Mr Vanslyperken's retreat was not known to the crew; they thought him
still on deck, and he hastened forward to secrete himself, even from his
own crew, who were not a little astonished at this unexpected attack,
which they could not account for. The major part of the arms on board
were always kept in Mr Vanslyperken's cabin, and that was not only in
possession of the assailants, but there was a strong guard in the
passage outside which led to the lower deck.
"Well, this beats my comprehension entirely," said Bill Spurey.
"Yes," replied Short.
"And mine too," added Obadiah Coble, "being as we are, as you know, at
peace with all nations, to be boarded and carried in this way."
"Why, what, and who can they be?"
"I've a notion that Vanslyperken's at the bottom of it," replied Spurey.
"Yes," said Short.
"But it's a bottom that I can't fathom," continued Spurey.
"My dipsey line ar'n't long enough either," replied Coble.
"Gott for dam, what it can be?" exclaimed Jansen. "It must be the
treason."
"Mein Gott! yes," replied Corporal Van Spitter. "It is all treason, and
the traitor be Vanslyperken." But although the corporal had some
confused ideas, yet he could not arrange them.
"Well, I've no notion of being boxed up here," observed Coble, "they
can't be so many as we are, even if they were stowed away in the boat,
like pilchards in a cask. Can't we get at the arms, corporal, and make
a rush for it?"
"Mein Gott! de arms are all in the cabin, all but three pair pistols and
the bayonets."
"Well, but we've handspikes," observed Spurey.
"Gott for dam, gif me de handspike," cried Jansen.
"We had better wait till daylight, at all events," observed Coble, "we
shall see our work better."
"Yes," replied Short.
"And in the meantime, get everything to hand that we can."
"Yes," replied Short.
"Well, I can't understand the manoeuvre. It beats my comprehension,
what they have done with Vanslyperken."
"I don't know, but they've kicked the cur out of the cabin."
"Then they've kicked him out too, depend upon it."
Thus did the crew continue to surmise during the whole night, but, as
Bill Spurey said, the manoeuvre beat their comprehension.
One thing was agreed upon, that they should make an attempt to recover
the vessel as soon as they could.
In the meantime, Ramsay with Wilhelmina, and the Jesuits, had taken
possession of the cabin, and had opened all the despatches which
acquainted them with the directions in detail, given for the taking of
the conspirators at Portsmouth, and in the cave. Had it not been to
save his friends, Ramsay would, at once have taken the cutter to
Cherbourg, and have there landed Wilhelmina and the treasure; but his
anxiety for his friends determined him to run at once for the cave, and
send overland to Portsmouth. The wind was fair and the water smooth,
and, before morning, the cutter was on her way.
In the meantime, the crew of the cutter had not been idle; the ladders
had been taken up and hatches closed. The only chance of success was an
attack upon the guard, who was stationed outside of the cabin.
They had six pistols, about two hundred pounds of ammunition; but, with
the exception of half-a-dozen bayonets, no other weapons. But they were
resolute men, and as soon as they had made their arrangements, which
consisted of piling up their hammocks, so as to make a barricade to fire
over, they then commenced operations, the first signal of which was a
pistol-shot discharged at the men who were on guard in the passage, and
which wounded one of them. Ramsay darted out of the cabin at the report
of the pistol; another and another was discharged, and Ramsay then gave
the order to fire in return. This was done, but without injury to the
seamen of the cutter, who were protected by the hammocks, and Ramsay,
having already three of his men wounded, found that the post below was
no longer tenable. A consultation took place, and it was determined
that the passage on the lower deck and the cabin should be abandoned, as
the upper deck it would be easy to retain.
The cabin's skylight was taken off, and the boxes of gold handed up,
while the party outside the cabin door maintained the conflict with the
crew of the Yungfrau. When all the boxes were up, Wilhelmina was lifted
on deck, the skylight was shipped on again, and, as soon as the
after-hatches were ready to put on, Ramsay's men retreated at the
ladder, which they drew up after them, and then put on the hatches.
Had not the barricade of hammocks prevented them, the crew of the
Yungfrau might have made a rush, and followed the others on deck; but,
before they could beat down the barricades, which they did as soon as
they perceived their opponents retreat, the ladder was up, and the
hatches placed over the hatchways.
The Yungfraus had gained the whole of the lower deck, but they could do
no more; and Ramsay perceived that if he could maintain possession of
the upper deck, it was as much as he could expect with such determined
assailants. This warfare had been continued during the whole morning,
and it was twelve o'clock before the cabin and lower deck had been
abandoned by Ramsay's associates. During the whole day, the skirmishes
continued, the crew of the Yungfrau climbing on the table of the cabin,
and firing through the skylight; but in so doing, they exposed
themselves to the fire of the other party, who sat like oats watching
for their appearance, and discharging their pieces the moment that a
head presented itself. In the meantime, the cutter darted on before a
strong favourable breeze, and thus passed the first day. Many attempts
were made during the night by the seamen of the cutter to force their
way on deck, but they were all prevented by the vigilance of Ramsay; and
the next morning, the Isle of Wight was in sight. Wilhelmina had passed
the night on the forecastle, covered up with a sail: none of his people
had had anything to eat during the time that they were on board, and
Ramsay was most anxious to arrive at his destination.
About noon, the cutter was abreast off the Black Gang Chyne: Ramsay had
calculated upon retaining possession of the cutter, and taking the whole
of the occupants of the cave over to Cherbourg; but this was now
impossible. He had five of his men wounded, and he could not row the
boat to the cave without leaving so few men on board that they would be
overpowered, for his ammunition was expended, with the exception of one
or two charges, which were retained for an emergency. All that he could
do now, was, therefore, to put his treasure in the boat, and with
Wilhelmina and his whole party make for the cave, when he could send
notice to Portsmouth for the others to join them, and they must be
content to await the meditated attack upon the cave, and defend it till
they could make their escape to France. The wind being foul for the
cutter's return to Portsmouth, would enable him to give notice at
Portsmouth, overland, before she could arrive.
There was a great oversight committed when the lower deck was
abandoned--the despatches had been left on Mr Vanslyperken's bed. Had
they been taken away or destroyed, there would have been ample time for
the whole of his party to have made their escape from England before
duplicates could arrive. As it was, he could do no more than what we
have already mentioned.
The boat was hauled up, the boxes of specie put in, the wounded men laid
at the bottom of the boat, and having, at the suggestion of one of the
men, cut the lower riggings, halyards, etcetera, of the cutter to retard
its progress to Portsmouth, Ramsay and his associates stepped into the
boat, and pulled for the cave.
Their departure was soon ascertained by the crew of the Yungfrau, who
now forced the skylight, and gained the deck, but not before the boat
had entered the cave.
"What's to be done now?" said Coble. "Smash my timbers, but they've
played Old Harry with the rigging. We must knot and splice."
"Yes," replied Short.
"What the devil have they done with Vanslyperken?" cried Bill Spurey.
"Either shoved him overboard, or taken him with them, I suppose," cried
Coble.
"Well, it's a nice job altogether," observed Spurey.
"Mein Gott! yes," replied the corporal; "we will have a pretty story to
tell de admiral."
"Well, they've rid us of him at all events; I only hope they'll hang
him."
"Mein Gott! yes."
"He'll have his desarts," replied Coble.
"Got for tam! I like to see him swing."
"Now he's gone, let's send his dog after him. Hurrah, my lads! get a
rope up on the yard, and let us hang Snarleyyow."
"Mein Gott! I'll go fetch him," cried the corporal.
"You will--will you?" roared a voice.
The corporal turned round, so did the others, and there, with his drawn
sword, stood Mr Vanslyperken.
"You damned mutinous scoundrel," cried Vanslyperken, "touch my dog, if
you dare."
The corporal put his hand up to the salute, and Vanslyperken shook his
head with a diabolical expression of countenance.
"Now, where the devil could he come from?" whispered Spurey.
Coble shrugged up his shoulders, and Short gave a long whistle,
expending more breath than usual.
However, there was no more to be said; and as soon as the rigging was
knotted and spliced, sail was made in the cutter; but the wind being
dead in their teeth, they did not arrive until late the next evening,
and the admiral did not see despatches till the next morning, for the
best of all possible reasons, that Vanslyperken did not take them on
shore. He had a long story to tell, and he thought it prudent not to
disturb the admiral after dinner, as great men are apt to be very
choleric during the progress of digestion.
The consequence was, that when, the next morning, Mr Vanslyperken
called upon the admiral, the intelligence had been received from the
cave, and all the parties had absconded. Mr Vanslyperken told his own
tale, how he had been hailed by a boat, purporting to have a messenger
on board, how they had boarded him and beat down himself and his crew,
how he and his crew had fought under hatches and beat them on deck, and
how they had been forced to abandon the cutter. All this was very
plausible, and then Vanslyperken gave the despatches opened by Ramsay.
The admiral read them in haste, gave immediate orders for surrounding
and breaking into the house of the Jew Lazarus, in which the military
found nobody but an old tom-cat, and then desired Mr Vanslyperken to
hold the cutter in readiness to embark troops and sail that afternoon:
but troops do not move so fast as people think, and before one hundred
men had been told off by the sergeant with their accoutrements,
knapsacks, and sixty pounds of ammunition, it was too late to embark
them that night, so they waited until the next morning. Moreover, Mr
Vanslyperken had orders to draw from the dock-yard three large boats for
the debarkation of the said troops; but the boats were not quite ready,
one required a new gunwale, another three planks in the bottom, and the
third having her stern out, it required all the carpenters in the yard
to finish it by the next morning. Mr Vanslyperken's orders were to
proceed to the cave, and land the troops, to march up to the cave, and
to cover the advance of the troops, rendering them all the assistance in
his power in co-operating with the major commanding the detachment; but
where the cave was, no one knew, except that it was thereabouts.
The next morning, at eight o'clock, the detachment, consisting of one
hundred men, were embarked on board of the cutter, but the major
commandant, finding that the decks were excessively crowded, and that he
could hardly breathe, ordered section first, section second, and section
third, of twenty-five men each, to go into the boats and be towed.
After which there was more room, and the cutter stood out for St.
Helen's.