There was an old veteran coasting-captain named Allen, with whom I was well acquainted, who owned an old sloop, and by skill and courage had managed to keep her running between Kennebunk and Boston, during the war. At one time, when she lay upon our graving ways for some slight repairs, I saw that the oakum was hanging out of her seams throughout the bottom, and asked him if he was not going to have her calked. " Calked! no; I expect these British devils will take me, and then the calking bill will be a total loss. Besides, we calculate, to pump the whole Atlantic through her every trip." When he returned, he came round to tell us about his narrow escape, which I had already seen in the newspaper.
Said he: " I had just got out of the river, with a thundering deck load of boards and shingles. The wind was light, but blowing on shore, and it was rather thick; the sun had not yet burned up the fog, when, by George! the first thing I saw was the Boxer, not a musket shot from me. I up helm, eased off my main boom, and run back as fast as the old sloop would carry me. I run in round the point, let go my anchor, and lowered my mainsail. We had hardly got the sail stowed, when we saw a boat pulling in round the point. 1 knew it was the Boxer's boat, and that she way after in >, and that there was no time to lose.
I had four good men and a boy with me, and I had four good muskets. We got them up and loaded in a jiffy. We then piled up a tier of shingles on each side the quarter-deck. The four men lay down flat upon the boards, with their muskets pointed at the boat. There were six men and an officer in her, and when she had got near enough to hear me, 1 stood on the taffrail, and told "them ' in the name of the Commonwealth to keep off.' The officer sung out, ' Shut up, you old Jonathan.' <; I stepped down, told the boys to get good aim and fire! They fired and popped off three of them.
We loaded again, stepped on to the shingles, pointed our guns at them. The officer sung out, ' We have surrendered.'. " I then ordered him to come along-side instantly, or I would shoot every one of them. They pulled up along-side. I ordered him to*pass UP uis muskets, breech first, and then come aboard. When he got on deck, I said to him, ' What do you mean, you puppy, by calling me a Jonathan? if you wasn't a prisoner, I'd seize you up to the rigging, and take the dust out of your jacket. Come, unbuckle that sword; it is just what I want to cut brush with.' " We hauled the dead bodies out of the boat, hove up our anchor, and went up the liver.
We had no hand-cuffs on board, so we tied the prisoners*back to back, but treated them kindly. We expected the brig after us every minute, but we had got into a nook where she could not hurt us, and in the afternoon we buried the dead, and put the prisoners on board the revenue cutter, and the next news we heard was, that the Boxer had been taken by the U. S. brig Enterprize, after a sharp action of about thirty minutes. The Boxer had her colors nailed to the mast head, and when she was nearly cut to pieces by the shot from the Enterprize, they sung out for quarters, saying ' their colors were nailed, and could not be hauled down?
" This story of Capfc. Allen may bo relied on as strictly true. July 16, 1814, I was twenty-one years of age. My master, according to the custom, gave me a freedom collation, and endorsed my indentures, certifying that I had been an honest and faithful apprentice. Tiiis I found to he of much benefit in many positions in which I was subsequently placed. As there was not much business doing in Boston at this time, I concluded to try my luck in New York; and on arriving there was much surprised at the contrast between the two places. While Boston was still and silent as the Sabbath, New York was all bustle and life. Privateers were fitting out from nearly all the principal wharves; recruiting parties drumming through the streets, and the whole city seemed to be one continuous scene of activity.
I found employment immediately, on the steam frigate Fulton, at A. & N. Brown's yard, on Manhattan Island. She had just been raised, and was now nearly ready for planking. Robert Fulton, Esq., had made a contract with the U. S. government to construct and deliver the steam battery, at a given time, with a guaranty as to her speed and draught of water. Her length I think was 175 feet; breadth, 60; her form or side-line was oval; her bottom below the lower deck was in two parts, to admit the wheel amidships, in order that it might be protected from the enemy's shot. Her sides above water were five feet through, timbered and bolted in such a manner as to make her shot-proof.