Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typ...os. Excerpt from book: energy and suppressed vexation of our officers, however, showed itself before he was well seated in his boat, by the violent language of command, and the rapidity with which the yards were sharpened and the ship again brought to her course. This occurrence brought to the mind of our " second dickey" that night, a boarding affair of his own, which he told us of in the drollest manner possible. I wish you could hear his drawl, and see his immoveably sober face, but twinkling eye, that made it all seem natural and just like him, as he spun us the yarn. He was once, he said, round in the Pacific, in a Sag-Harbour whaler, "rayther smart, we accounted her," when they tried to speak an English frigate, and did not get quite near enough. So, as they had nothing else to do, they " up't and chased her," and kept after her without ever getting any nearer for nearly three days. Finally, the wind hauled round ahead and began to blow a little fresh, and they overhauled her very rapidly, so that along about sunset they found themselves coming well to windward of her, as they ran upon opposite tacks. They then hove-to, and he was sent in a boat to board her, and she promptly came-to also, and waited for him. Dressed in a dungaree jumper, yellow oil-skin hat, and canvass trowsers, he climbed on board the frigate and was immediately addressed by the officer of the deck. " Now then, sir, what is it V - " Are you the cap'en of this here frigate, sir V " What's your business ?" " Why, our cap'en sent his compliments to yourn, sir, and ?if you are a going home?he wished you'd report the bark Lucreetshy Ann, of Sag-Harbour, Cap'en J. Coffin Starbuck, thirty-seven days from Wahoo (Oahu), seven hundred andfifty barrels of sperm, and two hundred and fifty of whale; guess we shall go in...Detailed info »« Brief info