VISIT TO THE SULTAN OF PONTIANA, IN BORNEO--SIR SAMUEL HOOD.
In the summer of 1814, Sir Samuel Hood made a voyage, in his Majesty's
ship Minden, to the eastern parts of his station. We called first at
Acheen, on the north end of the island of Sumatra, where we held some
very amusing intercourse with the king of that district, whose capital
the Admiral visited. From thence we steered over to Pulo Penang, or
Prince of Wales' Island, and thence down the Straits of Malacca,
entering the China Sea by the beautiful Straits of Sincapore. The
Admiral's chief object was to visit Java; but as there lay three
routes before him to choose between, viz. the Straits of Gaspar, the
Straits of Banca, and the Caramata passage, he preferred taking the
last and widest, which also led him near the western shore of the
immense island of Borneo. On reaching the equator, he steered in for
the mouth of the great river Lava, which passes the town of Pontiana.
The weather being very favourable, the ship was anchored, and the
barge got ready for an expedition.
At four in the morning, on receiving the joyful intimation that I was
to be officer of the boat, I lost no time in getting together
everything likely to be useful--a sextant, artificial horizon,
spy-glass, chart, compass, and Nautical Almanac, besides a Malay
Dictionary.
We had some little difficulty in finding our way in the barge, for the
mouth of the river of Pontiana lay so completely hid amongst low
cane-brakes, mangroves, and other aquatic trees and shrubs, which grow
thickly along the western shores of Borneo, that, until we came quite
close, no inlet was perceptible. The first hit we made proved wrong,
and lost us three or four miles; and it was not till nearly noon that
we reached the rush of fresh and troubled water, which indicated the
true entrance. The Admiral desired greatly to observe the sun's
meridian altitude. His Excellency, however, though he could command
many things, could not command this; for although our fellows gave way
lustily, so as to stem the current running out, and we had a full
half-hour to spare, we could not effect a landing in good time. On
reaching what had seemed the shore, no footing could be found
anywhere. Even the little boat which we carried with us in tow of the
barge, though she threaded the mangrove stems and roots, and went in
much further than the barge, could not reach anything like dry land.
As the main bank refused to afford us a resting-place, we put off, and
rowed as briskly as we could to a small island about half-a-mile from
this treacherous shore; but this, too, proved a cheat, for what we
took to be solid ground consisted merely of a mass of green shrubs,
growing on the ridge of a soft slippery mass of mud just peeping above
the water.
As the sailors, by this time, were pretty well exhausted with rowing
so long in the hot sun, they hailed with great joy the sea-breeze
which just then set in. They soon stepped the masts, hoisted the
sails, and laid the oars in.
"Now go to dinner, men," said the considerate chief, "this rattling
breeze will not carry us up far, and you will pull all the better for
a good bellyful."
Just as this judicious order was given, and while we were still
laughing at the recent adventure, which reminded us of Sinbad's
mistaking a whale for a solid rock, our eyes were attracted by the
sight of another island, much smaller than the first. It seemed,
indeed, like a little grove or tuft of palm-like foliage, rising out
of the water somewhat in the fashion of our Prince of Wales' feather.
None of the party had ever seen such a tree before, and every one
tried to guess what it might be; but all were puzzled. At length, a
diminutive moving black speck showed itself at the root, or centre,
from which these fairy-like branches radiated.
"It is a rock with a tree on it," cried one.
"Nonsense!" said Sir Samuel, "there are no rocks hereabouts; the soil
for many a league is alluvial."
"It skims along like a witch," exclaimed a third; "it is surely
alive!"
"Let us sail to it whatever it be," said the Admiral, waving his hand
to the coxswain to sheer the barge further from the side of the river.
As we drew near, we discovered our phenomenon to consist of a
fishing-canoe, gliding along merrily before the sea-breeze, with no
other sails than half-a-dozen branches of the cocoa-nut tree placed in
the bow, and spread out like the feathers of a peacock's tail. These
were held together by a slender bar of bamboo, and supported by small
strips of bark to the stern, in which sat a naked Malay.
The Admiral proved a true prophet, for the deceitful sea-breeze
presently lulled, and it cost us a very hard row to accomplish our
purpose against the stream. The town of Pontiana stands on a low point
of land formed by the confluence of two mighty rivers. This particular
spot is always held sacred in India, and is known under the Hindoo
name of Sungum. I suspect, however, that the Malays and other
Mahometans, who inhabit the coasts of most of the Indian Islands,
acknowledge no superstitious predilections for one spot more than
another, and consider such things as mere prejudices unworthy of the
followers of Mahomet, their great military prophet. Probably the
Sungum point has some local advantages belonging to it, as I observe
it is generally appropriated by the strongest party in every country.
At all events, it has the advantage of communicating directly with
both the rivers, by whose junction the Sungum, or solid angle, is
formed. In the instance of Pontiana, the Mussulmans had taken
possession of it, though it was formerly a Dutch settlement, while the
Chinese were left to occupy the corners opposite to the Sungum, on the
right and left banks, respectively, of the river formed by the
junction of the two streams. Thus three considerable cities had been
built facing one another, and each displaying on the river a multitude
of boats and barges, canoes and proas, in crowds which would not have
disgraced the show at London Bridge, and, of course, indicating
considerable wealth and activity.
We came upon this grand view quite abruptly, and having no
expectation of encountering anything so magnificent, were taken rather
by surprise. Two enormous Chinese junks occupied the centre of the
stream, each of them rising out of the water nearly as high as the
poop of a line-of-battle ship. Along the shore, on both sides, lay a
fleet of eight or ten sail of junks, some of them very large, and all
bearing enormous white flags, in the centre of which sprawled huge
dragons and other monsters familiar to the eyes of all fanciers of old
China jars.
In the mean time, as there existed no dispute about the navigation of
the River Lava, we rowed up very peaceably towards the great city of
Pontiana. On our meeting a canoe with a Malay in it, the Admiral, who
had been studying Marsden's dictionary all the way, stood up in the
barge, made the men lie on their oars, and to their great
astonishment, and probably to that of the native, called out in the
Malay tongue,--
"Which is the way to the sultan's house?"
To Sir Samuel's unspeakable delight, the man whom he addressed
understood him, and after offering to show us the landing-place,
paddled off ahead of us. Our fellows gave way as hard as they could,
but the Malay kept the lead; and as we shot past the Chinese towns,
one on each bank, the natives crowded to the beach, as much
astonished, no doubt, with our strange cocked hats, swords, and
oddly-shaped boat, as we could be with their long tails and
wild-looking junks, or with the creases which every Malay carries by
his side. This fierce-looking weapon is not, in form, unlike the
waving sword one sees in the pictures of the angel Michael, though it
is not above a foot and a-half in length.
The sultan's cousin received the Admiral and his party at the gate of
the palace, and led him by the hand along a causeway of flag-stones to
the residence of the monarch. Directly in the middle of the gateway,
which was only ten feet wide and about as many in height, there stood
a twenty-four-pounder gun. On the top of the arch there was built a
small square room, from holes in which peeped out the muzzles of five
or six field-pieces, the whole affair resembling very much that part
of a child's box of toys which represents the stronghold or castle.
Within the high wall surrounding the palace we counted innumerable
large guns scattered about, apparently with no other object than to be
seen, as if the mere look of a cannon were expected to do the work of
a fight! The same number of mock barrels of gunpowder, similarly
disposed, would have answered the purpose equally well, or perhaps
better; for there appeared no way in which the guns could be fired,
without doing much more injury to the besieged than to the besiegers.
On we went, till we were met by the sultan himself, at the inner side
of the quadrangle. He courteously conducted the Admiral to a large
room or hall of audience, and, having begged his guest to sit down at
a small table, took a chair by his side, and began a conversation as
if they had been long acquainted. Of course, in spite of the Admiral's
proficiency, this could not be accomplished without an interpreter;
and the services of a very clever Malay boy, whom we had brought with
us from the ship, were brought into requisition. The hall, in which we
were first received, might have been about fifty feet square, bleak,
unfurnished, and comfortless, with an uncovered mud floor. It was so
feebly lighted by a few windows almost hid by Venetian blinds, that we
could only discover that the roof had been left bare and unfinished.
After sitting for about ten minutes, the sultan rose and led the way
to another apartment apparently of still larger dimensions, but
literally so dark, that, had it not been for the light entering by the
door we had left, and the one ahead of us, we could not have moved
along without breaking our shins over the stones, sticks, and other
rubbish lying in the way. We had next to make rather a difficult
transit along a precarious kind of bridge, formed of a single plank
laid across an ominous-looking pool or puddle of mud, which divided
these two branches of the palace from each other.
All at once we were ushered into a splendid room, seventy or eighty
feet square, brilliantly lighted, and not ill furnished, but strongly
contrasted with the darkness and dirtiness of the suite we had passed
through. This total want of keeping, it may be mentioned, is quite in
Oriental taste. They know tolerably well how to be magnificent on
occasions; but they never learn how to be uniformly decent. The
Asiatics, and even some other nations which might be named nearer
home, can seldom afford to be taken by surprise. Indeed, I am not sure
if more than one country can be alluded to, in which the people are at
all hours ready to receive strangers, and have no occasion to make a
fuss, or to change anything when a rap comes to the door.
In the centre of this gorgeous room, on a dais, or a part of the floor
raised to about a foot and a-half above the level of the rest, and
laid with a rich Turkey carpet, stood a long table, at the top of
which the sultan placed the Admiral, and then made the signal for
tea. First entered an attendant, bearing a large tray, on which were
ranged several dozens of exceedingly small cups. This he placed on the
carpet, and then squatted himself down, cross-legged, beside it.
Another attendant soon followed, bearing the tea-pot, and he likewise
popped himself down. After a conjuration of some minutes, the cups
were brought round, containing weak black tea, exquisite in flavour,
but marvellously small in quantity. There appeared no milk, but plenty
of sugar-candy. Some sweet sherbet was next handed round, very
slightly acid, but so deliciously cool, that we appealed frequently to
the vase or huge jar from which it was poured, to the great delight of
the sultan, who assured us that this was the genuine sherbet described
by the Persian poets. It was mixed, he told us, by a true believer,
who had made more than one pilgrimage to Mecca.
At the upper end of the apartment, in a deep recess, partly hid from
our view by a rich festoon of shawl drapery, we could just discover
the sultan's bed, flanked by large mirrors, beyond which, in an
adjacent chamber, was probably stowed away the sultan's most favoured
wife. But all this department of the establishment was thrown into
such deep shade, that we could see none of the ladies, nor any of his
highness's progeny, except one little boy, whom he introduced to us at
supper. He appeared to be about five or six years old, very like his
papa in miniature, rigged with turban and robes of cloth of gold. At
first, the little fellow looked somewhat startled; but he soon
recovered his dignity, and sat on our knees, without much
apprehension of being swallowed up.
Both the upper corners of the room were screened off by white
curtains, eight or ten feet high, so as to form smaller chambers. One
of these served the purpose of a pantry, or subsidiary kitchen, at
least we observed the dishes issuing from it, and thought we could
distinguish the well-known sound of the cook's angry reproaches--a
note which, like that of muttering thunder, is nearly the same in
every climate. The other corner we soon made out to be a sort of
temporary nook, from which the ladies of the palace and the young
sultans and sultanas might spy the strangers. This we ascertained from
seeing sundry very pretty faces thrust out occasionally between the
folds of the curtain, and by the sound of many an ill-suppressed
giggle amongst the peeping damsels.
The sultan appeared to enter into his guest's character at once, and
neither overloaded him with attentions, nor failed to treat him as a
person to whom much respect was due. I heard Sir Samuel say
afterwards, that he was particularly struck with the sultan's good
breeding, in not offering to assist him in cutting his meat. The
sultan merely remarked that few people were so expert as his guest
even with both hands; adding, neatly enough, that on this account the
distinction which his wound had gained for him was more cheaply
purchased than people supposed. While the Admiral was hunting for some
reply to this novel compliment, his host remarked, that in Borneo it
was considered fashionable to eat with the left hand.
The supper, which soon followed the tea, consisted of about a dozen
dishes of curry, all different from one another, and a whole poultry
yard of grilled and boiled chickens, many different sorts of salt
fish, with great basins of rice at intervals, jars of pickles, piles
of sliced pine-apple, sweetmeats, and cakes. Four male attendants
stood by with goblets of cool sherbet, from which, ever and anon, they
replenished our glasses; besides whom, a number of young Malay girls
waited at a distance from the table, and ran about nimbly with the
plates and dishes.
After a great deal of ceremonious rigmarole, in which the Admiral was
asked for his autograph, and it was wonderful how well the shrewd
little Malay interpreter expressed to the Admiral, who cheerfully
agreed to the proposal, and desired me to send for his writing-case.
As I rose, the Admiral whispered to me, "I wish you would contrive, at
the same time, to see what the boat's crew are about. Try, also, if
you can get them something to eat; the fellows must be hungry enough
by this time--but mind they don't get too much toddy."
I found the crew seated on the mud floor of a large room close to the
beach, and open on all sides, like a tent without walls. The Johnnies
were in such high glee, that I feared they had already trespassed too
deeply on the toddy pot; but I was glad to find that their
satisfaction arose from a safer source, namely, a glorious hot supper,
which Jack was tucking in to the great delight and astonishment of the
natives, who had been ordered by the sultan to supply them with as
much curry and rice as they chose to eat.
Very early in the morning, long before there was the least peep of
dawn, the Admiral roused us all out of bed, ordered the boat to be
manned, and declared his intention of dropping down the river while it
was yet cool, so as to reach the ship before the fierce heat of the
sun had set in. I suspect, also, that he wished to escape the salutes
for which he had seen some preparations over night. But scarcely had
we gained the distance of two or three hundred yards from the shore
when the heavy guns of the batteries began to fire a royal salute. The
night was uncommonly dark and still, and the successive flashes and
reports of the cannons were followed by a long series of echoes from
the edges of the damp forests lining the banks of the three different
branches or forks of the river. The Admiral, who had the finest
perception possible for all that was picturesque or beautiful, was
exceedingly struck with the grandeur of this nocturnal salute, and
having made the men lay their oars across the boat, while she drifted
quickly down the river, he stood up in the stern-sheets in order to
enjoy the scene more completely.
A trifling incident occurred shortly afterwards, which recalled to our
thoughts another important service of Sir Samuel Hood's, which,
although it be familiarly known in the navy, may not be so fresh in
the recollection of persons on shore. A question arose in the boat as
to whether or not the land-wind was blowing. Some said there was a
breeze up the river, while others maintained that the wind blew down,
towards the sea. The Admiral let us go on speculating and arguing for
some time, and then said, "You are both wrong; there is not a breath
of air either up or down the river. At all events we shall soon see,
if you will strike me a light." This was done accordingly; and the
Admiral, standing on the after-thwart, held the naked candle high
over his head, while the men ceased rowing.
"There, you see," exclaimed he, "the flame stands quite upright, which
proves, that if there be any breeze at all, it blows no faster than
the stream runs down."
As he yet spoke, the flame bent from the land, and in the next instant
was puffed out by a slight gust from the forest.
"Ay! that's something like!" exclaimed the commander-in-chief; adding,
in an under tone, as he resumed his seat, "I have known the time when
a flaw of wind, not greater than has just blown out this candle, has
rendered good service to his Majesty." This was the incident to which
he alluded:--
Early in the year 1794, when Captain Hood commanded his Majesty's ship
Juno, the port of Toulon, though in possession of the English at the
time of his departure on a short trip to Malta, had been evacuated
while the Juno was absent; and as the land was made in the night, no
suspicion of that important change of affairs arose in the mind of any
one. With his wonted decision, therefore, into the port he dashed;
for, although the Juno carried no pilot, Captain Hood's knowledge of
every port he had once visited rendered him comparatively indifferent
on that score. A couple of the sharpest-sighted midshipmen were
stationed with glasses to look out for the fleet; but no ships were
seen--for the best of all reasons--none were there!
One vessel only, a small brig, could be detected, and the captain,
supposing the fleet had run into the inner harbour during the recent
easterly gale, resolved to push up likewise. The batteries all kept
quiet, and though the brig hailed the frigate as she passed in a
language so indistinct that no one could make it out, not the least
suspicion was excited. Supposing they wanted to know what ship it was,
I told them it was the Juno. The brig, however, was not quite so
courteous in return; for they merely replied by the word "Viva," but
made no answer to the captain's repeated inquiry as to the brig's
name, and the position of the British fleet. As the Juno passed under
the stern of this treacherous little craft, a voice called out, "Luff!
luff!" which naturally induced Captain Hood to put his helm down, from
an idea that shoal water lay close to leeward of him. Nothing could
have been more adroitly managed, for before the frigate came head to
wind, she stuck fast upon the shoal, to which the words "Luff, luff!"
had no doubt been intended to direct her.
A boat was now observed to proceed from the brig to the town. As there
was but little wind, and the water perfectly smooth, the Juno's sails
were clewed up and handed; but before the men were all off the yards,
a gust of wind came sweeping down the harbour, and drove her off the
shoal so suddenly as to give her brisk stern-way. The anchor was
speedily let go, but when she tended, the after-part of her keel took
the ground, and the rudder could not be moved. The launch and cutter
being instantly hoisted out, the usual preparations were made to lay
out a kedge, to heave the ship off.
At this critical moment a boat came alongside. The people appeared
anxious to get out of her, and two of them, apparently officers, came
up the side. They said it was the regulation of the port, as well as
the commanding officer's orders, that ships should go further into
the harbour, there to perform ten days' quarantine. In the despatch
relating this transaction, Captain Hood says, "I kept asking them
where Lord Hood's ship lay;" the two Frenchmen knew not what to do or
say next. In the mean time, one of the mids, who happened to be
thrusting his head forward after the investigating manner of this
enterprising class of officers, said apart to the captain,--
"Why, sir, they wear national cockades!"
"I looked at one of their hats more steadfastly," says Captain Hood in
his narrative, "and by the moonlight clearly distinguished the three
colours."
"Perceiving they were suspected," continues Sir Samuel in his
narrative, "and on my questioning them again about Lord Hood, one of
them replied, 'Soyez tranquille, les Anglais sont de braves gens, nous
les traitons bien; l'amiral anglais est sorti il y a quelque temps.'"
In an instant, the situation of the poor Juno became known throughout
the ship. The officers crowded round their captain, while the
Frenchman, bowing to the right and left, grinned and apologised for
the disagreeable necessity of making them all prisoners! It was said
of Hood's ship, that, fore and aft, there was but one heart and one
mind, and this was an occasion to test its truth. At this moment a
flaw of wind coming down the harbour, Lieutenant Webley said to me, "I
believe, sir, we shall be able to fetch out if we can get her under
sail." I immediately perceived we should have a chance of saving the
ship; at least, if we did not, we ought not to lose her without a
struggle. Every person was ordered to their stations; but the
Frenchmen, perceiving some bustle, began to draw their sabres, but I
directed the marines to force them below, which was soon done. In an
instant every officer and man was at his duty; and within three
minutes every sail in the ship was set, and the yards braced ready for
casting. The steady and active assistance of Lieutenant Turner and the
other officers prevented any confusion. As soon as the cable was taut,
I ordered it to be cut, and had the good fortune to see the ship start
from the shore. The head sails were filled; a favourable flaw of wind
coming at the same time gave her good way. Not to be retarded by the
boats, I ordered them to be cut adrift as well as the French boat. The
moment the brig saw us begin to loose sails, we saw she was getting
her guns ready, and we also saw lights in all the batteries. When we
had shot far enough for the brig's guns to bear on us, which was not
more than three ships' lengths, she began to fire; as did a fort a
little on the starboard bow, and soon after all of them, on both
sides, as they could bring their guns to bear. As soon as the sails
were well trimmed, I beat to quarters. When abreast of the centre of
Cape Sepet, and were ready to go about, she came up two points, and
just weathered the Cape. As we passed very close along that shore, the
batteries kept up a brisk fire. When I could keep the ship a little
off the wind, I ordered some guns to be fired at a battery that had
just opened abreast of us, which quieted them a little. We now stopped
firing till we could keep her away, with the wind abaft the beam,
when, for a few minutes, we kept up a very lively fire on the last
battery we had to pass, which I believe must otherwise have done us
great damage. At half-past twelve, being out of reach of their shot,
the firing ceased.
The whole of this admirable piece of service was performed so quickly,
and at the same time with so much coolness, that there occurred little
or no opportunity for any remarkable individual exertion. Everything,
as I have heard it described by Sir Samuel Hood himself and by the
officers, went on as if the ship had been working out of Plymouth
Sound at noon-day. One little incident, however, which caused much
amusement in the ship, will help to show the degree of regard in which
Sir Samuel was held by those immediately about him; and to disprove
the proverb of no man being a hero to his valet-de-chambre.
Dennis M'Carty, an old and faithful servant of Captain Hood's, who was
quartered at one of the main-deck guns in the cabin, stood firm enough
till the batteries opened on the Juno. No sooner had the firing
commenced, and the shot began to come whizzing over and through all
parts of the ship, than Dennis, to the great amaze and scandal of his
companions, dropped the side tackle-fall, and fairly ran off from his
gun. Nothing in the world, however, could be further from poor Pat's
mind than fear--except fear for his master, behind whom he soon
stationed himself on the quarter-deck; and wherever Captain Hood
moved, there Dennis followed, like his shadow; totally unconscious of
any personal danger to himself, though the captain was necessarily in
the hottest of the fire. At length, Sir Samuel, turning suddenly
round, encountered the Irishman full butt.
"Hallo! Dennis," exclaimed the captain, "what brings you here? Go down
to your gun, man!"
"Oh, by the powers! your honour," replied Dennis, "sure I thought it
likely you might be hurt, so I wished to be near you to give you some
help."
There was no resisting this; the captain laughed; and poor Dennis was
allowed to take his own way.
Another remarkable instance of his courage and disinterestedness was
afforded at the battle of the Nile. Previous to entering into that
great action, Nelson hailed Captain Hood's ship, and consulted him as
to the best method of attack.
"What think you," said the Admiral, "of engaging the enemy to-night?"
"I don't know the soundings," was the answer, "but, with your
permission, I will lead in and try."
The result is well known; but I believe it is not so generally known
that, in the first draft of the despatch which Nelson wrote, he gave
to Captain Hood the merit of confirming him in his determination of
attacking the French fleet that night. On showing this letter,
however, to Hood himself, he entreated that it might be altered,
saying "that they were all brothers, engaged in the cause, and that
the admiral would have received exactly the same advice from any other
captain in the fleet whom he might have consulted." The paragraph was
therefore omitted in the despatch.
I have this anecdote of the change in the despatch from one of his
nearest connections, and one of the dearest friends to his memory. He
himself particularly wished the alteration in the despatch not to be
told at the time; but, as the story crept out somehow, it seems very
material that the facts should be well authenticated. When the
circumstance was mentioned to Sir Samuel Hood many years afterwards,
by the friend from whom I have received authority to state it, he
confessed that it was so; but exclaimed,--
"How the devil could all this have got wind?--I never mentioned it
before to a living soul."
As there is hardly any professional anecdote which retains its
freshness of interest more entire than the memorable parley above
described between Nelson and Hood, on the eve of the battle of the
Nile, I venture to give another version of it, which is substantially
the same, and is calculated to confirm, in a pleasing manner, all that
is essential. The following particulars I have been favoured with by
Captain Webley Parry, then first lieutenant of the Zealous.
When steering for the enemy's fleet, Sir Horatio Nelson hailed the
Zealous, and asked Captain Hood if he thought he might venture to bear
up round the shoals. The answer was,--
"I cannot say, sir; but if you will allow me the honour of leading
into action, I will keep the lead going."
"You have my permission, and I wish you good luck," was the reply;
and, as Nelson said this, he took off his hat. Captain Hood, in his
hurry to return the courtesy of his admiral, dropped his hat
overboard. He looked after it, laughed, and exclaimed,--
"Never mind, Webley, there it goes for luck! Put the helm up, and make
all sail."
Captain Foley of the Goliath, being close to the Zealous, perceiving
this manoeuvre, guessed what the orders were, and bore up likewise, so
that when the two ships had shaped their course, they were nearly
abreast of each other. The Goliath being a little in advance, which
of course was rather annoying, Captain Hood stood on for some time, in
hopes of being able to take the lead in the Zealous, but finding this
could not be without jostling and confusion, he turned round and
said--
"This will never do! Well, never mind; Foley is a fine, gallant,
worthy fellow. Shorten sail, and give him time to take up his berth.
We must risk nothing that will tend to the enemy's advantage."
This was instantly done! The Goliath shot ahead, and Captain Foley
had the glory of leading the British fleet into action. By some
accident, however, he failed to place the Goliath in opposition to the
headmost ship of the enemy's line. The experienced eye of Hood
instantly saw the consequences, and while the Goliath passed on to the
second in the line, Sir Samuel placed his own ship, the Zealous,
alongside the first, exclaiming in the joy of his heart, "Thank God!
my friend Foley has left me the van ship!"
The indifference to danger and fatigue which was habitual to this
great captain cost him, I believe, his life when travelling in the
interior of India, near Seringapatam. He reached a station at which a
fresh set of palanquin bearers were to have met him, but had been
prevented by some accident. "It matters not," he cried, "let us walk."
And sure enough he set off to perform on foot a stage which might have
been dangerous on horseback; for the sun had nearly risen to the
meridian, and there was hardly a breath of wind. Possibly no mischief
might have followed this march, but he had been spending some days in
the island of Seringapatam, the most unhealthy spot in Mysore; and it
is a curious circumstance connected with the malaria of the noxious
districts, that its effects frequently lie dormant long after it has
been breathed. Sir Samuel Hood did not escape; but he felt no
inconvenience till after he descended from, and entered the Carnatic
at Madras. The jungle fever, of which the fatal seeds had been sown at
Seringapatam, attacked him after a few days. When, unfortunately for
the profession and for his country, he fell sick at Madras, and knew
that his last moments were fast approaching, he called his faithful
friend and old follower in many ships and many actions, Lieutenant,
afterwards Captain Walcott to his bedside, and said to him,--
"It will be very hard, Walcott, to die in this cursed place; but
should I go off, let nothing deter you from going home and accounting
to the Admiralty for my command of the East India station."
These were nearly the last intelligible words he uttered; and they
serve to show how strong, even in the hour of death, was his sense of
professional duty. As Lieutenant Walcott had served during the whole
of Sir Samuel's India command in the double capacity of
flag-lieutenant and secretary, and had enjoyed the Admiral's entire
confidence, he, and he alone, possessed the means of "accounting to
the Admiralty" for the measures completed, or in progress, for the
good of the service, and therefore the Admiral suggested to him the
propriety of his going home to report matters in person.
The senior officer, who succeeded to the command in the Indian seas,
felt so desirous of following up the friendly intentions of his
lamented predecessor, that knowing the late Admiral's attachment to
Lieutenant Walcott, he offered to promote him into a death vacancy,
which had either actually taken place, or was certain to fall within a
week or two. Moreover, he assured him, that after the necessary time
had been served, he should have the first vacancy for post promotion.
These were indeed tempting offers to a young officer, devotedly
attached to his profession; but they had no influence over a man bred
in the "Sam Hood School." The Admiral's dying injunction appeared to
this right-minded officer fully as binding, or, if possible, more so,
than a written command must have been in his lifetime.
To England Walcott went accordingly; and the difference in
professional standing which it made to him was this:--had he remained
in India, as Sir Samuel Hood's successor proposed, he would
undoubtedly have become a post-captain of 1816, instead of which, his
name stood in 1822, six years later on the list! Had it been sixty
times six, however, it would have made no difference in his conduct.
When the army returned from Spain, after the battle of Corunna, in
1809, there were between twenty and thirty officers accommodated in
Sir Samuel's cabin. Among them was a young officer, a connection of
Lady Hood's, whose father and mother called to thank him, conceiving
that he had been indebted by this connection for the attention he had
received, but Sir Samuel did not even know of the connection or the
name. "Indeed," said he, "I hardly knew the names of half my guests.
But who," he continued, "would make any distinctions amongst such
war-worn and brave fellows."
The fact is, such was his general kindness, that each of these
military officers, his passengers, fancied the Admiral was more civil
to him than to any one else. He suspended on this occasion all the
usual strait-laced etiquettes of the quarter-deck discipline, and
permitted the harassed soldiers to lie down and read between the guns,
or wherever they pleased. His great delight was to coddle them up, and
recompense them, as far as he could, for the severe privations they
had undergone during the retreat, and nothing entertained him so much
as seeing the relish with which these hungry campaigners partook of
his hospitality. On the day after the battle of Corunna, when these
gentlemen came on board, he ordered a cock to be driven into a
hogshead of prime old sherry; and his satisfaction was perfect, when
his steward, with a rueful countenance, communicated to him, on
arriving at Spithead, that "his very best cask of wine had been drunk
dry on the passage by the soldier officers!"