Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-06-30
LEA YES.



thorough scrubbing and cleaning up
from stem to stern. continuing as before
to run on the wind most of the time, and
keeping a sharp lookout for more whales.
never knew to within 200 miles or so
what particular part of the Atlantic we
were cruising in all this time, only that
we were somewhere east of South Caro-
lima and west of Africa. We struck the
Cult stream every now and then, and
came to look upon it as the familiar por-
tion, the Market street, so to speak, Of
the Atlantic.
After two weeks of this indefinite crllis-
ing around, 'gOing nowhere with a cargo
of nothing" as Zeke Cutting described it,
We sighted land. 1t proved to be Mata-
nilla reef, one of the northernmost of the
| Bahama group, and situated some $50
miles to the eastward of the Florida coast.
We sighted the little island-for such
it is-one Sunday morning, and, having
stood in to within three or four miles of
| it, the "old man" allowed the mates,
with their crews, to go ashore. | had
been transferred from the second mate's $
boat to the "ship-keepers' gang" few
| days before, for which | was devoutly
sorry on this occasion, as it precluded my
| going with the party. The "ship-keep-
ersh are those who remain on board to
navigate the vessel when the boats are
out on a chase after whales.
Had | got ashore at Matanilla reef |
| should have stayed there, and what the
consequences would have been | have
never yet been able to say, to a certainty.
| The first mates crew reached the shore
considerably ahead of the other boat.
| Bleaching their boat, the mate and his
men landed and stroled down the beach
gathering shells and trying their sea legs
on land. Having walked two hundred
yards or so, they tnrned corner and
| found before them little cove in which
two schooners lay at anchor, and a num-
Der of men were moving around on the
beach. To their astonished gaze these
men looked savage, feroeious and very
| numerous.
PIRATES, I" gasped Mate Richardson,
with ashen lips and trembling limbs, as
some of the strangers started towards
them. "Come on boys" he implored
and took to his heels.
| His crew said, individually and collec.
lively, that they had no idea Mr.. Rich
ardson could run so fast. Terror of the
''pirates," fear that he might never again
tread the deck of the old Elisabeth, nevei
see his beloved New Bedford again
| spurred him on. His men did their bes
running, but the mate had a regular
walk-over in that race. Reaching the
boat he seized it with the strength and
frenzy of despair Ito do him justice h,
was a man of unusual physical strength)
| pushed it out through the surf, jumped
in, seized an oar and was about showing
off without waiting for his men, some o
whom had to dash into the water up tt
their knees to get aboard.
"Pull for the ship; pull for you
lives - he gasped, and they did so, thei
alarm not lessened in the least by seeing
as they soon did, that the "pirates" hac
manned boat and were coming toward:
them.
But the "pirates' had no more show
in the chase than the men had i'll theil
foot-race with the mate and they sooi
gave up the contest and headed for tn,
second mates boat, which was now near
ing the shore from another direction anC
the crew OF which had, because of tn,
lay of the shore, seen nothing of this by
play.
Now, the second mate, though mucl
smaller and several years younger thar
| Richardson, did not share the latter
dread of pirates to the extent of getting
excited over it. SO his crew continued t
| "pull for the shore" and the eonseq uenc
was that the boats soon came together.
The suspected freebooters did not lool
so terrible at close quarters. They looked
little rough and were not dressed in tn,
most fashionable style, but our men hat
no advantage over them in this respect
The pirate chief opened his moutl
and spoke. He yelled out the tearfu
words:
"Do you want a pilot 20
This was before the days of "'fh,
Pirates of Penzance," but the first mat
of the Elisabeth anticipated Gilbert il
seeing very little difference between
pilots and pirates.
"No, we're only going ashore to lool
around little, replied thesecond mate
Evidently compulsory pilotage law
were not in vogue at Matanilla rect, a.
the stranger dropped the subject at once
"Any news from the states - was hi!
next question.
In the course of the brief confab tina
followed the second mate learned that thu
stTduHtIS were bdthtiiu spoh6tSi aht
had visited the reef for that business.
Looking for the first mates boat afte
awhile, they saw that the crew laC
hoisted sail and were half way back t.
the ship. Wondering what this meant
the second mate bade the spongers ''gOoC
bye and took the back track withOu
having landed. ~.
After the "old man. had heard tn
reports and bantered Richardson to hi
hearts content about the ''pirates, h
looked at the sky and said the equinoc
tial gales were nearly due, and that i
would be good policy to put plenty Q
sea-room between the Elisabeth and tn
Bahama reefs as soon as possible.
The next day, september 18th, tn,
temptest broke, but We had made a goo
run to the northeast during the afternool
and night and were all right. We say
whales during the day, but it was to
stormy to think of lowering the boats
for which the men We're duly grateful.
One of the boat Steerers, Portuguese
raised an imaginary whale. Zeke Cuttin
. sprang up on the weather rail, looked 70
the spout and shouted; THAT fel
. low whale carries close reefed topsails.
1t was the canvas of vessel that til
Portuguese had caught GLIMPSE of as
was disappearing into trough betwee
, the waves.
Getting our dinners in rough weathe
was feat requiring no small amount {
dexterity and watchfulness. The bill
fare was uniform, big chunk of duf
: ditto salt junk and quart of hot cotie'
Duff is a kind OF hot bread made i
, chunks about as big as a four cent loaf
bakers bread.
Junk, or salt horse, as they general
called it, is picked pork, very fat an
well boiled. Our dishes comprised a ii
basin and tin cup, holding somethin
more than quart, to each man.
The cook galley was located just
fir mt of the mainmast, about 80 feet a
Of the forecastle scuttle.
Going for dinner was managed thus
Ascending the forecastle ladder with IL
dish and pan in one hand, we woul
grab the side of the scuttle door with IL
disengag4d hand and wait till the shi
lurched to larboard. Then, letting 8
the scuttle, we would run up the ascenC
ing deck, which would be as steep as Il
roof of an old time farm house, and era
starboard Delaying pin. Then, takin
advantage in the same way of the pitcl
ing of the ship, We would run along IL
starboard rail grabbing the Delaying pii
i as we went, until We got opposite tn
4 galley door. Letting 60 the rail, "
!, would then slide down the deck to Il
: galley and grab there an iron re
: that ran up alongside the gale
= door and had been placed there for tn;
=. express purpose. Holding on to this re