Part 50 (2/2)

”If you could speak Spanish you might have taken the command of the s.h.i.+p which was to have been given to me; but as it is, the men would not place confidence in you, and you could do nothing with them; so, to tell you the truth, I think you are well out of it. Our success is very uncertain. The troops on sh.o.r.e have again been defeated with heavy loss, and I suspect have been so demoralised that they'll take to flight whenever the enemy rush out upon them.”

These remarks strengthened Nettles.h.i.+p in his resolution, and, wis.h.i.+ng our new friend good-bye, we pulled back to the brig. The wind was from the south-east, and Nettles.h.i.+p thought it prudent to get a good offing before night, lest it should again s.h.i.+ft and blow us back towards the land. The brig sailed under her reduced canvas tolerably well, and before daybreak the next morning we had made fair progress towards Gibraltar. As the sun rose, however, the weather gave signs of changing. The wind veered round to the north-west, and blew heavily directly towards the Bay of Algiers.

”Don Barcelo and his fleet will catch it, I'm afraid, if they don't manage to get out of the bay before this gale reaches them,” remarked Nettles.h.i.+p. ”I'm very thankful that we put to sea, or we should have fared ill.”

As it was, we ran a great risk of losing our masts; but they were well set up, and we shortened sail in good time, and were able to keep our course. Our chief anxiety, however, was for the gallant Henry Vernon; for should the flag-s.h.i.+p drive on sh.o.r.e, he would to a certainty lose his life.

”We must hope for the best,” observed Nettles.h.i.+p; ”the _Guerrero_ was less damaged than many of the other s.h.i.+ps, and may be able to ride it out at anchor, or claw off sh.o.r.e.”

As we could never manage to get more than four knots an hour out of the brig, we were a considerable time reaching Gibraltar. To our satisfaction we found the _Jason_ was still there. We were warmly congratulated on our return on board, as from our non-appearance for so long a time it was supposed that we had either been lost in a squall, or that the brig had been taken by another pirate. We were much disappointed to find that the brig had to be delivered up to the authorities at Gibraltar, as we fully expected that Nettles.h.i.+p would have been ordered to take her home. Though she was an especially detestable craft, yet he and Tom Pim and I were very happy together, and we had enjoyed an independence which was not to be obtained on board the frigate. When Lord Robert got tired of Gibraltar, we sailed to the eastward, and again brought up in the Bay of Naples. We here heard of the failure of the expedition against the Algerines. Nearly half the troops had been cut to pieces in the repeated and resolute sallies made by the Moors. During the gale we had encountered, the s.h.i.+ps narrowly escaped being wrecked. Several smaller vessels sank, and all were severely damaged. The troops were finally embarked, and the s.h.i.+ps got back to the ports from which they had sailed, with neither honour nor glory to boast of. Their ill success encouraged the pirates in their warfare against civilised nations. The people of Tripoli, Tunis, and other places imitated their example, so that the voyage up the Straits became one of considerable danger in those days. After leaving Naples we stood up the Mediterranean to Alexandria, where we saw Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's Needle, and other wonderful things in the neighbourhood, of which I will not bother my readers with a description.

On our way we kept a sharp look-out for Tunisian or Algerine rovers; but as we were known to be in those seas, they took good care that we should not get a sight of them, and our cruise was bootless as far as prizes were concerned. Lord Robert managed to eke out a few more weeks at Naples, the pleasantest place, he observed, at which he could bring up. Thence we sailed to Gibraltar, where we found orders awaiting us to return to England.

”I have managed it very cleverly,” said Lord Robert to Mr Saunders.

”When I was last here, I wrote to some private friends in the Admiralty, telling them I was getting heartily tired of the Mediterranean, and requesting that we might be sent home; and you see how readily their Lords.h.i.+ps have complied with my wishes. Their willingness arose from the fact that I'm going to stand for one of our family boroughs, and have promised the Ministry my support.”

”It would be a good job for d.i.c.k Saunders if he had a friend at court to look after his interests,” said the first lieutenant; ”but as he knows not a soul who would lift a finger to help him, he must be content to remain at the foot of the rattlins, till a lucky chance gives him a lift up them.”

”Don't be down-hearted, my dear fellow,” said Lord Robert in a patronising tone. ”When once I'm in Parliament I'll look after your interests. The First Lord is sure to ask me to name some deserving officers for promotion, and I'll not forget you.”

We had contrary winds, and then we were hove-to for two or three days, during a heavy gale in the Bay of Biscay. After that we were kept knocking about in the Chops of the Channel for a week, when, the wind s.h.i.+fting, we ran for Plymouth Sound, and came to an anchor in Hamoaze.

Lord Robert immediately went on sh.o.r.e, and we all wondered what would next happen to us.

We had no reason to complain. We got plenty of leave. Tom and I accompanied Nettles.h.i.+p to pay a visit to his family. I won't describe it just now, except to say that we were received in as kind a way as before.

We guessed that if Lord Robert was returned to Parliament we should have no further chance of seeing any foreign service while the s.h.i.+p remained in commission. Nettles.h.i.+p, indeed, was of opinion that before long she would be paid off.

I wrote home to say where we were, and in the course of a fortnight received a letter from the major, telling me to come to Ballinahone if I wished to see my father alive. I with difficulty obtained leave on urgent family affairs, and next day, going to the Cat.w.a.ter, I found a small hooker belonging to Cork, just about to return there. Although she was not the sort of craft aboard which I should have chosen to take a pa.s.sage, yet as she was likely to afford the most speedy way of getting to my destination, I forthwith engaged berths for myself and Larry, for whom I also got leave.

Nettles.h.i.+p and Tom went on board with me. There was a little cabin aft, about eight feet square, with a sleeping place on either side, one of which was occupied by the skipper, while I was to enjoy the comforts of the other. The crew, consisting of three men and a boy, were berthed forward, in a place of still smaller dimensions, and only just affording room for Larry.

”I would rather you had gone to sea in a stouter craft,” said Nettles.h.i.+p; ”but as the skipper tells me he has made the pa.s.sage a dozen times a year for the last twenty years, I hope he'll carry you across in safety.”

The wind was light, and my messmates remained on board, while the hooker towed their boat some way down the Sound.

Wis.h.i.+ng me farewell, they then pulled back to Hamoaze, and we stood on, fully expecting to be well on our voyage by the next morning. During the night, however, a strong south-westerly breeze sprang up, and the skipper considered it prudent to put back to Cawsand Bay, at the entrance to the Sound.

Here, greatly to my disgust, we lay the best part of a week, with a number of other weather-bound vessels. I dared not go on sh.o.r.e lest the wind should change, and had nothing to do but to take a fisherman's walk on deck,--three steps and overboard.

Larry had, of course, brought his fiddle, with which he entertained the crew, who were as happy as princes, it being a matter of indifference to them where they were, provided they had the privilege of being idle.

The skipper, who had remained on board all the time, at last one day went ash.o.r.e, saying that he must go and buy some provisions, as our stock was running short. We had hitherto been supplied by b.u.mboats with vegetables and poultry, so that I had not supposed we were in want of any.

I had fortunately brought two or three books with me, and had been sitting reading by the light of the swinging lamp in the small cabin, when, feeling sleepy, I went to bed. I was awakened by hearing some one entering the cabin, and, looking out of my berth, I observed that it was the skipper, who, after making a lurch to one side, then to another, turned in, as far as I could see, all standing. This, however, did not surprise me, as I thought he might be intending to sail early in the morning.

Soon after daylight I awoke, and, having dressed, went on deck, when what was my surprise to find that all the other vessels had got under weigh, and were standing out of the bay.

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