Tom Cringle's Log

gentl

on the high a

boy's eyes, and

the rude im

visitation

ruffian billo

onstrous heads,

lamour in the s

hurry, death

partial sleep!

ea-boy in an

V, Ill. 1

ny leagues-wind baffling weather hazy-La

pithead-ordered to fit to receive a general officer, and six pieces of field artillery, and a Spa

dogs, one white man-servant, one black ditto, and the Canon of --,

he foaming surge like a sea gull-"Carrol Cove" in her tiny mainsail-pilot jumped into

ber of merchantmen at anchor-men of war lovely craft, bands playing-a good deal of the po

e, "you have an uncl

id I

n found out that the object of my superior officer was to gain information amongst the crimp shops, where ten men, who had run from one of the West Indiamen, waiting at Cove for convoy, were stowed away, but I was not let farther into the secret; so I set out to pay my visit, and after passing a pleasant evening with my friends, Mr and Mrs Job Cringle, the lieutenant dropped in upon us about nine o'clock. He was heartily welcomed, and under the plea of our being obliged to retur

short escapade from the middy's berth, had its charms, and I was r

come here,

h thing-we had to ascend a long, and not overclean staircase, to the fourth floor, before we were show

bring you with me; but I must expose you to some danger, and, I will allow, not alt

certainly, but I had lit

regarding the haunts of the pressable men at Cove, especially with regard to the ten seamen who have run from the West Indiaman we left below. You know the Admiral has forbidden pressing in Cork, so you must contrive to

ps contained in the bundle; in a pair of shag trowsers, red

, and take the cockade out of your hat; or stop, leave it, and

and walked half a

-a bright lamp was flaring in the breeze at the doo

to rejoin my superior officer, so soon as I considered I had obtained my object. I rapped at the inner door, in which there was a small unglazed aperture cut, about four inches square; and I now, for the first time, perceived that a strong glare of light was cast into the lobby, where I stood, by a large argand with a brilliant reflector, that like a magazine lantern had been mortised into the bulkhead, at a h

saking here,

you don't let me in, I shall be lodge

man," said she; "but whe

om the Guava, now

it a respectable show of pewter dishes in racks against the wall. There was a long stripe of a deal, table in the middle of the room-but no tablecloth-at the bottom of which sat a large, bloated, brandy, or rather whisky-faced savage, dressed in a shabby great-coat of the hodden grey worn by the Irish peasantry, dirty swan down vest, and greasy corduroy breeches, worsted stockings, and well-patched shoes; he was smoking a long pipe. Around the tab

, whence and whithe

pay my shot; and as to the second, of that hereafter; so, old boy, let's have some grog,

brass that small chap h

the rhino, that we must prove you a bit; so, Kate, my dear,"-to the pretty

t's have the drink, and don't doubt b

m was produced forthwith, and as I lighted a pipe and filled a glas

n't," said s

in any hurry, b

I know; and I recommend all of you making yourselv

boy,

ng, by bracing sharp up at the corner of the s

ury exclamations, and all was bustle and confusion,

the seamen,-"where

my chance of shipping with some of the outward-bound that are to sail, if the wind holds, the day after to-morrow. There is to be no

he small chap is r

ed another, after several unavailing attempts to weigh

arly suffocated me with his maudling caresses, "I

g his straw or tarpaulin hat, with a slap on the crown, on one side of his head, and staggering and swaying about under the influence of the poteen, and slapping his thigh, as

lan's at the Cove as a good rendezvous; and promising to overtake them before they reac

that-and three hundred thousand pigs, driven by herdsmen, with coarse grey greatcoats. The pigs are not so handsome as those in E

raven images; arrived at Cove to a large dinner and h

aring to turn in, when the master at arms called dow

r me, I could hear one fellow whisper, "There goes the little beagle." When I entered the gunroom, the first lieutenant, master, and purser, were sitting smoking and enjoying themselves over a glass of cold grog-the gunner taking the watch on deck the doctor was piping any thing but mellifluously on the double flageolet, while the Spa

go in the boat with me, an

ed about a cable's length to the right of the high precipitous bank-up which we stole in straggling parties-on which that abominable congregation of the most filthy huts ever pig grunted in is situated, called the Holy Ground. Pat Doolan's domicile was in a little dirty lane, about the middle of the village. Presently ten strapping fellows, including the lieutenant, were before the door, each man with his stretcher in his hand. It was a very tempestuous, although moonlight night, occasionally clear, with the moonbeams at one moment

ped loudly. "Pat Doolan, my man, open the door, will ye?" No answer.

peared to have the desired effect. A poor decrepid old man undid the bolt and let us in. "Ohon a reel Ohon a reel W

s Pat Doolan?" sa

g will begin whenever Mother Doncannon and Mistress Conolly

the top of which was stretched the dead body of an old emaciated woman in her grave-clothes, the quality of which was much finer than one could have expected to have se

or and numberless chinks in the walls, making the cold, rigid, sharp features appear to move, and glimmer, and gibber as it were, from the changing shades. Close to

mourner, "I must beg leave to remove the body

-and it's not opening that same, that o

il, quick and sharp, "rem

sir, for all her wasted appe

sy bench there." He pointed to an oaken form about eight feet long, and nearly three inches thick. To produce a two-inch rope, and junk it into three lengths, and rig the battering-ram, was the work of an instant. "One, two, three,"-and bang the door flew open, and there were our men stowed away, each sitting on the top of his bag, as snug as could be, although looking very much like condemned thieves. We bound eight of them, and thrusting a stretcher across their backs, under their arms, and lashing

ely on my own ear. I presented, when-crash the lid of the coffin, old woman and all, was dashed off in an instant, the corpse flying up in the air, and then falling heavily on the

r Treenail-"help hi

along. We reached the boat, and time it was we did so, for a number of stout fellows, who had followed us in a gradually increasing crowd, until they amounted to forty at the fewest, now nearly surrounded us, and kept closing in. As the last of us jumped into

y three hundred sail of merchan

miles of Barbadoes,) the sun had set bright and clear, after a most beautiful day, and we were bowling along right before it, rolling like the very devil; but there was no moon, and although the stars sparkled brilliantly, yet it was dark, and as we were the sternmost of the men of war, we had the task of whipping in the sluggards. It was my watch on deck. A gun from the commodore, who showed a number of lights. "What is t

the boat gun if he does not bear up. What can he be after? Sergeant Armstrong,"-to a

re up on her course again; we now ranged

e body of the fleet, or I shall fire into you; why don't you, sir, keep in the wake

th responded a voice

way the crew of the jolly boat." We also hove to, and were in the act of lowering down the boat, when the officer rattled out. "Keep all fast, with the boat; I can

nd a heavy thumping on the deck, and a creaking of the blocks, and rattling of the cordage, while the mainyard was first braced one way, and then another, as if two p

s was followed by a heavy crunching blow, as when the spike of a but

d been passed to clear away two of the foremost carrona

of the English crew, as I shall fir

rounded to, under her lee-and an armed boat, with Mr Treenail,

his scull cloven to the eyes, and a broken cutlass blade sticking in the gash. We were immediately accosted by the mate, who was lashed down t

schooner, sir; the lieutenant of her,

the rest of

tswain, the men who hailed you just now; the last was knocked

the brig fired at the privateer showed she was broad awake. Next moment Captain Deadeye hailed. "Have you mastered the prize crew, Mr Treenail?"-"Aye, aye, sir."-"Then keep your course, an

th the distance. By this the lieutenant had descended to the cabin, followed by his people, while

s before the stem windows and the side berths, and brilliantly lighted up by two large swinging lamps hung from the deck above, which were reflected from, and multiplied in, several plate glass mirrors in the panels. In the recess, which in cold weather had been occupied by the stove, no

palm tree, the stem painted white, and interlaced with golden fretwork, like t

evidently one of those London West Indiamen, on board of which I knew there was much splendour and great comfort. But, alas! the hand of lawless violence had been there. The captain lay across the table, with his head hanging over the side of it next to us, and unabl

tant, and had him bled, and threw water on his face, and did all we

hair-lip, which gave him a horrible expression. They were dressed in white trowsers and shirts, yellow silk sashes round their waists, and a sort of blue uniform jacket, blue Gascon caps, with the peaks, from each of which depended a large bullion tassel, hanging down on one side of their heads. The whole party had apparently made up their minds that resistance was vain, for their pistols and cutlasses, some of them bloody, had all been laid on the table, with the buts and handles towards us, contrasting horribly with the glittering equipage of steel, and crystal, and silver things, on the snow-white damask table-cloth. They were immediately seized and ironed, to which they submitted in silence. We next released the passengers, and were overpowered with thanks, one dancing, one crying, one laughing, and another praying. But, merciful Heaven!

f the murdered master of the ship, and never awoke, in her unclouded reaso

ral of the merchant sailors were turned over to the guardship, to prove the facts in the first instance, and

he end of the room, that pumped a solution of saltpetre and water into a trough of tin, perforated with small holes, below which, and exposed to the breeze, were

rs, officers, and the Spanish Ca

he admiral on the Windward Island station, we hove to in Bull Bay, in order to land despatches, and secure our tithe of the crews of the merchant-vessels bound for Kingston, and the ports to leeward, as they passed us. We had fallen in with a pilot canoe off Morant Bay with four negroes on board, who request

ht, and in this case I shall want you to go in the cutter to

the Palisadoes, a narrow spit of land, not above one hundred yards across, that divides the harbour from the ocean, and to haul the canoe across, and take me to the

ut it in execution, and I will go belo

ree black fellows, the pilot of the ship co

ouple of hands with you, Mr

them; but if you will spare me Mr Cringle

steered for, did not break on the shore in a rolling curling wave, as it usually does, but smoothed away under the lee of a small sandy promontory that ran out into the sea, about half a cable's length to windward, and then slid up the smooth white sand, without breaking, in a d

You don't mean to swamp us in a shove thr

man-of-war buccra, only keep dem seat w

well as I could. The loud murmur, increasing to a roar, of the sea, w

still, ma

rds with a smooth sliding motion up on the beach-until grit

p, massa

ur noses; the sea receded, and before the next billow approac

ttom of Hanover Street; the lights from the cabin windows of the merchantmen glimmering as e passed, and the town only discernible from a solitary sparkle here and there. But the contrast when we landed was very s

ansion, and we could see lights glimmering in the ground floor; but it was gaily lit up aloft. The hou

. I pushed against, the door, and found it was open, and Mr Treenail and myself immediately ascended a flight of six marble steps, and stood in the lower piazza, with the hall, or lower ves

nail, "pray, is this Mr--'

e goodness to say

ere upon dinner wid c

, that an officer of his Majesty's sloop Torc

low me, sir; and dat small gentleman,-[Thomas Cringl

sy stair occupied the easternmost end, with a massive mahogany balustrade, but the whole affair below was very ill lig

men arrive, Toby." But no

have little time for ceremony. Pray

me, gentle

reached the first landing-place, when we heard a noi

like a shot, a black fellow, in a handsome livery, trundled down, pursued by another servant with a large silver ladle in his hand, with which he

tief!-for me piece dat

emember that two large crystal stands of jellies composed part of his load-so there we were regularly capsized, and caught all of a heap in the dark landing-place, half way up the stair; and down the other flight tumbled our guide, with Mr Treenail and myself, and the

a long gallery about fifty feet long by fourteen wide, and he immediately rose and ordered his butler

However, after a good laugh, we gathered ourselves up, and at length we were ushered on the scene. Mine host, after stifling his laughter the best way he could, again sat down at the head of his table, sparkling with crystal and wax lights, while a superb lamp hung overhead. The company was composed chiefly of naval and military men, but there was also a sprinkling of civilians, or Muftees, to use a West India expression. Most of them rose as we entered, and after they had taken a glass of wine, and had their laugh at our mishap, our landlord retired to one side with Mr Treenail

known that we were direct from home, such a volley of questions was fired off at me, that I did not know which to answer first. At length, after Treenai

dead and cold, with a knife sticking under his fifth rib-no doubt intended for his master. The speaker was Bolivar. About midnight, Mr Treenail returned, we shook hands with Mr--, and once more shoved off; and, guided by the lights shown on board the Torch, we were safe home again by three in the morning, when we immediately made sail, and nothing particular happened until we arrived within a day's sail of New Providence. It seemed, that about a week before, a large American brig, bound from Havanna to Boston, had been captured in this very channel by one of our men-

ght ahead, sir," sung out the

ts. We kept steadily on our course, and as we approached our p

e strange sail; "heav

will, you mi

d, sir, if you don't let every thing go by the run this instant, I'll

came on board, where, instead of being lauded for his gallantry, I am sorry to say he was round

on we arriv

having taken on board ten American skippers,

ft Nassau, we descried a sail in the south-east quarter, and immediately made sail in chase. We overhauled her about noon; she hove-to, after being fired at repeatedly; and, on boarding her, we found she was a Swede from Charleston, bound to Havre-de-Grace. All the letter

rrel of New York apples into the boat as a present to Ca

ty old Deadeye was thrown into, as to whether, here in the heat of the American war, he was bound to take this American captain priso

or was there much sea, and the deck was all alive, to take advantage of the f

reat astonishment. "Breakers! why

he bows," sung out the

cular whisking shape, as if the clear green sea, for a space of a hundred yards in diameter, had been stirred about by a gigantic invisible spurtle, until every thing hissed again; and the curious part of it was, that the agitation of the water seemed to keep ahead of us, as if the breeze which impelled us had also floated it onwards. A

he forecastle loaded?

is,

bit-that wi

watery avalanche, and in a minute after the dark, heaving billows rol

ound and round, and up and up, as you see straws so raised, until it reaches a certain height, when it invariably breaks. Before this I had thought that a waterspout was creat

ened until about seven o'clock in the evening. I had been invited to dine with the gunroom officers this day, and

ittle master, "or some

of a brig sloop is exactly under the gunroom. Three of the American skippers had been quartered

ess, and in a st

for the gunner, s

like it, I saw, a

steward?" "I really can't tell," said the man, trembling fr

s he hurried on deck. We all

e caught in the m

away like sky-rock

holding a lighted candle between the fingers, and putting some loose powder into the palm of the hand, and then chucking it up into the flame. They got a sound flogging, on a very unpoetical part of their corpuses, and once more the ship subsided into her usual orderly discipline. The northwester still continued, with a clear blue sky, without a c

of a rope at him. The man got it under his arms, and after hauling him along for a hundred yards at the least-and one may judge of the velocity with which he was dragged through the water, by the fact that it took the united strain of ten powerful men to get him in-he was brought safely on board, pale and blue, when we found that the running of the rope had crushed in his broad chest below h

we found she was a Baltimore pilot-boat-built schooner, of about 70 tons burden, laden with flour, and bound for Bermuda. But three days before, in a sudden squall, they had carried away both masts short by the board, and the only spar which they had been able to rig, was a spare topmast which they had jammed into one of the pumps fortunately she was as tight as a bottle-and s

gh with "make sail," and "shorten sail," and "all hands," the whole day through; and as the night fell, I found myself, for the fourth time, in the maintop. The men had just lain in from the ma

ht, and on deck the whole of the day, and actively employed too, as during the greatest part of it it blew a gale. I stooped down in some pain, to see what had bolted me to the grating, but I had no sooner extricate

e a reef out of the topsails, the wind having rather suddenly gone down. It was done; and now broad awake, I determined not to be caught napping again, so I descended, and swung myself in on deck out of the main rigging, just as Mr Treenail was must

e surely out of your watch. Why

the truth, that, being over fatigu

go below, and turn in; if you don't tak

from resting in the cold on the coil of rope, had become stiffened and rigid to an intolerable degree; and although, when I first came on deck, I had by a strong exertion brought my caput to its proper bearings, yet the moment I w

the crew, greatly puzzled, continued to follow my e

ereby got a stiff ne

now-tell our steward to give you a glass of hot g

ing all sail. A group of officers were on the forecastle with night-glasses, the whole crew being stationed in dark clusters round the guns at quarters. Several of the American skippers were forward amongst us, and they were of opinion that the chase was a man-of-war, although our own people seemed to doubt this. One of the skippers insisted that she was the Hornet, from the unusual shortness of her lower masts, and the immense squareness of her yards. But the puzzle was, if it were the Hornet, why she did not shorte

s time flying over and over her, and it was evident she was not a man-of-war. We peppered away-she could not even be a privateer; we were close under her lee-quarter, and yet she had never fired a

ed to be the Natches, of four hundred

was sound asleep, when I was startled by a violent jerking of my hammock, and a cry "that the brig was amongst the breakers." I ran on deck in my shirt, where I found all hands, and a scene of confusion such as I never had witnessed before. The gale had increased, yet the prize had not been cast off, and the c

closed, and the next rub ground off the ship's mizzen channel as clean as if it had been sawed away. Officers shouting, men swearing, rigging cracking, the vessels crashin

that-down with the helm, now don't you see she has sternway yet? Zounds! we shall be smashed to atoms if you don't mind your hands, you lubbers-main-topsail sheets let fly-there she pays off, and has headway once more, that's it-right your helm now-never mind his spanker-boom, the forestay will stand

gh. The effect was very uncommon; the wind was howling over our mast-heads, and amongst the cedar bushes on the cliffs above, while on deck it was nearly calm, and there was very little swell, being a weather shore; but half a mile out at sea all was white foam, and the tumbling w

ling of a temporary lull, we ran up, and anchored off the Tanks. Three days after this, t

r scantling was that of a seventy-four, and she appeared to have been fitted with great cares. I got a week's

s as if the houses were cut out of chalk; and one evening the family where I was on a visit proceeded to the main island, Hamilton, to attend a ball there. We had to cross three ferries, although the distance was not above nine miles, if so far. The Mudian women are unquestionably b

orsted net pantaloons and Hessian boots, and wore a blue frock-coat and two large epaulets, with rich French bullion, and a round hat. On passing he touched his hat with much grace, and in the evening I met him in society. It was Commodore De

ith a solitary house, a small garden, a red-skinned family, a piggery, and all around clear deep pellucid water. None of the islands, or islets, rise to any great height, but the

overboard up to the waist in full fig; and one of the men following his example, we were soon afloat. The ladies applauded, and the Captain sat in his wet breaks for the rest of the voyage, in all the consciousness of being considered a hero. Ducks and onions are the grand staple of Bermuda, but there was a fearful dearth of both at the time I speak of; a knot of young West India merchants, who, with heavy purses and large credits on England, had at this time domiciled themselves in St

iled from them in a gale of wind. What the climate may be in the summer I

, transports, merchantmen, and men-of-war, rising on the mountainous billows one moment, and the next losing sight of every thing but the water and sky in the deep trough of the sea, while the seething foam was blown over us in showers from the curling manes of th

Glory! why, I daresay five hundred rank and file, at the fewest, were all cascading at one and the same moment,

lwarks, while the white hammocks, carefully covered by the hammock-cloths, crowned the defences of the gallant frigate fore and aft, as she delved through the green surge,-one minute rolling and rising on the curling white crest of a mountainous sea, amidst a hissing snowstorm of spray, with her bright copper glancing from stem to stem, and her scanty white canvass swelling aloft, and twenty feet of her keel forward occasionally hove into the air clean out of the water, as if she had been a sea-bird rushing to take wing,-and the next, sinking en

d a bright sun overhead, and a stormy leaden-coloured ocean, with whitish green-crested billows, below. The sea continued to go down, and the wind to slacken, until the afternoon, when the Commo

tell you, after she had been lowered, carefully watching the rolls, with four hands in. The moment she touched the water, the tackles were cleverly unhooked, and the rest of us tumbled on board, shin leather growing scarce, when we shoved off. With great difficulty, and not without wet jackets, we, the supernumeraries, got on board, and the boat returned to the Torch. The evening when we landed in the lobsterbox, as Jack loves to designate a tr

r me, that I would have been ashamed at the time to have acknowledged. We stoo

lterns, every man of whom, as the devil would have it, played on the flute, and drew bad sketches, and kept journals. Most of them were very white and blue in the gills when we sat down, and others of a dingy sort of whitey-brown, while they ogled the viands in a most suspicious manner. Evidently most of them had but small confidence in their moniplies; and one

e transport, or rather the agent, an old lieutenant in

in the fleet, stewar

ship of all, sir

dore?" "About three

ch, has she

last seen she was in chase of something in the south-east

ell, ve

g officers. Before he had concluded, the mate

l and spanker? The wind has lulled, sir, and there is a strange sail in the northwes

id our gallant captain. "Mr Ba

t with a good-humoured laugh, alleging his inability with much suavity; but the old rough Turk of a tar-bucket chose to

Crow

, piqued at having his ti

e I am speaking to Lieutenant Crowfoot, agent for transpor

about, and backed out in good time-making the amende as smoot

came down again-"The strange sail i

owfoot, "how

d on the starboard tack,

end had shortened sail, as if he had made us out, and

d his feud with Crowfoot, and, with the rest of the lobsters, was full of fight. The

ier's views; and, in fine, although the weather was now moderate, he did not make sail. Presently the Commodore fired a gun, and showed lights. It was the signal to close.

hat say you to a brush let her close, eh?-should li

canvass pinions, as if she had been an albatross skimming along the surface of the foaming water, while her broad white streak glanced like a silver ribbon along her clear black side. She was a very large craft of her clas

she had six guns of a side, and two long ones on pivots, the one

hammock netting, and his back against the shrouds. We had cleared away our six eighteen-pound carronades, which composed our starboard broadside, and loaded them, each with a round shot, and a bag of two hundred musket-balls

m, while Crowfoot was standing on the gun nearest us; but getting tired of

rascals fire?

o walk quietly on board of us; but they will find

g till the bugle sou

was pas

past her sides her crew as thick as peas on her deck. Once or twice she hauled her wind a little, and then again kept away from us, as

ve it him," shout

houted the Majo

I saw the deck of the schooner, where the moment before all was still and motionless, and filled with dark figures, till there scarcely appeared standing room, at once converted into a s

wounded, while we could see numbers endeavouring to creep towards the hatches, while the black blood, in horrible streams

red; cease firing, sir." But devil a bit-we continued blazing aw

another voice, "don't murder us

being regarded by Jack at the best as highwaymen; so, when he found we still peppered away, and sailing two feet for our one, the schooner at length, in their desperation,

been after? I have a grea

n answer to the captain of the frigate; "we have been nearly taken, sir,

rejoined the captain, in a gruff to

she made the signal to make more sail, her object being to get through the Caicos Passage, into which we were now entering, before nightfall. It was eleven o'clock in the forenoon. A fine clear breezy day, fresh and pleasant, sometimes cloudy overhead, but always breaking away again, with a bit of a sneezer, and a small shower. As the sun rose there were indications of squalls in the north-eastern quarter, and about noon one of them wa

t, shoal water-why it br

man;" and the danger was so imminent that even the studding-sail haulyards were not let go

reef there set the spanker-haul out-haul down the

ifteen fathoms water; and although there was some talk at the time of an error in judgment, in not having the lead going in the chains, still do I believe there was no fault lying at the door of her gallant captain. By the time we had weathered the reef, the frigate had swung off from the pinnacle of rock on which she had been in a manner impaled, and was making all the sail she could, with a fothered sail under her bows, and chain-pumps clanging, and whole cataracts of water gushing from them, clea

s that

the chain-pumps increased, the water rushed in at one side of the main-deck, and out at the other, in absolute cascades from the ports. At this moment the whole fl

h, the starboard side-larboard watch, the larboard s

s place in the ship's launch-the last man to leave the ship; and there was little time to spare, for we had scarcely shoved off a few yards, to clear the spars of the wreck, when she sended forward, heavily and sickly, on the long swell.-She never rose to the opposite heave of the sea again, but gradually sank by the head. The hull disappeared slowly and dignifiedly, the ensign fluttered and vanished beneath the dark ocean-I could have fancied reluctantly as if it had been drawn dow

hat although you are now to be distributed amongst the transports, you are still amenable to mar

night have we had in the clever little craft," quoth a third; and there was really a tolerable shedding of tears and squirting of tobacco juice. But the blue ripple had scarcely blown over the glasslike surface of the sea

his back against the ring in the stem, and his arms crossed, after having be

eeling, genuine, at a

g; old Rayo has gone down, and"-"Old Rayo be d--d, Master Bill," said the man; "but may I

Catgut's fiddle among ye?" This said Dick Catgut was the corporal of marines, and the prime instigator of all the fun amongst the men. "No, no," said several voices, "no fi

k Dick himself?"

o be found; he had been mislaid as well as his fiddle. He had broken into the spirit ro

ng we fell in with the Torch, off the east end of Jamaica, which, after seeing the transports safe into Kingston, and taking out me and my peo