CHAPTER II.

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After a few weeks, or perhaps a few days of pleasing pastime, the lads must repair to their ships again. would seem unmanly for sailors to shed tears at parting from their friends. But "judge ye who know a mother's cares." The downcast look and the trickling tear upon the cheek of a fond mother and affectionate sisters, would draw at least a deep sigh from the bosom of an adventurous boy.

GOD had graciously concealed from our view the days of adversity, which in his wise counsel were to succeed those few days of prosperity.

The Ranger was again ready for sea; the same officers and most of the same crew were going in her again. I had never been discharged, and of course was considered one of her crew. We rejoined our own consorts, and cruised to the southward, and in course of the winter put into Charleston, S. C. having taken several small British transports of but little value.

Having replenished our provisions and water, we put to sea on another cruise, on the coast of Florida and the southern states.

While on this cruise a memorable event took place with me. On the coast of Georgia we fell in with a ship and gave her chase. We were running toward the land, and the wind increased to such a degree that orders were given to reef the topsails. It was the business of boys with the assistance of marines to reef the mizzen topsail. He who is first aloft goes on the weather yard-arm, and passes the earring, so called, viz. secures the leach or outer edge of the sail to the end of the yard-arm. As I was not fortunate enough to be first, but was however the second, it was my lot to go on to the lee yard-arm, and pass the earring. I was followed by several heavy ma

rines; the lee lift broke,) or as the sailors would say, parted,) the yard tipped up and down, and as I was sitting astride the yard, out side the rigging, I immediately slipped off, having nothing to support me except a small piece of rigging about as thick as a man's little finger. I held on to this small rope until I caught the rigging of the cross-jack yard, and got in on the lee shrouds. The ship at this time was running at the rate of ten miles an hour, with quite a rough sea; so that had I gone overboard, it would have been next to impossible to have saved me. Night came on and the ship that we were chasing escap. ed us. Shortly after this, about the middle of Feb. 1780, early in the morning, we discovered four or five large British ships of war to leeward of us, the land being in sight to windward, the enemy gave us chase. We beat up to Charleston Bar, came to anchor, and waited a little while for the tide to rise, and then ran in and came to anchor under fort Sullivan. The British lay several days outside, then lightened their ships, came in over the bar, and came to anchor, but durst not approach the fort. They doubtless recollected the defeat of Sir Peter Parker, before the same fort, in 1776.

It was now ascertained that the enemy meditated an attack on the city of Charleston, the harbor was completely blockaded. The ships at the bar were soon joined by others. The Ranger being the smallest ship of our squadron, could approach near the shore, and was ordered to attack a small battery that the enemy had erected upon James' Island. Our ship having taken her station, came to anchor before the battery, and with springs on her cables, commenced cannonading with great fury, and continued the firing for an hour and a half without cessation. We succeeded in dismounting their cannon and obliging their soldiers to quit the ground. Our ship received several shots, but no person was injured.

At the commencement of the cannonading, I was exceedingly alarmed, but was careful to conceal my fears from my shipmates. After we had discharged a few broadsides, my fears pretty much subsided, and I, with high spirits, served my gun with cartridges, until the firing ceas

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Our little ship was once more detached to encounter a battery above the city; we commenced our firing a little before high water, and were obliged to withdraw from our station shortly after the tide began to ebb. The tide fell so much before we left our station, that we were obliged to employ our boats and small anchors to warp our ship into deeper water, there being but little wind at that time.

We were not so successful as we had been with the

battery on James' Island. The battery we had now to contend with, was so near the British head quarters, that they received another gun, a 24 pounder. Our ship received a 24 pound ball, which lodged in her side directly against where I stood, it having struck the salt marsh, which deadened its force, or it must have gone through the ship and would of course have killed me.

Charleston was not so fortified as to stand a regular siege, and yet we were enabled to make a vigorous defence. A chain of redoubts, lines and batteries, extended from Ashley to Cooper's river; on those rivers was an almost continued line of batteries. The British ha-, ving crossed Ashley river, broke ground on the night of the first of April, within eight hundred yards of our lines. About the 9th, the British fleet lying within the bar having a fresh wind in their favor, ventured to run by Sullivan's Island under a heavy fire from fort Moultrie. They lost twenty-seven seamen killed and wounded, and one of their transports. They anchored between the fort and city, secure from the cannon of both. Our ships could now no longer be employed to advantage; their crews and some of their guns were removed into batteries. Capt. Simpson and the Ranger's crew, were stationed in a small fort called fort Gadsden, this being the uppermost one on the river was much exposed to the fire of the British. A bomb at one time fell within a few feet of me, though much alarmed I threw myself behind the carriage of a large gun, and escaped unhurt. Part of our officers with five or six waiters, of whom I was one, occupied an elegant house owned by a Col. Gadsden; while here, a bomb fell through the roof and exploded in the cellar, without injury to any one. While walking alone on the green one day, a bomb burst over my head, and a large

piece buried itself in the turf within three feet of me. At another time while sitting in the room of a sick shipmate, a ball struck the house and passed between me and another person who was within two yards of me; the bricks and plaster flew on every side, yet we escaped uninjured. The siege being closely pressed, balls and shells were continually falling within the city. I have during the night counted ten bombs of different sizes, flying in the air at one time. No spot could now be considered as a place of safety. We were in continual apprehension of an attempt to carry our works by storm, the force of the enemy being far superior to ours.

Our provisions being exhausted we at length capitulated on the 12th day of May, 1780. The American army was commanded by Gen. Lincoln, the British by Sir Henry Clinton. Our officers were paroled and allowed to retain their waiters, we were consequently allowed to be at large within the city. We were for several days entirely destitute of provisions, except muscles, which we gathered from the muscle beds. I was at this time waiter to Capt. Pierce, and was master's mate of the Ranger. He treated me with the kindness of a father, and I was strongly attached to him. The day after our surrender, a distressing accident occurred. While the British soldiers were depositing the muskets taken from us in the grand magazine, which was bonib proof, the powder in it exploded. The shock was tremendous and fatal to many who were instantly hurried into eternity, without a moment's warning. I saw the print of a man who had been dashed against the end of a brick church thirty feet from the ground, and perhaps thirty rods from the magazine. The cause of the explosion I never ascertained. After our surrender it was discovered that the small pox prevailed among the British troops. Few of the New Englanders had ever had that disease. Our officers deemed it advisable that we should be inoculated.

Our physicians performed this service for us, but they having no medicine at their command, could be of no other service to us. This disease I much more dreaded than I did the bombs and balls of the enemy. When the symptoms came on I was greatly alarmed, and by prayer

applied to God for preservation; he was graciously pleased to favor me, though I dare not say that my prayer was the prayer of faith. I had this disease very favorably. Capt. Powers did all that was in his power for my relief. As soon as it was practicable, Capt. Simpson and other officers procured a small vessel which was employed as a cartel to transport the officers, their boys and baggage to Newport, Rhode Island, agreeably to the terms of capitulation.

It being difficult to procure suitable casks for water, they obtained such as they could; they proved to be foul, and after we got to sea our water became filthy and extremely noxious. Very few if any on board escaped an attack of the diarrhoea.

Our passage to Rhode Island was pleasant, though rather long. A considerable number of us having had the small pox, it became necessary that we should be thoroughly cleansed, before we passed through the country. There were little smoke-houses erected on a remote part of the island for this purpose; to these we repaired, superintended by the police officers; here our clothing were all unpacked and thrown about, and our selves almost suffocated with a smoke made of oakum, tobacco, &c.

Having gone through with smoking, we went to a creek to wash. As I could swim tolerably well, I ventured into the current; it being near low water my feet were entangled in eel-grass, and drawn under water and very narrowly escaped being drowned; there were none who could afford me any assistance. By making every possible effort, I disengaged my feet, and recovered the shore, not a little alarmed. The lads who were swimmers expressed their surprise at their inability to swim at this time. Indeed we were none of us aware of our weakness. I here had another hairbreadth escape. O how wonderful, how imcomprehensible are the ways of God.

Capt. Powers hired a passage for himself and me, in a two horse waggon, to Boston, where he put up at the sign of the golden ball, not far from the market; this house was kept by a Mr. Cox, a free-mason; my master was also of that fraternity.

The roads at that time were very