THE CHAMPION IN A HURRICANE--HOVE ON HER BEAM-ENDS--LOSS OF MAIN AND
MIZEN-MASTS--RUNS ON BEFORE THE GALE--STRIKES ON A REEF--AN ISLAND
DISCOVERED AT DAYBREAK--BOATS AND STORES GOT OUT--THE CREW REACH THE
SHORE--WATER FOUND--SITE FOR A FORT CHOSEN--STORES AND GUNS LANDED--A
GALE--SHIP GOES TO PIECES--LAUNCH LOST--A VESSEL SEEN--CHASED--ESCAPES--
FORT FINISHED--A SPANISH MAN-OF-WAR APPROACHES--ATTACKS THE FORT--
SPANIARDS DEFEATED--A GALE--SPANISH SHIP LOST--VAIN ATTEMPTS TO SAVE THE
CROW.
The _Champion_ was standing across the channel between Jamaica and Cuba.
The night came on very dark. The wind, though blowing fresh from the
north-west, did not increase as much as had been expected, and it was
hoped that the ship would claw off the shore and obtain a good offing
before the morning. The topgallantsails had been handed, and as much
canvas was set as she could carry. The master turned many an anxious
glance over the quarter, where he could still dimly discern the outline
of the land. The ship was heeling over till her lee bulwarks were
smothered in the fast-rising sea. Still the commander was unwilling to
shorten sail while she could bear what she was then carrying. It was
impossible to say from which direction the wind might next blow. It
might come from the northward, and if so, she would have the shore dead
under her lee, and, should her masts go, might be driven helplessly
towards it. Another reef was taken in the topsails, but still she
heeled over to the wind more than the commander liked, notwithstanding
which she was evidently making considerable leeway.
At length there came a lull; the ship righted, and for some time
continued to stand up better than heretofore to her canvas. The
appearance of the sky, however, did not improve. Dark masses of clouds
flew across it, gradually thickening till a dense canopy hung over the
ocean without any discernible break. The wind howled and whistled, and
the sea rose more and more.
"We'll heave the ship to, Mr Billhook," said the commander. "We have
got, I should think, a sufficient offing, and we must return to the
shore as soon as the weather will allow."
"If you will take my advice, sir, we will rather stand on for some time
longer. We are perhaps nearer the coast than we may fancy, and we might
find it a hard matter to get off again, should we discover in the
morning that we have been drifting towards it."
"Keep her as she is going, then," said the commander, who thought that
the master was probably right.
Soon after this the wind somewhat lulled, and the ship looked up more to
the northward than she had hitherto done, showing that the wind had
shifted a point or two. Even the master thought that the weather was
improving. The watch below was ordered to turn in and some of the
officers went to their berths.
It had just gone two bells in the morning watch, when a sound like a
thunder-clap was heard, and Gerald, who was in his hammock, was nearly
thrown out of it. He felt the ship heeling over to starboard. He and
all those below, slipping into their trousers, sprang on deck. The ship
was on her beam-ends, the water washing half-way up to the coamings of
the hatchways.
"Hard up with the helm! let fly the main and mizen-topsail sheets!"
cried the commander; but the ship did not rise or answer the helm. "Cut
away the mizen-mast!" he shouted; and the carpenter and boatswain, armed
with axes, came aft, and while some of the men severed the rigging, a
few blows served to send the mast, with its spars and fluttering sails,
over the side. At the same moment the mainmast, which must already have
been sprung when the hurricane struck the ship, fell after it, and the
seamen immediately commenced hacking away at the rigging to clear the
wreck. The ship thus relieved, rose to an even keel, and now feeling
the power of the helm, away she flew before the gale.
The master hurried to the binnacle. The wind had happily shifted to the
westward, and though blowing with far greater fury than before, the ship
was in less peril than she would have been had it continued in its
former quarter. The yards were now squared and preventer backstays set
up, and the carpenter, having examined the mast, reported that it was
secure. The hands were sent to close-reef the fore-topsail; but even
though thus reduced, it was as much sail as the ship could carry. On
she flew, free from the wreck of both the masts, which it was impossible
to secure. Every effort was made to secure the remaining mast, on which
so much depended. Some spare spars still remained, with which, when the
weather moderated, jury-masts could be rigged; but with the heavy sea
now running, nothing could be done. The wind kept veering about,
sometimes to the southward and west, at others getting back to the
north-west.
"Provided it does not shift to the northward, we shall have room to run
on till it blows itself out," observed the master. But there was no
security that it would hold in the most favourable quarter.
The hurricane blew harder and harder--for such it might almost be
considered, though not one of those fearful storms which so frequently
devastate the islands of the Caribbean Sea. The rain, too, beat down
furiously, and the spoondrift in thick showers flew off the summits of
the seas, shrouding the ship in a dense mist, through which no objects,
had any been near, could have been discerned. At present, the chief
fear was lest the ship should run foul of any other hove to, for none
could cross her course under sail.
On she flew. Daylight returned, but the view around was almost as
obscure as during the night. The master consulted the chart. He would
have wished to haul to the southward, but the sea was running too high
and the wind blowing too furiously for that to be done; neither, in
consequence of the loss of her after-rails, could she be hove to. Her
only safe course was to fly before it. Except the close-reefed topsail,
no other canvas was set. The _Champion_ had by this time got to the
eastward of Cuba, and was compelled to run on far away from the coast
her commander wished to reach.
Another day and night passed by, the wind blowing with scarcely less
fury than at first. The well was sounded, but it was found that the
ship had made no unusual amount of water. If she could steer clear of
rocks and reefs, the only other thing to be apprehended was that, while
in her crippled condition, she might fall in with an enemy's ship of
equal or superior force. Numerous reefs and rocks however existed, and
as it had been impossible to take an observation, or even to keep an
exact dead reckoning, in consequence of the frequent shifting of the
wind, the master confessed that he was not certain of her position. She
was, he supposed, approaching the southern end of the dangerous Bahama
Islands, known as the Great Caicos. The island of Inagua, it was hoped,
was passed, but even that was not certain.
Another night was coming on. All on board hoped that the gale would
blow itself out, but as the darkness increased, it gave no signs of
doing so. A sharp look-out was of course kept, ahead, and the cables
were ranged ready to let go the anchors should any danger be seen.
Except when wearied out, in order to snatch a short rest, few of the
officers or men had gone below. Most of them were collected on deck,
when a voice from forward shouted out, "Breakers on the starboard bow!"
and almost immediately afterwards their roar was heard, and the white
foam could be seen dashing up over a dark reef. The helm was put a
couple of spokes to windward; the ship flew on. Scarcely had the danger
been passed, when the wind fell and the sea became rapidly calmer.
"Has not the sea gone down with wonderful quickness?" observed Gerald to
Nat Kiddle, who was standing near him, both of them trying to peer out
through the darkness.
"I suppose it is because we are protected by the reef we passed,"
answered Nat. "I only hope we shall not meet with others."
"Breakers ahead!" shouted the look-out from forward.
"Starboard the helm, hard a-starboard!" cried the commander.
The ship came to the wind, and as she did so the white foam was seen
rising directly under her lee. The threatened danger was passed,
although so narrowly that her keel grated over a rock below it.
"Stand ready to let go the best bower!" was the next order heard.
"Hands aloft to furl the fore-topsail!" Scarcely had the commander
uttered the words than a terrific crashing sound was heard. The ship
had struck a sunken reef. The way she had on her forced her over it.
"Sound the well, Mr O'Rourke," cried the commander.
Before, however, the carpenter could obey the order, the ship again
struck and remained fixed, apparently on a reef. Soundings were
immediately taken ahead and astern, and from the small depth, of water
round her, it was too clear that she had been driven hopelessly on a
broad reef. The sea dashed against her, sending the spray in dense
showers over her decks; but it was evident that there were reefs outside
which greatly protected her, and that there was no immediate danger of
her being dashed to pieces, or the crew losing their lives. The
darkness prevented any object from being seen round her, except black
rocks and the snow-white foam which flew off from the summits of the
seas. The crew behaved, as well-disciplined British seamen always do
under such circumstances, with perfect coolness. The men who were going
aloft to furl the fore-topsail were ordered down, and the commander
directed the carpenter to cut away the remaining mast, as it threatened
every instant to fall. A few strokes of the axe brought it down over
the forecastle, the wind carrying it in that direction.
"I fear the old bark is lost," said Gerald to Nat Kiddle. "I little
expected to see such an ending of her."
"No doubt about it," answered Nat. "The water is rushing like a
mill-sluice into the hold, and if it wasn't that she is firm on the
rocks, she would not have many minutes to swim."
"Faith, I don't think she's swimming now," said Gerald.
"No," answered Nat; "but she is not going down, and that is of
considerable consequence to us. When daylight comes I suppose we shall
find out where we are. I hope that land is not far off, or we may have
to make a voyage on a raft, as the boats won't hold us all."
Norman Foley's chief feeling was disappointment at the probability of
not being able to return to Jamaica for an indefinite period of time.
The distance was too great to perform with any safety in boats; indeed,
it was doubtful, without masts to hoist her out, whether the launch
could be got into the water.
As other shipwrecked seamen have done, all wished for day to relieve
their anxieties. At present it was impossible to decide what to do.
Gradually the ship became steadier. As the sea broke over her less
frequently, the master was of opinion that the tide was falling, and
that she had been driven on shore at high water.
The commander and his first lieutenant accompanied the carpenter round
the ship to ascertain more particularly her condition. They quickly
came to the conclusion that she was hopelessly wrecked. "The first
thing to be done, then, is to get the stores from the hold while the
tide is out, and to save the ammunition," observed the commander.
"Should we reach the shore, we must not leave ourselves defenceless."
The crew were accordingly at once ordered to set to work, and beef,
pork, flour, and other stores were hoisted up, while the powder was got
out of the magazine and placed in the commander's cabin with a guard
over it.
Daylight found all hands thus busily employed. The wind had gone down
and the sea was perfectly smooth. The commander was on deck when the
first light streaks of dawn appeared in the sky. As the light
increased, he discerned a line of cocoa-nut trees rising out of one of
the low islands, known as keys in those seas, scarcely half a mile off,
while in the intermediate space were numerous dark rocks, the upper
portions of reefs which extended on every side. Between them, however,
were wide spaces of calm water, so that there would be nothing to stop
the boats from reaching the island. The satisfactory intelligence was
soon made known through the ship. The smaller boats were at once
lowered, while the carpenter and boatswain set to work to erect shears
for hoisting out the launch. As soon as the boats were ready, the
commander ordered them to be loaded with provisions, and canvas for
tents, and a portion of the powder, and they were sent off under the
command of the second lieutenant, with Gerald and Kiddle. The two
latter were directed to remain in charge of half a dozen of the men,
while the boats were immediately to return. In the mean while a raft
was commenced, to assist in transporting the guns and stores, all of
which the commander intended if possible to save. The crew were so
busily employed that they had no time to indulge in apprehensions for
the future, should they have entertained any.
The commander's chief anxiety was to ascertain if water existed on the
island. Without it they would be unable to support themselves, beyond a
short period, when that on board was exhausted. The midshipmen were
accordingly directed to search for water immediately on their landing.
Away they pulled, their spirits scarcely lowered even by the loss of
their ship. As they looked back at her as she lay on the rocks, with
her masts gone and heeling over on one side, Gerald, however,
exclaimed--
"Poor old girl, there you are, and there you will leave your bones. I
don't suppose you care much about it, though you don't find it as
pleasant as bounding over the heaving waves, as the poets say."
"We shall not find it so pleasant, either, living on that sandy-looking
island ahead there," observed Kiddle.
As they drew near the island its appearance improved. They could see a
variety of trees and bushes, and that the ground rose beyond them.
Further in the interior the green grass, which here and there was
visible, gave promise of an abundance of water, so that they should not
have, as they at first feared, to suffer from thirst. In a little bay,
with rocks rising on one side, they found a convenient landing-place,
towards which the boats were steered. The goods were quickly got on
shore, and carried up to a level spot under the shade of some cocoa-nut
trees.
Here, as soon as Mr Foley had shoved off, Gerald and Nat set to work
with their men to put up the tents in which the provisions were to be
stored. Gerald then, taking one of the crew with him, set off to look
for water as he had been directed. The island appeared to be scarcely
half a mile across, but it was considerably longer. A somewhat elevated
ridge ran down the centre, from which, before he had gone far, he saw an
ample stream gushing forth into a pool, after which it ran in a
meandering course towards the side of the island where they had landed.
Having made this discovery, they returned to the camp. Soon afterwards
the boats came back with some men and a further supply of provisions.
He then learned that the commander intended to land the guns.
The work continued all day long, and towards evening the boats returned,
towing a large raft on which several of the guns were placed. The only
bad news was that, in trying to get the launch into the water, she had
been severely damaged, and as it would have occupied time to tow her on
shore full of water, she had been left anchored near the ship. About a
third of the crew, with the marines, under charge of Mr Foley, had now
landed; the commander and the remainder, with a portion of the officers,
still staying on board. Crowhurst, who came with the raft, said that
there was no danger, and that the commander intended to be the last man
to leave the ship.
As there was abundance of wood, fires were lighted, provisions cooked,
and the shipwrecked crew prepared to make themselves as happy as they
could. Some, indeed, when they had knocked off work, amused themselves
by playing leapfrog on the sands, and running races; and the black cook,
who had brought his fiddle, beginning to scrape away, set the whole
dancing. At last they were ordered to turn in, and though it was not
likely that any enemy was near, sentries were stationed round the camp,
according to man-o'-war fashion.
Norman Foley walked up and down on the beach long after his men had gone
to sleep. The boats and raft had returned to the ship. He cast his eye
round to note the appearance of the weather. Should it again come on to
blow, her position would be one of considerable danger, and those on
board might have great difficulty in saving their lives. Should the
boats be destroyed, he and those with him would scarcely be better off
without the means of escaping. They might have to remain there for
weeks or months, for no vessel was likely willingly to approach so
dangerous a neighbourhood. The provisions, though sufficient to last
for some time, must ultimately be exhausted, as would be the ammunition,
with which birds might be shot. Then what would be the consequence?
"It is useless to indulge in such thoughts," he said to himself at last.
"With a few hours' rest I shall feel more cheerful." He did the wisest
thing to be done under such circumstances--he went into his tent and
fell fast asleep.
On rising the next morning, he saw the raft and boats again approaching.
Mr Tarwig came in command of them, with directions from the commander
to choose a site for erecting a battery on the island with their guns.
"The commander thinks it probable that the Spaniards, when they find out
that we are here, will attack us for the sake of making us prisoners,
and the sooner we are prepared for them the better," he said to
Lieutenant Foley.
While the other officers and men were engaged in landing the stores
which the boats had brought, the two lieutenants walked together across
the island, and then followed the rise which ran along the centre on the
eastern side. Although there were many reefs on that side, the island
was more approachable than on the west, where the _Champion_ had been
wrecked, and after a careful survey they fixed on a spot below which it
appeared that a ship might approach the shore. Consequently it was the
spot which an enemy would probably choose for landing with boats.
The lieutenants were not long in marking out the site of their proposed
fort. The ground was here covered more thickly than, in other places
with trees, some of considerable height, which would effectually mask it
from the sea. The island was of a width which would enable the guns in
the fort to defend it on both sides, as some might be so placed as to
command their own landing-place, should an enemy attempt to come on
shore on that side. Having formed their plan, they returned to the
camp. Here all hands were still busily employed in getting the guns on
shore. The difficulty was to drag them up to the site chosen for the
fort. Their own carriages, which had been also landed, were of no use
for this purpose; but the carpenter suggested that rollers should be
placed under them, and, ropes being secured to the breeches, they could
be dragged up by the crew.
While the first lieutenant returned to the ship, Norman Foley directed
the carpenter to form his proposed rollers, and to try what could be
done with one of the guns. Some of the rigging had already been brought
on shore on the raft, and there was an abundance of ropes for the
purpose.
The carpenter and his crew were not long in getting all things ready.
Four rollers were placed under one of the guns, and a party were told
off to take charge of four others, while the rest of the crew laid hold
of the towlines. The boatswain sounded his whistle, and off they set.
It was pretty hard work to draw a heavy gun over the soft sand, but
British seamen are not to be defeated when they put their shoulders to
an undertaking. The gun was started amid cheers from the crew, and it
began to move forward faster and faster. The moment one roller was
released it was carried ahead, and at length the gun was dragged up to
hard ground. Now, however, the tug of war began. Though the ground was
hard, it was rough and uphill; but the inequalities were cleared away,
and the gun was got some distance up the bank. It became evident,
however, at length that the whole strength of the crew would be required
to get it up to the site of the fort, and the lieutenant ordered the men
to knock off, and to bring another gun up. This was soon done in the
same fashion. The seamen enjoyed the work as if it had been given to
them as an amusement.
Thus six guns which had been landed were got a part of the way towards
their destination. Parties of men were next harnessed to the gun
carriages, a boatswain's mate or one of the other seamen seating himself
on each--the former with pipe in mouth, and with a long stick in his
hand, with which he pretended to drive his team, cheering and shouting
in high glee. One of the carriages, however, as the men were running
along with it, capsized and shot its occupant out sprawling on the sand,
greatly to the amusement of his shipmates. It is wonderful what an
amount of work can be got through by seamen when they are allowed to do
it in their own way, and make an amusement of the severest labour.
It would still require the raft and boats to make very many trips before
all the guns and provisions and stores could be landed. The commander
wisely sent off a proportion of each, so that, should bad weather come
on and the ship go to pieces, a certain amount of all things necessary
might be saved. The weather, however, continued favourable, though the
stormy period of the year had now come on. All the guns and provisions,
and a considerable quantity of the stores, were at length landed. The
carpenter had of course taken good care to bring his tools. He proposed
building a vessel out of the wreck. The commander approved of his
suggestion, and it was arranged that they should return the next day,
and endeavour to procure timber sufficient for the purpose.
The commander had hitherto not left the ship. The last of the crew who
had remained with him were sent into the boat. His own gig was
alongside. With a heavy heart he hauled down the flag, which had
hitherto been kept flying on a temporary flagstaff, secured to the stump
of the foremast. After looking round his dismantled ship, he descended
into the boat.
"Shove off," he said, and his voice as he spoke appeared to have lost
its usual cheerful ring.
He cast another fond look at her as she lay bilged on the cruel rocks.
He had reason to be thankful that not a life had been lost, and that it
was from no carelessness or want of good seamanship that she had been
driven on shore. Had she struck one of the outer reefs, where would he
and his gallant crew now be? Probably not one would have escaped. The
sky as he looked westward had again assumed a threatening aspect.
"We shall have another gale before long, I suspect," he observed to
Gerald, who had brought the gig for him. "It may not do us on shore
much harm, although it may blow down our tents if we don't stay them up
well, but the poor ship--I fear that her days are numbered. A heavy sea
rolling in here would soon knock her to pieces. Give way, my lads, and
overtake the raft; we may assist in towing it, and the sooner it reaches
the shore the better."
Fortunately by this time everything of value had been landed from the
ship. The cabins had been stripped of their furniture, even to the
bedding; the men's hammocks, and every article belonging to them, had
been brought off. There was an abundance of water, and there was no
probability of their provisions running short for some time to come.
Scarcely had the boats and raft been unloaded and the stores carried up
to the camp, than the sea began to roll in with much greater force than
hitherto, and as the sun went down the white breakers appeared on every
side, like horses' manes waving in the wind, above the darkening waters.
The commander was received with hearty cheers by his crew.
"Now, my lads," he said, "I intend to turn this island into a
man-of-war, and although we cannot get under way--for if we could we
would soon run her up to Port Royal harbour--we will hold her against
all enemies, whoever they may be, who may wish to make a prize of us. I
intend to maintain the same discipline as heretofore, and I expect that
you will still remain the well-ordered crew of whom I have always been
proud."
The captain's address was received, as he expected it would be, with
hearty cheers, and several voices among the men cried out, "We'll stick
by you, sir, and you won't have to be ashamed of us."
Several fires had been lighted, round which the men were collected,
cooking their suppers in a fashion in which Jack especially delights
when he has the chance; but the rising wind soon made it necessary to
put them all out, for fear of their setting the bushes and trees in
flames, or lest a wandering spark might find its way to the tent in
which the powder was stored. This, by Mr Foley's forethought, had been
erected some way from the camp, and a sentry placed over it. The next
thing to be done was to secure the tents with preventer-stays, as the
seamen called them. By this means, furiously as the wind began to blow,
not a tent was capsized. Being composed of sails, they were much lower
than ordinary tents, and thus much less exposed than such would have
been. They resembled indeed gipsy tents, though on a larger scale. It
was fortunate for the shipwrecked crew that they had been erected in
good time, for as the night drew on the rain came down in torrents, and
would have drenched them to the skin. The wind increased, howling and
whistling amid the cocoa-nut trees; while the sea, as it dashed with
increasing fury on the shore, uttered continuous and never-ceasing
roars, echoed, so it seemed, by the breakers on the more distant reefs.
The commander, who had scarcely closed his eyes on board, shared a tent
with his lieutenants and the surgeon. His chief care, for the present
was over, and he at length fell fast asleep.
"It is a hard trial for him, poor man," observed the surgeon, as he and
the two lieutenants sat at their table at the further end of the tent.
"Though it may not be the commander's fault when he loses his ship, he
must feel it dreadfully."
"Somewhat as you feel when you lose a patient, Mac," observed Mr
Tarwig.
"Nay, nay," answered the doctor. "I have a better chance of getting
fresh patients, whereas the captain who loses his ship is often looked
upon as unfortunate, and may chance not to get another--"
"That he may have the opportunity of losing her, doctor, you would say,
just as you would desire to have the chance of losing some fresh
patients."
"You're hard on me, Tarwig," said the doctor. "My desire is to cure
them. And just remember that men's lives are not in our hands: all we
can do is to employ such knowledge as we possess. That may be but
little, I confess, for I tell you our ignorance is great. If I pride
myself on anything, it is that I am aware that I know next to nothing,
and that is what many fools do not."
"Well said, Mac," observed Norman. "I always had a respect for you, and
I have a greater now, and shall have perfect confidence in your skill,
if I should have again to come to you for assistance. I believe I owe
my life to you when I was wounded, as far as I owe it to any human
being."
"Nay, nay," again said the doctor, laughing. "You owe it, to my
thinking, to a fair young lady who looked after you so carefully when we
put you on shore at Waterford--for you were in a bad way then, let me
tell you, though I did not say so at the time."
"He has repaid the debt, doctor, for I understand that the same young
lady was in the house attacked by the rebels, and that they were on the
point of entering it and murdering all the inmates, when he drove them
to the right-about," said Mr Tarwig.
In another tent the master and purser, with the midshipmen, were engaged
in amusing themselves in a more uproarious fashion. Many a merry stave
and sentimental ditty was sung, and not a few yarns were spun, anecdotes
told, and jokes cut, albeit not of the newest. The remainder of the
shipwrecked men having been pretty well worked during the day, soon
turned in, and in spite of the storm raging over their heads went fast
asleep; the only people awake being the sentries, who, wrapped in their
greatcoats, their firelocks sheltered under them, stood with their backs
to the wind.
Thus the night passed away. With the morning light the rain ceased, and
as Norman, who was the first among the officers on foot, looked in the
direction of the spot where the ship had been, she was nowhere to be
seen, but here and there amid the foam-covered reefs fragments of the
wreck could be discerned, tossed about by the tumbling seas. He had
reason to be thankful that such had not been her fate while the crew
were still on board. He was soon joined by Mr Tarwig. He pointed in
the direction of the wreck.
"Our chance of building a craft to carry us away is gone," observed the
first lieutenant, with a sigh. "Well, we must bear our lot patiently,
and maybe some friendly craft may heave in sight. And if a friend does
not come, why, perhaps an enemy will; and if so, we must capture her,
and change places with her crew."
"Little chance of that, I fear," said Norman, who, eager as he was to
get off, had from the first not been very sanguine of doing so.
After the crew had been piped up, and Mr Tarwig had mustered them and
gone through the usual duties performed by a first lieutenant--although,
as he observed with one of his comical looks to Norman, he need not get
the decks washed, the rain having done that already--they re-entered
their tent, to which their servants brought fresh water for their
morning ablutions. Fires were lighted, though the wood did not burn at
first very briskly, and the cooks busied themselves in preparing for
breakfast.
The commander on going out of his tent took one glance seaward. "I
feared it would be so," he said, turning away his head. "Now, Mr
Tarwig, we'll get our fort under way."
"It would be a hard matter to do that, sir," answered the first
lieutenant, screwing up his mouth, with a twinkle in his eye, "seeing it
is not built yet."
The commander, who knew he was fond of a joke, laughed, and desired to
be shown the proposed site. On inspecting it, he highly approved of the
spot selected.
Immediately breakfast was over, all hands were ordered to man the guns
and commence the work of dragging them up the hill. One at a time,
however, only could be moved, till it was got near enough to a stout
tree to which a tackle could be fixed, and the seamen then ran it up the
steepest part of the ascent with surprising rapidity.
Before the day was over half the guns were placed in position, and by
means of stout shears, which were erected on the hill, were hoisted on
their carriages. The rest were allowed to remain where they were till
the embankments were thrown up. The smith and his mates, with such
hands as he required, had put up a forge, and he and the carpenters had
been busily engaged manufacturing pickaxes and spades. With such as had
been finished the men were the next day set to work on the trenches,
some being employed in cutting down trees to serve for the woodwork
which was required. Eighty men were engaged in these operations, and it
seemed extraordinary how much that number of willing hands could get
through, the officers all labouring away to set them the example.
The commander was well pleased as he surveyed the work. "We shall be
able to give a fair account of an enemy should one attack us before many
days are over," he observed to Mr Tarwig. "I think it very probable,
should the Spaniards find out we are here, that they will not let us
alone, as they will fancy that for some reason or other we have taken
possession of the island."
"Ay, sir; but I have a notion we should be able to beat them off without
these embankments, satisfactory as it may be to have them as shelter,"
answered the first lieutenant.
It took, however, several days to complete the fort, and when that was
done, one of the chief objects of the commander was to find occupation
for the men. He knew that it would never do to let them be too long
idle. Among the stores saved were several seines; one or two of these
were drawn every day on the sandy portions of the beach, and never
failed to catch a number of fish, which added to the store of
provisions. Drawing the seine afforded not only occupation but
amusement to the men, who engaged in it with the greatest avidity. The
fresh fish, too, assisted to keep scurvy at a distance. The surgeon
explored the island in search of any vegetable productions which might
assist in that object. Happily there were a good number of cocoa-nuts,
but it was necessary to husband them, or the men would have consumed
them in the course of a day or two.
Though it was necessary to prepare for a long stay, the commander took
the requisite measures for attracting the notice of any passing vessels.
A high flagstaff was put up in the centre of the fort, from which the
British ensign was kept flying from sunrise to sunset, and on the two
highest points of the island piles of firewood were placed ready to
light up at night, should it be considered expedient to try and attract
the attention of any ships seen in the offing. There might, however, be
a danger in doing this, lest a stranger, standing too close in, might
run on the rocks. By firing guns, however, she might be warned off. Of
course, by these means it was as likely that an enemy would be attracted
to the spot as a friend, but this caused them no anxiety, as they could
beat off any vessel which might come with hostile intentions.
Day after day, however, went by, and no sail appeared in sight. As soon
as the weather moderated the boats were launched, and the second
lieutenant and master, with Crowhurst, pulled round the island and
surveyed its approaches in every direction. They found but two channels
through which a vessel of any size could approach to attack them, and
that could only be done with the greatest caution, by those who had a
thorough knowledge of the navigation. Indeed, the island was almost
completely surrounded by reefs, some rising above the surface, others
sunk beneath it at different depths. These, it was found, extended to a
considerable distance from the shore, so that no craft of large size was
likely intentionally to approach. After the survey had been completed,
Lieutenant Foley offered to try and make his way to Jamaica in the
pinnace, the largest boat which now remained, the launch having been
lost with the ship.
"I cannot let you go," answered Captain Olding. "Even should the
weather continue favourable, the probabilities are that you would be
picked up by a Spaniard or a Frenchman, and you would fail to reach your
destination."
"But I might as probably be picked up by an English man-of-war or a
merchant vessel, sir," answered Norman, who was eager to make the
attempt.
The commander, however, was inexorable, and the lieutenant did not again
for some time venture to broach the subject.
The shipwrecked crew continued in vain to look out for relief, and
Commander Olding remained firm to his resolution of not allowing one of
the boats to try and make her way to Jamaica.
Notwithstanding the refusal Lieutenant Foley had received, Mr Billhook,
the master, offered to take charge of the pinnace with four or five
volunteers. "No great harm can happen if we are taken, sir, and still
less, some will say, if we go to the bottom, but the chances are we get
clear and arrive all right," he urged.
"One great harm would happen. Should you be captured, the enemy would
suspect where you came from, even if you refuse to tell them, and we
should have them coming here to try and cut us off," answered the
commander. "Wait patiently, gentlemen. Either some friendly vessel
will appear, or a French or Spanish trader or guarda-costa will some day
come to an anchor within the reefs; then, if we manage carefully, we
shall be able to get aboard her before she has time to cut her cable and
run out to sea."
This idea of the commander's soon got talked about, and all hands were
constantly on the watch for any vessel which they might hope to capture.
Not that the seamen were in any great hurry to leave the island; as
long as they had an ample supply of food and liquor they were happy,
while they had sufficient occupation to keep them out of mischief.
A look-out for any craft which might approach the shore was of course
constantly kept on both sides of the island. A mist had hung over the
sea during the night, which completely concealed all objects, except
those close at hand, from view. The sun rising above the horizon
dispersed the mist, when a small vessel was discovered under sail,
threading her way among the reefs to the westward. Those on board her
must have perceived the fort with the people moving about, and the
British flag which had just been hoisted on the flagstaff, for she
immediately kept away, and, the wind being to the eastward, ran off
before it towards the open sea. If she could be captured she would
afford the means of sending to Jamaica, though she could not carry all
the crew. The boats were therefore launched, and chase was made; but,
the breeze freshening, the stranger got clear out to sea, when all
chance of overtaking her was abandoned. Much disappointment was felt--
but as one vessel had come off the island so might others, and it was
hoped that one of sufficient size would appear to carry the whole ship's
company. The commander, being a sensible man, advised his officers to
be patient, and to make the best of the circumstances under which they
were placed.
After the fort was completed, and all the huts required were erected,
the officers had work enough in devising employment and amusement for
the men. They encouraged games of all sorts--football, cricket,
rounders, and ninepins; indeed, a stranger coming among them would not
have supposed that the merry fellows he saw were a shipwrecked crew,
especially if they had been found playing leapfrog, or dancing to the
sound of Pat Casey's fiddle. The commander and his officers were not,
however, without anxiety; they knew that no British ships, either
men-of-war or merchant vessels, were likely intentionally to approach
the dangerous reefs which surrounded the island, and that their store of
provisions must in time come to an end.
"We must not run the risk of starving," observed Commander Olding; "and
in the course of a couple of months, if we do not get off, I will allow
you, Foley, or Mr Billhook to try and make your way, as you propose, to
Jamaica."
"I shall be ready to go at any time you give me leave," answered the
second lieutenant, well pleased with the thoughts of getting away from
the island and once more meeting Ellen. By that time the hurricane
season would be over, and he hoped to be able to make the passage
safely.
"I trust, sir, that you will let me accompany you," said Gerald, when he
heard that there was at length a chance of a boat being sent off.
"That must depend on the commander," answered Lieutenant Foley. "If he
will give you leave, I will gladly take you, as I can depend thoroughly
on you; but I suspect that he will prefer sending Crowhurst. However,
we have some weeks to wait, and many things may occur in the mean time."
"Thank you, sir, for your kindness," answered Gerald, highly pleased at
the compliment paid him, and thinking nothing of the danger to be run
during a voyage of some hundred miles in an open boat, with a chance of
being picked up by an enemy's cruiser, or by one of the piratical craft
which were known to infest those seas. Gerald was not given to
boasting, but he confided to Nat Kiddle the promise Mr Foley had made
him.
"I wonder whether he would take me too," said Nat. "I should not like
to be left here without you. I should wonderfully enjoy the trip. What
fun it would be if we were chased, and managed, notwithstanding, to get
away!"
"It would be no fun if we were caught, however," answered Gerald; "but I
hope that won't happen. Depend on it, Mr Foley will do his best to
keep clear of an enemy."
Still some weeks had to be passed before the commander would consent to
send off a boat, while not a vessel appeared in sight. The weather had
remained fine for some time, but at length it gave signs of changing.
One evening, as the commander, with several of the officers, were taking
a quarter-deck walk on a piece of level ground near the flagstaff,
occasionally sweeping the horizon with their glasses, now to the
eastward, and now on the west side of the island, the commander, who had
turned his in the latter direction, exclaimed, "There is a sail at last.
Judging from her appearance she is a large craft; we shall soon
ascertain how she is standing."
The other glasses were turned towards the stranger, and in a few minutes
the general opinion was that she was approaching the island. The wind
was blowing pretty fresh from the south-west. Her topgallantsails had
been above the horizon when she was first seen; gradually her topsails,
then the heads of her courses, rose above the water. "Is she a friend
or an enemy?" was the question asked by several of those watching her.
Hopes, of course, were entertained that she might be the former. Gerald
and Nat Kiddle thought that she must be a British man-of-war.
"See what a wide spread of canvas she has," observed Gerald; "no
merchant vessel would carry sails like that."
"If so, then our chance of a trip in the boat is over," said Nat.
The commander and his lieutenants discussed the subject earnestly.
"She is not a British ship," exclaimed Mr Tarwig, who had been watching
her attentively through his glass for a minute or more; "that craft out
there is a Spaniard. She is coming here to see what we are about.
Depend on it, the little craft we saw the other day has carried the
information that we are here, and the Spaniards have come to turn us
out, if they can."
"I believe you are right," observed the commander, after again examining
the stranger. "We must be prepared for whatever may happen. If, as you
suspect, yonder ship is a Spaniard, she comes with the intention of
taking us. What say you, Mr Billhook?"
"I agree with the first lieutenant, sir," answered the master.
"And what is your opinion, Foley?"
"I have little doubt that she is an enemy, and probably well acquainted
with the reefs. If so, she will stand in near enough to attack the
fort; or if its existence is not known, the Spaniards will send their
boats on shore, expecting without difficulty to make us all prisoners,"
answered the second lieutenant.
"They will find that they are mistaken," observed the commander. "Get
all the boats hauled up and placed under shelter behind the rocks, Mr
Billhook. Call the men to their quarters, see that the guns are ready
for action, and serve out arms and ammunition. We shall somewhat
surprise the enemy if they attempt to land, for they are not likely to
know of the existence of the fort, and will probably at once send their
boats on shore, expecting to carry us off without difficulty."
The men, who had, like their officers, been watching the approach of the
stranger, were well pleased when they heard that she was supposed to be
an enemy, and were eager for a fight. It would be a pleasant variety to
the monotony of their existence, and no one entertained a doubt but that
they should beat her off. The rays of the setting sun, glancing on her
side as it rose above the water, showed her to be a large frigate.
Though her flag could not be seen, not a doubt was entertained that she
was Spanish. The wind, however, had fallen, and she was still some
three or four miles beyond the outer reefs; when darkness settled down
on the ocean, she was seen to haul her wind, apparently to lay to till
daylight. The night was unusually dark, so that nothing could be seen
of her.
The men were kept under arms, and sentries were posted round the island
at the different points at which boats could land, to give notice should
any approach, in which case the sentries were directed to fire off their
muskets and retire to the fort. The officers continually went their
rounds to ascertain that the men were awake and attending to their duty.
Hour after hour passed by, still no sounds were heard to indicate the
approach of an enemy.
It was within an hour of dawn, when Mr Foley, who having just visited
the western side of the island, had returned to the fort, heard a musket
fired, and presently afterwards a sentry came running up. "I caught the
sound of the splash of the oars in the water, sir," he said; "they
cannot be far off. They hope to catch us asleep, for they seem to be
making as little noise as possible."
As the man was speaking, another sentry's musket was heard to go off.
He quickly came up and gave the same report as the first. The garrison
were at once ordered to stand to their guns, and the two sentries were
sent off to bring in their comrades.
"My lads, we shall probably be attacked in a few minutes by Spaniards:
perhaps there may be soldiers as well as seamen among them, but I know
that I can depend on you to beat them off," exclaimed the commander.
"Not a gun or musket must be fired until I give the order. They may or
may not know, of the existence of our fort; possibly they suppose that
we are without defences, and expect easily to make us prisoners. Don't
cheer now--let not a sound be heard till they get close up to us; they
perhaps expect to surround our camp, but as they know we are awake, they
cannot hope to capture us without a struggle, and will come on
cautiously."
The guns had been loaded with grape and canister. The men not required
to work them were armed with muskets, so that should even the greater
part of the frigate's crew have been sent on shore, the shipwrecked
party might well hope to drive them back.
The commander had taken up a position from whence he could command a
view of the approaches to the fort on every side; and other sharp eyes
were likewise looking out. So long a time elapsed that he began to
fancy that the sentries had given a false alarm, and he was on the point
of despatching a party down to the nearest landing-place, when he caught
sight of a body of men emerging from the gloom. They approached
cautiously, evidently doubtful of the reception they might meet with.
The seamen stood at their guns with the matches in their hands concealed
from view; perfect silence reigned throughout the fort. The enemy crept
steadily on, not knowing how near they were to their expected prey, the
outline of the fort not being yet visible to them through the darkness.
Commander Olding judged from the ground they covered that there must be
between two and three hundred men--double the number of his own crew.
Suddenly they halted, probably having just then discovered the fort.
Two or three figures, apparently those of officers, were seen moving in
front of them; then a shout was heard, and the whole line, advancing,
fired their matchlocks, the bullets flying thick as hail over the fort.
The commander leaped down from his exposed position unhurt. "Now, give
it to them, my lads!" he cried, and the guns sent forth an iron shower
into the midst of their assailants. Shrieks and cries arose from the
direction of the enemy, who had evidently not expected to find the
English possessed of guns. Still the little garrison fully expected to
be attacked; but when the smoke from the first discharge of the guns
cleared off, the whole body of the enemy were discovered in rapid
flight, making their way back to their boats.
"Let us follow them, sir," cried several voices from among the men; "not
one of them shall get back to their ship."
"They have been sufficiently punished, and are not likely to renew the
attack," answered the commander, who had no wish to make prisoners, and
saw no necessity for the utter destruction of the enemy. "If they come
on again they must take the consequences."
The seamen were somewhat disappointed at this, but they knew that it
would be useless to expostulate. They remained at their guns, hoping
that the enemy would again attack them; but when daylight appeared, the
boats were seen making their way back to the frigate, which lay outside
the reef. On the ground they had occupied when the fort opened fire on
them were stretched upward of a dozen dead men. It was evident that the
Spanish had carried off their wounded, who probably numbered as many
more. A party was at once sent down, accompanied by the surgeon, to
ascertain if any of those on the ground were still alive; but Mac,
having gone round and examined each of these carefully, pronounced them
all as "dead as herrings."
"There, my lads," he said to the men, who had come with pickaxes and
spades. "Now you may bury them all as fast as you like; their fighting
days are over."
The seamen carried the bodies off to a distance from the fort, when
having dug a large grave, they tumbled them in without any ceremony.
Before the sun had risen many degrees above the horizon, the dead
Spaniards were for ever put out of the sight of their fellow-creatures.
Meantime, the proceedings of the frigate had been watched with no
inconsiderable interest by Commander Olding and his officers. The wind
was still blowing a moderate breeze from the south-west, and would
enable her without difficulty to get in much nearer than she was at
present to the island. She was seen to be getting up her anchor. The
topsails were let fall, and, with her boats ahead, she stood in towards
the fort.
"Her captain, finding that he cannot capture us as he expected, intends
to attack the fort with his great guns," observed the commander. "He
will find, if he attempts to do so, that he has made a still greater
mistake than at first. He must be well acquainted, however, with the
navigation or he would not venture to bring his frigate in among these
reefs."
The men had in the mean time been piped to breakfast, the commander and
his two lieutenants alone remaining on the ramparts to watch the
proceedings of the frigate. The wind was light, the sea smooth, and she
was enabled to thread her way amid the reefs without difficulty.
"Her captain maybe a bold fellow, but he is not a wise one," observed
Mr Tarwig. "If it comes on to blow, and I think there is a great
probability that it will do so, he will wish himself well out to sea
again before he can get there. He seems only to be thinking how he can
get near the fort, but if he had kept his eye to windward he would have
observed yonder bank of clouds rising above the horizon."
The Spanish flag was now seen to fly out from the peak of the frigate,
leaving no doubt as to her nationality. She stood on for a few minutes
longer, when her sails were clewed up and her anchor let drop. Though
she had now got near enough to reach the fort with her guns, she had to
get a spring on her cable before she could bring them to bear upon it.
"Now, my lads, let us show the Spaniards what English gunnery is like,"
cried the commander, as the men returned to their quarters. "Fire!"
No sooner was the order given than every gun on that side of the fort
was discharged at the enemy, with so good an aim that few missed, some
of the shots striking her hull, others her rigging. In spite of it,
however, the Spaniards managed to get a spring on their cable and to
open fire with the whole of their broadside.
"They will not hurt us if they can't take better aim than that,"
observed Gerald to Nat Kiddle, as the greater number of the enemy's shot
flew either on one side or the other of the fort, or buried themselves
in the bank below it.
As twelve of the corvette's guns had been brought over to the west side
of the fort, they were not much inferior in number to those the Spanish
frigate could fire in return; while they were much better served, the
English crew firing two guns to the Spaniard's one. Their shot soon
began to tell with terrible effect on the enemy; several were seen to go
through her bulwarks, while her rigging was much cut up.
The action had continued for nearly an hour, and during all that time
not a single person in the fort had been hit. At length the Spaniard
appeared to have had enough of it. Her boats were observed ahead, as if
about to tow her off the shore. Her cable was cut, and she was seen
steering for a passage which the master had lately discovered between
the reefs to the north-west.
"She must put her best foot foremost, if she expects to get to sea
before the wind which will come out of yonder black cloud catches her,"
he observed. "Should it hold as it does now she may do it, but if it
shifts to the northward or westward she will go ashore as sure as my
name is Billhook."
As soon as the frigate's head had come round, her topsails were let fall
and sheeted home, and she quickly glided out of the range of the
_Champion's_ guns. The British crew cheered lustily as they saw the
defeat of their enemy.
"We must not be too sure that she will not come back again," observed
Mr Tarwig. "The Spaniards do not like the look of the weather; when
the squall blows over, they will probably pay us another visit."
"It is a chance if they will be able to do so," observed the master.
"See! here comes the wind sooner than I expected. If they can manage to
get out between the reefs, they are better navigators than I take them
for," he added, as he eagerly watched the retreating enemy.
The wind continued for some time blowing from the same direction as
before, enabling the frigate to thread her way between the rocks on
either hand. A blast at length reached her. Over she heeled. There
was no time for shortening sail; onward she flew at a rapid rate through
the water.
"She will get through, after all," observed the commander.
The various spectators almost held their breath, for, though the ship
they were watching was an enemy, no one wished her to meet that fate
which it seemed probable would overtake her. Now again she rose almost
to an even keel, but not a brace or a sheet was slackened. Already the
sea was breaking with fearful violence over a dark reef under her lee,
while she was sailing as close as possible to the wind.
"She will not weather it," cried the master. "They are attempting to go
about. It's too late, though. She's lost--she's lost!"
At that instant the gale with fresh force struck the devoted ship. Down
she heeled, and a sea striking her before she had come round, drove her
bodily on the reef. The following seas dashed wildly over her, almost
concealing her dark hull from view. For a few moments her masts again
came into view, but directly afterwards they fell over one after the
other, and the vessel herself appeared to be melting away before the
reiterated blows of the fierce waves, which seemed suddenly to rise for
the purpose of effecting her destruction.
"We must be ready to offer help to any of the poor fellows who may be
washed ashore," exclaimed the commander; "though I fear that few will
reach it alive."
Both officers and men were eager to carry out his suggestion. A number
of long spars and coils of rope were got ready, and the greater number
of the _Champion's_ officers and crew set off towards the northern end
of the island, the only point where it was at all probable that any of
the Spaniards would be able to land. On reaching it, however, the
desperate condition of the unfortunate crew was still more clearly seen.
To send them help was beyond the power of the English. No boat could
possibly live in the sea already running round the reef on which the
ship had struck.
Already a large portion of the hull had been knocked to pieces, while
the greater number of her crew had been washed into the raging surf and
drowned. A few wretches alone clung desperately to the forepart of the
ship and the stump of the bowsprit. No assistance could be sent to
them. Every instant the wind increased; the seas rolled up more wildly
against the wreck, as if eager for their destruction. Still the
commander and most of the officers and crew stood watching, on the bare
possibility of the wind again shifting and driving some of the hapless
Spaniards on the beach.
They waited in vain. The hurricane had only as yet been gathering
strength. Suddenly it burst with terrific violence, which even the
seamen on the firm ground could with difficulty face, as it drove masses
of spray and sand against them, the roar of the seas almost drowning the
commander's voice as he ordered them to retire to the shelter of some
rocks a short distance from the shore. On getting under their lee, as
they again looked towards where the wreck had been, scarcely a vestige
of her remained, nor was one of her hapless crew seen alive. Still,
while a hope remained that some poor fellow clinging to a piece of the
wreck might be thrown on the beach, a look-out was kept to render him
assistance; but some hours passed by, and not a single human being of
those who had lately formed the crew of the Spanish frigate could by any
possibility have remained alive. The commander ordered the men to
return to the fort. The hurricane continued raging with unabated
violence for the greater part of the flight.
"I say, Nat, it is as well we had not started with Mr Foley," observed
Gerald to his brother midshipman. "What would have become of us, I
wonder?"
"We should have been in a bad plight, I suppose," answered Nat. "I
can't help thinking that the commander was right in not letting us go as
soon as we wished."
The stormy weather continued for some time longer. Occasionally the
wind ceased, but only again to blow with almost as much violence as
before. Mr Foley and the master both acknowledged the commander's
wisdom in not allowing them to do as they had desired. The hurricane
season must, however, come to an end, for it had apparently already
lasted longer than usual, and the young lieutenant began to indulge in
the expectation of soon returning to Jamaica.