HE RESORTS TO THE PEN 33 



what he might do in the future. He had begun then to 

 think seriously of resorting to the pen, and after his re- 

 turn home this notion "to take to books and be learned" 

 began to take more definite shape in his mind, though 

 he was greatly discouraged at his ignorance and confused 

 by the wilderness of subjects from which to choose. He 

 did not, however, wish to give the impression that he was 

 shirking active service ; so he made application on March 

 14, 1840 to Secretary of the Navy Paulding for any duty 

 which he could perform in his present condition, "service 

 on crutches" as he expressed it. This, of course, was 

 not granted him, and thus relieved temporarily from 

 active service, he began the writing of his "Scraps from 

 the Lucky Bag", a series of magazine articles which were 

 soon to make his name very widely known. 



In the summer of 1838, Maury had written five articles 

 for the Richmond Whig and Public Advertiser under the 

 nom de plume of "Harry Bluff, U. S. Navy". His feelings 

 were at that time raw over the outcome of the Exploring 

 Expedition, and in these fearless, straightforward articles 

 he bitterly criticised the former Secretary of the Navy 

 Dickerson for his inefficiency and called upon his suc- 

 cessor, Secretary Paulding, to restore to the navy its 

 former prestige. The appointment of Wilkes to com- 

 mand the expedition was handled without gloves. 

 "There was", wrote Maury, "a cunning little Jacob who 

 had campaigned in Washington a full term of seven 

 years. More prodigal than Laban, you (Secretary of 

 War, Joel R. Poinsett) gave him, for a single term, both 

 the Rachel and the Leah of his heart. A junior lieu- 

 tenant with scarcely enough service at sea to make him 

 familiar with the common routine of duty on board a 

 man-of-war, and with one or two short interruptions, a 



