University of Virginia Library

1. RAFAEL:
OR,
THE TWICE CONDEMNED.
A Tale of Key West.
BY PROFESSOR INGRAHAM.

[Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1845, by H. L., Williams, in the
Clerk's office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

CHAPTER I.
THE ARMED SCHOONER.

It was towards the close of a summery afternoon in October, 1840, that the
U. S. schooner of war, Dolphin, was riding at anchor in the port of Key-West.
Around her were several ships, brigs and schooners which a gale of the preceding
night had driven in for shelter. One of them was the packet ship on
which I had taken passage sixteen days before at New York for New Orleans;
and as she had lost her fore-topmast and received some other injuries which it
would take some days to repair, I accepted the invitation of the lieutenant
commanding the armed schooner to take a three days cruise with him across
the channel to Cuba.

I had therefore dined with him on the day in which my story opens, and was
now his guest. We were seated upon the taffrail enjoying a cigar and watching
in contemplative silence the golden sunset, which at that season in that
latitude is ever gorgeous, when a midshipman who was idly lolling over the
quarter gazing seaward, turned to the commander and said,

`I have had my eye on that ship standin' in, sir, for some time. She acts
queer!'

We followed the direction of his gaze and observed about six miles out a
large ship under press of sail standing for the post. She had everything set she
could carry,studdenstails a-wing and sky-sails aloft. While we were looking
at her she broached to, and seemed about to wear, and then filled away again
and stood on. As the wind was on her quarter, her lee studden-sails were constantly
flapping or else set back, while her starboard sails kept full.

`That is the way she has been rearing and hauling, noddin' and bobbin' this

ten minutes, sir,' said the reefer, nodding and bobbing his own head by way of illustration.

The commander took his glass and placed it to his eye. For fall a minute
he looked at her steadily, and then said,

`That fellow is making for harbor with his best foot foremost; and the way
he works his vessel I should think he was ignorant of the way to come in, and
was feeling it as he went, yet too much in a hurry to spare an inch of his canvass.
He is, too, running into danger, if he did but know it if he keeps that
course. Why in the deuce dont the fellow take in his larboard and studden-sails?
There is smoke and a flash! Hark, a gun!

`A signal for a pilot, I expect, sir,' answered the middy.

`They don't call pilots that way here, Fred,' responded the commander to
the lad with a smile. `Besides there is one standing out after her and is now
within two miles of her! There goes another gun!'

`And the pilot boat has tacked and putting back to harbor!' I said seeing
with surprise this movement; for I held a glass in my hand, by aid of which I
could see clearly both the boat and the ship; the latter being now about five
miles off.

`So she has and is scudding with a free sheet right before the wind, homeward.'

`And there goes another gun, sir,' exclaimed the middy.

`Yes, and if another is fired, they are minute-guns. Stand by to slip the
cable and make sail; for if she fires again, I shall run out and see what is the
matter.'

`There she yaws again nearly broadside too, sir,' said the next officer in
command, a passed midshipman, who came up from below on hearing the first
gun fired.

`And now I can see her colors—American—union down in her rigging!'
exclaimed the commander.

`And there is a fourth gun,' cried the middy looking at his captain to catch
his eye, and in an attitude of one ready to spring forward to obey the expected
order.

`They are minute guns! Get the schooner under her canvass at once, Mr
Ferris,' called the lieutenant in command to the passed midshipman. Slip the
cable! Loose the foretopsail and set her jibs. Some of you aft here to the
main halyards. Lively men, lively!'

While he was giving his various orders in an animated tone, I was engaged
in looking at the ship with my glass, when I became all at once interested
in what appeared to be a new and unusual set of sails unfolding themselves to
view over her stern. But gradually I saw them develope themselves into the
outlines of a gib, fore-sail, top-sail, top-gallant-sail; then slowly appeared a
main-gaft-top-sail, and the proportions of a huge main-sail the next instant
followed; and, passing out of range of the ship, astern of, and behind which

it had hitherto hidden, stood visibly forth the rakish hull and top-hamper of a
`long, low, black schooner!'

My exclamation of surprise drew the young commander to my side.

`What is it?'

`A vessel in chace, I believe!'

`So there is—a rascally pirate or may I never see Boston!' he exclaimed as
soon as he levelled his glass! Now my boys stir yourselves!' Uncle Sam expects
every man and boy to help catch that black hawk and pick his feathers.
It is the very cruiser I have heard of, as skulking about Cape Antonia three
weeks ago, and which I have wished to fall in with. She is not half a mile
astern of the ship, and unless we are lively she will board her right before our
nose. Yes—that fellow is no better than he should be,' added the lieutenant
taking a long and close survey of the vessel through his glass. She is a regular
buccaneer, and if her skipper will only wait outside there until I can come
up within hail of him, I will make him a present of my next twelve month's
pay. But I fear that as soon as he discovers that there is one of brother Jonathan's
bull dogs in the harbor and we are in motion he will cut and run. It is
strange we did not discover him. But the rascal kept purposely astern, and
the ship I have now no doubt, yawed as she did to give us a chance of looking
at her enemy and coming to help her.'

We were now underweigh, having slipped the cable and floated it by a buoy
so that we should know where to find it again when we returned to port. The
moment we had any headway on the vessel, a gun was fired forward in answer
to the signals. The wind was blowing from the south a little westerly, and
about a six knot breeze; but by laying our course strait out of the harbor on
a bowline, we could fetch the ship without tacking. The ship kept firing at
intervals of a minute, her signals of distress, that produced by their solemn
and irregular sound associations in my mind similar to those created by the
knoll of the funeral bell. The ship seemed to me to be an animated creature,
and the signal cannon, her voice, appealing to man for succor. Her motions,
her irregular progress, were like life, and like living actions under the influence
of terror. I felt a sympathy for her as I should have done for a human
being. The black schooner too, crouching low upon the waves seemed to be
a living animal—some subtle beast of prey hunting its victim. And to any
one witnessing such a scene as this—witnessing the helpless efforts of the
one to escape and the sullen advances of the other to make captive; these as
sociations would irreverently press upon the mind.

The war-schooner upon whose deck we stood, was now gliding swiftly towards
the scene of peril. She carried eight eighteens besides a heavy forty
two pounder upon the forecastle. The decks were cleared for action as soon
as we had got sail on her; ports thrown open; the tompions removed from the
muzzles; cartridges passed up from the magazine; balls, cannister, and grape,
piled near each gun upon deck; and forward, the huge globes of iron, which

were to fill the cavernous jaws of the forty-two, were placed in sockets by the
brush.

In the meanwhile the ship was crowding on all sail, and was four miles only
out; and she was now making better speed, inasmuch, as soon as she heard
our answering gun, she had taken in her studdensails, which had been retarding
her progress instead of helping her flight.

The schooner, was however close upon her and had began to fire at her at
intervals, no doubt resolved to do her an injury if she could not capture her.

`That fellow has kept from firing upon her before, lest he should wake us
up:' said the lieutenant who was pacing up and down the quarter deck in fine
spirits; `but now that she has been firing powder for help, he has thought it
folly to keep silence. That he wont keep the course he is steering now long
after he discovers to his satisfaction who we are, you may be assured. There
goes the ship's mizzen royal carried away by a shot. The fellow is a good
gunner; but let me bring the Dolphin within half a mile of him, and I will
show him how to play at billiards and pocket the ball! Ah, see that!'

The schooner after firing the last mischievous gun suddenly luffed up into
the wind, close-hauled every sheet, showed a green flag and stood seaward under
a press of sail.

`Was I not right!' cried my friend, the commander, rubbing his hands with
great glee, his fine dark eyes, sparkling like stars, and his face glowing with
hope and confidence.

`He is running away, sir,' said the middy, with a look of chagrin, `and I
am afraid we shant catch him! These chaps have such long legs!'

`And so has the Dolphin long fins! We shall come along side of that rogue,
confound him, before morning, and you shall have the pleasure Fred of playing
commodore in her cabin, and take her into port.'

`If I thought so, I should feel better, but I am afraid he'll skulk away! See
sir, how he runs! From here, without a glass, I can see the white bone he
carries in his teeth, and the foaming wake he makes after.'

`Yes he sails like a bird on the wing. He has found out who we are, for
the smoke of the ships firing I have no doubt kept him from making us out distinctly,
especially as there were so many craft anchored about us with which
we were blended. But as soon, you saw, as we began to get down the harbor
in full sight he put about and run for it.'

`There goes a gun from the ship, and by the report it was shotted,' said the
officer of the deck coming aft. `They are firing at the schooner now she is
frightened off.'

`Yes. That is the way with these merchant-men,' answered Wordley, the
young captain, with a smile. `Her signal guns were not shotted, and so I
supposed he had no balls on board. But he was afraid to strike, and like a
cowardly school boy, contented himself with giving loud calls for help; and
then as soon as he leaves him, driven away by a more fearful antagonist, he

throws stones at his back. But never mind, the courage or cowardice of the
merchantman has nothing to do with the matter I have in hand. Catch that
fellow I will before another twenty-four hours are passed over my head.'

In about fifteen minutes we came so near the chase as to speak her; but as
Wordley would not delay he merely hailed as he passed after this manner:

`Chased in?'

`Yes, sir.'

`A pirate?'

`No doubt of it, sir. He hove in sight from the south at ten, and has chased
me ever since.'

`Do you know how many guns and the weight of metal he carries?'

`He has a forty-two on a pivot mid-ships, six side guns and about fifty men.'

`Very good.'

The next moment we were beyond hearing and merrily dashing on after this
sea-wolf.