"Hadn't you better, sir, see what they contain?" observed Mr Saunders.
"It's just possible, too, that the commander of the brig knows their
contents, and will communicate it verbally to the French admiral, or
perhaps he may have duplicates on board."
"I don't think he has that, sir," I remarked. "I saw the packet
delivered to the French lieutenant, and he certainly did not open it,
though I can't say whether he knows the purport of the despatches."
"It's likely enough that he does, though; and at all events we must
prevent him, if we can, from communicating with his admiral," said
Captain Macnamara. "When he finds that you have made your escape, he'll
be eager to be off, and still more so if he discovers that the
despatches are missing. Send a boat, Mr Saunders, at once to watch the
movements of the brig. Heave the cable short, and be ready to sail the
moment we get a breeze."
Mr Saunders left the cabin to carry out the orders he had received. I
hadn't yet told the captain of the way the brig was taken from me, and
of the mutiny. I now, by his desire, gave him a detailed account of the
circumstances.
"There's no blame attached to you, Finnahan," he said; "though as far as
I can make out, the French officers didn't behave in an honourable way,
and I hope those mutinous scoundrels will get their deserts before long.
I'm sorry they are our countrymen, but I can show them no favour on
that account. If we take the brig, every one of them will be hanged."
"I rather think, sir, that the French officers will have saved us the
trouble; for when they get on board and find what Hoolan and his mates
have been about, they won't be inclined to treat them leniently."
"I wish that we had left them ashore at Cork," observed the captain.
"We should have been better without such scoundrels. Now, with regard
to these despatches. I don't understand a word of French, nor does the
first lieutenant, nor any other officer in the ship except yourself,
Finnahan; still it may be necessary to act immediately on them. I'll
open them, and you must translate their contents."
I would thankfully have excused myself; for though I could jabber French
pretty glibly, I was very little accustomed to write or translate it.
The captain got out pens and paper from his desk and, telling me to sit
down, opened the packet, and put it into my hands. The hand-writing
greatly puzzled me, for it was not a style to which I was accustomed. I
spelt out the words, however, as well as I could, and tried to get at
the sense. It contained an account of the intended sailing of the
Marquis de Boullie with four thousand troops for the relief of
Guadaloupe, which was at that time being attacked by the English under
General Prescott. There were also various directions for the guidance
of the French forces in those seas; but the most important was a plan
for the concentration of the fleet, carrying a large body of soldiers,
so that they might pounce down on Jamaica while the English squadrons
were being led away in opposite directions. It was some time before I
arrived at the gist of the matter.
"This is important," exclaimed the captain. "You would have rendered
essential service to the country by bringing these on board, and I must
see that Harrigan is rewarded; while the part you have played must not
be forgotten, as, though your sense of honour prevented you from taking
the packet, it is owing to your courage and determination that we have
obtained it. However, we will talk of that by and by. We must look
out, in the meantime, that the brig doesn't escape us; for though I have
got the information to put Sir Samuel Hood on his guard, the French may
obtain it also, and act accordingly."
While we were speaking, Mr Saunders came in to say the boat was ready,
and the cable hove short; but that, as it was still a stark calm, there
was no chance at present of the brig getting under weigh.
"You must go in the boat, Finnahan, and make sure that we watch the
right brig. As we can't see her from the ship, we may be following the
wrong vessel," said the captain.
Though I would much rather have turned in and gone to sleep, I of course
obeyed orders.
Mr Harvey, the third lieutenant, was in charge of the boat, and as I
stepped into her, I found that Larry Harrigan formed one of the crew.
They pulled away under my directions, and soon gained sight of the brig.
"It's mighty hard that we can't jump aboard and take her," I heard Larry
say to the stroke oar, behind whom he was sitting. "I'd be after
getting back my fiddle, at all events, if we could."
"It's agen' the law of nations," answered the man; "though I should like
to punish the rascal Hoolan for murdering poor Ben Nash and Tim Logan."
"Silence, men," said Mr Harvey; "we must not let the people on board
the brig find out that we are watching them. They'll probably take us
for a guard-boat, but if they hear our English voices, they'll know who
we are."
We kept under the shade of one of the neighbouring vessels. All was
quiet on board the brig. There were no signs of her being about to trip
her anchor. I wondered whether Dubois had put Hoolan and the rest in
irons when he discovered how they had behaved. I could scarcely suppose
that they would have contrived to seize him and his boat's crew when
they returned on board; yet such was possible, and would have been
retributive justice on him for having taken the brig from us. Still I
should have been very sorry indeed to hear that he and La Touche had met
with any injury.
We waited and waited, till it appeared that we were not likely to wait
to any purpose.
At last Larry, who seemed to have forgotten the order he had received to
keep silence, suddenly exclaimed--
"Couldn't we go aboard just to axe the Frenchmen to give me back my
fiddle. That wouldn't be agen' the law of nations, would it, Mr
Terence?"
"Silence there," said Mr Harvey, scarcely able to restrain his
laughter. "I ordered you men not to speak."
"Shure I forgot the same," said Larry in a suppressed tone. "Och! my
fiddle, my fiddle! what will I be after doing without it!"
At length daylight dawned; and according to the orders Mr Harvey had
received, we returned on board. As the sun rose, a light breeze began
to play over the surface of the harbour. A look-out was sent aloft to
keep watch on the brig, while every preparation was made for heaving up
the anchor and making sail, should she be seen to get under weigh.
Dubois, knowing that Larry and I had gone aboard the frigate, must have
been aware that the captain was acquainted with the character of his
vessel, and also that she was carrying despatches. He would certainly,
I thought, suppose that we should follow him, should he put to sea. I
therefore scarcely fancied that he would venture out of the harbour
during daylight, but fully expected that he would wait another night, on
the chance of there being a breeze during the time to enable him to get
away. I was therefore greatly surprised when the look-out hailed--
"The brig is loosing her topsails, and heaving up her anchor."
The breeze at this time had freshened considerably. Scarcely had the
words been uttered than I saw, between the other vessels, the brig, with
her topsails and courses set, steering towards the narrow entrance,
through which only small or light vessels could venture.
The capstan was instantly manned; the hands were ordered aloft, and
topsails, and topgallant-sails were let fall; but before we could cant
the right way, the brig had passed us, and had already reached the
passage, when, the head-sails filling, the anchor was tripped, and being
run up to the bows, we steered for the broader and only safe channel.
What had induced Dubois to put to sea, and leave the safe shelter of the
harbour, I could not divine. It made me suspect that he had not
discovered the loss of the despatches, and knowing the importance of
delivering them without delay, he had determined to run every risk for
that object. He probably expected, by getting the first of the breeze,
to be a long way ahead before we could follow, trusting to the various
chances which might occur to effect his escape. Had we been able to go
through the narrow passage, he must have known that he would to a
certainty have been caught; but our captain, from remarks I heard,
seemed to think that the brig might possibly succeed in getting off,
though he was resolved to use every exertion to overtake her, provided
we were not led out of our course, for it was of still greater
importance to get down to Barbadoes, or wherever the English admiral
might be.
During the stay of the _Liffy_ in the harbour, information had been
obtained of the movements of the French fleet, as also that they had a
large number of troops on board. Their object was to capture as many of
our West India Islands as they could, and several had already fallen
into their hands. Saint Christopher's, however, had hitherto held out;
Jamaica was prepared to resist to the last; and Barbadoes, our pet
island, was strongly protected by Sir Samuel Hood's fleet.
The French were, I should have said, vastly superior in numbers to the
English. We had, however, brave and vigilant commanders, who took good
care not to let the grass grow beneath their feet.
Had Captain Macnamara been certain that Lieutenant Dubois was ignorant
of the contents of the packet Larry had carried off, he would have cared
very little about letting the brig escape. He thought, however, that
Dubois might possibly have duplicates, or might have learned the
information they contained.
The wind freshened as we got outside. We could now see the brig about
five or six miles away to the southward, for she had got the first of
the breeze, and had carried it along while we were getting under weigh.
All sail being made, however, we rapidly gained on her.
"It'll be a bad job for Dan Hoolan if we come up with the little hooker,
Mr Terence," said Larry. "If the Frenchmen haven't shot him already,
our captain will be shure to run him up to the yard-arm, with the poor
fellows he decaived."
"It's what he richly deserves," I replied; "but I wish that he had never
been pressed. It would have been better to have left him on shore, to
stand his chance of hanging, or turning honest."
"Ah, shure there's but little honesty likely to come out of Dan Hoolan,"
observed Larry, who disliked him more than ever since he had caused the
deaths of Tim Logan and Ben Nash.
The brig was steering south-east directly for Guadaloupe, and we
followed in the same direction; but as there were numerous islands in
her course, she might, if she could retain her distance ahead till dark,
escape by keeping round them, or if hard pressed, run on shore, when the
French officers would probably endeavour to forward the information they
were conveying by some other vessel. She was, as I have said, very
fast, and she was now carrying every stitch of canvas she could set.
The _Liffy_ was no laggard, and we pressed after her. The chase was as
exciting as it could well be. Scarcely any of the officers left the
deck, except to take a hurried breakfast, and every glass on board was
in requisition. Now, when the breeze freshened, we appeared to be
gaining on her; now, when it fell, she seemed to draw ahead of us. We
passed between the islands of Saint John and Tortola; we sighted the
east end of Santa Cruz, and then made out the curious conical hill of
Saba, to the north of Saint Eustatia. Noon had passed, and the wind
again freshening, we gained rapidly on the chase. The look-out aloft
hailed that he saw several sail right ahead. It was a question whether
they were English or French. If the latter, the brig might lead us
under their guns, and it was necessary to be cautious. Dubois must have
seen them also, but probably was as uncertain about their character as
we were. He might, after all, be captured should he stand on. At
length he altered his course, and appeared to be making for Saint
Eustatia, and from this it was pretty evident that he took the fleet
ahead to be English. Whether he was right in that respect or not we
could not tell, but he made a mistake in hauling his wind. In another
half hour we got near enough to send a shot, which fell aboard him;
another and another followed, when, letting fly his head sheets, he put
his helm to starboard, and hauled down his colours. We at once hove-to.
A boat was lowered, and I, being able to speak French, was sent with
Mr Harvey to take possession. We were soon alongside. Dubois must
have recognised me when in the boat. As we stepped on deck he and La
Touche advanced, and presented their swords to Mr Harvey, at the same
time each of them made me a very formal bow. I returned it, and said,
as I stepped forward--
"What is the meaning of this, Monsieur Dubois? You have made a gallant
attempt to escape. It's the fortune of war that you have failed; but
why do you treat me as a stranger? I wish to behave towards you as old
friends, and will do all in my power to help you."
"We do not desire the friendship of one who has been guilty of such an
act as you have committed," answered Dubois stiffly.
"What act do you speak of?" I asked, suspecting, however, to what he
alluded.
"You were trusted. You made your escape, and carried off the
despatches," he answered.
"I had a right to make my escape, for I had not given you my word to
remain," I said. "I did not carry off the despatches, nor did I
instigate any one to do so. You'll find that I speak the truth."
"I have, then, to beg your pardon," said Dubois, with French politeness,
though he looked doubtfully at me.
There was little time for conversation, however. Mr Harvey desired the
two French officers to prepare for going on board the frigate. "I
understand that you have some English seamen on board. Where are they?"
he asked.
"Two of them lie there," said Dubois, "and the third, in trying to swim
on shore, was seized by a shark. We are well rid of them, for they were
mutinous rascals."
I looked forward; there, on the deck, lay Dan Hoolan and the other
mutineer. A shot had struck him on the chest, and nearly knocked the
upper part of his body to pieces, while it had cut his companion almost
in two, but I recognised his features, grim and stern, even in death.
One of the French seamen had also been killed, and his countrymen,
without ceremony, hove his body overboard. Mr Harvey ordered our men
to dispose of the mutineers in the same manner, and to wash down the
deck, for the sight was not such as any of us cared to look at longer
than was necessary. Dubois and La Touche, who had gone below to get
their valises, now returning with them, stepped into the boat, and Mr
Harvey left me in charge of the brig. I felt somewhat elated at finding
myself on board the craft of the command of which I had been so suddenly
deprived, and began to hope that I was to retain it. I resolved, at all
events, should any of the Frenchmen be left in her, to be careful that
they didn't again take her out of my hands.
I was sorry that I didn't know rather more about navigation, but I
thought that I could manage, by carrying on, to keep in sight of the
frigate. I was especially thankful that we had not been compelled to
hang Dan Hoolan and the other men, for ruffians as they were, and
outlaws as they had been, I felt for them as countrymen, and should have
been sorry to see them suffer so ignominious a fate. The brig was still
hove-to, and I was pacing the deck with all the dignity of a commanding
officer, when I saw another boat come off from the frigate, full of men.
In a short time, Sinnet stepped up the side.
"I have come to supersede you, Paddy," he said. "The captain doubts
your capabilities as a navigator; besides which, he wants you as an
interpreter, so you need not consider yourself slighted."
"Not a bit of it," I answered. "Only look out that the Frenchmen don't
take the brig from you."
"The captain has made sure that that won't be the case, by ordering all
the prisoners to be sent to the frigate," he replied.
I saw Larry step on deck with the new arrivals, and fancied that he had
been sent to form part of the brig's crew. I asked him if we were to be
separated.
"No, Mr Terence, I'm thankful to say; but I axed leave of Mr Saunders
to come and look for my fiddle. `To be shure,' said he; `it puts life
into the men, and you may go.' So I've come, Mr Terence. If Dan
Hoolan hasn't hove it overboard, I'll be after setting the men a-jigging
this very evening, supposing we haven't to fight the French, or do any
other trifle of that sort!"
"Be smart, then, Larry, about it," I said, "for I have to be off;" and
Larry dived below. I ordered the Frenchmen to tumble into the boat,--
they obeying in their usual light-hearted manner, not in any way looking
as if they were prisoners. The last man had got into the boat, when
Larry came up from below with his fiddle-case under his arm.
"Hooray, Mr Terence! shure I'm in luck, for I've got back my Cremona!"
he exclaimed, as he came down the side, "I'll set your heels going,
mounseers, so don't be down-hearted, my boys," he said, addressing the
French prisoners.
They seemed to understand him. Some exclaimed, "_Bon garcon_!" snapping
their fingers, and moving their feet, to show that they were ready
enough to dance notwithstanding that they were prisoners.
"It's a wonder, Mr Terence: I've been after looking for Dan Hoolan, but
never a sight could I get of him, or Phelan, or Casey," said Larry.
When he heard of their fate, he'd scarcely believe it, till I told him
that I had seen two of them dead on the deck, and that Dubois had
accounted for the other.
"Well, I'm mighty thankful, for they might have had a worse ending, and
it wasn't to be supposed that they'd come to a good one," he remarked.
Soon after I got back to the ship the captain sent for me into the
cabin.
"I wish you, Finnahan," he said, "to try and ascertain from these two
young French officers what they know about the proceedings of their
fleet, and also learn whether they suppose the ships ahead are those of
our country or theirs."
I promised to do as he desired. I found Dubois walking the deck,
looking somewhat disconsolate. He received me as before, in a cold
manner, though La Touche held out his hand when I offered him mine.
"It's of little consequence now," he said; "but I confess that we
suspect you of carrying off the packet. We only discovered that it was
gone after we left the harbour."
I told him exactly how it had happened, and that I myself considered
that under the circumstances I should not have been justified in taking
it.
"You have acted honourably, monsieur. I apologise for our wrong
suspicions, and I hope Dubois will do the same," he said.
"Certainly," said Dubois. "I vowed, when I discovered our loss, that I
would never trust an English officer again."
"You will now acknowledge, then, that though we are compelled to be
enemies, we act honourably towards you," I remarked. "However, all is
said by you to be fair in love or war--is it not?"
"We have got the saying, though it may not be a true one, for all that,"
he answered.
I now tried to carry out the captain's instructions, but I confess that
I could gain very little either from Dubois or La Touche. Perhaps they
didn't know much about the movements of their own fleet. Their opinion
was that the ships they had seen ahead were English, or they would not
have gone out of their course to avoid them. Captain Macnamara was not
quite satisfied on that point.
We continued standing to the southward, with the brig following in our
wake, while a bright look-out was kept aloft, that we might haul our
wind, and get out of their way, in case they should prove enemies. It
was fortunate that we were cautious, for, just before dark, the ships in
sight were made out to be certainly French, and we immediately stood
away to the southward to avoid them. Two frigates were seen coming in
chase, but we made all sail, and night hid them from our sight. Whether
or not they were still pursuing us we could not tell, but no lights were
shown, and it was important to avoid an engagement, especially with
enemies of a superior force. A careful look-out, however, was kept,
lest they should come up with us during the night. When morning dawned
we found that we had run them out of sight, and we now once more steered
our course for Barbadoes.
On reaching Carlisle Bay, we found the fleet under Sir Samuel Hood
moored in order of battle. It was evident from this that the admiral
expected an attack from the French fleet, and we afterwards learned that
he had gained information that it had sailed from Martinique in great
force for the purpose of attacking the island. In an hour afterwards
Sinnet brought in the brig in safety, when he had to deliver her up to
the prize agents.
It was a fine sight to me, for I had never seen so many line-of-battle
ships together, with their broadsides pointed in the same direction,
sufficient, it seemed, to blow the whole navy of France into the air.
Captain Macnamara, immediately on bringing up, sent Mr Harvey with the
despatches to the admiral, and directed him to ask for instructions as
to our future course.
We waited hour after hour in expectation of the French fleet.
"We shall have a good stand-up fight for it," observed Sinnet to me. "I
only wish that I had kept command of the brig, and I would have blazed
away at the Frenchmen with my pop-guns."
The night passed away. Early the next morning a sail was seen in the
offing, standing towards the bay. We all supposed her to be one of the
advance frigates of the French, sent ahead to ascertain our strength;
but as the light increased she was seen to be a corvette, though at the
same time she had a French appearance. She came steering directly for
the admiral, and hove-to inside him.
"Why, I do believe it's the craft we took soon after we left Jamaica,
and Nettleship and you were sent away in charge of," exclaimed Sinnet,
who had been watching her.
I had also been examining her minutely, and had come to the same
conclusion.
Directly she had furled sails, a boat went off from her to the admiral,
and remained alongside for some time. We were thus left in doubt as to
whether we were right. At length the boat, which had returned to the
corvette, came pulling towards us.
Sinnet was watching her through a telescope.
"Why, I say, Paddy, I'm nearly certain I see old Nettleship in the
stern-sheets, and Tom Pim alongside him," he said.
"Then there can be no doubt that the corvette is the _Soleil_; but
Nettleship hoped to get his promotion, and if so, he has been made one
of her lieutenants," I remarked.
"He hasn't got on a lieutenant's uniform, at all events," said Sinnet,
looking through the telescope.
In a short time the boat was alongside, and our doubts were solved, by
seeing Tom Pim and Nettleship come on deck. They went aft at once, and
reported themselves to Captain Macnamara. As soon as they were
dismissed they joined us. They both gave a start of surprise at seeing
me.
Tom grasped my hand and said, "Well, I am glad, Paddy, to find you safe
aboard. We fully believed that the brig was lost in the hurricane, and
never expected to set eyes on you again."
Nettleship also greeted me warmly, though he looked somewhat down in the
mouth. The cause of this soon came out.
"Why, Nettleship," I said, "I thought you would have been made long
before this."
"It's my ill-luck that I'm not, Paddy," he answered. "I thought so too.
I got highly complimented for bringing the prize into Port Royal, and I
was then told to rejoin my ship as soon as possible; while the _Soleil_
was commissioned, and a commander and two lieutenants, who had just come
out from England with strong recommendations from the Admiralty, were
appointed to her."
"Well, cheer up, old fellow; we are very glad to have you still with
us," said Sinnet.
Tom afterwards told me that Nettleship got blamed by the admiral at
Jamaica for sending me aboard the brig with so few hands, and for
allowing the prisoners to remain on board, as he shrewdly suspected what
had really happened, that if we had managed to escape the hurricane,
they had risen on us and taken possession of the vessel.
The _Soleil_ had brought intelligence which she had gained from the crew
of a prize she had captured a few days before, that the Count de Grasse
had borne away for Saint Christopher's, where he had landed a force
under the Marquis de Boullie, which it was feared would overpower
General Fraser. The news soon ran through the fleet that, instead of
waiting to be attacked, we were forthwith to sail in search of the
French, to attack them. In a short time, at a signal thrown out from
the flag-ship, the fleet, consisting of twenty-two sail of the line and
several frigates, got under way, and stood out from Carlisle Bay. We
first proceeded to Antigua, where we obtained fresh provisions, and took
on board the 28th regiment of foot and two companies of the 13th, under
the command of General Prescott; and on the evening of the same day we
sailed for Saint John's Roads, and stood under easy sail for Basse
Terre, two of our frigates going ahead to give timely notice of what the
French were about. We and the _Nymph_ frigate were on one flank, and
two others on the opposite side. We were fully expecting that we should
have warm work in the morning. Few of the officers turned in. When a
large fleet is sailing together, it is necessary to keep a very bright
look-out. We could dimly see the other ships, with their lights
burning, as we glided over the water.