The British Navy Book Part 4

[8] A coa.r.s.e woollen stuff.

[9] Innkeepers.

[10] Threw the enemy's survivors overboard and drowned them.

[11] Called.

[12] At one time the "British Blue" was rather fond of calling himself a "matlow" or "matlo", though it is said the custom is falling into disuse. It has been stated that it dates from the old comrades.h.i.+p of French and English in the Crimean War. The French word _matelot_, by the way, is derived from _matelas_, a mattress. Before hammocks, two men used a mattress in turn, one being always on watch.

[13] I say "ordinary" advisedly, as an archer got 3_d._ a day in 1346 and probably earlier.

[14] "Hereby would I shew you how foolhardy is he who adventures himself in such peril, if he be in debt to any man, or is in deadly sin; for one goes to sleep at night never knowing whether one will awake at the bottom of the sea."

[15] Paul Lacroix.

CHAPTER V

Some Mediaeval Sea-fights

"The King's own galley, he called it _Trenchthemer_ That was first on way, and came the s.h.i.+p full near.

The s.h.i.+p cast hooks out, the galley to them to draw; The King stood full stoutly, and many of them slew; Wild-fire they cast, the King to confound; . . . . . . . . . . .

The King abased him not but stalwartly fought.

The s.h.i.+p that was so great, it foundered in the flood; They counted fifteen hundred Saracens that drowned were, Forty and six were selected, and were all that were saved there.

The sum could no man tell of gold that was therein And other riches to sell, but all they might not win.

It sank soon in the sea, half might they not get.

Richard bade, 'Haul up your sails, may G.o.d us lead, Our men at Acre lie, of help they have great need.'"

PETER OF LANGTOFT (modernized), thirteenth-century poem.

ONE of the most interesting episodes of mediaeval war afloat was the sinking of the great Turkish _Dromon_, off Beyrout, by King Richard I.

After having effected the junction of his fleets off Messina, he had gone on to Cyprus, where fighting, and other matters with which we need not concern ourselves, had delayed him for some time. At length he and his "busses"[16] and galleys set out for Acre. The following day--6th June, 1191--the British fleet made the Syrian coast, near the Castle of Margat, and continued their way, pretty close under the land, for the town of Acre. About noon the day following, when near Beyrout, it was reported to the King, who led the fleet in his galley _Trench-the-Mer_, that an enormous s.h.i.+p was in sight. None of the English had ever seen such a leviathan. "A marvellous s.h.i.+p," says an old chronicler, "a s.h.i.+p than which, except Noah's s.h.i.+p, none greater was ever read of--the Queen of s.h.i.+ps!" It was a fine and beautiful summer morning, with but little wind. The strange s.h.i.+p showed no distinguis.h.i.+ng colours, and was putting on as much sail as she possibly could; but she made little, if any, way at all:

"The weather was full soft, the wind held them still, The sail was high aloft, they had no wind at will",

to quote an ancient poem dealing with the fight that ensued. The big s.h.i.+p was of great bulk, painted green on one side and yellow on the other, probably to render her inconspicuous against either a sandy or a green background, or at sea, when her green side was towards the enemy.

But in spite of this curious colouring she is said to have presented a very beautiful appearance, and her decoration was considered "very elegant".

The vessel is stated to have carried 1500 men--an enormous complement--which included 7 Emirs and 80 chosen Turks, for the defence of Acre. She was equipped with bows, arrows, and other weapons, many jars filled with the dreaded Greek fire, and "200 most deadly serpents prepared for the destruction of Christians". Most historians consider that these "serpents" were some kind of firework used as a missile, since "serpentine" was an early name for one of the smallest-sized cannon. Personally, I do not see why we should not accept the word "serpents" in its everyday meaning. The adjective "deadly" is suggestive, and in one old account it is particularly stated that "the 200 serpents were _drowned_". There have been instances of hives of bees being hurled as missiles from war-engines, so why not baskets of deadly snakes? But it is more probable that these serpents--since none of them were expended in the battle that took place--were intended to have been introduced into the camps of the Crusaders after being landed at Acre.

As soon as the big _Dromon_--as she is generally called by old writers--was sighted, Richard dispatched Peter de Barris in his galley to find out who she was. The word _Dromon_, by the way, was used at that time to denote any exceptionally large s.h.i.+p; just as we use "Dreadnought" in a similar way. But the actual and original meaning of the word was not a big, but a fast, s.h.i.+p. The word is connected with speed and racing, and is of Greek origin. We use it in its proper sense now in hippodrome, velodrome, aerodrome, &c.

As De Barris pulled alongside the _Dromon_, she showed the French king's colours on a lance, and, on being hailed, stated that she was taking French Crusaders to Acre. Further interrogated, another story was tried.

She was a Genoese, bound for Tyre. All this was suspicious enough, but in the meantime one of the men in the King's s.h.i.+p announced that he recognized her--he had seen her once at Beyrout--and was brought before Richard. "I will give my head to be cut off, or myself to be hanged,"

a.s.serted this mariner, "if I do not prove that this is a Saracen s.h.i.+p.

Let a galley be sent after them, and give them no salutation; their intention and trustworthiness will then be discovered." Richard adopted the suggestion. Another galley shot out from the fleet and surged up alongside the towering _Dromon_. There was no mistake this time. Down came whistling flights of arrows, while pots of Greek fire crashed into flame as they struck the galley. Off dashed Richard in the _Trench-the-Mer_ to the rescue. "Follow me, and take them," he cried to the other galleys, "for if they escape, ye lose my love for ever; and if ye capture them all their goods shall be yours!" The Turk could not get away, she was practically becalmed, and the oar-propelled galleys of the Crusaders closed around her.

But the a.s.sailants were in the same predicament as were the Romans when they attacked the lofty s.h.i.+ps of the Veneti. The sides of the _Dromon_ towered far over their heads, and do what they would they could not get on board her. The Turks had thrown a grapnel and made fast to the King's galley at the very beginning of the fight. Greek fire and missiles of all kinds rained upon the heads of the English, fully exposed on the decks and benches of their low galleys. The apparent hopelessness of their situation began to affect the efforts of the Crusaders. Richard saw that "something must be done", and he rose to the occasion.

"Will ye now suffer that s.h.i.+p to get off untouched and uninjured?" he shouted. "Oh, shame! after so many triumphs do ye now give way to sloth and fear? Know that if this s.h.i.+p escape, every one of you shall be hung on the cross or put to extreme torture!"

That was _his_ way of bestowing the cross--a wooden one, not an "iron"

one! But it had its effect. The galley-men dived overboard, and, fastening ropes to the enemy's rudder, "steered her as they pleased". It is rather difficult to understand the precise advantage gained by his manoeuvre, unless the wind had sprung up and the big Turkish vessel was gathering a good deal of way and dragging the whole press of galleys along with her, and that many were in danger of being swamped. However, after this they were able to climb up her sides by means of ropes, and a desperate hand-to-hand conflict took place on her decks. Here the martial prowess of the Crusaders had full play. Wielding their heavy trenchant swords, they drove the Saracens right forward into the bows of the s.h.i.+p; but just when they thought victory was in their grasp, up came a torrent of fresh a.s.sailants from below, and in such overwhelming numbers that the boarders were hurled back into their galleys.

Things were now very black indeed, but Richard once more showed his generals.h.i.+p. He ordered the whole of his galleys to cut loose from their elephantine enemy, to draw off and form line abreast with their bows towards the foe. Then, at his signal, down went the long oars with a great splash into the water, and, every rower putting his full strength into his stroke, the galleys roared through the sea at the big yellow and green _Dromon_. There was a series of rending crashes as the iron beaks of the galleys struck her sides, like sword-fish attacking a whale. The Crusaders backed their oars for all they knew, to get clear, and, staggering and rolling to her doom, the huge Saracen gradually foundered as the water poured in cataracts through the gaping holes in her sides. Only fifty-five of her crew were saved, being men whom the Crusaders considered would be useful to help them to make the military engines, for which, it would seem, the Saracens were renowned. The remainder who had escaped the swords of the English were "sent home by water", according to the custom of Chaucer's "schipman" at a later date.

This cruel habit would seem to have died hard, for we find one of the English captains in the Armada fight regretting that they had not "made water-spaniels" of the crew of a captured Spaniard who were reported to be short of provisions.

We will now forge right ahead through a couple of hundred years, and take a glimpse at a sea-fight in the days of Richard II. The merchants of Flanders, La Roch.e.l.le, and some other places had agreed to sail together in considerable force for mutual protection to La Roch.e.l.le, in order to buy wine and other merchandise. The English had wind of this expedition and had every intention of catching them _en route_. But the Flemings contrived to elude them and get safely to their destination.

There was nothing for it but to make another attempt, and cut them off on their return journey.

"The English navy", says Sir John Froissart, "lay at anchor before Margate at the Thames mouth, toward Sandwich, abiding their adventure, and specially abiding for the s.h.i.+ps that were gone to La Roch.e.l.le; for they thought they would shortly return. And so they did...."

When he saw he would have to fight, Sir John de Bucq, the commander of the Flemings, made ready his 700 cross-bowmen and his guns.

"The English s.h.i.+ps approached," continues Froissart, "and they had certain galleys furnished with archers, and these came foremost rowing with oars, and gave the first a.s.sault. The archers shot fiercely, and lost much of their shot; for the Flemings covered them under the decks and would not appear, but drave ever forward with the wind: and when they were out of the English archer's shot, then they did let fly their bolts from the cross-bows, wherewith they hurted many.

"Then approached the great s.h.i.+ps of England, the Earl of Arundel with his company, and the Bishop of Norwich with his; and so the other lords.

They rushed in among the Flemings' s.h.i.+ps, and them of La Roch.e.l.le: yet the Flemings and cross-bows defended themselves right valiantly, for their patron, Sir John de Bucq, did ever support them: he was in a great strong s.h.i.+p, where he had three guns shooting so great stones, that wheresoever they lighted they did great damage. And even as they fought they drew little and little towards Flanders; and some little s.h.i.+ps, with their merchants, took the coasts of Flanders, and the low water, and thereby saved them, for the great s.h.i.+ps could not follow them.

"Thus on the sea they had a hard battle, and s.h.i.+ps broken and sunken on both sides; for out of the tops they cast down great bars of iron, sharpened so that they went through to the bottom. This was a hard battle and well fought, for it endured three whole tides; and when the day failed they withdrew from each other, and cast anchor, and there rested all night, and there dressed their hurt men: and when the flood came, they disanch.o.r.ed and drew up sails and returned again to battle.

"With the Englishmen was Peter du Bois of Ghent, with certain archers and mariners; he gave the Flemings much ado, for he had been a mariner, therefore he knew the art of the sea, and he was sore displeased that the Flemings and merchants endured so long. But always the Englishmen won advantage of the Flemings, and so came between Blankenburgh and Sluys, against Cadsand; there was the discomfiture, for the Flemings were not succoured by any creature; and also at that time there were no s.h.i.+ps at Sluys, nor men of war.... By this discomfiture of Sir John de Bucq, as he came from La Roch.e.l.le, the Englishmen had great profit, specially of wine, for they had a nine thousand tuns of wine; whereby wine was the dearer all the year after in Flanders, Holland, and Brabant, and the better cheap in England, as it was reason. Such are the chances of this world; if one hath damage another hath profit."

There are one or two very interesting points in this account. One, of course, is the fact that there were three guns mounted on John de Bucq's s.h.i.+p, which evidently was exceptional at the time, or attention would not have been so particularly drawn to them. Moreover, they were not little guns, like those which were mounted in such numbers a few years later, but of some size, since they fired "_great_ stones". But the most noteworthy point that emerges from the story of the fight is that not only were the cross-bowmen able to fire from under cover on the English without exposing themselves, but their bows had actually outranged the long-bows. Now we know that a long-bow in expert hands would kill at 400 yards, so that the effective range of the cross-bow must have been considerable.

FOOTNOTE:

[16] "_Bus_", "s.h.i.+ps of the largest size, with triple sails".

CHAPTER VI

The Navy in Tudor Times

"The various s.h.i.+ps that were built of yore, And above them all, and strangest of all Towered the _Great Harry_, crank and tall, Whose picture was hanging on the wall, With bows and stern raised high in air, And balconies hanging here and there, And signal lanterns and flags afloat, And eight round towers, like those that frown From some old castle, looking down Upon the drawbridge and the moat."

"The Building of the s.h.i.+p." LONGFELLOW.

THE Tudor period, to which this chapter is devoted, is noteworthy as witnessing the birth of the Royal Navy as a permanent national inst.i.tution. Though we have accounts--probably to a great extent mythical--of the 3600 "very stout" s.h.i.+ps of the Saxon King Edgar (A.D.