Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-02-19
For the Freeman.
A Cruise in a Schooner.
BY 4 NAVAL oFFicsA
CHAPTER |.

CHAPTER |.
It was in the beautiful month ot December
49,, the summer OF the southern hemisphere,
that was left s k at Cape Town, Cape OF Good
Hope. My orders were to jun aIy ship at Call
cuta or proceed TO the United States, AS my
health would allow. In that fine cmntc, of
southern summer, rapidly recovered and IN
few weeks was anxInus for Il p1ssage TO the
CITY Of Palaces. Ii was at This time that was
invied to take a passage in II. B. NJ Schooner
-, commanded bymy friend, Lt F., OF
the Royal Navy.
AT sunset of a lovely afternoon, | was on
board. The schooner was lying opposite the
Cuslon House and of The Nam Street, where
we could see long line 1T people, carriages and
Dutch Bullock CIrtS, passing up and down :;
while Table Mountain hove away up at the
s,rep Devils Hill and the L'nn's Rump, to the
lono level line alof, as blue aud bare as an iron
monument, throwing a shadow to The Tlg1t over
he peaks near at hind The land breeze was
blowing fresh when we went On board, aud as
the sea lose aud met the long 'avy gIuund
sweIls, the schooner pitched, nov aud then With
swell on her arL uard side, as it she had been
under wav.
The officer of the deck sung out down the
cabin hatch that she was dnggng, r
sprang Oh deck. The schooner had got her an
chur ont of I'D at the time, with her cable as
tam us n fiddle string. 1t was qne dark aloft
and not a vestige of Table MIunlain could be
i .en tn, ugh the moonshilie, low down to west
ward, brought out two or three sreaks of light
stretch, and we could see the lights of several
ships slowly sweeping past. Where we hap
penrd 10 be, it blew two ways at once, as is Of.
ten the case in Table Bay, as the land bleezt
sweeps round the base Of the mountain; and u.
soon as she brought up again, with surge o
the windass, the lIeave of hing swell took hel
right on the stnrboard quassty 1isllng her intt
her anchors again, With a slack of the cable
which made all hands cry out, huId ont" Owe
she went to port, sea washing mp the srarboar,
sde aud throwing water in barrels tu over III,
deck, nearly drowning us out like so many rat
ina hole.
take the wheel, qnarter.master," shoute,
F.. "Ay, Oy, sir!" was the ready reply q
, the "sea dog" "Jlb there !" sung out r
IS see all clear to run up the iib stand BY to Gu
the cable at the bits "Ay sy, sir !" answer
ed the mdshpman at the fore castle For iiv
minutes we stood in breathless expectation
waiting for favorable moment in The Iun OF til
! swell, looking into the binnacle, till she swun
, slack on the cable, in wide seeihlng trough ,
the sea. Put the helm starboard -bnwse q
the ibis hallards now cut the cable wer
the Qnlck reiterated orders. The schooner ros
9 fruin her anchors Dn the heavy roll Of the sea
saw two quick strokes of the axe on the ii
stunt, and she was spinning head OH from tn
wind, keeling over belwIxt the force of il an
the ground swell, while the mass of black wateI
were buddy washing away with us. At this il
! s;aut the old hemsman gave quick turn
port, or it would have been all over with us.
As it was, the schooner fell off gallaniy into ii
s the lee of the next swell, that buried her sha
a hows into the green sea u.t it foamed abo
a our very shoulders, as we hung on like gri