CHAPTER VIII.
"Fierce bounding, forward sprang the ship Like a greyhound starting from the slip, To seize his flying prey." _Lord of the Isles_.
Although the subject of the consultation remained a secret with thosewhose opinions were required, yet enough of the result leaked out amongthe subordinate officers, to throw the whole crew into a state of eagerexcitement. The rumor spread itself along the decks of the frigate, withthe rapidity of an alarm, that an expedition was to attempt the shoreon some hidden service, dictated by the Congress itself; and conjectureswere made respecting its force and destination, with all that interestwhich might be imagined would exist among the men whose lives orliberties were to abide the issue. A gallant and reckless daring,mingled with the desire of novelty, however, was the prevailingsentiment among the crew, who would have received with cheers theintelligence that their vessel was commanded to force the passage of theunited British fleet. A few of the older and more prudent of the sailorswere exceptions to this thoughtless hardihood, and one or two, amongwhom the cockswain of the whale-boat was the most conspicuous, venturedto speak doubtingly of all sorts of land service, as being of a naturenever to be attempted by seamen.
Captain Manual had his men paraded in the weather-gangway, and aftera short address, calculated to inflame their military ardor andpatriotism, acquainted them that he required twenty volunteers, whichwas in truth half their number, for a dangerous service. After ashort pause, the company stepped forward, like one man, and announcedthemselves as ready to follow him to the end of the world. The marinecast a look over his shoulder, at this gratifying declaration, in questof Barnstable; but observing that the sailor was occupied with somepapers on a distant part of the quarter-deck, he proceeded to make amost impartial division among the candidates for glory; taking care atthe same time to cull his company in such a manner as to give himselfthe flower of his men, and, consequently, to leave the ship the refuse.
While this arrangement was taking place, and the crew of the frigatewas in this state of excitement, Griffith ascended to the deck, hiscountenance flushed with unusual enthusiasm, and his eyes beaming with alook of animation and gayety that had long been strangers to the faceof the young man. He was giving forth the few necessary orders to theseamen he was to take with him from the ship, when Barnstable againmotioned him to follow, and led the way once more to the stateroom.
"Let the wind blow its pipe out," said the commander of the Ariel, whenthey were seated; "there will be no landing on the eastern coast ofEngland till the sea goes down. But this Kate was made for a sailor'swife! See, Griffith, what a set of signals she has formed, out of herown cunning head."
"I hope your opinion may prove true, and that you may be the happysailor who is to wed her," returned the other. "The girl has indeeddiscovered surprising art in this business! Where could she have learntthe method and system so well?"
"Where! why, where she learnt better things; how to prize awhole-hearted seaman, for instance. Do you think that my tongue wasjammed in my mouth, all the time we used to sit by the side of the riverin Carolina, and that we found nothing to talk about!"
"Did you amuse your mistress with treatises on the art of navigation,and the science of signals?" said Griffith, smiling.
"I answered her questions, Mr. Griffith, as any civil man would toa woman he loved. The girl has as much curiosity as one of my owntownswomen who has weathered cape forty without a husband, and hertongue goes like a dog-vane in a calm, first one way and then another.But here is her dictionary. Now own, Griff, in spite of your collegelearning and sentimentals, that a woman of ingenuity and cleverness is avery good sort of a helpmate."
"I never doubted the merits of Miss Plowden," said the other, with adroll gravity that often mingled with his deeper feelings, the resultof a sailor's habits, blended with native character. "But this indeedsurpasses all my expectations! Why, she has, in truth, made a mostjudicious selection of phrases. 'No. 168. **** indelible;' '169. ****end only with life;' '170. **** I fear yours misleads me;' '171. ----'"
"Pshaw!" exclaimed Barnstable, snatching the book from before thelaughing eyes of Griffith; "what folly, to throw away our time now onsuch nonsense! What think you of this expedition to the land?"
"That it may be the means of rescuing the ladies, though it fail inmaking the prisoners we anticipate."
"But this pilot! you remember that he holds us by our necks, and can runus all up to the yard-arm of some English ship, whenever he chooses toopen his throat at their threats or bribes."
"It would have been better that he should have cast the ship ashore,when he had her entangled in the shoals; it would have been our lastthought to suspect him of treachery then," returned Griffith, "I followhim with confidence, and must believe that we are safer with him than weshould be without him."
"Let him lead to the dwelling of his fox-hunting ministers of state,"cried Barnstable, thrusting his book of signals into his bosom: "buthere is a chart that will show us the way to the port we wish to find.Let my foot once more touch terra firma, and you may write cravenagainst my name, if that laughing vixen slips her cable before my eyes,and shoots into the wind's eye again like a flying-fish chased by adolphin. Mr. Griffith, we must have the chaplain with us to the shore."
"The madness of love is driving you into the errors of the soldier.Would you lie by to hear sermons, with a flying party like ours?"
"Nay, nay, we must lay to for nothing that is not unavoidable; but thereare so many tacks in such a chase, when one has time to breathe, thatwe might as well spend our leisure in getting that fellow to splice ustogether. He has a handy way with a prayer book, and could do the job aswell as a bishop; and I should like to be able to say, that this is thelast time these two saucy names, which are written at the bottom of thisletter, should ever be seen sailing in the company of each other."
"It will not do," said his friend, shaking his head, and endeavoring toforce a smile which his feelings suppressed; "it will not do, Richard;we must yield our own inclinations to the service of our country; nor isthis pilot a man who will consent to be led from his purpose."
"Then let him follow his purpose alone," cried Barnstable. "There is nohuman power, always saving my superior officer, that shall keep me fromthrowing abroad these tiny signals, and having a private talk with mydark-eyed Kate. But for a paltry pilot! he may luff and bear away ashe pleases, while I shall steer as true as a magnet for that old ruin,where I can bring my eyes to bear on that romantic wing and threesmoky vanes. Not that I'll forget my duty? no, I'll help you catch theEnglishman; but when that is done, hey! for Katherine Plowden and mytrue love!"
"Hush, madcap! the wardroom holds long ears, and our bulkheads grow thinby wear. I must keep you and myself to our duty. This is no children'sgame that we play; it seems the commissioners at Paris have thoughtproper to employ a frigate in the sport."
Barnstable's gayety was a little repressed by the grave manner of hiscompanion; but after reflecting a moment, he started on his feet, andmade the usual movements for departure.
"Whither?" asked Griffith, gently detaining his impatient friend.
"To old Moderate; I have a proposal to make that may remove everydifficulty."
"Name it to me, then; I am in his council, and may save you the troubleand mortification of a refusal."
"How many of those gentry does he wish to line his cabin with?"
"The pilot has named no less than six, all men of rank and considerationwith the enemy. Two of them are peers, two more belong to the commons'house of parliament, one is a general, and the sixth, like ourselves, isa sailor, and holds the rank of captain. They muster at a hunting-seatnear the coast, and, believe me, the scheme is not without itsplausibility."
"Well, then, there are two apiece for us. You follow the pilot, if youwill; but let me sheer off for this dwelling of Colonel Howard, withmy cockswain and boat's crew. I will surprise his house, release theladies, and on my way back, lay my hands on two of the first lords Ifall in w
ith. I suppose, for our business, one is as good as another."
Griffith could not repress a faint laugh, while he replied:
"Though they are said to be each other's peers, there is, I believe,some difference even in the quality of lords. England might thank usfor ridding her of some among them. Neither are they to be found likebeggars, under every hedge. No, no, the men we seek must have somethingbetter than their nobility to recommend them to our favor. But let usexamine more closely into this plan and map of Miss Plowden; somethingmay occur that shall yet bring the place within our circuit, like acontingent duty of the cruise."
Barnstable reluctantly relinquished his own wild plan to the more soberjudgment of his friend, and they passed an hour together, inquiring intothe practicability, and consulting on the means, of making their publicduty subserve the purpose of their private feelings.
The gale continued to blow heavily during the whole of that morning;but toward noon the usual indications of better weather became apparent.During these few hours of inaction in the frigate, the marines, who weredrafted for service on the land, moved through the vessel with a busyand stirring air, as if they were about to participate in the glory anddanger of the campaign their officer had planned, while the few seamenwho were to accompany the expedition steadily paced the deck, with theirhands thrust into the bosoms of their neat blue jackets, or occasionallystretched toward the horizon, as their fingers traced, for their lessexperienced shipmates, the signs of an abatement in the gale among thedriving clouds. The last lagger among the soldiers had appeared, withhis knapsack on his back, in the lee gangway, where his comrades werecollected, armed and accoutered for the strife, when Captain Munsonascended to the quarter-deck, accompanied by the stranger and hisfirst lieutenant. A word was spoken by the latter in a low voice to amidshipman, who skipped gayly along the deck, and presently the shrillcall of the boatswain was beard, preceding the hoarse cry of:
"Away there, you Tigers, away!"
A smart roll of the drum followed, and the marines paraded, while thesix seamen who belonged to the cutter that owned so fierce a name madetheir preparations for lowering their little bark from the quarter ofthe frigate into the troubled sea. Everything was conducted in the mostexact order, and with a coolness and skill that bade defiance to theturbulence of the angry elements. The marines were safely transportedfrom the ship to the schooner, under the favoring shelter of the former,though the boat appeared, at times, to be seeking the cavities of theocean, and again to be riding in the clouds, as she passed from onevessel to the other.
At length it was announced that the cutter was ready to receivethe officers of the party. The pilot walked aside and held privatediscourse, for a few moments, with the commander, who listened to hissentences with marked and singular attention. When their conference wasended, the veteran bared his gray head to the blasts, and offered hishand to the other, with a seaman's frankness, mingled with the deferenceof an inferior. The compliment was courteously returned by the stranger,who turned quickly on his heel, and directed the attention of those whoawaited his movements, by a significant gesture, to the gangway.
"Come, gentlemen, let us go," said Griffith, starting from a reverie,and bowing his hasty compliments to his brethren in arms.
When it appeared that his superiors were ready to enter the boat, theboy, who, by nautical courtesy, was styled Mr. Merry, and who had beenordered to be in readiness, sprang over the side of the frigate, andglided into the cutter, with the activity of a squirrel. But the captainof marines paused, and cast a meaning glance at the pilot, whose placeit was to precede him. The stranger, as he lingered on the deck, wasexamining the aspect of the heavens, and seemed unconscious of theexpectations of the soldier, who gave vent to his impatience, after amoment's detention, by saying:
"We wait for you, Mr. Gray."
Aroused by the sound of his name, the pilot glanced his quick eye on thespeaker, but instead of advancing, he gently bent his body, as he againsigned toward the gangway with his hand. To the astonishment not onlyof the soldier, but of all who witnessed this breach of naval etiquette,Griffith bowed low, and entered the boat with the same promptitude as ifhe were preceding an admiral. Whether the stranger became conscious ofhis want of courtesy, or was too indifferent to surrounding objects tonote occurrences, he immediately followed himself, leaving to the marinethe post of honor. The latter, who was distinguished for his skill inall matters of naval or military etiquette, thought proper to apologize,at a fitting time, to the first lieutenant for suffering his seniorofficer to precede him into a boat, but never failed to show a becomingexultation, when he recounted the circumstance, by dwelling on themanner in which he had brought down the pride of the haughty pilot.
Barnstable had been several hours on board his little vessel, which wasevery way prepared for their reception; and as soon as the heavy cutterof the frigate was hoisted on her deck, he announced that the schoonerwas ready to sail. It has been already intimated that the Ariel belongedto the smallest class of sea-vessels; and as the symmetry of herconstruction reduced even that size in appearance, she was peculiarlywell adapted to the sort of service in which she was about to beemployed. Notwithstanding her lightness rendered her nearly as buoyantas a cork, and at times she actually seemed to ride on the foam, her lowdecks were perpetually washed by the heavy seas that dashed against herfrail sides, and she tossed and rolled in the hollows of the waves, Ina manner that compelled even the practised seamen who trod her decks tomove with guarded steps. Still she was trimmed and cleared with an airof nautical neatness and attention that afforded the utmost possibleroom for her dimensions; and, though in miniature, she wore thetrappings of war as proudly as if the metal she bore was of a more fataland dangerous character. The murderous gun, which, since the period ofwhich we are writing, has been universally adopted in all vessels ofinferior size, was then in the infancy of its invention, and was knownto the American mariner only by reputation, under the appalling nameof a "smasher." Of a vast calibre, though short and easily managed, itsadvantages were even in that early day beginning to be appreciated, andthe largest ships were thought to be unusually well provided withthe means of offence, when they carried two or three cannon of thisformidable invention among their armament. At a later day, this weaponhas been improved and altered, until its use has become general invessels of a certain size, taking its appellation from the Carron,on the banks of which river it was first moulded. In place of thesecarronades, six light brass cannon were firmly lashed to the bulwarksof the Ariel, their brazen throats blackened by the sea-water, which sooften broke harmlessly over these engines of destruction. In the centreof the vessel, between her two masts, a gun of the same metal, but ofnearly twice the length of the other, was mounted on a carriage of anew and singular construction, which admitted of its being turned in anydirection, so as to be of service in most of the emergencies that occurin naval warfare.
The eye of the pilot examined this armament closely and then turnedto the well-ordered decks, the neat and compact rigging, and the hardyfaces of the fine young crew, with manifest satisfaction. Contrary towhat had been his practice during the short time he had been with them,he uttered his gratification freely and aloud.
"You have a tight boat, Mr. Barnstable," he said, "and a gallant-lookingcrew. You promise good service, sir, in time of need, and that hour maynot be far distant."
"The sooner the better," returned the reckless sailor; "I have not hadan opportunity of scaling my guns since we quitted Brest, though wepassed several of the enemy's cutters coming up channel, with whom ourbulldogs longed for a conversation. Mr. Griffith will tell you, pilot,that my little sixes can speak, on occasion, with a voice nearly as loudas the frigate's eighteens."
"But not to as much purpose," observed Griffith; "'vox et praetereanihil,' as we said at school."
"I know nothing of your Greek and Latin, Mr. Griffith," retortedthe commander of the Ariel; "but if you mean that those seven brassplaythings won't throw a round-shot as far as any gu
n of their size andheight above the water, or won't scatter grape and canister with anyblunderbuss in your ship, you may possibly find an opportunity that willconvince you to the contrary, before we part company."
"They promise well," said the pilot, who was evidently, ignorant of thegood understanding that existed between the two officers, and wished toconciliate all under his directions; "and I doubt not they will arguethe leading points of a combat with good discretion. I see that you havechristened them--I suppose for their respective merits. They are indeedexpressive names!"
"'Tis the freak of an idle moment," said Barnstable, laughing, as heglanced his eye to the cannon, above which were painted theseveral quaint names of "boxer," "plumper," "grinder," "scatterer,""exterminator" and nail-driver."
"Why have you thrown the midship gun without the pale of your baptism?"asked the pilot; "or do you know it by the usual title of the 'oldwoman'?"
"No, no, I have no such petticoat terms on board me," cried the other;"but move more to starboard, and you will see its style painted on thecheeks of the carriage; it's a name that need not cause them to blusheither."
"'Tis a singular epithet, though not without some meaning!"
"It has more than you, perhaps, dream of, sir. That worthy seaman whomyou see leaning against the foremast, and who would serve, on occasion,for a spare spar himself, is the captain of that gun, and more than oncehas decided some warm disputes with John Bull, by the manner in whichhe has wielded it. No marine can trail his musket more easily than mycockswain can train his nine-pounder on an object; and thus from theirconnection, and some resemblance there is between them in length, it hasgot the name which you perceive it carries--that of 'long Tom.'"
The pilot smiled as he listened, but turning away from the speaker, thedeep reflection that crossed his brow but too plainly showed thathe trifled only from momentary indulgence; and Griffith intimated toBarnstable, that as the gale was sensibly abating they would pursue theobject of their destination.
Thus recalled to his duty, the commander of the schooner forgot thedelightful theme of expatiating on the merits of his vessel, and issuedthe necessary orders to direct their movements. The little schoonerslowly obeyed the impulse of her helm, and fell off before the wind,when the folds of her square-sail, though limited by a prudent reef,were opened to the blasts, and she shot away from her consort, like ameteor dancing across the waves. The black mass of the frigate's hullsoon sunk in distance; and long before the sun had fallen below thehills of England, her tall masts were barely distinguishable by thesmall cloud of sail that held the vessel to her station. As the shipdisappeared, the land seemed to issue out of the bosom of the deep;and so rapid was their progress, that the dwellings of the gentry, thehumbler cottages, and even the dim lines of the hedges, became graduallymore distinct to the eyes of the bold mariners, until they were besetwith the gloom of evening, when the whole scene faded from their viewin the darkness of the hour, leaving only the faint outline of the landvisible in the tract before them, and the sullen billows of the oceanraging with appalling violence in their rear.
Still the little Ariel held on her way, skimming the ocean like awater-fowl seeking its place of nightly rest, and shooting in towardsthe land as fearlessly as if the dangers of the preceding night werealready forgotten. No shoals or rocks appeared to arrest her course, andwe must leave her gliding into the dark streak that was thrown from thehigh and rocky cliffs, that lined a basin of bold entrance, where themariners often sought and found a refuge from the dangers of the GermanOcean.