boy to undertake, and Farragut's joy and pride fairly oozed from every
inch of his alert figure, beamed from every feature of his face. The
old captain of the ship, in none too good a humour at having been
captured by the Americans, was still more angry at being obliged to
take orders from a mere child, and tried to ignore him, but as Farragut
paid no heed to his snubs, he tried a different method. When Farragut
gave orders that "the maintop-sail be filled away," the captain
answered that he would shoot any man who dared to touch a rope without
his orders, and then went below to get his pistols. There wasn't a
moment to lose. Instantly Farragut called one of his men, and told him
what had happened and what he wanted done, and his frank manner and
words accomplished what no amount of commands would have done.
"Aye, aye, sir!" answered the faithful seaman, and at once prepared to
obey the order, while Farragut sent down word to the rebellious captain
not to come on deck with a pistol if he did not wish to go overboard.
There was no question from that moment as to who was master of the
vessel, while the boy was greatly admired for his bravery which had
been equal to such an emergency, and the vessel was brought safely into
port by the young commander, who then went back to the _Essex_, proud
in the fact of having accomplished the task assigned him.
On his return, Captain Porter had decided to go at once to some islands
far out in the Pacific, where he could refit the _Essex_, and so they
sailed in that direction, and when near the islands they were sighted
by some of the natives who paddled out in a canoe to meet them, and
eagerly invited the sailors ashore, promising them fruit and other
provisions. The natives were indeed a strange sight to the eyes of the
American boys, for their bodies were heavily tattooed, and gaily
ornamented with feathers in true barbaric fashion, but they were very
friendly and during the six weeks while the ship was being refitted,
although the American sailors were given lessons daily by the chaplain
of the _Essex_, when the lesson was over, they were allowed to mingle
freely with the islanders, and Farragut learned many new things from
them, things which were afterwards invaluable to him. To the islanders,
swimming was as natural and as easy as walking, and although David
never became as proficient in this as his new friends, still he learned
to swim easily and fast, and too, they taught him how to walk on
stilts, and how to use a spear with skill and ease, and in such sports
and occupations, time passed quickly and the Americans were most
regretful when the day came for them to say farewell to their island
friends. But the _Essex_ was ready to sail for Valparaiso, so off they
went and when they sailed away, young Farragut was almost as much
developed in muscle, and as bronzed by the sun and wind, as were the
friends he left behind him on that island to which he always looked
back as an enchanted land.
Two months later when the _Essex_ was lying quietly at anchor in the
harbour of Valparaiso, and many of her crew happened to be on shore,
two English war vessels bore swiftly down upon the _Essex_ in a very
menacing way, and Captain Porter was afraid they would attack him,
which they had no right to do, for Chili was not at war with either
England or America, and so an American vessel should have been safe
within that port.
One of these English vessels was a frigate called _The Phoebe_ and the
other a sloop named _The Cherub_. The _Phoebe_ passed within fifteen
feet of the _Essex_, when Captain Porter, who was standing on deck,
hailed her, saying:
"If you touch a single yardarm I shall board you instantly!"
The _Phoebe_ passed by without a reply and then both English vessels
anchored at the entrance of the harbour, by doing which they kept the
_Essex_ a prisoner. In this position the vessels remained for several
weeks, when there was a tremendous gale, in which the cables of the
_Essex_ gave way, and she at once began to drift towards the English
ships. Captain Porter decided that this was his chance to escape, and
setting all sail he made for the open sea.
Suddenly something snapped. Down crashed the main topmast, carrying
sails, rigging and even some of the crew into the water. In such a
crippled condition escape was impossible, and the _Essex_ was driven
back again to shore, where she was brought to anchor within pistol shot
of the beach.
The _Essex_ had only four guns that could shoot as far as the cannon of
the English. The _Phoebe_ and the _Cherub_ took a position out of range
of almost all of the guns of the _Essex_, and then poured broadside
after broadside into the unfortunate American.
For two hours and a half the battle raged, the _Phoebe_ throwing seven
hundred eighteen-pound shots at the _Essex_. Captain Porter and his
crew fought bravely until one hundred and twenty-four of their men had
been killed or wounded, and during all this terrible battle, the first
which David Farragut had ever seen, there was no braver officer on the
ship than the little midshipman, who hurried here and there, carrying
messages for the captain, bringing powder for the guns, and helping
wherever he was needed. Years later in discussing this scene, Farragut
said:
"I shall never forget the horrid impression made upon me at the sight
of the first man I had ever seen killed. It staggered me at first, but
they soon began to fall so fast that it all appeared like a dream, and
produced no effect on my nerves.... Some gun-primers were wanted and I
was sent after them. In going below, while I was on the ward-room
ladder, the Captain of the gun directly opposite the hatchway was
struck full in the face by an eighteen pound shot, and fell back on me.
We tumbled down the hatch together. I lay for some moments stunned by
the blow, but soon recovered consciousness enough to rush up on deck.
The Captain seeing me covered with blood, asked if I were wounded, to
which I replied, 'I believe not, sir.'
"'Then,' said he, 'where are the primers?' This brought me to my senses
and I ran below again and brought up the primers."
When Captain Porter had been forced lo surrender, the wounded men were
carried to shore, and young Farragut volunteered his services to help
the surgeons, and worked tirelessly, rolling bandages and waiting on
the injured men, whose admiration he won by his devoted service; and so
pleased was Captain Porter with his bravery throughout the whole
battle, that he mentioned it in his official despatches to the
government. Farragut himself in speaking of the battle later said:
"I never earned Uncle Sam's money so faithfully."
All of the American prisoners of war were put on board an unarmed
vessel, and made to promise that they would not take up arms against
the English until they had been exchanged for an equal number of
English prisoners, after giving which promise the _Essex_ was allowed
to sail for the United States. When Farragut, the plucky little
midshipman was taken on board the prison-ship, tears of mortification
rolled down his cheeks.
"Never mind, my little fellow," said the Captain, "perhaps it will be
your turn next."
"I hope so," was David's answer and his tears turned into a smile as he
saw "Murphy" his pet pig being brought on board, and at once rushed to
claim him, but the English sailors refused to allow that it was his,
saying:
"You are a prisoner and your pig too."
"We always respect private property," answered David, seizing hold of
the sailors, and of Murphy, with unyielding determination, and after a
vigorous tussle he won his beloved pig.
Now prisoners of war, the Captain and crew of the _Essex_ arrived in
the harbour of New York on July 7th, 1814, and young Farragut, while
waiting to be exchanged, went to Captain Porter's home at Chester, Pa.,
and while there was under the tuition of a Mr. Neif, a quaint
instructor who had been one of Napoleon's celebrated Guards. He gave
the boys in his care no lessons from books, but taught them about
plants and animals and how to climb, taking long walks with them and
giving them military drills as well, all of which Farragut enjoyed.
In the following November, the English and Americans, having made an
exchange of prisoners, Farragut was free to return to the navy, but as
a treaty of peace was made only a few weeks later between the Americans
and English, he did not have to serve against the latter again, and
during the next two years he made only one short uneventful cruise,
being quartered the rest of the time on a receiving ship, or a vessel
stationed at the navy yards, where recruits are received into the
service.
But in the Spring of 1816, he went on a cruise which proved most
interesting, on the _Washington_, a beautiful new ship carrying
seventy-four guns, which was to take the American minister to Naples.
Before leaving for the cruise, the President of the United States,
James Madison, visited the _Washington_, and among his suite was
Captain Porter, then a naval commissioner, who had come to say good-bye
to the boy whom he loved devotedly.
Farragut was sad to say good-bye, but full too of the desire for change
and adventure, and the new trip was a great experience for him.
The _Washington_ cruised all summer in the Mediterranean, stopping at
many places, which gave Farragut an opportunity to study geography in
the finest way possible. The great volcano Vesuvius was in eruption
when he visited it, which was an experience he never forgot, and
another of a very different kind was when the King of Naples and the
Emperor of Austria visited the _Washington_ and were entertained with
great display and elegance. After stopping at the coast towns of Tunis,
Tripoli and Algiers, the _Washington_ finally put up for the winter in
a Spanish harbour, and then, as during the entire cruise, the boys were
taught by the ship's chaplain, Mr. Folsom, who was so devoted to David
that when in the fall of 1817 he was appointed consul to Tunis, he
wrote to the Captain of the _Washington_ asking permission to take the
boy with him, because, he said to the commodore "he is entirely
destitute of the aids of fortune and the influence of friends, other
than those whom his character may attach to him," and the request was
granted.
Farragut spent nine delightful and valuable months with his old friend,
who gave the boy every opportunity, not only for study, but to gain
such polish and worldly experience as he would need in later life and
David eagerly profited by every advantage given him. Then the Danish
consul, who was also an admirer of the bright sturdy boy, invited him
to visit him. Farragut was now sixteen years old, and it was at that
time that the first real hardship of his life came to him, when as the
result of a sunstroke, his eyes were weakened, and never entirely
recovered.
Soon it was time for him to go on duty on the _Washington_ again, and
Mr. Folsom, tearful with regret at being obliged to part from the boy,
took him in his arms and gave him his blessing and their paths in life
parted, although forty years later, when Farragut had become a famous
Admiral he sent a token of respect and love to Mr. Folsom, showing that
he had never forgotten his old friend.
When Farragut was eighteen years old, he was called to America to take
his examination for a lieutenancy, which he took and passed
successfully, but as there was no vacancy just then in the navy, he was
obliged to wait, and although he spent the time happily with the
Porters in their Virginia home, he was glad indeed when the chance came
to cruise again, for he was a thorough sailor, and the love of the sea
ran hot in his veins.
For years both the American and English had been waging war against
bands of pirates who infested the coast of the West Indies. These
robbers had small fast ships, and would attack unarmed merchantmen,
seize all the valuables they could carry away or destroy, and sometimes
kill the crew or put them ashore on some desert island. Ever since
peace with England had been declared, Captain Porter had been a
commissioner of the navy, and made no sea voyages, but now he offered
to resign this position and attempt to drive the pirates away, only
demanding that the government should give him a fleet of small vessels
which could follow the pirates into their retreats.
The government accepted his offer, and gave him orders to fit out such
a fleet as he chose, and he bought eight small schooners, similar to
those used by the pirates, and also five large row-boats or barges,
which were called the "mosquito fleet" and Farragut was assigned to one
of the vessels named the _Greyhound_, and in command of it he had many
exciting encounters with the pirates. At one time when off the Southern
coast of Cuba, some of the _Greyhound's_ crew who had gone ashore to
hunt game, were fired on by the pirates, and returned this fire without
effect, then went back to their ship. Farragut was ordered to take a
party of men to capture the pirates, and at three o'clock the next
morning, they set out in the barges, and after landing on the island,
had no easy time to find the pirate camp, as they had to cut their way
through thickets of trailing vines, thorny bushes and cactus plants and
in such intense heat that some of the men fainted from exhaustion. They
found the camp, but their prey had fled! Evidently the approaching
vessels had been seen, and the pirates were gone. The sailors at once
searched their camp, which was protected by several cannon, and there
they found some houses a hundred feet long, and also an immense cave
filled with all kinds of goods taken from plundered vessels.
The sailors burned the houses, and carried off the plunder and the
cannon to their boats, while David carried away a monkey as his prize.
Just as the men were returning to their boats, they heard a great noise
behind them, and thought surely that the pirates had come back to
attack them, and Farragut stood still and made a speech to the sailors,
urging them to fight bravely and to stand their ground like men.
Imagine their surprise and amusement when they found their foes were
not pirates, but thousands of land-crabs scurrying through the briars!
This was only one of the incidents that young Farragut had while on his
first cruise as acting lieutenant. During the entire cruise to the West
Indies, the American sailors suffered much from yellow fever and from
exposure, and in alluding to the voyage in after days, Farragut said:
"I never owned a bed during my cruise in the West Indies, but laid me
down to rest wherever I found the most comfortable berth."
The pirates were finally driven from the seas, their boats burned or
captured, and their camps entirely destroyed, and Farragut's first and
most exciting cruise as a youthful commander came to an end. The
honours which were his at a later day were such as come to the man of
years of training and experience, but from the day when the little
midshipman stood on the deck of the _Essex_ beside Captain Porter as
she sailed down the Delaware river, to the time when he stood in the
proud glory of his title, the first admiral of America, his is the
story of a man who won his fame by a never varying attention to detail,
a never ending effort for self-improvement, and a never relaxed
adherence to duty.
All honour to Midshipman Farragut--the Admiral-to-be!
MOZART:
The Boy Musician
Johannes Chrysostemus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart--what a burden to be
put upon a baby's tiny shoulders!
If there is any truth underlying the belief that a name can in some
measure foreshadow a child's future, then surely Wolfgang Mozart, who
was born in Salzburg in 1756, came honestly by his heritage of
greatness, for when he was only a day old he received the five-part
name, to which was later added his confirmation name of Sigismundus.
But as soon as he could choose for himself, the little son of Marianne
and Leopold Mozart from his store of names, selected Wolfgang, to which
he added Amadeus, by which combination he was always known, and the
name is for ever linked with the memory of a great genius.
Almost before he could talk plainly the little fellow showed himself to
be a musical prodigy, and when he was scarcely three years old he would
steal into the room where his father was giving a lesson on the
harpsichord to Anna (or "Nannerl," as she was called), the sister five
years older than himself, and while she was being taught, Wolfgang
would listen and watch with breathless attention.
One day when the lesson was over, he begged his father to teach him
too, but Leopold Mozart only laughed as he answered, glancing down into
the child's serious face looking so intently into his:
"Wait, my little man, thou art but a baby yet. Wait awhile, my Wolferl!"
and the disappointed little musician crept away, but as soon as Nannerl
and his father had left the room, the tiny fellow crept back again,
went to the harpsichord and standing on tiptoe, touched the keys with
his chubby fingers stretched wide apart until he reached and played _a
perfect chord_! Leopold Mozart was in another part of the house, but
his sensitive ear caught the sound, and he rushed back to find his baby
on tiptoe before the harpsichord, giving the first hint of his
marvellous ability.
At once the proud and excited father began to give him lessons, and
always, too, from that day, whenever Nannerl had her lesson, Wolfgang
perched on his father's knee, and listened with rapt absorption, and
often when the lesson was over, he would repeat what she had played in
exact imitation of her manner of playing.
Leopold Mozart, who was himself a talented musician, saw with pride
almost beyond expression, that both of his children inherited his
musical ability, and soon felt that Wolfgang was a genius. When the boy
was only four, his father, to test his powers, tried to teach him some
minuets which to his perfect astonishment, Wolfgang played after him in
a most extraordinary manner, not merely striking the notes correctly,
but marking the rhythm with accurate expression, and to learn and play
each minuet the little fellow required only half an hour.
When he was five years old, one day his father entered the sitting-room
of their home and found Wolfgang bending over a table, writing so
busily that he did not hear his father enter, or see that he was
standing beside him. Wolfgang's chubby little hand held the pen
awkwardly, but held it with firm determination while it travelled back
and forth across a large sheet of paper on which he was scribbling a
strange collection of hieroglyphics, with here and there a huge blot,
testifying to his haste and inexperience in the use of ink.
What was he trying to do? His father's curiosity finally overcame him
and he asked:
"What are you doing, Wolfgang?" The curly head was raised with an
impatient gesture.
"I am composing a concerto for the harpsichord. I have nearly finished
the first part."
"Let me see it."
"No, please, I have not yet finished."
But even as he spoke, the eager father had taken up the paper and
carried it over to where a friend stood, and they looked it over
together, exchanging amused glances at the queer characters on it.
Presently Leopold Mozart, after looking carefully at it, said:
"Why it really seems to be composed by rule! But it is so difficult
that no one could ever play it."
"Oh, yes, they could, but it must be studied first," exclaimed little
Wolfgang eagerly, and running to the harpsichord, he added:
"See, this is the way it begins," and he was able to play enough of it,
to show what his idea in writing it had been, and his father and the
friend who had before exchanged glances of amusement, now looked at
each other with wonder not untouched with awe.
In the Mozart collection at Salzburg, there is still preserved a music
book in which those early pieces written by little Wolfgang were
written down by his father, and also the minuets he learned, and in the
book his father wrote after them:
"The preceding minuets were learnt by Wolfgang in his fourth year," and
further on we find the record:
"This minuet and trio Wolfgang learned in half an hour on the 26th day
of January, 1761, the day before his fifth birthday, at half-past nine
at night."
In his first composition the sense of perfect form is felt to a
remarkable degree, and the little book in which it was written down,
not only accompanied the family on their travels, but in it Wolfgang
also wrote down his first sonatas, published in 1763.
When he was not much over five years old, Wolfgang was chosen to take
the part of chorister in a Latin comedy which was given at the close of
the school year of the Salzburg Gymnasium, and among the one hundred
and fifty young people who took part in the entertainment one can
picture the charming little musical fellow as the great feature of the
occasion, and many stories were told at that time of his marvellous
sense of sound, and the ease with which he overcame every technical
difficulty. Meanwhile he learned to play on the violin, and could tell,
it is said, when one violin was an eighth of a tone lower than another.
Even games, to be interesting to him, had to be accompanied by music,
and a family friend in writing of him says: "If he and I carried
playthings from one room to another, the one who went empty-handed must
sing, and play a march on the violin as he walked."
On an evening when a number of violinists were gathered in the Mozart
home to play together, Wolfgang, who had recently been learning to play
the violin, begged to play with them. His father refused to let him,
and told him to run away, but the second violinist called him back,
saying:
"Never mind, little man; wipe away those tears and stand by me." So
close beside him stood the little chap, and presently all were
surprised to hear a clear, clean-cut tone coming from the child's
violin. His touch was so exquisite, his interpretation so masterly,
that presently the second violinist laid down his instrument and
listened breathlessly, while Wolfgang played on and on, forgetful of
everything but the magic spell of the music, and as his father
listened, his heart throbbed with pride and joy, and tears rolled down
his face, as he exclaimed:
"Little music-king thou art, my Wolferl, and thou shalt reign over us
all!"
From that moment it was plain that Wolfgang Mozart was a musical
prodigy, and as little Nannerl, too, had great talent, the proud father
now determined to show them to a world which was ever eager to applaud
such genius, and in 1762 he made his first experiment of taking the
children on a concert tour. This was so successful that before Wolfgang
was eight years old and Nannerl twelve, they had appeared at the Courts
of Vienna, Paris, Munich and London, and everywhere Wolfgang made
friends with rich and poor alike, his personality was so full of charm
and simple dignity.
Once, during their travels, being detained by a heavy shower at Ypps,
they took refuge in a monastery. The monks were at supper and did not
know of the arrival of any stranger, until suddenly from the chapel
came wonderful music, music grave and gay, sad, sweet, thrilling, and
marvellous in its appeal to hearts and souls. The Fathers were
frightened, not knowing who could have entered their sanctuary,
thinking it must be a spirit, when at last a light was brought, and
creeping into the chapel, they discovered little Wolfgang at the organ,
not a vision, but just a mortal boy. The Fathers were overcome with
amazement and lavished all possible courtesies on the wonderful little
musician and his family while they remained.
On entering Vienna, at the Custom House, Wolfgang, after a brief chat
with the official there, took out his violin, and played to the
official, who was so delighted with the boy and his music, that the
family had no trouble with examination of their luggage, as they would
otherwise have had.
The Imperial family of Vienna were all very fond of music, and had also
had their curiosity greatly excited in regard to this child prodigy, so
it was not strange that only a few days after the Mozarts arrived,
Leopold should have received a command to bring his children to play at
Schoenbrum, an imperial palace near Vienna, and this without any effort
on Mozart's part to get the invitation.