Part 44 (1/2)

As soon as the audience was over, Cyril and his friend returned to the _Fan Fan_, and after giving the crew a few hours for sleep, sailed down to Sheerness, where, shortly afterwards, Prince Rupert arrived with a portion of the Fleet, the rest having been ordered to Harwich, Portsmouth, and other ports, so that they could be more speedily refitted.

Although the work went on almost without intermission day and night, the repairs were not completed before the news arrived that the Dutch Fleet had again put to sea. Two days later they arrived off our coast, where, finding no fleet ready to meet them, they sailed away to France, where they hoped to be joined by their French allies.

Two days later, however, our s.h.i.+ps began to a.s.semble at the mouth of the Thames, and on June 24th the whole Fleet was ready to take to sea. It consisted of eighty men-of-war, large and small, and nineteen fire-s.h.i.+ps. Prince Rupert was in command of the Red Squadron, and the Duke of Albemarle sailed with him, on board the same s.h.i.+p. Sir Thomas Allen was Admiral of the White, and Sir Jeremiah Smith of the Blue Squadron. Cyril remained on board the _Fan Fan_, Lord Oliphant returning to his duties on board the flags.h.i.+p. Marvels had been effected by the zeal and energy of the crews and dockyard men. But three weeks back, the English s.h.i.+ps had, for the most part, been crippled seemingly almost beyond repair, but now, with their holes patched, with new spars, and in the glory of fresh paint and new canvas, they made as brave a show as when they had sailed out from the Downs a month previously.

They were anch.o.r.ed off the Nore when, late in the evening, the news came out from Sheerness that a mounted messenger had just ridden in from Dover, and that the Dutch Fleet had, in the afternoon, pa.s.sed the town, and had rounded the South Foreland, steering north.

Orders were at once issued that the Fleet should sail at daybreak, and at three o'clock the next morning they were on their way down the river. At ten o'clock the Dutch Fleet was seen off the North Foreland. According to their own accounts they numbered eighty-eight men-of-war, with twenty-five fire-s.h.i.+ps, and were also divided into three squadrons, under De Ruyter, John Evertz, and Van Tromp.

The engagement began at noon by an attack by the White Squadron upon that commanded by Evertz. An hour later, Prince Rupert and the Duke, with the Red Squadron, fell upon De Ruyter, while that of Van Tromp, which was at some distance from the others, was engaged by Sir Jeremiah Smith with the Blue Squadron. Sir Thomas Allen completely defeated his opponents, killing Evertz, his vice- and rear-admirals, capturing the vice-admiral of Zeeland, who was with him, and burning a s.h.i.+p of fifty guns.

The Red Squadron was evenly matched by that of De Ruyter, and each vessel laid itself alongside an adversary. Although De Ruyter himself and his vice-admiral, Van Ness, fought obstinately, their s.h.i.+ps in general, commanded, for the most part, by men chosen for their family influence rather than for either seamans.h.i.+p or courage, behaved but badly, and all but seven gradually withdrew from the fight, and went off under all sail; and De Ruyter, finding himself thus deserted, was forced also to draw off. During this time, Van Tromp, whose squadron was the strongest of the three Dutch divisions, was so furiously engaged by the Blue Squadron, which was the weakest of the English divisions, that he was unable to come to the a.s.sistance of his consorts; when, however, he saw the defeat of the rest of the Dutch Fleet, he, too, was obliged to draw off, lest he should have the whole of the English down upon him, and was able the more easily to do so as darkness was closing in when the battle ended.

The Dutch continued their retreat during the night, followed at a distance by the Red Squadron, which was, next morning, on the point of overtaking them, when the Dutch sought refuge by steering into the shallows, which their light draught enabled them to cross, while the deeper English s.h.i.+ps were unable to follow. Great was the wrath and disappointment of the English when they saw themselves thus baulked of reaping the full benefit of the victory. Prince Rupert shouted to Cyril, who, in the _Fan Fan_, had taken but small share in the engagement, as the fire-s.h.i.+ps had not played any conspicuous part in it.

”Sir Cyril, we can go no farther, but do you pursue De Ruyter and show him in what contempt we hold him.”

Cyril lifted his hat to show that he heard and understood the order.

Then he ordered his men to get out their oars, for the wind was very light, and, amidst loud cheering, mingled with laughter, from the crews of the vessels that were near enough to hear Prince Rupert's order, the _Fan Fan_ rowed out from the English line in pursuit of the Dutch.

CHAPTER XXI

LONDON IN FLAMES

The sailors laughed and joked as they rowed away from the Fleet, but the old boatswain shook his head.

”We shall have to be careful, Sir Cyril,” he said. ”It is like a small cur barking at the heels of a bull--it is good fun enough for a bit, but when the bull turns, perchance the dog will find himself thrown high in the air.”

Cyril nodded. He himself considered Prince Rupert's order to be beyond all reason, and given only in the heat of his anger at De Ruyter having thus escaped him, and felt that it was very likely to cost the lives of all on board the _Fan Fan_. However, there was nothing to do but to carry it out. It seemed to him that the boatswain's simile was a very apt one, and that, although the spectacle of the _Fan Fan_ worrying the great Dutch battle-s.h.i.+p might be an amusing one to the English spectators, it was likely to be a very serious adventure for her.

De Ruyter's s.h.i.+p, which was in the rear of all the other Dutch vessels, was but a mile distant when the _Fan Fan_ started, and as the wind was so light that it scarce filled her sails, the yacht approached her rapidly.

”We are within half a mile now, your honour,” the boatswain said. ”I should say we had better go no nearer if we don't want to be blown out of the water.”

”Yes; I think we may as well stop rowing now, and get the guns to work. There are only those two cannon in her stern ports which can touch us here. She will scarcely come up in the wind to give us a broadside. She is moving so slowly through the water that it would take her a long time to come round, and De Ruyter would feel ashamed to bring his great flag-s.h.i.+p round to crush such a tiny foe.”

The boatswain went forward to the guns, round which the men, after laying in their oars, cl.u.s.tered in great glee.

”Now,” he said, ”you have got to make those two guns in the stern your mark. Try and send your shots through the port-holes. It will be a waste to fire them at the hull, for the b.a.l.l.s would not penetrate the thick timber that she is built of. Remember, the straighter you aim the more chance there is that the Dutch won't hit us. Men don't stop to aim very straight when they are expecting a shot among them every second. We will fire alternately, and one gun is not to fire until the other is loaded again. I will lay the first gun myself.”

It was a good shot, and the crew cheered as they saw the splinters fly at the edge of the port-hole. Shot after shot was fired with varying success.

The Dutch made no reply, and seemed to ignore the presence of their tiny foe. The crew were, for the most part, busy aloft repairing damages, and after half an hour's firing, without eliciting a reply, the boatswain went aft to Cyril, and suggested that they should now aim at the spars.

”A lucky shot might do a good deal of damage, sir,” he said. ”The weather is fine enough at present, but there is no saying when a change may come, and if we could weaken one of the main spars it might be the means of her being blown ash.o.r.e, should the wind spring up in the right direction.”

Cyril a.s.sented, and fire was now directed at the masts. A few ropes were cut away, but no serious damage was effected until a shot struck one of the halliard blocks of the spanker, and the sail at once ran down.

”It has taken a big bit out of the mast, too,” the boatswain called exultingly to Cyril. ”I think that will rouse the Dutchmen up.”