Ben Burton: Born and Bred at Sea

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

  The brig was ours, but we were not to be allowed to carry her offwithout a struggle. There were certainly not less than twenty prows,each of them carrying from fifty to a hundred men; and though thefrigate's guns would have dispersed them like chaff before the wind, shewas too far off to render us any assistance. We had therefore to dependupon the guns of the brig for our defence. They had all been dischargedprobably by her former crew, who had struggled desperately in herdefence. Several of them lay about the deck, cut down when the piratesboarded. They appeared to be Dutchmen, with two or three natives. Oneof the mates and I, with a couple of men, were ordered down immediatelywe got on board to bring up shot and powder from the magazine. On ourway I looked into the cabin. There, a sight met my eyes which made meshudder. Close to the entrance lay on his back a tall, fine looking oldgentleman with silvery locks, while further in, two young women, theirskin somewhat dark, but very handsome, they seemed to me, and welldressed, lay clasped in each other's arms, perfectly dead. It seemed asif the same bullet had killed them both. We had no time, however, tomake further observations, but hurrying down we found that the magazinewas open. We immediately sent up a supply of powder, as well asround-shot, which were stowed not far off. We were hurrying on deckagain, when I thought I saw something glittering under the ladder. Itwas a man's eye. Repressing the impulse to cry out, I told Esse what Ihad seen. At the same moment we sprang down and seized the man, Essereceiving a severe cut as we did so. At the same instant a pistolbullet whistled by my ear. It was shot at the magazine, but happily itwas at too great a distance to allow the flash to ignite the powder.Fortunately my right hand was free, and drawing my dirk, I pinned ourantagonist through the throat to the deck. He still struggled, butanother blow from my companion silenced him for ever. I felt asensation come over me I had never before experienced, but it was not atime to give way to my feelings. Had I not discovered the man, weshould probably in a few minutes have all been blown into the air. Theprows were coming rapidly on.

  "If we had a breeze we should do well," observed our commanding officer,"but if not we shall have tough work to keep these fellows off." Ourguns were loaded and run out. "We must not throw a shot away," observedthe Lieutenant. He kept looking out in hopes of a breeze. The topsailshad been loosened, and all was ready for making sail. "Cut the cable,"he shouted at length.

  "Sheet home the topsails! Man the starboard braces! Up with the helm!"Our sails filled and the vessel's head slowly turned away from theshore, just as the nearest prow was a dozen fathoms from us. A coupleof shot threw her crew into confusion, and before they could grapple uswe glided by them, every instant gathering way. "Give the next thestem," shouted the Lieutenant. We did so, but we had scarcely wayenough to do the vessel much injury. The other prows were now gatheringthickly round us, and it was time for us to open on them with our guns.The enemy had no great guns, but the instant we began firing, theyreturned the compliment with matchlocks and javelins, which came flyingthickly on board. As we had to fight both sides at once, we had butlittle time to use our own small-arms. However, while the men wereworking the guns, Esse and I and another midshipman loaded the musketswith which the men fired while the guns were being sponged and loaded,we youngsters doing our part by firing the muskets which were not used.So rapidly did we work our guns, that many of the prows at a distancehesitated to approach us, while those which got near were quickly halfknocked to pieces. "Hurrah! There goes one of them down!" sung outKiddle, who was hauling in his gun. "And there's another! Andanother!" shouted others of the crew. The breeze was increasing. Againthe prows came on on both sides, but our guns were all loaded, and wegave them such a dose, few of our guns missing, that once more theydropped astern in confusion. The wind had now reached the frigate,which under all sail was standing towards us. When the pirates saw thisthey well knew that their chance of victory was gone, and the crews ofthe headmost ones, again firing their matchlocks and darting a few morespears at us, pulled round, and made off with all speed towards theshore. Luffing up, we brought our broadside to bear upon them, and gavethem a few parting shots, our crew giving a hearty cheer in token ofvictory. We were soon up to the frigate, when Captain Pemberton orderedus by signal to run back, and keep as close in shore as we could, inorder to watch the proceedings of the pirates. However, before long itagain fell a calm, and both the frigate and brig had to come to ananchor. Soon after, the Captain and several officers came on board thebrig to examine her, and to ascertain more particularly what she was,and who were the murdered persons on board. Among others was MrNoalles the pilot. No sooner did he enter the cabin than he startedback with a cry of horror.

  "What is the matter? Who are those?" asked the Captain, seeing theglance he cast at the dead man and the two ladies.

  "Little did I expect to see them thus," he answered. "They were myfriends, from whom I have often when at Batavia received greatattention. That old man was one of the principal merchants in theplace, and those poor girls were his daughters," and again I observedthe look of grief and horror with which Mr Noalles regarded them.There had apparently been two or three other passengers on board, butwhat had become of them, or the remainder of the crew, we could findnothing on board to tell us. The sight of those poor girls, cruellymurdered in their youth and beauty, was enough certainly to make thehardest heart on board bleed, and yet how much worse might have beentheir fate. A prize crew was put on board the brig, but of course thecabin was held sacred till the murdered people were committed to theirocean grave. At first it was proposed to bury them on shore, but astrong force would have been required had we landed, and as theirremains might afterwards have been disturbed, it was determined tocommit them to the deep. For this purpose the next morning the Captaincame on board the brig with most of the officers, the sailmaker havingin the meantime closely fastened up each form in several folds of stoutcanvas, with a heavy shot at the feet. As Mr Noalles informed theCaptain the deceased were Protestants, he used the burial service fromthe Church of England prayer book. The words, indeed, soundedpeculiarly solemn to our ears. All present probably had heard it overand over again when a shipmate had died from wounds in battle orsickness brought on in the service, but their deaths were all in theordinary way. These people had been cut off in a very different manner.I remember particularly those words, "In the midst of life we are indeath." They made an impression on me at the time, and more so fromwhat afterwards occurred. As they were uttered the old man's corpse wasallowed to glide off slowly into the calm ocean, into the depths ofwhich it shot down rapidly. The bodies of the poor girls were launchedone by one in the same manner, and I could not help jumping into therigging to watch them, as the two shrouded figures went down and down inthe clear water, till gradually they were lost to view. Most of us thenreturned on board the frigate. Such stores as the brig required weresent to her, as well as a prize crew, and she was then despatched toAmboyna to bring the frigate certain stores which it appeared sherequired. As our ship was supposed to be cruising in another direction,we remained on board, in the hopes of falling in with her. A lightbreeze towards evening enabled the brig to get under weigh three or fourdays after the circumstances I have just related. Esse, who drew verywell, made a sketch of her as she stood along the land, the rays of thesetting sun shedding a pink glow on her canvas, while the whole oceanwas lighted up with the same rosy hue. One side of the picture wasbounded by the horizon, the other by the yellow shores and the loftybroken tree-covered heights of the island. We remained at anchor,intending to sail in the morning, should there be sufficient wind toenable us to move. As the sun was sinking into the ocean, the sky andwater for a few seconds were lighted up with a glow of brightest orange,which faded away as the shades of night came stealing across the waterfrom the east. In a short time the stars overhead burst forth, andshone down upon us, their light reflected in the mirror-like expanse onwhich we floated. The heat was very great. Esse and Pember ha
d themiddle watch under the Third-Lieutenant of the ship (the second had goneaway in the prize). The heat making me unwilling to turn into myhammock, I continued to walk the deck with Esse. Sometimes we stoppedand leaned against a gun-carriage, talking, as midshipmen are apt totalk, of home, or future prospects, or of late occurrences.

  "That foreign-looking pilot aboard here is a strange fellow," observedEsse to me. "The people think him not quite right in his mind. Theysay he talks in his sleep, and did you observe his look when he caughtsight of the murdered people aboard the brig?" I did not, however,agree with Dicky's notions.

  "The man had been employed on board ships of war for many years, I amtold," I answered. "And if he was not a respectable character it is notlikely that they would take him."

  "As to that I have my doubts," answered Esse. "All they look to is toget a good pilot who knows the ugly navigation of these seas, and that,I suppose, at all events, he does. But see, who is that on the otherside of the deck?" As he spoke he pointed to a person who was standing,apparently looking out at some object far away across the sea.

  "Yes, that is he," I whispered. "I hope he did not hear us."

  "If he did it does not signify," said Esse. While we were looking athim, the man walked directly aft, and remained gazing, as he had donebefore, into the distance over the taffrail. The watch at length cameto an end. "I shall caulk it out on deck," said I. Esse agreed to dothe same. Indeed several of the crew were sleeping on deck--Kiddle andBrady among them. There also was Pember. Indeed it seemed surprisingthat anybody could manage to exist in the oven-like heat which prevailedin the lower part of the ship. "Sound slumber to you, Burton," saidEsse, and he and I before a minute passed were fast asleep. How long wehad slept I do not know, but I was awoke with the most terrific roar Ihad ever heard. I felt myself lifted right up into the air, and then,as it were, shoved off with tremendous violence from the deck on which Iwas lying, and plunged into the water. Down! Down! I sank. My earsseemed cracking with the continued roar. My breath was going. Thehorror of deep waters was upon me. Then suddenly I appeared to bebounding up again. I thought it was all a dream; I expected to findmyself in my hammock, or in my bed at Whithyford, and certainly notstruggling amidst the foaming waters in the Indian Seas.