James Otis

“ We could not depend upon the government of the United States for so much as a spare belaying-pin, and all we might get, whether in the way of stores or ammunition, must come from the enemy. I do not believe any vessel of war was ever sent into such danger of every form, and it is hardly to be wondered at that Phil Robbins and I were filled with apprehension as to the result of the cruise, more particularly since we heard the evils described in most glowing colors during nearly every hour of the day, even by those who were in favor of the enterprise. ”

“ We had nothing to do with the poor efforts at handling the sorely wounded ship, and could only load and fire so long as a gun's crew remained alive.
When one fell dead or wounded at his task another was called to fill his place, and speedily the deck was so littered with the lifeless or the dying that some of us would be summoned to aid the surgeon's force in dragging them out of the way. ”

“ There appeared to be no ray of hope for us; but I did my poor best to prevent the murderous Britisher from understanding what was in my heart.
Phil showed himself braver than was I, for instead of being forced to spend his time trying to keep himself from showing cowardice, he could afford to indulge in anger, and he cried, bold as if we were the masters instead of Benson:—
"It's a bad practice to crow very loudly before you've worked your will. We have more friends on this island than you may claim; and if it so chances that you can turn us over to the cannibals, they will make you suffer." ”

“ To Phil and me it was most singular, this seeing one ship filling away with all the wind she needed, and another, our frigate, lying no more than four miles distant with not breeze enough to lift the vane at her masthead.
The only thing which prevented our men from having a desperate fit of the sulks was the belief that when the Essex did get the wind she would make chase; but as the hours wore on we understood that the Britisher was really lost to us, for this time at least. ”

“ By this time the noise was so great that Lieutenant McKnight was sent below to learn whether or no a riot was in progress, and, luckily, I succeeded in gaining speech with him before the men knew he was on the gun-deck.
"Surely you will stand our friend in this matter, Cousin Stephen," I said, clutching him by the coat-sleeve without regard to the proprieties; for it is looked upon as insubordination for a common sailor to lay hold of an officer.
"In what way, Ezra? Are so many eager to see home again that you fear there'll be no room for you?"
"It's just the other way, sir," Phil broke in. ”

“ I had taken a station by Master Hackett's side, and therefore came to know a good many things which otherwise would have failed of attracting my attention.
"They've taken on extra metal to meet us," the old sailor said with a chuckle, as if such fact pleased him wonderfully. "Thirty long eighteens, sixteen 32-pound carronades, one howitzer, an' six 3-pounders in her tops. That's givin' us the credit of bein' good fighters, even though they do accuse us of not darin' to tackle anything but whalers."
"Did you ever see the other ship, Master Hackett?" I asked. ”

“ I replied. "If you could only persuade Lieutenant Downes to take us with him when next the boats are called away, I would do anything I could to repay you when we get ashore."
"But what would my uncle, your father, say when I saw him? Do you think he is as eager that his son should be shot as you are?"
"We're not counting on that part of it, sir. All who come to close quarters with an enemy are not shot, else you would never be standing on this quarter-deck, wearing the uniform of a lieutenant." ”

“ Phil whispered angrily; and I, suddenly realizing that we could only succeed in biting our own noses if we went contrary to Benson's commands, said hurriedly in a low tone:—
"Hold your tongue! We're bound to eat and drink if we count on making any effort at getting away. Take what he gives us, and we may thereby keep up our strength to be used in case an opportunity for escape presents itself." ”

“ The slaughter in the Essex having got to be too horrible, the enemy firing with deliberation and hulling her at almost every shot, Captain Porter, as a last resort, ordered a hawser to be bent to the sheet anchor, and the latter let go in order to bring the head of the ship around. This effected the object, and once more the Americans got their broadside to bear, remaining stationary themselves, while their enemy, a good deal crippled, was drifting slowly to leeward. ”

“ The Britishers must have turned cowardly as they saw our men coming toward them without heed to their fire, and in another instant we were yelling at the full strength of our lungs, as the English flag was hauled down in token of surrender.
"The 'luck of the Essex' still holds good," Master Hackett cried gleefully. "Yonder ship will show well among our fleet, an' it's a pity we can't give her a crew of decent size." ”

“ The Britisher caught a glimpse of the small boat as she pulled out past our ship, and he pitched a shot after her as a signal to heave to; but the old shellbacks who sat at the oars were not the kind to be frightened by the burning of British powder. They had sniffed the odor many times before, and if they would voluntarily remain on a burning ship while the enemy was plugging ball after ball into her as if she had been no more than a target, they could be depended upon to hold their course regardless of Captain Nash and the razee Saturn. ”

“ Now fancy that two thousand of these fierce-looking fellows were hanging around, while you knew that just over the mountain were seven or eight thousand more, and you will have some idea of how Phil and I felt when we knew that our little company of white people were to make, or help make war, understanding full well that the dead and those taken prisoners would serve as food for the living victors. ”

“ From the verge of the water the land rises uniformly on all sides, with green and sloping acclivities, until from gentle rolling hillsides and moderate elevations it insensibly swells into lofty and majestic heights, whose blue outlines, ranged all around, close in the view. The beautiful aspect of the shore is heightened by deep and romantic glens, which come down to it at almost equal distances, all apparently radiating from a common centre, and the upper extremities of which are lost to the eye beneath the shadow of the mountains. ”

“ The seamen among us who had had the most experience in such matters, believed that we stood but little show against those ships which had been sent from England in search of us; that the Essex would never round Cape Horn with the stars and stripes flying. In such case we had only death or imprisonment to look forward to, and it is not so very surprising that some of the men should desire to remain among the islanders. ”

“ I had almost forgotten to say that when the Nereyda was overhauled, our men found in the privateer's brig the master and crew of the captured ship Barclay. Of course they were brought on board the Essex, the officers being quartered aft, and the men messing with us of the gun-deck. A mighty happy crowd they were on finding themselves on an American man-of-war, after feeling certain they'd be sent to a Spanish prison. ”

“ One must needs take part in such a race in order to understand all the sensations which come to a fellow as he watches eagerly the progress of the craft, trembling with excitement lest the chase will escape, and then feeling the cold shivers run down his spine as he realizes that when he is once where he wants to be, he may, perhaps, be called upon [Pg 98] to scrape an acquaintance with death; for if all the enemy in those waters were heavily armed, it was not probable every one would fall into our hands as readily as had the Peruvian privateer. ”

“ I insisted that Master Hackett at least would miss us, and declared that my cousin Stephen's heart would be sore with grief if any accident happened to either of us; but Benson laughed me to scorn.
"If you failed to return there isn't one aboard who'd remember your absence after four-and-twenty hours," he said. "An enemy might work his will on you and stand no chance of coming to grief, for I doubt not but that the frigate will sail by to-morrow."
"We have no enemies here," Phil replied with a laugh, "therefore we needn't spend time discussing that question." ”

“ It seems that the sail-makers had been at work on another banner, for as we came out of the harbor a second was run up to the masthead of the Essex, and on it in bold letters were the words:—
"God, Our Country, and Liberty; Tyrants Offend Them."
Our crew was at quarters, Phil and I among the rest, with the officers in fighting trim on the quarter-deck, and I heard little Midshipman Farragut say to one of the lieutenants:—
"This time we've got them, and we'll show how Yankees fight!" ”

“ Do you think it can be done without sacrificing some of your men?"
"Of course we must expect that more than one poor fellow will lose the number of his mess."
"The Phœbe isn't the only ship that's likely been sent out against you; and even though you whip the first two or three you come across, the time must arrive when you'll be too short-handed to work the frigate. In other words, no matter how successful your ship may be, you're bound to come to grief finally." ”

“ There was more than one man on our gun-deck who began to believe, now there was no question but we should have a scrimmage ashore, that it was risky for our captain to take any part in the quarrel, and the argument they put forth was a good one, as even Master Hackett was forced to admit.
In the first place we were so few in numbers that not a single vessel in the fleet was fully manned, and there would be no opportunity to enlist others to make up a crew. ”

“ It was my good fortune to have the opportunity of carrying this news to Lieutenant Downes, who lay in his cabin on board the Essex, and to my great surprise I discovered that he had never been in doubt as to the result of the expedition.
"It couldn't have been otherwise," he said, when I had emptied my budget of news. "Thirty-five white men with ample supply of ammunition could beat off all the natives of the island, providing they were not ambushed. It went without saying that Captain Porter would flog them into submission." ”

“ After a few moments of silence he asked:—
"Do you know what your captain counts on doing with me?"
"He isn't in the custom of telling the crew what he proposes to do," Phil said curtly; "but this you can set down for a fact, that if he turns you loose around the bay, you'd better be mighty careful, for there are those among the men who wouldn't count it a crime to kill you as they would a mad dog."
By this time a boat had come ashore from the Essex; Benson and the Typees who had brought him in were taken on board, and we did not get a glimpse of the Britisher until many days afterward. ”

“ If the success of this first venture since we left port had been a true token of the entire voyage, then were Philip Robbins and myself to reap the greatest possible benefit from it; for when the Essex was finally come up with the Britisher on the following day, we lads not only aided in the capture of the rich prize, but made ourselves such a friend among the crew as we most needed.
A lad on board a man-of-war sees hard lines if there be not one among the older seamen who stands in a certain degree sponsor for him ”

“ Captain Porter had taken many chances in sending us all away at the same time, yet by doing so he had gained another prize which, had she been left at liberty, might have worked serious mischief to our merchantmen.
It can readily be supposed that we did not lose any time in getting back to the frigate. Men enough to take care of the prisoners and work the prize were left on board, and the remainder of us pulled to the Essex at full speed, feeling, when we went on deck once more, as if the old ship had escaped some deadly peril. ”

“ The Wasp was never heard from after she parted company with the brig; but it is my opinion, and shared by many, that Lieutenant McKnight and his companion were foully murdered by the Swede.
We left the port of Valparaiso with our papers in good order, and all on board rejoicing at the prospect of seeing their loved ones once more. At that time I believed nothing could tempt me to leave my mother again; but "once a sailor always a sailor" is the proverb, and I am inclined to think it has in it much truth. ”

“ I have heard too of an English vessel that many years ago, after a weary cruise, sought to enter the bay of Nukuheva, and arriving within two or three miles of the land, was met by a large canoe filled with natives, who offered to lead the way to the place of their destination. The captain, unacquainted with the localities of the island, joyfully acceded to the proposition—the canoe paddled on and the ship followed. [Pg 182] She was soon conducted to a beautiful inlet, and dropped her anchor in its waters beneath the shadows of the lofty shore. ”

“ Loading a ship in mid ocean with such heavy articles as casks of oil, is a slow and laborious task, as we soon learned. It was necessary to sling each hogshead into a boat, pull to the craft which was being loaded, and there hoist it inboard, working disadvantageously all the while because of the heavy swell.
It was not until the 24th day of July that the Georgiana was ready for the voyage to the United States, and then the captain of the Seringapatam had been sent on board as a prisoner to be closely guarded; but no crew selected to take charge of her. ”

“ The majority of our men believed she would pull through all right, for Mr. Downes was a skilful and at the same time careful seaman, who would not run unnecessary risks. Besides this fact, our people still relied on the "luck of the Essex," for they were as yet ignorant of the fact that it had at last deserted the old frigate whose career had been so glorious.
There was much jawing and arguing on that evening, but in a friendly way. Never a man lost his temper, and, to the best of my knowledge, not a harsh word was spoken during that time of tongue wagging. ”