Now arose the question: What has become of the chase; had we simply lost
sight of her in the growing obscurity, and was she still steering the
same course as when last seen, or had her captain availed himself of
that obscurity to put in practice some trick in order to give us the
slip?
I brought the telescope to bear upon the _Dona Inez_, in the hope of
gathering from her actions some clue as to whether or not she still held
the chase in view; she was carrying on, holding to her original course,
and the inference to be drawn from this was that those aboard could
still see the stranger. But, even as I looked, a string of lanterns
soared up to her peak, from which position they were hidden from the
chase by the intervention of the brig's head-sails, and when the signal
was at length complete I found, as I had quite expected, that it was a
question as to whether we still held the stranger in view. This signal
I answered in the negative, by means of a whip from the lee lower yard-
arm, keeping the lanterns quite low, in the hope that they would thus
escape the observation of the chase, and I then got a second signal from
the commodore, which read:
"Steer as at present for one hour, then, failing further orders, haul
wind to north-east."
This signal I acknowledged in like manner as the first, and, while doing
so, saw that the brig had taken in her studding-sails and hauled her
wind. I noted the time, and found it to be close upon seven o'clock.
Half an hour later, while Keene and I were below at dinner, the faint
boom of a distant gun came floating down the open skylight to our ears,
and Simpson, who had charge of the deck, poked his head down through the
opening to make the report:
"Commodore signalling again, sir!"
Snatching the signal book from the locker upon which it had been thrown,
I dashed upon deck, and presently, by the light of the binnacle lamps,
deciphered the signal as follows:
"Tack to south-east."
"Right!" said I, "answer it. In studding-sails, Mr Simpson, and then
heave about on the port tack. Keep your eye on the commodore, and also
keep a bright look-out to windward for any sign of the chase."
By the time that I got below again, and was once more seated at table,
the schooner was in stays, and immediately afterwards the long, easy,
floating and gliding movement of a vessel running off the wind was
exchanged for the quick, violent, jerking plunge and heavy lee lurches
of the same craft driven under a heavy pressure of canvas into a high
and steep head-sea. Ten minutes later I was again on deck.
"I was just thinkin', sir, of takin' in the to'garns'l," remarked
Simpson as I joined him on the weather side of our tiny quarter-deck,
where he was engaged in a futile endeavour to avoid the heavy showers of
spray that were now flying over our weather bow and as far aft as the
mainmast. "She's got a good deal more than she can comfortably carry,
and there's nothin' to be gained by whippin' the sticks out of her. I
believe she'd travel quite as fast, and a good deal easier, if that
to'garns'l was stowed, sir."
"Any sign of the chase yet, Mr Simpson?" said I.
"No, sir, not when I looked last, there wasn't," answered the carpenter.
"The mischief of it is that there's no knowin' where to look for her,
and it's as much as a man can do to make out the commodore in this
murk."
"Where is the commodore?" demanded I.
"Out there, dead to wind'ard of us, and about four mile away," answered
Simpson. "Better take in the to'garns'l, hadn't we, sir?" he continued,
cocking his eye aloft to where in the dim light the spar could be
faintly seen whipping and buckling like a fishing rod at every mad
plunge and heave of the sorely-overdriven little vessel. That she was
being overdriven was perfectly evident, not only from the tremendous
quantity of water that she was shipping forward at every furious dive
into the head-sea, but from the steep angle of her decks, which sloped
at an inclination of fully forty-five degrees with every lee roll, and
from the cataracts of green water that poured in over her lee rail upon
every such occasion; her decks, indeed, to leeward were so flooded that
no man could have passed along them to leeward without imminent risk of
being washed overboard.
"Yes," said I at last, "clew up your topgallant-sail, Mr Simpson, and
the topsail also while you are about it. You are right, the ship is
being over pressed, and I believe that what we may lose by taking the
square canvas off her will be more than made up to us by our gain in
weatherliness. She will look up nearly a point higher under her fore-
and-aft canvas only, and go along very nearly as fast."
Simpson needed no second bidding. He thought as I did on the matter,
and the result proved us correct, for while there was no perceptible
diminution in the schooner's speed due to the loss of her square canvas,
she looked higher and went along much more easily and comfortably than
she had done before, "Now for a look at the commodore," said I, when we
had snugged down the little vessel, and I took the telescope from the
beckets in which it hung in the companion way.
Yes, there she was, dead to windward of us, driving along, as I could
just make out, under her main topgallant-sail; but all was perfectly
dark on board her, and there was no sign of the slaver that I could see.
But I presumed that they had her in sight from the brig, or we should
have heard something from the latter. For it was at this time very
dark, and blowing strong, and the conditions generally were such that
the matter of as little as even two or three miles might make all the
difference between seeing and not seeing the stranger.
Eight bells came, the watch was called. Jones, the boatswain, relieved
Simpson, and the latter, bidding me good-night, went below. I explained
to Jones our reasons for taking the square canvas off the ship, and he
was graciously pleased to express his approval.
"Yes, sir," he said, "I believe you've done the right thing. Even now
the little hooker have got all that she can comfortably carry, and if
you was to pile more on to her you'd do no good, but only strain her all
to pieces, and open her seams. The fact is, Mr Grenvile, that these
here shallow, beamy craft ain't intended to sail on their sides; bury
'em below their sheer-strake and they begins to drag and to sag at once.
We're doin' quite as well as can be reasonably expected in such a sea
as this, as is proved by the way that we're keepin' pace with the
commodore. I'll just take his bearin's, for the fun of the thing, and
see how much he head-reaches on us durin' the next hour." Saying which
he trotted aft to the binnacle and very carefully took the bearings of
the brig, which we both made to be exactly east-south-east.
The hour sped, with no sight or sign of the chase to cheer us, and then
Jones and I went to the binnacle to take the bearings of the _Dona Inez_
once more. The boatswain was a long time getting the bearing to his
satisfaction, for the little vessel was leaping and plunging most
furiously, and the compass-card was none too steady in the bowl; but at
length he stepped back from the binnacle with an air of triumph,
exclaiming:
"There, Mr Grenvile, what d'ye make of that, sir?"
Whereupon I, in turn, stepped up to the binnacle, and with equal care
took the bearing.
"I make it east and by south, half south," said I.
"And east and by south, half south it is!" answered Jones exultantly.
"Which means, sir, that we've head-reached on the brig to the extent of
half a p'int within this last hour, and that, too, in a breeze and a sea
so heavy that the brig ought to walk away from us hand over hand. Well,
I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself; but seein' is
believin', I have heard say. And more than that," he continued, taking
up the glass and levelling it at the _Dona Inez_, "I'm blest if I don't
believe as we're weatherin' on her too. Take this glass, Mr Grenvile,
and tell me whether you don't think as we've drawed up a bit closer to
the commodore since eight bells struck."
To humour the fellow I took the telescope, as requested, and certainly
when I got the brig focused in the lens her image appeared to be more
distinct and also perceptibly larger than it had been when I last looked
at her.
The hours sped on without change of any sort, except that when at length
midnight arrived there was no longer any room to doubt that, since we
had taken in our square canvas, and thus relieved the overdriven little
hooker, we had steadily, if somewhat slowly, head-reached and weathered
upon the commodore; and then, as there seemed to be no prospect of any
further news from our consort that night, I went below and turned in,
leaving instructions that I was to be called at once, without fail,
should anything occur to render necessary my presence on deck, or should
the commodore exhibit any further signals. In less than five minutes I
was fast asleep.
I was awakened next morning by the loud knocking of the steward at my
state-room door.
"Six bells, Mistah Grenvile, sah; and here is your coffee," announced
San Domingo, as he stood balancing the cup and saucer in his hand and
swaying to the still lively movements of the schooner, although it
struck me at once that she was not nearly so lively in her motions as
she had been when I turned in at midnight. I raised myself in my bunk
and peered through the closed scuttle that was let into the side of the
ship. The little craft was still lying over far enough to cause the sea
to wash up over the glass and obscure the view occasionally, but there
were nevertheless intervals of quite long enough duration to enable me
to note that the morning was overcast and lowering, with a decided
thundery look in the sky, and that the sea had gone down very
considerably while I had been lying asleep.
"Well, San Domingo," I said, "are there any signs of the chase? And
where is the commodore?"
"De chase, sah, am about four mile to wind'ard ob us, bearin' about half
a point abaft de beam, and de commodore am 'bout a mile and a half
astern of us."
"Astern of us--the commodore astern of us, did you say?" exclaimed I
incredulously.
"Yes, sah," answered the black, quite unmoved, "dead astern ob us. We
hab both weadered and head-reached on him durin' de night."
"Has he made any signals since I came below?" asked I.
"Not dat I am aware ob," answered the fellow. "But, if massa wish, I
will go on deck and ask Mistah Simpson."
"No, never mind," said I. "No doubt Mr Simpson would have called me
had such been the case. What canvas are we under?"
"All plain sail, to de royal, sah."
"Very well, that will do," said I, taking the cup and draining it.
"Find me my bath towel, San Domingo, and then you may go."
A minute later I was on deck, still in my sleeping rig, and looking
about me. The weather was pretty much as I had judged it to be from the
glimpse that I had caught through my state-room port. As San Domingo
had said, the _Dona Inez_ was about a mile and a half so dead astern of
us that her two masts were in one, while, in the precise position which
the negro had indicated, there lay a fine, spanking brigantine thrashing
along under a perfect cloud of canvas to her royal, which, by the way,
appeared to have as much hoist, and nearly as much canvas on it, as our
topsail.
"Nothing to report, sir," said Simpson, coming up to me as I emerged
from the companion. "We made out the chase about two bells this
morning; but I did not call you, sir, as she showed no signs of shiftin'
her helm. And the commodore haven't said a word all night. I reckon
he'll be a bit surprised when he sees where we are."
"To tell you the truth, Simpson, I am `a bit surprised' myself," said I.
"She is a wonderful little craft to have beaten the _Inez_ as she has
done, and that, too, in a strong breeze." And, turning away, I went
forward and took my usual salt-water bath.
"Now," I meditated, as I took up a position beneath the spout of the
head-pump, and signed to the man in charge to get to work, "the rule in
chasing when one is abreast, but to the leeward of the chase, is to
tack. I don't like to tack without instructions from my superior
officer, because I don't know what his plans may be, and he may have
some scheme of his own for the circumventing of our friend yonder; but
if I do not hear anything from him by the time that I am ready to go
below and dress I will just take the small liberty of asking for
instructions. For of course the brigantine is quite aware by this time
that the brig and we are running in couples, therefore there need be no
further squeamishness on my part as to an interchange of signals between
the brig and myself."
My douche at an end, I walked aft again, and, pausing at the head of the
companion ladder, said to Simpson:
"Mr Simpson, be good enough to get out the flags and--"
The carpenter was balancing himself upon the dancing deck as I spoke,
with the telescope at his eye, looking at the brig, and I had got so far
in my speech when he interrupted me with the exclamation:
"Signal from the commodore, sir!"
"What is it?" I asked.
He read out the flags to me, and I said:
"All right! acknowledge it." And I dived below into my cabin, where I
at once turned up the signal in the code book. It consisted of the one
word "Tack!"
Hastily closing the book again, I dashed up the companion ladder and
shouted to Simpson:
"Mr Simpson, 'bout ship at once, if you please. And when you are round
upon the other tack, and have coiled down, let the men clear away the
long gun on the forecastle and get up a few rounds of ammunition. We
may perhaps get a chance to have a slap at that fellow a little later."
"Ay, ay, sir! Hands 'bout ship!" roared Simpson. And as I descended
again to my state-room to dress, I heard him give the order to "down
helm". The next moment the little hooker rose to an even keel, with a
terrific slatting of canvas and whipping of relaxed sheets as she came
head to wind; then, after a vicious plunge or two, head-on, into the
long seas, she paid off on the opposite tack and heeled over to port.
The shivering and slatting of the canvas, with the accompanying tremor
of the hull, ceased, and the long, easy, floating plunges and soarings
were resumed as she again settled easily into her stride.
"Long gun all ready, sir," reported Simpson when at length I stepped out
on deck fully dressed. "Shall we try a shot?"
"Too far off," said I; "we should not get anywhere near her. Still,
yes, you may waste a charge just by way of letting the fellow understand
that we are in earnest. Give the muzzle a good elevation, and so aim
that he may see that we want to pitch a shot across his forefoot. And
at the same time let him see the colour of our bunting."
The shot was accordingly fired and our ensign hoisted; but, so far as
the former was concerned, we might as well have saved our powder, for
the ball, although very well aimed, fell a long way short. But it had
the effect of causing her to show her colours, which proved to be
French. We fired no more, for there was nothing to be gained by wasting
ammunition, and it was quite clear that the stranger had no intention of
heaving-to until absolutely compelled to do so. We held on, therefore,
uneventfully, until we were fairly in the brigantine's wake, and then
tacked again, without waiting for orders from the commodore. It was by
this time eight o'clock; the watch was called, the boatswain came aft to
relieve Simpson, and San Domingo appeared, with the announcement that
breakfast was ready. Before going below, however, I ordered young Keene
to bring up my sextant, with which I very carefully measured the angle
between the brigantine's main-topmast head and the top of her transom.
When I had secured this I clamped the instrument and laid it aside for
reference later. Then I instructed Jones to pick out the best helmsman
he could find in his watch and send him aft to the tiller, explaining my
reason for so doing.
"After our performance of last night," said I, "I think we need have no
fear as to our ability to overhaul that brigantine. But I want to do
more than that; I want not only to overhaul her, but also to eat out to
windward of her, so cutting off her escape in that direction. And, to
accomplish this, and thus bring her the sooner to action, if she means
to fight, we must have a thoroughly good man at the tiller, one who will
let her go along clean full, yet at the same time coax and humour the
little barkie every inch to windward that he can."
"Yes, sir, I perfectly understands," answered the boatswain. "I knows
exactly what you wants, Mr Grenvile, and I've got the very man for the
job. I'll see to it, sir." And he took the tiller rope out of the
hands of the man who was steering, giving him instructions to "send Bill
Bateman aft."
I found young Keene in high feather at the prospect of a tussle with so
formidable an opponent as the brigantine promised to be, and we
dispatched our breakfast in double-quick time, after which my
lighthearted companion got out his pistols and proceeded to clean and
load them carefully in anticipation of the moment when they might be
needed. And when this was done he went forward to supervise personally
the sharpening of his sword by the armourer. Meanwhile I took my
sextant on deck, and had another squint through it at the chase. It was
satisfactory to find that we were overhauling her rapidly. Then, having
secured an observation of the sun for the determination of our
longitude, I gave orders to clear for action, an operation which, in the
case of so small a hooker as the _Francesca_, was a very simple matter.
We had just completed all our preparations comfortably when Jones called
my attention to the fact that the commodore was in stays, and presently
she was round on the other tack and heading well up for us. But so far
had we gained on her that, when at length we crossed her hawse, there
was quite two miles of clear water between us. I commented upon this
singular fact to Jones, remembering that when we parted company with the
_Shark_ the _Dona Inez_ was distinctly the better sailer of the two,
while now we were beating her in her own weather.
"It's not very difficult to understand, sir," answered Jones. "The fact
is that then we didn't know this here little beauty, and how to get the
best out of her, while now we does. That's all that there is about it."
And, as I could not otherwise understand the phenomenon, I was obliged
to accept that explanation, and be satisfied with it.
Six bells arrived, by which time the commodore was once more in our
wake, having tacked again, while we had clawed out about half a mile to
windward of the chase, and drawn so close to her that I determined to
try the effect of another shot from the long eighteen upon her. The gun
was accordingly reloaded, carefully trained, and the schooner luffed
sufficiently to bring the gun to bear clear of our head gear. At the
proper moment the gunner, who was squinting along the sights, gave the
order to fire. The linstock was applied, the gun exploded, shaking the
little vessel to her keel, and as the helm was put up to keep her away
again, all eyes were strained to note the effect of the shot. It struck
the water fair and true close astern of the chase, but without doing any
damage, so far as we could see. But it was soon apparent that it had
fallen too close to her to be pleasant, for the next moment her fore-
rigging was alive with men, who swarmed up on to her yards as she put
her helm up and kept away upon a south-westerly course, with the wind
well over her port quarter. And that her skipper was a taut hand, who
kept his men well up to the mark, was immediately afterwards evidenced
by the wonderful man-o'-war-like rapidity with which they rigged out
their studding-sail booms, and set a whole cloud of studding-sails on
their port side.
"Up helm and keep her away!" I shouted as I saw what the brigantine was
at. "Away aloft there and out booms--get the larboard stu'n'sails upon
her as quick as you please, lads. Steady as you go," to the man at the
helm. "How's her head?"
"Sou'-west and by west, half west, sir," answered the man.
"Keep her at that," said I. The course which we were then steering was
about half a point higher than that of the brigantine, and by following
this I hoped to drop into her wake again in due time without losing any
ground.
We were now once more running off the wind, and the quick, jerky motions
of the schooner had given place to a series of long, easy, buoyant,
floating movements, much more conducive to accurate shooting than those
which had preceded them. I therefore resolved to try the effect of at
least one more shot from the long gun, especially as it became apparent
that the brig had at last found herself upon her best point of sailing,
and was gradually creeping up to us, while I was anxious to have to
myself the honour and glory of bringing the brigantine to action without
the assistance of the commodore. I therefore gave orders to reload the
forecastle gun, and to aim high, with the object of disabling the chase
aloft, and so clipping her wings. The gun was accordingly made ready
and, at the proper moment, fired, the gunner waiting until a surge had
swept under the little vessel and she was just settling into the trough
in the rear of it, with her stern down in the hollow and her bows
pointing skyward. Again came the flash, the jarring concussion, the jet
of white smoke; and a moment later young Keene, who, in his excitement,
had scrambled half-way up the fore-rigging, to note the effect of the
shot better, gave a cheer of exultation.
"Hurrah!" he yelled; "bravo, Thompson! well shot--clean through his
topsail, and a near shave of clipping the topmast out of her."
We presently fired again, this time cutting the royal stunsail sheet and
setting the sail violently flapping, with the result that it had to be
taken in before the sheet could be spliced. But we were not to be
allowed to have matters all our own way very much longer, for while we
were reloading the long gun a jet of flame, followed by a puff of white
smoke, like a little wad of white cotton wool, suddenly leaped from the
brigantine's stern port, and a 9-pound shot came whistling overhead,
neatly bringing down our fore topgallant-mast, with all attached, on its
way. We were now in a very pretty pickle, forward, for it was our wings
that were clipped, much more effectually than we had clipped those of
the chase; and now, too, the commodore came romping up to us, hand over
hand. We were, however, not yet beaten, by a long way, and while a good
strong gang was at once sent aloft to clear away the wreck, we on deck
kept up a brisk and persistent fire upon the chase with our long gun.
But whether it was that Thompson's hand had lost its cunning, or that
the flapping and banging of the wreckage overhead disconcerted him and
spoiled his aim, certain it is that we made no more hits just then.
By the time that our wreckage had been cleared away, and everything made
snug aloft once more, the commodore had forged ahead of us, and had
begun to open fire, the brigantine returning his fire briskly from one
stern port while she peppered us from the other. And presently a
further misfortune, and this time a very serious one, overtook us, it
happening that we both fired at the same instant, and while our shot
clipped off the brigantine's topmast-studding-sail boom like a carrot,
close in by the boom-iron, his shot passed through our topsail, so
severely wounding the topmast on its way that, before anything could be
done to save the spar, it snapped short off about half-way up its
length; and there we were again, hampered with a further lot of wreckage
to clear away.
Meanwhile the commodore, profiting by the damage that we had inflicted
upon the brigantine, rapidly overhauled her. The two craft maintained a
brisk fire upon each other until, the _Dona Inez_ having ranged up
alongside the chase, they both took in their studding-sails and went at
it, hammer and tongs, broadside to broadside. This continued until, the
brig's fore-topmast having been shot away, she broached-to and ran foul
of the brigantine, to which she promptly made herself fast by means of
her grappling irons. And the next moment the cessation of the gun fire,
the flashing of cutlass blades in the sun, and the popping of pistols
told us that the boarders were at work.
"Avast there with the long gun!" I cried. "Boarders, stand by! Mr
Keene, have the goodness to take charge. Stand by your halyards, men,
and be ready to settle away everything, fore and aft, as we range
alongside. Stand by also with your grappling irons. Mr Keene, we will
range up on the brigantine's port side."
"Oh, Dick, you might let me go with you, old chap; I've got my sword
sharpened and my pistols ready expressly for the purpose of boarding!"
pleaded Jack.
"Can't possibly, my dear boy," answered I. "Somebody must look after
the schooner, and you're that somebody; so please say no more about it.
Now, lads," I continued, "we must make short work of this business; for
if these craft lie alongside each other for ten minutes, in this sea,
they will grind each other to pieces, and we shall all go to the bottom
together. So strike, and strike hard, the moment that you find
yourselves on the enemy's decks. Mr Jones, tell off six men to remain
in the schooner with Mr Keene."
Five minutes later and we were within half a cable's-length of the
brigantine, on the decks of which a fierce and stubborn conflict was
still raging; and it appeared to me that the commodore and his party
were finding all their work cut out to avoid being driven back on the
deck of their own ship.
"Settle away fore and aft," I cried. "Main and fore halyards, peak and
throat; jib halyards, let go; man your downhauls; and then muster in the
waist, starboard side. Steady, Jack, starboard you may; steady, so.
Now stand by your grapnels--heave! Hurrah lads, follow me, and take
care that none of you drop between the two hulls!"
The next instant we were all leaping and scrambling, pell-mell, in over
the bulwarks of the brigantine and leaping down on her decks, which were
already slippery with blood and cumbered with killed and wounded.
Fortunately, by boarding on the brigantine's port side, as we did, we
took her crew in their rear, which so greatly disconcerted them--while
our appearance imparted fresh courage to the commodore's party--that
after vainly striving to stand against us for nearly a minute, some
flung down their weapons and cried for quarter, while the remainder made
a clean bolt of it forward and darted down the fore scuttle, which we
promptly closed upon them.