Chapter XLIV
Money can purchase anything in the new country--American information notalways to be depended upon--A night attack; we are beaten off--It provesa _cut up_, instead of a _cut out_--After all, we save something out ofthe fire.
The next morning we weighed anchor, and returned to our station offMartinique. We had run within three miles of St Pierre's when wediscovered a vessel coming out under jury-masts. She steered directlyfor us, and we made her out to be the American brigantine which we hadboarded some time before. O'Brien sent a boat to bring the master of heron board.
"Well, captain," said he, "so you met with a squall?"
"I calculate not," replied he.
"Why, then, what the devil have you been about?"
"Why, I guess I sold all my cargo, and, what's more, I've sold mymasts."
"Sold your masts! who did you sell them to?"
"To an almighty pretty French privateer lying in St Pierre's, which hadlost her spars when she was chased by one of your brass-bottomedsarpents; and I've a notion they paid pretty handsomely too."
"But how do you mean to get home again?"
"I calculate to get into the _stream_, and then I'll do very well. If Imeet a nor-wester, why then I'll make a signal of distress, and some onewill tow me in, I guess."
"Well," replied O'Brien, "but step down into the cabin and takesomething, captain."
"With particular pleasure," replied this strange mortal; and down theywent.
In about half an hour they returned on deck, and the boat took theAmerican on board. Soon afterwards, O'Brien desired Osbaldistone andmyself to step down into the cabin. The chart of the harbour of StPierre's lay on the table, and O'Brien said, "I have had a longconversation with the American, and he states that the privateer is atanchor in this spot" (pointing to a pencil-mark on the chart). "If so,she is well out; and I see no difficulty in capturing her. You see thatshe lays in four fathoms water, and so close under the outer battery,that the guns could not be pointed down upon the boats. I have alsoinquired if they keep a good look-out, and the American says that theyfeel so secure that they keep no look-out at all; that the captain andofficers belonging to her are on shore all night, drinking, smoking, andboasting of what they will do. Now the question is, whether this reportbe correct. The American has been well-treated by us, and I see noreason to doubt him; indeed, he gave the information voluntarily, as ifhe wished to serve us."
I allowed Osbaldistone to speak first: he coincided with O'Brien. I didnot: the very circumstance of her requiring new masts made me doubt thetruth of his assertion as to where she lay; and if one part of his storywas false, why not the whole? O'Brien appeared struck with my argument,and it was agreed that if the boats did go away, it should be for areconnoissance, and that the attempt should only be made, provided itwas found that the privateer laid in the same spot pointed out by theAmerican master. It was, however, decided that the reconnoissance shouldtake place that very night, as, allowing the privateer to be anchored onthe spot supposed, there was every probability that she would not remainthere, but haul further in, to take in her new masts. The news that anexpedition was at hand was soon circulated through the ship, and all themen had taken their cutlasses from the capstern to get them ready foraction. The lighting boats' crews, without orders, were busy with theirboats, some cutting up old blankets to muffle the oars, other making newgrummets. The ship's company were as busy as bees, bustling and buzzingabout the decks, and reminding you of the agitation which takes place ina hive previous to a swarm. At last, Osbaldistone came on deck, andordered the boats' crews to be piped away, and prepare for service. Hewas to have the command of the expedition in the launch--I had charge ofthe first cutter--O'Farrell of the second, and Swinburne had the chargeof the jolly-boat. At dusk, the head of the brig was again turnedtowards St Pierre's, and we ran slowly in. At ten we hove-to, and abouteleven the boats were ordered to haul up, O'Brien repeating his ordersto Mr Osbaldistone, not to make the attempt if the privateer were foundto be anchored close to the town. The men were all mustered on thequarter-deck, to ascertain if they had the distinguishing mark on theirjackets, that is, square patches of canvas sewed on the left arm, sothat we might recognize friend from foe--a very necessary precaution ina night expedition; and then they were manned, and ordered to shove off.The oars were dropped in the water, throwing out a phosphorescent light,so common in that climate, and away we went. After an hour's pulling,Osbaldistone lay on his oars in the launch, and we closed with him.
"We are now at the mouth of the harbour," said he, "and the most perfectsilence must be observed."
"At the mouth of the harbour, sir!" said Swinburne; "I reckon we aremore than half way in; we passed the point at least ten minutes ago, andthis is the second battery we are now abreast of."
To this Osbaldistone did not agree, nor indeed did I think thatSwinburne was right; but he persisted in it, and pointed out to us thelights in the town, which were now all open to us, and which would notbe the case if we were only at the mouth of the harbour. Still we wereof a different opinion, and Swinburne, out of respect to his officers,said no more.
We resumed our oars, pulling with the greatest caution; the night wasintensely dark, and we could distinguish nothing. After pulling tenminutes more, we appeared to be close to the lights in the town; stillwe could see no privateer or any other vessel. Again we lay upon ouroars, and held a consultation. Swinburne declared that if the privateerlaid where we supposed, we had passed her long ago; but while we weredebating, O'Farrell cried out, "I see her," and he was right--she wasnot more than a cable's length from us. Without waiting for orders,O'Farrell desired his men to give way, and dashed alongside of theprivateer. Before he was half-way on board of her, lights flew about inevery direction, and a dozen muskets were discharged. We had nothing todo but to follow him, and in a few seconds we were all alongside of her;but she was well prepared, and on the alert. Boarding nettings weretriced up all round, every gun had been depressed as much as possible,and she appeared to be full of men. A scene of confusion and slaughternow occurred, which I trust never again to witness. All our attempts toget on board were unavailing; if we tried at a port, a dozen pikesthrust us back; if we attempted the boarding nettings, we were throwndown, killed or wounded, into the boats. From every port, and from thedecks of the privateer, the discharge of musketry was incessant. Pistolswere protruded and fired in our faces, while occasionally her carronadeswent off, stunning us with their deafening noise, and rocking the boatsin the disturbed water, if they had no other effect. For ten minutes ourexertions never ceased; at last, with half our numbers lying killed andwounded in the bottom of the boats, the men, worn out and dispirited attheir unavailing attempts, sat down most of them on the boats' thwarts,loading their muskets, and discharging them into the ports. Osbaldistonewas among the wounded; and perceiving that he was not in the launch, ofwhose crew not six remained, I called to Swinburne, who was alongside ofme, and desired him to tell the other boats to make the best of theirway out of the harbour. This was soon communicated to the survivors, whowould have continued the unequal contest to the last man, if I had notgiven the order. The launch and second cutter shoved off--O'Farrell alsohaving fallen; and, as soon as they were clear of the privateer, and hadgot their oars to pass, I proceeded to do the same, amidst the shoutsand yells of the Frenchmen, who now jumped on their gunwale and peltedus with their musketry, cheering, and mocking us.
"Stop, sir," cried Swinburne, "we'll have a bit of revenge;" so saying,he hauled-to the launch, and wending her bow to the privateer, directedher carronade--which they had no idea that we had on board, as we hadnot fired it--to where the Frenchmen were crowded the thickest.
"Stop one moment, Swinburne; put another dose of canister in." We didso, and then discharged the gun, which had the most murderous effect,bringing the major part of them down upon the deck. I feel convinced,from the cries and groans which followed, that if we had had a few moremen, we might have returned and captured the pri
vateer; but it was toolate. The batteries were all lighted up, and although they could not seethe boats, fired in the direction where they supposed us to be; for theywere aware, from the shouting on board the vessel, that we had beenbeaten off. The launch had but six hands capable of taking an oar; thefirst cutter had but four. In my own boat I had five. Swinburne had twobesides himself in the jolly-boat.
"This is a sorry business, sir," said Swinburne; "now, what's best to bedone? My idea is, that we had better put all the wounded men into thelaunch, man the two cutters and jolly-boat, and tow her off. And, MrSimple, instead of keeping on this side, as they will expect in thebatteries, let us keep close in-shore, upon the near side, and theirshot will pass over us."
This advice was too good not to be followed. It was now two o'clock, andwe had a long pull before us, and no time to lose: we lifted the deadbodies and the wounded men out of the two cutters and jolly-boat intothe launch. I had no time for examination, but I perceived thatO'Farrell was quite dead, and also a youngster of the name of Pepper,who must have smuggled himself into the boats. I did, however, look forOsbaldistone, and found him in the stern sheets of the launch. He hadreceived a deep wound in the breast, apparently with a pike. He wassensible, and asked me for a little water, which I procured from thebreaker which was in the launch, and gave it to him. At the word water,and hearing it poured out from the breaker, many of the wounded menfaintly called out for some. Having no time to spare, I left two men inthe launch, one to steer and the other to give them water, and thentaking her in tow, pulled directly in for the batteries, as advised bySwinburne, who now sat alongside of me.
As soon as we were well in-shore, I pulled out of the harbour, withfeelings not by any means enviable. Swinburne said to me in a low voice,"This will be a hard blow for the captain, Mr Simple. I've always beentold, that a young captain losing his men without bringing any dollarsto his admiral, is not very well received."
"I am more sorry for him than I can well express, Swinburne," replied I;"but--what is that a-head--a vessel under weigh?"
Swinburne stood up in the stern of the cutter, and looked for a fewseconds. "Yes, a large ship standing in under royals--she must be aFrenchman. Now's our time, sir; so long as we don't go out empty-handed,all will be well. Oars, all of you. Shall we cast off the launch, sir?"
"Yes," replied I; "and now, my lads, let us only have the vessel, and weshall do. She is a merchantman, that's clear (not that I was sure ofit). Swinburne, I think it will be better to let her pass us in-shore;they will all be looking out of the other side, for they must have seenthe firing."
"Well thought of, sir," replied Swinburne.
We laid on our oars, and let her pass us, which she did, creeping in atthe rate of two miles an hour. We then pulled for her quarter in thethree boats, leaving the launch behind us, and boarded. As we premised,the crew were on deck, and all on the other side of the vessel, soanxiously looking at the batteries, which were still firing occasionalrandom shot, that they did not perceive us until we were close to them,and then they had no time to seize their arms. There were several ladieson board; some of the people protected them, others ran below. In twominutes we had possession of her, and had put her head the other way. Toour surprise we found that she mounted fourteen guns. One hatch we leftopen for the ladies, some of whom had fainted, to be taken down below;the others were fastened down by Swinburne. As soon as we had the deckto ourselves, we manned one of the cutters, and sent it for the launch;and as soon as she was made fast alongside, we had time to look aboutus. The breeze freshened, and, in half an hour, we were out of gun-shotof all the batteries. I then had the wounded men taken out of thelaunch, and Swinburne and the other men bound up their wounds, and madethem as comfortable as they could.