senses already, are you? It is well. Now you are beginning to exhibit
a glimmer of common sense, which I hope will increase with reflection,
and if it does I doubt not that we shall get on well enough together
after all; especially as you will find that there is plenty of prize-
money to be earned on board this ship. Now go forward and tell your
mates that you have accepted service under me, and persuade them to do
the same. I hope, for your sake, that you will have no trouble in so
persuading them."
"I go, sir," replied I; "but I tell you, now, in the presence of these
men, that I obey you under protest, and only because I do not choose to
submit to the indignity of compulsion by mere superior brute force."
And so saying I turned and left the cabin, being escorted to the deck by
Pierre and his three myrmidons.
I went right forward into the forecastle and, finding my fellow-
survivors there, told them all that had passed in the cabin, at which
they expressed the utmost indignation; Dumaresq being as loud as the
loudest of my companions in his denunciation of Renouf's conduct. I let
them finish their growl, and then said:
"Well, lads, I have told you exactly what this fellow Renouf said, and
how he acted. It is now for you to act, each according to what seems
best to him; for although I have been ordered to persuade you to follow
my example, I shall do nothing of the sort. Each man must act according
to his own judgment, just as I did. It did not suit me to submit to the
indignity of being flogged, and I therefore accepted the only
alternative that was left to me, namely, to consent to serve aboard this
ship. But I did so with several mental reservations, the nature of
which I will communicate to you at some more convenient time."
As I said this, my gaze involuntarily turned in Dumaresq's direction.
The poor fellow flushed up painfully and said:
"I hope, my dear Bowen, you have no suspicion that I will betray to this
rascal--whom I blush to acknowledge as a fellow-countrymen--anything
that you may choose to say in my presence. Believe me, I fully
appreciate all the difficulties of your position, and can well
understand that you have felt yourself compelled to yield to
circumstances which you found it impossible to control. But give me
credit for believing that your surrender was not the base, unconditional
surrender of a coward who preferred to turn traitor to his country
rather than submit to a flogging. If I have read your character
aright--and God knows I have been associated with you under
circumstances that ought to have given me some insight into it--you have
yielded to this man Renouf for some ulterior purpose of your own, which
you intend to communicate to your comrades at the first fitting
opportunity. Now, so far as I am concerned, I have not the same reasons
that you have for objecting to take service in this ship, and I shall
therefore volunteer. But I want you to understand that the accident of
our happening to belong to two nations, at present unhappily at war with
each other, is wholly insufficient to lessen in the slightest degree the
personal friendship I entertain for you and these good fellows here,
your fellow-countrymen. I am your and their friend now and for ever;
and I want to make it plain to you that, short of absolute treachery to
my country, you may count upon me to stand by you through thick and
thin. You hesitate, and very rightly, too, to speak of your plans
before me. It would be no advantage to you, and it might be
embarrassing to me, were you to discuss them in my presence; but I have
so little sympathy with Captain Renouf in his high-handed method of
dealing with you that, were I to accidentally become acquainted with any
portion of your intentions, I should feel quite justified in remaining
silent about them. If the fellow is foolish enough to compel you to
serve him against your will, he need feel no surprise at your taking an
early opportunity to free yourselves from so galling a yoke. And now,
in order that I may not be a restraint upon you, I will relieve you of
my presence by going aft and volunteering. But believe and trust in my
friendship always, even should circumstances assume such a character as
to suggest a doubt of it."
So saying, he grasped the hand I offered him, wrung it heartily, and
sprang up the ladder to the deck.
As soon as he was gone I translated to my four fellow-prisoners what he
had said, and we then resumed our discussion of the situation. I told
my companions that although I had consented to serve on board the _Jean
Bart_, nothing should induce me to take up arms against my fellow-
countrymen; that, on the contrary, if we should chance to fall in with a
British ship, I was fully determined, by every means in my power, to
frustrate Renouf's intentions, and to hamper and obstruct him in every
possible way, and at all hazards; and that, if they felt disposed to
accept service with a similar determination, it would be strange if five
resolute, determined men like ourselves could not do something very
material toward assisting in the capture of the schooner, and the safe
lodgment of Monsieur Renouf aboard a British hulk. The men seemed to
look at the matter in pretty much the same light that I did. They
recognised, as I did, that Renouf was an unscrupulous rascal, likely to
hesitate at little or nothing to gain his own headstrong will; they
realised the utter futility of attempting to resist him, backed as he
was by his whole crew; and, finally, they made up their minds to follow
my example, recognising me as their actual leader, and heartily pledging
themselves to be ready to act upon my initiative at a moment's notice,
and to obey me to the death whenever a suitable opportunity should arise
to translate our somewhat vague plans into action.
Having arrived at this understanding, I went aft and informed Captain
Renouf that my comrades had consented, like myself under protest, to
serve on board the _Jean Bart_; whereupon he ironically congratulated me
upon my success--at which, nevertheless, I could see he was very much
pleased--and gave orders that we were forthwith to be enrolled in the
port watch, under his brother. We went on duty within the hour, were
all placed in the same mess, and slept that night in that portion of the
'tween-decks devoted to the accommodation of the crew.
I was called upon to perform the duty of an able seaman; and ere long it
became apparent that, having gained his way with us Englishmen, Renouf
was now desirous to render our service as pleasant as possible to us.
We were called upon only to do such work as is usually allotted to the
highest grade of seamen before the mast, and in many ways trifling but
none the less acceptable indulgences were shown to us. One of our
duties was, of course, to take our regular trick at the wheel, and in
this way I soon discovered that we were heading for West Indian waters.
It was on the fifth day after our submission to Renouf that, just after
breakfast, a sail was made out from the mast-head, and the schooner's
course was at once altered with the object of intercepting the strange
ship, which was steering north. I was full of hope that the craft would
turn out to be British, in which case there would almost certainly be a
fight, and an opportunity would be afforded me of paying off part of the
debt that I owed to Monsieur Renouf. But as the two craft neared each
other, and the stranger's sails, and finally her hull, rose above the
horizon, I was disappointed to discover that she was evidently a
foreigner; and at length, in response to an exhibition of the French
colours at the schooner's peak, she hoisted the Spanish ensign. Renouf,
however, continued to bear down upon her; and presently the Spaniard,
evidently growing alarmed at the menacing behaviour of the schooner, put
up her helm and bore away before the wind, with the unmistakable
intention of avoiding us if possible.
But a cart-horse might as well hope to gallop away from a thorough-bred
racer as that ship to outsail the _Jean Bart_. The stranger was clearly
a big, lumbering merchantman, built for the purpose of stowing the
greatest possible amount of cargo in a hull of her dimensions. She had
no pretensions whatever to speed, while the schooner was, as I have
elsewhere said, exceptionally fast; it was not wonderful, therefore,
that we rapidly overhauled her without an effort.
It was my impression that, as the Spaniard was probably homeward-bound
from that part of the world toward which we were steering, Renouf was
anxious to speak her and obtain what information he could with regard to
the state of affairs generally in that quarter; and I was therefore not
surprised at his persistent pursuit of the ship. But when later on in
the day we had closed her to within gun-shot distance, and he began to
fire into her, I certainly thought he was again carrying things with
rather a high hand, and that, if he was not careful, he would probably
get himself into serious trouble over the affair. Still it was no
business of mine. The Spaniards, like the French, were at war with us,
and if they chose to make war upon each other also it was not for me to
object; on the contrary, any action calculated to produce a feeling of
ill-will between the two nations could not fail to be of advantage to
Great Britain. I therefore felt no qualms of conscience whatever when
called upon to take my station at one of the guns, and did my duty with
hearty good-will.
We continued firing at the Spaniard for about half an hour, in a very
leisurely way, but with such deliberate aim that every shot struck her;
and then, without firing a shot in return, the great hulking craft
shortened sail and hove-to. Ten minutes later we, too, were hove-to
within pistol-shot of the Spaniard's weather quarter, and we then had an
opportunity to learn, by the gilt lettering on her stern, that she was
the _Santa Theresa_, of Cadiz. The _Jean Bart's_ three boats were at
once lowered, and a party of about forty men, armed to the teeth, and
led by Captain Renouf, his brother Gabriel, and young Dumaresq pushed
off to take possession.
I thought this last a most extraordinary proceeding, France and Spain
being then on friendly terms with each other; moreover, it at once
disabused me of the impression that it was information only that Renouf
was seeking. Still, it was no business of mine; and even had it been,
that was certainly not the moment for me to interfere, surrounded as I
was by some forty evil-looking ruffians, fully armed, and the schooner
in charge of the second mate--the most evil-looking scoundrel of the
lot, and, moreover, a man who had not attempted to conceal the fact that
he intensely hated the very sight of us Englishmen.
The boats passed under the Spaniard's stern, and a few minutes later
Renouf appeared upon her poop with his sword drawn, and waved a signal
to Danton the second mate; whereupon a man was sent aloft to our royal-
yard, with instructions to keep a sharp look-out all round the horizon,
and to at once report the appearance of any strange sail that might
perchance heave in sight.
For close upon four hours the two craft remained thus hove-to, upon
opposite tacks, gradually drifting further apart, except when Danton saw
fit to fill upon the schooner from time to time for the purpose of again
closing with the Spaniard, never nearing her, however, closer than half
a mile to leeward; and during at least two hours of this time not a
trace of life was to be discovered on board the bigger ship. At length,
however, a slight movement became observable on board the _Santa
Theresa_; and presently we saw that tackles were being got up on the
main-topmast-stay and the lower yard-arms. The Spaniard's boats were
then hoisted out and lowered from the davits, until all of them appeared
to be in the water, when the long-boat was hauled alongside to leeward,
abreast the main hatchway; half a dozen men clambered down the side into
her; and, after a short interval which was probably employed in taking
off the hatches, it became apparent that they were hoisting cargo up out
of the _Santa Theresa's_ hold, certain selected bales and packages of
which were from time to time carefully lowered down into the long-boat;
a sight which went far toward confirming certain dreadful suspicions
that had been slowly taking shape within my mind from the moment when I
had seen Renouf, with his drawn sword, upon the Spanish ship's poop.
We now once more filled upon the schooner, and this time closed the
bigger ship to leeward within less than a cable's length, when we once
more hove-to, on the same tack as our neighbour, and a powerful tackle
was then got up on our lower yard-arm, and another on the triatic-stay.
By the time that these preparations were complete, the long-boat was
loaded as deeply as was prudent, and she was at once cast off and taken
in tow by four men in one of the schooner's boats, the next largest of
the _Santa Theresa's_ boats taking her place, for the reception of
further cargo. The weather was at this time quite fine, with a very
moderate breeze blowing, and so little swell running that it was not
worth speaking about; yet the long-boat was no sooner fairly in tow than
it became apparent that those in charge of her were in difficulties;
and, but for the prompt measures taken by Danton, she would have missed
the schooner altogether and gone wallowing away to leeward. With our
assistance, however, she was got alongside, after a fashion, and brought
to the schooner's lee gangway, when it became apparent that those in
charge of her were so helplessly drunk that they could hardly stand.
Yet, somehow, they managed, with assistance, to clamber up our low side
and reach the deck; when, as well as their drunken state would allow,
they forthwith proceeded, in ribald language, to entertain their more
sober shipmates with a tale of gross, wanton, cruel outrage, perpetrated
on board the Spaniard, that made my blood boil with indignation, and
caused me, thick-skinned sailor as I was, to blush at the thought that
the perpetrators were, like myself, human. I noticed that Danton
listened with greedy ears to the foul recital; and by and by, when the
long-boat's cargo had been roused out of her and struck down our main
hatchway, he turned the schooner over to the carpenter, and, taking four
fresh and sober hands with him, proceeded on board the _Santa Theresa_,
leaving the four drunken ruffians behind.
Shortly after the departure of the long-boat, one of the cutters came
drifting down to us, loaded to her gunwale, and the four intoxicated
scoundrels in charge of her amply verified the revolting story told by
their predecessors, adding such details as abundantly confirmed my
suspicions that the _Jean Bart_ was no privateer, but an out-and-out
pirate of the deepest dye. Their tale so inflamed the sober portion of
our crew, who had remained on board the schooner, that at one moment it
looked very much as though they were about to throw off all the trammels
of discipline and obedience, and proceed forthwith on board the
Spaniard, to participate in the saturnalia still in progress there; and
it was only by the production of a lavish allowance of rum, and a
promise from the carpenter that they should all have their turn on board
the doomed ship, that they could be restrained from heaving the cutter's
cargo overboard--instead of hoisting it out and passing it down the
hatchway,--seizing the boat, and proceeding on board the Spaniard _en
masse_. As for me, it may be imagined what a raging fever of
indignation and fury I was thrown into by what I had heard; and it was
made all the more unendurable by the circumstance that I was utterly
powerless to interfere. For what could I and my four fellow-countrymen
say or do to restrain some eighty lawless ruffians animated by all the
vilest and most evil passions that the human breast ever harboured?
Absolutely nothing! not even though we should resolve to lay down our
lives in the attempt. We might destroy some twenty or thirty of the
Frenchmen, perhaps, before we ourselves went under, but that would in
nowise serve the unhappy Spaniards, who would still be at the mercy of
the ruthless survivors. A thousand schemes suggested themselves to me,
but there was not a practical one among them all, not one that offered
the remotest prospect of success; and, with a bitter execration at our
helplessness, I was at length obliged to admit that things must take
their course, so far as we were concerned. But, although helpless to
intervene just then, I saw that there was a possibility of the
Frenchmen's excesses bringing retribution in their train. For every man
who had thus far come from the Spanish ship had been almost helplessly
drunk; and I saw no especial reason why the rest should not be in the
same condition. And, if they were, what might not five resolute,
reckless Englishmen be able to do?
I had observed that, when the carpenter found himself compelled to bribe
what I may term the sober half of the schooner's crew to remain aboard,
by producing a quantity of rum, my four English shipmates exhibited no
backwardness in accepting and swallowing the very liberal allowance that
had been offered to them; I also accepted mine; and, upon the pretence
of being thirsty and therefore desiring to add water to it, I took it
aft to the scuttle-butt, deftly hove the spirit overboard, and filling
the pannikin with water, drank the contents with the greatest apparent
gusto. And now, as certain vague possibilities began to present
themselves to my mind, I contrived to draw Hardy, Green, Anstey, and
Sendell away from the crowd of excited, chattering Frenchmen that
swarmed in the waist and around the hatchway; and, getting them down
into the deserted forecastle, I briefly and rapidly explained to them
all that I had discovered relative to the real character of the _Jean
Bart_ and her crew, as well as the nature of the doings aboard the
Spanish ship; and, having thus wrought them up to a proper pitch of
indignation, I unfolded to them my somewhat hazy plans, and inquired
whether they were disposed to aid me in them. To my delight, I found
that they were with me, heart and soul. They had never very greatly
relished their compulsory service aboard the schooner, and now that they
were made aware of her true character and that of her crew, they
professed themselves ready and eager to do anything I might propose in
order to escape the thraldom of a continuation of such service and
companionship. Whereupon I bade them accept all the drink that might be
offered them, but to religiously abstain from swallowing another drop of
it, and to hold themselves in readiness to act under my leadership
whenever I might deem that the favourable moment for such action had
arrived.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
WE TURN THE TABLES UPON MONSIEUR RENOUF.
It was drawing well on toward sunset when Renouf, having apparently
appropriated all the most valuable portions of the Spaniard's cargo that
he could readily lay hands on, began to clear his disorderly rabble of a
crew out of the ship, sending them aboard the schooner, a boatload at a
time, and, to my surprise, using the Spanish boats, as well as his own,
for this purpose. Meanwhile, the stories told by the men who had from
time to time come from the Spanish ship had had the effect of gradually
enticing the more sober half out of the schooner and on board the _Santa
Theresa_, until the _Jean Bart_ had at length been left practically in
possession of us five Englishmen, and some thirty Frenchmen, the whole
of whom were more or less helplessly drunk. And, this being the state
of things on board the schooner, it would have been a comparatively easy
matter for us five to have overpowered the Frenchmen, who were lying or
staggering about the decks, and to have made off with the vessel; but
not even to secure our liberty did I consider that I should have been
justified in leaving Renouf and the bulk of his ruffians on board the
_Santa Theresa_, to wreak his vengeance on the hapless crew and
passengers. At length pretty nearly all the Frenchmen, save Renouf, his
brother, and some half a dozen more, had rejoined the schooner, and I
perceived with intense satisfaction that, although they were, without
exception, in an almost helpless state of intoxication, every man
brought with him at least a couple of bottles of wine or spirits; some
men brought as many as half a dozen with them; and, at a hint from me,
Anstey and his shipmates zealously assisted in getting these precious
bottles safely up over the ship's side for their owners, who at once
took them below and stowed them away in their hammocks. Among the
earliest of the main body of arrivals, so to speak, came Dumaresq; he
was perfectly sober, and I was gratified to observe that his countenance
wore a quite unmistakable expression of fiery indignation, in which I
thought I could also trace indications of horror and disgust. He caught
my eye for an instant, as he sprang in over the rail; threw up his hands
expressively, laid his finger on his lips, and vanished below.
Only the schooner's gig and the Spanish ship's pinnace now remained to
join, and I had found time to observe that the latter was being loaded
with a number of very small but apparently heavy packages, the nature of
which I shrewdly suspected, for I had seen something very like them
before. At length the operation of loading the pinnace appeared to be
complete. There was a pause of about a quarter of an hour, and then the
gig started for the schooner, with the pinnace in tow. As soon as I saw
these two boats coming I directed my four shipmates to go below and turn
into their hammocks, as at least half the Frenchmen had done, and to
remain there, if possible, until I should call them, at the same time
warning them not to touch a drop of liquor, as they valued their lives.
In a few minutes the two boats were alongside, and I saw that my
suspicion as to the nature of the small packages was correct. There
were just forty of them, weighing about one hundred pounds each; each
package was carefully sewn up in raw hide, and I knew that these small
but exceedingly heavy packages were so many gold ingots! So the _Jean
Bart_ had made a very handsome haul, apart from the probably valuable
bales that had come up out of the Spaniard's hold. As Renouf and his
brother came up over the side I observed that their faces were flushed,
as with excitement, or wine, or both, and their voices were thick and
husky, but neither of them was what might be called intoxicated. As
they turned to go aft to the cabin the brothers glanced at the Spanish
ship, and the elder gave utterance to a brutal jest that made my hands
tingle to take him by the throat and heave him overboard. But I seldom
permit my passion to conquer prudence, and I allowed him to go,
promising myself that his unhappy victims should be amply avenged in due
time. Alas! even then I did not know the full measure of the villain's
infamy, or I should have cast prudence to the winds, and dared
everything for immediate freedom of action. They went below for a few
minutes, and then returned to the deck to watch the trans-shipment of
the gold, standing close to the gangway, and execrating in unmeasured
terms the incapacity of the drunken mob who were performing the
operation. For my own purpose I also assumed the demeanour of semi-
intoxication, and accordingly came in for my full share of abuse. The
gold, as it was hoisted on deck, was passed down into the cabin, and
when it had all been got safely aboard the schooner, the pinnace was
passed astern and made fast to the rest of the Spanish boats, when, to
my astonishment, we filled and made sail with the _Santa Theresa's_
boats in tow!