Well, ‘twas in the year of seventeen hundred and ninety three. The Yankee Privateers was raiding the coast of Newfoundland, robbing the Newfoundlanders of their codfish which was their only means of livelihood and as the saying used to go then, they used to use the Newfoundlander’s heads for cannonballs.
Now William Kelly, he being the principal man in our place at that time, he called a meeting in his fish store to see what could be done because the population was on the hand of starving. Well, he made a thunderin’ fine speech and he offered his old hooker to any six men who’d take her and go up to St. John’s and bring down a load of provisions. Up speaks one, “I’ll go.” “Yes,” says another, “I’ll go,” “I’ll go,” “I’ll go,” and I said lookit here now, boys, you can’t all go. So we picked out six of the strappingest young men there was there in Salmonier at that time and me being youngest of them all, they selected me for Skipper and we fitted up William Kelly’s old hooker for that trip up to St. John’s.
Well, we arrived in St. John’s and tied up at Baine Johnson’s wharf OK. And we then loaded pork, beef, molasses and flour, and likewise, sir, a puncheon of rum which we placed on the quarter. Now owing to the wind being ahead, we never put her out. But next day, the wind being fair, we let her go.
We had a thunderin’ fine time now along the shore until Darby Dulan, who was standing as lookout on the forward deck, he said he spied a sail which appeared to be a barque of about one hundred tons or more. And as he bore down on us, we thought he wanted to speak to us, and as he was flying the Custom House flag we didn’t think it any harm. But when he rounded up around our quarter and down come the Custom House flag from his main peak, and up went the Stars and Stripes to his main top, Tarnation Moses !
“Well, never say die ‘til you’re dead boys,” says I. “Maybe they’re like the devil, not half so bad as they’re painted. Anyhow, we’ll hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
“Hooker ahoy,” says he.
“Hoy, hoy to yourself sir,” says I.
“Where you from,” says he.
“St. Pierre,” said I, “with a load of salt,” thinking I might outwit him. But he being up to all sorts of tricks he knew ‘twas a pack of lies.
“Surrender,” said he.
“To who?” said I.
“To the Republic of the United States,” said he.
“I’ll be damned if I do,” says I.
“You’ll be damned if you don’t then,” says he, and jumping into his boat he said, “Let ten of my men jump in here with me,” and it wasn’t long before there was a bayonet pointed at each of our breasts.
“Now will you surrender?” says he.
“To your honour I will,” says I, and it wasn’t long before we was bound hand and foot and placed in the cabin of that Yankee Privateer. Well, they then hauled our old hooker up alongside and they unloaded pork, beef, molasses and flour.
“What’s in the puncheon?” said he.
“Rum,” said one of the crew.
“Fetch it along this way then,” says he.
“Hush, hush,” said Mark to Darby Dulan, he hung his two daddlers right over his head. I said, “Hush, hush now, Mark me darling fella, keep your hands behind you’re back case someone come and later on you might get a chance to free us all.”
“Hush, hush,” said Darby Dulan, “I hear footsteps,” and just then, sir, the Captain’s head appeared in the companionway.
“How’re you now, me landlubbers,” said he.
“Fine sir,” said I.
“You’ll be no great spell that way then,” said he.
“That’s so much as you knows about it sir,” said I.
He said, “We’re going to scuttle your old hooker now.”
“Thank you kindly sir,” said I, and it wasn’t long before we heard them chopping, chopping, chopping and the gurgling sound told us our old hooker was gone to the bottom. Why we almost give up to despair.
But peeping on deck about one hour later we heard one hell of a ruckus up forward; and there they was, bailing the rum into ‘em. Yes my son, bailing it into ‘em. And I said, “Hold on now, boys, for about an hour or so.” So rushing on deck about three quarters of an hour later, each man seized an iron blaying pin and it wasn’t long before we had them Yankees bound hand and foot, they being too full of liquor to show much fight. And we placed some in her cabin, some more in her forecastle and, to their suprise, we placed a man at each companionway with a loaded musket which we found among the ship’s stores.
Now, we never had much trouble with them Yankees going down the shore as they being too securely bound. But owing to getting in the calm out there off Petty Harbour, we didn’t get into St. John’s until the next day and there we give our prize over to a British Man o’ War. And the Captain, being mighty pleased with us, give us four hundred and fifty pounds to be shared up among the crew, and fitted us up with a new hooker, and gave us new provisions, and started us all off for home again, ‘cause there they had us all give up for lost and sure and wasn’t we nearly, when we was captured and bound hand and foot and placed in the cabin of that Yankee Privateer.
Transcribed by Kelly Russell
Back to Pigeon Inlet