Cape Cod (Mass.) -- Fiction; United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Fiction
Phil told his host many interesting stories of the march of events
in the upper Cape towns. The attacks of the British warships on
Falmouth were described and the narrator was loud in his praises of
the gallantry displayed by the defenders under the command of Captain
Weston Jenkins of the local militia. With martial ardor, the old
man told the tale of how the commander of the British brig “Nimrod”
demanded the surrender of the pieces of artillery which annoyed his
vessel, and how Captain Jenkins tauntingly replied: “Come and get
them!” How the sick and non-combatants were removed to places of safety
when the bombardment commenced, while the militia from the neighboring
towns rushed to reinforce the resolute patriots of Falmouth. Then he
told of the conditions at Hyannis, Yarmouth and other places and kept
Master Peter Walker awake until after midnight.
We leave old Phil on his way to Provincetown while we return to our
friends on the “Spencer.”
CHAPTER VIII.
Raggett’s Terms.
Under the guidance of Lieutenant Fotheringay the prisoners were
taken through the frigate. They expressed their admiration in
unstinted language. Fotheringay told them that Raggett was a strict
disciplinarian who insisted that his crew should always be in
first-class condition for work. He was unforgiving when any of his men
wilfully neglected duty; but when work was over and playtime arrived,
he never interfered with the manner in which the seamen enjoyed
themselves. He had closed his eyes to their frolics in Provincetown,
where they sometimes made merry with great vigor, and now that shore
leave was suspended he demanded implicit obedience to his order
requiring special permission from himself for any of his crew to visit
the town.
To the prisoners all this emphasized the change of front on the British
side. Raggett evidently meant what he said when he told them he was
going to obey orders. Already the “Nymph” and the “Bulwark”, of the
squadron blockading Cape Cod bay, were watching the coast between
Barnstable and Boston. The “Spencer” with her tenders would have charge
of the towns on the lower Cape, Dennis, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham,
Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown. So much they gathered from the
lieutenant’s conversation, but beyond this they got no inkling of the
enemy’s plans.
A summons from the captain brought them once more into the presence of
that doughty warrior. His manner to his captives was very agreeable,
indeed, one might say cordial. He told them many anecdotes of the
great Nelson, whom he spoke of with enthusiasm. He gave a sailor’s
description of the battle of Trafalgar where the admiral died a hero’s
death, and he held the close attention of his hearers as he pictured
the maneuvers of the opposing fleets on that memorable day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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