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Addis ox Wo ol. se y Broxsox

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Gift of

FRANCIS W. BRONSON
YALE 1922

NAVAL LIFE;

OR,

OBSERVATIONS AFLOAT AND ON SHORE.

TUMI

MIDSHIPMAN.

BY
W. F. LYNCH, U. S. S.
1 1 1

NEW YORK:
CHARLES SCRIBNER, 145 NASSAU JSTREET.
1S51.

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 18" 1. by
OHAELES SCRIBNER,.
In the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern
District of New York.

TO
LIEUT. M. F. MAUREY,
THE STAUNCH FKIEND AND CONSISTENT ADVOCATE OB"
THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE NAVY,
THIS VOLUME
IS DEDICATED.

PREFACE.

A wetter, who respects himself, will not pander to
a depraved taste ; nor, in seeking an object which
his judgment sanctions and his heart approves, should
he prefer the ideal, when human life is teeming with
events less startling perhaps, but scarce less instructive
to the well-balanced mind.
If, without the labor of an argument, which but too
often strengthens what it seeks to uproot ; if by a
mere narrative of facts, one generous mind can be
freed from prejudice, neither false delicacy nor the
love of ease should withhold it.
By a simple portraiture of the trials of Naval Life,
I seek to combat the rising prejudices against my
profession, and commit these pages to the press in

VI PREFACE.
the hope that the reader will attribute all imperfec
tions of arrangement and style to the early period
when they were written ; for, having undertaken to
publish from a journal there was as high an obligation
felt, to follow it, even in its departures from conti
nuity, as to preserve its identity of thought and
expression. It is proper, however, to say, that those
who look for steerage wit, or forecastle slang, will
be disappointed.
The statement of the moral responsibility assumed
by Commodore Hull, in sailing without ordera, is
given in justice to the memory of that officer, and
rests on the authority of the late Purser Chew of the
Navy ; his First Lieutenant, now himself a Commodore,
who shared his counsels, is justly entitled to his meed
of praise. My memory is at fault as to whom of two
officers it was, who drew the plug from the boat — or
his name would be given. The omission may be sup
plied hereafter.
A portion of this journal has before appeared in a
periodical, and its reception by the lovers of light
reading, led to the proposition that the whole should
be published.
What is now presented embraces the career of a
Midshipman.

PREFACE. VU
What may follow, must speak for itself.
It was my earnest wish to have withheld my name
from the title-page, but, in the opinion of others,
the purpose in view could not be attained by an
anonymous publication. For the sake of simplicity,
I have adopted the first person singular, and hope
that the reader will not ascribe it to egotism. In the
words of one who has gone before — " There is no
danger from me of offending him in this kind ;
neither my mind, nor my body, nor my fortune,
allow me any materials for this vanity. It is suffi
cient for my own contentment that they have pre
served my self-esteem.."
September, 1851.

CHAPTER I.
A motherless child, with a father who, though not
devoid of affection, was engrossed by the care of his
property, I esteemed myself fortunate that at the age
of sixteen, with the love of adventure enkindled by
the very perils arrayed to deter me, I abandoned my
studies, and embraced the roving, stirring, homeless,
comfortless, but attractive life of a sailor.
A frigate was fitting out in a neighboring seaport
for a distant cruise, and from the time I first learned
the possibility of being enrolled among her crew, I
prosecuted a claim with untiring perseverance, and io
my great delight, procured orders to her, with the
appointment of midshipman.
Exchanging the garb of mourning for the uniform
of my adopted profession, I repaired to the navy yard
to claim my berth, fancying as I went, that the atten
tion of others, as well as my own, was riveted on my
dirk and the buttons on my collar, thus converting, in
my simplicity, the smile of pity for my vanity, or
sympathy for the trials which awaited me, into admi
ration of my figure and its trappings.
1*

10 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
Passing through an arched gateway into an extensive
area, I recognized at once the object of my destination ;
a large ship, partially careened, on which several
hundred caulkers were hammering most vigorously ;
their rapid, unceasing strokes vibrating painfully on
the inexperienced ear.
Presenting my credentials to the captain, I was by
him transferred to the first lieutenant, a compactly-
built, active, and energetic man, who in turn handed
me over to one of my own grade named Wilson, with
directions to show me my quarters and have my
hammock slung.
This officer informed me that, for a few days, I would
be excused from duty, to give me an opportunity of
learning its routine and of becoming acquainted with
the topography of the ship and the relative rank and
position of my future shipmates.
This gentleman took me under his especial charge,
gave me some excellent advice, and soon rendered me
an essential service.
.Duelling was, at that time, very prevalent in the
navy, and I had been told that among my associates
no one was respected who had not either fought or
evinced a readiness to do so, and my informant advised
me to be upon my guard, as my courage would cer
tainly be tested.
In consequence of this admonition, instead of meet
ing my messmates with the unsuspicious frankness of
youth, I weighed the purport of everything that was
said, and, like the fretful porcupine, armed at all points,
was prepared to resent the slightest aggression.

SCENE at the mess-table. 11
Imperceptibly, this unnatural state of feeling wore
away, as I could detect no latent meaning in the hilari
ous conversation' of a mess table, and before I was aware
I had become a participant. One day the subject was
the equipment and discipline of privateers, and I took
occasion to describe one I had recently visited. I was
listened to with attention, but, when I had finished.
one of my messmates, sitting opposite, called out,
" Tell that to the marines, you look too much
as I do when I spin a yarn." As he spoke, in an
instant, my plate, spoon, soup and all, were thrown
directly in his face. There was an immediate uproar,
and Anderson strove to get at me across the table ; but
Wilson sprung to him, held him forcibly, and called,
in a loud tone, to order. The respect in which he was
held enforced his call, and, as soon as he could be
heard, he proceeded to say, that I was a stranger,
unacquainted with their customs and unused to
their freedom of expression ; that he considered Mr.
Anderson bound to recall his words when he pledged
himself that an ample apology would be given for what
ensued; but that, if Mr. A. refused, he would hold
him answerable for an insult to one placed under his
charge by the first lieutenant.
Although his appeal was received with acclamation,
the matter might not have ended here, but the soup
was not very hot, and Anderson had a turn for the ludi
crous. As soon, therefore, as he was released, he drew
his handkerchief across his face, held it up, laughed
outright at its appearance, and extending his hand,
said, " You have served me right, and I owe

12 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
you one. I did not mean to insult you, and I know
that you are sorry to have lost your soup."
My first tour of duty was the watch from 8 P. M.
until midnight. The snow fell thick and fast, and
hoods and tarpaulins had been placed over the hatches,
to protect the men on the lower decks, from, the weather.
Literally construing the order I' received, to "keep
the men below," I paraded in the snow, -with chapeau
on and dirk by my side, and eagerly wished for an op
portunity to exercise my dread authority. Nor had I
to wait long. It occurred to the Quarter Master of the
previous watch, as he was about springing into his
hammock, that he had neglected to inform his relief of
the state of the tide, and without stopping to resume
his clothes, he hurried up and called to him. Hearing
his voice, I turned, drew my dirk, and rushed upon
him. Taken by surprise, the Quarter Master had not
time to descend, but, springing aside, fled along the
deck, with his pursuer at his heels.
" The rapid chase we held.
One urged by fury — one by fear impelled ;"
'' Now circling round the decks our ' course maintain,'
Where the high mast ' o'erlooks the watery plain.' "
At length, I stumbled over a coil of ropes, and in
falling, my dirk tore the shirt and lightly grazed the
back of the seaman. Before I could regain my feet,
the Quarter Master was below, and the word passed
like wildfire through the ship, that there was a mad
midshipman on deck. No one ventured up until the
dawn dispersed their fears, and perhaps not even in the

A FIRE ON SHORE. 13
midst of a hostile fleet was a ship ever more quiet
than the Congress throughout the long watches of that
night. At length, our ship was commissioned, and we joy
fully collected the stores and commenced in earnest
our preparations for sea. But we were long detained,
and, during that period, a thrilling incident occurred
on shore.
It was in the latter part of February, and the clouds
were driven rapidly along the sky, betokening a tem
pestuous and a bitter night. The moon gleamed at
intervals through opening masses of cloud, and the
keen north-east wind blew fiercely, when the cry of
" fire !" startled the citizens from their slumber.
The first glance satisfied each one that no time was
to be lost, for volumes of smoke and flame were burst
ing from a large building in the very centre of the
town. The rattling engine and the tumultuous rush
soon succeeded, for all felt the necessity of exertion.
An interest deeper than usual was awakened, when it
became known that the young and widowed Mrs.
Graham, with a child but a few months old, was ill
within the house.
The building was of a peculiar construction, with its
gable to the street. The lower story was entirely en
veloped, and all access to the upper floor was debarred
by the scorching flame and dense and suffocating smoke.
There was a painful silence for some moments, when a
young man, springing from the crowd, exclaimed,
"This will never do, who'll follow me?" "Lead on!
Foster! lead on!" cried half a dozen voices, and the

14 THE MIDSHIPMAN
gallant youth rushed into an adjoining house, followed
by those who had so promptly promised to second him.
A few moments sufficed to apprise those without of
their mode of proceeding, and the dull, crumbling
sound of the first blow struck against the dividing wall
by the vigorous arm of Foster, was cheered by an ap
proving shout from the multitude.
In a few moments a sufficient aperture was made,
and through the illuminated windows the figures of the
daring fellows were seen hastening in various directions
in quest of those they sought to rescue.
" They climb the crackling stair, they burst the door,
Nor feel their feet glow scorching with the floor.
Their breath choked gasping with the volumed smoke,
But still, from room to room their way they broke."
In a few moments they re-appeared, bearing two
females, one closely wrapped and tenderly supported,
the other, a black, wild with affright, borne hurriedly
along, and convulsively grasping a bundle she carried
in her arms.
The throng gathered quickly around, and while con
sulting where to shelter them, the mother revived, and,
true to nature's impulse, her first question was for her
child. "Here it is, Missus," exclaimed the nurse, holding
out the bundle which she held in her arms.
Franticly seizing it, with wild and almost maniac
gestures, piece by piece, the mother tore the coverings
apart, until she reached the inmost, when a heart
rending shriek told that the child was not there ! The

A CHILD IN PERIL. 15
nurse, stnpified by terror, had clutched the bedding
from the cradle, and left the child behind.
In an instant, the dreadful truth was known, and
again was heard the cheering voice of Foster: "Fear
not, lady, your child shall be restored."
By his direction, a ladder was procured and planted
(for one window now afforded the only hope of access),
and amid the acclamations of the crowd, he passed
rapidly up and entered the house.
The moment after, his figure was lost in the dense
smoke which ascended from beneath through the
scorching, crisping floor.
Although these events occurred in less time than it
has taken to narrate them, the fire had progressed most
fearfully. As it found food and vent, the flame crept
on, and the window sills and door frames were now all
on fire. The paint on one of the top ends of the ladder
blistered and peeled off; the wood first scorched, then
crackled and charred; spiral lights now played about
it, and, suddenly, it was in a blaze. The play of the
engines was at once directed to it, and some of the
bystanders endeavored to raise it up, in order that
the water might have more effect. In the attempt,
one slipped and let go his hold, and the ladder, falling
against the wall, broke off about two feet from that end.
At the same moment, an exulting shout was the signal
for the engines to cease; for, blackened and disfigured,
Foster reappeared at the window, with the child in his
arms. The united strength of as many as could get
hold, raised the ladder to its former height, but could
do no more, for already the clothes of the foremost were

16 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
scorching from the intensity of the heat. Holding the
child clear of either side, Foster in vain tried to de
scend : as soon as his weight was brought to, bear upon
the ladder, the part unsupported would give way and
throw one side uppermost. His situation was now most
critical. The cornice of the roof, long since enveloped,
was now swagged in its centre, the flame was bursting
through the floor, which yawned in chasms to engulf
him, and the very building toppled with the frequent
fall of crashing fragments.
For an instant, he seemed to yield to an agonizing
impulse, and looked as if he meant to spring from the
window, and thus preserve the life of the child by the
immolation of his own. The very idea suggested a
means of escape.
Amid the din and clamor, his voice was unheard;
but those without, gathering his meaning from his ges
tures, procured a bed, and, holding it up, caught the
child upon it, which was restored unhurt to its mother's
arms, just as Foster, struck by a falling brand, in the
effort to recover himself, fell back on the smouldering
floor, and was never seen again.
A friend, who was conspicuously active on this oc
casion, relates, that, with several others, he remained
for some time after the fire was arrested, in the hope of
recovering the body, but that, unsuccessful, he bent his
steps for home. The day was slowly breaking, dis
closing hard ridges of vapor, through which, with sink
ing ray, the morning star occasionally glimmered. The
last engine was rumbling along, dragged by a few men
and boys, whose slow and slouching gait and soiled

A WIFE'S DISTRESS. 17
attire bespoke the fatigue of recent toil, when he ob
served a group of three persons, two of whom appeared
to be urging the third to some reluctant measure.
They had stopped before an unpretending house, and
were still in low but earnest conversation, when the
door was thrown open, and a female voice exclaimed,
"Where is Foster? Oh! Mr. Nesbitt, where is Fos
ter?" " My dear Madam," replied the gentleman addressed,
"be not" — but, stifled by his own sensations, he could
proceed no farther. The downcast eye, the sad de
meanor, conveyed the rest, and, wildly clasping her
hands, the heart-stricken woman gave an agonizing
shriek, and fell senseless in the door-way.

CHAPTER II.
On a balmy day, when a light breeze ruffled the
water, and our pennon streamed to seaward, the long-
expected call was heard, " All hands weigh anchor
ahoy !"
The sails were quickly spread, the anchor was
aweigh, and with canvas full distended, we sailed past
the lighthouse, and entered on the broad Atlantic.
Near the Cape, we met a sister frigate returning from
a distant cruise, and passing under full sail ; three
cheers from each, bade welcome to the one, and con
veyed good wishes to the other.
The -first night at sea was the most uncomfortable I
had ever experienced. The sky was heavily over
cast ; the atmosphere below decks impregnated with
the sickening smell of bilgewater, and the ship rolled
and plunged like a maddened steed, instinct with
desperation. In a short time, we made the island of Corvo, the
north-westernmost of the Azores, and in a few days,
with a favorable breeze, sailed by the islands of Fayal,
Pico, and St. George's. Whenever the dispersion of

MAKE THE LAND. 19
the mist permitted a view of the land, the scenes were
invariably picturesque, and sometimes grand.
We now pressed under all sail by the wind, in the
hope of weathering the northern point of Madeira.
On the 20th day, we made the latter island right
ahead, but the wind was so light that our approach
was gradual, and the atmosphere so hazy as to render
the land indistinct. The next day, with a pleasant
breeze, we approached the island very near, when it
fell calm.
The scenery of Madeira, by turns picturesque or
grand, is yet so irregular as often in detached views
to present the most grotesque appearances. In one
direction is a peninsula, representing on a gigantic
scale, the aspect presented by the surface of a sheltered
lake when it receives the first of the thunder shower ;
in another, the mountains are so singularly huddled
as to remind one of a jumbling together of every
description of steeple, dome, and" tower. In our
approach to the anchorage, we passed a beautiful
valley formed by a gorge in the mountains ; a church
on one side, a fortress on the other, a convent near the
summit, and the intermediate space clotted with innu
merable country seats, each surrounded with a patch
of the most luxuriant vegetation.
The town of Funchal, the capital of the island, is
built in the form of an amphitheatre, its base resting
in the sea, and its arch receding as it rises. It presents
an imposing aspect, but in reality the streets are steep
and narrow, and the style of architecture unattractive.
All the females, and many of the males of the higher

20 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
class, are carried about in sedan chairs, slung on
poles, and carried by two men each. Madeira, for its
arable ground, is perhaps one of the most productive
spots in the world. Every niche among the moun
tains, the sides of every ravine, and the summit of
every hill, wherever half an inch of soil can be found,
is highly cultivated. Places, that in the United States
would only be traversed by the sportsmen in quest of
game, are here covered with the luxuriant vine, pen
dent from which the grape hangs in innumerable
tempting clusters. Spots, here and there rendered
soft and spongy by the oozing from the superincum
bent rocks, are made beautifully conspicuous ~bj the
long, rich, half-melancholy foliage of the banana, its
straw-colored fruit discernible among the gigantic
leaves. The very marshes, whose visitors with us
would be the blackbird and the snipe, whose only
tenants the discordant frog and hideous snake, are here
covered with the yam, whose dark green leaves exceed
in size, but otherwise strongly resemble, the full-grown
tobacco plant, before it changes its hue.
It is remarkable of Madeira, that the only insects to
be seen are a fly and a species of lizard, the latter, it
is said, serving the poor as an article of food.
The peasantry are robust and tawny, and their dress
peculiar ; consisting of shirt, trousers, undressed goat
skin boots, and a blue conical cap, in shape very much
resembling an inverted funnel.
Our stay was too brief to justify a remark on the
manners and customs of the people, beyond saying
that the religion is Catholic, as attested by the number

LEGEND OF MADEIRA. 21
of convents, and that the country people are humble,
and apparently pious. Indolence is predominant, and
the thoroughfares are thronged with beggars.
The Portuguese live in haughty seclusion, and the
trade of the island is almost monopolized by the Eng
lish. A few of our enterprising countrymen are
settled here, and by their open-handed hospitality
cheer the path of the stranger.
Besides wine, its principal export, this island pro
duces rye, maize, wheat, some arrow root, a species of
bean, and figs, bananas, pine-apples, apples, pears,
peaches, and a very large, mild-flavored onion.
Madeira, so named from its former abundance of
wood, was discovered in the reign of Edward IH. of
England, by Robert Maeham, " a squire of low
degree," who eloped with Ann Dorsey, a noble maid
en, and escaping in a small vessel, steered for France.
But the unfortunate lovers were overtaken by a tem
pest which swept them from their course, and whirled
them on this island, then desert and uninhabited.
Themselves with difficulty escaping to the shore, their
bark was dashed to pieces. Here they remained for
years. A rude tomb and cross erected by the surviving
lover, tells that his gentle companion perished first,
but leaves it to the imagination to conceive his lonely
sorrow and his untended death.*
Having recruited the crew and filled up our water,
we left Madeira. The wind alternately fair or adverse,
* Much respecting Madeira has been omitted since reading the excel
lent work of General Dix, to which all are referred who wish for accu-
rate information most agreeably conveyed.

22 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
more or less propelled us on, until we reached the
confines of the trade-winds, when it fell calm, and the
surface of the ocean, smooth as a mirror, reflected the
black and threatening hull, and the tall and tapering
spars, shrouded with cordage. The sun, untempered
by the wind, scorched with the intensity of his blaze,
the pitch melted and ran from the seams, the paint
blistered upon the sides, and the resin exuded from the
pores of the deck. For several fathoms around us, the
surface of the water was coated with the dust and filth
thrown into it, and the sea itself, filled with animal
cule, became almost putrescent.
For weeks, not a solitary bird fanned the attenuated
air, and no roaming fish disturbed the slumber of the
deep. Listless and inactive, on the silent waters, the
Congress seemed indeed
" As idle as a painted ship,
Upon a painted ocean."
The flour, sugar, molasses, vinegar, and every anti
scorbutic was soon exhausted ; the water became of a
treacle-like consistence, and in the bread, " putrefaction
fermented into life." The dread scurvy soon made its
appearance, and the easily-indented flesh proclaimed
that death was preceded by corruption.
Compelled to quench his thirst with a fluid more
fetid than that of a stagnant pool, the dying sailor,
crumbling as he lay, gasped and moaned in his
agony. Reckless through life, mostly unconsoled by
the hopes of religion in death, almost unmarked, his
spirit obeyed the signal from aloft, and a lifeless mass

A NIGHT AT SEA. 23
was all that remained of the once hardy and adventu
rous seaman. " The sea and him in death,
We did not dare to sever ;
It was his home while he had breath,
'Tis now his rest for ever."
At length a breeze sprung up, and our ship cleaved
with her prow the filthy girdle which environed her,
and resumed her path upon the deep.
As we approached the equator, the atmosphere be
came humid and oppressive. Alike in calms and
squalls, we were deluged by frequent rains, compared
to which the heaviest showers of our own favored
clime are as dewdrops to the overflowing cistern.
At night, the sea became brilliantly phosphorescent,
and the waves, as dashed aside by the advancing
prow, fell over in curls of flame. Here and there, a
luminous track betrayed the course of the flying dol
phin to the rapacious shark, whose impetuous rush left
a broad and sparkling wake, which was lost in one
bright whirl as the destroyer cfosed tipon his victim.
Once there was a rushing sound, as a whale disturbed
in his slumbers floundered for an instant, and then
through an illumined path plunged deep into the
recesses of his native element y while myriads of por
poises, the dolphins of antiquity, sportively chased each
other, and darting to and fro, without design or order,
chequered with lines of light, the dark, unruffled
sea. As we neared the line, the countenances of those
who had before crossed it wore an air of joyous expec-

24: THE MIDSHIPMAN.
tation, ludicrously contrasted with the feigned merri
ment of others less fortunate, who could not conceal
their misgivings of the ordeal through which they were
about to pass.
The day upon which we crossed the line was pre
ceded by a night of surpassing loveliness. In the sky,
each planet seemed a tiny sun, and each star shone as
lustrous as a planet. The ocean laid in beautiful
repose, its heavings so gentle as not to impair the re
flection of its mirror-like surface, and the tall ship,
without advancing, yielded gracefully to the undu
lation. As the night waned, faint streaks of light tinged the
dark clouds in the eastern horizon. Gradually, the
hues became brighter and more expanded ; the violet
became purple, the purple reddened into crimson, and
suddenly, as from a bed of flame, the sun looked forth
upon the quiet scene. The serene sky, the placid
ocean, the soft breath of the morning, and the gorgeous
sun, were all in keeping with the attributes of their
Maker ; while our ship, a mere speck upon the waters,
girdled with iron and prepared for strife, was a fit
emblem of the frailty and insignificance of man.
About noon, the ship was hove to, for the purpose
of receiving the expected visitor.
As if by magic, a car shaped like a conch, drawn by
Tritons, and attended by Nereids and monsters of the
sea, came over the bows, and rolled along the deck.
With a long and flowing beard, a crown of sea-weed
on his head, and a trident in his hand, Neptune sat
within it, with Amphitrite by his side.

SHAVING ON THE LINE. 25
The car stopped when it reached the quarter-deck,
and salutations were exchanged between Neptune and
the captain of the ship. A rigid account was then
demanded of all on board who had never crossed the
line before. Those who had done so, made due prepa
ration, and now the frolic began. The monarch, late so
imposing in ceremonial, laid his dignity aside, and
seemed to revel in delight as he looked upon the
grimaces and contortions of those who were subjected
to the discipline of his court. The command of the
ship had been formally surrendered to him, and he
dispatched his followers in every direction for the un
initiated. Few were suffered to escape, for the more
experienced aided in the search, and with the love of
mischief peculiar to their class, chuckled, laughed, and
shouted, as, unmolested themselves, they witnessed the
desperate but ineffectual struggles of their shipmates.
As often happens in life, the most patient and en .
during fared the best ; for he who passively submitted
to the initiatory bath, was often spared the subsequent
and severe operation of shaving. The refractory were
not only scraped with a common jack-knife, hacked
and rusty, but their ears and nostrils, and when they
attempted to speak, their mouths also, were filled with
the disgusting lather, and over and over again, they
were compelled to submit to the filthy embraces of the
fond Amphitrite.
The summons to quarters announced at length the
termination of the reign of misrule, and the resump
tion of legitimate authority.
In this day's frolic, many a dress was spoiled and
2

26 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
many a temper ruffled ; and although seemingly all
was boisterous merriment, frequent occasion was taken
to gratify an ancient pique, many a rude trick was
misconstrued, and many a harmless jest was treasured
in bitter remembrance, long after the circumstance
which gave it birth had been forgotten.
The custom of shaving on the line is surely one
more honored in the breach than the observance.
After crossing the line, the atmosphere improved,
and became so rarified, that the stars were visible at
the very verge of the horizon. The polar star, with its
pointers, the wanderer's guide in the northern hemi
sphere, gradually disappeared, and others more bril
liant, but less endeared by association, rose upon the
¦ view. High up were two luminous bodies, resembling
fragments of the Milky-way, while lower down, to
wards the pole, another of a darker hue was visible.
They are the wonderful Magellan clouds, which, from
their position and immovability, are supposed by
Humboldt to be the reflection of the Cordilleras."
Among the constellations of this hemisphere, -the
Southern Cross first receives the homage of the North
man. It is impossible to convey an idea of the night in
these latitudes, when the sun has gone down enveloped
in vapors of crimson and gold, and the full-orbed moon
careers along the cloudless sky, in an ocean of silvery
light. Nor is the scene below less brilliant. Far as the eye
can reach it beholds a sea as of molten silver in a state

BAT OF RIO JANETRO. 27
of ebullition, and the waves severed by the burnished
keel open in chasms of fire. At such times, the ship
seems imbedded in flame, and the light of her brilliant
wake shadows her masts and cordage, on the surface
of the sails.
Such scenes are felt as well as seen, for the soul,
forgetful of the present, stretches at such times far
into the recesses of the past, and in its yearning for
what it feels that it alone can love, seems to grasp
within its memory, a reminiscence of a prior and purer
existence. la a few weeks we passed Cape Frio, its lofty sum
mit covered with mist, and soon after entered the
spacious and picturesque bay of Pio de Janeiro, in
closed by lofty mountains clothed with verdure to their
summits, and separated by valleys wherein the luxu
riant growth of fruit and flowers made the air redo
lent of perfume.
Groves of the orange, citron, and lemon, orchards
of the plantain and banana, with the wild, abounding
and delicious guava, some in blossom, and others
weighed down with fruit, refreshed the eye with their
varied hues, and almost overpowered the sense by
their fragrance.
The palace square which fronts upon the quay, is,
in the day time, thronged with negroes passing to and
from the fountains. The slaves so much exceed the
freemen in number, that the police is necessarily very
strict, and gangs ofthe poor wretches are compelled to
work in chains. The heart sickens at the sight of
hordes of these unfortunates, almost in a state of

28 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
nudity, like driven cattle, exposed for inspection
and sale, and this, too, immediately in front of the
palace. What a contrast! Within those gates and
beneath that roof, all is pride, and pomp, and pagean
try, and art is strained and nature ransacked to pamper
the luxurious indulgence of its inmates. Without,
scorched by the blazing sun, his only garment a filthy
rag girt about his loins, the fettered slave burdened .to
the utmost capacity of his strength, staggers along,
with his task-master at his heels.
The unbeliever may ascribe to chance this great dis
parity of condition ; but the Christian, with the eye of
faith, recognizes the hand, and in submissive piety,
bows to the dispensations of Providence. He feels, he
knows, for the records of a Saviour's life confirm it,
that each state has its trials and its solace ; that the
slave less favored, is less accountable, and that it is the
high in rank and the gifted in intellect, from whom the
most will be exacted.
As the height and depth of mountains and valleys
would scarce be discerned by an eye capable of em
bracing the whole surface of the earth, so, the inequali
ties of human life, transitory and fleeting, are as nothing
compared with the prospects of a future state.
Let the poor slave toil on then, humble and submis
sive, and he will reap the reward which will be denied
to the monarch who abuses, or the statesman who be
trays his trust.
The slave-trade is very brisk ; but it is to be hoped
that the rays of intelligence may penetrate this benight
ed land, and repudiate the Machiavelian policy which

RIO JANETRO. 29
teaches that crime can be conducive to prosperity.
Every comparison with other countries makes me
prouder of, and more attached to, my own. With her
artillery, she first silenced the exactions of the Bar-
bary powers, and by her was dealt the first death
blow to the horrid traffic in human flesh.
The Brazilian women are by no means prepossessing.
The men have more regular features, but are short of
stature, and disposed to be corpulent. They are simple,
uneducated, and credulous, but kind and charitable,
and provide so well for their poor, that beggars are
rarely seen. Unquestionably, the number of convents
from whence food is gratuitously distributed, is the
reason why the aid of the stranger is so rarely solicited.
There are many churches, all richly, but few tastefully
decorated. The King's chapel is gorgeous in the
extreme, but the great attraction is the music. The
choir is composed of eunuchs, and the singing sur
passes all I have ever heard.
A few weeks before our arrival, a princess was born,
and the rejoicings have not yet terminated. Through
out the day, the clang ofthe bells is incessant, and the
surrounding hills reverberate the reports of the artil
lery, discharged from every ship and fortress. At
night, the convents throw back the blaze of the illumi
nated city, and like a mirror, the harbor reflects the
myriads of lights which are fancifully interspersed
among the spars and rigging of the ships of war. On
the islands and along the shore, in every direction, bon
fires are blazing, and from every point is heard the
whizzing sound of the sinuous and beautiful rocket,

30 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
which, exploding above and around, like a, feu dejoie,
fill the air with their fiery flakes. The sound of music,
and the shouts of merriment, commingled and wafted
by the breeze, fall gratefully upon the ear, and soothe
the lagging hours of watchfulness.

CHAPTER III.
With light airs from the land, barely sufficient to
ripple the surface of the water, we slowly sailed from
the harbor of Pio de Janeiro. Bidding adieu to the
comforts and delights of shore, and almost to the face
of civilization, we girded on the armor of endurance for
a long and perilous voyage.
We had scarce gained an offing when the wind sub
sided, and left us for hours riding helpless in a perfect
calm. With the hot and blistering noon, sprung up the sea
breeze, cool and refreshing, whose glad coming, long
before it reached us, was announced by the white foam
of the leaping, sparkling wave. And now with light
sails furled and boats secured and all prepared for the
rude encounters of the sea, we braced our yards to the
favoring breeze, and shaped our course for India.
Little of incident occurred to vary the monotony of
our long and tedious voyage. By way of cheering the
passage of the dull and lingering hours, the midship
men attended school during the forenoon of each day,

32 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
Sundays excepted ; and in the evenings, when not pre
vented by the inclemency ofthe weather, those exempt
from duty at the time, assembled together, and by jest
and tale and song, strove to cheer each other.
Some of the crew, more dramatic in their taste,
formed an amusing Thespian corps, and twice a week
indulged their shipmates with a theatric exhibition.
The indulgence of this taste led to. an amusing
incident. One of the most intelligent of the corps, also a good
seaman, was at the helm during the mid -watch of a
dark and threatening night. The top-gallant yards had
been sent down, the topsails double reefed, and every
preparation made for an approaching gale. Huge
masses of clouds swept along the sky ; the stars here
and there glimmered through them, and the moon just
sinking below the horizon, threw a pale and fitful beam
across the waters : The ship rose and plunged to the fast
rising sea, and nothing was heard except the angry
lashing of the waves against her sides, and the shrill
whistling of the wind through the blocks and cordage.
The lieutenant in charge of the deck was intently
observing the weather, and the men of the watch, with
the ropes in their hands, stood ready to reduce sail at
a moment's warning, when suddenly letting go the
helm, the seaman clasped his hands and exclaimed
" O Bertha, I adore thee !"
"What's that?" cried the officer, much startled, and
springing to his side. " Steady — no higher," said the
man, who had instantly resumed the helm, and the
officer, supposing that he had mistaken the usual

A LIFE-HISTORY. 33
directions of the helmsman, returned to his post and
renewed his scrutiny of the weather.
It is almost needless to say, that the seaman had
been, in fancy, enacting on the stage the character
assigned to him.
One sultry night, finding it too oppressive below, I
left my berth, and laid down in the quarter hammock-
netting. Everything was so still, that I had fallen
into a light slumber, when I was awakened by the steps
and voices of two persons walking to and fro along the
deck. They were two of the ward-room officers, known
to be devoted friends, and by far the best beloved of
all the officers of the ship. I soon heard the eldest say
to the other, " we are now in the near vicinity of a spot,
which was the scene of an eventful era in my life."
" Edward," said his friend, " you have often promised
me the history of your life ; there could not be a
better opportunity than the present one ; I am an idler,
and you have no watch to-night."
" Let us be seated," replied the first, " and I will re
deem my word." They took their seats on a gun-slide,
immediately beneath me. I would at once have risen,
but, in the first place, I had violated an order of the
ship, in making a bed of the hammock-netting; and
in the second, there was evidently no anxiety for con
cealment, as several of the sailors were lying against
the gunwale, in hearing distance, if awake. Moreover,
from the character of Mr. T., I felt sure that he
could say nothing to lessen the high estimation in
which he was held. I therefore remained quiet.
" Of a large family of children," he proceeded to say,

34: THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" I am the sole survivor. My father died when I was
an infant. In my fourteenth year I lost my mother,
and in the intervening time, one by one, my brothers
and my only sister, were all swept off by the eon-
sumption, whose victims waste away even while the
cheek is flushed and the eye brilliant with anticipations
of renovated health and years of enjoyment. Oh,
Charles! that you could have seen and known my
sister, for, in many respects, she resembled your own."
" For your sake, if not for hers, I should have loved
her dearly."
"You could not have helped it, for she was one of
the purest, gentlest beings that ever lived."
" Describe her appearance living."
"It is impossible ; for, graceful as a fawn, and with
elastic- spirits, her features, at one moment gleaming
with hope, at the next subdued in sympathy, were
changeable as the aspects of a summer cloud, but beau
tiful in all their changes, for the light they reflected
was borrowed from Heaven."
" Hers, then, was the beauty of expression."
"Yes, of angelic expression, and yet her counteaance
was exquisitely lovely in repose. It reminded one of
an inland lake, which, when undisturbed, reflects the
foliage and the flowers around it; but, when agitated,
its crests of foam, its waves brattling on the shore all
its wild and shifting beauties, are its own. She died
on an early summer's morning, the dew-drop yet spark
ling on the blade, which, while it bent, it fertilized •
and the whole earth, in one gush of fragrance, sent up
its tribute to the Mighty Hand which made it."

A LIFE-HISTORY. 35
"Her death was a happy one."
" Aye ! for a spirit, pure and spotless as hers, could
realize that death has no terrors' where life has no re
proaches." After a slight pause, he proceeded. " In less thr a
twelve months, my mother followed her to the grave,
and the day and the hour, the occasion and the scene,
are deeply graven in my memory ; but," perceiving
his friend affected, "I will not distress you with the
sad recital, although the sorrows of that bitter hour
were not without their solace ; for, feeling that my loss
would be her gain, the showers and the sunshine, the
alternate gloom and brightness of the day without,
were typical of my hopes and fears.
"My patrimony was supposed to be considerable,
and my mother had appointed a distant relative as her
executor and my guardian.
"A few weeks found me under the roof of Mr.
Thornton. The exchange was a sad one. I had left
the home of my infancy, where every familiar object
was associated with some kindly phrase or act of en
dearment, to become a member of an aristocratic
family, which traced its lineage from England.
"I could have endured physical privations without
repining, but, peculiarly sensitive of neglect, was like
the vine cast from the trunk which had sustained it,
whose drooping tendinis are swayed to and fro, seeking
for something whereupon to cling. Repelled by the
haughty manners of the family, my yearning nature
found the sympathy it needed in the friendship of Mr.
Winchester, the private tutor employed by Mr. Thorn-

36 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
ton. Above all men I have ever seen, he united the
wisdom of the serpent with the simplicity of the dove.
Placed under his tuition, I made rapid progress, he
was pleased to say, not only in the acquisition of know
ledge from books, but in that more difficult branch
which teaches us to analyse our feelings and to know
ourselves. You remember Dr. Holmes ?"
" Indeed I do, and esteem him as a valued friend."
"Well, imagine him a little taller, a shade more
pensive and somewhat more retiring in his manners,
with an enunciation yet more distinct, and you have
Mr. Winchester before you."
" I think I see him, and, with the character you give,
feel that I could love him, too."
"Aye, that you would; for his meek exterior con
cealed a spirit as incorruptible as that of Brutus, and
as benevolent as Howard himself. To him, I owe all
that I am, or can ever hope to be.
" At that time, politics ran high ; . Napoleon, the
great human vulture, was gorging himself with the
blood of nations, and the crimson flag of England
claimed the empire of the seas. The discordant clamor
of party strife was loud and vehement, and the whole
country seemed to vibrate with the throes of political
convulsion. Warped by his pride of descent, and
giving the tone to his family, at Mr. Thornton's fireside,
in all political discussions, the cause of England was
strenuously maintained.
"It was here that, as I grew older, I derived the
greatest benefit from the counsels of Mr. W. A pure
patriot, without a parade of zeal, he ever upheld the

A LIFE-HISTORY. 37
cause of his country. Pointing out the distinction
between the governments of Europe and the one We
had adopted, how the former strove to maintain an idle
and luxurious ckiss in the enjoyment of peculiar privi
leges, while the other recognized no difference between
man and man, he engrafted in me an attachment to
our institutions, as warm and enduring as his own-
But for him, I might have imbibed the alien feelings
of the family with which I was domesticated.
" About the close of mr second year under his tuition,
news came of the wanton attack upon, and the inglo
rious surrender of, the Chesapeake. At Mr. Thornton's
table that day, much was said of the valor of the Eng
lish, and the craven spirit of the Americans. Mr.
Winchester, mildly but firmly defended his country
men, but his opposition provoked such a torrent of
abuse and such violent denunciations of everything
pertaining to America, that, interrupting Mr. T. in his
loudest tirade, he announced his determination of for
ever quitting a roof which he considered as the fit
shelter only of foes and traitors. A violent outbreak
seemed inevitable, but his calm and lofty demeanor
quelled the rising storm, and, true to his word, he left
the next day.
"After his departure, the last tie which bound me
to the spot was severed, and I applied to be sent to
college. To my surprise, Mr. Thornton declined, and
threw out some vague hints of an unpaid bond and a
threatened lawsuit, which might involve my whole
estate. I then asked to be sent elsewhere to school,
but was again denied. I then determined, hap what

38 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
might, to leave the place and make my way to one of
the Atlantic cities, where, in the sanguine spirit of youth,
I felt sure of achieving something. Anything was
preferable to the life then before me. I had read of
perilous escapes, and, in my inexperience, confounding
my situation with that of some imaginary captive, and
fearing a thousand obstacles, I waited impatiently for
a tempestuous night. It came at last, wild and terrific
to my heart's content.
" Throughout the day, the weather had been variable.
At one time, the tops of the trees were bowed down by
fitful gusts, while at another, the wind gently sighed
among the branches, or, dying away calm, everything
would droop with the oppressive heat. The clouds
were low, detached, and ragged; the bold and craggy
tops of the mountains were wreathed in mist, and the
same humid vapor filled the chasms and swept down
the distant slopes.
" Even before the sun disappeared, his disc became
lurid, the air seemed to thicken and respiration became
difficult. The untended cattle went lowing to their
pens, and the poultry, with discordant noises, hurried
under cover. About dusk, a dense cloud gathered in
the northwest, and while the thunder muttered in the
far-off mountains, it slowly approached us, the lightning
playing across it in incessant flashes. Suddenly, like
the smoke of artillery, a number of jets were thrown
up from its upper surface, and then a flash, com
pared to M'hich those were as artificial fireworks
which had preceded it, blinded the eye, and in
stantly, every animate thing shrank with dread, as a

A LIFE-HISTORY. 39
most terrific crash pealed upon the ear. Then came
the whirl and .the roar of the tempest. The spirit of
the storm was abroad, and " Omnipotence rode on the
wings of the mighty wind." Huge trees and massive
fragments of rock were whirled about like gossamer in
a summer's breeze. An avalanche of rain followed
the very flood-gates of heaven seeming to have opened
above us.
"The long wished-for hour had now arrived, and
bracing myself to the desperate chance, I seized a bun- .
die I had prepared, and hurried forth, preferring rather
to encounter the battling elements, than abide with
those I could not love. Breasting the driving rain, I
shouted with exultation at the prospect of achieving
my own fortunes by my own exertions. Although
'the live thunder' leaped 'from cliff to cliff,' and the
forked lightning almost seethed the brain with its sharp
and sulphurous fire, I pressed on, regardless of the
storm, and only fearful of pursuit.
" For some miles, the road, which ran winding among
the hills, was overflowed, and each indentation in the
mountains had become the bed of a foaming torrent
I was obliged to clamber the hill-sides, and spring from
ledge to ledge across the mad and plunging streams.
But that I was in full health, buoyant with hope, and
of an elastic frame, I could never have overcome the
difficulties or survived the perils of that night. Once
or twice, I nearly despaired, but the thought of the
sneers to which I would be subjected if I returned,
determined me to persevere.
" After severe toil, I gained the high road and threw

40 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
myself down, exhausted. I had rested but a few
moments, when, borne upon the wind, I heard a loud
clatter and, now and then, a shrill and piercing shriek.
Springing to my feet, I gazed anxiously up the road.
The rain had partially subsided ; a luminous spot in
the heavens showed the position of the moon, the
thunder, no longer near, reverberated in the distance,
and the flashes of lightning, although vivid, were less
sulphurous and blinding. I could soon distinguish the
tramp of horses at full speed, and in an instant after, a
carriage passed at headlong velocity. The screams I
had heard satisfied me that there was some one within,
and I breathlessly hurried after it.
" A short distance below, the road descended a hill
and crossed a stream, ordinarily shallow, but now
doubtless swollen and scarcely fordable. My fears
were more than confirmed, for,' to my dismay, I soon
found myself up to my armpits in the water.
"The screams had ceased, and I could hear nothing
to guide me. Suddenly, through the lurid gleaming
of the storm, I saw the carriage, which seemed to be
entangled by a prostrate tree, while the horses, rearing
and plunging, strove to free themselves from the har
ness. With some difficulty, I swam to it, the lateral
pressure of the current almost bearing me under. For
tunately, I had my hunting-knife with me, and contrived
to cut the traces and liberate the horses, but not without
receiving a severe blow from one of them. Within the
carriage, I found a female form, but whether alive or
dead, in the uncertain light, I could not tell. The
water was nearly up to the seat, and rising with great

A LIFE-HISTORY.

41

rapidity. Bearing the body up, I hesitated what to do.
With a bruised shoulder, and supporting a lifeless form,
it would be madness to attempt to swim. Feeling
about, I discovered that the front panel was a large
one, and forcing it out, dragged the wet and dripping
figure through it, and placed her on the driver's seat,
while I called loudly for help. Almost simultaneously
with my own, I heard voices shouting up the road,
and guided by my call, assistance was soon procured,
and the lady (who had fainted) rescued from her peril
ous position.
" Mr. Stephens, a wealthy gentleman, was, with his
wife, returning from the Springs, and had reached the
village soon after the storm set in. He had just alight
ed, and was holding out his hand to assist Mrs. S. to
descend, when the horses, terrified by a flash of light
ning and the loud peal which succeeded it, ran off at
full speed, and the driver, in the effort to recover the
reins, fell to the ground.
"Mr. S. expressed so much gratitude, and so fre
quently proffered his services to aid me, if he could,
that, won by his kindness, I confided to him the secret
of my flight and all my ill-digested plans for the future.
He listened with deep attention, and endeavored, at
first, to persuade me to return to my guardian ; but,
finding me resolute, he suggested a mode of enfran
chisement, at the bare mention of which, my heart
fairly leaped for joy. He proposed that I should
enter the navy; a profession, he remarked, which,
although little esteemed by the country, would, he felt
sure, if opportunity offered, win for itself an imperish-

42 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
able renown. Informing my guardian of the course
intended to be pursued, he exerted his influence, and,
in a short time, procured me an appointment.
" War was soon after declared, and I was ordered to
the frigate Constitution, then lying at Annapolis. She
was commanded, as you know, by Capt. Hull, who,
with every officer and man on board, was exceedingly
anxious to get to sea before the enemy should reach
the Chesapeake in superior force. Our Captain had
twice ineffectually written to the Secretary of the Navy,
entreating permission to proceed to sea. At length, he
called up the Officer of Marines, and said to him,
" 'Sir, have you no official business which calls you
to Washington?'
" 'None, sir,' replied the officer.
" 'Then you must make some,' said the Captain, and,
handing him a letter, added, 'you must start so as to
reach Washington early to-morrow. When you get
there, let it be your first business to call upon the Sec
retary of the Navy, and give him this letter, telling
him, at the same time, that you will call in three hours
for a reply. At the expiration of the three hours, be
sure to take your departure, and I expect you to break
fast with me the morning after.'
"The officer strictly obeyed his instructions. When
the dilatory Secretary had read the Captain's letter, he
remarked, 'I am very much occupied at present, sir;
but, if you will call in two or three days, I will have
an answer ready for you.'
" 'Sir,' replied the officer, 'I am allowed but three

A LIFE-HISTORY.

43

hours in Washington to see my Colonel, and, at two
o'clock, I am to start on my return.'
" ' Yery well, sir,' was the reply, and the officer took
his leave.
"At two, punctually, he called again, and the Sec
retary, somewhat fretted, said, 'Really, sir, I have not
had time to attend to Capt. Hull's letter. Can you not
wait until to-morrow?'
" Under my orders, sir, it is impossible."
" 'Very well, say to Capt. Hull, that I will write to
him by mail.'
" 'Excuse me, sir,' said the officer, 'when I assure
you that Capt. Hull will be bitterly disappointed if I
do not take him something from you.'
" With a gesture of impatience, the Secretary drew
a sheet of paper to him, and writing a few hurried
lines, handed the note to the officer. It contained
these remarkable words : —
" ' Sir — You will proceed with the Constitution to
New York, and should you meet any vessels of the
enemy, you will note it.-'
" It was sufficient — and we immediately weighed
anchor and stood to sea. A short distance out we
encountered a squadron of the enemy, and the chase
that ensued has already become matter of history.
Of the fatigue, we underwent and the extraordinary
exertions we made, I can give you no idea. For most
of the time the wind was very light, and at length
died away in a perfect calm. We then resorted to
towing and kedging, and with the perspiration stream
ing from their brows, our crew toiled manfully without

44 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
a murmur. Each one sleeping at his post took his
meals as he could. At one time the nearest ship,
towed by all the boats of the squadron, was enabled to
gain fast upon us. Gradually, too, our pursuers, like
huge, creeping monsters, seemed all to gain upon us,
when, at the very crisis of our fate, a breeze sprung
up. Swinging the ponderous yards to meet its glad
embrace, we thanked our God, that we were the
first to feel it. The sails flapped exultingly against the
masts, and then slowly distending, our noble ship, in
all her grace, and pride, and beauty, renewed the race
she had so nearly lost. With sail on sail, packed wide
and high, from the bulwarks to the trucks, each ship
was soon a pyramid of canvas. Behind us was cap
tivity or death, before us, freedom and the hope of
future renown. Judge then with what delight we soon
perceived that we were leaving our pursuers. The
wind freshened as the night closed in, and early the
ensuing day the enemy abandoned the chase as hope
less. For sixty hours we toiled unceasingly, and
human nature had been taxed to its utmost powers of
endurance. " Cut off from New York, our commander determined
to proceed to Boston. Off Block Island, we spoke an
American vessel bound in, and by her the Captain
wrote to the Secretary of the Navy acquainting him
with his escape, and informing him of his intention
to proceed to Boston, where he trusted to receive per
mission to cruise at sea.
" We reached the harbor late one evening ; by mid
night we had commenced taking in provisions and

A LIFE-HISTORY. 45
water, and in twenty-four hours were again ready for sea.
For three days beyond the time we should have heard
from Washington, we were kept in the most anxious
suspense. All hands were detained on board, except
the Purser, who, on the arrival of each mail, hurried
to the post-office. On the third day there did come an
official letter, but it was addressed to a ward-room
officer on the subject of his pay.
" It was then that Capt. Hull took a resolution which
evinced as much wisdom as moral courage. He knew
that the cruisers of the enemy swarmed upon our coast,
and he chafed with desire to encounter one of them.
He determined to put to sea without orders, and imme
diately carried his purpose into execution.
" We had soon the satisfaction to meet an adversary.
It was one of the ships of the squadron which had
chased us. Instead of increasing, we now sought to
lessen the intervening distance, and as we approached,
each ship, like a combatant in the arena, partially strip
ped herself for the conflict. Under reduced sail,
leisurely, deliberately, we neared each other. It was
a moment of intense excitement. England had so long
styled herself the mistress of the sea, and the arrogance
of the claim was so lessened by her' almost uninter
rupted career of victory, that the boldest and most
sanguine among us admitted the probability of defeat.
Yet there was no shrinking of the nerve, not one
instant's hesitation of purpose. Our country had sent
us forth, and in the hour of peril she relied upon us.
We knew that we might be defeated, but resolved that
we would not be disgraced. The flag, with the proud

46 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
vessel whicK bore it, might sink beneath the waves,
or by one terrific explosion be scattered in shreds and
fragments upon their surface, but each one felt that it
could never be struck to a single adversary.
" I had thought before that I had some idea of a
battle, but imagination fell short of the stern reality.
Men, lately so calm in their demeanor, were wrought
to the highest pitch of phrensy, and reeking with per
spiration and begrimed with powder, as seen through
the fire and smoke, appeared like infuriated demons.
The ship reeling like a drunken man, quivered with
each recoil, but there was no screaming, nor shouting —
the ministers of death were too earnest for noisy exhi
bition, and except the stifled groans of the wounded,
and the brief, quick words of command, the human
voice was unheard.
" You know the result. At the report of the last
gun in that conflict, as at the blast of the Israelite
trumpets before Jericho, the walls of British invin
cibility fell, like them, too, never to rise again. But
they are about to relieve the watch ; I will resume my
tale hereafter."

CHAPTER IV.
On the thirty-eighth day we were on the meridian
of the Cape of Good Hope, and passed it on a rolling,
mountainous swell, the confluent greeting of two mighty
oceans. Like a cork tossed on a rippling river, we
floated buoyantly along ; at one moment riding on the
crest of a wave, which in another was curling angrily
above us. Although rearing and plunging like a
maddened steed, our gallant ship, obedient to the
helm, breasted the surge and rode skilfully on her
way. A few nights after, the freshening wind compelled
us to shorten sail. The topsails had been reefed and
hoisted, and the men were returning from aloft, when
one of the topmen stepped on an unfastened rope, and
before he could regain his foothold, was by the pitch
of the ship thrown forward off the yard, and in his fall
striking against the inflated surface of the foresail, was
glanced overboard. The life-buoys were immediately
cut away, and gratings, coops, and many light articles
were thrown over the side, in the hope that one at least
might come within the grasp of a struggling shipmate.

4:8 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
The ship was brought as near to the wind as safety
would permit, and, immediately after, the startling
notes of the drum summoned the crew to quarters, and
announced the decision of our commander, sustained
by the observation of all, that the tempestuous sea and
rising wind, forbade the lowering of a boat. The
battle-lanterns were lighted fore and aft, look-outs were
stationed aloft and along the deck, and a dead silence
prevailed, for every ear listened for the faintest sound,
and every eye scanned the wild and dreary waste, to
catch a glimpse of our unfortunate companion.
What must have been the feelings of that poor
wretch when the sound of the familiar drum came
riding upon the gale, proclaiming that his fears were
realized, and that for him there was no hoj>e ! When
the lights streaming through the ports exhibited his
shipmates on the yards and rigging, their dress distin
guishable, and the very anxiety of their countenances
visible, while himself, the object of so much sympathy,
unheard and unseen, although so near, shrieked and
struggled in his agony.
Whether he strove to the last, and with the water
gurgling in his throat sunk senseless and exhausted ;
or whether with the flight of hope he ceased to battle
with his fate, can never be known. In darkness and
amid the roar of elemental strife, he perished.
Our humane commander lingered for hours, and
only when the last and faintest ray of hope had become
extinct, was the order given to bear up and steer the
appointed course.
For many days this calamity cast a gloom through-

NATIVES OF JAVA. 49"
out the ship. The tones of hilarity were hushed ; the
jo}rous laugh was unheard, and the ordinary duties
were carried on in subdued voices, and with a com
posed and quiet manner.
On the sixty-fourth day we made Java Head, a bold
promontory, the western extremity of the island of
Java, and marking the entrance of the Straits of
Sunda. Passing up the Straits, we anchored in Anjeer Bay,
a short distance from Batavia. The land is extremely
fertile, and the hill sides are covered by lofty and um
brageous trees, and the tangled and luxuriant under
growth is so interlaced, as almost at high noon to
exclude the rays of the sun. The mountains in the
distance are covered with verdure — not the tawny
verdure of a northern clime, — but the luxuriant green
of the tropics.
The natives, as well as the Malays, who resort here
in great numbers, are copper-colored, and of light and
agile frames, a little below the medium size. Their
eyes and hair, like those ofthe gypsies, whom in many
respects they resemble, are coal black ; the former
sparkling, restless, and sinister in expression ; the
latter long, coarse, glossy, and luxuriant. Although
sedate and grave in manner, they are fond of excite
ment, and delight in gambling. So deeply absorbed do
they become in their games of chance, that they are
often insensible to everything else around them, and will
stake, not only what little property they possess, but
their wives, their children, and their very liberty.
Each community has its peculiar code of honor,
3

50

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

and although a Malay will rob, and steal, and murder,
he serves with inviolate fidelity the master awarded by
the hazard ofthe dice.
The fruits are here various and abundant ; cocoa-nuts,
pine-apples, custard apples, mangoes, oranges, guavas,
&c. ; and our crew, thirsty from exclusive salted
food, and from so long inhaling a saline atmosphere,
revelled in enjoyment, until sickness, the inevitable
consequence of excess, warned to forbearance.
While we laid here, two ships belonging to the Eng
lish East India Company, each nearly as large as our
frigate, and two American ships, all bound for Canton,
arrived and were received under our convoy.
As soon as our water was replenished, we got under
way, and sailed slowly through the Straits, with our
convoy in company. It was late in the season, and the
light and baffling winds harassed and alarmed us, for
they presaged the change of the monsoon, so dreaded
by navigators of the China sea, which is comparatively
unknown, and abounds with shoals and sunken rocks.
Both of the English ships, and one of our own, were
dull sailors, and although the indications of the weather
became daily more and more unfavorable, we were
compelled to proceed under short and easy sail, rather
than desert them.
On the ninth day, the weather was perplexing ; the
wind at one time bellying out the lower sails, at
another, scarce distending the loftiest. Shortly after
noon it became so variable, that frequently the vane
would fly upwards from opposing currents of air.
The clouds were not gathered as usual into solid masses,

A HURRICANE.

51

and did not float in one uniform direction, but in de
tached fragments, and with various speed were swept
hither and thither. The sea-birds screamed discord
antly, the air seemed to thicken with the approach of
darkness, and the night found us, with all sail furled,
waiting for the coming storm. One black cloud rose
above the eastern horizon, and beneath it the fretting
ocean reflected a sickly glare of light. The lurid
light increased, the spectral cloud seemed to launch
itself on the water, and then, with the speed of the
lightning, it bore down upon us. Like gossamer, our
ship was driven before the terrific blast. On, on we
drove, spar after spar falling with a crash. In breath
less terror each one clung to the nearest object ; for it
seemed as if we were rushing to certain destruc
tion. The hurricane ceased almost as suddenly as it had
commenced. The sea, like a panting steed, all cov
ered with foam, rose, as the fierce wind which had
swept it smooth, subsided ; and for hours we pitched
about on a fast-increasing swell, without a breath of
air to steady and relieve us.
About two in the morning the wind again sprang
up, and at sunrise ourselves and scattered convoy were
" lying to " in a tremendous gale.
Varying in direction, but unmitigated in its vio
lence, the gale continued, and the morning of the
fourth day found us tossing confusedly upon a tempes
tuous sea, our masts strained, the fragments of our
storm stay-sails fluttering from the bolt-ropes, and' the
" wales " opening with every roll, through which the

52 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
water rushed with alarming rapidity. In the morning,
the island of Luconia, the principal of the Philippines,
was made upon the lee beam, and the crags of its iron-
bound coast cut sharp against the rising sun. At the
same time, the Macclesfield shoals — the most to be
dreaded in this perilous sea — were, by calculation,
distant but sixteen miles, and might be within as
many furlongs.
At 8 P. M., the captain summoned the commissioned
sea-officers to a consultation in the cabin, and the
question was discussed whether it were more advisable
to continue " lying to," or to attempt to " wear." The
advocates of the first represented the great danger of
foundering in the attempt to wear in such a tremen
dous sea, and the equal risk, if, providentially, the
ship wore round, of being dashed upon the shoals.
Those in favor of wearing, urged the condition of the
ship, already so overstrained as almost to preclude her
weathering through the night, and the certainty, if
she did, of being so embayed with the land as would
render it absolutely necessary to beach her in the
morning. The consultation was a long and anxious one : the
result — a determination to seize a favorable opportu
nity, and attempt to wear.
So dreadful was the alternative that it was resolved
to keep the crew in ignorance, and, for the first time
in eight-and-forty horns, the watch was set. But the
hammocks were untouched. Of all that bold and
hardy crew, not one courted the influence of sleep,
from which he knew not how soon he might be

A LEE SHORE. 53
roused by the rush of the overwhelming wave, or the
crash of the ship upon the rocks.
The position of the ship was now most perilous.
The sea was frightful and the sky appalling. Before
midnight the tempest fairly howled. Low, ragged
clouds flitted along the sky ; the moon had gone down,
and the foaming crests of the waves threw a dull,
phosphorescent light, which made the scene more
gloomy. Again, the raging sea, the rock-bound coast,
and the scattered convoy were distinctly revealed by
a vivid flash of lightning, instantly succeeded by a
crashing peal, which was lost amid the angry surge.
To the red lightning and the loud thunder, succeeded
the flash and the boom of the minute gun, which each
ship fired in succession to denote her position to her
companions. At one time, lifted simultaneously on
high, each appeared to be riding on a pinnacle of
foam ; at another, nothing could be seen from our
deck but a threatening sky above and curling crests
around us.
By 1 A. M., the ship had drifted so near the land,
that the roar of the surf was distinctly audible. One
hour more and we should be dashed upon the rocks.
Bracing ourselves to the desperate chance, signal was
made to the convoy, and the order given to wear. The
good ship, strained and almost water-logged, slowly
yielded to the helm, when she was arrested by the
shock of a gigantic wave, which, toppling over the
bulwarks, swept the deck fore and aft. Rocked in
the trough of the sea, with the waves on each side

54 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
combing over her, the noble ship seemed doomed to
destruction. At this moment, that startling summons, which it is
believed has never before been heard on board of an
American man-of-war, resounded along the decks. The
cry was, " All hands to save the ship ahoy !"
The affrighted crew clustered together, and in
silence prepared to meet their fate. Pride, with every
earthly feeling, quails at the approach of death ; and
human respect is forgotten when all human ties are
about to be sundered. A subordinate ventured a
suggestion, which his commander adopted. Prepara
tions were made for cutting away the mizen mast, and
a few daring volunteers exposed themselves in the
weather fore-rigging. The latter proved sufficient,
and the ship slowly but gradually fell off, until right
before the wind without a sail, and with breathless
velocity she scudded under bare poles. The next day
but three of the convoy were visible. One of the
Indiamen was never heard of afterwards. She had
been either dashed upon the rocks, or stranded on the
shoals, or foundered in the wild and raging sea.
Like some fierce animal that had been infuriated to
phrensy, the sea continued to chafe long after the
lashing wind had subsided. By degrees it moderated,
and the maddening plunge and heavy roll, were ex
changed for a slow and graceful movement on a gentle
swell. We soon made the Ladrone islands, which lie at the
mouth of Canton river, or, more properly, of that

storm subsides. 55
inlet of the sea into which flows the river Pekiang, on
the banks of which the city of Canton is situated.
The inhabitants of these islands regard fire as a god
or a devil, which feeds on dry wood and bites when it
is touched. What a contrast to our position a few days since !
Then, without a stitch of sail, we were tossed to and
fro on the foaming brine ; at one moment kissing the
welkin's cheek, at another sunk in the deep abysm.
Now, with sail on sail packed wide and high, under a
cloud of canvas, the beautiful ship presses on ; the
spray, like fairy fretwork, curling and combing be
neath the bow, and the foaming wake sparkling in
the sun-light, as it closes behind us.
Then, we had the forked lightning and the loud
thunder, the flash of the minute-gun, and the roar of
the surf for accompaniments. Now, the unclouded
vault, the clear horizon, hundreds of fishing-boats
skimming about, and the deep blue of the land in the
distance enliven and beautify the scene.
From one of these boats we received a pilot. This
boat, and it is a specimen of its class, has two masts,
each bearing a lateen yard, to which a sail is bent,
composed of pieces of matting stitched together.
The crew consists of four men and two boys. The
men are rather below the medium height, but are
erect and active. Their complexion is a light olive,
their eyes are small, black, elongated, and drooping at
the inner angle. Their heads are shaved, with the
exception of a long lock growing- from the crown,
which is neatly plaited. Their dress consists of a

56 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
short frock or tunic, of black-glazed muslin, and loose
trowsers. They are without stockings ; and ah old
man, who seems to exert parental authority, alone
wears shoes. Their hats are of bamboo, very wide in
the brim, and running with a concave curve to an
abrupt point. They are very sociable, and smoke in
cessantly. Their only drink seems to be black tea,
which is kept warm and taken at all hours, without
milk or sugar. The cabin is very low, but highly var
nished, and the bamboo seats are about the height of
a lady's footstool. At the farther end of the cabin is
an altar, gaudily decorated with gold and silver foil.
The goddess of the shrine is a waxen image, dressed in
flaunting satin and ribbons. A lamp and " Ghos-stick "
are burning beside it, and before it are the morning
offerings of the crew, consisting of a cup of tea, some
ginger, and a little fruit. The Ghos-stick is a species
of slow match ; with the lamp, it is kept constantly
burning, and it would presage a dreadful calamity were
either to be extinguished by accident, or to expire from
neglect. The land, clothed with the universal pine, as we near
it, presents very much the appearance of our own coast,
excepting that in some places by gentle slopes, in
others abruptly from the shore, it rises into hills,
which, aspiring as they recede, wreathe their bald and
craggy tops with the mists which float in the distance.
With the exception of the peculiar equipments of
the boats, the dress and complexion of their crews, and
the milk-white dolphins playing around us, there is
much in the aspect of this country to remind us of our

ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 57
own. The deep and brilliant green which pervades
the landscapes of Sumatra and Java, is superseded by
the duller but more wholesome tints of our more tem
perate and more happy clime. We came to anchor
near the island and almost within the shadow of the
mountain-peak of Lintin, about eighty miles from
Canton.

CHAPTER V.
Riding at anchor, a short distance in shore of us,
are several Chinese war-junks, commanded by a Man
darin of rank, which are stationed here to prevent smug
gling. The largest of them is about six hundred tons
burthen, shaped like a shoe, and having a high fore
castle and poop. It has no figure-head, but an eye
painted on each bow, from the idea that ships are
animate things, and that the ocean, even when most
agitated by storms, is intersected by narrow and intri
cate pathways, to deviate from which is certain
destruction. To all our questions upon the subject, the
invariable reply was, " No have eye — how can see ?"
These vessels have high bulwarks ; each carries three
masts which are stayed irregularly, and the sails are of
fine matting. Their hulls are black with white ports,
and the masts and spars are painted a variety of colors.
The stem is crowded with images of hideous aspect,
and flags and signals of all sizes and colors flutter from
the mastheads. They carry each six iron guns about
the calibre of our nine-pounders, secured upon swivels
amidships.

THE SMUGGLER. 59
Having never before seen an American man-of-war,
the Chinese insist upon it that we are English ; and the
authorities, actuated by their jealousy of foreigners,
treat us with great rudeness, and to our intercourse
with the shore, every impediment short of actual resist
ance is presented. At length, we are ordered to quit
the country, all supplies of provisions are interdicted,
and the squadron of junks considerably increased. We
are compelled to smuggle fresh provisions for the crew,
and water, when required, is procured weapon in hand.
And here the skill of the Chinese boatman is most
apparent. The war-junks, in the form of a crescent, are
anchored to the east in shore of us. On the opposite
side of our ship, we always moor the launch. When
the moon is set or overcast, a Chinese smuggling
boat comes from the western side of the bay, standing
directly for us, in such a manner that our towering
hull conceals it from the junks in shore. When
almost upon us, the boat's helm is put " hard down,"
and the boat ranges alongside of the launch, into
which three or four bullocks are precipitated, and the
next moment, the smuggler under full sail, is standing
from us. The slight noise which accompanies the
transfer, is invariably heard by the vigilant watchmen
of the fleet. Instantly a rocket is sent up, which,
before it reaches its full ascent, is followed by others,
and plain and colored lights are shown along the
island and in every inlet of the bay. The tumult of a
hurried chase succeeds, but it is usually fruitless,

60 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
except that its excitement relieves the tedious mono
tony of the watch.
Our bold smuggler, rendered incautious by success,
made the attempt one night when it was not suffi
ciently dark. A signal was made from the fleet long
before we could discover anything, and in the endeavor
to escape, the smuggler most probably shifted his course,
and endeavored to regain the western shore. But find
ing himself intercepted, by a dexterous evolution he
doubled upon his pursuers, and with a flowing sheet
and every muscle strained to the oars, bore down
towards us, evidently with the purpose of claiming our
protection. The scene at this time was an exciting,
and but for the sympathies it awakened, a most beau
tiful one. The alarm had been communicated not
only to the adjacent islands, but to the distant main
land. The indentations of the shore were defined
by a continuous line of light, and from various points
rockets were sent up ; every boat on the river, except
the smuggler's, hoisted ' a lantern, and the men-of-war
were incessantly firing, shouting, and exchanging
signals with each other.
As well might Acteon hope to elude the fate
awarded by Diana ! One of the men-of-war closed
upon the unfortunate smuggler. We heard the
grapple, the rude chafing of the boats as they ranged
side by side, and a brief scuffle ; after which a few
orders were given in a distinct voice, and four or five
times, at intervals of a few minutes, we heard gurgling
sounds as if the bowstring were being inflicted. A
blue light was then burned, the lights were extin-

MANILLA.

61

guished, the men-of-war returned to their anchorage,
and the sentry's cry of " All's well," alone disturbed
the silence of the night.
The city of Canton is well known from the descrip
tion of travellers, and the semi-Portuguese town of
Macao is only celebrated for its cave wherein the
unfortunate poet Camoens wrote his Lusiad.
After the lapse of nearly two months we sailed from
Lintin, and spent six weeks in search of a fictitious
shoal, laid down on the equatorial line, and in the
midst of the Chinese sea. Our men and junior officers
were very much exposed, sounding at great distances
from the ship in open boats.
Unsuccessful and dispirited, with nearly one hun
dred of the men on the sick list, we sailed for Manilla,
the capital city of Luconia, the principal of the Philip
pine Islands. Immediately after our arrival, a large
building on shore was hired for the accommodation of
the sick, and the Spanish authorities were most con
siderate and attentive.
Manilla is situated on an extensive bay. The city
proper is surrounded by a high wall, within which
reside the authorities, the natives of Spain and their
descendants. 'The suburbs circling the walls on the
land side, stretch far to the south and west, and are
more extensive and more densely populated than the
city; The houses in the suburbs, with the excep
tion of those in the principal streets, are mostly built
of bamboo, in many places raised on piles within the
margin of the river.
In the houses so constructed, the floors consist of

DZ THE MIDSHIPMAN.
bamboo-cane split longitudinally, and laid with the
convex side uppermost, leaving a space of half an inch
between ; which, besides its recommendation for clean
liness, keeps the apartments cool from the evaporation
of the water beneath. A short time previous to our
arrival, upwards of 4000 huts had been destroyed
by fire.
The natives are of a very bright olive complexion,
slight in figure, and very graceful in their movements.
Th,eir eyes are dark, full, and expressive, and their
hair long, black, and luxmiant. They seem friendly
and inoffensive.
The principal exports of the island are cotton, rice,
indigo, tobacco, sugar, tortoise-shell, and grass cloths.
About 15,000 tons of shipping clear annually from the
port. A vessel owned in the place is a regular trader to
Acapulco, whence, like the galleons of old, but no
longer intercepted by the freebooters of England, she
bears her rich freight across the vast Pacific Ocean.
In consequence of the Spaniards having reached the
Philippines by pursuing a western course, and our
selves by steering east, there is a difference in time of
twenty-four horns, and Monday with us, is celebrated
as Sunday on shore.
A short distance from the city is the Prado or Park,
where, every afternoon, the inhabitants rising from
their siesta take the air on foot, on horseback, and in
carriages of every description. On the occasion of our
first visit, all was glee and joyfulness. The breeze
which rippled the bay and gathered coolness from its
sister element, bore to us the merry laugh of the

THE VESPER BELL. 63
pedestrians. The middle classes in their unpretending
vehicles, and in social converse, passed by at a reason
able pace; the gentry and nobility, the parvenu so
gorgeous and the aristocrat severely simple in his
equipage ; the gay and dashing cavalier and the
haughty beauty in her pride, swept along, when sud
denly, from within the walls, came the startling but
melodious sound of the vesper bell. The transition
from confused and rapid motion to a state of perfect
stillness, from the hubbub of a joyous multitude to a
death-like silence, was instantaneous and impressive.
Each pedestrian knelt upon the spot where he stood ;
instinctively, as it were, every horse stood still, and
the riders bowed their uncovered heads. Among
many thousand beings, nearly the whole population
of that city, our carriage alone presented an erect and
covered head, while the hushed multitude breathed the
vesper prayer.
On our first arrival a similar circumstance was
noted, although from our relative position the effect
was less startling. We came to anchor about noon,
with several Spanish ships and a number of coasters
lying at various distances from us. A light shower,
just sufficient to render the sails too damp for furling,
had caused us to defer doing so until evening. The
vessels around, after the shower, loosened their sails
to dry. Near sunset, we called all hands to furl sails,
and in compliment to us as strangers, the word was
passed among the vessels of the port, and they pre
pared to follow our movements. The sails were clewed
up, the yards of our own and of all the other vessels

64 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
were^ covered with men, and the bay between the
shipping and the shore was enlivened by a dozen
boats passing to and fro ; the Spanish with measured
„ stroke to the cadence of a song, and our own with
a short, quick stroke, and unaccompanied with any
sound except the harsh grating of the oar in the row
lock. The men on the yards were in the act of gather
ing up the sails when the toll of a bell was heard.
Instantly, the men aloft in the other ships doffed
their caps and stood immovable ; the song of the
rowers was hushed, and the oars rested from their work,
our own boats excepted, which swept on with rapid and
unceasing stroke, and our men had furled the sails and
were descending from aloft, when the last sound of the
bell gave the signal for the others to proceed.
After having thoroughly recruited, we sailed for
Canton in company with an English frigate. She was
literally fir-built, and had been presented to their
government by the ladies of Liverpool, after which
city she was named. It was determined to try our
relative speed, but she was out of sight on the second
morning, and reached the port of destination before us.
She was commanded by Sir Francis Collier, the gal
lant officer who crowded sail on his ship in a heavy
gale, and dashing stem on against the chain stretched
'across the harbor of Brest, snapped it asunder, and
opened a passage for the blockading fleet.
On the fourth day out, a midshipman of the watch,
a little after 12 o'clock, was walking to and fro in
the weather gangway, when he thought that he dis-'
covered something on the water several miles to wind-

CHINESE RESCUED. 65
ward. He called the attention of the lieutenant of the
watch, who examined it attentively with his spy-glass'
and directed him to report to the captain that we had
made Pedro Branco, a large, isolated rock, on the coast
of China.
Under the supposition that we had either overrun
our reckoning, or been drifted by a strong and favor
able cm-rent, our course was altered, and we stood
directly for it. As we neared it, however, we saw
that it was buoyant, for it rose and fell with the
swell of the ocean, and we soon perceived human
figures making wild and frantic gestures.
It proved to be a large water-tank, built of wood,
and closely cemented in the seams, but open at the
top, which floated but a few feet above the surface of
the water. It contained seven miserable creatures,
one of whom, an old man, was found lying in the
bottom, his head propped against one side, and his
body nearly covered with water, which was coated
with a fetid slime. The old man died, btft the rest by
slow degrees recovered. They stated that they had
been a part of the crew of a large Chinese junk, which
had stranded on a rock about two weeks previous ;
that the whole crew and passengers escaped in three
large tanks, of which the largest held about one hun
dred, another sixty, and their own twenty-three persons.
That they drifted about in close proximity until the
evening of the second day, when a heavy squall
came up, and after it passed away, they saw nothing
more of their companions. No doubt the other tanks

66 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
laden beyond their buoyant capacity, filled and sank
with the first rising of the sea.
These men state that, with the exception of a fish
and two gulls caught with a line made of their long
hair, they have passed the whole period without a
morsel of food. But their appearance and their very
reluctance to converse on the subject, satisfy us that
they have fed upon each other ; whether upon the
bodies of those who died from exhaustion, or the
flesh of their slaughtered comrades, we cannot tell.
The rains of heaven, they say, had furnished them
drink. Such abject love of life I never witnessed.
They not only kissed the deck when brought over the
side, but if permitted would have embraced the feet of
all who stood around them. Their excess of joy was
natural, for the night before the English frigate
passed within pistol-shot without perceiving them.
Our generous crew raised a handsome subscription for
them, and when we returned them to their native
country, thgy were better off than when they left it.
Anchored in our old berth, abreast of the island of
Lintin, with the same monotonous life, came the same
petty vexations. Compelled to smuggle our fresh
provisions as heretofore, and to obtain our water with
a display of force, we patiently await the arrival of the
store-ship. At length she arrived and brought tidings
from home. Except myself, all have received some
token of remembrance from a relative or a friend.
The way-worn traveller plods cheerily when he thinks
of the grasp of friendship or the embrace of love.
The moans of the invalid are hushed at the voice of

PREPARE FOR HOSTILITIES.

67

sympathy, and with renewed hope he quaffs the
medicine which is tendered by the hand of affection.
The orphan, like the solitary tree upon an open heath, is
gnarled and twisted by the wintry wind, stunted in
growth by an ungenerous soil, and rendered hardy by
exposure. Who can supply the place of the beloved
object to the young affections ? I speak not of an •
earth-born passion (in the male breast at least) which,
with the nuptial rite for its goal, is so often sensual
and so seldom pure — but of that celestial link which
binds the parent and the child, that mutual tie of pro
tection and dependence, of love mingled with anxiety,
and of awe intertwined with confidence. In very
desolation the orphan sailor feels that —
" The hollow oak, it is his home,
His heritage the sea."
And if with the long lines of massive artillery, the
deadly musket, the bristling bayonet, the sheen of the
cutlass, and all the paraphernalia of war ever before
him, he should lose sympathy with his kind, will it not
in charity be deemed the result of his position ?
We are subjected to unceasing vexations by the
authorities. The provisions sent to us from the United
States are denied, and we have sailed up to Bocca
Tigris (the mouth of the river) and taken a position
abreast of fort Anawan, with a determination to force
the passage, proceed to Whampoa, and take our pro
visions vi et armis, if they be not delivered within a
specified time. All is bustle and preparation at the

DO THE MIDSHIPMAN.
fort, and among the men-of-war junks which have fol
lowed us, and, reinforced by others from above, assume
a menacing attitude. We quietly make om* prepara
tions, and have no fears for the result. The junks we
could destroy in ten minutes, and although the fort
mounts upward of 100 heavy gun's, if we were not dis
abled by their first discharge, we could effect the
passage, for the guns are imbedded in stone, and by
consequence incapable of elevation, depression, 01
range. An English frigate once silenced the fort, and passed
without material injury. It was a nightaction, and is
represented to have been a beautiful sight. Many of
the Chinese soldiers carried lanterns made of oil
paper, and when they were dispersed by the tremen
dous fire of the ship, it seemed as if a thousand ignes
fatui were flitting over the hill. Subsequently, another
English frigate made the attempt and was defeated
with loss. We do not think that the authorities wil!
drive us to extremities. Their object is evidently to
extract money from us, which our commander is very
properly determined not to suffer. At the last moment,
finding that we were not to be intimidated, the author
ities permitted our provisions to pass down, and we
have returned to our former anchorage.
Soon after, we heard of a dreadful massacre of the
foreigners, including some of our own countrymen, at
Manilla, and hastened there with all possible expedi
tion. The reality exceeded the report in the extent of
the calamity and the horror of its details. It was thus
accounted for. For several weeks heavy and unusual

INSUREEOTION AT MANILLA. 69
rains had fallen, and the river, turbid and swollen,
overflowed its banks, and inundated the suburbs to the
very walls of the city. As the waters receded, the
miasma from decomposing animal and vegetable
matter impregnated the atmosphere ; added to which,
the natives, as was their wont, drank the turbid water
of the river, without filtering or permitting it to settle.
The consequence was, that the cholera, that direful
scourge, broke out in a most malignant form, and
nurtured by the hot, moist atmosphere, reeking with
effluvia, it raged with virulence, and daily swept hun
dreds to the tomb. It is stated on good authority, that
in one day fifteen hundred perished in the city and
its suburbs. The ignorant and superstitious natives
fancied that the foreigners poisoned the air and the
water by means of impalpable powders.
A young Frenchman, a physician by profession, had
benevolently devoted himself to the sick, and went
from house to house giving advice and adminis
tering medicine gratuitously. At one place he left
medicine to be given at stated times, to three members
of the family, in various stages of the cholera. The
moment he left the house, according to a preconcerted
plan, a dog was made to swallow the whole of the
medicine. As might have been expected, the dog
died. The word passed from mouth to mouth, and the
populace, convinced that the object of the foreigners,
who had all been active in their charity, was to destroy
them, raised a vindictive shout and pursued, overtook,
and^ murdered the unfortunate Frenchman. Placing
the ghastly head of their victim upon a pole, they

70 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
paraded the streets, gaining access of numbers and
increased Confidence at every step, and threatened not
only the destruction of the strangers but of the Spanish
soldiery, and every officer of the government. The
signal gun was immediately fired, the bells of the
cathedral pealed the loud alarm, the drawbridge was
hoisted, the portcullis let down, and the garrison
hurried to the ramparts. The broad moat although
immediately filled with water, would have been but a
slight impediment to a people wrought to a pitch of
frenzy ; but being unprovided with artillery, the high
walls presented an insuperable barrier. Venting their
impotent malice in execrations, the multitude turned
unmolested away, for the humane governor would not
permit a gun to be discharged.
Like demons goaded to madness, they then roamed
the streets, and assailing the habitations of the
foreigners, indiscriminately murdered the inmates.
The mutilated head, now stiffened with gore, was
borne from house to house before them, and the demo
niac yells and screams proclaimed their purpose in
advance. A large and massive building, solid in its masonry,
lofty, and seemingly impregnable, for many hours
withstood them. It had been used as a warehouse by
a German firm, and to it, as an only shelter, several had
rushed on the first alarm. The capacious gateway open
ing into the court, was secured by a ponderous door,
sheathed with iron and fretted with innumerable spikes.
The Windows, mere narrow apertures in the thick
walls, were protected by large and upright bars of iron.

A HOUSE ATTACKED.

71

The roof was tiled, and towered so far above the
adjoining houses as to preclude all access to it.
The multitude, as it recoiled from its rush against
the gate, yelled with vindictive fury. In a short time,
nearly the whole of the native population was gathered
before it. An ominous silence now succeeded the pre
vious uproar, for a consultation was held how to dis
lodge the inmates.
Among the strangers in the city was Mr. W  ,_
a midshipman in our navy, and a native of Vir
ginia. For the improvement of his health he came
to Manilla, and had accepted an invitation from our
mess to return home with us. Himself and the captain
of an American merchant ship, were concealed a short
distance from the German warehouse; and when, from
the concentration of the people at one point, the
streets seemed deserted, they rushed out, with the
purpose of seizing a boat and pulling off for the
captain's ship, which lay a short distance from the
landing. Unfortunately, at an angle of a street, they
were intercepted, and borne in triumph to the square
in front of the beleaguered building. Their arrival
was hailed with triumph, and a plan was immediately
concerted. It was proposed to the inmates that the officer
should be admitted with two of the natives to treat for
the surrender of the house and the safety of its inhabit
ants. Although but a short time in Manilla, Mr. W —
had acquired enough of the language to comprehend
the outline of their plan, which, in the full belief of
his ignorance, was discussed aroimd him. When the

72 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
party within the house had acceded to and were about
to comply with the proposition, Mr. W. hailed and
begged them not, telling them that those who were to
accompany him, would set fire to a quantity of bamboo
known to be stowed in the lower story, and make their
escape in the confusion.
Fortunately, those immediately around Mr. W., did
not understand what he was saying in time to interrupt
him, but when they gathered its purport, their rage
was unbounded. Himself and his companion were
stabbed, and hacked, and trampled upon ; their
heads were struck off, and gory and defaced with dirt,
were kicked about as footballs amid the yells and
shrieks and mocking taunts of the vindictive throng.
The besieged, unable to restrain themselves at the
harrowing sight, fired a volley into the midst of the
crowd. Although each ball in all probability proved
fatal, its effect, instead of intimidating, roused the
multitude to a higher pitch of frenzy.
A number of the besiegers, who belonged to the
native militia, were posted at the windows of the
houses on the street which ran along the rear of the
warehouse, from whence volleys were discharged
whenever any of the besieged were visible through
the grated windows. Every description of lumber and
rubbish was piled up in the square in front, and a high
platform erected, from the summit of which a number
of marksmen kept a constant fire on the besieged.
Fiery arrows were also discharged through the aper
tures ofthe windows, and a ladder was procured and
held perpendicularly against the wall immediately

THE DEFENCE.

73

under one ofthe first story windows ; and two resolute
fellows passed up, bearing a rope with a strong hook
attached. Ceasing to throw their arrows into this
window, while it was watched more closely by the
musqueteers, the besiegers continued an uninterrupted
discharge into the others.
The besieged, numbering nine men, and a boy
thirteen years of age, whose father was then at Can
ton, entrusted the management of the defence to a
German gentleman named Miiller. He had divided
his force into two bodies — one consisting of four men,
to defend the rear ; and himself, with the remaining
four, and the boy, to the front. Well provided with
arms, they had not been idle ; but after the first rash
discharge, hopeless of negotiation, had kept up an
incessant fire, and killed many of the besiegers.
Since the erection of the platform, and the posting
of the musqueteers in front and rear, the besieged
had been obliged to keep within close shelter, and
only from time to time, turn suddenly to the windows,
and discharging their muskets, retreat to immediate
cover. Mr. Miiller had returned from the rear ofthe building,
whither he had been drawn by the incessant firing in
that direction, when, on looking into the first room
in front, where he had stationed tivo of his com
rades, he found one of them dressing the arm of the
other, which had been shattered above the elbow.
The renewed noise without, soon after drew his atten
tion to the window, when he perceived the hook raised
by some one beneath, and inserted between two of the
4

74 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
bars. Instantly springing forward, he seized the
hook, drew it in, and calling upon his unwounded
comrade to assist him, bore the point down against
the massive sill of the window, and while the multi
tude without strained the rope with their exertions, he
drew- a knife, and still stooping, reached his hand
and severed it. As the hook fell inwards, he sprung
up exultingly, but it was a fatal movement, for a
ball, penetrating his right cheek, passed through the
opposite temple, and he fell dead upon the floor.
A second attempt of the besiegers, made with a
hook and chain, proved more successful, and one of
the bars was torn from its fastenings. Not to prolong
a dreadful tale, despite the exertions of the besieged,
of whom, at length, only three besides the boy re
mained unwounded, a sufficient opening was made,
and the building carried by assault. The man whose
arm had been shattered and hastily bound, had, in the
mean time, crawled down into the court, and laid
down beside the fountain.
It seems, when the remaining defenders despaired
of all escape, that, against his will — for he was
bold and spirited — they had pushed the boy out,
and bade him conceal himself if he could. For some
time he hesitated what to do, and lingered near the
door; but when he heard the besiegers forcing an
entrance through the window, he instinctively rushed
clown the stair-way. As he gained the court, his eye,
quickened with the love of life, caught sight of the
opening to the. sewer, which conveyed the filth and
surplus water to the river. Immediately raising the

A NOBLE BOY.

75

grated top, he was about to let himself down, when he
saw the poor gentleman bleeding beside the fountain.
He immediately ran to him, and entreating him to
save himself, assisted him to reach and descend the
sewer. The gentleman, almost stunned by the fall, was, in
turn, urging the boy to hasten, when the latter ex
claimed, " Oh, God, they are upon us !" and instantly
replaced the cover. The next moment he was cut
down ; but considerate to the last, dragged himself
across the sewer to conceal it, and as he stiffened, the
blood which oozed from his wound dripped upon the
last survivor beneath.
That poor gentleman remained all night in his
dreary place of concealment, and when rescued next
day he was delirious with fever. When we saw him
he was perfectly well, but his arm had been ampu
tated below the shoulder joint.
One other escaped almost miraculously. He was
an American gentleman, holding the situation of vice-
consul of the Russian government, and had been
seized on the first outbreak of the insurrection. As
his captors were dragging him from a hut into which
he had fled, one of them perceived an old man lying
on a mat in the corner in a state of collapse, and
evidently about to die. He called the attention of his
comrades to him, and proposed that " el consulado"
should be permitted to save his own life if he could
preserve that of the sick man. The proposition was
repeated to those without, and the mob, partly from

76 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
caprice, and in- part, perhaps, because the consul had
long been a resident among them, readily and loudly
assented. Unprovided with medicine, and unskilled in its use
if he possessed it, Mr. B. was left with the dying
man. The windows were secured, and an efficient
guard placed outside, with the strong injunction of
their comrades as they departed in quest of other
victims, to kill him if the sick man were not better in
an hour.
Left alone with his patient, Mr. B. remained for
some time in a state of stupor, scarce realizing his
position. The house was one of those resting on piles,
and extending a short distance into the river ; and
while he sat brooding over his fate, he was roused by
a splash of water beneath, caused by the sportive
gambol of fish which had risen to the surface.
Starting up, he instantly conceived a plan of escape.
Throwing aside his coat and hat, he hastily assumed
the cap and tunic of the dying man, and retiring to
the farther end of the hut, quickly but cautiously
tore up some of the bamboo flooring, and silently let
himself into the water. Holding on by one of the
piles, he perceived another house about thirty yards
distant, and beyond it many others, extending, in a
similar manner, into the river. The streets appeared
to be deserted ; but he knew that if he were to land,
even to the children his complexion would betray
him, and an immediate hue-and-cry be raised. Sink
ing below the surface, therefore, he dived in the direo-

FLIGHT AND PURSUIT. 77
tion of the next house, and rising but a short distance
from it, was enabled to reach it undetected.
He had in this manner reached the fifth house, and
clinging to a pile, was taking breath for another dive,
when a loud outcry up the river told him that his
flight was discovered. The mouth of the river was
still half a mile distant, and the alarm spread
rapidly along the shore, the tumult gathering as it
advanced. Instinctively, and with an agility which
the fear of death could alone have imparted, he clam
bered up the pile, and desperately dashing his
head through the thin bamboo flooring above, with a
scarred and bleeding face, gained a foothold in the
apartment. As he entered, a faint shriek rang in his ear,
and a female form rushed past, but immediately fell faint
ing on the floor. First securing the door, he hastened
to her assistance, and perceived that she held a child
in her arms. It was a young mother, who, in her
alarm, had caught the sick child beside which she
was watching, and endeavored to make her escape.
The cries of the child, more than any effort of his
own, soon revived her, and he told his tale, and be
sought her sympathy. When did ever man make
such an appeal in vain !
Besides the pursuit along the shore, there were, by
this time, many canoes upon the river searching the
banks and among the piles of the houses. Concealing
as well as she could . the broken appearance of the
floor, the woman bade him lie down in a hammock
stretched across the apartment, and throwing a mat over
him, placed her child upon it, and commenced singing

78 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
to it. The search continued for upwards of an hour.
Frequently the canoes would be immediately beneath,
and occasionally some of the pursuers looked in and
inquired for the fugitive. At such times, the kind-
hearted woman would seemingly lean upon the ham
mock to account for the apparent weight it bore.
In this manner Mr. B. remained concealed until
nightfall, his charitable preserver dreading every mo
ment the return of her husband, who, maddened, she
said, with the loss of a sister, breathed vengeance
against the white men. At length, bidding him keep
perfectly quiet, she slipped out, and shortly returned
in a canoe. Directed by her, he procured various
articles about the house, and descending through the
aperture made at his entrance, stretched himself at
length in the boat, in the manner of a corpse, while
she spread over him a shroud made of the light grass
cloth of the country. Pushing out from beneath the
house, she lighted a torch, and placing it at his head,
drew a black veil over her face, and slowly paddled
down the river, chanting the hymn for the dead.
They passed unmolested, although frequently ob
structed as they neared the mouth of the river, which,
at this early hour of the night, was crowded with
small coasting vessels, fishing-boats, and a great num
ber of canoes.
With the respect for the dead which is character
istic of this people, all made way for the death-canoe,
and many were the expressions of sympathy for the
seeming widow.
Now and then a canoe would turn and follow in the

THE DEATH-CANOE.

79

wake, its rowers taking up.the monotonous chant. In
this manner, to the great alarm of the poor woman,
by the time they arrived nearly abreast of the burial-
ground appropriated to the lower classes, there were
no less than six canoes in the train. The woman hav
ing decided on her course, slackened her speed, and
motioned the others to land before her. She then ran
her boat below the rest, and whispering, " Sefior,
save yourself," she sprang to the shore.
Pretending to slip as she leaped, the canoe was
pushed far into the stream, while she disappeared
behind the bank of the river.
The supposed corpse at the same moment started
up, and throwing the torch overboard, struck out vigor
ously with the paddle, while the beholders precipi
tately fled, crying, " El diablo ! El diablo !"
Before we reached Manilla, a number of the ring
leaders had been executed, and good order was appa
rently restored ; but there was great distrust visible in
the intercourse between the city and the suburbs.
The governor, in his communication to our com
mander, confessed his inability to have arrested the
tumult at its height, and expressed deep regret for the
loss of so many valuable lives, and especially of
Mid. W. As many of the remains as could be found
were gathered into a common grave, over which a
handsome monument, commemorative of the catas
trophe, was erected.
The cholera, although now considerably abated,
would have been considered devastating at its com
mencement. The number of victims bore as great a

80 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
proportion as heretofore to the remaining population.
Fewer were mowed down by the scythe of death,
because the harvest of life had been previously thin
ned by the destroyer. The pestilence stealthily glid
ing on the water, as it had crept along the shore, was
borne by sickly airs from the land, and enveloping us
in its folds, one by one garnered its victims.
The crew became panic-stricken, and resigned them
selves to the most gloomy forebodings.
We had sailed unexpectedly from Canton, and be
ing bound for the United States, it was necessary to
replenish our water in Manilla.
By the evening of the third day, this had been com
pleted, and it was determined to sail early the next
morning. But about 10 P. M., one of our most
valuable petty officers was attacked with the
cholera, when the order was immediately given to
weigh anchor. The crew sprung to the capstan bars
with an alacrity proportioned to the extent of their
fears, and their exertions were stimulated by the
means of a second victim. The first died before the
anchors were secured — the second, before we were
clear of the land.
The night was still ; the glassy surface of the bay
reflected the glimmering lights of the firmament ; the
islands and shore were mantled in mist, and in the di
rection of the city, here and there, within and without
the walls, was seen a deep red blaze, crested with
black and sulphureous smoke, indicating the vain
efforts of man to stay the pestilence. The faint airs
from the land, so gentle as to elude the sense, imper-

THE CHOLERA.

81

ceptibly wafted us along, and many were the fervent
aspirations breathed with renovated hope as we gazed
upon the far-stretching sea.
When we first entered the port of Manilla, our ship
was a floating hospital— the lower deck crowded with
sick, the upper encumbered with invalids. Then,
we fled from the barren sea, which yielded neither
food to invigorate, nor fruit to refresh us. Now, flying
from that shore, on whose luxuriant verdure we had
gazed with rapture, we looked upon the sea as our
great physician, and longed to behold its surface
ruffled with a fresh and wholesome breeze. Our
prayers were long denied, and day by day the con
tagion spread as we drifted parallel with the land.
The contagion spread rapidly among the crew already
debilitated by the heat ofthe climate and rendered nerv
ous by apprehension, and like the sickliest trees of the
forest, the most timid were the first prostrated. The
strong became pallid with fear as their less robust com
panions fell around them. But even the most vigorous
did not all escape. Of those who assembled at the even
ing meal, sometimes he, whose manly frame and san
guine temperament seemed to defy the pestilence,
would be attacked during the night, and the next
morning, sewed up in the hammock in which he had
long been rocked to sleep, his body awaited the rites
of sepulture.
The longest day will have an end ; the most perfect
calm cannot last forever. A heavy cloud gathered in
the northern, board. From the summit of the dense
embankment, ragged and threatening columns arose,
A*

82 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
which spread along the vault, and swept with incon
ceivable rapidity towards us.
The squall, although severe, did not find us unpre
pared, and we had occasion to remember it with gra
titude ; for it was the harbinger of a favorable wind,
which, while it propelled us on our course, ventilated
the ship, strengthened the enfeebled crew, and arrested
the march of the pestilence.
By the time we reached the Straits of Sunda, we
had lost but twenty-six men. No more cases were
reported, and those previously attacked, were mostly
convalescent. But the wind failed us, and owing to the
oppressive heat, the frequent rain, and above all, the nox
ious exhalations from the swamps of Sumatra, the cho
lera, more virulent than ever, reappeared among us.
Like a stagnant pool on which innumerable insects
are playing, the smooth surface of the Straits presented
numerous whirls and eddies, denoting the strength of
the current with which our ship, with every sail spread
to catch the slightest breath of air, slowly drifted.
The lower sails hung listless from the yards ; the upper
occasionally flapped as they felt the whisper of a
breeze. At funereal pace we proceeded, performing
at stated intervals the last sad rites to departed ship
mates. Whether in the scorching glare of the noon
tide sun, or the clammy dews of night — whether in
the sickly haze of twilight, or the stifling mists of the
morning, each watch buried its dead. The first ques
tion of each relief as he assumed his post was, " Who
are gone ?"
At one time it seemed as if we were all doomed to

FLOOD-TIDE OF THE PESTILENCE.

83

perish. It was a dead calm. A leaden mist had
gathered around and above us, concealing the water
and the sky ; while the spars and sails, in shadowy
outline, seemed extended beyond their proportions.
It was the flood-tide of the pestilence.
New cases became more frequent, and the cries of the
sick for water were loud and incessant. This lasted
for upwards of two days, and among the victims of
that period fell one whose death seemed a peculiar
visitation of Providence.
He was a boatswain's mate, remarkable for his ob
scene profanity. He had been one of those attacked
when the cholera first made its appearance. Impelled
by the fear of death, he called upon God to forgive
and spare him, promising, if his prayers were heard,
to lead a different life ; but,
" The devil was sick, the devil a saint would be,
The devil was well, the devil a saint was he."
He recovered, and as if ashamed of what he seemed
to consider a weakness, became worse than ever, and
by his oaths and imprecations appeared disposed to
prove the insincerity of his former protestations. He
had frequently been reprimanded by the officers ; and
on this occasion, the midshipman in charge of the
forecastle was so shocked by his profanity, that he
would not permit him to mingle with his watch-mates.
At midnight, when that watch was relieved, he re
tired grumbling to his hammock : At four in the
morning, when that watch was again called, he was

84 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
found a stiffened corpse. He died alone and un-
tended. The steady current below, and the light currents of
air aloft, carried us slowly through the Straits, and, at
last, with the Island of Java behind us, our sails
caught the wholesome breeze, which, untainted by the
land, sweeps across the Indian ocean.
In a few days we were driven furiously along, and
our reduced and enfeebled crew were called upon to
make unusual exertion to perform the duties of the
ship. My hammock was slung in the after part of the
gun-deck, and on the morning of the second day out,
when I awoke, it was blowing a gale of wind, and the
deck beneath me was overflowed. On the opposite
side, lashed to gratings, and floating about with the
uneasy roll of the ship, were the bodies of six men
who had died during the night. Dressing in haste, I
proceeded to the upper deck, and had been there but
a short time, when a seaman fell from aloft, and strik
ing on the hammock rail, dropped dead in the gang
way — adding a seventh to our morning burial.
Repeatedly, a seaman, after taking his meal, and
ascending to the top, would, within half an hour, be
lowered down in a state of collapse, and by the expira
tion of the watch, be sewed up in his hammock, ready
for interment. On two occasions besides that of the
boatswain's mate, men not answering to the muster
of their watch, were found lifeless in their ham
mocks.

CHOLERA ABATES. 85
By slow degrees the pestilence abated ; but an idea
of its virulence may be formed, from the fact, that
from the time we first made Java Head, we had lost
upwards of seventy men.

CHAPTER VI.
A gale of wind prevented us from stopping at the
Cape of Good Hope to replenish our water ; and a
strong, favorable breeze induced our captain to forego
touching at St. Helena. The last was a great disap
pointment to nearly every one on board ; for this iso
lated rock had become the final resting-place of Napo
leon. But our regret, although soon immeasurably
enhanced, was light compared to the self-upbraiding
of our commander. Midway between the island and
our port of destination, it fell calm, and for one week
we made not the slightest progress. The crew, con
fined for eighty days to salted food, and necessarily
restricted in the allowance of water, feeble and ema
ciated, were soon prepared for another visitation ; and
a second time since we left the United States, the
scurvy made its appearance among us. Pervading
the whole crew, it assumed an aspect so serious that,
as our small quantity of water diminished, we were
compelled to increase the individual allowance ; for it
was now our only antiscorbutic. Immovable and
helpless, we seemed to ride on a molten sea, with a

RIO DE JANEIRO.

87

bronzed sky above us. In sleep, our parched lips
drank of imaginary fountains, and our waking thought
and closing prayer was for rain ! rain ! rain !
He who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb, did
not try us beyond our strength, and copious showers,
and a propitious breeze, soon refreshed and cheered
us on our way.
At the expiration of a week, we were lying about fif
teen miles distant from the entrance to the harbor of Rio
de Janeiro, the ship rolling slowly on the unbroken sur
face of a light ground swell, while the sails flapped
against the masts as if impatient for the sea-breeze
which daily sets in to temper the heat of a tropical sun.
How strikingly does a ship, and the unfathomable
element on which she rides, convey the distinction be
tween the works of man and his Maker ! The first, a
progressive series of change, and every change an
improvement, but constructed of perishable materials,
is the plaything of the elements, and perhaps will one
day be engulphed in. the capacious bosom of the
ocean, or, as unworthy of such a burial, be dashed
into shreds and fragments on the jagged and inhospi
table rock.
The second, like the Great God who made it, sub
lime in immensity, incomprehensible in its laws,
terrific in its frown, and in its favors benignant and
profuse, is the same now as when, in obedience to the
Immortal Fiat, " the waters were gathered together,
and the dry land made to appear." Even the ever
lasting hills (as, in the language of finite beings,
they are termed) must yield to the wide-spread and

88 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
magnificent ocean, which, comparing great things
with small, sleeps quiet as an infant, awakes with the
strength and breathes with the convulsive throes of a
giant, and when aroused overwhelms all it encounters
in indiscriminate ruin.
Physically speaking, we find everything in and
about Rio the same as when, two years since, we left
it. The hills, clothed with the same luxuriant verdure,
retain their original position — the channel remains
unchanged, the indentations of the shore unaltered.
The fortress frowns, and the sullen men-of-war float as
heretofore, and the same chimes are heard from the
towers, domes, and cupolas of the city and its envi
rons. But in a moral, or rather a political sense, a
great and pleasing change is perceptible.
The marriage of the Crown Prince with a Princess
of Austria, retarded the march of liberal principles, and
on our first arrival here, we found but three degrees of
civilization. 1st, The slave, scarce with a sense of a
Superior Being and grovelling in the most abject
servitude; 2d, The untitled subject, a little better
informed, but writhing under his political debasement ;
and 3d, The court, which ruled with despotic sway.
But a spirit of inquiry was abroad, which was sedu
lously fostered by the foreigners, and a few weeks
since, the troops assembled in the Public square, and
with their artillery turned upon the Palace, demanded
and received a liberal constitution.
When we were here before, the air was rent with
shouts and sounds of rejoicing. The fortress shook and
the massive men-of-war reeled with the recoil of their

REVOLUTION IN BRAZIL. °»
ponderous artillery, but above them, encircled with
wreaths of smoke, floated the banner of royalty. The
illiterate, the thoughtless, the poor and the abject,
rejoiced at the birth of a Princess.
Now, the bells chime only the hour of prayer ; the
palace is no longer illuminated, and the boisterous
shout is unheard ; but from the flag-staff of the silent
fortress and the mast head of the quiet ship, flutters the
flag of the Constitution. The sense of enjoyment is
too deep for noisy exhibition, and men greet each
other with a manly grasp and a smile, which proclaims
at once a congratulation and a pledge.
About six months ago a conspiracy was formed,
which, bold in its object and ingenious in its contri
vance, bade fair to expel the last vestige of royalty, and
ensure to the Brazilians a republican government.
Carlos del Panfilo, the commander of a Brazilian
frigate, conceived the daring plan of seizing the King
and Queen and the Crown Prince and Princess, with
their infant daughter Donna Maria. His purpose was
to seize them late at night, and without noise, conduct
them to the quay in front, where his boats would be in
waiting, and thence convey them to the ship. Once
on board, he had little to fear, for there was not a
man-of-war prepared to pursue him ; moreover, of the
larger vessels, the Gloria was decidedly the fastest
sailor. From the forts he had little to apprehend, for
even if the alarm were given, he need but expose his
prisoners to deter them from firing. But his object was
secresy ; for on that, and on expedition, depended his
whole hope of success. Once clear of the land, he

90 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
meant to steer his course for the Pacific, and to liberate
his captives when he heard that his country was free.
Step by step he sounded his officers, and found them,
with few exceptions, readily disposed to second him.
The impracticables were so few as not to discourage
him, and by keeping them on board, under close sur
veillance, he prevented their giving information. With
the men, he had so ingratiated himself, that they were
ready to stand by him at any hazard. Seven or eight,
suspicious characters, were kept employed apart from
the rest, to whom, indeed, the plan was not fully
divulged until an hour before its time of execution.
With the aid of some active friends on shore, he had
succeeded in bribing a Serjeant of the royal guard,
who betrayed to him the watchword of the night. The
word was " Leopoldina," the Christian name of the
Crown Princess.
The old King and Queen slept in the right and the
Crown Prince and Princess in the left wing of the
palace. Towards the centre on either side were apart
ments for the chamberlains, pages, and attendants in
waiting. In the very centre, was a hall, in which two
sentries were stationed. Without, at the head of the
stairs, were two long galleries, along each of which,
also patrolled a sentinel, and on the first landing of
the great stairway, was another. The stairway ter
minated in an extensive hall, occupied at night as a
guard room.
Panfilo,. as a pretext for landing with his boats at a
late hour of the night, had given an entertainment on
board of his ship. It were needless to say that his

THE CONSPIRACY. 91
guests were his brother conspirators, and the time sup
posed to be passed in festive merriment was employed
in silent and anxious preparation.
About 9 P. M., a notary of distinction, accompanied
by a grey-headed negro, who halted feebly after him,
approached the front entrance, and giving the counter
sign, demanded to speak with the officer of the guard.
" Senhor Manuel," he said, when that officer approach
ed, " I owe you an apology for disturbing you at this
hour, for I well know the strictness of your regulations.
But I appeal to your gallantry to excuse my presump
tion. With a large party, I dined to-day at Senhora
Grijalva's villa. Shortly after rising from the table,
when the guests were retiring to the siesta, she beck
oned me aside, and said to me, ' Senhor Zorga, you
have ever proved a true friend to my family, and
therefore I feel emboldened to pray your assistance in
a matter of importance to me ; hereafter I will explain,
but now time presses, for the shadows of the mountain
stretch far into the bay, and what I desire must be
accomplished to-night.' Drawing a packet from her
bosom, without waiting for a reply, she proceeded to
say, ' It is most important that this package should be
given to Dom Alexis Andrade, before he retires to
rest, and I- must have an answer before morning. I
will not trouble you to deliver it in person, but pray
you take my butler Gonzalvo along, and direct him
how to proceed, when you reach the city, so as to see
Dom A. as soon as possible. Gonzalvo is old and
feeble, but honest and persevering, and after you have
put him in the right way, you can leave him to himself.

92 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
Will you oblige me ? I see that you will, and therefore
beg that, foregoing the siesta, you will start at once ;
for the palace gates close, you know, at 8 o'clock.'
" Thus conjured by a beautiful woman, you will
admit, Senhor Manuel, that I could not decline. I
immediately set off for the city, but the mule of Gon
zalvo nearly as old and quite and as feeble as himself,
compelled us to travel much slower than I wished. I
am just arrived, and pray you will admit my sable
friend.' " Senhor Zorga," replied the officer, " even if I were
not disposed to oblige a gentleman so distinguished a
yourself, the name of Senhora Grijalva would be suffi
cient, notwithstanding the severity of our regulations ;
but Dom Pedro gives a concert to-night, and Senhor
A. will not be in his room for an hour or more, but —
give me the package, old man, and I will deliver it as
soon as the concert is over."
" My good master," said the black, " if it rested
with Gonzalvo, you should have it at once, but my mis*
tress told me over and over again, to give it only into
the hands of Senhor Alexis, and that if I could not see
him, to bring the package back."
" Ha !" said the officer, " the Senhora is discreet ;
doubtless a love affair," he whispered to the notary ;
" well, come in, and you shall be accommodated with a
seat in the count's anteroom until he arrive."
The black passed in, and with many thanks, the
notary courteously took his leave.
Dragging himself slowly after the soldier sent to
conduct him, the black threw himself on the floor of

THE SURPRISE. 93
the room into which he was ushered, and to the sentry
stationed at the open door, seemed in a short time to be
fast asleep. When he had remained several hours in
this position, he was aroused by the challenge of the
sentinel, and immediately after, a middle-aged gentle
man, gaily and even sumptuously attired, entered the
apartment. "What means this? who is this?" he exclaimed, as
his eye rested on the black, slowly rising from his
position. The sentinel briefly explained, and the fea
tures of the Count brightened with the thought of a
successfid amour, for he had long sued in vain.
" Give me the package, old man," he said, " and
look in yonder beaufet for some refreshment."
" Good, my lord — my mistress ordered me not to
give it in the presence of a third person," and he
glanced at the sentry in the doorway.
" Well, well, her whims are not to be disputed ;
sentry, close the door."
With a gesture of impatience at the slowness of the
black, the Count retired to his bedroom, and by the
light of a lamp, commenced breaking the seals. The
envelope was secured by a lock of luxuriant hair, and
was so intricately folded, that it was some moments
before he opened the note it contained. The hand
writing, unlike the direction, was bold and masculine.
The words were —
" Speak and you are a dead man — Look up I"
As the note dropped from his hand, his eye fell
upon the black who had stealthily crept within a few

94 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
feet of the table, and with a dagger in one hand and a
pistol in the other, sternly confronted him. It was
Panfilo himself, who, in disguise, had assumed the
most perilous part in his drama. Before the count
had time to recover himself, he threw a noose over
him and pinioned him to the chair. With the dagger
to his throat, he then securely gagged him, and lashed
chair and all to the ponderous bedstead. He then
raised the window looking into the inner court, and
fastened to it one end of a rope-ladder which he drew
from his body, round which he had worn it.
Stepping softly into the ante-room, he secured the
door as well as that of the inner room, and waited
impatiently for the signal of his comrades beneath.
Holding the office of Chamberlain to the Prince, the
apartments of Count Alexis opened into a moderate-
sized hall, with many doors, leading to the chambers
of the Prince, the Princess, and their personal at
tendants. The serjeant when he betrayed the watchword, had
received a liberal reward, with the promise of a much
larger sum, should the attempt prove successful. Elate
with his present wealth, and rendered generous by
anticipation of yet greater riches, he invited his com
rades to a carousal at his expense. The wine circu
lated freely ; and how the party dispersed, he could not
remember. Some time after nightfall, he was awakened by the gal
loping of the patrol along the street, and found himself
lying in the open court of a large building. As sensible
objects became distinct, he saw in a niche beside the

A SOLDIER'S REMORSE. 95
gateway, an image of the Virgin with the infant
Saviour in her arms. At the same moment that his
eyes rested on the placid countenance, which, to his
disturbed imagination, seemed to look reproachfully,
his thoughts reverted to the consequences of what he
had done. Secret assassination, open strife and blood
shed in profusion, by turns appalled him, and rushing
into the street, with yet unsteady steps, he sought the
dwelling of his commander. Sobered by fright, the
cool night air refreshed him, and as his faculties
regained their power, he slackened his pace, until he
stopped in anxious deliberation. " Fool. that I was to
be so cajoled ; if detected, I shall certainly be put to
death; and if I inform on myself, to be sent to the
mines is the least I can expect. What can be clone ?"
A sudden thought occurred to him, and with
renewed speed he dashed up the street, and entered a
church on the right. A solitary lamp suspended
before a magnificent altar, with its faint light gave an
indistinct idea of the extent of the buildino-. One side
was nearly obscure ; on the other, the chastened beams
of the moon played with their soft light among the
stained glass of the gothic windows. An old woman
reciting her beads, kneeled midway on the pavement :
a novitiate was prostrate on the lowest step of the
sanctuary. Looking closely round the serjeant approached
and whispered to the woman. To his disappoint
ment she proved to be deaf, and he then souo-ht
to attract the attention of the novice. In replv to
his inquiry for a priest, he was told that the whole

96 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
fraternity, except a lay brother and himself, were
absent on a procession to a distant church ; but that in
the chapel of the Dominican Convent, he would prove
more successful.
Seated in a box at the theatre, Col. Salazar was
intently regarding the performance, when a voice
whispered in his ear, " Son, follow me, it is a matter
of life and death !"
" Holy father !" said the Colonel, " your's should not
be a garb for mummery."
" By the womb that bore thee ! — by the God that
died for us all ! I conjure you to follow me ! A plot
has been revealed to me in confession ; I cannot betray,
but may defeat it — there is more than murder, — there
is treason abroad !"
At the word " treason," the soldier sprung to the
door, and hurried forth with the priest.
After Panfilo had waited an hour or more, his
quick ear caught the sound of a movement without.
The apartment commanded a view of the inner court,
where, instead of his companions, he beheld a body
of armed men gliding cautiously along. Presently, he
heard the outer door first tried, then forced, and a
rush made against the second.
Aware that all was over, he ran into the hall, and
threw up the sash. At the same time, a volley was
discharged by his pursuers, and, pierced with a dozen
balls, he bounded from the window, and was transfixed
on the bayonets of a platoon beneath.
Thus perished this gallant man, as patriotic as he
was brave, who thought only for his country, and in

ENGLISH NAVAL OFFICERS.

97

the execution of his plan, allotted to himself the post
of greatest danger.
The officers of the English navy are usually charged
with being arrogant and supercilious. I have, as yet,
had little opportunity of forming a decided opinion,
but, if future experience confirm my present impres
sion, that opinion will be highly favorable.
When we had been four or five days in port, I went
on shore with a messmate, to spend an afternoon.
After wandering about the city, we returned to the
principal hotel, and had finished our supper, when a
boisterous party of English naval officers entered the
apartment. They were in high glee, and had evidently
been dining out. Calling for champagne, they seemed
bent upon a frolic, and my friend and myself demanded
our bill, with the purpose of retiring. Before it could
be rendered, one of the officers approached, with a
glass in each hand, and tendering them, said : " We
pledge the strangers." His associates were standing
up, with their glasses filled. It would have been
rudeness to refuse. As soon as the toast was drunk,
we rose to depart, but the glasses were immediately
re-filled, and we were called upon to drink to the
memory of the gallant Captain Lawrence, late of the
United States Navy. Neither could we refuse this
toast, which was drunk standing, and in silence. The
next toast was " to the memory of Captain Lambert,
of the Java," and the officer who gave it, added, that
he hoped his American friends would not hesitate to
drink to the memory of a gallant enemy, particularly
5

98 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
as the brother of Captain Lambert was present. Of
course we did not, and toast succeeded toast in rapid
succession — all characterized by the same liberality of
sentiment. We broke up at a late hour, and sauntering through
the streets arm in arm, in a long line abreast, disturbed
the citizens with our noisy clamor. From one of the
houses, we were treated with the indignity of having
a quantity of water thrown upon us. We immediately
held a council of war, and it was determined that four
of the number should take their stand in the middle
of the street, with their pistols ready to shoot whoever
should present himself at a window, while the re
mainder endeavored to force an entrance. We com
menced an assault in earnest, and storming loudly at
the door, called by every opprobrious epithet upon the
owner of the house to come forward and receive his
chastisement. The outcry raised the neighborhood,
and amid shrieks and loud vociferations, we continued
to thunder at the portal. An old Brazilian, who, from
an adjoining house, demanded who we were, received
a pistol-shot in reply. The ball, shattering a pane of
glass above his head, drove him precipitately from his
position. The sound of the report had scarce died away in the
distance, when, clattering over the rough pavement,
we heard the rapid approach of the patrol. Immedi
ately falling back against the house, we presented a
determined front. We were nine in number. Nearly
all of us had pistols, and every one a sword. My
messmate and myself were provided only with the

THE PATROL. 99
latter. The patrol drew up before us, and the abrupt
question of their leader received a surly reply. The
commander of the detachment was cool and decided,
and the order was immediately given — " Patrol
dismount :"
Some of the troopers held the horses, while the
remainder, about twenty in number, slowly marched
towards us, with their carbines in their hands. As
they neared us, they suddenly wheeled their flanks
inwards, and enclosing us in a hollow square, shut out
the avenues of retreat. But we had not dreamed of
retreating. The oldest English officer present, who
had been at Trafalgar, we hastily appointed our leader,
and my messmate was named the second in command.
" Boys, are you ready for a rush !" said our leader.
" All ready," was the reply.
" Stand by !" and we bent forward for a desperate
charge. " Hold, gentlemen," said the officer of the guard,
who had recognized our uniform and suspected our
condition. " There is some mistake here. Be not
rash, I pray you — but answer me ; why do I find you
with arms in your hands, assaulting the house of
a respectable lady ?"
" A lady !" replied our leader ; " do you say that
this house is occupied by an unprotected female ?"
"I do ; it is the house of Senhora Gorteza, many
years a widow."
" Then we are in the wrong, for we do not war upon
women. Am I right, boys ?"
We assented, and the officer proceeded to say :

100 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" I would gladly let you pass unmolested, gentlemen,
but, besides disturbing the whole neighborhood, you
have rashly endangered the life of a subject, by the
use of fire-arms. You must surrender at discretion."
" We'll die first — stand by for a rush !"
" Hold ! hold !" again exclaimed the officer, evidently
disconcerted and humanely averse to spilling blood.
" Yield up your arms, give me your names, and
promise to meet me at eleven, to-morrow, at the
palace of the minister of justice, and you may pass."
We consulted together for a few' minutes, when our
leader replied :
" In the first place, we offer, through you, an
apology to the lady we have alarmed, but beg her to
dismiss the servant who provoked us. In the second,
we will give our names, and appear before our
respective ministers to-morrow at the hour you have
appointed, but we will not acknowledge the authority
of any other country than our own, and will not
surrender our arms."
The officer stepped back and conversed a few
moments with a person in citizen's attire,- who had
just ridden up. Again approaching us, he said :
" It is sufficient, gentlemen ; 'we rely upon your
word." We then gave our names, and, completely sobered
by the transaction, embarked as speedily as possible
for our respective ships. We faithfully kept our pro
mise, the next day, and were severally reprimanded
by our commanders, and more or less restricted in the
indulgence of visiting the shore. But, we were not

A MARINE FUNERAL. 101
unmindful of the generous forbearance of the captain
of the guard.
Heretofore, sewed up in a hammock, and laid upon
a plank, the body, alike of officer and man, has been
launched, with a shot at its feet, to seek a tomb amid
the dark caverns of the mighty ocean.
" Low in grotto's of coral they sleep, or on white beds of pearl around,
And near them forever, the water-snakes creep, and the sea-lion
guardeth the ground."
Our Lieutenant of marines died yesterday, and we
are to-day called upon to inter his remains with some
thing of military pomp.
At 2, P. M., the boats pushed off from the various
men-of-war in the harbor, and slowly approached us.
At the same time, the body, laid in a plain coffin, was
passed through a port into the barge alongside, into
which it was followed by the pall-bearers. The re
maining boats were successively manned, and at
the report of a gun, pushed off from the ship.
Pulling directly abr%ast for a short distance, the barge
rested on its oars, while the other boats, thirty-eight
in number, English, French, Portuguese, and Amer
ican, formed in procession. In two lines abreast, the
barge in the centre, the procession moved slowly, each
ship, as we successively passed, lowering its flag
and tolling its bell, until the next took up the melan
choly chime. The solemn ruffle of the muffled drum,
borne on the breeze, was heard at the sequestered
burial-ground, long before we appeared in sight. The
marines were first landed, and formed in a double line,

102 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
facing inwards, through which, the band playing a
dead march, the seamen, the officers, and the chief
mourners passed with uncovered heads. As the body
was borne along, each detachment in succession
presented arms, not more in deference to the rank of
the deceased, than in acknowledgment of the majesty
of mighty death !
We had marched in inverse order, the juniors in
advance, but, when the service was over, and the
rattling musketry closed the ceremony with the last
military honors, rank claimed its position, the band
struck up a lively air, and embarking with speed, the
boats, which lately moved -at funereal pace, now
dashed rapidly on, each striving to be swiftest in
the general race. Thus is it with the world ! To-day
we die, and a few friends, alas, how few ! mourn in
silence. To-morrow, we are consigned to " lie in cold
obstruction and to rot," in the dark and mouldy
grave — and the forgotten worm, which crawled upon
the surface of the earth, becomes the dainty banquet
of the scarcely more ephemeral worm beneath it.

CHAPTER VII.
By the first of April, with our stores complete, and
an invigorated crew, we were prepared for sea, and
our ex-minister and family were received on board as
passengers for the United States. The ship was un
moored, the top-gallant and royal yards sent aloft, and
the studding-sail-gear rove.
The next day, at early dawn, we weighed anchor,
the capstan-bars bending to the strain of the seamen
as they kept time to the lively and cheerful tune of
" Sweethearts and Wives." Every sail was spread to
catch the fickle airs, which, more like zephyrs than a
steady breeze, were wafted from the land. They
proved too light to give us steerage way, and our
boats were lowered, manned, and sent ahead to tow.
No sooner was this perceived, than, with the courtesy
which characterized them throughout, the Portuguese,
French, and English commanders sent their boats to
assist us.
The morning was beautiful — the bay was serene —
the air was filled with perfume — the woods and
groves were alive with carols of the birds — the dew-
drops glittered in the rays of the rising sun, and
the summits of the mountains were bathed in a flood

104 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
of light. The rowers kept tune, and the oars kept
time, and by eight o'clock, with three hearty cheers
we parted from our friends, hoisted in our boats, and
slowly gained an offing with a light, but no longer in
constant breeze.
Standing well to the eastward, directly from the
land, we cast our fate once more upon the waters, and,
with alternate slow or rapid pace, traversed the dreary
ocean. And yet the ocean teems with life ; and to
the mind of an observer, whether becalmed or career
ing before the breeze, or riding on the crest, or pitch
ing down the steep of its mighty wave, it tells of the
majesty, the beneficence, and the terrific wrath of its
Great Maker. Each drop of water has its animalcule —
Every bunch of sea-weed bears its colony. The coral
worm, in its inmost depths, lays the foundations of
future islands and continents. The heat of the sun is
tempered by the evaporation it produces, and the in
visible vapor, condensed into clouds in the cooler
regions aloft, is wafted onward, and occasionally pour
ing its hoard to slake the thirst of the parched mari
ner, descends towards the land, and diffusing as it
descends, falls in gentle dew to fertilize the soil and
revive the drooping vegetation. The dolphin, the
chameleon of its element, betrays, by its variegated
hues, the depth at which it sports beneath the sur
face. The shark, rapacious with hunger, rushing upon
its victim, conveys the idea of ferocious strength ;
The multitudinous fish are gathered in the opeD maw
of the monstrous whale — and man, the monarch of
creation, by his skill overcomes this giant of the

STORY OF A SAILOR. 105
deep, and rocking in the foam of its desperate strug
gle, plunges the harpoon deep within its vitals.
Sometimes, in the silent watches of the night, when,
in seaman's phrase, all " is asleep aloft" — in other
words, when the sails are full, distended by a steady
breeze, " I carelessly lie on the deck,
And listen in silence to catch
The wonderful stories of battle or wreck,
That are told by the men ofthe watch."
There is an uncouth sentimentality among sailors,
and they deal much in the pathetic. Besides their own
adopted sovereign, Mars and Venus are the only
deities with whom they are acquainted ; and a violent
death, or successful love, is invariably the doom or
the reward of their principal characters. Their stories
usually begin with " One morning in May." The
hero is a Jack Somers of a tar, just returned from a
cruise, with his pockets well lined ; and the heroine, " a
beautiful maid, with coal-black eyes." Like long
Tom Coffin, they usually lose their reckoning on shore ;
but on their appropriate element, their spirits become
buoyant — they are free and natural, and their inci
dents are frequently interesting — sometimes thrilling,
and very rarely improbable.
The adventures of Harry Adams, related by him
self, differed from all the rest, as well in its tenor as
the manner of its narration, and made the deepest
impression on me. He had received a partial educa
tion, evidently seen better days, and held a situation
5*

106 THE MIDSHTPMAN.
more responsible and less laborious than most of his
shipmates. Of medium height, the frame of Adams indicated
more activity than strength. His keen, grey eye, un-
dimmed by his misfortunes, expressed, decision of
character, and his dark hair fell in untrimmed luxu
riance beside his bronzed and weather-beaten features.
His age could not have exceeded twenty-eight. It
was told to a few intimates, and with such a tone of
feeling that I arose, and was walking aft, when he
said, " Don't go unless you wish it, sir ; I have no ob
jection to your hearing me."
I immediately resumed my position, and he pro
ceeded nearly as follows :
" My father is an Englishman by birth, and a phy
sician by profession. He came at an early age to
America, and settled in New Hampshire. As a gra
duate of a foreign university, he soon obtained con
siderable practice, and in the second year married the
daughter of a respectable farmer. He had two sons,
myself the second, and my mother died in giving
birth to a daughter. Of that unhappy event I have
not the slightest recollection, and grew up uncon
scious of the deep loss I sustained. Soon after the
death of my mother, a far off relative, withered by
age and soured by celibacy, assumed the domestic
management of the family. Miss Patsy Sawyer, bred
in a puritanical family, with their self-denying doc
trines had imbibed the most parsimonious ideas.
" Living in a thinly-settled neighborhood, my father's
circuit was extensive ; and except at night and occa-

STORY OF A SAILOR. 107
sionally on Sunday, he was seldom at home. Some
times he would be absent for several days at a time.
He was of a stern nature, and although his feelings
were strong, he rarely betrayed them. Rather re
pelled than attracted by his manner, we seldom ap
proached him, — while he,. regulating his demeanor by
the reports of Miss Sawyer, generally met us with a
reproof, and took leave of us with a warning.
" We were governed with despotic sway. At table,
for the slightest indecorum, we were driven from our
untasted food. For a heedless laugh, or an ill-timed
jest, or an infringement of one of the numberless
regulations, we would be confined to the house, while
the merry shouts of our schoolmates could be heard
from the adjoining field. For an unbecoming posture,
or an irreverent look, we would be sent supperless to
bed. " Thus, unkindly nurtured, we passed our boyhood,
and a portion of our youth, when it pleased Provi
dence to summon Miss Patsy to account for her stew
ardship. My brother George was then a little over
seventeen, and a student at Cambridge. I was sixteen,
and my sister one year younger.
" The harsh treatment endured at home, had ingrafted
in George and myself a dogged self-will, which we
could alone oppose to the persevering annoyances of
the old harridan. But on our sister the unceasing
espionage, the ever-recurring fretful interposition, had
a more lamentable effect. She became exceedingly
timid, and without the slightest confidence in herself,
depended on others for advice in difficulty, and for

108 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
consolation in distress. Both George and myself
grieved for her mental thraldom ; but we could do
little for her. Our aunt, as we termed our relative,
seldom permitted Pauline to leave her sight; and
fearful that we might instil insubordination, regarded
with peculiar jealousy all intercourse between us.
Thus our sister grew up under this remorseless sys
tem. The precepts of religion were inculcated by ad
dressing her fears instead of her understanding and
her affections, and her mind was only cultivated by
committing unreasonable tasks to memory, which were
recited with trepidation amid the reproaches and
sneers of her amiable kinswoman. And yet we loved
her for her very helplessness ; and when the virago
was laid in the village church-yard, we did our utmost
to retrieve the errors of her education.
" When George went to the university, Pauline and
myself became inseparable ; for truthful and confid
ing, her heart yearned for an object on wMch to place
its affections. She was the purest, gentlest, humblest
creature I have ever known.
When George had been two years absent, he came
home to spend a vacation ; and when he returned to col
lege, I accompanied him, to which I was less reluctant
from the very great improvement I perceived in my
brother. We both parted from Pauline with deep re
gret ; for she clung to us — to myself in especial— -in all
the reckless abandonment of grief. Poor girl ! we left
her sobbing convulsively in my father's arms, his stern
nature moved almost to tears by her distress.
" At this time, Pauline was almost a woman. Of

A FAMILY HISTORY. 109
the ordinary stature of her sex, her light, elastic figure
moved with unconscious grace ; her chesnut hair shaded
a neck of snowy whiteness ; her brilliant cheek, now
white as the lily, now mantled with a blush, more
surely and more rapidly than words, bespoke the cur
rent of her feelings ; while her deep hazel eyes, bathed
in liquid crystal, and curtained from the sight by their
long and fringing lashes, rarely raised and as sud
denly withdrawn, struck the beholder with wonder
and admiration. Beautiful in person, sensitive in her
feelings, and of a most confiding and affectionate
nature, she was a being formed for love.
" Nearly a year previous to my departure for col
lege, a young Englishman, named Alford, settled in
our village, and opening a handsome store, soon be
came extensively known. As a countryman, my
father gladly welcomed him ; and when he found that
his relatives were respectable, and not unknown to
him by name, he gave him a cordial invitation to his
house. When, therefore, on the return of George and
myself the next year, we found Alford almost domes
ticated in the family, and heard Pauline, in reply to
our inquiries, blushingly confess that they were en
gaged, we were not surprised. Indeed, we were
rather pleased at the fair prospects of our sister.
Still I determined to watch Alford closely ; and how
it is I know not, but without being able to assign a
satisfactory reason, even to myself, I conceived a pre
judice against him.
" I returned alone to Cambridge, George being sent
at the same time to New York to embark in business.

110 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
About three months after, I heard of the wedding, and
suj>pressing my prejudices, wrote a congratulatory
letter both to my sister and her husband.
" Early the following spring I went to Boston for a
few days' recreation, and strolling on Long Wharf
with a class-mate, we noticed a large ship being towed
up through the drift-ice by a steamboat. We stood
looking on until the ship let go an anchor in the
stream, while the steamer came to the landing with a
number of passengers from her. With the interest
we usually feel in gazing on faces from a strange
land, my companion and myself remained for some
time looking on. Presently I noticed an elderly gen
tleman pointing out to a porter a large trunk with ' C.
R., of Ledbury,' marked on the end. It immediately
occurred to me that Alford had said he was from that
place. I approached the gentleman as soon as he had
ceased giving his directions, and asked him if he were
from Ledbury. He replied that he was. I then asked
him if he knew a family there by the name of Alford.
He said that he did very well, and with some eager
ness inquired if I knew any one of that name. I told
him yes ; that a merchant named Henry Alford had
lately married a relative of mine.
" ' The scoundrel,' muttered the stranger, ' and ho
has a wife and child at home.'
Absolutely electrified, I fairly gasped for breath, and
seizing the arm of the stranger, exclaimed :
" ' For God's sake tell me if this be so ! Has Henrv
Alford a wife in England ?'
" ' I am sorry that I said it, young gentleman,' re

A DISCOVERY. Ill
plied the stranger ; ' but I cannot now gainsay it. It
is too true.'
" ' Sir, you must prove this, for you speak of the
husband of my sister.'
" ' Then come with me, young man, and God for
give me for the pain that proof will cause.'
" He did prove it, alas, too conclusively, and I left
him in dismay ; but as the figure of my injured sister
rose to my imagination, the desire of vengeance
sprung up within me. Hurrying to the nearest livery
stable, I procured a horse, and started immediately for
home. Arriving late at night, I proceeded direct to
one of the parlor windows, which had so often in boy
hood been our mode of egress when escaping at night
for that recreation which had been denied during the
day. Forcing up the bolt, I opened the shutter, and
raising the unfastened sash, jumped into the room.
" When the phrensied excitement in which I left
Boston subsided, I came to the determination, in the
first place, to communicate everything to my father,
that he might take proper measures to send Alford
away in a manner to avoid suspicion of the cause. It
was then my purpose to follow him, and avenge my
sister elsewhere. My father was unfortunately absent ;
and, as returning from his room I passed my sister's
chamber, and thought of the scoundred pillowed in
her chaste embrace, an irresistible impulse overcame
me ; and exclaiming, ' Villain ! villain ! double-dyed
villain !' I rushed against the door and forced it. As
he sprang from the bed, I clutched him by the throat,
and in the dark, amid shrieks and screams, we desper-

112 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
ately struggled. He was fully as strong as myself;
and, although nearly strangled by my vindictive
grasp, he fought desperately, and, at one time, by a
severe blow, caused me to relax my hold. But it was
for an instant only ; and presently I felt that he was
giving way. Dashing against him with all my force,
he fell backwards, with a crash his head struck
against the corner of the stove, and he tumbled
heavily upon the floor. Even before he fell I was
conscious that lights were approaching, and it was
the fear of interruption, perhaps, which had caused
me to make the desperate effort to overthrow him. In
a minute my sister, followed by some of the servants,
rushed into the chamber. She saw me standing with
my foot upon the throat of him she believed her hus
band, while the blood gushed from the wound in his
head. With one wild shriek she ran to me, pushed
me with unexpected force aside, and fell senseless
beside him. The servants urged me to fly. I gazed
for a moment upon the dying man, imprinted a kiss
on the cheek of my insensible sister, and left the
house. * * # * # #
" I have never been happy since. There is blood
upon my hands ; phrenzied with the sense of the deep
est wrong, and although I sacrificed another, yet the
shriek and the hysteric laugh of my poor sister, are for
ever ringing in my ear. I tried various occupations, but
all failed to divert my mind from the horrid scene on
which it was forever brooding. At length, hearing this
ship was destined for a long cruise in a sickly climate,

EMPLOYMENT OF TIME. 113
in a reckless impatience of life I signed the articles
which enrolled me among her crew. The first lieute
nant finding that I had received the benefits of educa
tion, gave me the easy berth I hold. We have gone
through a great deal of suffering together, and my
own sorrows have been frequently forgotten in the
general distress. The afflictions of others have taught
me to submit patiently to my own ; and for the future
I will murmur no more, although I can never cease to
lament." As Adams finished, he bowed his head, and burying
his face in his hands, seemed almost overcome with
recollections of the past. Feeling that we could offer
no sympathy to a spirit so bruised, we arose in silence,
and one by one, left him to brood upon his sorrow.
Stretching not quite so far to the east as when out.
ward bound, we crossed the Equator in 23° instead of
18° west longitude, and, by consequence, were less
detained by calms. To those who were unemployed,
the passage must have been tedious in the extreme.
But to us, notwithstanding the yearning for home and
its enjoyments, our incessant avocations caused the
time to slip almost imperceptibly by. There was the
ever-recurring exercise of the great guns, the boarders,
and the firemen, the periodical setting and relieving
of the watch, and the perpetual making and shortening
sail according to .the alternations of the weather. The
last differs from the first not more in its object than its
mode of execution. Sail was made, or in other words
more canvas was spread, leisurely as it were, one by
one, as the gale subsided," or the light and flickering

114 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
airs strengthened into a breeze. But sail was reduced
promptly and rapidly, in obedience to the startling
tones of the anxious and observant lieutenant of the
watch. The ennui of the passengers and the regular routine
of our employment were one day diversified by the
shrill whistle of the boatswain and his mates, whose
prolonged notes were followed by the hoarse call —
" All hands witness punishment ahoy !"
The officers with their side-arms, the marines with
bayonets fixed, assembled on the quarter-deck. The
sailors in a dense mass, gathered on the booms and in
the weather gangway. The culprit, a young mizzen top-
man, was brought forth, his offence stated, and his
sentence to the full extent of the law awarded. He
submitted in silence to his fate, and bore the lash with
out a murmur. The justice of his punishment was
much questioned by us youngsters of the steerage, and
certainly his crime, if crime it be, is not embraced in
the articles of war. Love like faith, surely comes by
inspiration, and whether it be a milkmaid or a goddess,
a man has a right to worship the object of his affec
tions. Poor Lambert had become smitten with one of
the young lady passengers. He might as well have
cast his eye upon —
 " a bright particular star,
And think to wed it."
And yet, had he not divulged his passion by token
of presumptuous suit, he might with impunity have
said —

MISPLACED LOVE. 115
" Indian-like,
Religious in mine error, I adore
The sun, that looks upon his worshipper,
But knows of him no more."
More sentimental than discreet, Lambert wrote a
letter to the young lady, for which he was arraigned
and punished.
There is evidently more folly than knavery in the
transaction. It is a circumstance calculated to excite
a smile rather than a frown, and provokes to laughter
in. others, rather than the punishment of the offender.
Under the most severe discipline a private admonition
would have been more advisable and equally as effica
cious as the course adopted. Even in the time of
Semiramis, a cat might look at a queen. Lambert was
undoubtedly punished not for feeling, but for impru
dently betraying the soft impeachment.
We begin to look anxiously for indications of the
land. The higher temperature of the water shows
that we are in the Gulf stream, and we are diagonally
crossing it, steering direct for Cape " Henry. The
current buoys under the lee, while with a steady wind
from northeast, we are sailing two points free at a
glorious rate. My messmates insist upon it that the
Norfolk girls have a tow-rope secured to the ship, and
that they are hauling us in with a speed proportioned to
their impatience. At 11 P. M., we took a pilot ninety
miles from the land. The prudent and the phlegmatic,
aware that much is to be done to-morrow, have retired
to rest, but the thoughtless and the sanguine are not to
be enticed from the deck.

116 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
The night is very different from the one on which
we took our departure. Far to seaward, the dark
surface is relieved by the white caps of the waves ; in
the eastern board, in the midst of a bright space which
clearly indicates the line of the horizon, the moon is
slowly rising ; while to the northwest is a dense cloud,
its summit catching the first rays of the moon, and
giving it the appearance of a dark mountain capped
with snow. In that direction lies the land, which, by
the wise providence of its Maker, receives at night the
moisture which its sister element has by day emitted.
Unfortunately, in the morning watch, the wind
veered, and slackened, and with it, our speed. Those
who had retired expecting to be aroused at daylight by
the cheerful cry of " land ho !" awoke to disappointment.
The morning is foggy, " puffing with wind and rain."
Still, although the wind be light, it is favorable, and
with fast increasing impatience, we scan the ¦ western
horizon. Presently, a huge figure shrouded in mist,
is descried sharp upon the lee bow. A minute more
its outlines are distinctly visible, and forgetful of disci
pline, the shout of hundreds proclaims it to be the
lighthouse. As we approach it, the fog lifted, and
the sun shone as through a prismatic curtain upon our
dear, our native land. The magnificent Chesapeake
lies before us, its surface dotted with coasting vessels
which, close hauled, or with flowing sheet, are steering
for their various destinations. In delightful rivalry we
strive who can first recognize each feature of the land
scape as presented to the view by the progress of the

MAKING THE LAND. 117
ship. At sunset we were anchored in Hampton
Roads. This last morning broke beautifully. The day is
bright with the genial rays of an unclouded sun. The
soft winds of spring are wooing nature to assume her
green and fragrant livery, and the vegetation, revivified
by the heat, carpets the earth with its refreshing
verdure. At an early hour, we were again under way, and
threading the narrow and intricate channel, under
shorten ed-sail ; " majestically slow," we passed the
town, and responded to the loud cheers of our country
men congregated on the wharves, by a salute from our
great guns, whose hoarse and brazen throats made the
welkin roar. We cast anchor a little below the Navy
Yard, and when the sun dipped beneath the horizon,
the sails were unbent, the running rigging was unrove,
and down the sturdy topmasts, the shrouds and back
stays hung in most admired disorder.
Here ends the cruise of the Congress ; and in the
hope one day to tread her deck in battle as firmly and
successfully as she has borne me through the perils of
the deep, I close this, my first journal, to cull from
that which next in the order of time succeeds it.

CHAPTER VIII.
In the short breathing space allowed between the
termination of one cruise and the commencement of
another, I had occasion to visit a distant friend. Tra
versing the narrow but fertile tract of western Mary
land, towards sunset of the third day, I was seated
beside the driver of a ricketty stage-coach, which was
dragged at a snail's pace, up the steep ascent of the
Alleghany. Anxious to reach the summit before the sun had set,
the road seemed to me interminable. Even the phleg
matic driver caught at last a spark of my enthusiasm,
and while he humanely withheld the lash, cheered his
jaded team to renewed exertion. Heedless of the
beetling cliff on one side, and the yawning precipice
on the other, I thought only of the crowning point
from whence could be viewed that scene, of which I
had heard so frequently and so much.
It has been remarked that high-wrought expectations
are almost invariably disappointed, and that such dis
appointment is usually in proportion to the eagerness
of the anticipation. Such may be the case with the
artificial efforts of man, but where is the mind to con-

A LAND CRUISE. 119
ceive the sublimity of the works of God ! From the
summit I gazed in silence. The first sensation was
one of inexpressible awe. The first idea — that a
mighty ocean, arrested in its wildest throes, lay
before me, " Wave upon wave — as if a boundless ocean,
By boisterous winds to fierce rebellion given,
Heard in its wildest moment of commotion
And stood transfixed at the command of heaven 1"
Although the sun was several diameters above our
horizon, he had long set to those in the valleys beneath,
and the bases of the mountains were fast deepening
into gloom, while their summits were basking in light.
The immediate base of the high spur upon which we
stood, was concealed by a girdle of mist, gathered
many hundred feet below us, while the same humid
vapor occasionally filled the chasms, or was wreathed
around the crags, or swept down the slopes of distant
mountains. Standing on the very crest of the mountain, the
sensation of awe increased as the eye gathered in
objects distant, and more distant still, until the mind
was overwhelmed with a sense, of its utter insignifi
cance. I would as soon attempt with uncircumcised
lip to inculcate the sublime truths of the gospel, as
with ungifted pen undertake to describe that magnifi
cent and unrivalled scene ! I have seen, and yet hope
to scale, the peak of Teneriffe. The summit of Mont
Blanc comes within the scope of my contemplated
wanderings, and, with the help of God, I trust to look
into, if I cannot explore, the craters of Vesuvius and

120 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
Etna ; but I never expect to behold a scene more grand
and impressive than this which I have long wished to
view, and now sigh that I must relinquish.
Usually great fatigue induces sleep so profound that
the senses are steeped in forgetfulness, and the mind is
as inert as the body. But the excitement consequent
upon the scene I had beheld, kept me awake long after
I had retired to rest; and the following singular
dream will show that the imaginative faculties were
in full play long after the will had ceased to control
them. I dreamed that again I stood upon the summit with
two of my fellow passengers, — an aged man and his
young grandchild ; and that the deep silence was broken
by the child saying, " Grandfather, what are you
crying for ?"
" I think, my child, of the day of judgment and the
general doom !"
Suddenly the wind was hushed — and a voice from
the still air above was heard, saying, " It is come ! Lo !
the ocean of time bringeth its generations to the foot
stool of the Redeemer 1" The sound of rushing waters
succeeded, the mountains, except the one upon which
we stood, sank from the sight, and a dark and troubled
ocean rolled beneath us.
In consternation, I turned to my companions, but,
instead of the old man with his thin grey hair stream
ing in the wind, I beheld the irradiate form of the
Saviour. I fell prostrate to the earth, while the child
meekly knelt ; and with its tiny hands clasped together,
gazed fixedly upon that heavenly face, which to my

SINGULAR VISION. 121
aching vision, was shrouded by a vapor light as an
infant's breath, and more dazzling than if woven of the
rays of the diamond.
And now the voice was heard to say, • " Come
forth !" and immediately the ocean heaved and swelled,
until its turbid waters nearly washed our feet, when it
suddenly receded, and rolling back into the distant
void, left an immense plain covered with generations
of men.
In the van stood the father of men, his lofty port
chastened with an air which showed that if he had
sinned, he had also suffered much. Beside him, cling
ing for support, as she shrunk from the piercing rays
of the Godhead, was the unhappy mother of the
human race. Mute and conscience-stricken, the mul
titude, headed by their common parents, slowly ad
vanced, when the child in deep and imploring accents
exclaimed, " Holy One, have mercy ?"
And the Holy One replied : " Seat thyself before
me. Thou shalt be endued with the knowledge of the
Most High ; and by thee, the youngest and last, shall
the destinies of thy race be determined."
And the child obeyed, and the multitude advanced,
and Adam and Eve, in obedience to a signal, passed
up the mount ; and the Holy One said, " It is good !
They have sinned and have repented. Throughout all
time their spirits have writhed with the sense of the
misery entailed upon their offspring. Strict justice
would condemn, but mercy spares them."
Then approached Cain, the firstborn, with anguish
on his brow, but no true repentance in his heart ; and
6

122 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
at a shudder from the child, he instinctively turned and
rushed down the steep, the multitude shrinking from
the touch of the fratricide. But the simple-minded
Abel, and many like him, passed up, and stood upon
the mount. But many more, and far more rapidly
increasing in number, were those rejected by the
child. Next came the generations before the advent of the
Messiah. The Assyrians, Egyptians, and Jews, the
Arabians, the Medes, the Persians, the Carthaginians,
the Greeks and the Romans, with countless others, were
there. And Noah first advanced, and the child smiled as
he ascended the mount. After him some passed up,
but many took the. downward path. Then came
Abraham, the friend of God, with the once more beau
tiful Sarah ; and Melchizedek, the priest of the un
bloody sacrifice ; and the laughter-loving Isaac, with
the meek Rebecca ; the almost too politic Jacob, and
the chaste and filial Joseph. The sadness which had
been fast gathering over the face of the child passed
away, and she welcomed their approach with joy.
Again that sweet face was overcast ; for now came
the sceptred line of Pharaoh. He, of the hardened
heart, the most conspicuous, followed by all the
swarthy idolators of Egypt.
Then came Moses, the man beloved of God, and
Aaron, the chosen High Priest, and the judges and
kings and prophets, with all the stiff-necked tribes of
Israel ; and the effeminate Mede, and the haughty
Assyrian who destroyed, and the warlike Persian who

SINGULAR VISION. 123
rebuilt, the temple ; and all received their doom from
that little child.
And now approached the apostles and evangelists,
and followers of the Redeemer; the angehc Mary,
supported by the beloved disciple and Mary Mag-
delen. Side by side, too, came the crucified thieves ;
but he whose revilings had embittered the last mo
ments of his Saviour, fell off, and joined the sons of
perdition — Herod, who had persecuted, and the con
spiring Pharisees, and Pilate who had condemned,
and Judas who had betrayed his master: Then passed
up, shouting loud hosannas, the glorious body of mar
tyrs, headed by St. Stephen, and the virgins, and
whole host of saints ; while the dark Tiberius, and
the blood-thirsty Nero, and all the ensanguined line
of Caesars, and countless hordes of barbarians, and all
of the tribes and nations of the earth who had died at
enmity with their God, were turned in despair towards
the dark void. And now the voice was heard, say
ing; " Let their doom be accomplished !"
And the s'eething waters of the ocean rolled over,
and hid them from the sight.
Scarce were the shrieks and groans hushed to the
aching ear, when clouds gathered in the sky, and
the thunder loudly pealed, and the lightning played
across in incessant flashes. The ocean now grew
black and thickened, and the lightning struck it, and
it burst forth in one general conflagration. The
mountain upon which we stood rocked and reeled,

124 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
and then seemed to be uprooted from its base, and
to float unscathed upon the burning waters.
Here I was awakened by my room-mate shaking vio
lently one of the bedposts, and bidding me, for God's
sake rise, for that the woods were all on fire below us.
The bright light which shone through the uncurtained
windows, confirmed his intelligence. Dressing in
haste, we repaired to the yard in front, where we
found the driver hitching his team, and calling upon
the passengers to hurry, that he might pass the line
of fire before it had crossed the road. With the im
pertinence of his class, he scoffed at the suggestion to
send a messenger ahead to ascertain if the fire had
not already crossed ; and we dashed at almost full
speed down the rapid descent.
With murmurs and deep misgivings, we saw our
selves whirled by the last place where, for many miles,
the stage could be turned. Ahead, and directly in
our path, we heard the roaring of the blaze, and the
sound of falling timber. The air was filled with my
riads of sparks, and the burning cinders fell thick
as the flakes of a snow-storm around us.
When we reached the upper line of fire, it had not
crossed, but was fast approaching the road, and the
heat was intense and almost scorching. The heavy
crash of a falling tree behind us, made the horses wild
with terror, and with a peculiar noise like an un
earthly shriek, they rushed headlong at full speed. I
threw my arms around the driver to support him,
while, with his body bent over the foot-board, he bore
with his whole strength upon the reins.

WOODS ON FTRE. 125
The screams and shouts within the stage were soon
drowned as by the roar of a mighty cataract, and in a
moment we found ourselves between two walls of fire,
the flames meeting in fantastic curls in the air above
us. Fortunately the belt was a narrow one, but .before
we had cleared it, the reins, crisped by the heat, one
after another snapped asunder, and the horses, unre
strained, sped furiously along for a mile or more.
At a sudden turning of the road the stage was
upset with a severe shock, and the horses freed by the
breaking of the axle, rushed on, and were found seve
ral hours afterwards lying in a creek, cooling their
scorched bodies. It was thought that none of them
would ever be fit for service again. The inside pas
sengers, more or less bruised, escaped material injury ;
but neither the driver nor myself could proceed. We
were hospitably received in a farm-house near by,
where we remained for some days under the soothing
application of cream to our blistered hands and faces.
From Wheeling I descended the Ohio, whose limpid
waters, gliding with a strong, but not impetuous cur
rent, have won for it the name of " Beautiful." Our
steamboat, although large, was crowded ; and I was
incessantly struck with the difference between the
soothing aspect of nature in all her wild luxuriance
without, and the provision for artificial wants, the
petty schemes, the clamor and dissatisfaction within
board. " I say, stranger," called out a man to me, as I
walked the deck ; " Ever been in these parts be
fore?"

126 THE MTDSHTPMAN.
" No," said I. " This is the first time."
" Well, ain't this slick ? But only hold on till you
see the Mississippi ; that'll wake you up, I can tell
you." " Yes," I replied ; " I am told that it is much bolder
and wider, but then the water is not so clear and
beautiful." " How you talk, stranger ! Why, the' Mississippi is
like a great back-bone, going from one end clean to
the other; but this here," said he, pointing to the
river, " ain't no more than one of the small ribs !"
Perceiving that the man was an original, I took a
seat beside him, and soon listened with interest while
in the racy and peculiar phraseology of the West, he
recounted some of his adventures. We sat far into
the night ; and as our huge leviathan swept along,
sometimes almost grazing the banks, I fancied that
from within the deep gloom of the dark and bloody
ground of Kentucky on our left, I occasionally heard
that terrific war-whoop of which he spoke.
I have been enabled to write down nearly all of
what he first related, because, perhaps, simply from
being the first, it made the deepest impression.
Rankin (such is the narrator's name) was a sergeant
in what I think he termed the raised volunteers of
Ohio, during the last war with England. On one
occasion, he had been sent with twelve men from the
main body, to escort a wagon laden with supplies for
one of the smaller posts. The distance was not more
than twenty-six miles ; and although possible, it was
scarce deemed probable, that the Indians had pene-

AN INDIAN AMBUSCADE. 127
trated within the advanced posts. Besides the detach
ment, his party consisted of the driver, two friendly
Indians for scouts, and the wife and young child of a
soldier belonging to the post to which they were
boimd. They left the camp about 2 P. M., and made about
eight miles by dusk, when they halted, intending to
make an early start, and accomplish their journey the
next day. But it rained hard during the ' night, and
the road was, in consequence, so heavy the next day,
that they had accomplished but fourteen miles, when,
although yet early, the jaded condition of their teams
compelled them to halt. By the time that the horses
were tethered, and the rude supper prepared, the
scouts came in and reported that there were no signs
of Indians in the woods. Cheered by the intelligence,
they seated themselves around the fire, and Rankin
was leaning forward, helping the woman to some food,
when a bullet whizzed by his ear, followed in quick
succession by a sharp report, and a scream from the
child, which sprang wounded from its mother's arms.
" To the wagon, men ! to the wagon !" shouted
Rankin ; " but where are the scouts?"
" Here they are, sneaking off !" called out one.
" Shoot them down, the traitors !"
Several muskets were discharged, and one of the
scouts fell. The other, evidently wounded, limping as
he fled, escaped.
While the party sought cover behind the wagon, the
woman remained gazing, horror stricken, upon her
child. After some moments she sprung up, and seiz-

128 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
ing a knife which laid beside the untasted food, heed
less of their call, she ran with furious speed towards
the quarter from whence the fatal ball had sped. As
she passed a tree, a short distance from the opposite
side of the road, and in full view from the position of
the whites, an Indian stepped out, and brained her
with his tomahawk. Before he could regain his cover,
however, one of the soldiers levelled his musket and
fired, and the savage, bounding upwards several feet,
fell to the earth a corpse.
The driver, an athletic, swarthy man, seemingly a
half-bred, had been throughout the journey a silent and
dull companion. But, on the first alarm, he ran to the
wagon and commenced searching for his rifle. He
found it just as the Indian fell, when, with a loud and
exulting shout, he exclaimed :
" Well done,, soldier ! Well done !"
Then springing down beside Rankin, he said to
him: " Mr. Sergeant, this will not be a safe place for you
long. These Indian devils hav'n't shown their usual
cunning, or they would have begun the attack from
more points than one. Take to the trees if you wish
to save a single life."
" Sergeant !" here called out several soldiers, " the
Indians are running across the road."
"To the trees! Each man. a tree for your lives!"
cried Rankin ; and the whole party rushed into the
woods. After the death of the warrior, except a few inef
fectual shots at some of the Indians as they succes-

AN INDIAN AMBUSCADE. 129
sively ran across the road, the time was passed in
silent preparation. Each soldier, behind the tree he
had selected, fixed his bayonet, picked his flint, and
drew his cartouch box more in front.
By the advice of the driver, who seemed familiar
with the Indian mode of fighting, Rankin extended
his men, five on each side, in the form of an open
wedge, while himself brought up the rear with the
two remaining soldiers faced the opposite way to
guard against a surprise from behind.
Their arrangements completed, as the whole party
eagerly watched the Indians stealthily flitting from
the shelter of one tree to that of another, they were
startled by the cry of the child, which had raised itself
upon its little hands, and called for its mother. They
saw it struggle for a few feet, then fall upon its face
and die.
" The devils ! The incarnate devils !" exclaimed the
half-bred ; " Oh, that they would but show them
selves !"
Very soon after, quick as light, he brought his
weapon to his shoulder, and fired, and an Indian, who
had just peered from behind a tree, fell dead beside it.
His fall drew a shout from the soldiers, which was
answered by a fierce whoop and a general volley from
the Indians. With the exception of one or two slight
flesh wounds, the discharge was harmless ; but it
served to convince the whites that their foes more than
trebled their number.
The action now became general, and the woods
rang with the sharp crack of the rifle, and the louder
6*

130 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
but less deadly report of the musket. The Indians,
spreading as they advanced, soon outflanked the
whites ; and then, gradually closing in, completely
surrounded them. Already three of the soldiers had
fallen, and two others were so badly wounded as to be
unable to use their weapons. The only hope left was
in retreat, and the remaining survivors rushed to the
place where the horses were secured. Cutting the
tethers in all haste, the whites strove to mount, while
the Indians sprang forward to prevent them. The
sergeant, and one of the soldiers, succeeded in mount
ing a horse, and the half-bred was upon another, help
ing one up behind him, when an Indian seized the
headstall and threw his tomahawk. It struck the
driver on the temple, peeling it to the bone. In an
instant he jumped down and clutched his assailant.
For some moments they struggled desperately, but
freeing his arm, the driver drew a long knife he
carried, and plunged it into the savage. As he turned
to mount again, he was pierced by a bullet from
behind, when, seeming to abandon all hope of escape,
he staggered forward, brandishing his bloody knife,
and endeavored to close with the nearest Indian ; but
the wily savage stepping aside, felled him to the earth
with the butt of his rifle.
With his eyes fixed upon the dreadful scene, from
which he was endeavoring his utmost to escape, the
wild war-whoop raised on the fall of the driver, seem
ed to Rankin premonitory of his own. There was a
desperate struggle about the remaining horses, and he
heard the crack of several rifles as he urged the one

DEFEAT OF THE WHITES. 131
he rode to its utmost speed. In a few moments he
felt the hold of the soldier behind him relax, and
shortly after the latter fell with a groan to the earth.
A few seconds more and a sharp pain told him
that he was himself hit in the leg, while, by the
convulsive bounds of his horse, he was satisfied that
it was also severely wounded. Bending low to the
mane, with a sagacity sharpened by the fear of death,
he contrived to place as many large trees as possible
between his pursuers and himself. He rode thus for
miles, and long after the pursuit must have ceased,
the vindictive war-whoop seemed to ring in his ears.
His poor horse carried him to the last, but fell within
half a mile of the post. Bandaging his leg with a
handkerchief, Rankin attempted to proceed on foot ;
but faint and exhausted with the loss of blood, he
could not. From a feeling which all will understand,
he retraced his steps, determined that if die he must,
it should be beside the faithful steed. With his head
upon the neck of the dying animal he swooned away,
and was found by scouts from the garrison sent out to
meet the detachment.
Nearly the whole force at the post immediately
turned out in pursuit of the enemy ; but the Indians
had disappeared with all their booty. With the muti
lated bodies of his late companions, however, the ser
geant was rejoiced to see the treacherous scout
brought in ; " And stranger," said he, while his fea
tures gleamed with savage delight, " I was the man
that tied the noose for him."
Clank ! clank ! clank ! splash ! splash ! splash. Alas

132 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
for the practical and unpoetic age in which we live !
A man in the depths of the hold below turns a cock,
and the strange eccentric is moved by the steam,
whose supply it afterwards regulates. As the valves
open and close, the piston rod, with the regularity of
the pendulum, moves up and down, turning the pad
dle-shaft, which whirls in unceasing revolutions the
immense wheels that propel us. No longer spreading
a sail to the breeze, or drifting idly with the current, the
arks and the broad-horns have disappeared — the wild
and not unmelodious notes of the boatman's bugle are
unheard, and in their stead the soothing solitude of
nature is disturbed by the monotonous clank of a
workshop. Surely the most beautiful object in nature is the
ocean, heaving and swelling in its mysterious undu
lation, its calm and placid surface chequered with
light and shade, reflecting the sky above and the
changing aspect of the flying clouds. And the
greatest perfection of art, is it not a ship, buoyant
and graceful, under a cloud of canvas, buffeting the
elements, and against wind or tide or current, pushing
onward to her port of destination ?
While yet the world was young, the nomadic tribes
that wandered along the coasts must have gazed wist
fully on the rippling surface of tha sea ; but when the
tempest came, and the angry surf lashed the opposing
shore, and the spray was borne far inland by the
blast, appalled and terrified they must have fled pre
cipitately from the scene. But every evil has its anti
dote. The storm, wide-spread and devastating, up-

EFFECTS OF STEAM. 133
rooted gigantic trees, which, floating upon the surface
of the once-more tranquil ocean, suggested the means
of transportation. The art of navigation, in the beau
tiful mythology of the ancients, ascribed to Venus "and
Minerva, owes its first invention to Ousous, the Phoe
nician, who, on the trunk of a tree denuded of its
branches, .and half-excavated by fire, boldly pushed
from the shore, and encountered the untried perils of
the deep.
To the canoe succeeded the raft, and thence, in
regular succession, the galley manned with oars, and
the ship propelled by sails. From skirting along the
coasts, men inured by degrees to the dangers of a new
element, extended their intercourse from mainland to
island, and, at length, with the newly invented com
pass for their guide, they boldly stood from the land,
and wandered over the fathomless ocean in quest of
other worlds.
One of those worlds has requited the blessing of
civilization conferred upon it, by the application of an
agent which bids fair to effect as great a revolution in
maritime affairs, as the invention of gunpowder, up
wards of five hundred years ago, caused in the art of
war. Not many years hence, and perchance some
native of this New World, bolder than the Phoenician,
may launch forth, and with the single aid of this
agent, combat the opposing winds, and rocking in the
storm, career successfully over the billows of the wide
Atlantic* " Not many years after the above was written, an English officer did

134 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
As I stood upon the summit of the Alleghany, and
beheld a gracefid sweep of verdant hills and plains,
boundless as the view, and recollected that they
stretched onward and onward, until the one extreme
is clasped in the rude embrace of the thick ribbed ice,
while the other is washed by the phosphorescent rip
ple of the tropic, and that east and west, on each
side, it has an ocean for a boundary, I could not help
exclaiming : " Oh, my country ! if your young ener
gies be but properly directed, to what a glorious con
summation may you not attain!"
Three days after leaving Cincinnati, we dashed into
the Mississippi, whose turbid and swollen waters
rolled far and wide beyond their usual boundaries. It
was a scene wild and magnificent, but appalling from
the dangers which beset it. The river was filled with
broken rafts, drift-logs, and half-sunken and floating
trees. The danger of running upon a snag, or en
countering a sawyer, was great and ever-impending.
The current was so strong, that, frequently caught by
a whirl or an eddy, our huge boat, like a stray leaf
on a rivulet, was turned round and round, until strik
ing against a tree, it would be sent into the mid-
current — the word torrent would, perhaps, convey a
more correct idea of its irresistible rapidity. Some
times we were carried for miles among the trees, from
whose verdant tops, the birds, which had remained un
disturbed by the rush and roar beneath, flew at our
approach, as if aware that their only enemy is man.
achieve it, and two lieutenants of our navy were permitted to accept
an invitation to accompany him in his return trip.

A SINGULAR BLOCKADE. 135
My friend and his father received me with the open-
handed hospitality for which the south and south-west
are proverbial. A few days after my arrival, they
made up a grand hunting-match, in which I, unthink
ing mortal, joined. By sunrise, after a hurried break
fast, we were off ; and all unused to the rifle, I carried
my own fowling-piece. In the woods, we soon sepa
rated, all but a young brother of my friend's, who
kept with me. Little accustomed to the forest, by
mid-day I felt much fatigued, and lagged slowly along,
while my little guide, seemingly as fresh as when we
started, was eager in the pursuit of game. In a short
time, between my weariness and his anxiety to pro
ceed, we lost each other ; and after ineffectually trying
to find him, I threw myself at the foot of a tree, be
side which gurgled a rivulet. The early hour at
which I had risen, and the unusual fatigue I had since
undergone, combined with the soothing sound of the
water as it rippled by, caused me to fall asleep.
What awoke me I know not, but the first object I
saw was the disc of the sun descending behind the
tops of the trees. The next was a stag, with enormous
antlers, standing by the brook, a short gun-shot dis
tance from me. He had evidently been drinking, but
disturbed, perhaps, by my slight movement in waking,
his head was thrown back in the attitude of listening.
I remained perfectly still, and he again began to
drink. With the utmost caution I reached for my
gun, and taking deliberate aim, fired, and severely
wounded him. He made one bound across the stream,
but, to my amazement and great alarm, turned the

136

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

next moment, and rushed furiously towards me. I
had barely time to spring into the tree, when he
brought up with a violent blow against it. He then
walked round and round the tree, anxious to get "at
me, and glared at me with more ferocity than 1
thought the animal capable of. His wound was cer
tainly severe, and I hoped would prove a mortal one,
for he bled profusely. After blockading me in this
singular manner for fifteen or twenty minutes, he
turned to go away, when I coughed aloud, and with a
redoubled fury he dashed at the tree. This was re
peated six or seven times, when he slowly walked
away regardless of every attempt I made to bring
him back.
Immediately descending the tree, I re-loaded my
gun, which had fallen beside it, and followed in pur
suit. I was unsuccessful ; and to my farther disap
pointment, discovered I had lost the bearings I had
taken. Although the night promised to be a mild one,
the prospect of spending it in the woods was far from
pleasant ; and I hallooed long and loud for my com
panions. Echo alone replied. Not the echo of the
sage writer, which, to the call, " Where are they ?"
answered " Where ?" but the only kind of echo I have
ever heard, which, in such a case, would have an
swered, " Are they," and now in fainter notes returned
my own wild halloo.
The sun had now set, and night approached more
like the gathering of mist than the withdrawal of
light. I struggled on, almost losing a sense of fatigue
in anxiety, when, even through the thickening gloom,

END OF THE ADVENTURE. 137
I perceived that the trees grew thinner, and quickened
my pace in the hope that it would prove the clearing
of the plantation. I was provoked to find myself on
the edge of a small cane-brake. Recollecting pre
sently that I had heard this cane-brake spoken of as
lying in a certain direction, I concluded that my best
course would be directly through it. I had not gone one
third of the way, however, when I found it so fatigu
ing, forcing my way through the- canes, that I de
cided on throwing myself down, and spending the
night there, when 1 was startled by the rattle of a
rattle-snake. The sound was so sudden and unex
pected, that I could not tell from what quarter it pro
ceeded ; and afraid to step any way, I gathered the
canes as thick as I could around me, and stood breath
less with anxiety. In a few moments, I heard him
glide away, and springing in the opposite direction,
regained the wood, and soon afterwards heard the
welcome shouts of my friends in search of me.
The approaching termination of my leave of ab
sence, compelled me, after a few weeks, to bid fare
well to those who had treated me almost as a son and
brother, for which I feel the more grateful that I had
no claims upon them other than what their kindly
natures accorded.

CHAPTER IX.
I was next ordered to the schooner Shark, then
fitting out for a cruise on the coast of Africa.
Sailing in midsummer, and sounding across the
Atlantic with a deep-sea-line of the ordinary length,*
we: stopped for a few days at Madeira. My journal
presents nothing of this visit which is worth trans
cribing. The vine, now almost the sole culture of this
island, was brought principally from Candia ; and the
sugar-cane, introduced from the East, via Sicily and
Spain, and hence transplanted to the West India
islands, is no longer cultivated.
From Madeira we sailed to the Canaries, and
coasted along those beautiful islands, which are evi
dently of volcanic origin, and present the alternate
aspect of mountains and valleys, rocks and gorges.
We saw even less of these islands than of Madeira, for
# At that time, the Master-Spirit of the Navy, had not turned the
attention of the profession to the necessity of sounding the depths of the
ocean, for the purpose of ascertaining, from the temperature and charac
ter of the bottom surface, the direction of its currents.

THE CANARIES. 139
the " Rodgers" system of discipline was strictly
enforced; the ruling feature of which is, to render
every one as uncomfortable as possible; it seeming
never to occur to some of our commanders, that there
is a knowledge to be acquired unconnected with the
tar-bucket. Merely touching at Orotava and Santa Cruz — the
last place principally celebrated for the discomfiture
of Nelson, who lost an arm in a night attack upon it ;
we bade adieu to this cluster of islands, which, for
their salubrity, beauty, and productiveness, were
denominated " FortunatsB," by the ancients. It was
matter of deep regret to us that we were denied the
opportunity of examining them more nearly, and
particularly of ascending the glorious " Peak of
Teneriffe," with its five zones of vegetation, beginning
with the vine, and terminating with the heath. It is
singular enough that the first and not most inaccurate
description of this group .extant, was given by Juba,
Prince of Mauritania, who graced a triumph of
Caesar. These islands were by the ancients considered
as the extremity of the earth, and none ventured
beyond them, until Columbus, with the compass for
his only guide, ploughed his way through the unknown
sea in quest of other worlds.
Sailing from the Canaries, our course was in a con
verging line with the high range of Mount Atlas —
fabled by the ancients to prop the vault of heaven —
and parallel to the Great Desert of Sahara, with its
trackless wilds ; its shifting sands, tossed by the winds
and whirring in eddies through the air, and only here

140 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
and there a spot of vegetation — verdant islands in a
boundless waste.
Amid the oases, which, like islands, gem this sandy
sea, the predatory robber lurks in wait for the coming
caravan, and the " ship of the desert," as he plods his
weary way, is fortunate if he encounter only hunger
and thirst, the withering harmattan, and the whirl
wind madly waltzing with the sand.
Running by the parallel of Cape Non {Non plus
ultra), we next made the Cape de Verdes ; a volcanic
group of islands and islets, not far distant from the
coast of Africa, and nearly abreast of the debouchure
of the Senegal ; which, as well as the Gambia, the
Nile, and that famed, mysterious stream the Niger,
flow from the mountains of Kong and of the Moon —
stupendous ranges stretching across the desert, and
forming barriers to its waves of sand.
The exterior surface of these islands presents to the
eye mostly sharp crags and deep gorges, the former
bare and incinerated, the latter clothed with luxurious
vegetation. The rainy season had commenced, but
the copious showers scarce allayed the stifling heat.
It was by turns a pour down or a drizzle, and dry
clothes were soon numbered among the remembrances
ofthe past. The night air was peculiarly unwhole
some, of which we had melancholy proof. Two
of the midshipmen, finding the atmosphere insupport
able below, slept one night in the stern of the launch
which was stowed amidships. One of them took the
precaution of protecting himself from the dew the
other slept with face and breast exposed. They were

THE SLAVE TRADE. 141
both attacked next day with fever ; the former, compa
ratively light, but the latter was in a few hours in the
frensy of delirium, and his brain never recovered from
the shock. He ultimately abandoned the service ; en
listed as a private soldier in one of our regiments, and
leaving his post as sentinel, committed suicide by
drowning. From this group, we sailed for Freetown, an English
colony at Sierra Leone, first settled by refugee negroes
who fled from America during the Revolutionary war.
Its site is a most unfortunate one. The adjacent
country is low and swampy, and the rank vegetation
growing out of and covering the soil with living and
decaying matter, renders, and will ever render the
climate fatal to the constitution of the white man.
The slave-trade is far from being suppressed ; and
from 1661, when the Royal African Company was
first chartered with the condition of supplying the Eng
lish West India islands with 3000 slaves annually, it has
gone on increasing, and at the beginning of this cen
tury amounted to 100,000 per annum, besides the loss
in transportation, which is equal to 15 per cent.
Denmark, to its honor, was the first Christian nation
which prohibited the slave-trade; our own was the
second ; and thirteen years afterwards, our example
was followed by Great Britain.
Our commander, if fearful of encountering shoals in
mid- ocean, deserved the gratitude of all on board for
the precautions taken to guard against the effects of
the climate. No one was permitted, on any pretext,
to sleep on shore, and all were required to wear flan-

142

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

nel next to the skin. Nor was he content with merely
issuing the order, but, to his credit, saw it carried into
rigid execution, and morning and evening the crew
were mustered at quarters for inspection. To the
enforcement of this judicious regulation, the compara
tive preservation of our health is mainly attributable.
From Sierra Leone we sailed down the coast to our
own colony of Liberia, then just founded, where we
landed Dr. Ayres, the first agent sent out by the
American Colonization Society. This was an intelli
gent and prepossessing gentleman, with whom we
were much pleased. He had been in Africa before,
and his first introduction to the continent, as he
relates it, was a singular one. The vessel in which
he was a passenger, was wrecked in sight of the
shore, and after swimming for some hours towards the
low line of coast which seemed to recede before him,
his strength gave out, and in despair he ceased to
straggle ; but as he sunk, his prayer for mercy was cut
short by finding that the water was no deeper than his
waist. The shore was flat and shelving, and he had
been within his depth for a mile or more.
Liberia is situated on an elevated peninsula, and is
by consequence more healthy, and promises to be
more successful, than the settlement at Sierra Leone.
Its condition is, however, more prospectively than
immediately prosperous. But there are elements
which, if judiciously worked out, may yet make it
the nucleus of the great work of African Civilization.
The interior of the continent is mostly involved in
mystery. The circumnavigation of its coast was a

CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF AFRICA. 143
favorite object of the maritime enterprise of the
ancients, who conceived the idea of its being a
peninsula, from observing the convergence of its
coasts beyond the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
There are four attempts on record. The first by some
Phoenicians sent by Necho, an Egyptian king ; the
second, by Sataspes the Persian ; the third, by Hanno
the Carthaginian, and the fourth, by Eudoxus of
Cyzicus. The brief narrative of the first, is thus ren
dered by Herodotus : —
" The Phoenicians, setting sail from the Red Sea,
made their way into the southern sea ; when autumn
approached they drew their vessels to the land, sowed
a crop, and waited until it was grown, when they reap
ed it, and again put to sea. Having spent two years
in this manner, in the third year, they reached the pil
lars of Hercules, and returned to Egypt, reporting
what does not find belief with me, but may perhaps
with some other persons ; for they said that in pass
ing Africa, they had the sun on their right hand (i. e.
the north.) In this manner Lybia was first known."
The very circumstance on which the historian bases
his incredulity, tends to confirm the truth of the nar
rative. Africa could not be circumnavigated without
bringing the sun to the north.
The Persian sailed by the pillars of Hercules and
turned to the south, but was intimidated by the sight
of the frightful and desolate shores of Sahara, and the
tempestuous ocean which beat against them, and
turning back, was put to death by his Imperial
Master.

144 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
The Carthaginian, passing also through the Straits
of Gibraltar, sailed, it is supposed,as far as the Bight of
Benin, now believed to be the outlet of the Niger.
He says, " On the last day, we came to a high moun
tain covered with trees, the wood of which was
odoriferous, and variously tinted. Passing round
these mountains, we came to an immense opening of
the sea, bordered by plains, in which we saw fires of
different magnitudes glittering at intervals from every
spot. In it was a large island, and in that island a
salt-water lake, in which again was another island.
Entering this lake, we saw, in the day, nothing but
forests ; but, in the night, there were many fires burn
ing, and we heard various sounds of musical instru
ments, and the cries of numberless human beings.
Being terrified by these objects, and the prophets also
exhorting us to quit the island, we made off and
reached next the fiery region of Thymiamata, whence
torrents of flame poured down into the sea. Here, the
heat of the earth was such, that the foot could not
tread upon it. We therefore, took our speedy de
parture from this place, and saw in the night the
earth full of flames. There appeared also, in the
midst of them, one lofty fire, greater than the rest,
which seemed to reach to the very stars. This, when
seen by daylight, proved to be a very lofty mountain,
called the chariot of the Gods."
The great conflagrations of the grass, and the music
and the dancing of the natives prolonged through the
night, have been frequently noticed by modern navi-

AFRICAN THUNDER. 145
gators along the coast, and confirm essentially Han-
no's high-colored narrative.
Eudoxus, after two voyages through the Red Sea, in
which he penetrated as far as the southern shores of
Arabia ; also made the attempt by passing the Pillars
of Hercules, and proceeded until he came to a race of
people who appeared to him to speak the same lan
guage with those he had met on the opposite shore ;
when he returned to fit out a larger expedition, but
was disappointed in his expectations.
The moderns have been more successful, and the out
ward geographical features of Africa are well known ;
but the mysterious gloom which hangs over the interior,
has been but partially penetrated by a few adventurous
men. This extraordinary land, which since the crea
tion has panted beneath the direct rays of Phoebus,
and which, in the size of its animals (man excepted),
and its vegetable productions, surpasses the other
quarters of the globe, presents a vast and glorious field
for exploration. But, alas ! where are the means to be
procured ?
From Liberia, we cruised along the coast in search of
slavers, the rain sometimes coming down in an ava-
'lanche, at others falling in intermittent showers. The
squalls, which were preceded by a gathering murkiness
of the atmosphere, were absolutely terrific, and the
clouds hung so low, that the vivid lightning seemed to
shoot in horizontal lines about us. I have read of " the
wreck of matter and the crush of worlds," but had no
conception what it sounded like, until I heard African
thunder. 7

146 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
We had heard of a large slaver, armed and equipped
to fight her way, and we eagerly sought her. One morn
ing we were sanguine that we beheld her, for we discov
ered an armed vessel, with yards too square for an ordin
ary slaver, and which, instead of endeavoring to escape,
hauled by the wind, and stood towards us. But our
hopes were crushed when she hoisted the English flag.
It was a brig of war, commanded by Lieutenant Hagan,
of the Royal Navy. He was a very Nelson in gallantry,
and had been seven years on the coast, during which he
had distinguished himself in frequent combats with
armed slavers, and on one occasion, having boarded a
vessel of superior force to his own, engaged in a hand-to-
hand conflict with her commander, and slew him. He
had lost nearly all of his original crew by sickness,
and supplied their place with Kroomen, an active
race who inhabit this coast, and are . mostly employed
as fishermen, seamen, and pilots. Of his officers, there
was not one remaining. The last survivor, was one
whom he had brought a boy from England, and for
whom, after the great mortality among his officers,
he had procured the appointment of a midshipman.
He described his grief as being more poignant at the
loss of this last one, than for all the rest, as he had not,
until then, felt so absolutely alone. His only compa
nion afterwards, was a favorite monkey which had
been accidentally killed a short time previous.
One morning at daylight, we discovered a sus
picious-looking vessel, and immediately made all sail
in chase. But those on board of her were not disposed
to be interrogated, and the wind being very light, they

THE CHASE. 147
kept their vessel fidl before it. There is a trite but true
saying among sailors, that " a stern chase is always a
long one," and we gained very slowly upon them.
Towards noon, it fell calm, and the chase and ourselves
got out our sweeps (long oars mounted upon swivels),
and the chances of capture or escape, became solely de
pendent upon physical exertion. Fear of pecuniary
loss and severe, perhaps capital punishment, actuated
the one, and motives of humanity, intermingled with
visions of prize money, impelled the other. As fear is
a more powerful incentive than either benevolence or
the love of gain, the chase at first increased her
distance from us ; but, as we were better manned,
and could more frequently relieve the men at the
sweeps, the prospects were soon changed, and we
rapidly gained upon her. Already the bow guns were
cleared away, and we were calculating how long
before they could be brought to bear, when, through
the spyglass, we were shocked to perceive that gangs
of negroes were brought up, placed at the sweeps, and
made to labor for the prolongation of their own
captivity. This cruel act, while it rendered the char
acter of the chase no longer questionable, spurred us
to renewed exertion; but the heat was intense, and
the allowance of water was insufficient even for a state
of inactivity. No moral stimulus could compete with
the physical relaxation, and as the sun descended
towards the west, the spirits of our men began to flag.
Again the chase led off, and as night closed in, showed
but as a cloudy speck on the horizon. But, with the up
rising of the moon came a gentle breeze, which soon

148 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
strengthened into a stiff and steady one, and carrying
it with us under a press of sail, we were almost in gun
shot distance of the chase before she felt its influence.
An hour more, and the result was no longer doubtful.
Our yards were more square, our canvas stronger, and
our heavier vessel was less impeded by the now rising
swell. We gradually closed upon the chase, but she
would not heave to, until within point blank range of
our guns.
An idea of the discipline of a man-of-war, may be
formed from the following circumstance which occur
red during the chase. We had brought the slaver
within the range of our shot, but as it could only be
indistinctly seen from deck, a midshipman was sent
by the captain to take his position on the head of the
bowsprit to direct the helmsman how to steer and give
the word when to fire. The young officer obeyed the
order, and when he thought our bow was in an exact
line with the chase, gave the word, and raised himself
up on the stay to which he clung, to see where the
shot would strike. It had not occurred to him, to our
Commander, nor to any one else, that he was almost in
the direct line of fire. As it was, the shot passed so
near his head that its windage threw him round the
stay, and but for the strong hold he had just taken,
would have sent him overboard. From fear of mis
construction, he would say nothing of the peril he was
in, but remained at his post until the gun had been six
times discharged, but, from the repeated concussion,
his head began to whirl, and he was fast losing the
power to sustain himself, when the danger of his posi-

THE CAPTURE. 149
tion flashed upon the mind of our Commander. The
Midshipman was immediately ordered in, but instead
of an expression of regret for the great and unneces
sary peril to which he had been exposed, he received
a severe reprimand for not having made it known
immediately after the first discharge.
The slaver proved to be a schooner, sailing under
French colors, with a mixed crew and an American
mate. She was bound to the French West India
islands. The overpowering smell and the sight pre
sented by her slave-deck, can never be obliterated
from the memory. In a space of about 15 by 40
feet, and four feet high, between-decks, one hundred
and sixty-three negroes, men, women, and children, were
promiscuously confined. In sleeping they were made to
dove-tail, each one drawn up to the shortest span, and
the children were obliged to lie upon the full grown.
They were all naked, and to protect from vermin not
a hair was permitted to grow upon their persons.
Their bodies were so emaciated, and their black skins
were so shrunk upon the facial bones, that in their
torpor, they resembled so many Egyptian mummies
half-awakened into life. A pint of water and half a
pint of rice each, was their daily allowance, which is
reduced if the passage be prolonged. The passage is
performed in from fifty to seventy days.
I never saw the sympathies of men more deeply
moved than were those of our crew. Immediately
after taking possession, while the papers were being
examined, we hoisted up a cask of water, and some

150 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
bread and beef, and gave each poor slave a long drink
and a hearty meal.
Unfortunately, the schooner's papers were so regu
lar,* that our commander did not feel authorized to send
her to the United States. But he made prisoner of the
nominal mate, but real master, to be taken home for
trial. The officers not feeling the same responsibility
as our commander, blamed him for what they consid
ered his timidity and want of feeling. We offered to
become his security against any pecuniary loss, but as
our purses held but little, and never held that little
long, our security was not deemed sufficient, and the
slaver was released.
With feelings which I cannot undertake to express,
we saw the schooner fill away and steer to the west
ward, bearing into life-long captivity the unhappy
wretches whom we had inspired with a hope of
freedom. After cruising along the coast without meeting with
anything worth transcribing, we also turned our prow
to the westward, and steered for the Antilles. During
the passage, we encountered a severe gale of wind,
which subsiding more rapidly than the sea, left us
rolling about on a confused swell, with scarce a breath
of air to steady us. When the movement was most
uneasy, a young sailor boy who was passing along the
deck stepped on a rope, which was at the instant
stretched out by the flapping of the sail to which it

* At that time, France had not entered into the league against the
slave-trade.

AN TNTREriD BOY. 151
was attached, and he was thrown some ten feet up
wards, and fell overboard. With a presence of mind
1 have never seen surpassed, the lad before he had
reached his full ascent, cried out, " boy overboard,"
and struck out manfully when he reached the water.
We immediately cut away the life-buoy, formed of
two small empty casks, secured together by cross
pieces, and with a staff bearing a flag from the centre.
To this, the boy soon made his way ; and our alarm
for him increased when we perceived that every time
he tried to climb upon it, the buoy would turn over
with him. At length, to our great relief, we saw him
dive down beneath it, and coming up between the
cross pieces, succeeded in perching himself upon it.
Admiration at this sight determined our commander
to attempt to save him, although the sea ran alarm
ingly high for a boat to venture in it, and volunteers
more than were necessary, sprang forward at the word.
At the expense of some anxiety for the boat's crew,
the intrepid boy was rescued, and gladly welcomed on
board again.
After a pleasant but somewhat protracted run across
the Atlantic, we made and passed Barbadoes, the first
settled and improved of all the English possessions in
the West Indies. There is not a central mountain
range in- this island, and it is, by consequence, less
copiously watered than others of the group, and being
further out in the Atlantic, is more exposed to the
sweep of the hurricane. But its scenery although not
grand, is beautiful, and peculiarly refreshing to an

152 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
eye long accustomed to the sight of arid sands and
of water stretching to the horizon.
We pursued our course through the Archipelago of
the Caribbean sea, to the island of Jamaica, the largest
and most valuable of the West India islands possessed
by Great Britain. The lofty range of the Blue Moun
tains in the interior, covered with majestic forests,
gives to the landscape a grand and varied aspect.
From these heights descend many streams whichfer-
tilize the land as they flow into the sea.
Proceeding to the harbor of Kingston, we passed
the ruins of Port Royal, with the exception of Mexico
and Lima, once the most magnificent city of the New
World. But first destroyed by an earthquake and
then by a conflagration, it was finally laid in ruins by
a hurricane, the most dreadful ever known, even in
these latitudes.
The climate and the soil here call forth a wondrous
luxuriance of vegetation. Nature appears prodigal of
organic matter, and the ground is overloaded with
plants which have scarcely room for their development.
In the forests, the trunks of the trees are covered with
a drapery of ferns and mosses, which diffuse the rich
est odors, and almost conceal from sight the noble
stems that support them. In the gardens, abound the
orange, ever blooming and ever fruitful; the pome
granate and the fig, and hosts of others ; while on every
side — " Its luscious fruit Anana rears
Amid a coronet of spears."
As in other places, our visit here was a brief one.

CHANGE OF CLIMATE. 153
Having sailed for Africa in August, it was necessary,
in obedience to orders, to leave the West Indies for our
northern coast in January. With a favorable wind,
which allowed no time to prepare our systems for the
shock, in a few days we exchanged a torrid for a frigid
climate, and instead of seeking the shade and being
clothed in summer attire, we coveted every sunbeam,
and wrapped in our thickest garments shrunk from the
keen north wind. After passing through the Florida
Straits, we encountered a northeast snow storm, and in
its very teeth worked our way to New York ; our suf
ferings increased a hundred fold in consequence of the
weather ports being taken out; for what purpose,
we juniors could not conceive, unless to allow the sea
an unresisted sweep across the deck, or to extinguish
the fires and prevent us from cooking our food. We
had heard of lee ports being lightly fastened to permit
the egress of the water when a sea was shipped, but
never before of weather ones being taken out to give
ingress to it. The driving spray, freezing as it fell,
coated everything with an incrustation of ice, and our
decks would have been too slippery to walk upon if
the vessel had been in a state of rest. The running
rigging soon became of the size of shrouds, and the
shrouds as thick as cables. When it was necessary to
brace a yard or trim a sail, the sailors could only make
their way in the manner of Commodore Trunnion
on his way to be married ; and when the rope was
reached, it had first to be cleared of the ice which en
cumbered it.
Coming from the hot and relaxing climate of Africa,
7*

154 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
we could ill endure the keen north wind which cuts,
and burns as it cuts, like a red hot razor. Some ofthe
officers and many of the men were frost-bitten ; a few
of the latter so severely, that they subsequently lost
the use of their feet for life. The greatest sufferers
were those who drank ardent spirits ; and those who were
strictly temperate, almost to a man escaped. Next to
temperance, exercise was the greatest preservative, and
he who kept his blood in circulation by constant motion,
if it were only marking time, retained the full use of
his limbs, while his more indolent watchmates were
severely frost-bitten. When we reached port, our
schooner, from the truck to the water's edge, was a
pyramid of ice ; and as fast as we were detached
from her, each one, who possessed a home, made
what haste he could to reach it.

CHAPTER X.
One beautiful moonlight night, while sailing through
the group of the Windward Islands, one of our ship
mates related some incidents in the life of an officer of
one of our private armed vessels during the war with
England. The island of which he spoke when he
began, was then in full view, and from the time and
circumstances of its relation, the narrative made such
an impression on me, that I sought the earliest
opportunity to note it down while fresh in my
remembrance. The names are partially altered ; but
the story was related with an air of truthfulness, which
combined with what some of us had heard before, left
no doubt on the minds of its hearers.
It was just daybreak ; the air was calm, and the
whole face of nature was shrouded in a light and
silvery mist. Presently the mist became agitated by
a fitful breeze. Rays of light, faint at first, but every
moment becoming brighter in their hue, penetrated it
from the east, and at length, gathering its folds, it
prepared to follow the path of the ascending sun. As

156 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
it lifted, a scene was disclosed upon which the eye of
man delights to dwell.
An island, clothed with luxuriant foliage, and
redolent with the perfume of the tropics, laid sleeping
on the crystal waters. On its southern side, the
unruffled waves of a sheltered bay broke with a mur
muring sound upon a white and shelving beach.
At the foot of this bay, embowered in a grove, was
a small cluster of whitewashed houses, which seen
through the interlacing branches of the trees, looked
the fit abodes of charity and domestic peace.
The flickering airs, soft and fragrant as the breath
of infancy, fanned the pale and attenuated cheek of an
invalid, who seated at the foot of a cotton-tree, looked
wistfully to seaward. A boundless expanse of ocean,
with its undulating surface, alone met his anxious
gaze ; but when the sun had risen, and unobscured by
a cloud, threw his unrefracted rays across the slumber
ing sea, he discovered, on the farthest verge of the
horizon, a light and buoyant fabric, and recognized it as
the object of his scrutiny. It was the Chasseur, the
symmetrical Chasseur, a private armed ship of war,
already renowned for a glorious achievement.
In a few hours the sea breeze set in, which, cool and
refreshing, is sent by a merciful Providence to temper
the heat of a tropical sun. The ship was soon under a
cloud of canvas, and it was a beautiful thing to see her
inclined to the breeze, dashing along with graceful
speed, while the light tracery of her rigging was
reflected upon the surface of the sails, which looked
snow-white in the glancing beams of the sun. As if

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE.

157

instinct with life,. she bounded across the water, and
soon dropped her anchor in the bay.
The invalid Maynard Horner, was an officer of the
Chasseur, and had been wounded in an engagement
about a month previous. By the advice of the surgeon
he had been sent on shore to recruit while his vessel
made a short cruise among the islands.
At first Mr. Gillespie, the American Consul, pro
cured for the invalid the best lodgings that could be
hired; but when he heard his mother's name and
found that through her the young officer was related to
an old and cherished friend, he at once had him re
moved to his own house.
Horner was in his twenty-fourth year, and already
distinguished for his gallantry. His mind was vigor
ous, and his manners graceful, and there were few who
in a short time had acquired so many friends. His
eye, undimmed by recent illness, expressed decision
of character, and his dark hair fell in untrimmed luxu
riance over his pale but manly features.
Like a ministering angel, Mary Gillespie, the
motherless daughter of the Consul, supplied the wants
and anticipated the wishes of the invalid. Her silent
but not unobserved attentions won his unbounded
gratitude, which, as he recovered, ripened into love ;
for to rare personal attractions she united the loveliest
qualities of her sex.
It was scarce possible, that under such circum
stances, two kindred spirits should meet and not
assimilate. It is no wonder, then, that thus thrown
together they should become attached. They did

158 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
love ! Love only as those can do, who, trustful in their
nature, are uncankered by care, and in their thoughts,
their prayers, their aspirations, and their dreams,
become each other's constant and abiding theme.
The Chasseur arrived in the early forenoon. That
day her commander and several of her officers dined
with Mr. Gillespie, and before midnight, they were
again at sea, for there were enemies abroad, and they
felt bound to seek them.
It were useless to dwell upon the parting of the
lovers. All that the gushing fondness of two such
natures could impart was interchanged. Hap what
might, though distance should separate, and circum
stances debar their intercourse for months, or years,
they had that unswerving confidence in each other
which true and loyal hearts alone can feel. It is true
that both felt much anxiety — the maiden in especial,
for her lover was exposed to far more. than the perils
of the deep. But with a faith early instilled by the
precepts of a sainted mother, she placed her trust on
high, and with more of hope than fear, looked forward
to the future.
For some weeks the Chasseur sought in vain for a
valuable prize. But few captures were made, and it
was determined to shift her cruising ground to the
South Atlantic. When crossing the line, the incon
siderate among the crew were disappointed that the
usual ceremony of receiving Neptune was dispensed
with ; but the Chasseur was too well disciplined for
such a disorderly exhibition.
Horner's messmates soon perceived a marked

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 159
change in his demeanor. His hilarity was gone ; and
avoiding his former associates, he paced the deck or
sat apart, wrapped in the visionary aspirations of a
lover. They suspected the cause, but had too much
regard for him to wound his feelings by ill-timed jests
and allusions. Indeed, their respect for him was
increased, for they perceived with surprise that
although completely absorbed in reverie when he had
no duty to perform, yet he had become the most vigi
lant among them, and in particular paid the strictest
attention to the exercise of his division at the guns,
and in the use of small arms. At such times, his eye
sparkled with more than its wonted enthusiasm, and
his very air breathed some exalted purpose.
" Take care, gentlemen !" said the captain one day
to a party of officers near him, " take care ! Hor
ner is wooing glory that he may win a bride, and if
opportunity offer, may bear away the palm."
" Let him, if he can," was the reply, " we will not
begrudge what must be dearly earned."
Nearly in a line with the extreme southern limits
of two continents, at the confluence of two mighty
oceans, lies Tristan d'Acuna, a high, rocky, and unin
habited island, its summit wrapped in clouds, and
except in one place, the surf, loud and continuous,
breaks upon its shore.
The wind was fresh, and the tumultuous waves ran
high, when through the mist the crew of the Chasseur
gained a sight of the land. While the captain hesi
tated whether to approach the anchorage, or " lie to"

160 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
and await more favorable weather, the cry " sail ho !"
was heard from aloft.
" Where away ?" was quickly asked by the officer
of the watch.
" Broad off the weather beam, Sir," was the reply,
and the Chasseur wore round and stood towards the
stranger. None but those who have experienced it,
can form an idea of the thrill of delight with which
every man on board of a cruiser, in time of war, hears
the cry of " sail ho !" which insures the excitement of
a chase, and the probability of an engagement.
Long before the hidl ofthe stranger was visible from
the deck, her spars and sails, enveloped in the mist, in
their shadowy outline seemed of gigantic proportions.
Like a shapeless cloud, rather than a thing of art, she
came down before the breeze, the mist, now and then,
in fantastic wreaths, half concealing, half betraying,
her form and character. The American hoisted her
colors as an invitation to the stranger to declare her
nationality. Shortly after, the report of a gun came
booming over the water, and the crew of the Chasseur
uttered a shout of exultation, as through the vapor
they descried the ensign of St. George. The com
manders of the two vessels were, however, aware that
the wind was too high, and the sea too rough for a fair
encounter. Each one, brave himself, doubted not the
valor of his adversary, and with a tacit understanding
that they would meet when the gale abated, the ships
hove to in each other's near vicinity. They rode out
the night in safety; each one carrying a light to
denote her position to the other.

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 161
The next day it moderated, and at 1 P. M., the
Chasseur hoisted her jack at the fore, as an intimation
that she was ready for the encounter.
.The signal was promptly answered, and the vessels
filled away, on opposite tacks, and exchanged broad
sides as they passed. Immediately after, like two
knights engaged a Voutrance, each again wore round,
and stood directly for the other, while from forward,
aft, successively as they bore, the guns were fired with
singular precision. As they neared each other, the
scene became more and, more exciting. The atmo
sphere was darkened, and the crews were working
their guns with the energy of desperation, -when a
harsh and grating sound told that the ships were
afoul. "Away ! boarders away !" was the instant cry of
the Englishman, and a host of men, cutlass and pistol
in hand, gathered on his forecastle.
" Stand by to repel boarders !" was the prompt
reply of the American, and a forest of bristling pikes
was arrayed against the assailants. Talk of serried
ranks and wedged battalions — of the compact square,
and even of the deep moat and frowning parapet !—
who would not charge upon either, rather than breast
that fretted line of steel, held by those stern-visaged
men ! The enemy paused and faltered.
By word and example, Horner had encouraged
his men to their utmost exertion, and at the first call
hurried with them to repel the enemy ; but when that
enemy hesitated, although but for an instant, he

162 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
shouted " On them, men! on! on!" and rushed for
ward to board them in turn.
" Back Mr. Horner, back, I command you," shouted
.the captain. " My God! he's gone!" he added, as
the two ships lifted high by a swelling wave fell apart,
and the foremast of the enemy came down with a
crash. The instant before, Horner had sprung on the
bowsprit, and the next, just escaping the mast as it
fell, he was upon the deck of the other vessel.
Captain Boyle, although firm as a veteran
throughout the fight, no sooner beheld the peril of
his officer, than trembling like an aspen, he sprung
into the rigging, and in a voice shrill and distinct
amid the uproar, called out, " Hurt but a hair of his
head, and I'll sink you where you lie."
In the mean time, Horner had not been idle.
Striking right and left, parrying where he could, but
not stopping to return a blow, he pressed on, and in
less time than it has taken to narrate this incident,
gained the quarter deck, cut the halliards, and hauled
the ensign down.
On separating from the enemy, the Chasseur ranged
ahead, and was prepared to throw in a broadside, but,
seeing the colors down, hailed to know if they had
surrendered. The reply was in the affirmative.
The prize was immediately taken possession of, and
Horner was found almost insensible, endeavoring to
staunch the blood from an ugly wound with the flag
which he had hauled down.
So destructive had been the fire of the American

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 163
that the prize wa6 completely riddled. She was there
fore scuttled, and in a very short time the Chasseur
was again prepared for action.
The wound of Horner was so severe as to leave no
hope of his being able to perform duty the remainder
of the cruise. A neutral merchant vessel that was
fallen in with, was chartered as a cartel, and all the
prisoners, with a few of the wounded, including Hor
ner, were put on board of her to be taken to the
United States.
Under the judicious treatment of the medical officer
who accompanied them, Horner was convalescent
when they passed the island from which he had lately
embarked. At his urgent request he was landed, and
the cartel after a few hours' delay, proceeded on her
cruise. Like the anguish of the parting, the ecstasy of the
meeting of the lovers may be imagined, but cannot be
described. " Dear Maynard," said Mary, as soon as they were
alone, " Dr. Holmes has told me all, and you have
more than realized my wildest and most extravagant
hopes." " Say not so, Mary ! Indeed you should rather take
credit to yourself ; for if I have done anything beyond
the strict line of duty, it was to prove myself worthy
of your rare affection."
" It is always so with you ; you first excite our
admiration, and then ascribe to others the credit due
only to yourself."

164 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" Nay, sweet girl, you wrong yourself and me. Tell
me, what is the body without the soul ?"
" An inanimate lump of clay — but why the ques
tion?" " Because to me you are what the soul is to the
body — the life which animates and the spirit which
directs it. You are my inspiration and my hope — the
aim and object of all my aspirations."
" Hush, this cannot, nay, I would not have it to be
true. Let us change the theme." She laid her hand
upon his lips as she spoke — but what maiden was
ever yet displeased with the devotion of a favored
lover ?
In the course of their conversation, Maynard
learned that Mr. Gillespie was on the look out for a
vessel to convey himself, his daughter, and his son, a boy
of fourteen, to the United States. The former was most
anxious to accompany them, and in the midst of hap
piness, was perhaps, the most impatient of all — for
Mr. Gillespie would not consent to his daughter's mar
riage before she had seen her relatives at home.
Perhaps, too, he wished to inquire more particularly
than he had yet been enabled to do, into the character
of the man who aspired to be his son-in-law. He
knew him to be brave and intelligent, and of frank
and winning manners, but he knew nothing more —
Captain Boyle when he dined at the Consulate, having
answered his questions in general terms of commen
dation. They waited for a long time in vain. So ruinous
had the war become to American commerce, that for

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 165
months, not a vessel from the United States had visited
the island.
Late one evening, a schooner named the " Hum
ming-Bird," formerly an American letter of marque,
arrived, bringing intelligence of peace between Eng
land and the United States. The owners of the
schooner had, without delay, applied to the Colombian
Minister for a commission, and she was now equipped
as a privateer under the flag of that Republic. Her
commander, having been drawn from his course by a
vessel to which he had given chase and captured two
days previous, purposed proceeding immediately to
Nassau, New Providence.
As from thence a speedy conveyance to the United
States could certainly be procured, and no Spanish
cruisers were supposed to be at sea, Mr. Gillespie
offered such inducements to the captain that he con
sented to take them as passengers, and gave up his
cabin for their accommodation.
In less than sixty hours they sailed with a light but
favorable breeze. About 4 P. M., the second day,
when they were nearly through the Mona passage, it
fell calm. Within the passage, from shore to shore,
there was not a ripple on the water, and the buoyant
little vessel, without advancing, rose and fell with the
undulation of the sea. A few miles ahead, without
the passage, -stretching from the east towards the west,
the dark and ruffled surface was relieved by the white
caps of the waves, which were curling and breaking
into sparkling foam. It was the trade-wind sweeping
unobstructed by the land, towards the Great Bahama

166 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
Bank. Several vessels were in sight, among them a
large one, coming down before the wind, which, less
than any, excited their attention, for she seemed too
burdensome for a Spanish trader to the colonies.
" Captain," said Horner, half an hour after, " un
less I am very much mistaken, that large stranger
to windward is a man-of-war."
" Probably an Englishman," replied the captain.
" Scarcely ; her canvas is not sufficiently dark, and
her upper sails roach too much. It is evidently a
frigate, and I think can hardly be a Frenchman, for
they rarely come in this direction. Are you sure
that there are no Spanish cruisers among the islands ?"
-" None so large as this," answered the captain, " for
the Isabella went to leeward upwards of a month
ago." " May it not have been a ruse ?" asked Horner.
" Give me the spy-glass," said the captain, and he
looked long and earnestly, " I cannot make her
out," he said at length, " but do not like her looks.
Get out the sweeps, Mr. Long," he added, addressing
his lieutenant, " we must have the ' Humming-Bird'
out of this mill-pond, or her wings will be useless."
The order was promptly obeyed, and the schooner
was soon moving at the rate ' of three or four knots
through the water, but the larger vessel was, in the
meantime, coming down at treble velocity. As soon
as the former began to feel the influence of the wind,
the sweeps were laid in, and all sail made to the north
ward, in the hope that the stranger would pass with
out heeding them. In this, however, they were disap-

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 167
pointed, for as the frigate was brought to bear abeam,
they observed with anxiety that she edged away
towards them.
" I fear that we were deceived in our intelligence,"
said the captain, in reply to a look from Homer.
" For heaven's sake, conceal your misgivings from
Mr. Gillespie and his family while there is a doubt,"
asked Horner, to which the captain nodded assent,
and proceeded quietly with his arrangements to elude,
if possible, the grasp of his pursuer, for he now felt
convinced that he saw the " Isabella."
The best sailing of the schooner was by the wind ;
instead, therefore, of keeping away, she was hauled
close to it, and steered n. n.e., bringing the frigate
to bear forward of the weather beam.
Mr. Gillespie and his daughter, who had retired
below when the sweeps were gotten" out, now returned
to the deck. Unconscious of danger, they looked
admiringly upon the bright and beautiful scene.
Nearly abreast, the island of Porto Rico was in full
view, the dark rich green of its luxuriant growth of
cane, varied here and there, by groves of the cotton-
tree, among which were seen the settlements of the
planters. Astern, but farther distant, Cape Engano
stretched far to seaward, while inland, ridge over
ridge, wooded to their summits, rose the picturesque
mountains of St. Domingo. The numerous vessels in
sight, mostly running before the wind, varying in size,
in rig, and in the color of their canvas, enlivened the
view, while nearer, the frigate, in her towering propor
tions, was borne majestically towards them.

168 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" Oh, father ! What a glorious sight ! Look, May
nard, at that noble ship ! But what is the matter ?
You are silent, and seem dejected ?"
" In a moment, dearest," he whispered, as he left her
to approach the captain, who had beckoned to him.
" I am afraid," said the latter, " that my little craft
is in great peril, and less than an hour must decide her
fate. The Spaniard will not be silent long, and I
advise you to get the passengers below."
" I was about to propose it," replied Horner ;
and returning to Miss Gillespie's side, said, " Summon
your fortitude, Mary ; the ship which you admire so
much is a Spanish frigate endeavoring to capture this
vessel." " Oh ! how unfortunate ! and will they harm you,
and father, and Frank ? Good God, what is that ?"
and she shrieked as the frigate luffed to the wind and
fired a gun, the shot from which went plunging ahead
of the schooner.
" Come below, Mary ! Come quickly ! Help me,
Mr. Gillespie, for she has nearly fainted."
The maiden and her father were conducted to the
most secure place below, and Horner returned to the
deck which Frank refused to leave.
At the first report of the gun, the Captain called out
" Edge her away, keep her off a point ; let the guns
alone," he added, addressing some of the crew, " Let
them be ; it would be worse than useless to fire ; the
' Bird' must now trust to her wings alone."
The little vessel was in fact at the very crisis of her
fate. The gun just discharged, had told that they

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE.

169

were within reach of the shot of the enemy ; they felt
that their only avenue of escape was through a
gauntlet of fire, and that the loss of a single spar
would insure their capture. It seemed perfect mad
ness for such a wee thing to abide the wrath of the
huge leviathan, panoplied in thunder. But in the for
lorn and desperate hope of sustaining the enemy's fire
for a few moments, without material injury, the captam
steadily pursued his way — but cut his anchors from the
bows, and threw half of his guns overboard. Had the
wind been light, the schooner's chance would have
been a fair one, but instead of lessening, it seemed to
freshen as the sun went down. There was a bare pos
sibility of escape, however, for already the little vessel
lightened of so much weight, began to increase her
velocity — still there was an abiding, a stunning fear,
of being sunk by a broadside of the frigate. The
latter had now opened her fire, and the fierce iron hail
fairly lashed the water into foam ; but the schooner
was yet materially uninjured, when a voice more
potent than that of gunpowder, hushed the loud artil
lery. Unobserved by either, a light and fleecy speck,
more like a whiff of smoke than the fragment of a
cloud, had risen over the land, and swift as a meteor,
shot across the sky. It was what sailors term a " white
6quall," and it caught the chaser and the chased
wholly unprepared. Almost instantaneously it struck
them both. The frigate's foremast and main-top mast,
went by the board, and every sail that was set was
blown into perfect shreds. The little " Humming-
Bird" felt the blast, but to succumb before it— she

170 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
was whirled over and capsized in an instant. Many
of the crew were instantly drowned, while others
instinctively clung to the keel.
In a paroxysm of anguish, Homer leaped down
the cabin hatchway as he felt the vessel going over,
and at imminent hazard rescued Miss Gillespie, but
her father and their servant perished. Frank owed his
preservation to one of the seamen, who held him
firmly with one hand, while he clung to the wreck
with the other.
The survivors, as soon as assured of their immediate
safety, looked around for means of rescue. The frigate
had driven past them, and under a single after-sail was
hove to, clearing her hull of the wreck. The several
vessels in sight had neither felt nor observed the
squall, and were all too distant, and the air was fast
becoming too obscure to attract their attention.
Sustaining his insensible mistress, with the aid of
one ofthe seamen, Horner said all he could to cheer
his companions.
About an hour after dark, the moon rose, and her
light silvered the crests of the waves as they curled
before the now gentle breeze. She had scarce risen
more than her diameter, when the watchers on the
wreck discovered two or three dark objects which
seemed to creep upon the water. Their hopes and
their fears were equally excited, but, presently, they
heard the splash of oars, and knew them to be boats
from the frigate. As eager now to be taken as before
to escape from capture, by shouts and cries they
attracted the notice of those who sought them. They
were soon removed to the frigate ; the lady and her

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 171
brother being led to the cabin, and the remainder,
including Homer, were promiscuously confined on the
lower deck.
Under jury foremast and a new main-top mast, the
frigate was the next morning standing under easy
sail, along the island of St. Domingo.
Repeatedly, but ineffectually, Horner endeavored
to convey a message to Miss Gillespie, and spent the
night in sleepless anxiety on her account. He knew
not into whose hands she had fallen, and whether her
youth and beauty might not, with an unprincipled man,
lead to ruffianly treatment. Her brother was with
her, it was true, but he was young and feeble com
pared to the strong men around him.
Early in the ' morning, he asked to see the lieu
tenant of the watch, but was told that he could not
communicate with any one except through the officer
of the marine guard, who would not make the round
for several hours. When that officer did appear, and
was told that a prisoner wished to speak to him, he
superciliously asked —
" Well, sir, what do you want?"
" I wish," said Horner, " to communicate through
you to the commander of the ship, that I am a citizen
of the United States, and with the family of Mr.
Gillespie, was simply a passenger on board of the pri
vateer !"
" Where are the proofs of your identity ? Have
you a passport ?"
" I had one, but with all my baggage it was unfor
tunately lost in the schooner. But here is her com-

172 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
mander, who, as well as his crew, will bear testimony
to what I say."
" Let them answer for themselves," was the sharp
reply. After a moment's pause, he added, " I will
report what you say to Count Ureha, our commander,
but let me advise you not to rely upon the evidence of
these wretches," pointing to the prisoners, " if you
have no other proof, you will fare indifferently." As
he said this, he turned upon his heel, and walked
away. Again, hour after hour passed away in fruitless ex
pectation. Every step upon the ladder which led from
above excited a thrill of hope, only the instant after
to be crushed in disappointment. At length, about
2 P. M., an orderly with a file of marines came to con
duct him to the commander. He obeyed the sum
mons with alacrity. On reaching the main deck,
from habits of association, he felt cheered at the sight
of the great guns, the stacks of muskets here and there
surmounted with their bristling bayonets, and the
bright sheen of the sharpened cutlasses. As the cabin
door was thrown open by the sentry stationed there,
he cast a quick glance round the apartment, in the
hope of seeing his betrothed. She was not there, and
but for the guns projecting from either side, he could
not have realized that he stood in the cabin of a man-
of-war, so rich was its furniture, and so gorgeous its
decorations. Gracefully festooned across the entire
width and partially concealing the white and highly
polished lattice-work of the after-cabin, was a deep
crimson curtain, embroidered and fringed with gold.

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 173
On each side, in the recesses between the guns, were
magnificent couches canopied and covered with the
same material intertwined with white, and between
them and the ship's side, were collections of flowers
and fragrant plants. A large mirror in an arabesque
frame, was inclined over a rosewood beaufet, laden
with massive plate and a profusion of crystal. A
richly chased silver lamp was suspended over a table,
the cover of which was white cloth fringed, like the
curtain, with gold. Around were a few elaborately
carved chairs, and from several cages were heard the
melodious notes of singing birds. The deck was
covered with the finest India matting.
On a couch, in the recess to the left, was seated a
man of middle age, and rather delicate features, except
the chin and under lip which were massive and sensual,
and a peculiar glance of the eye, which gave a sinister
aspect to an otherwise handsome countenance. He
was spare in figure, and to a casual observer, even as
he sat, it was perceptible that he stooped ; and his
whole appearance indicated a frequent participant
in the orgies of dissipation. Before him stood the
officer of marines who had just made his official report.
At a signal from the latter, Horner advanced towards
the Count, who said, —
" I understand, sir, that you declare yourself to have
been only a passenger in the Humming-Bird, but that
you have no evidence to sustain you. How can you
expect me to credit the assertion of a stranger under
such equivocal circumstances ?"
" You have a lady on board, sir, my affianced bride,

174

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

who, with her brother, were passengers as well as my
self. They will tell you that I am not an impostor."
"Your affianced bride," said the Count, not heeding
what he last said, " you are then the friend for whom
she has been so uneasy ?"
" I knew that she would be so," replied Horner ;
" May I now ask to see her, that she may corroborate
what I have said ?"
" Not so fast," exclaimed the Count, " that you have
gained the affections of the young lady, is no proof of
your being what you profess — indeed, you may have
won them under an assumed name and character."
"It ill becomes you, sir," cried Homer, very
much incensed, " it ill becomes you to insult a man
who for the time being is in your power ; but I warn
you that if I, or those with me, are unnecessarily
detained or harshly treated, you will be held to a
severe reckoning."
" And by whom, sir," exclaimed the Count, turning
pale with rage ; " by a man who has no other vouchers
to a most improbable tale, than a horde of pirates, a
mere boy, and a love-sick maiden."
" The proofs are sufficient, sir, for any impartial
judge, but I see plainly that you have some purpose
in seeming to disbelieve them ; what that purpose is,
your conscience best can tell."
" What mean you, sir, by this insolence ; but I know
how to curb and punish it."
" Insolence and punish," contemptuously answered
Horner; "those are words used by cowards when
addressing slaves. I defy alike your malice and your

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 175
power. You may maltreat us, but a day of reckoning
will surely come. I demand to see Miss Gillespie and
her brother," he added, as his ear caught the sound of
sobs in the after-cabin.
The Count pulled the bell-rope as he spoke, and
at the summons the sentry stationed without the door
opened it, and with hand to cap awaited his direc
tions. The latter, pointing to the door, said, —
" Mr. Manuel, take out your prisoner and confine
him apart from the rest ; sentry, let them pass."
Horner hesitated for a moment, and then said, —
" I am unarmed, and it would therefore be madness to
resist you ; but, in the name of humanity, I ask, can
you listen unmoved to the distress of the lady within
there; as a man, an officer, and a nobleman, I appeal
to you. She has recently lost her father as you know,
and except myself, her young brother is now her sole
protector." " She will be sufficiently cared for, sir, without your
interference. Take out the prisoner, Mr. Manuel."
The above conversation had taken place in Spanish,
which Homer spoke fluently ; but when he found
that for some sinister purpose he was not permitted to
see Miss Gillespie, he advanced towards the lattice
work and called out in English, " Mary, dear Mary,
be upon your guard ! Frank, I fear that she is in the
hands of a villain. Do not leave your sister for a mo
ment." " That I will not," cried the boy, who vainly tried
to force the door, while his sister sobbed convulsively.

176 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
The Count, although he did not understand the lan
guage, comprehended the import of the words, and
with a gesture of impatience, motioned the officer to
take the prisoner away.
Horner, satisfied that the danger was lessened by
the timely warning he had given, submitted without
resistance, and was led from the apartment.
When left alone, the Count remained for some time
thoughtful. " If I could but speak their horrid lan
guage," he said, soliloquizing, " or if she understood
mine, I could certainly win her. But I must know
how matters exactly stand between her and this
would-be bridegroom. Let me see : can I trust Gon
zalez? From the expression of his eye, sometimes,
as well as from his never speaking of her, I fear that
he knows all about his unhappy sister. And yet, I
must trust him or abandon all, for he is -the only inter
preter we have. There is no help for it : I cannot
give up the game so freshly started; but I will be
wary, and watch him closely." He. slightly touched
the bell. " Send Gonzalez to me !" he said to the
attendant who obeyed the summons.
A few moments after, a young man of twenty-three
or twenty-four years of age entered the cabin, and
bowing to the Count, awaited his commands in silence.
From his spare figure, he looked taller than he really
was. His hair and moustache were glossy black, and
curled in rich luxuriance. His eyebrows formed one
continuous arch, and the eye beneath, black and lus
trous, was subdued in its ordinary expression, but
at times, in a single glance, conveyed -a startling

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 177
idea of latent energy. His features were almost femi
ninely regular, and his voice musically clear and
sweet. The Count's fears were not without foundation. His
secretary, (for such was the position of Gonzalez,)
knew his sister's wrongs, and, like a true Spaniard,
longed for an opportunity to revenge them. His com
mander for some minutes scanned him closely where
he stood, the young man at first returning his gaze
with a look neither too humble nor yet audacious, and
then deferentially turned his eyes in another direction.
" What is the matter, Gonzalez ? You seem of late
unusually taciturn and moody."
" I think, Seiior, that my health is suffering from
long confinement to the ship. I need recreation on
shore." " What mean you by long confinement ? Were you
not repeatedly on shore last month in Havana ?"
" No, Sin jr ! if you will recollect, I applied several
times for permission, but, on each occasion, you had
important letters or despatches to write."
" Did you hear from home before we sailed ?" and
the Count's look became intently riveted upon him.
The young man slightly colored. " I heard indi
rectly, Sehor, that all were well."
" From whom ?"
" From a muleteer who resides in the adjoining vil
lage." " Did he give you no particulars ?"
" None, Senor, worth relating."
The Count paused. He was dissatisfied, yet feared
8*

178 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
that by further questioning he might excite the very
suspicion he wished to quell. Assuming a blander
tone, he said, " I have been to blame, Gonzalez, and
will make amends. When we arrive in port, you shall
have ample opportunities to recruit. Should you need
funds, consider my purse at your service."
" Thanks, Seiior : my salary is sufficient for all my
wants." " Well, bear my offer in remembrance : but come
nearer — I have something confidential to impart. You
are aware that the lady rescued from the wreck last
night, is now in the after-cabin ?"
" I am, Sefior."
" One of the prisoners, doubtless an impostor,
assumes that she is betrothed to him. I wish you to
see her and ascertain how she is affected towards
him." " It is needless, Sefior. At the invitation of Lieut.
Flores, I accompanied him in his boat last night, and
in rescuing the prisoners from the wreck, witnessed
how tenderly that lady clung to the man you speak of."
" It might have been the convulsiveness of fear."
" If so, Senor, it would have subsided with the
occasion which gave it birth ; but it continued to the
last, and while she evinced for the lad the solicitude
of an elder sister, she seemed to regard the American
as her chosen and her sole protector."
" Why were they separated ?"
" I understood by your orders, Sefior," replied the
youth, with an air of surprise.

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 179
" I mean," said the Count, somewhat confused,
" how did they bear it ?"
" He was, at first, disposed to resist, but a moment
after submitted with an air of stern resignation."
" And she ?"
" At first seemed bewildered and could not compre
hend the purport of the order ; when she did so, she
implored the American not to leave her ; but, when
he whispered a few words to her, she too, submitted,
and with such meek gentleness, as moved the hardest
hearts to sympathy."
" Sympathy," exclaimed the Count, angrily, " where
there is no real distress, there can be no occasion for
its exercise. In common humanity, I am bound to
protect her from the arts of an impostor."
There was a slight twitch of the Secretary's upper
lip, but he said nothing.
" At all events, I wish you to converse with her,
Gonzalez. Try if you cannot reconcile her to a short
separation from her friend, and assure her that as soon
as I am satisfied that he is what he represents himself,
he shall be free."
The Secretary bowed in acquiescence, and the
Count rising, led the way into the after cabin. It was
fit for the boudoir of a queen. A carpet of the richest
Persian dye and softest texture, was under foot. Ex
cept in front, the whole apartment was lined with
fawn-colored tapestry ; and the windows framed into
the after ports, had parti-colored curtains of fawn and
cherry. An ottoman and several chairs were covered
with embroidered damask corresponding to the tapestry

180 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
and a small richly-carved cabinet was filled with
books. There was a pair of globes upon stands, and a
harp and a guitar, mirrors and candelabras, with a
few small, but exquisite paintings, completed the
equipment of this cell of a Sybarite.
With dishevelled hair and eyes inflamed with
weeping, in all the abandonment of grief, Miss Gilles
pie laid with her head upon her brother's breast, who,
as the door was opened, threw his arms around her as
if more perfectly to protect her.
With a courteous air, and all the elaborate breeding
of an artificial gentleman, the Count advanced and
paid his respects through the medium of the Inter
preter. " Had she sustained no injury from the
accident of the night before ? Had she recovered from
her alarm ? Had she slept well ? Could he do any
thing for her ?"
The three first questions she answered in mono
syllables. To the fourth, she made an effort to reply,
but maiden bashfulness overcame her, and she looked
imploringly to her brother. The youth construed her
feelings rightly, and said —
" We wish, Sir, to see our friend Mr. Horner, who
was a passenger with us in the schooner."
" At present, it cannot be," said the Count, " but
when we reach Havana he will doubtless prove his
character, and he can then rejoin you ; but," address
ing her, " so much beauty should not be marred by
untimely grief. A few days more and your friend
will be restored to liberty. Here, I cannot make a
distinction between him and the other prisoners.

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 181
Permit me, therefore, to intreat you to dry up your
tears, and let a smile once more wreath itself upon your
lovely cheek."
" Say to him," asked Miss Gillespie, of the Inter
preter, " that I am in deep affliction. Yesterday, I
lost my father, and now, when I am most helpless,
I am, by his act, separated from the friend whom that
father had chosen as my protector through life. I am,
therefore, in no mood to listen to compliments, which
would be ill-timed from any one, and from him, are
absolutely insulting."
The Count stifled his vexation, and said, " I beg
pardon for this intrusion, and will wait a more season
able time to express my sympathy and make a proffer
of my services." So saying, he withdrew, leaving
Gonzalez to gather the particulars of their history.
An unprincipled man, in his sphere possessing
almost unlimited power, the Count felt himself baffled
by an unarmed prisoner and a heljjless maid.
" Till now," such were his thoughts, " I fancied
Dolores beautiful, but her features lack the harmony
and intellectual grace of this northern Houri. &t
every hazard she must be mine. If all else fail, the
drug must be resorted to. It is certainly the speedi
est, and I know not but that it is the best. To-morrow
we will be abreast of Ozama, where my friend Dou
Castro resides, and to him I can send their seemingly
inanimate bodies, as if for interment — but I am neg
lecting my first precaution" — and he rung the bell for
the steward, a swarthy Italian, with the body of a
man surmounted on the legs of a dwarf.

182

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

" Domingo," said his master, " go into the secret
passage and watch Gonzalez, who is now with the lady
and her brother. Note everything he does, and
try to gather the purport of what he says."
The steward obeying, disappeared through a panel
that opened with a spring.
In about half an hour Gonzalez came forth from the
inner cabin and repeated what he had learned from
the prisoners. When he had retired, at a peculiar
signal from the Count, the panel flew noiselessly open,
and the steward reappeared before his master. The
account he gave was anything but satisfactory, and his
master's brow darkened with mistrust as he listened
to the recital.
About sunset, Miss Gillespie asked if her brother
and herself might be permitted to walk on the upper
deck. Assent was most graciously given, and the
Count himself escorted her. But finding that she
would not converse, and that his presence was irksome
to her, he smothered his vexation, and after a few
turns left the orphans to themselves.
-It was an hour and a scene fitted to captivate the
eye, and refresh the soul ; such was its soothing influ
ence, that Mary frequently found her mind wander
ing from the contemplation of the perils which envi
roned her. The night previous, the ship, driven
before the blast, was whirled with resistless velocity
on a bed of seething foam. Now, the gentle wind
borne from the land, wafted fragrance on its wing
and the sea, slightly ruffled, seemed to enjoy the
refreshing embrace of its sister element. The gorgeous

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 183
western sky was tinged by the hues of the setting sun
— to the south and east was a boundless expanse of
blue, and the mountains of St. Domingo, lofty and
picturesque, bounded the northern horizon.
The sun had gone down, and the moon was up ; still,
Mary Gillespie paced the deck with her brother. It
was evident that she had some purpose in view, and
by those who watched her, was observed to cast fre
quent, uneasy glances around. At length, a figure
that had been stealthily gliding along under the sha
dow of the lee bulwarks, suddenly stepped forth and
whispered, " Lady, I have failed to see him ; but
some time to-night, will surely succeed — say nothing
— I see a man's head above the rail, and fear that he
has been observing us. I must away ; take this and
read it as soon as possible." He handed a small
folded paper as he spoke, and immediately disap
peared. Mary slipped the paper into a book she carried in
her hand, and soon after turned to leave the deck ; as
she did so, some one pushed rudely against her, and
the book fell. This person, availing himself of her
confusion, instantly picked it up, and in seeming
eagerness to return it, let it fall a second time. Seri
ously alarmed, Mary now snatched it up, and hurried
below. Unfortunately the paper was not to be found)
and she gave way to the most direful forebodings.
That evening, as once a- week it was his wont, the
Count supped with his officers in the ward-room,
where he remained until near midnight ; but, in the
meantime, his diabolical agent had not been idle.

184

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

About 11 o'clock, Frank and his sister were sensible
that they were inhaling an aromatic and fragrant
vapor. At first, they enjoyed it, but it soon occurred
to them that they were fast sinking into a lethargy.
With desperate exertions they endeavored to force the
door, or to obtain assistance by loud and vociferous
outcries. The breeze had unfortunately freshened,
and there was much tramping and running about on
deck, so that their cries were unheard, or, if heard,
unheeded. One would suppose that this agitation and
fear would have proved an antidote to the insidious
effects of the drug ; but no ! gently, imperceptibly,
they felt their systems relax ; they soon began to
wonder at their alarm ; a delicious languor enthralled
them, and as volume after volume of the scented
vapor rolled into the apartment, they surrendered
themselves to its influence, and pressed in each other's
arms, were soon wrapped in a profound sleep.
About an hour before, Horner, to whom the night
previous had been a restless one, although racked
with anxiety, had fallen into a light and fitful slumber,
when he was awakened by a hand pressing upon his
chest, and a voice whispering in his ear, " Do not
speak, but follow — imitate my motions as exactly
as you can, and for God's sake be cautious."
The speaker, who was lying beside him on the deck,
then rolled over towards the hatchway ; but when the
sentry turned in his round, he remained perfectly still.
This he repeated slowly and cautiously, Horner 'fol
lowing his example, until they reached what sailors
term the " combings" of the main-hatch, i.e. the elevated

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 185
pieces around it, to prevent the water from running
into the hold. Gonzales, for it was he, waited there
for some time, until he saw the sentry loiter at the fur
thest end of his round, when he quietly threw himself
down the hatchway, and crept on one side, out of
sight. As soon as Horner had followed his example,
he led the way over casks and barrels. When they
had proceeded a short distance, he whispered, " The
master's mate of the hold, who is a fellow town'sman
of mine, had this passage opened for me to-day. If
he had refused — and for a long time he hesitated, that
villain would inevitably have succeeded in his plan."
" What plan ?" eagerly asked Homer ; " I know not
who you are, or whither you are leading me. Ex
plain." " You will soon know me ; but let it content you
now that I lead you to save your mistress. But that I
feared the interference of that ruffian, the steward, I
would have gone alone."
" Lead on, then ! lead quickly !" said Horner, his
fears strongly excited.
They resumed their way, groping along in the dark,
and taking every step with the greatest caution. They
succeeded in reaching first the main, then the upper
deck, and thence separately, found their way through
one of the ports, to a narrow platform on the outside,
to which the lower rigging is set up, and there con
certed their future movements.
The convivial party in the ward room had been
broken up by a squall ; and with the other sea-officers
the Count repaired to the quarter-deck. For a short

186

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

time the wind blew with violence, and was accompa
nied by a heavy fall of rain. In less than an hour
after there was a perfect calm, and the ship gently
swayed with the undulation.
In the after-cabin, the solitary lamp, through the
vapor, shed its soft light upon the rich and costly fur
niture, and revealed the forms of the sleepers, whose
deep breathing alone proclaimed their existence, so
immovable was their position, so much deprived did
their bodies seem of the watchful guardianship of the
spirits within them. The fragrant odor, the attenuated
vapor, the faint and silvery light, the boy with his
noble brow undimmed by sin or sorrow, — the lovely
maiden, one arm upon her breast, and one clasped
around her brother, formed an atmosphere and a
group, in and around which, angels might love to
linger. But a serpent had stealthily glided in.
Satisfied from the profound stillness that the drug
had begun its work, the Count entered the apartment,
and, approaching, gently touched, then breathed upon
and called them by their names, and then more rudely
shook them. As he anticipated, they were insensible.
The stillness was profound and death-like. He re
moved the boy from the girl's embrace, and, lost in
admiration, gazed upon her wondrous beauty. Her
pulse, though faint, beat steadily, and there was yet a
flush upon her cheek. For a moment, he fondled her
hand, and played with her silken tresses ; but, aware
that he could remain no longer, for already he began
to feel the influence of the vapor, before turning away,
he stooped to kiss her moist and parted lips.

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 187
The desecration was prevented. A crashing blow
descended upon his head, and he fell senseless on the
deck. With one foot upon his prostrate form, and the
massive bar again uplifted, Horner stood over him,
while from a door Gonzalez looked on.
" Hold !" said the last, as Horner was about to
repeat the blow, " Hold ! another stroke may finish
him, and that is a task reserved for me alone." He
advanced as he spoke, and examined the wound. " It
is a very severe contusion," he added, a moment after ;
" and if it had fallen a little more direct, the blow
would have been a fatal one. He is now wholly insen
sible, and unless my skill in surgery fails me, will
remain, for some days at least, in a perfect stupor. It
is most fortunate. Let us place him in his room and *
retire. The infamous steward will not enter until
morning, when I will be hovering near. It is useless :
nothing can wake them now," he added, as he saw
Horner endeavoring to rouse the maiden ; " but,
that they may be safe, let me not forget the antidote."
So saying, he produced a phial, and administered a
portion of its contents to them.
With a sigh, Horner pressed his lips to the brow
of his mistress, and turned to assist Gonzalez in re
moving the wounded man. They then effaced all
traces of their presence, and, unbolting the door which
led to the outer cabin, retired as they came, through
the window of the quarter gallery.
Long after the usual horn the next morning, the table
was spread in the outer cabin for breakfast, but the
steward did not dare to disturb his master. At ten

188

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

o'clock, the drum beat to quarters for inspection.
When the First Lieutenant came to make his report,
the steward expressed his fear that the Count was
indisposed. " Has he directed that he should not be disturbed ?"
asked the officer.
The steward admitted that he had not.
" Have you been called to him in the night ?"
" No, sir."
" Then I must make my report." He advanced to
the door and knocked, first gently, and then more
loudly. There was no reply, and the officer turning
the bolt, to the surprise of the steward the door
yielded to the push. The Count was found lying in a
profound stupor, the blood thickly clotted about a
wound in his head. The orphans were buried in a
sleep which the surgeon pronounced unnatural, and
the steward was suspected of having drugged them to
prevent an alarm, and afterwards attempted the life of
his master. The miserable wretch was put in irons as
the supposed murderer of a man in whose contem
plated villany he had been a participant.
Light and baffling winds retarded the frigate, and
on the evening of the fourth day after the incident
above related, she had just cleared the Windward pas
sage, and with Cape La Mole astern, was standing along
the northern shore of Cuba, for the port of Havana.
The Count had lain in a comatose state since his
accident ; and his heavy breathing and frequent
moans showed how much pressure there was upon the
brain, and how much he suffered. But this afternoon

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 189
his respiration had become more regular and less op
pressive, and in a few hours he awoke to conscious
ness and a sense of pain. By degrees, his recollection
returned ; and after making a few inquiries, to the
surprise of every one, he ordered the steward to be
released and summoned to attend upon him.
These two, the master just rescued from the grave
and the servant, who would have found an igno
minious one, had that master perished, conferred for a
long time together. After questioning his steward
closely, the Count said, " I am satisfied, Domingo, that
it was not from your hand I received the blow. I left
you in the forward cabin ; you could only have entered
on the starboard side, and in that direction my head
was turned, and I must have seen you. The blow was
from the other side. Were you, at any time, absent
from the cabin, after I went to the ward-room ?"
" Not an instant, sefior."
" It is strange ! Could entrance have been effected
through the quarter gallery?"
" It must have been so, sefior, for here the paint is
freshly rubbed."
" I suspect Gonzalez," said the Count : " indeed, I
am sure that he has been concerned. But then, he
had not the vigor to deal- such a blow. That hateful
American must have been the man. I will be deeply
revenged." Late that afternoon, as Horner, seated aloof from
the other prisoners, was grieving that Mary's perse
cutor had recovered the possession of his faculties be
fore the arrival of the ship in port — from which he

190

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

feared the most serious consequences, the master's-
mate, in passing, shook him roughby and said, " What
are you brooding over ? Let me see if your handcuffs
are secure," and stooping over as if to examine them,
slipped a small fold of paper into his hand. Watch
ing his opportunity, the former read the note. It was
from Gonzalez, in these words : " We are strongly sus
pected, if not discovered. I know it, from the search
ing examination I have undergone. We must fly, and
reach Havana before the ship, if possible. Be on the
alert for a signal. Here you are absolutely within the
power of the tyrant. He will throw you into prison,
and before your case can be investigated, months must
elapse, and in the meantime your mistress will be lost
to you for ever."
The note agitated Horner exceedingly. It was
agonizing to think of leaving Mary and her brother in
the hands of their unprincipled captor, and yet, with
Gonzalez, he felt sure that if he. remained, his fate
would be a dungeon, until her ruin was completed.
His only consolation was founded on the hope that
the Count would not recover sufficiently to carry out
his nefarious design, before the ship reached her port
of destination. This consideration determined him to
escape if possible.
There had been some water heated in the coppers
(Anglice, boiler) for the purpose of giving the Count a
prescribed bath. It was contrived that while the cook's
attention was drawn another way, a piece of meat
should be thrown in, which rendered the water greasy
and unfit for its destined use. As had been antici-

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 191
pated, the master's mate was directed to have more
drawn from the hold. Accordingly he came upon the
lower deck, and as he stepped from the ladder, beside
which Horner was reclining, said " Look out," and
passed immediately on. The latter, taking the hint,
but uncertain how to apply it, remained for a few
moments in great suspense, until the master's mate
called the sentry forward to hold the light for him. As
the latter obeyed, Horner availed himself of the
opportunity, and hurried up the ladder, although yet
uncertain if such were the plan concerted by his friend.
He was very soon assured, however, for nearly abreast
of him, from the shadow between two of the guns, a
figure advanced a few steps, and immediately retired.
It proved to be Gonzalez, and together they clambered
out through one of the ports, and found themselves by
the small skiff of the privateer, which had been saved
from the wreck, and hoisted up immediately under
the anchor in the waist. Fortunately, the wind had
hauled nearly ahead, and with the yards sharp braced
up, the ship was sailing sluggishly along, with her
bow rather inclined towards the shore.
" We must remain quiet here," whispered Gon
zalez, " until some movement be made on deck, in
the noise of which we can lower the skiff undetected."
The wind was gradually freshening, and the ship
began to plunge with the increasing swell. After
awhile, the top-gallant sails were taken in, but it was
an evolution so quickly performed, that before the
boat had been lowered half the distance it was sus
pended from the water, the noise ceased, and they

192 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
were compelled to hold on. In about half an hour
after, they were cheered with the welcome order,
" Man the main clue-garnets and buntlines," prepara
tory to hauling up the mainsail.
As the men ran away with the ropes, and clewed
and gathered the large and heavily flapping sail to the
yard, the two fugitives standing in the boat, succeeded
in lowering and casting it adrift, and in the obscurity of
the night the ship passed by without any one observing
them. But they soon found that they had exchanged
apprehended evils from human malignity for instant
and appalling danger.
With incessant toil, in constant peril of upsetting,
they gained at last the shore, and beached their frail
boat on the strand of an unknown harbor.
On one side of the sequestered little bay, through
the dim and uncertain light, they discovered three or
four huts, embowered and almost concealed by the
umbrageous and productive banana, whose large, pen
dent leaves, waving in the wind, seemed at one time
to beckon them on, at another, to warn them from
approaching. It was evidently a fishing settlement; for there
were some boats hauled upon the shore, and a long
seine was suspended on a number of upright poles.
Pulling towards what seemed the' usual landing-
place, as their light skiff grated upon the pebbly
beach, they leaped overjoyed upon the silent shore
— silent and mute in all that pertains to human action
or the human voice — but eloquent, most eloquent, in
the outpourings of a rich and teeming earth, and the

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 193
gushing emotions of thankfulness it awakened in the
bosoms of those two weary and persecuted men.
* * * * * * '
It was the morning of the fifth day after the escape
of the fugitives.
The land breeze had subsided, and the flag that was
wont to wave over the ramparts of the Moro Castle,
hung listless beside the staff which supported it.
Into the cavernous recesses, worn by the friction of
the water in the foundations of the massive structure,
the sluggish waves tumbled with a dull and deafening
sound. In the near offing was the frigate, her sails
flapping as she gently rolled on a light ground swell.
Farther off, were a number of vessels, awaiting, like
the frigate, a wind to waft them to their various desti
nations. Beyond them, until it mingled with the
distant horizon, there was nothing visible on the far-
stretching and pellucid sea.
Apart on the quarter deck of the frigate, sat Mary
Gillespie and her brother, she, with an air of unmiti
gated sadness, he, chafing at a captivity which he
deemed illegal.
So long as Horner remained a prisoner, although
confined apart and denied all intercourse with her, his
mere presence in the same vessel gave her a sense of
security. But now he was gone, whither and where
fore, she could not tell, and she felt as if she were
abandoned to some horrid fate. But, to do her justice,
her bitterest source of grief was anxiety for his safety.
Had she heard nothing of him, she would have con"
eluded that he was still among the prisoners, and by
9

194 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
the strict vigilance of his guards denied all opportunity
of communicating with her. But her persecutor was
too shrewd and malignant not to know that if he could
persuade her of her lover's desertion, he might more
reasonably hope for success. She was, therefore, soon
informed of the escape, of which the missing boat was
sufficient proof; and every representation was made
calculated to impair her confidence and weaken her
attachment. But, like a mail of proof, her own integ
rity protected her, and the malignant shafts fell
harmless. Although young and inexperienced, scarce more
than a nestling that had for the first time fledged its
wing, this girl possessed the noblest attributes of her
sex. Fervent and unselfish love, such as that sex
alone can feel, does not harbor a doubt. Undying
and unchangeable in itself, it cannot comprehend that,
of the existence of which it is unconscious. Often
placed unhappily, often denied the communion for
which it yearns, it looks beyond the grave for the frui
tion of its hope.-
She had listened to the soft and hesitating whisper
of proffered love; and her gushing eye and mantling
cheek confessed that love to be requited. Her soul
had mingled with another's in the most endearing
union of life— the union of manly strength with
shrinking beauty ; of skill to do and will to dare—
with affection to sustain and fortitude to endure. Of
man radiant with intelligence, with woman, the celes
tial link that binds him to a purer state. With a
pledge as dear as it was enduring, they had sworn to

INCTDENTS OF A LIFE. 195
preserve that union until it should be merged into the
holiest and most beautiful of all, which is effected in
death ; when their souls, stripped of the mortal coils
which encumbered them, and,wafted on wings of love,
should soar upward and onward, until side by side,
inseparable as in life, and inseparable for ever, they
intoned their hymns of praise with the choir which
surrounds the Eternal !
Could a woman capable of conceiving such a pledge
ever falter, much less prove unfaithful ? Never.
And Mary Gillespie was as unmoved by the insinua
tions of the wily Count, as is the placid moon by the
howlings of a hungry wolf.
As the two orphans sat apart, occasionally exchang
ing a few words, and then relapsing into silence, the
First Lieutenant, an old and worthy officer, who, from
the want of family influence had long been denied
promotion, touched by their sadness, approached, and
respectfully accosted them. At first he confined him
self to inquiries respecting their health and comfort, and
made some cheering observations on' the prospect of
their speedy liberation. He then, after musing a mo
ment or two, left them, and whispered a few words to
the officer of the deck. The latter nodded intelligence,
and immediately gave an order, which required those
of the crew hovering about to go forward to aid in its
execution. The First Lieutenant returning, said to
Mary —
" Young lady, I have two daughters at home,
one of them about your age, and when I think how I
Bhould feel if either of them were in your unprotected

196 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
situation, I sympathize deeply with you. Indeed, I
am not the only one. There is a general feeling
among the officers to protect you if need be, and you
may rely upon our disposition to serve you. And now
answer me, frankly, Does your extreme sadness pro
ceed solely from your detention, and the escape and
apparent desertion of your friend ?"
" Oh no, Sir !" she replied, " whatever may have
induced him to leave us, I am sure that he has acted
for the best. You judge rightly in supposing that we
have cause for anxiety apart from what proceeds from
our detention, which must soon terminate" —
" But," said the officer, " I have long sought an
opportunity to speak with you. Why is it that you
have confined yourself below ?"
" We often wished to come up," she replied, " but
have been heretofore told that the Count was too ill to
be consulted — and that without his permission, we
could not leave the cabin."
" Aye, indeed," said the Lieutenant, " we were told
otherwise." For some time longer he conversed with
them, and before they separated advised them to keep
always together, and to write a note to the American
Consul in Havana, claiming his protection, and pro
mised if it were sent to him to forward it to its desti
nation. ******
Horner and Gonzalez representing themselves as
having escaped from a wreck, were kindly received
at the little settlement where they landed, but declin
ing the hospitalities which were freely tendered, they

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 197
merely asked for a guide to conduct them to Havana.
After much fatigue and privation, and at one time ex
posed to imminent peril, they reached the Reglos, a
settlement opposite to the city, the very day on which
the ship arrived.
Afraid to venture out before nightfall, they remained
quietly in the small room of an obscure inn. They had
been there a long time without seeing or hearing any
one, when, about an hour after the ship had anchored,
they heard footsteps on the creaking staircase, and a
voice called out, —
" Is there any one above, Marguerita ?"
" There were two sailor-looking men this morning,"
replied a female voice, " but they must have gone out,
for I have heard nothing of them since dinner."
" We will see," said the first ; but Gonzalez was too
quick for him. At the first word he had started from
the bed, and slipping noiselessly to the door, turned
the bolt and withdrew the key.
The party, consisting of three persons, came up in
the meantime, and two of them proceeded to an adjoin
ing room, while one stopped and tried the door. In a
few moments, he rejoined his companions, saying,
" All safe ! they are out."
When Gonzalez started up and hurried to the door,
Homer was struck as much by the expression of his
countenance, as at the movement itself, and he conti
nued to watch him in silent amazement. But a few
moments sufficed to convince him that his friend was
not insane. When the person who tried the door

198 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
had retired, Gonzalez stepping lightly to the bed,
whispered, —
" Don't make the slightest noise — it is the rascally
steward, with some of the cut-throats who resort to
this side of the harbor. The Count has some
design afoot, and Providence has sent us in time to
save that unfortunate lady."
Horner needed no more ; and, with their facul
ties on the full stretch, they listened attentively, and
gathered almost every word of the conversation in the
next room. ******
About the usual hour, the sea-breeze set in ;
and, sailing by the towering fortress on the one
hand, and the beautiful structures of the town, with its
crowded wharves and numerous shipping on the other,
the frigate, late in the afternoon, anchored in the
upper harbor of Havana.
Frank Gillespie, who was no longer restricted to
the cabin, watched his opportunity, and slipped
into the old Lieutenant's hand a note, with which
his sister had entrusted him. Soon afterwards, the
Captam of the port came on board, to pay his
official visit. The Lieutenant, who was well ac
quainted with him, took an opportunity of handing
him the note, with the assurance that it was on im
portant business, and exacted a promise that he would
transmit it, without delay, to the American Consul.
The officer promised to attend punctually to the
commission, and the kind-hearted Lieutenant, with

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 199
great satisfaction, saw him, a short time afterwards,
take his departure for the shore. When the ship was
moored, the Count, professing to be unable to go him
self, sent the First Lieutenant to wait upon the Ad
miral. Very soon after, a boat came alongside, and
the person in charge stated that he bore a message for
Miss Gillespie and her brother. The American consul
was absent, he said, and would not return for a day
or two; but his wife had prepared rooms for, and
would gladly welcome them. The message ended
with an entreaty that they would come at once. They
needed no persuasion, and, making their brief prepa
rations, with indescribable joy took their seats in the
boat, and bade adieu to their floating prison.
When his myrmidons came with the boat, the Count
had every reason to believe that his plot was in a fair
train for execution, and yet he felt restless and uneasy.
The critical period between the conception and con
summation of any conspiracy, even when the judg
ment sanctions, and the true heart approves it, is the
most trying of all the situations in which human na
ture can be placed ; but, when the object is detestable,
the means base and treacherous, and the agents em
ployed unprincipled, then, the suspense must be tor
turing ; for the slightest accident, the most trivial
indiscretion may frustrate, and the faithlessness of the
least trusted agent betray the best-concerted plot that
was ever laid.
For some days, the, Count had feigned to be weaker
than he really was ; and no so.oner had Frank and his
sister left the cabin, than he sprung from his couch,

200 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
and leaned out of one of the ports to see them em
bark. It is said that the Evil One favors his own ; and in
this instance the adage was verified. No one had yet
descended the side, and as the Count cast his scru
tinizing glance in every direction, his quick ear de
tected the light splash of an oar. Withdrawing in
stantly, he extinguished the lamp, and, returning to
his position, in a few moments, as his eye became
accustomed to the obscurity, he saw indistinctly, a
small boat, but could not make out how many persons -
it contained. It was, he thought, most probably, some
poor fisherman laboring for to-morrow's subsistence.
Guilt, however, is always suspicious ; and, without
being able to assign to himself a reason for his mis
givings, he summoned the' steward, and gave him a
few hurried instructions. The latter, immediately
after, slipped through one of the ports, and, unseen
from the upper deck, descended into the boat just
before it shoved off. The fears awakened by the sight
of that tiny boat had induced the Count to change his
plan. As the boat with Frank and his sister pushed off
from the frigate, the smaller one, containing the two
friends, which had hovered at a distance, pur
sued the same direction. They first pulled for some
distance up the river, until it had passed the city, and
then stopped at the landing of a neat villa.
" I do not understand this movement," said Gon
zalez. " They have stopped at a posada, to which, in
their evening rides, the citizens usually resort for

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 201
refreshment. There must be some change in their
plan since we heard them discuss it."
In the meantime, the other party had landed and
entered the house. Those who, under the shadow of
the opposite bank, observed them, immediately deter
mined to land also ; and, giving way with their oars,
had nearly reached the line of light, when Gonzalez
called out, " Hold ! back ! back your oars, quickly !
they are returning."
They again retreated within the shadow, and saw
two men, followed by a third, bearing the lady to the
boat, in which they placed her, and immediately
shoved off from the shore.
" I now understand it all," whispered Gonzalez to
his companion. " They have decoyed the brother into
the house, and left him there. I am sure, too, that the
lady is gagged ; for she does not cry out, although she
struggles desperately. Stop ! what are you about ?"
he cried, as he saw his friend begin to ply the oars
with all his might.
" Can you ask me, with such a sight before us ?"
" Nay : put by your oar, I entreat you. Your pre
cipitation will rain all. They are double our number,
armed with carbines, and would slay us before we
could cope with them ; and then, farewell to all hopes
of the lady's rescue."
" What shall we do, then ?" asked Horner, as he
despairingly rested on his oar.
" Follow them, as we first proposed, and concert our
plan after we have seen to what place they convey
her." 9*

202 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" Gonzalez," said the former, " you have not so much
at stake as I in this matter, and you are therefore less
agitated, and better qualified to decide on the course
we should pursue. I will not be rash if I can help it ;
but cannot again lose sight of Mary. Her brother
is now torn from her, and I am her sole protector. I
will die before I desert her for an instant."
" I have told you of my sister," said Gonzalez ;
" and you must know that a motive impels me,
which is as powerful as your own. Love is your
incentive, and revenge- is mine. Yours is the most
impetuous ; but mine, as the more cautious, is the
more certain to effect its object. I pray you, be
moderate." " I will, Gonzalez, with the condition I have
named." While speaking, they followed the movements of
the other boat, which proceeded about half a mile far
ther up, when the party again landed. The smaller
boat was run ashore a short distance below, and the
two friends crept along under cover of the thick brash
that lined the bank, to within a few paces of the ruf
fians. A carriage was in waiting, the driver standing
beside it. As soon as the latter saw the first party, he
opened the door, let down the steps, and, assuming the
reins, ascended the box. Two of the gang forced the
lady into the carriage, and followed after ; a third
closed the door, and mounted beside the driver.
While this was taking place, Horner was endeavor
ing to free himself from the grasp of Gonzalez, who
tried to detain him. With a violent effort he sue-

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE.

203

ceeded, and springing forward, leaped upon the foot
board of the carriage, just as the driver applied the
lash, and the horses started off at half speed. The
remaining ruffian, seeing some one rash by, turned to
pursue and give the alarm, when Gonzalez sprung
upon him, and, violently struggling, they fell to the
ground. The carriage, with the ruffians, the victim of their
toils, and that victim's determined champion, was
driven at a rapid rate for a mile or more on the road
which ran parallel with the stream, when it turned
short to the right, and pursued its course with undi
minished speed. Overcome by terror and exhaustion,
Mary Gillespie had swooned aWay, unnoticed by her
companions. At length they pulled up at a gate, and
the man seated beside the driver got down to open it.
Heretofore, Horner had remained at little risk, for the
curtains of the carriage were down ; but, as the ruffian
who dismounted would, in all probability, wait until
the carriage had passed through, in order to close the
gate, his detection was certain if he remained. There
was no bush or cover to conceal him, but, on the right
side of the gate was a large tree, just within the
enclosure. While he hesitated what to do, the car
riage passed through the gateway, and one of the
branches of the tree swept its roof. On the instant,
quick as thought, he caught hold of the limb, and
swung himself into the tree. The rustling noise he
made startled the man who stood by the gate, and who
had certainly been drinking freely.
" Hallo ! what's that?" he cried, and, springing up

SO* THE MIDSHIPMAN.
to the box, called out, " Drive on ! drive on ! It 's a
wild beast! But I'll have a shot at it," he added, as
the carriage rolled on, — and, turning partly round, dis
charged a pistol into the tree.
With an imprecation, the driver had called out to
his companion not to fire ; but he was too late, and, at
the report, the horses, affrighted, ran off at full
speed. The ruffians within the carriage, as well as the one
without, were instantly awakened to a full sense of
their danger. They were well acquainted with the
place, and knew that a short distance ahead, at a turn
of the roa.d, there was an old quarry, which had a pre
cipitous fall of fifteen or twenty feet. As cowardly as
he was base, each one thought only of his own safety.
The ruffian in front clambered over the roof, and
leaped off from behind ; the others forced open a door,
and precipitated themselves one after the other from
it ; and all fell with violence, and more or less injured,
to the ground.
Besides the fainting girl within the carriage, the
driver alone remained ; and he, with his feet pressed
hard upon the footboard, and his body bent forward,
bore his whole weight upon the reins. Although they
passed with almost breathless velocity, he accurately
noted every distinct object along the road, and was
prepared, at the critical moment, to turn the horses
from the direction of the perilous chasm. With a
quick eye and a ready hand, the instant that he saw
the turn, with all his might he pulled upon the left
hand rein. This over exertion ensured defeat. The

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 205
rein snapped asunder, and the horses, rushing head
long, were, with the carriage, precipitated over the
bank. The driver fell upon some fragments of rock,
and laid senseless and immovable. The horses, by
their moans, and the faint efforts they made to extri
cate themselves, showed that they were severely
bruised ; and Mary Gillespie laid on the battered side
of the carriage, partly revived from her swoon by the
shock she had sustained, and the excruciating pain she
felt. Horner, unharmed by the discharge of the pistol,
sprung to the ground, and hurrying after the carriage
as soon as he saw that the horses had run away,
reached the quarry soon after the accident had oc
curred. In his excited condition, it was but the
work of a moment to extricate his mistress, and bear
her scarce animate form into the neighboring wood.
His first anxiety was for water, and, pursuing the
declivity of the ground, in a direction leading from
the road, he soon heard the trickling of a rivulet.
Placing Mary gently beside it, on examination he dis
covered that she had received a severe wound on her
temple, which bled profusely, and that her left arm
was broken. The loss of blood, the cooling effect of
the water, which he freely applied, and the pain she
endured, all accelerated her return to consciousness ;
and in a little while, she was enabled to thank her
lover in expressions, brief, indeed, but touching. They
had no time, however, for interchange of feeling. They
were strangers, and upon the grounds of a powerful
and persevering enemy. It was necessary to quit them

206 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
as soon as possible, and to reach some place not peo
pled with the myrmidons, or subject to the jurisdiction
of the Count.
With the simple means at his disposal, the water
which gurgled at their feet, a few splints made of the
twigs which grew around them, and bandages torn
from his own garments, Horner soon dressed the
wounds, and temporarily assuaged the anguish. which
Mary endured. She laid for hours, without a
movement or a murmur. The heavy air was laden
with fragrance, and, now and then, the pattering on a
leaf would tell how abundantly the dew was falling.
He watched her in silence, until he perceived that her
features were occasionally flushed from intensity of
pain, and saw that it was necessary to procure shelter
and medical attendance without delay. The night was
now far advanced, and the laborers would soon be
abroad. Prevailing upon Mary to make an effort, he sup
ported her, while they slowly threaded their way
through the thick and tangled undergrowth. After
wandering for some time, they came to a hedge of
cacti, some of the plants in full bloom, the tints of
their gorgeous fiowers heightened by the rays of the
now rising sun. They turned into a path which ran
along the hedge, with a forest of magnificent trees on
the right — the Assumah,* the Yalatli, and the lordly
Frangipan — with its dark green leaves and scarlet
blossoms. On the other side of the hedge was an ex
tensive field of sugar-cane — an immense mass of
* Spelled as they are pronounced.

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE.

207

foliage of the liveliest green, its tops waving in the
wind with a rustling sound that was borne onward
until it died away in the distance. Beyond, the field
was skirted by a forest, which ascended a slope behind
it, and, becoming thinner as it ascended, left only a
few trees scattered along the ridge which bounded the
western horizon. But Mary, striving to conceal her
weakness, and to suppress the moans which were every
instant rising to her lips, and Horner, wholly en
grossed by anxiety for her, could neither of them
enjoy the natural beauties of the scene.
When they had proceeded a few hundred yards,
they came to a lane which led immediately to the high
road ; but here, Mary's strength failed, and, placing
her on the road-side, her lover concealing his own
fears, endeavored to cheer her with hopes of speedy
relief. ******
When Gonzalez sprung upon the boatman, he took
him so much by surprise, that he had hurled him over,
and pointed a dagger to his throat, before the latter
could muster sufficient presence of mind to defend
himself. By threats of instant death, he then extorted
from him all the information he desired.
******
The First Lieutenant returned to the frigate about
half an hour after Frank and his sister had left, and
was delighted to hear that the American Consul had
sent for them. Soon after he had made his report to
the Count, the latter ordered his boat, and left the
ship. Supposing that he was summoned on shore by

208 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
some of the letters he had received, the old Lieutenant
little dreamed that the departure of his commander in
any manner had reference to the orphans. He believed
them safe, and, with many claims upon his attention,
dismissed them readily from his mind.
The Count steered his boat to the usual landing
place, and, hiring a caleche, proceeded directly to the
western . gate. Here he was detained but a moment,
for the officer, immediately recognizing his rank, al
lowed him to pass. Impatient of delay, he then took
the reins himself, and drove with great rapidity. Once
or twice, he thought that he heard the sound of horses'
I o
hoofs at a furious pace ahead of him ; but the rattling
of his vehicle rendered the sound uncertain, and he
concluded that he was mistaken. On approaching the
hacienda, he drove round to the rear of the enclosure,
where he alighted, and, after paying the driver,
opened the postern gate with a key he carried, and pro
ceeded directly to the house. To the attendant who
obeyed his summons, he said impatiently,
" The young lady, — where is she ? "
" In her chamber," was the reply ; and, in obedience
to a gesture from his master, the servant proceeded
along the corridor, and approached an apartment at
its extremity.
" Fools ! Why have they placed her there ?" mut
tered the Count.
"Sefior?"" Stand aside !" and pushing by the servant, he
threw open the door, and entered the apartment. As
he did so, he started back appalled and terrified.

I
INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 209

Propped up on a bed, catching her breath with diffi
culty, was a dying woman. The blood streamed from
her mouth and nostrils, and at each respiration gurgled
in her throat. It was the young, the once pure and
yet lovely Esperanza, the sister of Gonzalez. By the
bedside stood her brother, regarding him with a look
of deadly hatred, but without moving his arm from the
sinking form it supported. The unhappy girl, with
staring eyes and outstretched hands, strove in vain to
speak to them. In the effort she was suffocated by a
gush of blood, and fell back a corpse.
" Conde de Urena," said Gonzalez, " behold your
work ! I came here to protect the victim of your pre
sent plot, little dreaming of the sight that awaited me
— for, although aware of my sister's ruin, I did not
know that she had been decoyed to this den of infamy
That poor girl must be avenged ! You or I, one or both,
must bear Esperanza company." As he looked upon
the bed, the tones of his voice softened with emotion,
but recovering himself instantly, he advanced to the
door, and secured it — then drawing a pair of pistols
from his bosom, he sternly added as he presented
them, — " Take your choice, Sir !"
" Not now ! Not here ! Another time !" said the
Count, his cheek blanched, and his brow beaded with
perspiration. " Here ! upon this spot ! this very instant !" shouted
Gonzalez. " Vile seducer and murderer," he added,
" You have killed your man ! Where is your vaunted
courage ? Will that arouse you ?" and he strack him a
fierce blow. The Count's face flushed, he clutched

210 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
the weapon, and eyeing Gonzalez with a look as vin
dictive as his own, sternly motioned him to take his
position. Time was, when the unhappy nobleman would have
shrunk in horror from the very thought of a crime,
the dreadful consequences of which, in all the appalling
majesty of death, were then before him. And yet,
more fiendlike than such a wretch, he stood in the
concentrated hatred of a duellist, prepared to take the
life of the brother of his victim. By a career of vice, the
once honorable man had been converted into a demon.
The combatants confronted each other, levelled
their weapons, and fired so simultaneously, that the
reports sounded as on* The pistol of Gonzalez was
struck from his hand, and one of his fingers shattered.
Heedless of the pain, he bent forward to see if his
adversary were hit. The Count stood seemingly un
hurt before him, but the moment after, his weapon
dropped, he pressed his hand to his side, and casting
a look of anguish upon the body of the woman he had
ruined, tottered, reeled, and fell upon the floor ! The
threat of Gonzalez was verified. Almost instanta
neously, two souls were summoned to their dread
account! ******
Mary and her deliverer were relieved and conveyed
to Havana, where they found Frank Gillespie domesti
cated at the Consul's. It took some weeks before the
former was sufficiently recovered to permit them to
embark for home. During this time Gonzalez occa
sionally visited them by stealth, dreading assassination

INCIDENTS OF A LIFE. 211
by some of the connections of the late Count more
than a legal investigation. Unhappily, his precautions
were fruitless, and he fell by a vindictive hand, with even
less time for preparation than he had given to another.
His death was deeply mourned by his friends. He
was indeed worthy of all regret — but a cloud had
overshadowed his sun of life. He brooded over his
sister's shame until existence became a burden, — and
had he not found death by the hand of another, his
impulsive nature might have led him to seek it at his
own. Our friends embarked soon after for New Orleans,
and reached the Southwest pass of the Mississippi just
as a gale was coming on. The country above had
been overflowed by recent rains, and what between the
current from within, and the swell without, they were
greeted with a magnificent spectacle. The waves of
the Gulf, driven before the gale, encountered the
onward sweep of the waters of the mighty river. The
sight forcibly reminded them of Rebecca's exclamation
in Ivanhoe, —
" God of Jacob ! It is like the meeting of two oceans
moved by adverse tides !"
When the chastening hand of time had hallowed
the memories of the dead, and substituted a Christian
resignation for the bitterness of early grief, Horner
and Mary were united, and through a since much
chequered life, neither time, nor circumstance, nor
prosperity, nor distress, has for one instant abated a
feeling which is fixed and unalterable as their future
destinies.

CHAPTER XIII.
On reaching the seaboard, I found orders for one
of the smaller vessels attached to the squadron of the
gallant Porter, and destined to act against the pirates
who infest the shores of St. Thomas, Porto Rico, St.
Domingo, and Cuba.
The whole country mourns the fall, and the^ profession
pants to avenge the fate of the gallant and lamented
Allen. This high-toned and intelligent officer, univer
sally respected, and dearly loved by all who knew him,
fell, while upright and reckless of exposure, he cheered
his men to victory. With several boats, he attacked a
piratical force in Seguapa Bay, and after the capture
of one vessel, was standing in the boat encouraging
his men as they bore down upon another, when he re
ceived a fatal wound. With victory almost in his
grasp, he died too soon for his country, but not too
soon for enduring fame. A short time after he was
wounded, as he laid upon the deck of his ..vessel,
an officer, maddened at the sight of his dying chief,
seized a cutlass, and was about to plunge it into the

A NOBLE EXCLAMATION. 213
bosom of one of the captives, when his hand was
arrested by the faint but distinct exclamation : " Re
member, Mr. Henley, he is a prisoner." They were
his last words.
Thus perished the dutiful son and the kind brother,
who, to support his sisters and his aged mother, lived
a bachelor, and denied himself all the luxuries and
many of the comforts of life. Not in his first action,
when, one after another, his two seniors fell, and as
they were borne below, he sprang upon a gun, ex
claiming, " Boys, here's another William H. for you!"*
and with three cheers renewed the fight ; not, when in
Manilla Bay, he coolly and skillfully prepared to op
pose an overwhelming force ; and not, when like
Claverhouse, he fell with the cheer upon his lip, and
the shout of victory ringing in his ear, did he so much
claim our admiration, as when, with parting breath,
he stayed the hand of blood with the exclamation :
" Eemember, he is a prisoner !"
Peace to his manes, for his was indeed a " bold
spirit in a loyal breast."
After a protracted delay in the most inclement
season of the year, our commodore at length made
signal " underweigh to get," and the little squadron
made all sail, and stood to sea with a cold but favor
able wind.
Pent within the narrow precincts of a vessel as
small as she was, buoyant and fragile, our greenhorns
one by one fell sick as we tossed and pitched and
* The two seniors were named William H. Allen and William H.
Watson.

214 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
rolled about, while the ships of greater bulk, almost
unmoved by the swell, seemed like philosophers on
the stage of life, to regard our restlessness with com
passion. The thermometer soon indicated that we had crossed
the Gulf stream ; the breeze freshened, the swell of
the sea increased, and our boat, for she was no more,
washed by the crest of every wave which toppled over
her low bulwarks, was thoroughly wet and uncomfort
able. During the night it was very squally ; sail after sail
was successively taken in, and, at length, we were left
with only a single stay-sail set, while the lightning flash
ed around us, and we watched in deep anxiety the ap
proach of a terrific whirlwind on the water. The
outer current only reached, but it was sufficient
nearly to upset us. The stateliest ship, once encircled
by that mighty wind, would have been whirled and
torn in shreds and fragments.
The next morning presented a sight wild even to
sublimity. The sun, struggling through a bank of
clouds, shorn of his splendor by the opposing mist,
cast his angry glance across the troubled ocean, and
revealed our scattered fleet, like affrighted wild fowl,
scudding before the gale.
Sometimes a wave, like some huge monster rising
from the deep, looked down upon us black and threat
ening ; and then, as if disposed for further gamboling
rolled its seething foam along the sides, and rushing
ahead and gathering into one mighty mass, seemed to
await our coming.

A PLACID SCENE.

215

On the second day after, the gale abated, and with
the wind, the sea subsided. We were separated from
the fleet, and running eight knots per hour with a
favorable breeze, and occasionally a rain-squall passed
over, but we felt that we were approaching the more
genial climate of the tropics. The air became less
humid, and the clouds, although dense, were less ragged
and threatening.
That night was beautiful. The moon burst through
the clouds, and tipped their crests and edges with a
silvery light. The sea, sublime but restless,, heaved
its troubled waves in tumultuous agitation, and our
vessel rolled gracefully, even while it rose and
plunged at times with startling velocity.
The morning after, the sun rose upon a placid scene.
The light breeze just ruffled the surface of the water,
on which, the white caps, sparkling in the sunlight,
chased each other ; and near by, with her tall spars
vibrating like inverted pendula, was an English brig-
of-war, with her ensign at the peak.
The American immediately beat to quarters and
hoisted his own colors in return, when, to his astonish
ment, the brig fired a shot ahead of him.
" Return it, Mr. D.," called the Captain to the First
Lieutenant, who had sprung to the long gun ; " and
aim directly at her hull."
The gun was discharged, and the shot passed
through the mainsail of the brig, immediately over the
head of the officer of the deck.
Almost before the report has ceased, the voice of
the Captain was heard :

216 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" Bear up, and steer directly for her ! Away ! —
boarders away ! Stand by to lay her aboard, sir ! "
" Aye, aye, sir," was the quick response of the First
Lieutenant, and forty men, reckless of life, and ready
for adventure, sprung forward, pistol and cutlass in
hand. The brig, taken unawares, with her guns secured,
and only a morning watch on deck, was compelled
to bear up also until she could summon her crew to
quarters, and the singular sight was presented of an
exceedingly small schooner chasing a heavy armed
brig of war.
While our vessel eagerly pressed forward, the wary
commander of the brig continued his flight, but he
hastened preparations to punish his puny assailant.
During this short interval, the Englishman repeatedly
demanded her name and character ; but her com
mander refused to comply until informed what vessel
it was that had dared to insult the flag he wore. Most
probably, beginning to be aware of his mistake, the
English Captain at length announced that the vessel
he commanded was H. B. M. brig Buzzard, and that
the shot had been fired in the supposition that our
vessel was a pirate. An explanation now took place,
and when they parted, the American Captain, with
many compliments, received an acceptable present of
fruit from the commander of the brig. It is thus that
brave men respect each other.
We soon after reached our rendezvous at St. Thomas,
where, one by one, our vessels successively arrived.
Our feelings were here harrowed with the recital of

A PIRATE VESSEL.

217

an act of piracy committed almost in the very mouth
of the harbor a few weeks previous.
Mr. Schmidt, the owner of an extensive plantation
in Santa Cruz, was returning from Copenhagen, with
his young bride, the daughter of a respectable clergy
man. He had chartered the cabin of the ship Zem-
bla, for his wife, her servant, and himself, and they
were the only passengers. After a pleasant passage,
the ship hove to off the harbor of St. Thomas, to send
some despatches on shore to the governor-general.
The island of Santa Cruz, in full view, laid basking in
the sunlight, and amid the shady groves and luxuriant
cane with which its sloping sides are covered, Mr. S.,
with the aid of the spy-glass, pointed out to his bloom
ing partner, one of the most beautiful of the many
country seats as their future residence. Her curiosity
satisfied, she had turned her eyes to him, beaming with
all the confidence of young affection, when they were
interrupted. A large decked boat, seemingly one of those used
for fishing on the coast, passed the stern, and sud
denly luffing short round, ranged alongside the ship,
and about thirty desperate ruffians, armed to the
teeth, sprung on board.
The crew, few in number, unarmed, and taken by
surprise, were immediately cut down. The captain,
who had rushed below for his pistols, was slain as he
ascended the companion-way. Mr. Schmidt was one
of the first seized, and his wife, clinging closely to
him, received a slight wound from the long knives of
the pirates, which were thrust through his body. The
,.V*«H. 10

218 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
servant maid, chased by the ruffians, in her fright
jumped overboard, and was drowned ; and Mrs. S.
fainted away on the body of her expiring husband.
So intent were the pirates upon gratifying their
rapacity, that the helm was abandoned, and, for a
short time, they paid little attention to the manage
ment of the ship.
" Mr. Schumacker," said the quarter-master to the
officer of the deck of a small Danish brig-of-war in
the southern offing, " that ship to leeward is acting
very queer."
" How so, Jansen?" said the lieutenant.
" Why, a little while ago," replied Jansen, " she
was lying to, with her main top-sail to the mast ; but
now, she has drifted round, and is running before the
wind with her head yards braced up."
"That is indeed strange," said the lieutenant.
" Hand me' the spy-glass."
He looked steadily for some moments, and then
calling a midshipman, said :
" Report to the captain, sir, that there is a very sus
picious sail to leeward."
Before the captain made his appearance, the ship
had again hauled by the wind, and was standing along
the land. But when her previous movements were
reported to him, and the fishing boat was now seen
drifting from her, he ordered all sail to be made in
chase. As soon as his intention was discovered, the
ship packed on all sail, evidently with the purpose of
doubling the west end of the island.
If the wind held steady, the chances were about

A CHASE.

219

equal. The brig, although a fast sailer, and to wind
ward, was yet so far off, that to reach the same point
she would have to make the hypotenuse, while the
course of the ship formed the base line of the tri
angle. The chase continued for some time with little change
of bearing ; but as the ship approached the western
extremity of the island, eddies of wind would whirl
around the point, and take her sails aback. The
pirates were, therefore, compelled to haul more from
the land, which brought the courses of the two vessels
to a nearer converging point. With an enemy's shore
on one side (the alarm had now spread along the land),
and a fast-closing and vindictive enemy on the other,
the fate of the ruffians seemed inevitable.
The wind was blowing almost directly on shore,
but the pirates persevered with a hardihood worthy of
a better cause. As the first shot from the brig came
crashing through her side, the ship flew up into the
wind, and the next moment braced sharp on the other
tack, she was standing to the eastward. By this
manoeuvre, the brig was brought on the starboard
quarter, and the pirates began to flatter themselves
with the hope of escape, when, as they again ap
proached the mouth of the harbor, they perceived
several vessels, well manned, coming out to intercept
them. The pirates now hauled more to the southward,
bringing the brig on the starboard beam, and the ves
sels on the larboard quarter. But as shot after shot
from the brig tore up the planking, or carried away
a spar, it became more and more evident that the ship

220 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
could not escape. At last, as the main top-mast fell
over the side, the pirates, abandoning hope, put the
helm up, and to the astonishment of thousands con
gregated on the roofs of the houses, and on the ad
jacent hills, steered before the wind, directly for the
anchorage. In a short time, the desperate purpose
was revealed. A thin, light smoke, first arose ; then
it grew denser and blacker, and presently a red flame
burst forth, which, wreathing around the rigging, and
encircling the spars, the ship, in one sheet of fire,
rapidly approached the harbor.
All was consternation among the shipping ; and
while the vessels that had started in pursuit, fled preci
pitately from the burning mass,, the brig manned her
boats, and attempted to board her. But men who
had lighted their own funeral pyre were not to be thus
subdued, and the boats fell back discomfited. The
batteries of the town now opened their fire, and cin
ders and burning fragments were scattered in every
direction. Still the ship held her onward course, and
was almost up with the shipping, when, most probably
from the burning of the tiller-ropes, she broached to,
and grounded on a shoal.
While the spectators gazed in wonder, and watched
the figures of the wretched men as retreating step by
step they reached at last the taffrail, the whole mass
sprung suddenly into the air ; a loud and deafening
report succeeded, and the water and immediate shore
were covered with brands and packages, and scorched
and mutilated bodies.
On board of the fishing-boat was found an appren-

BOAT EXPEDITION. 221
tice boy who had leaped from the cabin windows when
the ship was boarded, and catching hold ofthe deserted
piratical boat as it drifted by, gained her deck and con
cealed himself.
Our fleet here separated ; the smaller vessels to
cruise among the islands, while the ships repaired to
Key West, preparatory to fitting out the boat-expedi
tions. Among others, I was a volunteer for this
service, and at the expiration of a short time, found
myself at that place, detailed for one of the barges.
Our flotilla consisted of four boats, viz. — Gallinipper,
Sand Fly, Gnat and Mosquito, under the command of
Lieut Watson. They contained each, two officers, a
coxswain, and sixteen men.
Burning for adventure, and happily ignorant of the
trials which awaited us, we started on a pleasant day,
and with sail and oar, plied eighty miles across, to the
island of Cuba. We reached it in safety, and hearing
that the pirates had selected and fortified a place
exceedingly difficult of access, our commander deter
mined to attack them.
That our approach might be as secret as possible, we
concealed our boats in a narrow inlet during the dav,
but at early dusk, the oars were manned, and the order
given to proceed. A little after midnight a breeze
sprung up, and taking in the oars, with the exception
of an officer and the steersman of each boat, every one
slept as he best could, upon the three feet by ten
niches of space allotted to him. Our watchful com
mander sought no repose, but when those who slept
awoke, they found all sail taken in, and the boats

222 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
lying quiet and motionless, near the mouth of a river,
waiting for sufficient light to enter it.
It was the Sagua le Grand, the noted resort, the
great stronghold of the pirates.
As tint by tint, the light increased, the time was
spent in silent preparation. Presently from boat to
boat, the order was passed to " close in ;" and we
gathered around that of our commander.
" My lads," he said, " this is no child's play we
have undertaken. Whatever may be the force of the
enemy, I am determined to attack him. Will you
stand by me ?"
A loud murmur of assent was the reply.
" Is your powder dry ? Are your flints good, — and
your cutlasses well sharpened ?"
He was told they were.
" Then muffle your oars and follow me ; but make
not the slightest noise, and wait until I give the
word. Then, let your cry be no quarter, and he who
first boards the enemy, shall be highly recompensed !"
At a signal we then fell into position, and our com
mander leading the way, we rounded the point, and
rowed steadily but stealthily forward.
The river was broad at the entrance, but except in
the channel, which was difficult to find and still more
difficult to thread, it was very shallow. The headmost
boat, sounding as she went, carefully proceeded, and
regulating our motions by hers, we followed in the
strictest silence. Not a word was allowed to be
spoken, and concealed by the tangled brushwood,
which beneath the overhanging trees lined the banks

ATTACK THE PIRATES. 223
of the narrowing stream, an enemy, even at a very
short distance, might have mistaken the slight noise we
made, for the gambols of the water-fowl which were
disturbed at our approach.
After a space of time, brief in itself, but which
seemed to us of interminable duration, we came to a
wide *lagoon, at the other side of which, half a mile
distant, the pirates, as vigilant as we were cautious,
were drawn up to receive us. Careened on a shelving
beach, laid a merchant brig, the crew of which they
had barbarously murdered. Along the shore were
strewed bales and packages ; and a hut and a few tents
stood within the verge of a grove of lofty trees. On a
projecting point, was a battery of several pieces of
artillery, and on the other side of the brig, but a little
farther. out, was moored an armed schooner with her
broadside towards us. Both the battery and the
schooner were crowded with men.
As soon as we had pulled out into the lagoon, we
formed our boats in a line abreast, and each man
girded on his cutlass and stuck a pistol in his belt.
" Mr. V.," said our commander to the next in rank,
" as the battery seems the most formidable, I will
undertake it. Do you take the Sand Fly with you,
and board the schooner. Lose no time with the musket,
Sir, but lay her aboard on different points, and put
your trust in cold steel. Now give way men, and no
quarter J"
The oars buckled to the word, the boats bounded with
a spring, and we were soon in the midst of a rattling
hail of grape and canister, which made the water foam

224 THE- MIDSHIPMAN.
around us, our men cheering and shouting, as with
rapid and furious stroke we bore down upon the
enemy. I was attached to one of the boats directed against
the schooner, and as we neared her, the scene became
more and more exciting. Besides the boom of the
cannon fired from the schooner and the battery, the
lake and the shores around rang with the incessant
peal of musketry, and the hurling of the iron and lead
around us was dreadful. But as an oar would drop,
and form after form sink from its place, the louder
became the shout, the more vindictive the fury of our
men. Ourselves upon the bow, the other boat farther
astern, almost simultaneously, we laid the pirate
aboard. To grapple the side, to spring on the bulwark
and leap upon the deck, amid muskets, pikes, and
brandished knives, was the work of an instant. With
courage equal to our own, the pirates rushed forward
to repel us, and a desperate hand to hand conflict
ensued. The musketry had now ceased, and a pistol shot was
but occasionally heard, but the clash of steel was
incessant, and the silent but deadly thrust became
more frequent. The shout of an officer as he cut clown
the swarthy pirate with whom he was engaged, was
responded to by a wild cry of exultation from the
men, and animated as by one spirit, we bounded
forward with a cheer. A better cause and far more
numerous force, could not have withstood our charge
The pirates gave way, slowly at first, but when our
leader called out " push home, men ! and no quarter !"

PIRATES DEFEATED.

9.9h

and the cry " no quarter ! no quarter !" was fiercely
repeated, they turned, and springing to the. side, leaped
overboard, and endeavored to escape by swimming.
Many of our men plunged after them sword in hand ;
others jumped to the boats, and pursuing, cut them
down as they overtook them, while another portion,
from the deck of the captured vessel, deliberately shot
them as they struggled in the water.
On the part of those wretches, not a cry was raised —
not a supplication uttered. When too hotly pursued,
they turned to grapple where they could, and in silence
they received the death wound, and in silence they
sunk, their throats , gurgling the water which was
deeply crimsoned with their blood.
Turning from the sickening sight, my eye rested for
a moment upon the slimy and death -en cumbered deck,
when a shout on the shore reminded me ofthe battery.
Our boats had grounded some distance from the
beach, but our men leaping out hastily formed,
and advanced boldly to the attack. They were warmly
received, and the contest was still undecided, when
we carried the schooner. But, when those in the
battery saw their fellow-pirates leap overboard, they,
also, took to flight. They were relentlessly pursued,
and the scene which had been enacted upon the water,
was repeated on the land. But few escaped ; and
destroying what we could not preserve, we gathered
their booty, and bore our prize away in triumph.
Three days after, while cruising along the coast, 'a
suspicious sail was descried in shore, to which we
immediately gave chase. We soon discovered that

226

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

she was armed, and her movements became less and
less equivocal. At length, as we came within range
of her cannon, she opened her fire and hoisted a red
ensign. It was el Bandara de Sangre (the Bloody
Flag), commanded by the most active, and at the same
time the most desperate and remorseless of the
ruffians. But his men were less brave or more consi
derate than himself, and after a few ineffectual dis
charges, some in boats and some by swimming,
precipitately fled. We followed them to the shore;
and our men, in the eagerness of pursuit, became
severally dispersed. The high matted grass, the thick
brushwood, and the spongy, yielding soil, much
retarded their progress, and the pirates, better
acquainted with the locality, mostly escaped.
When our party gathered around the watch-fire at
night, one man, a marine, was missing. It was sup
posed that he had been killed by the fugitives, and
many were the lamentations for his fate. But our
commanding officer who had remarked and appreciated
the coolness and intrepidity of Morrison, thought dif
ferently-, and said that he felt assured we should yet
hear from him.
The night passed away, however, and the sentries
posted around, listened in vain for his footstep. In
the morning, a detachment was sent to search in every
direction for him. Warned by the supposed fate of
our companion, whose mangled body we expected
every moment to find, instead of each one pursuing a
different course, we were about separating into squads,
when one of the men discovered a path, on which the

A WARNING DREAM. 227
tracks of men were plainly discernible. We pursued
it at a quick pace, and that pace was soon accelerated
by the report of a musket. In a very short time, we
came to an open space, in which, we beheld two men
struggling desperately.
It seems that, far more successful than his compa
nions, Morrison had captured and disarmed a pirate.
Returning he lost his way, and long after night set in,
perfectly exhausted with fatigue, he came to a halt, and
permitted his prisoner to lie down and sleep, while he
stood sentry over him. He dared not lie down him
self, for he knew that he would instantly fall asleep,
when his prisoner, whom he had no means of securing,
would unquestionably murder him.
At one time he leaned against a small tree for a
moment's rest. In that moment, sleep overcame him,
and he dreamed that he was wandering with a fami
liar friend, through well-remembered scenes. Sud
denly, the scene became wild' and changed, and the
form of his friend assumed the features of the prisoner.
Again, by another transformation, the form became
that of a huge serpent, which, retaining its human
expression, seemed coiled, ready to spring upon him.
His steps were arrested, and his blood curdled at the
sight. Unable to move, he saw it rear its head, and
heard it hiss and spit its venom. With one desperate
effort, he strove to overcome the feeling which para
lyzed his limbs, and held him spell-bound.
He awoke, and caught the riveted gaze of the pirate
who had half-risen from the ground.
The marine long hesitated whether to preserve him-

228 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
self he should not destroy his prisoner. Once he
raised his weapon, and the pirate, who, with half-
closed lids, narrowly watched his proceedings, quiver
ed and shrunk with dread. A sigh — the sigh of relief
which follows suppressed emotion — escaped him, as
Morrison lowered his musket, and said :
"I can't do it ; I'll take the chances first."
In this manner, -weary and anxious, sometimes
dozing as he stood with his head upon his breast, and
again waking with a start, as a passing gust agitated
the leaves, or a rain-drop pattered beside him, he
passed the long and dreary night.
At the earliest dawn, he again set out with his prisoner,
but scarce able to drag himself along, he staggered
with feebleness, suffering more than all from an excru
ciating thirst, to the agonies of which watchfulness so
much contributes. At last, he could stand it no longer,
and seeing a bird flit by and alight a short distance
from him, he fired and killed it, intending to slake his
thirst with its blood. But the instant he fired, the
prisoner snatched the bayonet from his belt, and made
a plunge at him. Receiving a slight wound, he
grasped the weapon at the point, and struggled for his
life. It was at this critical moment that our party came
in sight ; nor had we an instant to lose. Shouting
aloud, each one ran forward at full speed, but the
combatants were too intently occupied to hear or heed
us. The marine fought manfully, but it was of no avail ;
for by a quick movement of his active opponent, he

PIRATES TAKE A PRISONER. 229
was whirled over, and fell violently to the ground.
Half-stunned by the fall, he relaxed his hold, and his
antagonist, brandishing the bayonet aloft, exclaimed :
"D — n you, I'll let you know who's pirate now,"
and was about to pin him to the earth, when his arm
was arrested by Midshipman Booth, who had outrun
us. A similar detachment landed on Cayo Romano, an
extensive island, and gave chase to a body of pirates,
who fled into the woods. . In the ardor of pursuit,
Mid. H. became separated from his companions, and
falling into an ambuscade, was himself made prisoner.
He was immediately bound and hurried onward far
into the interior. For a long time, and with great
rapidity, they pursued their devious course. After
traversing a great distance, the profound stillness in
duced them to believe that the pursuit had ceased, or
taken another direction. With a sense of security,
their evil passions came in play, and muttered threats
and ferocious glances at the prisoner, told that rob
bery and murder were uppermost in their thoughts.
At last they came to a halt, and forming a circle,
with the prisoner in the centre, 'held a consul
tation respecting him. Without a dissenting voice,
his death was determined on ; but there was a discus
sion as to the mode. Shooting was not even proposed,
for the report might betray them, and, moreover, they
were determined that his death should be a prolonged
and silent one. With a cruelty of purpose unsur
passed by the savages of our own frontier, they dis
cussed the various modes of torture. The advocates

230 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
of the knife were for mutilation and incisions in the
least vital parts, through which the current of life
might be slowly drained. But the halter was deter
mined on ; and a suitable tree being selected, the
prisoner, nearly stripped, was placed beneath a pro
jecting branch. A rope produced by one ofthe gang,
was thrown over the limb, and a noose spliced in one
end was adjusted round the neck of their victim.
The other end was then hauled upon until he was
nearly strangled, his weight barely supported upon
the extremities of his feet, which alone touched the
ground. With his hands lashed down and his mouth securely
gagged, Mr. H.* could neither resist nor call for help.
When so exhausted that he could scarcely speak, his
tormentors removed the bandage, and proceeded to
question him. To all their interrogatories respecting
the force and probable stay of his companions upon
the island, he refused to reply. Unmoved by their
menaces, frequently rendered more expressive by the
tightening of the cord, their promises of release could
not shake the firm integrity of his soul.
Hopeless of extracting any information from him,
they were about to leave him to his fate, when, in the
bitterness of his despair he cursed them, and bade
them remember him when they fell into the hands of
his friends, " for," he added, " they have found your
boats, and you cannot escape."
This intelligence alarmed them. They had, as they
thought, securely concealed their boats, and expected
# W. W. Hunter

AN INDOMITABLE SPIRIT. 231
that after a few days their pursuers would quit the
island, when they could make their escape to Cuba.
Lowering the prisoner's feet to the ground, they sharply
questioned him. But he gave so accurate a descrip
tion of the place of concealment, that they could no
longer doubt. They then proposed to release him,
provided he would pledge his word that the boats
should not be destroyed or taken away. This he told
them he could not do, for the officer who commanded
the expedition was of a rank superior to his own. In
vain they tried to persuade him that the officer would
regard the pledge, when told it was the only mode by
which his life was saved. He was inexorable; and
again tightening the cord, with bitter imprecations
they left him.
Upon the extremities of his swollen feet, with every
joint strained to the utmost, he spent hours in
excruciating agony. At dawn of day, however, his
captors returned, and after a second fruitless attempt
to intimidate or persuade, they released him, on the
sole condition that he should bear a message to his
commanding officer. The message consisted of a
declaration that they were simple fishermen, with the
earnest prayer that as they had not taken the life
of one who had sought to destroy them, their boats,
upon which they depended for subsistence, might be
spared. As soon as capable of proceeding, Mr. H. was
escorted back within a safe distance, and reached his
companions, who were on the point of setting out, with
the determination of scouring the whole island in

232 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
search of him. As he was indebted for his life not to
the mercy but to the fears of the pirates, their prayer
was disregarded. The day before the pursuit had
been eager, but it was now vindictive, and like wild
beasts, the wretches were chased along the cliffs,
through the swamps, and within the deepest recesses
of the forest. Some, more fortunate or more fleet,
escaped, for the scarcity of provisions compelled our
party to leave before they were all exterminated.
While cruising off Cape Antonio, a circumstance
occurred which shows the value of a keen perception
of character, combined with sound judgment and
unswerving resolution.
One of our detachments had landed in search of a
piratical resort, and a short distance in the interior
found a pulperia, a sort of country store, where liquor
was the principal article sold. The commanding
officer of the detachment was soon satisfied that the
owner was what he professed to be ; but, of the
assumed character of a man in an adjoining quinta, he
thought differently. The man was found employed in
making cigars. Although the owner of the pulperia
called him his brother, and nearly every one else con
sidered the man guiltless and inoffensive, there was so
much contradiction in his account of himself, that our
commander sent him a prisoner to Havana.
Of all the evil tendencies of our nature, the disposi
tion to cavil at authority is the most prevailing. The
gibes and sneers at the expense of that officer became
bitter and more frequent, when, on our arrival at
Havana, in reply to inquiries respecting the pris-

A STRATAGEM DETECTED. 233
oner, we were told that " he had been hung in compli
ment to the Americans." By a friend, the officer was
informed of the report, and the excitement it had
created in the squadron. In deep anxiety, although
conscious of having acted for the best, he applied at*
once to the proper authorities for information. The
official account proved him correct.
The prisoner, still professing to be a cigar maker,
obtained, with the material for their manufacture,
permission to send them to a friend outside, to be sold
for his support in prison. It happened, that as the
first bundle was passed out; the officer of the guard
who had stopped for a few moments in the gateway,,
asked for one. The bearer, without daring to refuse,
betrayed, as the officer thought, so much reluctance,
that he selected from the middle the very smallest
and most indifferent one. Lighting it by the stump
of his own, he found to his surprise, that it would not
draw. Opening it at length to discover the cause, he
found within, instead of tobacco, a written note. It
was addressed to an accomplice, and gave an account
of the dispersion of a noted gang, and the capture of
the writer. It was on that note and by the confession
ofthe wretch himself, that he was condemned and
executed.

CHAPTER XII.
We were afterwards dispatched to scour the whole
of the northern coast of Cuba, with the adjacent keys
and islets. Of the exposure and privation incident to
the performance of this duty, no conception can be
formed. Unsheltered from the fervent rays of a tropi
cal sun by day, or from the heavy dews of night, we
toiled and slept alike exposed to their pestilential
influence. Subsisting on a stinted allowance of water and of
salted food, which increased the natural thirst, our lips
were as much parched by inward heat, as our hands
and faces were blistered by the scorching sun. The
scarf skin peeled off, and we were alike tormented and
disfigured by hideous pustules, gross to the eye, and
peculiarly sensitive to the touch. The heat of the day
compelled us to throw aside all but the lightest gar- '
ments, and the dampness of the night, with innume
rable swarms of insects, made us assume the thickest
and most impenetrable; but in vain — the closest
texture and the thickest folds could not protect, us from

PRIVATION AND EXPOSURE. 235
the latter. The constant buzz and frequent sting of
the mosquito harassed, while the sharp prick of the
sand fly goaded us almost to madness. It is wonderful
how we stood it ; and but for the high state of mental
excitement, the most powerful constitution must have
succumbed. Whether chasing a vessel far to seaward,
or dragging our boats up some narrow creek, by the
jutting roots or overhanging branches of the man
grove, or pushing them, as we wacled, across a wide
but shallow lagoon, the toil was unceasing, the expo
sure baneful, and the privation scarce endurable.
Under the most depressing circumstances, the mind
will at times recruit itself by some effort at diversion.
One night, the boat to which I was attached, was
separated from the fleet by a succession of heavy
squalls. The next morning we found ourselves within
a mile of a very suspicious-looking vessel, and nothing
in sight to sustain us. The gallant Lieutenant who
commanded us, resolved without hesitation to attack
her. After a hurried preparation, therefore, we gave
way for the sloop, the crew of which, seemed through
the haze, to keep their threatening long gun trained
upon us. My station was in the bow, and knowing
that our men were sufficiently courageous for even a
more desperate encounter, but that almost everything
depended on celerity, I threw off my boots, and calling
to my commander who sat in the stern, proposed that
the crew should cast aside their jackets and the
clumsy shoes they wore.
" It matters not what they wear, Sir, provided they
are right here," he replied, slapping his breast, as I

236 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
thought, with a gasconading air. Please God, thought
I, if I live, I will strip you of your theatricals.
Our suspicions proved to be unfounded, and the
vessel was permitted to proceed without molestation.
The second night after, an opportunity was pre
sented for retaliation, of which I gladly availed
myself. We had rejoined the fleet, and were cruising
along the coast of the main island in search of piratical
establishments. About sunset, we came in sight of a
place which looked so suspicious, that we were sent to
examine it. As we neared the shore, we found our
progress barred by a dangerous reef, and rowed some
distance along the outer edge of the surf, without dis
covering the slightest vestige of a channel. The em
purpled cloud which had enveloped the descending
sun, seemed to grow heavy as it assumed a leaden
hue. As the air thickened, and the shore grew indis
tinct, the surf roared more audibly, and the foam, as it
tumbled down the watery slope, cast a garish light
upon the wild and beautiful scene.
I had hold of the helm, steering the boat along just
without the line of foam, and my commander was
eagerly looking out for the channel, when I perceived
directly abreast, a narrow space where the rush and
the upward leap of the water was less tumultuous.
Quick as thought, I slapped the helm down, and we
dashed among the breakers. In an instant, amidst a
deafening roar, we felt the boat borne upwards ; then,
with its bows frightfully depressed, it rushed down a
steep descent; was again arrested by a roller which

APPROACHING SICKNESS. 237
bore it upward and backward, and then we were
whirled forward with incredible velocity.
" My God, Sir ! what have you clone ?" Then per
ceiving that we had passed in safety, he added, "Why
didn't you give warning, sir ?"
" I didn't think it necessary, sir, since I knew that
all was right here," — laying my hand upon my breast
as I spoke. The Lieutenant bit his lip, but said
nothing. The consequences of exposure and great privation
of food and rest began soon to be developed, and one
by one the drooping eye. and throbbing pulse warned
us of approaching sickness. Placing our sick on board
of the larger vessels, with the barges little better than
half manned, we started for Key West.
A severe gale overtook, us, and the oldest seaman
fairjy trembled as we rode upon the pinnacle or strug
gled in the trough of the raging sea. The wind and
current were adverse, and instead ofthe prolonged and
easy swell of the mid-ocean, the gulf whirled its waves
about like some huge Briareus tossing his hundred
arms in the wildest and most furious contortions.
Sometimes riding down the sheer precipice of a broken
wave, we seemed to each other, upon our bed of foam,
as insignificant and far more helpless than the gulls
which screamed around us.
Our first and greatest dread was of collision. In the
open sea we would have been tossed in the like direc
tion, and our relative distance would not have been
materially lessened or increased. But here the waves
were so tumultuous, at one time influenced by the

238 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
wind, at another controlled by the current, that some
of the boats were soon scarce visible in the distance,
while others were in the most dangerous proximity.
So far from being enabled to spread a sail, the sweep
ing force of the wind compelled the men to sit in the
bottom of the boats to steady them. Our own boat and
another, seemed soon to come within the influence of
attraction. In vain we tried the helm, in vain with an
oar we attempted to give each a contrary direction.
With dreadful accuracy, the eye discovered that the
distance which separated us on the summit of a
wave, was lessened at its base. Presently we were so
near, that it was evident the next heave would bring us
together. There was perfect silence in each boat, and
the low tone of the officer as he bade the larboard oars
to be got out, sounded as distinct as if uttered through
the trumpet in the stillness of a midnight watch. It
were in vain to deny that every cheek blanched as the
next moment we found ourselves on the slope of a
receding wave, rushing madly towards each other. At
the instant of closing, their oars caught ander the bot
tom of our boat, and the succeeding wave swelling
upward beneath us, we were careened gunnel under,
the oars snapped like dry twigs, and a portion of their
boats'-side fell in with a crash, — as pitched in contrary
directions, we were swept far apart. It was evident
that the destruction of both boats had only been pre
vented by the entanglement of the oars.
With them the danger now assumed another aspect.
Although the side of their boat had broken in above the
surface of the sea, yet the crest of every wave broke

A GALE IN AN OPEN BOAT. 239
over it, and the water rushed in with alarming rapidity'.
Besides, the whole frame had been severely strained,
and the boat leaked fast. With the exception of the
man at the helm, every one, officers and all, com
menced bailing with his hat. The leak alone, they
could have managed, but they no sooner congratulated
themselves, that they had diminished the quantity of
water, than some passing wave would mock them by
casting in more than they had cast out.
They toiled thus for hours, but so hopeless seemed
their efforts, that the crew, at last, refused to bail any
longer. Again and again, the officer by turns com
manded and entreated. They were deaf alike to his
threatsand persuasions, and in dogged silence awaited
the result. Provoked to desperation by their folly, he
sprung forward and drawing the plug from the
bottom of the boat, exclaimed, " If we must die then,
the sooner the better.' '
By a strange anomaly in the human character, the
very certainty of that death, to which they were before
resigned, caused a reaction in the feelings of the crew,
and hastily replacing the plug, they began to bail again
with renewed vigor. By constant labor and unremit
ting vigilance, through the mercy of an Overruling
Providence, we weathered the storm and arrived safe,
but exhausted, at our place of destination.
Very soon after the congregation of our squadron at
Key West, the yellow fever in its most virulent form,
broke out among us. Our hastily erected and scantily
furnished hospitals, were soon crowded with the sick,
the dying and the newly dead. Frequently, the eyes

240 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
of one about to enter, would turn in dismay from the
sight of the body of some companion or friend, which
blocked the doorway in its passage to the grave.
Within the portal, turn his eyes wherever he would,
and the most ghastly, or most disgusting sights awaited
them. In. vain he endeavored to close his ears against
the deep-drawn sighs, the retching sounds and the
maniac laugh of the wretched beings around him. He
alone, who has laid on a rude j>allet in the ward of a
hospital, crowded with the victims of a malignant dis
ease, and beheld on one side the bloodshot eye, the
flushed brow and the restless movements of fever at its
height; and on the other, the torpid stillness, the pallid
hue and fast glazing vision which tell that the fever
has done its work, — he alone, can realize the horrors
of such a state.
Of that dreadful period, so painful to think of, it
would be laceration to the feelings to attempt a recital.
Who can dwell upon the languishing illness, the scant
attendance, the parching thirst, the gurgling sounds of
suffocation, the convulsive spasms and the death-rattle
of mess-mates and friends ? For me, I cannot, — but,
while I deplore their fate, most fervently do I cherish
the remembrance of their worth. Men have died for
an opinion and have been reputed martyrs. These
brave men, who, by their gallantry in battle and their
endurance of privation, gained the applause, may
surely, in their untimely deaths, claim the sympathies
of their country.
From two circumstances, an idea may be formed of
the dreadful mortality which thinned us. Of the crew

LOSS OF THE FERRET. 24 1
of one of the barges, consisting of seventeen men and
two officers, there were, at the expiration of three
weeks, but five survivors ! Of the whole body of offi
cers of the navy, one eighth perished in that sickly
season ! May they, and their more humble but
equally gallant comrades, rest in peace !
The next year we were employed in the same man
ner, and little occurred to vary the monotony of fatigue
or to cheer the tedious hours of endurance. Of the
events of this period, my journal presents nothing to
transcribe except the loss of the schooner Ferret.
She was sailing along the land, thirty or forty miles
from Matanzas, when by a sudden flaw of -wind, she was
upset. A number of the crew entangled by the ropes
and sails, or incapable of swimming, were immediately
drowned. The remainder, with the officers, clambered
to the upper rail, to which each one clung with the
tenacity of endangered life. As soon as the sense of
immediate peril was removed, they looked wistfully
to seaward, and- along the land in each direction, in
the hope of rescue.
Far to the west, distinct in the broad light of the de
scending sun, a felucca was again spreading sail which,
wiser than the schooner, she had folded to the passing
gust. She was too distant to distinguish either the
wreck or the wretches who crawled upon it, and they
possessed no means of attracting her attention. She
was standing in for the land, and as she receded from
their sight, the least sanguine despaired and the boldest
became despondent.
But the fear of a protracted death was exchanged for
11

242 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
the horrid apprehension of one more immediate and
dreadful. A young lad, once robust and cheerful, but
now feeble and dispirited from a wasting sickness, un
able longer to retain his hold, rolled over into the sea.
The black fins of sharks, before unseen, soon cleaved
the surface in various directions, and suddenly disap
pearing, a crimson suffusion of the water told the next
moment that the work of carnage had begun. Their
appetites whetted with the taste of blood, as the light
faded away, the dusky bodies of these ravenous fish
could be distinguished gliding along the surface of the
dark and slumbering ocean. Their boldness increas
ing with the advance of night, they circled nearer and
nearer, and as the crew drew themselves up to the
shortest span, they could distinctly hear their deep and
ominous breathing.
Notwithstanding the cheering exhortations of their
gallant commander, one by one, throughout the night,
the feeblest or the least courageous fell off. Towards
midnight, a breeze sprung up, bringing with it a gentle
swell. As riding with the undulation the wreck at
times sunk with the receding swell, and became, for an
instant, wholly immersed, the survivors could only by
clamorous shouts deter the greedy monsters from rush
ing in upon them.
Thus passed the night. With the light of day, the
sharks became more wary in their approach, but were
neither less numerous nor less vigilant. With the first
streak of light in the eastern board, almost unconscious
of the foes near them, the weary men turned to watch, in
deep anxiety, the progress of the slow rising sun. Thoy

A FORLORN HflPE. 243
watched in vain, for although several vessels were in
sight, they were so far off, and were steering in such
directions, as to preclude all hope of assistance from
them. The commander now determined on a measure which
he had reserved for the last extremity. The small skiff
yet hung, or rather in the inverted position of the
vessel, laid upon the stern davits. This boat, he de
termined to despatch to the shore, from whence,
should she fortunately reach it, to obtain assistance. A
lieutenant, a midshipman and two men, volunteered
for the undertaking. The chances were, if any, in
favor of remaining by the wreck. The keen wind was
evidently freshening, and a boat considered almost too
frail for the ripple of a river, could not be expected to
ride in safety upon the fast increasing swell. But it
was necessary that some should go, and as all would
without hesitation have obeyed a command, the dis
tinction was justly claimed by those who had volun
teered. The skiff was prepared and manned, and pushing
off from the wreck, was cheered on its mission by the
faint huzzas and heartfelt " God-speed" of those who
remained. In transcribing this part of my journal, my
eyes overflow with the bare remembrance of past sen
sations. And I know that from the inmost depths
of his soul, the gallant officer in charge of that boat,
prayed that he might perish, rather than return un
successful. The skiff was so light, so frail, and so difficult of
trim, that they were every moment in danger of upset-

244 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
ting. The swell rapidly increased, and as they sunk
into the trough of the sea and shut out the horizon,
the succeeding wave overshadowed, and its crest
seemed to curl in anger above them. Thinly clad and
wet to the skin, — moreover faint from want of food
and rest, as they rode upon the tops of the waves, they
suffered bitterly from the coldness of the wind. In
the hollow of the sea they were sheltered one moment,
only to suffer more keenly the next. The oars were of
little service, except to steady them in the dreadful
pitchings and careenings to which they were every
instant subjected. Two managed the oars, one steered,
and one incessantly bailed. There could be no transfer
of labor, for it was death to attempt a change of
position. Although the current set along the land, the wind
and the heave of the sea drove them indirectly towards
it. After six hours incessant fatigue, cold, cramped
and wearied to exhaustion, they reached the near vici
nity of the shore, and running along it for a short dis
tance (in increased danger, for the boat was now
broadside to the sea), they made the mouth of a small
harbor, into which, their frames thrilling with grati
tude, they pulled with all their might.
As the peace and the joys of heaven are to the
wrangling and sorrows of this world, was the placid
stillness of that sheltered nook to the fierce wind and
troubled sea without. The transition was as sudden as
it was delightful, and with uncovered head and up
turned gaze, each paid his tribute, of thankfulness.
They next thought of their companions.

a pirate's lair. 245
There was a small schooner at anchor, which looked
as if she might be indiscriminately used for traffic or
for piracy. There were several fishing boats hauled
up on the beach, and a number of fishermen were em
ployed drying and mending their nets. A short dis
tance from the shore, about a dozen huts were scattered
along the banks of a stream which emptied into the
little bay. It was a place heretofore unknown, and
they had every reason to apprehend it to be one of those
haunts from whence the pirates issued so suddenly to
commit their depredations. Conscious that in such an
event, immediate death awaited them, if their true
characters were known, they prepared their story and
boldly landed on the beach. They were immediately
surrounded by as swarthy and cut-throat a looking set
as they had ever seen, who unceremoniously hurried
them into a pulperia and began to question them.
The first glance around the room into which they
were ushered confirmed their worst suspicions. Besides
kegs and bottles of various liquor and drinking glasses
and segars, there were fabrics of European manufacture
and wearing apparel of every grade of society, from
that of the ship boy to the fashionable lady, — hung on
pegs or lying in tumbled heaps upon the shelves.
There were bonnets and shawls and hats ; parasols and
fans, boots, swords, pistols, handkerchiefs and watches.
The plunder of many a vessel, the murder of many a
fellow creature, had contributed to the variety of that
assortment. The officer in command had directed the others
to watch him, and if he gave a certain signal, they

246 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
were to return the answers previously concerted.
If he did not, they were free to assume their proper
characters. Immediately on entering the room, the
expected signal was given.
At the" shrewd suggestion of one of the gang, they
were taken apart and questioned separately. Their
accounts agreed exactly, in all except one essential. par
ticular. In the assumed name and nation of the vessel
to which. they professed to belong; in her destination,
her rig, the number of her crew and the name of her
commander, they all agreed : but they had forgotten to
concert the number and description of her guns. One
mounted her with carronades, another with long guns,
and they were differently represented as few of large,
or as many of smaller calibre. This discrepancy be
trayed them.
The fury which gleamed from the eyes of these
men when the true character of our countrymen was
discovered, warned the latter to prepare for the worst.
While the pirates earnestly talked apart, our little
band silently re-assembled, and standing with their
backs to the wall, determined to sell their lives as
dearly as possible.
The fear of detection had induced the latter to cut
the buttons from their coats and remove every ves
tige of the uniform. But, when the pirates again
approached them, their fell purpose but too visible in
their countenances, the brave Lieutenant boldly de
clared that they were part ofthe crew of an American
vessel of war, and that if they dared molest his
party they would be signally punished. He proceeded

IMPRISONED BY PIRATES.

247

to tell them that the bearing and direction of their
harbor was now known, and that we had an over
whelming force in Matanzas ready to pounce upon
them on the slightest provocation.
Had his tone been truculent and submissive ; had
he attempted to sue or to treat for ransom, they
would have been murdered on the spot. But his
boldness startled, and his threats alarmed them.
There was so much probability in what he said ; we
had so frequently taken such signal vengeance upon
their lawless bands, that while they thirsted for
blood, a moment's reflection convinced them that they
dared not shed it. But they determined on what was
almost as bad. On the pretext that the officer and
his crew were Colombian privateers-men, they impri
soned them in one of the huts, around which an
efficient guard was stationed. It was dreadful to
think that although their lives were perhaps eventu
ally secure, their friends were perishing while they
could not make one further effort for their preserva
tion. In vain, from the windows, they offered the
highest reward for a messenger to Matanzas. Seem
ingly or really they disbelieved their assertions and
ridiculed their promises. In despair, they gave up
the attempt, and sick at heart, hungry, thirsty, and ex
hausted, sunk upon the mud-floor of the cabin.
They had not laid long, however, when they were
aroused by the trampling of horses without. They
eagerly looked out and beheld a Spaniard mounted
on one horse and leading another, on which sat a young
and rather . handsome female. He was a merchant

248 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
from the interior come to purchase from the spoilers.
They were passing by the hut, before which a number
of people were collected, and had stopped to inquire
the reason. To him the commander addressed himself,
and by every appeal to his interest and his feelings,
endeavored to prevail upon him to bear a note to
Matanzas. But he too, as obdurate as those around,
jeered and derided him. Their commander then
turned to the woman, and in the most thrilling tones,
and with gushing eloquence, portrayed the condi
tion of his shipmates on the wreck, and besought her
as she loved her husband, her brother or her child, to
pity and to save them. She was a woman, and thanks
be to God ! she was a mother, too ! Her humid eye,
her throbbing breast proclaimed his success. She wept,
she entreated and she prevailed. Divine influence of
woman ! never more needed, when, in the cause of
humanity, was it ever denied ?
Once interested, the woman, true to the impulse of
her sex, pursued no* half-way measures. Yielding to
the entreaties of his wife, what he had before scornfully
denied, the merchant not only agreed to dispatch a
messenger, but also procured the liberation of the
party, and by his direction a grateful repast of coffee,
bread and fish, was spread before them.
But the meal was interrupted and their appetites
failed, when it was reported that no one could be pro
cured either to proceed alone, or to act as guide to tho
town. But what difficulty can surpass the ingenuity,
or in the cause of love or charity, what sacrifice
can be too great for the pure and gentle of the other

A TRUE WOMAN. 249
sex ? The wife suggested, what never would have oc
curred to her stupid husband, and which, when first
mentioned, threw him into a perfect rage. Notwith
standing his violence, she waited patiently, until his
oaths, and with them his passion was fairly spent,
and then, with gentle voice and winning manner and
all those fond endearments, which are alike the charms
and the weapons of the sex, one by one, she overcame
his scruples, and he consented to accompany our com
mander forthwith to the town. To do the brute jus
tice, the last and greatest difficulty was the thought of
leaving his wife unprotected behind him. But, ardent
in a good cause, she yielded to none of her sex's weak
ness. She said that she had ever heard that the Ame
ricans were brave, and placed herself under their protec
tion. They swore to die rather than a hair of her head
should be injured. With all the qualities of moral ex
cellence, the simple and unpretending virtues of that
woman would adorn a throne on earth, as they will
surely win for her a crown in heaven.
The commander set out without a moment's delay,
and left his companions behind as protectors of the
wife, and as hostages for the safety and remuneration
of the husband. He travelled all night along intricate
by-roads and narrow mule-tracks overgrown with
brushwood. Scarce able to keep his saddle, he urged
his guide to the utmost speed. He reached Matanzas
just before the dawn of day, and leaving his guide
at the Consul's for the reward, he proceeded to the
water, and procured a boat. Reaching the steam-
brig, and clambering her side, he was just able to
11*

250 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
say " the Ferret has capsized to leeward, and they arc
perishing on the wreck," when he fell fainting in the
gangway. The brig was immediately got under way,
and he recovered in time to steer her in the right
direction. They rescued all who remained, but the number
had been sadly thinned since the skiff was dispatched the
day before.
Sailors are strange mortals, and sometimes seem to
love their jests better than their friends. The First
Lieutenant of the Schooner, a perfect skeleton in
figure, was taken delirious from the wreck. As soon
as he recovered his consciousness, but while yet too
weak to turn in his berth, a waggish brother officer
said to him, " M., I'm told that the sharks frequently
smelt at your legs, but could find nothing to bite."
Towards the last, the sharks had become so ravenous,
that from time to time they seized the most exposed
upon the wreck, who screamed in their agony as they
were dragged beneath the surface.
The noble commander of the Ferret was lamed for
life ; the First Lieutenant, the spirit of bravery and
the soul of truth, lingered in consequence for many
years, on the verge of the grave. *
* It is proper to say that the officer dispatched on this perilous ser
vice, and to whose decision, intrepidity, and moving appeal, the survi
vors of the wreck were indebted for their lives, was Lieutenant, now
Commander James Glynn, ofthe Navy.

CHAPTER XIII.
Returning- to the United States after two years'
service in the West Indies, the vessel was laid up for
repairs, the men were discharged, and the officers
detached. From my journal during this period, I transcribe a
description of a Condor-Hunt on the plains of Chili,
by a near and dear friend, who has passed to his
reward. THE CONDOR-HUNT.
In each division of the American Continent, nature
seems to have carried on her operations with bound
less magnificence, and upon a gigantic scale. Cha
teaubriand, reclining by his watchfire on the banks
of the Niagara, where the thunders of its cataract were
only interrupted by the startling yell of the Iroquois,
could yet feel, in the midst of tumult, the amazing
silence and solitude of the North American forest.
And the hardy mariner, whose bark has escaped the
perils of the Southern sea, and is wafted along the
western coast of Chili, looks with no less admiration
-non the fertile plains ^£adj.jally receding into the

*"-'-' THE MIDSHIPMAN.
swell of the Andes, which literally lifts its smoking
craters and towering eminences above the clouds, and
upon its snow-capped and sunny summits, scarcely
feels the undulations of the storms which gather and
burst around its waist.
With the stars and stripes of the Union floating
from the mast-head of our frigate, we were sailing
along that part of the coast of Chili, where the waving
line of the Andes rounds within a short distance of
the Pacific, and were unusually solicitous, after the
perils and privations of a tempestuous sea-voyage, to
tread upon a soil on which nature, from her horn of
abundance, has poured forth the choicest of her gifts.
Older sailors than ourselves had spoken of the
generous hospitality of the Spanish colonists, and
there were historical associations connected with this
favored land, well calculated to render a visit agree
able. Who that has been nurtured in the lap of free
dom, would not long to look upon the only race of
native people on the western continent who had never
been subdued, and who, to this day, tread the soil of
their forefathers unvancpiished and invincible ?
The Araucanians, who inhabit the southern portion
of this delightful country, like the Saxons of the Euro
pean continent, are the only native race who have
successfully repelled every invader, and who, happier
than the Saxon, still rejoice in their unbridled freedom.
Neither Diego Almagro, with his brutal treachery,
nor Valverde with his unsparing cruelty, could ever
subdue or intimidate a race of freemen whose liberties
still survive -the frequent convulsions by which they

THE CONDOR-HUNT. 253
have been agitated. The flame of freedom among this
gallant people, like the volcanoes of their native
mountains, seems destined to burn on for ever unex
tinguished. But I proposed to speak of the Condor-
Hunt on the plains of Chili.
Every one has heard of the Condor or Great Vulture
of the Andes, rivalling in natural history, the fabled
feats of the Roc of Sinbad. Even the genius of Hum
boldt has failed to strip this giant bird of its time-
honored renown, and his effort to reduce the Chilian
Condor to the level of the Lammergyer of the Alps, is
a signal failure.
Although he has divested this mountain bird of all
its fictitious attributes, and stripped a goodly portion
of romantic narrative of its wildest imagery, yet the
Condor still floats in the solitude of the higher hea
vens, the monarch of the feathered race. The favorite
abiding place of this formidable bird is along a chain
of mountains in our southern continent, whose sum
mits, lifted far above the clouds, -are robed in snow,
which a torrid sun may kiss but never melt. Above
all animal life, and beyond the limit of even mountain
vegetation, these birds delight to dwell, inhaling an air
too highly attenuated to be endured by other than
creatures peculiarly adapted to it. From the crown
of these immense elevations, they slowly and lazily
unfold their sweeping pinions, and wheeling in wide
and ascending circles, they soar upward into the
dark blue vault of heaven,. until their great bulk
diminishes to the merest speck, or is entirely lost to
the aching sight of the observer.

254 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" All day thy wings have fanned,
At that far height, the cold, thin, atmosphere,
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land,
Though the dark night is near.
There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast —
The desert and illimitable air —
Lone wandering — but not lost.
Thou art gone — the abyss of heaven
Hath swallowed up thy form."
In those pure fields of ether, unvisited even by the
thunder cloud, regions which may be regarded as his
own exclusive domain, the Condor delights to sail, and
with piercing glance survey the surface of the earth,
toward which he never stoops but at the call of
hunger. Surely this power to waft and to sustain
himself in the loftiest regions of the air — the ability to
endure uninjured, the exceeding cold attendant upon
such remoteness from the earth, and to1 breathe with
ease in an atmosphere of such extreme rarity — together
with the keenness of sight that, from such vast heights
can minutely scan the objects beneath, as well as the
formidable powers of this bird, when the herds are
scattered before him ; were sufficiently admirable to
entitle the Condor to our attention, and to give us pro
mise of goodly sport in the approaching Condor or
Lasso-Hunt. A large landed proprietor, a descendant of one of
the early Spanish patentees, to whom we had been
indebted for abundant supplies of fruit and provisions,
as well as for numberless civilities, convoyed to us at
length the welcome tidings that the Condor, numerous

THE CONDOR-HUNT.

255

as the sands of the shore, had stooped from his sub
lime domain, to the base of the mountain, and that the
hunt would commence in the morning.
The sun had scarcely risen in the heavens, when our
party of from twenty-five to thirty, sprang from
the boats to the beach. The plain before us ran in a
gently ascending slope to the base of the hill about
one mile distant. The hunt was up — and the field in
the distance was dotted with scampering herds of
cattle and groups of horsemen, mingled in one dusty
melee, the sight of which lent wings to .our speed,
as vaulting into the deep Spanish saddles, prepared
by our worthy host, we sprang onward to the field of
blood. Impelled by the cravings of resistless appe
tite, the Condor, regardless of danger, pressed forward
to assail the herds of the plain ; while the watchmen,
having sounded the alarm, the numerous population
turned out, as well to protect their cattle, as to hunt
the mountain-bird — the Chilian's manly pastime.
From the midst of a canopy of dust, spread wide
over the plain, there came forth sounds of noisy con
flict, resembling the heady current of a " foughten
field ;" and mountain and hill-side were shaken by the
shouts of the hunters, the tramp of scampering horse
men, and the bellowing of enraged and affrighted
cattle. The Condor, alone, rapid as the cassowary of
the desert, pursued in silence his destined prey. As
we rapidly approached, we perceived one of the herd
bursting from the western extremity of the cloud of
dust, lashing his bleeding side with his tail, and his
blood-shotten eyes starting wildly from their sockets,

256 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
while foaming at the mouth, he bellowed loudly with
pain. With a wonderful unity of purpose, he alone
was closely pursued by the whole flock of birds, who,
disregarding the other animals, seemed to follow, as
with a single will, this stricken one, who was at the
same time cautiously avoided by his terrified com
panions. Like all gregarious birds, the Condor ap
peared to have a leader, who, rushing at their head,
into the midst of the herd, pounced with his greedy
beak upon this devoted animal, the fattest and the
sleekest of the multitude, and tore a piece of flesh
from his side. Attracted by the sight or the scent of
blood, the whole flock, like a brood of harpies, joined
in the mad pursuit. Swift of foot as the fleetest
racer, they kej>t close to his side, ever and anon,
striking with unerring sagacity at his eyes.
Tell me not of the gladiators of martial Rome, or of
the Tauridors of modern Seville — they were pastimes
for children, compared with the thrilling excitement
of the Condor-Hunt. Away they fled, and away we
hurried in the chase. A thousand horsemen were
wheeling rapidly in pursuit — a thousand cattle, terri
fied and frantic, swept over the plain — and a thousand
Condors mingled in the crowd — until, by the rapid
movement, herd and Condor were again hidden from
the view in clouds of dust. A loud shout soon after
attracted us to the scene of conflict. Bursting forth
once again from the cloud of dust into which he had
vainly rushed, the devoted animal plunged madly
forward, yet more closely followed by the whole field
of vultures. Black with dust, and streaming with

THE CONDOR-HUNT.

257

blood from a hundred wounds inflicted by the remorse
less beaks of his pursuers, he still fled onward, but
with diminished speed. As if looking to man for
assistance in his extremity, he rushed through the
midst of our cavalcade, and the Condor, regardless of
om- presence, hung upon his side, or followed in his
footprints. From the altered movement of the animal after he
had passed us, with his head on high, plunging and
blundering over the uneven ground, it was evident
that his course was no longer directed by sight. His
eyes were gone — they had been torn from their bleed
ing sockets ! '
Wearied and panting, his tongue hangs from his
month, and every thirsty beak is upon. it. Still on
ward he flies, hopeful of escape — and onward presses
the Condor, secure of his prey. The animal now
appeared to be dashing for the water, but his declining
speed and unequal step rendered it doubtful whether
he could reach it. He seemed suddenly to despair of
doing so, for wheeling round with one last and despe
rate effort, he gathered himself up in the fulness of his
remaining strength, and rushed into the midst of the
herd, as if he sought by mingling in the living mass,
to divert the attention of his pursuers. But the mark
and the scent of blood was upon him, and on the track
of blood the Condor is untiring and relentless. Beast
and bird once again were lost to view, beneath the
curtain of dust which overspread the trembling plain.
But, in a few moments, pursued by every bird, he
broke from the midst of the herd, and made a few

258 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
desperate plunges towards the water, and reeling on
wards, fell at length bleeding and exhausted, on the
very margin of the sea !
Sternitur exanimisque tremens procumbit humis bos.
In an instant he was buried up among his pursuers,
his flesh torn off, yet quivering, by hungry beaks, and
his smoking entrails trailed upon the ground. In the
distance, on the verge of the horizon, the last of the
herd might still be discerned, flying upon the wings
of the wind from the fate of their companion.
Our host gave the signal, and we hurried to the spot
to rescue the carcass, with a view to visit upon the
Condor vengeance for the mischief he had done, and
the blood he had spilled. At our near approach, they
took reluctantly and lazily to wing, and wheeling in
oblique circles, they were soon seen floating over the
crest of the mountain, dark specks in the firmament.
The hunters, prepared with stakes about seven feet in
length, commenced driving them in the ground, a few
inches apart, and in a circular form around the carcass,
leaving a small space open. As soon as we retired
from the spot, the birds descended upon the plain,
and entering the enclosure, renewed their feast,, and
again took wing. In the course of a few hours, the
huntsmen returned, and throwing into the pen an
additional supply of food, drove down other stakes in
the open space, leaving just sufficient room for the
admission ofthe Condor.
The birds, more numerous than ever, returned to
their filthy banquet.

TUE CONDOR-HUNT. 259
Meanwhile, having refreshed our horses, and par
taken of the hospitality of our worthy host, we once
more took the field for vengeance on the gorged and
lazy foe. As the wings of these birds have a sweep
of seventeen feet, they are not readily unfurled, so
that when the Condor has alighted on the plain, he is
only enabled to rise by running over a- space of fifteen
or twenty rods, and gradually gathering wind to lift
himself on high. While in the midst of their raven
ous feast, a few of the hunters warily approached and
closed the opening; and thus, unable to soar aloft from
a spot so confined and crowded, the Condors were
captive. But a Chilian scorns thus to slay a foe.
Armed with a lasso, each of the natives sits upon his
horse, eagerly awaiting the turning loose of half a
dozen birds from the enclosure.
They are out — and away scamper the Condor, fleet
as the winds of heaven — and away, in rapid pursuit,
wheels the mounted Chilian, swinging around his
head the noose of the unerring lasso, which, falling
upon the neck of the bird, makes him captive. The
line is played out, and away sweeps the powerful
bird, and away the practised horseman after him.
Springing upward, the Condor now unfolds his wings
and flutters in such width of circle as the rope will
permit — and now shoots perpendicularly upward — and
now falls headlong, and is trailed exhausted on the
ground. '
The lengthened shadows of evening had fallen along
the plain before the sport was up, and the last Condor
was captured. We returned to our ship, well pleased

260 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
with the entertainment, and swinging into our ham
mocks sunk into deep slumber, for which the exercise
of the clay had prepared us — but our sleep was not too
sound for refreshing visitations from friends far
away, " O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea."
* * *
Long before the expiration of my leave of absence,
I was an applicant for service, and my application was
successful. I was detailed for the Hornet, the symmetrical
Hornet, endeared by the achievement of two glorious
victories. We fitted out at Norfolk ; and before we were
ready for sea, one of our eldest midshipmen was taken
seriously ill. At length, his life was despaired of, but
he lingered long a perfect maniac. He had no friends
— his rude manners and his dissipated habits having
long estranged his messmates. His paroxysms were
so frequent and violent, that he required unceasing
and vigilant watchiug. He had no nurse — those in the
town usually employed as such, absolutely refusing to
take charge of him. He was, therefore, solely depend
ent on the humanity of others.
Hearing one afternoon how much he was neglected,
and that while alone, he had seriously injured himself,
I volunteered to sit up with him that night. I knew not
the hazard I encountered, and those who were better
informed, were too interested to enlighten me.
At intervals, varying from half an horn- to an hour

THE MANIAC. 261
and a half, his paroxysms occurred during the night ;
sometimes assuming a frightful, at others, a ludi
crous aspect. At one time he jumped from his bed,
and while his Herculean frame seemed to recover its
full strength, he glared upon me ferociously, declaring
that I had a design upon his life, and swore, with a
dreadful imprecation, that he would tear me limb
from limb, and with my blood slake the thirst which was
consuming him. Like a tiger beset in his lair, he
crouched as he spoke, and, foaming at the mouth,
was about to spring upon me. Iu his infuriate con
dition, I should have been as an infant in his hands.
There was no avenue of escape, for the windows were
secured, and I had myself locked the door, and placed
the key on the mantel which was behind him. I felt,
however, that if I flinched, I should be irretrievably
lost. Advancing towards him, therefore, I looked him
sternly in the face, and while my heart fairly throb
bed, assumed a bold and threatening tone, and bade
him return instantly to his bed, or I would beat him
severely. At first, he returned my glance with one
so fierce and vindictive, that I involuntarily shrunk,
but with an effort, I succeeded in keeping my gaze
riveted upon him. His glances afterwards became
more furtive and less feroqous, until, by degrees, he
succumbed, and cowering at my feet, entreated in the
most abject manner, that I would not strike him.
Such scenes occurred repeatedly during the night';
each as perilous as the first ; and nothing but pure
shame prevented me from calling for help, or from
leaving him as soon as the first paroxysm wa3 over.

262 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
The light of day was never more grateful to the
benighted wanderer, than it was to me closeted with a
madman, in the midst of a populous neighborhood.
The rising sun put an end to my watching, and before
it set, he was relieved from his sufferings. He died in
convulsions. As soon as I returned to the ship, I threw myself on
a locker, and slept profoundly. I awoke some time
after the dinner horn- was past, and hastened to write a
letter, which, being on a matter of some importance to
me, I was anxious to forward by that evening's mail.
I had scarce commenced, when one of my messmates
sportively threw some water upon the paper. Begging
him to stop, I began another, which was treated in the
same manner, and a third and a fourth, notwithstand
ing my earnest entreaties, shared the same fate.
Provoked at length, I told my persecutor, that the
new vest he had on, could not be as valuable in his
eyes as the necessity of writing was imperative on me,
and that if he repeated the provocation, I would soil
his garment with the ink which was before me. He
did repeat it, and true to my word, I threw the con
tents of, my inkstand upon him. He now became
enraged, and applied to me an opprobrious epithet.
Before I could close upon him, our messmates inter
fered, and we were studiously kept apart.
A duel is a dreadful thing ! Not in the risk of life,
which, suspended by a single thread of destiny, is, in
ten thousand ways, liable to be hourly severed. Not
in the infraction of the laws of man — for man may
interdict what morals do not condemn. But in the

A CHALLENGE. 263
rash presumption, the daring impiety, with which a
frail and erring creature crowns his sinful career by
an act of defiance, and polluted with the desire of
shedding — perhaps reeking with the blood of a fellow-
creature, rushes uncalled, into the presence of its
dread Creator.
We are the creatures of circumstance — gross or
refined, vicious or comparatively pure, according to
the sphere in which we move, and the characters
with whom we associate. The vestal, whose greatest
sin has been a gesture of impatience or a sigh of dis
content, exposed to the same temptations, might have
been as loathsome in her degradation as the inmate
of the brothel. The convicted felon, who, with bitter
imprecations on his lip, is swung from the ignominious
scaffold, may have been a youth of promise, whose
nightly prayer and morning aspiration breathed gra
titude to his God, and whose every act was once
directed to the welfare of his fellow men.
We are the creatures of circumstance because we
are weak : we foolishly embrace error, rather than be
ridiculed for singularity.
I had sufficient virtue to abhor, but not firmness
enough to resist the mandates of the code 'of honor.
Had I not been prevented when the insult was given,
I would not have left the presence of my adversary,
until I had either thrashed him or been severely
thrashed myself. As it was, I considered that I had
no alternative ; I therefore challenged Mr. H., and we
were to meet the next morning.
Contained within the scanty limits of a steerage

264 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
locker, my personal effects were necessarily few. Real
estate I had none to bequeath, and my personal pro
perty would not pay the expenses of interment.
A friend, who stood by me in this emergency, as he
had done in many others, undertook to liquidate the
debts I owed, for which, fortunately, I had sufficient
due to me from the Purser. In the event of my fall,
for any deficiency in the funeral expenses, I trusted to
the generosity of my country, even while I was about
to violate one of its most positive enactments.
I did not sleep well that night ; and yet, I cannot
remember, nor does my journal present one expression
from which to infer that death, as death, had any
terrors. It was not the parting, but the manner of it,
from which my mind, deeply imbued with the
precepts of a pious mother, involuntarily shrunk. I
felt, and it is recorded on the pages before me,
that I would have cheerfully exchanged the chances
of escape, for certain death in the cause of patriotism
or humanity.
It were useless to transcribe the conflicting sensations
which are recorded on the pages of my journal.
With an abiding conviction of the probable conse
quences, my mind, never for an instant, faltered from
its purpose. The feeling was nearer akin to remorse
for errors past, than a hesitation between good and
evil. In other words, " I knew the right, and would
the wrong pursue."
Towards morning, I sunk into a heavy sleep, from
which I awoke late and unrefreshed. My friend
hurried me through breakfast, that I might practise a

THE MADMAN'S GRAVE. 265
little with the pistol, to which I was unaccustomed,
while my adversary was considered an excellent shot.
He had procured for me the weapon with which
Decatur, mortally wounded himself, had so nearly
killed his antagonist;
It looked so much like deliberately seeking another's
life, that I refused to practise, until satisfied that the
odds were so much against* me, no efforts of mine
could materially diminish them. I went into the
adjoining woods, and tried three shots, either of which
would have proved fatal had I been confronted by an
opponent. Returning to the town, we met the funeral on its
way, and joined the procession. At the lu ial ser
vice, by some accident, or as it appeared to me at the
time, by some fatality, I found myself standing at the
foot of the grave, one hand holding my cloak to con
ceal the pistol which was held in the other. To my
distempered imagination, the tenant of the grave
appeared to burst his cerements. The madman, now
infuriate in his wrath, now distorted with grimaces,
seemed, while he scowled and chattered, to regard me
as a greater madman than himself. It appeared, in
deed, as if Providence in merciful warning permitted
me to stand upon the brink of the sheer precipice, and
to look far down the yawning gulf into which I was
about to precipitate another, or myself.
Pride, and an undue regard to the opinions of
others, proved too powerful to be overcome; but I
made this compromise with conscience, I resolved
that stand or fall, I would not aim at the life of my
12

266 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
adversary. Frail changelings that we are ! What
frivolous pretexts, how slight provocations are suffi
cient to turn us from our purpose — particularly, when
that purpose, good in itself, is assailed by the
passions !
The morning had been cool, but in the afternoon it
became warm ; and near the appointed time, I walked
out of town towards the place of rendezvous, with the
weapon and ammunition as studiously concealed be
neath the oppressive folds of my cloak, as if they had
been feloniously obtained. My friend was unavoid
ably detained, and I started alone, fearful of being
too late. He overtook me just before I reached the
ground. The other party wa6 there before us. The
word and distance were soon arranged, and the
ground measured. My pistol was objected to by the
opposite party, and one of a pair was substituted,
cumbrous as a horseman's, and so large in the bore,
that it was necessary to wrap an ounce ball* in buck
skin to fit it. It seemed as if we were about to fight
with small artillery. With the purpose I had formed,
it was immaterial to me what weapon was placed in
my hand, but I was rather nettled that with the
advantage of superior skill on his side, my antagonist
should evince so little magnanimity. Still, when I
took my stand, my purpose was unaltered, to receive
his fire, and in a manner not to be suspected, throw
away my own.
While with relaxed grasp, I held my weapon by my
side, my mind was wandering far from the scene, and
I was listening as in early boyhood, to the beautiful

THE DUEL.

267

but neglected precepts of my mother, when the words
" Fire ! One !" startled me.
Looking instantly up, I caught the eye of my anta
gonist. The expression was not to be mistaken. With
eager avidity to take my life, was mingled great anx
iety for the preservation of his own. I could not resist
the feeling which impelled me, and as his bullet whizzed
by my ear, and before the last word " three" was ut
tered, I had fired with an aim as malignant as his own.
As the reports reverberated around us, I looked
eagerly forward, expecting to see my adversary fall.
Half encircled by a spiral wreath of smoke, to my
mortification (yes, to my present shame I transcribe
it), to my mortification he stood unscathed before me.
Had I retained the pistol which I carried to the field,
his death would have been inevitable. The aim was
unerring, for it was vindictive, and the hand is ever
faithful to the eye. The fault was in the weapon. As
it was, both shots were ineffectual, and before we were
prepared for a second, my antagonist tendered such an
apology, that the matter was adjusted.
I have transcribed this, not for the incident itself,
which is a trifling one, but to give some idea of the
thoughts and tone of feeling elicited by the occasion.
I do not know how others may feel on such occasions,
but I deem it due to candor to say, that even while
appearing courageous, I would not have been there if
I could have helped it — if I had not dreaded more the
sneer of ridicule than the reproaches of my own con
science, and regarded more the estimation of men than

268

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

the approbation of my Maker. It led, however, to one
good result, of which more hereafter.
Susceptible to kindness, I was grateful for the
slightest offices of friendship. The professions and
attentions of the landlord whose inn I frequented, had
made a deep impression on me, and my heart in its
loneliness, treasured the remembrance of his kind
expressions. That impression was effaced and the
remembrance embittered, when, on my return, I found
that my bill had been made out in anticipation of my
fall. That simple circumstance pained me more than
I can express, and while it taught me the hollowness
of one species of profession, rendered me for awhile,
suspicious of all.
Ten days after, we dropped down to Hampton
Roads, and awaited our orders for sea. The night
before their expected arrival, I was left in charge of
the deck. In the same watch with me was an inter
esting youth, who had recently been appointed a
midshipman. In making some report to me, I ob
served that his cap was drawn so closely over his face,
as nearly to conceal it. Suspecting that something
was the matter, for he was anything but disrespectful,
I watched him closely. He had retired to the taffrail,
and leaning his head upon his hand, remained for a
long time immovable. I approached and inquired if
he were ill. As he raised his head to reply, I per
ceived that his eyes were filled with tears.
After a short time, I learned the cause of his distress.
His home was distant but one day's journey, where
his father was lying dangerously ill, and the Captain

HARRY NELSON. 269
had refused permission to visit him. Encouraged by
my sympathy, and the pledge I gave not to betray
him, he further told me he had engaged a shore-boat,
in which, at a late hour of the night, he was deter
mined to make his escape and abandon the service
rather than not see his father. Persuaded that the
Captain could not have understood the circumstances,
I entreated him to abandon his purpose, and offered
my services to procure the leave he desired. He pro
mised to wait until three in the morning.
As it was yet early, I left the deck in charge of the
next senior midshipman of the watch, and proceeded
to the state room of one of the Lieutenants, in whose
good nature and good sense, I had equal and perfect
reliance. I related the circumstance to him, and as I
expected, he became interested, and repaired imme
diately to the cabin. He returned successful, and
young Nelson took leave of me that night with a
grateful pressure of the hand, and a fervent " God
bless you !"
After his return, with a moistened eye, he gave me
an account of his journey.
A second marriage, that frequent bane of domestic
peace, and its fruit, a second family of children, and its
usual consequences, partiality on the one side, and in
justice on the other— had driven Nelson from the shelter
of his father's roof, and at his early age, with a feeble
constitution, and an education incomplete, had thrown
him into the navy for a livelihood.
A little before sunset of the same day on which
Nelson left us. he was put on shore about a mile from

270 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
his father's residence. With a heavy heart, the poor
boy trudged slowly along, in order not to reach the
plantations much before nightfall. Concealing him
self behind the fence, he waited until he saw the plough
men retire from' the field, and heard the last tinkle of
the bell as the kine gathered to the nightly fold.
Skirting the edge of the field, he then made for the
negro quarter, and unobserved, entered the hut of Old
Charlotte, the former nurse and favorite servant of his
mother. " Oh, Master Harry !" exclaimed the old woman,
" thank gracious for the sight of you," but added in a
sadder tone, " Old Massa is mighty sick, but he don't
know it ! — poor massa., he don't know it !"
" I must see him to-night, Charlotte, for to-morrow
morning I am obliged to return."
" It can't be, Massa Harry !" — and she proceeded to
tell him how fretted his father had become by a long
and wasting illness. She told him, too, that his step
mother debarred from his father's presence all but her
immediate dependents and herself.
Although with the other domestics of his mother's
time, the old nurse was excluded from the Great
House (as the family residence was termed), yet at the
earnest solicitation of her young master, she promised
to contrive an interview between him and his sister.
Tearing a slip containing the words " My only bro
ther," from his sister's last letter, Nelson sent it to her
inserted in a time-worn pocket comb, which he knew that
she would immediately recognize, should the nurse not
have an opportunity of speaking to Ji§r. . He then

HARRY NELSON. 271
concealed himself in the loft, while the old woman
hobbled forth on her errand.
In a short time, he heard the quick pattering of
footsteps along the path, and immediately after, the
door was pushed open, and he was anxiously called.
The next moment, he clasped his panting sister to his
breast ; and locked in each other's arms, these forlorn
children wept as each clung to the other frantic
with joy.
Seated side by side, on a low bench, Nelson listened
with suppressed emotion while his sister told of the
petty vexations and ignominious trials to which she
was subjected, At times, when she related some
overbearing act of that stepmother's unfeeling son,
forgetful of the delicate hand he held within his own,
he grasped it until she nearly screamed, while he
vowed vengeance on her persecutor.
His sister told him, too, how much their father had
been neglected in his illness ; how he was left entirely
to the care of servants, who were the creatures of their
stepmother, and how she nightly stole to his chamber
and watched him while he slept, or tended him in his
delirium, until frightened away by approaching foot
steps. She promised her brother to admit him into
the house when all were asleep, and if possible to
conduct him to the sick chamber. After a short inter
view they parted, the girl apprehensive of her absence
being noticed.
A little after midnight, Nelson approached the rear
of the house under cover of the outbuildings, and
gaining the porch, stood before the door, where his

272 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
mother during life, was wont to sit, while his sister
and himself gambolled before her.
While he stood here, anxious for the present, and
far from unmindful of the past, he was alarmed by the
deep bay of the old house dog. The porch was sup
ported on piles, and beneath it the dog had been
sleeping. As he came forth growling, Nelson's heart
sunk within him, for detection appeared inevitable.
But one hope remained. He turned to the dog, and
in a low tone called him by name. Hector was no
ingrate, and at the sound of that familiar voice, he
leaped upon his young master, and nearly overwhelmed
him with caresses. Here was another cause for appre
hension. The dog in his joy, whined so loudly, that
there was great danger of the family being aroused.
The apprehension was realized, and through the sash
over the door, Nelson saw that a light was approach
ing. He had- barely time to conceal himself beneath
the porch, when the door was unbarred, and the step
brother, of whose persecutions his sister had com
plained, came forth with a heavy stick in his hand.
He gave the dog a blow, and bade him begone.
Hector ran and laid himself beside his master. The
young man followed, and reaching under, beat him
severely. The dog snarling, while he crouched more
closely, refused to stir. Nelson, concealed by the
shadow in which he laid, could not move for the
dog. At last, the poor animal provoked beyond en
durance, sprung out to seize his tormentor, but a
heavy blow, which seemed to crush his skull, felled
him to the earth. Spurning the body with his foot,

THE SICK CHAMBER. 273
the young man re-entered the house, uttering a bitter
execration. Nelson, who had only been able to
restrain himself by the recollection of how much was
at stake, now approached the dog. The poor animal
was in his last agony — but yet,
" He knew his lord ; he knew and strove to meet ;
In vain he strove to crawl and kiss his feet ;
Yet (all he could) , his tail, his ears, his eyes,
Salute his master — He quivers and he dies."
Nelson waited a long time, and began to be seriously
apprehensive that his sister was prevented from keep
ing her appointment. At last, she gently unbarred
the door, and reaching her hand, drew him in, and
softly closed it after him.
Hand in hand, the rightful heirs of that house,
trembling with the fear of detection, groped their way
through the dark hall and up the creaking stairway.
Whispering him to wait at the head of the stairs, the
girl left her brother for a few minutes. Taking him
again by the hand on her return, she led him to a door
on the left, beneath which could be seen the glimmer
of a light. With cautious dexterity, she then opened
the door of the sick chamber.
The light on the table, rising and sinking in fitful
flashes, was nearly extinguished. The untended brands
had fallen upon the hearth, and their father, in an
uneasy attitude on the bed, scarce perceptibly
breathed ; while seated in an arm-chair, with his head
leaning against one of. the footposts of the bedstead, a
negro-boy snored loud and sonorously.
After gazing sadlYjipon the wan and wasted fea-
19.*

274 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
tures before him, Nelson placed his hand upon his
father's brow. The gentle touch, more effectual than
the loud noise made by the negro, roused the sick man
from his feverish slumber. At first, he looked wildly
upon them, but as he recovered his consciousness,
there was to their delight more of sadness than indig
nation visible in his countenance.
" " Arthur ! Ellen ! how is this ? Why have you not
been to see me before ?"
" Indeed, dear father, Arthur never heard that you
were sick until yesterday, and I was told that you
were angry with me, and I dared not come -except
when you were asleep."
" Is it indeed, so ? And you, Arthur, did you not
receive a letter I dictated ?"
" I did not, father ! God knows that I did not !"
" When I sent for you, Ellen, why did you not
come ?"
" I didn't know that you sent for me, father, or I
would have come and never left you."
" It is strange," muttered the sick man, " there
must have been foul play."
As he spoke, he fell back exhausted, but continued
to gaze intently upon them. Presently a lethargy
seemed to creep over him, and his eyes were fast
closing, when a noise in the entry instantly aroused
him. Again starting up, he pointed to a portfeuille on
the table, and said,
" Quick ! quick ! Give it to me, quick ! Open it,"
he said, as soon as it was brought to him. Nelson
tried, and failed, for it was securelv locked. The

THE STEP-MOTHER. 275
sick man's countenance assumed a ghastly hue as he
perceived it. Too agitated to speak, he still made
signs to open it, and Nelson, with some difficulty,
forced the lock. His father then eagerly looked over
the papers, and selecting one, was motioning Nelson
to throw it into the fire, when the door was thrown
open, and a woman in dishabille, followed by a young
man, rushed into the apartment. It was the step
mother and her son.
" It is the will, Cornelius ! It is the will !"
exclaimed the former, as soon as she saw the paper in
the hands of her husband. " Take it from him ! Take
it quick, or we are beggars !"
The son sprung forward, but was arrested by
Nelson, who, drawing a pistol, said,
" Advance one step nearer, and I fire !"
Cornelius stood aghast. There was consternation in
the apartment, and the girl sobbed heavily as she
clung to her brother. But when Nelson looked to his
father, and saw the dreadful change that was taking
place in his features, he was struck with remorse, and
throwing the pistol down, sunk on his knees beside
the bed. Cornelius now approached, and beo-an
drawing the paper from the hand of his step-father.
At this instant, the thought of the destitute condition
of his sister, changed the purpose of Nelson, and he
sprung up to prevent him.
It was unnecessary. The fingers of the dying man
clutched the paper so tenaciously, that the neglected
finger-nails cut through it-and it was torn, leaving a
portion of the signature in his grasp. While the

276 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
young men struggled, one to secure the paper, the
other to protect his father from molestation, the latter,
with his last act of consciousness, gathered the frag
ment in his mouth, and strove to chew it. In the
act, his eye glazed, his jaw dropped, and his spirit
took its departure.
Placing his sister with the family of a friend, and
employing a lawyer to look after his interests, Nelson,
true to his promise, returned at the appointed time.
But our commander, than whom one more truly
humane, never trimmed his canvas to the gale, per
mitted him to await on shore, the acceptance of the
resignation he had tendered.

CHAPTER XI.
It was midsummer when we sailed, and our
Captain, who was an oddity, proposed that as we
were approaching yet warmer latitudes, the officers
should have their heads shaved. The proposition
was acceded to, and seated at our mess-table, in the
steerage especially, with the coarse and untempting
fare before us, and with our shaven heads, we resembled
more the inmates of a state prison than officers of an
American man-of-war.
On our arrival at St. Jago de Cuba, the Captain
and officers were invited to dine with the Governor.
Here was a dilemma. To decline would be construed
as a rudeness, and to accept, in the condition of our
craniums, would subject us to a most ridiculous exhibi
tion. It was determined to encounter the latter,
rather than give offence where so much kindness was
intended. A large party was formed, that by general
participation, individual mortification might be les
sened. We reached the Government House, and passing

278 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
through an ante-room, were ushered immediately into
the presence of the Governor, his family, and a num
ber of assembled guests.. We were not prepared to
see ladies, and in fact expected to find the room
unoccupied until our arrival was announced.
When our Captain, who was in advance, saw the
ladies, he immediately doffed his chapeau, and those
who did, and those who did not know the reason, in
due subordination followed his example. But the
silk skull-caps we wore, seemed to have a greater
affinity for the lining of the hats, than for the sleek
and polished surfaces beneath them. Without an
exception, we stood with our bald and shaven crowns
uncovered, looking like so many monks dressed for the
nonce in regimentals. The ladies applied their hand
kerchiefs to suppress a titter ; the gentlemen gnawed
their lips to restrain a laugh, but, when each of us
involuntarily clapped a hand to his head, and looked
at the others in ludicrous amazement, Spanish gravity
was overcome, and the ladies screamed, and the gen
tlemen fairly shouted. Piqued at first, we turned to
leave the room, but, catching in a mirror the reflection
of our grotesque appearance, we broke forth into a
peal, louder and longer sustained than that of our
entertainers. This humorous incident tended more to break down
the barriers of form, and to establish sociability of
feeling, than weeks of intercourse could have effected
under ordinary circumstances. We parted late in the
evening, mutually delighted.
We sailed for Havana, with Ex-govemor Torres and

THE SPANISH RIVALS. 279
family as passengers. At first the wind was light and
steady from northeast, but it gradually hauled to the
southward, and blew heavily. The days were gloomy,
the nights exceedingly dark, the navigation intricate,
and the weather exceedingly sultry. The sea ran
very high, and the wind, in severe flurries, threw up
the spray in a blinding spoondrift.
On the evening of the third day, the wind abated,
but, it was succeeded by a violent thunderstorm. The
lightning, forked and vivid, absolutely made our eyes
ache, while our ears were deafened with loud and
incessant peals of thunder.
We had afterwards a smooth sea, but the weather
was humid and oppressive. We reached Havana in
eight days, after a passage tedious to us, and most
disagreeable to our passengers.
Among a number of prisoners confined in the Moro
Castle here, under sentence of death, there is a young
Spaniard, whose history is a sad one. He is a native
of the town of Adra the ancient Ahdera (but not the
birthplace of Democritus), in the province of Grenada,
on the northern shore of the Mediterranean.
His father was extensively engaged in the manufac
ture of barilla, an alkali, produced by incineration
from a plant of the same name.
Under the tuition of the clergyman of the parish,
Andreas Gomara acquired some knowledge of the
classics, and at the age of nineteen, was sent to
Valencia to study law, under Miguel Fonte, an advo
cate of distinction.
Under the roof of this austere old gentleman,

280 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
Gomara spent two happy years. Although the rude
manners and abrupt speech of Seiior Fonte, would at
times mortify the pride and excite the resentment of
the student, yet he found a consolation in the society
ofthe old gentleman's niece, Esperanza. According to
Gomara's account, she must have been a noble creature.
Tall and commanding — with hair of raven blackness,
her full, dark eye, by turns moistened with sensibility,
or sparkled with enthusiasm. Her complexion was
brilliant, and her glorious bust, her arms symmetri
cally rounded, and a foot and ancle that would have
shamed Atalanta, completed her majestic, yet graceful
figure. Gomara was nearly three years her senior — but his
education was less complete, his manners were less
refined, and he was by nature irritable and im
petuous. The disposition of the lady was as lovely as her
person. Susceptible, but not easily swayed, gentle
assiduity might win her regard, while rudeness or
persecution would arouse her pride or awaken her
resentment. She was of a cheerful, and he of a
saturnine temperament. As we usually admire in
others, the traits in which we are ourselves deficient,
it is probable that the attachment of Gomara might
have met with a requital, but for rivalry in an unex
pected quarter.
Lorenzo Obregon, the son of an officer of the
Customs, nearly of the same age, was, in every other
respect, the reverse of Gomara. Taller and fairer,
but less compactly built, he was versed in every

THE RIVALS. 281
manly accomplishment, and had won the first honors
in his collegiate course. Courteous in his manners,
his unassuming deportment covered a spirit, which
ever rose in proportion to the difficulties it en
countered. It is well known that the Spaniards are an unsocial
race, and that the intercourse between the sexes,
which with us is almost unrestricted, is among them
confined within narrow limitations. If a young
Spanish lady be not, like most of her sex, contracted
in early life, she is permitted, with her duenna sitting
near, to converse with her lover who stands outside
the window. Not until the offer is made, approved,
and accepted, are those inhospitable doors unbarred.
Esperanza was of the first class, and her uncle, who
was also her guardian, had contracted with the father
of Gomara for an alliance of their families, provided
the parties should become attached to each other.
Hence, their domiciliation under the same roof, but
under circumstances of such precaution, that on the
score of opportunity to press his suit, Gomara had as
well taken his station beneath the balcony. Never
theless, in the little attentions he was enabled to pay
her at meal times, and as her companion on occasional
excursions, Esperanza, with the keen perception of her
sex, had understood his feelings long before he was
himself aware of their existence.
It is the province of love to beget love, and such in
all probability would have been the result in the pre
sent instance, but for an unforeseen occurrence.
On the eve of the feast of St. Jago, the patron saint

282

THE MIDSHIPMAN.

of Spain, nearly the whole population of Valencia
was assembled in a large, circular building, to witness
" las corridos de toros," the bull fights, which were to
be exhibited on a magnificent scale. From the low bar
rier which encircled the arena, and separated it from
the seats of the spectators, to the top of the building,
all that rendered youth attractive, or was high in
rank, or venerable in age, were gathered in eager
expectation. Within the arena, were three Piccadores, gaudily
dressed and mounted on horses well trained and
richly caparisoned. They were armed with lances,
and took their stations, two in advance, on each side
one, and the other in the rear, immediately fronting
the gate, by which the bull would enter. Hovering
near each Piccadore were several Chulos, some with
crimson mantles thrown over their shoulders, and
others with banners of the same color in their hands.
The barrier was about five feet high, and the lowest
tier of benches but a short distance from it.
Directly before the gate, with one knee to the
ground, and the butt end of a long spear resting
against it, was a stalwart and swarthy man — a prisoner
under sentence of death. Some circumstance divulged
to the authorities, subsequent to his trial, and tending
slightly to mitigate his offence, had induced the
substitution of the present alternative, and in the
place of the impartial award of justice, or of merciful
interposition where a doubt is presented, the vindica
tion of the injured rights of society was entrusted to
the insensate fury of a beast.

THE RIVALS. 283
¦
The restless -fans had ceased to move; the rich
mantillas were thrown back upon the heads they
rather graced than protected, and every eye was
directed to the Governor for the expected signal. It
was given; and the buzz of conversation instanta
neously hushed, as a bugle rang out a wild and
startling note. Its last shrill blast was answered by a
deafening roar ; the gate at the upper end was thrown
open, and a ferocious bull bounded into the arena.
An instant before, the poor man in front was seen to
cross himself, then crouching low, he desperately
clutched his lance, and endeavored to give it the right
direction. The next moment man and beast were
rolling together in the dust — the bull bellowing with
.pain, while the criminal clung to the horn which
gored his vitals. The head of the spear, diverging a
little to the right, had taken just within the shoulder
joint, and passing through, had nearly severed the
limb from the body — a few inches more to the left
and it would have pierced the heart. But the wound,
severe and painful as it was, could not immediately
check the headlong impetus of the bull. A long and
pointed horn ripped open the abdomen, from which
the entrails protruded, and the man expired in agony,
while the bull furiously tossed his head and floundered
about to sustain himself on his feet. A murmur of
disappointment escaped the multitude, not that the
man was hilled, but that the confiict had been so
uninteresting and so soon decided.
A Matador now advanced, dressed in embroidered
black velvet, and armed only with a sword. Making

284 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
obeisance to the Governor, he solicited and received
the desired permission. Seeking his opportunity as
the bull rushed by, he thrust his long Toledo blade
through its heart up to the hilt. The animal staggered,
reeled, and fell.
The gate was again thrown open, and the body of
the unfortunate man carried off.
Three mules, profusely decorated with ribbons of
many colors, were then brought in, and hitched to the
carcass of the bull, which was dragged away at a rapid
pace, amid shouts and sounds of music.
Again the gate was closed — the sawdust which
covered the arena was raked smooth, and the Picca-
dores and Chulos resumed their positions. Again the
bugle sounded ; again, and as suddenly as before, the
gate was thrown open, and another bull, fiercer than
the first, sprung from his dark recess. Dazzled by the
glare of light, and confounded by the noise, he stood
for an instant gazing with a bewildered air. The
Piccador on the left caught his eye ; he gave one roar,
pawed the dust, bowed his head, and with his eyes
closed, and his tail erect, rushed immediately upon
him. The Piccador reined his horse a little back, and
with the butt of his lance pressed against his side,
awaited the charge. The shaggy front of the assail
ant received the point of the lance on the upper part,
where, glancing along the neck, it inflicted a severe
gash. The irresistible force of the charge, however,
seemed to be in no wise impeded, and horse and
rider were whirled to the ground. The building now
rang with the cry of " Bravo ! Bravo Toro !" and

THE RIVALS. 285
handkerchiefs were waved and jewelled hands were
clapped in acclamation ; while the bull, with his
horns buried in the body of the horse, pressed harder
and harder down, as if to pin to the earth the poor
animal, which absolutely shrieked beneath him. The
Piccador, with one leg crushed beneath the horse,
strove in vain to free himself, until one of the -Chulos
sprung forward and waved his mantle. The bull
immediately gave chase to him — others came to his
assistance, and diverted the wrath of the animal from
one to the other, until the wounded Piccador and his
horse were borne from the arena.
The bull, whose loss of blood seemed not to have
diminished his strength or tamed his spirit, now
made a charge against another of the Piccadores.
This one was mounted on a horse unusually restive,
and when his rider attempted to rein him back, he
reared, and plunged, and threw himself upon his
haunches. The bull, with his eyes closed, rushed by
the spot where the horse had stood, and bringing up
with dreadful force against the barrier, it gave way
with a crash. It was at that part where sat the lady
Esperanza, her uncle, and her admirer. There was
instant clamor, and each one, wild with fright, sought
safety by springing up the ascending benches.
Gomara had instantly seized hold of Esperanza, and
was bearing her out, but impeded by the throng
above, his efforts would have been unavailing — for the
bull, recovered from the shock, was about to rush
upon them. While they stood breathless, agonized
with fear, Lorenzo forced his way from above, and

286 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
snatching from Esperanza's neck a crimson scarf she
wore, he threw himself before the animal, and held it
forth with one hand, while he presented his sword
with the other. As soon as the bull beheld the color
which enrages him, he dashed at the cavalier, and
the multitude betrayed its fear in a wild cry of
horror. Esperanza, refusing to be borne further,
seemed transfixed to the spot, as she gazed upon the
man who seemed bent upon preserving her life by the
sacrifice of his own. A quick eye and a steady hand
served Lorenzo faithfully. The weapon was true to
its aim, and with the blood gushing out, the bull
floundered about a minute or two, and then fell heavily
against the lower tier of benches.
At the moment of the encounter, Esperanza had
clasped her hands together in a half-despairing, half-
imploring attitude : but, when the bull turned aside
by the desperate lunge, began to stagger about, she
released herself from the grasp of Gomara, and
advanced immediately to the prostrate form of
Lorenzo. But when, as he was lifted up by some ofthe
bystanders, she perceived that he was unwounded,
and so far sensible as to catch the anxious expression
of her face, she hurried up, and taking her uncle by
the arm, precipitately left the building.
With many encomiums on the gallantry of Lorenzo,
her uncle severely chid her for the unmaidenly inte
rest she had evinced. She bore his reproof in silence,
but when Gomara, in a complaining tone, asked why
she had refused to fly with him, she replied, " You
consulted my safety, and I thank you — but he (she did

THE RIVALS. 287
not name him) staked his life against the peril from
which you sought to fly."
The words escaped her without reflection, and she
did not dream of their effect. They were long trea
sured in bitter remembrance, and led to a most
lamentable result.
Senor Fonte called the next day upon the parents
of Lorenzo, and expressed his warmest acknowledg
ments for the preservation of his niece. Thus com
menced an intercourse between the families, and
Lorenzo who, unnoticed and unknown, had long wor
shipped at a distance, was now favored with an oppor
tunity to avow his admiration. The smile with
which Esperanza ever greeted him, was soon accompa
nied with a blush, and she felt that she was beloved — -
and he that his love was requited.
Gomara, with jaundiced eye, watched their pro
ceedings, and soon discovered by the averted look and
altered tone of Esperanza, that another engrossed her
affections. In the bitterness of his heart, he Bwore to
be revenged. With nearly the whole of his quarter's
allowance -sent him by his father, he purchased a
costly present, with which he bribed the old duenna.
Directed by him, she contrived to place in Espe
ranza's hands a letter purporting to be from Lorenzo
to another lady, wherein the latter was extolled, and
herself grossly ridiculed and depreciated.
When the lovers next met, Esperanza, in as indiffer
ent a tone as she could command, inquired of Lorenzo
if he knew the Senorita Noreiga.

288 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
" Yes," he replied, " she is the sister of a dear
friend of mine."
" No doubt the sister is the dearest of the two,"
said Esperanza, and coolly bidding him good night,
retired from the balcony.
Thus they separated. For the first time he "thought
her capricious ; and she, arguing from her fears,
believed him unfaithful. They never met again.
Night after night, for near a week, Lorenzo wandered
to and fro beneath the balcony, and with guitar and
song, called in vain upon his mistress to appear.
Invisible, but looking on, her obduracy was in propor
tion to her previous fondness. But so plaintive were
his notes, so deeply fond his words, that but for
wounded pride, she would have pushed aside the
lattice, and listened to his explanation. His last stanza,
as for the last time he turned in melancholy mood
away, breathed such sad and determined constancy,
that throughout life her memory vividly retained it.
Indifferently translated it ran thus": —
Lady farewell ! Henceforth my anguished breast,
Shall cherish grief as its abiding guest.
Life has no charm — nor earth one cheerful hue
Nor hope one solace — save the thought of you.
Advised by the duenna that Esperanza's pride could
not long withstand the importunities of her lover, and
convinced that an explanation would be fatal to his
hopes, Gomara determined on yet more energetic
measures. The next evening, as Lorenzo slowly turned into the
street, wherein was situated the house of his mistress,

THE RIVALS. 289
he was jostled by a masked cavalier, who in an impe
rious tone demanded, " Do you take the wall of me,
sir?" " And who are you that so rudely questions me ?"
" This shall answer you," — and the cavalier drawing
his sword, struck Lorenzo a sharp blow with the back
of it.
" Ha !" exclaimed Lorenzo as he drew his own,
" and this shall avenge me."
Their swords twinkled in the dim starlight, and
clashed loudly in the still air of the deserted streets, as
with justly aroused anger on one side, and a vindictive
jealousy on the, other, each, reckless of his own, was
bent only on taking the life of his opponent. After seve
ral ineffectual passes, Lorenzo made a desperate lunge
which was parried with such force, that his too highly
tempered blade shivered at the hilt and left him
entirely defenceless. Gomara with his heart steeled
against every feeling but that of revenge, cowardly
took the advantage, and running his adversary through,
left him weltering in blood. The noise had attracted
the attention of the neighbors, but none dared venture
out, until it had ceased. Embedded in gore Lorenzo
had breathed his last In his bosom was found a piece
of parchment neatly secured, containing a lock of hair
with the word " Esperanza." The mask worn by
Gomara had fallen off in the rencounter, and was for
gotten in his precipitate flight. It was recognised by
the duenna, as one he had prevailed upon her to pro
cure for him. Weak and sordid as she was, she shrunk

13

290 THE MIDSHIPMAN".
with horror from the thought of bloodshed. Penetrated
with remorse, she confessed that she had conveyed the
letter and procured the mask, but solemnly protested
that she knew not for what purpose the latter was
intended. It was universally believed in Valencia that Lorenzo
had been assailed and overcome by ruffians in the em
ployment of Gomara ; and the latter was obliged to
fly- from the eity. On reaching Adra, his father
refused to see him. Rejected from the roof which
should last have sheltered, and repulsed by the hand
which ought to have been stretched forth to reclaim
him, he turned in bitterness away, and homeless and
friendless, secreted himself in the mountains. Want
drove him from his concealment to mingle with outcasts
like himself — and the same stern necessity compelled
him to become one of a lawless and degraded frater
nity. He joined a well-organized and notorious band
of smugglers.
Gomara had pursued this hazardous life about three
months, when one evening, a brig laden with contra
band articles anchored near the shore. Shortly after
nightfall, with eight others, he was sent out to her in
a felucca. A little after midnight they had procured
a load and started for the shore.
Notwithstanding the cautious movements ofthe brig,
they had been observed from one of the Martello
towers which line the coast ; and when the felucca
touched the beach, a party of soldiers who had been
concealed behind a projecting crag, rushed forth and
attacked her crew. The smugglers were armed and

THE RIVALS. 291
made resistance, but were overpowered and secured.
The survivors were taken to Valencia and cast into
prison. The trial was fixed for an early day ; and as
two of the soldiers had been killed in the affray, there
was no doubt of the prisoners being condemned to
death. Gomara wrote to his father. Like the prodigal son,
he declared himself unworthy, and pleaded guilty to
the conflict he had provoked with, and the advantage
he had taken of his rival, but called upon God to
witness that he had not employed an assassin. The
father relented, and hastening to Valencia^ besought
the influence of Sefior Fonte in behalf of his unhappy
son. The meeting of those two old men was painful in
the extreme. The father grieved for a son, once his
pride, now manacled as a felon, and doomed either
to a life of degradation or an ignominious death. The
uncle mourned the purpose of his life frustrated. His
niece, the heiress of his possessions, in whom were
centred his hopes and his affections, heart-broken,
had resolved to abandon the world, and bury herself
and her sorrows within the walls of a cloister. But
the unhappy are seldom unfeeling, and among the
" sweetest uses of adversity " is the sympathy it awak
ens for the sufferings of others.
Ostensibly, on a technical plea in reality, through
the influence of the advocate, the sentence of death
was commuted to banishment to the colonies.
Some evenings after, as the turnkey was locking up
the prisoners for the night, he examined carefully the

292 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
manacles on Gomara. As he did so, he whispered,
" Do you sleep sound ?" and without saying more or
waiting for a reply, he turned away. But there was
that in his eye which enkindled hope. Long after the
deep breathing of his companions apprised Gomara
that his companions had foimd a temporary reprieve
from their sorrows, he laid nervously awake listening
for the slightest sound of an approaching footstep.
Overpowered at last by drowsiness, he fell asleep. He
was awakened by some one pressing lightly on his
chest, and whispering, " Arise, but say not a word."
His irons were silently removed, and with noiseless
step he followed his deliverer through the gloom.
Unchallenged by the sentinel, who evidently pre
tended not to see them, they passed through the outer
gate, beside which stood his father. The afflicted
parent threw himself upon his son, and fairly sobbed
aloud,- — then recovering himself, he took his hand and
led him rapidly away.
If the interview between the old men had been
painful, the one between the father and the son was
agonizing. The one, in an evil hour, had yielded to
the worst passions of his nature, and goaded by vin
dictive jealousy, took a cowardly advantage of a dis
armed adversary. The other, by hardening his heart
against its best and most natural impulse, had driven
his child, young, friendless, and with a mark upon
his brow, to consort with reckless and unprincipled
men. They soon reached the banks of the Guadalquiver,
where a boat laid waiting to convey Gomara to a ves-

THE RIVALS. 293
sel at the river's mouth. At parting, his father gave
him a purse with a letter to a friend in Gibraltar. As
they separated Gomara turned and said, —
" Father ! the lady Esperanza, how is she ?"
" Alas, my son ! think not of her. She is lost to
you and to us all forever. She takes the veil to-mor
row." Gomara drooped his head, and turning silently
away, was rowed down the stream. His father, by a
mute gesture bade him farewell, and when the boat
was out of sight, threw himself upon the ground and
wept long and bitterly. He then hastened home to
brood upon his sorrow.
The next day was the feast of the nativity of the
Virgin. Before the high altar of the Cathedral stood
the bishop in full pontificals, with many assistants
round him. The richly chased censer threw upward
its aromatic cloud of incense, which dimmed the light
of numerous candles placed amid vases of flowers,
with images of cherubim and seraphim beside and
above them. Near the tabernacle, a figure in female
drapery, with its hands clasped. together, and a coun
tenance expressive of unutterable grief, represented
the Virgin. Her gaze was fixed upon a crucifix above
her, upon which was suspended an image of the
Saviour ; the last towering above all as high as reve
rence is inferior to devotion.
In full and melodious volume, the peal of the organ
burst upon the ear, as the celebrant chanted the beau
tiful anthem, " Glory to God on high !" first heard by
the guardian shepherds of Bethlehem. The immense

294 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
congregation rose from their knees, and standing, list-
tened with feelings attuned to piety, while the choir
took up and in notes of exquisite melody, concluded
the anthem. Presently it was hushed ; the congrega
tion resumed its attitude of prayer, and from the
assembled hundreds not the slightest sound was heard,
as in a subdued voice, the celebrant recited the office of
the day. As he concluded, the organ again strack up,
but no longer in a triumphant strain. Its tones, pro
longed and sad, prepared the mind for meditation.
Before the close of the soothing, though melancholy
hymn which succeeded, a wild and solemn chant was
heard approaching, and from a door beside the altar,
two and two, arrayed in snow-white garments, a long
line of nuns entered, and took their places within the
sanctuary. Last came the Lady Abbess, supporting a
female exquisitely, nay superbly attired. It was
Esperanza. " A veil translucent o'er her brows displayed, —
Her beauty seemed, and only seemed to shade."
More beautiful than ever, her beauty was of a dif
ferent cast. Her cheeks had lost their tint, her lips
their coral "hue, and her complexion was pure and
colorless as virgin wax. But her eye was kindled
with devotion, and her features bore an expression so
angelic, that it seemed as if some celestial being stood
before them. Chastened by sorrow, and purified by
divine love, she appeared too good for earth, and
almost fit for Heaven.
The solemn and impressive scene of renouncing the

THE RIVALS. 295
world, its vanities, and its pomp, now followed. One
by one, the jewels and embroidery were thrown aside,
and last of all, the peculiar pride and most becoming
ornament of the sex, the luxuriant hair was cut and
laid upon the altar. As this Was done, the death-like
silence of the moment was interrupted by a deep groan,
and a man fell heavily beside the column nearest the
sanctuary. Gomara, instead of remaining concealed in the ves
sel, had returned to the shore to witness the renuncia
tion of the world by the being .whom he worshipped
with all the maddening fervor of his impetuous
nature. He was- recognized, again committed, and eventually
transported to Cuba. The ministers of the law plun
dered him of all he possessed, and penniless and
threadbare, he was thrown upon a strange land.
Friendless, and without occupation, for "he had the
brand of a convict upon him, the ci-devant smuggler,
reckless and desperate, became an active and notorious
pirate. He was taken, condemned, and before we left
the port, ignominiously executed.
I have given the general outlines of his story, as
related to me by one who had it from himself. The
details, if given in full, with the difficulties he en
countered, and the efforts he made to subdue them,
would present him perhaps in the light of one as much
to be pitied as condemned. High tempered and
devoid of magnanimity, one rash and cowardly act
blasted his hopes ; and his rankling pride led him
afterwards to prefer a war against his kind, rather

296 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
than by amendment atone for the injury he had
inflicted. His first and greatest enemy was his own
vindictive temper ; the second, was the unforgiving
disposition of his father. The first drove him to a
dreadful crime ; the second hardened a heart that
might have been softened into repentance.
******
It was soon determined to fit out our launch for an
expedition against the pirates. The lieutenant who
was appointed to command her, honored and gratified
me with an invitation to accompany him. My favorite
messmate Lindsay, (son of Col. Lindsay of the army,)
entreated to be taken along, but he was on the sick list
and the surgeon objected. I was as much disappointed
as himself, for we were sworn and intimate friends.
We started at an early hour of the night, and just
before shoving off, Lindsay came to take leave of me.
Until that moment, I had not dreamed that he was in
danger. His hand was parched and feverish ; his brow
was flushed and his eye glistened with unusual lustre.
An icy thrill shot through me, for I felt that my
friend's days were numbered. He seemed to labor
under a similar presentiment, for his spirits were
depressed and the tones of his voice were sad. With
a, gushing remembrance of the many happy hours we
had spent together ; of the many endearing proofs
each had given to the other, we parted as those do,
who never expect to meet again. I saw that he
yearned to embrace me, and had we been sheltered
from observation, I could have laid my head upon
his shoulder and wept. The unbidden tear gathered

AN EXPEDITION. 297
in my eye as I bade him farewell, and the last thing
I saw was the shadowy outline of my friend standing
motionless on the spot where I left him.
As soon as we were clear of the harbor, we steered for
Salt Key, where we were to meet the steam-brig, which
would tow us to windward, and furnish us with the
necessary provisions. But a little after midnight the
clouds gathered in thick masses, and a heavy squall
of wind and rain overtook us. This squall was the
precursor of another and another, under the influence
of which the sea rose, and our boat too heavy to be
buoyant, plunged deeply, and rising with difficulty to
the sea, became exceedingly wet and uncomfortable,
and excited apprehensions of yet more serious conse
quences. At length, the wind freshened so much,
that we could no longer carry sail, unless before it,
which would have been certain destruction to our
clumsy boat. We were compelled to lay to under the
oars, — that is, taking in all-sail, we kept the boat head
to wind and sea with some of the oars, while others of
the crew were employed in bailing out the water we
were every instant receiving. It was a situation as
perilous as it was uncomfortable, and required unceas
ing vigilance and dexterity in the helmsman.
The blow continued through the night ; but abated
a little after sunrise, when we made the best of our
way to the place of destination. The steam-brig was
not there, and we waited for her until the next morn
ing. She had not then made her appearance, and we
started to run towards Matanzas in quest of her. On
our way we met her, and the lieutenant went on board
13*

298 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
to procure some provisions for us, while our boat was
made fast to and towed by a hawser from astern.
Before the provisions were ready, the wind freshened
so rapidly that as night had set in, it was thought
advisable to defer sending them to us until the morn
ing. Almost famished, and with a plentiful meal
prepared for us we were denied a morsel of food.
The wind increased during the night, and at daylight
the brig was obliged to lengthen our scope of hawser,
lest we should drag under the fast rising sea.
Throughout that day, and the ensuing night, the
gale continued, and on the second day became so fierce
that the brig was obliged to scud before it. All ves
sels steer badly when scudding before a gale, but the
brig, which was never very obedient to the helm,
yawed dreadfully, at one moment bringing a star to
bear sharp on the bow, and the next, broad upon the
quarter. It was with the greatest difficulty that wc
could steer the boat so as to keep her from being
dragged broadside under. We had now been for two
days without food, except some broken ship's biscuit
soaked by the spray, which parched us with a thirst
that our stinted allowance of water could not slake.
Starvation stared us in the face, while our friends in
the brig were revelling in abundance. Pitching and
tossing in the wildest and most alarming manner, our
boat swerved so rapidly from side to side that all their
attempts to convey food to us proved unsuccessful.
With boding thoughts of death, — of the sweeping
wave, — the brief struggle, — the last cry stifled by the
water which gurgled down the unwilling throat, we

A DISMAL NIGHT. 2t)y
gazed upon the setting sun. But, we could detect « no
token of a goodly morrow." Although the swift wind
whirled the spray before it and chilled as it swept
by us, yet the peril was so great, that each one strip
ped himself of his peajacket* to be ready for a swim ;
while, turn about* one sat at the bow with a hatchet
in his hand, prepared to cut the hawser, when it
became neeessary to do so, to prevent the boat from
swamping. It was a dreadful night. The brig rolled so heavily
as to show at times her very keel, and swept along
with varied speed. Sometimes, almost arrested, as
she clambered up some huge wave, our hawser would
be slackened as we neared her ; the next moment, she
had bounded over the crest, and the hawser fairly
cracked with the strain, while we were dragged for
ward with breathless velocity. The moon and stars
were shut out, and it seemed- as if an immense black
pall was spread above us. The sea too was so phos
phorescent that the sinuous wake of the brig was
filled as it were, with innumerable sparks, while the
huge waves, with their combing crests, looked like
great surges of flame. So great was the light that we
could with ease have read the smallest print, — but
alas! all that we had to read was the deep anxiety
imprinted on each other's countenance. The Protect
ing Power above preserved -us through that dismal
night. The sun rose more auspicious than he had gone
down, and by noon the gale began to moderate. As
* A sailor's overcoat.

300 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
soon as the danger was past, I threw myself down,
fairly spent, while the equally wearied but generous
sailors took their turns to steer the boat. Not one
would lie down before I did.
Some hours after, I awoke with the sun streaming
full in my face. The first thing I did was to put out
my hand and feel the line, which, throughout the gale,
we had kept trolling astern in the hope of catching a
fish. I thought that it felt heavier than usual, but was
for some time uncertain. In a short time, my doubts
were removed, and I joyfully called upon some of the
crew to assist me. We hauled in a large bonita, one
of the finest fish that swims the Gulf, and at the news
the sleepers roused up, forgetful of fatigue in the
ravenous calls of hunger. There was, in the bottom
of the boat, an iron pot, fitted for cooking, but which
alas ! had not been used for many days. We threw
the panting fish into it, together with the remains of
our water-soaked and mouldy biscuit. We then hud
dled around the pot to screen it from the spray, and
with much difficulty lighted a fire by the flash of a
pistol. Occasionally seasoned by a few drops of spray,
our rude breakfast was in a short time prepared, and
the pampered alderman who would have given fifty
pounds for the appetite of the beggar to whom he
denied a shilling, might surely have doubled the price
for a participation in our enjoyment. We did eat,
as those may be supposed to do who have long fasted,
and know not when they will partake of another meal.
Our hunger satisfied, we again slept, the necessary

A VISIONARY.

301

watch excepted, and when we awoke, the ocean
although yet troubled, was fast subsiding.
After scouring about three hundred miles along the
coast, we separated from the brig, and started unac
companied on our return. As we were directed to
examine thoroughly several islands in our route,
extreme vigilance was necessary, and three volunteers
from the brig, were added to our crew. One of them,
young and unpretending, soon attracted our attention,
and excited our sympathy. In manner he was
reserved, for he was exceedingly visionary, and lived
in an atmosphere of his own creation. Forgetful of
the present, his mind ever reverted to the past, or
peopled the future with imaginary beings. Yet his
disposition was more a resigned than a melancholy
one ; the images on which his imagination loved to
dwell, though often singular, were clothed in chaste
and becoming drapery, and the language in which he
spoke to us was startling from its novelty, and not
unfrequently rich in its unstudied elegance. He was
ill when he joined us, but concealed it, and the next
day he was raving, with the fever at its height. In
his lucid intervals, he related to us a portion of his
history, at which we could not smile, although it
severely tasked our credulity.
He was the only son of a schoolmaster, who gave
him a classical education, and when he attained the
proper age, procured him a situation in a clerk's
office of an adjoining county.
Hartman was assiduous in his attendance at the
office, but from inattention made many mistakes in the

3U2 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
performance of his duty. His principal task was to
copy deeds, where, by errors in dates and titles, by
frequent omissions of sentences and transposition of
words, he severely tried the patience, of his benevo
lent employer. In fact, he was in every sense of the
word, a dreamer. He had his reveries by day, and
superstitiously cherished his nightly dreams as fore-
shadowings of the future.
At one time, he had been dispatched on distant
business. Before he reached his place of destination,
he was taken ill and confined to his bed in a remote
and poorly-furnished inn. The first night he dreamed
that his stepmother bought him a garment, which he
was about to put on, but from a sudden impulse, for
which he could not account, he threw it aside. He
awoke with the firm conviction that he would be very
ill, but certainly recover, and to the alarm of his kind-
hearted landlord, would not allow a physician to be
summoned. The strength of his constitution, invigo
rated by his perfect confidence of recovery, bore him
safely through a sickness protracted by several re
lapses. About six months after, he dreamed that the same
person presented a similar garment, and he had reached
forth his hand to receive it, when his father stepping
between, took it and put it on himself. This time,
Hartman woke, with the full persuasion that he would
again be ill, but that his father either had died, or was
at the last extremity. In this conviction, without the
permission of his employer, who laughed at his idle
fears, he started for home. His disordered imagina-

A VISIONARY.

303

tion preying upon a body already perhaps in the
incipient stage of disease, brought on, in part, the
realization of his fears, and another spell of wasting
illness followed. The death of his father about the
time, and, as he protested, at the very hour he had
seen him assume the garment, strengthened his deep-
rooted faith in the mystic revelations of his dream.
When he recovered, besides the death of his father, he
had another misfortune to deplore. The patience of
his employer had been tried too far, and he lost his
situation. Thriftless, without present means, and destitute of
the energy which begets resources, poor Hartman
wandered to the seaboard, and at last, in abject want,
presented himself at a naval rendezvous, and enlisted
in the service. He was detailed as one ofthe crew of
the steam-brig, where his listless habits rendering him
unfit for active duties, he was assigned a situation
which condemned him to sedentary occupation, and
by confinement impaired his health.
The night before we parted from the brig, he
dreamed that the same ill-omened female tendered
him the garment, which, like that of Nessus, is fatal
to the wearer — cmd that he put it on. Of his own
death, he was now assured, and in the morning, with
moving earnestness, entreated to be sent with us •
because, as he afterwards said, he could not abide to
die in the cramped and narrow place allotted to the
sick, where not only the heavens, but their very light,
was excluded, and the air was vitiated before reach
ing it.

304 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
The second evening he died. The same night we
ran close along the shore of Cayo Romano, intending
to land on some sequestered spot, in order to bury the
body. Under the far-stretching shadow of the trees
which feathered the sides and summits of the hills, we
slowly skimmed along, the sound of the light ripple
beneath the bows drowned in the murmur of the waves
as they slowly tumbled upon the beach.
We had long ceased to converse, and our eyes and
ears were strained to see or catch the sight or sound
of a movement upon the shore. The profound still
ness was disturbed, and we instinctively started at
the sound of a loud and peculiar shriek. It was the
Cat-o'-mountain, the most ferocious native of the
forest, lured from its den by the scent of mortality.
We now knew that however deep we might dig the
grave of our companion, his remains would be disin
terred by these ravenous beasts, who, their first start
ling cry exchanged for a fierce and angry growl, stood
upon the hill side, and with greedy eyes watched our
proceedings. We turned our boat's head to seaward, and pulling
out into deep water, as the moon went down and the
stars shone forth in increased lustre, and the gentle
wind wafted from the land the odor of tropical fruits
and plants, with one prayer recited aloud, and many
silent aspirations for the welfare of his soul, we- com
mitted his body to the deep. The disparted wave
closed in, and shut him from our sight. We resumed
our devious path along the coast, and in the exciting

A FALSE ALARM.

305

nature of our duty, soon forgot the melancholy fate
of the poor visionary.
We approached the harbor of Matanzas, where we
were to rejoin our ship at a late hour of the night.
The full, unclouded moon shed her soft and silvery
light upon a placid scene. Far in the depths beneath,
glanced the lights of a mimic sky ; clear as at noon
day, the whitewashed houses were reflected in the
liquid mirror beneath them ; the hills were basking
in light, the valleys were mantled in shade, and with
their bows in various directions, the ships rode to the
flickering airs — and ships and houses, the hills, the
valleys, the bay and the distant ocean, were as still, as
if the wand of the enchanter had been waved above
them. With slow and noiseless stroke we rowed well into
the harbor, when the silence was suddenly broken by
the boom of our small piece of artillery, and the sharp
report of all our musketry. As the echo reverberated
among the distant hills, each of our crew blew with
his conch-shell a discordant blast. The alarm in
stantly spread ; the garrison flew to arms ; the ships
of war beat to quarters, and there was consternation
in the town.
As I stepped over the side of the Hornet, my first
question was for Lindsay. Alas ! my presentiments
were not unfounded. He was no more !
" A generous spirit marked his short career,
And rising greatness was implanted there.
Ardent for fame— impatient to sustain
His country's glory on the raging main,

306 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
The young aspirant left his native shore,
To which fate doomed him to return no more."
I was soon promoted to another vessel, and from a
.most excellent, transferred my allegiance to another
commander. Differing in many respects from the
former, my present commander is two removes from
the highest grade in the service. When he attains
the last, as if he live he unquestionably will, under
a system which advances alike the worthless and the
deserving, he will not be the least among the Post-
Captains in the navy.
We proceeded to the coast of Mexico for specie,
and anchored in an exposed and open roadstead.
Behind was a dangerous, and for us an impassable
reef, marked by the foam which crested its lashing
and far-sounding surf. Before us, with its dark and
angry waves driven onward by a fresh northerly
wind, was the broad expanse ofthe Gulf of Mexico.
As soon as we had anchored, the boats were hoisted
out, and an officer and crew sent in the launch for
water. They were well aware of the danger to which
they were thus unnecessarily exposed. The expedition
was considered unnecessary, for we were but a few
weeks from port, and had an ample stock of water on
hand. It was deemed cruel to dispatch it at such a
time, for the indications of a storm were evident to the
least observing.
The officer took leave of us with a compressed lip,
and his eye flashed as he listened to the unmeanino-
directions of his commander, who, as well as himself,
had never been tljere .before.

THE REEF. 307
The increasing waves of a fast-rising storm were
dammed by the opposing reef, until, accumulated in a
huge mass, the multitudinous waters sprang madly
upward, and breaking above the crest, swept on with
foam, the roar, and the speed of a mighty cataract.
In sadness we parted from our shipmates in the
boat, and in deep anxiety watched her progress
towards the shore. She no sooner entered within the
line of breakers, than a heavy roller passed over the
stern, and knocking down the officer who sat there,
filled the boat with water, and tore several of the oars
from the hands of the rowers. The empty casks kept
down by the thwarts, or benches upon which the
rowers sat, alone prevented the boat from sinking.
Water-logged, with a crew incapable of exertion, her
fate seemed inevitable. But that Power which is
ever at hand, and often exercised when human means
are unavailing, preserved them.
The set of the current was towards the land, and
although the boat was pitched up and tossed down
ward and onward with great force and inconceivable
rapidity, yet she could not sink so long as the thwarts
retained their places. Fortunately, they were firmly
fixed, and the crew clung to them with the desperation
of drowning men. We were long kept in suspense,
but our fears were relieved as we saw them drift by
degrees into smoother water.
Scarce had we drawn a long and grateful breath
for the preservation of our friends, than it became
necessary to turn attention to our own security. The
wind was freshening, and the sea rising rapidly, and

308 THE MIDSHIPMAN.
the aspect of the sky denoted a gale of long continu
ance. We were soon compelled to slip our cable, and
stand, out to sea, leaving our 'boat's crew without pro
visions, to make what shift they could.
With the subsidence of the gale we returned to the
anchorage, and our boat rejoined us. For six days,
the crew had suffered great privation and exposure, for
they were clad only in their summer garments. After
waiting some time, we received a quantity of specie on
board, and weighing anchor for the United States,
proceeded to a northern port where our vessel was
condemned for repairs.
Here we separated — some to be clasped in the
chaste embrace of wives, and listen to the winning en
dearments of their children. , Some to receive a father's
blessing, and some to pillow their heads on the fond
maternal bosom. I go to greet acquaintance; to
brood over recollections of the past, and feed my rest
less soul with anticipations of the future.

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