"A sail on the weather bow!"
One of the officers immediately went aloft. On his return the bearings
of the stranger were taken. She was a large ship, standing in for the
land.
The frigate was immediately put about. The squall having blown over,
all sail was made in chase. Many surmises were expressed as to what she
was, but it was a general opinion that she was a French frigate.
"If she is, we shall have a fight, and take her too," cried one of the
men near whom Owen was standing.
"Little doubt about that, mates," observed another.
Such were the expressions uttered by the crew. Owen felt as eager as
any one. He had not come to sea to fight, but he knew that even on
board the "Druid" they might have fallen in with an enemy and have had
to defend themselves.
"Is there any chance of her getting away, Mr Hartley?" asked Nat, who
never forgot their relative positions, though Owen treated him as a
friend.
"No," replied Owen; "for this frigate sails very fast, and from what I
hear, Captain Stanhope is not likely to let an enemy escape him if he
can help it."
"I feel somewhat strange at the thoughts of having round shot and
bullets flying about our ears," said Nat.
"We must run our chance along with the rest," answered Owen.
Mr Scoones, who had only come on deck that day for the first time, on
seeing that there was a prospect of a sharp engagement, seemed to wish
that he had kept below. After pacing up and down several times, he
spoke to the first lieutenant.
"As I have had some experience in dressing wounds, although, of course,
I should wish to see the fight on deck, I may be of assistance to the
doctor. With your leave I will go into the cock-pit and offer to help
him."
The first lieutenant looked at him hard, suspecting the reasons.
"You are a passenger, and we do not expect you to fight, so do as you
please," he answered.
Mr Scoones immediately dived below. The doctor, who had been arranging
the various instruments and dressings which he expected would be
required, received Mr Scoones coldly.
"You have not thought of bringing the two boys and the seaman saved with
you. They might like to escape the risk of being shot."
"They have entered as part of the ship's company, and must run their
chance," answered Mr Scoones.
"I thought as much," remarked the doctor, and continued his preparations
without further accepting the offer made him.
The "Sylvia" showed herself to be a fast craft as she rapidly gained on
the chase. As yet, however, the colours of the latter had not been
shown. It was possible, after all, that she might prove to be a friend.
All hands were on deck watching the chase. A loud cheer rose from the
crew as the French flag flew out from the stranger's peak. She had
tacked several times to keep the weather gauge, which it was Captain
Stanhope's wish to obtain. She was seen to be a frigate of the same
size as the "Sylvia," if not larger. The decks were now cleared for
action, and the drum beat to quarters. Owen found that he and the other
boys were to be employed in bringing up powder from the magazines in
flannel bags placed in buckets. They had then to sit on them until the
powder was wanted for loading the guns.
He would rather have been employed on some other duty, as he would thus
have seen what was going forward. Still he did not for a moment think
of trying to avoid what he was ordered to do. It was a satisfaction to
find that Nat was near him.
"I don't half like it," said Nat; "but there is no one to care for me if
I'm killed, except my old grandmother, and my brothers and sisters.
You'll tell them all about me, and take them my love, won't you, Mr
Hartley?"
"Yes, I will not forget your message, and I assure you, Nat, that I
should care very much indeed if you were to be killed," answered Owen.
"But do not be down-hearted; it will be a great thing to have been in a
fight, although we may have taken no very active part in it."
Owen and Nat were stationed on the main deck, and had just brought up
their powder from below.
"Hold your tongues, youngsters," said a midshipman, who just then
passed. Owen recognised Mr Ashurst; he looked pale, but whether this
was from the thoughts of the coming fight, or from some other cause,
Owen could not tell. He was stationed at the guns which it was Owen's
duty to keep supplied.
The second lieutenant passed along the deck, speaking an encouraging
word to the men at each of the guns, while he gave the orders in regard
to their mode of firing.
He then turned to the boys, and addressed a few kind remarks to them.
During this time the French frigate had shortened sail, showing that she
had no intention of avoiding an action.
Owen could only get a glimpse of her through the port. The "Sylvia" had
tacked several times. Again Mr Leigh came along the deck.
"In another minute we shall pass under the enemy's stern, and every gun
from forward is to be fired in succession," he cried.
Just as he spoke, loud roars were heard, and several of the Frenchmen's
shot struck the frigate's upper works, none penetrating to the main
deck.
Owen peered out eagerly to try and get a glimpse of the enemy; then
their own guns began firing, the crew cheering as their shot told with
considerable effect. The French frigate, however, which had immediately
luffed up, though too late to avoid being raked, returned the fire with
her other broadside. The two frigates ran on together to the eastward,
exchanging broadsides as fast as the guns could be run in and loaded.
"I wonder when she's going to give in?" said Nat to Owen as they
returned from below with a fresh supply of powder.
"Before long, if we continue pounding her as we have hitherto done,"
said Owen, who after the first shots had been fired felt as cool as he
had ever done in his life. Nat, too, recovered his self-possession, and
seemed to have lost all his fears. Still, it was a trying time for
youngsters who had never before been in battle. Round shot at times
struck the ship in quick succession. Three or four men had been killed
on the main deck, and others had been carried below badly wounded. Owen
had observed Mr Ashurst constantly moving about, evidently in no very
happy frame of mind.
"I say," observed Nat, "I rather think he doesn't half like it,"
pointing at the midshipman as he spoke.
"You have no right to think that," answered Owen. At that moment a shot
struck the cill of the port nearest to the spot where Owen was seated,
killing one man and wounding another, then flying across the deck close
to Mr Ashurst, it committed further havoc on the other side, laying low
another of the crew.
The midshipman gave a spring and fell over near Owen, who was at that
moment supplying his gun with powder. As soon as he was at liberty,
Owen endeavoured to help the midshipman.
"Are you hurt, sir?" he asked.
"I don't know--I thought I was," answered Mr Ashurst, getting on his
feet.
His reply produced a laugh from several of the men who heard him. He
walked away without uttering a word of thanks to Owen for his good
intentions. Another broadside was fired, when a loud cheer burst forth
from the crew on the upper deck, and was echoed by those on the main
deck.
"She has struck! she has struck!"
The English frigate had been a good deal cut up. The Frenchman had lost
her foremast and main topmast, while her hull was severely battered.
The "Sylvia" was hove to, and Mr Leigh, with a boat's crew, sent to
take possession of the prize. She proved to be the "Venus," forty-four
guns. Her captain having been killed, the first lieutenant presented
his sword to Mr Leigh; as he did so he pointed to a number of dead and
dying men about the decks, observing with a sigh--
"We did not yield until we had no hope of success. It is the fortune of
war."
"You have fought bravely, monsieur, and you and your crew will be
treated as brave men," answered Mr Leigh.
He then ordered that the dead should be hove overboard, and the wounded
carried below, to be attended to by the surgeon. He also directed the
French officers and most of the crew to prepare for going on board the
English frigate, though a few were retained for attending to the sick.
The remainder of the "Sylvia's" boats which had escaped damage now came
alongside with fresh hands to form the prize crew and to carry off the
Frenchmen. Mr Leigh, leaving the prize in charge of the master's mate,
who had accompanied him, returned on board the frigate to deliver the
swords he had received, and report the state of the prize.
"I intend you to have charge of the prize, and you can take any hands
you choose with you," said Captain Stanhope.