CHAPTER XXIII.
"By Heaven! it is a splendid sight to see, (For one who hath no friend, nor brother there,) Their rival scarfs of mixed embroidery-- Their various arms that glitter in the air!"
CHILDE HAROLD.
The little conflict between the English ships and the head of the Frenchline, the evolutions that had grown out of it, the crippling of leFoudroyant, and the continuance of the gale, contributed to producematerial changes in the relative positions of the two fleets. All theEnglish vessels kept their stations with beautiful accuracy, stillrunning to the southward in a close line ahead, having the wind a trifleabaft the beam, with their yards braced in. Under the circumstances, itneeded but some seven or eight minutes for these ships to glide a milethrough the troubled ocean, and this was about the period the mostexposed of them all had been under the random and slow fire that thestate of the weather permitted. The trifling damages sustained werealready repaired, or in a way soon to be so. On the other hand,considerable disorder prevailed among the French. Their line had neverbeen perfect, extending quite a league; a few of the leading vessels, orthose near the commander-in-chief, sustaining each other as well ascould be desired, while long intervals existed between the ships astern.Among the latter, too, as has been stated, some were much farther towindward than the others; an irregularity that proceeded from a desireof the Comte to luff up as near as possible to the enemy--a desire,which, practised on, necessarily threw the least weatherly vessels toleeward. Thus the two ships in the extreme rear, as has been hinted atalready, being jammed up unusually hard upon the wind, had weatheredmaterially on their consorts, while their way through the water had beenproportionably less. It was these combined circumstances which broughtthem so far astern and to windward.
At the time Sir Gervaise pointed out their positions to Greenly, the twovessels just mentioned were quite half a mile to the westward of theirnearest consort, and more than that distance to the southward. When itis remembered that the wind was nearly due west, and that all the Frenchvessels, these two excepted, were steering north, the relative positionsof the latter will be understood. Le Foudroyant, too, had kept away,after the loss of her top-masts, until fairly in the wake of the shipsahead of her, in her own line, and, as the vessels had been running offwith the wind abeam, for several minutes, this man[oe]uvre threw theFrench still farther to leeward. To make the matter worse, just as theWarspite drew out of the range of shot from the French, M. de Vervillinshowed a signal at the end of his gaff, for his whole fleet to ware insuccession; an order, which, while it certainly had a gallant semblance,as it was bringing his vessels round on the same tack as his enemy, andlooked like a defiance, was singularly adapted to restoring to thelatter all the advantage of the wind they had lost by keeping away. Asit was necessary to take room to execute this evolution, in order toclear the ships that were now crowded in the van, when le Temeraire cameto the wind again on the starboard tack, she was fully half a mile toleeward of the admiral, who had just put his helm up. As a matter ofcourse, in order to form anew, with the heads of the ships to thesouthward, each vessel had to get into her leader's wake, which would bevirtually throwing the whole French line, again, two miles to leeward ofthe English. Nevertheless, the stragglers in the rear of the Frenchcontinued to hug the wind, with a pertinacity that denoted a resolutionto have a brush with their enemies in passing. The vessels were leScipion and la Victoire, each of seventy-four guns. The first of theseships was commanded by a young man of very little professionalexperience, but of high court influence; while the second had a captainwho, like old Parker, had worked his way up to his present station,through great difficulties, and by dint of hard knocks, and harder work.Unfortunately the first ranked, and the humble _capitaine de fregate_,placed by accident in command of a ship of the line, did not dare todesert a _capitaine de vaisseau_, who had a _duc_ for an elder brother,and called himself _comte_. There was perhaps a redeeming gallantry inthe spirit which determined the Comte de Chelincourt to incur the riskof passing so near six vessels with only two, that might throw a veilover the indiscretion; more especially as his own fleet was near enoughto support him in the event of any disaster, and it was certainlypossible that the loss of a material spar on board either of his foes,might induce the capture of the vessel. At all events, thus reasoned M.de Chelincourt; who continued boldly on, with his larboard tacks aboard,always hugging the wind, even after the Temeraire was round; and M.Comptant chose to follow him in la Victoire. The Plantagenet, by thistime, being not a mile distant from the Scipio, coming on with steadyvelocity, these intentions and circumstances created every humanprobability that she would soon be passing her weather beam, within aquarter of a mile, and, consequently, that a cannonade, far more seriousthan what had yet occurred, must follow. The few intervening minutesgave Sir Gervaise time to throw a glance around him, and to come to hisfinal decision.
The English fleet was never in better line than at that precise moment.The ships were as close to each other as comported with safety, andevery thing stood and drew as in the trade winds. The leading Frenchvessels were waring and increasing their distance to leeward, and itwould require an hour for them to get up near enough to be at alldangerous in such weather, while all the rest were following, regardlessof the two that continued their luff. The Chloe had already got round,and, hugging the wind, was actually coming up to windward of her ownline, though under a press of canvass that nearly buried her. The Activeand Driver were in their stations, as usual; one on the weather beam,and the other on the weather bow; while the Druid had got so near as toshow her hull, closing fast, with square yards.
"That is either a very bold, or a very obstinate fellow; he, whocommands the two ships ahead of us," observed Greenly, as he stood atthe vice-admiral's side, and just as the latter terminated his survey."What object can he possibly have in braving three times his force in agale like this?"
"If it were an Englishman, Greenly, we should call him a hero! By takinga mast out of one of us, he might cause the loss of the ship, or compelus to engage double _our_ force. Do not blame him, but help me, rather,to disappoint him. Now, listen, and see all done immediately."
Sir Gervaise then explained to the captain what his intentions reallywere, first ordering, himself, (a very unusual course for one of hishabits,) the first lieutenant, to keep the ship off as much aspracticable, without seeming to wish to do so; but, as the orders willbe explained incidentally, in the course of the narrative, it is notnecessary to give them here. Greenly then went below, leaving SirGervaise, Bunting, and their auxiliaries, in possession of the poop. Aprivate signal had been bent on some little time, and it was nowhoisted. In about five minutes it was read, understood, and answered byall the ships of the fleet. Sir Gervaise rubbed his hands like a man whowas delighted, and he beckoned to Bury, who had the trumpet on thequarter-deck, to join him on the poop.
"Did Captain Greenly let you into our plot, Bury," asked thevice-admiral, in high good-humour, as soon as obeyed, "I saw he spoke toyou in going below?"
"He only told me, Sir Gervaise, to edge down upon the Frenchmen as closeas I could, and this we are doing, I think, as fast as mounsheer"--Burywas an Anglo-Gallican--"will at all like."
"Ah! there old Parker sheers bravely to leeward! Trust to him to be inthe right place. The Carnatic went fifty fathoms out of the line at thatone twist. The Thunderer and Warspite too! Never was a signal morebeautifully obeyed. If the Frenchmen don't take the alarm, now, everything will be to our minds."
By this time, Bury began to understand the man[oe]uvre. Each alternateship of the English was sheering fast to leeward, forming a weather anda lee line, with increased intervals between the vessels, while all ofthem were edging rapidly away, so as greatly to near the enemy. It wasapparent now, indeed, that the Plantagenet herself must pass within ahundred fathoms of the Scipio, and that in less than two minutes. Thedelay in issuing the orders for this evolution was in favour of itssuccess, inasmuch as it did not give the enemy time
for deliberation.The Comte de Chelincourt, in fact, did not detect it; or, at least, didnot foresee the consequences; though both were quite apparent to themore experienced _capitaine de fregate_ astern. It was too late, or thelatter would have signalled his superior to put him on his guard; but,as things were, there remained no alternative, apparently, but to runthe gauntlet, and trust all to the chances of battle.
In a moment like that we are describing, events occur much more rapidlythan they can be related. The Plantagenet was now within pistol-shot ofle Scipion, and on her weather bow. At that precise instant, when thebow-guns, on both sides, began to play, the Carnatic, then nearly in aline with the enemy, made a rank sheer to leeward, and drove on, openingin the very act with her weather-bow guns. The Thunderer and Warspiteimitated this man[oe]uvre, leaving the Frenchman the cheerless prospectof being attacked on both sides. It is not to be concealed that M. deChelincourt was considerably disturbed by this sudden change in hissituation. That which, an instant before, had the prospect of being achivalrous, but extremely hazardous, passage in front of a formidableenemy, now began to assume the appearance of something very likedestruction. It was too late, however, to remedy the evil, and the youngComte, as brave a man as existed, determined to face it manfully. He hadscarcely time to utter a few cheering sentiments, in a dramatic manner,to those on the quarter-deck, when the English flag-ship came sweepingpast in a cloud of smoke, and a blaze of fire. His own broadside wasnobly returned, or as much of it as the weather permitted, but the smokeof both discharges was still driving between his masts, when the darkhamper of the Carnatic glided into the drifting canopy, which was madeto whirl back on the devoted Frenchman in another torrent of flame.Three times was this fearful assault renewed on the Scipio, at intervalsof about a minute, the iron hurricane first coming from to windward, andthen seeming to be driven back from to leeward, as by its own rebound,leaving no breathing time to meet it. The effect was completely tosilence her own fire; for what between the power of the raging elements,and the destruction of the shot, a species of wild and blood-fraughtconfusion took the place of system and order. Her decks were coveredwith killed and wounded, among the latter of whom was the Comte deChelincourt, while orders were given and countermanded in a way torender them useless, if not incoherent. From the time when thePlantagenet fired her first gun, to that when the Warspite fired herlast, was just five minutes by the watch. It seemed an hour to theFrench, and but a moment to their enemies. One hundred and eighty-twomen and boys were included in the casualties of those teeming moments onboard the Scipio alone; and when that ship issued slowly from the sceneof havoc, more by the velocity of her assailants in passing than by herown, the foremast was all that stood, the remainder of her sparsdragging under her lee. To cut the last adrift, and to run off nearlybefore the wind, in order to save the spars forward, and to get withinthe cover of her own fleet, was all that could now be done. It may aswell be said here, that these two objects were effected.
The Plantagenet had received damage from the fire of her opponent. Someten or fifteen men were killed and wounded; her main-top-sail was splitby a shot, from clew to earing; one of the quarter-masters was carriedfrom the poop, literally dragged overboard by the sinews that connectedhead and body; and several of the spars, with a good deal of rigging,required to be looked to, on account of injuries. But no one thought ofthese things, except as they were connected with present and pressingduties. Sir Gervaise got a sight of la Victoire, some hundred and twentyfathoms ahead, just as the roar of the Carnatic's guns was rushing uponhis ears. The French commander saw and understood the extreme jeopardyof his consort, and he had already put his helm hard up.
"Starboard--starboard hard, Bury!" shouted Sir Gervaise from the poop."Damn him, run him aboard, if he dare hold on long enough to meet us."
The lieutenant signed with his hand that the order was understood, andthe helm being put up, the ship went whirling off to leeward on thesummit of a hill of foam. A cheer was heard struggling in the tempest,and glancing over his left shoulder, Sir Gervaise perceived the Carnaticshooting out of the smoke, and imitating his own movement, by makinganother and still ranker sheer to leeward. At the same moment she sether main-sail close-reefed, as if determined to outstrip her antagonist,and maintain her station. None but a prime seaman could have done such athing so steadily and so well, in the midst of the wild haste andconfusion of such a scene. Sir Gervaise, now not a hundred yards fromthe Carnatic, waved high his hat in exultation and praise; and oldParker, alone on his own poop, bared his grey hairs in acknowledgment ofthe compliment. All this time the two ships drove madly ahead, while thecrash and roar of the battle was heard astern.
The remaining French ship was well and nimbly handled. As she came roundshe unavoidably sheered towards her enemies, and Sir Gervaise found itnecessary to countermand his last order, and to come swiftly up to thewind, both to avoid her raking broadside, and to prevent running intohis own consort. But the Carnatic, having a little more room, first keptoff, and then came to the wind again, as soon as the Frenchman hadfired, in a way to compel him to haul up on the other tack, or to fallfairly aboard. Almost at the same instant, the Plantagenet closed on hisweather quarter and raked. Parker had got abeam, and pressing nearer, hecompelled la Victoire to haul her bowlines, bringing her completelybetween two fires. Spar went after spar, and being left with nothingstanding but the lower masts, the Plantagenet and Carnatic could notprevent themselves from passing their victim, though each shortenedsail; the first being already without a top-sail. Their places, however,were immediately supplied by the Achilles and the Thunderer, both shipshaving hauled down their stay-sails to lessen their way. As the Blenheimand Warspite were quite near astern, and an eighteen-pound shot hadclosed the earthly career of the poor _capitaine de fregate_, hissuccessor in command deemed it prudent to lower his ensign; after aresistance that in its duration was unequal to the promise of itscommencement. Still the ship had suffered materially, and had fifty ofher crew among the casualties. His submission terminated the combat.
Sir Gervaise Oakes had now leisure and opportunity to look about him.Most of the French ships had got round; but, besides being quite as farastern, when they should get up abeam, supposing himself to remain wherehe was, they would be at very long gun-shot dead to leeward. To remainwhere he was, however, formed no part of his plan, for he was fullyresolved to maintain all his advantages. The great difficulty was totake possession of his prize, the sea running so high as to render itquestionable if a boat would live. Lord Morganic, however, was just ofan age and a temperament to bring that question to a speedy issue. Beingon the weather-beam of la Victoire, as her flag came down, he orderedhis own first lieutenant into the larger cutter, and puttinghalf-a-dozen marines, with the proper crew, into the boat, it was soonseen dangling in the air over the cauldron of the ocean; the oarson-end. To lower, let go, and unhook, were the acts of an instant; theoars fell, and the boat was swept away to leeward. A commander'scommission depended on his success, and Daly made desperate efforts toobtain it. The prize offered a lee, and the French, with a nationalbenevolence, courtesy, and magnanimity, that would scarcely have beenimitated had matters been reversed, threw ropes to their conquerors, tohelp to rescue them from a very awkward dilemma. The men did succeed ingetting into the prize; but the boat, in the end, was stove and lost.
The appearance of the red flag of England, the symbol of his ownprofessional rank, and worn by most under his own orders, over the whiteensign of France, was the sign to Sir Gervaise that the prize-officerwas in possession. He immediately made the signal for the fleet tofollow the motions of the commander-in-chief. By this time, his ownmain-sail, close-reefed, had taken the place of the torn top-sail, andthe Plantagenet led off to the southward again, as if nothing unusualhad occurred. Daly had a quarter of an hour of extreme exertion on boardthe prize, before he could get her fairly in motion as he desired; but,by dint of using the axe freely, he cut the wreck adrift, and soon hadla Victoire liberated from that incumbrance. Th
e fore-sail and fore andmizzen stay-sails were on the ship, and the main-sail, close-reefed also,was about to be set, to drag her-from the _melee_ of her foes, when herensign came down. By getting the tack of the latter aboard, and thesheet aft, he would have all the canvass set the gale would allow, andto this all-essential point he directed his wits. To ride down themain-tack of a two-decked ship, in a gale of wind, or what fell littleshort of a real gale, was not to be undertaken with twenty men, theextent of Daly's command; and he had recourse to the assistance of hisenemies. A good natured, facetious Irishman, himself, with a smatteringof French, he soon got forty or fifty of the prisoners in a sufficienthumour to lend their aid, and the sail was set, though not without greatrisk of its splitting. From this moment, la Victoire was better off, asrespected the gale and keeping a weatherly position, than any of theEnglish ships; inasmuch as she could carry all the canvass the windpermitted, while she was relieved from the drift inseparable from hamperaloft. The effect, indeed, was visible in the first hour, to Daly'sgreat delight and exultation. At the end of that period, he foundhimself quite a cable's-length to windward of the line. But in relatingthis last particular, events have been a little anticipated.
Greenly, who had gone below to attend to the batteries, which were notworked without great difficulty in so heavy a sea, and to be inreadiness to open the lower ports should occasion offer, re-appeared ondeck just as the commander-in-chief showed the signal for the ships tofollow his own motions. The line was soon formed, as mentioned, and erelong it became apparent that the prize could easily keep in her station.As most of the day was still before him, Sir Gervaise had little doubtof being able to secure the latter, ere night should come to render itindispensable.
The vice-admiral and his captain shook hands cordially on the poop, andthe former pointed out to the latter, with honest exultation, the resultof his own bold man[oe]uvres.
"We've clipped the wings of two of them," added Sir Gervaise, "and havefairly bagged a third, my good friend; and, God willing, when Bluewaterjoins, there will not be much difficulty with the remainder. I cannotsee that any of our vessels have suffered much, and I set them all downas sound. There's been time for a signal of inability, that curse to anadmiral's evolutions, but no one seems disposed to make it. If we reallyescape that nuisance, it will be the first instance in my life!"
"Half-a-dozen yards may be crippled, and no one the worse for it, inthis heavy weather. Were we under a press of canvass, it would be adifferent matter; but, now, so long as the main sticks stand, we shallprobably do well enough. I can find no injury in my own ship that maynot be remedied at sea."
"And she has had the worst of it. 'Twas a decided thing, Greenly, toengage such an odds in a gale; but we owe our success, most probably, tothe audacity of the attack. Had the enemy believed it possible, it isprobable he would have frustrated it. Well, Master Galleygo, I'm glad tosee you unhurt! What is your pleasure?"
"Why, Sir Jarvy, I've two opportunities, as a body might say, on thepoop, just now. One is to shake hands, as we always does a'ter a brush,you knows, sir, and to look a'ter each other's health; and the other isto report a misfortin that will bear hard on this day's dinner. You see,Sir Jarvy, I had the dead poultry slung in a net, over the live stock,to be out of harm's way; well, sir, a shot cut the lanyard, and let allthe chickens down by the run, in among the gun-room grunters; and asthey never half feeds them hanimals, there isn't as much left of thebirds as would make a meal for a sick young gentleman. To my notion, noone ought to _have_ live stock but the commanders-in-chief."
"To the devil with you and the stock! Give me a shake of the hand, andback into your top--how came you, sir, to quit your quarters withoutleave?"
"I didn't, Sir Jarvy. Seeing how things was a going on, among the pigs,for our top hoverlooks the awful scene, I axed the young gentleman tolet me come down to condole with your honour; and as they always lets medo as I axes, in such matters, why down I come. We has had one rattlerin at our top, howsever, that came nigh lo clear us all out on it!"
"Is any spar injured?" asked Sir Gervaise, quickly. "This must be lookedto--hey! Greenly?"
"Not to signify, your honour; not to signify. One of them Frencheighteens aboard the prize just cocked its nose up, as the ship lurched,and let fly a round 'un and a grist of grape, right into our faces. Isee'd it coming and sung out 'scaldings;' and 'twas well I did. We allducked in time, and the round 'un cleared every thing, but a handful ofthe marbles are planted in the head of the mast, making the spar looklike a plum-pudding, or a fellow with the small-pox."
"Enough of this. You are excused from returning to the top;--and,Greenly, beat the retreat. Bunting, show the signal for the retreat fromquarters. Let the ships pipe to breakfast, if they will."
This order affords a fair picture of the strange admixture of feelingsand employments that characterize the ordinary life of a ship. At onemoment, its inmates find themselves engaged in scenes of wildmagnificence and fierce confusion, while at the next they revert to themost familiar duties of humanity. The crews of the whole fleet nowretired from the guns, and immediately after they were seated aroundtheir kids, indulging ravenously in the food for which the exercise ofthe morning had given keen appetites. Still there was something of thesternness of battle in the merriment of this meal, and the few jokesthat passed were seasoned with a bitterness that is not usual among thelight-hearted followers of the sea. Here and there, a messmate wasmissed, and the vacancy produced some quaint and even pathetic allusionto his habits, or to the manner in which he met his death; seamenusually treating the ravages of this great enemy of the race, after theblow has been struck, with as much solemnity and even tenderness, asthey regard his approaches with levity. It is when spared themselves,that they most regard the destruction of battle. A man's standing in aship, too, carries great weight with it, at such times; the loss of thequarter-master, in particular, being much regretted in the Plantagenet.This man messed with a portion of the petty officers, a set of menaltogether more thoughtful and grave than the body of the crew; and whomet, when they assembled around their mess-chest that morning, with asobriety and even sternness of mien, that showed how much in themanagement of the vessel had depended on their individual exertions.Several minutes elapsed in the particular mess of the dead man, before aword was spoken; all eating with appetites that were of proof, but noone breaking the silence. At length an old quarter-gunner, named TomSponge, who generally led the discourse, said in a sort ofhalf-inquiring, half-regretting, way--
"I suppose there's no great use in asking why Jack Glass's spoon is idlethis morning. They says, them forecastle chaps, that they see'd his bodystreaming out over the starboard quarter, as if it had been the fly ofone of his own ensigns. How was it, Ned? you was thereaway, and ought toknow all about it."
"To be sure I does," said Ned, who was Bunting's remaining assistant. "Iwas there, as you says, and see'd as much of it as a man can see of whatpasses between a poor fellow and a shot, when they comes together, andthat not in a very loving manner. It happened just as we come upon theweather beam of that first chap--him as we winged so handsomely amongus. Well, Sir Jarvy had clapped a stopper on the signals, seeing as wehad got fairly into the smoke, and Jack and I was looking about us forthe muskets, not knowing but a chance might turn up to chuck a littlelead into some of the parly-woos; and so says Jack, says he, 'Ned, you'sgot my musket;--(as I _had_, sure enough)--and says he, 'Ned, you's gotmy musket; but no matter arter all, as they're much of a muchness.' Sowhen he'd said this, he lets fly; but whether he hit any body, is morethan I can say. If he _did_, 'twas likely a Frenchman, as he shotthat-a-way. 'Now,' says Jack, says he, 'Ned, as this is your musket, youcan load it, and hand over mine, and I'll sheet home another of theb----s.' Well, at that moment the Frenchman lifted for'ard, on a heavyswell, and let drive at us, with all his forecastle guns, fired as itmight be with one priming--"
"That was bad gunnery," growled Tom Sponge, "it racks a ship woundily."
"Yes, they'se no judg
ment in ships, in general. Well, them Frenchtwelves are spiteful guns; and a _little_ afore they fired, it seemed tome I heard something give Jack a rap on the check, that sounded as if afellow's ear was boxed with a clap of thunder. I looked up, and therewas Jack streaming out like the fly of the ensign, head foremost, withthe body towing after it by strings in the neck."
"I thought when a fellow's head was shot off," put in anotherquarter-master named Ben Barrel, "that the body was left in the shipwhile only the truck went!"
"That comes of not seeing them things, Ben," rejoined the eye-witness."A fellow's head is staid in its berth just like a ship's mast. There'sfor'ard and back-stays, and shrouds, all's one as aboard here; the onlydifference is that the lanyards are a little looser, so as to give a manmore play for his head, than it might be safe to give to a mast. When afellow makes a bow, why he only comes up a little aft, and bowses on thefore-stay, and now and then you falls in with a chap that is stayedaltogether too far for'ard, or who's got a list perhaps from having theshrouds set up too taut to port or to starboard."
"That sounds reasonable," put in the quarter-gunner, gravely; "I've seensuch droggers myself."
"If you'd been on the poop an hour or too ago, you'd ha' seen more onit! Now, there's all our marines, their back-stays have had a fresh pullsince they were launched, and, as for their captain, I'll warrant you,_he_ had a luff upon luff!"
"I've heard the carpenter overhauling them matters," remarked Sam Wad,another quarter-gunner, "and he chalked it all out by the square andcompass. It seems reasonable, too."
"If you'd seen Jack's head dragging his body overboard, just like theFrenchman dragging his wreck under his lee, you'd ha' _thought_ itreasonable. What's a fellow's shoulders for, but to give a spread to hisshrouds, which lead down the neck and are set up under the armssomewhere. They says a great deal about the heart, and I reckons it'slikely every thing is key'd there."
"Harkee, Ned," observed a quarter-master, who knew little more than themess generally, "if what you say is true, why don't these shrouds leadstraight from the head to the shoulders, instead of being all tucked upunder a skin in the neck? Answer me that, now."
"Who the devil ever saw a ship's shrouds that wasn't cat-harpened in!"exclaimed Ned, with some heat. "A pretty hand a wife would make of it,in pulling her arms around a fellow's neck if the rigging spread in theway you mean! Them things is all settled according to reason when achap's keel's laid."
This last argument seemed to dispose of the matter, the discoursegradually turning on, and confining itself to the merits of thedeceased.
Sir Gervaise had directed Galleygo to prepare his breakfast as soon asthe people were piped to their own; but he was still detained on deck inconsequence of a movement in one of his vessels, to which it has nowbecome necessary more particularly to recur.
The appearance of the Druid to the northward, early in the morning, willdoubtless be remembered by the reader. When near enough to have it madeout, this frigate had shown her number; after which she rested satisfiedwith carrying sail much harder than any vessel in sight. When the fleetsengaged, she made an effort to set the fore-top-sail, close-reefed, butseveral of the critics in the other ships, who occasionally noticed hermovements, fancied that some accident must have befallen her, as thecanvass was soon taken in, and she appeared disposed to remain contentwith the sail carried when first seen. As this ship was materially towindward of the line, and she was running the whole time a little free,her velocity was much greater than that of the other vessels, and bythis time she had got so near that Sir Gervaise observed she was fairlyabeam of the Plantagenet, and a little to leeward of the Active. Ofcourse her hull, even to the bottom, as she rose on a sea, was plainlyvisible, and such of her people as were in the tops and rigging could beeasily distinguished by the naked eye.
"The Druid must have some communication for us from the other divisionof the fleet," observed the vice-admiral to his signal-officer, as theystood watching the movements of the frigate; "it is a littleextraordinary Blewet does not signal! Look at the book, and find me aquestion to put that will ask his errand?"
Bunting was in the act of turning over the leaves of his littlevocabulary of questions and answers, when three or four dark balls, thatSir Gervaise, by the aid of the glass, saw suspended between thefrigate's masts, opened into flags, effectually proving that Blewet wasnot absolutely asleep.
"Four hundred and sixteen, ordinary communication," observed thevice-admiral, with his eye still at the glass. "Look up that, Bunting,and let us know what it means."
"The commander-in-chief--wish to speak him!" read Bunting, in thecustomary formal manner in which he announced the purport of a signal.
"Very well--answer; then make the Druid's number to come within hail!The fellow has got cloth enough spread to travel two feet to our one;let him edge away and come under our lee. Speaking will be rather closework to-day."
"I doubt if a ship _can_ come near enough to make herself heard,"returned the other, "though the second lieutenant of that ship neveruses a trumpet in the heaviest weather, they tell me, sir. Our gents sayhis father was a town-crier, and that he has inherited the familyestate."
"Ay, our gents are a set of saucy fellows, as is usually the case whenthere isn't work enough aboard."
"You should make a little allowance, Sir Gervaise, for being in the shipof a successful commander-in-chief. That makes us all carryweather-helms among the other messes."
"Up with your signal, sir; up with your signal. I shall be obliged toorder Greenly to put you upon watch-and-watch for a month, in order tobring you down to the old level of manners."
"Signal answered, already, Sir Gervaise. By the way, sir, I'll thank youto request Captain Greenly to give me another quarter-master. It'snimble work for us when there is any thing serious to do."
"You shall have him, Bunting," returned the vice-admiral, a shadepassing over his face for the moment. "I had missed poor Jack Glass, andfrom seeing a spot of blood on the poop, guessed his fate. I fancied,indeed, I heard a shot strike something behind me."
"It struck the poor fellow's head, sir, and made a noise as if a butcherwere felling an ox."
"Well--well--let us try to forget it, until something can be done forhis son, who is one of the side boys. Ah! there's Blewet keeping away inearnest. How the deuce he is to speak us, however, is more than I cantell."
Sir Gervaise now sent a message to his captain to say that he desiredhis presence. Greenly soon appeared, and was made acquainted with theintention of the Druid, as well as with the purport of the last signals.By this time, the rent main-top-sail was mended, and the captainsuggested it should be set again, close-reefed, as before, and that themain-sail should be taken in. This would lessen the Plantagenet's way,which ship was sensibly drawing ahead of her consorts. Sir Gervaiseassenting, the change was made, and the effects were soon apparent, notonly in the movement of the ship, but in her greater ease and steadinessof motion.
It was not long before the Druid was within a hundred fathoms of theflag-ship, on her weather-quarter, shoving the brine before her in a wayto denote a fearful momentum. It was evidently the intention of CaptainBlewet to cross the Plantagenet's stern, and to luff up under her leequarter; the safest point at which he could approach, in so heavy aswell, provided it were done with discretion. Captain Blewet had areputation for handling his frigate like a boat, and the occasion wasone which would be likely to awaken all his desire to sustain thecharacter he had already earned. Still no one could imagine how he wasto come near enough to make a communication of any length. Thestentorian lungs of the second lieutenant, however, might effect it;and, as the news of the expected hail passed through the ship, many whohad remained below, in apathy, while the enemy was close under theirlee, came on deck, curious to witness what was about to pass.
"Hey! Atwood?" exclaimed Sir Gervaise, for the little excitement hadbrought the secretary up from the commander-in-chief's cabin;--"what isBlewet at! The fellow cannot mean to set a studding-sai
l!"
"He is running out a boom, nevertheless, Sir Gervaise, or my thirtyyears' experience of nautical things have been thrown away."
"He is truly rigging out his weather fore-topmast-studding-sail-boom,sir!" added Greenly, in a tone of wonder.
"It _is_ out," rejoined the vice-admiral, as one would give emphasis tothe report of a calamity. "Hey!--what? Isn't that a man they're runningup to the end of it, Bunting? Level your glass, and let us know atonce."
"A glass is not necessary to make out that much, Sir Gervaise. It is aman, beyond a doubt, and there he hangs at the boom-end, as if sentencedby a general court-martial."
Sir Gervaise now suppressed every expression of surprise, and hisreserve was imitated, quite as a matter of course, by the twentyofficers, who, by this time, had assembled on the poop. The Druid,keeping away, approached rapidly, and had soon crossed the flag-ship'swake. Here she came by the wind, and favoured by the momentum with whichshe had come down, and the addition of the main-sail, drew heavily butsteadily up on her lee-quarter. Both vessels being close-hauled, it wasnot difficult steering; and by watching the helms closely, it would havebeen possible, perhaps, notwithstanding the heavy sea, to have broughtthe two hulls within ten yards of each other, and no harm should come ofit. This was nearer, however, than it was necessary to approach; thestudding-sail-boom, with the man suspended on the end of it, projectingtwice that distance, beyond the vessel's bows. Still it was nice work;and while yet some thirty or forty feet from the perpendicular, the manon the boom-end made a sign for attention, swung a coil of line he hold,and when he saw hands raised to catch it, he made a cast. A lieutenantcaught the rope, and instantly hauled in the slack. As the object wasnow understood, a dozen others laid hold of the line, and, at a commonsignal, when those on board the Plantagenet hauled in strongly, thepeople of the Druid lowered away. By this simple, but united movement,the man descended obliquely, leaping out of the bowline in which he hadsat, and casting the whip adrift. Shaking himself to gain his footing,he raised his cap and bowed to Sir Gervaise, who now saw WycherlyWychecombe on his poop.