WE ARE PURSUED BY TWO SCHOONER-PRIVATEERS, AND FAILING TO ESCAPE THEM A
TERRIBLE CONTEST ENSUES--THREE ACTS OF A MURDEROUS NAVAL DRAMA--WE ARE
WORSTED--CAPTAIN WEATHERALL IS KILLED--I AM PLUNDERED AND WOUNDED.
About six weeks after the unlucky affair before described we met with a
still greater disaster. We had cruised off the Spanish main, and taken
several prizes; shortly after we had manned the last and had parted
company, the Revenge being then close in shore, a fresh gale sprung up,
which compelled us to make all sail to clear the land. We beat off
shore during the whole of the night, when the weather moderated, and at
daybreak we found out that we had not gained much offing, in consequence
of the current; but, what was more important, the man who went to the
look-out at the masthead hailed the deck, saying there were two sails in
the offing. The hands were turned up to make sail in chase, but we
found that they were resolutely bearing down upon us; and as we neared
each other fast we soon made them out to be vessels of force. One we
knew well--she was the Esperance, a French schooner-privateer, of
sixteen guns and one hundred and twenty men; the other proved to be a
Spanish schooner-privateer, cruising in company with her, of eighteen
guns, and full manned.
Now our original complement of men had been something more than one
hundred; but by deaths, severe wounds in action, and manning our prizes,
our actual number on board was reduced to fifty-five effective men.
Finding the force so very superior, we made every attempt with sails and
sweeps to escape, but the land to leeward of us, and their position to
windward, rendered it impossible. Making, therefore, a virtue of
necessity, we put a good face upon it, and prepared to combat against
such desperate odds.
Captain Weatherall, who was the life and soul of his crew, was not found
wanting on such an emergency. With the greatest coolness and
intrepidity he gave orders to take in all the small sails, and awaited
the coming down of the enemy. When everything was ready for the unequal
conflict, he ordered all hands aft, and endeavoured to inspire us with
the same ardour which animated himself. He reminded us that we had
often fought and triumphed over vessels of much greater force than our
own; that we had already beaten off the French privateer on a former
occasion; that the Spaniard was not worth talking about, except to swell
the merits of the double victory, and that if once we came hand to hand
our cutlasses would soon prove our superiority. He reminded us that our
only safety depended upon our own manhood; for we had done such mischief
on the coast, and our recent descent upon the plantation was considered
in such a light, that we must not expect to receive quarter if we were
overcome. Exhorting us to behave well and to fight stoutly, he promised
us the victory. The men had such confidence in the captain that we
returned him three cheers, when, dismissing us to our quarters, he
ordered Saint George's ensign to be hoisted at the main-masthead, and
hove-to for the enemy.
The French schooner was the first which ranged up alongside; the wind
was light and she came slowly down to us. The captain of her hailed,
saying that his vessel was the Esperance, and our captain replied that
he knew it, and that they also knew that his was the Revenge. The
French captain, who had hove-to, replied very courteously that he was
well aware what vessel it was, and also of the valour and distinguished
reputation of Captain Weatherall, upon which Captain Weatherall, who
stood on the gunnel, took off his hat in acknowledgment of the
compliment.
Now Captain Weatherall was well-known, and it was also well-known that
the two vessels would meet with a severe resistance, which it would be
as well to avoid, as even if they gained the victory it would not be
without great loss of men. The French captain therefore addressed
Captain Weatherall again, and said he hoped, now that he was opposed to
so very superior a force, he would not make a useless resistance, but,
as it would be no disgrace to him, and would save the lives of many of
his brave men, his well-known humanity would induce him to strike his
colours.
To this request our commander gave a gallant and positive refusal. The
vessels lay now close to each other, so that a biscuit might have been
thrown on board of either. A generous expostulation ensued, which
continued till the Spanish vessel was a short distance astern of us.
"You now see our force," said the French captain. "Do not fight against
impossible odds, but spare your brave and devoted men."
"In return for your kind feeling towards me," replied Captain
Weatherall, "I offer you both quarter, and respect to private property,
upon hauling down your colours."
"You are mad, Captain Weatherall," said the French captain.
"You allow that I have lived bravely," replied Captain Weatherall; "you
shall find that I will conquer you, and if necessary I will also die
bravely. We will now fight. In courtesy, I offer you the first
broadside."
"Impossible," said the French captain, taking off his hat.
Our captain returned the salute, and then, slipping down from the
gunwale, ordered the sails to be filled, and after a minute, to give the
Frenchman time to prepare, he fired off in the air the fusee which he
held in his hand, as a signal for the action to begin. We instantly
commenced the work of death by pouring in a broadside. It was returned
with equal spirit, and a furious cannonading ensued for several minutes,
when the Spaniard ranged up on our lee quarter with his rigging full of
men to board us. Clapping our helm a-weather, and hauling our
fore-sheets to windward, we fell off athwart his hawse, and raked him
with several broadsides fore and aft; our guns having been loaded with
langridge and lead bullets, and his men being crowded together forward,
ready to leap on board of us, her deck became a slaughter-house. The
officers endeavoured in vain to animate their men, who, instead of
gaining our decks, were so intimidated by the carnage that they forsook
their own. The Frenchman, perceiving the consternation and distress of
his consort, to give her an opportunity of extricating herself from her
perilous condition, now put his helm a-weather, ran us on board, and
poured in his men; but we were well prepared, and soon cleared our decks
of the intruders. In the mean time the Spaniard, by cutting away our
rigging, in which his bowsprit was entangled, swung clear of us, and
fell away to leeward. The Frenchman perceiving this sheered off, and
springing his luff, shot ahead clear of us. Such was the first act of
this terrible drama. We had as yet sustained little damage, the enemy's
want of skill, and our good fortune combined, having enabled us to take
them at such a disadvantage.
But, although inspirited by such a prosperous beginning, our inferiority
in men was so great that our captain considered it his duty to make all
sail in hopes of being able to avoid such an unequal combat. This our
enemies attempted to prevent by a most furious cannonade, which we
received and returned without flinching, making a running fight of it,
till at last, our fore-yard and foretop-mast being shot away, we had no
longer command of the vessel. Finding that, although we were crippled
and could not escape, our fire continued unabated, both the vessels
again made preparations for boarding us, while we on our part prepared
to give them a warm reception.
As we knew that the Frenchman, who was our most serious opponent, must
board us on our weather-bow, we traversed over four of our guns, loaded
to the muzzle with musket-balls, to receive him, and being all ready
with our pateraroes and hand grenades we waited for the attack. As he
bore down for our bows, with all his men clinging like bees, ready for
the spring, our guns were discharged and the carnage was terrible. The
men staggered back, falling down over those who had been killed or
wounded, and it required all the bravery and example of the French
captain, who was really a noble fellow, to rally the remainder of his
men, which at last he succeeded in doing, and about forty of them gained
our forecastle, from which they forced our weak crew, and retained
possession, not following up the success, but apparently waiting till
they were seconded by the Spaniard's boarding us on our lee quarter,
which would have placed us between two fires, and compelled us to divide
our small force.
By this time the wind, which had been light, left us, and it was nearly
a calm, with a swell on the sea which separated the two vessels; the
Spaniard, who was ranging up under our lee, having but little way, and
not luffing enough, could not fetch us, but fell off and drifted to
leeward. The Frenchmen who had been thrown on board, and who retained
possession of our forecastle, being thus left without support from their
own vessel, which had been separated from us by the swell, or from the
Spaniard, which had fallen to leeward, we gave three cheers, and
throwing a number of hand grenades in among them we rushed forward with
our half-pikes, and killed or drove every soul of them overboard, one
only, and he wounded in the thigh, escaped by swimming back to his own
vessel. Here, then, was a pause in the conflict, and thus ended, I may
say, the second act.
Hitherto the battle had been fought with generous resolution; but after
this hand-to-hand conflict, and the massacre with which it ended, both
sides appeared to have been roused to ferocity. A most infernal
cannonade was now renewed by both our antagonists, and returned by us
with equal fury; but it was now a dead calm, and the vessels rolled so
much with the swell that the shot were not so effective. By degrees we
separated more and more from our enemies, and the firing was now reduced
to single guns. During this partial cessation our antagonists had drawn
near to each other, although at a considerable distance from us. We
perceived that the Spaniard was sending two of his boats full of men to
supply the heavy loss sustained by his comrade. Captain Weatherall
ordered the sweeps out, and we swept our broadside to them, trying by
single guns to sink the boats as they went from one vessel to the other.
After two or three attempts, a gun was successful; the shot shattered
the first of the boats, which instantly filled and went down. The
second boat pulled up and endeavoured to save the men, but we now poured
our broadside upon them, and, daunted by the shot flying about them,
they sought their own safety by pulling back to the vessel, leaving
their sinking companions to their fate. Failing in this attempt, both
vessels recommenced their fire upon us, but the distance and the swell
of the sea prevented any execution, and at last they ceased firing,
waiting till a breeze should spring up, which might enable them to renew
the contest with better success.
At this time it was about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, and the combat
had lasted about five hours. We refreshed ourselves after the fatigue
and exertion which we had undergone, and made every preparation for a
renewal of the fight. During the engagement we were so excited that we
had no time to think; but now that we were cool again and unoccupied we
had time to reflect upon our position, and we began to feel dejected and
apprehensive. Fatigued with exertion, we were weak and dispirited. We
knew that our best men were slain or groaning under their severe wounds,
that the enemy were still numerous, and, as they persevered after so
dreadful a slaughter, that they were of unquestionable bravery and
resolution. Good fortune, and our captain's superior seamanship, had,
up to the present, enabled us to make a good fight, but fortune might
desert us, and our numbers were so reduced that if the enemy continued
resolute we must be overpowered. Our gallant captain perceived the
despondency that prevailed, and endeavoured to remove it by his own
example and by persuasion. After praising us for the resolution and
courage we had already shown, he pointed out to us that, whatever might
be the gallantry of the officers, it was clear that the men on board of
the opposing vessels were awed by their heavy loss and want of success,
and that if they made one more attempt to take us by the board and
failed, which he trusted they would do, no persuasion would ever induce
them to try it again, and the captains of the vessels would give over
such an unprofitable combat. He solemnly averred that the colours
should never be struck while he survived, and demanded who amongst us
were base enough to refuse to stand by them. Again we gave him three
cheers, but our numbers were few, and the cheers were faint compared
with the first which had been given, but still we were resolute, and
determined to support our captain and the honour of our flag. Captain
Weatherall took care that this feeling should not subside--he
distributed the grog plentifully; at our desire he nailed the colours to
the mast, and we waited for a renewal of the combat with impatience. At
four o'clock in the afternoon a breeze sprang up, and both vessels
trimmed their sails and neared us fast--not quite in such gallant trim
as in the morning, it is true--but they appeared now to have summoned up
a determined resolution. Silently they came up, forcing their way
slowly through the water; not a gun was fired, but the gaping mouths of
the cannon, and their men motionless at their quarters, portended the
severity of the struggle which was now to decide this hitherto
well-contested trial for victory. When within half a cable's length, we
saluted them with three cheers, they returned our defiance, and running
up on each side of us, the combat was renewed with bitterness.
The Frenchman would not this time lay us on board until he was certain
that the Spaniard had boarded us to leeward; he continued luffing to
windward and plying us with broadsides until we were grappled with the
Spaniard, and then he bore down and laid his gunwale on our bow. The
Spaniard had already boarded us on the quarter, and we were repelling
this attack when the Frenchman laid us on the bow. We fought with
desperation, and our pikes gave us such an advantage over the swords and
knives of the Spaniards that they gave ground, and, appalled by the
desperate resistance they encountered, quitted our decks, strewed with
their dead and dying shipmates, and retreated in confusion to their own
vessel. But before this repulse had been effected, the French had
boarded us on the weather-bow, and driving before them the few men who
had been sent forward to resist them, had gained our main deck, and
forced their way to the rise of the quarter-deck, where all our
remaining men were now collected. The combat was now desperate, but
after a time our pikes, and the advantage of our position, appeared to
prevail over numbers. We drove them before us--we had regained the main
deck, when our brave commander, who was at our head, and who had infused
spirit into us all, received a bullet through his right wrist; shifting
his sword into his left hand, he still pressed forward encouraging us,
when a ball entered his breast and he dropped dead. With his fall fell
the courage and fortitude of his crew, so long sustained--and to
complete the mischief, the lieutenant and two remaining officers also
fell a few seconds after him. Astonished and terrified, the men stopped
short in their career of success, and wildly looked round for a leader.
The French, who had retreated to the forecastle, perceiving our
confusion I renewed the attack, our few remaining men were seized with a
panic, and throwing down our arms, we asked for quarter where a moment
before victory was in our hands;--such was the finale of our bloody
drama.
Out of fifty-five men twenty-two had been killed in this murderous
conflict, and almost all the survivors desperately or severely wounded.
Most of the remaining crew after we had cried for quarter jumped down
the hatchway, to avoid the cutlasses of their enraged victors. I and
about eight others, having been driven past the hatchway, threw down our
arms and begged for quarter, which we had little reason to expect would
be shown to us. At first no quarter was given by our savage enemies,
who cut down several of our disarmed men and hacked them to pieces.
Perceiving this, I got on the gunwale ready to jump overboard, in the
hopes of being taken up after the slaughter had ceased, when a French
lieutenant coming up protected us, and saved the poor remains of our
crew from the fury of his men. Our lives, however, were all he counted
upon preserving--we were instantly stripped and plundered without mercy.
I lost everything I possessed; the watch, ring, and sword I had taken
from the gallant Frenchman were soon forced from me, and, not stripping
off my apparel fast enough to please a Mulatto sailor, I received a blow
with the butt-end of a pistol under the left ear, which precipitated me
down the hatchway, near which I was standing, and I fell senseless into
the hold.