CHAPTER XX.
THE PRIZE.
The damage sustained by the corvette was serious; the bowsprit is thekey of the ship's rigging, its loss entailed that of the foremast, whichthe main-topmast, no longer stayed, speedily followed. The utmostdisorder prevailed on board, when, as nearly always happens under suchcircumstances, the crew had suddenly passed from blind confidence toprofound terror.
The deck was encumbered with fragments of every description, yards,spars, sails, stunsail-booms, and entangled rigging, in the midst ofwhich the sailors ran about distractedly, abandoning their posts, deafto the exhortations equally with the menaces of their officers, andhaving only one thought: to escape from the death they believedsuspended over their heads.
Still, the officers did not at all conceal from themselves the gravityof their position, which the brig's manoeuvres rendered morecomplicated, and momentarily more precarious; they did all in theirpower, therefore, to restore a little courage to all these individuals,whom terror blinded, and induce them to sell their lives dearly.
A fresh incident occurred suddenly, which rendered the situation of theship, if possible, more critical and desperate. Commandant Rodriguez hadnot left the quarterdeck; motionless at his post during the events wehave described, he had continued to give his orders in a firm voice,apparently not noticing the symptoms of insubordination which, since thecatastrophe had happened, were manifest amongst the crew. With paleface, frowning brow, and clenched teeth, the old sailor mechanicallyplayed with the hilt of his sword, taking every now and then a cold andresolute glance around him, while exerting his officers to redoubletheir efforts to do their duty bravely.
Do?a Mencia and the two supposititious officers of the American navywere standing silent and attentive by his side, probably awaiting themoment for action. At the tumult which suddenly broke out on theforecastle, they all three started and drew nearer to the commandantWhen the brig had so skilfully carried away the bowsprit of the_Libertad_, Ramirez and his sailors were the first to sow and propagateterror among the crew by uttering cries of terror; and running in alldirections. Their example was promptly followed. Then they changed theirtactics, and began openly accusing the commandant by asserting that hewas a traitor, who wished to ruin them, and surrender the corvette tothe insurgents.
There is nothing, however stupid it may be, a thinker has said, whichpeople may not be led to believe by a certain mode of treating them.This remark is strictly true, and this time again received perfectapplication. The sailors of the _Libertad_ forgot in an instant all theyowed to the Commandant, whose constant solicitude watched over them withpaternal care, for they were urged on and excited by the perfidiousinsinuations of Ramirez and his comrades. The courage they lacked todefend themselves and do their duty as men of honour, they found againto accuse their chief of treachery, and seizing any arms they cameacross, they rushed tumultuously toward the quarterdeck, utteringmenaces and cries of revolt.
The officers, justly alarmed, and not knowing what means to employ tobring these men back to their duty, collected round their Commandant,resolved to save themselves or perish with him. The old sailor was stillapparently just as calm and stoical; nothing revealed on his stern facethe agony that secretly crushed his heart. With his arms folded on hischest, his head erect, and a steady glance, he awaited the mutineers.
The latter soon invaded the after part of the vessel; but, after passingthe mainmast, they stopped, through a remnant of that respect which isinnate in sailors for their superiors. The quarterdeck is that portionof the deck which is exclusively reserved for the officers: the sailors,under no consideration, are allowed to tread it, except for the purposeof executing a manoeuvre.
On reaching the foot of the mainmast, then, the mutineers hesitated, forthey no longer felt on their own ground, and at length stopped: for themere fact of their invading this part of the deck constituted a graveinfraction of naval discipline. We have said that they stopped; butthey were like an angry sea which breaks against the foot of a dyke itcannot dash over; that is to say, yelling and gesticulating furiously,but yet without going an inch further. At the same time, however, theydid not fall back.
But this hesitation and almost timid attitude of the mutineers did notat all suit the views of those who had urged them to insubordination.Collected in the rear of the sailors, they shouted and gesticulatedlouder than the rest, trying by all means to revive the fire which wasalready threatening to expire. The corvette's deck presented at thismoment the most desolating, and yet at the same time imposingappearance. In the midst of the fragments piled up pell-mell on thisfine ship so fatally decapitated by canister shot, these men, with theirrude and fierce features, grouped in disorderly and menacing groups;and, scarce a few yards from them, a small band of calm and resoluteofficers, collected round the Commandant, who, standing on thequarterdeck, seemed to dominate over the men. Then, a little in therear, Do?a Mencia and the two American officers, apparentlydisinterested spectators of the events which chance compelled them towitness, but, in reality, following with anxious glance all theincidents of the drama that was being played before them. Assuredly apainter would have found a magnificent subject for a picture in theposition of the different characters, and the expression that at timeslit up their masculine faces.
And then, in the distance the lofty sails of the brig could be seenglistening, which was rapidly approaching, doubtless with the intentionof coming, like the classic _Deus ex machina_, to unravel at the righttime this situation, which every passing moment only tended to renderthe more complicated.
There was a momentary truce between the two parties, who, like practisedduellists, had tried to discover their adversary's vulnerable pointbefore crossing swords. A deep silence prevailed on the deck of thisship, where so many passions were fermenting in these hearts of bronze;no other sound was audible save the hollow and monotonous moaning of thesea, as it broke against the sides of the corvette, and the indistinctsound of weapons clutched by eager hands.
This hesitation had something sinister and startling about it, and theCommandant resolved to put an end to it at all hazards. He understoodthat he was the only person who could make an appeal to these misguidedmen, who might possibly not remain dumb to the voice of duty speakingthrough the lips of a man, whose noble character they had enjoyed manyopportunities of appreciating, and whom they had been so long accustomedto respect and love.
Commandant Rodriguez looked slowly and sadly, but yet firmly, round him,and extending his arm in the direction of the brig, which was huggingthe wind to be able to run alongside the corvette more easily, he said,in a loud and marked voice--
"My men, here comes the enemy. We have our revenge to take upon him:then why are you not at your quarters? What do you want of me? Are youafraid that I shall fail you when the hour for fighting arrives?"
At this direct and firm appeal a strange quiver ran along the ranks ofthe mutineers; some of them were even going to reply, when a voice washeard from the rear: "Who tells you that we regard that vessel as anenemy?"
Immediately hurrahs and shouts of joy, mingled with oaths and hisses,burst forth on all sides.
"The man who dares to speak so," the Commandant shouted, in a voice thatfor a moment quelled the tumult, "is a traitor and a coward. He does notform part of my ship's crew."
An indescribable tumult then broke out. The sailors, forgetting allrespect and discipline, rushed toward the quarterdeck with frightfulyells and vociferations. The Commandant, not at all disconcerted by thishostile manifestation, seized a pistol, which a faithful sailor handedhim, coolly cocked it, and addressing the mutineers, said: "Take care.The first who advances one step further I will blow out his brains."
Some men are gifted with so great a magnetic power, and their influenceover the lower classes is so real, that the two to three hundredmutineers, at the sight of this man, who alone withstood and threatenedthem with a pistol, hesitated, and finally stopped, with a vaguemovement of alarm. It was evident that this pistol was litt
le to befeared, even under the hypothesis that the Commandant carried out histhreat, since it would only kill or wound one man; still, we repeat, allthese men stopped, surprised, perhaps terrified, but certainly not ableto account for the feelings they experienced. A smile played round theCommandant's lips; he understood that these rough and rebellious natureshad been subdued. He determined to make sure of his triumph.
"Every man to his quarters," he said; "the topmen will get the shipclear while the carpenters rig up a jury bowsprit."
And leaving the quarterdeck, the Commandant advanced resolutely towardthe mutineers. The latter fell back as he advanced, without speaking orgesticulating, but only opposing that final resistance, the mostdangerous of all, the force of inertia. It was all over with the mutiny,however; the crew, shaken by the firm and wise conduct of their chief,were on the point of returning to their duty, when an unexpectedincident completely changed the aspect of affairs, and put the officersonce more in the critical position from which the Commandant hadextricated them with such ease.
We have said that Do?a Mencia and her two companions attentivelyfollowed the incidents of this scene, in readiness to interfere, whenthe moment arrived. Commandant Rodriguez had scarcely left thequarterdeck ere the young woman, or young man, whichever it may pleasethe reader to call this mysterious being, rushed forward, and seizing atelescope, fixed it on the brig, as if to feel certain of theprivateer's position, and be assured of support if required. The brigwas now only two cables' lengths from the corvette, and within a fewminutes would be within hail.
Suddenly Do?a Mencia, throwing off her feminine character, hurriedlytore off the dress that covered her, removed her bonnet, and appeared inthe masculine attire El Alferez had worn at the pulqueria. Thistransformation had been so rapid that the officers and crew had notrecovered front the astonishment this strange metamorphosis caused them,when the young man, drawing a pistol from his belt, cocked and pointedit at a number of cartridges the boys had brought on deck when theCaptain beat to quarters, and which they had left lying pell-mell at thefoot of the mizzenmast during the disorder that followed the fall of thespars.
"Surrender!" El Alferez shouted in a thundering voice; "Surrender, oryou are dead men!"
Don Cristoval and Don Serapio were standing on the right and left ofthe young man, holding a pistol in either hand. Ramirez, for his part,had lost no time; by his care two of the bow carronades had been draggedfrom their ports and trailed on the stern, and two sailors, match inhand, were standing motionless by them, only awaiting the signal tofire. Ramirez and the fourteen men left him were aiming at the Mexicansailors. The crew was taken between two fires; two hundred and fifty menwere at the mercy of twenty. The position was desperate, and theCommandant had not even the resource of falling honourably.
The events had occurred with such rapidity, this coup-de-main, preparedlong beforehand, had been carried out with such coolness and skill, andall had been so thoroughly foreseen, that the Commandant, after taking adespairing glance along the deck, was obliged to allow that he had onlyone chance of escape--laying down his arms. Still he hesitated, however,and El Alferez understood the combat that was going on in the heart ofthe brave officer.
"We are not pirates," he said, "Commandant Rodriguez, we are Texans; youcan lay down your arms without shame--not to save your life, to whichthe defeat you have just suffered causes you to attach but slight value,and which you would doubtless readily sacrifice to expiate yourmisfortunes--but you are responsible before Heaven for the two hundredand fifty men forming your crew. Why needlessly shed precious blood! Forthe last time I invite you to surrender."
At this moment a thick shadow covered the deck of the corvette; thebrig, which everyone had forgotten, had continued to advance; it hadcome within pistol shot, and its lofty sails stretched out over thevessel and intercepted the sunshine.
"Halloo the ship!" a voice shouted from the stern of the cruiser; "Senda boat aboard us with your captain."
This voice sounded like a thunderclap in the ears of the Mexicans. Thebrig had shortened sail, and was now lying motionless to starboard ofthe corvette. There was a moment of intense silence, during which alleyes were instinctively turned on the privateer; her yards were linedwith topmen armed with muskets and hand grenades, through the open portsthe men could be seen standing by the guns, and it literally held thecorvette under its fire.
"Well," El Alferez continued, stamping his foot impatiently, "have youmade up your mind; yes or no?"
"Sir," the Commandant answered, "by an infamous act of treachery youhave become master of my vessel; as any resistance is henceforthuseless, I surrender."
And with a gesture full of dignity the old sailor drew his sword,snapped the blade asunder, and after throwing the pieces into the sea,retired to the stern with a calm and resigned step.
"Captain Johnston," El Alferez shouted, "your corvette is ours; send aboat's crew on board."
A whistle was heard from the brig's deck; a boat was let down, and a fewminutes after, twenty privateer's men, armed to the teeth, and commandedby the Captain in person, stepped on the corvette's deck. Thedisarmament of the crew was effected without the slightest resistance,and Commandant Rodriguez and his staff were at once transferred to thebrig, in order that the Mexican sailors, who were much more numerousthan their visitors, might be without a leader in the event of theirattempting to regain possession of the corvette by a desperate effort.But this precaution was unnecessary, for the Mexicans had not theslightest idea of rising; on the contrary, most of them were natives ofTexas, who found among the sailors of the brig many of their old friendsand acquaintances; in a few moments the two crews were on the mostcordial terms, and mixed up together.
Captain Johnson resolved to profit by this fortunate circumstance; theprivateer was in a very difficult position, and literally experienced atthis moment an embarrassment of wealth; he had, without striking a blow,captured a first class corvette, but that corvette required a crew, andthe sailors he could dispose of by taking them from his own ship to putthem aboard the prize were insufficient; the good understanding that hadalmost suddenly sprung up between the two crews, therefore, supplied himwith the means of escape from the difficulty.
Sailors, as a general rule, are men hardened to fatigue; faithful, butunscrupulous in politics, whose questions are much too abstract fortheir intellect, which is naturally limited on all affairs relating toland. Accustomed to be sternly governed and have all the actions oftheir life directed, from the gravest down to the most trivial, sailorsare only full-grown children, who appreciate but one thing--strength. Aresolute man can always do what he likes with them, if he succeed inproving his superiority over them.
Captain Johnson was too old a hand not to know how he should act underthe present circumstances. So soon as the disarmament was effected hemounted the quarterdeck, took up the speaking trumpet, and making nodistinction among the sailors scattered about the deck, he ordered aseries of manoeuvres, intended to habituate the men to the sound of hisvoice, and prove to them that he was a thorough sailor, which allrecognised in a few minutes.
The orders were then executed with such rapidity and eagerness that thecorvette, almost unserviceable an hour previously, was soon under jurymasts, and in a condition to sail for any port to which it pleased itsnew commander to take it. The deck had been completely cleared, therunning rigging cut during the action spliced--in short, an hour beforesunset any stranger whom accident brought aboard the _Libertad_ couldhave formed no idea of what had really taken place.
When he had obtained this result, Captain Johnson smiled in hismoustache, and ordered Master Lovel, who had followed him on board, topipe all hands on deck. At this familiar signal the sailors, who werenow quite submissive, gaily ranged themselves at the foot of themainmast, and waited patiently for their new Captain's orders. Thelatter knew how to address rude fellows like these; after complimentingthem on the intelligent way in which they had comprehended his orders,he told them that he had no intention of keepi
ng them prisoners, for themajority of them were Texans like himself, and as such had a claim tohis entire sympathy. Consequently, those sailors who did not wish toserve the Texan Republic would be landed at the first place on Mexicanterritory the corvette touched at; as for those who consented to remainaboard and serve their country, their pay would be raised to twenty-fivepiastres a month, and in order to prove to them the good intentions ofthe Texan Government towards them, a month's pay would be distributed onthe spot in the shape of bounty.
This generous proposition was greeted with shouts of joy by those menwho began at once to calculate how many glasses of tafia and measures ofpulque they could consume for this fabulous sum of twenty-five dollars.
The poor fellows, ever since they had been in the Mexican service, hadonly been paid in promises, and for a long time past had considered thispay far too meagre. The Captain was aware of this circumstance, he sawthe effect he had produced, and continued in the midst of a religioussilence--
"Then, that is settled, my men. You are free not to remain on board,where I have no desire to retain you as prisoners. Still, reflect on thepropositions I make you, in the name of the Government I have the honourof serving, for I consider them in every way advantageous for you. Now,let those who wish to enter on board the corvette pass to larboard,while those who wish to be put ashore can remain where they are. Thepurser will draw up the agreement, and pay the bounty at once."
The Captain had installed the purser at the foot of the mizenmast, witha table before him, and bags of dollars at his feet. This display metwith the greatest success, nothing more was wanting, and the sight ofthe piastres decided even the most irresolute. At the command of "Go,"given by the Captain, the sailors crowded round the purser, who ere longdid not know whom to attend to first, so anxious were all to receive thebounty. The Captain smiled at the result of his eloquence, but heconsidered it advisable to go to the aid of the purser, and by hisorders, the sailors displayed a little less precipitation in presentingthemselves to him.
The enlistment lasted two hours. All the sailors entered all nowjoyously clinked in their horny hands the handsome piastres they hadreceived; and assuredly, if a Mexican ship had come up at the moment,the new crew would have given it a rude reception, and infalliblycaptured it. The result obtained by Captain Johnson was easy to foresee:in every sailor there is something of the privateer, and ready money isthe only available argument with him.
But Captain Johnson was a cool and methodical man, on whom enthusiasmhad but a slight effect. He was not at all intoxicated by the success hehad met with; he knew very well, that when the first effervescence hadworn off, reflection would come, and with reflection thatinsubordination so natural to the sailor's character. Above all, he mustavoid giving any pretext for mutiny; and for that purpose, it was urgentto break up the unanimity which a lengthened dwelling together hadproduced among them. The means to effect this were simple, and theCaptain employed them. His own brig had a crew of one hundred and ninetymen; of these he only retained fifty, while the others went aboard thecorvette, one hundred and forty of her crew being transferred to thebrig; in this way the two crews were fused, and were completely at thedisposal of the Captain, who became their entire master.
The various events we have described, and the incidents that followedthem, had occupied a considerable period; the whole day had slippedaway, and the organisation was not completed till an hour before sunset.Captain Johnson gave the command of the corvette to Don Serapio, withDon Cristoval as first lieutenant, and Ramirez as master; while hehimself retained the command of the brig. Then, when all was in order,the Captain had the Mexican flag hoisted at the peak of the corvette,which immediately started for Galveston.
The Captain returned on board his own vessel, taking with him ElAlferez, to whose determination and coolness the Texan RevolutionaryGovernment owed the possession of a naval force. The result was grand,and surpassed even the expectations of the insurgents. But that was notenough: on getting aboard his brig, the Captain ordered the Texan flagto be struck, turned upside down, and hoisted again with the Mexicancolours above it. The brig set sail, and kept up with the corvette,being careful to keep under her guns, as if really captured by her.
The sailors did not at all comprehend this singular manoeuvre; but, asthey had seen the Captain laugh, they suspected some stratagem, and, inspite of the shame they felt at seeing their colours beneath those ofMexico, they repressed their murmurs, in the hope of a speedy revenge.
In the meanwhile, the whole population of Galveston had since morningbeen plunged in the greatest anxiety. Assembled on the jetty, they hadwatched the obstinate pursuit until the vessels disappeared; the soundof cannon, repeated by the echo of the cliffs, had reached the city; afight had, therefore, taken place, but what the result was everybodyasked the other, and no one could answer.
The silence of the fort had also seemed inexplicable; they could notunderstand why it had not sunk the brig as it passed. Suddenly there wasan outburst of shouts and cheers, for the brig and corvette reappearedat the entrance of the passage, with the Mexican colours proudly flyingon the two ships over the Texan flag, which was disgracefully reversed.This delight knew no bounds when the ships were seen to anchor beneaththe guns of the battery; the Mexicans were victors, and the Texaninsurgents had suffered a defeat, from which they would not so easilyrecover.