Page:Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes.djvu/55

29 diminished. Notwithstanding the rough and brutal treatment (I may call it) I had undergone, I have little doubt now that if the treatment I had received had been opposite to what it had been I would have abandoned the idea of following the sea life. I should have seen all its bad features and my tastes were not in unison with it, but pride had a great deal to do with my decision and I chose to continue it, under the promise my father had received that my time would be allowed in the date of my warrant as a midshipman when I received it and I wished to perform the service faithfully in all respects. My father's first care [was] that my time, however short, of going on another voyage, should not be wasted and I at once took a Spanish master and lessons in Mathematics and read various authors which he pointed out. There was a delay in my finding another vessel and the time was well spent in my studies.

Finally, the ship Calpi, Capt Cranston, was selected for me and I joined her quite a proficient and useful youngster, as the Captain wrote my brother he had found me, and very attentive to my duties. In her I sailed on a voyage to Wilmington, N.C., & thence to Europe and the Brazils. We sailed in the month of February and encountered very severe weather. It was 23 days before we reached that port & great anxiety was entertained by my family of our safety. Violent gales had been experienced and the vessel, though stout and strong, was very old. We had a hard time of it, were three times blown off the coast. The ship was a small one of less than 300 tons. There was but one Mate & the Capt kept watch & watch with him. I was in the Capt's watch and his righthand man always having me in charge, young as I was, to look out for the vessel. We had sailed in Ballast (cobble stones) and had no shifting boards to prevent its being displaced in a gale of wind & heavy Sea. The vessel rolled so rapidly and deeply, we shifted our ballast and lay, as it were, on our beam ends. The Capt wore ship & got upon the other tack and then we had a "tea party," as the sailors called it, in the hold, throwing the Cobble stones on the other side until the vessel became upright and safe. The idea of the large quantity of Cobble stones passing to one side of the vessel was new; it occurred a second time, but not to so great a degree. [We] had a very long & tedious voyage. At last we reached the port in safety.

After we reached & entered Cape Fear river by the Old Channel, we proceeded up to just below the new Inlet where we anchored. The vessel could not be got further up, so the Capt determined to take the Yawl Gig at daylight with me and proceed up to Wilmington to report the vessel & attend to his business. He gave me orders to return in the Gig to the Ship. There was a nice breeze and I made rapid way, but it fell calm & having no oars, I was in manner helpless. I drifted onward with the Ebb tide and was eventually being swept out of the New Inlet to sea & in[to] the breakers. I made all the signals I could as I was in sight of the Ship &, fortunately for me, late in the afternoon I was descried and the Jolly boat sent out after me, which was barely in time to rescue me. I had almost given myself up for lost but I was