Chapter XLVII
Which is rather interesting.
Mr Vanslyperken's retreat was not known to the crew, they thought himstill on deck, and he hastened forward to secrete himself, even from hisown crew, who were not a little astonished at this unexpected attackwhich they could not account for. The major part of the arms on boardwere always kept in Mr Vanslyperken's cabin, and that was not only inpossession of the assailants, but there was a strong guard in thepassage outside which led to the lower deck.
"Well, this beats my comprehension entirely," said Bill Spurey.
"Yes," replied Short.
"And mine too," added Obadiah Coble, "being as we are, as you know, atpeace with all nations, to be boarded and carried in this way."
"Why, what, and who can they be?"
"I've a notion that Vanslyperken's at the bottom of it," replied Spurey.
"Yes," said Short.
"But it's a bottom that I can't fathom," continued Spurey.
"My dipsey line arn't long enough either," replied Coble.
"Gott for dam, what it can be!" exclaimed Jansen. "It must be thetreason."
"Mein Gott! yes," replied Corporal Van Spitter. "It is all treason, andthe traitor be Vanslyperken." But although the corporal had someconfused ideas, yet he could not yet arrange them.
"Well, I've no notion of being boxed up here," observed Coble, "theycan't be so many as we are, even if they were stowed away in the boat,like pilchards in a cask. Can't we get at the arms, corporal, and make arush for it."
"Mein Gott! de arms are all in the cabin, all but three pair pistols andthe bayonets."
"Well, but we've handspikes," observed Spurey.
"Got for dam, gif me de handspike," cried Jansen.
"We had better wait till daylight, at all events," observed Coble, "weshall see our work better."
"Yes," replied Short.
"And, in the meantime, get everything to hand that we can."
"Yes," replied Short.
"Well, I can't understand the manoeuvre. It beats my comprehension, whatthey have done with Vanslyperken."
"I don't know, but they've kicked the cur out of the cabin."
"Then they've kicked him out too, depend upon it."
Thus did the crew continue to surmise during the whole night, but, asBill Spurey said, the manoeuvre beat their comprehension.
One thing was agreed upon, that they should make an attempt to recoverthe vessel as soon as they could.
In the meantime, Ramsay with Wilhelmina, and the Jesuits, had takenpossession of the cabin, and had opened all the despatches whichacquainted them with the directions in detail, given for the taking ofthe conspirators at Portsmouth, and in the cave. Had it not been to savehis friends, Ramsay would, at once, have taken the cutter to Cherbourg,and have there landed Wilhelmina and the treasure; but his anxiety forhis friends, determined him to run at once for the cave, and sendoverland to Portsmouth. The wind was fair and the water smooth, and,before morning, the cutter was on her way.
In the meantime, the crew of the cutter had not been idle; the laddershad been taken up and hatches closed. The only chance of success was anattack upon the guard, who was stationed outside of the cabin.
They had six pistols, about two hundred pounds of ammunition, but withthe exception of half-a-dozen bayonets, no other weapons. But they wereresolute men, and as soon as they had made their arrangements, whichconsisted of piling up their hammocks, so as to make a barricade to fireover, they then commenced operations, the first signal of which, was apistol-shot discharged at the men who were on guard in the passage, andwhich wounded one of them. Ramsay darted out of the cabin, at the reportof the pistol, another and another was discharged, and Ramsay then gavethe order to fire in return. This was done, but without injury to theseamen of the cutter, who were protected by the hammocks, and Ramsayhaving already three of his men wounded, found that the post below wasno longer tenable. A consultation took place, and it was determinedthat the passage on the lower deck and the cabin should be abandoned, asthe upper deck it would be easy to retain.
The cabin's skylight was taken off, and the boxes of gold handed up,while the party outside the cabin door maintained the conflict with thecrew of the _Yungfrau_. When all the boxes were up, Wilhelmina waslifted on deck, the skylight was shipped on again, and, as soon as theafter hatches were ready to put on, Ramsay's men retreated to theladder, which they drew up after them, and then put on the hatches.
Had not the barricade of hammocks prevented them, the crew of the_Yungfrau_ might have made a rush, and followed the others on deck; but,before they could beat down the barricades, which they did as soon asthey perceived their opponents' retreat, the ladder was up, and thehatches placed over the hatchways.
The _Yungfraus_ had gained the whole of the lower deck, but they coulddo no more; and Ramsay perceived that if he could maintain possession ofthe upper deck, it was as much as he could expect with such determinedassailants. This warfare had been continued during the whole morning,and it was twelve o'clock before the cabin and lower deck had beenabandoned by Ramsay's associates. During the whole day the skirmishescontinued, the crew of the _Yungfrau_ climbing on the table of thecabin, and firing through the skylight, but in so doing, they exposedthemselves to the fire of the other party who sat like cats watching fortheir appearance, and discharging their pieces the moment that a headpresented itself. In the meantime, the cutter darted on before a strongfavourable breeze, and thus passed the first day. Many attempts weremade during the night by the seamen of the cutter to force their way ondeck, but they were all prevented by the vigilance of Ramsay; and thenext morning the Isle of Wight was in sight. Wilhelmina had passed thenight on the forecastle, covered up with a sail; none of his people hadhad anything to eat during the time that they were on board, and Ramsaywas most anxious to arrive at his destination.
About noon, the cutter was abreast of the Black Gang Chine: Ramsay hadcalculated upon retaining possession of the cutter, and taking the wholeof the occupants of the cave over to Cherbourg, but this was nowimpossible. He had five of his men wounded, and he could not row theboat to the cave without leaving so few men on board, that they would beoverpowered, for his ammunition was expended, with the exception of oneor two charges, which were retained for an emergency. All that he coulddo now, was, therefore, to put his treasure in the boat, and withWilhelmina and his whole party make for the cave, when he could sendnotice to Portsmouth for the others to join them, and they must becontent to await the meditated attack upon the cave, and defend it tillthey could make their escape to France. The wind being foul for thecutter's return to Portsmouth, would enable him to give notice atPortsmouth, over land, before she could arrive.
There was a great oversight committed when the lower deck was abandoned,the despatches had been left on Mr Vanslyperken's bed. Had they beentaken away or destroyed, there would have been ample time for the wholeof his party to have made their escape from England, before duplicatescould arrive. As it was, he could do no more than what we have alreadymentioned.
The boat was hauled up, the boxes of specie put in, the wounded men laidat the bottom of the boat, and having, at the suggestion of one of themen, cut the lower riggings, halyards, &c., of the cutter to retard itsprogress to Portsmouth, Ramsay and his associates stepped into the boat,and pulled for the cave.
Their departure was soon ascertained by the crew of the _Yungfrau_ whonow forced the skylight, and gained the deck, but not before the boathad entered the cave.
"What's to be done now?" said Coble. "Smash my timbers, but they'veplayed old Harry with the rigging. We must knot and splice."
"Yes," replied Short.
"What the devil have they done with Vanslyperken?" cried Bill Spurey.
"Either shoved him overboard, or taken him with them, I suppose," criedCoble.
"Well, it's a nice job altogether," observed Spurey.
"Mein Gott! yes," replied the corporal; "we will have a pretty story totell de admiral."
"Well, they've rid us of him at all events; I only hope they'll hanghim."
"Mein Gott! yes."
"He'll have his desarts," replied Coble.
"Got for tam! I like to see him swing."
"Now he's gone, let's send his dog after him. Hurrah, my lads! get arope up on the yard, and let us hang Snarleyyow."
"Mein Gott! I'll go fetch him," cried the corporal.
"You will--will you?" roared a voice.
The corporal turned round, so did the others, and there, with his drawnsword, stood Mr Vanslyperken.
"You d----d mutinous scoundrel," cried Vanslyperken, "touch my dog, ifyou dare."
The corporal put his hand up to the salute, and Vanslyperken shook hishead with a diabolical expression of countenance.
"Now where the devil could he come from?" whispered Spurey.
Coble shrugged up his shoulders, and Short gave a long whistle expendingmore breath than usual.
However, there was no more to be said; and as soon as the rigging wasknotted and spliced, sail was made in the cutter; but the wind beingdead in their teeth, they did not arrive until late the next evening,and the admiral did not see despatches till the next morning, for thebest of all possible reasons, that Vanslyperken did not take them onshore. He had a long story to tell, and he thought it prudent not todisturb the admiral after dinner, as great men are apt to be verycholeric during the progress of digestion.
The consequence was, that when, the next morning, Mr Vanslyperkencalled upon the admiral, the intelligence had been received from thecave, and all the parties had absconded. Mr Vanslyperken told his owntale, how he had been hailed by a boat purporting to have a messenger onboard, how they had boarded him and beat down himself and his crew, howhe and his crew had fought under hatches and beat them on deck, and howthey had been forced to abandon the cutter. All this was very plausible,and then Vanslyperken gave the despatches opened by Ramsay.
The admiral read them in haste, gave immediate orders for surroundingand breaking into the house of the Jew Lazarus, in which the militaryfound nobody but an old tom-cat, and then desired Mr Vanslyperken tohold the cutter in readiness to embark troops and sail that afternoon;but troops do not move so fast as people think, and before one hundredmen had been told off by the sergeant with their accoutrements,knapsacks, and sixty pounds of ammunition, it was too late to embarkthem that night, so they waited until the next morning. Moreover, MrVanslyperken had orders to draw from the dock-yard three large boats forthe debarkation of the said troops; but the boats were not quite ready,one required a new gunnel, another three planks in the bottom, and thethird having her stern out, it required all the carpenters in the yardto finish it by the next morning. Mr Vanslyperken's orders were toproceed to the cave, and land the troops, to march up to the cave, andto cover the advance of the troops, rendering them all the assistance inhis power in co-operating with the major commanding the detachment; butwhere the cave was, no one knew, except that it was thereabouts.
The next morning, at eight o'clock, the detachment, consisting of onehundred men, were embarked on board of the cutter, but the majorcommandant finding that the decks were excessively crowded, and that hecould hardly breathe, ordered section first, section second, and sectionthird, of twenty-five men each, to go into the boats and be towed.After which there was more room, and the cutter stood out forSt Helen's.