"The sea wax'd calm, and we discovered
Two ships from far making amain to us,
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this:
But on they came,--O, let me say no more!
Gather the sequel by that went before."
Comedy of Errors.
It was high time for the Dawn to be doing. Of all the ships to leeward,
the Speedy, the vessel we had most reason to apprehend, was in the best
condition to do us harm. It was true that, just then, we might outsail
her, but a man-of-war's crew would soon restore the balance of power, if
it did not make it preponderate against us. I called to my mate, and we
went aft to consult.
"It will not do for us to remain any longer here, Moses," I began; "the
English are masters of the day, and the Speedy's officers having
recognised us, beyond all doubt, she will be on our heels the moment
she can."
"I rather think, Miles, her travelling, for some hours to come, is over.
There she is, however, and she has our crew on board her, and it would be
a good thing to get some of them, if possible. If a body had a boat, now,
I might go down with a flag of truce, and see what tarms could be made."
I laughed at this conceit, telling Marble he would be wise to remain where
he was. I would give the Speedy four hours to get herself in tolerable
sailing trim again, supposing her bent on pursuit. If in no immediate
hurry, it might occupy her four-and-twenty hours.
"I think she may be disposed to follow the other French frigate, which is
clearly making her way towards Brest," I added, "in which case we have
nothing to fear. By George! there goes a gun, and here comes a shot in our
direction--you can see it, Moses, skipping along the water, almost in a
line between us and the frigate.--Ay, here it comes!"
All this was literally true. The Speedy lay with her bows towards us, and
she had suddenly fired the shot to which I alluded, and which now came
bounding from wave to wave, until it struck precisely in a line with the
ship, about a hundred yards distant.
"Halloo!" cried Marble, who had levelled his glass towards the
frigates.--"There's the deuce to pay down there, Miles--one boat pulling
this-a-way, for life or death, and another a'ter it. The shot was intended
for the leading boat, and not for us."
This brought my glass down, too. Sure enough, there was a small boat
pulling straight for us, and of course directly to windward of the
frigate; the men in it exerting every nerve. There were seven seamen in
this boat; six at the oars, and one steering. The truth flashed on me in
a moment. These were some of our own people, headed by the second-mate,
who had availed themselves of the circumstance of one of the Speedy's
boats being in the water, without a crew, to run away with it in the
confusion of the moment. The Black Prince had taken possession of the
prize, as we had previously noted, and that with a single boat, and the
cutter in pursuit appeared to me to be coming from the Frenchman. I
immediately acquainted Marble with my views of the matter, and he seized
on the idea eagerly, as one probable and natural.
"Them's our fellows, Miles!" he exclaimed; "we must fill, and meet 'em
half-way!"
It was certainly in our power to lessen the distance the fugitives had to
run, by standing down to meet the leading boat. This could not be done,
however, without going within reach of the English guns; the late
experiment showing unanswerably, that we lay just without the drop of
their shot, as it was. I never saw men in a greater excitement, than that
which now came over us all in the Dawn. Fill we did immediately; that, at
least, could do no harm, whereas it might do much good. I never supposed
for a moment the English were sending boats after us, since, with the
wind that was blowing, it would have been easy for the Dawn to leave them
miles behind her, in the first hour. Each instant rendered my first
conjecture the most likely to be true. There could be no mistaking the
exertions of the crews of the two boats; the pursuers seemingly doing
their best, as well as the pursued. The frigate could no longer fire,
however, the boats being already in a line, and there being equal danger
to both from her shot.
The reader will understand that large ships seldom engage, when the ocean
will permit it, without dropping one or more of their boats into the
water; and that warm actions at sea rarely occur, without most of the
boats being, more or less, injured. It often happens that a frigate can
muster only one or two boats that will swim, after a combat; and
frequently only the one she had taken the precaution to lower into the
water, previously to engaging. It was owing to some such circumstance that
only one boat followed the fugitives in the present instance. The race
must necessarily be short; and it would have been useless to send a second
boat in pursuit, could one be found, after the first two or three
all-important minutes were lost.
The Dawn showed her ensign, as a sign we saw our poor fellows struggling
to regain us, and then we filled our main-top-sail, squaring away and
standing down directly for the fugitives. Heavens! how that main-yard went
round, though there were but three men at the braces. Each of us hauled
and worked like a giant. There was every inducement of feeling, interest
and security to do so. With our present force, the ship could scarcely be
said to be safe; whereas, the seven additional hands, and they our own
people, who were straining every nerve to join us, would at once enable us
to carry the ship direct to Hamburg.
Our old craft behaved beautifully. Neb was at the wheel, the cook on the
forecastle, while Marble and I got ropes cleared away to throw to the
runaways, as soon as they should be near enough to receive them. Down we
drove towards the boat, and it was time we did, for the cutter in pursuit,
which pulled ten oars, and was full manned, was gaining fast on the
fugitives. As we afterwards learned, in the eagerness of starting, our men
had shipped the crest of a sea, and they were now labouring under the
great disadvantage of carrying more than a barrel of water, which was
washing about in the bottom of their cutter, rendering her both heavy
and unsteady.
So intense was the interest we all felt in the result of this struggle,
that our feelings during the battle could not be compared to it. I could
see Marble move his body, as a sitter in a boat is apt to do, at each jerk
of the oars, under the notion it helps the party along. Diogenes actually
called out, and this a dozen times at least, to encourage the men to pull
for their lives, though they were not yet within a mile of us. The
constant rising and setting of the boats prevented my making very minute
observations with the glass; but I distinguished the face of my
second-mate, who was sitting aft, and I could see he was steering with one
hand and bailing with the other. We now waved our hats, in hopes of being
seen, but got no answering signal, the distance being still too great.
At that moment I cared nothing for the guns of the English ship, though we
were running directly for them. The boat--the boat, was our object! For
that we steered as unerringly as the motion of the rolling water would
allow. It blew a good working breeze; and, what was of the last importance
to us, it blew steadily. I fancied the ship did not move, notwithstanding,
though the rate at which we drew nearer to the boat ought to have told us
better. But, anxiety had taken the place of reason, and we were all
disposed to see things as we felt, rather than as we truly found them.
There was abundant reason for uneasiness; the cutter astern certainly
going through the water four feet, to the other's three. Manned with her
regular crew, with everything in order, and with men accustomed to pull
together, the largest boat, and rowing ten oars to the six of my mate's, I
make no doubt that the cutter of the Black Prince would have beaten
materially in an ordinary race, more especially in the rough water over
which this contest occurred. But, nearly a tenth full of water, the boat
of the fugitives had a greatly lessened chance of escape.
Of course, we then knew no more than we could see; and we were not slow to
perceive how fast the pursuers were gaining on the pursued, I really began
to tremble for the result; and this so much the more, as the larger
cutter was near enough, by this time, to permit me to discover, by means
of the glass, the ends-of several muskets, rising out of her stern-sheets.
Could she get near enough for her officers to use these weapons, the
chance of our people was gone,--since it was not to be even hoped they
had any arms.
The end approached. The Dawn had got good way on her--Marble and Diogenes
having dragged down the main-top-gallant sheets, and hoisted the sail.
The water foamed under our bows; and the boat was soon so near, it became
indispensable to haul our wind. This we did with the ship's head to the
westward, without touching a brace, though we luffed sufficiently to throw
the wind out of all the square sails. The last was done to deaden the
vessel's way, in order that the fugitives might reach her.
The struggle became frightful for its intenseness! Our men were so near,
we could recognise them without the aid of a glass; with it, I could read
the glowing anxiety that was in my second-mate's countenance. Each
instant, the pursuers closed, until they were actually much nearer to the
pursued than the latter were to the Dawn. For the first time, now, I
suspected the truth, by the heavy movement of the flying cutter, and the
water that the second-mate was constantly bailing out of her, using his
hat. Marble brought up the muskets left by the privateersmen, and began to
renew their primings. He wished to fire at once on the pursuing boat--she
being within range of a bullet; but this I knew would not be legal. I
promised to use them should the English attempt to board the ship, but did
not dare to anticipate that movement.
Nearer and nearer came the boats, the chasing gaining always on the
chased; and now, the Black Prince and the Speedy each threw a shot quite
over us. We were about a mile from the three frigates--rather increasing
than lessening that distance, however, as they drifted to leeward, while
we were slightly luffing, with our yards a little braced up, the leeches
lifting. Neb steered the ship, as one would have guided a pilot-boat. He
had an eye for the boats, as well as for the sails--knew all that was
wanted, and all that to be done. I never saw him touch a wheel with so
delicate a hand, or one that better did its duty. The Dawn's way was so
much deadened as to give the fugitives every opportunity to close, while
she was steadily coming up abreast of their course, in readiness to
meet them.
At this instant, the officer in the Black Prince's cutter fired into that
of the Speedy; and one of our men suddenly dropped his oar. He was hit. I
thought the poor fellow's arm was broken, for I could see him lay a hand
on the injured part, like a man who suffered pain. He instantly changed
places with the second-mate, who, however, seized his oar, and began to
use it, with great power. Three more muskets were fired, seemingly without
doing any harm. But the leading boat lost by this delay, while its
pursuers held steadily on. Our own people were within a hundred and fifty
yards of us--the English less than twenty behind them. Why the latter did
not now fire, I do not actually know; but I suppose it to be, because
their muskets were all discharged, and the race was now too sharp to allow
their officer to re-load. Possibly he did not wish to take life
unnecessarily, the chances fast turning to his side.
I called out to Marble to stand by with a rope. The ship was slowly
drawing ahead, and there was no time to be lost. I then shouted to my
second-mate to be of good heart, and he answered with a cheer. The English
hurrahed, and we sent back the cry from the ship.
"Stand by in the boat, for the rope!" I cried--"Heave, Moses--Heave!"
Marble hove from the mizen chains, the rope was caught, and a motion of my
hand told Neb to keep the ship off, until everything drew. This was done,
and the rattling of the clew-garnet blocks announced that Diogenes was
hauling down the main-tack with the strength of a giant. The sail opened,
and Moses and I hauled in the sheet, until the ship felt the enormous
additional pressure of this broad breadth of canvass. At this instant
there was a cheer from the boat. Leaping upon the taffrail, I saw the men
erect, waving their hats, and looking toward the pursuing cutter, then
within a hundred feet of them, vainly attempting to come up with a boat
that was now dragging nearly bows under, and feeling all the strength of
our tow. The officer cheered his men to renewed exertion, and he began to
load a musket. At this moment the tow-line slipped from the thwart of the
boat, and we shot away, as it seemed to me, a hundred feet, on the send of
the very next sea. There was not time for the Americans to get seated at
their oars again, before the other cutter grappled. All that had been
gained was lost, and, after so near and close a chance of recovering the
most valuable portion of my crew, was I again left on the ocean with the
old four to manage the Dawn!
The English lieutenant knew his business too well, to abandon the ship
while there was a chance of recovering her. The wind lulled a little, and
he thought the hope of success worth an effort. Merely taking all the oars
out of the Speedy's cutter, he dashed on in our wake. At first he gained,
nor was I unwilling he should, for I wished to speak him. The main and
fore-sheets were eased off, and Neb was told to keep the top-sails
lifting. Thus favoured, he soon got within fifty yards of us, straining
every nerve to get nearer. The officer pointed a musket at me, and ordered
me to heave-to. I jumped off the taffrail, and, with my body covered to
the shoulders, pointed one of the French muskets at him, and warned him
to keep off.
"What have you done with the prize-crew put on board you from the Speedy,
the other day?" called out the lieutenant.
"Sent them adrift," I answered. "We've had enough of prize-crews in this
ship, and want no more."
"Heave-to, sir, on the pain of being treated as a pirate also."
"Ay, ay--" shouted Marble, who could keep silent no longer--"first catch
a pirate. Fire, if you are tired of your cruise. I wish them bloody
Frenchmen had stopped all your grog!"
This was neither dignified nor politic, and I ordered my mate to be
silent. In a good-natured tone I inquired for the names of the late
combatants, and the losses of the different ships, but this was too cool
for our pursuer's humour, and I got no answer. He did not dare fire,
however, finding we were armed, and, as I supposed, seeing there was no
prospect of his getting easily on board us, even should he get alongside,
he gave up the chase, returning to the captured boat. We again filled and
trimmed everything, and went dashing through the water at the rate of
seven knots.
The frigates did not fire at us, after the guns already mentioned. Why, I
cannot positively say; but I thought, at the time, that they had too many
other things to attend to, besides seeing the little chance there was of
overtaking us, should they even happen to cripple a spar or two.
Great was the disappointment on board the Dawn, at the result of the final
incidents of this eventful day. Marble swore outright; for no
remonstrances of mine could cure him of indulging in this habit,
especially when a little excited. Diogenes grinned defiance, and fairly
shook his fists at the boat; while Neb laughed and half-cried in a
breath--the sure sign the fellow's feelings were keenly aroused.
As for myself, I felt as much as any of the party, but preserved more
self-command. I saw it was now necessary to quit that vicinity, and to
take some definite steps for the preservation of my own ship and property.
There was little to apprehend, however, from the frigates, unless indeed
it should fall calm. In the latter case, they might board us with their
boats, which an hour or two's work would probably enable them to use
again. But I had no intention of remaining in their neighbourhood, being
desirous of profiting by the present wind.
The sails were trimmed accordingly, and the ship was steered
northwesterly, on a course that took us past the three vessels of war,
giving them so wide a berth as to avoid all danger from their batteries.
As soon as this was done, and the Dawn was travelling her road at a good
rate, I beckoned to Marble to come near the wheel, for I had taken the
helmsman's duty on myself for an hour or two: in other words, I was doing
that which, from my boyish experience on the Hudson, I had once fancied it
was not only the duty, but the _pleasure_, of every ship-master to do,
viz: steering! Little did I understand, before practice taught me the
lesson, that of all the work on board ship, which Jack is required to do,
his trick at the wheel is that which he least covets, unless indeed it may
be the office of stowing the jib in heavy weather.
"Well, Moses," I began, "this affair is over, and we've the Atlantic
before us again, with all the ports of Europe to select from, and a
captain, one mate, the cook, and one man to carry the ship where we please
to take her."
"Ay, ay--'t has been a bad job, this last. I was as sure of them lads,
until the lieutenant fired his musket, as ever I was of a good land-fall
with a fair wind. I can't describe to you, Miles, the natur' of the
disapp'intment I felt, when I saw 'em give up. I can best compare it to
that which came over me, when I discovered I was nothing but a bloody
hermit, after all my generalizing about being a governor and a lord high
admiral of an island, all to myself, as it might be."
"It can't be helped, and we must take things as we find them. The question
is, what is to be done with the ship? Should we venture into the channel,
yonder chaps will be after us with the news of a Yankee, on board of whom
they put a prize-crew, being adrift without the men; and there are fifty
cruisers ready to pick us up. The news will spread all over the channel in
a week, and our chances of getting through the Straits of Dover will be so
small as not to be worth naming: nay, these fellows will soon repair
damages, and might possibly overtake us themselves. The Speedy is only
half-crippled."
"I see--I see. You've a trick with you, Miles, that makes a few words go a
great way. I see, and I agree. But an idee has come to my mind, that
you're welcome to, and after turning it over, do what you please with it.
Instead of going to the eastward of Scilly, what say you to passing to the
westward, and shaping our course for the Irish Channel? The news will not
follow us that-a-way, for some time; and we may meet with some American,
or other, bound to Liverpool. Should the worst come to the worst, we can
pass through between Ireland and Scotland, and work our way round Cape
Wrath, and go into our port of destination. It is a long road, I know, and
a hard one in certain seasons of the year, but it may be travelled in
midsummer, comfortably enough."
"I like your notion well enough, Marble, and am ready to carry it out, as
far as we are able. It must be a hard fortune, indeed, that will not throw
us in the way of some fisherman, or coaster, who will be willing to let us
have a bend or two, for double wages."
"Why, on that p'int, Miles, the difficulty is in the war, and the hot
press that must now be going. The English will be shy in visiting the
opposite coast; and good men are hard to find, just now, I'm thinking,
floating about the coasts of England, unless they are under a pennant."
"A hand, or two, that can steer, will be an immense relief to us, Moses,
even though unable to go aloft. Call Neb to the wheel, then, and we'll go
look at the chart, so as to lay our course."
All was done, accordingly. In half an hour, the Dawn was steering for the
western coast of England, with everything set we thought it prudent to
carry. Two hours after we began to move away from the spot where they lay,
the frigates had sunk behind the curvature of the earth, and we lost sight
of them altogether. The weather continued good, the breeze steady and
fresh, and the Dawn did her duty admirably. We began to get accustomed to
our situations, and found them less arduous than had been apprehended. The
direction of the wind was so favourable, that it kept hope alive; though
we trebled our distance by going round the British islands, instead of
passing directly up channel. Twenty-four hours were necessary to carry us
as far north as the Land's End, however; and I determined to be then
governed by circumstances. Should the wind shift, we always had the direct
route before us; and I had my doubts whether putting a bold face on the
matter, running close in with the English shore, and appearing to be bound
for London, were not the wisest course. There certainly was the danger of
the Speedy's telling our story, in which case there would be a sharp
look-out for us; while there was the equal chance that she might speak
nothing for a week. Eight-and-forty hours ahead of her, I should not have
feared much from her account of us.
It is unnecessary to dwell minutely on the events of the next few days.
The weather continued good, the wind fair and our progress was in
proportion. We saw nothing until we got within two leagues of Scilly
Light, when we were boarded by a pilot-boat out from those islands. This
occurred at sunrise, with the wind light at north-east, and one sail in
sight to windward, that had the appearance of a brig-of-war, though she
was still hull down, and not heading for us.
I saw that the smallness of our crew, and the course we were steering,
struck these pilots, the moment they had time to ascertain the first fact.
It was not usual, in that day, nor do I suppose it is now, for deep-laden
Americans to pass so near England, coming from the south-east and steering
to the north-west. A remark to this effect fell from the mouth of the
principal pilot, as soon as I told him I did not wish to go in to any of
the neighbouring ports.
"I am short of hands, and am desirous of obtaining three or four good
men," I said, "who shall be well paid for their services, and sent back,
without cost, to the place whence they came."
"Ay, I see you've a small crew for so stout a craft, master," the pilot
answered. "May I ask what has happened to bring you down so low?"
"Why, you know how it is among your cruisers, in war-time--an English
frigate carried away all hands, with the exception of these you see."
Now, this was true to the ear, at least, though I saw, plainly enough,
that I was not believed.
"It's not often His Majesty's officers shave so close," the pilot
answered, with a sort of sneer I did not like. "They commonly send in
hands with a ship, when they find it necessary to take her own men."
"Ay, I suppose the laws require this with English vessels; with Americans,
they are less particular; at all events, you see the whole of us, and I
should be very glad to get a hand or two, if possible, out of
your cutter."
"Where are you bound, master?--Before we ship, we'd like to know the port
we sail for."
"Hamburg."
"Hamburg! Why, master, you're not heading for Hamburg, at all, which lies
up the _English_, not up the _Irish_ channel."
"I am well aware of all that. But I am afraid to go into the English
channel so short-handed. Those narrow waters give a man trouble, unless he
has a full crew."
"The channel is a good place to find men, master. However, none of us can
go with you, and no words be necessary. As you've no occasion for a
pilot, we must be off a'ter something else."
The fellow now left me, without more words, and I saw there was no use in
attempting to detain him. He had got a league from us, and we were jogging
on our course, before we discovered he was making signals to the brig,
which had kept dead away, and had set studding-sails on both sides. As
this was carrying much more sail than we could venture to show, I thought
our chance of escape small indeed. There was the whole day before us, with
a light, and doubtless fast-sailing cruiser in chase of a heavily-loaded
merchantman. As a stern-chase is, proverbially, a long chase, however, I
determined to do all we could to avoid the gentleman. Sail was made,
accordingly, so far as we dared, and the ship was steered a little off, as
her best mode of sailing, in her present trim. We saw the brig speak the
pilot-boat, and, from that moment, were certain her commander had all the
conjectures of the Scilly man added to his own. The effect was soon to be
noted, for when the two separated, the cutter stood in for her own rocks,
while the brig renewed her chase.
That was an uneasy day. The man-of-war gained, but it was quite slowly.
She might beat us by a knot in the hour, and, being ten miles astern,
there was still the hope of its falling dark before she could close. The
wind, too, was unsteady, and towards noon it grew so light, as to reduce
both vessels to only two or three knots way. Of course, this greatly
lessened the difference in our rate of sailing, and I had now strong hopes
that night might come, before our pursuers could close.
Nor was I disappointed. The wind continued light until sunset, when it
came out a fine breeze at north-west, bringing us dead to windward of the
brig, which was then distant some six miles. We got the proper sail on the
ship, as fast as we could, though the cruiser was dashing ahead under
everything she could carry, long before we could get through with the
necessary work. When we did get at it, notwithstanding, I found she had
not much the advantage of us, and now began to entertain some hopes of
shaking her off in the course of the night. Marble was confident of it,
and his confidence, on points of seamanship, was always entitled
to respect.
About ten, both vessels were on the starboard tack, standing to the
southward and westward, or out towards the broad Atlantic, with the brig
about a league under the Dawn's lee, and a little forward of her beam.
This was the most favourable position for us to be in, in order to effect
our purpose, since the cruiser had already passed her nearest point to us,
on that tack. The horizon to windward, and all along the margin of the sea
at the northward, was covered with clouds, which threatened, by the way, a
capfull of wind. This dark back-ground would be likely to prevent our
being seen; and the instant the night shut in the outline of the brig's
canvass, I ordered our helm put down.
It was lively business, tacking such a ship as the Dawn, under so much
canvass, and in such a breeze, with four men! The helm was lashed hard
down, and at it we went, like so many tigers. The after-yards swung
themselves though the main-tack and sheet gave us a good deal of trouble.
We braced everything aft, sharp up, before we left it, having first
managed to get the fore-yard square. When this was done, we filled all
forward, and dragged the yards and bow-lines to their places, with a will
that seemed irresistible.
There were no means of knowing whether the brig came round, about this
time, or not. Agreeably to the rule of chasing, she should have tacked
when directly abeam, unless she fancied she could eat us out of the wind
by standing on. We knew she did not tack when directly abeam, but we could
not see whether she came round after us, or not. At all events, tack or
not, she must still be near a league under our lee; and we drove on,
towards the English coast, until the day reappeared, not a man of us all
sleeping a wink that night. How anxiously we watched the ocean astern, and
to leeward, as the returning light slowly raised the veil of obscurity
from before us! Nothing was in sight, even when the sun appeared, to bathe
the entire ocean in a flood of glory. Not even a white speck in-shore; and
as for the brig, we never saw or heard more of her. Doubtless she stood
on, on the old course, hoping gradually to close with us, or to draw so
far ahead and to windward, as to make certain of her prey in the morning.
According to our reckoning, the ship was now heading well up towards the
coast of Wales, which we might expect to make in the course of the next
four-and-twenty hours, should the wind stand. I determined, therefore, to
make the best of the matter, and to go directly up the Irish channel,
hoping to fall in with some boat from the north shore, that might not have
as apt intellects on board it, as those of our Scilly pilot had proved to
be. We stood on, consequently, all that day; and another sun set without
our making the land. We saw several vessels at a distance, in the
afternoon; but we were now in a part of the ocean where an American ship
would be as little likely to be disturbed as in any I know. It was the
regular track of vessels bound to Liverpool,--and these last were as
little molested as the want of men would at all permit. Could we get past
that port, we should then be in the way of picking up half a
dozen Irishmen.