arned pittance with
a messmate in distress. A few scattered grey locks peeped from beneath
an old straw hat; and one sleeve of his jacket hung unoccupied by his
side--the arm was gone. "I should like to know his history," said the
amiable lady; "let us send for him in." To express a wish, and have it
gratified, were the same thing to Mrs. D----, and in a few minutes the
veteran tar stood before them. "Would you wish to hear a tale of woe?"
cried the old man, in answer to her request. "Ah, no! why should your
tender heart be wounded by another's griefs? I have been buffeted by
the storms of affliction--I have struggled against the billows of
adversity--every wave of sorrow has rolled over me; but," added he,
while a glow of conscious integrity suffused his furrowed cheek, "I have
always done my duty; and that conviction has buoyed me up when nearly
overwhelmed in the ocean of distress. Yet, lady, it was not always thus:
I have been happy--was esteemed, and, as I thought, beloved. I had a
friend, in whom I reposed the highest confidence, and my affections were
devoted to one;--but, she is gone--she is gone! and I--Yes! we shall
meet again:"--here he paused, dashed a tear from his eye, and then
proceeded:--"My friend was faithless; he robbed me of the dearest
treasure of my heart, and blasted every hope of future happiness.
I left my native land to serve my country; have fought her battles, and
bled in her defence. On the 29th of May, and glorious 1st of June, 1794,
I served on board the Queen Charlotte, under gallant Howe, and was
severely wounded in the breast--but I did my duty. On that memorable
occasion, a circumstance occured which added to my bitterness and
melancholy. The decks were cleared--the guns cast loose, and every man
stood in eager expectation at his quarters. It is an awful moment, lady,
and various conflicting emotions agitate the breast when, in the calm
stillness that reigns fore and aft, the mind looks back upon the past,
and contemplates the future. Home, wife, children, and every tender
remembrance rush upon the soul. It is different in the heat of action:
then every faculty is employed for conquest, that each man may have to
say, 'I have done my duty.' But when bearing down to engage, and silence
is so profound that every whisper may be heard, then their state of
mind--it cannot be described. Sailors know what it is, and conquering it
by cool determination and undaunted bravery, nobly do their duty.