PIVE YEARS 
 
 BEFORE THE MAST; 
 
 OB, 
 
 JLife ty flje 
 
 ABOARD OF 
 
 A WHALER AND MAN-OF-WAR. 
 
 BEAUTIFULLY ILLU8TBATBD. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 WILLIS P. HAZAED 
 
 724 CHESTNUT STREET.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 18M, by 
 WILLIS P. HAZARD, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern Diatri"* 
 of Pennsylvania.
 
 TO THE 
 
 HONORABLE JAMES POLLOCK, 
 
 LATE JUDGE OF THE EIGHTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 
 
 OP THE 
 
 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, 
 
 THESE PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 
 BY HIS SINCERE FRIBND, 
 
 JACOB A. HAZEN. 
 MOKCV, PA., OOTOBEE 12th, 1858. 
 
 2034510
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In which the* reader will discover that the best remedy for 
 "hard times" is to go to sea 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Voyage to Sag Harbor, and Adventures on Long Island, 84 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 First appearance on the Atlantic ocean, and visit to Fayal, 58 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Containing something the writer never knew until he went 
 to sea, 75 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 In which the writer makes further progress in his cruise, 
 and discovers that fortunes are not more rapidly reali- 
 zed at sea than on land, 92 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 *n which the writer, without being shipwrecked, finds 
 himself unexpectedly cast away upon a foreign land, 108 
 
 1* (T)
 
 vi CONTENTS. 
 
 MM 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Jour. Shoemaker, having abandoned the sea, estab- 
 lishes himself iii the capital of Brazil, 122 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Jour. Shoemaker, bidding good-bye to the bench, takes 
 again to salt water, and is sent on board a ship against 
 
 his own consent, 140 
 
 . 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The adventurer introduces himself on board an American 
 man-of-war, and becomes a member of " Uncle Sam's 
 Mess," 167 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself overreached 
 by a Commodore, and seeks his revenge in a diplomatic 
 despatch to Uncle Sam, 177 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A very short chapter, in which the Jour's diplomacy be- 
 gins to thicken, 197 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 In which the adventurer becomes a heathen, and after be- 
 ing visited in vain by a Boston missionary, is introda 
 ced to the cat-o'-nine tails, 208
 
 CONTENTS. vii 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 In which the Jour. Shoemaker is promoted to the rank of 
 ship's pedagogue, 227 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 An Unexpected Journey 246 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself destined for 
 a distant portion of the world, 264 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 Voyage to Gibraltar, 280 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 In which the adventurer, by interesting himself in a 
 mutiny, meets with rather rough treatment, 305 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 In which our mechanic sailor sees a good deal of stormy 
 weather, and gets a peep at Mount Etna, 325 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 A Tankee mechanic on a sailor's beat, in Naples, 343 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Adventures at Port Mahon, 367 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 In which the adventurer abandons the mess-room of
 
 viii CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOI 
 
 Uncle Sam, and takes up a brief residence on the Island 
 of Minorca, 393 
 
 CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 In which the adventures of our young mechanic draw 
 towards a close, 414 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Containing the writer's final leave of the reader, as well 
 as of his mistress, 489
 
 THE original articles forming a portion of the material 
 out of which this volume is compiled, were partly drawn 
 up by the writer during the year 1842, shortly after 
 obtaining his discharge from the navy. The idea of 
 writing a book was then altogether foreign to his inten- 
 tion, as he possessed neither the time nor the inclination 
 to attempt it. Subsequent events, however, as well as 
 the repeated solicitations of friends, having concurred 
 to stimulate him to the project, he was finally induced 
 during the preceding summer, to take up his papers for 
 reconsideration. Discovering in them some passages 
 which he deemed sufficiently interesting to attract the 
 attention of the general reader, he applied himself to 
 the task of revising them, and after a few months of 
 patient labor, has ventured to lay them before the pub- 
 lic, in their present form. 
 
 It is proper to observe that the names which figure 
 in the pages of this journal, are those of real persons. 
 This circumstance may call forth the resentment of a 
 
 (*)
 
 x PREFACE. 
 
 few of our naval officers, who may fancy themselves 
 aggrieved in having a small portion of their conduct 
 dragged before the public. They may wince at the 
 animadversions which now and then touch severely upon 
 them, and may even call it abuse. But let it be remem- 
 bered, that as public officers, their acts are a species of 
 public property which the writer or any other citizen, 
 has at all times an indisputable right to examine and 
 scrutinize. Beyond official conduct, the journalist has 
 not presumed to venture. He holds the sanctuary of 
 private life too sacred to be wantonly invaded, and 
 would be among the last to assail the character of even 
 the most profligate commander, or lieutenant, out of his 
 official capacity. 
 
 It is a circumstance worthy of note, that literary pro- 
 ductions from the pens of naval officers, annually find 
 their way before the public, in the shape of books, some 
 of which, not only reflect largely to the merits of the 
 writers, but occupy a deservedly high position in the 
 literature of our country. This is as it should be. But 
 while these productions are emanating from behind the 
 mast, with what are we greeted from before it ? While 
 the officer steals his way into public favor in a voice 
 modulated to the richest tones of art, what do we hear 
 from the less cultivated, though no less brave subordi- 
 nate? We daily amuse ourselves with lengthened details 
 of gorgeous cabin scenes of epaulet adventures, and 
 cocked hats of the effervescent flow of rich Burgundy
 
 PREFACE. xi 
 
 and Champagnes ; but what do we hear from the fore- 
 castle of poor Jack, his rye whiskey, and his bean 
 Boup ? Not one word ! Few generous writers venture 
 to speak out for him. The poor fellow seems completely 
 lost sight of behind the tinseled uniform of his more 
 gaudy superior ; and while we are ready to laugh our- 
 selves into convulsions over the more graceful and 
 
 voluble "d n your eyes" of the officer, we cannot 
 
 bring ourselves to hear the half indignant sigh escaping 
 in smothered whispers from the bosom of the humble 
 Tar on whom it is bestowed. The present volume pur- 
 ports to show up a few touches of the picture on the 
 humbler side of the mast to delineate the thoughts and 
 feelings of one whose person stood in the back ground 
 of one of those whose duty it is never to speak out, but 
 always to do, feel, fight, and suffer. 
 
 How far the author may have succeeded in producing 
 an interesting work, is of course, not for him to decide. 
 As a mechanic, and one of the toiling million who earn 
 their bread by the sweat of the brow, he is conscious 
 that it must necessarily be defective if not in subject 
 matter, at least in thought, style, and composition ; for 
 it is scarcely to be supposed that literary perfection 
 should emanate from the work-bench, or that a common 
 shoemaker or sailor whichever you will should write 
 with the propriety and grace of an Irving. Hence, it 
 will become him to keep a bright lookout ahead for 
 "breakers" in the "reviews;" and should critical
 
 xii PREFACE. 
 
 assailants pen him too closely, he will, doubtless, be 
 compelled to meet them mechanically, or, in other 
 words, withdraw from his desultory rambles in the 
 flowery fields of literature, and betake himself once 
 more to delving in the gloomy corners of his humble 
 shop. However, the pungent arrows of criticism will 
 not afflict him very mortally, as he is far from being a 
 professional book maker, and seldom moves in that 
 sphere of life where they would be likely to reach him.
 
 f i 
 
 In which the reader will discover that the best remedy for aard 
 times is to go to sea. 
 
 I SHALL not enter into a history of my early life, 
 as there is perhaps little in it that would prove in- 
 teresting or instructive to the general reader. It 
 will be sufficient to state, that like most poor boys 
 of humble parentage, I was permitted to grow up 
 pretty much after my own fashion, without the 
 advantages of either advice or instruction. At the 
 age of five years, I was placed out to earn my own 
 living among strangers. Occasionally I resided at 
 home, at which times I usually did much as I 
 pleased, went where I pleased, and returned when 
 I pleased. It had pleased my father, during my 
 minority, to indent me as an apprentice, to an 
 old cobbler, by whom I was, to a slight extent, 
 initiated into the arts and mysteries of boot and 
 shoe making ; but like most apprentices, I soon 
 fancied that I knew more of the trade than my old 
 master, and as soon as the idea took possession of 
 my mind, I very deliberately walked off, declaring 
 2 (13)
 
 14 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 myself free and independent to all intents and pur- 
 poses in law. Having learned to read a little, and 
 having scratched pot hooks for eleven dajs at 
 school, I believed myself sufficiently educated to 
 tmsh my own fortunes in the world, and accord- 
 ingly at the early age of seventeen, I bid farewell 
 to Muncy, Pa., the place of my nativity, and took 
 my departure for parts unknown. For several 
 years I continued rambling about various portions 
 of the States, drifting hither and thither with the 
 changing current of the times, until at the age 
 of twenty-two I found myself unexpectedly lodged 
 amid a regular drift pile of journeymen shoemakers, 
 in the city of Philadelphia. Here I continued 
 hammering away at my trade for some time, and 
 would, perhaps, have made the city my permanent 
 place of residence had events proved favorable. But 
 unluckily, I always found my fortunes strangely 
 influenced by circumstances. As they were never of 
 a very stupendous character, a trifling circumstance 
 was at all times enough to derange them ; but 
 when any unexpected event transpired, they were 
 entirely scattered at once, after which I had usu- 
 ally to resort to my never failing resources, two 
 hands and nine fingers, (one being cut off,) in 
 order to renew them. 
 
 The spring of 1837 set in with a prospect to the 
 Philadelphians at least, of an extensive business. 
 The manufacturers and merchants had commenced 
 the season with high hopes and extensive prepa>a-
 
 FIVE YBAKS BEFORE THE MAST. 15 
 
 tions, and it was not until the eastern banks had 
 suspended specie payments that they felt their 
 expectations likely to end in disappointment. The 
 New York and Philadelphia Banks soon followed 
 the example of their eastern neighbors, and the 
 epidemic spreading towards Baltimore and Charles- 
 ton, soon extended itself throughout the whole 
 Union. Then followed a panic and distress, such 
 as were never before paralleled in the history of 
 our country. Shinplasters soon made their ap- 
 pearance, and with them came a general wreck and 
 ruin of the mercantile and manufacturing business 
 of the city. 
 
 Many people of the present day, and especially 
 those remote from the cities, believe that the reports 
 of the havoc of business, and the distress of citizens 
 that followed in the train of the bank explosions of 
 183T, have been greatly exaggerated by interested 
 parties, and that the distress was far less prevalent 
 than -represented ; but to the inquiring reader, who 
 chooses to examine the records of the past, a suffi- 
 cient number of lamentable and painful examples 
 will present themselves to verify their truth. 
 
 Amidst the general distress which prevailed, it 
 could scarcely be expected that the shoe manu- 
 facturers should stand impregnable, and indeed 
 they did not. On the contrary, many of them 
 were among the first to wind up their affairs, close 
 their shop doors, and label them with the significant 
 motto, "Gone to Texas." My employer was
 
 16 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 among the last to give up the ghost. He held out 
 for awhile with the courage of a gladiator ; but 
 the monetary cholera at last siezed upon him, and 
 notwithstanding his struggles, kept cramping him 
 tighter and tighter, until at the ninth hour he 
 collapsed with a terrible explosion, and away went 
 boots, bootees, shoes and brogans, to the busy 
 hammer of the auctioneer. Myself and the rest 
 of the journeymen were dismissed, an assignment 
 was made, the doors of the shop were shut up, and 
 the establishment pronounced defunct. 
 
 Under these adverse circumstances, what was I 
 to do? I to whom a loss of employment was a 
 loss of fortune. Hunt work elsewhere, was the 
 idea at first suggested ; but where the number of 
 workmen is great, and the quantity of work small, 
 one's chance of success is about as .uncertain as a 
 prize in a lottery. Two weeks were spent in fruit- 
 less search of employment, and I then gave it up 
 as a total failure. After a few days' intermission 
 I once more ventured abroad, and called at about 
 a dozen shops in the Northern Liberties, where I 
 had not been before, asking if they had work to 
 give, but the universal answer was " no !" I soon 
 became tired of fishing about in this manner to no 
 purpose, and determined to hunt round after some 
 kind of amusement, with which to occupy my 
 thoughts, but I could find nothing which I con- 
 ceived agreeable. Discouraged, disheartened, and 
 moneyless a boarding bill accumulating from day
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 17 
 
 to day, with no prospect of ever being able to dig- 
 charge it was it possible for me to feel happy and 
 cheerful ? Far from it ! I felt most wretchedly 
 dejected ; and as to amusements. I could think of 
 none which I believed better fitted to harmonize 
 with my present feelings than seeing some one 
 hanged. Suiting the action to the thought, I 
 sallied forth into Callowhill street, and directed 
 my way to Bush Hill, where I arrived in time to 
 witness the completion of a gallows, erected for 
 the execution of an unfortunate young man named 
 Moran. This was about the middle of May, 1837, 
 not so memorable with me from the circumstance 
 of a man going to be hanged for piracy, as from 
 the fact that for once in my life I was unable to 
 find employment. 
 
 The execution over, the multitude gradually 
 dispersed. I, with feelings little improved by the 
 exhibition I had witnessed, returnejl leisurely to 
 the city. Every thing about me appeared to bear 
 a sad and cheerless aspect. The day, however, 
 was clear and delightful to those who could enjoy 
 it ; for the sun, in cloudless majesty, shone from 
 the azure heavens, as if smiling with his most 
 pleasant aspect on the beautiful, prolific, and teem- 
 ing world below. 
 
 That night I retired to enjoy but a broken and 
 
 painful rest. The events of the day haunted me 
 
 in my slumbers, constantly conjuring up every 
 
 species of wild and fantastical dreams. At last 
 
 2*
 
 18 FIVE YEARS BEFORE" THE MAST. 
 
 the morning arrived ; I arose with a feverish brow 
 and a heated brain. 
 
 Disagreeable as the night had been to me, it 
 was still attended with one important result. It 
 was while lying in a " brown study," during the 
 intervals between my dreams, that I first conceived 
 the project of going to sea. What put this wild 
 idea into my head, I am at present unable to say. 
 I never before had any inclination for a sea-faring 
 life, nor had I ever looked upon a crew getting a 
 vessel under weigh, but that my thoughts immedi- 
 ately familiarized themselves with shipwrecks, hur- 
 ricanes, and other disasters of the sea. But the 
 truth is, a change seemed to have come over the 
 spirit of my life. I wanted to hit upon some plan 
 to make a fortune ; and as the world had hitherto 
 been unfavorable to my wishes, I thought I would 
 try to get out of it by going to sea. Who could 
 tell what a new element might not bring forth ? 
 In looking back on my land career, I perceived 
 that five years had already expired since I first 
 began to push my own fortunes in the world, and 
 yet I had accumulated nothing. It is true that 
 when I first started abroad, I had but two dollars 
 and fifty cents in money, an indifferent suit of 
 clothes, and one change of shirts; I had now two 
 suits of clothing, a full half dozen of linen, and 
 no money. In the former case, what I had was 
 clearly my own ; in the latter I was yet indebted 
 to my tailor for a portion T)f my wardrobe, beside
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 19 
 
 owing my landlady for three weeks' boarding ; 
 so that it required a nice calculation to tell if I 
 were advancing or receding in worldly prosperity. 
 I had, perhaps, acquired something in point of 
 worldly knowledge, and improved a little in pen- 
 manship and reading; but whether any of these 
 added aught to my stock of wisdom, is very 
 doubtful. In fact, wisdom was entirely out of the 
 question with me. In all my actions and move- 
 ments, there were seldom any pauses to consult 
 either wisdom or prudence. I was the mere crea- 
 ture of whim. Whenever I made up my mind to 
 go to a new place, I was up and off at once, with- 
 out pausing to reason upon the advantages or dis- 
 advantages likely to result from the journey. ? I 
 had now made up my mind to go to sea, and go to 
 sea I would, Crusoe like, without any other object 
 in view than the vague idea of hitting on some 
 plan to make a fortune. 
 
 After adjusting my dress, and plunging my head 
 into a basin of cold water, to allay its feverishness, 
 I proceeded to the shop for the purpose of putting 
 my new project into execution. I now sat down 
 on my work-bench to study out what plan to pur- 
 sue. There was a man named Wrighter, who kept 
 a shipping office and rendezvous, in Water street, 
 below Dock, and who was at that time hunting up 
 men to go on whaling voyages from New Bedford. 
 To this man I thought of resorting for a berth in a 
 whale ship. But, then, in my journey to the east-
 
 20 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 ward, I would have to pass through New York, and 
 my organ of self-esteem was too predominant to 
 permit me to go' in a beggarly manner. What was 
 to he done ? I was anxious to pa"y up old scores in 
 the city, before I left it, and this I could only do 
 by selling my clothing ; and I was desirous of cut- 
 ting a respectable figure in my journey to New 
 Bedford, and this I could only do by retaining my 
 clothing. Here was certainly not a very happy 
 combination of circumstances. If I parted with 
 my clothing, my appearance was likely to partake 
 but scantily of the aristocratical ; and if I re- 
 tained it somebody was sure to come out minus 
 one half the value of it. I finally concluded to 
 c^pry one half of my wardrobe to the pawn bro- 
 kers, pay off my debts as far as the proceeds would 
 go, and let community suffer for the balance. This 
 I did immediately. I then paid my landlady's bill 
 as well as my other trifling debts, and found my- 
 self still in possession of a surplus fund of five 
 dollars. It must, however, be borne in mind, that 
 my tailor was not yet paid. His bill was nine 
 dollars, and my ingenuity was of too dull a char- 
 acter to manage this sum with a five dollar bill. 
 I, however, thought it wrong to sink the poor 
 fellow altogether, and fixed upon a plan by which 
 he might be enabled to keep his head above water, 
 if he felt disposed to do so. Among the articles 
 which I had placed in pawn, at old uncle Mor- 
 decai's, was a vry fine overcoat, for which I had
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 21 
 
 received nine dollars, but the real value of which 
 was near twenty-five. The certificate of this de- 
 posit, I sent in a letter to my tailor, with instruc- 
 tions, that if he wanted what I owed him, to 
 redeem the coat, and sell it for its full value, by 
 which means he might obtain the principal of his 
 demand, together with a handsome interest. 
 
 Having thus arranged my financial affairs, I 
 adjusted my remaining property in a hand trunk ; 
 made a distribution of my tools among those of 
 my shopmates who had yet employment; bid fare- 
 well to my landlady, who expressed deep regret at 
 seeing me depart on my break-neck adventure, and 
 took up my line of march for the rendezvous of 
 Captain Wrighter. The day was far advanced by 
 the time I reached the shipping office, and before 
 I had completed my bargain with the captain, the 
 shades of evening began to envelope the city. 
 Wrighter had prepared beds for most of his gait- 
 water votaries, but as I had slept ill the night 
 before, I resolved for that night at least to seek 
 my own lodgings elsewhere. 
 
 On the following morning, with buoyant spirits 
 and exulting thoughts, such as are generally inspi- 
 red by the prospect of wild adventure in a youthful 
 and romantic mind, I repaired at an early hour to 
 the shipping office. Wrighter was already mar- 
 shalling his troops for their march eastward. In 
 an hour afterwards our luggage was packed in a 
 hand-cart, and hauled to the ferry. The roll was
 
 22 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 then called, and all hands being found present, we 
 got on the boat, in company with the shipping- 
 master, and passed over to Caraden. The loco- 
 motive was already letting off steam, the passen- 
 gers were there, and the conductor was only 
 awaiting the approach of the hour of departure to 
 ring the bell. 
 
 At this time I took, as I then thought, my last 
 look at Philadelphia. Those beautiful edifices, 
 streets, and public walks, that have proved the 
 admiration of thousands, lay spread like a chart 
 before me, but I felt no regret in leaving them. 
 They had already lost all charm to me, and a 
 strange joy thrilled through my heart at the pros- 
 pect of quitting a place whose pomp, wealth, and 
 marble structures seemed like so many mockeries 
 at my own poverty and insignificance. In truth, I 
 was now going to make my fortune ; all behind was 
 cold, dark, and cheerless all before me bright, 
 clear, and auspicious. 
 
 While awaiting the departure of the cars, I 
 must say that I felt considerably chagrined at my 
 situation. My companions, consisting of about 
 twenty men, were decidedly, to my mind, the 
 roughest looking set of fellows that I had ever 
 fallen in with. When I cast my eyes around on 
 the respectable appearance of the rest of the pas- 
 sengers, and then on these, the contrast was abso- 
 lutely awful ; and I began to wonder if I must 
 really go to sea in the same ship with these pirati
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 28 
 
 cal looking fellows. Besides, one half of them 
 were, to all appearance, topers ; for while I was 
 taking a survey of their movements, and drawing 
 a comparison between their dirty, tattered gar- 
 ments and my own best draft on the tailor, I saw 
 three, of them empty a pint bottle of apple jack, 
 Jersey lightning, or some other equally nauseous 
 distillation. " Must I," said I to myself, " ride in 
 the same car with these scamps ?" At that par- 
 ticular moment I thrust my hand into my silk 
 vest pocket, and felt the five dollar bill, and for an 
 instant I thought of paying an additional half dollar 
 for a seat in one of the first class cars ; but, upon 
 second thought, I determined otherwise. "Five 
 dollars," said I, " may some day have an end." 
 To my companions, the most of whom looked as if 
 they had seen nothing larger than a fip-penny-bit 
 for the last six months, so large a sum might 
 indeed have seemed a wonderful windfall, yet to 
 me it appeared a sum which should be expended 
 with caution. I felt that economy was becoming a 
 necessary ingredient in the preservation of my 
 remaining fortune. Even fortunes of five thousand 
 dollars are often squandered away foolishly ; and I 
 was convinced that without a due regard to pru- 
 dence and economy, I might again be brought to 
 poverty and want. 
 
 At length the bell rang, and the passengers 
 mounted the cars. I took good care to mount on 
 the side opposite to where my companions entered.
 
 24 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 A car had been provided expressly for Wrighter and 
 his party, and in this we all took our seats. As 
 there was an abundance of room, we were not in 
 danger of being much crowded ; and I was confi- 
 dent that our appearance was not of so attractive 
 a character as to draw much of a crowd from the 
 first class cars. For my own part, I congratulated 
 myself on the dimensions of the car, as by its size 
 I was enabled to occupy one corner of it in undis- 
 turbed tranquillity. Here I had sat for nearly half 
 an hour, beating a tattoo with the toe of my boot 
 on the bottom of the car, and listening to the train 
 as it rumbled along the track, when my amuse- 
 ments were interrupted by the abrupt appearance 
 of a bottle of whiskey, accompanied by a face 
 which I had not noticed before. It occurred to me 
 that my visitor must be an intruder from the first 
 class cars ; but when I saw him deposit his bottle 
 in a valise, and take his seat opposite to me, I was 
 satisfied that he, like the rest of our party, was a fish 
 caught in Captain Wrighter's net. I soon managed 
 to strike up a discourse with him, in which I 
 learned that his name was Hatfield ; that he was 
 a carpenter by trade, and that he had been work- 
 ing in Philadelphia, where the bank explosions had 
 blown him sky-high ; and that, like myself, he was 
 now going to sea, in a whale-ship, with the hope 
 of bettering his fortunes. I soon conceived a 
 fancy for my new acquaintance. His external 
 appearance, together with a gentlemanly address
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 25 
 
 and ease of manners, rendered him so superior to 
 those with whom we were both associated, that I 
 spared no efforts in cultivating his friendship. .By 
 the time we reached Brunswick, we were sworn 
 companions, and determined, if possible, to go to 
 sea together, in the same ship. 
 
 About three o'clock, on the 18th of May, 1837, 
 we were landed at New York, on the North river 
 side, somewhere above Castle Garden. Here we 
 found that our shipping master, Captain Wrighter, 
 was but a sub-agent for the whaling companies, 
 the real agent being a man in New York, named 
 Taylor, who was on the wharf, ready to receive us. 
 A transfer of credentials now took place, after 
 which all Mr. Wrighter's live stock, baggage, 
 goods, and chattels, were delivered over to Mr. 
 Taylor. This change of masters completed, and 
 the premium money paid on the number of heads 
 sold and delivered, Captain Wrighter bid us good 
 bye, and returned to Philadelphia in the evening 
 train. 
 
 We were now drawn up in double file for a 
 march through the city, to the East river, where 
 Taylor had his office. Hatfield and I, being the 
 most respectable in outward appearance, were 
 placed in front, while our luggage, which was 
 loaded on a truck, preceded us to our new rendez- 
 vous. I do not know the names of the several 
 streets through which we paraded in our short jour- 
 ney, but I remember distinctly of passing Holt'a 
 3
 
 26 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 Hotel. I saw several gentlemen standing on the 
 outer steps of tnis fashionable mansion, and aa 
 they kept eyeing us rather sharply, I felt a strong 
 inclination to ask them what they thought of the 
 Pennsylvania representation to New Bedford ; but 
 on looking behind, and seeing some of my rear 
 companions too heavily charged to follow success- 
 fully in the footsteps of their " illustrious predeces- 
 sors," I began to doubt the propriety of such a ques- 
 tion, and thought that the honor of the Key-Stone 
 state might, perhaps, be better sustained in Gotham, 
 Jjy absolute silence, than by a speech which might 
 possibly meet with an unfavorable construction. 
 
 On our arrival at the office of Mr. Taylor, we 
 were informed that no packet would sail for New 
 Bedforo^short of three days, and that during that 
 time we were at liberty to go where we pleased, 
 save that we were to present ourselves at the 
 office mornings and evenings for general muster. A 
 boarding house was pointed out to us, to which we 
 all repaired for dinner. The eatables were certainly 
 as good as could be expected by persons of our 
 grade ; but there was an appearance of comfortless 
 accommodation about the house, in other respects, 
 that I disliked, and on expressing my dissatis- 
 faction to Hatfield, I found him of the same mind. 
 As night was approaching, my friend and I con- 
 cluded to repair to the bed rooms, and see how 
 matters stood there. We followed a servant up 
 stairs, and were conducted into a large apartment,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 27 
 
 along the walls of which, bunks were erected, one 
 above the other, like shelves in a dry goods store. 
 I had never before seen the like, except on canal 
 and steamboats, and I confess, to meet with such 
 things in a city boarding-house, was a new feature 
 in my travels. I looked at Hatfield, and Hatfield 
 looked at me. 
 
 " What do you . think of it, Hatfield ?" inqui- 
 red I. 
 
 " Can't go it !" was the reply. 
 " Don't like to be drove to the wall, eh ?" 
 " No ; if I am broke up and turned out of 
 employment, I don't like to be laid on the shelf, 
 altogether !" 
 
 " Nor I either," said I, " but what will we do ?" 
 Hatfield winked and nodded slyly towards the 
 door, as much as to say, " There is some one list- 
 ening !" The servant, no doubt, overheard our 
 short colloquy ; but I cared little for that, as I had 
 already made up my mind to stay in the house no 
 longer than that night at most. After selecting 
 a lower 1)unk, and placing our effects under it as a 
 mark of possession, we sallied forth into the street 
 and took a turn round the city. At' our return, 
 we were met at the door by the landlady, who told 
 us not to go to bed until our companions were pro- 
 vided for, and we would, perhaps, fare the better 
 for it. We were highly pleased to find ourselves 
 in favor with the landlady, and agreed to be 
 guided by her advice. An hour elapsed before
 
 28 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. , 
 
 the shelving of the other members of our party 
 vras completed, after -which, we were led by the 
 landlady, into the parlor, and treated to a glass 
 of passable brandy. We were then informed that 
 a bed was prepared for our reception, in an adjoin- 
 ing room, and a servant was sent to light us to it. 
 We congratulated ourselves on our good fortune, 
 and Hatfield remarked that our luck was 1 due 
 to our clothing, rather than to our persons. I 
 was somewhat of the same opinion; for this was 
 not the first time a good suit of clothes had been 
 instrumental in procuring me the attention of 
 strangers. 
 
 We went to bed with light hearts, anticipating 
 pleasant dreams and a comfortable night's rest ; 
 but, alas ! how often do the most sanguine hopes 
 and proud expectations of the delighted enthusiast 
 end in disappointment and vexation ? Was the 
 room haunted, or had the infernal spirits combined 
 to drive us from our resting place ? I felt that 
 there was something wrong about us ; and though 
 not a believer in ghosts and hobgoblins, I was, 
 nevertheless, satisfied that the bed was troubled 
 with something more than human. To ascertain 
 the cause of this unexpected disturbance, I passed 
 my hand rapidly along the sheet, and felt my 
 finger come suddenly in contact with a creeping 
 body. A slight pressure sufficed to overcome the 
 obstacle, and the smell which greeted my olfac- 
 tories, satisfied me of a visit from an inferior genus
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 29 
 
 of the animal kingdom. Hatfield, I perceived, 
 from his restlessness, was as busily occupied in 
 fighting off his assailants as myself. He rolled, 
 tossed, kicked, and swore, and in his rage, wished 
 the whole city of Gotham, and all its inhabitants, 
 to the dominions of Pluto. At last the morning 
 dawned, and we were not slow in removing our- 
 selves from the scene of strife. The bed was 
 literally strewed with the dead and dying, while 
 our shirts presented huge blotches of blood, where 
 the unfortunate victims of the midnight battle had 
 weltered in their dying gore. 
 
 " Well, Hatfield," said I, as we were dressing 
 ourselves, "we can safely say, that for once in our 
 lives, we have slept in a big-bug bed !" 
 
 "Yes!" replied he laughing, "and lodged in a 
 big-bug house too. But if we are to lodge in this 
 place two nights longer, I am decidedly in favor 
 of having the big-bugs and ourselves placed in 
 separate apartments." 
 
 " I shall certainly vote in favor of such a change, 
 in this instance," said I; "although, in general, 
 I am not in favor of dividing society into castes !" 
 
 "Nor I either,'' answered Hatfield, "where 
 there exists a community of thoughts, tastes, and 
 feelings, but these infernal parasites batten on the 
 very best blood of the democracy !" 
 
 *' True ! I wonder how our new boss, Mr. Tay- 
 lor, would have rested, in a similar predicament ?" 
 
 "As comfortable as a pickled herring." 
 3*
 
 30 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 "Indeed," said I; "don't you think he'd have 
 floundered a little ?" 
 
 " Not he, indeed," replied Hatfield, laughing ; 
 " he's too lean. They could have made no more 
 impression on his withered hide, than on the shell 
 of a stuffed alligator !" 
 
 After breakfast, we repaired to Peck Slip, to 
 ' attend muster at the shipping office, hut found no 
 one there. We lounged around the slip till near 
 dinner time, when we were greeted with the appear- 
 ance of Taylor, who arrived at his office with 
 another party of men, from somewhere in Jersey. 
 Hatfield immediately informed him of our desire 
 to change our boarding-house, and asked permis- 
 sion to hunt one to suit ourselves. 
 
 ?' What is the matter with the one where you 
 are ?" asked Taylor. 
 
 " There are too many blood-suckers about it," 
 answered Hatfied, with a smile. 
 
 " They must be of your own party, then," said 
 Taylor ; " I never heard of any one being sucked 
 out of any thing there." 
 
 "He has reference to the bed-bugs," interposed 
 1, perceiving that the shipping-master misunder- 
 stood my companion's meaning. 
 
 "Bed-bugs!" echoed Taylor. "Do the bed- 
 bugs disturb you ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, 5 ' answered Hatfield ; " they are regu- 
 lar horse-leeches ; they have leached me out of at 
 least half a gallon of my best blood '"
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 31 
 
 ''Impossible !" ejaculated Taylor. 
 
 " A fact," continued Hatfield ; " if you don't 
 want to be put to tbe expense of burying two men 
 before two days, you had better grant our request." 
 
 "Nonsense!" replied Taylor; "you are only 
 joking !" 
 
 " Joking !" exclaimed Hatfield ; " if you cannot 
 believe my statement, let the evidence of your own 
 eyes convince you !" and pulling off his coat, my 
 friend exhibited his shirt sleeves, while a general 
 laugh burst from the men who were gathered 
 around. 
 
 The shipping-master regarded the bloody sleeves 
 
 with an astonishment half comic, half serious, and 
 
 'as if at last satisfied that the stains were really 
 
 caused by blood, leered very searchingly into the 
 
 eyes of Hatfield. 
 
 "Young man," said he, "are you not sometimes 
 in the habit of getting drunk?" 
 
 "Why do you ask that question ?" inquired my 
 friend. 
 
 " Merely because I think you've been a little 
 tight, and fallen into a butcher's stall," said 
 Taylor. 
 
 To sustain the veracity of my friend, I exhibi- 
 ted my sleeves, and when Taylor found the evi- 
 dence in favor of bed bugs was irrefutable, he 
 gave us leave to hunt a boarding-house wherever 
 we pleased. 
 
 My friend and I now wandered forth into the
 
 32 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 city, and were not long in finding lodgings more 
 agreeable to our taste. On our return to Peck 
 Slip, after our trunks, we were met by Taylor's 
 clerk, who had been sent to request our presence 
 at the shipping office. On arriving at the office, we 
 were informed by Taylor, that he had just received 
 a letter from Sag Harbor, requesting him to send 
 six men to that place, to fill out a ship's company 
 for a man named Mulford, and desired that Hat- 
 field and I should go there. I objected to this 
 arrangement on the grounds that I had agreed 
 with Mr. Wrighter to go to New Bedford, and to 
 that place I must accordingly go. Taylor, how- 
 ever, insisted on having us go to Sag Harbor. He 
 said the men to whom he wished to send us, were 
 particular friends of his, and he was desirous to 
 send them respectable looking men, and for that 
 reason had selected us. He doubted not but that 
 we would be better suited there than at New Bed- 
 ford. This bit of flattery bore but little weight 
 with me. I believed this sudden change, on the 
 part of Taylor, the result of some selfish view, or 
 that he merely wished to shake us off, thus hastily, 
 because we were dissatisfied with his boarding- 
 house. Hatfield was content to go, provided the 
 opportunity of going to sea was as favorable from 
 Sag Harbor as from New Bedford. Taylor assu- 
 red us that we need have no fears on that head, as 
 there were some fifteen ships at that port, the most 
 of which were there preparing for sea. At last I
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 33 
 
 told him, if he would pledge his honor that he was 
 using no deception in urging us thither, I would 
 consent to go. This he readily did, and in half 
 an hour afterwards our traps and fixtures were 
 deposited on board a schooner lying at Peck Slip 
 wharf.
 
 Voyage to Sag Harbor, and Adventures on Long Island. 
 
 IT was about three o'clock in the afternoon of a 
 "beautiful May day, -when our schooner cast loose 
 from the wharf, and glided gracefully up the East 
 river, in the direction of Blackwell's Island. For 
 the space of an hour I found amusement in specu- 
 lating on the appearance of the beautiful country- 
 seats that adorned the banks of the river on either 
 side. Hatfield had located himself on the heel 
 of the bowsprit, and seemed lost in the solution 
 of some absorbing mental difficulty. Our four 
 companions, who partook equally of the land and 
 of the water in their appearance, had spread their 
 bodies, as well as their bedding, down the main 
 hatch, and were in the full enjoyment of a com- 
 fortable snooze, while the crew of the schooner, in 
 the meantime, were busily occupied in clearing up 
 the decks of the vessel for sea. Hatfield, at last 
 arousing himself from his reverie, proposed that 
 we should go below, and see what was going on 
 there. 
 
 On entering the cabin we found that the sum 
 total of the passengers amounted to only four 
 besides ourselves. They consisted of three gentle- 
 (84)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 35 
 
 men and a young lady. The lady's father, an 
 elderly farmer from some part of Long Island, sat 
 on the larboard side of the cabin, listening atten- 
 tively to a middle aged politician, an opponent of 
 Jackson's administration, who was belaboring the 
 old hero most soundly. Occasionally the old far- 
 mer endeavored to twist in a word in defence of 
 the old general, but it was instantly swept away by 
 the superior verbosity of his antagonist. Behind 
 these disputants, with his head leaning against the 
 bulk-head, sat a gentlemanly personage in black, 
 whom I took to be a preacher. He was evidently 
 paying grave attention to the political strife that 
 was progressing near him, and the old Whig, as if 
 desirous of drawing him into his own views, at 
 each severe thrust he gave the old farmer, appealed 
 to him with such a look as clearly expressed the 
 three monosyllables, " Aint it so ?" The gravity 
 of the gentleman in black, at each appeal, relaxed 
 into a smile, but there was no nod, no token of 
 assent by which the politician might suppose him- 
 self favored with his approbation. 
 
 When Hatfield and I entered the cabin, there 
 was a momentary pause ; but this only gave the 
 anti-Jackson orator time to recruit his wind for a 
 fresh attack. There was now a larger auditory, 
 and it of course became necessary to make a pro- 
 portionate display. Whether my youth made him 
 suppose me easily influenced by argument, or 
 whether he disliked the sarcastic smile of the gen-
 
 36 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tleman in black, I am unable to decide, but shortly 
 after I had seated myself, he dropped his appeals 
 to him of the white cravat, and directed them to 
 me. I at last ventured to observe that the prece- 
 ding administration had been based upon firm 
 principles ; for however moved his opponents might 
 have been, Jackson himself was immovable. This 
 rap appeared to nettle him. He abandoned the 
 old farmer at once, and turning in his seat, so as to 
 present a full front towards me, he re-opened his 
 batteries at a most alarming rate. 
 
 From the day that I was old enough to shout 
 "Hurrah for Jackson," I had always sided with 
 the Democratic party. At the time the United 
 States Bank bill was vetoed, I joined in the hue 
 and cry against it. Old Hickory was represented 
 as the friend and guardian of the laboring poor. 
 The Bank, it was said, was the poor man's most 
 deadly enemy ; and I believed that the downfall 
 of the latter, and the elevation of the former, were 
 the only means of securing to the toiling poor their 
 liberties, rights, and privileges. I did not pause to 
 consider if my views were right or wrong. I was 
 told by the leading men of my party that such and 
 such things were facts, and their words to me were 
 gospel truth. Thus impressed, it appeared sacri- 
 legious in me to hear the name of Jackson abused 
 without resenting it. Up to the present time I 
 had never yet cast a vote, but I had learned to 
 talk, and this I deemed of far greater consequence
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 37 
 
 than a vote. In the present case, my "dander" 
 was decidedly up at hearing the old political hyena 
 jump so hard on the hickory idol of my party, and 
 I felt like paying him back, with interest, the full 
 wages of his labor. Yet I felt that I must be 
 cautious in my attack, for fear of defeat myself, 
 for I had been caught up by political tartars 
 before ; and as to the calibre of the old gentleman 
 before me, I knew not what might be its exact 
 dimensions. Hence I thought it best to act on the 
 defensive, until such time as I should have an 
 opportunity of sounding the full depth of his pow- 
 ers, and th n by a regular coup de main carry off 
 the whole argument. In this plan I succeeded 
 admirably. The old fellow kept battering away 
 with charge after charge, until the bulk of his 
 ammunition was expended, after which I ventured 
 to let fly a volley. So unexpected a resistance 
 made the old joker desperate. He now redoubled 
 his efforts, but his aim was less pointedly directed, 
 and most of his shot fell short of the mark. I 
 followed up my advantage with such success that I 
 soon perceived the venerable gentleman becoming 
 fearful of the termination of the conflict, and look- 
 ing around for aid from other quarters. I saw, 
 however, that no one was disposed to fly to his 
 assistance, and bringing my whole battery to bear 
 on the old champion's position, I soon silenced him 
 entirely. The administration was sustained, the 
 enemy's colors were abandoned, and the Jackson 
 4
 
 38 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST 
 
 democracy was that day triumphant on tlie East 
 river. 
 
 Having thus succeeded in silencing our loqua- 
 cious fellow passenger, I looked round to see what 
 impression my triumph had made on the rest of the 
 passengers. I perceived that all looked pleased 
 except my discomfited antagonist. The farmer 
 rubbed his hands in the greatest glee, and the gen- 
 tleman in black looked as if he would congratulate 
 me, but was doubtless restrained by the presence 
 of third parties. Hatfield, who was also a member 
 of what my opponent styled " the dirty shirt dem- 
 ocracy," sat apart at one side of the cabin, with 
 his eyes bent on a shinplaster likeness of old 
 Hickory, and which he kept whirling round and 
 round between his fingers with the velocity of a 
 flutter-wheel. The young lady, who had been a 
 silent spectator to our political squabble, rose to 
 look up the companion-way, and in doing so she 
 favored me with a look. A congratulatory smile 
 played upon her lips, which threw such a quantity 
 of gas into my brain that there was some danger 
 of it exploding with vanity and self-conceit. I 
 began to think that my eloquence, besides silencing 
 the loquacity of our common pest, had also the 
 effect of captivating her ; and no sooner had this 
 idea entered my mind, than I fancied myself over 
 head and ears in love with her. Strange as it may 
 seem, I had already forgotten that I was on a 
 journey for a long voyage to sea, and thought of
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 39 
 
 following up a love adventure with this interesting 
 nymph of the Sound. 
 
 About this time the captain made his appearance 
 in the cahin, and announced that we were in the 
 vicinity of Hellgate. At this intelligence we all 
 went on deck to see how matters and things looked 
 in the neighborhood of uncle Nicholas's dominions. 
 I walked forward and took a seat on the windlass, 
 where I was soon after joined by the gentleman in 
 black. We entered into conversation and in a 
 short time became quite familiar with each other. 
 Instead of a preacher, I now discovered that he 
 was a merchant of Sag Harbor, and that he had 
 been to New York to lay in a stock of summer 
 goods. He gave me a full detail of the shipping 
 at Sag Harbor, the conditions on which landsmen 
 were generally received in whale-ships, the method 
 of shipping them, and the articles necessary for an 
 outfit. In short, he gave me all the information I 
 could desire in relation to the object of my jour- 
 ney, and concluded by soliciting my patronage in 
 buying of him my outfit, should I go to sea from 
 that place. 
 
 Supper was now announced, on which we all 
 repaired to the cabin, and soon afterwards returned 
 to the deck, where we passed our time until dark. 
 The vessel had by this time got out into the Sound, 
 and the breeze freshening up, the water began to 
 be a little rough. I now thought it time to look 
 s>" tid for my fair dulcina, and indulge in a little
 
 40 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 harmless chat. I found her leaning over the taffrail, 
 with a countenance partaking of every look but 
 that of love. The heaving motion of the vessel 
 had caused a heaving motion at her stomach ; and 
 I had the good sense to leave her in the indulgence 
 of an exercise quite the reverse of eating. I soon 
 afterwards turned into my bunk and fell into a 
 sound sleep, from which I did not awake until 
 after daylight next morning. At breakfast I 
 looked round for my fair vision of the previous 
 day, but she had vanished during the night. For 
 a while I felt quite lonely and dejected, and began 
 to doubt the expediency of going to sea ; but as 
 we approached our place of destination my spirits 
 revived, and at the close of the day I was as merry 
 as ever. Before the light of another day had 
 dawned upon my head, I was landed safely at Sag 
 Harbor. 
 
 Although it was Sunday morning when I made 
 my first appearance in Sag Harbor, yet this' did 
 not deter me from searching out the house of Mr. 
 Mulford. I knocked at the door, and presently a 
 slender, spare gentleman, whose appearance en- 
 croached a little on the borders of dandyism, pre- 
 sented himself. This, I was informed, was Mr. 
 Mulford. I presented my credentials from Mr. 
 Taylor, which were pronounced all right. As he 
 had no particular boarding-house to recommend, 
 we were at liberty to seek our own lodgings whcre- 
 ever we pleased. He should not attend to us that
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 41 
 
 day, he said, but at any other time, would be 
 happy to see us at his office. Having said this 
 much, he dismissed us by shutting the door very 
 politely in our faces. 
 
 Hatfield and I were not long in procuring accom- 
 modations, which we found to our satisfaction, at 
 the Suffolk House. Our four companions, not 
 ambitious of locating themselves in so conspicuous 
 a place, took up their residence at a private board- 
 ing-house near the wharf. Our landlord was a 
 very agreeable and obliging personage, and in 
 connection with his other nick-nacks, revelled in the 
 title of Duke. Long Island is divided into three 
 counties, called King's, Queen's, and Suffolk, uud 
 Mr. Fordham was generally known amui.^ his 
 acquaintances as the Duke of Suffolk. Our traps 
 were soon brought from the schooner to the hotel, 
 where my friend and I found ourselves once more 
 snugly housed on terra firma. 
 
 Early on Monday morning a message was brought 
 from Mr. Mulford, requesting our immediate attend- 
 ance at his office. We found him seated at his desk, 
 with his shipping articles before him. He told us 
 that he had then two ships ready for sea, which 
 would sail in a few days, and we might choose a 
 berth in either, and sign our names to the articles 
 at once. I, however, thought there was no urgent 
 necessity to sign so hastily, and begged a few days 
 grace to make up my mind. He, nevertheless, 
 insisted on our signing immediately. I then ob 
 4*
 
 42 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 served that aa I was entirely ignorant of the busi- 
 ness in which I was about to engage, I was desirous 
 of having time to make some inquiries respecting 
 the usual rates of pay in whale ships. He said the 
 rates of pay were limited tp shares, and that the 
 customary shares of landsmen were the hundred 
 and eightieth share. I doubted the truth of this 
 statement, for Mr. Scoy, the merchant who came 
 with me in the schooner from New York, had rep- 
 resented the usual shares of raw hands as varying 
 from the hundred and fiftieth to the hundred and 
 seventy-fifth. Hence I began to suspect that this 
 unnecessary haste on the part of Mr. Mulford, was 
 the result of a fraudulent design ; and as I was 
 fully determined not to be cheated with my eyes 
 open, by signing his articles precipitately, I told 
 him plumply, that I would not ship under four 
 days. This made him a little angry. 
 
 "You must go in one or the other of these 
 ships,'' said he; "I might put you in whichever I 
 pleased, but I give you your choice. You are in 
 my employ, and are obliged to take just whatever 
 lay I choose to give you. You, in effect, sold your- 
 self into my service at New York the very moment 
 you agreed with Taylor to go to sea." 
 
 "I sell myself to you?" retorted I, to this im- 
 perative language of Mr. Mulford. " I never 
 knew there was such a man as you in existence. I 
 agreed with Mr. Wrighter, in Philadelphia, to go 
 to New Bedford. At New York Mr. Taylor per-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 43 
 
 suaded me to come to this place, and I consented 
 to come only on condition that if I did not like it 
 I might still proceed to New Bedford. I never 
 bound myself with you, nor with any of your agents, 
 nor shall I, in the present instance, suffer myself 
 to he cheated by entering your ship at the hun- 
 dred and eightieth lay. Whether you like it or 
 not, sir, I shall choose my own time for ship- 
 ping." 
 
 Mr. Mulford looked very black at this declara- 
 tion of independence, while I, walking out of the 
 office, took a turn on the wharf. Hatfield, in the 
 meantime, returned to the Duke's, where he re- 
 ported the conference to the mate and second 
 mate of the ship Hudson, a vessel belonging to one 
 of Mr. Mulford 's rivals. These young men con- 
 gratulated me on having defeated the designs of 
 Mulford, who they said was in the habit of coming 
 such tricks over strangers. They sought my com- 
 pany, and besides interesting themselves warmly 
 in my behalf, introduced me to a large number of 
 young people of both sexes around the village, as 
 well as to Mr. Green, the captain, and to Mr. Cook, 
 the owner of the ship Hudson. A new circle of 
 friends soon made their appearance around me, 
 whose smiling faces, meeting me on all sides, made 
 the time steal away gaily and pleasantly. Two 
 weeks passed by. Mr. Mulford's two ships had 
 sailed my four companions were already tossing 
 on the briny deep, while my friend and I, almost
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 of the object of our journey, were still 
 holding our soirees at the palace of the Duke. 
 
 It was during these two weeks that I formed an 
 intimacy with a young sailor named Mark Leigh- 
 ton, a native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 
 His brothers were men of respectable standing at 
 that place, one being a merchant and the other a 
 ship owner. Mark had left home when a mere 
 boy. The earlier portion of his life had been spent 
 in the merchant service. He had made two sealing 
 voyages to the South seas, and but four weeks 
 previous to my introduction to him he had returned 
 from a four years' cruise on the Pacific ocean, in 
 the whale ship Arabella. He was frank, manly, 
 generous, and benevolent, as strong as a young 
 lion, and a sailor of the first water. We became 
 much attached to each other, and agreed to make 
 a campaign through the world together. I was to 
 be the Talleyrand of our travels, he the Napoleon. 
 I was to do the talking, and he the fighting. Most 
 of our time was spent together, either in sporting 
 and porgy fishing, or in sailing a boat load of young 
 ladies up and down the bay. We had, also, fre- 
 quent invitations to parties, and as I could execute 
 a song to a considerable degree of perfection, and 
 play on the flute, these accomplishments were fre- 
 quently called into requisition, and had the effect 
 of procuring me quite a popular notoriety among 
 the villagers. The circumstance of going to sea 
 as a common saibr, was no disgrace to me, for all
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 45 
 
 the brothers, lovers, husbands, sons, and fathers of 
 the place were in some way connected with the sea. 
 To be a sailor there, was to be one of them ; and 
 to be a sailor who could sing tastefully, and play 
 the flute, was captivating in the extreme, and a 
 passport to the heart of every young lady in the 
 place. Besides, I boarded at a Duke's house, had 
 been pronounced a clever young man by captain 
 Green, of the "good ship Hudson," and what 
 higher recommendation could be asked ? None, 
 certainly. My songs and music were gratifying to 
 the ladies, their company and applause were grati- 
 fying to me, the parties and jollifications were 
 gratifying to every body, and every body enjoyed 
 them with happy and mirthful hearts. Who could 
 be morbid, sad, dejected, ill-natured, and morose, 
 in such society? I confess that I could not, but 
 secretly blessed the schooner that had brought me 
 safely to so merry a place as Sag Harbor. 
 
 While matters were proceeding thus gaily with 
 me, a circumstance occurred at the Duke's which, 
 while it added to my popularity, was at the same 
 time extremely gratifying to my vanity. Hatfield, 
 in his days of plenty, having more money than 
 he could spend wisely, had bought, at an auc- 
 tion in Philadelphia, a few volumes of books, which 
 on being opened, were found to be printed in the 
 Latin language. Unable to dispose of them in the 
 city, he had brought them to Sag Harbor, and 
 laid them on the sill of our bed-room window. Dr.
 
 46 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 Dayton, a newly married physician, who, together 
 with his wife, boarded at the Duke's, had by acci- 
 dent alighted on these books, and being surprised 
 to find such articles among the paraphernalia of a 
 common sailor, asked my friend if he could under- 
 stand them. Hatfield replied in the negative, but 
 said his young friend was in the habit of reading 
 them. This incident soon gave rise to the report 
 that I was a Latin scholar, and among the ladies 
 brought on the tapis the subject of my origin. 
 Questions were asked of Hatfield, as to who I 
 really was, and where I was from ; but as I had 
 sunk the shoemaker entirely on my departure from 
 Philadelphia, even Hatfield was not aware of my 
 vocation. The ladies, getting soon into the roman- 
 tic mood, made it out as clear as day that I was 
 some wealthy gentleman's son, who had doubtless 
 run away from college, and was now, in a fanciful 
 freak, going to try a voyage to sea. I knew 
 nothing of these reports till told of them by Leigh- 
 ton, nor did I then take any pains to refute them. 
 I thought if people felt disposed to amuse them- 
 selves at my expense, it was no business of mine. 
 So long as they continued to treat me with the 
 kindness they had done, I was abundantly satisfied ; 
 and- as their reports were not of a character to for- 
 feit their good opinion, I was far too vain to think 
 of humbling the position they had assigned to me 
 in society. 
 
 In the meanwhile the fourth of July was ap-
 
 FIYE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 47 
 
 preaching, and preparations were making at the 
 Duke's for celebrating it on a magnificent sca.e. 
 The committee of arrangement, consisting mostly 
 of my new acquaintances, waited on me for the 
 purpose of procuring my vocal powers to aid in 
 the musical department. I yielded my consent to 
 the deputation, and the songs pitched upon for 
 the occasion, were the "Sea," and the "Star- 
 spangled Banner." That same evening, a com- 
 mittee from a rival house, opposite to Duke Ford- 
 ham's, waited on me with a request to favor their 
 celebration with these two identical songs. But I 
 declined this second invitation on the grounds of 
 having given my patronage to the duke. An argu- 
 ment was now entered into by the rival committee, 
 with a view of overthrowing the Duke's negotia- 
 tion. It was suggested, that the house where I 
 had promised to attend would be patronized exclu- 
 sively by captains, ship-owners, and merchants, 
 who would only receive me as a necessary musical 
 instrument, but who could have no possible sym- 
 pathy or feelings in common with me that they 
 were aristocratical in sentiment and feeling, and 
 cared not a cent for the thoughts or welfare of 
 poor Jack ; but over the way I would be greeted 
 by a jolly party of whole-souled fellows, well met ; 
 by mates, second mates, b'oat-steerers, and common 
 jack tars, who would receive me as a friend, and 
 cheer me as a brother. In short, that I would there 
 be among the democratic blue-jackets Instead of a
 
 48 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 shoal of aristocratical nabobs. These arguments, it 
 must be confessed, operated so weightily upon me that 
 I was almost inclined to renounce the Duke for ever ; 
 but at this critical period, Mr. Fordham's son, and 
 heir apparent to the Dukedom of Suffolk, encount- 
 ered me, and interposed to prevent so fatal a catas- 
 trophe to the interests of the house of " Suffolk." 
 His views seemed to imply that as I boarded at 
 the Duke's, I could scarcely be excusable in voting 
 the bread out of my own mouth by abandoning his 
 cause. Like an humble democrat in a despotic 
 government, I saw at once that my fate was insepa- 
 rably linked with the aristocracy, and accordingly 
 placed a negative on the request of the deputation 
 from the lower house. 
 
 At last the long desired day arrived. The sun 
 shone clear and beautiful in the heavens above the 
 whole town was in holiday of finery ; while Suffolk 
 House presented an absolute fair of smiling faces 
 and happy hearts. The dinner of " mine host," 
 the Duke, was most excellent and did great honor 
 to his lordship's taste. The gastronomic exercises 
 passed off without any other accidents than the 
 breaking a prong from a carving fork and the 
 upsetting of the president's tumbler. 
 
 The dinner over, the wines were brought on, 
 when the president rose and proposed that the 
 company be favoured with a song. In anticipa- 
 tion of such an event, I had laid in a sufficient 
 charge of wine, as I thought, to produce the proper
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 49 
 
 tone of voice. I rose and commenced, though not 
 without some nervous twitching about the heart. 
 The first verse was attended with a slight quiver 
 of the voice, hut as I proceeded, I acquired confi- 
 dence in my own powers, and at the conclusion of 
 that song of songs, the " Star-spangled Banner," 
 more than an hundred voices joined in chorus. 
 Three cheers followed the stars and stripes were 
 run aloft from the house-top a national salute 
 was fired from a cannon on the common bumper 
 after bumper was drank in rapid succession, and in 
 a few minutes the whole party began to be most 
 gloriously patriotic. 
 
 The events of the night proved as propitious as 
 those of the day. The ball wound away in giddy 
 delight to the young ladies ; and at an early hour 
 next morning the assemblage dispersed to their 
 respective homes, intoxicated with the excellencies 
 of the night, as well as with the excellency of the 
 wines. 
 
 On the morning of the fifth, and in the culmina- 
 tion of my Sag Harborean popularity, I received 
 a call from my most agreeable friend, Mr. Mul- 
 ford. He had a third ship ready for sea, and was 
 desirous of knowing if I had yet made up my mind 
 to go to sea, or not. I told him I was going to sea, 
 but not in his ship. I had come to the conclusion 
 fif going to sea with Captain Green, in the ship Hud- 
 son. Mr. Cook, the owner, had offered to ship me. 
 
 *' Mr. Cook will not ship you !" said Mr. Mulford. 
 5
 
 50 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " But he will !" answered I. 
 
 *' He dare not do it !" proceeded Mulford. 
 
 " Dare not ?" exclaimed I, " Why he said he 
 would !" 
 
 " He'll subject himself to a severe penalty if he 
 does," observed Mulford. 
 
 " How so, sir ?" inquired I, surprised at the 
 vehemence of the ship-owner's language. " It's a 
 free country the man has a right to do as he 
 pleases, tyas he not ?" 
 
 " Under general circumstances he has, but under 
 particular ones he has not," said Mulford. " We 
 ship-owners are mutually bound under an obliga- 
 tion of one hundred dollars not to ship each other's 
 men. You are my man, as I said before, and if 
 he ships you, I'll exact the penalty to the very last 
 cent." 
 
 Without exchanging another word I turned di- 
 rectly from Mr. Mulford, and proceeded to Mr. 
 Cook's office. I found him engaged in writing. 
 I related to him the language which had passed 
 between Mr. Mulford and myself, and asked if his 
 statement was correct. Mr. Cook admitted that 
 such an arrangement existed between them, and 
 that he could not ship me without a written dis- 
 charge from Mr. Mulford. 
 
 I now found myself placed in rather an awkward 
 situation, but I determined to extricate myself in 
 some way forthwith. I returned to Mr. Mulford, 
 and told him what Mr. Cook had said.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 51 
 
 " You might have spared yourself the pains of 
 asking him," observed Mr. Mulford. " But I pre- 
 sume you are now satisfied, and will enter my ship?" 
 
 "No, sir," answered I. " I repeat, that I never 
 will go in a ship of your's." 
 
 "What are your objections ?" inquired Mr. Mul- 
 ford, with apparent vexation. "I offer you the 
 same lay that Mr. Cook has offered, and in a four 
 boat ship too, and what more can you ask ?" 
 
 " It is not the lay nor the boats that make me 
 object to going in your ship, Mr. Mulford," 
 answered I, " but my dislike to yourself. You 
 endeavored to practice deception upon me. You 
 told me when I first came here, that the best lay 
 given a landsman was the hundred and eightieth. 
 Mr. Cook subsequently offered me the hundred and 
 fiftieth, and told me that such was the usual lay. 
 You then fly round in the face of your former 
 declaration, and offer the same as Mr. Cook. Had 
 I signed your articles when you first requested me 
 to do so, I should have come out at least forty dol- 
 lars less in my share of the ship's cargo than I 
 would at your present offer. From this I infer, 
 that your design, from the beginning, was to cheat 
 me into a bad bargain ; and a man who shows an 
 inclination to cheat at the commencement of a cruise, 
 will not hesitate to do the same at tlie end. To be 
 plain in the matter, sir, I think you are dishonest, 
 and hence I am firmly resolved never to enter into 
 your employ."
 
 52 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " Insulting puppy !" exclaimed Mr. Mulford, 
 jumping from his seat, and pacing his office in a 
 great rage ; " I will trifle with you no longer. 
 Where are the seven dollars advance money which 
 I paid on your passage to this place, and the three 
 dollars bounty money paid to Mr. Taylor ? Pay 
 me those ten dollars, and quit my sight at once, or 
 else sign these articles !" 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Mr. Mulford," answered I. 
 " The seven dollars advanced on my passage, you 
 are certainly entitled to, and I shall endeavor to 
 have it paid. But the three dollars paid to Taylor, 
 as a bounty for sending me to you, I have received 
 no value for, and I shall consequently not pay a 
 cent of it. Now, sir, if you will please to give me 
 a written dismissal from your service, I will go 
 immediately over the way, to Mr. Cook's office, 
 and enter my name on the Hudson's articles, and 
 Mr. Cook will become responsible for the payment 
 of the seven dollars !" 
 
 " I will do no such thing. You shall go in my 
 ship, or starve in Sag Harbor !" 
 
 "But I have no predilection for the former alter- 
 native, Mr. Mulford," answered I; " and as to the 
 latter, Duke Fordham's table would render it an 
 utter impossibility. No, sir, I have another choice ! 
 T^iere is a steamer going from this place to New 
 London to-morrow morning. Now if you persist 
 in refusing me a discharge, I will proceed to New 
 Bedford in that boat, where I may perhaps not be
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 53 
 
 trammelled up as I am here. I have gained infor- 
 mation enough at this place to avoid being taken 
 in there. As to the seven dollars I owe you, when 
 I get that sum I will remit it to you in a letter, 
 and if it should so happen that you never get any 
 letter, you will know on whom to put the blame." 
 
 Mr. Mulford was silent. My last remark had 
 doubtless touched upon a tender chord. Self-inte- 
 rest was an ingredient too powerful in his composi- 
 tion to permit the loss of seven dollars foolishly. 
 He accordingly proceeded to write out a discharge, 
 and handed it to me without saying a word. I pock- 
 eted the discharge, and walking directly over to 
 the office of Mr. Cook, was in ten minutes after- 
 wards numbered among the crew of the ship 
 Hudson. 
 
 The next thing to be provided was an outfit. 
 The Hudson was rapidly preparing for sea, and at 
 most would not remain in port longer than eight 
 days. I applied to Mr. Scoy who furnished me 
 with all the things necessary for a year's voyage. 
 My accounts were next footed up, when I found 
 that by adding my board bill, and the seven dollars 
 advanced by Mulford, to the cost of my outfit, I 
 was in arrears ninety-nine dollars and fifty cents. 
 As fractions appeared to disfigure the books, I added 
 a bottle of brandy to the account, and made it an 
 even hundred. As security for this sum I signed 
 an order drawn in favor of Mr. Scoy for my share 
 of the Hudson's cargo on her return, he to receive 
 5
 
 54 FIVE YEARS BEFOIIE THE MAST. 
 
 the whole, and to pay me whatever surplus remained 
 after deducting the principal and interest of my 
 indebtedness. 
 
 Hatfield shipped in the Hudson the same day 
 I did ; but on the following morning he went in 
 the steamer to New London, on a visit to some of 
 his friends, and by some unaccountable absence of 
 mind, forgot to return. Some unsuccessful inqui- 
 ries were made in regard to him, but from that day 
 to this, I have never gleaned any tidings of the 
 old friend who had sworn to go to sea with me in 
 the same ship. 
 
 At last the time arrived when I must actually 
 make my debut on a new, and to me, an untried 
 element. My broadcloth suit and fancy hat, were 
 carefully laid aside for future use, and their place 
 occupied by a tarpaulin hat and a red flannel shirt. 
 It must be admitted that my new wardrobe made 
 but little improvement in my personal appearance, 
 yet there was a great consolation under this humili- 
 ating change, in knowing that my future opera- 
 tions were not to be witnessed by the ladies. While 
 this change was being completed, my chest was 
 conveyed on board the ship, which had hauled out 
 into the bay, and was lying with her anchor apeak, 
 awaiting the arrival of the captain and a portion 
 of her crew. I perceived Captain Green approach- 
 ing the wharf, and joined him. The second mate, 
 who was waiting with a boat to convey us to the 
 ship, inquired for Leighton. This reminded me
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 55 
 
 that my friend Mark had gone up town. I knew 
 that he was paying his addresses to a young lady 
 of the village, and supposed that he had gone to 
 bid her farewell. But when there is a lady to be 
 attended to, there is no knowing how long a man 
 may be induced to stay, and I was dispatched by 
 Captain Green, to hunt him up. On reaching the 
 house, I found Mark and his lady-love alone. She 
 looked as if she had been weeping, and I fancied 
 that I saw a tear glistening in the eye of Mark. 
 He asked if the boat was waiting for him, and I 
 answered in the affirmative. He rose and took the 
 young lady's hand, while I turned to look out at 
 the window. A few sighs a sob a whisper 
 and the single word, " Remember," spoken in a 
 tremulous voice by the young lady, were all I 
 heard and Mark and I, issuing into the street 
 together, directed our way in silence towards the 
 boat. 
 
 On reaching the ship, the captain looked doubt- 
 fully round the horizon, and as the wind was unfa- 
 vora'ble for getting out of the harbor, he suggested 
 to the mate that they would not move the anchor 
 till next morning. The men appeared satisfied 
 with the arrangement, and began to select their 
 bunks and spread their bedding. In a few hours 
 the crew began to present an appearance of organi- 
 zation. 
 
 The circumstance of Mark parting with his mis- 
 tress, as well as the fact of my being on the eve
 
 56 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 of a long voyage to sea, from which I might pos- 
 sibly never return, hung heavily on my mind, and 
 at the approach of night, produced an oppressive 
 feeling of melancholy. I now began to think of 
 the friends of by-gone days, and among the many 
 forms that rose up before me, was the image of a 
 young lady whom I had left in Philadelphia, and 
 who was, perhaps, at that very hour, dreaming of 
 the faithlessness of men. I had not visited her 
 on my departure from the city, as I had some 
 qualms about trusting my feelings in her presence ; 
 but I now thought it no more than just to inform 
 her of my whereabouts, and send her some slight 
 token of remembrance. To this end I resolved to 
 pass my last night in America, in writing a love- 
 letter. 
 
 I shall not worry the patience of the reader in 
 dragging him through a rehearsel of this letter. 
 Like all letters of this description, it partook of 
 some sense and a great deal of nonsense of some 
 emotions which I really felt at the time, and others 
 that I never did feel of unswerving fidelity, eter- 
 nal constancy, and a whole catalogue of soft and 
 flattering words, such as we feel conscious will 
 please, although we know them to be false. All 
 this, and a hundred other things, I wrote, and con- 
 cluded by swearing that I would never marry any 
 other woman without permission from her. This 
 faithful epistle I transmitted to the post-office, 
 through the agency of Mr. Scoy's clerk, who was
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 57 
 
 the last citizen that took his departure from the 
 decks of the old ship Hudson. 
 
 On the following morning our captain was on 
 board at an early hour ; but as the wind was light 
 and baffling, we did not commence heaving on the 
 windlass till after breakfast. About eight o'clock, 
 a steady breeze set in from the north-west. Our 
 anchor was then weighed the topsails were sheeted 
 and hoisted home the top-gallant sails were set, 
 and the good ship Hudson, bowing gracefully to 
 the breeze, glided gently from her moorings. In 
 an hour the white and tasteful cottages of the 
 little village of Sag Harbor began to sink in the 
 distance. By twelve o'clock the chief head-lands 
 that bounded the bay were passed Block Island 
 hove in view Montauk point was rounded, and 
 the blue waters of the broad Atlantic lay spread 
 before us.
 
 First appearance on tbe Atlantic Ocean and visit to FayaL 
 
 To HIM who has been reared in wealth and 
 nurtured in luxury, how many painful reflections 
 arise at the prospect of quitting home for distant 
 oceans and foreign climes. The kind father, the 
 gentle mother, the affectionate sister, and the smiles 
 and tender greetings of flattering friends, all crowd 
 themselves upon the mind to swell the heart, and 
 choke the utterance ; but to the poor boy of the 
 day laborer to him who has been permitted to 
 grow up like a wild sapling of the forest, rather 
 than as a tender plant of the nursery, how few 
 tender associations of this nature, link themselves. 
 From my earliest childhood, my thoughts had been 
 associated with the cold frown of the master, and 
 the shrill scolding voice of the mistress ; and when 
 once grown to be my own master, and free, I felt 
 as wild and joyous as a bird released from its 
 cage, to soar aloft in the free and open atmosphere. 
 Was it strange, then, that I should feel little or no 
 regret at quitting my home and my country ? But 
 it will be said that I had friends. Yes ; I had left 
 friends behind in Philadelphia, and friends in Sag 
 (58)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 69 
 
 Harbor ; but they were friends of an hour mere 
 sunshine friends, who, on the approach of the first 
 cloud of adversity, would withhold the light of their 
 hearts, reflecting the radiance of their smiles on 
 other faces and on other forms. It is true, that when 
 I beheld the last dim outline of Montauk sinking in 
 the horizon, I felt a species of melancholy stealing 
 upon me ; but there was no tremulous pulsation of 
 the heart, no gentle tear-drops to pay their sad 
 and parting tribute to the "land of the free, and 
 the home of the brave," and when that faint streak 
 of land had finally disappeared in the far west, I 
 felt myself launched as a lonely wanderer on the 
 wide and trackless bosom of the ocean. 
 
 It was about four o'clock in the afternoon, when 
 the shores of Long Island were last visible. The 
 anchors had been secured, the chain cables stowed 
 down in the lockers, and every thing about the ship 
 made snug and taut for sea. The captain ordered 
 all hands to be called aft on the quater deck, and 
 proceeded to divide the ship's company into watches, 
 I was cast in the starboard watch, and my friend 
 Leighton in the larboard. The starboard division 
 had the first dog watch but before it had been half 
 an hour on deck, I began to feel the nausea of sea 
 sickness. As the night approached the wind fresh- 
 ened up, and the sea getting rougher every minute 
 increased my distress. At dark, the wind com- 
 menced blowing a regular gale ; and the black and 
 heavy looking clouds that were fast gathering up ID
 
 60 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the west, gave evident tokens of an approaching 
 storm. Presently a broad sheet of lightning cast 
 its red glare across the sea, lighting up the white 
 waves far and near. The captain, acting upon 
 this timely hint, proceeded to furl the top gallant 
 sails and double reef the top-sails. To effect this, 
 the ship was luffed up into the wind, and begun to 
 pitch and toss at a furious rate. This was too 
 much for me, who had now reached the very acme 
 of sea sickness. I staggered to the forecastle, and 
 crawled into my bunk, but to my most direful dis- 
 tress, found that this brought no relief to my 
 troubles. The ship kept rolling, pitching and 
 tossing more alarmingly than ever, with the in- 
 creasing storm, and at last a heavy sea breaking 
 over the bow of the vessel, sent a few hogsheads 
 of salt water roaring down the fore-scuttle. This 
 was a dreadful shock to my nerves. I fancied that 
 the ship was now sinking, and began to lament the 
 folly that had induced me to sacrifice the comfort 
 of a shoe shop for such a miserable and untimely 
 end. I thought it too terrible to die housed up in 
 a narrow forecastle, and made a desperate effort to 
 get on deck; but as I got my head up the scuttle 
 hole, another sea broke over the forecastle, engulf- 
 ing me, head and ears. Being weak and giddy 
 with sea sickness, I found myself unable to main- 
 tain my footing, under such a hydraulic pressure, 
 and sliding from the steps of the ladder, I was 
 landed on my back, fluttering and blowing like a
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 61 
 
 porpoise, in the lee scuppers of the forecastle. 
 Alas ! who can conceive the horror of that mo- 
 ment ? Before I was swept from the companion 
 ladder, I had heard the loud report of the thunder, 
 the roar of the elements, the rattling and clatter 
 of the sails and rigging, together with the shouts, 
 curses, and yells of the captain and mates, and my 
 distempered imagination, dwelling upon horrible 
 images, conceived them to be the despairing cries 
 of the drowning crew. At this distressing moment,- 
 a friendly guest appeared in the forecastle, in the 
 person of a herculean negro sailor, named Sam 
 Malony. He saw my distress, and, attributing it 
 all to sea sickness, kindly dragged me from my 
 watery bed and laid me in my bunk. 
 
 "Is all lost, Sam?" inquired I, with a look of 
 despair. 
 
 " No, not quite all," answered Sam, laughing to 
 himself. " But part of my supper's lost, an I's 
 come to lay in a fresh cargo ;" and drawing a 
 biscuit and a piece of old meat from the bread 
 barge, he proceeded to dispatch them in quite a 
 summary manner. 
 
 The cool indifference of this old salt of the ocean, 
 made me suspect that my fears had exaggerated 
 our danger, and I, at last ventured to ask him, who 
 was at the helm. 
 
 " Mark Leighton," was the answer. 
 
 I had read the " Headsman," the " B-ed Rover," 
 and other novels, in which the lives of a whol 
 G
 
 62 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 ship's crew were represented as having been pre- 
 served by the power and skill of a single experi- 
 enced arm, and I was vain enough to believe that 
 no ship could possibly founder at sea with Mark 
 Leighton at her helm. He was my friend, and I 
 fondly persuaded myself that his own personal 
 safety, as well as mine, would call into exertion 
 his utmost skill. I fancied that the ship already 
 moved easier, and asked Sam if he did not think 
 so too. He said that the reason why she ran 
 easier, was because she was now scudding before 
 the wind ; but I thought it was because my friend 
 was at the helm, and consoling myself with the 
 agreeable reflection that I was now safe, soon fell 
 into a refreshing sleep. 
 
 On the following morning I felt greatly relieved 
 from my fears, as well as of my sickness, and at 
 eight bells made another effort to get on deck. 
 This time I was more successful than I had been 
 the night before, and although the storm and wind 
 had subsided into comparative calmness, yet the 
 waters remained in great agitation, and the vessel 
 kept plunging at such a rate as soon reproduced 
 the nausea of the previous night. I quickly 
 crawled back into my bunk, from which I made 
 but few more excursions for a period of four days. 
 
 The sixth day after our departure from Sag 
 Harbor, the captain gave orders for the green 
 hands to take their look-out at the mast head, with 
 the rest of the ship's crew. I had never yet been
 
 FIVE TEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 63 
 
 aloft higher than the futtock shrouds, and conse- 
 quently this command sounded as dismal as a death 
 warrant to me. There was, however, no remedy, 
 but up I must go, and I mounted the fore shrouds 
 .with a palpitating heart. I reached with ease to 
 the foretop, hut here appeared an insurmountable 
 obstacle. I paused, and began to wonder in my 
 mind why it was that ship builders should be so 
 heartless as not to leave a lubber's hole large 
 enough for a poor cowardly landsman to thrust his 
 head and shoulders through. The mate, perceiving 
 that I had stopped, shouted to me to go on. I saw 
 at once that there was no alternative, but round 
 the top I must go, and shutting my eyes at the 
 awful prospect, I clutched the futtock staves with a 
 desperate grip, and worked my dangerous way out 
 to the rim of the top. Here I ventured to open 
 my eyes, for the purpose of taking an observation. 
 I now run my left arm through the lanyards of the 
 fore topmast rigging, and catching with my right 
 hand on the shrouds above, with a great muscular 
 effort drew myself into the top. A merry laugh 
 from Mark Leighton proclaimed from the deck that 
 I had gained the victory. I felt a good deal like 
 shouting a loud "hurrah !" at my own success, but 
 on casting my eyes upward, and perceiving the 
 immense distance which I had yet to perform, my 
 heart died within me, and I re-commenced my 
 heavenward journey " in fear and treflftling." In 
 going up the fore topmast shrouds I met John An-
 
 64 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tonia, the person whom I was going to relieve. To 
 pass him in so narrow a space, appeared to me 
 another fearful difficulty. He might possibly play 
 some trick upon me, and precipitate me into the 
 sea. But John was a very civil man for a Portu- 
 guese, and guessing my fears, advised me in all 
 cases to keep hold of the shrouds instead of the 
 ratlines, in going alow and aloft, as the seizings of 
 the latter might at any time give way with my 
 weight, and precipitate me overboard. I took the 
 advice of John, and seizing hold of the shrouds 
 mounted up to the top gallant cross-trees, where I 
 took my seat in the crow's nest, and commenced 
 scanning the sea for whale. The second trip aloft 
 was attended with less difficulty, and after a few 
 Jays I could ascend and descend with as much ease 
 and alacrity as the most experienced seaman on 
 board. 
 
 When I left Sag Harbor, I had the greatest con- 
 fidence in the kindness and friendly disposition of 
 the officers of the Hudson. The captain had been 
 very pleasant and affable to me, and the first and 
 second mates I had looked upon as my most par- 
 ticular friends. Yet before I was three weeks at 
 sea, I had ample reason to suspect that the kind- 
 ness and friendship they had formerly manifested 
 for me, were altogether feigned. The captain now 
 addressed himself very seldom to any member of 
 
 the crew, a&d when he did his words were spoken 
 
 - T i 
 
 with an imperative growl, such as while it wrought
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. Co 
 
 obedience to his commands, stirred up a surly feel- 
 ing in those to whom his orders were directed ; and 
 the mates, divesting themselves of their previous 
 smiles and pleasantry, assumed a stern, authorita- 
 tive look, and accompanied their commands with 
 such curses and oaths as contrasted strangely with 
 the civility and politeness they had displayed at 
 the Duke's. This disagreeable change troubled 
 me for some time, but by degrees it wore away, so 
 that by the time I was six months at sea, I became 
 well satisfied that an agreeable, gentlemanly officer 
 on land may prove but an indifferent sort of person 
 at sea. 
 
 About the middle of August we reached the 
 Western Isles. It was the intention of Captain 
 Green to touch at Fayal, and take in a supply of 
 vegetables. As we reached the offing of the town 
 a boat filled with men was seen approaching the 
 ship. The mate called to the men on the forecastle 
 to keep a bright eye to windward, as the Algerines 
 were about to board us. I did not comprehend the 
 meaning of this order, but kept my eyes fixed on 
 the motions of Leighton. All the clothing about 
 the forecastle was quickly gathered up and whipped 
 into the chests, which were immediately locked and 
 the keys put out of .sight. In a few minutes the 
 boat arrived alongside, and about ten- or twelve 
 roughly clad Islanders tumbled over the bulwarks on 
 deck. The party ran about the ship, injuring for to- 
 bacco, offering oranges, grapes, figs, and other fruit, 
 6*
 
 66 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 in exchange for it. A few rushed into the fore- 
 castle. Mark Leighton and I followed. They had 
 already seized the bread barge, and having emptied 
 the contents on' the floor, were fighting among 
 themselves for the biscuits. One fellow had pulled 
 up the bedding in Mark's bunk, where he had found 
 some clothing, and was very coolly shoving a pair 
 of drawers into his bosom. Mark took them from 
 him, and for his pains gave the gentleman a very 
 deliberate kick in his seat of honor, at which he 
 bowed politely, and walked on deck. In the mean- 
 time old negro Sam found another visitor insinua- 
 ting himself rather too familiarly into his domin- 
 ions. Without exchanging a word with the covetous 
 Islander, old Sam grasped him by the collar with 
 one hand, and placing the other on the stern of his 
 trowsers, sent him spinning up on deck as grace- 
 fully as if he had been particularly soaped for the 
 occasion. The party, soon finding that nothing 
 was to be acquired by pilfering from such an un- 
 ceremonious ship's company, repaired again to their 
 boat, and cursing the " Filio do Pootos Ameri- 
 canos" rowed off towards the shore. 
 
 As the harbor of Fayal is somewhat difficult of 
 entrance, the captain gave orders to the mates, to 
 keep the ship lying on and off, in the roadstead, until 
 he could arrange his matters with the vegetables. 
 He then proceeded on shore, where he purchased 
 two hundred bushels of potatoes and onions, which 
 were sent on board by shore boats. The price of
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 67 
 
 these vegetables varied from twelve to fourteen 
 cents per bushel. 
 
 As the following day was to be spent in taking 
 our vegetables on board, I obtained permission from 
 the captain to go on shore, and have a look at the 
 town. I was accompanied in my visit by old black 
 Sam. On reaching the landing, we were accosted 
 by the custom house officer, who examined us very 
 closely, and thrust his hands, in an unceremoni- 
 ous manner, into our pockets, in search of contra- 
 band tobacco. If a whole plug was found, the 
 owner was permitted to twist off what he deemed 
 sufficient for the day, and the balance was retained 
 in the hands of the officer, to be delivered over on 
 his return to the ship. 
 
 But little can be said in praise of the general 
 appearance of the town of Fayal. The houses, 
 though mostly built of stone, seldom exceed two 
 stories in height, and in the suburbs, are so low, 
 contracted and inelegant, as to resemble rows of 
 huts. The streets are crooked, and ill-paved. The 
 whole business of the place is limited to the princi- 
 pal thoroughfare, the pavements of which are kept 
 so crowded, and lumbered up with bales and boxes, 
 that one is sometimes in danger of having his legs 
 broken in walking along them. The costume of the 
 female portion of the inhabitants presents rather a 
 peculiar appearance to an American eye. The 
 ladies of the city usually appear in the streets, 
 either veiled, or covered with large black hoods,
 
 68 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 contrasting strangely with those from the country, 
 who appear to discard the cowl-like cloak of their 
 town friends, and in lieu thereof, decorate their per- 
 sons with short gowns, and broad brimmed straw 
 hats. Priests, monks and friars, are very numer- 
 ous. They are also held in remarkable reverence 
 by the people, who kept bowing and scraping to 
 them, whenever their dark robes, and shovel-shaped 
 hats appeared. I was much surprised to find that 
 so large a portion of the population consisted of 
 beggars. Crowds of worthless individuals of both 
 sexes, assail one at all points, and test the benevo- 
 lence of every stranger they meet. I had not 
 walked two squares through the street, before I 
 was surrounded by as many dozens of these vaga- 
 bonds, both male and female, who kept crying after 
 me in piteous accents, " Oh ! Jack I por amar de 
 Deo hum vinten !" I got out my purse to give a 
 distressed looking female a few coppers, when the 
 rest shoved her quickly away, and commenced 
 shouting, and jabbering, in such an angry mood 
 that I again put my money in my pocket, and 
 slipped hastily from the crowd for fear of being 
 robbed. The usual method of transporting vegeta- 
 bles, and other commodities, from the country to 
 the town, is on the heads of individuals. Carriages 
 are strangers at Fayal. Horses and mules, I saw 
 none. Asses are abundant, and appeared exclu- 
 sively in the patronage of the gentry, and priest- 
 hood, \rho journeyed to and from town upon them
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 69 
 
 in such state, as frequently brought their feet in, 
 contact with the ground. The only kind of vehicle 
 I saw, was a species of cart drawn promiscuously 
 by oxen, bulls and cows. The wheels are made of 
 plank, and in lieu of tires, broad-headed iron spikes 
 were driven into the rims, to keep the wood from 
 wearing off. The whole construction was rude and 
 barbarous, and as they labored their rugged way, 
 over the ill-paved streets, their axles gave forth such 
 a chorus of groans, and schreeches, as told loudly 
 against the luxury of grease. As Fayal is seldom 
 troubled with travellers, the town, in consequence, 
 is destitute of inns, but there are places where a 
 stranger may, at times, find something to eat. 
 Through the course of the day, I called for dinner 
 at a house near the centre of the town, and about 
 an hour after calling for it, a single dish, with a 
 spoon in it, was placed on a small box in the middle 
 of the room, and a mat thrown on the ground for a 
 seat. The mess appeared to be a species of chow- 
 der, and on tasting it, I fancied it a compound of 
 equal portions of vinegar, onions, fish, garlic, and 
 cayenne pepper. Three spoonfuls raised a perspi- 
 ration on me, and I then paid the landlady a pis- 
 tareen to be excused from eating the balance. 
 
 At the close of the day, old Sam and I being 
 perfectly satisfied with our adventures, concluded 
 to return to the ship. On arriving at the landing, 
 where a boat was waiting to convey us off, Sam be- 
 gan to inquire for his plug of tobacco ; but neither
 
 70 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tobacco nor officer could be found, and Sam returned 
 to the ship, cursing the officer, as well as Fayal and 
 its customs. 
 
 On the third day after our appearance off Fayal, 
 vre completed our business at that place, and set- 
 ting all sail, stood away, with a fair wind, for the 
 Cape Verd Islands. At sunset we had made an 
 offing of about twelve miles, when the captain 
 ordered us to " bout ship." As the wind was fair 
 for a southerly run, this order seemed inexplicable 
 to a portion of the crew. T$ut the vessel was 
 directed back towards Fayal, and as night closed 
 in on us, I perceived the mates, and boat-steerers, 
 in the after part of the ship, busily occupied in 
 some mysterious proceedings. At nine o'clock, a 
 light was hung under the bow, and half an hour 
 afterwards a boat full of men appeared looming 
 through the darkness, within hailing distance of 
 the ship. The captain ordered us to throw a line 
 to the boat, which we did, and in a few minutes 
 drew her alongside. The word was now passed for 
 every man in the ship, who had any tobacco to dis- 
 pose of, to bring it aft on the quarter-deck. In less 
 than a quarter of an hour some dozen boxes and 
 as many kegs and half-kegs made their appear- 
 ance and were immediately passed into the boat. 
 In the meantime the captain and the master of the 
 boat, who was evidently a smuggler, proceeded to 
 the cabin to make arrangements for the pay. A 
 few casks of wine were then hoisted from the boat
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE TJIE MAST. 71 
 
 on board our ship, after which the vessels soon 
 separated, and we once more changing our course, 
 stood away for the South. 
 
 Our course now lay for the South Atlantic 
 ocean, and for a period of forty days before we 
 arrived on what is technically called the " Whale 
 ground," our time was chiefly spent in grinding 
 harpoons and lances, manufacturing spun yarn, 
 and in rigging up our boats, fish lines, and cutting- 
 in gear. Early in October we got our first sight 
 of a whale. This was in latitude 23 south, and 
 longitude 20 west from Greenwich. One of the 
 boat-steerers raised from the mast-head, the cry, 
 " There she blows !" when the main-topsail was 
 thrown a"back, and the ship brought to nearly a 
 stationary position. The whale being visible from 
 the deck, all hands were at once called to the 
 boats. The captain giving the mate precedence in 
 the chase, the boats were rapidly' lowered into the 
 water, and one after another moved off to the 
 attack. 
 
 In consequence of a ten inch block having fallen 
 on my left great toe a few days before, and crippled 
 rne for the time being, I was not a party in this 
 first chase, the cooper having taken my place in 
 the third mate's boat ; but I was, nevertheless, 
 able to be about the decks and had an opportunity 
 of witnessing the operations. The mate proceeded 
 very deliberately to within about fifty yards of the 
 fish, when he made a motion for the men to spring
 
 72 FIVE YEAHS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 to their oars, while the boat-steerer, electing his 
 oar, stood up in the bow, poising in his hand the 
 harpoon ready for a descent. The boat, impelled 
 by the strength of the rowers, darted forward with 
 almost incredible velocity until it came in apparent 
 contact with the whale. " Give it to her !" shouted 
 the mate in a voice that was distinctly audible at 
 the ship, and almost simultaneously, the unerring 
 iron descended. The huge flukes of the black 
 monster were for an instant, visible in the air, and 
 then disappeared in a cloud of spray. For a short 
 interval nothing was to be seen from the ship but 
 the boat and a sheet of white bubbles. The men 
 had elected their oars and were sitting calmly in 
 the boat. Presently the boat began to move to 
 windward at a rapid rate, and the whale was dis- 
 covered about a hundred yards ahead. The cap- 
 tain now made an effort to fasten, and sprang to 
 windward with the utmost speed, but at each 
 stroke of the oars it became more evident that he 
 would not be successful. In less than an hour the 
 mate's boat was barely discernable about six miles 
 to windward of the ship. Every scheme that 
 could be thought of, was resorted to for the pur- 
 pose of bringing the unruly rascal to a halt, but 
 all plans were alike useless. The fish still per- 
 severed in being refractory, and the boat's crew, 
 for fear of losing sight of the ship, were eventu- 
 ally obliged to cut loose from their prey and return 
 home. Thus ended our first attempt at a capture.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFOIIE THE MAST. 73 
 
 A few days after the preceding occurrences, 
 another alarm was raised. From the appearance 
 of things, it was plainly evident that we had fallen 
 in with a school of spermaceti whale. These being 
 more valuable than the common whale, there was 
 of course a greater desire manifested for their 
 capture. As the sea for a while appeared full of 
 them at all points of the compass, there was no 
 time lost in determining who should take the lead, 
 each boat having the privilege of grasping where 
 it best could. I being now well enough to row, 
 took my seat at the tub oar in the third mate's 
 boat. Before we had proceeded forty rods from 
 the ship, the first and second mate's boats were 
 each fast to a whale. In a few minutes our boat- 
 steerer fastened to a third. We were towed along 
 but a short distance when we discovered that our 
 prize was little inclined to place his chances of 
 life on leg bail. He rolled, snorted, and plunged, 
 as if in a terrible rage ; yet, notwithstanding his 
 warlike manoeuvres, the mate soon succeeded in 
 lancing him, upon which the boat drew off at a 
 short distance to await the death. The flurry had 
 scarcely subsided when the fish was found to be 
 sinking, and in this unlooked-for misfortune, reason 
 as well as interest dictated that if possible, we 
 should save our line. To this end, a turn was 
 taken with it round the loggerhead, and all the 
 strain the boat would permit, was suffered to rest 
 upon it, with the hope of drawing the iron from
 
 74 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE 
 
 the body of the sinking fish. But here again our 
 efforts were attended with another and more start- 
 ling calamity. A whale which was, doubtless, 
 unconscious of an enemy moving in its vicinity, 
 was seen coming up directly under our boat. The 
 alarm was instantly given and an attempt made to 
 change the position of the boat ; but the weight 
 of the sinking whale defeated the movement, and 
 in another instant the boat and her whole crew 
 were raised high in the air. Every man jumped 
 with his oar into the sea to save his life, while the 
 unthinking whale, frightened at the havoc his care- 
 lessness had occasioned, darted away like lightning, 
 leaving the trembling boat on the agitated water, 
 with half her side staved in. Old black Sam 
 swam to the boat and succeeded in gating it right 
 side up, but it was too much shattered for the 
 reception of her crew. The third mate did all in 
 his power to encourage us in our dangerous situa- 
 tion, and aided such as could not swim well, in 
 getting hold of the gunwale of the boat. The 
 captain, who had witnessed our misfortune, soon 
 arrived to our assistance. Ourselves and our bro- 
 ken boat were afterwards taken to the ship, and 
 thus ended my first adventure in the whale fishery.
 
 Containing something the Writer never knew until he went to Sea. 
 
 THE reader should perhaps be apprised that in 
 the undertaking of this work, the writer has been 
 influenced as much with a view to his instruction 
 and entertainment as to his personal amusement. 
 Believing that a calling so enterprizing, and at the 
 same time so exciting and hazardous as that of 
 whaling would arrest his most particular attention, 
 the author has limited this chapter to the modus 
 operandi of the whole business. Those of his 
 readers who have no inclination to wade through 
 so oily a chapter, are recommended to pass on to 
 the next. 
 
 The whale, or rather balena, as it is called by 
 naturalists, is indisputably the largest animal in the 
 world. It doubtless herds most numerously in the 
 regions of the polar seas, but abounds in all oceans, 
 and may be caught wherever a sufficient quantity 
 of food exists for its nourishment. There are 
 several varieties which attain to a considerable size, 
 but I shall only call to notice the three principal 
 ones. First among the varieties, may be classed 
 the balena mysticetus, usually called the common 
 or " right" whale by sailors, as it is the most usual 
 
 (76)
 
 76 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 object of their pursuit. Second, the physalis or 
 finback, a large species, but never sought after. 
 And third, the cachalot or spermaceti whale, which 
 in the quality and fineness of its oil, exceeds all 
 the rest. 
 
 The size of the common whale has furnished a 
 subject for much speculation and exaggeration 
 among some writers. A few have represented it 
 of the enormous length of two hundred and fifty 
 feet, while others, less inclined to the marvellous, 
 have contented themselves with ending it at one 
 hundred and fifty. I am sorry that my experience 
 can sustain neither of these lengths, as I am truly 
 fond of a good fish story; but the truth is the 
 credulity of the age is growing so suspicious that a 
 man must be careful what he writes. I aided in 
 the capture of eleven of the animals, and the 
 largest of them did not, at the most favorable esti- 
 mate, exceed fifty-two feet in length. The same 
 fish measured twelve feet in diameter at the thick- 
 est point of the body, and about fourteen feet 
 across the " flukes" or tail. Eighty-nine barrels 
 of oil were netted from the body, and eighteen 
 hundred weight of baleen or bone. It is just to 
 observe, however, that this was not one of the 
 largest of the variety. Captain Green, in his for- 
 mer cruise, captured one from which two hundred 
 and five barrels of oil were taken, but its estimated 
 length reached only sixty-three feet. The male 
 of the spermaceti variety grows to a much greater
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 77 
 
 length than the common. We took -one on the 
 coast of Patagonia, measuring sixty-eight feet in 
 length, from which we procured one hundred and 
 fifteen barrels of oil. We would have been able to 
 get more, but while engaged in bailing the case, 
 the wind rose and the sea became so rough that we 
 were obliged to cut the ponderous bulk adrift. By 
 this unlucky though necessary act, we lost about 
 five or six barrels of the finest and most valuable 
 oil. Hence, though my experience is inconclusive, 
 in respect to the average length of whales, yet it is 
 sufficient to limit it to a mark somewhat short of 
 that allowed by the authors referred to. 
 
 The mouth of the common or " right" whale, is 
 an organ of very peculiar structure. In large 
 specimens of the race it will measure, when fully 
 opened, from eight to ten feet high, and from six 
 to nine feet wide. It contains no teeth, and huge 
 as the animal is in bulk, the diameter of its gullet 
 reaches scarcely the width of two inches. From 
 the narrow formation of the throat, it may be 
 inferred that its food is rather of a diminutive 
 character ; and, indeed, such is really the fact, for 
 it derives its sustenance entirely from millions of 
 the smaller inhabitants of the deep. To permit 
 this, the mouth is provided with a singular appa- 
 ratus, composed of the baleen or whalebone. This 
 bone is arranged in two rows of thin plates, pro- 
 jecting from a line in the centre of the arch of the 
 palate, and with a slight curve extending downward 
 7*
 
 78 'FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 on either side to the lower jaw. There ars some 
 three hundred of these plates or "slabs" on each 
 side of the mouth, which are set so close together 
 as not to admit the finger between them. When 
 separated, these plates, in appearance, are not 
 unlike a common cradling scythe. The outer sides, 
 near a quarter of an inch in thickness, are smooth 
 and square, while the inner sides taper gradually 
 away into sharp edges, which are overgrown with 
 long dark fringes, resembling the hair of a horse's 
 tail. 
 
 The use of these " slabs," with their hairy edges, 
 is very obvious. As already observed, the animal 
 feeds on a species of sea shrimp, of extraordinary 
 minuteness, which, congregating in masses of aston- 
 ishing greatness, makes the surface of the sea 
 present, in many places, a blood red hue for miles 
 in extent. These little aquatic animals, in size and 
 shape, bear a close resemblance to a common house 
 cricket. They are, however, red, and lie in im- 
 mense swarms or schools immediately beneath the 
 surface of the water. Into these swarms the whale 
 floats with open mouth, scooping up, at a single 
 effort, whole hogsheads of its unsuspecting victims, 
 upon which the mouth is closed, the water is ejected 
 through the plates of baleen, and the hairy fringes, 
 acting as a net-work, retain the minute particles for 
 mastication. 
 
 The common method by which sailors distinguish 
 the different varieties of whale at sea, is by the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 79 
 
 Bpout or blow-hole. The rorquals or finback variety 
 have but one blow-hole. The spout generally 
 reaches to the height of from twenty to twenty-five 
 feet. It is perpendicular in ascent, and subsides in 
 a vapor of a very smoky appearance. The finback 
 is seldom attacked by fishers, it being difficult to 
 capture, and never very fat. The common or 
 "right" whale, has two blow-holes, one on each 
 side of the centre of the head. The spouts diverge 
 a little from each other in their ascent, in a forked 
 manner, but rarely attain so great a height as that 
 of the finback. A forked spout never fails of 
 awakening from the mast-head of a whale ship the 
 well known cry of " There she blows \" The 
 spermaceti whale has but one blow-hole, which is 
 situated in the fore-part of the head, immediately 
 over the nose. The spout is thrown a little for- 
 ward and upward from the head, describing, in its 
 course a semi-circle on the water. It is white and 
 vapory in appearance, and seldom attains an alti- 
 tude of more than nine or ten feet at the highest 
 point from the water. 
 
 The spermaceti varies considerably from the 
 right whale, the principal difference being in the 
 head. The mouth is destitute of the plates and 
 fringes of the latter, and the lips, instead of being 
 attached to the lower jaw, are appended to the 
 upper. The head is huge and ponderous, compri- 
 sing full one-third of the whole fish, and so clumsy 
 that it seems a great effort to" turn it round in the
 
 80 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MA>T. 
 
 water. The under jaw is comparatively small, of 
 a bony structure, and appears like a grayish mar- 
 ble shaft or pillar appended to the under side of 
 the head. The upper margins are furnished with 
 two rows of ivory teeth, standing about six inches 
 apart, which fit into corresponding sockets or inden- 
 tations in the upper jaw. It becomes quite furious 
 when enraged; and in fighting a boat, it ap- 
 proaches its enemy perpendicularly in the water, 
 its bulky head high in the air, and its shaft-like 
 under jaw thrown out horizontally on the surface 
 of the water 
 
 The spermaceti whale feeds on various animals 
 of the mollusca tribe, all of which are, however, 
 only known among sailors by the general appella- 
 tion of " squid." They are usually seen floating 
 on the surface of the sea in large flakes resembling 
 a thick white jelly. Though inanimate to the eye, 
 they are not entirely destitute of life ; and some 
 seamen are impressed with the belief that when 
 separated in body, the parts possess the power of 
 again uniting. 
 
 The blubber, or fat of the spermaceti whale, is 
 similar to that of the common, the only difference 
 being in the thickness. In the latter, it varies 
 from ten to sixteen inches through, while in the 
 fattest of the former, it seldom exceeds nine inches. 
 In both tne tatty substance lies immediately ^be- 
 neath the skin, from which it can only be separa- 
 ted with the knife ; "but it never is so separated, as
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 81 
 
 the skin and blubber are both peeled together from 
 the body of the fish as bark is peeled from the trunk 
 of a tree. The blubber is so thoroughly interwo- 
 ven with small tough fibres that it will even resist 
 the beating of an axe, but with a sharp edged tool 
 it is as easily cut as a pumpkin. When sliced up 
 the pieces slip from the hands like chunks of ice, 
 in consequence of which, the handling of it is 
 usually performed with sharp hooks. 
 
 A whale-ship would, perhaps, present an almost 
 endless variety of interesting objects to the eyes 
 of a landsman ; and to such of my readers as wish 
 to gratify a laudable curiosity, I shall notice a few 
 of them. The first important object in the equip- 
 ment of a whaleship for a successful cruise, is the 
 casks, as on the quality of these, in a great meas- 
 ure, depends the safety of the cargo. These are, 
 in consequence, always made of the best material, 
 bound with iron, and of such dimensions as are 
 best adapted to the hold of the vessel. They are 
 always filled with fresh water when outward bound, 
 and if oil be taken faster than the water is con- 
 sumed, they are emptied of their contents and 
 re-stowed full of oil. 
 
 The second important matter is the boats. It is 
 necessary that these should be extremely light, 
 sufficiently large, and of such form as to ride 
 safely on the most tempestuous sea. Hence, they 
 are built of the lightest cedar boards, not exceed- 
 ing half an inch in thickness, and lined in the
 
 82 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 bottom with still lighter material. The length 
 rarely exceeds twenty-five feet. In the hind end 
 is placed a post called a loggerhead, the object of 
 which is to secure the line when capturing a whale ; 
 and at the bow a small notch is cut in the gunwale, 
 through which the line is rove and fastened down 
 with a small peg. This precaution is highly neces- 
 sary, as in case the line were permitted to drag 
 loosely round the edge of the boat it would become 
 entangled with the oars, and even with the limbs 
 of the men, to the great danger of their lives. 
 There is no rudder, but in lieu of it, a rope becket 
 is worked in the stern-post for the reception of an 
 ash steering oar some twenty-two feet long, with 
 which, a single stroke is mostly sufficient to turn 
 the boat clear round in the water. A space is 
 always left in the stern-sheets for the reception of 
 the tub. Into this the line is carefully coiled, a 
 strong cord made of the very best of'tarred hemp, 
 about as thick as a man's thumb, and measuring 
 some fourteen hundred feet in length. 
 
 Next comes the harpoon. The head of this 
 instrument is triangular, about four inches broad 
 across the barbs, and a little over three-quarters 
 of an inch thick, where it is joined to the shank. 
 The edges are ground quite sharp, and care is taken 
 to keep them clear of rust. The shank Is gener- 
 ally near two feet in length and made of the most 
 malleable iron, in order to avoid the danger of 
 breaking. It is a quarter of an inch square and
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 83 
 
 terminates in a socket, into which a hand-pole near 
 four feet long, is firmly fastened. The end of the 
 line is spliced tightly round the socket of the har- 
 poon and then tied at two or three points along the 
 hand-pole. From thence it leads back between 
 the oarsman, to the tub in the stern-sheets, the 
 harpoon always having its place in the bow of the 
 boat. When the iron is struck into a whale, the 
 hand-pole is mostly in an upright position, but as 
 the fish darts away and a strain is permitted to 
 rest on the loggerhead, the pole is drawn over and 
 the shank being the weakest part of the instru- 
 ment bends down lengthwise with the whale. In 
 this position it would be next to impossible for the 
 iron to draw out, unless by the operation of sound- 
 ing, in which case the shank would again be 
 straightened up, and a heavy perpendicular pull 
 might wrench it out. 
 
 The lance claims our attention next. This is a 
 thin oval blade of steel, about two inches broad 
 and three in length, ground as sharp as a razor at 
 all edges down to the very shank. The shank is 
 about a foot longer than that of the harpoon, and em- 
 braces in its socket a light ash pole near twelve feet 
 in length. This is a deadly instrument to use on 
 the body of a fish, and cuts its way both in and 
 out. In approaching a whale, the boat-steerer 
 always pulls the bow oar of the boat, until the 
 captain or the mate, in whose boat he is, orders him 
 to elect his oar and get up. He then rises, picks
 
 84 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 up his harpoon and examines the line to see that 
 nothing is entangled in it. As soon as the word, 
 "Strike," is given, the iron is thrown, and if it 
 fastens he quickly runs aft to the stern of the boat, 
 and takes the steering oar from the hands of the 
 captain or mate, as the case may he. The latter 
 going then immediately forward, poises on high 
 the fatal lance, ready to do mortal combat with 
 the great monarch of the ocean, the boat-steerer, 
 in the meantime, guiding the boat according to his 
 directions. 
 
 Another important feature on board a whaleship 
 is the " Caboose," or " Try-works." This is a 
 piece of brick-work erected between stanchions on 
 the deck, a short distance abaft the fore hatch. 
 Three kettles, holding a little over a barrel each, 
 are placed in this, over as many furnaces, while 
 close at hand is secured a large copper tank, into 
 which the hot oil is thrown to cool before it is 
 stowed away in the casks. The apparatus for 
 taking the blubber from the body of the whale is 
 somewhat complicated, and may perhaps be better 
 understood in the process of " cutting-in.". 
 
 When a whale is captured it is towed to the ship 
 and floats alongside, parallel with the keel, the tail 
 towards the bow, and the head near the main chan- 
 nels. A "fluke" chain with a hawser attached to 
 the end of it, is then run out at the hawse-hole 
 and fastened round the small of the fish's tail. A 
 turn is then taken with the hawser round the bita
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 35 
 
 of the windlass. The fish thus secured is con- 
 sidered ready for cutting-in. A man with a rope 
 round his waist, next ventures over the ship's side, 
 on the body of the whale arid passes a chain round 
 the pectoral fin, close up to the body. At the 
 head of the mainmast are two fourfold tackles, 
 hung in slings, one of which is now overhauled 
 down and hooked to the chain. The fall, composed 
 generally of a six inch rope, is then led forward to 
 the windlass. As soon as the men commence 
 heaving on the windlass the head and shoulders of 
 the fish rise gradually out of the water. When 
 sufficiently high, the men are ordered to stop 
 heaving, and the process of cutting off the head 
 begins. This is accomplished with sharp instru- 
 ments resembling small spades, with long handles, 
 the mates using them, standing the while in the 
 main channels of the ship. When the spades 
 have worked their way in to the spinal bone, a man 
 is again sent out on the whale with an axe, to sepa- 
 rate it. A few strokes are generally sufficient to 
 complete the operation, when the spades are again 
 set to work until the job is finished. When the 
 head is entirely off, it is drifted round to the ship's 
 stern and secured by a line, to the taffrail, where 
 it is left to tow until the rest of the body is dis- 
 posed of. 
 
 The head out of the way, an incision is next 
 made in the body, half way round the fin, when the 
 heaving at the windlass is resumed, and the fin,
 
 86 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 accompanied with a large portion of the hlubber, 
 slowly peels loose from the body of the whale. A 
 belt of blubber, called the " blanket-piece," is now 
 cut from the body, to which the fin becomes the 
 handle, or starting point ; and as the humid coat- 
 ing peels off with the heaving of the windlass, the 
 body of the fish turns round and round in the 
 water. Care is taken so as not to cut directly 
 round the body, but a spiral course is pursued, so 
 that the whole of the blubber, from the head to the 
 tail, is taken from the body of the animal, like the 
 thread of a screw, in one continued piece. When 
 the first tackle becomes exhausted by the length 
 of the blanket piece, and the blocks meet at the 
 mast-head, a hole is cut through the blanket piece 
 close down to the whale, and the second tackle 
 hauled down and hooked on. As soon as a mode- 
 rate strain is had on the second tackle, the piece 
 of blubber is cut off level with the deck of the 
 ship, and swung in to the mainmast. The covers 
 of the main hatch being removed, the whole 
 blanket piece, weighing some three or four tons, ia 
 permitted to run down into the blubber room. 
 When the second tackle becomes block and block, 
 the first is again overhauled and hooked on, and thus 
 the process continues to be repeated until they 
 arrive at the fish's tail, which is cut clear off, and 
 the flukes, chain and all, are then hoisted on deck 
 with the last blanket piece. The carcase of the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 87 
 
 whale is then suffered to drift at large on the sur- 
 face of the ocean, a prey to sharks and gonies. 
 
 The body being thus disposed of, the head is 
 again brought round to the main channels, and the 
 under jaw separated from the upper. The tongue 
 is then extracted from the mouth and hoisted on 
 deck, together with the lips, when the rest being 
 considered worthless, is turned abroad upon the 
 waters. The top part of the head is then hoisted 
 in on deck and cut up ; the plates of baleen are 
 separated with axes, and after being cleansed with 
 scrapers, at the gummy ends, are lashed up in bun- 
 dles containing ten or twelve plates each, and 
 stowed away in the vessel's hold. 
 
 As a sequel to the cutting in, the process of 
 boiling or trying out the oil commences. The 
 blubber, for necessary convenience, being all depo- 
 sited in the blubber-room, is here cut up in pieces, 
 from twelve to sixteen inches long, and thrown on 
 deck. Thence it is carried to the mincing horse, 
 where it is minced into thin slices, and thrown into 
 a tub ready for the kettles. As it boils out, the 
 scraps, which become brown and dry, are skimmed 
 from the oil, and thrown by the furnaces for fuel. 
 The scraps derived from the blubber of a whale, 
 usually furnish sufficient fuel to boil out the whole 
 of the oil. After the oil has been cooled, barrelled, 
 and stowed away, the ashes are taken from the fur- 
 naces, and being placed in a hogshead, with a quan- 
 tity of fresh water, an excellent lye is the result, a
 
 88 FIVE YEAHS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 commodity extremely useful in removing the grease 
 and filth from the clothing of the ship's company. 
 Thus does this truly valuable animal of the ocean, 
 even to its very ashes, contribute to the happiness 
 and comfort of the human race. 
 
 I have already detailed to the reader some par- 
 ticulars in respect to the capture of the whale ; but 
 as a full account of the whole process would doubt- 
 less prove interesting to the curious, I will endeavor 
 to describe it, so far as my limited powers of 
 description will permit. 
 
 When the cry, " There she blows," resounds 
 from the mast-head, all hands are at once called on 
 deck, and the main-topsail being thrown aback, the 
 ship ceases her headway. The boats are now low- 
 ered into the water, and move off in the direction 
 of their prey. It is ruleable that some one of the 
 boats should precede the rest to the attack, as a 
 general rush of all might alarm the fish before any 
 of them would be within reach of it. The boat 
 selected for the lead, then rows off quietly, till 
 within about fifty yards of the animal, when the 
 men spring to their oars with all their might, and 
 rush on the unconscious whale with astonishing 
 rapidity. When sufficiently near the whale, the 
 boat-steerer darts his iron into it, and then in a 
 loud voice cries, " Stern all !" but before the back- 
 Btroke can be given by the rowers, the boat is in 
 absolute con'tact with the whale. 
 
 The huge animal, frightened at such an unex-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 89 
 
 pected assault, hurls his broad flukes high in the 
 air, and striking them suddenly down on the water, 
 with a report louder than the discharge of a mus- 
 ket, disappears amid a sheet of bubbles and white 
 foam. The whale now makes the best of its way 
 under water, while the line whizzes through the 
 notch at the bow of the boat at an amazing rate. 
 Suddenly the whale is again seen at the surface of 
 the water, about seventy or eighty yards ahead. 
 The men are now ordered to peak their oars, while 
 at the same time a turn is taken with the line round 
 the loggerhead, when the boat begins to move 
 onward after the whale. The mate and boatsteerer 
 now change positions in the boat, the former going 
 to the bow, and the latter to the stern ; while the 
 men at the same time pull in a little on the line, in 
 order to get a closer position to the whale. The 
 animal, by this time, finding its movements much 
 retarded by dragging a boat-load of men after it, 
 becomes uneasy, and by rolling and plunging 
 endeavors to rid itself of the iron ; but in its efforts 
 it only becomes entangled in the line, and thus 
 renders itself the more securely the prisoner of its 
 enemies. 
 
 The remaining boats now arriving, prepare to 
 
 fasten with another iron, which they frequently do, 
 
 . and the fish perceiving itself surrounded on all 
 
 sides by greedy combatants, dives suddenly away 
 
 towards the bottom of the ocean. This action of 
 
 the whale is called "sounding." A steady strain 
 
 8*
 
 90 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 is kept on the line as the whale descends, though 
 not so hard as to draw the iron, and as soon as the 
 line becomes slack, the men immediately begin pul- 
 ling it in, so that when the whale reappears at the 
 surface of the water, they are as near to it as when 
 it commenced its descent. If, as is often the case, 
 the whale descends to such a depth as to run out a 
 whole line, a second line is tied to the first, which 
 two together will reach a depth of twenty-seven 
 hundred feet, a line being usually two hundred and 
 twenty-five fathoms long. A whale, however, does 
 not sound often, as the density of the water in the 
 bed of the ocean renders the act one of great 
 exhaustion. When fresh and vigorous, it is absent 
 nearly twenty minutes, and sometimes even half an 
 hour, but when worried by previous running it 
 always reappears at the surface in ten or fifteen 
 minutes from the time of its descent. When it 
 finds itself unable to get clear of its pursuers, either 
 by running or sounding, it becomes in a manner 
 passive, or endeavors to free itself by rolling, in 
 either of whick cases it is approached and dis- 
 patched with the lance. 
 
 The most effectual place to insert the lance, and 
 which all experienced whalemen endeavor to select, 
 is in the side, a short distance behind the pectoral 
 fin. The instrument is inserted four or five feet 
 deep, and shoved quickly backward and forward, 
 with a churning motion, taking care to vary the 
 blade a little up and down. The boat is then
 
 THE WHALE SOUNDING!.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. Jtt 
 
 backed off to note the effect. In a moment or two 
 he will blow, and if the wound has been a mortal 
 one, a forked stream of warm blood will ascend 
 from his nostrils, high into the air, and in its 
 descent, bloody both the boat and her crew. The 
 attack is then not renewed, as the animal is con- 
 sidered killed ; but the boat hauls off, to a safe dis- 
 tance, to await the flurry, or dying struggle. This 
 commonly takes place in about twenty minutes, when 
 a frightful floundering ensues, during which the sea 
 is lashed into a foam of boiling surf, and a cloud 
 of spray arises from the agitated water, like the 
 mists of a great water-fall. When these struggles 
 finally subside, it turns over and expires, after 
 which it is towed to the ship and secured, as already 
 described, for cutting in. 
 
 NOTE. " Case" is the technical name of a large cavity in the 
 interior of the skull, filled with a fine oil or liquid, which is taken 
 from the head in a warm state, and becoming concrete on cooling, 
 furnishes the choice sperm of commerce.
 
 In which the -writer makes further progress in his cruise, and dis- 
 covers that fortunes are not more rapidly realized at sea than on 
 land. 
 
 THE youthful mind, occupying itself in some 
 shady nook with the details of a novel, may imag- 
 ine to itself something pleasing and romantic in 
 the routine of ocean life ; and indeed it must be 
 confessed, that before I went to sea, I had pictured 
 in it to myself a vast round of unknown delights. 
 Blue water, however told a different tale ; and as 
 time continued to progress, I found myself entirely 
 cut off from so many of the comforts of life, that I 
 was constrained to look upon a sailor's life as one 
 of hardship and privation. Besides, I found my 
 life in such continual danger that I never knew 
 when I was safe ; and at the time our boat was 
 shattered, and I committed myself for safe keeping 
 to the arms of old father Neptune, could I just then 
 have got my foot on terra firma, I would have 
 given any body leave to have sent me to the 
 "king of the Cannibal Islands," had they caught 
 me at sea again. But unfortunately, we were more 
 than a thousand miles from the nearest point of 
 land; and not being sufficiently* expert in the art 
 (92)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THK MAST. 93 
 
 of swimming, to overcome so great a distance, there 
 was a strong probability of my remaining in the 
 ship for some time. 
 
 A few hours after reaching the ship with our 
 shattered boat, the first and second mates arrived 
 on board, each having succeeded in capturing a 
 prize ; and the ship was run down to where they 
 lay. During the afternoon, the captain also suc- 
 ceeded in taking a large bull whale, and the three 
 together, furnished us a day of hard labor to cut 
 them in. Before the blubber of these was entirely 
 disposed of, another capture was made, and yet 
 another, upon which we began to congratulate our- 
 selves on the prospect of a successful voyage. 
 
 But though all things appeared thus favorable 
 for a profitable voyage, yet I began to be very much 
 dissatisfied with my situation. I had left Philadel- 
 phia with a faint prospect of making a fortune ; but 
 I now began to question whether I had hit on the 
 best plan. I was already enabled to perceive that 
 fortunes were not to be more easily realized at sea, 
 than on land, and that even the few dollars per 
 month, which were earned was with far more severe 
 labor. As a journeyman shoemaker, my labors in 
 the shop were usually light ; and though not very 
 well contented with my occupation, yet I had 
 always something palatable to eat, and was, be- 
 sides, master of my own time, and actions. Such, 
 however, was not the case here. I was kept to the 
 most constant, and severe labor, both day arid night.
 
 94 FIVE TEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 With the appearance of the dawn came the well 
 known cry, " There she blows," when I would be 
 called to the boat, in which a row of some two or 
 three hours, served but as a prelude to the labors 
 of the day. If not successful in the chase, we were 
 obliged to retrace our journey to the ship ; during 
 which another whale would perhaps be seen two or 
 three miles off in another direction, upon which the 
 course of the boat would be again changed, and a 
 rapid row of two hours, would put us nine or ten 
 miles from the ship. Hunger and thirst would 
 soon follow in the track of such labor, and it often 
 happened that there was nothing in the boat to 
 satisfy the one, or to slake the other. ' A row of 
 ten or twelve miles to the vessel, was then to be 
 rewarded with a biscuit of brown bread filled to 
 repletion with weevils, a chunk of cold beef resem- 
 bling a piece of lignumvitae, and a cup of water 
 sending forth an effluvia strong enough to knock a 
 poor exhausted fellow into a fit of hydrophobia. 
 These dispatched for a supper, I had then to take 
 my watch at the try-kettles till twelve o'clock at 
 night, at which hour the relief would be called ; at 
 one I would get housed in bed, to be aroused again 
 at four, when daylight would approach, and bring 
 with it the old cry of, " there she blows." The 
 boats would again be called away, and on taking 
 my seat at the oar, I would find my hands in a 
 blister from the previous day's pulling. No matter, 
 " On, on ! boys !" was shouted ; and away we would
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 95 
 
 go, drag, drag, drag, for another day of sweat and 
 toil. Such incessant labor, accompanied with loss 
 of sleep, and indifferent food, was enough to wear 
 down both the spirits and body of the most buoyant 
 and muscular man ; and when was added to these 
 the constant hurrying shouts, threats and curses of 
 the officers ; the grease, filth, storms, upsetting and 
 stoving of boats, as well as other daily casualties 
 and disasters, was it strange that I should have 
 regarded my situation as intolerable ? Ah reader ! 
 there is but little poetry in such a life ! If you 
 can enjoy yourself and be happy, under such cir- 
 cumstances, you are altogether worthy of being 
 ranked among whalemen. But if you think you 
 cannot, do not go to sea take the advice of one 
 who has been through the mill and stay where you 
 are. As to a fortune, think nothing about it, for 
 you will never make one by going to sea before the 
 mast in a whaler ; but if making a fortune be really 
 your wish, go to selling clams, or peddle with a 
 pack on your back, or with a classic hand-organ go 
 to grinding music at half a dime a tune ; by patient 
 industry in any of these you may possibly succeed, 
 but in a whaler you never can. Some wag of a 
 writer has represented the world as an oyster, and 
 that he that would thrive and grow fat must open the 
 shell and eat at his leisure. To him who has a 
 golden pick and a silver crowbar, the oyster is easily 
 unquarried ; but to the poor lean-pocketed devil 
 who has nothing but a wooden pen-knife to com-
 
 96 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 mence his labors with, it is quite questionable 
 whether he will not starve before he can make an 
 incision large enough to get even a peep at the con- 
 tents within. 
 
 An uninterrupted success of a few weeks con- 
 tinued to crown our labors, during which all hands 
 began to nourish the hope of filling the ship with a 
 full cargo of oil in a very short season ; but as time 
 advanced, our luck diminished so unexpectedly, that 
 on the approach of the following January we had 
 barely a thousand barrels of oil. We were now 
 well assured of having to weather out a twenty-two 
 months' cruise. Whale were gradually becoming 
 more scarce ; and those few which yet remained in 
 the vicinity of the " ground," were so shy that it 
 was difficult to get within an hundred yards of them. 
 The season was also near its close. The feed which 
 was gathered in masses across the sea, began to 
 assume a grayish cast ; and losing its nourishing 
 properties, with the departure of its red color, the 
 whale abandoned it, and sought a subsistence in 
 other regions of the sea. There was no use in 
 cruising where nothing was to be gained, and ac- 
 cordingly, about the first of February, we closed 
 our labors on the Southern Banks and bore away 
 for the Falkland Isles. 
 
 It was during our journey to the last named 
 islands, and while lying- to at night, that I became 
 a witness to an amazing, and, to me, inexplicable 
 phenomenon. It was usual on board the ship to
 
 FIVE TEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 9T 
 
 keep one or two men on the lookout during the 
 night ; my turn came at two bells in the mid-watch. 
 I had not been on deck over half an hour, when 
 the sea, at all points, began to assume a brilliant 
 appearance. My first impression was, that some 
 bright meteor might be trailing its tresses through 
 the sky ; but on casting my eye upwards, I saw 
 the heavens were clear, and no sign of any shooting 
 star or meteor was visible in the horizon. The 
 wind, which at first moved so gently as scarcely to 
 stir the sails, that flapped lazily above, freshened 
 up into a stiff breeze, raising a thousand waves 
 along the waters, the caps of which changed their 
 sparkling whiteness to a bright vermilion. I stood 
 in mute s.stonishment and wonder, watching the 
 progress of the changing colors, until at last the 
 whole scene, as far as the eye could penetrate 
 along the horizon, presented an ocean of rolling 
 and burning lava. The wind still increasing, the 
 caps of the waves shot up into the air like flames 
 of fire, while the myriads of particles of spray 
 that darted from them, shone with a splendor equal 
 to the sparks of a fiery furnace. The sails and 
 rigging of the ship were lighted up alow and aloft, 
 while the skies above, eclipsed by the glittering 
 brilliancy of the nether element, appeared robed 
 in a mantle of darkness. I could stand it no 
 longer, but hurried into the cabin to call the cap- 
 tain ; for I thought that, like the ancient Ulysses, 
 we had sailed into the regions of hell, and was
 
 98 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 anxious to ascertain if the captain was aware of 
 our locality. The captain hastened on deck with- 
 out dressing, and remained a few minutes enjoying 
 the scene ; and then laughing heartily at my 
 frightened looks, returned below. I have often 
 since beheld these phosphorescent appearances of 
 the sea, but I do not recollect of ever having 
 witnessed another of such extreme magnificence 
 and grandeur, as that which I saw on our journey 
 to the Falkland Isles. 
 
 Early in March we arrived in the vicinity of the 
 Falklands. We made the coast of one of the 
 middle isles ; and one or two cases of scurvy 
 having occurred on board, the captain thought it 
 advisable to get something fresh from the land 
 for the relief of the invalids. To this end the 
 first and second mates, with four men and two 
 muskets, were sent on shore to hunt some fresh 
 game, and Mark Leighton and myself obtained 
 permission to join this company. No one can 
 imagine with what strange feelings of delight I 
 once more trod on the face of mother earth. I 
 had not even seen land since we left the Western 
 Isles, a period of nearly seven months, so that the 
 very touch of even a barren soil, rendered me as 
 nimble as a grasshopper. I jumped, hopped, and 
 skipped about, like a lost dog that has suddenly 
 found his master, and kicked Mark Leighton two 
 or three times in my paroxysms of joy, before he 
 would cut up as many capers as I did.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 99 
 
 After rambling about a mile from the sea, we di- 
 vided into parties of two and two ; and as the mates 
 appeared determined to monopolize the muskets, 
 the rest of the party were obliged to content them- 
 selves with clubs. Leighton and I soon fell in 
 with a flock of wild geese, and I expressed my 
 regret at the absence of the muskets ; when Mark, 
 observing that there were other ways of catching 
 geese, let fly his club among the flock, killing one 
 outright and wounding another. I immediately 
 pursued the wounded one, and soon succeeded in 
 securing it. These geese appeared remarkably 
 tame, and when assailed with clubs or guns, would 
 rise on the wing a short distance into the air, and 
 circling round a few times, would alight again upon 
 the ground within shooting distance. In the course 
 of a two hours' ramble, my friend and I killed as 
 many geese as we could carry, upon which we 
 made the best of our way back to the boat, where 
 we were soon greeted with the appearance of the 
 rest of our party, who also returned loaded with 
 the same game. We then returned to the ship, 
 where for a week it was goose pie, roast goose, 
 goose stewed, goose boiled, and indeed the whole 
 ship's company began to assimilate to the carniva- 
 rians on which they fed. 
 
 We now stood away to the eastward, along the 
 coast of the Isles in search of whales, of which 
 we saw several ; but on our approach they invari- 
 ably swam for the kelp which grows along the shores,
 
 100 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 and in which pursuit was impossible. A few days 
 of fruitless toil, satisfied the captain of the folly of 
 fishing along those barren shores, upon which he 
 directed his course towards South Georgia. Two 
 days sailing, however, during which we encountered 
 a cold storm from the south, convinced him that 
 the season was too far advanced for whaling in *Q 
 high a latitude, and once more changing the direc- 
 tion of the vessel towards the Falklands, we soon 
 afterwards cast anchor in a small bay, near the 
 mouth of Berkley Sound. 
 
 The second day after anchoring at the mouth of 
 the sound, the captain concluded to pay a visit to 
 the governer of the Islands, who was a British 
 naval officer. We started immediately after break- 
 fast, on a beautiful morning, and after rowing some 
 ten miles up the sound, came in front of a low 
 stone edifice, in which the governor held his court, 
 and which was also the only habitation on the 
 island. His household, comprising the whole popu- 
 lation of the country, consisted of two Spanish 
 women, an old negress, two male servants, and 
 two Buenos Ayrean Spaniards, the latter being 
 kept on the island for the purpose of catching 
 wild cattle. The captain purchased of the gover- 
 nor two bullocks at a cent a pound, which, with 
 the aid of the two Spaniards, we killed and dressed 
 in the afternoon, and permitting the governor to 
 retain the hides we conveyed the beef to our boat, 
 and in the evening returned with it to the ship.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 101 
 
 For a week, during which we watered our ship 
 and repaired our sails, we continued at anchor in the 
 bay. As the crew were not limited in their move- 
 ments to a very strict discipline, I had frequent 
 opportunities of exercising my legs by a walk on 
 land. I made one or two exploring expeditions to 
 different points of the island, but fell in with few 
 objects of interest other than wild geese and pen- 
 guins. The geese on the island were, however, 
 shy, and it required something more than a club 
 to capture them. The- penguins, on the contrary, 
 were so tame that in walking over their rookeries, 
 I was obliged to kick them from under my feet. 
 My friend Mark, who sometimes shared my ram- 
 bles, often amused himself by kicking them down 
 the rocky precipices some hundred feet into the 
 sea. They tumbled from rock to rock in their 
 descent, in such a manner that one would have 
 imagined the flesh all knocked from their bones, 
 and yet, when they finally bounced into the water, 
 they would flutter their fin-like wings and jabber 
 to each other as if highly delighted with the fun. 
 On our return to the ship we usually filled our 
 pockets with eggs, which when cooked, furnished 
 us an agreeable feast. I saw a large number of 
 horses grazing in herds on various parts of the 
 island, but they were very wild, always snorting 
 and running before I had approached within two 
 hundred yards of them. The herbage here for 
 horses and cattle, remains good throughout the 
 9*
 
 102 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 year ; and I found growing in the grass in many 
 places, a luscious looking strawberry as large as a 
 common walnut. They were rich and juicy to the 
 taste, but of a less delicious flavor than those of 
 our own country. The general appearance of the 
 islands, where I had an opportunity of seeing 
 them, is not very inviting. The land is mostly 
 broken and uneven, frequently running up into 
 abrupt peaks and straggling ledges and ridges, 
 the tops of which are rough, barren, and stony 
 no trees grow there to decorate the landscape, or 
 to cast their welcome shade over the weary wan- 
 derer ; but on the contrary, the whole islands are 
 so utterly destitute of shrubbery, that in my vari- 
 ous rambles, I never saw a bush or twig as large 
 as a common dwarf elder. 
 
 About the latter end of March, we took our 
 departure from the Falkland Isles and bent our 
 course in the direction of Patagonia. It was the 
 intention of the captain to proceed to some point 
 on the coast of Brazil, where we might procure a 
 new supply of wood and water for the next season. 
 But the season being yet many months in advance, 
 there was no necessity for hurrying thither, and 
 in consequence, the vessel was kept bearing on and 
 off along the coast of Patagonia and Monte Video, 
 with the prospect of falling in with spermaceti 
 whale. In this voyage nearly three months were 
 consumed ; but we were also enriched by the addi- 
 tional capture of three spermaceti whales, which
 
 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MAST. 103 
 
 increased our cargo of oil to nearly twelve hun- 
 dred barrels, the larger portion of which was now 
 spermaceti. On the 25th of June, 1838, we cast 
 anchor in a beautiful bay on the coast of Brazil. 
 
 Hha Crrande, or as it is styled by geographers, 
 the Island of St. Sebastian, stretches some twenty- 
 five or thirty miles along the coast of Brazil, about 
 forty-five miles south-west from Rio Janeiro. It 
 is a narrow island and quite moutainous. The 
 shores on the side next the main land, are indented 
 with small bays, the margins of which present a 
 beautiful appearance, being thickly studded with 
 small white cottages, orange groves, and cocoanut 
 trees. The island is mostly in possession of coffee 
 planters, who not enclosing their plantations with 
 fences, but permitting them to lie together in com- 
 mon along the sides of the hills, give the whole 
 landscape the outline of an extensive wood ; while 
 the beautiful dwellings, situated along the beach, 
 lead the eye of the spectator to imagine them 
 placed on the boundaries of a vast wilderness. 
 
 On landing in one of these sylvan bays, we 
 were surprised to find the inhabitants fleeing from 
 us in all directions, and so fearful that it was diffi- 
 cult to get into communication, with them. The 
 captain, unable to account for this species of con- 
 duct on any known principles, ventured to inquire 
 the cause of it from some slaves whom we found 
 at work in a coffee yard. We were told that two 
 whaleships had landed there the previous year, the
 
 104 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 crews of which behaved so rudely to the gentle 
 senhoras, that they were all obliged to hide them- 
 selves to avoid being insulted by the nasty Ameri- 
 canos. On hearing this, the captain assured them 
 that they need have no uneasiness in the present 
 instance as his ship did not contain such a ruffian 
 crew ; and pointing out to the men the impropriety 
 of such conduct, cautioned us strongly against 
 committing like indecencies^ The whole crew en- 
 deavored strictly to follow out the advice of the 
 captain, and the result was that before a week had 
 elapsed, many of us were on a footing of intimacy 
 with several families of the island. 
 
 Mark Leighton and myself, determining to push 
 our adventures to some important result among the 
 coffee planters of Hha Grrande, were from the 
 beginning, as affable and polite as our ignorance 
 of the language, and other circumstances would 
 permit. Mark, being able to speak a little Por- 
 tuguese, possessed a trifling advantage over me ; 
 but then I could play the flute, and this accom- 
 plishment secured me a cheerful welcome wherever 
 I went. As to discoursing, that as a general 
 thing, was out of the question ; for though my 
 friend knew enough of the language to ask for an 
 orange, a cup of coffee, water, or the like, yet he 
 was unable to hold a conversation ; and when at 
 times he did attempt it, I mostly stood by like a 
 deaf man at a political meeting, watching all the 
 motions, but understanding nothing that was said.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST, 105 
 
 Having succeeded in ingratiating ourselves into the 
 good graces of a worthy family named Joaquim, 
 we felt seriously the want of an interpreter, and to 
 remedy this defect, we resolved to associate with 
 us in our walks thither, our Portuguese shipmate, 
 John Antonio. John was delighted to join in with 
 us, and as he spoke the language fluently, we now 
 considered ourselves a match for any adventure 
 the island might present. 
 
 I could perhaps consume a whole chapter in 
 recording the several incidents that took place dur- 
 ing our stay at this island ; hut as it would be only 
 wasting time and paper, to the exclusion of more 
 important matter, I will dispatch the whole suhject 
 by briefly stating, that after three weeks cf daily 
 visits on shore, my bosom friend, Mark Leighton, 
 acquired such a love for old Senhor Joaquim's coifee 
 plantation, or for some object connected with it, 
 that he resolved to run away from the ship ; a reso- 
 lution to be set down, perhaps, as one of the import- 
 ant results of our island adventures. I objected 
 at first with all my might, but soon found that it 
 was of no use. He swore he would go, and when- 
 ever he swore he would do a thing, he was very apt 
 to perform it. Much as I regret to say it, his pro- 
 ject was put in execution the evening before the 
 ship sailed, for he suddenly disappeared and was 
 nowhere to be found. On the following morning, 
 and while the vessel was preparing to get under 
 way, the captain sent for me, and interrogated me
 
 106 FIVE YEABS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 in regard to his desertion. He was pleased to 
 observe, that as I was doubtless acquainted with 
 Mark's previous intentions, it was my duty to have 
 informed my superiors of them, that they might 
 have prevented him from leaving the ship. I 
 replied, in substance, that such I could easily have 
 done, but in that case I would have forfeited the 
 esteem of Mark, who would also have become my 
 most inveterate enemy, and might have exerted 
 such an influence on board, as to render me obnox- 
 ious to the whole ship's company. The captain 
 said that the approbation of my commander, was 
 preferable to the good will of a shipmate. I 
 answered, that duty and obedience at all times 
 merited the approbation of a commander, and that 
 in neither of thesfe had I been negligent, but that 
 no commander could justly despise a sailor for 
 neglecting to betray the secrets of a friend, although 
 his silence, as in the present case, might cause the 
 ship the loss of an able hand. The captain ended' 
 the interview by going on deck, and I returned to 
 the forecastle. After breakfast a few sacks of 
 oranges were taken on board, when the anchor was 
 weighed, and the old Hudson, again spreading her 
 bleached wings to the breeze, stood out to sea. 
 
 The night following our departure from Hha 
 Grande, I dreamed of poor Mark Leighton. It 
 must be acknowledged that my feelings had become 
 warmly attached to him, and I knew now of no one 
 in the ship" whom I could really call my friend
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 107 
 
 except old black Sam. I felt quite sorry to think 
 that the various plans of adventure which had been 
 formed between us, and which had been canvassed 
 and re-canvassed over during a year's intimacy, 
 should all be brought to naught by a brief visit to the 
 coast of Brazil. My reflections also recurred back 
 to Sag Harbor, and to the gentle maiden whose 
 thoughts were^perhaps, at that very moment dwel- 
 ling on the ship Hudson, and fondly singling Mark 
 Leighton out from among all her crew ; but she 
 was yet to learn, poor girl, that that last tearful 
 word, "remember" uttered with a tremulous voice 
 and convulsed heart, had so soon been forgotten 
 by him who had so lately treasured it up as a talis- 
 man to his heart. Alas ! what a melancholy 
 reward for two years of faithful love, to be told 
 that he for whom the aching mind had sighed and 
 wept, had made his home in a distant land ! and 
 yet so it was ; and thus ended that intended cam- 
 paign through the world, in which Mark Leighton 
 was going to play so conspicuous a part.
 
 In which the Adventurer, without being Shipwrecked, finds himself 
 unexpectedly cast away upon a foreign land. 
 
 ON the second day after our departure from 
 Ilha Grande, the old Hudson breasted her way 
 nobly up into the harbor of Rio Janeiro. I was 
 surprised to find so large a quantity of shipping 
 here, and more especially to perceive that the 
 most imposing portion of it was composed of vessels 
 of war. The harbor is large and commodious, 
 extending near an hundred miles in circumference, 
 and indented along the shores with beautiful min- 
 iature bays, the margins of which are ornamented 
 with elegant villas, choice shrubbery, and creeping 
 vines. The scenery around the bay is delightful 
 and picturesque in the extreme. The hills and 
 mountains shooting up into volcanic peak's, and 
 rising, range behind range, in nearly all directions, 
 form a landscape, which, in grandeur and magni- 
 ficence, is scarcely surpassed in any portion of the 
 world. The city stands on the south side of the 
 bay ; and as it extends over several hills and undu- 
 lations, the eye of the stranger is not wearied with 
 that uniformity of streets and houses, so frequently 
 (108)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 109 
 
 complained of by travellers in the cities of our own 
 country. 
 
 It was Saturday when we cast anchor at Rio ; 
 and on Sunday the captain, with a portion of the 
 crew, attended divine service on board the United 
 States ship Independence, that vessel being then 
 the flag ship of the American Squadron on the coast 
 of Brazil. I felt quite lost in traversing the decks 
 of this noble frigate. Every thing about her ap- 
 peared, to my eye, in the most perfect condition 
 possible. The guns, mess-chests, boats and sailors, 
 were all as neat and cleanly in appearance as the 
 most rigid discipline could make them. I heard 
 but little of what the chaplain said, as I was too 
 busy staring, with open mouth and eyes, at the 
 various objects I saw around me. Once or twice I 
 undertook to count the number of the crew, but 
 after reaching a little over three hundred I gave it 
 up. On returning from the Independence, my 
 eyes rested with displeasure on the Hudson, which 
 now bore the appearance of an old launch, and 
 everything about her seemed to partake of the same 
 character. Throughout the remainder of the day 
 I watched the boats passing and repassing in the 
 vicinity of the vessels of war, and I could not re- 
 frain from drawing a line of comparison between 
 the jolly easy kind of life these men-o'-war's-men 
 were leading, and that which we whalemen were 
 doomed to undergo. 
 
 The object of the captain in putting into this har- 
 10
 
 110 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 bor was a two-fold one. We were nearly out of 
 bread, and some of the crew were in need of neces- 
 sary clothing to continue the cruise. It was re- 
 solved among the officers to dispose of a portion of 
 the cargo in exchange for these commodities, and 
 on Monday morning the captain proceeded on shore 
 for this purpose ; but the place being so hampered 
 up with absurd harbor regulations, it became impos- 
 sible for us to land our oil under four or five days. 
 During this period an occurrence took place on 
 board the ship which eventually had a remarkable 
 influence on my fortunes. 
 
 A negro of our crew, named Bill Peterson, had, 
 during the absence of the captain on shore, in some 
 way offended the mate, who struck him with a stick 
 of wood. This raised the resentment of Peterson, 
 who, instead of obeying the further orders of the 
 mate, stalked away into the forecastle to brood 
 over his wrongs. On the appearance of the cap- 
 tain on board, the mate gave his report of the pro- 
 ceedings, and the next morning Peterson was called 
 aft on the quarter-deck to render an account of his 
 conduct. Peterson's version of the story conflicting 
 with that of the mate, the latter called him a " liar" 
 Some of the men now attempted to interfere in be- 
 half of Peterson, who certainly had made a correct 
 report of the matter, but the captain ordered them 
 to be silent; and after reprimanding them for pre- 
 suming to contradict the report of an officer, ordered 
 Peterson to stand up to the main rigging where he
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. Ill 
 
 inflicted thirteen blows on his back with a rope'a 
 end. When the punishment was over he turned to 
 the crew and told them that such would be the re- 
 ward of any man who dared to disobey the orders 
 of an officer in his ship. 
 
 " Mr. Denison," said he, turning to the mate 
 and handing him the rope's-end, " I give you this, 
 and whenever you find one of the crew stubborn, or 
 disobedient, use it as I have done just now !" 
 
 Denison took the rope and threw it by the bin- 
 nacle, after which he, and the rest of the officers, 
 proceeded to breakfast in the cabin. 
 
 Mutiny, and its consequences, were often themes 
 of discourse among the men in the forecastle, and 
 it had often been a matter of query and speculation 
 among them, how our captain would act in case a 
 crew were to rebel against his authority. Some 
 were of opinion that he was a man not to be trifled 
 with ; and others, among whom was the second 
 mate, thought so highly of his firmness and decision 
 of character, that they were firmly persuaded none 
 but the most turbulent, and fool-hardy subordinate, 
 would ever have the courage to disobey an order 
 from Captain Green. His will, they said, was 
 supreme, and absolute on board, and have it he 
 would, regardless of consequences. With them 
 there could then be no such thing, on the part of 
 Captain Green, as the rescinding of an order, when 
 once given. 
 
 Such in the forecastle being the opinions of the
 
 112 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 crew, in respect to the captain, it is scarcely to be 
 wondered at that they should have remained silent 
 when forbidden to speak. Yet though his boasted 
 firmness was sufficient to prevent any immediate 
 tumult, to the discerning eye, it was evident enough, 
 that the lowering looks, and calm demeanor, of the 
 larger portion of the crew, denoted the approach 
 of a storm that was to end in the destruction of the 
 rope's-end power entrusted to the mate, or in the de- 
 struction of a portion, at least, of the crew.. The 
 captain himself, doubtless perceiving that matters 
 were tending to a somewhat serious crisis, and per- 
 haps not desiring to have his firmness put to the test, 
 commenced being very civil and pleasant, but the 
 men, though silent and obedient, were not so dull as 
 not to comprehend his meaning. 
 
 On the second day after Peterson was flogged, 
 the captain obtained a "permit" from the Custom 
 House to land his oil ; and in the evening, when 
 returning from the shore, gave us, in the boat, an 
 order to hold ourselves in readiness, at three o'clock 
 in the morning, to hoist an hundred barrels of oil 
 into the lighter. On arriving on board the ship we 
 found the men at supper in the forecastle, and can- 
 vassing the subject of flogging, which had been the 
 principal theme of their discourse ever since the 
 ir,ate had been clothed with rope's-end authority. 
 Old black Sam was strenuous for overhauling the 
 captain on the subject, but the chief difficulty ap- 
 peared to be the adoption of a plan to make him
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 118 
 
 hear us> Sam proposed that we should all refuse 
 duty at once, which would compel him to hear our 
 complaints, or to procure aid from a vessel of war 
 to put us in irons for mutiny. I then informed Sam 
 of the .captain's orders, in respect to hoisting the 
 oil out at three o'clock in the morning, and ob- 
 served, that if to strike was their intention, a more 
 favorable opportunity would perhaps not present 
 itself. The whole crew caught greedily at the idea ; 
 and at nine o'clock, when we went to our bunks, it 
 was resolutely agreed among all hands, not to hoist 
 out a single gallon of oil until the captain would 
 promise to rescind the flogging instructions to the 
 mate. The next question was, who should commu- 
 nicate our determination to the captain, at six bells 
 in the morning. All had, however, heard so much 
 said of his firmness, and decision of character, that 
 they were afraid of incurring his displeasure, and 
 consequently no one appeared desirous of volunteer- 
 ing his services as a diplomatist. Old Sam at last 
 pitched upon me, but I declined, in consequence of 
 being only a landsman in the ship. This excuse, 
 would, however, not be hearkened to by the men, 
 and after some urging, I finally consented. The 
 forecastle then became quiet, but it is questionable 
 whether many eyes of the crew were that night 
 closed in sleep. 
 
 The next morning at three o'clock, the mate 
 struck the bell with his own hand, and though we 
 all heard the loud call of his voice, yet no one 
 10"
 
 114 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 appeared disposed to obey it. We all lay quietly 
 in our bunks, listening to the tread of the mate 
 as he paced back and forth on deck. Presently 
 another shout was raised in a more decisive tone, 
 upon which Old Sam suggested that now was my 
 time. I slid from my bunk, and dressing hastily, 
 clambered up on deck. 
 
 " Well," said the mate, holding a lantern to my 
 face to discover my features, " there's one made 
 
 his appearance at last, and a d d land lubber 
 
 at that. What's the matter with you fellows down 
 below, that you can't get on deck any more when 
 you're called ? Hello, here !" added he, stamping 
 on the forecastle and shouting more furiously than 
 ever. " Are you all dead or drunk down here, or 
 what the devil is the matter with you ?" 
 
 " Sir," said I, " the men have determined not 
 to come on deck?" 
 
 "What's that ?" said the mate, quickly, as if desi- 
 rous to weigh the full meaning of my expression. 
 
 "The men refuse further duty," answered I, 
 *' until they have an interview with the captain." 
 
 " What the devil does, that mean ?" asked the 
 mate. 
 
 " It means," replied I, "that as the captain has 
 instructed you to flog any of the ship's company 
 whenever you please, they will not hoist out the 
 oil until he rescinds that order." 
 
 " Whew !" whistled the mate, with an exhalation 
 that almost demolished the lantern. " Is that the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 115 
 
 way the wind blows ! Rescind ? Yes, by thunder ! 
 I'd call it rescind ! He'll rescind some of the 
 backs of you infernal rascals for mutiny, that's 
 what he'll do, and you'll soon find it out too." 
 
 At the conclusion of these invectives, Mr. Deni- 
 son gathered up his lantern and with a string of 
 oaths that reached to the mainmast, proceeded to 
 the cabin to enlighten his superior on the condi- 
 tion of things forward, while I, in the meantime, 
 returned to the forecastle, where I found all my 
 companions, except Old Sam, in a paroxysm of 
 the fidgets. In a few moments our suspense was 
 terminated by the arrival of an order from the 
 captain, to make our appearance at the mainmast. 
 The crisis had now approached, and we all walked 
 aft. A lantern stood on the fife-rail of the main- 
 mast, one side of which was occupied by the cap- 
 tain, and the other by the mate. The latter looked 
 daggers at us as we gathered on deck, and once he 
 attempted to speak, but was restrained by the cap- 
 tain. The third mate, boatsteerers, and steward, 
 stood around the capstan, quietly watching the 
 proceedings. A tackle had been strapped to the 
 mainstay by one of the boat steerers, and hooked 
 to a cask of oil; and the fall being now led out on 
 the quarter deck, the captain pointed to it, and 
 addressed himself to the men. 
 
 " Now, my lads," said he, " I am in a hurry to 
 get this oil into the lighter. There is the fall ; 
 clap to it cheerily, and hoist it out immediately !"
 
 116 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 The captain spoke firmly, but not in anger, and 
 the mate gritted his teeth, and clinched his fists, 
 but no one moved. 
 
 " Will you do it, or will you not ?" said the cap- 
 tain, perceiving that all hesitated. 
 
 " We will not do it, Captain Green !" said Old 
 Sam Malony, stalking boldly forward from among 
 the crowd. 
 
 The mate grasped a handspike and menaced the 
 old negro, but on meeting a negative look from his 
 commander, threw it down. 
 
 " There is no occasion for that, Mr. Denison. 
 There are other ways of settling this business, 
 than by handspikes," said the captain, addres- 
 sing himself to the mate ; and turning to the men 
 added, " I now give you five minutes to put your 
 hands to that tackle fall and hoist out this oil, or 
 to go forward to the forecastle." 
 
 At these words, one of the Portuguese, becoming 
 alarmed, slipped round the main hatch and took 
 hold of the tackle fall. The action, however, only 
 elicited the indignation of all his shipmates, who, 
 not waiting for the limited time to expire, wheeled 
 away at once and marched forward to the forecas- 
 tle. On perceiving this, the Portuguese let go the 
 fall and followed. 
 
 Whether it was that Captain Green was wholly 
 unprepared to meet so strong an opposition on the 
 part of his crew, or whether he hoped to learn
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 117 
 
 something more satisfactory respecting the origin 
 of their disobedience, I am unable to say, but it is 
 certain that he called a council of war among his 
 officers, for the discussing of some plan to over- 
 come the difficulty. What were the schemes pro- 
 posed by the different members of this memorable 
 junto, never transpired among the crew. All we 
 can say is that after half an hour's interim, we 
 were again ordered to make our appearance on the 
 quarter deck. At the capstan we were met by 
 our commander, who now dropped the imperative 
 mood for the indicative and conjunctive, and desi- 
 red us to relate all our grievances with all reason- 
 able latitude, and without fear or favor to any one. 
 Old Sam now became our spokesman, and gave a 
 full detail of Mr. Denison's behavior from the time 
 we first appeared off the Falkland isles, down to 
 the flogging of Bill Peterson. His general con- 
 duct had indeed been such as rendered him an 
 object of particular dislike to nearly every man in 
 the ship ; so that the transfer of absolute power in 
 the unlimited exercise of the rope's end, was a 
 direct insult to every man's feelings, of such 
 magnitude as it was impossible to brook. Sam 
 pointed all out in its most glowing colors, and 
 finally declared that unless the order was re- 
 scinded, and some further restraint put upon the 
 actions of Mr. Denison, he might get a crew 
 from shore to hoist out his oil, as we were fully 
 resolved never to do it on any other condition.
 
 118 FIVE YEARS BEFOKE THE MAST. 
 
 When the old black sailor had concluded, the 
 captain paused for sometime, as if undecided what 
 reply to make. 
 
 "Mr. Denison," observed he, at last, turning to 
 the mate, " what is the meaning of all this ? Can 
 it be possible that I have been asleep for four 
 months? Are these reports indeed to be credited?" 
 
 The mate made no reply, but stood, looking 
 unconsciously down the ship's side into the lighter, 
 which was awaiting the reception of the oil. 
 
 " Well, men," proceeded the Captain, again turn- 
 ing to us, " All that is past and gone cannot now 
 be remedied ; but I feel no hesitation in saying that 
 hereafter I will endeavor to guard against like 
 occurrences. Till this morning I have been entirely 
 in the dark respecting the differences between you 
 and Mr. Denison, and had I been apprised of them 
 before I flogged Peterson, no rope's end should 
 have crossed his back. As to the order you wish 
 me to rescind, I will do it cheerfully, and I promise 
 you, that hereafter, no man of you shall be flogged 
 while you remain under my command. This is the 
 first time in seventeen years that I have had a crew 
 to refuse duty." 
 
 " That's 'cause you never had Mr. Denison for 
 mate afore," observed Sam. 
 
 " It may be so, Malony," answered the captain ; 
 " but we must harbor no resentment for the past. 
 To forget and forgive is a good motto to follow. 
 I shall use you all as well as I can, at all times,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 119 
 
 and more than that you can scarcely expect. And 
 now let me see you turn to, my lads, and hoist out 
 the oil." 
 
 As we had now received all the satisfaction that 
 could be expected under the circumstances, we, 
 with one accord, proceeded directly to our duty. 
 The fall was manned, the song rose cheerily on the 
 morning air, and everything began to drive on 
 among the crew as if nothing had occurred. Not 
 so, however, with the mate ; he had sunk into a 
 dogged silence, and sat by the mizzen mast, with 
 his head leaning against the helm. What his feel- 
 ings were, it is impossible to say, but the general 
 one which inspired the men, was that of triumph. 
 We felt that for once the roaring lion had been 
 conquered. 
 
 After breakfast I went with the lighter on shore, 
 where I remained during the day, and on my re- 
 turn to the ship at night, I was told that Mr. 
 Denison accused me of being the chief instigator 
 of the preceding disturbances, and that he had 
 sworn, in the presence of one of the boatsteerers, 
 to have his revenge as soon as he should once more 
 get me on blue water. This intelligence, it must 
 be owned, made me feel a little uneasy. It was 
 evident that he had entirely forfeited the confi- 
 dence of the captain ; and smarting under vexation, 
 there was no knowing to what act of desperation 
 his revengeful feelings might not urge him. The 
 more I reflected on it, the more I resolved to disap-
 
 120 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 point his vengeance, and before the morning arrived 
 I had secretly determined to leave the ship. 
 
 The oil having been disposed of, and our stores 
 got on board, it was the intention of the captain 
 to sail in two or three days. It was therefore 
 necessary, that if I intended to do anything to 
 effect my escape, I must do it quickly. Fully 
 bent on making the attempt, I sought the captain, 
 and endeavored to procure twenty dollars from 
 him, to buy some clothing, which I represented 
 myself as being much in need of. He refused the 
 twenty, but offered me fifteen, provided that I 
 would sign a receipt for twenty. I accepted the 
 proviso, as well as the cash, and proceeded on shore 
 the same day, in the second mate's boat. Old 
 Sam also obtained leave of absence and went 
 with me on shore. The day was partly spent in 
 company with each other ; and in the afternoon 
 my black companion expressed some surprise that 
 I had yet made no move towards the purchase of 
 my clothing. I then revealed to him my intentions. 
 He said that he could not blame me much for 
 leaving, but at the same time regretted to part 
 company with one he esteemed as a good shipmate. 
 In the evening we parted, with many assurances 
 of remembrance, and the hope of a future friendly 
 meeting. But, ah me ! how little know we of life. 
 Fifteen years have never brought across my devious 
 path one single glimpse of the jolly countenance of 
 of the sable old sailor.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 121 
 
 The first night on shore, I passed in the city ; 
 but on the following day I became apprehensive 
 that search would be made for me, and to avoid 
 the chance of being discovered, I crossed over the 
 bay, to PrayaJi Grande, in which little village I 
 took up my residence at an English boarding house. 
 Here I remained incognito for a period of four 
 days, at the end of which I saw the old Hudson 
 once more setting her shoulder to the breeze and 
 standing seaward. Before she had made the offing 
 beyond fort Santa Cruz, I was recrossing in the 
 ferry boat to the great city of San Sebattiano. 
 
 4 11
 
 The jour. Shoemaker, having abandoned the sea, establishes 
 himself in the capital of Brazil. 
 
 THE reader will perceive that I was now cast 
 upon my own resources in a foreign land, destitute 
 in a manner of money and clothing, unable to 
 speak the language, without employment, and with- 
 out friends of whose aid I could avail myself in 
 my need. Under these circumstances, not the 
 most flattering indeed, I was now to commence my 
 career afresh. I had left home, as already observed, 
 with the prospect of realizing some little wealth, 
 and after little more than a year, spent in laborious 
 adventure, I found myself now in possession of 
 bare ten dollars. It is true that I had an interest 
 in the Hudson to the amount of an hundred and 
 forty-five dollars, but that was now forfeited. Yet 
 it was no great loss either, for I was indebted one 
 hundred dollars for my outfit, to which sum was to 
 be added upwards of seven dollars interest, and 
 the twenty dollars receipted for to Captain Green, 
 making in all, one hundred and twenty-seven dollars. 
 My real loss then, according to the estimate, was 
 only eighteen dollars. It must, however be noted, 
 (122)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 123 
 
 that my chest of goods on board the ship was sacri- 
 ficed, as well as a good suit of clothing left at Sag 
 Harbor. On the whole, I perceived that my finan- 
 cial affairs were evidently on the decline, and I 
 began to doubt whether my sea adventures were 
 likely to be attended with better success than those 
 of the land. But the step, being taken, could not 
 be retraced, and I was too much of a philosopher 
 to fret about trifles. 
 
 The first question with me was, what should I 
 do for a livelihood ? I was as yet but an indiffer- 
 ent sailor ; and besides there were but few Ameri- 
 can merchant vessels in port, and those few were 
 none of them in want of hands. The shoemaking 
 business appeared to offer some chances of employ- 
 ment to a journeyman, but I had no tools. I could 
 however think of nothing else, in which I could 
 hope to make a living, and, regardless of tools, 
 began to search around for employment. Work was 
 soon obtained from a firm, named Bridges & Payler, 
 who kept a large shoe establishment in the Rue de 
 Ovidor. These men kept in their employ some 
 five or six journeymen, and from ten to twelve 
 slaves. Mr. Bridges was originally a Bostonian, a 
 relative of the Hon. Daniel Webster's, and had 
 emigrated to Brazil about the year 1818. He had 
 accumulated a handsome property. He was- a lib- 
 eral, kind-hearted, benevolent man, and during tho 
 five months spent in his employ treated me with 
 every mark of kindness.
 
 124 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 In a country possessing a delightful climate, a 
 busy population, and an endless variety of delicate 
 and delicious fruits, it might be deemed supposa- 
 ble that one could make himself quite comfortable ; 
 but it was invariably my misfortune to be afflicted 
 with annoyances. If nature had blessed the land 
 with an everlasting summer, it had also cursed it 
 with interminable hordes of fleas, which rendered 
 my nights so uncomfortable as to be an absolute 
 punishment to me. Mr. Bridges, commiserating 
 my sufferings, at last offered me lodgings at his pri- 
 vate residence, which was situated about a mile 
 from the city, in a beautiful little place called De 
 Grloria. Here I had a cot slung from the ceiling 
 in the centre of my bedroom, and puzzled the fleas, 
 when getting into it, by undressing on a chair. 
 There was, working in the same shop with me, an 
 Englishman named Wilson, who also, for a while, 
 experienced much vexation from these troublesome 
 vermin ; but he eventually hit on a plan by which 
 his nightly troubles were, in some measure, neu- 
 tralized. Being of a convivial temperament, as 
 well as a lover of the wine cup, he proposed that 
 we should send out nightly for a couple of bottles 
 of wine, over which we might drink success to the 
 Empire of Fleas, with which title he had dubbed 
 the territories of Don Pedro Segundo. To this 
 arrangement I consented, and on the appearance 
 of the vine we usually commenced singing songs, 
 and continued without intermission until the whole
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 125 
 
 was consumed. He mostly indulged in English 
 compositions, and I in American it was John Bull 
 against Brother Jonathan. When the wine was 
 exhausted, two-thirds of which usually fell to hia 
 share, Wilson would retire to his bed about three 
 sheets in the wind, when he slept, ^s he said, so 
 soundly that the flees could not wake him up. Mr. 
 Bridges, feeling himself agreeably amused at our 
 singing, often passed the evening with us, and 
 sometimes added a third bottle, by way of contin- 
 uing the entertainment. 
 
 Wilson 'had formerly resided in Buenos Ayres, 
 ;n which city he had a house of His own, and where 
 he had also been married to a beautiful English 
 woman, brought to that country by a British officer. 
 After his marriage, he went to keeping a public 
 house, and for a year or two did a respectable busi- 
 ness, but his wife falling in love with a Scotch 
 adventurer who boarded in the establishment, eloped 
 with him, and came to Rio, to which place the run- 
 away pair were soon afterwards followed by Wil- 
 son. A brief search around the city, placed the 
 wife again in the power of her husband, who brought 
 her to reside at Mr. Bridges' house until a vessel 
 should depart for the " Rio de La Plata." Here 
 she was closely watched by her husband. But in 
 spite of his vigilance she managed to get out of the 
 house at the end of two weeks, and again decamped 
 with her paramour. For a full week after her dis- 
 appearance Wilson was almost distracted at her 
 11*
 
 126 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 loss, and ran wildly about the city inquiring after 
 her, searching every private nook with the vehe- 
 mence of a madman. Disheartened and fatigued 
 with his search, he at last became reconciled to 
 his misfortune, and having exhausted his ready 
 funds, in pursuit of his faithless better half, he was 
 obliged to go to work on the bench for money to 
 defray his expenses back to Buenos Ayres. 
 
 In my daily walks I had frequent opportunities 
 of familiarizing myself with the different streets 
 and buildings of the city, and of acquiring some 
 little knowledge of the manners and customs of the 
 inhabitants. The city covers an extensive area of . 
 land, but in consequence of being interrupted by 
 hills, it is irregularly built, and the houses lack that 
 uniform and compact appearance which so fre- 
 quently characterizes cities of the northern portion 
 of the continent. In some parts the dwellings form 
 a respectable appearance ; but in general they are 
 low and inelegant. Along a large proportion of 
 the streets they compose but one story, the front 
 sides decorated with double doors, usually opening 
 one-half above the other. The streets are narrow, 
 short, frequently crooked, and not very well paved. 
 Along the most fashionable thoroughfares, the 
 shops of the citizens make a tasteful display of 
 their wares, many of the windows exhibiting a skill 
 and taste in the mechanical and fine arts, that 
 justly rivals any thing of a like kind in the cities 
 of the North. The churches are numerous, and
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 127 
 
 many of them, from their architectural style, form 
 a very imposing appearance. The wall and altars 
 of the interior are gorgeously decorated ; and the 
 floors, painted in cement, or elegantly laid in rich 
 mosaic, form almost a museum of fantastical figures 
 to the eye of a Yankee mechanic. On the north- 
 ern side of the city, and fronting the bay, is the 
 palace of the emperors. It is a huge square pile, 
 not very high, and displays no remarkable talent 
 in point of architecture. It is always surrounded 
 with a body of armed police, which impresses the 
 mind of a stranger with the idea of a military gar- 
 rison rather than with that of a palace. In the 
 southern portion of the city is a large public square 
 or common, known as the Camp de St. Anna. 
 The senate hall, a very magnificent structure, forma 
 the chief feature of attraction in this portion of 
 the metropolis. Public parades and public execu- 
 tions, also, at times, give an additional interest to 
 this common. The aqueduct by which the city is 
 watered, and which has been constructed at an 
 immense amount of labor and expense, is doubtless 
 the most extraordinary structure in the vicinity of 
 Rio. It begins at a torrent, bursting from the side 
 of a mountain near the sea, and after winding, for 
 
 7 O 7 
 
 a distance of five miles, in a serpentine course, along 
 tne ridges of the hills, finally terminates in a vast 
 reservoir, situated on a high eminence in the 
 suburbs of the city. Between the site of the basin 
 the neighboring hills, it passes, for near half a
 
 128 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 mile, over the tops of the houses on arches, an 
 hundred feet high. The whole masonry is con- 
 structed of blue freestone, beautifully hewn, and 
 forms an admirable appearance. At the lower end 
 of the Rue de Miserecordia (street of Mercy) stands 
 the public hospital, a noble edifice, the northern 
 wing of which flanks boldly out into the waters of 
 the bay. Circumscribed between this and the 
 southern projection of Castle Hill, are the build- 
 ings and grounds of the foundling hospital, an insti- 
 tution deserving some particular attention in con- 
 sequence of the part which it performs in the 
 economy of Brazilian society. 
 
 In the main avenue of the city, a short distance 
 wes/. from the public hospital, stands an elegant 
 looking stone building in a somewhat isolated posi- 
 tion. There is nothing very remarkable in its 
 external appearance, other than that the front is 
 destitute of windows, with the exception of one, 
 and in this is fixed a hollow cylinder, some two feet 
 or more in diameter, so as to be easily turned with 
 the hand. When an illegitimate child is born, the 
 mother of which is desirous of hiding her shame 
 from public scrutiny, the little creature is carried 
 to this house by some friend or servant of the 
 mother, and placed in the cylinder. In a short 
 time the cries of the new and tender visitor will 
 arrest the attention of the abbess, who is always 
 in attendance, and who now takes it from its hollow 
 residence and examines it very closely. If a name,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 129 
 
 written instructions, or any valuable jewel, accom- 
 pany the child, it is carefully noted down in a book, 
 together with the date of its appearance, after 
 which it is clothed, fed, and prepared for its future 
 instruction. 
 
 The government now becomes the guardian of 
 the infant. If a boy, he is placed at a military or 
 naval school, as soon as his age will permit, and 
 grows up a sailor or a soldier ; and if a girl, she is 
 sent to the female department of the hospital, a 
 species of nunnery, in which she is instructed in 
 household duties, and taught the most useful 
 branches of learning, as well as the higher accom- 
 plishments of music, drawing, painting, &c. 
 
 When a female infant has once become an inmate 
 of this institution, there is no prospect of her ever 
 being released, except in being reclaimed by her 
 parents, or in getting married. The former is, 
 unfortunately, of very rare occurrence, and they 
 are so entirely cut off from worldly intercourse, by 
 lofty walls and grated windows, that the latter 
 becomes a hope equally faint, and with many even 
 more distant. They do, however, by talking through 
 iron-barred windows, and by looks, songs, and other 
 attractions, arrest the attention of young men 
 from without, when an epistolary correspondence 
 is originated, in which the billets of the lovers are 
 exchanged by means of silken cords, let down from 
 the loops and windows above. In this manner 
 alliances of marriage are formed between these
 
 180 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 unfortunate maidens of the inner, and sympathizing 
 young men of the outer world. Four days in the 
 year are set apart as nuptial days, on which all im- 
 patient lovers are permitted to claim their mistresses 
 and release them from their secluded abode. But 
 to marry a girl out of this institution, requires two 
 necessary qualifications. The applicant must, in 
 the first place, be a member of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, and as the government awards the found- 
 ling a marriage portion of some five hundred mill- 
 reis, he is compelled, in the second place, to give 
 bonds in a like amount of money to guarantee the 
 wife's protection and maintenance. 
 
 It appears to be the settled conviction of many 
 persons that institutions of this kind are but little 
 conducive to the morals of society. It is contended 
 that the most stringent laws of even our own colder 
 regions are found inefficient in restraining the evils 
 of bastardy ; and that in a country where both the 
 climate and the temperament of the inhabitants 
 induce to sexual commerce, an institution of this 
 kind offers a premium to licentiousness. But with 
 all due deference to these opinions, my experience 
 leads me to differ from them. If the whole number 
 of illegitimate children, born in any one of our 
 own cities of like extent with Rio, could annually 
 bo estimated, it would perhaps be found to equal, 
 if not to exceed that of the latter place ; and when, 
 moreover, is to be thrown in the balance the crime 
 of infanticide, a thing of rare occurrence in Rio,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 131 
 
 the question of morals will incline against our side 
 of the isthmus. The argument that such institu- 
 tions are a drain upon the treasury of the govern- 
 ment, is no objection at all, as all treasuries are 
 yearly replenished by taxation of the people ; and 
 who is not conscious of the large amount of money 
 annually stripped from our communities in the 
 shape of taxes for the support of illegitimate 
 children in our alms-houses, and for the mainten- 
 ance of convict mothers in our numerous state 
 prisons, who have rendered themselves criminal 
 in the destruction of their own offspring. But 
 aside from the question of morality, I am still 
 persuaded that this hospital system possesses some 
 advantages over our own, inasmuch as it enables 
 many a frail and erring mother to maintain her 
 standing in the social circle, from which she is too 
 often shamed into degradation and infamy among 
 us ; while, at the same time, it furnishes a safe 
 asylum to the tender infant, and as it grows up 
 instructs it in various branches of learning, and 
 thus enables it to discharge the common duties of 
 life when arrived at maturity, a thing fatally over- 
 looked in our own country, in the rearing of chil- 
 dren of similar origin. 
 
 It sometimes occurs that females confined in this 
 unsocial residence, fall heirs to handsome fortunes. 
 I was informed of an instance where a young me- 
 chanic married a girl out of the hospital, who 
 received for her marriage portion a sum of fifteen
 
 132 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 thousand millreis. About four years after her 
 marriage, the lady took sick and died. The 
 widower subsequently tried his luck by marrying 
 again out of the same institution, and his second 
 wife fell heir to an estate valued at twenty thousand 
 millreis. At the time I was in Rio, he was con- 
 sidered a wealthy man, and lived like an eastern 
 nabob. 
 
 The population. of the city of Rio may be esti- 
 mated at something over two hundred thousand 
 inhabitants, the most important body of which is 
 composed of Brazilians and Portuguese. There is 
 a respectable sprinkling of Spanish and French, 
 some Germans, and a few English and Americans. 
 The latter, however, with the exception of a few 
 mercantile houses, are mostly adventurers. The 
 slaves compose by far the greater bulk of the popu- 
 lation, outnumbering all the whites at a ratio of 
 about three to two. The streets are literally alive 
 with them ; they are frequently seen trotting along 
 the streets in droves, loaded with sacks of coffee, 
 rice, salt, cotton, &c., which they invariably carry 
 on their heads. They are meanly clad, the only 
 covering of the males being a kind of coarse short 
 trowsers, reaching from the waist to the thigh ; 
 and numbers may at any time be seen prowling 
 about the wharves of the city, without any other 
 covering than that afforded by a handkerchief 
 pinned about the body, and hanging like an apron 
 down before. The clothing of the female is, how-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 133 
 
 ever, less exceptionable in the city, though in the 
 country it is chiefly limited to the short hempen or 
 cotton petticoat, extending from the hip to the 
 knee. Some occasionally show a disposition to 
 modesty, by hanging a cotton napkin about the 
 neck, in such a manner as to conceal the bosom. 
 
 The treatment of slaves is, perhaps, in no coun- 
 try -where the system of slavery exists, such as a 
 philanthropic man could wish to see imposed ; but 
 it is more than probable that it is marked with a 
 greater excess of inhumanity in Brazil than in any 
 other country throughout Christendom. Kindness 
 and liberality are virtues scarcely known in the 
 vocabulary or feelings of a Portuguese slaveholder ; 
 while avarice, usurping in his heart the place of 
 humanity, leads him to grind down his slave to the 
 last extremity of life. Hence the treatment of the 
 slave may be set down as no treatment at all. He 
 is compelled to work the whole of the time for his 
 master, and keep himself out of the extra. As to 
 his food, it is perhaps of a sufficiently wholesome 
 character, but too often deficient in quantity, and 
 seldom well prepared ; while, in addition to running 
 naked, he is usually obliged to pass his nights, 
 during the rainy as well as the dry season, under 
 the dewy heavens, without a bed ; or if in the city, 
 he may avail himself of a shelter in his master's 
 entry or shed, or may even find a more classic 
 lodging under the portico of a gorgeous church. 
 Alas ! what a commentary on that gospel which 
 12
 
 134 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 says, " Do unto others as you would that others 
 should do unto you." 
 
 The services of slaves are, in this region, not 
 confined alone to out-door employments or planta- 
 tion labor, but every department of mechanical 
 occupation may be found filled with black men ; 
 and it is also worthy of remark that a slave who is 
 a mechanic, a master of his trade, will command in 
 the market a price nearly double that of one who 
 has been only accustomed to plantation labor. 
 Many slaves are owned by men who have them- 
 selves no employment for them, but who hire them 
 out, or even give them permission to be masters of 
 their own time, on condition of paying a certain 
 stipulated sum weekly. Instances are known where 
 some, who had obtained the latter privilege, paid to 
 their masters their weekly contributions, and by a 
 continued course of perseverance and economy, 
 were in a few years masters of a sufficient surplus 
 fund to buy their own freedom. But, unfortu- 
 nately for the great mass of the degraded race, 
 few masters are to be found thus liberal, nor are 
 there many slaves to be found capable of practising 
 so unswerving a round of industry and self-denial. 
 The disposition of men, who let out their slaves, 
 appears to be to task them to the full extent of their 
 abilities, and some even charge upon them a larger 
 Bum than they can raise, and then punish them at 
 the end of the week for being unprepared to pay 
 their required stipend. As an instance of the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 135 
 
 meanness to which a slaveholder can bring himself 
 to condescend, I will here notice a case that came 
 to my own personal knowledge at Rio. 
 
 A master hired out his slave at five millreis per 
 week. The fellow was frugal and industrious, and 
 contrived to pay up his master regularly for some 
 weeks. The master then demanded a weekly pay- 
 ment of six. The additional rnillrei the slave also 
 paid regularly, without a murmur. At the end of 
 two months the slave, finding himself in possession 
 of a surplus sum of five millreis, ventured to lay it 
 out in the purchase of a lottery ticket. In a few 
 weeks the ticket, to his inexpressible joy, came up 
 a prize of ten thousand millreis. In his moments 
 of ecstacy, he ran to communicate his good fortune 
 to his master, and desired to know what portion of 
 it would purchase his freedom. The master, ex- 
 tremely pleased at the good fortune of the faithful 
 Pedro, promised him his freedom on condition of 
 dividing the spoils share and share alike. To this 
 the slave consented, and the two proceeded to the 
 bank to secure the money. The cash was counted 
 down to the master, who received the whole, and 
 sticking it coolly in his pocket, turned round upon 
 the innocent Pedro and accused him of stealing 
 the money with which the ticket was bought. In 
 vain the poor slave denied the charge. His master 
 was inexorable ; he had him arrested and scourged 
 to the number of three hundred lashes for theft. 
 The poor negro, heart-broken and lacerated, was
 
 136 FIVK YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 then placed on board a vessel and sent to the 
 province of Rio Grande, where his master sold him 
 for four hurrdred millreis. The same slave, if the 
 generosity of his master has not annihilated him, 
 is now dragging out a miserable existence on a 
 sugar plantation. 
 
 The slave trade is still carried on to some extent 
 within the territories of Brazil ; but the number 
 of British cruisers constantly prowling about the 
 coast, renders the traffic unprofitable, and some- 
 what hazardous to those engaged in it. Several 
 slavers, with their cargoes on board, were captured 
 and brought into the port of Rio Janeiro, while I 
 resided there, and as I had read much in the Eng- 
 lish prints respecting the odiousness of slavery, the 
 wickedness of enriching the pocket from the sale 
 and purchase of human blood, and the humane 
 conduct of the British government in endeavoring 
 to suppress the traffic, I became desirous of learn- 
 ing something of the manner in which these disin- 
 terested charities on the part of Great Britain 
 were managed. I perceived when these cargoes 
 of slaves were brought into port, notices were 
 immediately posted up along the streets of Rio, 
 informing the citizens that any desirous of procuring 
 "servants or apprentices," could do so by applying 
 on board her Britanic Majesty's ship Stag, and 
 entering into certain obligations with Com. Sul- 
 livan. All such as were in need of uninstrncted 
 negroes, fresh from the Gold coast, went to Com.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 137 
 
 Sullivan and bargained somewhat after the fol- 
 lowing fashion : 
 
 1. They were to pay forty dollars for an able- 
 bodied negro. 
 
 2. They were to have him for five years. 
 
 3. They were to learn him a trade, or instruct 
 him in service. 
 
 4. They were to enter into recognizances for his 
 restoration to the British authorities at the end of 
 the five years. 
 
 These stipulations complied with, the purchaser 
 was at liberty to choose one or more negroes from 
 the cargo and depart with him at his pleasure. It 
 may readily be supposed that on such liberal terms 
 a cargo of slaves could soon be disposed of, and 
 especially so, when the British Commodore was so 
 excessively liberal as to be entirely indifferent con- 
 cerning the character of the surety. 
 
 The restoration of these " apprentices, or ser- 
 vants," at the end of five years, was claimed by 
 the British authorities, with a view to their coloni- 
 zation to Sierra Leone. Were the intentions fol- 
 lowed out to the letter, it would, doubtless, be all 
 well enough ; but, unfortunately for the poor 
 blacks, there are two defects in the system which 
 invariably defeat them. First, as the absence of 
 the "apprentice," after having become useful in 
 his trade, would be a loss to the purchaser, the 
 latter never thinks of restoring him to the British 
 authorities ; and, second, as the British authorities 
 12*
 
 138 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 cannot colonize the apprentice without incurring 
 some expense, they never think of reclaiming him. 
 His sale was profitable and brought forth prize 
 money, but there is an outlay in sending him to 
 Sierra Leone. Pro and con, on the purse, make a 
 vast difference in British humanity. But should 
 enquiries be made in reference to any one of these 
 apprentices, at the end of five years, it would be 
 found that his master had removed with him to 
 parts unknown ; and if search was put on foot for 
 the surety, he too would be found gone with another 
 of the servants, and the two blacks, at the very 
 time, would more than probably be toiling and 
 sweating on some 'plantation in a distant portion 
 of the empire. But no matter. The British au- 
 thorities received sixteen thousand dollars for the 
 brig, and eight thousand dollars for the slaves; and 
 twenty-four thousand dollars is a snug little sum 
 of prize money, if it even be obtained by a seizure, 
 which the same government, eighty years ago, 
 would have designated as an act of piracy. 
 
 From the foregoing considerations, and a few 
 others which might be adduced, I am constrained 
 to say that whatever be the encomiums lavished 
 upon the British method of suppressing the slave 
 trade on the coast of Brazil, it brings but few 
 blessings to those Africans who are once brought 
 within the boundaries of that Empire. They be- 
 come slaves as effectually and everlastingly, by the 
 English apprentice system, as if sold into bondage
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 139 
 
 by the original kidnapper ; while the British offi- 
 cers and the British government go snacks in the 
 speculation, and pocketing the cash for the vessel, 
 and the cash for the slaves, gain thereby a glorious 
 reputation for disinterested benevolence, humanity, 
 and philanthropy. Tell us, ye charitable aboli- 
 tionists of Britain, who denounce a portion of the 
 American people as bloodying their hands in human 
 gore ; and you, also, who regardless of the op- 
 pressed of your own country, throw your thousands 
 of pounds in the lap of the benevolent-hearted Mrs. 
 Stowe, to extirpate the system of slavery ; would it 
 not be as creditable to yourselves, and the cause 
 you espouse, to wash the stain from your own fin- 
 gers before you attempt to gouge out the eyes of 
 those whom the by-gone policy of your own gov- 
 ernment has irretrievably cursed with the perni- 
 cious institution you so much despise ?
 
 The Jour. Shoemaker, bidding good-bye to the Bench, takes again 
 to Salt Water, and is sent on board a Ship against his own con- 
 sent 
 
 IN a somewhat obscure portion of the city of 
 Rio Janeiro, adjoining to Castle Hill, stood an 
 elegant public house, which was kept by a person 
 of doubtful character. The name of the indi- 
 vidual was Surfe. He was a German by birth, but 
 spoke the English, French, Spanish, and Portu- 
 guese languages, with a fluency equal to that with 
 which he iterated his own vernacular. He had 
 formerly been employed as a spy by the Emperor, 
 Don Pedro the First, during the turbulence of the 
 latter portion of his reign. He was a gambler by 
 profession, and in general bore the reputation of 
 being a bad man, but by a polished exterior, and 
 by the fluency with which he spoke the various 
 languages, he always contrived to attract a large 
 concourse of visitors to his house. His billiard 
 rooms were superbly furnished, and almost con- 
 stantly filled with strangers. He was supposed to 
 have been concerned in two or three murders, 
 which had been committed in the city, but aa no 
 (140)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 141 
 
 proof could be elicited in support of the accusa- 
 tion, it of course amounted to nothing. 
 
 Among the inmates of this establishment, was a 
 pretty English girl, named Mary Mertle. This 
 young -woman had resided in Rio some months be- 
 fore my arrival there. She had been brought to 
 Brazil by her father, who was a miner, and had 
 been employed at the .gold mines, but who, becom- 
 ing dissatisfied with his employers, as well as the 
 country, resolved to return to England. On his 
 arrival at Rio, finding no vessel bound directly for 
 England, he was induced to take up his lodgings 
 at Surfe's until one should be ready to sail. The 
 beauty of Mary attracted the attention of Surfe, 
 who, though already in possession of two wives, 
 determined if possible to possess himself of thig 
 girl's charms. Mary being persuaded that he was 
 a single man, lent but too willing an ear to the fiat- 
 teries of Surfe ; and her unsuspecting mind, being 
 captivated with the prospect of becoming the mis- 
 tress of so fine a mansion, induced her, in an evil 
 hour, to desert her parents. Surfe, to make sure 
 of his prey, secreted her in one of his private dens 
 of which he had a number in different parts of the 
 city. When the ship was ready to sail, Mary was 
 nowhere to be found, and the humane captain, sym- 
 pathizing with the parents, delayed sailing for two 
 days in order that the search might be continued 
 for her. But all the efforts set on foot for her 
 recover^ were useless. Mary was still lost; and
 
 142 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the sorrowing parents, weary and disheartened, 
 finally took their departure for England, in tears, 
 for the loss of their only child. 
 
 On the departure of her parents, Mary reap- 
 peared, and became the principal feature of attrac- 
 tion at Surfe's house. But being a little vain, she 
 loved to be flattered by the young men with whom 
 she would converse ; and the humorous pleasantries 
 in which she indulged with them, soon aroused the 
 jealousy of her paramour. For a while he smoth- 
 ered his passion ; but becoming linked in with a 
 Spanish desperado, named Trifarier, who did all he 
 could to fan his jealousy into a flame, he soon gave 
 way to fits of ill humor. The patient Mary was at 
 first only greeted with curses, but by degrees his 
 passion took a sterner shape ; and at times his con- 
 duct was marked with such brutality that the ob- 
 ject of his vengeance was compelled to flee his 
 house, and shelter herself, until the storm had sub- 
 sided with an acquaintance of hers, named Margaret 
 Ferguson. It was at the house of the last named 
 person that I first beheld Mary. I had never been 
 at Surfe's house, but on being invited thither by 
 Mary I resolved to visit its wonders. I went, and 
 being delighted with the elegance of the billiard 
 rooms, I at once lent them my patronage. No 
 misunderstanding ever arose between the proprietor 
 and myself, nor was I conscious that he ever nour- 
 ished the least eviljtb/mght against me, until apprised 
 to the contrary by the friend of Mary. I was one
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 148 
 
 night sitting quietly in the bar-room of Mrs. Fer- 
 guson, eating an orange, when the latter entered 
 and whispered in my ear, that Surfe, and Trifarier, 
 were in the kitchen plotting some evil against me. 
 The thought for the first time struck me, that he 
 might possibly suspect an intimacy between Mary 
 and myself, and hence I believed it best to move for 
 home. I started immediately, and in stepping from 
 the door into the street, was confronted by Trifa- 
 rier, who darted from an alley and flourished a 
 knife. At the same instant, Surfe appeared at the 
 corner of the house, and grasped at me to intercept 
 my passage ; but darting hastily by him, I hurried 
 rapidly on towards the palace square. Both pur- 
 Bued after me for some distance ; but finding me too 
 expert in the athletic exercises for them to win the 
 game, they finally abandoned the chase ; while I, 
 changing my course into the Rue do Ovidor, wended 
 my way to the residence of Mr. Bridges. 
 
 Some three weeks following the preceding inci- 
 dent, a respectable Spanish gentleman suddenly 
 disappeared from the world ; and as he had been 
 last seen at the house of Surfe, it was strongly sus- 
 pected that he, or some one of his associates, had 
 put him out of the way. The matter soon raised a 
 considerable excitement, and the suspicion being 
 daily strengthened against Surfe, by the concur- 
 rence of circumstances, soon led to his arrest. 
 About a week after his imprisonment, the evidence 
 against him was rendered still more conclusive, by
 
 144 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the discovery of the missing gentleman's remains 
 in an excavation in Castle Hill, immediately in the 
 rear of Surfe's house. Trifarier was also suspected 
 of being implicated in the murder, and would have 
 been arrested, but taking time by the forelock he 
 managed to make his escape, and thus added an- 
 other proof of the guilt of Surfe. 
 
 While Surfe was awaiting his trial in prison, hia 
 lawful wife concluded to let the public house at 
 rent, and a female adventurer distinguished at Rio 
 under the soubriquet of "Scotch Liz, became the les- 
 see. Mary still remained under the administration 
 of Liz ; and the coast being now clear of all ene- 
 mies, my visits to the rooms were resumed with a 
 greater frequency. 
 
 At this juncture of affairs, I found myself placed 
 in a kind of dilemma. I loved to play billiards 
 exceedingly well, and to play billiards required mo- 
 ney, and there was not much money to be made in 
 Rio by bottoming fine boots at one dollar a pair. 
 What was to be done ? I set my wits to work to see 
 if I could not hit on a plan to make money a little 
 faster, but I could suggest none that I thought 
 would work. It appeared to me that I would either 
 have to cut loose from the billiard rooms, or cut 
 loose from the bench ; and after revolving the sub- 
 ject in my mind for a few days, I determined to do 
 both. I was a little influenced in coming to this 
 
 O 
 
 decision, by a young man named Andrew M. Cis- 
 ney, who had quitted a merchant ship at Rio, in
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 145 
 
 which he hnd come out as second mate. Cisney 
 and I resolved to try our fortunes in the United 
 States' Exploring Squadron, commanded by Lieut. 
 Wilkes, which had then touched at Rio harbor on 
 its way to the South Pacific. In pursuance of our 
 enterprise, we went on board the Peacock, in which 
 vessel 'Cisney succeeded in shipping as master's 
 mate. I made an attempt to ship as purser's stew- 
 ard, but was told by the purser that his profits 
 would not enable him to employ a steward. I then 
 went on board the Vincennes, where I offered to 
 ship before the mast. They were in need of a few 
 able seamen, but as I was too inexperienced to pass 
 for an able seaman, they declined shipping me. 
 They finally offered to receive me on board the 
 schooner Flying-fish, which was attached to the 
 squadron, but I declined going in her, and fortunate 
 I was, in objecting, as the schooner, and all her 
 crew, were shortly afterward lost in the Straits of 
 Magellan. The Peacock was also subsequently lost 
 at the mouth of the Columbia river, but by extra- 
 ordinary exertions her crew were saved. 
 
 Having missed a berth in the exploring squad- 
 ron, I began to look in the direction of the Brazil- 
 ian merchant service, and after searching two days 
 among the shipping, finally entered my name on a 
 small brig, bound up the coast for a cargo of coffee. 
 My wages were settled at eighteen milreis per 
 month, and small stores found. We sailed the day 
 following that on which I had shipped, and though 
 13
 
 146 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 we had a head wind for two days, we managed to 
 beat up the coast as far as Ilha Grande. I now 
 became anxious of getting some intelligence of 
 Mark Leighton, and endeavored to persuade the 
 captain to put into Palmas bay and anchor there 
 until the wind should change ; but he appeared 
 little disposed to come to a halt, and I had "conse- 
 quently to give up the prospect of seeing my old 
 friend that trip. 
 
 After a voyage of four days we arrived at our 
 place of destination, which was a small village some 
 few leagues above the town of Angra, and imme- 
 diately commenced taking on board our coffee. 
 During the process of loading, the chief labor of 
 which was performed by the slaves of the neigh- 
 bouring plantation, the Captain gave us our board- 
 ing on shore, and permitted us to roam at our own 
 pleasure. I had thus an opportunity of witnessing 
 a little more of Brazilian manners. As the house 
 at which we lodged was that of a wealthy planter, 
 and owner of some sixty or seventy slaves, I anti- 
 cipated a more luxurious appearance within than I 
 had been accustomed to witness in the oven-like 
 edifices of Rio, and the rural cottages of Ilha 
 Grande, but in this I was somewhat disappointed. 
 The house was divided into only two apartments, 
 without any upstairs or chimney. There were holes 
 for the windows, but no glass in them. The fur- 
 niture consisted of a large table, made from a rough 
 plank hewn out with an axe, a bench of like con-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 147 
 
 struction, four or five stools manufactured in the 
 same rude style, and a large rush mat, thrown for 
 a carpet on a clay floor. In the adjoining room I 
 noticed two or three bedsteads of very rude shape, 
 and a large clothes-chest, somewhat resembling the 
 arm-chest of a vessel of war. On being called to 
 dinner, several dishes were placed before us, but 
 knives and forks there were none on the table. All 
 took their seats, the family as well as those from the 
 brig. Two fine looking girls, daughters of the plan- 
 ter, sat at the upper end of the table, near their 
 parents. There was no bread, but in lieu of it 
 there was a delicate kind of cake, prepared from 
 the common cassada of the country, which was very 
 hard and dry, but which, on being saturated with 
 coffee, became softer than the pulp of the ripest 
 orange. There was also a species of coarse meal, 
 manufactured from the same root, which, on re- 
 ceiving the addition of a little beef gravy, formed 
 quite a delicious morsel to the taste. . The natives 
 rolled it up into little balls with their fingers, and 
 giving them a quick toss into their mouths, snapped 
 them up with the facility of pet spaniels. I watched 
 the motions of the rest, with a desire to imitate 
 them. As soon as I thought myself sufficiently 
 instructed, I rolled up a ball and gave it a sling, 
 but missing my mouth, the ball unfortunately struck 
 me immediately under the nose, and tumbled back 
 into my lap. Nothing daunted, I grasped my ball, 
 and rallied for another attempt, at the same time
 
 148 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 casting my eye round the table to see if any one 
 had noticed the failure of my first experiment. I 
 fancied I saw a smile crossing the features of the 
 captain, but caring nothing for him, I threw back 
 my head, and opening my mouth upward like the 
 crater of a volcano, gave my ball another throw, 
 when in it went, and disappeared downward as 
 smoothly as an oiled bullet. When once in, I 
 found this farinhia quite palatable, and between it 
 and roast beef, baked yams, fish, oranges, sweet 
 potatoes and bananas, I managed to fare about as 
 well as I had done at the house of Mr. Bridges. 
 In a few days, the slaves having completed the 
 loading of our vessel, we bid farewell to our new 
 acquaintances and returned to Rio. 
 
 During my absence from the city, which was a 
 period of three weeks, the trial of Surfe had taken 
 place. The evidence against him was not suffi- 
 ciently strong to convict him of murder in the first 
 degree, but he was nevertheless proven to have 
 participated therein, and was consequently sen- 
 tenced to seven years hard labor in the galleys. 
 I had the satisfaction of seeing this hardened crim- 
 inal led from his prison in chains, and conveyed to 
 his future home on 'a fortified island opposite to the 
 city. 
 
 As soon as my business in the brig would per- 
 mit, I made a visit to the residence of Scotch Liz. 
 I found poor Mary sick. She had then been 
 reduced to her bed for a period of two weeks, and
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 149 
 
 according to her own statement, had been shame- 
 fully neglected by many who had formerly pro- 
 fessed to be her friends. Those who had admired, 
 courted and flattered her in her hours of health and 
 beauty, abandoned her on the bed of sickness ; and 
 this unhappy reverse, falling with an icy chill on 
 her wounded heart, made her regret deeply and 
 feelingly that she had ever permitted herself to be 
 led astray from the protection of her tender parents. 
 She was anxious to set up in bed, but found her- 
 self unable to rise, and on being helped up by me, 
 she commenced weeping, and asked me if she did 
 not look wonderfully altered. I observed that she 
 certainly was very sadly reduced, but hoped that a 
 few days might bring a change for the better. 
 Words of hope and encouragement, however, had no 
 cheering effect on h'er mind, for she shook her head 
 with a sigh, and answered that she had no hope 
 of ever recovering. 
 
 "Yet," observed she, her tears starting afresh, 
 " I believe I would feel better to-day if I had a 
 little something warm to eat." 
 
 "Something to eat!" exclaimed I; "does not 
 Liz furnish you with victuals ?" 
 
 "I have not seen her in four days," articulated 
 the weeping girl. " The last time she was here, 
 she came in company with Mrs. Surfe, who was so 
 kind as to bring me a few clean clothes." 
 
 On learning this, I repaired immediately to the 
 kitchen, and ordered the cook to make a bowl of 
 13*
 
 150 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 mutton broth, which I carried up to the invalid. 
 She ate about half of it, and setting the rest on a 
 Btand by the bedside, for future use, expressed her- 
 self as feeling much refreshed. I shortly after- 
 wards took my leave, with a promise of calling to 
 see her again in the course of two days. During 
 the remainder of the week we were, however, too 
 busy in taking on board a second cargo to spare 
 any man from the brig, and I was consequently 
 obliged to postpone my visit to the shore for a 
 period of four days. As soon as I was able to 
 procure leave of absence, I repaired once more to 
 the residence of Liz, but found poor Mary's trou- 
 ble had ceased for ever. She had died the second 
 night after my former visit, and was inhumed by 
 the city undertakers in the pauper vault in the 
 rear of the public hospital. 
 
 There are some things in the world which, when 
 once known, make the heart shudder to think of 
 them ; and the last resting-place of the unfortu- 
 nate Mary was one of this kind. Let the reader 
 imagine to himself an immense pit, winding its way 
 deeply into the earth, its dark stone walls encirc- 
 ling bones of departed humanity, piled layer upon 
 layer, until terminated at the surface with the 
 bodies of those who have last made their unhappy 
 transit from the world; let him behold the up- 
 turned faces of the dead, mingled confusedly 
 together, without distinction of sex or color, many 
 of them unclad, and their glassy eye-balls strained
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 151 
 
 as if grasping vainly for one faint gleam of heav- 
 en's pure light ; let him with his hand remove the 
 stone that guards the entrance to this gloomy 
 eternity, and as the bright sun penetrates below, 
 look down. Here he will behold, exemplified, the 
 ravages of the fell destroyer in their most revolt- 
 ing form, not only in the ghastly visage of the 
 sable African, and the pale cheek of the departed 
 maiden ; but youth, beauty, manhood, tender in- 
 fancy and old age, are all smitten together in one 
 common heap of mouldering death, the slime of 
 their corruption oozing from the sewers of the vast 
 reservoir, and mingling with the waters of the 
 neighboring bay; let him, if he can, imagine such 
 a place, and he will have some faint conception of 
 the last resting-place of poor Mary Mertle. 
 
 I know not why it was, but on the very night 
 after I had learned the fate of the unfortunate 
 Mary, I found myself, at a late hour, sitting on the 
 stone that covered the entrance to this gloomy 
 charnel. At any former period, nothing would 
 have induced me to go there, yet now I sat un- 
 conscious of surrounding objects, meditating on 
 the past, present, and the future, and occasionally 
 bending my eyes along the northern horizon in 
 vain search of that polar star, whose faint though 
 sparkling ray was at that moment shedding its dim 
 lustre over the hills and valleys of my native land. 
 Then the images of once beloved forms arose be- 
 fore my fancy, mingling their smiling faces with
 
 152 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the pallid features of the departed Mary; ad 
 when I called to reflection the immense distance I 
 was from them, the thought arose in my mind how 
 easily a slight chill or casual fever might suddenly 
 cut short my career, and send me to sleep my last 
 long sleep with Mary, in this solitary though 
 densely peopled tomb. The thought was so hor- 
 rible that I rose hastily to depart, but felt myself 
 arrested by a rude grasp from behind. With hair 
 standing erect, I turned quickly round and con- 
 fronted three soldiers, two of whom had already 
 pinioned my arms, while the third was flourishing 
 a sabre over my head. I struggled to release 
 myself, but it was of no use, for they were both 
 stout men, and held me as firmly as if I had been 
 fixed in a vice. I judged from the military char- 
 acter of their dress, that they were in the employ 
 of government, and inquired, as well as I could, 
 if they belonged to the police; but they only 
 answered by telling me that I must go with 
 them. I was presently convinced that they were 
 attached to a press-gang, and finally told them that 
 they had no business with -me, as I was an Ameri- 
 can. By this time three or four more made their 
 appearance, and one of them having heard my 
 remark, asked me to show him my protection. 
 This I did, and though he held it up to a lantern, 
 he could not read it, but handing it to one of hia 
 comrades, observed that it was a sham protection, 
 as the name of the American Consul was not
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE .THE MAST. 153 
 
 attached to it. I now begged them to go with me 
 to the house of Scotch Liz, where I hoped to prove 
 my citizenship, and have the protection interpreted. 
 They accompanied me thither, and I had Liz called 
 to the door, but on referring my situation to her, 
 she denied knowing me, and told me I ought to be 
 ashamed of refusing to serve my country. I re- 
 plied that I was not ashamed to serve my country, 
 but that I would see her and all the infernal tribe 
 of Brazilians to their Patron Saint before I would 
 serve any country that harbored her. The soldiers 
 set up a loud laugh when this sally was interpreted 
 to them, and two men, taking hold of me by each 
 arm, gallanted me off a la mode militaire to a place 
 called the "Banco," where I was locked up for 
 the night, and left to select my own lodgings on 
 the softest spot I could find on a stone paved 
 floor. 
 
 On the following morning about sunrise, I was 
 guarded to the wharf, in company with three or 
 four more melancholy looking customers, who, 
 doubtless, felt about as deep an interest in the pro- 
 ceedings as myself. Here a boat was in waiting 
 for us, in which we were commanded to take our 
 seats. Our guard was then dispensed with, and 
 we were rowed off on board a frigate, called the 
 "Prince Imperial." I now began to have some 
 indistinct foreknowledge of what my destination 
 was to be. I had before learned that the Prince 
 Imperial was being equipped for an expedition
 
 154 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 against the rebels, at Bahia ; and I now suspected 
 myself in a fair way of getting into a scrape, where 
 there would be some breaking of heads, and slitting 
 of noses, as well as a strong smell of gunpowder. 
 With some disagreeable presentiments as to future 
 results, I crawled away into a corner of the ship, 
 to brood over my misfortunes. The brig in which 
 I had been employed, would sail this day, and I 
 felt certain that all my wages there, would be a 
 clear loss. My clothing, which was also on the 
 vessel, I felt desirous of having conveyed to the 
 house of Mr. Bridges ; but as I was prohibited from 
 having any communication with the shore, I was 
 compelled to give them up as lost too. I felt 
 strongly inclined to hunt up the captain of the frig- 
 ate, and make to him a full statement of my case; 
 but as I could speak but little of the language, I 
 finally concluded that it would be of no use. Every 
 thing about the ship wore a disagreeable look ; the 
 men were black and sullen : the rations looked more 
 like a mess prepared for a herd of swine, than for 
 seamen ; and even the commandant, with his black, 
 hairy visage, and broad licentious grin, bore a nearer 
 resemblance to an epauletted Ourang Outang, than 
 to a naval officer. Altogether, I began to consider 
 my situation here, as worse than it had been in the 
 whaler; and I thought Mr. Denison, with all his 
 faults, a much more agreeable officer than this 
 cocked-hatted Brazilian. Each day I became more 
 restless, and cursed Scotch Liz a thousand times
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 155 
 
 over ; for I felt sure that she could have prevented 
 my impressment, had she been disposed to do so. 
 I would gladly have run away, could I have done 
 so aye, at the rate of forty miles per hour but I 
 was cooped up beyond the possibility of doing any 
 thing for my personal liberty. Occasionally I 
 measured the distance to the shore with my eye, 
 to see if I could swim it, but it was a vain hope, 
 next to desperation, and I did not yet look upon my 
 case as so far beyond the possibility of redemption, 
 as to justify suicide. 
 
 When I ,had been on board about ten days, a 
 boat from the American ship Independence, came 
 alongside the Prince Imperial, to invite the Brazil- 
 ian officers to a ball, which was to be given on 
 board the former vessel ; and while the Yankee 
 midshipman was communicating his message in the 
 cabin, I glided down the ship's side, to the boat, 
 and requested one of the men to transmit a few 
 lines for me to the American Consul. He con- 
 sented to do so, and writing a brief note in pencil 
 on the back of my protection, directed it to 
 the Consul. The boat rowed off, and my spirits 
 immediately revived at the prospect of once more 
 becoming my own master. Like a drowning man 
 grasping at a straw, I was elated at the merest 
 trifle that led to a hope of liberty. It was a thou- 
 sand chances to one, whether my lines would ever 
 find their way to the office of the Consul; but not- 
 withstanding, I continued to hope. Each night I
 
 156 FIVE YEARS BEFORE TIIE MAST. 
 
 repeated to myself, that to-morrow would be my 
 last stay in the dismal service, but was as often 
 doomed to disappointment. 
 
 Some eight days after the dispatch of my note 
 with the Independence boat, a Brazilian officer 
 came on board, and ordered me to be called up. 
 After a number of questions relative to my impress- 
 ment, the most of which I understood but im- 
 perfectly, he presented me my protection, and 
 asked if that belonged to me. I answered in the 
 affirmative, upon which he had a shore boat called 
 alongside the ship, and ordered me to get into it. 
 As I walked over the gangway, he told me I was 
 now my own master, and might go wherever I 
 pleased. I thanked him for his kindness in my 
 own language ; and observing to the boatman, that 
 it was the. only good news I had heard in three 
 weeks, directed him to row me to the landing at 
 the Hotel Phareaux.
 
 "The adventurer introduces himself on board an American man 
 o'-war and becomes a member of Uncle Sam's Mess. 
 
 IN having escaped the clutches of the Brazilians, 
 I considered myself very fortunate, notwithstanding 
 I had lost nearly a month's wages in the brig, and 
 more than three weeks' time in the Prince Impe- 
 rial. But though I congratulated myself on being 
 again free, I knew not how long that freedom might 
 last. In a government, under which life is but too 
 often a secondary consideration to property, and 
 where affluence alone can command the protection 
 of personal rights, a poor man seldom meets with 
 a ready redress of grievances. The last four 
 weeks had given me an ample sufficiency of Brazil ; 
 and I was well convinced that my personal rights 
 and safety could be in no way better secured than 
 by getting out of it. To return home became now 
 my most ardent wish ; but there appeared no way 
 of accomplishing it than by working my passage 
 home gratis ; and I possessed too much pride to 
 reappear among my former friends in a situation 
 little short of downright beggery. Under these 
 adverse circumstances, the most promising resource 
 14 ( 157 )
 
 158 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 that seemed to offer itself, was the United States 
 Navy. The squadron had then been on the coast 
 some eighteen months, and would certainly return 
 home within two years. I had now, in some meas- 
 ure, become accustomed to a man-o'-war, and was 
 satisfied that unless the treatment proved too out- 
 rageous, I would be able to endure the service. 
 An enlistment also secured me a sure passage 
 home, while my wages would enable me to make a 
 moderately respectable appearance. All things 
 running thus favorably into my new project, I went 
 to the house of Mr. Bridges, to make immediate 
 preparation for leaving Rio. In two days all was 
 completed, upon which I went and gave Scotch 
 Liz a broadside in the tongue line, as sailors say, 
 and then took up my line of march for the land- 
 ing. Here I found one of the Independence boats 
 just quitting the wharf for the ship. I asked the 
 officer of the boat, who was a passed midshipman, 
 for a passage to the frigate, and on receiving hia 
 nod of assent, took my seat opposite to him, in the 
 stern sheets. He kept a scrutinizing eye upon me 
 for some time, and when finally clear of the crowd 
 of boats that continually obstructed the landing, 
 he commenced a series of questions in a strain of 
 inquisitiveness that would have done credit to the 
 most thorough-bred Yankee. 
 
 " Have you any acquaintances on board the ship 
 you wish to see?" observed he. 
 
 I answered in the negative.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 159 
 
 " Just going to see the ship, eh ?" 
 
 " No, sir ; I have some notion of shipping." 
 
 " Of shipping, eh ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir of shipping." 
 
 " What countryman are you ? An English- 
 man ?" 
 
 "No, sir, I am an American." 
 
 " How did you come to Rio ?" 
 
 " I came in a whale ship." 
 
 " In a whale ship, eh ? Did you run away from 
 her?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, I did." 
 
 "What made you leave her?" 
 
 " I did not like the work, sir." 
 
 " The work, eh ? Was it too hard for you ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Better stayed ashore then, for you'll never do 
 for a man-o'-war." 
 
 " Why so, sir ?" inquired I. 
 
 " Because we are obliged to work day and night 
 in our ship." ? . ' 
 
 " So they were in the whaler." 
 
 " But our work is very hard." 
 
 " So it was in the whaler." 
 
 " But they flog the men in our ship." 
 
 " So they did in the whaler." 
 " But sometimes they water the grog for us in 
 our ship." 
 
 "In the whaler they gave us no grog at all." 
 " No grog, eb ! Oh, d n my eyes ! then
 
 160' FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the whaler was the worse vessel of the two. Ship, 
 by all means, ship." 
 
 By this time we had arrived at the ship, and on 
 passing over the side, the midshipman pointed out 
 an officer walking on the quarter-deck, who he said 
 was the first lieutenant, and did all the shipping. 
 Thnt officer, soon afterwards appearing in the lar- 
 board gangway, near where I was standing, I 
 immediately addressed myself to him on the object 
 of my visit. He was a tall, dark-looking man, 
 and heard my request with such a gloomy look as 
 almost made me regret having made it. After a 
 pause, however, he told me that he would ship me. 
 I Said that I was particulary anxious to ship only 
 for the cruise. But he replied by observing that 
 there was no shorter period of service than for 
 three years. 
 
 "In that case," said I, "should I ship I will 
 most lively be held to general service, for the 
 whole term, and be transferred to some other vessel 
 at the terminatioji of the cruise." 
 
 " Such a thing might possibly occur," replied 
 Mr. Pope, " although in general it does not, as it 
 is usually supposed that men shipping on foreign 
 stations, ship under distress, and are commonly 
 discharged with the rest of the ship's company." 
 
 "My object is to get home," observed I, "and 
 if you think there is a fair prospect of being dis 
 charged on reaching the United States, I will 
 enter the ship regardfess of the three years."
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. Ibi 
 
 " I think you need feel no uneasiness as to the 
 result," answered the first lieutenant, " as I am 
 quite certain that such will be the case." 
 
 At this last remark I expressed my willingness 
 to ship, upon which I was ordered with the master- 
 at-arms, to the cockpit, to be examined by the 
 surgeon. This over, I was conducted to the room 
 of the first lieutenant, where I subscribed my name 
 to the shipping articles, and received my station. 
 I was entered on the station bills, No. 307, lar- 
 board watch, mizzen top, gun No. 18, mess No. 22. 
 
 The reader will perceive that I had now got 
 into a new theatre, in which all the scenes of 
 action appeared so odd and strange to me that it 
 took me sometime to become accustomed to the 
 duties of my station. I spared no pains, however, 
 in familiarizing myself with the ship and its rules, 
 so that after a few days of careful observation in 
 going through the routine of discipline, I became 
 quite free and easy. But still, for a few weeks 
 the time wore heavily away. Though in a flag 
 ship, with a crew of some five hundred men, I felt 
 quite lonely, as all around me were strangers ; and 
 it was not until I had selected some associates 
 from among the great number of strange faces, 
 that I became completely reconciled to my new 
 mode of life. 
 
 About five days after my first appearance on 
 board, all hands were called to witness punish- 
 ment. This was n new feature to me, who had 
 14*
 
 162 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST V 
 
 never yet beheld a man flogged in regular ship- 
 shape style. As soon as the call had sounded 
 along the decks, the master-at-arms, proceeding to 
 the forecastle where several men were in confine- 
 ment, knocked off their irons, and led them to the 
 mainmast. All the ship's company, in the mean- 
 time, had gathered into the gangways and on the 
 booms, while the officers, armed with cutlasses and 
 swords, occupied the starboard side of the quarter- 
 deck. I procured a station as near as practicable 
 to the mainmast, in order to hear and see all that 
 passed. As soon as the commodore appeared, all 
 the officers took off their caps. The commodore, 
 having the offences of each man written on a piece 
 of paper, commenced reading, them over; and 
 calling up the prisoners one by one, inquired of 
 them if they were guilty or not guilty of the 
 charges alleged against them. 
 . " Guilty," answered prisoner number one. 
 
 "Well," proceeded the commodore, "it is not 
 my desire to have you punished ; but as the law 
 authorizes its infliction, it becomes my duty to see 
 it enforced. Do you not hear the articles of war 
 read every month ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, I do." 
 
 " And do they not say that drunkenness shall 
 "be punished by twelve lashes with the cat-o'-nine- 
 tails, at the discretion of the commanding officer ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, they do." 
 
 " And with a full knowledge of the law and its
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 163 
 
 penalty, why will you still presist in getting 
 drunk?" 
 
 "I don't know, sir; its a bad habit I've got 
 into, and can't help it." 
 
 " Strip ! strip !" said the commodore, hastily, 
 with a severe look. 
 
 The prisoner now bared his back and walking 
 up to the bulwarks, took his stand on a grating, 
 to which his feet were tied by the quarter-master. 
 Two heavy shot boxes were then placed on the 
 grating to keep it from being raised up by his 
 struggles. His hands were next tied to the ham- 
 mock nettings, as high as the arms would permit, 
 after which the quarter-master withdrew. The 
 commodore then nodded to the boatswain's mate, 
 who stepped forward, and laying aside his hat, 
 picked up the green handled cats. After drawing 
 his fingers through the lashes so as to clear them 
 of all kinks and tangles, and guaging his distance 
 by reaching out his arm towards the prisoner, he 
 suddenly threw his right foot back, and drew a 
 stroke across the bare body of the prisoner, that 
 left nine purple streaks reaching from shoulder to 
 shoulder. This was followed up by eleven more, 
 the master-at-arms counting aloud at each blow. 
 At number twelve, the commodore cried, " stop," 
 when the whipping was suspended, the prisoner's 
 hands and feet released, and himself ordered for- 
 ward to his duty. The next offender was then 
 called up, who underwent a similar punishment;
 
 164 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 and then the third, and so on to the end of the 
 chapter; and what was most remarkable to me, 
 they all seemed to plead guilty to the charges. 
 As soon as the punishment was over, all hands 
 were piped down. 
 
 I must confess that this scene awakened a series 
 of impressions in my mind that it would be impos- 
 sible for me to define. I felt deeply agitated 
 during the whole proceedings ; and it was not 
 until after the lapse of a few hours, that my 
 nerves regained their wonted calmness. A few 
 repetitions of these naval exercises, however, cured 
 me so effectually of these tremors, that after a few 
 months' residence on board, I could witness a pun- 
 ishment with the stoicism of an American Indian. 
 
 The Independence had been lying in the harbor 
 of Rio Janeiro, denuded of her sails, for sometime 
 before I joined her, and she continued at her 
 moorings for many weeks after, before any move- 
 ment was made towards going to sea. During this 
 period nothing worthy of remark occurred on 
 board to 'mar the general good will and harmony 
 that prevailed among the crew ; and I became so 
 well satisfied with my situation, that I would 
 scarcely have exchanged it for any other mode of 
 life. 
 
 Sometime in April, 1839, three months after 
 my enlistment, we bent our sails, weighed our an- 
 chors, and put out to sea. Our place of destination 
 was Montevideo, on the Rio La Plata, where we
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 165 
 
 Arrived after a voyage of ten days. The sloop Fair- 
 field and brig Dolphin, had preceded us to the 
 La Plata, and were then both at Buenos Ayres, 
 while our anchor was cast at Montevideo. While 
 at this place an amusing incident took place on 
 board our ship, the particulars of which related to 
 an English sailor, who had shipped in the Indepen- 
 dence some months before. 
 
 It appeared that this man had previously been 
 enlisted in an English sloop of war called the Elec- 
 tra, from which he had deserted on the coast of 
 Brazil. As none, only such as claim to be citizens, 
 are ever received into the American navy, he had 
 as a matter of course represented himself as a real 
 native to Commodore Nicholson. But things be- 
 ing, somehow, not altogether to his liking in the 
 Yankee navy, he became dissatisfied, and grew so 
 obstreperous that the commodore, to acquaint him 
 a little with Yankee tricks, tickled him up with the 
 cat-o'-nine-tails. This sat so ill on the back of the 
 English recruit, that he swore he would leave the 
 ship ; and the Electra happening to be there in 
 the port of Montevideo, he contrived to get to 
 some of her officers a knowledge of his present 
 locality. The commodore, being informed of his 
 movements, gave him another dozen with the cats, 
 to remember the Yankees by, and then sent him 
 on board the British sloop of war, where he re- 
 ceived a few dozens more in welcome of his return. 
 
 During our sojourn at Montevideo, the French
 
 166 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 fleet formed a line of blockade on the Rio La 
 Plata, in consequence of which none but vessels 
 of war were permitted to pass up the river. The 
 Fairfield and Dolphin had proceeded to the port 
 of Buenos Ajres for the purpose of rendering 
 protection to such American citizens as were suf- 
 fering from the effects of the war. All commercial 
 business had in a measure ceased, and the unsettled 
 state of the Colonies rendered the situation of many 
 of the inhabitants somewhat precarious. Many 
 mechanics, sought employment elsewhere, and such 
 as conveniently could, had recourse to the sea. 
 About a dozen or more of all nations, but who 
 nevertheless represented themselves as American 
 citizens, took refuge on board the Dolphin, and 
 offered to ship in her. But that vessel, being des- 
 tined for home at an early day, her captain, Mr. 
 A. S. McKenzie, brought them down to Monte- 
 video to try their luck in the Independence. They 
 were immediately transferred to our ship, where 
 they remained two days before an examination was 
 held in respect to their citizenship. Some of them 
 had never been in the United States, but still all 
 vrere strenuous in declaring themselves full-blooded 
 Yankees. One of them in particular, an Irishman 
 fresh from the sod, was very anxious to learn how 
 he should comport himself in order to pass for an 
 American, and took a number of lessons on the 
 subject from some of his countrymen in the ship, 
 prior to being questioned by the first lieutenant.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 167 
 
 At length the time came for them to ship. Mr. 
 Pope had them called aft, one by one, and several 
 were the laughable incidents and mistakes that 
 occurred, until finally Mr. Patrick McShane was 
 called up. Patrick made his debut on the quarter- 
 deck with a quite well assumed dignity ; but when 
 the first lieutenant fixed his dark countenance 
 keenly upon him, he began to tremble, and clutched 
 his poor old hat so tightly, that the crown was in 
 imminent danger of collapsing with the pressure. 
 
 " Well, my lad, what is your name ?" said the 
 first lieutenant, with a smile at the frightened looks 
 of the would-be American. 
 
 " Patrick McShane, yer honor," answered Pat, 
 giving his old hat a spasmodic twist. 
 
 " Patrick McShane ? You must then be an Irish- 
 man, Patrick." 
 
 " Divil a dhrap of it, yer honor ; I'm a hearts- 
 blooded American." 
 
 " What part of America were you born in, Pat- 
 rick?" proceeded the first lieutenant. 
 
 " In Philadelphy it was where I've a sisther 
 living till this very day, and sorry I am for the 
 hour I ever left it." 
 
 " Do you know what State Philadelphia is in ?" 
 
 " Is it the State it's in, yer honor manes ?" said 
 Pat, scratching his head, and trembling from head 
 to foot for his citizenship. 
 
 * That's just what I mean, Patrick. If you were 
 born in Philadelphia, you cannot be ignorant of the
 
 168 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 State it is situated in. How long did you live in 
 Philadelphia ?" 
 
 " Faith an' was'nt I born there, and lived in the 
 same place from a wee boy up ?" 
 
 " And cannot tell what State it is in ?" 
 
 " Yis, yis, yer honor ! its just afther popping 
 into my mind. Isn't it in what ye's call Pennsyl- 
 vany ?" 
 
 " That's it, Patrick !" exclaimed the first lieu- 
 tenant, laughing. " You must be an American, I 
 perceive ; but I shall have to test your geography 
 a little further. Is Philadelphia a large or a small 
 city ?" 
 
 " A large city it is, wid beautiful strates crossing 
 each other, for all the world jest like the strakes 
 of a chess-board." 
 
 "Very well," said the lieutenant. "Now tell 
 us what rivers are near Philadelphia ?" 
 
 " Sure an' isn't there a large river ye's call the 
 Schuylkill ?" 
 
 " Yes, but \vhich side of the city is it on ?" 
 
 " Isn't it on the north side, yer honor ?" 
 
 " I ask you which side it is on ? But I see you 
 are a little out in your reckoning, Patrick. Are 
 there any other rivers beside the Schuylkill ?" 
 
 " Och, sure an' there must be. Isn't it another 
 large river ye's afther spakin' of?" 
 
 " Very likely, Patrick ; but what is the name 
 of it ?" 
 
 "Doesn't it run close by the town?" continued 
 Pat, considerably perplexed.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 169 
 
 " All very likely, Patrick ; but what is the name 
 of it?" 
 
 "Yer honor axes the name of it?" 
 
 " I do ; what do you call the river ?" 
 
 Patrick M'Shane scratched his head, and rolled 
 his eyes sideways, like a rabbit, at his more suc- 
 cessful companions in the larboard gangway. But 
 no one appeared disposed to intercede for him, and 
 the first lieutenant stood awaiting his answer. 
 Finding his citizenship sinking rapidly in a name- 
 less river, he thought it best, if possible, to capitu- 
 late on honorable terms. 
 
 " Och ! could'nt your honor take me aboard, 
 barrin' the name of the river ?" exclaimed he r with 
 a most strangely contorting countenance. 
 
 " I cannot, Patrick ; the law excludes all but 
 Americans." 
 
 " Och ! murther and turf ! that I should forget 
 the name of that river the very wather on which 
 I was bred, and fished in more nor a thousand 
 times ! By the wars ! yer honor, but that Spanish 
 powther, tother day, must have driv my senses till 
 the very divil, or ye's would'nt find me botherin' 
 so. Is'nt it the Jarsey river yer honor manes ?" 
 
 " There's no such river in Pennsylvania," said 
 the first lieutenant laughing. " The river I have 
 reference too, is called the Delaware." 
 
 " Divil-maware ! Och ! divil take me, if that 
 is'nt the very same name ye's have all the while 
 been botherin' me to think of! Divil-raaware ! 
 16
 
 170 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 och, honey ! but I shall he sure to keep it in my 
 head now." 
 
 " It does not matter much, Patrick, whether you 
 do or not," replied the first lieutenant. "I per- 
 ceive you cannot pass for an American, and I shall, 
 consequently, have to decline shipping you." 
 
 "Your honor wont ship me thin?" 
 
 " No, Patrick." 
 
 " Lord ! Lord ! an' may I ax the reason why ?" 
 
 "Because, you are not an American." 
 
 "By the powers ! but wont a man's own country 
 receive him into its sarvice ?" 
 
 " Your tongue, and appearance, both prove you 
 a foreigner." 
 
 " By the wars, thin ! my tongue, an' looks, both 
 prove a lie, if they say I am not an American !" 
 
 The first lieutenant walked away, while a general 
 laugh arose among the seamen in the gangway. 
 
 A boat was sent ashore in the evening, with Pat- 
 rick and two of his fellow countrymen as passen- 
 gers, who were landed at Montevideo, after which 
 I never saw anything more of them. Those who 
 were able to sustain their citizenship, were received 
 on board, and became members of the crew. 
 
 These men were shipped under circumstances 
 somewhat similar to my own. All expected to be 
 discharged on the return of the ship to the United 
 States, and some of them had, in fact, received 
 direct promises to that effect from the commodore 
 and other officers.
 
 PIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 171 
 
 In a few weeks we left the harbor of Monte- 
 video and returned to Rio, where we again lay for 
 some length of time, and where an occurrence took 
 place on board which may not be undeserving a 
 passing notice. 
 
 The ship Independence, under the command of 
 Commander John B. Nicholson, sailed from Boston 
 harbor for Cronstadt, in May 1837, with Mr/ 
 George M. Dallas on board, as Minister Plenipo- 
 tentiary to the court of Russia. On her way 
 thither, the vessel touched at the harbor of Ports- 
 mouth, in England. Now whether it was that the 
 treatment on board was too severe, or whether it was 
 that the crew partook of so large a sprinkling of 
 British seamen as to cause desertion it is difficult to 
 say, but from some cause or other, it is certain, that 
 a large number of those men who were permitted 
 to set their feet on English soil, suddenly took 
 their departure for parts unknown. The ship, in 
 consequence, became short of hands ; and the com- 
 modore on reaching Copenhagen, either with, or 
 without the consent of his own government, thought 
 proper to replace the deficiency by shipping twelve 
 Danish sailors. These men were promised their 
 discharge at the end of two years, within which pe- 
 riod the commodore doubtless supposed the cruise 
 would be terminated. But such, however, hap- 
 pened not to be the case. Their term of service 
 had now expired, and what was to be done ? The 
 commodore desired them to continue service until
 
 172 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MABT. 
 
 the ship proceeded to the United States ; but this 
 they from day to day hesitated to do, and finally 
 denied duty altogether. The commodore remon- 
 strated with them, and endeavored to reason them 
 into obedience, but they remained refractory and 
 stubborn, and for a period of four days kept " back- 
 ing and filling" about the decks like a drove of 
 baulky mules. They would be cajoled by no Yan- 
 kee commander, they said they were the liege 
 subjects of his Danish Majesty, who expected their 
 return, and return they would. An expedient was 
 at length resorted to, for the purpose of reconciling 
 the misunderstanding. The commodore invited on 
 board the Danish minister, to the court of Brazil, 
 who, on being made acquainted with the circum- 
 stances, undertook to accommodate matters. The 
 men were called aft on the quarter deck, when they 
 were introduced to his Danish Majesty's represen- 
 tative, who at once opened to them the burden of 
 his mission. He extolled their loyalty, praised 
 their patriotism, flattered their vanity by frequent 
 allusions to the ardent manner in which, he said, 
 the American commodore had spoken in praise of 
 their courage, obedience, promptness and bravery ; 
 and after spinning out a speech some twenty min- 
 utes in length, in which he advised them to continue 
 faithful to the American service until the vessel 
 returned to the United States, wound up by inform- 
 ing them, that he would assume the responsibility 
 of their absence from their sovereign's dominions.
 
 FFVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 173 
 
 The harangue proved effective. The men returned 
 to their duty; while the skilful diplomatist, dined 
 with the Yankee Commodore, and cracked a bottle 
 of old Madeira wine to the success of the negotia- 
 tion. Is it not a little humiliating to an honest 
 American mind, to witness a foreign ambassador 
 thus called into the service, to aid the United States 
 government in maintaining subordination in their 
 own navy ? 
 
 Another month passed away, during which the 
 commodore lived in daily expectation of a recall, 
 but, unfortunately, no such happy order arrived. 
 Things also began to assume a gloomy aspect on 
 the La Plata, which made it necessary for the squa- 
 dron to return thither. Shortly after our reappear- 
 ance at Montevideo, the term of service of several 
 of the ship's company expired. These men re- 
 quested to be sent home. But the commodore, 
 perceiving that the request, if complied with, must 
 inevitably render his crew inefficient, refused to 
 discharge them. The men, on failure of being dis- 
 missed, began to murmur, and refused further duty. 
 They were threatened the lash, but, like the Danes, 
 they still remained refractory. They were next 
 placed in confinement, but with little, or no avail ; 
 for each week kept adding so largely to the num- 
 ber, that it became plain, unless some other method 
 was adopted of settling the difficulty, two-thirds of 
 the ship's company would soon be in double irons. 
 A court martial was next convened to try one of 
 15*
 
 174 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the prisoners ; but it could accomplish nothing 
 aside from flogging ; and it appeared too unjust, in 
 the estimation of the court, to flog a man for re- 
 fusing to serve the government for a period longer 
 than that stipulated for in the agreement. Yet the 
 reader will, perhaps, be scarce prepared to credit 
 it, when I tell him that many of these men were 
 actually flogged for this very offence. Ten dollars 
 of their own wages, together with three days leave 
 of absence, were given to such as chose to re-enter 
 for the remainder of the ship's cruise, and such as 
 refused to comply with those conditions, and refused 
 to return to duty, were, at the discretion of the 
 commodore, tied up and flogged with the cat-o'-nine- 
 tails. Now let us note the distinction in the treat- 
 ment of these two classes of seamen, the Americans 
 and the Danes. The Dane is talked, coaxed, and 
 even treated with all the eloquence of argument 
 and suasion is resorted to, to induce subordination ; 
 while the American, who had equally served out 
 the full period of his enlistment, is confronted with 
 court martial, hand cuffs, and cat-o'-nine-tails. The 
 Dane is treated as a civilized sentient human being ; 
 the American as a hardened ferocious savage ; the 
 reason of the former is appealed to, while the ap- 
 peal is made, with the lash, to the back and skin 
 of the latter, and that too by his own countrymen. 
 Surely ours may justly boast of being a progressive 
 government, and one, which, if it show any distinc-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 175 
 
 tion to persons, will mostly be found casting it in 
 favor of foreigners.* 
 
 After a period of four months spen-t in adjusting 
 some difficulties which had originated from the 
 attempt of two American merchant brigs to pass 
 the French line of blockade, we left the harbor 
 of Montevideo, and returned once more to Rio 
 Janeiro. 'Here the commodore found a dispatch 
 from the home government, containing the long 
 desired recall. This was agreeable news to most 
 of the men in the ship, although, to me, it produced 
 but few pleasant sensations. A rumor had crept 
 out, that those men who had shipped in the squa- 
 dron, during the last two years, were to be retained 
 to general service until the expiration of. their full 
 term. This caused me some uneasiness. I dis- 
 liked, exceedingly, the idea of being sent abroad, 
 on a foreign station, after my arrival at home. A 
 plan soon suggested itself, by the adoption of which, 
 I thought this disagreeable event might be avoided. 
 The sloop Marion had lately arrived on the coast, 
 without her full compliment of men, and I thought 
 of having myself transferred to this ship. I con- 
 ceived it preferable to endure the evils of the 
 Brazilian coast, than fly to others that I knew not 
 of. With permission of the first lieutenant, I 
 suggested the subject to the commodore. 
 
 * Punishment by the lash is now discontinued in the 
 American navy.
 
 176 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 "What do you want to go in the Marion for ?" 
 inquired the commodore. 
 
 " Because/' answered I, " I may be sent to some 
 other station, on reaching home perhaps to the 
 coast of Africa ; and I would much rather stay 
 where I now am, than go to some less healthy 
 region." 
 
 " How do you know you will be sent out at all ?" 
 
 "I do not know that such will be the case," 
 answered I, " But reports to that effect, are circu- 
 lating through the ship." 
 
 "All nonsense," said the commodore, contempt- 
 uously, "Those men who have shipped on this 
 station, shall every one of them be discharged. I 
 have already promised most of them so, and they 
 shall not be disappointed. If you are anxious to 
 return to your friends, stay in the ship, dont think 
 of entering the Marion." 
 
 " Well commodore," replied I, " If you think 
 there is a reasonable prospect of my being dis- 
 charged with the rest of the crew, I will be guided 
 by your advice." 
 
 " Think !" exclaimed he, "I know it ! I feel not 
 the least hesitation in staking my pledge upon the 
 result." 
 
 With such assurances what could I do, otherwise 
 than remain in the ship ? I at once abandoned all 
 idea of joining the Marion, and, together with the 
 rest of the men, began to make preparations for 
 our return to the United States.
 
 In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself overreached by 
 Commodore, and seeks his revenge in a diplomatic dispatch to 
 Uucle Sam. 
 
 IT is perhaps needless to consume the time of the 
 reader in detailing the uninteresting incidents of a 
 long sea voyage. It will suffice to say, that we 
 weighed anchor at Rio Janeiro, sometime in Febru- 
 ary, 1840, and arrived at New York on the first 
 day of April following, without sustaining any 
 serious accident, other, than the loss of a fore and 
 main topsail yard, two top gallant masts, and some 
 thousand yards of canvass. On entering the East 
 River, the crew became unmanageable, and began 
 to leave for the shore. The ship was surrounded 
 on all sides by shore boats, which were filled as 
 rapidly as the port-holes could disgorge the impa- 
 tient throng from within. On arriving opposite 
 to the Brooklyn navy yard, it was with extreme 
 difficulty that a sufficient number of men could be 
 collected together, to moor the ship. This was, 
 however, accomplished by the severe toil of a few ; 
 and even then, only temporarily, as on the follow- 
 
 (177)
 
 178 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 ing day she -was again unmoored, and warped to 
 the wharf at the navy yard. Here we lay until 
 the tenth, when the purser and commodore, com- 
 menced paying off and discharging the men. The 
 business continued in operation until the afternoon 
 of the thirteenth, by which time all were dismissed, 
 except those who had shipped on the coast of 
 Brazil. The purser then suddenly closed his books, 
 while the steward removed the tables, and a sentry 
 was placed at the cabin door, to prevent the further 
 ingress of applicants for discharges. Not a word 
 was spoken by the men, but every one seemed to 
 understand the movements intuitively. It was now 
 indeed, evident, that those who had yet a long time 
 to serve, were not to be discharged. The bare idea, 
 while it failed not of convincing the most incredu- 
 lous, at the same time carried dismay to the heart 
 of every man. Some frowned, until their disap- 
 pointment gathered in a purple hue about their 
 noses, while others bit their lips ; and those, more 
 tender of heart, who had not beheld their homes 
 nor friends, for many years, sat down and wept 
 outright. For my own part, I took my seat on a 
 shot box, with remarkable calmness, and, with my 
 elbows resting on my knees, gave vent to my vexa- 
 tion in semi-monotonous strains, detached from the 
 tune of "Hail Columbia." Presently the commo- 
 dore appeared. He smiled pleasantly, and was 
 very polite. He began talking to us in the form 
 of a speech. He told us he knew not yet the
 
 FTVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 179 
 
 wishes of the Hon. Secretary of the Navy in 
 respect to us. He had informed him of the pro- 
 mises which had been made to us in Brazil, and he 
 doubted not, but that in a few days, an order would 
 arrive for us to be discharged. In the meantime, 
 it became necessary for us to repair to some other 
 ship, until the result would be known, and he would 
 recommend the North Carolina; Captain Gallagher, 
 he said, was an excellent officer, and a gentleman ; 
 Captain Gallagher would treat us with every mark 
 of kindness and liberality. Captain Gallagher, as 
 well as Commodore Renshaw, was, in fact, adding 
 his influence with the Hon. Secretary to have us 
 discharged. 
 
 At this juncture of the commodore's speech, 
 Captain Gallagher appeared at the cabin door, in 
 company with Mr. John Pope, our first lieutenant. 
 Captain Gallagher smiled, but it was a peculiar 
 smile, and such a one as no other man but Captain 
 Gallagher could make. Captain Gallagher had for 
 forty years been an officer in the service, and his 
 countenance had worn that same smile during that 
 whole period of time no matter whether attending 
 a court-martial, poring over a punishment list, or 
 in witnessing an execution, it was always the same ; 
 it had no benevolence in it, no sympathy, no can- 
 dor ; it was cold and meaningless a mixture of 
 irony and sarcasm ; an expression that seemed to 
 derive a peculiar zest from witnessing the dejec- 
 tion and misery of those under his command. But,
 
 180 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 - \ 
 
 as I said before, Captain Gallagher smiled, and 
 told the commodore that it afforded him extreme 
 pleasure to become the commander of such a brave, 
 noble, and manly looking set of men as we were ; 
 that he should consider himself very happy in hav- 
 ing us on board his vessel, and would treat us just 
 exactly as if we were his own brothers. At this 
 Mr. Pope smiled too indeed, why should he not ? 
 He doubtless understood it, and knew it was funny, 
 and so his smile was a genuine one. He also 
 became very bland and polite, and corroborated all 
 that his superiors had stated in reference to our 
 discharge, and added, for our particular edification, 
 that he himself had seen the letter written to the 
 Navy department by Doth Commodore Nicholson 
 and Captain Gallagher, and that he hesitated not 
 in expressing it as his sincere conviction, that in 
 less than ten days we would all be discharged. 
 
 What in general may have been the opinion of 
 the men in regard to the statements of these offi- 
 cers, I was never able to inform myself, but answer- 
 ing for my individual self, I am constrained to say, 
 that I believed them true, and determined to await 
 the result. I could, however, have wished a more 
 desirable commander than Captain Gallagher, and 
 felt a little dread of the North Carolina ; but as I 
 felt myself likely of enduring only a short bondage 
 on board of her, I looked forward to my debut 
 there, with a tolerable share of composure. Such 
 was, however, not the case with all the men. We
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 1?1 
 
 were ordered to hold ourselves in readiness to pro- 
 ceed on board the North Carolina at eight o'clock 
 on the morning of the fourteenth ; but when the 
 hour arrived, but bare twenty-seven, out of a com- 
 pany of sixty-five, were found to answer to their 
 names on the muster-roll, the remainder banng 
 deserted during the night. 
 
 . It would, perhaps, be a subject worthy the atten- 
 tion of the general government, as well as of 
 worthy officers who were the authors 
 " French leave," to note precisely the numHr of 
 these thirty-eight deserters, that are likely to enter 
 the navy a second time. The government often 
 complain of the difficulties encountered in shipping 
 seamen ; and not unfrequently are they compelled 
 to send their ships to sea short of hands. These 
 inconveniences, which amount to evils of PO slight 
 magnitude in maintaining the efficiency of a navy, 
 are, perhaps, more the result of their own careless 
 ness and indifference, than of real scarcity of sea- 
 men. American sailors, as well as citizens, are 
 peculiarly jealous of their personal rights ; and if 
 the government refuse or neglect to redress the 
 wrongs and injuries, wilfully, and often maliciously, 
 inflicted upon them by their captains and command- 
 ants, they have little cause to murmur at any apa- 
 thy or reluctance shown on the part of humble 
 sailors towards entering the service. * 
 
 With those men who had returned home from 
 Brazil in the sloop Fairneld, Captain Gallagher" 
 16
 
 182 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 had better luck. Every man in that ship, who had 
 over six months to serve, was transferred on board 
 the North Carolina. 
 
 After I had been about five days on board the 
 North Carolina, though an ordinary seaman, I was 
 made a quarter-master. I looked upon this as quite 
 a rise in- the service, and felt no slight tincture of 
 pride as I strutted about the poop-deck with a spy- 
 glass under my arm. To whom I was indebted for 
 this distinction, I was at a loss to guess to a cer- 
 tainty, but supposed it a mark of Captain Gallagher's 
 brotherly affection. As this notion impressed itself 
 upon me, I formed the resolution of testing his 
 favor a little further. The great city of " Gotham" 
 lay before me ; and feeling an inclination to behold 
 some of the wonders it contained, I determined to 
 ask the captain for two days' leave of absence in 
 order to visit it. An opportunity presented itself 
 on the following morning. The captain came on 
 deck, and as he was, apparently, in a very good 
 humor, I sallied down the poop-ladder, and touch- 
 ing the rim of my hat, with the most profound 
 respect, stood in an attitude soliciting his attention. 
 
 " What do you want ?" asked he, very gruffly. 
 
 " Two days leave of absence, sir," answered I. 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 "I wish to visit New York, sir." 
 
 " Have you any friends living there ?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 " How long have you been in the ship ?"
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 183 
 
 "Eleven days, sir," answered I. 
 
 " Only eleven days, arid asking leave of absence . 
 Why you infernal galley-ranger " 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Captain Gallagher," said 
 I, interrupting him. " I am one of those men "who 
 came from the Independence, and have been in the 
 service fifteen months." 
 
 " Ha ! that alters the case, indeed, but only to 
 make it worse. Want to run two days among 
 strangers get drunk, and then cut the service 
 altogether, like your thirty-eight shipmates, a'nt 
 it so, you canvass-covered lubber ?" 
 
 "No, sir. You do me injustice in thinking so 
 harshly of me." 
 
 " Injustice, eh ! D n me ! but I know you 
 better than you can begin to know yourself. Away 
 to your duty, and let me hear no more about leave 
 of absence, or I'll have you to the gangway, and 
 let the cats do you justice !" 
 
 Withou^ replying a single word, I remounted the 
 poop-ladder ; and, though deeply mortified, and 
 perplexed at my ill-success, endeavored to assume 
 a look of the utmost unconcern. The captain 
 resumed his walk on the quarter-deck, and smiled 
 BO pleasantly, that I thought my discomfiture 
 afforded him the greatest possible delight. 
 
 About the time these events were transpiring in 
 the vicinity of New York, a great discussion existed 
 between the borderers of New Brunswick and of 
 the State of Maine, in consequence of the unset-
 
 184 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tied state of the boundary line. The hostile feeling 
 had communicated itself to the fishermen of both 
 countries ; and the port of Halifax, as well as the 
 bay of Fundy, became the theatre of depredations 
 that demanded redress. In order to prevent simi- 
 lar disturbances in future, our government deemed 
 it advisable to place an armed vessel on the coast 
 of Nova Scotia, and in the mouth of the St. Law- 
 rence ; and the sloop Preble, under the command 
 of Captain Breese, was ordered to proceed thither. 
 By order of the Navy Department, a crew was 
 scraped together out of the Columbus at Boston, 
 and the North Carolina at New York, and I 
 became one of the chosen vassals for the expedi- 
 tion. Notwithstanding the admiration and broth- 
 erly love which Captain Gallagher expressed him- 
 self as feeling towards those noble fellows whom he 
 had drawn from the Independence, he managed so 
 to contrive it as to have them all drafted to the 
 Preble. Early in May, and before we had been a 
 month under his command, some sixty of us were 
 shipped on board a small schooner, and sent down 
 to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where the Preble 
 then lay. With our departure from the North 
 Carolina, all hope of obtaining our discharge dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 On reaching Portsmouth, we found those seamen 
 who had proceeded from Boston already on board 
 the Preble, and busily occupied in putting things to 
 rights. The ship, though newly from the stocks,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 185 
 
 had been very indifferently rigged, and two weeks 
 were consequently spent in refitting her shrouds, 
 stays, and other standing rigging, before she was 
 considered ready for the sea. We then sailed to the 
 harbor of Portland, where we remained sometime, 
 awaiting orders from Washington. Near the middle 
 of June, we moved in the direction of the British 
 provinces, and after visiting St. John's, Halifax, 
 and other places of minor importance, we ran down 
 the coast to the straits of Belle Isle, and took a 
 cruise among the ice-bergs. The immense masses 
 of floating ice, which we almost hourly encoun- 
 tered, rendered night navigation an experiment so 
 dangerous that our anchors were seldom at the 
 bows for twenty-four hours in succession, the cap- 
 tain always making some secure landing place by 
 nightfall. The fishermen, at almost every port, or 
 rather" bay, into which we steered, beheld us with 
 alarm. Many of them thought that war had been 
 declared between the United States and Great 
 Britain, and at one place the citizens actually 
 bundled together their effects and took to the hills, 
 under the impression that we had been sent upon 
 the coast to destroy the English fisheries. They 
 were, however, soon apprised to the contrary, upon 
 which they became very friendly, arid brought their 
 wives and families to see an American man-o'-war, 
 which was regarded as a great novelty by all the 
 inhabitants along the coast. 
 
 In the latter part of August, a circumstance 
 16*
 
 186 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 occurred which induced the captain to abandon this 
 region of fogs, gales, and ice, and wend his way to 
 a more southerly latitude. In attempting to pass 
 out of a narrow estuary of the sea, in which we 
 had anchored during a gale of wind, the ship 
 grounded two or three times heavily on the bottom 
 and finally came to a total stand. It was soon 
 ascertained that we were fast on a reef of rocks, 
 and as the tide was nearly at an ebb, there re- 
 mained little prospect of getting off before the 
 following day. All hands were at once put to 
 work in hoisting out the boats. The launch was 
 stowed full of the ship's provisions ; the top and 
 top-gallant masts were struck from aloft ; booms 
 and spars were thrown overboard into the bay, and 
 being rafted together, were left to lie at anchor ; 
 the water was started from the tanks, and men 
 were set to work in pumping it from the hold. In 
 short, every method that could be thought of, to 
 lighten the ship, was speedily resorted to. After 
 four hours' labor, the vessel appeared to ride more 
 freely, when two kedges and one of the sheet 
 anchors were placed at proper distances from the 
 ship, and a steady strain taken upon their cables at 
 the capstan. In less than an hour after the heav- 
 ing commenced, we were again afloat, and though 
 night had already set in, yet before the dawn of 
 the following morning, every thing was replaced 
 except our water. On reaching the sea it was, 
 however, goon discovered that the vessel's bottom
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 187 
 
 had been injured, as from one of the swiftest sail- 
 ers in the navy, she had become as slow and cum- 
 bersome as a Dutch galiot. 
 
 As the foregoing accident had left ua but a 
 scanty supply of water on board, the captain 
 shaped his course for Pictou, at which place we 
 arrived after a voyage of a few days, -and immedi- 
 ately commenced taking in our water. This duty 
 was allotted to the first cutter, which was placed in 
 charge of two midshipmen. The water was ob- 
 tained about a mile from the ship, and had to be 
 carried in buckets from the fountain to the boat, a 
 distance of some ten rods. One of the midship- 
 men usually stationed himself at the boat, while 
 the other attended the operations of the men at 
 the fountain. 
 
 Now it so happened that three of these men 
 from the Brazilian squadron, who had been so 
 egregiously humbugged by Commodore Nicholson, 
 took it into their heads to run away, and fixed upon 
 a plan among the boat's crew to accomplish their 
 enterprise. It was resolved that, on approaching 
 the shore, the three malcontents should pull the 
 bow oars, and before the boat touched the beach, 
 they were to jump from their seats into the water, 
 and run for the woods, while the rest of the men 
 were to interlock their oars to prevent the boat 
 from landing. Should either of the midshipmen 
 attempt to follow, then were one half the remaining 
 portion of the crew to spring from the boat, and
 
 188 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 run ranidly in an opposite direction, and in caso 
 both followed, then were all the men to scamper in 
 different directions, in order to confuse them in 
 guch a manner that they would be at fault what to 
 do, or whom to follow. 
 
 On the morning after the scheme was concocted, 
 the first cutter proceeded on shore, and it is per- 
 haps needless to say that the project was immedi- 
 ately put in execution. The men took to their 
 heels with a speed that set at defiance the legs of 
 both the middies, who started in pursuit of them. 
 As soon as the boat was landed, three of the other 
 men, who desired to favor the escape of their 
 companions, commenced a ruse down the beach. 
 One of the midshipmen, on looking back and per- 
 ceiving this movement, conceived that the whole 
 boat's crew were about fleeing, and setting up a 
 howl, and flourishing his sword, he returned hastily, 
 shouting at the top of his voice for the remaining 
 men to get into the boat ; but without paying any 
 regard to his orders, they proceeded quietly to 
 filling the casks. Vexed and mortified at the idea 
 of his command being dishonored by desertion, the 
 worthy young gentleman seated himself on the gun- 
 wale of the boat and gave vent to his feelings in a 
 copious flood of tears. In a quarter of an hour 
 the men who had -departed down the beach re- 
 turned, and soon afterwards we were greeted with 
 the re-appearance of the midshipman who had given, 
 chase to the deserters. On our return to the ship
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 189 
 
 the circumstance was reported to the captain, who 
 offered a reward for the apprehension of the desert- 
 ers, but up to the time of our departure from the 
 port we heard nothing respecting them. 
 
 After a few weeks further cruising* in the vicinity 
 of Cape Breton, Halifax, and the Bay of Fundy, 
 the captain conceiving his mission to have heen 
 accomplished, proceeded to Portland harbor, where 
 we arrived early in October, and where we lay a 
 few weeks awaiting further orders from govern- 
 ment. During this period some notable occurren- 
 ces took place on board the ship, respecting that 
 portion of the crew which had formerly been 
 under the command of Commodore Nicholson. 
 The captain, at the commencement of the cruise, 
 having been made acquainted with the treatment 
 we had received from our former commander, 
 promised to aid some of the men in procuring 
 their discharges ; upon which a few of the petty 
 officers procured letters to be written to the Sec- 
 retary of the Navy, and transmitted them to the 
 cabin for him to approve and forward. Three 
 months had now elapsed since these letters had 
 been prepared, and yet, it was discovered, through 
 the agency of the steward, that they had never 
 been sent to Washington. Five more letters were 
 immediately presented by the same applicants, 
 but the captain rejected them peremptorily, with 
 the declaration that he would not approve a letter 
 for the discharge of any man in the ship. This
 
 190 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 declaration produced quite an excitement among 
 those from the Brazilian squadron, who composed 
 by far, the larger and abler part of the ship's 
 company. Murmurs broke forth on all sides, and 
 were not even suppressed in the presence of the 
 officers. Our vexation and discontent were still 
 further augmented by the reception of a letter 
 from the Secretary of the Navy, in reference to 
 the case of one of our shipmates. A seaman of 
 the crew, named Robert Long, had made an appli- 
 cation for his discharge through the agency of his 
 brother, a * respectable citizen near Portsmouth. 
 The Secretary of the Navy, however, declined 
 discharging Robert, and as a reason for doing so, 
 quoted Commodore Nicholson's dispatch from New 
 York, wherein it was stated that all those men who 
 had been transferred from the Brazilian squadron 
 to the North Carolina, had shipped "unqualifiedly' 
 for general service. This letter having been con- 
 veyed to the Preble by the correspondent, fell into 
 the hands of Robert and the rest of us, who had 
 now incontestable evidence that Commodore Nich- 
 olson had told us a wilful and black-hearted lie. 
 He had advised me not to join the Marion at Rio, 
 if I wished my discharge. He also asserted to us 
 collectively, in his quarter-deck speech, at Brook- 
 lyn navy yard, that he was using his utmost exer- 
 tions to procure our discharge ; that he, in con- 
 junction with Commodore Renshaw, had written 
 to Washington for that purpose ; and that Captain
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 191 
 
 Gallagher was also adding his influence in our 
 behalf; all of which assertions were corroborated 
 and sustained by Mr. John Pope, who added his 
 assurance of the verity of these statements, and 
 even told us that he had witnessed the letters 
 alluded to. Now let the reader see how the decla- 
 rations of these officers were sustained by facts. 
 Five days after they were made, a gang of men, 
 who were sent on board the sloop Fairfield for the 
 pnlfPse of clearing up her decks and rigging her, 
 picked up from among the loose papers scattered 
 over her cabin floor, the following significant note: 
 
 " Com. Renshaw's compliments to 
 
 " Captain Boerman : 
 
 Sir: You will please send me a list of all the 
 men's names who have over six months to serve, 
 that they may be retained to general service. 
 " Respectfully, 
 
 " RENSHAW. 
 " Brooklyn Navy Yard, April 4th, 1840." 
 
 There it is the note explains itself. Such an 
 one had, doubtless, been sent to Commodore Nich- 
 olson, who was Renshaw's inferior in rank, and 
 who must thus have known that we were to be 
 retained before he made his speech, but who, nev- 
 ertheless, told us that he was doing all he could 
 to have us discharged, while at the same time 
 he was writing all he could to the department
 
 192 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 to prevent it; and, moreover, he persuaded us 
 that Commodore Renshaw was adding his efforts 
 in our favor at the very moment when he was 
 sending abroad his orders commanding our de- 
 tention. Could it be possible for men, suscep- 
 tible of passions and feelings, to remain content 
 under the consciousness of such treatment ? I 
 think not. Its grossness would have kindled up 
 the resentment of men accustomed to the most 
 abject servility. As already stated, the men b^|an 
 to murmur, and the gloomy scowl that gathered on 
 the countenances of many, together with the reluc- 
 tant and sullen manner in which they obeyed the 
 orders of the officers, made it evident that things 
 were assuming a somewhat serious shape. At this 
 stage of our troubles a plan suggested itself to me 
 by which I thought the spirit of mutiny which was 
 apparently laboring with the crew, might for a 
 while be smothered. This was nothing else than 
 to write a joint letter to the Secretary of the Navy 
 and send it to the department without the know- 
 ledge of the captain. In pursuance of this project 
 a meeting was called on the berth deck, at which 
 all hands expressed their approbation of the plan, 
 and unanimously appointed me as the person to 
 carry it into effect. I immediately proceeded to 
 the task, and two hours afterwards, re-assembling 
 the men under the top gallant forecastle, read to 
 them the following letter :
 
 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MAST. i98 
 
 U. S. Ship Preble, 
 
 Portland Harbor, October 21st, 1840. 
 To the Hon. J. K. Paulding, Sec. U. S. Navy : 
 
 Sir : We, who were in April last, transferred 
 from the United States ships Independence and 
 Fairfield, to the United State's ship Preble, are 
 well aware that the regulations of the service 
 demand that all persons wishing their discharge 
 from the service shall address themselves to the 
 department, by letter, through the approval of the 
 commanders on board whose vessels the applicants 
 may chance to be shipped ; but as we consider our 
 case a peculiar one, and as we are well convinced 
 that the circumstances attending our enlistment 
 have never been fully laid before the department, 
 we have in the present instances, deviated from a 
 strict adherence to the established rule, for the 
 purpose of explaining our real condition, and of 
 exculpating ourselves from a charge of falsehood 
 which has recently been alleged against us. 
 
 Commodore J. B. Nicholson, if we understand 
 it rightly, has inadvertently stated that " all those 
 men who entered his squadron under promise of a 
 discharge, were so disposed of." We say he has 
 inadvertently stated this, because we would not 
 willingly believe a man of his respectability and 
 standing in society, capable of asserting a wilful 
 falsehood, for falsehood there must be somewhere, 
 either in the report of Commodore J. B. Nicholson, 
 17
 
 194 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 or in the numberless letters with which the Depart- 
 ment has been troubled during the last six months. 
 How the commodore's statement can be reconciled 
 with the principles of truth and honor, may seem 
 somewhat difficult, if we examine a little into the 
 real nature of our enlistment. 
 
 Being all strangers in a foreign land, we desired 
 to return to our own country, and became applicants 
 to the respective commanders in the squadron for 
 permission to join their vessels until their return 
 to the United States. They told us it was out of 
 their power to enter any man for a shorter period 
 than three years. But finding that we would 
 rather undergo' the dangers that beset us in a for- 
 eign land, than voluntarily subscribe our names to 
 a three years' enlistment, they" saw fit to compro- 
 mise the matter by asserting that it was customary 
 to discharge all seamen shipping in naval vessels 
 on foreign stations, and that if we would subscribe 
 our names to the articles, they would insure us on 
 their word and hbnor, as officers and gentlemen, 
 that every man of us should receive his discharge 
 on the return of the vessel to the United States. 
 These, sir, are the real circumstances attending 
 our entrance into that squadron. Most of us had 
 never been in the service before, and were conse- 
 quently unacquainted with its regulations ; we 
 trusted with confidence in the promises of Com- 
 modore Nicholson and his commanders, and sub- 
 scribed our names to the articles, returned to
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 195 
 
 America, and were deceived. Now, sir, is this 
 treatment just, or is it honorable ? We were led 
 by the promises of these men, to believe that the 
 power of discharging us rested with them. If it 
 did not, they must have known it, and should not 
 have made them ; if it did, it was a serious wrong 
 to violate their word for the mere purpose of de- 
 ceiving us. 
 
 On our arrival at New York, last April, and 
 after the majority of the ship's company was dis- 
 charged, Commodore Nicholson declared to us that 
 he was perfectly aware of the promises he had 
 made us, but that it was the desire of your hon- 
 orable self to have us detained. He also stated 
 that he, in conjunction with Commodore Renshaw, 
 had written to the Department, earnestly pressing 
 our discharges, and that he would know what course 
 to pursue in respect to us, as soon as he received 
 an answer from Washington, We have since dis- 
 covered that this was but another deceptive meas- 
 ure which he made use of under conviction of 
 his promises, to keep us from murmuring until such 
 time as another vessel should be prepared for our 
 reception. 
 
 Since the foregoing events, we have been on the 
 coast of Labrador ; we have undergone the two 
 extremes of heat and cold ; we have been trans- 
 ferred from the warm climates of the sunny south 
 to the icy regions of the north, and we now wish 
 our discharges, that we may return to our respec-
 
 196 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tive homes, for some of us have been absent many 
 years. Yet how are we to procure them ? If we 
 address ourselves to the Department, our letters 
 pass unnoticed, because they do not come properly 
 attested ; if we apply to our former commanders, 
 our complaints are rejected as falsehoods ; and if 
 we send a letter to our captain, for his approval, it 
 is treated as false, or suffered to lie In the cabin 
 neglected, and never reaches its place of destina- 
 tion. This, sir, is our real condition, and this it is 
 which has led us to the adoption of the present 
 method of laying it before the Department; we 
 know that the grand power of discharging us is 
 invested there, and it now rests entirely with the 
 Hon. Secretary, whether the earnest prayers and 
 solicitations of -our friends, relatives, sisters, broth- 
 ers, and parents, shall be gratified or not. 
 Your humble servants, very respectfully, 
 
 AND ALL." 
 
 The foregoing letter was approved by every man 
 in the ship who had belonged to the Brazilian 
 squadron. There was not a single statement in it 
 but could have been sustained by the testimony of 
 every man present at the reading. It was imme- 
 diately dispatched to the post-office, while the men, 
 who had now some faint prospect of learning to a 
 certainty their ultimate fate, calmly submitted 
 themeslves to the result.
 
 A. very short Chapter, in which the Jour's diplomacy begins to 
 thicken. 
 
 ON a pleasant Sunday morning, ten days after 
 the dispatch of our letter, a packet of papers was 
 brought on board the ship from the Portland post- 
 office. As it was about the time for an answer to 
 our communication, all hands were on tip-toe of 
 expectation for some extraordinary intelligence. 
 Before the boatswain had piped to breakfast, the 
 captain sent the steward to request my pres- 
 ence in the cabin. A dozen men immediately 
 pressed around me, all of whom felt that the 
 crisis had now arrived, and began to express regret 
 at having, as they supposed, brought me into a 
 difficulty which might draw upon me the vengeance 
 of the captain. But vengeance or no vengeance, 
 it was now too late for repentance. Without wast- 
 ing time in useless regrets, I assumed a bold face, 
 and marched directly into the cabin. The captain 
 and first lieutenant were seated at a table, which 
 was covered with letters and papers. Both shoved 
 back their chairs at my appearance, and the cap- 
 tain, addressing himself to me, asked me if I were 
 no* a little erratic in mv disposition. 
 
 17* (197)
 
 198 ' FIVE YEARS BKFORE TUB MAST. 
 
 "Not more so than most people, I believe," re- 
 plied I, with a reverential bow. 
 
 " Are you the writer of that letter ?" said he, 
 handing me the identical letter which I had sent 
 to Washington. 
 
 " I am," answered I, after glancing at the sig- 
 nature. 
 
 " Are you ready to endorse every charge con- 
 tained in that letter ?" continued he in a^severe tone. 
 
 "Perhaps not every charge, Captain Breese," 
 said I, not wishing to assume too great a responsi- 
 bility. "Individually, I might be unable to sus- 
 tain all ; but, sir, you should recolledt that this let- 
 ter is the joint production of some seventy men, all 
 of whom, if examined, will doubtless sustain every 
 assertion contained in it." 
 
 "You are the author of it the wording and 
 assertions are yours, and if they are abusive, I hold 
 you responsible for the consequences. I know that 
 whatever you would write they would approve. 
 Their illiterate minds would lead them to applaud 
 your letter, although they could not comprehend it. 
 Here are assertions that are absolutely false, and I 
 ask you on what foundations you dared construct 
 them ?" 
 
 "Which are the objectionable passages?" in- 
 quired I. 
 
 "You have asserted, when speaking of this ship, 
 that your captain treated your complaints as false- 
 hoods, and ' suffered your letters to lie in the cabio
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 199 
 
 neglected, by which means they were never per- 
 mitted to reach their place of destination.' Is it 
 not so ?" added he severely, pointing his finger to 
 the disagreeable passage. 
 
 " It is so written," answered I, with some trepi- 
 dation. 
 
 "So written!" exclaimed he, contemptuously; 
 " but is it truly written ? It is an easy task for 
 m'en to write falsehoods when alone and in secret, 
 but not so 'easy to maintain them openly. How 
 dared you assert so bold a falsehood, and that too 
 to the Secretary of the Navy ?" 
 
 '"Sir," replied I, a little nettled at the captain's 
 cavalier-like manner of calling me a liar ; " were it 
 not that the delicacy of my situation here precludes 
 me from adverting to the acts of either yourself or 
 any other officer, I could say something in defence 
 of these charges.'' 
 
 "If you have anything to offer in justification of 
 your conduct, speak it boldly out," said the first 
 lieutenant. 
 
 "Yes, speak out freely," added the captain. 
 " We desire no undue advantage from difference of 
 situation." 
 
 Encouraged by these words, I ventured to ask 
 the captai^ whether he had not repeatedly told the 
 men, that he could scarcely believe Commodore 
 Nicholson guilty of having practised the deception 
 which they alleged he had ; and whether he had not 
 permitted those letters to lie upwards of three
 
 200 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 months in the cabin, while the men who had writ- 
 ten them, supposed them at Washington, and were 
 living the whole time in hourly expectation of being 
 discharged ; and also, whether he had not rejected 
 letters from the master-at-arms, and the captain of 
 the maintop. "If these things are not so," added 
 I, " the men are in the ship, and can answer for 
 themselves." 
 
 The captain, pausing for a while, seemed at a 
 loss what to answer, while the first lieutenant, per- 
 ceiving his confusion, sought to extricate him from 
 his dilemma. 
 
 "But did Captain Breese ever reject a letter of 
 yours ?" said he. 
 
 " He never did, for I never brought him one. I 
 knew if I did, he would reject it." 
 
 "How did you know I would reject it? 1 ' asked 
 the captain. 
 
 " From your own words," replied I. 
 
 "What words?" inquired the first lieutenant. 
 
 " Why he stated to three of the petty officers, 
 that it was useless for them to present letters for 
 their discharge, as he was resolved not to approve 
 a letter for the discharge of any man in the ship ; 
 and surely this declaration included me with the 
 rest of the crew. It was this declaration, sir, 
 which made us resort to the joint letter.*' 
 
 "Why did you not bring your joint letter to me 
 for approval ?" said the captain, dropping a little 
 of his severity.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 201 
 
 " Because, you had already declared you would 
 not approve any." 
 
 " That declaration had reference to letters of 
 individuals, but not to a joint letter, like this. I 
 should readiJy have placed my signature, excepting 
 those objectionable sentences already noticed." 
 
 " That, sir, we could not know," answered I. 
 
 "Well," said the captain, "the whole thing* 
 amounts to this. The secretary of the Navy has 
 read your letter, arid returned it to me for informa- 
 tion. I shall assemble all of you at muster, and 
 ascertain how many of the crew have heard this 
 letter read, and what degree of confidence is to he 
 attached to your statement. If I find that you 
 have been skulking the matter, or that any one indi- 
 vidual has been left in ignorance of the proceedings, 
 I shall inform the Hon. Secretary of it, and make 
 your back pay the penalty." 
 
 " I am content as to the result, Captain Breese," 
 replied I, moving towards the door. " What has 
 been preferred against Commodore Nicholson, I am 
 well assured will be maintained to the letter by 
 every man in the ship who came from his squadron ; 
 and as to what has been written in reference to 
 yourself, your own convictions will tell you how 
 far the language is consistent with the truth, and 
 you can write to the secretary accordingly," and 
 bowing respectfully, I hastened to the berth deck, 
 where breakfast was awaiting me, and where I was 
 instantly surrounded by an hundred shipmates,
 
 202 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 eager to learn the result of my interview with the 
 captain. 
 
 Breakfast over, and the ship put in order for the 
 day, all. hands began to prepare for muster. The 
 captain, in the meantime, had some conversation 
 witn an old quarter master named Samuel Haman, 
 .who, though one of our party, denied having any 
 knowledge of our communication. This was imme- 
 diately communicated to me, and though I knew 
 the man to be guilty of falsehood, I was uncertain 
 what effect it might have on the captain. At nine 
 o'clock all who had formerly belonged to the Bra- 
 zilian squadron, were called to muster on the lar- 
 board side of the quarter deck. We were not long 
 in presenting ourselves aft, as all were eager to 
 know what action was going to be taken with us. 
 The officers assembled round the capstan, while the 
 captain appeared from the cabin with the letter 
 open in his hand. Haman, whom we now all re- 
 garded as a traitor, took his stand at the head of 
 the company nearest the officers. When the pur- 
 ser's clerk had finished calling the roll, I was or- 
 dered from the ranks to the opposite side of 'the 
 quarter-deck. The captain, then holding the letter 
 out in his hand that all might see it, addressed him- 
 self to the company. 
 
 " The Secretary of the Navy," said he, " has 
 received a letter written by your shipmate there on 
 the opposite side of the deck ; was it with your
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 203 
 
 full knowledge, and at your request, that that 
 letter was written and sent?" 
 
 " It was," responded every man in the company, 
 except Haman. 
 
 " Did you all hear the letter read ?" proceeded 
 the captain. 
 
 "We did," was again the general response. 
 
 " Does this resemble the letter which was read 
 to you ?" 
 
 " It does." 
 
 " And do you all sustain the charges made in it 
 against the conduct of Commodore Nicholson ?" 
 
 "We do." 
 
 " Haman," said the captain, turning towards the 
 quarter-master, whose looks betrayed a mixture of 
 timidity and shame, " how comes it that your com- 
 rades, who appear so strenuous in this matter, 
 should have neglected to make you a confidant ?" 
 
 Haman was silent and confused, but the cap- 
 tain's question was answered by another of the 
 petty officers, who, stepping from the crowd, said 
 that Haman was aware of the whole proceedings ; 
 that when the letter was first suggested he had 
 talked about it with Haman, who approved the 
 plan, and who stood close at his elbow when the 
 letter was read under the top-gallant forecastle. 
 Haman made no attempt to contradict the state- 
 ment, and the withering looks of contempt which 
 the officers cast upon him, overwhelmed him with 
 such confusion that he sought to hide his shame by
 
 204 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 dodging behind the persons of his shipmates. The 
 captain appeared satisfied with the 'answers of the 
 men, and after a few brief words, in an undertone, 
 to the first lieutenant, ordered them to be dis- 
 missed. 
 
 Having received orders, in our dispatches from 
 Washington, to repair to winter quarters at Charles- 
 town navy yard, the captain gave orders for getting 
 under weigh from Portland the day following the 
 preceding occurrence. After a rapid run of some 
 sixteen hours, with a north-easterly wind, we cast 
 anchor in Boston bay on the evening of the fourth 
 of November. As the ship was supposed to have 
 sustained some considerable damage about her 
 bottom, while on the rocks near Belle Isle, prepa- 
 rations were made for placing her in dry dock at 
 the earliest practicable opportunity. Ten days 
 were, however, consumed before this could be ac- 
 complished. On examination of her bottom, it 
 was found that about twelve feet of her false keel 
 had been torn away, as well as slight portions of 
 her copper ; and some two weeks were consumed 
 in repairing her injuries before she was again ready 
 for sea. 
 
 The reader must not suppose, however, that the 
 feelings of the crew during this period of time, were 
 of the most amiable character. After a lapse of 
 ten days from our departure from Portland, a final 
 answer in respect to our joint letter was antici- 
 pated, but much to our mortification and disap-
 
 FIVE \EARS BEFORE TIIE MAST. 205 
 
 pointment no such answer arrived. The crew, 
 infatuated with the belief that the captain had 
 received a letter from government, but declined 
 making its contents known to the, became uneasy 
 and clamorous, and even talked of refusing duty. 
 The captain, meanwhile, used all reasonable means 
 to enforce obedience, and to a slight extent suc- 
 ceeded ; but still it was plain to him, as well as to 
 most others, that subordination had in a great 
 measure departed from the ship. Under these 
 circumstances, and perhaps not wishing to use 
 coercive measures, he deemed it advisable to trans- 
 fer the crew to the Columbus, seventy- four, then 
 lying in the same harbor. The idea of going on 
 board another ship, was particularly obnoxious to 
 the men, as such an event appeared again to cut 
 short the prospect of obtaining their discharge. 
 Some openly objected to going, but the captain 
 was decisive, and ordered them to prepare for 
 immediate departure. This was bringing things to 
 a sudden crisis. The men, hesitating no longer 
 from expressing their disapprobation, broke forth 
 into murmurs in all parts of the ship, and not a few 
 even made open threats of violence in the presence 
 of officers. Seeing a crowd gathered on the fore- 
 castle, I walked forward to see what it portended, 
 when three of the petty officers grasped me by the 
 hand and shoulders, and presenting a cutlass, told 
 me to lead the way, sword in hand, over the gang- 
 
 18
 
 206 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 way, and they would all follow to a man. For a 
 moment I was completely astounded 
 
 " Can it be possible that you are in earnest ?" 
 exclaimed I, looking round on the party, whose 
 calm determination and resolute looks indicated 
 too plainly that they were brooding on some des- 
 perate project. 
 
 "Men, men," added I, ""what in the name of 
 God would you do ?" 
 
 "We want our liberty," said they; "and we 
 are determined to have it. We have tried all 
 - peaceable ways without success, and now we will 
 try another plan." 
 
 " Yes," answered I ; " and how will it end ? In 
 chains and shackles, and finally at the yard-arm 
 for mutiny. See, here lies the Columbus, yonder 
 is the Constellation, and there is the navy yard, 
 containing the quarters of some fifty marines, all 
 well armed and equipped. Try your plan, and 
 how soon can five hundred men be dispatched to 
 suppress and disarm you ? What then will you 
 have gained ? or who will then intercede with the 
 government in your behalf ? Not Captain Breese 
 nor Commodore Downes. No, not even myself. 
 So long as you are for pacific measures, I am hand 
 and hand with you, but to the devil with your cut- 
 lasses and boarding pikes. If you are bound to 
 run your necks into a halter, with such instruments, 
 you must go it lone-handed, for I am determined 
 not to accompany you."
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 207 
 
 In short, by briefly detailing to them the con- 
 sequences of mutiny, and pointing out the utter fool- 
 hardiness of their rash designs, I soon succeeded in 
 restoring their minds to a sense of reason. I then 
 told them that I, for one, had made up ray mind 
 to go on board the "Columbus ; that the prospect 
 of being discharged looked as favorable there as on 
 board the Preble ; that an order For our discharge 
 must necessarily be transmitted to Commodore 
 Downes, as he was the oldest commandant about 
 the place ; and hence it mattered not to me what 
 vessel I was placed in, so that I remained within, 
 his command. 
 
 This kind of argument had a favorable effect on 
 those with whom I conversed, who at once became 
 reconciled to the transfer. Others, as the sugges- 
 tions were communicated to them, began to change 
 their views so hastily, that in a few hours the whole 
 company appeared as eager to go on board the Co- 
 lumbus, as they had previously been reluctant to 
 do so.
 
 In which the adventurer becomes a heathen, and after being visited 
 in vain by a Boston missionary, is introduced to the cat-o'-nine- 
 tails. 
 
 THE reader will by this time perceive, that though 
 I had shipped in the Independence with the sole 
 object of proceeding home, I had now undergone 
 my third transfer since my entrance into that ship ; 
 and what likelihood there yet remained of obtain- 
 ing my discharge, will be left for the sequel alone 
 to disclose. Yet I cannot say that I was really 
 unhappy in the service. I possessed the friendship 
 and esteem of nearly all my shipmates, and if my 
 conduct had not been exactly such as to square with 
 the wishes of the officers, it had, at least, been 
 marked with a sufficient manliness to command their 
 respect ; nor need I add, that I felt a secret pride 
 in having been able, in my humble situation, to 
 inflict a just wound on the pride and dignity of a 
 few, who thought their elevation so great as to en- 
 able them to press down the poor worm with impu- 
 nity. I well knew, that though Commodore Nich- 
 olson, Captain Breese, and Lieutenant Pope, might 
 hate the letter which I had written, yet it was, in 
 the main, the whole truth and nothing but the 
 (208)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 209 
 
 truth, and placed them in a position from which it 
 was a little difficult to make a very honorable re- 
 treat. This, to me, was a triumph which fully com- 
 pensated for the disappointments and mortifications 
 they had caused me to suffer. I knew not, nor 
 cared not, what might be the final result ; I felt con- 
 scious of having them in a fix, and that fact alone, 
 furnished an ample supply of food to sustain my 
 mind under all my present difficulties. 
 
 The Columbus was a school and receiving ship, 
 under the command of Captain Smith, which bore at 
 its mast head the brt>ad pennant of Commodore 
 Downes. About four hundred men, and some two 
 hundred apprentice boys composed her crew. The 
 Preble's men numbered near an hundred and fifty, 
 which was something of an addition to the company 
 on board ; but they were kept in separate messes, 
 and were retained under the command of their 
 respective officers. They were also mustered apart 
 from the crew of the Columbus, and required to 
 repair to daily Labor on board the Preble. Besides 
 this working party, there was also a gang selected 
 daily from the crew of the Columbus, which was 
 sent on shore to work in the Navy Yard; and by 
 some unaccountable means, my name had been 
 inserted by the clerk, on the list of this gang. The 
 workmen belonging to the Columbus were usually 
 called away near half an hour before those of tne 
 Preble ; and one morning while I was changing my 
 clothes, the boatswain of the Columbus, whose name 
 18*
 
 210 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 was Edgar, came running down on the orlop deck, 
 shouting my name. 
 
 " Hillo !" cried I, " what's wanted ?" 
 
 Without deigning to make any answer, Edgar 
 rushed up to me, and commenced pounding at me 
 with a ratan. 
 
 " Not so fast, Mr. Edgar ; you may have got hold 
 of the wrong man," said I, endeavoring to wrench 
 the ratan from his grasp. 
 
 " You rascal !" cried he, foaming with rage. 
 " You are always hanging back when there is any 
 work to be done." 
 
 "All a mistake, sir," replied I, holding on to 
 the ratan ; " don't you know that I belong to the 
 Preble ?" 
 
 "You're a liar!" 
 
 " You're a gentleman, almost ! 
 
 " Go on deck, d n your eyes ! and none of your 
 insolence!" 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir !" exclaimed I, darting away on 
 deck, followed close at my heels by the little boat- 
 swain, who reported me to the officers of the deck. 
 As I was mounting the gangway, the worthy lieu- 
 tenant called me back, and demanded of me how I 
 dared to disobey the orders of a superior officer. I 
 endeavored to explain by telling him that I be- 
 longed to the Treble's crew. 
 
 "He don't," interrupted the boatswain; "you 
 Bee, sir, a good many men have got in the habit of
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 211 
 
 hailing from the Preble, since her crew is aboard 
 here, and by that means skulk clear of duty." 
 
 "Is the man one of that kind?" inquired the 
 officer of the deck. 
 
 <k He is," answered the boatswain. 
 
 "A lazy rascal, no doubt his countenance 
 betrays it ; but the cats will bring him to his duty. 
 What have you to say for yourself?" added he of 
 the epaulets, turning towards me. 
 
 " Nothing, sir," replied I. " I perceive Mr. 
 Edgar is determined to have it all his own 
 way." 
 
 "Insolent!" exclaimed the officer of the deck. 
 " Insolence to a superior officer, and right in, 
 my presence too ! Call the inaster-at-arms, Mr. 
 Edgar. Ho ! master-at-arms," shouted he, seeing 
 that officer walking in the gangway. " Here, 
 master-at-arms, take this man forward and put 
 him in double irons." 
 
 The master-at-arms gallanted me forward to the 
 forecastle, where my wrists and ancles were en- 
 cased in such weighty jewels as few delight to wear; 
 and placing me under the care of the sentry, left 
 me to my own reflections in durance vile. 
 
 There are but few unpleasant sensations con- 
 nected with the idea of irons on board a man-of- 
 war. There is scarcely a day passes but dozens 
 are laid by the heels in them for crimes of the 
 most trivial nature, and many even wear them 
 day after day, for no offence whatever. Hence,
 
 212 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 my confinement was not stamped with any indelible 
 stain of disgrace in the estimation of naval men ; 
 and as to a further punishment, I deemed it out of 
 the question, for I knew that my presence must nec- 
 essarily be missed from the Preble, and that the 
 approach of evening would bring with it an order 
 for my release. So .procuring myself a book from 
 one of my shipmates, I stretched myself on the 
 deck to indulge in its contents, my shoulders rest- 
 ing against a shot box, and my legs thrown care- 
 lessly over the chain cable. 
 
 As the day advanced, the ship was honored with 
 visitors from the shore, and I observed among a 
 group of ladies, a quite pretty young woman busy- 
 ing herself in distributing tracts and other religious 
 publications, among those of the sailors with whom 
 she accidentally came in contact. As she advanced 
 ' towards the forward part of the ship, gazing right 
 and left at the wonders with which she was sur- 
 rounded, her eyes finally rested on me, and halting 
 suddenly with a start, she paused as if doubting 
 whether there might not be danger in a nearer 
 approach. I pretended to keep my eyes fixed on 
 the book, but was in reality watching her move- 
 ments. Presently she turned to the officer who 
 accompanied the party, and in an undertone asked 
 for what heinous crime 1 was fastened to the chain 
 cable. 
 
 "I presume his offence is not a very seriouf 
 one," said the officer, smiling very graciously.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFOUE THE MAST. 213 
 
 " Discipline often imposes such punishment for 
 very trifling crimes." 
 
 " But I thought jour discipline required whip- 
 ping instead of chains ?" answered the lady, eyeing 
 me with a side glance. 
 
 " Irons are less barbarous than whipping," ob- 
 served the officer ; " and for that reason are often 
 employed as a substitute." 
 
 " A more humane punishment, truly," sighed the 
 lady, as if relieved from further fears of my fero- 
 ciousness. " It is very considerate and Christian- 
 like to be merciful, but don't you think that by 
 religious training and moral efforts, sailors might 
 be brought to be governed without any of those 
 cruel modes of punishment?" 
 
 " Perhaps so," observed he of the epaulets, 
 smiling; " but it will require a good schoolmaster 
 to bring about so desirable an end." 
 
 The officer turned away to answer the question 
 of another of the ladies, when the little missionary 
 begged to know if it would be violating the rules 
 of the ship for her to speak to the prisoner. The 
 officer gave a negative sign, upon which the lady, 
 after pressing a tract upon the sentry, who was 
 walking to and fro a few paces in front of me, 
 approached to where I was lying. 
 
 Now if there is any thing in this world irrita- 
 ting to a sensitive mind, smarting under a con- 
 sciousness of injustice and degradation, it is that of 
 being talked to by persons wholly unacquainted
 
 214 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 with his condition, thoughts, and feelings, and con- 
 sequently incapable of affording him either sym- 
 pathy or relief in his sufferings. This lady, as a 
 matter of course, could comprehend nothing of the 
 object of my imprisonment, nor knew she aught 
 of the causes which had led to it ; and under this 
 conviction I was conscious that she would only 
 prove a Job's comforter at best. My fancy was, 
 moreover, at that very time, haunted by the rum- 
 colored visage of the little boatswain, whom in 
 imagination, I was knocking into a perfect jelly, 
 and battering down his fiery nose to a level with 
 his upper lip. These passionate reflections had 
 rendered me about as fit an object for the opera- 
 tions of a lady missionary as the most obdurate 
 heathen. She, however, advanced near to me. 
 Without looking off my book, I awaited her com- 
 mands. 
 
 " Sir,'' began she. 
 
 " We don't sir any body in this ship but offi- 
 cers," interrupted I, without looking up. 
 
 " You must excuse me then, as I am unac- 
 quainted with your rules," said she, with some 
 trepidation. " You appear to find a pleasure in 
 reading books, and indeed I am sure that good 
 books must afford you many edifying reflections in 
 your unpleasant situation. May I know what book 
 you are reading ?" 
 
 " It's a novel," observed I. 
 
 " A novel !" echoed the fair missionary, with a
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 215 
 
 look of disappointment. " And do you suppose 
 there is much instruction to be obtained from the 
 reading of novels ?" added she, tapping a volume 
 of religious tracts across her fingers. 
 
 " I obtain amusement from them, and that is all 
 I care about," replied I. 
 
 " Indeed. But you are conscious of having a 
 soul ; do you care nothing for the welfare of your 
 immortal soul ?" 
 
 " No, for I fear it has been damned long ago," 
 said I, drawing my feet off the cable, with a clank 
 of the irons that made the young lady recoil. 
 
 "You astonish me!" exclaimed she, trying to 
 look as amazed as possible. " Surely you do not 
 mean " 
 
 " I do mean just what I say, madam, and noth- 
 ing else. I am cursed daily, up and down, alow 
 and aloft, from larboard to starboard and back 
 again. I've been cursed half a dozen times since 
 eight bells this morning ; and three hours ago was 
 cursed by that gentleman walking yonder with the 
 ladies, and at his orders placed in these irons. 
 Could damning have sent me to the devil, it would 
 have been all up with me long ago, and I really 
 question whether my situation there would be much 
 more intolerable than it is in this ship." 
 
 "Oh! how sorry I am to hear you talk so," 
 ejaculated my lady visitor, pressing the religious 
 volume between both her hands. " Forget and 
 forgive the wicked ways of the world, and turn
 
 216 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 your thoughts towards heaven and your Saviour 
 there you will find happiness and peace. The 
 abuse and wicked language of the ungodly will 
 then lose their effect upon you, and you will gra- 
 dually become a better and a happier man. Per- 
 mit me to give you this tract it is the story of the 
 conversion of an humble sailor like yourself. It 
 may perhaps arouse you to a sense of your dying 
 condition, and point you the way to salvation." 
 
 " I do not desire it," said I, resuming my novel. 
 
 "Let me insist on your taking it,'' continued the 
 lady, with a perseverance that provoked me. 
 
 " I will not have it," reiterated I, striking my 
 shackled feet vehemently on the deck. " Give it 
 to the officers, they need it a great sight worse than 
 I do." 
 
 u Oh ! mercy, mergy ! did I ever hear such pro- 
 fanity !" cried the little missionary, holding up 
 both hands in astonishment. 
 
 "If you call that profanity, what term would 
 you apply to the language of most of our lieute- 
 nants when getting a ship under weigh, or tacking 
 and veering in a head wind. Their oaths are ren 
 dered doubly horrible by being ejected through a 
 speaking trumpet in such unearthly tones as ter- 
 rify both God and man. If you were once to hear 
 them, madam, your hair would rise on end, and you 
 would dread that both yourself and the vessel would 
 be sent to the bottom of the ocean as a just punish- 
 ment for such presumption. Profanity ! why like
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFOUE THE MAST. 217 
 
 everything else, it is a science, and they alone are 
 proficient in it." 
 
 'Indeed, you terrify me. I will talk with you 
 no l.:iger. I can scarce credit your account of 
 the uificers ; I have seen many of them, and they 
 have always appeared to me as being very polite 
 and agreeable." 
 
 "No doubt they appear so, madam, and if you 
 were to encounter Satan himself, you would most 
 likely meet him with a smile on his face and an 
 epaulet on his shoulder." 
 
 My lady visitor had scarcely rejoined her com- 
 panions when a bustle on the forward part of the 
 upper gun-deck, announced the master-at-arrns with 
 another prisoner, in whom I recognized Walter 
 Summers, one of the men who had deserted from 
 the first cutter of the Preble, at Pictou. Poor 
 Walter had been apprehended at Portsmouth, by 
 some one of the outrunners of the Columbus, and 
 was brought to Charlestown by the kidnapper with 
 the hope of obtaining the reward. He was imme- 
 diately placed in double irons, and like me, left 
 under the surveillance of the sentry. There was 
 some consolation in having company in my impri- 
 sonment, and a good deal more in the thought that 
 mine was a far less aggravated case than his. As 
 night approached, we were greeted with the appear- 
 ance of two more offenders, one for theft, and the 
 other for drunkenness ; and our party now num- 
 bering four persons, Summers and I thought of 
 19
 
 218 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 having a jolly night of it ; hut one heing too sullen 
 to talk, and the other too drunk to say anything, we 
 were obliged to limit our fun to ourselves. 
 
 I had supposed, that at the assembling of the 
 Treble's crew for evening muster, my absence would 
 be discovered, and inquiries started, leading to my 
 release ; but by some unaccountable oversight, my 
 absence escaped the notice of the officers at muster, 
 and I was, in consequence, left in confinement. 
 Nor did the following morning bring with it any 
 relief. The hour of nine arrived, when the Pre- 
 ble's crew again departed to their labors at the dry- 
 dock, without making the least inquiries concerning 
 me, and I began to grow suspicious of having been 
 transferred, in a clandestine manner, to the com- 
 mand of the officers of the Columbus. 
 
 At ten o'clock the captain, accompanied by the 
 surgeon, appeared on the gun-deck, taking his 
 inspectional round ; and observing at a side glance 
 us four prisoners, properly equipped and jewelled 
 for an introduction to that figurative animal, the 
 boatswain's cat, was far too gallant both in taste 
 and inclination to suffer our disappointment in so 
 gratifying an evejit. To render the ceremony as 
 imposing as possible, he moved with a dignified 
 step towards the mainmast, and encountering the 
 boatswain in his way thither, spoke a few words 
 with a significant nod to that little officer, who 
 darted hastily away, first to larboard, and then to 
 starboard, in search of his mates ; and kicking up
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 219 
 
 his heels, as if having got a very pleasant idea into 
 them, pitched into the main-hatch, where in his 
 eagerness, he twice bumped his head against the 
 sheet-cable, and finally managed to disappear below. 
 An instant afterwards the master-at-arms stood at 
 the elbow of captain Smith, in hatless obsequiency, 
 but to avoid the imputation of listening with disrepect 
 to the orders of his commander, he, at each affirma- 
 tive nod, kept pulling and twitching at a small 
 tuft of hair which stuck out like a peg from his 
 cranium, as if by continued perseverance he hoped 
 to find a hat there. The words of the captain 
 appeared to have a spirited effect on the hatless 
 petty officer, for he began to dodge and fuss about 
 as if some mission of vast importance had been 
 committed to his charge. 
 
 Now all the prisoners understood the movements 
 of the captain, boatswain, and master-at-arms, as 
 well as if they had heard every word that passed 
 between them, for they had often before witnessed 
 the same proceedings, and invariably found them 
 followed by the cry of "All hands witness pun- 
 ishment." 
 
 In a few minutes the shrill whistles of the boat- 
 swain and his mates, were heard resounding through 
 the ship, followed by the hoarse dull cry of words 
 that more than .a thousand times before had rever- 
 berated along the decks, beams, and timbers of the 
 old Columbus, carrying dismay and terror to the 
 heart of many a poor culprit, whose only crime
 
 220 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 had been spitting upon the deck, or by casual 
 accident spilling a small bit of grease from his 
 soup pan, while eating his scanty and scarcely 
 palatable meal. But such was the penalty which 
 discipline imposed, and we who were now in con- 
 finement, were about to taste the reward of our 
 iniquity. The men and boys soon gathered in 
 crowds up the hatchways, and by degrees a small 
 group of officers collected together in the vicinity 
 of the capstan. The marines were also called up, 
 and took their stations on the quarter-deck, the 
 warlike appearance of their heavy arms rendered 
 more imposing by charged bayonets. In the mean- 
 time the master-at-arms hurried off to the store 
 room, from whence he soon returned with a wrench 
 and hammer, and hastily knocking off the irons 
 from our hands and feet, led us aft to the main- 
 mast. 
 
 Summers being a deserter, the heinousness of his 
 crime required a more severe and decisive chas- 
 tisement than trivial offences, and hence he, as a 
 matter of course, became number one in the order 
 of the day. The captain, after questioning him 
 in respect to the necessary particulars of his case, 
 gave him his choice to take either such discretion- 
 ary punishment as he would inflict on him, or sub- 
 mit himself to the examination a>nd sentence of a 
 court martial. The young man chose the former 
 alternative, rightly judging that no leniency was to 
 be expected from the parade and award of a court
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 221 
 
 martial. He was then ordered to strip off his 
 clothes, which he modestly and somewhat diffi- 
 dently accomplished, after which he was given in 
 custody of the quarter-masters, who with thongs in 
 their hands, led him to the bulwarks, and tying 
 him hand and foot, left him to the operation of the 
 boatswain's mates, those sturdy executioners of 
 republican laws. 
 
 The day was cold and piercing; and the air, 
 while it hardened the skin, at the same time ren- 
 dered it more brittle and easier cut. It caused 
 one's flesh to creep, and the blood to tingle in his 
 veins, even -to think of the cats ; and when they 
 were elevated over the shoulders of poor Summers, 
 I could scarcely repress a tear in commisseration 
 of the torment he was about to suffer. Perhaps 
 my own situation at that particular period may 
 have rendered me more susceptible to compassion- 
 ate feelings, or it may have been the patient and 
 resigned demeanor of the young prisoner that 
 affected me ; but no matter what it was. Every 
 man-of-war sailor knows that a tear cannot arrest 
 the arm of boatswain's-mate, or a beating heart 
 save a man's back from an extensive thrashing. 
 The blow descended, and the skin flew, while the 
 excoriated marks of the cords that stretched from 
 shoulder to shoulder, were immediately suffused 
 with gore. The poor fellow braved it nobly, and 
 with the exceptions of a gathering paleness on his 
 cheek, and an unconquerable shiver that ran like a 
 19*
 
 222 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 fearful ague through his whole frame, stood as 
 passive and immovable as a pillar of granite. No 
 cry, no word, no sound escaped his lips ; and as 
 blow succeeded blow in lacerating his quivering 
 flesh, he appeared to gather new firmness, and knit 
 himself more resolutely to the brutal punishment. 
 By the time three dozen lashes were administered, 
 the blood had oozed its way down, filling the 
 waistbands of the young man's trowsers, and a few 
 drops trickling into the gangway at the feet of the 
 boatswain's-mate, the captain, in consideration of 
 the deck rather than of the mangled back of the 
 sufferer, ordered the punishment to be stopped. 
 
 Summers having been released, I was next called 
 up. I made two attempts to justify my conduct, 
 but was both times silenced by the captain. Seeing 
 that I was in for an infamous punishment, which I 
 knew I did not deserve, I proceeded rather reluc- 
 tantly to undress myself. I must confess that the 
 scene I had just beheld operated so strongly on 
 my senses as to render me feeble and nervous. 
 When naked, I looked appealingly around, with 
 the hope of meeting the eye of some one who 
 might be disposed to favor me with an interces- 
 sion ; but all were apparently influenced with a 
 desire of witnessing a repetition of the cruel scene. 
 Turning towards the gangway, with feelings which 
 it would be impossible for me to describe, I pre- 
 sented my hand to the proper officers to be bound. 
 The quarter-masters finished their task, and stepped
 
 FIVE YKARS BEFORE THE MAST. 223 
 
 aside. I looked over my left shoulder, and saw the 
 boatswain hand his mate the cats ; they were those 
 which on the previous evening had been soaked in 
 salt water to whip the thief with. I turned my 
 face away, and for a minute became unconscious 
 of what was passing around me. I heard only a 
 confused murmur, and a rushing sound, while a 
 heavy blow descended on my back, suspending my 
 breath, and penetrating every fibre of my body 
 with a pain more excruciating than if molten metal 
 had been poured upon me, seething and scorching 
 my flesh to the very marrow. Could I at that 
 instant have recovered my breath, I would perhaps 
 have yelled out for mercy, but I was unable to do 
 so. I braced myself for the second blow, but 
 before it descended a voice from the quarter-deck 
 called out " stop." It was Mr. Newman, first 
 lieutenant of the Preble. Having heard of my 
 unjust incarceration on board the Columbus, he had 
 come to procure my release. A few words of 
 explanation from Mr. Newman gave a new turn to 
 the proceedings. Captain Smith ordered me to be 
 released at once, and hastily drawing on my clothes 
 I made my way out of the ship as quickly a8 
 possible. 
 
 During the third week of our residence on board 
 the Columbus the sloop Preble was again committed 
 to the waters of Massachusetts bay, and near the 
 same time an order was received from government 
 to equip her immediately for the Mediterranean sta-
 
 224 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tion. This arrangement made it necessary to man 
 her with a new set of hands, as many members of 
 the old company had but a few months longer to 
 serve. A sufficient crew was soon collected to 
 gether from the receiving ship, while those men 
 who were dismissed from the Preble, found them- 
 selves consigned over in exchange, to the command 
 of Captain Smith. It is scarcely necessary to add, 
 that this arrangement brought myself, and all those 
 interested in the joint letter to the Navy depart- 
 ment, to a fixed and permanent residence on board 
 the Columbus. 
 
 While this final transfer was being completed, 
 I fell into a misunderstanding with the purser in 
 respect to grog-money. The government, with the 
 praiseworthy design of encouraging temperance in 
 the navy, authorized the payment of six cents pe- 
 day to every seaman who would forego the luxury of 
 his half pint of liquor ; while many men, with the 
 equally laudable design of adding that much daily 
 pay to their scanty wages, embraced the offer. 
 By this happy concurrence of circumstances, the 
 excellent design of each was properly accomplished, 
 and the sailor trebly remunerated, inasmuch as he 
 became the gainer, not only pecuniarily, but also 
 morally and physically. It was, however, made 
 rulable in the service that the money should be 
 paid quarterly to every anti-grog drinker. My- 
 self, having been a total abstinent during the whole 
 period of my service in the Preble, received regu-
 
 YEARS BKFOHB THE MAST. 225 
 
 larly iny quarterly stipend of five dollars and forty- 
 four cents; and I now supposed that 'when the 
 Treble's books would be footed up, and the balance 
 stricken, there would be some show of my last 
 quarter's grog-money, which was near falling due, 
 and which I desired to draw on board of the Co- 
 lumbus. 
 
 Had the purser credited me with four dollars 
 and twenty cents, and charged the government, he 
 would have but carried out the principle of the 
 regulation, and I should not have been wronged 
 out of a single cent ; but this he positively refused 
 to do, and declared that there was no grog-money 
 due me until the final expiration of the quarter. 
 He, however, did not deem it an unworthy act to 
 charge the government four dollars and twenty 
 cents, although he placed nothing to my credit; 
 but for what purpose he did it 1 know not. All 
 I can conscientiously say, is that between the public 
 purse, the purser's purse, the purser, and the per- 
 severance of the purser's steward, I was fleeced 
 out of the sum of four dollars and twenty cents ; 
 and what made the thing still more aggravating, 
 was that they prohibited me from drawing my 
 grog ration on board the Columbus until the ter- 
 mination of the quarter, so that by the whole pro- 
 cess of this act of peculation, I was actually 
 defrauded of a full quarter's grog*money. It is, 
 however, a very consoling reflection to know that, 
 by this species of worldly prudence, purser Wilson
 
 226 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 prospered so amazingly that in the course of a fe^i 
 years he became possessed of wealth to the amount 
 of an hundred thousand dollars ; and that at his 
 death he was enabled to secure the reputation of an 
 honest man by granting munificent bequests to the 
 support of institutions which, iu the remotest 
 degree, could never benefit one single individual of 
 the hundreds of humble seamen from whose sweat 
 and toil those sums of money were originally 
 wrung.
 
 !i)iirlee*)ll). 
 
 Ii which the Jour. Shoemaker is promoted to the rank of Ship's 
 Pedagogue. 
 
 I HAVE already hinted that the Columbus was a 
 school-ship. That is, if a den where some two 
 hundred boys are collected together, exposed to 
 every kind of sinful vice where swearing, gam- 
 bling, cheating, lying, and stealing, are the con- 
 tinual order of the day ; where drunkenness, obsce- 
 nity, and self-pollution, stalk unrestrained ; and 
 where crimes abound of even so deep and black a 
 dye that it fires the cheek with shame to name 
 them, and which yet escape the just punishment 
 their heinousness deserves ; if, I say, such a place 
 constitutes a school-ship, then was the Columbus, 
 like the North Carolina, emphatically a school- 
 ship. 
 
 ye moralists ! talk not of the temptations of 
 a city, the corrupting tendency of brothels, the 
 demoralizing influence of theatres and public exhi- 
 bitions, for city life with all its evil accompani- 
 ments, is a career of godliness in comparison to 
 that which is endured on board a man-of-war. 
 Temptation supposes an occasional wandering of 
 the youthful traveller from the pathway of virtue, 
 
 (227)
 
 228 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 and if he find his soul languishing in bickness from 
 the evil he has plucked, he may again be healed 
 by drinking copiously from the healthful springs 
 that beset his onward journey ; but here, alas ! the 
 poor boy is suddenly dropped into a wilderness of 
 sin, amid which he plucks and eats of every vice 
 until he becomes sick and blind, and can never 
 more hope to stumble on virtue except by accident. 
 He finds too late that his moral health has been 
 prematurely poisoned. He is drilled into vice 
 from morning to night and from night to morning, 
 as regularly and methodically as a soldier is drilled 
 in the discipline of his corps. His heart becomes 
 hardened, his moral sensibilities are blunted, and 
 when he attains to what in common parlance is 
 called maturity of years, the moral man is lost in 
 the drunken and swaggering profligate. Example 
 is every thing in the training up of the young, 
 and what hope a parent could have in surrounding 
 his or her child, with such examples, God only 
 knows ! As well might we expect to reap wheat 
 from tares, or seek for diamonds in filthy sewers, 
 as look for virtue amid corruption, drunkenness, 
 and unbridled licentiousness. 
 
 But then it was the naval apprentice system, and 
 the naval apprentice system was then in its full fcide 
 of popularity. Every body believed it was a grand 
 scheme, and tried to persuade everybody else to 
 believe so too. It was the general impression that 
 the world was about beginning its regeneration, and
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 229 
 
 toat contrary to the usual origin of reformations, 
 the first movement had started up at sea. It was 
 wonderful to hear what talking there was to see 
 the running and visiting of ships to witness the 
 bowing, scraping, cutting, shuffling and smiling of 
 citizens in their congratulations of lieutenants and 
 captains, on the supposed approach of the happy 
 millennium. An entirely new order of men were 
 to be ushered into existence ; the character of the 
 navy was to be elevated to an unprecedented stand- 
 ard of respectability ; the old order of discipline 
 was all to be knocked into a cocked hat, while 
 superannuated old salts were to be turned over to a 
 , life pension in the hospital of oblivion, and their 
 places occupied by the hopeful progeny of the ap- 
 prentice system. In short, it was hailed as a glo- 
 rious epoch in the history of naval tactics, and loud 
 hosannas were, in all quarters, sung in its praise ; 
 while the government, catching a part of the gene- 
 ral enthusiasm, thought they were playing high 
 pranks, and no doubt they were. 
 
 The result of all this talk and clatter was, that 
 many a poor woman who groaned over the wash- 
 tub in earning a scanty subsistence for her faithful 
 offspring, sought to lighten her toil by binding her 
 son into the navy. Here, she believed he would be 
 provided for. The thought, too, that he would 
 here be instructed in the rudiments of an education 
 which her poverty denied her the means of impart- 
 ing to him, made his incarceration seem like an act 
 20
 
 230 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 of benevolence to her child. The idea that a cer- 
 tain number of midshipmen were to be annually 
 selected from among the apprentice boys, was, also, 
 an intoxicating thought to many vain mothers, each 
 of whom, believing her own son to be the smartest 
 child in the world, supposed him likely, at the close 
 of the year, to be honored with the first star and 
 anchor, and gold-laced cap. Little knew these 
 weak mortals of the corrupting influence attending 
 the kind of life to which they were consigning their 
 children. They had doubtless formed their esti- 
 mate of the navy from the general appearance of 
 its officers, and come to the unwise, though not un- 
 usual conclusion, that what was elegant and gra- 
 cious in external demeanor could harbor but few 
 imperfections within. Their general deportment, 
 as well as the positions they occupied, inspired con- 
 fidence, and led weak-minded parents fondly to im- 
 agine that children entrusted to the guardianship 
 of such men, could never want for kind and be- 
 nevolent masters. 
 
 But what landsman has ever yet learned to esti- 
 mate the extent of that barrier which discipline has 
 interposed between naval officers and their subordi- 
 nates ? The two are as far asunder as heaven and 
 earth. Heaven cau only be attained by severing 
 the link that binds us to life, and it is only by 
 breaking the chain of discipline that a naval sea- 
 man can ever arrive at intercourse with an officer. 
 The practiced coachman turns not aside his vehicle
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 231 
 
 to spare the little worm that trails across his path, 
 nor pauses he to sympathize with the dying victim as 
 the quivering lirahs whirl round with the iron bands 
 of the onward wheels ; so neither cares the officer 
 for the crushed and mangled hearts of men and 
 boys, that lie, broken, bleeding and dying, beneath 
 the onward wheels of discipline. True, the acci- 
 dents of the wealthy, or the misfortunes of the 
 great, may elicit from him a passing exclamation 
 of pity, or he may even sympathize to tears over the 
 calamities of some abused and ill-treated young lady 
 of whom he reads in the public prints ; for the ro- 
 mance of such things renders them interesting, and 
 they are therefore not to be passed by. lightly, 
 or with indifference. But what cares he for the 
 \vnsherwoman's son, or the orphan child of poverty ? 
 What claims can the poor illegitimate .boy have on 
 his charity and protection he whose mother has 
 v.ithered away into an untimely grave, and whose 
 father, becoming an enemy to his own flesh and 
 Mood, after having stamped upon his child the 
 indelible stain of bastardy, casts him forth to wal- 
 low and fester in premature corruption ? He could 
 not for a moment suffer his thoughts to dwell on 
 such lowly objects, except by way of discipline, 
 which always carries with it a strong presumption 
 in favor of the cat-o'-nine-tails. No, no, it would 
 be too humiliating a condescension to inquire into 
 the thoughts, tastes, inclinations, wants, and sor- 
 rows of so plebeian a race of mortals ; it would be 
 
 v. \
 
 2-j'2 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 too mighty a breach of discipline to stand by the 
 hammock of a sick boy, and when his yet innocent 
 and untainted heart was breaking with the recol- 
 lections of a once happy home, now rendered deso- 
 late by the death of her whom his lips were taught 
 to call mother, wipe the tears from his pale cheek, 
 and breathe into his little ear one soothing word of 
 kindness and comfort. What happy impulses 
 might not so tender a shoot receive from one kind 
 word of hope and encouragement. But no, he may 
 weep, wither and die, neglected, in the purlieus of 
 his prison house, his malady uncared for, and his 
 sorrows and sufferings unknown. 
 
 Well, as has been twice remarked, the Columbus 
 was a school-ship, and whether for better or for 
 worse the reader will have perceived that I was 
 permanently, fixed in it, for a time at least, and 
 being so fixed in it, it became me to make the best 
 of it I could. Before I had been a week on board 
 as one of her crew, I was appointed a ship's corpo- 
 ral, which though not a very dignified office, had 
 nevertheless some privileges connected with it 
 which I had no particular objections towards enjoy- 
 ing; and it was also rendered the more desirable to 
 me, as it placed my duties out of the jurisdiction 
 of the boatswain. I had completed two days in the 
 oxercise of my new office when a letter arrived from 
 Washington, in reference to our Portland corres- 
 pondence. The hopes of all my companions were 
 revived at this pleasing intelligence. Every man
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THK MAST. 233 
 
 was now sanguine in his expectations of being dis- 
 charged, and I myself had but little doubt of such 
 a result. Our suspense was, however, soon over. 
 On being called on the quarter-deck, a letter from 
 the navy department was read to us, couched in 
 such ambiguous terms that it required a better lin- 
 guist than any one we had in our party to make 
 out head or tail of its meaning. To me, the word- 
 ing of the letter appeared to refer the subject of 
 our discharge entirely to the discretion of Commo- 
 dore Downes ; but the first lieutenant of the Co- 
 lumbus, who pretended to be clearly booked up in 
 the decyphering of such official bulletins, gave it a 
 very different turn, and stated it as the desire of 
 the department to have us remain its loyal, and 
 faithful subjects, "now and evermore, even unto 
 the end." Painfully mortifying as was this con- 
 struction to our feelings, we were obliged to suc- 
 cumb to it, and bow submissively to the mandate 
 of our superiors. Thus terminated our project of 
 endeavoring to over-reach Commodore Nicholson, 
 and Captain Breese. 
 
 A few days after the above finale, I was honored 
 with a visit from Mr. John Pope, formerly first 
 lieutenant of the Independence, but now lieutenant 
 of Charlestown Navy Yard. This gentleman ap- 
 peared to be troubled with qualms in regard to 
 the Portland letter. His name had never been 
 mentioned in the correspondence, but still he, 
 somehow or other, supposed himself implicated. 
 20*
 
 234 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 This uneasiness appeared to me presumptive evi- 
 dence of his having aided and abetted in our unjust 
 detention ; and when in conjunction with this, was 
 considered the manner in which he had hacked up 
 Commodore Nicholson's speech at New York, the 
 evidence was almost conclusive against him. Fully 
 impressed with the sense of the injustice I had suf- 
 fered at his hands, as well as at those of his former 
 commander, I proceeded to meet him at the main- 
 mast. He opened immediately by referring to the 
 Portland letter. He regretted that it had ever 
 been written, inasmuch as none of the parties 
 interested in it had been benefitted by it. It had 
 only placed me in an awkward position, he said, 
 and created a good deal of dissatisfaction on the 
 part of Captain Breese. He said, also, that the 
 Secretary of the Navy, in consequence of it, had 
 been misled to make some unpleasant reflections 
 on the conduct of Commodore Nicholson ; that the 
 latter gentleman had written a sharp letter to him, 
 in which he more than hinted some disagreeable 
 and offensive imputations, of which, however, he 
 thanked God that he could clear himself ; that the 
 men who were retained had, in fact, never been 
 promised their discharges, and finally wound up by 
 declaring the whole letter from beginning to end, 
 a tissue of lies, fabricated from motives of malice, 
 and sent to Washington in direct violation of disci- 
 pline and subordination. 
 
 Upon this, I ventured to observe, that an humble
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 235 
 
 seaman, whose personal rights were too often over- 
 looked by officers in the pursuit of more weighty- 
 interests, and whose moral character was always 
 squared by the cat-o'-nine-tails, could scarcely be 
 expected to understand all the crooks and turns of 
 naval etiquette, and hence I might stand in some 
 measure excusable. " But," added I, " Is it not 
 true, sir, that both yourself and Commodore Nich- 
 olson, as well as Captain Gallagher, held out to us, 
 at New York, the strongest impression that we 
 would be discharged ?" 
 
 " I believe that such was the general impression 
 of most of the men," observed Mr. Pope, evasively. 
 
 " Oh ! certainly the man believed so, of course." 
 said I, not a little amused at Mr. Pope's dexterity 
 in dodging my question. " But were Commodore 
 Nicholson and yourself sincere in your belief that 
 we would be discharged ?" 
 
 " We were," replied Mr. Pope. 
 
 " Very well, sir," proceeded I, " You will then 
 perceive by your own admission, that all the state- 
 ments contained in the letter are not lies." 
 
 Mr. Pope looked very black at these words, and 
 the second lieutenant of the Columbus, who was 
 walking near us, and who overheard every word 
 that was uttered, shoved up alongside of Mr. Pope 
 and joined in the discourse. 
 
 " Mr. Pope," said he, " I am surprised that you 
 waste time in talking with this scoundrel. It is 
 just such men as he that disgrace the service.
 
 236 FIVE YKAP.S BEFOKK THE MAST. 
 
 They go abroad in merchant ships to foreign ports, 
 where they are kicked ashore for laziness and ras- 
 cality, and after becoming ragged, dirty, half 
 starved and lousy, then they beg to be taken into 
 our ships; and when we take them in, and give 
 them plenty to eat and drink, and good usage a 
 
 d d sight too good, for if I had my way, I 
 
 would flog every rascal of them three times a day 
 then they come home to their own country, and 
 turn around and abuse us officers." 
 
 This pithy interlude of Lieutenant Johnson, had 
 the effect of abridging the interview to some extent 
 on my part, at least ; for I felt my situation grow- 
 ing a little critical, and hinted as much to Mr. Pope. 
 I took occasion, however, to reply indirectly to a 
 portion of Mr. Johnson's speech, by observing, that 
 as Mr. Pope had doubtless some recollection of 
 shipping me at Rio Janeiro, he also knew whether 
 I was laboring under any of those bodily infirmities 
 referred to by his brother officer. 
 
 Mr. Pope remarked as he was not connected 
 with the ship, but had only come to talk the matter 
 over with me, I should proceed with the same 
 freedom as if talking with a shipmate. 
 
 "0 yes!" interposed Mr. Johnson, "let him 
 talk till he's tired. It wont do us any hurt ; and 
 if he gets too saucy or obstreperous, the cats will 
 settle him. yes ! let him talk away." 
 
 " Well, then," resumed I, " as you encourage 
 me to proceed, I shall call to notice a few circum-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 237 
 
 etances in justification of my conduct. You are 
 perhaps aware, Mr. Pope, that while at Rio Janeiro, 
 I expressed some doubts of being discharged, at 
 which Commodore Nicholson hooted, and spoke in 
 quite a confident manner of a far different result. 
 On the passage to the United States, it was also a 
 thing well understood among the officers, and fre- 
 quently talked of among them, that those men 
 who had shipped in South America were all to be 
 discharged; and you are further aware that this 
 belief was still kept alive, and cherished in the minds 
 of the men, after our return home, and up to the 
 very hour when orders were given for our transfer 
 to the North Carolina. The* it was, that the first 
 doubts arose of our dismissal ; and you are well 
 aware that the following night was attended with 
 the desertion of thirty-seven men, all of whom 
 would unquestionably have run away sooner, but 
 for the prospect held out of obtaining a discharge." 
 
 "Your statement may be correct," observed 
 Mr. Pope. 
 
 " Well then, after these men had been kept so 
 long in the hope of being discharged, was it right 
 that they should be disappointed ?" 
 
 " The result was unavoidable," said Mr. Pope. 
 
 "Well, sir,, admitting that it was unavoidable at 
 the time, was it wrong for us to make any subse- 
 quent effort for our release ?" 
 
 " After what Commodore Nicholson had done for 
 you, all further efforts on your part were useless."
 
 238 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " And what all did Commodore Nicholson do for 
 us ?" inquired I. 
 
 " He interceded for you in three different letters, 
 Commodore Renshaw and Captain Gallagher both 
 aided him ; but unfortunately their efforts were 
 not successful." 
 
 " Mr. Pope," answered I, with all the decorum 
 I could master, " It may appear like insolence in 
 me to contradict an officer, but I have positive 
 proof that not the least scratch of any such letter 
 was ever transmitted to the department." 
 
 " Call him a liar at once ! Call him a liar at 
 once !" ejaculated Mr. Johnson, bridling up, and 
 flourishing his fists oefore my face. 
 
 " From what quarter do you derive your positive 
 proof, as you call it," inquired Mr. Pope, nodding 
 to the enraged Mr. Johnson to desist. 
 
 "From the Secretary of the Navy," replied I. 
 
 The countenance of Mr. Pope at once fell, and 
 his looks became gloomy. Seeing that I had him 
 in a kind of a dilemma, I proceeded to explain the 
 manner in which this testimony had been obtained 
 from the Secretary. On adverting to the fact of a 
 letter having been transmitted from the Department 
 to Mr. Long, and from the latter gentleman to the 
 Preble, he became desirous of dropping the subject, 
 and though I offered to procure the letter for his 
 particular inspection, he said it was unnecessary to 
 do so, as he had not time to peruse it. 
 
 " I have only one more remark to make on the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 239 
 
 subject," said Mr. Pope. " Had you never written 
 that letter, but kept quiet and exemplary in your 
 conduct, and come peaceably to me and requested 
 your discharge, I would have used every exertion 
 to obtain it for you ; but since you have chosen 
 otherwise, and raised silly charges to blacken the 
 reputation of myself, as well as that of Commodore 
 Nicholson I say, under the circumstances, I'll be 
 
 d d if I do," and Mr. Pope emphasized his 
 
 determination by smacking his fist on the fiferail 
 with such force, that an iron belaying pin jumped 
 out of its station, and tumbled down on the toe of 
 Lieutenant Johnson, who went hopping across the 
 quarter-deck with one foot in his hand, and making 
 as many grimaces as a monkey at a concert. 
 
 "Mr. Pope," answered I, while replacing the 
 belaying pin, " I have now been two years in the 
 service, and can easily weather out a third. Up 
 to the present time, I have met with some good 
 treatment, and a great deal that I considered 
 harsh. I have asked but few favors from officers, 
 and those few have seldom been granted ; but as to 
 my discharge, I have never yet solicited you, or 
 any other officer to procure it for me, and, come 
 good or ill of my words, I boldly assert that I 
 never will !" and bowing respectfully to my official 
 visitor, who turned towards the cabin, I glided 
 down the hatchway, and returned to my duty on 
 the lower gun-deck. 
 
 Having now abandoned all prospect of obtaining
 
 240 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 a dismissal, I deemed it best to make myself as 
 agreeable and useful in the ship as my position 
 would allow. I had opportunities of going occa- 
 sionally on shore ; but as these jaunts were always 
 attended with unnecessary expense, I seldom in- 
 dulged in them. As time wore on, and I became 
 better accustomed to the ship and her officers, I 
 was so well contented with my situation that I 
 would scarcely have exchanged my place in the 
 Columbus for a berth in any sea-going ship. 
 
 During my second month in the ship, I was un- 
 expectedly called on to take charge of a class of 
 some eighteen boys in the schoolroom. To this I 
 objected with all my might, and adhered to my 
 resolution quite perseveringly, until the captain 
 began to talk about gangways and cat-o'-nine-tails 
 so pathetically that I was moved to yield the point, 
 and accept the office of a schoolmaster. Every- 
 body knows that bad usage and bad example will 
 make bad children, and I had been wide enough 
 awake to discover, without the aid of a spy-glass, 
 that this rule held good at sea as well as on land. 
 The class of which I was requested to take charge 
 was composed of the most bulky boys in the ship, 
 who also bore the reputation of being the most 
 ungovernable. Two schoolmasters had already 
 been compelled to yield to them the unwilling palm 
 of victory, and a third would have shared a similar 
 fate, had he not baffled his juvenile enemies by a 
 timely desertion of both the schoolroom and the
 
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 241 
 
 Columbus. I entered as the fourth incumbent in 
 the administration of affairs; and having made an 
 inaugural address, in which I laid down a brief 
 exposition of the principles and measures by which 
 I hoped my official career to be characterized, pro- 
 ceeded to the discharge of my arduous labors with 
 such success, that for two whole weeks the class 
 remained as quiet and passive under my superin- 
 tendence as if no revolution had ever taken place 
 in their government. 
 
 But time soon developed the fact, that my 
 administration was too monarchical for the demo- 
 cratic tastes of my youthful subjects; and, like 
 Louis Philippe, I was fated to see my power totter- 
 ing to decay at the very hour I thought it most 
 triumphantly established. But like Louis, I did 
 nott run the thought of deserting my throne was 
 infamy to my courage. I resolved to stand my 
 ground, and brave whatever adverse fortune might 
 " buckle on my back." 
 
 . One day, about the commencement of my third 
 week of mastership, I had seated myself between 
 two guns to do a sum in arithmetic, when I hap- 
 pened to overhear the boys whispering ; and 
 glancing my eye under the gun, I could see all 
 that was passing at the table round which they 
 were sitting without being seen by them. 
 
 " Jones," whispered one of the larger boys to his 
 companion across the table, " how would you like 
 to shoot the master ?" 
 21
 
 242 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " First-rate, if I only knew how to get hold of a 
 pistol," observed Jones. 
 
 " Just creep under the table, to this side, and 
 get one out of my pea-jacket pocket,'' continued 
 Greggs. 
 
 Jones proceeded under the table according to 
 directions, and drawing a bottle from the pocket 
 of his companion, took a deliberate sup of whiskey. 
 I rose instantly from my seat between the guns, 
 while Jones hastily regained his. 
 
 " Greggs," said I, leaning over the table, " give 
 me your pistol till I take the priming out, or you 
 may do some mischief with it." 
 
 Greggs demurred, and placed his hand on his 
 pocket to hold it shut. 
 
 "You refuse, do you?" said I, and reaching 
 over the table, I grasped master Greggs by the 
 collar, and dragged him from between the guns. 
 
 This appeared to be a signal for a general rebel- 
 lion, as the whole class were instantly on their 
 feet, and surrounding me with the dexterity of 'a 
 swarm of bees. Master Greggs had grasped me 
 with both arms round my left leg, and was doing 
 his prettiest to dance me about the deck on my 
 right toe, while the pistol shooter, Jones, was using 
 his utmost exertions to divest me of my ratan. 
 Two boys had caught hold of my arms, but finding 
 their strength insufficient to pinion them, gave 
 them up for a more successful assault upon my 
 hair ; and soon succeeding in drawing my head
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 243 
 
 within the reach of the smaller boys, a third, and 
 fourth, lent me a deliberate box on the ear. At 
 this stage of the squabble, master Greggs had 
 become so far victorious as to dance me up against 
 one of the guns, when Jones, who had relieved me 
 of the ratan, and handed it over to one of the 
 smaller boys, who kept favoring me with an occa- 
 sional cut from it, caught me by the other leg, and 
 the two together gave me such a hoist as pitched 
 me clear over the gun, and landed me on the 
 opposite side with my shoulder wedged between 
 two shot boxes, and my heels extended upward in 
 the air where my head ought to have been. The 
 peculiarity of my situation raised a general laugh 
 throughout the schoolroom, at which Greggs, Jones 
 and company took fresh courage, and recommenced 
 the battle. The number of killed and wounded in 
 this engagement might perhaps have been more 
 numerous, had it not been unexpectedly terminated 
 by the first lieutenant. That gentleman, having 
 been alarmed by the uproarious turmoil below 
 deck, hastened to tlie scene of action and sounded 
 a parley. At the sound of his voice, the assailants 
 fell back in dismay, while he set on foot speedy, 
 measures for investigating the object of the bellige- 
 rent powers. In the meantime, I was enabled to 
 gain a more favorable position than the one last 
 occupied, and proceeded to a diplomatic arrange- 
 ment of the quarrel. 
 
 In all great municipal conflicts, the supremacy
 
 I 
 
 244 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 of the law requires that the principal offenders 
 shall expiate their crimes. Greggs and Jones were 
 the principal offenders they had suhverted the 
 legitimate authority they had taken up arms 
 against the administration they had shot the 
 master ; and the public peace, as well as the pres- 
 ervation of discipline, demanded that their crimes 
 be visited on their hea backs. The young cul- 
 prits were consequently sent to the forward part 
 of the ship, to gun number 45, where a dozen lashes 
 were inflicted on the bare person of each, a la mode 
 aposteriori. 
 
 Nor was the day wholly unpropitious to me. A 
 new idea had opened upon me. I resolved never 
 more to flog another boy in the ship, but whenever 
 any one committed an offence deserving of correc- 
 tion, to write a statement of it on a slip of paper, 
 and send it by the offender to the first lieutenant, 
 who never permitted him to depart unrewarded. 
 From the adoption of this rule, my empire in the 
 schoolroom became complete. Before two weeks 
 more had elapsed, there was n<ft a boy in the class 
 but would have sooner suffered any punishment 1 
 would have ^inflicted on him, than have carried a 
 pasg to the first lieutenant. 
 
 NOTE. The government becoming sensible of the defects of Uu 
 Apprentice" system, have abolished it.
 
 An Unexpected Journey. 
 
 ALTHOUGH my duties in the school-room cut me 
 off from the daily companionship of my old associ- 
 ates of the Preble, they did not lead me to neglect 
 them. Night usually brought with it a momentary 
 respite from labor, when there would be a re-union 
 of warm and generous hearts. At such times we 
 crept silently away to some quiet nook in the ves- 
 sel, and there in happy forgetfulness of over- 
 watchful discipline, recounted to each other the 
 many hardships and gales we had encountered 
 through life. 
 
 From February until May, a few remarkable 
 incidents took place on board the Columbus, but as 
 I was not immediately interested in them, I shall 
 consume neither time nor space in recording them. 
 
 About the first of May, an order from govern- 
 ment was received at Boston, instructing Commo- 
 dore Downes to forward as many seamen to the 
 sloop of war Fairfield, then lying at New York, as 
 could be spared from his command. As the frigate 
 Constellation, and the sloop Treble, had both drawn 
 21 * ( 245 )
 
 246 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the chief bulk of their crews from the same quarter 
 during the preceding winter, there was, in conse- 
 quence, at that time, but a scanty surplus of men 
 on board the Columbus. It was also a well known 
 fact, that those men who had formerly belonged to 
 the Preble, had most of them but a few months 
 longer to serve, and that the usages of the service, 
 would scarcely warrant the government in again 
 sending them abroad on a foreign station. But 
 notwithstanding these facts, the commodore con- 
 ceived it necessary to have the Fa;rfield manned at 
 all hazards : and ordering twenty-one able seamen 
 to be selected from the crew of the Columbus, with- 
 out regard to the duration of their term of service, 
 it fell to my lot to be numbered among this draft. 
 
 On the third day after the draft was mustered 
 out, myself and companions were ordered upon our 
 journey to New York. We took a hasty leave of 
 the old Columbus ; not, however, without regret, 
 and amid a warm shaking of hands, and a general 
 expression of the good wishes of our old shipmates 
 for our continued health and happiness. 
 
 It is a rule of discipline in the American navy, 
 that a sailor shall never be trusted one rod from 
 the ship, unless accompanied by an officer, as it is 
 the general impression that such a mark of confi- 
 dence must otherwise inevitably end, either in ab- 
 solute desertion, or downright drunkenness. On 
 the other hand, it is also a rule firmly established 
 among sailors, as discipline itself, always to try to
 
 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MAST. 247 
 
 outwit their superiors, and over-reach their vigi- 
 lance. In virtue of the first of these rules, Lieu- 
 tenant Johnson of the Columbus, and two midship- 
 men, had been dispatched with us to New York, to 
 guard our movements and keep us from getting 
 drunk ; and in virtue of the second, it was the 
 intention of two-thirds of my companions to get as 
 drunk as Bacchus, and have a most jolly time of it. 
 The natural result of these two opposing rules of 
 discipline was, that a very sharp lookout was kept 
 up on both sides. But, though, the vigilance of 
 three pairs of government eyes were kept constantly 
 playing upon our movements, four junk bottles of 
 good whiskey, nevertheless, found their way into 
 our car in less than one hour after our departure 
 from 'Boston, all of which, were emptied of their 
 contents before we had reached Rhode Island. In 
 crossing the ferry at Providence, some of the men, 
 finding themselves, as yet, only " half seas over," 
 inquired for liquor at the bar of the boat, but were 
 told by the bar-keeper, that the vessel was a tem- 
 perapce boat; and yet, notwithstanding this infor- 
 mation, Jack Brown, one of the most ingenious 
 members of our party, contrived to play around 
 this same temperance bar-keeper so effectually, that 
 he got two of his empty junk bottles filled with 
 brandy. Jack slipped the bottles into the pocket 
 of his pea-jacket, and took his stand on the guard 
 of the steamer, a few paces forward of the wheel- 
 house; while the two midshipmen kept walking
 
 248 FIVE YEAIIS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 about on the bow deck, in order to be ready for 
 gathering up their troops as soon as the boat should 
 touch the landing. 
 
 Now, whether it was that my good-natured ship- 
 mate, Jack Brown, was really laboring under the 
 influence of the two junk bottles in his pocket, or 
 whether the motion of the temperance boat deran- 
 ged his equilibrium, I am at present unable to 
 determine, but certain it is, that Jack unexpectedly 
 reeled from his stand on the guards, and though 
 he struck out his hand to grasp at, what he suppo- 
 sed to be a stanchion of the boat, yet there was no 
 stanchion there, and in consequence of this fatal 
 mistake on the part of the boat-builder, he was pre- 
 cipitated headlong into the waters of Providence 
 bay. 
 
 " A man overboard !" shouted the pilot. 
 
 Lieutenant Johnson ran to the rail and looked 
 over the side. 
 
 "It is Brown," cried he. "Bear a hand this 
 way, my lads, and throw him the bite of a line. 
 Quick !" 
 
 But, unfortunately for Brown, there was no line 
 just at hand, and the poor fellow would certainly 
 have become food for the fishes had not Nelson 
 Burce, another whole-souled fellow of my own 
 mess, become excessively alarmed for the safety of 
 the two junk bottles of brandy, which he knew 
 were in Brown's pockets. To prevent so fatal a 
 loss, he instantly threw off his jacket, and plung-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 249 
 
 ing fearlessly into the bay, swam to the assistance 
 of his friend, whose head he succeeded in keeping 
 above water until both were finally relieved from 
 their perilous situation by the timely assistance of 
 a shore boat. 
 
 Having succeded in getting our amphibious ship- 
 mates once more on land, and our baggage and 
 hammocks stowed safely away in the baggage-car, 
 we all resumed our seats in the train, and pitched 
 ahead on the western portion of the track, as 
 fast as steam locomotion could carry us. It was 
 dark when we arrived at Stonington, where we 
 were instantly hurried on board a New York 
 steamer ; and after eating a good supper, which 
 Lieutenant Johnson had the liberality to procure for 
 us on board the boat, we were left to amuse our- 
 selves as best we could, our official watchman well 
 knowing that there could be no such thing aa 
 running away from the middle of Long Island 
 Sound. 
 
 Leaving my companions to the discussing of 
 their two bottles of brandy on the bow deck, I 
 walked aft into the vicinity of the cabin, and leaned 
 thoughtfully over the rail to enjoy for a brief pe- 
 riod the quiet of the evening, which was beautifully 
 serene. The waters of the Sound were as smooth 
 and silvery as the glassy surface of a river, while 
 the moon, which had not yet filled the horns of her 
 crescent, cast a pale and mellow light over the vast 
 
 expanse, blending together the heavens and the 
 15
 
 250 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 nether element in one magnificent scene of azure. 
 As I continued to gaze attentively on the splendor 
 of the skies and the "white foam that boiled up 
 from behind the wheel-house, my thoughts uncon- 
 sciously wandered homeward, and the once loved 
 forms of mother and sisters flitting through my 
 fancy, drew from my breast an involuntary sigh. 
 
 " A beautiful evening," said a lady's voice close 
 behind me. 
 
 The sudden appearance of a ghost could not 
 have startled me more than did these words, and 
 turning hastily around, my eyes rested on the fair 
 face of the speaker, who was leaning on the arm 
 of a gentleman. 
 
 "You must excuse our abruptness," said the 
 gentleman, apologizing pleasantly for the shock 
 they had occasioned me. " It was not our inten- 
 tion to alarm you." 
 
 " It was a the voice of the lady," an- 
 swered I, scarcely knowing what to say. " It is 
 not often we sailors are spoken to by ladies, and 
 besides ray thoughts were at the moment fixed on 
 the recollections of home." 
 
 " A moving theme for the reflections of those 
 who have been long absent from their friends," 
 observed the gentleman ; " and long absence is 
 a misfortune peculiar to a sailor's calling. How 
 long have you been from home ?" 
 
 "Near seven years," answered I.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " Seven years ! A long while, indeed. I scarcely 
 wonder that your thoughts recur homeward." 
 
 My new and unexpected acquaintance continued 
 to press the conversation until he drew from me all 
 the particulars in regard to our present journey to 
 New York, and a brief history of my personal ex- 
 perience in the "Mess-Room" of Uncle Sam. As 
 question followed question, other passengers from 
 the cabin were collected to the spot, until, in a 
 short time, I found myself surrounded by a crowd 
 of fashionable ladies and gentlemen, a?J of whom 
 appeared to find a peculiar pleasure in. rearing a 
 live sailor talk with a fluency of langua/e equal to 
 that of a rational landsman. 
 
 " Strange !" observed a lady amon^ the crowd, 
 to her companion. " This man has certainly been 
 accustomed to good society." 
 
 " His language, at least, would swam to imply as 
 much," responded a gentleman. 
 
 *' Just so," observed a third voice ; " and I would 
 venture the assertion that his friends spared no 
 efforts in his early instruction." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, gentleman," said I, my 
 vanity receiving a sudden inflation from their ob- 
 servations ; " but it has been my constant misfor- 
 tune, from infancy to manhood, to have to contend 
 with ignorance and poverty. My friends were too 
 poor to do any thing for my early instruction. 
 The decks of the whale-ship and of tL<t>
 
 252 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 together with my own observation, have been my 
 only schoolmaster." 
 
 "What are you doing here, you rascal?" ex- 
 claimed Lieutenant Johnson in a harsh voice, shoul- 
 dering his way among the passengers. "Away 
 with you to the forward part of the boat where 
 you belong." 
 
 I marched forward in double quick time, while 
 a murmur of disapprobation arose among the pas- 
 sengers in respect to the imperative behavior of 
 Lieutenant Johnson. 
 
 On the following morning by sunrise, the steamer 
 had made her way to the East river. Many of the 
 passengers were up at an early hour, and preparing 
 their toilet for a respectable entrance into the great 
 metropolis of the western world. I was leisurely 
 pacing the deck a short distance abaft the wheel- 
 shaft, and casting an occasional look along the 
 placid waters of the river, when I was again pleas- 
 antly greeted with the appearance of the lady and 
 gentleman who had caused my alarm on the prece- 
 ding night. A conversation was immediately com- 
 menced, in which the young lady, as well as her 
 male protector participated. 
 
 " I assure you," said my new acquaintance, 
 referring in his discourse to the peremptory lan- 
 guage of Lieutenant Johnson ; " I and Clara both 
 felt indignant at the abrupt and vulgar manner in 
 which you were dismissed. Is such rudeness to 
 subordinates common among naval officers ?"
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 253 
 
 "Rudeness!" echoed I, looking the gentleman 
 in the face, with a smile. " Did you consider that 
 rudeness ? why I regarded it as being moderately 
 polite. Had it not been for the presence of the 
 ladies, the language of Mr. Johnson would most 
 probably have been embellished with at least half a 
 dozen of the most nautical oaths and curses imagi- 
 nable." 
 
 My new friend seemed to regret deeply that offi- 
 cial dignity should condescend to profanity and 
 absolute vulgarity ; and while yet giving expression 
 to a full sense of his feelings on the subject, he 
 was interrupted by the compliments of the morning 
 offered to him, by a gentleman of a fine benevolent 
 countenance, from the opposite side of the boat. 
 Clara and her protector both bowed their com- 
 pliments in return to their fellow traveller, who, 
 with a gracious smile, passed onward towards the 
 cabin. 
 
 " Do you know that gentleman ?" said Clara to 
 me, her face still gleaming with the satisfaction hia 
 smile of recognition had awakened. 
 
 "I have no recollection of ever having seen him 
 before," replied I. 
 
 "It is Mr. Choat," remarked the gentleman. 
 
 " Senator Choat, of Massachusetts ?" inquired I. 
 
 "The same," replied the lady. "I thought, as 
 you came from Boston, you might perhaps have 
 seen him there." 
 
 "You must be aware," said I, laughing, " that 
 22
 
 254 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 I did not move in the same society with Mr. 
 Choat." 
 
 " Perhaps not," responded the lady, with a 
 smile ; " and yet there are doubtless those associa- 
 ting in the same circle who are less qualified for 
 the distinction than yourself." 
 
 " Thank you for your favorable opinion," said 
 I, with a bow ; " but I am not ambitious of desi- 
 ring such a distinction, without the corresponding 
 means of sustaining it, and until that time arrives, 
 which may never be, I shall have to content my- 
 self with that kind of company," interrupted I, 
 nodding towards one of my drunken shipmates, 
 who at that instant fell over the wheel-shaft, im- 
 mersing his head in a bucket of water. 
 
 "Hallo here, John Brown the Baptist, right out 
 of Providence bay and into it agin," shouted one 
 of our party, raising Brown up, and putting hia 
 hat on his head. "I'll be hanged, Burce, if he 
 doesn't take to salt water jist as nateral as a 
 herrin'." 
 
 " He always did, and can't be broke of it," said 
 Burce. 
 
 " He's etarnally capsizing," observed an old 
 quarter-gunner, named Sam Frost. " Blast your 
 eyes, Brown," added he, shaking the fallen man 
 by the shoulder, "you ort to take ballast aboard 
 to steady you." 
 
 "D n em' bugger you an' your ballast," re-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 25,5 
 
 torted Brown, hiccupping. " Havn't I been takin* 
 it aboard all night?" 
 
 "Ay, ay, to be sure you have, you lubber!" 
 proceeded Frost. " But you take it in at top, 
 instead of bottom. You'll never be able to carry 
 a steady boom that way." 
 
 As I had no desire to listen to the nautical dis- 
 course of my shipmates, or to hear such casual 
 remarks as the citizen passengers might feel dis- 
 posed to make on their conduct, I walked behind 
 the wheelhouse, and found a momentary amuse- 
 ment in watching the receding points of land that 
 bounded the extent of the waters, as the boat glided 
 rapidly by them. My new acquaintance, as if 
 determined to monopolize my company while he 
 remained on the boat, soon reappeared at my side. 
 We were then in the neighborhood of Hellgate, 
 and he entertained me with a description of the 
 surrounding country, the several channels of the 
 river in the celebrated pass, as well as the currents 
 of the water at different stages of the tide. In the 
 midst of our discourse, we were interrupted by the 
 Bound of the breakfast bell. 
 
 As my fellow-traveller departed to the cabin, one 
 of the midshipmen came to me and told me that 
 Lieutenant Johnson was willing that the men 
 should eat their meals on board the boat, provided 
 they paid for it themselves. Believing Uncle Sarn 
 in duty bound to furnish me my rations at all times 
 while wearing the livery of his "mess-room," I
 
 25G FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 had no inclination to sustain Mr. Johnson's pro- 
 viso, by the payment of half a dollar out of my 
 own pocket, and hence declined taking breakfast. 
 Some of the party, who were less tenacious on the 
 score of cash, or who anticipated some strange sort 
 of satisfaction from rendering their awkwardness 
 conspicuous to the gentry at the cabin table, ac- 
 cepted the conditions ; and- though Lieutenant 
 Johnson paid the bill, yet the fifty cents were sub- 
 sequently footed up to each man's account, after 
 his arrival on board the Fairfield. 
 
 By the time breakfast was over, Blackwell's 
 Island had been passed, and the noble steamer 
 was bearing rapidly down into the vicinity of New 
 York. The passengers began to crowd the deck 
 on all sides. Much congratulation and shaking of 
 hands, in anticipation of their approaching separa- 
 tion, was every where perceptible among them. 
 Directing my looks to seaward, my eyes caught a 
 glimpse of the sloop Fairfield. She. was moored 
 in the East river, near half a mile south of the 
 Battery; her graceful hull and web-like shrouds, 
 together with her lofty and symmetrical spars, 
 forming across the horizon a picture of such grace 
 and beauty as could not fail of arousing in the 
 bosom of a sailor a feeling of admiration. 
 
 "You appear to be inspecting your new home," 
 said my gentleman acquaintance, once more ap- 
 proaching me in company with his charge, and 
 speaking as if divining my thoughts.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 257 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied I. smiling, and still looking 
 in the direction of the vessel ; " in less than half an 
 hour from the present time, that ship will have 
 become my home for the space of ten months at 
 least." 
 
 "Are you then going to part with us immedi- 
 ately ?" said the lady. " I was telling uncle that 
 you might perhaps go. on shore in the city, and how 
 pleasant it would be to have your company at our 
 home." 
 
 " I can feel grateful for your intended kindness, 
 even without enjoying it," answered I, strangely 
 moved at such generous condescension towards an 
 humble sailor, whose very uniform made him scouted 
 by the mass of society. u But no, no ; I shall not 
 . get on shore. I see there are boats now coming 
 from the Fairfield. They are apprized of our 
 arrival, and will be at the landing to receive us." 
 
 " May you not, however, be in the city before 
 the ship goes to sea ?" inquired the gentleman. 
 
 " Perhaps I might get leave of absence," 
 answered I. 
 
 ** Then you must call at our house," interposed 
 Clara. " Uncle," added she, drawing a card from 
 a small pocket-case, " what is the number where 
 you have ordered our rooms ?" 
 
 u The address is in my trunk," answered the 
 gentleman ; " but he can ascertain the place from 
 our friends in Broadway." 
 
 " True," observed the lady, writing with a pen- 
 22*
 
 258 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 cil on the card, and handing it to me. " Inquire 
 there, whenever you visit the city, and you will 
 find us." 
 
 The steamer touched the wharf at that instant, 
 and there was a general rush of the passengers for 
 the shore. My new acquaintances both extended 
 their hands to bid me farewell, but were simulta- 
 neously separated from me by the crowd. The 
 midshipmen were running fore and aft, calling out 
 the names of the men, and hurrying all hands, 
 drunk and sober, together with their bags and 
 hammocks, into the Fan-field's boats ; while Lieu- 
 tenant Johnson, in the meantime, had taken up 
 his station on the wharf, to prevent the egress of 
 such of our little party as might be disposed to 
 take French leave. Amid the general confusion 
 of the moment, I did not pause to read the super- 
 scription on the card of Clara, but placed it hastily 
 in my pocket-book, which I slipped loosely into my 
 jacket-pocket. As soon as the boat had shoved 
 clear of the steamer, I began to search for my 
 card, when lo and behold ! my pocket-book, to- 
 gether with the card, and one dollar and seventy- 
 five cents in money had, no doubt, found its waj 
 into the slippery fingers of some slippery pick- 
 pocket. 
 
 "Burce, by thunder,I've been robbed !" exclaimed 
 I, to that worthy, who shared a seat with me in the 
 stern sheets of the boat. 
 
 " So have I," observed Burce, coolly.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 259 
 
 "What have you lost ?" inquired I. 
 
 " Brown stole my bottle !" 
 
 "No matter, so you got the liquor," said I. 
 
 " That's 'the <Jevil of it ! He drunk the liquor, 
 and smashed the bottle," answered Burce. 
 
 " Well, its a bad wind that blows nobody any 
 good. What's your loss is his gain. He only stole 
 what he could drink, but I've lost my money, and 
 the thief can't drink that, you know ?" 
 
 "May be not," said Burce, "but he can take 
 the money you saved on your breakfast this morn- 
 ing, and buy a quart of brandy with it." 
 
 " Very consoling, Burce ! You're as deep in 
 philosophy as I am, and so we'll square yards with 
 each other." 
 
 In ten minutes more we were alongside the Fair- 
 field. I was the first to mount by the manropes, 
 and as I gained the hammock nettings, I made a 
 pause, and glanced my eye to the forecastle, where 
 the boatswain was engaged in squaring the yards. 
 It was Mr. Edgar. " Can it be possible," exclaimed 
 I, mentally, " that I am to come again within reach 
 of that rascal !" Still staring at the boatswain, I 
 did not notice that the gangway ladder had been 
 removed for the purpose of being holystoned, and 
 making one step, down went myself, bag, ham- 
 mock and all, sprawling and spluttering, on the 
 unswabbed decks of the Fairfield. 
 
 " Avast there, shipmate ! you'd better clew up 
 your sails, or you'll be boardin' us here by the run,"
 
 260 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 exclaimed an old sailor, picking up my hammock. 
 On looking up, I recognized in the face of the 
 speaker an old quarter-master, who had formerly 
 served with me in the Independence. In an in- 
 stant I had regained my feet. 
 
 " Are you hurt ?" inquired he, twisting his eyes 
 about my person, as if trying to identify me. 
 
 " Why Hull ! blast your old eyes, how do you 
 do ? Are you alive yet ? I thought you had gone 
 to 'kingdom come' long ago ! Give me your flip- 
 per, you old sea elephant, till I shake the kinks 
 out of your knuckles. Hurt, did you say ? No. 
 " Sound enough at bottom, but a little out of trim 
 here," added I, pointing with my finger to my 
 head. 
 
 "Nater! nater !" cried my old friend, shaking 
 me warmly by the hand ; " I never tack three times 
 into a grogshop myself, but what I git the same 
 feelin' ; and then I turn keel up, and drag out, with 
 guards under, in the lee scuppers." 
 
 No, no, 'tis'nt that I mean, Hull," said I ; " for 
 I don't like the ' critter' well enough to cruise after 
 it. But I had just got a sight at your boatswain, 
 when I upsot. It took me all aback in my mind. 
 I thought when he left Boston, we should always 
 Bail clear of each other, but I find that I have over- 
 hauled him again." 
 
 " You mean Mr. Edgar ? Yes, yes, I did hear 
 he war'nt so well liked in the Columbus ; but it's
 
 FIYE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 261 
 
 best to keep a bright eye to windward, for he car- 
 ries a high press of sail here." 
 
 " Does he ? Oh ! then I shall be as polite as a 
 dancing master, and take my first lesson in dissem- 
 bling now ; for I perceive he is coming this way, to 
 see, perhaps, how many of his old friends are 
 among our party." 
 
 The side ladder having been replaced, our whole 
 party descended to the deck ; and having deposited 
 their bags and bedding on the booms, stood grouped 
 together in the larboard gangway ; while the men 
 of the Fairfield, in the meantime, busied themselves 
 in swabbing up the decks. As Edgar approached 
 the mainmast, he paused an instant, directly in front 
 of us, and after surveying each man deliberately 
 greeted us in his own peculiar way. 
 
 " Good mornin, boys pleasant time in the 
 steamer, I reckon eight bells -jist in time for 
 grog, boys," said Edgar, in whose mind drinking 
 grog was at all times an object of paramount con- 
 sideration to any other duty. 
 
 " Good morning, Mr. Edgar," said I, extending 
 my hand. 
 
 " How dy do !" exclaimed he, shaking it emphat- 
 ically. "Blast my eyes, if this an't clever always 
 like to shake hands with an old friend stirs up 
 one's bilge water, don't it?" 
 
 "Hypocrite!" thought I, as he spoke. "How 
 I would like to have you on shore, and subscribe 
 my mark of friendship on your nose ;" but smoth-
 
 262 FIVE YEARS BEFORE TILE MAST. 
 
 ering ray feelings, I asked him how he got on in 
 his new station. " Jam up would'nt give the lit- 
 tle craft for two old Columbus','' and putting his 
 call to his mouth, the little boatswain waddled off, 
 piping all hands to the double duty of grog and 
 breakfast. 
 
 On descending with my clothes-bag to the berth- 
 deck, my looks wandered fore and aft, scanning 
 the spaciousness of the vessel's hull, as is usual 
 with seamen who comprehend the usefulness and 
 convenience of a roomy ship. Before I had com- 
 pleted my survey, my eyes rested on the master's 
 mate, who was figuring away at a. small desk, on 
 the larboard side of the main hold, and directing 
 an occasional sentence to the master-at-arms, who 
 occupied a campstool about one fathom on his right 
 hand. I had certainly beheld the countenance of 
 the master's-mate before, but where, or when, had 
 entirely slipped my memory. I looked, and looked, 
 but with no better recollection. 
 
 " Hull," Eaid I, to the old quarter-master, who 
 hung near me, as if fearful of losing my company 
 to breakfast ; " who the devil is master's-mate here ? 
 If it was'nt for the Buffalo-robe whiskers yon chap 
 wears, I should swear it was Jerry Tripp ?" 
 
 "You may, if you choose, swear it any how; 
 whiskers or no whiskers," said Hull. "Only you 
 must kick the Jerry overboard, and call him Mr. 
 Tripp; for the captain has put a handle to his 
 name."
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 268 
 
 " Oh ! very well, then, overboard it goes ; and 
 BO, good by to Jerry Tripp, and welcome Mr. Tripp. 
 How are you Mr. Tripp ?" added I, approaching 
 the desk, and addressing the newly made officer. 
 
 " Good mornin'," said Mr. Tripp, rolling up his 
 eyes, and staring me vacantly in the face. " I be- 
 lieve you a have the advantage of me ? a yes 
 no yes no you hav'nt nether, I guess I've seen 
 you afore, hav'nt I?" 
 
 " Quite likely," said I ; " for I sailed with yon 
 in the Independence." 
 
 " In the Independence ! Oh ! a yes, under 
 Commodore Nicholson yes, I was in the Inde- 
 pendence ! Well, what do you want? 1 ' 
 
 " 0! nothing of importance, but my discharge," 
 answered I. " And you can do nothing towards 
 procuring me that. Nothing from nothing and 
 how much remains, Hull ?" said I, to the old quarter- 
 master, as I turned, with a wink, from Mr. Tripp. 
 
 " Five naval buttons with a swallow-tailed coat !" 
 said Hull, chuckling at the manner in which my 
 compliments had been met by the inflated Mr. 
 Jeremiah B. Tripp. 
 
 With a hearty laugh at the mingled pride and 
 ignorance of the puny officer, who now sought 
 sedulously to hold himself aloof from the com- 
 panionship of his former associates, Hull and I 
 repaired to our breakfast, which the cook of the 
 mess had that morning spread for us under the 
 lop-gallant forecastle.
 
 In which the Jour. Shoemaker finds himself destined for a distant 
 portion of the world. 
 
 THE first two weeks following our arrival on 
 board the Fairfield, were mostly spent in organizing 
 the crew, making out the watch, quarter and station 
 bills, exercising occasionally at making and taking 
 in sail, and at small arms. My station was on the 
 forecastle, and in the larboard watch. Captain 
 Tattnall, impressed with the belief that I had not 
 followed the sea long enough to perform able sea- 
 man's duty, had me placed on the station bills as 
 an ordinary seaman, notwithstanding I had drawn 
 seaman's pay and done seaman's duty, both in the 
 Preble and the Columbus. I might have started ob- 
 jections at thus being disrated without just cause, 
 but refrained from doing so, from fear of thrusting 
 my head into hot water. I had sufficient sagacity 
 to discover that our captain was not possessed of 
 the most amiable temper in the world ; and the first 
 lieutenant, Mr. Whittle, a tall, lean man, with 
 dark hair, dark eyes, and skin of the same hue, 
 had managed, during my first five days of service, 
 to single me out as an object of his most particular 
 dislike. Under these circumstances, it became rae 
 (264)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE TUB MAST. 265 
 
 to toe the mark of discipline with such scrupulous 
 exactness as could leave no room for cats, OP 
 caterwauling. 
 
 About the 18th of May we hove up our anchors, 
 and sailed out of New York harbor. But very 
 few, if any, of the foremast hands knew anything 
 definite concerning the place of our destination. 
 Some expressed themselves as being quite certain 
 that we were out for the coast of Africa, while 
 others maintained with equal confidence that we 
 were bound for the West Indies ; and a few were 
 impressed with the belief that we were destined 
 for the coast of Brazil, to relieve the ship Marion, 
 which vessel had been reported in a sinking condi- 
 tion, and was then hove down at Rio Janeiro to 
 undergo repairs. Contrary, however, to the pre- 
 dictions of all these sea prophets, the vessel, in a 
 few days breasted her way into the mouth of 
 Chesapeake bay, doubled Cape Henry, and soon 
 afterwards, we dropped our anchor at Hampton 
 Roads, in Virginia. Here we found the Delaware 
 ship of the line, bearing the broad pennant of 
 Commodore Morris, and destined as the flag ship 
 of the Brazilian squadron. 
 
 It was now becoming pretty evident to all hands, 
 that the coast of Brazil was ultimately to become 
 our place of destination. This result, to which 
 events seemed rapidly concurring, certainly af- 
 forded me some very peculiar reflections. It was 
 
 in Brazil that I had shipped in the American navy, 
 23
 
 266 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 "with no other object in view, than that of returning 
 to the United States ; and now, after having trav- 
 ersed the Atlantic ocean on both sides of the equa- 
 tor, from the Bio La Plata, to Labrador, I was 
 likely, at the end of three years, to come out 
 i.ike Col. Crocket, in his congress speech at 
 the same hole I went in at. I had, however, 
 two ideas with which to console my feelings, and 
 which doubtless restrained me from committing any 
 act of extravagance. One was, that there was no 
 use in grumbling, and the other was, that all the 
 grumbling I could possibly do, would not change 
 the destination of the vessel. But circumstances 
 of an unforseen character, delayed the sailing of 
 the squadron, and eventually worked a change in 
 the intended movements of the Fairfield. 
 
 About this time certain sharp-eyed New Yorkers 
 fixed their clutches on a somewhat notorious person- 
 age, named McLeod, who had led the depredations 
 on the steamer Caroline, during the late insurrec- 
 tion in Canada. He was no sooner imprisoned than 
 the British authorities demanded his release ; but 
 this the Yorkers refused to grant, grounding their 
 objections on the plea, that the depredations 
 had been committed within the jurisdiction of 
 their state. The British government began imme- 
 diately, on this refusal, to talk of war ; and Brother 
 Jonathan, to show his spunk, began to talk of war 
 also. As a natural consequence of the quarrel, a'n 
 angry correspondence was soon originated, between
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 267 
 
 foreign diplomatists and native diplomatists, ac- 
 companied with such a hostile scatterment of ink, 
 as seemed to darken the political atmosphere of both 
 countries. Under this gloomy aspect of affairs, 
 Captain Tattnall determined to show to the world 
 in general, and to little Hampton in particular, 
 what he could do ; and ordering up on deck, all 
 the old hogsheads, and empty barrels that could be 
 found about the ship's hold, he had them anchored 
 out in the stream, and casting loose the big guns, 
 set the sailors to work in shooting the heads out of 
 them. Then commenced such a cannonading as 
 never before shook the timbers of the old Fairfield. 
 The Virginia negro fishermen stood aghast in their 
 boats the blackbirds fled, screaming from the 
 shores of the bay, and buried themselves in the 
 hidden recesses of the forests ; while the lobsters 
 and bottle-fish, alarmed at the terrible commotion, 
 dove violently away to the sandy beds of .the ocean, 
 fearful and trembling, as if heaven and earth were 
 being torn asunder. Oh! it was an awful time to 
 everybody in the ship, and particularly so to me, 
 who had always found it hard enough work to ex- 
 ercise uncharged guns, without the additional ac- 
 companiment of shot, catridges, wads, hemp, pitch, 
 tar, grease, sweat, dirt, powder, grape and all the 
 complex et cetera of death, havoc, toil, filth and de- 
 struction. But, notwithstanding, it was a foretaste 
 of war, and we must go it, and go it we did, with a 
 perfect rush.
 
 268 FIVE YEAKS BKFOUE THE MAST. 
 
 " Boarders, away, on the larboard bow !" shouted 
 the captain through the speaking trumpet. 
 
 And away ran every man, armed with a cutlass, 
 boarding pike, or pistol, presenting himself at the 
 point of attack in such warlike array, that it ia 
 questionable whether a line of forty sail of the 
 enemy, would have been entirely safe from an as- 
 sault, had they been there. 
 
 " Here, he's boarding us on the starboard quar- 
 ter !" again roared the captain. 
 
 To prevent the consummation of this threaten- 
 ing manoeuvre, the marines, in a solid phalanx, 
 flew to the rescue, darting their bayonets over the 
 starboard quarter gallery, in such threatening atti- 
 tude, as held the enemy at momentary bay. Mean- 
 while, the sailors tumbled down from the top 
 gallant forecastle, heels over head, and thundering 
 aft along the gangways in the most delightful con- 
 fusion, arrived at the designated point, before the 
 unyielding marines had been repelled one inch 
 from their feeble, though resolute position. After 
 a desperate hand to hand conflict of ten seconds, 
 during which the ghosts of twice that number of 
 McLeods, had ceased forever to haunt the shores 
 of Virginia, the brave Fairfielders succeeded in 
 driving the enemy beyond their reach, and falling 
 quickly back on the quarter-deck, each man stood 
 apart, puffing and blowing with the noise of an 
 half exhausted bellows. By this time the enemy, 
 who persisted in being invisible to all eyes except
 
 FIVE YEAT:S BEFORE THE MAST. 2G9 
 
 those of the commander, was compelled to resort 
 once more to his guns ; and the captain, believing 
 that a, well directed broadside would now finish 
 him, ordered it to be poured into him with a will. 
 The panting but unflinching crew rushed once 
 more to the guns ; for an instant the heavy shot 
 were heard rumbling down their iron throats, and 
 then a roar louder than the dread artillery of heaven 
 burst from stem to stern of the brave Fail-field, 
 enveloping her masts and rigging in a cloud of 
 smoke. Victory danced on the banners of the 
 Yankees. It was all up with the old hogsheads. 
 They raised their venerable bottoms towards the 
 heavens in dying despair, and then sank slowly 
 beneath the silent waters, never to rise again. 
 
 The battle over, we were all called aft on the 
 quarter-deck, where the captain addressed us in a 
 glowing speech, burning with the most sparkling 
 fires of patriotism. He alluded, with touching 
 emphasis, to the sturdy bravery of our revolu- 
 tionai-y fathers, the bright and unexampled career 
 of Washington, the energetic calmness of Hull, 
 and the indomitable courage of Decatur. Nor did 
 he, in his review of American braves, pass unno- 
 ticed the bright names that cast their light over 
 the histories of other nations. The achievements 
 of Rodney, the conquests of Howe, the exploits 
 of Duncan, and the world-renowned victories of 
 Nelson, were all in turn dwelt upon with moving 
 eloquence, and finally the whole catalogue of glori- 
 23*
 
 270 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 ous names, was happily trumped home with that of 
 the Dutch admiral, Von Tromp. The speech told 
 vrith wonderful effect on the sailors, who from 
 time to time evinced their approbation, by repeated 
 " hurrahs," and when the captain finally concluded 
 the best part of it, which consisted of an order for 
 five gallons of whiskey to be divided among the 
 crew, under the technical name of " splicing the 
 main brace," all hands threw up their hats in a 
 perfect blaze of enthusiasm, and gave three such 
 deafening cheers, that a landsman would have sup- 
 posed them flushed with a victory of having 
 thrashed a fleet of forty English frigates. 
 
 With amusements of this description, we con- 
 tinued to- entertain ourselves while we remained at 
 Hampton Roads. To the officers, they were per- 
 haps, capital fun, and the captain seemed to enjoy 
 them with peculiar satisfaction ; but in general 
 they were most heartily detested by the majority 
 of the men, who looked upon them as so much 
 labor and exertion thrown away on a profitless 
 issue. There was not a sailor among them but 
 would rather have grappled hand to hand with the 
 most daring enemy, than toil and sweat amid the 
 labors of a phantom conflict. They were also 
 conscious that these exercises were of but little 
 benefit to the government as well as to themselves. 
 Powder and shot could not be procured by the 
 government without money, and to waste them 
 uselessly was like throwing cash out of the port-
 
 FIVE TEARS BEFORE TITE MAST. 271 
 
 holes into the sea. The McLcod war on the Fair- 
 field alone, must have cost the government a snug 
 little sum of money, as the quantity of amunition 
 consumed by us during the two months we lay at 
 Hampton Roads, amounted to near three thousand 
 pounds of powder, and some eight thousand pounds 
 of round shot, all of which was sent to " Davy 
 Jones' Locker," in the waters of the Roadstead. 
 
 While these occurrences were transpiring in 
 Virginia, a scene of a different nature, but equally 
 singular in character, was being enacted in another 
 portion of the world. It happened that a rumor 
 of the anticipated war with England had found its 
 way to the Mediterranean sea. There were several 
 British steamers just then cruising on those waters, 
 and the idea of having a brush with Brother Jona- 
 tean, putting mischief into the head of one of 
 them, caused her to look with a hungry eye at the 
 gridiron banner of the American frigate Brandy- 
 wine. Now, whether it was that the British stea- 
 mer actually fired at the Brandywine, or whether 
 she only intended to fire, or whether Commodore 
 Bolton only thought she was going to fire, are 
 questions which circumstances have rendered so 
 mysterious that I will not try to decipher them. 
 It is sufficient for the reader to know that some- 
 thing was done to the alarm of the American ves- 
 sel, for she secretly slipped from her moorings, and 
 Bnuffing the western gale, put out of the gut of 
 Gibraltar with all her might, as if the old boy had
 
 272 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 kicked her astern, and kept pitching and tossing 
 across the Atlantic ocean with such unconquerable 
 velocity that Commodore JBolton, with his whole 
 crew, found himself entirely unable to bring her 
 to a halt until she had run almost totally aground 
 in the harbor of New York. 
 
 It is impossible for me to describe the conster- 
 nation of the general government, on hearing of 
 their Mediterranean commander having been run 
 away with by the frigate Brandywine, and that, too. 
 at a time when the interests of the country par- 
 ticularly required his presence on that station. A 
 general surprise also arose in New York city, 
 where the occurrence was freely commented on 
 and discussed among the people. Some presumed 
 to question whether the Brandywine was as blama- 
 ble for having deserted her post, as her commander, 
 while others, with much more boldness and effron- 
 tery, even .ventured to speak in terms of derision 
 of the commodore's valor, as smacking too much 
 of the Falstaff kind to stand the test of emergency. 
 For my own part, however, I do not wish to be 
 understood as endorsing any of these popular 
 notions in respect to the worthy officer in question, 
 for as Commodore Morgan subsequently observed, 
 " It is hardly fair to hold an officer responsible to 
 the populace, in errors of conduct, for which he is 
 at all times amenable alone to the judgment and 
 censure of the general government." 
 
 However, as a consequential result of this unex-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 2T3 
 
 pected nature of the Brandywine, Commodore Bol- 
 ton was suspended from the command in the Medi- 
 terranean, until a court of inquiry could be con- 
 vened to examine into the merits of his conduct. 
 In the meanwhile it was necessary that the Bran- 
 dywine should return to her former station, and 
 orders were accordingly issued for her to proceed 
 immediately thither, in charge of Captain Guy- 
 singer. The command of the squadron was soon 
 after tendered to Commodore Morgan, who accepted 
 the appointment, and the sloop of war Fairfield, 
 was detatched from the Brazilian squadron to carry 
 him to his field of operations. 
 
 Pending the time of Commodore Morgan's ap- 
 pearance at Norfolk, our vessel was transmoored 
 near to that place, and in close proximity to the 
 ship of the line, Pennsylvania. We had frequent 
 intercourse with the men of the Pennsylvania, 
 many of whom expressed a strong desire to quit 
 their stationary mammoth residence for an active 
 sea-going ship. As many of these men had three 
 years to serve, and myself but eight months, I 
 thought an exchange might be made to the advan- 
 tage of some one else, as well as to myself, for I 
 conceived it an act of folly, on the part of the 
 government, to send me abroad on a foreign mis- 
 sion for so short a period. With permission of the 
 first lieutenant, I ventured to break the subject to 
 the captain, who showed but little inclination, 
 however, to assent to the arrangement. I per-
 
 274 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 slated in my claims, until he began to betray 
 symptoms of impatience. 
 
 " Where did you ship ?" demanded he, when I 
 had related my story. 
 
 " On the coast of Brazil, in the Independence," 
 answered I. 
 
 " Is there any one else in this ship who served 
 in the Independence ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir," said I, " there's Hull, the quarter- 
 master, was in the same ship with me." 
 
 " Hull," proceeded the captain ; " what kind of 
 a character did this man sustain in the Indepen- 
 dence ?' 
 
 " Very good, sir," answered Hull, touching his 
 hat. " He had but one serious fault, and that is 
 he wouldn't drink grog with the rest of the ship's 
 company." 
 
 " That's an offence that can be overlooked," 
 said the captain, smiling. " I never flog a man 
 for refusing to get drunk. Mr. Edgar, this way if 
 you please," added he, calling to the boatswain, 
 who was backing and filling on the top-gallant fore- 
 castle. Mr. Edgar walked aft. 
 
 "You are from the Columbus, I believe," said 
 the captain, addressing him. 
 
 "Yes sir." 
 
 " What sort of a character did this man bear in 
 the Columbus?" asked the captain, nodding to- 
 wards me. 
 
 "Jam up," replied the boatswain, looking first
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 275 
 
 at Captain Tattnall, and then at me. " He was 
 considered one of the best men in the ship." 
 
 " That will do," said the captain, dismissing the 
 boatswain ; and turning to me he added : *' You 
 see now how it is. I have gone to the pains of 
 drilling this ship's company, until nearly every 
 man can knock the head out of a hogshead at a 
 long shot, and now you would have me exchange 
 my best men for some raw recruits, who know 
 nothing of handling a rammer or sighting a gun. 
 No, no. I hope I shall be more careful of the 
 interests of the service than that. I would not 
 part company with you for two raw hands ; the 
 Mediterranean squadron would be altogether im- 
 perfect without you." 
 
 "Well, Captain Tattnall," said I, not a little 
 provoked at this tantalizing speech, "I give you 
 fair warning that as soon as my remaining seven 
 months service expire, I will quit the navy, let me 
 be in what portion of the world I will." 
 
 "There is a law," observed Captain Tattnall, 
 " empowering commanders of vessels to retain the 
 services of those men whose times have expired, as 
 long as they may deem such service essential to the 
 public good, and by that law I can detain you at 
 my discretion." 
 
 " True, sir," you may perhaps detain me, but 
 you cannot compel me to labor. I shall refuse 
 duty as soon as my time expires." 
 
 "See there; do you see that?" said the captain,
 
 276 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 pointing to the stars and stripes that floated at the 
 mizzen peak. 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied I, touching my hat. 
 
 " Well, so long as you are under that, you will 
 have to submit to the laws and regulations that 
 govern the service ; and if you do not, or dare to 
 turn even a finger in opposition to them, there is a 
 summary way of fetching you up with a round 
 turn of the cat-o'-nine tails ; do you understand 
 that ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, perfectly well," replied I. 
 
 " Well, then, go forward to your duty ; govern 
 yourself accordingly, and let me hear no more of 
 exchanges." 
 
 With a. bosom palpitating with vexation and dis- 
 appointment, I repaired to the berth deck to brood 
 over my ill success, and to console my thoughts with 
 the first mischief that presented itself. Here a 
 letter was handed to me from an old associate in 
 the Columbus, to whom I had written shortly after 
 our arrival at Hampton Roads. I opened it, and 
 for a while forgot the defeat of my project of 
 exchange in the perusal of its contents. 
 
 IT. S. Ship Columbus, 
 Boston Harbor, July 5th, 1841. 
 Dear Sir : I received your letter of the 30th 
 of May, after it had lain in the post-office nearly a 
 month. I am very glad to hear that you are in 
 the enjoyment of good health, and I am at a loss
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 277 
 
 to know why you was disrated to ordinary seaman. 
 However, I suppose they thought to intimidate 
 you sufficiently to answer their purpose, and if 
 possible, cause you to re-enter for the Fairfield's 
 cruise ; but if you comply with their wishes, you 
 will lose a great deal in the opinion of myself and 
 a host of friends, who expect far better things of 
 you. I know that it will take more than a bois- 
 terous bully to frighten you, but recollect I do not 
 say that your captain is such a man, although I 
 have been almost led to think so from the reports 
 of some of my old shipmates now on board the 
 Fail-field. 
 
 I think you a singularly unfortunate fellow in 
 being transferred from ship to ship, incessantly, 
 during your unjust detention. If the department 
 think to obtain men for the navy, in this way, 
 they will. find themselves very much mistaken, for 
 the treatment ia too harsh altogether, and the 
 commanders of ships are licensed with arbitrary 
 power, which they exercise in the highest degree 
 in fact they assume, and use, and abuse more 
 power than the president of this great republic 
 dare think of exercising, or presume to hold, or 
 expect ; they break their word every hour in the 
 day and seem to think they are doing it for the 
 good of the service, whereas they are only driving 
 men away from the navy. Had I been treated as 
 some good men have, I think I should have made 
 holes in some blue coats, for my temper is so easily 
 24
 
 278 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 up, that I should dread the consequences of any 
 thing like severe tyranny or injustice. 
 
 Captain Smith opened his heart a short time 
 ago, and actually had the kindness to rate me 
 ordinary seamen, after my having lost chances in 
 several seagoing ships from this port, in which I 
 would have been well paid. However, my time is 
 growing short in the service, and when I am dis- 
 charged, should I live nine hundred and ninety- 
 nine years, and all that time fed upon bread and 
 water, I will never enter the navy again. What- 
 ever I may think of the treatment I have received, 
 it shall rest in my own breast until I see a fitting 
 opportunity for an explosion, and then I will spare 
 no one that has had a share in any villainous 
 actions that have come under my notice. 
 
 Please give my kindest regards to Brown, Swain, 
 Frost, Burce, and all the rest, and tell them I shall 
 be glad to hear from them at any time. Davis, 
 Wheeler, Clark, and a host of others, send you 
 their best wishes. 
 
 Pray let me hear from you on the first opportu- 
 nity, as I shall be glad to learn if you go in the 
 Fairfield or not. I trust you will remain at Nor- 
 folk, and when you are discharged, I am convinced 
 you will have the good sense not only to take care 
 of your money, but -to make the best use of your 
 time. I assure you, I have been so much vexed of 
 late, that I care not how things go. When onco 
 free, the service may go to the you know where.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 279 
 
 Trusting that you may continue to enjoy good 
 health, and that you will not re-enter, 
 I remain, dear sir, 
 
 Yours, very truly, 
 
 W. STUAKT. 
 
 It is an old saying, that misery loves company, 
 and though, in general, I never felt any particular 
 satisfaction in seeing others distressed when I was, 
 yet in brooding over the contents of this letter, I 
 must confess that I drew more than one consoling 
 thought from the reflection that I was not the only 
 man in the service, who was heartily sick of it. I 
 folded up the letter, and laying it aside for future 
 perusal, returned to my duty with the resignation 
 of a philosopher. For a subsequent week, my 
 time was actively spent in boats plying to and 
 from the Gossport navy yard. During this period, 
 \vater, provisions, and whiskey, were conveyed on 
 board the ship, as well as the commodore's stores. 
 By the 26th of July, every arrangement was com- 
 pleted for the commencement of our voyage, and 
 we only awaited the presence of the commodore, 
 to weigh anchor. On the 28th, we were greeted 
 with the appearance of the commander-in-chief, 
 and immediately setting all sail, we passed down 
 Hampton Roads with a salute to the Delaware, 
 arid in four hours after, were tossing and heaving 
 sn the broad bosom of the blue Atlantic.
 
 Voyage to Gibraltar. 
 
 IN general there is little to cheer the heart in a 
 long sea voyage. There are no passing objects 
 aside from an occasional storm, or strange sail, to 
 arrest the attention of the ocean traveller. From 
 day to day the restless eye wanders its accustomed 
 round over the trackless waters, to be only relieved 
 at times from the monotonous scene, by a wander- 
 ing albicore or breaching porpoise. The duties of 
 to-day are the duties of to-morrow, and when the 
 bright sun, at each declining day, shields his glit- 
 tering face behind the western ocean, there is no 
 golden landscape on which the weary wanderer 
 may mark the extent of his last day's journey. 
 But merrily onward bounds the ship day and night, 
 over the silent waste, carrying its load of beating 
 hearts far from home, from friends and native 
 land never, perhaps, to meet again. 
 
 "Aye! never, perhaps, to meet again;" so 
 thought I, the fourth night after our departure 
 from Hampton Roads. It was in the first hour 
 of the mid-watch. I had stretched myself to rest 
 between two of the forward guns, while the ship 
 was scudding along under an easy western breeze. 
 (280)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 281 
 
 The moon was abroad in the heavens, and cast a 
 glimmering light across the sea, and over as much 
 of the ship's deck as was not sheltered from her 
 rays by the press of canvass above. Some twenty 
 men were strewed around, their noses keeping time 
 in strange harmony with the music of their dreams. 
 I could not sleep. The truth is, I had fallen into 
 one of my melancholy fits, and whenever one of 
 these was upon me, I became strangely moved 
 with gloomy thoughts and mysterious forebodings. 
 The prospect of war was, in the present instance, 
 before me, together with all its turmoil of battles, 
 captures, and prisoners ; and as my fancy pursued 
 its unhappy train of images, the motionless faces 
 of the men around me began to assume the pallid 
 hue of death. I was at length startled at my own 
 conceits, and sought to soften down my thoughts 
 by recalling to memory more pleasing associations. 
 Then recurred the recollections of home of my 
 mother of a thousand other things connected 
 with my earlier life, upon which my heart became 
 melted, and I indulged a while in tears. My 
 weeping affording me some relief, I counted up my 
 speculations of sorrow in a grand sum total, and 
 in looking over the items, I came to the sort of 
 double conclusion, that in one way I was a darned 
 fool, and in the other, that I must certainly be the 
 only miserable wretch in the ship. 
 
 At this juncture my ear was saluted with what 
 I conceived to be the blowing of a porpoise under 
 24*
 
 282 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the larboard bow, and on thrusting my head 
 through one of the bow-ports, to ascertain whether 
 it were within reach of a gig, my cheek came sud- 
 denly in contact with that of Mr. J. M. Turner, who 
 was sitting quietly in the fore channels. His face 
 was bathed in tears, and his eyes were fixed on the 
 distant moon, as if in contemplation of some loved 
 image in her silvery orb. 
 
 Now the reader may perhaps be desirous of 
 knowing who Mr. J. M. Turner was, and why he 
 was weeping. I will endeavor to set his mind at 
 rest in respect to the first question, by stating that 
 Mr. Turner was a youth of some sixteen years of 
 age, who held the rank of midshipman on board the 
 Faixfield. But before I can satisfactorily dispose 
 of the second question, it will be necessary first to 
 note who midshipmen are, what they are, and how 
 they are made. 
 
 In respect to the first of these inquiries I may 
 observe, that midshipmen are usually the progeny 
 of naval captains and members of naval bureaus 
 of United States senators of members and ex- 
 members of congress and of other great men 
 holding high seats in the synagogue of govern- 
 ment. Indeed the patronage of the navy has been 
 limited with such scrupulous care to the children 
 of the great men of our land, that precedent alone, 
 if no other usage, woald exclude from the official 
 list the son of a commoner. The consequence of 
 this is, that midshipmen commonly look upon them-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 283 
 
 selves as being somebody. Much regard is paid 
 among them to birth, and their characters and 
 abilities are too often weighed, by even their supe- 
 riors, in proportion to the positions occupied by 
 their fathers in government and society. Hence 
 their very messes become seasoned with a strong 
 smell of aristocracy, and a boy of humble parentage 
 shoved suddenly in the steerage of a ship among 
 them, would meet with about the same favor at 
 their hands as a toad thrown into a den of 
 vipers. 
 
 As to what midshipmen are, it may be noted, 
 that though nothing in common can exist between 
 them and the sailors as a class, yet they form a 
 sort of connecting link between the official and 
 subordinate portion of a ship's company. Their 
 duty is to muster the watches, to run errands, to 
 carry orders and messages, to command the boats 
 when absent on duty, and to keep a general watch 
 and supervision over .the movements of the men. 
 They are at sea something near what constables 
 are on land the summoners, reporters and inform- 
 ers, while their superiors may be styled the execu- 
 tioners, of the law. Though in general they are 
 looked upon with contempt by the men, yet the 
 laws protect them from insult. They may abuse, 
 if they please, any man of the ship's company with 
 impunity, as the object of their dislike can obtain 
 redress in no other way than by an appeal to the 
 captain, and the captain never punishes a gentle*
 
 284 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 man further than by a gentle reprimand. If a 
 sailor resist the assault of a young gentleman, he 
 does it at the risk of his life; for one of the arti- 
 cles of war reads : " If any man shall strike, or 
 offer to strike, his superior officer, he shall suffer 
 death, or such other punishment as a court-martial 
 shall inflict." When the reader takes into careful 
 consideration the scope which such laws must neces- 
 sarily give to the genius of a young aristocrat, 
 seventeen years of age ; and when he, moreover, 
 reflects that such boys are usually the worst 
 spoiled children in the world, from the over-indul- 
 gence of parents, he will have no great difficulty in 
 arriving at a proper estimate of what midshipmen 
 are. 
 
 As to the question of how midshipmen are made, 
 the query may perhaps be best illustrated to the 
 reader by an individual character, and having one 
 just now in my eye, I will proceed with it in 
 detail. 
 
 A gentleman senator from V has a prom- 
 ising son to dispose of a bright ingenious youth, 
 who, by becoming ungovernable at home, has shown 
 the very qualifications necessary to govern a ship's 
 company. The senator determines at once to fix 
 the destiny of his boy in the navy. He suggests 
 his wisfees to the President of the United States. 
 The President, appreciating the weight of the hon- 
 orable senator's influence in the political scales, 
 hints the iiame of the boy to the honorable Secre*
 
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 285 
 
 tary of the Navy. The honorable secretary, desi- 
 rous of " killing two birds with one stone," by 
 gratifying the wishes of both the President and the 
 senator, places a midshipman's warrant in the 
 pocket of the boy, and sends him off to New York, 
 or Boston, where the lad steps on board a national 
 ship, an independent midshipman. 
 
 Though only fifteen years of age at his entrance 
 into the service, the young gentleman now begins 
 to take what is technically called " a great swell." 
 He begins, too, to taste the benefits of office. He 
 had before to content himself with the few crumbs 
 of cash that fell occasionally from his father's 
 purse, but now he finds himself in the clear pos- 
 session of four hundred dollars per annum. What- 
 ever he had previously learned by way of education 
 he has now in a measure to unlearn ; and like a 
 newly caught monkey, fresh from the coast of 
 Africa, he soon begins to mimic the motions of his 
 master, the captain. Occasionally he looks into 
 " Bowditch's Navigator," keeps a kind of off-hand 
 journal, which he mostly copies from the log-book 
 of the ship, and when the weather will permit, takes 
 a squint at the sun through the glass of a quad- 
 rant. These pursuits constitute the severest por- 
 tion of his probationary studies. At the end of five 
 years the government discovers that it has sacri- 
 ficed two thousand dollars, and realized a mid- 
 shipman. 
 
 The probationary term over, our youthful ad-
 
 286 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 venturer is next called before a committe appointed 
 by government to test his mathematical abilities, 
 and to examine his qualifications in seamanship. 
 Here he has a vast and difficult series of questions 
 propounded to him. Such as, " How much oakum 
 will it take to caulk a ship ? How would you ease 
 a ship in case she griped ? How would you tack a 
 ship without a wind ? How many anchors will it 
 take to hold a ship in a hurricane ?" If these 
 questions be satisfactorily answered by the young 
 gentleman, some of the more knowing members 
 of the board will suggest the more puzzling query 
 of " How much headway, per hour, will a ship 
 make against a ten knot current with a ten knot 
 breeze, provided she have all her sails set?" And 
 if the middy overcome this knotty difficulty, the 
 board become satisfied of his professional skill, and 
 unanimously agree to shove him up one step on the 
 ladder of promotion, while the government, in 
 recompense of the valuable services rendered the 
 nation in solving these questions, place an addi- 
 tional two hundred dollars at his annual disposal. 
 This, gentle reader, is a brief history of the process 
 by which all naval officers are usually manufac- 
 tured. 
 
 Well, it may be asked, was Mr. Turner one of 
 of this aristocratic class of young gentlemen ? I 
 answer no. I have already stated in a former 
 chapter that one midshipman was to be annually 
 selected from among the most exemplary boys on
 
 FIVE YKARS BEFOEE THE MAST. 287 
 
 each school ship. Mr. Turner, or rather master 
 Turner, was one of those boys whose surpassing 
 scholarship and behavior had secured him this 
 mark of distinction from the general government. 
 He had been a bound boy in the North Carolina, 
 at New York ; and what rendered him an object 
 of additional interest to a benevolent mind, was 
 the circumstance of being an orphan child. Every 
 man doubtless feels a certain degree of satisfaction 
 in gaining the object of his ambition, and young 
 Turner had a double reason for being satisfied with 
 himself, inasmuch as he owed his advancement tc 
 his own merits, instead of the kindness and inter- 
 cession of influential friends and demagogues. He 
 entered upon the discharge of the duties of his 
 appointment with a pride peculiar to his age, and 
 might have proceeded happily in his new career, 
 had not the devil, who always seems busying him- 
 self most with the virtuous, contrived it other- 
 wise. 
 
 I am scarce philosopher enough to, analyze the 
 elements of aristocracy, and tell the exact essences 
 of which it is composed. It may be a principle 
 inherent in wealth, pride, and their attendant 
 properties, or it may be a contagion, which like 
 other vile diseases, finds its way to the fountains 
 of honor and trust, poisoning the hearts of the few 
 against the friendly communion of those many who 
 bask less favorably than themselves in the smiles 
 of fortune. But whether a disease or not, it has
 
 288 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 certainly the character of being infectious, for the 
 congressman who to-day is all friendship and kind- 
 ness, will to-morrow turn up hig nose at his humble 
 constituent, should he meet him at Washington. 
 Such being the case, it becomes each good citizen 
 to use every nostrum to prevent its spread, for it is 
 not only an enemy to the laboring portion of 
 society, but to the body politic of our republican 
 structure. If not happily arrested, it will even- 
 tually insinuate its virulent poison into the consti- 
 tution itself, and sapping every fibre of its pristine 
 strength, send it withered and consumpted to an 
 untimely grave. 
 
 That it was an enemy to at least one American 
 heart, the youthful Turner was already prepared to 
 testify. What business had the plebeian midship- 
 man to thrust his nose into companionship with 
 those of the sons of members of Congress ? It was 
 an insult to the uniform, a disgrace to the service. 
 The New York washerwoman's son, he who was 
 unable to buy .his own outfit, but obtained it from 
 the charity of a friend, a common beggar, a 'pren- 
 tice, a bound boy, to stick himself up among pat- 
 rician midshipmen for a gentleman! "Oh! it's 
 horrible !" cried they. " It's a scandal ! Let's 
 enter into a conspiracy ; let's kick him out of the 
 steerage !" And kick him out they did ; and 
 the poor orphan boy, having no one in the ship 
 with whom to share his sorrows, crept silently 
 away into the fore channels, and poured out the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 28D 
 
 feelings of his heart in bitter tears to the distant 
 moon. 
 
 The young fellow was very much startled at the 
 unexpected appearance of my head through the 
 port-hole, but on meeting with a word of encour- 
 agement from me, kept his seat. Jumping on a 
 gun, I clambered over the hammock nettings, and 
 slid down by his side. He soon forgot his tears 
 in listening to my conversation. We remained 
 together till the close of the watch. He then 
 returned to the steerage, where he hoped to enjoy 
 a brief rest while his patrician enemies were 
 asleep. 
 
 From the discourse of Turner, I was led to infer 
 that his present position was one of the most pain- 
 ful and trying that a boy could possibly occupy. 
 His midshipman's warrant, which had at first awa- 
 kened such pleasing anticipations in his fancy, was 
 now in reality become a source of torment to him. 
 It had given him no additional .importance in the 
 estimation, of the officers, while at the same time it 
 cut him off from the society of his former associ- 
 ates. Discipline had interposed a bar between him 
 and the other boys of the ship's company, beyond 
 which it became him not to pass. His only chance, 
 then, for social converse, was among his own mess- 
 mates of the steerage ; and these, as we have 
 already seen, were in open hostility against him. 
 He was, therefore, a lone boy among a ship's crew 
 of over two hundred souls. When I reflected on 
 26
 
 290 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 his situation, and compared it with my own, 1 
 thought the world had not yet treated me with all 
 the harshness of which it was capable. I pitied 
 him, and determined while I remained in the ship, 
 to do all I could to lighten the burden of his 
 sorrows. 
 
 The day following these events, a messenger- 
 boy brought me word that I was wanted in the 
 ward-room. What proceedings could require my 
 presence in such a forbidden part of the ship, was 
 to me a deep mystery. Thinks I to myself, I 
 will solve it at all events, and proceeding thither, 
 I found Mr. Lannier, the sailing master, sitting at 
 the table with the ship's log before him. 
 
 " What sort of a hand do you write ?" said he, 
 addressing me as I entered. 
 
 " Not a very extra one," answered I. 
 
 " Give me an example," continued he, shoving 
 a piece of paper towards me. 
 
 Picking up the pen, I wrote the name of the 
 ship, and handed it to him. He looked at it, and 
 said it would do. I was then told that after that 
 day it would be my duty to write the log-book, for 
 which service I should receive extra pay, and that 
 he would have me excused from my daily trick at 
 the helm, that I might be enabled to do it without 
 interruption. 
 
 I should, perhaps, observe that the writing of 
 the log-book was properly a portion of the duties 
 belonging to the master's mate. But Mr. Tripp
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 291 
 
 was, unfortunately, as deficient in penmanship and 
 mathematics, as he was in the recollection of his 
 former shipmates. For instance, if twenty-one 
 thousand gallons of water were taken on board the 
 Fairfield on Monday, and on Tuesday three hun- 
 dred and sixty-two gallons of this quantity were 
 expended, to tell what quantity still remained on 
 hand, was a problem entirely too deep for Mr. 
 Tripp's powers of solution. 
 
 In fact it was an unfathomable mystery to me, 
 all the time I remained in the Fairfield, how Mr. 
 Tripp ever became master's-mate at all. He had 
 been in the Independence very little over a year 
 after her departure from Boston, in 1837, when he 
 ran away from her at Buenos Ayres. After a 
 residence of some two months in the Spanish colo- 
 nies, he was apprehended by some of the natives 
 and brought back to the ship. Commodore Nich- 
 olson paid the money for his arrest out of Tripp's 
 own wages, and added thirty-six lashes with the 
 cat-o'-nine-tails to his account, as an oflfset for 
 having taken French leave. He was discharged at 
 New York, with the rest of his shipmates, without 
 any award of honor ; and I was the more surpri- 
 sed to find him in the situation of master's mate, 
 from the fact that he owed the distinction to neither 
 his abilities nor his merits. 
 
 Early in August we drew into the vicinity of the 
 Western Isles, and passed within view of Fayal 
 and Pico. We there bent our course in a south-
 
 292 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 easterly direction, and after about a week's run, 
 anchored in front of the castle of Funchal, at the 
 Island of Madeira. 
 
 I am unable to say why the Commodore stopped 
 at this place, un^ss it was for the purpose of let- 
 ting the apprentice boys have a run on shore ; and 
 this had better riot have been done, for they all got 
 drunk before they were on shore six hours, and nine 
 days afterwards, seven of the ten, were placed 
 under the hands of the surgeon to be cured of ve- 
 nerial diseases. But then we had grapes and 
 oranges of an excellent quality, and at prices so 
 low that all hands were enabled to buy ; and this 
 more than compensated for the inconvenience we 
 experienced from drunken and diseased boys. 
 
 Madeira is an island of considerable note in the 
 wine trade. It belongs to the Portuguese govern- 
 ment, and lies about six hundred miles southeast 
 from that country. The general features of the 
 island are of a volcanic cast. The surface of the 
 country is broken and uneven, shooting up, in 
 places, into irregular ridges, and abrupt peaks, and 
 terminating along the shores in rocky ledges and 
 precipices of frightful height. Funchal, the capi- 
 tal, is situated at the foot of a mountain near the 
 sea, and contains a population of near twenty thou- 
 sand inhabitants. The harbor is a very poor one, 
 and ships anchoring in it, are never secure from 
 being cast away during stormy weather. 
 
 During the few days that we remained here, we
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE f HE MAST. 
 
 had an opportunity of seeing some of the ladies of 
 Funchal, who did us the honor of visiting the ship, 
 but much as I regret to say it, it would perhaps 
 have been as creditable to womankind and man- 
 kind too, had some of them stayed on shore. It 
 would- be very unfair to form an estimate of the 
 society of any town or country, from the manners 
 of a few individuals selected from among its inhab- 
 itants, and therefore I will be charitable in my 
 censures of the citizens of Madeira. There are 
 doubtless many worthy and benevolent families of 
 the Island, the numbers of which, both male and 
 female, might be upheld to the world as examples 
 of purity arid excellence. 
 
 The commodore, having gratified his curiosity in 
 respect to the Island by a short sojourn among its 
 inhabitants, reappeared on board the ship at the 
 end of four days, upon which we again Kent our 
 course to seaward, and bore away in the direction 
 of Gibraltar. 
 
 It was on the second night after our departure 
 from Madeira, that Mr. Turner and I had seated 
 ourselves to a mutual discourse under the topgallant 
 forecastle. There was something so pleasing to the 
 heart of the young midshipman in having one asso- 
 ciate to whom he could unbosom himself, and in 
 whose friendship he could find a consolation for his 
 sorrows, that he hailed these stolen interviews as 
 the only bright hours of his official life. Our inti- 
 macy had already been noticed by some of his 
 25*
 
 294 FIVE YEAHS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 steerage companions, who had more than likely 
 hinted the circumstance to the first lieutenant. 
 But whether they had or not, Mr. Whittle in the 
 present instance, appeared very unexpectedly on 
 the forecastle, and in a peremptory tone ordered Mr. 
 Turner to, what he was pleased to designate, a more 
 'appropriate part of the ship for young gentlemen. 
 Mr. Turner immediately rose and departed, while 
 the first lieutenant favored me with a look of such 
 exquisite blackness, as betokened, if not a clouded 
 mind, one at least burning with angry and malig- 
 nant thoughts. But conscious of no wrong, I re- 
 mained seated, and met his gaze with a quiet, though 
 unshrinking look. 
 
 On the morning following this incident an order 
 was passed through the ship for all the men to 
 scrub their hammocks. It happened that the 
 painters in painting the hammock-nettings the day 
 before we anchored at Funchal, had accidentally 
 daubed a little black paint on my hammock and 
 finding that salt water would not remove the spot, 
 I was obliged to hang it on the lines with the stain 
 still visible. In the afternoon, when the lines were 
 lowered down, and the men ordered to pass round 
 the capstan with their hammocks for inspection, the 
 first lieutenant fixed his eye upon mine with an 
 indignant look, and pointing to the spot, asked mo 
 how I dared venture to pass such a hammock. I 
 endeavored to explain, but without hearing my ex- 
 cuse, he ordered me to stand aside until the rest
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 295 
 
 had passed. I observed several other hammocks in 
 the crowd which were in a predicament similar to 
 my own, but which were all permitted to pass un- 
 challenged. 
 
 As soon as the inspection was over, Mr. Boyle, 
 the second lieutenant, -approached Mr. Whittle and 
 inquired his objections for refusing to pass my 
 hammock; but the first lieutenant, without making 
 any reply, ordered a boatswain's mate to be sent 
 aft. The humble petty officer soon made his ap- 
 pearance at the mainmast, when the first lieutenant, 
 addressing himself to me, pointed to one of the 
 waist guns. 
 
 " Stand up there, you paint-dealing rascal !" said 
 he. " I will learn you how to present a dirty ham- 
 mock at muster." 
 
 I took my stand at the breech of the gun with- 
 out a murmur, at which he nodded to the boat- 
 swain's mate, who immediately drew his colt from 
 his hat, and coiling one end of it round' his hand, 
 commenced laying over my back so soundly that I 
 almost fainted with the pain. At the twelfth blow 
 he was ordered to stop, when I instantly took up 
 my bed and walked. Mr. Boyle stood leaning 
 against the capstan, where he had watched the 
 whole proceedings with a look half laughing, half 
 indignant. 
 
 " What is the misunderstanding between you 
 and the first lieutenant?" said Mr. Boyle, encoun-
 
 296 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tering me one hour after the foregoing occur- 
 rence. 
 
 " I am not conscious of any difficulty existing 
 between us," answered I. 
 
 " You certainly must have offended him in some 
 way, else he would hardly have flogged you as he 
 did." 
 
 " I know not how I can have done it, then,'' re- 
 turned I, " unless Mr. Turner's partiality for my 
 company have incurred his displeasure." 
 
 "Well, displeasure or no displeasure," observed 
 Mr. Boyle, "I should have to be put most wretch- 
 edly to my shifts before I would spit out my spite 
 on a foremast hand," and with a good natured 
 smile, the fat old lieutenant rolled aft to the quarter 
 deck. 
 
 It is remarkable what an effect one sympathizing 
 word will often produce on a mind smarting under 
 a sense of injustice or ill treatment. There was 
 nothing in common existing between Mr. Boyle 
 and myself; he had never before spoken to me 
 except in the routine of duty, and even then, in a 
 tone of voice wholly destitute of partiality or favor. 
 To hear him, then, thus openly expressing himself 
 in disapprobation of the conduct of his brother 
 officer, was both pleasing and unexpected, and 
 awakened in my bosom feelings of a most grateful 
 character. I now persuaded myself that I had a 
 friend of influence in a part of the ship where I 
 least expected to find one, but where it was, never
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 297 
 
 theless, extremely desirable to have one ; for though 
 he might not have the power to openly counteract 
 the flogging orders of the first lieutenant, yet his 
 position in the ship was such as might go far to- 
 wards restraining him within certain bounds of 
 moderation. My bosom immediately warmed to- 
 wards him with friendly sensations, which from 
 day to day strengthened themselves to such an 
 extent, that by the time we arrived at Gibraltar 
 there was no possible privation or danger I would 
 not have cheerfully encountered for the preserva- 
 tion and safety of Junius J. Boyle. 
 
 Early in September we bore up into the harbor 
 of Gibraltar, and dropped our anchor in the midst 
 of a fleet of English line of battle-ships. There 
 appeared to be something peculiarly daring in run- 
 ning thus boldly into the very teeth of so imposing 
 an array of British batteries ; and that, too, at a 
 time when the question of war was still agitating 
 both governments ; and when the guns of the 
 little Fairfield finally opened their throats to the 
 salute of the British flag, there was a still wilder 
 feeling of animation in listening to the thunder of 
 American cannon rolling along the neighboring 
 shores of Spain, and reverberating from crag v to 
 crag of the world-renowned fortress before us. 
 
 Gibraltar is situated at the north-eastern extre- 
 mity of the strait forming the entrance to the 
 Mediterranean. It is a bold, craggy rock, rising 
 abruptly from the water to an elevation of near
 
 298 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 fifteen hundred feet. It is near three miles in 
 length, and about half that distance in breadth. 
 The whole forms a peninsula of the Spanish coast, 
 washed on one side by the waters of the Mediter- 
 ranean, and on the other by a beautiful bay, some 
 fifteen miles in circumference, and large enough to 
 give anchorage to a thousand ships. The whole 
 extent of the eastern side is rendered unassailable 
 by its perpendicular shape, but the western decli- 
 vity terminates near the water in a gently sloping 
 plain, along which is situated the town, as well as 
 the most important portion of the fortifications. 
 The northern projection, which forms an abrupt 
 ledge overhanging a low flat strip of land, is pene- 
 trated in various directions by stupendous excava- 
 tions, the loop-holes of each chamber presenting 
 guns of immense calibre, and overlooking the ad- 
 joining Spanish territories with most threatening 
 aspect. The narrow strip of ground, stretching 
 like an isthmus between the rock and the main 
 land, is occupied at fixed points by lines of English 
 and Spanish sentries. The two posts are near 
 half a mile asunder, and the intervening space is 
 designated the neutral ground. The scenery of the 
 surrounding country is delightful and picturesque, 
 being romantically diversified with every variety of 
 hill, dale, mountain, rock and sea. 
 
 The fortifications contain but one public entrance, 
 which opens through a massive gate in the walls, 
 guarding the north-eastern extremity of the rock.
 
 FIVE YEAIIS BEFORE THE MAST. 299 
 
 It is daily thrown wide to the market people of the 
 neighboring villages, but strangers are prohibited 
 from passing the sentries, without an order legally 
 signed by a proper officer. The town, containing 
 some eighteen thousand inhabitants, is built with 
 some display of taste and elegance along a spacious 
 street, running parallel with the narrow plain along 
 the western acclivity of the rock. It is a place of 
 considerable commercial importance, and being 
 destitute of duties, custom-houses and port charges, 
 serves as a general mart for the traders and specu- 
 lators of the Mediterranean. The low price of 
 goods renders it also a favorite resort for smug- 
 glers, who here load themselves with the linen and 
 woollen fabrics of Britain, as well as the more fan- 
 ciful productions of Paris and Lyons, and play a 
 profitable game to themselves in defrauding the 
 revenues of the various ports of both the adjacent 
 continents. Here the eye of the traveller may 
 see, parading the avenues of trade, men dressed in 
 the costume of every nation, stretching along both 
 shores of the Mediterranean, from the Atlantic to 
 the Black Sea. The place is also frequently re- 
 sorted to by American ships of war, the officers 
 of which are here able to supply their necessary 
 wants at a less outlay than elsewhere ; and Ameri- 
 can Pursers, too often actuated with the desire of 
 accumulating unjust gains, here fill their chests 
 with English fabrics at a reduced cost, and pocket 
 a golden harvest in forcing them upon the
 
 300 FIVE YEARS BEFOIIE THE MAST. 
 
 humble seamen of the squadron at extortionate 
 prices. 
 
 During our stay at Gibraltar, none of the men 
 were permitted to have leave of absence, and con- 
 sequently we could have no further intercourse 
 with the shore, than such as necessarily resulted 
 from passing to and from the landing, in the boats. 
 Most of the officers, however, in turn visited the 
 fortress, while the commodore and captain, divided 
 their hours between the British officers and the 
 American consul. 
 
 My own adventures embraced only a two hours' 
 jaunt on board an English ship of the line, called 
 the Rodney, where much to my surprise, I encoun- 
 tered fourteen of my old shipmates of the Inde- 
 pendence, and one of those men who had deserted 
 from the Preble at Pictou. These sailors were all 
 Englishmen by birth, who had returneil home on 
 being discharged from the American navy. They 
 had exhausted their wages in extravagant carou- 
 sals, and being unable, from scarcity of employ- 
 ment, to obtain berths in the merchant service, 
 determined to try a three year's enlistment in the 
 royal navy. On asking one of them which ser- 
 vice he liked best, the American or English, he 
 expressed a preference for that of Britain. 
 
 " For here," said he, " we meet with better 
 usage, have as good rations, as much grog, a less 
 amount of cat-o'-uine-tails, and can save as much 
 money."
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE- MAST. 301 
 
 " How can you save as much money," inquired 
 I, " when, as I am informed, you only get at the 
 rate of eight-and-a-half dollars per month of our 
 money, and in the Independence you received 
 twelve ?" 
 
 " But we have here thirteen months in the year," 
 observed he, somewhat exultingly. 
 
 " True, but that will only be an item on your 
 side of the balance," replied I. 
 
 " Well, but there are several other items to be 
 added,'' continued the British sailor. " You pay 
 the monthly sum of one dollar and forty cents for 
 your tea and sugar, and have besides twenty cents 
 per month deducted from^our wages for hospital 
 money, making in all, a yearly aggregate of twenty 
 dollars, the payment of which we are exempted 
 from ; for though we do not drink tea, as you do, 
 we have, notwithstanding, our cocoa and sugar, and 
 that is furnished us by government, as a portion of 
 our rations." 
 
 " But still," persevered I, determined to sustain 
 the honor of the stripes and stars to the last, 
 " even your twenty dollars, and your extra month's 
 pay, will scarcely square the difference." 
 
 "You think so because you overlook another 
 important item," said my opponent, with a smile. 
 
 " What is that ?" asked I. 
 
 " The item of clothing," replied he. " Clothing, 
 at all times, is thirty per cent cheaper here than 
 in the American navy. We save near fifteen dol- 
 26
 
 802 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 lars a year on woolen goods alone. Besides, here 
 we are permitted to wear government slops at 
 muster, as well as on duty, and this your officers 
 would never allow. In the Independence nothing 
 was ever considered good enough for a sailor to 
 muster in, but superfine jackets and fancy cloth 
 trowsers. When up the Baltic and at England, 
 Lieutenant McKenzie would never permit a boat's 
 crew to approach the shore unless they were dress- 
 ed in fine blue cloth clothes and white stockings. 
 You may think such fineries were entirely useless, 
 and so thought we. Some of the men openly 
 objected to buying them, and had their backs 
 fleeced for their pains, and when they afterwards 
 submitted to the purchase, they had their pockets 
 fleeced by the purser. What then is the use of 
 your big pay, if the men are again to be plundered 
 out of it ? We know that you Americans brag 
 a great deal about grand wages, grand ships, grand 
 clothes and all that sort o' thing, but it's all hum- 
 bug after all. Three years in the Independence 
 has satisfied me that the pride of Yankee officers, 
 and the avarice of Yankee pursers, renders your 
 service one of no great shakes to the pockets of 
 poor Jack, notwithstanding its big wages." 
 
 However much I might have felt disposed to con- 
 trovert such a sling from a foreigner unacquainted 
 with the usages of our naval service, I found my 
 lips unexpectedly sealed against any reply to this 
 statement of one whose experimental knowledge
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 303 
 
 of both navies, -was more extensive than my own. 
 Humiliating as was the picture he had presented, 
 to an American mind, it was, doubtless, in some 
 respects, a true one, and had in more than one 
 instance been sustained by my own experience. I 
 soon discovered that his views were sustained by 
 all my former shipmates, then on board the Rod- 
 ney ; and what was still more strange, two native 
 Americans who had deserted from the Independ- 
 ence on her visit to Portsmouth, England, and who 
 were also in the Rodney, expressed opinions ad- 
 verse to the service of Uncle Sam. Under such 
 an amount of evidence, I ought, perhaps, to have 
 assented to the superiority of John Bull, but still 
 I did not. I felt too much native American pride 
 to have submitted to the ipse dixit of twenty 
 Jionest Englishmen, much less to the assertion of a 
 few mercenary individuals who would the next day 
 have entered some Mahometan service, could they 
 have got on shore at Egypt or Constantinople. 
 
 I observed, however, that the discourse of these 
 men was making a remarkable impression on two 
 Englishmen belonging to our boat. They spoke 
 to each other in a low tone, accompanied with nods 
 and winks ; and the mention of Commodore Nich- 
 olson and the Preble, told very plainly, that the 
 treatment they had received in the Yankee service 
 was not such as to prejudice them strongly in its 
 favor. The truth is, the idea of desertion had 
 taken sudden possession of their minds, and could
 
 304 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 they just then have secreted themselves in the 
 Rodney, or placed their feet on the neighboring 
 beach, it is questionable whether the Fairfield 
 would not have lost their services for ever. But as 
 it was they were obliged to resume their seats in the 
 boat and return home, though not without casting 
 an occasional "longing, lingering look behind." 
 
 The commander-in-chief, being desirous of join^ 
 ing the squadron at the earliest possible date, re- 
 appeared on board at the end of five days, and the 
 purser having completed the purchase of his stores, 
 we hove up our anchor and stood out of the bay. 
 Our next place of destination was the island of 
 Minorca, lying near the middle of the Mediterra- 
 nean, about five hundred miles in a north-easterly 
 direction from Gibraltar. In consequence of a 
 strong head wind blowing from the direction of the 
 Levant, more than a week was consumed in this 
 voyage. All obstacles of winds and storms being, 
 however, eventually conquered, we entered the 
 harbor of Port Mahon, near the latter part of 
 September. Here we found the Brandywine and 
 Preble, lying snugly at anchor. As soon as our 
 fehip was moored, the Commodore with his suite, 
 took his departure for the Brandywine, which was 
 henceforth to be regarded as the flag-ship of the 
 squadron.
 
 1
 
 fn which the Adventurer, by interesting himself in a Mutiny, 
 meets with rather rough treatment. 
 
 
 
 POET MAHON is situated about four miles from 
 the sea coast, on the Island of Minorca, or lesser 
 of the Balearic Isles. The town, containing some 
 twenty thousand inhabitants, has a neat and res- 
 pectable appearance, and is beautifully located on 
 the southwest side of a very fine bay. The en- 
 trance to the harbor, though narrow, is unob- 
 structed by either rocks or shoals, and when once 
 in, the bay is so perfectly land-locked on all sides 
 that vessels are never in danger of being wrecked, 
 even from the most destructive tempests. This 
 place was formerly occupied as a British naval 
 station, but since the acquisition of Malta it haa 
 been abandoned by the English, and in turn become 
 the rendezvous of the American naval forces. 
 There is a small island in the middle of the bay, 
 opposite to the town, on which are erected the 
 naval buildings, all of which are under the control 
 of the Americans, and occupied as store-houses, 
 rigging-lofts, carpenter-shops, &c. 
 
 The former presence of the English, and the 
 
 (305)
 
 306 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 continued intercourse of the Americans, have fa- 
 miliarized many of the citizens with the English 
 language ; but the common mass of the population, 
 though most of them pique themselves on speak-ee 
 de Inglese, utter nothing but a mongrel gibberish, 
 which, to an ear unaccustomed to the sound, is for 
 the most part unintelligible. The curse of the 
 population, like that of Madeira, is extreme pov- 
 erty; and they are still rendered the more die- 
 tressed by having constantly quartered on their 
 slender means, from four to five thousand Spanish 
 soldiers. The place is in a manner destitute of 
 commerce and shipping of almost every kind, and 
 hence but few resort to maritime life. Some do, 
 however, find an uncertain employment in plying 
 to and from Carthagena, ajnd other Spanish ports 
 on the shores of the Mediterranean. Mechanical 
 employments yield so scant a return that those en- 
 gaged in them are little better off than beggars, 
 while agriculture is in so rude a state as scarcely 
 to be known. Gardening comes in for a full share 
 of attention, so far at least as the markets of the 
 town are concerned, and on the vegetables thus 
 raised, most of the inhabitants depend for a sub- 
 sistence. The high price of meat renders it a 
 luxury beyond the reach of the common mass, 
 who, on the least failure of the fisheries, or from a 
 scanty supply of wheat from the mother country, 
 are often in a state of hopeless starvation. It is a 
 custom among the officers of the American squad-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 307 
 
 rons, to send all the surplus rations of the men 
 ashore, on soup days, in a barrel, to be served out 
 to the poor. It is a laughable, and at the same 
 time a melancholy sight to see the old and infirm, 
 and the youthful poor, rivalling each other, sex 
 against sex, in endeavoring to procure the largest 
 ladle full ; while the rosiest cheeked maiden, she 
 of the most winning eye, is sure always to have 
 her pannikin filled to overflowing by the liberal 
 hearted midshipman superintending the distribu- 
 tion. 
 
 The natives of Minorca, like those of most other 
 Catholic countries, are passionately fond of reli- 
 gious parades, shows, masquerades, and fandangoes. 
 One third of that time, which in intelligent com- 
 munities would be passed in the study of books, or 
 in some kind of intellectual recreation, is here 
 devoted to dancing and feasting. Idleness and 
 ostentation seem as inseparably connected as igno- 
 rance and vice. Nor are the softer sex an excep- 
 tion to the rule, for the women, in all their festivals, 
 and public assemblies, appear to rival their male 
 friends in endeavoring to out-herod Herod; whether 
 the same passion predominates among the higher 
 class of the female population, I know not. I only 
 speak of those among whom it was my lot to fall. 
 I know that no movement within my knowledge was 
 ever put on foot among them, but that a greater or 
 less number of females participated in it ; and 
 many, out of pure wantonness, often clothed them-
 
 308 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 selves in male attire, that they might carry out 
 their schemes to the more complete gratification of 
 their tastes. 
 
 The summer was already drawing to a close 
 when we arrived at Port Mahon, and the comman- 
 der-in-chief, deeming it important to make a visit 
 up the Levant before cold weather set in, issued his 
 orders for the squadron to prepare immediately for 
 sea. Captain Tattnall, however, begged time to 
 re-fit the rigging of the Fairfield, which had be- 
 come so loose as to leave her masts and spars in 
 rather a shackling condition. To favor the wishes 
 of our captain, the commodore delayed the sailing 
 of the squadron for a period of ten days, and all 
 the men of our crew were put to work with the 
 utmost dispatch in stripping and re-rigging the 
 vessel. 
 
 We completed our labors in due time, and at nine 
 o'clock on the night of the tenth day, hoisted on 
 board our last boat-load of provisions. While eat- 
 ing our supper at this unusually late hour, our ears 
 were saluted with the cry of " All hands scrub 
 hammocks." The men were completely astounded 
 at so unexpected a call at that late hour of the 
 night, and broke immediately forth into murmurs, 
 mingled with shouts and curses. The order was 
 
 O 
 
 regarded as the more intolerable, from the fact that 
 we had as yet received but one set of hammocks, 
 and if these were wet and hung on the lines, and 
 the decks wet with scrubbing them, there would be
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 309 
 
 no place to spread our bedding, and we would ne- 
 cessarily be compelled to pass a sleepless night on 
 our feet, or in leaning against the guns. This was 
 certainly not a very pleasing prospect to a com- 
 pany of men, yet panting and nervous from the 
 effects of ten days severe toil, and who, on the 
 morrow, were again to put the anchors to the 
 vessel's bow, and buffet afresh with the waves 
 and storms of the sea. It appeared to be the 
 settled determination of the crew not to obey the 
 order ; and those few who, amidst the general con- 
 fusion, commenced unslinging their bedding for the 
 task, were frightened from it by the threatening 
 menaces of the majority. 
 
 While the storm of excitement was raging on the 
 berth-deck, the marines in the neighborhood of the 
 steerage, had meantime carried their hammocks on 
 the quarter-deck, and commenced pouring water on 
 them. Some of the sailors, exasperated beyond 
 the bounds of reason, cursed their cowardice, and 
 assailing them with iron belaying pins, and other 
 missiles, soon drove them from the deck. The cap- 
 tain, aroused by the clatter of belaying pins and 
 grape shot thundering against his cabin door, sud- 
 denly appeared on deck, and becoming alarmed at 
 the tumultuous uproar his own command had occa- 
 sioned, passed a hasty order for all hands to be 
 called to muster abaft the mainmast. In ten min- 
 utes the crew were all gathered on the quarter-deck,
 
 310 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 while the officers ranged themselves round the cap- 
 stan and helm, armed with cutlasses and swords. 
 
 Finding myself unable to procure a stand as near 
 the centre of attraction as was desirable, I slipped 
 hastily on to the main channels, and clambering from 
 thence on to the larboard quarter-netting, obtained 
 a position from which I could see and hear every- 
 thing that passed, both among the men and the offi- 
 cers. Midshipman Turner, and the teacher of 
 mathematics, had taken their stand between two 
 of the quarter guns directly beneath where I was 
 sitting. 
 
 The captain made his appearance before the men 
 with a countenance flushed with anger, and throw- 
 ing his sword and scabbard on the capstan, de- 
 manded in a peremptory tone, to know the cause 
 of the disturbance. But nobody spoke ; and after 
 a reasonable pause he broke loose upon them in a 
 shower of curses that bespoke a thorough acquaint- 
 anceship with those harsher tropes and figures of 
 language^ that all except gentlemen know so well 
 how to utter. Having thus partially delivered him- 
 self of his passion, he directed the petty officers to 
 step forth in a body from the crowd, and state their 
 grievances. But no one moved, and after a second 
 pause he again broke forth. 
 
 " You're an admirable set of men, a'nt you," 
 exclaimed he, " to set at defiance the orders of 
 your commander, and then be ashamed to give him 
 4 single reason for doing so ?" Is there one man
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 311 
 
 in the crowd, who can enlighten me in respect to 
 the cause of this disturbance ? If there is, let him 
 speak out?" 
 
 The appeal of the captain seemed reasonable, and 
 as no one of the petty officers appeared to show any 
 disposition to enter into an explanation, I ventured 
 to raise my voice from the hammock-netting. 
 
 " Captain Tattnall" articulated I, when a gen- 
 eral murmur cut short my sentence. 
 
 "Silence !" exclaimed the captain. " Mr. Whit- 
 tle, see that those men are kept silent. Who is that 
 speaking ?" 
 
 " It is me, sir," answered I. " I was about to 
 offer an explanation of the present difficulty." 
 
 " Well, say on, that's what we want to hear !" 
 cried the captain. 
 
 " The whole trouble arises from the circumstance 
 of having only one set of hammocks," proceeded I. 
 " If these are wet, and the decks wet, the men will 
 have nowhere to spread their bedding, and conse- 
 quently nowhere to sleep." 
 
 " Why, what is this I hear, Mr. Whittle ?" ex- 
 claimed the captain, turning to the first lieutenant. 
 " Is this statement correct ? Have the men really 
 but one set of hammocks ?" 
 
 Mr. Whittle admitted that such was the case, and 
 observed that the sail-maker had hitherto been too 
 busily occupied in other employments to prepare a 
 Becond set. 
 
 " An unlucky oversight, indeed," ejaculated the
 
 312 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 captain. " Had I known it sooner, I would have 
 suppressed the order for scrubbing ; but since it haa 
 been given, it cannot be countermanded. You 
 must, therefore, all go forward, my lads, and scrub 
 your hammocks with a will !" 
 
 The confusion was instantly renewed at these 
 words. The men crowded into either gangway 
 with cries of " No ! no ! we won't do it it's a 
 shame the order may go to the devil !" 
 
 The captain seized his sword, as if his whole soul 
 was fired with a sudden stream of electricity, and 
 slinging the scabbard half way across the deck, to 
 the great danger of a midshipman's head that hov- 
 ered in its line of transit, struck the naked steel 
 over the capstan with a clang that threatened to 
 knock everything into flinders. 
 
 " Who is this hardy villain that dares to lift his 
 voice against my authority ?" cried he, jumping up 
 and down in his fury. " Let me see the face of the 
 rascal that dares tell me he won't scrub his ham- 
 mock. Show him to me point him out, that I may 
 carve my way through his mutinous heart ! Come 
 back here you worthless galley- slaves, till I cut the 
 head from every lubber who dares to tell my order 
 to go to the devil. Mr. Whittle, let the battle lan- 
 terns be lighted, and send a midshipman with 
 orders to the drummer to beat to quarters. Mr. 
 Boyle, have the marines filed up on the quarter- 
 deck, with ball cartridge, and charged bayonets, and 
 send word to the gunner to remove the pistols and
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFOKE THE MAST. 313 
 
 cutlasses from the forward ports. I'm determined 
 to quell this mutiny, if I must do it in the blood of 
 every, man in the ship !" 
 
 These orders of the captain were obeyed to the 
 letter, and in five minutes after they were issued, 
 the beat of the drum was heard rolling through the 
 ship. All hands repaired immediately to quarters 
 wondering among themselves what could be the 
 meaning of this new movement. 
 
 When the ship had become quiet and the officers 
 had reported the divisions all present and in order, 
 the captain ordered the lieutenants to lead their 
 respective commands in companies to the quarter- 
 deck. The order was executed with very slight 
 confusion, and on the re-appearance of the men 
 abaft the mainmast, the purser's steward presented 
 himself with the ship's roll and proceeded to calling 
 the names. 
 
 "Number one," read the purser's steward. 
 
 " Here, sir," answered the captain of the. foie 
 castle. 
 
 " Walk round the capstan," said the first lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 The petty officer moved towards the capstan. 
 
 " Stop !" exclaimed the captain, presenting th* 
 point of his sword at his breast. " I am going to 
 cut down the first villain that tells me to my faeo 
 he will not scrub his hammock. Do you obey my 
 order, or do you not ?" 
 
 " I will obey it, sir." 
 27
 
 314 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " Go on, then, and see that you do." 
 
 " Number two." 
 
 " Here, sir." 
 
 " Walk round." 
 
 " Do you obey my order, or do you not ?" 
 
 " I will obey it, sir." 
 
 " Go on." 
 
 " Number three." 
 
 * Here, sir." 
 
 " Do you obey my order, or do you not ?" 
 
 " I obey it, sir." 
 
 " Oh, yes ! I'll warrant all getting mighty 
 willing at once. Call number four." 
 
 " Here, sir," said number four, stepping up. 
 
 " Do you obey my order, or do you not ?" 
 
 " I will obey it, sir." 
 
 "You're a brave set of men, truly," exclaimed 
 the captain, indignantly, at the servile behavior 
 of the men, which individual safety alone drove 
 them to assume. " In a crowd you think you can 
 face the whole world, but taken singly, you're 
 nothing but a set of rascally cowards after all. 
 Go forward, one and all of you, and scrub your 
 hammocks forthwith, and he that has his not' clean 
 at muster on to-morrow morning, goes to the gang- 
 way for a dozen lashes with the cat-o'-nine-tails. 
 You now understand the alternative, and may 
 choose accordingly." 
 
 The men seeing the utter folly of acting in fur- 
 ther opposition to the commands of the captain,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 315 
 
 jow returned forward with some restoration of 
 order. In a few minutes, brushes were heard 'at 
 work in all parts of the ship ; and as the excite- 
 ment of the night had been such as to deprive 
 every body of any disposition to slumber, there 
 was no more wrangling as to how, or where we 
 should sleep. The officers uncertain as to what 
 further occurrences might take place, kept their 
 stand in a group on the quarter-deck, and talked 
 over the proceedings among themselves. 
 
 Perceiving at last that the ship had once more 
 become quiet, I slipped forward out of the main 
 channels, and repaired to the berth deck to unsling 
 my hammock. I had scarce loosed half a dozen 
 netlines, when the boatswain's call sounded through 
 the ship, with the cry of " All hands witness pun- 
 ishment." Who could it be that was going to be 
 whipped at that hour of the night, was a question' 
 that flew from mouth to mouth, but which no one 
 could answer, until the name of John Place, cap- 
 tain of the forecastle, was echoed through the 
 skip, in the stentorian voice of the boatswain's 
 mate. All hands crowded up on deck as soon as 
 possible, and gathered about the mainmast. 
 
 On reaching the gangway and seeing Place 
 standing there in a quiet manner, awaiting the 
 movements of the officers, I conceived it the inten- 
 tion of the captain to begin his punishment with 
 number one and proceeding round the whole ship's 
 company, make each individual a victim of a por-
 
 316 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tion of his vengeance. But in this I was soon 
 undeceived, by hearing him speak of Place as one 
 of the ring-leaders of the mutiny. I was surpri- 
 sed at the idea of Place being a ring-leader, as I 
 was not before aware that the events of the night 
 had any ring-leader at all. If there was any 
 ring-leader in the case, the captain himself was 
 the man, for every thing that took place was the 
 natural result of his own order an order which he 
 himself admitted was given in consequence of an 
 oversight. A very small portion of common sense 
 might have taught him that men who had labored 
 hard for ten days, would desire a comfortable night's 
 rest ; and that then to stick them in by-places and 
 on wet decks, without beds, was not the best method 
 of winning their confidence or securing subordina- 
 tion. Had the order been for the performance of 
 some necessary duty, it would have been obeyed with 
 the most cheerful alacrity ; but to be required to 
 make a sacrifice of their own personal comforts, 
 for the mere purpose of enabling the captain to 
 look upon a clean set of hammocks on Wednes- 
 day instead of Thursday morning, appeared to the 
 men a downright insult to their worn and exhausted 
 condition. . It required no leaders, under such 
 circumstances, to produce a row ; and it would 
 have better become the dignity of Captain Tatt- 
 nall, who withal, was a very excellent officer, to 
 nave smoothed the matter over without resorting 
 to the cat-o' -nine-tails, and giving the proceedings
 
 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MART. 317 
 
 the pomp and parade of a mutiny. But he thought 
 otherwise ; and notwithstanding what had taken 
 >1ace, was nothing more than the effects of his own 
 blunder, he proceeded to the infliction of a dozen 
 lushes on the hack of John Place, for what he was 
 pleased to term mutiny ; which act was also in 
 open violation of law, for the articles of war do not 
 empower commanders of vessels to flog for mutiny, 
 except in pursuance of the sentence of a court 
 martial. 
 
 On the dismissal of Place, the crew again re- 
 paired to their respective employments. I had 
 scarcely regained my hammock when my own 
 name resounded through the ship, and I was com- 
 pelled once more to hasten to the spar-deck. On 
 clambering up the fore-hatch, I encountered the 
 first lieutenant, who flourished his sword about my 
 head, and in every respect seemed moved with 
 unaccountable passion. 
 
 "You accomplished villain, have I fastened on you 
 at last ?" ejaculated he, with clenched teeth, and at 
 the same instant a blow from the flat side of his 
 sword descended on my cheek, sending sparks of 
 fire in a thousand directions from my eyes. For a 
 moment I felt faint, though I did not fall ; and on 
 putting my hand to my face, I discovered that one 
 of my teeth was partially displaced, while the blood 
 began to ooze gently from both extremities of my 
 lips. I drew my handkerchief from my neck and 
 held it to my mouth, to prevent the blood from 
 27*
 
 318 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 trickling down on deck, which, had it occurred 
 would more than likely have cost me an additional 
 punishment with the cat-o'-nine-tails. 
 
 "Away with you to the quarter-deck, you muti- 
 nous scoundrel !" continued Mr. Whittle, treading 
 close upon my heels as I took my way aft, and at 
 each step showering upon me every species of vile 
 and unbecoming imprecation. 
 
 On reaching the quarter-deck I found the sailing 
 master, the teacher of mathematics, and midship- 
 man Turner, gathered round the capstan, in. com- 
 pany with the commander. The latter demanded 
 of me, if I were the man who had previously spoken 
 from the hammock-netting. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I am," answered I. 
 
 "And are you also one of those who shouted w0, 
 when I ordered you forward to scrub your ham- 
 mocks ?" 
 
 "No, sir; I am not." 
 
 " Are you quite sure of that ?" said the captain, 
 with a penetrating look. 
 
 " Captain Tattnall," answered I, " whoever iden- 
 tified me as the person who spoke from the netting, 
 will be able to answer that question more to your 
 satisfaction than myself; for he must be conscious 
 whether I cried no, or not, while on the netting, 
 and I never quitted my seat until after the men 
 had dispersed forward." 
 
 Upon this reply, the captain turned to the 
 teacher of mathematics, who had stood close by me
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 319 
 
 at the time referred to, and who, I had not the 
 least doubt, was the very man who had reported me 
 to the captain. 
 
 "Did you hear this man shout wo, in disobe- 
 dience of my order ?" 
 
 "No, sir, I did not," responded the teacher. 
 
 " Had you not a disposition, in the beginning, 
 to disobey my order in concert with your ship- 
 mates ?" proceeded the captain, again addressing 
 me. 
 
 " I had not, sir," replied I. 
 
 " Then why did you not scrub your hammock?' 
 
 " Because, sir, the dissatisfaction of the men was 
 so general, that had I attempted it, I should have 
 been beaten from the task, as some of .the marines 
 were." 
 
 ** Then you were only restrained from your duty 
 by the opposition of the rest ?" continued the 
 captain. 
 
 " That is all, sir," replied I. 
 
 " What induced you to speak from the hammock 
 netting ?" 
 
 "Your appeals, sir. You had several times 
 called on the petty officers for a statement of 
 their grievance, but all remained silent. I 
 thought an explanation was necessary, and spoke 
 accordingly." 
 
 " But did you not aid in stimulating others to a 
 resistance of my order ?" 
 
 " I did not, sir. I trust I have been in the
 
 320 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 service long enough, and served in ships enough, 
 to know the consequences of acting in open oppo- 
 sition to the orders of a commander, and I should 
 feel very reluctant to drag other men into diffi- 
 culties that I hesitated to encounter myself." 
 
 Here Mr. Turner touched the arm of the captain, 
 who immediately retreated a few paces on the 
 quarter-deck to speak with Mr. Boyle. He pre- 
 sently returned, and after remarking that appear- 
 ances were scarcely strong enough against me to 
 implicate me seriously in the disturbance, dis- 
 missed me with the hope that my future conduct 
 might prove such as would show that his confidence 
 in my innocence and integrity had not been mis- 
 placed. 
 
 On turning to quit the quarter-deck, my eyes 
 glanced at the first lieutenant, who stood a few 
 steps aside, his anger still lowering like a thunder- 
 gust in his looks. I felt a momentary triumph in 
 the thought, that though he had taken summary 
 vengeance on me himself, his hate was not, in the 
 present instance, to meet with the further gratifi- 
 cation of witnessing my sufferings under the inflic- 
 tion of the cat-o'-nine-tails. His looks were at the 
 moment bent in the direction of Mr. Boyle, who 
 stood on the opposite side of the capstan, and to- 
 wards whom, as I walked forward, I felt my bosom 
 bounding with renewed feelings of gratitude, for I 
 saw plainly, in my unexpected dismissal, the fur- 
 ther workings of his unsought benevolence. The
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE M*ST. 321 
 
 youthful Turner, who, in the meantime, had been 
 dispatched with an order to the quarter-gunners to 
 put out the lights in the battle lanterns, soon fol- 
 lowed me to where I was scrubbing my hammock, 
 and taking his seat on a shot-box close by, en- 
 livened the operation with such remarks as tho 
 events of the night had a tendency to call 
 forth. 
 
 It is one of the evils of the naval service, that 'a 
 Bailor must submit to every species of insult and 
 buse that officers may feel disposed to heap upon 
 iim, without the power of resenting it, and without 
 the hope of redress. If an officer strike a man, 
 and the matter be reported to the commander, a 
 reprimand may follow, or it may not, but happen 
 the worst punishment that can to the offender, it 
 will never exceed a reprimand. But the reprimand 
 is often avoided by the offender pleading passion 
 in extenuation of his offence. If Mr. Whittle 
 knocks me down, and I report his violence to the 
 captain, Mr. Whittle tells the captain he did it in 
 a passion, and the plea of passion covers the whole 
 difficulty. But put the ship on the other tack, 
 and see how she will sail then : Suppose, when I 
 recover from Mr. Whittle's knock-down, I jump 
 up and give him a good knock over the nose, what 
 follows then ? Will the plea of passion excuse 
 me ? According to municipal law, he is guilty of 
 an assault and battery on me, and I am only acting 
 in self-defence ; but the naval regulations that
 
 322 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 screen him under plea of passion, designate my 
 proper punishment for resisting him to he that of 
 hanging. A court-martial will immediately be 
 convened on my offence for striking a superior 
 officer, at which Mr. Whittle will himself sit as 
 judge, and sentence me, if not to hanging, to a 
 punishment at least equally as intolerable. 
 
 A man in the Independence, named Burns, was 
 collared by a midshipman whom he threw down for 
 his presumption ; and though the young gentleman 
 was not the least hurt in the fall, yet Burns 
 was subjected to a court-martial, and sentenced to 
 three hundred lashes, and to be kept in chains the 
 remainder of the cruise. It is proper to observe, 
 however, that Commodore Nicholson, conscious of 
 the inhumanity of the sentence, remitted one third 
 of the lashes ; but the other two hundred were in- 
 flicted on him, as well as the irons. In these 
 rigorous proceedings against Burns, not a word 
 was permitted to transpire in reference to the 
 assault made upon him by the redoubtable mid- 
 shipman Orlando. 
 
 The tenor of these harsh usages would seem to 
 imply, that officers being at all times liable to act 
 from the impulse of passion, are, therefore, excusa- 
 ble in their violations of discipline ; but that sailors, 
 being at all times governed by consideration and 
 reflection, commit their breaches of discipline from 
 calm, premeditated design, and are, therefore to be 
 punished to the utmost extent of the law. The
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 323 
 
 veriest blockhead in existence would at once per- 
 ceive the absurdity of such a deduction, and yet it 
 is one to which the premises inevitably tend. 
 
 While yet smarting from the effects of Mr. 
 Whittle's blow, I did think at times of trying for 
 redress, if it should not even amount to a repri- 
 mand. But there appeared a difficulty even in the 
 way of this. The regulations prohibited my ap- 
 proach to the captain, except through permission 
 of the first lieutenant ; and any one will readily 
 understand the awkwardness of my undertaking so 
 delicate a mission, through the approval of one 
 whose most friendly wish would have been, to see 
 myself and mission both knocked into a cocked 
 hat. The thing appeared utterly out of the ques- 
 tion, and after a few hours' consideration I gave 
 it up. 
 
 As to the law, though it entered my mind, I saw 
 at once that it was too remote to bring me any 
 relief. National municipal law never extends to 
 the Mediterranean, and had I been disposed to take 
 advantage of it on my arrival at home, its delay 
 would have outlived the lean pockets of poor Jack, 
 whose necessities would have driven him to abandon 
 his suit, and return to the sea, while his successful 
 opponent would have been receiving as big a salary 
 in dancing attendance at a court, as in following ur 
 his calling in the Mediterranean. 
 
 With the first appearance of dawn on the follow 
 ing morning, the loud report of the Brandy wine's
 
 324 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 gun, rolled along the waters, conveying in its harsh 
 tones the order for the squadron to be moving. 
 The shrill fife, and the merry drum, soon aroused 
 the men from their lairs, and in a few minutes the 
 events of the foregoing night were forgotten in the 
 noise and bustle of unmooring ship. Early as was 
 the hour, many of the females had already found 
 their way from the town to the ship ; and when the 
 anchors were finally brought to the bows, and the 
 vessel began to move off under her spreading can- 
 vass, the sad and dejected looks with which they 
 took their leave, betrayed plainly enough, the losa 
 they were sustaining in our absence. The sight of 
 three noble vessels of war gliding gracefully down 
 the harbor, had something in it so attractive that 
 many of the citizens were drawn abroad from theii 
 homes to look upon the scene ; and on passing the 
 village of Georgetown, situated near the mouth of 
 the harbor, the soldiers, mounting to the top of the 
 garrison, greeted us with a merry cheer, and, with 
 hat in hand, waved their adieus until distance had 
 shut them from our sight. The Brandy wine was 
 the first to obtain the offing ; and the commodore, 
 soon after, designating by signal the order of sail- 
 ing, the two subordinate vessels took up their re- 
 spective positions, when all three stood boldly away 
 for the coast of Africa.
 
 fn which our mechanic sailor sees a good deal of stormy weather, 
 and gets a peep at Mount Etna. 
 
 As we are now out at sea, in rather squally 
 weather, and as it will be several days before the 
 commander-in-chief will bring us again to anchor, 
 1 will avail myself of the interim to draw aside the 
 curtain of the ward-room, and show the reader 
 some of the scenes enacting in the purser's depart- 
 ment. 
 
 I have in a former chapter more than hinted, that 
 American pursers often visited Gibraltar for the pur- 
 pose of supplying themselves with commodities for 
 speculation. Our purser who had never before been 
 up the Mediterranean, either understood the process 
 of money-making in this region by intuition, or had 
 been led into the mystery of it, by some of the offi- 
 cers of the Fairfield ; for he commenced operations 
 during our first two weeks at Port Mahon, with an 
 earnestness that threatened to sweep everything 
 of a money kind entirely out of the ship. 
 
 My respect for Captain Tattnall would fain ex- 
 onerate him from all participation in this inexcu- 
 sable system of peculation and plunder, but circum- 
 stances in so many instances concurred to implicate 
 28 ( 326 ).
 
 326 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 him, that I fear were the crew called to sit as a jury 
 upon his conduct, it would require a lawyer of mas- 
 terly eloquence to obtain him a verdict'of acquittal. 
 The government, on every national ship makes am- 
 ple provision of clothing for its sailors ; and instruc- 
 tions are given for the distribution of these stores 
 to the pursers of the respective ships, who receive 
 a certain percentage for their trouble, in addition 
 to their annual salary. But the pride of command- 
 ers, superceding that of the government, discards 
 the clothing of old Uncle Sam, and adopts a uni- 
 form more compatible with its own taste. Captain 
 Tattnall, conceiving the humble garb provided by 
 the nation too inelegant in cut for the dandified 
 appearance of the men under his command, no 
 sooner landed at Port Mahon, than he ordered 
 some four or five tailors on board with their yard- 
 sticks and straps, and set them to measuring the 
 men for new suits of clothing. These suits were to 
 be made of cloths of a superfine texture, which the 
 purser had the admirable foresight to provide while 
 lying at Gibraltar. The price was fixed at seven- 
 teen dollars per suit, while those of the government 
 were retailing in the same ship at nine. The dif- 
 ference, then, between a government suit, and one 
 provided by Purser, Tailor & Co., was just eight 
 dollars, which multiplied among an hundred aiul 
 fifty men, would make the sum of twelve hundred 
 dollars to be brushed into the coffers of the purser 
 at a single sweep. Not a slow speculation, Sam
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 327 
 
 Slick would kalkalate, for a man to make in the 
 first four weeks of a Mediterranean cruise. 
 
 In connection with the foregoing commendable 
 act of financiering, I must also call attention to 
 some speculations of minor note, but which be- 
 trayed an equal dexterity in turning a penny. The 
 purser had the precaution, while providing his 
 cloths, to lay out a round sum of government 
 moneys in the purchase of blue flannel and linen 
 sheeting, for men's frocks. These articles he was 
 now retailing to the sailors at a profit of one hun- 
 dred per cent. The captain may not have had an 
 interest in seeing them sold at so high a price, 
 though he recommended the men to the purchase 
 of them, and carefully instructed the officers of 
 the respective divisions to see that each individual 
 at muster was properly provided with linen and 
 with flannels, both white and blue. The demand 
 for these articles would naturally have ceased, after 
 the first supply, for a few months at least, in any 
 common ship ; but the Fairfield, being an uncom- 
 mon ship, and her purser an uncommon man, it was 
 extremely desirable that it never should cease. To 
 this end it soon grew a custom to set the men at 
 some kind of dirty employment whenever they were 
 cleanly clad, by which means their linen became 
 soiled with pitch, tar, and paint. They were then 
 prohibited from appearing at quarters, unless in 
 frocks of the most spotless white. By this happy 
 provision, the sailors were compelled to lay their
 
 S28 IUVE YEAUS I>EFOHE THE MAST. 
 
 soiled frocks aside before they were half worn out, 
 and a continual run for new ones was kept upon 
 the purser. 
 
 The men, poor fellows, were under the impres- 
 sion that when once more out at sea, they would for 
 a time be relieved from these oppressive purchases, 
 but in this they were widely mistaken. No sooner 
 had we reached abroad on the wide waters of the 
 Mediterranean, than the captain made it rulable on 
 every calm day to have the sailors rigged out in 
 their holiday finery, and as soon as muster was 
 over, to pipe all hands to exercise sail. Away 
 would go all the men aloft, hopping and skipping 
 from rope to rope with the alacrity of squirrels, 
 the respective topmen vieing with each other to see 
 who could reef and unreef, or take in a topsail the 
 quickest. The result of these proceedings com- 
 monly was that one man would lose the sleeve of 
 his jacket, another a cuff or a collar, and a third 
 wpuld be split open like a locust on the back, while 
 not a few made a melancholy descent to the deck 
 with a particular portion of their superfine trow- 
 sers torn and mutilated, and the fragments flutter- 
 ing like a ruptured spanker in the breeze. These 
 exercises were doubtless extremely gratifying to the 
 purser, who saw in prospective, through the rents 
 of the tattered garments before him, new requisi- 
 tions for seventeen dollar suits. As soon as the 
 vessel again reached Port Mahon, the tailor and 
 the yard-stick were once more in demand ; and the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 329 
 
 poor sailors, perceiving in the movements some- 
 thing like a collusion against their interests, gave 
 up in despair, and talked among themselves of 
 making an assignment at once to the purser of all 
 their wages, both due and in expectancy. 
 
 Those who are unacquainted with the machina- 
 tions practised among officers, will perhaps wonder 
 why sailors permit themselves to be thus humbug- 
 ged, and may also ask why it was that the men did 
 not refuse the purchase of these articles ; and were 
 the question propounded to an officer, he would 
 most probably answer that those purchases were 
 entirely at the option of the men ; that they were 
 at liberty to take the articles or let them alone. 
 And I, myself, must admit that they did buy them 
 voluntarily, though with the thorough conviction 
 that if they refused, or objected to receive them, a 
 thousand schemes would be resorted to for the 
 purpose of annoying them into submission. A 
 captain might not openly flog a man for refu- 
 sing to buy of the purser a seventeen dollar suit, 
 but he would flog him for appearing at muster in a 
 nine dollar one, which in eifect would be the same 
 thing ; and the sailor, seeing his personal safety 
 compromised between the two, chooses the least 
 painful alternative. There was not a man in the 
 Fairfield who would not rather have saved his mo- 
 ney than waste it in extravagance of dress, had he 
 not been conscious that his refusal to comply with 
 the wishes of the officers, would have subjected him 
 '28*
 
 330 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 to every species of cruel and unjust persecution. 
 On board the Brandywine, where a similar game 
 was carried on, the men did openly object to buy- 
 ing the flannel, on the ground that it was dama- 
 ged ; but Captain Guysinger insisted on their 
 taking it, and when they still persisted in their 
 objection, he put them in double irons, and actu- 
 ally flogged them into submission. Hundreds of 
 yards were thus forced upon the ship's company in 
 the most inhuman manner ; and to what extent the 
 captain might not have carried his barbarous per- 
 secution of these honest sailors for refusing to be 
 swindled out of their hard earnings, could not have 
 been foreseen had not Commodore Morgan acciden- 
 tally become apprised of the proceedings, and jus- 
 tified the men by putting a stop to them. 
 
 It was the intention of the commodore, at the 
 time of leaving Port Mahon, to make a brief visit 
 up the Levant as far as Smyrna, touching at Tunis, 
 in Africa, and such other intermediate ports as lay 
 in the track of his route ; but on arriving opposite 
 to the bay of Tunis, he found himself headed off 
 by such a strong south-easterly wind, that he 
 abandoned his intended visit to that place, and 
 shifting his course stood away for the island of 
 Malta. On the following day we passed in sight 
 of Malta, but the commander-in-chief showed no 
 disposition to enter the harbor. The gales from 
 the eastward still prevailing, we kept beating about 
 for two or three days, to very little purpose, and
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 331 
 
 finally bearing up to the south-eastern coast of 
 Sicily, soon afterwards came to anchor in the har- 
 bor of Syracuse. 
 
 On mooring otrr vessels in the bay, the health 
 officers of the town approached the flag-ship, and 
 ascertaining that we had sailed up the African 
 coast, prohibited the citizens from visiting the squad- 
 ron, and denied us pratique until we had undergone 
 a quarantine of twenty days. The commodore 
 objected to this unnecessary quarantine, on the 
 grounds that there were not the slightest symptoms 
 of any contagious diseases on board the squadron ; 
 but finding his remonstrances all in vain, he re- 
 solved to make his stay in the port no longer than 
 until a favorable change of wind should take 
 place. So fearful were the officers of contracting 
 some horrible malady from us, that when it became 
 necessary to inspect some of the commodore's 
 papers, they received them from the side of the 
 ship with tongs some twelve feet in length, and held 
 them over a fire, fixed for the purpose in the bow 
 of their boat, to smoke out the contaminating efflu- 
 via before venturing to touch them. A like pre- 
 caution was also observed by the citizens, who 
 undertook to furnish provisions for the squadron. 
 The beef being laid on the sea shore, the natives 
 stood afar off until it had been deposited in the 
 boats by our men, upon which they would approach 
 near the spot where the money had been left lying, 
 and seizing the cash with their pole-like tongs, stick
 
 332 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 it into the fires of a portable furnace before pock- 
 eting it. 
 
 Sicily, the garden of Europe, and the most fer- 
 tile country in the world, presents but few attrac- 
 tive features along its south-eastern coast and in 
 the immediate neighborhood of Syracuse, though 
 to the northward the country swells gradually into 
 pleasing undulations and hills, from amid which, 
 like a gigantic pyramid piercing the very clouds, 
 rises the murky outline of the great Mount Etna. 
 This celebrated mountain is said, by some writers, 
 to be two miles in perpendicular height, one hun- 
 dred miles in circumference at its base, and to have 
 been adorned along its sides, at one time, with no 
 fewer than seventy-seven cities and villages. Its 
 appearance from Syracuse, though over thirty 
 miles distant, is certainly beautiful and pictur- 
 esque, and when viewed through a glass, the wood- 
 land scenery along its sloping sides, displays almost 
 every hue of the seasons, from the deep verdure of 
 midsummer to the last expiring tints of autumn, 
 the latter betraying their faint glimmer in the 
 scanty vegetation barely perceptible amid the sur- 
 rounding scoria, which in its turn becomes lost 
 beneath massive accumulations of ice and snow. 
 Along its eastern base it is washed by the waters 
 of the Mediterranean, from whose sunny bosom 
 its dark and craggy form rises into the heaven,-. 
 with magnificence and grandeur, inspiring the mind
 
 
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 333 
 
 of the passing mariner with feelings of admiration 
 and awe. 
 
 Of the city of Syracuse, but^ittle can be said, 
 and indeed but little need be said, for it is, doubt- 
 less, ashamed of its own existence, and seems 
 crouching away from the world like a decrepid 
 beggar, dying amid the ruins of departed manhood. 
 This great wonder of the Mediterranean this 
 vast city that once covered an area of twenty- 
 two miles in circumference, and whose genius 
 baffled the combined skill of the Roman powers 
 this pride of Sicily, that could at one time boast 
 her half a thousand ships of war, and her two 
 hundred thousand soldiers, and who still boasts of 
 retaining in her decaying bosom a church in which 
 once resounded the eloquence of St. Paul this 
 great mart of nations this home of Archimedes, 
 has dwindled down tc* a mere hamlet, destitute of 
 life, destitute of commerce, aad in which assemble 
 to nightly rest, a population of a few thousand 
 paupers. The crumbling ruins that lie in scattered 
 fragments along the shores of the bay, give here 
 and there some faint traces of her former great- 
 ness ; but even these serve to impress upon the 
 place a deeper gloom, and to increase the general 
 and the death-like desolation that every where 
 abounds. The inhabitants themselves lack the 
 cheerful appearance of a people accustomed to the 
 full enjoyment of civil and religious rights. The 
 hand of the oppressor has seized upon them with
 
 334 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 an irrelinquishable grasp, and smothered within 
 their bosoms, all aspirations for noble action and 
 daring enterprise.* There is no longer existing 
 among them that activity and genius that once 
 constructed temples, erected palaces, and filled the 
 sea with ships ; and the very harbor that once 
 gave shelter to the fleets of Carthage and the 
 navies of Rome, is now obstructed by piles of 
 drift and accumulations of sand. Liberty and 
 happiness have long since taken their departure 
 from among this people for more genial climes, 
 and rolling themselves westward beyond the Alps, 
 and over the oppressed nations of France and Spain, 
 have finally constructed their dwelling amid tho 
 homes of America among a people of whose 
 birth-place the utmost ken of Italian glory could 
 never form the most remote conception, but the 
 feet of whose sons and daughters, nevertheless, 
 trace occasionally those groves and fields, which 
 the poets and philosophers of a more lustrous age, 
 have rendered forever memorable to the world. 
 What prophetic dreamer in the days of the Dio 
 nysii, would have thought of a country emerging 
 from amid the waters of the eastern seas of a 
 nation springing into existence far beyond the 
 mystic coasts of the fabled Atlantis, whose ships 
 would one day pass the pillars of the famed Her- 
 cules, and traverse the waters of the western seas? 
 So wild an enthusiast would have been ridiculed for 
 his madness; and yet, this seemingly impossible
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 335 
 
 dream, was most wonderfully realised. The ships 
 of America were now at anchor in the same bay, 
 where once had concentrated the naval forces of 
 the world the banner of the stripes and stars 
 was waving joyously in view of that very Etna, 
 whose snow-clad summit had overlooked the gene- 
 rations of five thousand years, and which still 
 stood majestically before us, like a monument of 
 the once existing glory of Sicily. 
 
 The Sicilians, still persisting in making "us lay 
 out our quarantine, the commodore, at the end of 
 five days, made a signal for the squadron to get 
 under way. The ships immediately unmoored, and 
 spread their canvass to the breeze. The wind 
 being southerly, the Fairfield, which lay furthest 
 in-shore, was compelled to make a tack or two to 
 windward, in order to gain the offing. In this 
 manoeuvre she ran a little too near the shore and 
 stuck upon a sand bar. This disaster caused a 
 good deal of confusion on board. All sail was 
 immediately taken in, the boats were hoisted out 
 loaded with the anchors, which were conveyed to 
 moorings at some distance from the ship. Kedges, 
 eheet and chain cables, and hawsers, were hastily 
 brought into requisition, and every exertion made 
 to relieve ourselves from our embarrassing diffi- 
 culty. The. commodore having witnessed our mis- 
 fortune from the offing, sent the Preble back to 
 our assistance ; but that vessel, in approaching 
 us, finding herself in danger of a similar fate, has-
 
 336 FIVE YEARS BEFORE ins MAST. 
 
 tily about ship and proceeded to sea. After a few 
 hour's faithful perseverance, we were, however, 
 once more afloat ; and standing directly out of the 
 harbor, we bid farewell to Syracuse and made the 
 best of our way in pursuit of the commodore. 
 
 The sea is often upbraided for its treachery, but 
 it is questionable whether it is half so treacherous 
 as the winds. Two-thirds of those dire calamities 
 occurring at sea, are more directly duo to the 
 havoc of storms and hurricanes, than to the wan- 
 tonness of the waters. There is no part of the 
 Mediterranean that usually presents a more serene 
 and delightful appearance than that around Sicily 
 and the Lipari islands, nor at the same time, is 
 there any place in the world more liable to sudden 
 storms. It seems as if the atmosphere in these 
 volcanic regions, was at all times charged with a 
 superabundance of electricity, which the slightest 
 vapor is sufficient to set in a roar. A single hour 
 often suffices to change a scene of the most calm 
 and placid beauty into that of a howling and 
 bounding tempest. 
 
 Beautiful as was the evening of our departure 
 from Syracuse, we had scarcely stowed away our 
 sheet cable and cleaned up the decks for sea, when 
 a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder "breaking 
 from a cloud wheeling up on our larboard quarter, 
 admonished us that danger was stalking abroad on 
 the waters. The officer of the deck paid at first, 
 but little heed to this signal guu of the elements,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 337 
 
 but soon observing the heavens in every direction, 
 lowering upon us with the most threatening aspect, 
 he proceeded to taking in the studding sails, and 
 striking the top-gallant sails. In an hour from the 
 appearance of the first cloud above the horizon, 
 we found ourselves struggling and buffeting with a 
 tremendous storm. 
 
 As before observed, the wind was southerly, and 
 as we were bearing to the northward, along the 
 eastern coast of Sicily, the ship was permitted to 
 scud ahead under close reefed topsails. The storm 
 kept pelting away with unabated fury, during the 
 whole of the night ; and the wind wh'ich at first 
 blew in fits and squalls, became by degrees more 
 steady, and appeared to be strengthening into a gale. 
 About two o'clock at night, the lookout on the 
 bow, becoming alarmed at the formidable appear- 
 ance of the waves rolling in advance of the ship, 
 raised a terrifying cry. 
 
 "Breakers ahead." 
 
 "Where away?" shouted the officer' of the 
 watch. 
 
 " Right ahead, sir." 
 
 " How far off?" 
 
 " About three lengths of the ship, sir." 
 
 "Port your helm, hard aport," cried the officer 
 to the steersman. 
 
 The ship suddenly rounded to windward, and 
 bounded into the eye of the tempest like a tightly 
 reined courser. 
 
 29
 
 338 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " How do they bear now," shouted the officer. 
 
 "About two points, close under the lee bow, 
 sir." 
 
 " Let go the larboard sheet anchor," continued 
 he of the trumpet. 
 
 *' There is no cable bent, sir," shouted the cap- 
 tain of the forecastle. 
 
 " No matter let it go, and be hanged to you, 
 when I tell you," responded the lieutenant. 
 
 " Let it go let it go," cried two or three men, 
 crowding round the captain of the forecastle, who 
 had sprung to the cathead to prevent the loss of 
 the anchor. "Let it go, man, -the officer of the 
 deck says so." 
 
 " I don't care a chaw-tobacker if he does," ans- 
 wered the sturdy petty officer, seating himself 
 calmly on the strap of the anchor. " The anchor 
 is worth more nor he is ; and if it must go to 
 Davy Jones', it shall go in company with the rest 
 of us." 
 
 By this time the plunging of the vessel, together 
 with the shouting, aroused the captain, who sud- 
 denly appearing on deck, seized a night glass and 
 hastened to the forecastle. After scanning the 
 sea in all directions, he was convinced that our 
 movements were the result of a false alarm, and 
 ordering the ship to be again put on the proper 
 course, retired to the cabin. 
 
 On the approach of daylight we discovered the 
 Brandy wine and Preble, both hove too in the mouth
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 339 
 
 of the Straits of Messina. Both ships began to 
 make sail on our approach ; and as soon as we were 
 near enough to distinguish the signal of the com- 
 modore, the latter bent his course swiftly down the 
 Straits. The Preble and Fairfield followed with 
 equal rapidity in the wake of the Brandywine, and 
 in a few hours arrived in front of Messina, without 
 having encountered the dangers of either Scylla or 
 Charybdis. The commodore's ship having broached 
 to in the direction of the city, the other two vessels 
 came to a halt to watch the result of his manoeuvres. 
 
 On receiving a visit from the health officers, and 
 finding them disposed to sustain the quarantine 
 imposed upon him at Syracuse, the commodore 
 again changed the course of his ship, and stood 
 away in the direction of the Lipari Isles. It was 
 now becoming pretty evident to the men, that the 
 intended visit to the Levant had been abandoned, 
 and that our present place of destination was the 
 port of Naples. The discovery however, was pro- 
 ductive of no dissension among the crew, as none 
 had been delighted at the prospect of a cruise 
 among the Archipelagos, and all anticipated a more 
 agreeable treat at Naples, than at Smyrna. 
 
 The day was disagreeable in the extreme. The 
 wind, blew still in a heavy gale from the south, 
 mingled with terrific thunder, and drenching show- 
 ers of rain. The sea, lashed into anger by the 
 warring tempest, reared her foam-crested waves in 
 fury against our stern, tossing and pitching us vio-
 
 340 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 lently ahead, amid clouds of mist and spray. The 
 night closed in upon us with a double darkness, 
 while the raving elements, received, if possible, an 
 additional flash of horror from the fires of Mount 
 Stromboli, the light of whose belching flames, 
 glared across the waters with a crimson hue, ren- 
 dering the pillow of their ocean bed visible even to 
 the summit of the distant Appenines. For more 
 than half the night we held our onward course be- 
 neath the bright glimmer of the mountain, and when 
 the morning dawned, and we had passed far to the 
 northward of it, the smoke and dust that had gath- 
 ered about its northern summit, rushed darkly down 
 upon the troubled waters, and pursued us, for 
 leagues, amid the driving mists of the sea. 
 
 This day was little better than the former. 
 Though less rain, the winds remained the same, 
 both in course and volume. We still dashed ahead 
 however, during the whole of the day, and when the 
 darkness of night again shrouded our course, though 
 yet many miles from port, there seemed so much 
 recklessness in running directly upon the coast, du- 
 ring so rough a storm, that the commodore directed 
 us to shorten sail, and ride at ease, until the ap- 
 proach of day. At the first appearance of the 
 dawn, we renewed our rough journey, and about 
 Dine o'clock A. M. glided past the little isles, adorn- 
 ing the outer circuit of the most picturesque bay 
 in all Europe. After a brief interval of another 
 hour, the squadron dropped anchor in the bay of
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 341 
 
 Naples, and our ship rounded to windward, some 
 hundred rods in front of the city. 
 
 The weather, on the day of our arrival, was so 
 stormy that the health officers were unable to visit 
 the squadron. It would have been utterly impos- 
 sible for an open boat to have advanced three rods 
 from the shore, without being swamped in the surf 
 that was rolling and dashing its white spray into the 
 very streets of the city. The wind still continued 
 blowing from the south, sending the huge breakers 
 thundering into the bay, with a howl that alarmed 
 many old sailors, long accustomed to the dangers 
 of the sea. One anchor being insufficient to hold 
 the ship, a second was let go, and perceiving that 
 she still receded from her moorings, a sheet anchor 
 was dropped. The three finally brought her to a 
 stand, upon which she commenced plunging, with 
 a desperation that threatened to engulf her. Each 
 tremendous billow, swept upon her bows with a 
 force that sent the blue waters streaming over the 
 top-gallant forecastle, and along the gangways to 
 the very helm. The captain, appreciating our 
 danger, had the top-gallant yards sent down from 
 aloft, and the top-gallant masts struck ; while sev- 
 eral of the bow guns, were in the meantime, re- 
 moved to the afterpart of the ^hip-, and secured on 
 the quarter-deck. The beneficial effects of these 
 arrangements were soon perceptible, and finding 
 that the cables were much relieved, we began to 
 consider ourselves comparatively safe. The Bran- 
 29*
 
 342 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE TUB MAST. 
 
 dywine appeared to ride out the gale with the ma- 
 jesty of a ship long accustomed to braving the ter- 
 rors of the sea, while the Preble kept plunging and 
 tossing more wildly, if possible, than ourselves. A 
 French brig of war, which lay a short distance from 
 us, had housed all her upper spars, and having 
 nothing aloft to keep her head to windward, she 
 sheared into the trough of the sea, and rolled from 
 side to side, with a fury that more than once, bu- 
 ried her hammock-nettings beneath the boiling 
 waters. ' One of her quarter-boats was dashed from 
 the davits, and drifting in the direction of our 
 ship, was rescued by some of the crew, and subse- 
 quently restored to the French commander. An 
 English merchant brig, which was moored a .short 
 distance from our stern, suddenly parted her ca- 
 bles, and bounding, stem-foremost, on a reef of 
 rocks, that intervened between her and the shore, 
 turned over on her side, and plunged upon the 
 beach, a total wreck, her bowsprit protruding across 
 the front street of the city in contact with the 
 houses. The crew were however fortunately saved 
 by the timely assistance of a life-boat from the 
 shore. 
 
 * 
 
 NOTE. The naval practice of sharing ship's companies out >i 
 their wages has been obviated in part by the establishment of 
 fixed salaries to pursers in lieu of the former percentage.
 
 A Yankee mechanic on a sailor's beat in Naples. 
 
 IF the day of our arrival at Naples was bois- 
 terous and unpropitious, it was more than compen- 
 sated by the beauty of that which followed. The 
 battling elements had ceased their strife during the 
 preceding night, and the morning dawned upon the 
 waters of a bay as smooth and silvery as the unruf- 
 fled bosom of a lake. The ascending sun rose in 
 cloudless majesty through the mellow atmosphere 
 of an Italian sky, and cast his sparkling beams 
 across the dim Vesuvius, shortening its dark shadow 
 on the bay, and lighting up the rich autumnal foli- 
 age of its sides with a mingled livery of green and 
 violet. The appearance of this mountain is far 
 less imposing than that of Etna, though its con- 
 tiguity to Naples, and the beautiful country around, 
 give it an equal, if not a greater interest in the 
 minis of travellers. The top seems to have been 
 separated by some fearful convulsion, leaving a 
 ch?3m extending nearly one-third of the way down 
 its centre, portions of which are nearly half filled 
 up with rocks, dust, and scoria. The crater is evi- 
 d^itly in the portion of the summit next to the 
 
 (343)
 
 344 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 sea ; and though no flames issue from it, the vol 
 umes of smoke mantling in circling eddies over 
 it, give ample evidence of those ceaseless fires 
 that once sent their destructive lavas, with ocean 
 power, over the ill-fated cities of Herculaneum 
 and Pompeii. 
 
 The bay of Naples is semi-circular in form, the 
 line of curve describing its circuit between two 
 capes, one of which is adorned with the dark form of 
 Vesuvius, and the other with a portion of the city of 
 Naples. The southern side being open to the sea, 
 readily accounts for the roughness of its waters 
 during the prevalence of southerly winds. An 
 artificial mole, for the better security of ships, is 
 constructed in front of the city; but vessels of 
 war, having always an abundance of hands to meet 
 any emergency of danger, never think of taking 
 shelter in it. 
 
 On complaint of the commodore, of the unjust 
 quarantine imposed upon us at Syracuse, the au- 
 thorities of Naples at once remitted the remaining 
 ten days, and permitted the squadron to have im- 
 mediate intercourse with the shore. Upon this 
 some of the officers, as well as men, obtained leave 
 of absence. Our captain had made it rulable, at 
 the commencement of the cruise, to give the sailors 
 leave of absence in the rotation of their messes, 
 and all the messes preceding mine, in the order of 
 their numbers, having been on shore at Port Ma- 
 lion, it became my turn now. Leave and money
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THEMAST. 345 
 
 far a thirty-six hour's ramble having been obtained, 
 some twelve of us bounded into a boat, and were 
 soon landed near the steps of a grim looking castle 
 that overlooked the bay with a more formidable 
 aspect than even the city-destroying Vesuvius, 
 breathing forth her volumes of smoke some four 
 miles in front. 
 
 If I had been surprised at the death-like dull- 
 ness and inactivity of Syracuse, I was doubly aston- 
 ished at the life, animation, and vivacity of Naples. 
 Her vast population, of nearly four hundred thou- 
 sand souls, seemed to have crowded itself into the 
 streets. Here might be seen, in the immense 
 crowds before me, the varied features of civiliza- 
 tion in their brightest and darkest colors. Here, 
 like a vision, flitted before my sight an endless 
 panorama of beauty and deformity, wealth and 
 poverty, virtue and vice, wisdom and ignorance. 
 Here stalked, side by side, the noble and the live- 
 ried menial, the foreign soldier and the native citi- 
 zen, the mitred cardinal and. the mountain robber, 
 the cowled priest and the midnight pilferer, the 
 jewelled lady' and the beggared maiden, and even 
 the nun and the courtezan, all intermingling in one 
 vast crowd, and jostling each other amid the shouts, 
 cries, whines, and curses of the half-clad beggars 
 that thronged by hundreds in every thoroughfare. 
 Every thing in this densely populated city seemed 
 running into strange and disjointed extremes, from 
 the titled prince, feasting on the most costly vianda
 
 346 FIVE SEARS BEFOKE THE MAST. 
 
 in the vestibule of his palace, to the meanest and 
 most woe-begone mendicant, brooding along the 
 pavement over his solitary horse-chestnut. Alas ! 
 thought I, if this metropolis of the two Sicilies can 
 boast her hundred princes, she can also boast her 
 forty thousand vagabonds ; if she can point the eye 
 of the stranger to her palaces, her grotto, and her 
 marble fountains, she can also point him to her 
 dungeons, her prison ships, and foreign dogs of 
 war. The tyrant that feels his soul thrill with 
 pride, in gazing on his own statue, bestriding a 
 marble steed within the colonnades of his royal 
 chapel, may also tremble at the sigh of vengeance 
 rising from the struggling bosoms of the dying 
 patriots of Italy ; and when he himself follows those 
 whom his inhumanity has hastened to an untimely 
 grave, let him draw a happy consolation from the 
 thought that his tomb will be loaded with the 
 curses of his subjects, and- his memory followed by 
 the maledictions of a people whose homes have 
 been rendered desolate by his heartless rapacity. 
 
 On penetrating into the city, our foreign costume 
 rendered us objects of particular attention to a 
 certain class of citizens. We were instantly sur- 
 rounded by about fifty people, who seemed all 
 eager to serve us in some way, with the hope of 
 obtaining a few pennies. But we waived them from 
 us, and continued our way into the heart of the 
 city. ; Our journey, however, was not unattended 
 with interruptions. At one place we were seized
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 3i7 
 
 by a crowd, and dragged good-naturedly forward 
 to a puppet show, the performances of which were 
 progressing at the top of a screen, by the street 
 side, in all the stateliness of Punch and Judy, with 
 as much additional tact and humor as Italian inge- 
 nuity could invent. For this treat, not one word 
 of which we understood, we were requested to pay 
 two coppers each. 
 
 On leaving this establishment we were met by a 
 gang of rival showmen, who had beheld with envy 
 our patronage to the puppets. They instantly 
 seized upon us, and forced us forward to a small 
 tent, in which was exhibiting, at a penny apiece, 
 the time-honored Virgin and the child Jesus. The 
 back ground of the show was filled with miniature 
 saints, who were grouped together in infantile inno- 
 cence. The revenues of this dignified establish-' 
 lishment were collected by a priest, who, from head 
 to foot, was shrouded in a white robe, the only 
 openings of which were too small holes beneath the 
 forehead, through which peered a pair of piercing 
 black eyes. After each of us had slipped two cop- 
 pers into the box of this holy representative of the 
 most holy see, we were permitted to take our de- 
 parture in peace. 
 
 The first two hours of our shore adventures 
 satisfied me that the citizens were every where dis- 
 posed to take advantage of our ignorance of their 
 language, and that every scheme was resorted to 
 among them to swindle us out of our money.
 
 348 FIVE YEARS BEJOUE THE MAST. 
 
 These things made us feel the want of an inter- 
 preter, but there appeared some difficulty in ob- 
 taining one. Overhearing some Swiss soldiers 
 talking together on the pavement, I ventured to 
 address them in German, upon which they touched 
 their hats very politely ; and on finding that we 
 were Americans, became quite friendly, and 
 offered to aid us in procuring an English inter 
 preter. 
 
 Following in the footsteps of our new friends, 
 we were led a few squares down a narrow street, 
 and conducted into a large drinking-saloon, where 
 stood four or five tables, surrounded by about forty 
 soldiers dressed in the same uniform as those of 
 our escort. On being introduced to the party as 
 American sailors, an additional half dozen bottles 
 of wine were called for, and on being placed before 
 us by the female servants in attendance, the whole 
 party toasted us and our country with a cheer, 
 such as we had been accustomed to use on board 
 the Fairfield, as the shout of a sham victory. 
 
 A general conversation now sprung up among 
 them, in respect to America. One had a brother 
 living in New York, another a sister in St. Louis, 
 a third two cousins in Baltimore ; and, in truth, aa 
 the discourse flew from mouth to mouth, there was 
 scarcely an individual among them but had friends 
 or relatives distributed in some portion of the new 
 world. All were determined, at one day, to tread 
 the soil of America. Many had already prepared
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 349 
 
 ducat upon ducat for that purpose ; and all hoped 
 to pocket, from the fingers of Ferdinand and those 
 of his powerless subjects, the golden crutch that 
 was to sustain their journey to the distant prairies 
 of the western world. An hundred questions, in 
 respect to subjects connected with my own country, 
 were propounded by the different speakers, all of 
 which I answered as briefly and satisfactorily as 
 possible. At last one of the company threw up his 
 hat, and commenced singing an emigrant song, in 
 which all the rest joined in chorus ; and when it 
 was finally concluded, with quite a touching pathos, 
 they all clapped their hands, and seizing their 
 glasses, drank success to America, with an appetite 
 that threatened to engulf every idea of the conti- 
 nent they were toasting. 
 
 At this moment, the soldier who had volunteered 
 to procure an interpreter entered the apartment, 
 in company with an elderly man of slender frame, 
 who, he thought, might answer my purpose but 
 whose honesty, he observed, would not be any the 
 worse of a little watching. 
 
 After an interchange of a few words with the 
 interpreter, I prepared to take my leave. The 
 soldiers, finding me decided against passing the 
 day with them, crowded round me on every side, 
 shaking my hands, and eliciting from me a promise 
 to visit them again on the fullowing day, before my 
 departure to the ship. My messmates, whom the 
 discharges of the wine bottles had imbued with 
 30
 
 350 FIVE YEAKO BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 quite a martial spirit, determined to sustain to the 
 last the posts allotted to them by their Swiss allies ; 
 and blow high, blow low, swore they would never 
 desert the cantonment, while there remained a shot 
 in the 'locker or an unconquered wine bottle in the 
 port. With this understanding, myself and two 
 of my more orderly companions, left the assembly, 
 and started in search of adventures more congenial 
 to our tastes. 
 
 " Where do you want to go ?" inquired the inter- 
 preter, in good English, as soon as we had gained 
 the street. 
 
 " Wherever there is any thing to be seen," re- 
 plied I. 
 
 " To be seen !" echoed he, laughing. "Are we 
 not in Naples ? Is not the fashionable toyshop of 
 all Italy before you ?" 
 
 " True," observed I, " we are in Naples, and a 
 dark enough hole this portion of it is, too. Why 
 do they make their streets so narrow ? Does the 
 sun ever shine in here ?" added I, glancing upward. 
 '* How high are these houses ? One, two, three, 
 three and three are six, six and three nine storiea 
 .and a basement! We have nothing in America 
 quite so heavenly as that !" 
 
 Before I had withdrawn my looks from aloft, my 
 foot was tripped, and down I went among a pile 
 of beggars who had stretched themselves on the 
 pavement to solicit alms. Before I could regain 
 my feet, my purse, which was suspended by a string
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 351 
 
 round my neck, slipped accidentally from the 
 bosom of my frock. It was instantly clutched by 
 one of the prostrate beggars, who, breaking the 
 string, whipped it under his tattered clothes. As 
 quick as lightning I grasped the villain by the 
 throat, and slinging him into the street, held him 
 there, demanding my money. His comrades set 
 up a howl of distress, and attempted to aid him ; 
 but I kept them off by kicks and menaces, until 
 two Swiss soldiers were attracted to the spot, who, 
 on- being informed of the robbery, proceeded to 
 search the scoundrel. He fell on his knees, de- 
 claring his innocence of the theft ; but the soldiers, 
 without paying the least regard to his whining pro- 
 testations, divested him of the filthy rags that served 
 as his clothing, and soon found the purse concealed 
 in a sack next his person. When the purse was 
 restored, he became very penitent, and while re- 
 clothing himself under the kicks of the soldiers, 
 begged of me, in tears, for God's sake to let him 
 have a little money to keep him from perishing of 
 hunger. I offered the soldiers money, in recom- 
 pense for their timely aid, but they refused all com- 
 pensation ; and taking their walk in the direction _ 
 of the house we had just quitted, left us to the 
 renewal of our adventures. 
 
 "You were lucky in getting your purse, again," 
 said our guide, as we resumed our walk. " It is 
 a wonder he did not slip it into the hands of one 
 of his companions."
 
 352 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " I was too quick for him, or doubtless he would," 
 replied I. " My eye was fixed on both his hands, 
 all the time I- had hold of him. I was determined 
 it should not pass from him without my knowledge ; 
 but here's that bustling street again. Are there 
 no places of amusement, we might visit, without 
 encountering such an interminable crowd ? 
 
 " Yes ; we might go to the grotto, or to the 
 king's gardens." 
 
 " How far are they off?" 
 
 " The former about a mile, and the latter, near 
 two miles." 
 
 " Rather too long a cruise, to go on foot," ob- 
 served one of my companions. 
 
 "Yes, too far for me, at all events," said I: 
 " for I feel half tired to death with fighting that old 
 beggar." 
 
 " Let us take a coach, and ride out to Mount 
 Vesuvius," said another of our party, whose name 
 was Stephens. 
 
 " Agreed," said I. " Mr. what name are we 
 
 to know you by ?" inquired I, turning to our inter- 
 preter. 
 
 " Anything-you please," answered he, laughing. 
 " You may call me John Bull, for want of a better 
 name, for I am an Englishman at any rate." 
 
 "Well then, Mr. John Bull," observed Stephens, 
 "as you and Jonathan are to'have a day's cruise 
 together, top your boom, and hunt us a coach, in 
 double-quick time, and let us take a beat to old
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 353 
 
 Vesuvius. And, harkec, sir, mind and bring one 
 of the right stripe." 
 
 The guide instantly darted away in search of a 
 coach, while myself, and companions, took our walk 
 in the direction of the square, designated as the 
 place to meet the coach. 
 
 While awaiting the return of the guide, our 
 attention was arrested by a commotion up the street, 
 and on" mounting the steps of the houses, so as to 
 overlook the heads of the multitude, we descried 
 two of our shipmates, who had parted company with 
 us early in the day, thundering down into the 
 square, mounted on jackasses, and followed by some 
 fifty of the lazzaroni, shouting and laughing, with 
 the most exquisite delight. The people scampered 
 in every direction from the street, as they ap- 
 proached ; and the riders perceiving us watching 
 their movements, commenced playing their whips 
 with an activity that would have done credit to a 
 boatswain's-mate, while the high-mettled animals 
 darted ahead with a speed that outstripped the feet 
 of the nimble mob following in their rear. 
 
 "Hurrah for" Mount Vesuvius!'' shouted the 
 foremost sailor, waving his hand, and kicking his 
 heels into the flanks of his animal, as he passed in 
 front of us. 
 
 " Hurrah for old Parkhill, and his brother jack- 
 ass !" answered Stephens, slinging his hat at the 
 head of the beast. 
 
 The ass, frightened at the hat, shyed off with a 
 30*
 
 354 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 bound ; and Parkhill, losing his equilibrium, shot 
 from his saddle, and turned a summerset in the 
 direction of an old woman, who was roasting horse- 
 chestnuts over a hand-furnace, by the street side. 
 The heels of the unassed sailor striking on the 
 edge of her frying pan, sent it singing, like a tam- 
 bourine, into the middle of the street, while the 
 chestnuts rattled round, in every direction, like 
 hailstones in a tempest. 
 
 " Are you hurt, Parkhill ?" exclaimed Stephens, 
 running to the assistance of his fallen shipmate, who 
 clung with both hands to the curbstone. 
 
 "Hurt, the devil !- Never mind me, but stop the 
 headway of the jackass. Clew up his sails, and let 
 go his anchor, or he'll be harder aground nor I 
 am, in less than two minutes." 
 
 The ass was soon restored by a bystander, who 
 pocketed a rich reward for his labor ; while Park- 
 hill's companion, who had witnessed the accident, 
 in the meantime rounded too, and now riding up, 
 aided his friend in re-mounting, upon which the 
 two rode off more moderately, followed by the lam- 
 entations of the old woman, who 'raised a despair- 
 ing cry over the loss of her chestnuts. 
 
 " Shut your mouth, you old catamount !" cried 
 Stephens. " I would'nt raise such a scream, for a 
 cart load of chestnuts. How much are they worth ? 
 I kicked up the muss, and I can pay for them." 
 
 "Give her a few coppers,'* interposed an En- 
 glish gentleman, who had been attracted to the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 355 
 
 spot by the novelty our presence created. " You 
 can buy a bushel of these in the market for a mere 
 trifle." 
 
 Stephens gave the old crone -a sixpence, on which 
 she instantly dried her tears, and clasping her 
 hands in thankfulness, began pouring upon him her 
 blessings, in a tone almost as shrill as her former 
 cries of sorrow. 
 
 Our guide now appearing with a coach, the driver 
 drew up at the side of the street, and cracking his 
 whip, motioned for us to get into it, but Stephens 
 who was out for a "bust," refused to mount one 
 step of the " Jacob' s-ladder" until furnished with a 
 bottle of liquor. The desired luxury was soon pro- 
 cured from a neighboring house, upon which we all 
 mounted into the coach, and rolled off in pursuit of 
 our equestrian shipmates. 
 
 Though the road round the circuit of the bay, 
 was as beautiful as fancy can conceive, our pro- 
 gress was not very rapid; for there were objects of 
 interest, at many points, which it required pauses 
 to inspect, and once John Bull and I dismounted, 
 to examine the wreck of the English brig that had 
 been cast upon the shore during the recent storms. 
 More than an hour had elapsed by the time of our 
 arrival at the foot of the mountain, and both ruy 
 companions, had become so drunk from the contents 
 of the bottle, that neither of them could have ac- 
 complished the ascent, had they undertaken it. A t 
 the suggestion of the guide, who thought the day
 
 356 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 too far advanced for a journey to the summit, the 
 project was abandoned, and our party joined in 
 company with Parkhill and his friend, who had 
 located themselves in front of a pretty cottage, oc- 
 cupied by a merry little Italian woman, and near 
 which stood a wine press. The luscious liquid of 
 the Vesuvian grape was ordered forth by the quart, 
 and the whole party walked into it with an appe- 
 tite that showed them no novices in the favorite 
 devotions of the merry god; while the repeated 
 praises bestowed on each mug by the amiable land- 
 lady, told loudly in favor of the high esteem in 
 which she held the merits of her wine. After an 
 hour of noise and revelry, during which the lan- 
 guage of both our guide and coachman began to 
 betray symptoms of the deleterious effects of our 
 Vesuvian visit, it was finally proposed that we should 
 return to Naples. The proposition meeting with 
 the unanimous accord of the whole party, the asses 
 and coach were again brought forth, and such as 
 were too drunk to mount without help, being aided 
 into the coach, the whole cavalcade retraced its way 
 to the city, amid the shouts and hurrahs of its own 
 members. 
 
 On the dismissal of the coach, the movable poi- 
 tion of our party had become reduced to the guide 
 and myself, who after seeing our companions housed 
 for the night, and partaking a lunch of maca- 
 roni and cheese, repaired to the theatre. The 
 play was a comedy, and though the language was
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST.- 357 
 
 wholly unintelligible to me, the groupings were at 
 times so ludicrous that I laughed heartily with the 
 rest. I saw nothing in the decorations of the 
 house, or the stage, that excelled in taste or ele- 
 gance, what I had been accustomed to witness in 
 like establishments in our own country ; and as to 
 the arrangements for the accommodation of an 
 audience, I deemed them less creditable than those 
 of an American travelling circus, for no one could 
 obtain a seat more comfortable than a solid plank 
 without paying the additional value of a dime for a 
 portable cushion. 
 
 The play over, I was provided with lodgings by 
 the guide, who passed the night in the same "cham- 
 ber with me, the bills for both amounting to the 
 moderate sum of twelve-and-a-half cents. In the 
 morning I was astir at an early hour, and leaving 
 my English friend still in the misty land of dreams, 
 sought my way to the Swiss hotel, where I found 
 most of my shipmates, and where I partook of a 
 good breakfast of fish, ham, and sausages, together 
 with some of the best cheese that ever emanated 
 from the Alpine regions of Switzerland. 
 
 After a mutual interchange of toasts, and good 
 wishes, with the jolly Switzers, I again sallied 
 abroad into the city, accompanied by Stephens, 
 who had recovered sufficiently from his previous 
 day's carousal, to renew his rambles. At the 
 first angle of the street we encountered our 
 English guide, who again joined us, and we three
 
 858 -FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 together, wended our way to the southern part of 
 the city. 
 
 The area of Naples extends near a league along 
 a pleasant hill, rising to an elevation of some two 
 or three hundred feet. The most populous and 
 active portion of the city stretches along its eastern 
 acclivity. Towards the summit, the houses, though 
 less crowded, are more elegant ; and the whole 
 hill, along its entire top, presents a noble view of 
 beautiful 'villas, palaces, and public edifices, par- 
 tially displaying their sumptuous architecture from 
 amid shady groves and creeping vines. The west- 
 ern side declines gradually away into a delightful 
 vale, which is washed along its southern margin by 
 an estuary of the Mediterranean. Along the 
 boundaries of this vale, are located the royal gar- 
 dens, filling the air with their rich perfumes, and 
 inviting the passing traveller to linger among 
 groves and bowers, more beautiful than ever graced 
 the homes of the fabled naiades. The city here 
 has less pomp, less show, less glitter, than on the 
 opposite side ; but the comparative quiet and close 
 proximity to the country, as well as the silvan 
 scenery of a beach, along which is scarcely heard 
 a ripple of the sea, makes it a happy and desira- 
 ble retreat to persons of retiring and contempla- 
 tive minds. The two portions of the city are 
 connected by a tunnel through the. hill. This 
 excavation is, however, only known as the "grotto,"
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 359 
 
 and it was to this grotto that myself and compan- 
 ions now directed our way. 
 
 Early as was the hour, we found many stalls 
 erected at the entrance of the grotto, teeming with 
 fruits and refreshments of every description, and 
 so crowded with beggars that it was imposible for a 
 sailor to drink a glass of mulled wine without hav- 
 ing it clutched from his lips by two or three mis- 
 creants who deemed it an act of ill-manners, to 
 demand less than one-half of every thing he pur- 
 chased. Finding the grotto filled at every point 
 with these beggarly obstructions, we passed through 
 to the opposite extremity, and soon came within 
 view of the royal gardens. I felt desirous of 
 entering the enclosures, but was told by the guide 
 that it was first necessary to have a written pass 
 from the captain of the police. I, however, ap- 
 proached the soldier who was guarding the entrance 
 and inquired in German, what formalities were 
 requisite to obtain admittance. He started in 
 surprise, and asked what countryman I was. On 
 being told that I was an American, he smiled, and 
 motioning with his hand to the gate, told us to go 
 in, but to be careful and not trespass on the sta- 
 tues or the grass. John Bull was more surprised 
 at my success in gaining admittance, than the sen- 
 try had been at my knowledge of the German 
 language, a^ad swore that no Neapolitan could have 
 met with a similar mark of confidence from a 
 Swiss soldier.
 
 360 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 On entering the gardens, my companions and 
 myself separated, they going to the right hand and 
 I to the left. It vras yet too early in the day for 
 city visitors, and I pursued my solitary ramble 
 through one of the most delightful places in the 
 world, uninterrupted by the presence of aught 
 living save the feathered songsters that glided from 
 tree to tree. After feasting my mind for two 
 hours, on every fanciful idea that could be awa- 
 kened by the most refined sculpture, the most 
 nparkling fountains, and dreamy bowers, I thought 
 of returning to the city, and began to look around 
 for my company. Both had fallen asleep under 
 the shade of a spreading vine, and rousing them 
 up I began to upbraid them for their dullness in 
 artistical taste. But Stephens thought that artis- 
 tical taste had less of nater in it than a taste of 
 good brandy, and swore that there was a darned 
 sight more fun in " cuttin double shindies" with the 
 Dutch girls at the Swiss hotel, than in "loafing" 
 among a parcel of naked men and women, made 
 of marble, and scattered through a " bush." As 
 he was now up for an instant return to the canton- 
 ment, we all three left the gardens at once, and 
 retraced our way through the grotto. 
 
 On our re-appearance in the city, Stephens, 
 whose passion for the wine cup and the Swiss girls 
 superseded all ether amusements, directed his way 
 to the hotel where he had passed the night, while 
 my English friend and I proceeded into the neigh
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 361 
 
 borhood of the palace, and took a turn in the semi- 
 circular colonnades of the adjoining chapel. The 
 palace of the king, though large, is a plain brick 
 edifice, and not very attractive in its external 
 appearance, but is set off with happy effect by 
 the open square in its front. The colonnades of 
 the chapel project forward in two arms, as if to 
 embrace the palace, while the intermediate space 
 between the arms is adorned with two equestrian 
 statues of marble, mounted on pedestals some eight 
 feet from the ground. 
 
 The palace of the prime minister of the two 
 Sicilies, a short distance from that of the sovereign, 
 is a beautiful edifice. It is built of white marble, 
 on the hill side, and is partially divided by a long 
 vestibule or arched court, which is ascended by 
 flights of steps at intervals of nearly thirty feet. 
 The niches along the sides of the court, are filled 
 with sculptured designs of the most eminent artists, 
 representing the famed heroes of ancient song, whc 
 with solemn look and thoughtful brow, seem con- 
 templating the present oppression and gloom of 
 their once free and happy Italy. 
 
 Leaving this gorgeous structure, I was next led 
 to a church said to have been visited occasionally 
 by Bonaparte during his sojourn at Naples, and 
 hence called the " Church of Napoleon." Much 
 as I had before seen of Catholic ostentation in the 
 extravagant decoration of churches, the greatest 
 
 stretch of my imagination had never conceived a 
 31
 
 362 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 parallel of the magnificence and profusion here 
 displayed. The whole interior of the building, 
 from the mouldings of the dome to the nethermost 
 extremity of the walls, was literally in a blaze of 
 gold. The altar, the images, and the organs, 
 sparkled with precious gems, while the pillars vied 
 with each other in the splendor of their deco- 
 rations ; and even the statues of the holy saints 
 adorning the niches, and whose prototypes had 
 passed their days in wealthless humility, were 
 peeping out upon the golden scene before them, 
 from beneath coronets of the most exquisite and 
 costly workmanship. 
 
 Such sanctified magnificence is doubtless ex- 
 tremely gratifying to the taste of a true Catholic, 
 who sees in it nothing more than man's munificent 
 love to his Creator ; and that such outward trap- 
 pings of wealth and grandeur impress the ignorant 
 multitude with a high sense of the sublime in 
 Christianity, is altogether indisputable. But to 
 the philanthropic mind, who would weigh the bless- 
 ings of the Supreme will in scales of happiness to 
 all his creatures, these things become objects of 
 sincere regret. It is impossible fo^a man accus- 
 tomed to a land of plenty, where beggary is almost 
 unknown, to look upon the starving thousands of 
 Naples, and not regret the sacrifice of so much 
 wealth for mere external religious show to witness 
 the ignorance and degradation of the mass of her 
 citizens, and not wish a portion of this wealth
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 363 
 
 diverted into channels for their moral elevation. 
 How much wretchedness and misery might not be 
 obviated by a proper application of the sums of 
 money expended in the decorations of this single 
 church ! How many darkened minds, that are 
 now treading the downward way to crime and 
 desolation, might not be enlightened to virtue and 
 science, by a direction of one-half of the munifi- 
 cent funds of the church to the establishment of 
 public schools ! But monarchy and popery direct 
 it otherwise ; and while each might acquire an 
 enviable renown in governing a nation of intelli- 
 gent freemen, they sacrifice their own peace of 
 mind and the happiness of their subjects, in endea- 
 voring to sustain the empty trappings of a throne. 
 But time and human progress will rectify their 
 blunders. Their reigns, instead of yielding men, 
 have produced cannibals, whose stomachs thirst for 
 the blood of the oppressors the steel of the tyrant 
 is sharpening the teeth that will eventually rend 
 him from his throne, and feast a long night of 
 revelry on the untombed flesh of his ermined 
 carcase. 
 
 On quitting the church I settled with my guide, 
 to whom I paid a dollar for his services ; and as it 
 was drawing near the time of day at which my 
 presence would be anticipated on board the ship, 
 JL thought it best to return home. My English 
 friend accompanied me to the landing, where 
 several of my messmates ha^ already preceded me,
 
 364 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 and where I soon took my seat in one of the Fair- 
 field's boats, bidding farewell to my friend and to 
 Naples. Thus ended my brief visit to that famous 
 city, which the natives often designate as a " part 
 of heaven fallen upon earth ;" but which, notwith- 
 standing the extravagant figure, has as much of 
 the nether elements in its composition, as any 
 known spot of like extent on the globe. 
 
 Our Neapolitan visit was not one of the most 
 favorable kind to the Fairfield, inasmuch as she was 
 compelled to leave the port with two hands less in 
 the number of her crew than she had entered it. 
 Those two Englishmen who had shown a hanker- 
 ing after the Rodney at Gibraltar, and T\ho were 
 both members of my mess, had forgotten to return 
 to the ship ; and though diligent search was made 
 for them about the city, they managed to keep 
 themselves invisible. Mr. Boyle, however, said he 
 was glad they were gone that the old Fairfield 
 needed some purging of her rotten timbers that 
 he would not give a " tinker's compliment" for a 
 sailor in the American service, who would barter 
 the glorious banner of the "stripes and stars" for 
 the royal cross of St. George. 
 
 Having gratified his own curiosity, and that of 
 his subordinate officers, with a view of the wonders 
 of Naples, the commodore ordered, the squadron 
 again to sea, and retraced its way to Port 
 Mahon. 
 
 The only striking incident on boar*! our ship,'
 
 FIVE YEATIP BEFORE THE MAST. 3G5 
 
 during this voyage, was the imprisonment of the 
 boatswain. Mr. Edgar, as the reader is already 
 aware, was remarkably fond of grog. At Naples 
 he had indulged his appetite to such excess, that 
 he was, at times, incapable of attending to his 
 duties ; and on quitting the port, had furnished 
 himself with a supply of liquor to last him some 
 weeks. His intemperate behavior in the steerage 
 had produced an altercation between himself and 
 his messmates, during which he made an assault 
 upon the gunner. His disorderly conduct was 
 immediately reported to the captain, who ordered 
 him to be placed under arrest, and kept in irons 
 until our arrival in port. At the end of our voyage, 
 his case was referred to the commander-in-chief, 
 who suspended him from his office, and ordered 
 him to be sent home at the earliest opportunity. 
 
 However settled my hate, for the ill-treatment I 
 had suffered at the hands of this unfortunate wretch, 
 I had now my revenge. Though in the receipt of 
 forty dollars per month, his wages had been so 
 methodically exhausted, that he was not in posses- 
 sion of sufficient money to defray his expenses 
 home. To meet this deficiency, he threw himself 
 on the charity of the ship's company ; and now it 
 was that he first discovered the exact estimation in 
 which he was held by the men. Many openly 
 derided his claims on their benevolence, and not a 
 few met his solicitations with a hearty curse. Some 
 few, however, did subscribe a dollar each, by which 
 
 31*
 
 366 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 he was saved from absolute destitution. On pre- 
 senting his paper to me, he turned his face aside. 
 After looking it over, I handed it back, asking if 
 he remembered the flogging he got me in the old 
 Columbus. He took back his paper with a bitter 
 look, and walked away without making any reply.
 
 . Adventures at Port Mahon. 
 
 ON our appearance at Port Mahon, there was a 
 second jubilee among the ladies, who visited the 
 squadron by scores, and met poor Jack with such 
 happy greetings, as made all hands think themselves 
 once more at home. The time was also a propitious 
 one for the men. There was a prospect ahead for 
 a few months of fun and amusement. The Bran- 
 dywine, and Preble, were already warping into 
 winter quarters, while the Eairfield, presented that 
 neat and tidy appearance, which in every ship of 
 war, betokens an opportunity of relaxation and ease 
 to the hardy sailor. 
 
 A few days after our return, the captain gave 
 leave of absence to a portion of the crew; and 
 though some of my messmates had barely recovered 
 from the effects of their Neapolitan spree, we had 
 the luck of being numbered among this party. 
 Stephens, who had become my most intimate asso- 
 ciate, was in ecstacies at the prospect of another 
 cruise on shore, while Parkhill, who was always out 
 for equestrian exercises, began to talk of martin- 
 gales, and bridles, as if his whole life had been 
 
 (367)
 
 368 FIVE YEAHS Error. E THE ?\r.\ST. 
 
 passed from under the bowsprit, or astride the flemish 
 horse. To me, the circumstance of going on shore 
 at Port Mahon, possessed a greater charm than at 
 Naples, from the simple fact, that here I could 
 make myself understood by the natives, which was 
 far from being the case in the more superb metro- 
 polis of Italy. 
 
 On being landed on shore, the first object of our 
 search, as a matter of course, was a grog-shop. This 
 we found before we had penetrated a square into the 
 town ; and charging ourselves with a sufficient quan- 
 tity of ardent spirits, to arouse the more refined spirit 
 of adventure, questions were started among the com- 
 pany, as to what amusements were to constitute the 
 order of the day. One thought the most delightful 
 thing we could undertake, was, to kick up a row with 
 the police, and fight the soldiers, while a second, sug- 
 gested the idea of getting up a fandango. A third 
 was in favor of a jackass expedition to Georgetown, 
 getting drunk on the road, and returning home the 
 best way we could. The last proposition appeared 
 to meet the approbation of Parkhill and Stephens, 
 the former of whom received the suggestion with a 
 cheer. Indeed, the adventure seemed to embody 
 so much of the ludicrous, that I was disposed to 
 join in it, and after soAe persuasion on the part 
 of Parkhill, finally consented to become one of the 
 party. The expedition matured, about a dozen of 
 us repaired to a livery stable, where, in less than 
 an hour, we were mounted on as many animals,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 869 
 
 and thundered off, down the streets of the town, 
 with the fleetness of a company of cavalry in pur- 
 suit of a flying foe. Twice we dismounted to drench 
 our throats hefore we had traversed the extent of 
 the city, and even after we had passed beyond its 
 limits, we hailed the country people, proceeding 
 with their wines to the market, and levied contri- 
 butions on their respective demijohns. 
 
 Arriving at Georgetown, we secured our beasts 
 wherever a peg could be found large enough to hold 
 one, and bounding into the first hotel, which was 
 half filled with soldiers, called for half a dozen bot- 
 tles of wine. The soldiers, soon retiring from the 
 apartment, left our party to themselves, upon which 
 most of them entered into the affections of the 
 wine with a determination that threatened to sweep 
 everything into oblivion. After half an hour of 
 riotous drinking, Stephens drew me aside and told 
 ne that it was a settled scheme among the party 
 to get me drunk ; and that I must keep an eye to 
 my glass, as the rest were adding spirits to my wine. 
 I thanked him for the hint, and as I had already 
 some queer sensations about the head I soon managed 
 to give the company the slip, and retreating to a pri- 
 vate nook in the rear of the house, stretched myself 
 on a bench, with my head reclining against a wash- 
 tub, containing some four or five gallons of water. 
 
 Now whether it was the liquor of which I had 
 been drinking so liberally that produced drowsi- 
 ness, or whether my nerves had been overcome from
 
 370 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 the loss of sleep during the preceding night, I know 
 not, but from some cause or other, I immediately 
 sunk into a sound sleep, in which my fancy "was 
 troubled with wild visions of storms, and shipwrecks 
 of the sea. 
 
 I fancied myself on a second voyage to Naples. 
 The capes of the bay had already been weathered, 
 when the wind, which for several days had been 
 blowing from the south, commenced pouring down 
 in a frightful hurricane, and driving us upon the 
 coast, in dangerous proximity with the shore. All 
 the sail that could possibly be spread on the vessel, 
 was now set ; the yards were braced sharp up to 
 the wind; and the brave old Fairfield, turning her 
 nose up into the eye of the tempest, staggered 
 off, as if determined to extricate herself from her 
 perilous situation. Headland after headland flew 
 by with amazing rapidity, until the last point was 
 weathered, and the crew began to congratulate each 
 other on having obtained a secure oifing, when the 
 steersman suddenly put hard up his helm, and 
 rounded off the ship in the direction of *he shore. 
 The yards flew round as if by magic ; and the strug- 
 gling vessel, bowing to the blast scudded away be- 
 fore it with fearful velocity. 
 
 " Luff her up again !" shouted I, to the helmsman, 
 who moved the wheel one spoke, but without pro- 
 ducing any visible change in the movement of the 
 vessel. 
 
 T mounted the capstan to scan the coast we were
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 371 
 
 so rapidly nearing. About two miles to leeward, 
 I beheld a large reef of rocks, extending far into 
 the sea, and against which the angry breakers were 
 rearing their huge heads, and hurling back their 
 white caps in frosty spray, as if in defiance of the 
 hurricane. Between this and the shore the sea 
 was perfectly smooth ; but I saw at a glance the 
 utter impossibility of scaling such an immense bar- 
 rier. But might there not be an opening in the 
 ledge ? I strained my sight in search of the de- 
 sired passage, but all to no purpose. 
 
 Suddenly a dark and heavy looking cloud gath- 
 ered directly over the reef a mighty roar of wind 
 was distinctly audible amid the howling of the 
 ocean tempest, while a bright flash of lightning, 
 bursting from the heavens, streamed along the 
 horizon, lighting up both sea and land in a flame 
 of fire. The ship, as if frightened by the terrific 
 peal of thunder that followed, swept onward in the 
 direction of the shore with a tenfold speed. My 
 blood curdled in my veins as we neared the fright- 
 ful reef, and turning again towards the helmsman, 
 I exclaimed, in a voice of desperation : 
 " Luff ! luff ! for heaven's sake, luff !" 
 Again I looked towards the shore, but my head 
 grew dizzy. The huge breakers rose directly 
 under the jibboom, their white caps dancing for a 
 moment in the air, and then hurling themselves to 
 windward with a fury that sent the mist and spray 
 showering into my face. I sprang from the cap-
 
 372 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 stan to the wheel, but it was too late. A tremen- 
 dous crash and a grating noise, that made the ship 
 quake from stem to stern, decided our fate. The 
 mainmast went by the board, and fell across the 
 forecastle. I turned towards the cabin a mon- 
 strous sea reared itself up astern, and came sweep- 
 ing over the deck, bearing in its course both cabin 
 and helm. To save myself, I grasped at the end 
 of a brace that hung dangling from a belaying pin, 
 but missing it, I was hurled violently to the deck, 
 and buried beneath the crumbling fragments of the 
 wreck. 
 
 " Mercy ! mercy !" exclaimed I. 
 
 "Mercy it is," answered the familiar voice of 
 Stephens. 
 
 "Where are you, Nat?" 
 
 "In Georgetown, blast your eyes; where are 
 
 you?" 
 
 " Under the timbers, Nat ; is'nt this an awful 
 wreck ?" 
 
 " Yes beats the devil ! Every thing stoved to 
 splinters." 
 
 " All hands lost, Nat ?" 
 
 "No, nothing lost but the tub." 
 
 "I told him to luff, but he wouldn't," conti- 
 nued I. 
 
 "No, nor I never knowed a jackass as would 
 luff by being hollered at," replied Stephens. "But 
 come, come, you lubber; don't be rolling here like
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 373 
 
 a mud turtle. Get up, and come in the house- 
 your shipmates are waiting for you." 
 
 " No use can't get ashore at any rate." 
 
 " Can't get ashore ? Why, bugger his top- 
 lights, what does the fellow mean ? He must be 
 dreaming. Hillo here, bohoys, all hands unmoor 
 ship ! Do you hear that, you lubberly street 
 swabber ?" 
 
 The shout of Stephens, and the rough shake he' 
 gave me, aroused my blunted senses from the 
 stupor into which they had fallen ; and on opening 
 my eyes, which I found strangely dripping with 
 water, my looks were met by a grim visage, almost 
 as frightful in appearance as the horrible dream 
 from which I had just awakened. 
 
 " Why, heavens, Stephens, what's all this ?" ex- 
 claimed I, staring wildly in the fearful face that 
 was bending over me. 
 
 " Why, don't you know the features of your own 
 jackass ?" answered Stephens, laughing immode- 
 rately at my surprise. 
 
 "Ah, yes, I see now," said I, "but how in the 
 world did he get here ?" 
 
 " Why, Parkhill tied him to the bench leg, to 
 stand guard over his defunct master, and to keep 
 the soldiers from picking your pockets." 
 
 " And to upset me, I suppose, break the bench, 
 
 and make shipwreck of the tub. Very considerate 
 
 of him, indeed ! I see through it all now," said I, 
 
 endeavoring to laugh, but with little inclination to 
 
 32
 
 374 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 enjoy the joke. " However, say nothing about it, 
 Nat ; my turn for retaliation may come some day, 
 and if I don't meet him with an equal trick, it will 
 be because he can't be made as drunk as he was at 
 Naples, that's all." 
 
 Stephens and I, mounting into our saddles, 
 trotted off to Port Mahon, leaving our shipmates 
 still enjoying themselves in their noisy revel in 
 Georgetown. The remainder of the day was passed 
 in rambling about the streets, and visiting the 
 markets. At night we repaired to a fandango in 
 Castle street, where near thirty girls were assem- 
 bled, in company with an equal number of sailors 
 and young men of the city. The soldiers, attracted 
 to the spot by the sound of music, collected by 
 degrees in a crowd about the door. As the night 
 advanced, an altercation arose in the street, in 
 consequence of some of the soldiers attempting to 
 rob a sailor. A dozen blue jackets flew to the 
 rescue of their shipmate, and repulsed the soldiers. 
 The latter, soon returning with increased numbers, 
 and armed for a more formidable fray, made an 
 attempt to drive the sailors from the street. The 
 riot now became general. All the sailors fled from 
 the ballroom into the street, where they met with 
 a warm reception from the soldiers, who made a' 
 free use of their knives, as well as their muskets. 
 Several shots were fired, one of which took effect 
 in the arm of a seaman from the Brandywine, 
 while a French sailor, who had joined in with the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 375 
 
 Yankee party, had his cheek laid open from the 
 cut of a sabre. The sailors, finding the fracas 
 growing too hot for men destitute of arms, were 
 compelled to yield the ground, and making a hasty 
 retreat, were pursued by the soldiers in every 
 direction. 
 
 After running near two squares along the street 
 I was met by a party of three soldiers in front. 
 Dreading the consequences cf an attempt to pass 
 them, I darted into a narrow alley, with the hope 
 of concealing myself until they had gone by. But 
 they had observed my movements, and rushed up 
 the alley in pursuit. I hastened on in the dark- 
 ness, blundering over endless obstructions, and at 
 fast discovered, to my increased alarm, that the 
 place in which I had sought refuge was an*enclosed 
 court, destitute of any opening at the opposite ex- 
 tremity. Fully determined to sell my life as dearly 
 as possible, I took my stand against a closed door 
 opening into the court, and, though armed with 
 nothing more deadly than a bayonet that I had 
 wrenched from the musket of one of my former 
 assailants, awaited with a desperate resolution the 
 approach of my foes. They groped their way on- 
 ward in the dark, muttering deadly imprecations 
 on the insolent " Americanos," and finally disco- 
 vering me in my retreat, rushed exultingly upon 
 me with brickbats and stones. I had aimed my 
 weapon for a deadly thrust at the breast of the 
 nearest assailant, when the door against which I
 
 376 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 had taken shelter suddenly opened, and a hand, 
 seizing my arm, drew me inside. Quick as thought 
 the door was again closed, while the soldiers with- 
 out thundered against it with renewed vociferations. 
 My thoughts were completely bewildered. I saw 
 nothing heard nothing. The hand that had 
 rescued me from danger had let go my arm, and 
 on looking around all was dark and silent. I 
 attempted to speak, when the word " hist !" fell in 
 a whisper on my ear, and then all became again 
 quiet as the grave. Presently a step approached, 
 and my arm being again grasped by an unseen 
 hand, I was drawn along until I found myself in 
 contact with a stairway. 
 
 "Up^up," was again whispered in my ear, and 
 following the direction of the wall I mounted 
 quietly upward. 
 
 On gaining the upper floor, I soon stumbled 
 against a bed, at which point I was left to myself, 
 while the footsteps of my invisible guide receded 
 in the direction of the stairs. The soldiers had, in 
 the meantime, ceased their knocking at the door, 
 though I still heard voices in the court below. With 
 mingled feelings of surprise and curiosity, I seated 
 myself on the bedside resolved to await patiently the 
 denouement of these mysterious proceedings. That 
 I was in a bedroom was evident enough, but what 
 were its dimensions, or who its hynates, the dark- 
 ness of the place precluded me from determining. 
 Long I sat in anticipation of a light, but no light
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 377 
 
 came ; and as hour stole upon hour without bring- 
 ing any relief to my anxiety, I stretched myself 
 on the bed with a vain endeavor to compose myself 
 to slumber. Twenty times I started up, with an 
 intention to seek an egress to the street, but was as 
 often deterred from the undertaking by the oppres- 
 sive gloom that hung like a pall of death over 
 every thing around me. 
 
 'Well," thought I, at last, "let me be where I 
 will, I am certainly under the protection of friends," 
 and drawing a cheering consolation from this reflec- 
 tion, I once more resigned myself to the arms of 
 Morpheus, and was soon lost in a sound sleep. 
 
 How many hours were passed in happy forget- 
 fulness I know not, but when I awoke my eyes were 
 greeted by a faint glimmer of light glancing from 
 the side of a small window fronting the court. 
 Feeble as were the rays, they nevertheless rendered 
 objects around me discernible. The apartment, 
 though small, had evidently been arranged with an 
 eye to comfort. The fixtures, however, were scanty, 
 and besides the bed consisted only of a few chairs, 
 a rush carpet, and an elegant mirror. A small 
 table also graced one side of the apartment, pre- 
 senting a display of empty wine bottles and a glass 
 fase, the latter of which was crowned with a 
 oouquet of artificial flowers. 
 
 Finding myself still alone, and hearing no noise 
 about the house, I rose quietly from the bed and 
 withdrew the blind from the window. The morn- 
 82*
 
 878 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 mg was already far advanced, and the sunlight 
 streamed into the apartment with a brilliancy that 
 righted up every object around me. On turning 
 round my eyes rested on some one asleep on a 
 mattrass, and on a closer scrutiny I discovered that 
 it was a female. Abashed and agitated at finding 
 myself thus unexpectedly alone with a lady in her 
 sleeping apartment, I hesitated how to act. After 
 some deliberation I concluded, however, that follow 
 what might, there could be no harm in taking a 
 momentary peep at her face, and kneeling cau- 
 tiously at the side of the couch, I traced with 
 trembling curiosity every visible portion of her 
 features. So much loveliness I had not before 
 seen in any one of her countrywomen. Her slen- 
 der neck and well-rounded shoulders were of the 
 most captivating mould, and rivalled in whiteness 
 the loveliest of American belles. 
 
 " Can it be possible," muttered I, " that I am 
 indebted to this beautiful creature for my safety, 
 and perhaps even for my life." 
 
 My words dispelled the enchantment. A slight 
 rustling of the mattrass followed, her head rose up, 
 her. eyes opened, and the sleeping beauty was 
 awake. 
 
 Both started simultaneously ; both sat apart 
 regarding each other in mutual silence, and it 
 would have required a third person to tell which 
 blushed with the deeper confusion. She was the 
 first to break the silence.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 379 
 
 " You no be afraid ?" said she, her face relaxing 
 into a smile 
 
 " No, I am not afraid now" answered I, "though 
 I ^ras while you were asleep. Every thing appeared 
 so strange and unaccountable. Can you tell me to 
 whom I am indebted for my timely rescue last 
 night ?" 
 
 " Say nossing about it," replied she, confusedly. 
 " De soldiers no kill you now." 
 
 " No, I have no fear of them killing me in open 
 daylight ; but tell me was it you who opened the 
 door was it your hand that drew me in the house 
 and led me up stairs ?" 
 
 " Yes, me hear de soldiers in de street, and hear 
 you at de door, and den me run down stairs and 
 save-e you." , 
 
 " And that too without knowing who or what I 
 was ?" 
 
 " No, me know you ; me ask-e your name at de 
 fandango." 
 
 " But it was dark in the court how could you 
 recognize me there ?" 
 
 " Me follow you from de fandango, and see you 
 run down de alley." 
 
 "Followed me!" exclaimed I. "What coulcl 
 induce you to follow a total stranger ?" 
 
 The girl blushed deeply at the question, and 
 after pome hesitation muttered a reply. 
 
 " De womens say you has no friend aboard the 
 scip."
 
 380 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " Indeed, no female friend, eh ! And so I presume 
 you follow me to become my friend is it so ?" 
 
 She made no reply, but the smile that struggled 
 through her blushes, gave an affirmative assent to 
 my question. 
 
 "Well, I am really very much obliged to the 
 women, for their generous consideration," said I ; 
 "and your timely aid in rescuing me from the 
 rage of the soldiers, places me under a thousand 
 fold deeper obligations to yourself. What return 
 can I make you, as a first token of my friendship?" 
 
 " Nada ! nada !" said she, in her own language, 
 and shaking her head tnoughtfully. 
 
 "Nothing, indeed? Is there no kind act no 
 little present, you can think of, that would be 
 pleasing to you ? Can you not^give me some oppor- 
 tunity of returning the gratitude my heart feels 
 bound to award you ?" 
 
 She remained silent, and for a full minute I 
 watched her face, which was working with variable 
 emotions. Her eyes were bent upon her lap, and 
 presently tears stole forth. Again she ventured 
 to speak in English, but it was with the confusion 
 of one, who felt a humiliation in her own words. 
 
 " Suppose-e you like, when you sometimes conies 
 from the scip, you please give-e me 
 
 The sentence died unfinished on her lips, arid 
 she hastily averted her face. 
 
 " Give you what ?" said I encouragingly. " la 
 it money ?"
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 381 
 
 The pressure of the hand that followed my 
 words, convinced me, that I had not been wrong 
 in ray conjecture. 
 
 "Enough!" exclaimed I, "If money is what 
 you want, you shall not wait for it till another leave 
 of absence from the ship," and drawing my purse 
 from my bosom, I emptied the contents in her lap. 
 " There are three dollars at your service, and were 
 ir three times three, you should be welcome to it 
 all. And there," added I, slinging the purse after 
 it, " take that to put it in. Were it my last dollar 
 in the world, I would cheerfully share it with you." 
 
 Her looks brightened, as she turned over the 
 money in her lap, and the nervous agitation of her 
 fingers, told how opportunely came the gift. She 
 insisted on me receiving one half back ; but I wa3 
 peremptory in forcing the whole purse upon her, 
 conditioning, however, with her, to furnish me a 
 breakfast out of the contents. To this she readily 
 assented ; and on my expressing a wish to have it 
 prepared as soon as possible, in order to make an 
 early return to the ship, we both tripped off to tho 
 kitchen, where charcoal, pans, cauliflower, eggs, 
 and herrings were successively called in requisition, 
 and a bright prospect of Spanish cookery, immedi- 
 ately opened in perspective before me. 
 
 While breakfast was preparing, an old crone 
 walked into the apartment, whose wrinkled brow, 
 pinched up visage, and tattered dress, betokened a 
 life of privation and want. She spoke in Spanish ;
 
 382 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 and after a profusion of nods, winks, exclamations 
 and crosses to my young hostess, she drew a chair 
 forward, and seating herself directly in front of 
 me, commenced a minute scrutiny of my person. 
 Having examined me from head to foot, and satis- 
 fied herself from numerous twitchings of my jacket 
 and neck handkerchief that I actually was a live 
 Yankee, she drew my hand in hers, and clasping 
 it tightly with her bony fingers, asked me what I 
 thought of Frank. 
 
 " Who is Frank?" inquired I. "Is he one of 
 the soldiers ?" 
 
 "Bah! Diablo! Me no talk-e de soldads !" 
 exclaimed she, contemptuously. " Frank ! Frank ! 
 You no comprehend de gall," added she, pointing 
 her finger to the young lady. 
 
 " Is her name Frank ?" inquired I. 
 
 " Si, senor ! Me always talk-e de name Frank, 
 otro peoples call-e she Francisca." 
 
 I soon discovered that my wretched looking 
 interrogator, was no greater nor less a person, 
 than Frank's own mother ; and on my expressing, 
 in warm terms, my admiration of her daughter, 
 she was transported into a sudden fit of good 
 humor, and grew so garrulous on the strength of 
 it, that before breakfast was half over, she even 
 made me a proposal of her daughter in marriage. 
 Frank was exceedingly confused, and endeavored 
 to silence her, but she still chattered on in her own 
 silly way, and persisted in having my answer to the
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 383 
 
 proposal. Finding myself constrained to say some- 
 thing, I told her that in my present circumstances 
 1 was wholly unprepared to marry that it would, 
 in fact, be a serious undertaking, while so far 
 away from my own country and that, as it waa 
 an act which could not easily be recalled when 
 once entered into, she must give me ample time to 
 study the matter over. My request appeared so 
 reasonable that the old lady agreed to allow me 
 six weeks to make up my mind, during which time 
 I was to procure leave of absence from the ship 
 as often as possible and endeavor to visit Frank 
 once a week. This arrangement being in no way 
 objectionable to any of the parties concerned, all 
 assented to it, and the subject was permitted to 
 rest for the present. 
 
 . On ascertaining the time of day, I found that I 
 had already overstayed my furlough from the 
 ship, and began to feel a little uneasiness as to the 
 consequences. I was hence necessarily compelled 
 to take a hasty leave of my new friends. With a 
 warm pressure of the hand, and a smile from Frank, 
 together with an actual hug from the old woman, I 
 issued into the court, and hastening down Castle 
 street, made the best of my way to the navy 
 yard. 
 
 During the following month some considerable 
 changes were made among the officers of the squad- 
 ron. Our first lieutenant, Mr. Whittle, having been 
 invalided on our return from Naples, took up his
 
 384 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 residence on shore. This occurrence would have 
 placed Mr. Boyle second in command. But tho 
 latter gentleman, having heen appointed as first lieu- 
 tenant of the Preble, Mr. Hunter, our third lieuten- 
 ant, was installed in the office of Mr. Whittle. Mr. 
 Lannier, our sailing master, having been promoted to 
 a lieutenancy, was transferred to the Brandywine, 
 and a passed midshipman named Williamson was sent 
 to take his place, as master, on hoard the Fairfield. 
 
 The reader has been informed in a former chap- 
 ter, that Mr. Lannier hired me to write the ship's 
 log ; and for the services I had rendered in this 
 department of his duties, he paid me six dollars, at 
 Naples. Mr. Williamson, however, deeming it 
 incumbent on a foremast hand, to do just whatever 
 an officer bid him, objected to giving me any con- 
 sideration, whatever, for the same duties, and to 
 sneet him on his own grounds, I objected to the per- 
 formance of the duties, under any consideration, 
 whatever. My refusal drew some abusive language 
 from the new master, in which he tried to frighten 
 me into submission, by threatening to report me to 
 the first lieutenant. I told him to crack his whip, 
 and go ahead, for I would see both him and his 
 log-book to Davy Jones' locker, before I would 
 scratch another stroke of the pen in it. 
 
 As might be expected, I was soon arraigned be- 
 fore Mr. Hunter for insolence. I made a plain 
 statement of the case to our new first lieutenant* 
 and excused myself, on the plea, that Mr. William-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 385 
 
 son. by repeated provocations, had forced insolent 
 language from me that it was the master's mate's 
 duty to write the log and that my duties on the 
 forecastle, were of so arduous a nature, as to require 
 my presence, at all times, in that part of the ship. 
 
 Mr. Hunter immediately negatived the complaint 
 of the master, and told him to hand his log-book 
 over to Mr. Tripp, and let him attend to the writing 
 of it. 
 
 "Mr. Tripp cannot write," said the master. 
 
 " Then he has no business with the office," an- 
 swered Mr. Hunter. " If he cannot discharge its 
 duties, turn him out of it, and put a man there who 
 can." 
 
 " That is for the captain to attend to, and not 
 me," observed the master. 
 
 " Then make your complaint to the proper au- 
 thority, instead of me," replied the first lieutenant. 
 
 Mr. Williamson was compelled to make his re- 
 treat to the steerage, and betake himself in search 
 of a new clerk, without enjoying the satisfaction of 
 seeing me punished. 
 
 But though I had thus beaten off Mr. William- 
 son in his first complaint, and relieved myself from 
 a duty, which at best was not a very agreeable one, 
 I was not long in discovering that I had but little 
 to boast of in my victory. The new master had, 
 from the commencement of our misunderstanding, 
 become my most implacable enemy, and spared no 
 opportunity of annoying me. More than once he 
 33
 
 386 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 condescended to step aside from the routine of hia 
 own duties, with the prospect of catching me trip- 
 ping in some petty violation of discipline, by which 
 he hoped to draw upon me the vengeance of the 
 captain. But I understood him ; and though I 
 hated him with as hearty a good will as he did me, 
 I could not forbear pitying the littleness of that 
 spirit which could induce him to seek a mean re- 
 venge on a common sailor, by peeping around cor- 
 ners, and endeavoring to waylay him during hours 
 of mirth and amusement. 
 
 Some twenty sailors of us, were one day amusing 
 ourselves at a game of quoits in the rear of one of 
 the navy buildings, when Mr. Williamson stole un- 
 expectedly upon us, and singling me out from 
 among the party, observed that I would better be 
 white-washing the beef barrels that were lying on 
 the wharf, than wasting iny time in quoit and 
 penny pitching. The party immediately dispersed, 
 and I repaired, with the rest, to my employment in 
 the store-house. The master soon after entered the 
 place where I was at work, and in a very insulting 
 manner, demanded of me, why I was not white- 
 washing the beef barrels, in accordance with his 
 orders. His behavior threw me off my usual 
 guard, and I answered in a tone that ill became 
 my station. 
 
 "Because, sir, I did'nt see fit to do it, that's 
 all." 
 
 " Away, you insolent scoundrel, and do my bid-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 387 
 
 ding this instant !" exclaimed Mr. "Williamson, 
 trembling with rage. 
 
 " Thank you, sir ; I have more important busi- 
 ness on hand," said I, touching my hat with the 
 most ironical civility. 
 
 " Do you dare to disobey my order, sir ?" cried he. 
 
 "Yes', sir, I do !" 
 
 " Very well, sir ! Very well sir ! That's all I 
 wish to know ! We'll see whether you will dare to 
 tell me that before Captain Tattnall, on the quar- 
 ter-deck," and with bitter denunciations of ven- 
 geance, the enraged master stalked out of the rig- 
 ging loft. 
 
 "You'll get fetched up, with a round turn, to 
 the tune of one dozen for that," said Parkhill, who 
 was working at my elbow. 
 
 " I don't care a French sou if I do," answered 
 I. " My time will be out week after next, and I 
 would as soon carry home a dozen lashes as not." 
 
 The master proceeded directly to the ship, and 
 as the captain had arrived on board a few minutes 
 before, I made up my mind to pass the following 
 night in double irons. But the evening approached, 
 and passed by, without my arrest. The following 
 day, two men were placed in limbo for fighting, and, 
 in the evening, a third for drunkenness, but still I 
 heard nothing in respect to my quarrel with the 
 master. 
 
 On the third day, all hands were called to wit- 
 ness punishment. Each of the prisoners received
 
 388 FIVE YEARS BEFORE TIIE MAST. 
 
 his ratio of lashes according to the nature of hig 
 crime ; and as the last was re-clothing himself, I 
 began to flatter myself with the belief, that my 
 offence had been forgotten. Mr. Forester, the new 
 boatswain, had put his call to his lips, to pipe a re- 
 treat, when Mr. Williamson suddenly appeared on 
 deck. His presence appeared to serve as a signal 
 for my appearance at the mainmast. The captain 
 had me called up, and after recounting the charges 
 alleged against me, desired to know what I had to 
 say in my own behalf. 
 
 "Not a word, sir," replied I. "Mr. William- 
 son's charges are all correct." 
 
 "Your delinquency is then inexcusable," said 
 the captain. " Strip, sir, strip." 
 
 I straightway commenced " peeling" for my 
 rations, while many of my shipmates, who were 
 not before aware of my offence, witnessed the pro- 
 ceedings with surprise. While in the act of re- 
 moving my under-cloths, Mr. Hunter insinuated 
 himself between the captain and master, and 
 addressed the former in an undertone, of which I 
 only overheard the word, " unnecessary harshness." 
 
 " It can't be helped," said the captain ; " I must 
 punish him." 
 
 "He's a very good man, sir," replied Mr. 
 Hunter. 
 
 " But he disobeyed my order," cried the master. 
 
 "True, true," observed the captain, impatiently; 
 " he disobeyed Mr. Williamson's orders ; and diso-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 389 
 
 bedience of orders is a breach of discipline which, 
 under any circumstances, cannot be excused." 
 
 "In the present instance it might be overlooked," 
 continued the first lieutenant. " There can be no 
 risk in excusing an exemplary man." 
 
 "Such clemency to even exemplary men, cannot 
 safely be granted," replied the captain. " It 
 would be setting an open door to similar breaches 
 of disciplinejn future." 
 
 "And, besides, he disobeyed my order," repeated 
 Mr. Williamson. 
 
 "I would rather not see him punished," said 
 Mr. Hunter, as the quarter-master finished tying 
 my hands. 
 
 The captain paused, as if hesitating whether or 
 not to proceed. 
 
 " Remember, sir, he disobeyed my order," again 
 chimed in the master, endeavoring to jog the wa- 
 vering resolution of the captain. 
 
 "Young man," at length began the captain, 
 addressing himself to me, "I have had an eye 
 directed particularly to your conduct ever since 
 your appearance on board this ship, and I concur 
 with Mr. Hunter in saying that I have hitherto 
 found it perfectly correct ; and I sincerely regret 
 that now when your term of service has so near 
 expired, any thing should have occurred making it 
 necessary for me to put you to the gangway." 
 
 " Well, Captain Tattnall," replied I, "it is the 
 first time I have been at the gangway for a wilful 
 33*
 
 390 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 breach of discipline, since my entrance in the navy ; 
 and I would not be here now, had Mr. Williamson 
 addressd his order in language becoming an officer. 
 But his rude manner made me angry, and in my 
 passion I answered in hasty words that my own 
 cooler judgment as well as the law condemns. I 
 know, however, that I am guilty, and shall not 
 flinch from the penalty. Let the boatswain's mate 
 do his duty, sir." 
 
 " I am conscious, Captain Tattnall," again inter- 
 posed the first lieutenant, "that this is his first 
 offence in this ship, and I would regard it as a 
 special favor to have him excused." 
 
 "Have it as you wish, then," replied the cap- 
 tain. " Quarter-master, cut him loose." 
 
 The knife of old Hull was instantly at my 
 wrists, and away went thongs, as well as hands. 
 The first lieutenant ordered the retreat to be piped, 
 and all hands dispersed, while the disappointed 
 master descended to the steerage with a hatred 
 ten times more deadly than he had ever cherished 
 before. 
 
 On descending to the berth-deck, I alighted on 
 my young friend, Mr. Turner, sitting against the 
 forward bulk-head of the ship, with his face bathed 
 in tears. After some inquiries in respect to the 
 cause of his troubles, I discovered that the pseudo 
 aristocracy of the steerage, had at last, accom- 
 plished their favorite project of bringing the ple- 
 beian midshipman into difficulties with his com-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 391 
 
 mander. He had, the previous day, been sent on 
 shore in charge of a boat, and two of the men, 
 pretending to have an errand into the town, re- 
 quested to have a few minutes leave of absence. 
 As it was against orders to suffer any man to leave 
 the boat, the young midshipman refused their 
 request, until advised by an elder midshipman to 
 let them go, upon which he finally yielded his con- 
 sent to their departure. Neither of them returned 
 at the stipulated time ; and after an hour's delay, 
 the boat was obliged to retrace its way homeward 
 without them. During the passage to the ship, 
 the elder officer, in pretended commiseration of the 
 distress which the absence of the two men was occa- 
 sioning Turner, told him to report them to the first 
 lieutenant as having run away. Turner incau- 
 tiously followed the advice of his wily messmate ; 
 and no sooner had his report become known inthe 
 steerage, than his enemies laid a full detail of the 
 facts before the commander, in as aggravated a form 
 as they dared well present it. As an unavoidable 
 consequence, Turner was suspended from duty, and 
 two charges were preferred against him for inves- 
 tigation ; one for disobedience of orders, and the 
 other for having made a false report to his com- 
 manding officer. 
 
 I saw at once that Mr. Turner's case was one 
 of too serious a nature for me to afford him any 
 aid in it. That it would be referred to the inves- 
 tigation of a court martial, appeared unquestiona-
 
 392 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 ble ; and so deep a conviction had the poor boy of 
 a final suspension from the service, that he had 
 already, in a manner, made up his mind to antici- 
 cipate his sentence by running away from the 
 equadron. He had fixed an eye on the French 
 navy, and thought of trying to obtain admittance 
 there. I deemed these wild notions as being the 
 mere fanciful' whims of a boy ? and advised him to 
 stick to the old Fairfield as long as he was not dis- 
 missed, and so long as two of her timbers were 
 hanging together. But he was inconsolable ; and 
 though I talked, and endeavored to reason with 
 him, he still persisted in having his cry out. As 
 the boatswain's call had already sounded to din- 
 ner, I was obliged to leave him to himself. Poor 
 fellow ! It was the last conversation I ever had 
 with him ; and though years have since fled, and 
 at $imes his sad tearful eyes, have risen before me 
 in my nightly visions, his subsequent career re- 
 mains to me aa deep a mystery as the hidden se- 
 crets of unborn time.
 
 In which the Adventurer abandons the Mess-Room of Uncle Sam, 
 and takes up a brief residence on the Island of Minorca. 
 
 BEFORE the court-martial had been convened that 
 was to decide upon the official career of the unfor- 
 tunate Turner, the 12th of January, 1842, arrived. 
 This was the day on which the tocsin of personal 
 .independence was once more to be sounded in my 
 ears. My time was out. The three years of trans- 
 fers, bean soup, and salt junk, had at last ceased ; 
 the reign of terror and cat-o'-nine-tails was over, 
 and I was about to stalk once more into the world 
 an unfettered American citizen. Mr. Hunter was 
 the first to call the subject to notice, and having 
 ascertained from the books of the purser that my 
 time had actually expired, proceeded to communi- 
 cate the important intelligence to the commander 
 of the ship. The captain soon appeared on deck, 
 and sent a committee in the form of a boatswain's- 
 mate to conduct me to the mainmast. A crowd of 
 sailors had preceded me aft to witness the inter- 
 view. On presenting myself before the captain, he 
 requested to know what I intended to do. 
 
 " Sir," replied I, " when I solicited an exchange 
 at Hampton Roads, in Virginia, you denied my 
 
 (393)
 
 394 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 request. I told you then that I would quit the 
 service as soon as my time expired. My resolu- 
 tion is still unchanged, and my intention now is to 
 return home." 
 
 " I would like very well to gratify your wish, if 
 circumstances would permit," said the captain ; 
 " but your services in the ship cannot well be dis- 
 pensed with. You must re-enter for the cruise." 
 
 "Never, sir," answered I, firmly. "No possible 
 compensation that you can offer will ever induce 
 me to re-enter." 
 
 " Then I will be compelled to resort to coercive 
 measures," proceeded the captain. " Mr. Forrest, 
 you need not make out this man's account, as I 
 shall return him immediately to his duty. His 
 services, if not important now, will become so in 
 the spring, and I shall accordingly detain him at 
 my discretion to the end of the cruise. You see," 
 added he, again turning to me, "that the law has 
 provided a way for commanding your services, 
 whether you choose to re-enter or not." 
 
 " But, sir," replied I, " the ship has been in 
 commission only a little over eight months, and 
 she may yet remain near three years on this sta- 
 tion. Will not my detention for such a long period 
 of time be equivalent to an impressment ?" 
 
 "Impressment or not impressment, it is the law 
 provided by act of Congress, and I but carry 
 out its provisions in withholding your discharge. 
 You will, therefore, return to your duty, and that
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 395 
 
 without grumbling, too, for I shall meet the slight- 
 est act of insubordination with a vigorous applica- 
 tion of the cats. Do you hear that ?" 
 
 Indeed, I did hear the words of the captain, and 
 their harshness was as unexpected as their import 
 was disheartening. All those illusive dreams of 
 bliss with which I had indulged my fancy, in antici- 
 pation of my discharge, were buried at once in a 
 long shade of darkness and night. These few 
 brief words fell like a deadening blow on my heart, 
 which a moment before had been bounding at the 
 prospect of an early re-union with the delights of 
 home, and a second entrance into happy compan- 
 ionship with long-lost loved ones. All, all those 
 hopes were now dissipated by the revolting word 
 law, and in their place arose, in scornful prospec- 
 tive before me, another three years of toil and 
 turbulence, accompanied with every species of pri- 
 vation and cruelty. The thing seemed an utter 
 impossibility. I looked the captain in the face, 
 wondering in my own mind if he could really mean 
 what he said. His countenance was as stern and 
 inflexible as the law he invoked. I attempted to 
 speak, but it was all up with me. My utterance 
 was gone ; my bosom swelled with strange sensa- 
 tions, and turning my face hastily aside to conceal 
 my emotion, I burst into tears. 
 
 On the disappearance of the captain in the 
 cabin, I regained command of my feelings, and 
 felt extremely mortified at having suffered myself
 
 396 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 to be overcome by such boyish weakness. My 
 shipmates, who appeared to sympathize deeply in 
 my disappointment, gathered round me in the 
 gangway, and gave expression to various comments 
 on the recent scene, which all freely acknowledged 
 to be one of the most extraordinary cases of deten- 
 tion they had ever heard tell of. In a few minutes 
 the discourse was interrupted by one of the stew- 
 ards, who brought me word that the first lieutenant 
 desired my presence in the ward-room. On repair- 
 ing below, I found Mr. Hunter seated at the ward- 
 room table in company with the first lieutenant of 
 the Preble. Having consulted between themselves 
 on the subject of my discharge, both advised me 
 to appeal to the commander-in-chief ; and as the 
 appeal could not be made without the approbation 
 of Captain Tattnall, Mr. Boyle insisted on me 
 going at once to him, and asking his permission. 
 Unhesitatingly I mounted at once to the cabin 
 door, and on being announced by the sentry was 
 told to walk in. When my errand was explained, 
 the captain smiled, and told me that I had his full 
 permission to make the appeal ; that he had in fact 
 no real intention of detaining me, unless such 
 should be the desire of the commodore. These 
 words were exceedingly cheering to my mind, and 
 I hastened back to the ward-room with a light 
 heart. Mr. Hunter immediately ordered the third 
 cutter called away to row me on shore, and as I 
 descended the side-ladder he observed that I was
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 397 
 
 henceforth at liberty to go and come whenever I 
 pleased. 
 
 Put a man-o'-war sailor on shore, and if there 
 be a -woman within twenty miles who ever favored 
 him with three kind words and a smile, no tempta- 
 tion will induce him to pause until he sees her. No 
 sooner had I touched the landing than all ideas of 
 home, of the Fairfield, and of the commander, were 
 forgotten in the all-absorbing thought of Francesca 
 Mondora. I made a straight wake for Castle street, 
 and in less than ten minutes entered the little 
 court where a month before I had taken shelter 
 from the Spanish soldiers. For more than three 
 weeks I had received no intelligence of the lady. 
 I approached the door of her little dwelling with a 
 palpitating heart, and opened it cautiously she 
 was there. I bounded into the apartment, and in 
 an instant we were locked in each other's arms. 
 
 " Frank," said I, trembling with delight, and 
 putting a dollar into her hand as I released her ; 
 "take that and buy two bottles of wine, and a 
 dinner for you and me, and let us have a ' blow-out,' 
 for I am a free man !" 
 
 My fair friend received the gift with eyes spark- 
 ling with pleasure, and glided joyously from the 
 apartment. In a few minutes a sumptuous sup- 
 ply of wine and cakes was paraded forth on her 
 little table, and both seated ourselves to a harpy 
 repast. 
 
 There was something so agreeable in chatting 
 34
 
 398 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 with a pretty young woman, that I was induced to 
 lelay my intended visit to the commodore from 
 time to time, until the advancing day admonished 
 me of the necessity of action. The thought also 
 recurred that I was not yet discharged from the 
 ship, and that my present leave of absence was 
 granted with a view to business, rather than to 
 pleasure. My return on board might, moreover, 
 be anticipated by the captain, under whose control 
 I still felt myself, and hence I began to think it 
 prudent to defer my matters of love to a more 
 appropriate season. Frank, who was willing to 
 forego any personal gratification on her own part, 
 rather than see me bring myself into difficulty with 
 my commander, no sooner learned the object of 
 my errand, than she began to reproach both her- 
 self and me for having suffered so many hours to 
 pass away unimproved. With a mutual embrace, 
 and a promise on my part to see her again at the 
 earliest opportunity, I left her, and proceeded on 
 my way to the residence of the commodore. 
 
 On retiring into winter quarters, the commodore 
 had abandoned the squadron, and taken up his 
 residence on shore. His mansion was situated in 
 one of the most elegant portions of the city ; and 
 as I was personally acquainted with his cook and 
 steward, I felt confident of meeting with a favora- 
 ble welcome in his establishment, so far, at least, 
 as his domestics were concerned. On opening the 
 kitchen door, I discovered the cook kicking round,
 
 FIVE TEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 399 
 
 and smacking his fists among the culinary in the 
 most delightful confusion, and giving utterance to 
 a tirade of sacres and diables, in all the bitterness 
 of French anger. Surprised at his extravagant 
 behavior, I ventured to ask him what was the 
 matter, upon which he flourished a huge carving 
 knife two or three times round his head, kicked up 
 his heels, and giving a valedictory oath, threw 
 himself backward, puffing and blowing into a 
 chair. 
 
 " Ah !" exclaimed he, " de commodore be deter- 
 mine to kil-le me ! Yesterday he discharg-ee de 
 steward dis day he send away de otre sarvant, 
 and now he ma-kee me de cook, de steward, de 
 body sarvant, de everyting. Ah, me no stan-dee 
 him ! Me no more be able to lif de one hand above 
 de otre !" 
 
 "Well," answered I, "you cooks have always a 
 greater freedom of action than we sailors have. 
 If your master discharges all his other servants, 
 and' imposes their duties on you, why don't you 
 retaliate on your master by dismissing him ?" . 
 
 " Ah ! oui, monsieur sailor, but dat ma-kee de 
 grand miser-ee ! De commodore mak-ee me work 
 very much ; but where you supo-see me trad-ee 
 she off for one bettre master ?" 
 
 My notion coincided with that of the cook, that 
 a better master than Commodore Morgan was not 
 easily to be found ; and after 'commenting on the 
 many indulgences with which his excellency had
 
 400 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 favored his steward, and which had finally led the 
 latter to trespass on the liberality of his master, 
 the cook became so far reconciled to his hard fate, 
 as to think that by the use of a little medicine in 
 the shape of good Madeira wine, he might possibly 
 keep himself alive a few days longer. A bottle 
 was accordingly brought forth, and after each of 
 us had partaken liberally of the sparkling contents, 
 I disclosed to the cook the object of my visit. 
 Monsieur Cook-ee shook his head doubtfully, and 
 observed that I could not have timed my errand at 
 a more unfortunate period that the commodore 
 had been in an angry mood ever since the banish- 
 ment of his faithless servants and that his temper 
 had that afternoon been rendered still more irasci- 
 ble by a quarrel which had broken out between 
 him and preacher Stewart, the chaplain of the 
 squadron. 
 
 " Well," said I, after some hesitation, " an- 
 nounce me at all events ; for let the result be what 
 it will, I am determined to know it." 
 
 The cook at once mounted the stairs, and after 
 an absence of a few minutes returned. He twisted 
 his head with a grave look, and snapping his fingers 
 significantly over his left shoulder, motioned for 
 me to go up. 
 
 I ascended to the audience chamber with a beat- 
 ing heart. The commodore, a fine, portly person- 
 age, of quite a prepossessing appearance, was 
 pacing the room, with his hands locked behind
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 401 
 
 him under the skirts of his coat. Without seem- 
 ing to notice my presence, he nodded towards a 
 chair. 
 
 " I am told by the cook that you are from the 
 Fairfield," said he, still pacing the room. 
 
 "Yes, sir, I am," answered I. "Captain Tatt- 
 nall has given me permission to refer a little busi- 
 ness to you, on the subject of my discharge." 
 
 "I think your request is rather premature," 
 said the commodore, pausing in his walk. " The 
 ship has not yet been nine months from home, 
 and it seems to imply a want of perseverance in 
 any sailor, to desire a dismissal at so early a 
 date." 
 
 I perceived from this reply that the commander- 
 in-chief was unacquainted with my case, and hence 
 I now briefly detailed to him the circumstances 
 under which I had entered the Brazilian squadron 
 at Rio Janeiro the manner in which I had been 
 deceived by Commodore Nicholson at New York 
 my transfer to the command of Captain Gallagher, 
 on board the North Carolina my cruise on the 
 coast of Labrador, in the sloop Preble my en- 
 trance and services on board the line of battle-ship 
 Columbus, at Boston my subsequent transfer and 
 services on board the Fairfield and not omitting 
 the mention of the further fact, that Captain Tatt- 
 riall now talked of detaining me to the end of the 
 Fairfield's cruise. 
 34*
 
 402 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 The commodore paused, and for a moment re- 
 garded me with an incredulous look. 
 
 "Does Captain Tattnall know that you have 
 been all these rounds ?" inquired he. 
 
 " He cannot plead ignorance in the matter," re- 
 plied I ; " for I made a full statement of the facts 
 to him at Hampton Roads, in Virginia, and again 
 recalled them to his recollection to-day." 
 
 " The Navy Department should never have sent 
 you out^here," observed the commodore, resuming ' 
 his walk ; " and Captain Tattnall is certainly not 
 excusable for attempting to detain you. There is 
 a difficulty in getting you home from here," added 
 he, thoughtfully. " However, that shall not hinder 
 you from obtaining your discharge. Go directly 
 on board the ship, and tell your captain to discharge 
 you forthwith. Mind you say forthwith, and tell 
 him that Jsaid so." 
 
 " I will, sir," replied I, retreating instantly from 
 the room. 
 
 On reaching the foot of the stairs, I heard the 
 voice of the commodore calling after me to come 
 back,. I hastily retraced my way to his apartment, 
 and awaited his pleasure. 
 
 He seated himself at a table, and after writing 
 a few lines to Captain Tattnall, observed. 
 
 " Take from the purser what money you may think 
 necessary to pay your expenses home, and bring 
 the accounts for the balance of your wages to me, 
 that I may attest them to the Navy Department.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 403 
 
 The French commander of this port-, will, any time, 
 at my request, furnish you a gratuitous passage to 
 France. At Marseilles, the American Consul will 
 aid you in procuring a homeward bound ship ; but 
 be careful to take a receipt for the amount of mo- 
 ney you pay the captain of the ship in which you 
 take passage. On arriving in the United States, 
 you will present my letter, together with your ac- 
 counts, and the receipt, to the Secretary of the 
 Navy, at Washington, whose duty it will be, to pay 
 you the balance of your wages, as well as to refund 
 you the amount of money paid on your passage 
 home. Do you understand that advice now ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied I, bowing. 
 
 " See that you endeavor to follow it out then 
 not only out of respect to your commander-in-chief, 
 but because it is the best possible course for a young 
 man in your situation to pursue. There," added 
 he, handing the lines he had just written, " present 
 that to your captain, and you will no longer hear 
 any threat of detention." 
 
 I bowed my thanks, and gliding from the apart- 
 ment, hastened down stairs. On issuing into the 
 street, I encountered Mr. Hunter, to whom I com- 
 municated my success, and showed the order for 
 my discharge. He thought it unnecessary for me 
 to proceed immediately on board the ship, as Cap- 
 tain Tattnall was then dining with Captain Vor- 
 heese, on board the sloop Preble, and gave me 
 leave to remain on shore until the following day.
 
 404 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 I accepted the indulgence with pleasure ; and as 
 business for the day was now in a manner sus- 
 pended, I repaired again to Castle street, and, for 
 a time, forgot the world, the navy and its turbu- 
 lence, in the smiles of the beautiful Francesca. 
 
 At the approach of night, Frank became desirous 
 of having me attend her to a masquerade, which 
 was that night going on at the theatre. As I had 
 never in my life witnessed an entertainment of that 
 kind, I felt very strongly disposed to accompany 
 her, but there seemed difficulty to me in respect to 
 my clothing. Frank, however, offered soon to over- 
 come all obstacles on that score ;' and running hastily 
 across the street, to a clothier's establishment, she 
 soon returned with a well filled bundle of the most 
 fanciful fineries. In ten minutes she had me dressed 
 out in a scarlet robe, shining with spangles, and 
 clapping on my head a rich turban, whose feathers 
 swept the ceiling, led me across the room in all the 
 magnificence of an eastern prince. 
 
 " Now de face of de grand Sultan," laughed she, 
 drawing a mask over my face and tying it behind 
 the ears ; " den suppose you shake hands wis you'r 
 own captain, he no tell what great man come to de 
 masquerade !" 
 
 When all was completed, I took a survey of my 
 person in the glass. 
 
 "Frank is right," thought I, "it would puzzle 
 the captain, or any body else, to know me in sucn 
 H kilter."
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 405 
 
 Frank now hastily adjusted her own dress, which 
 was that of a Spanish Gipsy, the boddice being 
 trimmed with blue and orange silk, interwoven with 
 threads of gold. The skirt terminated a short dis- 
 tance below the knee, displaying her slender ankles 
 and spangled feet to the most tempting advantage. 
 Her hair, which was of the most luxuriant growth, 
 descended down her back in two long plaits, from 
 the points of which, streamed a profusion of pink 
 ribbons, embracing within their folds two miniature 
 silver bells, while her blooming cheeks were buried 
 beneath a mask, whose inverted lips, crooked nose, 
 and wrinkled brow, formed a most ludicrous con- 
 trast with her snowy arms and sylph-like figure, aa 
 she glided across the floor with all the ease and 
 grace of an expert danseuse. 
 
 Having at last completed her toilet, Frank, in 
 her turn, took a hasty peep at herself in the glass, 
 and drawing her arm into mine with a satisfied air, 
 the Sultan and the Gipsy directed their way to the 
 theatre. 
 
 We found the doors of the house in such a state 
 of blockade from the crowd without, that we were 
 some time in obtaining admittance ; but when once 
 in, the spaciousness of the apartment afforded am- 
 ple room to all. Never did I behold a more diversi- 
 fied or joyous assembly. Every visage of man and 
 beast, and every costume that man and woman, civ- 
 ilized or savage ever wore, moved in rapid review 
 before me. Kings, priests, and beggars were here
 
 406 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 fat friars in the act of absolving youthful virgins 
 of their sins old maids and juvenile bachelors 
 slily ogling each other through quizzing glasses of 
 mammoth dimensions ancient goddesses flying be- 
 fore the ponderous jaws of huge monsters, and 
 burying themselves from sight in the winding mazes 
 of the dance nuns, with downcast eyes and solemn 
 features were telling over their beads in the face 
 of the devil himself, who with wagging tail and 
 ears erect, was stealthily fastening his cloven claw 
 upon them ; while every avenue presented crowds 
 of military and naval officers, many of whom were 
 unmasked, and among which the American uniform 
 formed no inconsiderable feature. The music was 
 charming, the refreshments abundant, and every- 
 body appeared to have forgotten the cares and toils 
 of life amid the gay throng that filled with joy and 
 mirth the passing hours of the night. 
 
 While my gentle partner and I were yet amusing 
 ourselves by a walk around the immense hall, the 
 band struck up a waltz, and away went near an 
 hundred couple, whirling the vast circuit of -the 
 house in giddy delight. Frank was in ecstacies. 
 She seized my arm and drew me suddenly into 
 the throng, and though I knew nothing of the 
 dance, round and round I went, fully confident 
 that my partner would' bring me safely through ; 
 and bring me through she did, but with such a 
 perfect whirl that when we all came to a stand- 
 still with our feet, my head kept spinning onward
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 407 
 
 with the vebcity of a top. Twice I staggered 
 from the giddy effects of the exercise ; and the 
 grand Sultan would most unquestionably have been 
 floored outright, had not the nimble arm of the 
 experienced Frank, sustained his equilibrium. 
 
 During our second dance, I was accosted two or 
 three times by a masked gentleman, who kept his 
 attention fixed on Frank. I suspected him to be 
 an officer of the American squadron, but as to his 
 rank, I, of course, could form no conception. I 
 replied to his questions by signs, giving him to 
 understand that I could not speak his language, 
 but at which he only laughed, and said I could not 
 deceive him, as he knew me. My confidence in 
 my disguise satisfied me that I was unknown to 
 any one in the room, but my partner, and hence I 
 persisted in remaining silent to his questions. At 
 the conclusion of the dance, he drew me aside into 
 one of the passages, and after asking the na.ue of 
 Frank, with which I did not choose to acquaint 
 him, desired me to unmask. 
 
 " After you, sir, if you please," said I. 
 
 He immediately withdrew his mask, and the 
 countenance of Mr. Williamson presented itself 
 before me. 
 
 My first thought was to knock him down ; but 
 recollecting that I was not yet discharged, I sup- 
 pressed my rising passion by a timely effort. J 
 felt conscious, however, that so far as language 
 was concerned, my position now enabled me to
 
 408 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 meet him on equal terms ; and there seemed some- 
 thing pleasant to my feelings in the idea of having 
 a hearty quarrel with him. With mingled feelings 
 of contempt and indignation, I withdrew my mask, 
 accompanying the act with a sailor's most hearty 
 salutation. 
 
 " There, inspect my face, blast your eyes, and 
 see if you know who I am now." 
 
 But Mr. Williamson had, apparently no disposi- 
 tion to quarrel. Though a gentleman of war, he 
 was at present strongly inclined for peace. He 
 no sooner obtained a glimpse of the face that 
 greeted him so nautically, than his name at once 
 became ffaines, and darting hastily from the pas- 
 sage, he disappeared among the throng. 
 
 Before I had quitted the passage, the portly 
 figure of Lieutenant Boyle crowded into the en- 
 trance, on his way to the adjoining drinking saloon. 
 He recognized my face at a glance, and after a 
 brief inquiry relative to my success with the com- 
 modoie, to which I returned a favorable reply, he 
 drew me along into the saloon. Here we encoun- 
 tered Captain Guysinger, of the frigate Brandy- 
 wine, to whom Mr. Boyle introduced me as a 
 particular friend of his. The captain, who was 
 sitting quietly in a chair, smoking a cigar, rose and 
 extended his hand, observing at the same time, 
 that he was always happy to become acquainted 
 with a friend of Mr. Boyle's. I felt extremely 
 confused at such an unexpected introduction, but
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 409 
 
 endeavored to mutter some kind of compliment in 
 reply. Mr. Boyle, -with a comic look, relieved my 
 distress by calling for some wine ; and a bottle 
 and glasses being placed on a table near us, we all 
 three seated ourselves. 
 
 The conversation that ensued, was at first lim- 
 ited to the entertainments of the evening, but by 
 degrees it changed to other topics, and the sloop 
 Fairfield and her commander, being finally brought 
 upon the tapis, Mr. Boyle observed that Captain 
 Tattnall had very unjustly attempted to detain me 
 on board his ship. 
 
 " Your friend here ?" exclaimed Captain Guy- 
 singer, in surprise. "In what way was he con- 
 nected with the Fairfield ?" 
 
 "As one of her crew," observed Mr. Boyle. 
 " He came with her from the United States." 
 
 "But in what capacity?" inquired the captain. 
 " I do not recollect of ever before having seen his 
 face among the Fairfield's officers." 
 
 " Quite likely not," replied Mr. Boyle, " for he 
 was one of the foremast hands. His station was 
 let me see I think it was on the forecastle, was 
 it not ?" added he, turning to me for an explana- 
 tion. 
 
 Before I could make any answer, Captain Guy- 
 singer sprang from his seat, and casting a signifi- 
 cant look at Mr. Boyle, which seemed to rebuke 
 him for having presumed to compromise the dig- 
 nity of a naval captain, by an introduction to a 
 35
 
 410 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 commbn Jack tar, retreated hastily from the sa- 
 ioon. 
 
 Mr. Boyle, perceiving that I blushed at the idea 
 of iny presence having offended the commander of 
 the Brandywine, laughed heartily, and filling out 
 two fresh glasses of wine, handed one over to me. 
 
 " Drink that," said he, " and be merry at my 
 expense, for the joke is worth a treat. The cap- 
 tain, you see, like many another of my naval 
 friends, cannot appreciate merit unless it appears 
 before him clothed with a commission and epau- 
 lettes." 
 
 I drank the wine as a parting glass to Mr. 
 Boyle. A few days more were to find me far from 
 the squadron, and it was questionable whether I 
 would again see him before my departure. Hence 
 I could not forego the present opportunity of 
 expressing to him my sincere thanks for the 
 repeated acts of unaffected kindness with which 
 he had favored me. A warm pressure of the 
 hand, as we both rose from the table, was his only 
 reply, but it was a farewell language that sent a 
 deeper thrill through my soul than the most com- 
 plimentary words could have done. Twelve long 
 years have glided away since that parting hour ; 
 but there still exists a green spot in the heart of 
 the humble sailor, whom his kindness once blest, 
 nourishing forever a dewy tear to his remem- 
 brance. 
 
 On returning to the ball-room I encountered
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE TUB MAST. 411 
 
 Frank, who, like me, had removed her mask, and 
 was then engaged in a dance with Mr. Hunter. I 
 drew aside, and threw myself on a seat in one of 
 the stage boxes. At the conclusion of the dance 
 the young lady sought me out, and both having 
 become weary of the entertainment, we soon left 
 the theatre together, and returned home. 
 
 The following morning, at the hour of nine, I 
 repaired on board the Fairfield. Captain Tattnall 
 was at his post, and the purser having been sum- 
 moned to the cabin, I presented the order for my 
 discharge. The sum of sixty dollars, which I 
 deemed sufficient to defray my expenses home, was 
 immediately counted down to me ; and while the 
 purser's steward was engaged in making out a 
 transcript of my accounts, I proceeded to gath- 
 ering up my personal effects, and arranging them 
 in a chest provided for me through the kindness of 
 the carpenter. 
 
 All things being finally completed for leaving, I 
 began to take my farewell of the ship's company, 
 who were on all sides crowding round me, and pre- 
 senting letters to be conveyed to their respective 
 friends in America. The deep interest and sym- 
 pathy which my departure was*every where elici- 
 ting, became exceedingly touching to my feelings. 
 Officers as well as men were grasping my hands, 
 and heaping upon me their best wishes, while my 
 own heart was melting with the tender emotions of 
 one about quitting his home and the familiar faces
 
 412 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 of long tried friends for unknown adventures 
 among strange nations and stranger lands. Three 
 days Before I had regarded the ship Fairfield as an 
 absolute prison, from which I longed to be released, 
 and now, when I had my discharge in my pocket, 
 and was about quitting her decks forever, the 
 thought of never seeing her again was so touching 
 as to almost melt me into tears. Stephens, for 
 whom I had conceived a real friendship, kept near 
 me all the time I was packing up my clothes, and 
 when my chest was finally conveyed into the boat, 
 he stationed himself near the companion ladder. 
 
 "Well, Nat," said I, extending him a parting 
 hand as I mounted the steps, "two months more, 
 and the blue waves of the broad Atlantic will be 
 rolling between our friendship." 
 
 " Would to God that I could accompany you," 
 exclaimed he, his face working with the deepest 
 emotion. 
 
 "Why so, Nat, are you not happy here ?" said I. 
 
 The poor fellow made no reply, but the big tear 
 that he dashed hastily from his eye, told me plainly 
 enough that his thoughts were even then wandering 
 among the far-off cottages of New England. 
 
 "Never mind, Stephens," observed I, cheeringly, 
 " the cruise will not last forever. You will return to 
 America some day, and we may then be enabled to 
 renew our acquaintance under more favorable cir- 
 cumstances." 
 
 " Ah ! I fear not," answered he, sorrowfully.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 413 
 
 " Some strange misgiving tells me we shall never 
 meet in America. I dreamed last night of hearing 
 the church bells tolling a funeral knell at home 
 and my heart has been sad ever since. When do 
 you leave Port Mahon ?" 
 
 " Not before the latter part of next week." 
 
 " Then I will try and meet you on shore some 
 night before your final departure." 
 
 " Do if you can, Nat ; and should you obtain 
 leave of absence you can soon hunt me out by 
 inquiring after me at our old hotel in Mahon." 
 
 With a wring of the hand that sent a pang to 
 my very heart, the young man turned away, and I, 
 hastening down the ship's side, was soon in the 
 third cutter, and rowed out of sight of the eager 
 faces that greeted me with a last token of farewell 
 through the gun-ports of the old Fairfield. 
 
 85
 
 In which the Adventures of our young Mechanic draw towards a 
 close. 
 
 HAVING at length obtained my long desired re- 
 lease from Uncle Sam's mess-room, I now began 
 to direct my attention to the means of accomplish- 
 ing my journey to the United States. The com- 
 modore had promised to procure me a passage to 
 France ; and as a French war steamer had anchored 
 in the harbor of Port Mahon the day following my 
 discharge, I took upon myself the trouble of ascer- 
 taining her place of destination. I was informed 
 by the French consul that she was a homeward- 
 bound vessel from Algiers, but had been compelled 
 to take shelter in the harbor from want of fuel 
 that a cargo of coal from the continent would arrive 
 to her relief in a few days, upon which she would 
 resume her voyage to Marseilles. These facts I 
 communicated to the commodore, who immediately 
 attested my accounts, and promising to furnish me 
 all my necessary papers on the following day, 
 dismissed me with an additional amount of whole- 
 some advice. 
 
 Feeling myself and my time now entirely at my 
 (414)
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 415 
 
 own disposal, I wandered abroad with the feelings 
 of a new man, and endeavored to pass my time in 
 such amusements as the island presented. The 
 greater portion of my first day on shore was spent 
 in examining a suit of subterranean vaults on the 
 sea coast, at the mouth of the harbor. At night- 
 fall I returned into the city, and being attracted 
 by the sound of a guitar to a well lighted room, I 
 approached the door, which was thrown open for 
 the convenience of spectators, and witnessed a 
 brilliant company engaged in the favorite fandango. 
 While watching the progress of this highly pictu- 
 resque dance, a hand was laid on my arm, and on 
 turning round, I met the face of my guardian 
 angel, Frank. She knew that I had near seventy 
 dollars in money on my person, and the dread of 
 my being robbed by the profligate soldiers, had 
 drawn her forth in search of me. We withdrew to 
 a neighboring hotel, where I delivered the cash in 
 charge to her, upon which she again left me, and 
 retreated to her own dwelling. 
 
 After ordering some refreshments from the bar, 
 I threw myself on a settee that stood behind a 
 screen, and while the servant was mulling the wine, 
 my attention was attracted by a slight bustle at 
 the door, and the next moment Stephens walked 
 into the apartment. -Surprised and delighted, I 
 drew two chairs to the table, and calling for addi- 
 tional viands to the lunch that now appeared, we 
 both seated ourselves to the repast.
 
 416 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 "You're just in time, Nat," said I. "I am 
 happy in being able to accommodate you with a 
 supper, as well as delighted to see you." 
 
 " I've had one supper to-night already," ob- 
 served my friend ; " but I don't care to go a second 
 cargo on deviled eggs and Bologna sausages. Pour 
 out a bowl of that hot wine, and hand it this way 
 for a primer, for I'm blasted cold. Swimming on 
 shore in January is not quite so pleasant as diving 
 for rock oysters in the dog days." 
 
 " Swimming on shore ! Why, what do you 
 mean, Nat ? I hope you certainly did not com- 
 mit yourself by taking French leave from the 
 ship ?" 
 
 " I certainly did nothing else," replied Stephens. 
 " I asked the first lieutenant for leave of absence 
 till to-morrow morning, but it was refused me. I 
 was, however, determined to pass the night with 
 you ; and so, as soon as the men crept away into 
 their hammocks for the night, and the ship be- 
 came quiet, I slid slyly down the cable, and struck 
 out for the shore on my own responsibility." 
 
 " I am really sorry for you, Nat," said I. "You 
 ought by no means to have done it. You will be 
 detected and punished, mark my words ; and the 
 cat-o'-nine-tails are a less pleasant treat than even 
 a sea bath in the dead of winter." 
 
 " Come any other punishment than flogging, 
 and I might be able to go it," muttered Stephens ;
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 417 
 
 " but no cat-o'-nine-tails shall ever sully my 
 back !" 
 
 "But suppose you should be taken foul, as I 
 was in the old Columbus, how would you avoid 
 them?" 
 
 " I know not, nor can I say what the feelings 
 of other men may be in regard to them ; but for 
 my own part I would as soon suffer death, as the 
 articles of war say, as to submit to the degrada- 
 tion." 
 
 " Perhaps you may some day be put to the test, 
 Nat, and then we will see whether 
 
 The sentence was arrested on my lips by the 
 clangor of arms at the street door, and before 
 either of us could turn in our seats, two midship- 
 men from the Fairfield bounded into the room. 
 My looks glanced hurriedly to them and then at 
 the object of their search, who instantly divining 
 their errand, had risen to his feet. The blood had 
 receded from the face of Stephens, who stood with 
 the chair in his grasp, and muttered with trembling 
 lips : 
 
 " Let them keep off, that's all I give them fair 
 warning. Death will be the portion of the first 
 one that attempts to take me !" 
 
 "For God's sake, Nat," whispered I, "don't 
 resist ! It will only make the matter ten times 
 worse, and perhaps bring your life in danger." 
 
 The elder midshipman approached the table, and 
 grasping Stephens by the arm, drew him into the
 
 418 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 middle of the room with a hearty curse, while the 
 younger wrenched the chair from his grasp. Their 
 rudeness irritated the already awakened anger of 
 the sturdy sailor, who raised his fist menacingly, 
 but the unexpected entrance of one of the lieuten- 
 ants caused him to suspend the blow. Perceiving 
 the utter folly of resistance, he cast a despairing 
 look to me, and suffered himself to be conducted 
 into the street, where he was immediately surrounded 
 by his official guard, and led off in the direction 
 of the bay. 
 
 I received my passport from the commander-in- 
 chief on the morning following these events, and' at 
 an early hour repaired to the office of the French 
 Consul to procure his endorsement to it, and to 
 obtain also an order for my passage to Marseilles 
 in the national steamer le Veloce. On my return 
 I took a stroll on the high grounds fronting the 
 bay, and my eyes glancing in the direction of the 
 American squadron, I noticed the flag of the Fair- 
 field streaming at half mast. The signal denoted 
 distress, and as there had not been any sickness on 
 board to have caused a death, I was at a loss to 
 comprehend its meaning. Determined to unravel 
 the mystery, I darted down the hill to the landing, 
 and jumping into a shore boat, was soon alongside 
 the ship. On gaining the deck, the first object that 
 met my eye, was the national flag, stretched m 
 folds over an object in the starboard gangway. 
 This assured me at once that a death had really
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 419 
 
 taken place. Without addressing a word to any 
 one, I hastened immediately forward, and on with- 
 drawing the banner from the corpse, my eyes rested 
 on the pallid features of Stephens. 
 
 Poor fellow ! His last words to me had been 
 made good. The cat-o'-nine-tails did, indeed, never 
 sully his back ! The dread of official vengeance 
 had driven him to suicide. In the dead of the 
 night, when all waa quiet, and the sentry stalked 
 drowsily at his post, he glided silently from the bow 
 ports of the vessel and plunged into the waters of 
 the bay. The splash aroused the sentry, and 
 though fifty men were at once called to the rescue, 
 the irons incasing his ankles and wrists dragged 
 him down beneath the waters, whence no effort 
 could bring him up until many hours after the vital 
 spark had fled forever. 
 
 "Alas !" exclaimed I, as I gazed once more on 
 the inanimate clay which nine hours before had 
 moved with life, health and volition ; " How 
 strangely has his dream been verified. ' I dreamt 
 of a funeral knell ringing at home,' said he. The 
 church-bells of his native village will indeed send 
 forth a sorrowful peal to the ears of the bereaved 
 mother and sisters of the unfortunate young sailor, 
 in far-off New England." 
 
 On returning into town, after my visit to the 
 Fairfield, I accidentally encountered the mother of 
 Frank. She had observed me for several days 
 walking about the streets of Mahon, and concluded
 
 420 FIVE YEAT.S BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 that I must be in high favor with my commander 
 to meet with such continued leave of absence. As 
 Frank had never .deemed it important to enlighten 
 her in respect to my affairs, she as a matter of 
 course knew nothing of my having been discharged, 
 and I myself had no object in acquainting her with 
 the circumstance. She joined me in my walk to 
 her daughter's house and renewed her project of 
 marriage, but I told her I had not yet made up my 
 mind to do it. She then became anxious to know 
 for how long a time I yet proposed to consider the 
 subject. I observed that I should now remain a 
 whole week in company with Frank, at the end of 
 which time she should most certainly be made ac- 
 quainted with my determination. This answer 
 seemed to please her extremely well. She became 
 quite free and easy in her discourse during the rest 
 of our walk, and finding her daughter alone in her 
 apartment, she immediately commenced rallying 
 her on the idea of making a good Catholic of me, 
 before the celebration of the nuptials. Having 
 finally exhausted herself in agitating her own con- 
 ceits, she left us to ourselves, and returned to her 
 own lodgings. 
 
 The eight days following the reception of my 
 passports glided away ^without learning anything 
 definite respecting the sailing of the Veloce. A 
 portion of this time was spent at Port Mahon and 
 a portion at Georgetown, the steamer lying at a 
 point nearer the latter than the former place. On
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 421 
 
 the ninth day a French vessel loaded with coal en- 
 tered the harbor and commenced discharging a por- 
 tion of her cargo into the Veloce. Being in George- 
 town at the time, I bounced into a shore-boat and 
 boarded the steamer, where I was informed that 
 preparations were making to put to sea at daylight 
 on the following morning. This intelligence made 
 it necessary for me to be on the alert. I hastened 
 immediately to Port Mahon, and after ordering my 
 chest and bedding from the hotel to the steamer, 
 repaired to Castle street to take my leave of Frank. 
 As mischief would have it, I found the young lady 
 at tete a tete with her mother. Feeling the neces- 
 sity of dispatch, I drew Frank aside and whispered 
 my communication in her ear. Though anticipa- 
 ting the object of my visit, the news of leaving 
 startled her, and her mother observing her agita- 
 tion inquired the cause of it. Perceiving the im- 
 possibility of a further concealment of my actions, 
 I told her at once that I was about quitting Port 
 Mahon and had come to bid her and Frank good- 
 bye. 
 
 " Where you go ?" inquired she, in surprise. 
 
 " To America," answered I, " to see my mother 
 and sisters." 
 
 "You ta-kee Frank along, and no ta-kee me ?" 
 cried she in alarm. 
 
 " No," said I, " I can take neither you nor 
 Frank. I am going alone." 
 
 She threw up her hands with a wild look ? and 
 36
 
 422 FIVE YEAKS ELFC-IIE THE MAST. 
 
 giving a loud scream, tumbled insensible back 
 on the settee. Frank flew to her assistance, and 
 raising her up, began chafing her neck and temples 
 with her hands but her efforts produced no signs of 
 returning animation. A smelling bottle was next 
 applied to her nose but with no better result. 
 Frank becoming at length really alarmed at her 
 situation, begged of me to hold her until she could 
 procure the aid of a female neighbor. During her 
 absence from the room the old lady began to retch 
 and choke as if laboring under a fit of the croup. 
 Frightened to excess at her ghastly looks, I seized 
 a basin of cold water standing close at hand, and 
 in my trepidation (lashed the whole contents in her 
 face engulfing her from her temples to her waist. 
 She sprang to her feet as if a dagger had entered 
 her heart, and while the water streamed over the floor 
 from the skirts of her dress, she commenced pour- 
 ing upon me the most withering invectives. She 
 declared that I was a perfect savage that I was 
 unfit to have a wife and that she would sooner 
 see Frank laid forever in her grave than united to 
 such a rude barbarian. In the height of her elo- 
 quence Frank entered, upon which the mother aban- 
 doned me and commenced upon her daughter. 
 She insisted on my instant dismissal, and perceiv- 
 ing that Frank only smiled at her vehemence, she 
 denounced her as having disgraced herself and the 
 memory of her deceased father in having ever coun- 
 tenanced such a vile monster. The neighbor wo-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 423 
 
 man judging from the turn things had taken that 
 there was no longer any need of her aid, hastened 
 from the apartment, and the old tongue-lashing 
 bedlamite having at last exhausted her strength in 
 bitter denunciations, burst into tears, and hobbled 
 out of the house. 
 
 Feeling the importance of every moment of 
 passing time, I approached Frank. The same 
 feelings which I had experienced in taking leave of 
 my shipmates, on board the Fairfield, now returned 
 upon me with ten-fold force. Her image had be- 
 come so deeply interwoven with every fibre of my 
 heart, that to leave her, was like tearing asunder 
 my very life. I enfolded ,her to my breast in 
 speechless agony ; and as the thought flashed over 
 my mind, that our parting was not for only a day, 
 a month, or a year, but for an eternity, my eyes 
 became filled with tears. Though deeply distressed 
 herself, the trembling girl divined my thoughts, 
 and, knowing the necessity of separation, sought 
 to allay them. 
 
 "Now, Azando!" said she, smiling through her 
 own tears, " me know you like me very much, but 
 don't you make one fool of you'n self." 
 
 The words were few, but they told on my feelings 
 more coldly than a December shower bath. Could 
 she conceive my overflowing feelings the affectation 
 of a fool ? "Bah !" thought I, " what a consolatory 
 idea to one who believed himself beloved !" and 
 hastily planting a farewell kiss on her rosy lips, I
 
 424 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 tore myself from her forever, and rushed into the 
 street. 
 
 The national steamer Veloce, was the flag-ship 
 of the French squadron at the port of Algiers. 
 The Admiral had undertaken his present voyage to 
 Marseilles, for the purpose of conveying home a 
 regiment of soldiers, whose term of servitude had 
 expired. The whole regiment was at supper on 
 the spar deck of the steamer at my appearance on 
 board, and soon learning that most of the compa- 
 nies were composed of German and Swiss levies, I 
 was not long in making myself acquainted at some 
 of their messes. The lively and familiar manner 
 in which all appeared "to welcome an American 
 sailor, was as gratifying to my feelings, as had 
 been the kindness and attention manifested by 
 their countrymen at Naples. 
 
 Before I had been half an hour on board, a 
 message from the cabin was announced to me in 
 French, not a word of which could I understand. 
 On asking an explanation from one of the soldiers, 
 I was told that it was an order from the Admiral, 
 desiring my presence in the cabin. Wondering to 
 myself what business the Admiral could have to 
 transact with me, I followed in the footsteps of the 
 servant, who conducted me below. Here I was 
 ushered into a spacious apartment, where stood a 
 magnificent table, surrounded by some forty officers, 
 both naval and military. On my appearance, the 
 Admiral, a fat, fussy little personage, with a round
 
 FIVE YKAKS LKFOKE THE MAST. 425 
 
 cannon ball head, hitched round in his chair, and 
 after eyeing ine sharply, said something in his own 
 language that set the table in a roar of laughter. 
 I felt extremely silly at my awkward situation, and 
 turned my face aside to conceal my vexation. 
 
 " Parlez vous Frangais ?" said the Admiral, ad- 
 dressing me with a comic look. 
 
 The thought struck me, that by some means the 
 Admiral had become acquainted with my love ad- 
 ventures in. Port Mahon, and was disposed to run 
 a laughable joke upon me in the presence of his 
 officers. 
 
 " No sir," replied I. "If it is Francesca Mondora 
 you mean, I know nothing about her. " 
 
 " Hah ! Diable ! II ne comprendre !" exclaimed 
 he witb. a disappointed look, while another laugh 
 arose among the officers. 
 
 I was disposed to tell him that if he wished to 
 converse with me, to procure a German interpreter, 
 but knew not how to make myself understood ; and 
 besides, I thought if he had only brought me to 
 the cabin to excite merriment among his com- 
 panions, the less we could understand each other 
 the better. 
 
 " Vous come vrom one America ships de guerre 
 le Fairfield ?" said the Admiral, with an attempt 
 at English. 
 
 "Yes sir," replied I bowing. " I was directed 
 on board your ship by the French consul." 
 
 " Oui ! Me comprendre all dat," observed the
 
 426 FIVE YEARS -BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 Admiral nodding his head. " Supo-see vous Yankee 
 ship de guerre got one goot shose eatee him 
 vob countrymans call-ee she tobac je like bite 
 here the Admiral's English unexpectedly broke 
 down, upon which he cast an imploring look to his 
 officers for aid. 
 
 The servant who had conducted me below, now 
 addressed a few words to an officer, who sat on the 
 opposite side of the table. His communication 
 doubtless referred to the circumstance of my having 
 conversed in German, with the soldiers on deck, 
 for the officer instantly addressed me in that lan- 
 guage. An explanation now followed, by which I 
 learned, that the Admiral was in want of some 
 tobacco, and desired to know if an article of the 
 Jtind, could be procured by sending on boa"rd any 
 one of the American ships of war. 
 
 On meeting with an affirmative answer, the 
 face of the little Admiral brightened up with a 
 very happy expression of delight. He ordered his 
 gig to be immediately called away to convey me to 
 the Yankee squadron, and following his cockswain 
 on deck, directed him to remain half the night with 
 me, on any of the American ships, rather than 
 to suffer me to return without the precious weed. 
 
 The day had beer, wet and drizzly, and the 
 shades of evening were already stealing over the 
 bay as we drew in sight of the Fairfield. The old 
 quarter-master, Hull, was pacing the poop-deck, 
 and after quizzing us through his spy-glass, mo-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 427 
 
 tioned our boat to the starboard side. The cock- 
 swain followed the direction of the old sailor s 
 hand, and rounded to, under the quarter. I heard 
 a general commotion on deck, and saw the side- 
 boys taking their stand by the man-ropes, as if the 
 French Admiral were himself expected. The boat- 
 swain commenced piping the side as the boat 
 touched the ship ; but on seeing my familiar face 
 ascending hastily to the gangway, he ceased ab- 
 ruptly and retreated quickly forward in company 
 with the side-boys, as if ashamed of the honors he 
 was paying me. Mr. Hunter laughed heartily at 
 the ruse they had played on themselves ; and on 
 being made acquainted with the object of my visit, 
 sent an order to the purser's steward, for two 
 pounds of his choicest tobacco. 
 
 On obtaining the object of my journey, and re- 
 ceiving a few letters from midshipman Habersham 
 to his father, who was a Georgia senator, I took 
 another hasty leave of some of my old shipmates, 
 among whom was Mr. Turner, and returned to the 
 French steamer. 
 
 It was dark as Erebus by the time we regained 
 the Veloce, and the Admiral's steward was on the 
 alert to learn the result of my journey. I gave 
 him the tobacco, with which he instantly disap- 
 peared, while I in the meantime proceeded to the 
 selection of a berth in the forward part of the 
 shjp. Before I had completed the arrangement of 
 my bedding the ship's steward again sought mo
 
 428 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 out, and drawing me along to the afterpart of the 
 vessel, presented me a second time in the cabin. 
 The Admiral and his party were still seated at the 
 table, which was now covered with bottles. Each 
 had received a small portion of the two huge plugs 
 of tobacco I had brought, and were evidently de- 
 bating with each other in respect to its merits. 
 The Admiral inquired the cost of it. 
 
 " Forty cents per pound," said I. 
 
 " How much is that?" asked the Admiral of his 
 interpreter. 
 
 But the officer appealed to, seemed as ignorant 
 of the sum as himself. 
 
 " Quatre franc," said I. 
 
 '' Ah, she one good tobac," exclaimed the Ad- 
 miral, wrapping the plugs carefully up in the pa- 
 per. " Quatre franc ! Begar, she cheap supo- 
 Bee she cost quinze franc," and putting his hand 
 in his pocket, he threw me out three five franc 
 pieces. 
 
 I pocketed the cash with a smile, while the Ad- 
 miral, pouring out a bowl of the most sparkling 
 wine, drew me to the table and motioned me to 
 drink. I raised the bowl to my lips, and after 
 sipping a little, set it back. 
 
 " Drink-e ! drink-e !" cried the Admiral. " Drink-e 
 she down. She no hurt-e peoples she be goot for 
 de tete," added he, clapping his hand on my head. 
 " Suppo-see you go drunk, me got tousand soldata
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 429 
 
 aboard le bateau hold-e him fast dat vous no fall 
 in la mer." 
 
 Grasping the bowl a second time, I tossed off 
 the whole contents, and bowing my leave to the 
 company, I made a hasty retreat from the cabin to 
 my bed, for fear that the Admiral's soldats might, 
 otherwise, be indeed called into requisition. 
 
 At the first appearance of the dawn on the fol- 
 lowing morning the anchors were weighed, and the 
 steamer put upon her course to the northward. 
 The weather was favorable for a fair run during 
 the greater portion of the first day of our voyage ; 
 but in the evening, as we neared the gulf of Lyons, 
 a storm came pouring out of the north-west, that 
 for twenty-four hours kept beating us off our track 
 in the direction of Sardinia. A change of wind 
 occurred, however, in the evening of the second 
 day, which enabled us again to breast up for the 
 French coast, and early on the 25th of January, 
 we entered the harbor of Marseilles. 
 
 My first inquiries on quitting the steamer were 
 directed in search of American ships ; but the 
 official dignitaries of the French marine being too 
 illiterate to understand English, and too poor to 
 afford an interpreter, yoked me up between two 
 fat-pated gendarmes and marched me off to the 
 American consul. At the office of the consul, I 
 got released from my guards, for the sum of fifty 
 cents, and was once more left to my own control. 
 
 I was informed by the consul, that there were
 
 430 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 but two homeward bound American ships in the 
 port, neither of which would sail under ten or 
 twelve days. I noted the names of both the cap- 
 tains on a slip of paper ; and on repairing soon 
 afterwards to the harbor, I encountered the cap- 
 tain of the ship Marcia Cleaves of Boston. She 
 was posted up for New Orleans, and I immediately 
 secured a passage in her to that place. As Cap- 
 tain Thompson did not purpose sailing before the 
 8th of February, there was no need of hurrying 
 my traps on board his ship; and seeking out an 
 English sailor's boarding house, I took up my resi- 
 dence in it, and sought to pass the intermediate 
 time as best I could. 
 
 Marseilles is the commercial emporium of that 
 portion of France bordering upon the Mediterra- 
 nean. It has a beautiful and spacious artificial 
 harbor, which is entirely cut off from the sea, with 
 the exception of an entrance barely wide enough to 
 admit single ships. The area of land on which the 
 town is constructed, is of basin-like formation, as- 
 cending gradually at every point from the Mole. 
 The city itself consists of two portions, designated 
 as the old and the new town. Both are, however, so 
 intimately blended together, as not to be cogniza- 
 ble any other way, than by the difference percepti- 
 ble in the style of architecture and streets, both of 
 which present a more contracted and antiquated 
 appearance in the old than in the new portion of 
 the town. The houses in the new parts are lofty
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 431 
 
 and commodious, and in external elegance, super- 
 cede, to my taste, even the more lofty edifices 
 of Naples ; while some of the streets are orna- 
 mented in such -a manner as to form the most 
 magnificent promenades. The whole place con- 
 tains near an hundred and thi'rty thousand inhabi- 
 tants is well watered by numerous and tasteful 
 fountains artistically arranged and presents, in 
 addition, a rich display of monuments, public 
 grounds, and shady walks. 
 
 Captain Thompson having at last arranged his 
 business in France, set sail from Marseilles on 
 the 8th of February, and after a lingering voyage 
 of near three months, arrived at the mouth of the 
 Mississippi river. The ship was here taken in tow 
 by a river steamer, and after another day and 
 night I landed at the port of New Orleans. 
 
 My first object, on my appearance at New Or- 
 leans, was to find a vessel bound to the port of 
 Philadelphia. I soon alighted on the packet ship, 
 Chester, which I perceived was posted up for that 
 place. The captain was in want of just one hand 
 more to complete the number of her crew, and I 
 immediately shipped on board his vessel as a com- 
 mon sailor. Without seeking either a boarding 
 house or hotel, I forthwith conveyed my luggage 
 from the forecastle of the Marcia Cleaves to that 
 of the Philadelphia packet. 
 
 The ship was to haul down the river on the fol 
 lowing morning, and as my services were not needed
 
 432 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 on board till the hour of departure, I passed the 
 remainder of the day in rambling about the city. 
 In the evening I repaired to the levee, and feeling 
 somewhat hungry after my walk, J seated myself 
 to a hasty supper in the market house. While in 
 the act of discussing my lunch, my attention was 
 attracted by a distressed looking woman begging 
 alms of a sailor who occupied a seat at an adjoin- 
 ing table. The features of the poor mendicant 
 were so haggard and woe-begone that it was painful 
 even to look upon them ; and when he to whom her 
 complaint was made met her appeal with a blunt 
 refusal, a despairing gloom stole over her face, 
 and turning from him with a tottering step, she 
 moved in the direction 'of the table at which I was 
 sitting. Though partly concealed from her by the 
 intervening crowd, her anxious eye failed not in 
 singling me out, and reading a hope of benevolence 
 in the national uniform which I still wore, she 
 threaded her way to my chair. On encountering 
 my looks she started with an exclamation of sur- 
 prise, and sinking down on the pavement muttered 
 my name, while tears began to course each other 
 down her cheeks. There was a language in the 
 accents of her broken voice that bespoke some by- 
 gone incident of my own life ; but I could trace no 
 living lineament in the withered face before me 
 giving the least clue to its time or locality. 
 
 "You appear to know me, madam," said I, after 
 trying in vain to recall her person to remembrance ;
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 433 
 
 " but in what part of the country we have ever met 
 before, I am entirely at a loss to determine." 
 
 " It is the first time we have ever met in this 
 country," muttered she. " But have you, indeed, 
 forgotten Rio Janeiro ?" 
 
 I hastily ran over in my mind the names of the 
 females whom I had known in Rio, and at last fixed 
 on one. The accent was still perceptible, the same 
 eye was there, but the face and form, alas how 
 changed ! And yet, indeed, it was no other than 
 Liz Scotch Liz. She who had aided in sending 
 poor Mary Mertle to an untimely grave ; she who 
 had condemned me to a three week's thraldom in 
 the Brazilian navy. My thoughts were instantly 
 fired with indignation, and I inly resolved not to 
 aid her a single cent. She doubtless read my deter- 
 mination in my looks, for she suddenly commenced 
 weeping afresh. 
 
 ' Well Liz," said I, resuming my coffee, "your 
 name recalls but few pleasing associations. Do 
 you remember the press-gang ? Do you recollect 
 the three .weeks you gave me over in charge to the 
 captain of the Prince Imperial ? Do you suppose 
 those rare services can give you a very strong 
 claim on my benevolence ?" 
 
 " Oh, do not recall the recollections of the 
 past," exclaimed she, claspirfg her hands wildly. 
 " If you could only know one-half the wretched- 
 ness I suffered during my last two years' stay at 
 Rio you would forgive me. And then the horrors 
 37 '
 
 434 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 I endured in coming to this place and even here 
 Oh God ! I have been but too dreadfully pun- 
 ished." 
 
 The wretched creature, as if overcome with des- 
 pair, sunk back with a convulsive struggle on the 
 ground. Two of the market women raised her up 
 to a seat, and commenced applying restoratives. 
 Having lost all further appetite for supper, I rose 
 from the table, and after slipping a dollar into the 
 hand of one of the women, to be given to Liz on 
 her recovery, I made a hasty retreat from the 
 market house, and proceeded on board the ship 
 Chester. 
 
 The Chester sailed from New Orleans on the 
 morning of the first day of May, 1842, and after 
 a run of twenty days arrived within sight of the 
 Delaware capes. The northerly winds for some- 
 time impeded our progress up the river, but after 
 two days' incessant beating, all obstacles of wind 
 and tides were finally surmounted, and I was once 
 more safely landed at the beautiful metropolis of 
 my own native state, after an absence of precisely 
 five years. 
 
 It was yet early in the morning when the Ches- 
 ter was drawn into dock, and Captain Vandyke, 
 paying me off immediately after she was moored, 
 I repaired forthwith* to the railroad depot in Broad 
 street, and mounting the southern train of cars, 
 arrived at Washington city on the afternoon of the 
 same day.
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 435 
 
 On entering the principal street of the town, I 
 bounded into the first fashionable hotel that pre- 
 sented itself, and overlooking the congressional 
 list, noted down the address of Senator Habersham, 
 of Georgia. Congress being still in session, I 
 Ballied abroad in search of his boarding-house. 
 Knowing nothing respecting the names of the 
 streets or avenues of the town, I was obliged to 
 make occasional inquiries in regard to the object 
 of my search, and was eventually directed to an 
 elegant mansion, situated in a quiet and beautiful 
 portion of the city. Being in a good deal of a 
 hurry, I approached the door, and rung the bell 
 somewhat impatiently. 
 
 Presently a lady of rather portly dimensions 
 presented herself, who, as soon as her eye became 
 fixed on my naval uniform, uttered a loud scream, 
 and retreated hastily to the opposite extremity of 
 the hall. Calling at the top of her voice to a big 
 negro who entered at the back door, she desired 
 him to advance and see what that impudent sailor 
 wanted. Cuffy, whose uncouth appearance pre- 
 sented, to my mind, far greatef cause for alarm 
 to a lady than my own, approached me with a look 
 that seemed to threaten a kick-out ; but I stood my 
 ground without flinching, determining to see the 
 upshot of the proceedings, as well as the senator. 
 On his demanding to know the object of my 
 errand, I told him that it was 10 see Mr. Haber- 
 sham.
 
 436 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 " He is not in." cried the fat lady, advancing 
 forward under the lee of the negro, " nor will he 
 be for an hour; and besides, Mr. Habersham is not 
 accustomed to seeing sailors !" 
 
 "Neither am I accustomed to seeing senators, 
 madam !" answered I, nettled at her haughty beha- 
 vior. " So you perceive that, on our meeting, 
 the breach of decorum will be mutual between 
 us." 
 
 Leaving the boarding-house of the senator, I 
 retraced my way to the lower end of the city, and 
 entered the rotunda of the capitol. After spending 
 near two hours in rambling through the galleries 
 and halls of this magnificent edifice, I returned 
 into the city, and once more presented myself at 
 the temporary residence of the honorable senator. 
 The landlady admitted me this time with a better 
 grace, though not without some shy scruples, and 
 after discovering, from a short conversation, that I 
 was not an actual savage, she became desirous of 
 knowing my business with the senator. While 
 pushing her inquiries to this point, an elderly gen- 
 tleman with gray hair walked into the apartment, 
 whom the lady immediately addressed by the name 
 of Mr. Habersham. 
 
 On learning that I was from the Mediterranean, 
 the honorable senator divined the object of my 
 visit, and leading the way into an adjoining parlor, 
 began asking me a dozen questions relative to his 
 son. I endeavored to answer them one by one,
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 437 
 
 but the landlady, who had followed close upou our 
 heels, interrupted me with so many inquiries di- 
 rected to the senator, that the latter, appreciating 
 the difficulty of explaining any thing before a 
 woman whose whole composition appeared to be a 
 category of words, suddenly bundled up his letters, 
 and motioning me to follow, led the way up stairs 
 to his own room, where he secured us both from 
 further interruption by locking the door. 
 
 I remained to a late hour closeted with the 
 senator, who gave me some useful instruction rela- 
 tive to my business with the Navy Department, aa 
 well as a letter to the principal director. When 
 about taking my departure, he observed that my 
 own apparent accomplishments, together with the 
 letters of his son, had given him such confidence in 
 me, that he could scarce permit me to leave Wash- 
 ington without doing something in my behalf. He 
 then desired to know if there were not some office 
 in the gift of the Navy Department that I could 
 fill with credit to myself and honor to the govern- 
 ment. If I could suggest any such, he was willing 
 to become instrumental in procuring it for me. 
 But I was too recently from the navy, to think of 
 entering it again ; and besides, there was no office 
 which would just then have harmonized with my 
 views, aside from that of a lieutenant of marines, 
 and I was conscious that there were too many ap- 
 plicants for offices of this description among the 
 sons of influential politicians, for a mechanic to 
 37*
 
 438 FIVE YEAKS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 hope of ever attaining one. Hence I respectfully 
 declined the proffered aid of the honorable senator, 
 without even suggesting to him my wishes ; and 
 thanking him warmly for the favorable estimate he 
 was pleased to place upon my merits, took my 
 leave of him for ever. 
 
 At the hour of nine o'clock on the following 
 morning, I repaired to the Navy Department, and 
 presented myself and my accounts before the chief 
 director. Thence I was ordered to the fourth 
 auditor, who gave me a draft for the amount of 
 wages yet due me, on the Navy Agent. One hour 
 afterwards I drew my cash at the counter of the 
 treasury, and having now no more business to 
 transact at the capital, in the afternoon I repaired 
 to the railroad depot, and resuming a seat in the 
 same car in which I had travelled the day before, 
 was dislodged in Philadelphia early on the. follow- 
 ing morning
 
 Containing the writer's final leave of the reader as well as of hi* 
 
 mistress. 
 
 IT was at the close of a beautiful May day that 
 a young couple, a lady and gentlemen, might have 
 been seen sitting in the back parlor of an elegant 
 house on the south side of Walnut street, Philadel- 
 phia. The furniture of the apartment was arranged 
 with neatness and taste, and in the costliness of its 
 material and finish betokened the proprietor, if not 
 wealthy, at least a zealous votary of fashion. 
 There was nothing very striking in the personal 
 appearance of either of the inmates. Both were 
 dressed according to the fashion of the times, and 
 it would have required a person of' nice judgment 
 to have distinguished between the ages of the two. 
 Few as were the years of either it was evident that 
 time had already dealt severely with the lady. 
 Pretty she had unquestionably been, for the lines 
 of former beauty were still here and there legibly 
 traced upon her features, but the sunken cheeks 
 and sharpened visage denoted her indebted for her 
 present bloom more to the artificial coloring of 
 
 (439)
 
 440 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 rouge and powders than to the roseate hue of health. 
 The young man, who sat a short distance apart 
 from the lady regarded her with saddening thoughts, 
 and when at last she met his looks with a half mel- 
 ancholy smile, displaying to his sight a row of the 
 finest artificial teeth, he rose and approached her 
 with a trembling step. 
 
 Reader, would you know who this interesting 
 young couple were ? Be patient and you will yet 
 learn. The one was the mechanic sailor who three 
 days before had returned from the Mediterranean, 
 and the other was the young lady to whom five 
 years before he had addressed his love-letter on the 
 eve of his departure from America. 
 
 Alas ! how our affections change ! She whose 
 name was sufficient during the first year of my ab- 
 sence, to call up the loveliest sensations of joy and 
 hope, had now become an object of perfect indiffer- 
 ence to me, and I felt myself under a greater 
 restraint in her presence than I would have done 
 in that of an entire stranger. Yet I could not 
 refrain from visiting her. I deemed the present 
 interview a necessary one, and resolved to hurry 
 through with it as expeditiously as possible. 
 
 "Susan," said I, rising from her side and pacing 
 the floor restlessly, " five years have indeed worked 
 considerable of a change in both of us. You know 
 there was a time when we were less strange to each 
 other when we had our walks and our conversa- 
 tions, and wnen the hopes of both of us were, per-
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 441 
 
 haps, blessed with brighter visions of happiness 
 than at present?" 
 
 "Yes," responded she, with downcast looks. "I 
 have often thought of those brighter days during 
 your absence." 
 
 "And yoifcremember, Susan," continued I, without 
 daring to look at the lady, " that at that time I 
 mean at our former acquaintance there was a sort 
 of reciprocal prom I scarcely know what to call 
 it a kind of mutual hem between us ?" 
 
 "Yes," muttered she, coloring deeply, "I believe 
 there did something of that nature pass between us." 
 
 " And do you still hold me to the engagement ?" 
 inquired I. 
 
 The poor girl was completely bewildered, and in 
 her extreme confusion, appeared utterly at a loss 
 how to answer. I seated myself again at her side 
 and taking her hand cheerfully in mine, told her to 
 give me my sentence and let me depart. 
 
 " Come," said I, encouragingly. " If you have 
 entered into other engagements tell me so. My 
 long absence and neglect would render such an act, 
 on your part, perfectly excusable." 
 
 "Well," muttered she, dropping her head on my 
 shoulder to conceal her blushes, " to tell the truth, 
 there are other engagements which I fear cannot 
 now be easily broken off." 
 
 "Thank you! A thousand thanks!" exclaimed 
 I, jumping up as light as a feather. "We will 
 then advert no longer to old times, but look
 
 442 FIVE YEA 'as BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 brightly towards the future, ami I give you my 
 pledge never to interfere with any attempt to rival 
 the affections of your present lover." 
 
 " But you will call and see me again, to-morrow 
 night, will you not ?" said she, as we gained the 
 hall door. 
 
 "I fear not," said I. "To-morrow night I 
 shall he many miles hence perhaps in some dis- 
 tant portion of the state," and with a parting smile 
 from Susan, that Drought to my remembrance a 
 gleam of the beauty of former days, I descended 
 into the street and sought my way to Franklin 
 Place. 
 
 To-morrow night did indeed find me an hundred 
 miles on my journey westward, to the affectionate 
 embrace of those dear ones, whose sacred images 
 for eight long years, had been the nightly visitants 
 of my dreams. 
 
 And now, gentle reader, before I drop the cur- 
 tain of my humble drama, permit me to indulge 
 in a parting word with yourself. You have traced 
 my career through five years of bustling adventure, 
 turbulence and strife you have seen me subjected 
 to cruelty, privation and disappointment cut off 
 from the intercourse of society often friendless 
 always poor but never dispirited.' If the past 
 has had its share of evil, it has also been attended 
 with good it has brought with it its store of 
 knowledge. 
 
 As to making a fortune, the idea has long since
 
 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 443 
 
 passed away from my mind. Experience has taught 
 me that he is not always the happiest man who 
 sits on the biggest chest of dollars ; nor is content- 
 ment to be at all times measured by land surveys 
 and wire fences. There is often as much content- 
 ment to be found in an humble cottage, as in a 
 marble palace ; and he who has the faculty of 
 adapting his tastes, inclinations and thoughts to 
 any condition in life, enjoys a more valuable store 
 of wealth than if in possession of the untold riches 
 of California. This faculty I profess to have, in 
 part, acquired ; and though still in plain shirt 
 sleeves, and laboring away on the bench, I am yet 
 happy in working out a more useful life than the 
 non-producing millionaire, who shields his dignity 
 behind a fortification of golden eagles. 
 
 As to the sea, the experience of the past, awakens 
 but little desire of returning to it ; but I feel no 
 hesitation in saying, that were I once more about 
 to encounter its yesty waves, as a seaman, I should 
 prefer one of Uncle Sam's ships to any vessel that 
 sails the ocean ; not because of the emoluments, 
 for they are slender indeed, but because there is a 
 joyous animation pervading ships of war that super- 
 cedes in the heart of a seaman, all consideration 
 of dollars and cents. There is a pride in the 
 American bosom that burns with nationality, and 
 the sailor feels it above all others. He loves his 
 country and his flag ; and if at times he meet with 
 harsh treatment in their service, he consoles him
 
 444 FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. 
 
 self with the reflection that he has also experienced 
 that which is good. If the navy has an occasional 
 Nicholson, it has also its Morgans and McKeevers ; 
 if it present now and then a Gallagher, it yields 
 also its Breeces, and its Tattnalls ; if it can pro- 
 duce a Whittle^ it can also furnish its Boyles and 
 Hunters in short, it yields on the whole, a greater 
 amount of good than of evil ; and in no situation 
 of life can we always hope to meet with the former 
 wholly unalloyed by the latter. 
 
 Our government like our country, is progressive, 
 and swings the axe of improvement over the navy 
 as well as elsewhere. Many rotten timbers have 
 been lopped from it during the last ten years, and 
 much more will yet be done. The navy will be 
 gradually renovated until its moral elevation, as 
 well as its discipline, will attain to a standard 
 compatible with republicanism until, like our 
 "clipper ships," it will excel everything of a like 
 kind in the old world, until its vessels will crowd 
 themselves on every sea more numerously than the 
 stars that glitter from its flag and until finally, it 
 will be the pride and glory of every native and 
 adopted seaman, to claim affinity with its service, 
 and to stand up before the world, in the full dignity 
 of a freeman, exclaiming among his fellows, " 3 
 too, am an American sailor !" 
 
 THE END.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
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