And if you chance his shipp to borde,
This counsel I must give withall.
BALLAD OF SIR ANDREW BARTON, 1560.
Discretion
And hardy valour are the twins of honour,
And, nursed together, make a conqueror!
Divided, but a talker.
BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER.
The survey having been completed, Captain M---, in pursuance of the
orders which he had received, weighed his anchor, and proceeded to
cruise until the want of provisions and water should compel him to
return into port. For many days the look-out men at the mastheads were
disappointed in their hopes of reporting a strange sail, the chase or
capture of which would relieve the monotony of constant sky and water,
until, one Sunday forenoon, as Captain M--- was performing divine
service, the man at the masthead hailed the deck with "A strange sail on
the weather-bow!"
The puritan may be shocked to hear that the service was speedily,
although decorously closed; but Captain M--- was aware from the
fidgeting of the ship's company, upon the capstan bars, on which they
were seated, that it would be impossible to regain their attention to
the service, even if he had felt inclined to proceed: and he well knew,
that any worship of God in which the mind and heart were not engaged,
was but an idle ceremony, if not a solemn mockery. The hands were
turned up--all sail was made--and in an hour, the stranger was to be
seen with the naked eye from the fore-yard.
"What do you make of her, Mr Stewart?" said the first-lieutenant to
him, as he sat aloft with his glass directed towards the vessel.
"A merchant ship, sir, in ballast."
"What did he say, Jerry?" inquired Prose, who stood by him on the
gangway.
"A French vessel, deeply laden, Prose."
"Bravo, Jerry!" said Prose, rubbing his hands. "We shall get some
prize-money, I do declare."
"To be sure we shall. It will give us twenty pounds at least for a
midshipman's share, for her cargo must be sugar and coffee. Only,
confound it, one has to wait so long for it. I'll sell mine, dog-cheap,
if any one will buy it. Will you, Prose?"
"Why, Jerry, I don't much like speculation: but, now, what would you
really sell your chance for?"
"I'll take ten pounds for it. We're certain to come up with her."
"Ten pounds! No, Jerry, that is too much. I'll tell you what, I'll
give you five pounds."
"Done," replied Jerry, who was aware that a vessel in ballast would not
give him thirty shillings, if Captain M--- sent her in, which was very
unlikely. "Where's the money?"
"Oh, you must trust to my honour; the first port we go into, I pledge
you my word that you shall have it."
"I don't doubt your word, or your honour, the least, Prose; but still I
should like to have the money in my hand. Could you not borrow it?
Never mind--it's a bargain."
In two hours the frigate had neared the stranger so as to distinguish
her water-line from the deck, and on hoisting her ensign and pendant,
the vessel bore down to her.
"She has hoisted English colours, sir," reported Stewart to the captain.
"What, Stewart! did you say that she had hoisted English colours?"
inquired Prose, with an anxious face.
"Yes, you booby, I did."
"Well, now, I do declare," cried Prose, with dismay, "if I haven't lost
five pounds."
The vessel ran under the stern of the frigate, and requested a boat to
be sent on board, as she had intelligence to communicate. The boat
returned, and acquainted Captain M--- that the vessel had been boarded
and plundered by a French privateer schooner, which had committed great
depredation in that quarter, and that it was not above eight hours that
she had left her, and made sail towards Porto Rico, taking out two
merchants, who were passengers. The boat was immediately hoisted up,
and all sail made in the direction of the island, which was not above
fifteen leagues distant. As the day closed in, their eyes were
gratified by the sight of the schooner, becalmed close in under the
land. Perceiving the frigate in pursuit of her, and unable to escape,
she came to an anchor in a small and shallow bay, within a cable's
length of the beach. Captain M---, having run his ship as close in as
the depth of water would permit, which was between two and three miles
of her, so as to render her escape impossible, came to an anchor,
signifying to his officers his determination to cut her out with his
boats on the ensuing day.
The officers who were to be intrusted with the command of the boats, and
the crews which were to be employed on the service, were selected, and
mustered on the quarter-deck, previous to the hammocks being piped down,
that the former might hold themselves in readiness, and that the latter
might remain in their hammocks during the night. All was anxiety for
the sun to rise again upon those who were about to venture in the
lottery, where the prizes would be honour, and the blanks--death. There
were but few whose souls were of that decided brute composition that
they could sleep through the whole of the tedious night. They woke and
"swore a prayer or two, then slept again." The sun had not yet made his
appearance above the horizon, although the eastern blush announced that
the spinning earth would shortly whirl the _Aspasia_ into his presence,
when the pipes of the boatswain and his mates, with the summons of "All
hands ahoy--up all hammocks!" were obeyed with the alacrity so
characteristic of English seamen anticipating danger. The hammocks were
soon stowed, and the hands turned up. "Out boats!" The yard tackles
and stays were hooked, and the larger boats from the booms descended
with a heavy splash into the water, which they threw out on each side of
them as they displaced it with their weight; while the cutters from the
quarter-davits were already lowered down, and were being manned under
the chains.
Broad daylight discovered the privateer, who, aware of their intentions,
had employed the night in taking every precaution that skill could
suggest to repel the expected attack. Secured with cables and hawsers,
extending from each bow and quarter--her starboard broadside directed to
seaward--her boarding netting triced up to the lower rigging--and booms,
connected together, rigged out from the sides, to prevent them from
laying her on board. There was no wind; the sea was smooth as glass;
and the French colours, hoisted in defiance at each masthead, hung
listlessly down the spars, as if fainting for the breeze which would
expand them in their vigour. She was pierced for eight ports on a side;
and the guns, which pointed through them, with the tompions out, ready
to shower destruction upon her assailants, showed like the teeth of the
snarling wolf, who stands at bay, awaiting the attack of his undaunted
pursuers.
The boats had received their guns, which were fixed on slides, so as to
enable them to be fired over the bows, without impeding the use of the
oars; the ammunition and arm-chests had been placed in security abaft.
The sailors, with their cutlasses belted round their waists, and a
pistol stuck in their girdles, or in a becket at the side of the boat,
ready to their hands--the marines, in proportion to the number which
each boat could carry, sitting in the stern-sheets, with their muskets
between their legs, and their well pipeclayed belts for bayonet and
cartouch-box crossed over their old jackets, half dirt, half finery--all
was ready for shoving off, when Captain M--- desired the officers whom
he had appointed to the expedition to step down into his cabin. Bully,
the first lieutenant, was unwell with an intermittent fever, and Captain
M---, at the request of Macallan, would not accede to his anxiety to
take the command. Price, Courtenay, Stewart, and three other
midshipmen, were those who had been selected for the dangerous service.
"Gentlemen," said Captain M---, as they stood round the table in the
fore-cabin, waiting for his communication, "I must call your attention
to a few points, which it is my wish that you should bear in
remembrance, now that you are about to proceed upon what will, in all
likelihood, prove to be an arduous service. This vessel has already
done so much mischief, that I conceive it my duty to capture her if
possible: and although there is no service in which, generally speaking,
there is so great a sacrifice of life, in proportion to the object to be
attained, as that which is generally termed `cutting out,' yet, rather
than she should escape, to the further injury of our trade, I have
determined to have recourse to the measure.
"But, gentlemen (and to you, Mr Price, as commanding the expedition, I
particularly address myself), recollect that, even in this extreme case,
without proper arrangement, we may not only purchase our victory too
dear, but may even sacrifice a number of lives without succeeding in our
attempt. Of your courage I have not the least doubt; but let it be
remembered; that it is something more than mere animal courage which I
expect in the behaviour of my officers. If nothing more were required,
the command of these boats might be as safely intrusted to any of the
foremast men, who, like the bulldogs of our country, will thrust their
heads into the lion's jaw with perfect indifference.
"What I require, and expect, and will have, from every officer who looks
for promotion from my recommendation, is what I term--conduct: by which
I would imply, that coolness and presence of mind which enable him to
calculate chances in the midst of danger--to take advantage of a
favourable opportunity in the heat of an engagement--and to restrain the
impetuosity of those who have fallen into the dangerous error of
despising their enemy. Of such conduct the most favourable construction
that can be put upon it is, that it is only preferable to indecision.
"In a service of this description, even with the greatest courage and
prudence united, some loss must necessarily be expected to take place,
and there is no providing against unforeseen accidents; but if I find
that, by rash and injudicious behaviour, a greater sacrifice is made
than there is a necessity for, depend upon it that I shall not fail to
let that officer know the high value at which I estimate the life of a
British sailor. With this caution I shall now give you my ideas as to
what appears the most eligible plan of insuring success. I have made a
rough sketch on this paper, which will assist my explanation."
Captain M--- then entered into the plan of attack, pointing out the
precautions which should be taken, etcetera: and concluded by observing,
that they were by no means to consider themselves as fettered by what he
had proposed, but merely to regard them as hints to guide their conduct,
if found preferable to any others which might be suggested by the
peculiarity of the service, and the measures adopted by the enemy. The
officers returned on deck, and descended into their respective boats,
where they found many of the younger midshipmen, who, although not
selected for the service, had smuggled themselves into the boats that
they might be participators in the conflict. Captain M---, although he
did not send them on the service, had no objection to their going, and
therefore pretended not to see them when he looked over the side, and
desired the boats to shove off. Directly the order was given, the
remainder of the ship's company mounted the rigging, and saluted them
with three cheers.
The boats' crews tossed their oars while the cheers were given, and
returned the same number. The oars again descended into the water, and
the armament pulled in for the shore.