THE MONARCH'S DOOM.
"He has failed, Scarron."
Lieutenant Tempest had repeated that assertion several times during the
two hours that Bob was away.
"I fear so, and yet I never knew Bob to fail afore."
"But he has been gone so long."
"I guess he'll have a good showing when he does come. Hello! what's
that?"
Going to the bulwark, Scarron looked over, and in a low voice uttered
the nautical expression:
"Ahoy, there!"
Back came the answer:
"Toss me a rope."
"It is Bob!" cried Scarron. "A rope there, quick--the boy's tired."
"Where away, sir?"
"Nor--nor'west."
The rope was thrown, and the direction was right, for almost
immediately it was grasped, and the men began to haul it in.
A few moments and Bob, the powder-monkey, stood on deck.
He was bewildered and faint with his great exertion.
Scarron gave him a good stiff glass of grog, and asked for the message
sent by the captain of the _Lively Bee_.
Bob laughed.
"Not likely. It's the cap'n as will get it, not you."
"What have you got on?" asked Scarron, for the first time noticing the
flag wrapped around the boy's body.
Bob grinned, but did not reply. But when Tempest approached, the boy
pulled his forelock and began to untie the rope.
When he had unwound several yards of it, and unfolded the flag, Tempest
asked:
"Where did you get it?"
Again Bob grinned, and that delayed the answer.
"You said you'd like to know how many barkers that there Britisher had
got, so I went and counted."
"You were on board the man-of-war?"
"Certain I was, or else how could I count?"
"Tell me all about it."
Tempest spoke almost angrily, for he had an idea that Bob had acted
treacherously, else how would it have been possible for him to have
wandered about the gun deck of a well-ordered war ship?
The boy told of his adventures, and described the long stern-chasing
gun, and the death of the officer.
"It was this way," he said. "I'd got to kill him, or he'd have killed
me, and then who'd fight for the Stars?"
"But the flag?"
"I seen it flying," said Bob, more emphatically than correct, "and,
thought I, it's only a rag anyway, and I'll take it to keep me dry. If
I'd had a Starry flag, I'd have put it up, but I hadn't, so they have
to do without one."
The flag was examined and the name _Monarch_ was found on it.
The information given by Bob bore out the fact that the sloop was his
majesty's ship _Monarch_, carrying eight guns, one of which was a
stern-chaser capable of carrying a long distance.
"Bob, you are a true hero."
"Am I?"
"You are, and when we get back to America I shall see that the
President hears of what you have done."
"Blow me, cap'n, but a great man like he won't care about a boy's swim;
why should he?"
The letter from Vernon was read, and he agreed with his lieutenant.
When morning dawned the British ship _Monarch_ was within half a mile
of the _Caroline_ and _Lively Bee_.
The Britisher swung around so that she could bring her long gun in line
with the _Caroline_.
Tempest saw his danger, and swung around at the same time, while the
_Lively Bee's_ long gun was aimed straight at the _Monarch's_ mainmast.
The stern-chaser belched forth, and the shot tore across the water, but
missed the _Caroline_.
At the same time a return shot was fired, much to the Britisher's
surprise, by the _Lively Bee_, and a good-sized splinter was taken off
the mast.
The battle had now commenced in good earnest, although it was all on
one side, for the guns possessed by the _Caroline_ were of too short a
range to do any damage at such a distance.
The _Lively Bee_ was bent on disabling the _Monarch_, and a second time
the long gun was sighted for the mainmast.
A loud cheer arose from the _Caroline's_ crew, as they saw the mainmast
cut in two by the shot and go crashing over the side.
The privateer was keeping the war ship active, and diverting attention
from the _Caroline_.
This was just what Tempest had planned. It gave him an opportunity to
get in close alongside the _Monarch_.
Then his voice rang out:
"Give her a broadside!"
The guns belched forth, and the shots tore up the deck of the enemy's
forecastle, killing two men, breaking a middy's arm, and slightly
injuring the bowsprit.
Another broadside quickly followed, and before the smoke had cleared
away, Tempest ordered the men to seize their grapnells and board.
Cutlasses and boarding-pikes were passed from hand to hand along the
deck, and Tempest, drawing his sword, waved it above his head, shouting
to his men to follow him.
"Have at them, boys," he shouted, "to the death!"
He rained blows right and left, which no one could parry.
Captain Scott sought out the brave lieutenant, and with eyes flashing
like those of a snake he struck at the young officer with a savageness
amounting to fury.
But Tempest was on his guard.
With a fierce and determined energy he met the British captain, and
sent his sword twice through his arm, rendering it entirely useless.
"Do you surrender?" asked Tempest as the sword fell from the captain's
hand.
"No, you Yankee dog, a Briton never surrenders except to death!"
With his left hand Scott drew a pistol and leveled it, but with a
swinging blow from Tempest's sword, which severed the captain's wrist,
the pistol and hand dropped to the deck.
"Surrender!"
"Never!" Then, turning to his crew, he shouted: "Boys, never give in!
Fight till you die. Whip the Yankees or die in the attempt!"
But, though thus encouraged, the men could not hold out.
The ship was so badly injured that it rolled about unmanageable,
and when the captain died, as he did a few minutes later, the men
surrendered, and the _Caroline_ claimed the _Monarch_ as a prize.
The ship was too much disabled to take into port, so, under the
direction of Scarron, the guns were removed to the _Caroline_, together
with a good portion of the ammunition.
When this was accomplished and the prisoners transferred, the order was
given to blow up the war ship.
A terrific report which caused the waters to be troubled as though
by an earthquake, and all was over with his majesty's sloop-of-war
_Monarch_.
"Now to port!" shouted Tempest, obeying the signal of the _Lively Bee_,
and the men joyously spread the sails and cheered as they filled out
with the wind, for they knew they were bound for home.