This man had the constitution and character, not of his mother's, but of
his father's family--a hardy, rigorous, energetic Montgomery race, full
of fire, spirit and enterprise. At the age of twelve Nickolas lost his
father.
At fifteen he began to weary of the tedium of Luckenough, varied only by
the restraint of the academy during term. And at sixteen he rebelled
against the rule of his indolent lymphatic mamma, broke through the
reins of domestic government, escaped to Baltimore and shipped as cabin
boy in a merchantman.
Nickolas Waugh went through many adventures, served on board
merchantmen, privateers and haply pirates, too, sailed to every part of
the known world, and led a wild, reckless and sinful life, until the
breaking out of the Revolutionary War, when he took service with Paul
Jones, the American Sea King, and turned the brighter part of his
character up to the light. He performed miracles of valor--achieved for
himself a name and a post-captain's rank in the infant navy and finally
was permitted to retire with a bullet lodged under his shoulder blade, a
piece of silver trepanned in the top of his skull, a deep sword-cut
across his face from the right temple over his nose to the left
cheek--and with the honorary title of commodore.
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