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- 10524
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:36.274Z
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- 10490
- text
- about here and there, with strict orders not to budge an inch from
their stations, for fear of marring the Captain’s plans. Others were
distributed along the gun and berth-decks, with similar orders; and, to
crown all, several carronade guns were unshipped from their carriages,
and swung in their breechings from the beams of the main-deck, so as to
impart a sort of vibratory briskness and oscillating buoyancy to the
frigate.
And thus we five hundred make-weights stood out that whole night, some
of us exposed to a drenching rain, in order that the Neversink might
not be beaten. But the comfort and consolation of all make-weights is
as dust in the balance in the estimation of the rulers of our
man-of-war world.
The long, anxious night at last came to an end, and, with the first
peep of day, the look-out on the jib-boom was hailed; but nothing was
in sight. At last it was broad day; yet still not a bow was to be seen
in our rear, nor a stern in our van.
“Where are they?” cried the Captain.
“Out of sight, astern, to be sure, sir,” said the officer of the deck.
“Out of sight, _ahead_, to be sure, sir,” muttered Jack Chase, in the
top.
Precisely thus stood the question: whether we beat them, or whether
they beat us, no mortal can tell to this hour, since we never saw them
again; but for one, White-Jacket will lay his two hands on the bow
chasers of the Neversink, and take his ship’s oath that we Yankees
carried the day.
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