CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
Brave hearts! to Britain's pride Once so faithful and so true, On the deck of fame that died With the gallant, good Riou-- Soft sigh the winds of Heaven o'er their grave! While the billow mournful rolls, And the mermaid's song condoles, Singing glory to the souls Of the brave! CAMPBELL.
Hasty congratulations between the survivors of the victorious party wereexchanged as they proceeded to obey the orders which were issued byCaptain M--- who directed their attention to the relief of the wounded,lying in heaps upon the deck, in many instances nearly smothered withthe dead bodies which had fallen upon them, and which their ownexhausted powers would not permit them to remove. The task ofseparation of those who were past all mortal aid from those who mightstill derive benefit from surgical assistance, was as tedious as it wasafflicting. No distinction was made between the rival sufferers, but,as they came to hand, English or French, they were carefully conveyed tothe half-decks of the respective ships, the surgeons of which were inreadiness to receive them, their shirt-sleeves turned up to the elbows,and hands and arms stained with blood, proving that they had alreadybeen actively employed in the duties of their profession.
On the foremost part of the larboard side of the French frigate'squarter-deck, where Captain M--- and his crew had boarded, the dead anddying lay in a heap, the summit of which was level with the tops of thecarronades that they were between; and an occasional low groan fromunder the mass, intimated that some were there who were dying more fromthe pressure of the other bodies, than from the extent of their ownwounds.
Captain M---, although he had lost much blood, and was still bleedingprofusely, would not leave the deck until he had collected a party toseparate the pile; and many were relieved, who, in a few minutes more,would have been suffocated.
At the bottom of the heap was the body of the gallant French captain;and Captain M--- was giving directions to the first-lieutenant to haveit carried below, when Willy, who was earnestly looking about the deck,brushed up against the latter, who said to him--
"Come, youngster, out of the way, you're no use here."
"Has any one seen my hat?" interrogated the boy, as he obeyed the order,and removed to a short distance.
"Here it is, my bantam," said one of the boatswain's mates, who haddiscovered it as they removed the body of the French captain, underwhich it had lain, jammed as flat as a pancake.
"Then it was to you that I was indebted for that well-timed assistance;"said Captain M---, taking the hat from the boatswain's mate, andrestoring it as well as he could to its former shape before he put it onWilly's head.
Willy looked up in the captain's face, and smiled assent as he walkedaway.
"A good turn is never lost," observed Captain M---; "and the old fableof the mouse and the lion is constantly recurring to make us humble. IfI had not put that boy on the quarter-deck, I should in all probabilityhave made a vacancy. It was remarkable presence of mind on his part."
We have not broken in upon our narrative to state, that during the scenewe have described Mr Pearce, the master, had succeeded in putting bothvessels before the wind, although they still were hugged in each other'sembraces, as if they had always been the best friends in the world, andthey were now out of the reach of the enemy's batteries, which (as soonas they perceived the unfavourable results of the action) had commencedfiring with red-hot balls, emblematical of their wrath.
When the wounded had been carried below, and placed in comparativecomfort on board of their respective ships, the dead bodies were nextexamined. Those of the French (with the exception of that of thecaptain) were launched overboard; while those of the English were thenremoved, and the French officers, having delivered up their swords, werepermitted to remain on deck upon parole, while the men were secured downbelow in the fore and main holds of the _Aspasia_, the hatchways beingcovered over with a strong splinter-netting, that they might not bedeprived of fresh air in their crowded situation. The charge of theprize having been confided to the first-lieutenant and fifty men, thetwo ships were separated, and laid to, to repair the damages sustainedin the conflict.
Captain M---, whose wounds were not serious, had descended for a shorttime to have them washed and dressed. His anxiety to put his ship in anefficient state, and get clear of the bay, previous to bad weathercoming on, had induced him to return on deck as soon as he had taken alittle refreshment.
McElvina had also cleansed himself from the gore with which he had beenbegrimed, and having applied to the surgeon to assuage the pain of asevere cut which he had received on his shoulder, came upon thequarter-deck with his arm in a sling, dressed with his usual precisionand neatness. He touched his hat to Captain M---, with whom he had notcommunicated since he had quitted him on the quarter-deck of the Frenchfrigate, to create the fortunate diversion in favour of the boarders.
"Captain McElvina," said Captain M---, taking his hand, and shaking itwarmly, "I can hardly express how much I am obliged to you for yourconduct this day. You may be assured that, upon my return, I shall notfail to make a proper representation of it to Government. I only wishthat there was any situation in my ship that could induce you toremain."
"Thank you, Captain M---," replied McElvina, smiling; "but, although ona smaller scale, I have long been accustomed to command; and I should bevery sorry that a vacancy should occur in the only situation I wouldaccept."
"I expected an answer to that effect," replied Captain M---. "However,you have this day nobly redeemed your character, and silenced anyimputations of hostility to your country that might be thrown upon youin consequence of your late employment; and I sincerely congratulateyou."
"Captain M---, as you are kind enough to express friendly feelingstowards me, may I request that they may be shown by the interest youtake in young Seymour? I cannot but approve his following thehonourable career marked out for him; and my regret at parting with onewho has so entwined himself round my heart will be considerably lessenedby the assurance that you will be his friend and protector. Anyexpenses--"
"Not one word upon that score," replied Captain M---; "the boy saved mylife this day by his unusual presence of mind, and I shall watch overhim as if he were my own child."
"His education?"
"Shall be attended to. I pledge you my honour to do him every justice."
McElvina bowed and walked away to the other side of the quarter-deck;the idea of parting with Willy was always painful to him, and, weak withthe loss of blood, he was afraid that the emotion would be perceived,which he now felt less able to control.
Thus it is with proud man. He struggles to conceal effects arising fromfeeling which do honour to his nature; but feels no shame when hedisgraces himself by allowing his passions to get the better of hisreason--and all because he would not be thought _womanish_! I'mparticularly fond of crying myself.
The list of killed and wounded was brought up by the second-lieutenant(the duty of the first, who was in charge of the prize, having devolvedupon him)--the former having been ascertained by mustering the ship'scompany, the latter from the report of the surgeon.
A deep sigh escaped from the breast of the captain as he looked own atthe total. "Forty-four killed--sixty-seven wounded! This is heavyindeed. Poor Stevenson, I thought he was only wounded."
"Since dead, sir," replied the second-lieutenant; "we have lost apleasant messmate."
"And His Majesty a valuable officer," replied the captain. "I am afraidhis mother will feel it in more ways than one--he supported her, Ithink."
"He did, sir: will you not give an acting order to one of the younggentlemen?" (It was the third-lieutenant over whom they werelamenting.)
"Yes, make it out for Mr Robertson."
"He's in the list, sir."
"What! killed? So he is, poor fellow! Well, then--Mr Wheatley--let itbe made out for him."
"Ay, ay, sir."
It was not until the ensuing day that the loss of the enemy could beascertained. Crowded as were her deck
s with troops, it was enormous.Not only the first and second captains, second-lieutenant, and sevenjunior officers of the frigate had fallen, but eleven officers of thedetachment of soldiers sent on board of her. The total loss appeared tobe one hundred and forty-seven killed, and one hundred and eighty-fourwounded, out of an aggregate of nearly nine hundred men.
In a few days the _Aspasia_ and her prize arrived at Plymouth, theEnglish colours proudly waving over the tricoloured flag of her lateopponent, and both vessels ran into Hamoaze amidst the cheers ofthousands of spectators assembled upon Mount Wise and Mount Edgecomb togreet their gallant and successful defenders. Captain M--- immediatelyproceeded to London, where the representation which he made ofMcElvina's conduct was followed by an order for his immediate release,and McElvina, taking an affectionate leave of Willy, with a partinginjunction to "_be honest_," set off to report to old Hornblow, and hisdaughter Susan all the circumstances attending the capture of hislugger, and the events which had subsequently ensued.