Antony Waymouth; Or, The Gentlemen Adventurers

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  "What is it?" exclaimed the young captain of the Lion, as he sprang fromhis bed, on which he had thrown himself without undressing. He did notrequire the cabin-boy's answer, for by the way the ship was heeling overhe knew that it was blowing a heavy gale. "I bade you call me theinstant there were signs of a change of weather," he observed as hehurried towards the cabin-door to gain the deck.

  "The ship but this instant was struck by a squall, sir, and we areshortening sail as fast as we can," said Marston, though the captain didnot stay to hear his last words.

  The deck of the Lion appeared, as the captain reached it, to be a sceneof the greatest confusion. Showers of spray, torn up from the ocean bythe sudden squall, were thrown over her in dense masses. The windhowled and whistled through the rigging, the sails were flapping loudlyin the gale--some torn from their bolt-ropes, others with the sheets letgo, which were lashing and slashing wildly and twisting into a thousandknots. Huge blocks, too, were swinging to and fro, threatening theseamen with destruction, while some of the spars wounded in the actionnow gave way, and their fragments came thundering down on deck, sweepingall before them. The sea roared, the thunder in crashing peals rattledalong the sky, and the forked lightning ran hissing in vivid flashesfrom out of the dark clouds along the foaming waves, and played roundthe ship. The officers were shouting to the men--many, with axes andknives in their hands, rushing here and there at the risk of their livesto cut clear the blocks and the wreck of the spars, without which it wasscarcely possible to go aloft to furl the remaining sails.

  Waymouth at once saw that the only safe course to pursue was to put theship before the wind. As he issued the required orders he looked outfor the admiral's ship, but the signal lanterns at her stern werenowhere to be seen. Mr Carlingford asserted that they were close tothem when the squall struck the ship; so did Stanhope, who did the dutyof a signal midshipman. The captain could only hope, therefore, thatthe admiral had at once bore up when the hurricane struck his ship. Twolights were still visible in the direction the other ships were supposedto be, but at some distance, and the Lion was apparently fast leavingthem. Her crew had indeed enough to do to attend to themselves--theirown safety demanded all their energies. Waymouth's firm, commandingvoice soon called order out of chaos. The ship answered her helm, and,getting before the wind once more, rose on an even keel, and flewrushing on through the darkness. Sail after sail was taken in--theloftier masts and spars had been carried away by the wind, and weremostly cut clear of the ship. The foretopmast had escaped being hit inthe action, and had stood. The hurricane was increasing in power,rolling up the ocean into huge seas; higher and higher they grew, theircrests curling masses of foam, following eagerly astern as wild beastsin pursuit of their flying prey. Often, while the forked lightningplayed round the ship, had the captain gazed anxiously at theforetopmast to ascertain how it stood the increasing pressure deprivedof its usual support. He scarcely hoped to save it. The hurricane gaveno signs of abating; on the contrary, it was increasing in strength.

  "It must be done!" he exclaimed, seizing a sharp axe; "better choose ourtime than let it fall when we are unprepared. Volunteers to cut awaythe foretopmast!"

  "I'll go," cried Miles Carlingford, and his words were echoed by severalothers.

  "No, Carlingford; you stay to take care of the ship. I can let no manlead but myself in a task of such peril."

  Marston and Stanhope both volunteered, but the captain ordered them toremain with the lieutenant.

  Followed by a daring crew, Waymouth sprang aloft, each man armed withaxe or knife. Some remained on deck to cut the ropes which led downthere. All had their tasks assigned them. The least important ropesand stays were first severed.

  "Remember, lads, wait till I give the word, and then cut with a will,"cried the captain. As he stood on the top his axe was lifted in theair. "Cut!" he shouted, as, gleaming in the lightning, it descendedwith a force which half severed through the spar. Over it fell with acrash into the sea, and, free from all ropes, floated clear of the ship.The crew uttered a hearty cheer as the captain descended on deck afterthe performance of this gallant and skilful act without the loss of aman. None cheered more loudly than the boatswain and his two mates.

  The ship drove on before the hurricane, but, relieved of so much tophamper, she laboured far less than she had been doing. The storm hadnot abated its fury; the mad waves followed fiercely after the ship, andleaped up, foam-covered, on either side, threatening to fall down on herdecks and sweep everybody from off them, or to send the stout barkherself to the bottom. The thunder roared loudly as at first, thelightning flashed vividly as ever, and ran its zigzag course cracklingand hissing through the air, and along the summits of the waves, andround the storm-driven ship, now seeming to dart along her spars, andthen to light with a lambent flame the summit of her masts.

  The crew were collected on deck ready for any work required of them,sheltering themselves as best they could under the bulwarks for fear ofbeing washed away. Waymouth stood with his first lieutenant on theaftercastle away from the crew. He told him of the conspiracy of whichhe had gained information.

  "What think you, Carlingford?" he added. "Shall we seize the villainsnow, tax them with their intended crime, and call on all who are fordiscipline and order to rally round us; or let them go on plotting tillthey find a fit occasion to put their plots into execution? It were abold stroke at such a moment, and would be sure of success."

  "No one would be found willing to differ from you now," answered thelieutenant; "I doubt, therefore, that you would ascertain who are theconspirators, and it would only give them a certain vantage-ground byshowing them that you doubt their honesty."

  Waymouth yielded to this advice, and allowed the opportunity of seizingthe supposed mutineers to pass. He had no fear that they would make anyattempt to gain possession of the ship while the gale might last. Inspite of the danger in which his own ship was placed, he turned histhoughts more than once to the rest of the squadron. What had become ofthem? Were they still afloat, driven here and there before thehurricane, or had they all met the fate from which the Lion herself hadso narrowly escaped, and foundered? He could not help dreading that thelatter might have been the case.

  Hour after hour passed by, and the wind blew fiercely as at thecommencement of the storm. No fire could be lighted. Scarcely any onehad even tasted food, and the fierce spirits who had been beforeinclined to mutiny must have been considerably tamed by the buffetingand fasting they had been compelled to undergo.

  "I've heard say that it's an ill wind that blows no one good," observedCarlingford to his captain. "I doubt if the knaves who so notably wereproposing to take possession of the ship will be inclined to make theattempt for some time to come."

  "We will keep an eye on them, at all events," said Waymouth. "In thepresent battered condition of our good ship, they will be too wise towish to run away with her, or all the labour of putting her to rightswould fall on their hands. Ah, no, the rogues! they will let us firstdo the work for them, and then cut our throats. I have met before withvillains such as these, and know how to tackle them."

  Although occasionally brave villains are found, as a rule ill-doers arecowards; and the would-be mutineers on board the Lion were no exceptionto the rule. The captain and his lieutenant noted those who on thatawful night showed most fear, and they proved to be the very men Marstonhad mentioned. Even the boatswain, who was generally a bold fellow,evidently shrank from the performance of any duty of especial danger,and while the captain went aloft to cut away the topmast was not one ofthose who had volunteered to accompany him, though under ordinarycircumstances it would have been his duty to perform the work.

  Morning broke at length upon the wide waste of foam-covered heavingwaters, but in vain did the anxious officers of the Lion look around forany of her consorts. She herself was labouring heavily. The well wassounded. There were three feet of water in the hold; that was m
uch in aship of the Lion's build. There must be a leak. The pumps were manned;all hands must work spell and spell. Even then scarcely could the leakbe kept under. Those men who had shown the greatest courage during thenight laboured the hardest now; the conspirators worked with an air ofdesperation.

  When the water still gained on them, "Let's to the spirit-room, and diejovial," cried one.

  "Ay, ay, to the spirit-room; a last glass before we quit the world," wasechoed by several.

  Deserting their stations, they rushed tumultuously to the hold. Theyfound three soldiers stationed there, with their muskets ready to fire.Strange that the very men who were about to stupefy themselves withliquor, and so to go out of the world, were afraid of dying by the handsof their countrymen! Growling like cowed mastiffs they shrank back,some returning to the deck, and others turning into their hammocks,where they intended to remain while the ship sank.

  But a few only behaved thus. The greater number, as true British seamenalways have done, remained at their posts to face the danger. Theirperseverance was rewarded. About noon the gale began to abate, the seato decrease. As the ship laboured less there was a hope that the leaksmight be got under, and the carpenters, after sounding, reported thatthere was not more than the usual quantity of water in the well. Thenews was received with loud cheers by the crew, but they soon found thatcontinued exertion would be necessary to keep the ship afloat. Theskulkers were accordingly routed out of their berths, and compelled totake their turn at the pumps.

  Waymouth well knew that idleness is the mother of many a crime, and hedetermined that his crew should have no such excuse. As soon as the seabecame calm, there was ample work to employ all hands in repairing thedamages the ship had received in the battle and the storm.

  "Any day we may meet an enemy, and the ship must be in a state to fighthim, lads," the captain was continually remarking, especially when hesaw the men slacken at their work. A course had been shaped for theIsland of Java, where in the Harbour of Bantam he still entertainedhopes of falling in with the rest of the squadron.

  Day after day the Lion continued her voyage without further adventure,and every day saw some advance made in restoring her to her formercondition, so that, had she encountered a Portugal ship, she would havebeen as ready as ever for the fight.

  In appearance, however, she still wore a very battered and forlornstate. Such was the guise in which she at length entered the harbour ofBantam, making the best show that was possible, with banners andstreamers flying, and drums and fifes, and other music, playing. Verydifferent, however, was the figure they made from what they hadexpected, and what it would have been, had the whole English squadronsailed in at the same time. Very different also was the reception theyreceived from the King of Bantam, in those days a powerful sovereignwith a magnificent court of nobles dressed in rich robes. Perceivingthe coldness of their reception, Waymouth, habiting himself in his mostimposing attire, and taking a number of followers, attired in all thebravery they could command, went on shore, and, on obtaining admissionto the palace, informed his majesty that his ship was only the first ofa large fleet which had just obtained a glorious victory over thePortugals, and that he hoped they would soon enter the harbour and spenda large portion of their wealth among him and his people. When thisfact became clear to the royal mind, the king's conduct underwent aconsiderable alteration, and he seemed now only anxious to ascertain howhe could best please his guests. There was no lack of entertainments ofall sorts--fights of wild animals, shows, and dances. These served toamuse the men, and to prevent them from thinking of the future. ButWaymouth and his chief officers could not get rid of their anxiety fortheir companions. They still, however, lived on in hopes. In the meantime, the captain's chief uneasiness arose from the conduct of theboatswain, who was clearly endeavouring to ingratiate himself with thecrew by overlooking their faults and shielding them from punishment.The consequence was that the discipline of the ship, spite of all thecaptain and superior officers could do to prevent it, became worse thanit had ever been before. Miles Carlingford advised Waymouth to haveHagger and his supposed associates seized, and run up to the yard-arm,or shot; but there were many reasons against this summary proceeding.They were in the port of a treacherous people, who would very likelytake advantage of any dissensions among themselves, and it wasimpossible to say how many of the crew might join Hagger.

  "We must either wait the arrival of the rest of the fleet or seize thefellow in blue water, with no one to interfere with us," answeredWaymouth.

  However, day after day passed by, and week after week, and the fleet didnot appear. It became at last too probable that they had all foundered.Still it was possible that they might have put into some other port torefit, and might arrive at the rendezvous after all.

  The time passed pleasantly enough on shore, as great respect was shownto the strangers by the king and chiefs. The English, in return, triedto make themselves popular with all classes, and traded successfullywith them, taking care not to allow them to know the amount of wealththey had on board. Hope grew meantime fainter and fainter, and itstruck Waymouth that the behaviour of the natives towards them had oflate changed for the worse. Among the merchants with whom he haddealings was one who appeared to be especially honest, and more disposedto be friendly than any of his countrymen. One day he made hisappearance on board, saying that he had come to trade, and he began inthe usual way, but while so engaged he contrived with a peculiar gestureto give a paper to Waymouth, on which was drawn a ship under full sail.Above the ship was a hand, showing the very gesture the merchant hadjust made. Waymouth could scarcely fail to understand the hieroglyphic.That the merchant wished the Lion to sail away there could be no doubt.The expression of the man's countenance convinced him that he wasfriendly and in earnest. Some danger threatened. Perhaps the king hadgot information of the wealth contained in the ship, and intended toseize her. Whatever enemies they might have on shore, there was one whocould not be kept out of the ship. The unhealthy season wasapproaching. Fever made its appearance on board; several were struckdown with it; one after the other died; the surgeon declared that theonly way of saving the lives of all on board was to put forthwith tosea.

  Once more the Lion was ploughing the waters of the deep. "A sail! asail!" was the cry. A vessel was seen making for the harbour of Bantam.She might be one of the long-missing squadron. Sail was made in chase.As the Lion approached, the stranger showed the Portugal flag. Hurrah!another prize was to be made. The thought put every one in highspirits. Even the sick came up from their beds to have a look at theenemy. The object of the Portugal was to enter the harbour of Bantambefore the Lion, under the belief that he would there find protection.On sprang the king of beasts. It soon became obvious, unless there wasa change of wind, that the prey would have little chance of escape. Theofficers and crew of the Lion eagerly watched the Portugal ship,speculating on the value of her cargo, and whether she was likely tooffer resistance. Such an idea was generally treated with scorn. Whatwas the surprise, therefore, of all on board to see the chase suddenlyhaul up her courses and heave her maintopsail aback to await the comingof her pursuer!

  "Can it be that any on board are treacherous, and wish thus to gain ourfavour?" said Waymouth.

  "More likely that they are cowards all, and think discretion the bestpart of valour," observed Carlingford: "we shall soon learn, though."

  "Ay, that shall we," answered Waymouth. "But, see, what flags arethose? They look not as if the Portugal was in a humble mood."

  As he was speaking, several flags were hoisted to the mast-heads of thestranger, conspicuous among all being that of Portugal flying above theflag of England. The sight caused a general shout of indignation amongthe English crew, and doubled their desire to get alongside the foe. Asthey got still nearer, the Portugal once more let fall his sails andstood boldly towards them, letting fly a shot in defiance.

  "Now this is what does the heart good," exclaimed Waymouth in high gl
ee."Yonder is a brave fellow and a worthy foe. I had ten times rathermeet such a one than the coward who runs away and then yields when he iscaught without striking a blow. We shall take yonder gentleman--of thatthere is no doubt; and it will be a satisfaction to treat him as a braveman should be treated--with honour and distinction."

  "I would that we could avoid fighting," said Master Walker. "Here arewe both from Europe--two ships, the remnant, probably, of the proudfleets which left our native shores--and we must needs set to work toknock each other to pieces. What, prithee, is to be gained by it?"

  "Honour, good Master Walker! honour, which we gentlemen of the swordsigh for and live for, not to speak of the golden doubloons and otherarticles of value with which these Portugals think fit to freight theirships," answered Waymouth with a laugh which showed the cool if notlight spirit with which he could enter into the deadly fight.

  Nearer and nearer drew the two ships. The Portugal was the first tofire, and all his guns were aimed high, as if he was anxious to cripplehis opponent. The reason was obvious. His decks were crowded with men,and he hoped by running on board the English ship to take her easilywith his overwhelming numbers. Waymouth saw that his proper plan was togive the Portugals a wide berth and keep firing away till he had thinnedthose numbers, at the same time that it was very much against his usualsystem and inclination, as it was against that of his followers.

  Now the guns of the Lion began to play vigorously, some of them being,according to the captain's orders, fired high, and others low. Althoughnow and then her spars and ropes were hit, she was inflicting equalinjury on the rigging of her opponent, while such of her guns as weretrained low were making fearful havoc among the people on the deck ofthe Portugal. She, in return, was employing every manoeuvre to closewith the Lion, till it appeared as if the English were actually afraidof her.

  "This must not last longer," exclaimed Waymouth. "British steel hasseldom failed, however great the odds. We'll give the Portugals theirway."

  The remark was received with a loud shout by his men, on which heordered the Lion to be steered to close with her antagonist. The twoships met with a crash; and before the Portugals, who had been musteringon purpose, could reach the side of the Lion, her gallant crew, led byWaymouth, had boarded the enemy. And now, in truth, was shown whatEnglish steel could do; and well as many of the Portugals fought, thedecks were soon cleared of all but a gallant few, who, surrounding thePortugal captain, stood at bay. That Portugal captain was a young manof a noble bearing; though wounded, he seemed resolved to resist to thelast.

  "Yield thee--yield thee, brave senhor!" cried Waymouth. "Life andliberty shall be yours. I would fain not kill thee."

  "To you, brave Captain Waymouth, I will yield me, if you will order yourmen to refrain from striking," was the answer. "Truly, they strike sohard and fast, that otherwise not one of my comrades will remain alive."

  "You are a brave gentleman. It shall be as you desire. We have metbefore, I suspect," shouted the English captain, ordering his men to letdrop the points of their weapons.

  The deck, so lately the scene of a fierce conflict, was in an instantquiet, though the planks, slippery with gore, and the human formsstrewed thickly from one end to the other, showed the desperate natureof the drama which had there been enacted. The Portugal captaindelivered his sword to Waymouth, who courteously returned it,recognising him as the bravest of those captains who had been capturedin the great battle fought by the whole fleet--Don Antonio de Mello byname. The prize was richly freighted, and as the Lion would requiresome repairs after the battle, it was resolved to carry her back toBantam.

  The return of the English so soon with a captured enemy raised them verymuch in the estimation of the people of Bantam, and proportionatelylowered the Portugals. The repairs of both ships were soon completed,and the more valuable part of the cargo of the prize transferred to theLion. Waymouth's generous feelings prompted him to restore the capturedship to Don Antonio, taking his word that neither he nor his officers ormen would again serve against the English. He made the proposal,however, first to his own officers, who all, with the exception of PeterHagger, readily agreed to forego their share of the prize that theprisoners might have an opportunity of returning to their own country.The boatswain, on the contrary, vowed, that, as they had won the bootyby hard fighting, they would keep it, and that he and many other goodmen that he knew of would not give up a nail of what was their own.

  "Well said, Master Hagger; let me know who are these good men of whomyou speak, and your share and theirs of what is restored to thePortugals shall be calculated and given to you," said Captain Waymouth,looking sternly at the boatswain. "I wish to deprive no man of what heconsiders his own; but it strikes me that when a fair estimate is madeof the real value of your share it will not be worth disputing about."

  Notwithstanding these remarks of the captain, Hagger insisted on havinghis share, but he was only able to send in the names of rather more thana dozen men who agreed with him. The supercargo, or accountant, of theLion, was therefore summoned, and directed to make out an estimate ofthe value of the shares in question.

  "Now deduct therefrom," said Waymouth, "wages of officers and crew ofthe Portugal to conduct her home; risk of capture or loss; increasedrisk of loss or capture of the Lion in consequence of her beingshort-handed."

  "In that case, sir, the balance is against Master Hagger and the rest,"remarked the accountant.

  "I thought as much," observed Waymouth, laughing.

  The boatswain's anger and disappointment were very great when he foundhow the tables had been turned, and that, instead of gaining any thing,he had merely shown who were the men among the crew plotting with him.

  The Portugals' satisfaction was very great when they found that theywere not to be detained at Bantam, where, from the unhealthiness of theclimate during the hot months, they could expect only to find graves.Don Antonio warmly expressed his gratitude.

  "I had some information, noble captain, which I purposed giving beforeparting, at all events, but which I have now a double gratification inaffording," he said, addressing Waymouth. "During that dreadful fight,when your fleet destroyed so many of ours, some few Englishmen werecarried off prisoners by those which escaped. Among them was an officerwho belonged to the Lion. I saw him but once, and his name I did nothear, though I doubt not that he is the friend whose fate you so muchdesired to learn. He is now a prisoner in the Castle of San Pedro, tothe south of Goa. I had resolved to take the earliest opportunity ofsending you this information according to my promise, little supposingthat I should be able to deliver it under, to me, such unfortunatecircumstances."

  This news raised Waymouth's spirits higher than they had been for sometime. It made him feel almost sure that Raymond had survived thebattle, because, as all the other officers of the Lion had beenaccounted for, it could be only him of whom Don Antonio spoke. Onhearing this, it at once flashed across Waymouth's thoughts that he haddone unwisely in giving the prisoners their liberty with so fewconditions.

  "I ought to have bargained that any English who might be in the hands oftheir countrymen should promptly be liberated without ransom; but yet--no; I have done a liberal deed, and I will not regret it. If thesePortugals have any feeling of honour, they will let my friend go freewhen I demand him."

  From a subsequent conversation with Don Antonio, Waymouth was compelledto abandon the last expressed hope. It appeared that the governor ofthe castle of San Pedro was a certain Don Lobo, who was noted for hisferocity and avarice, so that he was well called Lobo, which means inthe Portugal tongue a wolf.

  Don Antonio stated that he was never known to do a noble or generousact, and that he was not likely to deliver up his prisoner unless aheavy ransom was paid, and that so bitter was his animosity against theEnglish that it was possible he would not even set him at liberty.

  "Then the Lion shall force the wolf to succumb," exclaimed Waymouth. "Iwill not ask you, Don Antonio, to fight agai
nst your countrymen, but Imust beg you to give me such information as may assist me in liberatingmy friend, and I must then exact a promise from you that you will notreturn to San Pedro, or by any means allow notice of our approach to becarried there."

  Don Antonio, without hesitation, gave the promise required, the morereadily, perhaps, that the Lion would have the start of him for somedays, and, being short of provisions and water, he could not attempt tomake so long a passage as that from Bantam to Goa without being amplysupplied with both. Yet further to prevent the chance of Don Lobo beinginformed of the approach of the Lion, Waymouth afterwards extracted anadditional promise from Don Antonio that he would not attempt to sailfor a week after her.

  "Ned, dear coz, we shall once more shake hands, and drink a bowltogether to the health of thy lady love," he exclaimed, apostrophisinghis friend while walking his quarter-deck, as the Lion, under all sail,clove her way towards the west through the limpid ocean.