For the first three days after we cleared the Passages. we had fine
weather. Wind at east south--east; but after that it came on to blow from
the north--west, and so continued without intermission during the whole of
the passage to Bermuda. On the fourth morning after we left 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 letters we could find on board were
very unceremoniously broken open, and nothing having transpired that could
identify the cargo as enemy's property, we were bundling over the side,
when a nautical looking subject, who had attracted my attention from the
first, put in his oar.
"Lieutenant," said he, "will you allow me to put this barrel of New York
apples into the boat as a present to Captain Deadeye, from Captain-----of
the United States navy?"
Mr Treenail bowed, and said he would; and we shoved off and got on board
again, and now there was the devil to pay, from the perplexity old Deadeye
was thrown into, as to whether, here in the heat of the American war, he
was bound to take this American captain prisoner or not. I was no party to
the councils of my superiors, of course, but the foreign ship was finally
allowed to continue her course.
The next day I had the forenoon watch; the weather had lulled unexpectedly,
nor was there much sea, and the deck was all alive, to take advantage of
the fine blink, when the man at the mast--head sung out--"Breakers right
ahead, sir.
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