We were slightly bewildered at the rapidity and novelty of the events
which were happening, and for some moments I stood and gazed at the
hurrying men, who appeared to obey a man with a shrill whistle whose
notes rose and fell with long undulations. No misunderstanding seemed
possible, for each note appeared to mean an order, which sounded high
above the rattle of the vessel's gear. I was something of a yachtsman,
and took great interest until aware of the presence of the stout man
with the red nose. He was in command of the schooner, and he now stood
before us, gazing at us as if we were wild animals of an unknown kind.
Two or three younger men in the group that gathered about us appeared to
be officers, but I had never met any of them before, so they joined
their captain in his curious gaze. Finally the Captain spoke.
"Mr. Rose," he said, in a thick, raucous voice, "are these the men who
fired on us?"
"Yes, sir," replied our thin faced captor, holding the handkerchief
containing our valuables in one hand, while he saluted with the other.
"Then what d'ye mean by bringing them aboard this vessel, sir?" he
roared. "Haven't I told you, sir, to shoot every rebel caught with arms
on him? Hey! Answer me that, sir! Answer, or I'll break you sir!"
"They claim to be gentlemen, Captain Cahill," said our captor, meekly.
"Blast you! Do you mean to disobey me, sir? Answer my question, sir, or
by breechins and blackskin I'll break you sir!" roared the captain.
"Yes, sir; yes, sir, you did," answered the lieutenant, quickly. "You
gave me orders to shoot every rebel caught in arms, who refused to
surrender. But these men claim to be gentlemen and not rebels. This
one," and he pointed to me, "claims to be a friend of Lord Dunmore's."
"Claims!" roared the Captain, getting almost purple in the face, and it
really appeared as if he were going off in a fit. "Claims!" And then he
simply drew in breath for a moment to gather power to express himself.
Here was an opportunity, I thought, so I broke in--
"Yes, sir," I said, "I am well known to Lord Dunmore, and also to nearly
every gentleman on the river. I am Richard Judkins, of Judkins' Hall,
and I"--
"Shut up!" he roared. "Don't you speak to me sir. If you do I'll cut you
down where you stand." And he drew his sword. "You may be Richard
Perkins, of Perkins' Hell, or any other hell, but if Lord Dunmore knows
you he knows an unhung scoundrel. Don't glare at me, sir; don't glare at
me that way, or I'll cut you down where you stand," and he advanced a
step towards me.
"I am a Virginia gentleman, sir, and I demand to be treated as such," I
said.
"You are a liar and a villain," he roared, "and I will treat you as
such," and with that he made a pass at my head that would certainly have
finished me, had I not jumped suddenly backwards into the arms of a
soldier behind me. At the same instant Will Byrd sprang forward to ward
off the blow.
He caught the skipper's sword arm with his right hand and instantly
dealt him a powerful blow just under the ear with his left. It sent the
man to the deck as limp as a rag, with his sword clattering after him.
The next instant Will was seized and thrown down and a line quickly
passed around him, lashing his arms to his sides. Then Barron and I were
served likewise.
The Captain lay on the deck as if dead, so in a few moments he was
picked up and carried below to be nursed back to consciousness. In the
mean time the schooner had been standing up the river under all sail,
with the breeze abeam, and was rapidly nearing the frigate that was
sailing under easy canvas to allow her to catch up and report the news
of the affair on the shore.
"Carry the prisoners below in the fore-hold," ordered Mr. Rose, who was
now in command, and we were quickly carried down through the forehatch
into a dark, ill-smelling hole filled with bunks and all sorts of ship
junk, and there we were left with a couple of men to guard us.
I stretched myself comfortably on a coil of rope and awaited
developments, thinking, of course, that the instant Dunmore heard our
names we would be released.
"It's no use, we are in for it," said Barron, smiling, "I only hope we
will catch up with the frigate before Captain Cahill recovers from that
tap. Very neatly done, Will, most remarkable--if it had been a trifle
further forward though it would have made a pretty mess of
things--Hello! What's that?"
We were on the weather side of the schooner, and she was heeling over
and going through the water at a great rate. The rush of the waves was
quite loud and continuous against the vessel's side, but above the noise
I could hear a hail from somewhere in the distance to windward. Then
came an answer from the schooner's deck--
"Three men!" bawled Mr. Rose from somewhere above us. Then came another
hail.
"Don't know," bawled the Lieutenant in reply. "One named Perkins, of
Perkins' hole."
Then came another pause followed by another hail.
"Two young--one old, with a face like the breech of a brass
carronnade--all alive and well--no one hurt."
A pause.
"Didn't suppose you knew them"--
Another pause.
"Will not hurt them, sir"--
Then came a pause, followed by a hail I could just distinguish as the
vessels neared each other.
"Keep them until his lordship has time to look into the matter," said
the voice faintly in the distance.
"Aye, aye, sir," bawled Mr. Rose.
"Hold on," I cried desperately, "tell him who we are and let us go
ashore. This outrage has gone far enough"--
"Kape quiet, ye gentleman, or I'll be for jabbing yez with me baynit,"
growled private Rooney, and he held the point against my ribs.
"It's no use," said Barron, smiling pleasantly, "we are in for some
sport. It's a wonder, though, that his lordship didn't recognize me from
that lieutenant's description"--
"Ef yez opin that ugly mug agin, afore the lootinant comes below, I'll
cut off yer elephant years and jam them into it," said the soldier,
Rooney. And then we kept quiet while the schooner drove steadily along
up the river. Sometimes she tacked around the bends and sometimes she
flew along with the wind fair, but before dark we knew by the sound of
the rushing water, that could be distinctly heard through her sides,
she had traveled many miles, and we were a long way from Judkins' Hall.
Just before coming to an anchor for the night the forecastle pivot-gun
was fired at some hostile object, and there appeared to be some
excitement on deck, but this soon subsided. Then the anchor chain roared
through the hawse pipe and the sound of rushing water ceased. Men began
to swarm below, and it was evident that the schooner had made her run
for the day, and that unless Lord Dunmore interested himself quickly in
our behalf we would spend the night uncomfortably.
It was late in the evening when the sergeant who had captured us came
below. He made his way to where we lay through the crowd of sailors and
soldiers who were sitting about talking and eating their evening meal,
and looking at us.
"Th' Captin wishes to say a few whurds t' th' gentilman what stretched
him out this day on th' main deck," he observed to the men guarding us.
"'Twas a good stroke, sure, but the Captin av th' _Hound_ keel-hauled
two men, just lately, for trying to excite dishorder on th' beach, so it
must be a hanging th' owld man is afther to-night. Bring thim right
along wid ye, me sons."
Then he made his way on deck and we followed after him with a soldier at
each elbow.
We went quickly aft, and just as I turned to go down the cabin
companionway I looked astern and saw the dark loom of the frigate's hull
through the darkness. Then we filed below into the Captain's cabin. At
the head of the cabin table sat Captain Cahill, and in front of him
stood a flask of spirits. On either side, within easy reach, lay a
pistol with the flint cocked back over the priming, and behind the
Captain's chair stood Mr. Rose and two other officers. The Captain
looked little the worse for the blow Will had given him, but his eyes
shone fierce and green as a tiger's, as they met my cousin's look.
"Captain Cahill," said I, "for I believe that's your name, you will do
yourself a favor if you set us ashore instantly. This outrage, sir, has
gone far enough."
He turned his fierce little shifty eyes to me, but took no other notice
of my words. He sat there, silent and grim, and slowly filled his glass
from the bottle in front of him. Then he drank off the contents. As he
drained the last drops with his head held backward, his eyes met mine
squarely and his fury burned within him. He bit savagely through the
glass tumbler and ground the splintered fragments between his teeth, and
then spat them from his bleeding lips. Then he hurled the remainder of
the tumbler to the deck with a crash, and sat there silently glaring
like some fiend from hell. Finally he spoke.
"It is now nearly nine o'clock," he said slowly. "When three bells
strike I shall drop all three of you overboard, and you shall have
three twelve pound shot--one apiece--along with you. Lord Dunmore
requests that you shall not be hurt. You will see, Mr. Rose," he went
on, turning to his lieutenant, "that no violence is done these
gentlemen. Do you understand, sir? Simply lower them carefully over the
side with a shot fast to the right foot of each, and see that their
hands are tied to prevent them from hurting any one. You may take them
forward, sergeant."
We were on our way forward again and just on the point of entering the
forehatch, when the sound of oars, working in oarlocks with a
man-of-war's sweep, fell on our ears. The sergeant stopped and looked
over the vessel's side.
"It's the Guvnor's boat," said one of the soldiers. "'E's comin' to pay
his respects to the skipper, an 'e'll find 'im in a fine state for
argyment."
"'Pon me sowl, it is," said the sergeant.
"Pete, you an' Rooney, here, take the folks below while I see to his
ludship."
Before we reached the hatchway the boat was alongside and an officer
climbed quickly on deck, where he was met by the sergeant.
"The Governor sends his compliments to Captain Cahill, and wishes him to
send the prisoners he took to-day to the frigate for examination," said
the officer, and as he spoke I recognized him as Captain Foy's
under-lieutenant whom I had met several times before at Harrison's
house.
I called to him before anyone could stop me, and the next instant we
were shaking hands before the astonished soldiers.
"You have come in good time, Mr. Jones," I said, "and for Heaven's sake
get us clear of this vessel and its lunatic skipper."
He laughed heartily as the sergeant came up and saluted. "This way, if
ye plase," said that soldier, and he led him aft.
A few minutes later the sergeant came forward, accompanied by Mr. Jones
of the _Fowey_, frigate, and we were ushered over the side just as the
lookout, forward, struck off three bells.
"'Twas a narrer escape, me son," whispered the sergeant to Will as he
went over the side. The next minute we were on our way to the frigate.