In three days we had gained the latitude of Berbice, and on the fourth
morning the men at the mast-head were keeping a sharp look-out for any
strange sail. Our head was then towards the land, which, being very
low, could not be seen; the breeze was light, the royals had been set,
and the men piped down to breakfast, when the mast-head-man reported
three sail right ahead. We soon made them out to be merchant vessels,
and as they separated, and made all sail from us, we made sure that they
had been captured; and so it proved when we took possession of them,
which we did not do of the third before night-fall.
Upon interrogating the prisoners and the few English who had been left
on board the prizes, we found out that I had been right in my
conjecture; they had been captured by a French line-of-battle ship,
which they had left in shore the evening before. The English reported
her a very fast sailer, and believed her to be an eighty gun ship--
indeed the French prisoners acknowledged that such was the case.
This was very important intelligence, and Captain Delmar walked up and
down deck in deep thought: the fact was, he was puzzled how to act. To
attempt to cope with such a force, unless under peculiarly favourable
circumstances, would be madness: to leave the coast and our mercantile
navy exposed to her depredations, was at the same time very repulsive to
his feelings and sense of duty. The prizes had been manned, the
prisoners were on board, the boats hoisted up, and the Manilla still
remained hove to. The fact was, the captain did not know which way to
put the ship's head; and he walked up and down in deep thought.
"Mr Keene, is it your watch?"
"No, sir."
"Oblige me by telling the master to work up the reckoning; I wish to
know exactly where we are."
"It is done already, sir," replied I, "and pricked off on the chart--I
have just left the gun-room."
"Then, Mr Keene, bring the chart into my cabin." I followed into the
cabin with the chart, which I laid down on the table, and pointed out
the position of the ship.
"You were right in your supposition, Mr Keene," said the captain; "and
really this vessel turning out to be a line-of-battle ship has put me in
a very awkward predicament--I really am puzzled. Fighting is of no use,
and yet run away I will not, if I can possibly help it."
Now, I had been studying the chart, and had made up my own mind how I
should have acted under the circumstances, had I been in Captain
Delmar's position. The great point was, to give him my ideas without
appearing to offer advice; I therefore replied, "We have one advantage,
at all events sir; we have been cruising so long that we are flying
light--I don't think we draw sixteen feet water."
"Yes, that may give us the heels of her in light winds, certainly,"
replied the captain.
"I think she cannot draw less than twenty-six or twenty-seven feet of
water, sir," continued I, to put him on the right scent, "which, on this
coast, will be a great advantage. I think, sir, when I was down below,
I measured from soundings to soundings, and the water is so shallow, and
deepens so gradually, that there is a distance of four miles between
seventeen feet and twenty-eight feet water."
I took up the compass so as to take in the two soundings laid down in
the chart, and then measuring the distance, showed that my assertion was
true. The captain said nothing for a little while. At last I perceived
a smile on his lips. "Tell the officer of the watch to lower down the
cutter, Mr Keene. Go on board of the prizes, and tell them, in
addition to their present orders, to follow us, that in case of an
enemy, they are to run as close in shore as the water will allow them,
and drop their anchors."
"Aye, aye, sir," replied I, leaving the cabin.
This order satisfied me that the captain perceived what I would suggest,
which was, that if we once got in shore and in shallow water we might
laugh at the line-of-battle ship, which, in all probability would not be
able to get near enough to reach us with her guns; or, if she attempted
it, she would run on shore, and then we should have the best of it.
As soon as I had given the orders to the prize-masters and returned on
board, the boat was hoisted up, and all sail made for the land. At
twelve o'clock we sounded, and found ourselves in nine-fathom water, by
which we calculated we were about thirty miles from the land. I hardly
need say that a most careful lookout was kept up, that we might not fall
in with our formidable adversary.
At one o'clock the moon rose, and I, having the middle watch, surveyed
the horizon on every side, but without discovering the enemy; but at
half-past three the day dawned, and before my watch was over it was
broad daylight; and then, just as I was going down, having been relieved
by the second lieutenant, a strange sail was reported about eight miles
to leeward, two points before the beam.
The second lieutenant hastened down to the cabin, to report to the
captain, and I went up to the mast-head to make her out, and I soon
discovered that she was a line-of-battle ship: I immediately descended,
and reported to the captain, who had come on deck. As we could
distinguish the masts and sails of the enemy very well from the deck,
the glasses were fixed upon her at the gang-way, and she was seen to set
her royals and flying jib in chase of us; but we felt that we were safe,
as we should be in shallow water long before she could beat up to us.
All we had to fear for was the merchant vessels which we had re-taken,
and which were two or three miles astern of us, with all the sail that
they could carry.
It was a five-knot breeze, and the water quite smooth, which was very
favourable for the line-of-battle ship and ourselves, but not for the
merchant vessels, which, with their cargoes, required more wind to
propel them through the water. The state of affairs, when the hands
were piped to breakfast, was as follows:--
The French line-of-battle ship had stood in for the land, under all
sail, until half-past-seven, being then, as she was when we first saw
her, exactly two points before the beam, when, probably being in shoal
water, she had tacked, and was now a little abaft our beam, and lying
pretty well up for the merchant vessel the furthest astern of us. Since
she had tacked, she had risen her hull out of water, so as to show her
upper tier of guns. Two of the merchant vessels were about three miles
astern of us,--the other one, five, and stood a fair chance of being cut
off; the more so, because when we discovered the enemy, we were standing
about two points free, right for the coast; whereas, upon her hauling
her wind in chase, we of course did the same, which made us approach the
shallow water in a more slanting direction, and consequently not get in
quite so soon. We were now in seven fathoms water, and, by our pricking
off on the chart, about eleven miles from land, which was so low as to
be barely visible from the mast-head. The men were allowed an hour to
their breakfast, and then we beat to quarters. The captain did not,
however, put out the fires, so as to prevent the ship's company's dinner
being cooked, as everything was ready, and the magazines could be opened
in a minute.
At ten o'clock we had drawn into six fathoms water; the Frenchman was
now nearly astern of us, still on the opposite tack, and passing about
three miles to leeward of the merchant vessel which lagged most behind.
It was now considered certain that she would re-capture this vessel,
which was at least seven miles astern of us, and not impossible that she
might take one, if not both of the others, as it was evident she was a
prime sailer, as fast almost as our own ship.
At a quarter-past ten, the French line-of-battle ship tacked, and stood
right after us in our wake, being now hull down about twelve miles from
us.
"He'll soon have the starnmost vessel, Mr Keene," said Bob Cross to me.
"Mr Dott has charge of her; he is always in some scrape or other."
"Yes," replied I; "but he gets out of them, and I dare say he will out
of this."
"Helm up there, quarter-master--flatten in forward."
"The wind's heading us, sir," said the master; "she's full again now.
Thus, boy, and nothing off."
"She has broken off two points, sir."
"All the better," replied the captain; "it's a squeak for Mr Dott."
In a few minutes we perceived that the other vessel had met the change
in the wind and had broken off as well as ourselves. The Frenchman did
not now lay up for the merchant vessel as she did before, and the latter
had some chance of escape. It was very exciting: for as the time drew
nearer to noon, the wind became more light and more variable, and at one
time all the vessels broke off another point; shortly afterwards, the
wind flew back again to the point which it at first blew from, and the
enemy lay once more right up for the merchant vessels. The French
line-of-battle ship was still about four miles astern of the merchant
vessel nearest to her.
"I think we shall have a calm soon," observed Captain Delmar. "Square
the mainyard; we may as well be nearer to her, as not, now; for if it
falls calm she will recapture them with her boats, and we shall be too
far to give any assistance. Get the yard tackles up: all ready, Mr
---?"
"Aye, aye, sir," replied the first lieutenant.
"Pipe the boat's crew away, and let them get their guns and ammunition
on the gangway."
It was about a quarter to eleven when we hove to, the breeze still
continuing variable and light, and the French line-of-battle ship did
not come up so fast as before. We sounded after we hove to, and found
that we were in five and a half fathoms water.
At twelve o'clock, in consequence of our having hove to, the relative
positions of the vessels were as follows:--The two merchant vessels
which had been about four miles astern of us were now alongside of us;
the third was about three miles astern of us; and the Frenchman was
about the same distance astern of her; so that our frigate was about six
miles from the French line-of-battle ship.
Captain Delmar had given orders to pipe to dinner at seven bells
(half-past eleven o'clock); that in case the boats were required, the
men might have dined before the were sent away. A few minutes after
twelve o'clock it fell a dead calm; the hands were turned up, the boats
hoisted out and lowered down, the guns and ammunition put in them, and
everything in readiness; we keeping our glasses upon the enemy, and
watching her manoeuvring, which, at the distance we were, was now easily
to be distinguished. Captain Delmar was aware that he ran some risk in
sending his boats away, for it might so happen that a breeze might
spring up from the seaward, and the enemy have the advantage of it long
before us; if so, it might bring her up to the vessel astern, and the
boats be captured: indeed it might bring her up nearly alongside of us
before we caught the wind. It was necessary therefore, to be very
cautious, and not send the boats away till the last moment--that is,
before we saw the French ship hoisting out or lowering down her own.
That the Frenchman knew that our boats had been hoisted out, could not
be doubted, as their eyes were quite as sharp as ours. They, however,
tried to double us; for all of a sudden, as I had my glass upon the
French ship, I perceived three boats coming round her quarter, and
pulling right for the merchant vessel: the fact was, that she had
lowered down her stern and quarter boats to leeward, which we could not
perceive. I reported this immediately to the captain, who ordered the
boats' crews to be piped away.
"Who is to command the boats, sir?" said the first lieutenant.
"Mr Keene," said the captain.
"Mr Keene, I wish to speak with you before you go."
Captain Delmar then walked to the capstern, and, in few words, pointed
out what I have just stated as the difficulty which might occur, and the
chances of capture.
"You understand me, Mr Keene?"
"Perfectly, sir," replied I.
"Well, then, I trust to your discretion, Mr Keene, and hope I shall not
be disappointed. Now you may go."
"The French ship is getting up her yard tackles," said the signal man.
"Then you have no time to lose, Mr Keene. As for the small boats, they
are of no consequence."
I went down the side, and shoved off. Our men gave way cheerfully and
manfully; and the three boats of the Frenchmen had but a little start of
us. In half an hour we were both within less than a mile of the
merchant vessel; but the French boats were the nearest of the two. The
affair now became very exciting. In another ten minutes the French
boats had gained the merchant vessel, and the men were clambering up her
sides, while we were not more than three cables' length from them. That
Tommy Dott was defending himself was to be presumed, as a good deal of
firing took place; but before we could get alongside, it was evident
that he and his men had been mastered, and the French were in possession
of the vessel. But now our turn came. Dividing my boats, six in
number, into two divisions, we boarded on both sides, and very soon had
regained the vessel and mastered the French, who did not amount to more
than thirty-five men, while we had more than seventy.
We found that the Frenchmen had not spared our people on board of the
vessel, all of them being wounded or killed; but the fact was that Tommy
Dott had fought most nobly, and resisted to the very last. He himself--
poor fellow!--lay against the cap-stern, with his head cut open by a
blow of a cutlass, and quite insensible. As soon as we had secured the
prisoners, I turned my eyes to the line-of-battle ship, and saw that her
large boats had shoved off; they were five in number, but much larger,
and holding more men than we had.
A little reflection decided me that we should have a better chance of
resisting them on board of the vessel than in the boats; and I
determined that I would get my boats' guns up on board of the vessel,
and arm her in that way. It was necessary, however, to secure our
boats, that they might not cut them away from alongside; I therefore, as
soon as the guns and ammunition were on board, lowered the iron chain
cable down from the bows, and passed it from one boat to the other under
the fixed thwarts of each boat, including those captured from the
French, hauling the end of the cable on board again through the stern
port. We had plenty of time to do this, and make any other preparation
on board, before the French boats arrived.
It was a dead calm; the sea was like a mirror, and the advancing boats,
as their oars rose and fell in the water, gave you the idea of creatures
possessed of life and volition, as they rapidly forced their way through
the yielding fluid. The vessel's stern was towards the line-of-battle
ship, and the boats were pulling up a little on the starboard quarter.
The guns which I had hoisted on board had, for want of any other means,
been sufficiently secured by ropes to the slides and breechings to
enable us to fire them with effect. When the boats were about a quarter
of a mile from us, we opened our fire; not that we expected much from
our guns, as we knew we could not obtain more than two good shots at the
boats before they were alongside; still there was a chance of hitting
and disabling them, and no chance was to be thrown away.
Our first shot was successful; it struck one of the pinnaces, and she
swamped immediately. Our men cheered, while the other French boats
pulled to it, and took up the men who were floating in the water.
Before they could effect this, another gun was fired with grape and
round, which apparently did some execution, as there appeared to be much
confusion on board of the two boats that had gone to the assistance of
their comrades. We now fully expected the boats to advance; on the
contrary, they spread out on each quarter, and opened their fire upon us
with their guns--a very foolish act on their part, as it gave us every
advantage; for they were far superior to us in number of men, and should
have boarded us at once, instead of risking the loss of more of their
boats. So little did we expect this, that at one time I was debating
whether I should not leave the guns in the boats alongside, instead of
getting them on board, that there might be no delay in case wind sprang
up, and it were necessary that we should be off; of course, as it was, I
was very glad that I had decided otherwise.
The action, if it may be so termed, now continued for about half an hour
without any great casualty on either side: we had five or six men
wounded on board of the vessel, but none killed. I had occasionally
looked round to see if there was any appearance of wind, and just about
this time I perceived a black line in the offing, which promised not
only wind, but wind from the very quarter which would be most disastrous
to us, and I began to feel very anxious, when I heard a bugle sounded
from the largest French boat. This was the signal to advance, and I was
very glad, as the affair would now be soon decided.
As all our boats were secured on the starboard side of the vessel, the
Frenchmen did not attempt to board on that side, as in so doing it would
have been at a double disadvantage; they had therefore no alternative
but to board all together on the larboard side. Two of the boats' guns
had been fixed on that side--double shotted and depressed, so as to be
fired at the moment one of the boats should pass beneath them; they were
both fired at the leading boat, the launch, which was very large and
full of men, and the shot went through her bottom. This did not prevent
her coming alongside: but she filled and sank almost immediately
afterwards, while the men were climbing up the sides of the vessel. The
sinking of this boat prevented the men of the other boats outside of her
from supporting their companions, and we had therefore only to meet the
force of the launch and the two other boats which had come alongside
ahead of her, and which was in number not equal to our own.
We always had an idea that the French would never do much in the way of
boarding, and so it proved; they were beat down as fast as they made
their appearance above the bulwarks. The French lieutenant was
attempting to get over the gunwale; he was unsupported, as almost all
his men had tumbled back into the sea. Instead of cutting him down, I
caught him by the collar, and hauled him on board, and as soon as he was
disarmed, gave him in charge of a marine. In ten minutes all was over:
two of the French boats remained alongside, and the others shoved off,
half manned, and dropped astern. We gave them three cheers as a parting
salutation, but we had no time to lose--the wind was evidently springing
up fast; already cat's paws were to be seen here and there rippling the
water, and the line on the horizon was now dark and broad. I ordered
our boats to be ready for starting, the guns to be got in, and the
wounded men divided among them as fast as possible. The two large
French boats which remained on the starboard side we cleared of the men
who lay in them, and then had their bottoms beat out to sink them. The
French lieutenant and two other officers I ordered into our own boats,
to take on board as prisoners; the rest of the French who had been
captured, with their wounded, we put into the three small French boats
which had been captured in the first attack, taking away their oars,
that, when I shoved off and left the vessel, they might drift about till
they were picked up by the French ship.
Every thing being in readiness, I had now to decide what I should do
with the merchant vessel. The wind coming up so fast from the seaward,
gave her no chance of escape, and I decided that I would set her on
fire. Having so done in three different parts, to ensure her
destruction, I then shoved off with our boats, having first pushed off
the Frenchmen in their boats without oars, and wished them good-bye;
they certainly did look very foolish, and anything but pleased.
As we pulled for the frigate, I perceived that the line-of-battle ship's
sails were filling, and that it was touch and go with us; but I also
knew that she could not leave her boats and that it would take some time
to pick them up; two were half-manned, and pulling towards her; the
other three were without oars, and must be picked by the other boats;
all of which would occasion delay. Notwithstanding, we pulled as hard
as we could and were halfway back before the breeze was sufficiently
steady to enable the line-of-battle ship to make much progress through
the water. Of course we could not well see what was going on when we
had pulled away in the boats, and were at a distance; all we could see
was, that the French line-of-battle ship was not yet in chase, from
which we presumed that she had not yet picked up her boats. In the
meantime the merchant vessel burnt furiously, and the columns of smoke
very often hid the enemy from our view.
Before we arrived on board the breeze had passed us and caught the sails
of our frigate and the two merchant vessels, so that we were more easy
on that score. Captain Delmar had been very anxious; the yards,
tackles, and stays, and the tackles for hoisting up the quarter-boats,
were already hanging down as we pulled alongside, and "all hands in
boats" was piped before we could get up the gangway. There was no time
to be lost: the French line-of-battle ship had picked up her boats, and
was now in chase, with studding-sails below and abaft. The two merchant
vessels had made all sail, and were running inshore ahead of us. I
touched my hat to the captain, and said, "Come on board, sir--shall I
see the quarter-boats hoisted up?"
"If you please, Mr Keene," replied he.
The fact was, it was very easy to tell my story after the boats were up
and sail made upon the frigate, and I knew there was no time for
talking.
I never witnessed such a rapidity as was shown on this occasion; in less
than five minutes all the boats were on board, and all sail made. I
looked at the French line-of-battle ship; she was within four miles of
us, and bringing up a very steady breeze. But we were now drawing
through the water, and as the re-captured vessels were three miles ahead
of us, there was nothing to fear. Captain Delmar came aft to look at
the Frenchman, who had already passed by the vessel which I had set on
fire.
"Now, then, Mr Keene," said he, "we will know what has taken place. Of
course we have seen most of it."