A FRENCH FRIGATE
On arriving at Kingston Nat went on board the flag-ship, and reported to
the admiral the particulars of his visit to Toussaint.
"He is evidently a long-headed fellow," the admiral said, "and from his
point of view his proposal is a fair one; but I am afraid our people at
home would never give such an undertaking. It would be impossible for us
to have one island where the blacks were free, while in all others they
would remain slaves. It would be as much as saying to them, 'If you want
freedom you must fight for it;' and even if the people at home could
bring themselves to pay the immense amount of money that would be
required to emancipate the slaves by indemnifying their owners, it would
nevertheless be the ruin of the islands, and all connected with them.
However, I will take you ashore to the governor, after my clerk has made
a copy of your report."
"I have made two copies, sir."
"All the better. Then we will go at once."
The governor heard Nat's story, and received his report.
"It is at least satisfactory," he said, "to have learnt from one of
themselves what the views of the principal leaders are, and I consider
that you have performed your commission exceedingly well, Lieutenant
Glover, and, undoubtedly, at a great deal of risk to yourself. As to the
matter of the communication, it will of course receive serious
attention. It is far too important a business for anyone to give
off-hand an opinion upon it. I fancy, sir, that you are likely to have
more active work before long, for I think there is no doubt that war
will very shortly be declared with France, and her privateers will be
swarming about these seas."
It was nearly six months before any special incident took place. No
vessel had been missing since the capture of the _Agile_, and it was
evident that any pirates there might have been among the islands had
moved to waters where they could carry on their trade with less
interruption. The _Agile_ cruised about among the islands, and although
she had a pleasant time, officers and men alike grew impatient at the
uneventful nature of their work. Things were but little changed in
Hayti. Biassou had been deprived of his command, and it was surmised
that he had been murdered, but at any rate he was never heard of again.
Francois and Toussaint commanded, but the former came to be so jealous
of Toussaint's popularity that the latter was obliged to retire, and to
cross the frontier into the Spanish part of the island. There he was
well received, and showed great ability in various actions against the
French, with whom Spain was then at war. He and many other negroes had
declared for Spain, upon the singular ground that they had always been
governed by a king, and preferred to be ruled by the king of Spain
rather than by a republic.
With only six hundred men Toussaint drove fifteen hundred French out of
a strong post which they occupied in the Spanish town of Raphaelita, and
afterwards took several other posts and villages. It was for these
successes that he gained the name of L'Ouverture, or opener, and the
Marquis D'Hermona gave him the rank of lieutenant-general. The three
French commissioners had returned to France, and had been succeeded by
two others, Santhonax and Poveren, the former a ruffian of the same type
as those who were deluging the soil of France with its best blood, and
who made themselves odious to both parties by their brutality and greed.
At last, at the end of February, 1793, came the news of the execution of
the king of France, and the certainty that war was imminent.
"Now we shall have more lively times," Turnbull said. "It has been dull
enough of late."
"There has been nothing to grumble at," the surgeon said. "What would
you have? Haven't we been sailing about like gentlemen, with nothing to
do but to drink and sleep, and look at the islands, and take things easy
altogether?"
"Don't you talk, Doyle," Turnbull said, laughing. "There is no one who
has grumbled more than yourself."
"That is in the cause of science," the Irishman retorted. "How can I
ever become a distinguished man, and show what is in me, and make all
sorts of discoveries, if there is never a chance that comes in my way?
There are my instruments all ready for use, they might as well be at the
bottom of the sea. I hone them once a week, and well-nigh shed tears
because of the good work they ought to be doing. It is all very well
for you, Turnbull, you won't forget how to kill a man when the time
comes; but let me tell you that any fellow who doesn't know his A B C
can kill a man, whereas it takes a man of science to cure him."
"There is a good deal in that, Doyle," Nat said, when the laugh had
subsided, "though I don't know that I considered it in that light
before; but that, perhaps, is because I have tried one and never tried
the other."
"It's a fine thing," Doyle said, "to be a surgeon. There you see a man
with his legs shot off. If it was not for you he would die. You take him
in hand, you amputate a bit higher up, you make him tidy and
comfortable, and there he is walking about almost as well as if he had
two legs; and although he is not fit for ship service again, he would be
as good a man in a fight with a cudgel as ever he was. Now I ask you
fairly, what is there that you can do to compare with that?"
"Nothing in that way, I must admit," Nat laughed, "Well, you may be
having an opportunity of showing your superiority before long. This is
just the ground the French privateers are likely to choose. There are
plenty of French ports for them to put into, hundreds of bays where they
could lie hidden, and lots of shipping to plunder. No doubt they will be
thick in the channel and down the straits, but our merchantmen will not
think of going there unless in large fleets or under convoy of ships of
war; while here, though they might be guarded on their way across the
Atlantic, they would have to scatter as soon as they were among the
islands. Well, we must look out that we are not caught napping. Of
course, until we get news that war is declared we can't fire upon a
Frenchman; while if one arrived with the news before we got it, he might
sail up close by us and pour in a broadside."
"At any rate we are likely to take some prizes," Lippincott said, "for
the instant we get the news we can pounce upon any French merchantman."
"Yes; those homeward-bound could hardly hear the news as soon as we do,
while of those coming out many slow sailers will have left before war is
declared, and may not be here for weeks after we hear of it. The great
thing will be for us to put ourselves on the main line of traffic. As we
have received no special orders we can cruise where we like. I should
say that coming from France, they would be likely to keep down the coast
of Spain and on to Madeira before they strike across, as in that way
they would be altogether out of the line of the Gulf Stream. Then, if
they were making for Hayti, they would probably be coming along west on
or about the 20th parallel north; while, if making for Guadeloupe or
Martinique, they would be some three or four degrees farther south.
Probably privateers would follow the same lines, as before commencing
operations they would want to take in provisions and water, to learn
where our cruisers are likely to be, to pick up pilots, and so on. So I
should say that we can cruise about these waters for another fortnight
safely, and then go through the Caribbean Islands and cruise some
seventy or eighty miles beyond them, carefully avoiding putting into any
of our own islands as we pass."
"Why should you do that?" Turnbull asked.
"Because the chances are that we should find, either at Barbados or St.
Lucia or Dominica--or, in fact, at any of the other islands, one of our
frigates, or at any rate, some officer senior to me; and in that case,
as we have no fixed orders from the admiral, we might be detained or
sent off in some direction that might not suit us at all."
"Good!" Doyle said. "It is always a safe rule to keep out of the way of
a bigger man than yourself. I have always observed that a captain of a
man-of-war or of a frigate is sure to be down on small craft, if he gets
a chance. It is like a big boy at school fagging a little one; he could
do quite as well without him, but it is just a matter of devilment and
to show his authority. Heaven protect us against falling in with a
frigate. If she were a Frenchman she would sink us; if she were a
Britisher she would bully us."
They reached the ground on which Nat had decided to cruise. Three days
later the look-out at the mast-head shouted "Sail ho!" the words acting
like an electric shock to those on deck.
"How does it bear?"
"About east by north, sir. There are three vessels; I can only see their
topsails at present. Two of them are a bit bigger than the third. They
look to me to be merchantmen. I should say the other, by the cut of his
sails, is a Frenchman."
A low cheer broke from the men. "Now, if that fellow brings news that
war is declared, we are in luck," Nat said. "Either he is convoying two
French merchantmen he has overtaken, or he has two British prizes he has
picked up. If they are English, we shall not get so much prize-money;
but then we shall have less difficulty with the privateer, if privateer
she is, because she must have put a good many of her hands an board the
prizes. So we can in either case count upon doing well. At any rate they
are not likely to suspect that we are English, being French-built and
French-rigged. Even if they have a doubt, they will be satisfied as soon
as they see the name on our bows. We will not get up any more sail."
"I will go up and have a look at her," Turnbull said; and slinging his
glass over his shoulder he went aloft.
"I think," he called down, after a long look at them, "that the middle
ship is a good deal larger than she looks; and the others are carrying
every stitch of canvas, but she has neither royals nor topgallant-sails.
Her yards have a wide spread, and I am inclined to think that she is a
frigate or a large corvette--certainly a French one. As to the others, I
cannot say with certainty, but I rather fancy they are English; in which
case she has captured them on the way, and, being much faster than they
are, has to go under easy sail to keep with them."
"Well, I hope she is not too big for us," Nat said, as Turnbull rejoined
him.
"What should you call too big, sir?" Turnbull asked with a smile.
"Well, I should say that a fifty was too big."
"I should think so indeed. A twenty-gun sloop would be a pretty
formidable opponent."
"Yes, a twenty would about suit us, especially as she may have fifty of
her men on board the other craft--that is, if they are her prizes. It is
the men that I am more afraid of than the guns. Two to one are no great
odds in guns, especially as we generally work ours faster than the
French do; but when it comes to a hundred and fifty men or so against
forty, it may be very unpleasant if we get a spar knocked away and they
come alongside of us. We may as well get the French flag up at once.
With a good glass they could make it out a long way off. Let the men
have their breakfast, it is a bad thing to fight fasting."
The men were not long over their meal; by the time they came on deck
again the strangers were within five or six miles. The wind was in the
north-east, and the _Agile_ was almost close-hauled, while the others
had the wind broad on their quarters. There was now no longer any doubt
that the outside vessels were two large British West Indiamen, and the
fact that they were in company with what was undoubtedly a French
frigate was regarded as absolute proof that war had been declared, and
that the French ship of war on her way out to the colonies with the news
had overtaken and captured the two British ships, which were probably
sailing in company. As they approached, the _Agile_ was luffed up more
into the wind in order to pass between the Frenchman and the prize
within a few cables' length to starboard of him.
"How many guns do you make her out to be, Mr. Lippincott?"
"I think that she has eighteen guns on a broadside."
"The odds are pretty strongly against us," Nat said; "but we shall have
the weather-gauge, that counts for a good deal. Anyhow, we shall be able
to annoy her, and possibly, if we hang on to her, the sound of firing
will bring up one of our cruisers from Barbuda or Antigua."
An awning which was stretched over the quarter-deck had not been taken
down, and as the brigantine approached the French frigate, there was no
sign that her intentions were not of a peaceable nature. The French
ensign floated from the peak, the sailors on deck were lounging about,
some with their jackets on, others in their shirts, and only a few with
hats on seemed to be watching with idle curiosity the approaching
vessels. Nat and the officers retained their uniforms, for as only their
heads and shoulders showed over the rail, there was nothing to
distinguish them from those of a fine French privateer, for these
generally adopted a regular naval dress. The two vessels were but fifty
yards apart as they met. Nat sprang on to the rail, and in reply to the
hail from the Frenchman, "What ship is that?" raised his cap in salute
and shouted:
"The _Agile_ of Bordeaux. Have you any news from France, sir?"
"Yes, war has been declared with England."
[Illustration: NAT SPRANG ON TO THE RAIL.]
"Thank you, that is good news indeed," and he leapt down on to the deck.
The vessels were both travelling at a speed of about eight knots an
hour, and were already passing one another fast, when, as Nat waved his
hand, the French flag was run down, an English ensign already fastened
to the halyards was simultaneously run up, and a moment later the five
guns, which had previously been trained to bear aft and double-shotted,
poured their broadside into the quarters of the French frigate. Shouts
of surprise and fury rose from her; no thought that the little craft so
fearlessly approaching her was an enemy had crossed the mind of any on
board, still less that if British she would venture to fire upon so
vastly superior a foe.
"About ship!" Nat said, the instant the guns had been fired. The
sail-trimmers were at their places, the _Agile_ shot up into the wind,
her head paid off, and she swept round on the other tack, crossing the
stern of the Frenchman, her guns on the starboard side sending their
shot in through his stern windows, and raking his whole length as they
were brought to bear; then she wore round on her heel, the guns on the
larboard side were reloaded, and she again raked the Frenchman. So far
not a single shot had been fired in return. The din on board the frigate
was prodigious, as the guns had to be cast loose, magazines opened,
powder and shot carried up, and the sails trimmed to enable her to bear
up so as to show her broadside to her puny foe.
Before she could do so the _Agile_, true to her name, was again round.
The Frenchmen, confused by the variety of orders issued, were slow at
their work, and as their opponent came up into the wind the brigantine
was again astern of them, and raked them this time with heavy charges of
grape. A chorus of shrieks and cries from the frigate told how terrible
was the effect.
"By St. Patrick," the surgeon exclaimed to Lippincott, "it is grand! But
it looks as if the captain wasn't going to give me a chance, and all me
instruments laid out ready for action."
"Never mind, doctor, you will be able to practise on the Frenchmen,"
Lippincott laughed.
But the French captain knew his business, and putting his helm over
again, ran off the wind, so that the two vessels were now on the same
tack, with the _Agile_ on her opponent's quarter. Several of the French
guns were now brought to bear, but their discharge was too hurried, and
owing to the brigantine lying so much lower in the water, the shot flew
between her masts or made holes in her mainsail. In a moment she was
round again, and crossed her opponent's stern at a distance of some
thirty yards, the word being passed along that the gunners were to aim
at the rudder-post and to double-shot the guns. A loud cheer rose as two
of the shots struck the mark. The Frenchman replied with a volley of
musketry from the marines gathered on her poop. Three of the sailors
fell, and several others were hit.
The Frenchman was, when the _Agile_ delivered her last broadside,
running nearly before the wind, and it was speedily evident that the
injury to her rudder had been fatal, for although she attempted by
trimming her sails again to bear up, each time she fell off, though not
before some of her shot had hulled her active opponent. Seeing, however,
that he must now be easily outmanoeuvred, the Frenchman made no
further effort to change his course, but continued doggedly on his way,
the topmen swarming aloft and shaking out more canvas. The _Agile_
followed the frigate's example, and placing herself on her stern
quarter, kept up a steady fire, yawing when necessary to bring all her
guns to bear, the French replying occasionally with one of their stern
guns. Owing to the accelerated speed at which both vessels were now
going, the Indiamen had been left behind. Half an hour later the
frigate's mizzen-mast, which had been severely wounded by the first
broadside, went over her side. Cheer after cheer rose from the _Agile_;
her opponent was now at her mercy. She had but to repeat the tactics
with which she had begun the fight. Just as Nat gave the order to do so,
musket shots were heard in the distance. The crew of one of the
merchantmen had been allowed to remain on deck, as, being under the guns
of the frigate, there was no possibility of their attempting to
overpower their captors. As soon, however, as it became evident that the
frigate was getting the worst of it, they had been hurried below, and
the hatches dropped over them. From the port-holes, however, they could
obtain a view of what was going on ahead of them, and as soon as they
saw the frigate's mast go by the board, they armed themselves with
anything that would serve as weapons, managed to push up the
after-hatch, and rushed on deck. The prize crew were all clustered
forward watching the fight; a shout from the helmsman apprised them of
their danger, and they rushed aft. They were, however, less numerous
than the British sailors, and no better armed, for, believing that the
frigate would easily crush her tiny assailant, they were unprepared to
take any part in the fight.
The contest was a very short one. Knowing that the frigate was crippled,
and that the brigantine would soon be free to return to them, the
Frenchmen saw that they must eventually be taken, and the officer in
command being knocked senseless with a belaying-pin, they threw down
their knives and surrendered. The other Indiaman at once put down her
helm on seeing that the British flag was being run up on her consort.
"We must not let that fellow get away," Nat said; "we can leave the
frigate alone for half an hour. We will give him two more broadsides
with grape through his stern windows, and then bear up after that
lumbering merchantman. We shall be alongside in half an hour."
In less than that time they were within pistol-shot of the West
Indiaman, and the prize crew at once hauled down their flag. The _Agile_
went alongside, released the prisoners, who had been securely fastened
in the hold, and replaced them by the French crew. The Indiaman's
officers had been allowed to remain on deck.
"Now, captain," Nat said to the English master, "please keep every sail
full and follow us. It will not be long before we settle with the
frigate, and we shall then run down to Barbados."
The master, who was greatly surprised at the youth of the officer who
had so ably handled his ship against an immensely superior foe, said:
"Allow me to congratulate you on the splendid way in which you have
handled your vessel. I could scarcely believe my eyes when you opened
fire on the frigate. It seemed impossible that you should have thought
of really engaging such an opponent."
"You see, we had the weather gauge of her, captain, and the brigantine
is both fast and handy. But I must be off now before they have time to
get into fighting trim again."
In another half-hour he was in his old position under the frigate's
quarter, and was preparing to resume his former tactics, when the French
flag fluttered down amid the cheers of the _Agile's_ crew, which were
faintly repeated by the two merchantmen a mile astern.
"I am heartily glad that they have surrendered," Nat said to Turnbull;
"it would have been a mere massacre if they had been obstinate. Now,
will you go on board and see what state she is in. Do not accept the
officers' swords. They have done all that they could, but they really
never had a chance after we had once got in the right position. Order
all unwounded men below. As soon as you return with your report as to
the state of things, I will send you off again with twenty men to take
command. You had better bring the officers back with you. Mr.
Lippincott, hoist a signal to the merchantmen to lie to as soon as they
get abreast of us."
Mr. Turnbull returned in twenty minutes.
"It is an awful sight," he said. "The captain and the two senior
lieutenants are killed, and it was the third lieutenant who ordered the
flag to be lowered. Her name is the _Spartane_. She carried a crew of
three hundred men, of whom fifty were on board her prizes. She has lost
ninety killed, and there are nearly as many more wounded, of whom at
least half are hit with grape, and I fancy few of them will recover; the
others are splinter wounds, some of them very bad. There are two
surgeons at work. I told them that ours would come to their assistance
as soon as he had done with our own wounded."
The third lieutenant and three midshipmen, who were the sole survivors
of the officers of the _Spartane_, soon came on board.
"Gentlemen," Nat said, "I am sorry for your misfortune, but assuredly
you have nothing to reproach yourselves with. You did all that brave men
could do, and did not lower your flag until further resistance would
have been a crime against humanity."
The officers bowed; they were too much depressed to reply. Their
mortification was great at being overpowered by a vessel so much
inferior in strength to their own, and the feeling was increased now by
seeing that their conqueror was a lad no older than the senior of the
midshipmen. Turnbull's cabin was at once allotted to the lieutenant, and
a large spare cabin to the midshipmen. Leaving Lippincott in charge,
with ten men, Nat went with Turnbull and the doctor on board the
frigate, and the boat went back to fetch the rest of the crew. The
merchantmen had been signalled to send as many men as they could spare
on board the frigate, and not until these arrived did Nat feel
comfortable. Of his own crew three had been killed and ten wounded;
three of these were fit for duty, and formed part of Lippincott's party,
and the twenty he had with him seemed lost on board the frigate.
Although Turnbull had had hawsers coiled over the hatches, the thought
that there were nearly a hundred prisoners there, and that there were
enough comparatively slightly wounded to overpower the two men placed as
sentries over each hatchway, was a very unpleasant one. The arrival,
however, of thirty of the merchant sailors, armed to the teeth, altered
the position of affairs.
The first duty was to clear the decks of the dead. These were hastily
sewn up in their own hammocks, with a couple of round shot at their
feet, and then launched overboard. Those of the wounded able to walk
were then mustered, and one of the French surgeons bandaged all the less
serious wounds. After being supplied with a drink of wine and water,
they were taken below, and placed with their companions in the hold.
Then the wreck of the mizzen was cut away, and the frigate was taken in
tow by the _Agile_, her own sails being left standing to relieve the
strain on the hawsers. The two merchantmen were signalled to reduce
sail, and to follow, and on no account to lose sight of the stern light
of the frigate after it became dusk. Nat returned, with four of his
crew, to the _Agile_, and four days later towed the _Spartane_ into the
anchorage off Bridgetown, the chief port of Barbados, the two West
Indiamen following. The _Isis_, a fine fifty-gun frigate, was lying
there. She had arrived on the previous day, having been despatched with
the news of the outbreak of war. As her captain was evidently the
senior officer on the station, Nat was rowed on board.
"Are you the officer in command of that brigantine?" the captain asked
in surprise.
"Yes, sir; my name is Glover."
"Well, Lieutenant Glover, what part did your ship bear in the fight with
that Frenchman? I see by her sails that she was engaged. Whom had you
with you?"
"We were alone, sir."
"What!" the captain said, incredulously, "do you mean to say that, with
that little ten-gun craft, you captured a thirty-six-gun frigate
single-handed?"
"That is so, sir."
"Well, I congratulate you on it heartily," the captain exclaimed,
shaking Nat by the hand with great cordiality. "You must tell me all
about it. It is an extraordinary feat. How many men do you carry?"
"We have forty seamen, sir, and two petty officers."
"And what are your casualties?"
"Three killed and ten wounded."
"What were the casualties of the Frenchmen?"
"Ninety killed, including the captain and the first and second
lieutenants and five midshipmen, and eighty-three wounded."
"And how many prisoners?"
"In all, a hundred and thirty, sir, of whom five-and-twenty are on board
each of those merchantmen, which had been captured by the frigate. The
crew of one rose and mastered their captors as soon as they saw the
frigate's mizzen-mast fall, and knew that we must take her. The prize
crew in the other struck their flag as soon as we came within
pistol-shot of her. I shall be glad to receive orders from you as to the
disposal of the prisoners. I have had thirty men from the merchantmen
on board the _Spartane_, for I could spare so few men that the prisoners
might, without their assistance, have retaken her."
"I will go ashore with you presently and see the governor, and ask
whether he can take charge of them. If he cannot, you can hand over the
greater part of them to me. I shall sail for Jamaica this evening. As to
the prize, I should advise you to see if you cannot get some spars and
rig a jury-mast; there are sure to be some in the dockyard. While that
is being done you can go through the formalities of inspecting the
Indiamen, for whose salvage you will get a very handsome sum. At any
rate, if I were you I should keep them here until I was ready to sail,
and then go with them and your prize to Kingston. I should go in in
procession, as you did here. It is a thing that you have a right to be
proud of."
"We need lose no time about the mast, sir. We stripped the gear off and
got it on board the _Spartane_, and towed her mast behind her, thinking
that perhaps we might not get a suitable spar here. Of course the lower
mast will be short, but that will matter comparatively little. What is
more serious is that her rudder is smashed."
"I doubt whether you can get that remedied here. I should advise you to
rig out a temporary rudder. I'll tell you what I will do--I will send a
couple of hundred men on board at once under my second officer. That
will make short work of it, and I am sure that there is not a man on
board who would not be glad to lend a hand in fitting up a prize that
has been so gallantly won."
He called his officers, who had been standing apart during this
conversation, and introduced Nat to them, saying:
"Gentlemen, I never heard Lieutenant Glover's name until a few minutes
ago, but I can with confidence tell you that no more gallant officer is
to be found in the service; and when I say that, with that little
ten-gun brigantine and a crew of forty men, he engaged the French
frigate that you see behind her and forced her to strike, after a fight
in which she had a hundred and seventy men killed or wounded, that he
took a hundred and thirty prisoners, and recaptured those two West
Indiamen which were her prizes, I think you will all agree that I am not
exaggerating. He is naturally very anxious to be off. The frigate's
mizzen-mast is lying astern of her, and will make an excellent
jury-mast, as all the gear is on board, and only requires shortening.
Her rudder is smashed, and a temporary one must be rigged up; and,
knowing that all on board will be ready and glad to help when they hear
what I have told you, I am going to send two hundred men off at once to
lend a hand. Will you take command, Mr. Lowcock? You will take with you,
of course, the boatswain and his mates and the carpenters."
"I should be glad to go too, sir," the first lieutenant said.
"You and I will go together, Mr. Ferguson, after we have had a glass of
wine and heard from Mr. Glover the details of this singular action."
The order was at once given to lower the boats. The story that the
French frigate and her two prizes had been captured single-handed by the
brigantine speedily circulated, and the men hastened into the boats with
alacrity. With them went the surgeon and his assistant to see if they
could be of any help on board, while the captain, his first lieutenant,
and Nat went into the cabin, and the latter related the details of the
action.
"Skilfully managed indeed, Mr. Glover!" the captain said when he had
finished; "no one could have done better. It was fortunate indeed that
your little craft was so fast and handy, for if that frigate had brought
her guns to bear fully upon her she ought to have been able to fairly
blow you out of the water with a single broadside. May I ask if this is
your first action?"
"No, sir; I was in a tender of the _Orpheus_ frigate when she captured a
very strong pirate's hold near the port of Barcela in Caracas,
destroying the place and capturing or blowing up three of their ships."
"I remember the affair," the captain said, "and a very gallant one it
was; for, if I am right, the frigate could not get into the entrance,
but landed her men, captured two of the pirates' batteries, and turned
the guns on their ships, while a schooner she had captured a few days
before sailed right in and engaged them, and was nearly destroyed when
one of the pirates blew up. The officer in command of her was killed,
and a midshipman was very highly spoken of, for he succeeded to the
command, and gallantly went on board another pirate and drowned their
magazine."
"Much more was said about it than necessary," Nat said.
The captain looked surprised.
"By the way," the lieutenant broke in, "I remember the name now. Are you
the Mr. Glover mentioned in the despatches?"
"Yes, sir; but, as I said, the captain was good enough to make more of
the affair than it deserved."
"I expect that he was the best judge of that," the captain said. "Well,
after that?"
"After that, sir, I had the command of a little four-gun schooner which
was cruising along the coast of Hayti to pick up fugitives, when I came
across the brigantine I now command in the act of plundering a
merchantman she had just captured. She left her prize and followed me. I
was faster and more weatherly than she was, and having had the luck to
smash the jaws of her gaff after a running fight of seven or eight
miles, was able to get back to the prize and recapture her before the
pirate came up. The crew of the prize came up and manned their guns,
and between us we engaged the brigantine and carried her by boarding. On
taking her into Kingston the admiral gave me the command, and raised my
crew from twenty to forty. We have now been cruising for four or five
months, but not until we sighted the frigate and her prizes have we had
the luck to fall in with an enemy."
"Well, sir," the captain said, "even admitting that you have had some
luck, there is no question that you have utilized your opportunities and
have an extraordinary record, and if you don't get shot I prophesy that
you will be an admiral before many officers old enough to be your
father. Now, I am sure you must be anxious to get on board your prize as
soon as possible, so we will take you to her at once."
In a few minutes they were on the deck of the _Spartane_. It was a scene
of extraordinary activity. The lower mast had already been parbuckled on
to the deck, where sheer-legs had been erected by another party. The
mast was soon in its place, and the wedges driven in, the shrouds had
been shortened, and men were engaged in tightening the lanyards. The
topmast was on deck ready to be hoisted. The carpenters were busy
constructing a temporary rudder with a long spar, to one end of which
planks were being fixed, so that it looked like a gigantic paddle. As
soon as this was completed, the other end of the spar was lashed to the
taffrail. Strong hawsers were then to be fastened to the paddle, and
brought in one on each quarter and attached to the drum of the wheel.
"Now, Mr. Glover," the captain said, after watching the work for some
little time, "I will go ashore with you to the governor; you ought to
pay your respects to him. Fortunately you will not require any
assistance from him, for unless I am greatly mistaken these jobs will be
finished this evening; the masts and rigging will certainly be fixed
before dusk, and the carpenters must stick to their job till it is done.
Like all make-shifts, it will not be so good as the original, but I
think it will serve your turn, for there is little likelihood of bad
weather at this time of year. I suppose you intend to keep the merchant
seamen on board? If not, I will spare you some hands."
"I am much obliged, sir, but I think we shall do very well. It is a fine
reaching wind, and we shall scarcely have to handle a sail between this
and Jamaica."
"Very well, I understand your feeling, you would like to finish your
business without help. That is very natural; I should do the same in
your place."
"How about the merchantman's papers, sir?"
"I shall tell the governor that I have ordered them to be taken to
Kingston, where there is a regular prize court, and therefore it will
not be necessary to trouble with their manifests here."
"Then, if I have your permission, captain, I will row off to them at
once and tell them to get under sail now; we shall overhaul them long
before they get to Jamaica. They mount between them six-and-twenty guns,
and, keeping together, no French privateer, if any have arrived, would
venture to attack them, especially as they cannot have received news yet
that war is declared."
"I think that would be a very good plan," the captain said, "for if you
were to start with them it is clear that you would only be able to go
under half sail. It is evident by your account that you are faster than
the frigate, but with a reaching wind I suppose there is not more than a
knot between you, and if the wind freshens you would find it hard to
keep up with her."
The visit was paid. The governor agreed that it would be better that the
Indiamen should sail at once. Indeed, they had already started, and were
two or three miles away before Nat and the captain arrived at the
governor's house. When on shore Nat ordered two or three barrels of rum
to be sent off in another boat to the frigate, and on its arrival an
allowance was served out to all the workers. Before nightfall, save that
the mizzen-mast was some twenty feet lower than usual, and that her
stern and quarters were patched in numerous places with tarred canvas,
the _Spartane_ presented her former appearance. When the majority of the
crew had finished their work, the prisoners were transferred to the
_Isis_. Two hours later the carpenters and boatswain's party had
securely fixed the temporary rudder, and at daybreak the next morning
the two frigates and the brigantine started on their westward voyage.