Larry shouted still louder, for he had a voice of his own when he tried
to exert it. The boat pulled more heavily than ever. If it had not
been for the dread of the sharks, I should have jumped overboard and
tried to swim to the frigate. Still we made her move. I can't say what
a leap my heart gave as we ran up against her side. Some ropes were
hove to us, for our shouts had attracted attention, and, swirming up
them, we each reached a port in time to see our boat's gunwale flush
with the water, and our pursuers turning round to pull away. As we got
on deck the quartermaster brought a lantern, which he held so as to
throw a light on our faces, and at the same time a midshipman ran up.
"Who have we here?" he exclaimed, and I recognised Chaffey's voice.
"What! Paddy Finn, my boy, where in the world have you come from?"
"From a brig--a prize to the French," I answered. "But I say, Chaffey,
I want to see the captain at once. If there comes a breeze she'll be
slipping out of the harbour, and we must be ready to go after her."
"Why, we thought you were on board the _Soleil_, and expected she would
be put into commission, and be sent out to rejoin us, as we want small
craft to watch the movements of the French."
I briefly told him what had happened. He in return told me what I was
sorry to hear, that nothing had been heard of the _Soleil_, though the
idea was that she had got safely into Port Royal harbour.
"The captain doesn't like to be roused up; but I suppose as your
information is of importance, he won't give me a wigging for disturbing
him," he said, as we reached the cabin door. Mentioning his object, the
sentry stationed there allowed him to pass, and I stood for a time
outside, trying to squeeze the water out of my nether garments. I had
formed a little pool round my feet by the time Chaffey returned.
"You're to go into the captain, Paddy," he said. "He fired off his
great guns and small arms at me, so he'll receive you pleasantly, I
hope."
Giving a final wring to my coat tails, I made my way to the after cabin.
The captain, with night-cap on head, had just got into his breeches.
"Glad to see you safe on board, Finnahan," he said. "Now give me the
information you have brought. I'll hear about your adventures
afterwards."
"I have just escaped from a brig, sir, that is carrying despatches to
the French admiral at Guadaloupe, and as she may at any moment slip out
of the harbour, I thought you would like to know of it, that you may
follow and capture her as soon as she gets to a sufficient distance from
this place."
"How do you know she has despatches?" he asked.
"I heard the French officer who came on board tell the lieutenant in
command of the brig what they were, and I saw them in the drawer of the
cabin table. I supposed that the lieutenant put them there that they
might be handy to throw overboard, should he find at any time that the
brig was likely to be recaptured."
"Then why didn't you bring them away with you?" asked the captain. "You
made your own escape--you might easily, I should have thought, have got
hold of them."
"I felt in honour bound not to do so, sir. I was trusted on board; but
as I had not given my word not to escape, I felt justified in getting
away when the opportunity offered."
"I consider you acted rightly," said the captain. "A man cannot have
too nice a sense of honour; at the same time I believe you would have
gained great credit if you had brought them off. Much may depend on our
getting hold of them. However, we must do our best to capture the brig,
and prevent her delivering them to the French admiral. You deserve
credit as it is for making your escape, and I'm glad you got off without
breaking your parole. I should have regretted to find that you had done
that. Now call Mr Saunders, and--hillo! my lad, you're dripping wet!
Go and shift into dry clothes, or rather, if you're not wanted, turn
into your hammock and get some sleep. You have not had much of that
to-night, I conclude."
Getting a lantern from the sentry, I at once repaired to old
"Rough-and-Ready's" cabin.
"Mr Saunders," I shouted, "the captain wants to see you." He jumped up
in a moment wide awake--a good first lieutenant always sleeps with one
eye open.
"Why, where do you come from, youngster?" he asked, as, throwing his
night-cap on the pillow, he rapidly slipped into his clothes.
I very briefly told him while he finished dressing, which took him
scarcely a minute, and he then hastened to the captain's cabin, while I
gladly went below and had my marine roused up to get me out some dry
clothes from my chest and to sling my hammock. I inquired for Larry,
who I found had gone forward. In a short time he came aft, having also
got into dry clothes.
"Mighty glad we've got away from the brig, Mr Terence," he said; "but
still I'm as sorrowful as a pig in a gale of wind. The first thing the
men axed me for was my fiddle, and bedad I left it aboard the brig; so
if she gets away I'll never be after seeing it again."
"We must hope to take her," I said. "Depend on it the captain will keep
a look-out on her movements, and we shall then recover your fiddle,
though I'm afraid we shall not get hold of the despatches."
"Is it them bundle of papers in the drawer you're speaking of?" asked
Larry. "I was after thinking it would be as well to bring them away, in
case the captain should like to have a look at them, so I just put them
in my shirt before I slipped out of the cabin window. I hope I won't be
called a thief for taking them. Here they are, Mr Terence;" and he
handed me the packet which I had seen in the drawer.
I hurried aft with it to the captain. I found him and the first
lieutenant in the cabin.
"Why, what's this?" exclaimed the captain, as I gave him the packet.
I told him that I believed it contained the despatches sent from
Port-au-Prince; and that my companion, Larry Harrigan, unknown to me,
had brought them away.
"What! and you gave him a hint to do so?" said the captain.
"No, indeed I didn't, sir," I answered firmly, though I blushed as I
then explained, that although I had spoken to Larry about them, it was
with no intention of inducing him to do what I was unwilling to do
myself. "I had told him of them, sir," I said; "but I give you my word
of honour that I had no thought at the time of his getting hold of them.
I did meditate, I confess, throwing them overboard; but under the
circumstances I came to the conclusion that I had no right to do that,
independent of the risk of being severely dealt with by the Frenchmen,
should my act be discovered."
"Well, well, I believe you, Finnahan," said the captain in a kind tone.
"We have got them, and we must take them at once to Sir Samuel Hood. We
need care very little about the brig now."