Part 28 (1/2)
Deane had two or three times amid the clouds of smoke caught sight of Pearson, who was leading on the men, shouting to them to fight boldly.
More seamen arriving, led on by a superior officer, the pirates at length began to retreat. As they reached the house of their chief, however, they made a stand, some threw themselves inside and began to fire through the windows, and others got behind the walls where they were sheltered from the fire of their enemies. Deane attempted to carry poor Dame Pearson to a place of shelter. Paralysed with fear, she could scarcely move. He found himself, therefore, surrounded by the combatants, and in great risk every instant of being shot.
The pirates here made a desperate stand; but the British seamen, again rus.h.i.+ng on, cut down numbers with their hangers. Just then the house burst out into flames, and, surrounded by smoke, Deane could not be distinguished from the pirates who stood on the other side of him. Two or three seamen were on the point of cutting him down, when their officer interposed his sword.
”Hold, lads!” he shouted; ”as I live, there is my friend John Deane, and protecting a lady too!”
This timely exclamation saved Deane's life. He had no time, however, to exchange greetings with the officer, whom he recognised as the captain of his own s.h.i.+p, as the latter had to lead on his men in pursuit of the flying pirates. The good dame now entreated him to look for her husband; but he remembered that after the commencement of the fight he had nowhere seen him. What had become of him he could not tell, and all he could do was to a.s.sure her he had not seen him fall. Jack was anxious to convey her to the boats that she might be carried on board and placed in safety; but just as he was leaving the village Captain Davis returned, saying that all the pirates to be found had been killed or made prisoners.
”I am thankful, indeed, to hear it, Captain Davis,” said Deane. ”And now I will ask you to a.s.sist me in conveying this lady on board.”
”Captain Davis!” exclaimed Mistress Pearson. ”Let me see you, sir.
That was my maiden name; and I had a brother who went to sea, from whom I have been parted for many long years. Can you be Richard Davis, the youngest son of Colonel Davis of Knowle Park?”
”Yes, indeed, I am, madame,” answered the Captain, coming up to her. ”I was one of a numerous family, all of whom, to the best of my belief, have long since been dead.”
”One of them is still alive,” answered Mistress Pearson, ”though a most unhappy woman. Do you not remember your sister Maria? Come, let me gaze on your countenance, for my heart tells me that in you I shall find one of my brothers. Yes, yes, I recognise your features! though I scarcely could expect you to know mine, so sadly changed as they must be.”
She had taken the captain's hand, and gazed into his face as she spoke.
”No, I should not remember you,” he answered; ”but yet I remember the voice of the kind sister who was always ready to suffer for the sake of her wild brothers. Yes, Maria, I know that you are my sister, and I am thankful that I have been the means of rescuing you from this place.
How you came here you must tell me by and by. And now I would wish you to go at once on board the frigate, under the charge of Mr Deane, while we make a further search round the island for any fugitives who may have concealed themselves.”
Mistress Pearson trembled as her brother spoke these words.
”There is one for whom I would intercede,” she said. ”Mr Deane will tell you about him. He has ever been a kind husband to me, and never till lately did I suspect his occupations. If he has escaped death, let me entreat you not to hunt him down, and I feel sure that he will turn to some n.o.bler course, where he will redeem the crimes he has committed.”
Captain Davis very wisely made no answer to this appeal; but directed Deane, with a party of the seamen as a guard, to convey his new-found sister down to the boats, and to place her at once on board the frigate.
He, meantime, having collected his men, commenced a further search for the pirates, some of whom, he was convinced, must have concealed themselves. The day was thus spent, though with no further success, and as night was coming on, a large party being placed on board the captured s.h.i.+ps, the remainder returned in the boats to the vessels outside. The next day the search was continued; but no signs were discovered of the chief and other officers and men who were supposed to have escaped with him. The numerous prizes were carried out of the harbour, while all the huts, and storehouses, and other buildings were set on fire and destroyed, so that in a short time the whole island was reduced to that state of desolation in which the pirates had found it.
While the rest of the squadron returned to Jamaica, one vessel was left to cruise off the island, on the chance of Pearson and his followers, should they have been concealed on it, attempting to make their escape.
When Jack arrived on board the ”Venus,” he found the two young mids.h.i.+pmen, Hawke and Lovatt, and the old quarter-master Burridge, who welcomed him warmly. They told him that they had managed to make their escape exactly as they had proposed while the buccaneers were carousing; and had, fortunately, fallen in with the squadron which had been despatched on purpose to try and discover their haunts.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
SIR GEORGE HOOKE TAKES THE SPANISH GALLEONS IN VIGO BAY.
Elizabeth's joy at seeing Mistress Pearson was very great; and she did her utmost to comfort her in her affliction, aided by Captain Davis and Deane. As soon as they arrived at Port Royal, Captain Davis took a house for her on sh.o.r.e, where she and Elizabeth went to reside till a plan for their future proceedings could be arranged. Deane immediately wrote to Monsieur de Mertens, and told him of his recovery of his daughter, saying that she was still with her kind guardian, in whose company he hoped that he should, without delay, be able to escort her to England.
In those days the climate of the West Indies was as dangerous to Europeans as at the present, and s.h.i.+ps seldom remained long on the station without losing many of their officers and men. The honest old Admiral Benbow was still alive, although rapidly sinking from the effects of his wounds and his annoyance at the conduct of his officers in the action with the French. Hearing of Jack's conduct, he appointed him second lieutenant of the ”Ruby,” in the place of an officer who had died. He was sorry to leave Captain Davis, especially as he expected now to have fewer opportunities of meeting Elizabeth. He had, however, the consolation to know that Captain Davis expected immediately to be sent home, and proposed taking his sister and Elizabeth with him. John Deane met with no adventures worth recording during his next cruise.
On the return of the ”Ruby” to Port Royal, our hero found that the ”Venus” had already sailed, and his s.h.i.+p was shortly afterwards also ordered home. On reaching England, he was immediately appointed to the ”Lennox,” of seventy guns, commanded by his old friend Captain Jumper.
She formed one of the squadron under Admiral Sir George Rooke just on the point of sailing for the coast of Spain. Being unable to obtain leave of absence, he wrote to Nottingham and Norwich; but before he received answers to his letters his s.h.i.+p put to sea. Sir George Rooke had his flag flying on board the ”Royal Sovereign.”
On board the fleet were a large number of troops, under the command of the Duke of Ormond. On the 12th August they anch.o.r.ed before the harbour of Cadiz next day the Duke of Ormond sent in a trumpeter with a letter requiring the governor to surrender. The brave governor replied that as he had been appointed to the command of the place by his lawful sovereign, he would not yield it up as long as he could hold it. On the 15th the Duke of Ormond therefore landed with the troops, and in a few days took possession of the forts of Saint Katharine and Saint Mary. It being found difficult to approach Cadiz while the Spaniards were in possession of Matagorda Fort, an a.s.sault was ordered. The Spaniards defended the place bravely, and it was found that the English force was far too small to hope for success. The troops were therefore re-embarked with the intention of returning home. Soon after this, while the fleet was off the coast of Portugal, Captain Hardy of the ”Pembroke” brought the intelligence that the galleons from the West Indies had put into Vigo Bay, under convoy of a French squadron. Sir George Rooke immediately called a council of war, and it was resolved to make an attack at once on the enemy in the port of Vigo. A strong gale of wind, however, drove the fleet to the north of Cape Finisterre, which prevented their getting off Vigo before the 11th of October. The pa.s.sage into the harbour was extremely narrow, and well defended by batteries on both sides. Across the entrance a strong boom also was laid, at each end of which was moored with chains a seventy-four-gun s.h.i.+p. Nearer the boom were laid, also moored, five s.h.i.+ps, each carrying sixty to seventy guns, with their broadsides to the sea to defend the pa.s.sage. The shoals and sand-banks, and the shallowness of the water within the harbour, made it dangerous for s.h.i.+ps of the first and second rates to enter without a leading wind.
Notwithstanding the strong force opposed to them and the batteries on either side of the harbour, the English admirals resolved to attempt the capture of the galleons, and it being considered impossible for the larger s.h.i.+ps to get up the harbour, they s.h.i.+fted their flags on board smaller vessels. A boat was then despatched up the harbour to gain intelligence respecting the disposition of the French and Spanish s.h.i.+ps.
This being obtained, it was resolved that as the whole fleet could not together act upon the enemy's s.h.i.+ps, but would from crowding the harbour impede each others' movements, fifteen English and ten Dutch men-of-war, with all the fire-s.h.i.+ps, should proceed in to destroy the enemy's fleet.
The frigates and the bomb-vessels were directed to follow this detachment, and the larger s.h.i.+ps were to proceed in afterwards, should their a.s.sistance be found necessary. It was arranged that the troops should at the same time land and attack the forts on either side of the harbour. Vice-Admiral Hopson was ordered to lead the van, followed by Vice-Admiral Vandergoes, Sir George Rooke commanded the centre division, and Rear-Admiral Graydon brought up the rear. Sir George Rooke spent the greater part of the night going from s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p in his own boat to ascertain that each captain understood clearly the plan of the attack and the part he was to take in it.
The following morning, the 12th of October, the squadron got under weigh and stood in for the harbour. Great was the disappointment of all on board, when just as the van division had almost reached within gunshot of the batteries the wind died away, and it was necessary to anchor. A strong breeze, however, shortly afterwards sprang up, when Vice-Admiral Hopson, in the ”Torbay,” cutting his cable, crowded every sail his s.h.i.+p could carry and bore down upon the boom. The velocity gained by the s.h.i.+p gave her such power that the boom was snapped in two, and the ”Torbay” was instantly placed between the two French line-of-battle s.h.i.+ps, the ”Bourbon” and ”Esperance.” These two s.h.i.+ps immediately opened a desperate fire upon the ”Torbay,” which gallantly replied to them, though most of her men were falling, killed and wounded from the fierce fire to which she was exposed. Scarcely had the breeze carried her into this post of danger, than it again fell, and the other s.h.i.+ps of the squadron had considerable difficulty in following her. While they were endeavouring to get up the harbour, a fire-s.h.i.+p was seen descending directly for the ”Torbay.” On it came. The destruction of the ”Torbay”