CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
IN COMMAND OF DOLPHIN.--SENT TO WARN SHIPS.--CHASED.--CAPTURED BYCHERMENTE.--CARRIED TO SAINT DOMINGO.--FIND OLD FRIENDS IN MISFORTUNE.--ON OUR PAROLE.--TOM REMAINS WITH ME.
Pretty well worn out with fatigue, which the duties of the shipentailed, as soon as we had made all snug I turned into my berth, hopingto get some sleep. Scarcely, however, had I closed my eyes andforgotten for the moment all sublunary matters, than I felt some onetugging at my shoulder, and on looking up I saw a midshipman standing atmy bedside.
"Sir," said he, "the admiral wishes to see you up at the Pennimmediately."
"I wish he didn't, though," I thought to myself. "Couldn't he let apoor careworn wretch have a few hours' quiet sleep after knocking aboutfor so many weeks at sea, and having been in the clutches of YellowJack?" I didn't say this, though.
"Very well," I answered, jumping up and putting on my coat with a yawnwhich nearly gave me the lock-jaw. "I'll be up there forthwith."
The Penn, it must be understood, is the name given to the residenceusually occupied by the head commander-in-chief on the station. It isbeautifully situated on an elevated spot above the city of Kingston,overlooking the noble harbour of Port Royal.
Ordering a boat to be manned, I pulled on shore, and climbed up to thePenn.
"I'm glad to see you back, Hurry," said Sir Peter kindly. "I know yourzeal for the service, and I have more work for you. You know of the warwith France. I must send you off at once to sea in quest of thecruising ships to give them notice of the event, and to direct themforthwith to return into port. In the first place you will look out forthe `Druid' at the east end of the island, and give her notice of thewar, and then you will proceed to the Saint Domingo coast, where youwill find, probably, the greater number of merchantmen. How soon canyou be ready?"
Of course I replied, "At once," wondering what craft I was to go in.
"Very well," said Sir Peter; "I expected as much of you. You will takecommand of the `Dolphin' schooner. She is now in the harbour. I am notquite certain in what condition you will find her. However, there is noother disposable craft. Fit her for sea as fast as possible. Takethree or four hands with you; I cannot spare you more. Let your twofollowers you spoke to me about, be of the number. Here is an order bywhich you can obtain all the aid you require from the dockyard peopleand others. Good-bye; I hope to see you back shortly."
With these words I parted from the admiral. It was now three o'clock inthe morning. Hurrying on board the flag-ship, I got hold of Grampus andRockets with their bags, and accompanied by them and a couple of morehands and a boy, I called for my own traps and bedding on board theCamel, and then went alongside the Dolphin tender. She looked certainlyin a very hopeless condition. She had her lower-masts standing, but wasentirely unrigged, without stores or sails, or even ballast on board,while her bottom was covered with grass a foot at least in length.Still I knew that not a moment was to be lost; the service I wasrequired to perform was of the greatest importance, and I was not to bedeterred by difficulties. I unmoored her immediately, got her alongsidethe dockyard wharf, and began taking some ballast which I found there onboard before anyone was up. Then I sent Grampus to rouse up theauthorities, whose aid I required. Fortunately the sudden outbreak ofwar kept people on the alert, so that I had less difficulty in gettingassistance than would have otherwise been the case.
Soon after daybreak the deck of the Dolphin presented a scene ofant-like industry. Gangs of negroes were hurrying backwards andforwards with coils of rope and spars and sails; others were rollingdown kegs of water, and others casks of beef and pork and biscuit, andpackages of other comestibles, while the riggers were at work gettingthe rigging over the mast-heads, setting it up, bending on sails, and myown people were below, stowing away the various articles as they came onboard. I made a list of essentials, and took good care to see that theycame on board and were stowed where they were to be found, or verylikely I should have gone to sea without them. I saw to everythingmyself, or sent Grampus to ascertain that people were losing no time inexecuting my orders. I left nothing to chance. I met with no littlegrumbling from some of the slow-going officials.
"What a hurry you are in, sir!" said one or two of them, who dared not,however, openly disobey my authority.
"Yes, my friend," I answered, laughing, "that's natural to me; and justnow I am in as great a hurry as I ever was in my life; so be smart, ifyou please, and keep your people moving."
That is the way I managed. I did not swear or abuse them, but if Ifound anyone slow I pulled out the admiral's order and said that thework must be done faster.
"Impossible, sir!" answered another official to one of my demands; "itcannot be done. In two or three days we may get the matter settled foryou."
"Impossible! In two or three days do you say?" I exclaimed, lookingfixedly at him. "In two or three hours you mean. Impossible,--I don'tunderstand that word, nor does Sir Peter, depend on that. If the thingsare not on board in three hours I shall report you. I don't want to besevere, my friend, but I am in earnest."
The gentleman understood me, and within the time specified the storeswere on board.
In spite of all I could do, however, I could only get a mainsail,foresail, fore-staysail, and jib. I had no topsails and no square sail.Thus, should I be chased by an enemy, I should be, I felt, like a birdwith clipped wings, I should have very little chance of escaping. I gotsome of the weeds scraped off the vessel's bottom, but still there weremore than enough remaining. Such good speed did I make, that beforethree o'clock in the afternoon of that very day I was ready for sea, or,rather, I was in such a condition that I could put to sea, though theurgent necessity of the case alone warranted me in so doing.
"Well, sir," observed Grampus, with the familiarity of an old shipmate,"if we comes to meet with Harry Cane in our cruise, it's like enoughthat we shall be nowhere."
Just before we got under weigh, Captain Lambert, of his Majesty's shipNiger, came on board. He shrugged his shoulders when he saw thecondition I was in.
"The admiral ordered me to get to sea as fast as I could," I remarked;"I'm doing my best to obey him."
"That you are, Mr Hurry," he answered. "You've done very well--verywell indeed, I say. I wish you to keep a look-out for me off SaintDomingo, and bring me any information you may have picked up. I amunder orders to sail to-morrow morning to cruise off that island with myown ship, and with the `Bristol' and `Lowestoffe,' and I shall have mytender with me. You will know the squadron by one of the three shipshaving a poop, and from our being accompanied by a schooner. Now goodluck to you. I will not detain you."
"Thank you, sir," said I; "depend on it I will not disappoint you."
With a light breeze we stood out of the magnificent harbour of PortRoyal, leaving a fleet of merchantmen, which the news of the war withFrance prevented from putting to sea. I certainly was not given to bemuch influenced by outward circumstances, but I did not feel at all inmy usual spirits, and could not help fancying that some calamity wasgoing to occur to me. These sensations and ideas probably arose bothfrom my being overworked and from the unsatisfactory way in which myvessel was fitted out; added to this, I knew that the seas would beswarming with the enemy's privateers, both Americans and French, andthat I could neither fight nor run away. I considered over the lattercircumstance, and bethought me that, if I fell in with any enemy, Iwould, at all events, endeavour to escape by stratagem. My men would, Iknew, support me. Nol Grampus and Rockets I was sure I could trust, andthe others I had chosen because they were sharp clever fellows, and upto anything.
It was not till the 3rd of September that I weathered the east end ofthe island of Jamaica. I cruised off Morant Point for some time,keeping a very bright look-out for the Druid. She was nowhere to beseen. Sir Peter had directed me not to lose much time in looking forher. She might have chased an enemy for leagues away and not be back toher cruising ground for days. Perhaps she might have
taken some prizesand returned to Port Royal. As I began to lose all hope of seeing herbefore nightfall, the wind came fair for me to proceed through thewindward passage. I accordingly put up my helm, made all the sail Icould, and stood for the island of Heneago.
On the evening of the 6th I made Cape Tiberoon, on the west end of theisland of Saint Domingo, without having fallen in with any vessels, andabout eight o'clock the same evening I passed the Navasa, and carried afine breeze till the following morning, when I brought Donna Maria tobear east at the distance of two or three leagues. I had not liked thelook of the weather for some hours.
"What do you think of it?" said I to Grampus, as I saw the cloudsgathering thickly around us from all directions, while the sea assumed apeculiarly dark, leaden, ominous colour.
"Why, sir, Mr Hurry, do you see, to my mind, the wider berth we givethe land the better," he replied, giving his usual hitch to histrowsers. "There's what they calls in these parts a whirlwind or oldHarry Cane coming on, or my name is not Nol Grampus."
I was too much afraid that Nol was right, and accordingly stood off theland under all sail, keeping a look-out, however, on the signs of theweather, so as to take in our canvas in time before the gale came on. Ihad not, notwithstanding this, made good much more than a league when itfell a dead calm. The sails flapped idly against the masts, and thelittle vessel rolled from side to side, moved by the long, slow, heavingundulations which rolled in from the offing.
"I'm not quite certain that you are right, Grampus, as to the comingwhirlwind, but we will shorten sail, at all events," I observed.
"Beg pardon, Mr Hurry, sir; but just do you follow an old seaman'sadvice, and take all the canvas off her," he answered with earnestness."It's doing her no good just now, and we haven't another suit of sailsif we lose them. When the wind does come, it is on one before a man hastime to turn round and save the teeth being whisked out of his mouth.Come, my lads, be smart, and hand the canvas," he added, calling toRockets and the other men.
I was soon very glad that I was not above taking an old seaman's advice.Scarcely ten minutes had passed, during which time the calm had beenmore profound than ever, when, as suddenly as Grampus had foretold, thewhole ocean around us seemed covered with a sheet of seething foam, andthe whirlwind, in all the majesty of its strength, struck the vessel,pressing her down till her bulwarks touched the water, and I thought shewould have gone over altogether. I sprang to the helm and put it up,while Grampus hoisted the fore-staysail just a foot or so above thedeck. Even then the canvas was nearly blown out of the bolt-ropes; sofar she felt its power, however, and, her head spinning round as if shehad been a straw, away we drove before the hurricane. Where were wedriving to was the question. I anxiously consulted the chart. We werein that deep bay in the island of Saint Domingo, with Cape Donna Mariato the southward, and Cape Saint Nicholas to the north, and I saw that aslight variation in the course of the gale might hurl us on the coast,where the chance of our escaping with our lives would be small indeed.Happily the wind at present came out of the bay, or I believe myill-found little schooner would have gone to the bottom, as did many anoble ship about that time. The sea, even as it was, soon became lashedinto furious billows, which broke around us in masses of foam, whichwent flying away over the troubled surface of the ocean, covering us aswould a heavy fall of snow. Grampus and I stood at the helm, keepingthe little vessel as well as we could directly before the gale, but wetumbled about terrifically, and more than once I caught him castinganxious glances over his shoulder astern, as if he expected some of theseas, which came roaring up after us, to break over our decks.
"What do you think of it, Grampus?" said I.
"Why, Mr Hurry, sir, I don't like the look of things," he answered."If one of them seas was to fall aboard of us, it would wash every soulof us off the deck, and maybe send the craft in a moment to the bottom.Still, I don't see as how there is anything we can do more than we aredoing. If the schooner was to spring a leak just now, and that's notunlikely, we should be still worse off, so we may be content with thingsas they are."
I admired Nol's philosophy, though I kept an anxious look-out on thelarboard bow, dreading every instant to catch a sight of the shore, pastwhich I knew we should have a narrow shave, even should we be fortunateenough to escape being driven against it. The coolest man on board wasTom Rockets. He kept walking the deck with his hands in his pockets,ready enough, I saw, for action, but certainly not as if a fiercehurricane was raging around him. Now and then he had to pull out hishands to lay hold of the bulwarks as the craft gave a lively roll, orplunged down into the trough of a sea; but as soon as she grewcomparatively steady, he began walking away as before.
On we drove. The dreaded coast did not appear. Still I could scarcelyhope that we had passed it. The wind began to shift about at last.Grampus said that it was the termination of the hurricane. Still itmight play us a scurvy trick before it was over, and drive us on someinhospitable shore. I began now to look for further signs of the endingof the storm. It got round to the northward, and on we drove till wecaught sight of the coast. It was a most unwelcome sight, though, forshould the little craft once get within the power of the breakers, whichwere dashing furiously against it, I could not hope that a single man onboard would escape with his life. Even Tom Rockets began to think thatthe state of things was not so pleasant as it might be. I saw that hehad taken his hands out of his pockets, and was holding on with the restof the people. Away we drove--the threatening shore every minutegrowing more and more distinct.
"What prospect is there, think you, Grampus, of the hurricane coming toan end?" said I. For from want of anything else to be done I wasobliged to keep my tongue going.
"I thought as how it was going to break but just now, Mr Hurry," heanswered, casting his eye all round the horizon. "It seems,howsomedever, to have breezed up again, and if it don't shift beforelong, there's little chance of the schooner's living, or any of useither for that matter, many hours more."
"We must meet our fate, then, like men, and Christians too, I hope," Ianswered, looking at him. "We have done all that men can do, Ibelieve."
"Yes, sir, that we have," he replied. "We can do no more, and it isn'tthe first time Nol Grampus has had to look Death in the face, so I hopesthat I shall not shrink from him. Come he will, I know, some day,sooner or later; and it matters little, as far as I can see, if he comesto-day or to-morrow."
"Not if we put our trust in One who is able and willing to save oursouls alive," I observed. "That makes all the difference whether deathshould be feared or welcomed. It is not what we suffer in this worldthat we should dread, but what we may deserve to suffer in the next; inthe same way it is not what we enjoy here, but what we may be able toenjoy through all eternity, that we should long for."
"Very true, sir--very true, Mr Hurry," replied Grampus; "but the worstis, that we don't think of these things till just at such moments as thepresent, when the flood has done, and the tide of life is fast ebbingaway."
Thus we talked on for some time. I felt really with my old friend Nol,that though there we all stood in health and strength, we might soon beremoved to behold the glories of the eternal world.
Suddenly Nol looked up. Holding his hand to the wind, and casting hiseye on the compass--
"I thought so, sir," he exclaimed. "There's a shift of wind. It hasbacked round again into the eastward."
Such was providentially the case. I took the bearings of the land. Wemight now hope to drive on clear of it. The sea was, however, gettinghigher and higher, but the Dolphin proved to be as tight as a cork andas buoyant, and I began to get rid of all my dread of her foundering,provided her masts and rigging did not give way.
Considering the manner in which she was fitted out, however, I did notfeel quite easy on that score. Still nothing more could be done, so wehad, as best we could, to wait events. At length there was a lull. Iexpected that it would breeze up again.
"The gale has worn itself out
, to my mind, Mr Hurry," observed Grampus,after a careful survey of the sky and sea.
"I am sure I hope so," I answered; "I was getting somewhat tired of it,and so I suspect was the schooner. Sound the well, and see what watershe has made."
He sounded the well, and reported three feet.
"I thought so. Rig the pumps, and let us try and get her clear while wecan."
All hands pumped away with a will, and soon got her free of water, whenthe sea went, as it soon did, gradually down. It showed me that theleak had been caused by the way the little vessel had strained herself,and that probably, had she been exposed much longer to the fury of thehurricane, she would have foundered. By night the gale had sufficientlyabated to enable me to set a reefed foresail, and once more to haul upon my course. I made but little progress during the night and followingday. I was standing along the coast, towards the evening of the nextday, with the wind from the northward, when I discovered in-shore of mewhat I took to be the masts of a vessel just appearing out of the water.I conjectured that she had been sunk in the hurricane of the previousday, and on the possibility that some of the crew might still beclinging to her rigging, although I was on a lee-shore, I resolved tobear down on her. I pointed her out to Grampus, and asked his opinion.
"No doubt about it, sir," he answered. "There may be some danger to us,I'll allow, especially if it was to breeze up again, but where's the manworthy of the name who refuses to run some danger for the sake ofhelping his fellow-men in distress? To my mind, sir, let us do what'sright, and never mind the consequences."
I've often since thought of the excellence of some of old Grampus'remarks.
"Up with the helm, then! Ease away the main and head sheets!" I sangout. "We'll run down and have a look at the wreck."
I kept my glass anxiously turned towards the object I had discovered, inthe hopes of seeing some people clinging on to the rigging. As we drewnear, I found that only a single mast appeared above water, as well asher bowsprit, and that she had all her canvas set. Not a human beingcould be seen in any part of the rigging. I got close up to her. Shewas a sloop of about seventy tons. She had evidently been caughttotally unprepared by the hurricane, and every soul on board had beenhurried into eternity. Finding that there would be no use in waitinglonger near the spot, for there was not the slightest probability thatanyone was floating on any part of the wreck in the neighbourhood, Iagain hauled my wind, and stood to the northward. At ten o'clock atnight a fresh gale sprang up, which compelled me once more to bring-tounder a reefed foresail. I am thus particular in narrating details ofevents which led to a most disastrous result. Truly we cannot tell whata day may bring forth. I had fallen in with no merchantmen, which wouldhave been a most suspicious circumstance, had I not supposed that theymight have been lost in the hurricane, or run into port for shelter,otherwise I should have supposed that they had fallen into the power ofthe cruisers of the enemy. On the 8th I passed Cape Nichola Mole, andon the 9th made the island of Heneago, bearing nor'-nor'-east, fourleagues. At eight o'clock in the evening I tacked, and stood off-shore,with a fine breeze, with the intention of passing in the morning betweenHeneago and the little Corcases, for the purpose of speaking hisMajesty's frigate Aeolus, stationed in that passage, and bearing her theinformation that the war had broken out. At five o'clock of the morningof the 10th, the wind shifting round to the eastward, I tacked, andstood to the northward, through the Corcases. At daybreak Tom Rocketswas sent aloft to keep a look-out for any sail which might be in sight.Soon afterwards he hailed the deck to say that he made out two sail onthe lee bow, just appearing above the horizon. I went aloft with myglass and soon discovered four altogether, one much smaller than theothers. She was a schooner, the other three were ships. I had littledoubt that it was a squadron, composed of the Bristol, Lowestoffe, andNiger, with her tender, which were to sail the day after me, and which Iexpected to fall in with in this neighbourhood. They were still toofar-off to make out exactly what they were. I came down, however, withmy mind perfectly at ease, and went to breakfast. Grampus, who hadcharge of the deck while I was below, watched them narrowly, and did notdiffer with me as to their character. I therefore stood towards them,as I was anxious to communicate with them without delay. My ordersdirected me to speak all cruisers, and besides, as it may be supposed, Iwas eager to get the duty I had been sent on accomplished, and to returnagain to Port Royal.
When I came on deck again, I found that we had drawn considerably nearerthe strangers. I scrutinised them again and again. One of them had ahigh poop, and I remembered Captain Lambert's remark to me the day Isailed, that this was one of the marks by which I should know hissquadron. I thus stood on boldly towards them. As we drew nearer, Isaw Grampus eyeing them narrowly. The expression of his countenanceshowed me that he had considerable doubt on his mind as to their truecharacter. We had now got within three miles of them.
"What do you think of them, Grampus?" said I, as I took the glass whichI had just before handed to him.
"I don't like their looks, sir," he answered. "That headmost frigate isEnglish--so I take it from the look of her hull and the cut of hercanvas--but the others I can't make out by no manner of means. I don'tthink the `Bristol' or the `Lowestoffe' are among them."
I had come to the same conclusion that Grampus had; but I wished toconfirm my own opinion by his. We stood on for five minutes longer. Mysuspicions of the character of the strangers increased.
"We are running into the lion's jaws, I suspect!" I exclaimed; whereatGrampus and Rockets opened their eyes to know what I meant. "Hoist ourcolours, and let us learn what they are without further delay."
Scarcely had we run our ensign up to the peak than up went the Frenchflag at that of the headmost frigate which at the same time fired awarning gun at us.
"Up with the helm! Ease off the main-sheets! Keep her away!" Iexclaimed.
The orders were quickly obeyed, and away we flew with a strong breezedirectly before the wind. I had two very good reasons for endeavouringto escape by keeping before the wind. In the first place, afore-and-aft vessel has generally a great advantage over a square-riggedship on that point of sailing, and I might otherwise have drawn theenemy's squadron towards the station of the Aeolus. As she was so muchinferior in strength to it, she would easily have fallen into theirpower, especially as, not being aware that war had broken out, she wouldhave been taken by surprise.
As soon as I put up my helm and kept away, the headmost of the strangerscrowded all sail in chase, making signals to the rest of the squadron tofollow her--undoubtedly not to allow me any prospect of escaping. Shefired two or three shot, but she was still too far-off to hit me. Allthe other vessels hoisted French colours, and any lingering hope I mighthave retained, that after all I might have been mistaken, and that thestrangers were English, now vanished. Still my principle has alwaysbeen never to give in while life remains, and so I resolved to hold ontill I got completely under the enemy's guns, and then, when I foundthat there was a strong probability of my being sunk, to haul down mycolours, but not till then. I had heard of a small vessel escaping evenfrom under the very guns of a big enemy, and I intended not to throwsuch a chance away. I called my crew aft.
"My men," said I, "I won't ask you to stick to me to the last, because Iknow you will. Those ships astern are enemies: we'll do our best toescape from them, and if we are taken and the chance is given us, we'llendeavour to heave our captors into the water, and to re-take theschooner, won't we?"
"Yes, sir, that we will," answered Grampus. "I speak for the rest,because I know their minds, and you are just the man to do the thing ifit is to be done."
I told the people that I was gratified at the good opinion they hadformed of me, and sent them back to their stations. I did not like thelook of things. The chances of escaping were very small, and theprospects of a French prison in the climate of the West Indies wasanything but pleasant.
The breeze freshened, and we went tearing a
way through the smooth bluesea, sending up the white sparkling foam on either side of our bows, andleaving a long line of white astern; but I now sadly felt the want of asquare-sail and topsails. Had I possessed them to set, I fancied that Icould easily have kept ahead of my pursuers. My glass was seldom offthem, while I also kept it sweeping round ahead in the hopes, thoughthey were not very sanguine, of discovering the British squadron, forwhich I had at first mistaken the enemy. On we flew, but the sharp lineof the horizon on every side was unbroken by the slightest dot or linewhich might indicate an approaching sail. I watched the enemy. It wassoon too evident that they were coming up with us at a speed which sadlylessened our prospects of escape. Still we kept beyond the range oftheir guns. Unless, however, fortune changed in our favour, this couldnot long be the case. Gradually I saw the chance of getting awaydiminishing, and the conviction forced itself on me that we should allbe soon prisoners of war. I called Grampus to me; he was of the sameopinion.
"Well, then," said I with a sigh, "our first duty is to destroy all theletters and despatches with which I have been entrusted. Bring them upat once."
Grampus dived below, and returned with the despatches delivered to me bySir Peter Parker, as well as with some thirty or forty letters from themerchants of Jamaica, addressed to the masters of their privateerscruising off the island, with none of which I had hitherto fallen in. Itied the whole of the documents up in a piece of canvas, with a shot init ready to heave overboard when the last ray of hope had disappeared.I stamped with rage as I saw my enemies overtaking me; I could not helpit. My men, too, eyed them as if they felt that if they had been onboard a ship in any way able to cope with such opponents, they wouldspeedily have given a good account of them. I scarcely knew what towish for. A tornado was the only thing just then likely to serve me.It might have sent the schooner to the bottom, but if she weathered it,I hoped that I had a chance of escaping from the big ships, which werevery likely to be widely scattered before it.
The sky, however, gave no indication of any change of the sort. Grampusand Tom I saw pulling very long faces at each other, as much as to say,"It's all up with us." They were too right. On came the headmost shipwith the Dolphin hand over hand, the flag of France flaunting proudly ather peak. A shot from one of her bow guns was a significant notice tome to heave-to. I did so with a very bad grace, and as I put down myhelm, I could not help wishing that France and all Frenchmen were sweptaway into the ocean.
"They always have been, and always will be, an unmitigated nuisance toold England!" I exclaimed, as I took a turn on the deck, while mylittle craft lay bobbing away slowly at our big opponent, which, havingalso hove-to, was lowering a boat to board us. Then I took up thebundle of letters and hove them overboard, when down they sank, probablyto find a tomb in the stomach of some hungry shark.
"At all events, Messieurs Crapauds, you will not be much the wiser forwhat is in them," I exclaimed with a feeling of no little bitterness.
If I did not feel inclined exactly to cut my own throat, I certainly hada very strong wish to knock the fellows on the head whom I saw pullingtowards me. It did not take me many minutes to pack up my own wardrobe.My people, as is usual, put on all the clothes they possessed, one overthe other, and then we all stood ready to receive our most unwelcomevisitors.
Their boat was soon alongside, and a well-dressed, gentlemanly-lookingofficer jumped on board, and announced to me in English that I was aprize to the French frigate Chermente of thirty-two guns, CaptainMcNamara, an Irishman in the French service.
"It is the fortune of war," he observed. "You did your best to escapeus when you found out that we were not your friends. You and yourpeople will come on board my ship; the schooner may be useful to us."
I could only bow to this polite speech, and say that I was ready toattend him on board his ship. The French seamen, however, did not seeminclined to treat us with much ceremony, and several who came on boardrummaged about in every direction to pick up whatever they could find.
With a heavy heart I left the Dolphin, and was soon transferred to thedeck of the French frigate. The squadron to which I had become a prizeconsisted of the Dedaigneuse and Chermente, both of thirty-two guns, theActive of twenty-eight, and the Providence privateer, which with theActive they had taken the day before. I cannot say much for thediscipline of the French frigate; for it appeared to me that the crewwere very much inclined to be insubordinate, in consequence of which theofficers had to exercise a considerable amount of severity in keepingthem under necessary discipline.
It was a bitter pill I was compelled to swallow. For ten long years Ihad been serving my country incessantly as midshipman and master's mate,and now at the very moment when I felt sure that I was about to emergefrom the subordinate rank of a petty officer, and to obtain mycommission as a lieutenant, no longer to be subject to the midnightcalls of quartermasters and the unnumbered snubs which patientmidshipmen from their superiors take, I found all my hopes of mypromotion dashed to the ground, and myself an unhappy prisoner of war.
I had, however, plenty of companions to share my misfortune; on boardthe two French frigates were most of the officers and crew of theActive, as well as of the privateer. Scarcely had I stepped on boardthan who should I see walking the deck in melancholy mood but my oldfriend and messmate Delisle, and by his side was Paddy O'Driscoll. Howchanged had soon become the light-hearted, jovial midshipman! Thefeeling of captivity was weighing heavily on his spirits. Indeed, whatis there more galling to an officer than to see the ship to which helately belonged in the hands of his enemies, and himself compelled tosubmit to any commands they may choose to issue? They both, as theyturned in their walk, started at seeing me; for of course they did notknow that I was on board the vessel just captured. They came forwardand shook hands warmly.
"I cannot welcome you on board this craft, my dear Hurry," said Delisle,"though under other circumstances I should have been truly glad to fallin with you."
"Bad luck to the day when we fell into the power of the Frenchmen!"exclaimed O'Driscoll. "And to think that an Irishman, or the son of anIrishman maybe, should be their captain makes matters worse. I'mashamed of my countryman, that I am, except that to be sure he hasbehaved like a gentleman to us since we came on board, and so have allhis officers."
"What more could we expect?" said I. "He did but his duty in capturingus: perhaps before long the tables may be turned, you know. There's alarger squadron of our ships not far-off, and I don't give up all hopesthat these ships may fall in with them."
My two friends pricked up their ears at what I told them, though Imyself was very far from sanguine about the two squadrons meeting.Should they meet I had no doubt which would prove victorious. We ofcourse did not express our hopes to our captors, but we kept a constantlook-out for the British squadron. Not a sail, however, appeared, ourhopes of obtaining our freedom grew less and less, and on the 11th ofthe month sunk to zero when we entered the harbour of Cape Francois. Wefound there the French frigate Concorde and the late British frigateMinerva which she had captured. There were also several sail of FrenchSaint Domingo ships. In my hurry and annoyance on quitting the DolphinI discovered that I had left behind me my chest of clothes. They werenot of any great value, though, as I much wanted them, they were so tome. I therefore requested Captain McNamara to send for them. He atonce politely complied with my wish, but the midshipman he sent soonreturned with the unpleasant information that the chest was in thecabin, but was empty. It appeared that after the Chermente's boat hadleft the Dolphin, the people of the Dedaigneuse had boarded her, andplundered her of everything of value. When Captain McNamara heard ofthis, he instantly sent on board that ship, and endeavoured to recovermy property; but all his trouble was in vain. The French seamen werefar too knowing to give up anything they had once got possession of, andafter a good deal of trouble I was finally compelled to be content withmy loss, as I saw that there was no probability of recovering myproperty.
On
the 14th my brother-officers lately belonging to the Active and Iwere politely informed that we were to be conducted on shore to give ourparole that we would not attempt to make our escape. After a shortconsultation, we all agreed that, although to get away from the lion'sjaws into which we had fallen was not altogether impossible, it was veryunlikely that we should succeed, and that by not giving our parole weshould be subject to a vast deal of annoyance, it was wiser at once togive it, and to wait patiently till we were exchanged. Constantconfinement in a prison in the West Indies, or on board a guard-ship inharbour, it was suggested was very likely to release us; but it would beinto another world, to which we had just then no inclination to go if wecould help it. We were received on shore by a guard of ill-favouredblacks--"regular blackguards," as O'Driscoll observed--between whom wewere conducted to the residence of his Excellency Governor D'Argu. Wewere kept waiting for some time in a balcony which ran round the house,subject to the inspection and remarks of a number of black and brownurchins, who made us feel some of the bitters of captivity by jeeringand pointing at us, while we had not even the power to drive them away.At length an officer came into the balcony and asked us into a largeroom, furnished only with mats, a few chairs, and some marble tables, onwhich stood some red earthenware jars, full of water, and some decantersof claret, looking very cool and pleasant. The great man was seated ata table at one end of the room. He received us, I thought, at firstvery grumpily. He did not understand English, but I recognised thepolite officer who had boarded the Dolphin when I was captured, and whoappeared to be there in the capacity of an interpreter. The governorenquired our respective ranks. I fully expected to be classed among themidshipmen, and to receive my pay and treatment accordingly; but Ifortunately had in my pocket the appointment given me by Sir PeterParker as acting-lieutenant of the Camel. I bethought me of exhibitingit, and, much to my satisfaction, it was acknowledged, and I was toldthat I should be treated in all respects as a lieutenant, especially asI had been in command of a vessel when captured. I was surprised indeedto find a considerable sense of justice in all the proceedings of ourcaptors at this time. Perhaps the bitter feeling they afterwardsentertained for the English, when they had sustained numberless defeats,had not then sprung up. My friend, the second captain of the Chermente,having explained to us the alternative to which we should be subject ifwe refused to pledge our words of honour, told us that we should be atliberty to go on shore whenever we liked, and to walk about within adistance of a mile from the shore. Some of us complained of thenarrowness of the circle to which we were confined. The governor lookedquietly up, and remarked that we might consider ourselves fortunate thatit was no narrower. The observation was interpreted for our benefit,and no further remark was made on the subject. We all went through theceremony required of us, and then, without loss of time, were once moremarched down to the boats and conveyed on board the Chermente, where allthe rest of the prisoners were collected. Most of the men were sentaway in a cartel. Nol Grampus parted from me with great reluctance, butwhen Tom Rockets was told he must go, he turned round towards me andexclaimed--
"Mr Hurry, sir, do you want to part with me? I've sailed with yousince I was a boy, and, come foul weather or fair, if I have my willI'll follow you still. Just tell these mounseers that you want aservant to tend on you, and that you can't do without me, and then maybethey'll let me stay."
I tried to persuade Tom that it would be better for him to go away, butall I could say would not turn him from his purpose, and so I made hiswishes known to the governor. To my surprise, he was allowed to remainin the capacity of my servant, on my pledging my word that he would notattempt to escape. I afterwards found that a considerable number ofseamen were detained by the French, to be exchanged afterwards when moreFrenchmen were taken prisoners. On the outbreak of the war on thisstation, at all events, the French had, I believe, the advantage in thatrespect. Afterwards, however, it was all the other way, and we Englishhad more prisoners than we could well look after.
We spent a week on board the Chermente while, I suppose, our captorswere considering what was to be done with us. Now I must say that,though I have no love for the French, or French manners or customs orideas, still I should be very ungrateful if I did not acknowledge thekindness and attention we all received from Captain McNamara and hisofficers. O'Driscoll said it all arose from his father being anIrishman. However, as his officers were not Irishmen, I am inclined tobelieve that a portion of the nation are capable of great courtesy andkindness, and I am not at all disposed to utter a sweeping condemnationagainst them, like an old master in the service whom I once knew. Myworthy messmate was taken prisoner and kept in France some eight or tenyears or more. When at last he was released, and an officer was wantedfor some special purpose who spoke French well, he was applied to, itbeing supposed that by that time he would have acquired a perfectknowledge of the language. "What!" he exclaimed, with an indignantexpression, "do you suppose that I would so far forget what was due tomy nation and my profession as to go and learn the humbugging uglylanguage of the enemies of my country? No, indeed, I did my best not tolearn a word, and I am proud to say that I know as little of French nowas when I was first taken prisoner." Though I may have laughed at myworthy friend's want of worldly wisdom, I could never help admiring hissturdy, uncompromising patriotism.