IN WHICH IS RELATED MUCH APPERTAINING TO THE "POMP AND GLORIOUS
CIRCUMSTANCE" OF WAR.
The arrival of Ramsay and his party was so unexpected, that, at first,
Lady Barclay imagined they had been betrayed, and that the boat was
filled with armed men from the king's cutter, who had come on shore with
a view of forcing a entrance into the cave. In a minute every
preparation was made for defence; for it had long been arranged, that in
case of an unexpected attack, the women should make all the resistance
in their power, and which the nature of the place enabled them to do.
But, as many observed, the party, although coming from the cutter, and
not badly armed, did not appear to advance in a hostile manner. After
waiting some time near the boat, they advanced, each with a box on his
shoulder; but what those boxes might be was a puzzle; they might be
hand-grenades for throwing into the cave. However, they were soon down
to the rock at which the ladder was let down, and then Smallbones stood
up with a musket in his hand, with his straddling legs and short
petticoat, and bawled out, "Who comes there?"
Ramsay, who was assisting Wilhelmina, looked up surprised at this
singular addition to the occupants of the cave. And Wilhelmina also
looked at him, and said, "Can that be a woman, Ramsay?"
"At all events, I've not the honour of her acquaintance. But she is
pointing her musket. We are friends," cried Ramsay. "Tell Mistress
Alice it is Ramsay."
Smallbones turned round and reported the answer; and then, in obedience
to his order from Mistress Alice he cried out, in imitation of the
sentinels, "Pass, Ramsay, and all's well!"--presented his arms, and made
a flying leap off the rock, where he stood, down on the platform, that
he might lower the ladder as soon as Ramsay was up, who desired
everybody might be sent down to secure the boxes of specie as fast as
they could, lest the cutter's people, releasing themselves, should
attempt an attack. Now, there was no more concealment necessary, and
the women as well as the men went down the precipitous path and brought
up the treasure, while Ramsay introduced Wilhelmina to Lady Barclay,
and, in a brief, but clear narrative, told her all that had passed, and
what they had now to expect. There was not a moment for delay; the
cutter's people might send the despatches over land if they thought of
it, and be there as soon, if not sooner than themselves. Nancy Corbett
was summoned immediately, and her instructions given. The whole of the
confederates at Portsmouth were to come over to the cave with what they
could collect and carry about their persons; and, in case of the cutter
sending overland, with the precaution of being in disguise. Of arms and
ammunition there was sufficient in the cave, which Ramsay now felt was
to be defended to the last, until they could make a retreat over to the
other side of the Channel. In half an hour, Nancy was gone, and that
very night had arrived at Portsmouth, and given notice to the whole of
the confederates. Upon consultation, it was considered that the best
disguise would be that of females; and, in consequence, they were all so
attired, and, before morning, had all passed over, two or three in a
boat, and landed at Ryde, where they were collected by Moggy Salisbury,
who alone, of the party, knew the way to the retreat. They walked
across the island by two and three, one party just keeping sight of the
next ahead of them, and arrived without suspicion or interruption,
conducted by Moggy Salisbury, Lazarus the Jew, and sixteen stout and
desperate men, who had remained secreted in the Jew's house, ready to
obey any order, however desperate the risk might be, of their employers.
When they were all assembled at the brow of the precipice, with the
exception of Lazarus, who looked like a little old woman, a more
gigantic race of females was never seen; for, determined upon a
desperate resistance if discovered, they had their buff jerkins under
their female garments. They were soon in the cave, and very busy, under
Ramsay's directions, preparing against the expected attack. Sir Robert
Barclay, with his boat, had been over two days before, and it was not
known when he would return. That his presence was most anxiously looked
for maybe readily conceived, as his boat's crew would double their
force, if obliged to remain there; and his boat would enable them, with
the one brought by Ramsay, to make their escape without leaving one
behind before the attack could be made.
Nancy Corbett, as the reader may have observed, did not return to the
cave with the conspirators. As she was not suspected, she determined to
remain at Portsmouth till the last, and watch the motions of the
authorities.
The cutter did not arrive till the evening of the second day, and the
despatches were not delivered to the admiral till the third morning,
when all was bustle and preparation. Nancy Corbett was everywhere, she
found out what troops were ordered to embark on the expedition, and she
was acquainted with some of the officers, as well as the sergeants and
corporals; an idea struck her which she thought she could turn to
advantage. She slipped into the barrack-yard, and to where the men were
being selected, and was soon close to a sergeant whom she was acquainted
with.
"So, you've an expedition on hand, Sergeant Tanner."
"Yes, Mistress Corbett, and I'm one of the party."
"I wish you joy," replied Nancy, sarcastic ally.
"Oh, it's nothing, Mistress Corbett, nothing at all, only some smugglers
in a cave; we'll soon rout them out."
"I've heard a different account from the admiral's clerk."
"Why, what have you heard?"
"First, tell me how many men are ordered out."
"A hundred rank and file--eight non-commissioned officers--two
lieutenants--one captain--and one major:--"
"Bravo, sergeant, you'll carry all before you."
"Why, I hope so, Mistress Corbett; especially as we are to have the
assistance of the cutter's crew."
"Better and better still," replied Nancy, ironically. "I wish you joy
of your laurels, sergeant, ha, ha, ha!"
"Why do you laugh, Mistress Corbett, and what is that you have heard at
the admiral's office?"
"What you may hear yourself, and what I know to be true; there is not a
single smuggler in the cave."
"No!" exclaimed the sergeant. "What, nobody there?"
"Yes, there is somebody there; the cave has been chosen by the smugglers
to land their goods in."
"But some of them must be there in charge of the goods."
"Yes, so there are, but they are all women, the smuggler's wives, who
live there: what an expedition! Let me see:--one gallant major, one
gallant captain, two gallant lieutenants, eight gallant non-commissioned
officers, and a hundred gallant soldiers of the Buffs, all going to
attack, and rout, and defeat a score of old women."
"But you're joking, Mistress Nancy."
"Upon my life I'm not, sergeant; you'll find it true; the admiral's
ashamed of the whole affair, and the cutter's crew swear they won't fire
a single shot."
"By the god of war!" exclaimed the sergeant, "but this is cursed bad
news you bring, Mistress Corbett."
"Not at all; your regiment will become quite the fancy, you'll go by the
name of the lady-killers, ha! ha! ha! I wish you joy, sergeant, ha! ha!
ha!"
Nancy Corbett knew well the power of ridicule: she left the sergeant,
and was accosted by one of the lieutenants; she rallied him in the same
way.
"But are you really in earnest, Nancy?" said Lieutenant Dillon, at last.
"Upon my soul I am; but, at the same time I hear that they will fight
hard, for they are well armed and desperate, like their husbands, and
they swear that they'll all die to a woman, before they yield; so now we
shall see who fights best, the women or the men. I'll back my own sex
for a gold Jacobus, lieutenant: will you take the bet?"
"Good God, how very annoying! I can't, I won't order the men to fire at
women; could not do so if they were devils incarnate; a woman is a woman
still."
"And never the worse for being brave, Lieutenant Dillon; as I said to
Sergeant Tanner, your regiment, after this, will always go by the name
of the lady-killers."
"Damn!" exclaimed the lieutenant; "but now I recollect there must be
more there; those who had possession of the cutter and who landed in her
boat."
"Yes, with forty boxes of gold, they say; but do you think they would be
such fools as to remain there and allow you to take their money?--that
boat started for France yesterday night with all the treasure, and are
now safe at Cherbourg. I know it for a fact, for one of the men's wives
who lives here, showed me a letter to that effect, from her husband, in
which he requests her to follow him. But I must go now--good-bye, Mr
Lady-killer."
The lieutenant repeated what Nancy had told him to the officers, and the
major was so much annoyed, that he went up; to the admiral and stated
what the report was, and that there were only women to contend with.
"It is mentioned in the despatches, I believe," observed the admiral,
"that there are only women supposed to be in the cave; but the smugglers
who were on board the cutter--"
"Have left with their specie yesternight, admiral; so that we shall gain
neither honour nor profit."
"At all events, you will have the merit of obeying your orders, Major
Lincoln."
The major made no reply, but went away very much dissatisfied. In the
meantime, the sergeant had communicated with his non-commissioned
officers and the privates ordered on the duty, and the discontent was
universal. Most of the men swore that they would not pull a trigger
against women, if they were shot for it, and the disaffection almost
amounted to mutiny. Nancy, in the meantime, had not been idle; she had
found means to speak with the boats' crews of the Yungfrau, stated the
departure of the smugglers with their gold, and the fact that they were
to fight with nothing but women, that the soldiers had vowed that they
would not fire a shot, and that Moggy Salisbury, who was with them,
swore that she would hoist up her smock as a flag, and fight to the
last. This was soon known on board of the Yungfrau, and gave great
disgust to every one of the crew, who declared, to a man, that they
would not act against petticoats, much less fire a shot at Moggy
Salisbury.
What a mountain of mischief can be heaped up by the insidious tongue of
one woman!
After this explanation, it may be supposed that the zeal of the party
dispatched was not very great. The fact is, they were all sulky, from
the major downwards, among the military, and from Vanslyperken
downwards, among the naval portion of the detachment. Nancy Corbett,
satisfied with having effected her object, had crossed over the night
before, and joined her companions in the cave; and what was extremely
fortunate, on the same night Sir Robert Barclay came over in the lugger,
and finding how matters stood, immediately hoisted both the boats up on
the rocks, and taking up all the men, prepared with his followers for a
vigorous resistance, naturally to be expected from those whose lives
depended upon the issue of the conflict.
Next morning the cutter was seen coming down with the boats in tow,
hardly stemming the flood, from the lightness of the breeze, when Nancy
Corbett requested to speak with Sir Robert Barclay. She stated to him
what she had done, and the dissatisfaction among the troops and seamen
in consequence, and submitted to him the propriety of all the smugglers
being dressed as women, as it would operate more in their favour than if
they had fifty more men to defend the cave. Sir Robert perceived the
good sense of this suggestion, and consulted with Ramsay, who strongly
urged the suggestion being acted upon. The men were summoned, and the
affair explained to them, and the consequence was, that there was a
scene of mirth and laughter, which ended with every man being fitted
with woman's attire. The only one who remained in the dress of a man
was a woman, Wilhelmina Krause, but she was to remain in the cave with
the other women, and take no part in the coming fray.