So completely absorbed were all parties on board the Vengeance and the
Etoile, during their fierce and sanguinary struggle, that no attention
had been paid to the movements of the frigate, till the thunder of
her guns awoke them from their forgetfulness. Looking round, our hero
perceived that the Virginie had altered her course, and was at that
moment engaged in a combat with the strange sail they had seen in the
distance some time back. A look through his glass satisfied Lieutenant
Thornton that the stranger engaging the Virginie frigate was the Onyx,
Captain O’Loughlin. This startled him, for the Onyx carried only
twenty-two guns, and her complement of men, unless recruited, was very
short; besides, in tonnage she was scarcely more than half the size of
the Virginie, a large and remarkably fine frigate.
At about a league’s distance the chasse-mare, the Ca-Ira, was seen
lying to under her fore-lug and mizen, as if watching the sequel of
events. In the meantime, by immense exertions, the fire on board the
Etoile was entirely subdued, the wounded were all got together and
placed in her cabin, under the care of a young surgeon belonging to
the vessel, and the dead consigned to the resting-place of thousands.
The Etoile, totally dismasted, was allowed to drift out from the land,
whilst the Vengeance was got clear for action; Lieutenant Thornton
being resolved to do all he could to assist the Onyx against her
formidable antagonist. Our hero had now but two-and-twenty men left
fit for service, but these were eager and enthusiastic. He had two
eighteen-pound carronades, and with these he might do good service.
Leaving his late opponent perfectly helpless, except that two of
her boats were still serviceable, in which her crew might escape if
they liked, our hero, with his own wounded made as comfortable as
circumstances would permit in the Vengeance, re-fitted his mizen-mast,
and spliced as much of his rigging as had suffered damage, and then
prepared to sail after the two combatants, which, at that moment, were
running parallel with each other. It was very apparent that Captain
O’Loughlin, knowing how inferior he was to his opponent, was extremely
desirous of avoiding having his sails and rigging cut to pieces by the
Virginie’s line of fire, which evidently wished to cripple the Onyx,
that she might not, by any chance, escape. Just as the Vengeance was
coming rapidly up, the Virginie wore, and came to again on the opposite
tack, bringing a fresh broadside to bear upon the bows of the corvette.
This manœuvre the Virginie repeated twice, greatly to the annoyance of
the Onyx. Captain O’Loughlin was getting impatient at being so foiled,
and unable, from inferior sailing—for the French frigate was remarkably
fast—to pass ahead or astern of the Virginie, ran right at her to
windward. Just then the Vengeance opened fire upon the French frigate,
having hoisted English colours, and, with her long eighteen-pound
carronades, her fire did considerable damage to the Virginie’s rigging
and yards. She was too low in the water to injure her crew; but, using
her heavy guns with great judgment, she completely cut away her braces
and splintered her fore-yard so much that the frigate was forced to
turn her attention to her minor antagonist, whose matchless sailing
qualities enabled her, by skilful manœuvring, to avoid the broadside
of the enraged crew of the Virginie. The Onyx, by this time, was able,
both standing on the larboard tack, to bring her broadside to bear at
pistol-shot distance; both vessels, at the same time, keeping up an
animated fire of round, grape, and musketry. Owing to the press of sail
under which the Onyx had approached, she ranged considerably ahead.
The Virginie now bore up, and passing athwart the stern of the Onyx,
raked her; but the Onyx’s men, throwing themselves flat upon the deck,
suffered but little. The Vengeance passed across the bows of the Onyx,
pouring the contents of her eighteen-pound carronades, crammed with
grape and canister, into the quarter of the Virginie, shattering her
quarter galley, and besides wounding several of her men, cut the sheets
of her mainsail so that the sail blew out unrestrained. A loud cheer
burst from the crew of the Onyx, and Captain O’Loughlin, springing
into the mizen shrouds, waved his hat to our hero, who was standing,
returning his greeting, on the carriage of a gun.
Enraged at the audacity of the Vengeance, the Virginie, by a masterly
manœuvre, shot ahead, and, suddenly wearing, caught the Vengeance
in stays, and, for the moment, not caring for the fire of the Onyx,
poured a deadly broadside into the lugger, intending to sink her. The
iron shower passed over the Vengeance like a thunder storm, leaving
her totally dismasted; but, singular to say, killing only one man
and wounding three, a splinter, unfortunately, knocking down Master
Burdett, as he sprang out of the way of the falling wreck. The brave
youth was carried down into the cabin, and then Lieutenant Thornton,
seeing he could do nothing more with the Vengeance, ordered out the two
boats left uninjured, saying—
“Now, my lads, as we can do nothing here, let us pull on board your old
ship; they are short-handed, and we may be of some service yet.”
A loud cheer testified their eagerness to help their old commander; the
boats were got out, and Captain O’Loughlin, seeing their intention,
wore round, and, in five minutes, they were alongside, and up upon the
deck, where they were gladly received.
Captain O’Loughlin’s left arm was in a sling, Lieutenant Pole was
below, severely wounded, so that the arrival of their friends was most
opportune, our hero taking the post of first lieutenant at once. Bill
Saunders was received by his comrades with a hearty welcome. There
were six or eight of the crew of the Fox schooner left on board the
Vengeance. Our hero told on leaving, to get her before the wind, under
any sail they could manage to hoist on the stumps of their masts; for
he had no doubt, notwithstanding the superior force of the Virginie,
the Onyx would yet gain the day. The French frigate, by this time, had
a second time hauled up on her starboard tack, and thought to deliver
her broadside with a raking effect; but the Onyx, with fresh spirit,
having repaired her rigging sufficiently, was ready for her. Led by
two as brave and skilful officers as any in the Royal Navy, noted
for having one of the best disciplined crews in the service, Captain
O’Loughlin promptly threw her sails aback, and prevented the Virginie
taking the favourable position she intended.
The manœuvre brought the Virginie with her stern actually pressing
against the quarter of the Onyx, both crafts lying nearly in a parallel
direction. The instant the two ships came in contact, each prepared
to board the other. Lieutenant Thornton, with a picked band, and with
Julian Arden by his side, sprang to repel the overwhelming numbers of
the enemy, who eagerly thought to overpower the boarders of the Onyx.
A desperate contest ensued. Twice did our hero, who appeared to have
a charmed life, plant his foot upon the Virginie’s deck, and twice
was his gallant band driven back by the great superiority of numbers.
Julian was felled by the butt of a musket, but Bill Saunders, with
a cheer, dashed headlong amidst the press, and catching him in his
arms bore him safely to the corvette. The Onyx’s marines kept up an
incessant fire of musketry, which drove back the Virginie’s, though her
marines, stationed along the whole length of the larboard gangway, kept
up an incessant fire into the stern windows of the Onyx, strewing the
cabin deck with killed and wounded.
“You must get a main-deck gun,” said Lieutenant Thornton to Captain
O’Loughlin, “and put it into the port of the cabin window; I see it is
cut down for that purpose.”
“Yes,” said O’Loughlin, “though contrary to the strict rules of the
service, I cut down the sill of the cabin window on each side next the
quarter. You will find the gunner has tackles and everything ready for
transporting the gun to the new port, but it’s a perilous duty, dear
friend.”
“Never mind that,” said our hero, and calling Bill, and selecting a
crew, with the gunner and his tackle, the gun was run out and, with a
hearty cheer, fired. The very first discharge proved the great value of
this new port, for, as was afterwards ascertained, four-and-twenty of
the Virginie’s crew were laid low; it actually swept the ship from her
larboard bow to her larboard quarter, and was fearful in its effects.
Meantime the musketry on both sides continued with terrible effect.
A ball from the main-top of the French ship unfortunately struck
O’Loughlin to the deck; it was a severe wound, but not mortal. He was
just able to say—
“I give the command of the ship to Lieutenant Thornton, of the
Diamond, as gallant an officer as ever breathed. Fight, my lads, as
long as the old girl floats!”
A cheer and a “God bless you!” passed from all as their gallant captain
was carried below.
Satisfied, from the surgeon’s report, that the wound was not mortal,
the commander for the time threw all his energies and skill into
action. The two vessels now remained on board each other for rather
more than half-an-hour, when the Virginie began to forereach. In a
moment Lieutenant Thornton brought the second aftermost gun to bear,
and its discharge cut away the head rails of the French frigate,
and, what was far more important, the gammoning of the bowsprit. The
Virginie also, as she forged ahead, brought her guns to bear, and a
desperate cannonade recommenced between the two—yard-arm to yard-arm.
So well practised were the crew of the Onyx that they fired as quick
again as the Virginie, whose hull was desperately shattered, her main
topmast gone, and her fore-mast tottering, and in this condition she
passed on out of gun-shot.
During this respite Lieutenant Thornton and the third lieutenant of
the Onyx, a Mr. Barker, a high-spirited young officer, who felt no
pique whatever at his ship being worked by a senior officer, though
of another ship, set to to repair damages. The hull of the Onyx was
but little damaged, but her rigging and sails were so cut to pieces,
that for a time she remained unmanageable. She had also lost her main
topsail yard, and her gaff was shot away, as well as her colours. She
had, however, lashed a boat’s ensign to the larboard, and a Union Jack
to the starboard arm of her cross-jack yard. Our hero anxiously glanced
around to see what had become of the Vengeance and the Etoile. The
chasse-mare, the Ca-Ira, was out of sight. The Vengeance, he perceived,
was, with a jury-mast and a double-reefed lug, making way before the
wind, shaping her course for England. The Etoile he could distinguish
in shore, with two small luggers and boats towing her towards Havre
to save her from capture. The Etoile troubled him but little, and the
Ca-Ira he made no doubt would make the coast of England, and land her
passengers. There was but little time for thought, for both ships were
rapidly repairing damages to resume their deadly contest—the Virginians
furious at being baffled, and so desperately riddled and cut up by so
inferior an antagonist; whilst the crew of the Onyx were enthusiastic,
having full confidence in their young commander, rejoicing at the same
time that their captain was not so dangerously wounded as was at first
thought.
Lieutenant Thornton, after visiting O’Loughlin and Charles Pole—the
latter almost insisting in rising to help, but falling back on making
the attempt—returned to his post. Julian Arden was full of spirit and
capable of filling an officer’s berth for the time. There was glory
to be obtained in thus baffling a frigate of a thousand and nineteen
tons; whereas the Onyx was scarcely eight hundred, and though a large
class corvette, was but a very small frigate. Her crew, when complete,
only mustered two hundred men, whereas the Virginie then amounted to
three hundred. The Virginie, it appeared afterwards, carried only
twenty-eight guns, the Onyx twenty-one, but her reduced crew amounted
to only one hundred and sixty, which, with eighteen fresh hands that
came on board with our hero, made her complement one hundred and
seventy-eight.
Both ships, when they separated, presented a very shattered and woeful
appearance; this was caused by the great quantity of sail under which
they had engaged. Shattered spars, torn and riddled sails, ropes and
ends were hanging in every direction.
Whilst refitting the breeze increased, and as the crew of the Onyx were
regarding their opponents, they beheld, to their great satisfaction,
their fore-mast fall over the side, from the increased motion of the
sea. It was then two hours after noon, but such had been the diligence
of the Onyx’s crew, that she was enabled, with the increasing breeze,
to make sail on the larboard tack towards the Virginie. Just as she
opened fire her antagonist hauled down her colours and surrendered; in
fact, from the fall of her fore-mast she was in a perfectly defenceless
state.
Whilst the Onyx’s officers and crew are rejoicing over their
victory—dearly bought, it is true—we will follow the movements of the
chasse-mare Ca-Ira, previous to, and after her escape out of, Havre.