The western breeze is fresh and free;
Before its power the vessels fleet,
And, bounding o'er the flashing waves,
Like lovers haste to meet.
_Isobel--A Ballad_.
And sweep through the deep,
While the stormy tempests blow;
While the battle rages loud and long,
And the stormy tempests blow.
_Mariners of England_.
By each gun a lighted brand,
In a bold, determined hand.
_Battle of the Baltic_.
Day after day the wind continued to blow mildly from the west, and the
brig still made regular but slow progress before it, on her
south-eastwardly course.
One morning, before sunrise, a strange sail was espied upon the larboard
bow. It was during Mr Afton's watch that this discovery was made. The
second-lieutenant pronounced the stranger to be a merchant ship. This
fact, with the opinion of the officer of the watch, being communicated
to the commander of the brig, who was still in his hammock, and whom we
must now call Captain Vance, orders were given by him to crowd all sail
on the _Falcon_, and to pursue the stranger ship.
Hour after hour passed away, and still the pirate vessel continued to
gain on the chase, which had in the meanwhile been discovered to be a
large and heavily-laden ship.
Mile after mile the brig gained while the wind lasted; but towards two
o'clock the light breeze, which had been blowing from the same point so
many days, began to die away, and by noon there was an absolute calm.
The brig was at this time still many miles distant from the ship. For
more than an hour each vessel remained, except as affected by that
unceasing swell (in this instance scarcely perceptible) which never
allows the water to be perfectly tranquil, as motionless as--
"A painted ship
Upon a painted ocean."
Between one and two o'clock, clouds, in masses at first comparatively
light, but which grew dense and denser, began to move overhead from the
east towards the west; these were evidently impelled by a wind
travelling in the same direction, and light flaws of which occasionally
made faint shadows over the ocean by slightly stirring its waters, and
sometimes gave a soft pulsation to the sails of the two vessels.
Shortly after two o'clock, lightning flashes gleamed in rather quick
succession, from below the eastern horizon; but no thunder was heard.
At length a small portion of densely black cloud showed itself in the
same direction, above the line dividing the ocean and sky. This cloud
rapidly rose, spreading itself as it ascended, while flashes of
lightning, followed, after fast-diminishing intervals, by grand and
grander thunder-burst, flamed forth more and more frequently, from the
dark and threatening mass of vapour.
Soon blasts of wind, heavily laden with moisture, and each more powerful
than that which preceded it, came with rapidly decreasing lulls, from
the west, until the breeze, having at length become continuous, had
grown almost to a storm. Both vessels had prepared for this increased
force of the wind by shortening sail. The chase, however, urged by the
necessity of escaping as well from the brig which pursued her as from
the storm, still carried all the canvas which she could bear under the
heavy pressure of the wind, almost directly before which both vessels
were now steering an east-north-east course. Still the brig, built
after the Baltimore clipper model, so famed for fleetness, continued to
gain rapidly upon the ship.
"Suppose, captain," said Afton, addressing Marston, "we range the `Long
Tom' to bear upon her, and give her a shot?"
"There is no chance of hitting her," answered the captain, "with the
brig beginning to pitch in the way she is now; it will be but waste of
powder. Besides, the distance is too great."
"If we wait," objected the second-lieutenant (so-called), "until we get
within range of her two cannon, she will have the advantage of us in the
number of her guns. If we fire at her from a distance, on the contrary,
her cannon will be of no use to her."
The intelligent reader, of course, already understands that the ship
pursued was the _Duchess_, which, with her passengers and captain, was
introduced to his attention in a previous chapter.
"In the present condition of the weather," replied the captain to the
objections of his second officer, "we shall have to lose the advantage
of the longer range of our gun, or lose our hoped-for prize. At the
rate at which we are now gaining on her, it will be nearly sunset when
we overtake her. The sky is already darkened by clouds, and if the
rain--which is threatening to fall every moment--should continue into
the night, we may lose sight of her altogether, and she may make her
escape in the darkness. If she offers to resist, therefore, we shall
have to fight at close quarters."
"I hope that she may be worth the trouble she is likely to give us,"
muttered Afton, with his usual maledictions.
"And I hope, Afton," retorted the captain, with a jesting smile, "that
you have no intention of getting nervous about the matter?"
"A pretty time of day," rejoined Afton, "for anybody to be doubting my
courage. You know well enough that I was only wishing that we should
make a good haul in capturing her."
"We cannot tell what she is worth," said the captain, "until we get on
board of her. This we know--that she is a large ship, and appears to be
well laden. Others might give up the hope of capturing her on account
of the state of the weather; I never give up what I undertake."
"It is very evident," said Lieutenant Seacome, "from the manner in which
she is handled, that the man who has charge of her is a thorough
seaman."
"Yes," assented the captain. "And there is something about the man's
movements, as I note him through the telescope, which convinces me that
he will make a fight of it before he yields. Captain Coe, you must see
to it that your men are ready with all their side-arms. They evidently
have men enough to manage both their cannon; and they will, therefore,
have the advantage of us, unless we board them, or lay so closely
alongside of them that our small-arms will tell. I am determined to
board, however, if it be possible to do so in such a sea."
"My men are prepared to act at a minute's notice," said the captain of
Marines.
Young Coe had made much progress in the last few days in perfecting his
men in their drill. He had already gained their confidence in his
capacity for command, his courage and skill, and his possession of all
his faculties in moments of danger. Notwithstanding the language in
which he had so promptly answered Captain Vance's (as we must call him
now) inquiry, he entertained not the slightest intention of taking any
part in the commission of crime; he was determined, on the contrary, to
use his influence with his men to prevent it. For the manner in which
he should carry out this latter determination he was compelled to trust
to contingencies.
On board the pirate-brig every preparation was made for a conflict. In
the meantime the hours advanced, and at length the two vessels were
within short cannon range of each other. It still wanted more than an
hour to sunset, and notwithstanding the dense clouds which still covered
the sky (the rain which had fallen heavily for a while had soon ceased)
the daylight was still clear enough to distinguish objects on board of
one ship from the other, whenever the upheaving and subsidence of the
waves allowed the deck of the lower to be seen from that of the higher.
As the brig overhauled the chase, Captain Vance directed his helmsman to
steer to the larboard of the chase, on a line as near as it was safe to
approach her; by this course he would not only take the weather-guage of
the ship, but would also make his position more convenient to "speak"
her.
"Mr Bowsprit," said the captain to the officer who had charge of the
cannon, "fire a shot across her bows. That is the best way to open the
conversation."
The shot was immediately fired; and the reverberation was deafening, in
the damp, heavy atmosphere.
The vessels were now not more than a hundred yards apart; so near were
they to each other, that the shadow of the brig--the outlines of which
were defined clearly by the light which came from the western sky, where
the clouds were somewhat broken--fell almost aboard the ship.
The shot brought immediately a hail from the deck of the _Duchess_.
"Brig ahoy!" came through a speaking trumpet in stentorian tones from
Captain Johnson.
"Ay, ay," was the answer.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" was the retort from the deck of the
ship.
"The _Falcon_, free rover," replied Captain Vance, "and we want you to
surrender."
"We will never surrender to pirates," answered Captain Johnson.
"If you surrender without resistance, we will spare the lives of all on
board," said the captain of the _Falcon_.
"I would rather sink the ship," replied the captain of the _Duchess_.
"Woe be to you then," exclaimed Captain Vance. "Your blood and that of
those under your control be upon your own head."
All this conversation between the vessels had been carried on through
speaking-trumpets.
"Mr Seacome," said Captain Vance to his first lieutenant, "display the
flag."
The pirate flag of those days, having a black ground with white skull
and cross-bones displayed upon it, was immediately run up to the main
mast-head of the brig.
The gale still continued to blow with great force, and the waves were
running higher and higher. Though I have said that the vessels were
about a hundred yards apart, it is not to be supposed that there was any
regularity in the distance between them. Now one vessel would be far
below, then far above the other, as she sank into the trough of a sea,
or rose upon the crest of a wave. Now the surging waters would drive
them farther apart, and now closer together. Meanwhile, near and far
over the sea, the fiercely-labouring winds and billows loudly roared in
wild unison their stern and complaining songs.
"Had we not better, captain," asked Seacome, "keep as near as we can to
the ship until this gale has fallen, and then make the assault? We
could scarcely board in such a wind as this, even should she surrender."
John Coe wished sincerely that this proposition should be adopted. Only
in case of boarding the ship could he hope to carry out his plans; and
it did not seem to him possible that boarding could be done in such a
state of the weather. Should muskets be used, while the vessels were
thus running side by side, his men--acting under his orders too--would,
like the rest of the pirate-brig's crew, do all the damage they could to
those on board the ship; and he would have no means of preventing them.
"It is not the wind that is in our way," answered Captain Vance to Mr
Seacome, "so much as the waves; and seas will run higher and higher
while this gale continues. Our best chance is now. Mr Bowsprit," he
exclaimed, turning to that officer, "have you reloaded your gun?"
"Ay, ay, sir," was the answer.
"Then fire into them," said the captain, "and do them all the damage you
can."
The Long Tom again pealed a savage note. But the only damage done to
the _Duchess_ was a small hole made through one of her sails.
The shot was immediately returned; it was fired by Captain Johnson's own
hand. The ball passed through the guards and swept across the deck of
the _Falcon_, killing one man, and wounding two more by the splinters
which it tore from the timbers through which it had forced its way. The
loud peal of the cannon had not died away, when another shot from the
_Duchess_ came almost upon its track, again killing one and wounding two
more.
"This will never do, Mr Bowsprit," said Captain Vance. "Is your gun
loaded again?"
"Yes, sir," was the reply.
"Let me manage her this time," said the captain.
His shot was well aimed; it struck the guards of the _Duchess_,
scattering the splinters far and wide.
"I'll guarantee that did them some damage," remarked Captain Vance.
Scarcely had he spoken, when two cannon-shots came in quick succession
from the _Duchess_. The one struck the deck of the _Falcon_, tearing up
the splinters; the other again struck the guards, scattering fragments
of timber. One sailor was killed directly beside Captain Vance; three
others were slightly wounded.
"Furies!" exclaimed the pirate chief, "that fellow knows his business.
But this will never do. Give them a volley of musketry."
The loud roar of the Long Tom, and the rattling peal of the muskets
immediately blended into one tremendous sound. That sound was instantly
echoed from on board the ship; two cannon-shots and a dozen musket-loads
again poured devastation upon the deck of the brig.
"We must come to close quarters," exclaimed the pirate chief; "we are
fast losing the advantage of superior numbers. The terrible skill of
that devil with his cannon is destroying our superiority in that
respect. Give me a loaded musket."
He waited until a partial lifting of the smoke-cloud gave him a glimpse
of the stout, manly figure of Captain Johnson, then, in an instant,
taking aim, he fired. The ceaseless motion of the vessels destroyed the
effect of his aim; and the man who was fired at escaped unharmed.
"Pistols and cutlasses!" exclaimed Vance, much excited. "Prepare to
board. Forward with your men, Captain Coe. Helmsman, put us alongside
of that vessel at once."
"That's the way to talk," said Afton. "We'll give the whelps no mercy
now."
"We may sink both vessels by collision," said Seacome, "in such a sea as
this."
"Then let them sink," cried the pirate chief, all of whose evil passions
were now aroused. "Lay us aboard quickly, helmsman."
The helmsman did his work skilfully; the starboard-bow of the brig was
brought to bear gradually towards the larboard bow of the ship; and the
two vessels approached each other in such a manner that their sides when
they touched formed, at the point of contact, a very acute angle. The
guards of the ship were above those of the brig; yet grappling-irons
were cast from the latter and the vessels were made fast together. But
the independent rolling and pitching of each of them, which caused them
sometimes to "yaw" asunder, sometimes to come together with a crash that
sounded like thunder, made the passage from one to the other very
dangerous.