CHAPTER TWENTY.
THE "THISBE'S" NARROW ESCAPE--TOM HOPES TO BE MADE A MIDSHIPMAN.
Half an hour or more passed, when again the leading French frigatefired, the shot falling close to the counter of the _Diana_, which bythis time, having got up a fresh maintopmast, was able to make moresail.
Captain Martin now ordered Lieutenant Sterling to cast off the tow ropeand to stand on ahead of him, while, to allow the _Diana_ to do so, heclewed up the _Thisbe's_ topsails.
"Make the best of your way to Plymouth," he shouted, as the _Diana_passed the _Thisbe_; "we'll keep these two fellows in play, and shall, Ihope, be soon after you."
As soon as the prize had got some distance ahead, Captain Martin, whohad been watching the two frigates coming up on the starboard quarter,ordered the _Thisbe's_ helm to be put to port; at the same moment, herstarboard broadside being fired, the shot raked the two Frenchmen foreand aft. The helm was then immediately put over, and the frigate comingup on the other tack, her larboard broadside was poured into herantagonists. The shot told with considerable effect. The foretopmastof the leading frigate was shot away, and the mizenmast of the onefollowing was seen to go by the board. This, however, did not muchalter their rate of sailing, as, the wind being aft, all the canvas theyrequired continued set. They also opened their fire, and their shotcame crashing on board the _Thisbe_, killing and wounding two or threemen, but not doing any material damage to her spars or rigging. Shehaving shortened sail, her antagonists were compelled to do the same;and while they poured their broadsides into her, she returned them asrapidly as the crew could run the guns in and out.
Captain Martin's great object was to keep them engaged, and, ifpossible, to knock away their masts, so as to enable the _Diana_ toescape, for although he might hope to get off himself, he could notexpect to capture either of the enemy's ships.
The _Thisbe_ had been several times hulled, and her sails were alreadycompletely riddled, while many more of her crew had fallen.
"It is going hard with us, I fear," said Jack to Tom, who was seatednext him on his powder tub. "There's well-nigh a score of poor fellowskilled or wounded within the last half-hour. It may be the lot of oneof us before long."
"Oh, dear! I hope not," cried Tom. "I wish the skipper would try andget away instead of fighting the Frenchmen. Two to one is fearful oddsagainst us, and we shall have the two other ships blazing away at ourheads before long."
"We haven't much to fear from them," said Jack. "I have just heardthey're corvettes, and they won't be up to us until we've given theother two a drubbing, and have made sail again to the northward."
The two corvettes were, however, likely to prove no despicableopponents, and Captain Martin was only watching until he had knockedaway the masts or spars of one or both of the frigates, to make sail andescape, for it would have been madness to have continued the fightlonger than was necessary to accomplish that object.
The Frenchmen, however, fought bravely, and evidently did not intend tolet him get off if they could help it. Each had just fired anotherbroadside into the _Thisbe_, when they were seen to haul their wind, thetwo ships coming up astern doing the same. The reason of this wasevident: the line-of-battle ship to the westward, now approaching undera pressure of sail, had hoisted British colours, and any longer delaywould have enabled her quickly to capture one or both of them. Thebrave crew of the _Thisbe_ expressed their satisfaction by giving a loudcheer, which was joined in even by many of the wounded.
Captain Martin had accomplished his object; he had secured the safety ofhis prize, and his crew, now swarming aloft, set to work rapidly to knotand splice the rigging which had been shot away.
As soon as this had been accomplished sufficiently to make sail, the_Thisbe_, brought to the wind, stood after the flying enemy, firing herbow chasers as she did so; but it was soon seen that she had littlechance of coming up with them. Still her captain persevered; but, withboth masts and spars wounded, it was impossible to carry as much sail aswould otherwise have been done. Consequently, before long theline-of-battle ship, which made the signal _Terrible_, seventy-four,overtook her.
A cheer rose from the deck of the big ship, which came gliding slowlyby. Her captain hailed, "Well done, Martin!"
The pursuit was continued for some time, but night was approaching, andthe coast of France was not far off. The seventy-four therefore threwout the signal to bear up and a course was shaped for Plymouth.
A sharp look-out was kept during the night for the _Diana_. Soon aftersunrise she was seen steering for Plymouth, into which harbour CaptainMartin and his gallant crew had the satisfaction of conducting her thefollowing day. Although it was a day of triumph to the surviving crew,it was one of mourning to many who had lost relatives and friends. Thedead were carried on shore to be buried, the wounded conveyed tohospitals, the Frenchmen were landed and marched off under an escort ofmarines to the prisons prepared for them, and press-gangs were soon busyat work to obtain fresh hands to supply the places of those who hadfallen, although many prime seamen volunteered to serve on board afrigate which had already won a name for herself.
Tom Fletcher, as soon as the ship got into harbour, managed to procure apen and some ink and paper, and indited a letter to his father. It wasnot over-well written, but he contrived to make it pretty clearlyexpress that he was serving on board H.M.S. _Thisbe_, and that havingalready seen a great deal of service, he felt sure that if his fatherwould apply to the Admiralty and make him an allowance of thirty orforty pounds a year, he should be placed on the quarter-deck, and in duecourse of time become an admiral.
"We are sure to make lots of prize-money," he added; "and if I were amidshipman now, I should be receiving a hundred pounds or more, so thatyou may be sure, father, that I will pay it all back with interest."
"Father likes interest," he observed to Bill, who was sitting by him atthe time, and helping him in his somewhat unaccustomed task; "that'llmake him more ready to do what I want, though whether he'll ever get themoney is neither here nor there."
"But if you promise to pay him, you are bound to do so," observed Bill."You need not have made the promise, then you could have waited to knowwhether he required interest."
"Well, I've written it, and can't scratch it out now," said Tom. "Itwill come to the same thing in the end."
Bill had some doubts whether Tom's father would make the allowance Tomasked for; but if he were a rich man, as Tom asserted, he might do so,and therefore he said nothing.
The letter, after being folded several times and creased all over, wasat length closed, sealed, and addressed, by which time it had assumed asomewhat grimy appearance. Tom got the cook's mate, who was going onshore, to post his letter, having told him that he expected to receive agood sum of money by return, and promising him a part of the proceeds.Bill and Jack looked forward to the reply with almost as much interestas Tom himself, neither of them feeling that they should be at alljealous, should it produce the satisfactory result he anticipated.
Meantime, every possible exertion was made to get the ship ready forsea. Mr Saltwell was very busy superintending all the operations.Bill, however, found that he was not forgotten, from a kind word or twowhich on several occasions the first lieutenant bestowed upon him. AsTom was not aware of this, he amused himself by telling Bill that MrSaltwell would not trouble himself more about him--that he must becontent to remain a powder monkey until he got big enough to be rated asan ordinary seaman.
"Better than being cook's boy," cried Jack, who could never standhearing Bill sneered at. "He's a precious deal more likely to be made amidshipman than you are, even though your father is a rich man and ridesin his carriage, as you say."
Tom retorted, and Jack looked as if he was much inclined to knock himover, when the quarrel was cut short by the appearance of the cook'smate, who dragged off Tom to help him clean the galley and scrub thepots and pans.
Day after day went by. The frigate was reported ready for sea, and hercomp
lement of men having been filled up, she only waited for her captainto come on board to continue her cruise.
Still Tom had received no reply from his father. "Perhaps he or theAdmiralty may have written to the captain, and when he comes aboard Ishall be placed in my proper position," he observed in confidence toBill.
"I hope so, but I'm afraid there will be but little time for you to geta proper uniform and an outfit," was the answer.
"I'm not much afraid of that; the tailors won't take long in rigging meout," answered Tom.
Soon after this the captain came on board, and Tom, greatly to hisdisappointment, was not sent for. Just, however, as the ship was goingout into the Sound, the mail-bag arrived, and a letter addressed,"Thomas Fletcher, H.M.S. _Thisbe_," was handed him. He eagerly brokethe seal. As he was no great hand at reading writing, he was obliged toask Bill to assist him in deciphering the contents. He had, however, torub his eyes several times before he could make them out, even with hismessmate's help.
"It's not from father at all," he observed, after looking at the paperall over. "S. Fletcher must be my biggest brother, and he always gaveme more kicks than ha'pence."
The letter began:--
"Dear Tom,--Our father received yours of the third instant, as the firstintimation of your being alive since your unaccountable disappearance.You have caused us by your wicked proceeding no end of grief andtrouble, and, as far as we can make out by your wretchedly writtenepistle, you do not seem to be at all ashamed of yourself, or sorry forwhat you have done; and our father bids me to say, that as you have madeyour bed, you must lie in it. As to making you an allowance of thirtyor forty pounds a year, and getting you placed on the quarter-deck, thenotion is too ridiculous to be entertained. I must tell you, too, ourfather has failed, smashed up completely, won't pay sixpence in thepound. As we find it a hard matter to live, he is not likely to makeyou an allowance of thirty pounds, or thirty pence a year, or to troublehimself by going to the Admiralty with the certainty of being sent awaywith a flea in his ear; so you see, Tom, you must just grin and bear it.If you don't get killed, I would advise you--should you ever wish tocome home--to make your appearance with your pockets full of theprize-money you talk of, and you will then perhaps receive a welcome,and be well entertained as long as it lasts by the rest of the family,as also by--
"Your affectionate brother--
"S. Fletcher.
"P.S. Until then I would advise you not to show your nose in thisneighbourhood."
"He always was an ill-natured fellow, was my brother Sam," exclaimedTom, not seeming concerned at the news of his father's ruin, while,crumpling up the letter, he thrust it into his pocket. "I feel inclinedto hang myself or jump overboard."
"Don't think of doing anything so bad," said Bill. "You are no worseoff than you were before. All you've got to do is to attend to yourduty, and try to please those above you."
"The cook and the cook's mate," growled poor Tom. "It isn't a pleasanttask to have to scrub saucepans and clean out the galley."
"But it is your duty, and while you have to do it it would be best totry and do it as well as you can," observed Bill. "Neither the cook northe cook's mate are bad fellows, and you will gain their good-will byshowing a pleasant temper, and working as hard as you can."
"All very well for you to preach," said Tom; "but there's no help forit, I suppose, and so I must make the best of my hard lot."
"That's just what I'm advising," said Bill; though he did not add, "Youmust remember you brought it upon yourself by running away from home."
The boatswain's pipe summoned all hands on deck to make sail, and thefrigate, standing down the Sound, at once put to sea.
A bright look-out was kept for enemies; all hands, from the captaindownwards, being eager to secure another prize, even though they mighthave to fight a tough battle to win her. The captain's orders were tocapture, sink, burn, destroy, or drive on shore any of the enemy'svessels he could come up with. With this object in view the _Thisbe_continued to cruise, now down the Channel, now up again, keeping as muchas possible in sight of the French coast. She had been some time atsea, however, without having made any prizes; for although she hadchased several vessels, they, having espied her in time, had managed toescape by running close in shore, under strong batteries, or getting upharbours where they could not be followed. At last one morning, as thefrigate had just made the land, from which she had been standing offduring the night, a sail was seen inside of her--that is, between herand the French coast, steering to the eastward, apparently bound downChannel.