CHAPTER XXV.
"There's beauty in the deep:-- The wave is bluer than the sky; And, though the light shines bright on high, More softly do the sea-gems glow, That sparkle in the depths below; The rainbow's tints are only made When on the waters they are laid. And sun and moon most sweetly shine Upon the ocean's level brine. There's beauty in the deep."
BRAINARD.
As Daly was the recognised jester of the fleet, his extraordinaryattempt to announce his vessel's name was received as a characteristicjoke, and it served to laugh at until something better offered. Underthe actual circumstances of the two squadrons, however, it was soontemporarily forgotten in graver things, for few believed the collisionthat had already taken place was to satisfy a man of the knowntemperament of the commander-in-chief. As the junction of the reardivision was the only thing wanting to bring on a general engagement, assoon as the weather should moderate a little, every ship had carefullook-outs aloft, sweeping the horizon constantly with glasses, moreparticularly towards the east and north-east. The gale broke about noon,though the wind still continued fresh from the same quarter as before.The sea began to go down, however, and at eight bells material changeshad occurred in the situations of both fleets. Some of these it may benecessary to mention.
The ship of the French admiral, _le Foudroyant_, and _le Scipion_, hadbeen received, as it might be, in the arms of their own fleet in themanner already mentioned; and from this moment, the movement of thewhole force was, in a measure, regulated by that of these two crippledvessels. The former ship, by means of her lower sails, might havecontinued to keep her station in the line, so long as the gale lasted;but the latter unavoidably fell off, compelling her consorts to keepnear, or to abandon her to her fate. M. de Vervillin preferred thelatter course. The consequences were, that, by the time the sun was inthe zenith, his line, a good deal extended, still, and far from regular,was quite three leagues to leeward of that of the English. Nor was thisall: at that important turn in the day, Sir Gervaise Oakes was enabledto make sail on all his ships, setting the fore and mizzen-top-sailsclose-reefed; while _la Victoire_, a fast vessel, was enabled to keep incompany by carrying whole courses. The French could not imitate this,inasmuch as one of their crippled vessels had nothing standing but aforemast. Sir Gervaise had ascertained, before the distance became toogreat for such observations, that the enemy was getting ready to send upnew top-masts, and the other necessary spars on board the admiral, aswell as jury lower-masts in _le Scipion_; though the sea would not yetpermit any very positive demonstrations to be made towards such animprovement. He laid his own plans for the approaching nightaccordingly; determining not to worry his people, or notify the enemy ofhis intentions, by attempting any similar improvement in the immediatecondition of his prize.
About noon, each ship's number was made in succession, and the questionwas put if she had sustained any material injury in the late conflict.The answers were satisfactory in general, though one or two of thevessels made such replies as induced the commander-in-chief to resort toa still more direct mode of ascertaining the real condition of hisfleet. In order to effect this important object, Sir Gervaise waited twohours longer, for the double purpose of letting all the messes getthrough with their dinners, and to permit the wind to abate and the seato fall, as both were now fast doing. At the expiration of that time,however, he appeared on the poop, summoning Bunting to his customaryduty.
At 2 P.M. it blew a whole top-sail breeze, as it is called; butthe sea being still high, and the ships close-hauled, the vice-admiraldid not see fit to order any more sail. Perhaps he was also influencedby a desire not to increase his distance from the enemy, it being a partof his plan to keep M. de Vervillin in plain sight so long as the daycontinued, in order that he might have a tolerable idea of the positionof his fleet, during the hours of darkness. His present intention was tocause his vessels to pass before him in review, as a general orders hisbattalions to march past a station occupied by himself and staff, with aview to judge by his own eye of their steadiness and appearance.Vice-Admiral Oakes was the only officer in the British navy who everresorted to this practice; but he did many things of which other mennever dreamed, and, among the rest, he did not hesitate to attack doublehis force, when an occasion offered, as has just been seen. The officersof the fleet called these characteristic reviews "Sir Jarvy'sfield-days," finding a malicious pleasure in comparing any thing out ofthe common nautical track, to some usage of the soldiers.
Bunting got his orders, notwithstanding the jokes of the fleet; and thenecessary signals were made and the answers given. Captain Greenly thenreceived his verbal instructions, when the commander-in-chief wentbelow, to prepare himself for the approaching scene. When Sir Gervaisere-appeared on the poop, he was in full uniform, wearing the star of theBath, as was usual with him on all solemn official occasions. Atwood andBunting were at his side, while the Bowlderos, in their richshore-liveries, formed a group at hand. Captain Greenly and his firstlieutenant joined the party as soon as their duty with the ship wasover. On the opposite side of the poop, the whole of the marines offguard were drawn up in triple lines, with their officers at their head.The ship herself had hauled up her main-sail, hauled down all herstay-sails, and lay with her main-top-sail braced sharp aback, withorders to the quarter-master to keep her little off the wind; the objectbeing to leave a little way through the water, in order to prolong theexpected interviews. With these preparations the commander-in-chiefawaited the successive approach of his ships, the sun, for the firsttime in twenty-four hours, making his appearance in a flood of brilliantsummer-light, as if purposely to grace the ceremony.
The first ship that drew near the Plantagenet was the Carnatic, as amatter of course, she being the next in the line. This vessel,remarkable, as the commander-in-chief had observed, for never being outof the way, was not long in closing, though as she luffed up on theadmiral's weather-quarter, to pass to windward, she let go all hertop-sail bowlines, so as to deaden her way, making a sort of half-board.This simple evolution, as she righted her helm, brought her about fiftyyards to windward of the Plantagenet, past which ship she surged slowlybut steadily, the weather now permitting a conversation to be held atthat distance, and by means of trumpets, with little or no effort of thevoice.
Most of the officers of the Carnatic were on her poop, as she camesweeping up heavily, casting her shadow on the Plantagenet's decks.Captain Parker himself was standing near the ridge-ropes, his headuncovered, and the grey hairs floating in the breeze. The countenance ofthis simple-minded veteran was a little anxious, for, had he feared theenemy a tenth part as much as he stood in awe of his commanding officer,he would have been totally unfit for his station. Now he glanced upwardat his sails, to see that all was right; then, as he drew nearer, fathomby fathom as it might be, he anxiously endeavoured to read theexpression of the vice-admiral's face.
"How do you do, Captain Parker?" commenced Sir Gervaise, with truetrumpet formality, making the customary salutation.
"How is Sir Gervaise Oakes to-day? I hope untouched in the late affairwith the enemy?"
"Quite well, I thank you, sir. Has the Carnatic received any seriousinjury in the battle?"
"None to mention, Sir Gervaise. A rough scrape of the foremast; but notenough to alarm us, now the weather has moderated; a little rigging cut,and a couple of raps in the hull."
"Have your people suffered, sir?"
"Two killed and seven wounded, Sir Gervaise. Good lads, most of 'em; butenough like 'em remain."
"I understand, then, Captain Parker, that you report the Carnatic fitfor any service?"
"As much so as my poor abilities enable me to make her, Sir GervaiseOakes," answered the other, a little alarmed at the formality andprecision of the question. "Meet her with the helm--meet her with thehelm."
All this passed while the Carnatic was making her half-board, and, thehelm being righted, she now slowly and majestically fell off with herbroadside to the admiral, gatheri
ng way as her canvass began to drawagain. At this instant, when the yard-arms of the two ships were about ahundred feet asunder, and just as the Carnatic drew up fairly abeam, SirGervaise Oakes raised his hat, stepped quickly to the side of the poop,waved his hand for silence, and spoke with a distinctness that renderedhis words audible to all in both vessels.
"Captain Parker," he said, "I wish, publicly, to thank you for yournoble conduct this day. I have always said a surer support could neverfollow a commander-in-chief into battle; you have more than proved myopinion to be true. I wish, publicly, to thank you, sir."
"Sir Gervaise--I cannot express--God bless you, Sir Gervaise!"
"I have but one fault to find with you, sir, and that is easilypardoned."
"I'm sure I hope so, sir."
"You handled your ship so rapidly and so surely, that _we_ had hardlytime to get out of the way of your guns!"
Old Parker could not now have answered had his life depended on it; buthe bowed, and dashed a hand across his eyes. There was but a moment tosay any more.
"If His Majesty's sword be not laid on _your_ shoulder for this day'swork, sir, it shall be no fault of mine," added Sir Gervaise, waving hishat in adieu.
While this dialogue lasted, so profound was the stillness in the twoships, that the wash of the water under the bows of the Carnatic, wasthe only sound to interfere with Sir Gervaise's clarion voice; but theinstant he ceased to speak, the crews of both vessels rose as one man,and cheered. The officers joined heartily, and to complete thecompliment, the commander-in-chief ordered his own marines to presentarms to the passing vessel. Then it was that, every sail drawing, againthe Carnatic took a sudden start, and shot nearly her length ahead, onthe summit of a sea. In half a minute more, she was ahead of thePlantagenet's flying-jib-boom-end, steering a little free, so as not tothrow the admiral to leeward.
The Carnatic was scarcely out of the way, before the Achilles was readyto take her place. This ship, having more room, had easily luffed towindward of the Plantagenet, simply letting go her bowlines, as her bowsdoubled on the admiral's stern, in order to check her way.
"How do you do to-day, Sir Gervaise?" called out Lord Morganic, withoutwaiting for the commander-in-chief's hail--"allow me to congratulateyou, sir, on the exploits of this glorious day!"
"I thank you, my lord, and wish to say I am satisfied with the behaviourof your ship. You've _all_ done well, and I desire to thank you _all_.Is the Achilles injured?"
"Nothing to speak of, sir. A little rigging gone, and here and there astick."
"Have you lost any men, my lord? I desire particularly to know thecondition of each ship."
"Some eight or ten poor fellows, I believe, Sir Gervaise; but we areready to engage this instant."
"It is well, my lord; steady your bowlines, and make room for theThunderer."
Morganic gave the order, but as his ship drew ahead he called out in apertinacious way,--"I hope, Sir Gervaise, you don't mean to give thatother lame duck up. I've got my first lieutenant on board one of 'em,and confess to a desire to put the second on board another."
"Ay--ay--Morganic, _we_ knock down the birds, and _you_ bag 'em. I'llgive you more sport in the same way, before I've done with ye."
This little concession, even Sir Gervaise Oakes, a man not accustomed totrifle in matters of duty, saw fit to make to the other's rank; and theAchilles withdrew from before the flag-ship, as the curtain is drawnfrom before the scene.
"I do believe, Greenleaf," observed Lord Morganic to his surgeon, one ofhis indulged favourites; "that Sir Jarvy is a little jealous of us,because Daly got into the prize before he could send one of his ownboats aboard of her. 'Twill tell well in the gazette, too, will itnot?--'The French ship was taken possession of, and brought off, by theAchilles, Captain the Earl of Morganic!' I hope the old fellow will havethe decency to give us our due. I rather think it _was_ our lastbroadside that brought the colours down?"
A suitable answer was returned, but as the ship is drawing ahead, wecannot follow her to relate it. The vessel that approached the third,was the Thunderer, Captain Foley. This was one of the ships that hadreceived the fire of the three leading French vessels, after they hadbrought the wind abeam, and being the leading vessel of the Englishrear, she had suffered more than any other of the British squadron. Thefact was apparent, as she approached, by the manner in which her riggingwas knotted, and the attention that had been paid to her spars. Even asshe closed, the men were on the yard bending a new main-course, the oldone having been hit on the bolt-rope, and torn nearly from the spar.There were also several plugs on her lee-side to mark the spots wherethe French guns had told.
The usual greetings passed between the vice-admiral and his captain, andthe former put his questions.
"We have not been quite exchanging salutes, Sir Gervaise," answeredCaptain Foley; "but the ship is ready for service again. Should the windmoderate a little, I think everything would stand to carry sail _hard_."
"I'm glad to hear it, sir--_rejoiced_ to hear it, sir. I feared more foryou, than for any other vessel. I hope you've not suffered materially inyour crew?"
"Nine killed. Sir Gervaise; and the surgeon tells me sixteen wounded."
"That proves you've not been in port, Foley! Well, I dare say, could thetruth be known, it would be found that M. de Vervillin's vessels bearyour marks, in revenge. Adieu--adieu--God bless you."
The Thunderer glided ahead, making room for the Blenheim, CaptainSterling. This was one of your serviceable ships, without any show orstyle about her; but a vessel that was always ready to give and take.Her commander was a regular sea-dog, a little addicted to hard andoutlandish oaths, a great consumer of tobacco and brandy; but who hadthe discrimination never to swear in the presence of thecommander-in-chief, although he had been known to do so in a church; orto drink more than he could well carry, when he was in presence of anenemy or a gale of wind. He was too firm a man, and too good a seaman,to use the bottle as a refuge; it was the companion of his ease andpleasure, and to confess the truth, he then treated it with anaffectionate benevolence, that rendered it exceedingly difficult forothers not to entertain some of his own partiality for it. In a word,Captain Sterling was a sailor of the "old school;" for there was an "oldschool" in manners, habits, opinions, philosophy, morals, and reason, acentury since, precisely as there _is_ to-day, and probably _will_ be, acentury hence.
The Blenheim made a good report, not having sustained any serious injurywhatever; nor had she a man hurt. The captain reported his ship as fitfor service as she was the hour she lifted her anchor.
"So much the better, Sterling--so much the better. You shall take theedge off the next affair, by way of giving you another chance. I rely onthe Blenheim, and on her captain."
"I thank you, sir," returned Sterling, as his ship moved on; "by theway, Sir Gervaise, would it not be fair-play to rummage the prize'slockers before she gets into the hands of the custom-house? Out here onthe high seas, there can be no smuggling in _that_: there must be goodclaret aboard her."
"There would be 'plunder of a prize,' Sterling," said the vice-admiral,laughing, for he knew that the question was put more as a joke than aserious proposition; "and that is death, without benefit of clergy. Moveon; here is Goodfellow close upon your heels."
The last ship in the English line was the Warspite, Captain Goodfellow,an officer remarkable in the service at that day, for a "religiousturn," as it was called. As is usually the case with men of this stamp,Captain Goodfellow was quiet, thoughtful, and attentive to his duty.There was less of the real tar in him, perhaps, than in some of hiscompanions; but his ship was in good order, always did her duty, and wasremarkably attentive to signals; a circumstance that rendered hercommander a marked favourite with the vice-admiral. After the usualquestions were put and answered, Sir Gervaise informed Goodfellow thathe intended to change the order of sailing so as to bring him near thevan.
"We will give old Parker a breathing spell, Goodfellow," added thecommander-in-chief, "and yo
u will be my second astern. I must go aheadof you all, or you'll be running down on the Frenchman without orders;pretending you can't see the signals, in the smoke."
The Warspite drove ahead, and the Plantagenet was now left to receivethe prize and the Druid; the Chloe, Driver, and Active, not beingincluded in the signal. Daly had been gradually eating the other shipsout of the wind, as has been mentioned already, and when the order wasgiven to pass within hail, he grumbled not a little at the necessity oflosing so much of his vantage-ground. Nevertheless, it would not do tojoke with the commander-in-chief in a matter of this sort, and he wasfain to haul up his courses, and wait for the moment when he mightclose. By the time the Warspite was out of the way, his ship had drifteddown so near the admiral, that he had nothing to do but to haul aboardhis tacks again, and pass as near as was at all desirable. When quitenear, he hauled up his main-sail, by order of the vice-admiral.
"Are you much in want of any thing, Mr. Daly?" demanded Sir Gervaise, assoon as the lieutenant appeared forward to meet his hail. "The sea isgoing down so fast, that we might now send you some boats."
"Many thanks, Sir Gervaise; I want to get rid of a hundred or twoFrenchmen, and to have a hundred Englishmen in their places. We are buttwenty-one of the king's subjects here, all told."
"Captain Blewet is ordered to keep company with you, sir; and as soon asit is dark, I intend to send you into Plymouth under the frigate'sconvoy. Is she a nice ship, hey! Daly?"
"Why, Sir Gervaise, she's like a piece of broken crockery, just now, andone can't tell all her merits. She's not a bad goer, and weatherly, Ithink, all will call her. But she's thundering French, inside."
"We'll make her English in due time, sir. How are the leaks? do thepumps work freely?"
"Deuce the l'ake has she, Sir Gervaise, and the pumps suck like a ninemonths' babby. And if they didn't we're scarce the boys to find out thecontrary, being but nineteen working hands."
"Very well, Daly; you can haul aboard your main-tack, now; remember,you're to go into Plymouth, as soon as it is dark. If you see any thingof Admiral Bluewater, tell him I rely on his support, and only wait forhis appearance to finish Monsieur de Vervillin's job."
"I'll do all that, with hearty good will, sir. Pray, Sir Gervaise,"added Daly, grinning, on the poop of the prize, whither he had got bythis time, having walked aft as his ship went ahead, "how do you likeFrench signals? For want of a better, we were driven to the classics!"
"Ay, you'd be bothered to explain all your own flags, I fancy. The nameof the ship is the Victory, I am told; why did you put her in armour,and whip a kedge up against the poor woman?"
"It's according to the books, Sir Gervaise. Every word of it out ofCicero, and Cordairy, and Cornelius Nepos, and those sort of fellows.Oh! I went to school, sir, before I went to sea, as you say yourself,sometimes, Sir Gervaise; and literature is the same in Ireland, as it isall over the world. Victory needs armour, sir, in order to bevictorious, and the anchor is to show that she doesn't belong to 'thecut and run' family. I am as sure that all was right, as I ever was ofmy moods and tenses."
"Very well, Daly," answered Sir Gervaise, laughing--"My lords shall knowyour merits in that way, and it may get you named a professor--keep yourluff, or you'll be down on our sprit-sail-yard;--remember and follow theDruid."
Here the gentlemen waved their hands in adieu as usual, and la Victoire,clipped as she was of her wings, drew slowly past. The Druid succeeded,and Sir Gervaise simply gave Blewet his orders to see the prize intoport, and to look after his own foremast. This ended the field day; thefrigate luffing up to windward of the line again, leaving thePlantagenet in its rear. A few minutes later, the latter ship filled andstood after her consorts.
The vice-admiral having now ascertained, in the most direct manner, theactual condition of his fleet, had _data_ on which to form his plans forthe future. But for the letter from Bluewater, he would have beenperfectly happy; the success of the day having infused a spirit into thedifferent vessels, that, of itself, was a pledge of more importantresults. Still he determined to act as if that letter had never beenwritten, finding it impossible to believe that one who had so long beentrue, could really fail him in the hour of need. "I know his heartbetter than he knows it himself," he caught himself mentally exclaiming,"and before either of us is a day older, this will I prove to him, tohis confusion and my triumph." He had several short and brokenconversations with Wycherly in the course of the afternoon, with a viewto ascertain, if possible, the real frame of mind in which his friendhad written, but without success, the young man frankly admitting that,owing to a confusion of thought that he modestly attributed to himself,but which Sir Gervaise well knew ought in justice to be imputed toBluewater, he had not been able to bring away with him any very clearnotions of the rear-admiral's intentions.
In the mean while, the elements were beginning to exhibit another oftheir changeful humours. A gale in summer is seldom of long duration,and twenty-four hours would seem to be the period which nature hadassigned to this. The weather had moderated materially by the time thereview had taken place, and five hours later, not only had the seasubsided to a very reasonable swell, but the wind had hauled severalpoints; coming out a fresh top-gallant breeze at north-west. The Frenchfleet wore soon after, standing about north-east-by-north, on an easybowline. They had been active in repairing damages, and the admiral wasall a-tanto again, with every thing set that the other ships carried.The plight of le Scipion was not so easily remedied, though even she hadtwo jury-masts rigged, assistance having been sent from the othervessels as soon as boats could safely pass. As the sun hung in thewestern sky, wanting about an hour of disappearing from one of the longsummer days of that high latitude, this ship set a mizzen-top-sail inthe place of a main, and a fore-top-gallant-sail in lieu of amizzen-top-sail. Thus equipped, she was enabled to keep company with herconsorts, all of which were under easy canvass, waiting for the night tocover their movements.
Sir Gervaise Oakes had made the signal for his fleet to tack insuccession, from the rear to the van, about an hour before le Scipionobtained this additional sail. The order was executed with greatreadiness, and, as the ships had been looking up as high aswest-south-west before, when they got round, and headednorth-north-east, their line of sailing was still quite a league towindward of that of the enemy. As each vessel filled on the larboardtack, she shortened sail to allow the ships astern to keep away, andclose to her station. It is scarcely necessary to say, that this changeagain brought the Plantagenet to the head of the line, with theWarspite, however, instead of the Carnatic, for her second astern; thelatter vessel being quite in the rear.
It was a glorious afternoon, and there was every promise of as fine anight. Still, as there were but about six hours of positive darkness atthat season of the year, and the moon would rise at midnight, thevice-admiral knew he had no time to lose, if he would effect any thingunder the cover of obscurity. Reefs were no longer used, though all theships were under short canvass, in order to accommodate their movementsto those of the prize. The latter, however, was now in tow of the Druid,and, as this frigate carried her top-gallant-sails, aided by her owncourses, la Victoire was enabled not only to keep up with the fleet,then under whole top-sails, but to maintain her weatherly position. Suchwas the state of things just as the sun dipped, the enemy being on thelee bow, distant one and a half leagues, when the Plantagenet showed asignal for the whole fleet to heave to, with the main-top-sails to themasts. This command was scarcely executed, when the officers on deckwere surprised to hear a boatswain's mate piping away the crew of thevice-admiral's barge, or that of the boat which was appropriated to theparticular service of the commander-in-chief.
"Did I hear aright, Sir Gervaise?" inquired Greenly, with curiosity andinterest; "is it your wish to have your barge manned, sir?"
"You heard perfectly right, Greenly; and, if disposed for a row thisfine evening, I shall ask the favour of your company. Sir WycherlyWychecombe, as you are an idler here, I have a flag-officer's
right topress yon into my service. By the way, Greenly, I have made out andsigned an order to this gentleman to report himself to you, as attachedto my family, as the soldiers call it; as soon as Atwood has copied it,it will be handed to him, when I beg you will consider him as my firstaid."
To this no one could object, and Wycherly made a bow of acknowledgment.At that instant the barge was seen swinging off over the ship's waist,and, at the next, the yard tackles were heard overhauling themselves.The splash of the boat in the water followed. The crew was in her, withoars on end, and poised boat-hooks, in another minute. The guardpresented, the boatswain piped over, the drum rolled, and Wycherlyjumped to the gangway and was out of sight quick as thought. Greenly andSir Gervaise followed, when the boat shoved off.
Although the seas had greatly subsided, and their combs were no longerdangerous, the Atlantic was far from being as quiet as a lake in asummer eventide. At the very first dash of the oars the barge rose on along, heavy swell that buoyed her up like a bubble, and as the waterglided from under her again, it seemed as if she was about to sink intosome cavern of the ocean. Few things give more vivid impressions ofhelplessness than boats thus tossed by the waters when not in theirraging humours; for one is apt to expect better treatment than thus tobe made the plaything of the element. All, however, who have everfloated on even the most quiet ocean, must have experienced more or lessof this helpless dependence, the stoutest boat, impelled by the lustiestcrews, appearing half the time like a feather floating in capriciouscurrents of the air.
The occupants of the barge, however, were too familiar with theirsituation to think much of these matters; and, as soon as Sir Gervaiseassented to Wycherly's offer to take the tiller, he glanced upward, witha critical eye, in order to scan the Plantagenet's appearance.
"That fellow, Morganic, has got a better excuse for his xebec-rig than Ihad supposed, Greenly," he said, after a minute of observation. "Yourfore-top-mast is at least six inches too far forward, and I beg you willhave it stayed aft to-morrow morning, if the weather permit. None ofyour Mediterranean craft for me, in the narrow seas."
"Very well, Sir Gervaise; the spar shall be righted in the morningwatch," quietly returned the captain.
"Now, there's Goodfellow, half-parson as he is; the man contrives tokeep his sticks more upright than any captain in the fleet. You neversee a spar half an inch out of its place, on board the Warspite."
"That is because her captain trims every thing by his own life, sir,"rejoined Greenly, smiling. "Were we half as good as he is, in othermatters, we might be better than we are in seamanship."
"I do not think religion hurts a sailor, Greenly--no, not in the least.That is to say, when he don't wedge his masts too tight, but leaves playenough for all weathers. There is no cant in Goodfellow."
"Not the least of it, sir, and that it is which makes him so great afavourite. The chaplain of the Warspite is of some use; but one might aswell have a bowsprit rigged out of a cabin-window, as have our chap."
"Why, we never bury a man, Greenly, without putting him into the wateras a Christian should be," returned Sir Gervaise, with the simplicity ofa true believer of the decency school. "I hate to see a seaman tossed inthe ocean like a bag of old clothes."
"We get along with that part of the duty pretty well; but _before_ a manis dead, the parson is of opinion that he belongs altogether to thedoctor."
"I'd bet a hundred guineas, Magrath has had some influence over him, inthis matter--give the Blenheim a wider berth, Sir Wycherly, I wish tosee how she looks aloft--he's a d----d fellow, that Magrath,"--no oneswore in Sir Gervaise's boat but himself, when the vice-admiral's flagwas flying in her bows;--"and he's just the sort of man to put such anotion into the chaplain's head."
"Why, there, I believe you're more than half right, Sir Gervaise; Ioverheard a conversation between them one dark night, when they werepropping the mizzen-mast under the break of the poop, and the surgeon_did_ maintain a theory very like that you mention, sir."
"Ah!--he did, did he? It's just like the Scotch rogue, who wanted topersuade me that your poor uncle, Sir Wycherly, ought not to have beenblooded, in as clear a case of apoplexy as ever was met with."
"Well, I didn't think he could have carried his impudence as far asthat," observed Greenly, whose medical knowledge was about on a par withthat of Sir Gervaise. "I didn't think even a doctor would dare to holdsuch a doctrine! As for the chaplain, to him he laid down the principlethat religion and medicine never worked well together. He said religionwas an 'alterative,' and would neutralize a salt as quick as fire."
"He's a great vagabond, that Magrath, when he gets hold of a young hand,sir; and I wish with all my heart the Pretender had him, with two orthree pounds of his favourite medicines with him--I think, between thetwo, England might reap some advantage, Greenly.--Now, to my notion,Wychecombe, the Blenheim would make better weather, if her masts wereshortened at least two feet."
"Perhaps she might, Sir Gervaise; but would she be as certain a ship, incoming into action in light winds and at critical moments?"
"Umph! It's time for us old fellows to look about us, Greenly, when theboys begin to reason on a line of battle! Don't blush, Wychecombe; don'tblush. Your remark was sensible, and shows reflection. No country canever have a powerful marine, or, one likely to produce much influence inher wars, that does not pay rigid attention to the tactics of fleets.Your frigate actions and sailing of single ships, are well enough asdrill; but the great practice must be in squadron. Ten heavy ships, ingood _fleet_ discipline, and kept at sea, will do more than a hundredsingle cruisers, in establishing and maintaining discipline; and it isonly by using vessels _together_, that we find out what both ships andmen can do. Now, we owe the success of this day, to our practice ofsailing in close order, and in knowing how to keep our stations; elsewould six ships never have been able to carry away the palm of victoryfrom twelve--palm!--Ay, that's the very word. Greenly, I was trying tothink of this morning. Daly's paddy should have had a palm-branch in itshand, as an emblem of victory."