GETTING TO SEA. BY HARRY DANFORTH, AUTHOR OF "CRUISING IN THE LAST WAR." WE were blockaded at Newport. Our vessel was a sharp, Baltimore-built craft, heavily sparred, and carrying twenty guns. She had never been beaten by a square-rigged vessel on a wind. If once at sea, therefore, we should have little to fear. But for three weeks we had been lying idly at anchor, and, as winter was coming on, the crew began to be impatient. At last a norther blew the blockading squadron from the mouth of the harbor, and the skipper resolved to seize the occasion and attempt to get to sea. The sun had declined toward the low shore of the opposite island, when, in obedience to a note from the captain, we met him at the wharf to repair on board. Our ship lay but a short distance off, and as we pulled toward her I contemplated her exquisite proportions for the twentieth time. Her long low hull sat so light upon the waters, it scarcely seemed to touch them. The tall, jaunty masts, crossed by the long black yards, rose to an immense distance overhead, raking far away aft and tapering aloft into whipstalks. The bowsprit showed itself high up in front, the stays bracing it taut to the foremast, and appearing to extend thence, in mazy lines of hamper, to every part of the ship. From the main-mast head the pennant drooped nearly to the water, now and then stirring lazily in the almost imperceptible currents of air. The hull was painted of a deep black: the only other color perceptible about the ship was the blood-red of the open ports. A few quick strokes brought us on board. The decks were white with constant holystoning, and the brass ornaments about were burnished to their utmost polish. Immediately all hands were piped to muster. They were generally able-bodied seamen, fine, athletic fellows, who looked as if they could do good service in an emergency. Most of them were experienced sailors, who, being shut out from the merchant service by the war, had preferred our craft, on account of her reputation for speed, to any of the national vessels. They numbered, all told, one hundred and twenty souls. the anchor tripped, and the jib hoisted. Her head now fell rapidly off, and we began to hear the water bubbling under her stem. "Fill away the head-yards-haul out the spanker," thundered the officer of the deck, and, his orders being obeyed, we were soon fairly under way, shooting out of the inner harbor with easy velocity, like a sea-bird taking wing. By this time the sun was half way above the low hills to the eastward, and first the lofty spars, and then the decks were lighted up by his rays. A pleasurable excitement diffused itself in every heart, caused by the rapid motion of the vessel, and the beauty of the scene around. Behind us lay the town, the white steeples and some of the prouder mansions glistening in the sun, while a low murmur rising from its crowded buildings betokened that its inhabitants were beginning to be astir. From the fort broad on our starboard beam we heard them beating the reveille, and its martial tones came stirringly to our ears. Both the outer and inner harbor were dotted with sails, mostly those of fishing boats or vessels trading up the river. A cable's length or so from Fort Wolcott lay a taut rigged brig, with her ports up, and a few men seen lazily about her decks. She was a privateer that had slipped in a few days before, after a highly successful cruise. As we drew nearer to her, however, man after man showed his head above her bulwarks until her whole crew was visible, watching us as we came down. We were soon side by side. "Give them three cheers, my lads," said the skip per, as we shot past. Instantly the deafening huzzas arose, died off, and rose again; and when the round was complete, the crew of the privateer sprang into her rigging and answered us, while the officers on her quarter waved their caps for a parting salute. In a few minutes the brig was far astern. We were now opposite Fort Wolcott, when we fired a salute and set all drawing sails. Newport The ensuing morning broke clear, without a par-light was soon left astern, and before two hours ticle of haze. The stars, however, had not yet faded from the firmament before the cold gray light of approaching day, when all hands were piped to make sail. We fired a gun, set the colors, and loosed the topsails. Then the shrill whistle of the boatswain again rang through the ship, and the cry, "all hands unmoor," floated over the water. The men started merrily to their work, and soon the cable was hove short. Then followed the quick order to brace the head-yards aback and the after-yards full; the windlass was manned again, a sheer was given to port, Block Island was visible from the deck. The broad ocean was now before us, and we took our departure from the land with exuberant spirits. The sky was without a cloud, the waves danced and sparkled in the sunbeams, the freshening breeze whistled pleasantly in the rigging, and the log told us that we were leaving the shore with a velocity that would soon place us beyond the reach of danger, especially if the fleet of the enemy remained a few hours longer out of sight. "A sharp run this, Alcott," said one of my brother lieutenants. "We shall have to thank our stars if we don't find any of the enemy in our track." "I don't know," I replied; "our craft is a clipper, and can go into the very eye of the wind. What have we to fear?" "Suppose we are caught under the lee of an enemy?" The gun of which he spoke was a heavy piece, mounted amidships, for the purpose of crippling vessels we might be in chase of and which were out of reach of our carronades. The command was obeyed with alacrity, for the crew had caught, on the instant, the spirit of the skipper. "A little lower," said the old tar who was captain "We must take our chance for it. But see-the of this favorite piece; "a mite yet-there, that's it, look-out already discerns something." While I was speaking my eye had been turned to the look-out at the mast-head, and from the steadiness with which he gazed down to leeward I suspected that he saw a sail in that quarter. I was not mistaken. Simultaneously with my remark he hailed. "A sail-broad on the lee-beam !" All eyes were turned toward the designated quarter, and, with the aid of our glasses, we made out the stranger to be a heavy ship, apparently under a crowd of canvas, standing for us. We kept on our course, however, and directly saw a second, and then a third sail under our lee, all crowding on every thing to come up with us. It was evident that they were the van of the English squadron, returning to their blockading station, and that they had made us out from the mast-head and given chase. The sea was smooth, with a gentle breeze, so that we feared nothing so long as we kept the weather gauge. We were anxious to get as far on our present tack as possible; accordingly we continued our course until the nearest of the squadron was but two miles distant. She was a light frigate, who had drawn far ahead of her consorts. As she came dashing up toward us, careening slightly, her pyramid of canvas rising gracefully from her hull, and her peak blowing out from her main-topmast head, she presented a stirring picture. Even the skipper, who usually could see nothing to extol in an enemy, joined in the general praise. "She is a handsome craft," he said, pausing at the end of his usual walk on the quarter-deck, and wheeling sharp on his heel, after a military fashion he had acquired on shore; "I did not think his Britannic Majesty had a frigate so beautiful! But hah!-the fellow is going to fire at us. He is close within range, too. It wont do," he continued, as if conversing with himself, "to go nigher, or one might get one's spars crippled." His remarks were cut short by the shooting of a jet of flame from one of the forward ports of the frigate, followed by a puff of thick white smoke, which immediately floated backward against the hull, part of it passing over her deck in thin white wreaths to leeward, and part clinging to her dark sides and settling down on the water. We had time to notice these things fully before we heard the ball whistling overhead. my hearties. This is a beautiful sea, lads, for a long range-no pitching and jerking, as if one's teeth were to be drawn out-but easy and calm as a freshwater pond. Now we have all right-stand off." With the words he applied the match, and instantly stooping down, with one hand on a shipmate's shoulder and his head stretched forward eagerly, he watched the course of the ball. In a few seconds we saw the splinters fly from the dark hull of the frigate. "Hit her, by G-d, the first shot. I'd bore her through and through, damme if I would n't, if the skipper would only give me a chance. But I suppose now we 're off to windward." The old tar's prediction, uttered so mournfully, was correct, for the skipper, however willing he might have been to indulge his crew in a harmless bravado, did not wish to endanger his craft by remaining longer within reach of the enemy's guns. Accordingly the smoke from our piece had scarcely blown away from the deck, when he issued orders for all sail to be made and the ship close-hauled. We were soon, therefore, eating into the wind's. eye, with every thing set that would draw. The enemy, however, did not seem disposed to allow us to escape so easily. The moment his shot was returned and he saw us going off dead on a wind, he threw out his lighter canvas, and, bracing himself sharp up, began a serious chase. But before the trial of speed had continued half an hour, he saw that we were more than a match for him, and, giving up all hope of overtaking us in a fair pursuit, began to fire on us, in the hope of crippling our spars. His first shot went through our mizzen topsail. "Hah!" said the skipper, wheeling again suddenly on his heel, while his brow lowered into a frown as he gazed at the frigate; and then he muttered to himself in an undertone, "I have got the little Atlas into hot quarters," and again he looked angrily and uneasily at the frigate, from whose side, at that instant, another sheet of flame leaped forth. We watched anxiously the approach of the shot; so anxiously that the few seconds occupied by it in traversing the distance between the frigate and ourselves appeared protracted into an age. Our situa tion was, in reality, one to awaken the most serious apprehensions. With the wish to run to sea as far as possible on our first tack, we had allowed the enemy to approach within a dangerous proximity, which the accuracy with which his guns were pointed rendered doubly critical. A single wellaimed shot might carry away some indispensable "By the Lord!" ejaculated the skipper, "he flings his shot farther than I thought he could. It was well aimed, too-eh, Andrews?" he said, addressing his first lieutenant. "This wont do-we have gone as far as we can on this tack; it is time to put about. Clear away the long thirty-four, however," he thun-spar, and, before the damage could be repaired, the dered, suddenly elevating his voice, "and give that chase a shot." frigate might gain on us sufficiently to make our capture inevitable; for the lessening by a mile the dis tance that separated us would render all attempts to | requisition, and she was discovered to be heavily escape futile, as, in that case, with the present smooth sea, the foe could pick off our important spars as surely and easily as a practiced duellist could split his bullet on a knife, nine times out of ten. We held our breath, therefore, during the passage of the ball, nor were we relieved when it struck the transom knee, scattering the splinters in every direction. "They know more of gunnery on board of yonder frigate than in most vessels in his majesty's navy," whispered the third lieutenant to me. "We are in a pretty pickle. Depend on it, they have only been trying their range, and that we shall soon have a broadside rattling about us." armed, with every appearance of belonging to the blockading squadron. A fast-sailing schooner, originally an American privateer, had lately been captured, and commissioned by the British admiral at Halifax to cruise off the Sound of Long Island. It was highly probable that she was the vessel in sight. "If so," said the skipper, "she is a clipper on a wind. She will hug it close, and pepper at us with her long Tom, in order to cripple us, so that the squadron may come up and complete the capture. I wonder if any one on board knows her." A weather-beaten topman presented himself when this inquiry was made on the forecastle. He had been chased in a pilot-boat about a month before by the schooner, and could easily recognize her. The old fellow was asked aft and a glass handed him. He took it, after he had made his bow, and placing his tarpaulin carefully on the deck, proceeded, with a great deal of importance in his air, to adjust the He had scarcely spoken when the frigate, which hitherto had been firing on us with her bow guns, yawed slightly, and simultaneously the whole of her side forward was sheeted with flame, while the cannon balls were visible ricocheting over the waves in their passage toward us. For an instant we ex-slides, so as to get the exact range for his eye. This, perienced again the most intense anxiety. At last the iron shower burst upon us. One ball shattered the bulwarks but a few feet from where I stood, knocking the splinters twenty feet into the air. One of these splinters was driven, as I would drive a dagger, into the body of a seaman who happened to be near The poor man fell bleeding and ghastly to the deck, from whence he was carried below; and, before an hour, he was a corpse. me. with some delay, he succeeded in doing. Then he took a long look at the schooner, during which the skipper and his officers stood by, scarcely able to conceal their impatience. When he had apparently satisfied himself, he removed the glass from his eye, and with the same slow exactness closed the slides and handed it to the captain, still, however, without uttering a syllable. "Well," said the skipper, now losing all patience, "The main-top-mast head is injured," reported the and speaking in his quick way, as he always did captain of the top. when excited, "what do you think? You have taken a look long enough to recognize her, if you ever saw her before." This was a serious piece of news, and I noticed that a look of deep anxiety came over the captain's face, nor did it disappear until the damage had been examined and reported to be comparatively trifling, though in a stiff gale the spar would have certainly given way before it could have been strengthened. The repair of the injury was instantly begun; and a feeling of relief spread abroad when we came to examine the remainder of the damages and found them to be immaterial, since most of the shot had passed over us or fallen short. We were now rapidly drawing out of reach of the enemy's fire. We had gained perceptibly on him before he resorted to his batteries, but since then his velocity had naturally been diminished while ours remained unabated, and the consequence was that he was now fast falling astern. He appeared sensible of this, and made another effort to arrest our progress with his guns. This time he yawed widely and discharged his whole broadside at us, but every shot fell short. We now merrily bade him farewell, thinking the peril past. The day, meantime, had passed the meridian, and night was fast approaching. The sea still continued smooth, with gentle breezes. All our light sails being set, we were rapidly increasing the distance between us and the pursuing squadron, when suddenly, toward four bells in the afternoon watch, a sail was discovered to windward, which we soon made out to be a schooner with all her canvas abroad, evidently watching us. Our glasses were immediately put in "That's what I was bound to do," answered the imperturbable tar, "seeing all depended on sartainty in this matter. Slow and sure is what they used to teach us at school in old Massachusetts, and I take it that what was a good rule then is a good rule now-" "But the schooner," interrupted the skipper. "The schooner's a schooner, that's sartain," replied the topman, turning a quid leisurely in his mouth, "and if she aint," he continued, perhaps noticing the angry frown beginning to lower on the captain's brow, "the same craft that chased us off Montauk, a matter of a month ago or so, then I know nothing of the rigging of a fore-and-aft." The officers looked at each other with blank faces. A silence ensued. Then the skipper gave the order to beat to quarters. At the first tap of the drum the men were at their stations, restless with impatience to terminate the suspense of our present situation. As we were close on a wind, and the schooner coming down free, it was not long before we could see her decks, which appeared crowded with men. The setting sun, as it wheeled its broad disc into the western ocean, dying the horizon with the gorgeous colors of the expiring dolphin, leveled its slant rays on her white sails, and brought her boldly out into relief. As the billows heaved and fell against the golden orb, their white spray flashed like molten silver; while the tops of the waves between it and us glistened gloriously along the wake of the sun | sighting the gun a shot from the long Tom of the schooner rang through the rigging overhead. But not a muscle of the old fellow's countenance moved. Quick as lightning he applied the match, and, as the beams. For some minutes we forgot every thing else in admiration of this scene. Gradually the luminary sank beneath the horizon; and one after another the brilliant tints in the western sky faded into others less splendid, the gold changing into crim-smoke eddied off palely in the moonlight, we saw son, the crimson into purple, and that finally subsiding into a pale, cold apple-green. While, however, twilight was gradually stealing over the seaboard in this quarter, bringing with it the vague feeling of loneliness which always attends that hour on the ocean, the moon, long since risen and now almost at her meridian, was flooding the waters around with her silvery light. Insensibly her beams changed the character of the prospect to windward. The apple-green disappeared from the firmament, and night sensibly set in. The horizon grew vague and shadowy; thin, indistinct masses of what appeared to be mist hanging around the seaboard, which contrasted strikingly with the floods of effulgence poured down from the full moon, in our immediate vicinity. There was not a cloud in the sky. The stars were mostly hidden, though here and there one larger than the rest twinkled with a subdued light. And as the beams of the moon fell on the snowy sails of the schooner, surrounded by its shadows, it seemed like some aerial barque. We were now within range of each other, when suddenly the schooner hauled her wind and stood away on the same tack with ourselves. Immediately afterward the foot of her foresail lifted and a cloud of smoke puffed upward. Almost before we could comprehend these manoeuvres a shot went hissing and whizzing ahead of us, and, plumping into the sea a few fathoms off, threw up a column of spray. "By the gods!" exclaimed the skipper, "just as I expected. But if the fellow thinks we carry only carronades, and believes that by keeping aloof from them he can cut our spars to pieces with his long Tom, and so ensure our capture when the squadron comes up, he is mistaken. We may get crippled, but we'll have a trial on him, at any rate. Forward there, Tackle, and see what yon bull-dog_can say.” | "Ay! ay! sir," answered the captain of our thirtyfour; "we'll give a good account of him. Now, look out, my hearties." As he spoke he sighted the gun, and immediately afterward we heard the report and saw the shot skimming away over the waters. It did not, however, hit the enemy, but passed quite a pistol-shot ahead. Tackle gave vent to an impatient oath, and took care to keep his eye from meeting that of the skipper, who stood on the quarter deck. "Bowse her out, my lads," exclaimed the old waterdog, "and we'll try her again. Yellow Bess wont fail us a second time, or my name aint Thomas Tackle." His favorite piece was soon loaded. He stooped down, squinted along it, and rose up with an impatient humph. After waiting a second, he ran his eye again along the gun, and from the length of time he occupied before he succeeded in pointing it to his satisfaction, we knew that his pride was aroused, and that the ball would tell home. While he was yet the ball from his piece knock off the white splinters from the after part of the schooner and then pass in on her deck, no doubt doing much damage. "Huzza!-there she takes it," cried out Tackle; "the varmints have it now on full allowance, plenty of yankee balls and British splinters. We'll give 'em more before we have done with them. I'll pick off their spars directly as I used to knock over the ducks in the Egg Harbor thoroughfares. Bowse her out-bowse away merrily. We'll show 'em what we can do." Several shots were now exchanged with considerable animation, the enemy returning our fire briskly from his long Tom. But the distance between us was so great as to render this kind of warfare of but little peril, for many of the shot fell short, and the few that hit the schooner had mostly spent their force. Tackle, however, soon proved to our satisfaction his superior gunnery, for scarcely a ball that carried far enough missed its aim. Had we been able to get nearer to the foe, we should have bored her through and through, but she hugged the wind miraculously, and soon gained enough on us to render it certain that she could beat us on our present tack, a thing not so surprising, however, when her fore-and-aft rig was considered. Having satisfied herself of her superiority in this point she allowed us again to approach, and began a rapid fire on us from her piece once more, in the hopes of disabling us. We replied, however, to her fire as rapidly, and with more certainty, making every effort to get nearer, and close. But this she evaded, dexterously keeping us just within range. By what miracle our spars escaped unhurt I know not, but after keeping up the contest for some time, we were still uninjured aloft, except by one or two trifling hurts. Several shot, however, had taken effect in our hull. On the other hand, we had cut away the main peak halyards of our adversary, and riddled her sails so thoroughly that she began perceptibly to lose her advantage in sailing. A successful shot from Tackle's piece, at length, cut her foresail loose and it came down by the run. We now gained rapidly on her. Every exertion appeared to be making to repair the damage, but before the foresail could be replaced we had run up comparatively close on her quarter, and were doing terrible execution with our gun. She was not without spirit, however, on her part; and her long thirtyfour was worked with such rapidity and precision as to make us heartily wish to get beyond its range. But our only chance of doing this safely remained in cracking on every thing and so working to windward. "Hot work this, sir," said Tackle, as the skipper came forward and addressed him; "but it's a smooth sea and nearly as light as day. I've had a shot already at that long gun of theirs, and I'm no Egg Harbor man if I don't dismount it yet. There's |