ve you to death." I thanked him, but told him I had taken breakfast
before I left his prize. I kept my seat on the gun for a long time,
until I excited the attention of the sailors, one of whom accosted me by
saying, "Captain, don't look so sorrowful, our captain is a damned
clever fellow; I guess he will give up your old serving mallet," as he
called my sloop. "Yes," said another, "I would willingly give up my
share, for it will not be enough to make more than a glass of grog
apiece." The officers made themselves merry by passing many jokes with
me, supposing they had a green Yankee to sport with. In the afternoon
the commodore said, pointing towards my vessel, "That is a fine large
sloop of yours; can't you give me fifteen hundred dollars for her; I am
going to send two officers on board to prize her." I told him that was
three times more than she was worth, and five times more than I was
worth; that she was an old condemned vessel; that he could not send her
to Halifax or Bermuda. I told him I thought if I could get on shore I
could raise one hundred dollars, and perhaps that would be a
compensation for the trouble he had in capturing her; that I presumed he
would make a target of her to fire at if he retained her. He then left
me: about half-an-hour after he called me into his cabin and said that
he wanted to raise a little money to distribute among his crew; that he
had not enough to allow one dollar apiece to them. Said he, "I want to
use your old sloop for about three days. If you think you can raise one
hundred dollars by going on shore, you can take your boat and go; and if
you return in three days with the money, you shall have your sloop
restored to you."

My two men immediately hauled the boat alongside ready for embarking. I
bid the commodore good-by, and was going over the ship's side, when he
called me back, saying, "I must parole you before you go!" "Just as you
please," said I. "He said he was only doing me a favor, for then my own
countrymen could neither draft nor impress me after I landed." I then
took my boat and proceeded to Stonington, and arrived there that
evening. I found most of the vessels that I left there before my
departure. The captains assembled around me, eager to learn the news. I
related my story and the bargain I had made with the commodore. Some
thought I had made a good bargain, while others thought me foolish;
saying, that if I returned on board he would keep my hundred dollars and