{"id":"01KG8AKKFV1D9YPQQTRZ225625","cid":"bafkreihizkycnsyvtahglc77imwb5pvu6j34czbgpc2pfqgydj3nzpjbxu","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":4638,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:05.591Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 1","source_file":"01KG89J1DKC9HHJRKY25JZBEXW","start_line":4556,"text":"The men began to murmur at persisting in an attempt impossible to be\r\nconcealed much longer. They were afraid to venture on board the grim\r\ncolliers, and go groping down into their hulls to fire them. It seemed\r\nlike a voluntary entrance into dungeons and death.\r\n\r\n“Follow me, all of you but ten by the boats,” said Paul, without\r\nnoticing their murmurs. “And now, to put an end to all future burnings\r\nin America, by one mighty conflagration of shipping in England. Come\r\non, lads! Pipes and matches in the van!”\r\n\r\nHe would have distributed the men so as simultaneously to fire\r\ndifferent ships at different points, were it not that the lateness of\r\nthe hour rendered such a course insanely hazardous. Stationing his\r\nparty in front of one of the windward colliers, Paul and Israel sprang\r\non board.\r\n\r\nIn a twinkling they had broken open a boatswain’s locker, and, with\r\ngreat bunches of oakum, fine and dry as tinder, had leaped into the\r\nsteerage. Here, while Paul made a blaze, Israel ran to collect the\r\ntar-pots, which being presently poured on the burning matches, oakum\r\nand wood, soon increased the flame.\r\n\r\n“It is not a sure thing yet,” said Paul, “we must have a barrel of\r\ntar.”\r\n\r\nThey searched about until they found one, knocked out the head and\r\nbottom, and stood it like a martyr in the midst of the flames. They\r\nthen retreated up the forward hatchway, while volumes of smoke were\r\nbelched from the after one. Not till this moment did Paul hear the\r\ncries of his men, warning him that the inhabitants were not only\r\nactually astir, but crowds were on their way to the pier.\r\n\r\nAs he sprang out of the smoke towards the rail of the collier, he saw\r\nthe sun risen, with thousands of the people. Individuals hurried close\r\nto the burning vessel. Leaping to the ground, Paul, bidding his men\r\nstand fast, ran to their front, and, advancing about thirty feet,\r\npresented his own pistol at now tumultuous Whitehaven.\r\n\r\nThose who had rushed to extinguish what they had deemed but an\r\naccidental fire, were now paralyzed into idiotic inaction, at the\r\ndefiance of the incendiary, thinking him some sudden pirate or fiend\r\ndropped down from the moon.\r\n\r\nWhile Paul thus stood guarding the incipient conflagration, Israel,\r\nwithout a weapon, dashed crazily towards the mob on the shore.\r\n\r\n“Come back, come back,” cried Paul.\r\n\r\n“Not till I start these sheep, as their own wolves many a time started\r\nme!”\r\n\r\nAs he rushed bare-headed like a madman, towards the crowd, the panic\r\nspread. They fled from unarmed Israel, further than they had from the\r\npistol of Paul.\r\n\r\nThe flames now catching the rigging and spiralling around the masts,\r\nthe whole ship burned at one end of the harbor, while the sun, an hour\r\nhigh, burned at the other. Alarm and amazement, not sleep, now ruled\r\nthe world. It was time to retreat.\r\n\r\nThey re-embarked without opposition, first releasing a few prisoners,\r\nas the boats could not carry them.\r\n\r\nJust as Israel was leaping into the boat, he saw the man at whose house\r\nhe had procured the fire, staring like a simpleton at him.\r\n\r\n“That was good seed you gave me;” said Israel, “see what a yield,”\r\npointing to the flames. He then dropped into the boat, leaving only\r\nPaul on the pier.\r\n\r\nThe men cried to their commander, conjuring him not to linger.\r\n\r\nBut Paul remained for several moments, confronting in silence the\r\nclamors of the mob beyond, and waving his solitary hand, like a\r\ndisdainful tomahawk, towards the surrounding eminences, also covered\r\nwith the affrighted inhabitants.\r\n\r\nWhen the assailants had rowed pretty well off, the English rushed in\r\ngreat numbers to their forts, but only to find their cannon no better\r\nthan so much iron in the ore. At length, however, they began to fire,\r\nhaving either brought down some ship’s guns, or else mounted the rusty\r\nold dogs lying at the foot of the first fort.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 1"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AK7N5C5W79CBBGZK4Z0C5","peer_type":"subsection","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1DKC9HHJRKY25JZBEXW","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKKFRT523G1KMYC5QMEAP","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:09.723Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:16.119Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}