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True Blue, a fiction by William H. G. Kingston |
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Chapter 11 |
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_ CHAPTER ELEVEN. The frigate very soon had made good the damages she received in the fight, and once more put to sea, all on board wishing for nothing better than a similar encounter with another enemy, feeling full confidence that the result would be the same. One morning at daybreak, when True Blue had been sent aloft to take a lookout and report any sail in sight, his keen eye detected a small speck floating in the calm, hazy ocean. He knew that the speck was a boat, and hailed to that effect. There was a light breeze from the eastward, and the frigate, under all plain sail, was standing on a bowline to the southward. She was hauled up a few more points, to fetch the boat, which it was soon seen, instead of attempting to escape, was approaching the frigate. Numerous were the conjectures as to what she was; for although an open boat out in mid-channel was not exactly a novelty, still any incident was of interest in those stirring times, when all knew that apparent trifles often led to something important. The boat appeared to be that of a merchantman. Six men were in her; four were pulling, and two sat in the sternsheets. One of these was a wrinkled, wiry old man, with a big red nightcap on his head, and a huge green and yellow comforter round his throat, while a thick flushing coat and trousers, and high boots, concealed the rest of his form. The other looked like the master of a merchantman. As soon as they got alongside, the latter begged that the boat might be hoisted up. This was done; and while the other men went forward among the crew, he and his strange-looking companion repaired aft to the Captain's cabin. The information they gave seemed to afford infinite satisfaction to Captain Garland. Several of his officers were breakfasting with him. "I trust, gentlemen, that, before many days have passed, we shall fall in with another enemy's frigate, a worthy antagonist for the _Ruby_," he remarked as soon as they were seated. "We have also on board, I am happy to say, one of the most experienced pilots for the Channel Islands and the French coast to the westward--a Guernsey man; and, what is more, I know that he is thoroughly to be trusted. He and his companions were on board a merchant vessel, captured by a French privateer; and as the enemy leaped on the deck on one side, they slipped over the bulwarks on the other, and, favoured by the darkness, effected their escape. I propose to run over to the French coast, and watch off Cherbourg for the return of two French frigates, which, I understand, robber-like, go out every night and return into harbour in the morning." At first the crew were very much inclined to laugh at the odd appearance of the old pilot; but Paul Pringle soon got into conversation with him, and gave it as his opinion that the little finger of the old Guernsey man knew more than a dozen of their heads put together, both as to seamanship and as to the navigation of the adjacent coasts. It quickly became known that there was something in the wind, and that the Captain hoped to fall in with another enemy before long. Cape Barfleur, to the westward of Cherbourg, was made during the night. The wind was off shore, and the _Ruby_ was close-hauled on the larboard tack, when, as day dawned, a ship and a cutter were seen from her deck coming in from seaward. All hands were called up, the frigate was cleared for action, and the men went to their quarters. Every glass was turned towards the approaching strangers. "We shall have another scrimmage--that we shall!" exclaimed Tim Fid to True Blue. "I wonder what Gipples will do this time?" "It's a pity he ever came to sea again after the last cruise," answered Billy. "He'll never make a sailor, and only bring shame on the name of one." "He's just fit to sell cat's meat," observed Harry. "Maybe one of the shot he's so afraid of will take his head off, as it might that of a better fellow, and that will settle for him." With this philosophical remark the boys sat down on their powder tubs to await the commencement of the action; while poor Gipples, who had overheard what was said, sat quaking on his in a most pitiable manner. The _Ruby_ was kept edging away towards the supposed enemy. As the daylight increased, there was little doubt of her character, and she was pronounced to be a thirty-six-gun frigate. "A fit opponent for us!" exclaimed the Captain. "We can allow her the cutter's assistance, and we must see how quickly we can take them both." The cutter, however, seemed to have no inclination to assist her consort, from whom she kept hovering at some distance. There was not much time for talking or speculation. The _Ruby_ soon ranged up on the weather and larboard side of the Frenchman, at whose peak flew the ensign of Republican France. It would have been throwing away words to have exchanged compliments or interrogations in this case. The Frenchmen, indeed, maintained a surly silence, till it was broken by the rapid interchange of broadsides between the two well-matched combatants. The chances of war seemed, however, in this instance to be going against the _Ruby_. At the second broadside, down came her fore-topsail-yard, followed soon afterwards by the fore-topmast. "This will never do!" exclaimed Paul Pringle, beckoning to Billy and sending a man to take charge of his tub. "Come here, boy. You must try and see if you can't do as well as you did when we took the _Citoyenne_. Give her as good at least as she has given us." True Blue, nothing loth, began to take a sight along the gun. Just then the Captain had ordered the _Ruby's_ helm to be put hard a-starboard, by which she came suddenly round on the opposite tack, and brought her larboard guns to bear on the enemy. True Blue, finding the ship going about, knew that no time was to be lost. He fired, and the enemy's foreyard came instantly down. The effect was to throw her up into the wind, in which position she received a raking broadside from the _Ruby_. "That's your doing, True Blue. All at the gun saw it--I know they did." "Yes, that was True Blue's shot, as sure as a gun!" cried Tom Marline. "You shall have as many more as you like, Billy." Again True Blue fired, and the enemy's mizen-topmast came down. This enabled the _Ruby_ to sail round and round her, giving her numerous raking broadsides. Still the gallant Frenchman held out. All this time not a shot had been fired from the cutter, and, greatly to the annoyance of the British sailors, she was seen making off under all sail for Cherbourg. At the same time, during a pause in the action, when the smoke cleared off, another sail was descried to the northward, three or four leagues off. The sound of the firing had undoubtedly brought her thus far, and there she lay becalmed, unable to get up and join in the fight. Her presence, however, was not welcomed by the _Ruby's_ crew. She was evidently a frigate. If an enemy, she might prevent the capture of the other Frenchman, and indeed endanger the safety of the _Ruby_ herself. If a friend, they would rather have had the honour of taking their antagonist singlehanded, as they fully expected to do. As to there being any danger of their being captured, that did not enter the heads of the British tars. "Come, bear a hand, boys," said Paul. "We must take this here chap first, and then, if the calm holds for a little longer, we may get all ataunto and be ready for the others. One down, the other come on. That's it, boys." Strange to say, except one man, who had his leg broken by the recoil of a gun he was fighting, not a man on board the _Ruby_ had been hit, though it was evident that numbers of the Frenchmen had been killed, as several were seen thrown overboard. The British began to grow impatient. The French frigate was holding out, probably in expectation of assistance from her consort. The breeze now increased, and the stranger in the offing approached. "Hurrah!" cried Paul Pringle, "another broadside, lads, and the Monsieurs will haul down their flag." Paul's assertion proved correct. Down came the Frenchman's colours, after an action which lasted two hours and ten minutes. She proved to be the thirty-eight-gun frigate _Reunion_, Captain Francois Adenian. Numbers of people stood on the French shore watching the combat, and much disappointed they must have been at its termination. The _Reunion's_ consort, the _Semillante_, was seen to make an attempt to come out of harbour to her assistance; but there was not wind sufficient for her to stem a contrary and very strong tide. "I do wish she'd come!" exclaimed Paul Pringle as he eyed her, while he and his companions were repairing damages, again to make sail. "We'd have her too--I know we should." "I thought that I should bring you good luck, Monsieur le Captain," said the old pilot when the action was over; "I always do." "I hope you will stay with us and bring us more, then," answered Captain Garland. "With all my heart," was the answer; and so it was arranged. Some time after this the _Ruby_ put into Plymouth, from whence she was ordered to proceed to Guernsey in company with the _Druid_, a thirty-two-gun frigate, and the _Eurydice_, a twenty-four-gun ship. A bright lookout was as usual kept. The squadron had got to the distance of about twelve leagues to the northward of the island, when one of the lookouts hailed that two ships were in sight to the westward. Presently two more and a fifth was made out. Whether friends or foes, at first it was difficult to say; but clear glasses were brought to bear on them, and it was declared that they were two fifty-gun ships, two large frigates and a brig, which had crowded all sail in chase. Many a man might have been daunted by these fearful odds. True British seamen never give in while there is a possibility of escape. Captain Garland called aft the old Guernsey pilot and had a short conversation with him. "Then I'll do it," was his remark, and threw out a signal for the _Eurydice_ to make the best of her way under all sail for Guernsey. Meantime he and the _Druid_, under easy sail, waited the approach of the enemy. On they came, exulting in their strength, and confident of making prizes of the two British frigates. The latter, nothing daunted, opened their fire on the enemy in a way which must not a little have astonished them. "Our Captain knows what he is about," observed Paul Pringle in his usual quiet way, as some of the frigate's shots were seen to strike the headmost of one of the French ships. "What! Paul, are we going to take all those big ships?" asked True Blue with much animation. "That will be fine work." "As to taking them, Billy, I can't say," answered Paul. "It won't be bad work if we don't get taken ourselves, do ye see." Never, however, did two ships appear in greater jeopardy than did the _Ruby_ and her consort. True Blue observed his Captain. There he stood calm and composed, watching every movement of the enemy, with the old pilot by his side. They were now rapidly approaching Guernsey, and could be seen from the shore, all the neighbouring heights of which were crowded with spectators, eager and anxious witnesses of the unequal contest. Although both the English frigates fired well, they had not as yet succeeded in bringing down any of the Frenchmen's spars. Captain Garland now threw out another signal. It was to order the _Druid_ to crowd all sail and make the best of her way for the harbour. Those on board her could scarcely understand his object. It appeared as if he was about to sacrifice himself for the sake of preserving the other two ships. The Captain of the _Druid_ was too good an officer not to obey orders simply because he could not understand their object, or he would have been inclined rather to have gone to the _Ruby's_ aid, and to have shared her fate, whatever that might have been. As soon as Captain Garland saw that the _Druid_ was obeying his directions, he boldly hauled up and stood right along the French line, at which the frigate kept up all the time a hot fire. The enemy kept firing away all the while in return; but their gunnery was fortunately none of the best, and but few of their shot had hitherto struck the _Ruby_. "Well, what are we going to do now, Paul?" asked True Blue. "Does the Captain intend to try and weather on the Frenchmen, and so get clear?" "Wait a bit, Billy," answered his godfather. "You'll see presently. The Captain means to proceed to Guernsey, and to Guernsey, it's my opinion, we shall go, in spite of all the Frenchmen may do to try and prevent us." On stood the gallant _Ruby_. The two frigates and brig were passed; then came one of the big ships, then the other. The _Eurydice_ was now close in with the harbour and safe. The _Druid_ was so near that, unless becalmed, there appeared no doubt about her getting in. "Now, my lads," cried Captain Garland, "be sharp in all you do!" The helm was put up, the yards were squared, and on she stood towards a collection of rocky islands, islets, and shoals, apparently to destruction. The never-quiet ocean was sending dense masses of spray and foam over the rocks. The old pilot stood calm by the Captain's side. The Frenchmen, who had concentrated all their attention on the _Ruby_ and let the other two ships escape, now bore up after them. On she stood under all sail towards the rocks. The old pilot took his stand in the weather-rigging. The helmsman's eye was upon him, ready to answer each wave of his hand, or deep-toned sound of his voice. The guns were deserted, and all the crew stood by either the tacks or sheets or braces, or crowded the tops aloft, ready with all possible rapidity to make any alteration in the sails which a shift of wind or change of course might require. Still the enemy kept firing at the frigate, but their shot fell either altogether short or wide of their mark. The wind increased--the frigate flew on. On either side of her there appeared white foaming seas, dancing up fantastically and wildly, without apparent cause, but which the seamen well knew betokened rocks and shoals. They were aware that they were among the most dangerous reefs on that rock-bound coast. No one in the ship had ever been there except the curious old pilot. There he stood, as cool and collected as if the ship were sailing in the open sea, with a gentle breeze filling her canvas. The Captain stood near the pilot, and they all knew that they could trust him, and so were content if he trusted the old Guernsey man. "He knows what he's about," observed Paul Pringle to his godson, looking at the pilot. "Mind, Billy, that's what you must always do. Never attempt to do what you don't know how to do; but then what I say is, set to work and learn to do all sorts of things. Never throw a chance away. Note all the landmarks as we go along now, and whenever you go into a harbour mark them in the same way." "Ay, ay, Paul," answered Billy; "I'll do my best." "That's all any man can do," remarked his godfather. "Stick to that, boy, and you'll do well. But, I say, I wish those Monsieurs would just try and follow us. We might lead them a dance which would leave them on some of these pretty rocks alongside." True Blue's interest in what was going forward was so great that he could scarcely reply to Paul's remarks. The sea foamed and roared on either side of the ship. Now the water became smoother over a wider surface, now black rocks rose sheer out of the sea as high as the hammock nettings, and then once more there was a bubbling, and hissing, and frothing, betokening concealed dangers, which none but the most experienced of pilots could hope to avoid. Meantime, many an eye was turned towards the French squadron. It was scarcely to be expected that the enemy should be ignorant of the surrounding dangers; still no one would have been sorry if, in their eagerness, they had run themselves on shore. Suddenly the leading French ship was seen to haul her wind--so suddenly, indeed, that the next almost ran into her, and, as it was, shot so far beyond her that she must have almost grazed the rocks before her yards were braced up, and she was able to stand off shore. In a few minutes more the _Ruby_ ran triumphantly into Guernsey roads, where the _Druid_ and _Eurydice_ had already arrived in safety, while thousands of spectators were looking down and cheering them from the surrounding heights. "I knew our Captain would do it!" exclaimed Paul, when, the sails being furled and the ship brought to an anchor, he and his messmates were once again below. "There are few things a brave man can't do when he tries. Our Captain can fight a ship and take care of a ship. What I've been saying to Billy is, that we should never give up, however great the odds against us, because, for what we can tell, even at the last moment something or other may turn up in our favour. Mind, Billy, whatever you may think now, you'll find one of these days that what I tell you is right." _ |
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