WE CRUISE OFF HISPANIOLA--CAPTURE OF A FRENCH SHIP--CONTINUE OUR
CRUISE--MAKE A NOCTURNAL ATTACK UPON A RICH PLANTER'S DWELLING--ARE
REPULSED WITH LOSS.
_To Mistress_ ---.
_Respected Madam_,
In compliance with your request I shall now transcribe from the journal
of my younger days some portions of my adventurous life. When I wrote,
I painted the feelings of my heart without reserve, and I shall not
alter one word, as I know you wish to learn what my feelings were then,
and not what my thoughts may be now. They say that in every man's life,
however obscure his position may be, there would be a moral found, were
it truly told. I think, Madam, when you have perused what I am about to
write, you will agree with me, that from my history both old and young
may gather profit, and I trust, if ever it should be made public, that,
by Divine permission, such may be the result. Without further preface I
shall commence with a narrative of my cruise off Hispaniola, in the
Revenge privateer.
The Revenge mounted fourteen guns, and was commanded by Captain
Weatherall, a very noted privateer's-man. One morning at daybreak we
discovered a vessel from the masthead, and immediately made all sail in
chase, crowding every stitch of canvass. As we neared, we made her out
to be a large ship, deeply laden, and we imagined that she would be an
easy prize; but as we saw her hull more out of the water, she proved to
be well armed, having a full tier of guns fore and aft. As it
afterwards proved, she was a vessel of 600 tons burden, and mounted
twenty-four guns, having sailed from Saint Domingo, and being bound to
France.
She had been chartered by a French gentleman (and a most gallant fellow
we found him), who had acquired a large fortune in the West Indies, and
was then going home, having embarked on board his whole property, as
well as his wife and his only son, a youth of about seventeen. As soon
as he discovered what we were, and the impossibility of escape from so
fast a sailing vessel as the Revenge, he resolved to fight us to the
last. Indeed he had everything to fight for; his whole property, his
wife and his only child, his own liberty, and perhaps life, were all at
stake, and he had every motive that could stimulate a man. As we
subsequently learnt, he had great difficulty in inspiring the crew with
an equal resolution, and it was not until he had engaged to pay them the
value of half the cargo, provided they succeeded in beating us off and
forcing their way in safety to France, that he could rouse them to their
duty.
Won by his example, for he told them that he did not desire any man to
do more than he would do himself, and perhaps more induced by his
generous offer, the French crew declared they would support him to the
last, went cheerfully to their guns, and prepared for action. When we
were pretty near to him, he shortened sail ready for the combat, having
tenderly forced his wife down below to await in agony the issue of a
battle on which depended everything so dear to her. The resolute
bearing of the vessel, and the cool intrepidity with which they had
hove-to to await us, made us also prepare on our side for a combat which
we knew would be severe. Although she was superior to us in guns, yet,
the Revenge being wholly fitted for war, we had many advantages,
independent of our being very superior in men. Some few chase-guns were
fired during our approach, when, having ranged up within a cable's
length of her, we exchanged broadsides for half an hour, after which our
captain determined upon boarding. We ran our vessel alongside, and
attempted to throw our men on board, but met with a stout resistance.
The French gentleman, who was at the head of his men, with his own hand
killed two of our stoutest seamen, and mortally wounded a third, and,
encouraged by his example, his people fought with such resolution that
after a severe struggle we were obliged to retreat precipitately into
our own vessel, leaving eight or ten of our shipmates weltering in their
blood.
Our captain, who had not boarded with us, was much enraged at our
defeat, stigmatising us as cowards for allowing ourselves to be driven
from a deck upon which we had obtained a footing; he called upon us to
renew the combat, and leading the way he was the first on board of the
vessel, and was engaged hand to hand with the brave French gentleman who
had already made such slaughter among our men. Brave and expert with
his weapon as Captain Weatherall undoubtedly was, he for once found
rather more than a match in his antagonist; he was slightly wounded, and
would, I suspect, have had the worst of this hand-to-hand conflict, had
not the whole of our crew, who had now gained the deck, and were rushing
forward, separated him from his opponent. Out-numbered and
over-matched, the French crew fought most resolutely, but
notwithstanding their exertions, and the gallant conduct of their
leader, we succeeded in driving them back to the quarter-deck of the
vessel. Here the combat was renewed with the greatest obstinacy, they
striving to maintain this their last hold, and we exerting ourselves to
complete our conquest. The Frenchmen could retreat no further, and our
foremost men were impelled against them by those behind them crowding on
to share in the combat. Retreat being cut off, the French struggled
with all the animosity and rage of mingled hate and despair; while we,
infuriated at the obstinate resistance, were filled with vengeance and a
thirst for blood. Wedged into one mass, we grappled together, for there
was no room for fair fighting, seeking each other's hearts with
shortened weapons, struggling and falling together on the deck, rolling
among the dead and the dying, or trodden underfoot by the others who
still maintained the combat with unabated fury.
Numbers at last prevailed; we had gained a dear-bought victory--we were
masters of the deck, we had struck the colours, and were recovering our
lost breaths after this very severe contest, and thought ourselves in
full possession of the ship; but it proved otherwise. The
first-lieutenant of the privateer and six of us had dashed down the
companion, and were entering the cabin in search of plunder, when we
found opposed to our entrance the gallant French gentleman, supported by
his son, the captain of the vessel, and five of the French sailors;
behind them was the French gentleman's wife, to whose protection they
had devoted themselves. The lieutenant, who headed us, offered them
quarter, but, stung to madness at the prospect of the ruin and of the
captivity which awaited him, the gentleman treated the offer with
contempt, and rushing forward attacked our lieutenant, beating down his
guard, and was just about to pierce him with the lunge which he made,
when I fired my pistol at him to save the life of my officer. The ball
entered his heart, and thus died one of the bravest men I ever
encountered. His son at the same time was felled to the deck with a
pole-axe, when the remainder threw themselves down on the deck and cried
for quarter. So enraged were our men at this renewal of the combat that
it required all the efforts and authority of the lieutenant to prevent
them from completing the massacre by taking the lives of those who no
longer resisted. But who could paint the condition of that unhappy lady
who had stood a witness of the horrid scene--her eyes blasted with the
sight of her husband slain before her face, her only son groaning on the
deck and weltering in his blood; and she left alone, bereft of all that
was dear to her; stripped of the wealth she was that morning mistress
of, now a widow, perhaps childless, a prisoner, a beggar, and in the
hands of lawless ruffians, whose hands were reeking with her husband's
and offspring's blood, at their mercy, and exposed to every evil which
must befall a beautiful and unprotected female from those who were
devoid of all principle, all pity, and all fear! Well might the frantic
creature rush as she did upon our weapons, and seek that death which
would have been a mercy and a blessing. With difficulty we prevented
her from injuring herself, and, after a violent struggle, nature
yielded, and she sank down in a swoon on the body of her husband,
dabbling her clothes and hair in the gore which floated on the
cabin-deck. This scene of misery shocked even the actors in it. Our
sailors, accustomed as they were to blood and rapine, remained silent
and immoveable, resting upon their weapons, their eyes fixed upon the
unconscious form of that unhappy lady.
The rage of battle was now over, our passions had subsided, and we felt
ashamed of a conquest purchased with such unutterable anguish. The
noise of this renewed combat had brought down the captain; he ordered
the lady to be taken away from this scene of horror, and to be carefully
tended in his own cabin; the wound of the son, who was found still
alive, was immediately dressed, and the prisoners were secured. I
returned on deck, still oppressed with the scene I had witnessed, and
when I looked round me, and beheld the deck strewed with the dead and
dying--victors and vanquished indiscriminately mixed up together--the
blood of both nations meeting on the deck and joining their streams, I
could not help putting the question to myself, "Can this be right and
lawful--all this carnage to obtain the property of others, and made
legal by the quarrels of kings?" Reason, religion, and humanity
answered, "No."
I remained uneasy and dissatisfied, and felt as if I were a murderer;
and then I reflected how this property, thus wrested from its former
possessor, who might, if he had retained it, have done much good with
it, would now be squandered away in riot and dissipation, in purchasing
crime and administering to debauchery. I was young then, and felt so
disgusted and so angry with myself and everybody else, that if I had
been in England I probably should never again have put my foot on board
of a privateer.
But employment prevented my thinking; the decks had to be cleaned, the
bodies thrown overboard, the blood washed from the white planks, the
wounded to be removed and their hurts dressed, the rigging and other
damages to be repaired, and when all this had been done we made sail for
Jamaica with our prize. Our captain, who was as kind and gentle to the
vanquished as he was brave and resolute in action, endeavoured by all
the means he could think of to soften the captivity and sufferings of
the lady. Her clothes, jewels, and everything belonging to her, were
preserved untouched; he would not even allow her trunks to be searched,
and would have secured for her even all her husband's personal effects,
but the crew had seized upon them as plunder, and refused to deliver
them up. I am almost ashamed to say that the sword and watch of her
husband fell to my lot, and, whether from my wearing the sword, or from
having seen me fire the pistol which had killed him, the lady always
expressed her abhorrence of me whenever I entered her presence. Her son
recovered slowly from his wound, and on our arrival at Port Royal was
permitted by the admiral to be sent to the King's Hospital, and the
lady, who was most tenderly attached to him, went on shore and remained
at the Hospital to attend upon him. I was glad when she was gone, for I
knew how much cause she had for her hatred of me, and I could not see
her without remorse. As soon, as we had completed our repairs, filled
up our provisions and water, we sailed upon another cruise, which was
not so successful, as you will presently perceive.
For five or six weeks we cruised without success, and our people began
to grumble, when one morning our boats in shore off Hispaniola surprised
a small schooner. A negro who was among the prisoners offered to
conduct us through the woods by night to the house of a very rich
planter, which was situated about three miles from a small bay, and at
some distance from the other plantations. He asserted that we might
there get very valuable plunder, and, moreover, obtain a large ransom
for the planter and his family, besides bringing away as many of the
negro slaves as we pleased.
Our captain, who was tired of his ill-success, and who hoped also to
procure provisions, which we very much wanted, consented to the negro's
proposal, and standing down abreast of the bay, which was in the Bight
of Lugan, he ran in at dark, and anchoring close to the shore we landed
with forty men, and, guided by the negro, we proceeded through the woods
to the house. The negro was tied fast to one of our stoutest and best
men, for fear he should give us the slip. It was a bright moonlight; we
soon arrived, and surrounding the house forced our way in without
opposition. Having secured the negroes in the out-houses, and placed
guards over them, and videttes on the look-out to give timely notice of
any surprise, we proceeded to our work of plunder. The family,
consisting of the old planter and his wife and his three daughters, two
of them very beautiful, was secured in one room. No words can express
their terror at thus finding themselves so suddenly in the power of a
set of ruffians, from whose brutality they anticipated every evil.
Indeed, the horrid excesses committed by the privateersmen when they
landed on the coast fully justified their fears; for as this system of
marauding is considered the basest of all modern warfare, no quarter is
ever given to those who are taken in the attempt. In return, the
privateersmen hesitate at no barbarity when engaged in such enterprises.
Dumb with astonishment and terror, the old couple sat in silent agony,
while the poor girls, who had more evils than death to fear, drowned in
their tears fell at the captain's feet and embraced his knees, conjuring
him to spare and protect them from his men.
Captain Weatherall, who was, as I have before stated, a generous and
humane man, raised them up, assuring them, on his word, that they should
receive no insult; and as his presence was necessary to direct the
motions of his people, he selected me, as younger and less brutal than
most of his crew, as a guard over them, menacing me with death if I
allowed any man to enter the room until he returned, and ordering me to
defend them with my life from all insults. I was then young and full of
enthusiasm; my heart was kind, and I was pure in comparison with the
major portion of those with whom I was associated.
I was delighted with the office confided to me, and my heart leaped at
having so honourable an employment. I endeavoured by every means in my
power to dissipate their terrors and soothe their anxious minds; but
while I was thus employed, an Irish seaman, distinguished even amongst
our crew for his atrocities, came to the door, and would have forced his
entrance. I instantly opposed him, urging the captain's most positive
commands; but, having obtained a sight of the young females, he swore
with a vile oath that he would soon find out whether a boy like me was
able to oppose him, and finding that I would not give way he attacked me
fiercely. Fortunately I had the advantage of position, and, supported
by the justice of my cause, I repelled him with success. But he renewed
the attack, while the poor young women awaited the issue of the combat
with trembling anxiety--a combat on which depended, in all probability,
their honour and their lives. At last I found myself very hard pushed,
for I had received a wound on my sword arm, and I drew a pistol from my
belt with my left hand, and fired it, wounding him in the shoulder.
Thus disabled, and fearing at the same time that the report would bring
back the captain, who he well knew would not be trifled with, he retired
from the door vowing vengeance. I then turned to the young women, who
had witnessed the conflict in breathless suspense, encircled in the arms
of the poor old couple, who had rushed towards them at the commencement
of the fray, offering them their useless shelter. Privateersman as I
was, I could not refrain from tears at the scene. I again attempted to
re-assure them, pledged myself in the most solemn manner to forfeit my
life if necessary for their protection, and they in some degree regained
their confidence. They observed the blood trickling down my fingers
from the wound which I had received, and the poor girls stained their
handkerchiefs with it in the attempts to staunch the flow.
But this scene was soon interrupted by an alarm. It appeared that a
negro had contrived to escape and to rouse the country. They had
collected together from the other plantations, and our party being, as
is usually the case when plunder is going on, very negligent, the
videttes were surprised, and had hardly time to escape and apprise us of
our danger. There was not a moment to be lost; our safety depended upon
an immediate retreat. The captain collected all hands; and while he was
getting them together, that the retreat might be made in good order, the
old planter, who, by the report of the fire-arms and the bustle and
confusion without, guessed what had taken place, pressed me to remain
with them, urging the certainty of our men being overpowered, and the
merciless consequences which would ensue. He pledged himself, with his
fingers crossed in the form of the crucifix, that he would procure me
safe quarter, and that I should ever enjoy his protection and
friendship. I refused him kindly but firmly, and he sighed and said no
more. The old lady put a ring on my finger, which she took from her own
hand, and kissing my forehead told me to look at that ring and continue
to do good and act nobly as I had just done.
I waved my hand, for I had no time even to take the proffered hands of
the young ones, and hastened to join my shipmates, already on the
retreat, and exchanging shots with our pursuers. We were harassed by a
multitude, but they were a mixed company of planters, mulattoes, and
slaves, and not half of them armed, and we easily repelled their attacks
whenever they came to close quarters. Their violent animosity, however,
against us and our evil doings induced them to follow close at our
heels, keeping up a galling irregular fire, and endeavouring to detain
us until we might be overpowered by their numbers, every minute
increasing, for the whole country had been raised, and were flocking in.
This our captain was well aware of, and therefore made all the haste
that he could, without disturbing the regularity of his retreat, to
where our boats were lying, as should they be surprised and cut off our
escape would have been impossible. Notwithstanding all his care,
several of our men were separated from us by the intricacies of the
wood, or from wounds which they had received, and which prevented them
from keeping up with us. At last, after repelling many attacks, each
time more formidable than the preceding, we gained our boats, and
embarking with the greatest precipitation we put off for the schooner.
The enemy, emboldened by our flight, flocked down in great numbers to
the water's edge, and we had the mortification to hear our stragglers
who had been captured imploring for mercy; but groans and then silence
too plainly informed us that mercy had been denied.
Captain Weatherall was so enraged at the loss of his men that he ordered
us to pull back and attack the enemy on the beach, but we continued to
pull for the schooner, regardless of his threats and entreaties. A
panic had seized us all, as well it might. We even dreaded the
ill-aimed and irregular fire which they poured upon us, which under
other circumstances would have occasioned only laughter. The schooner
had been anchored only two hundred yards from the beach, and we were
soon on board. They continued to fire from the shore, and the balls
passed over us. We put a spring upon our cable, warped our broadside to
the beach, and loading every gun with grape and cannister we poured a
whole broadside upon our assailants. From the shrieks and cries, the
carnage must have been very great. The men would have reloaded and
fired again, but the captain forbade them, saying, "We have done too
much already." I thought so too. He then ordered the anchor to be
weighed, and with a fresh land breeze we were soon far away from this
unlucky spot.