O’ER the waste of waters cruising, | |
| Long the General Monk had reigned; | |
| All subduing, all reducing, | |
| None her lawless rage restrained: | |
| Many a brave and hearty fellow | 5 |
| Yielding to this warlike foe, | |
| When her guns began to bellow | |
| Struck his humbled colours low. | |
| |
| But grown bold with long successes, | |
| Leaving the wide watery way, | 10 |
| She, a stranger to distresses, | |
| Came to cruise within Cape May: | |
| “Now we soon” (said Captain Rogers) | |
| “Shall their men of commerce meet; | |
| In our hold we’ll have them lodgers, | 15 |
| We shall capture half their fleet. | |
| |
| “Lo! I see their van appearing— | |
| Back our topsails to the mast— | |
| They toward us full are steering | |
| With a gentle western blast: | 20 |
| I’ve a list of all their cargoes, | |
| All their guns, and all their men: | |
| I am sure these modern Argos | |
| Can’t escape us one in ten: | |
| |
| “Yonder comes the Charming Sally | 25 |
| Sailing with the General Greene— | |
| First we’ll fight the Hyder Ally, | |
| Taking her is taking them; | |
| She intends to give us battle, | |
| Bearing down with all her sail— | 30 |
| Now boys, let our cannon rattle! | |
| To take her we cannot fail. | |
| |
| “Our eighteen guns, each a nine-pounder, | |
| Soon shall terrify this foe; | |
| We shall maul her, we shall wound her, | 35 |
| Bringing rebel colours low.”— | |
| While he thus anticipated | |
| Conquests that he could not gain, | |
| He in the Cape May channel waited | |
| For the ship that caused his pain. | 40 |
| |
| Captain Barney then preparing, | |
| Thus addressed his gallant crew— | |
| “Now brave lads, be bold and daring, | |
| Let your hearts be firm and true; | |
| This is a proud English cruiser, | 45 |
| Roving up and down the main, | |
| We must fight her—must reduce her, | |
| Though our decks be strewed with slain. | |
| |
| “Let who will be the survivor, | |
| We must conquer or must die, | 50 |
| We must take her up the river, | |
| Whate’er comes of you or I. | |
| Tho’ she shows most formidable | |
| With her eighteen pointed nines, | |
| And her quarters clad in sable, | 55 |
| Let us baulk her proud designs. | |
| |
| “With four nine pounders, and twelve sixes | |
| We will face that daring band; | |
| Let no dangers damp your courage, | |
| Nothing can the brave withstand. | 60 |
| Fighting for your country’s honour, | |
| Now to gallant deeds aspire; | |
| Helmsman, bear us down upon her, | |
| Gunner, give the word to fire!” | |
| |
| Then yard arm and yard arm meeting, | 65 |
| Strait began the dismal fray, | |
| Cannon mouths, each other greeting, | |
| Belched their smoky flames away: | |
| Soon the language, grape and chain shot, | |
| That from Barney’s cannons flew, | 70 |
| Swept the Monk, and cleared each round top, | |
| Killed and wounded half her crew. | |
| |
| Captain Rogers strove to rally | |
| His men, from their quarters fled, | |
| While the roaring Hyder Ally | 75 |
| Covered o’er his decks with dead. | |
| When from their tops their dead men tumbled, | |
| And the streams of blood did flow, | |
| Then their proudest hopes were humbled | |
| By their brave inferior foe. | 80 |
| |
| All aghast, and all confounded, | |
| They beheld their champions fall, | |
| And their captain, sorely wounded, | |
| Bade them quick for quarters call. | |
| Then the Monk’s proud flag descended, | 85 |
| And her cannon ceased to roar; | |
| By her crew no more defended, | |
| She confessed the contest o’er. | |
| |
| Come brave boys, and fill your glasses, | |
| You have humbled one proud foe, | 90 |
| No brave action this surpasses, | |
| Fame shall tell the nations so— | |
| Thus be Britain’s woes completed, | |
| Thus abridged her cruel reign, | |
| Till she ever, thus defeated, | 95 |
| Yields the sceptre of the main. | |
| |
