CHAPTER XII
The siege proceeded determinedly, and every day the blockade grewstricter, and the garrison was hemmed in more closely both by land andsea. No naval expedition had been organized against the little Britishsquadron that lay under the guns of the fortress, but it was scarcelythought probable that Admiral Barcelo, with his blockading fleet, whichstretched the length of the Straits, would not attack it. Admiral Duff,who commanded the little British squadron of five ships, only one ofwhich carried sixty guns, fully expected it, and made ready for it.Captain Curtis's ship, the _Enterprise_, of twenty-eight guns, beingshort of officers, Langton was formally assigned to her as soon as hewas fully recovered. This left Archy alone in their hut on Europa Point.He had ostensibly nothing to do; but there are few occasions on which akind heart, an active brain, and good legs and arms cannot find someuseful work, and he found it in many ways. The officers and men were sovigilant, night and day, at the guns, erecting new batteries, repairingold ones, shifting guns from a good position to a better, that theycould give but little attention to the women and children. There wasalways plenty for them to do, and Archy, who at home in America had beenaccustomed to being waited on every moment by black servants, now verycheerfully did for others what he had been used to having done for him.Whenever there was a distribution of supplies he was always on hand tohelp the weak, the sick, and the old with their precious burdens.
Every night before turning in Captain Curtis would show a light from hiscabin window, which meant to his anxious wife on the Rock that all waswell, and in reply a lantern would be flashed to him from the little huton Europa.
One night in the early part of June, 1780, Archy was walking back to thehut, after showing the light, when he saw Musa standing in the pathway.The night was dark and rainy, and a Levanter--that wind which bringscold and misery and illness--was blowing fiercely. Musa touched him onthe arm, and spoke in perfectly good English:
"Good-evening, Excellency."
"Good-evening, Musa. What are you doing up here this time of night?"
"I came to see his Excellency, Captain Curtis. I thought I could readthe lights on the ship, and that he was ashore, but he is on his ship. Iam going to him now."
"Is there to be a night attack?"
"How should I know, Excellency?" answered Musa, who could keep his owncounsel.
Archy went back to the hut, left the lantern, and said, cheerfully, toMrs. Curtis:
"I think I shall go down to the mole and ask Captain Curtis if I maystay aboard ship with Langton," which was a very usual thing for him todo.
Archy walked fast down the hill, for it was nearly nine o'clock, afterwhich no one was permitted to pass the sentries except by giving thecountersign. He reached the new mole just as the slight commotion ofrelieving the guard was heard. The _Enterprise_ was anchored no greatdistance from the mole, in advance of the other four small vessels ofthe squadron near by, and the last boat was just putting off. Langtonwas in it, and Musa also, and in response to Langton's cordialinvitation Archy jumped aboard.
Arrived at the ship, they found Captain Curtis taking a walk on thequarter-deck before turning in. Langton asked permission for Archy toremain on board all night, which Captain Curtis at once granted, andthen turned to speak to Musa, who evidently had something tocommunicate.
Archy followed Langton below, to a little cabin which had been givenhim, not on account of his rank, but because of the lack of the fullnumber of officers on the ship. As soon as they were alone, Archy said,significantly:
"I think that Arab fellow suspects an attack is to be made to-night."
"Very likely. If Captain Curtis had been Admiral Barcelo he would haveburned or scuttled us long ago."
"I shall sleep on the floor here, if you don't mind."
"Do you expect me to give you my bunk?"
"If I wanted it I'd throw you out, but as you are a little boy, and thegrandson of a lord, you may keep it."
"I wonder what our respected grandfather would say if he had to sleep ina hole like this?"
"He would say a whole dictionaryful, and smash everything he could layhis hands on besides."
"Pleasant old person, he must be."
"We will make a visit to Bellingham Castle together when the war isover--when we have walloped you, and when I am a post-captain in theAmerican navy, and you are still a midshipman in the steerage."
At which Langton, now quite as strong as Archy, kicked at him, and thetwo immediately engaged in a friendly and noiseless scuffle, for CaptainCurtis was a strict disciplinarian, and kept an orderly ship.
Just as Langton had succeeded in getting Archy down, and had planted hisknee firmly on that young gentleman's broad chest, the cabin dooraccidentally swung open, and there was Captain Curtis passing by. Bothyoung fellows jumped as if they were shot. Captain Curtis said nothing,but his look of inquiry was answered by Archy's saying:
"Mr. Langton and I were having a friendly tussle over--what was it,Lanky? Our grandfather, or the war?"
"The war," replied Langton, smiling.
"You may have a tussle of another sort to-night," said Captain Curtis,coolly. "There is a prospect of an attack on us before morning. If youwish to go ashore," he continued, turning to Archy, "I can send you inmy gig."
Now the idea of being on shore when anything was going on aboard shipwas harrowing to Archy, and he made haste to protest.
"I have no objections to your staying," said Captain Curtis. "I think anattempt will be made to burn the ship, and every able-bodied man who canhandle a bucket will be welcome. You will not, of course, be called uponto do any fighting, but you must provide yourself with a cutlass and abrace of pistols to defend yourself in case the Spaniards should boardus--for in the m?l?e they will not stop to inquire your nationality.Good-night," and Captain Curtis passed on.
Langton went out and called the master-at-arms, who produced a cutlassand a pair of navy pistols, and Archy, placing them under his pillow,rolled himself in a blanket on the floor and meant to go fast asleep.But he could not. The wind rose and the ship began to roll. Neithercould Langton sleep; so they spent the hours in talking in whispers,chiefly about their family concerns, and each anticipating, after thefashion of the young and hopeful, that their whole lives were to beordered exactly as they wished. Archy even predicted that Langton woulddistinguish himself so much that he would be offered a peerage, andthen his grandfather, in default of other heirs, would have him madeLord Bellingham, of Bellingham Castle. Langton, who was of a coolernature than Archy, laughed at this, but admitted that he would not mindbeing Lord Bellingham's heir, and would do the handsome thing by Archy,by his mother, his sisters--everybody.
Midnight came and went, and just as two bells were striking they heard ahail on the opposite side of the ship. The reply came back immediately:
"This is the _Hind_, provision-ship, from England."
"But that is no English voice that says so," were Langton's words toArchy as they both rose, and, taking their arms, stepped out into thegangway.
They heard the officer of the deck shout "Keep off!" and the next minuteevery crack and cranny of the ship was illuminated with an unearthly redlight. Langton rushed up on deck, followed by Archy.
Within half a cable's length of them was a fire-ship, with six othersfollowing in a compact semicircle. The decks were glowing redly with thecombustibles that were already lighted to throw aboard the_Enterprise_, and the few men who were to fire the ship were dashing theburning fuses at her; but they fell short, and dropped harmlessly in theblack water. Captain Curtis had already ordered the boats to be loweredaway, and this was done with the utmost steadiness and quickness. WhenLangton stepped into his boat, Archy involuntarily, and without askinghimself why he did so, followed him. No one ordered him back--in fact,no one thought of him. All were engrossed, as he was, in the terriblework before them of grappling and destroying the fire-ships, which thewind was driving on to the _Enterprise_ and her consorts. With a yell,the Spaniards on each of the fire-s
hips dropped into the boats they weretowing astern, and, taking to their oars, made off rapidly in thedarkness of the night.
Every ship in the British squadron was awake and alive then, and theirboats had taken the water. The _Enterprise_, though, being the farthestout, seemed to be the target for which all the fire-ships were aiming;and, borne by wind and tide, they were drifting frightfully fast uponher. Her boats, however, managed, in the most seaman-like manner, tointercept them, and grappled with them, while the combustibles on theirdecks were blazing, the flames were running up their rigging, and thetremendous explosions of powder crashed out and made the solid rock toshake. The boats, in danger of being swamped every moment, of beingblown skyward, and of being engulfed in fire, yet did their dutymanfully. Langton's boat, with another one, made fast to the foremostfire-ship, and the men, bending to their oars with a will, towed itblazing and exploding to the rocks, where it was run ashore, and theboat made off just as one last crash blew the burning hulk to pieces.
The garrison took the alarm, and a furious cannonade from a hundred gunsburst upon the night. The scene was awful beyond description. The veryRock itself seemed to blaze with light from its batteries, while the redglare from the burning vessels cast a vivid, unearthly brightness uponsea and shore and ships. In the midst of it, two large Spanish frigateswere seen to emerge from the darkness, as it were, into the circle offire, and steer straight for the little _Enterprise_. The batteries onshore instantly directed all their fire towards the two ships, and that,with the smart broadside from the ship, and the shells that weredropping everywhere, forced them to withdraw.
For two hours the fight with the fire-ships continued, but at the endof that time they were all driven ashore, and lay in wrecked andsmouldering masses on the rocks.
Archy scarcely remembered what part he had in the affair, except that hesat in the stern-sheets with Langton and helped to handle thegrappling-irons while the men pulled; but when it was all over, and,smoke-begrimed and weary, they clambered over the side of the ship,Captain Curtis met them, and, grasping Langton's hand, said:
"I never saw a boat better handled in my life--and you, Mr. Baskerville,did your part well."
That was praise enough for Langton and Archy.
It was nearly four o'clock before they were ready to turn in, and dawnwas beginning to appear. The town had been thoroughly alarmed, andcrowds ran down to the mole as soon as the danger was over.
Archy recognized Judkins's stalwart figure in the dim light as hetrotted down the hill, trundling the identical wheelbarrow which hadbeen Langton's coach on a former occasion. As soon as he reached theshore he began to fill his wheelbarrow with floating pieces of the wreckfor fire-wood, which was very scarce.
Judkins was a thrifty soul, and before anybody had time to draw a longbreath, after the dangers they had escaped, he was looking out for thecomfort of Mrs. Curtis and Dolly in the matter of fuel.
At four o'clock Langton had to take his watch, and, on going below a fewminutes beforehand, he found Archy snugly tucked in his berth andsleeping like a baby, after his night of excitement.
The failure of this attack apparently discouraged the Spaniards, and asthe summer progressed they seemed to rely more upon starving thegarrison out than upon a direct attack with their present means. Theytherefore confined themselves to a strict blockade by night and day, anddevoted all their energies to making new and tremendous fortificationson the isthmus, upon which they mounted great numbers of heavy guns,provided with vast magazines of ammunition. This last was veryinjudicious, as it turned out. General Eliot, observing all they did,purposely let them carry the work, during the summer and autumn, to acertain point, disturbing them little; but he had a deep andfar-reaching scheme in regard to this. He had determined upon a sortie,and on the evening of the 26th of November, after gun-fire and theclosing of the gates for the night, the orders were given. Everythinghad been arranged beforehand, but only two or three officers besidesGeneral Eliot knew of the plan, as the utmost secrecy was essential.
As most of the regular garrison was necessary to remain in charge of thefortress, the attacking body of two thousand men was made up largely ofthe sailors and marines from the squadron in the harbor. Captain Curtiswas to be in command of the left column, and Langton was one of theyoung officers to be under him.
The men for the sortie were to assemble without beat of the drum aboutthree o'clock in the morning, when the moon would be gone down; but theywere notified at nine o'clock the night before. There was no suspicionof anything unusual in the air until, at half-past nine o'clock thatnight, Captain Curtis and Langton were seen coming up the path towardsthe hut, and the little group assembled there knew in a moment thatsomething unlooked for had happened.
Mrs. Curtis and Archy were sitting within the rude shelter, whileoutside, in the full radiance of a brilliant moon that lighted theheavens with glory, sat Dolly, wrapped up in a huge old boat-cloak ofher father's, with Judkins by her. The two had been singing, and, asJudkins's bashfulness forbade him to sing in the presence of Mrs.Curtis, the two had retired, according to custom, to a nook in the rock,whence they could be heard but not seen.
"Now, Judkins," Dolly was saying, "we only have time to sing the eveninghymn before I must go to bed. I always think of papa on his ship when Ising it, and wish he were here to listen to it."
"True for you, Miss Dolly," answered Judkins, gravely. "It's 'opin' I amthat my honored cap'n may be with his little girl more than he isnow--when them bloody Spaniards leaves off tryin' to beat us off our ownground, and goes 'ome and minds their business as they ought to."
And then their voices rose in sweetness--Judkins's rich barytone andDolly's bird-like soprano; and they had two reverent hearers in CaptainCurtis and Langton, who stopped a little distance off and listened, withbared heads, to this sweet and simple hymn.
"Why, there's papa now--and Mr. Langton too!" screamed Dolly, and,according to custom, she flew towards her father and swung around him.
Mrs. Curtis forbore to ask any questions until Dolly was gone, after aspecially affectionate good-night from her father; and when she was outof the way, Captain Curtis said but one word:
"Sortie."
But that one word meant volumes. Archy had never ceased to admire andrespect the fortitude of the women in all the dreadful events that hehad seen of the siege, and he admired it more than ever when he observedthe calm courage with which Mrs. Curtis received this announcement.There was danger in the attempt--extreme danger; but instead of weaklybewailing it, and distressing Captain Curtis by her fears, Mrs. Curtisshowed a gentle self-control and a desire that Captain Curtis shouldhave an opportunity to serve his country still further which was noblyinspiring.
Their time was short, and in a few minutes Captain Curtis and Langtonwere on their way back. Archy and Judkins were with them. As they walkedalong Archy was considering anxiously how he could manage to go alongwith the attacking column and yet observe his character as a prisoner ofwar.
Besides his natural and indomitable love of adventure, life on the Rockwas a drearily monotonous business, and any break in it would have beeneagerly sought by a young man of less daring disposition than ArchyBaskerville. But--a non-combatant--he was turning over in his mind whatdevice he could hit upon on which to base his request, when Judkinsshowed him the way.
"If you please, sir," said Judkins to Captain Curtis, "maybe the likeso' me ought not to ax it, but there will be some poor wounded men lyin'in the trenches and ditches after this here sortie, and I'd be monstrousglad, sir, if you could let me go out, sir, in the rear, sir, along withthe men from the 'orspital, to help fetch them poor souls back, whenthey can't get back of themselves, sir."
"Very well," replied Captain Curtis, "I think you can be useful, and Iwill mention it to the Commander-in-Chief."
"And I, sir," said Archy, in a wheedling voice. "You'll hardly do it forJudkins and refuse me? I assure you, sir, I will not go one step beyondwhere I am ordered; and you see, sir, what a strong fellow
I am. Judkinsand I could manage a stretcher famously between us--couldn't we,Judkins?"
"Lord! yes, sir," was Judkins's answer, with a broad grin ofapprobation.
And so, at three o'clock of a dark morning, when the column moved out indeath-like silence, behind them marched the hospital corps, and withthat corps were Archy Baskerville and old Judkins.
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