NEEDHAM'S NARRATIVE (CONTINUED)--THE SARAH JANE CAPTURED BY CARTHAGENAN
FLEET--THE COLONEL AND HIS DAUGHTER, WITH THE MIDSHIPMEN, CONVEYED ON
BOARD THE ENEMY'S CORVETTE--CARRIED TO PRISON IN CARTHAGENA--THE COLONEL
SEPARATED FROM HIS DAUGHTER--STELLA, AND THE MIDSHIPMEN, WITH NEEDHAM,
PLACED IN AN UPPER ROOM--THE GAOLER'S WIFE--PLANS FOR ESCAPING--DESMOND
AND NEEDHAM GET OUT--REACH THE CONSULATE--ALARM IN THE HOUSEHOLD--OBTAIN
A BOAT, AND GO IN SEARCH OF THE CONSUL--DRIVEN OUT TO SEA.
"The night I was speaking of seemed almost as long as those we spent on
the wreck. Just at dawn the first mate came on deck.
"`No sign of the boats yet?' he asked, in an anxious tone.
"`Yes, I hear them!' exclaimed Mr Rogers, and after listening for a
minute or so to be sure that he was right, he went below to tell Miss
O'Regan. She and the three midshipmen were presently on deck.
"`The boats are pulling very fast; you'll soon have the colonel on
board,' said Mr Rogers to the young lady, as she stood eagerly looking
towards the shore, where we could as yet see nothing on account of the
mist which still hung over it.
"`Good reason they have for coming fast, I suspect,' suddenly cried the
first mate, who was turning an eye to the offing. The darkness of night
had then pretty nearly rolled away. `What do any of you fancy those
craft are out there?'
"`Why,' says I, `I make out a ship, and a brig, and a couple of
schooners. The first are men-of-war, I judge, by the squareness of
their yards, and they are standing for the harbour. They have been
creeping along shore with the land-wind during the night, or they
wouldn't be where they are.'
"The second mate agreed with me.
"`I don't see what cause we have to fear them, seeing that England is at
peace with all the world,' says I to him.
"`I do though, if they belong to the Carthagenan government,' he
answered. `I wish we were well out of the harbour, that I do.'
"While we were watching the strangers, Captain Crowhurst came alongside
in his gig, and almost before he was on deck he shouted out,--`Hands
aloft! Loose sails! Stand by to slip the cable!'
"No time for weighing!
"`Oh, where is my father?' I heard the young lady ask him. `He'll be
here soon, I suppose,' he answered gruffly, and turning away, he
muttered, `If it hadn't been for his obstinacy we should have been well
out at sea by this time.'
"The few hands sprang aloft to loose sails, the skipper went to the
helm, and the mates stood ready to unshackle the cable, while the gig's
crew hoisted up their boat. I really thought that Captain Crowhurst was
going to sail without waiting for the colonel. I heard him order the
midshipmen, who were talking together, to lend a hand in getting the
ship under weigh if they didn't wish to be run up to the yard-arm. The
poor young lady was in a state of great agitation at seeing what was
happening.
"`We'll not touch a rope till the colonel is on board,' says Mr Rogers;
`he is our friend, and we'll not allow him to be basely deserted. We
are not under your command either, if it comes to that.'
"At this the skipper swore fearfully, and, seizing a rope's end, seemed
as if he would have given a taste of it to the midshipmen all round,
when the young lady, stepping before him, told him that he was a coward,
and dared him to strike them. He went back to the wheel without
answering. I had been keeping a look-out for the boats. Daylight was
increasing, and I now saw them coming off, the men bending to their oars
as if they were in chase of an enemy. They soon dashed up alongside,
and the colonel came on deck, looking as cool as if nothing particular
had happened, though by the way the men sprang on board and hauled away
at the falls, and then turned to at loosing sails, I judged that they
knew there was no time to be lost. The cable was let run out, the sails
were sheeted home, and, with a light breeze off the land, we stood out
of the harbour, followed by the sloop. I saw the colonel talking to his
daughter, who seemed terribly alarmed; but he laughed and looked at the
strangers about two miles off on the starboard bow, and then he pointed
ahead as if he expected to get out of the harbour before they were up to
us; I had my doubts, however, whether we should. The midshipmen then
came up to him, as I supposed, to say how glad they were that he had got
safe on board. He answered them very shortly, and taking the young lady
by the hand led her below. Soon afterwards Mr Rogers came for'ard to
where I was standing.
"`I suspect, Needham, that the colonel has got into some scrape on
shore,' said he. `It is clear from that officer coming off to her that
the brig was expected on the coast, and probably those men-of-war are
sent to overhaul her. Do you think that we shall get out to sea before
they come up with us? and if we don't, can we beat them off?'
"`To be honest with you, Mr Rogers, I don't think that there's much
chance of our escaping them, and as to beating them off, even if the
fellows aboard here would fight, we couldn't do it, unless they take
fright at the sound of our pop-guns,' I answered.
"`We must try to frighten them, at all events,' he said. `It won't do
to let a band of ruffians come aboard and frighten Miss O'Regan, and
perhaps carry off the colonel, if they have any accusation against him.'
"I told him that must depend on what the Spaniards knew about the brig.
It wasn't likely that two men-of-war could be frightened off by a
merchantman, though we had four guns and might put a bold face on the
matter.
"The other midshipmen now came forward, and stood with us watching the
strangers. There was a chance, but only just a chance, that we should
escape them. The skipper and the mates seemed to be in a great taking.
The corvette was coming up fast, and the brig of war not far astern of
her, carrying all the sail they could set.
"The breeze still held, the corvette by this time was about a mile and a
half away on our starboard bow; the skipper began to look as if we
should do it, and I thought so too, when, just then, our sails began to
hang down, and presently flapped loudly against the masts; the skipper
gave a stamp with his foot on the deck, and swore a loud oath. There we
lay becalmed, while the corvette and brig still felt the wind off the
land.
"`It's all up with us, I'm afraid,' said I to Mr Rogers.
"`It's high time to show our teeth,' he answered.
"`Captain Crowhurst, you'll fight those fellows if they attempt to board
us, won't you?' he said, going up to the skipper. `If you will run all
the guns over to starboard we can give them a broadside which ten to one
will make them sheer off rather than get a further taste of our
quality.'
"The skipper smiled grimly. `But suppose they don't sheer off; depend
on it they will cut the throats of every one of us when they come
aboard. What do you say to that, my young gentleman?'
"`I'd run the risk rather than let the ruffians take the vessel from
us,' answered Mr Rogers, turning away to speak to the colonel, who had
that moment come on deck. He looked up at the canvas hanging idly down
against the masts, and then at the strangers still creeping up towards
us.
"The wind was leaving them as it had us, and he saw in a moment how
matters stood.
"Mr Rogers told him that he and the other midshipmen were ready to
fight and defend the brig to the last.
"`You're brave lads,' he answered. `I thank you heartily. If Captain
Crowhurst thinks there's a chance of beating them off we'll risk it, but
otherwise, for the sake of my daughter, it would be dangerous to make
the attempt.'
"`It's for her sake, sir, that we are anxious to fight,' answered Mr
Rogers.
"`Captain Crowhurst, will your crew support you?' asked the colonel of
the skipper, who had just gone up to him.
"`I doubt it,' he answered. `The fellows are brave enough, but the odds
are fearfully against us. I'll speak to them, and learn what humour
they are in.'
"You'll understand I'd gone aft with the midshipmen. The skipper went
forward, and we saw him speaking to the crew, who were clustered
together, talking among each other.
"In my opinion the skipper himself hadn't much fighting in him, bold and
blustering as he seemed. While he was forward the young lady came on
deck. She judged by the midshipmen's countenances that something was
wrong, though her father looked as stern and determined as usual.
"`I fear that you will be put to some inconvenience,' he said; `those
men-of-war I suspect are sent to overhaul the brig, and, becalmed as we
are, we cannot escape them, but I am very sure that our young friends
here will defend you from insult, and our enemies may be satisfied if
they can get hold of the captain and me.'
"`That we will,' said all the midshipmen together.
"`Oh, my father, do not let me be separated from you. Where you go I
will accompany you,' said Miss O'Regan.
"`But I hope that the colonel will not have to go anywhere,' exclaimed
Mr Rogers. `We must drive the fellows off if they attempt to board the
brig.'
"`I thank you for your zeal and courage, young gentlemen,' said the
colonel. `You see, Stella, that you have brave defenders. I wish you
to go below, and rest assured that we will do all that possibly can be
done to secure your safety.'
"`But I am thinking about your safety, father,' said Miss O'Regan.
"`I have been too often in danger to be anxious about that,' he
answered. `Go below, and we'll let you know as soon as possible what is
likely to happen.'
"Without saying another word the young lady did as the colonel told her.
I had been watching the men forward, and I soon saw by their looks that
there was no fighting in them; presently three or four of them slipped
below, the others, after saying a few more words to the skipper,
followed, and I then knew that they had made up their minds not to
fight; they had gone to put on their best clothes, and to stow their
money away in their pockets, guessing that if the Spaniards boarded us
they would to a certainty plunder the vessel.
"The skipper came aft, looking very downcast. `The men won't fight, and
we must make the best of a bad bargain,' he said to the colonel.
`There's no chance of a breeze, and see, the corvette and brig are
lowering their boats, and we shall have the fellows aboard us in a few
minutes.'
"The sloop lay becalmed close to us; her skipper, Captain Judson, came
aboard, and walked about the deck like a madman.
"`Those fellows will hang every mother's son of us!' he cried out,
pulling off his hat, and tearing away at his hair. `What a fool I was
to engage in this sort of work! Colonel O'Regan, can't you advise us
what we are to do?'
"`You knew the risk, and you and I must take the consequences,' answered
the colonel quite coolly. `I can only advise you to act like brave men,
whatever our enemies chance to do with us; don't let them have cause to
treat us with contempt.'
"As neither the young gentlemen nor I had more clothes than those on our
backs, we weren't troubled at what we should lose; but for the colonel
and the skipper and mates, it was a very different matter. They might
not only lose their property and the cargo, but their lives were in no
little danger, I guessed, from what I heard them say.
"The boats came towards us, five from the corvette and three from the
brig. As they got near I saw that the men were laying on their oars, as
if they expected we should fight--you see we had the English flag flying
at our peak, and they knew pretty well that Englishmen are not inclined
to give in without striking a blow--I thought that the colonel and the
skipper would have acted very differently; but they knew that they were
not altogether right, and that made them knock under in the way they
would not otherwise have done. When the boats came within musket-shot,
the men lay on their oars as if they expected should they come nearer
that we should fire on them--the officers seemed to be consulting
together--and then they made up their minds to attack us, and came on
altogether in a line. If our crew had consented to fight it would have
been pretty tough work, I must own that, and maybe we should have got
the worst of it. In a few minutes the boats were alongside, and their
crews were clambering up on deck, some on our quarters and some
amidships and for'ard, shouting and jabbering, and waving their
cutlasses as if we had been defending ourselves, whereas there was not a
man among us had a weapon in his hand. I thought, in truth, they were
going to cut down every one of us; so they would have done if the
colonel hadn't shouted out in their own lingo, and told them if they
came as friends they should be received as friends, and that we did not
wish to oppose them.
"One of the officers who had been longer getting up the side than the
rest (seeing that he was too fat to move quickly) now stepped up to the
colonel and told him to give up his sword, and consider himself a
prisoner. The colonel answered that he didn't wear a sword at sea, that
he was an Englishman sailing aboard an English vessel, and that if they
took him or any one else prisoners they must stand the consequence. The
Spaniard stamped and swore, and looked very big, and called him a
pirate, and then pointed at the midshipmen, and told him that he was
bringing up young pirates, and that they should all be hung together;
the colonel, instead of getting into a rage, was very polite, and said
that he was mistaken, that the midshipmen belonged to a British
man-of-war, had been picked up off a wreck, and that if any harm was
done to them, their ships would come and punish him and all concerned.
I was told this afterwards, for though the Spanish officer spoke a
little English, I didn't understand all they were talking about.
"The officer, however, didn't mind what the colonel said; but calling
his men, they made a rush at him, and taking him unawares, seized him
and held him fast. Others in the meantime had got hold of the skipper
and mates, as you see the enemy were five to one of us, but still it's
my opinion, if our men had been staunch, we could have beat them off.
They didn't touch either of the midshipmen or me, for they believed what
the colonel had told them. Having got the colonel down, they lashed his
arms behind him and made him sit upon the deck. He took things very
calmly, and calling Mr Rogers to him, he said, `I'll thank you now to
go and look after my daughter; I know that I can trust you, my young
friend. Don't alarm her more than is necessary, and beg her to remain
below until you think she will be safe on deck.'
"`Ay, ay, sir,' said Mr Rogers, and he and his messmates dived into the
cabin. I remained on deck for a few minutes longer to see what was
likely to happen.
"The people who boarded us were of all colours, Spaniards, mulattoes,
and blacks and browns of every hue, though they spoke the same lingo,
and were as savage-looking villains as I ever set eyes on, with their
sharp knives stuck in their belts, which they seemed only too eager to
use. Finding themselves masters of the brig, they made their way below,
and laid hands on everything to which they took a fancy.
"Thinking that I might help the young gentlemen, I slipped down the
companion hatch and found them standing before Miss O'Regan's cabin;
they had armed themselves with pistols and cutlasses. `Glad to see you,
Needham,' said Mr Rogers; `you'll find a brace of pistols in the
captain's cabin, and here's a cutlass; we have made up our minds to
fight as long as there's fight in us, if the ruffians attempt to hurt
the young lady.'
"`I'm one with you, young gentlemen,' said I, and I went and got the
pistols. Miss O'Regan heard what he said and opened the door, begging
them not to fight, as there would be no use in doing so. Scarcely had
she spoken when down came a gang of rough-looking villains with those
long knives of theirs in their hands looking very ferocious, and ready
to kill any who might dare to stop them. Mr Rogers had just time to
push the young lady back into the cabin, and shut the door before the
fellows could see her. They didn't take much notice of the midshipmen,
but set about hunting through the other cabins. At last, they came to
the one in which Miss O'Regan and Polly were.
"`No! no! my fine fellows, you're not to go in there,' said Mr Rogers,
standing in front of the door, and holding his pistols ready to fire.
The other midshipmen did the same, and I held a firm grip of my cutlass,
determined to cut down the first of the ruffians who attempted to pass,
should the midshipmen's pistols miss fire.
"The Spaniards flourished their long knives and swore all sorts of
strange oaths in their own lingo, but didn't like to advance a step,
knowing that two or three of them would get a bullet through their
heads; we had the best of it as long as we had pistols and they had only
knives. Three or four fellows who had been hunting in the other cabins,
now, however, came up with pistols in their belts, and drawing them
swore that they would shoot us if we didn't drop our arms. It would
have gone hard with us, as there were but three boys and one grown man
opposed to a dozen or more of the Spaniards, when just at that moment
down came the fat officer who commanded the boats. We had heard him, as
I said, speak a little English to the colonel, and so Mr Rogers told
him that we were only wishing to protect the young lady from insult.
"`I appeal to your honour, sir, as a Spaniard and an officer, to assist
us in defending her, and I feel sure, sir, that you will do so,' said
he.
"`You are not mistaken, young sir,' answered the officer. `I will take
care that the lady is not insulted if she will remain in her cabin.'
"He then turned to the men and ordered them on deck. They went after a
little grumbling, each fellow laden with as much booty as he could
carry. He then told Mr Rogers to inform the young lady to prepare with
the rest of the passengers to go on board the corvette, as the brig and
sloop were to be sent back into the harbour.
"`Pray tell the officer, that if my father is to go I will gladly
accompany him,' she answered.
"In a few minutes Miss O'Regan and her black servant-girl, Polly, had
got ready and packed up a few things they thought they would be allowed
to carry.
"In a short time the officer who had gone on deck returned, and, making
a polite bow, said that he was sorry to inconvenience her, but that the
boats were manned and about to shove off for the corvette, then turning
to the midshipmen and me, ordered us to follow him on deck. We found
that the colonel had already been lowered into one of the boats with the
two skippers and mates; the officer handed Miss O'Regan and Polly down
into the boat, and placed her alongside her father, we kept close to
them; the Spanish crew, who were now in charge of the vessel, turned no
very friendly glances at us, and I saw several of the villains clutch
their knives as if they would like to stick them into our backs as we
passed. In a few minutes we were alongside the corvette.
"The commanding officer, who seemed to consider himself a very great man
indeed, received us on the quarter-deck. He bowed politely to the young
lady, but spoke roughly to the colonel and the rest of us. After
hearing the account the fat officer gave of the midshipmen, he told us
we might remain with Miss O'Regan if we pleased, but the rest of the
party were made to sit down between the guns with a guard over them.
The boats now brought the crews of the brig and sloop on board with
their arms lashed behind their backs. The men growled and grumbled as
may be supposed, but the Spaniards showed them the points of their
knives, and told them to keep silent.
"Poor Miss O'Regan looked very downcast, though the midshipmen did their
best to keep up her spirits by telling her that they were sure the
Spaniards would not dare to hurt her or any of us, let them bluster and
threaten as they might.
"The Spanish officers were polite enough, and begged her to go into the
cabin and take some refreshment, but she refused to leave the deck
unless her father was allowed to accompany her; they, however, brought
her a chair which she was thankful to sit down on, while the midshipmen,
who looked upon themselves as her guard, stood around her.
"As soon as the sea-breeze set in, sail was made, and the corvette,
followed by the brig and schooners, stood away for the harbour of
Carthagena, while the _Sarah Jane_ and sloop put back into the bay.
"We reached Carthagena in the afternoon, and brought up before the town.
As soon as the anchor was dropped, the commodore went on shore to
communicate with the government, and to learn what he was to do with his
prisoners; some time before nightfall he came back, and he gave orders
that we were all to be landed forthwith and marched up to the common
gaol; so I made this out from what the fat officer said to the young
gentlemen.
"No one was allowed to speak to the colonel, not even his own daughter;
as soon as she found that her father was to be taken on shore, she
begged to accompany him, and the midshipmen said they would go too. Of
course I went with them.
"The brig and schooners in the meantime had run higher up the harbour.
The boats were at once manned, the fat officer, who was, I have a
notion, the first lieutenant of the corvette, took charge of the young
lady and us. She begged so hard that the colonel might come in the same
boat, that our friend, who wasn't a bad sort of chap after all, said he
would speak to the commodore: he pressed the point, and the colonel was
placed in our boat. He didn't speak much; in truth, I suspect he had
but little to say that was likely to comfort his daughter, while he knew
that the officer was listening all the time. She asked him in a
trembling voice if he thought that his life was in danger, and said that
she would go and plead for him with General Carmona, who commanded the
troops in the city.
"`On no account,' answered the colonel, `it would be useless, and you
would only be exposing yourself to insult.'
"Speaking very low, so that he could not be overheard, he told her to
get one of the midshipmen to escape if possible to the British Consul,
as he would be better able than any one else to help him.
"As soon as we landed we were marched up together to the prison, the
young lady being compelled to walk with the midshipmen and me alongside
her; the colonel and skippers followed, and then came the crew, while
the people rushed out of their houses and gathered in the streets to
stare at us, some shouting and abusing us, and calling us pirates and
all sorts of names in their lingo. I didn't care what they said, but
walked along with my head upright, looking on every side as if I was
there for my own pleasure.
"The prison was a dirty tumbled-down-looking sort of a place, and says
I, `I hope they are not going to put the young lady in there;' but they
were, though they allowed her a room to herself, with one close to it
for the midshipmen and me. I was allowed to be with them, because they
said I was their attendant and that they required my services, though
not exactly as the Spaniard fancied. The colonel, though they saw he
was a thorough gentleman, was thrust in with the skippers and the crew
into a low dirty room paved with stone, with stout iron bars to the
small windows. There were already a score or more of rough-looking
ruffians in it; this we saw as we passed by before we were taken to our
own room in an upper story. As many as could get to the windows, which
looked out into the street, hung out old caps or baskets at the end of
sticks, to receive money or food which the people outside might give
them. The window of our room was strongly barred, and so was that of
Miss O'Regan; but there was a door between the two, which we found we
could open, and so she and the young gentlemen were able to consult what
to do. The furniture of our room hadn't much to boast of. Our beds
were only heaps of straw, with bits of sacking on the top; there was no
table, and only some rough benches to sit on. Miss O'Regan was very
little better off. She had a sort of bed and chair, and a heap of straw
for Polly; but after a time the gaoler's wife, I suppose she was,
brought her a basin of water and a few other things; but that was all
the Spaniards' boasted politeness made them think of providing her. She
tried to interest the old woman to see if anything could be done for the
colonel; but the dame said that it was as much as her place was worth to
interfere, and she couldn't say a word to give the young lady any hope
that he would be better treated.
"When it was light we made an examination of the bars in the windows to
see if we could by any means get through them. Those in our room were
too strongly fixed to be moved in a hurry, though we might have done it
in time. Miss O'Regan found one in hers which was looser than the rest,
and Mr Rogers and I on examining it discovered that it was so eaten
away with rust, that by hauling at it together we might wrench it out.
What we wanted was to get free, and to go and find the British consul.
The window looked into a yard surrounded by a high wall; but what was
behind we couldn't tell. The bar once out we could, we thought, lower
ourselves into the yard; the wall we might easily scale, as it was full
of big holes worn by time, and it would not cost us much to climb over
it.
"`I have a file in my knife,' said Mr Gordon; `it's a small one, but if
we use it carefully it will cut through the bar in time.'
"The lower part of the bar we found was almost eaten away with rust. We
agreed that the first thing was to scrape it clear of the rust with the
blades of our knives and let the file do the rest. We were afraid,
however, to begin till all in the prison was quiet. We could hear the
warders walking about and talking loudly, and one now and then passed
our door, so that we could not tell if one was going to look in on us or
not. At last a fellow came bringing a jug of water and a bowl of greasy
rice with some bits of meat in it, and a loaf of brown bread; he made us
understand that it was for us.
"`I hope you're going to give the young lady something better than
this,' said Mr Rogers, pointing to Miss O'Regan's room.
"You'll understand that when we heard him coming we had got back into
our own room and had shut the door. `Si! Si!' he said, nodding his
head, and so we hoped that it was all right. Though the food was coarse
we were not sorry to get it, as we had had nothing to eat all day, and
at first we thought they were going to starve us outright. There was
only one wooden spoon for all of us; the young gentlemen laughed, and
said that didn't matter, as it was given us so that we might each get
our fair allowance.
"We heard the old woman come back into the young lady's room, and when
she was gone Mr Rogers knocked and asked if he might come in, and he
found, when Polly opened the door, that the dame had brought them some
pastry and fruit, and some white bread and a bottle of wine, and we knew
from that that they were not going to ill-treat them at all events.
"In the meantime we talked over what was to be done; at last it was
agreed that Mr Desmond should go with me, and that we should try to
find our way to the British Consul's the first night we could get out.
We concluded that it would take some time to file through the bar, and
we did not expect to get free for at least several nights to come. The
young lady told us that she and Polly would keep watch, and would let us
know when we might come in to do the work. In the meantime we lay down
on our beds of straw, for as we hadn't been to sleep the night before we
could with difficulty keep our eyes open. Nor had she for that matter;
but her anxiety on account of her father made her wakeful. At last she
knocked at the door, and I stood up and awoke Mr Rogers. We went in as
softly as we could and began working away at the bar, Polly and Miss
O'Regan watching at the door to listen if any one was coming. We soon
got the rust off; but Mr Gordon's file made very slow progress. We
worked while they watched. When daylight came at last we found that we
had not got through more than the tenth of an inch; still that was
something. To prevent what we had been doing being discovered we
covered the marks of the file with rust, stuck on by some grease which
we got from our bowl. I must cut my yarn short. One day was much like
another; still we could not learn anything about the poor colonel and
the rest of the prisoners, except that they were kept shut up below.
What the Carthagenans were going to do with them and us we could not
tell. There was one advantage in the delay, for if we had got away the
first night the guard would have been on the look-out, and we should
have probably been caught. It was bad enough for us, but much worse for
the poor young lady. We worked on and on, night after night, till at
last we had got almost through the bar, and I felt sure that with a good
haul I could wrench it on one side wide enough to get through.
"The old woman, who came up every day to see Miss O'Regan, spoke more
kindly than usual to her, and called her a poor girl in her own lingo,
and seemed to pity her. This made the young lady ask her why she spoke
thus, and at last she confessed that she was afraid that General Carmona
was going to shoot some of the English prisoners, and very likely the
old colonel among them. This made the young lady cry out, and we could
hear her speaking in such woeful tones that at last Mr Rogers went in
and asked what was the matter; he then learnt all what I have just told
you.
"`Oh! can nothing be done to save my father?' she exclaimed, as she
clasped her hands together.
"The old woman then said that the only way would be to send a letter to
the British consul, but it would be dangerous for her to do so as it
might cost her her life, or at all events her husband his place, if it
was discovered that she had carried it. At last she agreed to try and
let Polly out, and at the same time told her which way she was to take
to find the consul's house--it was not more than ten minutes' walk from
the prison--first she was to turn to the right, and then cross a large
square, and to turn down the first street on the left, at the end of
which was the house; she was to look for the arms of England painted
over the door.
"`At all events, if Polly does not find it, we shall; the old woman has
helped us more than she thinks,' observed Mr Rogers.
"Polly was ready to run every risk to serve her mistress, the difficulty
was to get a letter written as we had no paper, pens, nor ink; but I
have a pocket-book, said Mr Gordon, and a few words on a leaf explained
our situation. We of course didn't tell the old woman our own plan, and
we thought that by letting her do as she proposed that we might throw
her husband off his guard. At last she went away, saying that she would
try and see what she could do. Polly got ready to start; after some
time the old woman came back saying that her husband would not consent
to anything of the sort. We all pretended on this to be very downcast,
Miss O'Regan was really so, as she thought the old woman's plan was the
safest. At last all was quiet; Polly, as usual, took her post at the
door. Mr Rogers and I worked away at the bar: `Now one strong pull and
we'll have it out,' I whispered; and hauling away with all my strength,
I broke it off at the bottom and wrenched it on one side. We made a
rope of the rugs which covered our beds long enough to let me lower
myself into the yard. Mr Desmond was dawn directly after me, and I
caught him in my arms and bolted away to the opposite side of the wall
as quick as lightning, then I lifted him on my shoulders and he soon
scrambled on to the top of the wall; it was a harder job for me to
follow, seeing that he put his hands and feet into holes which were not
big enough for mine. We had hit the very place we should have chosen,
for just below us was a heap of rubbish which came some way up the wall,
and we were now on the outside of the prison. Mr Desmond scrambled
down in the same way that he got up. `Keep still,' he said in a low
voice, `don't drop? don't drop! there are broken pots and pans of all
sorts, you may cut yourself.' He spoke just in time, for it would have
been a queer place to fall on. The night was pretty dark, and no one
was about. We stopped to listen, and not a sound was to be heard, so we
crept along the wall till we turned the corner, and found ourselves in
front of the prison. If there was a sentry, he was fast asleep in his
box, for we were not challenged. We soon had crossed the square the old
woman had told us of, then we ran on as fast as our legs could carry us
till we reached the consul's house, which we knew by a big board over
the door, though we couldn't see the arms. Mr Desmond went up to the
door and pulled the bell. `It's no time to stand on ceremony, though
it's not the hour that the consul generally receives visitors, I fancy,'
he said, with a laugh. He pulled and pulled again. `I must climb in at
the window if we can't awake them any other way, though maybe I shall be
shot if I do,' he added, looking up to see if there was one he could
reach. `Do you, Needham, just lift me up on your shoulders, and I am
sure I can reach that balcony, and it will be hard if I don't get a
window open, and once in the house I'll go round and knock at all the
doors till I rouse up some one.' No sooner said than done; the
midshipman disappeared over my head, and I was left standing below
wondering what next would happen. I knew from the sounds which reached
me that he was trying one window after another, at last I heard a loud
crash, which showed that he had got through some way or other. Again
all was silent. Presently there came cries, and squealing, and shouts,
through the lattice which there always is in Spanish doors, so that the
people from within may talk to any one outside without opening them;
then there came a man's gruff voice, and Mr Desmond's, talking away as
fast as his tongue could move, trying to explain what it all meant.
This went on for some time, till the gruff voice grew calmer, and Mr
Desmond began to talk slower, and I heard women's and girls' voices
uttering all sorts of exclamations. Says I to myself, `It's all right
now.'
"At last the door opened, and Mr Desmond told me to come in, that he
was thankful to say that the vice-consul would do all he could, and that
the consul himself had gone away to a place a mile or two along the
coast. `Then the best thing we can do is to go after him,' said Mr
Desmond. `Can you find us a boat and crew, sir?' he asked of the
vice-consul.
"`That will be a difficult thing, young sir,' he answered. `A boat may
be found, but no crew would go without the permission of the general.'
"`Well, then, if you will find us a boat we will go alone,' said Mr
Desmond; `and if the place is only a mile or two off, and you'll
instruct us how to find it, we can have no difficulty in doing so.'
"This idea seemed to please the vice-consul, who, though he spoke
English, was not an Englishman; he would have acted, I've a notion, very
differently if he had been. His wife and the young ladies, his
daughters, whose voices I had heard when Mr Desmond roused them out of
their sleep, seemed much interested at hearing about Miss O'Regan, and
they all urged the old gentleman to help us, and told him that he must
go in the morning and see what could be done for the young lady at
least. He called up a black servant somewhere from the bottom of the
house, and told him to lead us down to the harbour and show us a boat we
might take.
"The old lady pressed us to stop and have some supper, but Mr Desmond
was in a hurry to get off, and the vice-consul, I have a notion, wanted
to be rid of us.
"`Why, my dears,' he exclaimed, `I wonder you like to be seen by the
young officer and the sailor, such figures as you are.'
"In truth, both the old lady and the young ones, as well as two or three
black girls, were dressed, I must say, in a funny fashion, with such
things as they had clapped on when Mr Desmond roused them up. The old
gentleman had put on his breeches hind part before, while she had got
into his dress-coat with the tails in front, and little else on beside
her night-gown, and a big shawl over her shoulders. I won't say how the
young ladies looked, only I couldn't help remarking that they were not
over-dressed, so that when their father made this remark, away they all
scuttled in a desperate hurry, each trying not to be last, and I've a
notion that they had forgotten what might be thought of them. We could
hear them giggling and laughing at each other as they reached their
rooms. We were, you may suppose, not much in a mood to laugh just then,
and, as soon as the old black was ready we started off. He seemed in a
desperate fright, expecting every moment that he should be seen, and
carried off to prison. We met no one, however, and soon reached the
water's edge. The black who was sent with us, I forgot to say because
he could speak English, showed us a boat hauled up on a slip, and, going
to a shed near, brought out a pair of oars, a mast and sail.
"`Dare; you steer for de point up dare,' he said. `When you round it,
pull on for about three miles, when you come to anoder harbour, then you
pull up it, and in de biggest house in de place you find de consul.'
"`Why,' says Mr Desmond, `the vice-consul told us it was not more than
a mile or so away.'
"`Massa not know, den,' answered the old black, as soon as he had helped
us to launch the boat; and without stopping a moment to watch us while
we shoved off, he ran away as fast as his old legs could carry him. We
had to pull along-shore some distance to keep clear of the corvette,
then the night-breeze freshening we stepped our mast and made sail,
steering as the black had told us to do.
"The boat was somewhat crank, and I had to keep my weather-eye open, and
to hold the sheet in my hand to escape being capsized. However, the
boat sailed fast, and soon weathering the point we found our way at last
into the harbour. We hauled up the boat on the beach, and ran along
till we came to the big house the vice-consul had told us of.
"`This must be the place,' said Mr Desmond, giving a pull at the
door-bell.
"Again we had to ring and shout as before. No one coming to the door,
Mr Desmond proposed trying the old dodge, and getting in at the window.
We went round the house, and knocked at all the windows we could reach.
At last an old gentleman poked out his head from an upper window, and
threatened in Spanish to blow out our brains with a blunderbuss, if we
didn't take ourselves off. Mr Desmond understood what he said, and
that he meant it was clear, for I caught sight of the muzzle of his
piece resting on the window-sill.
"`Don't do that same, if you please, sir,' answered Mr Desmond. `I am
an officer of her Majesty's sloop of war, the _Tudor_, and my companion
is one of her crew, and we have come to get the assistance of the
consul, who, I presume, you are.'
"I can't say that he looked much like one in his white night-cap. The
old gentleman then asked a number of questions of Mr Desmond, who told
him all about what had happened, and at last, having taken some time,
however, to dress himself, he came down and let us in. He was polite
enough then, for he showed us into a room and begged us to sit down,
while he listened to what Mr Desmond had further to say to him.
"He told us in reply that he had but little influence with General
Carmona, and that he had, therefore, some time back written to Jamaica,
begging that a ship of war might be sent to protect the English on the
coast, as their position was far from pleasant. He promised, however,
to return to Carthagena the next morning, and to try what he could do to
save the colonel's life, and obtain the liberation of the other
prisoners. He advised us to wait till the morning, but Mr Desmond was
in a hurry to go back and report to Miss O'Regan and his messmates what
we had done; he thought that we could get into the prison before
daylight by the way we had come. The consul seemed very much astonished
at his determination, but he was firm, and I was ready to do whatever he
proposed.
"`After all you may be right, if you manage to do so without being
discovered,' answered the old gentleman. `It will save me also from
being accused of assisting in the escape of the prisoners.'
"Having wished the consul good-bye we hastened back to the boat, and
once more making sail, stood out of the harbour. The wind, however,
shifting shortly afterwards, we made a stretch out to sea, thinking to
fetch Carthagena the next tack, when, suddenly, it again shifted, and
blew directly off the land; not a foot would the boat sail to windward,
and as to pulling against it, that was more than we could do. When
daylight broke, we found ourselves five or six miles off the shore, and
drifting farther and farther away. Mr Desmond was in a great taking at
not getting back to the shore; we lowered our sail, and I took to the
oars, but it was all of no use. There was a good deal of sea on, and we
did not even hold our own. The sea-breeze was longer than usual coming,
and it was pretty well mid-day already. We had nothing to eat or drink
since our supper in the prison. All we could hope was that the consul
would get back and help our friends. At last it fell a dead calm; we
then got the oars out again, and were about to pull back when we heard
guns in the offing, and I guessed that they must be fired by the ship of
war the consul had told us of. Mr Desmond thought I was right, and we
agreed that we should serve our friends better by pulling off towards
her. We had a long pull as you know, sir, and I am thankful that I was
right; and I am certain it won't be Mr Murray's fault if he don't give
the Dons a lesson which will teach them not to play tricks with
Englishmen in future."