by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XVII: HOME
Upon the arrival of the Earl of Peterborough at Valencia he was receivedwith the profoundest sympathy and respect by the people, who were filledwith indignation at the treatment which the man whose daring and geniushad freed Catalonia and Valencia of the French had received at the handsof their ungrateful monarch. Finding that a portion of the fleet hadbeen ordered to the West Indies, the earl was obliged to abandon hisproject of capturing Minorca and then carrying substantial aid to theDuke of Savoy. He, however, went to Genoa, and there borrowed a hundredthousand pounds, which he brought back to Valencia and sent to the kingfor the use of the army.
The cause of Charles was already well nigh desperate. Castile was lost,and the enemy were pressing forward to recover Catalonia and Valencia.Affairs were in the utmost state of confusion. Peterborough's rivalshaving got rid of him now quarreled among themselves, or their only bondof union was their mutual hatred of the earl.
The king himself, while he pretended to flatter him, wrote lettersbehind his back to England bringing all sorts of accusations againsthim, and succeeded in obtaining an order for his return. Before leavinghe implored the king and his generals to avoid a battle, which wouldprobably be disastrous, and to content themselves with a defensive waruntil Eugene of Savoy and the Duke of Marlborough broke the power ofFrance elsewhere. His opinion was overruled, and the result was thedisastrous battle of Almanza, in which the hopes of Charles of Austriaof obtaining the crown of Spain were finally crushed.
Peterborough embarked on the 14th of May on board the Resolution, man ofwar, commanded by his second son Henry.
The Resolution was accompanied by two frigates, the Enterprise and theMilford Haven. The King of Spain's envoy to the court of Savoy alsosailed in the Resolution. The earl took with him his two aides de camp,who were both too indignant at the treatment which their chief hadreceived to desire to remain with the army in Spain. The little squadronsailed first for Barcelona, where it only remained a few hours, and thenset sail for Italy.
On the fifth day at sea they fell in with a French fleet of six menof war. Two carried eighty guns, two seventy, one sixty-eight, and theother fifty-eight. The Resolution was a slow sailer, and the French, whoat once gave chase, gained rapidly upon her. As resistance against suchoverwhelming odds seemed hopeless, Peterborough determined to go withthe Spanish envoy and the state papers on board the Enterprise. Therewas little time for reflection. A small boat was lowered, and the earl,with a hasty adieu to his son, Jack, and Graham, descended the ship'sside with the Spanish envoy and rowed away to the Enterprise.
"We are fated to see the inside of a French prison, after all," Jacksaid to Graham.
"I don't know, Stilwell. We have both been in their hands once, anddid not stay there long. I can hardly believe that our luck's going todesert us at last."
"I don't see much chance of our escape this time, Graham. Six shipsagainst one are too great odds even for English sailors. The smallest ofthem carries as many guns as we do, and once a prisoner on board a shipthere is no slipping away."
"We are not prisoners yet, Jack, and I don't think that Mordaunt willstrike his flag without a struggle, though they are six to one. He isjust his father over again as far as courage goes."
"Well, I hope, anyhow, the earl will get away," Jack said. "If it hadn'tbeen for all those state papers he is burdened with I am sure he wouldhave stuck to the Resolution and fought it out. It would be justthe kind of desperate adventure to suit him. See, he has reached theEnterprise, and she and the Milford Haven are spreading every sail; butalthough they will leave us behind I question whether they will outsailthe French. They are coming up fast."
"It will soon be dark," Graham said, "and they may be able to slip away.You may be sure the French will attend to us first, as being the mostvaluable prize."
"Well, gentlemen," Captain Mordaunt said, coming up to them, "you aregoing to have a piece of new experience. I know you have been throughsome apparently hopeless conflicts on land with my father, but I don'tthink you have ever seen a sea fight."
"Are you going to fight them all, sir?" Jack asked.
"I am going to try," the captain said. "My orders were to go to Leghorn,and to Leghorn I mean to go if the ship floats; but I tell you honestlyI do not think there is much chance of our getting there. Still, as longas the ship floats, the British flag will float over her."
"Is there anything we can do, sir?" Jack asked. "We shall be happyto serve as volunteers in any capacity in which you think we may beuseful."
"Until it comes to boarding I fear that you cannot help," thecaptain said, "except by walking about between decks and cheering andinspiriting the men. The presence of officers looking cool and confidentamong them always does good. If the enemy try to board us you shallfight by my side."
The two fastest sailing French vessels were so close when night fellthat it was hopeless to try to evade them either by changing the ship'scourse or by lowering the sails. At ten o'clock they were less than amile astern, one on either quarter. The ship had long since been readyfor action, and the men were now called to the guns; but the enemy didnot open fire, but could, by the night glasses, be seen somewhatto shorten sail so as to keep about the same distance behind theResolution.
"Cowardly dogs," the young captain said, "they do not mean to fightuntil the whole of their consorts come up. However, we ought not togrumble, as every hour takes us so much nearer port."
He then ordered the men to lie down by the guns and get what sleep theycould until the enemy opened fire. Jack and Graham, finding that therewas nothing to be done, threw themselves into their hammocks, and slepttill five o'clock in the morning. They were then aroused, and went ondeck. The six French ships had now all come up, and were coming on in abody.
"Good morning, gentlemen," the young captain said gayly. "We have a finemorning for our amusement. I wish the wind would freshen a little moreso as to take this lubberly old ship faster through the water."
At six o'clock the leading vessel of the French squadron opened fire,and at the signal her consorts all followed her example. Some of themwere now almost abreast of the Resolution, and the iron shower torethrough her sails and cut her rigging. She answered with a broadsidefrom both sides, and the battle commenced in earnest.
In all the annals of British seamanship there is no more heroic storythan that of the fight between the Resolution and the six French men ofwar. From six in the morning until half past three in the afternoon shemaintained the unequal contest, still keeping on under full sail towardher port, only yawing occasionally to pour a broadside into one or otherof her foes. They were now running along the coast, and the peasants onthe distant hills must have watched with astonishment the unequal fightas the vessels pressed on past them. By half past three the Resolutionwas little more than a wreck. Her sails were riddled with holes, manyof her spars shot away, her sides ragged and torn, and many of hercrew killed, but the remainder of the crew still fought their gunsunflinchingly.
"We can do no more," Captain Mordaunt said to Jack. "The carpenter hasjust reported that the mainmast is so seriously injured that at anymoment it may go over the side. It is impossible to hope any longer toreach Leghorn, but my ship I am determined they shall not have."
So saying, he gave orders to the first lieutenant, and the vessel's headwas suddenly turned straight toward the shore. The French, astonished atso desperate a course, did not venture to follow her, and the Resolutionthreaded her way through the dangerous reefs till at last she brought upwith a sudden crash which sent her tottering mainmast over the side.
The French advanced cautiously until nearing the reefs, and then openeda distant fire, which the Resolution did not return. The captain orderedthe exhausted crew from their guns, a strong allowance of grog wasserved out, and after a meal the men felt again ready for work. Jackand his companion were at dinner with the captain, when the officer incharge of the deck reported that the French ships were lowering theirboats.
"Let
the men rest as long as possible, Mr. Darwin, but when you see theboats fairly on their way toward us beat to quarters."
A few minutes later the roll of the drums was heard. "Now, gentlemen, wewill go on deck," the captain said, "since they will not let us alone.But if their ships could not take us I do not think that their boatswill have much chance."
Dusk was closing in when they went on deck and saw all the boats of thesix French men of war, crowded with men, rowing in a line toward them.The captain gave the order for the men to load with grape. As soon asthe French flotilla came well within range the word was given, and astorm of balls swept their line.
Several of the boats were sunk at once, the others paused to pick uptheir comrades from the water, and then again dashed forward; but bythis time the guns were again loaded, and the hail of iron again crashedinto them. With splendid bravery the French still advanced until closeto the ship. Then Captain Mordaunt ordered all the lower deck guns tobe run in and the ports closed, and the crew to come on deck. While someworked the upper guns, others kept up a heavy fire of musketry upon theboats, which swarmed round the ship.
Again and again the French made determined efforts to board, but theywere unable to climb the lofty sides of the ship. At length, aftersuffering terrible loss, the French sailors gave up the attempt androwed sullenly off to their ships, covered by the darkness from theEnglish fire. Captain Mordaunt took off his cap and gave the signal,and a hearty cheer arose from the crew. The night passed quietly,the terribly diminished crew lay down as they stood by the guns, inreadiness to repel another attack, should it be attempted. The nextmorning one of the French eighty gun ships got under way, and, withmerely a rag of canvas shown, and her boats rowing ahead and soundingto find a channel through the reefs, gradually made her way toward theResolution.
"Well, gentlemen," the captain said, "I think you will agree with methat nothing further can be done. The ship is already half full ofwater, the magazine is flooded, and the whole of the powder wetted.The ship is a wreck, and I should be only throwing away the men's livesuselessly by attempting further resistance."
The officers thoroughly agreed, and with the greatest coolness thecaptain gave his orders for the abandonment of the vessel. Although theFrench man of war had now opened fire, all the wounded, the whole ofthe crew, the flags, papers, and everything of value were placed in theboats, and the vessel was then set on fire in a dozen places.
After superintending everything personally, and making sure that thefire had obtained such a hold that it could not be extinguished, CaptainMordaunt ordered the officers to descend into the boats. Just as hewas about to leave the deck himself, the last man on board the ship,a cannon shot from the French man of war struck him in the leg. Theofficers ran back and raised him from the deck.
"It might have been worse," he said cheerfully. "Now, gentlemen, willyou carry me down and place me in my gig, and then take your boats asarranged? Be careful, as you row toward shore, to keep the Resolutionbetween you and the Frenchman's guns."
Everything was done steadily and in order, and the survivors of the crewof the Resolution reached the shore without further loss. The Resolutionwas now in a blaze from end to end, and by eleven o'clock she was burnedto the water's edge. Mordaunt and his crew were kindly received by thepeople of the country. As the captain himself would not be able to movefor some time, Jack and Graham said adieu to him and posted to Turin,where the earl had told them that he should go direct from Leghorn.
They arrived before him, but twenty-four hours after they had reachedthe capital of Savoy the earl arrived. He had already heard rumors ofthe desperate fight between the Resolution and the enemy, and that hisson had been wounded. His aides de camp were now able to assure himthat, although serious, Captain Mordaunt's wounds were not likely to befatal, and Peterborough was delighted with the narrative of the gallantachievement of his son. Shortly afterward an imperative order for hisreturn reaching the earl, he set out for England through Germany withhis two aides de camp. Peterborough was suffering from illness caused bythe immense exertions he had made through the campaign, and traveled butslowly. He visited many of the German courts, and went for a few days tothe camp of Charles of Sweden in Saxony.
After this, by special invitation, he journeyed to the camp of the Dukeof Marlborough at Genappes, where he was received with much honor by thegreat commander. He presented to him his two aides de camp.
"They have, my lord duke," he said, "been my faithful friends throughoutthe whole campaign in Spain, they have shared all my dangers, and anycredit I may have gained is due in no small degree to their zeal andactivity. It is unlikely that I shall again command an army in thefield, and therefore I would recommend them to you. They will accompanyme to England, for they, too, need a rest, after their exertions; afterthat I trust that they may be sent out to fight under your orders, andI trust that you will keep them in your eye, and will give them theadvantage of your protection and favor."
The duke promised to do so, and, after a few days' stay in the camp, theearl with his two followers started for England, where he arrived on the20th of August, 1707, nearly two years to a day from the date when hehad appeared, with a force under his command, before Barcelona. Butthe campaign itself, so far as he was concerned, had lasted less thana year, as it was in August, 1706, that he rode into Valencia, afterhaving been deprived of his command.
In that year he exhibited military qualities which have never beensurpassed. Daring to the point of extreme rashness where there was apossibility of success, he was prudent and cautious in the extreme whenprudence was more necessary than daring. With absurdly insufficientmeans he all but conquered Spain for Charles of Austria, and would havesucceeded in doing so altogether had he not, from first to last,been thwarted and hampered by jealousy, malignity, stupidity, andirresolution on the part of the king, his courtiers, and the generalswho should have been the earl's assistants, but who were his rivals,detractors, and enemies.
It must be owned that Peterborough owed this opposition in some degreeto himself. He was impatient of fools, and took no pains to conceal hiscontempt and dislike for those whose intellects were inferior to hisown. His independence of spirit and eccentricity of manner set theformal German and Spanish advisers of the king against him, and althoughadored by the officers and men who served under him, he made almostevery man of rank approaching his own who came in contact with him hispersonal enemy. Among the bulk of the Spanish people of the provinces inwhich he warred he was beloved as well as admired, and even to this daylegends of the brilliant and indefatigable English general are stillcurrent among the people of Catalonia and Valencia. No man ever servedthe cause to which he devoted himself with greater zeal and sincerity.He was lavish of his own private means in its interest, and, even whenhis advice and opinion were most slighted, he was ready to sacrificehimself, his rank, and dignity to the good of the cause. Had he hadthe good fortune to command an army of his own countrymen unfettered byothers, it is probable that he would have gained a renown equal to thatof the greatest commanders the world has known.
The great services which he had rendered were warmly felt andacknowledged by the people of England on his return, and the attemptsof his enemies to undermine his reputation were confuted by thepapers which he brought back with him. For a time Peterborough took aconsiderable part in politics, and his acrimony in debate so enragedhis enemies that his conduct during the war in Spain was called intoquestion. A debate on the subject took place. In this he successfullydefended himself from the attacks made against him, and a formal vote ofthanks to him was passed.
Some years afterward he retired altogether from public life, andprivately married Miss Anastasia Robinson, his first wife having diedmany years before. Miss Robinson was a singer of the highest repute, ofthe most amiable character, and kindest disposition. There was no reasonwhy the match should not have been publicly acknowledged, as the ladywas held in universal esteem; but, with his usual eccentricity, the earlinsisted on the marriage being kept
a secret, and did not announce ituntil on his death bed in the year 1735. Lady Peterborough lived inprofound retirement, universally beloved and honored, to the age ofeighty-eight.
Upon arriving in London Jack stayed for a few days with his friendGraham, whose family lived there. The earl had told the young officerthat he would introduce them to the queen, but, on their calling byappointment on him at his hotel on the third day after their arrival intown, Peterborough said:
"You had best go about your own business for a time; the queen is out oftemper. The ears of ministers have been poisoned by lying letters frommy enemies in Spain, but it will all come right in time. As you know, Ihave papers which will clear me of every charge that their malignity mayinvent. When I am in favor again I will let you know, and will presentyou to the queen and minister of war; at any rate, you will like a restat home before you set out for the Netherlands, so there will be plentyof time."
The next day Jack took his place on the coach for Southampton. Hearrived there after fourteen hours' journey, and put up at a hotel forthe night. The next morning he dressed himself with greater care thanusual, and started for the well remembered shop in the High Street. Heknocked at the private door, and inquired if Mistress Anthony were in.
"Will you say that a gentleman whom she knows wishes to speak to her?"
Jack was shown into the parlor, and in a minute or two Mrs. Anthonyappeared, looking a little flustered at hearing that a grand lookingofficer wished to see her. Jack advanced toward her with a smile.
"Why, Jack!" she exclaimed with a scream of delight, "is it you?" andthe good woman threw her arms round his neck and kissed him as if he hadbeen her own son.
"Of course we got your letters," she said, "telling us how you had beenmade an officer and then a captain. The last letter we had from you wasfrom Italy; telling us about that great sea fight, and that you werecoming home, but that's eight months ago. We knew you were with myLord Peterborough, and we saw in the Intelligencer about his being inGermany, and last week they said he had come home. We were talking aboutyou only yesterday, and wondering whether you would come down to see us,and whether you would know us now you had grown such a fine gentleman,and being written about in Lord Peterborough's dispatches, andaccustomed to all sorts of grand society."
"You knew I would," Jack said; "why, where should I go if not here? AndAlice is quite well, I hope, and grown quite a woman."
"Not quite a woman yet, Jack, but getting on." She opened the door andcalled Alice, and in a minute the girl ran down. Her mother saw that shehad guessed who the caller was, for she had smoothed her hair and put ona bright ribbon which her mother had not seen for three years, and whichJack himself had given her. She paused a moment shyly at the door, forthis young officer, in all the glories of the staff uniform, was a verygrand figure in her eyes.
"How do you do, Cousin Jack?" she said, coming forward, with a brightcolor and outstretched hand.
"How are you, Cousin Alice?" Jack said, mimicking her tone; "why, youlittle goose," he exclaimed, catching her in his arms and kissing her,"you don't suppose I am going to be satisfied with shaking your handafter being nearly three years away."
"Oh, but you are so big, Jack, and so grand, it seems differentaltogether."
"You are bigger than you were, Alice, but it does not seem in the leastdifferent to me."
"Well, I thought you would be quite changed, Jack, and quite different,now you are a captain, and famous, and all that, and you have seen somany grand ladies in all the countries you have traveled that--that--"And she hesitated.
"Well, go on," Jack said gravely.
"Well, then, that you would have forgotten all about me."
"Then you are a very bad little girl, Alice, and not half so good as Ithought you were, for you must have a very bad opinion of me, indeed, ifyou thought all that of me."
"I don't think I quite thought so, Jack. Well, I told myself it was onlynatural it should be so."
"We will argue that out presently," Jack said; "and now, where is Mr.Anthony?"
"I will call him, Jack," Mrs. Anthony said. "You have no ill feeling, Ihope, toward him, for you know he really has been very sorry about thepart he took in getting you away, and has blamed himself over and overagain."
"I never have had," Jack said; "it has been the best thing that everhappened to me. If I had had my own way I should still be working beforethe mast instead of being a captain in the army."
Mr. Anthony was soon called in from the store. At first he was a littleawkward and shy, but Jack's heartiness soon put him at his ease.
Jack stayed a fortnight at Southampton, and then, on the receipt ofa letter from the Earl of Peterborough, went up to town, where he waspresented to the queen and afterward to the minister of war by the earl.
A week later he and Graham sailed for the Netherlands and joined thearmy of the Duke of Marlborough, and served under that great commanderuntil, three years later, the war was brought to a conclusion. They wereattached to the staff of one of the generals of division.
The duke kept his promise to the Earl of Peterborough, and kept his eyeon the young officers. Both distinguished themselves in the hard foughtbattles in Belgium, and the end of the war found them both colonels.There being no prospect of further wars the army was greatly reduced,and Jack was retired on half pay, and as soon as matters were arrangedin London he again made his way down to Southampton, and at once askedMr. Anthony's permission to pay his addresses to his daughter.
The ex mayor consented with delight, and, as Alice herself offeredno objection, matters were speedily arranged. Jack's half pay wassufficient for them to live on comfortably, and Mr. Anthony, in hisgratification at a marriage which he considered did him great honor,presented her with a handsome sum at her wedding, and the young couplesettled down in a pretty house a short distance out of Southampton.
Jack was never called out again for active service, and lived in theneighborhood of Southampton until the end of his long life, buying asmall estate there, when, at the death of Mr. Anthony, the handsomefortune which the cloth merchant had made came to his daughter, subjectto an annuity to Mrs. Anthony, who took up her abode for the rest ofher life with her son-in-law, her daughter, and their children. For manyyears Colonel Stilwell sat in parliament as member for Southampton, andmaintained a warm friendship with his ancient commander until the deathof the latter, in 1735.
THE END.