eral expeditions on shore, designed to protect the natives in
the neighborhood against hostile tribes in other parts of the island. In
this land fighting Farragut and his younger messmates were not allowed
to share; but were, on the contrary, compelled to attend a school
established on board of one of the prizes, with the ship's chaplain for
school-master. They were, however, permitted out of school hours and
after the day's work, which for the ship's company ended at 4 P. M., to
ramble freely in the island among the natives; considerable liberty
being allowed to all hands, who, during their year's absence from the
United States, had had little opportunity to visit any inhabited places.
Farragut here learned to swim, and the aptitude of the natives to the
water seems to have impressed him more than their other peculiarities
which have since then been so liberally described in books of travel.
"It appears as natural," he wrote, "for these islanders to swim as to
eat. I have often seen mothers take their little children, apparently
not more than two years old, down to the sea on their backs, walk
deliberately into deep water, and leave them to paddle for themselves.
To my astonishment, the little creatures could swim like young ducks."

On the 9th of December, 1813, the Essex and Essex Junior sailed for
Valparaiso with one of the prizes, leaving the others at the Marquesas.
Nothing of interest occurred during the passage, but the crew were daily
exercised at all the arms carried by the ship--with the cannon, the
muskets, and the single-sticks. The latter are for training in the use
of the broadsword or cutlass, the play with which would be too dangerous
for ordinary drills. Porter had a strong disposition to resort to
boarding and hand-to-hand fighting, believing that the very surprise of
an attack by the weaker party would go far to compensate for the
inequality of numbers. On more than one occasion already, in the
presence of superior force, he had contemplated resorting to this
desperate game; and to a ship the character of whose battery
necessitated a close approach to the enemy, the power to throw on board,
at a moment's notice, a body of thoroughly drilled and equipped
swordsmen was unquestionably of the first importance. "I have never
since been in a ship," said Farragut at a later day, "where the crew of
the old Essex was represented, but that I found them to be the best
swordsmen on board. They had been so thoroug