The Three Commanders Part 42

Tom did not quite fancy this advice, but, like many another mids.h.i.+pman, he had to grin and bear it; and was two minutes afterwards proceeding with his chest on board the _Flash_. Gerald welcomed him warmly, and, having received the cue from Adair, said not a word for some time about the fair Feodorowna. The _Flash_ being actively engaged, Tom had plenty of work, and very little time to think about his lady-love. His conscience was not at all troubled when he was sent in to burn stacks of corn and hay, and other Government property; indeed, had he been so, as he had heard Jack observe that by doing so the war would be the sooner brought to a conclusion, he would have considered that he was doing what would be well pleasing to the colonel and his family.

Although Adair thought Tom a goose for falling in love, he yet placed great confidence in his gallantry and discretion. The _Flash_ had been sent to the eastern end of the Sea of Azov. She was cruising one day close insh.o.r.e, when her commander observed a fort which mounted six guns, but could see no gunners to fight them. He accordingly came to the conclusion that they had been withdrawn to garrison Taganrog, or some other important fortress.

"We must have those guns," observed Adair. "I intend sending you, Rogers, and Desmond, in to-night to bring them off, should I find, as I suspect, that they are undefended," he said to Tom. "You will be supplied with a scaling-ladder, with which you can take a peep in and ascertain the state of affairs. If there are only three or four soldiers, you must secure them; then shut the gates of the fort, to prevent anyone getting in, while you hoist the guns into the boat."

Tom and Gerald were delighted with the thoughts of the proposed expedition, and undertook faithfully to carry out their commander's orders. The _Flash_ continued steaming on till she was out of sight of the fort, when, as soon as it was dark, her head was put insh.o.r.e, and she ran back to within a short distance of the fort Tom and Gerald were ordered to burn a blue light should they require a.s.sistance, but if not, to carry out the work as quietly as possible.

"You may trust us, sir," they said, as they stepped into the gig, which had a crew of six hands, and a supply of tackles for lowering the guns.

"This is just the sort of fun I like," observed Tom, as they were pulling for the sh.o.r.e.

"Much better than sighing your breath out for the Russian damsel,"

answered Desmond; "I am sure of that." It was the first time he had ventured to touch on the delicate subject.

"What, have you heard about my little affair?" asked Tom; "I suppose, then, the whole fleet have been talking about it?"

"Don't trouble yourself as to that," whispered Desmond; they were both speaking in a low voice, so that neither their own men nor the enemy could hear them; "however, it is time, unless we want to be discovered, to clap a stopper on our jaw-tackles."

"You are right," said Tom; "we shall soon be up to the fort." They pulled on till they came under the walls, which rose sheer out of the water. Landing on one side, and leaving a couple of hands in the boat, they carried the scaling-ladder to a wall which offered a fair prospect of their being able to mount to the top. Tom claimed the post of honour for himself, the rest of the party being prepared to mount as soon as he should summon them. The instant after the ladder was placed he was on the top of it. On looking down, not a human being could he see, either awake or asleep. Making the signal to his companions, they speedily followed him, and dropped down noiselessly into the fort.

Their first care, as ordered, was to secure the gate; and then, lighting their lanterns, they began to search the various chambers in the fort.

They had not gone far when they heard voices from what appeared to be a guard-house. "At all events, we shall have no great difficulty in securing them," said Tom. As they opened the door, they found four soldiers, a flagon of vodka before them, and their heads resting on the table.

They were excessively astonished to find their arms seized by a party of Englishmen, who signified by their gestures that the less noise they made the better. They were then lashed to their seats, and almost immediately afterwards dropped off to sleep again.

"At all events, we are not likely to meet with much opposition," said Tom; "though, if we had had some fighting, we might have gained more credit."

No other persons being found in the fort, they immediately set to work to uns.h.i.+p the guns and to lower them down into the boat, which was brought under the wall for the purpose. They were of bra.s.s, and not very heavy considering their size, but it was soon found that three were as many as the gig could carry. Having secured these, they pulled back to the _Flash_, which now stood in as close as she could venture, when they returned for the other three. They looked in as they arrived at the drunken garrison, who were still fast asleep and unconscious of what was taking place. The remaining guns were then removed as the first had been.

"Faith, those Russian fellows will be astonished when they wake to-morrow morning and find themselves minus their guns," exclaimed Gerald, laughing.

"I only hope that they won't be shot in consequence," said Tom. "I think we ought to have left a notice of the way we surprised the fort, with a request that the brave garrison may not be punished."

On returning to the s.h.i.+p, they received due commendation from their commander for the way in which their exploit had been performed. The next day Adair himself determined to undertake a still more hazardous expedition, very similar to that in which Tom and Desmond had been captured. He had to proceed north, two miles from the coast, to the banks of a river, where he burned a large number of stacks. On his return he was chased by a body of Cossacks; he fortunately got within fire of his men in the boats just as the Cossacks were up to him. He acknowledged on getting on board that he had never had a harder run in his life.

Thoroughly knocked up, he turned in, leaving orders that the s.h.i.+p should be kept along the coast, so as to draw off their attention from other places which were to be attacked. Adair was in a deeper sleep than a commander under such circ.u.mstances generally ventures to enjoy, when suddenly he was startled by a shock, accompanied by an ominous grating sound, the meaning of which he too painfully knew.

"The s.h.i.+p's on sh.o.r.e!" he exclaimed to himself, starting up and with the practised rapidity of a seaman putting on his clothes. An officer entering his cabin, he found his worst apprehensions realised. The _Flash_ had struck on a reef, not a quarter of a mile from the beach.

He was on deck in a moment; the hands were turned up, and the boats immediately lowered to lay out an anchor astern to haul her off. The day was just breaking, and as the light increased rocks were seen inside of the s.h.i.+p, with a sandy beach and a wide extent of level country.

In vain the officers and crew exerted themselves; the tide had been falling, and every instant made the task of getting the s.h.i.+p off more difficult. Adair had once before lost his s.h.i.+p under circ.u.mstances when the best of seamans.h.i.+p could not have saved her; but he now felt that she had been got on sh.o.r.e by inexcusable carelessness, and this thought made him inclined to become almost frantic. He restrained his temper and feelings, however, in a wonderful way for an Irishman, and with perfect coolness bent all his energies to the task of getting her off.

His first lieutenant was on the sick list; the second had a short time before been relieved by a mate who somewhat resembled Mr Mildmay, without the sterling qualities of that officer, and for the sake of being better able, as he thought, to examine the coast, had kept the s.h.i.+p just a point or two, as he said, to the northward of the course given to him. However, had he even steered directly for the sh.o.r.e the commander was answerable, Terence knew too well.

In vain the crew laboured away at the capstan till the hawser was taut as a fiddle-string; not an inch would the s.h.i.+p budge. The master suggested that by heaving the guns and stores overboard she might be got off.

"And perhaps even then we might stick fast, or before she is afloat the enemy might make his appearance and find us at his mercy," answered the commander; "no, no--we'll keep our teeth, and show them too, to some effect, as long as the s.h.i.+p holds together."

Tom and Desmond were not very complimentary to the stupid old mate who had been the cause of the disaster. Tom, who was acting as signal-mids.h.i.+pman, had been for some time examining the sh.o.r.e, when he caught sight of some figures moving along in the distance. Presently, as they approached, he could see that they formed a small body of Cossack cavalry; two of them galloped on ahead, till they got near enough to ascertain the condition of the s.h.i.+p. A shot from one of her long guns, though it missed them, sent them to the right-about, and the whole body soon afterwards disappeared. No long time, however, had elapsed when they were again discerned coming in the direction of the s.h.i.+p, accompanied by a body of infantry and several field-pieces.

"We must be ready for those fellows," observed Terence, "and do our best to dismount their guns."

While one portion of the crew were sent to their quarters, the others were kept employed in endeavouring to haul off the s.h.i.+p. On came the infantry, looking out for such imperfect shelter as could be found on the coast; and the guns, which had remained some way behind them, opened their fire on the s.h.i.+p. They were not ill served, and their shot fell pretty thickly about her. Terence immediately ordered his guns to be fired in return, when the Cossacks, wheeling about, retired to a safe distance.

"I can't say much for the gunnery of those fellows," said Tom; "not a shot has struck us yet."

"Wait a bit, my boy," answered Desmond; "they'll get the range presently. It's more easy for them to hit a big object like our s.h.i.+p, than it is for us to reach those little gimcracks of guns."

The Russian riflemen having in the meantime advanced, their bullets kept whistling through the air, close to the heads of the crew, who, however, took no more notice of them than had they been pellets from pop-guns.

At last a shot from the _Flash_ struck the earth directly in front of one of the Russian guns, which at the same instant was fired, and the next, when the dust and smoke had cleared away, it was seen upset with its carriage broken, and several gunners lying stretched on the earth on either side of it. The other guns, however, still kept their position, and fired away as briskly as before.

"They'll be after getting tired of that," observed Desmond, "if we can manage to send another of our pills down their throats like the last."

The firing was kept up for some time on both sides without intermission, no apparent effect being produced on the enemy, while the s.h.i.+p was frequently hulled by their shot. Still Adair did not despair of getting her off, and as soon as the tide began to rise, he set to work with renewed energy. He and his crew seemed to bear charmed lives; for though the shot caught the rigging above their heads, and came plunging into the s.h.i.+p's side, not one of them had been hit.

"There's a fresh body of the enemy coming down, sir," said Tom, pointing to the north-east.

"If they are only Cossacks they'll not harm us," answered Adair, taking a look in the direction Tom pointed through his telescope. "I am not quite certain about that same," he observed to his first lieutenant.

"They appear to me to be artillery," answered that officer.

In a few minutes more this became evident; up came the officers, galloping at full speed, with four more guns.

"They are not of very heavy metal, or they would not come along so fast," observed Adair. "We'll be ready for them," and he ordered one of the after-guns to be trained so as to give them a warm reception as soon as they came within range. As they approached, however, the guns separated, and took up positions a considerable distance from each other, while those which had already been engaged followed their example.

This, of course, increased the difficulties of the _Flash_, as each of her guns could only engage one opponent at a time. Her heavy sixty-eight pivot-gun was, however, worked with such rapidity and skill that the enemy were frequently compelled to abandon their guns, and many of their men and horses were killed. Still fresh horses were brought up to move them to new positions, not allowing the crew of the _Flash_ a moment of rest from their labours. Every time one of their shot was seen to tell with effect they cheered l.u.s.tily; and as they worked away they seemed to enjoy the fun, laughing and joking as if no round-shot and bullets were whistling through the air near their ears.

The master had just reported that the water had risen another inch, and Adair had begun to entertain fresh hopes of getting the s.h.i.+p, ere long, afloat, when the smoke of a steamer was seen in the offing.

"I hope she's the _Tornado_ or _Giaour_," observed Desmond; "they'll be for sending the boats on sh.o.r.e and putting the enemy to the rout."

Adair naturally hoped pretty much the same, but, on consideration, he could not help suspecting that the s.h.i.+p in sight was the _Anaconda_, commanded by Commander Allport, his superior officer, for whom, on account of previous circ.u.mstances which need not just now be mentioned, he had no special regard.

"At all events, he is a brave fellow, and will stand by me," he said to himself.

As the stranger drew near, Adair found that his surmises were correct.

He had, in the meantime, been continuing his efforts to get the _Flash_ afloat, the crew working away as energetically as at first.

"She's the _Anaconda_, sir," said Tom, who had been watching the signals as they appeared at the masthead of the approaching vessel.

"Say the s.h.i.+p's ash.o.r.e, but I hope to get her off, and beg _Anaconda_ to stand in and support me," said Adair.

The signals were hoisted. It was possible that the wreaths of smoke which circled round the s.h.i.+p might have prevented them from being seen clearly. The enemy continued firing away at her as if hoping to secure her destruction before support could reach her, while her crew worked her guns with the same ardour as before. Adair calculated that, in another hour, she would be afloat, perhaps in less time. The _Anaconda_ stood in nearer, and began again to make signals. Adair looked over the signal-book.

"It can't be that!" he exclaimed, as he read, "Abandon s.h.i.+p, and come on board me with your crew."

"There must be some mistake," he added in an undertone. "I wish that I was blind of one eye and not able to see it. Answer it," he said at length, "'Before we quit the s.h.i.+p, we'll try what we can do.'"

With reluctant heart he gave the order to heave the pivot-gun overboard, taking care to secure a buoy to it, hoping that he might yet get it up.

The engine was set going, once more the capstan was manned, but still the _Flash_ did not move.