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THE
PRIVATEER'S-MAN
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
BY
CAPTAIN MARRYAT.
_SANCTIONED BY THE AUTHOR FOR CONTINENTAL CIRCULATION._
LEIPZIG
BERNH. TAUCHNITZ JUN.
1846.
EXTRACTS FROM THE LOG OF A PRIVATEER'S-MAN.
CHAPTER I.
We cruise off Hispaniola--Capture 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 canvas. 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 St. 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 every thing 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 every thing 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 give it up, and 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, stigmatizing 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 befal 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 every thing 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 privateers'-men, 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 privateers'-men 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, whom 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. Privateer's-man as I was, I could
not refrain from tears at the scene. I again attempted to reassure
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.