Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 25.djvu/125

 ' >'// Sin ll.imlnilh. Ill

PRISONERS' MONEY NOT INTERFERED WITH.

Tin- amount of money belonging to the prizes was very small, ]>-- sihly a fc\\ hundred dollars. The private funds of the prisoners were not interfered with. Most of the ships' cash had probably been con- verted into "trading stock," as being a much better circulating medium among the Esquimaux, the Fijians, and other tribes usually visited by whalers. A gallon of whiskey or a yellow handkerchief went much farther in purchasing the skin of a seal or fox than any amount of gold or silver.

The capture of the Alina was followed by that of several other vessels in rapid succession. Nearly every sail sighted, with her long sky poles and white cotton canvas, betrayed her American nationality before she ever hoisted her colons.

On the 4th of December we burned the bark Edward. She was at the time engaged in cutting up a whale. After landing her crew on one of the Tristan da Chuna Islands, about 1,500 miles west of Cape Town, we ran down to about 42 south latitude to strike the westerly winds, which could be increased or decreased in force by either increasing or decreasing our latitude, the prevailing winds in those latitudes being strong and from the west.

THE SHENANDOAH IN A GALE.

At Christmas, 1864, we had rounded Cape Hood Hope and were nearly due south of the Island of Madagascar, when the Shenandoah was put upon her mettle in a very heavy gale. I find the following entry in the log on that day:

" From 4 to 8 A. M. fresh gales from the southwest; very heavy sea running; shipped several seas; 5:20 wind increasing, close-reefed main topsail; 5:30 battened down hatches.

Signed, D. M. SCALES."

Which meant a state of utter discomfort no fires, nothing cooked. This gale appears to have commenced on the 24th, and lasted to some part of the 26th of December.

A SKIPPER'S PLUCKY WIFE.

On the 2gth we captured the bark De/phine, from Bangor. The captain had his wife on board, and there was so much sea on that we had to hoist her over the side. She was a woman of some culture,