CHAPTER THIRTY.
And if you chance his shipp to borde, This counsel I must give withall. BALLAD OF SIR ANDREW BARTON, 1560.
Discretion And hardy valour are the twins of honour, And, nursed together, make a conqueror! Divided, but a talker. BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER.
The survey having been completed, Captain M---, in pursuance of theorders which he had received, weighed his anchor, and proceeded tocruise until the want of provisions and water should compel him toreturn into port. For many days the look-out men at the mastheads weredisappointed in their hopes of reporting a strange sail, the chase orcapture of which would relieve the monotony of constant sky and water,until, one Sunday forenoon, as Captain M--- was performing divineservice, the man at the masthead hailed the deck with "A strange sail onthe weather-bow!"
The puritan may be shocked to hear that the service was speedily,although decorously closed; but Captain M--- was aware from thefidgeting of the ship's company, upon the capstan bars, on which theywere seated, that it would be impossible to regain their attention tothe service, even if he had felt inclined to proceed: and he well knew,that any worship of God in which the mind and heart were not engaged,was but an idle ceremony, if not a solemn mockery. The hands wereturned up--all sail was made--and in an hour, the stranger was to beseen with the naked eye from the fore-yard.
"What do you make of her, Mr Stewart?" said the first-lieutenant tohim, as he sat aloft with his glass directed towards the vessel.
"A merchant ship, sir, in ballast."
"What did he say, Jerry?" inquired Prose, who stood by him on thegangway.
"A French vessel, deeply laden, Prose."
"Bravo, Jerry!" said Prose, rubbing his hands. "We shall get someprize-money, I do declare."
"To be sure we shall. It will give us twenty pounds at least for amidshipman's share, for her cargo must be sugar and coffee. Only,confound it, one has to wait so long for it. I'll sell mine, dog-cheap,if any one will buy it. Will you, Prose?"
"Why, Jerry, I don't much like speculation: but, now, what would youreally sell your chance for?"
"I'll take ten pounds for it. We're certain to come up with her."
"Ten pounds! No, Jerry, that is too much. I'll tell you what, I'llgive you five pounds."
"Done," replied Jerry, who was aware that a vessel in ballast would notgive him thirty shillings, if Captain M--- sent her in, which was veryunlikely. "Where's the money?"
"Oh, you must trust to my honour; the first port we go into, I pledgeyou my word that you shall have it."
"I don't doubt your word, or your honour, the least, Prose; but still Ishould like to have the money in my hand. Could you not borrow it?Never mind--it's a bargain."
In two hours the frigate had neared the stranger so as to distinguishher water-line from the deck, and on hoisting her ensign and pendant,the vessel bore down to her.
"She has hoisted English colours, sir," reported Stewart to the captain.
"What, Stewart! did you say that she had hoisted English colours?"inquired Prose, with an anxious face.
"Yes, you booby, I did."
"Well, now, I do declare," cried Prose, with dismay, "if I haven't lostfive pounds."
The vessel ran under the stern of the frigate, and requested a boat tobe sent on board, as she had intelligence to communicate. The boatreturned, and acquainted Captain M--- that the vessel had been boardedand plundered by a French privateer schooner, which had committed greatdepredation in that quarter, and that it was not above eight hours thatshe had left her, and made sail towards Porto Rico, taking out twomerchants, who were passengers. The boat was immediately hoisted up,and all sail made in the direction of the island, which was not abovefifteen leagues distant. As the day closed in, their eyes weregratified by the sight of the schooner, becalmed close in under theland. Perceiving the frigate in pursuit of her, and unable to escape,she came to an anchor in a small and shallow bay, within a cable'slength of the beach. Captain M---, having run his ship as close in asthe depth of water would permit, which was between two and three milesof her, so as to render her escape impossible, came to an anchor,signifying to his officers his determination to cut her out with hisboats on the ensuing day.
The officers who were to be intrusted with the command of the boats, andthe crews which were to be employed on the service, were selected, andmustered on the quarter-deck, previous to the hammocks being piped down,that the former might hold themselves in readiness, and that the lattermight remain in their hammocks during the night. All was anxiety forthe sun to rise again upon those who were about to venture in thelottery, where the prizes would be honour, and the blanks--death. Therewere but few whose souls were of that decided brute composition thatthey could sleep through the whole of the tedious night. They woke and"swore a prayer or two, then slept again." The sun had not yet made hisappearance above the horizon, although the eastern blush announced thatthe spinning earth would shortly whirl the _Aspasia_ into his presence,when the pipes of the boatswain and his mates, with the summons of "Allhands ahoy--up all hammocks!" were obeyed with the alacrity socharacteristic of English seamen anticipating danger. The hammocks weresoon stowed, and the hands turned up. "Out boats!" The yard tacklesand stays were hooked, and the larger boats from the booms descendedwith a heavy splash into the water, which they threw out on each side ofthem as they displaced it with their weight; while the cutters from thequarter-davits were already lowered down, and were being manned underthe chains.
Broad daylight discovered the privateer, who, aware of their intentions,had employed the night in taking every precaution that skill couldsuggest to repel the expected attack. Secured with cables and hawsers,extending from each bow and quarter--her starboard broadside directed toseaward--her boarding netting triced up to the lower rigging--and booms,connected together, rigged out from the sides, to prevent them fromlaying her on board. There was no wind; the sea was smooth as glass;and the French colours, hoisted in defiance at each masthead, hunglistlessly down the spars, as if fainting for the breeze which wouldexpand them in their vigour. She was pierced for eight ports on a side;and the guns, which pointed through them, with the tompions out, readyto shower destruction upon her assailants, showed like the teeth of thesnarling wolf, who stands at bay, awaiting the attack of his undauntedpursuers.
The boats had received their guns, which were fixed on slides, so as toenable them to be fired over the bows, without impeding the use of theoars; the ammunition and arm-chests had been placed in security abaft.
The sailors, with their cutlasses belted round their waists, and apistol stuck in their girdles, or in a becket at the side of the boat,ready to their hands--the marines, in proportion to the number whicheach boat could carry, sitting in the stern-sheets, with their musketsbetween their legs, and their well pipeclayed belts for bayonet andcartouch-box crossed over their old jackets, half dirt, half finery--allwas ready for shoving off, when Captain M--- desired the officers whomhe had appointed to the expedition to step down into his cabin. Bully,the first lieutenant, was unwell with an intermittent fever, and CaptainM---, at the request of Macallan, would not accede to his anxiety totake the command. Price, Courtenay, Stewart, and three othermidshipmen, were those who had been selected for the dangerous service.
"Gentlemen," said Captain M---, as they stood round the table in thefore-cabin, waiting for his communication, "I must call your attentionto a few points, which it is my wish that you should bear inremembrance, now that you are about to proceed upon what will, in alllikelihood, prove to be an arduous service. This vessel has alreadydone so much mischief, that I conceive it my duty to capture her ifpossible: and although there is no service in which, generally speaking,there is so great a sacrifice of life, in proportion to the object to beattained, as that which is generally termed `cutting out,' yet, ratherthan she should escape, to the further injury of our trade, I havedetermined to have recourse to the measure.
"But, gentlemen (and to you, Mr Price,
as commanding the expedition, Iparticularly address myself), recollect that, even in this extreme case,without proper arrangement, we may not only purchase our victory toodear, but may even sacrifice a number of lives without succeeding in ourattempt. Of your courage I have not the least doubt; but let it beremembered; that it is something more than mere animal courage which Iexpect in the behaviour of my officers. If nothing more were required,the command of these boats might be as safely intrusted to any of theforemast men, who, like the bulldogs of our country, will thrust theirheads into the lion's jaw with perfect indifference.
"What I require, and expect, and will have, from every officer who looksfor promotion from my recommendation, is what I term--conduct: by whichI would imply, that coolness and presence of mind which enable him tocalculate chances in the midst of danger--to take advantage of afavourable opportunity in the heat of an engagement--and to restrain theimpetuosity of those who have fallen into the dangerous error ofdespising their enemy. Of such conduct the most favourable constructionthat can be put upon it is, that it is only preferable to indecision.
"In a service of this description, even with the greatest courage andprudence united, some loss must necessarily be expected to take place,and there is no providing against unforeseen accidents; but if I findthat, by rash and injudicious behaviour, a greater sacrifice is madethan there is a necessity for, depend upon it that I shall not fail tolet that officer know the high value at which I estimate the life of aBritish sailor. With this caution I shall now give you my ideas as towhat appears the most eligible plan of insuring success. I have made arough sketch on this paper, which will assist my explanation."
Captain M--- then entered into the plan of attack, pointing out theprecautions which should be taken, etcetera: and concluded by observing,that they were by no means to consider themselves as fettered by what hehad proposed, but merely to regard them as hints to guide their conduct,if found preferable to any others which might be suggested by thepeculiarity of the service, and the measures adopted by the enemy. Theofficers returned on deck, and descended into their respective boats,where they found many of the younger midshipmen, who, although notselected for the service, had smuggled themselves into the boats thatthey might be participators in the conflict. Captain M---, although hedid not send them on the service, had no objection to their going, andtherefore pretended not to see them when he looked over the side, anddesired the boats to shove off. Directly the order was given, theremainder of the ship's company mounted the rigging, and saluted themwith three cheers.
The boats' crews tossed their oars while the cheers were given, andreturned the same number. The oars again descended into the water, andthe armament pulled in for the shore.
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