Tales of Whalers in the Civil War 367 



so, and that the rest of the crew showed signs of 

 demoralization, he reached for his bomb gun, and 

 calling all hands to witness that if compelled to 

 shoot the Kanaka, he was doing such an act 

 only in the common interest, he sat pointing the 

 gun with its awful charge at the mouthing, gesticu- 

 lating negro, trying meanwhile to ignore the pain 

 which was slowly deadening his left side from the 

 jaw to the waist. 



"And there in his loneliness and full acceptance 

 of responsibility sits the youth, Randall, feeling 

 face to face with death, . . . but fully determined 

 to die if he must man fashion, . . . until with 

 eyes that grow humid with gratitude he sees the 

 tender flush of dawn mantling the east, . . . and 

 lifting his voice in the long mellow 'Sail ho!' 

 brings all his men out of their slumbers into re- 

 joicing consciousness." 



With such a reputation as the spirit thus ex- 

 hibited could give him, Randall entered the Union 

 navy at the outbreak of the Civil War, secured 

 the rank of acting master, and was assigned to 

 the old sailing sloop-of-war Cumberland. He 

 was stationed in command of the after pivot gun. 



