CHAPTER FIVE.
A DESPERATE ENCOUNTER.
O'Carroll's alarm increased as he saw the privateer approaching. "Weshall all have our throats cut to a certainty," he cried out. "Theywill not leave one of us alive to go home to our disconsolate widows totell them all that has happened. I know them too well, the villains!Arrah! it was an unfortunate moment that ever I was brought to tumbletwice into the hands of such gentry."
"We are not in their hands yet, and if we make a good fight of it, maybewe never shall," exclaimed Captain Hassall. "My lads, if you'll standby me, I'll hold out as long as the craft can float. We beat off thissame fellow once before--let's try if we can't beat him off again."
This brief address inspirited our crew, and, almost worn out withfatigue as they were, they promised to defend themselves to the last.My sensations, as we saw the enemy approach, were not altogetherpleasant. We might beat him off in the end; but even that, in ourpresent condition, was not likely; and how many of our number might notbe struck down in the struggle! In the meantime, the men armedthemselves with pistols and cutlasses, powder and shot were got up, andevery preparation made for the fight. The enemy approached, but as hehad run to leeward, it was some time before he could work up to pass usto windward. We had carried a stay from the mainmast to the bowsprit,and on this we managed to set a sail, so that the ship was tolerablyunder control. When the enemy, therefore, at last passed under ourstern, we were able to luff up and avoid the raking fire he poured in.No damage was done to any of our people, but a shot struck the mainmast,and wounded it so badly that it was evident that, with any additionalstrain, it would be carried away altogether. Putting up the helm, weagain ran off before the wind. The enemy was soon after us, but thoughhe came up abeam in the heavy sea still running, his aim was ofnecessity uncertain, and for some time not a shot struck us, whileseveral of ours struck him. This encouraged our men, who gave vent totheir satisfaction whenever he was hulled, or a shot went through hissails. Our hopes of success were, however, soon brought to an end, for,as we were compelled to luff up suddenly, to avoid being raked, as hewas about to cross our bows, the heavy strain on our wounded mastcarried it away, and with it the mizen-topmast, and there we lay ahelpless wreck in the trough of the sea, at the mercy of the enemy.Still, as we could work our guns we would not give in, but hoisting ourflag on the mizen-mast we continued firing as long as we could bring ourguns to bear. A loud cheer burst from the throats of our crew; theFrenchman was standing away. This exultation was rather tooprecipitate. As soon as he got out of range of our guns, he hove-to andbegan firing away from a long gun, the shot from which occasionally hitus. One poor fellow was killed and two wounded. It was clear that theprivateer was merely waiting till the sea should go down, when he wouldrun alongside and capture us without difficulty.
Captain Hassall at last, seeing what must inevitably occur, called theofficers round him, and proposed surrendering. "The villains will cutall our throats if we do, that's all," observed O'Carroll. "I wouldrather hold out to the last and sell our lives dearly." Most of us wereof O'Carroll's opinion.
"Very well, gentlemen, so let it be," said the captain. "I have done myduty in offering to surrender, when I consider that successfulresistance is hopeless; still I agree with you that it would be betterto die fighting than to be murdered in cold blood."
When our guns became useless, the crew had been set to work to clear thewreck of the mainmast, and to prepare sheers for a jury foremast. "Andthis is to be the termination of our enterprise," I thought. I must ownI gave way to some bitter reflection. While all hands were busilyemployed, I turned my eyes westward, and there, in the very place wherethe _Mignonne_ had appeared, I saw another white sail. I pointed herout to the captain. "She may be a friend, and turn the tables," heobserved. "If a foe we shall not be worse off than at present."
It soon became known that a sail was in sight. The crew came to theconclusion that she was a friend. The Frenchmen at last saw her.Whatever opinion they formed, they judged that it would be wise tofinish the fight and take possession of us. Once more the enemy drewnear. The firing became hotter than ever. I turned many an anxiousglance at the approaching sail. I felt sure that, in spite of thestaunchness of our men, we must inevitably be overpowered. The strangerwas getting closer and closer.
"She is a frigate!" cried the captain. "She shows English colours!hurrah! hurrah!" The enemy saw that the chance of capturing us wasgone. Sweeping round us, with diabolical malice he gave a partingbroadside, which killed one man and wounded another, and then under allthe sail he could set ran off before the wind. The frigate had now alsomade more sail and closed as rapidly. She came close to us. "Are youin a sinking state?" asked a voice from the frigate. "I hope not,"answered Captain Hassall. "Then hold on and we'll come back to you,"said the voice, which we took to be that of the captain. As I waswatching the frigate through my glass, as she rushed by us, who should Isee standing in the main rigging but my own midshipman brother William!I waved heartily to him, but he did not make me out. From my usualsedate manners, my shipmates seeing my gestures thought that I had gonemad, and was waving to be taken on board the frigate. "She is the_Phoebe_ frigate," I exclaimed, jumping out of the rigging on deck. "Nofear that we shall be deserted now!" I then explained how I came toknow the name of the frigate. All hands were now set to work to get theship to rights. The chase, meantime, became very exciting. "Thecaptain does not know what a fast pair of heels that privateeringscoundrel possesses, or he would not have much hopes of catching him,"observed Captain Hassall, as he watched the two vessels. The topsailsof the Frenchman soon disappeared beneath the horizon, and the shades ofevening at length closing down, we were left alone on the world ofwaters, into which the heavy swell made us roll our sides till we almostdipped our bulwarks under--each time showers of spray being sentdripping off them. The enemy had made several shot-holes in our sides,and those were now, we found, taking in the water faster than wasaltogether agreeable. The carpenter and his mates had indeed hard workto stop them. I have heard of people's hair turning white in a singlenight. I felt as if mine would, for it became doubtful if after all theship would swim, from the quantity of water she was taking in. We,indeed, had reason to regret that we had allowed the frigate to leaveus. At last the morning broke. We eagerly looked round the horizon.No sail was in sight. Would the ship float another day? The shot-holeshad been stopped, but should bad weather again come on it would beimpossible to say what would be the effect on the vessel. Noon came,but no sail was in sight. We were afraid that the cunning privateer hadled the frigate a long chase, perhaps among shoals and reefs, and thatshe had got on shore, and that we might not see the frigate again.
"More likely that she was only the _Flying Dutchman_, taking a longercruise than usual," muttered Stubbs. "There's no saying what tricksthat fellow is not up to."
"What, not got the _Dutchman_ out of your head yet, Stubbs?" saidRandolph. "Why, Biddulph saw his brother on board, and two or three ofour people know the _Phoebe_, and recognised her."
"Yes, I know that's what often happens. The _Dutchman_ can make hisship look like any vessel he chooses," persisted Stubbs; "naturally--that is to say as she generally appears--she is a curious old-fashionedrigged craft--you may depend on that."
While we were speaking--taking a breath between our labours, for allhands had been working hard--"A sail, a sail!" was shouted by one of theseamen. We all looked in the direction in which he pointed, and thereappeared the upper sails of a ship. Our hopes made us believe that itwas the frigate. "As likely the Frenchman come to finish us off, ormaybe only the _Flying Dutchman_ again," said Stubbs. I thought that Idetected a gleam of humour in his eye, as if he was not quite socredulous as he pretended to be. As the stranger approached, the beliefthat she was the _Phoebe_ gained ground. At length those who knew herbest said that there was no doubt about the matter. They were right.Before dark she hove-to close to us, and a boat with a mi
dshipman in herboarded us. The midshipman was my brother William. He almost tumbledback with surprise at seeing me, for he did not even know that I wascoming out.
"Why, James, where have you sprung from?" he exclaimed. "I am thankfulto see you unhurt, for we have been anxious about you all day. Couldn'ttell how much damage the rascal might have done you. Well, he escapedafter all. He has a fast pair of heels, indeed, and he led us a prettychase, till he got in among some reefs, on which we were nearly leavingour bones. We saw our danger, however, and by the time we were clear hewas out of sight."
The boat's crew were directed to remain on board to put the ship torights. When, however, Captain Young found that this would occupy sometime, he offered to take us in tow. A hawser was accordingly passed onboard, and away we went in the wake of the frigate. Our course was forthe Isle of Bourbon, lately captured from the French. At the end of aweek we anchored in the Bay of Saint Paul in that island. On our waythere we had done our best to get the ship in order. Our crew were nowset to work in earnest, aided by some of the men of the _Phoebe_, whowere kindly spared to us by her captain. I took the opportunity ofseeing something of the island. My brother William and some of theother midshipmen of the _Phoebe_ got leave to accompany me, and merryparties we had.
Bourbon is about one hundred and fifty miles in circumference, and risesrapidly from the sea, forming one huge blunt-topped mountain in thecentre; indeed, the whole island is not unlike a big tea-cup in themiddle of the ocean, with some rather large cracks, however, in it. Itis generally fertile, coffee and cotton being grown on it. On the southside, a few miles from the sea, there is a volcano, which grumbled andgrowled, but seldom did more than send forth a little smoke. Theinhabitants did not appear to be at all soured at having been placedunder British rule.
Probably, indeed, it was a matter of indifference to them, for they havethemselves sprung from a mixture of half the races under the sun. Manyof the inhabitants are descended from some of those English pirateswhose headquarters were, for nearly a hundred years, on the island ofMadagascar, but who, about the middle of the seventeenth century,growing weary of their lawless calling, settled here. As their wiveswere mostly from Madagascar, they are somewhat darkish, but notbad-looking. They are a lively, merry race, fond of dancing, and theirclimate is delightful. The names of some of the families belonging tothe island are derived from the English, as are those of several places.I remember a bay in Madagascar, Antongil Bay, which clearly takes itsname from the well-known pirate-leader, Antony Gill, who robbed andmurdered on the high seas early in the seventeenth century.
A squadron and troops were collecting here, the latter under GeneralAbercrombie, for an expedition to the Mauritius. We were greatlydisappointed, I must own, that our ship was not in a condition toproceed to sea, or we should have been chartered to convey troops andbeen witnesses of the triumphs we hoped they would achieve. My objectis, however, to describe my own adventures in the pursuit of pacificcommerce. I will thus only briefly say that the expedition arrivedspeedily off the Mauritius, the troops were landed, and that after somesharp fighting, by which we lost one hundred and fifty men killed andwounded, the French General, De Caen, capitulated. We had several sepoyregiments, and the French general, in order to inspire the colonialtroops with contempt for them, publicly promised that whoever shouldcapture a sepoy should have him for a slave; but the militia appear tohave thought that by so doing they might possibly catch a Tartar, fornot a sepoy was made prisoner.
I made some satisfactory sales at Bourbon, and as soon as the ship wasrepaired she followed the men-of-war to the Isle of France. The islandis about thirty-five miles long, and one hundred and fifteen incircumference, with a surface greatly diversified by hill and plain,wood and plantation, with several considerable mountains, the chief ofwhich, Le Pouce and Pieter Botte, in the neighbourhood of Port Louis,are well-known. The harbour was a complete forest of masts, filled withvessels of all sorts and sizes, from the huge line-of-battle ship to thehumble canoe, not unlike a butcher's tray, scooped out of a single log.The British flag waved triumphantly on all the batteries; and Indiamen,transport prizes, merchant craft of all descriptions, displayed Englishcolours, in most cases flying over the French. Numerous boats, too,were plying to and fro filled with naval and military officers, captainsof Indiamen, sailors, lascars, negroes, and Frenchmen, some on business,some on pleasure, but all seeming to be in a hurry. I looked out withno little curiosity for any craft which might answer the description ofour late antagonist, the _Mignonne_. If she had entered the harbour,she had again escaped before the capture of the place, for she wasnowhere to be seen. It would have been satisfactory to have seen ourfriend caged, but it was too probable that he was still roving over theocean, on the watch to plunder any English craft he could venture toattack.
The scene on shore was even more animated than on the water. Thestreets were crowded with people of many nations: naval and militaryofficers, English and French Government civilians, merchants and othertraders, Asiatics and negroes, almost naked slaves dragging alonghorse-loads in carts, with mongrels of every shade of colour. The town,though in a bustle, was perfectly orderly; the shops were all open, andtheir owners seemed to be driving a thriving trade, as were also thekeepers of taverns, which were full of visitors from fleet and camp. Wefortunately had several articles among the cargo of the _Barbara_, ofwhich our countrymen were much in want, not to be found in the stores ofthe place. They were, however, quickly disposed of, and I was then atleisure to amuse myself as I thought fit. I made several excursions onshore with my brother when he could get leave, and I had thus anopportunity of learning the productions of the island. The chief foodof the lower orders and slaves is yams and the _jatropha_, or cassada,of which there are two species commonly known, the _jatropha janipha_,and the _jatropha manihot_. The former contains a strong vegetablepoison, which is destroyed by boiling; the latter is merely slightlynarcotic in its effects, and both are easily converted into wholesomefood. The root, after being well washed and dried in the sun, isusually scraped into a coarse powder, from which the juice is expressed:it is then dried a second time and formed into thin cakes, very similarin appearance to Scotch barley-cakes. The bread thus made is calledmanioc. Tapioca is also a preparation of the root. Plantains, bananas,melons, and mangoes abound, and the last are especially fine. Theclimate is healthy, but the Mauritius is occasionally visited byterrific hurricanes, which commit great damage both afloat and on shore.We soon made friends among the French residents, and one of them, withwhom I had had some transactions, invited William and me, and a militaryacquaintance, Captain Mason, to his house in the country. We were mosthospitably entertained by our worthy host. The house was large andairy, with a verandah running round it on one side sufficiently broad toenable us to sit out and enjoy the cool breeze, while we sipped ourcoffee. We had proposed returning that evening, but the wind got up, itrained heavily, and became very dark. Our host pressed us to stay, andas William's leave extended to the next morning we accepted hisinvitation, he undertaking to put my brother on board in time. Ourcompanion, Captain Mason, was a quiet, amiable man. He was married andas he expected to remain on the island, he had, he told us, sent for hiswife from the Cape of Good Hope, where he had left her. I cannot nowdescribe the incidents of our visit.
The next morning, soon after daybreak, having taken an early breakfastof a lighter character than suited our English appetites, we drove backto Port Louis. The weather had grown worse instead of improving, and aswe drew near the town we saw in the distance two vessels with Englishcolours approaching the harbour. William had to hurry on board hisship, but Mason and I drove on to a spot where we could see them enter.One gained an anchorage in safety, but the other still continuedoutside, steering wildly, as if uncertain what course to take. It wassoon evident that she was in great danger. While we were looking on,Captain Hassall joined us. There were a number of naval officers,masters of merchantmen, and others collected on th
e shore. "She is saidto have a pilot on board, and an ignorant fellow he must be, or he wouldhave anchored outside ere this if he could not get in," observed CaptainHassall. While he was speaking, the vessel got into the swell of thesea which was dashing on the rocks close at hand. Rapidly she camedrifting towards them. Probably the master then asserted his authority,for two anchors were let go. The fate of the ship, and probably of allon board, depended on the anchors holding. With deep anxiety we watchedher as the huge swells came rolling in towards the rocks. A cry arosefrom the collected crowd--"The cables have parted--the cables haveparted!" The hapless craft was lifted by the next surge, and hurried onamid the foaming breakers towards the rocks. At that instant theforesail was set, in the hopes of its helping to force her over them.It was useless; down she came with a tremendous crash on the blackrocks. For a few minutes she continued beating on them, rocking to andfro in the wildest agitation; then a huge surge, which appeared to havebeen for some time collecting its strength, struck her on the side, androlled her over, as if she had been merely a child's plaything, towardsthe shore, to all appearance overwhelmed, so as never to rise again.The wild breakers dashed triumphantly over her, but she was notconquered, though it seemed a wonder that wood and iron should holdtogether under the tremendous shocks she was receiving. Once more sherose to an erect position, and it was seen that her dauntless crew wereendeavouring to cut away her masts. "It is the only thing they can doto save their lives," observed Hassall, watching them through his glass."And see,--yes--there is a woman on board--a lady by her dress. She isclinging to the windlass--probably secured to it." As he was speaking,the mizen-mast came down, followed quickly by the mainmast, whichhappily fell towards the shore. Again a surge covered the vessel. Wefeared that all on board would be swept from the decks; but when againthe surge receded, the people were seen clinging fast as before. A boatfrom one of the men-of-war now approached the wreck, but the officer incommand soon saw that he should only throw away his own life and thelives of those with him if he should attempt to go near enough toreceive any one on board. The foremast now fell, and still the stoutship hung together. Other boats came up and got as near as it waspossible to go. That those on board thought she would not hold togethermuch longer was evident by the efforts they began to make to escape.
First we observed a man descend the foremast as if with the intention ofswimming ashore. His courage, however, forsook him; he paused andreturned. Again he climbed along the mast, but hesitated--it was indeeda desperate undertaking. At length he cast himself into the water:immediately he was overwhelmed. Would he ever again reach the surface?"Yes! yes! there he is," cried out several. For a moment he was seenstruggling bravely. A groan escaped from the spectators: "He's gone!he's gone!" "No, no, he is still floating," many shouted out. So hewas; but whirled here and there, blinded and confused, he was unable toguide himself. He was seen, happily, from one of the boats: she dashedforward, and he was hauled on board without apparently having struck arock. All this time the people on the wreck had been watching him withintense anxiety, especially the poor lady: "If a strong and bold swimmercould scarcely be saved, what chance had she?" Hassall made the remark."Not one would have a prospect of being saved if trusting only to hisown strength; but there is a Ruler above," said Captain Mason, who hadhitherto been watching the wreck without speaking; "He may save thatpoor woman on the wreck as easily as the strongest seaman." I haveoften since thought of my friend's remark. It is not our own right arm,but God in heaven, without whose knowledge not a sparrow falls to theground, who preserves us in many dangers. Captain Mason begged for theuse of Hassall's glass, and looked steadfastly through it at the wreck."It is impossible, yet the figure is like--I cannot make it out," Iheard him say. The success of the first man induced another to attemptreaching the shore. He hurried along to the end of the mast and threwhimself into the water. The boiling surges whirled him round andround--now he was concealed by the foam--now he appeared strugglingonward--still it seemed scarcely possible that he could escape from theboiling cauldron--just then a broken spar floated near him. Had the endstruck him he must have been lost, but it came on so that he couldclutch the middle. Tightly he grasped it till like his shipmate he wasfloated near one of the boats and taken on board. Two other men,encouraged by the success of the first, attempted to reach the boats bythe same means, but scarcely had they committed themselves to the waterwhen a huge roller came roaring on, dashing over the ship, and as itreceded swept them off far away to sea; for a moment their forms wereseen struggling amidst the foam, and then they were hid for ever fromhuman eye. The lives of the remainder on board seemed more than ever indanger. Should the storm increase, of which there seemed everyprobability, the ship must go to pieces, even if they were not firstwashed off the deck, and then what effort could save them? I was morethan ever interested in their fate, when suddenly the idea occurred tome that the lady on board might be the wife of my friend Mason. Ithought that he had the same idea, though he would not allow himself toentertain it, by the agitation he exhibited, and which he in vain triedto control. As yet the men who had been saved had not been brought onshore. More boats were coming down the harbour. At length a finewhale-boat was brought down not far from where we were standing. Anaval officer, whose name I regret that I did not note, volunteered totake the command, and to go alongside the wreck, if volunteers could befound to man her. Hassall at once offered his services, as did severalother masters of merchantmen standing by, and they were accepted. Masonand I also volunteered. "Not unless you are seamen," was the answer."This work requires firm nerves and skilful hands." I must observe herethat I have ever found the officers of the mercantile marine ready to goforth, in spite of all dangers, to save the lives of theirfellow-creatures. Though there are exceptions, the greater number areas gallant fellows as any of those who have fought the battles of ourcountry.
The boat was manned and ready to go off, but it became a questionwhether it would be wise to wait on the prospect of the sea going down,or to risk all and to go off at once on the possibility of the galeincreasing. The men who had been rescued were brought on shore. Masonhurried to them, and eagerly inquired who was the woman on board. Theywere common seamen, and did not know her name. She was a lady, and hadcome on board at Cape Town just as the ship was sailing. That was allthey knew. The naval officer had earnestly been watching the hugerollers as they came tumbling on towards the shore. Suddenly he criedout, "Now, gentlemen, we'll be off." Away went the boat amid thefoaming seas towards the hapless wreck.
James Braithwaite, the Supercargo: The Story of his Adventures Ashore and Afloat Page 5