Rattlin the Reefer Part 19

That morning at length arrived, when it was debated strongly whether the faint discoloration that broke the line of the western horizon as seen from the mast-head, were land or not. As daylight became more decided, so did the state of our convoy. The wolves were hovering round the sheep. Well down to the southward there was a large square-rigged, three-masted vessel, fraternising with one of our finest West Indiamen.

The stranger looked tall, grim, and dark, with his courses up, but his top-gallant sails and royals set. The white sails of the merchant vessel, and she was under a press of sail, were flying in all directions; she was hove-to, with her studding-sails set, and many of her tacks and sheets were flapping to the wind. Both vessels were hull down from the deck, and we well understood what was going forward.

Right astern, and directly in the wind's eye of us, was a flat, broad schooner running before the wind, with nothing set but her fore stay-sail. As she lifted to the sea, at the edge of the horizon, her strength of beam was so great, and her bulwarks so little above the water, that she seemed to make way broadside on, rather than to sail in the usual position. There was no vessel particularly near her. Those of the mercantile navy that most enjoyed her propinquity did not seem, by the press of sail that they were carrying, to think the situation very enviable. However, the Falcon, one of our men-of-war brigs, was between this schooner and all the convoy, with the signal flying, "May I chase?"

But this was not all; a whitish haze cleared up; to the northward there was a spanking felucca, with her long lanteen sails brailed up, and sweeping about in the very centre of a knot of dull sailing merchant vessels, four of which, by their altered courses, had evidently been taken possession of. Reversing the good old adage, first come first served, we turned our attention to the last appearance. We made the signal to the other man-of-war brig, the _Curlew_, to chase and capture the felucca, she not being more than two miles distant from her.

No sooner did the convoy generally begin to find out how matters stood, than like a parcel of fussy and frightened old women, they began to pop, pop, pop, firing away their one and two-pounders in all directions, and those farthest from the scene of action serving their guns the quickest, and firing the oftenest. It seemed to them of but little consequence, so long as the guns were fired, where the shot fell. Now this was a great nuisance, as it prevented, by the smoke it raised, our signals from being distinguished, even if these belligerents in a a small way, had not been so occupied by these demonstrations of their valour from attending to them. Indeed, the volumes of smoke the popping created, became very considerable. I do not now know if there be any convoy signal in the merchant code equivalent to "cease firing." If there were at that time, I am sure it was displayed, but displayed or not, the hubbub was on the increase. We were at last compelled to fire shot over these pugnacious tubs to quiet them, and there was thus acted the singular spectacle of three vessels capturing the convoy, whilst the artillery of its princ.i.p.al protector appeared to be incessantly playing upon it.

Having our attention so much divided, there was a great deal of activity and bustle, though no confusion on our decks. We were hoisting out the boats to make the recaptures, and dividing the marines into parties to go in each. In the midst of all this hurry, when Mr Farmer, our gallant first-lieutenant, was much heated, a droll circ.u.mstance occurred, the consequence of the indiscriminate firing of the convoy. A boat pulled alongside, and a little swab-man, with his face all fire, and in an awfully sinful pa.s.sion, jumped on the quarter-deck, with something rolled up in a silk handkerchief. He was so irritated that whilst he followed the first-lieutenant about for two or three minutes, he could not articulate.

"Out of my way, man. Mr Burn, see that all the small arms are ready, and handed down into the boat in good order. Out of my way, man--what the devil do you want? Muster the pinnace's crew on the starboard gangway--move all these lubberly marines, Mr Silva, if that stupid fool don't cease firing, send a shot right into him. Man, man, what do you want--why don't you speak?"

"There, sir," at last stammered out the little angry master of a brig, unfolding his handkerchief, and exhibiting a two-pound shot in a most filthy condition, "What--what do you think of that, sir. Slap on board of me, from the _Lady Jane_, sir--through, clean through my bulwarks into the cook's slush-tub. There's murder and piracy for you on the high seas--my slush-tub, sir--my bulwarks, sir."

"d.a.m.n you and your slush-tub too--out of my way! Sail trimmers aloft, and get ready the topmast and top-gallant studding-sails."

"Am I to have no redress, sir? Is a British subject to have his slush-tub cannonaded on the high seas, and no redress, sir? Sir, sir, I tell you, sir, if you don't do me justice, I'll go on board and open my fire upon that scoundrelly _Lady Jane_."

Now this was something like a gasconade, as our irritated friend happened to have but three quakers (wooden guns) on each side, that certainly were not equal to the merits of that apocryphal good dog, that could bark, though not bite--however, they looked as if they could.

"You had better," said Captain Reud, "go on board the _Lady Jane_, and if you are man enough, give the master a hiding."

"If I'm man enough!" said he, jumping with his shot into his boat, with ireful alacrity. Shortly after, taking my gla.s.s, I looked at the _Lady Jane_, and sure enough there was a pugilistic encounter proceeding on her quarter-deck, with all that peculiar _gout_ that characterises Englishmen when engaged in that amus.e.m.e.nt.

In answer to the signal of the _Falcon_, which was astern of the convoy, and between it and the gigantic schooner, "Shall I chase?" we replied, "No." By this time we had thrashed our convoy into something like silence and good order. We then signalled to them to close round the _Falcon_, and heave-to. To the _Falcon_, "to protect convoy."

We had now been some time at quarters, and everything was ready for chasing and fighting. But the fun had already begun to the northward.

Our second man-of-war brig, the _Curlew_, had closed considerably upon the felucca, which was evidently endeavouring to make the chase a windward one. The brig closed more upon her than she ought. It certainly enabled her to fire broadside after broadside upon her, but, as far as we could perceive, with little or no effect. In a short time the privateer contrived to get into the wind's eye of the man-of-war, and away they went. After the four s.h.i.+ps had been taken possession of and which were each making a different course, we sent three of the boats--the barge, yawl, and pinnace--under the command of Mr Silva, in order to recapture them, of which there was every prospect, as the breeze was light, and would not probably freshen before ten o'clock; for, however the captured vessels might steer, their courses must be weather ones, as, if they had attempted to run to leeward, they must have crossed the body of the convoy. Having now made our arrangements, we turned all our attention to leeward, upon the large dark, three-masted vessel, that still remained hove-to, seeming to honour us with but little notice. She had taken possession of the finest and largest s.h.i.+p of the convoy. Long as I have been narrating all these facts, I a.s.sure the reader they did not occupy ten minutes in action, including the monomachia on board of the _Lady Jane_. Just as we had got the s.h.i.+p's head towards the stranger, with every st.i.tch of canvas crowded upon her, and the eight-oared cutter, manned, armed, and marined, towing astern, they had got the captured West Indiaman before the wind, with everything set. The stranger was not long following this example; but steered about a S.W. and by W course, whilst his prize ran down nearly due south.

I have always found in the beginning, that the size of the chase is magnified, either by the expectations or the fears of the pursuers. At first, we had no doubt but that the flying vessel was a French frigate, as large, or nearly as large, as ourselves. We knew from good authority that a couple of large frigate-built s.h.i.+ps had, evading our blockading cruisers, escaped from Brest, and were playing fine pranks among the West India Islands. Everybody immediately concluded the vessel in view to be one of them. If this conjecture should turn out true, there would be no easy task before us, seeing how much we had crippled ourselves, by sending away, in the boats, so many officers and men.

It now became a matter of earnest deliberation, to which of the two s.h.i.+ps we should first turn our attention, as the probabilities were great against our capturing both. The _Prince William_, the captured West Indiaman, I have before said, was the largest and finest s.h.i.+p of the convoy. Indeed, she was nearly as large as ourselves, mounted sixteen guns, and we had made her a repeating s.h.i.+p, and employed her continually in whipping-in the bad sailers.

The chase after her promised to be as as long as would have been the chase after the Frenchman.

Mr Farmer, who was all for fighting, and getting his next step of promotion, was for nearing the West Indiaman a little more, sending the cutter to take possession, and then do our best to capture the frigate.

Now, the cutter pulled eight oars, there were two good-looking jollies, with their muskets between their knees, stuck up in the bows, six in the stern-sheets, Mr Pridhomme, the enamoured master's mate, and the Irish young gentleman, who had seen as much service and as many years as myself; with the c.o.xswain, who was steering. Mr Farmer, of course, measured everybody's courage by his own; but I think it was taxing British intrepidity a little too much, to expect that nineteen persons, in broad daylight, should chase in an open boat, and which must necessarily pull up a long stern-pull of perhaps two or three hours, exposed to the fire of those on board, and then afterwards, supposing that n.o.body had been either killed or wounded by the ball practice that would have been certainly lavished on the attacking party, to get alongside, and climb up the lofty side of a vessel, as high out of the water as a fifty-gun s.h.i.+p. We say nothing of the guns that might have been loaded by the captors with grape, and the number of men that would infallibly be placed to defend and to navigate so n.o.ble a vessel.

Captain Reud weighed all this, and decided upon making with the frigate, the recapture first, and then trusting to Providence for the other: for which decision, which I thought most sound, he got black looks from the first-lieutenant and some of the officers, and certain hints were whispered of _dark_ birds sometimes showing white feathers.

The sequel proved that the captain acted with the greatest judgment. To our utter astonishment, we came up hand over hand with a vessel which we before had shrewd suspicions, could, going free sail very nearly as well as ourselves. Of course, we were now fast leaving the convoy; we found that the felucca had worked herself dead to windward, and was, by this time, nearly out of gun-shot of the _Curlew_, and, that the _faineant_ strange schooner had now made sail, and was on such a course as approximated her fast to the other privateer.

The large vessel, perceiving our attention solely directed to the capture, shortened sail and made demonstrations of rescue. At this, Mr Farmer grinned savage approbation, and, not yet having had a good view of her hull, we all thought, from her conduct, that she was conscious of force. We were, therefore, doubly on the alert in seeing everything in the very best order for fighting. The bulk-heads of the captain's cabin were knocked down, and the sheep, pigs, and poultry, gingerly ushered into the hold, preparatory to the demolition of their several pens, styes, and coops, on the main deck. All this I found very amusing, but I must confess to a little anxiety, and, younker as I was, I knew, if we came to action, that the eighty or ninety men, away in the boats, would be very severely felt. I was also sorry for the absence of Mr Silva, as I had a great, yet puerile curiosity, to see how a man that had written a book, would fight.

The run of an hour and a-half brought us nearly alongside the _Prince William_, when we expected, at the least, a ten hour's chase. It was well we came up so soon; the Frenchman had clapped forty as ill-looking savage vagabonds on board of her, as ever made a poor fellow walk the plank. They had fully prepared themselves for sinking the cutter, as soon as she could come alongside, and their means for doing so were most ample.

As our prisoners came up the sides, we soon discovered by the shabby, faded, and rent uniforms of the two officers among them, that they belonged to the French imperial service. They bore their reverse of fortune, notwithstanding they belonged to a philosophical nation, with a very despicable philosophy. They stamped with rage, and ground their _sacres_ unceasingly between their teeth. They could not comprehend how so fine a looking vessel should sail so much like a haystack. The mystery was, however, soon solved. The third mate, with about half a dozen men, had been left on board of her; and the provident and gallant young fellow had, whilst the Frenchmen were so pre-occupied in preparing to resist the threatened attack of the boat, contrived to pa.s.s, un.o.bserved, overboard from the bows, a spare-sail loaded with shot, that effectually had checked the s.h.i.+p's way. Had the Frenchmen turned their attention to that part of the vessel, without they had examined narrowly, they would have perceived nothing more than a rope towing overboard. He certainly ought to have shared with us prize-money for the recapture; but after all, he sustained no great loss by not having his name down on the prize-list, as n.o.body but the captain ever got anything for what we did that day. He, lucky dog, got his share in advance, many said much more, for appointing the Messrs. Isaiahsons and Co as our agents. They got the money, and then, as the possession of much cash (of other people's) is very impoveris.h.i.+ng, they became bankrupts, paid nothing-farthing in the pound, were very much commiserated, and the last that we heard of them was, that they were living like princes in America, upon the miserable wreck of their (own?) property.

We made, of course, most anxious and most minute inquiries of Messieurs les Francois, as to the cla.s.s of vessel to which they belonged, and which we were in turn preparing to pursue. As might be expected, we got from them nothing but contradictory reports; but they all agreed in giving us the most conscientious and disinterested advice, not to think of irritating her, as we should most certainly be blown out of the water. We read this backwards. If she were strong enough to take us, it was their interest that we should engage her, and thus their liberation would be effected.

As it was, notwithstanding these many occurrences, only eight a.m. when we made the re-capture, and as the convoy were all still in sight, we only put six men in the _Prince William_ which, in addition to the English still on board, were sufficient to take her to the _Curlew_, near which vessel the merchantmen had all nestled, and orders were transmitted to her commanding officer to see that men enough were put on board the re-capture to insure her safety.

CHAPTER FORTY ONE.

RALPH MAKETH ACQUAINTANCE WITH b.l.o.o.d.y INSTRUMENTS, AND BOWETH TO THE IRON MESSENGERS OF DEATH; AND IS TAUGHT TO STAND FIRE, BY BEING NEARLY KNOCKED DOWN.

We now pressed the s.h.i.+p with every st.i.tch of canvas that we could set.

We had already learned the name of our friend in the distance; it was the _Jean Bart_. Indeed, at this time, almost every fourth French vessel in those seas, if its occupation was the cutting of throats, was a "Jean Bart." However, _Jean Bart_, long before we had done with the _Prince William_ had spread a cloud of canvas--a dark one, it is true-- and had considerably increased his distance from us. It was a chase dead before the wind. By nine o'clock the breeze had freshened. I don't know how it could be otherwise, considering the abundance of wis.h.i.+ng and votive whistling. At ten we got a good sight of Johnny c.r.a.paud's hull from the maintop, and found out that she was no frigate.

I was not at all nervous before, but I must confess, at this certainty my courage rose considerably. I narrowly inspected the condition of the four after-quarter guns, my charge, and was very impressive on the powder-boys as to the necessity of activity, coolness, and presence of mind.

Dr Thompson now came on deck, very much lamenting the disordered rites of his breakfast. The jocular fellow invited me down into the c.o.c.k-pit, to see his preparations, in order, as he said, to keep up my spirits, by showing me what excellent arrangements he had made for trepanning my skull, or lopping my leg, should any accident happen to me. I attended him. What with the fearnought [_an amazingly thick cloth of a woollen texture_] screens, and other precautions against fire, it was certainly the hottest place in which I had yet ever been. The dim, yellow, yet sufficient light from the lanterns, gave a lurid horror to the various ghastly and blood-greedy instruments that were ostentatiously displayed upon the platform. Crooked knives, that the eye alone a.s.sured you were sharp, seemed to be twisting with a living anxiety to embrace and separate your flesh; and saws appeared to grin at me, which to look upon, knowing their horrid office, actually turned my teeth on edge.

There were the three a.s.sistant-surgeons, stripped to their s.h.i.+rts, with their sleeves tucked up ready, looking anxious, keen, and something terrified. As to the burly doctor, with his huge, round, red face, and his coa.r.s.e jokes, he abstracted something from the romantic terrors of the place; but added considerably to the disgust it excited, as he strongly reminded me of a carca.s.s butcher in full practice.

No doubt, his amiable purpose in bringing me to his den was to frighten me, and enjoy my fright. Be that as it may, I took the matter as coolly as the heat of the place would permit me. The first lesson in bravery is to a.s.sume the appearance of it; the second, to sustain the appearance; and third will find you with all that courage "that doth become a man."

By noon we had a staggering breeze. We could now perceive that we were chasing a large corvette, though from the end-on view we had of her, we could not count her ports. The _Eos_ seemed to fly through the water.

At one o'clock the spars began to complain--preventer braces were rove, but no one thought of shortening sail.

At two o'clock we had risen the _Jean Bart_, so as to clear her broadside from the water's edge as seen from our decks. The appet.i.tes of the doctor and purser had risen in proportion. They made a joint and disconsolate visit to the galley. All the fires were put out. The hens were cackling and the pigs grunting in dark security among the water casks. Miserable men! there was no prospect of a dinner. They were obliged to do detestable penance upon cold fowl and ham, liquified with nothing better than claret, burgundy, and the small solace derivable from the best brandy, mixed with filtrated water in most praiseworthy moderation.

At three o'clock we had the _Jean Bart_ perfectly in sight, and we could, from the foreyard, observe well the motions of those on deck.

The master was broiling his very red nose over his s.e.xtant in the forestay sail netting, when it was reported that the Frenchman was getting aft his two long bra.s.s bow chasers; and in half an hour after, we had the report from the said bra.s.s bellowers themselves, followed by the whistling of the shot, one wide of the s.h.i.+p, but the other smack through our foresail, and which must have pa.s.sed very near the nose of our respectable master.

Most of the officers, myself with the rest, were standing on the forecastle. Though not the first shot that I had seen fired in anger, it certainly was the first that had ever hissed by me. This first salute is always a memorable epoch in the life of a soldier or sailor.

By the rent the shot made in the foresail, it could not have pa.s.sed more than two yards directly over my head. I was taken by surprise.

Everybody knows that the rus.h.i.+ng that the shot makes is excessively loud. As the ill.u.s.trious stranger came on board with so much pomp and ceremony, I, from the impulse of pure courtesy, could not do otherwise than bow to it; for which act of politeness the first-lieutenant gave me a very considerably tingling box of the ear.

My angry looks, my clenched fists, and my threatening att.i.tude, told him plainly that it was no want of spirit that made me duck to the shot.

Just as I was pa.s.sionately exclaiming, "Sir--I--I--I--" Captain Reud put his hand gently on my shoulder, and said, "Mr Rattlin, what are you about? Mr Farmer, that blow was not deserved. I, sir," said he, drawing himself up proudly, "ducked to the first shot. Many a fine fellow that has bobbed to the first has stood out gallantly to the last.

What could you expect, Mr Farmer, from such a mere boy? And to strike him! Fie upon it! That blow, if the lad had weak nerves, though his spirit were as brave as Nelson's, and as n.o.ble as your namesake's, that foul blow might have cowed him for ever."

"They are getting ready to fire again," was now reported from the foreyard.

"Here, Rattlin," continued the captain, "take my gla.s.s, seat yourself upon the hammock-cloths, and tell me if you can make out what they are about."

Two flashes, smoke, and then the rus.h.i.+ng of the shot, followed by the loud and ringing report of the bra.s.s guns, and of the reverberation of metal, was heard immediately beneath me. One of the shot had struck the fluke of the anchor in the fore-chains.

"There, Mr Farmer," said the captain exultingly, "did you mark that? I knew it--I knew it, sir. He neither moved nor flinched--even the long tube that he held to his eye never quivered for an instant. Oh! Mr Farmer, if you have the generous heart I give you credit for, never, never again strike a younker for bobbing at the first, or even the fifth shot."

"I was wrong, sir," was the humble reply; "I am sorry that I should have given you occasion to make this _public_ reprimand."

"No, Farmer," said the little Creole very kindly; "I did not mean to reprimand, only to remonstrate. The severest reprimand was given you by Mr Rattlin himself."

I could at that moment have hugged the little yellow-skinned captain, wicked as I knew him to be, and stood unmoved the fire of the grape of a twenty-gun battery.

But was I not really frightened at the whistling of the shot?