With the utmost suavity I
inquired, "What ship is this?" "Who are you?" he blurted out. "What ship
is this, captain?" I repeated. "I sha'n't tell you," was the polite
reply. "Captain, what vessel is this?" "Are you a man-of-war?" asked he.
"Of course we are," replied I. "Who are you?" queried he.
With the greatest distinctness possible, and with the utmost sternness,
I said, "We are--we are the United States steamer Iroquois, Captain
Palmer, on a cruise; and now, having told you this, I have something
more to tell you--namely, that I am come on board to ask questions, not
to answer them; further, I have asked you three times who you are, and
have not yet received an answer. So just step down into the cabin, and
produce the ship's papers."
With a very ill grace he descended into the cabin, I following, and I
had just removed my cap when he roared out, "Who are you? Are you
English? Say you are an English man-of-war, and I will let you look at
my papers." Said I, "Captain, either you are crazy or else you think I
am. Here we fire a gun, and any man with a grain of sense would have
understood that it was meant for a ship to heave to, more especially
when a nation is at war. You are told to heave to, are boarded, and
asked a question. Instead of replying, you ask, perfectly savagely, 'Who
are you?' I tell you we are the United States ship Iroquois, and then
you ask, 'Are you English? Tell me you are an English man-of-war!' It's
absurd, I tell you.
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