{"id":"01KG8AK6WGKKDDMHZ38VX170Z4","cid":"bafkreiazj3qcujdmcxrkyo7emtkqbikddxzx2g7hmtb5bdwoqvqbkrybya","type":"section","properties":{"description":"# Israel on the British Revenue Cutter\n\n## Overview\nThis section, titled \"Israel on the British Revenue Cutter,\" is a segment of text extracted from the file `israel_potter.txt`. It is part of Chapter XIV of a larger work, which details Israel's experiences at sea. The section spans lines 3786 to 3829 of the source document.\n\n## Context\nThis text is contained within [Chapter XIV. In Which Israel Is Sailor Under Two Flags, and in Three Ships, and All in One Night.](arke:01KG8AJJ2DZZK95NXNEVKJHN3D) of the work `israel_potter.txt`, which is part of the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It follows the section titled \"[Israel on the British Man-of-War ('Seventy-Four')](arke:01KG8AK6WAJTCF6PJ4PZTAZZA7)\" and precedes \"[Israel on the British Revenue Cutter](arke:01KG8AK6WF0BH8CHYVVBPVRKDM)\".\n\n## Contents\nThe narrative describes a tense encounter aboard a British revenue vessel. Israel, working as a foremast hand with only three other men (the captain and two officers), is subjected to harsh treatment. The small crew struggles to manage the vessel, and the captain and officers are described as ill-tempered, physically abusing Israel. Driven to desperation, Israel fights back, assaulting the captain and an officer. The situation escalates when an unidentified warship fires upon their vessel, demanding they heave to. The captain of the revenue cutter, recognizing the stranger is not a countryman and fearing piracy, contemplates outrunning the unknown ship.","description_generated_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:46.698Z","description_model":"gemini-2.5-flash-lite","description_title":"Israel on the British Revenue Cutter","end_line":3829,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:55.385Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Israel on the British revenue cutter","source_file":"01KG89J1DKC9HHJRKY25JZBEXW","start_line":3786,"text":"The revenue vessel resumed her course towards the nighest port, worked\r\nby but four men: the captain, Israel, and two officers. The cabin-boy\r\nwas kept at the helm. As the only foremast man, Israel was put to it\r\npretty hard. Where there is but one man to three masters, woe betide\r\nthat lonely slave. Besides, it was of itself severe work enough to\r\nmanage the vessel thus short of hands. But to make matters still worse,\r\nthe captain and his officers were ugly-tempered fellows. The one\r\nkicked, and the others cuffed Israel. Whereupon, not sugared with his\r\nrecent experiences, and maddened by his present hap, Israel seeing\r\nhimself alone at sea, with only three men, instead of a thousand, to\r\ncontend against, plucked up a heart, knocked the captain into the lee\r\nscuppers, and in his fury was about tumbling the first-officer, a small\r\nwash of a fellow, plump overboard, when the captain, jumping to his\r\nfeet, seized him by his long yellow hair, vowing he would slaughter\r\nhim. Meanwhile the cutter flew foaming through the channel, as if in\r\ndemoniac glee at this uproar on her imperilled deck. While the\r\nconsternation was at its height, a dark body suddenly loomed at a\r\nmoderate distance into view, shooting right athwart the stern of the\r\ncutter. The next moment a shot struck the water within a boat’s length.\r\n\r\n“Heave to, and send a boat on board!” roared a voice almost as loud as\r\nthe cannon.\r\n\r\n“That’s a war-ship,” cried the captain of the revenue vessel, in alarm;\r\n“but she ain’t a countryman.”\r\n\r\nMeantime the officers and Israel stopped the cutter’s way.\r\n\r\n“Send a boat on board, or I’ll sink you,” again came roaring from the\r\nstranger, followed by another shot, striking the water still nearer the\r\ncutter.\r\n\r\n“For God’s sake, don’t cannonade us. I haven’t got the crew to man a\r\nboat,” replied the captain of the cutter. “Who are you?”\r\n\r\n“Wait till I send a boat to you for that,” replied the stranger.\r\n\r\n“She’s an enemy of some sort, that’s plain,” said the Englishman now to\r\nhis officers; “we ain’t at open war with France; she’s some\r\nbloodthirsty pirate or other. What d’ye say, men?” turning to his\r\nofficers; “let’s outsail her, or be shot to chips. We can beat her at\r\nsailing, I know.”\r\n\r\nWith that, nothing doubting that his counsel would be heartily\r","title":"Israel on the British revenue cutter"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJJ2DZZK95NXNEVKJHN3D","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1DKC9HHJRKY25JZBEXW","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AK6WAJTCF6PJ4PZTAZZA7","peer_type":"section","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AK6WF0BH8CHYVVBPVRKDM","peer_type":"section","predicate":"next"}],"ver":3,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:56.816Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:47.041Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF5C36SQEVDHC9CBNZZJH9K"}}