A good many years ago, before, indeed, I can remember, His Majesty's
Ship _Laurel_, a corvette of eighteen guns and a hundred and thirty men,
commanded by Captain Blunt, formed one of the West India squadron.
She, with another corvette, and a brig in company, came one fine morning
off a beautiful island, then in possession of the French, although, as
Dick Driver, from whom I got the particulars, said, properly belonged to
England, at least, it once had. Of course, therefore, it was their
business to get it back again. Dick could not recollect its name, nor
the exact date of the occurrences I am describing, for, being no
scholar, he was a very bad hand at recollecting dates; and as he could
not write his own name, of course it was not to be expected that he
would keep a journal, or remember very accurately all the places he had
visited.
The _Laurel_ and her consorts, having hoisted French colours, stood
along the coast, which the captain and officers of the former ship
narrowly examined with their glasses.
At length the shades of evening drew on, and they came off a small town,
situated on the shore of a bay, the entrance of which was guarded by a
fort. The _Laurel_ stood on, as if about to enter the bay, but the
land-wind coming off the shore, she and the other two vessels stood away
till they had got such a distance from the harbour that there was no
chance of their being seen by the sharpest eyes, with the best of
night-glasses, looking out for them.
The ships having hove-to, the commanders of the other vessels came on
board the _Laurel_, when Captain Blunt announced his intention of
attacking the town, hoping to hold possession of it till another
squadron, which had been destined for the purpose, had captured a more
important place on the other side of the island. The captain's plan was
to send in the different boats of the squadron with a strong party of
marines and blue-jackets, in three divisions, a couple of hours before
daylight, as it was hoped at that time, the garrison of the fort being
less on the alert than at an earlier hour, the boats might enter the bay
unperceived.
The first and largest division was instructed to take possession of the
town; the second was to attack the fort; and the third to cut out any
vessels found in the harbour, in case the other two should be compelled
to retreat, so that, at all events, there might be something to show for
the night's work.
The boats' crews, and all who were fortunate enough, as they considered
it, to be selected for the expedition, were soon busily employed in
sharpening cutlasses, fitting fresh flints to their pistols, and making
other preparations for the possible bloody work in which they were to be
engaged. Dick Driver, who belonged to the cutter's crew, was among the
most active. Dick was a short, strongly built, powerful fellow, with a
broad, honest countenance, bright blue eyes, and fair bushy beard and
whiskers,--a truer-hearted, braver seaman than Dick Driver never
stepped.
"If this here cutlass of mine does its duty, we'll thrash the Mounseers,
and gain the King his own again," exclaimed Dick, as he applied his
weapon to the grindstone, feeling that he was a host in himself; and so
he was, provided no treacherous bullet found its way through his sturdy
frame, when, alas, Dick's strength and courage would have availed him
nothing.
The boats at length collected round the _Laurel_; the oars were muffled;
the officers were ordered to maintain a strict silence. It was hoped
that by getting in the rear of the fort it might be taken with a rush,
while the larger party entered the town, and took by surprise any troops
who might be stationed within it.
The night was very dark, for clouds were in the sky, and the water was
smooth.
The first lieutenant of the _Laurel_, who commanded the expedition,
leading in the gig, away the boats pulled, keeping close together, and
looking as they glided along like some huge serpent creeping on his
prey. The entrance to the bay was gained without the boats being
discovered. They dashed on more rapidly than before. In a few minutes
they would be hard at work, the seamen slashing away with their
cutlasses, and the marines firing, and pronging with their muskets and
bayonets at their fellow-creatures.
Strange that men should like such work. Dick confessed he did, though
he could not exactly say why.
The officers did their duty admirably; the marines were landed, and the
blue-jackets were springing on shore before a shot was fired from the
town.
Dick, who belonged to the first division, pushed on in that direction
with his party, while the other two attended to their destined duty.
The gates of the fort, however, being closed, the intended rush could
not be accomplished; and it was evident from the rapid firing that some
hot work was going on there. Instead also of at once entering the town,
the first party found their progress impeded by a somewhat numerous body
of troops, who, quartered near at hand, turned out in time to defend it.
The Frenchmen fought well, Dick acknowledged, though some had neither
boots nor coats on, and many were destitute of other garments. They
were, however, driven back inch by inch, till some turned tail and fled;
the rest soon afterwards doing the same, followed by the victors, who
fired indiscriminately at every one they saw in front of them. On such
an occasion many of the unfortunate inhabitants were too likely to
suffer, and many who had no arms in their hands, or had thrown them down
and cried out for quarter, were shot before the officers could halt
their men.
Meeting with two streets forking in different directions, some in the
darkness had followed one and some the other. Flames were seen also
bursting in the rear from houses set on fire either intentionally or by
accident; while shouts and shrieks and cries arose in all directions.
Altogether, the little town, which a few minutes before had been
slumbering peacefully, was now the scene of havoc, terror, and
confusion.
As Dick, cutlass in hand, was making his way along the dark street, a
piteous cry reached his ears, and looking down, he saw lying wounded on
the ground a black woman, holding up to him a little white child.
"Oh, save him! save him! or he will be killed!" she exclaimed.
"Of course I will," answered Dick, tucking the child under his left arm;
"and I'll help you into a house, where you may be safe."
He was about to perform the humane act he proposed, when there was a
cry, "The French are coming on in force--fall back, men! fall back!"
Dick had only time to draw the poor woman on one side, when he was
compelled, with his companions, rapidly to re-trace his steps. Not
knowing where to deposit the child in safety, he kept it under his arm;
and though on most occasions he would have been in the rank nearest the
foe, he now, according to orders, retreated as fast as he could. Many
of the other men had bundles of things they had picked up, but they were
certainly not little children.
The boats were reached at last, though not until a good many of the
gallant jollies and several of the blue-jackets had been shot down by a
large body of French troops, who had come in from the farther side of
the town. They were again, however, driven back far enough to allow the
marines and sailors to embark.
Dick, unhurt, had reached the barge, still carrying his burden, for he
had not the heart to throw it down, and could not find any safe place to
put it in.
The fort had not been taken, but five merchantmen were captured and
towed out of the harbour, in spite of the hot fire through which they
had to pass.
Captain Blunt was very angry on finding that the men had brought away
plunder from the town; and they were ordered to deliver it up, that it
might be sent back to the inhabitants, whom, as he said, he had no
intention of injuring.
Dick Driver, who among others had been seen to come aboard with a
bundle, was ordered aft.
"Please, sir," said Dick, as he presented himself, holding a fine child
in his arms of about four years old, "it ain't any booty, but a lawful
gift. I was axed to take care of it, and I promised I would, and so I
have."
"I do believe it's a little girl," exclaimed the captain, examining the
delicate features and somewhat feminine appearance of the child, which
had long fair locks hanging down over its shoulders.
"Lord bless you, no, sir! If it had been a she I shouldn't have known
what to do with her--but it's as fine a youngster as I ever set eyes
upon, barring his curls: and we will soon dock them, seeing they will be
in his way, and not suited for the smart little tarpaulin I am going to
make for him."
"What, my man, you don't expect to keep the child?" exclaimed the
captain. "We must send him on shore with the rest of the property
brought away."
"But, sir, he was given to me to look after by his dying mother,"
exclaimed Dick, forgetting for the moment that the child was white, and
that the woman who had given it to him was as black as his shoe. "He is
not like the rest of the booty, and if I may make so bold, I would like
to keep him, and bring him up as one of the ship's company. We are all
agreed that we will take precious good care of him, and he will be a
greater favourite among us than either Quacho, or Jocko, or the old goat
that went overboard in the last gale, or the pig as was killed when we
were short of fresh provisions. Do, sir, let us keep him? We wouldn't
part with the little chap for all the prize-money we have made this
cruise."
Dick, in his anxiety to keep the child, had become desperate, and spoke
with greater freedom than he would otherwise have ventured to do when
addressing his captain. "If he were to be sent ashore there's no one
might own him," he continued; "then what would become of the poor little
chap? he might be taken to the workhouse, or just brought up nohow."
The captain, however, was not to be moved by all Dick's arguments.
"You did very rightly, my man, in saving the child's life, and you
deserve a reward," he observed; "but we cannot turn the ship into a
nursery, and he must run his chance of finding his friends. However, as
you seem to have made a good nurse, you may take charge of him till we
can send him away."
"Thank you, sir," said Dick, as he touched his hat, glad of even this
short respite, and hoping that something might turn up to induce the
captain to allow the child to remain on board. "We will take good care
of him--that we will; and if he has to go back to his friends, we will
see that he is in proper trim, so that they won't be nohow ashamed of
him."
Dick, having thus delivered himself, swung his body round and hurried
forward with light step, holding his young charge in his arms.
The _Laurel_ and the other ships, with their prizes, were at this time
standing away from the land. The seamen grumbled not a little at having
to give up their booty: they could not understand why the merchantmen
should have been cut out, and they not allowed to keep what they had
picked up on shore.
An officer, who spoke French, now came from one of the prizes with some
important information which he had obtained from a prisoner. It was to
the effect that three heavy French frigates were hourly expected off the
coast. Captain Blunt accordingly ordered a bright look-out to be kept
for any strange sail. In a short time three were descried standing
along shore. There could be no doubt that they were the enemy's
frigates; and as the two corvettes and brig could not hope to cope with
them, all sail was made to escape. The enemy soon afterwards were seen
crowding all sail in chase: the prizes were ordered by signal to
separate and to make the best of their way to Jamaica, while the
_Laurel_ and her consorts stood to the eastward, under all the canvas
they could spread. Before nightfall they had run their powerful foes
out of sight.
The next day a heavy gale sprang up, which increased to a hurricane. A
signal of distress was made by the unfortunate ten-gun brig, while the
other sloop was evidently in a bad plight.
During the night, the _Laurel_ having to run before the gale, lost sight
of both of them. The gale continuing longer than usual, ere it ceased
she found herself in a the wide waters of the Atlantic, with all her
boats washed away or stove in, her three top-masts gone, and besides
other damages, a leak sprung, which kept the pumps going for the best
part of each watch.