From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure Read online

  CHAPTER THREE.

  BILL DOES GOOD SERVICE.

  The _Foxhound_ appeared indeed to be in a perilous position. The waterwashed higher and higher over the deck. "We are going down! we aregoing down!" again cried Tom, wringing his hands.

  "Not if we can help it," said Jack. "We must get the ports closed, andstop the water from coming in."

  "It's no use crying out till we are hurt. We can die but once," saidBill. "Cheer up, Tom; if we do go to the bottom, it's where many havegone before;" though Bill did not really think that the ship wassinking. Perhaps, had he done so, he would not have been so cool as henow appeared.

  "That's a very poor consolation," answered Tom to his last remark. "Oh,dear! oh, dear! I wish that I had stayed on shore."

  Though there was some confusion among the landsmen, a few of whom beganto look very white, if they did not actually wring their hands and cryout, the crews of the guns remained at their stations, and hauled awaylustily at the tackles to run them in. The captain, though on thequarter-deck, was fully aware of the danger. There was no time toshorten sail.

  "Port the helm!" he shouted; "hard a-port, square away the yards;" andin a few seconds the ship, put before the wind, rose to an even keel,the water, in a wave, rushing across the deck, some escaping through theopposite ports, though a considerable portion made its way below.

  The starboard ports were now speedily closed, when once more the shiphauled up in chase.

  The _Foxhound_, sailing well, soon got up again with the _Menager_, andonce more opened her fire, receiving that of the enemy in return.

  The port of Ferrol could now be distinguished about six miles off, andit was thought probable that some Spanish men-of-war lying there mightcome out to the assistance of their friends. It was important to makethe chase a prize before that should happen.

  For some minutes Captain Waring reserved his fire, having set all thesail the _Foxhound_ could carry.

  "Don't fire a shot till I tell you," he shouted to his men.

  The crews of the starboard guns stood ready for the order to dischargethe whole broadside into the enemy. Captain Waring was on the point ofissuing it, the word "Fire" was on his lips, when down came theFrenchman's flag, and instead of the thunder of their guns the Britishseamen uttered three joyful cheers.

  The _Foxhound_ was hove-to to windward of the prize, while three of theboats were lowered and pulled towards her. The third lieutenant of the_Foxhound_ was sent in command, and the _Menager's_ boats being alsolowered, her officers and crew were transferred as fast as possible onboard their captor.

  As the _Menager_ was a large ship, she required a good many people toman her, thus leaving the _Foxhound_ with a greatly diminished crew.

  It took upwards of an hour before the prisoners with their bags andother personal property were removed to the _Foxhound_. Captain Waringand Lieutenant Saltwell turned their eyes pretty often towards theharbour. No ships were seen coming out of it. The English frigate andher two prizes consequently steered in the direction the other vesselshad gone, the captain hoping to pick up one or more of them during thefollowing morning. Her diminished crew had enough to do in attending totheir proper duties, and in looking after the prisoners.

  The commanders of the two ships were received by the captain in hiscabin, while the gun-room officers invited those of similar rank to messwith them, the men taking care of the French and American crews. TheBritish seamen treated them rather as guests than prisoners, being readyto attend to their wants and to do them any service in their power.Their manner towards the Frenchmen showed the compassion they felt,mixed perhaps with a certain amount of contempt. They seemed toconsider them indeed somewhat like big babes, and several might havebeen seen feeding the wounded and nursing them with tender care.

  During the night neither the watch below nor any of the officers turnedin, the greater number remaining on deck in the hopes that they mightcatch sight of one of the ships which had hitherto escaped them.

  Note: This action and the subsequent events are described exactly asthey occurred.

  The American commander, Captain Gregory, sat in the cabin, lookingsomewhat sulky, presenting a great contrast to the behaviour of theFrenchman, Monsieur Saint Julien, who, being able to speak a littleEnglish, allowed his tongue to wag without cessation, laughing andjoking, and trying to raise a smile on the countenance of his brothercaptive, the American skipper.

  "Why! my friend, it is de fortune of war. Why you so sad?" exclaimedthe volatile Frenchman. "Another day we take two English ship, and thenmake all right. Have you never been in England? Fine country, but notequal to `la belle France;' too much fog and rain dere."

  "I don't care for the rain, or the fog, Monsieur; but I don't fancylosing my ship, when we five ought to have taken the Englishman,"replied the American.

  "Ah! it was bad fortune, to be sure," observed Monsieur Saint Julien."Better luck next time, as you say; but what we cannot cure, dat we mustendure; is not dat your proverb? Cheer up! cheer up! my friend."

  Nothing, however, the light-hearted Frenchman could say had the effectof raising the American's spirits.

  A handsome supper was placed on the table, to which Monsieur SaintJulien did ample justice, but Captain Gregory touched scarcely anything.At an early hour he excused himself, and retired to a berth whichCaptain Waring had courteously appropriated to his use.

  During the night the wind shifted more to the westward, and then roundto the south-west, blowing pretty strong. When morning broke, thelook-outs discovered two sail to the south-east, which it was evidentwere some of the squadron that had escaped on the previous evening.They were, however, standing in towards the land.

  Captain Waring, after consultation with his first lieutenant and master,determined to let them escape. He had already three hundred and fortyprisoners on board, while his own crew amounted to only one hundred andninety. Should he take another prize, he would have still further todiminish the number of the ship's company, while that of the prisonerswould be greatly increased. The French and American captains had comeon deck, and were standing apart, watching the distant vessels.

  "I hope these Englishmen will take one of those fellows," observedCaptain Gregory to Monsieur Saint Julien.

  "Why so, my friend?" asked the latter.

  "They deserve it, in the first place, and then it would be a questionwho gets command of this ship. We are pretty strong already, and ifyour people would prove staunch, we might turn the tables on ourcaptors," said the American.

  "Comment!" exclaimed Captain Saint Julien, starting back. "You forgetdat we did pledge our honour to behave peaceably, and not to interferewith the discipline of the ship. French officers are not accustomed tobreak their parole. You insult me by making the proposal, and I hopedat you are not in earnest."

  "Oh, no, my friend, I was only joking," answered the American skipper,perceiving that he had gone too far.

  Officers of the U.S. Navy, we may here remark, have as high a sense ofhonour as any English or French officer, but this ship was only aprivateer, with a scratch crew, some of them renegade Englishmen, andthe Captain was on a level with the lot.

  The Frenchman looked at him sternly. "I will be no party to such aproceeding," he observed.

  "Oh, of course not, of course not, my friend," said Captain Gregory,walking aside.

  It being finally decided to allow the other French vessels to escape,the _Foxhound's_ yards were squared away, and a course shaped forPlymouth, with the two prizes in company.

  Soon after noon the wind fell, and the ships made but little progress.The British crew had but a short time to sleep or rest, it beingnecessary to keep a number of men under arms to watch the prisoners.

  The Frenchmen were placed on the lower deck, where they sat down bythemselves; but the Americans mixed more freely with the English. Asevening approached, however, they also drew off and congregatedtogether. Two or three of their officers came among them.

  Just bef
ore dusk Captain Gregory made his appearance, and was seentalking in low whispers to several of the men.

  Among those who observed him was Bill Rayner. Bill's wits were alwayssharp, and they had been still more sharpened since he came to sea bythe new life he was leading. He had his eyes always about him to takein what he saw, and his ears open whenever there was anything worthhearing. It had struck him as a strange thing that so many prisonersshould submit quietly to be kept in subjection by a mere handful ofEnglishmen. On seeing the American skipper talking to his men, he creptin unobserved among them. His ears being wide open, he overheardseveral words which dropped from their lips.

  "Oh, oh!" he thought. "Is that the trick you're after? You intend totake our ship, do you? You'll not succeed if I have the power toprevent you."

  But how young Bill was to do that was the question. He had never evenspoken to the boatswain or the boatswain's mate. It seemed scarcelypossible for him to venture to tell the first lieutenant or the captain;still, if the prisoners' plot was to be defeated, he must inform them ofwhat he had heard, and that without delay.

  His first difficulty was how to get away from among the prisoners.Should they suspect him they would probably knock him on the head orstrangle him, and trust to the chance of shoving him through one of theports unobserved. This was possible in the crowded state of the ship,desperate as the act might seem.

  Bill therefore had to wait till he could make his way on deck withoutbeing remarked. Pretending to drop asleep, he lay perfectly quiet forsome time; then sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he staggered awayforward, as if still drowsy, to make it be supposed that he was about toturn into his hammock. Finding that he was unobserved, he crept up bythe fore-hatchway, where he found Dick, who was in the watch off deck.

  At first he thought of consulting Dick, in whom he knew he could trust;but second thoughts, which are generally the best, made him resolve notto say anything to him, but to go at once to either the first lieutenantor the captain.

  "If I go to Mr Saltwell, perhaps he will think I was dreaming, and tellme to `turn into my hammock and finish my dreams,'" he thought tohimself. "No! I'll go to the captain at once; perhaps the sentry willlet me pass, or if not, I'll get him to ask the captain to see me. Hecannot eat me, that's one comfort; if he thinks that I am bringing him acock-and-bull story, he won't punish me; and I shall at all events havedone my duty."

  Bill thought this, and a good deal besides, as he made his way aft tillhe arrived at the door of the captain's cabin, where the sentry wasposted.

  "Where are you going, boy?" asked the sentry, as Bill in his eagernesswas trying to pass him.

  "I want to see the captain," said Bill.

  "But does the captain want to see you?" asked the sentry.

  "He has not sent for me; but he will when he hears what I have got totell him," replied Bill.

  "You must speak to one of the lieutenants, or get the midshipman of thewatch to take in your message, if he will do it," said the sentry.

  "But they may laugh at me, and not believe what I have got to say,"urged Bill. "Do let me pass,--the captain won't blame you, I am sure ofthat."

  The sentry declared that it was his duty not to allow any one to pass.

  While Bill was still pleading with him, the door of the inner cabin wasopened, and the captain himself came out, prepared to go on deck.

  "What do you want, boy?" he asked, seeing Bill.

  "Please, sir, I have got something to tell you which you ought to know,"said Bill, pulling off his hat.

  "Let me hear it then," said the captain.

  "Please, sir, it will take some time. You may have some questions toask," answered Bill.

  On this the captain stepped back a few paces, out of earshot of thesentry.

  "What is it, boy?" he asked; "you seem to have some matter of importanceto communicate."

  Bill then told him how he came to be among the prisoners, and had heardthe American captain and his men talking together, and proposing to getthe Frenchmen to rise with them to overpower the British crew.

  Captain Waring's countenance showed that he felt very much disposed todisbelieve what Bill had told him, or rather, to fancy that Bill wasmistaken.

  "Stay there;" he said, and he went to the door of the cabin which he hadallowed the American skipper to occupy.

  The berth was empty! He came back and cross-questioned Bill further.Re-entering the inner cabin, he found the French captain seated at thetable.

  "Monsieur Saint Julien," he said; "are you cognisant of the intention ofthe American captain to try and overpower my crew?"

  "The proposal was made to me, I confess, but I refused to accede to itwith indignation; and I did not suppose that Captain Gregory would makethe attempt, or I should have informed you at once," answered SaintJulien.

  "He does intend to make it, though," said Captain Waring, "and I dependon you and your officers to prevent your men from joining him."

  "I fear that we shall have lost our influence over our men, but we willstand by you should there be any outbreak," said the French captain.

  "I will trust you," observed Captain Waring. "Go and speak to yourofficers while I take the steps necessary for our preservation."

  Captain Waring on this left the cabin, and going on deck, spoke to thefirst lieutenant and the midshipmen of the watch, who very speedilycommunicated the orders they had received to the other officers.

  The lieutenant of marines quickly turned out his men, while theboatswain roused up the most trustworthy of the seamen. So quickly andsilently all was done, that a strong body of officers and men well armedwere collected on the quarter-deck before any of the prisoners wereaware of what was going forward. They were awaiting the captain'sorders, when a loud report was heard. A thick volume of smoke ascendedfrom below, and the next instant, with loud cries and shouts, a numberof the prisoners were seen springing up the hatchway ladders.