I GO AWAY ON SERVICE, AM WOUNDED AND TAKEN PRISONER WITH O'BRIEN--
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND BETWEEN THE O'BRIENS--GET INTO COMFORTABLE
QUARTERS--MY FIRST INTERVIEW WITH CELESTE.
And now I have to relate an event, which, young as I was at the time,
will be found to have seriously affected me in after-life. How little
do we know what to-morrow may bring forth! We had regained our station,
and for some days had been standing off and on the coast, when one
morning at daybreak, we found ourselves about four miles from the town
of Cette, and a large convoy of vessels coming round a point. We made
all sail in chase, and they anchored close in shore, under a battery,
which we did not discover until it opened fire upon us. The shot struck
the frigate two or three times, for the water was smooth, and the
battery nearly level with it. The captain tacked the ship, and stood
out again, until the boats were hoisted out, and all ready to pull on
shore and storm the battery. O'Brien, who was the officer commanding
the first cutter on service, was in his boat, and I again obtained
permission from him to smuggle myself into it.
We ran on shore, amidst the fire of the gun-boats which protected the
convoy, by which we lost three men, and made for the battery, which we
took without opposition, the French artillerymen running out as we ran
in. The first lieutenant, who commanded, desired O'Brien to remain with
the first cutter, and after the armourer had spiked the guns, as officer
of the boat he was to shove off immediately. O'Brien and I remained in
the battery with the armourer, the boat's crew being ordered down to the
boat, to keep her afloat, and ready to shove off at a moment's warning.
We had spiked all the guns but one, when all of a sudden a volley of
musketry was poured upon us, which killed the armourer and wounded me in
the leg, above the knee. I fell down by O'Brien, who cried out, "By the
powers! here they are, and one gun not spiked." He jumped down,
wrenched the hammer from the armourer's hand, and seizing a nail from
the bag, in a few moments he had spiked the gun. At this time I heard
the tramping of the French soldiers advancing, when O'Brien threw away
the hammer, and lifting me upon his shoulders, cried, "Come along,
Peter, my boy," and made for the boat as fast as he could; but he was
too late; he had not got half-way to the boat, before he was collared by
two French soldiers, and dragged back into the battery. The French
troops then advanced, and kept up a smart fire; our cutter escaped, and
joined the other boat, who had captured the gun-boats and convoy with
little opposition. Our large boats had carronades mounted in their
bows, and soon returned the fire with round and grape, which drove the
French troops back into the battery, where they remained, popping at our
men under cover, until most of the vessels were taken out: those which
they could not man were burnt. In the meantime, O'Brien had been taken
into the battery, with me on his back: but as soon as he was there, he
laid me gently down, saying, "Peter, my boy, as long as you were under
my charge, I'd carry you through thick and thin; but now that you are
under the charge of these French beggars, why, let them carry you.
Every man his own bundle, Peter, that's fair play; so if they think
you're worth the carrying, let them bear the weight of ye."
As soon as our boats were clear of their musketry, the commanding
officer of the French troops examined the guns in the battery, with the
hope of reaching them, and was very much annoyed to find that every one
of them was spiked. "He'll look sharper than a magpie before he finds a
clear touch-hole, I expect," said O'Brien, as he watched the officer.
And here I must observe, that O'Brien showed great presence of mind in
spiking the last gun; for had they had one gun to fire at our boats
towing out the prizes, they must have done a great deal of mischief to
them, and we should have lost a great many men; but in so doing, and in
the attempt to save me, he sacrificed himself, and was taken prisoner.
When the troops ceased firing, the commanding officer came up to
O'Brien, and looking at him, said, "Officer?" to which O'Brien nodded
his head. He then pointed to me--"Officer?" O'Brien nodded his head
again, at which the French troops laughed, as O'Brien told me
afterwards, because I was what they called an _enfant_, which means an
infant. I was very stiff and faint, and could not walk. The officer
who commanded the troops left a detachment in the battery, and prepared
to return to Cette, from whence they came. O'Brien walked, and I was
carried on three muskets by six of the French soldiers,--not a very
pleasant conveyance at any time, but in my state excessively painful.
However, I must say, that they were very kind to me, and put a great
coat or something under my wounded leg, for I was in an agony, and
fainted several times. At last they brought me some water to drink. O
how delicious it was! In about an hour and a half, which appeared to me
to be five days at the least, we arrived at the town of Cette, and I was
taken up to the house of the officer who commanded the troops, and who
had often looked at me as I was carried there from the battery, saying,
"_Pauvre enfant_!" I was put on a bed, where I again fainted away.
When I came to my senses, I found a surgeon had bandaged my leg, and
that I had been undressed. O'Brien was standing by me, and I believe
that he had been crying, for he thought that I was dead. When I looked
him in the face, he said, "Pater, you baste, how you frightened me: bad
luck to me if ever I take charge of another youngster. What did you
sham dead for?"
"I am better now, O'Brien," replied I: "how much I am indebted to you!
you have been made prisoner in trying to save me."
"I have been made prisoner in doing my duty, in one shape or another."
I squeezed the offered hand of O'Brien, and looked round me; the surgeon
stood at one side of the bed, and the officer who commanded the troops
at the other. At the head of the bed was a little girl about twelve
years old, who held a cup in her hand, out of which something had been
poured down my throat. I looked at her, and she had such pity in her
face, which was remarkably handsome, that she appeared to me as an
angel, and I turned round as well as I could, that I might look at her
alone. She offered me the cup, which I should have refused from any one
but her, and I drank a little. Another person then came into the room,
and a conversation took place in French.
"I wonder what they mean to do with us," said I to O'Brien.
"Whist, hold your tongue," replied he; and then he leaned over me, and
said in a whisper, "I understand all they say; don't you recollect, I
told you that I learnt the language after I was kilt and buried in the
sand in South America?" After a little more conversation, the officer
and the others retired, leaving nobody but the little girl and O'Brien
in the room.
"It's a message from the governor," said O'Brien, as soon as they were
gone, "wishing the prisoners to be sent to the gaol in the citadel, to
be examined; and the officer says (and he's a real gentleman, as far as
I can judge) that you're but a baby, and badly wounded in the bargain,
and that it would be a shame not to leave you to die in peace; so I
presume that I'll part company from you very soon."
"I hope not, O'Brien," replied I; "if you go to prison, I will go also,
for I will not leave you, who are my best friend, to remain with
strangers; I should not be half so happy, although I might have more
comforts in my present situation."
"Pater, my boy, I am glad to see that your heart is in the right place,
as I always thought it was, or I wouldn't have taken you under my
protection. We'll go together to prison, my jewel, and I'll fish at the
bars with a bag and a long string, just by way of recreation, and to
pick up a little money to buy you all manner of nice things; and when
you get well, you shall do it yourself--mayhap you'll have better luck,
as Peter your namesake had, who was a fisherman before you. But somehow
or another, I think we mayn't be parted yet, for I heard the officer
(who appears to be a real gentleman, and worthy to have been an Irishman
born) say to the other, that he'd ask the governor for me to stay with
you on parole, until you are well again." The little girl handed me the
lemonade, of which I drank a little, and then I felt very faint again.
I laid my head on the pillow, and O'Brien having left off talking, I was
soon in a comfortable sleep. In an hour I was awakened by the return of
the officer, who was accompanied by the surgeon. The officer addressed
O'Brien in French, who shook his head as before.
Two other persons then came into the room: one of them addressed O'Brien
in very bad English, saying that he was interpreter, and would beg him
to answer a few questions. He then inquired the name of our ship,
number of guns, and how long we had been cruising. After that the force
of the English fleet, and a great many other questions relative to them;
all of which were put in French by the person who came with him, and the
answers translated and taken down in a book. Some of the questions
O'Brien answered correctly; to others he pleaded ignorance; and to some
he asserted what was not true. But I did not blame him for that, as it
was his duty not to give information to the enemy. At last they asked
my name and rank, which O'Brien told them.
"Was I noble?"
"Yes," replied O'Brien.
"Don't say so, O'Brien," interrupted I.
"Peter, you know nothing about it; you are grandson to a lord."
"I know that, but still I am not noble myself, although descended from
him; therefore pray don't say so."
"Bother, Pater! I have said it, and I won't unsay it; besides, Pater,
recollect it's a French question, and in France you would be considered
noble. At all events it can do no harm."
"I feel too ill to talk, O'Brien; but I wish you had not said so."
They then inquired O'Brien's name, which he told them; his rank in the
service, and also whether he was noble.
"I am an O'Brien," replied he; "and pray what's the meaning of the O
before my name, if I'm not noble? However, Mr Interpreter, you may
add, that we have dropped our title because it's not convanient." The
French officer burst out into a loud laugh, which surprised us very
much. The interpreter had great difficulty in explaining what O'Brien
said; but as O'Brien told me afterwards, the answer was put down
_doubtful_.
They all left the room except the officer, who then, to our
astonishment, addressed us in good English: "Gentlemen, I have obtained
permission from the governor for you to remain in my house, until Mr
Simple is recovered. Mr O'Brien, it is necessary that I should receive
your parole of honour, that you will not attempt to escape. Are you
willing to give it?"
O'Brien was quite amazed; "Murder an' Irish," cried he; "so you speak
English, colonel."
"I'm of Irish descent," replied the officer, "and my name, as well as
yours, is O'Brien. I was brought up in this country, not being
permitted to serve my own, and retain the religion of my forefathers.
But to the question, Mr O'Brien, will you give your parole?"
"The word of an Irishman, and the hand to boot," replied O'Brien,
shaking the colonel by the hand; "and you are more than doubly sure, for
I'll never go away and leave little Peter here; and as for carrying him
on my back, I've had enough of that already."
"It is sufficient," replied the colonel. "Mr O'Brien, I will make you
as comfortable as I can; and when you are tired of attending your
friend, my little daughter shall take your place. You'll find her a
kind little nurse, Mr Simple."
I could not refrain from tears at the colonel's kindness: he shook me by
the hand; and telling O'Brien that dinner was ready, he called up his
daughter, the little girl who had attended me before, and desired her to
remain in the room. "Celeste," said he, "you understand a little
English; quite enough to find out what he is in want of. Go and fetch
your work, to amuse yourself when he is asleep." Celeste went out, and
returning with her embroidery, sat down by the head of the bed: the
colonel and O'Brien then quitted the room. Celeste then commenced her
embroidery, and as her eyes were cast down upon her work, I was able to
look at her without her observing it. As I said before, she was a very
beautiful little girl; her hair was light brown, eyes very large, and
eyebrows drawn as with a pair of compasses; her nose and mouth was also
very pretty; but it was not so much her features as the expression of
her countenance, which was so beautiful, so modest, so sweet, and so
intelligent. When she smiled, which she almost always did when she
spoke, her teeth were like two rows of little pearls.
I had not looked at her long, before she raised her eyes from her work,
and perceiving that I was looking at her, said, "You want--something--
want drink--I speak very little English."
"Nothing, I thank ye," replied I; "I only want to go to sleep."
"Then--shut--your eye," replied she, smiling; and she went to the
window, and drew down the blinds to darken the room. In the evening,
the surgeon called again; he felt my pulse, and directing cold
applications to my leg, which had swelled considerably, and was becoming
very painful, told Colonel O'Brien that, although I had considerable
fever, I was doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances.
But I shall not dwell upon my severe sufferings for a fortnight, after
which the ball was extracted; nor upon how carefully I was watched by
O'Brien, the colonel, and little Celeste, during my peevishness and
irritation arising from pain and fever.