 | The spectre steamer, and other tales |  |
THE FRIGATE'S TENDER.
A TALE OF THE LAST WAR.
1. CHAPTER I.
It was early on Sunday morning, during
the progress of the last war with Great Britain,
that a young naval officer, walking on
the Battery at New York, had his attention
drawn to a group of persons earnestly engaged
in watching two vessels just visible far
down the harbor.
`What is it, my friends?' he asked, in a
frank, hearty tone, as he joined them.
`The tender, again chasing a schooner,
sir,' answered an old tar, touching the point
of his hat, as he noticed the anchor button
on the officer's coat.
`Here's a spy-glass, sir,' said a master's
mate who stood near, and at the same time
respectfully handing it to him.
`Thank you, my man,' answered the lieutenant
with a smile, as he took the instrument
and placed it to his eye.
By its aid he could clearly distinguish an
armed schooner, of about ninety tons, crowding
sail in chase of a `fore-and-after,' that
was making every exertion to escape, both
by towing, and throwing water upon the sails.
`The chase is about half a mile ahead, sir,'
said the master's mate; but the tender sails
like a shark in chase of a dolphin. The fore-and-after
don't stand a chance of getting in
past the fort.'
`The tender can sail, and I am the one
that ought to know it,' said a stout, weather-beaten
looking man. `She was a pilot boat,
and the fastest craft that ever danced over
the waves. Three weeks ago I and my crew
were out in her, when yon English frigate
suddenly made her appearance out of a fog
bank and brought us to. But I took to my
yawl and pulled for the land, a league away,
and escaped; for the fog was so thick the
Englishman could not get a glimpse of me.
It's my schooner they've turned into a tender,
sir, and that's made so many captures
the last three weeks of our small coasters.'
`She carries forty men, and a long thirty-two,
so I hear,' observed a seaman in the
group.
`And is commanded by a luff and a reefer,'
added the master's mate.
`It would be a blessing,' observed a man-o'-war's
man, who had not yet spoken, `if
that craft could be caught napping. It ain't
safe for a sloop to put her nose out of the
was there alone, they could slip along in
light water, and show her their heels. But
now, everything that ventures out is brought
to by that long gun of the tender's.'
`That's fact,' responded another seaman.
`She has taken or driven back to port no less
than twenty-six craft in the last three weeks.
I shall be glad, for one, when our frigate lying
off there gets her armament aboard, for
then I think we'll swallow the English frigate
outside, and pick our teeth with the tender.'
All these remarks were heard by the young
officer, who all the while continued to look
through the spy-glass at the tender and her
chase.
`There goes a gun!' cried several spectators,
as a flash and a jet of azure smoke
came from the tender's bows.
`That is bold enough,' observed the young
officer, as if speaking his thoughts aloud:—
`the impudent tender is almost up with the
fort, and dares to fire at the chase in the very
face of the batteries.'
`It is only to try and do her mischief, sir,'
said the master's mate; `for she finds the
fore-and-after will escape her—so she fires a
gun to cut away something.'
`You are right, my man,' observed the
officer, `for she has put about and stands
seaward again.'
He continued to watch the retiring tender
for some moments in silence.
`It's a pity we hadn't an armed cutter in
port that would sail faster than she can, so
that we might give her a chase out,' said a
lad, approaching the group. His dress was
that of a midshipman, and his air singularly
free and fearless.
`Ah, Frank, are you there?' said the lieutenant.
`when did you get back from your
father's?'
`Last night. I was in hopes to find the
ship ready for sea, Mr. Percival; but I am
told it will be three weeks before we can get
away. I want to have a brush with John
Bull's frigate, who hovers off and on the harbor
with such bravadoing. When did you
get in town, sir?'
`Yesterday morning. Have you been
witnessing the pretty chase down the bay,
Frank?'
`Yes, I would give a year's pay if I could
have a hand in catching that rogue.'
`Come aside with me,' said the officer,
putting his arm in that of the midshipman.
`Your words but express my own wishes.
I have conceived a plan for capturing that
tender.'
`In what way?' demanded the youth with
animation.'
`I will show you. The tender's game appears
to be coasting vessels, from which she
takes men to impress in the British navy, and
also plunders the craft of such things as they
contain which are of any value. My plan
is to charter a sloop, the worst looking one
that it is possible to find in port, yet a tolerable
sailor, for she must work well, and readily
obey her helm. I will load her decks with
hen-coops, filled with poultry, pens crammed
with pigs, and a few sheep and a calf or two
by way of variety. You laugh, Frank, but
the commander of the tender will find it no
laughable matter, if I succeed as I anticipate.
I shall ship about thirty-five men and conceal
them in the hold, and taking command of my
craft with one hand only visible on deck, I
shall set sail out of the harbor. When I get
outside, I think I shall be able to show John
Bull a Yankee trick he will not be likely to
forget very soon. But all will depend on
our good managemont of the affair. Now
you see what I would be at, Frank! Will
you join me?'
`Heart and hand, sir,' responded Frank
Talbot, with enthusiasm. `Will you allow
me to be the hand on deck to help to work
the sloop?'
`Yes, if you can talk Weathersfied Yankee.'
`Wal, I rayther guess I ken; tho' I an't
been to Connecticut among 'em since last
grass.'
This reply was pronounced with such an
inimitable Yankee dialect that the lieutenant
burst into a hearty laugh.
`That will do, Frank! Now we want to
to the Anchor rendezvous in Pearl street and
drum up about five and thirty men. Take
only those that are daring and ready for any
thing. Let none of them know your object,
lest we be betrayed by information being conveyed
to the tender. You will find men
enough in these times that will ask no questions.
Meet me at twelve o'clock, at the
Exchange Reading Room and report to
me.'
The midshipman then took leave and hastened
up the battery. The lieutenant then
returned to the group and taking aside the
master's mate, whom he knew, laid briefly
before him his project. The old tar entered
into it with all zeal. Together they went to
the docks, where, on account of the blockade,
lay idle a large number of vessels of
every description. They were not long in
discovering such a craft as suited them; a
Hudson sloop of seventy tons. She was immediately
put in trim for sailing, by the master's
mate and three or four men whom he
employed—while the officer proceeded to buy
up and send on board the live stock.
2. CHAPTER II.
On the morning which followed these
events, the tender of the British frigate was
standing off and on under easy sail, close in
with Sandy Hook. The wind was from the
southwest, and blowing a five knot breeze.
The sky was without a cloud, and only a
gentle undulation lifted the surface of the
ocean. The tender was a clipper built vessel,
very long and narrow in the beam; and
constructed wholly with an eye to her fast-sailing
qualities and she gave proof of them
by over-hauling every thing. She carried
amidships a long thirty-two pounder. Her
crew consisted of about forty men in the
uniform of the British Navy. They were
now principally assembled in the bows or on
the windlass, talking together or watching
the shore. Aft, the officer of the deck, a
bluff, full-faced young English `middy,' was
lounging over the quarter railing smoking a
cigar. The man at the helm had a sinecure
of his post, for the vessel skipped along so
easily that she seemed almost to steer herself.
`Sail, ho!' cried the look-out, from the
heel of the bowsprit.
`Where away?' quickly demanded the
officer.
`In shore, two forward the beam.'
`Aye, aye, I see! answered the middy,
levelling his glass at a sloop just stealing out
of the harbor, closely hugging the shore.
It's another of the Yankee coasters. A
sail in shore, Mr. Stanly,' said he, speaking
through the sky light.
The lieutenant, a stout, fleshy, port-wine
visaged John Bull, came on deck and took
sight at the stranger, which was about a
league distant.
`It is a lumber sloop; but we will bring her
to if she dares to venture out, for we may get
some fresh provisions and vegetables from
her, if nothing more.'
`Shall I put her on the other tack, sir?'
`Not yet. Keep on as we are, till the
sloop gets an offing. If we run for her now,
she will take refuge in the harbor!'
The sloop stood out half a mile, and then
hauling her wind, beat down along the land.
The tender delayed the chase until she had
got too far from the entrance of the harbor
to get back again, and then putting about,
began to make the best of her way toward
the harbor she had left. Confident in the
speed of his own vessel, the English lieutenant
felt satisfied that the chase was already
his, and laughed at the efforts of the sloop to
get away.
At length they came near enough to see
that her decks were covered with pigs and
poultry.
`A rare haul we shall make this morning!'
said the middy. `Enough chicken-pie for
the whole of the frigate's crew, to say nothing
of turkeys and roast pig for the cabin.'
`What a regular slab-sided Yankee skipper
she has at her helm! Man and boy, she has
a stout crew!' said the lieutenant laughing.
`They look frightened out of their senses, as
Sloop ahoy!'
`What do ye want?' came across the water
in the strongest nasal Yankeedom.
`I want you to heave to, brother Jonathan!'
`I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you
—I'm in a mity hurry! Frank!' added the
distinguished American officer, in an under
tone, `when I order you to let go the jib,
haul it aft as hard as your strength will let
you. I, at the same time, will put the helm
hard up, so the sloop will pay rapidly off and
fall aboard of the tender; for I'm determined
to fall aboard of her. I shall curse your
blunders and order you to let go; but don't
mind me, keep pulling the jib-sheet hard to
windward. Leave the rest to me. Now,
my men,' he said, speaking through the
companion-way, `take a good grasp of your
pistols and cutlasses. When I stamp my
foot on the deck over your heads, throw off
the hatches and leap on deck and follow
me.'
`Heave to, or I will sink you! What are
you palavering about?' shouted the Englishman.
The two vessels were now side by side,
steering on the same course, abeam of each
other, the tender being to leeward, and about
a hundred fathoms off.
`Wal, don't be too free with your powder,
and I will. Aminidab, let go that arjib-sheet!'
`Yes, I will,' answered the young reefer,
and with a hearty will he began to draw it to
windward. At the same moment the American
officer put his helm hard up, and the
sloop rapidly played off right towards the
tender.
`Let go that jib-sheet!' shouted the English
officer.
`Yes, Aminadab, you tarnal fool you, let
it go, I say. Let it go! Don't you see we
are coming right aboard the Captain's vessel?'
But `Aminadab' pulled the harder, and
fairly took a turn with the sheet about a belaying
pin.
The English officer was about to pourout
apon him a volley of oaths, seeing that the
sloop would certainly fall foul of him, he
turned to give orders for the peotection of
his own vessel, but ere he could utter them,
the sloop's bows struck her near the fore
rigging, and swung round stern with stern.
At the same instant, the American officer
stamped on the deck, and forty armed men
made their appearance from the hatches,
forecastle and cabin, and leaped after Percival
upon the tender's deck. The Englishmen,
taken by surprise, surrendered without
scarcely striking a blow; and getting both
vessels under sail, in the very sight of the
frigate, the gallant young captor sailed with
his prize back into harbor, and safely anchored
her off the Battery, after an absence of six
hours and twenty-seven minutes.
This exploit is doubtless one of the boldest
and most spirited affairs that come off during
the war. The account given above is a
faithful narrative of the transaction, and the
chief circumstances will be recognized, both
by the brave officer in question, as well as
by his friends.
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