a woman in our
aft-scuppers when I went a-whalin in the little 'Grampus'--and Lord love
you, Pumpo, you poor land-swab, she WAS as pretty a craft as ever dowsed
a tarpauling--there was a woman on board the 'Grampus,' who before we'd
struck our first fish, or biled our first blubber, set the whole crew in
a mutiny. I mind me of her now, Natty,--her eye was sich a piercer that
you could see to steer by it in a Newfoundland fog; her nose stood out
like the 'Grampus's' jibboom, and her woice, Lord love you, her woice
sings in my ears even now:--it set the Captain a-quarrelin with the
Mate, who was hanged in Boston harbor for harpoonin of his officer in
Baffin's Bay;--it set me and Bob Bunting a-pouring broadsides into each
other's old timbers, whereas me and Bob was worth all the women that
ever shipped a hawser. It cost me three years' pay as I'd stowed away
for the old mother, and might have cost me ever so much more, only bad
luck to me, she went and married a little tailor out of Nantucket; and
I've hated women and tailors ever since!" As he spoke, the hardy tar
dashed a drop of brine from his tawny cheek, and once more betook
himself to splice the taffrail.

Though the brave frigate lay off Havre de Grace, she was not idle. The
gallant Bowie and his intrepid crew made repeated descents upon the
enemy's seaboard. The coasts of Rutland and merry Leicestershire have
still many a legend of fear to tell; and the children of the British
fishermen tremble even now when they speak of the terrible "Repudiator."
She was the first of the mighty American war-ships that have taught the
domineering Briton to respect the valor of the Republic.

The novelist ever and anon finds himself forced to adopt the sterner
tone of the historian, when describing deeds connected with his
country's triumphs. It is well known that during the two months in which
she lay off Havre, the "Repudiator" had brought more prizes into that
port than had ever before been seen in the astonished French waters. Her
actions with the "Dettingen" and the "Elector" frigates form part of our
country's history; their defence--it may be said without prejudice to
national vanity--was worthy of Britons and of the audacious foe they had
to encounter; and it must be owned, that but for a happy fortune which
presided on that day over the destinies of our country, the chance of
the combat might have been in favor of the British vessels. It was not
until the "Elector" blew u