Thomas Wallace Knox

“ Great Britain has more than a thousand ships-of-war in her navy, and you haven't more than twenty. It costs our nation a vast deal of money to keep a thousand ships in service, and this privateering doesn't cost your government anything. You keep a navy of no account whatever in time of peace, but when war comes you turn every mud-scow into a privateer, and send her out to capture British ships. ”

“ The Constitution steered immediately for Boston, where she was received with the wildest demonstrations of joy. There was great enthusiasm all over the country as the news of the victory was spread abroad. It gave the Americans great confidence in their little navy, and made easier the work of securing appropriations from Congress for building new ships. A feeling had prevailed among many people that our vessels were no match for the enemy's; and as for the English, they believed any British ship could conquer an American one with twice its number of guns and men. ”

“ I don't have any ghosts about the ship I command; they're no friends of mine, and I want 'em to stay away. Now, remember, men—twenty lashes to anybody who sees a ghost on the Washington."
With that the crew were dismissed, those who had the watch on deck went to their duty, and the rest below, or anywhere else they pleased.
You may be sure that there wasn't another ghost seen on the Washington during the rest of the voyage, or, if any man saw one, he kept the knowledge of the sight to himself. Twenty lashes of a rope's end is not an agreeable offset to a vision of something unearthly. ”

“ My intention was to give the impression that an English merchant ship was being pursued by an American privateer. The Englishman was evidently doing his best to escape, but was in danger of being overhauled by the American, which was a better sailer. I had the satisfaction of seeing that my ruse was successful, as the frigate changed her course so as to cut off the privateer and enable the merchantman to escape.
The Charlotte hauled into the wind, while the Marguerite eased off and ran to leeward to escape falling into the jaws of the frigate. ”

“ The stranger did not change her course at all. She was a full-rigged ship, much larger than the Marguerite, and evidently a merchantman. We hung out the American flag, but she did not respond to the courtesy; it was manifest that her captain did not consider it worth his while to display his colors to such an insignificant craft as an American schooner.
We could out-sail and out-maneuver the stranger. ”

“ I said, "that the French not only authorized the capture of American ships trading between the United States and Great Britain and its colonies, but declared further that any American found on board of a hostile ship, though placed there without his consent by impressment, should be hanged as a pirate! Wasn't that it?"
"Yes, it was," said Haines; "just think of it! British ships were constantly impressing American [126] seamen. Suppose an English war-ship with impressed Americans on board should be captured by a French cruiser; those Americans were liable to be hanged as pirates! ”

“ The Phantom Ship is always sailing with a fair wind and everything spread, and she looks like the great big ghost that she is. 'Tisn't such a very large ship, the kind of craft the Dutchmen used to have two or three hundred years ago; and the men that navigate her seem to know their business.
"There's another phantom ship a good deal older and bigger than the Flying Dutchman; so big is she that the ship I've been telling you about wouldn't make a yawl for her. The French sailors call her the Lightning Chaser; and she's so big that it takes her a year to make a tack. ”

“ Haines noticed our condition, and kindly suggested to the mate that the youngsters had better be sent below. The mate took a good look at us, smiled for an instant, and then said,—
"Bear a hand there, kids, and go below; you'll appear best alone. Go below, both of you."
I would have preferred to remain on deck, but the orders were imperative, and besides I was rapidly getting into a condition in which I would be unable to stand. So we disappeared and lay down in our bunks. David pitched headforemost into his sleeping-place as the ship gave a lurch. ”

“ At any rate, he filled the stomachs of the British with all the fighting they wanted when they came here to subjugate the colonies.
My name is John Crane, or, rather, Captain Crane, at your service. I am, or rather was, a sea-captain, and for a pretty fair time too. People keep on calling me "Captain," although I've given up sea life and settled down on shore. But that's the way of things generally; which, after all, isn't so bad. If a man has done something and won a handle to his name, I think it is fair to let him keep it, and so I never correct folks when they call me Captain Crane. ”

“ Again and again we thanked our lucky stars that we relieved the crew of the Warwick as we did, and brought her safe to port. Our captain said, or at least Haines declared that he said it, "Charity is one of the noblest acts of which man is capable; and the best charity of all is that which receives a double reward, a high rate of salvage and protection against sea-robbers." ”

“ Don't you remember our little affair in the early part of the voyage with that British man-of-war?"
"Oh, certainly I do," I replied; "but the officer who came aboard did not try to take anybody away that he knew was an American."
"Yes, that's true," Haines replied; "and the trouble with him was, from a British point of view, that he was too particular, and also that he lost his head over [114] the captain's rum-bottle. Not one officer in twenty, so far as I've known, would hesitate at taking just as many men as he wanted, whether they were British born or not. ”

“ These Malay pirates are a great pest and annoyance to mariners; and I wonder that the civilized nations do not band together and wipe them out of existence. But I've already wondered why they [174] don't do the same thing with the Algerine pirates; and I suppose I may keep on wondering about these things for the rest of my life.
In one respect the Malays are worse than the Algerines. When the Malays capture a ship they kill everybody on board, sparing neither age nor sex; while the Algerines rarely kill anybody, except in actual fighting, reserving their prisoners to sell them into slavery. ”

“ We gave some extra dips, like taking off our hats two or three times in succession, in order to thank him for his courtesy; and a great courtesy it was, in view of the strained relations existing at that time between our respective countries. I wondered, as I looked at the graceful figure of the Grampus dancing on the water, whether there were any impressed Americans serving on board of her, and perhaps looking over the rail in our direction, wishing, oh, so earnestly, that they were on board the Washington, under their own dear flag, and sailing for home. ”

“ Perhaps I ought to explain that the crew of a ship is divided into "watches;" that is, they are separated into two lots, or divisions, one of them known as the larboard, and the other as the starboard watch. The larboard watch is on duty with the first mate, and the starboard with the second mate. I am speaking now of a good-sized craft. There's many a vessel that has no second or third officer, simply a captain and mate. ”

“ With the aid of the boy we moved to the lodgings, and found them very comfortable, as well as reasonable in price. Captain Graham was living in Southsea with his family, and the lodgings he had secured for us were less than ten minutes' walk from his house. He invited me to call there in the evening, and bring Haines with me. It was with much difficulty that I persuaded the honest fellow to accompany me, as he dreaded the tortures of sitting at table along with what he called "fashionable folks," and even shrank from an hour upon a chair in a parlor! ”

“ The captain was anxious to have his craft appear in as nice a condition as possible when it entered port and passed under the eyes of the owners. The common notion with landsmen is that when a ship leaves port on a long voyage she is in her finest condition, and comes home very much battered and bruised, and used up generally.
Now, the real fact is that unless she has some accident, or happens to come home in the dead of [140] winter when it is impossible to do any work, she is in better condition when she reaches home than at any other time. ”

“ Hull said to Dacres,—
"You'd better look out for yourself if we have war and I ever catch you in the Constitution."
Dacres laughed, and offered to make a heavy wager as to the result of any encounter. Hull declined a large bet, and it finally settled down to a wager of a hat. When Captain Dacres went on board the Constitution after the defeat of the Guerrière he offered his sword to Captain Hull. ”

“ The old proverb says that a stern chase is a long chase, and so it was in this instance. I led him a lively dance, letting him come up almost within shooting distance before taking off my drags and giving the Hyacinth her head. Then we walked away so fast that he must have been puzzled to make out how we increased our speed without putting on more canvas, which we couldn't do, as we had everything set that was possible to pile on her. We had a good deal of fun on board about the performance; and if I ever meet the captain of that American merchantman I shall tell him he owes me a new hat. ”

“ Fifty-six British war vessels have been captured, with eight hundred and eighty cannon; [302] while twenty-five American war vessels with three hundred and fifty guns have been taken by us. The game is a losing one to the British side, and negotiations for peace are now going on!"
"And the sooner we have it the better for all concerned," I replied. "No one will hail it more warmly than I shall."
"For one, I shall be very glad of it," said Mrs. Graham, "as I don't like to be obliged to regard you and Mr. Haines as enemies." ”

“ For capturing merchant-ships, which is the object of privateering, seven guns are as good as fourteen; now and then an armed merchantman might surrender to the larger vessel when she would not to the smaller one, but such cases are not numerous.
"Besides, sir," I continued, "you will excuse the suggestion, but I know my crew regards the Marguerite as a lucky craft, and that goes a long way in keeping up the spirits of the men during a cruise. They believe she will win every time; and with this belief they will always be ready to take any risk that I put upon them. ”