CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
THE FRIGATE IN ACTION--BILL SHOWS THAT HE CAN BE OF USE.
The stranger, which had apparently been beating down Channel, now put upher helm, and setting studden sails stood to the eastward before thewind. She failed also to answer the private signal; no doubt,therefore, remained that she was French, and wished to avoid an action,though, as she appeared to be as large as the English frigate, if notlarger, this was somewhat surprising.
"Perhaps she has some consorts to the eastward, and wishes to lead usinto their midst during the night," observed Mr Saltwell.
"She will find that she's mistaken. We will keep too bright a look-outto be so caught," said the captain.
The first lieutenant, as he was walking forward, caught sight of Billand Jack.
"Why, lads, where do you come from?" he asked.
As he spoke he recognised Bill.
"Are you not the lad who gave notice of the plot of the American captainto capture our ship?" he asked.
Bill acknowledged that such was the case.
"I am truly glad that you have escaped. I promised our late captainthat I would keep an eye on you," he continued, "and I shall now havethe opportunity. I thought you, with the rest of our poor fellows, hadbeen lost when our ship blew up."
Bill briefly described their adventures, and the lieutenant seemed muchinterested. He said he would have them at once entered on the ship'sbooks, for as they were likely soon to be engaged with the enemy, itmight be of importance to them.
He accordingly sent for the purser, to whom he gave the properdirections. Bill and Jack then made their way below.
On passing the galley they saw a boy busily employed, assisting thecook's mate in cleaning pots and pans. He looked up at them andstarted, letting drop the pot at which he was scrubbing.
"What! Bill! Jack! I thought you had gone to Davy Jones's locker," heexclaimed. "Are you really yourselves?"
"No doubt about it, Tom," answered Bill and in a few words they againtold their adventures.
Tom soon recovered from his astonishment. He appeared somewhat ashamedof his present occupation. He had got into a scrape, he acknowledged,and had been ordered to assist the cook's mate.
"I wish you would tell him, Tom, that we are very hungry, as we have hada long pull, and that if he would give us something to eat we should bevery much obliged to him. If he's a good-natured fellow, I daresay hewill."
Tom undertook to plead for them with the cook himself, who just then puthis head out of the galley. The cook, without hesitation, on hearingtheir story, gave them each a basin of broth and a handful of biscuit.
While they were eating they asked Tom to tell them how he had escaped.
"I've no very clear notion about the matter," he answered; "I must havebeen in the water, for I found myself lying at the bottom of a boat wetto the skin, and more dead than alive. There were a dozen or more ofour fellows in her, and Mr Saltwell, our first lieutenant, who had beenpicked up, I supposed, as I had been. They thought I was done for, and,as the boat was overloaded, they were about to heave me overboard, whenI opened my eyes, and sang out, `Don't;' so they let me remain, andafter some time pulled alongside a cutter, on board which we were takenand looked after below. Shortly afterwards we went in chase of a Frenchcraft of the same rig as ours, but she got away, and we then steered forPlymouth. We were at first taken on board the guardship, where weremained some time, and then I was transferred with others to thisfrigate, the _Thisbe_, of which, to my great satisfaction, I found thatMr Saltwell had been appointed first lieutenant. Thinking that, as wehad shared a common misfortune, he would stand my friend, I went up tohim, and telling him that I was a gentleman's son, begged he would haveme put on the quarter-deck. He told me that if I did my duty I shouldhave as good a chance as others; but here I am set to scrape potatoesand clean pots and pans. It's a shame, a great shame, and I can't standit."
Bill and Jack had a tolerably correct notion why Tom was not better off,but they did not say so, as they did not wish to hurt his feelings, andwere grateful to him for having obtained for them the broth andbiscuits.
They had scarcely finished their meal when the order came to extinguishthe galley fire.
A short time afterwards the drum beat to quarters, and every one wasemployed in getting the ship ready for action.
Jack and Bill expected that they would be employed in their formeroccupation of powder-monkeys, though, having been awake all the previousnight, and in active exertion the whole of the day, notwithstanding theexpectation of a battle, they could with difficulty keep their eyesopen. They were going with the rest of the boys to the powder-magazine,when they heard their names called out, and the ship's corporalappearing, told them that the first lieutenant had directed that theyshould turn in below and take some sleep.
A couple of hammocks were slung for them forward, and they very gladlyobeyed the order.
Bill made an effort to keep awake, that he might turn out again shouldthe ship go into action, but in less than two minutes drowsinessovertook him, and he went fast asleep.
He dreamed, however, that he heard the guns firing, and the crewshouting, and that he got up and found that the frigate had taken theFrenchman.
Meantime, however, the wind falling light, the frigate made but slowprogress, though she still kept the enemy in sight.
When Bill really awoke, the light was streaming down through thefore-hatchway. He roused up Jack, as there was no one below to callthem, and on going on deck they discovered the crew at their quarters,and the French frigate almost within range of their guns.
She was to leeward, for the wind was still in its former quarter, andshe had just then hauled up and backed her main-topsail to await theircoming.
She was now seen to carry four more guns than the _Thisbe_, and to beapparently considerably larger, her bright, polished sides showing thatshe had not been long out of harbour.
When a ship goes into action, sail is generally shortened, but CaptainMartin kept all the _Thisbe's_ set, and stood on, bearing down directlyfor the enemy.
Jack had been sent to join the other boys, who were employed in bringingup the powder as required from the magazine, but the first lieutenantdirected Bill to remain near him.
Jack took his seat as a matter of course on his tub, and, as ithappened, next to Tom.
"How are you feeling?" asked Tom, who looked rather pale.
"Much as I generally do, only I am rather peckish," answered Jack. "Iwish we had had time for breakfast before thrashing the mounseers, but Ihope that won't take us very long."
"I hope not," said Tom; "only they say that the French ship is thebigger of the two."
"What's the odds of that, provided we can work our guns twice as fast asthey can?" observed Jack; "that's the way we licked the Frenchmenbefore, and, of course, we shall lick them again; but I say, Tom, whatmakes you look so melancholy?"
"Do I? Well, if you want to know, I was thinking of home, and wishing Ihad not run off to sea. I've had a miserable life of it since I came onboard this frigate. It was my own fault that I did not go back when Iwas last on shore. I had the chance, but was ashamed to show my face."
"There's no use thinking about that sort of thing now," said Jack. "Weshall be fighting the Frenchmen in a few minutes, and the round andgrape shot and bullets will be flying about our ears."
"That's what I don't quite like the thoughts of," replied Tom. "I hopeneither you nor I will be hit, Jack."
"Of course not," said Jack; "it wouldn't be pleasant, though we must doour duty, and trust to chance, or rather trust in Providence, like therest."
"I don't envy Bill up on deck there," remarked Tom. "I wonder what thefirst lieutenant wants with him."
"Perhaps he intends to turn him into a midshipman," suggested Jack.
"Into a midshipman! a London street boy, who scarcely knows who hisfather was," ejaculated Tom. "I should think he would have made me onebefore him."
"The
first lieutenant doesn't care a rap what he or his father was. Heremembers only the way Bill saved the ship from being taken by theAmerican skipper, and he seemed highly pleased at our having escapedfrom France. I tell you I shouldn't be at all surprised if Bill isplaced on the quarter-deck," said Jack.
Tom gave a grunt of dissatisfaction. The conversation had a goodeffect, as far as he was concerned, as it made him forget the fears hehad entertained about his personal safety.
In the meantime Bill remained on deck watching what was going forward.He heard Captain Martin tell the first lieutenant that he intended toengage the enemy to leeward, in order to prevent her escape; but as the_Thisbe_ approached the French ship, the latter, suspecting hisintention, so as to frustrate it, wore round on the starboard tack.
After much skilful seamanship on both sides, Captain Martin, findingthat he could not succeed, ranged up to windward of the enemy withinpistol shot, both ships being on the larboard tack, two or three pointsoff the wind.
They now simultaneously opened their broadsides, the shot of the_Thisbe_ telling with considerable effect, while not a few of those ofthe enemy came on board in return, cutting up her rigging, and layinglow three or four of her men.
The French ship now passed under the stern of the _Thisbe_, firing herlarboard broadside with great precision. A second time she attempted torepeat the manoeuvre, but the crew of the _Thisbe_, having quickly rovenew braces, her sails were thrown aback, and gathering sternway, herstarboard quarter took the larboard bow of the French frigate.
The French on this made several attempts to board, but the marines, whowere drawn up on deck, opened so warm a fire that they were driven backwith considerable loss.
The _Thisbe_ had now her enemy fast to her quarter. In order to keepher there, Captain Martin and some of his crew endeavoured to lash herbowsprit to his mizenmast; while others were engaged in bringing a gunto bear, out of a port which the carpenters quickly cut through thestern windows and quarter gallery.
While they were thus engaged, the enemy kept up a hot fire on them,several men being killed and wounded; but the gun was at length broughtinto position.
"Now fire, my lads!" cried the second lieutenant, who was superintendingthe operation.
After the first, discharge, no sooner had the smoke cleared away, thanfull twenty Frenchmen were seen stretched on the deck.
Bill had been standing near the first lieutenant. A marine had justloaded his musket, but was knocked over before he had time to fire it.Bill at that moment saw a French seaman run along the bowsprit with amusket in his hand. Bill, springing forward, seized that of the marine,and, as he did so, he observed the Frenchman taking aim at the head ofMr Saltwell, whose eyes were turned in a different direction.
There was not a moment for deliberation. Without ceremony pushing thelieutenant aside, he fired at the Frenchman, who, as he did so,discharged his musket, but immediately fell overboard, the ball tearingaway the rim of Mr Saltwell's hat, but without hurting him.
The first lieutenant, turning round, perceived the way by which his lifehad been saved.
"Thank you, my lad," he said, "I see how you did it, and I'll not forgetthe service you have rendered me."
There was no time just then for saying more, for a party of Frenchmenwere attempting to fire a carronade on their forecastle. Before theycould succeed, the marines had picked off the greater number. Otherstook their places, but every man of them was treated in the same manner.At last the attempt to fire the gun was abandoned.
The French ship now getting a breeze, began to forge ahead. Thisenabled the _Thisbe's_ crew to bring their aftermost gun on thestarboard side to bear, the first discharge from which cut away thegammoning of the French frigate's bowsprit.
The two ships now separated, but were soon again abreast of each otherexchanging broadsides; but so rapidly did the English crew work theirguns that they managed to fire three to the Frenchman's two.
A loud cheer burst from their throats as they saw the enemy'smaintopmast go over the side. The _Thisbe_ now forged ahead clear ofher adversary, and the breeze dying away, the firing ceased on bothsides. Still the Frenchmen kept their colours flying.
The English crew were busily employed in knotting and splicing therigging which had been cut away, and repairing other damages.
"I hope they've had enough of it, and that the fighting is over,"exclaimed Tom.
"Not so sure of that," said Jack. "The French take a good deal ofdrubbing, and don't always know when they are beaten."
Tom felt, at all events, that he had had enough of it, as he lookedalong the deck and saw numbers of the men who had been slightly hurtbinding up each other's wounds. Several lay stiff and stark, whosebodies were dragged on one side, while not a few, severely hurt, hadbeen carried below to the cockpit, where the surgeon and his mates hadample employment.
Among the killed was the second lieutenant, a master's mate, and twoyoung midshipmen; altogether of the two hundred and fifty men who thatmorning were in health and strength, forty were either killed outrightor were severely wounded.
Just then, however, the survivors were too much occupied to think aboutthe matter; every man and boy was wanted to get the ship to rights, andall were eagerly looking out for a breeze that they might again attackthe enemy. Bill was as eager as any one for the fight. He felt that hewas somebody, as he could not help reflecting that he had done goodservice in saving the life of the first lieutenant, though he did notexactly expect any reward in consequence. It seemed to him that he hadgrown suddenly from a powder monkey into a man. Still the calmcontinued, and the two ships lay with their sails against the masts, thewater shining like a polished mirror.
The calm was to the advantage of the French, who had thus longer time torepair their damages. The English were soon ready to renew the action.
What, however, might not happen in the meantime?
Both the captain and Mr Saltwell thought it possible that the Frenchsquadron might be to the eastward, and should the firing have beenheard, and a breeze spring up from that direction, which it was verylikely to do, the Frenchmen in overwhelming force might be down uponthem.
The captain walked the deck, looking anxiously out in every directionfor signs of a breeze. Occasionally reports were brought to him of theway the wounded men were getting on. The surgeons had as much work asthey could get through, cutting off arms and legs, setting broken limbs,and binding up flesh wounds. Such are the horrors of war! How manymight be added ere long to the number of the killed and wounded!
It was nearly noon when the captain exclaimed, "Here comes a breeze!Trim sails, my lads!" The men flew to the braces. The canvas blew out,and the frigate began slowly to move towards her antagonist.