Page:Twenty years before the mast - Charles Erskine, 1896.djvu/263

 the Union, two brass howitzers having been brought on shore to the observatory for the purpose. The reports of the guns not only astonished the natives, but waked  up the red-coats in the fort, who came running up to  the observatory with the Indians, nearly out of breath,  to inquire the cause of the racket. We pointed them to our country’s flag, which was so proudly waving in  the breeze over our observatory. They looked thunderstruck, and wanted to know what we meant. We told them that it was Brother Jonathan’s birthday. They then called us a crew of crazy Americans.

At two bells, nine o’clock, all hands, including the officers, with the exception of Mr. Vanderford, our master’s mate, who remained as ship-keeper, went on shore. At the observatory the commodore formed us into a procession. The starboard watch took the lead, then came the Vincennes' band, fife and drum, then the master-at-arms with Chief Vendovi dressed in the Fiji fashion, and leading our ship’s pet, the dog Sydney, by two  fathoms of marling; then the larboard watch, and finally  the marines. We were all dressed in span-clean white frocks and trousers. The commodore led the procession, followed by the other officers, and we all marched off, with colors flying and music playing. In passing Fort Nisqually we gave three tremendous cheers, which  were returned very faintly from the ramparts by several  red-coats.

We soon arrived at a clearing near the edge of the prairie, a spot which the commodore had chosen for the  Fourth of July exhibition. Here we found an ox which had been slaughtered and dressed on the preceding