SAIL IN SEARCH OF THE ARIADNE--FALL IN WITH A BOAT AND CREW--THE MASTER
OF THE HELEN--HIS NARRATIVE--ATTACK OF PIRATES--CAPTAIN DELANO--CAN HE
HAVE SEIZED THE ARIADNE?
"Something black and low over the starboard bow," sung out the man
stationed on the main-topgallant-masthead.
"How far off is it?" hailed the first-lieutenant.
"Two miles or thereabout, sir," was the reply.
"What does it look like?" was again asked.
"A boat, I think, sir, as much as anything," answered the look-out.
Scarcely had the seaman aloft hailed the deck, than Mr Vernon, his
countenance paler than usual, showing the agitation within, had slung
his glass over his shoulder, and was on his way up the rigging. At the
topgallant-masthead he now sat, eagerly looking out towards the point
indicated. The ship's course was instantly directed towards it. It was
an exciting moment. It might prove to be a boat, keel uppermost, and
have no tale to tell, except to let us surmise that she had proved no
ark of safety to those who had trusted to her; or she might have living
beings on board, whom our discovery of her might rescue from starvation
and death. Other officers followed Mr Vernon aloft.
"She is a boat afloat, and pulling towards us," sung out one of them.
Everybody on board was looking over the sides or out of the ports at the
boat, which we neared rapidly. We soon made out that there were several
people in her besides those who were pulling; but whether there was a
lady or not, we could not discover. I pitied poor Mr Vernon's feelings
all the time very much. He came down on deck again, and stood at the
gangway pale as death, but manfully suppressing his emotion. The boat
drew near us. She was evidently belonging to a merchantman, and, from
her build, and the appearance of the people, they were English; but
there was no female form among them. Mr Vernon scrutinised the
countenances of those in the boat as she came alongside; but he soon,
apparently, recognised none as those he had seen on board the _Ariadne_,
for he drew a deep breath, and, I thought, seemed more composed.
The people from the boat now came up the side, and she was hoisted up.
She was in a very battered condition, and had evidently been lately
repaired in a hurried manner.
They were received at the capstern by Captain Poynder. An honest,
sturdy-looking gentleman stepped forward as spokesman.
"I see that I am fortunate enough to have got on board a British
man-of-war," he began. "Well, sir, I have a pretty account of piracy
and attempted wholesale murder to give."
"Let me hear it at once, sir, that I may judge what is to be done," said
Captain Poynder.
"Yes, sir, certainly. My name is Hudson, sir. You must know that I am,
or rather was, master of the _Helen_ brig. We sailed from Liverpool,
where we took in a valuable cargo of manufactured goods, chiefly silks
and fine cottons. We were bound for Leghorn. While we were taking in
our cargo, there lay alongside of us a fine new brig, the _William_,
owned by some very respectable merchants of our port. Her master was a
certain Captain Delano, a very well-spoken, fine-looking man. I cannot
say that I ever liked him. There was something in his eye, and way of
talking, which made me doubt him. Not but that he said many things that
were very good and right, but there was nothing hearty in them; and now
and then he let out opinions which made me sure he was a bad man,
notwithstanding the way he had managed to come over his owners. There
were several suspicious things which I had heard of him from time to
time. He was an American, hailing from New York; yet he fought very shy
of all masters coming from thence, and had refused, on some excuse or
other, to take charge of a vessel going there. He, two years ago, had
command of a barque, the _Brunswick_, trading up the Straits. Some
queer things were said to have taken place in her; and I'm very much
mistaken if the black flag did not fly aboard her more than once. At
last this Mr Delano was caught attempting to carry out a large
smuggling transaction in Malta harbour, as, perhaps, you may have heard,
sir, when you have been there. He was convicted, and thrown into
prison. After having been shut up for a year, he was liberated, ruined
in character, and without a penny in his pocket. Any other man, almost,
would never again have been able to lift up his head; but his tongue
served him in good stead, and finding his way to Liverpool, he had the
impudence to present himself before his owners, and the wit to persuade
them that he was a much-injured individual, and innocent as the new-born
babe of all the charges brought against him. They gave him in
consequence, as I said, the command of the _William_, a new brig just
off the stocks. On some pretext or other, he was constantly aboard us
as we were taking in our cargo; and, with the thoughts I had of him, I
cannot say that I quite liked it. I understood also, from my people,
that four of the _Brunswick's_ crew had found him out, and shipped with
him; and the night before he sailed another very suspicious-looking
character shipped aboard, and, as the vessel went out of harbour, was
seen doing duty as mate. I mention these things, sir, that you may
judge whether I am likely to be right in my conjectures as to what
afterwards occurred. I will not now keep you longer than I can help.
We had a fine passage to the Gut, though with three or four days of
light and baffling winds. We had got through the Straits; and about a
couple of days after we had passed them, we made out on our weather-bow,
a brig, under easy canvas, standing across our course.
"`Where can she be bound to?' says I to my mate, here.
"`Only to the coast of Africa,' says he; `for you see, sir, she had a
fair wind up or down the Mediterranean.'
"`She is in no hurry, at all events,' says I, `with that sail she has
set.'
"`I can't make it out,' says he. `See, sir, she looks as if she
intended to speak us. She has altered her course a couple of points.
Ay, I see how it is--she is short-handed, by the way those sails are
set, and the ropes, too, are all hanging slack about her. Perhaps she
has lost some of her people by fever, or maybe they have been washed
overboard in a squall.'
"As I looked at the brig more attentively, there was a strange foreign
look about the paint on her sides and figure-head which puzzled me, and
still the cut of her sails and the rake of her masts was English.
Presently, however, an ensign, with the stars and stripes of the United
States, flew out at her peak. That seemed to set the matter at rest.
The stranger soon bore down on us, and I hailed her to know who she was,
and what she wanted.
"`The _Crescent_, from New York, bound for the Levant,' was the answer.
`We've lost more than half our ship's company in trying to save some
people off a wreck, and have ourselves sprung a leak. Can you send any
of your people aboard to help us to try and stop it?'
"`Ay, ay,' I answered; for you see, sir, I am always glad to lend a hand
to any other ship's company requiring assistance. To show that what he
stated was true, three or four hands were working at the pumps, though I
did not see that they were forcing much water over the sides. We
lowered a boat accordingly, and I jumped in, with four hands, and pulled
aboard the stranger. As the bowman caught hold of the main-chains--
"`Why, she has canvas over her sides,' he remarked.
"`Shove off, my lads; it's not all right,' I sung out.
"But before the bowman could clear his boat-hook, a couple of cold shot
were hove into the boat, and she began to fill rapidly. We had no
choice but to scramble on board, or to go down with her. As soon as we
were on the deck of the stranger, we found ourselves knocked over; and
before we could get on our legs, we were bound hand and foot. The men
who acted as officers, as well as the crew of the vessel, were rigged
out in so odd a fashion, and their faces so covered up with hair and
black patches, that I could not have recognised them had I known them
ever so well; but still, at the time, it struck me that the fellow who
seemed to be the captain, had a figure very like that of Delano. Of
course I did not say anything, as I knew that to do so would be a sure
way of getting knocked on the head, and made food for fishes. Leaving
my people and me on the deck to think what we might, the villains, who
had now got a boat in very good condition, lowered her, and, with
pistols hid under their shirts, and cutlasses and muskets stowed away
underneath the thwarts, went aboard my brig. In a few minutes they
hailed, which showed me that they had made quick work in taking
possession. The two vessels were now brought alongside each other, and
lashed together, and my men and I were then handed on board our own
craft, and carried below--I into my cabin, and the rest into the
forepeak, where others of the crew had been already conveyed. I won't
attempt to tell you how I felt, as I saw the villains rifling my boxes
and lockers, and carrying off everything worth having. They made quick
work of it, being hurried on by their captain; and then they set-to to
take possession of our cargo. They left me in my own sleeping-berth, on
my back, so that I could see nothing; but, from the sounds I heard, I
judged that they were handing bale after bale of our cargo into their
own craft. Their cargo, if they had one, I suppose they hove overboard,
to make room for ours. How long they continued at this work, I don't
know. It seemed to me an age, you may be sure, sir. At last they
knocked off, and there was silence for some time. I thought they were
going to leave us, when I heard them return on board; and there was a
sound which I could not mistake. The murderous villains were boring
holes in the ship's bottom. I felt it was all up with us. They
intended to let the brig founder, with all her crew, so that there
should be no witnesses to their robbery. In vain I tried to get my
hands loose. They were too well secured, and I had, therefore, nothing
to do but to resign myself to my fate. It was not the first time that I
had faced death; and, sirs, I knew in whom to trust. He had before
preserved my life. Gentlemen, I should be an ungrateful wretch if I did
not thus at once acknowledge God's great mercy to us. He has preserved
our lives, and we are here."
The reverential way in which the worthy master spoke made a deep
impression on me. There was no ostentation, no hypocrisy, no cant; but
heartfelt gratitude, and humble reliance on God's protecting hand.
"No excuse necessary. What you say is right--perfectly right. You
speak as a Christian should, and I honour you for it; but go on,"
replied Captain Poynder, who was evidently anxious to arrive at the
conclusion of the master's somewhat prolix narrative.
"Well, sir," he continued, "of one thing I felt pretty certain, that
Delano was the perpetrator of this horrible outrage. It was the very
trick he was reported to have played before, and which, from what I had
seen of him, I judged he would be ready to play again. I could hear the
water begin to rush into the ship, but it did not reach the deck of the
cabin so soon as I expected. There was a good deal of noise on deck, as
if the pirates were knocking things to pieces; and then I judged that
the vessels had separated, and that the pirate had sheered off to leave
us to our fate. All was silent, and I could not tell whether my poor
fellows had been carried off or been left to share my fate with the
brig. Some twenty minutes or half an hour had passed in this state of
uncertainty, when I heard a noise, as if bulkheads were being knocked
in, and my own name was called by a voice which I recognised as that of
my mate. I shouted joyfully in return, and in a few seconds he and some
of the crew rushed into the cabin and released me. `The brig seems in
no way inclined to go down, captain,' they exclaimed. `If we could but
get the pumps rigged, we might save her as well as our lives; but the
pirate has only sheered off to a short distance, and if the villains on
board were to catch sight of our faces on deck, they would soon return
and put a finishing stroke to us.' `Let's see if we can do anything to
keep the water out,' said I, though I had little hope of success. On
going into the hold, which was pretty well free of cargo, on examination
I discovered that the holes had been bored through the timbers, instead
of through the planks. `Either a friend or a lubber has done this,'
exclaimed my mate. `I think the former,' I observed. `Get some plugs
as fast as you can, my lads, and we'll soon stop these leaks, and yet
keep the old barkie afloat.' The holes were bored mostly high up, so
that they were easily got at, and we thus had the greater number of them
quickly plugged. There is no doubt in my mind that the man who bored
the holes hoped by that means to save our lives. One of the crew, who
had all been shut up in the forepeak, told me that the man who had
lashed his hands took occasion to pass him, when he whispered, `Don't
move till we're clear off. Things are not so bad for you as they look.'
When I heard this, I was sure that all on board the pirate were not as
great villains as their leaders. As soon as this man had got his hands
free--which he did without difficulty, for they were purposely ill
secured--he loosed the rest; and then, afraid to show themselves on
deck, lest the pirates should see them, they worked their way aft to my
cabin. A strong confirmation to my suspicions that the pirate brig is
no other than the _William_, commanded by Delano, is, that as one of my
people lay bound on her deck, when we were knocked down on boarding her,
he observed the name of the sailmaker on her fore-topsail--John
Reynolds, of Liverpool. He remarked the name particularly, because he
was the maker who had furnished the sails of the last vessel he had
sailed in; and he remembered that he had observed the same name on the
_William's_ sails. We remained below for some little time after we had
plugged the holes, and then we managed to wrench off the hatches of the
forepeak. When we had done this, I crept cautiously out, and looking
over the bulwarks, I saw the pirate about a quarter of a mile off,
laying by us apparently to watch till we should go down. This made our
position very perilous, for any moment the pirates might return and
knock us all on the head, though, for that matter, I resolved that if
they attempted it, we would sell our lives at no cheap rate. As I
glanced my eyes along our deck and up aloft, a sad scene of havoc and
destruction met them. Our running rigging was un-rove and carried off,
our standing rigging was cut through, and what sails remained on the
yards were hanging in shreds. On deck, our boats were stove in, the
caboose knocked to pieces, and the cooking things gone. Indeed I could
scarcely have supposed that so much mischief could have been committed
by a few people in so short a time. Having made these observations, I
again went below to hold a consultation with my mates as to what was
best to be done. We made up our minds that as long as the water did not
gain on us, and the pirate lay near us, all we could do was to remain
quiet below; but we agreed to arm ourselves in the best way we could,
and, if the pirates returned, to rush out on them in a body, and to
attempt to take them by surprise. The arms from my cabin had been
carried off; but there were three brace of pistols and a couple of
fowling-pieces in a chest in the after-hold, which had escaped their
notice; as also some ammunition. We had also among us a couple of axes,
and some thick ends of crowbars; so that we were likely to prove pretty
formidable in a close scuffle. When we were ready, we almost wished
that the fellows would come back, that we might punish them for what
they had done, and I believe that we should have rendered a good account
of them. But at the same time, as bloodshed must have followed--and
that in any case is bad,--and we could not have regained our property, I
cannot say but what I am glad they did not make the attempt. If we had
had the brig under control, we might have done something; but without
sails, and almost sinking, we were helpless. I now returned on deck, to
watch the movements of the pirate. All this time the water kept coming
in, and I began to fear that our brig would not keep afloat till the
pirate had sheered off, when suddenly I saw her sheet home her topsails,
let fall her courses, and make sail away to the eastward. After
watching her for a quarter of an hour--which seemed four times as long a
period,--to make sure that the pirates could no longer see us, I called
the people up from below to rig the pumps. The pirates had, however,
done their utmost to render them useless, and we soon found that we must
give up all hopes of clearing the ship of water. We then turned-to to
examine the boats. One was so completely stove in that she was
perfectly useless; and we made up our minds that we should have to take
to a raft, when the carpenter reported that he could in a very short
time render the other boat seaworthy. We accordingly did our best to
make her fit to float, though darkness came down upon us before we had
finished. We could only find one lantern, which enabled us to continue
our work, but very slowly. We made a rough sort of a raft to keep us
afloat, in case the brig should go down suddenly; but I never passed a
more anxious night. It was noon the next day before the boat was ready.
Scarcely had we got clear of the brig before she went down; and
certainly it was from no mercy of Delano's that we did not sink in her.
I at once shaped a course for Malta, as the wind had shifted round to
the westward, and it was the British port we could most easily reach,
and where we could at the same time get aid to go in search of the
pirate. What with baffling winds, we have been a long time knocking
about, and might have been still longer, had we not fallen in with you,
sir. All I can say more is, that the sooner a stop is put to the career
of those villains, the better. It is impossible to tell what other
atrocities they may have committed."
While the master of the _Helen_ was giving his narrative, I saw Mr
Vernon turn very pale; and as he made this last observation, I thought
he would have fallen. It had evidently occurred to him that the
_Ariadne_ might have been seized by Delano. By a mighty effort of
self-command, however, he recovered himself.
"I am much pleased with your clear statement, Mr Hudson," said Captain
Poynder. "We will return to Malta immediately, and take steps to
discover what has become of the _William_, or rather the pirate which
plundered you. I cannot doubt that they are one and the same craft."
"Thank you, sir; that's what I think should be done," said the worthy
master. "I've no doubt the pirate will be found before long."
"Captain Poynder, is it possible that the pirate could have fallen in
with the _Ariadne_?" said Mr Vernon in a hollow voice, trembling with
agitation.
"I trust not--I trust not," replied the captain. "We'll hope for the
best: at the same time we will do our utmost to ascertain the truth."