O'BRIEN TELLS HIS CREW THAT ONE ENGLISHMAN IS AS GOOD AS THREE FRENCHMEN
ON SALT WATER--THEY PROVE IT--WE FALL IN WITH AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE,
ALTHOUGH SHE COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS A FRIEND.
Our next cruise was on the coast of Guinea and Gulf of Mexico where we
were running up and down for three months, without falling in with
anything but West Indiamen bound to Demerara, Berbice, and Surinam, and
occasionally chasing a privateer; but in the light winds they were too
fast for us. Still we were useful in protecting the trade, and O'Brien
had a letter of thanks from the merchants, and a handsome piece of plate
upon his quitting the station. We had made sail for Barbadoes two days,
and were within sight of the island of Trinidad, when we perceived six
sail on the lee-bow. We soon made them out to be three large ships and
three schooners; and immediately guessed, which afterwards proved to be
correct, that they were three privateers, with West India ships which
they had captured. We made all sail, and at first the three privateers
did the same; but afterwards, having made out our force, and not liking
to abandon their prizes, they resolved to fight. The West Indiamen
hauled to the wind on the other tack, and the three privateers shortened
sail and awaited our coming. We beat to quarters, and when everything
was ready, and we were within a mile of the enemy, who had now thrown
out the tricoloured flag, O'Brien ordered all the men aft on the
quarter-deck, and addressed them: "Now, my men, you see that there are
three privateers, and you also see that there are three Indiamen, which
they have captured. As for the privateers, it's just a fair match for
you--one Englishman can always beat three Frenchmen. We must lick the
privateers for honour and glory, and we must re-capture the ships for
profit, because you'll all want some money when you get on shore again.
So you've just half-a-dozen things to do, and then we'll pipe to
dinner."
This harangue suited the sailors very well, and they returned to their
guns. "Now, Peter," said O'Brien, "just call away the sail-trimmers
from the guns, for I mean to fight these fellows under sail, and
out-manoeuvre them, if I can. Tell Mr Webster I want to speak with
him."
Mr Webster was the second lieutenant, a very steady, quiet, young man,
and a good officer.
"Mr Webster," said O'Brien, "remember that all the foremost guns must
be very much depressed. I prefer that the shot should strike the water
before it reaches them, rather than it should go over them. See that
your screws are run up at once, and I will take care that no broadside
is thrown away. Starboard, Swinburne."
"Starboard it is, sir."
"Steady; so--that's right for the stern of the leeward vessel."
We were within two cable lengths of the privateers, who still remained
hove-to within half a cable's length of each other. They were very
large schooners, full of men, with their boarding netting triced up, and
showing a very good set of teeth; as it afterwards proved, one mounted
sixteen, and the other two fourteen, guns.
"Now, my lads, over to the lee guns, and fire as they bear, when we
round-to. Hands by the lee head-braces, and jib-sheet, stretch along
the weather braces. Quarter-master abaft, tend the boom-sheet. Port
hard, Swinburne."
"Port it is, sir," replied Swinburne; and the brig rounded up on the
wind, shooting up under the sterns of the two weathermost schooners, and
discharging the broadside into them as the guns bore.
"Be smart and load, my lads, and stand by the same guns. Round in the
weather head-braces. Peter, I don't want her to go about. Stand by to
haul over the boom-sheet, when she pays off. Swinburne, helm
a-midships."
By this time another broadside was poured into the schooner, who had not
yet returned our fire, which, having foolishly remained hove to the
wind, they could not do. The brig had now stern way, and O'Brien then
executed a very skilful manoeuvre: he shifted the helm, and made a stern
board, so as to back in between the two weather schooners and the one to
leeward, bracing round at the same time on the other tack.
"Man both sides, my lads, and give them our broadsides as we pass."
The men stationed to the starboard guns flew over, and the other side
being again loaded, we exchanged broadsides with the leeward and one of
the windward schooners, the brig continuing her stern way until we
passed a-head of them. By the time that we had reloaded, the brig had
gathered headway, and again passed between the same two schooners,
giving broadsides, and then passing astern of them.
"Capital, my lads--capital!" said O'Brien; "this is what I call good
fighting." And so it was; for O'Brien had given two raking broadsides,
and four others, receiving only two in return, for the schooners were
not ready for us when we passed between them the last time.
The smoke had now rolled away to leeward, and we were able to see the
effect of our broadsides. The middle schooner had lost her main-boom,
and appeared very much cut up in the hull. The schooner to leeward did
not appear to have suffered much; but they now perceived their error,
and made sail. They had expected that we should have run in between
them, and fought broadside to broadside, by which means the weathermost
schooner would have taken a raking position, while the others engaged us
to windward and to leeward. Our own damages were trifling--two men
slightly wounded, and one main shroud cut away. We ran about
half-a-mile astern from them; then with both broadsides ready, we
tacked, and found that, as we expected, we could weather the whole of
them. This we did; O'Brien running the brig within biscuit-throw of the
weather schooner, engaging him broadside to broadside, with the
advantage that the other two could not fire a shot into us without
standing a chance of striking their consort. If he made more sail, so
did we; if he shortened, so did we, so as to keep our position with
little variation. The schooner fought well; but her metal was not to be
compared with our thirty-two pound carronades, which ploughed up her
sides at so short a distance, driving two ports into one. At last her
foremast went by the board, and she dropped astern. In the meantime the
other schooners had both tacked, and were coming up under our stern to
rake us, but the accident which happened to the one we had engaged left
us at liberty. We knew that she could not escape, so we tacked and
engaged the other two, nearing them as fast as we could. The breeze now
sprang up fast, and O'Brien put up the helm and passed between them,
giving them both a raking broadside of grape and cannister, which
brought the sticks about their ears. This sickened them; the smallest
schooner which had been the leewardest at the commencement of the
action, made all sail on a wind. We clapped on the royals to follow
her, when we perceived that the other schooner, which had been in the
middle, and whose main-boom we had shot away, had put her helm up, and
was crowding all sail before the wind. O'Brien then said, "Must not try
for too much, or we shall lose all. Put her about, Peter,--we must be
content with the one that is left us."
We went about and ranged up to the schooner which had lost her foremast;
but she, finding that her consort had deserted her, hauled down her
colours just as we were about to pour in our broadside. Our men gave
three cheers; and it was pleasant to see them all shaking hands with
each other, congratulating and laughing at the successful result of our
action.
"Now, my lads, be smart;--we've done enough for honour, now for profit.
Peter, take the two cutters full of men, and go on board of the
schooner, while I get hold of the three West Indiamen. Rig something
jury forward, and follow me."
In a minute the cutters were down and full of men. I took possession of
the schooner, while the brig again tacked, and crowding all sail stood
after the captured vessels. The schooner, which was the largest of the
three, was called the _Jean d'Arc_, mounting sixteen guns, and had
fifty-three men on board, the remainder being away in the prizes. The
captain was wounded very badly, and one officer killed. Out of her
ship's company, she had but eight killed and five wounded. They
informed me that they had sailed three months ago from St. Pierre's,
Martinique, and had fallen in with the two other privateers, and cruised
in company, having taken nine West Indiamen since they had come out.
"Pray," said I, to the officer who gave the information, "were you ever
attacked by boats when you laid at St. Pierre's?"