Mr. Midshipman Easy

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.

  IN WHICH OUR HERO, AS USUAL, GETS INTO THE VERY MIDDLE OF IT.

  On the eleventh day the Rebiera entered the Straits, and the Rock ofGibraltar was in sight as the sun went down; after which the wind felllight, and about midnight it became calm, and they drifted up. Atsunrise they were roused by the report of heavy guns, and perceived anEnglish frigate about eight miles farther up the Straits, and more inthe mid-channel, engaging nine or ten Spanish gunboats, which had comeout from Algesiras to attack her. It still continued a dead calm, andthe boats of the frigate were all ahead towing her, so as to bring herbroadside to bear upon the Spanish flotilla. The reverberating of theheavy cannon on both sides over the placid surface of the water--thewhite smoke ascending as the sun rose in brilliancy in a clear bluesky--the distant echoes repeated from the high hills--had a verybeautiful effect for those who are partial to the picturesque. But Jackthought it advisable to prepare for action instead of watching fortints--and in a short time all was ready.

  "They'll not come to us, Mr Easy, as long as they have the frigate tohammer at; but still we had better be prepared, for we cannot well passthem without having a few shot. When I came up the Straits in theprivateer we were attacked by two, and fought them for three hours;their shot dashed the water over our decks till they were wet fore andaft, but somehow or another they never hit us--we were as low as theywere. I'll be bound but they'll hull the frigate though. Mrs Oxbellyand Billy were on deck the whole time--and Billy was quite delighted,and cried when they took him down to breakfast."

  "Why, Mrs Oxbelly must be very courageous."

  "Cares neither for shot nor shell, sir, laughs when they whiz over herhead, and tells Billy to hark. But, sir, it's not surprising; herfather is a major, and her two brothers are lieutenants in thebombardiers."

  "That, indeed," replied Jack--"but see, there is a breeze springing upfrom the westward."

  "Very true, Mr Easy, and a steady one it will be, for it comes up darkand slow; so much the better for the frigate, for she'll get littlehonour and plenty of mauling at this work."

  "I hope we shall take it up with us," observed Jack; "how far do youreckon the gun-boats from the shore?"

  "I should think about five miles, or rather less."

  "Trim sails, Mr Oxbelly--perhaps we may cut one or two of these off--steer inshore of them."

  "Exactly. Up there, my lads, set top-gallant studding sails, top-maststuddings to hand-rig out the booms--keep as you go now, my lad--weshall be well inshore of them, and out of the range of the batteries."

  The breeze came down fresh, and all sail was set upon the _Rebiera_.She took the wind down with her, and it passed her but little--half amile ahead of them all was still and smooth as a glass mirror, and theyneared and gained inshore at the same time. The gun-boats were stillengaging the frigate, and did not appear to pay any attention to the_Rebiera_ coming down. At last the breeze reached them and the frigate,light at first and then gradually increasing, while the _Rebiera_ foamedthrough the water and had now every chance of cutting off some of thegun-boats. The frigate trimmed her sails and steered towards theflotilla, which now thought proper to haul off and put their headsinshore, followed by the frigate firing her bow-chasers. But the_Rebiera_ was now within half gun-shot, inshore, and steering so as tointercept them. As she rapidly closed, the flotilla scarcely knew howto act; to attack her would be to lose time, and allow the frigate tocome up and occasion their own capture; so they satisfied themselveswith firing at her as she continued to run down between them and theland. As they neared, Jack opened his fire with his eighteen-poundcarronades and long nines. The gun-boats returned his fire, and theywere within a quarter of a mile, when Jack shortened sail to histop-sails, and a warm engagement took place, which ended in one of thegun-boats being in a few minutes dismasted. The frigate, under allcanvas, came rapidly up, and her shot now fell thick. The flotilla thenceased firing, passing about two cables' lengths ahead of the _Rebiera_,and making all possible sail for the land. Jack now fired at theflotilla as they passed, with his larboard broadside, while with hisstarboard he poured in grape and canister upon the unfortunate gun-boatwhich was dismasted, and which soon hauled down her colours. In a fewminutes more the remainder were too far distant for the carronades, and,as they did not fire, Jack turned his attention to take possession ofhis prize, sending a boat with ten men on board, and heaving-to close toher to take her in tow. Ten minutes more and the frigate was hove-to acable's length from the _Rebiera_, and our hero lowered down his otherquarter boat to go on board.

  "Have we any men hurt, Mr Oxbelly?" inquired Jack.

  "Only two; Spearling has lost his thumb with a piece of langrage, andJames has a bad wound in the thigh."

  "Very well; I will ask for the surgeon to come on board."

  Jack pulled to the frigate and went up the side, touched his hat in dueform, and was introduced by the midshipmen to the other side, where thecaptain stood.

  "Mr Easy!" exclaimed the captain.

  "Captain Sawbridge?" replied our hero with surprise.

  "Good heavens! what brought you here!" said the captain; "and whatvessel is that?"

  "The _Rebiera_, letter of marque, commanded and owned by Mr Easy,"replied Jack, laughing.

  Captain Sawbridge gave him his hand. "Come down with me in the cabin,Mr Easy; I am very glad to see you. Give you great credit for yourconduct, and am still more anxious to know what has induced you to comeout again. I knew that you had left the service."

  Jack, in a very few words, told his object in fitting out the _Rebiera_;"but," continued Jack, "allow me to congratulate you upon yourpromotion, which I was not aware of. May I ask where you left the_Harpy_, and what is the name of your frigate?"

  "The _Latona_! I have only been appointed to her one month, after anaction in which the _Harpy_ took a large corvette, and am ordered homewith despatches to England. We sailed yesterday evening from Gibraltar,were becalmed the whole night, and attacked this morning by thegun-boats."

  "How is Captain Wilson, sir?"

  "I believe he is very well, but I have not seen him."

  "How did you know, then, that I had left the service, CaptainSawbridge?"

  "From Mr Gascoigne, who is now on board."

  "Gascoigne!" exclaimed our hero.

  "Yes, he was sent up to join the _Aurora_ by the Governor, but she hadleft the fleet, and having served his time, and a passing day beingordered, he passed, and thought he might as well go home with me and seeif he could make any interest for his promotion."

  "Pray, Captain Sawbridge, is the gun-boat our prize or yours?"

  "It ought to be wholly yours; but the fact is, by the regulations, weshare."

  "With all my heart, sir. Will you send an assistant-surgeon on board tolook after two of my men who are hurt?"

  "Yes, directly; now send your boat away, Easy, with directions to yourofficer in command. We must go back to Gibraltar, for we have receivedsome injury, and, I am sorry to say, lost some men. You are going then,I presume, to stay on board and dine with me: we shall be at anchorbefore night."

  "I will, with pleasure, sir. But now I will send my boat away and shakehands with Gascoigne."

  Gascoigne was under the half-deck waiting to receive his friend, for hehad seen him come up the side from his station on the forecastle. Ahurried conversation took place, after our hero had dismissed his boatwith the assistant-surgeon in it to dress the two wounded men. Jackthen went on deck, talked with the officers, looked with pleasure at the_Rebiera_ with the gun-boat in tow, keeping company with the frigate,although only under the same canvas--promised Gascoigne to spend thenext day with him either on shore or on board of the _Rebiera_, and thenreturned to the cabin, where he had a long conference with CaptainSawbridge.

  "When you first entered the service, Easy," said Captain Sawbridge, "Ithought that the sooner the service was rid of you the better; now thatyou have left it, I feel that it has lost one, who, in
all probability,would have proved a credit to it."

  "Many thanks, sir," replied Jack; "but how can I be a midshipman witheight thousand pounds a year?"

  "I agree with you that it is impossible:--but dinner is serving; go intothe after-cabin and the steward will give you all you require."

  Our hero, whose face and hands were not a little grimed with thegunpowder, washed himself, combed out his curly black hair, and foundall the party in the fore-cabin. Gascoigne, who had not been asked inthe forenoon, was, by the consideration of Captain Sawbridge, added tothe number. Before dinner was long off the table, the first lieutenantreported that it was necessary to turn the hands up, as they were closeto the anchorage. The party, therefore, broke up sooner than otherwisewould have been the case; and as soon as the _Latona's_ sails werefurled Captain Sawbridge went on shore to acquaint the Governor with theresults of the action. He asked Jack to accompany him, but our hero,wishing to be with Gascoigne, excused himself until the next day.

  "And now, Easy," said Gascoigne, as soon as the captain had gone overthe side, "I will ask permission to go on board with you--or will youask?"

  "I will ask," replied Jack; "a gentleman of fortune has more weight witha first lieutenant than a midshipman."

  So Jack went up to the first lieutenant, and with one of his polite bowshoped, "if duty would permit, he would honour him by coming on boardthat evening with some of his officers, to see the _Rebiera_ and todrink a bottle or two of champagne."

  The first lieutenant, as the _Rebiera_ was anchored not two cables'lengths from him, replied, "that as soon as he had shifted the prisonersand secured the gun-boat, he would be very glad;" so did three or fourmore of the officers, and then Jack begged as a favour that his oldfriend, Mr Gascoigne, might be permitted to go with him now, as he hadimportant packages to entrust to his care to England. The firstlieutenant was very willing, and Gascoigne and our hero jumped into theboat, and were once more in all the confidence of tried and deservedfriendship.

  "Jack, I've been thinking of it, and I've made up my mind," saidGascoigne. "I shall gain little or nothing by going home for mypromotion: I may as well stay here, and as I have served my time andpassed, my pay is now of little consequence. Will you take me withyou?"

  "It is exactly what I was thinking of, Ned. Do you think that CaptainSawbridge will consent?"

  "I do; he knows how I am circumstanced, and that my going home wasmerely because I was tired of looking after the _Aurora_."

  "We'll go together and ask him to-morrow," replied Jack.

  "At all events, you'll have a more gentlemanly companion than MrOxbelly."

  "But not so steady, Ned."

  The first lieutenant and officers came on board, and passed a merryevening. There's nothing passes time more agreeably away thanchampagne, and if you do not affront this regal wine by mixing him withany other, he never punishes you next morning.