CHAPTER X.
A SEA-FIGHT.
Finding that the last news from Lord Nelson was that he was sailing tojoin the fleet blockading Toulon, Sir Sidney Smith remained but a coupleof days at the Pireus, and then continued his voyage to Constantinople.They had had no intercourse with any of the natives, and Edgar'sservices had consequently not been called into requisition.
In the afternoon Condor came up to Edgar, who was talking with some ofthe other midshipmen, and said:
"Now, Mr. Blagrove, if you really meant what you said, I think this is agood opportunity to settle our affair. Your valuable services are notlikely to be required for a few days, and if you don't wish to back outyou had better come with me below."
"With pleasure," Edgar said quietly. "I have had some difficulty inwaiting, and have several times been on the verge of stopping yourpleasant habit of bullying youngsters."
"Well, you need not say any more," Condor said savagely; "let us seewhat you can do."
Wilkinson and two or three others who were off duty went down at oncewith Edgar, and as the news spread among the others, every midshipmanwho could possibly get away unnoticed, stole off also, and joined themon the lower deck. Half a dozen lanterns were lighted and hung up fromthe beams. A few of the sailors, seeing so many midshipmen going downthere, guessed that there was a fight coming off, and descending thehatchway forward, stole noiselessly aft to watch it.
Wilkinson had said nothing to the others of what he had heard in thecabin. The general belief was that although Edgar, no doubt, would makea plucky fight of it, he had no chance whatever with an opponent nearlythree years his senior, two or three stone heavier, and with areputation for being able to use his fists well.
The opponents stripped to the waist and faced each other. Wilkinsonacted as Edgar's second; none of the older ones would act for Condor,but a lad of fifteen, who dared not refuse his request, did so.
The combat is best described in the language in which one of the tarswho witnessed it related it to his comrades.
"I never seed such a thing in all my born days," he said. "It did notlook a fair thing, for it was like a man against a boy. Condor is aboutthree inches taller than the young 'un, and much more strongly built.The young 'un stripped well, and looked a wonderfully wiry young chap;there was a determined look about his face, and I guessed that he wasgame to the backbone; but his chance did not seem worth speaking of.Well, they stood up. The young one moved about quick on his pins for amoment, and then, it was so quick that you could scarce see how it wasdone, he gave a sort of bound, and hit out with his right, and the nextmoment Condor was on his back.
"I never saw such a clean, knock-down blow in all my life. The mids,they all cheered, and it was plain enough to see which way their'pinions went. Condor was not down a moment; up he jumped again, lookingas savage as a bull, but somewhat dazed. He meant mischief this time,and went with a rush at the young 'un; but lor, the latter just jumpedout of his way, and hit him such a smack in the eye that it staggeredhim altogether. But he did not lose his legs this time, and made anotherrush. It was the same thing over and over again. The young 'un did justwhat he liked with him, and after five minutes he knocked him silly, hiseyes were beginning to close, he was just bleeding like a pig at thenose; but it was a cut on the mouth that finished him, and knocked himout of time altogether, and the young 'un had never been as much astouched once.
"You should have heard how the middies cheered. As to the young 'un, heseemed to take it as a matter of course, and said, 'There is nothing init. Condor fought pluckily enough, but he knows next to nothing ofboxing, while, though I say it myself, I am a first-rate boxer. I oughtto be, having been taught by the best masters in London for a couple ofyears.'
EDGAR HITS OUT
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"They had to chuck some water on Condor's face to get him round, for theforce with which he struck the deck stunned him. When he was helped tohis feet, the young 'un went up to him and held out his hand. 'I hopethere will be no more ill-feeling between us, Condor,' he said. 'Youhave made a bad mistake, and have had to pay for it. Only I say this,that as long as I am on board there shall be no more bullying in thecockpit. We are all gentlemen, I hope. As long as we are on duty, ofcourse, we obey the orders of our superiors, and, as our senior officer,we should all obey you; but when off duty we are equals. And if anyoneattempts to bully anyone else, he has got me to reckon with.
"'There is no reason why we should not have a pleasant time when we arebelow, and I will do my best to see that we do have it. You are thesenior of the mess, and as such have to keep order; but beyond that youhave no right to interfere. Now let us shake hands and say no more aboutit.'
"Condor shook hands without saying a word, and then slipped away. I haveseen many a fight since I first took to the sea, but never such a fightas this before. It were just a massacre of the innercents, and I don'tthink a fellow was ever more thoroughly sucked in than Master Condorwhen he undertook the job."
Condor had to go on the sick-list half an hour after the fight was over.His eyes were almost closed, his face was enormously swollen, and he hadlost three teeth--the effect of the blow that had brought the conflictto a close.
"Did you know how it was going to be, Wilkinson?" one of the otherseniors said as they went up on the deck again.
"I guessed pretty well, from what Blagrove was telling Sir Sidney whenhe dined with him, that Condor would meet his match, but I did not thinkthat it was going to be a hollow thing like that."
"What do you mean, sir, by skulking below?" the second lieutenantangrily asked one of the midshipmen of his watch as he returned on deck.
"I just slipped below for a few minutes, sir," the lad said.
"Well, you had better be careful, or you will find yourself at themast-head," the lieutenant said sharply.
"I fancy there has been a fight," the first lieutenant said as Mr.Knight passed him, grumbling to himself. "I noticed just now that therewere only two midshipmen on deck. Do you see, they are coming up thehatchway, one by one, looking as innocent as a cat that has been at thecream-jug. They seem to be pretty nearly all here now, but I don't seeany signs in any of their faces that they have been in trouble.
"Well, well, midshipmen are only boys, and boys will quarrel. I expectwe both had our share of it before we got our epaulettes."
The other laughed. "I suppose so," he said; "and after all it does themno harm, and it is much better, if two boys do quarrel, that they shouldfight it out and have done with it, instead of always wrangling."
"I thought it might have been Blagrove," the first lieutenant said. "Anew hand generally has a fight before he has been on board a fortnight.After that he finds his level. However, it is not him, for there he is,looking as cool as a cucumber. It must have been some sort of meeting todiscuss some fancied grievance. I daresay we shall hear something aboutit sooner or later."
Half an hour afterwards the doctor came on deck. There was a smile onhis face as he went up to the first lieutenant.
"One of your officers is on the sick list, Mr. Canes."
"What is the matter with him?"
"I should say that it would come under the head of contusions."
The lieutenant laughed.
"Bad contusions?"
"Rather more serious than is usual in these cases. Face greatly swelled,eyes closed, very great enlargement of the nose, lips puffed and badlycut, three front teeth missing."
"By Jove, that is severe punishment! Who is it?"
"Master's mate Condor."
"Why, who has he been fighting with?"
The doctor laughed. "I could hardly believe it when I heard. I waylaidyoung Jocelyn, who was executing a war-dance of delight, and questionedhim. It is your last acquisition, Blagrove."
"Impossible, Doctor! There is the lad himself, without the slightestsign of having been engaged in a fight. I have been looking at them allrather closely, for they nearly all disappeared about half an hour ago,and one knows what th
at generally means. Mr. Knight was very angry aboutit, so when they came back again I glanced at them; and as none of themwere marked in any way, or showed any signs of their having been engagedin a bout of fisticuffs, I came to the conclusion that there had been nofight. And you mean to say that Blagrove punished Condor in that fashionwithout receiving a mark himself? Condor is a powerful fellow, and mustbe nearly three years older than the lad. It seems well-nighimpossible!"
"I was astonished myself, but, if you remember, he told us the otherevening at the captain's table that he had earned the good-will ofthose Arabs by rescuing the sheik's son from an attack by two Europeanruffians. He certainly told it in a very modest tone; but that a ladcould thrash two men armed with knives seemed to me to border onromancing. Young Jocelyn said that the fight did not last more than fiveminutes, and that Blagrove did not receive a scratch. His delight wasexcessive, and I fancy Condor is rather a bully. You see there is nobodyelse in the mess anywhere near his weight and age, and he took advantageof it accordingly. The boy said that after it was over and they shookhands, Blagrove told Condor that there should be no bullying in the messin future.
"I asked what the affair was about. Jocelyn did not know, but said thathe heard that something had happened when Blagrove first came on board,and that they all knew that there was going to be a fight, but he thinksthat it was put off until they left the Pireus for some reason orother."
"That young fellow must be a marvellously good boxer to be able topunish a fellow so superior in age and weight without showing a markhimself. The lesson is certainly likely to do Condor good. I have heardfrom Mr. Bonnor, who was in the same ship with him on his lastcommission, that the fellow had a bad name as a bully, but that, unlikemost fellows of that sort, he had pluck, and could fight, which makesBlagrove's victory all the more surprising. However, of course we shalltake no notice of it. I have merely your official report that Mr. Condoris on the sick-list suffering from severe contusions. I suppose it willbe some days before he can show up?"
"I should say that it will be a week before he is fit to come on deck.As to the loss of his teeth, it will be a serious disfigurement until hegets home again and can be fitted with some fresh ones. Well, at anyrate this will give Blagrove a good standing among the others. It isalways awkward for a lad who joins a good bit later than usual."
It was not only among the midshipmen that the defeat of Condorestablished Edgar as the most popular member of the mess. During thevoyage out, Condor had already rendered himself obnoxious to the men bythe roughness of his tone when speaking to them, and by his domineeringmanner whenever the officer of the watch was engaged elsewhere, and thereport of the manner in which he had been punished excited great delightamong them, and rendered Edgar a most popular personage. They hadnoticed his behaviour the first time that he had gone aloft, and hadagreed that the new middy was a good sort and no greenhorn.
"He will make a first-rate officer," one old tar said. "You mark mywords if he don't. New hand as he is, you will see that he will show upwell on the first opportunity."
The fight, too, raised rather than lowered Condor in their opinion. Themen who had seen it all agreed that, although he had not a shadow ofchance from the first, he had fought with unflinching pluck, andstruggled on most gamely until knocked out of time. Consequently, whenhe returned to duty he was treated with the same respect as before, andwith none of the covert grins that he had expected to notice among them.
The young fellow was not a fool, and while in the sickbay had thoughtmatters over a good deal. It was of course mortifying to have beenthrashed by an antagonist he despised, but he was conscious that he hadbrought the punishment upon himself. Hitherto he had not, since he firstjoined the service, met with his match among those of his own age andstanding, and had come to think himself an exceptional sort of fellow;but the discovery that he was but a child in the hands of a really goodboxer, while it humiliated him, was extremely useful. A lesson of thiskind is sure to have an effect, good or bad. Among some it sours thetemper, produces an active hatred of the person who gave it, and rendersa lad savage and morose. On the other hand, among more generous naturesit has an opposite effect. Thinking matters over, a lad will feel thathe has been going in the wrong direction, that he has been puffed upwith an exaggerated idea of his own powers, and he will determine to getinto a better groove, and to break himself of his faults.
Condor belonged to the latter class. As he lay in bed he saw clearlythat he had made a great mistake, that his successes had been won simplybecause those he licked were less skilled or strong than himself, andthat, in point of fact, instead of being, as he believed, a good boxer,he knew next to nothing about it.
Edgar had, after the first day, gone in regularly to have a chat withhim. He had been somewhat doubtful as to how his advances would bereceived, but had determined to do his best to become friends withCondor, whom he felt, rather remorsefully, he had punished terriblyseverely.
"I hope, Condor," he said the first time he entered, "that you willbelieve that I have come in because I am really sorry that you have beenhurt so much, and not from any idea of triumphing over you. It was onlynatural that I should have got the best of it. I knew beforehand that Iwas sure to do so. I learned boxing for over two years from some of thebest light-weight fighters in London. I worked very hard, and at the endof that time, except that I was of course their inferior in strength, Icould hold my own very fairly with them. That was more than a year ago,and since then I have gained a lot in height, in length of reach, andin strength, so you really need not feel mortified that you were soeasily beaten, because I consider that if you had been twice as strongas you are, and four or five years older, it would have come to the samething. A man who can box only in what you may call a rough-and-ready wayhas practically no chance whatever with a really scientific pugilist,which I may say I am. I hope you bear me no malice, and that we shall befriends in future."
"I hope so too, Blagrove. I feel that I deserve what I have got, and itwill be a lesson that I shall not forget. You have taken me down a greatmany pegs in my own estimation, and I shall try and make a fresh startwhen I am about again."
"I am very glad to hear it," Edgar said warmly. "I am sure it must bevery much more pleasant to be liked by everyone than to be disliked; andone is just as easy as the other."
"I don't know that I ever thought of it before," Condor said, "but Isuppose it must be. I will try the experiment when I get up. I shallfeel very small among the others."
"I don't see why you should. You did all that you could, and no onecould have done better who had not been taught as I have, and I am surethat no one will think the least degree the worse of you because you hadno chance with me. Why, I thrashed a couple of ruffians in Alexandria,armed with knives, in a quarter of the time that it took me to beatyou."
"At any rate I shall know better in future," Condor said, with a poorattempt to smile with his swollen lips. "I have learned not to judgefrom appearances. Who would have thought that a fellow brought up inEgypt would have been able to fight like a professional pugilist. Yousaid that you had been a couple of years at school in England, but thatdidn't go for much. We have all been at school in England, and yet notmany of us know much of boxing. How was it that you came to learn?"
"Well, you see that there is a very rough population inAlexandria--Greek, Maltese, and Italian, in fact the scum of theMediterranean--and my father, who is a very sensible man, thought thatthe knowledge of how to use my fists well might be of much greater valueto me than anything else I could learn in England, so he asked my uncle,with whom I lived when I was at school, to get me the best masters inboxing that he could find. I got to be very fond of it, and worked veryhard. I had three lessons a week all the time I was at school, and thelast year changed my master three times, and so got all their favouritehits. Of course I used to get knocked about, for some boxers can't helphitting hard, and to the end I used to get punished pretty heavily,because though I might hit them as often as they hit me, they
were ableto hit much harder than I was, but I fancy now that they would find itpretty hard work to knock me out of time. My father used to say thatbeing really a good boxer kept a man or a boy out of trouble. A man whoknows that he can fight well can afford to be good-tempered and put upwith things that another man wouldn't, and if he is driven to use hisfists gets off without being knocked about; and besides, as soon as itis known that he can fight, others don't care about quarrelling withhim. I know that it was so with me. I had a fight or two at first, but Ivery quickly improved, and after that I never had a quarrel for the restof the nearly three years I was at school."
"One thing is certain, Blagrove, you are not likely to have anotherquarrel as long as you remain on board the _Tigre_. You will come andsee me again, won't you?"
"Certainly I will. I can see that it hurts you to talk now, but youwill soon get over that, and then we can have some good chats."
During the voyage up to the Dardanelles, the _Tigre_ encounteredchangeable weather; the sails had often to be shifted. When he was onwatch, Edgar always went aloft with his friend Wilkinson and took hisplace beside him, listened to the orders that he gave, and watched himat work. In a few days he was able to act independently and to do hisduty regularly, and to aid in tying down a reef when a sudden squallcame on.
They caught sight of many islands as they passed through the Aegean.Edgar was disappointed with the Dardanelles, but delighted with hisfirst view of Constantinople. It was on the day that they cast anchorthat Condor for the first time put in an appearance at mess. His facehad resumed its normal appearance, save that there were greenish-yellowpatches under the eyes. Wilkinson, who was by a week or two the seniormidshipman, and had occupied the president's chair with reluctance, atonce left it. They had not expected him until the next day, or he wouldnot have taken it. Edgar had that morning particularly asked the othersas a personal favour to give Condor a hearty welcome on his return.
"I think you will find him a much more pleasant fellow than he wasbefore," he said. "At any rate he has been punished heavily, and I thinkthat you ought to welcome him heartily."
Wilkinson and two or three of the older midshipmen had gone in severaltimes to see Condor, and had been pleased at the friendly way in whichhe had spoken of Blagrove. There had, however, been little talk betweenthem, for Condor had not seemed disposed for conversation. Condor walkedto his accustomed seat at the head of the table.
"I hope things will go on better than they have done," he said gruffly."All I can say is, it sha'n't be my fault if they don't;" and withoutmore words he proceeded to cut up the salt meat placed in front of him.For a short time the conversation was constrained, and it was evidentthat those who spoke were talking for the sake of talking; but this soonwore off, and by the end of the meal even the youngest mids were talkingand laughing with a feeling that somehow a change had come over theplace. A quarter of an hour after the meal had ended, a boat waslowered.
"Mr. Wilkinson, you will take charge," the first officer said. "Mr.Blagrove, you will accompany the captain on shore."
A few minutes later they reached the landing-place. A number of men atonce crowded round to proffer their services, and the captain said:
"Choose one of them for a guide, Mr. Blagrove. Ask him to take us to ourembassy."
Edgar at once chose a quiet-looking Turk, and, to the latter's surprise,addressed him in his own language. The others fell back disappointed,and the guide soon conducted them to the embassy.
"I shall not want you here, Blagrove. I shall be engaged for at least acouple of hours. You can either stroll about and have a look round or goback to the boat as you please. It is now two o'clock; call again herefor me at four."
Cairo had prepared Edgar for Constantinople, and indeed he thought theformer city more picturesque in the variety of costume than the latter.The views from the hill of Pera, whether looking up the Golden Horn,across it at Stamboul, over to Scutari and the shores of the Sea ofMarmora, or up the Bosphorus, were beautiful beyond anything that hehad ever seen, and leaving the exploration of the city for another day,he sat down under the shade of some cypress trees close to a Turkishcemetery and entered into a conversation with the guardian of the tombs,who pointed out the various mosques and places of interest to him. Atthe end of two hours he repaired to the embassy. Presently a dragomancame down and asked him if his name was Blagrove, and on his replying inthe affirmative, said that Sir Sidney Smith had ordered him to say thathe could return in the boat to the ship, for that he would dine ashore,and the boat was to be at the wharf at ten o'clock.
Sir Sidney Smith remained two months at Constantinople. His duty, inconjunction with his brother, Mr. Seymour Smith, was to engage theSultan in an active alliance with England, and to concert, as a navalofficer, the best plan to be pursued to render that alliance effective.The former portion of the commission had already been carried almost toa successful termination by his brother, and the treaty was signed onthe first week of January, 1799. The details of the latter were arrivedat in the course of several meetings between Sir Sidney Smith and theTurkish pasha and admiral. To these latter meetings Edgar alwaysaccompanied his chief as interpreter, Sir Sidney preferring his servicesto those of the dragoman of the embassy, as he was better able tounderstand and explain the naval points discussed.
The Porte, indeed, was able to do but little towards aiding in the navaloperations. Two bomb ships and seventeen gun-boats were all the vesselsthat they were able to produce, but it was some time before they wouldagree to place these entirely under Sir Sidney Smith's command. AhmedPasha, or, as he was generally called, Djezzar Pasha--Djezzar meaningthe butcher, from the cruel and brutal nature of the man--the Governorof Syria, was in Constantinople at the time, and was present at thesemeetings. He was aware that Napoleon was marching against him; andalthough usually he paid but little attention to the Porte, orrecognized any orders received from it, he had now hurried there torepresent the situation and ask for assistance.
Bonaparte lost no time after hearing that Djezzar had sent forward aforce to occupy the fort of El-A'rich in the desert, between Syria andEgypt, and on the 8th of February set out with 12,428 men for theconquest of Syria. Djezzar, who had returned to his pachalik, havingearly news of the movement, despatched a force, consisting principallyof cavalry, to support the garrison of El-A'rich, and they were joinedthere by Ibrahim Bey with a force of Mamelukes. The march of the Frenchwas painful, and they suffered greatly from thirst. However, theydefeated the Turk and Mameluke cavalry with heavy loss, and El-A'rich atonce surrendered. The garrison were allowed to depart on undertaking notto serve again, and four days later the army entered Palestine, andbelieved that their fatigues and sufferings were at an end.
Two days later, however, a cold rain set in, and the troops, who hadbeen suffering greatly from heat, felt the change painfully. On the 3rdof March they arrived in front of Jaffa. A Turk was sent in to summonthe garrison to surrender. The commandant simply ordered his head to bestruck off and sent no reply. The fire of the field artillery in a fewhours effected breaches at several points. The French, in spite ofopposition, burst into the town, which was given up to sack, and a largenumber of the inhabitants, as well as the soldiers, were massacred.Between 3000 and 4000 prisoners were taken, among these doubtless weresome of those who had been allowed to march away from El-A'rich. Thedifficulties in the way of provisioning the army were great. Many wereill from the effects of the change of climate, and the position wasbecoming serious.
To feed 3000 or 4000 prisoners added greatly to the difficulties, andNapoleon took a step which has been a foul blot on his reputation. Theywere marched into a vast square formed of French troops; as soon as allhad entered the fatal square the troops opened fire upon them, and thewhole were massacred. The terrible slaughter occupied a considerabletime; and when their cartridge-boxes were emptied, the French soldiershad to complete the massacre with their bayonets. Of the whole of thesevictims one only, a mere youth, asked for mercy; the rest met their fatewith hero
ic calmness and resolution. Napoleon's excuse for this hideousmassacre was that the soldiers had broken the engagement they took at ElA'rich, but this applied to only a very small proportion of thegarrison, and the massacre was wholly indefensible, for if unable tofeed his prisoners, they should have been allowed to depart unarmed toseek subsistence for themselves.
The effects of this horrible massacre recoiled upon those whoperpetrated it. The great number of dead bodies speedily tainted theair, and the maladies from which the troops suffered became vastly moreserious, and the plague broke out among them and carried off aconsiderable number. Kleber's division made a reconnaissance towardsJerusalem, but the people of Nablous and the mountaineers assailed themwith so terrible a fire, as they endeavoured to make their way up thenarrow valleys, that they were forced to retire and join the main bodyof the army. When the French marched from Jaffa there were still many oftheir men stricken with the plague in hospital. Napoleon has beenaccused of having had these poisoned.
The statement has been repeated over and over again, and has been asoften vehemently denied, among others by Bonaparte himself. It stillremains, and always will remain, doubtful. There can be no doubt thatthe transport of plague-stricken men would have been a source of dangerto the whole army; and as very few of those once attacked by the plagueever recovered, but few would have benefited by the operation, while thecondition of the great majority would have been rendered still morehopeless and painful by the journey. Upon the other hand, had they beenleft behind they would assuredly have been massacred by the inhabitants,who had suffered so terribly at the hands of the French. Rather than beso left, the unfortunate men would assuredly have vastly preferred somepainless form of death at the hands of their friends. The probabilitiesare that all the sick, whose final recovery was considered by thesurgeons as within the limits of probability, were taken on, and thatthose whose cases were absolutely hopeless were not allowed to fallalive into the hands of their foes.
Napoleon's position was an extremely difficult one. He had shown muchsolicitude for the wounded. When the whole army were panic-stricken atthe outbreak, he had himself visited the hospitals, been present atoperations, talked encouragingly to the sick, and had done all in hispower to relieve their condition. But he could keep the army no longerin the tainted air of Jaffa. He could not take men at the point of deathaway with him to communicate the malady to those who had so far escaped,nor could he leave them to be murdered in their beds by the infuriatedpopulation. It is uncertain really what course was taken; but it mustbe assumed that Napoleon, who was always anxious to win the affectionand regard of his troops, would, putting all other matters aside, nothave perpetrated any act that would have been condemned by the soldiersof his army.