Bold Northwestern Man

Come all ye bold Northwestmen, who plough the raging main,
Come listen to this tragedy, while I relate the same;
'Twas on the Lady Washington at Cowper where she lay
And by Queen Charlotte's Islands in North America.

'Twas on November the 2nd day, in 1791,
The natives of this country on board of us did come;
And then to buy their furs of them, our captain did begin,
But mark what followed after, before it long had been.

Up upon our quarter deck, our gun chest there did stand,
The keys they being left in them, by our gunner's careless hand;
The natives they perceiving, thought our ship to make a prize,
Thinking we had no other means for to protect our lives.

Up upon our quarter deck, our captain there did stand,
With 12 of those bold savages with knives drawn in their hands;
All pointing at his body, ready to run him through,
If we should offer to resist--Great God! What could we do?

Then into our cabin, straightway we did repair,
But to our sad misfortune, no arms could we find there,
Except it were two pistols, one gun and two broadswords,
And immediately it was agreed; "fight them off!" it was the word.

Our powder we got ready in our gun room openly,
Our souls we did commit to God, our bodies to the clay;
All standing in o;ne cabin waiting for a sign,
But there could no sign be given for fear we should be slain.

Then with what few arms we had, we rushed on them with mainm,
And by our being spirited, the quarter deck did gain;
And the number that we killed of them was seventy and odd,
And as many more were wounded, as since we've understood.

Come all ye bold Northwestmen, wherever you may be,
Trust not an Indian savage in North America;
For they are all so desirous, your shipping to obtain,
That they never will leave it off till most of them are slain.

DT #843
Laws D1
From a journal article by Barry in 1935
NC
apr97