Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-10-19

| marines with their bayonets to compel
obedience.
I'VE numbered eight before the
! mast, all having projections, made
| out in good faith, and supposed to COW
er the necessary ground. With a strong
appearance of contempt the British Off
Ger went through the farce of reading
them. Then he tore in two my own
| and those of three of my shipmates,
crumpled them i'll his hand, and threw
| them overheard.
You four are all English he said
that is plain enough. | care nothing
i for your lying Yankee projections
you have only to get into that boat and
return to your duty to your King and
country
1--WE refused positively. But what
was tho refusal of four unarmed sail
ors, with the bayonets of ten marines
| at their breasts, and a twenty-gun
brig ofwar lying hardly a cables length
away?
Sir said Captain Eddy, turning
to the Lieutenant, 4 appeal to your
humanity and your honor. These young
men are my neighbors when at home.
They are true-born Americans. |
have known them from childhood, and
have always been well acquainted
with their families. If you take them
y"n commit an outrage such as even
your own Government would not sane
ton
Il have heard such talk before,
said the officer. 1T is what they al
ways say. You Yankees should have
learned before this that the royal navy
! is not to be defrauded by your miser-
able evasiops. Such papers as / have
Just thrown overheard pass among
YOU from hand to hand, answering for
| Yankees and foreigners alike; but you
| perceive they have failed to serve their
holders in this case
Then, turning to the marines, he
J added: Corporal, see that these men
are got into the boat without delay
The relocated soldiers encom-
passed us, putting the points of their
| bayonets through our clothing; and
the Corporal attempted to take me by
| the collar, but recoiled upon seeing my
| fist drawn back for blow.
Captain Eddy looked sternly in the
face of the Lieutenant. so, sir, you
are resolved 2 he said
Yes replied the officer, and l
wish you to understand it. l have the
power to take these subjects of the
king, and that power 1 shall use.'
Very we'll returned the Cap
tain; L am helpless to resist. But,
sir, if you can take my men, you can
take my vessel. Here, on the spot, L
surrender the ship Rebecca to Captain
Downs of his Britannia Majestys brig
| Falkirk
"'When You brace forward. / shall
follow you. You will probably outsail
me, but, in that event. / shall make
for the first English port, delivering
| up my ship as n prize captured upon
the high seas by his Majesty's crusier.
i will test this matter of Impress
! ment to the very bottom; and. if Cap
| tain Downs should be found willing to
stand trial upon the question, in the
courts Of England, he may rest assured
/ shall be there
"Such declaration would have been
astounding to the British Lieutenant
could he have believed the American
shipmaster in earnest; but, as it was
he replied simply by some allusion tc
Yankee insolence, and repeated his
command to the corporal to bundle lis
into the boat.
"A semi-circle of bayonets fairly
pushed us to the gaugway, and
though We turned desperately upon the
sharp steel, it was only to receive
wounds which, if not deep, were al
least painful.
Captain Eddy, forcing his way be
tween the soldiers and ourselves, shook
hands with us heartily before We went
down our good ships side into the En-
glish boat.
Don't be down-hearted, my good
lads, he said; I'll see you through
This matter isn't to stop here! If they
take you, they take me- And, remem,
ber,' he added, with emphasis, that
even English law does not sustain this
thing. The officer ut my elbow knows
this as well as l do. Or, at least, il
You do not, sir, he continued, address
ing the Lieutenant, you are ignorant
OF the laws of your own country
1t appeared 10 me that the Briton,
IN spite Of lis bTayado, looked little