CHAPTER FORTY SIX.
These are not foes With whom it would be safe to strive in honour. They will repay your magnanimity, Assassin-like, with secret stabs. ANON.
The strength of the monsoon had blown over, and Captain M---, inpursuance of his orders, beat across the Bay of Bengal, for the Straitsof Sumatra, where he expected to fall in with some of the enemy'sprivateers, who obtained their supplies of water in that direction.After cruising for six weeks without success, they fell in with an armedEnglish vessel, who informed them that she had been chased by a largepirate proa, and had narrowly escaped--acquainting Captain M--- with theislet from which she had sallied out in pursuit of them, and to whichshe had in all probability returned.
Captain M---, naturally anxious to scour the seas of these cruelmarauders, who showed no quarter to those who had the misfortune to fallinto their hands, determined to proceed in quest of this vessel, andafter a week's unsuccessful reconnoitre of the various islets whichcover the seas in that quarter, one morning discovered her from themast-head, on his weather beam, sailing and rowing down towards thefrigate, to ascertain whether she was a vessel that she might venture toattack.
The _Aspasia_ was disguised as much as possible, and the pirates wereinduced to approach within a distance of two miles, when, perceivingtheir mistake, they lowered their sails, and turning the head of theirvessel in the opposite direction, pulled away from the frigate, right inthe wind's eye. The breeze freshened, and all possible sail was crowdedon the _Aspasia_, to overtake them, and although, at the close of theday, they had not neared her much, the bright moon enabled them to keepthe vessel in view during the night. Early in the morning (the crewbeing probably exhausted from their incessant labour), she kept away forsome islets broad upon the _Aspasia's_ weather bow, and came to ananchor in a small cove between the rocks, which sheltered her from theguns of the frigate.
Captain M--- considered it his duty at all risks to destroy the proa;and, hoisting out the boats, he gave the command to hisfirst-lieutenant, with strict injunctions how to deal with suchtreacherous and ferocious enemies. The launch was under repair at thetime, and could not be employed; but the barge, pinnace, and two cutterswere considered fully adequate to the service. Courtenay was second incommand, in the pinnace; Seymour had charge of one cutter; and at hisown particular request, Prose was entrusted with the other.
"I do declare, I think that I should like to go," observed Prose, whenhe first heard that the vessel was to be cut out.
"Why, you ought, Prose," replied Seymour; "you have never been onservice yet."
"No--and you and I are the only two passed midshipmen in the ship."(Seymour and Prose had both passed their examination, when the _Aspasia_was at Bombay.) "I think that I have a right to one of the boats."
So thought the first-lieutenant, when he made his application, and heobtained the command accordingly.
The boats shoved off as soon as the men had swallowed their breakfasts,and in less than an hour were but a short distance from the proa, whichproved to be one of the largest size. A discharge of langrage from oneof the two long brass guns, mounted on her prow, flew amongst the boats,without taking effect. A second discharge was more destructive, threeof the men in the boat which Prose commanded being struck down bleedingunder the thwarts--the oars, which they had not relinquished their holdof when they fell, being thrown high up in air.
"Halloa! I say--All catching crabs together!" cried Prose.
"Caught something worse than a crab, sir," replied thecoxswain--"Wilson, are you much hurt?"
"The rascals have let daylight in, I'm afraid," answered the man,faintly.
"Well, I do declare I'd no idea the poor fellows were wounded.Coxswain, take one of the oars, and I'll steer the boat, or we shallnever get alongside. I say, Mr Jolly, can't you pull?"
"Yes, sir, upon a pinch," answered the marine whom he addressed, layinghis musket on the stern-sheets, and taking one of the unmanned oars.
"Well, there now, give way."
But the delay occasioned by this mishap had left the cutter far asternof the other boats, who, paying no attention to her, had pulledalongside, and boarded the vessel. The conflict was short, from thesuperior numbers of the English, and the little difficulty in getting onboard of a vessel with so low a gunwale. By the time that Prose camealongside in the cutter, the pirates were either killed or had beendriven below. Prose jumped on the gunwale, flourishing his cutlass--from the gunwale he sprung on the deck, which was not composed ofplanks, as in vessels in general, but of long bamboos, running fore andaft, and lashed together with rattans; and as Prose descended upon therounded surface, which happened where he alighted to be slippery withblood, his feet were thrown up, and he came down on the deck in asitting posture.
"Capital jump, Mr Prose," cried Courtenay; "but you have arrived toolate to shed your blood in your country's cause--very annoying, an'tit?"
"O Lord!--O Lord!--I do declare--oh--oh--oh!" roared Prose, attemptingto recover his feet, and then falling down again.
"Good heavens, what's the matter, Prose?" cried Seymour running to hisassistance.
"O Lord!--O Lord!--another--oh!"--again cried Prose making a half springfrom the deck, from which he was now raised by Seymour, who againinquired what was the matter; Prose could not speak--he pointed his handbehind him, and his head fell upon Seymour's shoulder.
"He's wounded, sir," observed one of the men who had joined Seymour,pointing to the blood, which ran from the trousers of Prose in a littlerivulet. "Be quick, Mr Seymour, and get on the gunwale, or they'llhave you too." The fact was, that the deck being composed of bamboos,as already described, one of the pirates below had passed his creesethrough the spaces between them into Prose's body, when he came down ondeck in a sitting posture, and had repeated the blow when he failed torecover his feet after the first wound.
One of the seamen who had not provided himself with shoes now received asevere wound; and after Prose had been handed into one of the boats, aconsultation was held as to the most eligible method of proceeding.
It was soon decided that it would be the extreme of folly to attack suchdesperate people below, where they would have a great advantage withtheir creeses over the cutlasses of the seamen; and as there appeared nochance of inducing them to come up, it was determined to cut the cables,and tow the vessel alongside of the frigate, who could sink her with abroadside.
The cables were cut, and a few men being left on board to guard thehatchways, the boats commenced towing out; but scarcely had they got wayon her when, to their astonishment, a thick smoke was followed by theflames bursting out in every direction, consuming all on board with arapidity that seemed incredible. From the deck, the fire mounted to therigging; thence to the masts and sails; and before the boats could bebacked astern to take them out, those who had been left were forced toleap into the sea to save themselves from the devouring element. Thepirates had themselves set fire to the vessel. Most of them remainedbelow, submitting to suffocation with sullen indifference. Some few, inthe agony of combustion; were perceived, through the smoke, to leapoverboard, and seek in preference a less painful death. The boats laidupon their oars, and witnessed the scene in silence and astonishment.
"Desperate and determined to the last," observed the first-lieutenant.
In a very few minutes the proa, whose fabric was of the slightestmaterials, filled, and went down. The last column of smoke, dividedfrom her by the water, ascended in the air as she sank down below, andnought remained but a few burnt fragments of bamboo, which lay floatingon the wave. A few seconds after the vessel had disappeared, one of thepirates rose to the surface.
"There is a man alive yet," observed Courtenay. "Let us save him if wecan."
The boat, by his directions, pulled a few strokes of the oars, andhaving rather too much way, shot ahead, so as to bring the man close tothe counter of the boat. Courtenay leaned over the gunwale to haul himin; the malignant wretch grasped him by the collar with his l
eft hand,and with his right darted his creese into Courtenay's breast; then, asif satisfied, with an air of mingled defiance and derision, immediatelysank under the bottom of the pinnace, and was seen no more.
"Ungrateful viper!" murmured Courtenay, as he fell into the arms of hismen.
The boats hastened back to the frigate; they had but few men hurt,except those mentioned in our narrative; but the wounds of Courtenay andof Prose were dangerous. The creeses of the pirates had been steeped inthe juice of the pine-apple, which, when fresh applied, is considered asa deadly poison. The Aspasia soon afterwards anchored in Madras Roads,and a removal to a more invigorating clime was pronounced essential tothe recovery of the two officers. Courtenay and Prose were invalided,and sent home in an East India-man, but it was many months before theywere in a state of convalescence. Captain M--- gave an acting order aslieutenant to Seymour, and when he joined the admiral, expressed himselfso warmly in his behalf that it was not superseded; and our hero nowwalked the quarter-deck as third-lieutenant of H.M. ship _Aspasia_.
If the reader is not by this time tired of India, I am. To narrate allthat occurred would far exceed the limits of this work. I shalltherefore confine myself to stating that, after three years, CaptainM--- quitted the country, having during his stay gained much inreputation, but lost more in constitution. When we return to thefrigate, she will be well advanced on her passage home.