Chapter 36:
- The Physiognomy of ships -- capture of the Lafayette-decree of the Admiralty Court on board the Alabama in her case, and in that of the Lauretta-the criticisms of the New York press -- farther proof of the rotary nature of the wind -- the Lauretta captured -- the Crenshaw captured -- the New York Chamber of commerce cries aloud in pain -- capture of the Baron de Castine, and the Levi Starbuck -- capture of the T. B. Wales -- lady prisoners.
The day after the gale recorded in the last chapter, we set all hands at work repairing damages—the carpenters fishing, and the boatswain and his gang refitting the broken main-yard; the gunners putting their battery in order, the sailmaker repairing sails, and the old signal-quartermaster ‘breaking out’ his signal-lockers, which had been invaded by the sea-water, and airing his flags. The latter was enabled, by this time, to make quite a display of Yankee flags, from his signalhalliards—the Alabama having captured seventeen ships in six weeks. As the Yankee ships now began to wear, out of pure patriotism, (though they were out of the war, and profitably chasing the honest penny,) the biggest sort of ‘flaunting lies,’ there were several bagsful of these flags. We began now to overhaul sails again. From the 16th to the 20th of October, we chased and boarded nine, all of which were neutral! We were, in fact, in an American sea—the Gulf Stream being the thoroughfare of American and West Indian commerce to Europe—and yet the American flag was beginning
