Produced by Al Haines [Illustration: Cover art] _The_ NOANK'S LOG A PRIVATEER OF THE REVOLUTION BY W. O. STODDARD Author of "Guert Ten Eyck," "Gid Granger," etc. ILLUSTRATED BY WILL CRAWFORD BOSTON LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY. Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood, Mass. U.S.A. PREFACE. The latter half of the year 1776 and the whole of the year 1777 have been vaguely and erroneously described as "the dark hour" of the war for American independence. It is true that our armies, hastily gathered and imperfectly equipped, had been outnumbered and defeated in several important engagements. Beyond that purely military fact there was no real darkness. Upon the sea the success of the Americans had been phenomenal. Before the end of the year 1777, the commerce of Great Britain had suffered losses which dismayed her merchants. As early as the 6th of February, 1778, Mr. Woodbridge, alderman of London, testified at the bar of the House of Lords that the number of British ships taken by American cruisers already reached the startling number of seven hundred and thirty-three. Of these many had been retaken, but the Americans had succeeded in carrying into port, as prizes, five hundred and fifty-nine. The value of these and their cargoes was declared to be moderately estimated at over ten millions of dollars. Only a few of the American cruisers were public vessels, sent out either by individual states or by the United States. All the others were private armed ships, "letters of marque and reprisal" privateers. Something of their character and cruising is set forth in this story of the old whaler _Noank_, of New London. Something is also told of the condition and feeling of the people on the land during the misunderstood gloomy days. The years of the Revolutionary War were not altogether years of disaster, devastation, and depression. They were rather years of development and prosperity. The war was fought and its victory won not only for political, but for social, industrial, and financial freedom. All the energies of the American people had been fettered. As the war went on, and without waiting for its close, all these energies became free to work out the great results at which the world now wonders. We are justly proud of our navy. It was founded by our sailors themselves, without the help of any Navy Department, or Treasury Department, or national shipyards, or naval academies. There were, however, very good admirals, commodores, and captains among the self-taught heroes who went out then in ships in which, ton for ton and gun for gun, they were able to outsail and outfight any other cruisers then afloat. CONTENTS.