TREATS OF KIND INTENTIONS FRUSTRATED--A VISITING PARTY PREVENTED BY ONE
BALL TOO MANY HAVING BEEN GIVEN--AND READY-MADE DOMESTIC HAPPINESS FOR
STRANGERS.
We first of all brought out the heavily laden craft that were still near
the town, and anchored them under our guns. To the privateers that
showed their heels, the larger boats gave chase; and coming up with them
one after another, they were finally all captured. Had they but acted
in combination, I think they might have resisted the boats with success;
but their commanders seemed to have lost all presence of mind, in the
confusion and astonishment into which our sudden appearance had thrown
them.
Now, all this was very pleasant to us, _Messieurs les concernes_. We
calculated upon having the whole wealth of the French town, and the
little French fleet converted into lawful prize-money. The
deeply-laden, poop-encumbered brigs and schooners, so ungracefully down
by the stern, we imagined to be full of treasure. Visions of gold
glittered before our mind's eye. We were about to recover the plunder
of ages; for it must be confessed that this Aniana was no better than a
haven for pirates. One of us was cruelly undeceived in one respect. As
yet, we had met with no manner of resistance whatever: it was ten
o'clock in the evening, the full moon giving us a very excellent
imitation of daylight, when all the commanders who had dined with our
yellow skipper came on deck, in the highest possible glee, delightedly
rubbing their hands, and calculating each his share of the prize-money.
All this hilarity was increased, every now and then, by some boats
coming on board, and reporting to us, as commodore, another privateer,
or some fugitive merchantman, taken, and then immediately shoving off in
chase of others.
"Well, gentlemen," said the skipper, "I'll tell you what we'll do.
We'll send the marines on shore to-morrow, and take possession of the
town. However, we will be very civil to the ladies;--we will, by Venus!
As commanding officer, I'll permit of no rudeness."
"None whatever: who could think or frightening them? I suppose, Captain
Reud, there can be no harm in going ashore now, and paying them a visit
just to alleviate their fears," was the reply of one of the commanders.
"Not to-night, not to-night. Depend upon it, all the best of the
beauty, and the best of the wealth, is safely stowed in this numerous
fleet, quietly anchored about us: we have them all safe. There might be
some villains lurking about the town with their cane knives in their
belts; let us have all clear, and daylight before us. Not that I think
there is any pluck among them--they have not spirit enough to throw a
stone at a dog."
Hardly had these taunting words escaped his lips, than "bang, crash,"
and a four-and-twenty pound shot came reeking through the
waist-hammocks,--for they had not yet been piped down,--and covered us
over with horse-hair, and an abominable composition called flock. The
ball took a slanting direction through the main and orlop decks, and
came out just below the water-line, making instantly a leak that we
could not affect to despise.
"Droll," said Reud, shaking the dust from his person.
"Very," said his well-dined echoes around him.
If this be jesting, thought I, the cream of the joke is to come yet.
"Beat to quarters, Mr Rattlin."
The lieutenants and more than half of the crew were away in the boats.
The men were soon at their guns, and, as they had been only slightly
secured, they were ready to return the fire almost immediately. Upon
looking up at the source of our annoyance, we found that it was a
hopeless case. The height was so great, and so immediately above us,
that, without heeling the frigate over, not a gun could be brought to
bear. Another shot from the battery served to quicken our
deliberations. There was no time to be lost.
Captain Reud sent the various commanders on board their respective
vessels, with orders, as fast as any of their boats came in, to send
them to us immediately, with their marines. For ourselves, all our
boats were away except the gig. Into that I jumped, followed by the
captain and six marines. Every man, except a quarter-master and a
couple of look-outs, was piped down below, with strict orders that they
were to stay there and not expose themselves, and the ship was left in
charge of the gunner; whilst the carpenter and his crew were actively
employed in the wings, in plugging the shot-holes; for every ball that
was fired came in somewhere upon the decks, and made its way through the
ship's sides, low under the water.
However, annoying as this was, there were but two guns playing upon us,
which, though served with admirable precision, fired but slowly. We had
not lain on our oars a quarter of an hour, between the ship and the
shore, a space of not more than forty yards, when we were joined by
seven boats of various dimensions, crammed as full of jollies as they
could possibly hold. We were on shore in a moment, and, without much
care as to forming, we all scrambled up the hill as fast as we could.
It was very steep indeed, but we were not fired upon by any small-arms
whatever; and the guns could not be sufficiently depressed from the
embrasures to be made to bear upon us. They certainly must have
perceived us, for the moon was shining with singular splendour; but they
seemed to take no notice of our advance, but fired twice upon the
frigate as we were climbing or rather scrambling up.
This assault was an affair got up with so little premeditation, that
Captain Reud had no other arms than his regulation sword; and his
aide-de-camp, my redoubtable self; no other weapon of offence than a
little crooked dirk, so considerably curved, that it would not answer
the purpose of a dagger to stab with, and so blunt, that I am sure,
though it might separate, it could not _cut_ through a plum-pudding.
Though I was approaching _pari passu_ with my commander to a parapet,
where there there was _no_ "imminent deadly breach," I was so much
ashamed of my side-arms, that I would not expose them to the night air.
Up we tumbled close under the low, turf-constructed battlement, and, as
we were in the act of scrambling over it, we received a straggling and
ill-directed fire of musketry.
One hurrah from our party, and we were into the fort in a moment, and
that on the two flanks as well as the front. For all the service that I
could render, I might as well have charged, as a midshipman usually
walks the decks, with my hands in my pockets. However, there we were
face to face with our opponents, on the planked floor of the fort, just
as they were making up their minds to run away. But they did not go
quite as soon as they ought. In jumping over the turfy mound, it must
be supposed, as was really the case, that it took us an instant or two
to recover our equilibrium and ascertain the surety of our footing; but
that instant was a very annoying one, for the Frenchman directly opposed
to Captain Reud, deliberately put his musket against the said captain's
face, and though I, unarmed as I was, actually did strike up this musket
as much as I was able, it had only the effect of making the bayonet at
the end of it score a deep wound from the bridge of his nose to the top
of his forehead, when the trigger was pulled, and the whole crown of
Captain Reud's skull completely blown away. The shot turned him round
like a weathercock; I naturally half-turned also, giving the enemy the
advantage of studying my profile, whilst I endeavoured to support my
captain in my arms; and then the same man, being bent on mischief,
thrust his bayonet right through the back of my neck, grazing the
vertebra, and entering on the right and coming out on the left side.
Having, in this manner, made a sheath for his weapon, the blackguard
left it there, and thus, having trussed me as with a skewer, showed me
his back and fled. The butt-end of the musket falling to the ground,
gave me a terrible wrench of the head, but relieved me at the same time
of my incumbrance.
That was the first time I ever _bled_ for my country. Indeed, I bled
much more than my poor captain. However, the gentlemen of the fort
rushed out, as we rushed in, and rolled head over heels down the other
side of the hill. Three or four were killed on the platform; among
whom, at the time, I devoutly wished was the inflictor of my wound; some
were shot as they ran down the inland side of the hill, and the fort was
ours with the loss of one man killed, and, I think, six wounded. My
hurt was very trifling: a piece of adhesive plaster on the two orifices
was all the surgical assistance that I either had or required. But the
case with poor Reud was very different. I detest giving a revolting
description of wounds; I shall only say, that this was a most dreadful
one. He lay for a month almost in a state of insensibility; and, though
he lived for more than half a year with his head plated with silver, I
know that he was never afterwards perfectly sane.
Walking about for a couple of days with a stiff neck, which was all the
inconvenience I experienced, I assumed no little upon my firmness in
storming, and on my honourable scars. The next morning all the prizes
were secured, the town formally taken possession of, and whilst Captain
Reud lay in the torpor of what was all but death, it was deliberated
what we should do with our conquest. It was a matter of some difficulty
to decide upon. At this period, the two factions of the blacks,
Petion's and Christophe's held the western parts of the fine island of
Saint Domingo. The Spaniards had large possessions in the centre of the
island, and the French still held a sway over the city of Saint Domingo,
and had a precarious footing in the eastern division, where we now were.
The place was too insignificant to garrison for a permanent conquest for
the English. Many of our officers, and all the men, wished very
naturally to plunder it; but the captain of the other frigate, now the
commander, would not listen to the proposal for a moment. However, we
totally destroyed their small dock-yard, burned three fine schooners on
the stocks, demolished the fort that had been so pernicious to Captain
Reud, and which commanded the town; and then, the officers, and small
parties of the ship's company were permitted to go on shore, and to live
at free quarters upon the inhabitants. Strict orders were given to
respect life and limb, and the honour of the ladies; and these orders
were generally well enforced. It was certainly a pleasant thing to go
on shore and walk into any house that pleased you, call for what you
wanted, be very protecting, and after having eaten and drunk to satiety,
to depart without having to cast up the items of a bill.
These brigands were treated much too leniently, for I verily believe,
that, for a vast number of years, all the male population were born,
bred, lived, and had died pirates. They were of all nations of the
earth; and, I must say, that this blending of the various races had
produced a very handsome set of men, and very beautiful women. There
were many English females among them, who had been captured in our
merchant vessels, and had been forced into marriages with their lawless
captors. They were, for the most part, like the Sabine women,
reconciled to their lot and loath to leave their lords, their mansions,
and their children. The governor of the place, a French colonel, was
captured as he endeavoured to make his escape in one of the schooner
privateers. We had him on board of our ship for some time, and he
confessed that the place flourished only by means of what he was pleased
to designate as free trading.
The prizes, deeply laden, left the port one after the other, and then
the men-of-war brigs, afterwards, the sloop of war, and at length our
consort, the frigate. We now lay alone in these quiet waters, and there
we remained for nearly three months. All this time our captain could
hardly be said to be living. No one was allowed to come aft beyond the
mizzen-mast. We always spoke with hushed voices, and walked about
stealthily upon tip-toe. The bells ceased to be struck, and every
precaution was taken to preserve the most profound silence. But our
amusements on shore were more than commensurate for our restraints on
board. Most of the officers and men took unto themselves wives, _pro
hac vice_--chalked, or rather painted their names upon the doors of
their mansions, and made themselves completely at home.