CROSSING THE EQUATOR--BILLY BLUEBLAZES LOOKS OUT FOR THE LINE, BUT DOES
NOT SEE IT--HE AND GERALD MASTHEADED--TRISTAN D'ACUNHA: JOS GREEN, AS
USUAL, "MEETS WITH A FRIEND"--THE OPAL AT THE CAPE--SAILS FOR
MADAGASCAR--COMMODORE DOUCE OF THE RADIANT--A BOAT EXPEDITION UP THE
ANGOXA RIVER--THE SLAVERS' STRONGHOLD--MILDMAY'S SONNET INTERRUPTED BY
THE GUNS OF THE FORT--ATTACK ON THE SLAVE-DHOWS--THE COMMODORE IS LANDED
BY TOM BASHAN--CAPTURE OF THE FORT--CROSSING THE BAR.
Her Majesty's corvette _Opal_, under all sail, was slowly gliding across
the line, for which Dicky Duff and Billy Blueblazes were eagerly looking
out, Paddy Desmond having assured them that if they watched fast enough
they would be sure to see it. Mr Mildmay, being addicted to poetry,
was busily engaged in writing a sonnet on the subject, which, however,
did not corroborate Gerald's statement, as it began, "Ideal cincture
which surrounds the globe;" but as he was interrupted by Ben
Snatchblock's pipe summoning the crew to exercise at the guns, the
second line was not written, when Jos Green caught sight of the
manuscript which he had left on the gun-room table.
"I say, Desmond, Dicky and I have been looking out this last hour or
more for the line, and haven't sighted it yet," said Billy.
"Of course not; and you never will on deck. You should go to the
fore-topgallant-masthead; you will see it clearly from thence, if you
keep your eyes open wide enough; but if not, you have no chance."
"But if we do, we shall miss Neptune's visit. I suppose he'll be on
board us before long?" answered Billy.
"Of course he will, if he doesn't happen to be otherwise engaged; but he
has plenty of work on hand just now, and is just as likely as not paying
a visit to some other ship away to the eastward. You see, he can't be
everywhere at the same time. Or maybe his children have got the measles
or whooping-cough, and of course he wouldn't like to leave them,
especially if his wife happens to be out marketing. He's a domestic old
fellow, and the best of husbands and fathers. So you youngsters mustn't
depend on seeing him; and lucky for you, too; for his barber would be
after shaving your chins off, seeing you've nothing else round your
faces for him to operate on."
Paddy, the rogue, knew very well that the commander did not intend to
allow the once usual frolics and gambols to take place; the
time-honoured custom having, of late years, been generally abandoned on
board Her Majesty's ships of war, as has the barbarous custom of burning
Guy Fawkes been given up on shore by the more enlightened of our times;
albeit the fifth of November and the lesson it teaches should never be
forgotten.
The two midshipmen, who mustered a binocular between them, thus
instigated by Paddy, made their way aloft, where, for their own
pleasure, they remained looking out for Mr Mildmay's "ideal cincture"
with the utmost patience, though they would have grumbled greatly had
they been ordered up for punishment. At length they were espied by the
first lieutenant. "What are you two youngsters doing up there aloft?"
he shouted.
"Looking for the line, sir," was the answer, in Billy's shrill voice.
"Then remain till you see it, or till I call you down!" cried Adair. "I
say, Gerald, you've been after bamboozling those youngsters," he added,
as he caught sight of a broad grin on his nephew's face. "Go up to the
main-topgallant-masthead, and assist them in looking out for the line.
Perhaps you will sight it sooner than they will, and it will help you to
correct your day's work."
Gerald, pulling a long face, began to ascend the rigging, greatly to the
amusement of Archie and his other messmates.
"I say, Adair, you're somewhat hard upon the youngsters," observed the
commander, who had just then come on deck. "You remember that Rogers
and you and I thought ourselves severely dealt with when we three had to
grace the mastheads of the old _Racer_."
"Faith, but I think we were rightly punished, and that's the reason I
sent Desmond aloft, and allowed the other youngsters to remain where
they had gone of their own accord."
"You forget that the sun is somewhat hot, and they may come down by the
run and knock their brains out; so don't you think it would be better to
call them down presently, and give Master Gerald a lecture on the
impropriety of playing on the credulity of his younger messmates?"
Of course Adair did as the commander wished, though he had some
difficulty in keeping his countenance when he called up the three
youngsters before him to receive his lecture.
"Remember, Master Desmond, if you begin by bamboozling, you may end by
practising more serious deceptions on your fellows; so let me advise you
in future to restrain your propensity in that direction," he wound up by
saying, with as grave a countenance as he could command. He then
informed the youngsters that the line was only imaginary, to denote the
sun's course round the globe.
"An `ideal cincture,' you will understand, youngsters," observed the
master, who had heard Adair's remarks, giving at the same time a nod to
Mr Mildmay, who blushed an acknowledgment of being the author of the
poetical simile.
The two youngsters were very greatly disappointed when they found that
they had got some way to the south of the line without having made
acquaintance with Neptune and his charming family.
Rio was at length reached, and Gerald and Archie had time to pay visits,
in company with the good-natured master, to many of the localities with
which they were acquainted when there before, though unable to get up
the harbour, as they wished to call on the officious old magistrate, the
Juiz da Fora who had imprisoned them and Higson. They remained,
however, only long enough to take in a stock of fresh provisions and
water, and then steered eastward across the Atlantic to the Cape of Good
Hope.
About sixteen days after leaving Rio, land was sighted.
"What, have we got to the Cape already?" exclaimed Desmond, who heard
the cry from aloft.
"No, my lad; if you had been attending to your day's work you wouldn't
have asked the question," answered Green. "The land ahead is the island
of Tristan d'Acunha, not the most delectable of spots for the residents,
though I believe there are some on it. We are going to put in to get
some more fresh mutton and beef, with any vegetables they are able to
spare."
"Hands shorten sail and bring ship to an anchor!" shouted Adair soon
afterwards, and the corvette brought up before a green slope, spotted
with small whitewashed buildings, the hill becoming more rough and
craggy till it reached an elevation of eight thousand feet above the
sea. The other side of the island, as they afterwards discovered, rose
sheer out of the water in a vast precipice to the summit. Between the
anchorage and the shore was a prodigious mass of enormous seaweeds,
inside of which the water was perfectly calm, forming a safe harbour for
small craft. Off it appeared two small islands, known as Inaccessible
and Nightingale. To the latter, Billy and Dicky Duff were anxious to go
and catch some of the birds, from which, as they were informed by the
irrepressible Paddy Desmond, the island took its name. Its feathered
inhabitants are, however, only the wild sea-fowl which seek their prey
from among the denizens of the ocean.
"You will not find any friends here, Jos, I suppose?" said Adair to the
master.
"It is possible, as I have never been off the place before," answered
Jos; "but still I am never surprised at meeting someone who knows me.
Once, when pulling up the Nun, in Africa, on the first visit I paid to
that delectable stream, as I happened to be remarking that I had no
friends there, at all events, a black, who had swum off from the shore,
put his head over the bows and exclaimed, `Massa Green, glad to see you.
What! sure you 'member Jiggery Pop, who served aboard the _Frisky_, at
the Cape?' And sure enough I remembered Jiggery well, seeing that I had
once picked him out of the water when he was near drowning, and he had
served me the same good turn."
While Jos was narrating this anecdote, a boat, pulled by half a dozen
stout seamen in blue and red shirts, was coming off from the shore to
the ship. Without ceremony they stepped on board, when one of them,
coming aft, touched his hat to the master. "You'll remember me, sir.
Served with you aboard the _Pantaloon_. I'm Jerry Bird."
"Glad to see you, Jerry; you saved me from being cut down when we had
that affair out in the Pacific."
"No, sir, I think it was t'other way," said Jerry; "I haven't forgotten
it, I can tell you, sir."
"Well, it was one or the other," observed Green. "Tell me what brought
you to this out-of-the-way place?"
"Couldn't help it, sir--ship cast ashore, and I was the only one to get
to land alive, and have been living here ever since; but, if so be the
captain will ship me aboard, I'll enter at once."
As Jerry was a prime hand, the offer was not likely to be refused, and
he was entered accordingly.
A boat with several officers visited the shore, making their way, not
without difficulty, through the floating breakwater of seaweed. The
inhabitants, consisting of about forty men, women, and children,
gathered on the beach to welcome them in front of their little
stone-boxes of dwellings which were scattered about here and there.
They appeared to be a primitive race, the descendants of two old
men-of-war's men, who, having been discharged from the service at the
end of the last century, had lived there ever since with wives whom they
had brought from the Cape, their respective children and grandchildren
having intermarried. Their wealth consisted in bullocks and flocks of
sheep, which, having increased in the same proportion as their owners,
were now very numerous. Their carcases, as well as the skins and wool,
were exchanged for such luxuries as they required with the skippers of
ships calling off their island. Here the old patriarchs, with their
families, had dwelt for well-nigh half a century or more, knowing little
of what was going forward in the world, and by the world unknown.
The _Opal_, having supplied herself with a stock of fresh provisions,
once more weighed anchor, carrying off Green's old shipmate, Jerry Bird,
who seemed heartily glad to get away from his friends, whom he described
in no very flattering colours. After a run of twelve days, the _Opal_
came in sight of the Cape, but it was night before she dropped her
anchor in Simon's Bay. Dark masses of land were seen towering above her
mastheads, and rows of light streaming from the maindeck ports of two
frigates, between which she took up her berth; while the sound of bugles
coming across the water betokened the neighbourhood of troopships, with
redcoats on board, bound out to India, or returning home. It reminded
those whose thoughts were with the loved ones in Old England, to lose no
time in sitting down to their desks. Of course the commander wrote to
his wife, and Adair humbly requested that he might be allowed to enclose
a letter to Lucy, in case, as he observed, she might still be staying
with Mrs Deborah Triton. They both also wrote to the kind old admiral.
As the morning broke, a ship was seen standing out of the harbour, and a
boat sent with a well-filled letter-bag to overtake her. How hard the
crew pulled! for they knew by the commander's manner that he intended
that letter-bag to be put on board. They did it, however,--as British
seamen generally do whatever they are ordered,--though at no small
expenditure of muscular strength, and, of course, received, well
pleased, a glass of grog on their return on board.
The _Opal_ remained but a short time at the Cape. Murray received
orders to follow the _Radiant_, one of the frigates seen on the night of
her arrival, to the Mozambique Channel, as soon as she had filled up
with water and other stores.
The corvette made but a short stay, and again sailed for Saint
Augustine's Bay, at the southern end of Madagascar, which island was
sighted in little more than a fortnight. The _Radiant_ was found at
anchor in the bay, Commodore Douce, who commanded her, having put in to
water the ship.
Murray went on board to pay his respects and receive his orders, and
numerous visits were exchanged between the two ships. The commodore, a
remarkably small man with a fiery countenance, overshadowed by a
prodigious cocked hat, was walking the deck with hasty strides as Murray
came up the side.
"I have been expecting you here for three days, at least, Commander
Murray," he exclaimed, as Alick made his bow. "There is work to be
done, and the sooner it is done the better. I have received notice that
a piratical band of Arabs, who have long had possession of a strong fort
up the river Angoxa, have a number of barracoons full of slaves and
several dhows lying under the protection of their guns. I have resolved
to make a dash up the river to cut out the vessels, capture the slaves,
and destroy the fort."
"I am very glad to hear it, sir," answered Murray, "and will send my
boats on shore to procure water immediately, so that we may be ready to
sail with as little delay as possible. The men, when they hear the
object, will work with a will, you may depend on that, commodore; and I
trust that the crew of the _Opal_ is not to be surpassed in smartness by
that of any other ship in commission. I think that you will acknowledge
that when you have an opportunity of judging."
"Well, well, you brought to in very good style, I must confess that,"
answered the commodore, who, though inclined to be irascible, was
quickly appeased. "When you send your boats on shore, let the officers
in command keep an eye on the natives, and take care that none of the
crew stray. The people about here are treacherous rascals, and would
murder anyone they could catch hold of without any provocation. I'll
send three of the frigate's boats to assist you, and order the crew of
one of them to remain on guard while the others are filling the casks."
The news which Murray took when he returned on board made everyone
alive. In a few minutes the boats were ready to shove off. The
brown-skinned natives kept hovering about all the time, seeing the
sailors engaged in filling the casks; and it was very evident that, had
they dared, they would have treated their visitors as the commodore had
thought probable. Not long before, in the bay, a short distance to the
northward, the inhabitants had murdered an officer and boat's crew,
without, as far as could be ascertained, the slightest provocation.
Murray was therefore thankful when his boats returned safely on board.
Leaving Saint Augustine's Bay, the frigate and corvette sailed across
the Mozambique Channel, and came to an anchor off the mouth of the
Angoxa. During the passage, every possible preparation was made for the
intended expedition; the firearms were looked to, cutlasses sharpened;
the surgeons packed up their instruments, bandages, and medicines. The
Arabs were not fellows to yield without a determined struggle, and some
sharp fighting was expected. About midway across the channel, a thin
wreath of smoke was observed to the southward. "A steamer in sight,
standing this way, sir," reported Adair to the commander. "The
commodore has made the signal to heave-to."
In a short time the steamer got near enough to allow her number to be
made out. "The _Busy Bee_" reported Archie, who was acting as
signal-midshipman. The commodore directed her to join company; her
boats would be an important addition to the proposed expedition. The
three vessels now stood on to the mouth of the river, off which they
brought up, for the depth of water on the bar was not sufficient to
allow even the _Busy Bee_ to enter. The boats were therefore
immediately lowered, those considering themselves most fortunate who had
to go in them; and it was hoped that by pulling up at once the Arabs
might be taken by surprise. The frigate sent four boats, the corvette
three, and the steamer two of her paddle-box boats and a gig. The
larger boats were armed with guns in their bows, capable of carrying
shell, grape, and canister, as well as round-shot. The crews were
provided with muskets, pistols, and cutlasses; and all formed a pretty
strong body, against which the Arabs were not likely to make any
effectual stand. All hands were in high spirits--there is nothing Jack
enjoys so much as an expedition on shore, whether for fighting or for a
game of cricket. Provisions for three days were stowed away in the
boats, with plenty of ammunition, and numerous articles, including pots
and pans for cooking, blanket-frocks and trousers, blankets and other
means for making themselves comfortable at night. The surgeons did not
forget a supply of quinine to mix with the men's grog, the only way in
which they could be induced to swallow the extract, albeit the only
reliable preventive for fever.
Jos Green was much disappointed at being compelled to remain in charge
of the corvette. "I fully expected to find some old friend or other
among the Arabs or captured slaves; however, give my kind regards to
anyone who knows me, and say I shall be happy to see them on board," he
exclaimed, as Terence went down the side.
Murray went in his gig, accompanied by Archie; Adair had command of the
pinnace, a mate and Desmond going with him; Mr Mildmay commanded the
cutter, accompanied by Billy Blueblazes; and Dicky Duff was in the
boatswain's boat. The commodore led the expedition in his own gig, in
the stem of which sat, as coxswain, Tom Bashan, noted as the biggest man
in the fleet--even the carpenter of the _Opal_ looked but of ordinary
size alongside him. He had followed Captain Douce from ship to ship,
and had often rendered his commander essential service, when the little
man might otherwise have come to serious grief. Bashan had the
affection for his chief which a nurse entertains for the child under her
charge, and considered it his especial duty, as far as he had power, to
keep him out of harm--not that the commodore ever suspected that his
subordinate entertained such a notion; he always spoke of him as an
honest, harmless fellow, who knew his duty and did it.
The bar being tolerably smooth, the boats crossed without any accident,
the crews giving way with a will up the river. The tide was flowing, so
they made rapid progress.
"This is something like our expedition up the San Juan de Nicaragua,"
observed Desmond to Adair. "Except that we had white fellows to fight
instead of Arabs, and a hot stream to pull against instead of having the
tide with us."
"The tide will turn before long," answered Adair; "and if the boats get
aground we may find these same Arabs rather tough customers. However,
we must look out to avoid the contingency, and if we can take the
fellows by surprise, we may manage to get hold of a good number of
slaves."
The tide before long, as Adair predicted, began to ebb, and the boats
made much slower progress than before. It was nearly nightfall when
they got up to Monkey Island, inside of which the commodore ordered them
to anchor; the boats being brought up close together, the awnings were
spread, the mainbrace spliced, and other preparations made for passing
the night. An extra allowance was served out to induce the men to
swallow the quinine mixed with it; for though some made wry faces, their
love of grog induced them to overcome their objection to the bitter
taste.
After the grog, songs were sung alternately by the crew of each boat,
the commodore, who had nothing of the martinet about him, being always
ready to encourage his men to amuse themselves harmlessly; and they were
yet too far off from the fort to run any risk of their approach being
betrayed by their voices.
"Sweethearts and wives," sung out a voice from one of the boats, and was
taken up by the rest, as the last drop of grog was drained. Murray and
Adair drank the toast heartily, though in a less demonstrative manner
than their companions, who possibly might have been very little troubled
with the thoughts of either wives or sweethearts. No one for the time
dwelt on the somewhat serious work on which they were likely to be
engaged the next day. At length, each man looked out for the softest
plank he could find, and turned in to sleep, the officers enjoying no
more luxurious couches than their inferiors; to some poor fellows it
might be the last rest they were to take here below.
A look-out, however, was kept, in case any of the Arab dhows should slip
down the river. Two of the gigs were sent alternately ahead to watch
for any craft which might come in sight. None, however, were seen, and
just as the first streaks of daylight appeared in the sky, the commodore
gave the order to "pipe to breakfast." Fires were lighted on the
island, and cocoa and coffee warmed up, while another dose of quinine
was served out to each man.
The operation did not take long, and once more the flotilla advanced,
the tide carrying them rapidly up the river. About noon, as the sun was
beating down with tremendous force, Angoxa came in sight, with, as the
commodore had expected from the information he had received, several
dhows at anchor before it under the protection of its guns. Directly
the boats rounded the last point, which had before concealed their
approach, the red flag was hoisted above the fort, and at the same time
the loud sounds of the beating of tom-toms and drums commenced,
continuing incessantly, as if to intimidate the English tars and induce
them to pull back again to their ships.
The men laughed. "What a row them niggers do kick up! I wonder whether
they think we're going back frightened by all their tom-tomming. We'll
show them presently that we've got some chaps aboard which will bark not
a little louder and do a precious deal more harm," exclaimed Ben
Snatchblock, who accompanied Mr Mildmay in one of the _Opal's_ boats.
That young officer took things very coolly. He was observed with his
notebook jotting down his thoughts, but whether in the form of a
poetical effusion or not, Billy Blueblazes, who was beside him, could
not ascertain, though he tried hard to do so.
"The great Wolfe recited poetry when about to die in the arms of victory
on the heights of Abraham," observed Mr Mildmay to the midshipman; "do
you recall the lines to your memory, Billy? What were they?"
"I think, sir, they were something about `the curfew tolling the knell
of parting day,' but I can never recollect more of the poem."
"Ah! so they were--let me see," and the lieutenant bit the end of his
pencil. "`As Britain's tars who plough the mighty deep.'"
"`Sheep' or `sleep' come in rhyme with `deep,'" suggested Billy.
"Be silent--I want a grander term," said the lieutenant. "`Where waves
on waves in wild confusion leap'--that's fine isn't it?"
"Yes, sir," said Billy. "We're up an African river, and are going to
lick a lot of blackamoors; you'll have a difficulty in bringing
blackamoor into your lines, I've a notion."
"Of course I should call them Arabs, their proper designation, when I
get as far," replied Mr Mildmay.
Just then the boat grounded, as did several others near her, and there
the whole flotilla lay in sight of the fort, outside of which appeared a
number of barracoons, but whether full of slaves or not it was
impossible to say. The unavoidable delay of the leading boats enabled
the others to overtake them; and as the tide rose, their crews shoved
them over the shoals, and once more they advanced in line abreast.
Their progress was slow; again several of the larger boats grounded, and
the whole, consequently, had to wait till the rising tide floated them.
The next time they grounded, the Arabs seemed to have discovered that
they were within range of the eight guns mounted on the fort, as well
indeed as the muskets of the large party sent out along the bank. The
latter, as well as the guns in the fort, now began blazing away, shot
and bullets flying thickly over and around the boats. Mr Mildmay at
this juncture thought it as well to put his notebook into his pocket.
The boats' guns, however, were not to be idle; the commander gave the
order to fire, and immediately they opened with spherical case-shot,
grape and canister, the former thrown with great accuracy into the
middle of the fort, while the latter quickly sent some of the swarthy
heroes under shelter, and put the greater number to flight. Several of
the men in the boats had been hit, which excited the eagerness of the
crews to get at the foe. The first thing, however, to be done was to
destroy the dhows. As the boats worked their way up over the shoals
towards them, a hot fire was opened from those lowest down. This was
quite sufficient to show their character, and the marines and
small-armed men began peppering away at every Arab turban or cap of
which they could catch sight, while the shells and grape prevented the
enemy from returning to their guns in the fort. The tide, rushing in
more rapidly than before, quickly enabled the smaller boats, led by
Adair, to get up to the dhows. He was the first on board the largest, a
craft of a hundred tons or more. Her crew, having had no time to
escape, fought desperately. Some were cut down, and the rest driven
overboard, not a human being remaining alive on board. She was at once
set on fire, and the rest of the dhows were attacked in the same manner
in succession. On board, some resistance was offered, but the crews of
others, leaping overboard, attempted to save themselves by swimming to
the shore. As there was no object in carrying any of them off, they
were all burned, there being no doubt of their piratical character.
Though the guns in the fort were for the time silenced, they were still
capable of mischief, and the commodore wisely resolved entirely to
destroy the hornets' nest. "We must land, Commander Murray, and drive
the enemy into the woods, burn their stockade, spike their guns, and
tumble them into the river," he shouted. The first part of the
business, on which the rest depended, was not so easily accomplished.
The banks shelved so gradually that the boats grounded when still some
twenty yards or more from the shore. The rising of the tide would in
time carry them nearer; but in the interval they were exposed to a
galling fire from the enemy, who were under shelter both in the fort and
in several other spots along the bank; while, in all probability, before
the fighting on shore was over the tide would again ebb and leave the
boats high and dry, exposed to the attacks of the numerous bands who
were gathering on the spot in the hope of wreaking their vengeance on
their foes. Still the plucky little commodore, in spite of all risks,
was determined to carry his plan into execution. The commanders of the
boats received orders to sweep round in line, run their bows as far up
as they could, and while the enemy were driven from the banks by showers
of grape and canister, the marines and small-armed men were to land and
attack them with the bayonet should they attempt to make a stand.
The order was quickly obeyed; the guns from the larger boats sent forth
so deadly a shower of missiles that the Arabs, who were coming down in
force to dispute their landing, took to flight, leaving many dead and
wounded. The difficulty was now to get on shore; the bottom was likely
to be muddy, the water tolerably deep. Murray and Adair, with their
boats' crews, were among the first to gain a footing on dry land. The
commodore was eager to be up with them, but, at the same time, was very
unwilling to get wet. Tom Bashan, having stepped out into the mud,
received orders from his chief to lift him on his shoulders and carry
him on shore. Tom, who had his musket in his right hand, did as he was
ordered by taking the little commodore up with his left arm and placing
him behind his back, where the brave leader of the expedition sat, his
head just above Tom's grinning countenance, while he waved his sword
with no little risk of cutting off his coxswain's nose, shouting in his
eagerness, "On, my lads! on! form on the beach as you land--skirmishers
to the front. Now let the brown-skinned rascals see what British
sailors are made of!"
The marines, who had landed by the time the commodore had been deposited
by Tom on the ground, formed in good order, with parties of bluejackets
on either flank. The Arabs appeared to be taken completely by surprise,
never apparently supposing that the British would leave their boats.
They had halted at some distance, and looked a formidable body, ten
times more numerous than those who were about to attack them; while the
commodore, nothing daunted, waving his sword and dashing forward,
shouted, "Charge, my lads! charge!"
The British bayonets gleamed brightly in the sun, as, with steady tramp,
the line of redcoats and bluejackets advanced at the charge. The Arabs
fired a round, the scimitars of their leaders flashing for a few
seconds, and then, unable to face the bristling wall of bayonets, their
courage gave way, and they fled helter-skelter for safety towards the
neighbouring woods. The English pursued them for some distance, firing
as they advanced, and halting only to give sufficient time to reload.
If they advanced too far, as the fort was yet unsubdued, there was a
risk of a sally being made from it and the boats being destroyed. The
commodore, carried away by his ardour, had already gone farther than was
wise. Discovering his error, he ordered his followers to fall back as
rapidly as possible on the boats.
Just then a strong body of men were seen issuing from the fort. Not a
moment was to be lost, or they might reach the boats. The commodore was
pretty well blown by his recent exercise, but, putting forth all his
strength, he led his men back even faster than they had come. As soon
as the enemy saw their approach, they hastily retreated within the
stockades.
"Now, my lads," cried the commodore, "we have the last part of the
business to accomplish. Before a quarter of an hour is over, we must be
inside that fort. I know that you can do it, and will do it."
The men replied by a loud cheer, and advanced, in high spirits at their
previous success, towards the stockades. The Arabs, who had seen their
friends beaten, lost heart from the first; and though they defended the
stockades for some minutes with considerable bravery, they quickly took
to flight as the bluejackets came tumbling down over their heads,
cutlass in hand. In a few minutes the place was won, the garrison
escaping by a western gate, as the English forced their way in over the
eastern side. The commodore's first impulse was to follow the enemy,
but there were still too many people in the fort to make such a
proceeding safe. The non-combatants, women and children, received
orders to take themselves off with such of their personal property as
they could carry, an act of leniency which surprised them not a little.
In a short time not a single inhabitant remained behind.
The guns were then spiked and dragged to a part of the fort directly
over the stream, into which they were tumbled, and from whence it would
give the Arabs no small amount of trouble to fish them out again. The
place was next set on fire in every direction, when the party, each man
carrying such booty as he had managed to pick up, left the fort to the
destruction awaiting it. The flames spread amid the wooden and
thatch-roof buildings, till the surrounding stockades caught fire, and
the whole hornets' nest was one sea of flame.
The barracoons, from which the slaves had, as it was expected, been
removed, were treated in the same manner, when the commodore, highly
satisfied with the result of the expedition, ordered the men to embark.
To get the heavy boats afloat, however, was no easy matter; the tide had
already begun to ebb; it seemed very doubtful whether they could be got
off, till the crews, putting their shoulders under the gunwales, lifted
them by sheer strength into deeper water. Before a single man attempted
to get on board, the gallant commodore, who, though not afraid of the
hottest fire, had an especial dread of getting wet, was again carried
for some distance on Bashan's shoulders, till he was safely deposited in
the sternsheets of his boat, where the giant, with dripping clothes,
followed him.
Further delay would have been dangerous, as, the channel being unknown,
the boats might at any moment get aground, and be left there by the
rapidly-falling tide. It was, besides, important, for the sake of the
wounded men, to return as soon as possible to the ships. Although not a
man had been hit on shore, either when attacking the enemy in the open
or storming the fort, during the first part of the day several
casualties had occurred; two poor fellows had been killed, and six
others had been wounded, one very severely. Excepting, however, on
board the boat in which the dead bodies lay, the men were in as high
spirits as usual, exulting in the success of the expedition. Now and
then they restrained their mirth, as first one and then another of the
boats grounded, and there seemed a probability that the rest would share
their fate. They, however, were got off, and the flotilla continued its
course down the stream, one boat following the other in line.
They reached their anchorage inside Monkey Island soon after darkness
came on. Though the water was here of sufficient depth, even at low
tide, to allow the boats to keep afloat, and, the dhows having been
destroyed, they could not be assailed from above, still their dangers
and difficulties were not over; for, should their position be
discovered, a force might gather on the banks, and cause them
considerable annoyance. During the night, therefore, the men were
ordered to keep their arms by their sides, ready for instant use--it
being impossible to say at what moment they might be attacked.
The bar, also, had to be crossed. It was sufficiently smooth when they
came over it, but how it would be on their return was the question.
Those who had before been on the coast declared that they had frequently
seen a surf breaking over it in which even a lifeboat could scarcely
live.
"Faith, Archie, we've had a jolly day of it," remarked Desmond, whose
boat was lying alongside that of the commander of the _Opal_; "if this
is the sort of fun we're generally to have, I'm mighty glad we came out
here."
"Small fun for the poor fellows who have been shot," answered Archie; "I
hear one of them groaning terribly; the sooner we get back to the ships
the better for them."
"Faith, it isn't pleasant to have a shot through one, and I hope that
won't be our lot," said Desmond. "I only wish Tom Rogers was with us.
From what I hear, the boats of the squadron are constantly sent away on
separate cruises to look after slavers, and it would be capital if we
could get sent off on a cruise together--much more amusing than having
to stick on board the ship with the humdrum, everyday routine of watches
and musters and divisions."
To this, of course, Archie agreed. The youngsters, forgetting that
their commander was close to them, were chattering away in somewhat loud
voices, when Murray ordered them to knock off talking, and to turn in
and go to sleep. The night passed away quietly, and all hoped to get on
board their respective ships at an early hour the next morning.
After the men had breakfasted on the island, the squadron of boats, led
by their gallant commodore, pulled down with the ebb towards the mouth
of the river, up which a stiffish breeze was blowing, just sufficient to
ripple over the surface of the water glittering in the rays of the
rising sun. On either hand rose a forest of tall trees, their feathery
tops defined against the clear blue sky. In a short time the ships
could be discerned in the offing, rolling their masts ominously from
side to side, while ahead rose a threatening wall of white foam,
extending directly across the river's mouth. The crew of the
commodore's boat ceased pulling, and the other boats as they came up
followed their example.
"Here we are, caught like mice in a trap, gentlemen!" exclaimed Adair,
as Murray and the commander of the _Busy Bee_ came up alongside him.
"It will be madness to attempt forcing the boats through yonder
breakers; the largest would be swamped directly she got among them,"
observed Murray. "It's now nearly low tide; but perhaps at the top of
high-water they may prove less formidable, and we may be able to get
out. We shall, at all events, have to wait till then."
As the boats, during this conversation, had been carried somewhat close
to the dangerous breakers, the commodore ordered them to pull round and
to make their way some little distance up the river, where the men could
lie on their oars and wait for an opportunity of crossing the bar. Many
an eye was turned towards the shore, where a game of leap-frog or some
other amusement could be indulged in, but not a spot appeared on which
they could land. The sun rose higher and higher in the sky, his rays
beating down on their heads and blistering their noses and cheeks, while
the stock of water and other liquids which had been brought rapidly
diminished.
"I hope that we shall be able to get out when the tide rises," said
Desmond to Adair; "if not, I've a notion that we shall be pretty hard
pressed."
"So have I," said Adair; "but it is possible that the bar may remain in
its present state for several days together, and, if so, we shall have
to forage on shore for whatever food we can pick up. It may not be so
easy to find pure water, though."
"For my part, I should be ready to drink ditch-water," exclaimed
Desmond; "I never felt so thirsty in my life."
Many others were in the same condition as Paddy, but no one complained.
A small quantity only remained, which was willingly given up for the use
of the poor wounded men, who of course suffered greatly. Hour after
hour passed by, and anxious eyes were cast at the white wall of surf,
which cut them off from the blue ocean beyond; its summit, dancing and
leaping, glittered brightly in the sun's rays.
At length, the tide rising, the breakers appeared to decrease somewhat
in height. "I think, sir, that I could carry my gig through," said
Murray, "and, if so, the heavier boats may be able to follow."
"You may make the attempt, provided all your people can swim, for your
boat may be swamped," said the commodore; "but as the tide is rising,
you will be drifted back, and we must be ready to pick you up."
"All my boat's crew are good swimmers," said Murray, "but I hope they
will not be compelled to exercise their powers."
Murray, having placed the remainder of the stores, with all unnecessary
weight, on board the larger boats, prepared to make the bold attempt;
Adair and Snatchblock following him, as close as they could venture, to
the inner line of breakers. Standing up and surveying the bar for some
minutes, he at length selected a part where the rollers which came in
from the ocean appeared to break with less violence than on either hand.
"Give way, my lads," he cried suddenly; and the crew bending to their
oars, the boat shot quickly up the foaming side of the first of the
formidable watery hills which had to be passed before the open sea could
be gained. His progress was watched with intense eagerness by those in
the other boats. Now she was lost to sight, as she sank into a valley
on the farther side of the inner roller; now she rose to the foaming
summit of the next.
"He'll do it!" cried the little commodore, standing up in the
sternsheets, that he might the better watch the progress of the young
commander's boat, and clapping his hands like a midshipman. The more
dangerous part of the bar, however, had not yet been reached; still
Murray continued his course. Now the summit of another roller was
gained, the white foam hissing and sparkling over the boat, and almost
concealing her from sight.
"She's capsized after all, and they'll have a hard swim of it," shouted
someone.
"No, she isn't," cried another voice; "I see her bows rising up on the
outer roller. In another minute she'll be clear of them."
"Bravo! well done!" exclaimed the commodore, dancing with delight;
"she's through it, and will soon be on board the _Busy Bee_."
The officer in charge of the steamer, it should be said, not finding the
boats at the time expected, had, according to orders, got up steam and
stood in to ascertain what had become of them.
"Now, my lads," cried the commodore, "what the gig has done we can do.
I'll bring up the rear, and be ready to help any boat which may meet
with an accident. The post of most danger is the post of honour, which
I claim for myself; for those in the last boat will have less chance of
being rescued than any of the rest."
Adair was the next to attempt the hazardous experiment. His boat was
half filled, but he got through without being swamped, and the water was
baled out. The rest in succession followed, each officer waiting for a
favourable opportunity to steer through the line of surf.