Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-10-01
FORECASTLE YARNS.
From a Sailors Journal of his First Cruise.

slowed away the old soger in the northeast cor
ner of his tarpauin, took fresh bite of purser's
Mug and tying an Overhaul-knot with ms hsts,
athwart his bread-bag and mooring himself
snugly, he began his yarn, as he did every thing,
butt end foremost
sSail bo!' sung out the lookout on the fore-top-
sail ward of the Constitution frigate, Commo-
dore Stewart, about four bells in the forenoon
watch, of the twentieth of February, 1919, Ma
deira bearing southeast by east, distant TWO num-
dred miles.
sWhere awayp hailed the officer of the deck.
Right ahead, SIR replied the look out
Gentleman of-the watcbn hailed the euten'
ant. report to the commodore, SIT, strange
sail right ahead2
THE MILDLY made his report, and came up
again, with orders to make all sail in chase
.Ahar thought we, as we set stun'Salls allow
and aloft, though the breeze was rather too Stl1f
for Them 'now for some fun.
Gold Ironsides took the hint, and gathering
way we were off in no time at all, southland
by-east, at ten knots an hour.
sThe look -out hailed in five minutes, 'Ano-
Their sail, right ahead, sir close aboard the hrst
one'
This was reported to the commodore, and he
repeated the order to pull a heel after them; and
after them we went at great rate. right before
the wind which was strong that the stu'n'-sal-
booms bent like nothing, but the old man did
not care for that. What she can't carry, let
her drag was his rule, and he stuck to II well.
after he had been spanking along aDout an
hour, the officer of-the-deck hailed:
Fore topsail-yard. there! What do you make
them out to beg
Memo war; sir, going large, STUN sails set,
says the look out.
This report two men-o'war ahead then
spread thro' the ship, in less in no time, and all
the dlers watch-beow, and every body came
on deck to have squint at them; and the COM
modore took a devil of shot at them through
his long spy glass, to make out where they hall
ed from. They were so far ahead that pe
couldn't make out anything, so we watched OLD
Stewart to see what he thought.
He stood on the starboard cathead. squlnt-
ing and squirting till we thought he never would
Knockout. After long spell at IT, he shut up
the glass, and went along aft, talking to himself
as if he was working up his deadreckoning and
came to. at the horse-look. All of sudden,
he frightened up, went down into the cabin, and
was on deck again in no time at all, in full uni
form.
There" says we, the old man has got his
fighting traps rugged, s%abs and all. Now, then,
look out for hard knocks ank prize money"
"The officers took the hint, and, in ten mi
nutes. all hands of them were in tgbtlngtogs
and things began to look little man-o'-war
fashion.
swell, we cracked on her, rng-tail. sky-scra-
per, jib be-jib, and the d. knows what not, and
went spanking off, at twelve knots an hour; but
tine fellows ahead did their prettest too, so that
il was three bells, in the first dog watch, before
we got near enough to make out much.
We could then see very plainly, that one of
them was cravate and t'other sloop of war,
and they looked like Johnny Bulls craft; so the
old man ordered bow chaser to be fired, just
to make them look at us, for they were a long
way out ofshot; and when he had walked them
so, he sent up the old grid iron at the fore sky
sail-mast head, so that they could see it PLAIN.
They answered minute after, each gun, and
sent up British colors!
Now, boys says we, for brush;' but John.
ny Bull did not think so, but pulled heel all the
harder; but gained on him. and twas very
plain we should overhaul him, so the word was
passed
sFore-and-aft, both sides, and amid ships, all
hands. Turn to and clean yourselves, white
frocks and trowers, to MUSTER
'Avast, Jack Dennison' says |, what did
you put on your muster clothes to fight in, for?
Getthem spoiled and dirty, and some ugly holes
drilled in them, pre-haps'
Short yarns youngster,, growled Jack, 'we
were going TO meeting, as you Yankees say;
and so we rugged ourselves to put Johnny Bulls
eyes out, if he looked our way
WELL we cleared up decks, and got every
thing in fighting trim; arm chests on Geek, cut
iass-racks at the capstan, and forrad put on the
gratings, rove preventer-sheets and braces,
Slung the yards in chains, lashed the topsails,
sanded down the decks, and got every thing
ready in regular built style. When we were
within about miles Of the Englishmen We
trained one of our bow chasers on them, and
let drive, just by way OF opening the converse
ton, as my sweetheart used to say, but that did
not do much; but Johnny Bull, as if he had just
thought what we wanted Of him, began to short
en- sail, as if he was coming to us.
We were glad enough to see that motion, and
began to think he might be clever fellow after
all and so shortened sail ourselves. But John
ny Bull was playing trick for when we got
under fighting canvas, and lost some Roadway,
he threw his men aIoft and his sail being only
stopped up, and not half slowed, he was under
all sail again in a minute But old Stewart saw
what they were at, and they found that Yankees
could loose sail too, upon pinch, for we were
under all sail almost as soon as they were, and
after them we went.
'The cravatte Eve afterwards found she was
the Cyane, and t'other the Levant, and III call
them so cause it's shorter) began to blaze away
at US with her stern-chasers, but We told her no.
70 Er;n h,u oh chi n,c