Sustained honor: The Age of Liberty Established
CHAPTER IV.
BRITISH CRUISERS.
The peace of 1783 between the United States and Great Britain had beenextorted by the necessities, rather than obtained by the good will ofEngland. Though, by a formal treaty, the United States were declaredfree and independent, they were still hated in Great Britain asrebellious colonies. That such was the general opinion is manifest fromthe letters of John Adams, our first minister to the court of St. James,and from other authentic contemporary accounts. Of course there were afew men of sufficiently enlarged and comprehensive minds to forget thepast and urge, even in parliament, that the trade of America would bemore valuable as an ally than a dependent; but the number of these wassmall indeed. The common sentiment in England toward the young republicwas one of scornful detestation. We were despised as provincials, wewere hated as rebels. In the permanency of our institutions there wasscarce a believer in all Britain. This was especially the case prior tothe adoption of the federal constitution. Both in parliament and out, itwas publicly boasted that the Union would soon fall to pieces, and that,finding their inability to govern themselves, the different Stateswould, one by one, supplicate to be received back as colonies. This vainand empty expectation long lingered in the popular mind, and was notwholly eradicated until after the war of 1812.
Consequently the new republic was treated with arrogant contempt. One ofthe first acts of John Adams, as minister to England, had been topropose placing the navigation and trade between the dominions of GreatBritain and the territories of the United States, on a basis of completereciprocity. By acceding to such a measure England might have gainedmuch and could have lost but little. The proposal was rejected almostwith terms of insult, and Mr. Adams was sternly informed that a "noother would be entertained." The consequences were that the free negroesof Jamaica, and others of the poorer inhabitants of the British WestIndia Islands were reduced to starvation by being deprived of theirusual supplies from the United States. This unreasonable policy on thepart of England naturally exasperated the Americans, and one of thefirst acts of the federal government in 1789 was to adopt retaliatorymeasures. A navy law was passed, which has since been the foundation ofall our treaties of reciprocity with England. A protective tariff wasalso adopted as another means of retaliation. In these measures, theUnited States, being a young nation with unlimited territory, hadeverything to gain, and England all to lose. Great Britain was first totire of restrictive measures, and, by a repeal on her part, invited arepeal on ours.
In another way Great Britain exasperated the popular feeling hereagainst her, and even forced the American government, once or twice, tothe verge of war. By the treaty of peace, all military posts held byEngland within the limits of the United States were to be given up.Michilimacinac, Detroit, Oswegotche, Point au Fer and Dutchman's Pointwere long held in defiance of the compact. These posts became the centreof intrigues among the savages of the Northwest. Arms were heredistributed to the Indians, and disturbances on the American frontierwere fomented. The war on the Miami, which was brought to a bloody closeby Wayne's victory, was, principally, the result of such secretmachinations. In short, England regarded the treaty of 1783 as a trucerather than a pacification, and long, held to the hope of being able yetto punish the colonies for their rebellion. In two celebrated letterswritten by John Adams from Great Britain, he used the following decidedlanguage in reference to the secret designs of England:
"If she can bind Holland in her shackles, and France from internaldissensions is unable to interfere, she will make war immediatelyagainst us." This was in 1787. Two years before he had expressed, thesame ideas. "Their present system, as far as I can penetrate it," hewrote, "is to maintain a determined peace with all Europe, in order thatthey may war singly against America, if they should think it necessary."
A sentiment of such relentless hostility, which no attempt was made todisguise, but which was arrogantly paraded on every occasion, could notfail to exasperate those feelings of dislike on the part of America,which protracted war had engendered. This mutual hatred between the twonations arose from the enmity of the people rather than of the cabinets,"There is too much reason to believe," wrote our minister, "that if thenation had another hundred million to spend, they would soon force theministry into another war with us." On the side of the United States, itrequired all the prudence of Washington, sustained by his hold on theaffections of the people, to restrain them from a war with England,after that power had refused to surrender the military posts.
A third element of discord arose when England joined the coalitionagainst France, in 1793. The course which the former had pursued for thepreceding ten years, had, as we have seen, tended to alienate the peopleof America from her and nourish sentiments of hostility in their bosoms.On the other hand, France, with that address for which she is eminent,had labored to heighten the good feelings already existing betweenherself and the United States. A treaty of alliance and commerce boundthe two countries; but the courteous demeanor of France cemented us toher by still stronger ties, those of popular will.
Before the revolution broke out in Paris, the enthusiasm of Americatoward France could scarce be controlled. There can be no doubt that, ifthe subsequent excesses had not alarmed all prudent friends of liberty,the people of this country could not have been restrained from engagingin the struggle between France and England; but the reign of terror,backed by the insolence of Citizen Genet the minister of the Frenchrepublic, and afterward by the exactions of the Directory, checked theheadlong enthusiasm that otherwise would have embroiled us in theterrible wars of that period. In his almost more than human wisdom,Washington had selected a course of strict neutrality, from which publicenthusiasm, nor fear of loss of public favor could swerve him. Hiscourse was wise and proper for the still weak confederacy; and every daywas productive of events which showed the wisdom of this decision.Neither Great Britain nor France, however, was gratified by thisneutrality. Each nation wished the aid of the Americans, and becamearrogant and insulting when they found the resolution of the Americansunbroken. Napoleon, on the part of France, saw the impolicy of suchtreatment, and when he became first consul, he hastened to abandon it;but England relaxed little or nothing. Circumstances, moreover, made herconduct more irritating than that of France, and hence prolonged andincreased the exasperation felt toward her in America.
As a great naval power, the policy of England has been to maintaincertain maritime laws, which her jurists claim to be part of the code ofnations and enforce in her admiralty courts. One principle of these lawsis this, that warlike munitions must become contraband in war; in otherwords, that a neutral vessel cannot carry such into the enemy's port.Hence, if a vessel, sailing under the flag of the United States, shouldbe captured on the high seas, bound for France, during the prevalence ofa war between that power and England, and be found to be laden withship-timber or other manufactured or unmanufactured articles forwarlike purposes, the vessel would, by the law of nations, become aprize to the captors. The right to condemn a ship carrying suchcontraband goods has always been recognized by civilized nations, and,indeed, it is founded in common justice. England, however, havingsupreme control at sea, and being tempted by the hope of destroying thesinews of her adversary's strength, resolved to stretch this rule so asto embrace provisions as well as munitions of war. She proceededgradually to her point. She first issued an order, on the 8th of June,1793, for capturing and bringing into port "all vessels laden, wholly orin part with corn, flour, or meal, and destined to France, or to othercountries, if occupied by the arms of that nation." Such vessels werenot condemned, nor their cargoes seized; but the latter were to bepurchased on behalf of the English Government; or, if not, then thevessels, on giving due security, were allowed to proceed to any neutralport. Of course the price of provisions in France and in England wasmaterially different, and a lucrative traffic for the United States was,in this way, destroyed. Moreover, this proceeding was a comparativenovelty in the law of nations, and, however it might suit the purpos
esof Great Britain, it was a gross outrage on America. In November of thesame year, it was followed by a still more glaring infraction of therights of neutrals, in an order, condemning to capture and adjudicationall vessels laden with the produce of any French colony, or withsupplies for such a colony.
The fermentation in consequence of this order rose to such a height inAmerica, that it required all the skill of Washington to avert a war.The president, however, determining to preserve peace if possible,despatched Jay to London as a minister plenipotentiary, by whose frankexplanations, redress was in a measure obtained for the past, and atreaty negotiated, not, indeed, adequate to justice, but better thancould be obtained again, when it expired in 1806.
The relaxation in the rigor of the order of November, 1793, soon provedto be more nominal than real; and from 1794 until the peace of Amiens in1802, the commerce of the United States continued to be the prey ofBritish cruisers and privateers. After the renewal of the war, the furyof the belligerents increased, and with it the stringent measuresadopted by Napoleon and Great Britain. The French Emperor, boldlyavowing his intention to crush England, forbade by a series of decrees,issued from Berlin, Milan and Rambouillet, the importation of hercommodities into any part of Europe under his control; and England,equally sweeping in her acts, declared all such ports in a state ofblockade, thus rendering any neutral vessel liable to capture, whichshould attempt to enter them. The legality of a blockade, where there isnot a naval power off the coast competent to maintain such blockade, hasalways been denied by the lesser maritime powers. Its effect, in thepresent instance, was virtually to exclude the United States fromforeign commerce. In these extreme measures, Napoleon and England wereequally censured; but the policy of the latter affected the Americansfar more than the former. The exasperation against Great Britain becameextreme and pervaded the whole community; that against France wasslighter and confined to the more intelligent. Napoleon was first tobegin these outrages on the rights of neutrals; but his injustice waspractically felt only on land; while England was first to introduce thepaper blockade, a measure ruinous to American merchants. This wasfinally done on May 16, 1806, when Great Britain announced a "blockadeof the coast rivers and ports, from the river Elbe to the port of Brestinclusive." On the 21st of November, of the same year, Napoleon inretaliation, issued a decree from Berlin, placing the British Islands ina state of blockade. This decree was followed by a still more stringentorder in council on the part of England.
It now became necessary for the United States either to engage in awar, or to withdraw her commerce from the ocean. The popular voicedemanded the former course. Though France was, in the abstract, asunjust as England, her oppressive measures did not affect Americancommerce, and hence the indignation of the people was directed chieflyagainst Great Britain; but with the president it was different. Thoughhis sympathies were with. France, his judgment was against her as wellas England. In his maturer wisdom, he could now appreciate the greatgood sense of Washington's neutrality. Besides, the grand old man ThomasJefferson was determined to preserve peace, for it was his favoritemaxim that "the best war is more fatal than the worst peace." A furtherreason led him to refuse the alternative of war. He was not without hopethat one or both of the belligerents would return to reason and repealthe obnoxious acts, if the conduct of the United States, instead ofbeing aggressive, should be patient. Actuated by these views, thepresident recommended to congress the passage of an embargo act. Anembargo law was enacted in December, 1807. By it all American vesselsabroad were called home, and those in the United States were prohibitedfrom leaving port. In consequence of this measure, the commerce of thecountry was annihilated in an hour; and harbors, once flourishing andprosperous, soon became only resorts for rotting ships. There can be noquestion now that the embargo was a serious blunder. It crippled theAmerican resources for the war that ensued; made the eastern Stateshostile to Jefferson's, as well as his successor's administration, andtended to foster in the minds of the populace at large, an idea that weshrank from a contest with Great Britain in consequence ofinherent weakness.
There was a fourth and last cause of exasperation, against England,which assisted more than all the rest to produce the war of 1812. Thiswas the British claim to the right of impressment. In the terriblestruggles in which England found herself engaged with France, hermaritime force was her chief dependence, and accordingly she increasedthe number of her ships unprecedentedly; but it soon became difficult toman all these vessels. The thriving commerce pursued by the UnitedStates, as early as 1793, drew large numbers of English seamen into ourmercantile marine service, where they obtained better wages than onboard English vessels. By the fiction of her law, a man born an Englishsubject can never throw off this allegiance. Great Britain determined toseize her seamen wherever found and force them, to serve her flag. Inconsequence, her cruisers stopped every American vessel they met andsearched the crew in order to reclaim the English, Scotch or Irish onboard. Frequently it happened that persons born in America were taken asBritish subjects; for, where the boarding officer was judge and jury ofa man's nationality, there was little chance of justice, especially ifthe seaman was a promising one, or the officer's ship was short-handed.In nine months, during parts of the years 1796 and 1797, the Americanminister at the court of London had made application for the dischargeof two hundred and seventy-one native born Americans, proved to havebeen thus impressed. These outrages against personal independence wereregarded among the great masses of Americans with the utmostindignation. Such injuries exasperated every soul not made sordid byselfish desire for gain. That an innocent man, peaceably pursuing anhonorable vocation, should be forcibly carried on board a Britishman-of-war, and there be compelled to remain, shut out from all hope ofever seeing his family, seemed, to the robust sense of justice in thepopular breast, little better than Algerian bondage. The rage of thepeople was increased by tales of horror and aggression that occasionallyreached their ears from these prison ships. Stories were told ofimpressed Americans escaping the ships, who, on being recaptured, werewhipped until they died. In one instance, a sailor, goaded to madness,seized the captain and, springing overboard, drowned himself and histormentor.
Every attempt to arrange this difficulty with England had signallyfailed. The United States offered that all American seamen should beregistered and provided with a certificate of citizenship; that thenumber of crews should be limited by the tonnage of the ship, and ifthis number was exceeded, British subjects enlisted should be liable toimpressment; that deserters should be given up, and that a prohibitionshould be issued by each party against clandestinely secreting andcarrying off the seamen of the other. In 1800 and again in 1806, it wasattempted to form treaties in reference to this subject; but thepertinacity with which England adhered to her claim frustrated everyeffort at reconciliation. In 1803, the difficulty had nearly beenadjusted by a convention, Great Britain agreeing to abandon her claim toimpressment on the high seas, if allowed to retain it on the narrowseas, or those immediately surrounding her island; but this beingrejected as inadmissible by the United States, all subsequent efforts atan arrangement proved unsuccessful. The impressment of seamen continuedand was the source of daily increasing abuse. Not only Americans, butDanes, Swedes, Germans, Russians, Frenchmen, Spaniards and Portuguesewere seized and forcibly carried off by British men-of-war. There areeven well attested instances of Asiatics and Africans being thusimpressed. In short, as the war in Europe approached its climax, seamenbecame more scarce in the British Navy, and, all decency being thrownaside, crews were filled up under color of this claim, regardless evenof the show of justice. In 1811, it was computed that the number of menimpressed from the American marine service amounted to not less thansix thousand.
In the spring of 1807, a crisis approached. A small British squadron layin American waters near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, watching someFrench frigates blockaded at Annapolis. Three of the crew of one of thevessels and one of another had deserted and enlisted on board the UnitedSt
ates frigate _Chesapeake_, lying at the Washington Navy yard. TheBritish minister made a formal demand for their surrender. Ourgovernment refused compliance because it was ascertained that two of themen were natives of the United States, and there was strong presumptiveevidence that a third was, likewise. No more was said; but the commanderof the British squadron took the matter into his own hands.
The _Chesapeake_, on going to sea on the morning of June 22, 1807, wasintercepted by the British frigate _Leopard_, whose commander hailedthe commodore and informed him that he had a despatch for him.Unsuspicious of unfriendliness, the _Chesapeake_ was laid to, when aBritish boat, bearing a lieutenant, came alongside. Barron politelyreceived him in his cabin, when the lieutenant presented a demand fromthe commander of the _Leopard_ that the bearer be allowed to muster thecrew of the _Chesapeake_, that he might select and carry away thedeserters. The demand was authorized by instructions received fromVice-Admiral Berkeley, at Halifax. Barron told the lieutenant that hiscrew should not be mustered, excepting by his own officers, when thelieutenant withdrew and the _Chesapeake_ moved on.
Having some fear of mischief, Barron made some preparation to resist;but it was too late to prepare to cope with the _Leopard_, whichfollowed close in her wake, and the commander called out throughhis trumpet:
"Commodore Barron must be aware that the vice-admiral's commands must beobeyed." The _Chesapeake_ held on her course although this was repeated.The _Leopard_ sent two shots athwart her bows. These were followed by abroadside poured into the hull of the _Chesapeake_. The American vessel,having no priming in her guns, was unable to return the fire, and afterbeing severely bruised by repeated broadsides she surrendered to herassailants. Her crew was mustered by the British officers and thedeserters carried away. One of them, a British subject, was hanged atHalifax and the others, being Americans, were spared on their consentingto enlist in the English Navy. Commodore Barron was tried on charge ofneglect of duty in not being prepared for action, found guilty, andsuspended from the service for five years without pay or emolument.
On March 4, 1809, Mr. James Madison of Virginia succeeded Mr. ThomasJefferson as president of the United States. His cabinet were RobertSmith, secretary of state; Albert Gallatin, secretary of the treasury;William Eustis, secretary of war; Paul Hamilton, secretary of the navy,and Caesar Rodney, attorney-general. There was a powerful party in thenation hostile to his political creed, and consequently opposed to hisadministration and the war with England which seemed inevitable.
French and English nations became more embroiled in trouble, whichincreased the trouble between the United States and Great Britain.
At last the English government sent men-of-war to cruise off theprincipal ports of the United States to intercept Americanmerchant-vessels and send them to England as lawful prizes. In thisbusiness, the _Little Belt_, a British sloop-of-war, was engaged off thecoast of Virginia in the spring of 1811, where, on the 16th of April,she met the American frigate _President_, under Captain Ludlow, bearingthe broad pennant of Commodore Rodgers. Commodore Rodgers, being aboardthe _President_, hailed the sloop and asked:
"What sloop is that?"
A cannon-shot was his reply.
"Captain Ludlow," said the commodore, "we will teach that fellow goodmanners. Are your guns in order?"
"They are."
"We have been taught a lesson by Barron's mishap. Train the guns and beready to fire."
With a speaking trumpet, the commodore once more hailed the sloop with:
"What sloop is that?"
This time he was greeted with a broadside.
"Fire!" cried the commodore, and the cannon of the _President_ sent abroadside of heavy shot against the impudent stranger.
The conflict lasted only about ten minutes, when Captain Bingham, afterlosing eleven killed and twenty-one wounded, gave a satisfactory answer.The vessels parted company, the _Little Belt_ sailing for Halifaxfor repairs.
It was in the year 1809 that the American brig _Dover_, one of the fewof American merchant vessels which had managed to escape the ruin ofJefferson's embargo act, was sailing among the lesser Antilles. Themaster-captain Parson was a thorough seaman with a heart as big asan ox.
British cruisers were a greater bugbear to American vessels thanpirates, and Captain Parson kept a constant lookout for them.
On the afternoon of an Autumnal day, when he found himself becalmed offa small island not down on the chart, the skipper felt no littleuneasiness. He paced his deck impatiently, occasionally turning his eyeto every quarter, surveying the horizon for some sign of a gale of wind.
"Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown," he called to his mate.
"Aye, aye, sir," answered Mr. Brown, hurrying forward.
"Mr. Brown, look across that point of land sou-west the island--get yourglass."
"Aye, aye, sir!"
The mate ran and got his glass. He came back to the captain and leveledit in the direction indicated by the captain.
"Do you see anything?"
"I do, sir."
"What is it?"
"I see the top gallant of a ship."
"I thought I was not mistaken. Can you make out her colors?"
"I will go aloft, captain, and see."
The mate ascended to the foretop cross-tree, and took a long survey ofthe stranger. When he descended the captain asked:
"What is she?"
"An English frigate."
"I knew it!" growled the captain. "I felt it in my bones. We shall havethe rascals overhauling us anon. Egad, I wish we had an armed crew andheavy guns--I would not wait for congress to declare war."
"But captain, while this dead calm lasts, she cannot move more thanourselves."
"Very true, Mr. Brown, but, egad, she will catch the breeze first, andcome up with it. Thank heaven we have no man aboard our ship born out ofthe United States. They cannot impress any for Englishmen."
The mate answered:
"They care little whether we are English or American born; if they areshort of hands, they will take such of our crews as they want."
The captain paced the deck uneasily, occasionally muttering:
"Zounds, don't I wish I had a few heavy guns."
There was but one small brass piece aboard, and it was only a sixpounder, unable to render much service. His country was nominally atpeace with Great Britain; but that did not prevent honest merchantmensuffering at the hands of the British cruisers.
The afternoon wore away and the sun had set before there was breezeenough to fill a sail. Just as the vessel began to glide slowly awayfrom the small island not more than two miles distant, the mate, who hadascended to the lookout's position cried:
"Boat, ho!"
"Where away?"
"To leeward, heading direct for us."
The captain seized his glass and turned it toward the island. The sombreshades of twilight had already gathered over the scene; but he sawthrough them quite distinctly a boat pulled by four men, while a fifthsat in the stern holding the tiller. The steersman kept the small islandbetween them and the vessel Captain Parson had discovered.
As the breeze grew stiffer and the _Dover_ began to fill away, the mate,who had never taken his glass off the approaching boat, suddenly cried:
"Captain Parson, they are signalling us to heave to!"
"So they are, by zounds!" the puzzled captain exclaimed.
"What will you do?"
After a moment's hesitation, the captain said:
"Heave to, by Jove, and see what they want!"
The order was given, and the vessel rocked idly on the waves, while theboat drew rapidly nearer. At last it was near enough for them to makeout the five men dressed in the uniform of British marines.
"Brown, I don't like this. Those fellows are from his majesty's frigate,there is no doubt, and they mean us trouble."
"Wait and see, captain," the mate answered, coming down to the deck."There are but five of them, and, so far as I can see, all are unarmed."The deck by this time was crowded w
ith the crew, all waiting in anxiousexpectation and dread.
"It am de press gang!" said the cook, who was a negro black as the aceof spades named Job. "Dey am comin' to take off everybody dat looks likea Britisher. Golly! do I look like a Britisher?"
Notwithstanding the gravity of the situation, a smile flittedmomentarily over the faces of the officers and crew. The boat by thistime was within hailing distance, though it had grown so dark theinmates of it could be only dimly seen.
"Boat, ahoy!" cried the captain.
"Aye, aye, sir!" came back the response.
"What boat is that?"
"A boat from his majesty's ship the _Sea-Wing._ We wish to come aboardyour vessel."
When the captain asked them their business, they frankly confessed thatthey were deserters and had been secreted all day on the island watchingan opportunity to reach the American brig.
Their story was a probable one, and the captain and his officersbelieved it. A rope was tossed to them, and in a few moments fivestalwart jack tars in the uniform of the British Navy stood on the deck.
One tall, fine-looking seaman, who was every inch a gentleman, and whoseconversation was evidence of education and refinement, told their story.
Three of them were Americans, and two were Swedes. They had been seizedby the press gang and made slaves on board the frigate.
"It has been many years," said the tall sailor, "since I saw my nativeland. I am a native of Hartford, Connecticut."
"Why didn't you escape sooner?" the Captain asked.
"Escape, captain, is no easy matter, and is attended with seriousconsequences. They usually hang one who tries to desert. I am a gunner,by profession, and but for the fact they need my services against theFrench, I would have been hung long since for trying to desert."
The gunner impressed Captain Parson favorably. He was a man betweenforty and forty-five years of age. His eyes were deep blue, his hairlight. His round, full face was smooth shaven. As he stood on the deck,his brawny arms folded across his massive chest, he looked a perfectmodel of a man and a tower of strength.
Captain Parson led him aside and said:
"You are no common sailor."
"I'm only a gunner now, captain."
"But in the past?"
"I once commanded a ship. I will tell you my story on the morrow. It isa sad one, but, thank God, there's nothing in it at which I need blush.For the present, however, let us get along as fast as your ship can makeit, for the _Sea-Wing_ is a swift vessel, and if we are not beyond reachof her vision before the dawn of day, we shall be overhauled."
Captain Parson knew that some evil consequences might result from beingoverhauled by the _Sea-Wing,_ and consequently every stitch of canvaswas spread and the brig sped away with a good stiff breeze. It was along and anxious night; master and crew were all on deck. No one slept.The coming dawn would tell the story. If the frigate were in sight,then they might expect the very worst; even the ship might be capturedand borne away as a prize and the entire crew enslaved.
Dawn came at last. Each anxious heart welcomed and yet dreaded to seethe new day. Sailors and officers swept the sea as it grew lighter, and,to their dread, just as the sun rose over the glossy surface of the sea,a snowy speck appeared far off to the westward.
The lookout at the mast-head first called their attention to it, and asit drew nearer and nearer the tall handsome gunner went aloft with aglass to see if he could recognize it. In a few moments he came backand said:
"It is the frigate, sir."
That she was in full chase, there could not be a doubt. Captain Parsonhad little hope of escaping; but he put the _Dover_ on her best sailingpoint and scudded away before the wind with every stitch of canvas theycould carry.
"Oh, golly! I hope dey won't mistake--dey won't mistake dis chile for aBritisher!" groaned Job the cook, who was trembling from head to foot,and whose black skin was almost pale.
The five deserters were pale but calm. They seemed to read their fateand bore it like men. A flogging was the very least they could expect;but the chances were that every one would hang. The frigate was theswifter sailor and overhauled them so rapidly, that, in two hours and ahalf, she was within a mile of the brig.
Suddenly a wreath of white smoke curled up from the forecastle, and amoment later a ball came skipping over the water under their larboarddeck, while the boom of a cannon sounded over the sea. As the fine sprayclipped from the crested waves by the shot, flew over the deck, Mr.Brown said:
"Captain, it's no use, she will be near enough to sink us in tenminutes."
"Heave to, Brown. Oh! I wish I had arms and a crew!"
"Captain," interposed the tall, handsome gunner, "I--I know their skilland metal. If you had a gun--a single gun of proper calibre, I couldsink her. I am called the best shot in the English navy."
"We have only a six pounder," answered the captain, ruefully, pointingto their only gun. It was but an inferior piece, and when the gunnerexamined it, he turned to his four anxious companions and said:
"It would be suicide."
Then the five sailors stood near the main gangway with arms folded,heads erect, and resigned like brave men to their fate. The frigate camebearing down upon them like a great mountain, and soon lay alongside.The captain and a score of marines all armed with muskets, came aboard.
"So ho!" cried the captain, "you have my live runaways snug enough.Seize them and carry them aboard, lieutenant."
A young officer with ten men now seized the five deserters, handcuffedthem and led them to their ship which lay alongside. As they went overthe rail, the brutal captain said something about swinging at the yardarm. Turning to Parson, he said:
"Captain, muster your crew and have them pass before me."
Much as the captain disliked to do so, he was in the power of the brutalEnglishman and forced to do his bidding. As the sailors passed slowlybefore him, the Briton eyed each carefully. Suddenly he pointed to astout young sailor named Tom, and cried:
"Stop sir, you are an Englishman!"
"I am not, capen, ye's mistaken, I was born at Plymouth, Massachusetts."
"Don't dispute my word, sir. I know you, seize him!"
Though three of Tom's messmates offered to swear that he was a native ofMassachusetts, he was seized, ironed and hurried away. Two more wereselected, despite the protests of Captain Parson, who was raging like amadman, and hurried aboard the frigate. The fourth man halted in theprocession was Job, the colored cook.
"Stop, sir, I want you!" said the English officer.
"DO YOU THINK DAR IS ANY ANGLER SAXUN BLOOD IN DESEVEINS?"]
"Want me, Capen? oh, golly! I ain't a Britisher!" cried Job,gesticulating wildly. "Do I look like I war a Britisher? Do you thinkdar is any Angler Sacksun blood in dese veins?"
Job howled and appealed in vain. The commander of the _Sea Wing_declared him to be an English negro, and he was hurried away to try thehard service on board a British war vessel.
Having culled the crew of the _Dover_ to his heart's content, thehaughty Briton went aboard his own ship and continued his cruise,leaving Captain Parson expressing his ideas in such language as noparson should use.