Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rewards and Fairies
‘ud happen—the United States was catching it from both. If with his bare foot.
an English man-o’-war met an American ship he’d press half ‘It’s easy for you to sit and judge,’ Pharaoh cried. ‘But think
the best men out of her, and swear they was British subjects. o’ what we had to put up with! We spread our wings and run
Most of ‘em was! If a Frenchman met her he’d, likely, have across the broad Atlantic like a hen through a horse-fair. Even
the cargo out of her, swearing it was meant to aid and com- so, we was stopped by an English frigate, three days out. He
fort the English; and if a Spaniard or a Dutchman met her— sent a boat alongside and pressed seven able seamen. I remarked
they was hanging on to England’s coat-tails too—Lord only it was hard on honest traders, but the officer said they was
knows what they wouldn’t do! It came over me that what I fighting all creation and hadn’t time to argue. The next En-
wanted in my tobacco trade was a fast-sailing ship and a man glish frigate we escaped with no more than a shot in our quar-
who could be French, English, or American at a pinch. Luckter. Then we was chased two days and a night by a French
ily I could lay my hands on both articles. So along towards privateer, firing between squalls, and the dirty little English
the end of September in the year ‘Ninety-nine I sailed from ten-gun brig which made him sheer off had the impudence
Philadelphia with a hundred and eleven hogshead o’ good to press another five of our men. That’s how we reached to
Virginia tobacco, in the brig Berth Aurette, named after the chops of the Channel. Twelve good men pressed out of
Mother’s maiden name, hoping ’twould bring me luck, which thirty-five; an eighteen-pound shot-hole close beside our rud-
she didn’t—and yet she did.’
der; our mainsail looking like spectacles where the French-
‘Where was you bound for?’ Puck asked.
man had hit us—and the Channel crawling with short-handed
‘Er—any port I found handiest. I didn’t tell Toby or the British cruisers. Put that in your pipe and smoke it next time
Brethren. They don’t understand the ins and outs of the to- you grumble at the price of tobacco!
bacco trade.’
‘Well, then, to top it off, while we was trying to get at our
Puck coughed a small cough as he shifted a piece of wood leaks, a French lugger come swooping at us out o’ the dusk.
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