Part 36 (1/2)
We lay on our oars, and let her pa.s.s us, which she did, creeping in at the rate of two miles an hour. We then pulled for her quarter in the three boats, leaving the launch behind us, and boarded. As we premised, the crew were on deck, and all on the other side of the vessel, so anxiously looking at the batteries, which were still firing occasional random shot, that they did not perceive us until we were close to them, and then they had no time to seize their arms. There were several ladies on board: some of the people protected them, others ran below.
In two minutes we had possession of her, and had put her head the other way. To our surprise we found that she mounted fourteen guns. One hatch we left open for the ladies, some of whom had fainted, to be taken down below; the others were fastened down by Swinburne. As soon as we had the deck to ourselves, we manned one of the cutters, and sent it for the launch; and as soon as she was made fast alongside, we had time to look about us. The breeze freshened, and, in half-an-hour we were out of gun-shot of all the batteries. I then had the wounded men taken out of the launch, and Swinburne and the other men bound up their wounds, and made them as comfortable as they could.
CHAPTER FORTY FIVE.
SOME REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES TAKE PLACE IN THE LETTER OF MARQUE--OLD FRIENDS WITH IMPROVED FACES--THE CAPTOR A CAPTIVE; BUT NOT CARRIED AWAY, THOUGH THE CAPTIVE IS, BY THE s.h.i.+P'S BOAT--THE WHOLE CHAPTER A MIXTURE OF LOVE, WAR, AND MERCHANDISE.
We had had possession of the vessel about an hour, when the man who was sentry over the hatchway told me that one of the prisoners wished to speak with the English commanding officer, and asked leave to come on deck. I gave permission, and a gentleman came up, stating that he was a pa.s.senger; that the s.h.i.+p was a letter of marque, from Bordeaux; that there were seven lady pa.s.sengers on board, who had come out to join their husbands and families; and that he trusted I would have no objection to put them on sh.o.r.e, as women could hardly be considered as objects of warfare. As I knew that O'Brien would have done so, and that he would be glad to get rid of both women and prisoners if he could, I replied, ”Most certainly;” that I would heave-to, that they might not have so far to pull on sh.o.r.e, and that I would permit the ladies and other pa.s.sengers to go on sh.o.r.e. I begged that they would be as quick as possible in getting their packages ready, and that I would give them two of the boats belonging to the s.h.i.+p, with a sufficient number of French seamen belonging to her to man the boats.
The Frenchman was very grateful, thanked me in the name of the ladies, and went down below to impart the intelligence. I then hove-to, lowered down the boats from the quarters, and waited for them to come up. It was daylight before they were ready, but that I did not care about; I saw the brig in the offing about seven miles off, and I was well clear of the batteries.
At last they made their appearance, one by one coming up the ladder, escorted by French gentlemen. They had to wait while the packages and bundles were put into the boats. The first sight which struck them with horror was the many dead and wounded Englishmen lying on the decks.
Expressing their commiseration, I told them we had attempted to take the privateer and had been repulsed, and that it was coming out of the harbour that I had fallen in with their s.h.i.+p and captured it. All the ladies had severally thanked me for my kindness in giving them their liberty, except one, whose eyes were fixed upon the wounded men, when the French gentleman went up to her, and reminded her that she had not expressed her thanks to the commanding officer.
She turned round to me--I started back. I certainly had seen that face before--I could not be mistaken; yet she had now grown up into a beautiful young woman. ”Celeste,” said I, trembling. ”Are you not Celeste?”
”Yes,” replied she, looking earnestly at me, as if she would discover who I was, but which it was not very easy to do, begrimed as my face was with dust and gunpowder.
”Have you forgotten Peter Simple?”
”O! no--no--never forgot you!” cried Celeste, bursting into tears, and holding out her hands.
This scene occasioned no small astonishment to the parties on deck, who could not comprehend it. She smiled through her tears, as I told her how happy I was to have the means of being of service to her. ”And where is the colonel?” said I.
”There,” replied she, pointing to the island; ”he is now general, and commands the force in the garrison. And where is Mr O'Brien?”
interrogated Celeste.
”There,” replied I; ”he commands that man-of-war, of which I am the second lieutenant.”
A rapid exchange of inquiries took place, and the boats were stopped while we were in conversation. Swinburne reported that the brig was standing in for us, and I felt that in justice to the wounded I could no longer delay. Still I found time to press her hand, to thank her for the purse she had given me when I was on the stilts, and to tell her that I had never forgotten her, and never would. With many remembrances to her father, I was handing her into the boat, when she said, ”I don't know whether I am right to ask it, but you could do me such a favour.”
”What is it, Celeste?”
”You have allowed more than one-half of the men to pull us on sh.o.r.e; some must remain, and they are so miserable--indeed it is hardly yet decided which of them are to go. Could you let them all go?”
”That I will, for your sake, Celeste. As soon as your two boats have shoved off, I will lower down the boat astern, and send the rest after you; but I must make sail now--G.o.d bless you!”
The boats then shoved off, the pa.s.sengers waving their handkerchiefs to us, and I made sail for the brig. As soon as the stern-boat was alongside, the rest of the crew were called up and put into her, and followed their companions. I felt that O'Brien would not be angry with me for letting them all go; and especially when I told him who begged for them. The vessel's name was the _Victorine_, mounting fourteen guns, and twenty-four men, with eleven pa.s.sengers. She was chiefly laden with silks and wine, and was a very valuable prize. Celeste had time to tell me that her father had been four years in Martinique, and had left her at home for her education; and that she was then coming out to join him. The other ladies were all wives or daughters of officers of the French garrison on the island, and the gentlemen pa.s.sengers were some of them French officers; but as this was told me in secrecy, of course I was not bound to know it, as they were not in uniform.
As soon as we had closed with the brig, I hastened on board to O'Brien, and as soon as a fresh supply of hands to man the boat, and the surgeon and his a.s.sistant had been despatched on board of the prize, to superintend the removal of the wounded, I went down with him into the cabin, and narrated what had occurred.
”Well,” said O'Brien, ”all's well that ends well; but this is not the luckiest hit in the world. Your taking the s.h.i.+p has saved me, Peter; and I must make as flouris.h.i.+ng a despatch as I can. By the powers but it's very lucky that she has fourteen guns--it sounds grand. I must muddle it all up together, so that the admiral must think we intended to cut them both out--and so we did, sure enough, if we had known she had been there. But I am most anxious to hear the surgeon's report, and whether poor Osbaldistone will do well. Peter, oblige me by going on board, and put two marines sentry over the hatchway, so that no one goes down and pulls the traps about; for I'll send on sh.o.r.e everything belonging to the pa.s.sengers, for Colonel O'Brien's sake.”
The surgeon's report was made--six killed and sixteen wounded. The killed were, O'Farrel and Pepper, mids.h.i.+pmen, two seamen, and two marines. The first lieutenant, Osbaldistone, was severely wounded in three places, but likely to do well; five other men were dangerously wounded; the other ten would, in all probability, return to their duty in less than a month. As soon as the wounded were on board, O'Brien returned with me to the prize, and we went down into the cabin. All the pa.s.sengers' effects were collected; the trunks which had been left open were nailed down: and O'Brien wrote a handsome letter to General O'Brien, containing a list of the packages sent on sh.o.r.e. We sent the launch with a flag of truce to the nearest battery; after some demur it was accepted, and the effects landed. We did not wait for an answer, but made all sail to join the admiral at Barbadoes.
The next morning we buried those who had fallen. O'Farrel was a fine young man, brave as a lion, but very hot in his temper. He would have made a good officer had he been spared. Poor little Pepper was also much regretted. He was but twelve years old. He had bribed the bowman of the second cutter to allow him to conceal himself under the foresheets of the boat. His day's allowance of spirits had purchased him this object of his ambition, which ended so fatally. But as soon as the bodies had disappeared under the wave, and the service was over, we all felt happier. There is something very unpleasant, particularly to sailors, in having a corpse on board.
We now sailed merrily along, the prize keeping company with us; and, before we reached Barbadoes, most of the men were convalescent.