By Brian E. Strayer
Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Have you ever noticed that cats, unlike dogs, seem to enjoy hiding inside bags and boxes? Over the course of my childhood, we had at least a dozen cats and three dogs. While the dogs preferred running around outdoors, many of the cats could entertain themselves for hours swatting the insides of bags or falling asleep inside boxes. So long as we didn’t try to trap them in their chosen lairs, they seemed quite content.
But centuries ago, the “cat” that was taken “out of the bag” was no playful feline. Instead, the term referred to a far more sinister instrument. From at least the 17th century and well into the 19th century, the British navy disciplined sailors with a “cat”—the cat-o’-nine-tails. A long leather whip with pieces of lead embedded in its nine fronds or “tails” at the end, it was usually kept inside a large black leather bag. When a recalcitrant sailor was bound by the hands and feet to the mast, it was not uncommon for naval officers to order 20, 30, 40, or 50 lashes laid upon his bare back. There were even cases where 100-300 lashes were ordered, by which time many sailors died from loss of blood.
Consequently, when that “cat” was “taken out of the bag,” everyone on board knew that a vicious punishment was about to be administered. Not until late in the 19th century did solitary confinement in the brig replace whipping by the cat-o’-nine-tails. Google a good website about naval punishments in Early Modern Europe this week!
Not One Cent
for Tribute!
The United States Government has a long-standing policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorists, pirates, or others who seek to extort money. The ringing declaration so often quoted throughout our history is “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”
This statement originated over two centuries ago when France, our closest ally during the American Revolution, tried in 1795 to invoke an old treaty to force the United States to once again fight against Great Britain. When President George Washington refused, the French began attacking American merchant ships sailing into British ports in the Caribbean. When an American delegation to Paris tried to negotiate a peace settlement, they were told they would have to pay an exorbitant fee before such negotiations could be contemplated. Their response guaranteed the future of the U.S. Navy: “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”
As a result, the shipbuilding program was accelerated and several new warships were produced between 1798 and 1800. Their crews hunted down and captured many French merchant ships in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Captain Stephen Decatur aboard the sloop-of-war Delaware proved especially adept at this task, capturing the French privateer La Croyable off the coast of New Jersey, renaming her the USS Retaliation, and adding her to the U.S. Navy fleet. Google a good website about Stephen Decatur this week!
Next week: Davy Jones’ Locker
