登陆注册
15327100000022

第22章 YANKEE VIKINGS AND NEW TRADE ROUTES(4)

"He kept his men at the guns, and when the ship swung her broadside so as to bear upon any of the Spanish ships, he kept up a fire at them.In this situation the brave fellow continued to lie for three-quarters of an hour before he got his topsails sheeted home.The action continued in this manner for near an hour and a half.He succeeded in getting the ship to sea, however, in defiance of all the force that could be brought against him.The ship was very much cut to pieces in sails, rigging, and hull; and a considerable number of men were killed and wounded on board.

"Hudson kept flying from one part of the deck to the other during the whole time of action, encouraging and threatening the men as occasion required.He kept a musket in his hand most part of the time, firing when he could find the leisure.Some of the men came aft and begged him to give up the ship, telling him they should all be killed--that the carpenter had all one side of him shot away--that one man was cut in halves with a double-headed shot as he was going aloft to loose the foretopsail and the body had fallen on deck in two separate parts--that such a man was killed at his duty on the forecastle, and one more had been killed in the maintop--that Sam, Jim, Jack, and Tom were wounded and that they would do nothing more towards getting the ship out of the harbor.

"His reply to them was, "then you shall be sure to die, for if they do not kill you I will, so sure as you persist in any such cowardly resolution," saying at the same time, 'OUT SHE GOES, ORDOWN SHE GOES.'"

By this resolute and determined conduct he kept the men to their duty and succeeded in accomplishing one of the most daring enterprises perhaps ever attempted.

An immortal phrase, this simple dictum of first mate Hudson of the Betsy, "Out she goes, or down she goes," and not unworthy of being mentioned in the same breath with Farragut's "Damn the torpedoes."Joined by his brother Samuel in the schooner Pilgrim, which was used as a tender in the sealing trade, Amasa Delano frequented unfamiliar beaches until he had taken his toll of skins and was ready to bear away for Canton to sell them.There were many Yankee ships after seals in those early days, enduring more peril and privation than the whalemen, roving over the South Pacific among the rock-bound islands unknown to the merchant navigator.

The men sailed wholly on shares, a seaman receiving one per cent of the catch and the captain ten per cent, and they slaughtered the seal by the million, driving them from the most favored haunts within a few years.For instance, American ships first visited Mas a Fuera in 1797, and Captain Delano estimated that during the seven years following three million skins were taken to China from this island alone.He found as many as fourteen vessels there at one time, and he himself carried away one hundred thousand skins.It was a gold mine for profit while it lasted.

There were three Delano brothers afloat in two vessels, and of their wanderings Amasa set down this epitome: "Almost the whole of our connections who were left behind had need of our assistance, and to look forward it was no more than a reasonable calculation to make that our absence would not be less than three years...together with the extraordinary uncertainty of the issue of the voyage, as we had nothing but our hands to depend upon to obtain a cargo which was only to be done through storms, dangers, and breakers, and taken from barren rocks in distant regions.But after a voyage of four years for one vessel and five for the other, we were all permitted to return safe home to our friends and not quite empty-handed.We had built both of the vessels we were in and navigated them two and three times around the globe." Each one of the brothers had been a master builder and rigger and a navigator of ships in every part of the world.

By far the most important voyage undertaken by American merchantmen during the decade of brilliant achievement following the Revolution was that of Captain Robert Gray in the Columbia, which was the first ship to visit and explore the northwest coast and to lead the way for such adventurers as Richard Cleveland and Amasa Delano.On his second voyage in 1792, Captain Gray discovered the great river he christened Columbia and so gave to the United States its valid title to that vast territory which Lewis and Clark were to find after toiling over the mountains thirteen years later.

同类推荐
  • 游云际寺

    游云际寺

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 太上老君清静心经

    太上老君清静心经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 落花

    落花

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 二程粹言

    二程粹言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 保德州志

    保德州志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 超级存取师

    超级存取师

    楚飞手里的银行卡突然变成一张黑卡,系统提示,他成为了可以在天地各界任意存取的超级存取师!一套普通的衣服就能换取神仙穿的仙衣?一把普通的枪支就能换取修真者修炼百年的法术和灵器?一辆普通的汽车竟可以换取魔兽妖兽来帮忙?望着手里的黑卡,楚飞忍不住大笑道:“真是一卡在手,天下我有啊!”
  • 最后微笑

    最后微笑

    本作为“探险家们”系列作品的第一部,又名“直到最后的微笑”。十年的原生幻想,写下千万字的言情与冒险故事,愿这部作品,可以带给你热血的人生,走进一个充满着爱与魔法的神秘世界!
  • 甜宠99次:国民校草说爱我

    甜宠99次:国民校草说爱我

    新文《恶魔校草:小萝莉,请指教》已发~~~不过就是去超市买个东西,就被一个恶劣男夺走了她的初吻。新学期遇上他不仅被迫签下不平等条约,甚至还让她成为全校女生的公敌。不但如此,他还摇身一变变成了她的未婚夫,被邀住进她家,美其名曰培养感情?!******“蠢安,水水水!”“蠢安,饭饭饭!”“蠢安,蠢安,蠢安……”做牛做马被嫌弃,还天天被叫蠢安。终于有一天某安忍无可忍,约某男出来单挑。胜者为王,败者…我败吃糖,你败吃翔!
  • 如果没有你我会不会更好

    如果没有你我会不会更好

    如果如果如果...我们总是重复这这两个字,可是我们都知道这世上没有如果,只有后果和结果......
  • 废柴逆天:草包三小姐

    废柴逆天:草包三小姐

    她,21世纪的顶级杀手、天才医师;她控制着人的生死存亡,她若想让你活,那你便死不了;若想让你死,你便不会多活一秒。可她却遭人背叛,穿越成为叶家最无用的废柴三小姐。而他,是帝国的绝世天才,冷酷无情,霸道邪魅,腹黑狡诈,天赋异禀,实力深不可测,容貌更是宛若九天之上的神邸。世人皆知她是草包废柴,无法修炼,任意欺辱。只有他不欺反帮,还爱上了她。当世人说他愚昧,看上一个废物时;而她却不再是草包废柴,摇身一变,成了绝世天才…………
  • 极限美漫

    极限美漫

    生与死在天秤上平等交换,厉锋手上逝去更多的生命,他就拥有更强的力量!他将一次又一次向这个世界的极限发起挑战,直至将命运掌握在手里!厉锋:征服所有敌人,占有他们的能力!书友群:486538288,欢迎大家!
  • 魔剑正道之寒雪草

    魔剑正道之寒雪草

    “极寒之地,不是想进来就能进得来,想出去就出得去的!”“日后出去,六界知道是你放我出来的,想想后果会怎样?”“大仙你带我出去吧,日后的事日后再说,我相信正道,我相信我自己,我相信你。”小精灵如此的坚定,近乎在乞求!看他的面容是如此的真挚而渴望自由!……浮云台,玄铁链,斩仙刀…六界没有仁慈,没有怜悯,对了就是对了,错了就是错了!放下屠刀,抛开执念,简简单单才是快乐!正如白山极寒之地,以玉为床,以雪为被,没有争夺,也没有杀戮!
  • 紫金藤

    紫金藤

    紫意苍茫始东升金石玉璧相映成腾延万载千秋客一脉相承固始终杯酒鼎溢珍馐错酸甜交互意正浓梅子酒低千骨坐汤苦若消甘自丰
  • exo之都是初恋惹的祸

    exo之都是初恋惹的祸

    章子熙,一个单纯活泼开朗的女孩。自从在高中的一次庆祝活动上看了一个男孩子跳舞后。便喜欢上了他,她向他表白,结果,被拒绝了。她没有放弃!通过努力她终于和他考上了同一所大学(不知哪来的缘分,分到了一个班里!)爸爸为了方便他上学,跟朋友买了一小块地,建了意见房子。房子由于太过“牢固”,被小小的地震震垮了。她以为要和父亲流浪街头了。可是就在这时,父亲的一位大学好友得知后慷慨的让她在家里暂住,她怎么也想不到,和蔼可亲的阿江叔叔尽然是他的爸爸!太巧了!哪来的缘分啊!就在她还未从开心的心情里走出来时,有个女生出现了,她一直在让男主靠近他。最后男女主角到底会怎样呢?
  • 亡心仙记

    亡心仙记

    苏祁若突然发觉自己失忆了,除了自己的名字,自己竟然什么也不记得了!师尊?三人行必有我师,再找一个得了!宗门?道法无常,变化三千,哪个山头不是拜!男人?前尘已尽,往事随风,再骗一个得了!等等!我之前是骗了许多男人还是一个男人?如果是后者……这番得补回来才行!漫漫长夜,找人暖被窝去喽!