THE VINCENNES, JR. 
257 
her as a sloop. She carried a twelve-pounder boat- 
howitzer on a pivot, one or two boxes of fixed ammuni- 
tion, a change of clothes for each man, and the regular 
Government-ration of beef and pork, bread, rice, whiskey, 
&c. for twenty-one days. Her crew numbered from fif- 
teen to twenty souls, all armed to the teeth and ready to 
go anywhere iu spite of any thing the Japanese might say 
or do; for these latter, with their usual annoying policy, 
had strongly objected to such a thing as a boat of light 
draught running into all the nooks and corners where a 
large vessel could not go, and it was therefore necessary 
to do it against their wishes. 
Of course we would not have persisted at the expense 
of life, but then we know well enough that the Japanese 
were like a large, savage, but quiescent dog : walk by 
him in a quiet, cool, unconcerned manner, and he will 
probably content himself with keeping his eye upon you ; 
whereas, if you hesitate in your advance, he will more 
than probably spring at your throat 
And thus it was with them and us. As soon as we 
stopped to show them the consideration of asking their 
consent to the most simple measure, they would begin to 
clear their throats and advance more difficulties than an 
ordinary man could think of in double the time ; and 
these difficulties were always so trivial, and the desire to 
bother and retard us so apparent, that we generally left 
them in anger and did what we had in view, without the 
slightest regard to them or their opposition. 
The launch was now dubbed the “Vincennes, Jr.,'' 
and put under the command of Acting Lieutenant John 
M. Brooke, of the Vincennes, Sen., who had associated 
17 
