stopped at an island near the
coast of Chili, and here all the sailors went ashore with their guns,
and killed some wild hogs and horses, and even the horse-flesh they ate
with keen relish, after being so long without fresh meat. Then for
months they cruised about in the Pacific, and as he had done in the
Atlantic cruise, so in the Pacific, Captain Porter captured several
English vessels and also warned some American whaling ships of danger.
These had been at sea for so long that they had not even heard of the
war. Every now and again the _Essex_ stopped at an island where the
sailors could kill seals, or when they anchored in a bay, they fished
for cod, and at one island where they stayed for quite a while, they
found prickly pears to eat, and killed pigeons which the cook on the
_Essex_ made into pies, and turtles which they caught were made into
soup, and the salt air and the free vigorous life gave them all
ravenous appetites, and young Farragut felt the keenest joy of living
which he had ever experienced.

On that island where they stayed so long they found a curious
post-office--a link connecting whoever should discover it with the
outer world of passing men and vessels. It was just a box nailed to a
tree, where messages or letters could be left to be picked up by other
vessels which happened to be going in the right direction to carry
them.

A far cry indeed from that island post-box to the wireless stations of
to-day, flashing news from sea to land--from land to sea!

At last in May, 1813, the _Essex_ sailed away from the island, and soon
more English vessels were sighted and captured. One of these prizes
Captain Porter wished to have taken to Valparaiso, and as through all
the long cruise he had kept a watchful eye on young Farragut, he now
determined to put the boy's ability to a hard test.

[Illustration: _David Farragut_]

Farragut was then only twelve years old, just think of it,--twelve
years old, but the Captain put him in charge of the captured vessel,
while its grey-haired old captain was required to navigate it to
Valparaiso under Farragut's command.

The charge of such a vessel on such a trip was no light matter for a
boy to undertake, and Farragut's joy and pride fairly oozed from every
inch of his alert figure, beamed from every feature of his face. The
old captain of the ship, in none too good a humour at having been
captured by the Americans, was still more angry at being obliged to
take