, in the War of the Revolution jjn (T) -■■ itm si i aii HMp^ p ^uMftj ^immtti^im liJBllilJLill J CONTKNTS. The Nnrmtivn .,f tlic Mutiny of tho nounty. with the eMap« of Captain Bligli, an.l liiH TfriloiH Voyngo of near four ll...u»and milen. in an open boat, to iho iHlBi.d ..f Ti.nor, loK.al.cr with tho f«t« of Fletcher Ohriitian. the U-nAcT of thu Mulinepn., and the final Settlement of tho latt«r at Pitcaim I»l«n a Captivity of id, by whom his 387 «ken by Pirates, de on a Desolate 419 emoiselle Pieard ; who shared the lengers, who were heir Companions. 433 recked, Captured, [adagascar 469 lUiam Nevens, in 493 any yean, in the S91 COXTENTS. v{{ Convict Liff in Aii«tr«liri. How tlipr i»Pt tliorp, nnd whnt thov uri n-hrii there, togpthnr with n Vmniiivfl «if Convict Lift- in Vnifnlk KUnd, the place for thu«c t4)o biiil for Ilol.iitiy Day 5S1 The Horrors of a Fire .it Sc.i, as sliown by the uciummiI of the Diirninp; of the Prince, a Frcncli VohhuI, Related by LlHulmiaiit Fonda, one of hur Offli-er*. 571 A Sailor's Life and Duties 577 Scenes on a Manof- War in a Hurricane 581 A Man Overboard 5gg Narrative of the Mutiny on the Soraors, a brijf-ofwar in the American Naval Service— Alexander filidell Markensie, commander— and of the Execution of Spencer, Cromwell and Small 591 Abstract of American Nautical Laws 606 Men and Thin),'s in the Nuvy of the United States, as described by the Rev. Charles Rockwell, late Chaplain iu the American Naval Service 609 1,1 Tit ( 11 I II I I ?i % P^ n 4 THE PERILOUS VOYAGE * or CAPTAIN NORWOOD. AirO THB RAUSBIPS BITDUUD BT BmSBLT AND OOHTAiflOin OK A DISBkT nLAMD ON 1 COAST OP VIRGINIA. The month of August, A. D. 1649, being the time I engaged to meet my two comrades, Major Francis Morrison, and Major Richard Fox, at London, m order to a full accomplishment of our purpose, to seek our fortunes m Virginia, pursuant to our agreement, the year before, in Hol- tand, all parties very punctually appeared at the time and place assigned ; and were all still in the same mind, fully bent to put in prac- tice what we had so solemnly agreed upon. It fell out to be about the first day of September, A. D. 1649, that we grew acquainted, on the Koyal Exchange, with Captain John Locker, whose bills upon the posts made us know he was master of a good ship, (untruly so called,) the Virginia Merchant, burden 300 tons, of force thirty guns or more. We wore not long in treaty with the captain, but agreed with him for our- selves and servants, at six pounds a head, to be transported into James river: our goods to be paid for at the current price. About the fifteenth day, we were ordered to meet the ship at Graves- end, where the captain was to clear with his merchants, and we to make our several payments; which, when we had performed, we staid not for the ship, but took -sost for the Downs, where, with some impatience, we expected her coming there. About the sixteenth, we could see the whole fleet under sail, with a south-west wind ; which, having brought them to that road, kept them there at anchor, until our money was almost spent at Deal. September 23d, the wind veered to the east, and we were summoned, by signs and guns, to repair on board. We had a fresh, heavy gale for three days, which cleared us of the channel, and put us out of soundings. With this propitious beginning, we pursued our course for about twenty days, desiring to make the Western Islands ; at which time the cooper began to complain that our water-cask was almost empty ; alleging, that there was not enough in hold for our great family, (about three hundred and thirty souls,) to serve a month. We were now, by all accounts, near the Western Islands; Fyal was that we were likely first to see, and our captains resolved to touch there to supply this defect, as the most commodious port for our purpose. The day-break of October 14th, showed us the peak of that island. As soon as we had saluted the castle, and returned, for being civilly answered, Captain John Tatam, our countryman, did the same from a^ard his goodly ship, the St. John. The English merchants, from the m town, came on board our ship, and gave us ? very civil welcome. Of I them, one Mr. Andrews, invited me, with my two comrades, to refresh I (9) ■ i»rtiiMi)i<' 10 PERILOUS VOYAGE OP CAPTAIN NORWOOD. tL a double shae: Tlittle before the time of dinner, Cap am Tatam 3 he would look out to see what change there was in the water. JNo ^oner we"e his feet upon the deck, but with stamps and noise he calls up Jhe searSen, crying L, « All hands aloft! breaches on both sides! all '"rte'^tamen were soon on deck with this dismal alarm, and saw the o«««« thereof iTut instead of applying their hands for their preservation, roue? a nenera d^ pendency, they fell on their knees, commending througa a general i~ j, j ^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ SfPwtt wt'tis? ff seel^^ ho^S the case stood, his courese faitd Mate Putts, a stout seaman, took heart agam, and cried, « Is there no cood fellow that will stand to the helm, or loose a sail? ' Bu there no gooa le now fore-mastmen that would rZied toS) y c^mmS; v!z: Thomas Reaisin and John S-ith P®""*°™ ~ " ' u for their good resolution, on that and divers i ■.■>Vv«^':,->T'-' OD. produced. Our 1 Tatam, who, in his ship the next which I took, at , Captain Tatam raa well for us he the night before, of new wine, by and down, dead ir long-boat, as it »le to the owners, ces and perils, in van into Tatam's r arrival, we were ind aspect in the linner, and, at our was a handsome ish the Portuguese I manner on ship- luchery, with very lo tedious in itself, a contests of ours me days stay upon I found the ship in shore. For if we enough to balance t in. .ve of our landlord meat, and I carried rly wind, a top-sail Lvored us at fifty or the height of Ber- he 8th; then we , we had thirty-five ivant of all things eak of day, weary i; and would have unless I could give ear break of day, J in the water. No is and noise he calls 3S on both sides! all alarm, and saw the IT their preservation, knees, commending out at the noise to stood, his coureje rain, and cried, " Is loose a sail?" But mastmen that would isin and John Smith, in, on that and divers , deserve to have their STORM OFF CAPE HATTERAa 11 names kept in lasting rcmembrancr. One of them got up and loosened the fore-topsail, to put the ship, if possible, in steerage way, and under com- mand ; the other stood to the helm, and he shifted it in a nick of time ; for the ship was at the point of dashing on the starboard breach: and, although in the rest of the voyage, she was wont to be blamed for the ill quality of not feeling the helm, she did, in this important instance, redeem her credit, and fell round off for our rescue from that danger. But the joy of this escape lasted but a moment, for no sooner was she fallen from that breach, but another on the larboard bow was ready to receive her. The ship's crew, by this time, reproached by the courage of Reaisin and Smith, were all at work ; and the helm shifting opportunely, she fell off again as before. The light of the day, which now broke forth, discovered our condition to be altogether as perilous as possible ; for we now saw ourselves surrounded with breaches. Scarce any water, like a channel, appeared for a way to shun them. In this sad condition, the ship struck ground, and raised such a war of water and sand together, which fell on the main chains, that now all hopes of safety were laid aside ; but the ship being still afloat, and the seamen, all of them now under command, nothing was omitted for our preservation that was in their power. Tom Reaisin, seeing the ship go ahead, in the likeliest water for a channel, and ordering the helm accordingly, heaved the lead ; and after a little further advance in that new channel, wholly against his hopes, he had a good deal of water more than the ship drew, which soon mended upon us ; the next cast of the lead, affording eighteen or twenty feet. We stood to this channel, and the light of morning enabling the quarter- masters to con the ship, we were, by this miraculous mercy of God, soon clear of the breaches at Cape Plattcras, and got out to sea. No sooner was the ship freed of this danger, and got a little into the offing, but the seamen, like so many spirits, surveyed each other, as if they doubted the reality of the thing, and shock hands like strangers, or men risen from the other world ; and did scarce believe they were what they seemed to be — men of flesh and blood. As they recovered force, they made what sail they could, to stand to leeward. The gale came fresh at north-west, and this fresh gale did soon grow up to a violent storm, which increased to so great a rigor, separating us from the land at the rate of eight leagues a watch, merely witli our fore- courses; insomuch that the master thought it necessary to stop that career ; and, in order thereunto, he did advise with his officers, to bring the ship about, to furl up sails, and to try with the mizzen. The moun- tainous, towering, north-west seas that this storm made, were so unruly, that the seamen knew not how to work the ship about. We were already at a great distance from land, and something must be done to hinder our running off at that excessive tdte. The first thing they did, was to lower the mainyard, to give some ease to that mast, by laying it on the ship's waste. Our great difficulty was how to deal so with the foresails, that the ship might work about with safety, or, at least, with as little hazard as possible. All hands were too little to haul the sheet close, in order to bring the ship about. Many great seas were shipped, as she came to work through the trough of the sea; among the rest, one chanced to break upon the poop, where we were quartered, and that with so sad a weight, that we guessed a ton of water, at least, did enter the tarpaulin, and aex us all on float who were in the round-house. The bi^ ttjat ;... 12 PERILOUS VOYAGE 0? CAPTAIN NORWOOD. noise it made by discharging itself in that manner, was like the report ;? a gre" gun, and puf us all in a horrible frght, which we could not 8.,.t^-.^.-,# r i T H' ""■' ' - ••«j.!.'-*v-i-*" 14 PERILOUS VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN NORWOOD. weather the Cape, if occasion ofTored. But this was only a copy of his countenance ; for in the night we lost each other, and we never heard more of him, though he was bound to our port. November 13th. The weather now invited us to get the ship about with our mizzen ; and having done so, the next consideration was how to make sail. Tiie foremast, all this while, as much as was of it, stood its ground ; and as it was without dispute, that a yard must, in the first place, he fixed to it, so was it a matter of no small difficulty how to advance to the top of that greasy, slippery stump ; since he tliat would attempt it could take no hold himself, nor receive any help for his rise by other hands. This was a case that put all the ship's crew to a non- plus. But Tom Reaisin, a constant friend at need, that would not be baffled by any difficulty, showed, by his countenance, he had a mind to try his skill to bring us out of this unhappy crisis. To encourage him the more, all passengers promised and subscribed to reward his service, in Virginia, by tobacco, when God should enable us so to do. The manner of Tom Reaisin's ascent, was thus: among the scattered parcels of the ship^s stores, he had the luck to find about half a dozen iron spikes fit for his purpose, tlis first onset was to drive one of them into the mast, almost to the head, as high as he could reach, which being done, he took a rope of about ten feet long, and having the same in a block or pulley, so as to divide it in the middle ; he made both ends meet in a knot upon the spike, on both sides of the mast, so that the block, falling on the contrary side, became a stirrup to mount upon for driving another spike in the same manner: and thus, from step to step, observing the best advantage of striking with his hammer in the smooth- est sea, he got alofl, and drove cleats for shrouds to rest upon, and was soon in a posture of receiving help from his comrades, who got a yard and sails, with other accommodation, such as could be had ; and thus were we enabled, in a few hours time, to make some sail for our port. The mainyard, that in the storm had been lowered to the waist, to lie out of harm's way, was now preferred to the place of a mainmast, and was accordingly fitted and accoutered, and grafted into the stump of what was left in the storm, some eight or ten feet from the deck. It was a hard matter to find out rigging answerable to that new-fashioned mast and yard. Topgallant sails and yards wore most agreeable for his equipage, and was the best part of our remaining stores. The seas grew every moment smoother, and the weather more comfortable, so that, for awhile, we began to shake off the visage of utter despair, as hoping ere long to see ourselves in some capacity to fetch the Cape. We discovered another ship bound to Virginia, who as frankly promised to stand by us, the wind at N.N.W. We did what could be done by a ship so mangled, to get the weather gauge of Cape Henry, conceiving ourselves to the southward of Cape Hatteras ; hut, by taking an observation on a sunshiny day, we found ourselves carried by a current, we knew not of, to the windward, much beyond our dead reckonings, and allowances for sailing; insomuch, that when we thought we had been to the southward of the Cape, we found ourselves considerably shot to the north of Achomat ; and that in the opinion of Mate Putts, who was as our north star. We passed this night with greater alacrity than we had done any other since we had left Fyal ; for Mate Putts, our trusty pilot, did confidently affirm, that if the gale stood, there would be no question of our dining the next day within the Capes. This was reasonable news: our water being long since spent; our meat spoiled or useless; no kind of victuals rci alii tin; mu Th cov clu( the as t thui the fidei thou tree but whi( his ( he h thei of th Tl met i tiont But, our e barge Defei sleep to se that ( sighs reduc Half all we Malaj it. carri€ confid the to mij him The inson from was placel wantf head | so th^ watch hand! Not day, gentld . —**■*? y*T S * -^ T •rr^r-i -' sa^nssss^^ -v^^^rttK^r--?;*^^?^,-. - ;;i,-:H^ 5D. ly a copy of his ive never hoard t the ship about oration was how was of it, stood must, in the first difficulty how to e he that would help for his rise s crew to a non- fat would not be e had a mind to » encourage him ward his service, 8o to do. The scattered parcels lalf a dozen iron one of them into ach, which being ng the same in a made both ends mast, so that the mount upon for from step to step, ler in the smooth- 38t upon, and was j8, who got a yard be had; and thus 1 sail for our port, to the waist, to lie f a mainmast, and the stump of what le deck. It was a 'ashioned mast and e for his equipage, B seas grew every so that, for awhile, hoping ere long to discovered another ind by us, the wind mangled, to get the i to the southward a sunshiny day, we ,f, to the windward, r sailing; insomuch, rd of the Cape, we chomat ; and that in had done any other (ilot, did confidently estion of our dining tie news: our water ; no kind of victuals A FATAL DISAPPOINTMENT. 15 *t«>^'£**itS";.~i.'''-;'i* remaining to sustain life, but a biscuit cake u day for a man ; at which iiliowance there was not a quantity to hold out many days. In the dark time of the night, in tacking about, we lost our new comrade, and, with much impatience, we expected the approaching day ; the wind N. W. The morning appeared foggy, as the wind veered to the east, and that covered and concealed the land from our clearer sight : howbeit, we con- cluded, by Mate Putt's computation, we were well to the northward of the Capes. Many times he would mount the mizzentop for discovery, as the weather seemed to clear up ; and would espy, and point at certain thum-works of trees, that used to be hia several landmarks, in most of the twenty-two voyages ho had made to that plantation. Under this con- fidence he made more sail, the daylight confirming him in what he thought right. All the forenoon wc lost the sight of land, and marks by trees, by reason of the dark fogs and mists that were not yet dispelled ; but as soon as the sun, with a north-west gale, had cleared all the coast, which was about the hours of two or throe o'clock. Mate Putts perceived his error from the deck, and was convinced that the thum-works of trees he had seen, and relied on for sure landmarks, had courier points to the South Cape, which had misguided him ; and that it was the opening of the bay, which made the land at distance, out of sight. This fatal disappointment, which was now past human help, might have met an easy remedy, had our sails and rigging been in any tolerable condi- tion to keep the windward gauge, for we had both the Capes in our sight. But, under our circumstances, it was vain to endeavor such a thing; all our equipage, from stem to stern, being no better than that of a western barge ; and we could not lie within eleven or twelve points of the wind. Defeated thus of lively hopes we had the niglit before entertained, to sleep in warm beds with our friends in Virginia, it was a heavy spectacle to see ourselves running at a round rate from it, notwithstanding all that could be done to the contrary. Nothing was now to be heard but sighs and groans through all that wretched family, which must be soon reduced to so short allowance as would just keep life and soul together.. Half a biscuit cake a day, of which five whole ones make a pound, was all we had to trust to. Of liquors there remained none to quench thirst; Malaga served rather to inflame and increase thirst, than to extinguish it. The gale blew fresh toward night, and made a western sea, that carried us off at a great rate. Mate Putts, extremely abashed to see his confidence so miserably deluded, grew sad and contemplative, even to the moving compassion in those whom his unhappy mistake had reduced to misery. We cherished him the best we could, and would not have him so profoundly sad, for what was rather his misfortune than his fault. The wind continued many days and nights to send us out into the ocean ; insomuch, that until wc thought ourselves at least a hundred leagues from the Capes, the north-west gale gave us no truce to consider what was best to do. All little helps were used by topgallant sails, and masts placed where they could be fixed, to keep the windward tack ; but, for want of borolins and other tackle to keep them stiff to draw, every great head sea would check them in the wind, and rend, and tear them in pieces ;. so that it was an ordinary exercise with us to lie tumbling in the sea, a watch or two together, driving to leeward, while the broken sails were in hand to be repaired. November 19th. To give us a little breathing, about the nineteenth day, the wind shifted to the east, but so little to our avail, the gale so. gentle, and the seas made against us like a strong current, that, with the :| s m J:i. : ;l!':i' 16 PEBILOUS VOYAGE OP CAPTAIN NORWOOD. nail wo were able to make, we could hardly reckon the ship ahortoncd the way, but that aho rather lost ground. In less than two watches, the gale faced about ; and if we saved our own by the change, it was all we could pretend unto. Our mortal enemy, the north-west gale, began afresh to send us out to sea, and to raise our terrors to u higher pitch. One of our pumps grew so unfixed, that it could not be repaired ; the other was kept in perpetual motion ; no man was excused to take his turn that had strength to perform it. Among the manifest perils that threatened every hour to be our last, we were in mortal apprehension that the guns, which were aloft, would show us a slippery trick, and some of them break loose, the tackle that held them being grown very rotten ; and it was another providence they held so long, considering how im- moderately the ship rolled, especially when the sails were mending that Hhould keep her steady, which was very near a third part of our time, while we plied to the windward with a contrary gale. To prevent this danger, which must befall when any one gun should get loose. Mate Putts found an expedient ; by a more than ordinary smooth water, and by placing timber on the hatchway, to supply the place of shrouds, he got them safe in hold which tended much to our good, not only in removing the present danger, but by making the ship, as seamen say, more whole- some, by having so great a weight removed from her upper works into her center, where ballast was much wanted. But the intolerable want of all provision, both of meat and drink, jostled the sense of this happi- ness soon out of our minds ; and to aggravate our misery yet the more, it was our interest to pray that the contrary gale might stand ; for, while the westerly wind held, we had rain-water to drink, whereas at east the wind blew dry. In this miserable posture of ship and provision, we reckoned ourselves driven to the east, in less than a weck^s time, at least two hundred leagues, which we despaired ever to recover without a miracle of Divine mercy. The storm continued so fresh against us, that it confounded the most knowing of our ship's company in advising what course to take. Some reckoned the ship had made her way most southerly, and, therefore, counseled we should put ourselves in quest of the Bermuda Islands, as the nearest land we could hope to make; but that motion had great opposition in regard of the winter season, which would daily produce insuperable difficulties, and give greater puzzle in the discovery of it than our circumstances would admit. Back- ward we could not go, nor forward we could not go, in the course we steered; it followed then, of course, that we must take the middle way ; and it was resolved, that, without further persisting in endeavoring to gain our port by a close hale, we should raise our tackle, and sail tardy for the first American land we could fetch, though we ran to the leeward as far as the coast of New England. ^ While this determination was agreed and put in practice, the famine grew sharp upon us. Women and children made dismal cries, and grievous complaints. The infinite number of rats, that all the voyage had been our plague, we now were glad to make our prey to feed on ; and, as they were ensnared and taken, a well-grown rat was sold for sixteen shillings, as a market-rate. Nay, before the voyage ended, (as I was credibly informed,) a woman, great with child, offered twenty shil- lings for a rat, which the proprietor refusing, the woman died. Many sorrowful days and nights we spun out in this manner, till the blessed feast of Christmas came upon us, which we began with a very melan- choly solemnity; and yet, to make some distinction of times, the scrapings '^—^'^r'-^T^^ev^ec? twaaswry arty u '..^-. Jn. WMmi tj/sj ^r^ 'f- '^ '^ ! '* ' ■^ ■aai'* »B.Srj»«:-T 3D. ship ahortmcd ivo watches, the c, it was all we }sl gale, began u higher pitch. 5 repaired; the led to take his Ifest perils that il apprehension trick, and some wn very rotten ; iering how im- re mending that irt of our time, To prevent this ^ct loose. Mate th water, and by shrouds, he got nly in removing ly, more whole- pper works into intolerable want e of this happi- •y yet the more, tand; for, while areas at east the d provision, we k^s time, at least cover without a esh against us, pany in advising ie her way most 3lves in quest of hope to make; 5 winter season, ind give greater id admit. Back- 1 the course we ake the middle g in endeavoring tackle, and sail gh we ran to the ■ctice, the famine ismal cries, and it all the voyage prey to feed on ; rat was sold for yage ended, (as 1 ered twenty shil- lan died. Many r, till the blessed ith a very melan- aes, the scrapings TANTALIZING DREAM.S. Stalt XSXr wllhtr::; /"^'?''^^r -"'"f"- « P»'»''inJ tlH) ii.tf,c-,li.,..t« Of I rC .. , ' ,"'"'. ^ir"' "" "■"" '"••'I i" .il, wort but p..acouMy .njo;,-.] ouf Cirr'tmas'n.ddLr"' '" """ "" "•••^'""•"-■ ;[- -orso b'y that t.!^£^ Scy " torn "t.iT^tr'"^ r""'"' '"-'' l>o captain's favor iu ajlowinc n.o a sharn „f M ^"""'^ ^'''V •■«"'' h 1.0 had concealed in a privateVoUar ?or a dead im ^T "' T^^ ^'"^'"• ol water for qualifying it to quench thir«^. '' '^'""•^'^ " "'''"""' remedy, and a great%efre8hLm tome '^i""^ ^"^ " P''^^^"' to shorten our way to the shorA fhn„^f' '^''^.«'«storIy wind continuo.l 'his clid not at all incUe u to chln.et/r? tl""' ^^^ ""^ P"''-" «>"' t .e first land; it rather anima od^^jrupportodt i'n" ""^ '"'''"' '^" ''"^ tl'o hopes of touching land was food 3 !• . °'" P'"*'"^'" ^"''»"e = some expectation, we paTed^r thSe ?„r T.""' *° "'• ^» ^^'^ ^^"i- and then we saw the water^Ln,^! , '^'" "f "'"^ ^^y« ""d nights, approached the shore tlTe^Lhto^fn'"'"'',?'' .'»«'' ««"ndings. We 'i- morning of the fou S daf ^ave us"Sh?^' ^ ""u« '""^'^"'^ "« what lati.ude we could not leH -^Jor th-Vlh^ ' T "*^ *^« '^"•^' ^ut in to keep the reckoning ofX ah p L for m'' "*/''''' ^''°'''' ^"'^ »' ^»'' 'I'at part; nor had we seen the snn - """{.fays past totally omitted which, though a lame excuse was ^ntr^L''^'"' '° '""^^ observations. But, in truth, it was evident' tLt thi l'^ ^''* '° '"^ *«•• **'"' «""««'«>"• hourly jeopa dy of lifo mado hi™ desperate state of the ship, and journal the thLgh of "tthe T.^"^^^^ «i'her log or -de them neglect that^ofrXarn^nsfc '"^ "' »* ''-^' we^t r nTfr fo Srshorr^'^^ "^-^ ^^'« -«^ eve, water smooth ; the land wo aw neals^ '"'"^ ^'^'^''"*^ ""^ '=»'™. '^e miles distant from us; ouTsoundings twerfirf^.h*' —« English for anchor hold. These invitatrns wire In „» •°'"' "" ^"""^ ^'°""'' generality, especially the 00830^?,^! ^"^'^^t've to encourage the on for the shore; but one^dd Xe; wr'''"*\''*^f ^^^ "^een refolved stores, while there were any wouw'Jt """' ''"''"^^ ^°' ^^e ship's the only anchor of any servS Tat wJ^?!^"'^*' °° "'^ *«""«' »« ^rust «ight at sea. His a?gurJents to bZ h" "' ■"■ P'^^-^^^tion out of his tirst, the hazard of losfng th" onlv aJ.Li K "P""°° .T'^ P'^"«'l»J« ^ ««. with it a necessity to cut or slin I ^r k ^^ ''"X s»dden storm, bringing the shortness of^thrcaW; ve^r'v unfi ''foV'''^'^" depended ; Seconal thirdly, the weakness of the shin's Jrew ""^^^''^g '» the ocean; and board; and the passengers weXn^nT' /"^"^ ^^"^ ^°d fallen over- the decks, or at the numn Jhi t 1^^ ^'""^^r, dying every day on but must not rest. ^ ^' ^^'''^' *"'' ^^''' difficulty, was kept going bistTto t torjiVwrfw^hiTw-a t;rr.r --'-^ -^ save our ship, with oJr 1 Ves^aSStlr'-'''''*^ °^ ^"*^'"^ '^ '^"hor to These last regions prevailed uinthrm!; V""^- "^^^ °" ^he coast, when the anchor was 1^10080 'ZlnPn"'""'^ ''^^'"'^ "^^ negatives; and discovery of what we migKp^^^^^^^^^ "'^''^'^J^' ^^^^ the first h.» twelve sickly P-nfiUTh^VLrJ^r Xrit^^^^^^^^^ ssrasrrf^afHa^JtEjS: I'MUir.ous voYAOi; or captain Norwood. m and cnrric!(l Major .Morrison on sliorn with liitn. In lour or five, hour:- lime, we <'iMil(l (iisc()\('r tiic boat rftiirninj; with INTalc J'tiMs nlonn for a setter, wliicii we lo(il;i'(l upon i\^ a. sii;iial of iiappy HijccfSH. VVIii'ii he fiinu' (lU lioard, iiis iiioiitli was full of f/ood tirry, with a kinsman of his, and some others; and the seamen wore glad of my help to put tho boat to shore, my hands being very well soascmod at the pump by taking my turn for many weeks, at tho rate of three hours in twenty-four. My passionate «lesircs to be on shore, at the fountain head, to drink without stint, did not a little (juirken me ; inso- much, that the six or seven miles I rowed on tliis occasion, were no more than the breadth of the Thames at London, at another time, would have been toilsome to me. [n our passage to the shore, the darkness of the evening made us glad to see the tires of our friends at land, which were not only our beacons to direct >is to their company, but were also a com- fortable relief to our chilled bodies when we came near them, the weather being very cold, as it ever is; the wind blowing north-west on tliat coa.st. As soon as I had set my foot on land, and had rendered thanks to the Almighty for opening this door of deliverance to us, after r-o many rescues, even from the jaws of death at sea. Major Morrison was pleased to oblige me beyond all requital, in conducting me to the run- ning stream of water, where, without any limitation of short allowance. I might drink my fill. I was glad of so great liberty, and made use oC it accordingly, by prostrating myself on my belly, and setting my month against tho stream, that it might run into my thirsty stomach without stop. Tho rest of the company were at liberty to use their own methods to quench their thirst; but this I thought the greatest pleasure I ever saw on earth. After this sweet refreshment, the captain, myself, and his kinsman, crossed the creek in our wherry, invited thither by the cackling of wild fowl. The captain had a gun charged ; and the moon shining bright in his favor, ho killed one duck of the flock that flew over us, which was roasted on the stick out of hand by the seamen, while we walked on tti'^ shore of tho creek for further discovery. In passing a small stream, wi> trod on an oyster-bank, that happily furnished us with a good addition | to our duck. When the cooks had done their parts, we were not loiii' about ours, but fell on without using the ceremony of calling the rest nt our company, which would have been no entertainment to so many — th< proverb telling ns, " The fewer the better cheer." The bones, head, legs and inwards were agreed to bo the cooks' fees ; so wo gave Goil I thanks, and returned to our friends without making boast of our good j fortunes. Fortified with this repast, we informed ourselves of the depth of water i at the bar of tho creek, in which the captain seemed satisfied, and madol '^'«^SSSS«S:T*»i3!5i '-'^M'ff^mmr^i' ' OOD. four or i'lvn honi- I'liltrt aloiii! for ;i ic'css. VVIu-n 111' ,S. tliUIK^Iy. tlli\t hr that tlwro was ;i li(!n sli". w.is liflli' ; jijor Morrison IkkI \; nml that !M;>jor ship^H company to 1 tho dcHifin of our Tho (^nptain was < of tho pn88('n{,'or8 1 Mate Putts' .jutlg- oinbarkcd with mo rH ; ami tlic soaincn nds boinjL' very w<',ll ooks, at tho rato of I bo on shoro, at tlic quicken mo ; inso- asion, worn no morr sr timo, wouUl have tho darkness of the at land, which were )ut were also a com- imc near thorn, the )winR north-west on 1, and had rendered liverancc to us, ufloi Major Morrison was ctinf^ mo to tiio run- i of short allowance. ty, and made use of nd setting my mouth sty stomach without io their own methods atest pleasure I ever !lf, and his kinsman, tho cackling of wild oon shining bright in V over us, which was die we walked on th*^ ng a small stream, wi' with a good addition I irts, we were not Ioiil' of calling the rest ot ment to so many — thi ." The bones, head, ees ; so wo gave Goij ng boast of our gooil ! of the depth of watti led satisfied, and made MISERY UPON A DESERT ISLAND, 19 shows, in all his deportment, of his resolution to disclLtrgo his nliip there, in order to our snl'ity. 'J'oward break of day, ho askod mo in my ear, if 1 would go hack with him on board tho ship. 1 told him no; bccauHU it woulil b(« lultor lost, in case ho would persist in his resolution to do what III! pretended ; wliicli he ratified again by protestations, and so went olf with his kinsman, who had a large, coarse, cloth gown, I borrowed of him to shelter mo from the sharjiost cold I ever felt. No sooner had thp captain cleared himself of the shore, but the day-break made mo see my error in not closing with his motion in my ear. The first objec^t we saw at sea, wau the ship under sail, standing for the Capes, with what canvas could bo made to servo the turn. It was a very heavy prospect to us, who remained, wo know not where, on shore, to see ourselves thus aban- doned by tho ship ; and more, to be forsaken by tho boat, so contrary to our mutual agreement. Many hours of hard labor and toil were spent neforo tho boat could fetch tho ship; and tho seamen, whose net it was to set sail without the captain's order, (as we were told after.) cared not for the boat, while the wind was largo to carry them to tlie Capes. But Mate Putts, who was more sober, and better natured, discovering the Ijoat from tho mizzentop, lay by till she came with tho captain on board. In this amazement and confusion of mind, that no words can express, did our niiuerable, distressed party condole with each otlier, on our being so cruelly abandoned, and left to the last despairs of human life, or, indeed, of ever seeing more the face of man. We entered into a sad consulta- tion what course to take ; and having, in the first place, by united prayers, implored the protection of Almighty God, and recommending our miser- able state to the same Providence which, in so many instances of mercy, had been propitious to us at sea: the whole party desired me to be, as it were, the father of the distressed family, to advise and conduct them in all things I thought might most tend to our preservation. At the same time I quitted the ship, my servant, Thomas Harman, a Dutchman, did, at parting, advertise me, (for I left him on board to look to my goods,) that in the bundle I ordered to be carried with me onshore, I should find about thirty biscuit cakes, which he, by unparalleled frugality, had saved out of his own belly, in tho groat dearth and scarcity wo lived in. The thoughts of these biscuits entering upon me at the time I was pressed to accept this charge, I thought myself obliged, in christian equity, to let every one partake of what I had ; and so, dividing the bread into nineteen parts, which was our number, perhaps I added the fraction to my own share. It was, to' the best of my remembrance, upon the 6th day of January, 16fiO, that we entered into this method of life, or rather into an orderly way into our graves ; since nothing but tho image of death was represented to us. But that we might use our utmost endeavors to extract aD the good we could out of those evil symptoms that every way seemed to confound us, I made a muster of the most able bodies for arms and labor; and, in the first place,! put a fowling-piece into every man's hand that could tell how to use it. Among the rest, a young gentleman, Mr. Francis Cary by name, was very helpful to me in the fatigue and active part of this undertaking. All our woodmen and fowlers had powder and shot given them, and some geese were killed for supper. Evening came on apace, and our resolution being to stay one night more in these quarters, I sent my cousin, Cary, to head the creeks, and make what discovery he could, as he passed along the shore, whether of Indians, or any other living creatures, that were likely to relieve our wanta or end our days. " ^^■•B'«**akwa^ *\' «'* m m 90 PK11IL0U3 VOYAOK OK CAPTAIN NORWOOD. My ronsiii Cnry was not ahuont miirh nliovn nn hour, wlim wo naw him rt'tnrri in ii contrary point to that ho Halliccl out upon. Ilin faco wa.s clon(h>il with ill news \w had to li'll ns, iiaimly, that w<> woro now rt'sidinfr on nn iHlnnd without nny inhahitants, nnii that hi^ had Hccn its wholo t'xtcnt, Hurroundcii, as lii^ hciicvcd, witli water deeper than hin head; that hit had not Hoon uny nativo, or anything in human » V^ 'VvJ5j:^^fl y n?y5::tr>V' vnoD. »ur, wli*"!! wo naw lon. llirt I'liio wn:« liiit w<' wcri! now lilt ho liml HtM'n its r (IccpfT tliiiii hid 11 human »\m\»', iu of tlio iiir, which Ual HUCCCSH, of BO \vi uiinforlunii tliat Hpair. VVc behold rin^ death, no man ;r tlian ho was ahio notice, and wo had tho conduct of an ill look, his hands name at a distance ; •y worn a parcel of (r a small current of what ho felt with imsclf possessed of Dro contiguous to a ubsistenco wliilo we jcd, great fliglits of I ; and some of every ,0 feathers. It was ICO to the rest, that 1 was partial to my and full of meat as 'oro, with scale and ird, we had groator c to colder climates. , and a sort, of weed, B only green (except on the palate, but Drought a pound on 10 a regale for every icy of distinguishing imen to* bo by them- ion, but much more valking on the shore id with small shot, I d made great slaugh- company. But this warmth, chased the , and, in fine, all the heartless struggle to selves doomed to die ate darts, though we ing these contingent t on too great proba- longer day of execu- rering death: for the irought store of rain, THE LIV1N(» KKKD UI'ON THE DEAD. 91 I spring-tido, our rhiof magaaino, the oyxtor-ljank, M thfy hocnme more ai'ce:4!*ihlc, our liodicM also which, mnoting wifli was ovorllown ; und, decayed so sciisilily. that W" <'<>i,|rl Intnlly pull thetii out of the muddy beds they gri-w oil, ikuI froui < » i "• forward we rarely saw llie fowl; lliey now gr<'w shy, iind kept aloof ,\v ii they saw us cdiilrivitig against their lives. A(|d to this, nnt fltms, mofli (d* them iiiitixcd and out of oriler, and our pow^< r much (ientyf'f) ; insomuch, that nothing did now remain to prolong lilr, but what is cuuAi il rather sauce to wliet, than sulistance to satisfy the a|/jietitO. I mean llie oV°*''r3. which wero not easily goll 'u by our cra/y l>u(iies, at\er the ijuantity wa? M|»'nt that lay most commodious to be n-ached, and which had fed us for the first six days wo had been on the island. Uf the lliree weak women Ix'foro mentioned, on had the envied hap- piness to die about this time ; and it was my advice to the survivors, who were following her apace, to cudoavor their own preservation by con- verting her dead carcass into food; as they did to good ctfect. The samo counsel was embraced by those of our sex. The living fed upon the dead ; four of our company having the happiness to end their misi^rablo lives on .Sunday night, the day of January. Their chief distemper, it is true, was hunger ; but it pleased God to hasten the exit by an immoderate access of cold, caused by a most terrible storm of hail and Hiiow, at noith-west, on the Sunday aforesaid, which not only dispatched those four to their long homes, but sorely threatened all that remained alive, to perish by the samo fate. Great was the toil that lay on my hands, as the strongest to labor, to get fuel together sutlicient for our preservation. In the first place, I divested myself of my great gown, which 1 spread at large, and extended against the wind, in lieu of a screen, having first shilled our quarters to the most calm, commodious place that could be found, to keep us as much as possible from the inelemeiH y of that prodigious storm. Under the shelter of this traverse, I took as many of my comrades as could be comprehended in so small a space ; wiiereas, those who could not partake of that accommodation, and were unable to make provision for themselves, were forced to sufi'er for it ; and it was remarkable, that notwithstanding all the provision that could possibly be made against the sharpness of this cold, either by a well burning fire, consisting of two or three loads of wood, or shelter of this great gown to the windward, we could not be warm. That side of our wearing clothes was singed and burnt, which lay toward the flames, while the other side, that was from the fire, became frozen and congealed. Those who lay to the leeward of the flame could not stay long to enjoy the warmth so necessary to life, but were forced to quit and be gone, to avoid sufibcation by the smoke and flame. When the day appeared, and the sun got out to dissipate the clouds, with downcast looks and dejected, the survivors of us entered into a final deliberation of what remained to be done on our parts, beside our prayers to Almighty God, to spin out a little longer time of life, and wait a further Providence from heaven for our better relief. There were still some hands that retained vigor, though not in proportion to those diflicuUies we were to encounter, which humanly did seem insuperable. Major Morrison, on whose counsel I had reason to rely most, was extremely decayed in his strength, his legs not being able to support him. It was a wonderful mercy that mine remained in competent strength, for our common good, which I resolved, by God's help, to employ for that end to the last gasp. In this last resolution we hod to make, I could not f fiili 32 PERILOUS VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN NORWOOD. think on :inytliiD<,' worthy my proposal, but by an attempt to cross the creek, ami swim to the main, whicii was not above a hundred yards over; and, l)eini,' there, to coast along the woods to the south-west, wiiicli was tiic l)('urin'-," mif:m msi»^^sm^^- OOD. jinpt to cross the iiulicd yards over ; h-\vest, wliich wan who would either ion, it was necos- support to me in friend, tiio oyster- l staved in their jy God's blessing, rolong my life, in 'o accomplish this ping to make one he island, I fell 'o ay. When in the , that he had just I suspended my >eed, to be an eye- 3te I could make, I at proceeded from than ordinary of a nchantment, things 1 I judged, by the (, without the pains nued at it till one [ might be a little noise of geese on good fortune to be , without witnesses, , guts, etc., which I better enabled to my hands. 1 hung t of wood, while I f fire, to begin the ion, my goose was ch, the Indians told looked for with no vished I could have 3 same kind, and to lut that which trou- my mind, that tliif designing to deal h I thought, at first , when 1 considered nyself to attain their one, I found I could ver I suffered from the head and neck ched by the wolf, it ly out of the island irought me, of more »wn eyes could never FRIENDLY VISITORS. o.-j bear witness of their being there. The next morning, being the ninth or tenth of our being tliere, I fell to work afre.sh, iioping to bo ready to begin my journey that day; and, being very busy, intoiligcnco wa.s brought liiat a canoe was seen to lie on the broken ground to the south of our i^sland, which was not discovered till now since our being tiiere ; l)ut this 1 thouglit might be a mistake, cast in the same mold of many otiiers. tiiiit had deceived those discoverers, who fancied all tilings real according to their own wishes. But when it was told me that Indians had been at the poor women's cabin in the night, and had given thcni shellfish to eat, that was a demonstration of reality beyond all suspicion. I went immediately to be informed from themselves, and they both avowed it for truth, showing the shells, the like whereof I ncvoi had seen ; and this I took for proof of what they had said. The farther account tiiat these women gave of the Indians, was, that they pointed to the south-east with their hands, which they knew not how to interpret; but imagined, by their several gestures, they would be with them again to-morrow. Their pointing to the south-east was like to bo the time they would come, meaning nine o'clock to be their hour, where the sun will be at that time. This news gave us all new life, almo.st working miracles among us. by making those who desponded, and totally yielded themselves up to the weight of despair, and lay down with an intent never to rise again, to take up their beds and walk. This friendly charitable visit of tlit- Indians also put a stop to my preparations to seek them, who had so humanely prevented me, by their ways, seeking to preserve and save our lives. Instead of those preparations for my march, which had cost me so much pains, I passed my time now in contriving the fittest postun; our present condition would allow us to put on, when these angels of light should appear again with the glad tidings of our relief; and the result was, that every able man should have his gun lying by his side, lop'led with shot, and as fit for use as possible, but not to bo hai;dlc(l ulless the Indians came to us like enemies, which was very unlikely, the premises considered, and then to sell our lives at as dear a rate as wc could. But if they came in an amicable posture, then would we meet them unarmed, cheerfully ; which the Indians like, and hate to see a melancholy face. Scouts were sent out to the right and loft hands, without discovery of anybody all the forenoon ; and then, considering our case admitted no delay, I began to resume my former resolution of swimming to them that would not come to us. But how wholesome soever this counsel might seem in itself, it was most diflicult to be put in practice; in regard of the cold time. The northerly wind, that in these climates blows very cold in the heat of summer, much more distempers the air in the winter season, (as our poor comrades felt that Sunday night to their cost,) and sent so cold a gale upon the surface of water in the creek I was to pass, that, in the general opinion of all concerned, it was not a thing to be attempted, and that if I did, I must surely perish in the act. I w as easily persuaded to forbear an action so dangerous; and the rather, because I verily bei'jvcd the Indians would bring us off, if our patience would hold out. About the hour of two or three o'clock, it pleased God to ciiange the face of our condition for the best ; for while I was busy at the lire in preparations to wait on them, I discovered the Indians, who had placed themselves behind a very great tree; their faces wore most cheerful smiles; they were without any kind of arms, or appearances of evil design ; the iiiiinwP 24 PERILOUS VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN NORWOOD. whole number of them, perhaps twenty or thirty in all, consisting of men women, and children ; all that could speak accosting us with joyful countenance, shaking hands with everyone they met. The words, "ny tap," often repeated by them, made ua believe they bore a friendly signification, as they were soon interpreted to signify, my friend. After many salutations, and "ny taps," interchanged, the night approaching, we fell to parley with each other ; but performed it in signs more con- founded and unintelligible than any other conversation I ever met withal ; as hard to be interpreted as if they had expressed their thoughts in the Hebrew or Chaldean tongues. They did me the honor to make all applications to me, as being of largest dimensions, and equipped in a camlet coat, glittering with galoon lace of gold and silver. The ears of Indian corn they gave us for present sustenance, needed no other interpreter to let them know how much more acceptable it was to us than the sight of dead and living corpses, which raised great compassion in them, especially in the women, who are observed to be of a soft, tender nature. One of them made me a present of the leg of a swan, which I ate as privately as it was given me ; and thought it so much the more excellent by how much it was larger than the greatest limb of any fowl I ever saw. The Indians stayed with us about two hours, and parted not without a new appointment to see us again the next day, and the hour we were to expect them, by their pointing to the sun, was to be at two o^clock in the afternoon. I made the chief of them presents of ribbon, and other slight trade which they loved, designing, by mutual endearment, to let them see it would gratify their interest, as well as their charity, to treat us well. Ila-na haw, was their parting word, which is, farewell ; pointing again to the place where the sun would be at our next meeting. We took leave in their own words, Ha-na haw. The going away of the Indians and leaving us behind, was a separation hard to be borne by our hungry company, who, nevertheless, had received a competent quantity of corn and bread to keep us till they returned to do better things for our relief. We did not fail to give glory to God for our approaching deliverance; and the joy we conceived in our minds, in the sense of so great a mercy, kept us awake all the night, and was a cordial to the sick and weak, to recover their health and strength. The delay of the Indians coming next day, beyond their set time, we thought an age of tedious years. At two o'clock we had no news of them ; but, by attending their own time, with a little patience, we might see a considerable number of them, men, women, and children, all about our huts, with recruits of liread and corn to stop every mouth. Many of them desired beads, and little truck they use to deal in, as exchange for what they gave us, and wo as freely gave them what we had brought on shore. But to such of us as gave them nothing, the Indians failed not, however, to give them bread for nothing. One old man of their company, who seemed, by the preference they gave him, to be the most considerable of their party, applied himself to inc, by gestures and signs, to learn something, if possible, of our country, unci occasions of the sad posture he saw us in, to the end that he might inform his master, the king of Kickotank, on whose territories we stood, and dispose him to succor us as we had need. I made return to him, in many vain words, and as many significant signs as himself had made to me, and neither of us one jot the wiser. The several nonplusses we both were at in striving to be better understood, afforded so little of i UN Ml J I , W ■ ■ I^ .IH I ^ .^ iisisting of men us with joyful rhe words, "ny bore a friendly friend. After it approaching, igns more con- ver met withal ; thoughts in the lor to make all I equipped in a ver. The ears eeded no other le it was to us reat compassion of a soft, tender a swan, which I much the more nb of any fowl I ed not without a lour we were to , two o'clock in ibbon, and other dearmcnt, to let charity, to treat rewell ; pointing t meeting. We ng away of the be borne by our mpetent quantity better things for our approaching the sense of so Drdial to the sick he delay of the jught an age of but, by attending jiderable number , with recruits of sired beads, and hey gave us, and But to such of ver, to give them preference they jplied himself to 3, of our country, nd that he might ritorics we stood, return to him, in self had made to il nonplusses we rdcd so little of A HOSPITABLE RECEPTION. 25 edification to either party, that our time was almost spent in vain. It came at last into my iiead, that I had long since read Mr. Smith's Travels through those parts of America, and that the word Wurowancc, a word frequently pronounced by the old man, was, in llnglish, the king. Tliat word, spoken by me, with strong emphasis, together with tlie motions of my body, speaking my desires of going to him, was very pleasing to the old man ; who, thereupon, embraced me with more than common kindness, and by all demonstrations of satisfaction, showed that he understood my meaning. This one word was all the Indian I could speak, wiiich, like a little armor well placed, contributed to the saving of our lives. In order to what was next to be done, he took me by the hand, and led me to the seaside, where I embarked with himself and oiie more Indian, in a canoe, that had brought him there ; which the third man rowed over to that broken ground, where, not long before, we made discovery of a canoe newly laid there ; and, as they told us, was lodged there on purpose to be ready for our transport, at such time as they thouglit fit to fetch us oflT: and the reason of tlieir taking me with them, was to help to launch this weighty embarkation, whicij was very heavy for its proportion ; as being made of the body of an oak or pine, some twenty-two feet in length, hollowed like a pigs' trough, which is the true description of a canoe. The manner of its being put into motion is very particular : the laborers, with long brooms, place their feet on the starboard and larboard sides of the boat, and with this fickle footing do they heave it forward. The canoes being fitted to take us in, and waft us to the main, I made a fair muster of the remnant we had to carry off; and found we want' d six of the number we brought on shore ; viz. four men, and two women. Five of those six, we knew were dead; but missing one of our living women, we made the Indians understand the same; who as readily made us know that she was in their thoughts, and should be cared for, as soon as we were settled in our quarters. In passing the creek that was to lead us to an honest fisherman's house, we entered a branch of it to the southward, that was the road way to it. Tlie tide was going out, and the water very shoal ; which gave occasion to any one that had a knife, to treat himself with oysters all the way. At the head of that branch, we were able, in a short time, to discover that haven of happiness, where our most courteous host, with a cheerful countenance, received and entertained us. Several fires were kindled out of hand, our arms and powder were laid up in safety, and divers earthen pipkins were put to l)oil, with such varieties as the season would afford. Everybody had something or other to defend and save them from the cold ; and my obli- gation to him, by a peculiar care that he had of me, exceeded all the rest; I had one entire side of the fire, with a large platform to repose on, to myself, furs and deer-skins to cover my body and support my head, with a priority of respect and friendly usage; whicii,to my great trouble, I was not able to deserve at his hands, by any requital then in my power to return. I can never sufficiently applaud the humanity of this Indian ; nor ex- press the high contentment that I enjoyed in this poor man's cottaire, which was made of nothing but mats and reeds, and bark of trees fixed" to polos. It had a loveliness of symmetry in the air of it, so pleasing to the eye and refreshing to the mind, that neither the splendor of the Escurial, nor the glorious appearance of Versailles, were able to stand in compe- tition with it. We had a boiled swan for supper, which gave plentiful a«i t»« i»*j| jc w i^ > . ». it) PERILOUS VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN NORWOOD. jjji m repast to all our upper mesa. Our bodies thuH refroHhed with moat ami sleep, coinfortcd with fires, and secured Irom nil the ciianfres and inclem encies of that sliarp, piercing cold season, wo thouftht the morning, thouirji clad in siinHliinc, did not come too fust upon us. Breakfast was liberally provided, and soon set before us, our arms faitiifully delivered up to my order for carriages; and thus, in readiness to set forward, we j)ut ourselves in a posture to proceed to the place where the king resided. The woman left behind at the island, had bee?; well looked to, and was now brought off to the care of her comrade that came with us ; neither of them in a condition to take a journey: but they were carefully attended and nourished in this poor man's house till such time as boats camo to fetch them to Virginia; where they soon arrived in perfect health, and lived (one, or both of them,) to be well married, and to bear children, and to subsist in as plentiful a condition as they could wish. In beginning our journey through the woods, we had not advanced half a mile, till we lieard a great noise of men's voices directed to meet and stop our further passage. These were several Indians, sent by the king to order us back to our quarters. The good-natured king being informed of our bodily weakness, and inability to walk through the woods to his house on foot, (which might be about four miles distant from our setting out,) iiud a real tenderness for us, and sent canoes to carry us to the place nearest his house by the favor of another branch of the same creek: and to the end we might take no vain steps, as we were going to do, and exhaust our strength to no purpose, those Indians made this noise to stop us. We entered the canoes that were manned and lay ready to receive us. We had a pleasant passage m the shallow water, and ate oysters all the way: for although the breakfast we had newly made, might well excuse a longer abstinence than we were like to be put to, our arrcar to our stomachs was so great, that all we swallowed was soon concocted and our appetite still fresh and craving more. Having passed this new course for some three English miles in another branch of the creek, our landing place was contrived to be near the house of the queen, then in waiting. She was a very plain lady to see, not young, nor yet ill-favored. Her complexion was of a red white, but tho measures of beauty in those parts where they arc exposed to the scorching sun from their infancy, are not taken from red and white, but from colors that better lie upon their tawny skins. The beauty of this q)ieeii'» mind, which is more permanent than that of color, was conspicuous in her charity and generosity to us poor starved weather- beaten creatures, who were the objects of it. A mat was spread without the house, upon the ground, furnished with pone, hominy, oysters, and other things. The queen made us sit down and eat, with gestures that showed more courtesy than majesty; but spoke as hearty ■welcome as could in silence be expected: and these were the graces that, in our opinion, transcended all other beauties in the world; and abundantly supplied all defects of outward appearances in the person and garb of the (jucen. When this collation of the queen's was at an end, we took leave of her majesty, with all the shows of gratitude that silence knew how to utter. We were now within half an hour's walk of the king's mansion, which we soon discovered by the smoke, and saw it was made of the same stuff with the other houses from which we had newly parted, namely, of mat and reed. Locust posts sunk in the ground at corners and partitions, were the strength of the whole fabric. The roof was tied 1 with moat and [nc.a and inclem it the morning, Brealcfast was lifuliy delivered set forward, we he king resided, iked to, and was vilh us ; neither irefully attended as boats came to feet health, and 3ar children, and 1. In beginning ilf a mile, till we 1 stop our further ing to order us informed of our ids to his house our setting out,) us to the place the same creek: going to do, and Ihis noise to stop ready to receive nd ate oysters all lade, might well to, our arrear to I soon concocted English miles in trived to be near ery plain lady to n was of a red they arc exposed m red and white. The beauty of uat of color, was starved weather- as spread without niny, oysters, and vith gestures that hearty welcome [races that, in our ; and abundantly an and garb of the we took leave of nee knew how to le king^s mansion, was made of the lad newly parted, around at corners The roof was tied liOSPITALITV OV THE INDIAN CHIEF. 27 fartt to llio body witii a knot of strong rushes that grow tlioro, which sup- plied the place of nails and pins, mortices and tenants. Tlio brcuidtii of tins place was about eigiitoen or twenty feet ; tiio lengtii about twenty yards. Tlio only furniture was several platforms for lodging, each about two yards long and more ; placed on both sides of the house, distant from each other about live feet; the space in the middle was tlin chimney, winch had a hole in the roof over it, to receive as mucii of tlie smoke u.s would naturally repair to it: the rest wo shared among us, wliich was l!ic greatest part ; and tiie sitters divided to each side, as our soldiers do in their corps de guarde. Fourteen great fires, thus situated, were burning all at ouce. Tiio king's apartment had a distinction from the rest ; it was twice as long, and the bank he sat on was adorned with deer skin.s hncly dressed, and the best furs of otter and beaver that the country produced. The fire assigned to us was suitable to our number ; to whicli we wer.- conducted, without intermixture of any Indians, but such as came to do us oflices of friendship. Tiiere we were permitted to take our rest, until the king pleased to enter into communication witii us. Previously to which he sent his daughter, a well-favored young girl oi' about ten or twelve years old, with a great wooden Ijowl full of hominy, wliicii is the corn of that country, beaten and boiled to mash. She, in a most obliging manner, gave me the first taste of it; which I would have handed to my next neighbor after I had eaten ; but the young |)rincc'.s.s interposed her hand, and taking the bowl out of mine, delivered It to the same party I aimed to give it, and to all the rest in order. Instead of a spoon there was a well shaped muscle-shell that accompanied the bowl. About three hours after this meal was ended, the king sent to hiivo mo come to him. He called me Ny a Mutt, which is to say, my brother; and compelled me to sit down on the same bank with himself, which I had reason to look upon as a mighty favor. After I had sat liicro about half an hour, and had taken notice of many earnest discourses and repartees betwixt the king and his crotemen, (so the Indians call the king's council,) I could plainly discover, that the debate they held was concerning our adventure and coming there. To make it more clear, the king addressed himself to me, with many gestures of his body ; his arms displayed in various postures, to explain what he had in his mind to utter for my better understanding. By all which motions I was not edified iu the least, nor could imagine what return to make by voice, or sign, to satisfy the king's demand, in anything that related to the present straits of our condition. In fine, I admired their patient suflerance of my dullness to comprehend what they meant, and showed myself to be troubled at it: which being preccived by the king, he turned all into mirth and jollity, and never left till he made me laugh with him, though I knew not why. I took that occasion to present the king with a sword and long shoulder belt, which he received very kindly; and, to witness .lis gracious accep- tance, he threw off his mach coat, or upper covering of skin, stood upright on his bank; and, with my aid, accoutered his naked body with his new harness, which had no other apparel to adorn it, beside a few skins about his loins to cover his nakedness. In tiiis dress he seemed to be much delighted; but to me, he appeared a figure of such extraordinary shape, with sword and belt to set it oil', that he needed no other art to stir me up to laughter and mirth, tlian the sight of his own prop^ r person. Having made this short acquaintance with the king, I took leave, and returned to ray comrades. Several Indians of the first rank followed me ^^^^^^^^j ^ ' ^ j ^^S jE^ ^ ' ^g^^ ' ^ ; I'l* 28 PERILOUS VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN NORWOOD. to my quarters, and used their boHt endeavors to sifl something from us, tliut might give tiiem light into knowing what wo were. They sought many way.s to make their thoughts intelligible to us; but still wc parted without knowing wiiat to fix upon, or how to steer our course in advance of our way to Virginia. In this doubtful condition, wc thought it reason- able to fall upon a speedy resolution what was next to bo done on o':r parts, in order to the accomplishment of our voyage by land ; wiiich wo hoped, by the divine aid, wc might be able to effect, adcr a little more refreshment, by the plenty of victuals allowed us by the king; wlio was no less indulgent and careful to feed and caress us, than if wc had been his children. Toward morning we were treated with a new regale, brought to us by the same fair hand again. It was a sort of spoon meat, in color and taste not unlike to almond milk, tempered and mixed with boilfd rice. Major Morrison, who had been almost at death's door, found himself abundantly refreshed and comforted with this delicacy. lie wished the bowl had been a fathom deep ; and would say, when his stomacii called on him for fresh supplies, that if this princess royal would give him his till of that food, he should soon recover his strength. Our bodies growing vigorous with this plenty, wo took new courage, and resolved, as many as were able, to attempt the finding out of Virginia. Wo gnesscd the distance could not be great, and that it bore from us S. by W. to S, W, Our ignorance of latitude we were in, was some discouragement to us ; but we were confident, from what the seamen discoursed, we were to the southward of the Menados, then a Dutch plantation, now New York: fair weather and full stomachs made us willing to be gone. To that end we laid out for a quantity of pone ; and, for our surer conduct, wc resolved to procure an Indian to be our pilot through the wilderness ; for we were to expect many remoras in our way, by swamps and creeks, with which all those coasts abound. The king remarking our more than ordinary care, to procure more bread than amounted to our usual expense, gath- ered thence our designs to leave him, and shifl for ourselves. To pre- vent the rashness and folly of such an attempt, he made use of all his silent rhetoric to put us out of conceit of such design ; and made us understand the peril and difficulty of it, by the many obstacles wc must meet with. He showed us the danger we should expose ourselves unto, by rain and cold, swamps and darkness, unless we were conducted by other skill than we could pretend to. He pointed to his fires and shocks of corn, of which he had enough ; and made it legible to us in his coun- tenance, that we were welcome to it. All the signs the king made upon this occasion, we were content to understand in the best sense ; and taking for granted our sojourning there was renewed to another day, wc retired to our quarters. About midnight following, the king sent to invite me to his fire. He placed me near him, as before ; and, in the first place, showing me the quarters of a lean doe, newly brought in, he gave me a knife to cut what part of it I pleased ; and then pointing to the fire, I inferred I was left to my own discretion for the dressing of it. I could not readily tell how to show my skill in the cookery of it, with no better ingredients than appeared in sight ; and so did no more but cut a collop, and cast it on the coals. His majesty laughed at my ignorance ; and to instruct me better, he broached the collop on a lonver, thrust the sharp end into the ground, (for there was no he.r'ii iiut what nature made,) and turning sometimes one side, and sometimes the other, to the fire, it whi tok of a me, pros NORWOOD CONVERSES BY SIGNS. 29 injT from UB, riicy sought U wc parted B ill advance ht it reason- done on o".r 1 ; wliich wo a litth more ig; who was we had been new regale, spoon meat, d mixed with Dund himself wished the omach called give him his )dics growing ved, as many ! guessed the yr W. to S, W. [cment to us ; e were to the cw York: fair o that end wc t, we resolved ; for we were cs, with which than ordinary xpcnse, gath- ves. To pre- iisc of all his and made us iclcs wc must lurselves unto, conducted by es and shocks s in his coun- ng made upon st sense; and lother day, we his fire. Ho owing me the ife to cut what ed I was left ladily tell how gredieuts than and cast it on to instruct me thu sharp end re made,) and to the fire, it Ijocamo fit, in a short time, to bo served up, had there been a dining-room of slate, sucii as tliat excellent king deserved. I made tender of it first to tiie king, and tiien to his nobles, but all refu.sed, and left it to me, who gave (iod and the king thanks for that grt?at meal. The rest of the doe was cut up in pieces, stewed in a pipkin, and then put into my hands to diaposo of among my company. Before I parted, the king attacked mo again, with reiterated attempts to bo understood ; and I thought by these three or four days' conversation, I had the air of his expression much more clear and intelligible than at first. Ilis chief dritl, for the first essay, seemed to bo a desire to know which way we were bound, whether north or south. He took up a stick, with which he made divers circles by the fireside ; and then holding up his finger to procure my attention, he gave to every hole a name ; and it was not hard to conceive, that the several holes were to supply tlio place of a sea chart, showing the situation of all the most noted Indian territories that lay to the southward of Kickotank. That circle that was most south- erly, he called Achomack, which though he pronounced with a difi'erent accent, I laid hold on that word with all the demonstrations of satisfaction I could express; giving him to understand, that was the place to which I had a desire to be conducted. The poor king was in a strange transport of joy to sec me receive satisfaction ; and forthw ith caused a lusty young man to be called to him, to whom, by the earnestness of his motious, he seemed to give ample instructions to do something for our service; but what it was, we were not yet able to resolve. In two or three days' time, seeing no cfiect of what he had so seriously said, we began again to despond ; and there- fore resumed our former thoughts of putting ourselves in a posture to be gone ; but the king seeing us thus ready at every turn to leave him, showed in his looks a more than ordinary resentment ; still describing (as he could) the care he had taken for us, and the impossibility of accomplishing our ends by ourselves ; and that wo should surely faint in the way, and die without help, if we would not be ruled by him. He showed me again his stores of corn ; and made such reiterated signs, by the cheerfulness of his countenance, that we should not want, while we had such a plenty, as made us lay aside all thoughts of stirring till ho said the word. But as oft as he looked or pointed to the coast of Acho- mack, he would shake his head, with abundance of grimaces, in dislike of our design to go that way till he saw it good we should do so. I was abundantly convinced of our folly, in the resolution we were ready to take of going away, without better information of the distance from Achomack, and the way that led to it ; and having so frank a welcome where we were, we resolved to stay till the king should approve of our departure; which he was not able to determine, till the messenger came back, that he had sent to Achomack ; who, it now seemed more plainly, was dispatched upon my owning that place to be our home ; though we knew it not from any cause we could rely upon, before we saw the effect. While we lived in this suspense, the king had a great mind to see our firearms, and to be acquainted with the use and nature of them. That which best pleased his eye, I presented to him, and showed him how to load and discharge it. The king's eldest son, of about eighteen years of age, was hugely enamored with our guns, and looked so wistfully on me, when he saw what wonders they would do, that I could not forbear presenting him with a birding-piece. Some of our company, who knew ""?,^S^Sga^?saass!- *:.f,*& B l!( * Li , m PKRILOITS VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN NORWOOD. that l)y thi> laws of Virfjinin, it was rriminal to furniah tho Indians with firearms, j»av(! rnn n caution in this case: but I resolved for once to bor- row a point of that law. For though it might bo of excellent uso in general, yet as our condition was, I esteemed it a much greater crime to deny tliose Indians anything that was in our power, than the penalty of that law could amount to. Fatiier and son abundantly gratified in this manner, tho king thougiit himself largely requited for tho cost wo put him to in our entertainment. I taught his son to shoot at fowls, to charge his gim and clean it: insomuch, tiiat in a few minutes, ho wont among tho Hocks of geese, and firing at random, ho did execution on one of them to his great joy ; and returned to his father with the game in his hand with such celerity, as if ho had borrowed wings of the wind. About throe o'clock this afternoon (January 24) the king was pleased, in great condescension, to favor mo with a visit ; a favor which I may. without vanity, assume to myself, and my better habit, from tiio many particular applications that he made to me, exclusive of the rest of the company. Ho thought I was too melanciioiy, (^for the Indians, as has been observed, are great enemies to that temper,) and showed me by his cheerful looks, what humor ho would have mc put on. lie came at this time, attended by his young daughter, who had done us the good offices before mentioned ; and having first, by kind words and pleasant gestures, given us renewed assurance of hearty welcome, he singled mc out, and pointed with his hand to a way he would have me take; bu« whither, or to what end, I was at liberty to guess. Upon that he produced his little daughter, for my conductress to tho placo to which I should follow her, wherever she would lead mo. The weather was excessively cold, with frost ; and tho wind blowing very fresh upon my face, it almost stopped my breath. Tho late condition I had been in, under a roof, with great fires and much smoke, conduced to make me more sensible of tho cold air; but iij loss than half an hour, that pain was over. Wo were jow in sight of the house to which we were bound, and the lady of tho place, who proved to be the mother of my conductress, was ready to re- ceive us, and to show mc my apartment in the middle of her house which had the same accommodation to sit and rest upon, as before has been described in ottier instances. The lusty rousing fire prepared to warm mc, would have been a most noble entertainment of itself ; but attended, as it was quickly, with good food for the belly, made it to be that com- plete good cheer, I only aimed at. A wild turkey, boiled with oysters, was preparing for my supper, which, when it was ready, was served up in the same pot that boiled it. This queen was also of the same mold of her majesty, whom we first met at our landing-place. Somewhat ancient, in proportion to the king's age, but so gentle and compassionate, as did very beautifully requite all defects of nature. She passed some hours at my fire, and was very desirous to know the occasion that brought us there, as her motion and the emphasis of her words showed ; but I had small hopes to satisfy her curiosity therein, after so many vain attempts to inform the king in that matter. In fine, I grew sleepy, and about nine o'clock every one retired to their quarters, separated from each other by traverses of mat; which, beside their proper virtue, kept the ladies from any immodest attempts, as secure as if they had been bars of iron. As the day peeped in, I went out and felt the same cold as yesterday, with the same wind, N. W. I was not forward to quit a warm quarter, and a frank entertainment ; but my young governess, who had her father's orders for direction, knew better than myself what I was to do. She D. ho Indians with for once to bor- xccllcnt nso in greater crime to the penalty of [fratitiod in this iho cost wo put fowls, to charge he wont among iition on one of he game in his the wind. Ing was pleased, nr which I may, from the many f the rest of the Indians, as has bowed mo by his n. lie came at me us the good rds and pleasant G, he singled me vo me take; bu» that he produced > which I should r was excessively my face, it almost mder a roof, with more sensible of I over. We were d the lady of the , was ready to re- f her house which before has been jrepared to warm elf; but attended, t to be that com- iled with oysters, ly, was served up of the same mold jlace. Somewhat nd compassionate, She passed some lasion that brought rds showed ; but I nany vain attempts py, and about nine rom each other by ipt the ladies from bars of iron. cold as yesterday, lit a warm quarter, ho had her father's [ was to do. She ARUIVAL OP FRIP:NDS FllOM VIUOLVIA. 81 put hfrscif ill u posture to load the way back from wlinicc wo came, after a very i/ooii rcpant c f stowed muscjos, toijcllier willi a very hcrirlv wclcoiiir, plainly iijjpoaring in the quooii'H lookn. My iiiinlih! pilot lei] mo away with yrcal Hwiftiioss, and it was noccsHary ho to do; tin; wfailicr still H, but a wonderful surprise appeared to mo "in tiic cluui^'o of ovory countonanop ; and, as every face did plainly sptMik a gonoral satisfaction, so did they with one voice explain the causo thereof, in telling mo, the messengers of our delivery were arrived, and now with the king. I hastened to see those angels, and addressing mysolf to one of thorn in English habit, asked him the occasion of his coming thore ? [lo told me his business was to trad<; for furs, and no more ; but as soon as I had fold him my name, and the accidents of our being there, ho acknowledged ho camo under the guidance of the Kiokot7ink Imliaii (^ which I imagined, but was not sure the king had sent,) in quest of me and those tliat wore lefl on shore. He had been sent by the governor of Virginia's orders to inquire after us, but ,knew not whore to find us till the Indian oame to his house. He gave mo a largo account of the ship's arrival, and the many dangers and difficulties she had encountered before she could come into .lames River; where she ran ashore, resolving there to lay her bones. His name was Jenkin Price: he liad brought an Indian of liis neighborhood with him, that was very well acquainted in those parts, for our conduct back to Achomack, which Indian was called Jack. The king was very glad of this happy success to us, and was impatient to learn something more of our history than hitherto he had been able to extract from signs and grimaces. Jenkin Price, with his broken Indian. could make shift to instruct Jack to say anything he pleased ; and Jack was the more capable to understand his meaning, by some sprinklings of English, that ho had learnt at our plantations. Betwixt them both, they \vere able to satisfy the king in what he pleased to know. Jack told them, of himself, what a mighty nation we were in that country, and gave them caution, not to embezzle any goods wo had brought with us, for fear of an after reckoning. I wondered, upon this serious discourse he had with the king, to sec guns, and stockings, and whatever trifles we had given, offered to be returned; and being told the reason of it, by Jenkin Price, I was very much ashamed of Jack's too great zeal in our service ; which, though it proceeded from a principle of honesty and . good morality in him, we were to consider that our dearest lives, and all that we could enjoy in this world, were, next to divine Providence, owing to tho virtue and charity of this king ; and therefore, not only what they had in possession, but whatever else ho -should desire, that was in mv power, would be too mean an acknowledgment for such high obligations'. I took care to let them know that I had no hand in the menace by which Jack brought them to refund what they had got of us : the right under- standing whereof increased our good intcUigenQe, and became a new endearment of affection between us. By better acquaintance with these, our deliverers, we learned that we were about fifty English miles from Virginia. That part of it where Jenkin governed, was called Littleton's Plantation, and was the first English ground we expected to see. He gave me great encouragement to endure the length of the way, by assuring me, I should not find either stone or shnib to hurt my feet through my thin soled boots; for the whole W >MWK>°WI 32 PERILOUS VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN NORWOOD. colony had noitlior stone or underwood. Ilavinjf thus sntisfiod my curi- osity, in thn l,'in our journey to AchdiiKiriv. Tlic liidiiin lie brought with him (who aftrrwardn lived and died my Horvaiil) wan very expert, and a most inconiparahio jjuidc in tiic \.oods we \v< re to |)ass, iieing a native of tiiese ])artH; no tliat ho was as our sheet andior in tiiis our perigrination. The iiing was loth to let us go till tlie weather was better tempered for our bodies ; but when he saw wc were fully resolved, and had pitched upon the next morning to begin our journey, ho found himsi^lf much defeated in a purpose he had taken, to call together all the flower of his kingdom, to entertain us with a dan<'e ; to the end tliat nothing might be omitted on his part for our divcrtisoment, as well as our nourishment, which his territory could pro- duce. Most of our company would gladly have deferred our march a day longer, to see this masquerade: but I was wholly bent for Achomack, to which place I was to dance almost on my bare feet ; the thoughts of which took otf the edge 1 might otherwise have had to novelties of that kind. When the good old king saw wo were fully determined to bo gone the next day, ho desired, as a pledge of my ftluMtion to him, that 1 would give him my camlet coat; which he vowni to wear, while he lived, for my sake. I shook hands, to show my williiigness to please him, in that or in any other thing ho would command; and was the more willing to do myself the honor of compliance in ihis particular, because he was the Krst king, I could call to mind, thit had ever showed any inclination to wear my old clothes. To the young princess, that had so signally obliged me, I presented a piece of twopenny scarlet ribbon, and a French tweezer-caae, that I had in my pocket, which made her skip for joy ; and to show how little she fancied our way of carrying them concealed, she retired apart for some time, and, taking out every individual piece of which it was furnished, p'." tied a snip of ribbon to each, and came back with scissors, knives, and bodkins, hanging at her ears, neck and hair. The case itself uas not excused, but bore a part in this new dress ; and, to the end we might not part, without leaving deep impressions of her beauty on our minds, Rhe had prepared on her fore-fingers, a lick of paint on each ; the colors (to my best remembrance) green and yellow: which, at one motion, she discharged on her face ; beginning upon her temple, and continuing it, in an oval line downwards, as far as it would hold out. Early next morning wo put ourselves in a posture to be gone. Major Morrison was so far recovered, as to be heart-whole ; but ho wanted strength to go through so great a labor as this was likely to prove. We left him, with many others, to be brought in boats that the governor had ordered for their accommodation ; and with them, the two weak women, who were much recovered by the good care and nourishment they received in the poor fisherman's house. Breakfast being done, and our pilot Jack ready to set out, we took a solemn leave of the good king. He inclosed me in his arms with kind embraces, not without expressions of sorrow to part, beyond the common rate of new acquaintances. I made Jack pump up his best compliments, which at present was all I was capable to return to the king's kindness ; and so, after many hana haea, we parted. We were not gone far, till the fatigue and tediousness of the journey discovered itself in the many creeks we were forced to head, and swnmpg to pass, (like Irish bogs,) ). isfipcl my cnri- niiuinicnto, wo our journey to I and died my I in the x.oodfl ho was as our ,th t(. lot us go it when he saw ornin« to begin c lie liad taken, rlain us with a lis part lor our ■itory co^ild pro- cd our march a it lor Adiomack, the thoughts of iiovoltios of that sd to bo gone the iin, that I would lilo ho lived, for ease him, in that B more willing to , because ho was 3d any inclination t had so signally )on, and a French skip for joy ; and •m concealed, she lividual piece of 1, and came back s, neck and hair, new dress ; and, npressions of her urs, a lick of paint nd yellow: which, upon her temple, it would hold out. be gone. Major ; but ho wanted ely to prove. We the governor had two weak women, ment they received set out, we took a lis arms with kind syond the common 1 best compliments, |e king^s kindness ; not gone far, till itself in the many L (like Irish bogs,) AURIVAL AT ACHOMACK. 88 which madn thn way at leaHl doulilc wliat it would havo amounted to ill a .straight line: uini it was our wonder to sec our ^'uido Jack lead on the way, witii the saiuo e.onrKleucn of guiiiugh to satisfy hunger, and to fit us for ri'pose. 1 was extremely tired with this tedious journey, and it was the more irksome lo me, because I performed it in boots, my sho(;s being worn out, which at that time w(.lantation, by the sight of hogs and cattle ; of which species the Indians were not masters. I was fully convinced of what he said; but would, however, have consented to a motion of lying without doors on tho ground, within two or tiirce flights shot of the place, to save the labor of so small a remainder. The close of the evening, and a little more patience, through the infinite goodness of the Almighty, did put a happy period to our cross adventure. A largo bed of sweet straw was spread ready in Jenkin's house for our reception, upon which I hastened to extend and stretch my wearied limbs. And being thus brought into safe harbor by the many miracles of divine mercy, from all the storms and fatigues, perils and necessities to which wo had been exposed by sea and land, for almost the space of four months ; I cannot conclude this voyage in more proper terms, than tho words that are tho burthen of that Paalm of Providence, 3 «4 PBR1L0U8 VOYAOE OP CAPTAIK NORWOOD lo U.at .nan wouU. U.cre^re P'-^;; U. '-J,*:'^ "'« «-'"""' ^^^ *^' Ui. w..u.lr.>us work- j.nU. tho ^'''f'" „^ , Z;^;,' j^ek, took Rroat care to (,..r la.Hllonl, Jonk.n '' "^"^ ;;£! ^a honn, we coul.l not want. provi.U, .n.-.a ior «h; ''"'^ '''^^^^ f,^/ '^I I hour- to oat wl.utcvor wan Ah lor «»r Hloinacl.H tl.cy wor., o J.c i ui r.-IVcHh.Ml willi h1o.ii' H... hdoro uh; .u, hoou as our w.ar.e^^ bod c w r ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^.^ It w»H on Saturday, ^''« — ".yi^i,;tuVufK^aou,inions at Acho.nuck woariHouu. ,.ilKri...u«;', ""'' ^^^ ^ /co^ty ; wl.id. is the only county o.j „., ,.y t|;o K.^^1., No^^ '^J,;:-,,^ • .,, Virginia, and U the l>e.t ■■W U I ■-r- '-—•»- >0D. roodnosB, and for lok ^xi'tA care to ve coulil not want, nat wliatcvor wbh ihIhmI with h1oi)|' (■ ciulod ihiH our lioiiH at Acliomaik ho only county on iu, and 18 the b«(il S£V£N TEARS or A S A I L O R'S LIFE, AltONO TBI SAVAGES OP THE CAROLINE I8LAND8. "In or about the yoar 1826, I shipped "—says O'Connoll, an Engh'jh sailor, in the story of hia lifc--"at Sydnuy, Now South Wales, in the bark John Bull, wlialor, Capt. Barkus. Aftor wo had bocn from Sydney about four months, wo put in at tiio Bay of Islands, Now Zealand. Bishop Marsdi'u, at that lime on „ visit to Now Zealand, from iiis residence at Paramatta, put on board of us a missionary, who was a|)pointcd to Strong's Island, one of th« Caroline Archipelago, witli his wife and daughter. Wo wore to cruise among the islands toward Japan, with the inten- tion to roacii tlie shores of Japan a; a particular season, when whaloK wor<' supposed to frequent the sea of Japan. At eight mouths out, y^■^ iiad taken about eiglit hundred ban els of oil, and wore endeavoring to make Strong's Island, to leave our passengers. At nightfall, wo had made no land, but knew from observation and the ship's log, that wo wore within a days' sail of our destination. Wo were bowling along uudor easy sail, the wind on our quarter, wiirn, at about eight o'clock in liio evening, the vessel struck on a concealed coral reef, which is not hiid down on the ciiarts. Capt. Barkus was, as usual, drunk on the iien-coop when the vessel struck. In the presence of the master, the mates can assume with success no authority which it is his peculiar pro- vince to exercise ; consequently, with a drunken, stupid sot for a master, tvery one followed the promptings of his own experience or inclination. Tiio boats wore lowered; but notwithstanding the necessary precipitation with which we prepared to lenvo the vessel, the boat in which I escaped was furnished with provisions and arms, and wo were able, also, to take away some ammunition, and little portable articles. In the boat with myself were five seamen, and tiio wife and daughter of the missionary. He was in the boat with the captain. In the four boats the whole crew escaped from the vessel. For five or six hours, wo kept together; but, when the morning dawned there was only one of the other boats discer- nable, and that but faintly a long distance astern, as wo crested a wave ! The sufferings of the ladies ongrossed more of our care than our own situation, We had a sail in our Iwat, and kept her away before it, both because of the comparative comfort of such a course, and our indifference as to what point we stood for. As I sat steering, I folded the shivering, sobbing daughter to my body with my left arm, while two of my shipmates' assisted in protecting her by placing themselves on each side. The mo- ther was similarly cared for by the other seamen,. We tendered them parts of our clothing, but could not persuade or induce them to accept anything of the kind. Oh, such a horrid night ! The women had much more to endure than ourselves, for, beside the natural weakness of their (35) i ♦"-"■ *.%■'- *ie-5-#ffin-**- .<«Aw«.':«i«ik»e«.^ ma i uj-i wi iil m 86 SEVEN YEARS OF A SAILOR'S LIFE. frames, and the delicacy which is womau's euflerinp in misfortune, as her ornament in prosperity, they suffered iicut(! pain from the excoriation they had received in descending to tlie hoa' by the davit-tackh-s: the .Bait-water rendered poignant the smarting i)aiu of their wounds. IJnt in all their affliction, they bore holy testimony to the eflicacy of that rtdigion wiiose messengers they were. If ever true practice, as well as |)rof( .th devoted herself to reach it. The mother was, by suffering, so far bereft of sensibility, that the death of her child hardly moved her. She scarcely appeared to understand us when we informed her of it ; or, if she did, the announcement was received with a sort of delirious joy. With as much attention to the forms of civilized society, as our situation would permit, we committed the body to the ocean. We at first intended to wrap the corpse in our sail ; but the pru- dence of a portion of the crew, who objected to exposing the living to save a form for the dead, prevailed. The mother, in her weak state, hardly uttered a comment, and in a few hours followed her daughter. Her body was also consigned to the deep. Upon the next morning after these melancholy duties to the two mar- tyrs to religion, we made the land. We had been in the boat three days and four nights, but, rejoiced as wc were to make the land, no immediate prospect of profiting by it appeared, for it was circled with a coral reef, in which it was past noou before we discovered an opening. Effecting a passage, Wc entered a smooth basin of water, and saw hundreds of canoes launching and putting off to us. They would approach within a short distance, then suddenly retreat, and at length conuncnced shower- ing stones, arrows, and other missiles upon us. We threw ourselves in the bottom of the boat, and when they had satisfied themselves that we could or would offer no resistance, they were emboldened to make a rush upon the boat, which they towed to the beech. After we were landed, they stripped us of our clothing, and took everything out of the boat, whale-irons, tubs, muskets, etc. The boat was then hiiulcd upon the beach, and our company, six in number, were led to the canoe-house. We were seated in the center of the house, upon mats ; and yams, bread-fruit, plantains, bananas, fish, bits of cold game of some sort, were brought to us. The building was filled in every chink by natives, seated; the men with crossed legs, like Turks, and the women on their heels. A constant buzz of conversation ran through the assembly, each talking to his next neighbor, and gesticulating vehemently. The interjection, or sound, indicative of pleasure or surprise among the .Indians, is a cluck, • < IS LIONIZED BY THE ISLANDERS. isfoittine, as lici tlio excoriation iivit-lackles: the lounds. But in f of tliat religion oil as prol'i .lo. They took jiold of our persons very famiiiaiiy, women and men, and gave frcmunt .^l.icks ot admiration at the hliio veins whicli were marked through our skius on parts of the bodies wiiicli iiad not been usually exposed to be bronzed by the sun. My comrades feared the Indians were cannibals, and that this examination was to , wc had been, of course, apprised by our ears before ve readied the lioiise, and had concluded that some accident or sudden death was the reason of die outcry. Nothing was there liowevcr-no broken bonca but the bones of the eels; the pyramid of which, as George and I had left it, might indeed have caused cries of surprise that two persons could have left such testimonials of appetite; but as the aspect of afl^airs looked ikc an expression of something more than surprise, we esteemed it prudent to keep our own counsel. For two or three days was the lamentation continued; it flew from place to place and from hut to hut; on every side was weeping and lamentation. George and I thought we saw some looks indicative ot- suspicion, and when the bones were tairly buried by the chiefs orders, and the hubbub ceased, we felt relieved from a load of fear which had been sufficient to give lis a distaste for eels; which operated better for their safety, as far as wo were concerned, than all the acts passed by the legislature of Massachusetts have done for the shad and alewives in Taunton River. . ^ , Upon one occasion, when I was sick, a journey \yas projected, as was the usual course with invalids. I, however, refused to be cured in such a way, preferring case and quiet. All the preparations having been inade for the journey, it was taken without me. I thought my wife might have had the grace to remain at home with' her sick spouse, but she chose to accompany her father. Upon her return I had pretty we 1 i-ecovered, and I welcomed her by taking my wedding g.ft-a few blue beads-from her basket, and breaking them between two stones, before her eyes As soon as I had done the mischief, Laowni ran from the house to a stone m the edge of the water, where she sat down and commenced crying like an infant. I followed, and endeavored to pacify her, but it was of no use The only answer she made was to kick like a spoiled child The tide flowed in, till she was in water to her elbows; then I was enabled to coax her away, but still she ceased not bellowing for her beads. If I had bitten ofl- her finger, it would certainly have g/'«^^'*l/^Vr';.t tho.S I went to sleep and left her weeping. She had refused to eat, though fish and the most delicate bits of a murdered puppy had been off-ered her. Happening, however, to awake at midnight, I detected her solacing her anil not,tike Mrs. Oakley, on boiled chickens, but like a delicate savage, In a dog's -Irumstick. I said nothing, thinking the return of her appetite was a good omen; but when I waked again in the morning, clouds and darkness still sat upon the countenance of Laowni. The day long she wore the same sulks, giving me an occasional look of anything but affection, but not vouchsafing a word. At night 1 took George with me, and instead of sleeping in the canoe-house, whidi was then Ahoundel's quartet-, went to his house proper, /here we built a small fire for its light, and just as we had propounded to each o her the Ze condusion that his Majesty of Nutt and fanj.ly were not in the best humor we were surprised with a visit from that dignitary himself, accom- pSd by a native Sho was particularly indebted to me for detecting him in stealing ray knife, and two others, all armed with spears. Without ,Z^ a word they sat down at a litUe distance, biting the.r nether lips, as 19 always their custom when vexed or m a passion. I spoke to them, E. s taken from scoinjii uiulorstiuul'mK the sachnd the hut, wc !ly prostrate, heating floor. Ot* the noise rs before vo readied ,r sudden death was 51 no broken bones icorge and 1 had left > persons could have o( atfairs looked like esteemed it prudent was the lamentation to hut; on every side lit we saw some looks yburicdbythechicrs \ a load of fear which khich operated better n all the acts passed the shad and alewives was projected, as was d to be cured in such ions liaving been made ht my wife might have 3use, but she chose to tty well recovered, and blue beads— from her >rc her eyes. As soon house to a stone in the nenced crying like an but it was of no use. oiled child. The tide 1 1 was enabled to coax her beads. If I had -cd her less. At night refused to eat, though y had been oflfered her. feted her solacing her t like a delicate savage, e return of her appetite le morning, clouds and mo an occasional look word. At night I took lanoe-house, which was ,peT. There we budt a inded to each other the lily were not in the best lignitary himself, accom- fed to me for detectmg d with spears. Without biting their nether bps, i,8ion. I spoke to them, RIDINQ A HOBBT. ^ and inquired the reason of the visit, but received not a word in answer. George shivered beside mo like a leaf, though I assured him ho need fear notiting, as the visit was undoubtedly intended solely for mc. At length our agreeable state of suspense was relieved by the appearance of Laowni, who beckoned them outside, and we saw nothing more of them. It was two or three days afterward before the reconciliation be- tween myself and wife was completed, as I took it upon me, upon the most approved civilized plan, to become sulky when she relented. This lesson, however, taught me better than to trifle again seriously with the property or comfort of a wife, whose father might inflict summary punishment upon me without being amenable for it to any power. Such I afterward ascertained was the intention of the visit. Ahoundel lofl the canoe-house with a determination to put me to death, and it was the intercession of Laowni, who followed the party, that saved mc. Upon the whole, the adventure had a good effect. Ahoundel respected the courage with which I faced him, though God knows it was as much in outward seeming as genuine; and respected the firmness which led me to maintain my ground, even after the threat of death. After I had some time resided with these savages, I happened acciden- tally to feel a sick man's pulse. This was noted by the observant natives, and I was called upon to explain what it meant, and why I did it. I gave them the best illustration in my power, beating time to show them how fast the pulse should beat, and telling them that anything faster or anything slower was "no good." The beating of the pulse at the wrists was aremark- able discovery to them ; all the old women, and indeed all the young, made a dive at the wrists of every one when first suspected of ill health. Once on the scent, they followed it, and detected the throbbing of the temples ; so if there was not room enough at the wrists for all exami- ners, a portion would settle on his head. It was really amusing to see how like civilized people they could ride a hobby to death. Inquiries ceased. As phrenologists are said to read a man's whole character without other data to proceed upon than the external developments upon his head, so the native professors of the new art of pulse-feeling wished only to find rest for the finger on the patient's body. Ho or she would find rest only when the tormentors were asleep; the sleep of the patient being of too little consequence to interrupt the medical examinations of the thousand friends. An islander sick is an object ghastly enough. His original sallow face is smeared until it is resplendent in ghastliness. The accompanying objects, the gloomy visages of the attendants, and their howling and moaning, give such scenes a character gloomy as the most inveterate old lady lover of sorrow, rendered doubly sorrowful by exaggeration and anticipa- iton, could desire. If possible, I was always called to pronounce whether a patient would live or die; and, by caution in pronouncing judgment, and care in forming it, my word, as I gained experience, was considered, with the islanders, life or death to the patient. By a favorable opinion, confidently pronounced, I question not I saved many lives, as the natives would redouble their eflbrts when hope was encouraged, and the patient's imagination, thus relieved, would assist the recovery. With these people, after George and I had become habituated to their customs, and learned to appreciate their character, we resigned ourselves to circumstances, and were content, in the absence of almost all hope of escape, to be happy. In about a year from our arrival, Ahoundel grew a little less cautious ibouX our wandering; a forced remission of care, as .<^.fc-.r Tii>li»n»-'-^ • \ «4 SEVEN YEARS OF A SAILOR'S LIFE. we had become too well acquainted with the poople to believe tliem all cannibals. Still he inaistcd upon our being fruquently in his company. The difficulty with Laowni, detailed in a preceding page, my father- in-law's conduct, in which lie was, I suspect, instigated by Namadow, lefl my situation not quite so pleasant as betbro. Ahoundel secmod inclined to repair his harshness with over aiTection, and it was with much difficulty George and I obtained permission to leave Nutt even for twenty-lbur hours. Outside the reef which bounds Bonabee, the island we were upon, arc two other islands, one called by the natives Hand, about twenty miles distant ; the other Pokeen, about sixty miles distant. The latter, called un the charts Wellington Island, is inhabited; Hand is not. The inhabi- tants of Wellington Island resemble those of Bonabee, except that they are addicted to cannibalism, a practice which is unknown on lk)nabee, except, perhaps, so far as tasting an enemy's heart goes. Keenan and myself visited it once, and found it bounded by a reef, through which there is but one passage. We were detained by a storm longer than we bargained for, being weather-bound ten days. Upon Wellington Island we remained nearly six months. I did not believe, till my visit, that the natives of Wellington Island were cannibals ; then I had ocular demonstration. It seemed with them an ungovernable passion, the victims being not only captives, but presents to the chiefs from parents, who appeared to esteem the acceptance of their ch'Mren, for a purpose so horrid, an honor. Shortly after our return fVom Pokeun, or Wellington Island, our four comrades, Johnson, Brayford, Thompson and Williams, paid us a visit, as had been their occasional custom. At these meetings wo sparred, danced, sung, and conversed in English, relating to each other our various experience and discoveries in the language of the people, and their character. Upon this occasion my comrades proposed to George and me that we should leave Nutt, and spend a twelvemonth with them, dividing the time with the different chiefs with whom they were quartered, and devoting the first month to an excursion from island to island. This proposal was eagerly embraced by us. I had frequently expressed to Ahoundel a wish to the same effect, giving as a reason my weariness of the monotony of an abode upon one island, but he uniformly refused his consent. My visit to Wellington Island was protracted, by the strength of the north-east trades, much beyond his pleasure, and, although I was an involuntary absentee, and cf course not liable to blame, that long absence had so proved the need of my presence to him, that it made him averse to my going from his sight: a fatherly solicitude that was horribly annoying. Knowing, therefore, the certain answer to an application for leave of ab- sence, 1 determined to take liberty without. What I fancied a good opportunity soon offered. Ahoundel and his whole household, and con- nections, launched the canoes for an excursion or visit. I was excused from the party on account of the presence of my friends, who declined accompanying Ahoundel. When they were fairly off, we stepped into the canoe, but had hardly got under weigh, when a rascally native, who had evidently been watching us, shoved his canoe off, and prddled before us like lightning, shoving, or rather poling his canoe over the shallows, and working like a windmill in a gale with his single paddle in the deep water. When he reached a creek or inlet, into which we knew Ahoundel bad turned, he shot up the opening, and we began to see his intention, «nd the meaning of the hoobooing he had kept up as he {receded us< mA'i^ m t ^■m^t H'^ ia St afi^ FE. ! to believe them all Illy in his company. ig page, my father ed by Nainadow, left ndel sceinod inclined I with much dillicidty even for twonty-lbur id wo were upon, arc , about twenty miles t The latter, called lis not. The inhabi- tbee, except that they inknown on Bonabee, t goes. Keenan and I reef, through which storm longer than we M)n Wellington Island , of Wellington Island It seemed with them y captives, but prescnta ;em the acceptance of Shortly after our return des, Johnson, Brayfordj [ been their occasional sung, and conversed in ence and discoveries in Seorge and me that we them, dividing the time martered, and devoting nd. This proposal was ised to Ahoundel a wish ,8 of the monotony of an 1 his consent. My visit ength of the north-east *h I was an involuntary fat long absence had so made him averse to my was horribly annoying, plication for leave of ab- [What I fancied a good ole household, and Con- or visit. I was excused »y friends, who declined lirly off, we stepped into on a rascally native, who ! off, and prddled before ;anoe over the shallows, lingle paddle in the deep which we knew Ahoundel Jan to see his intention, t up as he i receded us. THE KSCAPE AND PURSUIT. 45 In a f'uw riiomonts we saw the canoes of Alioiindcl in pursuit. Wo used paddles and sail, and crack(!d on, cstocming it more a frolic than any- thing,' 8 of the island diHi'r l)ut liuie in speed, it wuh nearly two hours before they iiad ncared us enough to ho within hailing distance. They then commenced fair promises if we would stop, offering us fish, and bread-fruit, and yams, and using all thr lojjic of persuasion of which they wore capable. Still wo cracked on; but Ahoundel's canoe at length shoved alongside of us, upon the weather or outrigger side, and we gave up the race as useless. My friend Naina- dow was the first to lay hold of the outrigger, and gave us the first intima- tion of their rough intentions, by endeavoring to capsize us. We hung to windward to trim the boat, and finding his strength ineffectual to upset it, ho had the brazen impudence to climb on the olatform with the intention to board us. In the heat of the moment I administered a settler with my list, which knocked him into the water. Then half a dozen of the Indians laid hold of our outrigger at once, and esteeming it useless to struggle against such odds, we all jumped out of the canoe. Others of AhoundePs fleet had by this time gathered around us, and the Indians commenced beating us with the flat sides of the paddles whenever we showed our heads. Our canoe was smashed to smithereens, and my comrades were allowed to climb into others in the fleet, without much beating; indeed, they were assisted in; but I did not fare so well. Ahoundel made frequent feints with his spear, and so did others, but not one was thrown, nor had any person any such murderous intention; as I afterward learned their orders were to frighten and beat, but not to hurt: a consoling cir- cumstance, of which I had not then the benefit, but considered myself a case. During all this time my father-in-law was upbraiding me with my ingratitude, reminding me of my rank, connections, wife, and the benefits he heaped upon me. I protested my purpose was only to make an ex- cursion witii the intention to return. The paddle pounding had ceased afler the first rude attack, and this conversation was carried on, or rather his scolding, while I was eyeing the spears, and dodging, in anticipation of the expected blows. I made several attempts to climb into AhoundePs canoe, but my 'articular friend, who had by this time been fished out of the water, rapped my fingers with his paddle as soon as they clasped the gunwale. The fleet, which had received additions from Nutt, of people who came out from curiosity, seeing the fray, now turned toward Nutt again ; and Jem Aroche, Moonjob as he was, was fain to crawl into the canoe of a native, and return to the house of his father. My ship- mates accompanied me, and Ahoundel, satisfied that I should not repeat my attempt to escape, proceeded on his excursion. I should have men- tioned, that no women accompanied our pursuers, as the precaution was taken to set them ashore before the boats started in pursuit. Three or four days passed before Ahoundel and his party returned. During that time I had ample opportunity for reflection, and came to the conclusion, that, considering the stealthy circumstances under which I left Nutt, the chief had reason for his jealousy of me. Nay, I could not help acknowledging to myself that my punishment was not altogether undeserved, as my treatment of my father had, to say tho least, been unhandsome. When the party returned, Laowni immediately sought me upon landing, as she had heard vague rumors of my adventure, and was not sure that I was not killed. She was overjoyed to see me, rubbed her nose against mine, threw herself on my neck, and fairly wept tears of joy at my safety. Ahoundol himself made a sort of half apology, and ■» itlu;r nidrt, nnd tlin tuf;itivcH wcrii not purHticd. 'I'lin nntivvH of Uunalxin, ncvrr nlauKtitor in rold lilood nlli'i a too ('r>aHi!M to reHJHt. Our party plundered tliu hounefl of whatever movahlim were lel\, Het tire to them, and, returninf( to the beach, brolte up the c.unoeH of the foe, and takin;; with un tiio iipearR, mats, nnd otii'r a canoe, assuring Ahoundel that I would make the vessel ^^moondie,'" literally, "«/ rfotrn," or come to an anchor. At the canoe-house, whither Ahoundel, Laowni, my children, and others, followed me, Ahoundel granted his unwilling consent that 1 should go off to tho vessel, following it up with questions, while Laowni anxiously watched the express on of my face for an answer. " Do you love your wife? your children? Do you love them much, very much? Will you certainly return ?" To all this I answered yes, yes; ond my heart smites mc now, as I recollc( ihc gratified expression of my wife's coun- tenance upon receiving the ansurance. A large canoo was prepared tu lauucli, but the tide was out. We were obliged to wait for it two full .IKK. [i bo<:n iiiniln I > take uirMUiiil. 'I'lio unlives I foo iraHCM to rrsiMt. >vnl)l(!N woro loft, Hot tho f.uiiocH of tin; fo«, imlcr, w«' retiirnod to tvo coiiUI tind, antl the lUhur Hill)', pcnnrally liiimano, for hut thf> truth coriipGU thoir unuiil chnractcr. tt duy allor our return jnjjo and <1ok venison Lifn were huruod; hut i hy lire, tho heart of n a liir^e plantain leaf aH 1 was not present at ever, is, the eating the I thorn. Of this I can It one opportunity for iart was eaten, (ind that or, 1833, that I discov- positive of having; noon n said thc^ saw vcsscl.s, proachod near enough mnriso in tho rnorninji; immediately. Wo ran led her, as well as the 1 dull morninR. After »r American vessel, wo ere was a vess<.>l in the not half so much elated rting it. Ho eyed mo , no." I repeated my d tho wholo household (kipping up tho hill, as )ac<' of our compajiions credulous, and my wife ith of my discovery, as lication of my feelings )Ut tho vessel, and satis- ped it might bo, a native issuring Ahoundel that t dou-n," or como to an , Laowni, my children, mwilling consent that 1 uestions, while Laowni an answer. " Do you lem much, very much? d yes, yes; and my heart ision of my wife's coun- canoo was prepared to 1 to wait for it two full * Ik ^>* ■•'f Jr . I liA^'^s*^^^^*'*''®*^'*"^''^^^ ^— i*s^jrtt«flr«*?^a«'-- ifii*j(^i'j,'iLri I*" THE SPY, OF SALEM. ^g hours! Oh the impatience we felt! the snnil.Iilf« nrn»,<>.. r .• • At It..^ h the tide served us to launch the canoe. Ahoundel anrf before we could exchange a word with them I «h„. u i? • ,' u.,but my haLds and aVmsKe tfe^L o^f Kate^r^'i'^^'/P*'" .*.«-«h*w*« -v imMfo e- ^t m ^ v*^ ,^, ^ 50 SEVEN YEARS OF A SAILOR'S LIFE. nearly together. The outrigger was thrown upon the ledge at the sccoud or third roll, and had we clung to it we should have been dashed to pieces among the rocks, by the force with which wu should have been driven. The young chief had reached the Icdgo before us, and between our forced plunges we could see him encouraging ua by swinging his mat. After being thus swamped five or six times we reached the rocks, more dead than alive, and crawled where the water had least force. Here, taking the pole of the outrigger, which, as before stated, had preceded us, I attached my mat to it, and made signals of distress. On board the schooner they paid no heed to it, although she stood at one time almost within hail of us. Taking us for natives, and supposing us used to such mishaps, her master thought we could manage for ourselves ; had he, however, been inclined to assist us, no boat would have lived in the surf. We were two or three hours on the reef before we were discovered by the natives; then some fishing canoes came to us from the inside, where the sea was comparatively nothing, and the reef approachable, and took us otT. One of the party, the native who remained with the canoe, was drowned, his body being picksd up a day or two afterward among the rocks which formed the reef. Upon reaching Nutt, Ahoundel was astonished with the story of our escape. The young chief described our conduct to him, and his astonish- ment was increased, that two white men should prove better or more fortunate swimmers than a native fisherman. We were weakened, and bruised, and sore, as the reader will readily conceive ; but our bodily sulTeriag was forgotten in our mental anxiety, as the last light of day showed us the schooner standing off shore. Would she return? The night long we ])ussod in anxious doubt, and were out with the dawn to look for the sail. At length I saw her, just a speck. Heavens! how my heart leaped! A half hour more and the tide was right. The vessel, standing in, was now fairly visible, and, prepared with a fresh load of tortoise shell and provisions, with George and two natives for companions, I set sail again. As we went out by the reef, we were forcibly reminded of our escape of tbo preceding day, by a fleet of canoes which were paddling as near the reef as they dared, in search of the body of the drowned man. When we reached the schooner she was hove to, with her boarding nettings up, and her men mustered, with boarding pikes and muskets in hand, or at hand. Two or three other canoes got along side at the same time that we did, and others were coming off. Upon the day before no natives had been allowed to board the vessel, though a barter trafiic for yams and bread-fruit was opened between the canoes and those on board the vessel. We passed under her stern, and I read the name, " Spy, of Salem." She was brig rigged forward, and schooner aft. Fusing round to her weather bow, I song out, " Shipmates, throw us a ropers end, will you ?'' There was a bustle on deck, a buzz of surprise, but DO answer, and in a moment I heard somebody exclaiming, "Captain, the natives on this island speak English!** The anxiely to get a peep at tt8 through the boarding netting was now redoubled, forward and afl. One of the men, ailer much hesitation, threw us a rope, and the captain came to the gangway and asked us on board, requesting us to keep the natives in the canoe, which we did. The captain did us the honor to Mhip the side-ladder for us, and Qeorge and I needed no second invitation to come on deck, but, taking up the tortoise shell with us, directed the natives to pass up the yams. To my first question the captain answered that the nune of the island waa Asceosion, the group being laid down • - «K'" ' • iiM«iiii» ' i'ifirr — f. -r ' - ^i' - - — ——-'--- ■-^^- \ THE SPY FIRES UPON THE NATIVES. 51 ilge at the second , dashed to pieces ave been driven, etwcen our ibrccd ,g hia nmt. Alter rocks, more dead ce. Here, taking ad preceded us, 1 board the schooner i almost within hail Ito such mishaps, • had he, however, ^hesurf. We were ered by the natives; where the sea was d took us off. One e was drowned, his ng the rocks which ith the story of our lim, and his astonish- ,rove better or more were weakened, and eive ; but our bodily the last liglit«f day Id she return? Ino out with the dawn to Heavens! how my 3 right. The vessel. with a fresh load of latives for companions, ,ere forcibly reminded kf canoes which were ch of the body of the ahe was hove to, with ith boarding pikes and I canoes got along side homing off. Upon the [d the vessel, though a Vetween the canoes and r stern, and I read the w&tA, and schooner att. Shipmates, throw us a ■ck, a buzz of surprise, exclaiming, "Captain, tnxiclytogetapeepat ibled, forward and att. I a rope, and the captain questing us to keep the Sin did us the honor to ded no second invitation ,11 with us, directed the m the captain answered group being laid down a.s one island on the chart. He inquired particularly into our story, and prococded, while lie did su, to offer us, with a sailor^^ liospittility, a rum- iiior of grog, it was- tlie first I had tasted for years, of course, and a bare hwallow of it i)urned my throat, flushed my face, and played the deuce witli my head altogetlier. Poor (ieorge was even worse flabborgusted tliau 1 was. In answer to Captain Knight's inquiries, I assured him of the peaceable character of tlie islanders, and that there was abundance of tortoise shell and beche Ic incr for commerce, and yams, bread-fruit, water, and wood, for provision upon the islands. In a short time Captain Knigiit expressed a willingness that I should permit my natives to come on board, and we dropped the canoe astern. Other natives were not so fortunate; they huddled about the vessel, and, coveting iron, strove to pull out the iron work under the chains with their hands. The schooner filled away again, and we stood off with a fleet of canoes in tow, dashing and plashing through the water, their outriggers foul of each other, and getting contin- ually carried away. I dined on board, with George, at the cabin table. The condiments of my own furnishing, with the salt provisions, ship bread, and butter, of the ship's stores, furnished a more savory meal than I had sat down to for many a day. I undertook to pilot the Spy inside the reef to an anchorage, at Captain Knight's request. At four or five o'clock in the evening she came to an anchor in the harbor of Matalaleme. By the natives who went that night to Nutt, I sent Ahoundel a large broadax and an adz, and to Laowni I sent beads, red kerchiefs, and other trinkets; while George and I remained on board, afraid to trust ourselves on shore again. In the morning the vessel was again surrounded by canoes, and Captain Knight purchased of the natives, through me as an interpreter, tortoise shell and other articles, and one canoe, which he purposed to carry away na a curiosity. This was dropped astern and fastened by a rope to the counter. In about two hours from tiie time of purchasing some of the natives slipped into it, and before we were aware were making oft" with it, induced probably by some island superstition. Captain Knight immedi- ately fired upon the thieves, and, lowering a boat, sent some men in pursuit; but it would have been impossible to have overtaken them, even if the water had not been ttw shallow in places for the keel of the boat. Captain Knight now began to fear that the natives intended to take his vessel, although George and I assured him to the contrary, and told him that their worst fault was an irresistible propensity to thieve, where they saw articles they so earnestly coveted. We represented to him that harsh treatment might bring about the very event he dreaded, and that, at any rate, the next vessel which came within their reach would suffer for his conduct. Still he was nervous, agitated, and acted like one beside him- self, begging me to prevent treachery and keep the natives quiet. In- stead of acting like a discreet person, which had he done, he might have lain at Matalaleme weeks, with profit, he blowed out the brains of a native who was climbing in at the cabin windows, and threw out the body. Luckily for Captain Knight, the murdered man was a common man, ao that the dissatisfaction of the natives amounted only to a murmur; had he been a chief, the capture of the vessel and murder of the crew would have atoned for his death. It did not seem long to intimidate them, but after they had clamorously inquired of me the cause of his death, and I told them it was for thieving, they seemed, in a measure, satisfied that it was just. During the time that the Spy lay at Matalaleme no natives were ,e-aij;sa;^^^^^^ but canoes, none of >vh,ch took effect, aveo^^^^^ butslightly. Dunng from being spent, or sorne oyer caus^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ .^^^^^^^^^ than all the time the """.^^'^ °l*J^f„, ^Tv/rsation and pa diminished, and I was >° ;°"™^^°7Sf ^^^^^^ tici-tic (petty chie ) They complamed of ^^^ ^J^^^^.'Y"^ ° „ot to blame for it, and appealed to of the vessel. I answered that 1 was noi lo u ^ anxious Sem for the fact that I had "«* J^^lf i^^eT ^^^^ to Ahoundel. that a good report of my conduct «n°uW be earn ^^ ^^^ "^ As ^?e beat out-for the wind ws against u^^fl^-t^^ ^^^ ^^^ canoes, nothing daunted by th« death oi i ^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^^^ put off/or us from variou^ parts^^^^^ oWelf startling. It rang from report in the harbor of .^?\*''V^f p'.^bably for the first time; that genera- rock to rock, fd from hill to h lU , P^^^^'^^y j^j „f the use or character tion of the islanders, **3X'erEi"y was doubled by his want of lf=edg?o«e^ttrw^H^^^^^^^^ -^e conduct of ''VhriU of a fresh fleet putting off towa^^^^^^^^^^ desperate. He ««"* a hand w>th a ™atchj^nto the sail, and sent ^^e charge »^^^^^^^ ^^„„,,. There 1 saw several natives drop like dogs over V ^ survivors; but the rose a howl of mingled ^,*g« "^"^^J^^^^e Ss fell back, and though cruel expedient answered the purpose t^e ^^^^^^ j^ ^^^ they followed us far outs.de the reef, ^^ ^^J^^ « ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ jj^j pasWe through the reef we nmowlpj^^^ ^^^^ d ir^ngi^'sSX^s^^^^^^ ^- ^^'^ ^"^^^ '' ''' islanders. „ „„♦ ,on«iitfld The mast was strained, and The shot from the foretop was not '«P«*X;„ the backstays by the run, the sailor who officiated as gunner c«n« ^own the^J^^^yj^h occurred protestinghewouldnot agamfire he 8w^^^^ J ^^ unpleasantly Suring my connection .^l^^X Captan Knight. Knowing perfectly as the butchery of my tnends oy ^ap"^" . . » ^j^ t, unt I they were Z language and character of the people,^ la^ewthat^ roused to revenge by the death of the "^tY/l^^J^J^^^^ have been guarded ' %*(i«r»5«(a*«***»«»»''-'' :-BS»««S*^<^'9«»WW»««««*****«***^ VILLAINY OF CAPTAIN KNIGHT. 53 g, and in ihcir 1 a precaution wWj the habits : could not have r the native was brctop, cliarged ,1 of canoes put Bnced hostilities, 3tant persuasion, r part, to prevent the morning the f, to fire upon the ns against people We flatly refused. hurled from the ick the mate; but L slightly. During er increased than .y with the natives, ■a-tic (petty chief) it, and appealed to jm. I was anxious back to Ahoundel. ;t after fleet of the res who had fallen, , echo of a musket tling. It rang from t time; that genera- te use or character ed by his want of to safe conduct of ide Captain Knight oretop, cleved up hickest of the fleet, heir canoes. There e survivors; but the •ell back, and though tt distance. In the eon the rocks. Had ould have answered American or English probably be sacrificed ito the power of th« mast was strained, and backstays by the run, thing which occurred me so unpleasantly Knowing perfectly ► that, until they were aht of farther mischiet ily have been guarded taken did not answer. [ proposed to Captain Knight, as we entered the harbor, that the vessel should lay there a month or six weeks, informing him of the quantities of beche le mor which I proposed to cure for him, taking the requisite tools from the vessel. I did not expect that anything but peace and good fellowship between the natives and the crew of the vessel would grow out of the visit; but the hasty and cruel conduct of Captain Knight marred it all. I was grieved at the death of the the natives; but I was astonished at the efl'rontery with which Captain Knight called upon us to fire upon our friends. We told him we were anxious to get away from tlic island, but that we should prefer to be set on shore again, rather than purchase our freedom by such an abuse of friendship. Fairly out of the harbor of Matalaleme, the deportment of Captain Knight materially changed toward us. lie was no longer the supplicant for intercession with the natives, but the master, imposing his authority upon us in every possible manner. In about fourteen days we made Guam, one of the Marian Islands, whore Captain Knight would have left us, but the authorities would not permit it. By the way, I should have mentioned that the ship's cook was set ashore at Matalaleme, with his own consent, and I directed the natives into whose canoe he stepped to carry him to Ahoundel, and treat him well, for my sake. Whether he, and the four comrades whom I left upon the islands, did not fare worse for Captain Knight's conduct, I had no means of ascertaining; but must do the natives the justice to express the opinion, based upon a knowledge of their char- acter, that they have too much benevolence and perception of right and wrong to abuse known friends for the conduct of strangers, though those strangers were of their color and language. After leaving Guam, I had some altercation with Captain Knight, which resulted in no very agreeable consequences to myself. During the whole passage I had been sick, from a cold, exhaustion, fatigue, and derange- ment of my whole system, from the change of diet. Under my right arm was a large and very painful swelling. One night I had the watch from eight to twelve, the first two hours of which I spent on the topgallant yard, upon the lookout. When I came down I laid myself on the forecastle by the heel of the bowsprit, exhausted, and in agony from the swelling under my arm. Captain Knight came forward, and at the first intimation I had of his proximity was a kick. "What business have you here asleep, sir?" I pleaded my weakness and ill health, and the suffering I had already endured by the lookout at the masthead. He collared me, and I returned his grasp with interest; he freed himself from me, went aft, and returned with a brace of pistols in his hand, threatening to shoot me. I told him to do it ; that I was tired of life, and would willingly die. He then let m(j alone for the night, and indeed wo had no more words, but he hove to near the first land we made, lowered the boat, and ordered mo into it. George insisted upon accompanying me, to which Captain Knight at first objected, but afterward consented. He then sent the second mate and two men with directions to leave the two Irish villians (he used a worse word) anywhere— on a rock, or a sand-bank, but not to bring them on board again. This was in the straits of Barnardino. Upon reaching the shore wo found bullocks grazing, but saw no house, or shelter of any kind, and persuaded the second mate to take us back. He did so, and upon returning to the vessel told the captain that he could not drive us from the boat, but that we insisted upon coming back. We were taken on board, and the vessel filled away again. I very foolishly, as the event proved, threatened Captain Knight that I would 5iS.l?^?J&*;^"g ,^ .Kf'-MHMMP 'if 54 SEVEN YEARS OP A SAILOR'S LIFE. '; represent to the authorities at Manilla his treatment of the Indiana at Ascension, and his abuse of me. Upon arrival at that port he anticipated 'no, making' ail sorts of charges against us, as runaways from punishment at New Holland, pirates who strove to cause the capture of his vessel by the Indians, and mutineers on board. Upon being boarded by the cap- tain of the port at Manilla, just as we thought we had reached the end of our vexations and were in a way to return home, we were agreeably surprised by a present of leg safety-chains, and were placed, ironed, in the bows of the captain of the port's barge. Captain Knight soon came down over the side, and seated himself under the awning in the stern sheets, with the captain of the port, the quarantine and custom-house officers; and as we sat, we could perceive we were the objects of the conversation. We bore this talking at, some time in silence, but tiring of it, I requested George to play his flute; which, by the way, as a memento of his residence on Ascension, he had taken care to keep with him. Accordingly he struck up St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, Garry Owen, and divers other merry Irish tunes, to the astonishment and edification of the boatmen, and, after awhile, to the amusement even of the officers in the stern sheets. We were pulled in this way alongside half a dozen vessels which had just entered the harbor, and endured the gratification of being pointed out to their crews ..s felons : — a story we took every opportunity to contradict. The feelings of the sailors were, of course, with us, and their half-expressed and doubtful sympathy was grateful, when all the rest of the world were disposed to frown. After being paraded in this way about the harbor for half a. day, we were landed, and marched with military honors up the street. Wo had reached a church — were famished with hunger, having eaten nothing since morning, and faint with exposure to the heat of a broiling sun. " Is it vespers you arc taking us to? Well, prayer after fasting." The captain of our escort pointed to the opposite side of (lie street, and there, fronting (he church, stood a loss agreeable resort for sinners; one, like the church, not always sought voluntarily — tiie calabozo. They had the impoliteness to fasten the door at our backs when we entered. Upon entering, we found ourselves in a sort of reception room, more convenient for its purposes than genteel, or elegantly furnished. It was separated from the rest of the prison by an iron grating, through which the friends of the prisoners conversed with them. Through this grating we saw a large hall, tenanted by prisoners, but were ourselves passed up a flight of stone steps, communicating with the second story. At the end of the room opposite the entrance was an altar and crucifix ; and we were curious as to what was coming when we were led toward it. The marvel ceased, however, when a door near the crucifix was opened, and we were ushered into the jailor's office, and requested to favor him with our autographs in his album. This done, we were returned into the common hall, and an allowance of rice served out to us. All this time we had no precise knowledge of the charges made against us, although we knew it was something in which Captain Knight had a hand. Upon the aext day the interpreter, who, by the way, had honored us with his company until he saw the key safely turned upon us, paid us a visit. From him we learned what the reader has already been informed, that there were three distinct charges, either of which was sufficient to authorize the affectionate care taken of us; namely, piracy, escape from Botany Bay, and mutinous conduct. We inquired whether we should have a trial, and how soon ; to which he replied, that • » l > ll » .l <3» .> J i » l , , «i y j j ^ i ^Jj;„tl^ y,r~y^^^*aMg.S-^'-»»^ '\ PUT IN PRISON AT MANILLA. 65 the Indians at he anticipated 3m puniahnjcnt tf his vessel by led by the cap- sached ll>e end were agreeably aced, ironed, in sd himself under I, the quarantine ■ive we were the 3 time in silence, lich, by the way, lien care to keep in the Morning, istonishmcut and uscment even of lis way alongside and endured the ons:— astory we the sailors were, ful sympathy was o frown. ■or half a day, we : street. We had atcn nothing since liling sun. "Is it ig." The captain ind there, fronting e, like the church, d the impoliteness option room, more urnishcd. It was ng, through which irough this grating ourselves passed ond story. At the and crucifix; and ere led toward it. ucifix was opened, lested to favor him /ere returned into t to us. the charges made ch Captain Knight lo, by the way, had safely turned upon reader has already 3S, either of which ;enof us; namely, luct. We inquired lich he replied, that es, wo probably should. Of Capt. Knight we saw nothing, after leaving him at the landing, except one day, when he passed the prison, and I took the liberty to hail him by name, adding sundry expletives and titles, more applicabtn and graphic th.'.n melodious and beautiful. Days passed, and as a sort of desperate amusement, 1 commenced writing letters of complaint, and sending them out, directed to any English or American resident whose name I could learn. The rial a day, which was allowed us from some source I n> ver could precisely learn what, to provide our provender, was, afler awhile, taken off, and we were served with rice daily, and, once or twice a week, beef and fish. Sailors, many of whom visited us, were in the frequent practice of making us small presents. With the money thus obtained, we sent and purchased bread and meat, but the eyes of Argus were necessary to prevent too frequent verification of the proverb, " many a slip 'twixt cup and lip.'* Even afler our bit of meat was in the pot with the rice, and we were superintending its cooking, some dextrous Chinese thief would whip it out with his chop-sticks, if our eye strayed from it one moment. Each of the prisoners is obliged to prepare his own food, in a portion of the prison set apart for that purpose. All sorts of ingenious modes of punishment were practiced upon the prisoners for misdeeds while there. It would almost seem the Chinese ingenuity of torture, tempered by a little more regard for humanity than the officers of his Celestial Majesty possess. Stocks, confining the culprit in all sorts of positions, many of which were as ludicrous as uncomforta- ble, clogs, irons, and collars, and devices, the description of which would tire, were in continual exercise. Flogging was going on all day, but the poor devils of Chinese came in for more than a proportionate share of it, and the blows were laid on with more hearty good-will, as they were heretics. To give variety to our life, we had an occasional opportunity of seeing a tenant in the pillory, opposite the prison. Here, too, during the time we lay in jail, we saw two or three executions, done in a manner to which the Turkish bowstring is tender mercy. I shall spare the reader the description of a method of strangulation the most horrible possible; only remarking, that in a country where the oflUce of the executioner is so directly instrumental to the death of the criminal, and his duty so cruel and protracted, it is no wonder that even criminals, the most debased, despise the hangman. At the rear of the prison tan a river or canal. On the opposite bank stood a church, and near this lay what appeared to us a pile of human bones. When I tired of watching the passengers in the street in front, I looked out upon the church, and noted that no Catholics passed it without making a genuflection. At night, the spot was marked by a taper burning before the image of some saint, and I found myself fre- quently looking toward that church. I wondered if, among the bones there preserved upon consecrated ground, there lay the relics of any person so much the sport of fortune aa myself, who had fallen, unwept and unattended, in a strange land. During no period of my residence upon the Carolines had I felt so utterly dispirited and forsaken, as I did, at times, in the prison at Manilla. I had made repeated applications for trial, besieged every person whose address I could learn with letters; the only effect of which was to bring two English merchants to the prison, to tell us that, as we came in in American vessel, as part of her crew, they could do nothing for as. The American consul, and Mr. -tw*r-W5r??t'!^??*' ± "f^rg^" ^ ^ ? , ' ^& '-:*-;--:'rr^*«i»wf^>r- .1 SEVEN TEARS OF A SAILOR'S LIFE. Sturgis, an American resident, visited us in about a week after our committal. We were not without amusement. George had brought his violin and flute, of course, and I had not forgotten the exercise of my heels. Then, in the various assemblage, there was ample amusement in watch- ing tiic different disposal of time, according to character. The Chinese were most of them merchants, in a small way, vending tobacco, betel, and other " notions,'' as a Yankp^ would say, and there is no better word in the world. Stock in trade was not wanting, while there was a chance to exercise their expert fingers in tricks of sleight-of-hand. Others would operate as barbers, tailors — they had a thousand resources for busy idleness. Spanish blood showed itself in games of chance — cards, draughts, dominoes — and the parties would sit as gravely and intently engaged as if they had been recreating in the palace of a gran- dee. An occasional industrious one wove hats ; and cooking their pilau was the periodical occupation of all hands. I indulged in an occasional game of draughts with one of my fellow- prisoners, a Spaniard. It did very well, till, one day, ho tried to cheat me out of the game. The stake was not worth quarreling about, but it was the point of pride. We wrangled, I collared him, and was reported. As a punishment, I was ordered into the lower prison, and George, my shadow, was moved with me. This apartment, sacred to the lowest rogues, was by no means so light and pleasant as the upper one. There is a choice, even in prisons. Here I resumed the amusement of dispatching letters; continuing it until, one day, the deputy jailor came to me with orders to put mc in close confinement. [ resisted, and in the scufllo was severely bruised, and my rigging dismantled. Preparatory to my solitude, and to give me food for reflection during its continuance, I was seized down to a bench and beaten with cowhides. Upon entering the cell which was to be my temporary residence, I found that the happiness of entire solitude was to be denied me, and was compelled to accept the society of a Spanish ofliicer, who was waiting transportation to Cadiz, and trial for murder upon his own confession. Previous to my committal to the cell, two attempts were made to compel me to ship on board vessels, one of which was the Dash, an American brig or barque, I have forgotten which. She was bound to the Fejees; but, as I had already had enough of the Pacific Ocean, I peremptorily refused to sign articles, and was remanded to prison. The other was a Spanish vessel, and I declined, in terms more positive than polite, to go in her. The American consul gave me a rating for annoying the residents with letters, and for refusing to go away by the opportu- nities he provided for me. After these adventures I was confined in the cell, as before stated, and could not, in my own mind, avoid connecting them as, at least, partial cause and efiect. The burden of my complaint had been the delay of a trial. Why was no attempt made to substantiate the charges made against me? Why no opportunity given me to disprove them? The treatment I endured would have been adequate punishment for any crime short of willful murder. Beaten, half-starved, and worse than dl, thrust, ironed, into a noisome cell with a murderer ; a portion of the time bolted to the floor of that cell, and upon three successive Sabbaths paraded with my room- mate to prayers, before all the prisoners, who classed me with the mur- derer ; and all this without the show of any reason, or the pretense of "' ^ J KJ Vywm ai.^ rj^«B5!Paiiiiiaas»ste*! I week after our »ht his violin and ise of my heels, serocnt in watch- ■r. The Chinese ig tobacco, betel, lere is no better hile there was a >f aleight-of-hand. lousand resources imcs of chance — lit as gravely and , palace of a gran- cooking their pilau one of my fellow- , he tried to cheat reling about, but it ,, and was reported, and George, my crcd to the upper one lowest There itters; continuing it orders to put roe in aa severely bruised. lude, and to give me ed down to a bench which was to be my entire solitude was society of a Spanish tnd trial for murder mpts were made to was the Dash, an She was bound to the Pacific Ocean, 1 ided to prison. The 1 more positive than a rating for annoying way by the opportu- " was confined in the id, avoid connecting I of a trial. Why was kcainstmet Why no Treatment I endured trime short of wiUful I thrust, ironed, into a \e bolted to the floor Laded with my room- ted me with the mur- , or the pretense o\ THRUST INTO THE DUNGEON. 57 it. So formal charge was ever made, or, if made, was ever prosecuted. Upon our egress tioin the prison, Mr. Sturgis gave George and ine five dollars, and the consul procured us a passage to Macao in a Spanish ship. The prison was a miniature Pandemonium — a little hell, where the worst passions and propensities of the brutal officers who managed it had license unrestrained. 1 have been fastened in a {losition painiul of itself, my lugs extended and arms confined, wliilc two brutes adminis- tered llagcllation witii heavy cowhides. In the struggle wliich preceded my being thrust into the dungeon, my body was so completely denuded of clothing, that, in the cold, damp cell, I was fain thankfully to accept the comfort uf a portion of the mat of the miserable felon who was the occupant of the cell with me. Even the sorry privilege of perambula- tion about my narrow quarters was, during a portion of the time, denied me. Heavy irons upon my feet, bo't-ig them about three feet apart, were connected with a chain to my lei arm, compelling me to keep the arm straigiit by my side, when I stood erect. The bolt between my legs was, during about a week of the three I spent in the cell, fastened to a ring-bolt in the floor. The food served me there was a miserable pit- tance of half-boiled rice, floating in three times the quantity of water necessary to cook it. This, with two small broiled fish, was barely sufii- cient to sustain my miserable existence. Never, during my life, did I 80 utterly despair as when confined in this horrid hole, seeing no person except my convict companion, save when, upon the Sabbath, I walked in my irons to the altar, to see the institutions of religion profaned in a place where its dictates were utterly set at naught. For all this, decency would seem to require, at least, the form of an examination upon the charges preferred by Capt. Knight; but no such form, to give my con- finement a color of justice, ever took place. Upon my liberation, the Spy had been sold, and Capt. Knight had left Manilla. His unsupported word had been sufficient to throw mo into the power of these demons, and, careless of my fate, he left me th .ire. The inquiry may be made, why, if my confinement was so irksome, I did not gladly embrace the first opportunity to escape from it. To this I answer, that the worst part of my punishment did not take place till after I had so refused, and that my principal reason for refusing was my unwillingness to leave George, unfriended, in a prison. We had been together so long, and had become so endeared to each other by a participation in good and ill fortune, that to separate was even more painful than to endure the worst that the prison would inflict. I knew that no constitution, even the most iron, could long bear up under the hard usage and scanty food ; the records were before me in the names of British and American citizens carved on the guard-bed. Under many of these, survivors had written the date of the death of the persons who cut them there ; and the mate of the Spanish vessel in which I left Manilla, who was an American, and had himself been a prisoner in Manilla, informed me that he had known many instances where foreign sailors had fallen victims to the combined ill effects of the climate and the prison. Arrived at Macao, we were thence sent to Canton. At Canton, we were objects of curiosity, and were visited by merchants and others con- nected with the English Factory ; our tattooing examined, and our story of shipwreck and residence on the Carolines was repeated two or three times a day, during the week we remained there. Through those gen- demen, the owners, and others interested iu the John Bull, probably. t?*^%~",r!':~«T»-Cr.- • ■•TT-x i 58 SEVEN YEARS OP A SAILOR'S LIFE. hoard of the I088 of that vottsel, if it had not buforc lionn piihliHhod hy our Hhipinatns who took the other Iwats. Of the fateof nny except thot«e who eacuped in the boat with iia, I have never heard a syllfiblo. It may be thut they found their way to other ialauds in the Pacific, and it may be that thoy purished at sea. 8U00E8SFUL RESISTANCE OP THREE SAILORS AGAINST SEVERAL THOUSAND SAVAGES. Tub Htory of O'Connell well illustrates the superiority of oven one civilized man over multitudes of hi.s savage fellow-men. By means of this superiority, the FSuropean, or American, cast upon a barbarous shore, will oi\nn, indeed, will commonly, secure assistance and support from those who must respect his greater intelligence, and will desire to profit by his acquired knowledge, l>oth so much superior to their own. Most of the instances of the slaughter of sailors or travelers by the barbarians of Oceanica, which have come to our knowledge, have evinced either great imprudence or criminal conduct on the part of these victims of savage fury. The following account of the successful contest of three English sailors with a large tribe of cannibal assailants, while it illus- trates the superiority of civilized weapons and civilized courage and skill, seems also to show that this was a case of unprovoked assault of disapiMiintod rage, upon brave and innocent men. Mr. Dillon was an olRcer of the ship " Hunter," commanded by Captain Robson, who had made many voyages to the Pojee Islands, and enjoyed a certain influence with the natives, from having interested himself in their dissensions and contests. Bonassar, the chief of Wailca, in parti- cular, was his friend. The nineteenth of February, 1813, the Hunter cnmo to anchor in the Bay of VVailea, opposite a small river which leads to the village, lying at half a league distance from the shore, and situated upon an elevated spot. When Robson had fairly established himself in the harbor, he received a visit from his old friend Bonassar, who told him that, in his absence, fortune had turned against him, and that the tribes which had once sub- mitted were again in revolt, and had called to their aid other and more powerful tribes, which had caused a bloody and disastrous war. Bonassar expressed the hope that the visit of his old friend would help to improve his aflfairs, and insinuated that the necessity of defending the court would prevent the natives from going to the mountains to gather sandal-wood for the Hunter, unless the captain would come to his assistance against bis enemies. Boaassar's welcoine to his friend was, in other respects, not less cordial nor frank than usual. At this time, a number of Euro- pean sailors, either deserters or shipwrecked on the island, were in the service of several of the chiefs, well treated, and made much of by their savage friends. Captain Robson sought to evade the urgency of Bonassar, but was, at length, over-persuaded by the promise of a supply of sandal-wood, and lent him twenty musketeers, three small boats, and a cannon carrying two-pound ball. Accompanied by an army of three or four thousand savages, they made an attack on the hostile island of Nanpakob, which was soon conquered, and the dead bodies of its inhabitants, cut limb from Wik m ''5ei«#fWW'¥!»«»l>B3S««SS«SK?!*I^SS»^^ ^'SflP^f«'S«^ aUCflESSFUL RKSISTANOE OP THREE SAILORS. 59 con puWmhod bj .f nny except iUohp ird a syllfiblo. It Iho Pacific, and it iS AOArNST riority of oven one icn. By moans of ti a barbarous shore, I and support from will dosiiro to i)rot\t a their own. Most rs by the barbarians lave evinced either of these victims of ful contest of three lants, while it illus- /ilizod courage and provoked assault of remanded by Captain Islands, and enjoyed nterested himself in of Wailea, in parti- nmo to anchor in the to the village, lying ed upon an elevated le harbor, he received that, in his absence, which had once sub- r aid other and more itrous war. Bonassar irould help to improve nding the court would > gather sandal-wood lis assistance against as, in other respects, ,, a number of Euro- e island, were in the nade much of by their Bonassar, but was, at y of sandal-wood, and ud a cannon carrying tree or four thousand 1 of Nanpakob, which abitants, cut limb from limb, and rolled in jjreon Icjavoa, wore roastori with the taro-root, to fur- nish a feast to the victors. Koltson had fulHIIrMJ his )>art of thi; contract, hilt Bonassar would not comply with his proinisiv Undor ditfoinit pre- tnxts, the loading was delayed, imd, finally, the nntivos coased to come alward, fearing they might be si'i/.ed and kept ns hostages. This made Rohson furious, and he attacked the fleet of Bonassar, and i^aptured tuurtettii of his vessels. Sul)se(|iiently he mti(l<> n more grno- ral attack, with the intention of entirely destroying the military power of the Fejee chief. In this engagemimt the fatal mistake of separating his men into small detachments was made, wiiich gave the cunning savages an opportunity to cut them olT in detail, by moans of crnt\y amhiisrades. When a retrtMt became necessary, the small party to which Dillon be- longed WHS under the command of Noriiion, the mute, who fell, pierced by a lance, leaving the command to him. Kverytliing then looked des- |)erate to the party, and nothing seemed left but to sell their lives as dearly as possible, when Dillon perceived, in the midst of the plain, an isolated rock, abrupt and inaccessible, a kind of fortress placed there for their safety — a rampart of nature's making, to whose summit the arrows of the natives could hardly reach. To see this refuge, to point it out to his companions, and to direct his stejis toward it, was but the work of a moment. Dillon established himself in this aerie, with Savage, Burhurt, Duprey and Wilson, Europeans, and a Ciiinaman, named Luis. The rest of the detachment had been killed, and Duprey himself was pierced with a lance, beside having four arrow-wounds in his back. Fortunately tor these poor fellows, the rock, accessible only on a single side, was oasy to defend. Meanwhile, the fury of the savages became a little calmed, and a parley was agreed upon. Among the prisoners taken by Robson. and carried on board the Hunter, was a brother of the high priest of Vai-Tea. 'I'o this priest, Dillon proposed an exchange of the savages, in confi^sment, for him and his companions, which was agreed to, and Dupioy was sent on board, together with the priest, to perfect the arrangement. Mean- time, the chief of the Fejeeans approached the base of the rock, and sought to entice the Europeans from their posts. To all their promises, Dillon turned a deaf ear, and counseled his companions to do the same. But one of them, Savage, who had lived among them for several years, trusting in their good faith, descended the rock, and placed himself under the protection of Bonassar, who welcomed him with great seeming cor- diality. This induced Luis, the Chinese, to do the same, and to claim the protection of one of the chiefs to whom he had formerly rendered several services. Thinking that with these two examples, Dillon would be induced to come down, they renewed their solicitations, but in vain. Then throwing off their mask, the savages raised a great cry, seized Savage, plunged his head in a ditchful of wator, and speedily dispatched him, while a blow from another of the murderers made an end of the Chinese. Dismembered and roasted, these poor fellows were soon eaten under the eyes of Dillon. There now. remained upon the rock, only Dillon, Burhart, and Wilson — three men against many thousand assailants. Thinking they now iihould have it their own way, the savages recommenced the attack with new fury. Burhart, a skillful marksman, shot twenty-seven of the aHsuilants in twenty-nine shots. Dillon also dispatched a large number. Wilson confined himself to loading the muskets of his two companions, -'uon the outside of their citadel became encumbered with dead bodies. yvif^^Sf^PPSF' 60 SEVEN VEARS OP A SAILORS LIFE. when tlio iinvnf;ofi, fnarriil of provoking alrnoHt cortain dnfltniction, ceaacd further nllink, tor tlio pruHcnt, truHtint; tliat tlio darknnfln of ni^ht, or liuntfcr, would, hooiict or liitrr, doliVor tliciir victitiiH into tlinir liiiiidH. 'I'lioii H(-( III!!) of horrililr) cannibuliHtn worn practiced iiiidor tlin cyos* of till' l')iiro|)( forocity; but occaflionally cRaning their repaMt to taunt Dillon and his companions, with the as.siiranco that to-morrow th(!y also would bn riMiHtcd and eaten. Tu Dillon's threat, that if they wnro killed, the native prisoners on board would llkowiso be killed, the canniiials only onswered, "Bah! bah! Captain Rohson may oat our friends if that will do him any good; but wo will eat you there to-morrow, any how." VVIion night caine, their situation was painful in the e.\trcmo. They had but seventeen cartridges lefY, and the lirst attack of the savages must deliver them into the hands of their pitiless enemies. None of thorn were willing to bo taken alive by those feeders on human flesh, and were alwut agreeing to ddstroy their own lives, when, for a moment, their hopes wore raised by seeing a boat put otf from the Hunter, ond steer directly for tho land. But what was their ama/.ement and regret, when they saw that tho commander had committed tho unpardonable fault of releasing tho whole nutnber of prisoners, thus cutting off all chance of escape for them. What motive could now induce tho natives to spare them, wiion all fear of reprisals had been taken away? "A little ailcrward," says Dillon, in his narrative of these events, "tho reloased prisoners came to mo without arms, led on by their priest, who said tiiat Captain Robsou had sent a case of cutlery, and other things, to tho chiefs, as our ransom, to whom wo were also ordered to surrender our arms. Tho priest added, that, in case wo complied, ho would con- duct us safely to our boats. To all this, I replied, that while a breath of life remained in me, I would deliver my musket to nobody: it was my own property, and I should hold on to it, certain that if I gave it up, 1 should be treated as my dead companions had been. Palling with me, the priest turned to Martin Burharl, and sought to persuade him to acquiesce in his proposal. At this moment the idea entered my head to make a prisoner of the priest, and either to kill him, or to obtain my liberty in exchange for his. Seizing a gun, I presented it at the priest, threatening to kill him if he attempted to escape, or if any of his party made tho least movement toward attacking us, or to hinder in any way our retreat. I then ordered him to march for the boat in a direct line, menacing him with instant death, if he disobeyed. He did as he was directed, and while traversing through the crowd of savages, he exhorted them to bo quiet, and do no harm, for if they assailed us, we would kill him, which would bring down upon them the wrath of the gods in the clouds, who, irritated at their disobedience, would cause the ocean to swallow up them and their island. The natives obeyed his orders, and sat down, while we marrhed toward the boat. When near the landing, the priest stopped short, refusing to atir another step, and saying we might kill him if we wished. I threatened him, but without effect. He said our object was to take him on board our ship, in order to torture him. As we had no time to lose, I ordered him to stand still, while we, marching backward, with our guns all pointed at him, soon reached one of our boats. We were scarcely embarked, before a cloud of arrows and stones darkened the air, but we soon found ourselves beyond 'the reach of their bows and slings.'^ TO,-5rsffs?s®?a8®sJS5Str^SK3'i,^^ .IFK. in destruction, ccaictl darkn«s« of ni>{ht, or \n into tlmir liiinds. iced under tlio cyos iipaniouH were drawn D dovoured llicm witli repant to taunt Dillon orrow thoy aUo would thoy w«ro killed, the cd, tho cannibalM only lur friends if tliat will )rrow, any how." 1 the extreme. They ick of the suvajjes must «mie8. None of them a on human flesh, and , when, for a moment, from tho Hunter, and amazement and regret, ittcd tho unpardonable 3rs, thus cuttin),' off all now induce the natives n taken away ? ve of those events, "the 1 on by their priest, who ery, and other things, to ordered to suirender omplicd, he would con- djthat while a breath of t to nobody: it was my 1 that if I gave it up, I Deen. Failing with me, ght to persuade him to idea entered my head to kill him, or to obtain my resented it at the priest, (e, or if any of his party or to hinder in any way he boat in a direct line, yed. He did as he was rd of savages, he exhorted ssailed us, we would kill wrath of the gods in the rould cause the ocean to is obeyed his orders, and When near the landing, iher step, and saying we n, but without effect. He ir ship, in order to torture im to stand still, while we, at him, soon reached one before a cloud of arrows ind ourselves beyond the PADDOCK'S NARRATIVE BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS, DiTAiuira iH« ivviruiNai or m* maitie amp cinr or iHi lair oewioo, upon tbi COAST OF SOUTH RARBARY. On the 8th of January, 1800, says Captain Judah Piuldock, in his nar- rative, I lell Now York in tho Ship Oswego, of Hudson, of which I was the comniiindcr, with a cargo of flax.sciul and staves on freight, lutiiud to Cork. ()ur passage out was very rough, hut we arrived there in 21 days. After lying a few days and finding nothing hotter to employ the ship in, I concluded to ballast her and go to the Cnpe do Vcrd Islands, and take a load of salt, skins etc., for New York. While tlio ship was |)reparing for the voyage, I was able to collect about 1200 Spanish dollars, In^sides 600 dollars in gold. While in Cork we iiad heard of several instances of vessels being robbed on tho coast of Spain, by vessels bearing the French flag. The truth of these reports I will leave, but thought if they were to rob me of the 1200 dollars it should require some time to find them. Accordingly I took a small keg, just largo enough to contain tho money, at my lodgings, and packed it snug. At a late hour in the evening, everything being prepared, I took the keg on board while all were asleep but my officers ; unheadcd a barrel of beef, took one half out, put the keg in tho middle of the barrel, filled it up again, stowed it away along side tiie keelson, and put the other provisions over it as they were before. None of our crew knew anything of this transaction till some time after wo were wrecked. On the 22d of March, a fine breeze at N. N. W. and fair weather, we put to sea. In the afternoon, while arranging my papers, it occurred to my mind that we had a man on board who had not signed the shipping articles, and, sending for him down, and presenting them for signing, he, to my astonishment, refused, by saying he did not belong to the ship, and knew better than to sign any such articles. I ordered him out of tho cabin, and, sending for the mate, I told him his man, aa I called him, refused signing the shipping articles. Tho mate was exceedingly pro- voked at it. We sent for the man again, and ho making use of the same language, I threatened to put him ashore on the first place we should stop at, and as he still persisted, we sent him out of the cabin a second time, declaring he should be put on board the first British ship of war that we should fall in with. I will now relate the story of that man's being in the ship. A few days before sailing from Cork, I went on board the ship, and saw a stranger at the caboose; on asking the mate who he was, he informed me he came on board the day before, as ragged and dirty as he ever saw a man, and begged to work his passage home ; that he pitied his condition, gave him some pieces of clothing, and put him to the caboose, and had found him a good cook. I suspected he was some runaway sailor, and told (61) If' 62 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. the mate to put Iiirn ashore, and went myself below. As soon as the fellow found ho was to be landed, he came below, and begged very liard to go to America, saying lie was very poor, tiiat the times were so liard he could not get a living in the country he came from, and that Ik; had no family nor friends : he really appeared an object of pity. I told him I suspected he was 8omo runaway sailor or soldier ; he denied that he hau ever been cither. I then concluded to let him remain a day or two on board, more especially as tiie mate pleaded so hard for him. When I went on shore, I mimtionod the circumstance to some of my friends who had seen him on board, and thought he was to be pitied, and that I had better take him. I have been more particular in stating this thing, in order to prepare the reader for what will be related concerning that fellow hereafter. Nothing material happened from the time of our leaving Ireland to the .'3d of April, being then twelve days from land; and having had moderate and variable gales with fine weather, and also several opportunities to as- certain the exact variation of the compass, we had every reason to believe our reckoning was right. Toward night of this day, as I was sitting in the cabin, and reflecting on our situation as to our passage track, etc. I was led to look over my reckoning again, feeling some uneasiness that I cannot easily describe. When the boy brought our tea down I took up my books and papers, and gave him the table, and as soon as his things were arranged I sent him to call the mates; it was now near dark; he returned, and said the mates were forward at work, and could not come yet. I drank some tea, and laid down with my clothes on, thinking to go on deck at 8 o'clock, which was near at hand. Having been hard at work all the day, I was somewhat fatigued, and unexpectedly fell asleep. I awoke at the sound from striking four bells ; was on my feet feeling for my hat, and with no light burning, when I heard an unusually loud noise. The first thought that struck me, was of a man being overboard. Before getting out of the gangway I distinctly heard those forward crying out, Breakers! Breakers right ahead! and several of the crew were running aft. I saw nothing, nor did I look forward, but ran to tlic helm to put it up ; too late, for it was hard down, or nearly so. I put my hand on the tiller-head, and bore it hard to the rail, when, in a moment, the ship flew to, head to the wind, our yards being a little pointed or braced. By this time all hands were on deck, and a number aft, to haul round the after yards. We were on the point of hauling, when I discovered her to fall air. At that moment we hauled up the mizzen, she having such quick Btern way with the helm yet down, the main and mizzen topsail kept shivering or edging to the wind; the jib and fore staysail sheets being hauled flat, she fell off remarkably quick, every man using his greatest exertions. When she began to gather headway, the helm righted with the wind at least two points on the starboard quarter, wanting not more than once her length of coming round, heading off shore ; at that moment she struck tremendously heavy, all the cabin windows carne in, and part of the sea came over the taflle rail. She struck twice more in the hollow of the two next seas, and floated, runr^ng perhaps three or four times her length, and struck again, and stopped with every sea breaking over us, no land in sight, and we seemingly swallowed up by the raging ocean foaming terribly around us. Her stern soon drove round, so as to bring the sea on our beam, and at every thump she rolled oflT, with her gunwale near to the water. By this time we saw the land at no great distance from us. ■'.'(^ftt'JiS?S8!fa»a-.-<.'S38, "':ts*j^^; «s^?^^s^'S"saa^»'s DESERT. Vs soon as tho fellow Tod very luird to go ere so liard he could lat ho had no family told him I suspected lat he had ever been ■ two on board, more hen I went on shore, s who had seen him lat I had better take s thing, in order to icerning that fellow leaving Ireland to the having had moderate al opportunities to as- very reason to believe a^', as I was sitting in passage track, etc. I Dtiic uneasiness that I ir tea down I took up as soon as his things s now near dark ; he k, and could not come thes on, thinking to go ving been hard at work ectedly fell asleep. I on my feet feeling for 1 unusually loud noise, ng overboard. Before le forward crying out, he crew were running m to the helm to put it put my hand on the moment, the ship flew ;ed or braced. By this to haul round the after 1 discovered her to fall ahe having such quick id mizzen topsail kept B staysail sheets being nan using his greatest the helm righted with rter, wanting not more f shore ; at that moment dows came in, and part wice more in the hollow 1 three or four times her aea breaking over us, no p by the raging ocean ve round, so as to bring ed off, with her gunwale ad at no great distance INSUBORDINATION OF THE CREW. G3 We had now recovered a littlo from our friglit, when I desired tho men to go into the hold and shovel the ballast in shore, to prevent her rolling otV; in the meantime those of us left on deck braced our yards as hard aback as could be done, to keep iier on. In half an hour, with the assis- tunco of tho sails and by shifting the ballast, she had heat up so high on l!ic rocks as to lay pretty still; yet every sea rolled some part of it on di'ck. Before as much of tho ballast was shifted as I wished, one of our men came on deck in great haste, and informed me that the ship wad sinking, the water coming in amain: it was some time before I could con- vince him, that though siie might be filling, she could not sink any lower, being already on the rocks. We were in this situation some short time, saying very little to each other, standing by the mizzen mast and holding to the rigging that was hanging all around us, when two or three of our men came aft, and asked me on what coast we were stranded? I told them my fears were that wo were on the coast of Barbary, but I had a faint hope that it was ono of the Canary islands; that daylight only would determine it, and we must be patient for its approach. It was now about midnight. One of them told me that those forward thought the ship would go to pieces before morning. [ used every argument in my power to convince him of their error, telling him the ship was sound, and as strong as wood and iron could make her; that she never had a cargo in her before this one; that she had been employed in the whale fishery from tho time she was new, and had never been overstrained. He returned forward only for a short time, when several of them came aft, and proposed to go ashore : that proposal made me shudder. I told them it would, from every appearance, be present death to attempt it, as we now had a considerable view of the hideous rocks within, and could plainly see the imp'acticableness of ascending them, and that another important point to be considered was, in case they should land in safety, the boat would be dashed to pieces; that she was a very large long-boat, new, .ind never afloat; that in her, with a temporary deck, which could be made in a few hours, we all might either land there, or go to any other place we should choose; and that if we were on the coast of Barbary, it would be absolutely necessary for us to have a craft to get to the Canaries or some other place, having no reason to expect much mercy from the natives of that country. This reasoning I thought would have a good effect, and so it seemed at first, for all was quiet. But very soon a new proposition came, and that was to cut away the masts, as by their standing there would be danger of the ship's coming to pieces; and they told me if I would consent to have them cut away, they would stay till morning. I ordered my second mate to take the carpenter's ax from the tool-chest on deck and begin cutting away. When I saw the mast was about half cut off, I told one of them to get into the mizzen chains and cut the lanyards and let them go. He got into the chains and cut one lanyard, and raised himself up very deliberately and said, "It is all nonsense, we will go ashore." As grating as that expression was^ prudence forbade my making a reply, or noticing it. They all assembled again under the lee of the long-boat, the officers excepted, and held a council. We soon saw them getting up the boat-tackles to the fore and main yards. I began then to reason with them upon the impropriety of that measure, when the only reply I heard, was, "We are in duty bound to take care of ourselves, and not stay here iind drown." I went aft to my mates, who had said but very little during the time we had been in this situation, aad asked them their opinion of * if^s&ii:^^ 64 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OP THE DESERT. the measure that was about to be pursued. If I recollect aright, my second mate, who was a good young man, said he should prefer staying by the ship. On the contrary, the chief mate, without hesitation, said it was his opinion that we should take the boat, and land; that he had once been shipwrecked in the West Indies ; when choosing to stay by the wreck ratlicr than to leave it, he very narrowly escaped death, and had then made up his mind, that, in a like situation, he would always leave the wreck the first opportunity: yet that, in the present case, seeing how anxious I was to stay by the wreck, he, although of the contrary opinion iiimsclf, would have been silent if I had prevailed on the crew to have stayed. He was an excellent seaman, a firm determined man, and had krpt our men under the best discipline. Matters by this time were all settled. Go ashore, was the word; the tackles were soon on the yards, and the boat hoisted out. So great was the haste on leaving the ship, that neither provisions nor water were put I hove in one trunk, and took my gold, which had been always under m mv pillow. So, off we pushed, and rowed toward the land, and the nearer it wc gained, the more hideous was the appearance. We succeeded at last in reaching the rocks, when two men jumping out, without the boat's rope, the under-tow was so strong that it carried the boat half way back to the ship, where she was placed broadside to the sea, and was near filling. Our oars were so well plied the second time, that we soon reached the rocks again, when two men having the rope, jumped on them, and were assisted by the first two, who had acted before out of fear, rather than from any unfeelingness toward their shipmates; and now assisted to hold the boat in a situation for us all to get safe on the rocks; which done, every one with all his strength, hauled the boat as far up as possible. We then crawled over those slippery rocks, perhaps from ten to twelve feet high, to a sand bed, a little beyond which appeared a high hill, upward of a hundred feet in altitude. There we wrung the water from our clothes, and walked the sand some time, when my mates and myself ascended this sand hill; it being dark, we could see nothing, nor did we expect to see anything except the light of fire. After walking a little while on this mountain of sand, we descended again to the place where our men had remained, who had forgotten their cares in sound sleep. As to our- selves, we walked the sand all that night, bemoaning our condition, being pretty well assured that we were in no other place than the coast of Bar- bary. The ship was in sight, with all sails standing; the wind blew very fresh about four points on shore, and we thought it probable that her masts would go by the board before morning; a light was burning in the cabin. On the morning of the 4th of April, as soon as the day began to dawn. I ascended the high mountain of sand, and there remained till near sunrise. What could I see? A barren sand, without either tree or shrub, or the least appearance of vegetation, dreary in every respect; and at a distance back, a long range of mountains extending east and west. Turning my view toward the ocean, and beholding the ship lying in the surf with her sails aloft, while thirteen of my shipmates were standing together before my eyes! I laid myself down on the sand, and gave vent to my grief by a flow of tears. , , , , , j • • i As soon as I had composed myself a little I descended, and joined my crew, who were waiting with the greatest anxiety to know what I had seen. When I had related my tale, and giving my opinion as to our hopes of the future, we began to devise means to get back to our ship. Upon examining our long-boat, we found her garboard streak was staved aad m '**fl«3!9^*) ''-T0mmf ESERT. ■collect aright, my A\\d prefer staying sitation, said it was , he had once been stay by the wreck lath, and had then I alvays leave the t case, seeing how he contrary opinion m the crew to have ined man, and had , was the word; the out. So great was nor water were put 1 been always under land, and the nearer We succeeded at lit, without the boat's B boat half way back e sea, and was near that we soon reached umped on them, and re out of fear, rather ; and now assisted to le rocks; which done, s far up as possible. ' )S from ten to twelve 3d a high hill, upward ater from our clothes, and myself ascended ig, nor did we expect dking a little while on [place where our men d sleep. As to our- . our condition, being than the coast of Bar- ; the wind blew very fobable that her masts burning in the cabin, le day began to dawn, ained till near sunrise. |e or shrub, or the least ind at a distance back, it. Turning my view the surf with her stiu [g together before my vent to my grief by a Lended, and joined my jy to know what I had Lpinion as to our hopes Lk to our ship. Upon fstreak waa staved aad THE SHIP ABANDONED. 65 s-liattcrod for several feet, and that a hole in anotlior plank had been l)!()ki;n tlirougli by tlio sharp corner of a rock and tliat slio lay from ten la litltieii foot bcslow where it was posaibie to repair her; wliile a fine yaw I of sixteen feet was hanging in the tackles over tiie stern of the ship. The poor fellow who, the night before, was the ringleader in tlie project litr laudiii^r at all events, was now the first to exclaim; "Had we done aa tlic captain advised us, we should now have been in a situation to go any- wliere in no line a boat as thisP' Upon wliich, 1 took occasion to caution liiin ami all the others against disobedience; there being then no greater proof necessary than that before their eyes to convince them all of the error they had committed. Our first object was to get back to the ship for a supply of provisions aiid water, and also of spars and tackles to raise the long boat for repairs; we feeling in hopes that all could be effected before any discovery of us should be made by the natives. Marks of horses and asses were visible on the beach, but, from appearances, it had been some considerable time since they had been there. One of our sailors said he could swim to the shi]>, which was at a distance of not more tliau a hundred yards. He made many attempts, but failed; the difficulty was in getting beyond the breakers. The next attempt was made by black Sam, who, after two or tliree hard efforts, succeeded in getting through the breakers, but hia strougth was so much exhausted that he sunk. Next, two or three of our meu went in, following the undertow, or recession of the surf; then they [)lii(i,i(od in and seized hold of Sam, and found no difhculty in returning, u.s tilt; first surf hove them all up together, and those on the shore helped them out. lie was entirely helpless and apparently almost gone: we laid !iim on Mie rocks, face down, and by moderately rolling and moving him lie was made to discharge much water from his mouth, and in a few hours recovered so far as to walk a little. Several others attempted it, but all their atttMnpts proved abortive. The next plan was to make a rafl, in order to pole off to the outer side of the breakers. Timber for that purpose was not lacking, as many parts of a wreck were lying along shore, as far each way as the eye could discern. We took part of the lower yard of a heavy ship, along with some pieces of small .'pars, enough for our purpose, and lashed them together with the boat's rope; when the second mate, a very strong man, and two good sailors, with each an oar for a pole, launched them off. However, afler a fair trial, we found it imiiossible to gain the ship. I was tiion about taking my turn to swim, and to gain the ship by a method I had seen practiced by the Portuguese at Madeira, when they went off shore merely for their amusement; that was, to follow the receding water as low as possible, and dive or dart through the breaker, and when once got without, the difhculty was surmounted. But my mate, afler observing to me that we were all so weak with fatigue and want of water, that if we did not board the ship very soon we never should at all; he proposed trying himself the experiment first, and, in case of failure, that I should make the last trial. Accordingly he stripped and followed down, and in less than five minutes from the time of starting he was at the ship. It was not late in the afternoon, and a general rejoicing took place. The rudder was unhung, which served very well as a bridge for him to pass on to the cabin windows, where he entered her. As soon as ho had> quenched his burning thirst he came on deck, made the deep sea-line fast to an oar, and darted it ashore; and that served as a hauling-linc for others to get off by; three went off by it, with directions how to pass our goods. 5 :0ssm0!^ m BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THJ! DESERT. on uhoru. Having a cask of wlialo line on deck, I ordered a Hinj,'Io block to be made fast to tiic mizzcn topmast iicad, arid tlirough it rove tiii^ line, sending tiin end ashore, and keeping the bite on deck. They scuttled the water-casks in the hatchway, which were found floating in the Ii6ld; filled all the jugs and kegs, and put what bread waE> found between decks in bags, and run them aloil by this line; as they veered wo hauled: by keeping a taut line our goods were landed dry. The whole of the provisions saved by us consisted of about forty pounds of bread, a small quantity of potatoes and onions, and a bag of Indian corn; our otiier dry provisions were in the lower hold and destroyed by the salt water. Being placed high on the rocks, we succeeded in landing every- thing perfectly dry which would be injured by the wot. In tlie same man- ner we landed our clothes, beds, etc., together with a spare foresail for a tent. In that alfair of landing our goods we committed an act of imprudence which I cannot forbear mentioning as a caution to others wlio may be unfortunately placed in the like circumstances. The mate sent, among other things, my case, containing six gallons of equal parts of rum, gin, and brandy, and a hamper of port wine and porter. At the moment, I did not think it any harm to have this liquor sent ashore : but more of this matter in its place. A little after sunset our men landed in the yawl, leaving a rope fast to the ship with one end to the shore. In the meantime, iiaving erected our tent, we boiled some meat, and had a good supper prepared. At eight o'clock we divided ourselves into watches, and set the watch, who were to sit or stand outside of the tent, and be relieved every two liours, with orders, in case of any person or persons approaching, to wiikc us up in the tent, and, if possible, to secure them without noise. All things being arranged, my mates and myself concluded to begin early in the morning, and to land every article that should be necessary for repairing the Iroat, which we thought might be repaired in two days so as to be ready for our departure; as we had new canvas sufficient for putting on her a canvas- deck supported by carlings or beams. It was late before we went to sleep. At dayligiit, on tiiie 6th, the watch called all hands, and we went to work. A little before breakfast I took a turn on the hill with my glass. The sun shone on the mountains, which made a very handsome appearance. I had a strong desire to know whether there were any inhabitants there; if there wore any, the chance, I thought, was very much against our getting off before being discovered. I mentioned this thing to my mates, who, with me, thought well of sending a man on that errand. One soon volunteered to go; and as soon as breakfast was over he took a bottle of water and two cakes of bread, and started, with orders to keep a bright lookout, and in case he discovered any persons, to conceal himself from their view, and return as soon as he could. We had a compass on shore, by which we found that the shore lay due east and west; and ten or twelve miles westward of us a Cape projected into the sea in a very square bluff. — Not knowing where we were, I proposed for one man to walk westward and survey that Cape, intending to get the altitude of the sun at noon, to ascertain our latitude, and if from where we saw the bluff the land shaped southerly, he should follow it along aa far as only to give time to return at night. I thought if that was Cape Nun, he would find Nun river. This second man was soon ready to start, with the same stock of pro- visions and water, and bearing the same orders as the first one. By this time we had commenced landing the carpenter's tools, and the materials for raising the boat, etc Every man seemed disposed to do his duty ^^^^m^%tm-^iim^jm&mmmmi-mv/mmmmMm(&i^^ I SERT. 11 it rovo tills lint;. vere fouud floating t bread was found ic; as they veered landed dry. The lit forty pounds of )ag of Indian corn; stroyed by the salt d in landing every- In the same man- spare foresail for a II act of luiprudence others who may be , mate sent, among I parts of rum, gin, Lt the moment, 1 did a : but more of this caving a rope fast to J, having erected our prepared. At eight the watch, who were very two hours, with na, to wake us up m se. All things being jarly in the morning, or repairing the Iwat, IS to be ready for our ting on her a canvas- fore we went to sleep, and we went to work, h my glass. The sun le appearance. 1 naa ibltants there; if there gainst our getting oft my mates, who, with One soon volunteered 1 a bottle of water and keep a bright lookout, imself from their view, iss on shore, by which ind ten or twelve imles a very square bluff.— man to walk westward e of the sun at noon, to le bluff the land shaped y to give time to return lid find Nun river. the same stock of pro- , the first one. By this tools, and the materials lispoaed to do his duty PAT AND THE DANE MISBEHAVE. 67 freely, but so many little accidents happened that we got along very slowly : what was done before dinner did not amount to much, nor did we think of a quadrant, our minds being occupied about things of more importance. In the aflernoon we progressed considerably well, and by night we were prepared to commence repairing the boat, which was to be begun the next morning. Some time before night, with the glass I saw a person on the beach, a long way to the westward, and soon made him out to be our man; it being then at least three hours sooner than I had expected him. As he approached nearer, I discovered that he walked quick; and fearing some bad news, I went on to meet him. As soon as we were near enough to speak to each other, I asked him what was the matter with him, for he really looked frightened. He asked me if I knew what kind of people inhabited this country. I told him I did not, but was apprehensive they were the Arabs. He said, they are man-eaters! Upon asking him how he knew it, he replied, about twelve miles from us is that Cape you see there: I went on it, and there I saw a heap of human bones, and near them a fire had been made within a few days; and adding, the Lord have mercy on us! he began to weep. In a short time he collected himself, when I told him I did not believe these people were man-eaters, though the fire near human bones certainly indicated something like it, and that if he told the story in the tent I should despair of getting away; that our people would fall into a state of despair, and nothing would be done. He made me a solemn promise not to mcntioti anything of the kind, and I believe he was true to that promise. After this, we returned to the tent, where our people were all assembled, waiting for supper. We observed that Pat had as much to say as any of them, and that, ever since we landed, he had taken some liberties unbe- coming a man in his station, and unsuitable to the gloomy condition we were in. — I examined the liquor-case, and found it had not been opened since noon, when each man had a small allowance of rum. After supper, and near dark, we went upon the hill, to look out for the man who had been dispatched to the mountains, and stayed about the place till quite dark, but had no sight of him. We became very uneasy about him; some were of the opinion that he had been devoured by wild beasts, and others that he had found inhabitants on the mountains who detained him. This talk lasted half an hour, and we then returned to the tent, where we all joined in conversation on the subject of our departure; every one agreeing that the long-boat might be nearly ready in one day more, if every exertion were made; and of that I had no reason to doubt. The next topic of discourse was concerning the parts of the wreck, which we had noticed to be lying along shore. The man from the Cape said he had seen almost every part of a ship, in his way to and from the Cape, and had observed particularly that the iron had been taken from the wood; that circumstance we also had noticed in viewing the yards, cross-trees, etc., which lay within our ship. We all concluded that the event of that shipwreck could not have been a long time past, as the blacking on the yards was not entirely chafed off. At dawn of day on the 6th, we found no person on the watch; when, upon examining into this matter, it was found, that Pat and one of the Danes had been called at twelve to watch till two; and that those appointed to watch from two to four had not been called. This discovery immedi- ately led us to the two most unfeeling of mortals, Pat and the Dane, who were found behind the tent, and in such a condition as to be unfit to be talked to. Upon which, without the least hesitation, I took my case out ''■^. >>.#KMiaat«ahi 68 BONDAOK AMONO THE ARABS OF THK DESERT. Ill^i ': li'i; of the tent, and turned each bottle up-end down: then I opened the ham per, and destroyed every bottle of wine and porter; doing this in the presence of ail, when only one dissented, and he a very sober man. Thus was ended, as I thought, every opportunity for intoxication in our company. We all, excepting the two sleepers, commenced our labor, rigging tr.citles, erecting shears, etc., in order to raise the boat. In the meantime, I took a lookout on the hill for our absent man, but saw notiiing of him, and returned to the tent, and called all hands to breakfast, which was prepared without the assistance of Pat, who had risen, and taken a copious draught of water; after which he joined the party, declaring most solemnly that neither he nor his watchmate had tasted a drop of liquor that aight. All the reply was, a round of such vulgar sailors' blessings as are commonly bestowed on such occasions. Thinking that a thing of the kind could not happen with us again, 1 judged it most prudent to quiet the men, by telling them that although a great crime, it was not an unpardonable one; that our situation demanding alj our strength, wc had none to waste in altercations, and so must make the best of it. I found, dur'ng the morning, that most of the crew thought it advisable to give the two delinquents a little corporal punishment; but in a moment as it were, our attention was called to viewing a strange track of man. When we retired from breakfast, the person who had been at the Cape the day before, discovered the track of a man without shoes, and calling to one of our men, he asked him if any of them had been barefooted yesterday; and was answered in the negative. Upon hearing that question and the answer, I went to him, and soon was convinced that we had been visited the night before. We followed the tracks of two men: they had come down the hill from the southwest, and walked round to the mouth of the tent, and, after floing around the tent, had returned by the way they came, walking bacK over the hill nearly in the same line they had come in. I followed them beyond the hill neqr a quarter of a mile, conjecturing it likely that they were in ambush, but found it not so, from the shape of the track; for as soon as they got over the hill they ran, which appeared by their steps being longer, and the impression of their feet in the sand deeper. What makes their getting off undiscovered the more remarkable, they had a dog with them, and we had a hog lying on the sand before the tent. Had the dog barked, some of us must have heard it. So again, had the watch done their duty (as probably they would, if there had been no liquor in the tent) they would have seen those men approaching, and giving us notice of it, we might have secured them, and kept them in confinement; that would have doubled our diligence, and in one day more we might have been at sea. ft was now nine o'clock, and our man for the mountains still missing. We called all hands together upon this gloomy occasion. Our poor sailors aat silent at this meeting; without uttering a word, they all looked up to me as their counselor. I observed to them that the two men who had discovered us would probably return in a short time with such numbers as would overpower us, and then might do with us as was most for their interest, er as best suited their caprice; that, according to my calculation, if the Cape we saw was Nun, our distance to St. Cruz, on a straight line, was not more than a hundred and eighty miles; and allowing one fourth part for going in such a serpentine line, as we had reason to expect, we might reach there in ten days by easy marches; and that five bottles of water and twenty biscuits a man would support nature; more than which we could not take with conveaience. Every one agreed to the plan SERT. opened the ham iloing this in the ober man. Thua n in our company. ir, rigging tr.cltles, meantime, I took (thing of him, and hich was prepared a copiojis draught lost solemnly that )r that aight. All i as are commonly the kind could not quiet the men, by unpardonable one; I none to waste in bought it advisable ; but in a moment nge track of man. been at the Cape shoes, and calling id been barefooted jaringthat question i that we had been two men : they had and to the mouth of dd by the way they le they had come in. nile, conjecturing it om the shape of the which appeared by ir feet in the sand le more remarkable, the sand before the eard it. So again, id, if there had been in approaching, and I, and kept them in and in one day more intains still missing, •n. Our poor sailors hey all looked up to le two men who had with such numbers .8 was most for their Dg to my calculation, uz, on a straight line, 1 allowing one fourth reason to expect, we d that five bottles of re; more than which agreed to the plan THE MAN FROM TUE MOUNTAINS. 69 mimediatoly, and to take our chance of meeting with obstructions on the way; and the matter being settled, all as one set to work at making knap- sacks. While tiiat was going on, I took one man with me and buried in the sand all our muskets, powder, shot, etc. Some of the sailors objected to that measure, by saying we might have occasion for our guns to shoot the wild beasts that might annoy us. But I told them that a musket of ours seen by an Arab might cost us our lives, as it would carry a hostile appearance at least, and that in our warmth we might be led to make an improper use of our weapons. They at last pleaded for a pistol. I, however, buried the whole, and laid a stone over the place. By this time the man from the mountains made his appearance, coming along shore from the eastward, and when he joined us we were nearly ready for a march : we all stopped our business to hear his story. He said he had traveled at least fitly miles, had ascended the mountain, but had made no discovery of much consequence. He made ahearty breakfast while one of his shipmates was fixing a knapsack for him. During all the time the arrangement was making I was left ignorant as to what part of the luggage I should carry myself. The sailors had agreed among themselves that I should walk unencumbered, and that my part of the burden should be borne by them. Wlien informed of this I concluded to carry my spyglass and umbrella, and a copper teakettle lull of water to be used first, and some chocolate and sugar in my pockets to use in case we should be so fortunate as to find water on our journey' When It was announced that we were all ready for a march, I changed my clothes, put on a pair of fine worsted stockings, a pair of new corduroy pantaloons, a pair of new half boots, a new linen shirt and neck handker- chief,a silk vest, a nearly new superfine broadcloth coat, and a new beaver hat; a gold watch I took along with me, and also put in my pocket gold of the value of 600 dollars. This done, I called my men to me, and gave them the remainder of my clothing. Black man Jack had previously taken some fine shirts into his pack for me, wliich he did without my knowledge or direction. When they had all helped themselves with the best of my clothing left in the trunk, they discovered two pieces of tabinet in the bottom of it, and asking me what it was, I told them it was two gown-patterns which I had bought in Ireland for my wife, and that it was best to let it alone, for they had luggage enough already. Jack, who was at a little distance from the trunk, on discovering the matter we were talking about, rushed forward, and got hold of the pieces, saying, "Master, my mistress shall wear these govms yet^ I told him he had already too much to carry, and that his mistress would never see those patterns Me shall, master, depend on t<," replied Jack, "they are too pretty to leave Acre,"— and he packed them up. Little did I then think my wife would ever see either of those pieces; but she did, and that same tabinet she has occasionally worn to this day. When nearly ready for a start, my mate wrote up the log-book and 1 finished my journal; corn was put m the place for the hog to eat, and water to drink. All things were now prepared, and we on the point of moving, when one of the sailors said, Let us depart under flying colors;" the others joined him, and we were detained till they had erected a pole on the hill, and hoisted a verv nandsome ensign. At about ten o'clock, we started on our march. After a fatiguing walk ot two hours, over a deep road in one of the valleys, we all sat down to rest ourselves. I took that opportunity to furnish every man with one and the same story to tell in case we should be separated. This Ithought 70 BONDAGE AMONG THB ARABS OF THE DESERT. necessary, bccauHe contradictory accountB Kiven by us would be likely to expose .; to greater suffcrinfis than wo mifiht have to endure jf the stones of us al HhouW prove consistent with each other. Accordingly we agreed to "ay that the ship was the Oswego, of Liverpool, bound from Cork to the Cape deVerd islands after a load of salt, and from thence to ISew York and to give our names as they were, and all call ourselves Engl.sh- mon ■ I told tJem the reasons for substituting Liverpool lor New York as To hoinc of our ship, and for calling ourselves Engl.shmen lu^io^Aoi tnerkans, were, tha^ho English had a considerable trude^^^^^^ narticularly at Mogadore; that some of their ships I had known to Have oaSatSt C,uzl that I never had heard of but one American vessel rading there; tha , without doubt, the English had a consul both at St. Cru and Mogador;, and perhaps at other places on the coast. Moreover I enjoined tSpon them, in case of separation, that it should be the s udy of every one I learn the language of those we should fall among to Cive notice to any Christian when an opportunity offered for he satety of the whole. I cannot but think the English reader, considering tla- forlorn condition I was in, will excuse my claiming the protection of his flag, by assuming a false national name. <-i„:uj „„u We dined on dry bread. One of our sailors having a leg of bo'ied «« U nork, 1 persuaded him to throw it away, as it would increase his thirst We each took from the copper toakettle a small tumbler of water, which we had aieadybegun to kSow the value of. About two o'clock we began our march easlward on the hard sand; and traveled till alter sunset, when we Imd a quiet sleep till morning. On the third day's """ch and tor some reason which I do not recollect, one man and myself were left a lU t behind, or did not start with the rest; they were a n""t^«'\ f^ ^ ™'^°^ al>ead ^hen we started. The man was the same one who had been sen to view the Cape which we had taken for Nun. We did not take their track, but to shorten the distance, went a little «°!^hward. About fifty yards from some uninhabited cabins he saw a pile of human bon^s on our left, and exclaimed, "O Lord protect us; look at these bones! now do you believe I saw human bones'at the Cape?" We stopped only for a minute, when, within ten feet of us, there was a pile ot human bones Having but an imperfect view of them, I can only say there were rnany to spetk safely, I should think as many as could be contained in a hogs- head. Yet, considering the agitation of mind I was in, 't would be nothing strange if the quantity were three times as great, or but halt so fitreat as it appeared to me. , . . . ^ *.,„„„ * Our men were still at some distance ahead, which gave to us two an opportunity to converse together concerning that and other things which we had seen. He told me he had not mentioned what he had seen at the Cape to any one but myself, and that his opinion as to tae cause of the bones being^here was not Altered; "and now," said he, "this is, to iny mind a coSiirmation of the fact that we are among cannibals, as in several places about these huts there have been fires, but not recently." Our distance from the ship, by calculation, was now fifty miles. We soon fell into a quTt sleep, and were awoke by nothing else but the changing of tbe watch. It so happened that Pat and the Dane were on the watch; those Uvo who had done us so much injury, and, in the oP'»'o.° "^ f^^J^JJ^^^ least, prevented us from getting away in our boat, by their be. ngdunk and asleep when we were discovered by the two Arabs «P«ken ot be o e^ who otherwise might have been secured. At the dawn, on he e.ghlh, ^^ e were awakened by an unusual noise, which started the whole crew. 1 h« ^^ai.*».»e':"r «-!»*»»--' .-li.-te-WKit»'«"-^'''-^('"- - ;rt. uld be likely to ire if the stories, ingly we uyreeil d from Cork to thonce to New rsclvcfl EngUsh- br New York aa imen instead of ie on that coast, known to have American vessel maul both at St. )ast. Moreover, ,uld be the study d fall among, to ;d for the safety considering the protection of his leg of boiled salt crease his thirst, r of water, which o'clock we began alter sunset, when arch, and for some were left a little quarter of a mile vho had been sent did not take their k-ard. About fifty iman bones on our se bones! now do stopped only for a ■ of human bones, there were many; jntained in a hogs- s in, it would be :eat, or but half so gave to us two an ler things which we ad seen at the Cape cause of the bones his is, to my mind, as in several places ly." Our distance iVe soon fell into a he changing of the m the watcli; those pinion of several at ■ their being drunk )8 spoken of before, 'n,onthe eighth, we whole crew. The PAT'S CA.SE APPEARS DESPERATE. 71 cause of it wiis soon obvious cnougli; the two watchmen were quarrelling al)OUt the otiicr drink, Strange as it may appear, Pat had carried a bottle of gin in his pack, which, on a former examination, had passed vory well for water, the color being the same; all along until this time those watch- mates were equally concerned in the fraud. Pat was now too drunk to stand; the other not so drunk, and his story we got, which was as follows . — When they robbed the case on the beach, they put away in the sand one bottle, over and above what they had drank, and when we filled our packs at the sliip, he (the Dane) mnnuged it so as to put that bottle in PatV knapsack, and Pat promised to keep it until wc should arrive at a place where we might drink plenty of water, and while on this watch, Pat said they could finish it without being discovered. They opened the pack (a deed whicli had never been allowed except all were pr(;sont) and took out the gin, and along with it a bottle of water, and sipped out of each awhile; so thirsty they were in sipping, in about e«pial portions, that Pat finished the water, and tliey then took out another bottle of water. By this time the operation of tiic gin was so powerful that Pat challenged the wiiolc to himself. A battle ensued; and, in their struggle for the gin, they overset the half-packed knapsack on the rocks, and broke several bottles: the noise that this made awoke us all. Judge of our consternation, having hcforn this not the least idea of any licpior being in our camp. Pat was very drunk: the Dane said lie had advised him not to take the bottle out at that time, hut to wait till we should find water; but Pat in- sisted that the gin was his, and he would take a drink, and give him one, and then put it up again; that the taste of the gin created thirst, which before was very severe, and was what tempted them to steal a little water, intending himself to drink only a little, and then put all away again; that Pat swore he would finish it, and drink as much as ho had a mind to; and that when remonstrance was in vain, he (the Dane) thought he would drink too, but declared he was very sorry for it. Our men were so exas- perated, 1 did believe if I had not been there Pat would have been stoned lo death, and that there was not one of them but would have been willing to cast the first stone. This was the second grand oficnse; and they all declared it was more than ought to be borne by human beings. I was left alone to plead Pat's cause; and it was merely to save his life that I did it, for I confess my feelings were wrought up to a high pitch against that most unprincipled and unfeeling rascal : yet if any violence had been done him, I should have been censured by the community as the supposed cause of it. Had I been otherwise situated with tiie crew, or in tiie same situation as the rest of them, it is very probable that Pat would have fared badly, but not worse than hia deserts. Pat was too drunk to stand, and after waiting an hour for him to come to himself, a motion was made at last, and carried without a dissenting voice, to take away what little of water and bread there was left in his knapsack, and march off and leave him. I then proposed to them to leave him his share of each; but being overpowered by numbers, we took our departure, and left the poor object lying on the ground to die a martyr to gin. We had proceeded not more than a quarter of a mile when I prevailed on them to stop, and one of them returned back with me, and we took him up, one under each arm, and lugged him along to our company, whose wrathful dispositions toward him were not in the least abated. I told them it would be less cruel to murder him on the spot than to leave him to linger out his but few days in misery. They remained inflexible: whereupon one of them gave me a part of his history, which they had had from himself on the passage, a -^StiSlfri&K 72 BONDAGE AMONG THB ARABS OF THE DESERT. lilUo before wo wore wrecked; this wa. it:-In 1799, and the begin n ng of 1800, he commanded a company, con8i«t.ng o thono svl.o wore 3d the InBurgenUi; he boasted ol^ having destroyed, by cutlmg iho.i " oats a n»n.be? who adhered to the king', party; that at one tun.-, he amr£ company, in a dark night, murdered '"f ««"Xm MfoL" d " of persons whom thoy had caught m a house, "and -— them, >« ""m^^' » would have done more had I had it in my power;" these murderou. deeds he had committed in the neighborhood o»' Wexford, in Ireland. When this horrid tale was ended, they sa.d, this fellow deserves dl he nunishmont that wc can inflict upon him; and at the same time the coun- fcnanco of every man of them was, on that occasion, «oc-ry. narked with revenge, that I thought Pat's case was desperate. lie by H is t"ne was able to walk. All this morning had been lost to us, and what was more lo be lamented, was the loss of a great part of our vvatev; we, how- ever" commenced our march, keeping near to the foot of t 'c "lountain On this morning I heard more murmuring among our men than all ol .t out toccther that had been since our landing; and the whole of this, .is 1 fhought, was rbe attributed to Pat's conduct. ARcr dra,rp„g a ong very Iwfy t iTnoon, and seeing several fresh tracks ou the sand, all leading wSard as before, wc b.ll^ame more and more in tear ol rneetmg tl e nat ves" ncl ascen.l'ed to tlie topof a sand hill to take some 1'" ^- -1.-1- ment and to look out for travelers, the weather being extremely hot, with "ve V ligh b?eeze. Wo ate a little bread, and drank but a httle water; L grea was our thirst the appetite craved but little food. Every moiuem Kvered more discontent; and, with.a view to get a return ot imnnony in ou 1 tt lo^amp, so much disturbed the night before, proposed for us aU to take a nap It was agreed to: I then had the handle ot niy un.brcl la ; uck into the sand, and as it was large it served as a canopy for the heads of five or six of us. The most of them fell asleep in a few inmutes My /wn anxiety was too great for me even to slumber. 1 lay till tsvo o'clock, and then awoko them, who appeared all to have been ^^fft'S '^'l- The first object with me was to prepare and march fo/ward; but therf. ^Doeared a kind of backwardness to making preparations for our departure, ;K as had been uncommon in like cases, and it was attended with in- Snct murmuring. I had not tiie least conception of the cause, till a t I?h ,rTy"ng on tt his work of one of the leaders in it-lhe same man /ho had been spokesman in the affair of cutting away the masts, gc t.ng /wayT, lon^Ioat, etc. He looked me full in the face, and w.th an adible voice%poke to me these words, as near as I can recollect: -We • avo been now throe days since leaving the wreck; we get along very low and in a very few days our water will all be spent, and then it will . e tooTite to go back to the wreck where there is plenty of it, and wc are r:'"ofMre'meTr'r:e^to me that if he could only find a Uving ■.,ring of cool water, he should be willing to lie down by it and die there ith hunscr- that the value of water he had never known before. Another ■ id In anyo her case he would bo willing to follow me; but as it now '.■^' he could not consent to go another stop, and die in the burnmg :,',Ss wh ch were almost insufferable to his feet. Afler spending a whole ■ our in this most painful of all debates, they, nearly all as one were "reed to go b™ck to the place where there was P«^ty of water, and take ' ;e7r chance of what might follow. Whereupon I advised them all to go ■ ?ck and in case the nafives wore not come down to use every exertion ; repa"r the boat to be ready for sailing; and I said to them that I would lERT. and the begin those who wore by cuttin},' ll>eii t al one time, he inately a number hem," he said,"! murderous deeds rehind. w deserves all the no time the coun- 10 clearly marked Ho by tliis time us, and what was r water; we, how- t of the mountain, men than uU of it ivliole of tliis, us 1 i saud, all heading 3ar of mciitin},' tlio some little refresh- extremely hot, with c but a little water; jd. Every moment . return of harmony J, I proposed for us adle of my umbrella lanopy for the heads I few minutes. My lay till two o''clock, refreshed. I forward; but there ns for our departure, 19 attended with in- of the cause, till a n it — the same nian ly the masts, getting ) face, and with an can recollect: "We ; wc get along very icnt, and then it will •nty of it, and we are lid only find a living n by it and die there wn before. Another w me; but as it now die in the burning tier spending a whole arly all as one, were nty of water, and take .dvised them all to go to use every exertion to them that I would ATTACK KD AND UOIiUllD IIY THE AUAHS. 78 go on mysolf, and if I siinuld find people friendly to ux, I had money enough to hire cixtiiels, and would send for ihciii. No Hooiicr was tiiig said than tin; itiiu-k man .lark (who had be(Mi sitting silent before) .said to me, "Master, if you go on, I will go loo." Tliat was settled. I liiouglit we could travel to Ht. C'ruz in five tiays at furthest. Kvery park was opened for making a division of the water; tlii' rest all agrcieing that wo should takr; a larger proportion than tliiMnselves. At tiiat moment Sam, the oth(T black man, said, "If you go. Jack, I too will go." That being settled, we proceeded on in making the division of water; bread seeming scarcely thought of, ho thirsty were wo all. When the bottles were aU counted, there appeared only two bottles and a half to a man, which showed that nt.'arly half had been destroyed or lost. Before llu- ilivision or appor- tionment of tlie wat(;r iiad br;en gone through witii, Pat solicited permission to join me. which 1 then refused to grant him. Upon which, my mate took m<^ asid(% and oiiserved to me, that if I woidd not take him along, he must sundy suffer dciath; that they were so exasperated a,','ainst him, that he (the mate) could not bo able to prevent their taking away his life; that he knew what had l)e(>n their standing with each other for some time, and was not willing to be implicated with others in the acts of violence that might be committed upon the body of that man. I now saw that poor Pat would be in a bad situation if I were to go off and leav of my l>«»t>f «■"'"" kTh.n I was com" otlicr cxprcliit""' i,«. aiul)t»licii> work inaiiuMl tor ixnir m nil nroHc on Ui«^ir tluMi rnllfil 10 III) ,w.-r.'«l no. l^l'"" [,r in cullinK away not know a (luicktr vA open llio packs', the Hpoil. Having mU of uiyHolf, nn( alk«(l partly round ^9 for keeping thsit lofenil myself. W'' for a fiw ininutcH. Jero inakinj? toward : ine, tiger-liko; my tontion. No soontT with tho \itmo8t tury nrtide out; wIk-U one ihc fob, ami, through iloons. In a moment cing upon mo, each , and took it, pocket ; them longer, by ten should have been in hcs badly. AlUhis ot where I bad drop- lia mauling was gone m examined the spy- doubt, that this glass, had ever seen, was a about attacking ine- indcrstand, repeating words Sapena, Ratf, ,ingof. Their figure, ,ior. were as savage, I ever have read in lirst seemed more in- hat had been thrown ind, I took up one ot ■^iv thirst beinf,' not yet k two thirds of it, when tie from my mouth, ana » During this sitting as to what they should us, and asked us many them, to know the CRUKL TREATMENT. T» number of um. By mnking marks on the ground, wn informed tlxMn that our nutnbrr iitnoiintiMl to ten; not meaning for (hem to inrhult' oiirKelvt>H ill ih it niiiiilMT. 'I'liry wi! iii<>, th<'\ a-iki'ij nic if I w' was none in tlit; ship. Wlum tlii^ had /gathered from us all this information, they talked with oiii> another a few minutes, and tlicii, as fast as thi^y could, they gath(;red all tiie lug- ;,'age togctiier <'X(('|)t tho water, and mad<; ii up in the best manner the lime would admit of, loaded it into our hacklod knapsacks, and gave each of us a load. It was now the dusk of the (ivening, and wii wer«!, as wo .lupposed, from filly to sixty miles from the ship when they gave tho word Romar, which signifies, (Jo on. With the word Humar there came a blow, and a push forward. Thoy endeavored to get us on a run, and for that purpose beat us cruelly; it was cruel indeed to force us on faster than a moderate walk, oxtremely fatigued as w(! were when we started. My companions, to save me from those cruel beatings, managed it so as to fall into the rear in order to got mo ahead, and so take the blows themselves; but tho Arabs discovering that management, put a stop to it. Thus driven on, wc continued to travel, as I should judge, till ten or eleven o'clock, when, through extreme fatigue, I fell on rny face in the sand, and no sooner did my companions sec it, than they fell also; upon which our beating was increased to such a de- gree that I thought we should never rise more. Alter allowing us a short rest, it seemed that they meant to make up for lost time; the word Bomar was oftener repeated, followed, of course, with stripes. As that was the first time I had ever carried a pack, and as mine was heavier than any of the rest, the endurance of the toil came harder, perhaps, to me than to my companions. Jack perceived it, and without my once complaining of the burden I was compelled to bear, he, having the lightest one, and being much the stoutest man, proposed to me that we should exchange packs. Accordingly wo stopped for that purpose; but our drivers were as much bent against that arrangement as we were for it. Jack told them, by signs, that he waa tho stoutest man, but they insisted that we should go on as we were; and while that litigation was at tho highest, wc both dropped our packs, and tho exchange was made by us, but not without our smarting under the lash. After this, they pushed us on again with all speed. Wc soon foimd out their object; six of our men being in sight on the plain about two miles off. Wc wore goaded on by the two men who had us in their charge, and our thirst was so burning that we waddled along as fast as wc could, in hopes of getting some water from our men. Those Arabs were within half a mile of our men before they were seen by them; they ran at least five times as fast we could get along. The moment our men saw them they stopped, expecting, from a view of their ferocious lookp, and of the guns in their hands, that their own time was short; and having yet some water left, they drank every drop of it before the Arabs got hold of them. In an instant they were all down upon the ground, and thought themselves destined to slaughter; just as myself and my little company had thought of ourselves, when we wore in the like circumstances. By the time they i J 7^^ 76 BONDAGE AMONG THE AKAbS OF THE DESERT. were stripped of their treasure, and bad got up, we were near them, when there was, with them, a general rejoicing; their seemg us ahve g.vngthem hopes irsoon as ^e could be heard, we cried out for water, and be.ug answered there was none, we dropped down, not thinking .t possible for us Sl^e We lay groaning, and crying out for water and at the same time ^u Tmbs were in excruckting pain from fatigue; the merciless oarbanans u"en gave us what remained in the skin, which was not enough to we our thmats At last they got us all ten together, which they (the Arabs) suppo ed,from what I had told them the day before, was our whole num- bTh appeared from the story of my mates, that, upon parting with us. ?hev had cEkted to walk nearly all the night; that four ot the men would not aaree to that, as they had rather sleep, and therefore lay down for hat nupose. The mates thought, that tiiough we did not see nor hear eaci other, yet we must have been very near those four men about "" Thifmatter being settled, the word Bomar sounded again in our ears; such meTodious voices I neverheard before nor since. I do not mean to be undo stood that their voices were charming as re.specte. ourselves. We cried for water, they forced us up; we pointed to the ship, in hopes Ly would go ther^, and let us get along as fast as we could. It was now about noon- the sun beat down with such extreme heat tiia the sand was almost insufferable. We marched on, and saw nothing till we were on ?hT hill within fifty rods of the ship. Everything was t aken away except our ho. wh ch lay dead, and blasted, and noisome to ti.e smell; shot, no ^«.Kth'vThP Arabs the very day we left the wrr>ck. The yuwl lay on the Jocks' w th hetoars in her,^^! as she was left; the toresail was cut off a^ ilh up as a man could reach if standing on the bellfry. They mus h ^passed off to her by swimming. While our captoi^ were rsvin" themselves with fiUing their skins with bvackish water from an o?ddl they had dug out of the bank, our four poor tellow-sufferers mad^ the r appearance on the hill. They looked down witli astonish- ment, having fiad no knowledge of our bondage, nor of the Arabs being fihltXco One of the Arabs got .ight of them, and gave a yell. Up- ward of fifty o? those ruffians r'an u?, the hill, and took them down Tnd stHpped^hem of their luggage. Those four were P--" ««/ \°J^"', with us while we stayed, which was about halt an hour. Poor follows. £v weplb itteTly upon being told that we were to depart and leave them with but litte hopes of our Iver seeing one another again m this wor d rnrouble At the sound of the word Bomar, we took o one another an affectionate leave, promising that whoever of us should h»Pl>en to be Redeemed from ou bondage, he, or they, would endeavor to obtain he TedempUon of the rest. Not one of us, while continuing o hreathe he breath of life, can yet have forgotten, or wdl ever foi get, that trying n oment Poor Pat was reminded, before we parted of l.is having been the cause of our distress. He was prudent er.ough to make no reply^ At sunset the remaining ten of us, along with seven Arabs, ascended the i^ll agaS, a^d for the last time; but whither or where going, that was our first and deepest concern. „ , . i . i »„ ♦! , ,„oof After this they dispatched off one of thfeir men, who took to th- west- wa d on the run Within about an hour he returned and another along with h?m, who had a camel. On the camel they loaded all the luggage, Tve out the word Bomar, pointed eastward, and cried out, Swearak The word Bomar was ver,; familiar to our ears; t^e word Swearah was new tTus They turned the camel eastward, which to us was a matter ■ -■*ai a .i<>^ ' .jw^»"f %» ,*'.-K*-icBi»«im*- ^^«st;.,^j| •' .^-i*»-*]*- ^Mi^ kjiHi: ^i*Sai«fi.- ;SERT. ; near thein, when 9 alive giving tliem r water, and being ig it possible for us i at the same time crciless barbarians lot enough to wet h they (the Arabs) ras our whole nuni- Dn parting with ub. at four of the men therefore lay down ve did not sec nor 3SC four men about i again in our cars; . I do not mean to Gspectec' ourselves. J the ship, in hopes could. It was now ■ at that the sand was iinjl till wo were on s taken away except } the smell; shot, no The yawl lay on the ; foresail was cut off the bellfry. They )c our captors were ackish water from an poor fellow- sufferers down witii astonish- 1- of the Arabs being .11(1 gave a yell. Up- lul took them down, cro permitted to talk hour. Poor fellows! epart and leave them, r again in this world ok of one another an should happen to be ndeavor to obtain the linuing to breathe the er forget, that trying ,d, of his having been gh to make no reply. .r Arabs, ascended the dierc going, that was who took to til. west- led, and another along laded all the luggage, cried out, Swearah. e word Swearah was ich to us was a matter JOURNEY OVER THE DESERT. 77 of great joy, as that was the only direction from which we could derive »ny hope of relief. That sudden hope, or ratiicr siiadow of iuipe, infused in us such a general joy, that everyone seemed to show some considerable degree of animation; wiiereas we had been utterly dejected before. We continued our journey all tliat night. When the sun was about an hour liigh we made a halt in a valley formed by two sand-drifts. We were oxtremely tired, having walked all the night witiiout sleep or rest. About ten o'clock, an Arab that had left us at dayligiit, joined us again, bringing with him about half a bushel of sweet berries, and a brute animal, such as we could not name. It was about the size of a half-grown goat; the iiead, skin, and legs, they took off immediately ; after which they opened their game, quartered it, laid it on the sand, covered it over with hot sand, and made a fire upon it with some dry sticks. They reached the guts, just as they were, for us to cat. We were very liungry, but did notsuffdr 30 much from hunger as from thirst. Tiiis food being warm and moist, we chesved the guts, after sucking off the fat; little thinking it was to be our last meal for five days. The meat was soon cooked, and being in expectation of getting a share of it, we privately buried the remaining part of the guts in the sand. We begged earnestly for water, but they took no notice of it. After they had devoured their meal of meat and sand mixed up together, they hove us the bones, on the whole of which there was not a single ounce of meat. We then renewed our journey, traveling all day. Toward night we each of us got about one pint of the sweet berries ; they were about the seize of whortleberries, the stone or pit being in quantity full three-fourths of the whole. We ate them, stone and all, for the stones were not hard to our teeth. We dug for water, but found none. At dark we got about half a gill each of the water from the sack ; that drink finished it, and wo lay down. The Arabs tied up the left fore-leg of the camel, and let him go. As to feed, there was none. The night was very cold, the contrast there between night and day being very great. Jack and myself lay close to the man who had claimed us both, and when I thought him asleep, I softly hauled the blanket partly off him upon myself. The moment he missed it, he gave me a hard thump with his fist, and it was a long time before I got clear of the pain which the blow occasioned. Great as our guffeiings were, sleep at last closed our eyes. On the morning of the eleventh, we were awoke at dawn of day by the Arabs at their prayers. Prayers being over, the camel fhiit lay near us was loaded, and we were obliged to march, distressed as we were with hunger and thirst, and every one of us making the outcries of misery. One of our sailors discovered at that time that he had in his pocket a small potato, of the size of a large walnut; half of that he privately gave me, and I thought nothing ever tasted to me more pleasant. After marching & short time, the leader, my master, called out, Umbar — sit down. We soon obeyed, and when seated, they took a little meal which had been concealed from our view, and ate it. We expected some small share, but got none. My master looked very sternly at me: at that moment he got sight of my sleeve-buttons, and caught me by the wrist. I saw what he was after, and gave them up as soon as I could unbutton my sleeves. Till this time I had not been deprived of any of my wearing apparel, '•xcept what was in my sailor's packs. He then ordered me to strip, and necessity obliged me to comply. My coat, waistcoat, shirt, and neck iandkerchief, were taken from me, and laid by his side. I begged hard I'n ray clothes, or some part of them, but to no effect: the piece of bread -;Xteamm *■ atVi JUi l ^ KKfU - IS BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. happened to be in the pocket of my pantaloons. Soon after this a general search of us took place. My fine shirts, which the sailors had on them, were all taken away; whereas those who fortunately had only their own shirts on, which were coarser, and some of them not white, were permitted to wear them. After this business was over, we re-commenced our march, my clothes lying upon the back of the camel. At that time I was eating my biscuit, or rather grinding it to powder between my teeth ; in fact, the power of swallowing was lost to me. This was the first time I ever had in my mouth any food which I could not, after chewing it, convey to my stomach ; now I found it could not be done for the want of fluid or moisture in my mouth and throat. My mouth was so parched up that the biscuit could render me no service ; not the least morsel found its way down ; every particle was discharged, or blown from the mouth, whenever the upper and lower jaw opened. As soon as the burning sun had retired a little behind the mountains of sand, we were spurred on with greater haste. When it had sunk be- neath the horizon, the fresh wind cooled the earth, which became even cold before dark. Negro Sam, as he was walking by my side, asked me if I was cold. I told him I was. He then took off his blue jacket, and reached it to me, and I put it on. After this he complained to his master that he was cold ; whereupon his master came to me in anger, probably thinking tiiat I had taken the jacket from Sam by demanding it of him. Sam made him understand that I was not to suffer. He (the Arab) then gave Sam my coat, and when it was quite dark we exchanged coats, and I got my own again. This evenii.g's walk was worse than anything we had before experienced. About nine o'clock, we all ascended a mountain, I should suppose from two to three hundred feet high, over craggy rocks; at every step our joints seemed to be diplocating. When we were on the top of the mountain, the Arabs called out. Shrub bezef. Wo knew that shrub was water, and concluded that bezef was plenty. That sound cheered us all. The camel, which on our march was always driven ahead, started off at full trot, and all the Arabs after him, except one, who brought up our rear. The descent of this mountain was ten times worse than th(> ascent ; our feet slipping or giving way at almost every step, it being too dark to pick our road. We found it, indeed, almost too much to be borne, and nothing but the hopes of finding water could have kept us from sinking under our troubles and sufferings. When we were nearly half way down the mountain, we began to smell something, which could be compared to nothing I could think of but bilge water in the hold of a ship ; the nearer we approached it, the stronger was the smell. Before we had come to the water, the camel had drank of it, as also had all the Arabs except' the one in our rear, who, taking a wooden bowl from one of his companions, dipped up the water and drank it. From him I took the bowl, dipped it full, and drank every drop. My mates being by my side, called out, "Captain, you will kill yourself r' I The bowl contained at least a gallon, and some said five quarts. Several others of us drank as much as I did myself. The reader may be astonished at our taking down such a quantity at a draught, and much more so, when he is informed that the water was so putrid that the smell of it reached I from a quarter to half a mile ; and that when drinking it, we found it a$l thick as common gruel used in sickness. After all the rest of us had! been satisfied. I took another drink, of at least a quart, and then somel others, if not all, mended their draught; when we all lay down by the! side of the pond, and slept finely; I think I never enjoyed a fiu^t night^F^ ..•*rrf*.»«*wT*»**«(^— »>. -AlV.-).-- lESERT. , after this a general ailors had on them, ^ad only their own [lite, were permitted jmenced our march, at time I was eating , my teeth ; in fact, the first time I ever hewing it, convey to the want of fluid or ) parched up that thfi TiorBel found its way the mouth, whenever lehind the mouiitains When it had sunk be- , which became even by my side, asked mc F his blue jacket, and mplaincd to his master me in anger, probably demanding it of him. He (the Arab) then , exchanged coats, and orse than anything we U ascended a mountain, ligh, over craggy rocks; „ When we were on ";ubbezef. Wo knew as plenty. That sound as always driven ahead, ;xcept one, who brought en times worse than thP every step, it being too St too much to be borne, ave kept us from sinkmg itain, we began to smell ojuidthink of but bilge cached it, the stronger er, the camel had drank 1 our rear, who, taking a i up the water and drank '^ drank every drop. »> you will kill yourselfr .aid five quarts. Several reader may be astonished and much more so, when ,t the smell of It reached rinkingit,wefound»ta 5r all the rest of us had I t a quart, and then som , J all lay down by th ,er enjoyed a fiu.r night f JOY AT MEETING A WHITE MAN. 79 sleep in all my life. This dny's travel we computed at thirty-five miles. One of our men, who had been used to driving a team, thought our cal- culation wa? moderate. At dawn of day, on the twelfth, we were awoke, as usual, by the voices of the Arabs saying their prayers. When these were over, they began to load the camel, which appeared almost double the size he was of the preceding evening. He refused to drink this morning. Toward evening, we saw, for the first time, some small shrubs, appearing like our dwarf thorn bushes. The camel seized hold of the tops and little branches, which he ate with avidity; they were dry, so that in breaking them with our hands we could discover very little moisture within the bark. Such as they were, we chewed the twigs, but could not expect any sustenance from them. As soon as the camel had eaten what they thought proper, we were driven on again. The sun was hot, and we were near perisliing, when on a sudden two of thoin started, and ran off in a north-enstorn direction, we draj^ging ourselves along after tliem. As soon as they hiid ascended one of the hillocks, we discovered that they were much engaged, appearing to be gathering something from the face of the earth. We doubled our diligence, and soon came to the place, and, to our astonish- ment, we found about a quarter of an acre of ground thinly covered with barley in the milk, of about eighteen inches in height. The Arabs all fell to work to gather and eat ; we followed their example, and the grain being full of milk, we were able in a few minutes to raise moisture enough in our mouths and throats to aid us in swallowing. The next two days of our miserable lives, were spent in traversing a desolate country, without food or water, and with a burning sun striking down upon our naked bodies. About noon of the fifteenth, upon our ascending a rising ground, we beheld, at no great distance, a large num- ber of tents, to which we were marched in apparent triumph. As soon as we had approached to within about a hundred yards of those tents, we were ordered to sit down, and were surrounded with men, women, and children, to the number of from seven hundred and fifty to a thousand. The crowd around us prevented all circulation of the air, so that we were nearly suffocated, and at the same time were ready to peridh with thirst, and all begging for water, our masters being out of sight. After suffering for half an hour in this horrid situation, we perceived a great bustle on the outside of the assembly that surrounded us, the cause of which we were not long at a loss for. The loud noise drew nearer and nearer to us, till, very soon, to our astonishment, we heard a voice inquiring in plain English, "Where are they? Where are they?'''' It was not a dream. A young man, once white, got through the crowd at last. It was an English youth of about nineteen, his skin deeply burnt with the sun. without hat or shoes, and his nakedness covered with only a few rags. The first words uttered to us by this frightful looking object were " WAo are you? My friends! my friends f'' the tears running down his cheeks. I would have risen to salute him, but was too feeble. He sat down by my side ; we all shook hands with him, and began our conversation. We told him who we were, and he in return gave us an account of himself; the Arabs meanwhile interrupting him every now and then, to get our tale of him. In turn, he satisfied them who had inquired of him where we were wrecked, how much money and goods we iiad on board, where it was now, how much those mountaineers (as they called our owners) had got, and so on. George, for that was his name, freely informed us as to himself, that he was the steward of a ship called the Martin Hall. „ri3t^ — ■ ^^T^^itV 80 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. of lioudon, cast away upon that coast more than a year before ; that one of tlie crew was killed by the natives, and the captain he supposed was drowned; that part of the crew had been marched back,Mn a south-east f'ircction, to a place they called Elic ; that another part had been earned to Swcarah, and tiiere ransomed ; that four of liiem yet remamcd among the wandering Arabs, who had been very cruel to them ; that none of them but himself belonged to the tribe he was in ; that two boys were not far off; one other boy he had not heard from lately, but believed he was distant not many days' march. " This," said George, "is all I can tell you about our poor unfortunate crew, b\it I have no doubt that some of them have been murdered, for I heard they did not find a ready sale for all that were carried to Elic, and that our sailors became turbulent there, and a quarrel ensued ; the Arabs themselves acknowledged that several of our men were wounded in the fray: but these cursed monsters will lie like dogs, and there is no believing them ; what makes me think they were mur'dered, I have lately beard that some of tiieir shoes and hats have been seen in that neighborhood." This story of George excited our utmost attention, thougli it was frequently interrupted by the Arabs during the whole of the time. Hitherto not a drop had been given us to drink, and George now told the Arabs that we were suffering with thirst ; but it only made .aem laugh. Upon this, he started on through the crowd, and brought us about two quarts of milk and water. This we divided, I believe very equally, by Vach of us sipping a little, and then reaching it to his next neighbor. That delicious beverage occasioned such warm expressions of gratitude as I had never heard before; each of us, in his own style, ejaculating his thanks to poor George, and then to our Father in heaven. Though the quantity was small, still, by taking it in that way, every drop felt in our famished stomachs as a cordial. No sooner had the inquisitive Arabs drawn off from us, than I inquired of George where Swearah was? He said he never could learn, the Arabs having always evaded answering that ?n(iuiry, and seemed angry whenever he put the question to them ; but he believed it was Mogadore. He then asked me about the coast where the English had their trade ; observing to me that some of tiie Arabs often journeyed eastward, and after an absence of two or three weeks, returned with certain English manufactures, such as combs, loooking-glasses, beads, scissors, knives, powder, guns, and so on. I replied, as St. Cruz was nearer, and a port where a trade was carried on by European nations, I rather thought that that must be Swearah. He said he had never heard them so much as name St. Cruz ; and I answered it was the Portuguese name, and, by inquiring, he might find out what the Arabic name was. George appeared very much delighted with our company, and no doubt had hopes that we inight be the means of his ransom from slavery. Speakin" of the ones who then had us in their keeping, he said to me, "These fellows do not belong here to our tribe, nor anywhere hereabouts; they were here about ten or twelve days ago ; I remember them very well ; they got supper here, and went off the next day, traveling westward ; they are hunters, and poor dogs, depend upon it. I will find out where they belong, and let you know. Come," he says, "let us go to the tents, and I will beg some meal and water for you ; and, if my old master will let me stay with you till night, I shall be glad. I was watching his flock, and when you had arrived, ho sent for me, and put some one else there in my place." We all rose up, and on our approaching the tents, George called out, "There is our chief! he has been gone these three weeks, and ,. ^»,Sfi,,-je^«li«-*t^^«rtiS«L~.N^r-art«M»«««^ 5ERT. before ; that one no supposed was k,Mn a south-east had been carried remained mnony ,ni ; that none ot" at two boys were yr, but believed he )r^e, "is all I can o doubt til at some tind a ready sale became turbulent cknowledged that le cursed monsters It makes me think )f tlioir shoes and r of George excited pted by the Arabs il George now told y made .aem laugh, (ught us about two ro very equally, by his next neighbor. Bssions of gratitude tylc, ejaculating his aven. Though the [ry drop felt in our 3 inquisitive Arabs Swearah was? He adod answering that ion to them ; but he the coast where the of the Arabs often reo weeks, returned iking-glasses, beads, d, as St. Cruz was European nations, I le had never heard was the Portuguese Arabic name was. ipany, and no doubt nsom from slavery, ping, he said to me, lywhere hereabouts; nber them very well ; ling westward ; they find out where they go to the tents, and old master will let watching his flock, some one else there ng the tenU, George ese three weeks, and INTERVIEW WITH AHAMED. 81 t I suspect ho is from Swearah." IIo (the chief) came hastily to us, and inquired who wc were ; and was told l)y George that ho and ourselvc? were all brothers. The old man looked smilingly on this occasion, and George told him wc were suffering for victuals. He replied, "Thoy shall have some boiled meal directly." By this time the whole male part of the tribe were assembled round their chief; and George, imdcrstanding the Arabic, learned from what was said, that he was from Swearah. Afloi (tcorgc had collected from his master all the information he could upon tliat subject, he told us the men that were our enslavers were hunters; that tli(!y belonged to a degraded tribe of Arabs, distant four days' journey, pointing to the south-east, and about one day's journey from Elic ; and tliut they were about to start off the next morning for their home, and take lis along with ihem. We all as one declared ourselves unable to go further, and that we had rather die on the spot than attempt to advance another iench, and Spaniards. Being determined _man. This vague describe him. As 1 this particular, I felt •nt; when, coUectmg had seen the Consul. i about my own height, -hat is all right," and ,m his own, he says, believed as much as „ over and above what tweredjifhewouldbuy 1 Upon this he said to any price, for they are lat you Christian dogs at suits them best, Y'' . worse than the Aral"; td you on our coasi PADDOOK AOREBS TO PURCHASE HIMSELF. 88 Never, I must confess, did I feel a reproach more sensibly — that a great many wearing the Christian name did force away from their homes, and carry into perpetual slavery, the poor African negroes, and thereby made themselves worse than Arabs, I well knew was but too true. However, standing on my own defense, I said, in reply, that was not our business : to which boy Jack answered, "h was our business ;" and in that he spoke the truth, for the ship he belonged to was engaged in the Guinea trade. The chief demanded of me again, that I should say how much I would give him ; but at last he set the price himself, by counting over his fingers till he came to the number forty. I was at a loss to know what it signified, when Jack told me he supposed it meant dollars. I agreed to it, and that, in addition to the sum mentioned, I would give each of his two wives a looking-glass, comb, beads, and some other things. The next thing with him was the security. I told him my word was sufficient, and that I had no other security to give. He then asked Jack in what manner a Christian took an«oath7 It was some time before Jack understood the question, and not until he was told by him that a Mohammedan swore by his own board ; and by the prophet. Jack then said to him, "A Christian swears by the Bible, and that oath he holds inviolable." Jack went on to compare the Bible to the Alcoran. As no Bible was to be come at, I told him I could make oath as well without the Bible as with it; and this satisfying liim, I then, with an audible voice, called my Maker to witness, that as soon as we should be ransomed in Swcarah, I would, in addition to what the Consul should pay for our ransom, give him forty dollars, and for his two wives two small looking-glasses, two combs, two pair of small scissors, each a large bunch of beads, and a knife for himself, and as much tobacco as he could smoke all the way back. When this was gone through with, he asked Jack if he believed me. He told him our God was the same as his God, and he might depend on my oath being held as sacred by me, as his own oath would be held by himself. Thus the matter ended, after we had been detained about it for a full hour. Ahamed then went to the mountaineers, and finished the bargain for us all, except the two blacks, for they would not part with them. How the purchase wan paid, or in what, we never could find out. This evening the boy Jack paid us a short visit, when Larra advised him to be more with us, and not keep company so much with the Arabs. To this Jack replied, he could have as much meal as he wanted while with them, and that he, Larra, was always quarreling whenever he was with him. Larra now saw the ne- cessity of courting his friendship. Whenever they two talked together about London, Jack used to reproach his own mother there, telling Larra that she was a bad woman, and he did not wish ever to see her again. All this I thought made against us, aa it gave romn to mistrust Jack of being inclined to the side of the Arabs ; I therefore urged upon both of them the necessity of their harmonizing for our general safety and welfare. On the eighteenth, in the morning, there appeared an uncommon stir in the tribe. The horses were brought up, and rigged out in great style ; all was glee, male and female running from tent to tent ; our English boys were in as great surprise as ourselves. For the sake of information, Larra and George went after Jack, who of course was knowing to the cause of this great muster. Jack was not to be found then, but soon after the little villain came, and informed us there was to be a wedding that day : this quieted our minds. Upon this time he and Larra fell into (amiliar discourse between themselves aa follows. i M BONDAGE AMOKO THE ARABS OP THK DESERT- Jack. You, Larra, know Afdallah, that fellow that murdorod his wife about two weeks ago. Larra. Oh, yes, I remember all about it. Jack. Well, he is going to marry that short, thick, yellow girl, that lives in that tent there ; you know who I mean. Larra, Oh, yes, I know her. This conversation between the two boys, excited in mc a curiosity to know the story of that murder, and Larra related it to me. " AI)out two weeks ago,'* said Larra to me, "this fellow went into his tent, and asked his wife where his knife was. She told him she had lent it to such a one, naming a man belonging to the tribe. Do you not know, he said, that you have no business to meddle with anything belonging to me ? She acknowledged she had not; that she was sorry if it had displeased him, and would go immediately and fetch the knife back. He made no other reply to her than by saying, I will see if I cannot have a wife who will obey my commands better ; 1 always told you not to meddle with anything of n^ine. Having a club in his hand, he struck her upon the breast ; she fell, and he continued to maul her as long as them was any breath in her body. Neither man nor woman went near them, although her cries and screams were heard through the whole tribe. That evening," continued Larra, "we went to the funeral, and observed what was done there. The women measured her length, her breadth across her arms, and her whole thickness, with as much exactness as they could, and then thoy dug a grave to fit hor, digging if no deeper than the measure of her breadth, and put her in sideways, all naked ; then the women, standing upon the body, trod it down with their feet, till the upper part of it was just level with the surface of the earth ; after which, they all fell to gathering stones to cover the body with, so as to prevent its being removed by the wild beasts." I asked Larra what followed in regard to the murderer. The account ho gave me was this: — "The next day after the murder was committed, the chief assembled all the principal men of the tribe to examine into the case. The murderer was called before the council, and heard in his own defense ; he voluntarily related the facts as they were, and was then dis- missed for a few minutes. Upon this, the chief, who always speaks first in such cases, gave his opinion. "Afdallah," says Ahamed to his coun- selors, "has not acted agreeably to the law ; he should first have com- iplained to me of the disobedience of his wife, and if she should persist therein, he would then have been at liberty to punish ,her according to his pleasure. For breaking the law in not making his complaint beforehand to me, he is worthy of punishment ; wherefore, my sentence is, that he be fined four sheep, seeing his flock is small, and that those sheep be dressed for our supper tornight." Larra added, "the murderer was sent for, his sentence was pronounced, and he, without uttering a word, had his flock brought up, killed the four sheep, and the company ate them — and we, you know," added he, addressing himself (o Jack, "got the heads." After Larr« had gone through with his story, I desired him to look ont for the bride and the bridegroom. He went to the place where the tribe was assembled, a few rods south of cor tent, where he found the women pre- preparing the bride for her nuptials : and soon after they all made their appearance. We then walked toward the crowd, taking a circuit round their roar, full as nigh them as it was prudent for us to approach. The couple stopped, fronting a man who officiated in the capacity of a priest ; ho read over to them a passage engrared on a board, taken originally from ■i i "~^ SERT. lurderod his wife How girl, that liveB I mc a curiosity to me. " About two Ilia tent, and asked sntitto sucliaone, mow, he said, that ging to me? She lad displeased him. He made no other ave a wife who will leddlo with anything pon the breast ; she as any breath in her lough her cries and Dvening," continued 19 done there. The arms, and her whole ind then they dug a )ure of her breadth, 1, standing upon the t of it was just level II to gathering stones removed by the wild derer. The account irder was committed, e to examine into the and heard in his own ■re, and was then dis- lo always speaks first Ahamed to his coun- ould first have com- if she should persist .1 her according to his complaint beforehand sentence is, that he be hose sheep be dressed derer was sent for, his I a word, had his flock ly ate them — and we, rot the heads." After m to look out for the where the tribe was found the women pre- er they all made their taking a circuit round OB to approach. The .le capacity of a priest ; d, taken originally from 11 le A WEDDIKO IN THE DESERT. || the Alcoran, and Joined their hands, using a ceremony of words that we could not distinctly hear, by which pronounced them husband and wife. A tout liad hven previously prepared by the bridegroom ; on it was dis- played a whito flag or fly ; he took his bride, who had been blindfolded by the priest, with a piece of cloth tied over her eyes, led hor to his tent, -^nt her down on a mat, and said to her, "You are at home." Then he \ fi licr, and returned to the place where the ceremony was performed, :iiul hud a white cloth, in the form of a turban, tied round hia head ; after which hn joined with the company, in their singing, shouting, and firing of ;:,Mins ; most of the company taking part in this merriment. When night came, the whole company went to his tent, but none of them entered it, not cv(in himself; instead of which, they formed in a circle in the front of it, where was prepared a groat feast, consisting of boiled meal and milk, along witii several sheep, cooked and eaten without spice or sah. Their feasting continued till after midnight, when the company having retired, the bridegroom visits his spouse, takes ofi* her blind, shows himself to her by the light of the fire, to satisfy her that there is no mistake as to the identity of his person, and then blinds her again, and retires. She con- tinues in this condition of utter darkness for the term of one week. During the whole of this week, after the first duy, all the women that choosu it visit her; one of their number is appointed to cook the victuals, and pur- form all the other domestic duties, until the spouse is brought out to the light of day, when she beholds, as hor husband, a capricious vagalK>nd, and a bloody monster, for the least deviation from whose mandate she is liable to suflTer death. On the morning of the 22d, Ahamed, and with him half a dozen of the tribe, came to our place of residence, and brought along about two yards of red flannel, and inquired if any one of us was a tailor ? adding, we woro to march on the next morning, and must make Jack some clothes. Over- joyed by that piece of information, we, by means of sending Jack for them among the tribe, were furnished with scissors, thread, and needles — not indeed equal to what are used at our tailors^ shops ; the thread was too large for the needle, but by singlmg it we made out with our sewing, though but badly. In a few hours, however. Jack was rigged up with a red jacket and trowsers ; but, unexpectedly to us, the little fellow despised them, and would rather have had his old rags again. The time now hung very heavy on us all, and we were wishing for to-morrow. Toward night we found out, for the first time, to whom in reality we severally belonged, and also discovered by Jack that we had often been bought and sold among them. As hitherto they had had no labor for us to perform, they had thought it immaterial whether we should know or not, how we were disposed of among themselves, or who of them in particular were our owners. It now appeared that we eight, together with the three English boys, were owned by about twenty of these Arabs ; and as to myself, I perceived I was in the hands of the most unfeeling vagabond in the whole tribe. George, who had been occupied for several days past in keeping his master^s herds and flocks, came to us this evening, and told us his master had been uncommonly good to him for the last day or two ; and now, says he, I am to have as much meal for to-morrow as I can eat. We informed him that we were to march off' for some place or other the next morning. That, said he, is a mistake, for my master told me you were to remam here several days, and that when you go, I shall go too. Poor George, however, was left behind. The next morning, to vit, the a3d, Ahamed l»fl.»r*"-JJl"''l. • tia B W^g ' . aig S jWr^W^'- 't W • -■UtW ; ■ ! m .' ! i ' > » -vtrr t *^»)>M^Mi«l>JW-* BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. told us wo were to travel on to Iuh iiold of ^'rain, wlicro he sliuuld Ix with lis in a week's time. On wc went, and the only object we regiotted parting with waa hapless George ; him I pitied from my heart. We were already fancying ourselves half redeemed, when my new master began to let me know I must obey him in particular. He was one of the most ugly looking rascals among the whole tribe, and his conduct was no l)ettor than his looks. W( had been traveling together all the day, before wo could learn to which of them each of us belonged. 'J'he dilliculty of our learning it of them, was owing to their ignorance of arith- metic, and their inability to inform us that we had been disposed of in joint shares ; for instance, five of them owning three of us. As our course was northerly, we had hopes of soon seeing the seacoast. Late in the atlernoon we came in sight of tents, which, as they were placed in a valley, we had approached near before we discovered them. We came toward them, undiscovered till within about a hundred yards, when we all sat down on a sand hill, excepting our principal man, who was Ahamed^a brother, and he stood up for some time before any of the people of the tents perceived him. No sooner did they see him and us, than there seemed among them a great stir, which was made, no doubt, by their looking for their chief. Soon, however, there came to us a venerable looking old man, mostly dried up, who accosted our chief man thus: — "Where are you from? where bound? are these the Christian dogs I have heard so much of? what are you going to do witii them?" — and so on. The answers were — "Wo are from the edge of the desert," pointing soulh-wcst ; "we belong to the tribe of Ahamcd ; wc arc bound to sucli a place," pointing north-cast, "to cut our grain; these Christians that you see are going along with us, and when the harvest is over we shall make a market of them." "All well," says the old man, "come along with me and sup, and stay the night ; you are welcome." The venerable looking old Arab having pronounced his cordial invitation, on we marched ; and by this time the whole tribe was out, men, women, and children. They all, even the children, had something to say of us ; but we were now become so used to the scurrilous language of such people, that we paid no attention to it, but seated ourselves among their tents on the sand. We begged for water, having had but very little of it all that day, and our stock being now exhausted. We had eaten only once, if eating it may be called, for that meal consisted of a little raw barley-flour wet up pretty thin, so as to be drank rather than eaten ; this we swilled down clean, and licked the bowl : the whole quantity for us eleven was what might be a full meal for one large pig. Our appetites were very keen, and this swill tasted good to us, and lay well on our stomachs, as did everything else that we had eaten or drank. Many a time, and even hundreds of times, had we cause to return thanks to God for this great blessing — a good appetite for whatever food or drink we could find, and a good digestion of it. Soon afler we had made a stop at this place, the chief, and many of his tribe, formed a circle, and began their chat, accompanied with the pipe. When finding themselves short of tobacco, I heard my name, Raia, called aloud, and upon my looking toward them, the master of my mates made a sign to me that they had no tobacco, by putting his finger in the bowl of the pipe. This application was made to mo in particular, because at the beginning of our journey, I had been appointed tobacco carrier. There was about a pound of tobacco, rolled up snug, and put in a small skin, about the size of a cat's, and which was made in the manner of an '■M» r" »<» . . « i «B .-^ ffl ' iyti.K i f »j «!ift H » uir ia.Ta Wr . W ' ttWg-- rw?w4S3»^*SB«ft5i«»?^nrtSBe»^^^ !SE"T. THE ARABS OPINION OP CHRISTIANS. •r he joct should Ix with \vc rcgiDttcd r heart. )d, when my new ilar. He was one 3, and his conduct g together all the IS belonged. The ignorance of arith- sen disposed of in 10 of us. As our seacoast. Late in |f were placed in a them. We came )d yards, when wo whowasAhamed'a f the people of the and us, than there ubt, by their looking !ncrablc looking old thus: — "Where are igs I have heard so oon. The answers :ig south-west ; "we li a place," pointing you see are going [I make a market of rith me and sup, and hiscordial invitation, IS out, men, women, ething to say of us ; IS language of such rselves among their 1 but very little of it Wc had eaten only sted of a little raw her than eaten ; this ihole quantity for us pig. Our appetites ind lay well on our or drank. Many a eturn thanks to God er food or drink we lief, and many of his anied with the pipe, y name, Raia, called of my mates made ig his 'finger in the particular, because ted tobacco carrier. and put in a small in the manner of an i>&s^i^»~ old fashioned pouch ; this I reached to him, and taking out as much of it as lillod his pipe, he returned it to mo. Their conversation was on gene- ral subjects. Larra, ugreoably to the arrangement previously made between him and mc, was listening to it, but could gather nothing of intorcHt relative to our future destiny. Indeed they frequently spoke of us, hut in such a manner as often reminded me of the old adage. Listeners seldom hear any good of themselves. That saying was verified here completely — the heads of tlieir discourse concerning us were, that we were a poor, miserable, degraded race of mortals, doomed to the ever- lasting punishment of hell-fire after death, and in this life fit only for the company of dogs ; that our country was so wretchedly poor, wo were always looking out abroad for sustenance ; and ourselves so base as to go to the Coast of Guinea for slaves to cultivate our land, being not only too lazy to cultivate it ourselves, but too stupid to loarn how to do it ; and finally, that if all the Christians were ol)ligod to live at homo, their race would soon be extinct; that those belonging to Christian countries, being dependent on the other countries for almost everything necessary to sup- port naturenvith, they make for sale such things as guns, powder, knives, and so on, all which the world might do well enough without ; and then they barter these things away to people abroad for the necessaries of life. Upon the 24th, uncommonly early in tlie morning, we started away, in an cast-north-east course, and traveled very fast for travelers in our condition. Before nine o'clock in the morning, we had become very thirsty, as well as hungry. We had taken along with us no water, and but little meal; and while we were begging for water, or for victuals, they snarled out to us, Cooly mackan, shrub mackan — no victuals, no drink — and hurried us along. By eleven o'clock, the heat of the sun was almost insufff rable ; we sat down only for a few minutes, and then were driven on again. We were fast approaching a rocky mountain lying on our right, appearing to be at least two hundred feet in height. We perceived where this mountain, seeming to have broken asunder, formed two separate hills, with a valley between them ; and when wo were at no great distance therefrom, some of tiie Arabs left us and ran ahead, while others were forcing us on as fast as possible. When we came abreast of this valley, to our astonishment we saw a reservoir of water, and the Arabs who had started ahead of us drinking at it. We soon got to it, and when came our own turn, which of course was the last, we drank no small quantity, and all of us sat down at our drinking place. The Arabs then mixed together some raw meal and water, and ate of it ; after which they gave us some, and on it wc made a sumptuous breakfast about noon, having eaten nothing before from the time of our scanty supper, that is in fifteen hours. Wjien we were about to leave this place, which we all regretted to leave so soon, one of them took the bowl that we had been drinking out of, and rubbed the inside of it over with sand, and put it bottom upward upon a stone which had been left projecting out, just on the inside of the door- way ; and no doubt it was left there for that purpose. Then commenced our march, yet not before they had gone through with their long prayers, which in a great measure consisted of thanksgiving for the benefits of that fountain. On the morning of the 26th, we were awakened earlier than usual, no signs of day being then visible in the firmament. Immediately after the prayers were over we started on, when the north star was still in sight ; our course was from north-east to east-north-east. Thirst and hunger wore sufferings not now to us, but their cravings were now severe indeed. .B«»w.°e>8ii!a»»a M i 3* '^'*M i i> ^i 'iu jL< j j uc .. - 88 BONDAGE AMOlfO THE ARABS OP THE DESERT. Ill .Mmiit noon wn h.iw adwnllin((, built ofstono ; on approac.irnut whir.li, we foM-iil it containtid a vory Inrife family, or rather Moviiral fiuailiuH. IJndor iho wail W(! Hcntcd oursolvoH, and woro viowod by thcin all ; and liid the rnurtificntidii (if mortititsd wo could bo by anything they could h ly) of linariii;^ tlir Hiiino kind ot romarks upon U8, that had been niad< Woforo from tiiiK! to timo, after our leaving Ahimcd's tribe. Wo howev r jjot of thnin HHitu! boiled meal, the romains of the Arabs^ brcakfiiHt, and in it waH a little butter ; it was to us a raro diah, though a very scanty ono, b(!ing not tnore than ^-nuugh for two men. At a aniall diHtaiice from thir houMe wax a piero of b&iley, of about ten acres. This was the first inhi- bited building that rrlji^hi be called a house, which wo had seen since our landing, and this was the first considerable piece of barley either grown or growing. There was also here a little garden, in which we saw Honin fiti:; looking pornpions and onions, but could got none of Ihcm. Upon leaving' this i)lace, we ascended a high hill, covere»l with barley; on the sutnmit, we discovered at a great distance off, the •ci, and as that was the clement we were so much accustomed to, the sight of it seemed to infuse joy into every br(!ast. The Arabs pushed us on till near sunset, when we were brought to, and were informed that wo now v/^'o on the ground belonging to Ahamed. and that the piece of grain that now lay before us was his. L';>on viewing' it, 1 thou<{ht it contained at leafU one hundred acres, but ad I had not been accustomed to meusaiing land, I might have been wide from the mark in my calculation ; tliough, at any rate, it was the largest field of grain I ever saw. Our Arabs informed (/nsequences of ray case as the man to IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) f by their tongues, it >wever, with a woman that she should keep le day. This matter ield. We soon found nedj'and that Salear, )y one or more of our er omitted, as I can IS ramble abroad, for some one, who they LA8T FAREWELL OF SALEAR. 01 suspected would, in such case, rob them of their property, by stealing us away. On the 29th of April, we having then been two or three days ia tlii.s horrible place, Ahamed arrived here, bringing with liim Bob, aiioliier Knglisli boy, belonging to the Martin Hall. The poor boy was rediiciHl to a mere skeleton. There was such a rejoicing between him and tin; other two boys, his shipmates, as it would be difficult to describe. Tlioy fawiK'd around him, and asked him twenty questions in the time he could answer one. We mixed with them, and heartily partook of their joy — at this happy meeting even Ahamed seemed pleased. Bob said it must have been six months since he had heard a word from any of the crow, and lie had supposed them all dead. The next morning, Ahamed appearing in a little better humor than the evening before, I asked him when he intended to carry us toSwearah? He answered, as soon as his barley should e all cut and secured, all which was nearly done already. Upon this, he soon went off, and returned to us again about noon, and with iiim came several Arabs, to whom, as it seemed, he was selling tobacco. As I was much attached to tobacco, I begged him for a small piece to chew. He refused at that time, but a little piece he gave to Larra, who put it in his mouth, which displeasing Ahamed, he said, "Christians are bad in everything; tobacco is made to smoke, and nobody but a Christian dog would cat it." On the morning of the first of May, I took a seasonable opportunity to mention to Ahamed, that as his grain was all secured, he now would be at leisure to march us on to Swearah. Salear being present at the time, she told her brother that I had promised to send her on from that place a looking-glass, a comb, and a large handkerchief. He looked at me with a smile, and asked me if I really intended to give her the things she mentioned? I told him I did ; and, moreover, that I would give her some beads and rings for her fingers. "Now I believe you," replied Ahamed ; "you shall go soon, and you shall ride the horse I bought for Bob, as Bob," added he, "is growing stronger every day." Salear, since the time I had promised her some presents from Swearah, had been a little more accom- modating toward me. In the dusk of tbe evening, I found Ahamed with her, and the boy Jack sitting by their side, and I ventured to place myself among them. She reminded t»e of the promise I had made her, of the glass, and those several other things which the women there so highly value ; and I at the same time solemnly declared to her that I would fulfill that promise. Upon this, Ahamed made some inquiries of me with regard to the manufactories of my own country, which I answered as well as I could ; and I took the liberty to (ell him how much better he would be treated than we had been, if by accident he should be thrown on our shore ; that in such an event, instead of being held in bondage, and sold from tribe to tribe, our Sultan would have him conducted bacK to his native country in safety ; whereas he still held us in slavery, and several persons had been here already in order to purchase us for market in the interior ; and all this, notwithstanding he could get a great price for our ransom from our Consul, who was distant only a few days journey. He heard me out, and then warmly retorted upon me as follows : "You say, if I were in your country, your people would treat me better than I treat you : there is no truth in you ; if I were there, I should be doomed to perpetual slavery, and be put to the hardest labor, in tilling your ground; you are too lazy to work yourselves in your fields, and therefore send your ships to the negro coast ; and in exchange for your useless trinkets, with which you cheat the poor negroes, you take away ship loads of them y k If ill '\ tl 93 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. to voiir country, from which never one returns ; and had your own ship osclpel oTshore,you yourself would now hetak.ngort the poor noj-rocs to evSas ing slavery." After this unpleasant discourse was ended we sat ^lent for some time" and then Ahamed said to me, "In a day or two we ''oL\'hrilg'o7'JhI third of May, we wore awakened ear.y, and found hem al in a hurry at preparing for a departure At about e.ght oWk w^ took our leave of this horrid place, when Salear foUowo^d us f„r l,7vard and with her last farewell, bawled out to me, " Rais, JemoL ir Ty things "To which I brieflly answered. / should not forget i "• nor d SVever^forget her,nor ever shall I. She was about the ughes fookinTwoman I ever saw; about four feet and s.xmches h.gh,sq".b o S mund, ill shaped, petulant, crabbed, savagely ferooous, and all th s n the very worst sense of the words. Her dress was nothing but a nearly worn oit hrck, which she wrapped around her, so as to extend Iron. considerab?y ab^ve her knees to considerably be bw her breasts, wh.ch wereenonnously large. Her cheek-bones were h.gh, her eyes smal and black her color that of dark copper; her teeth were fine, and were the S cleai thing we discerned about her. We all had reason enough to Scmber hor Forget you! no, no, Salear, I can never forget you I mrnTedhcoU, Lrfe that had been bought for Bob, and we took the So" path leading down the valley. By noon Bob complamed of ut.gue^ Z could not kip up with the company, and to lum I gave up the old horse and made out mvself to get along tolerably well on foot. At dusk wc got into a good path, and were walking along very mode- ratdyf Aharedfjack, and mysSlf, ahead of the rest, -hen the old man said if he got as much money for us as he ought, he should be nth. 1 replied to him, that he should be well paid, and that no danger was to be repiiea lo "''»' ^j. j. jni,i„tea silence, he accosted me rn'K foUowi„"g ller "Tlfere is no confidence to be placed in (^hris- ?ans fo ^Xnever they come on shore on our coast, and are not imme- d.a^cl'v dTscovered by us, they bury their money in the sand, as you yourself Save Inrrprevent it from falling into the hands of the true beln.vors. ThTs ca^do you no good, and it is our property. We pray earnestly to the Altn"ghW God to send Christians ashore here ; he hears our prayers, and often sends us some good ships; and if you d.d as you ong ht o do, we should have the full benefit of them." I then asked h.m it .t over happened that the crews of the ships coming ashore there had all pev.shed or been destroyed? To that question he answere.l, "It Aa» happened, and U was tL w 1 of God. If they had been spared, they would I'^vo secreted E treasure, whereas by destroying the whole of them, wc got a 1 they the.r treasure, wn .r y j ^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ following story : "Once," S A1..:^S, " h^re Tame ashore a very large ship. It being some tune Tefore he c ew were discovered, they had landed all the.r property, and had CO ered themselves with their saijs. When they w-- d.-overed, a «mall" ribe went down to take them into their possession, but they hred arour men and some of them they killed. Exasperated by bemg fired = L *»M ii M ii.i ri i 'nij>»i ii n ,'i g | > 'i '- ''> " ' f 04 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. shocking to behold ; the moment tlic camel lifted up his foot, his footstep was filled with living locusts crawling over the carcasses of the crushed ones. Whether we looked to the north or to the south, we could see no end to them; they covered the ground for about half a mile in width ; the eastern side of them was as straight as the western. We saw no ' traggling ones, nor did they fly ; they were about three inches in length, and we concluded that they were young ones that had not the use of wings. This was the only swarm of locusts that wo sow. All the while we were passing over them, the Arabs were muttering over something to themselves. Not long after we changed our course to the east-north-east, when I had an opportunity of talking with Ahamcd, and I endeavored to convince him (of what I bad often tried in vain to convince him before) that there was not the least doubt but the Consul would be happy to see us, his brethren, in Swearah, and would immediately pay for our ransom; that it was not Aw money which would be paid for us, but money belonging to our Sultan, who always took care of liis subjects. Ahamed's reply was, "If I were sure of that^ you should have your freedom in a few days." As wc advanced the country appeared better ; the soil, and the fields of grain, nearly resembled what we had seen before ; the land, whenever we had an opportunity to examine it, appeared a fine gravel ; the trees were more common, and, in many places, were some small groves, also many fig trees, though with but little fruit. Very soon after wc came to a place v/here a great number of tents were struck. We viewed them, and found, by our Arabs, that the inhabitants had mostly died of the plague, and that when the tribe became reduced to a very few, those few survivors took all the furniture and turned it upside down, hauled out the tent poles, and let the whole fall to the ground, where it remained untouched ever after ; that such was tlieir law, that when a whole family died of that disease, no one might take their bowl to dip with, even though he were perishing for water, nor could their flocks be taken possession of by any process, but were left to run at large, till some one unknowing to whom they had belonged, takes them under his own keeping, and makes pro- clamation of it for a given time, after which, if none should have appeared to claim them, they are to belong to the present possessor. Upon our removing but a few rods from this scene of desolation, we discovered their garden^ and getting over the fence, each of us took away a pompion, and was eating of it with greediness, when the Arabs perceiving it, they with great haste deprived us of all that we had not yet swallowed, which was but a little, for we had nearly eaten a raw pompion each. The curses they so liberally heaped upon us for this offense were but little regarded. One of the boys lagged behind, and got one large piece which had been taken from us, a share of which fell to me, and it tasted really well. Late in the afternoon we came to a tribe of about fifty tents, where we stopped. The Arabs were well received here, but as to ourselves, nowhere had we been so much ridiculed. The were not sparing of their vile epithets, so common to these people, who had ever viewed us as a poor degraded set of beings, hardly fit to live in the world. The women were foremost in insolence and abuse, and their children not far behind them. Here wc got water, aud a little raw meal. Ahamed here bought three asses, to assist us along in our journey ; one he gave me, and the other two were used among us alternately, as the needs of our men required. On the morning of the eighth, we started on early. The women ridiculed us as wc passed along, and bawled out to us, "You swinish looking dogs, go ^\1u^mm.^c.^^''■*•- ! DESERT. > his foot, his footstep masses of the crushed luth, we could bce no fa mile in width; the We saw no ' trag^ling 168 in length, and wo B use of wings. Tills while we were passing ig to themselves, istnorth-east, when I ideavored to convince lim before) that there happy to see us, his for our ransom; that but money belonging Ahamed's reply was, 3dom in a few days." soil, and the fields of ; the land, whenever ine gravel ; the trees ne small groves, also oon after we came to It. We viewed them, ftly died of the plague, w, those few survivors lied out the tent poles, lined untouched ever e family died of that even though he were possession of by any ! unknowing to whom ping, and makes pro- should have appeared possessor. Upon our lation, we discovered took away a pompion, abs perceiving it, they yet swallowed, which on each. The curses ire but little regarded, piece which had been it tasted really well. fifty tents, where we arselves, nowhere had r of their vile epithets, us as a poor degraded women were foremost behind them. Here re bought three asses, and the other two were len required. On the vomen ridiculed us as nish looking dogs, go THE CHRISTIAN DOGS ARE FED. 95 to your own country, wn a hoavy Ih) continnod to beat nd Hlood inotionlcas. lor, but b(! sliook his jno beating liis wifo, hor to boil a pot of cannot be obeyed." to the place where 1 he seemed as little tin ono of the boys to ard him talking there called him back, he biy swollen, and that that the women there ury her." , the cook, called one :nt, and took it to our ir appetite being now /oman still alive, but en her before. When o, and ate the whole, , in those few words, w the bowl returned, ad had enough ; and, tent, and, with appa- dead. Receiving for 3ng, he and Ahamed moving ; and did not [ sent one of the boys hamed^s brother, was perceive life in her or us the day before, ; that she was swollen ed that very morning, letter; the grain-fields for us to see forty or we were upon one of , as loud as he could toiatcd to me a space I could plainly discern was St. Cruz. Aha- I rest of them. When him what the distance were there? To this off, that there were no all the ships went to s," be answered, '*you nORIHD srSPENSK. 97 «mI1 it HO ; were you over there?" Yes. "Woro you over at St. Cruz?" No. "Who do you know in Swo;irah?" (.'orisiil (iwyii, taslior (*(Mirt, Jarksoii. I'oxcron, and inaiiy otliorn, some French, ami some Spaiiiiudit! Turitinj,' to Aliaincd, who w;is all attention to thi.s convorsation. In- .^aid to him, "Me has beiju at Sweariih, and has friends there." lie then conrludiMl with asking me irc.'onsiil (iwyn had money enough to ran.soui so many of his brothers? Without hesitation, I told him he eould raiisoni ten times our number if they were brought to him; and I enchnivored to make him understand that the Consul did not pay this money (Vom his own purse, lint it was money belonging to our Sultan, who placed it at his disposal tor that pur|)ose, and, in case that he (the Consul) should at any time be short of money, it was only for him to borrow of the rich merchants till our Siiltau should send him more. This explanation of mine seemed to be satisfactory to him, and our conversation was here closed. On the morning (»f the tenth, we were awakened by the sound of the voices of the Arabs at prayer. We saw no appearance of any habitation till near night ; and having traveled over heavy sand, and the weather extremely hot, we suf- fered for water, but none could be found. At length Aliamed told us we should soon come to a small tribe of his acquaintance, and there we should faro well. It was beginning to be dusk, when, on our rising a hill, wc saw St. Cru/, which did not appear twenty miles ofl", though in that wc wore mistaken. At about eight o'clock wo arrived at the tribe which Ahamed had spoken of, which consisted of about thirty. We got hero but a poor supper, which consisted of a little raw meal and bad water. When we lay down to sleep, wo found ourselves watched in a manner little diflbrent from what had been usual, the Arabs lying on the outside of us. Wc slept not well: being not far from the sea, and the wind blowing strong all the night, we lay extremely cold. We had one comfort, however, and a very groat one; we now were beginning to think ourselves nearly out of danger, and that rendered our sufferings the more tolerable. The length of this day's travel must, as we thought, have exceeded thirty miles. On the morning of the eleventh, we started on half an hour before day- light, and took a south-east course, and traveled fast. At the dawn of day we saw St. Cruz far on our left. About noon, we found we were at least eight miles from the town, and were hidden from it by some high sand-hills on our front. Here we discovered a few huts a little on our right, and the Arabs proposed to go to them ; while we, on the contrary, begged hard to go directly on to St. Cruz, at which we might arrive in two or three hours. Their demur about proceeding directly forward, gave us considerable uneasiness. The Arabs at last gave us peremptory orders to march to the huts, and did it with apparent anger ; and, as wo were not sure of our being then within the emperor's territory, it was a dictate of prudence that we should obey. I soon foiind an occasion of talking with Ahamed, and asked him when we were going on? at the same time reminding him that we had been tiero two hours, and were pretty well refreshed. He looked me full in the face, and piercingly, as if he could read my heart, and asked me what was my haste? I pretended I was not in much haste, and told him it was much more comfortable traveling now than it was in the morning, as the sun was fast lowerinp. and the wind blowing fresh, and we felt ourselves very inuch refreshed. He said to mo, "Not long ago you were hungry, and since that you have had nothing considerable to eat ; and now, hungry as you are, you are desirous to inarch off, though there are two pots of ,111 I' T |plp^inaniijriiii|||giKis»|iirjisiBiii PONDAOE AMONG THE ARABS OF TUE DKSERT. 99 victuiU l.ollin" for y.-i." At Ww ino.nont of Ahamo.rH l.-avini; mr a M «i o irnv h.U .-amo „all..,.i..« .l.-w. t!,o lull ... .1... o I.t .,.!.■ , h r V .v. W" nil 1>'"1'1I'"' "»""' '•'"•' "'"' '''^'l''''''^ '""'J'' '"" ^* llvVVll ..-0 von :...• .l..|.T...in..(l to <-arry tl..-s.- nlavs t.j Sss.;ar:,h ;- IH a V.M.th.-rr v..Hl.T.lay,a.ul i.t.-n.lc.d tohav ^cmm, you la.s ,..;- ,t ; l.u v,u to k 1..' l...v"r road, nn.l «o I miHHo.l you: this ...orn.nK I lynrd o. o au ,.l n.l...lto l.av. sen you bcforn you ha.l rro.«nd this wat.,r- ,w .'r i L no. too late yet. You may now r.st aHHuro.l hat tl.o (.,ns • not a .so.n Ih-s- Cluiitians. But a low clays ago, an old man, a f «nd • „i . r -diroctlv frotn Swoarah ;-ho told mo ho sawHcvcra Chr 8- ia I ;" n that town, whom the Consul rofuH.-d to rauHcun, n.ul^ that ho \ral) who canlo.l them to that market could «ot no pay for th.-m at all i.ut f V will only r<.-croHS the river in time, you may sell every one 9f V , s '.'u a^.laco south of hero, and which is within three days' march^ ^Z .« .0 has' taken off ho many of our men. that there are not enough ,f then l.lVtocut and harvest Buch abundant crops as our Cod .n his „oor"s hath hestowed upon US, and these men 1 know can soon learn "' Qui Arabian masters said but little in reply to this harangue, but with us t no wu' a «oneral vociferation against it. At no t.mo before this, 11 1 ^, Swfiiriili; — I .i, you last iii^'lil ; t)iit thin inoniiii),' I h<'artl (I rro!*!*"'*! this wiittT — nHiircd that llio ( 'oimiil ro, an old man, a fi iond ' hu 8aw Bovcrul Cliris- o rnnHoin, and that the pay for tln-in at all ; mny sell every one 9f thinthrco days' march, it ihorc are not enough ■ops as our («od in his 1 know can soon learn this harangue, but with U no time before this, )ut now wo were driven 3 Knglisli boys took the all that the fellow hud vn in Swearah, and had condition of horrid sus- led came back, and told ill to the fellow, except ley's master) had agreed find out the price he was Ilusscy, shed tears \n istress. As to Ahamcd, " After a short silence, Let it be 80 ; I must go, }t. Cruz in the mornmg. e could bear. Boy Jack Arabic much better than use of him as my mouth ; istcr, and tell him if he ly honor that the Consul m for, and that over and arrival at Mogadoro. In ;k did his duty faithfully, , till after Ahamed, the erpreter, had had a long •e-crossed the river, and as great a rage as it was Uy up before we had got lin two or three miles of the river, and then we which had a formidable ery high hill, formed by ir view were embrasures this was the emperor s PROSPECTS OF LinERTY. M frontier town. When wo had come within two or throo hundred yards of thn Inwnr town, wo saw a man skipping down ovrr the rnckM, and ad- vancing toward the lower town with great spood, having a gun in his hand. Ah Honn as ho had cnme within call, ho ordered us to stop ; we all stopped at a littlo distance from thn nearest houses, and he demanded of uh who wo wore. On receiving from the Arabs an answer to this (juestion, he, demanded the name of our chief. To which Ahamed answered tliat he was chief, and he gave him his name, and my namo was called for next. Upon which he said to me, "You are to appear before the governor immediately." My bosom swelled with joy at these words. I called to Larra, and bado him follow mo. I forgot my inability to jump, and to rim, and how, in my fccbin and emaciated condition, I made tho ascent so quick, is beyond my power to tell. When we had arrived at the gate of tho battery, which was in a very short time, Larra observed to me, "Captain, tho water runs off your face," which wns a circumstance that I had not perceived before. Wo entered, I directly following tho soldier, Larra next, and Ahamcd last. In this room of refuge, where we had so happily arrived at last, were sitting on a bench three well-looking men, of much lighter color and stouter frame than tho Arabs, and one of them was holding in hi.s hand a long spyglass. They ordered us to sit down, and wo did so; seating ourselves in the middle of the room, which was probably from twdvo to sixteen feet square, while Ahamcd (not chief now) squeezed himself up in one corner. Looking, as I did, all around the room, I saw a door back of us that was shut. Wo sat silent, for near a quarter of an hour, these men all the time fixing their eyes upon us. At last, Larra breaking silence,askcdmeifIthought anyone of these men was the governor. I told him I thought he was not there. Then one of them asked mo in English if I were an Englishman? and upon my replying that I was, he said, "You and the boy both look like Spaniards." I answered him, including Larra with myself, we aro English. Speaking very slow and distinctly, he asked me to what part of England our ship belonged? where wo were bound, and what after? how large a ship she was? how many poles she had? what goods were on board? and how much money we had with us? In answer to these queries, I told him the ship belonged to Liverpool, was bound to the Cape de Verd islands for a load of salt, that she was a con- siderably large ship, but not very large, that she had three poles, (masts,) had no goods, and but a little money, barely enough to buy a load of salt. Ho asked me if there was no salt in Liverpool? I told him we had large quantities of it there, but that the salt which we were going after was of anotll^r kind, made in a hot climate by the heat of the sun, and that we were to carry it to a foreign country, far away to the westward, where it was worth more money than the Liverpool salt. "Well," he said, "the next time you come along this coast keep further off; ships with three poles should not come so near; formerly, when we had trade at St. Cnii, the large ships always laid off a great way from shore." At that moment we heard a noise without, when the IMoor thil had been questioning me, instantly says, "The governor is coming.'* As he entered the room, I arose, and addressed him in English, jast as I should have done if he had understood that language, the Moor in the taneantime interpreting to him what I said. He returned my salatation, and invited me to sit down, which I did. He was a stout, portly, well-looking man, about six feet high and nearly fifty years old, of a light copper color, with a short bushy beard, and wore ? I :".": ' . ' r 100 nONDAOE AMONG THE ARABS OF TUP. DKRERT. a clean white haick, and neat morocco slippors ; his pleasinf,', imnly look prepossessed mo in iiis favor; all his qiieHtions to me were [MMlincnt .md distinct. The Moor told him in Arahic the suhatance of the int(Mro;,Mti()ii.' which he had put to me, and tlirn tlii' jjnvernor wi^iit onto ask me hiinscif scvei ill (picstions al)ont my shipwreck, the cause of it, the time it nappfMrd. and wlicther the Arabs there present had any of the i;old tliat 1 liad lost Atlor I had, by and tiiroiigh Larra, answered all tiuse >|nestioiis to his satisfaction, ho asked me how this Aral) (Aliaincil) liad treated inr-? Without waiting for a reply, he (•ontinuod on, and said, "These Arabs are all a set of tiiicves, robbers, and murderers, and from time immcino- ria! they have been at war with tiic Moors as well as w itii all others within their reach, and if they have not treated you well, I will keep you licire a few days, wlien I shall be going myself to Swearaii, and will take you along with me and deliver you up to the Consul." Ahamed trembled, as I could plainly perceive. I then answered the question he had put to me regarding our treatment by Ahamed, telling him that Ahamed and his companions had bought us of a hunting party, and had paid a considerable sum for us, and had not treated us so well as perhaps tiiey ought, but I had no doubt they would do better in this respect for the time to come, and being so near Swearah, I preferred going on with them. lie then asked if I was hungry? I am both hungry and very thirsty, was my reply. Upon this he turned to the soldier that stood behind him, and ordered some drink for me, telling him not to be long after it. In a few minutes he returned, with some sweet milk mixed with water, of which we drank freely. I was about to reach the kettle to Ahamed, but the governor forbade it, saying, ^^That fellow don't drink from my kettle^ The kettle was of copper, and scoured to a high polish. After Larra had drank, I set it down, and then came the victuals. It was a dish of coscoosoo, which is a favorite dish with Moors ; on it lay a whole quarter of a fat goat, the sight of which ajtonished me. The quantity of fo.>d in this aish was greater than our whole company of eleven had eaten for three days together. The smell was to us as deliciously fragrant as can possibly be described. I looked ^t it for some time, when the governor and Larra both speaking to me at the same moment, said, "Captain why do you not eat?" The truth was, I was afraid to eat ; for so keen was my appetite, that had I fully gratified it with feeding on such an excellent dish, I do believe, empty as my stomach ;hen was, it would not only have been the means of my going no further, but would have killed mc outright. When we began to eat, all their eyes were fixed upon us. I ate in a manner as sparing as I could possibly bring myself to, and finding Larra inclined to be ravenous, I repeatedly told him not to eat like a hog. One of the Moors who understood that expression, interpreted it to the governor, who laughed heartily, which did not, however, disturb Larra at all, but ne still bolted it down with all speed. In the dish lay a knife, with which I cut off some of the meat, and ate it, and drank a little milk and water, and so quitted it, while feeling nearly as hungry as when I had begun. At first the governor urged me to eat more, but when I mentioned to him the state of my stomach, he said, "You have been prudent." The governor was absent about half an hour, when he came to the door, with nearly a dozen thin loaves of bread, which he reached to me, and I do think they were the whitest I ever saw. I took them, and stowed them away about me, and returned him thanks for this noble present. He took the street, and walked back to the battery, which probably was his audience chamber. There he addressed himself to Ahamed in these words : "You n DKSERT. is iileasing, mini y look mo wore jMMliiKiiit ;incl CO of llie iiiU'iroijiitiou!- lit OH to ask nic hiiiisclC it, thctiiiioit h!ii)p(.'.ii'il. Ilie t,'old that 1 luid lost tlx so v|uostioiis 1o liin neil) iiail treated mo? id said, •■Thoso Aial)s iid from time iinmcmo- as witli ail others witliin , I will keep you hcsro a irah, and will take you Ahamcd troiublcd, aa lestiou lie had put to me I that Ahamed and his had paid a considerable >rhap9 they oujfht, but I ct for the time to come, ,n with them. He then ry thirsty, was my reply, chind him, and ordered tor it. In a few minutes ifater, of which we drank lamed, but the governor ; my kettle.'' The kettle (\.fter Larra had drank, I , dish of coscoosoo, which quarter of a fat goat, the [>f fo.>d in this aish was E;n for three days together, an possibly be described, and Larra both speaking ' do you not eat?" The s my appetite, that had I ellent dish, I do believe, inly have been the means 1 mc outright. When we us. I ate in a manner as I finding Larra inclined to t like a hog. One of the jreteu it to the governor, >r, disturb Larra at all, but lish lay a knife, with which nk a little milk and water, r as when I had begun. At when I mentioned to him jeen prudent." , when he came to the door, zh he reached to me, and I ook them, and stowed them lis noble present. He took h probably was his audience amed in these words : "You AIIAMED SWEARS BY HIS BEARD. 101 I command to fake these Ciiristians to Swearah, and deliver them over to their Consul without any unnecessary delay ; in three days after this you are to arrive there ; use them in the best manner you possibly can ; and now depart." The governor was standing when he uttered this mandate. Ahamcd was sitting when I left him, nor had h«', according to Larra's account, stirred an inch sinco that time ; but upon hearing the orders of the governor, he fell upon his knees, or rather advanced on them, up to the governor, and kissed the hem of his garment. When I joined the men who had been my companions in distress, I found them feasting sumptuously ; they had fine, white, fresh loaves of bread, with dry dates and water, set bcforo them, and no doubt by the governor's order. In- stantly upon my appearance, every one of them was desirous of knowing from me what reception I had met with ; but so overcome was I at our good fortune, that I could only tell them we were safe. We were then all life and spirits, thanking God for our deliverance thus far. The Arabs with the camels had been detained by the governor's order, as a party connected with us, and they were in great haste to proceec on. We were very quickly provided with such kinds of saddles, or riding-seats, as could be procured, which were mean at best. Some us had none, but luckily for myself, I got some rubbish quilted on behind the hump, so high as to form a tolerable seat. When it was near noon of the second day after we had left St. Cruz, we met with six or eight men together, who were traveling westward. Whether they were Arabs or Moors we did not know ; in some respects these two kinds of people appear alike; their color does not differ a great deal, and some of the wild Arabs shave their heads like the Moors. Our Arabs had some talk with these travelers, which none of us took notice of, as our minds were at rest as regarded our reaching Swearah. They separated, and we walked on, and presently Ahamed seemed to bo agitated with something, and muttered to himself as he went along, but none of us regarded it. At length, while he, Larra, and myself, were close together, he broke out in a passion, and expressed himself thus: "I swear by my beaid (taking hold of it with his hand) I will carry you no further than that house," pointing to one that was near by. "I have heard, by a man I can believe, the Consul will not ransom any more Christians, and I am sorry I ever brought you here ; by the expense of my purchasing you of the mountaineers, and the provision I have made for you, you have de- stroyed all my substance. You told me the Consul would redeem you, and now 1 find I am cheated, and you shall go no further." Larra, with all dispatch, interpreted to me this complaint and threat of Ahamed, and added, "he has taken the oath tiiat is most sacred among the Mohammedans," — meaning his swearing by his beard. By this time we had arrived at the gate of a large dwelling, and we were marched into the yard, which contained perhaps half an acre ; in the rear of which was a small cabin about twelve by twenty feet. Having arrived at this prison of ours, Ahamed said to me, "Here you are to remain until the money for your ransom be paid down." I attempted to reason with him, but he, and all the rest of them, were as cross as curs. The Arabs were now very peevish, and what seemed to occasion their uncommon peevishness at this time, they could not devise what measures to take with us. We suspected they were trying to collect strength to get us back into their own territory. Soon after this, a lusty Moor with a clean haick and morocco slippers, whom we suspected to be a magistrate, came into the yard. He approached us, calling out Christiano, as usual, >1 '1 :|l ^' t' M H";' ;>;_; . o j ii . 'ijay.f i' i " " 102 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OP THE DESERT. and speaking to the Arabs ; and, according to my arrangement in the morning, I accosted him in the following words — We are here in the Sultan's tcnitory, held by these Arabs, and from your hands we ask justice. \ our Sultan and our Sultan are on the most friendly terms. We ask nolhiiii! from these men but our freedom, which we are willing to pay for ; they liave been told that our Consul is unable to pay a suilicient raiisom for us all, but in that they have been misinformed. To keep us here .starving will never help them." Aftor I had gone through with what I had to say, he asked me if I could write ? I answered that I could. He then turned to the Arabs, who had heard our talk, and proposed to them to let me write a letter, and have it sent to the Consul, adding, "You will know then whether the stories they have told you be true or false." The Arabs consented that I should send a letter if I would hire a Moor to carry it, which I agreed to. Accordingly a man was sent for, who demanded four dollars for that service, and I promised to pay it. Upon this, he said he would be ready as soon as he could get his horse, and that would be as soon as I could write my letter. A sheet of paper, a reed, (by the way, the Moors always use reeds for pens,) and some ink, were immediately procured for me, and a large flat stone was my writing-table. Our good Moor lent me a sharp knife, with which I made a tolerable pen. Ahamed satjopposite to me. It was agreed upon that Ahamed should dictate my letter, and I called for Larra to in- terpret it, but he insisted that Jack should be the interpreter, to which 1 consented. Ahamed began to dictate, and did it in short sentences, and I wrote about as fast as he spoke, but not a single sentence of what he told me to write. The substance of what he dictated to me was, that myself and crew were down in the country, held captives by the Arabs, who would not carry us to Swearah till our redemption money wp.s 3ent them in advance ; that agreeably to our contract, for which they liad my solemn pledge of honor, our ransom was to be four hundred dollars for each of us, and forty dollars over and above for myself; that the men who held us captives had been kind to us, but were unable to give us much to eat ; that we were very sickly, and needed help immediately, and that the bearer would bring the money, and the Consul might send a man to see it paid. I directed my letter to the British Consul at Mogadoro, or any other humane man into whose hands it might fall, and stated in it that we were a short day's march eastward of St. Cruz, and, according to my calculation, seventy miles south-west of Mogadore, but that I was unable to name the place we were at ; that we had been wrecked on the coast of Barbary ; that my crew here were eight in number, and that beside we had with us tliree of the Martin Hall's crew ; that we were in a suffering condition, and that the Arabs here were devising means to get us back, beyond St. Cruz, to a region where wo should be doomed to drag out our existence in barbarian slavery ; and finally, that I wished the bearer might be detained till he could release us, since, in the event of his returning without the money, we should be dragged back before aid could be ailbrded us. adding my belief that he had a full knowledge of these merciless savages, and would take such measures for us as humanity should dictate. When I had done writing my letter, the Arabs, very unexpectedly, ordered me to read it. My mate, who was looking over my shoulder, secmg my embarrassment, said to me, "Read on, you can do it well enough" — and luckily for me, I made out to read it to their satisfaction. Ahamed then told Jack to read it, and well knowing he could not, I reached him the 3ESERT. arrangement in the Vc are here in the your hands we ask friendly terms. We re are willing to pay I to pay a sutiicient mied. To keep ua 3 asked me if I could the Arahs, who had a letter, and have it tlier the stories they sd that I should send ed to. Accordingly r that service, and I ready as soon as he ould write my letter. Jways use reeds for r me, and a large flat e a sharp knife, with o me. It was agreed lUed for Larra to in- itcrpreter, to which I short sentences, and sentence of what he ;ated to me was, that iptivcs by the Arabs, tion money wp.s 3ent r which they had my hundred dollars for lyself ; that the men e unable to give us lelp immediately, and Bul might send a man gadore, or any other ed in it that we were ing to my calculation, ,s unable to name the le coast of Barbary ; eside we had with us a suffering condition, us back, beyond St. rag out our existence, the bearer might be ent of his returning aid could be aflbrded of these merciless [nanity should dictate, mexpectedly, ordered shoulder, seoing my well enough" — and ction. Ahamed then >t, I reached him the BLASTED HOPES. 103 lettor, and Jack, upon looking at it, said it would do very well, as also said our old friend the Moor. Though I had folded the letter up before the Moor was ready to start, yet he demanded some tobacco in addition to his stipulated pay, saying I had detained him too long. That I promised, and then had to open the letter and write tobacco at the bottom. Now he tliouglit it would do, and said he would return on the third day. We all went to the gate to see him off, and he started upon a full gallop, on a fine bay horse, and was very soon out of sight. The Moors departed. My excellent friend, the Moor, said to me, "You now will soon gain your freedom," and left us, after I had returned to him my cordial thanks for his kindness to us. We all now returned to our lodging-place, rejoicing at this most flattering prospect of soon obtaining our freedom. In a single hour these hopes of ours wore blasted. To our astonish- ment the Moor came running into the yard, with the letter open in his liand. Upon our going out of our cabin to know the cause of his return, he told us he had ridden but a little way when ho met with one of his acquaintances, who desired to know where he was bound, and on what business; and, upon his telling him, he wanted to see the letter, which having examined, he said it was good for nothing. We, on our part, contended that the letter was a good one. In the meantime our faithful friend came to us, in apparent anger, and demanded the cause of our messenger's return ; and being told the story of it by the Arabs, and I still insisting upon it, that the letter was good, he took our part, and said the man who had examined it was a liar, and then walked out of the yard. Soon after i took Larra with me, and wo went to Ahamed, who was sitting under the wall of our enclosure. I told him he was acting contrary to his own interest in thus detaining us here, and recommended it to him to send on some man or other with the letter which the Moor had brought back, assuring him that immediate attention would be paid to that letter on its arrival at Swearah. Ahamed replied, "That letter is good for nothing." Let me me read it to you again, said I to him. "No," he answered, "that will do no good, for it sha'n't be sent on again." After a little pause, he asked me if I would send a man up for the money? I readily told him I would if he would send a man and horse with him. This proposition he agreed to, and the arrangement made between us was satisfactory to all the Arabs. Our two envoys were moving toward the gate, when our friendly Moor met them, and demanded to know whither they were bound. "They are bound to Swearah," replied Ahamed, "to bring the money for the ransom of these Christians." The Moor then told them to stop, and they did so, and he addressed himself to Ahamed as follows : "Are you so ignorant as to suppose the Consul will believe the story you are about to send him? depend upon it, he will not. I know him, and know that he is a wise man. If you should send Rais, he would believe him, and the money would be in safe hands." Then turning to me, he said, " Is it not so?" I told hi'n this was a plan of their own forming, and that I had consented to it from a belief that any kind of eflbrts to obtain our freedom would be better than to stay here and not act at all. Ahamed, looking me full in the face, said, " Will you go?" Yes, I answered. "Will you pay the expenses?" I gave him the same answer. "Well," he rejoined, "I will go also, provided you will return with rae in case you can't get the money." That I promised to do. "We must have two horses," he said, "and take urns to ride." I agreed to it ; and also agreed with the same Moor that we had engaged before, to furnish another horse, for the additional pay •il .^«K£Kacu«^|P|^e^ '-af£i.jti* r^mimf mm l,i *^ iii^i* > w ^ , i i tw ^^■'.'^'J-^ '^ 'MW I 1 04 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. nf four dollars and a knife. Accordingly another horse was provided in Jast^ and in the meantime Ahamed was much engaged w.th h,s corn- pSons the Arabs. As to my men, they came round me, rejo.ong that tho limp nf our deliverance was so near at hand. \,o"rfour o'clock of our second day's travel, my two companions sud^lt y S-ppeared, while descending a steep sand-h.U, and ihe next momen my hoVse took down the same hill, when, m an mstant, here Te^ed to mv view the sea, and the town of Mogadore far on the right, 'Si only a"^w m^les dista'nt from it three large brigs ly.ng a anchor^ Here the two men made a full stop, and Ahamed said to me. Do you know that place? Seethe ships there!" So great were my emotions a tSsudden change of my condition, that I was quite overcome, and lost even the power o^f speech. When they saw the tears J?"«h'"g P-'^^^y from mv eves, they laughed, I suppose at my weakness; for the Arabb confide? weep ng as befeath the dignity of a man, though "ot disgraccfu. Tawomrn These men stood till I had collected the "™fly ?"*'«" J Sen asked me if I knew the place, and the^^hips, and wha na, n t, belonsred to? I told them the place was Mogadore, and 1 had no ooutn bu the sCs belonged to my own country. Here we made a stop, and Ahamed ad tha? we could Lt enter the town, because its people were «J^eep I made use of all the Arabic 1 was master of to persuade him Thefr conversation seemed wholly on the occurrences relating to ou sh ; recMhTsUuation we were in^ in the desert, the money we had coj ,hem, and the disposition of our masters to restore us to our hrothers m Swearah Our visitors told him there was no danger but tiie l.onsui swearan. yur visuma uTmo " thov said, "he was not so rich as ru? Kc^trafidrmTo'thef; ti:;re S h^'tas good. After listening ^o Sr'c'onrersaln a long time and being very -7, .f*^ f^'^d was soon awakened by the smell of broiled beef, on wluch the Arab ana Z Moor with six or eight beside, were feasting sumptuously. As soon i th^rmeal wa h"nished, mine was brought me, which was a wonderful ^s for one man,though the quan.ty ^-Xt^arL^^ S^^^^ ctitTd% ut:tTrrprl^^^^^^^^^ rhotbead from the oven, sixteen hard hoiled eggs, an^al^ pound ..flMittP.- As I was beginning, Ahamed said to his company, ^ow see S m eat " Y first Lke^ the b^ead, and ate a little of it. I pf ed some She meat to pieces, and ate of tha, about two «"-- j^I j^J^^^^^^^^fe' ^nd finding it hard boiled, laid it down, and after eating ^f ^ y "^^ J^ bread, and% little butter, I left off, while my appetite *;« J* ^^ ™^^^ gave them to understand that eating more plentifully might mjure me this did they reject, but they carefully scraped off the butter on tne «J«Bfl6SS!i;'te!ii»«*«~«?'> )ESERT. rso was provided in aged with his com- 1 me, rejoicing that ny two companions i-hill, and the next in an instant, there re far on the right, gs lying at anchor, lid to me, "Do you ere my emotions at overcome, and lost rs gushing proiusely less ; for the Arabb ough not disgraceful the manly part, and nd what nation they , and I had no doubt ve made a stop, and ause its people were of to persuade him terms, by saying, we ;hind us, where wa» Ibout nine o'clock 1 own in this agreeable ked all round me, af without the doorway noes relating to oui le money we had cost us to our brothers in nger but tiie Consul 3 was not so ricli as ood. After listening iary, I fell asleep, but 1 wliich tlie Arab and imptuously. As soon 'hich was a wonderful ; so great as had been 9 now set before me !d, about three pounds ggs, and half a pound s company, "Now see ! of it ; I pulled some nces ; I broke an egg, ting moderately of the stite was still craving if of bread still warm, lid between my mats, dish. They asked me m I was not sick, and fully might injure me. nd ate all I had left, h my fingers ; not only the butter on the side j^" - < "^V, "E*. WlWuV ©eUuct eV IfWi ^tt.vVcv>. ^ " Diismenibcred and vosisto.l. these poor fellows were soon 'vten under the eyes of Dillon. There now remained upon the rock only Dillon, Burhart and Wilson, — three men against mny thousand assailants. Tliinking they now should have it thPtr own way. the savages r.ecommonoo.l tho attack with gren fury."— Pa^e .'.(>. i ;.r;/ I ) g.-'j— u-A jiiM- fcrx u - •*"I**>^«**W«#*W*'^ wmmmm INTERVIEW WITH AN ENGLISH CONSUL. 105 % M I had taken it from. I fell asleep before they had dispersed, and awoke a little before daylight. It was in vain that I urgtul Ahamed lo go on ; he objected to it, that the Consul was asleep. After the sun was con- siderably up, Ahamed, at my repeated solicitations, brought me the horse, and I mounted, and took along the beach, near the edge of the sea, where the ground was firm for traveling. We were soon at the city gate, and were detained there but a few minutes, just to give time for Ahamed to answer several questions that were put to him ; which done, we were permitted to enter. As soon as we had passed through the gate, I looked around me, and devoutly exclaimed, O Lord, protect me within these walls! Having turned round several corners, into narrow straight streets, we came at last to a very large double door, at which Ahamed knocked several times, but received no answer. I asked him if this was the Con- sul's? But before he had time to reply, a man came running up to us, and inquired of me, in good English, who I was? Upon my telling him, he says, "Come along with me, and I will show you the way to the Consul's We soon came to the Consul's door, on which I gave three distinct knocks, when its latch was raised, and the door I pushed open, which led me into the yard that was in the center of the buildings. Hearing men talking above, and there being a stone stairway on the left, I ascended, and at the head of the stairs I saw six or eight well-looking sailors, wiio, the moment they got their eyes on me, rushed forward, knowing of course that I was a shipwrecked seaman. After bidding me welcome, in their peculiar way, their inquiry of me was, if I had seen any of the Martin Hall's crew? and when I told them that three of that crew were with my men, and that another of them I had seen, who had been left with the wild Arabs, their joy on the occasion was expressed in their own way, but was as sincere no doubt as if they had expressed it in the most refined language. When these emotions had a little subsided, I asked for the Consul, and one of them, after telling ine he was asleep, ran to his door, and called out, "Mr. Gwyn, Mr. Gwyn, an English captain is here from the Arab coast, and the Arabs with him." I heard him answer something, and in one minute open came his door, and he presented himself to me with nothing on but his shirt and breeches. Never can I forget the cordial reception he gave me. "My good friend," he said, "how happy am I to see you ! Wait a little till I dress myself." He returned, leaving mc with the sailors, who I found were of the Martin Hall's crew. They all huddled around me, like so many children around an adored parent, asking the same questions over and over again. Soon the venerable old gentleman. Consul Gwyn, came to us, dressed, and in a truly friendly manner shook hands with me the second time, and then said, "Come with me, my breakfast is ready." While I was following him to his room, he made a stop, and asked me to what part of England my ship belonged? Upon this I told him that I had been carrying on a piece of deception, but which I believed had injured no man; that I had all along called myself an Englishman, with a view of gaining my freedom, as I was fearful there was no American Consul here ; and that in fact I was an American, belonging to the State of New York, and my ship also belonged there. He paused but a moment only, when he said, "Very well ; you are a Christian, and that is enough." I hastily asked him if I were safe from the Arabs? He answered, "Yes, you are in no danger." I will do everything in my power for you, but I am poor, and cannot advance money for your ransom ; but beyond doubt there arc gentlemen here who will do it." I told him I waa in fear of my men being dragged V* '.**'-*. ....a^..^t-ma,t,„.....>.:.l,-.v^..j(g,g^|l,,^f,^,..^. j|ff.j|^L 106 BONDAGE AMONG THE ARABS OF THE DESERT. como hero with h.m, ho would ^^^^J" r,'itpTod £ Consul to him, "shall him, and pay it there." ^''f"%'"«"7' '7„ " ^^er will pay money for servant, and said to him, uo \o "'"«" '. ggggion of the Arabs, ten of my brothers are on this side of St. J^^»;^^"J°f hir^^enty soldiers who refuse to bring them up ; and that I *1«™3 "^^^^tj^ely iLtened to and have ransomed frotn slavery a nun u language." „H,ti Of .heir ■?»"■"';«• 2m le,^.o .d.«rT™«Scie.. .«m for .h« r wV°hr» S:s '»™ -fo"" -™'5' '-" "" '■"-*•" •'•''■"'"• out of the window into the yard. It was J/l^^ J ""^f^'t^^ l^^,^ After i;,,a^aaca ^''jfe** ^ * ' "' '■ ■W'tniV"**"'^ '*'* DESERT. called for Ahamod, nil intorrogatod liini d doscriljod it in tha r the wliolo of I hem rould pav the rausoni ido? sked mo what I had oiniao I had made in knowlodgod that my 'Very well, that shall »or, and I add<^d to it V addrcssinji,' liiinsolf and before tin- ni^^ht "ore the gates d' this eeping." "I \^ i'l do for their ransom, and J mo that if I would carry tho money with Consul to him, "shall ir will pay money for •ice, I must see them Ahamed continued impatient, called his tell him from mc, that ssession of the Arabs, if him twenty soldiers attentively listened to street door, he begged tiimself, and bring the (vas after he had gone, / related. I were by no means at Quiet your mind," he more than thirty years, tish subjects: I know mow their language." t with him, in order to We went to the house ntlemen on the terrace - ■a acquainted with the a sufficient sum for the sppsition to relieve us, al at Tangier, and told n immediate statement I Courts , and returned I fell i'.io a fine sleep, F my situation. Having ig from my bed, nor did i the room and looked ream. I got my shoes, n for two hours. After morning, and arose very I appearance, at an hour IN MOQADORE. 107 oarlior than usual. According to his custom, he called upon his servanr for broakfust, but, before it was ready, we had a long conversation logeihtr, ruliitivi; to the situation I was in. After brrakfast, wo repaired to tho counting-house of tho two Courts, who insliinlly agreed to pay our ransom. They provided for mo a courier to curry a letter to tho Consul-General, and to that gentleman [ wrote an account of my situation, stating to him all tho particulars, and requesting him to point out to mo tho course I should pursue — observing that 1 consulorcd myself subject to his direction. If I recollect aright, the courii>r, who went on foot in preference to riding, was to have thirty dollars for this service, and was to return in twenty-four days. Ho accomplished the undertaking by the time agreed on, and brought mo an answer from that worthy character, couched in such tender and soothing language, as made an impression on my mind, which time can never ellaco. His con- gratulations with me on my release from cruel bondage, and his thanks to the Courts for their humane interference in my behalf, seemed spon- taneously to have flowed from the warmest of hearts. It was on the afternoon of tho twentieth or twenty-first, when, from the terrace, I disco- vered my men. I went out to meet them, and tho English sailors all followed me. As soon as we had come together, I hastily told tliem we were all safe ; that though we had no American Consul hero, wo had friends enough. Joy was seen in every countenance. Wo all marched off together to the Consul's house, where their names and ages were all taken down ; and having received a message from the governor, ordering us to repair to the Battery gate, we all went to it. Consul Gwyn was asked a few questions concerning us, the first of which was, whether wo were Englishmen? He replied, we were not, but, what was the same thing, we were his brothers, and he wished to ransom and keep us. Tho governor asked me a few questions, particularly as to the place where we were wrecked, how many of our men had been left in the hands of the Arabs, and so forth. He then turned to the Arabs, and told them to bring all the Christians up as soon as they were wrecked, and not suffer them to perish in the desert; which injunction the Arabs promised to obey — and the governor then dismissed us. As soon as we had left the Battery, we went to the \v/o Courts, who provided a room to lodge our men in ; and our next attention was about our ransom. William, the younger of the two brothers, had been in this country for many years, and was well acquainted with the language, and with the nature and dispositions of the Arabs ; and with him we had a long conference relative to the amount of the sum that should be paid for our ransom. "Giving a great ransom," said he, "for Christian captives, and showing a strong desire to relieve them, is what has always had a direct tendency to retard their deliverance ; for when the Arabs find that a great price is given for Christian slaves, their avarice is excited, and their rich men buy them up to speculate upon. There have been in- stances," continued he, "when, it being known that a large sum was offered for a certain number of Christiana, they were bought up for the purpose of speculation, and the purchaser having come up here, and then getting a better offer, returned home, sold them to other speculators, who kept them for a still greater price, and detained them so long that some of them died of hard usage and of grief." On the other hand, he said, if their ransom was very small, tho inducement to bring them would be alike small ; and he therefore thought it best to pursue a middle course. The Arabs were constantly at our heels for their pay, and were full of . it^f»r*y . a ^^<*«>.^»Wr'MM .W-f«M«a'>&' 108 BONDAGE AMONO THE ARABS OP THE DESERT. nromiscs to brinK on our other men. The Consul and myself left thorn, and w.ml to dino with a very respectable English merchant by the name When we returned homo, after dinner, I found Ahamed waiting for me. He had bccomo very much alarmed, for ho had just found ou» that we were not Knglishmen, but belonged to another country. I suspect that Jack had told him of this, with a view to alarm him, and r roate dissatis- faction in his mind. 1 confessed the fact, but through the same hoy Jack I explained to him, that though we were inhabitants of another country, yet wo wore the same kind of people with the English. "You may see yourself," I told him, "that wo speak the same language, and that iiiv friends here, as I told you before in the desert, take the same care of me as if I wore an Englishman, and tasher Courts you may depend will pay you off to-morrow." But notwithstanding what I said, he went away with the appearance of some jealousy that a trick was to bo played upon him. The next morning I arose very early, and after walking upon the terrace for an hour, I took a walk to the market-place, Where 1 luckily met with a Mogadore Jew, whom I had seeri at my friend Jackson's. While I was talking with him, Ahamed hove m sight, walkin" toward us quickly. 1 told the Jew that the Arab coming was Ahamcfd, and begged of him to act aa my interpreter with him, which he readily consented to do. We sat down under a wall, and there talked together an hour, and, during that time, I fully explained to Ahamed the particulars as to what country I belonged, how it became separated from the government of England, the harmony subsisting between the two countries, and the cause of my telling him that I was English. Ahamed heard me with the greatest attention, so that it seemed as if every \vord was imprinting itself in his mind ; and after I had done he replied, "You did very right in telling me that story, for if you had said that you were not English, but from some other country, we should have had nothing to do with you, as not expecting that anybody would pay your ransom, ond, in that case, the mountaineers would have carried you back to their homes, and there you must have died:" he added, "what you have now told me, accounts for tasher Courts employing themselves in this matter, and 1 hope they will do justice to us." Upon my telling him that that would be done, ho asked mo to name my country again, which I did several times, but he could not pronounce it well, though he came near it, calling it Amerk. Finally, ho asked me if I had not forgotten my promises to his wives, and to Salear? A Moor's shop being directly opposite, I bor- rowed a little money of the Jew, and went directly to it, and bought every little article that I had promised, and some other things beside, the whole costing, I believe, three dollars. Ahamed was remarkably well pleased with them, and hastened off, as I supposed, to his comrades. After this interview with the Arab, I returned home, whore 1 found the Consul waiting breakfast for me. At the table the conversation was confined to our ransom, about which I felt very uncomfortable, as the amount of it might affect our men who were yet behind. I he Consul recommended it to me to leave it with the two Courts to act according to their own judgments, saying they were both judicious men, and that William understood well these sort of people, and their language. Agree- ably to his advice, I kept at home, and the Courts paid them off, with such an amount as they thought proper. The Arabs craved more of course As soon as this business was settled, Ahamed came to my room, and acknowledged the receiptof all that I had promised him, but blamed the K8EUT. mysfilf left thorn, ;hant by tho name rted waiting for mc. found oa* that we ry. I BUripoct that and rroatr dissatis- ufjh the same hoy ibitants of onotiier ho English. "You lame langufiKC, and Bert, take the same 3r Courts you may landing what F paid, f that a trick was to cry early, and after lo the markel-l»lace, I had seen at my lamcd hove in sight, le Arab coming was r with him, wliicii he rH, and there talked ained to Ahamed the came separated from ng between the two 18 English. Ahamed med aa if every word [one he replied, "You d said that you were d have had nothing to my your ransom, and, u back to their homes, ou have now told me, in this matter, and 1 E» him that that would which I did several came near it, calling rotten my promises to rectly opposite, I bor- to it, and bought every ings beside, the whole larkably well pleased ;omrades. home, where I found the conversation was uncomfortable, as the behind. The Consul ts to act accordmg to icious men, and that eir language. Agree- s paid them off, with ^rabs craved more of med came to my room, ed him, but blamed the THE STRANOKR'S STORY. 109 II Courts (whom I thought blamclegs) for not giving a higiier ran.'^om for us. Being one day at my friend Jackson's table, at dinni^r, the (Joiisiii sick at horu)! the while, and none there! but wo two, a good-looking Moor, or Jew, (1 cannot recollect which.) came in, having buitiness with Jackson. He took a seat along side of him, and for some time they both serined much engaged in conversation, in the Arabic. When their business seemed to be gone through with, he (the strangtir) looked very attentively toward me, and began a conversation, of which, I found, from a f(!W words I caught, that [ was tho subject, but could not conjecture as to the scopo of it. 'I'hey both laughed heartily, and, in conclusion, Jackson turnttd to mo, and asked me if i had in my ship a keg of dollars in a barrel of iieeff 1 answered yes ; and then he rehearsed to me this man's story, as follows: "Aa I was down tiie Arab country on buHiness,(said this Moor, or Jow,) I hoard of tiie wreck of a ship, and I concluded to go to it, thinking there might be an opening for a speculation. When I had arrived, I found there two or three hundred Arabs, the whole of those Arabs that tirst took possession of the wreck and crow having gone into the interior to sell their plunder and slaves. As to the cargo, tiiey informed mo there were no goods, but that they found in the bottom of the ship an earth, wliich thoy did not know the uso or value of, but thought, as it was in a ship, it must be valuable somewhere, and they wished me to look at it. I did so, and I found that they had divided it into littlo heaps, of which each of them had one to his share. On seeing this, 1 laughed at them heartily, and told them it was ballast, and of no moro value than the sand they stood on. They were mortified in tho extreme, and said they had been at work for several days in getting it ashore, and that in small quantities, as thoy had to dive for every pound of it. They told me they had got out most of tho salted provisions, and were then finishing that job. About ten barrels of the salted provisions were then lying on tho beach, which they were dividing, allowing one barrel to a certain number of men. When the barrels were opened for a subdivision, such of them as contained pork wero rejected with abhorrence, and their owners were greatly mortified ; but every barrel of beef was divided among its joint owners by pieces. One of them, as he was taking the pieces out of one of the barrels, came to a keg, standing endwise, which was so heavy that lie could not lift it by its hoops. This exciting curiosity, and many of them, by turns, trying to lift it, in the confusion tho barrel was overset, and the keg rolled out of it. They soon got a stone and stove it to pieces, and, in so doing, the dollars flew out, the noise of which rallied together the whole gang, and it was then with them, catch who can. Each con- tended for his share so ferociously, and their cimeters were employed with such effect, that a great number were severely wounded, and some, it was thought, would die of their wounds. There being some barrels yet unopened, they all, as one, stove them to pieces, with stones, and searched them for more dollars, and, upon their finding none, a party awum to the ship, and searched there for more barrels, but in vain. The right owners of the barrel containing the dollars claimed the whole of them ; upon which a council was called, and the chief presided ; their pleas were able on both sides, but as I came off soon, I did not learn the result."- — Thus ended this stranger's story, as given me by my friend Jackson, and thus it fared with my hidden treasure. A very lamentable instance of apostacy took place at Mogadore while I was there, and with one of the Martin HalPs boys. The boy Jack, of whom I have so frequently made mention, was often missing from the no BONDAGE AMONO THE ARABS OP THE DESERT. ConflurR hnuNo, nnd whcnfvor iiomn ono was sent in nmrch of him, hn wan fniind in Hornu Mooriiih honnn, nvidnntly prcforrin^ their rnmpany. Th<) ConMul H*T>(1 to adrnuniith him, and point out to him tho evil tRndoncy of kcopin(( Hiich company, but all to no purpose. At last ho was miniiin); a whole ni^ht, and in the mornin)^ followinf; he wa« found in tho company of Mevornl Moors, one of whom claimed him as his adopted son; nud, at tho Name time. Jack declared tiiat he had embraced tho Mohammedan faith; iliat ho had been circumcised, and had gone through their other cercmonicH; and he claimed protection from the one whom ho called his adopted father. This information was carried to tho Consul, who was in much trouble on tho occasion. One way only was Icfl to reclaim or recover him out of their hands, and that was to make an application to the governor for that purpose, and accordingly an application was made. Tho governor's reply was, "You shall have all the indulgence that our laws permit, which is this: examine tho boy in my presence, from day to day, for throo luc- nesHive days, and if you can within that time persuade him to return to his former religion, you may receive him back ; otherwise, as he has voluntarily come among us, and gone through our ceremonies, wo are in duty bound to retain him.'' The boy being sent for, and examined by the Consul, who did it in tho Arabic language, he declared that he loved and esteemed his adopted father; that ho had become a Mohammedan, and would never change from it. After the Consul had finished his part of the examination, the governor commenced, by asking Jack why ho had changed his faith f Ilis reply was, he did it because he believed the con- dition of the Mohammedans was preferable to that of tho Christians ; that if he should continue in the religion he was then of, ho should see God, and be saved ; whereas the Cliriutians were all to be damned. This lesson had, beyond doubt, lieen given him by his adopted father. The governor then asked him if ho knew tho prayers, and tho meaning of them? He declared that he did, and went on to repeat them. Finally, he asked him if he understood the prayer of Ramadam? Ho said he did, and repeated it, without missing a word, though it is a very long one. The governor then dismissed him, and after he was gone, observed to the Consul, "The boy is safe." The Consul continued every day throughout the afore-mentioned term of three days, in his endeavors to reclaim the boy, but at last was obliged to let him go. This story I had from Consul Gwyn's own mouth at the time. When the three days had expired, a groat rejoicing took place, a grand procession was formed, and boy Jack, mounted on a horse, moved round the city in great style, the followers singing and .shouting in a merry mood, gratified with the grand acquisition they had made, in bringing a poor ignorant Christian boy into the saving light of Mohammedanism ! I saw Jack frequently afterward, but he always avoided me when it was in his power, and not only me, but all those belonging to the two other crewa. One day about this time, while Consul Gwyn, John Foxcroft, and myself, were sitting together, engaged in conversation, a wild Arab, and one of tho worst-looking kind, came up staire , with a bundle, and wished to know if the Consul would buy some handsome cloth he had. In un- rolling the bundle, out rolled the two gown patterns of tabinet, which I had bought for my wife in Cork. The thoughts of my wife, and of the poor black man who had taken the patterns in his pack, saying, '^Mialrus skaU have these yet,''^ rushed so powerfully on my mind, and excited such violent emotions, that I could not refrain from turning aside, and giving vent to my anguish by a flow of tears. Foxcrofl proposed to buy ■*«^ < N y * a^wKw^y ifji »f f * m m LKAVE IHOOADORK. 3E8ERT. 1 nmrch of him, \w inK their company, im tho evil tomloncy lant ho WBB misBing und in tho company idoptod aon ; ami, at I Mohammedan faith; )ir other corcmonicn; id his adopted father. I in much trouble on recover him out of the governor for that The governor'ii reply fiwa permit, which i« 9 day, for three iuc- lade him to return to otherwise, as he has ercmonics, wo are in or, and examined by loclarod that ho loved n a Mohammedan, and A finished his part of ing Jack why ho had B he believed the con- )f the Christians ; that >f, ho should see Ood, to bo damned. This [adopted father. The I, and tho meaning of eat them. Finally, he iT Ho said he did, and very long one. The 'one, observed to the ,i every day throughout doavors to reclaim the ory I had from Consul J days had expired, a formed, and boy Jack, lat style, the followers h the grand acquisition Ian boy into the saving lerward, but he always mly me, but all those ^, John Foxcroft, and Ition, a wild Arab, and Ti a bundle, and wished J cloth he had. In un- Ims of tabinet, which I Tof my wife, and of the Uck, saying, '^Mii^w Imy mind, and excited lorn turning aside, and Ixcrofl proposed to buy 111 the (lark rolorrd pioro for IiIm w ifr. and rat)<-e birthplace and proper,, rf ^Jir Andrew Wood, ^ diatuiguiBhed Scottish admirBl «(■ ,k/ „ J- century, whose nautical fame^and habi^Sit havt";roduced conX^^^^ « scnoc., or to the effect on his mmd of the perpetual spectacle of th* m«^ 'LVifT ^V' T^ ^r'''" «""»"'» association with Zl«^ Ssher! men, Se kirk early determined to follow a seafaring life Eiff out of . d„,K,smon to let the boy have his own will, or X'^inf^e ,i?e ofl (113) r- ^'**=!>^5ii.'*qr3«S^.==lSJ* ^ 114 ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. sailor the likeliest way to the attainment of the great fortunes which sho ant^c , alerfor her sL, his mother favored his ">tent.on;l„s father however, opposed it strenuously, and was anxious, now that h sother sons wore al settled in life, that his youngest should rernam at homo and ^s St him in his own trade. This, and young Selkirk's wayward and Suae conduct, .cem to have kept him and h.s father perpetual y at war and a desce;dant of the family used to show a walku.g-st.ck winch he ;id man is said to have applied to the back of h.s refractory son, with hP nffir-naSon "A whip for he horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for S: oo rTback." Withstanding the boy's resUess character respect for hfs father's wishes kept him at home for a considerable time : a father 8 malediction being too aiful a thing for even a seventh son to brave with 'The first thirteen years of Selkirk's life coincide with the hottest period of the rel gious pefsecutions in Scotland. He was about three years of age at the time of the assassination of Archbishop Sharp, w.ch took placf at not a very great distance from Largo ; and the chief ;«bject of Interest, during his boyhood, in Fife, as in the other counties of Scotland wt the P03itio'n of th^ chur'ch, then filled bvEp'scopdian and indulged clercv sreatlv to the disgust of the people. What part old Selkirk and hislmnrmay have taken during the time when it was dangerous tojhow «tt«rhment to Presbytery— whether they professed themselves Covenan- ?Ir/ orwhether as i more probable, they yielded a reluctant attendance aUhe parth chirch-Lno? be ascertained ; but the following entry m tparTrecords of Largo, referring to the year 1689 1^^^^^^^ the revolution had sealed the restoration of Presbytery in Scotland, will show S if they did attend the parish church, it was no out of rukewarmness to the popular cause, or afiection for the established c lergy- man^Sbath • 1689.-Which day, the minister bemg obstructed in Srduty, and kept out of the church by a great mob, armed with staves and ELgeoSeaded by John Selkirk, divided what money there was among U^^Soriid retired from his charge." John Selkirk, who hus signalized hiSbrheSng the mob for the^xpulsion of the conforming clergyman, wTthe eldestbrfther of our hero, who, however, is reported himself to to^ave testSed Ws enthusiasm by flourishing a stick with the other boys. SofTe first youths in Largo to experience the stricter discipline of XsUry whose restoration he had celebrated, was A e.xander aelWrk H 9 h^gh spirits, and want of respect for any control, led him, ft would annear to beguiltl of frequentmisbehavior during divine service; foruierSrthe tlenty^-fi^^ of August, 1696, is the following entry in the parish records :-" Alexander Selcraig, son of Joh° Selcr^'g' ''IJ^ ' cUed to appear before the session for indecent conduct in church. This seems tJ have been more than our hero, now in h.s nineteenth year, could submU to The elder's son to appear before the -ssion axid be rebuked fer lauffhine in church! Within twenty-four hours after this terrible duSthe'cung shoemaker was gone ; he had !«« Lar^,»^ th« ff- of kirk-sessions behind him, and was miles away at sea. Wh*" the k.rfc Jeilon met, they were obliged to be content '"^^"'ffiiSer SS paragraph in the record :~« August twenty^seventh.-Alexander!^^^^ Sailed out-did not appear, having gone to «a." Resolved, h^^^^^ that he should not escape the rebuke which he bad merited, they aaa, " Continued until his return." . . . - j . j: j »»« ».iis The return which the kirk-session thus looked ^''^Jj' J«» ~i J,* place for mx years, during which we haw no account of Selkirk s i.» . m w . y ABANDONMENT OP SELB3RK. 116 at fortunes which sho ntention ; liis father, low that his other sons remain at homo, and clkirk's wH;yward and i father perpetually at a walking-stick which is refractory son, with the ass, and a rod for 3S8 character, respect Brable time : a father's enth son to brave with with the hottest period vas about three years lop Sharp, which took d the chief subject of r counties of Scotland, icopalian and indulged t part old Selkirk and was dangerous to show 1 themselves Covenan- I a reluctant attendance the following entry in 1689, immediately after resbytery in Scotland, rch, it was not out of r tho established clergy- ster being obstructed in I, armed with staves and money there was among Lirk, who thus signalized ! conforming clergyman, r, is reported himself to ick with the other boys. I the stricter discipline brated, was Alexander or any control, led him, or during divine service; , is the following entry I of John Selcraig, elder, nduct in church." This is nineteenth year, could session, and be rebuked lours after this terrible left Largo and the land at sea. When the kirk- j inserting the following th.— Alexander Selcraig »." Resolved, however, ) bad merited, they add, I forward to, did not take ao Account of Selkirk^s adventures, although the probability is, that he served with the buccaneers, who then scoured the South Seas. To have persisted in calling the younc sailor to account for a fault committed six years before, would have been too great severity. The kirk-session, accordingly, do not seem to have made any allusion to the circumstance which had driven him to sea • but It was not long before a still more disgraceful piece of misconduct 'than the former brought him under their censure. The young sailor, coming home, no doubt, with his character rendered still more reckless and boisterous than before by the wild life to which he had been accustomed at sea, was hardly a fit inmate for a sedate and orderly household, and quarrels and .listurbances became frequent in the honest shoemaker's cottage. In the spring of 1702, Selkirk seized an opportunity of going to England ; and a short time afterward we find him engaged to Srocied with the celebrated Dampier on a buccaneering expedition to the South The object of Dampier's voyage was either to capture some of the Spanish vessels, which annually carried to the old world the products of the gold and silver mines of the new, or to seize and put to ransom some of the cities of the Spanish Main. Beside his own vessel, the "St. George,'^ Dampier had with him the " Cinque Ports," commanded by Captain Stradling, on board of which Selkirk acted as sailing-master. After several months of ill-luck and misfortune, the two commanders quarreled, and finally agreed to separate— Selkirk remaining with the latter. For three months the Cinque Ports kept cruising along the shores of Mexico, Guatemala, and Equatorial America, like a villainous vulture watching the horizon for its prey. No ships, however, appeared to reward the greedy activity of the crew ; and at length, in the end of August, Stradling resolved to turn southward, and make for Juan Fernandez, to take in provisions and refit. Meanwhile, as was natural among so many menof savage character cooped up idle in a vessel, all was dissension on board. Stradling and Selkirk especially were, to use a common phrase, at daggers-drawing ; now in loud and angry dispute below, now scowling sullenly at each other on deck. Selkirk resolved to leave the vessel as soon as an opportunity offered. Accordingly, when, the beginning of September, they came in sightof Juan Fernandez, two men, left by Dampier on a previous occasion, who had been living on the island since the be- ginning of March— made their appearance, heahhy and strong as ever, and delighting their old companions with an account of how they had spent the seven months of their solitary reign, eating fruit in abundance, chasing goats, and hunting seals, the idea flashed across his mind that he would take their place, and, leaving the vessel to sail away without him, remain the possessor of Juan Fernandez. By what process of imagination he flattered himself that such a life would be agreeable ; whether hO finally adopted his resolution in a fit of unthinking enthusiasm, such as sometimes leads to strange and whimsical acts, or whether his difierencea with Stradling, and his disgust with his situation on board the Cinque Forts, were really such that escape by any method seemed advisable, cannot now be known ; but at all events, the conclusion was, that when the vessel was ready to leave the island, Selkirk signified his intention ot remaining. Stradling made no objections; a boat was lowered, Selkirk descended into it with aU his effects, three or four men rowed him ashore under the direction of the captain, the crew of the Cinque Ports lookiag on from the detk. Selkirk leaped on the beacb, his effects were lifted out after hira by the sailors, and laid in a heap ; they shook hands with 116 ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. him heartily, the captain standing in the boat, and bidding them make hasto. The sailors jumped in, and the boat was pushed off. Poor Selkirk! he had felt a bound, an exultation of spirit at the moment of stepping on shore ; but now, as the boat was shoved off, and the men sat down to the oars with their faces toward him, pride, anger, resolution, all gave way ; the horrors of his situation rose at once to his view, and rushing into the suri up to the middle, he stretched out his hands toward his comrades, and implored them to come back and take him on board again. With a jeering laugh the brutal commander bade him stick to his resolution, and remain where he was, adding that it was a blessing for the crew to have got rid at last of so troublesome a fellow. The boat accordingly went off to the ship, and in a short time the Cinque Ports was out of sight. Selkirk remained on the beach beside his bundles, gazing after her till it grew dark. Juan Fernandez, the island on which our poor Scotchman was thus cast ashore, is situated in latitude 33 degrees 40 minutes south, and longitude 79 degrees west, about four hundred miles west of the coast of Chili. The name is properly applied to a group of islands consisting of two larger and a few smaller ; and the name now given to that in- habited by Selkirk, and which is the largest of the group, is Mas-a-tierra. The island was first discovered in 1672, by a Spanish navigator, who conferred on it his own name of Juan Fernandez ; and for a short time it was inhabited by a small colony of Spaniards, who ultimately abandoned it, however, to settle on the mainland. Afterward, as we have already seen, it became a resort of such buccaneering vessels as required, during their cruises on the west coast of America, to put in to some safe harbor to victual and refit. Once or twice, by accident, the island had become the residence of a castaway buccaneer, who was afterward picked off by a passing ship. Thus, says a voyager whom we shall have yet to quote more at large, " Ringrose, in his account of the voyage of Captain Sharp and other buccaneers, mentions one who had escaped ashore on this island out of a ship, which was cast away with all the rest of the company, and ■ays he lived five years alone, before he had the opportunity of another ship to carry him off. Captain Dampier also talks of a Mosquito Indian that belonged to Captain Watlin, who, being a hunting in the woods when the captain left the island, lived there three years alone, till Captain Dampier came hither in 1684, and carried him off." Whatever amount of truth there may be in these particular statements as to Juan Fernandez, it is certain that Selkirk^s solitary residence on this island was by no means the first inst:>nce of the kind. It does not appear to have been an un- common thing for a buccaneer in those days to be either cast ashore on a desert island by the chances of shipwreck, or to be purposely left upon one by his captain out of savage ill-will, or as a punishment for mutinous conduct. Perhaps, if the records of old voyages were thoroughly searched, instances might be found of the kind as extraordinary as Selkirk's, if not more so. The magic touch, however, of the hand of a genius has conferred a celebrity on the history of the Fifeshire mariner which distinguishes him from all other Crusoes. To proceed with our description of Juan Fernandez. The island is of an irregular form, from ten to twelve miles long, and about six broad, its area being about seventy square miles — somewhat less than that of the island of Bute. '* The aouth-west side,'' says the voyager already quoted, " is much the longest, and has a small island about a mile long lying near it, w'.th a few visible rocks close under the shore. On this ter M #*>wi» ^mM n mi ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK, 117 idding them make pushed off. Poor at the moment of ff, and the men sat iger, resolution, all 9 to his view, and It his hands toward take him on board ide him stick to his was a blessing for fellow. The boat e Cinque Ports was his bundles, gazing kotchman was thus minutes south, and !s west of the coast of islands consisting )w given to that in- roup, is Maa-a-tierra. inish navigator, who and for a short time ultimately abandoned , as we have already is as required, during I to some safe harbor e island had become erward picked off by all have yet to quote age of Captain Sharp I ashore on this island of the company, and iportunity of another )f a Mosquito Indian jg in the woods when 8 alone, till Captain " Whatever amount ls to Juan Fernandez, (land was by no means ; to have been an un* lither cast ashore on a 3 purposely left upon lishment for mutinous thoroughly searched, iry as Selkirk's, if not ind of a genius has ishire mariner which tnde*' The island is and about six broad, ^hat less than that of the voyager already ad about a mile long the shore. On this side begins a ridge of high mountains, that run across from the south-west to the north-west of the island ; and the land that lies out in a narrow point to the westward appears to be the only level ground in it. On the north-east side it is very high land, and under it r^re the two bays where ships always put in to recruit. The best bay is all deep water, and you may carry in ships close to the rocks, if occasion require. The wind blows always over the land, and at worst along shore, which makes no sea. Near the rocks there are very good fish of several sorts, particularly large crawfish under the rocks, easy to be caught ; also cavalloes, gropers, and other good fish, in so great plenty anywhere near the shore, that I never saw the like but at the best fishing season in Newfoundland. Pimento is the best timber, and most plentiful on this side of the island, but very apt to split, till a little dried. The cabbage-trees abound about three miles into the woods, and the cabbage is very good ; most of them are on the top of the nearest and lowest mountains. The soil in these hills is of a loose black earth ; the rocks are very rotten, so that, without great care, it is dangerous to climb the hills for cabbages ; beside, thei o are abundance of holes dug in several places by a sort of fowls called puffins, which cause the earth to fall in at once, and endanger the breaking of a man's leg. Our summer months are winter here. In July snow and ice are sometimes seen ; but the spring, which is in September, October, and November, is very pleasant. There is then abundance of good herbs, as parsley, purslain, etc. To these descriptions, written about the year 1712, we may add an extract from the account given in I-ord Anson's voyages in 1741, in order that our readers may have a pretty distinct idea of the appearance of the island, which, for four years and a half, was to be the home of Selkirk. " The woods," says the author of Anson's voyages, "cover most of the steepest hills, and are free from all bushes and underwood, offering an easy passage through every part of them ; and the irregularities of the hills and precipices in the northern part of the island trace, by their various combinations, a number of romantic valleys, most of which have a stream of the clearest water running through them, tumbling in cascades from rock to rock. Some particular spots occur in these valleys where the shade of the contiguous woods, the loiliness of the overhanging rocks, and the transparency and frequent falls of the streams, present scenes of wonderful beauty." For many days afler the departure of the Cinque Ports, Selkirk remained lingering about the spot where he was put ashore, unable to abandon the hope that Stradling would relent and come back for him. His constant occupation was gazing out into the sea. As soon as morning dawned he began his watch, sitting on his chest ; and his deepest grief was when the evening came on, so that he could see no longer. Sleep came upoi, him by snatches, and against his exertions to remain awake. Food he did not think of, till extreme hunger obliged him ; and then, rather than go in search of the fruits and game which the woods afforded, he con- tented himself with the shell-fish and seals' flesh, which he could obtain without removing from the beach. The sameness of the diet, the want of bread and salt, and the sinking sickness of his heart, caused him to loathe his food, so that he ate but at long intervals. Weary, and with aching eyes, he lay down at night, leaning his back against his bundles, listening to the crashing sound of rocks frequently falling among the woods, and to the discordant bleating of the shoals of seals along the shore. The horrors of his situation were augmented during the dark by super- stitious alarms. Amid the murmur of the waves he could fancy he heard 118 ABANDONMENT OP SELKIRK. 7 bowlings and whistlings, as of spirits in the a.r: .f he turned h.s head o fhe black and wooded masses behind him, they seemed peopled and in notion -and as he again turned it to the shore phanto™ «talked past SSen he cursed himself for the folly of the resolution wh.ch had brought h^m here ; often, in the frenzy of fear, he would start up with the horrible deTerm nation of suicide ; but a rush of softer feeling would co.ne and fhen he became calm. At length this gentler state of mind grew habitual; thoughts and impressions which had been familiar to h'min childhood 13 came up; and the years which he had spent with brawling and femcious shipLtes, in the lawless profession of a privateer, were swept out of his memory like a disagreeable dream. „„„„, With the return of equanimity, Selkirk began to consider the means of rendering his residence on the island endurable. It was the month of Octoberia season corresponding in that locality to the middle of sprng with us-and all was blooming and fragrant. The possibility of starving was not one of the horrors which his situation presented ; and when he recovered calmness of mind sufficient to take a viewof his solitary domain, he found himself in the midst of plenty. Beside the fish and seals which Jwarmed round the shores of the island, there were mnumerable fruits and vegetables in the woods, among which was the »«v«j;:f"l'"g .^f'^g^^^^ Tree: and hundreds of goats skipped wild among he hills. Almost all he means of ordinary physical comfort were within his reach ; and he had ™nly to exert his stren'gth and ingenuity to make the -?land y.eld hira !t« resources How he proceeded to do this; the various shifts and devices wS he fdl upJn to supply his wants, and to add gradually to h'sstoJe of comforts ; the succession of daily steps and con r.vances by which,in he course of four years and a half, he raised himself from ToiTaraUve helplessness to complete dominion over the resources of his S territory and, along with this, the various stages which his feelings wit thrS'frorJ'the afony and stupefaction of the first night which he Tpent on the sland, to the'pevfect freedom and happiness which ho Eately attained-we have not sufficient materials to be able to describe ""detail It is needless to say that the matchless narrative of Defoe s aUost entirely a fiction, so far as the details of his hero's dailv life in tie desert island are concerned. Alexander Selkirk did not d.sp lay such a genius for mechanical contrivances as Robinson Crusoe ; or, at least if he did, no record of his contrivances has been preserved. Ihe is and was n^t visited by cannibal savages as is the case m the romance ; no Faithful Friday appeared to cheer the hours of the solitary ; nor is there «y journal preserved, from which we learn whether ever such an inciden Srred as the discovery of the mysterious foot-pr.nt m the sand All these ornaments of the story the world owes to Defoe, whose object was not to write the history of Selkirk, or any other known castaway, but to describe bv the force of imagination, the life of an ideal hero on an ideal St is and At the same time, there is no doubt that Defoe's narrative fills up our conception of Selkirk's long residence m h.s island with detai"^ Buch as must actually be true ; and, at all events, there is a corres- pondence in some points between it and Selkirk's own account of his manner of life, furnished after his return to England to Sir Richard Steele and others, through whom it was made public. The particulars of this narrative, so far as it extends, we proceed to relate. The stores which Selkirk had brought ashore consisted. i.;=side his clothing and bedding, of a firelock, a pound of gunpowder a quantity of bullet*, a flint and steel, a few pounds of tobacco, a hatchet, a knife, a i "^ ' [fj w ^ ' m * ^" ^*'**: m » t mM ■ • f o '^ i' u^ t JuA 't/ltgm ABAlTDONMBirT OP SELKIRK. 119 turned his head to ed peopled and in itoms stalked past. which had brought up with the horrible g would cnine, and mind grew habitual; him in childhood with brawling and ivateer, were swept o consider the means It was the month the middle of spring DBsibility of starving inted ; and when he his solitary domain, fish and seals which innumerable fruits 3ver-failing cabbage- le hills. Almost all his reach ; and he the island yield him various shifts and to add gradually to and contrivances by raised himself from the resources of his es which his feelings e first night which he happiness which ho to be able to describe narrative of Defoe ia ! heroes daily life in c did not display such rusoe ; or, at least, if iserved. The island in the romance ; no solitary ; nor is there ever such an incident int in the sand. All iae, whose object was own castaway, but to deal hero on an ideal that Defoe's narrative e in his island with snts, there is a corres- 3 own account of hia to Sir Richard Steele he particulars of this consisted, jaside his unpowder, a quantity I, a hatchet, a knife, a .*is; ■ ^. ' f;".:?^^i^w;^ila l kettle, a flip-can, a Bible, some books of devotion, and one or two con- rerning n.^'igation, and his mathematical instruments. Such were the few implei.Qnts and substances from the great civilized world which Soikirk had to help him in the task of subduing to his own convenience seventy square miles of earth and wood. Yet, in the possession of that small package, what strength lay in his hands, and how superior was he to the savage children of nature! Within the small compass of his chest was wrapped up the condensed skill and wisdom of ages, the ingenuity and industry of hundreds of men who had long gone to their graves. The flint and steel, the firelock, the gunpowder, the knife and hatchet, what power over nature was there not compact in these articles! — the mathe- matical instruments, of what knowledge were they not the symbols! — and, above all, the Bible, and the books which accompanied it, what wealth of conversation, what health of spirit, did they not bring with them! The first object that occupied his attention, beside the daily supply of such food as was necessary for his subsistence, was the construction of a dwelling to serve him as a shelter from the weather. Selecting a spot at gome distance from the beach, he cut down pimento wood, and in a short time built a hut in which he could reside. To this he afterward added another. They were both constructed during the first eighteen months of his residence ; but the task of improving them, and adding to their neatness, was a constant occupation to him during his stay on the island. The largor of his two huts, which "was situated near a spacious wood, he made his sleeping-room, spreading the bedclothes he had brought with him upon a frame of his own construction ; and as these wore out, or were used for other purposes, he supplied their places with goat-skins. The smaller hut, which he had erected at some distance from the other, was used by him as a kitchen, in which he dressed his victuals. The furniture was very scanty, but consisted of every convenience his island could afford. His most valuable article was the pot or kettle he had brought from the ship to boil his meat in ; the spit was his own handiwork, made of such wood as grew upon the island; the rest was suitable to his rudely constructed habitation. The pimento wood, which burns very bright and clear, served him both for fuel and candle. It gives out an agreeable perfume when burning. He obtained fire, after the Indian method, by rubbing two pieces of pimento wood together until they ignited. This he did, as he was ill able to spare any of his linen for tinder, time being of no value to him, and the labor rather an amuiiement!'' The necessity of providing for his wants had the effect of diverting his thoughts from the misery of his situation ; yet every day, for the first eighteen months, he spent more or less time on the beach, watching for the ap- pearance of a sail upon the horizon. At the end of that time, partly through habit, partly through the influence of religion, which here awakened in full force upon his mind, he became reconciled to his situation. Every morning after rising he read a portion of Scripture, ■ong a psalm, and prayed, speaking aloud, in order to preserve the use of his voice ; he afterward remarked that, during his residence on the island, he was a better Christian than he had ever been before, or would probably ever be again. He at first lived much upon turtles and crawfish, which abounded upon the shores — his powder, with which he could shoot the goats of the island, having soon been exhausted, he afterward found himself able to run down the goats, whose flesh he either roasted or stewed, and of which he kept a small stock, tamed, around his dwelling, to be used in the event of his being disabled by sickness. One of thr* tmmmimir^m 120 ABAXTDONMENT OF SELKIRK. greatest incooTeniences which afflicted him for the first few months waa the want of salt ; but he gradually became accustomed to this privation, and at last found so much relish in unsalted food, that, after being restored to society, it was with equal difficulty that he reconciled himself to take it in any other condition. As a substitute for bread, he had turnips, parsnips, and the cabbage-palm, all of excellent quality, and also radishe., and water-cresses. When his clothes were worn out, he supplied their place with goat-skins, which gave him an appearance much more uncouth than any wild animal. He had a piece of linen, from which he made new shirts by means of a nail and the thread of his stockings ; and he never wanted this comfortable piece of attire during the whole period of his residence on the island. Every physical want being thus gratified, and his mind soothed by devotional feeling, he at length began positively to enjoy his existence — often lying for whole days in the delicious bowers which he had formed for himself, abandoned to the moat pleasant sensations. Among the quadruped inhabitants of the isle were multitudes of rats, which at the first annoyed him by gnawing his feet while asleep. Against this enemy he found it necessary to enter into a treaty, offensive and defensive, with the cats, which also abounded in his neighborhood. Having caught and tamed some of the latter animals, he was soon freed from the presence of the rats, but not without some disagreeable conse- quences in the reflection that, should he die in his hut. his friendly auxiliaries would probably be obliged, for their subsistence, to devour his body. He was, in the meantime, able to turn them to some account for his amusement, by teaching them to dance and perform a number of antic feats, such as cats are not in general supposed capable of learning, but which they might probably acquire, if any individual in civilized life were able to take the necessary pains. Another of his amusements was hunting on foot, in which he at length, through healthy exercise and habit, became such a proficient, that he could run down the swiftest goat. Some of the young of these animals he taught to dance in company with his kittens ; and he often afterward declared that he never danced with a lighter heart or greater spirit than to the ound of his own voice in tho midst of these dumb companions. Selkirk was careful, during his stay on the island, to measure the lapse of time, and distinguish Sunday from the other days of the week. Anxious, in the midst of all his indifi"erence to society, that, in the event of his dying in solitude, his having lived there might not be unknown to his fellow-creatures, he carved his name upon a number of trees, adding the date of his being left, and the space of time which had since elapsed. When his knife was worn out, he made new ones, and even a cleaver for his meat, out of some hoops which he found on the shore. He several times saw vessels passing the island, but only two cast anchor beside it Afraid of being taken by the Spaniards, who would have consigned him to hopeless captivity, he endeavored to ascertain whether these strangers were so or not before making himself known. In both cases he found them enemies ; and on one of the occasions, having approached too near, he was observed and chased, and only escaped by taking refuge in a tree. As Selkirk was only about thirty years of age, and as he found his constitution, which was naturally good, improved and fortified in a won- derful degree by his mode of life, the only cause which he could fear as likely to cut short his days, and prevent him from reaching the old age which he might expect to attain to in bis island, provided no ship appeared iii »j ; «ii; < iii ^M iii« i i i ii W^I| i 4iT; ii » y in ft i n iiiii ■■fxtmiiiMiiin ,ii ii, i ,, j «|ii i i >.Hti » )'3 ; ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. t few months wu to this privation, ler being restored himself to take it turnips, parsnips, Iso radishes., and pplied their place ore uncouth than ch he made new gs ; and he never lole period of his lius gratified, and 9gan positively to delicious bowers le moat pleasant nultitudes of rats, I asleep. Against aty, offensive and lis neighborhood. le was soon freed aagrceablc conse- hut, his friendly stence, to devour I to some account form a number of pable of learning, al in civilized life 1 amusements was exercise and habit, the swiftest goat. I in company with ver danced with a I own voice in the measure the lapse ) week. Anxious, 1 the event of his te unknown to his r trees, adding the ad since elapsed, nd even a cleaver here. He several t anchor beside it ive consigned him ler these strangers )th cases he found proached too near, ig refuge in a tree. i as he found his fortified in a won- lich he could fear aching the old age d no ship appeared 131 to carry hini off, was the occurreaice of some accident, such as micht very possibly befall him m his expeditions through the woods. Only one such accident occurred during his stay on the island: it had nearly proved fatal, however. It has already been mentioned that, in many parts of the island, the soil was loose, and undermined by holes, and the rock weathered a most to rottenness. Pursuing a goat once in one of these dangerous places, the bushy brink of a precipice, to which he had fol- lowed It, crumbled beneath him, and he and the goat fell together from a great height. He lay stunned and senseless at the foot of the rock for a great while— not less than twenty-four hours, he thought, from the change of position in the sun— but the precise length of time ho had no means of ascertaining. When he recovered his senses, he found the goat lying dead beside him. With great pain and difficulty he made his way to his hut, which was nearly a mile distant from the spot; and for three days he lay on his bed, enduring much suffering. No permanent injury, however, had been done him, and ho was soon able to go abroad again J««"'?• ^j . ,, <„ker chances had failed, con- .ird^Se°^p£i>!^;rt4mge.ce^^^^^^^^^^ aSd r^^/o"ffi ^SiC!."?woi5'Le been dialppoimed. ■ty'-gr ^ii| ; ^% ' iiJ,-?. '{i fflB? i ! S ^aa^^ ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. 123 1 1. 1. Kirt, id jht, ghtl I. r; Iven the idea of dying found some day, at the bring to his moldering lly. The religious im- le influence over him; n soul, the solitary man, 1 tenderhearted. How many years before, had jister-in-law, and his old iVhether the change of 1 we are about to relate m his solitude, and his chances had failed, con- s situation would reach ue Ports, and that some ly a passing visit to Juan te. If Selkirk, however, have been disappointed. The Cinque Ports never reached England. Old, crank, and worm-eaten, she fuiuuiorcd oft" tlio coast of Barbacoa not long after setting sail from Juan Fernandez. Out of the wliole crew, only Captain Stradiing and six or seven of his men were saved ; and these were long detained pristHK^rs among tiio Spaniards at Lima. They were in captivity during the wimie time of Selkirk's residence on his island; and long after he had returned to England, most of them wore captives still. Stradiing at lengtii obtained his liberty, but his ultimate fate was never known. Deliverance was to roach Selkirk from another quarter. Dampier who had jtarted company with the Cinque Ports, about five months bclbre Selkirk had been abandoned by Stradiing, had continued his voyage through the South Seas in search of Spanish vessels. Various c ucccss had attended him for several months ; a considerable portion of his crew forsook him ; and, at length, crossing the Pacific to the East Indies, he and his companions fell into the hands of the Dutch, who seized his ship and all that he had. The expedition planned by him, had turned out a total failure. " Dampier returned naked to his owners, with a melancholy relation of his misfortunes, occasioned chiefly by his own strange temper, which was so self-sufficient and overbearing, that few or none of his officers could endure it. Even in this distress he was received as an eminent man, notwithstanding his failings ; and was introduced to Queen Anne, having the honor to kiss her hand, and to give her majesty some account of the dangers he had undergone. The merchants were so sen- sible of his want of conduct, that they resolved never to trust him any more with a command," The bad success of Dampier's expedition, however, did not prevent the fitting out of another with similar designs against the Spaniards of the South Seas ; and about the middle of tho year 170d, two vessels, the Duke and the Ducheaa, the property of Bristol merchants, set sail for the Spanish main, having, in all, three hundred and thirty-three men on board. The Duke, a vessel of thirty guns, was commanded by Captain Woodes Rogers, a very able and prudent man; the Duchess, of twenty-six guns, by Captain Stephen Courtney. Poor Dampier, who could not be intrusted with the command, and whose poverty obliged him to accept some occu- pation of the same kind as that which he had all his life been accustomed to, was glad to sail in the Duke in the capacity of pilot to the expedition. Great care had been taken in the manning of both vessels, and regulations had been drawn up before sailing, to prevent disputes. Captain Rogers, whose proceedings during the voyage it is not neces- sary for us to detail, pursued the same track as the former expedition; and after cruising along the Brazilian coast, rounded Cape Horn in the month of December 1708, bearing for Juan Fernandez, to take in water. The crews came in sight of the island on the thirty-first of January, 1709, little anticipating the surprise which awaited them. What occurred as they approached, is thus related by Captain Rogers himself in the account which he published of the voyage:— "About two o'clock, p. m., on the thirty-first of January, we hoisted our pinnace out : Captain Dover, (second captain of the Duke,) with the boat's crew, went in her to go ashore, though we could not be less than four leagues off". As soon as the pinnace was gone, I went on board the Duchess, the crew of which weio astonished at our boat attempting to go on shore at so great a distance from land : it was against rny inclination, but to oblige Captain Dover, I consented to let her go. As soon as it was dark, we saw a light ashore ; our boat was then about a league from the island. She stopped, and bore away again -^?■'ii\^'f&,'~■'^>: Ve*3*-.'i -■^-- ^■■■'^'*'y , -'•j,''tf \ H. ,m i IM ABANDONMENT OP HKLKIRK. n •i' for thn ship at noon an iihfi law tho lif^lit. Wn put nut li^hta for thn Iwut, though noiiin wnro of opiiiion that tlio lif;ht wn vaw wum not on tlio iNlunil, but tli<< l)oat*M li^tit ; but aa iii{;ht caiiin on, it appcaiod too lar);o for that. W« firfd onn «|UBrtffr-(ie('k g»n aiid Rnvnral iiiunkntH, Hhowinf; li^htH io our mi/.Kcn and forr-nhrouda, that our Itoat ini({ht Hnd un, while wo plird in thn leo of the ialand. About two in the niornin^ our iMiat rnnn* on board thn Ducheaa: wo waro )(lnd it got wnll ofl', bccauoo it bn^^nn to blow. We wftra oil ronvincnd that thu li^ht waa on thn ahore, and dcsif^ned to make our ahipa ready to enff^n*^, aa wo Ijolinved it to come from French ahipa at anchor, and that wo niuat either H){ht them or want water. "The next day wo ittood alon(( tho Houtli end of the ialnnd, in order to lay in, with the first Houtheriy wind, whicii Captain Dotiipier tohi (ik generally blowa there all day long. In the niornini;, beinf; puHt the iMiund, wo tacked, to lay it in cIoho aboard tho land ; ami about ten oMock, ran close aboard tho laiivH that beginfi to mako the north-east side. Tlie flaws cume heavy oft' the aiioro, and we were forced to rcof our topsails when we opened tho middle bay, where we expected to find the enemy, but saw all clear, and no ships in that nor the other bay. We gues.^ed thoro liad been ships there, but that they had gon« away on sight of uk. We sent our yawl ashore about noon with Captain Dover, Mr. Fry, nnd six men, all armed: meanwhile we and tho Duchess kept turning to get in. Our boat did not return, so we iont our pinnace, with the men armed, to gee what was the occasion of the yawPs stay ; for we were afruid that the Spaniards had a garrison there, and might have seized it. Wo put out a signal for our boat, and the Duchess showed a French Knsign. Immediately our pinnace returned from the shore, and brought abun- dance of crawfish, with a man clothed in goat-skins, wiio looked wilder than the first owners of them.'' Selkirk, tho man whose appearance caused such surprise, had seen the aails of the vessels at a distance, but had avoided making any signals which could indicate his presence till he ascertained them to be English. As soon a.s he had aPiuied himself on this point, his joy was extreme. When night came on . he iiindled a large fire on the beach, to inform the Btrangers that a human bf.ing was there. It was this signal which had alarmed the crews oflhe vessels, and deterred the pinnace from landing. During the night, hope having bari:hcd all desire of sleep, he employed himself in killing goats, and preparing a feast of fresh meat for those whom he expected to be his deliverers. In the morning he found that the vessels had removed to a greater distance, but ere long ho saw the boat leave the side of one of them and approach the shore. Selkirk ran joy- fully to meet his countrymen, waving a linen rag to attract their attention ; and having pointed out to them a proper landing-place, soon had the satisfaction of clssping them in his arms. Joy at fir^t deprived him of that imperfect power of utterance which solitude had left him, but in a little time he was able to offer and receive explanations. Dover, the second captain, Fry, the lieutenant, and the rest of the boat party, af\er partaking of Selkirk's hospitality, invited him on board ; but so little eager was he to leave his solitude, that he was not prevailed upon to do so till assured that Dumpier had no situation of command in the expedition — his former experience of Dampier's mode of conducting a ship having given him no great confidence in him. When he was told that Dampier was only pilot on board, he made no further objection. He was then, as we have seen, brought on board the Duke, along with his principal effects ; and on the same day, by tho recommendation of Dampier, who said he had been tho '^^s^ss^^^tjssJEGT.v^s^sr T It liRhtH for tho lioHt, uH not on tli« inlaiHl, nil loo lttrj»«' for lliat. tH, HliowiiiK I'Kl't" '" 1 UK, whilu wti plird ij{ our boat cnnu' on lUHc it bojjnn to blow, ore, iiml jlrninnoil to o con>« from Fren< li i)r want wator. \w iMlnnd, in ordnr to lin Unmi»i«'r told (ih bcinR paHt the i»lund, nlK)ul ten o'clock, ran iiant Hide. The flnwB ccf our toimnilH v\lion } find the enemy, but f. Wo ^uc!<.^e(l there f on wiRht of »iH- We ver, Mr. Fry, imd flix tept turning ti> Kct in. rith the men armed, to r wo were afraid that ve Bcized it. We put wed a Frencli Knsign. re, and brought abun- ns, wlio looiied wilder ich surprise, had seen led making any signals cd them to bo English. , his joy was extreme, le beach, to inform the this signal which had ) pinnace from landing, lof sleep, he employed sh meat for those whom ning he found that the B long he saw the boat lore. Selkirk ran joy- , attract their attention ; ig-place, soon had the firtii deprived him of had left him, but in a )ns. Dover, the second party, after partaking I 80 little eager was he i)on to do so till assured expedition — his former lip having given him no Dampier was only pilot , then, as we have seen. ipal effects ; and on the lo said he had been tho ABANDONMENT OP SELKIRK. 125 best man in the ('inqun Ports, hine time Ix^fore he could relish our victuals." For a fortnight the two vessels remained at Juan Fernandez refitting, recruiting their sick, and taking in water and provisions. In this they wore greatly asHinted by Selkirk, or tho '^governor,'' as they used to call him ; who, beside giving them all tho information necessary respecting the island, made it a daily practice to catch several goats for the use of tho sick. •' He took them," says Rogers, *» by speed of foot ; for his way of living, and continual exercise of walking and running, cleared him of ail gross humors, so that ho ran with wonderful swillnosa through the woods, and up the rocks and hills. We had a bulldog, which we sent with several of our nimblest runners to help lim in catching goats; but he distanced and tired both the dog and the men, caught the goats, and brought them to us on his back. Being forced to shift without shoes, his feet had become so hard, that he ran everywhere without annoynnce ; and it was some time before he could wear shoes after wo found him ; for, not being used to any for so long, his feet swelled when ho came first to use thcia again.'' Beside giving these particulars, Captain Rogers details at some length Selkirk's modo of life during tho four years and four months he had spent on tho island, concluding — " We may perceive, by this story, tho truth of the maxim, that noces* •ity is the mother of invention, since this man found means to supply his wants in a very natural manner, so as to maintain his life, though not so conveniently, yet as etfectually as wo are able to do with thu help of our arts and society. It may likewise instruct us how much a plain and temperate way of living conduces to tho health cf the body and the vigor of the mind, both which we are apt to destroy by excess and plenty, especially of strong liquor, and the variety as well as the nature of our meat and drink ; for this man, when he came back to our ordinary method of diet and life, though he was sober enough, lost much of his strength and agility. But these reflections are more proper for a philosopher and divine than a mariner." In the middle of February, 1709, the Duke and Duchess set sail from the island, to cruise along the western coast of America in quest of prizes, in which they were very successful, taking two prizes in a very short time. The second of these was fitted out a.i a privateer, to sail in company with the Duke and Duchess ; and Selkirk was appointed to command her. During the remainder of the expedition, he acted in a prominent capacity, under Rogers, in the various enterprises, both on sea and on shore, in which the little fleet engaged. The occupation was certainly one by no means calculated to give play to the more amiable qualities of human nature; but even in the sacking of coast towns, and expeditions of plunder into the interior, which for months formed his chief employment, our hero teems to have mingled humanity in as high a proportion as possible with the execution of his duty. The expedition of Rogers was as re- markable for steadiness, resolution, and success, as that of Dampier's had been for quarreling and indecision ; and it excites a curious feeling of surprise when we learn that the church of England service was regu- larly read on the quaiter-decks of these piratical vessels, and all hands piped to prayers before everj action Selkirk proved himself, by his '^TTSW^-.i nHtp^WftH ••^Mbai^w, 126 ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. f( steadiness, decent manners, and religious turn of mind, a most appropriate meml er of the corps commanded by Rogers, and was accordingly 'nuch valued by his superiors. At the beginning of the ensuing year, the ves- sels began their voyage across the Pacific, with the design of returning by ihe East Indies^ and in this part of the enterprise Selkirk acted as sailing-master. They did not, however, reach England till October, 171 1, when Selkirk had been absent from his country for eight years. Of the enormous sum of £170,000 which Rogers had realised by plundering the enemy, Selkirk seems to have shared to .the amount of about eight hundred pounds. His singular history was soon made known to the public; and imme- diately after iiis arrival in London, he became an object of curiosity not only to the people at large, but to those elevated by rank and learning. Sir Richard Steele, some time after, devoted to him an article in the paper entitled "The EnglJdhman," in which he tells the reader that, as Selkirk is a man of good sense, it is a matter of great curiosity to hear him give an account of the different revolutions of his mind during the term of his solitude. "When I first saw him," continues this writer, "I thought if I had not been let into his character and story, I could have discovered that he had been much separated from company, from his aspect and gesture; there was a strong but cheerful seriousness in his look, and a certain disregard of the ordinary things about him, as if he had been sunk in thought. When the ship which brought him off the island came in, he received them with the greatest ii.difference with re- lation to the prospect of going off with them, but with great satisfaction in an opportunity to refresh and help them. The man frequently be- wailed his return to the world, which could not, he said, with all its enjoyments, restore him to the tranquillity of his solitude. ' I am now worth eight hundred pounds,^ he said, ' but shall never be so happy as when I was not worth a farthing.' Though I had frequently conversed with him, after a few months' absence he met me in the street, and though he spoke to me, I could not recollect that I had seen him •.familiar converse in this town had taken off the loneliness of his aspect, and quite altered the air of his face?^ What makes this latter circumstance the more remarkable is, the fact of nearly three years having elapsed between his restoration to society and the time when Sir Richard Steele first saw him. Beside Sir Richard Steele's paper, various short accounts of Selkirk's adventures appeared within a year or two after his return to England. Defoe's romance of Robinson Crusoe was not published till the year 1719, when the original facts on which it was founded must have been nearly forgotten. There is no record of any interview having taken place between Selkirk and Defoe, so that it cannot be decided whether Defoa learnt our hero's story from his own mouth, or from such narratives as those published by Steele and others. v It was a fine Sunday morning in the spring of 1712 ; the kirk bells of Largo had for some time ceased ringing, and the parishioners were as- sembled in church, when a handsomely dressed stranger knocked at the door of old John Selkirk's dwelling. No one was within, and the stranger bent his steps toward the parish church. He entered, and sat down in a pew near the door. His late entrance, the fact of his being a stranger, and his fine gold-laced clothes, attracted attention to him, and divided the interest of the congregation with the clergyman's sermon. The service proceeded: not far from the place where the stranger had * ^ iB ^ i ^ * I I "S?^* ^ [RK. fmind, a most appropriate id was accordingly 'nuch he ensuing year, the ves- i the design of returning erprise Selkirk acted as Ingland till October, 1711, for eight years. Of the •ealised by plundering the ) amount of about eight to the public; and imme- an object of curiosity not ed by rank and learning, to him an article in the B tells the reader that, as jf great curiosity to hear IS of his mind during the ' continues this writer, " I r and story, I could have from company, /rowi his beerful seriousness in his hings about him, as if he rhich brought him off the atest ii difference with re- mt with great satisfaction The man frequently be- not, he said, with all its his solitude. ' I am now hall never be so happy as had frequently conversed let me in the street, and at I had seen h\m: familiar as of Ms aspect, and quite lis latter circumstance the irs having elapsed between ir Richard Steele first saw short accounts of Selkirk's er his return to England, mblished till the year 1719, led must have been nearly rview having taken place be decided whether Defoe or from such narratives aa of 1712; the kirk bells of 1 the parishioners were as- 3d stranger knocked at the one was within, and the irch. He entered, and sat nee, the fact of his being a acted attention to him, and I the clergyman's sermon. ice where the stranger had ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. 127 stationed himself, was the pew where old John Selkirk, his wife, and others of the family were sitting, and toward this pew the stranger con- tinued to direct his eyes. The occupants of the pew returned the glance as discreetly as they could ; old Mrs. Selkirk especially several times eyed the stranger with curiosity over her Bible. At length the glances became a fixed gaze; the old woman's face grew pale; and crying, "It's Sandie ! — it's Sandie !" she tottered up to the stranger, and flung herself into his arms. The clergyman stopped ; the congregation rose in a bustle of excitement, and quiet was not lestored until the whole Selkirk family left the church in a body, to give full scope at home to their mutual congratulations and inquiries. "For a few days," says his biographer, Mr. Howell, who ascertained the particulars by industrious inquiry, " Selkirk was happy in the company of his parents and friends; but from long habit, he soon felt averse to mixing in society, and was most happy when alone. For days his relations never saw his face from the dawn until late in the evening, when lie returned to bed. It was his custom to go out in the morning, carrying with him provisions for the day; then would he wander and meditate alone through the secluded and solitary valley of Keil's Den. The romantic beauties of the place, afhd, above all, the stillness that reigned there, reminded him of his beloved island, which he never thought of but with regret for having left it. When evening forced him to return to the haunts of men, he appeared to do so with reluctance; for he immediately retired to his room, up stairs, in his brother's house, where he resided. Here he was accustomed to amuse himself with two cats that belonged to his brother, which he taught, in imitation of a part of his occupations on his solitary island, to dance and perform many little feats. They were ex- tremely fond of him, and used to watch his return. He often said to his friends, no doubt thinking of himself in his youth, that 'were children as docile and obedient, parents would all be happy in them.' But poor Selkirk himself was now far from being happy, for his relations often found him in tears. Attached to his father's house was a piece of ground, occupied as a garden, which rose in a considerable acclivity backward : here, on the top of the eminence, soon after his arrival in Largo, he con- structed a sort of cave, commanding an extensive and delightful view of the Forth and its shores. In fits of musing meditation, he was wont to sit here in bad weather, and even at other times, and to bewail his ever having left his island. This recluse and unnatural propensity, as it appeared to them, was cause of great grief to his parents, who often remonstrated with him, nnd endeavored to raise his spirits. But their efforts were made in vain; and he sometimes broke out before them in a passion of grief, and exclaimed, 'Oh my beloved island! I wish I had never left thee! I never before was the man I was on thee; I have not been such since I left thee; and I fear never can be again!' Having plenty of money, he purchased a boat for himself, and often, when the weather would permit, he made little excursions, but always alone; and day after day he spent in fishing in the beautiful Bay of Largo, or at Kingscreig Point, where he would loiter till evening among the romantic cliffs catching lobsters — his favorite amusement, as they reminded him of the crawfish of Juan Fernandez. The rock to which he moored his boat is still shown." Selkirk at length resolved to abandon this mode of life; and the exe- cution of his design was probably hastened by an attachment he had formed to a young girl named Sophia Bruce^ whom he often met, tending her mother's cow. in his wanderings through Keil's Den. " He never," says J iM!««!l!WBtMaM>MMnH 128 ABANDONMENT OP SELKIRK. Mr. Howell, "mentioned the attachmentto his friends; for he felt ashamed, after his discourses to them, and the profession he had made of dislike to human society, to acknowledge that he was on the point of marrying. BuUomarry he was determined, though as firmly resolved not to remam at home to be the subject of their jests. He soon persuaded he "b ect Sf his choice to elope with him, and bid adieu to the romant c glen. Without the knowledge of their parents, they both set out tor London. He left his chest and all his clothes behind; nor did he ever claim them again; and his friends knew nothing and heard nothing of h™ for muij years. At the time of this sudden departure from Largo, Selkirk wa» neorlv forty years of age. . .t ., . • In L.-^ndon Selkirk seems to have lived some time. Nothing, how- ever, is known of his movements till 1717,, in which year we find h.m executing a will and power of attorney, by the haiids of a notary m Wapping,in favor of Sophia Bruce, the object of his affection; being then on the point of again going to sea. The only °»her known particulars respecting Selkirk's life came to light in the year 1^24, when a ga ly^ dressed lady, named Frances Candis, presented herself at Largo as the widow of Alexander Selkirk, and claimed tlie property which had been left him by his father, including the house of Craggy Wall, mentioned in the forecome will. She produced documents which proved her marriage with SefkTkl a will, also, dated the twelfth of December H^O, entu ing her to the property; and lastly, an attestation of the death of her husband, Lieutenant Alexander Selkirk, on board his majesty's ship Weymouth in the year 1723. From the second of these documents, it is inferred that Sophia Bruce had died some time between 1717, when the first will was executed in her favor, and 1720, when the second w'»/^« Jrawn up in favor of Frances Candis. Having had her claims adjusted, Selkirk s widow took her departure from Largo after a few days. So far as can Imj ascertained, Selkirk left no children either by her or by Sophia Bruce. The house in which Selkirk lived, during his last residence at Largo, is still occupied by \\w descendants of his brother John, who preserve his chest and his coc...n«t shell cup. His flip-can exists m the possession of another relation, and his gun has for some years been the property of Major Lumsden of Lathallan, near Largo. "The A'P-can," says Mr. Howell, "holds about a Scottish pint, [two quarts,] and is made of brown stoneware, glazed. On it is the following inscription and posy-^ailors being in aU ages notoriously addicted to inscribing rhymes on such articles: — • Alexander Selkirk, this is my one. When you take me on board of Bhip, Pray fill me full with punch or flip. The handle of the jug is gone; its mouth is broken in two places; and a crack in the stoneware is patched with pitch, probably put on by Selkirk s own hands." , . . , , -j .«j — - The island of Juan Fernandez, which may also be considered as a relic of Alexander Selkirk, has passed through the hands of a succession of owners since he quitted it. For upward of thirty years after his departure it remained in the condition in which he had >eft it— an uninhabi- ted island, where ships, sailing along the western coast of South America, occasionally put in for water and fresh victuals. Once or twice, indeed, the chances of shipwreck gave it one or two inhabitants, who did not remain long. In 17B0, the Spaniards again formed a aetUement on it. . ->;VS i=;aii.-i*>I>-. m^T ?Tiffr!^SS^ ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. 129 for he felt ashamed, ad made of diBlike point of marrying, olved not to remain erauaded 'he object the romantic glen, let out for London, he ever claim them ins of him for many Largo, Selkirk wai me. Nothing, how- ;h year we find him ands of a notary in his affection; bemg tier known particulars 1724, when a gaily- jrself at Largo as the perty which had been ty Wall, mentioned m \ proved her marriage ember 1720, entitlmg death of her husband, y's ship Weymouth m ents, it is inferred that when the first will was will was drawn up in IS adjusted, Selkirk's lays. So far as can be or by Sophia Bruce. [ residence at Largo, is ohn, who preserve his xists in the possession [3 been the property of U flip-can," says Mr. ' and is made of brown lion and posy-flailoni ibing rhymes on auch khip, lip? Len in two places; and [ably put on by Selkirk'" „ be considered as a I hands of a succession I thirty years after his Lad left it— an uninhabi- toast of South America, fOnce or twice, indeed, Lhabitants, who did not aed a settlement on it. and built a fort. Both were destroyed by an earthquake in the following year; but another town was built at a greater distance from the shore. It continued to be inhabited for about twenty years, but was then aban> doned, as the former Spanish settlement in the island had been. Early in the present century, the Chilian government began to use Juan Fer- nandez as a penal settlement, transporting their state criminals to it; but in consequence of the expense, it was soon given up; and when Lord Cochrane visited the island in 1823, there were but four men stationed on it, apparently in charge of some cattle. The following description is given of the island by a lady who accompanied Lord Cochrane and a party on shore : — " The island is the most picturesque I ever saw^ being composed of high perpendicular rocks, wooded nearly to the top, with bcautiiul vaiieys, exceedingly fertile, and watered by copious streams, which occasionally form small marshes. The little valley where the town is, or rather was, is exceedingly beautiful. It is full of fruit-trees and flowers, and sweet herbs, now grown wild; near the shore, it is covered with radish and sea-side oats. A small fort was situated on the sea-shore, of which there is nothing noiji^isible but the ditches and part of one wall. Another, of considerable size Tor the place, is on a high and commanding spot. It contained barracks for soldiers, which, as well as the greater part of the fort,- are ruined; but the flag-staflT, front wall, and a turret are standing; and at the foot of the flag-staff lies a very handsome brass gun, cast in Spain, a. d. 1614. A few houses and cottages are still in a tole- rable condition, though most of the doors, windows, and roofs have been taken away, or used as fuel by whalers and other ships touching here. In the valleys we found numbers of European shrubs and herbs — ' where once the garden smiled.' And in the half-ruined hedges, which denote the boundaries of former fields, we found apple, pear, and quince trees, with cherries almost ripe. The ascent is steep and rapid from the beach, even in the valleys, and the long grass was dry and slippery, so that it rendered the walk rather fatiguing; and we were glad to sit down under a large quince-tree on a carpet of balm, bordered with roses, now neglected, and feast our eyes with the lo/ely view before us. Lord Anson has not exaggerated the beauty of ;he place, or the delights of the climate. We were rather early for its fruits, but even at this time we have gathered delicious figs, cherries, and pears, that a few days more of sun would have perfected. The landing-place is also tho watering-place. There a little jetty is thrown out, formed of the beach pebbles, making a little harbor for boats, which lie there close to the fresh water, which comes conducted by a pipe, so that, with a hose, the casks may be filled without landing with the most delicious water. Along the beach some old guns are sunk, to serve as moorings for vessels, which are all the safer the nearer in shore they lie ; as violent gusts of wind often blow from the mountain for a few minutes. The height of the island is about three thousand feet." The isle of Juan Fernandez, of late years, has been much visited by vessels in the California trade. An American traveler J. Ross Browne, visited the island in 1849, and has given his impressions in a charming little book, half fiction and half truth, under the title of '* Crusoe Life, a Narrative of Adventures in the Island of Juan Fernandez," from which we take the following extract. At the dawn of day I was on deck, looking eagerly toward the island. I may as well confess at once that no child could have felt more delight than 1 did in the anticipntion of MOMthing illusive and enchanting. My X »., 180 ABANDONMENT OP 8KLKIRK. heart throbbed with impatience to aee wiiat it was that cast so strange a fascination about that lonely spot. All was wrapped in mist ; but the air was filled with fresh odors of land, and wrfls of sweetness more deli- cious than the scent of new-mown hay. The storm had ceased, and the soA-echoed bleating of gnats, and the distant baying of wild dugs were all the sounds of life that broke upon the stillness. It seemed as if the sun, loth to disturb the ocean in its rest, or reveal the scene of beauty that lay slumbering upon its bosom, would never rise again, so gently the light stole upon the eastern sky, so softly it absorbed the shadows of night. I watched the golden glow as it spread over the heavens, and beheld at last the sun in all his majesty scatter away the thick vapors that lay around his resting-place, and each vale was opened out in the glowing light of the morning, and the mountains that towered out of the sea were bathed in the glory of his rays. Never shall I forget the strange delight with which I gazed upon that isle of romance; the unfeigned rapture I felt in the anticipation of ex- ploring that miniature world in the desert of waters, so fraught with the happiest associations of youth; so remote from all the ordinary realities of life; the actual embodiment of the most absorbing, most fascinating of all the dreams of fancy. Many foreign lands I had seen; many islands scattered over the broad ocear, rich and wondrous in their romantic beauty; many glens of Utopian loveliness; mountain heights weird and impressive in their sublimity ; but nothing to equal this in variety of outline and undefinable richness of coloring; nothing so dreamlike, so wrapped in illusion, so strange and absorbing in its novelty. Great peaks of reddish rock seemed to pierce the sky wherever I looked ; a thousand rugged ridges swept upward toward the center in a perfect maze of enchantment. It was all wild, fascinating, and unreal. The sides of the mountains were covered with patches of rich grass, natural fields of oats, and groves of myrtle and pimento. Abrupt walls of rock rose from the water to the height of a thousand feet. The surf broke in a white line of foam along the shores of the bay and its measured swell floated upon the air like the voice of a d-<^tant cataract. Fields of verdure covered the ravines ; ruined and moss-covered walls were scattered over each eminence; and the straw huts of the inhabitants were almost embosomed in trees, in the midst of the valley, and jets of smoke arose out of the groves and floated off gently in the calm air of the morning. In all the shore, but one spot, a single opening among the rocks, seemed accessible to man. No longer able to control our enthusiasm, we sprang into the boat and pushed off for the landing. We first went up to a bluff, where we spent an hour, in exploring the ruins of the fortifications, built by the Chilians, in 1767. There was nothing left but the foundation and a portion of the ramparts of the principal fort, partly imbedded in banks of clay, and nearly covered with moss and weeds. It was originally strongly built of large stones, which were cast down in every direction, by the terrible earthquake of 1835; and now all that remained perfect was the front wall of the main rampart and the groundwork of the fort. Not far from these rains we found the convict-cells, which we explored to some extent. y The cells are dug into the brow of a hill, facing the harbor, and extend under ground to the distance of several hundred feet, in the form of pas- ties and vaults, resembling somewhat the Catacombs of Rome. During me penal settlement established here by the Chilian government, the convicts, numbering sometimes many hundreds, were confined in these gloomy dungeons, where they were lubjected to the most barbaroiu •i^imi ^ *^ m^ iL«lfev ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK, 131 ; cast 80 strange a in mist; but the eetness more deli- id ceased, and the of wild dags were It seemed as if the icene of beauty that , so gently the light ladows of night. I rens, and beheld at pors that lay around ie glowing light of the sea were bathed h I gazed upon that 3 anticipation of ex- , so fraught with the he ordinary realities r, most fascinating of i seen; many islands us in their romantic in heights weird and is in variety of outline reamlike, so wrapped 3reat peaks of reddish 1; a thousand rugged maze of enchantment, of the mountains were ,f oats, and groves of Um the water to the lite line of foam along upon the air like the led the ravines; ruined h eminence; and the jomed in trees, in the the groves and floated le shore, but one spot, ole to man. frang into the boat and bluff, where we spent 1, built by the Chilians, >n and a portion of the in banks of clay, and finally strongly built of frection, by the terrible irfect was the front wall Irt. Not far from these ed to some extent, the harbor, and extend feet, in the form of pas- .jnbsofRome. During Chilian government, the [were confined in these to the moat barbarooi treatment. The gates or doors by which tiio entrances were secured, had all been torn down and destroyed ; and the excavations were now occupied only by wild goats, bats, toads, and diffurent sorts of vermin. Rank fern hung upon the sides; overhead was dripping with a cold and deathlike sweat, and slimy drops cjurscd duwn the weeds, and the air was damp and chilly: thick darkness was within in the depths beyond; darkness that no wandering gleam from the light of day over reached — lor heaven never smiled upon those dreary abodes of sin and sorrow. A few of the inner dungeons, for the worst criminals, were dug still deeper under ground, and rough stairways of earth led down into them, which were shut out from the upper vaults by strong doors. The sii:e of those lower dungeons was not more than five or six feet in length, by four or five in height; from which some idea may be formed of the sufferings endured by the poor wretches confined in them; shut out from the light of heaven, loaded with heavy irons, crushed down by dank and impene- trable walls of earth, starved and beaten by their cruel guards; with no living soul to pity them in their woe, no j^ope of release save in death. We saw, by the aid of a torch, deep^oles scratched in one of the walls, bearing the impression of human fiilgers. It might have been that some unhappy murderer, goaded to madness by such cruel tortures of body and terrible anguish of mind, as drive men to tear even their own flesh when buried before the vital spark is extinct, had grasped out the earth in his desperation, and left the marks in his death agonies upon the clay tmt entombed him, to tell what no human heart but his suffered there, no human ear had heard, no human eye had witnessed. Tlie deep, startling echo breaking upon the heavy air, as we sounded the walls, seemed yet to mingle with his curses, and its last sepulchral throb was like the dying moan of the maniac. Some time before the great earthquake, which destroyed the fortifications and broke up the penal colony, a gang of convicts, amounting to three hundred, succeeded in liberating themselves from their cells. Unable to endure the cruelties inflicted upon them, they broke loose from their chains, and rushing upon the guards, murdered the greater part of them, and, finally, seized the garrison. For several days, they held complete possession of the island. A whale-ship, belonging to Nantucket, hap- pening to come in at the time for wood and water, they seized the captain, and compelled him to take on board as many of them as the vessel could contain. About two hundred were put on board. They then threatened the captain and ofliccrs with instant death, in case of any failure to land them on the coast of Peru, whither they determined to go, in order to escape the vengeance of Chilian government. Desirous of getting rid of them as soon as possible, the captain of the whaler ran over for the first land on the coast of Chili, where he put them ashore, leaving them ignorant of their position until they were unable to regain the vessel. They soon discovered that they were only thirty miles from Valparaiso; but short as ihe distance was from the Chilian authorities, they evaded all attempts to capture them, and eventually joined the Peruvian army, which was then advancing upon Santiago. The remainder of the prisoners left upon the island, escaped in different vessels, and were scattered over various parts of the world. Only a few out of the entire number engaged in the mas- sacre were ever captured: sentence of death was passed upon them, and. they were shot in the public fAaza of Santiago. ^ Turning our steps toward the settlement of the present residents, we passed a few hours very agreeably iu rambling about among their rustic * V ''"fSSSg^^" •E*>'WM'^ "^ ^■— J |«| ABANDONMENT OF SELKIRK. .bodes The total number of inhabitants at this period (1849,) is sixteen: S^istlnK of Wlliam Pearce, an American, and four or five Ch.l.an men, S^"h thei? wives and children. No others have lived permanently upon The island for several years. There are in all son^ six or seven hut*, nleaSv surrounded by shrubbery, and well supplied with water from J spring: These habitations are built of the straw of w.ld oats, 'nterwoven ZugS wattles or long sticks, and thatched with the same; ^nd w^^th^^^^^ from desien or accident, are extremely picturesque. The roots project 80^ to fSra an agreeable shade all round; the doorways "e covered ,n by "sort of projecting porch, in the style ol the French cottages along 2e vahey of thi Seine j small out-houses, erected upon posts, are scat- S?ed aSu° eacS inclosure ; and an air of repose «nd f'««d«m from ^jJd^^ care pervades the whole place, though the <^oJ^^;.^^'^Za L^iZZh mode of living are evidently of the most primitive kind. Seen througn Se green sSbberies that aLund in every direction, the bngj^t^ y^^^^^^^^ the Cottages, and the smoke curling up m the still a. , have » J"y/;»»«j?;f J' effect- and the prattling voices of the children, mingled with the lively ki ^;J:„ nf th« Wine and the various pleasant sounds of domestic life, IilgWlflt:d'on\'\otink:that\he feclusion of these islanders from %t?rlfl tirenftre'jJfeL'aTbreezes from the ocean, withcut ma?a'^-U of anl^hiTgo produce disease, beautifully diversified in scenery, S.tsusSpSrof'beiSg made a convenient «topping-p^«je for v^^^^^^^^ bound to the great Northwestern Continent, it would be difficult to find a more desirabll place for a coiony of intelligent and •nd«8»riou8 people, X wou d cultfvate the land, build good houses, and turn to "dvantag* lu the gifta of Providence which have been bestowed upon the island. ! # ^ '•"'ii t [!H i i iiii Ui i im i i ii« i i mu i L jj.J» r ,"!' i lf"U«TJ ' ."5? ' l^ j'B"^ ■.. f» mf ' I'"WUI,IIII|I»-»1»P»WW1 I (1849,) is sixteen: )r five Chilian men, I permanently upon 1 six or seven huts, ed with water from ild oats, interwoven same; and whether The roofs project ways are covered in inch cottages along pon posts, are scat- reedom from worldly m of the houses and lind. Seen through the bright yellow of have a very cheerful igled with the lively ids of domestic life, hese islanders fioro the ocean, withcut iversified in scenery, ing-place foryvessels I be difficult to find a 1 industrious people, nd turn to advantage upon the island. THE NABRATIVE i' j I or COLONEL ETHAN ALLEN, TH« HIBO or TIOOMDEBOOA, WHO ArTBE HE rilt IMTO TH* BANDS OF TBI awnT AT MONTRBAL, WAS OONriNBO, DUBINO A 0ON8U>BBABLK PKBIOO OF HI! OAPTiriTT. A PBHOnB OW BOABD OF •-■»»«■■■ BRITISH SHIPS OF WAR. Ever since 1 arrived at a state of manhood, and acquainted myself with the general history of mankind, I have felt a sincere passion for liberty; so that the first systematical and bloody attempt at Lexington, to enslave America, thoroughly electrified my mind, and fully determined me to take part with my country. While I was wishing for an opportunity to signalize myself in its behalf, directions were privately sent to me from the then colony, now State of Connecticut, to raise the Greeu Mountain Boys ; and, if possible, with them to surprise and take the fortress Ticonderoga. This enterprise I cheerfully undertook ; and, after first guarding all the several passes that led thither, to cut ofl" all intelligence between the garrison and the country, made a forced march from Bennington, and arrived at the lake opposite Ticonderoga, on the evening of the ninth day of May, 1776, with two hundred and thirty valiant Green Mountain Boys ; and it was with the utmost difliculty that I procured boats to cross the lake. However, I landed eighty-five men near the garrison, and sent the boats back for the rear-guard, commanded by Col. Seth Warner; but the day began to dawn, and I found myself under a necessity to attack the fort before the rear could cross the lake ; and, as it was viewed hazardous, I harangued the officers and soldiers in the manner following: "Friends and fellow-soldiers you have, for a number of years past, been a scourge and terror to arbi- trary power. Your valor has been famed abroad, and acknowledged, as appears by the advice and orders to me from the General Assembly of Connecticut, to surprise and take the garrison now before us. I now propose to advance before you, and in person conduct you through the wicket-gate ; for we must this morning either quit our pretensions to valor, or possess ourselves of this fortress in a few minutes ; and, inas- much as it is a desperate attempt, whjch none but the bravest of men dare undertake, I do not urge it on any contrary to his will. You that will undertake, voluntarily, poise your firelocks." The men being at this time drawn up in three ranks, each poised his firelock; I ordered them to face to the right, and, at the head of the center file, marched them immediately to the wicket-gate aforesaid, where I found a sentry posted, who instantly snapped his fusee at me. I ran immediately toward him, and he retreated through the covered way ii^ the parade within the garrison, gave a halloo, and ran under a bonS proof. My party, who followed me into the fort, I formed on the parade m such manner as to face the two barracks which faced each other. The (133) J 184 ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. frarrison being ealeep, except the sentries, wo gave three huzzas which greatly surprised them. One of the sentries made a pass at one of my officers with a charged bayonet, and slightly wounded him. My first thought was to kill him with my sword ; but, in an instant, I altered the design and fury of the blow to a slight cut on the side of the head ; upon which he dropped his gun, and asked (juarter, which I readily grnntod him, and demanded of him the place where the commanding officer slept ; he showed me a pair of stairs in the front of a barrack, on the west part of the garrison, which led up to a second story in said barrack, to which I immediately repaired, and ordered the commander, Capt. Delaplace, to come forth instantly, or I would sacrifice the whole garrison ; at which the captain came immediately to the door with his breeches in his hand, when I ordered him to deliver to me the fort instantly. He asked me by what authority I demanded it. I answered him, " In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." The authority of the Congress being very little known at that time, he began to speak again ; but I interrupted him, and with my drawn sword over his head, again demanded an immediate surrender of the garrison ; to which ho then complied, and ordered his men to be forthwith paraded without arms, as he had given up the garrison. In the meantime some of my officers had given orders, and in consequence thereof, sundry of the barrack doors were beat down, and about one third of the garrison imprisoned, which consisted of the said commande>-, a Lieut. Feltham, a conductor of artillery, a gunner, two sergeants, and forty-four rank and file ; about one hundred pieroa of cannon, one thirtcen-inch mortar, and a number of swivels This surprise was carried into execution in the gray of the morning of the tenth day of May, 1776. Col. Warner, with the rear guard, crossed the lake, and joined me early in the morning, whom I sent off, without loss of time, with about one hundred men, to take possession of Crown Point, which was garrisoned with a sergeant and twelve men ; which he took possession of the same day, as also upward of one hundred pieces of cannon. But one thing now remained to be done, to make ourselves complete masters of Lake Champlain. This was to possess our- selves of a sloop of war, which was then laying at St. John's ; to effect which, it was agreed, in a council of war, to arm and man out a certain schooner, which lay at South Bay, and that Captain (now General) Arnold should command her, and that I should commana the batteaux. The necessary preparations being made, we set sail from Ticonderoga in quest of the sloop, which was much larger, and carried more guns and heavier metal than the schooner. General Arnold, with the schooner, sailing faster than the batteaux, arrived at St. John's ; and by surprise possessed himself of the sloop before I could arrive with the batteaux. He also made prisoners of a sergeant and twelve men, who were garrisoned at that place. , Early in the fall of the year, the little army, under the command of the Generals Schuyler and Montgomery, were ordered to advance into Canada. I was at Tic-ondcroga when this order arrived; and the General, with most of the field-officers, requested me to attend them in the expedition. I was first ordered by the General to go, in company with Major Brown and certain interpreters, through the woods into Canada, with letters to the C^adians, and to let them know that the design of the army was only against the Engl'sh garrisons, and not the country, their liberties, or religion. This was soon accomplished, and on the morning of the 24th day of September, I set out with my guard of about eighty men, from ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. 186 eo huzzas which laas at one of my d him. My first lant, I altered the )f the head ; upon I readily granted iding officer slept ; L, on the west part barrack, to which , Capt. Delaplace, garrison ; at which eches in his hand, He asked me by a the name of the ,e authority of the an to speak again ; rer his head, again ; to which ho then 3d without arms, as ome of my officers dry of the barrack arrison imprisoned, eltham, a conductor rank and file ; about lortar, and a number n in the gray of the irner, with the rear lorning, whom I sent n, to take possession ant and twelve men ; ward of one hundred o be done, to make is was to possess our- St. John's ; to effect ad man out a certain now General) Arnold the batteaux. The Ticonderoga in quest ore guns and heavier the schooner, sailing Ijy surprise possessed e batteaux. He also lo were garrisoned at If the command of the J advance into Canada, he General, with most the expedition. 1 was ith Major Brown and la, with letters to the of the army was only itry, their liberties, or le morning of the |4th bout eighty men, from ^^SS^^-- Longale, to go to Lapraier ; from thence I determined to go to Gen. Mont- fomery's camp ; but had not advanced two miles before I met with Major Irown, who proposed, that " Provided I would return to Longale, and procure some canoes, so as to cross the river St. Lawrence, a little north of Montreal, he would cross it a little to the south of the town, with near two hundred men, as he had boats sufficient ; and that we would make ovrselvcs masters of Montreal.'' This plan was readily approved by me and those in council ; and in consequence of which 1 returned to Longale, collected a few canoes, and added about thirty English Americans to my party, and crossed the river in the night of the 24th. My whole party, at this time, consisted of about one hundred and ten men, near eighty of whom were Canadians. I then reconnoitered the best ground to make a defense, expecting Col. brown's party were landing on the other side of the town, he having tiic day before agreed to give three huzzas with his men early in the morning, which signal I was to return, that we might each know that both parties wore landed ; but the sun by this time being near two hours high, and the sign failing, I began to conclude myself to be in a premunire, and would have crossed the river back again, but I knew the enemy would have discovered such an attempt. The town of Montreal was in a great tumult. Gen. Carlton and the royal party made every preparation to go on board their vessels as I was afterwards informed, but a spy escaping from my guard to the town, occasioned an alteration in their policy, and emboldened Gen. Carlton to send the force, which he had there collected, out against me. I had previously chosen my ground, but when I saw the number of the enemy as they sallied out of the town, I perceived it would be a day of trouble, if not of rebuke ; but I had no chance to flee, as Montreal was situated on an island, and the river St. Lawrence cut of}' my communication to Gen. Montgomery's camp. The enemy consisted of not more than forty regular troops, together with a mixed multitude, chiefly Canadians, with a number of English who lived in the town, and some Indians ; in all to the number of near five hundred. The reader will notice that most of my party were Canadians ; indeed it was a motley parcel of soldiery which composed both parties. However, the enemy began the attack from wood-piles, ditches, buildings, and such like places, at a considerable distance, and I returned the fire from a situation more than equally ad- vantageous. The lire continued for some time on both sides ; and I was confident that such a remote method of attack could not carry the ground provided it should be continued until night, but near half the body of the enemy began to flank round to my right; upon which I ordered a volunteer, by the name of John Dugan, to detach about fifty of the Canadians, and post himself at an advantageous ditch, which was on my right, to prevent my being surrounded. He advanced with the detachment, but instead of occupying the post, made his escape, as did likewise Mr. Young upon the left, with their detachments. The enemy kept closing round me, nor was it in my power to prevent it, by which means my situation, which was advantageous in the first part of the attack, ceased to be so in the last ; and being almost entirely surrounded with such vast, unequal num- bers, I ordered a retreat, but found that those of the enemy who were of the country, and ^ir Indians, could run as fast as my men, though ihe refyulars could noV Thus I retreated near a mile, and some of the enemy, with the savages, kept flanking me, and others crowded hard in the rear. In fine I expected in a very short time to try the world of spirits, for I ^K*. . „...^--,^, _ _ [. \ 188 ETHAN ALLEN'8 NARRATIVE. waa apprehcnaivo that no quarter would be given to me, and therefore had determined to sell my life as dearly as I could. One of the onemy^s officers boldly pressing in the rear, discharged his fusee at me ; the ball whistled near me, as did many others that day. I returned the salute, and missed him, om running had put us both out of breath. I then saluted him with my tongue in a harsh manner, and told him that inasmuch as hia numbers were so far superior to mine, I would surrender, provided I could be treated with honor, and be assured of good quarter for myself and the men who were with me ; and ho answered I should. Another officer coming up directly afler, confirmed the treaty : upon which I ngreed to surrender with my party, which then consisted of thirty-one ctfoctive men, and seven wounded. I ordered them to ground their arms, which they did. The officer I capitulated with, then directed me and my party to advance toward him, which was done. I handed him my sword, and in half a minute after, a savage, part of whose head was shaved, being almost naked and painted, with feathers intermixed with the hair of the other side of his head, came running to me with an incredible swif\ness ; he seemed to advance with more than mortal speed ; as he app^ached near me, his hellish visage was beyond all description — snake eyes appear innocent in comparison witii liis ; his features distorted ; malice, death, murder and the wrath of devils and damned spirits are the emblems of his countenance ; and in less than twelve feet of me, presented his firelock. At the instant of his present, I twitched the officer tu whom I gave my sword between me and the savage ; but he flew round with great fury, trying to single me out to shoot me without killing the officer ; but by this time I was near as nimble as he, keeping the officer in such a position that his danger was my defense. But in less than half a minute 1 was attacked by just such another imp of hell. Then I made the officer fly round with incredible velocity for a few seconds of time, when I per- ceived a Canadian (who had lost one eye, as appeared afterward,) taking my part against the savages ; and in an instant an Irishman came to my assistance with a fixed bayonet, and drove away the fiends, swearing " by Jasus he would kill them." This tragic scene composed my mind. The escaping from so awful a death made even imprisonment happy ; the more so as my conquerors on the field treated me with great civility and politeness. The regular officers said that they were happy to see Col. Allen. I answered them, that I should rather chose to have seen them at Gen. Montgomery's camp. The gentlemen replied that they gave full credit to what I said, and as I walked to the town, which was, as I should guess, more than two miles, a British officer walked at my right hand, and one of the French noblesse at my left ; the latter of which, in the action, had his eyebrow carried away by a glancing shot, but was never- theless very merry and facetious, and no abuse was oflfered me till I came to the barrack-yard at Montreal, where I met Gen. Prescott, who asked me my name, which I told him. He then asked me whether I was that Col. Allen who took Ticonderoga. I told him I was the very man. Then he shook his cane over my head, calling many hard names, among which he frequently used the word Rebel, and put himself into a great rage. I told him he would do well not to cane me, for I was not accus- tomed to it, and shook my fist at him, telling him that^at was the beetle of mortality for him, if he oflfered to strike ; upon wlMi Capt. M'Cloud, of the British, pulled him by the skirt, and whispered to him (as he afterward told me) to this import: that it was inconsistent with his honor ETHAN ALLKN'S NARRATIVE. 137 ), and therefore B of the cneiny'i at me ; the ball rned the salute, I then saluted lat inasmuch as nder, provided 1 irtor for myself hould. Another m which I ngreed irty-one effective heir arms, which me and my party him my sword, load was shaved, ed with the hair ith an incredible lal speed; as he escription — snake iatures distorted ; imned spirits are yrelvo feet of me, to whom I gave round with great ig the officer ; but officer in such a than half a minute 1 1 made the officer time, when I per- i afterward,) taking shman came to my ends, swearing "by sed my mind. The mment happy; the h great civility and happy to see Col. to have seen them i that they gave full ich was, as I should [ at my right hand, er of which, in the hot, but was never- fered me till I came Prescott, who asked whether I was that was the very man. hard names, among limself into a great for I was not accus- tjhat was the beetle A Capt. M'Cloud, ered to him (as he istent with his honor to strike a prisoner. Ho then ordered a scrjeant^a command, with fixed bayonets, to come forward and kill thirteen Canadians, which wore includiid in the treaty aforesaid. It cut iiio to the hoart to see the Canadians in so hard a case, in conie- quonco of their having been true to me; they were wringing thoir hands, .saying tiieir prayers, as I concluded, and expected immediate death. I therefore stepped between the executioners and the Canadians, opened my cluiiios, and told Gen. PrcHcott to thrust his bayonet into my breast, for 1 was the solo cause of tiie Canadians taking up arms. The guard in the meantime, rolling their eyeballs from the General to me, as though impatient, waiting his dread coiiiinands to sheathe their bayonets in my hoart. I could, however, plainly discern that he was in a suspense and quandary about the mutter. This gave mo additional hopesof succeeding, for my design was not to die, but save the Canadians by a finesse. The General stood a minute, when he made me the following reply: "/ will not execute you now : hut you shall grace a halter at Tyburn, j/e." General Prescott then ordered one of his officers to take me on board the Gaspee schooner of war, and confine me, hands and feet, in irons, which was done tiie same afternoon I was taken. The action continued an hour and three quarters by the watch, and I know not to this day how many of my men were !:>lled, though I am cer- tain there were but few. If I remember right, seve.t were wounded ; the latter were all put into the hospital at Montreal, and those that were not, were put on board of ditferent vessels in the river, and shackled together by pairs, viz., two men fastened together by one handcuflf being closely fixed to ono wrist of each of them, and treated with the greatest severity, nay, as criminals. I now come to the desciption of the irons, which were put on me. The handcuff was of a common size and form, but my leg irons, I should imagine, would weigh thirty pounds ; the bar was eight feet long, and very substantial ; the shackles which encompassed my ancles, were very tight. I was told by the officer who put them on, that it was the king's plate, and I heard other of their officers say, that it would weigh forty weight. The irons were so close upon my ancles, that I could not lie down in any other manner than on my back. I was put into the lowest and most wretched part of the vessel, where I got the favor of a chest to ait on; the same answered for my bed at night; and having procured some little blocks of the guard, who, day and niglit, wiih fixed bayonets, watched over me, to lay under each end of tiio largo bar of my leg irons, to pre- serve my ancles from galling, while I sat on the chest, or lay back on the aame, though most of the time, night and day, I sat on it ; but at length having a desire to lay down on my side, which the closeness of the irons - forbid, I desired the captain to loosen them for that purpose, but was denied the favor. The captain's name was Royal, who did not seem to be an ill-natured man ; but oftentimes said, that his express orders were to treat me with such severity, which was disagreeable to his own feelings; nor did he ever insult me, though many others, who came on board, did. One of the officers, by the name of Bradley, was very generous to me ; he would often send mo victuals from his own table ; nor did a day fail, but that he sent me a good drink of grog. The reader is now invited back to the time I was put into irons. I requested the privilege to write to General Prescott, which was granted. I reminded him of the kind and generous manner of my treatment to the prisoners I took at Ticonderoga; the injustice and ungentleman-like ^{i 1.38 ETHAN AIXRN'H NARRATIVB. usaf(o, which I had mot with from him, nnd dnmandod f^nntlemnn-liko unnfrr, hut received no answer from him. I Bonn nHor wrott; to (■ciKirnl (/iiriton, which met the some miccoHS. In the mcanwiiile many of thoHO who wore permitted to nee me wore very inHulting. I was confined in the manner I have related, on hoard the (iaiipoo schooner, nimut Hix weeks; during which time I was obliged to throw out plenty of extravnunnt language which answered certain purposes, at that time, better than to grace a history. To give an instance, upon being insulted, in n fit of anger I twisted off a nail with my teeth, which I took to be a ten-penny nail ; it went through the mortice of the bar of my handcuff, anut Hix wooks; ?nty of oxtravni»nnt time, brttor tlian to insulted, in n fit of k to be a tcn-pnnny handcuff, and nt the particularly a Doctor , and deserved 'loath the halter, and in a conseqtienco, as he (luod of lanjjuaKe at mgnr was wry jjrcnt. r that a small padlock as they were mcan- me, that they were 1 prisoners taken with gainst Quebec, under who treated inc in a to my rank ; in about but my pood fortune vessel 1 was put on 1 in a polite, pcnerous, ibin, and fnred on the rder ho h;i received hn swore that a brave dp. I, from the polite and officers, I was obliged lly a manner as we had , was the eleventh of I's little army appeared rmed an extraordinary to have surprised the el called the Adamant, lUt under the power of was Brook Watson; a » was probably excited tories, who sailed with Johnson, Coioi.ul Closs, ter of about thirty. A ik plank, was assigned should imagine that it ity-two the other. Into , thi ust ..nd handcuffed, md were provided with were ( Sliced to eat and e to E:^ ^'land ; and were board, in the cruelesl it not one of us died in the passape. When I was firHt ordered lo go into the filthy rnrlnnure, through asinall sort of door, I positivoly refuNrd, and endeavored to rcnson the bet'ore-nnmiMl Krook VVutson out of a conduct so derogatory to every sentiment of honor and humanity, but all to no purpose, my men being forced in the den already ; and the rascal who had the charge of Iho prisoners, corniniinded me to go immediately in among the rrst. lie furthi^r addcci, that the place was good enough for a rebel ; that it was impertinent for a capital offender to talk of honor or humanity — that anything short of a halter was too good for me — and that, that would be my portion soon atler I landed in England — for which purpose only I was sent thither. About the same time a lieutenant among the tories insulted mo in a greivous manner, snying that I ought to have been executed for my rebellion against Now York, and spit in my face ; upon which, though I was hnndcull'od, I sprung at him with both hands, and knocked him partly down, but he scrambled along into the cabin, and 1 at\er him — there he got under the protection of some men with fixed bayonets, who wore ordered to make ready to drive me into the place before mentioned. I challenged him to fight, notwithstanding the impediments that wero on my hands, and had the exalted pleasure to see the rascal tremble for fear. I lis name I have forgotten, but Watson ordered his guard to get me into the place with the other prisoners, dead or alive ; and 1 had almost as leave die as do it, standing it out till they environed me round with bayonets. Therefore, rather than die, I submitted to their indignities, being drove with bayonets into the filthy dungeon, with the other prisoners, where we were denied fresh water, except a small allowance which was very inadequate to our wants — and in consequence of the stench of tho place, each of us was soon followed with a diarrhcoi) and fever, which occasioned an intolerable thirst. When we asked for water, we were most commonly, instead of obtaining it, insulted and derided — and to add to all the horrors of the place, it was so dark that we could not see each other, and wero overspread with body lice. Wo had, notwithstanding these severities, full allowance of salt provisions, and a gill of rum per day — tho latter of which was of the utmost service to us, and probably was tho means of saving several of our lives. About forty days we ex- isted in this manner, when the Land's-End of England was discovered from the mast-head — soon ailer which the prisoners were taken from their gloomy abode, being permitted to see the light of the sun, and breathe fresh air, which to us was very refreshing. The day following wc landed at Falmouth. A few days before I was taken prisoner,! shifted my clothes, by which I happened to be taken in a Canadian dress, viz: a short fawn- skin jacket, double-breasted, an under vest and breeches of fagathy, worsted stockings, a decent pair of shoes, two plain shirts, and a red worsted cap. This was all the clothing I had, in which I made my appearance in England. When the prisoners were landed, multitudes of the citizens of Falmouth, excited by curiosity, crowded together to see us, which was equally gratifying to us. I saw numbers of people on the tops of houses, and the rising adjacent grounds were covered with them of both sexes. The throng was so great that the king's officers were obliged to draw their swords, and force a passage to Pendcnnis Castle, which was near a mile from the town where we were closely confined, in consequence of orders from General Carlton, who then commanded in Canada. My personal treatment by Lieutenant Hamilton, who commanded the castle, was very generous. He sent me every day a fine breakfast and dinner from his own table, and a bottle of good wine. Another aged !;i!i -rtt^^Ajt^r^ rt^ £^al^M.^ i^ ^.^.^ . , ^ . 140 ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. gentleman, whose name I cannot recollect, sent me a good supper. But there was no distinction in public support between me and the privates — we all lodged on a sort of Dutch bunks, in one common apartment, and were allowed straw. The privates were well supplied with fresh provisions, and with me took effectual measures to rid ourselves of lice. Among the great numbers of people who came to the castle to see th»; prisoners, some gentlemen told me that they iiad come fifly miles on purpose to see me, and desired to ask me a number of questions, and to make free with me in conversation. I gave for answer, that I chose freedom in every sense of tiie word. Then one of them asked me what my occupation in life had been? I answered him, that in my younger days I had studied divinity, but was a conjuror by profession. He replied that I conjured wrong at the time I was taken ; and I was obliged to own, that I mistook a figure at that time, but that I had conjured them out of Ticonderoga. This was a place of great notoriety in England, so that tho joke seemed to go in my favor. It was a common thing for me to be taken out of close confinement, into a spacious green in the castle, or rather parade, where numbers of gentlemen and ladies were ready to see and hear me. I often entertained such audiences with harangues on the impracticability of Groat Britian's conquering the then colonies of America. At one of these times I asked a gentleman for a bowl of punch, and he ordered his servant to bring it, which he did, and offered it to me, but I refused to take it from the hand of his servant. He then gave it to me with his own hand, refusing to drink with me in consequence of my being a state criminal. However, I took the punch and drank it all down at one draught, and handed the gentleman the bowl. This made the spectators as well as myself merry. Two clergymen came to see me, and inasmuch as they behaved with civility, I returned them the same. We discoursed on several parts of moral philosophy and Christianity — and they seemed to be surprised that I should be acquainted with such topics, or that I should understand a syllogism or regular mood of argumentation. I am appre- hensive my Canadian dress contributed not a little to the surprise, and excitement of curiosity. 'J'he prisoners were landed at Falmouth a few days before Christmas, and ordered on board of the Solebay frigate, Captain Symonds,the eighth day of January, 1776, when our hand irons were taken oft". This remove was in consequence (as I have since been informed) of a writ of habeas corpus, which had been procured by some gentlemen in England, in order to obtain me my liberty. The Solebay, with sundry other men of war, and about forty transports, rendezvoused at the cove of Cork, in Ireland, to take in provisions and water. When we were first brought on board. Captain Symonds ordered all the prisoners, and most of the hands on board, to go on deck, and caused to be read in their hearing a certain code of laws, or rules for the regulation and ordering of their behavior ; and then, in a sovereign manner, ordered the prisoners, me in particular, off the deck, and never to come on it again ; for, said he, this is a place for gentlemen to walk. So I went off, an officer following me, who told me, that he would show me the place allotted for me, and took me down to the cable tier, saying to me, this is your place. Prior to this I had taken cold, by which I was in an ill state of health, and did not say much to the officer ; but stayed there that night, consulted my policy, and found I was in an evil case. I felt myself more desponding than I had done at any time before. However, two days after I shaved and cleaned myself au well as I could, and wont on deck. The captain spoke to me in a great ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. 141 e a good supper. But me and the privates — )innion apartment, and d with, fresh provisions, elves of lice. Among le to see the prisoners, niles on purpose to see , and to make free with ;hose freedom in every what my occupation in ger days I had studied replied that I conjured 1 to own, that I mistook 3m out of Ticonderoga. o that the joke seemed to be taken out of close or rather parade, where see and hear me. I 3 on the impracticability )f America. At one of nch, and he ordered his L to me, but I refused to ave it to me with his own ce of my being a state t all down at one draught, de the spectators as well ne, and inasmuch as they me. We discoursed on ity — and they seemed to ch topics, or that I should imentation. I am appre- little to the surprise, and w days before Christmas, ptain Symond8,the eighth ; taken off. This remove rmed) of a writ of habeas emen in England, in order sundry other men of war, ) cove of Cork, in Ireland, !re first brought on board, most of the hands on board, hearing a certain code oi g of their behavior; and jners, me in particular, off said he, this is a place for Following me, who told me, me, and took me down to Prior to this I had taken ind did not say much to the my policy, and found I was ing than I had done at any ved and cleaned myself as ,tain spoke to me in a groat rage, and said, " Did T not order you not to come on deckT* I answered him, that at the same time he said, that it was the place for gentlemen to walk. That I was Colonel Allen, but had not been properly intro- duced to him. He replied, " you, sir, be careful not to walk the same side of the deck thai i Jo." This gave me encouragement, and ever after that I walked in ipe iianner he had directed, except when he, at certain times afterward, c'lred me off in a passion: I would then directly afterward go on again, telling him to command his slaves, that I was a gentleman, and had a right to walk the deck ; yet when he expressly ordered me off, I obeyed, not out of obedience to him, but to set an example to his ship's crew, who ought to obey him. It was but » few nights I lodged in the cable tier, before I gained an acquaintance with the master-of-arms. His name was Gillegan, an Irish- man, who was a generous and well disposed man, and in a friendly manner made me a proffer of living with him in a little berth, which was allotted hirr between decks, and enclosed with canvas ; his preferment on board was about equal to that of a serjeant in a regiment. I was comparatively happy in the acceptance of his clemency, and lived with him in friendship, until the frigate anchored in the harbor of Cape Fear, North Carolina, in America. Nothing of material consequence happened until the fleet rendezvoused at the cove of Cork, except a violent stirm which brought old hardy Bailors to their prayers. It was soon rumored in Cork that I was on board the Solebay, with a number of prisoners from America — upon which a number of benevolently disposed gentlemen, contributed largely to the relief and support of the prisoners, who were thirty-four in number, and in very needy circumstances. A suit of clothes from head to foot, including an overcoat, or surtout, and two shirts, were bestowed on each of them. My suit I received in superfine broadcloth, sufficient for two jackets, and two pair of breeches, overplus of a suit throughout, eight fine Holland shirts and socks ready made, with a number of pairs of silk and worsted hose, two pair of shoes, two beaver hats, one of which was richly laced with gold. The Irish gentlemen furthermore made a large gratuity of wines of the best sort, old spirits, Geneva, loaf and brown sugar, coffee, tea and chocolate, with a large round of pickled beef, and a number of fat turkies, with many other articles, for ray sea-stores, too tedious to mention here. To the privates they bestowed to each man two pounds of tea, and six pounds of sugar. These articles were received on board, at a time when the captain and first lieutenant were gone on shore, by permission of the second lieutenant. To crown all, they sent me by another person fifty guineas, but I could not reconcile the receiving the whole to my own feelings, as it might have the appearance of avarice ; and therefore received but seven guineas only. Two days after the receipt of the aforesaid donations, Captain Symonds came on board, full of envy toward the prisoners, and swore by all that is good, that the damned American rebels should not be feasted at this rate by the damned rebels of Ireland ; he therefore took away all my liquors before mentioned, except some of the wine which was secreted, and a two gallon jug of old spirits which was reserved for me, per favor of Lieutenant Douglas. The taking my liquors was abominable in his sight: he therefore spoke in my behalf, until the captain was angry with him, and in consequence, proceeded and took away all the tea and sugar which had been given to the other prisoners, and confiscated it to the use of the ship's crew. Our clothing was not taken away, but the privates were iial ml- »f«R- -^' ,.- ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. forced to do duty on board. Soon after this there came a boat to the 8ide Ke ship, and Captain Symonds asked a gentleman that was •« 't, m "ly hllrfn?" what his business was, who answered that he was sent to dehvei soTc'ea store to Colonel Allen, which, if I remember right, he said wP^o sent f o n Dublin; but the captain damned him very heartdv ordered E away from the slip, and would not suffer him to del.ver the stores. I was furthermore infonned, that the gentlemen in Cor': reyh«n I was sick, was, that it was no matter how soon I was dead, and that he was "o ways rnxious to preserve the lives of rebels, but wished them all dead ; and ?ndTd that'was the language of most of the ship's "«*• J -P-J^^^^«^. not only with the captain but with other gentlemen on board on the un Reasonableness of such usage ; inferring, that ""'^"'"^Vnffendlr thTi ment in England did not proceed against me as a capital offendf/' ^J^f/ Xould not ; for that they were by no means empowered by any author ty, S civil or military, to do so; for the English government had ac^^^^^^^^^^ me by sending me back a prisoner of war to America, and that they shouia Seat^r^e as such. I further drew an inference of impolicy on them, provided they should, by hard usage, destroy my ife : '»f™»«J " > Eht, if living, redeem one of their officers; but the «»?»»•» !fP»'«^' Sat he needed no directions of mine how to treat a rebel ; that he British would conquer the American rebels, hang the Congress, and such ^promoted the rebellion, me in particular, and retake the.r own pn oners so that my life was of no consequence in the scale of their policy. 1 "ave him foV answer, that if th'ey stayed till t^ey conquered Arnenc. before they hanged me, / should die of old age, and desired that till such in event tJok place, he would at least allow me to purchase of the P«rs«^ for my own rtioney, such articles as I greatly needed; but he 'rould not permi? it, and when I reminded him of the generous and cm usage tha^ 5.eir prisoners in captivity in America met with, he said tb« J was nrt owing to their goodness, but to their timidity ; for, said he, they expert to bo conquered, and therefore dare not misuse our prisoners, and m fart Sis was the language of the British officers till General Burgoyne wa. iken ; and not olUyof the officers, but of the whole British army. The ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. 143 me a boat to the Bide that was in it, in my le was sent to delivei ember right, he said irery heartil", ordered to deliver the stores. [\ Cor': requested of into the city, and that igate at a given time, id the eighth day of y of February. Just led, and put on board rm arose, which lasted 1 blew with relentless e was lashed fast, for ble rapidity, and every their lives. After the iners were better used Liencc happened after except a certain favor ence of an application ke a suit of clothes of nerously granted, lineaa I received at the chase ofthe purser what ugh I made sundry ap- to me, when I was sick, nd that he was no ways ■d them all dead; and I crew. I expostulated Bn on board, on the un- asmuch as the govem- a capital offender, they wered by any authority, (vernraent had acquitted ca, and that they should 3 of impolicy on them, ny life ; inasmuch as I (ut the captain replied, treat a rebel ; that the the Congress, and such take their own prisoners; jcale of their policy. I ley conquered Americ* md desired that till such ) purchase of the purser, leded ; but he would not rous and civil usage that I, he said that it was not for, said he, they expect Dur prisoners, and In fact 1 General Burgoyne WM rhole British army. The surgeon of the Solebay, however, whose name was North, was a very humane and obliging man, and took the best care of the prisoners who were sick. The third day of May we cast anchor in the harbor of Cape Fear, in North Carolina, as did Sir Peter Parker's ship of fifty guns, a little back ofthe bar, for there was no deptli of water for him to come into Ihe harbor. These two men-of-war and fourteen sail of transports and others, came after, so that most ofthe fleet rendezvoused at Cape Fear, for three weeks. The soldiers on board the transports wore sickly, in consequence of so long a passage — add to this, the smallpox carried off many of them: they landed on the main and formed a camp, but the riflemen annoyed them, and caused them to move to an island in the harbor — but such cursing of riflemen I never heard. A detachment of regulars was sent up Brunswick river ; as they landed, were fired on by those marksmen, and they came back next day, damning the rebels for their unmanly way of fighting, and swearing that they would give no quarter, for they took sight at them, and were behind timber, skulking about. One of the detachments said they lost one man — but a negro man who was with them, and heard what was said, soon after told me that he helped to bury thirty-one of them. The prisoners who had been sent on board different men-of-war at the cove of Cork, were collected together, and the whole of them put on board the Mercury frigate, Captain James Montague, who set sail from this port for Halifax, about the twentieth of May. I now found myself under a worse captain than Symouds ; for Montague was loaded with prejudices against everybody and everything that was not stamped with royalty ; and being by nature underwitted, his wrath was heavier than the others, or at least his mind was in no instance liable to be diverted by good sense, humor or bravery, of which Symonds was by turns susceptible. In this passage the prisoners were infected with the scurvy, some more and some less, but most of them severely. The ship's crew was to a great degree troubled with it, and I concluded that it was catching. Several of the crew died of it on their passage. I was weak and feeble in consequence of so long and cruel a captivity, yet had but little of the scurvy. The purser was again expressly forbid by the captain to let me have anything out of his store — upon which I went on deck, and in the handsomest manner requested the favor of purchasing a few necessaries of the purser, which was denied me. He further told me, that I should be hanged as soon as I arrived at Halifax. I tried to reason the matter with him, but found him proof against reason. He afterward forbid his surgeon to administer any help to the sick prisoners. I was every night shut down in the cable tier, with the rest ofthe prisoners, and we all lived miserably while under his power. But I received some generosity from several of the midshipmen, who in a degree alleviated my misery. But they were obliged to be private in the bestowment of their favor, which was sometimes good wine bitters, and at others a generous drink of grog. Sometime in the first week of June, we came to anchor at the Hook off New York, where we remained but three days ; in which time Governor Tryon, Mr. Kemp, the old Attorney General of New York, and several other perfidious and overgrown tories and land-jobbers came on board. Tryon viewed me with a stern countenance as I was walking on the leeward side ofthe deck with the midshipmen — and he and his companions were walking with the captain and lieutenant on the windward side of the aame, but never spoke to me. What passed between the officers of the '1^ »• I n^&i.' / .^ ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIV-J. .hip and these visitors I know not; b«t this J Jcno^^ -^ *'-^™«"* ul the principal officers was more je^ere "tft^^^^^^^^^ ,here the ship's We arrived at Halifax not fa; from the JJ'daie^i , ^^^ ^^^^^^^ crew which was infested w.th the sj^"^' ^«;« 'Sy covered with earth. . trenches dug, into wh.ch ^J^/^^jXn for thS elief. The prisoners Indeed every proper measure was taken wr in^ ^^^^ ^ ^, were not permitted any sort f^ '"^^tn ^f^I^K s^^^^^^ '^'^'^ which lay in the harbor, "^^^^^^l^" °„d coSntly set over them, night men-of-war and their »«"^"«' ^^ ^^^^^Xr, except the guard who and day. The sloop we had «hoUy to ourselveB, i^ ^_^^ ^^^^^^ occupied the fo'^^"'^* ' J^^^^ rTre tSan one third of the common It seemed to me that we had not more than on f^-^^^^^s^y,e allowance. We were all ««'^«„VeicI a pS I «i^"«^ '^^ «'^'' divided our scanty allowance ^^ «''*^^;;/^fl,e than an even share, fate with the rest, and though they offered m^e^^^^^.^^ ^.^^^^^^^ ^^.^^^ I refused to accept it, '^ '^ ZoImv y^ith the rest, and set an example my opinion, I ought to partake « J«f y^^^^^^ I sent letter after of virtue and fortitude to o^^^'^l^.^^^rrue care of us, and also to his letter to Captain Montague, who sull ^ad the care o , ^.^^^^^^^ . lieutenant, but could obtam no answer m^^^^^^^^ and, to add to the ca amity, near a to^^^^^ doctors, to procure, .f ill of the scurvy. I wrote P'^^te letters ^^^ ^^.^^ ^^^ possible, some remedy for *»>« «l^«'^^^ J^^^ed the sloop we were m, came by in a boat so c ose .^^f^^^'^^^fj'iest manner to him, but he never and I uttered my ^^"V" f S ^e^ an^ though I continued so much as turned his head, or maO« me auy ^^^^^^^ Bpeakingtillhegotoutofheanng. Ourcau^^^ ^^^ ,^ able. Still I kept writing to the c«Ptam, tm • j^^ ^^^ ^^^, they told me, not to bring "^"^^ 'ff "Jro^Sie men almost dead ot s;— iis^Kj^sT^SsS :r^: tsz^ ?t^;itXct?d 1.r ffiTh^l- ^or them, was all the money he had in the world. . <• .Ua Mprrurv came privately on board Meanwhile the doctor's mate "^ *^«h Xs^^^'* °^ '™ drops, which the prison sloop, and presented me with a large v^ ^^j^^^ proved to be good for the ^^JJ^/'.^S^'Sf^'p^^^^^^^ fngredients were requisite J*' Xm;d exertion o^Lanity-and, in my to the disease. This was a well-tiined exe^^^^^ The guard opinion, was the means of saving J« ^'^^J^^^^^Hith the feelings of com- whichwas set over «s, was by this time toucn complaint to passion; and I finally trusted <>°« "^ ^Vundm^ Lvernor Arbuthnot of Hahfax, which hj fo«^* ™«, ^^^^ „ officer and and which had the desired effect-for «J« «»J«' ^^ of the complaint. Burgeon on board the prison sloop, to ^^7'^^^ ][^ ^f lieutenant, and Thf officer's name was ^''^^^^^^X^'i^ '^'^^y '^''^^ "^^^^ treated me in a friendly and P°V*^„"*°° ^V with ; and with the surgeon cruel and unmanly usage the PJ'^J^^J'^tU^ho, either by hi. order made a reportof matters to Governo^AAutbn^^^^ ^ ^ ^ j^ , or influence, took us »«t day from the P^ J F ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ The sick were taken to the hoBp^td,M^^^^^ were employed in the •^•"SVfntVd Sem, they all deserted the king's recovered from the Bc^lT^J^VrHaS M long as the remainder of employ, and were not heard of •» HaWto, m long ■* *»■ -aw. ,-iiMi,^. , *A*-^>| l^ ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. 145 11 k ,that my treatment 16, where the ship's n shore, and shallow covered with earth., ief. The prisoners ut on board a sloop ounded with several set over them, night tcept the guard who nched with hunger, hird of the common r and faintness— we I shared the same than an even share, al distress, which, in t, and set an example I sent letter after of us, and also to his redress of grievances ; lers were dangerously lectors, to procure, if The chief physician the sloop we were in, ,rtohim,buthenever er, though I continued ,n became very deplor- irdered the guards, as to him. In the mean- tie men almost dead oi noe of Indians coming ate them at once, and em, was all the money ime privately on board )l of smart drops, which tables and some other ps gave at least a check f humanity— and, in my reral men. The guard riththe feelings of com- a letter of complaint to means to communicate, rnor sent an officer and truth of the complaint, rank of lieutenant, and was really angry at the |i; and with the surgwn who, either by his order 1 sloop to Halifax gaol, idians who were effecUve, t their countrymen were jy all deserted the king's long «* the remainder of the prisoners continued there, which was till near the middle of October. We were on board the prison sloop about six weeks, and were landed at Halifax near the middle of August. Several of our English American prisoners, who were cured of the scurvy at the hospital, made their escape from thence, and after a long time reached their old habitations. I had now but thirteen with me of those that were taken in Canada, and remained in gaol with me in Halifax, who, in addition to those that were imprisoned before, made our number about thirty-four, who were all locked up in one common large room, without regard to rank ; and as sundry of them were infected with the gaol and other distempers, the furniture of this spacious room consisted most principally of excrement tubs. As to the article of provisions, wo were well served, much better than in any part of my captivity. Notwithstanding which I had not been more than three weeks in this place before I lost all appetite for the most delicious food by the gaol distemper, as sundry of the other prisoners. A doctor visited the sick, and did the best, as I suppose, he could for them, to no apparent purpose. I grew weaker and weaker, as did the rest. Several of them could not help themselves. At last I reasoned in my own mind, that raw onion would be good. I made use of it, and found immediate relief by it, as did the sick in general. In a few days after this the prisoners were ordered to go on board of a man-of-war, which was bound for New York. This was about the twelfth of October, and soon after I had got on board, the captain sent for me in particular to come on the quarter-deck. I went, expecting the same rigorous usage I had commonly met with, and prepared my mind accordingly ; but when I came on deck, the captain met me with his hand, welcomed me to his ship, invited me to dine with him that day, and assured me that I should be treated as a gentleman, and that he had given orders that I should be treated with respect by the ship's crew. This was so unex- pected and sudden a transition that it drew tears from my eyes — which all the ill usage I had before met with was not able to produce — nor could I at first hardly speak, but soon recovered myself, and expressed my gratitude for so unexpected a favor, and let him know that I felt anxiety of my mind in reflecting that his situation and mine was such that it was not probable that it would ever be in my power to return the favor. Captain Smith replied, that he had no reward in view, but only treated me as a gentleman ought to be treated ; he said, this is a mutable world, and one gentleman never knows but that it may be in his power to help another. I dined with the captain agreeable to his invitation, and oftentimes with the lieutenants, in the gun-room, but in general ate and drank with the gentlemen, who were prisoners with me, where I also slept. Captain urk having been taken prisoner, was added to our company, (he had commanded an American armed vessel,) and was generously treated by the captain and all the officers of the ship. We now had in all near thirty prisoners on board, and as we were sailing along the coast, if I recollect right, off Rhode Island, Captain Burk, with an under officer of the ship, whose name I do not recollect, came to our little berth, proposed to kill Captain Smith and the principal officers of the frigate and take it ; adding that there was 36,0002 sterling in the same. Captain Burk likewise averred that a strong party out of tho ship's crew was in the conspiracy, and urged me and the gentlemen that were with me to use our influence with the private prisoners, to execute the design, and take the ship, with the cash, into one of our own ports. Up« ^tatftfmm^v*^'^ •MMaMi^- .'/'.A- U^ 146 ETHAN ALLEN'S NARRATIVE. been too well used on board to murder the officers ; that I could by no means reconcile it to my conscience, and that in fact it should not be done ; and while I was yet speaking, my friend Level confirmed what I had said, and further pointed out the ungratefulness of such an act ; that it did not fall short of murder ; and, in tine, all the gentlemen in the berth opposed Captain Burk and his colleague. But they strenuously urged that the conspiracy would be found out, and that it would cost them their lives, provided they did not execute their design. I then interposed spiritedly, and put an end to further arguments on the subject, and told them that they might depend upon it, upon my honor, that I would faith- fully guard Captain Smithes life. If they should attempt the assault, I would assist him, for they desired me to remnin neuter, and that the same honor that guarded Captain Smithes life, would also guard theirs ; and it was agreed by those present not to reveal the conspiracy, to the intent that no man should be put to death in consequence of what had been projected ; and Captain Burk and his colleague went to stifle the matter among their associates. I could not help calling to mind what Captain Smith said to me, when I first came on board: "7^t« is a mutable world, and one gentleman never knows *but that it may be in his power to help another.^^ Captain Smith and his officers still behaved with their usual courtesy, and I never heard any more of the conspiracy. We arrived before New York the latter part of October, where we remained several days, and where Captain Smith informed me, that he had recommended me to Admiral Howe and General Sir William Howe, as a gentleman of honor and veracity, and desired that I might be treated as such. Captain Burk was then ordered on board a prison ship in the harbor. I took my leave of Captain Smith, and, with the other prisoners, was sent on board a transport ship, which lay in the harbor, commanded by Captain Craige,who took me into the cabin with him and his lieutenant. I fared as they did, and was in every respect well treated in consequence of directions from Captain Smith. Some of the last days of November, the prisoners were landed at New York, and I was admitted to parole with the other officers. The privates were put into the filthy churches in New York, with the distressed prisoners that were taken at Fort Washington ; and the second night serjeant Roger Moore, who was bold and enterprising, found means to make his escape with every one of the remaining prisoners that were taken with me, except three who were soon after exchanged. So that out of thirty-one prisoners, who went with me the round exhibited in these sheets, two only died with the enemy, and three only exchanged: one of them died after he came within our lines ; all the rest, at different times, made their escape from the enemy. I now found myself on parole, and restricted to the limits of the city of New York, where I soon projected means to live in some measure agreeable to my rank, though I was destitute of cash. My constitution was almost worn out by such a long and barbarous captivity. The enemy gave out that I was crazy, and \wholly unmanned, but my vitals held sound, (nor was I delirous any more th. n I have been from my youth up ; but my extreme circumstances at certain times, rendered it politic to act in some measure the madman,) and in consequence of a regular diet and exercise my blood recruited, and my nerves in great measure recovered their former tone, strength and usefulness, in the course of six months. I next invite the reader to a consideration of the scene of inhumanity exercised by General Sir William Howe, and the army under his command. wy » ig n.i i m ii g i» a > i ■**<■ -■ ' I ■» -■* - 1 J * ^ii» ^ ■■ ■ ■*"* » -p* !«**• j t '< , ^'a»w*w*.* ^^tf ^<''«»''' '*^ '< *'-* '' ey most generally » New York, with nuary, 1777, was rs to be quartered ntinued. On the he har'r jr at New neral Campbell's the general and for two days in t impbell (who was Mr. Boudinot, the me in a handsome ^ gentleman in his was accompanied not, and a number il to Elizabethtown , landed on liberty he acclamations of lital of the Green last day of May to from the dead, and ion were fired that rders, and fourteen in, my usual place «»«ni»tr^«a««««M»w«««**«* INCIDENTS IK WAR WITH TRIPOLI: TO WHICH IS ADDED A N ABBATITI Or THB OUUaATBD CHASE OF THE CONSTITUTION BY A BRITISH SQUADRON. Thr depredations committed on American com.Tierce in the Mediter- ranean, by the piratical corsairs of the Barbary powers induced Congress to authorize the formation of a naval force for its protection. In the month of August, 1801, Captain Sterrett,of the United States schooner Enterprise, of twelve guns, and ninety men, fell in, off Malta, with aTripolitan cruiser of fourteen guns, and eighty-five men. In this action the Tripolitans thrice hauled down her colors, and thrice perfidiously renewed the conflict. Fifly of her men were killed and wounded. The Enterprise did not lose a man! Captain Sterrett^s instructions not permitting him to make a prize of the cruiser, he ordered her crew to throw overboard all their guns and powder, etc., and to go and tell their countrymen the treatment they might expect from a nation, determined to pay tribute only in powder and bali. On her arrival at Tripoli, so great was the terror produced, that the sailors abandoned the cruisers then fitting ou*. and not a man could be procured to navigate them. The Tripolitan cruisers continuing to harass the vessels of the United States, Congress determined, in 1803, to fit out a fleet that should chastise their insolence. The squadron consisted of the Constitution, 44 guns; the Philadelphia, 44; the Argus, 18; the Siren, 16; the Nautilus, 16; the Vixen, 16; and the Enterprise, 12. Commodore Preble was appointed to the command of this squadron, in May, 1803, and on the thirteenth of August, sailed, in the Constitution, for the Mediterranean. Having adjusted the difficulties which had sprung up with the emperor of Morocco, he turned his whole attention to Tripoli. The season was, however, too far advanced for active operations. On the thirty-first of October, the Philadelphia, being, at nine o'clock in the morning, about five leagues to the westward of Tripoli, discovered a sail in shore, standing before the wind to the eastward. The Philadel- phia immediately gave chase. The sail hoisted Tripolitan colors, and continued her course near the shore. The Philadelphia opened a fire upon her, and continued it till half past eleven; when, being in seven fathoms water, and finding her fire could not prevent the vessel entering Tripoli, she gave up the pursuit. In beating off, she ran on a rock, not laid down in any chart, distant four and a half miles from the town. A boat was immediately lowered to sound. The greatest depth of water was found to be astern. In order to back her off, all sails were then laid aback; the topgallant-sails loosened; three anchors thrown away from the bows; the water in the hold started; and all the guns thrown (149) ill rt.i i ri i,i.-v) > ji . -^ j> i -il!!U,IJHLl.ilJ!Llf -??«(■ 150 INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. overboard, excepting a few abatt to defend the ship against the attacks of the TripolitaJ gunboats, then firing at her. All this, however, proved ?ne fcctuar as did also the attempt to lighten her forward by cutl.ng awnv 1 cr ft remast. The Philadelphia hal already withstood the nttaci^ ,,r the numerous gunboats for four hours, when a large reinforcement •on n.r out of Tripoli, and being herself deprived of every means of cSnce and dofens'e, she was forced J" »»"''«', ''^"^/"[i^^tersi? TriDolitans immediately took possession of her, and made prisoners ol ihe'officers and men, in numbeV three hundred. Forty-e.ght hours after- ward, "he wind blowing in shore, the Tripoliians got the tr.gato otf, and '° On th" 'stet emft December, 1803, Commodore Preble after making his preparations and disposing of his force .n d.fferen ways, S for Tr noli, with the Enterprise in company, off which place he now u Src. fo he'fiTst time. The twenty-third of the month, the Enter- So 12, Lieutenant Commandant Decatur, fell in with and captured a ketch, called the Mastico, witli seventy flouls on boaril. In a letter of the date of the fifth of December, 1803, Cap ain Ba.n- bridge suggested the possibility of destroying the Philadelphia, wh ch hiD was slowly fitting for sea, there being little doubt ot her being sent tl^s^cmS, as soon as the mild season should return. Commodoro p"ebTe listened 'to the suggestion, and being much '" ;h« --^iimion commander of the vessel that was most in company w tiithe Constilution, LruTenant Stephen Decatur, he mentioned the project to that spirted officer The expedition was just suited to the ardor and temperament of \lr Decatur, and the possession of the Mastico at once atforded the m^anfof "ar'r bg it intS effect, The ketch wa. accordingly ^p^^^^^^ named the Intrepid, and taken into the service, as a tender. About tms imrL ieutenanf C;minandant Stewart, of the Siren, the pffifer who was then second in command in the Mediterranean, and who had just arrived ftom below, offered to cut out the Philadelphia with h.s own br g; but Cc.mmodore' Preble was pledged to Mr. Deca.ur, -^0, a first^had pro- Dosed to run in with the Enterprise and carry the ship. Ihe more llxpetienced Preble rejected the propositions of both these ardent young men, substituting a plan of his own. i r m, n«,.rdingly appraised, nder. About this lie officer who was \\o had just arrived his own brig; but ), at first, had pro- ship. The more these ardent young i of Mr. Decatur to isigned to the com- y, however, to leave of a few gentlemen . and orders to tha« dated February the en named to report :he Enterprise. As J furnish the entire ly men to this craft, •prise, so far as her 3n the afternoon of eived, Messrs. Izard, e Constitution, went ;y to her commander, n Lieutenant Com- jnation of the ketch, 3 schooner presented ;he most active men INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. 151 were selected, and the romaindtr, witli n few olFicers, were loft to take care of the vtsnel. As the orders to de.-ttroy the frigate, anil not to at- tempt to bring her out, were peremptory, the combustibles, which had been prepared for this purpose, were immediately sent on board the Intrepid, her crew followed, and that evening the ketch sailed, under the convoy of the Siren 16, Lieutenant Commandant Stewart, who was properly the senior officer of the expedition, though, owing to the peculiar nature of the service, Mr. Decatur was permitted to conduct the more active part of tlie duty, at his own discretion. The party in the ketch consisted of Lieutenant Commandant Decatur; Lieutenants Lawrence, Bainbridge, and Thorn ; Mr. Thomas M'Donough, midshipman, and Dr. Heerman, surgeon; all of the Enterprise; — Messrs. Izard, Morris, Laws, Davis, and Rowe, midshipmen, of the Constitution ; and Salvatore Catalano the pilot, with sixty-two petty officers and common men, making a total of seventy-four souls. On the sixteenth, about noon, calculating that they were abreast of the town, and the wind and weather being, in all respects, favorable, both vessels kept away, the ketch leading some distance, in order that the enemy might not suppose her a consort of the Siren's although tiie latter was so much disguised, as to render it impossible to recognize her. The wind was fair, but light, and everything looking favorable; Mr. Decatur now seriously made his dispositions for the attack. Apprehensive that they might iiave been seen, and that the enemy had possibly strengthened the party on board the frigate, Lieutenant Commandant Stewart sent a boat and eight men from the Siren, to the ketch, under the orders of one of his midshipmen, Mr. Anderson, which reinforcement increased the numbers of the intended assailants to eighty-two, all told. As the ketch drew in with the land, the Philadelphia became visible. She lay not quite a mile within the entrance, riding to the wind, and abreast of the town. Her foremast, which had been cut away while she was on the reef, had not yet been replaced, her main and mizzen-topmasta were housed, and her lower yards were on the gunwales. Her lower standing rigging, however, was in its place, and, as was shortly afterward ascertained, her guns were loaded and shotted. Just within her, lay two corsairs, with a few gun-boats, and a galley or two. It was a mild evening for the season, and the sea and bay were smooth as in summer. Perceiving that he was likely to get in too soon, when about five miles from the rocks, Mr. Decatur ordered buckets and other drags to be towed astern, in order to lessen the way of the ketch, without shortening sail, as the latter expedient would have been seen from the port, and must have awakened suspicion. In the meantime the wind gradually fell, until it became so light as to leave the ketch but about two knot's way on her, when the drags were removed. About ten o'clock the Intrepid reached the eastern entrance of the bay, or the passage between the rocks and the shoal. The wind was nearly east, and, as she steered directly for the frigate, it was well abaft the beam. There was a young moon, and as the bold adventurers were slowly advancing into the hostile port, all around them was tranquil and apparently without distrust. For near an hour they were stealing slowly along, the air gradually failing, until their motion became scarcely perceptible. Most of the officers and men of the ketch had been ordered to lie on the deck, where they were concealed by low bulwarks, or weather-boards, and by the different objects that belong to a vessel. As it is the practice 162 INCIDENTS IN THE WAP WITH TRIPOLI. of ihoso seas to carry many moii even in tho amalloat craH, tho appearance of ton or twelve would excite no alarm, and this number was visible. Tho comtnauding officer, himself, stood near the pilot; who was to net as interpreter. Tho quartermaster at the holm, was ordered to stand directly for the frigate's bows, it being the intention to lay the ship aboard in that place, as tho mode of attack which would least expose the assailants to her fire. The Intrepid was still at a considerable distance from the Philadelphia, when tho latter hailed. Tho pilot answered that the ketch belonged to Malta, and was on a trading voyage; that she had been nearly wrecked, and had lost her anchors in the late gale, and that her commander wished to ride by the frigate during the night. Tiiis conversation lasted some time, Mr. Decatur instructing the pilot to tell the frigate's people with what he was laden, in order to amuse them, and the Intrepid gradually drew nearer, until there was every prospect of her running foul of the Philadelphia, in a minute or two, and at the very spot contemplated. But the wind suddenly shifted, and took the ketch aback. The instant the southerly puff struck her, her head fell off, and she got a stern-board, the ship, at tho same moment, tending to the new current of air. Tho effect of this unexpected change was to bring tho ketch directly under the frigate's broadside, at the distance of about forty yards, where she lay becalmed, or, if anything, drifting slowly astern, exposed to nearly every one of the Philadelphia's larboard guns. Not the smallest suspicion appears to have been yet excited on board the frigate, though several of her people wore looking over the rails; and, notwithstanding the moonlight, so completely were the Turks deceived, that they lowered a boat, and sent it with a fast. 8ome of the ketch's men, in the meantime, had got into her boat, and had run a line to the frigate's forechains. As they returned, they met tho frigate's boat, took the fast it brought, which came from the after part of the ship, and passed it into their own vessel. These fasts were put into the hands of the men, as they lay on the ketch's deck, and they began cautiously to breast tho Intrepid along side of the Philadelphia, nrithout rising. As soon as the latter got near enough to the ship, tlie Turks discovered her anchors, and they sterilly ordered the ketch to keep off, as she had deceived them ; preparing, at the same time, to cut the fasts. All this passed in a moment, when the cry of "Amorikanos" was heard in the ship. The people of the Intrepid by a strong pull, brought their vessel along side of the frigate, where she was secured, quick as thouglit. Up to this moment, not a whisper had betrayed the presence of the men concealed. The instructions had been positive to keep quiet until com- manded to show themselves, and no precipitation, even in that trying moment, deranged the phn. Lieutenant Commandant Decatur was standing ready for a spring, with Messrs. Laws and Morris quite near him. As soon as close enough, he jumped at the frigate's chain-plates, and while clinging to the siiip him- self, he gave the order to board. The two midshipmen were at his side, and all the officers and men of the Intrepid arose and followed. The three gentlemen named were in the chains together, and Lieutenant Commandant Decatur and Mr. Morris sprang at the rail above them, while Mr. Laws dashed at a port. To the latter would have belonged the honor of having been first in this gallant assault, but wearing a board- ing-belt, his pistols were caught between the gun and the side of the lK>rt. Decatur's foot slipped in springing, and Mr. Charles Merris POLL ran, tho appearance numhor wan visible. itt who wan tu act u irod to stand directly tho sliip aboard in ixpose the osHailantu :>ni the Philadelphia, le ketch belonged to een nearly wrecked, r commander wished 3rsation lasted some 'rigato^a people with Intrepid gradually running foul of the t contemplated. But ;k. The instant the got a stern-board, the [It of air. Tho efl'ect 1 directly under the f&rda, where she lay losed to nearly every yet excited on board tking over the rails; sly were tho Turks a fast. Some of the it, and had run a line met the frigate's boat, part of the ship, and put into the hands of y began cautiously to ,, (vithout rising. As Turks discovered her keep off, as she had Lit the fasts. All this is " was heard in the I, brought their vessel uick as thought. Up presence of the men keep quiet until com- , even in that trying 3ady for a spring, with n as close enough, he iging to the ship him- men were at his side, and followed. The ther, and Lieutenant the rail above them, would have belonged , but wearing a board- 1 and the side of the Mr. Charles Merris mt^ ■ -^ ■■». ■• 1 INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. 153 first stood upon the quartordock of (hn Philadelphia. In an inntont Liuutenaut ('ommandiint Ducntur and Mr. Laws were at bin sidt!, wiiilf head.s and l)odics appeared coming over the rail, and tiirough tiic port in all directions. The surprise appears to have been as perfect, as the assault was rapid and earnest. Mo.st of the Turks on deck crowded forward, and all ran ov(?r to tho starlH>ard-side, as tii)!ir enemies |iuured in on t'le liirlxiard, A fesv were ai\, but as .soon us charged, they leaped into the sea. Indeed, tiie constant plunges into the water, gave tho assailants the assurance that their enemies were fust lessening in numbers by flight. It took but a minute or two to clear the spar-deck, though there was more of a struggio below. Htill, so admirably nianuged was the attuck, and so complete the surprise, that the resistance was but trifling. In lesH than ten minutes Mr. Decatur was on tiie (juarter-deck again, in undisturbed possession of his prize. There can bo no doubt that this gallant officer now felt bitter regrets, that it was not in his jiower to bring away the siiip ho had so nobly re- covered. Not only were his orders on this point peremptory, however, but the frigate had not a sail bent, nor a yard crossed, and she wanted her foremast. It was next to impossible, therefore, to remove her, and the command was given to pass up tho combustibles from the kelcli. The duty of setting tire to tho prize, appears to have been executed with as much promptitude and order, as every other part of the service. The officers distributed ihemselves, agreeably to tho previous instructions, and the men soon appeared with tho uecesdary means. Each party acted by itself, and as it got ready. So rapid were they all in their movements, that the men with combustibles had scarcely time to get as low as the cock- pit and after store-rooms, before the fires were lighted over their heads. When tho officer entrusted with the duty last mentioned, had got through, he found the after-hatches filled with smoke, from the fire in the ward- room and steerage, and he was obliged to make his escape by the forward ladders. The Americans were in the ship from twenty to twenty-five minutes, and they were literally driven out of her by the flames. The vessel had got to be so dry in that low latitude, that she burnt like pine; and the combustibles had been as judiciously prepared, as they were steadily used. The last party up, were tho people who had been in tho store- rooms, and when they reached the deck, they found most of their companions already in tiie Intrepid. Joining them, and ascertaining that all was ready, the order was given to cast ofl". Notwithstanding the daring character of the enterprise in general, Decatur and his party now ran the greatest risk they had incurred that night. So fierce had the conflagration already become, that the flames began to pour out of the ports, and the head-fast having been cast off, the ketch fell astern, with her jigger flapping against the quarter-gallery, and her boom foul. The fire showed itself in tho window, at this critical moment; and beneath, was all the ammunition of the party, covered with a tarpaulin. To in- crease the risk, the stern-fast was jammed. By using swords, however, for there was not time to look for an ax, the hawser was cut, and the Intrepid was extricated from the most imminent danger, by a vigorous shove. As she swung clear of the frigate, the flames reached the rigging, up which they went hissing, like a rocket, the tar having oozed from the ropes, which had been saturated with that inflammable matter. Matches could not have kindled with greater quickness. i| I 154 INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. The sweeps were now manned. Up to this moment, everything had been done earnestly, though without noise, but, as soon as they felt that they had got command of their ketch again, and by two or three vigorous strokes had sent iier away from tiu; frigate, the people of the Intrepid ceased rowing, and as one man, they gave three cheers for victory. This api>earcd to arouse the Turks from their siupor, for the cry had hardly ended, when the batteries, the two corsairs, and the giilley, poured in their fire. The men lay hold of the sweeps again, of wiiich the Intrepid had eight of a side, and favored by a light air, they went rapidly down the harbor. The spectacle that followed, is described as having been both beautiful and sublime. The entire bay was illuminated by the conflagration, the roar of cannon was constant, and Tripoli was in a clamor. The appearance of the ship was, in the highest degree, magnificent ; and, to add to the effect, as her guns heated, they began to go oflf. Owing to the shiil of wind, and the position into which she had tended, she, in some measure, returned the enemy's fire, as one of her broadsides was discharged in the direction of the town, and the other toward Fort English. Tlie most singular eflfect of this conflagration was on board the ship, for the flames having run up the rigging and masts, collected under the tops, and fell over, giving the whole the appearance of glowing columns and fiery capitals. Under ordinary circumstances, the situation of the ketch would still have been thought sufficiently perilous, but after the exploit they had just performed, her people, elated with success, regarded all that was now passing, as a triumphant spectacle. The shot constantly cast the spray around them, or were whistling over their heads, but the only sensation they produced, was by calling attention to the brilliant jets dPcau that they occasioned as they bounded along the water. But one struck the Intrepid, although she was within half a mile of many of the heaviest guns for some time, and that passed through her topgallant sail. With sixteen sweeps, sind eighty men elated with success, Decatur was enabled to drive the little Intrepid ahead with a velocity that r( udered towing useless. Near the harbor's mouth, he met the Siren's boats, sent to cover his retreat, but their services were scarcely necessary. As soon as the ketch was out of danger, he got into one, and pulled aboard the brig, to report to Lieutenant Commandant Stewart, the result of his undertaking. The Siren had got into the offing some time after the Intrepid, agree- ably to arrangements, and anchored about three miles from the rocks. Here she hoisted out the launch and a cutter, manned and armed them, and sent them in, under Mr. Caldwell, her first lieutenant. Soon after the brig weighed, and the wind having entirely failed outside, she swept into eight fathoms water, and anchored again, to cover the retreat, should the enemy attempt to board the Intrepid, with his gun-boats. It will readily be supposed that it was an anxious moment, and as the moon rose, all eyes were on the frigate. After waiting in intense expectat' jn near an hour, a rocket went up from the Philadelphia. It was the signal of possession, and Mr. Stewart ran below to get another for the answer He was gone only a moment, but when he returned, the fire was seen shining through the frigate's ports, and in a few more minutes, the flames were rushing up her rii^ging, as if a train had been touched. Then followed the cannonade, and the dashing of sweeps, with the approach of the ketch. Presently a boat was seen coming along side, and a man, FRIPOLT. ent, everything had been n as they felt that they f two or three vigorous people of the Intrepid heers for victory. This , for the cry had hardly i the galley, poured in n, of wiiich the Intrepid they went rapidly down ving been both beautiful )y the conflagration, the ■as in a clamor. The ee, magnificent ; and, to an to go off. Owing to she had tended, she, in e of her broadsides was ;her toward Fort English. IS on board the ship, for collected under the tops, of glowing columns and of the ketch would still ■ the exploit they had just garded all that was now constantly cast the spray s, but the only sensation brilliant jets d'cau that ter. But one struck the of many of the heaviest r topgallant sail, ivith success, Decatur was 1 a velocity that rendered it the Siren's boats, sent to :ely necessary. As soon ne, and pulled aboard the Itewart, the result of his after the Intrepid, agree- ree miles from the rocks, manned and armed them, 9t lieutenant. Soon after r failed outside, she swept cover the retreat, should ith his gun-boats. It will lent, and as the moon rose, 1 intense expectat' m near »hia. It was the signal of t another for the answer Bturned, the fire was seen N more minutes, the flames lad been touched. Then sweeps, with the approach ling along side, aud a man. INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. 155 in a sailor's jacket, sprang over the gangway of the brig. It was Decatur, himself, to announce his victory!" After the destruction of the Philadelphia frigate, Commodore Preble was, during the spring and early part of the summer, employed in keeping up the blockade of the harbor of Tripoli, in preparing for an attack upon the town and in cruising. " Wiien the American commander assembled his whole force before Tripoli, on the twenty-fifth of July, 1804, it consisted of the Constitution 44, Commodore Preble; Siren 16, Lieutenant Commandant Stewart; Argus IG, Lieutenant Commandant Hull; Scourge 14, Lieutenant Com- mandant Dent; Vixen 12, Lieutenant Commandant Smith; Nautilus 12, Lieutenant Commandant Somers; Enterprise 12, Lieutenant Commandant Decatur; the two bomb-vessels, and six gunboats. In some respects this was a well appointed force for the duty required, while in others it was lamentably deficient. Another heavy ship, in particular, was wanted, and the means for bombarding had all the defects that may be anticipated. The two heaviest brigs had armaments of twenty-four pound carronades; the other brig, and two of the schooners, armaments of eighteen-pound carronades ; while the Enterprise retained her original equipment of long sixes, in consequence of her ports being unsuited to the new guns. As the Constitution had a gun-deck battery of thirty long twenty-iburs, with six long twenty-sixes, and some lighter long guns above, it follows that the Americans could bring twenty-two twenty-fours and six twenty- sixes to bear on the stone walls of the town, in addition to a few light chase-guns in the small vessels, and the twelve-pounders of the frigate's quarter-deck and forecastle. On the whole, there appears to have been in the squadron, twenty-eight heavy long guns, with about twenty lighter, that miglit be brought to play on the batteries simultaneously. Opposed to these means of offense, the bashaw had one hundred and fifteen guns in battery, most of them quite heavy, and nineteen gun-boats that, of themselves, so far as metal was concerned, were nearly equal to the frigate. Moored in the harbor were also two large galleys, two schooners, and a brig, all of which were armed and strongly manned. The Ameri- can squadron was manned by one thousand and sixty persons, all told, while the bashaw had assembled a force that has been estimated as high as twenty-five thousand, Arabs and Turks included. The only advanta- ges possessed by the assailants, in the warfare that is so soon to follow, were those which are dependent on spirit, discipline, and system. On the third of August, 1804, the squadron ran in and got within a league of the town, with a pleasant breeze at the eastward. The enemy's gun-boats and galleys had come outside of the rocks, and were lying there in two divisions; one near the eastern, and the other near the western entrance, or about half a mile apart. At the same time, it was seen that all the batteries were manned, as if an attack was not only expected, bi" Invited. At half-past twelve, the Constitution wore with i,er head offshore, and showed a signal tor all vessels to come within hail. As he came up, each commander was ordered to prepare to attack the shipping and bat- teries. The bomb-vessels and gun-boats were immediately manned, and •^uch was the high state of discipline in the squadron, that in one hour, everything was ready for the contemplated service. On tiiis occasion. Commodore Preble made the following distribution of that part of his force, which was manned from the other vessels of his squadron: C * : Ht&SBSS ;156 iNGiDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. One bombard was commanded by Lieut. Commandant Dent, of the Scourge. The other bombard by Mr. Robinson, first lieutenant of the Constitution. FIRST DIVISION OF 0UN-B0AT8. No. 1. Lieut. Com. Somers, of the Nautilus. «' 2. Lieut. James Decatur, of the Nautilus. « 3. Lieut. Blake, of the Argus. SECOND DIVISION OF GUN-BOAT8. No. 4. Lieut. Com. Decatur, of the Enterprise. « 6. Lieut. Bainbridge, of the Enterprise. " 6. Lieut. Trippe, of the Vixen. At half-past one, the Constitution wore again, and stood toward the town At two, the gun-boats were cast off, and formed in advance, covered by the brigs and schooners, and half an hour later, the signal was shown to engage. The attack was commenced by the two bombards, which began to throw shells into the town. It was foUovyed by the bat- teries, which were instantly in a blaze, and then the shipping on both sides opened their fire, with reach of grape. . The eastern, or most weatherly division of the enemy's gun-boats, nine in number, as being least supported, was the aim of the American gun- boats But the bad qualities of the latter craft were quickly apparent, for, as soon as Mr. Decatur steered toward the enemy, with an intention to come to close quarters, the division of Mr. Somers, which was a little to leeward, found it difficult to sustain him. Every eftort was made by the latter officer, to get far enough to windward to join in the attack, but finding it impracticable, he bore up, and ran down alone on five of the enemv to leeward, and engaged them all withm pistol-shot, throwing showers of grape, cannister, and musket-balls among them. In order to do this, as soon as near enough, the sweeps were got out, and the boat was backed astern to prevent her from drifting in among the enemy. No. 3 was closing fast, but a signal of recall being shown from the Con- stitution, she hauled out of the line to obey, and losing ground, she kept more aloof, firing at the boats and shipping in the harbor, while No. 2, Mr. James Decatur, was enabled to join the division to windward. No. 6 Mr. Bainbridge, lost her latine-yard, while still m tow of the Siren, but. though unable to close, she continued advancing, keeping up a heavy fire, and finally touched on the rocks. .... u . Bv these changes. Lieutenant Commandant Decatur had three boats that dashed forward with him, though one belonged to the division of Mr. Somers, viz. No. 4, No. 6, and No. 2. The officers in command of these three boats, went steadily on, until within the smoke of the enemy. Here they delivered their fire, throwing in a terrible discharge of grape and musket-balls, and the order was given to board. Up to this moment, the odds had been as three to one against the assailants, and it was now, it possible increased. The brigs and schooner could no longer assist. The Turkish boats were not only the heaviest and the best in every sense, but they were much the strongest manned. The combat now assumed a character of chivalrous prowess and of desperate personal eflorts, that belongs to the middle ages, rather than to struggles of our own times. Its details, indeed, savor more of the glow of romance, than of the sober severity that we are accustomed to associate with reality. Lieutenant Commandant Decatur took the lead. He had no sooner discharged his shower of musket-balls, than No. 4 was laid along side =ii;<*«v-' ■*'>»>.**■ TRIPOLI. mmandant Dent, of the 1, first lieutenant of the lTB. ll^autilus. Nautilus. AT8. Enterprise, terprise. n, and stood toward the ind formed in advance, m hour later, the signal :ed by the two bombards, was followed by the bat- n the shipping on both enemy's gun-boats, nine m of the American gun- \ were quickly apparent, enemy, with an intention omers, which was a little Ivery eftbrt was made by I to join in the attack, but lown alone on five of the thin pistol-shot, throwing imong them. In order to ere got out, and the boat ag in among the enemy, sing shown from the Con- d losing ground, she kept the harbor, while No. 2, ivision to windward. No. II in tow of the Siren, but. cing, keeping up a heavy Decatur had three boats iged to the division of Mr. cers in command of these noke of the enemy. Here 3 discharge of grape and . Up to this moment, the ailants, and it was now, if r could no longer assist, nd the best in every sense, rhe combat now assumed erate personal efl'orts, that ruggles of our own times, •omance, than of the sober ith reality. lead. He had no sooner No. 4 was laid along side INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. 157 the opposing boat of the enemy, and he went into her, followed by Lieu- tenant Thorn, Mr. M'Donough, and all the Americans of his crew. The Tripolitan boat was divided nearly into two parts, by a long open hatch- way, and as the people of No. 4 came in on one side, the Turks retreated to the other, making a sort of ditch of the open space. This caused an instant of delay, and, perhaps, fortunately, for it permitted the assailants to act together. As soon as ready, Mr. Decatur charged round each end of the hatchway, and after a short struggle, a portion of the Turks were piked and bayoneted, while the restsubmitted, or leaped into the water. No sooner had Mr. Decatur got possession of the boat first assailed, than he took her in tow, and bore down on the one next to leeward. Running the enemy aboard, as before, he went into him, with most of his officers and men. The captain of the Tripolitan vessel was a large pow- erful man, and Mr. Decatur personally charged him with a pike. The weapon, however, was seized by the Turk, wrested from the hands of the assailant, and turned against its owner. The latter parried a thrust, and made a blow with his sword at the pike, with a view to cut off its head. The sword hit the iron, and broke at the hilt, and at the next instant the Turk made another thrust. Nothing was left to the gallant Decatur, but his arm, with which he so far averted the blow, as to receive the pike through the flesh of one breast. Pushing the iron from the wound, by tearing the flesh, he sprang within the weapon, and grappled his antagonist. The pike fell between the two, and a short trial of strength succeeded, in which the Turk prevailed. As the combatants fell, however, Mr. Decatur so far released himself as to lie side by side with his foe on the deck. The Tripolitan now endeavored to reach his poniard, while his hand was firmly held by that of his enemy. [Some accounts state that he had drawn his dirk, and had raised his arm to strike.] At this critical instant, when life or death depended on a moment well employed, or a moment lost, Decatur drew a small pistol from a pocket, passed the arm that was free round the body of the Turk, pointed the muzzle and fired. The ball passed entirely through the body of the Mussel- in< man, and lodged in the clothes of his foe. At the same instant, Decatur felt the grasp that had almost smothered him relax, and he was liberated. He sprang up, and the Tripolitan lay dead at his feet. [During the continuance of this terrible struggle, the crews of each vessel impetuously rushed to the assistance of their respective com- manders. Such was the carnage in this furious and desperate battle, that it was with difficulty Decatur could extricate himself from the killed and wounded, by which he was ■ surrounded. In this affair an American sailor, Reuben James, of Delaware, manifested the most heroic self-devo- tion. Seeing a Tripolitan officer, aiming a blow at Decatur's head while he was struggling with his prostrate foe, and which must have proved fatal, had not the generous and fearless tar, who had been deprived of the use of both his hands, by severe wounds, rushed between the saber and his commander, and received the blow on his head, by which his skull was fractured.] An idea of the desperate nature of the fighting that distinguished this remarkable assault, may be gained from the amount of the loss. The two boats captured by Lieutenant Commandant Decatur, had about eighty men in them, of whom fifty-two are known to have been killed and wounded; most of the latter very badly. As only eight prisoners were made who were not wounded, and many jumped overboard, and swam to the rocks, it is not improbable that the Turks sufiered still more severely. Lieutenant ' 1 I i ;] i^ thimm *.i*ihi<.fa f»r ■, 158 INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. Commandant Decatur himself being wounded, he secured his second prize, and hauled oft' to rejoin the squadron; all the rest of the enemy 8 division that were not taken, having, by this time, run mto the harbor, by passins through the openings between the rocks. • , . While Lieutenant Commandant Decatur was thus employed to wmdward, his brother, Mr. James Decatur, the first lieutenant of the NaiiUlus, was nobly emulating his example in No. 2. Reserving his fire like Wo. 4, this young officer dashed into the smoke, and was on the point of boardmg, when he received a musket ball in his forehead. The boats met and rebounded; and in the confusion of the death of the commanding officer of No. 2, the Turk was enabled to escape, under a heavy fire from the Americans. It was said, at the time, that the enemy had struck before Mr. Decatur fell, though the fact must remain in doubt. It is, however, believed that he sustained a very severe loss. ..... In the mean time, Mr. Trippe, in No. 6, the last of the three boats that were able to reach the weather division, was not idle. Reserving his fire, like the others, he delivered it with deadly effect, when closing, and went aboard of his enemy in the smoke. In this instance, the ooats also separated by the shock of the collision, leaving Mr. Trippe, with Mr. J. D. Henley, and nine men only, on board the Tripolitan. Here, too, commanders singled each other out, and a severe personal combat occurrti . while the work of death was going on around them. The Turk was young, and of a large atheletic form, and he soon compelled his slighter but more active foe to fight witli caution. Advancing on Mr. Tnppe, he would strike a blow and receive a thrust in return. In this manner, he cave the American commander no less than eight saber wounds in the head, and two in the breast; when, making a sudden rush, he struck a ninth blow on the head, which brought Mr. Trippe upon a knee. Rally- ing all his force in a desperate effort, the latter, who still relamed the short pike with which he fought, made a tiirust that passed the weapon through his gigantic adversary, and tumbled him on his back. As soon as the Tripolitan officer fell, the remainder of his people submitted. The boat taken by Mr. Trippe, was one of the largest belonging to the bashaw. The number of her men is not positively known, but, |>ving and dead, thirty-six were found in her, of whom twenty-one were either killed or wounded. When it is remembered that but eleven Americans boarded her, the achievement must pass for one of the most gallant on record. All this time the cannonade and bombardment continued without ceasing. Lieutenant Commandant Somers, in No. 1, sustained by the brigs and schooners, had forced the remaining boats to retreat, and this resolute officer pressed them so hard, as to be compelled to ware w'thin a short distance of a battery of twelve guns, quite near the mole. Her destruc- tion seemed inevitable, as the boat came slowly round, when a shell tell into the battery, most opportunely, blew up the platform, and '^fo^^J^*'® enemy out, io a man. Before the guns could be again used the boat had got in tow of one of the small vessels. There was a division of five boats and two galleys of the enemy, that had been held in reserve within the rocks, and these rallied their retreating countrymen, and made two efforts to come out and intercept the Americana and their prizes, but they were kept in check by the fire of the frigate and small vessels. The Constitution maintained a very heavy fire, and Bilenced several of the batteries, though they re-opened as soon aa she had passed. The bombards were covered with the spray of shot, but continued to throw shells to the last ''.»'^ ;;»-»«■;» fyf^i-^^^ i,.,:^.-5-si»S>««aws8r RIPOLI. le secured his second de rest of the enemy's run into the harbor, by employed to windward, It of the Nautilus, was )g his fire like No. 4, n the point of boarding. The boats rnet and le commanding officer • a heavy fire from the emy had struck before doubt. It is, however, ; of the three boats that t idle. Reserving his [feet, when closing, and instance, the boats also It. Trippe, with Mr. J. politan. Here, too, rsonal combat occurrtt . The Turk was young, polled his slighter but ing on Mr. Trippe, he n. In this manner, he ht saber wounds in the dden rush, he struck a pe upon a knee. Rally- 10 still retained the short sed the weapon through back. As soon as the 3 submitted, largest belonging to the ly known, but, living and ty-one were either killed sven Americans boarded most gallant on record, mtinued without ceasing, tained by the brigs and etreat, and this resolute id to ware within a short the mole. Her destruc- round, when a shell fell platform, and drove the I again used the boat had lUeys of the enemy, that ise rallied their retreating 1 intercept the AmericanB the fire of the frigate and a very heavy fire, and re-opened as soon as she h the spray of shot, but INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. 159 f,f,«y»,-;^>,=^-*'?J''»'S««****'W'**^'^'' At half past four, the wind coming round to the northward, a signal was made for tiie gun-boats and bomb-vessels to rejoin the small ves- sels, and another to take them and the prizes in tow. The last order was handsomely executed by the brigs and schooners, under cover of a blaze of tire from the frigate. A quarter of an hour later, the Constitution herself hauled oft", and ran out of gun-shot. Thus terminated the tirst serious attack that was made on the town and batteries of Tripoli. Its effect on the enemy, was of tlie most salutary kind; the manner in which their gun-boats had been taken, by boarding, having made a lasting and deep impression. The superiority of ti»e Christians in gunnery, was generally admitted before, but here was an instance in which the Turks had been overcome, by inferior numbers, hand to hand, a species of conflict in which they had been thought parti- cularly to excel. Perhaps no instance of more desperate fighting of the sort, without defensive armor, is to be found in the pages of history. Three gun-boats were sunk in the harbor, in addition to the three that were taken, and tlie loss of the Tripolitans by shot, must have been very heavy. About fitly shells were thrown into the town, but little damage appears to h->ve been done in this way, very few of the bombs, on account of the perfect materials that had been furnished, exploding. The batteries 'were a good deal damaged, but the town suffered no essent.al injury. On the part of the Americans, only fourteen were killed and wounded in the aflfair, and all of these, with the exception of one man, belonged to the gun-boats. The Constitution, though under fire two hours, escaped much better than could have been expected. She received one heavy shot through her mainmast, had a quarter-deck gun injured, and was a good deal cut up aloft. The enemy had calculated his range for a more distant cannonade, and generally overshot the ships. By this mistake, the Constitution had her main-royal yard ohot away. Among those who greatly distinguished themselves on this occasion, was Lieutenant Richard Somers, between whom and Decatur existed a noble friendship that was well fitting the chivalrous nature of their dis- positions. The mystery connected with his death a month later, has lent a romantic interest to his memory. The circumstances as far as known, are here detailed. After several unsuccessful enterprises to force the enemy to terms, it was resolved to fit up the ketch "Intrepid" in the double capacity of fire-ship and infernal, and to send her into the inner harbor, of Trijwli, there to explode, in the very center of the vessels of the Turks. As hor deck was to be covered with a large quantity of powder, shells, and missiles, it was hoped the town would suffer not less than the shipping The panic created by such an assault, made in the dead of night, it was fondly hoped would produce an instant peace; and more especially the liberation of the frigate Philadelphia, whose officers and crew were thought to have been reduced to extreme suffering by the barbarity of their captors. . The imminent danger of the service forbade the commodore ordermg any of his officers upon it; and Somers, with whom the conception of this daring scheme is supposed to have originated, volunteered to take the command. "On the afternoon of the fourth of September, Somers prepared to leave the Nautilus, with a full determination to carry the ketch into Tripoli that night. Previously to quitting his own vessel, he felt that it would be proper to point out the desperate nature of the enterprise to the IHlmw Wi4Ftim>* JfaMll II wvufmmm 160 INCIDENTS IN THE WAR WITH TRIPOLI. four men he had selected, that their services might be perfectly free and voluntary. He told them that he wished no man to accompany him, who would not prefer being blown up to being taken ; that such was his own de- termination, and that he wished all who went with him to be the same way of thinking. The boats now gave three cheers in answer; and each man is said to have separately asked to be selected to apply the match. Once assured of the temper of his companions, Somers took leave of his officers ; the boat's crew doing the same, shaking hands, and expressing their feelings, as if they felt assured of their fate in advance. Each of the four men made his will verbally; disposing of his effects among the shipmates, like those about to die. Several of Somers' friends visited him on board the Intrepid before she got under way. Among them were Stewart and Decatur, with whom he had commenced his naval career in the United States. These three young men, then about twenty-six years of age each, were Philadelphia-bred sailors, and had been intimately associated in service for the ladt six years. They all knew that the enterprise was one of extreme hazard, and the two who were to remam behind felt a deep interest in the fate of him who was to go in. Somers was grave, and entirely without any affectation of levity or indiflerence; but he maintained his usual tranquil and quiet manner. Afler some conversation, he took a ring from his finger, and breaking it into three pieces, gave each of his companions one, while he retained the third himself. Two boats accompanied the ketch to bring off the party just af\er settmg fire to the train. In the whole there were thirteen men, all volunteers. About nine o'clock in the evening Lieutenant Reed was the last to leave the ketch for his own vessel. "When he went over the side of the Intrepid, all communication between the gallant spirits she contained and the rest of the world ceased. At that time everything seemed propitious. Somers was cheerful, though calm; and perfect order and method prevailed in the little craft. The leave-taking was affectionate and serious with the officers, though the common men appeared to be in high spirits." . . , , i . The ketch was seen to proceed cautiously into the bay, but was soon obscured by the haze on the water. " It was not long before the enemy began to fire at the ketch, which by this time was quite near the batteries, though the reports were neither rapid or numerous. At this moment, near ten o'clock. Captain Stewart and Lieutenant Carrol were standing in the Siren's gangway, looking intently toward the place where the ketch was known to be, when the latter exclaimed, «Look! see the light! At that instant a light was seen passing and waving, as if a lantern were carried by some person in quick motion along a vessel's deck. ln«n " sunk from view. Half a minute may have elapsed, when the whole lir- mament was lighted with a fiery glow; a burning mast with its sails was seen in the air; the whole harbor was momentarily illummated; the awful explosion came, and a darkness like that of doom succeeded. The whole was over in less than a minute; the flame, the quaking of towers, the reeling of ships, and even the bursting of shells, of which most fell in the water, though some lodged on the rocks. The firing ceased, and from that instant Tripoli passed the night in a stillness as profound as that in which the victims of this explosion have lain from that fatal hour tA this ^^ In the American squadron the opinion was prevalent, that Somers and his determined crew had blown themselves up to prevent capture; bu« subsequent light has rendered it more probable that it was accidental, or il. ,„-^i,*>^p. _-.-»..> )LI. perfectly free and company him, who ich was his own dc- to be the same way ver; and each man ^ the match. Once eave of his officers; d expressing their . Each of the four nong the shipmates, isited him on board n were Stewart and areer in the United ty-six years of age ntimately associated t the enterprise was remain behind felt a Somers was grave, indiflerence; but he er some conversation, o three pieces, gave bird himself." 3arty just after setting i men, all volunteers. Reed was the last to ent over the side of t spirits she contained e everything seemed nd perfect order and iking was affectionate men appeared to be the bay, but was soon ong before the enemy [uite near the batteries, ,U8. At this moment, Carrol were standing place where the ketch >k! see the light!' At r, as if a lantern were easel's deck. Then it fd, when the whole fir- Imast with its sails was illuminated; the awful ■ucceeded. The whole quaking of towers, the V of which most fell m The firing ceased, and Ullness as profound as lain from that fatal hour valent, that Somers and to prevent capture; bu« iiat it was accidental, or CHASE OF THE CONSTITUTION. occasioned by a hot shot from the enemy. 161 "Thus perished Richard M Somers, 'one of the bravest of the brave.' Notwithstanding al! our means of reasoning, and the greatest efforts of human ingenuity, there will remain a melancholy interest around the manner of his end, which, by the Almighty will, is forever vailed from human eyes, in a sad and solemn mystery.'' THE CHASE OP THE UNITED STATES FRIGATE CONSTITUTION BY A BRITISH SQUADRON. The Constitution 44, Captain Hull, had gone into the Chesapeake, on her return from Europe, and shipping a new crew, on the twelfth of July, 1812, she sailed from Annapolis, and stood to the northward. So rapidly was her equipment procured, that her first lieutenant joined her only a fortnight before she sailed, and a draft of a hundred men was received on the evening of the eleventh. Friday, July the seventeenth, the ship was out of sight of land, though at no great distance from the coast, with a light breeze from the N. E., and under easy canvas. At one, she sounded in 22 fathoms; and about an hour afterward, four sail were made in the northern board, heading to the westward. At three, the Constitution made sail, and tacked in 18^ fathoms. At four, slie dis- covered a fifth sail to the northward and eastward, which had the appear- ance of \ vessel of war. This ship subsequently proved to be the Guerriere 38, Captain Dacres. By this time, the other four sail were made out to be three ships and a brig; they bore N. N. W., and were all en the starboard tack, apparently in companjr< The wind now became very light, and the Constitution hauled up her main-sail. The ship in the eastern board, however, had so far aliered her position by six, as to bear E. N. E., the wind having hitherto been fair for her to close. But at a quarter past six, the wind came out light at the southward, bringing the American ship to windward. The Constitution now wore round with her head to the eastward, set her light studding-sails and stay-sails, and at half' past seven, beat to quarters, and cleared for action, with the intention of speaking the nearest vessel. The wind continued very light at the southward, and the two vessels were slowly closing until eight. At ten, the Constitution shortened sail, and immediately after she showed the private signal of the day. After keeping the lights aloft near an hour, and getting no answer from the Guerriere, the Constitution, at a quarter past eleven, lowered the signal, and made sail again, hauling aboard her starboard tacks. During the whole of the middle watch the wind was very light, from the southward and westward. Just ' as the morning watch was called, the Guerriere tacked, then wore entirely round, threw a rocket, and fired two guns. As the day opened, three sail were discovered on the starboard quarter of the Constitution, and three more astern. At five a. m., a fourth vessel was seen astern. This was the squadron of Commodore Broke, which had been gradually closing with the American frigate during the night, and was now just out of gun-shot. As the ships slowly varied their positions, when the mists were entirely cleared away, the Constitution had two frigates on her lee quarter, and a ship of the line, two frigates, a brig and a schooner astern. The names of the enemy's ships, have already been given; but the brig was the Nautilus, and the schooner another prize. AU the strangers had n nfcM^iln I >j*^— 1«2 OHASB OF THE OONSTITUTIOIT. Engliah colors fljing. It now fell quite calm, aad the Constitution hoisted out her boats, and sent them ahead to tow, with a view to keep the ship out of the reach of the enemy's shot. At the same time, she whipt up one of the gun-deck guns to the spar-deck, and run it out aO, as a storn- chaser, getting a long eighteen off the forecastle also for a similai purpose. Two more of the twenty-fours below were run out at the cabin windows, with the same object, though it was found necessary to cut away some of the wood-work of the stern frame, in order to make room. By six o'clock the wind, which continued very light and baffling, came out from the northward of west, when the ship's head was got round to the southward, and all the light canvas that would draw was set. Soon after, the nearest frigate, the Shannon, opened with her bow guns, and oontinued firing for about ten minutes, but perceiving she could not reach the Constitution, she ceased. At half past six. Captain Hull sounded in 86 fathoms, when finding that the enemy was likely to close, as he was enabled to put the boats of two ships on one, and was also favored by a little more air than the Constitution, all the spare rope that could be found, and which was fit for the purpose, was payed down into the cutters, bent on, and a kedge was run out near half a mile ahead, and let go. At a signal given, the crew clapped on, and walked away with the ship, over- running and tripping the kedge as she came up with the end of the line. While this was doing, fresh lines and another kedge was carried ahead, and, though out of sight of land, the frigate glided away from her pursuers, before they discovered the manner in which it was done. It was not long, however, before the enemy resorted to the same expedient. At half past seven, the Constitution had a little air, when she set her ensign, and fired a shot at the Shannon, th« nearest ship astern. At eight, it fell calm again, and further recourse was had to the boats and the kedges, the enemy's vessels having a light air, and drawing ahead, towing, sweeping, and kedging. By nine, the nearest frigate, the Shannon, on which the English had put most of their boats, was closing fast, and there was every prospect, notwithstanding the steadiness and activity of the Constitution's people, that the frigate just mentioned would get near enough to cripple her, when her capture by the rest of the squadron would be inevitable. At this trying moment the best spirit prevailed in the ship. Everything was stoppered, and Captain Hull was not without hopes, even should he be forced into action, of throwing the Shannon astern by his fire, and of maintaining his distance from the other vessels. It was known that the enemy could not tow very near, as it would have been easy to sink his boats with the stem-guns of the Constitution, and not a man in the latter vessel showed a disposition to despondency. CMHcers and men relieved each other regularly at the duty, and while the former threw themselves down on deck to catch short naps, the people slept at their guns. This was one of the moat critical moments of the chaae. The Shannon was fast closing, as has been just stated, while the Guerriere was almost as near on the larboard quarter. An hour promised to bring the struggle to an issue, when suddenly, at nine minutes past nine, a light air from the southward struck the ship, bringing her to windward. The beautiful manner in which this advantage was improved, excited admiration even in the enemy. As the breeze was seen coming, the ship's sails were trimmed, and as soon as she was under command, she was brought close up to the wind, on the larboard tack ; the boats were all dropped in along side ; those that belonged to the davits were run up, while the others were i'v- vr.x '; CHASE OF THK CONSTITUTION. 163 3on8titution hoisted «r to keep the ship time, she whipt up t out afti as a storn- >r a similai purpose, the cabin windows, y to rut awny some I room. t and baffling, came id was got round to raw was set. Soon her bow guns, and she could not reach ain Hull sounded in V to close, as he was IS also favored by a I that could be found, into the cutters, beat id, and let go. At a f with the ship, over- j the end of the line, e was carried ahead, ay from her pursuers, one. It was not long, jedient. At half past '. her ensign, and fired At eight, it fell calm and the kedges, the ad, towing, sweepmg, hannon, on which the t, and there was every y of the Constitution's lear enough to cripple n would be inevitable, the ship. Everything lopes, even should he srn by his fire, and of It was known that lave been easy to sink and not a man in the •y Officers and men lile the former threw people slept at their chase. The Shannon Guerriere was almost pd to bring the struggle t nine, a light air from dward. The beautiful icited admiration even , the ship's sails vrere , she was brought close re all dropped in along S,whUe the others were just lif\ed clear of the water, by purchases on the spare outboard Hpars, where they were in readiness to be usnd at a moment's notico. As the ship catno by the wind, she brought the Guerriere nearly on her luc-bcam, when that frigate opened a fire from her broadside. Wliilc the shot of this vessel were just falling short of them, the people of the Constitution were hoisting up their bouts with as much steadiness as if tiie duty viw porforiiiing in a friendly port. In alwut an hour, however, it fell nearly calm again, when Captain Hull ordered a quantity of the water started, to lighten the ship. More than two thousand gallons were pumped out, and the boats were sent ahead again to tow. The enemy now put nearly all his boats on the Shannon, the nearest ship astern; and a few hours of prodigious exertion followed, the people of the Constitution being compelled to supply the place of numbers by their activity and zeal. The HJiips were close by the wind, and everything that would draw wa(> set, and the Shannon was slowly, but steadily, forging ahead. About noon of this day, there was a little relaxation from labor, owing to the occasional occurrence of cat's-paws, by watciiing which closely, the ship was urged through the water. But at quarter past twelve, the boats were again sent ahead, and the toilsome work of towing and kedging wu renewed. At one o'clock, a strange sail was discovered nearly to leeward. At this moment the four frigates of the enemy wore about one point on the lee-quarter of the Constitution, at long gunshot, the Africa and the two prizes being on the lee-beam. As the wind was constantly baffling, any moment might have brought a cliange, and placed the enemy to windward. At seven minutes before two, the Belvidera, then the nearest ship, began to fire with her bow-guns, and the Constitution opened with her stern- chasers. On board the latter ship, however, it was soon found to be dangerous to use the main-deck guns, the transoms having so much rake, the window being so high, and the guns so short, that every explosion lifted the upper deck, and threatened to blow out the stern-frame. Per- ceiving, moreover, that his shot did little or no execution, Captain Hull ordered the firing to cease at half past two. For several hours, the enemy's frigates were now within gunshot, sometimes towing and kedging, and at others endeavoring to close with the puffs of air that occasionally passed. At seven in the evening, the boats of the Constitution were again ahead, the ship steering S. W. ^ W., with an air so light as to be almost imperceptible. At half past seven, she sounded in 24 fathoms. For hours the same toilsome duty was going on, until a little before eleven, when a light air from the southward struck the ship, and the sails for the first time in many weary hours were asleep. The boats instantly dropped along side, hooked on, and were all run up, with the exception of the first cutter. THte topgallant studding- sails and stay-sails were set as soon as possible, and for about an hour, the people caught a little rest. But at midnight it fell nearly calm again, though neither the pursuers nor the pursued had recourse to the boats, probably from an unwillingnen to disturb their crews. At two, ▲. v., it was observed on board the Con- stitution that the Guerriere had forged ahead, and was again off their lee-beam. At this time, the topgallant studding-sails were taken in. In this manner passed the night, and on the morning of the next day, it was found that three of the enemy's frigates were within long gunshot on the lee-quarter, and the other at about the same distance on the lee- beam. The Africa and the prizes were much further to. leeward. 'ii. 164 0HA8E OF THE CONSTITUTION. A little after (l;iylij.'hf, the CJiierricrc, linvinp «lrnwn ahond ("iiffiricntly to be forwnrd of tlx! ('onstitution^H bmm. tackiMl, when the luttor Hliip did the sainc!, in ordor to proHJirvo her iwsitiori to windward. An hour later tho yEoliis puKHed on the contrary ta<;k, ho near that it was thought by Boino who observed the movement, that shu ou^lit to have opimod her fire; but, as that vessel waa merely a twelve-pounder frif;ate, and she was still at a considerable di!" rtl. An hour hter it wuH tlioujilit by » have opiiiH'd ^^^ riRBlo, anct she was r coininan(W!r acletl to induce Captain lutiful, and of great iather was mild and ito wind enough tr. 09 of getting ahead, i»ht-aiid-forty hours vith the Constitution from liicir trucks to ,\\ wore in sight, ant ,as soon asccrtaineU V were too intent on 1, it would liave been nppeara to have been he ship to windward set an English ensign. every preparation for nd she sounded in XS was found that while ships; more, however , the Belvidera, which t about two and a hall , leeward, bore N. by the two other frigates nd the Africa was hull lings that had existed en to catch a little rest. ,Bervation this day, was 73° 67' W. L breeze, and the sound Essel was again heard. iv ahead of all her pur- Bstmannerthatconsum- , the Belvidera was more ■e thrown behind in the to be very light. ,ad and to windward, as •ry change, and resorting witer, that are known to re was every appearance ,e Constitution prepared lad displayed throughou and everything was kept mall struck the ship, the j^U the light canvas was furled, a second reef was taken in the mizzon-topsail, and the ship was brought under short sail, in an incredibly littlu time. The English vessola, obourving this, began to let go and haul dowu without waiting for the wind, anil when they were shut in bj the rain, ihey were steering in ditfercnt directiuHH to avoid the force of thu expected squall. The Constitution, on the other hand, no sooner got its weight, than she sheeted home and hoiHted her fore and main-t()|)^'allant sails, and while the enemy moat probably beiieveil her to be borne down by the pressure of the wind, steering free, she was (lying away from them, on an easy bowline, at the rate of eleven knots. In a little less than an hour u(\er the squall struck the ship, it had entirely passed to leeward, and a sight was again obtained of the enemy. The Belvidern, the nearest vessel, had altered her bearings in that short period two points more to leeward, and she was a long way astern. The next nearest vessel was still farther to leeward, and more distant, while the two remaining frigates wore fairly hull down. The Africa was barely visible in the horizon! All appi'ehensions of the enemy now ceased, though sail was carried to increase the distance, and to preserve the weather-gage. At half past ten the wind backed further to the southward, when the Constitution, which had been steering free for some time, took in her lower studding- sails. At eleven the enemy fired two guns and the nearest ship could just be discovered. As the wind battled, and continued light, the enemy still persevered in the chase, but at daylight the nearest vessel was hull down astern, and to leeward. Under the circuiiistancos it was deemed prudent to use every exertion to lose sight of tiie English frigates; and the wind falling light, the Constitution's sails were wet dowu from the skysails to the courses. The good eti'ects of this care were soon visible, as at six a.m., the topsails of the enemy's nearest vessels were beginning to dip. At a quarter past 8, the English ships all hauled to the northward and eastward, fully satisfied, by a trial that had lasted nearly three days, and as many nights, under all the circumstances that can attend naval maneuvers, from reefed topsails to kcdging, that they had no hope of overtaking their enemy. Thus terminated a chase, that has become historical in the American navy, for its length, closeness, and activity. On the part of the English, there were manifested much perseverance and seamanship, a ready imi- tation, and a strong desire to get along side of their enemy. But the glory of the affair was carried otf by the officers and people of the Con- stitution. Throughout all the trying circumstanccsof this arduous struggle, this noble frigate, which had so lately been the subject of the sneers of the English critics, maintained the high character of a man-of-war. Even when pressed upon the hardest, nothing was hurried, confused, or slovenly, but the utmost steadiness, order, and discipline reigned in the ship. A cool, discreet, and gallant commander, was nobly sustained by his officers; and there cannot be a doubt that had the enemy succeeded in getting any one of their frigates fairly under the fire of the American ship, that she would have been very roughly treated. The escape itself, is not so much a matter of admiration, as the manner in which it was effected. A little water was pumped out, it is true ; and perhaps this was necessary, in order to put a vessel fresh from port on a level, in light winds and calms, with ships that had been cruising some time; but not an anchor was cut away, not a boat stove, nor a gun lost. The steady and man-of-war like style in which the Constitution' took in all her boats, as occasions offered; . 8T0RY OF AK EN0U8H BAILOR BOY. iho order and "Pi^i'T '''^ j^hu^h -he l^e W «,„,i,aii«n among criticiitnB as any people liTing. 1^ AND THE BEITISH WIOATE IdAOBDONUK B..«. L.^-, .n EngU.h ..iloj boy .bow.. o» bo.,d of tU. Bn.;* whole range of maritiino narrative. .^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^-^^ -^ „ Sunday (December ^T^^ty-fiJ^, 1812,) came, ^^^^^^ ^ stiff bree/e. We "^"''"y »";?« "„,t;\Se Sre crew on the spar-dec^^ After breakfast it was common to """f Vj^^; ^^^^^ sometimes in blue dressed as the fancy of »''« ^^P^J.^u am hue trowsors, at other jackets and white tifowsers, or t* "« J'V^'^J;' J^'^^ite trowsers; with our imes in blue jackets. »f=^^'°i;7;«,;,;",t,f^,d our black glossy h.t.orna- bright anchor-butlons glancing m »''« «"»' "J^^^ „f ^ur ship painted on muiner. . ^ u a i.r, I could rlance was all I could mine were wounded with all my might to I saw two of these tin the leg by a large id The other had a A. stout Yorkshireman cockpit. Hohadh.8 of the boys stationed 1 Portuguese. A man tiat his powder caught is pitiable situation the r relief, when a passing Iting. A noan named and almost at the same his bowels in a terrible m in their arras, and aa He was a i or canfster shot struck my sight. jelow, where he shortly wounded by a grummet, lew by a shot. He went had his wound dressed, lis voice, and bidding us with all their might; I /new for what. Certainly ;t of things where 1 was estruction round uB,-tnat ^,ad we had several boys uns were disabled. Ihe [ocked out; and when the ck with such force as to ^ twentv-four pound shot ine, iminediately over the IThe schoolmaster received ame from the s'ck cot to back-stay which had bcon STORY OP AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOY. f69 shot away, when his head was smashed to pieces by a cannon-ball ; another man, going to complete the unfinished task, was also struck down. One of our midshipmen likewise received a severe wound, and the wardroom steward was killed. A fellow named John, who, for some petty olfenHe, had been sent on board as a punishment, was carried past me wounded. 1 distinctly hoard the large blood-drops fail pat, pat, on tiie deck; Win wounds were mortal. Even a poor goat, kept by the officers for her milk, did not escape the general carnage; her hind-legs were shot oflf, and poor Nan was thrown overboard. I liave uilen been asked what were my feelings during this fight. I felt pretty much as I suppose every one does at such a time. That men are without tiiought when tiiey stand amid the dying and the dead, is too absurd an idea to be entertained for a moment. We all appeared ciiecrful, but I know that many a serious thought ran through my mind: still, what could we do but keep up a semblance, at least of animation? To run from our quarters would have been certain death from tlie hands of our own officers; to give way to gloom, or to show fear, would do no good, and might l)rand us with the name of cowards, and insure certain defeat. Our only true philosophy, therefore, was to make the best of our situation, by fighting bravely and cheerfully. I thought a great deal, however, of the other world : every groan, every fallinir man, told me that the next instant I might be before the Judge of all the earth. While these thoughts secretly agitated my bosom, the din of battle continue,d._ytirrape and canister shot were pouring through our port-holes /likenfeaJeii rain, carrying death in their train. The large shot came against ' the ship's side like iron hail, shaking her to the very keel, or passing through her timbers, and scattering terrific fiipliaters, which did a more appalling work than even their own death-giving blows. The reader may form an idea of the effect of grape and canister, when he is told that grape shot is formed by seven or eight balls confined to an iron and tied in a cloth. These balls are scattered by the explosion of the powder. Canister shot is made by filling a powder canister with balls, each as large as two or three musket balls ; these also scatter with direful effect when discharged. What, then, with splinters, cannon-balls, grape and canister poured incessantly upon us, the reader may be assured that the work of death went on in a manner which must have been satisfactory even to the King of Terrors himself. Suddenly the rattling of the iron hail ceased. We were ordered to cease firing. A profound silence ensued, broken only by the stifled groans of the brave sufferers below. It was soon ascertained that the enemy had shot ahead to repair damages; for she was not so disabled but she could sail without difficulty, while we were so cut up that we lay utterly helpless. Our head braces were shot away; ihe fore and main top- masts were gone; the mizzen-mast hung over the stern, having carried several men over in its fall: we were in the state of a complete wreck. A council was now held among the officers on the quarter-deck. Our condition was perilous in the extreme ; victory or escape was al ike hopeless. Our ship was disabled; many of our men were killed, and many more wounded. The enemy would without doubt bear down upon us in a few moments, and, as she could now choose her own position, would doubtless rake us fore and aft. Any further resistance was therefore folly; so, in spite of the hot-brained lieutenant, who advised thern not to strike, l)Ut to aiok aloug^ side, it wna determined to strike our colors. Tiiis was done by the hands of a brave fellow named Watson, whose saddened brow told .^jk.^ 170 STORT OF AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOT. *•* how severely it pained his lion heart to do it. To 4ne it was a pleasing sight, for I had seen fighting enough for one Sabbath; more than I wished to see again on a weelc-day. His Britannic Majesty's frigate Macedonian was now the prize of the American frigate United States. 'TT now went below to see how matters appeared there. The firat object I met was a man bearing a limb, which had just been detached from some poor suAcrer. Pursuing my way to the wardroom, I necessarily passed through the steerage, which was strewed with the wounded : it was a sad spectacle, made more appalling by the groans and cries which rent the air. Some were groaning, others were swearing most bitterly, a few were praying, while those last arrived were begging most pitcously to have their wounds dressed next. The surgeon and his mate were smeared with blood from head to foot; they looked more like butchers than doctors. Having so many patients, they had once shifted their quarters from the cockpit to the steerage ; they now removed to the wardroom ; and the long table, round which the officers had sat over many a merry feast, was soon covered with the bleeding forms of maimed and mutilated seamen. 1 now set to work to render all the aid in my power to the sutfcrers. Our carpenter, named Reed, had his log cut off. I helped to carry him to the after wardroom ; but he soon breathed out his life there, and then I as- sisted in throwing his mat^led remuins overboard. We got out the cots as fast as possible, for most of the men were stretched out on the gory deck. One poor fellow, who lay with a broken thigh, begged me to give him water. I ga' e him some. He looked unutterable gratitude, drank, and died. It was with exceeding difficulty I moved through the steerage, it was so covered with mangled men, and so slippery with streams of blood. There was a poor boy there crying as if his heart would break. Ho had been servant to the boatswain whose head was d^hcd to pieces. Poor boy! he felt that he had lost a friend. I tried to comfort him, by reminding him that he ought to be thankful for having escaped death himself. Here also I met one of my messmates, who showed the utmost joy at seeing me alive, tor he said he had heard that I was killed. He was looking up hii nossmates, which he said was always done by sailors. We found two o. our mess wounded. One was the Swede, Logholm, who fell overboard and was nearly lost, as formerly mentioned. Wc held him while the surgeon cut off his leg above the knee. The operation was most painfui to behold, the surgeon using his knife and saw on human flesh and bones as freely as the butcher at the shambles does on the carcass of a beast ! Our other messmate suffered still more than the Swede; he was sadly mutilated about the legs and thighs with splinters. Such scenes of suflfering as I saw in that wardroom I hope never to witness again. Could the civilized world behold them as they were, and as they otlen are, infinitely worse than on that occasion, it seems to me that they would forever put down the barbarous practices of war by universal consent. Most of our officers and men were taken on board the victor ship. I was left, with a few others, to take care of the wounded. My master, the sailing-master, was also among the officers who continued in the ship. Most of the men who remained were unht for any service, having broken into the spirit-room and made themselves drunk ; some of ttiem broke into the purser's room, and helped themselves to clothing; while others. by previous agreement, took possession of their dead messmates' property For my own part, I was content to help myself to a little of the officers STORY OP AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOY. 17f. B it was a ploaBing nore than I wished rigato Macedonian ,, The firat objeet Btached from some nece-osarily passed inded : it was a sad ries which rent the bitterly, a few were t pitcously to have mate were smeared ichers than doctors. • quarters from the room ; and the long erry feast, was soon lated seamen, ver to the sufferer*, slped to carry him to there, and then I as- Wc got out the cots led out on the gory 1, begged me to give ble gratitude, drank, hrough the steerage, ,ery with streams of s heart would break. ?as drfShed to pieces. d to comfort him, by aving escaped death i?ed the utmost joy at was killed. He was irays done by sailors. Lhe Swede, Logholm, mentioned. We held tnee. The operation life and saw on human ihambles does on the morethan the Swede; with splinters. Such lope never to witness hey were, and as they seems to me that thoy I of war by universal ard the victor ship. I bounded. My master, , continued in the ship. service, having broken ; some of tiiem broke clothing; while others, id messmates' property , a litUe of the officers provisions, which did me more good than could be obtained from rum. What was worse than all, however, was the folly of the sailors in giving spirits to their wounded messmates, since it only served to aggravate their distress. The great number of the wounded kept our surgeon and his matv busily employed until late at night, and it was a long time before they had much leisure. I remember passing round the ship the day after the battle. Coming to a hammock, I found some one in it, apparently asleep. I spoke ; he made no answer: I looked into the hammock ; he was dead. My messmates coming up, we threw the corpse overboard ; — that was no time for useless ceremony. The man had prol)ably crawled into his hammock the day before, and, not being perceived in the general distress, bled to death! Oh war, who can reveal thy miseries! / When the crew of the United States first boarded our frigate, to take •possession of her as their prize, our men, heated with the fury of the ; battle, exasperated with the sight of their dead and wouuded siiipmates, ' and rendered furious by the rum they iiad obtained from the spirit-room, i felt and exhibited some disposition to fight their captors. But adcr the . confusion had subsided, and part of our men were snugly stowed away ; in the American ship, and the remainder found themselves kindly used t in their own, the utmost good feeling began to prevail. We set to work ' to cleanse the ship, using hot vinegar to take out the scent of the blood [ that had dyed the white of our planks with crimson. We also aided in fitting our disabled frigate for her voyage. This being accomplished, ; both ships sailed in company toward the American coast. '" 1 soon felt myself perfectly at home with the American seamen; so much so, that I chose to mess with them. My shipmates also participated in similar feelings in both ships. All idea that we had been trying to shoot each other so shortly before seemed forgotten. We ate together, drank together, joked, sung, laughed, told yarns; in short, a perfect union of ideas, feelings, and purposes, seemed to exist among all hands. A cor- responding state of unanimity existed, I was told, among the officers. Our voyage was one of considerable excitement. The seas swarmed with British cruisers, and it was extremely doubtful whether the United , States would elude the grasp, and reach the prottiction of an American port with her prize. I hoped most sihceroly to avoid them, as did most of mv old shipmates; in this we agreed with our captors, who wisely desired to dispose of one conquest before they attempted another. Our forftier officers, of course, were anxious for the sight of a British flag, but we saw none; and after a prosperous voyage from the scene of conflict, we heard the welcome cry of "Land, ho!" The United States entered the port of New London ; but, owing to a sudden shift of the wind, the Macedonian had to lay off and on for several hours. Had an English cruiser found us in this situation, we should have been easily recovered; and as it was extremely probable we should fall in with one, [ felt quite uneasy, until, after several hours, we made out to run into the pretty harbor of Newport. We fired a salute as we came to an anchor, v/Jiiah was promptly returned by the people on shore. While we lay here a few days, several of our men contrived to run away. 1 would have done so too, but for the vigilance of the prize officers, who were ordered to keep us that we might be exchanged for those Americana who ''ad fallen into British hands. My desire for freedom at length I ji prevailed over prudence, and I made my escape, glad to be rid of thu tyranny to which I had been so long exposed. But this step, which, oo / tni STORY OF AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOY. I reflection, I do not commend, brought another evil. I was destitute of any means of support, and ailer numerous ineflectual eflbrts to get em ployment on land, I again took to a seafaring life — this time, however, entering myself on board a United States brig-of-war, the Siren, carrying sixteen guns. I was then in the seventeenth yearof my life. I 'vas recom- I mended by acquaintances to ship myself under a false name ; but, in 1 defiance of my fears, I entered under my own proper name of Samuel i 1 Lee ch. My fiist impressions of the American service were vepy favorable. The treatment in the Siren was more lenient than in the Macedonian. The captain and officers were kind ; while there was a total exemption from that petty tyranny exercised by the upstart midsiiipmen in the British service. As a necessary effect, our crew was as comfortable and happy as men ever are in a man-of-vvar Our brig had before this taken in her guns, consisting of two long nine-pounders, twelve twenty-four pound carronades, and two forty-two- pounders. Our crew was composed of about one liundrcd and twenty-five smart active men. Wc were all supplied with stout leathern caps, something like those used by firemen. These were crossed by two strips of iron, covered with bear-skin, and were designed to defend the head, in boarding the enemy's ship, from the stroke of the cutlass. Strips of bear-skin were lilfewise used to fasten them on, serving the purpose of false whiskers, and causing us look as fierce as hungry wolves. We were also frequently exercised in the various evolutions of a sea-fight; first using our cannon, then seizing our cutlasses.and boarding-pikes, and cutting to the right and lefl, as if in the act of boarding an enemy's ship. Thus we spent our time from early in the fall until afler Christmas, when we received orders to hold ourselves in readiness for sea. As we lay waiting for our final orders, a report reached us that a large English brig-of-war, called the Nimrod, lay in a cove somewhere near Boston bay. Upon this information, our officers planned a night expedi- tion for the purpose of effecting her capture. Our intended mode of attack was to run close along side, pour a broadside upon her, and then, without further ceremony, board her, cutlass in hand. So we took in our powder, ground up our cutlasses, and toward night got under weigh. A change in the wind, however, defeated our designs, and we put into Salem harbor, with no other result than the freezing of a man's fingers, which happened while we were furling our bails. Thus ended our first warlike expedition in the Siren. Shortly afler this affair we received orders to start on a cruise to the coast of Africa, and, in company with the Grand Turk, a privateer, set sail from Salem. Passing the fort, we received the usual hail from the sentry of, " Brig, ahoy! where are you bound to?" To this salutation the first-lieutenant jocosely answered, " There and back again, on a man-of-war's cruise." Such a reply would not have satisfied a British soldier ; but we shot past the fort unmolested. Afler two days, we parted company with the Grand Turk, and, by the aid of a fair wind, soon found ourselves in the Gulf stream ; where, instead of fearing frozen fingers, we could go barefooted and feel quite comfortable. We now kept a sharp look-out at the mast-head, but met with nothing until we reached ihe Canary Islands, near which we saw a boat-load of Portuguese, who, coming along side, talked in their native tongue with great noise and earnestness, but were no more intelligible to us than so many blackbirds. ., ,,,,,, ^ .„ ^ , „, .,,^„ . ^^.^j^,^ ^^^ ,^__^^ , ■'^:vv JOY. . I wa3 destitute of :ual efforts to get em —this time, however, ir, the Siren, carrying my life. I'vasrecorn- i false name ; but, in opcr name of Samuel were vepy favorable, in in the Macedonian, was a total exemption Isliipmen in the British comfortable and happy ionsisting of two long des, and two forty-two- undred and twenty-five stout leathern caps, e crossed by two strips ed to defend the head, the cutlass. Strips of serving the purpose of igry wolves. We were fa sea-fight; first using ng-pikes, and cutting to Qcmy'sship. Thus we 3r Christmas, when we sea. reached us that a large 1 cove somewhere near planned a night expedi- Our intended mode of ide upon her, and then, and. So we took in our rht got under weigh. A IS, and we put into Salein ,f a man's fingers, which a ended our first warlike o start on a cruise to the id Turk, a privateer, set the usual hail from the IT answered, "There and a reply would not have . fort unmolested. After ["urk, and, by the aid of a ream ; where, instead of nd feel quite comfortable. ;ad, but met with nothing ch we saw a boat-load of their native tongue with intelligible to us than so STORY OP AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOY. 173 While off the African coast, our captain died. His wasted body was placed in a coffin, with shot to sink it. After the service had been read, the planl< on which the coffin rested was elevated, and it slipped into the great deep. The yards were braced round, and wo were under weigh again, when, tu our surprise and grief, we saw the coffin floating on the waves. The reason was, the carpenter had bored holes in the top and bottom: he should have made them only in the top. After the funeral, the crew were called aft, and the first-lieutenant, Mr. Nicholson, told us that it should be left to our decision whether he should assume the command and continue tiie cruise, or return home. We gave him three hearty cheers, in token of our wish to continue tho cruise. lie was a noble minded man, very kind and civil to his crew, and the opposite in every respect to the haughty lordly captain with whom I first sailed in the Macedonian. Seeing me one day with rather a poor hat on, he called me aft and presented mo with one of his own, but little worn. " Good luck to him," said F, in a sailor phrase, as I returned to my messmates; " he has a soul to be saved." We also lost two of our crew, who fell victims to the heat of the climate. One morning the cry of "Sail, ho!" directed our attention to a strange sail, which had hove to, with her courses hauled up. At first we took her for a British man-of-war brig. The hands were summoned to quarters, and the ship got ready for action. A nearer approach, however, convinced us that the supposed enemy was no other than our old friend the Grand Turk. She did not appear to know us; for no sooner did she see that our craft was a brig-of-war, than, supposing us to belong to John Bui' , cae crowded all her canvas, and made the best of her way off. Knowing what she was, we permitted her to escape without further alarm. The first land we made was Cape Mount. The natives came off to a considerable distance in their canoes, clothed in nothing but a piece of cloth fastened round the waist, and extending downward to the feet. As we approached the shore, we saw several fires burning; this, we were told, in the broken English spoken by our sable visitors, was the signal for trade. We bought a quantity of oranges, limes, cocoanuts, tamarinds, plantains, yams, and bananas. We likewise took in a quantity of cassada, a species of ground root, of which we made tolerable pudding and bread; alao a few hogs and some water. We lay here several days, looking out for any English vessels that might come thither for purposes of trade. Meanwhile we began to experience the inconvenience of a hot climate. Our men were all covered with blotches or boils, probably occasioned by so sudden a transition from extreme cold to extreme heat. What was worse still, we were in want of a plentiful supply of water. In conse- quence of this, we were placed on an allowance of two quarts per diem to each man, which occasioned us much suffering; for after preparing our puddings, bread, and grog, we had but little left to assuage our burning thirst. Some, in their distress, drank large quantities of sea water, which only increased their thirst, and made them sick; others sought relief in chewing lead, tea leaves, or anything which would create moisture. Never did we feel more delighted than when our boat's crew announced the discovery of a pool of fine clear water. While cruising along the coast, we one night perceived a large sliip lying at anchor near the shore. We could not decide whether she was: a large merchantman or a man-of-war, so we approached her with the utmost caution. Our doubts were soon removed, for she suddenly loo^sed 4! ill STORY OP A» ENGLISH SAILOR BOY. • all her sails, and made chase ailer us. By the help of their glasses, our officers asccrtnined her to be an English frigate. Of course it was folly to engage her, so we made all the sail we could carry, beat to quarters, lighted our matches, and lay down at our guns, expecting to be prisoners of war before morning. During the night we hung out false lights, and altered our course: this baffled our pursuer: in the morning she was not to be seen. The next sail we made was not so formidable. She was an English vessel at anchor in the Senegal river. We approached her, and hailed. Her officer returned an insolent reply, which so exasperated our captain, that he passed the word to fire into her, but recalled it almost immediately. The countermand was too late; for, in a moment, everything being ready for action, we poured a whole broadside into our unfortunate foe. . The current carried us away from the stranger. We attempted to beat up again; but our guns had roused the garrison in a fort which commanded the river; and they began to blazo away at us in so expressive a manner, that we found it prudent to get a little beyond the reach of their shot, and patiently wait for daylight. The next morning we saw our enemy hauled close in shore, under the protection of the fort, and filled with soldiers. At first it was resolved to man the boats and cut her out; but this, after weighing the subject maturely, was pronounced to be too hazardous an experiment, and, not- withstanding our men begged to make the attempt, it was wisely aban- doned. How many were killed by our hasty broadside we never learned, but doybtless several poor fellows were hurried to a watery and un- expected grave, aflbrding another illustration of the beauty of war. This affair our men humorously styled " the battle of Senegal." After visiting Cape Three Points, we shaped our course for St. Thomas. On our way we lost a prize through a display of Yankee cunning in her commander. We had hoisted English colors; the officer in command of the stranger was pretty well versed in the secrets of false colors, and in return he ran up the American Jlag. The bait took: supposing her to be American, we showed the stars and stripes. This was all the merchantman desired. It told him what we were, and he made all pos- sible sail for St. Thomas. We followed, crowding every stitch of canvas our brig could carry; we also got out our sweeps, and swept hier along; but in vain. The merchantman was the better sailer, and succeeded in reaching St. Thomas, which, being a neutral port, secured her safety. Her name was the Jane, of Liverpool. The next morning another Liverpool merchantman got into the harbor unseen by our lookout, until she was under the protection of the laws of neutrality. Our next business was to watch the mouth of the harbor, in the hope of catching them as they left port. But they were too cautious to run into danger, especially as they were expecting a convoy for their protec- tion, which might make us glad to trust more to our canvas than to our cannon. Shortly after this occurrence we made another sail standing in toward St. Thomas. Hoisting English colors, our officers also donning the British uniform, we soon came near enough to hail her ; for not doubtiog that we were a British brig, the merchantman made no effort to escqie us. Our captain hailed her: "Ship, ahoy!" i , r, .• ,,u , • |.,,»-i • • / "Halloo!" - .,.,» „ ■^r . . .. - • . ■ / "What ship ia thai?" -..t «.'.»■ ■ »- .■>;■; - : r )T. Dftheir glasses, our I course it was folly ry, beat to quarters, ;ting to be prisoners out false lights, and morning she was not She was an English ;hed her, and hailed, sperated our captain, t almost immediately, erything being ready nfortunate foe. The attempted to beat up >rt which commanded expressive a manner, jach of their shot, and se in shore, under the first it was resolved to weighing the subject experiment, and, not- pt, it was wisely aban- side we never learned, to a watery and un- e ftea««yofwar. Inis pnegal." [course for St. Thomas. Yankee cunning in her je officer in command Bts of false colors, and lit took: supposing her ,es. This was all the B, and he made all pos- g every stitch of canvas ; and swept h^r olon^; ailer, and succeeded m ecured her safety. Her rning another Liverpool r lookout, until she was the harbor, in the hope rere too cautious to run convoy for their protec- , our canvas than to our ,r sail standing in towaid icers also donning the lil her ; for not doubtUJg nade no eflfott to escape STORT OF AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOY. 176 « The ship Barton." " Where dp you belong?" "To Liverpool." " Wliat is your cargo? " " Red-wood, palm oil, and ivory." " Where are you bound to?" « To St. Thomas." Just at that moment our English flag was hauled down, and to the inexpressible annoyance of the officers of the Barton, the stars and stripes supplied its place. " Haul down your colors!" continued Captain Nicholson. The old captain, who up to this moment had been enjoying a comfortable nap in his very comfortable cabin, now came upon deck in his shirt sleeves, rubbing his eyes, and looking so exquisitely ridiculous, that it was scarcely possible to avoid laughing. So surprised was he at the unexpected termination of his dreams, that he could not command skill enough to strike his colors, which was accordingly done by the mate. Atler taking out as much of her cargo as we desired, we proceeded to set her on fire. It was an imposing sight to behold the wild antics of the flames, leaping from rope to rope, and from spar to spar, until she looked like a fiery cloud resting on the dark surface of the water. Presently iier spars began to fall, her masts went by the board, her loaded guns went off, the hull was burned to the water's edge, and what a few hours before was a fine trim ship, looking like a winged creature of the deep, lay a shapeless charred mass, whose blackened outline, shadowed in the clear still waves, looked like the grim spirit of war lurking for its prey. This wanton destruction of property was in accordance with our in- structions, " to sink, burn, and deatroy^^ whatever wc took from the enemy. Such is the war-spirit! Sink, burn, and d^btroy! how it sounds! Yet such are the instructions given by Christian nations to their agents in timo of war. What Christian will not pray for the destruction of such a spirit? The crew of the Barton we carried into St. Tiiomas, and placed tiiem on board the Jane, excepting a Portuguese and two colored men, who shipped among our crew. We also took with us a fine black spaniel dog, whom the men called by the name of Paddy. This done, we proceeded to watch for fresh victims on which to wreak the vengeance of the war spirit. The next sail we met was an English brig called the Adventure, which had a whole menagerie of monkeys on board. We captured and burned her just as we did the Barton. Her crew was also disposed of in the same manner. One of them, an African prince, who had acquired a tolerable education in England, and who was remarkably polite and sensible, shipped in the Siren. Ills namr was Samuel Quaqua. We now remained at St. Thomas sevtiral days, carrying on a petty trade with the natives. Our men bought all kinds of fruit, gold-dust, and birds. For th^se things we gave them articles of clothing, tobacco, knives, etc. For an old vest I obtained a large basketful of oranges; for a handful of tobacco five large cocoanuts — a profitable exchange on my side, since, although I drew my tobacco of the purser, I fortunately never acquired the h ibit of using it; a loss I never regretted. My cocoanuts were far more gratifying and valuable when we got to sea, parched ^th thirst, and sutfering for water, than all the tobacco in the ship. Fro.-i St. Thomas we proceeded to Angola, where we staid long enough to clean, paint, and refit our brig from stem (9 stern. This was 1Y6 STORT OP AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOT. ii fif the last port we intended to touch at on the coast of Africa. Our next anchorage was to be in Boston harbor — at least so wo purposed; but the events of war frustrated our intention. To accomplish our object, we had to run the gauntlet through tho host of English cruisers that hovered about like birds of prey along both sides of the Atlantic coast. This enterprise appeared so impossible to my mind while we lay at Angola, and the fear of being retaken and hung operated so strongly on my imagination, that more than once I determined to run away and find a refuge among the Africans ; but my better judgment prevailed, and I continued at my post. Still, I used every possible precaution to escape detection in case of of our capture. In accordance with tho custom of our navy at that period, I let my hair grow long behind. To change my looks more cifectually, instead of tying mine in a cue as the others did, I let it hang in ringlets M round my face and neck. This, together with the effect of time, caused me to appear quite a different lad from what I was when a boy on board the Macedonian. I also adopted that peculiarity of dress practiced by American men-of-war's men, which consisted in wearing my shirt open at the neck, with the corners thrown back. On these corners a device was wrought, consisting of the stars of the American flag with the British flag underneath. By these means I hoped to pass for a genuine Yankee, without suspicion, in case wo should fall into English hands. Having finished our preparations, wc left Angola for Boston. We reached the island of Ascension in safety, where was a post-office of a truly patriarchal character. A box is nailed to a post near the shore. Ships that pass send to the box, and deposit or take out letters as the case may be. This is probably the cheapest general post-office establishment in the world. We had scarcely lefl this island before the cry of" Sail, ho!" arrested every ear. Supposing her to be a large merchantman, we made toward her ; but a nearer approach made it doubtful whether she was an Indiaman or a man-of-war. The captain judged her to be the latter, and tacked ship immediately. He was unwilling to place himself in the situation of an American privateer, who, mistaking a seventy-four for a merchantman, ran his ship close along side, and boldly summoned her to haul down her colors. The captain of the other ship cooly replied, " I am not in the habit of striking my colors." At the same moment the ports of his ship were opened, and disclosed her long ranges of guns yawning over the decks of the privateer. Perceiving his mistake, the privateer, with admi- rable tact and good humor, said, " Well, if you wont, I will;" and pulling down his bunting, surrendered to his more powerful foe. To avoid such a mistake as this, our captain made all sail to escape the coming stranger, which was now bearing down upon us under a heavy pressure of canvas, revealing, as she gained upon our little brig, that she bore the formidable character of a soventy-four gun ship under English colors. Of course fighting was out of the question. It would be like the assault of a dog on an elephant, or a dolphin on a whale. We therefore crowded ■ all possilile sail, threw our guns, cables, anchors, hatches, etc., overboard, to increase her speed. But it soon became apparent that we could not escape. The wind blew quite fresh, which gave our opponent the ad- vantage : she gained on us very fast. We shifted our course, in hopes to baffle her until night, when we felt pretty sure of getting out of her way. It was of no use; she still gained; until we saw ourselves almost within gunshot of our opponent. "^^ ^tn^^ , .««. ? .>,. .«( impossible to my retaken and hung n once I determined my better judgment detection in case of navy at that period, 1 ks more effectually, it hang in ringlets all ffoct of time, caused when a boy on board )f dress practiced by Boring my shirt open lese corners a device 1 flag with the British "or a genuine Yankee, ish hands. Tola for Boston, vve 'was a post-office of » post near the shore. out letters as the case )8t-office establishment f« Sail, ho!" arrested man, we made toward ershcwasanlndiaman the latter, and tacked welf in the situation ol bur for a merchantman, d her to haul down her 3lied,"Iam not m the nt the ports of his ship guns yawning over the e privateer, with adrni- mt,Iwill;" andpulhng ful foe. To avoid such pe the coming stranger, 'avy pressure of canvM, she bore the formidable ■sh colors, would be like the assault We therefore crowded -hatches, etc., overboard, ,Brent that we could not »e our opponent the ad- ted our course, in hopes re of getting out of her we saw ourselves almost 8T0RT or AN SNOLISH BAILOR BOT. 177 In this extremity the captain ordered the quirter-maater, George Wataon, to throw the private lignals overboard. This was a hard task for the bold-licurted fellow. As he pitched them into the sea, he said, " Good- by, brother Yankee ;" an expression which, in spite of their mortifying situation, forced a amile from the lips of the officers. Tiio sound of a gun now came booming through the air. It was a signal for us to heave to, or to look out fur consequences. What might have been, we learned afterward, for a division of the crew of the seventy- four had orders to sink us if we made the least show of resistance. Finding it useless to prolong the chase, our commander reluctantly ordered the flag to be struck. We then hove to, and our foe came rolling down upon us, looking like a huge avalanche rushing down the mountain side to crush some poor peasant^a dwelling. Uer officers stood on her quarter- deck, glancing unutterable pride, while her captain shouted, " What brig is that?" *' The United States brig Siren," replied Captain Nicholson. "This is his Britannic majesty's ship Medway!" he answered. "I claim you as my lawful prize." Boats were then lowered, the little brig taken from us, and our crew transferred to the Medway, stowed away in the cable tier, and put in messes of twelve, with an allowance of only eight men's rations to a mess— a regulation which caused us considerable suffering from hunger. The Bight of the marines on board the Medway made me tremble, for my fancy pointed out several of them as having formerly belonged to the Macedonian. I really feared I was destined speedily to swing at the yard-arm: it was, however, a groundless alarm. This event happened July 12, 1814. Only eight days before, we had celebrated the independence of the United States. Now, we had a fair prospect of a rigorous imprisonment. Such are the changes which constantly occur under the rule of the war-spirit. The day subsequent to our capture we were marched to the quarter- deck with our clothes-bags, where we underwent a strict search. We were ordered to remove our outside garments for this purpose. They •xpected to find us in possession of large quantities of gold-dust. What little our crew had purchased was taken from them, with a spirit of rapacity ^together beneath the dignity of a naval commander. Our short allowance was a source of much discomfort in this our prison- fbip. But in the true spirit of sailors, we made even this the subject of coarse jests and pleasant remark. Enduring this evil, we proceeded on our course. When the Medway arrived at Simon's Town, about twenty- one miles from the Cape of Good Hope, we met the Denmark, sevonty«> four, on her way to England with the prisoners from Cape Town. The captain had hitherto intended to land us at the latter place, but the pre- sence of the Denmark led him to change his purpose, and land us at Simon's Town. The journey from this place to the Cape was one of great suffering to our crew. We were received on the beach by a file of Irish soldiers. Under their escort we proceeded seven miles, through heaps of burning sand, seeing nothing worthy of notice on the way but a number of men busily engaged in cutting up dead whales on the sea-^bore. After resting a short time, we recommenced our march, guarded by a new detachment of soldiers. Unused to walking as we were, we began to grow excessively fatigued; and after wading a stream of considerable depth, we were so oveccooie that it seeiped impomible to proceed any 12 , -N-s?;jy,^SS*«!ffi<'^'^ 178 STORY OF AN BNGLISH SAILOR BOY. further. Wo lay down, diiroiiraged and wretched, on tho sand. The guard brought us somn bread, and gave half a pint of wine to each man. This revived us somewhat. We were now placed under a guard of dragoons. They were very kind, and urged us tu attempt the remaining seven miles. To relieve ua, they carried our clothcH-bags on tlici; horsos; and overtaking some Dutch farmers going to the Cu|>c with iToom-tttufT and brush, tho officer of the dragoons made them carry the mont weary among us in their wagons. It is not common for men tu desire the inside of a prison, but I can assure my readers we did most heartily wish our- aelves there, on that tedious journey. At last, about nine nV-lock p. h., we arrived at Cape Town, having left one of our number at Wineburg, through exhaustion, who joined us the next day. Stiff, sore, and weary, we hastily threw ourselves on tlio hard boards of our prison, where, without needing to be soothed or rocked, we slept profoundly until the next morning, when we took a survey of our new quarters. Wo found ourselves placed in a large yard surrounded by high walls, and strongly guarded by soldiers. Within this inclosure there was n building or shed composed of three rooms, neither of which had any floor. Round the side! stood three benches or stages, one above the other, to serve for berths. On these we spread our hammocks and bed-clothes, making them tolerably comfortable places to sleep in. A few of the men preferred to sling their hammocks as they did at sea. Here, also, we used to eat, unless, as was our frequent practice, we did so in the open air. We remained in prison at tho Cape till carried away in the ship Cum- berland to England. Stopping by the way at St. Helena, we were re- moved to the Grampus, a transfer which greatly alarmed me, since the more men who saw me, the greater of course was my chance of detection. Luckily, no one knew me, and I arrived with my companions in safety at Plymouth. I was equally fortunate here, and remained undiscovered till I was transferred with others to a vessel which was to take us in exchange lo America. I pass over the circumstances of the voyage, and ■only mention that we wer» all landed in due time at New York. My resolution had been to quit the sea and settle down on land, but on returning to New York all such fancies vanished, as they had done befor^. I spent my hard-won earnings foolishly like others, and, like them, when reduced to straits, again sought employment as a sailor. On this occasion I shipped on board the Boxer, commanded by Captain Porter, a man, as it proved, of stern disposition. The Boxer was now ready for a cruise, and I prepared to do my duty on board of that vessel as an ordinary seaman. Formerly, I had been entered only as a boy ; but now, as a rated sea- man, I had a station assigned me in the foretop, instead of being a servant to any of the officers. I was also appointed to be one of the crew of the captain's gig. This made my lot one of more fatigue and exposure than in any former voyage ; a proof of which I very soon experienced. It being now late in the fall, the weather became very cold. One afternoon, the pennant having got foul of tho royal mast, an officer ordered me to go up and clear it. I had no mittens on; it took nie some time to per- form my task; and before I came down, one of my fingers was frozen. Thus it is, however, with the poor tar; and he thinks himself happy to escape with injuries so slight as this. We shortly received sailing orders, and were soon under weigh, bound to the Balize in the Gulf of Mexico. Here we cruised about some time, visiting New Orleans and other places, and keeping ao outlook for pirates, with wbich theae seas were then r'.J^.i i iwn i / . H iiiiO ft J W .. -"ssmmtt^i the sand. The in« to each man. ndor a ptiaril of iptthc rcinoining «ontl.ci:hovsc«j with liroom-»tuir y tht! moHt wnary t, desire the inside heartily wish our- nino i>Vlock v. M., ^ber at Wincburg, r, sore, and weary, our prison, where, rofoundly until the aartors. We found walls, and strongly 8 n building or shed .floor. Round the B other, to serve for tted-clothes, making of the men preferred also, we used to eat, ,e open air. ,ay in the ship Cum- Helena, we were re- larrocd mo, smce >he ^chance of detccuon. rnpanions in safety at mained undiscovered ,h was to take us in es of the voyage, and t New York. i\e down on lan^, but ed.as they had done like others, and, like ^mentasasailor. Un ded by Captam Porter, Boxer was now ready rd of that vessel as an U now, as a rated sea- ,lead of being a servant oneofthecrewof the aue and exposure than soon experienced. U cold. One afternoon, officer ordered me to n»e some time to per- I'mv fingers was frozen. Links himself happy to I received sailmg orders, U,theGulfofMex.^. Irteans and other places, these seas were then STORY OF AN ENGLISH SAILOR BOY. 170 iinhap|iily infostod. This was a duty requiring great vigilance, and wo were iiopt cnn-'tantly at our poslM. The most irksome duty of a Huilor in to koep watcii m iii)rlu in the topH. Otlon have 1 stood for hours on the royal yard, or topgallant yard, without a man to converse with. Hero, overcome with fiitiguo and want of sleep, I have fallen into a dreamy ilo/.ing state, fi-om which I was roused by a lee lurch of the ship. Starling up, I havo shuddered at the danger I had so narrowly escaped. But notwith- standing this sudden fright, a few minutes had scarcely elapsed before I would be nodding again. This, of course, was a highly punishable offense. When the weather was rough, we were indulged with permission to stand on the forctopsail yard, or on the topgallant cross-trees; and if the ship rolled heavily, we lashed ourselves to the mast for safety. I can assure my readers there is nothing desirable in this part of a sailor's duty. In whatever the pleasure of a life at sea consists, it is not in keeping a look-out from the mast-head at night. But the most disagreeable of all is, to bn compelled to stand on these crazy elevations when half dead with sea-sickness. Some suppose that sailors arc never sea-sick at\cr the first time they go to sea. This is a mistake ; it is very much with them as with landsmen in respect to being sick in a coach. Those who are of bilious temperament are always affected, more or less, when they ride in a coach or sleigh; while others are never sick on these occasions. So with seamen; some are never sea-sick, others are sick only when going out of port, while some are so in every gale of wind. It is almost need- less to say that, for sailors, no allowance is made for sea-sickness; they must in all cases remain at their posts until it is time to be relieved. Our cruise terminated af\er a few skirmishes, and we returned to New York, where I left the service, as I trusted, forever. As it occurred, my services as a seaman in a war-vessel would not long have been required. The peace between England and France in 1814, by opening the con- tinent to American commerce, hitherto excluded by British policy naturally removed one of the grounds of quarrel, and opened the way for peace with the United States. On the twenty-fourth of December, 1814, a trcatjr^ of peace, accordingly, was effected at Ghent, which left, however, the question of right of search and other matters on the ground on which they had previously stood. The Americans, as is well known, were most successful in their naval warfare; but, after all, that was a trifling com-r pensation for ruined commerce, and for being brought to the very verge of national dismemberment. The losses of the British never made any distinct impression on the nation, otherwise than teaching a tolerably sound lesson in discretion, and leading to many important improvements in naval affairs. I sincerely trust that both nations, united by a thousand inextricable ties, and profiting by experience, will, in all time coming, avoid every description of warlike collision, and exist in the happiest terms of amity and pence. In taking leave of the sea, it may be expected that I should say a few words respecting the life of a sailor As I have already mentioned, the profession of a sailor has its hardships, but these were much greater at the time (.f my service than they are now, after a lapse of twenty years. The duties of the men are now exactly regulated, and their comforts are cared for in many ways. On board of each vessel, in the British navy, there are now means for instruction, a library, and the savings of the men are carefully secured for them, or transmitted to their wives or friends. On shore, also, there are at various ports, establishments called " SailoraV ■gji^TSwTS-^.- 180 STORY OP AN ENQUSH BAILOR BOY. 11 III Homoi," where discharged iceainon may roiiiJo at a modorato expense til' engagr.G in ii new vessel. At sna, ns on land, stouf the business, and was not really needed, my board wu to be my only compensation. I lived here happily for some time, ind then got employment of a more lucrative kind m another establish- ment, where I settled, and have since remained, thankful to have attained • IwTea of reit tftar the turmoila ud dangen of » SM-Iife. 1 1'. > i> lOY. a modoTftto expense iidincB*, tompornnce, are miro to command It is likowiBo most m; for the more ho greater is his chance le very least, bo able ind whichever way it M. But beside these bo able to throw and observation, find the sary particulars of the CO for ascertaining the along cord, having an (id. This wood, when , and consequently, as reel held in the hatid. tenting miles and half number of miles which aman cnn cast the log, fow can do any more, I, and inclined to spend n in study. Of course lion. sources, and far distant a disbanded and pen- subsistence I know not. about to different parts ccessful ; and at length half worn out. When f despair, I was so for- igh his kind influence, -dressing establishment, eally needed, my board happily for some time, nd m another establish- hankful to have attained a sea-life. a ,. - i ; ii . i »r il g^^ffl Ji.g<',^ l i;j ; ^ MJ^^fc^. '" ' J 4^ ^^i^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■:i|M 12.5 £ us 1120 1.8 U 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 qv „«><*>' " *- <^ ^\ w^ ^ »• ) A* i CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductlons historiques ^ "mah'm:^'^ ■ iw y .^ Au < m.n w^ '?f M. j^ i i,i i Lp.; i a^i i'g| i., || .., ' a 'i'! 'i ' > 3' THE EXTRAORDINARY SUFFERINGS 09 DONALD CAMPBELL, i' I WHO, BIINO SHIPWBaOKID WKLL INTO TBI U/kXM OV THE CRUEL HYDER ALL r It was the eighteenth day of May, 1782, when we sailed from Goa, in Hindoostan, in a Portuguese vessel, bound for Madras. The hemi- sphere had been, for some days, overcast with clouds : some light showers of rain had fallen, and it did not tend to raise my spirits, or free me from ominous apprehensions, to hear that those circumstances indicated an approaching gale of wind. I observed, moreover, that the vessel was much too deep in the water, being greatly overloaded — ^that she was, in many respects, defective, and, as the seamen say, ill-found, and, in short, very unlit to encounter a gale of wind of any violence. I scorned, however, to yield to those united impressions, and determined to proceed. On the nineteenth, the sky was obscured by immense fleeces of clouds, surcharged with inflammable matter; and in the evening the rain fell in torrents, the firmament darkened apace, sudden night came on, and the horrors of extreme darkness were rendered still more horrible by the peals of thunder which rent the air, and the frequent flashes of lightning, which served only to show us the horror of our situation, and leave us in increased darkness : meantime, the wind became more violent, blowing on the shore ; and a heavy sea, raised by its force, united with it to make our state more formidable. By daylight, on the morning of the twentieth, the gale had increased *.o a furious tempest ; and the sea, keeping pace with it, ran mountain- high, and as it kept invariably to the same point, the captain and oflicers became seriously alarmed, and almost persuaded that the south-west mon- soon had set in, which, if it were so, would render it absolutely impossi- ble for us to weather the coast. All that day, however, we kept as close as the violence of the weather would allow us, to the wind; but the sea canted her head so to leeward, that she made more lee than headway ; and the rigging was so strained with the work that we had little hope of keeping ofl" the shore, unless the wind changed, of which there was not now the smallest probability. During the night, there was no inter- rnission of the storm: many of the sails flew into ribbons ; some of the rigging was carried away ; and such exertions were made, that, before morning, every stick that could possibly be struck, was down upon the deck. About seven o'clock on the morning of the twenty-first, I was alarmed by an unusual noise upon the deck, and running up, perceived that every remaining sail in the vessel, the fore-sail alone excepted, was totally car- ried away. The sight was horrible ; and the whole vessel presented a , . - (181) 1+ \ -o^M^^tHM W - 182 SUFFERINGS OF DONALD CAMPBELL. Bpectacle as dreadful to the feelings, as mortifying to liuinan prido. Fear had produced not only all the helplessness of despondency, but all the mischievous freaks of insanity. In one place stood the captain, ravmg, stamping, and tearing his hair in handfuls from his hf-ad— lioro sonic of the crew wore cast upon their knees, clapping their liands, and praying, witli all the extravagance of horror painted in their faces— there, others were flogging their images, with all their might, calling upon i|>,i-'n to ullay the storm. One of our passengers, who was purser ot an l,n.,dish East Indiaman, had got hold of a case-bottle of rum, and, with un air ot distraction ait4 deep despair imprinted on his face, was stalking about m his shirt. 1 W«r<*ived him to be on the point of serving it out, in large tumblers, to «ic few undismayed pcdj^le, and well convinced, that, so iar from allevfating, it would sharpen the horrors of their minds, I wont forward, and with much difficulty prevented him. Having accomplished this point, I applied myself to the captain, and endeavored to bring him back (if possible) to his recollection, and to a sense of what he owed to his duty as a commander, and to his dignity as a man : I exhorted him to encourage the sailors by his example ; and strove to raise his spirits by saying that the storm did not appear to me by any means so terrible as some I had before experienced. While I was thus employed, we shipped a sea on tiie starboard side, which, I really thought, would have sent us down. The vessel seemed to sink boneatii its weight, shivered, and remained motionless. It syas a moment of critical suspense: fancy made me think I felt her gradually descending— I gave myself up as gone, and summoned all my fortitude to bear approaching death with becoming manhood. Just at this crisis, the water, which rushed with incredible force through all parts of the vessel, brought out floating, and nearly suff"ocated, another Knglish passenger, who was endeavoring to take a little repose in a small cabin boarded off" from the deck: he was a very stout young man, and full of true spirit. Finding that the vessel was not, as I had thought, going immediately down, he joined me in exhorting the captain to his duty • we persuaded him to throw the guns overboard, as well as a num- ber of trunks and packages, with which the vessel was much encumbered, and, with some little exertion, we got the pumps set agoing. ^ The name of the English passenger who assisted me in getting t.ie captain and mariners to do their duty, was Hall. He and I having, with great difficulty, got some hands to stick to the pumps, stood at the wheel, at once to assist the men, and prevent them from quitting it ; and, al- though hopeless, determined that no effort practicable on our part should be wanting to the preservation of the vessel. The water, hovvever, gained upon the pumps, notwithstanding every effort; and it evidently appeared that we could not keep her long above water. At ten o'clock the wind seemed to increase, and amounted to a down- right hurricane: the sky was so entirely obscured with black clouds, and the rain fell so thick, that objects were not discernable from the wheel to the ship's head. Soon the pumps were choked, and could no longer be worked: then dismay seized on all— nothing but unutterable despair, silent anguish, and horror, wrought up to frenzy, were to be seen ; not a single soul was capable of an effort to be useful— all seemed more desi- rous to extinguish their calamities by embracing death, than willing, by a painful exertion, to avoid it. .,.,,•• • , a Ae \ At about eleven o'clock, we could plainly distinguish a dreadful roaring noise, resembling that of waves rolling against rocks; but the DREADFUL STORM. 183 n prido. Fear cy, but all the ;uptain, raving, •hero sonic of 1, and prayiuj,', — tliorc, others upon ihcin to of an Enirlish with an air of diiinfj about in t out, in large ed, that, so far minds, I wont le captain, and ction, and to a his dignity as example ; and appear to me id. starboard side, vessel seemed less. It was a t her gradually ill my fortitude le force through focated, another jposc in a small roung mail, and I had thought, ! captain to his well as a num- ich encumbered, °&.- . , e in gettmg t'le d I having, with od at the wheel, ting it ; and, al- L our part should water, however, and it evidently unted to a down- )lack clouds, and from the wheel could no longer itterable despair, be seen ; not a emed more desi- , than willing, by [uish a dreadful it rocks; but the ver ride y judg- itis sea, ery one stant, a took an ort to heeled darkness of the day, and the accompanying rains, prevented us from see- ing any distance; and if they were rocks, we migiit bo actually dashed to pieces on tiiem, bofore wo could perccMvc them. At twelve o'clock, however, the weather cleared up a little, when we discovered breakers and large rocks outside of us; so that it appeared we must iiave passed quite close to them, and wore now fairly hemmed in between them and the land. In this very critical juncture, the captain adopted the dangerous resolution of letting go an anchor, to bring her up with her heapk) the sea Though no seaman, my common sense told mo that she co it out, but must directly go down. The event nearly justi ment: for she had scarcely been at anchor, before an e rolling over her, overwhelmed and filled her with water, a; on board concluded that she was certainly sinking. On Lascar, with a presence of mind worthy an old English mari' ax, ran forward, and cut the cable. On finding herself free, the vessel again floated, and mad right herself; but she was almost completely water-logged, to larboard so much that the gunwale lay under water. Wclh^h endeav ored to steer, as fast as we could, for the land, which we knew could not be at any great distance, though we were unable to discover it through the hazy weather. The foresail was loosened; by great eftbrts in bailing she righted a little; her gunwale was got above water, and we scudded, as well as we could, before the wind, which still blew hard on shore, and at about two o'clock, the land appeared at a small distance ahead. The love of life countervails all other considerations in the mind of man. The uncertainty we were under with regard to the shore before us, which we had reason to believe was part of Hyder All's dominions, (then at war with the English,) where we should meet with the most rigorous treatment, if not ultimate death, was forgotten in the joyful hope of saving life ; and we scudded toward the shore in all the exulting trans- ports of people just snatched from the jaws of death. This gleam of happiness continued not long: a tremendous sea rolling after us, broke over our stern, tore everything before it, stove in the steerage, carried away the rudder, shivered the wheel to pieces, and tore up the very ring-bolts of the deck, conveyed the men who stood at the deck forward, and swept them overboard. I was standing, at the time, near the wheel, and fortunately had hold of the taflerel, which en- abled me to resist in part the weight of the wave. I was, however, swept off my feet, and dashed against the main-mast. The jerk from the taf- ferel, which I held very tenaciously, seemed as if it would have dislocated my arms : however, it broke the impetus of my motion, and, in all proba- bility, saved me from being dashed to pieces against the mast. I floundered about in the water, at the foot of the mast, till at length 1 got on my feet, and seized a rope, which I held in a state of great em barrassment, dubious what I should do to extricate myself. At this instant I perceived that Mr. Hall had got upon the capstan, and was waving his hand to me to follow his example : this I wished to do, though it was an enterprise of some risk and difficulty ; for, if I lost the hold I had, a single motion of the vessel, or a full wave, would certainly carry me overboard. I made a bold push, however, and fortunately accom- plished it. Having attained this station, I could the better survey the wreck, and saw that the water was nearly breast high on the quarter-deck, (for the vessel was deep-waisted;) and I perceived the unfortunate English purser standing where the water was most shallow, as if watching 184 SUFFERINGS OP DONALD CAMPBELL. prevent other ti cmotioa of whic some of with patient expectation its rising, and avaiting death. I c;illod to h m to come to us, but he shook his head in despair, and said, u. a lam. i.tiv- blo tone, "It is all over with us! God have mercy upon us!" tlu ii soiitcd himself, with seeming composure, on a chair which happened to be roll- ing about in the wreck of the deck, and, in a few mmutes afterward vas washed into the sea along with it, where he was speedily released from a state ten thousand times worse than death. , , , , , „ . Durinc Jhis universal wreck of things, the horror I was in, could not Tom observing a very curious circumstance, whicli, at any ' mid have excited laughter, though it now produced no other surprise. We happened to be in part laden with mangoes, island of Goa is known to produce the finest in the world ; some oi onn lav in baskets on the poop. A little black boy, in tl.e moment Ol greatest danger, had got seated by them, devouring thorn loraciousl and crying all the time most bitterly at the horrors of h 8ituati«U|# The vessel now got completely water-logged ; and Mr. Hall and I were employed in forming conjectural calculations how many minutes she could keep above water, and consoling one another on the unfortunate circumstances under which we met. As the larboard side of the vessel was gradually going down, the decK, and of course the capstan, became too nearly perpendicular for us to continue on it: we therefore foresaw the necessity of quitting it, and got upon the starboard side, holding fast by the gunwale, and allowing ou. bodies and lees to yield to the sea as it broke over us. Thus we con- Unued for some Le: at length the severity of the labor so entirely exhausted our strength and spirits that our only hope seemed to be a speedy conclusion to our painful death, and we began to have serious intentions of letting go our hold, and yielding.ourselves up at once to the fury ofThe w.ves.^ The vessel! which all this time drifted with the sea and wind, gradually approximated the shore, and at length struck th ground, wWch, for an instant, revived our almost departed hopes, but we toon found that it did not, in the smallest degree, better our situation. Observing the people consulting together, and resolving to jom them, I made an effDrt to get to the lee-shrouds, where they were standing, or rather clinging; but before I could accomplish it, I lost my hold fell down the hatchway, (the gratings having been earned away with the long-boat,) aiid was for some minutes entangled there among a heap ot packages, which the violent fluctuations of the water had coU^cted »„ the lee-side. As the vessel moved with the sea, and the water flowed in, the packages and I wore rolled together-sometimes one, somet.ines another, uppermost; so that I began to be apprehensive I should not be able to extricate myself: by the merest accident, however, I grasped something that lay in my way, made a vigorous spring, and gamed he lee-shrouds. Mrf Hall, who followed me, in seizing the shrouds, came thump against me with such violence, that I could scarcely retain my hold of the rigging. Compelled by the perilous situation in which I stood, 1 called out to him for God's sake to keep off", that I was rendered quite breathless and worn out: he generously endeavored to make way for mt aTd, in doing so, unfortunately lost his hold, and went do>yn under tlo ship's side. Never, never shall I forget my sensations at his melancho,.v inddent-I would have given millions of worlds that I could have recalled the words which made him move ; my mind was wound up to the laM pitch of anguish, when, as much to my astonishment as to my joy, 1 saw him borne by a returning wave, and thrown among the very packages ■■■■■■I SHIPWRECK. 185 [ callnd to him I, ill a liiiiicutii- a!" tlicii soiitfd 3ned t<) be roil- 8 afterward, .vas f released from ta in, could not 3, which, at any educed no other 1 with mangoes, St in the world ; ack boy, in the devouring them e horrors of liis 1; and Mr. Hall lions how many one another on r down, the deck, licular for us to uitting it, and got and allowing our Thus we con- labor so entirely seemed to be a I to have serious up at once to the led with the sea ength struck the ed hopes, but we • our situation, ing to join them, were standing, or lost my hold, fell ed away with the Bimong a heap of had collected on the water flowed 5S one, sometimes B I should not be >wever, I grasped g, and gained tlie the shrouds, came :ely retain my hold 1 which I stood, I as rendered quite make way for mcj t down under tho at this melancholy ;ould have recalled ind up to the last 13 to my joy, I saw the very packages from which 1 had but just before, with such labor and difficulty, extri- cated myself. In the end, he proved equally fortunate, but after a much longer and harder struggle, and after sustaining mucii more injury. I once more changed my station, and made my way to the poop, where I found myself ratiicr more sheltered. I earnestly wished Mr. Hall to i>e witii me, whatever might be my ultimate fate, and beckoned to him to conio to me ; but he only answered by shaking his head, in a feeble, de- sponding manner — staring, at the same time, wildly alraut him: oven his .spirit was subdued ; and despair, I perceived, had begun to take posses- sion of his mind. Being a little more at case in my new station than I had been before, I had more time to deliberate, and more power to judge. I recollected that, according to the course of time, the day was far gone, and the night quickly approaching: I reflected, that for any enterprise whatsoever, day was much preferable to night; and, above all, I considered that the ves- sel could not hold long together. I therefore thought that the beat mode I could adopt, would be to take to the water with the first buoyant thing I could see, and, as the wind and water both seemed to run to the shore, to take my chance, in that way, of reaching it. In pursuance of this reso- lution, I tore ofl* my shirt, having before that thrown ofl' the other parts of my dress. I looked at my sleeve-buttons, in which was set the hair of my departed children, rolled my shirt up, and very carefully thrust it into a hole between decks, with the wild hope that the sleeve-buttons might yet escape untouched. Watching my opportunity, I saw a log of wood floating near the vessel, and, waving my hand to Mr. Hall, as a last adieu, jumped after it. Here, again, I was doomed to aggravated hard- ships : I had scarcely touched the log when a great sea snatched it from my hold: still, as it came near me, I grasped at it inefiectually, till, at last, it was completely carried away, hut not before it had cut, and bat- tered, and bruised me in several places, and in a manner that, at any other time, I should have thought dreadful. Death seemed inevitable : and all that occurred to mo now to do was to accelerate it, and get out of its pangs as speedily as possible ; for, though I knew how to swim, the tremendous surf rendered swimming useless, and all hope from that would have been ridiculous. I therefore began to swallow as much water as possible; yet, still rising by the buoy- ant principle of the waves to the surface, my former thoughts began to recur ; and whether it was that, or natural instinct, which survived the temporary impressions of despair, I know not — but I endeavored to swim, which I had not done long, when I again discovered the log of wood 1 had lost, floating near me, and with some difficulty caught it : hardly had it been an instant in my hands, when, by the same unlucky means, I lost it again. I had often heard it said in Scotland, that if a man will throw himself flat on his back in the water, lie quite straight and stifi*, and suf- fer himself to sink till the water gets into his cars, he will continue to float so forever. This occurred to me now, and I determined to try the experiment ; so I threw myself on jny back, in the manner I have de- scribed, and left myself to the disposal of Providence. Nor was I mis- taken ; for, in a short time more, without any eflbrt or exertion, and without once turning from oft' my back, I found myself strike against the sandy beach. Overjoyed, as you may well suppose, to the highest pitch of transport, at my Providential deliverance, I made a convulsive spring, and ran up a little distance on the shore ; but was so weak and worn down by fatigue, and so unable to clear my stomach of the salt water r ; jgg SUFFKUINOS OF DOXALD CAMPBELL. with which it was loaded, that 1 auddonly Rrnw deadly sick, and appre hdndod thai I had only exchanged one death for another; and m . minuto or two fainted away. w u i i.„^ f,.ll«n it i^ in.. How long I continued in the swoon into which I had fallen, it is m posi for'me to tell ; but when I recovered I found 7-' JX: ' by a guard of armed soldiers, sepoys, and pikemen. I knew tlu m n mediately to be the troops of Hyder Ali, and almost wished m.violt .u L il the iaves again, booking round, I saw that the P«;oP»e ^"J '^ \-^; that had been saved from the* wreck, were collected all together alou - viU,re. In this state, we remained till it was dark. A Lascar bolon- ng to the vessel, perceiving that my nakedness gave me great concern o?e in two a piece of cloth which he had tied round his waist an 1 gave me rae pa^ of it, which afforded a short apron. Of aU the acts o benhHcence I ever met with, this struck me the most f«7'^»y ; 'tj;^' kindness, disinterestedness and delicacy for its basis; and I have never sTnceSught of it without wishing that I could meet the man to reward him for his beneficence, with a subsistence for life ^he lower order of people of a certain country, I know, would think a man in such c rcmns ances as I was then in, a fitter object of pleasantry than pity The vast quantity of salt water I had swallowed still made mo deadly sick in the\tomach: however, after ^^^ ^r ' ff 't''nV h!f befor? great relief. I had hardly felt the comfortable effects of this, before 1 ^as ordered to march ; nine of us, all Lascars «''«<^Pt ™y««lf;7«^Ve "' veved to a village at a few miles distance, on the sea-side, where we were, fo7the night, put into a square place, walled round, open to the mcbm- encv of the ;Jather above' and below, and filled with large logs of wood ; it blew most violently, and the rain fell in iorrents-while not one smooth plank could be found on which to stretch our fatigued and wasted bodies Thus, naked, sick, exhausted with fatigue and f-«».ng, drenched vnth wet, Ind unable to lie down, our misery might be '^"PP^^^'V" „ Jt to oable of increase. But, alas! where are the bounds we can set to fma/tcler Thirst, th'at most dreadful of pains o-asioned by the drenching with salt-water, seizea us: ^«^\b«gg«'l' ^„^.f "'^^J^'^^^d clamored for water, but the inhuman wretches, deaf to the groans and scrrches of their fellow-creatures, (for some grew delirious with the agony of thirst,) refused them even the cheap and miserable indulgence "^ndt°J a^Tght 'of more exquisite horror cannot be imagined The thoStof being a prTsoner in the hands of Hyder Ali was, of itself, ufSctnt to rir L completely unhappy : but my utter want of clothes almost put me beside myself; and lying exposed to t e open a ^ where I was glad to sit close to the Lascars, to receive a little heat f«»m the. bodies: and to hold open my mouth in order to catch ^ f JP f ^^^^^gj^ scending rain, was a state that might be considered as the highest rehne ™ ALTfouTo'cLk in the morning, a little cold rice -s broug^ u^ cat, and water was dug out of a hole near the spot for u; but as alU^^^^^ m this life are good or bad merely relatively, this wretched f^u^e was o me refreshment to us. I was then removed to the ruins of a lu , separated from the rest, and a guard set over me. ««^'^. ^Jjf J"" : 7^1 u reflection The whole of my situation appeared before me with all us aggraSng Circumstances of horror; and to any one who cons'ders it bilieve it will appear that it was hardly possible to fill the bitter cup ol calamity fuller. A PAINFUL MARCH. 187 ck, and nppre Iher; anil in f fallen, it is irii- jolfsurrou' dnd knew thciii iiii- lod rnvjolf l):u;l; )ple and olViH-.t-* together alou;^ . Lascar be long- great concern. 1 his waist, and If all the acts of forcibly: it had d I have never ! man, to reward 'he lower order a man in such itry than pity, nado mo deadly w it up, and got of this, before 1 lysolf, were con- , where we were, n to the inclera- ge logs of wood ; e not one smooth id wasted bodies. I, drenched with osed to bo inca- s we can set to ;casioned by the e entreated, we ) the groans and elirious with the jrable indulgence imagined. The \.li was, of itself, or want of clothes open air, where 3 heat from their I drop of the de- ihe highest refine- was brought us to s; but as all things hcd fare was some if a hut, separated had full room for re me with all its who considers it, i the bitter cup of In this state I was, when, to my utter astonishment, and to my no less joy, the companion of my sliipwreck, Mr. Hall, appeared before mo. [ scarcely knew how to think his iippearanco reality, as [ understood that the Lascars then along willi mo were all that w(!re saved from the wreck, and he was, at the uuw 1 parted from him, so exhausted both in body and mind, that i tlioii^'lit he would be the last who could escape. He, how- over, shook me iiy the hand ; and, sitting down, told me that he had given me up for lost, and remained with the vessel until the tide, having ebbed, left her almost dry: that, immediately on getting ashore, and beiag taken prisoner, ho made inquiries about me; and heard that 1 had been saved- that, finding this, his joy was such as to make him almost forget his own misfortunes, and, exerting all his entreaties not to be separated from me, they had been so far indulgent to him, and had brought him to me, that wo might be companions in bondage. He added, that out of eleven Eu- ropeans and filly-six Lascars, who were on board, only he and I of the former, and fourteen of the latter were saved from the wreck, the re.st being drowned in the attempt, excepting some who, overcome with terror, anguish and anxiety, and exhausted with fatigue, had bid a formal adieu u> their companions, let go their hold, and calmly and voluntarily given themselves up to the deep. My pleasure, however, at escaping shipwreck, was by no moans as great as the agony my mind underwent, as the prospect now before me was poignant. The unmerciful disposition of flyder, and all those in authority under him, and the cruel policy of the Eastern chiefs, making the life of any one, particularly a British prisoner, at the best a preca- rious tenure, 1 did not know the moment when death might be inflicted upon me, with perhaps a thousand aggravating circumstances. But the ab- ject state of want and nakedness in which it seemed 1 was likely to remain struck a deep and damp horror to my heart, and almost unmanned me. For some days we lay in this place, exposed to the weather, without even the slender comfort of a little straw to cover the ground beneath us — our food, boiled rice, served very sparingly twice a day, by an old woman, who just throw a handful or more of it to each, upon a very dirty board, which we devoured with those spoons nature gave us. At the end of that time, we, and along with us the Lascars, were ordered to proceed into the country, and drove on foot to a considerable dis*- '^ce, in order to render up an account of ourselves to persons belop /r to Government authorized to take it. It was advanced in the morning -,■ jn we moved, without receiving any sort of sustenance; and were mau'if d in that wasting climate eight hours, without breaking our fast, during which time we were exposed alternately to the scorching rays of the sun, and heavy torrents of rain, which raised painful blisters on our skin; we had oflen to stand exposed to the weather, or to lie down, under the pres- sure of fatigue and weakness, on the bare ground ; then wait an hour or more at the door of some insolent, unfeeling monster, until he finished his dinner, or took his afternoon nap; and when this was over, were driven forward with wanton barbarity by the people who attended us. Two days afler this, we were moved again, and marched up the country by a long and circuitous route, in which we underwent every hardship that cruelty could inflict, or human fortitude endure — now blistered with the heat, now drenched witii rain, and now chilled with the night-damps — destitute of any place but the bare earth to rest, or lay our heads on, with only a scanty pittance of boiled rice for our support — often without water to quench our thirst, and constantly goaded by the guards, who pricked 188 SUFFERINGS OF DONALD CAMI'UF.LL. M'i with tl.cir bayonets ovory now and then, nt oncc! to cvinco thoir power. rntprtain the spectators, and mortify us. Wo mrivod at My lornaRur, th- „„>tr»|)oliH of the province of Biddanore— a lort ol .•onsulenihie strcnKtl). „u.,n.tii.K upward of seventy Runs, containing a larpe frarrison ol n.un. H,ul possesBcd, of immense wealth. It was about two o clock .n thn .....iniuK when we arrived at Biddanore: the day was extremely hot, and w.> were kept out, under tlio full heat of that broiling sun, till dix o'clock in the evening before we were admitted to an audience of the Jemadar, or governor of the place, without having a mouthful ot victuals ottered to us after the fatiguing march of the mornmg. , , ^ .. , , Wiiile we stood in tlie court, waiting to be brought before the Jemadar, we presented a spectacle that would have wrung pity, one would think, frorn the heart of a tiger, if a tiger was endowed with reflection. At Icnath wo were summoned to appear before him, and brought into hin presence. I had made up my mind for the occasion— determined to deport myself in a manly, candid manner-and to let no consideration whatsoever lead mo to any thing disgraceful to my real character, or un- worthy my situation in life ; and, finally, had prepared myself to meet, without shrinking, whatever misfortunes might yet be in store for me or whatever cruelties the barbarous disposition, or wicked policy, ot the tyrant might think proper to inflict. On entering, wo found the Jemadar in full court. He was theii occu- pied with the reading of dispatches, and in transacting other public busi- ness. We were placed directly opposite to him, where wo stood for near an hour, during which time he never cast his eyes toward us. But when at last he had concluded the business in which he was engaged, and deigned to look at us, we were ordered to prostrate ourselves before him: the Lascars immediately obeyed the order, and threw themselves on the ground; but 1 contented myself with making a su am, in which poor Mr. Hall, who knew not the Eastern manner as I did, to lowed my example As so.>n as this ceremony was over, the Jemadar (who was no othe man than the famous Hyat Sahib,) be„ran to question me »« desirj^d to know who I was?-what my profession was?-what was the caje and manner of my approaching the country ol Hyder Ah? To all those rSns I gave Lswers that seemed to satisfy him. Having exhausted E whole stHng of questions, he turned the discourse to another subject no less than his great and puissant Lord and Master, Hyder of whom he had endeavored to impress me with a great if n<>\»«"'ble idea-a.npl.fy- ing his power, his wealth, and the extent and opulence of «"« Jomimon , and describing to me, in the most exaggerated terms, the number of his Uoops-his military talents-his vast, and, according to his acc^t un- rivaled genius — his amazing abilities in conquering and governing nationsiand, above all, his many amiable qualit^s and splendid endow- ments of heart, no less than understanding. He then vaunted of h. soveeigu' successes over the English, some of which I. had not heard of befme,and did not believe; and concluded by assurmg me, that it was Ser'" °g >f "j guage, ti) speak to him without the least reserve-exhorted me to tell IN PRISON. IS!) jco tlioir power. ly.lrrnaRur, the IcTiililt! HtrcnKtl), arrison of tnun. I o'clock ill th(! iroinoly hot, and I, till dix o'clock i)f the Jomadar, victuals otic rod ore the Jemadar, no would think. » reflection. At brought into hin — determined to no consideration character, or un- myself to meet, store for mc, or 3d policy, of the [) was then occu- ather public busi- wc stood for Dear rd us. But when vas engajred, and elves before him: w themselves on m, in which poor )wed my example, irho was no other e. He desired to as the cause and li? To all those Having exhausted another subject, [yder, of whom he ble idea — amplify- 1 of his dominions, ;he number of his his account, un- iig and governing i splendid endow- en vaunted of his [i I had not heard isuring me, that it from Hindoostan. Lhe weakness of thf manner, he called icat myself upon ii )y every means he ing, mollifying lan- jxhorted me to tell him the truth in evnrytiiing wo spoke of — and hinted to ine, tlint my i'allin^ into his hands might turn out the most fortunate event of my lite. I was at a loss to what motive to attribute all those singular marks of indul- gence ; but found that he had learned whose son i was, and knew my father, by reputation, from the prisoners, our sepoys, who were now pri- soners at large hero: and as rank and office are the chief recommenda- tions in the East, as elsewhere, or rather much more than any where else, the sagacious llyat Sahib found many claims to esteem and human- ity in me, as tiie son of a Colonel Campbell, which he never would have found in mc, had I been the son of a plain, humble farmer, or tradesman in England. Afler a full hour's audience, in which Hyat Sahib treated mo with dis- tinguislied marks of his favor, considering my situation, he dismissed me with the ceremony of beetle-nut, rose-water, and other compliments, which are in that country held as the strongest marks of politeness, re- spect and good-will. Leaving the Durbar, 1 was led to the inner fort or citadel: and the officious zeal of those about me, unwilling to let me remain ignorant of that which they conceived to be a most fortunate turn in my affairs, gave the coup de grace, to my miseries, as I went along, by congratulating me on the favorable opinion which the Jemadar had formed of me, and intimating, at the same time, that 1 would soon be honored with a respectable command in Hyder's service. That night, the Jemadar sent me an excellent supper, of not less than six dishes, from his own table ; and although I had been so long famish- ing with the want of wholesome food, the idea of being enlisted in the service of Hyder struck me with such horror, that I lost all appetite, and waa scarcely able to eat a mouthful. Mr. Hull and I, however, were separated from the Lascars, who were released and forced to work. Notwithstanding the favorable intentions manifested toward me by the Jemadar, as I have already mentioned, no mark of it whatsoever appeared in our lodging. This consisted of a small place, exactly the size of our length and breadth, in the zigzag of one of the gates of the citadel. It was open in front, but covered with a kind of shed on tiio top ; and a number of other prisoners were about us. Each of us was allowed a mat and pillow, and this formed the whole of our local accommodations. Upon my remarking it, we were told that in conformity to the custom of the country, we must be treated so for some time, but that our accommo- dations would afterward be extended, and made more agreeable to our wishes: even this was better than our situation since we landed. In addition to this luxury, we were allowed to the value of four pence half- penny a day for our maintenance ; and a guard of sepoys was put over us and a few more prisoners, one of whom was directed to go and purchase our victuals, and do such offices for us. In two or three days after this, Hyat Sahib sent for me, treated mc with great kindness, gave me some tea, and furnished me with two or three shirts, an old coat, and two pairs of breeches, which were stripped from the dead bodies that were thrown ashore from the -wreck — every- thing that was saved from it being sent to Biddanore. At this interview he treated me great respect — ^gave me, beside the articles already men- tioned, thirty r nees, and, upon my going away, told me that in a few days a very flattering proposal would be made to me, and that my situation would be rendered not only comfortable, but enviable. On the evening of that day, I was sent for to attend not at the Durbar, but at the house of a man high in office. Aa I expected to meet Hyat tar 100 SUFFEIUNnS OF DONALD CAMIMIFLL. iSiliil) hiin-« mo sit d(i\vii wiili liiiii, and liii^nn to tipiMtk of liy.it Haiiil), whom lie rstohcd to thi! nkii'S, a!4 a ptiiHon nndowc^d with ^'.\vty ){i*'iit and luniahl)' ipiaiity; inroi'iiiin;; ino, at thi; Harnn limi!, that Ik; was posHn.sHud ol' tiic t'j icnditiiip and contidiMict! of hiit tnuHtiT, llydor Ali, iu a ifrviiUr dc/.Tci; ilian uoy oilier pcM'Mon — 'I'ippoo Hahib, his own «oii. not ox(X'|)thant importance whicii ono who thinks iiu is conforrinK a f;reat I'avor ^'oncraliy assumes, that it was the intention of Ilyat Sahib, tor and on bclialt'of hia master, the Sultan, to ),'ive me tlie command «)t' live tliousand men— an otVer which he supposed I could not think of declining', and thore- foru expected no other answer but a profusion of tlianks, and strong manifestations of joy, on my part. It is not possible for me to describe to you my dismay at this formal proposal, or portray to you the various emotions tliat took possession of my breast. Resentment had its share — the pride of tli(! soldier, not un- accompanied with the pride of family and rank, while it urged mo to spurn from me such a base accommodation, made me consider tiie olTer as a great insult. 1 therefore paused a little to suppress my feelings, and tiicn told him my firm resolution never to accept of such a proposal; and upon his expressing great astonishment at my declining a station so fraught with advantage, 1 laid down, in the best manu'n- I could, my roa- son.s ; and I must say, that he listened to all tiie objections i started with great patience, but, m the conclusion, said he had little doubt of finding means to overcome my reluctance. llu dismissed mc for the present, and I returned to my prison, where I related to my companion, Mr. Hall, everything that passed between us. We canvassed the matter fully, and he agreed with me that it was likely to turn out a most dreadful and cruel persecution. Piqued by the idea, I began to feel a degree of enthusiasm which 1 was before a stranger to. [ looked forward with a kind of gloomy pleasure to the miseries that bru- tal tyranny might inflict upon me. even to death itself: and already began to indulge in the exultation of martyrdom. Indeed, I had wrought my- self up to such a pitch of firmness, that I am persuaded the most exqui- site and refined cruelties which the ingenuity of an Iroquois Indian could have inflicted on my body, would have been utterly incapable of bending the stubborn temper of my mind. On the day succeeding that on which the agent of Ilyat Sahib had held the discourse with me, 1 was again sent for, and brought to tlie same person, who asked me, whether I had duly considered of the important ofler made me by Hyat Sahib, and of the consequences likely to result from a refusal? and he apprised me, at the same time, that the command of five thousand men was an honor which the first rajahs in the Mysorean dominions would grasp at with transport. I told him I was well convinced of the honor such a command would confer on any man but an English- man, whose country, being then the subject of Hyder^s incessant hostility would make the acceptance of it infamy and finally, appealed to the good sense of Hyat Sahib, whether a man who, in such circumstances, had betrayed his country, and sacrified her interests to his own conve- nience, was such a person as confidence could properly be put in. rS ^ TRMTOKOUS Pi;0!'()S.\l,S. 101 tnd propnoition, svitli oiii: of hia ).<4(i iiaiiKi I now (!, iindi^ iiio ait 1 li(! *'\tolti!(l to iiiiial)!)' i|ii;ility; 1' tho t'lii.'iultfliip lej{ro(; lliiui uny I he ovorcliargod tlint ti'iain|)liant t fiivoi lu'oncraUy on Ix.'lialf of his tlioiisaiid inon— iiiii^, und thore- niikH, and Htrong iiy at tills formal )k posHCMsion of Holdior, not un- it ur^rsd mo to ouaidcr tlu! offer rcss my foelings, Htich a proposal ; niiig a station so I could, my roa- Diis I started with I doubt of finding ly prison, where I jsed between ua. tiiat it was liitely pied by tiie idea, fore a stranger to. miseries that bru- and already began hud wrought my- d the most exqui- quois Indian could apable of bending )f Ilyat Sahib had fought to the aame of the important es likely to result that the command [13 in the Mysorean was well convinced m but an English- I incessant hostility y, appealed to the ich circumstances, to his own conve- ly be put in. ini, Notwithstanding these and a tliousaiid otlicT riMiioiiNtrnnces, ho still contiiiiied to press m(«, and used every urgiiinent, i^very persuasion, that ingenuity tumid dictiic, or hints of punishment enforce, to HJinko my (lurpose — hut in vain: attachment to country and family rose |)aramount M all otlier consideratiiins; and I gave a pt^remptory, d(;cisivo refusal. Circumstanced as 1 was, it was impossible for me to keep an accurate journal of the various incidents that passed, or vicissitudes of tiioughts tlial occurred, during the period of my imprisonm ions had been wrested from him by force, and united to the Carnatic ; that his family had received great favors from my father, in return for llpi i' 194 SUFFERINGS OF DONALD OAMI'BELL. «,« h. might ..U«. hi. -wenge ^y J™' J?"^ "°« "J^th mo. ^■"just a8 I was on the point of returning with him to Hydernagur, we meant to have cut me ott, 1 deemea ii pruucu , ,. ' worse fate I was soon seized with the most «^""«"; '"^ f foU asTmy^nside was succeeded by a v-lent vo^t.ng ^^^^ utterly decayed and allrt8func^.o„8^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^.^^ ^,. head seemed deranged— I *^^°"''* ,^*^*7- ^ "_jL with agonizing pain; what was said: lifting up my head was f«!^^f ^'Jl,*?? as approach- duties. , ,,^ . ir » <^-i» «. w " :^ :' '' mmmmmm his power ; but imily, taken into sequence under I and esteem in h agitated but. manner, "This ■e him, in order r happy am 1 in I back with mc ecurity with my Hydernagur, wc n afterward suc- vard us at some lented, in warm ith which wound cted me to strikf [ should certainly id I followed liis without interrup- n that Hyat Sahib nyself of the op- ling a worse fate a. y escape, was the friend of my fa- valry soon after I 3p, upon the bare le, recollected me ice, for it was full at the same time, id. I had no hat, hes, a shirt which n a web of cloth, my size — while my of Indian slippers, nd stop the loqua- sral, who expressed I my restoration to y constitution ; and pains, which were i if my inside was at the same time my nd the meaning of ith agonizing pain; myself as approach- , and good medical eeks, so material a > returD to .ay usual THE CAPTIVITY or THOMAS ANDEOS. ■wot PMTOB or *n obvbob ai Banunr, mam., on boaeo THE OLD JERSEY PRISON SHIP. I WAS but m my seventeenth year when the revolutionary struMle commenced, and no politician; but even a schoolboy could see the jus- tice of some of the principles, on the ground of which the country had recourse to arms. The colonies had arrived at the age of manhood. They were fully competent to govern themselves, and Ihey demanded their freedom, or, at least, a just representation in the national legislature, tor a power three thousand miles distant to claim a right to make laws o bind us in all cases whatever, and wo to have no voice in that legisla- tion, this, i seemed, was a principle to which two millions of freemen ^v«^£h n t?™^^ *^ '"'T'V. .^°^ ^ "" P«*'»'°"« ''"d remonstrances availed nothing, and as the British government, instead of the charter of our liberties and rights, sent her fleets and armies to enforce her arbi- trary claims, the colonies had no alternative but slavery or war Anneal wilt^T^^'^ ^it '^V^''^<^^ "f '^^" «ause, they chose"the lE . Whether I approved the motives that led me into the service, is another question, which I shall presently notice. In the summer of 1781, the ship Hannah, a very rich prize, was cap- tured and brought into the port of New London' But in this case h w^re ?ho7/r^! ? f° coinmon lottery-gambling, for it followed that there were thousands of fearful blanks to this one prize. It infatuated great h^^r ?u ^"""^ '"^"' ''''*• ^"""^^^ °° ^""'^ °»' P"^''te armed ships, fancying the same success would attend their adventures; but no such rS an.«r7'*^'^'''°"«t*'"V° 't' P°^- B»* New Undon became such a nest of privateers, that the English determined on its destruction. ArntL °i *" »™''"?«°t ^i laid it in ashes, took Fort Griswold, on the tiroton side of the river, and, with savage cruelty, put the garrisoL to the sword, after they had surrendered. Another mighty blank to this prize, was, that our privateers so swarmed on the ocean, that the British cruisers who were everywhere m pursuit of them, soon filled their prisons at New York tr overflowing, witn captured American seamen. Among these deluded and infatuated youth, I was one. I entered a volunteer on board a new brig, called the Fair American, built on purpose to prey upon the British commerce. She mounted sixteen carriage gCs, and was manned with a crew, who^e numbers exceeded what wL really wIk ™ 'iT*"*- ?''•'. ei7s::rL";r.;r.a'^'ru,ro«"e wixn a -„pearance of ornament was left, taken away, to repair ajaother «»VP' "^^^JP^^n hulk. Her dark and and nothing remained but an old, uns.ghy,ro^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ filthy external appearance perfectly com ^^^^ despair that reigned w'»^'°' ^°«flvnS or anv circumstance or appen- truth than to paint her with colors fly>ng' />^ ^^^^^^ three quarters of a mile dage to please the «£ S^^^p-J™^ V^^^^^^^ Long Island to the eastward of Brooklyn Uerry, near u ^^j shore. The »r'^'"'Te Brit s'h naTeve^p^^^^^^^ doubtless, no other ship in the Bn is^ "avy ^^^^ P ^ ^^^ „„ i^^g ,han destruction of so many human ^«™g^; ." '^^n her But after it was eleven thousand American ^^^'"Xff to confine a prisoner here, the known that it was next to ««7'° .f/J^^^XuTthe Tame as if he had inhumanity and wickedness f ,.f '°g * X^n some public square. Once beentaken intothecuy, and ^^^^^^^ ^^;::Z2cK a b'ag of apple. or twice, by the order ot a stranger o ^ ^ ^ prisoners crowdco was hurled promiscuously '°t«}hp ^^f^^'i-fe^d limbs were endangered together as thick - ^.^s^SeX^^m^^^^^^^ a cruel sport. When by the scramble. 1 his, msteaa oi coi ^ ' ,• ^ ^ ^rt of the ship. /saw it about to commence I fled to the most d^sta^t^pa ^^.^^^ ^J^ ^^ On the commencement ^i^^^^XvlronT^nss and an armed soldiery- darkness between et.ai»»i**i-^i**U'ift'^»' THE BRUTAL SENTRY. 197 I gave chase to inting as many ern-chaaers, but , as noar as wo I one salu*. J of anks be to Gof^ >'■ It foil but ore lingering, that no man ctated a mjre ined, and were in the view of good, could ative degree, vermin ; but lad laws and the lawa of A secret, pre- ]!aptain Young, I a sailor going we considered ! was brought the traitor, the raa drawn back, a hint of what I, and rescued least, no con- ad no hand in 1 not be shaken, duced into the ize brig's crew ly duty, and he the violation of ot to touch the mon cause, and n excitement of ice of it in the anversation — no jring men more Bethel flag had name was ever f; but as every , no doubt there ad some serious ■ a judgment to ey most needed to invent some ited that I dared [ must be deliv- few days longer; If I did escape If I continued as certain death; mavoidably take hat I could not ? I had never THE STRATAGEM. 199 experienced the latter disease in any way, and it was now lioginning to rage on board the Old Jersey, and none could bo removed. The hospital- ships being already full of the sick, the pox was nearly ripu in tiic puH- tules of some; and I not only slept near them, but assisted in nursing those who iiad the symptoms must violently. In a very short time my doom must have been settled, had i remained in the ship. The arrival of a cartel, and my being exchanged, would not help the matter, but render my death the more sure. When a list of the names of the prisoners was called for, on board the frigate by which we were captured, 1 stepped up and gave in my name first, supposing that, in case of an exchange, I should be the sooner favored with this privilege. And the fact, indeed, was, that no exchanges took place but from the port of New London. And former exchanges had left me first on the roll of captives from this port ; and I dreaded nothing more than the arrival of a cartel, for numbers would be put on board and sent home from the hospital-ships, whose flesh was ready to fall from their bones in this dreadful disease; and, indeed, I had no sooner uiado my escape than a cartel did arrive, and such dying men were actually crowded into it ; and it was evidently the policy of the English to return, for sound and healthy men sent from our prisons, such Americans as had just the breath of life in them, and were sure to die before they reached home. The guard were wont to tell a man while in health, " You have not been here long enough — you are too well to be exchanged." There was yet one more conceivable method of getting from the ship, and that was, the next night to steal down through a gun-port, which we had managed to open when we pleased, unbeknown to the guard, and swim ashore. But this was a most forlorn hope ; for I was under the operation of the yellow fever, and but just able to walk, and when well I could never swim ten rods, and would now have at least twenty to swim. Beside, when in the water, there was almost a certainty I should be discovered by the guard and shot, as others had been. In this situation what wisdom, or what finite power could save me? If I tarried on board, I must perish! If put on board the cartel, every hour expected, I must perish! If I attempted to swim away, I must be lost! Mr. Emery, the sailing-master, was just now going ashore after water. Without really considering what I said, and without the least expectation of success, I thus addressed him, '' Mr. Emery, may I go on shore with you after water ?'' My lips seemed to move almost involuntarily, for no such thing to my knowledge had ever been granted to such a prisoner. To the surprise and astonishment of all that heard him, he replied, '* Yes, with all my heart." I then descended immediately into the boat, which was in waiting for him. But the prisoners came to the ship's side and queried, " What is that sick man going on shore for ?" And the British sailors endeavored to dissuade me from it, but never was counsel so little regarded as theirs, and to put them all to silence I again ascended on board ; but even this was an interposition of a kind Providence, fur I had neglected to take my great-coat, without which I must have perished in cold and storms. But I now put it on, and waited for the sailing-master, meaning to step down again into the boat just before him, which I did, and turned my face away, that I might not be recognised, and another attempt be made to prevent my going. The boat was pushed otf, and we were soon clear of the ship. I took an oar, and attempted to row, but an English sailor took it from me, and very kindly said, " Give me that oar, you are not able to use it; you are too unwell." I resigned it, and V<»f..i^ - aoo THE OLD JERSEY CAPTIVE. 1 save up mysolf to the most intenBo thought upon my situation. I had commenced the execution of a plan, in which, if I failed, my life was gone ; but if I succeeded, it was possible I might live. I looked back to the black and unsightly old ship, as an object of the greatest horror. « Am I to escape, or return there and perish," was with me the all-ab- sorbing question. And now we had ascended the creek, and arrived at the spring where the casks were to be filled, and I proposed to tlie sailors to go in quest of apples. I had before told them that this was my object in coming on shore, but they chose to defer it till the boat was loaded ; and they did not exact any labor of me. This was just as I would have it. I thought I could do quite as well without their company as with it. The sailing-master, passing by me, very kindly remarked, " The fresh air will be of service to you." This emboldened me to ask leave to as- cend the bank, a slope of about forty-five degrees and thirty feet in height, terminating in a plain of considerable extent, and to call at a house near by for some refreshment. Ho said, " Go, but take care and not be out of the way." I replied, " My state of health was such that there was nothing to fear on that score." But here, I confess, I violated a princi- ple of honor for which I could not then, nor can I now entirely excuse myself. I feel a degree of conscious meanness for treating a man thus, who put confidence in me, and treated me in such a manner as showed lie was a gentleman of sensibility and kindness. But the love of life was my temptation ; but this principle is always too great, when it tempts us to violate any principle of moral rectitude and honor. And slmuld I even now learn that my escape involved him in any trouble, it would be a matter of deep regret. Not long after m^ arrival at home, I sent hijn my apology for what 1 did, by a British officer, who was exchanged, and going directly to New York. , , ^ • / i When the boat returned, the inquiry was made by the prisoners, ^as l was afterward informed,) " Where is the sick man that wem with you ? The English sailors consoled themselves with this reply, " Ah, he is safe enough, he will never live to go a mile." They did not know what the Sovereign of life and death could enable a sick man to do. Intent on the business of escape, I surveyed the landscape all around. I discovered at the distance of a half a mile, what appeared to be a dense swamp of young maples and other bushes. On this I fixed as my hiding-place ; but how should I get to it without being discovered and apprehended be- fore I could reach it? I had reason to think the boat's crew would keep an eye upon me ; and people were to be seen at ti distance in almost every direction. But there was an orchard which extended a good way toward the swamp, and while I wandered from tree to tree, in this orchard, I should not be suspected of anything more than searching after fruit. But at my first entrance into it I found a soldier on sentry, and I had to find out what his business was, and soon discovered he had nothing to do with me, but only to guard a heap of apples; and I now gradually worked myself oflf to the end of the orchard next to the swamp, and, looking round on every side, I saw no person from whom I might apprehend immediate The boat's crew being yet at work under the bank of the creek, and out of sight, 1 stepped off deliberately, (for I was unable to run, and had I been able, it would have tended to excite suspicion in any one that might have seen me, even at a distance,) and having forded the creek once or twice, I reached the swamp in safety. I soon found a place which seemed to have been formed by nature for concealment. A huge log, twenty ■ ■t-^^^gtm^pi^fi^-i-^ff***^^'*^.-^ -^ym^^,*iri;'ii^f^^:^i»fiif^yf'* ESCAPE. 201 tuation. I had d, my life wa« looked back to reatcst horror. me the all-ab- and arrived at d to t!ie sailorH was my object at was loaded ; 18 I would have )any as with it. d, " The fresh ask leave to as- y fuet in height, at a house near and not be out that there was olated a princi- entirely excuse ing a man thus, iner as showed love of life was icn it tempts us id sliould I even I, it would be a ), I sent hun my iiged, and going prisoners, (as 1 ■em with you ?" " Ah, he is safe ; know what the I. Intent on tlie I. I discovered dense swamp of ly hiding-place ; ipprehended be- rew would keep stance in almost ided a good way , in this orchard, ;hing after fruit, try, and I had to ad nothing to do gradually worked id, looking round bend immediate r the creek, and ! to run, and had ly one that might le creek once or ce which seemed mge log, twenty feet in length, having laid there for many years, was spread over, on both sides, with such a dense covering of green running briers as to bo imper- vious to the eye. Lifting up this covering at one end, 1 crept in close by the log, and rested comfortably and securely, for I was well defended from the nortli-east storm, which soon commenced. Wlieu the complete darkness of the night had set in, and while rain- ing in torrents, I began to feel my way out. And though but just able to walk, and though often thrown all along into the water, by my clothes getting entangled with the bushes, yet I reached the dry land, and en- deavor(xl to shape my course for the east end of Long island. In this I was assisted by finding how New York bore from me, by the sound ol' ship-bcUs, and the din of labor and activity, even at that late time of night. Here let me remark, how easy it is with (iod to cause men to do good, when they intend no such thing. Without any great-coat, it would have been scarcely possible to have survived the tempest of rain and cold of this night in the month of October. But had not the prisoners endeavored to prevent my going in the boat and caused me to ascend again into the ship, I should have left it behind. Little did I then think what good heaven meant to bestow on me, by the trouble they then gave me. I soon fell into a road that seemed to lead the right way, and when, during the night, I perceived I was about to meet any one, my constant plan was to retire to a small distance from the path, and roll myself up as< well as I could to resemble a small bunch orbushes, or fern. By this expedient I was often saved from recapture. This road soon brought mv into a quiet, populous village, which was resounding with drums and fifes, and full of soldiers ; but, in great mercy to me, it rained in torrents, so I passed through, in the midst of the street, in safety. Being sick and greatly exhausted by the adventures of the day and night, it now became abso- lutely necessary to seek a place of rest, and a barn to me was now the only place in which I dared to enter. I stepped up to the door, of what I took to be such a building, and was just about to open it, when my eye was arrested by a white streak on the threshold, which I found to be the light reflected from a candle, and I heard human voices within. But human voices were now to me the object of the greatest terror, and 1 fled with all the speed I possessed. Coming to another barn, I discovered a high stack of hay in the yard, covered with a Dutch cap : I ascended and sunk myself down deep in the hay, supposing I had found a most com- fortable retreat. But how miserably was I deceived! The weather had now cleared up, and the wind blew strong and cold from the north-west, and the hay was nothing but coarse sedge, and the wind passed into it and reached me as if I had no protection from it. I had not a dry thread in my clothes, and my sufferings from this time, to about eleven o'clock the next day, were great — too great even for health, but I had to encoun- ter them under the operation of a malignant fever, which would have con- fined me to my room, if not to my bed, had I been at home. A young woman came into the yard and milked a cow, just at the foot of the tower where I lay concealed : but I had no eye to pity, or kind hand to alleviate my distress. This brought home, with all the tender charities of mother, sister, and brothers, to my recollection, with a sensi- bility I coul^ feel, but cannot describe. The day was clear and grew more moderate, and the coast being clear, also, I left my cold and wretched retreat, and deliberately made off for the woods, at the distance of half a mile. Before I left the ship 1 had seen prisoners who had escaped, retaken and carried back. But their mistake was, they would go two, oi •«rT j,7wmtw 202 THE OLD JERSEY CAPTIVE. It more, in company. But I would havn no companion, it wonlil nxcitn 8U9< picion, and render concealm(!nt moro diflicnit, and, under tlin kind pro- videnco of (iod, I clioKe to lie my own coimsnior, and to have none to fall out with on the way, as to what course we should pursue. Having entered the woods, I found a small, but deep, dry hollow, clear of brush in the center, though surrounded with a thicket on cv-ry si PERILDUS POSITION. 208 1(1 nxrito »us- tlio kind pro- have noiio to n. hollow, clear II cvry fi«lo. sro I stripped impiitiont of it rKiiio near ^orllin^ down that God, who (d to go quite appened to be [ feigned my- ornfield. And picking up the iheaf of a stack ough I affected bably in search ind had hencc- a calamity at the to be unfolded. to deceive the tvho owned the el at night, was iie island. For and apples. 1 y operated as an il on my stomach, 3, with the same r. Indeed, from uit, unfermented at a great deal of f and cruel kind I some other kind ;iple would have ference. road, and liiled d my stroke, and of her a draught f soldiers in the )f this guard was leir sentries were been met by one been the result? n that I escaped! )ad parted. One other ascended a to take ; but that . But coming up igs a greater ken- me with a furious could out of their reach, and stood still. Thoy snapped at me v(;ry spitefully, with th((ir i'aws within a few inches of my body. And now what should I do? 'o have attacked them, or lied precipitately, would have bci-n instant destruction. I concluded to take no notice of them, but to turn about gently and take the other road, as if there was no such creature in the world as a dog. I did so, and they followed mn for about twenty rods, snapping at me, and seeming to say, "You shall not escape ; we will have a taste of your blood." And in this design, there seemed to be a pisrfoct union, from the great bow-wow down to the yelping spaniel. But at last they all ceased to roar, bid me a good night and disappeared. Had I ventured into the habitations of men, instead of those of the horned ox, my escape had been impossible. Soon aAcr escaping the fury of the dogs, in this peaceful abode, I took up my lodgings for the night. A man coming into it in the morning, I made bold to slide down from the hay-loil ; and, atler making some apology for trespassing upon his premises, 1 asked him if it was probable 1 could get some refresii- ment in the house. He seemed to think I could. I then entered the house, and stated my wants; but as i did not design to be a mean, dis- honest beggar, first get what I wanted, and then say I had nothing to pay, or sneak off, and say nothing about pay, I told the family I had but three coppers with me, so that if they gave me meat or drink, it must be done merely on the score of charity. But the woman seemed to be thinking more about providing something for the relief of a wretched sufferer, as I must have appeared to her, than about money. But tiie old man was troublesome with his questions. He said it was but a few days ago, two men called at his house, and told a story, which was found to bo all false ; and at last he observed, outright, " I believe thee also is a rogue" — but the woman would, now and then, as he pressed hard upon me, check him, and say, " Do let him alone." She had no questions to ask — all she wanted was to feed me; and, had it not been for her, 1 know not what the crabbed old man would have done with mo. After I had taken my refreshment, I said to the old man, " I thank you for your kindness — here are three coppers, all I have to carry me a long journey.'" He did not take them, but said, " You may give them to that iittle girl." She took them ; but if she was illiberal and mean, the old man made her so. I left the house, and going a short distance, a spacious plain opened to my view ; and on it, by the tents I saw, I concluded there was an encampment of soldiers. I, therefore, turned aside into tiie field, ascended a stack of rye, covered with a Dutch cap, and here I remained all the day, it being very stormy ; but in the evening I looked out from my hiding-place, and behold, a most lovely moonshine had suc- ceeded the storm. The tents had all disappeared, and I took up my journey over the plain. Some time in the latter part of the night, I reached the east end of it, and saw before me a number of buildings, though before this, I had not seen any on the plain. But no sooner had I come up to the first house, than I was drawn into a scene of the utmost peril. In the midst of the road there was a blacksmith's shop; on the north side there was a lane forming a right-angle with the road, and leading up to a house about twelve rods from it. To the westward of the house, about eight rods distant, stood the barn, and a lane leading from the house to it; and the square, three sides of which were formed by the road aud these two lanes, was the garden ; and, in thq corner of this garden, near to the house, I discovered a number of beehives, and I coveted some of the honey. I went first vip to the house, and, though ; I THE OLD JERflFT OAPTIVE. th" door vmn oppn, I saw no lifflit, and honni no noi^o. Hut I dnnmnd it prudent not to climb over tho fonco, juM nt tlio door of tlin house, to get iit tlic l)ccH, but to take thu lanr; down to tlx; barn, and thnre to m^t into til'- fj.irdon, and romo up, und pri/e of whatever I could lay my hand upon. Having just stopped into the biirn-yard, and not fluspeeting the leant danger, I saw a great number of horses tied all around tho yard, with all their mancH and docks cut in uniform. I stood motionlcsH lor a moment, and began to say to myself, " What does this mean? ('an one farmer own so many horses?'* But before the thought was finished, and as unexpected as a flash of lightning in a clear day, a dragoon coming out of the barn, with his burnished steel glittering in the bright rays of the moon, stepped up to me, and challenged, "Who comes there?" I answered, " A friend." But before ho coidd say to whom, a plan of escape must bo formed, and put in execution. It was formed, and suc- ceeded. Before ho could ask the second question, I called out, as if 1 were angry, " Where is the well? I want to get some water!" Taking me, from tliis seemingly honest and fearless query, to be one of tho party, he showed me the well, and I went to it deliberately, drew water, and escaped out of his hands. The fact was, as I soon found, this was a detachment of horse and foot going out on the island for forage, to be conveyed to tho army at New York, and, doubtless, he supposed me to be a person, a wagoner, perhaps, attached to it. And here again I found tho great advantage of losing my liat. Having a handkerchief tied about my iiead, helped me in the deception. Aller leaving tho well, I went down the lane into the road, near the blacksmith's shop. At this moment four of the party came out from behind the opposite side of the shop, in full view, at the distance of about tliree rods from mo. I stood motionless, and said to myself, " All is now lost." But their attention was taken up with a small dog, with which they woro sporting. But as they did not come at once, and coize me in the brightness of the moonlight, I began again to conceive hope, and edged away to the fence, and rolled through between the two lower rails. Boon afterward the men said, " Let us go to the barn, and turn in," and immediately disappeared. Their sporting with tho dog, in itself, was a trifling circumstance, but to me it was a great event. It saved my life — to me, in the hour of despair, it brought deliverance. Stretching along as close as I could lie to the lower rail of the fence, I took a little time to survey my situation on all sides, and to discover, if I could, any opening for escape. If I attempted to save myself by going into the open field, I must be discovered by the sentries, and picked up by a dragoon. If I remained where I was, it would soon be daylight, and I could not be mistaken for one of the party. About thirty rods ahead, I discovered a large house, illuminated from the ground-floor to the garret. This, I was sure, must be the main bivouac of both infantry and horse, and wagons were in numbers passing on to this house. At last I hit upon this plan, when another wagon should pass, I would rise, and lay hold of it behind, and let it carry me forward into the midst of the party, and they would suppose me to belong to it. The driver sitting under cover, forward, could not bo able to see me. When the next wagon passed, I attempted to got hold of it, but could not overtake it, and was left alone in the middle of the road, and considerably advanced toward the house just mentioned as the general rendezvous. And now. -r«*»**»«»«^tv. '•'**i'f.''^W*" •■•-.•rr-.- i,7vf i'W.s'.' {lit I (Innmnd it i<^ liniiHc, to K THK ORAGOON. 205 M no other modi; of eBcnjii- ofli-rcd, f ff^nlv cooded — I piwsi'd ftariossly, wiljh groat d« be plain, open- d with pride, nor ation, which just Iks of life. 9 Bible, and read think he believed acknowledgments . is time I began to treat. They had ious, but such as 1 my welfare ; but rs, for I was too ything like a con- rest till they had he least hint, that At last I resolved the mask, risk all ndition — and said, d I have told you I prisoner, making he horrors of this after many suffer- but certain death. )vidence, I got on have reached this I am loaded with nin which are now snnecticut, and am of mothers is now d in my captivity, told you the real rm against me, and 'ill be inevitable." took some time to they were bathed. i go and bake his id of fire and threw r clothes, to supply The work done, a clean bed was laid down, on which I was to rest ; and rest I did, as in a new world; for I had got rid of a swarm of cannibals, who were without mercy eating me up alive ! In the morning, I took my leave of this dear family, who had enchained and riveted my soul to them by their kindness, in esteem and gratitude, which have for fifty years suffered no abatement. I learned from them a lesson of humanity, I have ever remembered, and ever wished to imitate. The day was clear, and after traveling a short distance, I threw myself down on the sunny side of a stinted pitch-pine, upon a bed of warm sand. I rested as on a bed of down. In about a week after this, I found myself at Sag Harbor, at the east end of Long Island. Nor did the kind providence of God forsake me. Again I found humanity and pity In a public house. I was permitted to lie by a warm fire, (a great luxury, the weather having become cold,) while two others of my companions on board the same engine of perdition to American seamen, having made their escape, were denied this favor, and had to take lodgings in the barn. While lying on my bed of down, (the warm brick hearth,) the door of an adjoining room, where our host and landlady slept, being open, I heard her say, " I could not consent that the other two should lodge in the house, but I pitied this young man." But I could see no cause for this difference of feeling in this woman, but the agency of Him, who hath all hearts in his hand. In a few days an oppor- tunity of crossing the sound presented. A whale-boat, with a commission to make reprisals upon the enemy, came into the harbor. Her crew, as I supposed, were a set of honest, good farmers, who resided at Norwich, in Connecticut, where I was born, and knew my connections. They agreed to give me passage to New London. A sloop also came into the harbor, with a like commission, which belonged on the island. This boat and sloop made sail together, one bound to New London, the other to Saybrook. But the weather being very boisterous, the boat was in dan- ger ; so we all went on board the sloop, and the boat was made fast to her by a tow-line. But at no great distance from Plumb Island, a privateer, which proved to be out of Stonington, pounced upon us ; and, under the suspicion of our being illicit traders, carried us all into New London. And here a scene of wickedness was developed, of which I could not have supposed my honest friends had been capable. An agent had been sent to New York, had obtained a quantity of dry goods, and brought them to Sag Harbor. Here the cruising whale-boat was to receive and carry them to New London, where they would be libelled ; and some of the crew would come into court, and give oath that they were taken from the enemy, by virtue of their commission. And thus a trade was carried on with the enemy to on infinite extent. These goods were put on board the sloop, when the boat was made fast to her. And when the privateer appeared, and we could not escape her, the captain of the sloop agreed to declare the goods were his, and that he had taken them as a lawful prizo from the enemy. And the crew of the whale-boat, the purchasers and owners of the goods, were to swear they saw him do it. The goods being condemned, the captain of the sloop was then to act like an honest rogue, and to restore them to the crew of tho boat. Birt after the goods were actually condemned, and the crew of the boat, the real owners, had in open court sworn, that the goods were his by lawful capture, the cap- tain of the sloop thought he had now a fair opportunity, to play on them a profitable trick. Accordingly, he refused to restore them, and went off with the goods, sloop and all, to Connecticut River. But the crew of the li M ^i >;.<4^>*<''^J^^*^'-'>iK'>~.-i^, .J. , THE OLD JERSEY CAPTIVE. sworn they were not theirs, and <^o°*"/®° „ ! „.„ gent for as a witness. Tzed. Ind I, who 1-- *^;/^^^^^^ l-d And by my testimony, and that ot one oi »» ^ . ^^^ ^^^^^^ „. tho not testified before, tha. the ^^7/^ JX°P "^"^ goods were con- "loop, the real truth came to 'f 'Jjf^.^^ ultimately obtained, not only demned ; so that the crew of ^Je ^ Je boat « ^^ J ^^^^ ^^^ their goods, but the sloop also, as "^ '"'""'^"h °i„tended^ He was taken in "J^^'rSi^lC^ntTc^^^^^^^^^ is a matter of wonder, ^atTro^^nrnf^^^^^^^^ tli.r vill^J. ^^^ ^^ ^^..^ ,,,,,, tared by the privateer out of Stomngton , oiner ^^ ^^^^^ carried Into Connecticut ^'^^^ "^^j^^^^^ sunk under did I set my foot down in a ^a°d °t satety, inaii j j^j^ Sle power of that disease, which had preyedup^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ the prison-ship. After arriving at New London, i ^^^ threS miles, Ld all my strength f^;l«^' "jj^^j, „7 S of woman had rage of the'feven B"V\*'JJ:' Pf^r' who^^^^^^^ "le in her pity, some agency. The lady at Sag Harbor wnop unsolicited, thought of my welfare after J ^j^oj^^^j;^^^^^^ I hLd not much relish gave me a meat-pie, and a l«>ttle °f^"*f„'- , -^uthe ^ j ^^^ before for the pie, yet my thirst te^^f ">« Jo ^rrnkj^t^^, i8\he difference : the j[dtii«tt\^eXKfrr«^^^^ *^tri'';ouldgonofu.her,Ifound^ carry me to Norwich Landing, ^nd I tarried mer ^^^^^^ mTLnds at PV^-fi«^^.r:!ohSrmehome' Thet'st night f lodged brother came with a c""'^^' **» 'jj P ^^t Ideemed myself to be dying, with a brother at Canterbury. This nighty Id y j ^^ ^^^j ^ and going directly to my 1^8 J>«™^; ,f^* „o8t affectionate mother, as to realh the dwelling "^ ^f. "^'^J ^fo, X good of her children, who always seemed v^'J^Jg ^nd [o sibrntt to the will of God, and never and who had made up her ™'"y°;V^„ jown with sickness, and other more tosee her son, and a ^J^.V/taginartate of perfect derangement. ^ calamities Fo^boutthree weelj^I wa^^^^^^^^ ^^.^.^ ^^^ ^.^ed But, about ten days later, an ""^'^PJ^^/^eath was looked for as certain. fir/:K'KTL7hS"«a t^ h, .^ co.e . .^^ for my coffin. i „„ f„r rp^ained my health, through the great >iear the close of winter, I so f" '^g*"*^ ^ instruction of a school kindness of the God of love -b to engage '« the »^.^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ irhasTen^'rotLrre'iS: of yoU, and preaching the everlasting gospel. ^u»5««^*9jg!iifl*#¥*§?^iB?3" ^,^j,»i.;,^«M,«gj^«e.^'^ 4«Mll.!i^|lt «■»'" "T though they had p with the goods for as a witness. i crew, who liad 3 captain oi tho joods were con- btained, not only lus the treachery He was taken in latter of wonder, jras safely landed at we were cap- ihould have been . But no sooner liatcly sunk under ever since I lett I travel only aboyt viving power and ad of woman had 1 me in her pity, , and, unsolicited, ad not much relish aid. I had before the difference : the hand in producing as kind enough to with a relative, till ral, and my eldest first night I lodged myself to be dying, t day, I so revived ffectionatc mother, od of her children, I of God, and never sickness, and other lerfect derangement, le crisis was formed looked for as certain, that having seen me se the next morning, id come to speak for 1th, through the great rtruction of a school od almost my whole , and preaching the A SAILOR'S STORY OF WHAT HE SAW AND SUFFERED, ni THK NAVAL BBBVIOB OF THB CNIT80 8TATI8, IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION.* D0RINO the Revolutionary war our coast was lined with British cruisers, which had almost annihilated our commerce ; and the state of Massa- chusetts judged it expedient to build a government vessel, rated as a twenty-gun ship, named the "Protector," commanded by Captain John Foster Williams. She was to be fitted out for service as soon as possible, to protect our commerce, and to annoy the enemy. All means were resorted to, which ingenuity could devise, to induce men to enlist. A recruiting officer, bearing a flag and attended by a band of martial music, paraded the streets, to excite a thirst for glory and a spirit of military ambition. The recruiting officer possessed the quali- fications requisite to make the service appear alluring, especially to the young. He was a jovial, good-natured fellow, of ready wit and much broad humor. When he espied any large boys among the idle crowd around him, he would attract their attention by singing, in a comical manner, the following doggerel : " All jou that have bad masteni, Aud cannot get your due ; Oome, come, mv brave boys. And join with our ship's crew." ^ A shout and a huzza would follow, and some would join in the ranks. My excitable feelings were roused ; I repaired to the rendezvous, signed the ship's papers, mounted a cockade, and was in my own estimation already more than half a sailor. Appeals continued to be made to the patriotism of every young man to lend his aid, by his exertions on sea or land, to free his country from the common enemy. About the last of February the ship was ready to receive her crew, and was hauled off into the channel, that the sailors might have no opportunity to run away after they were got on board. Upward of three hundred and thirty men were carried, dragged, and driven on board, of all kinds, ages, and de- acriptions, in all the various stages of intoxication ; from that of "sober tipsiness" to beastly drunkenness, with an uproar and clamor that may be more easily imagined than described. The wind being fair, we weighed uichor and dropped down to Nan- tasket roads, where we lay till about the first of April ; and then set sail for a cruise of six months. We continued to sail along the coast for a few weeks, without meeting with any of the enemy, when, some indications • Tho narrative here given, is that of Ebeneser Fox, who was born in the Ticinitr. of Boston, Mass., in the year 1763, and was living as late as the year 1838. (211) ' J li 1^ Lu-u-.H i rt < . i<> i« rt^' ' i ' ft -» 1B "> THE STARS AND STRIPES LOWERED. 215 when, the wind shifting, they fell into our wake, and gained upon us very fast. Our captain, calling all the hands aft, on the quiirter-deck, expressed his opinion, that the ships in pursuit of us were English, and that we should bo captured. lie then distributed among us his money for safe ki3C|)ing, in sums of fifteen dollars to each, upon condition that it should bo returned to him if we were so fortunate as to escape. It was now nearly sunset, and the enemy were gaining upon us rapidly. To attempt resistance against a force so much our superior would have been unjustifiable ; and the flag of thirteen stars and stripes was reluctantly pulled down. The boats of the enemy were manned and sent along side of our ship. Our crew were now permitted by our officers to collect their clothing and their little property together, and secure them in the best manner they could. By this time, the boats had arrived along side, and the enemy had ascended the deck. Their first exploit was to strike or kick every sailor that came in their way, bestowing a variety of opprobrious epithets, among which "damned rebels" was of the most frequent recurrence; then they commenced searching in every part of the ship for articles of value. Our crew were ordered to pass down the side of the ship into the enemy's boats ; but were forbidden to carry anything with them. Some of our crew fastened their bedding upon their backs, and tumbled themselves head foremost down into the boats ; and, as it was quite dark, they would unperceived get into the cuddy with their bedding, trusting to future circumstances for opportunity to use or secrete it. We arrived along side, and were ordered on to the quarter-deck of our captors. Some English sailor among our crew, to recommend himself to the favor of the British captain, had given information respecting the money we had secreted about our persons. The sergeant of arms was ordered to search every one of us till the sum of fifteen dollars was found upon each of us. In the capacity of cabin steward I was most of the time in the cabin, and had recommended myself to the favorable notice of the American captain by performing my duties to his satisfaction ; and, when the money was distributed among our crew, the captain gave me a double share. I put fifteen dollars in the crown of my hat, which I pressed down upon my head as closely as possible ; the remaining fifteen I placed in my shoes, between the soles. At length my turn to be searched came ; and I, as the rest of my fellow- prisoners had done, denied having any money. This assertion, however, did not avail ; I was seized by the collar, and shaken so violently that my hat fell off, and the dollars rolled out upon the deck. The sum of fifteen dollars being found, it was concluded that I had no more, and I was sent into the ship's hold, where I found those of the crew who had been previously searched. Our accommodations in the hold were not very desirable, especially to those who had not succeeded in getting their bedding into that place. We found nothing to lie upon softer than the ship's ballast, consisting of stones of all shapes and sizes, with here and there a lump of pig-iron by way of variety ; and the water-casks, which afforded a surface rather uneven for the comfort and convenience of our weary limbs. Here we spent the first night, and were not allowed to go on deck till the next morning. Shortly after, we anchored off Sandy Hook, and preparations were made to examine the prisoners, to ascertain what part of them were Englishmen ; or rather, who among them would carry the appearance of able-bodied seamen. We were called up from the hold ; ordered to the larboard side of the quarter-deck ; thence marched, in single file, past a -"-■V^ ^Tr--''' '-^-rl^'""''^"" "'^'~'^.^i'.f''..'i""'inT|-'''''nVrirwrft«rii»w«i iim •AavMttS'* i*gia^tMftii-y'^- 216 ▲ SAILOR'S NARRATIVE. m number of British officers on the starboard side ; after that to the gangway, and down again into the hold. The object of thus moving in procession before the officers was, to give them an opportunity to select such as they chose, to serve on board of their ships. With fear and trembling wo paased through this examination. Whenever a healthy, athletic looking man passed by, he was hailed, and accused of being an En^lislunan. In vain would his comrades attest to the fact of his being a native-born American, tell the place of his birth and the circumstances of his youth, detailed with all the consistency and connection which belong to truth ; it was all to no purpose. Sailors they wanted, and have them they would, if they set law and gospel at defiance. In this manner was many an American citizen, in the morning of life, dragged from his country, his friends, and his home ; forced on board a ship of war ; compelled to fight against his own country ; and, if he lived, to fight in battle with other nations, against whom he had no feelings of hostility. About a third part of our ship's crew were taken on board of their vessels, to serve in the capacity of sailors, without regarding their remon- strances ; while the remainder of us were put on board of a wood coaster, to bo conveyed on board the noted prison ship called the "Jersey.'* We wished, if possible, to avoid the hard fate that awaited us ; and conceived the design of rising upon the guard, seizing upon the sloop, and rur.r':!>g her aground upon the Jersey shore. The plan could have been easily executed had there been any one among us to act as a leader in the enterprise. Our captain with his officers were confined in the cabin, under the watchful care of a number of British officers well armed ; while a guard of soldiers stood at the head of the companion-way, to prevent any communication with the prisoners upon the deck. Sailors and sol- diers have the courage to execute, but not the skill to plan. Had our captain, in whom we had been in the habit of pla' iui^ the utmost confi- dence, been with us, I have no doubt we should have obtained our freedom. As the deck was loaded with wood, we could in a moment have obtained weapons sufficient for our purpose, and, had any one among us been disposed to act as a leader, we should soon have had possession of the vessel. We afterward regretted exceedingly that we did not make the attempt. We proceeded slowly up the river toward our much dreaded place of confinement, and at doubling a point we came in sight of the gloomy looking hulk of the old Jersey, aptly named by the sailors, " The hell afloat." The Jersey was originally a seventy-four gun ship, and, at the commencement of the American Revolution, being found m a state of decay and unfit for service at sea, she was dismantled, moored in the East River, at New York, and used as a store-ship. In the year 1780, she was converted into a prison ship, and continued to be used for that purpose during the remainder of tiie war. In consequence of the fears that were entertained that the sickness, which prevailed among the prisoners, might spread to the shore, she was removed, and moored with chain cables at the Wallabout, a lonely and unfrequented place on the shore of Long Island. Her external appear- ance was forbidding and gloomy. She was dismantled ; her only spars were the bowsprit ; a derrick, that looked like a gallows, for hoisting supplies on board; and a flag-staff at the stern. The port-holes weri; closed and secured. Two tiers of holts were cut through her sides, about two feet square and about ten feet apart, strongly guarded by a grating of irqk bars. The sloop anchored at a little distance from the Jersey, and two boats were sent along side to receive us. The boats » <■ t^aHfi^MiDiiitUtiti/n i»M»*Wi MJitwWIifc t o the f(angwty, in procession lolect such as and trembling ithlotic looking n En^litiliinan. a native-born a of his youth, telong to truth ; cm they would, was many an va country, his npclled to fight Lttle with other board of their ng their remon- a wood coaster, "Jersey." Wo and coccoived op, and Tur.r'tig avo been easily a leader in the id in the cabin, ell armed ; while i-way, to prevent Sailors and sol- plan. Had our the utmost confi- ned our freedom. lui have obtained among us been possession of the id not make the T much dreaded 3 in sight of the the sailors, " The gun ship, and, at found in a state d, moored in the ;n tlie year 1780, o be used for that that the sickness, he shore, she was MUt, a lonely and r external appear- d; her only spars ilows, for hoisting le port-holes wero hrough her sides, igly guarded by a distance from the e us. The boats •'"•I*' SENT ON BOARD "THE OLD JERSEY." 317 poanod and re-passed several times before all of us got on board; and iadtiy tlio ca|)tain'8 barge was sent to convoy our officers to their place of potiiiiicniont. Not a groat while oiler wn were imprisoned our captain, to^'i^tlicr with the lieutenant and the sailing-master, Mr. Lemon, were <4;Mit to England ; tho latter, being an Englishman, had the comfortable assurance, tliat ho should be hanged as soon as he arrived. At\or being (li tained in the boats along side a little while, wo wore ordered to ascend to ilio up|)( r dock of the prison ship. Here our names were registered, and I Ik- capacity in which we had served previous to our capture. Each of us was permitted to retain whatever clothing and bedding wo had broii;:,'ht, atlcr having been examined to ascertain that they contained no weapons nor money ; and then wo were directed to pass through a strong door, on the atarlward side, down a ladder leading to the main hatchway. ' I now found myself in a loathsome prison, among a collection of tho mo.si wretched and disgusting looking objects that I ever behold in human form. Here was a motley crew, covered with rags and filth; visages pallid with disease, emaciated with hunger and anxiety, and retainmg hardly u trace of their original appearance. Hero were men, who had onco enjoyed life while riding over the mountain wave or roaming through pleasant fields, full of health and vigor, now shriveled by a scanty and uuwholcsoi.io diet, ghastly with inhaling an impure atmosphere, exposed to contagion, in contact with disease, and surrounded with tho horrors of sickness and death. Here, thought I, must I linger out tho morning of my life, in tedious days and sleepless nights, enduring a weary and degrading captivity, till death shall terminate my sufferings, and no friend will know of my departure. A prisoner on board of "the old Jersey!" The very thought was appalling. 1 could hardly realize my situation. Tho first thing we found it necessary to do after our captivity was to form ourselves into small parties, called "messes," consisting of six men each ; as, previous to doing this, wo could obtain no food. All tho pkis- oners were obliged to fast on the first day of their arrival ; and seldom on tho second could thoy procure any food in season for cooking it. No matter how hungry they were, no deviation from tho rules of the ship was permitted. All the prisoners fared alike ; officers and sailors received the same treatment on board of this old hulk. Our keepers were no respecters of persons. We were all "rebels." The quantity and quality of our faro was the same for all. The only distinction known among us was made by tho prisoners themselves, which was shown in allowing those who had been officers previous to their capture, to congregate in the extreme after-part of the ship, and to keep it exclusively to themselves as their places of abode. The various messes of the prisoners were numbered ; and nine in the morning was the hour when the steward would deliver from the window in his room, at the after-part of the ship, the allowance granted to each mess. Each mess chose one of their company to be prepared to answer to their number when it was called by the steward, and to receive the allowance as it was handed from the window. Whatever was thrust out must be taken ; no change could be made in its quantity or quality. Each mess received daily what was equivalent in weight or measure, but not in quality, to the rations of four men at full allowance: that is, each prisoner received two-thirds as much as was allowed to a seaman in the British navy. Our bill of fare was as follows : On Sunday, one pound of biscuit, one pound of pork, and half a pint of peas. Monday, ono pound of biscuit, one pint of oatmeal, and two ounces of butter. Tuesday, one pound of \ I w,»iti0i'i-* i>ri,MaiM(ii ■' 11 nm I 218 A SAILORS NAUUATIVE. biscuit, and two poundH of Halt borT. Wcdiitmilay, nnn and a half pounds ot'iloiir, and two ntinm ofNitot. Thursday was a repetition of Siindny^s la'i", Friday of Monday's, and Saturday of Tucsday^H. If thin food had been of a pood tpiality and properly cooked, as wr had no labor to perform, it would have kept iir comfortable, at leant from 8ulierin)(. But this was not the caao. All our food appeared to bo damaged. As for tho pork, wo were cheated out of it more than half ot the time: and, when it was obtained, ono would have judged from its motley hues, exhibiting tho consistence and appearance of varie^nlcd fancy soap, that it was tlio flesh of the porpoise, or sea-hoj^, and had been an inhaliitant of tho ocean rather than of the sty. Tho peas were gener- ally damaged, and, from the imperfect manner in which they were cooked, were about as indigestible as grape-shot. The butter tho rcadctr will not suppose was the real "(ioshen ;^* and had it not been for its adhesive properties to retain toget!?er the particles of tho biscuit, that had been so riddled by the worms as to lose all their attraction of cohesion, we siiould have considered it no desirable addition to our viands. The flour and the oatmeal were often sour, and when the suet was mixed with it, we should have considered it a blessing to have been destitute of the sense of smelling before wo admitted it into our mouths: it might be nr^ncd half tho length of the ship. And last, though not the least item among our staples in the eating line^-our beef. Its color was of dark mahogany ; and it could be pulled into pieces ono way in strings, lik'.> rope-yarn. It was so completely saturated with salt, that, after having been boiled in water taken from the sea, it was found to bo considerably freshened by the process. Such was our food. But the quality of it was not all that wc had reason to complain of. The manner in which it was cooked was more injurious to our health than tho quality of the food ; and, in many cases, laid tho foundation of diseases, that brought many a suflcrer to his gnive, years after his liberation. The cooking for the prisoners was done in a great copper vessel, that contained between two and three hogsheadis of water, set in brick-work. The form of it was square, and it was divided into two compartments by a partition. In one of these, tiie pens and oat- meal were boiled ; this was done in fresh water: in the oth':r, the meat was boiled in salt water taken up from along side of the ship. Tho Jersey, from her size and lying near the shore, was imbedded in the mud ; and I do not recollect seeing her afloat during the whole time I was a prisoner. All the filth that accumulated among upward of a thousand men was daily thrown overboard, and would remain there till carried away by the tide. The impurity of the water may be easily conceived ; and in this water our meat was boiled. It will be recollected, too, that the water was salt, which caused the inside of the copper to become corroded to such a degree thai it was lined with a coat of verdi- gris. Meat thus cooked must in some degree be poisoned; and the eflfects of it were manifest in the cadaverous countenances of the ema- ciated beings, who had remained on board for any length of time. The persons chosen by each mess to receive their portions of food, were summoned by the cook's bell to receive their allowance, and, when it had remained in the boiler a certain time, the bell would again sound, and the allowance must be immediately taken away: whether it was sufficiently cooked or not, it could remain no longer. The food was generally very imperfectly cooked ; yet this sustenance, wretched as it was, and deficient in quantity, was greedily devoured by the half-starred ir's 'i r Lf^ ii ^i mMCi^mmkm ^*»w^ •* ijV»-ty'**vA.**» t**^ ■ ^." i' ^: - .",:"f,y. "^f KfUNOS OP THE JERSEY PRISONERS. 210 I a hiiir poiindi Lion «r Sunday's y cooked, bh wo li^ at IcMMt from ii|>|i(>ar<;(l to bo lorr than lialfot _udj{ed from its I' of varicxnicd ijr, and hud bcun as wcro gencr- u-y wor«^ cookr*!, the reader will 1 for its adhesive that had hern so lesion, wi; should Tlio flour and [lixcd witii it. we tute of the sense niijjht bo iK^Hcd east item among f dark malio^any ; ! rope-yarn. It been boiled in ibly freshened by liat we hud reason as more injurious ny cases, laid the liis grave, years Ls done in a great )gshca(ls of water, t was divided into tiio peas and oat- 10 oth'jr, tiie meat ^ ship. was imbedded in ng the whole time lonfi upward of a 1 remain there till tcr may bo easily will be recollected, ) of the copper to th a coat of verdi- )oisoned; and the ances of the ema- igth of time. r portions of food, owance, and, when tvould again sound, y: whether it was sr. The food was ice, wretched as it by the half-starved priHonom. No vegetables were allowed us. Many times since, wlien I nave seen in the country, n large kettle of potnloesand pumpkins steam- ing over ill'- fire to satisfy the a|ipetites of a farmer's swine, I have ihoiight of our desiii and slarveil condition, and what a luxury we should have considered i! ontents of that kettle on board the .lersey. The prisoners were contiix in the two 'nnin-ilecks below. The lowest dungeon was inhabited by those prisoners who wore foreigners, and whoso treatment was more severe than that of the Americans. The inhabitants of this lowf^r reyioii were the most miserable and disgusting looking objects that can be conceived. Daily washing with salt water, together with their extreme emaciation, caused their skin to ap|iear like dried parchment. Many of them remained unwashed for weeks; their hair long anrother ; young and md kind friends to ey little thought of 3 of many of these to their friends; for, those who died, and rtormed the last sad completed, and for- insulting negligence aptain, two mates, a as likewise on board were unfit for active B different regiments a fresh party every &cient at any time to lispose of themselves ession of the British, ause. To leave the d by almost certain eding in an underta- i not a few instances Jersey the following Dn<^rs. At sunset the way was closed. In man to pass through, rmit but one prisoner that had been formed lispose of the sentinel the way of those who n who, in consequence ppearance, and withal Billy the Ram." He emed sufficient, as the ere below, having no vhich the sentinel was ,B bold, athletic fellow. ascended upon deck, and in an artful manner engaged the attention of « Billy the Ram," in conversation respecting the war ; lamentmg that he had ever engaged in so unnatural a contest ; expressing his intention of enlisting in the British service ; and requesting Billfs advice as to the course necessary to be pursued to obtain the confidence of the officers. Billy happened to be in a mood to take some interest in his views, and showed an inclination, quite uncommon for him, to prolong the conver- sation. Unsuspicious of any evil design on the part of the prisoner, and while leaning carelessly on his gun, "Billy" received a tremendous blow from the fist of his entertainer, on the back of his head, whiph brought him to the deck in a state of insensibility. As soon as he was heard to fall by those below, who were anxiously waiting the result of the friendly conversation of their pioneer with " Billy," and were satis- fied that the final knock-down argument had been given ; they bogan 10 ascend, and, one after another, to jump overboard, to the amount of °^ The noise aroused the guard, who came upon deck, where they found » Billv," not sufficiently recovered from the stunning eflTecta of the blow ho had received, to give any account of the transaction. A noise was heard in the water ; but it was so dark that no object could be distinguished. The attention of the guard, however, was directed to certain spots, which exhibited a luminous appearance, which salt water is known to assume in the night when it is agitated ; and to these appearances they directed their fire, and, getting out the boats, picked up about half of the number that attempted to escape, many of whom were wounded, though no one was killed. The rest escaped. During the uproar overhead, tne priso- ners below encouraged the fugitives and expressed their approbation of their proceedings in three hearty cheers ; for which gratification we suf- fered our usual punishment— a short allowance of our already short and miflerable fare. Not long after this, another successful attempt to escape was made, which for its boldness is, perhaps, unparalleled in the history of such transactions. One pleasant morning about ten o'clock, a boat came along side, containing a number of gentlemen from New York, who came for the purpose of gratifying themselves with a sight of the miserable tenants of the prison ship: influenced by the same kind of curiosity that induces some people to travel a great distance to witness an execution. The boat, which was a beautiful yawl, and sat like a swan upon the water, was manned by four oarsmen, with a man at the helm. Considerable attention and respect was shown to the visitors, the ship's side being manned when they showed their intention of coming on board, and the usual naval courtesies extended. The gentlemen were soon on board ; and the crew of the yawl, having secured her- to the fore-chains on the larboard side of the ship, were permitted to ascend the deck. A soldier, as usual, was pacing with a slow and measured tread the whole length of the deck, wheeling round with military precision when he arrived at the end of his walk ; and, whether upon this occasion any one interested in his movements had secretly slipped a guinea into his hand, not to quicken, but to retard his progress, was never known; but it was evident to the prisoners that he had never occupied so much time before in measuring the distance with his back to the place where the yawl was fastened. At this time, there were sitting in the forecastlt), 8pparf,ntly admiring the beautiful ap) earance of the yawl, four mates and a captain, wh© had been brought on board as priaoners a few days • -*-_«sifw-,t#*«#=* • '-"v.^^rM/e"^-^- Illl 222 A SAILOR'S NARRATIVE. previous, taken in some vo.ssel from a southern port. As soon as the sentry had passed these men, in his straight-forward march, they in a very quiet manner lowered themselves down into the yawl, cut the rope, and the four mates taking in hand the oars, while the captain managed the helm, in less time than I have taken to describe it they were under full sweep from the ship. They plied the oars with such v'gor, that every stroke they took seemed to take the boat out of the water. In the meantime, the sentry heard nothing and saw nothing of this transaction, till he had arrived at the end of his march, when, in wheeling slowly round, he could no longer affect ignorance, or avoid seeing that the boat was several times its length from the ship. lie immediately fired; but, whether he exercised his best skill as a marksman, or whether it was on account of the boat going ahead its whole length at every pull of the rowers, I could never exactly ascertain: but the ball fell harmless into the water. The report of the gun brought the whole guard out, who blazed away at the fugitives, without producing any diminution in the rapidity of their progress. By this time, the oflicers of the ship were on deck with their visitors; and, while all were gazing with astonishment at the boldness and efiVon- tery of the achievement, and the guard were firing as fast as they could load their guns, the captain in the yawl lefl the helm, and, standing erect in the stern, with his back to the Jersey, bendiiig his body to a right angle he exhibited the broadest part of himself to their view, and with a signi- ficant gesture directed their attention to it as a proper target for the exer- cise of their skill. This contemptuous defiance caused our captain to swell with rage ; and when the prisoners gave three cheers to the yawPa crew, as expressive of their joy at their success, he ordered all of us to be driven below at the point of the bayonet, and there we were confined the remainder of the day. These five men escaped, greatly to the morti- fication of the captain and officers of the prison ship. After this, as long as I remained a prisoner, whenever any visitors came on board, all the prisoners were driven below, where they were obliged to remain till the company had departed. The miseries of our condition were continually increasing: the pesti- lence on board spread rapidly, and every day added to our bill of mor- tality. With the hope that some relief might be obtained to meliorato the wretchedness of our situation, the prisoners petitioned Gen. Clinton, commanding the British forces in New York, for permission to send a memorial to General Washington, describing our condition, and reques- ting his influence in our behalf, that some exchange of prisoners might be effected. Permission was obtained, and the memorial was sent. In a few days, an answer was received from Gen. Washington, containing expressions full of interest and sympathy, but declaring his inability to do anytiiing for our relief by way of exchange, as his authority did not extend to the marine department of the service, and that soldiers could not consistently be exchanged for sailors. He declared his intention, however, to lay our memorial before Congress, and that no exertion should be spared by him to mitigate our sufferings. Gen. Washington at the same time sent letters to Gen. Clinton, and to the British Com- missary of Prisoners, in which he remonstrated against their cruel treat- ment of the American prisoners, and threatened, if our situation was not made more tolerable, to retaliate by placing British prisonera in circum- stances as rigorous and uncomfortable as were our own : that " with what measure they meted, the same should be measured to them again." .*JfV lilWHIillH »nw iiKiiiil l-iliill»Jlii I 111. IMI* PRANKS OF THE PRISONERS. 223 S.a soon as the larch, they in 8 vl, cut the rope, laptain managed hey were under juch v'gor, that j water. In the this transaction, wheeling slowly seeing that the imediatcly fired ; whether it was !very pull of the 11 harmless into guard out, who iminution in the th their visitors ; Iness and eflVon- ast as they could id, standing erect y to a right angle and with a signi- rget for the exer- d our captain to sers to the yawl's ed all of us to be re were confined 3atly to the morti- \.fter this, as long on board, all the to remain till the easing: the pesti- ) our bill of mor- ined to meliorate ned Gen. Clinton, mission to send a ition, and reques- »f prisoners might rial was sent. In ington, containing ng his inability to I authority did not that soldiers could ired his intention, that no exertion Gen. Washington the British Com- jt their cruel trcat- r situation was not risoners in circum- n: that "with what 1 to them again.'* Wc experienced after this some little improvement in our food, but no relaxation in the severity of our confinement. As every principle of justice and humanity was disregarded by the British in the treatment of their prisoners, so, likewise, every moral and legal right was violated in compelling them to enter into their service. Wc had obtained some information in relation to an expected draught that would soon be made upon the prisoners to fill up a complement of men that were wanted for the service of his Majesty's fleet. One day in the latter part of August, our fears of the dreaded event were realized. A British officer with a number of soldiers came on board. The prisoners were all ordered on deck, placed on the larboard-gangway, and marched • in single file round to the quarter-deck, where the officers stood to inspect them and select such ones as suited their fancies, without any reference to the rights of the prisoners, or considering at all the duties they owed to the land of their nativity, or the government for which they had fought and suflfered. We continued to march round, in solemn and melancholy procession, till they had selected from among our number about three hundred of the ablest, nearly all of whom were Americans, and they were directed to go below under a guard, to collect together whatever things they wished to take belonging to them. They were then driven into the boats, waiting along side, and left the prison ship, not to enjoy their freedom, but to be subjected to the iron despotism, and galling slavery of a British man-of-war; to waste their lives in a foreign service ; and toil for masters whom they hated. Such, however, the horrors of our situation as prisoners, and so small was the A were prospect of relief, that we almost envied the lot of those who left the ship to go into the service even of our enemy. In the midst of our distress, perplexities, and troubles at this period, we were not a little puzzled to know how to dispose of the vermin that would accumulate upon our persons, notwithstanding all our attempts at cleanliness. To catch them was a very easy task, but to undertake to deprive each individual captive of life, as rapidly as they could have been taken, would have beei. i herculean task. To throw them overboard would have been but a small relief; as they would probably add to the impurities of the boiler, by being deposited in it the first time it was filled up for cooking our unsavory mess. What then was to be done |^ with them? A general consultation was held, and it was determined to deprive them of their liberty. This being agreed upon, the prisoners immediately went to work, for their comfort and amusement, to make a liberal contribution of those migratory creatures, who were compelled to colonize for a time within the boundaries of a large snufi'-box appropriated for the purpose. There they lay, snugly ensconced, of all colors, ages, and sizes, to the amount of some thousands, waiting for orders. British recruiting officers frequently came on board, and held out to the prisoners tempting offers to enlist in his Majesty's service ; not to fight against their own country, but to perform garrison duty in the island of Jamaica. One day an Irish officer came on board for this purpose, and not meeting with much success among the prisoners who happened to be upon deck, he descended below to repeat his offers. He was a remarkably tall man, and was obliged to stoop as he passed along between the decks. The prisoners were disposed for a frolic, and kept the officer in their company for some time, flattering him with expectations, till he discovered their insincerity, and left them in no very pleasant humor. As he passed along, bending his body, and bringing his broad shoulders to nearly a ,■ --.-»=, •'.i*l?i^-"-«nv*Jt«jt*«!a«aw!A=0<^ »■<**-■ i i 224 A SAILOR'S NARRATIVB. ii • i. horizontal position, the idea occurred to our minds to furnish him with soAie recruits from the colony in the snuif-bcx. A favorable opportunity presented, the cover of the box was removed, and the whole contents discharged upon the red-coated back of the officer. Three cheers from the prisoners followed the migration, and the officer ascended to the deck, unconscious of the number and variety of recruits he had obtained without the formality of an enlistment. The captain of the ship, suspi- cious that some joke had been practiced, or some mischief perpetrated, from the noise below, met the officer at the head of the gangway, and, seeing the vermin crawling up his shoulders and aiming at his head with * the instinct peculiar to them, exclaimed, "Hoot, mon, wha^ is the matter wi' yer bock?" The captain was a Scotchman. By this time many of them, in their wanderings, had traveled round from the rear to the front, and showed themselves, to the astonishment of the officer. He flung ofi* his coat in a paroxysm of rage, which was not allayed by three cheers from the prisoners on the deck. Confinement below, with a short allow- ance, was our punishment for this gratification. Situated as we were, there appeared to us to bo no moral turpitude in enlisting in the British service, especially when we considered that it was almost certain we should s-^on be impressed into the same. Soon after we had formed this desperate resolution, a recruiting officer came on board to enlist men for the eighty-eighth regiment, to be stationed at Kingston, in the island of Jamaica. We had just been trying to satisfy our hunger upon a piece of beef, which was so tough that no teeth could make an impression on it, when the officer descended between decks, and represented to us the immense improvement that we should expe- rience in our condition, if we were in his Majesty's service ; an abundance of good food, comfortable clothing, service easy, and in the finest climate in the world, were temptations too great to be resisted by a set of miserable, half-starved, and almost nakcc wretches, as we were, and who had already concluded to accept of the proposition even had it been made under circumstait .es less exciting. The recruiting officer presented his papers for our signature. Again we heard the tempting oflers, and again the assurance that we should not be called upon to fight against our govern- ment or country ; and, with the hope that we should find an opportunity J- to d«iert, ef which it was our firm intention to avail ourselves when oflfered •^vith such hopes, expectations, and motives, we signed the papers, and became soldiers in his Majesty's service.* But to return to our story, we shortly after, twelve in number, left the Jersey, and were landed upon Long Island and marched under a guard about a mile to an old barn, where we were quartered. Under various pretexts, we frequently went out that night to reconnoiter; but were satisfied that there was no chance for escape then, and must trust to •The reader may have some curiosity to know what became of the " Old Jersey." The prisoners, who were on board of her at tlie conclasion of the war, in 1763, were liberated. The prison ship was then abandoned, and the dread of contagion pre- vented any une visiting her. Worms soon destroyed her bottom, and she afterward sunk. It 18 said Uiat her planks were covered with the names of the captives who had been imtnured there ; a lone and melancholy catalogue, as it is supposed that a greater number of men periuied on board of ner than history inform* na of in aay other place of eonfinonent in the sane pwiod of time. In the year 1803, the bank at the Wallabout was removed, as preparatory to bnildine b Navy Yard. A vast (quantity of bones were found, which were carefully eoUected and buried under the direetioa of the Tammany Society of Ifew York. ■^% i^Sk*.. ■ -- .^■..■.■. -. ....^.^.-i...^ ^■■.^.... ■.■■...■. I !■ 'I furnish him with orable opportunity lie whole contents rhree cheers from r ascended to the its he had obtained of the ship, suspi- Bchief perpetrated, the gangway, and, ag at his head with wha' is the matter ' this time many of le rear to the front, icer. He flung ofi" ed by three cheers , with a short allow- > moral turpitude in considered that it to the same. Soon iruiting officer came It, to be stationed at een trying to satisfy 1 that no teeth could ded between decks, nat we should expe- rvice ; an abundance in the finest climate by a set of miserable, and who had already it been made under presented his papers offers, and again the it against our govern- d find an opportunity iirselves when offered igned the papers, and re in number, left the iTched under a guard ;ered. Under various econnoiter; but were en, and must trust to uneof the "Old Jersey.' of the war, in 1783, were ) dread of contagion pre- Mttcm, and she afterward es of the captives who had as it is supposed that a »ry infonn« na of in wy moved, as preparatoiy to and, which were carefully Society ^ ^^ York. imc PRESSED INTO THE BRITISH ARM7. 236 Providence for some more favorable opportunity. Disappointed in all our hopes and expectations of escape, we were hurried on board of a vessel ready to sail for Jamaica, only waiting for a favorable wind. We entertained a faint hope, that, during our voyage, we might be taken by some American privateer, and consequently obtain our freedom. In the course of six or eight days, we weighed anchor, and hoisted our sail for Jamaica. The next day we anchored in the harbor of Port Royal, where we lay one day, and sailed for Kingston. We here landed, and with the sergeant at the head marched in single file through Kingston to a place called " Harmony-hall," where the regiment was quartered, and were placed under the care of a drill sergeant. The next morning we were ordered out for drill, and received our uniform and arms, which we were ordered to keep bright and in good order for service. We had but liitle o.nploy- ment, excepting being drilled to our hearts' content by the sergeant, to make good soldiers of us for the service of his majesty, King George the Third. It appeared to be the object of our officers to reconcile us to the service, by making our duties easy and agreeable. We were often indulged with the privilege of leaving our quarters to visit the town or wander about the country adjacent. In our rambles about the town and country, we visited the grog-shops and taverns, places where sailors generally resort, and had got considerably acquainted with the keepers of these establishments. Our "passes" were signed by a commissioned officer, and they gave us permission to carry our side-arms, that is, a bayonet, and to be absent two hours at a time. While I and one of my comrades were wandering about the town one day, we stepped into a house where liquors and refreshments were to bo obtained. We found one of the seats occupied by an English sailor, to whom we, rather too frankly for prudence, communicated our inten- tions ; or, more correctly speaking, gave him some cause for suspecting our designs from the questions we asked him respecting the probability of obtaining employment on board of some merchant vessel, in case we could get released from our present engagements. The sailor was inclined to be very sociable, and discovered no objections to drinking freely at our expense ; telling us that he belonged to an English ship that would sail in a few days; that his captain was in want of hands; and that, at his intercession, he would undoubtedly take us on board. He appeared so friendly, and his manners were so insinuating, that he completely won our confidence. He asked us how we could obtain liberty to leave the garrison, and to pass in and out when we pleased? Taking my "pass" out of my pocket, I showed it to him, and told him that was our authority. He took it into his hand, apparently with an intention of reading it ; and, after looking at it for some time, in a sort of careless manner, he put it into his pocket. I felt a little surprised when I saw him do it, and my companion expressed his fears by whispering into my ear, " Blast hia eyes, he means to keep the pass." :; Having allowed the fellow to get possession of the paper, I felt myself responsible for it, and that it was necessary for me to recover it, even if I were obliged to resort to violent measures. I therefore said to him, " My friend, I must have that paper, as we cannot return to our quarters without it." He replied, "You had better be peaceable about it, for I mean to see your commanding officer." Matters had now come to a crisis. I saw that it was the sailor^s object to inform against us, and to carry the «pus" as an evidence of our 16 i I l-li m H ■!:r * !- 4^ i 226 A SAILOR'S NARRATIVE. conference with him. I immediately drew my bayonet from its scabbard, and thrusting it against his side with force suiFicicnt to inflict a slight wound, put my hand into his pocket and toolc out the " pass ;^' and then, giving him a blow upon the head with the butt-end of my bayonet, dropped him senseless on the floor. The noise of this conflict brought the land- lord into the room, followed by his wife, with whom a previous acquain- tance had made me somewhat of a favorite. The rascal had by this lime recovered his senses and had got upon his legs, and began to represent the matter in a light the most favorable to himself. We vehemently contradicted his assertions, and were stoutly backed up by the landlady, who was considerable of a termagant, and declared that "the sailor was a quarrelsome fellow; that he had made a difficulty once before in the house ; and that her husband would be a fool if he did not kick him out of doors." The landlord, to prove that he was "compos mentis," and to appease the wrath of his wife, whicH waxed warm, com- plied with her kind wishes, and the sailor was, without much ceremony, hurried through the door, his progress not a little accelerated by a brisk application of the landlord's foot, which sent him spinning into the street in the manner prescribed by the good woman. We were then advised by our friends to return to our quarters as quick as possible, lest the fellow might make some trouble for us. We paid our bill, and gave the landlord many thanks, not forgetting the landlady, to whose kind inter- ference we owed our fortunate escape. About this time I was unex- pectedly released from the duties of a soldier. One day I attracted the attention of an officer, by the exercise of my skill as a barber, in the act of shaving a comrade; and was forthwith promoted to the high station of hairdresser and shaver for the officers. I was assiduous in my attentions to my superiors, and thereby gained their confidence, and could, almost whenever I wished, procure a pass to go out when I desired. To visit my dear native land, my friends, and the scenes of my child- hood, was the prevailing wish of my mind; to accomplish this desire I was willing to hazard my life. Many difficuhies were to be surmounted before this could be eifected. Friends were to be found, in whom confi- dence could be placed. I had become acquainted with five soldiers, who had been rcleusod from military duty, because they were mechanics, and could make tiiom- selves useful in the performance of various mechanical services. They enjoyed considerable liberty, but did not possess the confidence of the officers in so great a degree as I did, having made myself useful and agreeable to them by personal attention in contributing to their comfort and convenience. About this time I had the good fortune to obtain a high degree of confidence, and to find great favor in the sight of the commanding officer, by the exercise of my professional skill in making him wonderfully satisfied with himself upon the occasion of a military ball. He was so much pleased with the improvement I made in his per- sonal appearance, that in the fullness of his heart he gave me a " pass to go out whenever I chose till further orders." The five comrades, with whom I had associated, as I have observed, were mechanics, two of .whom were armorers ; and they had obtained from the arsenal two pis- tols and three swords, which were all the weapons we had : these, together with some articles of clothing, we had deposited in the hut of an old negro, whom we had bribed to secrecy. I had a general pass, as I have before observed, for myself to go out at pleasure ; but it was neceaaary to obtain a special one for my ■^"S« , lp||l ||| ||i J l M ll f>J» » '' q' . * ..W ''« >|«7i l' l .J.tl. T?*. \J Pll'f If; - ■--'£?''"-^"- ADVENTURES OF THE DESERTERS. 237 from its scabbard, to inflict a slight ' j)a83 ;" and then, ^ bayonet, dropped brought the iarid- i previous acquain- ;al had by tliis lime began to represent ere stoutly backed gant, and declared id made a difficulty be a fool if he did at he was " compos waxed warm, com- ut much ceremony, ;elerated by a brisk ining into the street were then advised is possible, lest the ir bill, and gave the whose kind inter- 3 time I was unex- ! day I attracted the 1 a barber, in the act the high station of lous in my attentions ie, and could, almost [ desired. scenes of my child- omplish this desire I jre to be surmounted bund, in whom confi- a had been released nd could make thom- lical services. They the confidence of the le myself useful and uting to their comfort od fortune to obtain a »r iu the sight of the sional skill in making occasion of a military lent I made in his per- he gave me a " pass to [le five comrades, with re mechanics, two of m the arsenal two pis- ive had: these, together in the hut of an old ■vcd, for myself to go a special one for my companions, and this duty devolved on mo. In the afternoon, soon after dinner, I asked the commanding officer to grant mc the favor of a pass for five of my acquaintances to go out to spend the evening, upon condition of returning before nine o'clock. The officer hesitated for a moment ; and then, as he signed tho pass, said, " I believe I can trust you ; but remember that you must not come back without them." Tliis I readily promised, and I faithfully fulfilled the obligation. About the middle of the week, in th« month of July, 1782, our little party of six, — five Americans, and one Irishman, an active, courageous fellow, — loft the town, and proceeded to the negro's hut, where we received our weapons and clothing, and some little stores of piovisions which we had deposited. That afternoon a soldier had been buried at Rockfort, and part of the i-egiment had been out to attend the funeral. Seeing these soldiers upon their return, at a distance, and fearing that our bundles might excite their suspicion, we concluded to separate and meet again as soon as the soldiers had passed. We escaped their notice, and fortunately met together a little time after,— all but one, who was niissing. We waited some time, and looked in various directions for him, without success. The man whom we missed was somewhat intoxicated, and the proba- bility was that he had lain down and fallen asleep ; or, perhaps, his courage had failed, and he had given up the undertaking, and might have gone back and given information a^jainst us. We were satisfied that we could wait no longer for him without exposing ourselves to great danger, and, therefore, concluded to proceed without him. What was his fate I have never been able to ascertain. We pushed rapidly forward till we had got about a mile from Kingston, when we entered a small piece of wood- land, and divested ourselves of our uniform, which we had worn with much reluctance, and had never ceased to regret having exposed ourselves to the necessity of putting on ; clothed ourselves in the sailor garments, which we had taken care to provide ; cut the white binding from our hats ; and were soon metamorphosed into much better sailors than we had ever been soldiers. Having loaded our pistols, we again proceeded. We had advanced but a few rods, when we met a sergeant, belonging to a regiment called the Liverpool Blues, who had been to Rockfort to see some of his acquaintance, and was then upon his return. It was near the time for stationing the guard, as usual, at the place called the " Plum- tree." The sergeant hailed us with, " Where are you bound, my lads?" We answered, " To Rockfort." He replied, "I have just come from there and found all well: how goes on the recruiting at New York? and what is the news?" A ship had arrived the day previous, from New York, and he supposed that we were some of the recruits that she had brought over. We per- ceived his mistake, and adapted our answers to his questions, so as to encourage his delusion. We told him that the recruiting went on bravely, end we were going to join our regiment at Rockfort. The fellow seemed, to be in a very happy mood, and immediately declared his intention of turning back to show us tho way to the fort. Our situation was rendered very embarrassing by this kind offer ; and to refuse it we feared would excite suspicion. Our generous guide thought he was doing us service, when he was leading us directly to destruction ; and the idea of killing him, while he imagined that he was performing a good service for us, was very unpleasant ; but it was our only alternative. In a few moments the deed would have been done ; self-preservation made it necessary ; 32g A SAILOR'S NARRATIVE. masaa buckra menT there De a picmy ui du. ^, ^ ^ j^. will take you up, and put you ^.t^tl^^ST^o c.r^^^^^^^^ ?.';\rurbrrd\^r;„JtrTVetist^^ u/for sailors who we,e 'Thltfve'migKethLause, I always found the negroes in and about which Jamaica abounds. As we *«^^ "" o^ecd with caution, or depth was, in the darkness, '^^f "^^^^"7^ J^J ^^de aoross. Th« The tallest of our party was ««"» f"'^^"^,,;" ^'^ SivTh^ ; I, being rest followed in single file '^«^<^°;d'"g^\° °"' 7, Cs tndlrovisio;^ and the shortest, brought up the '^^'-ff^^^^^^ ^^^^.^^ on the opposite Trf °w;t:JffitTur°;:t'd^^^^^^^^^^ ? « -«»'' -ji to^rrkdryH^t^o^^^^^^ rJo^rSSd^/ott c^Siin pifStvel by daylight at so of concealment, and proceeded on ""^^f ;°"J„3,; Cd^ourselves having traveled three or four hours we --^-^-%2l^Zce exclaim, 4~roVtt^&Xrwr;^^^^^^ to refresh ourselves wHh some of our bread and dj^?^;-"„"J;3,„es considerably refreshed ; After several -hours rest, we lounu uu exausted, and we had and as our small stock of P^J^Jf J" j ^d b« ^^^^^^^ '° ""'' consumed nearly the *V™in«^"d^e'rncl«^^^^^^ we\ould venture ,on the opposite Side of^^e «^«jd/X^^^^ till about three to travel by daylight. We "*^®'®.° „ '" j;__ . 1,111 we were alarmed o'clock in the afternoon, and, ^^''iSJ^JJ^^ ^j colkcted together to by hearing the sound of 'ndnotia few momenta, we saw, coming ■ consult upon what course to adopt. In » »«* 3" ^j^j^i, theV imme .over the hill, three stout "«f »««' "S^J.^'i^Sp^^^^^ " I b"« diately presented at u», and ordered ub to flwp. J CONFLICT OF THE DESERTERS WITH MAROONS. ■ satiflfaction, he ;k to Kingston by that we could no» in at a rapid pace m Kingston that 1 in the morning ; 1 give info'ination I were deserters, lile faither, when ere be you going, way ahead ; they ." We told him care for dat, dey sailors who were ;roes in and about ilor who wished to ir to guide us into Id avoid the guard We followed our ast the guard, and, after having called 3. Our anxiety to I wtj could through many rivulets with nine what its width )cecd with caution, jrade aoross. The. a heights ; I, being and provisions and ?d on the opposite r of the night, and, ot, where we could hat it would expose el by daylight at so y, we left our place t's journey. After dly found ourselves male voice exclaim, immediately started i till we had traveled to refresh ourselves siderably refreshed ; lausted, and we had be required to arrive at we would venture ption till about three 11, we were alarmed collected together to ents, we saw, coming Its, which they imme Our arms, as I have 229 formerly observed, conHistod of two pistols and throo swords: upon the pis- tols we could place but little dcpondonco, as they were not in good order ; and the swords were concealed under our clothes; to attempt to draw them out would have caused the negroes instantly to fire upon us. Thev wore about ten rods before us, and stood in the attitude of taking a deliberate aim at us. To run would be certain death to some of us; wu thuroforo saw no alternative but to advance. One of our number, a man named Jones, a tall, powerful fellow, took a paper from his pocket. and, holding it up before him, advanced, with groat apparent confidence in his manner, and the rest of us imitated his example. As we approached, .Tones held out the paper to one of them, telling him that it was our pass, giving us authority to travel across the island. The negroes, as we very well knew, were unable to road ; it was therefore immaterial what was written upon the paper, — I believe it was an old letter, — as manuscript or print was entirely beyond their comprehension. While we were ad- vancing, we had time to confer with each other; and the circumstances of the moment, the critical situation in which we were placed, naturally led our minds to^one conclusion, to obtain the consent of the negroes that we might pursue our journey ; but if they opposed our progress, to resort to violence, if we perished in the attempt. Our sufferings had made us somewhat savage in our feelings; an^ we marched up to tliem with that determination of purpose which desperatf men have resolved upon, when life, liberty, and everything they value is at stake; — all depended upon prompt and decisive action. This was a fearful moment. The negroes stood in a row, their muskets still presented, but their attention was principally directed to the paper which Jones held before them ; while our eyes wore constantly fixed upon them, onx- iously watching their motions^, and designing to disarm them as soon as a favorable opportunity should be offered. The negioes were large and powerful men, while we, though we outnumbered them, were worn down by our long march, and enfeebled by hunger. In physical power we wore greatly their inferiors. But the desperate circumstances in which we were placed inspired us with uncommon courage, and gave us an unnatural degree of strengt'i. We advanced steadily forward, shoulder to shoulder, till the breasts of three of us were within a few inches of the muzzles of their guns. Jones reached forward and handed the paper to one of the negroes. He took it, and having turned it round several times, and examined both sides, and finding himself not much the wiser for it, shook his head and said, " We must stop you." The expression of his countenance, the doubts which were manifested in his manner of receiving the paper, convinced us, that all hope of deceiving or conciliating them was at an end. Their muskets were still presented, their fingers upon the triggers. An awful pause of a moment ensued, when we made a sudden and desperate spring forward, and seized their muskets ; our attack was so unexpected, that we wrenched them from their hands before they were aware of our inten- tion. The negro, whom I attacked, fired just as I seized his gun, but I had fortunately turned the direction of it, and the ball inflicted a slight wound upon my side, the scar of which remains to this day. This was the only gun that was discharged during this dreadful encounter. As soon as it was in my possession, I exercised all my strength, more than I thought I possessed, and gave him a tremendous blow over the head with the breech, which brought him to the ground, from which he never rose. I had no sooner accomplished my work, than I found my companion. awLy was the problem to be solved. Undetermined what to do weleftoTir retreat again, and the first object that met our view upon the water was a sail-boat directing her course to the shore near where we **Tho Question now to be decided was, whether we should attempt to male aS of "he boat, and escape to Cuba. The wind was blowing t"om the shore, and the boat was consequently beating in against the S This was a favorable circumstance for us, if we could get posses- Tn of the bor The undertaking was fraught with difficulty and danger but it was our only chance for escape. We crept cautious y down to tho Zr ., keeZg concealed as much as possible behind the Pushes, till we arHvcd near to the point, at which we thought the boat was steer ng \s sic was beating against the wind, we concluded, if the man at the helm Ldd be brought down, the boat would luft>h.chwouM^ near the shore, when we were immediately to spring on board. Jones, lleing the best' marksman, took the musket, and seeing that .t was well two negroes in I any injury but }port of tlio ijun radcB, wlio might ordingly dragged ifhero wo buriod ciieta we found a nished condition, csaary to burden :he conflict. We sought a place of we had encoun- were encouraged a certain sum of naster, or soldier vn in the woods, 3 from our contest it was now nearly fourney. Having cd the road, and, bstacles in the way B knew not for a time we had con- distance from tiie asionally stopping biscuit, which we of water from the e found ourselves r we had remained we retired to the rest, and slept the hiding-place, after cautiously toward ossible behind the the horizon, at the the ocean, smooth } remain where we possible ; but how mined what to do, our view upon the »re near where we should attempt to wind was blowing ting in against the ^e could get posses- iflSculty and danger, itiously down to the I the bushes, till we s boat was steering , if the man at the ich would bring her r on board. Jones, ing that it was well CAPTURE OF THE BOAT. 231 loaded and primed, crept as close to the edge of the shore as lie could svithoiit being discovered by the crow, and lay down, to wait for a good opportunity to firo at the man at the helm. Tiie rest of us kept as near to liim as ponsiblo. Every circumstance seemed to favor our design. Tiio negroes were all in their huts, and everything around was quiet and Mill. The boat 8oon approached near enough for Jones to take a sure aim ; and wo scarcely breathed as we lay extended on the ground, waiting for him to perform the duty assigned him. In a few moments, bang went the gun, and down wont the negro from the helm into the bottom of the boat; and, as we had anticipated, the helm being abandoned, the boat lufllDd up in the wind and was brought close to the shore, which was bold, and the water deep enough to float her. The instant the gun was flred, we were upon our feet, and in the next moment up to our waists in the water along side of the boat. No time was lost ill shoving her about, and getting her bows from the land. There was a fresh breeze from the shore ; the sails filled ; and the boat was soon under a brisk headway. I remained in the water the Inst, and, as 1 attempted to get on board, my hands slipped from my hold on the funwale, and I fell into the water. I heard an exclamation, " Good God! 'ox is lost!" from one of our party ; but as the boat swept by mc, I caught with my middle finger in the noose of a rope that hung over the stern, and was seized by the cape of my jacket and drawn into the boat by the powerful arm of Jones, who was managing the helm. All that I have described was apparently the work of a moment. Never did men use greater exertions than we did at this time. The report of Jones' gun alarmed the negroes, and brouglit them from their huts in all directions down to the shore, armed with muskets and clubs, and full of rage and fury. They waded out after us, up to their chins in the water; and fired volley after volley, as fast as they could load. The bullets fell thickly around us, but fortunately none of us were injured. Our attention was next directed to the disposal of the crew of the boat we had captured, consisting of three men and a boy. As soon as we sprung into the boat, they fled with terror and amazement into a sort of cabin in the bow, where they still remained. It was no wonder that they were frightened, attacked so suddenly by an enemy, who, as it seemed to them, had arisen all at once from the bowels of the earth or the depths of the ocean. Whether the head of the negro at the helm was bullet- proof, or whether the ball approached so near to it as to frighten him into insensibility, we never knew ; but we found him prostrated in the bottom of the boat, when we entered it, apparently dead ; but to our gratification, we soon found that he was alive, and not a curl of his wool discomposed. He was soon upon his knees, supplicating mercy, in which attitude and tone he was followed by the rest of the crew as we called them from their hiding-place. We gave them their choice to proceed with us on our voyage, or expose themselves to the hazard of drowning by attempting to swim ashore. They accepted the latter proposition with much gratitude, and were soon swimming lustily for the shore, from which we were at the distance of more than a mile, where we saw them all safely arrive. The negroes collected around them in great numbers after they landed, probably to hear their account of the transaction ; and to obtain information concerning our intentions and destination. We felt animated by our success. We found the boat in good order ; and, with a fresh breeze, we made rapid progress. We found a plenty of -' »*;-*» A- -*. '#Jftrfit*.i»tt i^ntH^-r * r^ A SAILOR'S NARRATIVE. proviiiona in tho boat, with which, for tho first timo for five dnys, wo abun- dantly satisfied our hunger. It was now nearly dark, and wo had got a considerable distance from tho shore ; but w« continued lo watch the movomonts of tho negroes with anxiety, least they should pursue us. Aftor tho negroes had hold a short consultation together, we saw them all start off with great rapidity toward a point of land, under winch «•> thought wo could boo something lying, that had tho appearance of u vessel. As tho negroes ran in that direction, we had no doubt that they had some plan in contemplation in relation to our capture. Our fears and conjec- tures were soon reduced to a matter of fact ; for wo had proceeded but a little distance farther, when we came in plain sight of a schot-iier at anchor. Tho vessel was soon under weigh, and sailing in a direction to cut us off; but wo trusted that tho approaching aarknoss would m a short time conceal us from tho sight of our pursuers. As tho schooner was a largo object, compared with our little boat, we could see her long after we were invisible to thorn. After being satisfied of the course the schooner was taking, we thought the best way to avoid her would be to put about directly for Jamaica. Wo sailed in this direction till we supposed that our enemy had got vonsidorably past the course for us to pursue, when we again put about, and steered as directly as we were able for Cuba. We saded without interruption through the night, and, from the rapidity with which wo had passed through tho water, we concluded we could not be a groat distance from the land. As soon as daylight approached we espied the shore, and lost no time in making for it. Shortly after, we saw, at a consid- erable distanco, the schooner, apparently steering for Jamaica. They discovered us, and altered their course directly for us. Their approach, however excited no alarm in our minds now, for we wore sure that we could run our boat on shore before they could come up with us. Their kind intentions were manifested in the compliment of a few salutes from a swivel, which proved as harmless as the courtesy we endeavored to .show them by half a dozen salutes from the musket which had previously done us more faithful servic THE riNAL SETTLEMENT or TH« LATTRM AT PITOAIRN ISLAND, IN TUK PACIFIC OCEAN. His Majesty's ihip Bounty was purchased into the service, and placed under the command of Captain Bligh, in 1787. She letl England in December of that year, with orders to proceed to Otahcite, and transport the bread-fruit of that country to the British settlements in the West Indies, and to bring also some specimens of it to England. Her crew consisted of forty-four persons, and a gardener. She was ordered to make the passage round Cape Horn, but after contending a long time with adverse gales, in extremely cold weather, she was obliged to bear away for the Cape of Good Hope, where she underwent a refit, and arrived at her destination in October 1788. Six months were spent at Otaheite, collecting and stowmg away the fruit, during which time the officers and seamen had free access to the shore, and made many friends, though only one of the seamen formed any alliance there. In April 178y, they took leave of their friends at Otaheite, and proceeded to Anamooka, where Bligh replenished his stock of water, and took on board hogs, Iruit, vegetables, etc., and put to sea again on the 26th of the same month. Throughout the voyage Bligh, who was of an exceedingly tyrannical disposition, had repeated misunderstandings with his officers, and had on several occasions given them and the ship's company just reasons for complaint. Still, whatever might have been the feelings of the officers, Adams declares there was no real discontent among the crew- much less was there any idea of offering violence to their commander! The officers, it must be admitted, had much more cause for dissatisfaction than the seamen, especially the master and the lieutenant, Fletcher Christian. The latter was a proteg6 of Bligh, and unfortunately was under some obligations to him of a pecuniary nature, of which Bligh frequently reminded him when any difference arose. Christian, excess- ively annoyed at the share of blame which repeatedly fell to his lot in cominon with the rest of the officers, could ill endure the additional taunt of private obligations ; and in a moment of excitement told his commander that sooner or later a day of reckoning would arrive. The day previous to the mutiny a serious quarrel occurred between Bligh and his officers, about some cocoa-nuts which were missed from his private stock ; and Christian again fell under his commander's displeasure. The same evening he was invited to supper in the cabin, but he had not so soon forgotten his injuries as to accept of this iU-timed civility ,«nd returned an excuse. ' " (233) ^W*"** 234 MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. Matters were in this state on the 28th of April 1789, when the Bounty, on her homeward voyage, was passing to the southward of Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands. It was one of those beautiful nights which characterize the tropical regions, when the mildness of the air and the stillness of nature dispose the mind to reflection. Christian, pc:idering over his grievances, considered them so intolciable, that anything appeared preferable to enduring them, and he determined, as he couh'. not redress them, that he would at least escape from the possibility of their being increased. Absence from England, and a long residence at Otaheite, where new connections were formed, weakened the recollection of his native country, and prepared his mind for the reception of ideas which the situation of the ship and the serenity of the moment particularly favored. His plan, strange as it must appear for a young oflicer to adopt, who was fairly advanced in an honorable profession, was to set himself adrift upon a rafl, and make his way to the island then in sight. As quick in the execution as in the design, the rafl was soon constructed, various useful articles were got together, and he was on point of launching it, when a young officer, who afterward perished in the Pandora, to whom Christian communicated his intention, recommended him, rather than risk his life on so hazardous an expedition, to endeavor to take possession of the ship, which he thought would not be very difficult, as many of the ship^s company were not well disposed toward the commander, and would all be very glad to return to Otaheite, and reside among their friends in that island. This daring proposition is even more extraordinary than the premeditated scheme of his companion, and, if true, certainly relieves Christian from part of the odium which has hitherto attached to him as the sole instigator of the mutiny. It however accorded too well with the disposition of Christianas mind, and hazardous as it was, he determined to co-operate with his friend in cS'ecting it, resolving, if he failed, to throw himself into the sea; and that there might be no chance of being saved, he tied a deep sea-lead about his neck, and concealed it within his clothes. Christian happened to have the morning watch, and as soon as he had relieved the oflicer of the deck, he entered into conversation with Quintal, the only one of the sea- men who, Adams said, had formed any serious attachment at Otaheite ; and after expatiating on the happy hours they had passed there, disclosed his intentions. Quintal, after some consideration, said he thought it a dangerous attempt, and declined taking a part. Vexed at a repulse in a quarter where he was most sanguine of success, and particularly at having revealed sentiments which, if made known, would bring him to an ignomi- nious death. Christian became desperate, exhibited the lead about his neck in testimony of his own resolution, and taxed Quintal with cowardice, declaring it was fear alone that restrained him. Quintal denied this accusation ; and in reply to Christianas further argument, that success would restore them all to the happy island, and the connections they had left behind, the strongest persuasion he could have used to a mind some- what prepared to acquiesce, he recommended that some one else should be tried — Isaac Martin for instance, who was standing by. Martin, more ready than his shipmate, emphatically declared, " He was for it ; it was the very thing." Successful in one instance. Christian went to every man of his watch, many of whom he found disposed to join him, and before daylight the greater portion of the ship's company were brought over. Adams was sleeping in his hammock, when Sumner, one of the seamen, came to him, and whispered that Christian was going to take the ship si*'^ 9, when the Bounty, ward of Tofoa, one utiful nights which is of the air and the Christian, pondering at anything appeared he could not redress bility of their being sidence at Otaheite, le recollection of his ption of ideas which moment particularly oung officer to adopt, n, was to set himself i then in sight. As iras soon constructed, on point of launching the Pandora, to whom ded him, rather than Lvor to take possession fficult, as many of the iommander, and would among their friends in extraordinary than the rue, certainly relieves jrto attached to him as )n of Christian's mind, rate with his friend in f into the sea ; and that 1 a deep sea-lead about Christian happened to ilieved the officer of the the only one of the sea- attachment at Otaheite ; I passed there, disclosed on, said he thought it a Vexed at a repulse in a md particularly at having I bring him to an ignomi- »ited the lead about his Quintal with cowardice, tn. Quintal denied this r argument, that success the connections they had ave used to a mind some- hat some one else should anding by. Martin, more I, » He was for it; it was hristianwentto every man d to join him, and before many were brought over, umner, cue of the seamen, IS going to take the ship lo'mmm^- MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. 286 from her commander, and set him and the master on shore. On hearing this, Adams went upon deck, and found everything in great confusion ; but not then liking to takr li/ part in the transaction, he returned to ills hammock, and remained ihere until he saw Christian at the arm-ciie«t, distributing arms to all wr ' ame for them ; and then seeing measures had proceeded so far, and ij.prehensive of being on the weaker side, he turned out again and went for a cutlass. All those who proposed to assist Christian being armed, Adams, with others, was ordered to secure the officers, while Christian and the master-at-arms proceeded to the cabin to make a prisoner of Captain Bligh. They seized him in his cot, bound h<5 hands behind him, and brought him upon deck. He remon- strated with them on their conduct, but received only abuse in return, and a blow from the master-at-arms with the flat side of a cutlass. He was placed near the binnacle, and detained there, with his arms pinioned, by Christian, who held him with one hand, and a bayonet with the other. As soon as the lieutenant was secured, the sentinels that had been placed over the doors of the officers' cabins were taken off; the master then jumped upon the forecastle, and endeavored to form a party to retake the ship ; but he was quickly secured, and sent below in confinement. This conduct of the master, who was the only officer that tried to bring the mutineers to a sense of their duty, was the more highly creditable to him, as he had the greatest cause for discontent, Bligh having been more severe to him than to any of the other officers. About this time a dispute arose, whether the lieutenant and his party, whom the mutineers resolved to set adrift, should have the launch or the cutter ; and it being decided in favor of the launch. Christian ordered her to be hoisted out. Martin, who, it may be remembered, was the first convert to Christian's plan, foreseeing that with the aid of so large a boat the party would find their way to England, and that their information would, in all probability, lead to the detection of the oflenders, relinquished his first intention, and exclaimed, "If you give him the launch, I will go with him ; you may as well give him the ship." He really appears to have been in earnest in making this declaration, as he was afterward ordered to the gangway from his po&'t of command over the lieutenant, in consequence of having fed him with a shaddock, and exchanged looks with him indicative of his friendly intentions. It also fell to the lot of Adams to guard the lieutenant, who, observing him stationed by his side, exclaimed, "And you, Smith, are you against me?"* To which Adams replied that he only acted as the others did — he must be like the rest. Captain Bligh, while thus secured, reproached Christian with ingratitude, reminded x him of his obligations to him, and begged he would recollect he had a wife and family. To which Christian replied, that he should have thought of that before. The launch was by this time hoisted out ; and the officers and seamen of Captain Bligh's party having collected what was necessary for their voyage, were ordered into her. Among those who took their seats in the boat was Martin, which being noticed by Quintal, he pointed a musket at him, and declared he would shoot him unless he instantly returned to the ship, which he did. The armorer and carpenter's mates were also forcibly detained, as they might be required hereafter. All those now being in the boat who were intended to accompany their unfortunate commander, Christian addressed him, saying — "Come, Captain Bligh, 'Adams went by the name of Alexander Smith in the Bounty. ..i^im I.' fmr^ 1 MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. Z officers and .en are now in th;^,^-^^^^^^^^^^^ J- if you attempt to make the >«»«* 'f 'J^^g^de! and his hands unbound. death." He wa8 then f"!*^*"^ "'".r^J p 'fiUgh looked stcadfaatly at When they were putting h.m out of the^sh^^^^^ ^^^^^„ ^^ jhe Christian, and asked h.m, if *>'^ ^/^.^V".^? ^dghip? At this question he manv instances he had received of his f"«°f ^'P^^ion--" That, Captain seemed confused, and answered ^^^ nmch em°^^,^„ ;„ hell!" Bligh, thatisthething; — lam'nhel^ 1^^^^ adrift, amid the The boat ^''«;^J7.^^,;t;de3Vd un^^^ ^ttansaS: Zl ':^:iS:i:=t express bj their manner a contrition for having joined in »»'«J^";^'°y_ j ^^at some arms might be Before the boat was cast "A' J 'gJ'^SeV at him, and said handed into her ; but these "»f««''"g !^STmonr I'O was going, "he was well acquainted with the people among ^^^^^^^^ and therefore did not wan ^henij^' They, ho^^^^^^^^^ ^f „„, hundred into the boat. Their whole sock oJ?;o..^o.sjo ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^.^^ and fifty pounds of bread, sixteen piec f , ^„ ^ barrecoes m twenty-eight gallons of water there were a i^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ the boat. The boatswam Jad been aUowed to ^^^ ^^^^^^ of twine, some canvas, lines, and cordage «ir^ ^^^ ^^^^.^^ been also permitted to take a H^.^Jj*"*^^"^^^^^ den,on painofdeath,to touch either chartephemer.s ^^ ^^^^.^^^ observations, sextant, time-keeper or any ol the y ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ which Bligh had '-n/" «;;V;?iJS ^ith some other good fortune to secure Bl.gh s Jp^'J^J^^^j^ ^oat left the ship they were material ship papers. And at the «ne tn ^^^^^^ ^^^ »„ ^teer about ten leagues from Tosoa Bl>g ^^JJ/^ ^ ^^^ f,^^ thence to for this place, to seek a «»PP J °\f ^ tThe king to suffer him to equip proceed to Tongataboo, and there to so^^icUtne^ g provisions as might [he boat, and grant them such a supply ^^^^.^^ /^osoa, they found enable them to reach the E^st Uidies. ^'V « jj^^ggives of the de- the natives unfriendly and ^''^^^J^^ZZeniXy mih stones, so ih,A fenseless state of the English, attacked them vioie y ^.^^ ^^^^ the supply they got ^ZZeS\y^^ok by the iatives ; which mo.t difficulty they escaped being ^"^^'f '^ J'" " ^^e of the crew (John Norton) relief remained, excepting what m.ght^b^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^ , island of Timor, which was ^\^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^.^ observed, with regard that it would require the £«,^*f «\"i,*=°d ^ ^°' '° ^""« ' '"^'*^" to the scanty allowance Tlhich they had to ive p ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ It was therefore agreed by the «no f "^j' 'J^j to each person per day. „d a quarter of a pint of w^ter should be ?«"^^ ^^ j^^J manner not to After Bligh had recommended to them m ^h« "ojj «o ^^^^^ of May, bore depart from the promise ^hey had maj^e ne, ^.^^^^ explored, -KtSyXti^Srfe^-S^^^^^^ J flp^ MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. 237 ust go with them ; instantly be put to 9 hands unbound. »kcd steadfastly at jer return for the It this question he ,— "That, Captain in hell!" t adrift, amid the len, whose general carpenter's mates hey had no hand in by their manner a ome arms might be led at him, and said dom ho was going, threw four cutlasses sted of one hundred quarts of rum, with empty barrecoes in lect a small quantity muel, the clerk, had ; but he was forbid- , book of astronomical mrveys or drawings Mr. Samuel had the ion, with some other ft the ship they were mination was to steer vater, from thence to to suffer him to equip i provisions as might at Tosoa, they found hemselves of the de- ily with stones, so that 18, indeed, with some ! natives ; which mort le crew (John Norton) fast of the boat ; this f his companions ; he savages. oat, that Bligh should hem that no hopes of it New Holland, or the ill 1200 leagues; and observed, with regard ,n for so long a voyage, nly an ounce of bread, o each person per day. t solemn manner not to he second of May, bore >ss a sea little explored, nine inches in breadth, and two feet nine inches deep, with eighteen persons on board, and heavy laden. The men were divided into watches, and they returned thanks to God for their miraculous escape. The second day was stormy ; and, to lighten the boat, everything was thrown overboard that could be spared, except two suits of clothes to each. A teaspoonful of rum, and a quarter of a bread-fruit, was served out for dinner, with a determination to make their provisions last out eight weeks. The sixth day their allowances were delivered out by a pair of scales made of two cocoanut shells ; and the weight of a pistol-ball of bread was served out, making one twenty- fifth part of a pound of sixteen ounces, or two hundred and seventy-two grains, at a meal. The ninth day they wore served regularly with one twenty-fifth of a pound of bread, and a quarter of a pintof water at morning, noon, and sunset ; and this day with half an ounce of pork for dinner to each, which was divided into three or four mouthfuls. The eleventh day it rained, and was cold ; and the men began to be dejected, full of wants, and without the means of relief. Their clothes were wet through, which they stripped ofl', and wrung through salt water ; by which means they felt a warmth which they could not have had while wet with rain.* The fourteenth day they passed by islands they dared not touch at, for fear of the natives, having been in other places pursued ; which rather in- creased their misery. A general run of cloudy wet weather was considered as a great blessing of Providence, as the hot weather would have caused them to have died with thirst. Being so constantly covered with rain or sea, they conceived it protected them from that dreadful calamity. The nineteenth day the men seemed half dead, and their appearances were horrible. Extreme hunger was now very great. No one suffered from thirst, nor had they much inclination to drink, that desire being satisfied through the skin ; and the little sleep they got was in the midst of water. Two spoonfuls of rum were served out this morning, with their usual allowance of bread and water. At noon the sun broke out, which rejoiced every one. In the afternoon they were covered with rain and salt water — the cold was extreme — and every one dreaded the approach of night. Sleep, though longed for, gave but little comfort. Captain Bligh himself almost lived without it. The next morning the weather abated, and a larger allowance of rum was given out. The twenty-second day the weather was bad, and the men in great distress, and in expectation that such another night as their last would put an end to their lives. Several seemed to be no longer able to support their sufferings. Two teaspoonfuls of rum were served out ; after which, with wringing their clothes, and their breakfast of bread and water, they became a little refreshed. The weather abated, all hands were rejoiced, and they ate their other scanty meals with more satisfaction than for some time past. The twenty-third day the fineness of the morning produced cheerful countenances, and they experienced, for the first time, for fifteen days past, comfort from the warmth of the sun. They stripped, and hung up their clothes to dry ; which were now so threadbare as to keep neither *Oaptain Bligh afterward frequently practiced it with great benefit, and states that tbe preservation of their health during sixteen days of continued heavy rains, wrk owing to this practice of wringing their clothes out as often as they became iillpii with rain ; and that the men felt a change more like that of dry clothes than could have been imagined ; that they often repeated it, and it gave great refreshment nnil warmth. ii MUTINY OP THE BOUNTY. c„,dnor.ctou. The, saw .any b.^^^ The state of ^'^eir provisions this day, at ^^^^ ^ ^^ would l-.ave lasted ^""^ "'"^^^f" ^ do3« ^^^^ "'S**^ ^" "'"^ ^° ^° the island of Timor. But as '\ ^''f P°\7'\ke their stock hold out for to Java, they reduced ^he.r allowance to make tn^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ six weeks. The necessity of the case was staged ^^^J ^^^ ^^^^ agreed to receive one »^^«"»y-<^i,^^^^^^^^^^ they had forty-three and llie same for dinner; ^"^ ,^> °™X;^„ J ^5 the size of a pigeon days^ allowance. The .twenty-fourth Jayj^ bird ^ was caught, and divided into «'ghtf "Portions in y ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ which was killed for .f^PP^'^/f'*', 3 as a favor, an allowance of were most distressed lor want ^^ /°?°.' ""^'.^e a good supper, compared bread was given out for supper ; ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ booby. The with their usual fare. Jho twenty-fifth day Uiey g ^^ ^^ ^^^.^^^^^ weather was fine ; and they ^bought Providen^^ app ^.^^ ^^ ^^^. their wants. The men were °^^ 3»y^^^f J^^ted food. To make their The blood was given to those who ^os^ wan „^, ;„ g^lt water, while bread a little savory, many ^.'5;/''^ atet in their allowance of water, others broke theirs into smal pieces, and ate inn ^^ ^^^ out of a cocoanut shell, with ^«; ^^^^-'.^^Xg It dinner as if they too large a piece at a time ; so th t they were J g ^^^^^^^ had been at a more plentiful ™«,f • JJ^^^jS of another kind. The without its inconvenience, and distress now c^^^^^ and faintneBS, sun was so powerful that tbe men were seized w^.^g^ ^^^^ ^ j which made life to some indifferent^ ioobie^ whose stomachs contain»;d by much drifted wood, and caugh two boobie^w ^^^^ ^^^^idered as several flying-fish and «n}''?\^7"7,^^^^^ ^a^s, into eighteen portions, valuable prizes, and were divided, with their ma^ ^ ^|^ ,„ in addition to theii common allowance. t.ap^ g ^^^^^^^ ^^ that with this every person thought he h^J JeaJ^^^j ;„ ^he west, they had saw a gannet; and, as the ^^""f ,^ ^^ JJ^ey aU amused themselves by no doubt of being near to ^''"•^ ' ^"J.!. ^ Jould find, conversing on the probabiU y of what they shj.^ ^^^ ^^„ 3^, The twenty-eighth day they made an is , j^^gto^^tion Island, (by account) 40«» 35' W. of Toloa, which tney ^^ ^.^^ ^^ ^^^^ iLe they found pleiity «[ JJ*"; J^^ 3S: '^ ^ome'^ceWer.' rocks that they were «hl'gedtoopenthe sheas. y ^^^^^ ^^ ^ stews of them, mixed with bread and a J^J "J P^ \i,',t had been thrown pot which they fo«?donboard,andat^^^^^^^^^^ into the boatonturningoff. Each person ^.^^ ^ f though weak, appeared much refreshed, an v encounter. The beini able to surmount the d.ffic«lt^8 thJJ « ,,knes8ofjo.^^^ diseases of the people were, a toess m m ^^ evacuation by siool and violent tenesmus-few of the men Javing ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ since they had left the ship 'J^^'^XS^y^iit, a mind possessed of a Every one retained marks of strength tnai,w ^^^^ ^^ey Tolerable share of f«t"t i^tSS vo^ge to^T^^^^^ The men were not imagined they should have n their voyage i ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^eir permitted to expose themselves to the heat ot J ^^ Jhprt sleep in the «hade : they were cau^^on ^^olesome. Some fruit, which, unless eaten by b ds, ''"J "J^^^^ i„th day, finding them- suffered by neglecting this cauion.^^ twe y ^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^,^6 selves discovered W the native , theyjaid p J j^^^^^^ ^„ a twenty-fifth stock of bread, according to their lasi mouo f being near land, rate of allowance, ey hoped to reach t be obliged to go itock hold out for ery one cheerfully ead for breakfast, jy had forty-three size of a pigeon Iso caught a booby, three of those who r, an allowance of I supper, compared mother booby. The ired to be relieving ion to their dinner, d. To make their I salt water, while allowance of water, ly avoiding to take at dinner as if they the weather was not another kind. The nguor and faintness, xth day they passed ! stomachs containwd vere considered as ito eighteen portions, igh was happy to see In the evening, they n the west, they had [lused themselves by id. lat. 12» 39' S., long, id Restoration Island, ;h were so fast to the ymade some excellent by means of a copper hat had been thrown I full pint. The men, pirits, with a hope of to encounter. The .a weakness of joints, an evacuation by stool f none were alarming. I mind possessed of a lore fatigue than they r. The men were not sun, but to take their )out taking berries or Bd wholesome. Some inth day, finding them- and embarked. Their mce, was a twenty-fifth H MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. 239 of a pound at breakfast and at dinner. The thirtieth day they landed on another island, and parties were sent out for supplies. But a spirit of discontent began to discover itself among some, and from one man in particular ; but it was instantly checked, and everything became quiet again. Each person got this day a full pint and a half of stowed oysters and clams, thickened with small beans, which the botanists call a species of dolichos. The thirty-first day, Mr. Nelson, the botanist, was taken very ill with violent pains in his bowels, loss of sight, much drought, and an inability to walk. This was partly owing to heat and fatigue, and not retiring to sleep in the shade, or to improper food. The little wine that remained was of real use. With a few pieces of bread soaked in half a glass of wine occasionally, he continued to mend, and it was found at last not necessary to continue the wine. For six days they coasted along New Holland, and, on landing, got occasionally supplies of oysters, birds, and water. These, though small, with rest, and being relieved from many fatigues, preserved their lives; but, even in their present state, they were deplorable objects. The thirty-third day from their leaving Tofoa, which was the third of June, they again launclied into the open ocean for tbe island of Timor. Bligh was happy to find that no one was so much afiected with their miserable situation as himself; but that the men seemed as if they were embarked on a voyage to Timor, in a vessel suffi- ciently calculated for safety and convenience. This confidence gave him pleasure ; and to this cause did he attribute their preservation. Every one was encouraged to believe that eight or ten days would bring them to Timor ; and, after prayers, their allowance of water was served out for supper. The thirty-sixth day, the state of stores on hand, at their former rate of serving, was equal to nineteen days^ allowance, at three times a day ; and there being now every prospect of a quick passage, their suppers were again granted. The thirty-seventh day the sea was high, with much rain, and the night cold. The surgeon and an old hardy seamen appeared to be giving way very fast. They were assisted by a teaspoonfui or two of the wine at a time, which had been carefully saved, expecting such a melancholy necessity. The thirty-eighth day they caught a small dolphin, which was their first relief of this kind Two ounces were delivered out to each man this day, and the remaindei was reserved for the next day. The thirty-ninth day the men were he ginning to complain generally ; and, by the feelings of all, they wer* convinced they were but too well founded. The surgeon and the olo seaman had a little wine given to them ; and encouraged with the hopeii of reaching Timor in a very few days, on their present fine rate of sailing. The fortieth day, in the morning, after a comfortless night, there was such a visible alteration in many of the people, as to occasion many ap- prehensions. Extreme weakness, swelled legs, hollow ghastly counte- nances, a more than common inclination to sleep, and an apparent debility of understanding, seemed to indicate approaching dissolution. The sur- geon and the old seaman were the most miserable of objects. A few teaapoonfuls of the little wine that remained, greatly assisted them : hope was their principal support, and birds and rockweed showed they were not far from land. On the forty-first day every one received his accustomed allowance, and an extra supply of water to those who wanted it. By observation, they found they had now passed the meridian of the eastern part of Timor, which gave great joy. On the forty-second day, the 1 2th of June. -*J^»-<-t.*^.i3Wfcv-« another effort to settle there, v/hich they thought would yet be feasible, provided the islanders could be made acquainted with their friendly intentions^ The only way to do this was through interpreters, who might be procured at Otaheite ; and in order not to be dependent upon the natives of Tobouai for wives, they determined to engage several Otaheitan women to accompany them. They reached Otaheite in eight days, and werereceived with the greatest kindness by their former friends, who immedislely inqoired for the captain and his officers. Christian and his party having anticipated^ inquiries of this nature, invented a story to tGCoant for their absence^ and told them MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. 241 eagues' distance- ppeared scarcely rly provided, they in forty-oPd days run the distance ,e distress, no one , and pilots to con- men were obliged On the 14th of ry attention huma- ictest economy of snts, and due sub- .ndhismen. Such jy arrived at Timor, ve carried them on f of provisions, v«th ve been consumed jrived in England- as turned adrift by 5 country. of its mutinous crew- Uewart, midshipmen, three artificers and the entire crew. N.W., with a view to bout, and her course :mit. In a few days id bore away for lo- ♦he southward of it, ded the natives, who le. Of this they had ,oat which they sent to irpose ; and the next t formed the port, Mid ind was next made; ith spears, clubs and cannon and musketry, lold any further intet- lity of the natives put ,g them at that ume; liation, they left the as, however, a favorite aother effort to settle rprovidedthe islanders Intions- The only way procured at Otaheite ; -of Tobouai for wives, len to accompany them. iceived vrith the greatest ■^inqaired for the captain anticipated inquiries of absence, and told them that Bligh, having found an island suitable for a settlement, had landed there with some of his officers, and sent then in the ship to procure live stock and whatever else would be useful to the colony, and to bring beside such of the natives as were willing to accompany them. Satisfied with this plausible account, the chiefs supplied them with everything they wanted, and even gave them a bull and a cow which had been confided to their care, the only ones, I believe, that were on the island. They wore equally fortunate in finding several persons, both male and female, willing to accompany them ; and thus furnished, they again sailed for Tubouai, where, as they expected, they were better received than before, in conseodence of being able to communicate with the natives through their interpreters. Experience had taught them the necessity of making self-defense their first consideration, and a fort was consequently commenced, eight yards square, surrounded by a wide ditch. It was nearly completed, when the natives, imagining they were going to destroy them, and that the ditch was intended for their place of interment, planned a general attack when the party should proceed to work in the morning. It fortunately happened that one of the natives who accompanied them from Otaheite overheard tliis conspiracy, and instantly swam off to the ship and apprised the crew of their danger. Instead, therefore, of proceeding to their work at the fort, as usual, the following morning, they made an attack upon the natives, killed and wounded several, and obliged the others to retire inland. Great dissatisfaction and diSerence of opinion now arose among the crew: some were for abandoning the fort and returning to Otaheite ; while others were for proceeding to the Marquesas; but the majority were at that time for completing what they had begun, and remaining at Tobouai. At length the continued state of suspense in which they were kept by the natives made them decide to return to Otaheite, though much against the inclination of Christian, who in vain expostulated with them on the folly of such a resolution, and the certain detection that must ensue. The implements being embarked, they proceeded, therefore, a second time to Otaheite, and were again well received by their friends, who replenished their stock of provisions. During the passage Christian formed his intention of proceeding in the ship to some distant uninhabited island, for the purpose of permanently settling, as the most likely means of escaping the punishment which he well knew awaited him in the event of being discovered. On communicating this plan to his shipmates he found only a few inclined to assent to it ; but no objections were offered by those who dissented, to his taking the ship ; all they required was an equal distribution of such provisions and stores as might be useful. Young, Brown, Mills, Williams, Quintal, M'Coy, Martin, Adams, and six natives (four of Otaheite and two of Tobouai) determined to follow the fate of Christian. Remaining, therefore, only twenty-four hours at Ota- heite, they took leave of their own comrades, and having invited oo board seve'al of the women with the feigned purpose of taking leave, the cables were cut and they were carried off to sea. The mutineers now bade adieu to all the world, save the few fndividualf associated with them in exile. But where that exile should be passed, was yet undecided: the Marquesas Islands were first mentioned; but Christian,on reading Captain Carteret's account of Pitcairn Island, thought it better adapted to the purpose, and accordingly shaped a course thither. They reached it not many days afterward ; and Christian, with one of tlic seamen, landed in a little nook, which was afterward found very 16 .•'ISi'^^SiwC"' ^^ MUTINY or THB BOUNTY. .. w i,.»5„n ThPV soon traversed the island sufficiontlv convenient for disembarkation. T^^^^^ ,j p ,ed to be satisfied that it was «"'^*^ "rlV° The anchorage in the offing water, wood a good sod, J"* '"^JSely hazardous. The n'-n.nta.ns was very bad, and landing ^O' ''°''|?^ ";7«, J narrow, that t^ey might bo were so difficult of access, and the pass «« """^j ^^_^ „^,^ several Maintained by a few ?"«>"» ///J^ hey ^uid retreat, and where, as caves, to which, m .«*«« '*ln''^I^;'J;iht Wd defiance to their pursuers, long as their FOv.«onB la«ted_ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ j,^„ y,, ,^, ,hip to an With this intelligence »»'^y"*"T*;°gide of he island, where everything anchor in a small bay on the ""^hern side oi ^^ ^^^^^^^ that could be of utility >-•;« l';"'*;^''"!^;' burning her. Christian, the ship, either by. running her on sj^^^^^^^ but while they Adams, and the majori y, were ["^ Jj^^^h'j, J-.ness, Matthew Quintal went to the forepart "^ /'^^/'^'P' ^V^^""' The vessel burnt to the water's ,et fire to the c»^P«")«^ ^^/'/S' where the remainderof the wreck ;tCrrfr""« P"' ^"f ;„i,s^tence, they thus, from being to the others in order to PI0'^"'^^'"r'e their slaves. No discontent, their friends, in ^I'e course o time becam^^^^^^^ .^ the cultivation however, «'»^'"^"'f«?'«AesDice^haw?s allotted to the village, a row of the soil. Tn clearing the «P»7 ^'^^^J^fo, ^he purpose of concea ing of trees was left between it and the jea, lor V ^ .^^ be passing, the houses from the «b^«'7„'^'i°";/e,3 That might in any way attract and nothing was allowed '»,*>« Jl^g^^J-ghed, the sails of the Bounty were attention. Until these ^ousej /^ere f. „e^ ^^^ ^,,at purpose, converted into tents; and v^hen no 7^8^ ^ ,5^^ ^i^h all the neces- became very «cc«ptable as clothing. ^^"J^i^ , PP., ,o„dition comfortable aaries of life, and some of its luxuries, tneyi ^^^ ^hing went on even beyond their most .'^J^S-^^ZtZlt the expifation of which, peaceably and prosperously ^o^,^°°"Vo ?oK his wife about a month after Williams! who had the ^'f/l^jj" Jrcoiect birds' eggs, became his arrival, by a faU f'0"»X?;P';e the island in one of the boats of the dissatisfied, a"d t*'r«'\*""^l'VX . an unreasonable request, as it could Bounty, unless he had another wfe an un ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ „f not be complied V'^^^^^S^^'J^' Med by selfish considerations alone, his companions: but y^'"'?"^ "gJJopeanJ not willing to part with him, persisted in h.s threat, and the Luro^ea .^^^ one of the blacks on account of his usefulness .« an armor ^ ^ outrageous at this to bestow his wife upon \»'«»PPj/^o„„on cause with their comp^^^ aecond act of flagrant injustice, made co»^ ^^.^^^ ,^^j and matured a plan of 'f«''«»g^ "^"., th^ SVopeans. Fortunately, the ceeded, would have proved fatal to '^"^''«^;„i P„,,y communicated it to «,cretwas imparted »« tbe worn^n, wko mgen ^^ J ^^^^^ does black the white men in a song, of ^""^ "^^^^^ ^^ i„gtant Christian became men irtiarpen ax T To H'^/J^** ™i'",„d went in search of the blacks ; aware of the plot, he seized h'«£» X^^^eir scheme was discovered, but with a view only of -♦'"^'^K^JS^^JoJ^ to prevent the execution of ,- j^^^-*an, with the exception but to the exclusion aamen, were not con- o lend their assistanc*! hey thus, from being aves. No discontent, ted in the cultivation d to the village, a row Urpose of concealing lat might be passing, ht in any way attract ^ils of the Bounty were ired for that purpose, ied with all the neces- r condition comfortable nd everything went on ,he expiration of which, ife about a month alter ing birds' eggs, became one of the boats of the able request,as It could he happiness ot one of h considerations alone, willing to part with him, Sne'd one of the blacks acks, outragous at this ,86 with their companion, essor, which, had it suc- peans. ^OTUxn^ifj,.^^ jusly communicated t to iere. "Why does black ■instant Christian became in search of the blacks . scheme was discovered, prevent the execution ot ttce from the village, taxed him with the conspiracy, and, in order to intimidate him, discharged his gun, wiiich he had humanely loaded with powder only. Ohoo, however, imagining otherwise, and that the bullet had missed its object, derided his unskilH'ulncsd, and fled into the woods, followed by his accomplice Talaloo, who had been deprived of his wife. The remaining blacks, finding their plot discovered, purchased pardon by promising to murder their accomplices, who had fled; which they afterward performed by an act of tlio most odious treachery. Ohoo was belray<;d and murdered by ills own nephew ; and Talaloo, after an ineflectual attempt made upon him by poison, fell by the hands of his friend and his wife, the very woman on whose account all the disturbance began, and whono injuries Talaloo felt he was revenging in common with his own. Tranquillity was by these means restored, and p/iserved for about two years ; at the expiration of which, dissatisfaction w;s again manifested by the blacks, in consequence of oppression and ill treatment, principally by Quintal and M^Coy. Meeting with no compassion or redress from their masters, a second plan to destroy their oppressors was matured, and, unfortunately, too successfully executed. It was agreed that two of the blacks, Timoa and Nehow, should desert from their masters, provide themselves with arms, and hide in the woods, but maintain a frequent communication with the other two, Tetahcite and Menalee ; and that on a certain day they should attack and put to death all the Englishmen, when at work in their plantations. Tetaheite, to strengthen the party of the blacks on this day, borrowed a gun and am- munition of his master, under the pretence of shooting hogs, which had become wild and very numerous ; but instead of using it in this way, he joined his accomplices, and with them fell upon Williams and shot him. Martin, who was at no great distance, heard the report of the musket, and exclaimed, " Well done! we shall have a gl <.iuus feast to-day!*' supposing that a hog had been shot. The party proceeded from Williams' toward Christian's plantation, where Menalee, the other black, was at work with Mills and M'Coy ; and, in order that the suspicions of the whites might not be excited by the report they had heard, requested Mills to allow him (Menalee) to assist them in bringing home the hog they pre- tended to have killed. Mills agreed ; and the four, being united, proceeded to Christian, who was working at his yam-plot, and shot him. Thus fell a man, who, from being the reputed ringleader of the mutiny, has obtained an unenviable celebrity, and whose crime, if anything can excuse mutiny, may, perhaps, be considered as in some degree palliated 1^ the tyranny which led to its commission. M'Coy, hearing his groans, observed to Mills, "there was surely some person dying;" but MiUs replied, "It is only Mainmast (Christian's wife) calling her children tO' dinner." The white men being yet too strong for the blacks to risk < conflict with them, it was necessary to concert a plan, in order to separate Mills and M'Coy. Two o4 them accordingly secreted themselves in M'Coy's house, and Tetaheite ran and told him that the two blacks wlio had deserted were stealing things out of his house. M'Coy instantly hastened to detect them, and «& enteriof was fired at; but the ball passed htsfi. M'Coy immedi«telj communicated the alarm to Mills, and advised him to seek shelter in the w«ods ; but Mills, being quite satisfied that one of the blacks whom he had made bis friend would not suffer him to be killed, determined to remain. M'Coy, less confident, ran in search of Christian, but finding him dead, joined Quintal (whe was already apprised: of the work of destruction, nad had seat hit wife to give 4h« nlasm to the 244 iniTINT OP THE BOITNTY. others,) and fled with him to the woo ' y * T :-;*" MUTINT OP THE BOUNTY. 940 scarcely boen left me a victim to ni« tiartin and Brown lina; Menalee ef- led. Tenina, it is with powder only, but, unfortunately a wife, who, in hur- ipg at such a timcT ed, he followed her, appearance exciting r remaining three or ^am-plot for a supply a the vigilance of the le ball entering at hiB He fell upon his side, butt-end of the gun ; gor. Tetaheite then fire twice. Adams, rung on his leg«, and .rtunately outstripped red him protection it ,und, readily accepted , where he was kindly -only four Englishmen ; the blacks, who were tribution to the whites. , and had, during tins II to Christian's liouse. lya been the great op- where they supporteU them. , . jillity for about a week. in to quarrel about th« id been killed ; which he side of Young's wife, not dying immediately, n by a second discharge, oling with Young's wife tve murdered him also, to remain longer in the Quintal and M^Coy, who, m with suspicion. 1 hib d defiance to the opposite they were provided with within sightof the village, that they sent Adams to and return to the village, ivere so far complied with sincerity of the remaining alive. . ^ lows of the white men BO Bd to revenge their death, and concerted a plan to murder thn only two remaining men of color. Another account, communicated by tlio iHlandors, is that it was only part of a plot formed at the same time that Menalee was murdered, wliich could not be put in execution before. However this may be, it was equally fatal to the poor blacks. The arrangement was, that Susan Hfiould murder one of them, Tetaheite, while he was sleeping by the side of his favorite ; and that Young should, at the same instant, upon a signal being given, shoot the other, Nehow. The unsuspecting Tetaheite retired, as usual, and fell by the blow of an ax; the other was looking at Young loading his gun, which ho supposed was for the purpose of shooting hogs, and rc<|uest(;d him to put in a good charge, when he received the deadly contents. In this manner the existence of the last of the men of color terminated, who, thougli treacherous and revengeful, had, it is feared, too much cause for coniplaint. The accomplishment of this fatal scheme was immediately communicuted to the two absentees, and their return solicited. But so many instances of treachery had occurred, that they would not believe tho report, though delivered by Adams himself, until the hands and heads of tho deceased were produced, which being done, they returned to the village. This eventful day was the third of October, 1793. There were now iefl upon tho island, Adams, Young, M'Coy, and Quintal, ten women, and some children. Two months after tills period. Young commenced a manuscript journal, vhich aflbrds a good insight into the state of the island, and the occupations of the settlers. From it we learn, that they lived peaceably together, building their houses, fencing in and cultivating their grounds, fishing, and catching birds, and constructing pits for the purpose of entrapping hogs, which had become very numerous and wild, as well as injurious to the yam-crops. The only discontent appears to have been among the women, who lived promiscuously with the men, frequently changing their abode. Young says, March twelfth, 1794, "Going over to borrow a rake, to rake the dust oft my ground, I saw Jenny having a skull in her hand: I asked her whose it was? and was told it was Jack Williams's. I desired it might be buried : the women who were with Jenny gave me for answer, it should not. I said it should ; and demanded it accordingly. I was asked the reason why I, in particular, should insist on such a thing, when the rest of the white men did not? I said, if they gave them leave to keep the skulls above ground, I did not. Accordingly when I saw M'Coy, Smith, and Mat. Quintal, I acquainted them with it, and said, I thought that if the girls did not agree to give up the heads of the five white men in a peaceable manner, they ought to be taken by force, and buried.^' About this time the women appear to have been much dissatisfied ; and Young's journal declares that, "since the massacre, it has been the desire of the greater part of them to get some conveyance, to enable them to leave the island." This feeling continued, and on the fourteenth of April, 1794, was so strongly urged, that the men began to build them a boat; but wanting planks and nails, Jenny, who now resides at Otaheite, in her zeal tore up the boards of her house, and endeavored, though without success, to persuade some others to follow her example. On the thirteen of August following, the vessel was finished, and on the fifteenth slie was launched : but, as Young says, "according to expectntion she upset," and it was most fortunate for them that she did so ; for had they launched out upon the ocean, where could they have gone? or what , could a few ignorant women have done by themselves, drifting upon the 346 MUTirr OK THE BOUNTT. wavea, hut ultimately have fallen a aacrifico to thoir folly? Howofer, the fato of the ? osiel waa a great diaappointmont, and they continued much diiiBnti!*tir>d with thoir condition; probably not without aomo roajton, aa thoy weru kept in great aubordination, and wore froquontly beaten by MH'ny und Quintal, who appear to have been of very «|uarr(!iRome dii- ponitiofifl ; Quintal in particular, who propoaod "not to laugh, joke, or give aiiytiiing to any of the girla.** On tho aixteenth <>' \ugu8t they dug a grave, and buried the bonea of the murdered people: and on October third, 1794, they celebrated the murder of tho black men at QuintaPa houae. On tho eleventh of November a conspiracy of tho women to kill the white men in their alecp waa discovered ; upon which thoy wcro all rioizcd, iiud a dim:luHuro ensued ; but no punisiimcnt appears to have been inflicted upon them, in consequence of their promising to conduct tliom- selvea properly, and never again to give any cauae " even to auspect their behavior." However, though thoy were pardoned. Young observes " We did not tbrgot their conduct; and it was agreed among ua, that tho first female who misbohaved should be put to death ; and this punishment waa to bo repeated on each oH'ense until we could discover the real intentions of the women." Young appears to have aufTored much from mental perturbation in consequence of these disturbances ; and observes of himself on the two following daya, that "he waa bothered and idle." Tho suspicions of the men induced them, on the fifteenth, to conceal two miiakets in tho bush, for the use of any peraon who might bo so fortunate as to escape, in the event of an attack being made. On tho thirtieth of November, the women again collected and attacked them ; but no lives were lost, and Ihoy returned on being once more pardoned, but were again threatened with death the next timo they misbehaved. Threats thus repeatedly mndo, and as often unexecuted, as might bo expected, soon lost thoir otTcct, and the women formed a party whenever their displeasure was excited, and hid themselves in the unfrequented parts of the island, carefully providing themselves with firearms. In this manner the men were kept in continual suspense, dreading tho result of each disturbance, as the numerical strength of the women was inuch greater than their own. On the fourth of May, 1796, two canoes were begun, and in two daya completed. These were used for fishing, in which employment the people were frequently successful, supplying themselves with rock-fiah and large mackerel. So little occurred in the year 1796, that one page records tho whole of the events; and throughout the following year there are but three incidents worthy of notice. The first, their endeavor to procure a quantity of meat lor salting ; the next, their attempt to make syrup from the tea- plant (dracxna terminalis) and sugarcane; and the third, a serious accident that happened to M'Coy, who fell from a cocoanul tree and hurt his right thigh, aprained both his ancles and wounded his side. The occupations of tho men continued similar to those already related, occasionally enliv- ened by visits to the opposite side of the island. They appear to have been more sociable ; dining frequently at each other's houses, and contributing more to the comfort of the women, who, on their part, gave •no ground for uneaainesa. There waa also a mutual accommodation among them in regard to proviaiona, of which a regular account was taken. If one person was successful in hunting, he lent the others as much meat as they required, to be repaid at leisure; and the same occurred with yams, taros, etc., so that they lived in a very domestic and ^ bllyt Howoter, r cnntinuorf much Hoiiin reason, at noiitly bentIackey, for tlat was his name,) " Do you know," said he, "one William Bligh, in England?" This question threw a new light on the subject, and he was immediately asked if he knew one Christian, and the reply was given with so much natural simplicity, that I shall here use his proper words. " Oh yes," said he, "very well; his aon is in the boat % •'%i -stov^jr*';'?^>^^±j^^^ *jL ^ ■ - ■' J «" ." '<; v" ' * '-H.'i -V-X ' _^ . ww. < ^ .mwtwswSMBrii -=»' m'r»"%aii nn.'r:f:tiM n i ^ ji, 'jWay.^«y'r.r»t~ga!gB«»)8»'P, BOjg ^,^„j„„ed, and gone adr ft^ that several of the canoes had '»«^°'*'r.Z^iu show most con Th 8 was the occasion of an a^f.«''«*\^J\heTnode resorted to in deeding Se g'od nature of their «ii«PO«;tion«, and the mo ^^ ^^^ ^^.^^ ^^^ ,,p a double claim. The <^''\««f .^^'"^aS each, when it became a question nrdered that one of them should "^e"*'" '"„_..' ^ was soon adjusted, tor to which that duty should devolve ; b')*"'*' ^equally anxious to see Mackey observed that he ««PP°^«f »l*'"J,^Sem w cast lols. as then there SeshTp, and the tost way woj^^^^ to, and those to would be no ill will on either ««»«• * "^ j^hout a murmur. \tir»i:itnXrgK age We conversed with him a long^^^^^^^^ being accessary Jtounty, and the ultimate fate «[ Chrjst.an. ^ut he expressed t^ or having the least knowledge of ^he con h only toward his men, «rVa horror at the conduct of Captam BLgh, not o y ^^ ^^^^^^^^ Sufoffir; iso. I asked him jj ^h^a^.Jvt'crus^d me great surpr ze and I must confess his rei>^y in the amrroa , ^^^ ^^^ evolved ; that Heboid me he was P«'ff '^ JJ^, he bad nJt only sacrificed every by following the fo^une of Chrirtian^n ^^ necessary forfeiture tor claim to his country, but that his uie / ,,,^^*«:,*«S^.*««=^''**^ VftJSSSWSB^-?' >., -_ -...'-■'^^^j^r^'^^^'^A^ MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. 251 nd were greatly 1 not possessed step drew their I to the breakfast The astonish- 1 them, was now jgree than when confess 1 blushed ribute of respect not perforn^nor ey began to eat ; ore permission to n they had eaten t prayer of thanks- Our" omission of asked me whether triumphant, for 1 Lh candor acknow- a sound reply, and tentiontothe cow, le had never seen gratification to him. - rooted, and which 1 Christian and his al at Pitcairn's ; to rhich took place at lian black, who was )le as usual. Chns- ,d said, "I don't like le persuasion, before they to get on board, led, and gone adriR. w most conspicuouBiy esorted to in deciding the ship, the captain nit became a question as soon adjusted, for equally anxious to see ;a8t lots, as then there eded to, and those to I murmur. ;hing to sixty years of B to the mutiny of the onied being accessary acy, but he expressed only toward his men, to return to England, tsed me great surprize, he was involved ; that t only sacrificed every lecessary forfeiture tor such an act, and he supposed would be exacted from him was he ever to return ; notwithstanding all these circumstances, nothing would lie able to occasion him so much gratification as that of seeing once more, prior to his death, that country which gave him birth, and from which he had been so long estranged. There was a sincerity in his speech, I can badly describe it — but it had a very powerful influence in persuading me these were his real sentiments. My interest was excited to so great a degree, that 1 off'ered him a con- veyance for himself, with any of his family who chose to accompany him. He appeared pleased at the proposal, and as no one was then present, he sent for his wife and children. The rest of this little community surrounded the door. He communicated his desire, and solicited their acquiescence. Appalled at a request not less sudden than in opposition to their wishes, they were all al a loss for a reply. His charming daughter although inundated with tears, first broke the silence. " Oh do not, sir," said she, "take from me my father! do not take away my best — my dearest friend." Her voice failed her — she was unable to proceed — leaned her head upon her hand, and gave full vent to her grief. His wife, too, (an Otaheitan) expressed a lively sorrow. The wishes of Adams soon became known among the others, who joined in pathetic solicitation for his stay on the island. Not an eye was dry — the big tear stood in those of the men — the women shed them in full abundance. I never witnessed a scene so fully aflfecting, or more replete with interest. To have taken him from a circle of such friends, would have ill become a feeling heart, to have forced him away in opposition to their joint and earnest entreaties, would have been an outrage on humanity. Those men who came on board, were finely formed, and of manly features. Their height about five feet ten inches. Their hair black and long, generally plaited into a tail. They wore a straw hat, similar to those worn by sailors, with a few feathers stuck into them by way of ornament. I spoke to young Christian, particularly of Adams, who assured me he was greatly respected, insomuch that no one acted in opposition to his wishes, and when they should lose him, their regret would be general. The intermarriages which had taken place among them, have been the occasion of a relationship throughout the colony. There seldom happens to be a quarrel, even of the most trivial nature, and then, (using their own term,) it is nothing more than a word ofmouth quarrel, which is always referred to Adams for adjustment. Twelve years later, these interesting Islanders were visited by Captain Beechy, in the ship Blossom, from whom we derive the following addi- tional information. The Blossom was so different, or to use the expression of our visitors, "so rich," compared with the other ships they had seen, that they were constantly afraid of giving or committing some injury, and would not even move without first asking permission. This diffidence gave us full occu- pation for some time, as our restless visitors, anxious to see everything, seldom directed their attention long to any particular object, or remained in one positijon or place. Having no latches to their doors, they were ignorant of the manner of opening ours; and we were constantly attacked on all sides with "Please may f sit down, or get up, or go out of the cabin ?" or, " Please to open or shut the door." Their applications were, however, made with such good nature and simplicity that it was impossible not to feel the greatest pleasure in paying attention to them. They very (^.•ft^rt's?"^'^^'*'''^**'*^**' Pll.«« fc. jjf ^ , tl,f> I W II. X IW M MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY. HK?.i-- --"•'*"-"'' '-—""'■" our guides past a r«|g<^d PO nt ur^^^ ^ ^ ^^.^ """"vh ?s bouKSTv . „r .ona skirt tl>c base of these hil s, ana iii distance are seen 'in.,,™.ounlable barrier to a" •"=»'•,,„ „..id by the friendly reception yS ei'urned. It ^^PP^ '^ ''i rn^n of war and without knowing exactly Kcertainod that the ship ^f J ™'^'^^; ^f Adams that he e.ther could not why, became so alarmed for J^'f. f yg^ogations which were put to him. o wo"l, the young men were upon performing his the journey was much )d of life. He never- '. will ; beside, without le first valley he threw y the side of the path ; ish ; and had he been rtainly have followed : vas well known to him odden it, that we met op of the ridge, which 1 Quintal appeared in defiance of the blacks. Adams felt so fatigued that he was now glad to lie down. The breeze here blew so hard and cold, that a shirt alone wu of little use, and had he not been inured to all the changes of atmosphere, the sudden transition upon his aged frame must have been fatal. During the period we remained upon the island we were entertained at the board of the natives, sometimes dining with one person, and some- times with another: their meals, as I have before stated, were not confined to hours, and always consisted of baked pig, yams, and tare, and more rarely of sweet potatoes. The productions of the island being very limited, and intercourse with the rest of the world much restricted, it may be readily supposed their meals cannot be greatly varied. However they do their best with what they have, and cook it in different ways, the pig excepted, which is always baked. There are several goats upon the island, but they dislike their flesh as well as their milk. Yams constitute their principal food; these are boiled, baked, or made into pillihey, (cakes,) by being mixed with cocoanuts ; or bruised and formed into a soup. Bananas are mashed, and made into pancakes, or, like the yam, united with the milk of the cocoanut, into pillihey, and eaten with molasses, extracted from the tee-root. The taro root, by being rubbed, makes a very good substitute for bread, as well as the bananas, plantain, and appai. Their common beverage is pure water, but they made for us a tea, ex- tracted from thfe tee-plant, flavored with ginger, and sweetened with the juice of the sugar-cane. When alone, this beverage and fowl soup are used only for such as are ill. They seldom kill a pig, but live mostly upon fruit and vegetables. The duty of saying grace was performed by John Buffet, a recent settler among them, and their clergyman ; but if he was not present, it fell upon the eldest of the company. They have all a great dislike to spirits, in consequence of M'Coy having killed himself by too free an indulgence in it ; but wine in moderation is never refused. With this simple diet, and being in the daily habit of rising early, and taking a great deal of exercise in the cultivation of their grounds,- it was not surprising that we found them so athletic and free from complaints. When illness does occur, their remedies are as simple as their manner of living, and are limited to salt water, hot ginger tea, or abstinence, according to the nature of the complaint. They have no medicines, nor do they appear to require any, as these remedies have hitherto been found sufficient. After their noontide meal, if their grounds do not require their attention, and the weather be fine, they go a little way out to sea in their canoes, and catch fish, of which they have several kinds, large and sometimes io abundance ; but it seldom happens that they have this time to spare ; for the cultivation of the ground, repairing their boats, houses, and making fishing-lines, with other employments, generally occupies the whole of each day. At sunset they assemble at prayers as before, first offering their orison and thanksgiving, and then chaunting hymns. Afler this follows their evening meid, and at an early hour, having again said their prayers, and chaunted the evening hymn, they retire to rest ; but before they sleep, each person again offers up a short prayer upon his bed. Such is the distribution of time among the grown people ; the younger part attend at school at regular hours, and are instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic. They have, very fortunately, found an able and willing master in John Buffet, who belonged to a ship which visited the island, and was so infatuated with their behavior, being himself naturally of a devout and serious turn of mind, that he resolved to remain among 17 :j3K3rT'v-^?ivSSSS?:nf:*' fstsmmmim 258 MUTIICT OF THE BOUNTY. them ; and in addition to the inatruction of the children, has taken u|>on himself the duty of clergyman, and is the oracle of the community. During the whole time 1 was with them I never heard them indulge in a joko, or other levity, and the practice of it is apt to give otfcnse : they are so accustomed to take what is said in its literal meaning, that irony was always considered a falsehood in spite of explanation. Thoy could not see the propriety of uttering what was not strictly true, for any purpose whatever. The Sabbath-day is devoted entirely to prayer, reading, and serious meditation. No boat is allowed to quit the shore, nor any work whatever to be done, cooking excepted, for which preparation is made the preceding evening. I attended their church on this day, and found the service well conducted ; the prayers were read by Adams, and the lessons by Buifet, the service being preceded by hymns. The greatest devotion was apparent In every individual, and in the children there was a seriousness unknown in the younger part of our communities at home. In the course of the Litany they prayed for their sovereign and royal family with much apparent loyalty and sincerity. Some family prayers, which were thought appro- priate to their particular case, were added to the usual service ; and Adams, fearful of leaving out any essential part, read, in addition, all those prayers which are intended only as substitutes for others. A ser- mon followed, which was very well delivered by Buifet ; and lest any part of it should be forgotten, or escape attention, it was read three times. The whole concluded with hymns, which were first sung by the grown people, and afterward by the children. The service thus performed was very long ; but the neat and cleanly appearance of the congregation, the devotion that animated every countenance, and the innocence and sim- plicity of the little children, prevented the attendance from becoming wearisome. In about half an hour afterward we again assembled to prayers, and at sunset service was repeated ; so that, with their morning and evening prayers, they may be said to have church live times on a Sunday. Marriages and christenings are duly performed by Adams. A ring which has united every person on the island is used for the occasion, and given according to the prescribed form. The age at which this is allowed to take place, with the men, is after they have reached their twentieth, and with the women, their eighteenth year. All which remains to be said of these excellent people is, that they appear to live together in perfect harmony and contentment; to be virtuous, religious, cheerful, and hospitable, beyond the limits of prudence ; to be patterns of conjugal and parental affection ; and to have very few vices. We remained with them many days, and their unreserved manners gave us the fullest opportunity of becoming acquainted with any faults they miglit have possessed. The Pitcairn islanders are tall, robust, and healthy. Their average height is five feet ten inches ; the tallest person is six feet and one quarter of an inch ; and the shortest of the adults is five feet nine inches and one eighth. Their limbs are well proportioned, round and straight; their feet turning a little inward. The boys prad, in addition, all for others. A ser- H • and lest any part IS read three times. ^ sung by the grown thus performed was ihe congregation, the f innocence and sim- ince from becoming >^ assembled to prayers, I their morning and retimes on a Sunday. by Adams. A ring for the occasion, and .which this is allowed chad their twentieth, people is, that they [tment; to be virtuous, ts of prudence ; to l»e have very few vices, eserved manners gave 1 with any faults they althy. Their average lix feet and one quarter et nine inches and one nd and straight; their to be equally as tall as B, at eight years of age, fiur feet three inches, give them a muscular orded among the feats that two of the strongest a, have each carried, ai one time, without inconvenience, a kedgo anchor, two siodgn hammers, and an armorcr^s Rnvil, amounting to upward of six hundred weight; and th.-it Quintal, at another time, carried a boat twenty-eight f(!ft in length. In tho water they are almost as much at home as on land, and can romain nnarly a day in tho sea. They frc(|uontly swam round tiioir lit'lf! inland, the circuit of wiiich is at least seven miles. When tho sea heat licavily on tlio island thoy have plunged into the breakers, and swam to sea Ix-yond thi'in. 'I'his they sometimes did pushing a barrel of water before tlicrn, when it could he got off in no other way, and in this manner we procured several tons of water without a single cask being stove. Their features are regular and well-looking, without being hand.some. Their eyes are bright and generally hazel, though in one or two instances they arc blue, and some have white speckles on the iris ; the eyebrows being thin, and rarely meeting. The nose, somewhat flat, and rather extended at the nostrils, partakes of the Otaheitan form, as do the lips, which are broad, and strongly sulcated. Their ears are moderately large, and tiio lobes are invariably united to the cheek ; they are generally perforated when young, for the reception of flowers, a very common custom among the natives of the South Sea Islands. The hair, in the first generation, is, with one exception only, deep black, sometimos curly, but generally straight; they allow it to go long, keep it very clean, and always well supplied with cocoanut oil. Whiskers are not common, and the beards are thin. The teeth are regular and white ; but are oi\en, in the males, disfigured by a deficiency in enamel, and by being deeply furrowed across. They have generally large heads, elevated in the line of the occiput. Their complexion, in the first generation, is, in general, a dark gipsy hue: there are, however, exceptions to this; some are fairer, and others much darker. The women are nearly as muscular as the men, and taller than the generality of their sex. Polly Young, who is not tho tallest u|)on the island, measured five feet nine inches and a half. Accustomed to per- form all domestic duties, to provide wood for cooking, which is there a work of some labor, as it must be brought from the hills, and sometimes to till the ground, their strength is in proportion to their muscularity ; and they are no less at home in the water than the men. The treatment of their children differs from that of our own country, as the infant is bathed three times a day in cold water, and is sometimes not weaned for three or four years ; but as soon as that takes place it is fed upon "popoe," made with ripe plantains and boiled taro rubbed into paste. Upon this simple nourishment children are reared to a more healthy state than in other countries, and are free from fevers and other complaints peculiar to the greater portion of the world. Nothing is more extraordinary in the history of the island than the uniform good health of the children ; the teething is easily got over, they have no bowel com- plaints, and are exempt from those contagious diseases which affect children in large communities. The women have all learned the art of midwifery : parturition generally takes place during the night time ; the duration of labor is seldom longer than five hours, and has not yet in any case proved fatal. There is no instance of twins, nor of a single miscarriage, except from accident. The number of persons on Pitcairn Island in December, 1 826, amounted to sixty-six. The total number of children left by the white settlers was fourteen, of whom two died a natural death ; one was seized with fits, to which he was subject, while in the water, and was drowned ; and one .*•:•»• -•.■*T--' I li [ . 360 MUTINY OP THE BOUNTY. was killod by accident, leaving ten, at above. Of the srandchildren, or locond generation, there was also another male who died an accidental dnnth. There have, therefore, been sixty-two births in the period of thirty-five years, from the 2Sd January, 1700, to the SSd December, 1826, and only two natural deaths. Uofuro wo close this interesting account, a brief notice should be taken of the fate of that portion of the mutineers, who separated themsolves from the ringleader. Christian, at Otaheite. The intelligence of the mutiny, and the suffering of Bligh and his companions, naturally excited a great sensation in England. Bligh was immediately promoted to the rank of commander, and Captain Elawards was dispatched to Otaheite, in the Pandora frigate, with instructions to search for the Bounty and her mutinous crew, and bring them to England. The Pandora reached Matavai Bay on the twenty-third of March, 1791 ; and even before she had come to anchor, Joseph Coleman, formerly armorer of the Bounty, pushed off from shore in a canoe, and came on board. In the course of two days afterward, the whole of the remainder of the Bounty^s crew, (in number sixteen,) then on the island, surrendered themselves, with the exception of two, who fled to the mountains, where, an it afterward appeared, they were murdered by the natives. The Pandora, with the mutineers on board, was subsequently wrecked on the west of Now Holland — thirty-four of her crew and four of the prisoners perishing in her. The survivors eventually reached England. A court-martial was soon after held, when six of the ten mutineers were found guilty, and condemned to death — the other four were acquitted. Only three of the six, however, were executed. In consequence of a representation made by Captain Beechy, th« British government sent out Captain Waldegrave in 1830, in the Seringa- patam, with a supply of sailors' bluejackets and trousers, flannels, stockings and shoes, women's dresses, spades, mattocks, shovels, pickaxes, trowels, rakes, etc. He found their community increased to alraut seventy-nine, all exhibiting the same unsophisticated and amiable characteristics as wc have before described. Other two Englishmen had settled among them ; one of them, called Nobbs, a low-bred, illiterate man, a self-constituted missionary, who was endeavoring to supersede Buffet in his office of religious instructor. The patriarch Adams, it was found, had died in March, 182!^, agod sixty-five. While on his deathbed, he had called th« heads of families together, and urged upon them to elect a chief; which, however, they had not yet done ; but the greatest harmony still prevailed among them, notwithstanding Nobbs' exertions to form a party of his own. Captam Waldegrave thought that the island, which is about four miles square, might be able to support a thousand persons, upon reaching which number they would naturally emigrate to other islands. Such is the account of this most singular colony, originating in crim* and bloodshed. Of all the repentant criminals on record, the most inter- esting, perhaps, is John Adams ; nor do we know where to find a mora beautiful example of the value of early instruction than in the history of this man, who, having run the full career of nearly all kinds of vice, was checked by an interval of leisurely reflection, and the aenae of new dutie* awakened by the power of natural affections. 'SPV:V^y- _^?vjr-n?T#}Vi;;T# ~£.,^-,ixr-: grandchildren, oi died an accidental 8 in the period of le.iiW«. -. --•■. ,r,^i -y,. 262 HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. followed in all men-of-war. But in all men-of-war, beside this division, there arc others, rendered indispensable from the great number of men, and the necessity of precision and discipline. Not only are particular bands assigned to the three tops, but in getting under weigh, or atiy other proceeding requiring all hands, particular men of these bands are assigned to each yard of the tops. Thus, when the order is given to loose the main-royal, a particular individual flies to obey it ; and no one but him. Also, in tacking ship, reefing topsails, or "coming to," every man of a frigate's five-hundred-strong, knows his own special place, and is infallibly found there. He sees nothing else, attends to nothing else, and will stay there till grim death or an epaulet orders him away. Were it not for these regulations a man-of-war's crew would be nothing but a mob. Now the fore, main, and mizzen-top-men of each watch — starboard and larboard — are at sea respectively subdivided into quarter-watches ; which regularly relieve each other in the tops to which they may belong; while, collectively, they relieve the whole larboard watch of topmen. Beside these topmen, who are always made up of active sailors, there are sheet-anchor-men — old veterans all — whose place is on the forecastle ; the foreyard, anchors, and all the sails on the bowsprit being under their care. They are an old weather-beaten set, culled from the most experi- enced seamen on board. These are the fellows, who spin interminable yarns about Decatur, Hull, and Bainbridge ; and carry about their persona bits of ''Old Ironsides," as Catholics do the wood of the true cross. These are the fellows, that some officers never pretend to damn, however much they may anathematize others. These are the fellows, whose society most of the your ^'ster midshipmen much affect ; from whom they learn their best seamanship ; and to whom they look up as veterans ; if so be. that they have any reverence in their souls, which is not the case with all midshipmen. Then, tbt- re is the after-guard, stationed on the quarter-deck ; who, under the quarter-masters and quarter-gunners, attend to the mainsail and spanker, and help haul the main-brace, and other ropes in the stern of the vessel. The duties assigned to the after-guard's-men being com- paratively light and easy, and but little seamanship being expected from them, they are composed chiefly of landsmen ; the least robust, least hardy, and least sailor-like of the crew ; and being stationed on the quarter- deck, they are generally selected with some eye to their personal appear- ance. Hence, they are mostly slender young fellows, of a genteel figure and gentlemanly address ; not weighing much on a rope, but weighmg considerably in the estimation of all foreign ladies who may chance to visit the ship. Then, there are the Waistera, always stationed on the gun-deck. These haul afl the fore and main-sheets, beside being subject to ignoble duties ; attending to the drainage and sewerage below hatches. These fellows are all sorry chaps, who never put foot in ratlin, or venture above the bulwarks. Inveterate "«on* of farmers,^'' with the hayseed yet in their hair, they are consigned to the congenial superintendence of the chicken-coops, pig-pens, and potato-lockers. Theso are generally placed amidships,on the gun-deck of a frigate, between the fore and main-hatches; and comprise so extensive an area, that it much resembles the market- place of a small town. They are the tag-rag and bob-tail of the crew ; and he who is good for nothing else is good enough for a Waiater. Three decks down — spar-deck, gun-deck, and berth-deck — and we come to a parcel of "AoWcrs," who burrow, like rabbits in warrens, among the water-tanks, casks, and cables. They are a lazy, lumpish, torpid set ; r HOW THEl LI\ E IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. )F WAR. side this division, It number of men, only are particular weigh, or av.y other bands are assigned given to loose the id no one but him. 3 " every man of a ice, and is infallibly o else, and will stay ^y. Were it not for ing but a mob. atch— starboard and o quarter-watches ; ch they may belong ; a watch of topmen. live sailors, there are is on the forecastle ; )rit being under their rom the most expen- rho spin interminable ■ry about their persons tie true cross. These i damn, however much i ellows, whose society , rom whom they learn / as veterans ; if so be. h is not the case with le quarter-deck; who, attend to the mainsail ther ropes in the stern lard's-men being com- p being expected from the least robust, least tationed on the quarter- ) their personal appear- ows, of a genteel figure n a rope, but weighing ies who may chance to ilways stationed on the ts, beside being subject ewerage below hatches, foot in ratlin, or venture ,," with the hayseed yet superintendence of the eso are generally placed le fore and main-hatches; , resembles the market- id bob-tail of the crew ; ugh for a Waister. ind berth-deck— and we rabbits in warrens, among lazy,lumpi8h, torpid set;. 263 and when going ashore after a long cruise, come out into the day, like terrapins from their caves, or bears in the spring, from tree-trunks. No one ever knows the names of these fellows ; after a three years' voyage, they still remain strangers to you. Such are the principal divisions into which a man-of-war's crew is divided ; but the inferior allotments of duties are endless. We say nothing here of boatswain's mates, gunner's mates, carpenter's mates, sail-maker's mates, armorer's niates, master-at-arms, ship's corporals, w cockswains, quarter-masters, quarter-gunners, captains of the forecastle, f I ' captains of the foretop, captains of the maintop, captains of the mizzcn-top, captains of the after-guard, captains of the main-hold, captains of the fore- hold, captains of the head, coopers, painters, tinkers, commodore's steward, captain's steward, ward-room steward, steerage steward, com- modore's cook, captain's cook, officers' cook, cooks of the range, mess- cooks, hammock-boys, messenger boys, cot-boys, loblolly-boys, and num- berless others, whose functions are fixed and peculiar. It is from this endless subdivision of duties in a man-of-war, that, upon first entering one, a sailor has need of a good memory, and the more of an arithmetician he is, the better. He is wholly nonplused, and confounded. And when, to crown all, the first lieutenant, whose business it is to welcome all new comers, and assign them their quarters ; when this officer — none of the most bland or amiable either — gives him number after number to recollect — 246 — 139 — 478 — 351 — the poor fellow feels like decamping. Some account has been given of the various divisions into which our crew was divided ; so it may be well to say something of the officers ; \ who they are, and what are their functions. Our ship was the flag-ship ; that is, we sported a broad pennant or bougie at the main, in token that y we carried a commodore — the highest rank of officers recognized in the American navy. The bougee is not to be confounded with the long pennant or coach-whip, a tapering, serpentine streamer, worn by all men- of-war. Owing to certain vague, republican scruples, about creating great officers of the navy, America has thus far had no admirals ; though, as her ships of war increase, they may become indispensable. An Ameri- can commodore, like an English commodore, or the French Chef d' Escadre, is but a senior captain, temporarily commanding a small number of ships, detached for any special purpose. He has no permanent rank, recognized by Government, above his captaincy ; though once employed as a commodore, usage and courtesy unite in continuing the title. Our commodore was a gallant old man, who had seen service in his time. When a lieutenant, he served in the late war with England ; and in the gun-boat actions on the lakes near New Orleans, just previous to the grand land engagements, received a musket-ball in his shoulder ; which- with the two balls in his eyes, he carries about with him to this day. On account of this wound in his 8houlder,our commodore had a body-servant's pay allowed him, in addition to his regular salary. I cannot say a great deal, personally, of the commodore ; he never sought my company at all ; never extended any gentlemanly courtesies. One phenomenon about him was the strange manner in which every one shunned him. At the first sign of those epaulets of his on the weather side of the poop, the officers there congregated invariably shrunk ov«r to leeward, and left him alone. Turn we now to the second officer in rank, almost supreme, however, in the internal affairs of his ship. Captain C was a large, portly man, a Harry the Eighth afloat, bluff and hearty ; and as kingly in his '-'.«if*' 264 HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. cabin as Harry on his throne. The captain's word is law ; he never 8pcai(s hut in the imperative mood. When he stands on his quarter-deck at sea, he absolutely commands as far as eye can reach. Only the moon and stars arc beyond his jurisdiction. He is lord and master of the sun. It is not twelve oVlock till he says so. For when the sailing-mastei , whose duty it is to take the regular observation at noon, touches his hat, and reports twelve o'clock to the officer of the deck; that functionary orders a midshipman to repair to the captain's cabin, and humbly inform him of the respectful suggestion of the sailing-master. " Twelve o'clock reported, sir," says the middy. " Make it so," replies the captain. And the bell is struck eight by the messenger-boy, and twelve o'clock it is. As in the case of the commodore, when the captain visits the deck, his subordinate officers generally beat a retreat to the other side ; and, as a general rule, would no more think of addressing him, except concerning the ship, than a lackey would think of hailing the Czar o/ Russia on his throne and inviting him to tea. Perhaps no mortal man has more reason to feel such an Intense sense of bis own personal consequence, as the captain of a man-of-war al sea. Next in rank comes the first or senior lieutenant, the chief executive officer. Beside the firs^ lieutenant, the ward-room officers include the junior lieutenants, in a frigate six or seven in number, the sailing-master, purser, chaplain, surgeon, marine officers, and midshipmen's schoolmaster, or "the professor." They generally form a very agreeable club of good fellows ; from their diversity of character, admirably calculated to form an agreeable social whole. Of course these gentlemen all associate on a footing of perfect social equality. Next in order come the warrant or forward officers, consisting of the boatswain, gunner, carpenter, and sail- maker. Though these vorthies sport long coats and wear the anchor- button ; yet, in the estimation of the ward-room officers, they are not, technically speoking, rated gentlemen. The first lieutenant, chaplain, or surgeon, for > 'Rtnple, would never dream of inviting them to dinner. In sea parlance, 'they come a at the hawse holes ;" they have hard hands ; and the carpenter and sail-maker practically understand the duties which they are called upon to superintend. They mess by themselves. In this part of the category now come the "reefers," otherwise "middies" or midshipmen. These boys are sent to sea, for the purpose of making commodores ; and in order to become commodores, many of them deem it indispensable forthwith to commence chewing tobacco, drinking brandy and water, and swearing at the sailors. As they are only placed on board a sea going ship to go to school and learn the duty of a lieutenant ; and, until qualified to act as such, have few or no special functions to attend to ; they are little more, while midshipmen, than supernumeraries on board. Hence, in a crowded frigate, they are so everlastingly crossing the path of both men and officers, that in the navy it has become a proverb, that a useless fellow is "a« much in the way €is a reefer?^ In a gale of wind, when all hands are called and the deck swarms with men, the little "middies" running about distracted and having nothing particular to do, make it up in vociferous swearing ; exploding all about under foot like torpedos. Some of them are terrible little boys, cocking their caps at alarming angles, and looking fierce as young roosters. They are generally great consumers of Macassar oil and the Balm of Columbia; they thirst and rage after whiskers ; and sometimes, applying their oint T^^ ' WAR. I law ; he never his quarter-deck Only the moon aster of the sun. ng-mastei, whose ihes his hat, and unctionary orders jly inform him of ind twelve o'clock in visits the deck. ,ther side ; and, as except concerning ,r of Russia on his ia has more reason jDsequence, as the he chief executive ►fficers include the , the sailing-master, men's schoolmaster, eeable club of good calculated to form , men all associate on - :ome the warrant or ^ carpenter, and sail- id wear the anchor- Beers, they are not, utenant, chaplain, or ing them to dmner. ley have hard hands ; md the duties which themselves. otherwise "middies e puruose of making many of them deem icco, drinking brandy only placed on board of a lieutenant ; and, al functions to attend supernumeraries on everlastingly crossing las become a proverb, •ee/er." the deck swarms wit'.i d and having nothing r ; exploding all about ,le little boys, cocking young roosters. J hey he Balm of Columbia; 58, applying their oint T I V HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OP WAR. 265 ments, lay themselves out in the sun, to promote the fertility of their chins. The middies live by themselves in the steerage, where, nowadays, they dine off a table, spread with a cloth. They have a castor ut dinner ; tiiey have some other little boys (selected from the ship's company) to wait upon them ; they sometimes drink coffee out of china. But for all these, their modern refinements, in some instances the affairs of their club go sadly to rack and ruin. The china is broken ; the japanned coffee- pot dented like a pewter mug in an ale-house ; the pronged forks resemble tooth-picks ; (for which they are sometimes used ;) the table-knives arc hacked into hand-saws ; and the cloth goes to the sail-maker to be patclied. Having now descended from commodore to middy, we come lastly to a set of nondescripts, forming also a "mess" by themselves, apart from the seamen. Into this mess, the usage of a man-of-war thrusts various subordinates — including the master-at-arms, purser's steward, ship's corporals, marine sergeants, and ship's yeomen, forming the first aristo- cracy above the sailors. The master-at-arms is a sort of high-constable and schoolmaster, wearing citizen's clothes, and known by his official rattan. He it is whom all sailors hate. His is the universal duty of a universal informer and hunter-up of delinquents. On the berth-deck he reigns supreme ; spying out all grease-spots made by the vurious cooks of the seamen's messes, and driving the laggards up the hatches, when all hands are called. But as it is a heartless, so is it a thankless office. Of dark nights, most masters-of-arms keep themselves in readiness to dodge forty-two pound balls, dropped down the hatchways near them. The ship's corporals are this worthy's deputies and ushers. The marine sergeants are generally tall fellows with unyielding spines and stiff upper lips, and very exclusive in their tastes and predilections. The ship's yeoman is a gentleman who has a sort of counting-room in a tar-cellar down in the fore-hold. Except the officers above enumerated, there are none who mess apart from the seamen. The "petty officers,''^ so called ; that is, the boatswain's, gunner's, carpenter's, and sail-maker's mates, the captains of the tops, of the forecastle, and of the afler-guard, and of the fore and main holds, and the quarter-masters, all mess in common with the crew, and in the American navy are only distinguished from the common seamen by their slightly additional pay. Thus it will be seen, that the dinner-table is the criterion of rank in our man-of-war world. The commodoro dines alone, because he is the only man of his rank in the ship. So, too, with the captain ; and the ward-room offic(trs, warrant officers, midshipmen, the master-at-arms' mess, and the comnon seamen — allof them, respectively, dine together, because they are, respectively, on a footing of equality. To a common sailor, the living on board a man-of-war is like living in a market ; where you dress on the door-steps and sleep in the cellar. No privacy can you have ; hardly one moment's seclusion. It is almost a physical impossibility, that you ran over be alone. You dine at a vast tiUile d'hote ; sleep in commons, and make your toilet where and when you can. Your clothes are stowed in a large canvas bag, generally painted black, which you can get out of the "rack" only once in the twenty-four hours; and then, during a time of the utmost contusion ; among five hundred other bags, with five hundred other sailors diving into each, in the midst of the twilight of the berth-deck. In some measure to obviate this incon- venience, many sailors divide their wardrobes between their hammocks and their bags ; stowing a few frocks and trowsers in the former ; so that they can shift at night, if they wish, when the hammocks are piped down. But ■, I ^1 266 HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. they gain very little by this. You have no place whatever but your bag, or liaiiimock, in which to put anything in a man-of-war. If you lay any- thing down, and turn your back for a moment, ten to one it is gone. From the wild life they lead, and various other causes, sailors, as i class, entertain the most liberal notions concerning morality and the Decalogue; or rather, they take their own views of such matters, caring little for the theological or ethical definitions of others concerning what may be crimi- nal, or wrong. Their ideas are much swayed by circumstances. Tliey will covertly abstract a thing from one whom they dislike ; and insist upon it, that, in such a case, stealing is no robbing. Or, where the theft involves something funny, they only steal for the sake of the joke ; but this much is to be observed nevertlieless, i. e., that they never spoil the joke by returning the stolen article. Perhaps it is a thing unavoidable, but the truth is that, among the crew of a man-of-war, scores of despera- does are too often found, who stop not at the largest enormities. A spe- cies of highway robbery is not unknown to them. A gang will be informed that such a fellow has three or four gold pieces in the monkey-bag, so called, or purse, which many tars wear round their necks, tucked out of sight. Upon this, they deliberately lay their plans ; and, in due time, proceed to carry them into execution. The man they have marked is perhaps strolling along the benighted berth-deck to his mess-chest ; when, of a sudden, the foot-pads dash out from their hiding-place, throw him down, and while two or three gag him, and hold him fast, another cuts the bag from his neck, and makes away with it, followed by his comrades. This was more than once done in our frigate. At other times, hearing that a sailor has something valuable secreted in his hammock, they will rip it open from underneath, while he sleeps, and reduce the conjecture to a certainty. To enumerate all the minor pilferings on board a man-of- war would be endless. It is in vain that the officers, by threats of condign punishment, endeavor to instill more virtuous principles into their crew ; so thick is the mob, that not one thief in a thousand is detected. In the American navy, the law allows one gill of spirits per day to every seaman. In two portions, it is served out just previous to breakfast and dinner. At the roll of the drum, the sailors assemble round a large tub, or cask, filled with the liquid ; and, as their names are called otf by a midshipman, they step up and regale themselves from a little tin measure called a "tot." To many of them, indeed, the thought of their daily tota forms a perpetual perspective of ravishing landscapes, indefinitely rece- ding in the distance. It is their great "prospect in life." Take away their grog, and life possesses no further charms for them. It is hardly to be doubted, that the controlling inducement which keeps many men in the navy, is the unbounded confidence they have in the ability of the United States government to supply thenn, regularly and unfailingly, with their daily allowance of this beverage. I have known several forlorn individuals, shipping as landsmen, who have confessed to me, that having contracted a love for ardent spirits, which they could not renounce, and having by their foolish courses been brought into the most abject poverty, — insomuch that they could no longer gratify their thirst ashore — they incontinently entered the navy ; regarding it as the asylum for all drunk- ards, who might there prolong their lives by regular hours and exercise, and twice every day quench their thirst by moderate and undeviating doses. The common seamen in i large frigate are divided into some thirty or forty messes, put down on the purser's books as meaa No. 1, mesa No. 9, T WAR. er but your bag, If you luy any- one it is gone. lailors, as -. class, 1 the Decalogue; ring 'ittle for the lat may be crimi- nstances. They slike ; and insist r, where the thett of the joke ; but y never spoil the hing unavoidable, scovesof despera- lormities. A spe- iff will be informed je monkey-bag, so necks, tucked out ; and, in due time, ey have marked is mess-chest ; when, g.place, throw him n fast, another cuts ed by his comrades, rther times, hearing hammock, they will duce the conjecture gon boardaman-ot- wthreatsofcondign lies into their crew ; 8 detected, irits per day to every ous to breakfast and le round a large tub, , are called off by a malittle tin measure ght of their daily «o«« Tes, indefinitely rece- n life." Take away them. It is hardly to keeps many men in in the ability of the , and unfailingly, with mown several forlorn sed to me, that havmg aid not renounce, and le most abject poverty, ir thirst ashore— they B asylum for all drunk- ar hours and exercise, erate and undeviating ded into some thirty or ies8No.\,messNo.i, HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. 267 mesa No. 3, etc. The members of each mess club their rations of provi- sions, and breakfast, dine, and sup together in allotted intervals between the guns on the main-deck. In undeviating rotation, the meinbor.s of each mess (excepting the petty-officers) take their turn in performing tlie functions of cook and steward. And for the time being, all tiic affairs of the club are subject to their inspection and control. It is the cook's business, also, to have an eye to the general interests of his mess ; to see that, when the aggregated allowance of beef, bread, etc., are served out by one of the master's mates, the mess over which he presides receives its full share, without stint or subtraction. Upon the berth-deck he has a chest, in which to keep his pots, pans, spoons, and small stores of sugar, molasses, tea, and flour. But though entitled a cook, strictly speaking, the head of the mess is no cook at all ; for the cooking for the crew is all done by a functionary, officially called the " ship's cook,'''' assisted by several deputies. From this it will be seen, that, so far as cooking is concerned, a ^'•cook of the mesa'''' has very little to do ; merely carrying his provisions to and from the grand democratic cookery. Still, in some things, his office involves many annoyances. Twice a week butter and cheese are served out — so much to each man — and the mess-cook has the sole charrj'', of these delicacies. The great difficulty consists in so catering for the mess, touching these luxuries, as to satisfy all. Some guzzlers are for devouring the butter at a meal, and finishing off with the cheese the same day ; others contend for saving it up against Banyan Day, when there is nothing but beef and bread ; and others, again, are for taking a very small bit of butter and cheese, by way of dessert, to each and every meal through the week. All this gives rise to endless disputes, debates, and altercations. Sometimes, with his mess-cloth — a square of painted canvas — set out on deck between the guns, garnished with pots, and pans, and kids, you see the mess-cook seated on a match-tub at its head, his trowsers legs rolled up and arms bared, presiding over the convivial party. "Now, men, you can't have any butter to-day. I'm saving it up for to-morrow. You don't know the value of butter, men. You, Jim, take your hoof off the cloth ! Devil take me, if some of you chaps haven't no more manners than so many swines! Quick, men, quick ; bear a hand, and '«co^' (^^t) away. — I 've got my to-morrow's duff to make yet, and some of you fellows keep scoffing as if I had nothing to do but sit still here on this here tub here, and look on. There, there, men, you've all had enough ; so sail away out of this, and let me clear up the wreck." In this strain would one of the periodical cooks of mess No. 15, talk to us. He was a tall, resolute fellow, who had once been a brakeman on a railroad, and he kept us all pretty straight ; from his fiat there was no appeal. To a quiet, contemplative character, averse to uproar, undue exercise of his bodily members, and all kind of useless confusion, nothing can be more distressing than a proceeding in all men-of-war (;alled ^^general jtiartcra." As the specific object for which a man-of-war is built and put into commission is to fight and fire ofi' cannon, it is, of course, deemed indispensable that the crew should be duly instructed in the art and mys- tery involved. The summons is given by the ship's drummer, who strikes a peculiar beat — short, broken, rolling, shuffling — like the sound made by the march into battle of iron-heeled grenadiers. It is a regular tune, with a fine song composed to it ; the words of the chorus, being most artistically arranged, may give some idea of the air : 909 HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. "Hearts of oak are our Bhips, jolly tars are our men ; We are always ready, steady, boys, steady. To fight and to conquer, again and again." My station at the batteries was at one of the thirty-two pound carroi>ades, on the starboard side ot' the quarter-deck. This carronade was known as "Gun No. S,'' on the first lieutenant's quarter-bill. Among our gun^s crew, however, it was known as Black Bet. This name was bestowed by the captain of the gun — a fine negro — in honor of his sweetheart, a colored lady of Philadelphia. Of Black Bet I was rammer and sponger; and ram and sponge I did, like a good fellow. But it was terrible work to help run in and out of the port-hole that amazing mass of metal, especially as the thing must be done in a trice. Then, at the summons of a horrid, rasping rattle, swayed by the captain in person, we were made to rush from our guns, seize pikes and pistols, and repel an imagin- ary army of boarders, who, by a fiction of the officers, were supposed to be assailing all sides of the ship at once. After cutting and slashing at them awhile, we jumped back to our guns, and again went to jerking our elbows. Meantime, a loud cry is heard of "Fire! fire! fire!" in the fore-top ; and a regular engine, worked by a set of Bowery-boy tars, is forthwith set to playing streams of water aloft. Such a sea-martinet was our captain, that sometimes we were roused from our hammocks at night; when a scene would ensue that it is not in the power of pen and ink to describe. Five hundred men spring to their feet, dress themselves, take up their bedding, and run to the nettings and stow it ; then hie to their stations — each man jostling his neighbor — some alow, some aloft ; some this way, some that ; and in less than five minutes the frigate is ready for action, and still as the grave ; almost every man precisely where he would be were an enemy actually about to be engaged. The gunner is burrowing down in the magazine under the ward-room, which is lighted by battle-lnnterns, placed behind glazed glass bulPs-eyes inserted in the bulkhead. The powder-monkeys, or boys, who fetch and carry cartridges, are scampering to and fro among the guns ; and the first and second loaders stand ready to receive their supplies. These powder-monkeys, as they are called, enact a curious part in time of action. The entrance to the magazine on the berth-deck, where they procure their food for the guns, is guarded by a woolen screen ; and a gunner's mate, standing behind it, thrusts out the cartridges through a small arm-hole in this screen. The enemy's shot (perhaps red hot) are flying in all directions; and to protect their cartridges, the powder-monkeys hurriedly wrap tnem up in their jackets ; and with all haste scramble up the ladders to their respective guns, like eating-house waiters hurrying along with hot cakes for breakfast. At general quarters the shot-boxes are uncovered ; showing the grape-shot — aptly so called, for they precisely resemble bunches of the fruit ; though, to receive a bunch of iron grapes in the abdomen would be but a sorry dessert ; and also showing the canister-shot — old iron of various sorts, packed in a tin case, like a tea-caddy. But if verily going into action, then would the frigate have made still further preparations ; for however alike in some things, there is always a vast difference — if you sound them — between a reality and a sham. Not to speak of the pale sternness of the men at their gxum at such a juncture, and the choked thoughts at their hearts, the ship itself would here and there present a far different appearance. Something like that of an extensive nmuHiun preparing for a grand entertainment, when folding doors are withdrawn, chambers converted into drawing-rooms, and every ^s;:3'^s;^5^" FAR. ind carroi.ade8, Lde wa8 known nong our gun's ) was bestowed g sweetheart, a er and sponger ; 19 terrible work mass of metal, at the summons person, we were repel an imagm- rere supposed to a and slashing at jnt to jerking our ire! fire'." in the ,wery-boy tars, »» , sea-martinet was immocks at night; of pen and ink to s themselves, take . then hie to their 'some aloft; some he frigate is ready irecisely where he d. The gunner is m, which is jigh;«^ .yes inserted in the nd carry cartridges, e iirst and second e powder-monkeys, ioiT. The entrance re their food for the er's mate, standing lU arm-hole .n this ng in all directions; lurriedly wrap tnem the ladders to their ,nB with hot cakes for incovered ; showing , resemble bunches pes in the abdomen \e canister-shot— old -caddy. .,, ieate have made still fings, there is always tt reality and a sham, ftheir guns at such a liie ship itself^«»^^, ' Something like that .inment,when folding" 'ing-rooms, and every HOW THET LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. 269 inch of available space thrown into one continuous whole. For previous to an action, every bulkhead in a man-of-war is knocked down ; great guns are run out of the commodore's parlor windows ; nothing separates the ward-room officers' quarters from those of the men, but an ensign used for a curtain. The sailors' mess-chests are tumbled down into the hold; and the hospital cots — of which all men-of-war carry a large supply — are dragged forth from the sail-room, and piled near at hand to receive the wounded ; amputation-tables are ranged in the cock-pit or in the tiers, whereon to carve the bodies of the maimed. The yards are slung in chains ; fire-screens distributed here and there ; hillocks of cannon-balls piled between the guns ; shot-plugs suspended within easy reach from the beams ; and solid masses of wads, big as Dutch cheeses, braced to the cheeks of the gun-carriages. No small difference, also, would be visible in the wardrobe of both officers and men. The officers generally fight as dandies dance, namely, in silk stockings ; inasmuch as, in case of being wounded in the leg, the silk-hose can be more easily drawn off* by the surgeon ; cotton sticks, and and works into the wound. But beside these differences between a sham- fight at general quarters and a real cannonading, the aspect of the ship, at the beating of the retreat, would, in the latter case, be very dissimilar to the neatness and uniformity in the former. Then our stout masts and yards might be lying about decks, like tree boughs after a tornado in a piece of woodland; our dangling ropes, cut and sundered in all directions, would be bleeding tar at every yarn ; and strewn with jagged splinters from our wounded planks, the gun-deck might resemble a carpenter's shop. Then, when all was over, and all hands would be piped to take down the hammocks from the exposed nettings, (where they play the part of the cotton bales at New Orleans,) we might find bits of broken shot, iron bolts, and bullets in our blankets. And, while smeared with blood like butchers, the surgeon and his mates would be amputating arms and legs on the berth-deck, an underling of the carpenter's gang would be new-legging and arming the broken chairs and tables in the commodore's cabin ; while the rest of his squad would be splicing and fishing the shattered masts and yards. The scupp^-holes having discharged the last rivulet of blood, the decks would be washed down ; and the galley-cooks would be going fore and aft, sprinkling them with hot vinegar, to take out the shambles' smell from the planks ; which, unless some such means are employed, often create a highly ofiiensive effluvia for weeks after a fight. Then, upon mustering the men, and calling the quarter-bills by the light of a battle-lantern, many a wounded seaman, with his arm in a sling, would answer for some poor shipmate who could never more make answer for himself: "Tom Brown?" " Killed, sir." "Jack Jewel?" " Killed, sir." "JoeHaidy?" " Killed, sir." h nd opposite all these poor fellows' names, down would go on the quaiter-bills the bloody marks of red ink — fitly used on these occasions. Tie appearance of the boatswain, with his silver whistle to his mouth, at thti main hatchway of the gun-deck, is always regarded by the cicw with the utmost curiosity, for this betokens that some general order is about v'o be promulgated through the ship. What now? is the question I' •1' ( 270 HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OP WAR. M that riin.s on from rnan to man. A short preliminary whistle la then given by "Old Yarn/' as they call him, which whistle serves to collect round him, from their various stations, his four mates. Then Yarn, or Pipes, as leader of the orchestra, begins a peculiar call, in which his assistants join. Tills over, the order, whatever it may be, is loudly sung out and prolonged, till the remotest corner echoes again. The boatswain and his mates are the town criers of a man-of-war. A calm had commenced in the adernoon ; and the following morning the ship's company were electrified by a general order, thus set forth and declared: "Z>'j/e hear there, fore and aft! all hands skylark! This mandate, nowadays never used except upon very rare occasions, produced the same effect upon the men that exhilarating gas would have done, or an extra allowance of "grog." For a time, the wonted discipline of the ship was broken through, and perfect license allowed. It was a Babel here, a Bedlam there, and a Pandemonium everywhere. The faint- hearted and timorous crawled to their hiding-places, and the lusty and bold shouted forth their glee. Gangs of men, in all sorts of outlandish habiliments, wild as those worn at some crazy carnival, rushed to and fro, seizing upon whomsoever they pleased — warrant-officers and dangerous pugilists excepted — pulling and hauling the luckless tars about, till fairly baited into a genial warmth. Some were made fast to, and hoisted aloft witii a will ; others, mounted upon oars, were ridden fore and ail on a rail, to the boisterous mirth of the spectators, any one of whom might be the next victim. Swings were rigged from the tops, or the masts; and the most reluctant wights being purposely selected, spite of all struggles, were swung from east to west, in vast arcs of circles, till almost breathless. Hornpipes, fandangoes, Donny brook-jigs, reels, and quadrilles, were danced under the very nose of the most mighty captain, and upon the very quarter-deck and poop. Sparring and wrestling, too, were all the vogue ; Kentucky bites were given, and the Indian hug exchanged. The din frightened the sea-fowl, that flew by with accelerated wing. It is worth mentioning that several casualties occurred, of which, hovr^ ever, I will relate but one. While the "skylarking'' was at its height, one of the foretop-men — an ugly-tempered devil of a Portuguese, looking on — swore that he would be the death of any man who laid violent hands upon his inviolable person. This threat being overheard, a band of desperadoes coming up from behind, tripped him up in an instant, and in the twinkling of an eye the Portuguese was straddling an oar, borne aloft by an uproarious multitude, who rushed him along the deck at a railroad gallop. The living mass of arras all round and beneath him waa so dense, that every time he inclined to one side he was instantly pushed upright, but only to fall over again, to receive another push from the contrary direction. Presently, disengaging his hands from those who held them, the enraged seaman drew from his bosom an iron belaying- pin, and recklessly laid about him to right and left. Most of his perse- cutors fled ; but some eight or ten still stood their ground, and, while bearing him aloft, endeavored to wrest the weapon from his hands. In this attempt, one man was struck on the head, and dropped insensible. He was taken up for dead, and carried below to the surgeon, while the Portuguese was put under guard. But the wound did not prove very serious ; and in a few days the man was walking about the deck, with his head well bandaged. This occurrence put an end to the "skylarking,*' further head-breaking being strictly prohibited. In due time the Portu- guese paid the penalty of his rashness at the gangway. /iiAa!?Hfe )F WAR. listle is then given la to collect round n Yarn, or Pipes, hich his assistants udly sung out and ! boatRwain and his following morning , thus set forth and da skylark! This iccasions, produced ould have done, or id discipline of the id. It was a Babel where. The faint- , and the lusty and sorts of outlandish il, rushed to and fro, cers and dangerous tars about, till fairly to, and hoisted aloft n fore and aft on a e of whom might be !, or the masts ; and ipite of all struggles, till almost breathless, nd quadrilles, were iptain, and upon the ng, too, were all the ug exchanged. The rated wing, irred, of which, how-' 7" was at its height, ' Portuguese, looking iho laid violent hands >verheard, a band of up in an instant, and addling an oar, borne along the deck at a and beneath him wa» i was instantly pushed nother push from the ands from those who som an iron belaying- t. Most of his perse- jir ground, and, while n from his hands. In id dropped insensible, he surgeon, while the nd did not prove very about the deck, with nd to the "skylarking,' In due time the Portu- [way. HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OP WAR. 271 A hint has already been conveyed concerning the subtorrancnn depths of our ship^s hold. But there is no time here to speak of the ajnrit-room, a cellar down in the after-hold, where the sailors' "grog" is kept ; nor of the cable-tierg, where the great hawsers and chains are piled, as you see them at a large ship-chandler's on shore ; nor of the grocer's vaults, whore tierces of sugar, molasses, vinegar, rice, and flour arc snugly stowed; nor of the sail-room, full as a sail-maker's loft ashore — piled up with great topsails and topgallant-sails, all ready-folded in their places, like so many white vests in a gentleman's wardrobe ; nor of the copper and copper-fastened 7na^azin«, closely packed with kegs of powder, great-gun and small-arm cartridges; nor of the immoaao shot-lockers, or subterranean arsenals, full as a bushel of apples with twenty-four pound balls ; nor of the bread-room, a large apartment, tinned all round within to keep out the mice, where the hard biscuit destined for the consumption of five hundred men on a long voyage is stowed away by the cubic yard ; nor of the vast iron tanks for fresh water in the hold, like the reservoir lakes at Fairmount, in Philadelphia ; nor of the paint-room, where the kegs of white lead, and casks of linseed oil, and all sorts of pots and brushes, are kept ; nor of the armorer''s smithy, where the ship's forges and anvils may ho heard ringing at times ; I say I iiave no time to speak of these things, and many more places of note. But there is one very extensive warehouse among the rest that needs special mention — the ship's Yeomen's store-room. In our vessel it was down in the ship's basement, beneath the berth-deck, and you went to it by way of t\ie fore-passage, a very dim, devious corridor, indeed. Enter- ing — say at noonday — you find yourself in a gloomy apartment, lit by a solitary lamp. On one side are shelves, filled with balls of marline, ratlin-stuff, seizing-stuff, spun-yarn, and numerous twines of assorted sizes. In another direction you see large cases containing heaps of articles, reminding one of a shoe-maker's furnishing-store — wooden serving-mallets, fids, toggles, and heavers ; iron prickers and marling- spikes ; in a third quarter you see a sort of hardware shop — shelves piled with all manner of hooks, bolts, nails, screws and thimbles; and, in still another direction, you see a block-maker's store, heaped up with lignum-vitffi sheeves and wheels. Through low arches in the bulkhead beyond, you peep in upon distant vaults and catacombs, obscurely lighted in the far end, and showing immense coils of new ropes, and other bulky articles, stowed in tiers, all savoring of tar. But by far the most curious department of these mysterious storc-roomt is the armory, where the pikes, cutlasses, pistols, and belts, forming the arms of the boarders in time of action, are hung against the walls, and suspended in thick rows from the beams overhead. Here, too, are to be seen scores of Colt's patent revolvers, which, though furnished with but one tube, multiply the fatal bullets, as the naval cat-o'-nine-tails, with a cannibal cruelty, in one blow nine times multiplies a culprit's lashes ; so that, when a sailor is ordered one dozen lashes, the sentence should read one hundred and eight. All these arms are kept in the brightest order, wearing a fine polish, and may truly be said to rejlect credit on the yeoman and his mates. Among the lower grade of officers in a man-of-war, that of yeoman is not the least important. His responsibilities are denoted by his pay. While the petty officers, quarter-gunners, captains of the tops, and others, receive but fifteen and eighteen dollars a month — but little more than a mere able seaman — the Yeoman in an American line-of- battle ship receives forty dollars, and in a frigate thirty-five dollars pei 272 HOW THEY LIVE IM AN AMERICAN MAN OP WAR. month. He is accountable for all the articles under his charge, and on no account must deliver a yard of twine or a tenpenny nail to the boata> wain or carpenter, unlew shown a written requisition and order from the senior lieutenant. Indeed, there were several parts of tho ahi^ under hatches shrouded in mystery, and eompletelv inaccessible to tho sailor. Wondrous old doors, barred and bolted, in ^ingy bulkhead'!, must have opened into regions full of interest to a successful explorer. Thus, though for a period of more than a year I was an inmate uf this floating box of live-oak, yet there were numberless tilings ih it that, to the last, remained wrapped in obscurity, or concerning which I could only lose myself in vague speculations. If you begin the day with a laugh, you may, nevertheless, end it with a sob and a sigh. John, Peter, Mark, and Antone — four sailors of the starboard-watch, were charged with violating a well-known law of the ship — having been engaged in one of those tangled, general fights sometimes occurring among sailors. They had nothing to anticipate but a flogging, at the captain's pleasure. Toward evening of the next day, they were startled by the dread summons of the boatswain and his mates at the principal hatchway — a summons that ever sends a shudder through every manly heart in a frigate : "All handt witness punishment, ahoyP^ The hoarseness of the cry, its unrelenting prolongation, its being caught up at difleient points, and sent through the lowermost depths of the ship; all this produces a most dismal efiect upon every heart not calloused by long habituation to it. However much you may desire to absent yourself from the scene that ensues, yet behold it you must ; or, at least, stand near it you must ; for the regulations enjoin the attendance of tho entire ship's company, from the corpulent captain himself to the smallest boy who strikes the bell. At the summons the crew crowded round the mainmast ; multitudes eager to obtain a good place on the booms, to overlook tho scene ; many laughing and chatting, others canvassing the case of the culprits ; some maintaining sad, anxious countenances, or carrying a suppressed indig nation in their eyes ; a few purposely keeping behind to avoid looking on ; in short, among five hundred men, there was every possible shade of character. All the officers — midshipmen included — stood together in a group on the starboard side of the mainmast ; the fiist lieutenant in advance, and the surgeon, whose special duty it is to be present at su^h times, standing close by his side. Presently the captain came forward from his cabin, and stood in the center of this solemn group, with a small paper in his hand. That paper was the daily report of oifenses, regularly laid upon his table every morning or evening, like the day's journal placed by a bachelor's napkin at breakfast. ''Master-at-arms, bring up the prisoners," he said. A few moments elapsed, during which the captain, now clothed in his most dreadful attributes, fixed his eyes severely upon the crew, when suddenly a lane formed through the crowd of seamen, and the prisoners advanced — ^the master-at-arms, rattan in hand, on one side, and an armed marine on the other — and took up their stations at the mast. "You John, you Peter, you Mark, you Antone," said the captain, "were yesterday found fighting on the gun-deck. Have you anything to say?" Mark and Antone, two steady, middle-aged men, whom I had often admired for their sobriety, replied that they did not strike the first blow ; that they bad submitted to much before they had yielded to thoir passions: .iHt*^^ .mmsmims^^^^^smmmmmm.. F WAR. lis charge, and on nail to the boaU- nd order from the jf tho ahij) under iible to tho sailor, [headi, must have explorer. Thus, ate of this floating it that, to the last, I could only lo«e iheless, end it with .four sailors of the wn law of the ship — il fights sometimes pate but a flogging, lext day, they wore id his mates at the adder through every ion, its being caught It depths of the ship; lart not calloused by re to absent yourself t ; or, at least, stand pndance of the entire r to the smallest boy lainmast ; multitudes )ok tho scene ; many ,f the culprits ; some z a suppressed indig id to avoid looking on ; sry possible shade of 1— stood together in a he fiist lieutenant in to be present at sb^h captain came forward un group, with a small t of oifenses, regularly le day's journal placed at-arms, bring up the ring which the captam, his eyes severely upon the crowd of seamen, rattan in hand, on one up their stations at the tone," said the captam, Have you anythmg nen, whom I had often lot strike the first blow ; fielded to their passions: HOW TIIET LIVE IN AN AMRRIOAN MAN OF WAR. 278 but as thoy acknowlndged that they had at last defended themselves, their excuse wns overruled. John — a brutal bully, who, it seems, was tho real author of the disturbance — was about entering into a long exton- nation, when he was cut short by being made to confess, irrespective of circumHtancos, that he had been in the fray. Peter, a handsome lad about nineteen years old, belonging to the mizzen-top, looked pale and tremulous. He was a great favorite in his part of the ship, and especially in his own moss, principally composed of lads of his own age. That morning two of his young messmates had gone to his hag, taken out his bust clothes, and, obtaining the permission of the marine sentry at the "bri^,^' had handed them to him, to bo put on against being summoned to the mast. This was done to propitiate the captain, as most captains love to see a tidy sailor. But it would not do. To all his supplications the cu|)tain turned a deaf ear. Peter declared that he had been struck twice before he had returned a blow. "No matter," said the captain, "you struck at last, instead of reporting the case to an officer. 1 allow no man to fight on board here but myself. I do the fighting. Now, men," he added, " you all admit the charge ; you know the penalty. Strip! Quarter-masters, are the gratings rigged?" Tho gratings are square frames of barred wood-work, sometimes placed over tho hatch- ways. One of these squares was now laid on the deck, close to the ship's bulwarks, and while the remaining preparations were being made, tho master-at-arms assisted the prisoners in removing their jackets and shirts. This done, their shirts were loosely thrown over their shoulders. At a sign from the captain, John, with a shameless leer, advanced, and stood passively upon the grating, while the bareheaded old quarter-master, with gray hair streaming in the wind, bound his feet to tho cross-bars, and, stretching out his arms over his head, secured them to the hammock- nettings above. He then retreated a little space, standing silent. Mean- while, the boatswain stood solemnly on the other side, with a green bag in his hand, from which taking four instruments of punishment, he gave one to each of his mates ; for a fresh "cat," applied by a fresh hand, is the ceremonious privilege accorded to every man-of-war culprit. At another sign from the captain, the master-at-arms, stepping up, removed the shirt from the prisoner. At this juncture a wave broke against the ship's side, and dashed the spray over his exposed back. But though tho air was piercing cold, and the water drenched him, John stood still, without a shudder. Tho captain's finger was now lifted, and the first boatswain's-mate advanced, combing out the nine tails of his cat with his hand, and then, sweeping them round his neck, brought them with the whole force of his body upon the mark. Again, and again, and again ; and at every blow, higher and higher rose the long, purple bars on the prisoner's back. But he only bowed over his head, and stood still. Meantime, some of the crew whispered among themselves in applause of their shipmate's nerve ; but the greater part were breathlessly silent as the keen scourge hissed through the wintery air, and fell with a cutting, wiry sound upon the mark. One dozen lashes being applied, the man was taken down, and went among the crew with a smile, saying, " ■ me! it's nothing when you're used to it! Who wants to fight?" The next was Antone, the Portuguese. At every blow he surged from side to side, pouring out a torrent of involuntary blasphemies. Never before had he been heard to curse. When cut down, he went among the men, swearing to have the life of the captain. Of course, this was unheard by the officers. Mark, the 18 ^i^^0M .Am^-Jii 274 HOW TUEY LIVK IN AN AMKHlCAN MAN OF WAR. "^ n I third prinnnor, only cringfld and conghotl undcir nis piiniilimcnt. Ua liiid ■onio piiltnonary cumplaint. ilu wrb oH duty lor xovcral days nfti-r iho dogfi'ing ; but this was partly to lie imputod to hitf nxtr« ino mental niiHory. It wnH iiJH limt HcourKinif, and lio folt tho inxult more than ilin injury. He bocame ailent and Hullen tor thu roat of thapnd so us to displace the gratings, and scatter the nine tails of the scourge all over his person. At the next blow he howled, leaped, and raged in unendurable torture. "What are you stopping for, boatswain'sinator^ cried the captain. "Lay onP^ and the whole dozen was applied. "I don^t carr- what happens to me now!" wept Peter, going among tiie crow, with Liood-sbnt i yes, as ho put on his shirt. "I have been flogged onco, an'! they may do it again, if they will. Let them look out for me now. "Pijie down!" cried the captain, and tho crew nlowly '''tpersed. Oi kII the non-coniiiiitunts of a man-of-war, the purser, perhaps, stands foreivoHt in importance Though ho is but a member of the gun-room moss, yet usage seems to -ssign him a conventional station somewhat above that of his equals in navy rank — the chaplain, surgeon, and profes- sor. Morcovrr, he is frequently to be seen in close conversation with the rommodore, who, in our ship, was more than once known to be slijijitly jocular with our purser. Upon several occasions, also, ho was called into the commodore^s cabin, and remained closeted there for several minutes together. Nor did I remember that there ever happened a cabinet meeting of the ward-room barons, the lieutenants, in the com- modore's cabin, but tho purser made ono of the party. Now, under this high functionary of state, the official known as the purser's steward was head clerk of the frigate's fiscal affairs. Upon the berth-deck he had a regular counting-room, full of ledgers, journals, and day-books. His desk was as much littered with papers as any Pearl Street merchant's, and much time was devoted to his accounts. For hours together you would see him, through the window of his subterranean ofliice, writing by the light of his perpetual lamp. In the vicinity of the office of the purser's steward are the principal store-rooms of the purser, where large quantities of goods of every description are to be found. On board of those ships where goods are permitted to be served out to the crew for the purpose of selling them ashore, to raise money, more business is transacted at the office of a purser's steward in one Liberty- day morning than all the dry goods shops in a considerable village would transact in a week. Once a month, with undeviating regularity, this official has his hands more than usually full. For once a month, certain printed bills, called mess-bills, are circulated among the crew, and what- ever you may want from the purser — be it tobacco, soap, duck, dungeree, needles, thread, knives, belts, calico, ribbon, pipes, paper, pens, hats, ink, shoes, socks, or whatever it may be— down it goes on the mess-bill, which, being the next day returned to the office of the steward, the "slops," as they are called, are uerved oat to the men and charged to their accounts. lN of war. |iuniBlun(>nt. Iloliad Movoriil jlays ntu^r iho (trcino nu'iital nilHury. [noTo than llic injury. jiHC. Till) Ibiirth ;uid I boaatcd that lie lind before hiH chock had ir. As he waH hoinji iiioopings of his da/.- his head implorinjjly ; were of no avail. "I ,in. Tlic four'iii l)oat- ly, shouting ^^MyGod! lace the f^ratin^s, and ion. At the next blow turo. "What are yow "F.ay on!" and the lappena to me now!" int t yes, as he pnt on lay do it again, if lliey n!" cried the captain, Hirser, perhaps, stands mber of the gun-room jnal station somewhat D, surgeon, and profes- ;lo8e conversation with ice known to be slijjhtly 19, also, ho was called leted there for severid here ever happened a ieutenants, in tlie coin- irty. 5 official known as the iscal affairs. Upon the f ledgers, journals, and ;h papers as any Pearl to his accounts. For idow of his 8ubt'3rraneun In the vicinity of the jre-rooms of the purser, iption are to be found, tted to be served out to B,to raise money, more iteward in one Liherty- nsiderable village would eviating regularity, this or once a month, certain long the crew, and what- 0, soap, duck, dungeree, 8, paper, pens, hats, ink, 3 on the mess-bill, which, steward, the "slops," as barged to their accounts. "N^jp — -^!smM^i?'~"t^'^ -i_ ' ' \ iy^.y^** ! ,ViVrj^'Ji-J!r ' : IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut cdn«j;«.. de microreproductions historiques HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. 275 Lucky is it for man-of-war's-mcn that tlie outrapcous impositions to which, bill a very f<;w years ago, llioy were suhjcctcd from tiif abuses in tliia department of the service, and the unscriipuloiis cui)idity of many of the pursers — liicliy ia it for them that now these things arc in a great (hMrrce done away. The pursers, instead of being at liberty to make ahnosi what they please from the sale of their wares, are now paid by regular stipends laid down by law. Under the exploded system, the profits of some of these otficors were almost incredible. In one cruise uptiie Mediterranean, the purser of an American line-of-battle ahip was, on good authority, said to have cleared the sum of 850,000. Upon that he quitted the service, and retired into the country. Shortly after, his three daughters— not very lovely— married extremely well. No wonder tliat on board of the old frigate Java, upon lier return from a cruise extending over a period of more than four years, one thousand dollars paidoff eighty of her crew, though the aggregate wages of the eighty for the voyage must have amounted to about sixty thousand dollars. Even under the present system, the purser of a line-of-battle ship, for instance, is far better paid than any other officer, short of captain or commodore. While the lieutenant com- monly receives but eighteen hundred dollars, the surgeon of the fleet but fifteen hundred, the chaplain twelve hundred, the purser of a line-of- battle receives thirty-five hundred dollars. In considering his salary, however, his responsibilities are not to be overlooked ; they are by no moans insignificant. To make plain the thing about to be related, it needs to repeat what lias somewhere been previously mentioned, that in tacking ship every seaman in a man-of-war has a particular station assigned him. What that station is, should be made known to him by the first lieutenant ; and wiien the word is passed to tack or wear, it is every seaman's duty to be found at his post. But among the various numbers and stations driven to mo by the senior lieutenant, when I first came on board the frigate, he had altogether omitted informingmeof my particular place at those times, and, up to the precise period now written of, I had hardly known that I should have had any special place then at all. For the rest of the men, they seemed to mo to catch hold of the first rope that offered, as in a merchantman upon similar occasions. Indeed, I subsequently discovered, that such was the state of discipline— in this one particular, at least— that very few of the seamen could tell where their proper stations were, at tacking or wearing. "All hands tack ship, ahoy!" such was the announcement made by the boatswain's mates at the hatchways. It was just eight bells— noon, and springing from my white jacket, which I had spread between the guns for a bed on the main-deck, I ran up the ladders, and, as usual, seized hold of the mam-brace, which fifty hands were streaming along forward. VVhen main-topaail haul! was given through the trumpet, I pulled at this brace with such heartiness and good-will, that I almost flattered myself that my instrumentality in getting the frigate round on the other tack, deserved a public vote of thanks, and a silv(!r tankard from Congress. But something happened to be in the way aloft when the vards swung round; a little confusion ensued ; anc?. with anger on his brow, Captain C '■ came forward to see what occasioned it. No one to let go the weather- lift of the mainyard The rope was cast off, however, by a hand, and the yards, unobstructed, came round. Whenthe last rope was coiledaway, the captain desired to know of the first lieutenant who it might be that was stationed at the weather (then the starboard) main-lift. With a vexed. ,,, HOW THEY »VF. .1. AK AMKRICAS MAS OF WAB. rJdid not know of these P'-"^„«„«^'"S^t',iVihc hatchways, and along all Ctswain's mate bawlmg my "«°;j'^7;',7e' heard it so sent through '»f "'«• , ,hP mast" he replied. "Going to flog ye, 1 » Captain wants ye at the mast, no v trUCSS." ''What for?" .wnlkinffvour face, hain't ye?" » Mv eves! you've been chalKing your « What^m I wanted for?" I repeated. ^^^^ ^j, ,her But at that instant my "'^"^^,^^f;/fe" way, hinting that I would soon boatswain's mate, and ^'"V'i nd of me Lwallowed down my heart m find out what the captam desired ot me. balanced myself on my mc as 1 touched the spardeck, for a single •ns^^" ■ ^^ ,,c alleged ;r ce'er, and then who ly;.moran^^^;h^--^^^^ , , against mc, advanced to the '^=^J ^^..^.^er rigging the gratmgs the through the gangway, I ^^^^^^^'^ ^^^^ ' , ; the master-at-arms ready to boatswain with ^'>^g^-";'^8Al^^^dc a desperate sv^Uowo^y help off some one's sliirt. Again i . ^^f„re Caplain C- Se soul in mo, ami """^^'^j J "nUumor. Among the group His flushed face obviously ^>'«^^.^'\ ' "* '" "^t who. as I came aft, eyed "Why were you not at your s|%»'"' . , , "What station do you '"^^"f/.'^^J.o.var's-men to stand obsequious y It is generally the custom with "an oi wai captain. But toucl^ nftheir Lt at every sontence ley add ess to^ ^^^^ ^^ ^o Tthis was not obligatory upon ^e byjf « C, j ^ad never had the dan- To upon the present occasion and pevousg, ^ gerous honor of a personal intennew . V^ ,„d ,„st,n. . Lticed my omission fJ^^J^^^^ ,,t ,,is heart against me. bUU ^d .e.d .ny "riTT.T.r^.t* me I over heard of m, hemg "Captain C ■> saiu i, assigned to that post." ^^^^ ^^ the first lieutenant, w.th "How is this, Mr. B; ' ne s* , a fault-finding expression. striving to hide his vexation, ^£.:Z:^^^^^^^ captain C _," said 1. ::Ku=ar^^^^^ I had now beea on t>»";„t,i3lS, and in a few weeks, at most r3bi iri^^AirrraL mak^g a hermit of tnyself m f OF WAR. name was found put the gun-deck below, .en^ after, I iieard the hways, and along all rd it so sent through vr what this generally throat, and I hurriedly way, what was wanted " Going to flog ye, 1 in't ye?" red forth by the other iting that I would soon )wed down my heart in balanced myself on my ,as going to be alleged ,0 frigate. As I passed gging the gratings ; the master-at-arms ready to ispcrate swallow of my before Caplain C mor. Among the group vho. as I came aft, eyed ,n to be extremely vexed Meeting upon the manner ed the captain. ncn to stand obsequiously ess to the captain. But cles of War, I did not do [had never had the dan- ttainC Hequ.c'^ly sndered him, and msUmt rt against me. ill not help you, sir." now produced the station of the starboard main-lill. le I ever heard of my being the first lieutenant, with riving to hide his vexation, t,CaptainC— ,"saidl. d. "I ahall flog you." rd of a year, and remained and in a few weeks, at mo8t, iking a hermit of myself in to HOW THEY LIVE LV AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. 277 some things, in order to avoid the possibility of tlio scourge, iierc it was hanging ovor nic for a thing utterly unforeseen, for a crime of which I was as utterly innocent. But all that was as naught. I saw that my case was iiopeless ; my solemn disclaimer was thrown in my teeth, and the boatswain's mate stood curling his fingers tiirough the cat. There arc times when wild thoughts enter a man's heart, when ho seems almost irresponsible for his act and his deed. The captain stood on tht; weather- side of the deck. Sideways, on an unobstructed line with him, was the opening of the lee-gangway, where the side-ladders are suspended in port. Nothing but a slight bit of siiinatc-stuft" served to rail in tiiis opening, which was cut right down to the level of the captain's feet, showing the far sea beyond. I stood a little to windward of him, and, though he was a largo, powerful man, it was certain that a sudden rush against him, along the slanting deck, would infallibly phch him headforemost into the ocean, though he who so rusliod must needs go over with him. My blood seemed clotting in my veins ; I felt icy cold at the tips of my fingers, and a dimness was before my eyes. But through that dimness the boat- swain's mate, scourge in hand, loomed like a giant, and Captain C , and the blue sea seen througli the opening at the gangway, showed with an awful vividness. I cannot analyze my heart, though it then stood still within mo. But the thing that swayed me to my purpose was not altogether the thought that Captain C was about to degrade me, and that I had taken an oath with my soul that he should not. No, I felt my man's manhood so bottomless within me, that no word, no blow, no scourge of Captain C could cut me deep enough for that. I but swung to an instinct in me — the instinct ditiused through all animated nature, the same that prompts even a worm to turn under the heel. Locking souls with him, I meant to drag Captain C from this earthly tribunal of his to that of Jehovah, and let Him decide between us. No other way could I escape the scourge. "To the gratings, sir!" said Captain C ; "do you hear?" My eye was measuring the distance between him and the sea. "Captain C ," said a voice advancing from the crowd. I turned to see who this might be, that audaciously interposed at a juncture like this. It was our remarkably handsome and gentlemanly corporal of marines, Colbrook. "I know that man," said Colbiook, touching his cap, and speaking in a mild, firm, but extremely deferential manner; "and I know that he would not be found aiisent from liis station, if he knew where it was." This speech was almost unprecedented. Seldom or never before had a marine dared to speak to the captain of a frigate in behalf of a seaman at the mast. But there was something so unostentatiously commanding in the calm manner of the man, that the captain, though astounded, did not in any way reprimand him. The very unusualness of his interference seemed Colbrook's protection. Taking heart, perhaps, from Colbrook's example. Jack Chase interposed, and in a manly but carefully respectful manner, in substance repeated the corporal's remark, adding that he had never found me wanting in the top. The captain looked from Chase to Colbrook, and from Colbrook to Chase — one the foremost man among the seamen, the other the foremost man among tlie soldiers — then all round upon the packed and silent crew, and, as if a slave to Fate, though supreme captain of a frigate, he turned to the first lieutenant, made some indifferent remark, and saying to me you may go, sauntered aft into his cabin ; while I, who in the desperation of my soul, had but just escaped 278 UOW THEY UVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. being a murderer and a suicide, almost burst into tears of thanksgiving '''l!"-' L'Tot^'down in our memories a few little things pertaini..'; to our man-or-war world. There is no part of a frig.lo whor.; you will s.h, more aoi "and coming of strangers, and overhear more greetings and goss.pings ":rS;ita3, than in^he' immediate vicinity of the «c.tt le- u,t .^us forward of the main-hatchway, on the gun-deck I he «^. '"'«»'»" «^ -.oodly, round, painted cask, standmg on end, and with its upper head removed showing a narrow, circular she fwUhm, where res a umbJr of tin cups for the accommodation of drmkers. Central, w.lh.n he scuttle-butt i\self, stands an iron pump, which, connecting with ho nmenso water-tanks' in the hold, furnishes ar. »"/-'■»« ^"PJ^Edn much-admired Palo Ale, first brewed in the brooks of the Garden ot Lden, Td staii^^ed with the brand of our old lather Adam w^m never knew what wine was. We arc indebted to the old vintner Noah for that, i he Tcuttl J-butt is the only fountain in the ship ; and here alone can you dnnk un"ess at vour meals Night and day an armed sentry paces beloro it, bayonet in hLS; to see that no water is taken away, except according '" M'^ve hundred men come to drink at this scuttle-butt ; as it is often ■surrounded by officer's servants drawing water for their masters to wash r;Se coots 'of the range, who hither come to fill their "^^-J^^f = - bv the cooks of the ship's messes to procure water for their dtijfs , the scuttle-buit may be denominated the town-pump of tl'CjJ'P- \s in all extensive establishments, so m a mau-of-war, there arc a va;i^ty of similar snuggeries for the benefit «f ;>-;;P%-; -■"■"« ':;,^ J tars Chief among these is the otlice oi mast-man There is .- stout ia on dock, at the base of each mast, where a number of braces lilts and bunthnos are belayed to the pins. It is the sole duty of the mastn.an ,0 see Ua these ropes are always kept clear, to preserve his premises n a state of the greatest attainable neatness, and every Sunday mon.ing to 3i io^e his loiL in neat Flemish coiU. Tj.e mainmast-^^^^^^ ship was a very aged seaman, who well deserved his comfortable berth. He ad seen more than half a century of the most active service, and through il, 1 ad pnwed himself a good and faithful man. He f-^^'^^ed one o^ tl^e very rare examples of a sailor in a green old age; for, ivith most sailors, old Ige comes in youth, and hardship and vice carry them on an '"TC;e"wL';n "rnegro, who went by the name of Tawney, a sheet- anchor-man, whom we often invited into our top ot tranquil nights, to hear him discourse. He was a staid and sober seaman, very in e ligent, with a fi"ie Ta k bearing, one of the best men in the ship, and held in S eslinmt on by every one. It seems that, during the last war between Englana"TAm'erica,'he had. with several «\»>-f. '^-\"n,^i;^^,i ™ fl.P hiah seas o'lt of a New England merchantman. 1 he ship tliat EestJd him wa:'an English frigate, the Macedonian, afterward taken bv tiio United States, the sliip in which we were sailing, '^t wai the holy Sabbath, according to Tawney, and a« the Bnton bore down oi. the American-her men at their quarters-1 aw ey and his countrvn.en, who happened to be stationed at the quarter-deck batory, nSTly accosted the captain-an old man by the name of t^ardan- '^^* r,; ised them, in his rapid promenade, h s spyglass under hi a^.^ Arough lie furnished one of 1 age ; for, with moat ace carry them on an 3 of Tawney, a sheet- of tranquil nights, to aman, very intelligent, 1 the ship, and held in g the last war between ■rs, been "impressed" utman. The ship that onian, afterward taken ailing. md, as the Briton bore tors — Tawney and hia quarter-deck battery, the name of Cardan — pyglass under his arm. ishmen, and that it waa g of that country which HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. 279 harbored the molliers that bore them. They conjured him to release t'lKMU from their guns, and allow them to remain neutral during the con- flict. IJut when a ship of any nation is running into action, it is no time for argument, small time for justice, and not much time for humanity. Snatciiing a pistol from the belt of a hoarder standing by, the captain lovt^led it at the heads of the three sailors, and commanded them instantly to their quarters, under penalty of being shot on the spot. So, side by side with his country's foes, Tawney and his companions toiled at the guns, and fought out the tight to the last ; with the exception of one of them, who was killed at his post by one of his own country's balls. At length, having lost her fore and main-topmasts, and her mizzcn-mast having been shot away to the deck, and her foreyard lying in two pieces on her shattered forecastle, and in a hundred places having been hulled with round siiot, the English frigate was reduced to the last extremity. Captain Cardan ordered hia signal quarter-master to strike the flag. Tawney was one of those who, at last, helped pull him on board the United States. As he touched the deck. Cardan saluted Decatur, the hostile comninnder, and offered his sword; hut it was courteously declined. Perhaps the victor remembered the dinner parties that he and the English- man had enjoyed together in Norfolk, just previous to the breaking out of hostilities — and while both were in command of the very frigates now crippled on the sea. The Macedonian, it seems, had gone into Norfolk with dispatciies. Then they had laughed and joked over their wine, and a, wager of a l)eaver hat was said to have been made between them upon the event of the hostile meeting of their ships. Gazing upon the heavy batteries before him. Cardan said to Decatur, "This is a sevtmty-four, not a frigate ; no wonder the day is yours!" This remark was founded upon the United States' superiority in guns. The United States' main-deck batteries then consisted, as now, of twenty-four pounders ; tlie Macedonian's of only eighteens. In all, the American vessel numbered fifty-four guns and four hundred and fifty men ; the British, forty-nine guns and three hundred men; a very great disparity, which, united to the other circumstances of this action, deprives the victory of all claims to glory beyond those that might be set up by a river- horse getting the better of a seal. According to Tawney, when the captain of the Macedonian — seeing that the United States had his vessel completely in her power — gave the word to strike the flag, one of his officers, a man hated by the seamen for his tyranny, howled out the most terrific remonstrances, swearing that, for his part, he would not give up, but was for sinking the Macedonian along side the enemy. Had he been captain, doubtless he would have done 80 ; thereby gaining the name of a hero in this world ; — but what would they have called him in the next? But as the whole matter of war is a thing that smites common sense and Christianity in the face ; so everything connected with it is utterly foolish, unchristian, barbarous, brutal, and savoring of the Feejee Islands, cannibalism, saltpeter, and the devil. It is generally the case in a man-of-war when she strikes her flag that all discipline is at an end, and the men for a time are ungovern- able. This was so on board of the English frigate. The spirit-room was broken open, and buckets of grog were passed along the decks, where many of the wounded were lying between the guns. These mariners seized the buckets, and, spite of all remonstrances, gulped down the burning spirits, ill, as Tawney aaid, the blood suddenly spirted out of their wounda, and they fell dead to the deck. 280 HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMERICAN MAN OF WAR. The negro had mnny more stories to tell of this fiji^ht ; niul frequently ho wonid escort me along our main-deck hatteries— still mounting the same guns used in the hattlc— pointing out their inflaceahle indcntiitions and scars. Coated over witli the accumulated paint ot more than thirty years, they were almost invisihle to a casual eye; but '1 awncy know them all by heart ; for he had returned home in the United States, and had beiicld these scars shortly after the engagement. One ai\ernoon, 1 was walking with him along the gun-deck, when he paused abreast ot the mainmast. "This part of the ship," said he, "we called the slaughter- house on board the Macedonian. Here the men fell, five and six at a lime. An enemy always directs its shot here, in order to hurl over the mast, if possible. The beams and carlines overhead in the Macedonian slaughter-house yNGTn spattered with blood and brains. About the hatch- ways it looked like a butcher's stall ; bits of human flesh sticking m tho ring-bolts. A pig that ran about the decks escaped unharmed, but hia hide was so clotted with blood, from rooting among the pools of gore, that when the ship struck the sailors hove the animal overboard, swearing that it would be rank cannibalism to eat him." Another quadruped, a goat, lost its fore legs in this fight. The sailors who were killed— accordmg to the usual custom— were ordered to be thrown overboard as soon as they fell ; no doubt, as the negro said, that the sight of so many corpses lying around might not appall the survivors at the guns. Among other instances, he related the following. A shot entering one of the port-holes, dashed dead two thirds of a gun's crew. The captain of tlie next gun, dropping his lock-string, which he had just pulled, turned over the lieap of bodies to see who they were ; when, perceiving an old messrnate, who had sailed with him in many cruises, he burst into tears, and, taking the corpse up in his arms, and going with it to the side, held it over the water a moment, and eying it, cried, "Oh God! Tom!"-"D-— your prayers over that thing ! overboard with it, and down to your gun ! roared a wounded lieutenant. The order was obeyed, and the heart-stricken sailor returned to his post. Among the numerous artists and professors of polite trades in the navy, none are held in higher estimation or drive a more profitable business than the barbers. And it may well be imagined that the five hundred heads of hair and five hundred beards of a frigate should furnish no small employment for those to whose faithful care they may be intrusted. 1 ho regular days upon which the barbers shall exercise their vocation are set down on the ship's calender, and known as shaving days. On board of our ship these days are Wednesdays and Saturdays ; when, immediately after breakfast, the barbers' shops were opened to customers. They were in diflterent parts of the gun-deck, between the long twenty-four pounders. Their furniture, however, was not very elaborate, hardly equal to the sumptuous appointments oi metropolitan barbers. Indeed, it merely consisted of a match-tub, elevated upon a shot-box, as a barber s chair for the patient. These barbers of ours had their labors considerably abridged by a fashion prevailing among many of the crew, of wearing very large whiskers ; so that, in most cases, the only parts needing a shave were the upper lip and suburbs of the chin. This had been more or less the custom during the whole three year's cruise ; but for some time previous to our weathering Cape Horn, very many of the seamen had redoubled their assiduity in cultivating their beards, preparatory to their return to America. Above all, the captain of the forecastle, old Ushant— a fine specimen of a sea sexagenarian— wore a wide, spreadmg beard. .N OF WAR. fi>»ht ; niul frequently s — still mounting the fl'acoable indentations at of niore ilian thirty I ; but Tawncy know lie United States, and int. One ai\eriioon, I paused abreast of the called the slaughter- I fell, five and six at a order to hurl over the ad in the Macedonian ins. About the hatch- n flesh sticking in tho )ed unharmed, but his the pools of gore, that i-erboard, swearing that lier quadruped, a goat, rere killed — according 1 overboard as soon as [lit of so many corpses ) guns. Among other g one of the port-holes, iptain of the next gun, I, turned over the iieap ing an old messmate, t into tears, and, taking e side, held it over the Tom!"— "D your n to your gun !" roared and the heart-stricken )olite trades in the navy, ore profitable business that the five hundred should furnish no small may be intrusted. Tho le their vocation are set ng days. On board of ys ; when, immediately customers. They were g twenty-four pounders. ;e, hardly equal to the rs. Indeed, it merely ox, as a barber's chair leir labors considerably le crew, of wearing very / parts needing a shave rhis had been more or uise ; but for some time any of the seamen had rds, preparatory to their forecastle, old Usliant — wide, spreading beard, r HOW THEY LIVE IN AN AMEUICAN MAN OP WAR. 281 grizzled and and ivnottcd ffray, that flowed over his breast, and ot\en became tunjdcd witii tar. Tiiis Ushant, in all weatliors, was ever alert at hi.s (iiily ; intrci>i(liy mounting tho foreyard in a gale, liis long board stroariiiiiy like Neptune's. Tiuouj,'iiout tiie cruise, many of the oflicers had expressed their ab- horrence of tlio impunity witii which the most extensivf^ plantutions of liair wo.'j cultivated under their very noses ; and they frowned u))(in every beard witii even greater dislike. They said it was uns(!amaiilikc; not .v/jiy>- thape ; in siiort, it was disgraceful to the navy. One evening the sliip's coin|)any were astounded by an extraordinary announcement made at tho maiii-halcinvay of tiie gun-deck, by the boatswain's mate there stationed. "D'ye liear th( re, fore and aft? Ail you that iiave long hair, cut it siiort; and all you that have large whiskers, trim th(;m down, according to tho navy rcguhitions." The excitement was intense throughout tiiat whole evening. One and all, they resolved not to succumb, and every man swore to stand by his beard and his neighbor. Twenty-four hours after — at the next evening quarters — the captain's eye was observed to wander along the men at their guns — not a beard was shaven! When the drum beat the retreat, the boatswain — now attended by all four of his mates, to give additional solemnity to the announcement — repeated the previous day's order, and concluded by saying, that twenty-four hours would be given for all to acquiesce. But the second day passed, and at quarters, untouched, every beard bristled on its chin. Forthwith Captain C summoned the midshipmen, who, receiving his orders, hurried to the various divisions of the guns, and communicated thern to the lieutenants respectively stationed over divisions. The officer commanding mine turned upon us, and said, "Men, if to-morrow night I find any of you with long hair, or whiskers of a standard violating the navy regulations, the names of such offenders shall be put down on the report." Though many heads of hair were shorn, and many fine beards reaped that day, yet several still held out, and vowed to defend their sacred hair to the la.st gasp of their breath. Wnen the proper time arrived, their names were taken down by the officers of divisions, and they were afterward summoned in a body to the mpst, where the captain stood ready to receive them. Tho whole ship's co-npany crowded to the spot, and, n'^id the breathless multitude, the venerable rebels advanced and cnhattcf' ') he rebel beards, headed by old Ushant's, streaming like a commodore ■ «/^ec, now stood in silence at the mast. "You knew the order!" said the captain, eying them severely; "what does that hair on your chins?" "Sir," said the captain of the forecastle, "did old Ushant ever refuse doing his duty? did he ever yet miss his muster? But, sir, old Ushant's beard is his own!" "What's that, sir? master-at-arms, put that man into the brig." "Sir," said the old man, respectfully, "the three years for which I shipped are expired ; and though I am perhaps bound to work the ship home, yet, as matters are, I think my beard might be allowed me. It is but a few days. Captain C ." "Put him into the brig !" cried the captain ; "and now, you old rascals !" he added, turning round upon the rest, "I give you fifteen minutes to have those beards taken oflf; if they then remain on your chins, I'll flog you — every mother's sonof you — though you were all myown godfathers!" The band of beards went forward, summoned their barbers, and their glorious pennants were no more. In obedience to orders, they then I 2S2 now TIIEY LIVP: IN AN AMKIilCAN MAN OF WAR. pnriKi.d thcrnsclvoH at the niJiHt, and, addrcssinjr thr ciplain, said, "Sir, our Muzzlrlit.ihiii^ii art' cast oH!" On 111.' morrow, allcr brcuikfast, Ut:.«;';,; [j^ ^^^^'J «t ., would only iK) sayin« svlwit many Hoiun.^n Inv.- s.m'm. S.^ •tuI ttO( R« "'"" " ,1 ,■ „ i»„rii.ir ilic LTcatrr i)nit o I lat inlrrvnl In- Ik'h in "%;.;„"?";;;«''";;:"' nm broke out nnar tbo po.a.r .-«-n«^i" - A.n a, nllu..:^ sbip, ono of a s,na.l,on "t-"-'-' V' th^'lUlJlp wi^ T , ulnu,st alarm provaiUMl. A c-ry went ioro ""r see him again Sim with a heavy heart for Ij^^^^J^J'tent and "Sen I found for^the alive, for he was very bad; so "^^^y/J^^^y/Jf^^e I had traveled, I first time what it was to be alone '«^ J^ff ^„P^;"";„ bay, where I «aw suppose, about two "»'»««' ^^""""^ '"depend Twas glad enougl. at some ships lyingat an anchor; ^"^^ /"" y,,,^^P^," ^sure of seeing some seeing them; and shortly afterward I ^ad the pleasure o „ ^.^^ houses, but I was still a good f •^^"^^f^f °™ ^^t^on of selg two men. I got pretty near them, when I ^^J ^^^^^ 'Sr oH^^hig them again; but I sung out to them as loud as I ^«"*^\^°7'Ynd\^ien^I came to them, 1 they heard me, and they came toward ne ana wnen ^^^ told them my case, and they very kindly ;««*^ ™«/"J^^ „f oJ, old gave me something to eat and to dnnk; and ^o^ them ot y P .^ ^ partner that I had left m the ^^^^^'^^J^f ^^^f "^V but they refused it; SflFered them some money for ^.I'^V^^l^.fJ^i™'^' me to elt, they took and as soon as I had finished ^f^^^ '"^^tlfo I found after'ward, was me to a man by the name of '^;- ^''^;'^' '^ m he was; and he sent the head man in the P'^^f ' ^'^/J^aHrtrr from the cave, which, three men along with me to f^^ch my old partner trom , ^^ ^^^ after a great deal of trouble -found ^dj^tLthPng to eat and to that he was alive : ,^nd,atter giving ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ drink, we carried the old man to Urimsoyior^ kindly; but place I had been ^o, ^here the people used u^^ y^ ^y , ^.^^ my poor old partner got worse ?n«i w°;\" ^^^'gl Gary's for him, which bert was kind enough to send f«\*/j^^"\'J, gjith day after we were is the head town in the island Jo Jj^^^he sixth y^ ^^^ ^^^^ wrecked. As 5^';,;»f,«^^'d\ot„,7myordhipmate, I shipped myself staying and lending ^ ^^nd *«^^»;y "irj^^i^^^i^ ^ Bridgewater, which on board of a brig f«"ed the Hope be^on^^ « ^^ ^^ ^.^^^^^^ was bound to London. But boforo Uetj UW ur. y, . ^^ ^^^^ where the owner of the brig "^''^^ ']^^' l^^^J^^^h^ ^^^ been al during he might get paid f^*'^J^"'^%jf,rnTa„d weather would permit, I our stay there; and as soon as the w'"° * , ^f her was a very good sailed for London in my new brig The mj^^te' ot n ^^^ j^^^^^^ man, and we arrived m London the 17th day oi Aprii i SH SAILOR. )on the highest rock that I ything of a house, or any nything; so we resolved to were still on the windward beach, I went to see if I iching me since I came on and I took them up to my erward we went to look for 1 the weather; and, after a ler the lee of a rock ; and Iter, which we wanted very ir returning thanks to the ,nd I slept very well till the was very poorly, and could m 1 first got up; but I soon that, as my partner was not if I could find anybody to 3t something to eat; for the ihillings and sixpence in his ve to me, and I parted from hould never see him again ; and then I found for the je place. I had traveled, I ' an open bay, where I saw depend I was glad enougli at lie pleasure of seeing some them; but I traveled on till sfaction of seeing two men. laroflosing them again; but and when I came to them, 1 ok me home with them, and d I told them of my poor old It state I had left him in. 1 ave me, but they refused it; id given me to eat, they took who, I found afterward, was odmanhe was; and he sent lartner from the cave, which, id glad enough I was to find I man something to eat and to for that was the name of the e used us very kindly; but every day. Though Mr. Oil- • to St. Mary's for him, which the sixth day after we were ell in a few days; and aftjr i shipmate, I shipped myself lon<'ing to Bridgewater, which )ld Grimsby, 1 told Mr. Gilbert lad been cast away in, so thit penses he had been at during 1 and weather would permit, I master of her was a very good day of April. My new master 'Tf- MARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 289 liked me very well, and he wrote to Mr. Ingelow. in Boston, about me. to let him know where I waa; and Mr. Ingelow, having no ship that wanted an apprentice, sent mc my indentures and my wages, after serving him five years out of the seven years that I was Imuiid for; so my new master got me bound apprentice to him for three years. I sailed in the "Hope," of Bridgewater, till the year 1798 — chiefly in the coastinp trade — and I was very well contented, for our master was a very good man, and the owners had promised me a mate's situation as soon as 1 got out of my time. And in April, in 1798, we were bound from London to Bridgewater, and getting down the Channel as far as the Lizard, and we being bound ofi* the Bristol Channel, the wind being at that time about north-east, and blowing a strong gale, and our ship being rather light, we got blown off the land; and the gale continuing for eight or ten days, we got drifted a long ways off; and our master not being a navigator, though he was a very good coaster, so that when the gule was over, and we got fine weather, we did not know where we were, but we knew well enough that we had been drifted to tiie westward. We had to run back to the eastward, and the second day after wo had fine weather. We fell in with a Mount's Bay boat, who, like ourselves, had been blown off the land, who was very short of provisions and water, ot which, thanks bo to God, we had plenty; and we gave them some, and they gave us some brandy and tcbacco^for they were smugglers — for the provisions which we gave them; and they directed us wiiat course to steer in for tiie land, and we parted company. And the next day morn- ing we fell in with the " Brilliant " frigate, who made us heave to, and she sent a boat on board of us to go a pressing ; and our master being half drunk, and the rest of the crew being no better, we got a quarrel- ing, when the lieutenant of the frigate came on board, and, through our master being drunk, I got pressed ; for I being out of my time two days before this happened, and the master told the lieutenant so when we were mustered; so I was sent on board of the frigate; and a fine large ship I thought she was when I first got on board of her, and I was put in the maintop; but I soon found my mistake out, for the very first night, at reefing topsail, I saw seven men flogged for not being smart enough; and me never seeing a man flogged before, I wished myself back again in my little brig. So here I could see the fruits of drunkenness; for if all hands had been sober aboard of the " Hope " when we fell in with the frigate, I should have been stowed away; but it was my lot, and I was obliged to content myself where I was, for our usage on board of the "Brilliant" was very cruel; for we had nine men doing duty aa boatswain's mates on board of her, and there was starting and flogging all day long, and the usage was very little fit to reconcile me to a man- of-war; but being young, and finding it was no use to fret, I made the best 1 could of it. And our ship being only just come out of Plymouth, and being bound on a six months' cruise in the Bay of Biscay, we went away to the westward on a cruise , and on the 20th of October we fell in with part of a West India co'ivcy, homeward bound, who had been separated in a gale of wind on the banks of Newfoundland, and had lost their commander; and thci« being no man-of-war along with theni) our captain found himself in t.uty bound to see them safe into port; and away we went along with ti.em for Old England, and in five days we arrived safe in Plymouth Sound, having a strong westerly wind all the way. And one of the masters of one of the ships told our captain, that about a week before they fell in with our ship they had been chased by 19 n. 290 NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. « Frrnch nrivateer, and thattho privatoer had taken two ships belonging S.;tirnr rcir^uainting the ^rSetU' t^ to' ^t .outhU U ho ga - P~;-V:£ of '^^^^^^ and t'TaS f^m P ylii' in the S'dlo of Nivember, and having notl,i..g hn^tronV westerly winds against us, we wore nearly three weeks before but strong wcsier«y wma fe ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^j- TaS two pri s-Cone^th^vLy pfivateer that had taken thoUvo shShTtwe were going to cut out. She was a fine l^"ga«'.|e, belong- ing to St Maloes, and The other a ship belonging to Bristol, that had be'ei taken by the privateer, homeward bound, only two days before we *'tnJ'n";w?Sl";ing arrived off the island, we arranged everything to go in tl thr'boats t^ cut the two ships out, and on the 4th day of Decern- her we left the ships, about four o'clock in the afternoon rherc were se^en boasof us dtogether-four from our ship, and three trom the " TaJbot^' The boat ^that I was in was a five-oared boat, halt g.g and half cutter. She was a very fine boat, and the commanding officer was inher whkh was the first lieutenant of our frigate, who Pu"od . •'^'^ J- ward ^nTforward to the rest of tho boats, to encourage tiie ;n;^^>y'^d to Tve his orders. We got into Santa Cruz harbor about ten o'clock in the eleniig, Ind we were lucky enough to board one of the ships, and get nossessi^n of her without'getting any one hurt; but not ««;v;";;he Sther shtp, for the noise we made in boarding the hrst ship put t n^n on Seir euard, and she, being a ship which mounted ten g.ins, opened her fie on our boats, which wire three bo:.ts which had to hoard her; and I bebnging to the commanding officer's boat, who was on hoard o the first ship that had been taken, and who was under ^^'S^ by this t me, and was going out of the harbor with a light breeze of wind oft the land, »nd our officer seeing how the other boats were likely to be hand cd, 1 e and it Le ng very dark bv Uiis time, and our boat being very soon Jillo'f water, we ^could not giVe any assistance to our shipmates, nor could we Jull back to the prize; so we were obhged every man o do the best thev could for themselves, and 1 was once inore left in a baa Suatfon, but, thanks be to God, I could swim very well, and I seeing a vesse lying pretty close to me, I swum to her, which P'-«^/fJ« ^,« "" American s^ch^oone'r. I hung on by her cable some time and he people being all on deck, I could hear them speak English; and at last "ne m thorn looking over the bows of the schooner, I spoke to him, a"d asked him tolt me come on board, and he gave me a rope's end, and I soon ao?on board When I first got on board of her, I was taken aft to the Se and Hold him how I came there, and he told the captain, who told foVwe could not see anything of her in the mormng. When morn.ng 3AIL0R. n two ships belonging privalccr iiad takon r«neritlc, onu of ttie mival tliat vas in Ply- ineriffe and try to cut ir, aloiig with us ; and er, and having nothing rly three weeks before I the good fortune of lat had taken tlio two ine brigantine, belong- [ig to Bristol, that had dy two days before we anged everything to go the 4th day of Dccem- fternoon. There were ip, and three from the ired boat, half gig and jommanding officer was jate, who pulled back- ourage tiie men, and to about ten o'clock in the e of the ships, and get rt; but not so wilii the le first ship put tlicm on ;d ten guns, opened her had to board her; and vho was on board of the ider weigh by this time, Bze of wind oft' the land, re likely to be handled, ) the assistance of their le quarter of the ship, a e man, and wounded two our boat being very soon ;e to our shipmates, nor obliged every man to do once more left in a bad very well, and I seeing a r, which proved to be an ome time, and the people [iglish; and at last one of [ spoke to him, and asked ! a rope's end, and I soon er, I was taken aft to the told the captain, who told jre, in the morning, to the ve me some dry clothing, :t, they behaved very well , the boats, and the boats r the forts, getting alarmed its got their ship safe out, morning. When morning T NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 291 was come, and I could see what sor* of people I had got amongst, I saw a young man on board of the schooner that I thouglit I had seen aome- whcrr; and, when I came to inquire, I found that he was an old ship- mate of mine, and fellow-apprentice in the " Joseph and Ann," and he was second mate of the schooner, and his name was James Martin. And, when we began to know one another, he told the cajitain of the schooner that I was a man that served my time to the sea service; and, the schooner being short of hands, the captain of the schooner .sent for me, and told me that, as I was a young man that served my time out of Boston — and he had no business to know what Boston it was, whether it was Boston in England or America — and if I had a mind to sign the Articles, he would put me on the schooner's books, and give mo thirty dollars a month; and ho would take good care no one should know how I got there. Now you may depend I was not long considering about what to do ; for, if I had refused to join the schooner, I should have had to go to a Spanish prison ; so I agreed with the captain of the schooner — she was called the " Speedy," of Baltimore. Now this schooner had brought out a new governor, from Cadiz, for the islands, and she was going to carry the old one home again, to any part of Spain or France she might be able to pitch into ; and we laid at Tenerifte for nearly two months before the governor was ready to go, and by this time I got quite com- fortable on board of her. And we sailed in the latter end of February, 1799, from Teneriftb; and, after being chased by many of the English cruisers, for the "Speedy" sailed remarkably fast, we got into a place called Cordivan, in France, the entrance of the Bordeaux River, by the latter part of March ; and we got up to Bordeaux by the i)oginning of April. And, after the governor was landed, and hia things out of"the schooner, and there being no freights for the schooner, the captain sold lier to the French Government, she being a very fast sailing vessel. And the crew, me in the number, wore paid our wages, and sent about our business; and me and my old shipmate, James Martin, went and shipped on board of a large ship, under Hamburgh colors, that was taking in a cargo of wine for Hamburgh; and you may depend thai me and my friend were glad to go somewhere, for it was dangerous to be ashore ; for if the police knew that you was a sailor, and not belonging to any ship, they took you and sent you on board of one of their frigates ; but, thanks be to God, we kept ourselves clear of them; and, by the latter part of April, our ship being loaded, we sailed from the town of Bor- deaux, and we got clear of the river by the beginning of May. And, after being at sea some days, our captain called all the men aft, and told them that he was not bound to Hamburgh, but that he expected to go to Loudon, but that his orders were to go to the Island of Guernsey, and wait for orders ; and, after a long and tiresome passage, we arrived at Guernsey in the middle part of June. And me and my old shipmate, knowing well enough that if the ship went to London, we should be pressed, and having such a great dread of an English man-of-war, on account of the usage I had received, we went to our master, who was a very good man, and asked him for our discharge from the ship ; and, after telling him our reason for doing so, he gave it to us, and paid ub our wages ; and ashore we went at Guernsey. And, after staying ashore three or four days, me and my shipmate joined a privateer, called the " Blue-Eyed Maid of Guernsey." Our vessel was lugger-rigged, and mounted sixteen gunsj and we carried one hundred and twenty men,. I ^ HARRATITB OF AS OLD EH0LI8H SAILOR. ru'.7c;"?eLrr^e' "".»"'"«.-. U- -e and ., p.«n.. and fifty pounds, wages »"°^P"'=^™„ j/t'ending to go to Boston, where friend went from «"°^°«^y ^^.J^?;,'^"^ old fri^ But this is the way we had served our time, '»«''. ^^,'*';?"he Almighty disappoints: for the of the world, for man ■^Pn^'oidon-wherTwe got in June, 1801-1 second day ^^er I arnved m Lond«n wh ^ J ^^ .^^ ,^^ was taken very bad of a fever and^ o,d%hipmate, who, during iny months; but I soon got better And rny^^^^ ^^ \^i^,^ to London again illness, had gone to Boston, »°J ^^^P^^'J^did not; for, poor fellow, he as soon as his business was «««2t that I had, as soon as he arrived in was taken with the same ^^^^ll'^^'J^.^Z So now, being left to Boston, and died in a w«e»^/"" -^^^^ ^ea I intended to settle myself myself again and being t.red f g«^,^"^g,^° £ '^Jovel, who was owner of J shore. With this '"*«f ;/ ,^3^ V,ed t^ discharge and take in the.r several wharves, where he ^--aders useu 10 « ^^ likewise to cargoes, and spoke to h.m, ««f /^i^^.^^i ZTZke of my money; and ask him what the best uso wou d ^e that 1 couUl y^^^^^ .^ he was very kind to me and ^''^^J.''''^ ' ovment kt any wharf that he bank, and that I should have constant employmen ^^^^y ^^^^^^^^ had, that I was a mmd to choose And ""^'^^ ; "„ jilness a young I go't to come to another; and that '«' ^ £ I h'^d^ot very fond of wSman that used to attend on me, I found tnaw f, :^^^ .^^.^ her, and I could see, by the "^t ''nt.on she paid me, tna ^ ^^^^^^ ^ ferenttohnr; and as I was going to stop on s^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^, ^,, and having money I ««» "Pif^iJ^be "^^^^^^^ and my wife we done and wood, and coals; and, ^^^anks be 10 , .wharves, loading ana very well, for I used to go every f y J^^J^^j'^ided the shop. And so discharging coasting J--^^;,^^^^^^^ of July, 'iSOS, when things went on quite co™^^? with out an end to all my happiness for a a strange accident «cc""«^.^^"^^ P"\?Jlg m„ther-in-law was a woman long time. The case was thi^: myj''^;,™^^ ^jfe and get things greltly given to ^""^^^^^^^^SVemoiey^n drink;' and having run up a EVP-r^e^my'Xspo^^^^^^^ he\ about it; but she, be.ng half drunk, abused my wife, and struck her. ^ ^^,^ ^^ „f ''Sy landlord, Mr. ^\^l^^:ZVtfZrTrJ^>or^ng; and I ran ,t, for my house was close to the whart wn ^^^ ^^^ ^^ up directly, and ordered *»«5 «"*fi**;Sd between us; and at last there any more; and a g^^.^^'^^.^.JItrT^ her out of doors; but ■he told me she would make ">« «»"/ '"' j^n to be sorry for what had I did not mind her. But I scKm had o^^asmn t y^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ happened; for the war between France and g^^^^^.^^^^ ^^^ ^ again, and the press was ^^J^*'*. informed against me that I was a Se lieutenant of the presB-gang, ^d m orm g^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ seafaring man, and "?"«t«Tlhenl w«i going «« "hut my shop up, the o'clock that same ©Temng, just when 1 was g«iuB : SAILOR. I, thanks be to God, we prizes and recaptures- id me and my partnei id about three hundred ether; and me ami my r to go to Boston, where ds. But this is the way hty disappoints: for the ve got in June, 1801 — 1 I to keep my bed for two lipmate, who, during my > return to London agam not; for, poor fellow, he as soon as he arrived in . So now, being left to intended to settle myself iovel, who was owner of charge and take in their atcnlion, and likewise to I make of my money; and best put my money in the iicnt at any wiiarf that he having tiiis point settled, uring my illness a young ,at I had got very fond of mc, that I was not mdif- loro, I thought 1 wanted a her consent, and we got iley Street, in the Borough, e to Pickle Herring Stairs; ;ll cabbages, and potatoes, me and my wife we done at the wharves, loading ana ninded the shop. And so r part of July, 1802, when d to all my happiness for a nother-in-law was a woman , to my wife and get things Irink; and having run up a out it; but she, being halt came down and told me of re I was working; and I ran le. and told her not to come ised between us; and at last irningheroutof doors; but lion to be sorry for what had md England had broke out wife's mother-in-law went to med against me that I was a ea; and about half past ten going to shut my shop up, the NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 293 pross-gang came and took me, too. I had a scuffle for it before I was takuu, j^r 1 knocked the first two down that came into my house; but I was soon overpowered, and was taken by force, and taken down to the boat which they had biouglit to Pickle Herring Stairs; and from there I was taken on board the " Enterprise," whicii lay at Tower Hill Stairs, where I was put, both legs in irons, and my hands tied behind me ; and there I laid till the morning, when ine and some more pressed men wore put on board of a tender, and sent down to the big Nore on board of the *'Oid Nauiur," which lay flag-ship there; and ne.\t morning I was sent on board of the " Childers," ten-gun brig, to be sent round to Spithcad, where we arrived on the 6th of August, 1802. And now having come a liitle to myself, you may depend my feelings and my mind was none of the best. The chief thing that grieved me was thinking about my wife ; for I knew siie was about seven months gone in the family way; but the only way 1 had left to do her any good was to write to her; and having, by good luck, three guineas in my pocket, which I put there in the evening before 1 was pressed, to pay for some potatoes, in the morning, which 1 had bought, 1 went and bought some paper, and pens, and ink, and I wrote a letter to my landlord, Mr. Bland, and told him where I was; and I told him to go to Mr. Scovel, the gentleman that had my money, for him to got two substitutes for me, which would come to about sixty pounds per man, and to let me know how my wife was, and to be sure not to lot my wife's mother-in-law come there. I directed this letter to Mr. Bland, for fear, if I directed it to my own house, it might have been stopped. I remained on board of the " Childers" three days after we arrived at Spithead ; and then I was sent on board of the " Royal William," which lay flag-ship at Spithead. And now all my hopes being at an end of getting an answer to my letter, as my letter would be directed to the " Childers," I turned to and wrote again, and told them where I was; but I might have saved myself the trouble, for I was only three days on board of the "Royal William" before I was drafted to the " Albion," of seventy-four guns, and she was bound to the East Indies for to take out a convoy of merchant ships. We sailed from Spithead in the beginning of September, 1802; and I left England with a heavy heart, not having heard from my friends. I often thought that none of ray letters had gone; and being very careless of myself 1 gave way to all sorts of badness, gambling, drunkenness, cursing and swear- ing, which brought me continually into trouble. We were obliged to bear up in a heavy gale from the westward, for Plymouth, after being clear of the Land's End; and after having all our defects made good, we sailed from Plymouth the 29th day of September, 1802, with a tine breeze from the north-east, and we had a very fine passage till the 5th of November, when we fell in with two French mer- chant ships, who did not know that the war had broke out again between England and France, and so they became easy prizes to us ; and I had the good luck to be sent on board of one of them, called the " La Favorite." She was from the Isle of France, and was bound to Bor- deaux, in France; and after the exchange of the crew, and our captain sending water and provisions on board, we parted company from the fleet for Old England; and you may depend I was glad enough. But the ship that I was in was a very dull sailing vessel, and she was very leaky, so wt made very slow progress across the Trade Winds ; but by the beginning of December we fell in with a westerly wind, which was NiBRATIVE OF AN OLD ESOUSH SAILOR. and parted company ^''^^"t m' of her, which was a very rascally wind and wc never saw ^11""°'^ °'J''' ,eaky, they ought to have ,rick of them; for they kn«*'"8 ^^!'!'fnd Jd fine weather, we kopt on "topped by us. But we havmg a fair w'"" wja nn December; and trio Jo till wo got into Boandmgs on h IJth day^^^ ^^^^ ^.^^^^ ^.^^^ the next day. m the ™«"";8'V\,i,'h proved to be a French pr.vateer. we saw a lugger close to us, «^hich P^ ^^ „ight have had a h«ht Now if our partner had been '^'«"8^^^'' ""'";;„„ four guns, and being Zl: hut being by ourselves and on^y -ouf-»/,^^ «?veral day., and .hort of P^°v.s.ons, for we had been s^x P^ ^.^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^, i being continually at the Pvimp«' «« ^ and twenty men; ho we were mounting sixteen guns, and on« ''"»";^ , fo„nd that our other prize boarded,'and taken by J^" P^^^f ^/^ ,,« same lugger. For getting had been taken two ^ayB helore by f, ^^J^^ ^^, another ship information from some of the *rencmn ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ j coming, she l/'d ^o for us m ^^^ t^^l^'^^^j ^^^ i had a sure prospect sent on board of the French '"gse^- J^ ^j,^ ^^^y commencement of before me to be^made a priso^r of w ' at ^ ^e ^ J^i.^ f the it; but, thanks be to God d'd "ot ^y^ ^^y J^^ ^^^ j ^^^ „^, ^e Frenchmen on board of the 'WJ " j^^^ j f^ll in with a young man on many days on board of the ^gg^^..^, " g^if ^ho had been a shipmate the same. , . . . „ f^j gt Maloes, and we got into the We steered, with the P"^« "/"^gOS Now the captain and the mate harbor on the fifth f J «J ^^^.^'an E^nglish prison, U they had been keep us out of prison. -^ g^ Maloes, it was late Now when the privateer and the pr>zes got ^^ ^^^^ ^ in the afternoon and the crew binjog^ ^ ^^ d and got them all safe m, and tneir ir ^^^^ ^^ ^^g bringing them something to ^-^^ and to Jr «>; jnat y^.^^^^^^_ ^^^ S th'cre was scarce a sober r^an on b« rd^ol ^^J ^.^^^ captain not being able to s^nj us on sno ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^„ ^^ us to look out for onrsf es, for he wouW ^.^s ^.^^^^^ toward us in the morning. We thanked him Kmaj ^^^^^^ ^^e most of it and me and the G!^«^r?y ""^^ .^'twed astern of the privateer, and Now one of the prizes boats was towea ^^^ ^^^^ ^^.^^ ^^ with her we attempted to ^'^^ ""^.^^^''^Pf'^ur fellow-prisoners we could after it was dark, was to see how many o t ^^^^ ^^^.^^ ourselves get to go along with us; ^"^/^^^^J'Cl the boat up along side, and h^n^r":?yt£| ZT^^ necessary for our voyage, such a. provisions and water. AILOU. made the best use wc Bcks' provisions when , and still were a long 1 deal better than us ; ,fter. We had a fair i was a very rascally ky, they ought to have le weather, we kopt on day of December; and r, and very little wind, »e a French privateer, might have had a fiKht IT four guns, and being tr for several dayn, and ttle fit to fight a vo^sel irenty uien; so we were nd that our other prize lugger. For, getting there was another ship were taken, and I was yv 1 had a sure prospect very commencement of long with them ; for the well, and 1 had not been in with a young man on rho had been a shipmate " who could speak the ing, and he told me that d help it, and I told him does, and we got into the the captain and the mate .rison, and they had been im spoke very good Lng- go to prison; and he told anything in his power to nto St. Maloes, it was late I at taking so many prizes, coming to see them, and s, that by the time it was of the privateer ; and the the evening, he kindly told )bliged to send us on shore his good wishes toward us, )uld make the most of it rtern of the privateer, and and the first thing we done ,r fellow-prisoners we couW ,ne more beside ourselves, he boat up along side, and ary for our voyage, such as T NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 295 ; i We had the good luck to find two breakers of water, each breaker holding about seven gallons; and, as I told you before, the Frenciimen'a friends fetched plenty of bren'l and other things on board ; we found a pretty good stock of it, enough, with care, to last us two or thrno days, by which time we expected, with (iod's help, to be in England. And aft(!r getting one of the privateer's compasses into the boat, we wore all ready; but it would not do for us to start before the rounds had been, which was a guard-boat that pulled round the harbor once a night; so we dropped our boat astern again, and laid down quietly till tiie giiard-iioat was past, wliich came round about ten o'clock in the morning. And our Guernsey man was lucky enough to hear the watchword for the morning; for in going out of the harbor, we had to pass close to a fort on our star< board hand, and the sentry was sure to hail you to ask tiie countersign. So after the guard-boat was gone, and everything was quiet, we started, and we passed the fort about three o'clock in the morning; and, thanks be to God, wc got clear of the mouth of the harbor long before daylight. Now the wind, when we left the harbor, was about east-south-cast, and we being bound to the northward, we had a fair wind, and a fine breeze; and we all expected to havf made some part of England by the next day; but our hopes were very soon all frustrated, for toward the middle part of our first day at sea, the wind came round to the north-east, and from there to north-north-east; and it came to blo'.v very hard, and we were obliged to close-reef our sails, and lay as close to the wind as we could: and we made our course nearly north-west, which was four points off our course that we intended to steer for. It blew very hard all night, and it was very cold, and you may depend we were all very glad when it pleased the Almighty to send us daylight once more; but we could not see anything of any ship or land, and we all sat down to eat our scanty breakfast; but before we sat down, we all went to prayers to return thanks to God for preserving us during the night, and hoping that the Almighty would protect us during the day. After we had done our breakfast, the wind lulling a bit, we shook one reef out of our foresail. But not to tire my reader with everything that we done; we stayed in this condition for four days, the weather being very thick and hazy, and very little wind. We saw a large ship close by us, and being all hands very weak, we got our oars out, and pulled after the ship, which at last we accomplished; and she proved to be a ship belonging to Bremen, with emigrants from Hanover; for the French had drove them out of their country, and they were bound to Baltimore, in America. When we first got alongside of the ship, the people on board of her came to the gangway, and seemed quite surprised to see so many poor wretched looking men in so small a boat; for uur boat was only twenty -five feet long; and they asked us, in German, where we came from, and what we wanted. Now I being the only one that could under- stand a little of the German language, which I learned at the time that I belonged to the Hamburgh ship that I mentioned, I told them that we were Englishmen that had run away from a French prison. As soon as they heard it, they told us to come up; and you may depend we were glad to hear that ; and we tried our best to get up, but we could not, for we were so weak, and so cold, that we could not stand upon our legs. So the captain seeing this, he was kind enough to send some of the crew into the boat to help us, and they were obliged to haul us up the ship's side with ropes; and, thanks be to God, we all got safely 11 NARRATIVE OP AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. well as 7«^ l/,^!,'. "^'^^ 3/«ome very squally weather, we nplit a servers ; lor w« J*' '"f ';j"be"„7a middliig good sail-maker, I was d oe no" mt: than'Vs duty; but, as we --.ver^ short c^cloth.ng, he would give us a suit of cl^^^^^^^^^^^ i°^A^ Tr Z L^nd offer and he gafe us our clothes; and, in fact, every brothers; and we a I were vpry coniio ,. . . • j^ j j ogj licr men overboard when th« *cf ^^JiKe b^ardof the brig to assist our .p.,e .p.r fQr w ''«• '"'' ? '"f f 'V plewed God lo .end him .aft X'oi' 'wr;UbtkrCc".pau?hL«il,forhi. ti„dne.. »«.d UB, and we parted company. ,, Spring-flower," Now the brig that we S^'^^^^'^^^^^ZmPori Royal, Jamaica, belonging to Liverpool; and she J^ J^^^^yal under^onvoy of a bound to Liverpool. She 8»'»fa '™™J"^ very dull sailer, she lost the ftigatej.but be ng very deeply lade^^ ^,^^ .^, ,,^ ^^, convoy m a g'^l^ «f J'^J'i^'eberg, and lost her foremast and bowsprit, fortune to run foul of »° '^^'^^8' ^^ „„ board of the brig, we found and five of her men. When we came on b ^^^ the master, two men, and ^ boy, and "^»'» P»">;;| ^^^ „„, ;,,,,,3 „p, aUogether; aBd we turned to^^^^^^^ God's help we StiTtteTe oL^dXT-Sat we w'^rJ able to set a maintop-gallant SAILOR. 1 boon ntarly five days lad Hciircoly provisions losod, in tin) month of BDOW bealiiig about us; nd if tlioy had given U8 pen our legs. But the and tl>e doctor had us I a little sago and Home icit I did not awako till id people's care, I was but wo hud the misfor- the day after wo were some of them were a ;eii days' time, I was as )me service to my pre- lUy weather, we split a good sail-maker, I was a very much. Now the n, and she being a very the boat to him; for 1 is the reason the captain boat was of any use to ly opinion, we owed him r his kindness toward us it that price, for he had ery short of clothing, he shirts a piece out of the :e, and thanked him very jthes; and, in fact, every f we had been their own board of her, till the 16th ish brig, who had lost her ieberg; and she lost five 1 had only four men left. :d of the brig to assist our f the brig; and you may iry heart, for they all had kind enough to give ua a lid the master of the brig id God to send him safe f for his kindness toward illed the " Spring-flower," )m Port Royal, Jamaica, Royal under convoy of a sry dull sailer, she lost the Lerward she had the mis- er foremast and bowsprit, »ard of the brig, we found coming on board, made ten 11, and got our shears up, hich, with God's help, we ble to set a maintop-gallant T ( NARRATIVE OF AN OLD EN0LI8H SAILOR. 297 sail for a foro-tojisnil, and a lower studding-sail for a furosaii, and a fore- topmast stuysiiil tor u jib. Now the (iiijtaiii of the brig being well ploas(3d with our work, and soeiii;,' \v(! wiiit! veiy uliort of clothing, and especially when lie heard how \vc '^ol uii lK)!ird of the lireiuun ship, was kind enough to ^rivc us the nun's clotiins that had been drowned, for our use; and tiie mute of the brif,' ixiiig drowned, he made mo mate in his Htead, tor I whs i\w only niiin out of the wiiolc that could read and write. Now the bri^r had l)(!t'ii out u long time at scu, and though she was bound to I'^ngliind. we could itot attempt a |>assage to England in that time of the year, and the state the vessel was in. The island of Bermuda was the nearest land to us, so wi. Htfercd for Bermuda, where wo arrived safe on the 3d day of March, IBU.O. And now being upon my own hands again, and having a little money, and a fcvvclotiios,mc and my old shipmate, the Ciuernsoy man, shipped on board of u brig called the " Sprightly," about one hundrtnl and twenty tons burden, and she was bound to Barhadoes, one of tiii! West India Islands, and we suil)>d from Bermuda on the 2d day of April, 18U3, and we arriv(!d at the island of Barhadoes, after a pleasant passage, the latter end of April; and I traded, on board of the "Sprightly," from one island to another, till August, 18U4. And I had made a good bit of money by this time, when, on the 24th day of August, 1804, we were coming up to windward, and I had the middle watch: it was Just after two o'clock in the morning, for I had just been relieved from the helm; the weather being very thick and hazy, we were run down by a largo ship, called the " Big Ann," of London. She came down upon us so quick and unawares, that I had only just time to get hold of her bohstays, and I sung out to the rest of them that were on dock; but only one, beside myself, had the good fortune to save himself, and that was the mate of the brig. The rest of the crew, six in number, found a watery grave. The captain of the " Big Ann " tried the best that he could do, for he hove to directly, and lowered two boats down, and pulled about in our direction. We could not see anything of the brig, or of the unfortunate crew; so, when everything was quiet again on board, and made sail again, the captain called the mate and me, and asked us the particulars about our brig, and we told him all we knew about it. He sent us down below, and told us to lay down till the morning, and he would see what he could do for us; but, for my part, I could not sleep, and I believe my partner in misfortune was the same, for I heard him getting up, every now and then, and singing out for one of his old shipmates, or singing out " Hard a starboard! there she comes!" I went to him and tried to quiet him, but it was of no use, for by the morning he was raving mad; and the captain and some of the passengers did all they could for him, by bleeding him, and giving him what medicines they thought would do him good; but all was of no use, for he died the next day about four o'clock in the afternoon. And now I being the only one that was saved from the " Sprightly's" crew, however all well and hearty only twenty- four hours ago, I knelt down and thanked the Almighty Giver of all good for his wonderful mercy toward me; and I felt greatly relieved afterward. Now the ship that I was in was from London, bound to Port Royal, Jamaica, and she had a good many passengers on beard, and the captain was kind enough to mako a coUectiou for me, and he collected .,9ft NAURATIVK OF AN OLD KNOMSH SAILOR. .1 y « Auk .Ht,"l804, and I wan obliged to R" «" «''""', l! "^^ I , v" """ , ^ \ , ... ,,,11 -n tlini I know about the los« ol tlio '•W)irit,'l>iiy s'ri;;' "tiu':" i' " ,i L Iti .-."^.i .h. ».„.« .!.». «» ,.,,.■ ....... PrPnch ft L'atca were cruising in their track, from the coast ot A ii. a o the West Indies 80 our captain altered bin mind, and, .n n.on. o ^m, g .l.P VvUt ml es we steered for Rio de Janeir.., on the <-oasl ol the Brazils where we 'arrived on the 16th day of April 1005; an, as hoo„ "'sr'S'l wafoTce more on board of an English man-of-war; and I warm work whde ,t >^« j^J' ^^\'j,^^^^^"^^^^^ ^^^s se"t on board of one of gained the -^^ . ^"d f er the actmn ^^^^^ ,^^^,^^^f^^„ ^, , „;,,«„- the prizes, a Spanish seventy. our an j^^.^^^^^ before we got on FI 8AIL0R. n, ill tho namo of thfi tiiriu'd tli.'oing iineiro, on tiie coast of the • April, 1005; and as soon ihip cleaned, w(; took in a om Rio de Janeiro the last 1; and we had a very <;ood I becalmed for twelve days, hat WPS just after we had ) brec/e across the north- . we fell in with a lleet of ttcr-of-marque commission d presset' forty men out of t on board of the "Spashot," English man-of-war; and I iged to Hamburgh, in C«er- t would not do; they would et clear, I contented myself, Wc kept cruising at sea, the month of October, when ore ships; and then wc were -first of October, when we action; and we had pretty to God, we beat them, and was sent on board of one of had lost her fore and mizzen- aftcrnoon before we got on and exchanged, it was nearly fore, and mizzenmast ; but by I mizzen standing; but they cT on a gale of wind, we soon NARRATIVF, (Jf AK om KN0LI8H SAILOR. 290 lost our jurynifist again, .did we were u, ^"in;^ as fast as we could toward llie Spaiiisli sli, '• It is Irfnl enough to (n- on a Icc'-shori' in a gahi of wind at any lim<', tvU especially when thiit I shore is an eiitiny's coast; but we found thiif, if the gale cMff'^'niied, we siiould have to go on slior<< before morning; mi our commanding oliiccr thought best to run her on shore v/hile it was daylij/ht. To etl'oct this, we had lo get the ship before tho wind, which we could not elfect without cutting away the mainmiiHt, which we were obliged io do, and iIkmi sitting a spritsail upon the bowspiil. ^'^<' got the ship beCoro tlu; wind; and as soon as we got the ship bet'ore the wind, we opened the hatches lo let our prisoners come up, so that the poor fellows could look out to save their own lives; but tho ship run upon a sandy bench, hut, thanks be to (iod, being nearly a new ship, and very strong built, she k(;pt togethi^r, and she soon workijd herself broadside on; and us on board, heaving all thi; starboard guns overboard, and rolling all the shot we could get at, or any heavy thing, over to the larboard side, we mado shifl to give her good list in shore. And the ship having worked hiirsrlf broadside on. and well into the sand, we contrived to get ashore under her lee, which we did by cutting her port gangway :ind hammock neltiiigs away, and launching her boom-boats, which wc etl'ected after a good deal of trouble, and by which I got my right li!g ami my arm hurt a good deal, which laid me up for some time afterward. Now, aftir wo got the boats bailed out, we sent thi; prisoners ashore first, and thi.'ii fol- lowed ourselves afterward; and by four o'clock the next morning — that is to say, the 23(1 of October^we all got safe on shore. Now tli<» Spanish prisoners that had come on shore llrst, some t)f them had been and seen their friends, and, as daylight came on, they came down to assist us, which Uwy did, fur they brought us some brf^ad, and some tigs, and some wine, to refresh us, which wc wanted very much, for we had scarcely tasted anything the last twenty-four hours ; and the Spaniards behaved very kind to us. As for myself, after I had oaten some bread and fruit, and drank some wine, 1 tried to get up, but I could not; and one of the Spaniards, seeing tho state that I was in, was kind enough to get two or three more of his companions, and lifted mo up in one of the bullock-carts, in which they had brought down the provisions for us, and covered mo up with one of their great ponchos; and he tapped me ou the shoulder, and said, "Bono Knglish!'' And, being upon the cart, I was out of tho wind and rain — for it blew a heavy gale of wind; and I felt myself quite comfortable, only my leg pained me a good deal ; but, thanks bo to God, I soon fell into a sound sleep ; and, OS I heard ailerward, the French soldiers came down and marched the rest of my shipmates up to Cadiz, and they put them into a Spanish prison. As for my part, I was taken up to Cadiz, in the bullock-cart, and my kind friend took me to hia own house, and had me put to bed, whore I found myself when 1 woke. Now in tlie house where I was, it happened to be a boarding house, and a good many American sailors boarded there, and when 1 came te myself, my friend, the Spaniard, brought one of the American sailors to me, for to ask me if I wanted anything. 1 told the man very kindly tiiat I wanted some one to look at my leg; for I felt my leg very painful. Now this young man was mate of an American ship tliat was getting repaired at Cadiz, and he spoke very good Spanish, so he told the Spaniard what I wanted, and my friend went away and fetched a doctor, who could speak very good English, who dressed my leg, and assured me there 300 NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. were DO boncB broken, only he told mc that I must keep mysolf very quiet, and to bu sure not to drink any spiritd. I forgot to toll you that the first niylit that I got on board oi" tiie prize, while 1 was down below, to look lor 8oine rope, for to lush iho jury fore- mast to the stump of the old foremast, 1 picked up a belt; but, being iu a hurry, I never look 'd into it, but put it around me, under my fiock, and, being busy at work all the time that I was on board of her, 1 never thought no more about it till, now I was laying in bed, 1 felt it uncom- fortable round me, and I asked my new friend, the American male, if he would bo kind enough to take it off me. But what was my surprise when, on overhauling of it, I found that there were forty doubloons, ten dollars, and some smaller u^oney in it! My surprise was so great that my young friend perceived it, and I told hina the whole truth of it, how I came by it. My friend advised me to keep it quiet, and say nothing about it ; I told him J would. And now it came into my tliougiits that the money might be serviceable to me, to keep me from going to prison; and I spoke to my young friend about it, and he went down and spoke to the old Spaniard about it, who came up to me directly, and he told the American mate to tell me to make myself quite easy about that ; for he had been to the prison to hear if he could find out that I had been r !ssia^, and, when I had been missed, that they supposed that I had been drowned; so he said, "It will be your own fault if you goto prison." You may depend I was very glad to hear what he said, and I offered the old man a doubloon for the kindness he had shown me, which he at first refused; but, aller a good deal of persuading, he took it for to pay tiie doctor. And now this affair being settled, I rested myself quite contented till it pleased the Almighty to restore to me the use of my leg and arm, which got quite well in about a month's time; and me and the American mate got quite friendly together; and, their ship being nearly ready for sea, he persuaded me to join the ship that he belonged to, for they were several hands short, and they would be oDliged to ship Spaniards, without they cou'd get any of my former shipmates to run awuy out of prison and join their ship; so I agreed to go along with him, and I joined the "Matilda," of Boston, on the 1st day of Decem- ber, 1805. On leaving my old friend, the Spaniard, who had been so kind to me. I made him a present of iive Spanish doubloons, which he accepted; and 1 parted from him with a sorrowful heart. Wlien I came on board of the " Matilda," I was quite surprised to find four of my old shipmates there before me. They had made their escape out of prison through the assistance of some good Spaniards, and had got on board there before me. But you may depend that their sur- prise was great to see me, for I was believed, by every one, to be drowned; but we soon reconciled ourselves; and by the 4th day of December we were out at sea, clear of them all; and our ship, the "Matilda," was bound to Boston, in America, where we arrived the 26th day of January, 1806. I liked my ship so well, that I agreed to go along with them another voyage; and we sailed from Boston in the beginning I of March; and we went back to Cadiz again, and 1 had the pleasure of( seeing my old friend, the Spaniard, again, who was well and hearty. And now I must tell my readers that I staid in the " Matilda," of I Boston, till, in a voyage from Boston to London, in the beginning of thej year 1807, I was pressed out of her, while lying at the Big Nore; and was taken on board of the "Namur," guard-ship at Shoerness, and froiiil NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 301 ISH SAILOR. It I must keep myself very 1 got on board ol" tlic prize, pe, for to bsh iho jui y fore- ied up a belt; but, being lu round me, under my fiock, vas on board of lier, I never yiflg ia bed, 1 felt it uncom- id, the American mate, if he But what was my surprise •re were forty doubloons, ten ly surprise was so great that n the whole truth of it, how sep it quiet, and say iiothuig came into my thoughts that eep rae from going to prison; id he went down and spoke , to me directly, and he told elf quite easy about that ; for uld find out that I had been lat they supposed that I had your own fault if you go to ,r what he said, and I offered G had shown me, which he at rsuading, he took it for to pay lettled, 1 rested myself quite >3tore to me the use of my leg nonth's time ; and me and the ■; and, their sliip being nearly e ship that he belonged to, lor sy would be ooliged to ship ■■ my former shipmates to run 80 I agreed to go along with ton, on the 1st day of Decem- le Spaniard, who had been so Spanish doubloons, which he jorrowful heart. Ida " I was quite surprised to ,re me. They had made their ce of some good Spaniards, and you may depend that their sur- believed, by every oiie, to be jelves; and by the 4th day of ,f them all; and our ship, the »rica, where we arrived the 25tn o well, that I agreed to go along d from Boston in the beginning igain, and I had the pleasure of in, who was well and hearty. ,t 1 staid in the "Matilda," of London, in the beginning of the die lying at the Big Nore; and 1 aard-ship at Shoerness, and from there I was drafted on board of the " Spitfire,'' sloop-of-war. Although I was on the books as a foreigner, 1 could not got clear; so I wrote up to my old landlord, Mr. Bland, to hear if I could learn anything of my wife; and I asked him if he would be kind enough to come down to me and see me, and bring my wife along with him. I sent this letter away on Friday, and on Sunday morning Mr. Bland came on board of the " Spitfire " to see me. When we got down below, I asked him how my wife was; and then I heard that my wife was dead; that she died the day after I was pressed ; that through the fright she got, she was taken in labor, and she died in childbed, but that the child lived, and was grown a firie boy, and that he would be five years old if he lived till July; and he told me that he had never received only one letter from me, and that was the one I had sent from the " Albion," before I sailed in her; and Mr. Bland tcld me that he and his wife had taken care of everything; that after my wife was buried, and they got a nurse for the child, they sold everything that I had in the house ; and knowing that I had money in Mr. ScovePs hands, he went to him and told him all about it; and Mr. Scovel had allowed him seven shillings a week for to take care of the child and pay the nurse; and he showed me the account of the expenses he had been at, and I found that it amounted to nearly ninety-five pounds; so Mr. Scovel was still a debtor to me. After we had settled all our accounts, I gave Mr. Bland thirty doub- loons, and about one hundred and twenty Spanish dollars, and told him to take them to Mr. Scovel, to put to the rest of my stock; and I told him to be careful of my boy, and whatever he wanted, to get money from Mr. Scovel, and get it for him ; and I gave him two doubloons — one for himself, and the other for his wife; and I returned him my kind thanks for the trouble he had been at on my account. And after Mr. Bland was gone, I sat down and had a good cry for the loss of my wife ; and I returned my sincere thanks to God for his great mercy to me for raising up friends to look after my child. And now this business being settled, I went on deck to my work, and the next day we sailed for to join a convoy in Yarmouth Roads, and from there we went to Gottenburg, where we arrived in May. Nothing particular happened to me while in the " Spitfire," sloop-of- war, not till the 1st of August, 1810, when an accident happened to me. We were cruising oflfthe coast of Norway, and the weather being rather thick and hazy, for it had been blowing strong all night, and in the morn- ing, sending our topgallant yards up, a strange sail was reported froni the mast-head on the lee-beam; and the hands being turned up to make sail, and I being at the mast-head, binding the topgallant yard; but not getting our jewel-blocks on the yard before we were ordered to loose the sail, and was obliged to put them on after the sail was set; and I being out on the starboard foretop-gallant yardarm, and the slack of the lifts not being taken down, the topgallant halyards carried away, and the ■lack of the lifts caught me under my rump, and hove me right over the yaru; but, as luck would have it, I caught right across the topgallant bowline, and it being slack, I lowered myself down, till I got hold of the leech of the topsail, just before the ship was luffed to the wind. I men- tion this to show the wonderful mercy and care of God Almighty over us poor mortals; for if I had fell down on deck, I must have been killed upon the spot; but I got safe down on deck without any hurt, and I got the name of the "Flying Dutchman" among my shipmates. During our cruise off the coast of Norway, we took several prizes, and our 302 N4BKATIVE OF AK OLD EHOLISU SAllOB. war broke out; and tho l^r*^^'"^"'' ; ,. .. .^ Sintfiro," sloop- Rotors was off the Non^^^ "elir^? ItXwet^on^orr nU Cape to protect our trade, and to sec if we could see anything of h..n. ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ j, We arrived off the Capo in ^^c ^f " '^'^yi^ toth of June, when, very cold there; and we kept c"..Bing there d the UHh o ^^^ ,^^ ^^^ aboit four o'clock in the .^ft^"-""""' ^^^^Sna wi h her : she was about American frigate and a large schooner ah>"g w.m n ^^^ .^ ^^^^^ five or six miles dead to leeward of us, and we m ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^„.,„der Now our ship would ""'^''^^^^^^J^h^ for she was too heavy a ship would not allow us to go;>«"Y£ Ull the 4th of June, when both she for us to engage; so ^^e chased her till the l ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ and us got stuck among the ce, Jje nau .^ ^j^^^ three ^rees of north at.tudeNow^ tt brill daylight We part of the world, there ts scarce y any S ' ^^^ j^^ ^roke stuck fast among the ice till h« Hth day o , ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ up; but the " President" getting ^J^*' ^y^'^^'; ^ elear, we could see best of his way to the «''"\'?^:,^1 "^"^Jth^ corveUe had been sent aRer nothing of him, .lor any ° '^jJ'P',/?, ' ^e had been drifted off the ice the schooner, and the - Alexande J'''^«^^ " ,,^ » Alexander" till the by strong currents, and we did not f'^" '"^JIV" ^ j, ^^ Cape again, alt of June, and tj"" ^y^.'^^e'had tfkcn a great many^of our Arch- Now the "President'^ ^""^p^.San vessels, before we came on the angel traders, and a g"^^,"'^"^ f "^^^^j S^' ^'^''^^ '^ "" '"^' ^"^^ coast, and taken them into a P'f « ^^/''^"^ ;,^,bor. And when she got with very good anchorage and a v ry good ^.arb ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^.^^^^ ^^^ them in there, they took J\« ^f/jj^^'^^ „? ^^^ Greenland ships, belong- then set fire to them; ''"f^'^ylTn^^^h prisoners on board of her, and ing to Hull, and had put all the l^nf ^^"^ P" ,i ^^,^^ about twenty the Russians they had-t ashore at Cl^^^^ ^^^.^^^^^, ^^^,^,, miles up the river; so the Russians were V ^^j^^ „,y story. the Americans. I '"f^'"" jj'' J^^S North Cape till the latter part and purser went ashore to go a ?n«otmg. ^.j^ j.^^^^ the r'est of the officers »" ;j/^J„^f„;fel\atnTave me orders to land where our people were at work; and our cap g ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ the provisions, and then come back tor tnem ovisions I had dinner: and accordingly wej«°t' ^"J ^,^,11^"^ telling him the orders to the officer in charge of the «o^^'"g /"^t me away to obey them ; and that I had received from the '^^^'^'^l^^; ll^J^^^^l could not, for the we tried to go back the ^'^^^.^yj'f.jr round the island where our tide run so strong that we couW ii°t f^^h n, ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ captain was, so we tried to go round the omer y, ^^^^ was in vain, for the more ;;«. P""f^;S.„r in th? resolved to f island ; and having no grabbhng «r 2;°;^?.^ ^ere lying there, to hold ftlSlTJ d^r/rhrtdfand the pe%!e on board of m SAILOR. 1812, when tho American ican frij,'ate, Commodore ip, the " Spitfire," sloop- j, and tho " Bonne Citoy- 5 to protect our trade, and ; of May, and wo found it 11 the 10th of June, when, ir clearing up, we saw the with her: she was about re made all sail in chase, ihips, but our commander r she was too heavy a ship th of June, when both she ased her as far as eighty- d time of the year, in this -ht, but all daylight. We June, when the ice broke jefore we did, he made the we got clear, we could see orvette had been sent after lad been drifted oft" the ice h the " Alexander " till the the North Cape again, a great many of our Arch- lels, before we came on the ?olla, which is a large bay, harbor. And when she got vanted out of the ships, and ur Greenland ships, belong- isoners on board of her, and a small town about twenty iry much embittered against it interferes with my story. North Cape till the latter part , we put into CoUa, for to k and people being sent on re every day. Colla, being the 1st day of boat; and our captain, doctor We landed the captain and ut a quarter of a mile from iptain gave me orders to land em to take them on board to Uvercd what provisions I had y; and telling him the orders it me away to obey them ; and ne, but we could not, for the round the island where our other way; but all our trying further we got away from the in the boat, we resolved to g9 hich were lying there, to hold and tho people on board of NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 303 them seemed to be glad to receive us. Now these vessels were fisliiug- vdssels, seemingly waiting for tlie tide to slack before they could go to sea; and the one wu got on board of liailod another that lay pretty close to us, but we could not understand a single word they said, and we liad no suspicion that they were talking about us. So we laid ourselves dowu (|uite unconcerned, for the weather was warm, and wo being rather tired after our long pull ; and wo might have laid down about two hours, for 1 could not sleep sound, for I knew that our captain would be very angry for not fetching him to go on board to his dinner. But what was my surprise, on getting up, to sec two large boats, with al)out twenty men in each, close to us. And, coming along side, they took us out of our boat, and tied us back to back, and beat us unmercifully, and called us American spies, for they took us and our ships to be Americans ; and they had such a spite against the Americana for burning their ships, that they would not hearken to anything that we had to say if they could have understood us. So after they were tired of beating and ill-using us, which they did in a cruel manner — for they were a cowardly set of men, for a coward ia always cruel when he gets the upper hand of you; — so, after they were tired beating of us, they took our boat in tow, and took us up to Colla, the name of a small town in Russian Lapland ; and when we got there, we were put into prison, and they gave us some black bread to eat, and some water to drink, and the next day they put irons on us, and joined two and two together ; we had a shackle round one of our legs, and another on our hands, and so we were chained together; and then they sent a sergeant and eight soldiers as a guard along with us to marcii us to Archangel, which was about one thousand two hundred miles distant. And so we started on our travel in a very helpless condition. Our first fortnight travel was tho worst, for we traveled through nothing but woods; and when our stock of black bread got low, they used to feed us upon the bark of trees ; for every fir-tree has three different barks or rinds upon it, and the middle rind, when roasted by tiie fire, makes a good substitute for bread. But this was not the worst misfortune we had to deal with, for, having irons on our legs and arms, we could not pull oui clothes off*. And so we traveled on till we got clear of the woods, and we got in among what they called their towns; and here we got a good deal better used, and our traveling was a good deal better, for we used to get horsea from place to place; and they tied the two horses^ heads together, and when we were mounted on them, chained together as we were, our poor horaes had to keep regular step together, or else we were likely to be hauled oft* our horsea, which was very painful to our legs. And some- times we traveled in boats for whole daya together; and the nearer we got to Archangel our food became a good deal better, for they used some- times to give ua some milk, along with our bread, in the room of water ; and in this way we kept on traveling till the beginning of September, when we arrived in Archangel, where we were put into prison. We had been in Archangel prison two or three days, when we found out by the few words of Russian that we had picked up, that we were going to be sent to Siberia along with some more prisoners. And now we Uiought our fate very hard to be transported without having a trial ; but it happened otherwise. For one morning, when I waa out in the prison-yard, I heard two gentlemen talking together in German, and me understanding a little of the German tongue, I made bold to speak to one of them as well 304 NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. as I could. I told him what we were, and what ship we belonged to. Now this gentleman that I spoke to happened to be one of the English consul^ clerks and he soon spoke to me in good English,and told me tha ho would ^peak to'he consul a'bout us; and he was kind enough to;:ut h.s hand ,n h 8 pocket and give me a silver ruble, and away he went And I went to acquaint my shipmates of the news that I had to t-.U them; and you may depend they were very glad to hear the news, especially when I Zwed'^them theSilver ruble that the gentleman had been kmd enough to give me. And I went and bought something to eat with part of the money; for you may depend we were kept pretty short of prov's.ons; Td after J had eaten our bellies full, we «'" '«t«^"«f »';,^,f,«^'f ««^ for his kindness toward us, and waited with patience »>» f «»^ ha f past ton o'clock, when the turnkey came in and called us, and told us that "^VhJn weTame into the room where the gentleman was that I had spoken to the day before, he told me that the consul would be there dSy ; and, when the consul came, he spoke to us, and asked us wha^ ships belonging to England were stationed oflF the North Cape, and how v^^'cameto^leave our ship. We told him; and he spoke to the governor and the next morning we got our discharge from the prison. Now, in the «tato that we were in, we were not fit to go into a dean house or among clean people; so the consul put us into an outhouse that he had, and gave us some' clean straw to lie on, and two duck frocks and trowser, ipiece, for our old clothes were fairly worn out. And he "8ed to send 7. our provision every day from his own house; and in a week's time we were clear of all vermin, and as clean as anybody need to be And the English merchants and their ladies who 'f^^l^'dj.t Archangel, when they came to know how we had been served by the Russians, made a subscription for us, and bought us many thngs that we stood ,n need of. We stopped with our good consul til ^^e latter end of September when the « Oberon," an English gun-brig, arrived at Archangel, to take a convoy home to England f and the captain of her. Captain Young, a Jery good mTn, heard about us, and seeing the stato that we were m- for^th^^places hat the vermin had eaten into us were not quite healed uJ-he told us that he would take us to England. And on the first day Kctober we were sent on board of the « Oberon," -d ^he <.jU.n and officers behaved very kindly to us; and we sailed from Archangel 2 the 4th day of October, and on the 17th of^Ocioh^^v^hennp^ off the North Cape, we fell in with our ship, the « Spitfire, and the " W?w"errsl?Lntoard of our ship ; and, to our Sre'^'^^rpns'Z'Znl nut in irons. So Captain Young stated to our captain the s ate he found Ssii at Archangel, and the punishment that we had received trom the Russians. But our captain swore that we '^'^fiZ.X^djSZ the ship, and we were kept in irons til we a7'«J ?i.^« %«f ^^'J hJ orders came on board to let us out of irons; for Admiral Young had h« Sag at Leith Roads, and his son, the captain of the ." Obe'on^' J*f acquaintod his father with the stato he had found us in a Archan^^^^^^ And so now we thought it was all over with his affair; but t was not "J; for our ship received orders to go round to P'>''tsmo"th to be refitted, and in going round from Leith, as soon as we left th«J)ow"s-for we v.ere then under another admiral-our captam turned the hands up, and save me and a man, named Andrew Paddon, three dozen lashes apiece, for he swore that we two had been ringleaders, and that we intended SH SAILOR. ihip we belonged to. Now ne of the English consul's ,and told me that he would enough to rut his hand in 'ay he went. And I went lad to toll them; and you I news, especially when I in had been kind enough ng to eat with part of the pretty short of provisions; ill returned thanks to God atience till about half past sailed us, and told us that gentleman was that I had le consul would be there e to us, and asked us what the North Cape, and how d he spoke to the governor, im the prison. Now, in the to a clean house, or among juthouse that he had, and duck frocks and trowsers DUt. And he used to send use ; and in a week's time anybody need to be. And resided at Archangel, when d by the Russians, made a Ts that we stood in need of. ' latter end of September, rived at Archangel, to take 1 of her. Captain Young, a he state that we were in — a us were not quite healed land. And on the first day «Oberon," and the captain we sailed from Archangel h of October, when nearly ip, the "Spitfire," and the I our great surprise, we were ir captain the state he found it we had received from the intended to run away from rrived at Leith Roads, when for Admiral Young had his tain of the "Oberon," had 1 found us in at Archangel, this aflfair; but it was not 80, to Portsmouth to be refitted; we left the Downs — for we lin turned the hands up, and I, three dozen lashes apiece; aders, and that we intended NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 806 to run away from the ship. The other two men he forgave: and thus this aflfair ended. Now when we arrived at Portsmouth, we refitted our ship, and we were sent to cruise oflP Cherbourg along with some men-of-war. On the 10th day of February, 1813, it being a fine morning, wo chased a French lugger close into the land, and the wind dying away, and what there was coming from the northward, the lugger got clear of us; and we being close in shore, and standing away to the westward, I happened to be at the mast-head to look out. It was about half past ten o'clock in the forenoon, and I was sitting on the maintop-ga'iant yard, when a little battery, which we had not seen before, opened fire upon us, and the second or third shot they fired carried away our maintop-gallant mast; and me sitting on the maintop-gallant yard, I had a very clumsy fall; but our mainsail being hauled up, I had the good fortune to fall into the belly of the mainsail, where after some time lying there sense- less — for I must have struck against the mainyard in my fall, for I was bleeding a good deal — when there were some hands sent to help me out of the mainsail; and when I got on deck, I was obliged to be sent to the doctor, when I soon got well. And by the time that our ship came out to Spithead again, and was ready for sea, we were sent on board of her again, and we hoisted the convoy signal for the coast of Africa; and, on the 20th of April, 1813, we sailed from Spithead with about three hundred sail of ships, all under ditferent convoys. We staid on the coast till the beginning of May, 1814, when we fell in with an English brig from London, who brought us the news of the peace, and of Bonaparte giving himself up; and the brig brought us some newspapers, and some letters for the captain and officers, for she had been to Sierra Leone. You may depend we were all very glad to hear of the news of peace ; and the next morning we went to sea, and shaped our course for Portsmouth, where we arrived on the 20th of July. Now when we got home, an order was issued from the admiralty, that all men that had served eleven years, and all foreigners, were to be dis- charged. Now I being entered as a foreigner on the ship's books, I claimed my discharge; and I got my discharge from the service on the 2d of August, 1814; and I went to Portsmouth Dockyard to get my pay, and as soon as I got it, I went to the coach-ofiice and booked myself for London. By six o'clock that evening I was on my journey, and I arrived safe by seven o'clock in the morning, after being away from London a little better than twelve years. I was well and hearty after all my trials and crosses; and, as soon aa I got some breakfast,. I went to Vine Yard to see Mr. Bland ; but, when I got there, Mr. Bland was not at home, but Mrs. Bland was. I soon told her who I was, and asked her where my boy was. She told me that the boy was very well, and that he was at school; but she soon sent for him. And I told her not to tell him who I was, for I wanted to surprise him myself. At last, when he came into the room where I was, I could see a good deal of his mother's face in him, and it was not long before I had him in my arms, for I could not keep mydeif from him; and the poor boy, when he was told that I was his father, fell a crying ; but he still crept close to me, and we soon all got reconciled together. And, when Mr. Bland came in, we passed the day away in talking over past affairs; and the next day me and Mr. Bland settled our accounts together, and I went to Mr. Scovel. I found that I still had better than a hundred pounds in his hands; and, after all 20 gOe NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. heon . ™..s.e,', m..c .long w,.h m, ,n .he _^ SpRh e, »'l h^^;;' n!;ri.': ^-- -- rhi°NS^s:erwet;^v:r'. «>«» ..« ;«h of Julj-Tnd", a» «.o„ » our cargo w.s discharged, «c commcocod ''on^i;c°5■L ori^pLtrfrWng S»nd., ™„,ni.g,.hc b,ee» h.,ing r;7.t Sn-i'iih L,™rp ".^-.i: s-f f:p£| and in a .ery fe» minute, oar main rigging was in a blaze. And now Ml chance oLa.ing .ho .hip was ^'^^ ''rh^ir'r^'co'l^'no. go. ts«rau'i':f LrcKr.o°r..rrn.:^r o^ i»^ ihree boats-that is, the long-boat, pinnace, and jolly-boat; and we lay by the ship till she was burnt to the water s edge But Lf ion wi t^und apprentice to Mr. Mellish for Boven years, and SAILOR. kindness that ho had t ve com- doad in the boat; and after wo s"'" » '^ , r ^. fo^ we were all very Sed his body to the/eeP w't'.^;7°yltS ti/ ,,,„ek, another of weak by this time. And that ^ame ^ay, au j himself a good L boat mates was taken ravmgm^^^^^^^^ deal, he jumped overboard, and the 9ha« ^^^^^^^ ^^ j^, i Now there were only four ^^ "J '^"'!, but I was terribly dry; and with thirst. I can't say I was very hungry, but 1 ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ the next morning, be.ng th« fiftj/^y'^^^^^^ do to heave h.m mates dead. It was as much as the J^hree o^ u ^^ overboard, for we were so weak *« "'"'.'V "° ^ ^f the boat. And after after a good deal of ^^Pf ^f 'J Ve jew °«" h" """' '"^ '^' ^°''' '** that, we turned to and licked the oe^ on u. ^^^ ^^^^ qutch our thirst; and - -^ P;^^\'ae S^we h^^^^ Sme during the night our ^the'^P^J^S^ytht' came, the next mornmg, we could not help him. And when «ayu[,ii » ^^^^^^ ^^re so ^Vht^^m:T»'fot^^^^^^ belonging to London, and that iny P^^^^f/^^Vf her, and the doctor had dted^bout four ^ours after he^ got "boa^d"^^^^^^ i found told me that there was no f«« /^ ™« '^d „pon my legs. Now the fou mvself very weak, and I could not ^tana upo j e ^^^^^ ^^.^^ S that dfed in the ^^J^ere the four -^^^^ called the we were towing off The ship J^"" . ,V ^ borne in her. . u Noptune," bound home, and I J-^^ "^^J of September, after being We arrived safe at G ^vesend the 24th day ^^1^ ^^.^ ^^^^ ,„,^ „,e awav two years and four months. Aucr >^ 8 ^ ^ ^y surprise docks, 1 wlnt to Mr. Mellish's to see my son but >v^ ^^ ^,, 'jead, and To find that my son had gone to sea a°d tha m ^.^^ ^^^ j.,;, j that his widow had gone into the •^^""t'ry to i ^ „,igfortune, had Mr. Mellish told me that my f°"' f^^^^o fea in one of his ships, Teen continually teasing h'-" %l«t h m go to s^ ^ ^^^ for he said he wanted to J^^/" .^'' „ ^nd he sailed in a ship called to sail, he at last consented to let him f'^"" ". ^ ^bout five months. be "Seringapatam," --^y^y^ZATen^^Tsoo^ '^^' "^^ *'f '' And Mr. Mellish told me that he had been y S ^^^^ ^^^ j was very sorry to lose him from his sail lou- • t„.three pounds, for Told, Irlceived my wages, which .-^^""^^VgVirpaVme for the whole r captain and Mr. MeUish were kind enough to pj^^^^^^ ^^^ time that I h:.d been away fr««» t^".,';'Ph„es, and they got a good many have no monthly wages, but go b^ the shares ^^^J^ no acquaintance S^I^nTn^/frSld'- .': i^^ sbip that was bound to the South ^«s;;£^htia^;;rwing^^^^^ wm ■■1--^^*^^!^- ^^^ i^V ,tU.„-^LVT^ SA.ILOR. hs. And the next day ■ our boat mates lying ers over him, we com- •f for we wore all very bur o'clock, another of ill-using himself a good finished him. e suffered a good deal I was terribly dry; and nd another of our boat I could do to heave him itand upon our feet; but of the boat. And after ,e oars and the boat, to e fiflh day. And some we heard him groan, but came, the next mornmg, and my partner were so .Ives; but I made shift to en she came close to us, as along side of the ship; tell. „ , , IS on board of a whaler, ,er,the mate of our ship, rd of her, and the doctor ,er only kept off. I found n my legs. Now the four that ate of the whale that n board of was called the to go home in her. of September, after being got the ship safe into the • but what was my surprise t Mr. Bland was dead, and live along with her friends, ring of my misfortune, had to sea in one of his ships, r; and, having a ship ready d he sailed iu a ship called England about five months, a ;ery good lad, and that he And now, after our oil was i to ninety-three PO«n"i«' ^ ugh to pay me for the whole [n a South-Seaman the men >s, and they got a good many now, having no acquaintance , that was bound to the South I the "Spring Grove," and 1 ed from Gravesend on the 3d ,d passage to James' Island, ut It ihi land, where there By goin nside of the reef. t NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 309 you Clin fetch your anchorage without making a tack. Now on the eveniiiir of the 2d of February, it being a fine night, our captain iiitoiiilcd to go inside of the reef. I reasoned against it as much as I could, but it was of no use, for the mate said ho had been throu','h the passage a dozen times, and he could take the ship through it ; for he said if we went outside of the reef, it would take us a whole day to work up to our anchorage ; and accordingly we went. I liad the first watch on deck, which is from eight o'clock till twelve at night; but the captain being on deck all my watch, everything went according to his direction. At twelve o'clock the mate came up and took charge from me, and i went below to my cabin, and I soon went to sleep; but I had not laid long, when I was awoke by the ship striking upon the rocks. I jumped up, and put on my trowsers and my old jacket, and on deck I went; but when I got tiiere, the sea was making a clean breach right over the ship. And as soon as I got clear of the companion hatch, a cross sea took me and hove me against the larboard bulwarks, and carried me, bulwarks and all, away overboard; and I tried to swim a bit, but I still kept hold of the piece of bulwark, till another tremendous sea took me and hove me on shore. But the blow that I received knocked me senseless, and there I lay till about seven or eight o'clock next morning, when I came to myself, and I found our dog Nero standing along side of me, licking my wounds; for my head was cut, and my left side, where I had been hove against the rocks. When I got up, which I could scarcely do, I looked round to see if I could see anything of the ship, or any of my shipmates; but I could see nothing, only the dog, and he kept running to a short distance from me, and kept barking at something, and then came back to me again — as much as to say, " come here and look." And at last I went to see what it was, though I iiad a good deal of trouble to get there : and when I got there, I found one of my shipmates lying among the rocks, and you may depend I was glad to see it; but when I tried to get him up, I found he was quite dead, for his head was cut all to pieces. The man that 1 found was our carpenter, and his name was James Roberts. Now when I found that he was quite dead, I sat down beside him, and I cried like a child, for I was in great hopes that I should have had a partner in my misfortune ; for I could sec nothing but starvation before me, and I had a great mind to lie down along side of my shipmate and die; but the dog would not let me, for he kept pulling me by the trowsers for to get up; and the sun was very powerful and hot; so up 1 got to look for a place to shelter myself, and at last I found one under some trees, where I sat down to rest myself; but I had not sat there long, before I heard my dog barking again very loud, and I got up in hopes of seeing some one alive beside myself, but 1 could not see anybody; and when I came to my dog, I saw that he had found a land tortoise, which I knew was very good eating, but I had no fire to cook it by; but I knew that the land tortoises have three bladders in them — one full of blood, and two full of water; and, as I was very dry, I killed the tortoise, for I had my knife about me, the only thing then, excepting the clothes I had on, that I had saved from the wreck; and I took one of the bladders of water out of the tortoise, and I drank it, and I found it very good, and I gave the one full of blood to my dog ; and I ate some of the lean of the tortoise, and cut it in thin slices, and beat it, and spread it out in the sun to dry for myself to eat, and the rest I gave to my dog; .i;j.^%m': mm 1 ^'IW' 8,0 NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENOLISH SAItOR. ,„d the other bladder of w-r I burie^ in the «and, ;•- to .ho^ treej where I had fixed my present *»»'''*»i''\"^ , "(."^er, and I kn-lt down to S tS ^^t::^^'^^^^^^^^^^ -- ^« '- '« :ZU^l!!tZ^ ryX^ a^nPe of .e. and soon feU .ieep, Tnd I slept^ery --"^'^ ^'JlXa^'h to^r'tcould find anything washed After I awoke.I wenttothe beacniosee 1 ^^^ ^^^^. on shore from the ship, though I found '7 ^''^^ """ 'J ^nd ixxt thing ;ri could find nothing that had been — . « ,^°rfiint ; for .ny chie? I looked for was to see if I could find any g ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ,,,y ,„„^j object was to try to get a fire, for t en I sl.ou ^ .^^,^,^^ ^^j fo! I had found, in my poor «»2ff Jj-j'^X^^^^ a„d his knife on all the a few nails, and some chalk; and I '"^f "^J "[^^ ^^ but I could not find stones that looked like fl'"*-^^""^,;. ^ j^^ViTad to 1^ was to try to get any that would do, so the only ^^'''fj^f'^l^^^. ^,^, ^ow I had nothing two pieces of touch-wood, ">V . /hat wUh God"-^ ''^Ip^ ^ «l>ould be but t'wo pocket-knives, but » bought ha^w.thOoa^^^^^ p,^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^,^^ able to manage it. And I went back to my g , ^^^^ ^,^^ ^.^^^ „.ght before, to Sf^ HO">?^'""f;*^J,^^ wiich has a small leaf, and a way that I went, I fo""V. Thinrto ouench your thirst; for the stem ^S:^ S;:. o?^lSra?S it i a very good suhstUute ^^;;tLgU.spn.,l..r„edmyhea^^^ me in the way to hnd it. ^'^''^"-^j .L gorrel and it nnde it more tortoise's bladder was very good, ^^'.^J^^/^^^'^yTst, w<' wont to look doasant; and, after I and ™y d°g "'^J/,"; God, found, after a ,ood for sotne touch-wood, which ^'i^^^J .7,, ".^ ^^nth's tro.ble and hard .leal of trouble. And it cost me nearly ^^^^^^^^ ^^„ ;,,,. of woo-i work before I got a fire w 1 . ch 1 ^'^ J^ ^ f, i have mentioned, uuly together; and during this time lived W .^ „,. , ,agus which .h-at I tried several ™»;;^/5;^„ '„?"! ^e, which was a great help to Zt 1 g^t on better and better every day. ^^ ^.^^^_, , Now! must tell you '^^ .^^^.{^X ^^rZ^es, ^nd\h^ day that two holes in the earth ''"^ 1 got thirty sm^ ^^ February, I counted was cast away upon the island being »»« •*" / ^ole every day, till the from that time, and put a stone "J«^';« J^/Life, I cut a great notch thirty stones were f^ gone ; and then, w tu y ^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^^ on a tree that stood close by , so, by in ^ ^ ^^^^ j ^^^^ ^ days I had been on the '«^°f • .^ ^f J^fo'^able as' my circumstances Jk my meat, and ™»ke myself ^« j^°™^° ^^aps, wish to know what I would allow me to be. ""^ y°" "'f "'^/d the top shell of the tortoise did for a pot or a i'y^^S-P^lr.^^l' LZlV^l And 1 took great care tor a pot, and the under shell for a try ng p ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ Ihat t'ny'fire should -^/i^^^^trmer trials, that the wood would Ct :iiglVw£lwfwL\Tt o/it left, but it would never come to a SAILOR. land, closo to tho trees alter I hail oiilun, and r, and I kn-'lt down to derful meicy to me, to le me feel a good deal 1 then made my bed, ne, and soon fell asleep, lid find anything washed md my head very sore; shore. And iK'xt thing ike a flint; for my cliief e able to cook my meat; I knife and a gimlet, and and l)is knife on all the fire ; but I could not find to U was to try to get r- but now I had nothing aod'-^ halp, 1 should be ,0, where 1 had sU'\>i the coming back the same has a small leaf, and a four thirst; for tlie stem is a very good substitute hanks to God for sending ^r that I g"' ""^ "^ ''^^ ?rel and it m ui« it more reakf;ist, w<- went to look od, I found, after a ^^ood month's troible and liard ig the two pieces of wood as I have mentioned, only 1 sort of asparagus, which ,hich was a great help to )f trees to make sometlung ying a good many, I found Jery well; so, thanks be to ccountof my time:— I dug stones, and the day that I lay of February, I counted pty hole every day, till the ly knife, I cut a great notch 4ns, I could tell how many after I got a fire, I used to table as my circumstances rhaps, wish to know what 1 the top shell of the tortoise an. And 1 took great care as plenty of cork or match- trials, that the wood would but it would never come to a r NARRATIVH OF AN OLD EN(5LIH11 SAILOR. 311 blaze; and, to prevent my fire from going out, I always had two or lliroe pieces alight. Being busy the chief part of the time that I had been on the isl:tii(l in making a firn, 1 had scarcely gone any distance from the bourh, and from my grove. I resolved now to go into the interior of the .sliind, and, with this intent, 1 lighted a couple of large pieces of maU'ii-wood, that I knew would last two or three days, and away 1 and my d«>>r stiirted for the middle part of '.he island; and we traveled on a good whil ^^^ ^^^^^ ^j, ^^ ected she wa ^^^^^ ^^^ SS t af-I o?gh? to think myse f very -ky j'^^^^^ to send ar;y of the "Jane : SAILOR. wn as far as the rock of bound for several days, held on, though a great re driven on shore ; but i we got under weigh, e Dow us on the 24th ot resh on board for Christ- me of the Deal boats, to ry poorly, and he was not brig for about eighteen from England with us, at 1 when I loft the brig, the , year, and the wind \ya8 3n shore, when the wind line on to blow tremendous the beach. And I wanted sedtogoofftilUowwate, ,oon, and when I landed, It Qd the weather came on m ats tried to get off, but both nen, belonging to the boats, ; a heavy gale of wind and ; for our captain, as 1 told o ever since we left Gibral- o boys on board bes.de hiin- en a hundred g"i°«^%- . „ „ ,oard of the "Jane Ellen. d go off with me, I went to tafsituated, fori knew ha told me that I must content , would take care to send me t came on, the gale was still e getUng o^ board that night ,nle offered me a bed, and 1 t But it was still blowing Jwe could see no vessel m ,t was a man-of-war, and the een What to do, or what to 'he brig was lost, and a^^ hands „,and asked them what they npcted she was lost; and they Svtlmtlwasonshoreout vas to blame to send any o she was lying in an open road. ;and^hatiasallthesatistact.on moneyinmypocket;forIhad hid no occasion to draw any ned her% had my pay fVom the NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 317 to travel up to London, and go and see if my son was alive or not. Now all the money I had in my pocket when I "started from Deal, which is seventy-two miles from London, was three shillings and sixpence ; and it was bitter cold weather, for I started from Deal on the 2d day of January, 1826; and, thanks be to God and good friends, I arrived in London on the 6th of the month ; and tired enough I was ; and all the money that I had left was twopence. I had middling good clothes on my back, and I went to Mr. Mellish to inquire after my son; and when 1 told Mr. Mellish of my new misfortune, he told me that I was a wonderful man ; but when I asked him concerning my son, he told me that he was married to. his housekeeper, and that they were doing very well ; and that he had paid the sixty pounds to my son, according to my wish. I thanked him very kindly; and he told me that my son, in coming home in the " Seringapatam," had the misfortune to fall out of the maintop, and broke his left arm, and it not being properly set, he had partly lost the use of it; and when he came home, having a very good character, Mr. Mellish made him wharfinger at his wharf, and after a little time ho got married. I told Mellish how I was situated in regard to money, and he was kind enough to give me five pounds ; and he told me, that if my circumstances would ever allow me to pay him, I might, but he should never ask me for it. I thanked him very kindly for it, and I asked him if he would be kind enough to send for my son, which he did; and when my son came in, he was quite surprised at seeing me, and he and I went home to his house. And when I came to tell him how I was situated, he called his wife in, and told her that I should have to stay along with them a few days, and that I was his father; but I could see by the first appearance of her actions that I was an unwelcome guest, for she said she did not know how to make room for me. I told my son; "Francis," said I, "seemingly your wife, whom I thought to embrace as a daughter, is not agreeable for me to stay here. Give me a few sailings, so that 1 can go and get a lodging somewhere for the night;" for I did not let him know that Mr. Mellish had given me five pounds. He told me he would try what he could do, and away he went; and I heard him and his wife having very high words outside of the room, and between other words that passed, I heard her calling me a beggar. My temper, at that present time, could not stand that, and I got up and went out, and wished them a good night, and I left the house, and I have never seen her since; and away I went down to Tooley street, in the Borough, and there I got a lodging. In a few days I got pretty well round again, and I went to Lloyd's office to report the loss of my brig, and likewise to see if I could recover any of my wages; for I was sent on shore on duty, and certainly I ought to be entitled to my wages to the time we sailed from the last port; and they told me that as I gave in my claim for wages due to me for the "Jane Ellen," that as tsoon as they had returns from Sierra Leone, they would pay me what was due to me. I staid in London till the middle of March, when I shipped on board of a brig called the "Intrepid" packet, and she was bound from London to Gibraltar, and from there to Buenos Ayres. And we sailed from London the 2d day of April, 1825, and, thanks be to God, we had a very good passage to Gibraltar, where we arrived the Ist day of May, anil sailed from there the 6th of June for Buenos Ayres, where we arrived cm the 30th day of July. V X 318 NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. Now at this present time the Buenos Ayreans wore at war with the Braziliiuis, and the River Plate was blocited up; so wo were obliged to go and lay in a place called Helsinado, about seven miles from Buenos Ayres, and there we laid till March, 1C26, when our captain got a freight for (iibraltar, to carry some of the old Spaniards home to their own country; and we sailed from Helsinado on the 6th of April, 1826. But coming from Helsinado, down the River Plate, we were caught in a very heavy Pampiro, and were very near losing the brig; for our mate that came from England with us, had left us at Buenos Ayres; and the young man that we got in the room of him was not experienced with the country he was sailing in ; and at twelve o'clock, when I came on d»ck, he told me to clear away the flying jib, and I told him, " You had better shorten sail as fast as you can, or else you will lose every stitch of canvas that you have got set, for I see it arising;" and I showed it to him; but he said, " Never mind, do as you are told." And I told him that for the safety of myself and the brig, I could not do it; but if he would not shorten sail, I should be obliged to call Captain Gordon, wliich I accord- ingly did. And when ho came on deck, we began to shorten sail; but it was too late then, for the Pampiro struck the brig, and she was hove on her beam-ends, and every stitch of canvas that we had set blew into • ribbons. I advised our captain to let go both anchors, so as to fetch the ship's head to wind, that she might righten; and accordingly I went forward, and got some of the men to lend me a hand ; and I let go the best bower anchor, which brought her head to wind; and the brig rightcned, for she had then been nearly a quarter of an hour on her beam-ends; but still she would not bring up; and, with a good deal of trouble, I got the small bower anchor clear, and let it go. And she took the chain to the beam-end, but still she would not bring up, but still kept drifting; and we were afraid we should drive on a sand called the English bank. So, after a good deal of trouble, we got our stream anchor clear, and let it go; and after she got tl'3 best part of the stream cable, she brought up in five fathoms water. But all this time neither the captain nor I could see pnything of the mate, and we were afraid that he had gone over- board, and had been drowned; but after we got everything middling snug, we found our mate stowed away down in the fore-hold, among the water-casks; and he said that he was knocked down the fore-hatchway when the squall first struck the ship. We did not believe his story; but the captain had been obliged to make him mate, for he was one of the owners' nephews. Now after we got everything pretty snug, we set the watch again, and next morning it turned out to be very fine, and we went to work to bend a fresh set of sails, for our old ones were all blown to pieces; and after getting our anchors up, and stowing them, which took us two days, we went down to Monte Video, where we arrived on the 12th day of April. And after putting everything to rights, we sailed for Rio de Janeiro, where we arrived on the 1st of May. Now as I told you that we had lost all our canvas in the Pampiro, and bent all new ones, except what we called our fore and aft spencer, and the brig having only one on board, I was obliged to make a new one, for the captain knew that I was able to do it ; and accordingly the captain bought the canvas, and I cut the sail out; and on the 18th of May I and the mate were working about the sail, and I saw him putting a piece of canvas the wrong way; and I said, " Mr. Middleton, you are putting that piece in the wrong way.*' OR. ; at war with the I were obliged to iios from Buenos ptain got a freight me to their own \pril, 1826. But ! caught in a very or our mate that s; and the young I with the country on d«ck, he told lad better shorten eh of canvas that it to him ; but he 1 him that fur the if he would not 1, which I accord- shorten sail; but md she was hove had set blew into a fetch the ship's Iv I went forward, go the best bower irig rightcned, for r beam-ends; but trouble, I got the >k the chain to the kept drifting; and English bank. So, or clear, and let it le, she brought up aptain nor I could e had gone over- erything middling re-hold, among the the fore-hatchway ieve his story; but he was one of the e watch again, and mt to work to bend ) pieces; and after )k us two days, we 12th day of April, r Rio de Janeiro, 1 you that we had ones, except what liaving only one on tin knew that I was e canvas, and I cut vere working about wrong way; and I I the wrong way.*' NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 319 He told mc to mind my own business; and words arose between him and me, and at last he jumped up and struck me. 1 was obliged to stand in my defense, and 1 gave him a good boating, so that he was obliged to go below. Now I knew well enough that when the captain came s from tw ^^^^^^ he was in, i *^o" ," „ij j^ for him; and he asucu ^.j^ laid in my power I would dolor ^^^ uj know I can t iiv^^ ^^^ We arrived in i'lymouiu J ,. Portsmouth, to taKeui j^ refitted om .hip, ««2nV»T» «»-"■" ^'"o V«, I^e djrt.om J 3B. e completed our head on the 10th r" frigate, and 1 or a petty cfficer, We went to jom 5 command of Sir nning of August; [1 there we went a try, 1833, we were tham, fitting out, 1 my own age, and a ,n account tliat she i do no better with r, and, thanks be to red to go to Lisbon, re we were ordered Sod bless him, was the 13th of Septem- m twelve o'clock at ,is name was Henry ly men came to me, r, was very bad, and 3ion from the officer found Ellis very bad, morning. ,eing in the state tha um that anything that sd me to speak to the ow I can't live much said to me, "Swear „v wife and children. Kttime,Ihadlittle perform it, for my wife only promised him to hortly after I had left id was to acquaint the very kindly granted it; he waB buried m the came out from England ship, to attend upon the S to see her friends^ Uil; and after we had , to take the state barge e; and from Portsmouth aueen came down from t to Helvoetsluys, on the wewentbacktoSheer- at Lisbon. And on ho , and went down to th.> 4 o'clock in tlie morning, i wind about north-nortl.- NARRATIVE OF AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. 321 east. And a little after six o'clock in the morning, being just below Dover, wn had the misfortune to run the " Cliainclcoii," revonuc-cutter, down ; and out of seventeen men and officers on board of her. we could only save two men and two boys. Though our ship was hove to instantly, and our quarter boats down, we could not save more; so there were thirteen poor souls drowned. We .staid by the spot some time afterward, but we could see no more of anything belonging to her. And we proceeded down to Plymouth, and there we had a court-martial upon our captain and officers, and our captain was honorably acquitted; but our third lieutenant was dismissed the service, and all hands on board were very sorry for it, for he was a very good man. And after the court-martial was over, we sailed for Santander, on the coast of Spain, where we arrived on the 1st of Octo- ber; but it being a very bad roadstead for ships to lay in, in winter tiine, we went down to a place called Passages, and there we got our ship in, and moored her. But we found that our ship struck at low water, and we were obliged to go from there to Santander again ; and we went into Santander harbor, and there we lay snug enough. One of my shipmates that came out of the " Castor " along with me, got married^ and he lived at Gosport ; and he asked me to come over with him, one night, before I left the ship, to spend the evening with him and his wife, and I agreed ; and enjoying ourselves till it was too late for me to go on board, I was obliged to get a bed somewhere for the night; and my shipmatti's wife took me to a widow woman who let beds. What was my surprise when I found this woman to be the widow of my old shipmate Ellis, our butcher in the "Castor" frigate! All my promises that I made to him came fresh in my mind ; and after pay- ing her for my bed, I gave her half the money that I had in my pocket, which was no great deal; and when I left the "North Star," I took my chest and things to her house, and she washed my clothes for me, while we were fitting out; for my wife lived round at Chatham; and after the " Princess Charlotte " was ready for sea, we sailed from Spithcad on the 3d day of July; and we were bound up the Mediterranean, to relieve the " Caledonia ;" and we relieved her on the 2d day of August. We kept cruising about at sea, for we could not go into Malta, for it was very sickly. We arrived at Malta the latter part of October; and I had not been there long, when I received a letter from Chatham, acquainting me of my wife's death. She died the same day that I sailed from Spithead, after being bad only twenty-four hours. We lay in Malta all the winter; and the latter part of January, 1838, 1 was taken very bad; and I was obliged to be invalided on the 14th day of February, from Malta hospital As soon as I was able to be moved, I was sent home in the "Portland" frigate; and she took me and some more invalids as far as the Rock of Gibraltar, where we were sent on board of the " Bellerophon," and she took us to Portsmouth; and we arrived at Spit- head on the 8th day of April. And from her I was sent on board of the fla^-ship, and from there I was discharged. And after I got my pay from the " Princess Charlotte," I went up to London, to pass the Board of Admirahy, for my pension; but all that they gave me was seventeen pounds, four shillings, per annum. And from there I went to Chatham, to see my late wife's family; but I found that they had made away with everything that belonged to me. And when 1 found how things were, I came back again to Gosport, with a full intent to fulfill my oath, that I swore to Henry Ellis, when he was dying. And accordingly I told Ellis's • 21 ^• 322 NARRATIVE OK AN OLD ENGLISH SAILOR. .ido.aU that had happened betwee^^^^^^^ told her that I would do ''"yj*^ "8 '^tJu Cy ait wife had been dead a and that, if she was a mind to jait t'» ^ ' ^ u^ie consideration, she rl=%U^l' :ried"^S; t; .eth day of July, 1838, .n 'Tn t^S-a of August, 1844, « - Stpf^tJSri^nit^^ granted me a pension of twenty-oue Pouj^s JfJ ^ circumstances will ^ith what little I «»° «""' \l'i%'17rX th«^^^^ to the Lord for the allow me to be: and I hope ^^.'^/.^""/eceived at his hands through many blessings and merc.es ^ha* l/"^" 'J^*^''^,^ ^ing along without life/ Oftimes, when I see a poor man or wornao g g k^j^^^^j.^^ ^y shoes on them, or scarcely "»y f "^^es Jj cove » ,^^^^ ^^ I am to feel that I have got a bed ^«^;«°°\:'J^Jei deserved to be thus a house to shelter me f!°"» f^«N„ but it is God's mercy that provides favored any more than them? JNo.duii ^^ ^j^^^ ^^^ forme; and I hope that he W w.ll gra^^ V 3^^ ^^ .^^ contentment with the lot thejim.ghty has^^e^/^e thankful for; and And I find every day new blessmgs and mer ^^^ ^^ ^^^ especially for health, which "°;V* *;;„? ^id, and knocked about at ei^oy ; for here I am, a man ««'«"*J- f '^i^e^per^^^ some hard trials; aei better than fifty y«"«^ '"; *JJ'^L ™I w^lKbove twenty miles, which r. ^^il^f^:::^^^^ i-^ know th. the Urd fits the back to the burden. ^1 lILOR. ato husband; and 1 r and her children; ■e had been dead a e consideration, she lay of July, 1838, in , Ind the Admiralty innum for life; and, 8 circumstances will I to the Lord for the it his hands through going along without • them, how thankful hes to cover me, and deserved to be thus » mercy that provides le prayer, and that is, pleased to give me. , be thankful for; and est blessings we can , and knocked about at aced some hard trials; e twenty miles, which that the Lord fits the DESTRUCTION OP THB OCEAN STEAMER ARCTIC, BT OOUISION WITH THB VB8TA, A niENOH PKOPILLEB, ON THE BANKS OF NlWrOUNDLAOT) ON WBDNI8DAT, THB STth OF 8BFTE1UIB, 1854, BY WHICH DISASTER ' MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED PERSONS PERISHED. The Ocean Steamer Arctic formed one of the Collins' line of American 8teanicr«, plying between New York and Liverpool, so called in contra- distinction ti, those of the Cunard or British line, the latter having been built in England, and owned and controlled by an English company. The Arctic was built in New York, in 1860, at an expense of nearly one million of dollars, and was one of the largest and noblest steamships in the world. Of beautiful proportions and great speed, she was the pride of her countrymen, as a specimen of their attainments in marine architecture. On her homeward bound passage, at noon, on the 27th of September, 1864, she came in collision with the French propeller Vesta, on the banks of Newfoundland; and a few hours thereafter the last vestige of her noble form, together with more than three hundred of her passengers and crew, disappeared beneath tho waters. The fate of the smaller vessel was more fortunate. Provided by her more cautious builders with bulkheads, or water-ti^ht partitions, between her different sections, she succeeded in gaining port in safety. When tidings of this awful event reached our country, a profound sensation was created. The people of the city of New York, the most mercurial and impulsive of any in America, the earliest to be aroused by, and the earliest to forget, any startling event, were most intensely excited. The Arctic was a New York vessel; the pride of the great commercial metropolis; and numbers of her prominent citizens were known to have been on board of her. To give an idea of the effect thare, we make brief extracts from a city paper of the day. " The sorrow and excitement in New York, on the reception erf the sad tidings, were beyond expression. Thousands of our citizens are bereaved of relatives, and tens of thousands have lost friends and acquaintances. Early in the morning the newspaper offices, and the office of the steamship company, were thronged with anxious inquirers for further news, and all day long the crowds were kept up by fresh arrivals. The flags on the City Hall, on the hotels, and the shipping in the harbor, were at half-mast through the day. Business was neglected, and the whole town bore on its outward features evidences of the sorrow within. There were hundreds of persons crowding Adams & Co.'8 Office, waiting their several turns to see Mr. Burns, one of the saved; and each concerned to ascertain whether there was not some possible (323) ..nv OF THE OOFAN STEAMER AUCTIO. 09A DESTRUCTION OF THB u _^ ^^^^ ^^^^.^.^ ,^^,, telling the.r grief to the pa .^ ^^ ^^ P""\"''nn>nr\rtora of tl.e li"". a In the office «f ^; J^'^^^eted. A large crowd la. ^ ,„,.nt, similar scene was bemgcna ^^ ^^^^^^^ ''^ ^'''J'cSe showed that ho the report of Mr »f J^J ;,ark9 of e'^'^^^f ^^Jf *^ A'doop f.^olinfr of ^hose careworn ook , an ^^ ^^^^ -^.f j;£t, and eager quoslious was one of the 9«^^ ^^ ^,^e minds "^^ P';' "^ion- So'"*' d.-scnbod anxiety «««'"''J '° ,? Mr. Brennan in rapid «"«^«««'5^,„, by affinities and were proP"""'^'^ Va.ance of ab.enl ones, bound to then ^ ^^^^^^^^^, the personal appearance oi consanguinity, ana o j. dee? friendship, «ome by ^ ^^ .,,,d if he h-^^.^^^^j'^n which hc'was nearer and dearer [''^'/J^^gel previous to he ^ast oj^. « \ns\-,i»cvM »'- r h1 't d1' te'^nxiiusly >vaited for and^;"^^ , ,ead t;:;ter^Uci;^tto^uc^;jp;^:c:^ nrbritfit W^^^^^ of the telegraphic d-spa^chfrorn^^ mingled hope and fear th y^^^^^^^^ of the room, anf'^rfJX words of the dispatch ead JY ^^^^^,,^^ in breathless silence to in ^^^ ^^^^^ "waulc the names of connected with thj^/'^fi-^patient exclamations bec^i'^e ^^^^^^^^^ finished, many were the y J ^^^.^^^^ ""' "^^,d when, at lust, the saved, in the boats whicn catastrophe , an. ^ ^^^^^^ of Mr. Baalham's account oX ^^^ ^„^^ JL t U^* ^"^^'^^ the concluding portion onhe^^.^P^ ^^^^ K'tnou---^ -f '^ T'"' of those who were saw expectation of the annou j j „ioom. V r '\rmS fhem "jS, or drive them m o ^ Je^^t ,f ^e l which was to make n ^^-"^^^^enced. ^hc ann ^^^^, ^d with The reading ot t.^^e ii» exclamations of "^eep PX' ^ ^,,em. As names was received wtj. ex ^ ^^^ the mercy extended ^^^^^ words of thankfulness to l^e ^^ed, deeper sighs wer ^ ^^ ^^^^ „ the end of the list J^^ ^Pfj^^ „^n,e8 had been all read' ^^^^^ when it was announc^^ tha th^^ ^^^^ ^ ^e deep ^^ g^^^ of such exciting interest, ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^j ^^^ the announ.n^^tJ-:;rsSrm Q;^^ intelligence, and fearing th^^ ««t justified by the facts^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^ ment was pre^^'^^ure, an ^^^^ ^^^ "*ulS and make himself and another ^'^.P'^'^'i^'Xse to stand by the v^re^^^^^^ amounting to the noble captanwh^cho^^^ ^^ ^''^^'/Ifl'l wa announced tha his last thought m bis ^^^ ""^I^iL telegraph, the most enthusiasm «e«""^ij° nTwas being forwarded by telegp,^^^.^^ .^ Saturday, October 14, 1864. ^WWtilJt^- J RCTIO. the Arctic, had chihlrfu, and rcHcrve which ko ara of tlic lino, a coUcc ted I.) lif'ar ,nery dcpmtin.nt, c, showed that ho L deep fcclin-,' of ,d eager qucslioua Some dcHcrili<.'„ ""^U'e tuuSZl in B.«in« .ho fc •"- ™i"-y«'l -i- ^.t lant-vardfl overboard, and such other small spars and material as we rm Id .oUcrt w en I was fully convinced that the ship must ro down m a vc y shir timr«n.l m.t a Iment was to be lost in getting the spars fashed toRether to form a raft, to do which it b. .amo necessary to got the lifp-bnnt ^our only remaininc lx)at,) into the water. TKbeC accomplished, I saw Mr. Dorian, the third otficer, m charge of the boat" taking Lo to keep the oars on board to prevent them from balnc the ship, hoping still to get most of the women and chddren m h s boa At last tlfoy Imd made considerable progress ,n ^ff^^^^^;;^ soars when an alarm was given that the ship was sinkmg, and the boat "wT^irov^S S without oa?s or anything to hc;lp ;»'--'v- -th;^^^^^ when the ship sunk, the boat had got clear, probably an eighth of a m.le, *" \7an\ttant, about four and three quarter, v. «., the Mp went do.m, TnSryitfhelu^, after a brief struggle with my own Sless child in my arms, when again I felt mys; 'f .mpellcd down- ward to a grea depth, and before I reached the su.n.c a second t.me had near'y perished, and lost the hold of my ehild. As I »g«>n «»">f^^>«'J to the surface of the water, a most awful and heart-rending scene pre- sented i^sS to my view-orrr two hundred men, women and children TtX^llS^toSr amidst pieces of wreck of every kmd calling on SothTr fof help, and imploring doA to assist them. Such un appall- ing scene may God preserve mo from ever witnessing again. Vwas in the act of trying to save my child, when a portion of the paSdTe-Jx came rushinl^ u'p edgewise, just g--"S -^.ff-^'^^';,' ^ with its whole weight upon the head ot my darling child. Another moment T beheld him lifeless in the water. I succeeded in getting on Tthe top of he paddle-box, in company with eleven others; one, how- ever soon left for another piece, finding that it could not support so man;. Othe 8 remained uniil they were one by one '^eheved by death. We^stood in water at a temperature of 45°, up to o.r kn«es, and fre- nuently the sea broke directly over us. We soon ^^y'lf""^ /'''"' J^^l fSs on other parts of the wreck, and passed the night, each one of lis exoectinff every hour would be our last. j„„„„ At last the wished for morning came, surrounding us with a dense fo2-not a living soul to be seen but our own P^M'-^even men being left In the course of the morning, we saw some water-casks and other hfngs belonging to our ship, but 'nothing that we could get to afford us any relief. Our raft was rapidly settling, as it r ^^orbed water. About noon, Mr". S. M. Woodruff, of New York, was relieved by death All the other"'„oi began to suffer very severely for want of water, excep M George F Allen and myself. In that respect we were very much fevoredraUhough we had not a drop on the raft. The day continued AROTIO. B williniit nny tdc'/s iG only ofl'ii-cr li ft tlio nHn'iHtnJMt' of thf-'ir co«iln'''H nnd lat luornciil Ix-foM* f), hnd takfn our pulled uwny with rd and »wo topgal- nd material as we p must go down in n getting the spara iccosaary to got the rd otficer, m charge prevent them from en and children in !sa in collecting the nking, and the boat omselves wilii; and ui eighth of a mile, the ship went dn^m, f struggle, with my 3( 'f impelled down- fiuc a second time. As I again struggled :-rending scene pre- rxrmen and childrrn ry kind, calling on iTi. Such !in appall- ig again. en a portion of the ng my head, falling ing child. Another jeedt^l in getting on ■n others; one, how- ould not support so le relieved by death, oar knees, and fre- scparated from our f night, each one of ing us with a dense y — seven men being vater-casks and other could get to aiTord us irbed water, 'as relieved by death, want of water, except ;t we were very much The day continued DESTRUOTIOy OP TIIR OOEAN STEAMER AROTIO. 327 foggy, except juHt at noon, tm near an wo could judge, w(< had a clear horizon tor about lialf an hour, and nothing could be Meon but water and xky. Night came on, thick and dreary, with our mindit made up that niiither uf us would again soe the light of another day. Very Huun three more of our sutfering party fell down from exhaustion, and were washed oil' by tlui sea, leaving Mr. Allen, a boy, and myself. Feeling myself giHting exhausted, 1 now sat down, fur tlio first time, about eight o'clock in the evuuing, on a trunk, whicii providentially had been found on the wreck, in this way I slept a little throughout the night, and became somewhat refreshed. Young lieyn, the (ierman boy who wos with us, Hufforod intensely. He happene 1 to have some biscuit with him which had become soaked with the salt-water, and eating these only increased his thirst, and to make mutters still worse, he drank some of the sea-water. His suffer- ings were bciyond all description. Twice ho jumped overboard, saying he would rath(!r die than .sutler as he was doing; and each time we pulled him back on the wreck. At one time he cut open a vein in his arm and sucked his blood. About an hour before daylight — now Friday, the 29th — we saw a vessel's light near to us. We all three of us exerted ourselves to the utmost of our strength iu hailing her, until wo became (|uito exhausted. In about a quarter of an hour the light disappeared to the east of us. Soon after daylight a bark hove in sight to the north-west, the fog having lightened a little, steering apparently for us; but in a short time she seemed to have changed her course, and again we were doomed to dis- appointment; yet I felt hope that some of our fullow-suflerers might have been seen and rescued by them. Shortly after we had given up all hopes of being rescued by the bark, a ship was discovered to the east of us, steering directly for us. We now watched her with the most intense anxiety as she approached. The wind changing, caused her to alter her course several points. About noon they fortunately discovered a man on a rafl near them, and succeeded in saving him by the second mate jumping over the side, and making a rope fast around him, when he was got on board safely. This man saved proved to be a Frenchman, who was a passenger on board the steamer which we came in collision with. Ho informed the captain that others were near, on pieces of the wreck; and, going aloft, he saw us and three others. We were the first to whom the boat was sent, and safely taken on board about three r. M. Tiic next was Mr. Jatnes Smith, of Mississippi, second-class passenger. The others saved were five of our firemen. The ship proved to be the Cambria, of this port, from Glasgow, bound to Montreal, Captain John Russell. From the Frenchman who was picked up, we learned that the steamer wkh which we came in collision was the screw steamer Vesta, from St. Pierre, bound for and belonging to Grenville, France, and having on board one hundred and forty passengers and twenty seamen. As near a.s we could learn, the Vesta was steering east-south-east, and was cross- ing our course two points, with all sails set, wind west by south. Her anchor stock, about seven by four inches square, was driven through the bows of the Arctic, about eighteen inches above the water line, and an immense hole had been made, at the same instant, by the fluke of the anchor, about two feet below the water line, raking fore and aft the plank, and finally breaking the chains, leaving the stock remaining in ,„8 DE8TECCT.0N OF THE OOEAK STEiMEU ABCTIO. ..a *,«„«.. the .-.ae of .he AreUc^o, ;• j;; ^Vft"; "..""uSil he, hows had !>"". ""'J"' '?',he lorn.? have been d,i.e.. through r:taf r:.ir/r.rofor.?:;;j a, i fe„, hun,.,ea, o,- .». -Sh° rsL. of c.pu>. tu« ---£t'cs."ii J,„e» Smith, . »a.™ "J f^^'^J'X. ..".tive, .nd is e„h»oood b, r^z^^^^irsr:^,,^ .. «...hot h.d times when o\deck,see.ng the weather so ,^^^j^ ^^^ ^^^ ^e than three or four of the ship a lengtns ^^ ^j^.^^,^^ ^^^er going on at full speed, withou any alarm d , ^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^^ fi'gnal being sounded at 'n^//^;,^,;™ A about fifteen minutes after accustomed to ma f«g "^fJ^^lJ^'^truck, and while sitting in my state- the meridian, ^ig^b^*\^. J'^Ju^'e^.neTcry of a voice on deck (who I at room in the forward cabm, the earnest cry ^^ ^^^^^ ,, . the moment took to be the man «„ ^h«J««^° ^^^if ,„d all others .n the Cook, my room-mate, to calm he e-c.teme"t a ^^g^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ cabin, and before the man g.vmg the a ar ^^^^.^^ j, ^ somewha engine-room, we were made '^J^^^ \"V",^,hing against the starboard slight jar to our ship, '^^%«'"P^"'''i';>u ' e„se, but I think we all seemed bow. It was a moment of awe and suspense, u ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^ Jo iisfy ourselves that fh-^of -as sj^-gh , and tha ^^ large and strong avesse ,no ««"0"4 °'l™^^f g^ch a nature. With such happen to such a ship, '" ."^ V'^I'^ate I was very quickly on deck, a Reliance on my own m.nd, at ^"y ;^^^;g'J^,,3, ,/arned that a screw and m detached --f°"f .^uu^k L^ol the^ta'rboard bow, and g anc- steamer, with all sad ^'^^l ^^J^f ^eel-house, struck her again, and she ing aft our starboard wheel ^°J wheel ^oj' .^ ^^^ ^^.^^ ^ j passed oflf astern of us out «f f fj* ™'"ii ^^^ fight with iis, but instantly In the first glance '^'^""^^'"^I^^L^^.een L " ^' °" '^'' ''^' ''^ ^' *" began to get alarmed ^^ call for the passengers to keep on the port- jlX^s°^r:e^i° rle'^'relt'd that oo, ship .^ .ait,„, round in search of her also. „„adle-box, giving orders in one way and I saw Captain l^»-f°" ^^^^f.^dm^a 'running here and there on the another, and most ofthe officers and men^^^^^^^^^ ^^^„,.,„g ^^ know deck, getting into an evident «tate^« am ,^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^j ,„ p„- what was to be done or '^PPly;"^ ^^rs a other heavy articles over ticulav, except in g«"'ng the anchors a ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ to the port-side of the ship, f '""'^^^ ^/ghip, from eight to twelve or several large breaks in the side «f ^J ,3' J^nvinced that in the ten ?:;neen fe'et abaft of the -^^^^^J^terr further submerged in the or fifteen minutes' time our wheels we ^^^^^^^ somewhat afte Srng re dCk^^ePghl ^Z theTrtard,^,. it was too evident that \RCTIO. ly, as 80 much of leavy longitudiaal en driven througli hundreds of most f a'pns^iengrr, Mr. of Mississippi. U ind is enhanced by 1, the weather had id alarmed several I fancied not more (1 be seen, and she im whistle, or other nner as I had been ifteen minutes after sitting in my state- ;e on deck (who I at 'stop her, stop her; and all others in the luld be heard running deavoring, with Mr. ng the ladies in the eck had reached the 3sion by a somewhat against the starboard [ think we all seemed hat, as we were on so appened or could well a nature. With such rery quickly on deck, , learned that a screw rboard bow, and glanc- ck her again, and she a the thick fog. I saw ht with lis, but instantly the side we had been s to keep on the port- of our boats had been and six of the men, to • ship was making round y orders in one way and 'g here and there on the ithout seeming to know Lo any one thing in par- her heavy articles over starboard bow and saw from eight to twelve or convinced that in the ten irther submerged m the herself somewhat after t it was too evident that ■k:-'i Etttored Mconilngto Act of CongreM. A. D. HDtrcLv, l.j' Henry Howe, in the clerk', offloe of the Diwrict Court of the United SUt«> for the Southern DUtrlct of Ohio. U: TIu- Hbtive is a reprcsontution of ihc soom on the Arctic, a short time before she went down. In the center sItiniU Cnjptiiin l.uce, with his young son clinging (o him. Beyond, a group of the agonized passenger;' are in prayer. The background, partially enveloped in fog, discloses a glimpse of the ocean, Wj ith a few Hgures on looting fragments. On the right, the brave Dorian t mivmvV Dwu ol Wvilvt^tj cixv \W JWcVvc. J is busy gatherinij; materiale for the raft ; on the left, young Holland is applying the torch to the cannon. •' Unimoved by the base desertion of others, he continued firing the signal gun, that boomed like a djiath-knell over the waters, and when the wreck tank to its gloomy grave, be too became num'iered with the dead. Was death ever more heroic?" — Page 340. ««MMf«>ftlMim««VW applying the torch to the ring the eignal gun, that to its gloomy grave, he -Page 340. DESTRUCTION OF THE OCEAN STEAMER ARCTIC. 329 Captain Luce himself, as well as all hands, was becoming aware of our danger; and, from the tremendous volume of water being thrown out from our steam pumps, I was convinced we were making water at a fearful rate. Then came in full view before us the other vessel, presenting a most heart-rending spectacle; the whole of her bow, for at least ten feet abaA her cut-water, was literally crushed away, leaving, to all appearance, an open entrance to the sea; and how she had remained above water for so many minutes seemed a mystery. Her decks were covered with people, and all her sails on all three of her masts were set. We merely passed her again, and she was in less than a minute hid in the fog, but scarcely out of sight when we heard arise from her deck a loud and general wail of mourning and lamentation. It was just previous to, or at the same time that we thus came in sight of and passed her, that our wheels went over two or three separate individuals in the water, as well as a boat and crew, who had evidently left the other ship for safety on ours. One man, only, we picked up, an old weather-beaten French fisherman, who, having leaped from the small boat before she went under our wheel, caught a rope hanging from our ship, and was finally pulled on board of us, and from whom we learned something of the other vessel. Captain Luce had, by the time of our coming in sight of the Vesta, become so convinced of our own critical situation, that our only or best chance was to keep under headway as fast as possible toward the land. A deep-seated, thoughtful look of despair began to settle upon every countenance — no excitement, but ladies and children began to collect on deck with anxious and inquiring looks; receiving no hope or consola- tion, wife and husband, father and daughter, brother and sister, would weep in each other's embrace, or kneel together imploring Almighty God for help. Men would go about the decks in a sort of bewilderment as to what was best to be done; now laying hold of the hand pumps with redoubled energy, or with sickening eftbrt applying their power to the hauling up of freight out of the forward hold, already floating in water before the lower hatches were opened. System of management or concentration of effort was never commenced or applied to any one object. Two separate ineffectual attempts to stop the leaking by drop- ping a sail down over the bow, were made, and the engines were kept working the ship ahead toward the land ; but in the course of an hour, I should think, from the time of the collision, the lower furnaces were drowned out and the steam pumps stopped. Then it seemed to become only a question of how many hours or minutes we would be above water. The first officer with his boat's crew we had let behind from the first. The second officer, with a lot of the sailors, had lowered another boat and left the ship, and a general scrambling seemed to be going on as to who should have places in the only two remaining boats that I saw on deck. The stern tackling of another had given way from the weight of persons in it while it was swinging over the side, and I think several must have been lost with that. I saw one lady hanging to the bow tackle of it afler the stern had broken loose. One of those still remaining was a large one, on the quarter-deck, occupied by ladies and children and some few gentlemen. The other was on the upper dock forward, and in the possession of a lot of firemen. Things were in this condition at about two hours aftet the accident. Captain Luce was superintending the lowering of spars and yards, aided mostly by passengers, for the purpose of making a rafl, and complaining that all *-»*«Jfc^«**»fltaie*a^*«*:v>-- jft^JS.»*«Ufc,%*fcr*Jt». ,«^.fc. ■ 380 DESTRUCTION OF THE OCEi STEAMER ARCTIC. his officers and men had left him. Most of the women and children terc collected round the boat on the quarter-deck seem.ngly resigned ^ Some few" gentlemen exerted all their powers to prevail on others to work on the pumps, but all to no purpose, the ship kept on gaming .n quan- Tv as steadiW as time progressed. The engines had stopped working, and I Lelgthat the chief engineer, with some of his assistants md firemen, had bK forward boat in the water over by the bow, under he pre- tense I saw of working at the canvas, which was hangmg over the bow, rMtos^nkitdownoverthe leaking places, but seeing as I thought, flvZom of their real intention to get off from the ship withou too S iHhe boat, I dropped myself down near by them on a small raft "f thr^e planks Ibout a foot wide each, and ten or twelve feet long and an inch Fn thickness, lashed together with some rope and four hand- snikes and which I had just previously helped to lower into the wate fo the purpose of working from about the bow of the ship. Finding it bore me 3 HlSved off, intending to get along side of the engineer's boat but a I shoved off several firemen and one or two pa^Bengers Sropped down into the boat, the engineer protesting ^gamst their doing so and at the same time pushed off, and pulled well away from the ship, wUhaboit twelve or fifteen persons in »>- ^oat, dec a^ »; J-e on board at the same time, that he was not going off, but would stay by the sh?o to the last. At the same time, he, or those in the boat with hm, Jjtinued to%ll away in what I considered was the direction of the land and were in a few minutes lost in the tog. • u „ I now srwThere was no probable chance for me but to remain where I was on mv frail little raft, until I could see some better chance after or before t^e ship went dovin. She had now settled down to the wheel- houses The upper furnaces had for some time been drowned ou . So' on board were doing nothing but firing signal guns of distress rryingto Jet spars overboard, and tearing doors off the hinges, nothing else seemed tJ present itself, as the means of saving the lives of some three hundred souls still on board. I have crossed the Atlantic nine times now, and nearly every pre vious time have had in charge one or more of my family or near rela- ys Ctnow, I thanked my^Godthat I had not even an acquaintance with me in this my adversity. I tightened up my little raft as well as I Tould so as to make it wi hstand the buffetings and strainings of the T^iy rollingseT, and, with the aid of a long narrow piece of plank which torelp off the others, using it as a paddle, I kept hovering w. bin tVo or three hundred yards of the sinking ship, watching operations there! and keephig myself from being drifted out of sight, so as o have whit company fhe?e iJight be left on rafts like my own after our doomed Vessel had s/nk beneat? the surface In this position I -w;hr- diffe- rent small rafts like my own leave the ship, one of them w th th ee and another with two of the firemen standing erect on them the third with the old Frenchman we had already picked up, and «"« «f '^^ "Jf ^^^JJ of the shin sitting on it. Those three rafts all drifted close by me, so tXXl hSled by one and another of them with the reques for us all to keep near together, to which I assented, but told them .hat we Tad all bette'r try Jd keep by the ship till she -ent down^ At th. time, I noticed that the large boat, which had been on the quarter-deck, was in the water, and was being freighted pretty ^f J' j" ^^^X raft of with several females and a good number of males, and that the ratt ot ^^r-M' v^ ^y,^*-!.^id!,-«y-='M™^^ ARCTIC. men and children eomingly resigned revail on others to on gaining in quan- opped working, and istants r^nd firemen, ow, under the pre- ying over the bow, eing, as I thought, e ship without too em on a small raft velve feet long and pe and four hand- )wer into the water e ship. Finding it 5 of the engineer's or two passengers against their doing away from the ship, daring to those on it would stay by the the boat with him, he direction of the ut to remain where better chance after I down to the wheel- been drowned out. lal guns of distress, the hinges, nothing g the lives of some d nearly every pre- f family or near rela- /en an acquaintance ttle raft as well as I ind strainings of the rrow piece of plank, ; kept hovering within watching operations if sight, so as to have )wn after our doomed ion, I saw three difle- them with three and them, the third with one of the mess boys rifted close by me, so 1 with the request for Dut told them that we went down. At this 1 on the quarter-deck, illy, to all appearance, , and that the raft of 1 DEaTRUCTION OF THE OCEAN STEAMER ARCTIC. 331 spars was at the same time being lashed together, and several getting on it. I noticed also a couple of large empty wator-caaks, lashed togtiher, with live men on them, apparently passengers, leave the siiip nnd drift- ing toward me, while within about fifty yards they capsized witii the force of a iieavy swell, giving their living freight an almost imnicdiato watery grave. Three of them, I noticed, regained the top side of the casks only to be immediately turned over again, and the casks separat- ing, 1 saw no more of tiiem. My heart sickened at so much of imme- diate deatli, and still 1 almost longed to have been one of them, for at the same instant, and, as near as I can judge, at about foui and a half o'clock, the siiip began to disappear — stern foremost she entered under the surface, her bow rising a little as she slowly went under; and 1 dis- tinctly heard the gurgling and rushing sound of the water filling her cabins, from stem to stern, as she went under; taking, I should think, from thirty seconds to a minute in disappearing, with a large number of people still upon her deck. , .• i u Thus went down the noble steamer Arctic, leavmg nothmg behmd but a mixture of fragments of the wreck and struggling human beings. I saw one large half-round fragment -burst above the surface, and several of the struggling fellow-mortals get on it; this, and the raft of spars, with several on it, and the boat full of people, were all that I could dis- tinctly make out as being left in the neighborhood of where the ship went down to windward; and the three small rafts to leeward, along with my own, were left to pass the night now beginning to close in upon, and hide away from my sight, I wish I could say from my memory, this dreadful day; but such a nigh) of extreme melancholy, despair, and utter loneliness, I hope I shall never again experience. I had, it is true, become familiarized with death, and felt as if it would be great relief to go immediately like the rest; and, for this end, I, with some- what of satisfaction, thought of the vial of laudanum in my pocket, pre- viously intended for a better use— but, oh ! how unprepared was I to see my God, and for my family's sake how necessary I felt it was for me still to live a while longer, else would I have emptied that vial or rolled over the side of my plank most willingly. The night was cold and chilly, the dense fog was saturating my already wet clothing. I was standing to the ankles in the water, with the the waves every now and then washing me above the knees, no hope in my mind of being drifted to the land, and in a part of the ocean where it is expected a thick fog continually hangs over the surface, precluding the hope o? any chance vessel, in passing near us, being aware of our situation— all circumstances seemed to say, it is but a question of how long the physical frame can endure this perishing state, or how long before a more boisterous sea turns over or separates the slightly fastened planks. Thus reflecting, I offered up to Him who ruleth the winds and waves to Him unto whom we all flee in our deepest distress — a sincere petition for mercy, that, as I had now been called to account, I might, notwithstanding my unworthiness, find an acceptance through the merits of Him who suffered for us, and who stands ready to aid, and who says. Knock and it shall be opened unto you — unto whom can we look, oh, our God! but unto thee? — our whole life is, after all, as this hour, a mere question of a few short days, and what are all the mere vanities transpiring during an ambitious but short existence, compared to an assurance which maketh our latter end a fearless one. Relieved and consoled by this my last petition, I was somewhat calmly resignmg „,, BK8T»nOT,ON OF THU OCF.AK STF.AMF.B AnCTIO. ance could hold out, when I '*'^«"^*'"''\, „ steward's dish baskets it with tin, floating »if »-• '^f., ("/-^To U I'gofu aboard, and with ti,c proved to be-and, P'^d;"'"g "i%„d';„und my shoulders, I lasiied U Lip of a small p.ece of "f / J^^" s, not only tending to make my nrettv firmly on the top of the planK, ^"" ' • .' ^jy piaco to sit on frire secure, but .«f 'd'"LTi„^^?u;m ng a slfeSer for my legs ,he edge of it, and, w.th 7 f^^^^jrA^^^ arranged, and while s.t- up US high as my knees, ^fter gjU'ng J^ ^. ^^^r the top of it, tillg watching the water every now and then f, g,j^^, ^,,j .^j ^o and becoming ««n^'"^f^;t\Ce wdLht of the raft, I was again surprised my discomfort, as we 1 as to th« ^.'S of the raft, which, proving to be Jhear a distinct rattle again t the side ott ^^^ ^^ ^fe-preservers, a small air-tight tin can, a P» "^ V.^^en of the presence of a protect- I seized hold of it, as "J" 'jf/ ;^°,"t7of U with my pocket-knife, and ing Providence. I cut out one ena 01 anything else, I then ound it to answer the l-JPJf ^^« .^ i ^^renablel to keep my little needed-a bailing-pot-and ^^y ".;";, ^ protection from "e cold, shelter clear of water; and so acceptable, as a p ^ jj. trip blast, did I find this »>" « -'XepTng 'not o^; my feet and legs, cramped down into the '"^'^^l'^"' ^ warm. Tn this sort of s. ua- butthe lower part of n^J ^^^^y.^^^ he b™'^^'"^ '^'^^^ '"'"'* *** S^n, I wore away the t«d>ou8 nigh , and the b^ea g. ^^^^^^^ -SrS:;i:rcl.red^awayt^ was truly grateful, but, oh! how dj^o "J^J^Xle b?oad expanse of waters, the prospect he thus unfolded "jer tne ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ not a sail could be ff'^^^^if/SLT erect, and showing themselves about half a mile distant, stdlstancimg _^^ ^^^^^ at intervals, as every heavy sweU raised tr ^^^ ^^^ ^ ^^^ yet felt either hunger or thirst for wmcn ^^^^ ^ ^^^^ determmed but a handful of dry broken <^'ackers m my ' ^^^^ ^^^ craving of to save to the last, and of ^«""f^";„^S about an hour before nightfall, either. The day >^ore on st 11 ^^^J "^j^J.^^e of whom I had worked when the two firemen (^/^'n hailmg di^a ^^^^^^.^^ ^"^^"V''/ my way again) discovered a ship under ^ ,^^^^ handkerchief, but it was with faint hopes of s«cc«f J" „g\„„ ^s a paddle, the firemen ^"ed to the end of the strip wood I was J.ng ^^J ,,,, The doing the same with a shorter V ece o w ^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^ , ship, at one ^'^'.^J^X had discovered something, but the night closed taSa^d^JuKat^^^^^^^^^^ '" iTa^'ed through this "ig^t m a doz.rjg, dea^^, sh-^^^ g-^^ sort of state, with all sorts of ^J""" ^^^^^^^^^ moments, both disordered mind, and all sorts of pictureyn^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^ j^ of a pleasing and of a >^«^«^»'"g,^5 [hen during the night, I fancied dark Surface of the water- Now and then dur.^^^^ as'l was at the .nyself hailed by various surrounding pa , ^.^^^^^^ but the two same time, that none « hers were withm ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ '^^J'.^f, firemen. My disordered f''"^/' JJ^^'^.^P „„der the firm belief that t^:in:Sr^:^:<^^ .ear^h for us, and .ost lu.td, J .,...{-~y'" I ARCTIO. d power of cndur jquarc basket, lined •d's dish basltots it joard, and, with the loulders, I lashed it tendinj; to make my dry piaco to sit on shelter for my legs igcd, and while sit- ^ over the top of it, tly filled and add to ' was again surprised which, proving to be sd as life-preservers, resencc of a protect- ny pocket-knife, and anything else, I then led to keep my little )tection froni t'c cold, I soon found myself mly my feet and legs, In this sort of situa- :ing dawn revealed to rolling waves, and my e that the night closed indthe heat of his raya y cheerfulness, seemed road expanse of waters, ires of the two firemen, ad showing themselves n its crest. I had not ruly thankful, for I had which I felt determined ireaded the craving of in hour before nightfall, of whom I had worked il, broadside toward ua; aiated my handkerchief, as a paddle, the firemen 1 their possession. The ler course for a moment, ling, but the night closed y, shivering, half sensible ly drowsy and somewhat f wakeful moments, both Dating before me on the ring the night, I fancied jiivinced, as I was, at the ing distance but the two me for more than half under the firm belief that 1 for us, and most lustilj 1 DESTRUCTION OP THE OCEAN STEAMER AH OTIC. 33?> did I answer every fancied or real signal. The morning dawned again, and with it a horrid scene of despair at the gloomy pros|>(.>ct of the same dense, foggy atmosphere, now and then full/ developing tu view the same two erect figures dancing about on the rolling surf; and, in my selfish liberality, I bargained with myself that I would endure still during this day, seeing that my two companions, who were obliged to be on their feet, supporting each other in a very precarious looking back-to- back attitud-e, were able to still exist. I felt a little hungry this morn- ing, and ate half a biscuit. While warming myself by about two houre' paddling up toward them, during which the fog partially cleared away, and while close to them, we all became excited at the sight of a sail far to the south, as I thought, but broadside toward us. Like the one on the previous day, 1 had little hope of her coming much nearer; but, being determined to leave no etTort unttied which might possibly attract their notice, I stript myself, and takin;;* off my shirt, tied it by the sleeves to the end of my paddle, and, with my handkerchief on a small strip of wood tied on above it, I thought I had a tolerably conspicuous signal, and waved it to and fro for more than an hour, until the ship was nearly out of sight — and just as I had lowered it, in utter hopelessness, we all descried, at the same instant, in the opposite direction, cnotlier sail — and on to us — just entering, as it were, into our grand amphitheater, through a cloud of mist that seemed to rise and clear away above the vessel, forming a grand triumphal archway around, our Eureka, like a tower of promise, in the center. Feeling sure, at first sight, that this one was standing toward us, I did not long remain undeceived, for she began to increase in size as time wore slowly on; and, although she was falling to leeward considerably, as she advanced, still I felt sure, if she kept on the same tack, she would undoubtedly see our signals before passing beyond. My large signal, too, continued to drift me nearer to her track, and took me almost out of sight of my two companions. When within about two or three miles of us, and about an hour and a half a(\?r she first hove in sight, we were relieved by her backing her sails, altering her course, and lying-to for awhile; then, hoisting a signal on her spanker-gaif, she put about and bore away, on and on, far in the distance, on the opposite tack, until my heart began to fail again, doubt- ing whether she was beating to windward for us, or had gone on her way, rejoicing in the discovery and rescue of only a portion of the unfortunate wretches within range of her. But, again, how light and buoyant was the joy, as she at last put about, and stood directly for us; and on and on she advanced, like a saving angel, until we could see her noble look- ing hull distinctly rise and fall; within little over a mile distant from us, when she backed her sails again, and waited for some time in the prose- cution of her mission of mercy, no doubt, relieving some of our scatter- ing companions from a like precarious state. Soon, she filled away again; and, at last, lying-to close by the two firemen, I saw her boat lowered with five men in it, who, picking up the two firemen in their course, came dashing along direct for my raft, and soon Iwuncing along side, I allowed myself to tumble aboard of them, unable, physically, to adopt anything of a grateful action, and, morally, overpowered with gratitude to God and to those his instruments. I remained speechless until I got on board the ship. Before getting on board, however, the boat went away off some distance to windward, and picked up the three other firemen, whom I had seen leave the Arctic, but who had been ever since out of view. We all got huddled i f 1 1 334 DESTRUCTION OF THE OCEAN STEAMER ARCTIC. upon the deck, somehow, although rather awkwardly, and making my way down to her neat little cabin, as well as my stiff feet and legs would allow, I had the pleasure of paying my respects to Captain John Russell, and found myself on board the ship Cambria, of Greenock, bound from Glasgow to Quebec. Captain Russell, the Reverend Mr. Walker, of the Free Church of Scotland, and his vary kird and atten- tive lady, Mr. Sutherland, of Caithnesshire in S;;otland, Mr. John Mc- Naught, and several of the passengers of the steerage, paid us every attention that I could have desired; Captain Russell giving me up the berth which he had been using himself, and putting everything on board in requisition that might tend in the least to relieve and make us com- fortable. I was surprised to learn that the old Frenchman, whom we had picked up from the Vesta, was our good genius on this occasion; being directly in the track of the approaching Cambria, he was picked up by the second mate of the Cambria, Mr. Ross, jumping overboard, with a line, and, seizing hold of the old man, they were both pulled on board; and the rescued Frenchman, in the best English he could muster, made Captain Russell aware that others were near, who then went to the mast-head, and, with his glass, made out the other four pieces of wreck, which we were all on, and, making his long tack to windward, came back in the midst of us, picking up first, from that half-round piece of wreck that I saw burst above the surface at the time of the ship going under, Captain Luce, Mr. George Allen, of the Novelty Works, and a young German, a passenger on the Arctic, by the name of Ferdinand Keyn. They, along with eight others of those who went down with the ship, had gained this piece of wreck, which turned out to be a segment of dne of the paddle-boxes — and, singular as it seems. Captain Luce, who had stuck by his sinking ship to the last minute, was thus saved at last on the very boards, which, as commander, were his post of duty. The same thing, however, had caused the death of an interesting son, by striking or falling on him as it burst above water. The eight others, who had gained it with them, had, from time to time, perished on it; and Mr. Keyn was on the point of making the ninth, when the Cambria hove in sight. Mr. Allen, too, although saved himself, lost his wife and several other relatives, who were on board with him, and whom he saw placed on the raft of spars before the ship went under. I found those three my companions in the cabin of the Cambria, and being attended to like myself. The old Frenchman and the five firemen were comfortably quartered away in the forecastle, all suffering much ; and the old man having lost his ' compagnon de voyage,' the mess boy, who held out as long as he could, but finally rolled overboard. In the course of a few days, we all began tc get around and feel pretty well, with the exception of the severe pains in our feet, which continued with very little intermis- sion ; and, at the same time, it was most congenial to our feelings, that, through the leadership of Mr. Walker, we had the daily opportunity of rendering praises and thanksgiving to a gracious God for his mercy and goodness toward us. Captain Russell feels the circumstance of his instrumentality in the matter with great gratification, on account of Captain Nye, of the Collins' steamer Pacific, having, some years ago, run great risk in saving him and his crew from off the sinking Jessie Stevens, in a severe gale on the Atlantic." Of the five boats that left the Arctic, only two were ever heard from, the one commanded by Mr. Francis Dorian, the third mate, the ' n '^' l r!' -"' ' * ' -'^!' '^ «H rt »^?»' B * ■■» *< *■ I AROTIO. ly, and makinji; my stiff feet and legs cts to Captain John nbria, of Greenock, the Reverend Mr. 3ry kind and atlen- and, Mr. John Mc- age, paid us every giving me up the everything on board and make us com- enchman, whom we s on this occasion; l»ria, ho was picked jumping overboard, ircre both pulled on ish he could muster, fho then wont to the ur pieces of wreck, to windward, came at half-round piece e time of the ship the Novelty Works, , by the name of own with the ship, ve a segment of dne •tain Luce, who had IS saved at last on post of duty. The interesting son, by le eight others, who shed on it; and Mr. e Cambria hove in lis wife and several lom he saw placed und those three my ig attended to like I were comfortably ; and the old man ty, who held out as e course of a few with the exception very little intermis- > our feelings, that, laily opportunity of for his mercy and rcumstance of his in, on account of ^. some years ago, the sinking Jessie ► were ever heard the third mate, the DESTRUCTION OF THE OCEAN STEAMER ARCTIC. 33.5 other by Mr. William Baalham, the second mate. The remainder, doubtless, sunk in the storm of the succeeding Saturday. The persons in these boats, with eight or ten more on the raAs or fragments of tiie wreck, comprised all of the survivors of the catastrophe. Not a single female on board was saved — all perished! Mr. Dorian's conduct, during these trying scenes, was noble. He was the only one of all tho principal officers that remained faithful to the orders of his superior to the last. The recital of Peter McCabe, a waiter in the cabin, the solitary survivor of the large rafl, which Mr. Dorian worked to construct with much zeal, unfolds to us other ter- rible incidents of this calamity. In common with the rest of the crew and passengers, McCabc seemed at first to have had no idea tiiat the ship had encountered serious damage by tho cuilisio.), but when he came on deck, he was soon undeceived. Ho was busy ^t work on the riifl, when there came a dull rushing sound, and a lon