Part 25 (2/2)

Taken by surprise by this sudden demand, which was fortunately at the moment backed up by two s.h.i.+ps of the squadron which had hitherto taken no part in the action being seen sailing in, the governor, after a hasty consultation with his officers, resolved to surrender, and two minutes afterwards the Danish flag was hauled down in the fort and the white flag run up. One of the Danish officers was directed to return with Harry to the s.h.i.+p to notify the captain of the surrender of the fort.

The astonishment of Captain Ball at seeing the course of his boat suddenly altered, a white flag hoisted, and the gig proceeding direct to the fort, had been extreme, and he could only suppose that Harry had received some orders direct from the admiral and that a general cessation of hostilities was ordered. His surprise became astonishment when he saw the Danish flag disappear and the white flag hoisted in its place; and a shout of relief and exultation echoed from stem to stern of the _Caesar_, for all had felt that the conflict was hopeless and that in a few minutes the _Caesar_ must strike her flag. All sorts of conjectures were rife as to the sudden and unexpected surrender of the fort, and expectation was at its highest when the gig was seen rowing out again with a Danish officer by the side of the mids.h.i.+pman.

On reaching the s.h.i.+p's side Harry ascended the ladder with the Danish officer, and advancing to Captain Ball said:

”This officer, sir, has, in compliance with the summons which I took to the commander of the fort in your name, come off to surrender.”

The Danish officer advanced and handed his sword to the captain, saying:

”In the name of the commander of the fort I surrender.”

The captain handed him back his sword, and ordering Harry to follow him at once entered his cabin. His astonishment was unbounded when the latter informed him what he had done, with many apologies for having taken the matter into his own hands.

”I saw,” he said, ”that the _Caesar_ was being knocked to pieces, and the c.o.xswain told me that it was impossible she could much longer resist. I therefore thought that I could do no harm by calling upon the governor to surrender, and that it was possible that I might succeed, as you see that I have.”

”You certainly have saved the _Caesar_,” Captain Ball said warmly, ”and we are all indeed indebted to you. It was a piece of astounding impudence indeed for a mids.h.i.+pman to convey a message with which his captain had not charged him; but success in the present case a thousand times condones the offense. You have indeed done well, young sir, and I and the s.h.i.+p's company are vastly indebted to you. I will report the matter to the admiral.”

A hundred men speedily took their places in the boats. Lieutenant Francis was sent ash.o.r.e to take possession, and a few minutes later the British flag was flying upon the fort.

Ordering Harry to accompany him, Captain Ball at once took his place in his gig and rowed to the flags.h.i.+p. The battle was still raging, and to the practiced eye there was no doubt that the English fleet was suffering very severely. Captain Ball mounted the quarter-deck, and saluting the admiral reported that the fort with which he was engaged had struck, but that the _Caesar_ being aground was unable to render any a.s.sistance to the general attack.

”A good many of us are aground, Ball,” Admiral Nelson said, ”but I congratulate you on having caused the fort to haul down its colors.

Several of the Danish men-of-war have struck, but we cannot take possession, and fresh boat-loads of men came off from sh.o.r.e, and their fire has reopened. Our position is an unpleasant one. Sir Hyde Parker has signaled to me to draw off, but so far I have paid no attention. I fear that we shall have to haul off and leave some four or five s.h.i.+ps to the enemy.”

”The fact is,” Captain Ball said, ”it wasn't I who made the fort haul down its flag, but this mids.h.i.+pman of mine.”

”Ha!” said the admiral, glancing at Harry, who, at Captain Ball's order, had left the boat and was standing a short distance off. ”How on earth did he do that?”

”When you told him, sir, that you could give us no aid he took upon himself, instead of returning to the s.h.i.+p, to row straight to the fort with one of your tablecloths fastened to the boat-hook, and summoned the commander in my name to surrender at once so as to save all further effusion of life, seeing that more s.h.i.+ps were bearing down and that he had done all that a brave man could, and should now think of the lives of his troops.”

”An impudent little rascal!” the admiral exclaimed. ”Mids.h.i.+pmen were impudent enough in my days, but this boy beats everything. However, his idea was an excellent one, and, by Jupiter! I will adopt it myself. A man should never be above learning, and we are in such a sore strait that one catches at a straw.”

So saying, the admiral, calling to his own captain, entered his cabin, and at once indited a letter to the King of Denmark begging him to surrender in order to save the blood of his subjects, expressing admiration at the way in which they had fought, and saying that they had done all that was possible to save honor, and might now surrender with a full consciousness of having done their duty. This missive was at once dispatched to sh.o.r.e, and the admiral awaited with anxiety its result.

A half-hour elapsed, the firing continuing with unabated fury.

”By Jove, Ball,” the admiral suddenly exclaimed, ”there's the white flag!” and a tremendous cheer broke along the whole of the British s.h.i.+ps as the flag of truce waved over the princ.i.p.al fort of Copenhagen. Instantly the fire on both sides ceased. Boats pa.s.sed between the sh.o.r.e and the flags.h.i.+p with the proposals for surrender and conditions. Nelson insisted that the Danish fleet should be surrendered, in so firm and decisive a tone as to convince the king that he had it in his power completely to destroy the town, and had only so far desisted from motives of humanity. At length, to the intense relief of the admiral and his princ.i.p.al officers, who knew how sore the strait was, and to the delight of the sailors, the negotiations were completed, and the victory of Copenhagen won.

”Where's that boy?” the admiral asked.

”That boy” was unfortunately no longer on the quarter-deck. One of the last shots fired from the Danish fleet had struck him above the knee, carrying away his leg. He had at once been carried down to the c.o.c.kpit, and was attended to by the surgeons of the flags.h.i.+p. In the excitement of an action men take but little heed of what is happening around them, and the fall of the young mids.h.i.+pman was unnoticed by his captain. Now, however, that the battle was over, Captain Ball looked round for his mids.h.i.+pman, and was filled with sorrow upon hearing what had happened. He hurried below to the wounded boy, whose leg had already been amputated, above the point at which the ball had severed it, by the surgeon.

”The white flag has been hoisted, my lad,” he said, ”and Copenhagen has been captured, and to you more than to anyone is this great victory due. I am sorry, indeed, that you should have been shot.”

Harry smiled faintly.

”It is the fortune of war, sir. My career in the navy has not been a long one. It is but a fortnight since I got my commission, and now I am leaving it altogether.”

”Leaving the navy, perhaps,” the captain said cheerfully, ”but not leaving life, I hope. I trust there's a long one before you; but Admiral Nelson will, I am sure, be as grieved as I am that the career of a young officer, who promised to rise to the highest honors of his profession and be a credit and glory to his country, has been cut short.”

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