Ruschenberger.] ^O [May 15, 



little sail, but we still suspected her of foul intentions. The night was 

 dark, but she kept close to us and always in sight. In the morning, being 

 off our weather quarter, within gunshot, she ran up a Spanish flag and 

 fired a gun to bring us to. When close to us she backed her topsails, 

 hauled down the Spanish and ran up the Patriot colors, at the same time 

 opened all her weather ports, ran out her guns and brought her whole 

 broadside of eight guns to bear upon us. The star-spangled banner 

 floated over our quarterdeck. 



"We now thought ourselves in a rather unpleasant situation. Although 

 no declared enemy, still the many outrages and piracies under what was 

 called the Patriot flag made us fear we might not fare better than others 

 under similar circumstances. 



* ' Her boat, rowed by a set of cutthroat-looking fellows, came along- 

 side. The officer, apparently of inferior rank, wore a belt full of pistols 

 and daggers. He was without a coat and barefooted. A renegade 

 American attended him as interpreter. Having noted the ship's name, 

 the latitude and longitude, etc., this accomplished officer directed his 

 attention to our breakfast table, at which we had just intended to sit 

 down. After refreshing himself and companions, the work of plunder 

 began. They robbed us of many barrels of beef, pork, bread, butter, tea, 

 silk, canvas, iron kettles, live stock, etc. The villains seemed to think 

 themselves as fairly entitled to what they took as if they were purchasers. 

 Whenever they came across anything they fancied, they said with all 

 effrontery imaginable, ' Half for us and half for you,' adding from time to 

 time, by way of consolation, ' We don't want to do you any harm.' 



"They stated that they had a great deal of sickness on their ship and 

 were throwing men overboard every day. They tried to induce me to 

 join tliem, offering any rate of wages I might ask. They had a surgeon, 

 but he was so indifferent that if in my way they would throw him over- 

 board, and so get rid of him. His pay was a hundred dollars a month, 

 but they would allow me any price I asked. Having consulted among 

 themselves aside, they said that they had agreed not to force me to go 

 with them against my will, although they were so much in want of medi- 

 cal assistance. According to their account the prevailing diseases on 

 board were scurvy, dysentery, fever and ague, which had reduced what 

 remained of the crew to a deplorable condition. Receiving a decidedly 

 negative answer from me to their invitation, they next demanded a supply 

 of medicines. I gave them some of a common kind, such as I thought 

 might be useful to the wretches. The suspicious rascally officer took 

 some of each one on the point of a dagger and thrust it into my mouth, 

 watching me intently all the while, not satisfied till he had seen it on my 

 tongue. This experience reminded me of a ludicrous scene in the 

 "Honeymoon," where the doctor is forced to take his own medicine or 

 be thrown out of the window. 



"Though they robbed us in this unwarrantable manner, we were not 

 treated as badly as we had expected. A strong breeze sprang up which 



