Part 28 (1/2)
”That I will do, as far as the big ruffian they call Black d.i.c.k is concerned. He is a desperate villain, and for aught I know may have committed many a murder, and if allowed to go free might commit many more. Besides, I shall never feel quite safe as long as he is at large. As to Robert Ashford, he is a knave, but I know no worse of him, and will therefore let him go his way.”
In the evening the other s.h.i.+ps from Chatham came up, and the captain told them later that the Earl of Sandwich, who was in command, would weigh anchor in the morning, as the contingent from London, Chatham, and Sheerness was now complete. Cyril thought that he had never seen a prettier sight, as the Fleet, consisting of fifty men-of-war, of various sizes, and eight merchant vessels that had been bought and converted into fire-s.h.i.+ps, got under way and sailed down the river.
That night they anch.o.r.ed off Felixstowe, and the next day proceeded, with a favourable wind, to Yarmouth, where already a great number of s.h.i.+ps were at anchor. So far the five Volunteers had taken their meals with the captain, but as the others would be coming on board, they were now to mess below, getting fresh meat and vegetables from the sh.o.r.e as they required them. As to other stores, they resolved to do nothing till the whole party arrived.
They had not long to wait, for, on the third day after their arrival, the Duke of York and Prince Rupert, with a great train of gentlemen, arrived in the town, and early the next morning embarked on board their respective s.h.i.+ps. A council was held by the Volunteers in their quarters, three of their number were chosen as caterers, and, a contribution of three pounds a head being agreed upon, these went ash.o.r.e in one of the s.h.i.+p's boats, and returned presently with a barrel or two of good biscuits, the carca.s.ses of five sheep, two or three score of ducks and chickens, and several casks of wine, together with a large quant.i.ty of vegetables. The following morning the signal was hoisted on the mast-head of the _Royal Charles_, the Duke of York's flags.h.i.+p, for the Fleet to prepare to weigh anchor, and they presently got under way in three squadrons, the red under the special orders of the Duke, the white under Prince Rupert, and the blue under the Earl of Sandwich.
The Fleet consisted of one hundred and nine men-of-war and frigates, and twenty-eight fire-s.h.i.+ps and ketches, manned by 21,006 seamen and soldiers. They sailed across to the coast of Holland, and cruised, for a few days, off Texel, capturing ten or twelve merchant vessels that tried to run in. So far, the weather had been very fine, but there were now signs of a change of weather. The sky became overcast, the wind rose rapidly, and the signal was made for the Fleet to scatter, so that each vessel should have more sea-room, and the chance of collision be avoided. By nightfall the wind had increased to the force of a gale, and the vessels were soon labouring heavily.
Cyril and two or three of his comrades who, like himself, did not suffer from sickness, remained on deck; the rest were prostrate below.
For forty-eight hours the gale continued, and when it abated and the s.h.i.+ps gradually closed up round the three admirals' flags, it was found that many had suffered sorely in the gale. Some had lost their upper spars, others had had their sails blown away, some their bulwarks smashed in, and two or three had lost their bowsprits. There was a consultation between the admirals and the princ.i.p.al captains, and it was agreed that it was best to sail back to England for repairs, as many of the s.h.i.+ps were unfitted to take their place in line of battle, and as the Dutch Fleet was known to be fully equal to their own in strength, it would have been hazardous to risk an engagement. So the ketches and some of the light frigates were at once sent off to find the s.h.i.+ps that had not yet joined, and give them orders to make for Yarmouth, Lowestoft, or Harwich. All vessels uninjured were to gather off Lowestoft, while the others were to make for the other ports, repair their damages as speedily as possible, and then rejoin at Lowestoft.
No sooner did the Dutch know that the English Fleet had sailed away than they put their fleet to sea. It consisted of one hundred and twelve men-of-war, and thirty fire-s.h.i.+ps, and small craft manned by 22,365 soldiers and sailors. It was commanded by Admiral Obdam, having under him Tromp, Evertson, and other Dutch admirals. On their nearing England they fell in with nine s.h.i.+ps from Hamburg, with rich cargoes, and a convoy of a thirty-four gun frigate. These they captured, to the great loss of the merchants of London.
The _Henrietta_ had suffered but little in the storm, and speedily repaired her damages without going into port. With so much haste and energy did the crews of the injured s.h.i.+ps set to work at refitting them, that in four days after the main body had anch.o.r.ed off Lowestoft, they were rejoined by all the s.h.i.+ps that had made for Harwich and Yarmouth.
At midnight on June 2nd, a fast-sailing fis.h.i.+ng-boat brought in the news that the Dutch Fleet were but a few miles away, sailing in that direction, having apparently learnt the position of the English from some s.h.i.+p or fis.h.i.+ng-boat they had captured.
The trumpets on the admiral's s.h.i.+p at once sounded, and Prince Rupert and the Earl of Sandwich immediately rowed to her. They remained but a few minutes, and on their return to their respective vessels made the signals for their captains to come on board. The order, at such an hour, was sufficient to notify all that news must have been received of the whereabouts of the Dutch Fleet, and by the time the captains returned to their s.h.i.+ps the crews were all up and ready to execute any order. At two o'clock day had begun to break, and soon from the mastheads of several of the vessels the look-out shouted that they could perceive the Dutch Fleet but four miles away. A mighty cheer rose throughout the Fleet, and as it subsided a gun from the _Royal Charles_ gave the order to weigh anchor, and a few minutes later the three squadrons, in excellent order, sailed out to meet the enemy.
They did not, however, advance directly towards them, but bore up closely into the wind until they had gained the weather gauge of the enemy. Having obtained this advantage, the Duke flew the signal to engage. The Volunteers were all in their places on the p.o.o.p, being posted near the rail forward, that they might be able either to run down the ladder to the waist and aid to repel boarders, or to spring on to a Dutch s.h.i.+p should one come alongside, and also that the afterpart of the p.o.o.p, where Prince Rupert and the captain had taken their places near the wheel, should be free. The Prince himself had requested them so to station themselves.
”At other times, gentlemen, you are my good friends and comrades,” he said, ”but, from the moment that the first gun fires, you are soldiers under my orders; and I pray you take your station and remain there until I call upon you for action, for my whole attention must be given to the manoeuvring of the s.h.i.+p, and any movement or talking near me might distract my thoughts. I shall strive to lay her alongside of the biggest Dutchman I can pick out, and as soon as the grapnels are thrown, and their sides grind together, you will have the post of honour, and will lead the soldiers aboard her. Once among the Dutchmen, you will know what to do without my telling you.”
”'Tis a grand sight, truly, Cyril,” Sydney said, in a low tone, as the great fleets met each other.
”A grand sight, truly, Sydney, but a terrible one. I do not think I shall mind when I am once at it, but at present I feel that, despite my efforts, I am in a tremor, and that my knees shake as I never felt them before.”
”I am glad you feel like that, Cyril, for I feel much like it myself, and began to be afraid that I had, without knowing it, been born a coward. There goes the first gun.”
As he spoke, a puff of white smoke spouted out from the bows of one of the Dutch s.h.i.+ps, and a moment later the whole of their leading vessels opened fire. There was a rus.h.i.+ng sound overhead, and a ball pa.s.sed through the main topsail of the _Henrietta_. No reply was made by the English s.h.i.+ps until they pa.s.sed in between the Dutchmen; then the _Henrietta_ poured her broadsides into the enemy on either side of her, receiving theirs in return. There was a rending of wood, and a quiver through the s.h.i.+p. One of the upper-deck-guns was knocked off its carriage, crus.h.i.+ng two of the men working it as it fell.
Several others were hurt with splinters, and the sails pierced with holes. Again and again as she pa.s.sed, did the _Henrietta_ exchange broadsides with the Dutch vessels, until--the two fleets having pa.s.sed through each other--she bore up, and prepared to repeat the manoeuvre.
”I feel all right now,” Cyril said, ”but I do wish I had something to do instead of standing here useless. I quite envy the men there, stripped to the waist, working the guns. There is that fellow Black d.i.c.k, by the gun forward; he is a scoundrel, no doubt, but what strength and power he has! I saw him put his shoulder under that gun just now, and slew it across by sheer strength, so as to bear upon the stern of the Dutchman. I noticed him and Robert looking up at me just before the first gun was fired, and speaking together. I have no doubt he would gladly have pointed the gun at me instead of at the enemy, for he knows that, if I denounce him, he will get the due reward of his crimes.”
As soon as the s.h.i.+ps were headed round they pa.s.sed through the Dutch as before, and this manoeuvre was several times repeated. Up to one o'clock in the day no great advantage had been gained on either side.
Spars had been carried away; there were yawning gaps in the bulwarks; portholes had been knocked into one, guns dismounted, and many killed; but as yet no vessel on either side had been damaged to an extent that obliged her to strike her flag, or to fall out of the fighting line. There had been a pause after each encounter, in which both fleets had occupied themselves in repairing damages, as far as possible, reeving fresh ropes in place of those that had been shot away, clearing the wreckage of fallen spars and yards, and carrying the wounded below. Four of the Volunteers had been struck down--two of them mortally wounded, but after the first pa.s.sage through the enemy's fleet, Prince Rupert had ordered them to arm themselves with muskets from the racks, and to keep up a fire at the Dutch s.h.i.+ps as they pa.s.sed, aiming specially at the man at the wheel. The order had been a very welcome one, for, like Cyril, they had all felt inactivity in such a scene to be a sore trial. They were now ranged along on both sides of the p.o.o.p.
At one o'clock Lord Sandwich signalled to the Blue Squadron to close up together as they advanced, as before, against the enemy's line.
His position at the time was in the centre, and his squadron, sailing close together, burst into the Dutch line before their s.h.i.+ps could make any similar disposition. Having thus broken it asunder, instead of pa.s.sing through it, the squadron separated, and the s.h.i.+ps, turning to port and starboard, each engaged an enemy. The other two squadrons similarly ranged up among the Dutch, and the battle now became furious all along the line. Fire-s.h.i.+ps played an important part in the battles of the time, and the thoughts of the captain of a s.h.i.+p were not confined to struggles with a foe of equal size, but were still more engrossed by the need for avoiding any fire-s.h.i.+p that might direct its course towards him.
Cyril had now no time to give a thought as to what was pa.s.sing elsewhere. The _Henrietta_ had ranged up alongside a Dutch vessel of equal size, and was exchanging broadsides with her. All round were vessels engaged in an equally furious encounter. The roar of the guns and the shouts of the seamen on both sides were deafening. One moment the vessel reeled from the recoil of her own guns, the next she quivered as the b.a.l.l.s of the enemy crashed through her sides.
Suddenly, above the din, Cyril heard the voice of Prince Rupert sound like a trumpet.
”Hatchets and pikes on the starboard quarter! Draw in the guns and keep off this fire-s.h.i.+p.”
Laying their muskets against the bulwarks, he and Sydney sprang to the mizzen-mast, and each seized a hatchet from those ranged against it. They then rushed to the starboard side, just as a small s.h.i.+p came out through the cloud of smoke that hung thickly around them.