Part 5 (2/2)
”Ay; there she is, men,” returned Bas...o...b.. ”We can't make any mistake about her, I think; and in halt an hour you shall be alongside her. The rest of the work will be for you to do. I'll tell you my plan, men. We will range up alongside her and lay her aboard, and just before our sides touch we will pour our broadside into her, throw the grapnels and hook on, and then dash aboard in the midst of the smoke and drive her crew below. The secret is to strike hard and often, and keep them on the run. If any man attempts to stand, though only for a moment, run him through at once with a pike. That is all that I have to say, men; you know how to do the trick as well as I.”
With Cartagena city and the galleon in plain view, d.i.c.k Chichester's work aloft was done, and he, therefore, returned to the deck and the spot upon it from which he had previously been conning the s.h.i.+p, where he resumed his duty as pilot.
As the _Adventure_ slid smoothly and rapidly up the harbour, heading straight for the galleon, it was seen that nearly twenty large boats, full of armed men, were pulling off to her from the sh.o.r.e. It was clear, therefore, that the authorities had received notice of the approach of the English, possibly from one or another of the officers in charge of the defences on Tierra Bomba, and, shrewdly guessing that one object, at least, of the unwelcome visit was the galleon, were determined to defend her to the last. But this discovery in nowise disconcerted the st.u.r.dy lads of Devon, who had long ago learned to regard themselves as invincible, so far as the Spaniards were concerned; so they continued with the utmost calmness to add here and there some refinement of finish to the preparations which had been completed an hour or more ago. Even the s.h.i.+p's cook, whom n.o.body regarded as a fighting man, must needs add his little quota to the general preparations, the same taking the form of several gallons of greasy boiling water with which he had filled his coppers, the which he proposed to employ at such time as might seem to him most suitable. As for d.i.c.k, he decided that the handspike which he had used in the fight off Barbados had proved so effective that, regarded as a weapon, it could scarcely be improved upon, and he was on the point of providing himself with another when his eye chanced to fall upon a heavy iron bar which had been brought on deck for some purpose, so, having tested its weight, he at once decided that it was the very thing he needed, and appropriated it accordingly.
The _Adventure_ had arrived within about half a mile of the galleon when the latter opened fire with her heavy ordnance, of which she carried two tiers. But whether it was that the Spaniards designed to shoot away the English s.h.i.+p's masts, and so leave her helpless and unmanageable, or whether it was that the pieces were badly aimed, every one of the shot went humming high overhead, leaving the intruder to pa.s.s on unscathed and in grim silence; for not one of her guns replied. But Bas...o...b..stepped forward to the front of the p.o.o.p and issued an order.
”Let every man of you,” he said, ”take bow or musket, and prepare to discharge a volley upon the deck of yonder galleon when I give the word.
Then, that done, return to your ordnance and prepare to fire, for the time will be at hand. Sail trimmers, stand by to let fly all sheets and halliards at the word of command; then be ready to heave the grapnels as we range up alongside.”
The English s.h.i.+p, still conned by d.i.c.k Chichester, was now steering a course which if persevered in would carry her across the stern of the galleon, at a distance of about twice her own length from that vessel; and it seemed evident, from the uncertain movements of those on board the Spaniard, that they were considerably puzzled as to the intentions of the English. For, having discharged the whole of her starboard broadside at the approaching _Adventure_, the crew of the galleon first began with feverish haste to reload all the guns on that side of their s.h.i.+p; then, seeming suddenly to suspect that their antagonist intended to lay them aboard on their insh.o.r.e side, they left their starboard broadside only half-loaded and precipitately dashed across the deck to their larboard broadside of ordnance, which they began to clear away hurriedly with the intention of loading. The _Adventure_ was at this moment less than twice her own length from the galleon, and Bas...o...b.. standing on the p.o.o.p, was able to look down from there into the crowded waist of the other s.h.i.+p and clearly see the Spaniards crowding together about the larboard ordnance. The opportunity seemed much too good to be let slip, so calling his bowmen and musketeers up on to the p.o.o.p, he directed them to discharge a volley into the surging ma.s.s of men, which they did instantly, with terribly destructive effect.
”Good!” he exclaimed, as he saw some twenty or thirty Spaniards fall writhing to the deck; ”now back to your ordnance, men, and be ready to fire when I give the word. Sail trimmers, let fly all sheets and halliards, and stand by with your grapnels!”
As the sailing master issued these orders d.i.c.k signed to the helmsman, who thereupon thrust the ponderous tiller hard down, and the _Adventure_, answering her helm perfectly, swept round in a short curve and went gliding up on the starboard side of the galleon.
”Now, gunners all, let fly your ordnance!” roared Bas...o...b.. drawing his sword. And as the bright blade flashed in the air the English artillery, loaded with round, bar, and chain shot, musket b.a.l.l.s, spike nails, and every kind of missile that the men had been able to lay hands upon, were discharged when the two vessels were scarcely a fathom apart, and the Spanish s.h.i.+p's upper deck instantly became a shambles, scarcely a man remaining uninjured upon it.
”Throw your grapnels,” shouted Bas...o...b.. ”and then let every man follow me aboard the Spaniard.” As he spoke the _Adventure_ crashed alongside the galleon, there was a sound of ripping and rending timber, and a heavy rebound; and then, as the two s.h.i.+ps rolled toward each other after the rebound the English crew went swarming over their own bulwarks and down upon the Spanish deck, where they found scarcely half a dozen men to oppose them. But at the head of them stood a very magnificent looking personage in full armour, whom Bas...o...b..took to be the captain of the s.h.i.+p.
”Do you surrender, senor?” demanded Bas...o...b.. speaking in English for the very good reason that he ”had” no Spanish.
It is probable that the Spaniard was as dest.i.tute of English as Master William Bas...o...b..was of Spanish; but there is a language of intonation and gesture as well as of words, and doubtless that of the Englishman was intelligible enough, for the Spaniard, by way of reply, grasped his sword by the point and offered it to the st.u.r.dy Devons.h.i.+re seaman who confronted him, and who accepted it with a very fair imitation of the bow with which the Spaniard had tendered it.
”That's well, so far,” commented Bas...o...b.. ”Now”--looking about him and noticing d.i.c.k standing near, grasping his iron bar--”that ends the trouble up here. But what about down below, Mr Chichester? You had better take a dozen men and this gentleman down with you; and perhaps he will explain to those of his people who are on the main deck that he has surrendered. If they will lay down their arms, well and good; if they won't--well, you will just have to make 'em, that's all. Now go; and report to me here when you've gained complete possession of the s.h.i.+p.”
d.i.c.k took his dozen men and, insinuating his hand in the crook of the Spanish captain's arm, led that individual below to the main deck, where they found a few Spanish seamen still hanging about between the great culverins, apparently quite uncertain what to do, or whether they ought to do anything. The Spanish captain spoke sharply to them; apparently he was very much surprised and disappointed to find so few men there, and seemed to be asking them where the rest were, for by way of reply the seamen said something and pointed to the hatchways. The Spanish captain relieved his feelings by stamping on the deck, grinding his teeth, and indulging in a good deal of Castilian profanity; after which he seemed to give certain instructions, the result of which was that the men laid down their arms and went up on deck, one of their number having previously gone to the main hatchway and shouted something down it which caused the remainder of the crew to come up from below and surrender their weapons.
It took d.i.c.k and his party about half an hour to explore thoroughly the interior of the galleon--which they discovered was named the _Santa Margaretta_--and satisfy themselves that none of the Spanish crew were lurking below in hiding; and when at length they returned to the upper deck to report, they found that Bas...o...b..and Winter had mustered the surviving Spaniards forward on the fore deck, under a strong guard, while the English had lowered one of the galleon's boats and in her had boarded and captured a small coasting felucca, which they were at that moment towing alongside their bigger prize. This, Bas...o...b..explained, he had done with the object of getting rid of his Spanish prisoners, whom he proposed to send ash.o.r.e in the felucca, having no fancy for keeping them aboard the prize, where they would need a strong body of the English to maintain an efficient guard over them. And, with the released prisoners, he proposed to send ash.o.r.e a letter to the Governor of the city, demanding the immediate surrender of Captain Marshall, safe and sound, together with payment of the sum of five hundred thousand ducats ransom for the city, failure of either condition to be followed by the sack and destruction of the place.
”But,” objected d.i.c.k, ”you can neither speak nor write Spanish; and it may very well be that there will be n.o.body in Cartagena who understands English; in that case we shall be at a deadlock, and how will you manage then?”
”That,” replied Bas...o...b.. sententiously, ”will be their lookout. If they cannot find anyone to translate my letter, so much the worse for them.
But there should be no trouble about that; for if they can find n.o.body else the captain will make my meaning clear to them.”
It was considerably past midday when at length the whole of the Spaniards, together with their dead and wounded, were transferred to the felucca and dispatched to the sh.o.r.e, the Spanish captain being entrusted with the letter to the governor or commandant of the town; and then the English found time to look into their own affairs and take a meal. It was found that by a marvellous stroke of good fortune the galleon had been captured without the loss of a man, or even so much as a single casualty on the English side; and, this being the case, the question arose whether or not they should retain possession of the vessel, dividing the _Adventure's_ crew equally between her and the prize.
There arose quite a sharp difference of opinion on this point, Bas...o...b..and the two gentlemen adventurers maintaining that the prize was far too valuable to be parted with or destroyed, now that they had her; while Winter and d.i.c.k contended that they were far too few in number to justify the proposed division, the effect of which would be to put them in possession of two perilously short-handed s.h.i.+ps, instead of one fully manned. Moreover, the _Santa Margaretta_ was nearly twice the size of the _Adventure_, the proposal therefore to divide the crew of the latter into two equal parts would hardly meet the case, since a crew of forty men could handle the galleon only in fine weather, while as to fighting her effectually in the event of their falling in with an enemy, it simply could not be done. Winter's proposal, in which d.i.c.k backed him up, was that everything of value--or at least as much of it as they could find room for--should be transferred to the _Adventure_, after which a ransom of, say, twenty thousand ducats could be demanded for the s.h.i.+p and what remained of her cargo, failing the payment of which she might be burnt at her anchors as a wholesome example! The dispute at length grew so warm that Stukely, who was present but took no part in it, suggested that the matter should be left for Captain Marshall to decide, upon his return.
The afternoon of that day was busily spent by the English, one party of whom, under the joint leaders.h.i.+p of the carpenter and boatswain, devoted themselves to the task of repairing the slight damage sustained by the _Adventure_ in running aboard the galleon, while the remainder engaged in the work of thoroughly rummaging the prize and transferring from her to the _Adventure_ all the valuables they could find. At first some fear was entertained that the treasure which it was intended the s.h.i.+p should take home had not yet been put on board, for it could be found nowhere; but at length a sort of strong room was discovered, cunningly built in the run of the s.h.i.+p, its entrance hidden by a big pile of sails; and when this was entered, there, sure enough, lay the treasure, consisting of no less than five hundred gold bricks, each weighing some forty pounds; two thousand bars of silver averaging about fifty pounds each, a chest of pearls the value of which was so great that they made no attempt even to estimate it approximately; and a small chest of uncut precious stones, chiefly emeralds and rubies, which of itself would have sufficed to make every man of them rich for life. The whole of this stupendous treasure they at once proceeded to transfer to the _Adventure_; and so much of it was there that, working watch and watch, one watch mounting guard to render impossible anything in the nature of a surprise attack from the sh.o.r.e, while the other watch carried the treasure from the one s.h.i.+p to the other, it was long past midnight when at length the work was done and the weary men were permitted to s.n.a.t.c.h a little rest.
The authorities ash.o.r.e had been given until sunrise of the following morning in which to find someone capable of interpreting Bas...o...b..s letter, and to come to a decision as to whether or not they would accede to the terms of the said letter; and the first light of dawn revealed a large boat putting off from the sh.o.r.e, pulled by twelve oarsmen, and flying a white flag at the stern. This was the first boat that had attempted to approach either of the s.h.i.+ps since the appearance of the _Adventure_ upon the scene, and her approach was watched with the utmost interest and curiosity. She carried three officials in brilliant uniforms and four other individuals in her stern-sheets, but it was Stukely's keen eyes which were the first to detect the fact that Captain Marshall was not in her; and his announcement of this fact at once raised a storm of indignation among those who had hastily turned out and gone on deck when the approach of the boat had been reported.
”Not in her?” incredulously repeated Bas...o...b..-”Not in her? Then what a plague do the Dons mean by coming off to us at all? Surely I made it plain enough to them all that the surrender of our Captain was the very first article of our demand? Then what--?”
”Nay, nay; let be,” interposed Winter, speaking quite calmly, but his lips white, and his eyes glowing sombrely like smouldering fires. ”No need to work thyself into a pa.s.sion, Will Bas...o...b.. until thou hast heard what their lords.h.i.+ps have to say. Maybe they have not seen the Captain and know naught of him.”
”Not seen him? Know naught of him? Why--why--!” spluttered Bas...o...b..
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