HOW WE PASSED THE SOUND, AND WHAT PASSED IN THE SOUND--THE CAPTAIN
OVERHEARS AGAIN A CONVERSATION BETWEEN SWINBURNE AND ME.
I was on the signal chest abaft, counting the convoy, when Swinburne
came up to me.
"Have you been here before, with a convoy, Swinburne?"
"To be sure I have; and it's sharp work that I've seen here, Mr Simple.
Work, that I've an idea our captain won't have much stomach for."
"Swinburne, I beg you will keep your thoughts relative to the captain to
yourself; recollect the last time. It is my duty not to listen to
them."
"And I should rather think, to report them also, Mr Simple," said
Captain Hawkins, who had crept up to us, and overheard our conversation.
"In this instance there is no occasion for my reporting them, sir,"
replied I, "for you have heard what has passed."
"I have, sir," replied he; "and I shall not forget the conversation."
I turned forward. Swinburne had made his retreat the moment that he
heard the voice of the captain. "How many sails are there in sight,
sir?" inquired the captain.
"One hundred and sixty-three, sir," replied I.
"Signal to convoy to close from the _Acasta_," reported the midshipman
of the watch.
We repeated it, and the captain descended to his cabin. We were then
running about four miles an hour, the water very smooth, and Anholt
lighthouse hardly visible on deck, bearing N.N.W. about twenty miles.
In fact, we were near the entrance of the Sound, which, the reader may
be aware, is a narrow passage leading into the Baltic Sea.
My watch was nearly out, when the midshipman who was looking round with
his glass on the Copenhagen side, reported three gun-boats, sweeping out
from behind a point. I examined them, and went down to report them to
the captain. When I came on deck, more were reported, until we counted
ten, two of them large vessels, called praams. The captain now came on
deck, and I reported them. We made the signal of enemy in sight, to the
_Acasta_, which was answered. They divided--six of them pulling along
shore towards the convoy in the rear, and four coming out right for the
brig. The _Acasta_ now made the signal for "Boats manned and armed to
be held in readiness." We hoisted out our pinnace, and lowered down our
cutters--the other men-of-war doing the same. In about a quarter of an
hour, the gun-boats opened their fire with their long thirty-two
pounders, and their first shot went right through the hull of the brig,
just abaft the fore-bits; fortunately, no one was hurt. I turned round
to look at the captain; he was as white as a sheet. He caught my eye,
and turned aft, when he was met by Swinburne's eye, steadily fixed upon
him. He then walked to the other side of the deck. Another shot
ploughed up the water close to us, rose, and came through the
hammock-netting, tearing out two of the hammocks, and throwing them on
the quarter-deck, when the _Acasta_ hoisted out pennants, and made the
signal to send our pinnace and cutter to the assistance of vessels
astern. The signal was also made to the _Isis_ and _Reindeer_. I
reported the signal, and inquired who was to take the command.
"You, Mr Simple, will take the pinnace, and order Mr Swinburne into
the cutter."
"Mr Swinburne, sir!" replied I; "the brig will, in all probability, be
in action soon, and his services as a gunner will be required."
"Well, then, Mr Hilton may go. Beat to quarters. Where is Mr
Webster?" The second lieutenant was close to us, and he was ordered to
take the duty during my absence.
I jumped into the pinnace, and shoved off; ten other boats from the
_Acasta_ and the other men-of-war were pulling in the same direction,
and I joined them. The gun-boats had now opened fire upon the convoy
astern, and were sweeping out to capture them, dividing themselves into
two parties, and pulling towards different portions of the convoy. In
half-an-hour we were within gun-shot of the nearest, which directed its
fire at us; but the lieutenant of the _Acasta_, who commanded the
detachment, ordered us to lie on our oars for a minute, while he divided
his force in three divisions, of four boats each, with instructions that
we should each oppose a division of two gun-boats.
This was well arranged. I had the command of one division, for the
first lieutenants had not been sent away from the _Isis_ and _Reindeer_,
and having inquired which of the divisions of gun-boats I was to oppose,
I pulled for them. In the meantime, we observed that the two praams,
and two gun-boats, which had remained behind us, and had been firing at
the _Racehorse_, had also divided--one praam attacking the _Acasta_, the
two gun-boats playing upon the _Isis_, and the other praam engaging the
_Rattlesnake_ and _Reindeer_; the latter vessel being in a line with us,
and about half a mile farther out, so that she could not return any
effectual fire, or, indeed, receive much damage.
One of the praams mounted ten guns, and the other eight. The last was
opposed to the _Rattlesnake_, and the fire was kept up very smartly,
particularly by the _Acasta_ and the enemy. In about a quarter of an
hour I arrived with my division close to the vessel which was the
nearest to the enemy. It was a large Sunderland-built ship. The
gun-boats, which were within a quarter of a mile of her, sweeping to her
as fast as they could, as soon as they perceived our approach, directed
their fire upon us, but without success, except the last discharge, in
which, we being near enough, they had loaded with grape. The shot fell
a little short, but one piece of grape struck one of the bowmen of the
pinnace, taking off three fingers of his right hand as he was pulling
his oar. Before they could fire again, we were sheltered by the vessel,
pulling close to her side, hid from the enemy.
This continued for some time, the enemy not advancing nearer, but now
firing into the Sunderland-ship, which protected us. At last the master
of the ship looked over the side, and said to me, "I say, my joker, do
you call this _giving me assistance_? I think I was better off before
you came. Then I had only my share of the enemy's fire, but now that
you have come, I have it all. I'm riddled like a sieve, and have lost
four men already. Suppose you give me a spell now--pull behind the
vessel ahead of us. I'll take my chance."
I pulled up to the other vessel, a large brig, and the captain, as soon
as we came alongside, said, "I see what you're about, and I'll just
leave you my vessel to take care of. No use losing my men, or being
knocked on the head."
"All's right--you can't do better, and we can't do better either."
His boat was lowered down, and getting in with his men, he pulled to
another vessel, and lay behind it, all ready to pull back if a breeze
sprang up.
As was to be expected, the gun-boats shifted their fire to the deserted
vessel, which the boats lay behind, and thus did the action in our
quarter continue until it was dark; the gun-boats not choosing to
advance, and was restricted from pulling out to attack them.
But I soon perceived that the gun-boats were nearing us every time that
they fired, and I now discharged grape alone, waiting for the flash of
the fire to ascertain their direction. At last I could perceive their
long low hulls, not two cables' lengths from us, and their sweeps
lifting from the water. It was plain that they were advancing to board,
and I resolved to anticipate them if possible. I had fired ahead of the
brig, and I now pulled with all my boats astern, giving my orders to the
officers, and laying on our oars in readiness. The gun-boats were about
half a cable's length from each other, pulling up abreast, and passing
us at about the same distance, when I directed the men to give way. I
had determined to throw all my force upon the nearest boat, and in half
a minute our bows were forced between their sweeps, which we caught hold
of to force our way alongside.
The resistance of the Danes was very determined. Three times did I
obtain a footing on the deck, and three times was I thrown back into the
boats. At last we had fairly obtained our ground, and were driving them
gradually forward, when, as I ran on the gunwale to obtain a position
more in advance of my men, I received a blow with the butt end of a
musket, I believe on the shoulder, which knocked me overboard, and I
fell between the sweeps, and sank under the vessel's bottom. I rose
under the stern; but I was so shook with the violence of the blow, that
I was for some time confused; still I had strength to keep myself above
water, and paddled, as it appeared, away from the vessel, until I hit
against a sweep which had fallen overboard. This supported me, and I
gradually recovered myself.
A light breeze rippled the water, and I knew that I had no time to lose.
In about five minutes I heard the sound of oars, and perceived a boat
crossing me. I hailed as loud as I could--they heard me; laid on their
oars--and I hailed again--they pulled to me, and took me in. It was the
master of the brig, who, aware of the capture of one gun-boat, and the
retreat of the other, was looking for his vessel; or, as he told me, for
what was left of her. In a short time we found her, and, although very
much cut up, she had received no shot under water.
Here I may as well relate the events of the action. One of the other
divisions of gun-boats had retreated when attacked by the boats. The
other had beaten off the boats, and killed many of the men, but had
suffered so much themselves, as to retreat without making any capture.
The _Acasta_ lost four men killed, and seven wounded; the _Isis_, three
men wounded; the _Reindeer_ had nobody hurt; the _Rattlesnake_ had six
men killed, and two wounded, including the captain; but of that I shall
speak hereafter. I found that I was by no means seriously hurt by the
blow I had received: my shoulder was stiff for a week, and very much
discoloured, but nothing more. When I fell overboard I had struck
against a sweep, which had cut my ear half off. The captain of the brig
gave me dry clothes, and in a few hours I was very comfortably asleep,
hoping to join my ship the next day; but in this I was disappointed.
The breeze was favourable and fresh; but we were clear of the Sound, but
a long way astern of the convoy, and none of the headmost men-of-war to
be seen. I dressed and went on deck, and immediately perceived that I
had little chance of joining my ship until we arrived at Carlscrona,
which proved to be the case. About ten o'clock, the wind died away, and
we had from that time such baffling light winds, that it was six days
before we dropped our anchor, every vessel of the convoy having arrived
before us.