Captain L. replied, 'Damn your soul, you
rascal, heave it overboard.'
"The boatswain, with help, upset the tubs of rum on the middle
deck. The grog rum run out of the scuppers of the ship into the
river. I saw no more grog on board. * * * Every fair day a number of
British officers and sergeants would come on board, form in two ranks
on the quarter deck, facing inwards, the prisoners in the after part
of the quarter deck. As the boatswain would call a name, the word
would be 'Pass!' As the prisoners passed between the ranks officers
and sergeants stared them in the face. This was done to catch
deserters, and if they caught nothing the sergeants would come on the
middle deck and cry out 'Five guineas bounty to any man that will
enter his Majesty's service!'
"Shortly after this party left the ship a Hessian party would come on
board, and the prisoners had to go through the same routine of duty
again.
"From the Jersey prison ship eighty of us were taken to the pink stern
sloop-of-war Hunter, Captain Thomas Henderson, Commander. We were
taken there in a large ship's long boat, towed by a ten-oar barge, and
one other barge with a guard of soldiers in the rear.
"On board the ship Hunter we drew one third allowance, and every
Monday we received a loaf of wet bread, weighing seven pounds for each
mess. This loaf was from Mr. John Pintard's father, of New York, the
American Commissary, and this bread, with the allowance of provisions,
we found sufficient to live on.
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