On the fourth morning after we left
Nassau, we descried a sail in the south-east quarter, and immediately
made sail in chase. We overhauled her about noon; she hove to, after
being fired at repeatedly; and, on boarding her, we found she was a
Swede from Charleston, bound to Havre-de-Grace. All the letters we
could find on board were very unceremoniously broken open, and nothing
having transpired that could identify the cargo as enemy's property, we
were bundling over the side, when a nautical-looking subject, who had
attracted my attention from the first, put in his oar.
"Lieutenant," said he, "will you allow me to put this barrel of New
York apples into the boat as a present to Captain Deadeye, from Captain
------ of the United States navy?"
Mr. Treenail bowed, and said he would; and we shoved off and got on
board again, and now there was the devil to pay, from the perplexity
old Deadeye was thrown into, as to whether, here in the heat of the
American war, he was bound to take this American captain prisoner or
not. I was no party to the councils of my superiors, of course, but
the foreign ship was finally allowed to continue her course.
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