Freemantle Mission

"You have six escaped prisoners aboard. I give you fifteen minutes to consider, and if you don't heave to I'll blow the masts out of you."

With these words the commander of the British steamer Georgette hailed the American whaler Catalpa. Pointing to the Stars and Stripes, Captain Anthony of the Catalpa replied with classic brevity:

"That's the American flag. I am on the high seas. If you fire on this ship you fire on the American flag."

On board the Catalpa the men prepared to resist till death. The mood of the moment was set when First Mate Samuel Smith, whose fund of nautical phrase was the richest on the seven seas, called down fire and damnation on the man who uttered the threat. Terse instructions were given by John Breslin to sink the boarding party if it came alongside. All available weapons were got ready for a desperate stand, guns, whaling lances, grindstones and heavy logs.

The fifteen minutes grace passed.¿.¿.

Such was the situation that faced Captain George Anthony when his ship Catalpa, with six rescued Fenians from Fremantle aboard, was intercepted off the Australian coast by a British gunboat. He was fully equal to it.

How he met it forms one of the many strange and exciting episodes described in FREMANTLE MISSION, an epic record of courage and adventure.