about 600 tons, remarkably fast for a merchantman--a regular clipper, as
her captain called her--and manned by an active and effective crew. She
mounted twelve small carronades on her upper deck, and a neat brass
swivel which traversed on the head of the capstan. On the 28th August,
18--, we sailed from Sangor with several other merchantmen, under convoy
of H.M.S. Albatross. Our voyage was very tedious, unmarked by any
variety except that of wind and weather; and our captain, who was a
smart, active little man, an excellent disciplinarian, and much beloved
by his crew, was dreadfully annoyed by the detention occasioned by the
dull sailers of the fleet. At last he resolved, if possible, to effect
his escape, and make the best of his way home. After we left St Helena,
an opportunity, unfortunately for us, soon presented itself. One squally
evening, the frigate made a signal for the convoy to carry easy sail,
and to watch the commodore's motions during the night. Soon after dark,
the wind freshened up to a strong breeze, with passing squalls and heavy
rain at times. With her topgallantsails set over single-reefed topsails,
the little Dolphin bounded over the waves in such style as to do credit
to the name she bore; and, by keeping a little of the course she had
before been steering, and carrying a press of sail through the night,
made such good use of her _fins_, that at daybreak not a ship of the
fleet was to be seen. We were all at first delighted with our freedom,
and with the prospect of reaching our destination so much sooner than we
otherwise would have done; but, upon after reflection, we began to doubt
the prudence of trusting to our own legs and arms, when we would have
been so much safer under the wing of the Albatross. Captain Driver
himself, however, was in high glee; he said he knew that few even of the
crack privateers were matches for his little Dolphin. However, he
neglected no means of adding to, and improving, the efficiency of his
vessel: the men were exercised regularly at the guns, the passengers and
servants drilled in the use of the muskets, and every precaution was
adopted which skill and experience could suggest, to make our means of
defence as available as possible.
In this way our time passed away stirringly and pleasantly enough, till
we lost the south-east trade, and then we were tormented for nearly
three weeks with calms and burning heat during the day, and heavy
unceasing rains during the night. To add to our discomforts, a great
mortality had taken place among our live stock, and we were for days
floating about among a whole fleet of dead ducks and fowls, with the
pleasant prospect before us of salt junk and hard Curtis[1] for the rest
of the voyage.
[Footnote 1: A famous biscuit-baker.]
"My old luck," said Sandford.
We had at last contrived to crawl as far as four degrees north, when,
one afternoon, to our great joy, we observed signs of change in the
weather. Light grey clouds were beginning to appear to the northward;
and we watched with great interest those "ships of heaven" slowly and
gradually moving upwards. Light _cats'-paws_ began to ruffle the waters,
and every here and there we saw in the distance shoals of fish sporting
amid the roughness which the light and partial airs produced upon the
surface. But we were still lying becalmed; the awnings were all spread,
but the heat was oppressive; and the little Dolphin was rolling heavily
in the long sea, dipping her bright sides deep into the water. A long
dark line was now visible on the horizon to the eastward, which
gradually spread, and neared us.
"Thank goodness! there is a breeze at last!" said Captain Driver; and in
half-an-hour's time the Dolphin was once more dancing along, like a
living creature, over the waves. During the night, the wind drew
gradually round to the northward; and before morning we had a fine
steady north-east trade, which carried us as far as twenty-nine degrees
north. From this time nothing particular occurred, till we arrived
nearly in the parallel of the English Channel--the Lizard bearing about
north-east-by-east of us, fifteen hundred miles distant. Here, after a
succession of south-easterly breezes, we had another taste of
"Sandford's luck," in the shape of a calm of two days' duration. On the
morning of the third day, we were surprised by seeing, at some six or
seven miles' distance to the south-west, a long, low, rakish-looking
brig, with her royals furled and courses hauled up, and a pennant flying
at the mast-head. Immediately on noticing us, she hoisted an English
ensign, and fired a gun. Our boatswain, an old man-of-war's-man,
immediately exclaimed that he recognised her as H.M. brig Hawk; and upon
her firing a second gun, the quarter-boat was lowered and manned, and
the second mate despatched in her. Sandford, who was fond of novelty,
asked and obtained leave to join the party. Soon after the boat shoved
off from the Dolphin, a light breeze from the southward filled the
stranger's sails, and she drew a little nearer. We were all anxious for
news from England, and watched our boat with great anxiety, as she went
alongside of the brig; but what was our surprise to observe that the
crew were all called up, and two of the stranger's men were sent into
the boat! The brig was all this time slowly and gradually approaching
us, while we were lying helplessly becalmed, watching the breeze as it
rippled over the still, smooth water, about half-way between the
vessels. The stranger was now within two miles of us, when the light
air, which had so long been favouring her, began to roughen the sea
close under our stern. A bright flash and a thick cloud of smoke now
burst from the stranger's bow, and the loud, sharp report of a gun
broke, with startling import, on our ears, while, at the same moment,
the English ensign was hauled down, and the white flag of France
floated proudly in its stead, and a red cornet fluttered at the main.
"Here's a pretty business!" said Captain Driver. "We will give them a
run for it, however."
In an instant, all was bustle and activity an board the little Dolphin:
every stitch of canvas was spread to catch the coming breeze; two of the
guns were _trained_ aft, and pointed out of the cabin windows; not a
voice was heard on board, but that of the captain; the men moved
actively and noiselessly about, watching their commander's eye, and in
prompt obedience to his orders. The little Dolphin herself seemed
conscious that danger was near, so silently did she slip through the
water, as her lofty sails swelled out with the light but steady breeze.
There was such a hush among us on board, after all the sails had been
set, that the only sound heard was the hissing noise made by the ship as
she cut rapidly through the smooth water, and the small bubbles floated
away astern. Presently a tiny wave raised its white crest here and
there, and broke with a gentle murmur; there was glad music in the
sound--for it was a sign that the breeze was freshening. In the course
of an hour, though the water was still smooth, the Dolphin was beginning
to _speak_ audibly, and the white foam-bells danced merrily past her.
In the meantime, the stranger had not been idle. She had at first made
use of her sweeps; but, as the breeze freshened, she laid them in. Her
lofty spars were crowded with canvas, and she seemed to be rather
gaining upon us. We could see that her decks were crowded with men; and
every now and then she sent a shot after us.
"Talk away, my boys," said the gallant little captain. "I have no time
to return the compliment. If I can only keep clear of you till dark, I
will weather you yet." The poor little Dolphin glided away beautifully,
and proved that she well merited her good character; for, after some
hours' chase, the privateer had gained but little upon us; but still
there appeared no chance of our escaping in the long run. About noon,
the enemy was within range, and no sooner made the discovery, than she
began blazing away with her bow-guns, in hopes of disabling us; but
fortune, for once in her life, favoured the weaker party. The
privateer's shot riddled our sails; but our spars and hull were as yet
unharmed, when a well-aimed shot from one of our stern-chasers went
through her fore-topgallantsail, and struck the mast just above the cap.
Three cheers burst from our gallant crew, as they saw her small masts
first bend, then fall forward together before the foretopsail, dragging
with them the main-royal and skysail masts. The sailing of the two
vessels was so nearly equal, that we now had a decided advantage over
the enemy, which Captain Driver did all in his power to make the most
of. Two of the foremost guns were _trained_ aft, and the men were all
ordered to lie down on the deck close to the taffrail, to bring the ship
more by the stern. There were active hands, however, on board the
privateer. In a wonderfully short time, the wreck was cleared away, and
new spars had replaced the crippled ones. She came crawling quickly up
again; and it was evident to all on board the Dolphin, that, unless some
unforeseen accident saved us, a few hours would seal our fate.
It was now late in the evening; the sun had set, and dark, louring
clouds were hanging over the horizon to the westward. The water was
still tolerably smooth, and the wind was a little on our starboard
quarter; the privateer was coming up rather to leeward, gaining rapidly
upon us, and peppering away as fast as she could with her bow-chasers.
Some of her shot _told_ upon our hull, smashing the cabin bulk-heads,
but hurting no one; and, fortunately, our spars were as yet untouched.
But she was not so lucky--for we could see, by their getting
preventer-backstays upon her fore-topmast, that the mast was crippled.
Captain Driver perceived that there was no chance of escaping much
longer by fast sailing, and he determined to try what stratagem could do
for us. He called his men round him, and explained to them what his
intentions were; telling them that everything depended upon their energy
and activity, and promising them, in the name of his owners, a handsome
reward if they succeeded in saving the ship. Immediately after the next
shot fired by the privateer, the man at the helm, by Captain Driver's
orders, began to yaw the ship about--the stunsails were hauled in--the
royal sheets let go--the sails clued up, but not furled--the
topgallantsails lowered, and the colours hauled down. Every movement
must have appeared to the enemy indicative of terror and indecision; and
we could distinctly hear the cheers with which they hailed the lowering
of our ensign. In the midst of our apparent confusion, the yards of the
Dolphin were quietly drawn forward to starboard, and the men and
passengers stationed at the topgallant and royal halyards, and royal
sheets. The privateer, which some of our men now recognised as the
notorious Hercule of Brest, came bowling upon our larboard quarter,
taking in and furling all her small sails, and hauling up her courses.
When she was so close to us that we might almost have thrown a biscuit
on board, the French captain jumped upon the bulwark with his trumpet in
his hand, as if to hail us.
"Now, my lad," said Driver to the man at the helm, "remember what I told
you. When I call out to you to put the helm hard a-starboard, put it
hard a-port."
The privateer captain was just putting the trumpet to his lips, when
Captain Driver bawled out, "Put the helm hard a-starboard!"
As he expected, this order was instantly echoed on board the privateer,
who thought we intended to try and run aboard of him. As I said before,
the wind was a little on our starboard quarter; and the Frenchman, by
paying quickly _off_, threw his sails aback; while the little Dolphin,
_her_ helm having been put to port instead of starboard, flew _up_ to
the wind, and, her yards being all ready braced up, darted away like an
arrow to windward--this being her favourite sailing point; at the same
moment, the topgallant sails were sheeted home and set, and the royals
hoisted.
It was some little time before the privateer recovered from the surprise
and confusion occasioned by this unexpected manoeuvre; and, by the
time her yards were trimmed and sails set, the Dolphin had again a good
start of her. We had now reason to bless the fortunate shot that had
crippled her fore-topmast; for she was afraid to carry such a press of
sail as she otherwise would have done. However, disabled as she was, she
was still a match for us, and kept throwing her shot after us, in token
of her friendly feeling.
"Hurrah, my little beauty!" said Captain Driver, apostrophising his
ship; "another hour, and we are safe."
The privateer was gaining upon us slowly but surely, when the night,
which, fortunately for us, was dark and gloomy, set in. Captain Driver
kept a light burning in the stern cabin, and gave strict orders that
every other light in the ship should be put out. He then had a large
water-butt sawed in half, and fitted into it a light bamboo staff, to
the end of which a lantern was affixed. The tub was well ballasted; and,
when all was ready, it was lowered down nearly to the water's edge
astern, the lantern lighted, and the lamp in the captain's cabin
extinguished. Just as the lanyards were let go, and the tub, with its
decoy light, fell into the water, we fired both our stern-chasers, to
deceive the enemy, and immediately bore up, and stood away, under a
press of sail, to the westward. The night was pitch dark; the wind
drawing round to the southward and westward, and with every appearance
of further change.
Our ruse succeeded completely. We were only aware of the privateer's
position by the bright flashes of her guns, as she fired them in chase,
as she thought; and by the twinkling light of the floating lantern,
which was, at last, suddenly extinguished, after a brisk fire from the
Frenchman. We ran, for a couple of hours, to the westward; and then, the
wind gradually heading us, we kept away again for the Channel, and,
before morning, we had a fine staggering westerly breeze to help us
along.
At daylight, nothing was to be seen from the mast-head; and we
cheerfully pursued our voyage, rejoicing in our fortunate escape. We had
now time to think of and to lament the hard fate of our shipmates, who
had been so cleverly entrapped.
"Sandford's luck, again," said I. "Poor fellow, how strange it is that
such a fatality always seems to attend him!"
"You forget," said Captain Driver, "that the men who are with him are in
the same unlucky predicament, and of course are equally unfortunate. But
it _is_ curious to observe how some men are favoured and others
persecuted by fortune. When I was a youngster, I sailed with a captain
(a smart, active, intelligent man he was) who told me that ever since he
had commanded a ship, each alternate voyage had always been an unlucky
one. 'And this,' said he, 'is my unlucky one.' And sure enough it was
so; for, from the commencement to the close of it, it was one constant
series of misfortunes. However, I have no doubt our poor lads will be
well enough off on board the privateer--the French are fine fellows,
after all; but I do not envy them the quarters that await them on
shore."
The breeze continued steady; and in about ten days' time we had run down
a great part of our distance from the Lizard, which we expected to
_make_ in two days more. One morning the man at the mast-head reported a
large ship to the southward, and Captain Driver _made her out_ to be a
man-of-war. We immediately crowded all sail, with the horrors of a
French prison before us; but she had already noticed us, and come
bowling after us, firing a gun to bring us to, and hoisting English
colours. After a long and anxious survey of the stranger, Captain Driver
was satisfied that she was an English frigate, and accordingly hoisted
his colours and hove to. From the lieutenant who boarded us, we learned
that the frigate was H.M.S. ----, bound to Spithead. When we related to
him our adventure with the privateer, he told us that it was no wonder
we were deceived; for that the Hercule was often mistaken for the Hawk,
and that the real Hawk was cruising about the _chops_ of the Channel, in
hopes of falling in with her. We followed in the wake of the frigate up
Channel, and, on the 1st May, to our great joy, we cast anchor once more
on the shores of Old England. I remained two years at home, and then
returned to the East, without having heard any news of poor Sandford's
fate.
"And now, my dear Sandford," said I, "tell me all your adventures since
we parted company so unexpectedly."
"You may imagine our surprise," replied he, "when we found how quietly
we poor gulls had thrust our heads into the eagle's nest. The second
mate of the Dolphin and I had hardly set foot on the deck of the
stranger, when we saw at a glance our mistake; and, if we had any doubts
on the subject, they were soon set at rest by the captain, who said to
us, shrugging his shoulders, with a smile--
"'Messieurs, you are my prisonnars; dere is no use for de resiste; call
your men out of de boat.'
"We saw too plainly that resistance was vain, and we submitted to our
hard fate as patiently as we could. The boat's crew were sent down into
the hold, and sentries placed over them, and we were disarmed, but
allowed the range of the deck and cabin, giving our parole that we
would hold no intercourse with our own men or the crew. When we saw the
privateer's sails swell with the breeze and when with her long sweeps
she began to crawl along 'like a centipede,' while the little Dolphin
lay stationary and becalmed, we feared that we should soon have more
companions in captivity. Great was our delight when the gallant little
vessel glided away like a fairy before us, and we began to have some
hopes of your escape, knowing as we did what a character the Dolphin had
for sailing.
"'Well done, my beauty!' shouted the mate.
"'Ah, mon ami,' said the Frenchman, 'do not rejoice too queek; before
night, your leetel beaute, as you call hare, shall be mine.'
"I cannot describe his mortification at the skilful manoeuvre by which
you baffled him just as he thought he was sure of you, and contrived to
steal away again to windward of him; but, after a time, when his angry
feeling had passed away, he could not help exclaiming--
"'Parbleu! he is one clevare man, that capitane! He most be var weak
after lose one boat's crew, and yet how he manage his sheep skeelfully!
'Tis almost peety not let him rone away; bote I mos catch heem--he
cannot escape long.' When the night set in so dark and gloomy, he
said--'Well, begar, I do begin think that capitane of yours is not so
vary clevare man after all. How he most be fool to carry that
light!--without that lumiere I should lose sight of heem quite entirely,
the night is so, what you call, so tar--no--peetch dark.'
"'I suppose,' said I, 'in the confusion he has forgot it.'
"'Not a bit of it,' said Gordon, the mate, to me, aside; 'Captain Driver
is not such a fool as he thinks. He has some reason for what he is
doing, depend upon it.'
"After a time, the light, which had kept a pretty equal distance ahead
of us, became apparently stationary, and we came up to it with great
rapidity.
"'Ah,' said the Frenchman, 'he is tire at last. We have catch heem.'
"We all thought that some of our chance shots had taken effect, and that
the Dolphin, unable to escape, had hove to, to surrender. As we came
near the light, the small sails were taken in and furled, the courses
hauled up, and the boat was cleared away for lowering to board the
prize.
"'Begar, dis is ver extraordinare!' said the Frenchman to me--'dere is
de light, but I do not see de sheep. Sheep ahoy!' No answer. 'Sheep
ahoy! Answere, or I weel fire.' Still no answer. 'Tirez donc!' A
broadside was fired, and the light disappeared.
"Not a cry or sound of any kind was heard after the noise of the firing
had ceased. The poor little Dolphin, we thought, must have sunk at once;
but yet it was very strange that so large a vessel (she was large
compared to the Frenchman) could have been invisible and inaudible when
so near us. The boats were lowered immediately, and furnished with
lanterns, that their crews might see to save all they could. After a
short time, they returned, bringing back, as the sole remains of the
poor Dolphin, a few broken staves, and a bamboo, with a lantern lashed
to the end of it. The French captain's blank stare of astonishment was
at first quite amusing; but at last the truth flashed upon him, and,
with a loud laugh, he exclaimed--
"'Parbleu! that capitane is one dam clevare fellow! He throw out one tub
to catch a whale; he deserves to escape. _Neanmoins_, he is not safe
yet.'
"He then hauled close to the wind, and stood to the eastward, thinking
that you would make for the Channel as fast as possible. If it had not
been for the name of the thing, we would have enjoyed the cruise very
much; for the French captain and his officers were polite and
gentlemanly, and treated us as messmates and friends. _Their_
destination was Brest, and ours, eventually, a French prison, till we
should be ransomed or exchanged--a pleasant way for me to enjoy my three
years' furlough!
"One afternoon, just after dinner, as we were dodging to the eastward,
with the wind at north, a sail appeared ahead, but too far off to
distinguish what she could be. All sail was immediately made in chase,
and we rapidly neared the object of our pursuit. She was a lumbering,
heavy-looking brig, under topgallantsails, painted with a broad, dirty
white streak, turning up at each end with a _sheer_ like a bow. We
hoisted French colours, and fired a gun to leeward; she showed an
English ensign, and immediately began to make more sail, which she did
in a regular collier-like fashion, and went floundering and plunging
along like a cart-horse over a ploughed field; and the more sail she
made, the slower she seemed to go. We were all mightily amused with her
clumsy attempts to escape, and wondered at her folly in exasperating her
enemy by such unavailing efforts. Gun after gun was fired to bring her
to; but still she floundered on, kicking up her stern as if in derision,
as her heavy bow plunged deep into the water. At last the captain of the
privateer got into a towering passion, and swore he would sink her when
he got alongside. While the brig, or at least her crew, were straining
every nerve to escape, one of her maintopgallant sheets _went_; and the
awkward and slovenly manner in which the sail was handled excited the
laughter of all on board our small craft. The brig at this time, as if
aware that escape was hopeless, took in her royals, and lowered her
topgallantsails, but without altering her course, or striking her
colours. It was dusk when we came within speaking distance; and, running
up close under her quarter, our captain seized the speaking-trumpet, and
ordered the brig to strike her colours immediately, or he would sink
her. What was his surprise, when, in answer to his hail, three deafening
cheers resounded from the brig! Her deck was in an instant swarming
with men; and, while our crew were gaping with astonishment, _the
painted canvas screen_ disappeared from her side as if by magic, and a
broadside was poured into our hull, which made us reel again, and
wounded and killed several of the crew. In justice to the Frenchman, I
must say, that, as soon as the first surprise was over, he (the captain,
I mean) was as cool and collected as possible. His orders were given
rapidly and energetically; and actively and ably were they executed. He
instantly stood away to the southward and eastward, and trusted to his
heels to escape from an enemy whom he saw at a glance he was unable to
cope with. In a few minutes, from the truck to the water's edge, the
Hercule was one cloud of canvas; and merrily did she dance away over the
waves. The English man-of-war crowded all sail after us; very
differently was she _handled_, now she was no longer acting merchantman.
She seemed to have cast aside her sluggishness with her disguise, and,
to our great surprise, seemed rather to gain than lose ground. She kept
on our weather (larboard) quarter; and her bow-chasers were in constant
play, and remarkably well served--hardly a shot but told upon our
rigging or hull.
"The Hercule was considered the fastest privateer out of France; but,
before the wind, the brig was evidently gaining upon us. Not one of our
shot had, as yet, done her any material injury, though her head sails
were riddled through and through. This game could not last long;--the
privateer determined upon trying another move. He was obliged to keep
his pumps constantly going, for he had received several shots between
wind and water. Suddenly whipping in all his stunsails, he ran his yards
forward, and hauled to the eastward. This manoeuvre was rapidly and
skilfully executed; and, as we shot across the bows of the English brig,
we poured a raking broadside into her, which, we afterwards learned, did
not do so much damage as we expected, as our guns were pointed too high.
Three cheers rang from the English brig; as quick as thought, they _ran_
in their stunsails, and, following our movements, hauled to the wind.