Part 25 (1/2)
In October a revolution broke out in Chili, and such indignities were heaped upon the admiral himself that upon the 12th of the month he formally resigned his commission, and in January, 1823, quitted Valparaiso in a vessel chartered by himself, taking with him several European officers and gentlemen, who, like himself, were tired of Chilian ingrat.i.tude, and were ready to follow him in whatever service he engaged.
Stephen had taken no part in the later operations of the fleet. After the capture of the _Esmeralda_ he had been knocked down and very severely injured by a splinter, caused by a shot from the Spanish batteries pa.s.sing through the bulwark close to where he was standing. Lord Cochrane had sent him, with other wounded, in one of the small war-s.h.i.+ps down to Valparaiso, and there he was tenderly nursed by Lady Cochrane. It was three months before he fairly recovered his strength, and as soon as he was convalescent he took a berth in a craft that was sailing with stores and provisions for the fleet. They had been out four days when she was caught in a storm on-sh.o.r.e. In vain they tried to beat out; the vessel was a poor sailer, and drifted to leeward faster than she could work to windward.
”What sort of ground tackle have you?” Stephen asked the captain.
”I have two good anchors, senor lieutenant, but the cables are rather old.”
”I should advise you to have them brought up on deck and overhauled, and if you find any specially bad places we can cut them out and splice the ends again.”
The cables were brought up, but it needed a very short examination only to show Stephen that they were old and worn from end to end. ”It will go hard with us if we have to rely upon these,” he said. ”They would not hold a bluff-bowed craft like this two minutes; the very first roller that struck her would snap them like pack-threads. The worst of it is, captain, that if we escape being drowned we have but the inside of a prison to look to, for we are off the Peruvian coast now, and any of us who get to sh.o.r.e will be seized at once.”
”With such a sea as this, senor, there is little chance of any of us being saved if we once strike. We are now somewhere off the mouth of the San Carlos river. In calm weather there would be water enough on the bar for us to run in, but not now; we should strike and go to pieces to a certainty.”
”Well, that would depend; we might b.u.mp over it. But even if we did break up on the bar, we should have a much better chance than we should if we went ash.o.r.e anywhere else. Instead of being dashed on the beach by the waves, and then being swept out again, we should be likely to be carried on into the still water behind the bar, and so of making our way to sh.o.r.e.
There are eight of the crew and ourselves. You had better get up ten small casks-those wine barrels would do very well-let the liquor run off, then bung them up again, and fasten life-lines round them; with their help we should have a fair chance.”
”It is worth trying at any rate,” the captain agreed. ”The surf on the bar will be tremendous, but if we could stick to the casks we might get through it.”
”Do you think that you are north or south of it now, captain?”
”North, perhaps two or three miles.”
”Well, we will go on fighting as long as we can, captain; it is of no use throwing away a chance, and the wind may possibly drop or s.h.i.+ft so as to enable us to make off sh.o.r.e; but if we do not see the land before three o'clock I would turn and run in towards it, and then when we get near enough to see objects plainer, head for the south until you see the entrance. When you do we will go straight for it. It is better at any rate to do it while there is daylight to help us.”
The barrels were got up and prepared to serve as life-buoys. They had just finished when Stephen made his way a short distance up the rigging. ”I can see the line of surf, captain; it is not more than three miles away. You had better take a look at it-you may be able to tell where we are. I think I can make out a place of some size a short distance along.”
The captain joined him. ”Just as I thought,” he said; ”that is San Carlos, and the mouth of the river is about a mile beyond it.”
”Then you may as well bear away for it at once-the sooner we get it over the better.”
”Make your casks fast to something, men,” the captain ordered, as he stepped on deck. ”The surf will get higher as we get insh.o.r.e, and will, I have no doubt, sweep our decks. When the time comes let each man go to his barrel with his knife in his hand ready to cut the las.h.i.+ngs just before we strike.”
In half an hour the captain made out the entrance to the river and headed the s.h.i.+p for it.
”There is a heavy sea indeed on the bar,” Stephen said as they neared the line of breakers. ”You see, I have changed my togs since the gale began, for I saw that unless the wind changed we should find ourselves in difficulties. We have not much mercy to expect as Chilian sailors. I should have none if it were known that I am a naval officer. Will you tell the men that if we get ash.o.r.e and I too am saved, they had best hold their tongue about my rank. In the first place it would do me harm, and in the next it would damage you all were it known you had one of Cochrane's officers on board, for it would show at once that you were on your way to our fleet; whereas if it is supposed that you are merely an ordinary coaster you may be let off unharmed.”
”There is not much chance for us either way,” the captain said. ”If we fall into the hands of the Spaniards they will probably hang us at once, while the country people may cut our throats so as to save themselves the trouble of handing us over to the Spaniards. We are no more than a hundred miles from the frontier, and if we do get to sh.o.r.e our best chance will be to try and make our way down the coast, travelling at night and lying up in the daytime. But anyhow I will tell the men what you say.”
”Get all the sail upon her you can, captain-the faster she is travelling the more chance she has of getting over the bar.”
”I will shake out the mainsail,” the captain said. ”Then all hands had better gather aft-the masts are sure to fall over her bows as soon as she strikes.”
In a few minutes the s.h.i.+p was nearing the breakers at a high rate of speed. The men were all gathered aft, each with his barrel. Stephen held his breath as they mounted the last great wave outside the surf. Borne along by the great wind and the impetus of the waves, the vessel plunged head-foremost into the surf, which poured in cataracts on to her deck.
There was a slight shock, which caused the vessel to tremble, but she was swept along by the fury of the surf. Another wave lifted her high into the air, and as it pa.s.sed from under her she struck again. This time the shock was tremendous. Every man was thrown off his feet, the masts went over with a crash, and most of the hands were swept overboard by the torrent that poured in over the stern. Stephen had grasped one of the back-stays, and though it seemed to him for a moment that his arms were being pulled from their sockets, he still maintained his grasp. Another and even greater sea than those that had preceded it thundered down upon them.
There was a forward move and then another crash, and Stephen felt himself floating in the water, holding on to the keg. Glancing round he saw that the s.h.i.+p had gone altogether. She had broken up completely, and the sea was covered with floating timbers.
The danger from this was greater than from the waves, and he let go his hold of the barrel and dived, swimming under water at right angles to the run of the waves as long as he could hold his breath. When he came up he looked round. He was beyond the wreckage, and was also inside the line of surf. Had the wave carried the s.h.i.+p her own length farther she would have been out of danger. The river bank was but a couple of hundred yards away.
The water was still rough, but it was a long heavy swell rather than a stormy sea, and Stephen, who had kicked off his shoes before the s.h.i.+p struck, at once swam for the sh.o.r.e, and was not long in reaching it. After resting for a minute or two he walked along the bank, and soon made out four barrels that had men still clinging to them. Gradually, too, these made their way ash.o.r.e; the swimmers were all men who had been carried away by the first wave that had swept over the boat. Of the others he could see no signs. He thought he could make out two or three barrels in the middle of the wreckage, but of this he was not sure, and had little doubt that those who were with him at the time the s.h.i.+p went to pieces had all been killed by the floating timber.