The Three Lieutenants Part 53

"There is one cut through, at all events," cried Jack, as he succeeded at length in severing one of the thick links. Murray had unshackled another; the third, however, still remained; they both worked away at it, knowing that before it could be cut through the enemy might bring down some of their flying artillery, and render their position still more dangerous; besides which, the sooner the s.h.i.+ps could get up the more quickly would the victory be won.

"A few more blows, and we shall do it," cried Murray. He was raising his arm to strike, when he fell back into the hands of s.n.a.t.c.hblock, who was a.s.sisting him.

"Go on, Jack," he exclaimed. "Don't mind me; you will have it through in another minute."

Jack, though his heart felt very sad at the thoughts of Murray being badly wounded, or perhaps killed, laboured away with all his might, a.s.sisted by Needham.

"We will do it in a few minutes more," cried Jack, bringing down his axe with tremendous force.

The chain was at length cut; the boats' crews uttering a loud cheer at their success, while the vessels which supported it swung to the current, floating down towards the opposite bank.

"Give way, now, lads," cried Jack, and the two boats proceeded as fast as the men could bend to their oars back to the s.h.i.+ps. Jack saw Murray lifted on board and carried below--the surgeon expressed a hope that his wound was not dangerous, though he had fainted from loss of blood. Jack had, however, to hasten on board the commodore's s.h.i.+p, to report what had been done.

The steamers were immediately ordered to proceed up the river and flank the batteries. Jack's anxiety was increased by the knowledge that his s.h.i.+p was greatly exposed, several of her people having fallen, and the purser having been killed while a.s.sisting the surgeon below.

The French commodore's brig, however, was suffering much more severely, a shot cutting her cable she dropped astern before another could be ranged, with upwards of an hundred shot-holes through her sides, ten or twelve of her people killed, and forty, or more, wounded. The French and English vessels were now ordered up to place themselves within musket-shot of the battery, that they might a.s.sist the flanking fire of the steamers. This they did in a most das.h.i.+ng way, receiving a hot fire in return, when one of the lieutenants of an English vessel was killed.

At length, however, the well-served guns of the squadron produced their effect; the fire from the batteries began to slacken, some of the guns being dismounted and the gunners driven from others. The engagement had now lasted six hours.

At length, only an occasional shot came from the sh.o.r.e, but still the enemy's flag continued flying, and the commodore made a signal for the boats of the squadron to rendezvous alongside his s.h.i.+p, with marines and bluejackets prepared for landing, to storm the batteries.

The s.h.i.+ps were brought in as close as the water would allow to cover the landing. The English forces, consisting of an hundred and eighty bluejackets, and one hundred and forty-five marines were the first on sh.o.r.e; here they quickly formed. Terence, with two boats' crews from the _Tudor_, were among them. Desmond had accompanied his uncle; they were soon afterwards joined by Bevan and Tom with the men from the _Supplejack_.

"So we are to have some campaigning," said Tom. "I was afraid my brother would not let me come, at first, but he thought, as I had escaped the round and grape shot of the enemy which came rattling on board, that I should not get into much harm on sh.o.r.e, and I was very anxious to see the fun."

While the boats were disembarking the men destined for the attack, the s.h.i.+ps kept up a hot fire over their heads, to prevent the enemy from rus.h.i.+ng down to interrupt them.

"I suppose the s.h.i.+ps will cease firing when we storm the hill, or they may chance to knock our heads off instead of the enemy," said Desmond.

"No fear about that," answered Tom. "See, they have knocked off already. The commodore will give us the signal to advance before long, depend on that."

On the crest of the hill a strong force was drawn up to oppose them.

Without waiting for the French the word to advance was given, and uttering three hearty British cheers, the marines with fixed bayonets charged up the hill, the bluejackets on their flank.

They were received with a hot fire of musketry, but the gauchos, brave as they were, could not stand the bayonets of the marines. As they saw them coming they took to flight. On one side was a wood in which a body of the enemy were posted. This was at once attacked by a light company of seamen, and in a few minutes it was carried; the French landing, rushed up to the attack of the forts, while the bluejackets pursued the flying enemy, who now and then, when they found themselves in sufficient force to make a stand, turned round and fired at their pursuers. Bodies also of gauchos, who had been hovering in the rear during the action, came sweeping down, endeavouring to cut off any of their a.s.sailants whom they might find unprepared to receive them.

Terence, accompanied by the two mids.h.i.+pmen and a small party of seamen, carried away by their ardour, after having a.s.sisted to clear the wood, were considerably in advance of the main body. The marines were at the same time in the act of charging a large body of the enemy, who were again attempting to stand their ground.

"Halloa! who are these fellows?" cried Tom, pointing in the direction in which he had seen a large body of the gauchos flouris.h.i.+ng their long lances, as they galloped fiercely forward.

"They intend to try and cut us down, and so they will if we don't drive them back with a warm volley," cried Terence. "Prepare to receive cavalry!" The seamen had been drilled to act as light infantry, and being armed with muskets and bayonets were well able to use them. On came the wild hors.e.m.e.n firing their carbines, when, with lances at rest, they charged full down on the body of seamen. Several saddles were emptied, but not till they had got close up to the bayonets did they wheel round, apparently with the intention of retreating. Believing that they were doing so, the bluejackets rose from their knees, and imperfectly disciplined as they were for fighting on sh.o.r.e, without waiting for their officer's orders, rushed forward in pursuit of the apparently flying enemy. Tom and Gerald, carried away by their ardour, took the lead, and having only their swords in their hands, got ahead of the rest. At that moment the hors.e.m.e.n, once more wheeling, charged with desperate fury against the partly broken square.

The seamen, however; again rapidly forming, fired a volley which prevented the gauchos from cutting their way through them. Two of the gauchos, however, as they came up, threw their la.s.sos over Tom and Gerald, who were at that moment in the act of springing back to gain the protection of the bayonets, and greatly to their horror and dismay they found themselves dragged up on the saddles of the hors.e.m.e.n, who with their companions galloped off amid the showers of bullets which the bluejackets sent after them. Among the few who, amid the smoke from the muskets and the confusion, had seen the mids.h.i.+pmen spirited away, was s.n.a.t.c.hblock.

"We must get the young reefers back, lads! It won't do to lose them,"

he shouted out, and followed by a dozen of the _Supplejack's_ crew, less accustomed to discipline than the rest, he started off in pursuit.

Terence seeing them going, and not knowing the cause, called them back, but not hearing him they ran on, hoping to overtake the fleet hors.e.m.e.n.

The gauchos, discovering from the flight of their party in other directions that the day was lost, continued their flight: had they turned back, they would probably have cut down the whole of their pursuers.

s.n.a.t.c.hblock, compelled at length to return, told Adair what had happened.

"Rogers and my nephew carried off?" exclaimed Adair. "How did you fellows come to allow that?"

"We couldn't help it, sir! indeed we couldn't!" answered s.n.a.t.c.hblock.

"There isn't a man among us who wouldn't have given his own life rather than have let the young gentlemen be carried off by the savages, to be killed and eaten for what we know, but their hors.e.m.e.n came down upon us like lightning, and spirited them off before any of us saw what they were about."

"Well, well, I am ready to believe that none of you could help it, and I am sure, s.n.a.t.c.hblock, that you would have risked your life to save the youngsters," said Adair, his rising anger appeased. "They have themselves alone to blame. We must now see what we can do to get them back, for the gauchos will look upon them as prizes of too much value to kill, and though they are savage enough, from all accounts, they are not addicted to eating men or boys either."

"That's a comfort, at all events, for I couldn't tell what those wild chaps might do with the young gentlemen," observed the honest sailor.

"If we might go off in chase, maybe we should come up with them before long."

"Without cavalry we shall have no chance of overtaking the gauchos, and I can only hope that they will not treat their prisoners ill. The lads have their wits about them; if they have the chance, they will make their escape," answered Adair.

"You may trust the young gentlemen for that, sir," said s.n.a.t.c.hblock.

The recall being sounded, Adair with his party was compelled to rejoin the main body; indeed, he saw too clearly that any attempt to rescue the youngsters would be useless. The only task now to be accomplished by the seamen and marines was to spike the guns and destroy the batteries, which being quickly accomplished, they re-embarked.

The crews of the vessels which had been most severely treated had work enough to do in stopping shot-holes and refitting the rigging, which had been considerably cut up.

Adair on his return having to pa.s.s close to the _Supplejack_, went on board to tell Rogers of the unfortunate loss of the two mids.h.i.+pmen, and to offer him all the consolation he could.

"I would rather that anything had happened than that," exclaimed Jack.

"You don't suppose that the gauchos have killed the poor lads?"

Adair said he hoped from what he had heard that they had not injured them, and probably supposed that they had made a valuable prize in a couple of officers. They questioned s.n.a.t.c.hblock further as to what he knew of the affair.

"I would have given my right hand rather than have had the young gentleman carried off, sir," he answered. "You see, sir, we did not expect those horse-fellows would attack us on that side, and we were not standing in s.h.i.+pshape fas.h.i.+on like the sodgers. Somehow or other also the young gentlemen were where they should not have been, I'll allow, and just then down the gauchos pounced upon us, and all in a moment, before we could sing out, a couple of them whipped their la.s.sos over the lads' shoulders and hoisted them up on their saddles. You may be sure, sir, we made all sail after them as fast as we could carry on, but it was all of no use. The horses' four legs were better than our two, and we were afraid of firing for fear of hitting the young gentlemen. Maybe the fellows carried them off to save their own hides."

Poor Jack felt very unhappy, and at once pulled off to the commodore, to consult him and some of the other captains as to what was best to be done.

"It is only to be hoped that Rosas will not treat them as he is said to have treated some of his prisoners, and cut off their ears," was the remark made when Jack told his story. "Of course every effort must be made to recover the youngsters; and as soon as we can hold any communication with Rosas, we will send to demand their release, and will offer to exchange any of his followers who may fall into our hands for them. In the meantime such private means as are available must be employed, and you and Mr Adair shall have every possible opportunity given you of carrying them out. We will think over the matter, and decide what steps, under the circ.u.mstances, it is best to take. The general, however, has shown no inclination whatever to come to terms; and not withstanding his defeat, it is evident that he intends to fight out the quarrel to the bitter end." This was poor consolation to Jack and Terence, who felt more cut up than they had ever been in their lives.

Jack had not, however, forgotten Murray, and as soon as duty would allow him, he went on board the _Tudor_. He found his old friend able to sit up at table in his cabin, though looking pale and ill from loss of blood, and certainly more fit to be in his cot.

"You see, Jack, that my forebodings are partly realised," he said, as his old s.h.i.+pmate entered; "at all events, had the bullet struck me the sixteenth of an inch on either side my wound would have been fatal. I am afraid, from what the doctor says, that it may be some time before I am fit for active duty, and he advises me to apply to be superseded, and to go home."

Jack of course hoped that the doctor was wrong, and that Murray would be able to remain out till the affair on which they had been sent had been brought to a satisfactory issue.

"But you look unusually grave, Rogers; has anything happened?"

Jack told him all about Tom and Gerald's loss. Murray of course heartily sympathised with him, and expressed his fears, as his other friends had done, that it would be a hard matter to get the youngsters back. He suggested, however, that Jack should try and get hold of some natives, who might communicate with them, and perhaps a.s.sist them to escape.

The suggestion gave him some consolation, as offering a means of recovering the lads.

"Don't be cramped in your efforts for want of money," said Murray.

"Bribery with these fellows will go a long way, and you know that my purse is always at your service, and never more so than on this occasion."

"I know it, Alick," answered Jack. "Depend on it, if I can fall in with any natives, I will try what bribery can do with them; and if my own means are insufficient, I will come to you."