Then
turning to the women, he assured them it was with much reluctance he
entered on the duty he had to perform, but as he had information of seamen
frequenting the house he must be under the necessity of searching it. One
of the persons sitting at the table, who was most like a female in
appearance, rose and said they had only the room they sat in and the next,
which was occupied at present by the other sick female. "But I guess,"
said she, "your notion of there being British seamen in the house must be
false, as we are not acquainted with any." During this speech, uttered
with as much grace as a Yankee lady of the seventh magnitude is capable,
the coxswain of one of our cutters, who had been searching the features of
one of those dressed as a female sitting at the table mending a shirt,
exclaimed, "If I ever saw my old shipmate, Jack Mitford, that's he."
Another of our men had been cruising round the cradle, and whispered to me
that the baby in it was the largest he had ever seen. After the coxswain's
ejaculation, all the party appeared taken aback and began to shift their
berths. Perceiving this, we immediately locked the door and insisted on
knowing who they were; but when they spoke we were convinced that they
were all men except the American, who began to scream and abuse us. I
approached the bed, and on looking closely at the sick person I discovered
a close-shaved chin. The lieutenant, who had followed me to the bed,
desired two of our men to move the clothes a little, when we found the
dying person to be a fine young seaman about twenty-six years of age, and
who, on finding he was detected, sprang out of bed, and joining the doctor
and nurse, who had armed themselves with hangers, attempted to resist us.
As we were sixteen in number, and well armed, we told them it was useless,
and the constable who was with us desired them to be peaceable and put
their weapons down. As they saw they were on the wrong tack, they
surrendered. The dear little sleeping infant in the cradle proved a fine
lad sixteen years old. The over-fatigued female in the next room turned
out a young seaman, whom we secured with the pretended sergeant, the
nurse, and the doctor, making in the whole eight good seamen. This was a
good haul. We got them without accident to the boats. The delicate
American female followed us screaming and abusing us the whole way. We
could hear her voice for some time after leaving the wharf. The men a few
days after