The "Boston" was still in company at breakfast-time the following
morning, but we had by that time contrived to leave her a good two miles
astern, a feat which in view of that frigate's reputation occasioned
general exultation to the "Junos," for, as little Summers sagely
remarked at the breakfast-table, "what was the use of going to sea in a
ship whose sailing powers were unequal to the task of taking her crew
alongside an enemy?"
"Well, the old tub has not done badly, so far," observed young Smellie.
"She turns out a good deal better than I had been led to expect. I met
a mid who had formerly belonged to her, on the day that I came down to
join, and he said that the fastest he had ever known her to go was six
knots, and that it took her the length of a dog-watch to go about."
"Well, if she will stay at all, we shall not be so badly off as I was in
the old `Ajax,'" ejaculated Summers. "We were always obliged to _wear_
her, and if we could get her round upon the other tack without running
more than three miles to leeward we considered we had done pretty well."
"Is it your _habit_ to exaggerate, or do you only indulge in it
occasionally, young 'un?" quietly inquired Percival, the master's-mate,
looking up from a book he was devouring with his breakfast.
"Exaggerate? How do you mean?" returned Summers, flushing up very red
in the face. "I thought it would be understood that I was only joking."
"And I have no doubt it _was_ so understood," remarked Percival, "but if
you are not above taking a bit of friendly advice, let me recommend you
not to deviate a single hair's-breadth _from_ the truth, even in joke;
it is a dangerous practice, and as easy an introduction to deliberate,
systematic lying as any with which I am acquainted. Now don't look so
hurt, my boy, of course you meant no harm--you had no intention to
deceive us, it was merely a thoughtless speech, but be advised by me and
avoid that particular species of thoughtlessness as you would the
plague, nothing is much easier to acquire than a reputation for
untruthfulness, and certainly nothing is more difficult to get rid of."
Poor little Summers hung down his head for a few moments, dreadfully
abashed at this unexpected rebuke, then looking up, with the flush still
on his face, he said, "Thank you, Mr Percival. You hit me rather hard,
but I believe you are right, I am afraid I _have_ yielded rather too
much to the bad habit of which you speak, but I don't think I shall be
likely to do it again. And now, to change the subject, does anybody
know exactly where we are bound?"
"There was a vague rumour floating about Portsmouth, a few days ago,
that Lord Hood--by the way, I wonder if he is in any way related to our
skipper?--is to take a fleet to Toulon, though for what purpose nobody
seemed to know; I hope we shall not be ordered to join," said Smellie.
"I hope not!" remarked Percival. "_I_ also heard the rumour to which
you refer, and I fancy there must be some truth in it, for it went so
far even as to specify by name several ships as having been selected to
form part of the fleet, and I know that there has been a pretty general
overhaul and refit going on with many of them. There is a large French
fleet at this moment lying in Toulon harbour, and I am of opinion that
the expedition--if such there is to be--is for the purpose of getting
hold of a few of them. It is said that there are no less than thirty-
four ships, many of them of large size, lying there ready for sea, while
they have one seventy-four, and two forties--all very fine vessels--on
the stocks and about ready for launching. If Lord Hood can take the
pick of such a fleet as that, we should be able to lay up in ordinary
the old `Juno' and a few more like her. But I do not think we need
distress ourselves much respecting the Toulon fleet. If Lord Hood wants
any frigates, he will take them out with him. _Our_ mission, I expect,
will be to cruise up and down the Mediterranean, doing the best we can
for ourselves; our skipper has, no doubt, influence enough to ensure
that he shall not be hampered by being attached to blockading fleets, or
anything of that kind, where you get a great deal of work and very
little prize-money."
Percival's assumption turned out to be correct. We called at Gibraltar,
and remained a couple of days, giving some of us, of whom I happened to
be one--an opportunity of exploring this extraordinary fortress, from
whence we went on to Malta, remained there a week, and were then ordered
out to cruise. We were told that the French had seventeen ships-of-war
cruising in the Mediterranean, but we seemed to be altogether out of
luck's way, for we never had the good fortune even to sight one, and,
beyond picking up some half-a-dozen insignificant French traders, we did
positively nothing for six entire months.
At length, about the middle of December, the ship requiring a slight
refit, we bore up for Malta, arriving there on the 23rd of the month--
just in time for the Christmas festivities. We of the cockpit contrived
to get our full share of leave, and enjoyed ourselves immensely, but as
nothing occurred particularly worthy of note, I shall not enter into
details as to the pranks we played, and our several modes of seeking
enjoyment.
On the 4th of January, 1794, we received orders to take on board 150
supernumeraries for the garrison at Toulon, the rumour of the proposed
fleet under Lord Hood having in the meantime become an accomplished
fact, and that gallant officer having accepted the surrender of the port
from the Toulonese, in trust for Louis XVII. We received these
supernumeraries on board early next morning, and sailed immediately
after the completion of the embarkation.
It took us a week to make the passage, the wind being fair but light,
and the weather beautiful during the whole time. On the fourth day out,
poor old Rawlings, the master, complained of severe shooting pains in
the head, accompanied by giddiness and nausea, and the next day found
him confined to his berth in a high fever.
We arrived off the port at about 10 p.m. It was a beautiful night, the
moon, just entering her second quarter, beamed softly down upon us from
the cloudless, star-spangled sky, and a light air of wind from the
southward just filled our sails and fanned us along at a rate of about
four knots. When about five miles off, we hoisted lights for a pilot,
the skipper being anxious to get in that night, so as to discharge the
supernumeraries the first thing in the morning, the vessel being
somewhat crowded. Three-quarters of an hour elapsed, during which we
looked in vain for a boat coming off to us, when, having approached
within a couple of miles of the entrance to the harbour, Captain Hood
gave orders for the ship to be hove-to.
Another half-hour passed away, and still no sign of a pilot.
"If poor Rawlings had not been in the sick-bay--aw--we should have been
snugly at anchor by this time," said the skipper to Mr Annesley. "I'll
be bound to say that the--aw--old fellow has been in and out of the
place a dozen times at least, and he would have taken us in like a--ah--
like a shot."
"Quite likely, sir," returned Mr Annesley, with his telescope to his
eye; "I think it would be difficult to name a port which he has _not_
been into. It is unfortunate that he should be laid up just at this
juncture. They must be very early birds in Toulon, or surely somebody
would have made out our lights before this. And,"--he lowered his
telescope--"it is very queer, but I cannot make out the British fleet in
there, surely we ought to see them from where we now are?"
"Not if they are in the inner harbour, which I--aw--suspect they are.
The Italian bwig which came in on the day we sailed was from Marseilles,
and her master weported a succession of stwong easterly winds
hereabouts, which would natuwally send the Bwitish fleet farther in; we
shall find them there all wight; where else could they be?" remarked the
skipper.
"Very true, sir," observed the first lieutenant. "Shall we fill on her
and heave about? I see no sign of a boat coming off."
"Yes, if you please," was the answer. "By-the-bye, I wonder if young
Percival has ever been inside there; if he has, pewhaps he could take us
in."
"I scarcely expect he has ever seen the inside of the harbour, sir,"
said Mr Annesley; "still, we can ask him. Shall I pass the word for
him?"
"Yes, do," said the skipper. "I should like to get in to-night, if
possible."
"Pass the word for--oh! here he is," said the first luff, as Percival
strolled aft from the forecastle, whence he had been taking a good look
at the harbour. "Mr Percival, Captain Hood wishes to know if you have
ever been into Toulon?"
"No, sir, I never have," replied Percival, addressing himself to the
skipper direct; "but I have just been having a look at the place, and I
feel sure I could take the ship in. Mr Rawlings, on the first day that
he was taken ill, brought out his chart, and showed me the way in, with
all the marks and bearings of the fairway, and I have been able to make
out every one of them quite distinctly. It is a fine, clear night, with
little wind and no sea, so that if we _did_ happen to touch anywhere we
should do no harm, but I think I could safely promise to take her in
without scouring her copper."
"Vewy well, then, Mr Percival, I'll wisk it. Take charge, sir, and do
the best you can for us," said the skipper.
The main-topsail was filled, and as soon as the ship had way enough on
her, we hove about, and bore away for the harbour, with a hand in the
fore-chains on each side, taking frequent casts of the lead, and
Percival on the poop, conning the ship. As we drew in towards the
harbour, sail was shortened, and we crept in under topsails and jib
only.
At length we safely entered the inner harbour, Percival's skill having
proved fully equal to the occasion, and there, as had been expected, we
found a number of ships lying snugly at anchor.
"Ah!" said the skipper, "here is the admiral, just as I expected. Do
you see that bwig, Mr Percival?"
"Yes, sir," returned Percival, "I wanted to weather her, but we shall
not do it, the wind is too light, and the tide too strong; we must tack
under his stern, as there is shoal water not far to leeward of where he
is."
"Then, in that case, we'll give her a little more muslin," said Mr
Annesley. "Haul out the driver, and down with the fore tack and sheet;
look sharp, my lads! Now, Mr Percival, we are all ready."
We were now drawing up on the brig's starboard quarter, and almost
within hailing distance. Captain Hood was preparing to hail the vessel,
when a figure was seen on the taffrail of the stranger, and the next
moment some indistinct words were hoarsely bellowed at us.
"_What_ does he say?" said the skipper, turning to the group of officers
standing near.
"Couldn't exactly make out," said one. "Didn't hear very distinctly,"
said another. "I thought it sounded like French," said Percival.
"Oh!" said the skipper, "he is of course asking who we are. His
Bwitannic Majesty's fwigate `Juno,' from Malta, with supahnumewawies for
the garrison," he added, roaring back between his hands at the
motionless figure on board the brig.
"Viva!" was the reply, accompanied by the wave of a navy cap.
"He's Fwench," said the skipper; "one of the fellows who has suwendered
to our fleet. Can any of you gentlemen speak Fwench well enough to ask
him which is the Bwitish admiral's ship?"
There was no one, it appeared, with quite sufficient confidence in his
knowledge of the French language to undertake this duty, so I stepped
forward and, with becoming modesty, offered to obtain whatever
information was required. Permission being given, I approached the
side, and squeaked out, in the most manly tones at my command, the
proposed inquiry.
The figure gesticulated violently, then stooped down to commune with
three or four more, whose heads could now be seen just above the
taffrail; finally he raised himself to an upright position, and shouted
back, "Yesh, yesh!"
"I'm afraid he did not understand you, Mr Chester," said Mr Annesley.
"Try him again."