CHAPTER VII.
THE ESSEX.
"Ship ahoy!" shouted Midshipman David Farragut.
The answer was given by Captain Vernon.
"What ship?" asked Farragut.
"The _Lively Bee_ of Boston."
"Captain Harry Vernon?"
"Ay, ay, sir."
The boat was too far away as yet for the men to be recognized by theeye, unaided by a glass, and the questions were given in a loud voicethrough the speaking horn.
Soon the boat was alongside, and young Farragut swung himself up thechains to the deck.
David Farragut--the naval hero of the century--was at that time abright lad eleven years old.
But, boy as he was, he ordered the old tars about, and was efficient asan officer.
"We feared it might be a British vessel which sighted us," said CaptainVernon.
But Farragut did not notice, his eyes were fixed forward where Tempestwas standing.
"Blow me! but isn't that young man Ensign Tempest?" he asked.
"It is Lieutenant John Tempest," answered Vernon.
"Blow me! but it seems promotion is rapid on a privateer. Tempest!"
As Farragut shouted the name, the young man turned, his face crimson,for he remembered that the last time he had met the midshipman bothwere officers of the same ship.
"Mr. Farragut."
"Hoity-toity! How long have I been mister? Am I not still David to you?"
"I hope so?"
"Zounds, man! But your new dignity has made you proud. Don't you everthink of the capers we used to cut up on the _Essex_? But that wasbefore I was a midshipman."
"Yes, I remember. Those were happy days. I fear me, though, I am aJonah."
Farragut laughed and gave Tempest a hearty smack on the back, makinghim wince.
"How did you weather the storm?" asked Vernon.
"We were on the fringe of it. Quite local, you know, so we did notsuffer much."
"Did you fall in with the enemy?"
"Not yet, but we are ready;" and young Farragut had started on a themeof which he never grew tired.
"Every day," he said, "the crew exercise at the great guns, smallarms, and single stick. Then, they have been so thoroughly trained asboarders that every man is prepared for such an emergency, with hiscutlass as sharp as a razor, his dirk made out of a file, and a goodpistol. Zounds, Tempest, and you, too, captain, but I hope we shallwhet our blades soon."
Vernon sighed.
"What do you want us to do? Is the _Lively Bee_ a castaway?"
"No, sir. If we can get to port, a week will make her as good as ever."
"Then you want to be towed back?"
"Anywhere will do."
"Captain, come back with me to the _Essex_, and Captain Porter willarrange with you."
In less than two hours the _Lively Bee_ was being towed by the _Essex_.
Captain Vernon looked to his guns and ammunition, and to his greatsatisfaction found that everything was safe and his powder dry.
He rigged up a mast, and before the end of the next day told CaptainPorter he was in no particular hurry about making port, that a few dayswould make but little difference.
"I am glad to hear you say that, Vernon, for I believe we shall have achance to smell powder within the next forty-eight hours."
"Then I would not think of taking you out of your way."
The _Essex_ was intended for a victor.
Its commander was a fighter, and as good a tactician as ever walked thedeck of a man-of-war.
During the calm he ordered the _Essex_ to be disguised.
The top-gallant masts were housed, the ports of the gun deck closed in,and her usually trim cordage and nicely-squared yards were set in a waythat only the most shiftless of merchant skippers would tolerate.
Captain Vernon paced the deck of the _Lively Bee_ impatiently.
He did not understand Porter's tactics, and there was nothing jarredmore upon his seaman instincts than a slovenly-set ship.
"Wait a bit," said Tempest. "Porter has set a trap for the British, andwe shall have some hard fighting before long."
And the young officer was right.
Porter sent for Vernon.
"Can you stand alone for a few days?"
"Yes, if need be."
"It will be better. Have your guns ready, but concealed; we will playthe part of merchantmen and give the enemy fits."
"Sail ho!" exclaimed the _Bee's_ lookout.
"Where away?"
"To windward."
The news was signaled to the _Essex_, and it was soon known that aBritish war ship was bearing down on the _Essex_.
Commander Porter carried his acting still further.
Instead of the crowd of agile sailors that spring into the rigging of aman-of-war at the order to make sail, only a mere handful were orderedby the captain to set with the greatest awkwardness all the sail the_Essex_ could carry.
Then two long heavy cables were quietly lowered over the stern, anddragging through the water, retarded the ship's progress.
The Britisher thought he had fallen in with a heavy merchantman whichwas making frantic efforts to escape.
When the man-of-war was near enough to perceive the signals, the_Essex_ warned the _Lively Bee_ to fly before the wind out of the wayof the enemy.
Vernon entered into the spirit of the thing, and instead of escaping,caused the schooner to drag along as though heavily freighted.
On the deck of the _Essex_ the few sailors seemed excited and flurried,and the Britisher did not know that every action was assumed.
Had the commander of the English ship been gifted with second sight hewould have seen behind those closed ports a roomy gun deck glisteningwith that whiteness seen only on the decks of a well-ordered war ship.
Down either side of the deck stretched a row of heavy carronades, eachwith its crew of gunners grouped about the breach, and each shottedand primed ready for the opening volley.
On a man-of-war in time of action no one can be idle.
Hence on this occasion, from the magazine amidships to the gun deck,there reached a line of stewards, cooks, waiters and extra deck hands,ready to pass up cartridges.
Bare-footed boys, stripped naked to the waist, were skurrying about thedeck.
These were the "powder-monkeys," whose duty it would be, when thefiring began, to take the cartridges from the line of powder passersand carry them to the guns.
On the spar deck only a few sailors and officers were visible to theenemy.
But under the taffrail lay crouched scores of jackies, wearing blueuniforms, and smooth-faced middies and veteran lieutenants, ready atthe word of command to spring into the rigging, or to swarm over theside and board the enemy should the gunwales of the vessels touch.
The English man-of-war knew nothing of all this preparation.
The British captain was exultant and hoisted a flag bearing a largefigure "7," meaning that his ship had captured that number of Americanmerchantmen.
In a few minutes the signal, "Haul too," was raised, but perhaps theAmericans did not understand it, so the Britisher fired a gun.
Still no notice was taken, but the _Essex_ gave the appearance ofrenewed exertion to escape, while the _Lively Bee_ kept signalingfor assistance. The two vessels were near enough for the most minutesignals to be understood, and the Britisher declared that he would addtwo more prizes to his conquests before the day was out, meaning the_Essex_ and the _Bee_.
Three ringing cheers were given by the British crew, and the Union Jackwas run up the mast.
At the same time a broadside was fired at the _Essex_.
In an instant the ports of the sham merchantman were knocked out; and,with warlike thunder, the heavy carronades hurled their ponderous shotsagainst the side of the war ship. Before the Britisher could reply the_Lively Bee_ had sent a shot careening over the enemy's deck, killingthe first lieutenant and two of the men. The English ship replied butfeebly. The men of the _Essex_ and _Lively Be
e_ fired too quickly andtoo accurately for much resistance, and in less than eight minutesafter the engagement opened the British hauled down their flag.
The captured ship proved to be the sloop-of-war _Alert_, mountingtwenty eighteen-pound carronades.
The boarding officer found her badly cut up, and seven feet of water inthe hold. The officers were sent on board the _Essex_, and the _Alert_taken in tow.
The victory was complete, but hardly one to be exultant over, asthe _Essex_ was superior both in size and armaments to the _Alert_.However, the _Essex_ has the honor of having the first British warship.