Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-10-20
THE KENNEBEC."
by sYLvAxus coBp, JR.

Ia SILL ANUS CGbE, Jk,
ANY one who lived near the Kennebec
during the last war with rcat Britain
cannot fail to remember the excitement
and anxiety of the inhabitants of Ncnne-
be: and liucoln counties, when that
river was blockaded by the British in
many of the towns Oh the banks OF the
rive.-towns which owed much of their
means Of sustenance 10 their maritime
t!ade-the people were for some time
actually straitened for want of food. us
ncihing could lie brought up the ricr
from any of the scapnrt towns On the
coast. At one time II ,iol ars worth OF
flour WIS often carried il 4 small pocket
handkerchief. while the children OF conf
p;.rat vely opuicnt families were even
forced to pick from heaps OF cast If
vegetables, fro ell potatoes, which were
paced upon the Goals and eaten even be-
fore the frost was WHOLLY overcome
Some forty or Fifty trading vesse were
lying idle in the river, and at length the
blockade became so serious that actual
starvation pecped coldly in at some of
the poorer families.
Among the coasters which were thus
cut OF from their trading was a clipper
schooner, owncl and commanded by
Captain John Wait which had dropncCl
do yn from IIallowel and hauled up at
one of the wharves in Bath. Captain
Wait was loaded Tor Ipswich, Mass, and
his family were suffering from his forced
state of inactivity.
",Ir Springer said Wait to his
mate, one bright morning, as they stood
upon the wharf at which the schooner
was secured, II am going out"
Sir"
81 am going out y
"But that English brig is out there
yet, darn her pictur" returned Springer
Captain Wait seldom swore, but Oh
the present occasion he could not help
it, TO. he distinctly uttered u pretty
round oath in connection with said brig,
and then continued:
Give got an idea, and it may get us
out in safety; bst, nevertheless, out
90, at all esents'
"Weli," returned Springer, ''if the
old Polly goes shall go with her."
Four men and the cook composed the
schooner's crew. exclusive of the two
officers, and they lcadiiy agreed to stick
by the Polly as long as her timbers
held together
Captain !; ait went on shore and pro-
cured and old anchor and cable, which
he carried on board the schooner and
deposited near the s:arboard quarter,
securing the end of the cable to the large
quarter eject, and placing the anchor so
that 1t cou d lie easily tumbled over
board.
At an hour before shutdown, just as
the tide. began to e5b, Captain Wait
cast off his shore fasts, and with good
fresh breeze from the southland and
west'ard, he spread his sails and started
of down the river. Toge her with The
assistance OF the tide and wind, the
Folly was not over an hour in making
the mouth of the river, aud, Just to the
eastward of ;'eguin, she espied the Eng
lish brig landing in.
The Englishman noticed the Yankee
as soon as she hove in sight, and keep.
ing away to he westward she evidently
intended to cut her off. Crnwding rs
close upon the wind as possible. Captain
Wait ran his schooner Tor Cape Sinai
Point, the Immediate vicinity of which
from the number of large black rock;
that ornament the water, bears any
thing but an agreeable aspect to The
stranger, but, nevertheless, some of tho
coasters can very safely wend their wa
among them.
AS the Islard of seguin happened tt
be somewhat in the way of the brig she
had been forced to tack twice in order
to get upon q direct chase, aud conse
ouently the schooner had the weather
gage. The latter vessel had alread
reached the rocks, and, Just as the brig
came sweeping around the ,sa d, ON
Yankee captain had prepared c eryth.ng
for his mareuvre The schooner wa,
now heading nearly south, and. OF,
course, her larboard side was toward tho
Eu.lishman, while the latter was head.
ing directly for her, on the larboarc
tack.
.sTwon't do to stand on much longer
said Springer, Il he worked hard TO keel
the schooner Just on the shver.
"a few mnutes longer returned