VOYAGE IN THE BOAT CONTINUED--GALE BLOWING STRONG--A SAIL IN SIGHT--WILL
SHE PASS US?--A FRENCH BRIG--LIFE ON BOARD--REACH SMYRNA--SAILORS'
FRIENDSHIP--OUR PRANKS ON SHORE--THE PLAGUE--CHARLEY'S FEARS--SENT ON
BOARD THE FATE--ONCE MORE AFLOAT--HOMEWARD-BOUND.
A look of blank, sullen despair was stealing over the countenances of
most of the crew. Charley Iffley sat with his hands before him and his
head bent down, without saying a word, and seemingly totally unconscious
of what was taking place. When I spoke to him he did not answer or look
up. I suppose that he was thinking of his father, and grieving for his
loss, so, after two or three trials, I did not again attempt to rouse
him up. La Motte and I occasionally exchanged remarks; but when the
wind again got up and we expected every moment that the boat would
founder, we felt too much afraid and too wretched to talk. The captain
was the only person who kept up his spirits. Once more he rose from his
seat, and stepped on to the after-thwart, holding on by the mainmast. I
watched his eye as he cast it round the horizon. I saw it suddenly
light up. "A sail! my lads, a sail!" he exclaimed, pointing to the
westward. Not another word was spoken for some time. We kept on our
course, and we were soon able to ascertain that the stranger was
standing almost directly for us. The captain at once resolved to try
and get on board her, whatever she might prove, rather than run the risk
of passing the night in the boat. He on this put the boat about, for
had we continued on the course we were then steering she might have gone
ahead of us. Our great anxiety was now to make ourselves seen before
the night closed down upon us. We had a lantern, but its pale light
would not have been observed at any distance. Just before the sun sank
into the ocean we were near enough the stranger to make out that she was
a large brig, apparently a ship of war, and by the cut of her canvas,
and her general appearance, she was pronounced to be French. Though all
my younger days we were at loggerheads with them, there happened just
then, for a wonder, to be a peace between our two nations, so there was
no fear but what we should be treated as friends.
The sun sank ahead of us with a fiery and angry glow, while the clouds
swept by rapidly overhead, and every now and then a flash of lightning
and a loud roar of thunder made us anxious to find ourselves on board a
more seaworthy craft than the frail boat in which we floated. We had no
firearms with us, for the pirates had carried away or thrown overboard
all they found on board the schooner, so we had no means of making a
night signal. However, as there was still a little light remaining, we
lashed two oars together, and made fast at one end an ensign, which had
fortunately been thrown into the boat. The captain then stood up and
waved it about to try and attract the attention of those on board the
brig. I felt inclined to shout out, under the feeling that far off as
she was my feeble voice would be heard. On we flew through the water at
a rate which threatened every instant to tear the canvas off the boat's
bottom, while the seas at the same time constantly came on board and
nearly swamped us. Time passed away; the gloom of evening thickened
around us. Our hearts sank within our bosoms. It seemed too probable
that the stranger would pass without observing us. We were again almost
in despair, when the boom of a gun came rolling over the water towards
us. To our ears it was the sweetest music, a sign that we were seen,
and a promise, we believed, that we should not be deserted. On stood
the man-of-war directly for us; but it had now grown so dark, that
though we could see her from her greater bulk, we could scarcely hope
that those on board her could see us. We had two serious dangers to
avoid. If we stood directly in her course, so rapidly was she going
through the water, she might run over us before we could possibly make
ourselves heard; while, if we kept too much out of her way, she might
pass us, and we might miss her altogether. Fortunately we succeeded in
getting our lantern lighted, and the captain sent me to hold it up
forward as soon as we drew near her. On she came; another minute would
decide our fate; when we saw her courses hauled up, her topgallant sails
furled, and coming up on the wind, she hove-to on the larboard tack,
scarcely a cable's length from us. We stood on a little, and then
putting the boat about, we fetched up under her lee quarter and ran
alongside. A rope was hove to us, and lights were shown to enable us to
get on board.
Our captain spoke a little French, though it was of a very free-and-easy
sort, I suspect. The brig proved to be, as he had thought, of that
nation; and such a jabbering and noise as saluted our ears I never have
in all my life heard on board of a man-of-war. However, they wished to
deal kindly by us. They at once sent us down ropes with which the
wounded men were hauled up, though there was great risk of getting them
hurt in the operation. When this was done, the rest of us set to work
to hand up all the more valuable things we had in the boat,--not that
the pirates had left us much, by the by. While we were thus engaged, a
squall struck the brig, and almost laid her on her beam-ends. We had
just time to clamber up on board, when a sea swamped the boat, which was
directly afterwards cut adrift; the helm being then put up, the brig
righted, and off she flew before the wind. The squall was quickly over
(we had reason to be grateful that we had not been compelled to
encounter it in the boat), and the brig was once more brought up on her
course. We found that she was the _Euryale_, of eighteen guns, and then
bound for Smyrna. Though we would rather have been put on shore at
Cephalonia, we were certain of their finding a vessel to carry us to
Malta, if not home direct to England.
The French captain and officers treated us very kindly, and the surgeon
paid the greatest attention to the wounded; but though I have been on
board many a man-of-war since, I must say that I never have seen one in
a worse state of discipline. One-half of the officers did not know
their duty, and the other half did not do it; and the men did just what
they liked. They smoked and sang and danced the best part of the day,
while the officers played the fiddle or the guitar, or gambled with
cards and dice, and very often danced and smoked with the men, which at
all events was not the way to gain their respect. The captain was a
very gentlemanly man, but had not been to sea since the war, and could
not then have known much about a ship, so he did nothing to keep things
right, and the great wonder to us was how he had managed not to cast her
away long before we got on board her.
We had no reason to complain. Both the officers and men treated us very
kindly, and were thoroughly good-natured. Since those days, too, a very
great change has taken place in the French navy. Their officers are, as
a rule, very gentlemanly men, and the crews are as well disciplined as
in our own service--indeed, should we unhappily again come to blows, we
shall find them the most formidable enemies we have ever encountered.
We arrived at Smyrna without any adventure worthy of note. Just as we
entered the port, the _Ellen_ brig, belonging to Messrs. Dickson,
Waddilove, and Burk, the owners of the _Kite_, came in also, and we at
once went on board her. Captain Mathews was her master; he was one of
the oldest and most trusted captains of the firm, and acted as a sort of
agent for them at foreign ports. Whatever he ordered was to be done.
He could send their vessels wherever he thought best, and had full
control, especially over the apprentices. Thus Charley, La Motte, and I
at once found ourselves under his command. He was a good-natured, kind
sort of a man, therefore I had no reason to complain. We found lying
there another brig belonging to the same owners. She was called the
_Fate_. It was the intention of Captain Tooke to return home in the
_Ellen_, and to take us three apprentices with him, while of course the
rest of the men would be left to shift for themselves; but there is a
true saying that man proposes, but God disposes.
We soon recovered from our fatigues and hardships, and got into fine
health and spirits. The crews of the two brigs were allowed a
considerable amount of liberty, and did not fail to take advantage of
it. Altogether we had a good deal of fun on shore. Charley and I were
generally together. We had not much money between us, but we contrived
to muster enough to hire a horse now and then; and as we could not
afford to have one a-piece, we used to choose a long-backed old nag,
which carried us both, and off we set in high glee into the country.
The grave old Turks looked on with astonishment, and called us mad
Giaours, or some such name; and the little boys used to throw stones at
us, or spit as we passed, but we did not care for that; we only laughed
at them, and rode on. Once we rode into a village, and seeing an
odd-looking building, we agreed that we should like to have a look
inside. We accordingly tied up our long-backed horse to a tree, and as
there was no one near of whom to ask leave, in we walked. It was a
building with a high dome, and lamps burning, which hung down from the
ceiling, and curtains, but there was not much to see, after all.
Presently some old gentlemen in odd dresses appeared at the further end,
and as soon as they saw us standing and looking as if we did not think
much of the place, they made towards us with furious gestures, so we
agreed that the sooner we took our departure the better. When we turned
to run, they came on still faster, and as we bolted out of the mosque--
for so we found the building was called--they almost caught us. We ran
to our horse; while Charley leaped on his back, I cast off the tow-rope,
and then he caught my hand and helped me up behind him, and away we
galloped as hard as we could go through the village. The old gentlemen
could not run fast enough to overtake us, but they sang out at the top
of their voices to some men in the street, and they called out to
others, and very soon we had the whole population after us with sticks
in their hands, heaving stones at our heads, and shouting and shrieking
at us. Luckily the hubbub frightened the old horse, and he went faster
than he had done for many a day, and amid the barking of dogs, the
shouts of boys, the crying of children, and the shrieking of women, we
made our escape from the inhospitable community. I had a good thick
stick with which I belaboured the poor beast to urge him onward. After
some time the Turks, seeing that they could not overtake us, gave up the
chase, and we agreed that we had better not enter into their village
till they had forgotten all about the circumstance. When we got on
board, we were told that we were very fortunate to have escaped with our
lives, as many Englishmen had been killed by the Turks for a similar act
of folly.
Two days after this, one of the _Ellen's_ men came on board, complaining
of being very ill. In a short time another said he felt very queer, and
both of them lay down on their chests and could eat no food or keep
their heads up. Before long, Captain Mathews came below, and finding
that they both had something seriously the matter with them, sent on
shore for an English doctor who resided at the place. After some time
the doctor came, and told the men to turn up their shirt-sleeves and to
show him their arms.
"I thought so," said he, turning to the captain; "it is my unpleasant
duty to tell you that you have got the plague on board. We have it bad
enough on shore."
I thought the captain would have fallen when he heard the news. "The
plague!" he gasped out. "What is to be done, doctor?"
"Send the men on shore; purify your ship, and get to sea as soon as you
can," was the answer.
But the plague is a conqueror not easily put down. Before night two
more men were seized, and the two first were corpses. The captain of
the _Fate_ heard of what had happened, and sent his boats alongside to
inquire how we were doing, but with strict orders that no one should
come on board. No boat came the next day; the plague had paid her a
visit, and three of the crew were corpses. The moans and shrieks of the
poor fellows were very dreadful when the fever got to its height. One
moment they might have been seen walking the deck in high health and
spirits, and the next they were down with the malady and utterly unable
to move. Sometimes three or four hours finished their sufferings, and
the instant the breath was out of their bodies we were obliged to heave
them overboard. One after the other, the greater part of the crews of
the two brigs sickened and died. We three apprentices had escaped, and
so had our captain and Mr Cole. The mate said he was not afraid of the
plague or any other complaint, as he had got something which would
always keep it away. Charley Iffley and I frequently asked him what it
was. It was a stuff in a bottle which he used to take with his grog,
and we suspected that he took it as an excuse for an extra glass of
spirits. One cause why he escaped catching the plague was, that he
never was afraid of it,--either he trusted to his specific, or felt sure
that he should not catch it; also, he never went on shore among the
dirty parts of the town the men had frequented, and also lived separate
from them on board.
At length my companion Charley got ill. We lads had been removed to
some temporary berths, put up in the hold, where we could have more air
than forward. One day after I had gone on shore with the captain to
bring off the doctor, not finding Charley on deck, I went down to look
for him. I found him in the berth tumbling about in bed and his eyes
staring wildly.
"Oh, Will! I am going to die, and there's one thing weighs so heavy on
my mind that I cannot die easy till I tell it to you!" he exclaimed, in
a tone of anguish. "Just for my own pleasure I persuaded you to come to
sea, and ever since you have had nothing but danger and trouble. You'll
forgive me, won't you? That's what I want to know."
I told him, of course, that I forgave him heartily; indeed, that I had
never accused him of being the cause of the sufferings which I had
endured, in common with him and others. Then I told him that he must
not fancy that he was going to die just because he felt a little ill,
and that as the doctor was on board I would go and fetch him at once.
The doctor came immediately, and, after examining him, applied some very
strong remedies. I followed him on deck to inquire whether Charley
really had the plague. "No doubt about it," was his reply; "but if he
drops into a sound sleep, I think he may throw it off without further
evil consequences."
Anxiously I watched at the side of poor Charley's bed. He talked a
little--then was silent--and I found that he slept. I did not dare to
leave his side lest any one should come into the berth and awake him.
Hour after hour I waited, till at last I sank back on the chest on which
I was sitting and fell fast asleep. When I awoke the sun was shining
down through the main hatchway into the berth. I heard Charley's voice.
It was low but quiet.
"I am quite well now, Will," he said. "If the doctor, when he comes,
will let me get up, I think I could go about my duty without
difficulty."
I was very glad to hear him speak in that way, but I told him that his
strength had not returned, and that he must remain quiet for a day or
two. From that moment, however, he got rapidly better, and in a week
was almost as well as ever. He was the last person seized with the
complaint on board the two brigs. On board the _Fate_, the master, and
mates, and half the crew died; and had not we and the other survivors of
the _Kite's_ crew arrived at Smyrna, it would have been difficult to
find hands to take her to sea. Captain Mathews, however, directed
Captain Tooke to take command of her, and sent Mr Cole as mate, with
Charley Iffley and me, while most of our men shipped on board her. I
thought that we were to go home, but I found that my summer cruise was
to be a very much longer affair than I had expected. Had I gone home
then, I think that I should have followed my kind grandmother's wishes
and given up the sea. Instead, however, of returning to England, the
brig was employed running from place to place, wherever she could secure
a freight. In that way I visited nearly every part of the coast of the
Mediterranean. Sometimes we went up the Adriatic; then across to
Alexandria; then to some port in Greece, or to one in Italy; then up to
Constantinople, and away over to the ports on the northern coast of
Africa. I saw a number of strange people and strange sights, but have
not now time to describe them.
I wrote home several times to my grandmother and aunt, but, as I was
always moving about, I got no answers. I thought very likely that my
letters or their replies had been wrongly directed; still I began to
grow very anxious to hear what had become of the only two relatives I
had on earth, and whom alone I had really learned to love. After I had
been out about a year I asked leave, if I could find the chance to go
home. The captain on this laughed at me, and reminded me that
apprentices were not their own masters, and that I must make up my mind
to stay where I was till the owners wanted the brig home.
Three years passed away so rapidly that I was astonished to find how
long I had been out in those seas. During all that time no accident had
happened, and I began to hope that I was not going to suffer any further
misfortunes in consequence of my rash oath. I expressed my feelings to
Charley Iffley. He laughed at me, and said that had nothing to do with
the matter, that there was no great harm in what I had said, and that,
consequently, I could not expect to be punished for it. I thought
differently. I knew that there was harm, and felt that I might justly
be punished. At first, after Charley had recovered from the plague, he
appeared to have become a thoughtful and serious character, but
unhappily he very soon fell off again, and was now as reckless as ever.
At length the order came for us to return home. Merrily we tramped
round at the capstan bars to a jolly song, as we got in our anchor for
the last time, and made sail from the port of Leghorn. We passed the
Straits of Gibraltar, and with a smooth sea and southerly wind we had a
quick run to the Land's End, while our crew sang--
"To England we with favouring gale
Our gallant ship up Channel steer;
While running under easy sail,
The snow-white western cliffs appear."