CHAPTER XXI
When they woke it was to the regular heave and lurch of a sailing vesselin motion, and Jeremy, looking out the port, beheld the crisp, sparklingblue of open sea.
There were two suits of every-day clothes upon the cabin bench and intothese the boys climbed, impatient to get out on deck. The ship was thebig merchantman, _Indian Queen_, though Bob, used as he was to herappearance, would hardly have known her in her new guise. Long lines ofblack cannon grimly faced the open ports along either side. The rail hadbeen built up solidly to a height of about six feet, so that the maindeck was now a typical gun deck, open overhead. Her regular crew ofseasoned mariners was augmented by as many more longshoremen, all goodmen, picked for their courage and hand-to-hand fighting ability.
Job, who acted as second mate and was in full charge of the gun crews,took the boys proudly from one big carronade to another, explaining eachimprovement which his experience or ingenuity had devised. His chiefpride was the long nine-pounder in the bows. She was a swivel gun set onbearings so finely adjusted and well-greased that one man could aimher. Job patted her shiny brass rump lovingly as he looked across theblue swells ahead. He could hardly wait for the hour when he should seta match to her breach.
Clarke Curtis joined the group a few minutes later, and they wenttogether to the main cabin. Bob's father, Mr. Ghent, the Captain, andJob Howland settled themselves comfortably over long pipes and glassesof port, and prepared to hear the boys' story. Jeremy, bashful in suchfine company, was persuaded to recount his adventures from the time Jobhad gone over the side till the kidnapped Delaware boy had come aboard.Then Bob took up the tale and told with much spirit of the storm, thetrip up the Chesapeake and the subsequent pursuit of the _Francis_ offthe Capes. From this point on the two lads told the story together,eagerly interrupting each other to put in some incident forgotten forthe moment. When they came to the discovery of Pharaoh Daggs' chart, Jobsat up with a jerk. "I always thought he knew!" he exclaimed. "Jeremy,lad, could ye draw me a picture of what 'twas like?" The boy readilyconsented, and given a piece of paper, proceeded to set down, from hismemory of the outline and from the general measurements he had taken, avery fair copy of the original. The ex-buccaneer leaned over him as hedrew, and shook his head doubtfully as the work went on. "No," he saidwhen the boy had finished, "I can't recall such a bay just this minute.An' as there was nothin' on it to tell where it might be, I don't knowas there's anything for us to do. Like as not it's on some little islandas isn't set down, so 'twould be scant use to look over the ship'scharts. Still, I'll try it." A half-day of poring over the maps producedno result. There were bays large and small that resembled the one Jeremyhad drawn, but none closely enough to warrant the belief that it was thesame. "Well," remarked Job as he put away the charts, "Daggs'll neverlive to reach his bay. He'll swing on Charles Town Dock, an' I mistakenot." But in that saying at least the ex-pirate proved himself noprophet.
The light wind held and the _Indian Queen_ made reasonable speed downthe coast for nearly two days. Then, after drifting under short sail allnight, she made in with the dawn, past the small island which nearly acentury and a half later was to be the scene of a great war's beginning,crept up against the tide till noon and anchored off the thriving portof Charles Town. Mr. Curtis and Job went ashore in the cutter, as soonas all was snug aboard. On landing they went directly to the Governor'shouse.
Governor Johnson was at home and gladly welcomed the Delaware merchant,who was an old acquaintance of his. When they had been shown into alarge room where the official business of the colony was transacted, Mr.Curtis proceeded at once to the point of his visit. He learned that themessenger from Delaware had arrived and his plea for aid had been dulyconsidered. Johnson was troubled at having no better answer for hisfriend, but said that the treasury of the southern colony had not yetrecovered from the strain put upon it four years before at the time ofthe Indian massacres. He believed that he had no right at this time tospend the public funds in fitting out a fleet, unless it was to avengean injury done some member of the colony. His honest distress at beingunable to assist was so obvious that neither the merchant nor his chiefgunner felt like urging their claim for help.
Mr. Curtis told of the rescue of the two boys, much to the discomfort ofthe blushing Job, and they rose to take their departure, feeling no illwill toward the Governor for his inability to help them. As they startedto go out of the room, a loud insistent knock was heard. "Come in," saidJohnson, and immediately the door was opened to admit a short,well-built gentleman, very much flushed as to the face, and whose eyesfairly shot forth sparks. He was followed by two other men, dressed inrough clothes that seemed to have seen recent hard usage. The leaderadvanced with rapid steps. "Look'e here, Governor," he said, "thoseconfounded pirates are at us again. Here's two of my men----"
"Gently, Colonel Rhett," interrupted the Governor, his eyes twinkling."Allow me to introduce Mr. Clarke Curtis of Delaware and his friend, Mr.Howland. I believe your business and theirs will fall very easily intoone track. Pray be seated, gentlemen."
The Colonel shot a keen glance at these new acquaintances and, when thefour had taken chairs around the table, began again more calmly to tellhis story. A fishing smack, one of a half-dozen open boats belonging tohim, had been cruising along the coast to the eastward the week before,and when about forty miles west of Cape Fear had sighted a large blacksloop under great spread of sail, bearing down upon her. The two men inthe shallop put about and made for shore as fast as they could, usingoars and canvas alike, but when they were still half a mile out they sawthat the pursuing ship flew a black pirate flag. When, a few momentsafter, a round shot came dangerously close to their stern, they leapedover the side without more ado and succeeded in swimming ashore, glad tocome out of the adventure with whole skins. After a perilous journey ofmany leagues overland, they had just arrived in Charles Town andreported the affair to Rhett, their employer. "So you see," said theColonel in conclusion, "we're in for another siege of the kind we hadwith _Blackbeard_ unless we take some quick action on this."
Johnson sat thoughtful for a moment. "Let me put the matter up to youexactly as it now stands," he finally said. "There is a little money inthe treasury. But to buy and fit out properly three ships would drain usalmost as dry as we were in 1715. Would you have me do that, Rhett?" TheColonel shook his head. "No," he replied, "you must not." Then afterlooking at the floor for a moment he stood up with quick decision. "Seehere," he said, "we can get enough volunteers to do this whole businessor my name's not William Rhett." Mr. Curtis thrust out a big hand. "Myship _Indian Queen_, twenty-one guns, is in the harbor, ready for sea.She's at your service," he smiled. The Colonel gripped his handdelightedly. "Done," he cried, "and now let's see what other commanderswe can recruit. Will you give me a commission, Governor?" And receivingan affirmative reply, he led the way down to the docks.
Colonel Rhett was a well-known figure in Charles Town. He owned a largeplantation a few miles inland, and conducted a fish warehouse as well.Among tobacco growers, townsmen and sea-captains alike he was widelyacquainted and respected as much as any man in the colony. His courageand skill as a soldier were proverbial, for he had been a leader in thesuppression of the Indian uprising. Certainly no man in the Carolinaswas better fitted for the task which he had in hand. For two days he andhis friends from the _Queen_ fairly lived on the wharves, and beforesunset of the second he had secured the services of two sloops, the_Henry_, Captain John Masters, and the _Sea Nymph_, Captain Fayrer Hall.Neither ship was equipped for fighting, but by using cannon from thetown defences and borrowing some half-dozen pieces from theheavily-armed _Indian Queen_, a complement of eight guns for each sloopwas made up.
On September 15th the three ships, in war trim and carrying in theircombined crews nearly 200 men, crossed the Charles Town bar. Just beforethey sailed news had come in that the notorious pirate, Charles Vane,had passed to the south with a prize, and Rhett's first course was laidalong the coast in that direction. Two o
r three days of search in thecreeks and inlets failed to reveal any sign of the buccaneer, however,and much to the relief of the impatient Mr. Curtis, they put about forCape Fear on the eighteenth. The progress of the fleet up the coast wasslow. Constant rumors of pirates were received, and every hiding placeon the shore was examined as they went along.
Bob and Jeremy, wild with suppressed excitement, could hardly brook thisdelay, for, as they warned the officers of the expedition repeatedly,there was every reason to expect that Bonnet would leave the river soon,if he had not gone already. For this reason the _Indian Queen_ went onin advance of the others and patrolled the waters off the headland forfour days, until Rhett should come up.
On the evening of the twenty-sixth he made his appearance and as therewas still light they decided to enter the river-mouth. The tide was justpast flood. Rhett's flagship, the _Henry_, nosed in first over the barand was followed by the _Sea Nymph._ The great, deep-draughted _Queen_advanced to within a few lengths of the entrance, but the soundingsshowed that even there she had only a fathom or two to spare, and wouldcertainly come to grief if she adventured further. As it was, even thelighter sloops ran aground fifteen minutes later and were not launchedagain till nearly dawn. Captain Ghent had anchored the big ship as closein as he dared and she sat bow-on to the channel-mouth. Her two consortswere in plain sight a few hundred yards inside. Rhett came back duringthe night in a small boat and held a council of war with Curtis, Ghentand Job Howland. He reported that a party of pirates in longboats hadcome down river during the evening to reconnoitre, but had beat aretreat as soon as they had seen the _Henry's_ guns.
It was decided about half the crew of the _Queen_ should be added to theforce of men on the two sloops, while the big vessel herself was forcedto be content with standing guard off the entrance. This was a bitterblow not only to Mr. Curtis, but to Job and the boys, who had lookedforward to the battle with zest.
Bob and Jeremy had been ordered to bed about midnight, but they rosebefore light, in their excitement, and sunrise found them in the bowswith Job, watching the long point of sand behind which they knew thepirates lay. Preparations had been made aboard the _Henry_ and _SeaNymph_ for an immediate advance up the river. Hardly had the first slantbeams of sunlight struck upon Rhett's deck before the crew were lustilypulling at the main halyards and winding in the anchor chain.
But even before the two Carolina sloops were under way there was anexcited chorus of "Here he comes!" and above the dune at the bend of theriver, appeared the headsails of the _Royal James_. Bonnet had weighedhis chances and decided for a running fight. The pirate ship cleared thepoint, nearly a mile away, and came flying down, every inch of canvasdrawing in the stiff offshore breeze. It seemed for a moment as if shemight get safely past the Carolinians and out to sea, with the _Queen_as her only antagonist. Probably Bonnet had counted on theunexpectedness of his maneuver to accomplish this result. But if so, hehad left out of his reckoning the character of William Rhett. Thatgentleman hesitated not an instant, but headed upstream directly towardthe enemy. Fortunately, he had two good skippers in Masters and Hall,for the good Colonel himself knew little of sailing. Thanks to theselieutenants, the two attacking sloops were let off the wind at exactlythe right time, and filled away down the river close together off thepirate's starboard bow. Bonnet raced up abeam, firing broadsides as fastas his men could load, and his cannonade was answered in kind from the_Henry_. She and the _Sea Nymph_ began to veer over to port, forcing theblack sloop closer and closer to shore, but the buccaneer Captainrefused to take in an inch of sail. His course was all but justified.The speedy craft which he commanded gained on her foes hand over handtill, when only a few hundred yards from the narrow mouth of theestuary, she led them both by her own length.
From the deck of the _Queen_ Jeremy and Bob could pick out the big formof Herriot at the tiller. Just as the _Royal James_ passed into thelead, they saw him swing mightily on the long steering-beam while at thesame instant the main sheet was hauled in. It was prettily done. Thepirate went hard over to starboard, kicking up a wave of spray as sheslewed. She sprang away from under the bows of the _Henry_ with onlyinches to spare, for the bowsprit of Rhett's sloop tore the edge of hermainsail in passing. The fierce cheer that rose from the deck of theblack buccaneer was drowned in a jarring crash. She had eluded her foeonly to run, ten seconds later, upon a submerged sand bar. It was nowthe Carolinians' turn to cheer, though it soon appeared that they mightbetter have saved their breath for other purposes. The _Henry_, unableto check her speed, ran straight ahead, and hardly a minute after herenemy's mishap was hard aground twenty yards away. Both sloops laycareened to starboard, so that the whole deck of the _Henry_ offered afair target for Bonnet's musketry, while the _Royal James's_ port sidewas thrown up, a stout defence against the small-arm fire of Rhett'smen. Owing to the slant of their decks it was impossible to train thecannon of either ship.
The _Sea Nymph_, meanwhile, in an effort to cut off the course of thepirate, had put over straight for the channel mouth, and before shecould come about her bows also were fast in the sand, and she lay sterntoward the other two, but out of musket-shot, unable to take a hand inthe hot fight that followed. Had either the _Henry's_ crew or thebuccaneers been able to send a proper broadside from their position, itseems that they must surely have blown their foe out of water, though weneed, of course, to make allowance for the comparative feebleness oftheir ordnance in contrast to that of the present day.
The stranding of the three vessels had occupied so short a time that thelittle group of witnesses high up in the bow of the _Indian Queen_ hadnot yet exchanged a word. Clinging to the rail, open-mouthed, they hadseen the pirate make her bold dash across the bows of her pursuers, onlyto strike the bar in her instant of triumph, then following with thequickness of events in a dream, the grounding first of the _Henry_,afterwards of the _Nymph_.
Nor was there an appreciable pause in the spectacle, for the pirates,who had been shooting steadily during the race down river, wasted notime in trying to get off the bar, but raked their nearby adversaries'deck with a withering fire. Rhett's crew tumbled into the scuppers,where they were under the partial cover of the bulwark, but many werekilled, even before they could reach this shelter, and living and deadrolled down together, as in a ghastly comedy.