The next morning, when we arrived at Funchal, we found that our orders
were for the West Indies: we stayed one day to take in wine and then
hove up the anchor, and went on to our destination. We soon got into
the trades, and run them fast down till we arrived at Carlisle Bay,
Barbadoes, where we found the admiral and delivered our despatches. We
were ordered to water and complete as soon as possible, as we were to be
sent on a cruise.
Tommy Dott, my quondam ally, was in disgrace. He had several times
during the cruise proposed that I should join him in several plots of
mischief, but I refused, as I did not consider them quite safe.
"You are not the keen fellow I thought you were," said he; "you are up
to nothing now; there's no fun in you, as there used to be."
He was mistaken; there was fun in me, but there was also prudence, and
from what I had latterly seen of Tommy Dott, I did not think he was to
be trusted.
The day after we anchored at Carlisle Bay, Tommy came to me and said,
"Old Culpepper serves out plums and suet this afternoon; I heard him
tell steward. Now, I think we may manage to get some--I never saw
better plums on board of a ship."
"Well," said I, "I like raisins as well as you do, Tommy--but what is
your plan?"
"Why, I've got my squirt: and old Culpepper never lights more than one
of his purser's dips (small candles) in the steward's room. I'll get
down in the cockpit in the dark, and squirt at the candle--the water
will put it out, and he'll send the steward for another light, and then
I'll try and get some."
It was not a bad plan, but still I refused to join in it, as it was only
the work of one person, and not two. I pointed that out to him and he
agreed with me, saying that he would do it himself.
When Mr Culpepper went down into the steward's room, Tommy
reconnoitred, and then came into the berth and filled his squirt.
Although I would not join him, I thought I might as well see what was
going on and therefore descended the cockpit ladder soon after Tommy,
keeping out of the way in the foremost part of the cockpit, where it was
quite dark.
Tommy directed his squirt very dexterously, hit the lighted wick of the
solitary candle, which fizzed, sputtered, and finally gave up the ghost.
"Bless me!" said Mr Culpepper, "what can that be?"
"A leak from the seams above I suppose," said the steward:
"I will go to the gallery for another light."
"Yes, yes, be quick," said Mr Culpepper, who remained in the steward's
room in the dark, until the return of the steward.
Tommy Dott then slipped in softly, and commenced filling all his pockets
with the raisins; he had nearly taken in his full cargo, when, somehow
or another, Mr Culpepper stepped forward from where he stood, and he
touched Tommy, whom he immediately seized crying out, "Thieves!
thieves!--call the sentry!--sentry, come here."
The sentry of the gun-room door went down the ladder as Mr Culpepper
dragged out Tommy, holding him fast by both hands.
"Take him, sentry--take him in charge. Call the master-at-arms--little
thief. Mr Dott! Hah--well, we'll see."
The consequence was, that Mr Tommy Dott was handed from the sentry to
the master-at-arms, and taken up on the quarterdeck, followed by Mr
Culpepper and his steward.
There was no defence or excuse to be made: the pockets of his jacket and
of his trowsers were stuffed with raisins; and at the bottom of his
pocket, when they were emptied by the master-at-arms, was found the
squirt.
As soon as the hue and cry was over, and all the parties were on the
quarter-deck, as the coast was clear, I thought I might as well take
advantage of it; and therefore I came out from my hiding-place, went
into the steward's room, filled my handkerchief with raisins, and
escaped to the berth unperceived; so that while Tommy Dott was
disgorging on the quarter-deck, I was gorging below.
Mr Dott was reported to the captain for this heinous offence; and, in
consequence, was ordered below under arrest, his place in the captain's
gig being filled up by me; so that in every point of view Tommy
suffered, and I reaped the harvest. What pleased me most was, that,
being midshipman of the captain's boat, I was of course continually in
the company of the coxswain, Bob Cross.
But I must not delay at present, as I have to record a very serious
adventure which occurred, and by which I, for a long while, was
separated from my companions and shipmates.
In ten days we sailed in search of a pirate vessel, which was reported
to have committed many dreadful excesses, and had become the terror of
the mercantile navy. Our orders were to proceed northward, and to
cruise off the Virgin Islands, near which she was said to have been last
seen.
About three weeks after we had left Carlisle Bay, the look-out man
reported two strange sail from the mast-head. I was sent up, as signal
mid, to examine them, and found that they were both schooners, hove to
close together; one of them very rakish in their appearance. All sail
in chase was made immediately, and we came up within three miles of
them, when one, evidently the pirate we were in search of, made sail,
while the other remained hove to.
As we passed the vessel hove to, which we took it for granted was a
merchantman, which the pirate had been plundering, the captain ordered
one of the cutters to be lowered down with a midshipman and boat's crew
to take possession of her. The men were all in the boat, but the
midshipman had gone down for his spy-glass, or something else, and as it
was merely with a view of ascertaining what the vessel was, and the
chief object was to overtake the pirate vessel, to prevent the delay
which was caused by the other midshipman not being ready, Mr Hippesley
ordered me to go into the boat instead of him, and, as soon as I was on
board of the schooner, to make sail and follow the frigate.