Adventure with a Privateer. 25 



Rattlesnake kept us under her lee, and almost within 

 pistol-shot for a day and a night, ransacking the ship for 

 money, of which we had a great deal in the run under the 

 ballast, which they partially removed, but did not go deep 

 enough to reach the treasure. The gold belonging to 

 Rosier and myself I put away in a woolen stocking under 

 the ship's cable in the bows of the ship, where it remain- 

 ed safe until the privateers had departed. Arriving 

 within thirty miles of Sandy Hook, a fishing-smack was 

 spoken, which reported that two British frigates lay off the 

 entrance, and had fired on an American ship ; that they 

 were impressing American seamen, and that, in fact, they 

 were even more dangerous to meet than the pirates who 

 sailed under " a letter of marque." The captain, warned 

 of one danger, ran into another. He took his vessel 

 through Long Island Sound, and ran it upon a spit in a 

 gale. But finally floated it off, and reached New York 

 in safety. 



From the introductory address in the first volume of 

 Audubon's 'Ornithological Biography,' published at Ed- 

 inburgh, in 1834, many passages may be cited as an 

 exposition of the high aspirations which stimulated the 

 young naturalist to his task. These passages may be di- 

 vided into scientific and artistic. Belonging to the first 

 category are constant references to that thirst for accu- 

 rate and complete knowledge regarding wild animals, and 

 especially birds, their habits, forms, nests, eggs, progeny, 

 places of breeding, and all that concerned them. But, 

 after all, Audubon was not at heart a man of science. 

 He gathered much, and speculated little, and was more a 

 backwoodsman than a philosopher. In his rough great 

 way he did good service, but his great physical energy, 

 not his mental resources, was the secret of his success. 



His crude artistic instincts inspired him with the desire 

 to represent, by the aid of pencil, crayon, or paint, the 

 2 



