CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
Two striplings, lads more like to run Than to commit such slaughter. CYMBELINE.
The gales of wind in the tropical climates are violent while they last,but are seldom of long duration. Such was the case in the presentinstance: for it subsided in a few hours after daylight; and theschooner, that had been propelled before it, was now sheltered under thelee of the island of St. Domingo, and, with all her canvas spread, wasgliding through a tranquil sea. Again they were collected round thedinner-table, to a more quiet repast than they had hitherto enjoyedsince they had come on board. Paul had not quite recovered his spirits,although, when he went on deck, just before the dinner was announced, hewas delighted at the sudden change which had taken place; but the mirthof his companions at his expense was not received in very good part.
After dinner, finding himself in a better humour, he turned to Peter,and addressed him--"I say, Peter, I made no answer to your remarks, lastnight, when we expected to go down; but I have since had timedeliberately to weigh your arguments, and I should like you to explainto me where the _comfort_ was that you so strenuously pointed out, forhang me if I can discover it."
Seymour again had charge of the first watch; and, notwithstanding thatthe orders for the prisoners to remain below after dark had beencommunicated to them, he observed that, on one pretence or other, theyoccasionally came on deck, and repeatedly put their heads above thehatchway. This conduct reminded him of the conversation which he hadoverheard, and again it was the subject of his thoughts. CaptainM--- had one day observed to him, that if there was no duty going on, hecould not employ himself in a more useful manner, when he was walkingthe deck, than by placing himself or the ship, in difficult situations,and reflecting upon the most eligible means of relief. "Depend uponit," observed Captain M---, "the time will come when you will find it ofuse to you; and it will create for you a presence of mind, in a suddendilemma, which may be the salvation of yourself and the ship you arein."
Seymour, remembering this injunction, reflected upon what would be themost advisable steps to take, in case of the French prisoners attemptingto recapture during his watch on deck. That there were but six, it wasvery true; but, at the same time, during the night watches there werebut five English seamen, and the officer of the watch, on deck. Shouldthe Frenchmen have the boldness to attempt to regain possession of thevessel, there was no doubt that, if the watch could be surprised, thehatches would be secured over those below. What should be the steps, insuch a case, that he ought to take?
Such were the cogitations of Seymour, when midnight was reported, andJerry was summoned to relieve the deck--which he did not do, relyingupon our hero's good-nature, until past one bell. Up he came with hisready apology--"I really beg your pardon, my dear fellow, but I had nota wink of sleep last night."
"Never mind, Jerry, I am not at all sleepy. I had been thinking aboutthese French prisoners--I cannot get their conversation out of my head."
"Why, I did not like it myself, when I heard of it," replied Jerry. "Ihope they won't attempt it in my watch; it would not give them muchtrouble to launch me over the quarter--I should skim away, `flyinglight,' like a lady's bonnet."
"What would you do, Jerry, if you perceived them rushing aft to retakethe vessel?" inquired Seymour, who was aware of his ready invention.
"Skim up the rigging like a lamplighter, to be sure. Not that it wouldbe of much use, if they gained the day--except say a few prayers beforeI went astern."
"Well, that was my idea; but I thought that if one had a musket andammunition up there, a diversion might created in favour of thosebelow--for the prisoners have no firearms."
"Very true," replied Jerry; "we might puzzle them not a little."
"Now, Jerry, suppose we were to take that precaution, for I do not liketheir manoeuvres during my watch. It will do harm, if it does no good.Suppose you fetch two muskets and cartouch-boxes from the cabin--I'lltake one and secure it in the fore-cross-trees, and you do the same atthe main: for Courtenay is too proud to keep an armed watch."
Jerry agreed to the proposal, and brought up the muskets and ammunition.Seymour gave him a stout _fox_ to lash the musket; and taking anotherhimself, they both ascended the rigging at the same time, and were busysecuring the muskets up and down at the head of the lower masts, whenthey heard a sudden rush upon deck beneath them.
It was dark, though not so dark but they could distinguish what wasgoing on, and they perceived that their thoughts had but anticipated thereality. "The French are up!" roared the man at the wheel, to rousethose below, as well as the watch, who were lying about the decks; but,to the astonishment of the youngsters aloft, as well as of the men ondeck, not six, but about twenty Frenchmen, armed with cutlasses, madetheir appearance. The hatches were over and secured in a minute; andthe unarmed English on deck were then attacked by the superior force.It was with agonised feelings that Seymour and Jerry heard the scufflewhich took place; it was short; and plunge after plunge into the water,alongside, announced the death of each separate victim. The man at thewheel struggled long--he was of an athletic frame--but, overpowered bynumbers, he was launched over the taffrail. The French, supposing thatthe remainder of the crew were below, placed sentries over the hatches,that they might not be forced, and then collected together abaft,altering the course of the vessel for St. Domingo.
It will be necessary to explain the sudden appearance of so manyFrenchmen. When the captain of the privateer was occupied during thenight previous to the attack, with his several plans of defence, he alsoarranged one for the recapture of the vessel, in case of their beingoverpowered. With this in view, he had constructed a platform in thehold, on which a tier of casks was stowed, and under which there wassufficient space for fifteen or twenty men to lie concealed. When theprivateer's men had been driven below, and the hatches secured overthem, fifteen, armed with cutlasses, concealed themselves in this place,with the the hopes of recapturing the vessel from the prize-master,after she should have parted company with the frigate. The prisoners,who had been sent on board to assist in navigating the schooner toJamaica, had communicated with them, unperceived after dark. As all theEnglish were fatigued, from having been on deck during the previousnight, the middle watch was proposed for the attempt, which had thus farbeen attended with success.
Seymour and Jerry remained quiet at the mastheads; for although they didnot attempt to communicate with each other, for fear of discovery, theyboth rightly judged that it would be best to remain till daylight; bywhich time, some plans would have been formed by the party below, whichtheir situation would enable them materially to assist. Nearly fourhours elapsed previous to the dawning of the day, during which intervalJerry had ample time to say some of those prayers which he spoke of; andwhich it was to be supposed that they both did not fail to offer up intheir perilous situation.
As soon as the day began to break, Jerry, who had not yet loaded hismusket, lest he might be heard, thought it time to prepare for action.He primed, and put in his cartridge, in the ramming down of which aslight ringing of the ramrod against the muzzle attracted the notice ofone of the Frenchmen, who, looking up, after a short time,exclaimed:--"_Diable! c'est monsieur misere qui est la_!"
Jerry levelled with a steady aim, and the bullet passed through thebroad chest of the Frenchman, who rolled upon the deck.
"Now, they may chant your _miserere_," cried the youngster.
A second shot from the fore-cross-trees laid another Frenchman alongsideof his companion.
"_Comment! diable! nous serons abimes par ces enfans la; il fautmonter_."
The muskets were again loaded, and again each boy brought down his bird,before the Frenchmen could decide upon their operations. It was a caseof necessity that the youngsters should be attacked; but it was aservice of no little danger, and of certain destruction to one, who mustfall a sacrifice, that the other might be able to secure the youngsterbefore he had time to reload his musket. Two of the most daring flew to
the main-rigging, one ascending to windward, and the other to lee-ward.Seymour, who perceived their intentions, reserved his fire until he sawthe one in the weather rigging fall by Jerry's musket; he then levelledat the one to leeward, who dropped into the lee-chains, and from thenceinto the sea. Thus had six Frenchmen already fallen by the coolness anddetermination of two boys, one but fourteen, and the other not sixteenyears old.
A short consultation ended in the Frenchmen resorting to the onlymeasures likely to be attended with success. Leaving three to guard thehatchways, the remaining twelve, divided into four parties, began tomount both fore and main-rigging, to windward and to leeward, at thesame time. The fate of Jerry and Seymour now appeared to be decided.They might each kill one man more, and then would have been hurled intothe sea. But during the consultation, Seymour, who anticipated thismovement, and had a knife in his pocket, divided the lanyards of the leetopmast rigging, and running up the weather side with his musket andammunition, as soon as he had gained the topmast cross-trees, hauled upthe lee rigging after him; thus gaining a position that would admit butone person mounting up to him at a time. He called to Jerry, pointingout what he had done, that he might do the same; but unfortunately Jerryhad not a knife, and could not. He contented himself with climbing upto the topmast cross-trees, to which he was followed by two of theFrenchmen. Jerry levelled his musket, and passed his bullet through theskull of one of his pursuers, whose heavy fall on the deck shook theschooner fore and aft: and then, aware that nothing more could be done,pitched his musket overboard, that they might not gain possession of it,and climbing, with a nimbleness suited to the occasion, up to themasthead, descended by the top-gallant stay, to the fore-topmastcross-trees, and joined Seymour, in the presence of the exasperatedFrenchmen, who now, unable to reach either of them, were at a nonplus."I say, monsieur, no catchee, no habbee," cried Jerry, laughing, andputting his hand to his side from loss of breath.
But we must now acquaint the reader with what is going on below. Thesurprise of Courtenay when he found the hatches down, and the deck inpossession of the French, was removed when the men who had been securedwith him stated that, as they lay in their hammocks, they had beenawakened by a large body of men running up the hatchway. He nowperceived that there must have been men concealed in the hold of thevessel. The struggle on deck, the splashing in the water, all had beenplainly heard below; they were aware of the fate of their shipmates, anddid not expect to see daylight again until they were handed up asprisoners in a French port.
The feelings of Courtenay were not enviable. He upbraided himself forhaving, by his want of prudence, lost the vessel, and sacrificed thelives of the two midshipmen and five seamen who had the watch on deck.The party below consisted of Courtenay, Peter and Paul, Billy Pitt, andfive seamen; and a consultation was held as to their proceedings. Toregain the vessel and avenge the death of their shipmates, or to perishin the attempt, was the determination of the lieutenant. He was awarethat the French had no firearms; and, amply supplied as they were, hewould have cared little for their numbers if once on deck; but how toget on deck was the problem. To set fire to the vessel, and rush up inthe flames,--to scuttle her,--or to blow her up, and all go downtogether, were each proposed and agitated.
Peter's plan was considered as the most feasible. He suggested, thatone half of the cabin table, which was divided in two, should be placedupon the other, so as to raise it up to the coamings of theskylight-hatch; on the upper table to place a pound or two of powder,which, from the ascending principle of explosion, would blow off theskylight and grating without injuring the vessel below. Then, withtheir muskets loaded and bayonets fixed, to jump on the table, and fromthence, if possible, gain the deck. This was agreed to, and thepreparations were well forward, when the report of Jerry's musket washeard--another succeeded, and they were perplexed. Had the Frenchmenfirearms?--and if so, what could they be firing at? The falling of thebodies on deck, and the indistinct curses of the Frenchmen, puzzled themeven more. "What can it be?" observed Courtenay.
"I recollect now," said Paul, "as I lay awake I saw young _devil-skin_pass my bed with a musket--I wondered what it was for."
"Then, probably, he has gained the rigging with it, and is safe," criedCourtenay, intuitively. "Be quick! Where's the powder? Take thatcandle further off."
The train was laid as the muskets continued to be discharged; theyremoved from the cabin;--it was fired, and the skylight was blown up,killing the Frenchman who guarded the hatchway, at the very moment thatthe Frenchmen were in the rigging, puzzled with the manoeuvres ofSeymour and the escape of Jerry.
Courtenay and his party rushed into the cabin, mounted the table, andwere on deck before the smoke had cleared away: and the Frenchmen, whohad not had time to descend the rigging, were at their mercy. Mercythey were not entitled to. They had shown none to the unarmed English,whom they had wantonly thrown into the sea when they had overpoweredthem, and were now thirsting for the blood of the two boys. No mercywas shown to them. As they dropped one by one from the rigging woundedor dead, they were tossed into the wave, as an expiatory sacrifice tothe manes of the murdered Englishmen. In a few minutes the carnage wasover. Seymour and Jerry descended from their little _fortalice_ aloft,and were warmly greeted by their friends as they reached the deck.
"Really, Mr Paul," said Jerry, shaking his proffered hand, "this isquite an unexpected pleasure."
"Well, I never thought that I could possibly like you," answered theother.
"Well," observed Jerry, "it has quite stopped my growth."
"But not your tongue, I hope," replied Peter; "that would be a pity.Now explain to us how it all happened."
Jerry entered into the detail with his accustomed humour, whileCourtenay walked aft with Seymour, to have a more sober narrative of thetransactions which we have described, and which afforded ample matterfor conversation until the prize was brought to an anchor in Port Royalharbour, where Courtenay and his crew were ordered a passage toBarbadoes, in a frigate that had orders to proceed there in a few days;and Mr Peter Capon and Mr Paul Contract went on shore, declaring thatuntil a mail coach ran between there and England, they would never leavethe island, and again subject themselves to the charming vicissitudes ofa seafaring existence.