Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-09-27
nj | s C. Ell l. A N Y.
From the Kniekerboeker.
RUNNING THE BLOCKADE

RUNNING THE BLOCKADE
TLieut. Judson. then in the United States
Navy. took the following narrative down
from the lips ofa wArm-hearted. bard.faced.
jolly old fellow, who In the last war with
England commanded n privatccr.schooner.
named the Hope. . beautiful clipper Of
about one hundred and fifty tons. and two
,hr,y.twO pOundcr pivo.guns:l
We were lying In New York llarbor, just
bctwixt Governors Island and the Battery.
whom the fleet that chased tho old Constitu.
ton so hard WAS blocksding the channels
at both end. Of Long Island, keeping look.
out along shore with their friga,es and ten
dcrs that not o craft dare stir out OF her
anchorage. THIS made me as cross s an
English man O. wars man on short ra.ions |;
for | was lying In port, feeding crew.
deeping my craft on expenses, and oil that; [;
and II didn't suit my free-born nature to DO
coopcd up like stray pig in q strange pen.
when l knew ,ha, money was to be made on
blue water, u I could only reach IL. So
one day mustered the crew aft. and spun
them oI b., Of aspeech told 'em that
IL was oil humbug for us TO lie there doing
nothing. and asked 'em II they would stand
by mo TO the last II would try to run the
blockade; telling 'em q, the sane time that
I intended to let the crai, sink before she
shOuld bo captured; tha, the stars and
stripes should never como down from the
scbooner's truck while she nOatsd abose
water.
The crew gave three cheers. which was
oil the answer wanted 80 gave orders
TO re stow the hold. clean up the arms and
&c, everything ready for sea. INTENDED to
take the fr., nor.west wind and dark nigh,
and try the run.
didn', have % wai, long before the night
and nor'.we,,er came. !, was indeed fne
nigh, Tor my work. The wind caino h,ful-
ly OF the land IN squalls; the heavy black
clouds ,ha, tumblei along between tho stars
and the earth mad, everything rs black as
the middle Of o tar.bucket. and the rain fell
down a, IL the caulkine Of the sky had oil
fell out.
Soon after the darkness bad got fairly
settled called oil hands aud re,fed our sails
down snug. then reused up the anchor and
got under WAY. sot the msin sail, close
recred fore. top sail and jIb and with tho
wind on my .,arbOard quarter. stood down
the bay. steering by compass and soandins'.
|, wa. uncomtnonly dark. and once in a
while the squalls would sweep down the
bay. bellying ou, our ,eant sAils and bend.
ing the creaking spar. over the bows, while
the craft quivered like dry leaf in the aa.
tumnal blast.
We showed no light. and kep. u quiet as
q mouse when the cat Is in IL. vicinity Ne
we neared Sandy Hook, Tor We knew that
the tenders Of the leet would lie close in
under the land. 80 as 20 mako lea, ~ also
10 keep . lookout for coasters or the
like OF Us. who nigh, take the advantage
OF the weather, and try to give them the
slip.
wc kept on very well till We were clear
Of the Hook. and were stretching out over
the middle goround in little over three.
fa,hom .ounding-, when |. who was stand.
ing by tho heel Of the bow'Pris, with q
nisht-gla.. in my hand, trying TO send my
eve ahead in the darkness. suddenly caught
a glimpse pfa dark object. close aboard and
directly ahead Of Us. had scarcely sung
out. Hard a.port your helm to the steer
man. when lufiug Up in tho wind li''le'
We passed closs along side Of large schoon.
er. which was lying to on the OF shore tack,
with her elosc.reeied foresail set. Asws
swept rast her. saw at once that she was
n man.o'.war, and at the same time her
officer OF the deck hailed US:
"Schooner ahoy Who are you iiea'e
70, or I'll FIRE into you."
| wa, 50 completely thrown aback by this
sudden meeting. that l fJrsot to answer
him. and on We swiftly swept in the dark.
ne... without even giving him light to
show where we were. But ho was pretty
good for guessing. for within iour or five
inmates u ,ho. camo whining along not
more than forty or fifty ia,hom' to lee o'
US, and then we could SEQ tho lights glanc-
ing about the deck, as all hand. were called.
and We knew that she was making sail 10
chase.
Light ho ! sung out q man from aloi',
and then in an instant added: Lights
ahead and on both bows, Sir I!
Then before the words were out OF the
topman's mouth, my fir,t lieutenant sung
out from the qoar,er-deck. lights on the
weather quarter and beam, Captain Bow
lin,
| clam bered aloit and took with me my
gla. and saw. that We wsro completely
hemmed in. a circle Of light surrounded
US, all Of which knew came from the enc.
my's shipping. and to crown the whole. and
mako bad Gx worse, the rascal whom
had passed moment before, commenced
throwing up sigpsi.roekets to show where
our schooner was.
As my glass swept around that circle OF
lights I thought that I'd got myself into .
bad scrape. and wished from tho lowest
locker Of my heart that my little craft Was
back ut her anchorage, for the prospec, OF
hard knocks and no prize money was not
particularly brilliant JUS. at ,ba. moment.