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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of By Conduct and Courage by G. A. Henty
+
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
+restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under
+the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or
+online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license
+
+
+
+Title: By Conduct and Courage
+
+Author: G. A. Henty
+
+Release Date: March 19, 2009 [Ebook #28357]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE***
+
+
+
+
+
+ BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE
+
+
+
+
+
+ MR. HENTY’S HISTORICAL TALES.
+
+ THE CAT OF BUBASTES: A Story of Ancient Egypt. 5_s._
+ THE YOUNG CARTHAGINIAN: A Story of the Times of Hannibal. 6_s._
+ FOR THE TEMPLE: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. 6_s._
+ BERIC THE BRITON: A Story of the Roman Invasion. 6_s._
+ THE DRAGON AND THE RAVEN: or, The Days of King Alfred. 5_s._
+ WULF THE SAXON: A Story of the Norman Conquest. 6_s._
+ A KNIGHT OF THE WHITE CROSS: The Siege of Rhodes. 6_s._
+ IN FREEDOM’S CAUSE: A Story of Wallace and Bruce. 6_s._
+ THE LION OF ST. MARK: A Story of Venice in the 14th Century. 6_s._
+ ST. GEORGE FOR ENGLAND: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers. 5_s._
+ A MARCH ON LONDON: A Story of Wat Tyler. 5_s._
+ BOTH SIDES THE BORDER: A Tale of Hotspur and Glendower. 6_s._
+ AT AGINCOURT: A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. 6_s._
+ BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST: or, With Cortez in Mexico. 6_s._
+ ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S EVE: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars. 6_s._
+ BY PIKE AND DYKE: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. 6_s._
+ BY ENGLAND’S AID: or, The Freeing of the Netherlands. 6_s._
+ UNDER DRAKE’S FLAG: A Tale of the Spanish Main. 6_s._
+ THE LION OF THE NORTH: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus. 6_s._
+ WON BY THE SWORD: A Tale of the Thirty Years’ War. 6_s._
+ WHEN LONDON BURNED: A Story of the Great Fire. 6_s._
+ ORANGE AND GREEN: A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick. 5_s._
+ A JACOBITE EXILE: In the Service of Charles XII. 5_s._
+ IN THE IRISH BRIGADE: A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain. 6_s._
+ THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE: or, With Peterborough in Spain. 5_s._
+ BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. 6_s._
+ WITH CLIVE IN INDIA: or, The Beginnings of an Empire. 6_s._
+ WITH FREDERICK THE GREAT: The Seven Years’ War. 6_s._
+ WITH WOLFE IN CANADA: or, The Winning of a Continent. 6_s._
+ TRUE TO THE OLD FLAG: The American War of Independence. 6_s._
+ HELD FAST FOR ENGLAND: A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar. 5_s._
+ IN THE REIGN OF TERROR: The French Revolution. 5_s._
+ NO SURRENDER! A Tale of the Rising in La Vendée. 5_s._
+ A ROVING COMMISSION: A Story of the Hayti Insurrection. 6_s._
+ THE TIGER OF MYSORE: The War with Tippoo Saib. 6_s._
+ AT ABOUKIR AND ACRE: Napoleon’s Invasion of Egypt. 5_s._
+ WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA: A Tale of the Peninsular War. 6_s._
+ UNDER WELLINGTON’S COMMAND: The Peninsular War. 6_s._
+ WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS: A Tale of his Exploits. 6_s._
+ THROUGH THE FRAY: A Story of the Luddite Riots. 6_s._
+ THROUGH RUSSIAN SNOWS: The Retreat from Moscow. 5_s._
+ ONE OF THE 28TH: A Story of Waterloo. 5_s._
+ IN GREEK WATERS: A Story of the Grecian War (1821). 6_s._
+ ON THE IRRAWADDY: A Story of the First Burmese War. 5_s._
+ THROUGH THE SIKH WAR: A Tale of the Punjaub. 6_s._
+ MAORI AND SETTLER: A Story of the New Zealand War. 5_s._
+ WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA: A Story of the American Civil War. 6_s._
+ BY SHEER PLUCK: A Tale of the Ashanti War. 5_s._
+ OUT WITH GARIBALDI: A Story of the Liberation of Italy. 5_s._
+ FOR NAME AND FAME: or, To Cabul with Roberts. 5_s._
+ THE DASH FOR KHARTOUM: A Tale of the Nile Expedition. 6_s._
+ CONDEMNED AS A NIHILIST: A Story of Escape from Siberia. 5_s._
+ WITH BULLER IN NATAL: or, A Born Leader. 6_s._
+
+
+
+
+
+ [Illustration: “AS THEY CLIMBED UP THEY WERE CONFRONTED BY
+ FULLY A HUNDRED ARMED MOORS”]
+
+
+
+
+
+ BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE
+
+ A STORY OF THE DAYS OF NELSON
+
+ BY
+
+ G. A. HENTY
+
+ Author of “With Roberts to Pretoria” “With Buller in Natal”
+ “With Kitchener in the Soudan” &c.
+
+
+_ILLUSTRATED BY WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I._
+
+
+
+BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
+LONDON GLASGOW DUBLIN BOMBAY
+1905
+
+
+
+
+
+ PUBLISHERS’ NOTE
+
+
+Mr. George A. Henty, who died in November, 1902, had completed three new
+stories, _With the Allies to Pekin_, _Through Three Campaigns_, and _By
+Conduct and Courage_. Of these, _Through Three Campaigns_ and _With the
+Allies to Pekin_ were published in the autumn of 1903; the present story
+is therefore the last of Mr. Henty’s great series of historical stories
+for boys.
+
+The proofs have been revised by Mr. G. A. Henty’s son, Captain C. G.
+Henty.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+
+ CHAP. Page
+ I. AN ORPHAN 11
+ II. IN THE KING’S SERVICE 32
+ III. A SEA-FIGHT 53
+ IV. PROMOTED 75
+ V. A PIRATE HOLD 96
+ VI. A NARROW ESCAPE 119
+ VII. AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND 137
+ VIII. A SPLENDID HAUL 157
+ IX. A SPELL ASHORE 178
+ X. BACK AT SCARCOMBE 197
+ XI. CAPTIVES AMONG THE MOORS 212
+ XII. BACK ON THE “TARTAR” 234
+ XIII. WITH NELSON 250
+ XIV. THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE 264
+ XV. ESCAPED 284
+ XVI. A DARING EXPLOIT 300
+ XVII. ON BOARD THE “JASON” 321
+ XVIII. ST. VINCENT AND CAMPERDOWN 342
+ XIX. CONCLUSION 362
+
+
+
+
+
+ ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+ Page
+ “AS THEY CLIMBED UP THEY WERE CONFRONTED BY _Frontis._ 213
+ FULLY A HUNDRED ARMED MOORS”
+ AFTER HIS FIRST FIGHT 65
+ WILL LEADS A PARTY TO TAKE THE ENEMY IN THE REAR 109
+ THE RESCUE 155
+ “TOM AND DIMCHURCH MADE A DESPERATE DEFENCE” 191
+ “HE ORDERED THE MAN AT THE HELM TO STEER FOR THE 286
+ FRIGATE”
+ “HE WAS JUST IN TIME TO SEE LUCIEN ALIGHT” 312
+ “AT LAST HER CAPTAIN WAS COMPELLED TO STRIKE” 355
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER I
+
+
+ AN ORPHAN
+
+
+A wandering musician was a rarity in the village of Scarcombe. In fact,
+such a thing had not been known in the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
+What could have brought him here? men and women asked themselves. There
+was surely nobody who could dance in the village, and the few coppers he
+would gain by performing on his violin would not repay him for his
+trouble. Moreover, Scarcombe was a bleak place, and the man looked sorely
+shaken with the storm of life. He seemed, indeed, almost unable to hold
+out much longer; his breath was short, and he had a hacking cough.
+
+To the surprise of the people, he did not attempt to play for their
+amusement or to ask, in any way, for alms. He had taken a lodging in the
+cottage of one of the fishermen, and on fine days he would wander out with
+his boy, a child some five years old, and, lying down on the moorland,
+would play soft tunes to himself. So he lived for three weeks; and then
+the end came suddenly. The child ran out one morning from his room crying
+and saying that daddy was asleep and he could not wake him, and on the
+fisherman going in he saw that life had been extinct for some hours.
+Probably it had come suddenly to the musician himself, for there was found
+among his scanty effects no note or memorandum giving a clue to the
+residence of the child’s friends, or leaving any direction concerning him.
+The clergyman was, of course, called in to advise as to what should be
+done. He was a kind-hearted man, and volunteered to bury the dead musician
+without charging any fees.
+
+After the funeral another question arose. What was to be done with the
+child?
+
+He was a fine-looking, frank boy, who had grown and hardened beyond his
+years by the life he had led with his father. Fifteen pounds had been
+found in the dead man’s kit. This, however, would fall to the share of the
+workhouse authorities if they took charge of him. A sort of informal
+council was held by the elder fishermen.
+
+“It is hard on the child,” one of them said. “I have no doubt his father
+intended to tell him where to find his friends, but his death came too
+suddenly. Here is fifteen pounds. Not much good, you will say; and it
+isn’t. It might last a year, or maybe eighteen months, but at the end of
+that time he would be as badly off as he is now.”
+
+“Maybe John Hammond would take him,” another suggested. “He lost his boat
+and nets three weeks ago, and though he has a little money saved up, it is
+not enough to replace them. Perhaps he would take the child in return for
+the fifteen pounds. His old woman could do with him, too, and would soon
+make him a bit useful. John himself is a kind-hearted chap, and would
+treat him well, and in a few years the boy would make a useful nipper on
+board his boat.”
+
+John Hammond was sent for, and the case was put to him. “Well,” he said,
+“I think I could do with him, and the brass would be mighty useful to me
+just now; but how does the law stand? If it got to be talked about, the
+parish might come down upon me for the money.”
+
+“That is so, John,” one of the others said. “The best plan would be for
+you, and two of us, to go up to parson, and ask him how the matter stands.
+If he says that it is all right, you may be sure that you would be quite
+safe.”
+
+The clergyman, upon being consulted, said that he thought the arrangement
+was a very good one. The parish authorities had not been asked to find any
+money for the father’s funeral, and had therefore no say in the matter,
+unless they were called upon to take the child. Should any question be
+asked, he would state that he himself had gone into the matter and had
+strongly approved of the arrangement, which he considered was to their
+advantage as well as the child’s; for if they took charge of the boy they
+would have to keep him at least ten years, and then pay for apprenticing
+him out.
+
+Accordingly the boy was handed over to John Hammond. With the buoyancy of
+childhood, William Gilmore, which was the best that could be made of what
+he gave as his name, soon felt at home in the fisherman’s cottage. It was
+a pleasant change to him after having been a wanderer with his father for
+as far back as he could remember. The old woman was kind in her rough way,
+and soon took to sending him on small errands. She set him on washing-days
+to watch the pot and tell her when it boiled. When not so employed she
+allowed him to play with other children of his own age.
+
+Sometimes when the weather was fine, John, who had come to be very fond of
+the boy, never having had any children of his own, would take him out with
+him fishing, to the child’s supreme enjoyment. After a year of this life
+he was put to the village school, which was much less to his liking. Here,
+fortunately for himself, he attracted the notice of the clergyman’s
+daughter, a girl of sixteen. She, of course, knew his story, and was
+filled with a great pity for him. She was a little inclined to romance,
+and in her own mind invented many theories to account for his appearance
+in the village. Her father would laugh sometimes when she related some of
+these to him.
+
+“My dear child,” he said, “it is not necessary to go so far to account for
+the history of this poor wandering musician. You say that he looked to you
+like a broken-down gentleman; there are thousands of such men in the
+country, ne’er-do-wells, who have tired out all their friends, and have
+taken at last to a life that permits a certain amount of freedom and
+furnishes them with a living sufficient for necessary wants. It is from
+such men as these that the great body of tramps is largely recruited. Many
+such men drive hackney-coaches in our large towns; some of them enlist in
+the army; but wherever they are, and whatever they take up, they are sure
+to stay near the foot of the tree. They have no inclination for better
+things. They work as hard as men who have steady employment, but they
+prefer their own liberty with a crust to a solid meal regularly earned. I
+agree with you myself that there was an appearance of having seen better
+times about this man; I can go so far with you as to admit that I think
+that at some time or other he moved in decent circles; but if we could get
+at the truth I have no doubt whatever that we should find that he had
+thrown away every opportunity, alienated every friend, and, having cut
+himself adrift from all ties, took to the life of a wanderer. For such a
+man nothing could be done; but I hope that the boy, beginning in vastly
+poorer circumstances than his father, will some day come to earn his
+living honestly in the position of life in which he is placed.”
+
+The interest, however, which Miss Warden took in the boy remained
+unabated, and had a very useful effect upon him. She persuaded him to come
+up every day for half an hour to the rectory, and then instructed him in
+his lessons, educating him in a manner very different from the perfunctory
+teaching of the old dame at the school. She would urge him on by telling
+him that if he would attend to his lessons he would some day be able to
+rise to a better position than that of a village fisherman. His father, no
+doubt, had had a good education, but from circumstances over which he had
+had no control he had been obliged to take to the life of a strolling
+musician, and she was sure that he would have wished of all things that
+his son should be able to obtain a good position in life when he grew up.
+
+Under Miss Warden’s teaching the boy made very rapid progress, and was,
+before two more years had passed, vastly in advance of the rest of the
+children of the village. As to this, however, by Miss Warden’s advice, he
+remained silent. When he was ten his regular schooling was a great deal
+interrupted, as it was considered that when a boy reached that age it was
+high time that he began to assist his father in the boat. He was glad of
+his freedom and the sense that he was able to make himself useful, but of
+an evening when he was at home, or weather prevented the boat from going
+out, he went up for his lesson to Miss Warden, and, stealing away from the
+others, would lie down on the moor and work at his books.
+
+He was now admitted to the society of watchers. He had often heard
+whispers among other boys of the look-out that had to be kept upon the
+custom-house officers, and heard thrilling tales of adventure and escape
+on the part of the fishermen. Smuggling was indeed carried on on a large
+scale on the whole Yorkshire coast, and cargoes were sometimes run under
+the very noses of the revenue officers, who were put off the scent by many
+ingenious contrivances. Before a vessel was expected in, rumours would be
+circulated of an intention to land the cargo on some distant spot, and a
+mysterious light would be shown in that direction by fishing-boats.
+Sometimes, however, the smugglers were caught in the act, and then there
+would be a fierce fight, ending in some, at least, of those engaged being
+taken off to prison and afterwards sent on a voyage in a ship of war.
+
+Will Gilmore was now admitted as a helper in these proceedings, and often
+at night would watch one or other of the revenue men, and if he saw him
+stir beyond his usual beat would quickly carry the news to the village. A
+score of boys were thus employed, so that any movement which seemed to
+evidence a concentration of the coast-guard men was almost certain to be
+thwarted. Either the expected vessel was warned off with lights, or, if
+the concentration left unguarded the place fixed upon for landing, the
+cargo would be immediately run.
+
+Thus another five years passed. Will was now a strong lad. His friend,
+Miss Warden, could teach him but little more, but she often had him up of
+an evening to have a chat with him.
+
+“I am afraid, William,” she said one evening, “that a good deal of
+smuggling is carried on here. Last week there was a fight, and three of
+the men of the village were killed and several were taken away to prison.
+It is a terrible state of affairs.”
+
+William did not for a moment answer. It was something entirely new to him
+that there was anything wrong in smuggling. He regarded it as a mere
+contest of wits between the coast-guard and the fishermen, and had taken a
+keen pleasure in outwitting the former.
+
+“But there is no harm in smuggling, Miss Warden. Almost everyone takes
+part in it, and the farmers round all send their carts in when a run is
+expected.”
+
+“But it is very wrong, William, and the fact that so many people are ready
+to aid in it is no evidence in its favour. People band together to cheat
+the King’s Revenue, and thereby bring additional taxation upon those who
+deal fairly. It is as much robbery to avoid the excise duties as it is to
+carry off property from a house, and it has been a great grief to my
+father that his parishioners, otherwise honest and God-fearing people,
+should take part in such doings, as is evidenced by the fact that so many
+of them were involved in the fray last week. He only abstains from
+denouncing it in the pulpit because he fears that he might thereby lose
+the affection of the people and impair his power of doing good in other
+respects.”
+
+“I never thought of it in that way, miss,” the lad said seriously.
+
+“Just think in your own case, William: suppose you were caught and sent
+off to sea; there would be an end of the work you have been doing. You
+would be mixed up with rough sailors, and, after being away on a long
+voyage, you would forget all that you have learnt, and would be as rough
+as themselves. This would be a poor ending indeed to all the pains I have
+taken with you, and all the labour you have yourself expended in trying to
+improve yourself. It would be a great grief to me, I can assure you, and a
+cruel disappointment, to know that my hopes for you had all come to
+naught.”
+
+“They sha’n’t, Miss Warden,” the boy said firmly. “I know it will be hard
+for me to draw back, but, if necessary, I will leave the village now that
+you are going to be married. If you had been going to stay I would have
+stopped too, but the village will not be like itself to me after you have
+left.”
+
+“I am glad to think you mean that. I have remained here as long as I could
+be of use to you, for though I have taught you as much as I could in all
+branches of education that would be likely to be useful to you, have lent
+you my father’s books, and pushed you forward till I could no longer lead
+the way, there are still, of course, many things for you to learn. You
+have got a fair start, but you must not be content with that. If you have
+to leave, and I don’t think a longer stay here would be of use to you, I
+will endeavour to obtain some situation for you at Scarborough or Whitby,
+where you could, after your work is done, continue your education. But I
+beg you to do nothing rashly. It would be better if you could stay here
+for another year or so. We may hope that the men will not be so annoyed as
+you think at your refusal to take further part in the smuggling
+operations. At any rate, stay if you can for a time. It will be two months
+before I leave, and three more before I am settled in my new home at
+Scarborough. When I am so I have no doubt that my husband will aid me in
+obtaining a situation for you. He has been there for years, and will, of
+course, have very many friends and acquaintances who would interest
+themselves in you. If, however, you find that your position would be
+intolerable, you might remain quiet as to your determination. After the
+fight of last week it is not likely that there will be any attempt at a
+landing for some little time to come, and I shall not blame you,
+therefore, if you at least keep up the semblance of still taking part in
+their proceedings.”
+
+“No, Miss Warden,” the boy said sturdily, “I didn’t know that it was
+wrong, and therefore joined in it willingly enough, but now you tell me
+that it is so I will take no further share in it, whatever comes of it.”
+
+“I am glad to hear you say so, William, for it shows that the aid I have
+given you has not been thrown away. What sort of work would you like
+yourself, if we can get it for you?”
+
+“I would rather go to sea, Miss Warden, than do anything else. I have, for
+the last year, taken a lot of pains to understand those books of
+navigation you bought for me. I don’t say that I have mastered them all,
+but I understand a good deal, and feel sure that after a few years at sea
+I shall be able to pass as a mate.”
+
+“Well, William, you know that, when I got the books for you, I told you
+that I could not help you with them, but I can quite understand that with
+your knowledge of mathematics you would be able at any rate to grasp a
+great deal of the subject. I was afraid then that you would take to the
+sea. It is a hard life, but one in which a young man capable of navigating
+a ship should be able to make his way. Brought up, as you have been, on
+the sea, it is not wonderful that you should choose it as a profession,
+and, though I may regret it, I should not think of trying to turn you from
+it. Very well, then, I will endeavour to get you apprenticed. It is a hard
+life, but not harder than that of a fisherman, to which you are
+accustomed.”
+
+When William returned to his foster-father he informed him that he did not
+mean to have anything more to do with the smuggling.
+
+The old man looked at him in astonishment. “Are you mad?” he said. “Don’t
+I get five shillings for every night you are out, generally four or five
+nights a month, which pays for all your food.”
+
+“I am sorry,” the lad said, “but I never knew that it was wrong before,
+and now I know it I mean to have nothing more to do with it. What good
+comes of it? Here we have three empty cottages, and five or six others
+from which the heads will be absent for years. It is dear at any price. I
+work hard with you, father, and am never slack; surely the money I earn in
+the boat more than pays for my grub.”
+
+“I can guess who told you this,” the old man said angrily. “It was that
+parson’s daughter you are always with.”
+
+“Don’t say anything against her,” the boy said earnestly; “she has been
+the best friend to me that ever a fellow had, and as long as I live I
+shall feel grateful to her. You know that I am not like the other boys of
+the village; I can read and write well, and I have gathered a lot of
+knowledge from books. Abuse me as much as you like, but say nothing
+against her. You know that the terms on which you took me expired a year
+ago, but I have gone on just as before and am ready to do the same for a
+time.”
+
+“You have been a good lad,” the old man said, mollified, “and I don’t know
+what I should have done without you. I am nigh past work now, but in the
+ten years you have been with me things have always gone well with me, and
+I have money enough to make a shift with for the rest of my life, even if
+I work no longer. But I don’t like this freak that you have taken into
+your head. It will mean trouble, lad, as sure as you are standing there.
+The men here won’t understand you, and will like enough think that the
+revenue people have got hold of you. You will be shown the cold shoulder,
+and even worse than that may befall you. We fisher-folk are rough and
+ready in our ways, and if there is one thing we hate more than another it
+is a spy.”
+
+“I have no intention of being a spy,” the boy said. “I have spoken to none
+of the revenue men, and don’t mean to do so, and I would not peach even if
+I were certain that a cargo was going to be landed. Surely it is possible
+to stand aside from it all without being suspected of having gone over to
+the enemy. No gold that they could give me would tempt me to say a word
+that would lead to the failure of a landing, and surely there can be no
+great offence in declining to act longer as a watcher.”
+
+The old man shook his head.
+
+“A wilful man must have his way,” he said; “but I know our fellows better
+than you do, and I foresee that serious trouble is likely to come of
+this.”
+
+“Well, if it must be, it must,” the boy said doggedly. “I mean, if I live,
+to be a good man, and now that I know that it is wrong to cheat the
+revenue I will have no more to do with it. It would be a nice reward for
+all the pains Miss Warden has spent upon me to turn round and do what she
+tells me is wrong.”
+
+John Hammond was getting to the age when few things excite more than a
+feeble surprise. He felt that the loss of the boy’s assistance would be a
+heavy one, for he had done no small share of the work for the past two
+years. But he had more than once lately talked to his wife of the
+necessity for selling his boat and nets and remaining at home. With this
+decision she quite agreed, feeling that he was indeed becoming incapable
+of doing the work, and every time he had gone out in anything but the
+calmest weather she had been filled with apprehension as to what would
+happen if a storm were to blow up. He was really sorry for the boy, being
+convinced that harm would befall him as the result of this, to him,
+astonishing decision. To John Hammond smuggling appeared to be quite
+justifiable. The village had always been noted as a nest of smugglers, and
+to him it came as natural as fishing. It was a pity, a grievous pity, that
+the boy should have taken so strange a fancy.
+
+He was a good boy, a hard-working boy, and the only fault he had to find
+with him was his unaccountable liking for study. John could neither read
+nor write, and for the life of him could not see what good came of it. He
+had always got on well without it, and when the school was first started
+he and many others shook their heads gravely over it, and regarded it as a
+fad of the parson’s. Still, as it only affected children too young to be
+useful in the boats, they offered no active opposition, and in time the
+school had come to be regarded as chiefly a place where the youngsters
+were kept out of their mothers’ way when washing and cooking were going
+on.
+
+He went slowly back into the cottage and acquainted his wife with this new
+and astonishing development on the part of the boy. His wife was full of
+indignation, which was, however, modified at the thought that she would
+now have her husband always at home with her.
+
+“I shall speak my mind to Miss Warden,” she said, “and tell her how much
+harm her advice has done.”
+
+“No, no, Jenny,” her husband said; “what is the use of that? It is the
+parson’s duty to be meddling in all sorts of matters, and it will do no
+good to fight against it. Parson is a good man, all allow, and he always
+finishes his sermons in time for us to get home to dinner. I agree with
+you that the young madam has done harm, and I greatly fear that trouble
+will come to the boy. There are places where smuggling is thought to be
+wrong, but this place ain’t among them. I don’t know what will happen when
+Will says that he doesn’t mean to go any more as a watcher, but there is
+sure to be trouble of some sort.”
+
+It was not long indeed before Will felt a change in the village. Previous
+to this he had been generally popular, now men passed without seeing him.
+He was glad when John Hammond called upon him to go out in the boat, when
+the weather was fine, but at other times his only recourse was to steal
+away to the moors with his books. Presently the elder boys took to
+throwing sods at him as he passed, and calling spy and other opprobrious
+epithets after him. This brought on several severe fights, and as Will
+made up for want of weight by pluck and activity his opponents more than
+once found themselves badly beaten. One day he learned from a subdued
+excitement in the village that it was time for one of the smuggling
+vessels to arrive. One of his boyish friends had stuck to him, and was
+himself almost under a ban for associating with so unpopular a character.
+
+“Don’t you come with me, Stevens,” Will had urged again and again; “you
+will only make it bad for yourself, and it will do me no good.”
+
+“I don’t care,” the former said sturdily. “We have always been good
+friends, and you know I don’t in the least believe that you have anything
+to do with the revenue men. It is too bad of them to say so. I fought Tom
+Dickson only this morning for abusing you. He said if you were not working
+with them, why did you give up being on the watch. I told him it was no
+odds to me why you gave it up, I supposed that you had a right to do as
+you liked. Then from words we came to blows. I don’t say I beat him, for
+he is a good bit bigger than I am, but I gave him as good as I got, and he
+was as glad to stop as I was. You talk of going away soon. If you do, and
+you will take me, I will go with you.”
+
+“I don’t know yet where I am going, Tommy, but if I go to a town I have no
+doubt I shall be able in a short time to hear of someone there who wants a
+strong lad, or perhaps I may be able to get you a berth as cabin-boy in
+the ship in which I go. I mean to go for a sailor myself if I can, and I
+shall be glad to have you as a chum on board. We have always been great
+friends, and I am sure we always shall be, Tommy. If I were you I would
+think it over a good many times before you decide upon it. You see I have
+learnt a great deal from books to prepare myself for a sea life. Miss
+Warden is going to try to get me taken as an apprentice, and in that case
+I may hope to get to be an officer when my time is out, but you would not
+have much chance of doing so. Of course if we were together I could help
+you on. So far you have never cared for books or to improve yourself, and
+without that you can never rise to be any more than a common sailor.”
+
+“I hate books,” the boy said; “still, I will try what I can do. But at any
+rate I don’t care much so that I am with you.”
+
+“Well, we will see about it when the time comes, Tommy. Miss Warden was
+married, as you know, last week. In another three months she will be at
+Scarborough, and she has promised that her husband will try to get me
+apprenticed either there or at Whitby, which is a large port. Directly I
+get on board a ship I will let you know if there is a vacancy in her for a
+cabin-boy. But you think it over well first; you will find it difficult,
+for I don’t expect your uncle will let you go.”
+
+“I don’t care a snap about him. He is always knocking me about, and I
+don’t care what he likes and what he don’t. You may be sure that I sha’n’t
+ask him, but shall make off at night as soon as I hear from you. You won’t
+forget me, will you, Will?”
+
+“Certainly I will not; you may be quite sure of that. Mind, I don’t
+promise that I shall be able to get you a berth as cabin-boy at once, or
+as an apprentice. I only promise that I will do so as soon as I have a
+chance. It may be a month, and it may be a year; it may even be three or
+four years, for though there is always a demand for men, at least so I
+have heard, there may not be any demand for boys. But you may be sure that
+I will not keep you waiting any longer than I can help.”
+
+One day Will was walking along the cliffs, feeling very solitary, when he
+heard a faint cry, and, looking down, saw Tom Stevens in a deep pool. It
+had precipitous sides, and he was evidently unable to climb out. “Hold on,
+Tom,” he shouted, “I will come to you.”
+
+It was half a mile before he could get to a place where he was able to
+climb down, and when he reached the shore he ran with breathless speed to
+the spot where Tom’s head was still above the water. He saw at once that
+his friend’s strength was well-nigh spent, and, leaping in, he swam to
+him. “Put your arms round my neck,” he said. “I will swim down with you to
+the point where the creek ends.” The boy was too far gone to speak, and it
+needed all Will’s strength to help him down the deep pool to the point
+where it joined the sea, and then to haul him ashore.
+
+“I was nearly gone, Will,” the boy said when he recovered a little.
+
+“Yes, I saw that. But how on earth did you manage to get into the water?”
+
+“I was running along by the side of the cliff, when my foot slipped. I
+came down on my knee and hurt myself frightfully; I was in such pain that
+I could not stop myself from rolling over. I tried to swim, which, of
+course, would have been nothing for me, but I think my knee is smashed,
+and it hurt me so frightfully that I screamed out with pain, and had to
+give up. I could not have held on much longer, and should certainly have
+been drowned had you not seen me. I was never so pleased as when I heard
+your voice above.”
+
+“Can you walk now, do you think?”
+
+“No, I am sure I can’t walk by myself, but I might if I leant on you. I
+will try anyhow.”
+
+He hobbled along for a short distance, but at last said: “It is of no use,
+Will, I can’t go any farther.”
+
+“Well, get on my back and I will see what I can do for you.”
+
+Slowly and with many stoppages Will got him to the point where he
+descended the cliff. “I must get help to carry you up here, Tom; it is
+very steep, and I am sure I could not take you myself. I must go into the
+village and bring assistance.”
+
+“I will wait here till morning, Will. There will be no hardship in that,
+and I know that you don’t like speaking to anyone.”
+
+“I will manage it,” Will said cheerfully. “I will tell John Hammond, and
+he will go to your uncle and get help.”
+
+“Ah, that will do! Most of the men are out, but I dare say there will be
+two or three at home.”
+
+Will ran all the way back to the village, which was more than a mile away.
+“Tom Stevens is lying at the foot of the cliff, father. I think he has
+broken his leg, and he has been nearly drowned. Will you go and see his
+uncle, and get three or four men to carry him home. You know very well it
+is no use my going to his uncle. He would not listen to what I have to
+say, and would simply shower abuse upon me.”
+
+“I will go,” the old man said. “The boy can’t be left there.”
+
+In a quarter of an hour the men started. Will went ahead of them for some
+distance until he reached the top of the path. “He is down at the bottom,”
+he said, and turned away. Tom was brought home, and roundly abused by his
+uncle for injuring himself so that he would be unable to accompany him in
+his boat for some days. He lay for a week in bed, and was then only able
+to hobble about with the aid of a stick. When he related how Will had
+saved him there was a slight revulsion of feeling among the
+better-disposed boys, but this was of short duration. It became known that
+a French lugger would soon be on the coast. Will was not allowed to
+approach the edge of the cliff, being assailed by curses and threats if he
+ventured to do so. Every care was taken to throw the coast-guard off the
+scent, but things went badly. There was some sharp fighting, and a
+considerable portion of the cargo was seized as it was being carried up
+the cliff.
+
+The next day Tom hurried up to Will, who was a short way out on the moor.
+
+“You must run for your life, Will. There are four or five of the men who
+say that you betrayed them last night, and I do believe they will throw
+you over the cliff. Here they come! The best thing you can do is to make
+for the coast-guard station.”
+
+Will saw that the four men who were coming along were among the roughest
+in the village, and started off immediately at full speed. With oaths and
+shouts the men pursued him. The coast-guard station was two miles away,
+and he reached it fifty yards in front of them. The men stopped, shouting:
+“You are safe there, but as soon as you leave it we will have you.”
+
+“What is the matter, lad?” the sub-officer in charge of the station said.
+
+“Those men say that I betrayed them, but you know ’tis false, sir.”
+
+“Certainly I do. I know you well by sight, and believe that you are a good
+young fellow. I have always heard you well spoken of. What makes them
+think that?”
+
+“It is because I would not agree to go on acting as watcher. I did not
+know that there was any harm in it till Miss Warden told me, and then I
+would not do it any longer, and that set all the village against me.”
+
+“What are you going to do?”
+
+“I will stay here to-night if you will let me. I am sure they will keep up
+a watch for me.”
+
+“I will sling a hammock for you,” the man said. “Now we are just going to
+have dinner, and I dare say you can eat something. You are the boy they
+call Miss Warden’s pet, are you not?”
+
+“Yes, they call me so. She has been very kind to me, and has helped me on
+with my books.”
+
+“Ah, well, a boy is sure to get disliked by his fellows when he is
+cleverer with his books than they are!”
+
+After dinner the officer said: “It is quite clear that you won’t be able
+to return to the village. I think I have heard that you have no father. Is
+it not so?”
+
+“Yes, he died when I was five years old. He left a little money, and John
+Hammond took me in and bought a boat with that and what he had saved. I
+was bound to stay with him until I was fourteen years old, but was soon
+going to leave him, for he is really too old to go out any longer.”
+
+“Have you ever thought of going into the royal navy?”
+
+“I have thought of it, sir, but I have not settled anything. I thought of
+going into the merchant navy.”
+
+“Bah! I am surprised at a lad of spirit like you thinking of such a thing.
+If you have learned a lot you will, if you are steady, be sure to get on
+in time, and may very well become a petty officer. No lad of spirit would
+take to the life of a merchantman who could enter the navy. I don’t say
+that some of the Indiamen are not fine ships, but you would find it very
+hard to get a berth on one of them. Our lieutenant will be over here in a
+day or two, and I have no doubt that if I speak to him for you he will
+ship you as a boy in a fine ship.”
+
+“How long does one ship for, sir?”
+
+“You engage for the time that the ship is in commission, at the outside
+for five years; and if you find that you do not like it, at the end of
+that time it is open to you to choose some other berth.”
+
+“I can enter the merchant navy then if I like?”
+
+“Of course you could, but I don’t think that you would. On a merchantman
+you would be kicked and cuffed all round, whereas on a man-of-war I don’t
+say it would be all easy sailing, but if you were sharp and obliging
+things would go smoothly enough for you.”
+
+“Well, sir, I will think it over to-night.”
+
+“Good, my boy! you are quite right not to decide in a hurry. It is a
+serious thing for a young chap to make a choice like that; but it seems to
+me that, being without friends as you are, and having made enemies of all
+the people of your village, it would be better for you to get out of it as
+soon as possible.”
+
+“I quite see that; and really I think I could not do better than pass a
+few years on a man-of-war, for after that I should be fit for any work I
+might find to do.”
+
+“Well, sleep upon it, lad.”
+
+Will sat down on the low wall in front of the station and thought it over.
+After all, it seemed to him that it would be better to be on a fine ship
+and have a chance of fighting with the French than to sail in a
+merchantman. At the end of five years he would be twenty, and could pass
+as a mate if he chose, or settle on land. He would have liked to consult
+Miss Warden, but this was out of the question. He knew the men who had
+pursued him well enough to be sure that his life would not be safe if they
+caught him. He might make his way out of the station at night, but even
+that was doubtful. Besides, if he were to do so he had no one to go to at
+Scarborough; he had not a penny in his pocket, and would find it
+impossible to maintain himself until Miss Warden returned. He did not wish
+to appear before her as a beggar. He was still thinking when a shadow fell
+across him, and, looking up, he saw his friend Tom.
+
+“I have come round to see you, Will,” he said. “I don’t know what is to be
+done. Nothing will convince the village that you did not betray them.”
+
+“The thing is too absurd,” Will said angrily. “I never spoke to a
+coast-guardsman in my life till to-day, except, perhaps, in passing, and
+then I would do no more than make a remark about the weather. Besides, no
+one in the village has spoken to me for a month, so how could I tell that
+the lugger was coming in that night?”
+
+“Well, I really don’t think it would be safe for you to go back.”
+
+“I am not going back. I have not quite settled what I shall do, but
+certainly I don’t intend to return to the village.”
+
+“Then what are you going to do, Will?”
+
+“I don’t know exactly, but I have half decided to ship as a boy on one of
+the king’s ships.”
+
+“I should like to go with you wherever you go, but I should like more than
+anything to do that.”
+
+“It is a serious business, you know; you would have to make up your mind
+to be kicked and cuffed.”
+
+“I get that at home,” Tom said; “it can’t be harder for me at sea than it
+is there.”
+
+“Well, I have not got to decide until to-morrow; you go home and think it
+over, and if you come in the morning with your mind made up, I will speak
+to the officer here and ask him if they will take us both.”
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER II
+
+
+ IN THE KING’S SERVICE
+
+
+Before morning came Will had thought the matter over in every light, and
+concluded that he could not do better than join the navy for a few years.
+Putting all other things aside, it was a life of adventure, and adventure
+is always tempting to boys. It really did not seem to him that, if he
+entered the merchant service at once, he would be any better off than he
+would be if he had a preliminary training in the royal navy. He knew that
+the man-of-war training would make him a smarter sailor, and he hoped that
+he would find time enough on board ship to continue his work, so that
+afterwards he might be able to pass as a mate in the merchant service.
+
+Tom Stevens came round in the morning.
+
+“I have quite made up my mind to go with you if you will let me,” he said.
+
+“I will let you readily enough, Tom, but I must warn you that you will not
+have such a good look-out as I shall. You know, I have learnt a good deal,
+and if the first cruise lasts for five years I have no doubt that at the
+end of it I shall be able to pass as a mate in the merchant service, and I
+am afraid you will have very little chance of doing so.”
+
+“I can’t help that,” Tom said. “I know that I am not like you, and I
+haven’t learnt things, and I don’t suppose that if I had had anyone to
+help me it would have made any difference. I know I shall never rise much
+above a sailor before the mast. If you leave the service and go into a
+merchantman I will go there with you. It does not matter to me where I am.
+I felt so before, and of course I feel it all the more now that you have
+saved my life. I am quite sure you will get on in the world, Will, and
+sha’n’t grudge you your success a bit, however high you rise, for I know
+how hard you have worked, and how well you deserve it. Besides, even if I
+had had the pains bestowed upon me, and had worked ever so hard myself, I
+should never have been a bit like you. You seem different from us somehow.
+I don’t know how it is, but you are smarter and quicker and more active. I
+expect some day you will find out something about your father, and then
+probably we shall be able to understand the difference between us. At any
+rate I am quite prepared to see you rise, and I shall be well content if
+you will always allow me to remain your friend.”
+
+Will gratified the sub-officer later by telling him that he had made up
+his mind to ship on board one of the king’s vessels, and that his friend
+and chum, Tom Stevens, had made up his mind to go with him.
+
+The coxswain looked Tom up and down.
+
+“You have the makings of a fine strong man,” he said, “and ought to turn
+out a good sailor. The training you have had in the fishing-boats will be
+all in your favour. Well, I will let you know when the lieutenant makes
+his rounds. I am sure there will be no difficulty in shipping you. Boys
+ain’t what they were when I was young. Then we thought it an honour to be
+shipped on board a man-of-war, now most of them seem to me mollycoddled,
+and we have difficulty in getting enough boys for the ships. You see, we
+are not allowed to press boys, but only able-bodied men; so the youngsters
+can laugh in our faces. Most of the crimps get one or two of them to watch
+the sailors as the boys of the village watch our men, and give notice when
+they are going to make a raid. I don’t think, therefore, that there is any
+fear of your being refused, especially when I say that one of you has got
+into great trouble from refusing to aid in throwing us off the scent when
+a lugger is due. If for no other reason he owes you a debt for that.”
+
+Three days passed. Will still remained at the coast-guard station, and men
+still hovered near. Tom came over once and said that it had been decided
+among a number of the fishermen that no great harm should be done to Will
+when they got him, but that he should be thrashed within an inch of his
+life. On the third day the coxswain said to Will:
+
+“I have a message this morning from the lieutenant, that he will be here
+by eleven o’clock. If you will write a line to your friend I will send it
+over by one of the men.”
+
+Tom arrived breathless two minutes before the officer.
+
+“My eye, I have had a run of it,” he said. “The man brought me the letter
+just as I was going to start in the boat with my uncle. I pretended to
+have left something behind me and ran back to the cottage, he swearing
+after me all the way for my stupidity. I ran into the house, and then got
+out of the window behind, and started for the moors, taking good care to
+keep the house in a line between him and me. My, what a mad rage he will
+be in when I don’t come back, and he goes up and finds that I have
+disappeared! I stopped a minute to take a clean shirt and my Sunday
+clothes. I expect, when he sees I am not in the cottage, he will look
+round, and he will discover that they have gone from their pegs, and guess
+that I have made a bolt of it. He won’t guess, however, that I have come
+here, but will think I have gone across the moors. He knows very well how
+hard he has made my life; still, that won’t console him for losing me,
+just as I am getting really useful in the boat.”
+
+The lieutenant landed from his cutter at the foot of the path leading up
+to the station. The sub-officer received him at the top, and after a few
+words they walked up to the station together.
+
+“Who are these two boys?” he asked as he came up to them.
+
+“Two lads who wish to enter the navy, sir.”
+
+“Umph! runaways, I suppose?”
+
+“Not exactly, sir. Both of them are fatherless. That one has received a
+fair education from the daughter of the clergyman of the village, who took
+a great fancy to him. He has for some years now been assisting in one of
+the fishing-boats and, as he acknowledges, in the spying upon our men, as
+practically everyone else in the village does. When, however, Miss Warden
+told him that smuggling was very wrong, he openly announced his intention
+of having nothing more to do with it. This has had the effect of making
+the ignorant villagers think that he must have taken bribes from us to
+keep us informed of what was going on. In consequence he has suffered
+severe persecution and has been sent to Coventry. After the fight we had
+with them the other day they appear to think that there could be no
+further doubt of his being concerned in the matter, and four men set out
+after him to take his life. He fled here as his nearest possible refuge,
+and if you will look over there you will see two men on the watch for him.
+He had made up his mind to ship as an apprentice on a merchantman, but I
+have talked the matter over with him, and he has now decided to join a
+man-of-war.”
+
+“A very good choice,” the officer said. “I suppose you can read and write,
+lad?”
+
+“Yes, sir,” Will said, suppressing a smile.
+
+“Know a bit more, perhaps?”
+
+“Yes, sir.”
+
+“Well, if you are civil and well behaved, you will get on. And who is the
+other one?”
+
+“He is Gilmore’s special chum, sir. He has a brute of an uncle who is
+always knocking him about, and he wants to go to sea with his friend.”
+
+“Well, they are two likely youngsters. The second is more heavily built
+than the other, but there is no doubt as to which is the more intelligent.
+I will test them at once, and then take them off with me in the cutter and
+hand them over to the tender at Whitby. Now send four men and catch those
+two fellows and bring them in here. I will give them a sharp lesson
+against ill-treating a lad who refuses to join them in their rascally
+work.”
+
+A minute later four of the men strolled off by the cliffs, two in each
+direction. When they had got out of sight of the watchers, they struck
+inland, and, making a detour, came down behind them. The fishermen did not
+take the alarm until it was too late. They started to run, but the sailors
+were more active and quick-footed, and, presently capturing them, brought
+them back to the coast-guard station.
+
+“So my men,” the lieutenant said sternly, “you have been threatening to
+ill-treat one of His Majesty’s subjects for refusing to join you in your
+attempts to cheat the revenue? I might send you off to a magistrate for
+trial, in which case you would certainly get three months’ imprisonment. I
+prefer, however, settling such matters myself. Strip them to the waist,
+lads.”
+
+The orders were executed in spite of the men’s struggles and execrations.
+
+“Now tie them up to the flag-post and give them a dozen heartily.”
+
+As the men were all indignant at the treatment that had been given to Will
+they laid the lash on heavily, and the execrations that followed the first
+few blows speedily subsided into shrieks for mercy, followed at last by
+low moaning.
+
+When both had received their punishment, the lieutenant said: “Now you can
+put on your clothes again and carry the news of what you have had to your
+village, and tell your friends that I wish I had had every man concerned
+in the matter before me. If I had I would have dealt out the same
+punishment to all. Now, lads, I shall be leaving in an hour’s time; if you
+like to send back to the village for your clothes, one of the men will
+take the message.”
+
+Tom already had all his scanty belongings, but Will was glad to send a
+note to John Hammond, briefly stating his reasons for leaving, and
+thanking him for his kindness in the past, and asking him to send his
+clothes to him by the bearer. An hour and a half later they embarked in
+the lieutenant’s gig and were rowed off to the revenue cutter lying a
+quarter of a mile away. Here they were put under the charge of the
+boatswain.
+
+“They have shipped for the service, Thompson,” the lieutenant said. “I
+think they are good lads. Make them as comfortable as you can.”
+
+“So you have shipped, have you?” the boatswain said as he led them
+forward. “Well, you are plucky young cockerels. It ain’t exactly a bed of
+roses, you will find, at first, but if you can always keep your temper and
+return a civil answer to a question you will soon get on all right. You
+will have more trouble with the other boys than with the men, and will
+have a battle or two to fight.”
+
+“We sha’n’t mind that,” Will said; “we have had to deal with some tough
+ones already in our own village, and have proved that we are better than
+most of our own age. At any rate we won’t be licked easily, even if they
+are a bit bigger and stronger than ourselves, and after all a licking
+doesn’t go for much anyway. What ship do you think they will send us to,
+sir?”
+
+“Ah, that is a good deal more than I can say! There is a cutter that acts
+as a receiving-ship at Whitby, and you will be sent off from it as
+opportunity offers and the ships of war want hands. Like enough you will
+go off with a batch down to the south in a fortnight or so, and will be
+put on board some ship being commissioned at Portsmouth or Devonport. A
+large cutter comes round the coast once a month, to pick up the hands from
+the various receiving-ships, and as often as not she goes back with a
+hundred. And a rum lot you will think them. There are jail-birds who have
+had the offer of release on condition that they enter the navy; there are
+farm-labourers who don’t know one end of a boat from the other; there are
+drunkards who have been sold by the crimps when their money has run out;
+but, Lord bless you, it don’t make much difference what they are, they are
+all knocked into shape before they have been three months on board. I
+think, however, you will have a better time than this. Our lieutenant is a
+kind-hearted man, though he is strict enough in the way of business, and I
+have no doubt he will say a good word for you to the commander of the
+tender, which, as he is the senior officer, will go a long way.”
+
+The two boys were soon on good terms with the crew, who divined at once
+that they were lads of mettle, and were specially attracted to Will on
+account of the persecution he had suffered by refusing to act as the
+smugglers’ watcher, and also when they heard from Tom how he had saved his
+life.
+
+“You will do,” was the verdict of an old sailor. “I can see that you have
+both got the right stuff in you. When one fellow saves another’s life, and
+that fellow runs away and ships in order to be near his friend, you may be
+sure that there is plenty of good stuff in them, and that they will turn
+out a credit to His Majesty’s service.”
+
+They were a week on board before the cutter finished her trip at Whitby.
+Both boys had done their best to acquire knowledge, and had learnt the
+names of the ropes and their uses by the time they got to port.
+
+“You need not go on board the depot ship until to-morrow,” the lieutenant
+said. “I will go across with you myself. I have had my eye upon you ever
+since you came on board, and I have seen that you have been trying hard to
+learn, and have always been ready to give a pull on a rope when necessary.
+I have no fear of your getting on. It is a pity we don’t get more lads of
+your type in the navy.”
+
+On the following morning the lieutenant took them on board the depot and
+put them under the charge of the boatswain. “You will have to mix with a
+roughish crew here,” the latter said, “but everything will go smoothly
+enough when you once join your ship. You had better hand over your kits to
+me to keep for you, otherwise there won’t be much left at the end of the
+first night; and if you like I will let you stow yourselves away at night
+in the bitts forward. It is not cold, and I will throw a bit of old
+sail-cloth over you; you will be better there than down with the others,
+where the air is almost thick enough to cut.”
+
+“Thank you very much, sir; we should prefer that. We have both been
+accustomed to sleep at night in the bottom of an open boat, so it will
+come natural enough to us. Are there any more boys on board?”
+
+“No, you are the only ones. We get more boys down in the west, but up here
+very few ship.”
+
+They went below together. “Dimchurch,” the boatswain said to a tall
+sailor-like man, “these boys have just joined. I wish you would keep an
+eye on them, and prevent anyone from bullying them. I know that you are a
+pressed man, and that we have no right to expect anything of you until you
+have joined your ship, but I can see that for all that you are a true
+British sailor, and I trust to you to look after these boys.”
+
+“All right, mate!” the sailor said. “I will take the nippers under my
+charge, and see that no one meddles with them. I know what I had to go
+through when I first went to sea, and am glad enough to do a good turn to
+any youngsters joining.”
+
+“Thank you! Then I will leave them now in your charge.”
+
+“This is your first voyage, I suppose,” the sailor said as he sat down on
+the table and looked at the boys. “I see by your togs that you have been
+fishing.”
+
+“Yes, we both had seven or eight years of it, though of course we were of
+no real use till the last five.”
+
+“You don’t speak like a fisherman’s boy either,” the man said.
+
+“No. A lady interested herself in me and got me to work all my spare time
+at books.”
+
+“Well, they will be of no use to you at present, but they may come in
+handy some day to get you a rating. I never learnt to read or write myself
+or I should have been mate long ago. This is my first voyage in a ship of
+war. Hitherto I have always escaped being pressed when I was ashore, but
+now they have caught me I don’t mind having a try at it. I believe, from
+all I hear, that the grub and treatment are better than aboard most
+merchantmen, and the work nothing like so hard. Of course the great
+drawback is the cat, but I expect that a well-behaved man doesn’t often
+feel it.”
+
+The others had looked on curiously when the lads first came down, but they
+soon turned away indifferently and took up their former pursuits. Some
+were playing cards, others lying about half-asleep. Two or three who were
+fortunate enough to be possessed of tobacco were smoking. In all there
+were some forty men. When the evening meal was served out the sailor
+placed one of the boys on each side of him, and saw that they got their
+share.
+
+“I must find a place for you to sleep,” he said when they had finished.
+
+“The officer who brought us down has given us permission to sleep on deck
+near the bitts.”
+
+“Ah, yes, that is quite in the bows of the ship! You will do very well
+there, much better than you would down here. I will go up on deck and show
+you the place. How is it that he is looking specially after you?”
+
+“I believe Lieutenant Jones of the _Antelope_ was good enough to speak to
+the officer in command of this craft in our favour.”
+
+“How did you make him your friend?”
+
+Will told briefly the story of his troubles with the smugglers. The sailor
+laughed.
+
+“Well,” he said, “you must be a pretty plucky one to fly in the face of a
+smuggling village in that way. You must have known what the consequence
+would be, and it is not every boy, nor every man either, if it comes to
+that, that would venture to do as you did.”
+
+“It did not seem to me that I had any choice when I once found out that it
+was wrong.”
+
+The sailor laughed again. “Well, you know, it is not what you could call a
+crime, though it is against the law of the land, but everyone does a bit
+of smuggling when they get the chance. Lord bless you! I have come home
+from abroad when there was not one of the passengers and crew who did not
+have a bit of something hidden about him or his luggage—brandy, ’baccy,
+French wines, or knick-knacks of some sort. Pretty nigh half of them got
+found out and fined, but the value of the things got ashore was six or
+eight times as much as what was collared.”
+
+“Still it was not right,” Will persisted.
+
+“Oh, no! it was not right,” the sailor said carelessly, “but everyone took
+his chance. It is a sort of game, you see, between the passengers and crew
+on one side and the custom-house officers on the other. It was enough to
+make one laugh to see the passengers land. Women who had been as thin as
+whistles came out as stout matrons, owing to the yards and yards of laces
+and silk they had wound round them. All sorts of odd places were
+choke-full of tobacco; there were cases that looked like baggage, but
+really had a tin lining, which was full of brandy. It was a rare game for
+those who got through, I can tell you, though I own it was not so pleasant
+for those who got caught and had their contraband goods confiscated,
+besides having to pay five times the proper duty. As a rule the men took
+it quietly enough, they had played the game and lost; but as for the
+women, they were just raging tigers.
+
+“For myself, I laughed fit to split. If I lost anything it was a pound or
+two of tobacco which I was taking home for my old father, and I felt that
+things might have been a deal worse if they had searched the legs of my
+trousers, where I had a couple of bladders filled with good brandy. You
+see, young ’un, though everyone knows that it is against the law, no one
+thinks it a crime. It is a game you play; if you lose you pay handsomely,
+but if you win you get off scot-free. I think the lady who told you it was
+wrong did you a very bad service, for if she lived near that village she
+must have known that you would get into no end of trouble if you were to
+say you would have nothing more to do with it. And how is it”—turning to
+Tom—“that you came to go with him? You did not take it into your head that
+smuggling was wrong too?”
+
+“I never thought of it,” Tom said, “and if I had been told so should only
+have answered that what was good enough for others was good enough for me.
+I came because Will came. We had always been great friends, and more than
+once joined to thrash a big fellow who put upon us. But the principal
+thing was that a little while ago he saved me from drowning. There was a
+deep cut running up to the foot of the cliffs. One day I was running past
+there, when I slipped, and in falling hurt my leg badly. I am only just
+beginning to use it a bit now. The pain was so great that I did not know
+what I was doing; I rolled off the rock into the water. My knee was so bad
+that I could not swim, and the rock was too high for me to crawl out. I
+had been there for some time, and was beginning to get weak, when Will
+came along on the top of the cliff and saw me. He shouted to me to hold on
+till he could get down to me. Then he ran half a mile to a place where he
+was able to climb down, and tore back again along the shore till he
+reached the cut, and then jumped in and swam to me. There was no getting
+out on either side, so he swam with me to the end of the cut and landed me
+there. I was by that time pretty nigh insensible, but he half-helped and
+half-carried me till we got to the point of the cliff where he had come
+down. Then he left me and ran off to the village to get help. So you will
+understand now why I should wish to stick to him.”
+
+“I should think so,” the sailor said warmly. “It was a fine thing to do,
+and I would be glad to do it myself. Stick to him, lad, as long as he will
+let you. I fancy, from the way he speaks and his manner, that he will
+mount up above you, but never you mind that.”
+
+“I won’t, as long as I can keep by him, and I hope that soon I may have a
+chance of returning him the service he has done me. He knows well enough
+that if I could I would give my life for him willingly.”
+
+“I think,” the sailor said to Will seriously, “you are a fortunate fellow
+to have made a friend like that. A good chum is the next best thing to a
+good wife. In fact, I don’t know if it is not a bit better. Ah, here comes
+the boatswain with a bit of sail-cloth, so you had better lie down at
+once. We shall most of us turn in soon down below, for there is nothing to
+pass the time, and I for one shall be very glad when the cutter comes for
+us.”
+
+The boys chatted for some time under cover of the sail-cloth. They agreed
+that things were much better than they could have expected. The protection
+of the boatswain was a great thing, but that of their sailor friend was
+better. They hoped that he would be told off to the ship in which they
+went, for they felt sure that he would be a valuable friend to them. The
+life on board the cutter, too, had been pleasant, and altogether they
+congratulated themselves on the course they had taken.
+
+“I have no doubt we shall like it very much when we are once settled. They
+look a rough lot down below, and that sentry standing with a loaded musket
+at the gangway shows pretty well what sort of men they are. I am not
+surprised that the pressed men should try to get away, but I have no pity
+for the drunken fellows who joined when they had spent their last
+shilling. Our fishermen go on a spree sometimes, but not often, and when
+they do, they quarrel and fight a bit, but they always go to work the next
+morning.”
+
+“That is a different thing altogether, for I heard that in the towns men
+will spend every penny they have, give up work altogether, and become
+idle, lazy loafers.”
+
+Two days later, to the great satisfaction of the boys, a large cutter
+flying the white ensign was seen approaching the harbour. No doubt was
+entertained that she was the receiving-ship. This was confirmed when the
+officer in charge of the depot-ship was rowed to the new arrival as soon
+as the anchor was dropped. A quarter of an hour later he returned, and it
+became known that the new hands were to be taken to Portsmouth. The next
+morning two boats rowed alongside. Will could not but admire the neat and
+natty appearance of the crew, which formed a somewhat striking contrast to
+the slovenly appearance of the gang on the depot-ship. A list of the new
+men was handed over to the officer in charge, and these were at once
+transferred to the big cutter.
+
+Here everything was exquisitely clean and neat. The new-comers were at
+once supplied with uniforms, and told off as supernumeraries to each
+watch. Will and Tom received no special orders, and were informed that
+they were to make themselves generally useful. Beyond having to carry an
+occasional message from one or other of the midshipmen, or boatswain,
+their duties were of the lightest kind. They helped at the distribution of
+the messes, the washing of the decks, the paring of the potatoes for
+dinner, and other odd jobs. When not wanted they could do as they pleased,
+and Will employed every spare moment in gaining what information he could
+from his friend Dimchurch, or from any sailor he saw disengaged and
+wearing a look that invited interrogation.
+
+“You seem to want to know a lot all at once, youngster,” one said.
+
+“I have got to learn it sooner or later,” Will replied, “and it is just as
+well to learn as much as I can while I have time on my hands. I expect I
+shall get plenty to do when I join a ship at Portsmouth. May I go up the
+rigging?”
+
+“That you may not. You don’t suppose that His Majesty’s ships are intended
+to look like trees with rooks perched all over them? You will be taught
+all that in due time. There is plenty to learn on deck, and when you know
+all that, it will be time enough to think of going aloft. You don’t want
+to become a Blake or a Benbow all at once, do you?”
+
+“No,” Will laughed, “it will be time to think of that in another twenty
+years.”
+
+The sailor broke into a roar of laughter.
+
+“Well, there is nothing like flying high, young ’un; but there is no
+reason why in time you should not get to be captain of the fore-top or
+coxswain of the captain’s gig. I suppose either of these would content
+you?”
+
+“I suppose it ought,” Will said with a merry laugh. “At any rate it will
+be time to think of higher posts when I have gained one of these.”
+
+The voyage to Portsmouth was uneventful. They stopped at several
+receiving-stations on their way down, and before they reached their
+destination they had gathered a hundred and twenty men. Will and Tom were
+astonished at the bustle and activity of the port. Frigates and men-of-war
+lay off Portsmouth and out at Spithead; boats of various sizes rowed
+between them, or to and from the shore. Never had they imagined such a
+scene; the enormous bulk of the men-of-war struck them with wonder. Will
+admired equally the tapering spars and the more graceful lines of the
+frigates and corvettes, and his heart thrilled with pride as he felt that
+he too was a sailor, and a portion, however insignificant, of one of these
+mighty engines of war.
+
+The officer in command of the receiving-ship at Whitby had passed on to
+the captain of the cutter what had been told him of the two boys by the
+lieutenant of the _Antelope_, and he in turn related the story to one of
+the chief officers of the dockyard. It happened that they were the only
+two boys that had been brought down, and the dockyard official said it
+would be a pity to separate them.
+
+“I will put them down as part of the crew of the _Furious_. I want a few
+specially strong and active men for her; her commander is a very dashing
+officer, and I should like to see that he is well manned.”
+
+The two boys had especially noticed and admired the _Furious_, which was a
+thirty-four-gun frigate, so next morning, when the new hands were mustered
+and told off to different ships, they were delighted when they found their
+names appear at the end of the list for that vessel, all the more so
+because Dimchurch was to join her also.
+
+“I am pleased, Dimchurch, that we are to be in the same ship with you,”
+Will exclaimed as soon as the men were dismissed.
+
+“I am glad too, youngster. I have taken a fancy to you, as you seem to
+have done to me, and it will be very pleasant for us to be together. But
+now you must go and get your kit-bags ready at once; we are sure to be
+sent off to the _Furious_ in a short time, and it will be a bad mark
+against you if you keep the boat waiting.”
+
+In a quarter of an hour a boat was seen approaching from the _Furious_.
+The officer in charge ascended to the deck of the cutter, and after a chat
+with the captain called out the list, and counted the men one by one as
+they went down to the boat, each carrying his kit.
+
+“Not a bad lot,” he said to the young midshipman sitting by his side.
+“This pretty nearly makes up our complement; the press gang are sure to
+pick up the few hands we want either to-day or to-morrow.”
+
+“I shall be glad when we are off, sir,” the midshipman said. “I am never
+comfortable, after beginning to get into commission, until we are out on
+blue water.”
+
+“Nor am I. I hope the dockyard won’t keep us waiting for stores. We have
+got most of them, but the getting on board of the powder and shot is
+always a long task, and we have to be so careful with the powder. There is
+the captain on deck; he is looking out, no doubt, to see the new hands. I
+am glad they are good ones, for nothing puts him into a bad temper so
+readily as having a man brought on board who is not, as he considers, up
+to the mark.”
+
+As they mustered on deck the captain’s eye ran with a keen scrutiny over
+them. A slight smile crossed his lips as he came to the two boys.
+
+“That will do, Mr. Ayling; they are not a bad lot, taking them one for
+all, and there are half a dozen men among them who ought to make
+first-rate topmen. I should say half of them have been to sea before, and
+the others will soon be knocked into shape. The two boys will, of course,
+go into the same mess as the others who have come on board. One of them
+looks a very sharp young fellow.”
+
+“He has been rather specially passed down, sir. He belonged to one of the
+most noted smuggling villages on the Yorkshire coast, which is saying a
+great deal, and he struck against smuggling because some lady in the place
+told him that it was wrong. Of course he drew upon himself the enmity of
+the whole village. The coast-guard stopped a landing, and two or three of
+the fishermen were killed. The hostility against the lad, which was
+entirely unfounded, rose in consequence of this to such a pitch that he
+was obliged to take refuge in the coast-guard station. I hear from the
+captain of the _Hearty_ that the boy has been far better educated than the
+generality of fisher lads, and was specially recommended to him by the
+officer of the receiving-ship.”
+
+“Is there anything extraordinary about the other boy?” the captain asked
+with a slight smile.
+
+“No, sir; I believe he joined chiefly to be near his companion, the two
+being great friends.”
+
+“He looks a different kind of boy altogether,” the captain said. “You
+could pick him out as a fisher boy anywhere, and picture him in high
+boots, baggy corduroy breeches, and blue guernsey.”
+
+“He is a strong, well-built lad, and I should say a good deal more
+powerful than his friend.”
+
+“Well, they are good types of boys, and are not likely to give us as much
+trouble as some of those young scamps, run-away apprentices and so on, who
+want a rope’s end every week or so to teach them to do their duty.”
+
+The boys were taken down to a deck below the water-level, where the crew
+were just going to begin dinner. At one end was a table at which six boys
+were sitting.
+
+“Hillo, who are you?” the eldest among them asked. “I warn you, if you
+don’t make things comfortable, you will get your heads punched in no
+time.”
+
+“My name is William Gilmore, and this is Tom Stevens. As to punching
+heads, you may not find it as easy as you think. I may warn you at once
+that we are friends and will stick together, and that there will be no
+punching one head without having to punch both.”
+
+“We shall see about that before long,” the other said. “Some of the others
+thought they were going to rule the roost when they joined a few days ago,
+but I soon taught them their place.”
+
+“Well, you can begin to teach us ours as soon as you like,” Tom Stevens
+said. “We have met bullies of your sort before. Now, as dinner is going
+on, we will have some of it, as they didn’t victual us before we left the
+cutter.”
+
+“Well, then, you had better go to the cook-house and draw rations. No
+doubt the cook has a list of you fellows’ names.”
+
+The boys took the advice and soon procured a cooked ration of meat and
+potatoes. The cook told them where they would find plates.
+
+“One of the mess has to wash them up,” he said, “and stow them away in the
+racks provided for them.”
+
+“Johnson,” the eldest boy said to the smallest of the party, “you need not
+wash up to-day; that is the duty of the last comer.”
+
+“I suppose it is the duty of each one of the mess by turn,” Will said
+quietly; “we learnt that much as we came down the coast.”
+
+“You will have to learn more than that, young fellow,” the bully, who was
+seventeen, blustered. “You will have to learn that I am senior of the
+mess, and will have to do as I tell you. I have made one voyage already,
+and all the rest of you are greenhorns.”
+
+“It seems to me from the manner in which you speak, that it is not a
+question of seniority but simply of bounce and bullying, and I hope that
+the other boys will no more give in to that sort of thing than Stevens or
+myself. I have yet to learn that one boy is in any way superior to the
+others, and in the course of the next hour I shall ascertain whether this
+is so.”
+
+“Perhaps, after the meal is over, you will go down to the lower deck and
+allow me to give you a lesson.”
+
+“As I told you,” Will answered quietly, “my friend and I are one. I don’t
+suppose that single-handed I could fight a great hulking fellow like you,
+but my friend and I are quite willing to do so together. So now if there
+is any talk of fighting, you know what to expect.”
+
+The bully eyed the two boys curiously, but, like most of the type, he was
+at heart a coward, and felt considerable doubt whether these two boys
+would not prove too much for him. He therefore muttered sullenly that he
+would choose his own time.
+
+“All right! choose by all means, and whenever you like to fix a time we
+shall be perfectly ready to accommodate you.”
+
+“Who on earth are you with your long words? Are you a gentleman in
+disguise?”
+
+“Never mind who I am,” Will said. “I have learnt enough, at any rate, to
+know a bully and a coward when I meet him.”
+
+The lad was too furious to answer, but finished his dinner in silence, his
+anger being all the more acute from the fact that he saw that some of the
+other boys were tittering and nudging each other. But he resolved that,
+though it might be prudent for the present to postpone any encounter with
+the boys, he would take his revenge on the first opportunity.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER III
+
+
+ A SEA-FIGHT
+
+
+As the conflict of words came to an end, a roar of laughter burst from the
+sailors at the next mess-table.
+
+“Well done, little bantam!” one said; “you have taken that lout down a
+good many pegs, and I would not mind backing you to thrash him
+single-handed. We have noticed his goings-on for the past two or three
+days with the other boys, and had intended to give him a lesson, but you
+have done it right well. He may have been on a voyage before, but I would
+wager that he has never been aloft, and I would back you to be at the
+masthead before he has crawled through the lubbers’ hole. Now, my lad,
+just you understand that if you are ready to fight both those boys we
+won’t interfere, but if you try it one on one of them we will.”
+
+The boys’ duties consisted largely of working with the watch to which they
+were attached, of scrubbing decks, and cleaning brass-work. In battle
+their place was to bring up the powder and shot for the guns. On the
+second day, when the work was done, Will Gilmore went up to the boatswain.
+
+“If you please, sir,” he said, “may I go up the mast?”
+
+The boatswain looked at him out of one eye.
+
+“Do you really want to learn, lad?”
+
+“I do, sir.”
+
+“Well, when there are, as at present, other hands aloft, you may go up,
+but not at other times.”
+
+“Thank you, sir!”
+
+Will at once started. He was accustomed to climb the mast of John
+Hammond’s boat, but this was a very different matter. From scrambling
+about the cliffs so frequently he had a steady eye, and could look down
+without any feeling of giddiness. The lubbers’ hole had been pointed out
+to him, but he was determined to avoid the ignominy of having to go up
+through it. When he got near it he paused and looked round. It did not
+seem to him that there was any great difficulty in going outside it, and
+as he knew he could trust to his hands he went steadily up until he stood
+on the main-top.
+
+“Hallo, lad,” said a sailor who was busy there, “do you mean to say that
+you have come up outside?”
+
+“Yes, there did not seem to be any difficulty about it.”
+
+“And is it the first time you have tried?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Then one day you will turn out a first-rate sailor. What are you going to
+do now?”
+
+Will looked up.
+
+“I am going up to the top of the next mast.”
+
+“You are sure that you won’t get giddy?”
+
+“Yes, I am accustomed to climbing up the cliffs on the Yorkshire coast,
+and I have not the least fear of losing my head.”
+
+“Well, then, fire away, lad, and if you find that you are getting giddy
+shout and I will come up to you.”
+
+“Thank you! I will call if I want help.”
+
+Steadily he went up till he stood on the cap of the topmast.
+
+“I may as well go up one more,” he said. “I can’t think why people make
+difficulties of what is so easy.”
+
+The sailor called to him as he saw him preparing to ascend still higher,
+but Will only waved his hand and started up. When he reached the cap of
+the top-gallant mast he sat upon it and looked down at the harbour.
+Presently he heard a hail from below, and saw the first lieutenant
+standing looking up at him.
+
+“All right, sir! I will come down at once,” and steadily he descended to
+the maintop, where the sailor who had spoken to him abused him roundly.
+Then he went to where the lieutenant was standing.
+
+“How old are you, youngster?”
+
+“I am a little past fifteen, sir.”
+
+“Have you ever been up a mast before?”
+
+“Never, sir, except that I have climbed up a fishing-boat’s mast many a
+time, and I am accustomed to clambering about the cliffs. I hope there was
+no harm in my going so high?”
+
+“No harm as it has turned out. You are a courageous little fellow; I never
+before saw a lad who went outside the lubbers’ hole on his first ascent.
+Well, I hope, my lad, that you will be as well-behaved as you are active
+and courageous. I shall keep my eye upon you, and you have my permission
+henceforth, when you have no other duties, to climb about the masts as you
+like.”
+
+The lieutenant afterwards told the captain of Will’s exploit.
+
+“That is the sort of lad to make a good topman,” the captain remarked. “He
+will soon be up to the duties, but will have to wait to get some beef on
+him before he is of much use in furling a sail.”
+
+“I am very glad to have such a lad on board,” said the lieutenant. “If we
+are at any station on the Mediterranean, and have sports between the
+ships, I should back him against any other boy in the fleet to get to the
+masthead and down again.”
+
+One of the midshipmen, named Forster, came up to Will when he left the
+lieutenant, and said: “Well done, young un! It was as much as I could do
+at your age, though I had been two years in the navy, to climb up where
+you did. If there is anything I can do for you at any time I will gladly
+do it. I don’t say that it is likely, for midshipmen have no power to
+speak of; still, if there should be anything I would gladly help you.”
+
+“There is something, if you would be so very good, sir. I am learning
+navigation, but there are some things that I can’t make out, and it would
+be a kindness indeed if you would spare a few minutes occasionally to
+explain them to me.”
+
+The midshipman opened his eyes.
+
+“Well, I am blowed,” he exclaimed in intense astonishment. “The idea of a
+newly-joined boy wanting to be helped in navigation beats me altogether.
+However, lad, I will certainly do as you ask me, though I cannot think
+that, unless you have been at a nautical school, you can know anything
+about it. But come to me this evening during the dog-watches, and then I
+will see what you have learned about the subject.”
+
+That evening Will went on deck rather shyly with two or three of his
+books. The midshipman was standing at a quiet spot on the deck. He glanced
+at Will enquiringly when he saw what he was carrying.
+
+“Do you mean to say that you understand these books?”
+
+“Not altogether, sir. I think I could work out the latitude and longitude
+if I knew something about a quadrant, but I have never seen one, and have
+no idea of its use. But what I wanted to ask you first of all was the
+meaning of some of these words which I cannot find in the dictionary.”
+
+“It seems to me, youngster, that you know pretty well as much as I do, for
+I cannot do more than fudge an observation. How on earth did you learn all
+this? I thought you were a fisher-boy before you joined.”
+
+“So I was, sir. I was an orphan at the age of five. My father left enough
+money to buy a boat, and, as one of the fishermen had lately lost his, he
+adopted me, and I became bound to him as an apprentice till I was
+fourteen. The clergyman’s daughter took a fancy to me from the first, and
+she used to teach me for half an hour a day, which gave me a great
+advantage over the other boys in the school. I was very fond of reading,
+and she supplied me with books. As I said I meant to go to sea, she bought
+me some books that would help me. So there is nothing extraordinary in my
+knowing these things; it all came from her kindness to me for ten years.”
+
+“Why didn’t she try to get you into the mercantile marine?”
+
+“She got married and left the place, sir, but before she went she told me
+that it was very wrong to have anything to do with smugglers. So I decided
+to give it up, and that set the whole village against me, and I should
+probably have been killed if I had not taken refuge in the coast-guard
+station. There the officer in charge spoke to me of joining the royal
+navy, and it seemed to me that it would do me good to serve a few years in
+it; for I could afterwards, if I chose, pass as an officer in the merchant
+service.”
+
+“You are the rummest boy that I ever came across,” Forster said. “Well, I
+must think it over. Now, if there is anything that you specially wish to
+know, I will explain it to you.”
+
+For half an hour they talked together, and the midshipman solved many of
+the problems that had troubled the lad. Then with many thanks Will went
+below.
+
+“Is it true, Will,” Tom Stevens said, “that you have been right up the
+mast?”
+
+“Not exactly, Tom, but I went up to the top of the top-gallant mast.”
+
+“But why did you do that?”
+
+“I wanted to get accustomed to going up. There was not a bit of difficulty
+about it, except that it was necessary to keep a steady head. You could do
+it just as well as I, for we have climbed about the cliffs together scores
+of times.”
+
+“Do you think it will do any good, Will?”
+
+“Yes, I think so. When they see that a fellow is willing and anxious to
+learn, it is sure to do him good in the long run. It will help him on, and
+perhaps in two or three years he may get rated as an able seaman, and no
+longer be regarded as a boy, useful only to do odd jobs. One of the
+midshipmen is going to give me some help with my navigation. I wish, Tom,
+you would take it up too, but I am afraid it would be no use. You have got
+to learn a tremendous lot before you can master it, and what little you
+were taught at our school would hardly help you at all.”
+
+“I know that well enough, Will, and I should never think of such a thing.
+I always was a fool, and could hardly take in the little that old woman
+tried to teach us. No, it is of no use trying to make a silk purse out of
+a sow’s ear. I hope that soon I shall be able to hit a good round blow at
+a Frenchman; that is about all I shall be fit for, though I hope I may
+some day get to be a smart topman. The next time you climb the mast I will
+go with you. I don’t think there is enough in my head to make it unsteady.
+At any rate I think that I can promise that I won’t do anything to bring
+discredit upon you.”
+
+The feat that Will had performed had a great effect upon the bully of the
+mess. Before that he had frequently enjoyed boasting of his experience in
+climbing, and even hinted that he had upon one occasion reached the
+masthead. Now no more was heard of this, for, as Tom said openly, he was
+afraid that Will might challenge him to a climbing-match. The next evening
+the first lieutenant said to the captain: “That other lad who was brought
+down from Yorkshire has been up the mast with his chum this afternoon. As
+I told you, sir, I heard that they were great friends, and Stevens did as
+well as the other.”
+
+“But there is a great difference between them. The one is as sharp and as
+bright as can be; the other is simply a solidly-built fisher-boy who will,
+I have no doubt, make a good sailor, but is not likely to set the Thames
+on fire.”
+
+“Do you know, sir, Mr. Forster came to me this morning, and told me that
+on his talking to the boy he astounded him by asking if he would be kind
+enough to explain a few things in navigation, as he had pretty well
+mastered all the book-work, but had had no opportunity of learning the use
+of a quadrant. Forster asked if I had any objection to his giving him
+lessons. It is the first time that I ever heard of such a request, and to
+allow it would be contrary to all idea of discipline; still, a lad of that
+sort deserves encouragement, and I will talk with the padre concerning
+him. He is one of the most good-natured of men, and I think he would not
+mind giving a quarter of an hour a day to this boy, after he has dismissed
+the midshipmen from their studies. Of course he must do the same work as
+the other boys, and no distinction must be made between them.”
+
+“Certainly not. I think the idea is an excellent one, and I have not much
+doubt that Mr. Simpson will fall in with it.”
+
+The first lieutenant went off at once to find the clergyman.
+
+“Well, he must be a strange boy,” the chaplain said when the case was laid
+before him; “I should not be surprised if a fellow like that found his way
+to the quarter-deck some day. He appears to be a sort of admirable
+Crichton. Such an amount of learning is extraordinary in a boy of his age
+and with his opportunities, especially in one active and courageous enough
+to go up to the cap of the top-gallant mast on his first trial in climbing
+a mast. Certainly I shall be very glad to take the boy on, and will
+willingly give him, as you say, a quarter of an hour a day. I feel sure
+that my time will not be wasted. I never before heard of a ship’s boy who
+wished to be instructed in navigation, and I shall be glad to help such an
+exceptional lad.”
+
+The next day the _Furious_, having received all her stores, went out to
+Spithead. The midshipmen had been all fully engaged, and there were no
+lessons with the padre, but on the following day these were resumed, and
+presently one of the other boys came down with a message that Will was to
+go to the padre’s cabin.
+
+“I have arranged, lad,” the chaplain said when he entered, “to give you a
+quarter of an hour a day to help you on with your navigation, and I take
+it that you, on your part, are ready to do the work. It seems to me almost
+out of the question that you can be advanced enough to enter upon such
+studies. That, however, I shall soon ascertain. Now open that book and let
+me see how you would work out the following observation,” and he gave him
+the necessary data.
+
+In five minutes Will handed him the result.
+
+“Of course, sir, to obtain the exact answer I should require to know more
+than you have given me.”
+
+“That is quite right. To-morrow you shall go on deck with me, and I will
+show you how to use a quadrant and take the altitude of the sun, and from
+it how to calculate the longitude, which is somewhat more difficult than
+the latitude. I see you have a good knowledge of figures, and I am quite
+sure that at the end of a few days’ work you will be able to take an
+observation that will be close enough for all practical purposes.”
+
+He then asked Will many questions as to his course of study, the books he
+had read, and the manner in which he had got up the book-work of
+navigation.
+
+“But how did you manage about logarithms,” he said. “I generally find them
+great stumbling-blocks in the way of my pupils.”
+
+“I don’t really understand them now, sir. I can look down the columns and
+find the number I want, and see how it works out the result, but why it
+should do so I have not been able to understand. It seems quite different
+from other operations in figures.”
+
+“It is so,” the chaplain said, “and let me tell you that not one navigator
+in fifty really grasps the principle. They ‘fudge’, as it is termed, the
+answer, and if they get it right are quite content without troubling
+themselves in any way with the principle involved. If you want to be a
+good navigator you must grasp the principle, and work the answer out for
+yourself. When you can do this you will have a right to call yourself a
+navigator. If you come to me at twelve o’clock to-morrow I will show you
+how to work a quadrant. The theory is easy. You have but to take the angle
+the sun makes with the horizon at its moment of highest ascension. In
+practice, however, this is far from easy, and you will be some time before
+you can hit upon the right moment. It requires patience and close
+observation, but if you have these qualities you will soon pick it up.”
+
+The sailors were the next day greatly astonished at seeing the chaplain
+take his place at the side of the ship and explain to Will the methods of
+taking an observation.
+
+In the meantime Will was making rapid progress in the good graces of the
+crew. He was always ready to render assistance in running messages, in
+hauling on ropes, and generally making himself useful in all respects. His
+fight with Robert Jones had come off. Will had gained great confidence in
+himself when he found that he was able to climb the mast in the ordinary
+way, while Tom Stevens was able only to crawl up through the lubbers’
+hole. Goaded to madness by the chaff of the other boys, all of whom had
+ranged themselves under Will’s banner, Jones threw down the challenge. Tom
+Stevens was most anxious that Will should not take it up except on the
+conditions stated, but Will proclaimed a profound contempt for the bully.
+
+“I will try it myself, Tom. I can hardly fail to lick such a braggart as
+that. I don’t believe he has any muscles to speak of in that big body of
+his, while I am as hard as nails. No doubt it will be a tough fight if he
+has a scrap of pluck in him, but I think I will win. Besides, if he does
+beat me, he will certainly get little credit for it, while I shall have
+learnt a lot that will be useful to me in the next fight.”
+
+Accordingly, at the time appointed the two lads went down to the orlop
+deck, a good many of the sailors accompanying them. An ordinary fight
+between boys attracted little attention, but the disparity between the
+years of the combatants, and the liking entertained for Will, brought most
+of those who were off duty to witness it. The difference between the
+antagonists when they stripped was very marked. Robert Jones was fully
+three stone the heavier and four inches the taller, but he was flabby and
+altogether out of condition, while Will was as hard as nails, and as
+active on his feet as a kid.
+
+“It is ten to one against the young un,” one of the men said, “but if he
+holds on for the first five rounds I would back him at evens.”
+
+“So would I,” another said, “but I doubt whether he can do so; the odds
+are too great against him.”
+
+“I will take four to one,” another said. “Look at the young un’s muscles
+down his back. You won’t often see anything better among lads two years
+older than he is.”
+
+The fight began with a tremendous rush on the part of Jones. Will stood
+his ground doggedly, and struck his opponent fairly between the eyes,
+making him shake his head like an exasperated bull. Time after time Jones
+repeated the manœuvre, but only once or twice landed a blow, while he
+never escaped without a hard return. At length he began to feel the
+effects of his own efforts, and stood on the defensive, panting for
+breath. Now it was Will’s turn. He danced round and round his opponent
+with the activity of a goat, dodging in and delivering a heavy body-blow
+and then leaping out again before his opponent could get any return. The
+cheers of the sailors rose louder and louder, and Will heard them
+shouting: “Go in; finish him, lad!” But Will was too prudent to risk
+anything; he knew that the battle was in his hands unless he threw it
+away, and that Jones was well-nigh pumped out. At last, after dealing a
+heavy blow, he saw his antagonist stagger back, and in an instant sprang
+forward and struck him between the eyes with far greater force than he had
+before exerted. Jones fell like a log, and was altogether unable to come
+up to time. A burst of cheering rose from the crowd, and many and hearty
+were the congratulations Will received.
+
+ [Illustration: AFTER HIS FIRST FIGHT]
+
+“What was going on this afternoon, Mr. Farrance?” asked the captain; “I
+heard a lot of cheering.”
+
+“I made enquiry about it, sir, and the boatswain told me that it was only
+a fight between two of the boys. Of course he had not been present.”
+
+“Ah! It is not often that a boys’ fight excites such interest. Who were
+they?”
+
+“They were Jones, the biggest of the boys, and by no means a satisfactory
+character, and young Gilmore.”
+
+“Why, Jones is big enough to eat him.”
+
+“Yes, sir, at any rate he ought to have been. He was a great bully when he
+first came on board, but the other tackled him as soon as they were
+together, and it seems he has to-day given him as handsome a thrashing as
+could be wished for, and that without being seriously hurt himself. He has
+certainly established his supremacy among the boys of this ship.”
+
+“That boy is out of the common,” the captain said. “A ship’s boy newly
+joined taking up navigation, going about the masts like a monkey, and
+finally thrashing a fellow two years his senior must be considered as
+altogether exceptional. I shall certainly keep my eye upon him, and give
+him every opportunity I can for making his way.”
+
+Will received his honours quietly.
+
+“There is nothing,” he said, “in fighting a fellow who is altogether out
+of condition, and has a very small amount of pluck to make up for it. I
+was convinced when we first met that he had nothing behind his brag,
+though I certainly did not expect to beat him as easily as I did. Well, I
+hope we shall be good friends in future. I have no enmity against him, and
+there is no reason why we should not get on well together after this.”
+
+“I don’t know,” said the sailor to whom he was speaking; “a decent fellow
+will make it up and think no more about it, but if I am not mistaken,
+Robert Jones will do you a bad turn if he gets the chance.”
+
+No one was more delighted at the result than Tom Stevens, who had cheered
+loudly and enthusiastically. Dimchurch was also exuberant at Will’s
+success.
+
+“I knew that you were a good un, but I never thought you could have
+tackled that fellow. I don’t know what to make of you; as a general thing,
+as far as I have seen, a fellow who takes to books is no good for anything
+else, but everything seems to agree with you. If I am not mistaken, you
+will be on the quarter-deck before many years have passed.”
+
+They were now running down channel, and the boys were astonished at the
+ease and smoothness with which the ship breasted the waves, and at the
+mass of snowy canvas that towered above her. As they sat one day at the
+bow watching the sheets of spray rise as the ship cut her way through the
+water, Tom said to his friend: “You are going up above me quick, Will.
+Anyone can see that. You are thought a lot of. I knew it would be so, and
+I said I should not grudge it you; in fact, the greater your success the
+better I shall be pleased. But I did not think that your learning would
+have made such a difference already. The first lieutenant often says a
+word to you as he passes, and the padre generally speaks to you when he
+goes along the deck. It is wonderful what a difference learning makes;
+not, mind you, that I should ever have gone in for it, even had I known
+how useful it is. I could never have taken it in, and I am sure the old
+woman could never have taught me. I suppose some fellows are born clever
+and others grow to it. And some never are clever at all. That was my way,
+I suppose. I just learned to spell words of two letters, which, of course,
+was of no use. A fellow can’t do much with ba, be, by, and bo, and these
+are about all the words I remember. I used to think, when we first became
+chums, how foolish you were to be always reading and studying. Now I see
+what a pull you have got by it. I expect it is partly because your father
+was a clever man, and, as most of the people thought, a gentleman, that
+you came to take to it. Well, if I had my time over again I would really
+try to learn something. I should never make much of it, but still, I
+suppose I should have got to read decently.”
+
+“Certainly you would, Tom; and when you once had got to read, so as to be
+able to enjoy it, you would have gone through all sorts of books and got
+lots of information from them. I am afraid, however, it is too late to
+worry over that. A man may be a good man and a good sailor without knowing
+how to read and write. I am sure you will do your share when it comes to
+that.”
+
+“I wonder when we shall fall in with a Frenchman?”
+
+“There is no saying. You may be sure that every man on board is longing to
+do so. I hope she will be a bit bigger than we are, and I know the captain
+hopes so too. He is for ever watching every ship that comes in sight.”
+
+When running down the coast of Spain one day the look-out at the masthead
+shouted: “A sail!”
+
+“What is she like?” the first lieutenant hailed.
+
+“I can only see her top-gallant sails, sir, but she is certainly a
+square-rigged ship bound south, and her sails have a foreign cut.”
+
+The first lieutenant swung his telescope over his shoulder and mounted the
+rigging. When he came to the top-gallant crosstrees he sat down and gazed
+into the distance through his glass.
+
+After making a careful examination of the ship he called to the captain,
+who was now on deck:
+
+“She is, as Johnson says, sir, a square-rigged ship, and I agree with him
+as to the cut of her sails. She is certainly a Frenchman, and evidently a
+large frigate. She is running down the coast as we are, and I expect hopes
+to get through the Straits at night.”
+
+“Well, edge in towards her,” the captain said. “Lower the top-gallant
+sails. If she hasn’t already made us out, I shall be able to work in a
+good deal closer to her before she does so.”
+
+All hands were now on the _qui vive_, but it was not for some time that
+the stranger could be made out from the deck.
+
+“You can get up our top-gallant sails again,” the captain said. “She must
+have made us out by this time, and she certainly has gained upon us since
+we first saw her. There is no longer any possibility of concealment, so
+hoist royals as well as top-gallant sails.”
+
+The stranger made no addition to her sails. By this time those on board
+the _Furious_ were able to judge of her size, and came to the conclusion
+that she was a battle-ship of small size, and ought to be more than a
+match for the _Furious_. The vessels gradually approached each other,
+until at last a shot was thrown across the bows of the Frenchman. She made
+no reply, but continued on her way as if unconscious of the presence of
+the English frigate. The crew of the _Furious_ could now make out that she
+had fifty guns, whereas their own ship had thirty-four.
+
+“Just comfortable odds,” the captain said quietly when this was reported
+to him. “I have no doubt she carries heavier metal as well as more guns.
+Altogether she would be a satisfactory prize to send into Portsmouth.”
+
+The men had not waited for orders, but had mustered to quarters on their
+own account. The guns were run in and loaded, and the boarding-pikes got
+ready. In five minutes orders were given to fire another shot. There was a
+cheer as white splinters were seen to fly from the Frenchman’s side. Her
+helm was put up at once, and she swept round and fired a broadside into
+the _Furious_. Four or five shots took effect, some stays and ropes were
+cut, and two shot swept across her deck, killing three of the sailors and
+knocking down several of the others.
+
+“Aim steadily, lads,” the captain shouted; “don’t throw away a shot. It is
+our turn now. All aim at her centre ports. Fire!”
+
+The ship swayed from the recoil of the guns, and then she swung half-round
+and a broadside was poured into the Frenchman from the other side.
+
+After this Will and Tom knew little more of what was going on, for they
+were kept busy running to and from the magazine with fresh cartridges.
+They were not tall enough to see over the bulwarks, and were only able to
+peep out occasionally from one of the port-holes. They presently heard
+from the shouts and exclamations of the men that everything was going
+well, and on looking out they saw that the enemy’s foremast had been shot
+away, and in consequence she was unmanageable. The crew of the _Furious_
+had suffered heavily, but her main spars were intact, and the captain,
+manœuvring with great skill, was able to sail backwards and forwards
+across the enemy’s stern and rake him repeatedly fore and aft.
+
+So the fight continued until at last the captain gave the order to lay the
+ship alongside the Frenchman and board. There was no more work for the
+powder-monkeys now, so Will and Tom seized boarding-pikes and joined in
+the rush on to the enemy’s deck. The resistance, however, was short-lived;
+the enemy had suffered terribly from the raking fire of the _Furious_, and
+as the captain and many of the officers had fallen, the senior survivor
+soon ordered the flag to be lowered. A tremendous cheer broke from the
+British. They now learned that the ship they had captured was the
+_Proserpine_, which was on her way to enter the Mediterranean and effect a
+junction with the French fleet at Toulon.
+
+The next day the crew worked hard to get up a jury foremast. When this was
+done a prize crew was put on board. The French prisoners were confined
+below, as they far outnumbered their captors. Then, having repaired her
+own damages, the _Furious_ proceeded on her way.
+
+On arriving at Gibraltar the captain received orders to proceed to Malta,
+and to place himself under the order of the admiral there. For a time
+matters proceeded quietly, for the winds were light and baffling, and it
+took a fortnight to get to their destination. Here the ship was thoroughly
+examined, and the damage she had suffered more satisfactorily repaired
+than had been possible while she was at sea.
+
+When the overhauling was completed she received orders to cruise off the
+coast of Africa. This was by no means pleasing to the crew, who considered
+that they had small chance of falling in with anything of their own size
+on that station. They were told, however, that there had been serious
+complaints of piracy on the part of the Moors, and that they were
+specially to direct their attention to punishing the perpetrators of such
+acts.
+
+One morning three strange craft were sighted lying close together.
+Unfortunately, however, it was a dead calm.
+
+“They are Moors, certainly,” the captain said to the first lieutenant
+after examining them with his glass. “What would I not give for a breath
+of wind now? But they are not going to escape us. Get all the boats
+hoisted out, and take command of the expedition yourself.”
+
+Immediately all was bustle on board the ship, and in a very short time
+every boat was lowered into the water. Will was looking on with longing
+eyes as the men took their places. The lieutenant noticed him.
+
+“Clamber down into the bow of my boat,” he said; “you deserve it.”
+
+In the highest state of delight Will seized a spare cutlass and made his
+way into the bow of the boat amid the jokes of the men. These, however,
+were stilled the moment the first lieutenant took his place in the stern.
+
+The Moors had not been idle. As soon as they saw that the boats had been
+lowered they got out their sweeps and began to row at a pace which the
+lieutenant saw would tax the efforts of his oarsmen to the utmost. The
+Moors had fully three miles start, and, although the men bent to their
+oars with the best will, they gained very slowly. The officers in the
+various boats encouraged them with their shouts, and the men pulled nobly.
+Five miles had been passed and but one mile gained. It was evident,
+however, that the efforts of the Moorish rowers were flagging, while the
+sailors were rowing almost as strongly as when they started. Three more
+miles and another mile had been gained. Then from the three vessels came a
+confused fire of cannon of all sizes.
+
+Several men were hit, boats splintered, and oars smashed. The first
+lieutenant shouted orders for the boats to open out so that the enemy
+would no longer have a compact mass to aim at. At last, after another
+mile, the Moors evidently came to the conclusion that they could not
+escape by rowing, and at once drew in their oars, lowered their sails, and
+all formed in line. As soon as this manœuvre was completed heavy firing
+began again. Will, lying in the bow, looked out ahead, and, seeing the sea
+torn up with balls, wondered that any of the boats should escape unharmed.
+
+The lieutenant shouted to the boats to divide into two parties, one, led
+by himself, to attack the vessel on the left of the line, and the other,
+under the second lieutenant, to deal with the ship on the right, for the
+middle boat would assuredly be captured if the other two were taken.
+
+“Row quietly, men,” he shouted; “you will want your breath if it comes to
+fighting. Keep on at a steady pace until within two hundred yards of them,
+and then make a dash.”
+
+This order was carried out by both parties, and when within the given
+distance the men gave a cheer, and, bending their backs to the oars, sent
+the boats tearing through the water. The pirate craft were all crowded
+with men, who raised yells of rage and defiance. However, except that one
+boat was sunk by a shot that struck her full in the bow, Lieutenant
+Farrance’s party reached their vessel.
+
+The first to try to climb on board were all cut down or thrown backwards,
+but at length the men gained a footing on the deck, and, led by Mr.
+Farrance, fell upon the enemy with great spirit. Will was the last to
+climb up out of his boat, but he soon pushed his way forward until he was
+close behind the lieutenant. Several times the boarders were pushed back,
+but as often they rallied, and won their way along the deck again.
+
+During one of these rushes Lieutenant Farrance’s foot slipped in a pool of
+blood, and he fell to the deck. Two Moors sprang at him, but Will leapt
+forward, whirling his cutlass, and by luck rather than skill cut down one
+of them. The other attacked him and dealt him a severe blow on the arm,
+but before he could repeat it the lieutenant had regained his feet, and,
+springing forward, had run the Moor through the body.
+
+Another five minutes’ fighting and all resistance was at an end. Some of
+the Moors rushed below, others jumped overboard and swam to their consort.
+As soon as resistance had ceased the lieutenant ordered the majority of
+the men to return to the boats, and, leaving a sufficient number to hold
+the captured vessel, proceeded to the attack of the middle craft.
+
+The fight here was even more stubborn than before, for the men that fled
+from the ships that had already been taken had strongly reinforced the
+crew of this one. The British, however, were not to be denied. The boats
+of one division attacked on one side, those of the second on the other,
+and, after nearly a quarter of an hour’s hard fighting, brought the enemy
+to their knees.
+
+The pirates were all now battened down, the wounded seamen cared for by
+the doctor who had accompanied the expedition, and the bodies of the dead
+Moors thrown overboard. When this was done the successful expedition
+prepared to return to the _Furious_. They had lost twenty-eight killed,
+and nearly forty wounded.
+
+“The loss has been very heavy,” the first lieutenant said when the return
+was given to him; “and to do the fellows justice they fought desperately.
+Well, now we have to get back to the ship, which is a good ten miles away.
+She is still becalmed, and so are we, and unless the wind springs up we
+shall hardly reach her before nightfall. I don’t like to ask the men for
+more exertions after a ten miles row at such a ripping pace; still, it
+must be done. Let two boats take each of the pirates in tow; they shall be
+relieved every hour.”
+
+The sailors, who were in high glee at their success, took their places in
+the boats cheerfully, but when night fell they were still more than four
+miles away from the frigate.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER IV
+
+
+ PROMOTED
+
+
+The lieutenant took a boat when it became dusk and rowed to the frigate,
+where he handed in his report of the fight.
+
+“I will read that later, Mr. Farrance,” the captain said. “Meanwhile, tell
+me briefly what is the result? Of course I saw you returning with the
+three vessels in tow.”
+
+“We had a very sharp fight, sir, and I am sorry to say that the casualties
+are heavy, twenty-eight killed and nearly forty wounded more or less
+severely.”
+
+“That is a heavy list indeed, Mr. Farrance, very heavy, and we are the
+less able to bear it since we have some seventy men away on the French
+prize. The rascals must have fought desperately.”
+
+“They did, sir. I am bound to say that men could hardly have fought
+better. We had very hard work with the two outside ships, and as most of
+the fellows jumped overboard and swam to the other, we had an even stiffer
+fight there. In fact, if we had had only one of our division of boats
+available I am sure we should not have carried her.”
+
+“What are the casualties among the officers?”
+
+“Midshipman Howard is killed, sir, and Lieutenant Ayling and Midshipman
+James very severely wounded. I myself had a very narrow escape. I slipped
+upon some blood, and two Moors rushed at me and would have killed me had
+not that boy Gilmore thrown himself between us. He waved his cutlass about
+wildly, and, principally from good luck, I think, cut down one of them. On
+this the other attacked him, and I had time to get to my feet again. As
+soon as I was up I ran the Moor through, but not before he had given the
+boy a very ugly wound on the arm.”
+
+“That is a wonderful boy,” the captain said with a smile. “I think he is
+too good to remain where he is, and I must put him on the quarter-deck.”
+
+“I should feel greatly obliged if you would, sir, for there is no doubt
+that he saved my life. He is certainly as well up in his work as any of
+the midshipmen. The chaplain told me only yesterday that he had learnt to
+use the quadrant, and can take an observation quite as accurately as most
+of his pupils.”
+
+“Such a boy as that,” said the captain, “ought to be given a chance of
+rising in his profession. He is quite at home aloft, and may be fairly
+called a sailor. He is certainly a favourite with the whole crew, and I
+think, if promoted, will give every satisfaction. Very well, Farrance, we
+may consider that as settled.”
+
+“Thank you very much, sir! I need hardly say that it will be a pleasure to
+me to fit him out.”
+
+The next morning there was a light breeze, and the three prizes, which had
+remained four miles from the frigate through the night, closed up to her.
+The wounded were transhipped, and a prize crew was told off to each of the
+captures, a considerable portion of the Moors being also transferred to
+the frigate and sent down into the hold.
+
+In the afternoon Will, to his surprise, received word that the captain
+wished to speak to him. His jacket had been cut off and his injured arm
+was in a sling, so he could only throw the garment over his shoulders
+before he hurried aft. When he reached the poop he found that the crew
+were mustered, and in much trepidation as to his appearance, and with a
+great feeling of wonder as to why he had been sent for, he made his way to
+where the captain was standing surrounded by a group of officers.
+
+“Men,” the captain said in a loud clear voice, “I am going to take a
+somewhat unusual step, and raise one of your comrades to the quarter-deck.
+Still more unusual is it that such an honour should fall to a ship’s boy.
+In this case, however, I am sure you will all agree with me that the boy
+in question has distinguished himself not only by his activity and
+keenness aloft, but by the fact that he has, under great difficulties,
+educated himself, and in manner and education is perfectly fit to be a
+messmate of the midshipmen of this vessel. Moreover, in the fight
+yesterday he saved the life of Lieutenant Farrance when he had fallen and
+was attacked by two of the Moors. One of these the lad killed, and the
+other he engaged. This gave Lieutenant Farrance time to recover his feet,
+and he quickly disposed of the second Moor, not, however, before the
+rascal had inflicted a severe wound on the lad. Mr. William Gilmore, I
+have real pleasure in nominating you a midshipman on board His Majesty’s
+ship _Furious_, and inviting you to join us on the quarter-deck.”
+
+The cheer that broke from the men showed that they heartily approved of
+the honour that had fallen upon their young comrade. As to Will himself,
+he was so surprised and overcome by this most unexpected distinction that
+he could scarcely speak. The captain stepped forward and shook him by the
+hand, an example followed by the other officers and midshipmen.
+
+“You had better retire,” the captain said, seeing that the lad was quite
+unable to speak, “and when you have recovered from your wound the ship’s
+tailor will take your uniform in hand. Lieutenant Farrance has kindly
+expressed his intention of providing you with it.”
+
+Will, with the greatest difficulty, restrained his feelings till he
+reached the sick berth, and then he threw himself into a hammock and burst
+into tears. Presently Tom Stevens came in to see him.
+
+“I am glad, Will,” he said, “more glad than I can possibly express. It is
+splendid to think that you are really an officer.”
+
+“It is too much altogether, Tom. I had hoped that some day I might come to
+be a mate, or even a captain in a merchant ship, but to think that in less
+than two months after joining I could be on the quarter-deck was beyond my
+wildest dreams. Well I hope I sha’n’t get puffed up, and I am sure, Tom,
+that I shall be as much your friend as ever.”
+
+“I don’t doubt that, Will; you would not be yourself if it made any
+difference in you. Dimchurch asked me to tell you how much he too was
+pleased, but that he was not surprised at all, for he felt sure that in
+less than a year you would be on the quarter-deck, as it would be
+ridiculous that anyone who could take an observation and be at the same
+time one of the smartest hands aloft should remain in the position of
+ship’s boy. One of the elder sailors said that in all his experience he
+had never known but three or four cases of men being promoted from the
+deck except when old warrant officers were made mates and appointed to
+revenue cutters.”
+
+“Thank Dimchurch very heartily for me, Tom, and tell him that I hope we
+shall sail many years together, although it may be in different parts of
+the ship. Now I will lie quiet for a time, for my arm is throbbing
+dreadfully. The doctor tells me that although the wound is severe it can
+hardly be called serious, for with so good a constitution as I have it
+will heal quickly, and in a month I shall be able to use it as well as
+before.”
+
+The agitation and excitement, however, acted injuriously, and the next day
+Will was in a state of high fever, which did not abate for some days, and
+left him extremely weak.
+
+“You have had a sharp bout of it, lad,” the doctor said, “but you are safe
+now, and you will soon pick up strength again. It has had one good effect;
+it has kept you from fidgeting over your wound, and I have no doubt that,
+now the fever has left you, you will go on nicely.”
+
+In another three weeks Will was able to leave the sick bay, and on the
+morning he was discharged from the sick list he found by his hammock two
+suits of midshipman’s uniform, a full dress and a working suit, together
+with a pile of shirts and underclothing of all kinds, and two or three
+pairs of shoes. His other clothes had been taken away, so he dressed
+himself in the working suit, and with some little trepidation made his way
+to his new quarters. The midshipmen were just sitting down to breakfast,
+and, rising, they all shook hands with him and congratulated him heartily
+both on his promotion and his recovery.
+
+“You are very good to welcome me so heartily,” he said. “I know that
+neither by birth nor station am I your equal.”
+
+“You are quite our equal, youngster,” said one of the midshipmen,
+“whatever you may be by birth. Not one of us could have worked half so
+well as you have done; the chaplain tells us that you can take an
+observation as well as he can. I can assure you we are all heartily glad
+to have you with us. Sit down and make yourself at home. We have not much
+to offer you besides our rations; for we have been out for over a month,
+and our soft tack and all other luxuries were finished long ago, so we are
+reduced to ham and biscuit.”
+
+“It could not be better,” Will said with a smile, “for I have got such an
+appetite that I could eat horse with satisfaction. I feel immensely
+indebted to you, Mr. Forster; for if you had not brought my request before
+the first lieutenant I should not have been able to make such progress
+with my books as I have done.”
+
+“The chaplain is a first-rate fellow—but, by the way, we have no misters
+here; we all call each other by our surname plain and simple. Even Peters,
+who has welcomed you in our name and who is a full-fledged master’s mate,
+does not claim to be addressed as mister, though he will probably do so
+before long, for the wound of Lieutenant Ayling, who, it is settled, will
+be invalided when we get to Malta, will give him his step. On that
+occasion we will solemnly drink his health, at his own expense of course.”
+
+“That is not the ordinary way,” the mate laughed. “I know that you fellows
+will be game to shell out a bottle apiece—I don’t think I can do it—not at
+least until I get three months of my new rate of pay.”
+
+So they laughed and chaffed, and Will felt grateful to them, for he saw
+that it was in no small degree due to the desire to set him at his ease.
+
+“You will be in the starboard watch, Gilmore,” the mate said when the meal
+was finished. “That was the one Ayling had. The third lieutenant, Bowden,
+who is now in charge, isn’t half a bad fellow. Of course he is a little
+cocky—third lieutenants on their first commission generally are, but he is
+kind-hearted and likes to makes himself popular, and he will wink one eye
+when you take a nap under a gun, which is no mean virtue. The boatswain,
+who is in the same watch, is a much more formidable person, and busies
+himself quite unnecessarily. One cannot, however, have everything, and on
+the whole you will get on very comfortably. I am in the other watch,
+Rodwell and Forster are with you. They are well-meaning lads; I don’t know
+that I can say anything more for them, but you will find out their faults
+soon enough yourself.”
+
+Will then went up on deck with the others. It seemed strange to him to
+enter upon what he had hitherto regarded as a sort of sacred ground, and
+he stood shyly aside while the others fell into their duties of looking
+after the men and seeing that the work was being done. Presently the first
+lieutenant came on deck. Will went up to him and touched his hat.
+
+“I cannot tell you, sir,” he said, “how indebted I feel to you for your
+kindness in speaking for me to the captain, and especially in providing me
+with an outfit. I can assure you, sir, that as long as I live I shall
+remember your kindness.”
+
+“My lad, these things weigh but little against the saving of my life, and
+I can assure you that it was a great satisfaction to me to be able to make
+this slight return. I shall watch your career with the greatest interest,
+for I am convinced that it will be a brilliant one.”
+
+Owing to the fact that two officers had gone away in their first prize,
+and that three had been killed or disabled in the late fight, there was a
+shortage of officers on the _Furious_. Three had left in the Moorish
+prizes, and when, a week later, another Moorish vessel was captured
+without much fighting, the captain had no officers to spare above the rank
+of midshipmen.
+
+“Mr. Forster,” he said, “I have selected you to go in the prize. You can
+take one of the juniors with you; I cannot spare either of the seniors.
+Who would you like to take?”
+
+“I would rather have Gilmore, sir. I feel that I can trust him
+thoroughly.”
+
+“I think you have made a good choice. I cannot spare you more than thirty
+men. You will go straight to Malta, hand over your prize to the agent
+there, and either wait till we return, or come back again if there should
+be any means of doing so.”
+
+Will was delighted when he heard that he was to go with Forster. “Will you
+pick the crew?” he asked his friend.
+
+“No, but I could arrange without difficulty for anyone you specially
+wished.”
+
+“I should like very much to have my friend Tom Stevens and the sailor
+named Dimchurch; they are both good hands in their way, and were very
+friendly with me before I got promoted.”
+
+“All right! there will no difficulty about that; we shall want a boy to
+act as our servant, and one able seaman is as good as another. I have
+noticed Dimchurch; he is a fine active hand, and I will appoint him
+boatswain.”
+
+Great was the pride of Will as the prize crew rowed from the _Furious_ to
+the Moorish galley of which he was to be second in command, but he could
+not help bursting out laughing as he went down with Forster into the
+cabin.
+
+“What are you laughing at?” Forster asked.
+
+“I was having a bit of a laugh at the thought of the change that has come
+over my position. Not that I am conceited about it, but it all seems so
+strange that I should be here and second in command.”
+
+“No doubt it does,” laughed Forster, “but you will soon get accustomed to
+it. It is almost as strange for me, for it is the first time that I have
+been in command. I have brought a chart on board with me. Our course is
+north-north-east, and the distance is between two and three hundred miles.
+In any decent part of the world we should do it in a couple of days, but
+with these baffling winds we may take a week or more. Well, I don’t much
+care how long we are; it will be a luxury to be one’s own master for a
+bit.”
+
+The first step was to divide the crew into two watches.
+
+“I am entitled not to keep a watch,” Forster said, “but I shall certainly
+waive the privilege. We will take a watch each.”
+
+Tom Stevens was appointed cabin servant, and one of the men was made cook;
+nine of the others were told off to each watch.
+
+“I wish she hadn’t all those prisoners on board,” Forster said. “They will
+be a constant source of anxiety. There are over fifty of them, and as
+hang-dog scoundrels as one would wish to see. We shall have to keep a
+sharp look-out on them, to make sure that they don’t get a ghost of a
+chance of coming up on deck, for if they did they would not think twice
+about cutting our throats.”
+
+“I don’t see how they could possibly get out,” Will said.
+
+“No; it generally does look like that, but they manage it sometimes for
+all that. These fellows know that when they get to Malta they will be set
+to work in the yards, and if there was an opportunity, however small, for
+them to break out, you may be sure that they would take it. These Moorish
+pirates are about as ruffianly scoundrels as are to be found, and if they
+don’t put their prisoners to death they only spare them for what they will
+fetch as slaves.”
+
+After three days’ sailing they had made but little way, for it was only in
+the morning and the evening that there was any breeze. Will had just
+turned in for the middle watch, and had scarcely dropped to sleep, when he
+was suddenly awakened by a loud noise. He sprang out of bed, seized his
+dirk and a brace of pistols which were part of the equipment given him by
+the first lieutenant. As he ran up the companion he heard a coil of rope
+thrown against the door, so he leapt down again and ran with all speed to
+the men’s quarters. They, too, were all on their feet, but the hatch had
+been battened down above them.
+
+“This is a bad job, sir,” Dimchurch said. “How they have got out I have no
+idea. I looked at the fastenings of the two hatches when I came down
+twenty minutes ago, and they looked to me all right. I am afraid they will
+cut all our comrades’ throats.”
+
+“I fear so, Dimchurch. What do you think we had better do?”
+
+“I don’t know, sir; it will require a good deal of thinking out. I don’t
+suppose they will meddle with us at present, but of course they will
+sooner or later.”
+
+“Well, Dimchurch, as a first step we will bring all the mess tables and
+other portable things forward here, and make a barricade with them. We
+will also obtain two or three barrels of water and a stock of food, so
+that when the time comes we may at any rate be able to make a stout
+resistance.”
+
+“That is a good idea, sir. We will set to work at once.”
+
+In a short time, with the aid of tubs of provisions, barrels of water, and
+bales of goods, a barricade was built across the bow of the vessel,
+forming a triangular enclosure of about fourteen feet on each side. The
+arms were then collected and placed inside, and when this was done there
+was a general feeling of satisfaction that they could at least sell their
+lives dearly.
+
+“Now, sir, what is the next step?” Dimchurch asked. “You have only to give
+your orders and we are ready to carry them out.”
+
+“I have thought of nothing at present,” Will said. “I fancy it will be
+better to allow them to make the first move, for even with the advantage
+of attacking them in the dark we could hardly hope to overcome four times
+our number.”
+
+“It would be a tough job certainly, sir; but if the worst comes to the
+worst, we might try it.”
+
+“It must come to quite the worst, Dimchurch, before we take such a step as
+that.”
+
+As evening approached, the Moors were heard descending the companion.
+There was a buzz of talk, and then they came rushing forward. When they
+reached the door between the fore and aft portions of the ship Will and
+his men opened fire upon them, and as they poured out they were shot down.
+Seven or eight fell, and then the others dashed forward. The seamen lined
+the barricade and made a strenuous resistance. Cutlass clashed against
+Moorish yatagan; the Moors were too crowded together to use their guns,
+and as they could gather no more closely in front than the sailors stood,
+they were unable to break through the barricade. At last, after many had
+fallen, the rest retired. Three or four of the sailors had received more
+or less severe wounds, but none were absolutely disabled. Tom Stevens had
+fought pluckily among the rest, and Will was ready with his shouts of
+encouragement, and a cutlass he had taken for use instead of his dirk,
+wherever the pressure was most severe.
+
+When the Moors had retired, Dimchurch and two others went outside the
+barricade and piled some heavy bales against the door, after first
+carrying out the dead Moors.
+
+“They will hardly attack us that way again, sir,” he said to Will; “it
+will be our turn next time.”
+
+“Yes, six of their number are killed, and probably several badly wounded,
+so we ought to have a good chance of success if we make a dash at them in
+the dark.”
+
+They waited until night had fallen. Then Will said:
+
+“Do you think you can lift that hatchway, Dimchurch?”
+
+“I will have a pretty hard try anyhow,” the man said. “I will roll this
+tub under it; that will give me a chance of using my strength.”
+
+Although he was able to move it slightly, his utmost efforts failed to
+lift it more than an inch or two.
+
+“They have piled too many ropes on it for me, sir; but I think that if
+some others will get on tubs and join me we shall be able to move the
+thing.”
+
+“Wait a minute, Dimchurch. Let each man make sure that his musket is
+loaded.”
+
+There was a short pause, during which all firelocks were carefully
+examined. When he saw that all were in good order, Will said:
+
+“Now, lads, heave away.”
+
+Slowly the hatchway yielded, and with a great effort it was pushed up far
+enough for a man to crawl out. Pieces of wood were shoved in at each
+corner so as to hold the hatch open, and the men who had lifted it stood
+clear.
+
+“Clamber out, Dimchurch, and have a look round. Are there many of them on
+deck?”
+
+“Only about a dozen, as far as I can make out, sir. They are jabbering
+away among themselves disputing, I should say, as to the best way to get
+at us.”
+
+“I expect they intend to leave us alone and take us into Algiers. However,
+that does not matter. You two crawl out and lie down, then give me a hand
+and hoist me out. I think the others can all reach, except Tom; you had
+better hoist him up after me.”
+
+Each man, as he clambered out, lay down on the deck. When all were up,
+they crawled along aft to within a few yards of the Moors, then leapt to
+their feet and fired a volley. Five of the Moors fell, while the others,
+panic-stricken, ran below.
+
+“Now, pile cables over the hatchway,” Will shouted.
+
+The sailors rushed to carry out the order. They were startled as they did
+so by a shout from above.
+
+“Hillo, below there! Have you got possession of the ship?”
+
+“Yes. Is that you, Forster?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Thank God for that!” Will shouted back, while the men gave a cheer. “Why
+don’t you come down?”
+
+“I am going to slide down the mast.”
+
+“What for? Why don’t you come down by the rattlings?”
+
+“I have cut the shrouds. When our last man fell I made a dash for them,
+and directly I got to the top I cut them, and half a dozen men who were
+climbing after me fell sprawling to the deck. Then I cut them on the other
+side. I thought then that they would at once shoot me, but there was a
+lively argument among them and shouts of laughter, and they evidently
+thought that it would be a great joke to leave me up here until I chose to
+slide down and be killed. Of course I heard their attack on you, and
+trembled for the result; but when the noise suddenly ceased I guessed that
+you had repulsed them. Well, here goes!” and half a minute later he slid
+down to the deck. “How do matters stand?” he asked, when he stood among
+them.
+
+“We killed six and wounded eight or ten in the first attack upon us, and
+we have shot five more now. All the rest are battened down below.”
+
+“There they had better remain for the present. Well, Gilmore, I
+congratulate you on having recaptured the ship. It has been a bad affair,
+for we have lost nine men killed; but as far as you are concerned you have
+done splendidly. I am afraid I shall get a pretty bad wigging for allowing
+them to get out, though certainly the bolts of the hatchways were all
+right when we changed the watch. Of course I see now that I ought to have
+placed a man there as sentry. It is always so mighty easy to be wise after
+the event. I expect the rascals pretty nearly cut the wood away round the
+bolts, and after the watch was changed set to work and completed the job.
+We shall not, however, be able to investigate that until we get to Malta.”
+
+“We have blocked up the door between the fore and the after parts of the
+ship,” said Will; “but I think it would be as well to place a sentry at
+each hatch now, as they might turn the tables upon us again.”
+
+“Certainly. Are you badly wounded, Dimchurch?”
+
+“I have got a slash across the cheek, sir, but nothing to speak of.”
+
+“Well, will you take post at the after-hatch for the present. Stevens, you
+may as well go down and guard the door. You will be able to tell us, at
+least, if they are up to any mischief. I should think, however, the fight
+is pretty well taken out of them, and that they will resign themselves to
+their fate now.”
+
+“This is a bad job for me,” Forster said, as he and Will sat down together
+on a gun.
+
+“I am awfully sorry, Forster, but I am afraid there is no getting out of
+it.”
+
+“No, that is out of the question.”
+
+“There is one thing, Forster. If you did not put a sentry over the
+hatchway, neither did I, so I am just as much to blame for the disaster as
+you are. If I had had a man there they could hardly have cut away the
+woodwork without his hearing. I certainly wish you to state in your report
+that you took the watch over from me just as I left it, and that no sentry
+had been placed there, as ought certainly to have been done when I came on
+watch at eight o’clock.”
+
+“It is very kind of you, Gilmore, to wish to take the blame upon your own
+shoulders, but the responsibility is wholly mine. I ought to have reminded
+you to put a man there, there can be no question at all about that, but I
+never gave the matter a thought, and the blunder has cost us nine good
+seamen. I shall be lucky if I only escape with a tremendous wigging. I
+must bear it as well as I can.”
+
+While they were talking the sailors were busy splicing the shrouds. When
+this was done two of the men swarmed up the mast by means of the
+halliards. Then they hoisted up the shrouds, and fastened them round the
+mast, making all taut by means of the lanyards. The sails were still
+standing, flapping loosely in the light breeze, so the sheets were hauled
+in and the vessel again began to move through the water. Two days later
+they anchored in Valetta harbour.
+
+“Here goes,” Forster said, as he stepped into the boat with his report.
+“It all depends now on what sort of a man the admiral is, but I should not
+be surprised if he ordered me to take court-martial.”
+
+“Oh, I hope not!” Will exclaimed. “I do wish you would let me go with you
+to share the blame.”
+
+“It cannot be thought of,” Forster said; “the commanding officer must make
+the report.”
+
+Two hours later Forster returned.
+
+“It is all right, Gilmore,” he said as the boat came alongside. “Of course
+I got a wigging. The admiral read the report and then looked at me as
+fierce as a tiger.
+
+“ ‘How was it that no sentry was placed over the prisoners?’
+
+“ ‘I have to admit, sir,’ I said, ‘that I entirely overlooked that. I am
+quite conscious that my conduct was indefensible, but I have certainly
+paid very heavily for it.’
+
+“ ‘It was a smart trick taking to the shrouds,’ the admiral said, ‘though
+one would have thought they would have shot you at once after you had cut
+them.’
+
+“ ‘That is what I expected, sir,’ said I, ‘but they seemed to think it was
+a very good joke, my being a prisoner up there, and preferred to wait till
+I was driven down by thirst.’
+
+“ ‘I suppose your men sold their lives dearly?’ he asked.
+
+“ ‘Yes, sir,’ I replied. ‘Taken by surprise as they were they certainly
+accounted for more than one man each.’
+
+“ ‘And doubtless you did the same, Mr. Forster?’
+
+“ ‘Yes, sir, I cut down two of them, and I did not cease fighting until I
+saw that all was lost.’
+
+“ ‘Then I suppose you thought that your duty to His Majesty was to take
+care of yourself,’ he said slyly.
+
+“ ‘I am afraid, sir,’ I said, ‘at that moment I thought more of my duty
+towards myself than of my duty to him.’
+
+“He smiled grimly.
+
+“ ‘I have no doubt that was so, Mr. Forster. Well, you committed a
+blunder, and I hope it will be a lesson to you in future.’
+
+“ ‘It will indeed, sir,’ I said.
+
+“Then he started to question me about you.
+
+“ ‘Your junior officer seems to have behaved very well,’ he said.
+
+“ ‘Extremely well, sir,’ I said. ‘I only wish I had done as well.’
+
+“ ‘His plan of forming a barricade across the bow so that his little force
+were ample to defend it was excellent,’ he said. ‘Also the blocking up of
+the door of communication through the bulkhead was well thought of, and
+his final escape through the hatchway and sudden attack upon the enemy was
+well carried out. I will make a note of his name. I suppose he is not as
+old as yourself, as he is your junior?’
+
+“ ‘No, sir, he is not yet sixteen, and he was only promoted from being a
+ship’s boy to the quarter-deck three weeks ago.’
+
+“ ‘Promoted from being a ship’s boy?’ the admiral said in surprise.
+
+“Then I had to give a detailed account, not only of the fight that led to
+your promotion, but also of your life so far as I knew it.
+
+“When I had finished, the admiral said:
+
+“ ‘He must be a singular lad, this Gilmore, and is likely to prove an
+honour to the navy. Bring him up here at this hour to-morrow; I shall be
+glad to see him. There, now, you may go, and don’t forget in future that
+when you are in charge of prisoners you must always place a guard over
+them.’
+
+“So unknowingly you have done me a good turn, Gilmore, for I expect that
+if the admiral had not been so interested in you he would not have let me
+off so easily. You must put on your best uniform for the first time and go
+up to-morrow.”
+
+“Well, I am afraid I should have felt very shaky if I had not heard your
+account of the admiral. From what you say it is evident he is a kindly
+man, and after all you have told him about me he can’t have many questions
+to ask.”
+
+“Well, I feel a good deal easier in my mind, as you may guess,” Forster
+said. “When I went ashore I felt like a bad boy who is in for a flogging.
+I dare say I shall get it a little hotter from the captain, but it will be
+just a wigging, and there will be no talk of courts-martial. By what we
+saw of the goods on board this craft before this rumpus took place I fancy
+the Moor had captured and plundered a well-laden merchantman. In that case
+the prize-money will be worth a good round sum, and as the admiral gets a
+picking out of it he will be still more inclined to look favourably on the
+matter. Here comes the boat to take off the prisoners. I have no doubt
+some of them will be hanged, especially as they will not be able to give
+any satisfactory explanation as to the fate of the merchantman. As soon as
+we have got rid of them we will overhaul a few of the bales and see what
+are their contents.”
+
+When the last of the prisoners were taken ashore Forster and Gilmore went
+below and examined the cargo. This proved to consist of valuable Eastern
+stuffs, broad-cloths, silks, and Turkish carpets.
+
+“It could not be better,” Forster said; “she must be worth a lot of money,
+and it will add to the nice little handful of prize-money we shall get
+when we return home. They ought to give us a good round sum for the
+_Proserpine_; then there were the three Moorish vessels, though I don’t
+think they were worth much, for their holds were nearly empty and I fancy
+they had only been cruising a short time. This fellow, however, is a rich
+prize; he certainly had very hard luck, falling in with us as he did. I
+fancy the ship they pillaged was a Frenchman or Italian, more likely the
+latter. I don’t think there are many French merchantmen about, and it is
+most likely that the cargo was intended for Genoa, whence a good part of
+it might be sent to Paris. Well, it makes little difference to us what its
+destination was, its proceeds are certainly destined to enrich us instead
+of its original consignees.”
+
+The next morning Will put on his best uniform for the first time, and,
+landing with Forster, ascended the Nix Mangare stairs and called on the
+admiral.
+
+“Well, Mr. Gilmore,” the admiral said as he was shown in, “it gives me
+great pleasure to meet so promising a young officer. Will you kindly tell
+me such details of your early history as may seem fitting to you.”
+
+Will gave him a fairly detailed account of his history up to the time he
+joined the navy.
+
+“Well, sir, you cannot be too grateful to that young lady, but at the same
+time there are few who would have availed themselves so well of her
+assistance. It is nothing short of astonishing that you should have
+progressed so far under her care that you were able, after a few lessons
+from the chaplain of your ship, to use a quadrant. As a mark of my
+approbation I will present you with one. I will send it off to your ship
+to-morrow morning.”
+
+With many thanks Will took his leave, and returned with Forster to the
+prize.
+
+On the following morning the quadrant arrived. That afternoon the prize
+was handed over to the prize-agents, and the crew transferred to the naval
+barracks, Forster and Gilmore receiving lodging money to live on shore.
+Hitherto, the only fortifications Will had seen were those of Portsmouth,
+so he was greatly interested in the castle with its heavy frowning stone
+batteries, the deep cut separating it from the rest of the island, and its
+towering rock. Then there was the church of St. John, paved with
+tombstones of the knights, and other places of interest. The costume and
+appearance of the inhabitants amused and pleased him, as did the shops
+with their laces, cameos, and lovely coral ornaments. Beyond the walls
+there were the gardens full of orange-trees, bright with their fruit, and
+the burying-place of the old monks, each body standing in a niche, dressed
+in his gown and cowl as in life.
+
+Will wished that he could get his share of prize-money at once, and
+promised himself that his very first expenditure would be a suite of coral
+for the lady who had done so much for him. In no way, he thought, could he
+lay out money with such gratification to himself.
+
+A fortnight later the _Furious_ came into harbour bringing another prize
+with her. This had been taken without any trouble. One morning, when day
+broke, she was seen only a quarter of a mile from the frigate. A gun was
+at once fired across her bows, and, seeing that escape was impossible, she
+hauled down her colours without resistance.
+
+Forster and Gilmore, with the officers who had brought in the other
+prizes, all went on board at once and made their reports. As Forster had
+predicted, he was severely reprimanded for not having placed a sentry over
+the prisoners, but in consideration of the fact that he had already been
+spoken to by the admiral himself the captain was less severe on him than
+he would otherwise have been. Gilmore, on the other hand, was warmly
+commended.
+
+“You managed extremely well,” the captain said, “and showed that you fully
+deserved your promotion.”
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER V
+
+
+ A PIRATE HOLD
+
+
+The _Furious_ was at once placed in the hands of the dockyard people, who
+set to work immediately to repair damages, while large quantities of
+provisions were brought off from the stores on shore.
+
+“They are not generally as sharp as this,” Forster said; “I should say
+there must be something in the wind.”
+
+Such was the general opinion on board the ship, for double gangs of
+workers were put on, and in three days she was reported to be again ready
+for sea. The captain came on board half an hour later and spoke to the
+first lieutenant, and orders were at once issued to get up the anchors and
+set sail. Her head was pointed west as she left the harbour, and the
+general opinion was that she was bound for Gibraltar. It leaked out,
+however, in the afternoon that she was sailing under sealed orders, and as
+that would hardly be the case if she were bound for Gibraltar, there were
+innumerable discussions among the sailors as to her destination. Could she
+be meant to cruise along the west coast of France, or to return to England
+and join a fleet being got ready there for some important operation?
+
+“What do you say, Bill?” one of the men asked an old sailor, who had sat
+quietly, taking no part in the discussion.
+
+“Well, if you asks me,” he said, “I should say we are bound for the West
+Indies.”
+
+“The West Indies, Bill! What makes you think that?”
+
+“Well, I thinks that, because it seems to me as that is where we are most
+wanted. The French have got a stronger fleet than we have out there.”
+
+“Well, they have got as strong a fleet at Toulon, and quite as strong a
+one at Brest.”
+
+“Yes, that may be so, but I think we are pretty safe to lick them at
+either of these places if they will come out and fight us fair, whereas in
+the West Indies they are a good bit stronger. There are so many ports and
+islands that, as we are, so to speak, a good deal scattered, they might at
+any moment come upon us in double our strength.”
+
+“Have you ever been there before, Bill?”
+
+“Ay, two or three times. In some respects it could not be better; you can
+buy fruit, and ’bacca and rum for next to nothing, when your officers give
+you a chance. Lor’, the games them niggers are up to to circumvent them
+would make you laugh! When you land, an old black woman will come up with
+a basket full of cocoa-nuts. Your officer steps up to her and examines
+them, and they look as right as can be. Perhaps he breaks one and it is
+full of milk; very good. So you go up to buy, and the officer looks on.
+The woman hands you two or three, and when she gives you the last one she
+winks her eye. She don’t say anything, but you drop a sixpence into her
+hand among the coppers you have to pay for the others, and when she has
+quite sold out the officer orders you into the boat to lie off till he
+comes back. And when he returns he is quite astonished to find that most
+of the crew are three sheets in the wind.
+
+“Then they will bring you sugar-canes half as thick as your wrist, looking
+as innocent as may be; both ends are sealed up with bits of the pith, and
+when you open one end you find that all the joints have been bored
+through, and the cane is full of rum. But mind, lads, you are fools if you
+touch it; it is new and strong and rank, and a bottle of it would knock
+you silly. And that is not the worst of it, for fever catches hold of you,
+and fever out there ain’t no joke. You eats a good dinner at twelve
+o’clock, and you are buried in the palisades at six; that’s called yellow
+jack. It is a country where you can enjoy yourselves reasonable with
+fruit, and perhaps a small sup of rum, but where you must beware of
+drinking; if you do that you are all right. The islands are beautiful,
+downright beautiful; there ain’t many places which I troubles myself to
+look at, but the West Indies are like gardens with feathery sorts of
+trees, and mountains, and everything that you can want in nature.”
+
+“It is very hot, isn’t it, Bill?”
+
+“It ain’t, so to speak, cool in summer-time. In winter it is just right,
+but in summer you would like to lie naked all day and have cold water
+poured over you. Still, one gets accustomed to it in time. Then, you see,
+there is always excitement of some kind. There are pirates and Frenchmen,
+and there are Spaniards, whom I regard as a cross between the other two.
+They hide about among the islands and pop out when you least expect them.
+You always have to keep your eyes in your head and your cutlass handy when
+you go ashore. The worst of them are what they call mulattoes; they are a
+whity-brown sort of chaps, neither one thing nor the other, and a nice
+cut-throat lot they are. A sailor who drinks too much and loses his boat
+is as like as not to be murdered by some of them before morning. I hate
+them chaps like poison. There are scores of small craft manned by them
+which prey upon the negroes, who are an honest, merry lot, and not bad
+sailors either in their way. Sometimes four or five of these pirate craft
+will go together, and many of them are a good size and carry a lot of
+guns. They make some island their head-quarters. Any niggers there may be
+on it they turn into slaves. There are thousands of these islands, so at
+least I should say, scattered about, some of them mere sand-spots, others
+a goodish size.
+
+“Well, I hope it is the West Indies. There is plenty of amusement and
+plenty of fighting to be done there, and I should like to know what a
+sailor can want more.”
+
+There was a hum of approval; the picture was certainly tempting.
+
+After a six days’ run with a favourable wind they passed through the
+Straits without touching at Gibraltar, and held west for twenty-four
+hours. Then the sealed orders were opened, and it was soon known
+throughout the ship that it was indeed the West Indies for which they were
+bound. The ship’s course was at once changed. Teneriffe was passed, and
+they stopped for a day to take in fresh water and vegetables at St.
+Vincent. Then her head was turned more westward, and three weeks later the
+_Furious_ anchored at Port Royal. The captain went on shore at once to
+visit the admiral, and returned with the news that the _Furious_ was to
+cruise off the coast of Cuba. The exact position of the French fleet was
+unknown, but when last heard of was in the neighbourhood of that island.
+
+“I must keep a sharp look-out for them,” the captain said, “and bring back
+news of their whereabouts if I do catch sight of them; that is, of course,
+if we don’t catch a tartar, for not only do the French ships carry heavier
+guns than we do, but they sail faster. We are as speedy, however, as any
+of our class, and will, I hope, be able to show them a clean pair of
+heels. In addition to this, I am told that three piratical craft, which
+have their rendezvous on some island off the south coast of Cuba, have
+been committing great depredations. A number of merchantmen have been
+missed; so I am to keep a sharp look-out for them and to clip their wings
+if I can.”
+
+“What size are they?” asked the first lieutenant.
+
+“One is said to be a cutter carrying eight guns and a long-tom, the other
+two are schooners, each carrying six guns on a broadside; it is not known
+whether they have a long-tom, but the probability is that they have.”
+
+“They would be rather formidable opponents then if we caught them
+together, as they carry as many guns as we do, and those long-toms are
+vastly more powerful than anything we have. I think it is a pity that they
+don’t furnish all ships on this station with a long twenty-four; it would
+be worth nearly all our broadsides.”
+
+“That is so, Mr. Farrance, but somehow the people at home cannot get out
+of their regular groove, and fill up the ships with eight and
+ten-pounders, while, as you say, one long twenty-four would be worth a
+dozen of them. If we do catch one of these pirates I shall confiscate
+their long guns to our own use.”
+
+“It would be a capital plan, sir. Well, I am glad we shall have something
+to look for besides the French fleet, which may be a hundred miles away.”
+
+“Ay, or a thousand,” the captain added.
+
+Will had been standing not far from the captain, and heard this
+conversation. His heart beat high at the thought of the possibility of a
+fight with these murderous pirates.
+
+For three weeks they cruised off the coast of Cuba. They saw no sign
+whatever of the French fleet, but from time to time they heard from native
+craft of the pirates. The natives differed somewhat widely as to the
+head-quarters of these pests, but all agreed that it was on an island
+lying in the middle of dangerous shoals.
+
+One day they saw smoke rising some fifteen miles away and at once shaped
+their course for it. When they approached it they found that it rose from
+a vessel enveloped in flames.
+
+“She is a European ship,” the captain said as they neared her. “Send an
+officer in a boat to row round her and gather any particulars as to her
+fate. I see no boats near her, and I am afraid that it is the work of
+those pirates.”
+
+All watched the boat with intent interest as she rowed round the ship.
+
+“I have no doubt whatever that it is the work of pirates,” the officer
+said on his return. “Her bulwarks are burnt away, and I could make out
+several piles on deck which looked like dead men.”
+
+“Send a man up to the mast-head, Farrance, and tell him to scan the
+horizon carefully for a sail. I should say this ship can’t have been
+burning above three hours at most.”
+
+No sooner had the man reached the top of the mast than he called down
+“Sail ho!”
+
+“Where away?” Mr. Farrance shouted.
+
+“On the port bow, sir.”
+
+“What do you make her out to be?”
+
+“I should say she was a schooner by her topsails.”
+
+The ship’s course was at once changed, and every rag of sail put upon her.
+The first lieutenant climbed to the upper crosstrees, and after a long
+look through his telescope returned to deck.
+
+“I should say she is certainly one of the schooners that we are in search
+of, sir, but I doubt whether with this light wind we have much chance of
+overhauling her.”
+
+“We will try anyhow,” the captain said. “She is probably steering for the
+rendezvous, so by following her we may at least get some important
+information.”
+
+All day the chase continued, but there was no apparent change in the
+position of the two vessels. The _Furious_ was kept on the same course
+through the night, and to the satisfaction of all on board they found,
+when morning broke, that they had certainly gained on the schooner, as her
+mainsails were now visible. At twelve o’clock a low bank of sand was
+sighted ahead, and the schooner had entered a channel in this two hours
+later. The _Furious_ had to be hove-to outside the shoal. The sand
+extended a long distance, but there were several breaks in it, and from
+the masthead a net-work of channels could be made out. It was a great
+disappointment to the crew of the _Furious_ to have to give up the chase
+and see the schooner only some four miles off on her way under easy sail.
+
+“This is an awkward place, Mr. Farrance,” the captain said, “and will need
+a deal of examination before we go any farther. The first thing to do will
+be to sail round and note and sound the various channels. I wish you would
+go aloft with your glass and see whether there is any ground higher than
+the rest. Such a place would naturally be the point of rendezvous.”
+
+Lieutenant Farrance went aloft and presently returned.
+
+“There is a clump of green trees,” he said, “some ten miles off. The
+schooner is nearing them, and I think, though of this I am not certain,
+that I can make out the masts of another craft lying there.”
+
+“Well, it is something to have located her,” the captain said. “Now we
+must find how we can best get there; that will be a work of time. We may
+as well begin by examining some of these channels.”
+
+Four boats were at once lowered and rowed to the mouths of those nearest.
+The sounding operations quickly showed that in three of them there was but
+two feet of water; the other was somewhat deeper, but there was still two
+feet less water than the _Furious_ drew. The deep part was very narrow and
+winding.
+
+“It may be this one that the schooner has gone up,” the captain said. “I
+have no doubt she draws three or four feet less than we do, and, knowing
+the passage perfectly, she could get up it easily. I hope, however, we
+shall find something deeper presently.”
+
+The next three days were spent in circumnavigating the sand-banks and in
+sounding the various channels, but at last the captain was obliged to
+admit that none of them were deep enough for the _Furious_, although there
+were fully half a dozen by which vessels of lighter draught might enter.
+
+“I am ready to run any fair risk, Mr. Farrance,” he said, “but I daren’t
+send a boat expedition against such a force as that, especially as they
+have no doubt thrown up batteries to strengthen their position. They must
+have any number of cannon which they have taken from ships they have
+captured.”
+
+“It would certainly be a desperate enterprise,” the first lieutenant
+agreed, “and, as you say, too dangerous to be attempted now.”
+
+“Gilmore,” Forster said, as the midshipmen met at dinner, “you are always
+full of ideas; can’t you suggest any way by which we might get at them?”
+
+“I am afraid not,” Will laughed. “The only possible way that I can see
+would be to sail away, get together a number of native craft, and then
+make a dash at the place.”
+
+“What would be the advantage of native craft over our boats,” one of the
+others said scoffingly.
+
+“The great advantage would be that, if we had a dozen native craft, the
+men would be scattered about their decks instead of being crowded in
+boats, and would therefore be able to land with comparatively little
+loss.”
+
+“Upon my word,” one of the seniors said, “I think there is something in
+Gilmore’s idea. Of course they would have to be very shallow, and one
+would have to choose a night when there was just enough breeze to take
+them quietly along. At any rate I will run the risk of being snubbed, and
+will mention it to one of the lieutenants. ’Pon my word, the more I think
+of it the more feasible does it seem.”
+
+After dinner was over the midshipman went up to Mr. Peters, who was now
+third lieutenant, and saluted.
+
+“What is it?” the lieutenant asked.
+
+“Well, sir, it is an idea of Gilmore’s. It may not be worth anything at
+all, but it certainly seemed to me that there was something in it.”
+
+“His ideas are generally worth something. What is it?”
+
+The midshipman explained Will’s plan.
+
+“There is certainly something in it,” Peters said. “What a beggar that boy
+is for ideas! At any rate, I will mention it to Mr. Farrance.”
+
+Mr. Farrance at first pooh-poohed the idea, but, on thinking it over, he
+concluded that it would be as well at any rate to lay it before the
+captain.
+
+“’Pon my word it does seem feasible,” the captain said. “They could tow
+the boats in after them, so that, when they came under the pirates’ fire,
+the men could get into the boats and so be in shelter. Only one hand would
+be required to steer each vessel, and the rest would remain out of sight
+of the enemy until near enough to make a dash either for the shore or the
+pirates’ craft, as the case might be. It is a good idea, a really
+brilliant idea, and well worth putting into effect. Besides, each of the
+vessels could carry one or two small guns, and so keep down the enemy’s
+fire to some extent. Send for Gilmore.”
+
+In a few minutes Will entered the captain’s cabin cap in hand.
+
+“Mr. Farrance tells me, Mr. Gilmore, that you have an idea that by
+collecting a number of native craft of shallow draught we might attack the
+pirates with some hope of success.”
+
+“It was only an idea, sir, that occurred to me on the spur of the moment.”
+
+“Well, I am inclined to regard it as a feasible one,” the captain said. “A
+dozen boats of that kind would carry the greater part of the ship’s crew,
+and if each had a couple of light cannon on board they would be able to
+answer the enemy’s fire. If I do attack in this manner I propose to send
+the boats in towing behind the native craft, so that when the enemy’s fire
+becomes really heavy the men can take their places in these, and so be in
+shelter until close enough to make a dash. Is there any other suggestion
+you can offer I?”
+
+“No, sir. The plan of taking the boats certainly seems to me to be a good
+one.”
+
+The captain smiled a little. He was not accustomed to have his plans
+approved of by midshipmen. However, he only said: “I think it will work.
+Should any other suggestion occur to you, you will mention it to Mr.
+Farrance. I am really obliged to you for the idea, which does great credit
+to your sharpness.”
+
+“Thank you, sir!” said Will, and retired.
+
+An hour later the frigate was sailing away from the sand-banks.
+
+“What did the old man say?” the midshipmen asked Will as he rejoined them.
+
+“He thinks that there was something in the idea, but of course he has
+greatly improved it. He means to send the boats towing behind the native
+craft, so that if the fire gets very heavy the men can take to them and be
+towed in perfect shelter until near enough to make a rush. He intends to
+put a gun or two in each of the native boats, to keep down the enemy’s
+fire a bit as they approach.”
+
+“That is an improvement,” Forster said, “and it certainly seems, Gilmore,
+as if you had found a way out of our dilemma.”
+
+Those who had been most disposed to laugh at Will’s suggestion were eager
+to congratulate him now that the captain had expressed his approval of it
+and had adopted it.
+
+The _Furious_ sailed direct for Port Royal. There was no fear that the
+pirates would abandon their island, for they would naturally take the
+retirement of the _Furious_ as an admission of defeat. They were, of
+course, open to a boat attack, but they would consider themselves strong
+enough to beat off any such attempt without difficulty.
+
+Arriving at Port Royal, Lieutenant Farrance went ashore in search of
+suitable craft. He had no difficulty in buying a dozen old native boats.
+He then procured a large quantity of cane, and lashed these in the bottom
+of the boats, using a sufficient quantity to keep them afloat even if they
+were riddled with balls. Then the carpenters set to work to make platforms
+in the bows of each to carry a seven-pounder gun. In three days the work
+was completed and the _Furious_ started again, putting two men in each of
+the boats and taking them in tow.
+
+Five days later they arrived off the sand-spits, and preparations were at
+once made for the attack. Lying low in the water, and keeping in a line
+behind the _Furious_, the native craft would be altogether invisible from
+the central islands, so that the pirates would not be aware of the method
+of attack. The greater portion of the men were told off to them, only
+forty remaining on board the _Furious_. All was ready an hour after
+nightfall, and the men took their places in the native craft, fastening
+their boats to the stern in each case. The sails were at once got up, and,
+following each other in single file, they entered the channel which had
+been found to be the deepest. The leading boat kept on sounding—an easy
+matter, as, the wind being light, the rate of progress did not exceed a
+mile an hour.
+
+Will had been posted by the first lieutenant in his own boat, which was
+the leader, and Dimchurch and Tom Stevens were among the crew. Dimchurch
+had exchanged places with another seaman; Tom had been allowed a place by
+the special solicitation of Will.
+
+“He fought stoutly in that fight on the Moorish prize, and he is very much
+attached to me. I should be obliged, sir, if you would take him.”
+
+“All right!” said the first lieutenant; “let him stow himself away in the
+bow till the fighting begins.” Accordingly Tom curled himself up by the
+gun.
+
+It was between two and three in the morning when the trees of the central
+island were made out; they were not more than five hundred yards away.
+Presently from a projecting point, where a heavy mass could be made out, a
+cannon was fired. The shot flew overhead, but the effect was
+instantaneous. Shouts were heard on shore and the sound of oars in
+rowlocks.
+
+“Take to the boats!” the lieutenant shouted. The two lines of lights in
+the port-holes showed the positions of two vessels, and the men on the
+native craft left to work the guns at once opened fire at them. For a
+minute or two there was no return, and it was evident that the greater
+portion of the crew had been ashore. The battery that had first fired now
+kept up a steady discharge, but as the boats were almost invisible, the
+shot flew wildly overhead or splashed harmlessly in the water. The gunners
+on board disregarded it, and maintained a steady fire at the ports of the
+enemy’s vessels. From these now came answering flashes, but the shot did
+little damage.
+
+When the attacking party had got within a hundred yards of the pirate
+ships, the lieutenant gave the signal, and the boats, with a cheer, dashed
+forward at full speed. They had received instructions how to act in case
+two vessels were found, and, dividing, they made for their respective
+quarters.
+
+The race was short and sharp, each officer urging his men to the fullest
+exertions. The instant they were alongside the oars were cast aside, and
+the men, drawing their cutlasses, leapt to their feet and endeavoured to
+climb up. They were thrust back with boarding-pikes, axes, and weapons of
+all kinds, but at last managed to get a foothold aft.
+
+Will in vain endeavoured to get on deck; the sides were too high for him.
+Finding himself left with half the crew, he made his way in the boat
+forward along the side of the pirate vessel and clambered up by the
+bowsprit shrouds. Some of the men in the other boats, seeing what he was
+doing, followed his example. They were unnoticed. A fierce fight was
+raging on the quarter-deck, and the shouting was prodigious. When some
+thirty men were gathered Will led the way aft. Their arrival was
+opportune, for the attacking party, under the lieutenant, had been vastly
+outnumbered by the pirates, and although fighting stoutly, had been penned
+against the bulwark, where with difficulty they defended themselves.
+
+ [Illustration: WILL LEADS A PARTY TO TAKE THE ENEMY IN THE REAR]
+
+With a cheer Will’s party rushed aft, taking the pirates in the rear. Many
+of these were cut down, and the rest fell back confused by this unexpected
+attack.
+
+“Now is your time, lads!” the lieutenant shouted. “Throw yourselves upon
+them and drive them back!”
+
+Although the pirates still fought desperately, knowing that no mercy would
+be extended them, the steady valour of the sailors was too much for them.
+At last the pirate captain was cut down by Dimchurch, and with his fall
+his men entirely lost heart. Some threw down their arms, and many of them
+jumped overboard and swam ashore. A loud cheer burst from the sailors as
+the resistance came to an end.
+
+The fight was still raging on board the other ship, and the lieutenant
+ordered the men of his own and another boat to row to it. Unseen by the
+pirates they reached the bow and climbed on deck. Then as soon as all had
+gained a footing they rushed aft. Here, too, the rear attack decided the
+struggle; in five minutes all was over.
+
+Daylight was now breaking, and they were able to see that there was a line
+of storehouses on the islands together with a large number of huts. The
+greater portion of the men were ordered to land, and the fugitives from
+the ships were hunted down. Most of these had taken refuge in the battery
+at the mouth of the harbour, but as this was open on the land side it was
+soon stormed and the defenders all cut down. Then the huts were searched
+and burnt and the storehouses opened.
+
+These were found to contain an enormous quantity of goods, the spoil
+evidently of many ships, and the men were at once set to work to transfer
+it to the prizes, and when these were full, to the native craft. A boat
+had been sent off, directly the fighting was over, with news to the
+captain of the success they had gained, and in the morning another message
+was sent saying that it would take four or five days to transfer the
+stores to the ships, and the _Furious_ had in consequence hoisted anchor
+and gone for a short cruise away from the dangerous proximity of the
+sands.
+
+On the afternoon of the third day a large cutter was seen approaching.
+Lieutenant Farrance ordered the native craft to be towed behind a small
+islet, where they were hidden from sight of a vessel entering the harbour,
+and the crews to take their places on the captured vessels. When this was
+done the guns were loaded and the men stood to their quarters. The
+new-comer approached without apparently entertaining any suspicion that
+anything unusual had happened, the huts that had been destroyed being
+hidden by the groves of trees.
+
+As she came abreast of them the guns were run out and the lieutenant
+shouted: “I call upon you to surrender! These vessels are prizes of His
+Majesty’s frigate _Furious_, and if you don’t surrender we will sink you
+at once!”
+
+There was a hoarse shout of fury and astonishment, and then the captain
+called back: “We will never surrender!”
+
+Both the schooners at once poured in their broadsides, doing immense
+damage, and killing large numbers of the pirates. A few cannon were fired
+in answer, but in such haste that they had no effect. When two more
+broadsides had been fired into her, the cutter blew up with a tremendous
+explosion which shook both vessels to the keel and threw many of the men
+down. When the smoke cleared away the cutter had disappeared. Whether a
+shot had reached her magazine, or whether she was blown up by her
+desperate commander, was never known, as not a single survivor of the crew
+was picked up.
+
+When the work of loading was completed, and the storehouses had been
+destroyed by fire, the two schooners sailed out, followed by the native
+craft with the boats towing behind.
+
+The victory had been won at very little cost. Only three men had been
+killed and some seventeen wounded, while with the exception of some thirty
+prisoners, for the most part wounded, the whole pirate force had been
+annihilated.
+
+The captain had already visited the scene, having rowed in as soon as he
+had received news of the success of the expedition. In Lieutenant
+Farrance’s despatch several officers were noted for distinguished conduct.
+Among these was Will Gilmore, to whom the lieutenant gave great credit for
+the manner in which he had boarded the pirate, and by his sudden attack
+upon the rear of the enemy converted what was a distinctly perilous
+situation into a success.
+
+“I tell you what it is, Gilmore,” one of the midshipmen jestingly said,
+“if you go on like this we shall send you to Coventry. It is unbearable
+that you should always get to the front.”
+
+Great was the rejoicing among the merchants of Port Royal when the
+_Furious_ returned with her two prizes and it became known that the third
+had been destroyed and the nest of pirates completely broken up.
+
+On the following day Will was sent for by the admiral.
+
+“My lad,” he said, “I wish to tell you that although it is not usual for a
+captain to acknowledge in official despatches that he acted on the ideas
+of a young midshipman, Captain Marker has done full justice to you in his
+verbal report to me. Your idea showed great ingenuity, and although the
+surprise was so complete that even had the attack been made by ships’
+boats only it would probably have been successful, this detracts in no way
+from the merit of the suggestion. Of course you have some years to serve
+yet before you can pass, but I can promise you that as soon as you do so
+you shall, if you are still here, have your appointment at once as mate,
+with employment in which you can distinguish yourself.”
+
+“Thank you very much, sir!” Will said, and, saluting, retired.
+
+In three days the ship’s prizes and native craft were unloaded, and their
+contents were found to be of very great value, for by the marks upon the
+goods it was evident that at least twenty-three merchantmen must have been
+captured and pillaged, and as none of these were ever heard of after they
+had sailed it was reasonably concluded that all must have been burnt, and
+those on board murdered. The case was so atrocious that the prisoners were
+all tried, condemned to death, and executed in batches. There was little
+doubt that the pirates must have had agents in the various ports who had
+kept them informed of the sailing of ships, but there was no means of
+ascertaining who these parties were.
+
+The _Furious_ sailed four days after her return, and this time cruised on
+the northern coast of Cuba. One day, when sailing along by a stretch of
+high cliffs, a ship of war suddenly appeared from a narrow inlet; she was
+followed by two others. The _Furious_ was headed round at once, and with
+the three French frigates in pursuit started on her way back. The wind was
+light, and though every stitch of canvas was set, it was evident, after an
+hour’s sailing, that one, at least, of her pursuers gained steadily on
+her. The French ship would, indeed, have gained more than she had done had
+she not yawed occasionally and fired with her bow-chasers. The _Furious_
+had shifted two of her broadside guns to her stern to reply, but, although
+the aim was good, only one or two hits were made, the distance being still
+too great for accurate shooting.
+
+“I wish the other two Frenchmen were a little slower,” the captain said to
+the first lieutenant. “They are only a little farther behind her than when
+we started, and are, I think, only about half a mile astern of her. If she
+continues to travel at her present rate she will be close up to us by
+sunset. She is just about our own size, and I make no doubt that we should
+give a good account of her, but we could not hope to do so before her two
+consorts came up, and we could not expect to beat all three. If we could
+but fall in with one of our cruisers I would fight them willingly.”
+
+“Yes, the odds are too much against us at present, sir. I don’t say that
+we could not fight them separately, but we could hardly hope to beat three
+of them at once. We can’t make her go through the water faster than she is
+doing as far as I can see.”
+
+“No, every sail seems to be doing its best. There is nothing for it but to
+pray either for another frigate or for more wind. I am not sure that wind
+would help us, still it might.”
+
+“I think, sir,” the lieutenant said, two hours later, “that one of your
+wishes is going to be fulfilled. There is a cloud rising very rapidly on
+the larboard bow, and from its colour and appearance it seems to me that
+we are going to have a tornado.”
+
+“It will be welcome indeed,” the captain said. “We have been hit ten times
+in the last half-hour, and the nearest ship is not more than
+three-quarters of a mile away.”
+
+Five minutes later the captain said: “It is certainly a tornado. All hands
+reduce sail. Don’t waste a moment, lads; it will be on us in three
+minutes.”
+
+In a moment the vessel was a scene of bustle; the men swarmed up the
+rigging, urged to the greatest exertions not only by the voices of their
+officers but by the appearance of the heavens. The frigate behind held on
+three or four minutes longer, then her sheets were let fly, and
+immediately she was a scene of wild confusion.
+
+“It will be on her before she is ready,” the captain said grimly, “and if
+it is, she will turn turtle. It is as much as we shall do to be ready.”
+
+Just as a line of white foam was seen approaching with the speed of a
+race-horse, the last man reached the deck.
+
+“I would give a great deal,” the captain said, “to have time to get down
+all our light spars. Get ready your small fore try-sail, and a small
+stay-sail to run up on the mizzen.”
+
+A minute later the storm was upon them. A blinding sheet of spray, driven
+with almost the force of grape-shot, swept over the ship, followed by a
+deafening roar and a force of wind that seemed about to lift the ship
+bodily out of the water. Over and over she heeled, and all thought that
+she was about to founder, when, even above the noise of the storm, three
+loud crashes were heard, and the three masts, with all their lofty hamper,
+went over the side.
+
+“Thank God,” the lieutenant exclaimed, “that has saved her!”
+
+All hands with axes and knives began cutting away the wreckage. At the
+same time the two try-sails were hoisted, but they at once blew out of the
+bolt-ropes.
+
+“Don’t you think, sir,” the first lieutenant shouted, “that if we lash a
+hawser to all this hamper, and hang to it, it will act as a floating
+anchor, and bring her head up to the wind?”
+
+“Very well thought of, Mr. Farrance,” the captain shouted back; “by all
+means do so.”
+
+The order was given and immediately carried out. The tangle of ropes and
+spars, with the ship’s strongest hawser attached, soon drifted past her,
+and as the cable tightened the vessel’s head began to come slowly up into
+the wind.
+
+“That will delay her fate for a bit,” the captain said, “but we can’t hope
+that it will more than delay it, unless we can get up some sail and crawl
+off the coast. Get ready the strongest try-sails we have in case they may
+be wanted.”
+
+In a few minutes the sails were got ready, but for the present there was
+nothing for it but to hang on to the wreckage. The shore was some miles
+away, but in spite of the floating anchor the drift was great. The crew of
+the _Furious_ had now time to breathe, but it was pitch dark and nothing
+could be seen save the white heads of the waves which now every moment
+threatened to overwhelm them. Not a trace of the frigate which had so
+hotly pursued them could be seen.
+
+“God rest their souls!” the captain said earnestly. “I am afraid she is
+gone. In fair fight one strives to do as much damage as possible, but such
+a catastrophe as this is awful. I trust the other two took warning in
+time.”
+
+“I hope so too. They were under the lee of that island we passed shortly
+before it began, so would be partially sheltered. There is no hope for the
+first, and their fate is terrible indeed, sir; all the more awful,
+perhaps, because we know that it may become ours before long.”
+
+“There is no doubt about that,” the captain said. “Unless the wind drops
+or chops round our fate is sealed, and a few hours will see the ship
+grinding her bones on that rocky shore. It is too dark to see it, but we
+know that we are most surely approaching it.”
+
+As day broke the shore was made out a little more than half a mile away.
+The captain then called the crew together.
+
+“My lads,” he shouted, but in spite of his efforts his voice was heard but
+a few yards away, “everything has been done for the ship that could be
+done, but as you see for yourselves our efforts have been in vain. I trust
+that you will all get ashore, but as far as we can see at present the
+rocks are almost precipitous, and, high as they are, the spray flies right
+over them. I thank you all for your good conduct while the ship has been
+in commission, and am sure that you will know how to die, and will
+preserve your calm and courage till the end. Go to your stations and
+remain there until she is about to strike; then each man must make the
+best fight for life that he can.”
+
+The men went quietly off. Mr. Farrance stood watching the shore with his
+telescope. Presently he exclaimed: “See, sir, there is a break in the
+cliff! I do not know how far it goes in, but it looks to me as if it might
+be the opening to an inlet. We are nearly opposite to it, so if we shift
+the hawser from the bow to the stern she will swing round, and will
+probably drift right into the creek if that is what it is.”
+
+“By all means let us make the attempt,” the captain said. “Thank God,
+there is a hope of escape for us all!”
+
+The men sprang to their feet with alacrity when they heard the news.
+Another hawser was brought up and firmly spliced to the one in use just
+beyond the bulwark forward. Then it was led along outside the shrouds and
+fastened to the bitts astern and then to the mizzen-mast. This done, the
+first hawser was cut at the bulwark forward, and the ship swung round
+almost instantly. As soon as she headed dead for shore the raffle that had
+so long served for their floating anchor was cut adrift and the try-sail
+was hoisted on the stump of the foremast, and with six good men at the
+wheel the vessel surged shorewards under the force of the gale, every man
+on board holding his breath. The opening was but a ship’s-length across,
+but driven by the wind and steered with the greatest care the _Furious_
+shot into it as quickly and as surely as if she were propelled with oars.
+A great shout of relief burst from the whole crew when, after proceeding
+for a hundred yards along a narrow channel, the passage suddenly widened
+out into a pool a quarter of a mile across.
+
+“Let go the anchor!” the captain cried, and he had scarce spoken when the
+great anchor went thundering down. “Pay out the chain gradually,” was the
+next order, “and check her when she gets half-way across.” The order was
+obeyed and the vessel’s head swung round, and in less than a minute she
+was riding quietly over great waves that came rolling in through the
+entrance and broke in foam against the shore of the inlet. The quiet after
+the roar and din was almost startling. Above, the clouds could be seen
+flying past in rugged masses, but the breast of the pool, sheltered as it
+was from the wind by its lofty sides, was scarcely rippled, and the waves
+rolled in as if they were made of glass. Not a word was heard until the
+captain spoke.
+
+“It is the least we can do, men, to thank God for this miraculous escape.
+I trust that there is not a man on board this ship who will not offer his
+fervent thanks to Him who has so wonderfully brought us out of the jaws of
+death.”
+
+Every head was bared, and for two or three minutes no sound was heard on
+board the ship. Then the captain replaced his hat, and the men went
+quietly off to their duties.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VI
+
+
+ A NARROW ESCAPE
+
+
+They were hardly anchored before the gale showed signs of breaking, and in
+a few hours the sun shone out and the wind subsided. The destruction of
+the timber on the hillsides had been prodigious, and large spaces were
+entirely cleared.
+
+The captain and first lieutenant had an anxious consultation. Every boat
+had gone, and all the masts and rigging. They were in what was practically
+a hostile country, for although Spain had not declared war against us, she
+gave every assistance to the French and left her ports open to them. In a
+few weeks probably she would openly throw herself into the scale against
+us.
+
+“It is clear that we must communicate with Port Royal somehow,” the
+captain said, “but it certainly isn’t clear how we are to do it. Between
+this and the nearest port there may be miles and miles of mountain all
+encumbered by fallen trees, which it would be almost impossible to get
+through. Then again we have heard that there are always bands of fugitive
+slaves in the mountains, who would be sure to attack us. As to the sea, we
+might possibly make shift to build a boat. There is certainly no lack of
+timber lying round, and we have plenty of sail-cloth for sails, so we
+could fit her out fairly well. It would be a journey of fully a thousand
+miles, but that seems the most feasible plan. A small craft of, say, forty
+feet long might be built and got ready for sea in the course of a week.”
+
+“I should say so certainly, sir. With the amount of labour we have at our
+disposal it might be built even sooner than that. We have plenty of handy
+men on board who could give efficient help to the carpenter’s gang.”
+
+“I suppose you would build it rather as a ship than as a boat?”
+
+“Yes, I think so. We could build her of one-and-a-half-inch planks, fill
+the seams well with oakum, and give her a couple of coats of paint. Let
+her be of shallow draft with plenty of beam. She should, of course, be
+decked over, as she might meet with another tornado. The crew would
+consist of an officer and ten men. With such a vessel there should be no
+difficulty in reaching Port Royal.”
+
+The carpenters were at once told off to carry out the work.
+
+“You can have as many hands to help you as you wish,” the captain said to
+the head of the gang. “What will you do first?”
+
+“I shall get some planks from below, sir, and make a raft. By means of
+that we can get on shore and choose the trunks that would be most suitable
+for the purpose; we are sure to find plenty about. Then we will find a
+suitable spot for a ship-yard, and at once start on the work. I will set a
+gang of men with axes to square the trunks and make them ready for sawing.
+They need not be more than six inches square when finished, and as I have
+a couple of double-handed saws we can soon rip these into planks.”
+
+“How long do you think you will be?”
+
+“I should say, sir, with the help I can get, I ought to be ready to start
+in less than a week. Of course the ribs will take some time to prepare,
+but when I have them and the keel and stem- and stern-post in place the
+planking will not take us very long.”
+
+“She is to be decked, Thompson.”
+
+“All over, sir?”
+
+“Yes, I think so. She may meet with weather like that we have just come
+through, and if she is well decked we may feel assured that she will reach
+Port Royal. I will leave Mr. Farrance and you to draw out her lines.”
+
+“I think,” said the first lieutenant, “she should be like a magnified
+launch, with greater beam and a larger draft of water, which could,
+perhaps, best be gained by giving her a deep keel. Of course she must be a
+good deal higher out of the water than a launch, say a good four feet
+under the deck. There should be no need to carry much ballast; she will
+gain her stability by her beam.”
+
+“I understand, sir. The first thing to be done is to form the raft.”
+
+The ship’s crew were soon at work, and it was not long before a raft was
+constructed. A rope was at once taken ashore and made fast to a tree, so
+that the raft could be hauled rapidly backwards and forwards between the
+ship and the shore.
+
+The carpenter and his mates were the first to land, and while the chief
+selected a suitable point for a yard his assistants scattered, examining
+all fallen trees and cutting the branches off those that seemed most
+suitable. These were soon dragged down to the yard. Then strong gangs set
+to work to square them, and the carpenters to cut them into planks.
+
+The first lieutenant remained with them, encouraging them at their work,
+while the junior officers and midshipmen were divided among the various
+gangs. By six o’clock, when the _Furious_ signalled for all hands to come
+on board, they had indeed done a good day’s work. A pile of planks lay
+ready to be used as required. The carpenters had made some progress with a
+keel, which they were laboriously chopping out from the straight trunk of
+a large tree. By evening of the next day this was finished and placed in
+position. On the third day some started to shape the stem- and
+stern-posts, while the head-carpenter made from some thin planks templates
+of the ribs, and set others to chop out the ribs to fit.
+
+In two more days all was ready for fastening on the planks. A hundred and
+fifty men can get through an amazing amount of labour when they work well
+and heartily. The planks were bent by main strength to fit in their
+places, and as there was an abundance of nails and other necessary
+articles on board, the sheathing was finished in two days. The rest of the
+work was comparatively easy. While the deck was being laid the hull was
+caulked and painted, and the two masts, sails, and rigging prepared. The
+boat had no bulwarks, it being considered that she would be a much better
+sea-boat without them, as in case of shipping a sea the water would run
+off at once. The hatchways fore and aft were made very small, with
+close-fitting hatches covered with tarpaulin.
+
+The captain was delighted when she was finished.
+
+“She is really a fine boat,” he said, “with her forty feet of length and
+fifteen of beam. It has taken longer to build her than I had expected, but
+we had not reckoned sufficiently on the difficulties. Everything, however,
+has now been done to make her seaworthy, so those of us who remain here
+may feel sure that she will reach Port Royal safely. In case of a gale the
+sails must be lowered and lashed to the deck, and all hands must go below
+and fasten the hatchways securely. She has no ballast except her stores,
+but I think she will be perfectly safe; there is very little chance of her
+capsizing.”
+
+“With such beam and such a depth of keel,” said the first lieutenant, “she
+could not possibly capsize. In case of a tornado the masts might very well
+be taken out of her and used as a floating anchor to keep her head to it.”
+
+“Now whom do you intend to send in her, sir?”
+
+“I will send two officers,” the captain said. “Peters, and a midshipman to
+take his place in case he should be disabled. I think it is Robson’s turn
+for special service.”
+
+The next morning the boat started soon after daybreak, the ship’s crew all
+watching her till the two white lug-sails disappeared through the opening.
+
+“Now we will take a strong party of wood-cutters,” the captain said, “and
+see if we can make a way to the top of the hill and get some idea of the
+country round. I don’t expect we shall see much of interest, but it is
+just as well that we should be kept employed. By the way, before we do
+that, we will get hawsers to the shore and work the frigate round so as to
+bring her broadside to bear upon the opening; we ought to have done that
+at first. The French may know of this place, or if they don’t they may
+learn of it from the Spaniards. Those two ships astern of us probably got
+themselves snug before the tornado struck them, and weathered it all
+right, though I doubt very much if they did so, unless they knew of some
+inlets they could run for. If they did escape, it is likely that they will
+be taking some trouble to find out what became of us. They may have seen
+their companion’s fate, but they would hardly have made us out in the
+darkness. Still, they would certainly want to report our loss, and may
+sail along close inshore to look for timbers and other signs of wreck. I
+think, therefore, that it will be advisable to station a well-armed boat
+at this end of the cut, and tell them to row every half-hour or so to the
+other end and see if they can make out either sailing or rowing craft
+coming along the shore. If they do see them they must retire to this end
+of the opening, unless they can find some place where they could hide till
+a boat came abreast of them, and then pounce out and capture it.”
+
+“It would certainly be a good precaution, sir. I will see to it at
+once—but we are both forgetting that we have no boats.”
+
+“Bless me, I did forget that altogether! Well, here is that little dug-out
+the carpenters made for sending messages to and from the ship. It will
+carry three. I should be glad if you would take a couple of hands and row
+down to the mouth of the entrance and see if there is any place where,
+without any great difficulty, a small party with a gun could be stationed
+so as not to be noticed by a boat coming up.”
+
+“I understand, sir.”
+
+The lieutenant started at once, and when he returned, some hours later, he
+reported that there was a ledge some twenty feet long and twelve deep. “It
+is about eight feet from the water’s edge and some twelve above it, sir,”
+he said, “and is not noticeable until one is almost directly opposite it.
+If we were to pile up rocks regularly four feet high along the face, both
+the gun and its crew would be completely hidden.”
+
+“Get one of the hands on board, Mr. Farrance; I will myself go and see it
+with you.”
+
+One of the men at once climbed on deck, and the captain took his place in
+the little dug-out. When they reached the ledge he made a careful
+inspection of it.
+
+“Yes,” he said, “ten men could certainly lie hidden here, and with a rough
+parapet, constructed to look as natural as possible, they should certainly
+be unobserved by an incoming boat, especially as the attention of those in
+the stern would be directed into the inlet. Will you order Mr. Forster and
+one of the other midshipmen to go with as many men as the raft will carry,
+and build such a parapet. They had better take one of the rope-ladders
+with them and fix it to the ledge by means of a grapnel. There is plenty
+of building material among the rocks that have fallen from the precipices
+above. I must leave it to their ingenuity to make it as natural as
+possible.”
+
+When they returned to the ship the first lieutenant called Forster and
+gave him the captain’s orders.
+
+“You can take young Gilmore with you,” he said. “Your object will be to
+make it as natural as possible, so as to look, in fact, as if the rocks
+that had fallen out behind had lodged on the ledge. The height is not very
+important, for if a boat were coming along, the men would, of course, lie
+down till it was abreast of them, and the cannon would be withdrawn and
+only run out at the last moment.”
+
+“Very well, sir, I will do my best.”
+
+The raft was again brought into requisition, and it was found that it
+could carry twelve men. Dimchurch and nine others were chosen, and, using
+oars as paddles, they slowly made their way down to the spot.
+
+“It will be a difficult job to make anything like a natural wall there,”
+Forster said.
+
+“Yes,” Will agreed, “I don’t see how it is to be managed at all. Of course
+we could pile up a line of stones, but that would not look in the least
+natural. If we could get up three or four big chunks they might do if
+filled in with small stones, but it would be impossible to raise great
+blocks to that shelf.”
+
+The ladder was fixed and they climbed up to the ledge. When they reached
+it they found that it was very rough and uneven, and consequently that the
+task was more difficult than it had seemed from below.
+
+“The only way I see,” Forster said, “would be to blast out a trench six
+feet wide and one foot deep, in which the men could lie hidden. The
+question is whether the captain will not be afraid that the blasting might
+draw attention to our presence here.”
+
+“They were just starting for the top of the hill when we came away,” Will
+said, “and may be able to see whether there are any habitations in the
+neighbourhood. A couple of men in the dug-out would be able to bring us
+news of any craft in sight. I certainly don’t see any other way.”
+
+When Forster made his report the captain said:
+
+“I believe it will be the best plan. At the top of the hill we could see
+nothing but forests, for the most part levelled; we could make out no sign
+of smoke anywhere. The operation of blasting can be done with
+comparatively small charges, and occurring as it does at the foot of a
+gorge like that, the sound would hardly spread much over the surrounding
+country, and we could, of course, take care that there was no ship in
+sight when we fired the charges.
+
+“Well, you can begin to-morrow. I believe there are some blasting-tools in
+the store. Take the gunner with you; this work comes within his province.”
+
+On the following morning the raft went off again, and at midday a number
+of sharp explosions told that the work was begun. In the evening another
+series of shots were fired, and the party returned with the news that the
+ground had been broken up to the depth of two feet and of ample size to
+give the men cover. The next morning the rocks were cleared out, and a
+seven-pounder and carriage, with tackle for hoisting it up, were sent
+over.
+
+In the afternoon the captain went in the dug-out and inspected the work,
+and expressed himself as thoroughly satisfied with it. A garrison
+consisting of an officer and ten men was then placed in the fort. They
+remained there all day and returned to the ship as darkness fell, as it
+was thought pretty certain that no one would try to explore the inlet
+during the night. The next morning another party was told off to garrison
+duty, and so on, no man being given two consecutive days in the fort.
+
+On the fourth day the dug-out returned in haste to the ship from its post
+at the mouth of the gap, and reported that two men-of-war were to be seen
+in the distance cruising close inshore. Mr. Farrance landed, and with
+difficulty made his way up the hill to a point near the mouth of the
+opening, which commanded a view over the sea. From that point he could
+easily see the hulls of the ships with his telescope, and had no doubt
+whatever that they were the former antagonists of the _Furious_. After
+watching for some time he made out four little black specks very close to
+the shore. He examined them closely and then hurried down to the cove.
+
+“They are searching the coast with boats,” he reported, “as I feared they
+would.”
+
+The news had been given to the little party at the battery as the dug-out
+came in, and they were at once on the alert. The carpenters, who after the
+departure of their first boat had been employed in building a large gig to
+pull twelve oars, were at once recalled to the ship, and the magazines
+were opened and the guns loaded. All the guns from the larboard main deck
+had been brought up to the upper deck and port-holes made for them, and a
+boom of trees had been built from the bow and stern of the ship to the
+shore, so as to prevent any craft from getting inside her. Thus prepared,
+the captain considered that he was fully a match for any two ships of his
+own size, but he knew, nevertheless, that, even if he beat them off, he
+might be exposed to attack from a still larger force unless assistance
+arrived from Jamaica.
+
+But he did not think only of the ship. The dug-out, which had brought Mr.
+Farrance back with his report, was at once sent off with orders to the
+party at the battery that they must, if possible, sink any boat or boats
+that entered, but that if ships of war came in they must not try to work
+their gun after the first shot, as if they did so they would simply be
+swept away by the enemy’s fire. That one shot was to be aimed at the
+enemy’s rudder; then they were to lie down, and if they had not disabled
+the ship they were to keep up a heavy musketry fire, aimed solely against
+her steersman. It was hardly likely that they would be attacked by boats,
+as the enemy would be fully engaged with the _Furious_; but even if they
+should, the Frenchmen would have no means of climbing the eight feet of
+precipitous rock.
+
+The dug-out went to and from the entrance, bringing back news of the
+progress made by the enemy’s boats. About three hours from the time when
+they had first been made out by Mr. Farrance the little boat reported that
+they were only two or three hundred yards from the entrance. On board the
+ship all listened anxiously, for a slight bend in the narrow passage
+prevented them from seeing the battery. Presently the boom of a cannon was
+heard, followed by a cheer, which told that the little garrison had been
+successful; then for two or three minutes there was a rattle of musketry.
+When this stopped, the dug-out at once went out to the fort, and returned
+with the news that two boats had come up abreast, that one of them had
+been sunk by the cannon at the fort, and that its crew had been picked up
+by the other boat, which had rowed hastily back, suffering a good deal
+from the musketry fire under which the operation was carried on.
+
+“That is act one,” the captain said; “now we shall have to look for act
+two. I will go up with you, Mr. Farrance, to the place whence you saw
+them; we may be sure that there will be a great deal of signalling and
+consultation before they make any further step.”
+
+Accordingly they landed and went up to the look-out. The two vessels were
+lying close to each other with their sails aback. The more fortunate of
+the two boats which had attempted to explore the passage had just returned
+to them with its load of wounded and the survivors of its late companion,
+and boats were passing to and fro between the two ships.
+
+“It is an awkward question for them to decide,” the captain said. “Of
+course they know well enough that a ship must be in here, the gun shows
+them that, but they cannot tell that we are capable of making any defence
+beyond the single gun battery on the ledge.”
+
+It was an hour before there was any change in the position, but at the end
+of that time the sails were filled and the two vessels headed for the
+mouth of the inlet. They had evidently concluded that the English ship was
+lying there disabled. The two officers hurried back to the _Furious_, and
+gave orders to prepare for the attack. The men at once stood to their
+posts. Presently the gun of the fort boomed out again, and by the cheering
+that followed the sound it was evident that the shot had taken effect and
+smashed the rudder of one of the French ships. Several guns were fired in
+reply, but a minute later the bowsprit of the leading ship came into view.
+The men waited until they could see the whole vessel, then a crashing
+broadside from every gun on board the _Furious_ was poured into her bow.
+
+The effect was tremendous; a hole ten or twelve feet wide was torn in her
+bow, and the ship was swept from end to end by balls and splinters, and
+the shrieks and groans that arose from her told that the execution was
+heavy. It was evident that the battle was already half-won as far as she
+was concerned. There was not room enough in the little inlet for her to
+manœuvre in the light wind so as to bring her broadside to bear on the
+_Furious_, and another crashing broadside from the latter vessel completed
+her discomfiture. The other vessel now came up by her side, but she had
+been disabled by the fort, and her helm would not act. Her captain at once
+lowered her boats and tried to get her head round, but these were smashed
+up by the fire of the _Furious_, and the two vessels lay together side by
+side, helpless to reply in any efficient way to the incessant fire kept up
+upon them. The Frenchmen did all that was possible for brave men to do in
+the circumstances, but their position was hopeless, and after suffering
+terribly for ten minutes, one after the other hauled down their flag.
+
+A tremendous burst of cheering broke from the _Furious_. She had lost but
+two men killed and four or five wounded by the bullets of the French
+topmen. She had also been struck twice by balls from the bow-chaser of the
+second ship; but this was the extent of her damage, while the loss of life
+on board the French frigates had been frightful. Some sixty men had been
+killed and eighty wounded on the first ship, while thirty were killed and
+still more wounded in the boats of the second vessel.
+
+Captain Harker went on board the captures to receive the swords of their
+commanders.
+
+“You have done your best, gentlemen,” he said; “no one in the
+circumstances could have done more. Had there been ten of you instead of
+two the result must have been the same. If your boats had got in and seen
+the situation you would have understood that the position was an
+impossible one. There was no room in here for manœuvring, and even had one
+of you not been damaged by the shot from that little battery of ours, your
+position would have been practically unchanged, and you could not possibly
+have brought your broadsides to bear upon us.”
+
+The French captains, who were much mortified by the disaster, bowed
+silently.
+
+“It is the fortune of war, sir,” one of them said, “and certainly we could
+not have anticipated that you would be so wonderfully placed for defence.
+I agree with you that our case was hopeless from the first, and I
+compliment you upon your dispositions, which were certainly admirable.”
+
+“You and your officers will be perfectly at liberty,” the captain said;
+“your crews must be placed in partial confinement, but a third of them can
+always be on deck. My surgeon has come on board with me, and will at once
+assist yours in attending to your wounded.”
+
+A considerable portion of the crew of the _Furious_ were at once put on
+board the French frigate _Eclaire_, and set to work to dismantle her. The
+masts, spars, and rigging were transferred to the _Furious_ and erected in
+place of her own shattered stumps, which were thrown overboard. Thus,
+after four days of the hardest work for all, the _Furious_ was again
+placed in fighting trim.
+
+Preparations were immediately made for sailing. The _Furious_ led the way,
+towing behind her the dismantled hull in which the whole of the prisoners
+were carried. A prize crew of sixty were placed on board the _Actif_.
+
+When they were about half-way to Jamaica a squadron of three vessels were
+sighted. Preparations were made to throw off the _Eclaire_ if the ships
+proved to be hostile, but before long it was evident that they were
+English. They approached rapidly, and when they rounded-to near the
+_Furious_ the crews manned the yards and greeted her with tremendous
+cheers. The officer in command was at once rowed to the _Furious_. As the
+boat neared the ship his friends recognized Mr. Peters and Robson sitting
+in the stern.
+
+“What miracle is this, Captain Harker?” the officer cried as he came on
+deck. “Your lieutenant brought us news that you were dismasted and lying
+helpless in some little inlet, and here you are with what I can see is a
+French equipment and a couple of prizes! I can almost accuse you of having
+brought us here on a fool’s errand.”
+
+“It must have that appearance to you; but the facts of the case are
+simple;” and he told the story of the fight. “The battle was practically
+over when the first shot was fired,” he said. “The two French ships lost
+upwards of seventy killed and over a hundred wounded, while we had only
+four men killed and two wounded. If the place had been designed by nature
+specially for defence it could not have been better adapted for us.”
+
+“I see that,” Captain Ingham said; “but you made the most of the
+advantages. Your plan of laying her broadside to the entrance, getting all
+your cannon on one side, and building a boom to prevent any vessel from
+getting behind you, was most excellent. Well, it is a splendid victory,
+the more so as it has been won with so little loss. The French certainly
+showed but little discretion in thus running into the trap you had
+prepared for them. Of course they could not tell what to expect, but at
+least, whatever it might have cost them, they ought to have sent a strong
+boat division in to reconnoitre. No English captain would have risked his
+vessel in such a way.”
+
+With very little delay the voyage to Jamaica was continued. Two of the
+relief party went straight on, the other remained with the _Furious_ in
+case she should fall in with a French fleet. When the little squadron
+entered Port Royal they received an enthusiastic welcome from the ships on
+the station. Both prizes were bought into the service and handed over to
+the dockyard for a thorough refit. Their names were changed, the _Eclaire_
+being rechristened the _Sylph_, the _Actif_ becoming the _Hawke_.
+Lieutenant Farrance was promoted to the rank of captain, and given the
+command of the latter vessel, and some of the survivors of a ship that had
+a fortnight before been lost on a dangerous reef were told off to her. He
+was, according to rule, permitted to take a boat’s crew and a midshipman
+with him from his old ship, and he selected Will Gilmore, and, among the
+men, Dimchurch and Tom Stevens.
+
+The planters of Jamaica were celebrated for their hospitality, and the
+officers received many invitations.
+
+“You are quite at liberty to accept any of them you like,” Captain
+Farrance said to Will. “Till the vessel gets out of the hands of the
+dockyard men there is nothing whatever for you to do. But I may tell you
+that there is a good deal of unrest in the island among the slaves. The
+doings of the French revolutionists, and the excitement they have caused
+by becoming the patrons of the mulattoes has, as might be expected, spread
+here, and it is greatly feared that trouble may come of it. Of course the
+planters generally pooh-pooh the idea, but it is not to be despised, and a
+few of them have already left their plantations and come down here. I
+don’t say that you should not accept any invitation if you like, but if an
+outbreak takes place suddenly I fancy very few of the planters will get
+down safely. I mean, of course, if there is a general rising, which I hope
+will not be the case. Negroes are a good deal like other people. Where
+they are well treated they are quite content to go on as they are. Where
+they are badly treated they are apt to try and better themselves. Still,
+that is not always the case. There is no doubt that altogether the French
+planters of San Domingo are much gentler in their treatment of their
+slaves than our people are here. Large numbers of them are of good old
+French families, and look on their slaves rather as children to be ruled
+by kindness than as beasts of burden, as there is no doubt some, not many,
+I hope, but certainly some of the English planters do. With San Domingo in
+the throes of a slave revolution, therefore, it will not be surprising if
+the movement communicates itself to the slaves here. I know that the
+admiral thinks it prudent to keep an extra ship of war on the station so
+as to be prepared for any emergency.”
+
+“Very well, sir. Then I will not accept invitations for overnight.”
+
+“I don’t say that, Mr. Gilmore. In nine cases out of ten I should say it
+could be done without danger; for if a rebellion breaks out it will not at
+first be general, but will begin at some of the most hardly-managed
+plantations, and there will be plenty of time to return to town before it
+spreads.”
+
+As Will had no desire to mix himself up in a slave insurrection, he
+declined all invitations to go out to houses beyond a distance whence he
+could drive back in the evening. At all the houses he visited he was
+struck by the apparently good relations between masters and slaves. The
+planters were almost aggrieved when he insisted on leaving them in the
+evening, but he had the excuse that he was a sort of aide-de-camp to
+Captain Farrance, and was bound to be there the first thing in the morning
+to receive any orders that he might have to give. He generally hired a gig
+and drove over early so as to have a long day there, and always took
+either Dimchurch or Tom with him. He enjoyed himself very much, but was
+not sorry when the repairs on the _Hawke_ were completed.
+
+As the admiral was anxious for her to be away, some men were drafted from
+the other ships; others were recruited from the crews of the merchantmen
+in the port by Dimchurch, who spoke very highly of the life on board a
+man-of-war, and of the good qualities of the _Hawke’s_ commander. The
+complement was completed by a draft of fresh hands from England, brought
+out to make good the losses of the various ships on the station. Within
+three weeks, therefore, of her leaving the dockyard the _Hawke_ sailed to
+join the expedition under Sir John Laforey and General Cuyler, to capture
+the island of Tobago, where, on 14th April, 1793, some troops were landed.
+The French governor was summoned to surrender, but refused, so the works
+were attacked and carried after a spirited resistance. But the attempt to
+capture St. Pierre in the island of Martinique was not equally
+successfully. The French defended the place so desperately that the troops
+were re-embarked with considerable loss.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VII
+
+
+ AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND
+
+
+Will was hit by a musket-ball in the last engagement that took place, and
+was sent back with a batch of wounded to Port Royal. Three of the fingers
+of his left hand had been carried away, but he bore the loss with
+equanimity, as it would not compel him to leave the service. Tom, who went
+with him as his servant, fretted a good deal more over it than he himself,
+and was often loud in his lamentations.
+
+“It would not have made any difference if it had been me,” he said, “but
+it is awfully hard on you.”
+
+“What ridiculous nonsense, Tom!” Will said quite angrily, after one of
+these outbursts. “If it had been you it would have been really serious,
+for though an officer can get on very well without some of his fingers a
+sailor would be useless and would be turned adrift with some trifling
+pension. I shall do very well. I have been mentioned in despatches and I
+am certain to get my step as soon as I have served long enough to pass, so
+after a time I shall not miss them at all.”
+
+Tom was silenced, though not convinced. The wound healed rapidly, thanks
+to Will’s abstemious habits, and in six weeks after entering the hospital
+he was discharged as fit for duty. The _Hawke_ was not in harbour, so he
+went to an hotel. On the following day he received an order to call upon
+the admiral. When he did so that officer received him very kindly. “I am
+sorry,” he said, “to learn that you have lost some fingers, Mr. Gilmore.”
+
+“I hope it will not interfere much with my efficiency, sir?”
+
+“I think not,” the admiral said; “I have received the surgeon’s report
+this morning. In it he stated that your wound had from the first gone on
+most favourably, and that they had really kept you in hospital a fortnight
+longer than was absolutely necessary, lest in your anxiety to rejoin you
+might do yourself harm. Three days since a cutter of about a hundred tons
+was sent in by the _Sylph_. She was a pirate, and, like all vessels of
+that class, very fast, and would most likely have outsailed the _Sylph_
+had she not caught her up a creek. I have purchased her for the government
+service, and I propose to place you in command.”
+
+Will gave a start of surprise. At his age he could not have expected for a
+moment to be given an independent command.
+
+“I have noted your behaviour here, and have looked through the records of
+your service since you joined, and I am convinced that you will do credit
+to the post. I shall give you a midshipman junior to yourself from the
+_Thetis_, and you will have forty hands before the mast. The _Hawke_ is
+expected in in a few days, so you can pick five men from her. The rest I
+will make up from the other ships. The cutter will be furnished with four
+twelve-pounders, and the long sixteen as a bow gun, which she had when she
+was captured. Your duty will be to police the coasts and to overhaul as
+many craft as you may find committing depredations, of course avoiding a
+combat with adversaries too strong for you.”
+
+“I thank you most heartily, sir, for selecting me for this service, and
+will do my best to merit your kindness.”
+
+“That is all right, Mr. Gilmore. I have acted, as I believe, for the good
+of the service, and to some extent as an incentive to other young officers
+to use their wits.”
+
+Will went out with his head in a whirl. He could hardly have hoped, within
+a year of his term of service as a midshipman, to obtain a separate
+command, and he could have shouted with joy at this altogether unexpected
+promotion. The first thing he did was to take a boat and row off in it to
+his new command. She was a handsome boat, evidently designed to be fast
+and weatherly.
+
+“These beggars know how to build boats much better than how to fight
+them,” he said, when he had examined her. “Assuredly in anything like a
+light wind she would run away from the _Sylph_. The admiral was right when
+he said that it was only by chance that she was caught. I hope the fellow
+who is going with me is a good sort. It would be awkward if we did not
+pull well together. At any rate, as the admiral seems to have picked him
+out for the service, he must be worth his salt. Of course I shall have
+Dimchurch as my boatswain; he will take one watch and the youngster the
+other. It will be hard if we don’t catch something.”
+
+Having rowed round the cutter two or three times he returned to the shore.
+As the little vessel had been taken by surprise, and had not been able to
+offer any resistance to a craft so much more powerful than herself, she
+was uninjured, and was in a fit state to be immediately recommissioned.
+She was called _L’Agile_, a name which Will thought very suitable for her.
+
+“Forty men will be none too strong for her,” he said, “for we shall have
+to work two guns on each side and that long one in the bow.” He went to
+bed that night and dreamt of fierce fights and many captures, and laughed
+at himself when he awoke. “Still,” he said, “I shall always be able to
+tackle any craft of our own size and carrying anything like our number of
+men.”
+
+Three days later the _Hawke_ came in. Will at once rowed off to her and
+had a chat with his friends. When he mentioned his new command his news
+was at first received with absolute incredulity, but when at last his
+messmates came to understand that he was not joking, he was heartily
+congratulated on his good fortune. Afterwards he was not a little chaffed
+on the tremendous deeds he and his craft were going to perform. When at
+last they became serious, Latham, the master’s mate, remarked: “But what
+is your new command like?”
+
+“She is a cutter of about a hundred tons, carrying four twelve-pounders,
+and a sixteen-pounder long pivot gun at the bow. I am to have forty men
+and a young midshipman from the _Thetis_.”
+
+“A very tidy little craft, I should say, Gilmore, and you will probably
+get a good deal more fun out of her than from a frigate or line-of-battle
+ship. You will want a good boatswain to take charge of one of the
+watches.”
+
+“I shall have one, for I am to take five men out of the _Hawke_, and you
+may be sure I shall take Dimchurch as boatswain.”
+
+“You could not have a better man,” Latham said; “he is certainly one of
+the smartest fellows on board the ship. He is very popular with all the
+men, and is full of life and go, and always the first to set an example
+when there is any work to be done. I suppose we shall also lose the
+services of that boy Tom?”
+
+“I think so,” Will laughed; “I should be quite lost without so faithful a
+hand, and indeed, though he still ranks as a boy, he is a big powerful
+fellow, and a match for many an A.B. at hauling a rope or pulling an oar.”
+
+“You are right. He is as big round the chest as many of the men, and
+though perhaps not so active, quite as powerful. When will you hoist your
+pendant?”
+
+“I have to get the crew together yet. I am to have small drafts from
+several of the ships, and it may be a few days before they can be
+collected.”
+
+The next morning the _Thetis_ arrived, and the young midshipman came on
+shore an hour later to report himself to Will. He looked surprised for a
+moment at the age of his new commander, but gravely reported himself for
+service. Will was pleased with his appearance. He was a merry-faced boy,
+but with a look on his face which indicated pluck and determination.
+
+“You are surprised at my age, no doubt, Harman,” Will said, “and I cannot
+be more than a year older than yourself, but I have been fortunate enough
+to be twice mentioned in despatches, indeed have had wonderful luck. I
+feel sure that we shall get on well together, and I hope both do well. We
+are to act as police on the coast of Cuba; it swarms with pirates, and it
+will be hard if we don’t fall in with some of them. You will, of course,
+keep one watch, and the boatswain, who is a thoroughly good man, will take
+the other. I need hardly say that we shall have no nonsense about
+commanding officer. Except when on duty, I hope we shall be good chums,
+which means, of course, that when an enemy is in sight or the weather is
+dirty I must be in absolute command.”
+
+“Thank you, sir!” Harman said. “These are good terms, and I promise to
+obey your commands as readily as if you were old enough to be my father.”
+
+“That is good. Now I have dinner ordered and I hope you will share it with
+me. We can then talk over matters comfortably.”
+
+Before dinner was over, the lad was more than satisfied with his new
+chief, and felt sure that at any rate the cruise would be a pleasant one.
+Just as they had finished, Dimchurch and Tom came in to see Will. On
+finding that he was engaged they would have withdrawn, but Will called
+them in. “Sit down and join Mr. Harman and myself in a chat. This, Harman,
+is Bob Dimchurch, who is going to be our boatswain, and Tom Stevens, whom
+I have known since we were five years old, and although I have gone over
+his head we are as good friends as ever. Dimchurch took me under his wing
+when I first joined, and since then has fought by my side on several
+occasions.”
+
+“We came to wish you success in your new command, sir,” Dimchurch said,
+“and should not have intruded had we known that you were not alone.”
+
+“It is no intrusion at all, Dimchurch. There is no man whose
+congratulations can be more pleasing to me. Have you seen the cutter?”
+
+“Yes, sir. Tom and I noticed what a smart, likely craft she was when we
+came in and dropped anchor. I little thought that it was you who had
+command of her, but I have no fear but that you will do her full justice.
+I could hardly believe my ears when I was told this afternoon, and Tom was
+ready to jump out of his clothes with joy.”
+
+“It is wonderfully good fortune, Dimchurch; I can hardly believe it myself
+yet.”
+
+“I am sure you deserve it, sir. It was you who recaptured that prize in
+the Mediterranean; it was you who saved the first lieutenant’s life; and
+it was you who suggested a plan by which we accounted for those three
+pirates. If that didn’t deserve promotion, it is hard to say what would.”
+
+“I owe no small portion of it, Dimchurch, to the fact that I was able to
+take an observation so soon after I had joined, and that was due to the
+kindness of my good friend Miss Warden.”
+
+“Yes, sir, that goes for something, no doubt, but there is a good deal
+more than that in it.” After some further talk both of the past and the
+future, Dimchurch sprang to his feet, saying: “Well, sir, I wish you
+success. But it is time we were off. I am told we are to remove our duds
+on board the new craft to-morrow.”
+
+“Yes, we are going to start manning her at once; I shall be on board with
+Mr. Harman directly after breakfast. I have not put foot upon her yet, and
+am most anxious to do so.”
+
+The craft fully answered Will’s expectations. Her after-accommodation was
+exceedingly good; the cabin was handsomely fitted, and there were two
+state-rooms.
+
+“We shall be in clover here, Harman,” he said; “no one could wish for a
+better command. I must set to work to get stores shipped at once. How many
+of the crew are on board?”
+
+“Twenty-three, sir, and I believe we shall have our full complement before
+night.”
+
+As they spoke a boat laden with provisions came alongside, and all hands
+were at once engaged transferring her load to the cutter. In the course of
+the forenoon the remainder of the men came on board in twos and threes.
+After dinner Will called the crew together and read out his commission.
+Then he made his maiden speech.
+
+“My lads,” he said, “I wish this to be a comfortable ship, and I will do
+my best to make it so. I shall expect the ready obedience of all; and you
+may be assured that if possible I will put you in the way of gaining
+prize-money. There are plenty of prizes to be taken, and I hope
+confidently that many of them will fall to our share.” The men gave three
+cheers, and Will added: “I will order an extra supply of grog to be served
+out this evening.”
+
+On the following day _L’Agile_ dipped her ensign to the admiral and set
+off on her voyage. Will was well pleased with the smartness the crew
+displayed in getting under weigh, and more than satisfied with the pace at
+which she moved through the water. For a month they cruised off the coast
+of Cuba, during which time they picked up eight small prizes. These were
+for the most part rowing-galleys carrying one large lateen sail. None of
+them were sufficiently strong to show fight; they were not intended to
+attack merchantmen, but preyed upon native craft, and were manned by from
+ten to twenty desperadoes. Most of them, when overhauled, pretended to be
+peaceful fishermen or traders, but a search always brought to light
+concealed arms, and in some cases captured goods. The boats were burned,
+and their crews, mostly mulattoes, with a sprinkling of negroes—rascals
+whose countenances were sufficiently villainous to justify their being
+hanged without trial,—were put ashore; for the admiral had given
+instructions to Will not to burden himself with prisoners, who would have
+to be closely guarded, and would therefore weaken his crew, and, if
+brought to Port Royal, would take up prison accommodation.
+
+At last one day a schooner rather bigger than themselves was sighted. Her
+appearance was rakish, and there was little doubt as to her character. All
+sail was at once crowded on _L’Agile_. The schooner was nearly as fast as
+she was, and at the end of a six hours’ chase she was still two miles
+ahead. Suddenly she headed for the shore and disappeared among the trees.
+_L’Agile_ proceeded on her course until opposite the mouth of the inlet
+which the pirate had entered. It was getting dark, and Will decided to
+wait until morning, and then to send a boat in to reconnoitre.
+
+“I have not forgotten,” he said to Harman, “the way in which those two
+French frigates I have told you of ran into a trap, and I don’t mean to be
+caught so if I can help it.”
+
+_L’Agile_ remained hove to during the night, and in the morning lowered a
+boat, with four hands, commanded by Dimchurch, who was ordered to row in
+until he obtained a fair view of the enemy, and observe as far as possible
+what preparation had been made for defence. He was absent for half an
+hour, and then returned, saying that the schooner was lying anchored with
+her sails stowed at the far end of the inlet, which was about half a mile
+long and nearly as wide, with her broadside bearing on the entrance.
+
+“If it is as large as that,” Will said, “there will be plenty of room for
+us to manœuvre. Did you make out what number of guns she carried?”
+
+“Yes, sir, she mounted four guns on each side; I should say they were for
+the most part ten-pounders.”
+
+“I think we can reckon upon taking her. Our guns are of heavier metal than
+hers, and the long-tom will make up for our deficiency in numbers.”
+
+_L’Agile_ was put under as easy sail as would suffice to give her
+manœuvring powers, and then headed for the mouth of the inlet. She was
+half-way through when suddenly two hidden batteries, each mounting three
+guns, opened upon her.
+
+“Drop the anchor at once,” Will shouted; “we will finish with these
+gentlemen before we go farther.” The schooner at the same time opened
+fire, but at half a mile range her guns did not inflict much damage upon
+the cutter. Lying between the two batteries she engaged them both, her
+broadside guns firing with grape, while the long-tom sent a shot into each
+alternately. In a quarter of an hour their fire was silenced, three of the
+guns were dismounted, and the men who had been working them fled
+precipitately.
+
+“Take a boat and spike the remaining guns, Dimchurch,” Will said; “I don’t
+want any more bother with them.”
+
+In a few minutes Dimchurch returned to the cutter, having accomplished his
+mission. The anchor was then got up again, and she proceeded to attack the
+schooner. _L’Agile’s_ casualties had been trifling; only one had been
+killed and three wounded, all of them slightly. As she sailed up the inlet
+she replied with her pivot-gun to the fire of the enemy. At every shot the
+splinters were seen to fly from the schooner’s side, much to the
+discomfiture of the pirate gunners, whose aim became so wild that scarcely
+a shot struck _L’Agile_. When within a hundred yards of the schooner the
+helm was put down, and the cutter swept round and opened fire with her two
+broadside guns.
+
+The shots had scarcely rung out when Harman touched Will on the shoulder.
+“Look there, sir,” he said. Will turned and saw a vessel emerging from a
+side channel, which was so closed in with trees that it had been
+unperceived by anybody aboard the cutter. Her aim was evidently to get
+between them and the sea. She was a cutter of about the same size as
+_L’Agile_, but carried six ten-pounders.
+
+“The schooner has enticed us in here,” Will said, “there is no doubt about
+that, and now there is nothing to do but to fight it out. Take her head
+round,” he said, “we will settle it with the cutter first. The schooner
+cannot come to her assistance for some minutes as she has all her sails
+furled.”
+
+Accordingly he ranged up to the new-comer, and a furious contest ensued.
+He engaged her with two broadside guns and the long-tom, and at the same
+time kept his other two guns playing upon the schooner, the crew of which
+were busy getting up sail. The long-tom was served by Dimchurch himself,
+and every shot went crashing through the side of the pirate cutter, the
+fire of the two broadside guns being almost equally effective.
+
+“Keep it up, lads,” Will shouted; “we shall finish with her before the
+other can come up.” As he spoke a shot from the long-tom struck the
+cutter’s mainmast, which tottered for a moment and then fell over her side
+towards _L’Agile_, and the sails and hamper entirely prevented the crew
+from working her guns. For another five minutes the fire was kept up; then
+the crew were seen to be leaping overboard, and presently a man stood up
+and shouted that she surrendered. The schooner was now coming up fast.
+
+“Don’t let her escape,” Will shouted; “she has had enough of it, and is
+trying to get away. Run her aboard!” In a minute the two vessels crashed
+together, and headed by Will, Harman, and Dimchurch, _L’Agile’s_ crew
+sprang on board the schooner.
+
+The pirate crew were evidently discouraged by the fate of their consort
+and by the complete failure of their plan to capture _L’Agile_. The
+captain, a gigantic mulatto, fought desperately, as did two or three of
+his principal men. One of them charged at Will while he was engaged with
+another, and would have killed him had not Tom Stevens sprung forward and
+caught the blow on his own cutlass. The sword flew from the man’s hand,
+and Tom at once cut him down. Dimchurch engaged in a single-handed contest
+with the great mulatto captain. Strong as the sailor was he could with
+difficulty parry the ruffian’s blows, but skill made up for inequality of
+strength, and after a few exchanges he laid the man low with a clever
+thrust. The fall of their leader completed the discomfiture of the
+pirates, most of whom at once sprang overboard and made for the shore,
+those who remained being cut down by the sailors.
+
+When at last they were masters of the ship the crew gave three lusty
+cheers. But Will did not permit them to waste precious time in rejoicing.
+He knew that, though they had accomplished so much, there was still a
+great deal to be done, for the prizes might even yet be recaptured before
+they got them out to sea. Without a moment’s delay, therefore, he sent a
+boat to take possession of the cutter. The sail and wreckage were cleared
+away, and the boat proceeded to tow her out of the inlet. In the meantime
+a warp was taken from _L’Agile_ to the schooner, the sails of the latter
+were lowered, and Will sailed proudly out with his second prize in tow.
+Once fairly at sea the crew began to repair damages. Five men in all had
+been killed and eleven were wounded. Several of the latter, however, were
+able to lend a hand. The shot-holes in _L’Agile_ were first patched with
+pieces of plank, then covered with canvas, and afterwards given a coat of
+paint. Then the schooner was taken in hand, and when she was got into
+something like ship-shape order her sails were hoisted again, and ten men
+under Harman placed on board to work her. The cutter was taken in tow,
+only three men being left on board to steer.
+
+It was late in the afternoon before all the repairs were completed. Before
+sailing, a rough examination was made of the holds of the two vessels, and
+to the great satisfaction of _L’Agile’s_ crew both were found to contain a
+considerable amount of booty.
+
+“It is probable that there is a storehouse somewhere,” Will said; “but as
+we have under thirty available men it would be madness to try to land, for
+certainly two-thirds of the scoundrels escaped by swimming, and as each
+craft must have carried nearly a hundred men we should have been
+altogether overmatched. Well, they had certainly a right to count upon
+success; their arrangements were exceedingly good. No doubt they expected
+us to leave the batteries alone, and from the position in which they were
+placed they could have peppered us hotly while we were engaged with the
+schooner; in which case they would probably have had an easy victory. It
+was a cleverly-laid trap and ought to have succeeded.”
+
+“And it would, sir,” Dimchurch said, “if you had not turned from the
+schooner and settled with the cutter before the other could come to her
+assistance.”
+
+“The credit is largely due to you,” Will said; “that shot of yours that
+took the mast out was the turning-point of the fight. It completely
+crippled her, and as it luckily fell towards us it altogether prevented
+them from returning our fire.”
+
+Very proud were Will and his crew when they sailed into Port Royal with
+their two prizes. Will at once rowed to the flagship, where he received a
+very hearty greeting. “You have not come empty-handed, I see, Mr.
+Gilmore,” the admiral said; “you were lucky indeed to take two ships of
+your own size one after the other.”
+
+“We took them at the same time, sir,” Will said, “as you will see by my
+report.”
+
+The admiral gave a look of surprise and opened the document. First he ran
+his eye over it, then he read it more attentively. When he had finished he
+said: “You have fought a most gallant action, Mr. Gilmore, a most gallant
+action. It was indeed long odds you had against you, two vessels each
+considerably over your own size and manned by far heavier crews, besides
+the two batteries. It was an excellent idea to leave the vessel with which
+you were first engaged and turn upon the second one. If you had tried to
+fight them both at once you would almost certainly have been overcome, and
+you succeeded because you were cool enough to grasp the fact that the
+schooner at anchor and with her sails down would not be able to come to
+her friend’s assistance for some minutes, and acted so promptly on your
+conclusions. The oldest officer in the service could not have done better.
+I congratulate you very heartily on your conduct. What are the contents of
+the cargoes of the prizes?”
+
+“I cannot say, sir. With three vessels on my hands I had no time to
+examine them, but they certainly contain a number of bales of various
+sorts. I opened one which contained British goods.”
+
+“Then no doubt they are the pick of the cargoes they captured,” the
+admiral said; “I will go off with you myself and ascertain. I have nothing
+else to do this afternoon, and it will be a matter of interest to me as
+well as to you. You may as well let your own gig row back and I will take
+mine.”
+
+Accordingly the gig was sent back to _L’Agile_ with orders for two boats
+to be lowered and twenty of the men to be ready to go to the two prizes.
+As soon as the admiral came on board the hatchways were opened, and the
+men brought up a number of the bales. These were found to contain fine
+cloths, material for women’s dresses, china, ironmongery, carpets, and
+other goods of British manufacture. The other vessel contained sugar,
+coffee, ginger, spices, and other products of the islands. “That is
+enough,” said the admiral; “I don’t think we shall be far wrong if we put
+down the value of those two cargoes at £10,000. The two vessels will sell
+for about £1000 apiece, so that the prize-money will be altogether about
+£12,000, and even after putting aside my portion you will all share to a
+handsome amount in the proceeds. That is the advantage of not belonging to
+a squadron. In that case your share would not be worth anything like what
+it will now be. By the way, since you have been absent I have received the
+account of the prize-money earned by the _Furious_ in the Mediterranean
+and by the capture of the French frigates. It amounts in all to £35,000.
+Of course as a midshipman your share will not be very large; probably,
+indeed, it will not exceed £250, so, you see, pirate-hunting in the West
+Indies, in command even of a small craft, pays enormously better than
+being a midshipman on board a frigate.”
+
+“It does indeed, sir, though £250 would be a fortune to a midshipman.”
+
+“Well, if our calculations as to the value of the cargoes and ships are
+correct, you will get more than ten times that amount now. And as there
+are only the flag and one other officer to share with you, the men’s
+portion will be something like £100 apiece. A few more captures like
+this,” and he laughed, “and you will become a rich man.”
+
+He then rowed away to his own ship, and Will returned to _L’Agile_ and
+gladdened the hearts of Harman and the crew with the news of the value of
+their captures. _L’Agile_ remained another week in harbour, during which
+time all signs of the recent conflict were removed, and he received a
+draft of men sufficient to bring his crew up to its former level. Then she
+again set sail.
+
+They had cruised for about a fortnight when one morning, just as Will was
+getting up, Dimchurch ran down and reported that they had sighted two
+sails suspiciously near each other. “One,” he said, “looks to me a
+full-rigged ship, and the other a large schooner.”
+
+“I will have a look at them,” Will said, and, putting on his clothes, he
+ran on deck.
+
+“Yes, it certainly looks suspicious,” he said, when he had examined them
+through his telescope; “we will head towards them.”
+
+“She looks to me a very large schooner, sir,” said Dimchurch.
+
+“Yes, she is larger than these pirates generally are, but there is very
+little doubt as to her character. How far are they off, do you think?”
+
+“Ten miles, sir, I should say; but we have got the land-breeze while they
+are becalmed. By the look of the water I should say we should carry the
+wind with us until we are pretty close to them.”
+
+Every sail the cutter could carry was hoisted, and she approached the two
+vessels rapidly. They were some four miles from them when the sails of the
+schooner filled and she began to move through the water.
+
+“It will be a long chase now,” Will said; “but the cutter has light wings,
+so we have a good chance of overhauling her.”
+
+“The sails of the ship are all anyhow, sir,” Harman said.
+
+“So they are, Mr. Harman; foul play has been going on there, I have not
+the least doubt. The fact that the crew are not making any effort to haul
+in her sheets and come to meet us is in itself a proof of it. I think it
+is our duty to board her and see what has taken place. Even if we allow
+the schooner to escape we shall light upon her again some day, I have no
+doubt.”
+
+“She is very low in the water,” he said, after examining the merchantman
+carefully through his telescope, “and either her cargo is of no value to
+the pirates, and they have allowed it to remain in her, or they have
+scuttled her.”
+
+“I am afraid it is that, sir,” Dimchurch said, “for she is certainly lower
+in the water than when I first saw her.”
+
+“You are right, Dimchurch, the scoundrels have scuttled her. Please God we
+shall get to her before she founders! Oh for a stronger wind! Do you think
+we could row there quicker than we sail?”
+
+“No, sir. The gig might go as fast as the cutter, but the other boat would
+not be able to keep pace with her.”
+
+“Well, make all preparations for lowering. Heaven only knows what tragedy
+may have taken place there.”
+
+After all had been got ready, every eye on board the cutter was fixed on
+the vessel. There was no doubt now that she was getting deeper in the
+water every minute. When they got within a quarter of a mile of the ship
+she was so low that it was evident she could not float many minutes
+longer.
+
+“To the boats, men,” Will cried, “row for your lives.”
+
+A moment later three boats started at full speed. The gig, in which
+Dimchurch and Tom were both rowing, was first to search the sinking ship.
+Will leapt on board at once, and as he did so he gave an exclamation of
+horror, for the deck was strewn with dead bodies. Without stopping to look
+about him he ran aft to the companion and went down to the cabin, which
+was already a foot deep in water. There he found some fifteen men and
+women sitting securely bound on the sofas. Will drew his dirk, and running
+along cut their thongs.
+
+“Up on deck for your lives,” he cried, “and get into the boats alongside;
+she will not float three minutes.”
+
+At the farther end of the cabin a young girl was kneeling by the side of a
+stout old lady, who had evidently fainted.
+
+“Come,” Will said, going up to her, “it is a matter of life and death; we
+shall have the water coming down the companion in a minute or two.”
+
+“I can’t leave her,” the girl cried.
+
+Will attempted to lift the old lady, but she was far too heavy for him.
+
+“I cannot save her,” he said, and raised a shout for Dimchurch. It was
+unanswered. “There,” he said, “the water is coming down; she will sink in
+a minute. I cannot save her—indeed she is as good as dead already—but I
+can save you,” and snatching the girl up he ran to the foot of the
+companion. The water was already pouring down, but he struggled up against
+it, and managed to reach the deck; but before he could cross to the side
+the vessel gave a sudden lurch and went down. He was carried under with
+the suck, but by desperate efforts he gained the surface just as his
+breath was spent. For a moment or two he was unable to speak, but he was
+none the less ready to act. Looking round he saw a hen-coop floating near,
+and, swimming to it, he clung to it with one arm while he held the girl’s
+head above water with the other. Then, when he had recovered his breath,
+he shouted “Dimchurch!” Fortunately the gig was not far away, and his hail
+was at once answered, and a moment later the boat was alongside the
+hen-coop.
+
+ [Illustration: THE RESCUE]
+
+“Take this young lady, Dimchurch, and lay her in the stern-sheets. She
+can’t be dead, for she was sensible when the ship went down, and we were
+not under water a minute.”
+
+After the girl had been laid down, Will was helped in.
+
+“Did we save them all?” he asked.
+
+“Yes, sir; at least I think so. They all came running on deck and jumped
+straight into the boats. I was busy helping them, and did not notice that
+you were missing. As the last seemed to have come up, I called to the
+other boats to make off, for I saw that she could only float a minute
+longer, and as it was we had only just got clear when she went down.
+Indeed we had a narrow escape of it, and the men had to row. I was
+standing up to look for you, and had just discovered that you were not in
+any of the boats, when I heard you call. It gave me a bad turn, as you may
+guess, sir, and glad I was when I saw you were holding on to that
+hen-coop.”
+
+“Now, let us try and bring this young lady round,” Will said.
+
+They turned her over first upon her face and let the water run out of her
+mouth. Then they laid her flat on her back with a jersey under her head,
+and rubbed her hands and feet and pressed gently at times on her chest.
+After five minutes of this treatment the girl heaved a sigh, and shortly
+afterwards opened her eyes and looked round in bewilderment at the faces
+of the men. Then suddenly she realized where she was and remembered what
+had happened.
+
+“Oh, it was dreadful!” she murmured. “Poor Miss Morrison was lost, was she
+not?”
+
+“If that was the name of the lady you were kneeling by I regret to say
+that she was. It was impossible to save her; for though I tried my best I
+could not lift her. As you call her Miss Morrison I presume she is not a
+close relation.”
+
+“No, she had been my governess since I was a child, and has been a mother
+to me. Oh, to think that she is dead while I am saved!”
+
+“You must remember that it might have been worse,” Will said; “you
+certainly cannot require a governess many more years, and will find others
+on whom to bestow your affection. How old are you?”
+
+“I am fourteen,” the girl said.
+
+“Well, here is my ship, and we will all do our best to make you
+comfortable.”
+
+“Your ship!” the girl said in surprise; “do you mean to say that you are
+in command of her? You do not look more than a boy.”
+
+“I am not much more than a boy,” he said with a smile, “but for all that I
+am the commander of this vessel, and this young gentleman is my second in
+command.”
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER VIII
+
+
+ A SPLENDID HAUL
+
+
+When all were got on board, and the boats hoisted to the davits, Will
+conducted the ladies down to the cabin, which he handed over to them.
+Then, having ordered the cook to prepare some hot soup for the girl he had
+rescued, he came on deck again and questioned the male passengers.
+
+“We were all dressing for dinner,” one said, “when we heard a shouting on
+deck. Almost immediately there was a great bump, which knocked most of us
+off our feet, and we thought that we had been run into, but directly
+afterwards we heard a great tumult going on above us, and we guessed that
+the ship had been attacked by pirates. The clashing of swords and the
+falling of bodies went on for two or three minutes, and then there was a
+loud savage yell that told us that the pirates had taken the ship. Next
+moment the ruffians rushed down upon us, took away any valuables we had
+about our persons, and then tied us up and threw us on the sofas. After
+scouring all the cabins they left us, and by the noise that followed we
+guessed that they had removed the hatches and were getting up the cargo.
+
+“This continued all night, and some time this morning we heard the brutes
+going down to their boats, and thanked God that they had spared our lives.
+Presently all became still; but after a time we saw the water rising on
+the floor, and the dreadful thought struck us that they had scuttled the
+ship and left us to perish. One of us managed, in spite of his bonds, to
+make his way up the companion and endeavour to open the door. He found,
+however, to his horror that it was fastened outside. Time after time he
+flung himself against it, but it would not yield. The water rose higher
+and higher, and we were waiting for the end when, to our delight, we heard
+a bump as of a boat coming alongside the vessel, then the sound of someone
+running along the deck and of the companion door being hurriedly opened.
+You know the rest. The ship was the _Northumberland_ of Bristol.”
+
+“Thank God we arrived in time!” Will said. “It was an affair of seconds.
+If we had been two minutes later you would all have been drowned.”
+
+“What has become of that terrible pirate?” asked one of the passengers.
+
+“There he is, six miles away. I hope some day to avenge the murder of your
+captain and crew.”
+
+“But his ship looks a good deal larger than yours.”
+
+“Yes,” Will said, “but we don’t take much account of size. We captured two
+pirates in one fight, both of them bigger than ourselves.”
+
+“And your ship looks such a small thing, too, in comparison with our
+vessel!”
+
+“Yes, your ship could pretty well take her up and carry her. Weight
+doesn’t go for much in fighting.”
+
+“And are you really her commander?”
+
+“I have that honour. I am a midshipman, and before I got command of
+_L’Agile_ I was on board His Majesty’s ships _Furious_ and _Hawke_. I had
+a great deal of luck in several fights we came through, and as a result
+was entrusted by the admiral with the command of this vessel. As you say,
+she is small, but her guns are heavy for her size, and are more than a
+match for most of those carried by the pirates.”
+
+“Well, sir, in the name of myself and all my fellow-passengers I offer you
+my sincerest thanks for the manner in which you saved our lives. How close
+a shave it was is shown by the fact that you were yourself unable to get
+off the ship in time and were carried down with her.”
+
+“It was all in the way of business,” Will laughed. “We were after the
+pirates, and when we saw the state of your vessel we reluctantly gave up
+the chase in order to see if we could be of any assistance. I expect the
+schooner wouldn’t have run away from us had she not been so full of the
+cargo she got from your ship. They could not have had time to stow it all
+below, and it would have hampered them in working their guns, besides
+probably affecting their speed. I shall know her again when I see her, and
+then will try if these scoundrels are as good at fighting as they are at
+cold-blooded murder.”
+
+“Where are you going now, sir?”
+
+“I am cruising at present, and am master of my own movements, so if you
+will let me know where you are bound for, I will try to set as many of you
+down at your destination as I can.”
+
+“Most of us are bound for Jamaica, sir, and the others will be able to
+find their way to their respective islands from there.”
+
+“Very well, then, I will head for Jamaica at once. In the meantime my
+cabin and that of my second in command are at the service of the ladies.
+There are the sofas, too, in the saloon, and if these are not enough I
+will get some hammocks slung. I shall myself sleep on deck, and those of
+you who prefer it can do the same; for the others I will have hammocks
+slung in the hold.”
+
+Most of the ladies soon came up, but the girl Will had saved did not
+appear till the next morning. She was very pretty, and likely to be more
+so. If he had allowed her she would have overwhelmed him with thanks, but
+he made light of the whole affair. He learned from the other passengers
+that she was the daughter of one of the richest merchants in Jamaica. At
+the death of her mother, when she was five years old, she was sent home to
+England in charge of the governess who had been drowned in the
+_Northumberland_, and when this catastrophe occurred had been on her way
+to rejoin her father. Although saddened by the death of her old friend,
+she soon showed signs of a disposition naturally bright and cheerful. She
+bantered Will about his command, and professed to regard _L’Agile_ as a
+toy ship, expressing great wonder that it was not manned by boy A.B.’s as
+well as boy officers.
+
+“It must surely seem very ridiculous to you,” she said, “to be giving
+orders to men old enough to be your father.”
+
+“I can quite understand that it seems so to you,” he said, “for it does to
+me sometimes; but custom is everything, and I don’t suppose the men give
+the matter a thought. At any rate they are as ready to follow me as they
+are the oldest veteran in the service.”
+
+Will carried all the sail he could set, as he was anxious to get the craft
+free from passengers and to be off in search of the schooner that had
+escaped him. He was again loaded with thanks by the passengers when they
+landed, and after seeing them off he went and made his report to the
+admiral.
+
+“How is this, Mr. Gilmore?” the admiral said as he entered the cabin; “no
+prizes this time? And who are all those people I saw landing just now?”
+
+Will handed in his report; but, as usual, the admiral insisted on hearing
+all details.
+
+“But your uniform looks shrunk, Mr. Gilmore,” he said when Will had
+finished. “You said nothing about being in the water!”
+
+Will was then obliged to relate how he had rescued the girl from the
+cabin.
+
+“Well done again, young sir! it is a deed to be as proud of as the
+capturing of those two pirates. Well done, indeed! Now I suppose you want
+to be off again?”
+
+“Yes, sir, I should like to sail as soon as possible; in the first place,
+because I am most anxious to fall in with that schooner and bring the
+captain and crew in here to be hanged.”
+
+“That is a very laudable ambition. And why in the second place?”
+
+“Because I want to get off before a lot of people come to thank me for
+saving their relatives, and so on, sir. If I get away at once, then I may
+hope that before I come back again the whole thing will be forgotten.”
+
+“It oughtn’t to be, for you acted very wisely and gallantly.”
+
+“Well, sir, I don’t want a lot of thanks for only doing what was my duty.”
+
+“Very good, Mr. Gilmore, I understand your feelings, but I quite expect
+that when you do return you will have to go through the ordeal of being
+presented with a piece of plate, and probably after that you will have to
+attend a complimentary ball. Now, you can go back to your ship at once.
+Here is a letter to the chief of the store department instructing him to
+furnish you with any stores you may want without waiting for my
+signature.”
+
+“Thank you very much, sir! I hope, when I return, that I shall bring that
+pirate in tow. Can I have three months from the present time?”
+
+“Certainly, and I hope you will be able to make good use of it.”
+
+Returning to his ship, Will at once made out the list of the stores he
+required, and sent Harman on shore with it, telling him to take two boats
+and bring everything back with him. At five o’clock in the afternoon the
+two boats returned, carrying all the stores required. The water-tanks had
+already been filled up, and a quarter of an hour later the cutter was
+under sail and leaving the harbour.
+
+Will, of course, had nothing whatever to guide him in his search for the
+schooner beyond the fact that she was heading west at the time when he
+last saw her. At that time they were to the south of Porto Rico, so he
+concluded that she was making for Cuba. Every day, therefore, he cruised
+along the coast of that island, sometimes sending boats ashore to examine
+inlets, at other times running right out to sea in the hope that the
+pirate, whose spies he had no doubt were watching his movements, might
+suppose he had given up the search and was sailing away. Nevertheless, he
+could not be certain that she would endeavour to avoid him should she
+catch sight of him, for with a glass the pirate captain could have made
+out the number of guns _L’Agile_ carried, and would doubtless feel
+confident in his own superiority, as he would not be able to discover the
+weight of the guns. Will felt that if the pirate should fight, his best
+policy would be at first to make a pretence of running, in the hope that
+in a long chase he might manage to knock away some of the schooner’s
+spars.
+
+One day he saw the boats, which had gone up a deep inlet, coming back at
+full speed.
+
+“We saw a schooner up there,” Harman reported; “I think she is the one we
+are in search of. When we sighted her she was getting up sail.”
+
+“That will just suit me. We will run out to sea at once; that will make
+him believe we are afraid of him.”
+
+Scarcely had the boats been got on board, and the cutter’s head turned
+offshore, when the schooner was seen issuing from the inlet. Will ordered
+every sail to be crowded on, and had the satisfaction of seeing the
+schooner following his example. He then set the whole of the crew to shift
+the long-tom from the bow to the stern. Its muzzle was just high enough to
+project above the taffrail, and in order to hide it better he had hammocks
+and other material piled on each side of it so as to form a breastwork
+three feet high.
+
+“They will think,” he said, “that we have put this up as a protection
+against shot from his bow-chasers.”
+
+After watching the schooner for a quarter of an hour, Will said:
+
+“I don’t think she gains upon us at all; lower a sail over the bow to
+deaden her way. A small topsail will do; I only want to check her half a
+knot an hour.”
+
+It was an hour before the schooner yawed and fired her bow-guns.
+
+“That is good,” Will said to Dimchurch; “it shows that she doesn’t carry a
+long-tom. I thought she didn’t, but they might have hidden it, as we have
+done. Don’t answer them yet; I don’t want to fire till we get within half
+a mile of her; then they shall have it as hot as they like.”
+
+The schooner continued to gain slowly, occasionally firing her
+bow-chasers. When she had come up to within a mile of _L’Agile_ the cutter
+was yawed and two broadside guns fired; they were purposely aimed somewhat
+wide, as Will was anxious that the pirates should not suspect the weight
+of his metal, and did not wish, by inflicting some small injury, to deter
+her from continuing the chase. The schooner evidently depended upon the
+vastly superior strength of her crew to carry the cutter by boarding, and
+so abstained from attempting to injure her, as the less damage she
+suffered the better value she would be as a prize.
+
+“They are not more than half a mile off now, I think, sir,” Dimchurch said
+at last.
+
+“Very well then, we will let her have it.”
+
+The gun was already loaded, so Dimchurch took a steady aim and applied the
+match. All leapt upon the bulwarks to see the effect of the shot, and a
+cheer broke from the crew as it struck the schooner on the bow, about four
+feet above the water. In return the schooner yawed so as to bring her
+whole broadside to bear on the cutter, and six tongues of flame flashed
+from her side. At the same moment _L’Agile_ swung round and fired her two
+starboard guns. Both ships immediately resumed their former positions, and
+as they did so Dimchurch fired again, his shot scattering a shower of
+splinters from almost the same spot as the other had struck.
+
+“You must elevate your gun a little more, Dimchurch,” said Will, “and
+bring a mast about their ears. Get that sail on board!” he shouted; “I
+don’t want the schooner to get any nearer.”
+
+The order was executed, and the difference in the speed of the cutter was
+at once manifest. Again and again Dimchurch fired. Several of the shot
+went through the schooner’s foresail, but as yet her masts were untouched.
+
+“A little more to the right, Dimchurch.”
+
+This time the sailor was longer than usual in taking aim, but when he
+fired the schooner’s foremast was seen to topple over, and her head flew
+up into the wind, thus presenting her stern to the cutter.
+
+“She is a lame duck now,” Will said, “but we may as well take her mainmast
+out of her too. Fire away, and take as good aim as you did last time.”
+
+Ten more shots were fired, and with the last the pirate’s mainmast went
+over the side.
+
+“Well done, Dimchurch! Now we have her at our mercy. We will sail
+backwards and forwards under her stern and rake her with grape. I don’t
+want to injure her more than is necessary, but I do want to kill as many
+of the crew as possible; it is better for them to die that way than to be
+taken to Jamaica to be hanged.”
+
+For an hour the cutter kept at work crossing and recrossing her
+antagonist’s stern, and each time she poured in a volley from two
+broadside guns and the long-tom. The stern of the schooner was knocked
+almost to pieces, and the grape-shot carried death along her decks.
+
+“I am only afraid that they will blow her up,” Will said; “but probably,
+as they have not done so already, her captain and most of her officers are
+killed, for it would require a desperado to undertake that job.”
+
+At last the black flag was hoisted on a spar at the stern, and then
+lowered again. When they saw this the crew of _L’Agile_ stopped firing,
+and sent up cheer after cheer.
+
+“Now we must be careful, sir,” Dimchurch said; “those scoundrels are quite
+capable of pretending to surrender, and then, when we board her, blowing
+their ship and us into the air.”
+
+“You are right, Dimchurch. They might very well do that, for they must
+know well enough that they can expect no mercy.”
+
+Bringing the cutter to within a hundred yards of the schooner, Will
+shouted:
+
+“Have you a boat that can swim?” and receiving a reply in the negative,
+shouted back: “Very well, then, I will drop one to you.”
+
+He then placed the cutter exactly to windward of the schooner, and,
+lowering one of the boats, to which a rope was attached, let it drift down
+to the prize.
+
+“Now,” he shouted, “fasten a hawser to that boat; the largest you have.”
+
+There was evidently some discussion among the few men gathered on the deck
+of the pirate, and, seeing that they hesitated, Will shouted:
+
+“Do as you are ordered, or I will open fire again.”
+
+This decided the pirates, and in a short time the end of a hawser was tied
+to one of the thwarts of the boat. The boat was then hauled back to
+_L’Agile_, and when the cable was got on board it was knotted to their own
+strongest hawser.
+
+“That will keep them a good bit astern,” Will said; “otherwise, if the
+wind were to drop at night, they might haul their own vessel up to us, and
+carry out their plan of blowing us up.”
+
+“It is wise to take every precaution, sir,” Harman said; “but I don’t
+think any trick of that sort would be likely to succeed. You may be sure
+we should keep too sharp a watch on them.”
+
+While the hawsers were being spliced, Will shouted to the pirates to cut
+away the wreckage from their ship, and when this was done he started with
+his prize in tow. As soon as they were fairly under weigh he hailed the
+prisoners through his speaking-trumpet and questioned them about their
+casualties. They replied that at the beginning of the engagement they had
+had one hundred and twenty men on board. The captain had been killed by
+the first volley of grape, and the slaughter among the crew had been
+terrible, all the officers being killed and eighty of the men. The
+remainder had run down into the hold, and remained there until, after a
+consultation, one of them crawled up on deck and hoisted and lowered the
+black flag.
+
+“I suppose,” Will said, “your intention was to blow the ship and
+yourselves and us into the air as soon as we came on board.”
+
+“That is just what we did mean,” one of them shouted savagely; “if we
+could but have paid you out we would not have minded what became of
+ourselves.”
+
+“It is well, indeed, Dimchurch, that you suggested the possibility of
+their doing this to us. But for that we should certainly have lost nearly
+all our number, for, not knowing how many of the crew survived, I could
+not have ventured to go on board without pretty nearly every man. It will
+be a lesson to me in future, when I am fighting pirates, to act as if they
+were wild beasts.”
+
+“Well, sir, I don’t know that they are altogether to be blamed; it is only
+human nature to pay back a blow for a blow, and with savages like these,
+especially when they know that they are bound to be hanged, you could
+hardly expect anything else.”
+
+“I suppose not, Dimchurch, and certainly for myself I would rather be
+blown up than hanged. I suppose the reason why they did not blow up the
+ship when they found their plan had failed was that they clung to life
+even for a few days.”
+
+“I expect it is that, sir; besides, you know, each man may think that
+although no doubt the rest will be hanged, he himself may get off.”
+
+“Yes, I dare say that has something to do with it,” Will agreed. “I don’t
+think it likely, however, that any one of them will be spared after that
+affair of the _Northumberland_, and very probably that was only one of a
+dozen ships destroyed in the same way.
+
+“Now, Harman, we will put her head round and sail back.”
+
+“Sail back, sir?”
+
+“Certainly; I think there is no doubt that that inlet is the pirates’
+head-quarters, and that they are certain to have storehouses there
+choke-full of plunder. Some of their associates will in that case be on
+shore looking after it, and if their ship doesn’t return they will divide
+the most valuable portion of these stores among themselves, and set fire
+to all the rest. We have done extremely well so far, but another big haul
+will make matters all the pleasanter.”
+
+“But what will you do with the prize?” asked Harman.
+
+“I will cast her off eight or ten miles from the shore; they have no
+boats, and the schooner is a mere log on the water. When we see what
+plunder they have collected I shall be able to decide how to act. The
+cutter can hold a great deal, but if we find more than she can carry we
+must load the schooner also.”
+
+“But what would you do with the pirates in that case, sir?”
+
+“I should try to make them come off in batches, and then iron them; but if
+they would not do that, I should be inclined to tow the schooner to within
+half a mile of the shore, and so give all that could swim the chance of
+getting away. Those of them that are unable to do so would probably manage
+to get off on spars or hatchways. They have been richly punished already,
+and I fancy the admiral would be much better pleased to see the schooner
+come in loaded with valuable plunder than if she carried only forty
+scoundrels to be handed over to the hangman.”
+
+“But if we were to let them escape we should have to take great care on
+shore while we were rifling the storehouse.”
+
+“You may be sure that I should do that, Harman. The fellows could
+certainly take no firearms on shore, and I should keep ten men with loaded
+muskets always on guard, while those who are at work would have their
+firearms handy to them.”
+
+They towed the schooner to within seven or eight miles of the shore, and
+then cast her off and made for the creek from which the pirates had come
+out. As they entered the inlet, which was two miles long, they could see
+no signs of houses, so they sailed as far as they could and anchored. Will
+then landed with a party of ten well-armed men, and at once began to make
+a careful examination of the beach. In a short time they found a
+well-beaten path going up through the wood. Before following this,
+however, Will took the precaution to have fifteen more men sent ashore, as
+it was, of course, impossible to say how many of a guard had been left at
+the head-quarters. When the second party had landed, all advanced
+cautiously up the path, holding their muskets in readiness for instant
+action. They met, however, with no opposition; the pirates were evidently
+unaware of their presence. They had gone but a very short distance when
+they came to a large clearing, in the middle of which they saw several
+large huts and three great storehouses. They went on at the double towards
+them, but they had gone only a short distance when they heard a shout and
+a shot, and saw a dozen men and a number of women issue from the backs of
+the huts and make for the wood.
+
+“Now, my lads,” shouted Will, “break open the doors of those storehouses;
+there is not likely to be much that is of value in the huts. You had
+better take four men, Dimchurch, and set fire to them all; of course you
+can just look in and see if there is anything worth taking before you
+apply a light.”
+
+Will himself superintended the breaking open of the storehouses. When he
+entered the first he paused in amazement; it was filled to the very top
+with boxes and bales. The other two were in a similar condition.
+
+“There is enough to fill the cutter and the prize a dozen times,” Will
+said. “I expect they trade to some extent with the Spaniards, but they
+evidently had another intention in storing these goods. Probably they
+proposed, when they had amassed sufficient, to charter a large ship, fill
+her up to the hatchways, and sail to some American port or some other
+place where questions are not usually asked.”
+
+There was a safe in the corner of one of the storehouses; this they blew
+open, and when Will examined its contents he found that they consisted of
+the papers and manifests of cargoes of no fewer than eleven ships.
+
+“My conjecture was right,” he said. “They intended, no doubt, to keep some
+large merchantman they had captured, fill her with the contents of their
+prizes, and then with the papers and manifests of cargo they could go
+almost anywhere and dispose of their ill-gotten goods.”
+
+“I have no doubt that is so, sir,” Dimchurch said; “I only wonder they did
+not set about it before.”
+
+“It is quite possible they have done so already,” Will said, “but they may
+have taken prizes quicker than they could dispose of them, which would
+account for this immense accumulation. Now, Dimchurch, I will sit down and
+go through those bills of lading and pick out the most valuable goods. We
+will then take these off to begin with, and can leave it to the admiral to
+send a man-of-war or charter some merchantman to bring the rest. The
+schooner should carry between two and three hundred tons, and we could
+manage to cram eighty or a hundred into our hold. If we get all that
+safely to Jamaica, we need not grieve much if we find that the rest of the
+goods have been burned before the ships can come to fetch them.”
+
+It took him three hours to go through the bills of lading, making a mark
+against all the most valuable goods. Then some of the men were set to sort
+these out. There was no great difficulty about this, as the goods had been
+very neatly stored, those belonging to each ship being separated by narrow
+passages from the rest. The remainder of the men except two were meanwhile
+brought from the cutter. Sentries were then placed to watch all the
+approaches to the storehouses, and while ten men got out the bales and
+boxes, the remaining twenty-six carried them down the path. At night half
+the men remained in the storehouses, the other half returning to the
+cutter.
+
+Before sunset Will went with a small escort to the top of a neighbouring
+hill to see that all was well with the hulk of the schooner. With the aid
+of his telescope he could see her plainly, and to his great satisfaction
+noted that she had made but little drift.
+
+The next morning the work was resumed, and was carried on all day with
+only short breaks for meals, and so on the following two days. At the end
+of that time as much had been put on board the cutter as she could carry.
+Ten men were then left to guard the stores, and the rest, going on board,
+sailed out to the schooner and towed her in. They did not, as was at first
+intended, stop a mile outside the inlet, but came right into it and
+anchored opposite the path, as the labour of continually loading the
+cutter and then transferring her cargo to the hulk would have been very
+great. The next morning a party of twelve men went on board her, and
+found, as Will had expected, that she was entirely deserted.
+
+“They will be too happy at having made their escape to do anything for the
+next day or two,” Will said, “so we can go on working as usual.
+Fortunately the fellows who were left in the huts were taken so completely
+by surprise that they bolted at once and left their guns behind. If,
+therefore, they are joined by their friends from the schooner, and attack
+us, they will have no firearms with them, for, as the hulk is anchored
+about two hundred yards from shore, it would require a marvellously good
+swimmer to carry his musket and ammunition ashore with him. In future,
+however, we will leave twenty men to guard the storehouses at night; there
+is no boat in the inlet by means of which they could attack the cutter,
+and they are not likely to try to do so by swimming. At any rate, Harman,
+I will place you in command of her, and shall therefore feel perfectly
+confident that we shall not be taken by surprise.”
+
+“You can trust me for that, sir; I promise you that I will sleep with one
+eye open, though I don’t think they would be likely to attempt such an
+enterprise. They are much more likely to attack you at the stores. I think
+it would be advisable to take twenty-five men with you and leave me with
+fifteen, which would be ample. I should divide them into two watches, so
+that there would always be seven on deck. Jefferson, who is an uncommonly
+sharp fellow, would be in charge of one of the watches, and Williams of
+the other; and as I should myself be up and down all night, there would be
+no chance of our being caught napping.” Will agreed to this arrangement.
+
+The prize was now brought close inshore, the water being deep enough to
+allow of this. It was a great advantage, as the goods could be put on
+board direct, and the work was thereby greatly accelerated.
+
+Behind a pile of goods another safe was discovered, and this was found to
+contain £8500 in money, nearly a hundred watches, and a large amount of
+ladies’ jewellery. Many watches had also been found in the huts before
+these were burned. The bales and boxes contained chiefly spices, silks and
+sateens, shawls, piece-goods, and coffee.
+
+On the night of the fourth day after the escape of the prisoners one of
+the sentries perceived a dark mass moving from the wood. He at once fired
+his musket, and in a minute Will and Dimchurch, with their five-and-twenty
+men, were all in readiness.
+
+“Now, my men,” Will said, “these fellows will attempt to rush us. We will
+divide into three parties and will fire by volleys; one party must not
+fire till they see that all are loaded. In that way we shall always have
+sixteen muskets ready for them. I have no fear of the result, and even if
+they close with us our cutlasses will be more than a match for their
+knives. Here they come! Get ready, the first section, and don’t fire till
+I tell you.”
+
+The enemy, fully sixty strong, came on with fierce cries, knowing that the
+garrison were on guard, although they could not see them in the shadow of
+the storehouses. When they got within fifty yards Will gave the order to
+fire, and the first eight muskets flashed out. The second eight fired
+almost immediately after, and the third eight, waiting only till the first
+section had reloaded, followed suit. Nearly every shot told, and the shock
+was so great that it caused the advancing enemy to hesitate for a moment.
+This gave the second and third sections time to reload, so that, when the
+pirates again advanced, three more deadly volleys were poured into them in
+quick succession. The effect of these was instantaneous. Fully
+five-and-thirty had been brought to the ground by the six volleys; the
+remainder halted, swayed for a moment, then turned and fled at full speed,
+pursued, however, before they reached the wood, by another general
+discharge.
+
+Will was well pleased with the tremendously heavy punishment he had
+inflicted.
+
+“Out of the sixty men who attacked us,” he said to Harman the next
+morning, “I calculate that forty belonged to the schooner. I don’t suppose
+they were worse than the other twenty; but we had ourselves seen some of
+the crimes they had committed. We have accounted for forty in all, so of
+those who escaped from the schooner probably some five- or six-and-twenty
+have been killed. After such a thrashing they are not likely to make
+another attempt.”
+
+He was right. The work now went on undisturbed, and at the end of a
+fortnight the schooner was laden. All the hatches had been closed and made
+water-tight; and so full was she that her deck was only two feet and a
+half above the water, although her guns had been thrown overboard or
+landed.
+
+“Now I think we are all ready to sail,” Harman said.
+
+“Ready to sail! We have a fortnight’s hard work before us,” said Will.
+“You don’t suppose I am going to leave all these hogsheads of sugar,
+puncheons of rum, and bales of goods to be burnt or destroyed by those
+scoundrels.”
+
+“How can you prevent it?”
+
+“Very easily. There are plenty of materials on the spot to form four
+batteries, one on each side of the storehouses. We will drag up eight of
+the schooner’s guns and mount two on each battery; they shall be loaded
+and crammed to the muzzle with grape-shot. The batteries shall be built
+clear of the storehouses and in echelon, so that if one is attacked it can
+be supported by the others. As a garrison I will leave sixteen men under
+Dimchurch.”
+
+Dimchurch was called up and the matter explained to him, and he readily
+agreed to take charge.
+
+“Two men,” he said, “can be on watch in each battery while the others
+sleep; so there will be no chance of being taken by surprise, and you may
+be quite sure that, no matter how strong a mob may come down, they won’t
+stand the discharge of eight cannon loaded as you say. I suppose, sir, you
+mean to form the batteries of bales of cotton. There is a whole ship-load
+of them.”
+
+“That is my intention, Dimchurch; I have had it in my mind all the time.”
+
+The whole strength of the crew, with the exception of two to watch on
+board the cutter, now went up to the storehouses, and the men, delighted
+to know that all this booty was not to be lost, set to work with great
+vigour. Will marked out the sites for the batteries, and the bales of
+cotton were rolled to them and built up into substantial walls. It took
+ten days of hard labour to do this and haul up the guns.
+
+When the work was completed Dimchurch chose sixteen of the crew. There was
+an ample supply of provisions, which had been taken out of the huts before
+they were burnt; so it was not necessary to draw upon the stores of the
+cutter. When all was ready the two parties said good-bye, and, with a
+mutual cheer, the cutter’s crew went on board.
+
+“It is a hazardous business, I admit,” Will said, as, having got up sail,
+they moved down the inlet with the schooner in tow. “Of course I shall be
+a little uneasy until we can return from Jamaica and relieve Dimchurch;
+but I feel convinced that he will be able to hold his own and to give
+another lesson to the pirates if necessary. When they see us sail out they
+will naturally conclude that no great number can be left to guard the
+stores. Still, we may be sure that they have kept a watch on our doings
+from the edge of the forest, and that the sight of the guns will inspire a
+wholesome dread in them. I cannot but think that eight discharges of grape
+and langrage will send them to the right-about however strong they may be.
+Besides, we have given the men three muskets each, in addition to their
+own, from those we found on board the schooner; so if the enemy press on
+they will be able to give them a warm reception. And then, even if the
+attack is too much for them, they have still a resource, for we have left
+an exit in the rear of each battery by which they can retire to the
+storehouses. I have instructed them to carry all their muskets back with
+them; sixteen men with four muskets apiece could make a very sturdy
+defence. As you know, I had the doors repaired and strengthened and
+loopholes cut in the walls. Still, I don’t think they will be needed.”
+
+“How much do you think the prize will be worth?” Harman asked.
+
+“I have really no idea, but I am sure that what we have got here and in
+the schooner must be worth some thousands of pounds. What we have left
+behind must be the contents of about ten vessels, as all we have been able
+to take is only a full cargo for one good-sized ship.”
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER IX
+
+
+ A SPELL ASHORE
+
+
+Ten days later they arrived at Jamaica, and Will at once went to make his
+report to the admiral.
+
+“Well,” the admiral said heartily, “you have brought in another prize, Mr.
+Gilmore. She looks a mere hulk, and is remarkably deep in the water. What
+is she?”
+
+“She is the schooner that sank the _Northumberland_.”
+
+“You must have knocked her about terribly, for she is evidently sinking.”
+
+“No, sir, she is all right except that the stern is shattered. We have
+covered it over with tarpaulins backed by battens; otherwise she is almost
+uninjured.”
+
+“I am glad, indeed, to hear that you have caught that scoundrel, Mr.
+Gilmore, but I hardly think she can be worth towing in.”
+
+“She is worth a good deal, sir, for both she and the cutter are choke-full
+of loot.”
+
+“Indeed!” the admiral said in a tone of gratification. “In that case she
+must be valuable; but let me hear all about it.”
+
+“I have stated it in my report, sir.”
+
+“But you always leave out a good deal in your report. Please give me a
+full account of it. First, how many guns did she carry?”
+
+“Six guns a-side, sir.”
+
+“Then you must have done wonders. Now tell me all about it.”
+
+Will modestly gave a full account of the fight and of the steps he had
+afterwards taken to prevent them from playing a treacherous trick upon
+him, and of the land fight and the arrangements made to secure the goods
+he found at their head-quarters.
+
+“And now, what have you brought home this time?” the admiral asked.
+
+“This is the list, sir. I took it from the bills of lading which we found
+at the pirate head-quarters. Altogether the storehouses contained the
+cargoes of eleven ships. We picked out the most valuable goods and loaded
+the cutter and schooner with them, but that was only a very small portion
+of the total. I have left nearly half my crew there to guard the
+storehouses until you could send some ships from here to bring home their
+contents. With the cutter to navigate and the schooner to tow I dared not
+weaken myself further. I have left sixteen of my men there under my
+boatswain, and have erected four batteries with cotton bales, each
+mounting two guns, which are charged to the muzzle with grape and
+langrage. I have every confidence, therefore, that the little garrison
+will be able to hold its own against a greatly superior force.”
+
+“It was a great risk,” the admiral said gravely.
+
+“I am aware of that, sir, but it was worth running the risk for such a
+splendid prize. The value of nearly eleven cargoes must be something very
+great.”
+
+“Indeed it must,” the admiral said; “what are they composed of?”
+
+“You will see the entire list in the bills of lading, sir. I should say
+that nearly half the goods are sugar, rum, and molasses; the other half
+are bales and boxes, of which the details are given. Those we have brought
+home are silks, satins, cloth, shawls, and other materials of female
+dress, coffee, and spices.”
+
+“Well, Mr. Gilmore, this certainly appears to be the richest haul that has
+ever been made in these islands, at any rate since the days of the Spanish
+galleons. I will lose no time in chartering some ships. How many do you
+think will be necessary?”
+
+“I should say, sir, that if you had five vessels you could do it in two
+trips. Meanwhile I wish you would give me another thirty men to strengthen
+the garrison.”
+
+“Certainly I will do so. There are several vessels in the harbour which
+have discharged their cargoes and have not yet taken fresh ones on board,
+but are waiting to sail for England under a convoy. They will, no doubt,
+be glad of a job in the meantime.”
+
+Four days later the cutter again put to sea, with five merchantmen and a
+frigate, which was charged to act as a convoy. When they arrived off the
+inlet Will went ashore, and to his delight found the storehouses intact,
+and the little garrison all well. The crews of all the ships were at once
+landed, and in a short time the place was a scene of bustle and activity.
+In spite, however, of their exertions it was a fortnight before all the
+ships were loaded.
+
+Before setting sail again Will told off the thirty additional men to
+remain, and Harman was left in command. Dimchurch had reported that only
+once had the pirates shown in force. He had allowed them to come within a
+hundred yards of the battery they were facing, and then poured the
+contents of both guns into them, whereupon they had at once fled, leaving
+ten killed behind them.
+
+When the little fleet arrived at Jamaica again, Will found that the goods
+which he had brought in the cutter and schooner were valued at a far
+higher price than his estimate.
+
+The merchantmen were unloaded as fast as possible, and started again for
+Cuba without delay. All was well with the garrison at the inlet. A serious
+attack had been made on the forts the day after the fleet had sailed for
+Jamaica, but the garrison had repulsed it so effectually that they had not
+seen a sign of the enemy since. Even the hope of plunder was not strong
+enough to induce the negroes to make another attempt, and as for the
+pirates, they had been almost entirely wiped out.
+
+After the storehouses had been emptied they were burned, and Harman and
+his party returned to the cutter, and the fleet once more sailed for
+Jamaica.
+
+Will immediately started again on a short cruise. This time he met with no
+adventures. At the end of three weeks he returned, and when he went to
+make his report the admiral told him that the total value of the capture
+amounted to £140,000.
+
+“I must congratulate you,” he said, “as well as myself, on this haul. I
+should say it would make you the richest midshipman in the service. My
+share, as you know, is an eighth. You, as officer in command, and
+altogether independent of the fleet, will get one quarter. Mr. Harman’s
+share will be an eighth, and the rest will be divided among the crew, the
+boatswain getting four shares.”
+
+“I am astounded, sir,” Will said, “it seems almost impossible that I can
+be master of so much money.”
+
+“You have the satisfaction at any rate, Mr. Gilmore, of knowing that you
+have earned it by your own exertions, courage, and skill. I think now that
+it is only fair that I should send you back to your ship when she next
+comes in, and give someone else a chance.”
+
+“I agree with you, sir, and I cannot but feel deeply indebted to you for
+having put me in the way of making a fortune.”
+
+“I little knew what was coming of it,” the admiral said, “when I gave you
+the command of that little craft. If I had had the slightest notion I
+should assuredly have given it to an older officer.”
+
+Will returned to the cutter in a state of bewilderment at his good
+fortune. When he came on deck a little later he found waiting for him a
+gentleman who advanced with open arms.
+
+“Mr. Gilmore,” he said, “my name is Palethorpe. I am the father of the
+young girl whose life you so gallantly saved when the _Northumberland_
+sank. I have been trying to catch you ever since, but I live up among the
+hills, except when business calls me down here, and your stay here has
+always been so short that I never before heard of your arrival until you
+had started again. I cannot say, sir, how intensely grateful I feel. She
+is my only child, and you may guess what a terrible blow it would have
+been to me had she been lost.”
+
+“I only did my duty, sir, and I am glad indeed that I was able to save
+your daughter’s life. Pray do not say anything more about it.”
+
+“But, my dear sir, that is quite impossible. One man cannot render so vast
+a service to another and escape without being thanked. I have driven down
+here to carry you off to my home whether you like it or not. I called on
+the admiral this morning, and he said that he would willingly grant you a
+week’s leave or longer, and, in fact, that you would be unemployed until
+the _Hawke_ came in, as a master’s mate would take over your command.”
+
+Will felt that he could not decline an invitation so heartily given.
+Accordingly he packed up his shore-going kit, left Harman in temporary
+command, and went with his new friend ashore. A well-appointed vehicle
+with a pair of fine horses was waiting for them, and as soon as they were
+seated they at once started inland. After leaving the town they began to
+mount, and were soon high among the mountains. The scenery was lovely, and
+Will, who had not before made an excursion so far into the interior, was
+delighted with his drive. So much so, indeed, that Mr. Palethorpe
+gradually ceased speaking of the subject nearest his heart, and suffered
+Will to enjoy the journey in silence. At last they drove up to a handsome
+house which was surrounded by a broad veranda covered with roses and other
+flowers. As they stopped, a girl of fourteen ran out. Will would scarcely
+have recognized her. She was now dressed in white muslin, and her hair was
+tied up with blue ribbon, while a broad sash of the same colour encircled
+her waist. She had now also recovered her colour, which the shock of her
+adventure had driven from her cheeks, and she looked the picture of health
+and happiness.
+
+“Oh, you dear boy!” she cried out, and to Will’s astonishment and
+consternation she threw her arms round his neck and kissed him. “Oh, how
+much you have done for us! If it hadn’t been for you father would have had
+no one to pet him and scold him. It would have been dreadful, wouldn’t it,
+daddy?”
+
+“It would indeed, my child,” her father said gravely; “it would have taken
+all the joy out of my life, and left me a lonely old man.”
+
+“I have told you before,” she said, “that you are not to call yourself
+old. I don’t call you old at all; I consider that you are just in your
+prime. Now come in, Mr. Gilmore, I have all sorts of iced drinks ready for
+you.”
+
+Alice and Will soon became excellent friends. She took him over the
+plantations and showed him the negro cabins, fed him with fruit until he
+almost fell ill, and, as he said, treated him more like a baby than as an
+officer in His Majesty’s service.
+
+“The stars don’t look so bright to-night,” Will said, as he stood on the
+veranda with Mr. Palethorpe on the last evening of his visit.
+
+“No, I have been noticing it myself, and I don’t like the look of the
+weather at all.”
+
+“No!” Will repeated in surprise; “it certainly looks as if there was a
+slight mist.”
+
+“Yes, that is what it looks like, but at this time of year we don’t often
+have mists. I am afraid we are going to have a hurricane; it is overdue
+now by nearly a month. October, November, and the first half of December
+are the hurricane months, and I fear that, as it is late, we shall have a
+heavy one.”
+
+“I have seen one since I came out, and then we were at sea and were nearly
+wrecked. I saw its effects on land, however, for we spent some weeks
+ashore in consequence of it. The forest was almost levelled. I certainly
+should not care to see another one.”
+
+“No, it is not a thing that anyone would wish to see a second time. Words
+cannot describe how terrible they are. I hope, however, if we have one,
+that it will be a light one, but I am rather afraid of it.”
+
+Nothing more was said on the matter till they retired to bed, when Mr.
+Palethorpe said, half in fun and half in earnest: “I should advise you to
+have your clothes handy by your bedside, Mr. Gilmore, for you may want
+them quickly and badly if a hurricane comes.”
+
+Will laughed to himself at the warning, but nevertheless took the advice.
+He had been asleep for an hour when he felt the whole house rock. A moment
+later the roof blew bodily from over his head, and at the same time there
+was a roar so terrible that he did not even hear the crash of the falling
+timber. He leapt out of bed, seized his clothes, and hurried down. He met
+Mr. Palethorpe coming from his daughter’s room, carrying her wrapped up in
+her bed-clothes. They went down together to the front door. Will turned
+the handle, and the door was blown in with a force that knocked him to the
+floor. He struggled to his feet again and tried to get out, but the force
+of the wind was so tremendous that for some time he could not stem it.
+When he did manage to get through the doorway he saw Mr. Palethorpe
+standing some distance from the house. He fought his way towards him
+against the wind.
+
+“Are you not going to get into shelter?” he shouted in the planter’s ear.
+
+“It is safer here in the open,” the planter said; “I dare not get below a
+tree, but I will put my daughter in a place where she will be safe.”
+
+Struggling along against the gale he led the way to a small shed where the
+gardener’s tools were kept. It was about six feet long and three broad,
+and was built of bricks. The floor was some feet below the surface of the
+ground, so in entering one had to descend a short flight of steps.
+
+“Just hold my daughter on her feet,” the planter said, “while I clear this
+place out.”
+
+Much as he tried, Will was unable to keep the girl upright, and after a
+vain effort he allowed her to sink down on her knees and then knelt by her
+side. As soon as he had cleared away the tools Mr. Palethorpe came up and
+carried her down into the shed.
+
+“I think we are quite safe here,” he said; “the wall is only two feet
+above the ground, so even this gale will not shake us. The roof is
+strongly put together to keep out marauders. Now, Mr. Gilmore, there is
+room for us to crouch inside; it is the only place of safety I know of,
+for even in the open we might be struck by the flying branches torn from
+the trees. Besides, it will be a comfort to Alice to know that we are in
+safety beside her.”
+
+They spoke only occasionally, for the roar of the tempest was deafening.
+Every now and then they would hear a crash as some tree yielded to the
+force of the hurricane. Towards morning the gale abated, and soon after
+sunrise the wind suddenly stilled. When they looked out a scene of
+terrible devastation met their eyes. Some trees had been torn up by the
+roots, and branches twisted from others were strewed upon the ground
+everywhere. The house was a wreck; the whole of the roof was gone, and
+parts of the wall had been blown down. Inside there was utter confusion;
+the furniture was scattered about in all directions, and even
+looking-glasses had been torn from the walls and smashed. The planter,
+however, wasted but little time in looking at the wreck.
+
+“You had better go up and dress at once, Alice,” he said, “though you will
+have some trouble in finding your clothes. I have no doubt that all the
+loose ones are scattered about everywhere, and that some of the things are
+miles away. I will go down with Will at once to the slave-huts; I am
+afraid the damage and loss of life there has been great.”
+
+During his passage from the house to the shed the wind had several times
+threatened to tear Will’s clothes from his arms, but he had clung to them
+with might and main, and succeeded in carrying them safely into shelter.
+He had therefore been able to dress while they waited for the storm to
+abate. Mr. Palethorpe had felt so sure that a hurricane was impending that
+he had simply lain down on his bed without taking off his clothes.
+Accordingly they started at once for the slave-huts. As they had expected,
+the destruction there was complete. Every hut had been blown down. The
+negroes, who had fled to various places for shelter, were just returning,
+and Mr. Palethorpe soon learned from them that many were missing. He at
+once set all hands to remove the fallen timbers, and after two hours’ work
+sixteen dead bodies were recovered, for the most part children, and nearly
+as many injured. Some, also, of those who had come in had broken limbs.
+
+Alice came down as soon as she was dressed, and brought a bundle of
+sheets, needles, and thread, and Mr. Palethorpe took off his coat and set
+to work to bind and bandage the limbs and wounds. Alice suggested that a
+man on horseback should be sent down to the town for a surgeon, but her
+father pointed out that it would be absolutely useless to do so, as,
+judging by what they could see, the destruction wrought in the town would
+be terrible. Every surgeon would have his hands full, and certainly none
+would be able to spare time to come into the country. He decided to have
+all the worst cases carried down to the town and seen to there; slighter
+cases he could deal with himself.
+
+“I don’t know much about bandaging wounds,” he said, “but I know a little,
+and some of the native women are very good at nursing.”
+
+Alice, aided by the negresses, tore up the linen into strips and sewed
+these together to make bandages. Canes split up formed excellent splints.
+Will rendered all the assistance in his power. Now he held splints in
+position while Mr. Palethorpe wound the bandages round them, and now he
+helped to distribute among the wounded the soothing drinks that the
+servants of the house brought down.
+
+“What are you going to do now?” he asked as the last bandage had been
+applied.
+
+“I will drive down to the town and see how things are doing there. Peter
+tells me that two of my horses are killed, but the other two seemed to
+have escaped without injury, as the part of the stable in which they stood
+was sheltered by a huge tree, which lost its head, but was fortunately
+otherwise uninjured. You had better come down with us, Alice; we must stop
+at our house in town till things are put straight here. I will, of course,
+ride backwards and forwards every day.”
+
+“Can’t I be of some help here, father?”
+
+“None at all; by nightfall the slaves will have built temporary shelters
+of canes and branches of trees. The overseer is among those who were
+killed; he was on his way from his house to the huts when a branch struck
+him on the head and killed him on the spot. I will put Sambo in his place
+for the present; he is a very reliable man, and I can trust him to issue
+the stores to the negroes daily. I am afraid it will be some time before
+we get the house put right again, as there will be an immense demand for
+carpenters in the town. We may feel very thankful, however, that we have
+got a house there. It is a good strong one, built of stone, so we may hope
+to find it intact.”
+
+The carriage was brought round and they took their seats in it. The
+planter ordered two strong negroes to get axes and to stand on the steps,
+and when all was ready they started. The journey was long and broken; at
+every few yards trees had fallen across the road, and these had to be
+chopped through and removed before the carriage could pass. It was
+therefore late in the day before they reached the town. Will could not
+help grieving at the terrible destruction wrought in the forest. In some
+places acres of ground had been cleared of the trees, in others the trunks
+and branches lay piled in an inextricable chaos. All the huts and cottages
+they passed on their way were in ruins, and their former inhabitants were
+standing listlessly gazing at the destruction. Mr. Palethorpe had placed
+in the carriage two gallon jars of spirits and a large quantity of bread,
+and these he had distributed among the forlorn inhabitants while his men
+were chopping a road through the trees.
+
+When they arrived in the town they beheld a terrible scene of devastation.
+The streets occupied by the dwellings of well-to-do inhabitants had, for
+the most part, escaped, but in the suburbs, where the poorer part of the
+population dwelt, the havoc was something terrible. Parties of soldiers
+and sailors were hard at work here, clearing the ruins away and bringing
+out the dead and injured. Will, after saying good-bye to his friends at
+their door, joined one of these parties, and until late at night laboured
+by torchlight. At midnight he went to Mr. Palethorpe’s house, to which he
+had promised to return, and slept till morning. Two long days were
+occupied in this work, and even then there was much to be done in the way
+of clearing the streets of the debris and restoring order. Not until this
+was finished did Will cease from his labours. He then drove up with Mr.
+Palethorpe to his estate. They found that a great deal of progress had
+been made there, and that a gang of workmen were already engaged in
+preparing to replace the roof and to restore the house to its former
+condition. The slaves were still in their temporary homes, but with their
+usual light-heartedness had already recovered from the effects of their
+shock and losses, and seemed as merry and happy as usual.
+
+On his return to Port Royal, Will was the object of the greatest
+attentions on the part of the other passengers of the _Northumberland_,
+and received so many invitations to dinner that he was obliged to ask the
+admiral to allow him to give up his leave and to take another short cruise
+in _L’Agile_, promising that if he did so he would take good care not to
+capture any more prizes. The admiral consented, and in a few days the
+cutter set sail once more.
+
+After they had been out a month Will found it necessary to put in to get
+water. He chose a spot where a little stream could be seen coming down
+from the mountains and losing itself in the shingle, and he rowed ashore
+and set some of his men to fill the barrels. When he saw the work fairly
+under weigh he started to walk along the shore with Dimchurch and Tom.
+They had gone but a short distance when a number of negroes rushed
+suddenly out upon them. Will had just time to discharge his pistols before
+he was knocked senseless by a negro armed with a bludgeon. Tom and
+Dimchurch stood over him and made a desperate defence, and just before
+they were overpowered Dimchurch shouted at the top of his voice: “Put off,
+we are captured,” for he saw that the number of their assailants was so
+great that it would only be sacrificing the crew to call them to their
+assistance. They were bound and carried away by the exulting negroes.
+
+ [Illustration: “TOM AND DIMCHURCH MADE A DESPERATE DEFENCE”]
+
+“This is a bad job,” Will said when he came to his senses.
+
+“A mighty bad job, Master Will. Who are these niggers, do you think?”
+
+“I suppose they are escaped slaves; there are certainly many of them in
+the mountains of Cuba. I suppose they saw us sailing in, and came down
+from the hills in the hope of capturing some of us. It is likely enough
+they take us for pirates, who are a constant scourge to them, capturing
+them in their little fishing-boats and either cutting their throats or
+forcing them to serve with them. I am afraid we shall have but very little
+opportunity of explaining matters to them, for, of course, they don’t
+speak English, and none of us understand a word of Spanish.”
+
+They were carried up the hill and thrown down in a small clearing on the
+summit. Will in vain endeavoured to address them in English, but received
+no attention whatever.
+
+“What do you think they are going to do with us, sir?” Dimchurch asked.
+
+“Well, I should say that they are most likely going to burn us alive, or
+put us to death in some other devilish way.”
+
+“Well, sir, I don’t think these niggers know much about tying ropes. It
+seems to me that I could get free without much trouble.”
+
+“Could you, Dimchurch? I can’t say as much, for mine are knotted so
+tightly that I cannot move a finger.”
+
+“That won’t matter, sir. If I can shift out of mine I have got my
+jack-knife in my pocket, and can make short work of your ropes and Tom’s.”
+
+“Well, try then, Dimchurch. Half those fellows are away in the wood, and
+by the sounds we hear they are cutting brushwood; so there is no time to
+lose.”
+
+For five minutes no remark was made, and then Dimchurch said: “I am free.”
+Immediately afterwards Will felt his bonds fall off, and half a minute
+later an exclamation of thankfulness from Tom showed that he too had been
+liberated.
+
+“Now we must all crawl towards the edge of the forest,” Will said, “and
+then, instead of going straight down the hill we will turn off for a short
+distance. They are sure to miss us immediately, and will believe that we
+have made direct for the sea.”
+
+They had barely got into the shelter of the forest when they heard a
+sudden shout, so they at once turned aside and hid in the brushwood. A
+minute or two later they had the satisfaction of hearing the negroes
+rushing in a body down the hill. They waited until their pursuers had
+covered a hundred yards, and then they jumped to their feet and held on
+their way along the hillside for nearly a quarter of a mile, after which
+they began to descend. Just as they changed their course they heard an
+outburst of musketry fire.
+
+“Hooray!” Dimchurch exclaimed, “our fellows are coming up the hill in
+search of us. That’s right, give it them hot! I guess they’ll go back as
+quick as they came.” They now changed their direction, taking a line that
+would bring them to the rear of their friends. The firing soon ceased, the
+negroes having evidently got entirely out of sight of the sailors, but by
+the shouting they had no difficulty in ascertaining the position of the
+party, who were pushing on up the hill, and presently Will hailed them.
+
+“That is the captain’s voice,” one of the party exclaimed, and then a
+general cheer broke from the seamen. In another two minutes they were
+among their friends. Harman had landed with three-and-thirty men, leaving
+only five on board _L’Agile_. Great was their rejoicing on finding that
+the three missing men were all safe.
+
+“We had better fall back now,” Will said. “There must be at least three
+hundred negroes at the top, and though I don’t say we would not beat them
+we should certainly suffer some loss which might well be avoided. There is
+no doubt they took us for pirates and believed they were going to avenge
+their own wrongs. So we may as well make our way down before their whole
+force gathers and attacks us.”
+
+They retired at once to the shore, and had but just taken their places in
+the boats when a crowd of negroes rushed down to the beach. Four or five
+shots were fired, but by Will’s order no reply was made. They pushed off
+quietly and in a few minutes reached the cutter.
+
+“That has been a narrow escape,” Will said when he and Harman were
+together again on the quarter-deck; “as narrow as I ever wish to
+experience. If it hadn’t been for Dimchurch I don’t think you would have
+arrived in time, for they were cutting brushwood for a fire on which they
+intended to roast us. Fortunately he was not so tightly bound as we were,
+and so managed to free himself and us.”
+
+“I cannot say how thankful I was when I heard your voice. Of course we
+were proceeding only by guesswork, and could only hope that we should find
+you at the top of the hill. If they had carried you any farther away we
+could not have followed. I was turning this over in my mind as we
+advanced, when we heard the rushing of a large number of men down the hill
+towards us, and we at once concluded that you had escaped and that they
+were in pursuit, and as soon as the negroes appeared we opened fire.”
+
+“Well, all is well that ends well. It was very foolish of me to wander
+away from the men. Of course there was nothing whatever to tell us that we
+were being watched, but I ought to have assumed that there was a
+possibility of such a thing and not to have run the risk. I’ll be mighty
+careful that I don’t play such a fool’s trick again. It was lucky that
+Dimchurch shouted when he did to the watering-party, otherwise we should
+have lost the whole of them, and with ten gone you would have found it
+very hazardous work to land a sufficiently strong party.”
+
+“I should have tried if I had only had a dozen men. I concluded that it
+must have been negroes who had carried you off, and my only thought was to
+rescue you before they set to work to torture you in some abominable
+manner.”
+
+“Well, I expect it would soon have been over, Harman, but certainly it
+would have been a very unpleasant ending. To fall in battle is a death at
+which none would grumble, but to be burnt by fiendish negroes would be
+horrible. Of course every man must run risks and take his chances, but one
+hardly bargains for being burnt alive. It makes my flesh creep to think of
+it, more now, I fancy, than when I was face to face with it. When I was
+lying helpless on the hill, there seemed something unreal about it, and I
+could not appreciate the position, but now that I think of it in cold
+blood it makes me shiver. I will take your watch to-night; I am quite sure
+that if I did get to sleep I should have a terrible nightmare.”
+
+“I can quite understand that you would rather be on deck than lying down
+and trying to sleep. I am sure I should do so myself, and even now the
+thought of the peril you were in makes me shudder.”
+
+For a time _L’Agile_ cruised off the shore of Cuba, effecting a few small
+captures, but none of importance. Finally she fell in with three French
+frigates and was chased for two days, but succeeded in giving her pursuers
+the slip by running between two small islands under cover of night. The
+passage was very shallow, and the Frenchmen were unable to follow, and
+before they could make a circuit of the islands _L’Agile_ was out of
+sight. When the cutter at length returned to Jamaica the admiral decided
+to lay her up for a time, and the crew was broken up and retransferred to
+the vessels to which they belonged.
+
+Will was greeted with enthusiasm when he rejoined the _Hawke_.
+
+“You certainly have singular luck, Gilmore,” said Latham, who was the
+_Hawke’s_ master’s mate. “Here we have been cruising and cruising, till we
+are sick of the sight of islands, without picking up a prize of
+importance, while you have been your own master, and have made a fortune.
+And now, just as there is a rumour that we are to go home you rejoin.”
+
+A few weeks after this conversation the _Hawke_ received orders to sail
+for Portsmouth, and after a long and wearisome voyage arrived home late in
+the summer of the year 1793.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER X
+
+
+ BACK AT SCARCOMBE
+
+
+The news of their destination had created great satisfaction among the
+crew, as there was little honour or prize-money to be gained, and the
+vessel had been for some time incessantly engaged in hunting for foes that
+were never found. Not the least pleased was Will. He had left England a
+friendless ship’s-boy; he returned home a midshipman, with a most
+creditable record, and with a fortune that, when he left the service,
+would enable him to live in more than comfort.
+
+On arriving at Portsmouth the crew were at once paid off, and Will was
+appointed to the _Tartar_, a thirty-four gun frigate. On hearing the name
+of the ship, Dimchurch and Tom Stevens at once volunteered. They were
+given a fortnight’s leave; so Will, with Tom Stevens, determined to take a
+run up to Scarcombe, and the same day took coach to London. Dimchurch said
+he should spend his time in Portsmouth, as there was no one up in the
+north he cared to see, especially as it would take eight days out of his
+fortnight’s leave to go to his native place and back.
+
+On the fourth day after leaving London the two travellers reached
+Scarborough. Tom Stevens started at once, with his kit on a stick, to walk
+to the village, while Will made enquiries for the house of Mrs. Archer,
+which was Miss Warden’s married name. Without much trouble he made his way
+to it; and when the servant answered his knock he said: “I wish to see
+Mrs. Archer.”
+
+“What name, sir?” the girl said respectfully, struck with the appearance
+of the tall young fellow in a naval uniform.
+
+“I would rather not say the name,” Will said. “Please just say that a
+gentleman wishes to speak to her.”
+
+“Will you come this way?” the girl said, leading him to a sitting-room. A
+minute later Mrs. Archer appeared. She bowed and asked: “What can I do for
+you, sir?”
+
+“Then you do not know me, madam?” said Will.
+
+She looked at him carefully. “I certainly do not,” she said, and after a
+pause: “Why, it can’t be!—yes, it is—Willie Gilmore!”
+
+“It is, madam, but no doubt changed out of all recognition.”
+
+“I have from time to time got your letters,” said Mrs. Archer, “and
+learned from them with pleasure and surprise that you had become an
+officer, but never pictured you as grown and changed in this way. I hope
+you have got my letters in return?”
+
+“I only got one, Mrs. Archer, and it reached me just before we sailed from
+the Mediterranean two years ago. I was not surprised, however, for of
+course the post is extremely uncertain. It is only very seldom that
+letters reach a ship on a foreign station.”
+
+“Dear, dear, you have lost some fingers!” Mrs. Archer cried, suddenly
+noticing Will’s left hand. “How sad, to be sure!”
+
+“That is quite an old story, Mrs. Archer. I lost them at the attempt to
+capture St. Pierre, and am so accustomed to the loss now that I hardly
+notice it. It is surprising how one can do without a thing. I have to be
+thankful, indeed, that it was the left hand instead of the right, as, had
+it been the other way, I should probably have had to leave the navy, which
+would have meant ruin to me.”
+
+“It is all very well to make light of it,” she said, “but you must feel it
+a great drawback.”
+
+“Well, you see, Mrs. Archer, the loss of three fingers is of course
+terrible for a sailor, who has to row, pull at ropes, scrub decks, and do
+work of all sorts; but an officer does not have to do manual work of any
+kind, and hardly feels such a loss, except, perhaps, at meals. I am going
+to sea again almost directly, but the first time I have a long holiday I
+shall have some false fingers fitted on, more for the sake of avoiding
+being stared at than for anything else.”
+
+“Well, I am more than pleased at seeing you again, Willie. It is so
+natural for me to call you that, that it will be some time before I can
+get out of it. So you have got on very well?”
+
+“Entirely owing to you, Mrs. Archer, as I told you in the first letter I
+wrote to you after I got my promotion. You taught me to like study, and
+were always ready to help me on with my work, and it was entirely owing to
+my having learned so much, especially mathematics, that I was able to
+attract the attention of the officers and to get put on the quarter-deck.
+I have, I am happy to say, done very well, and I am sure of my step as
+soon as I have passed.
+
+“I had the extraordinary good fortune,” he said, after chatting for some
+time, “to be put in command of a prize that had been taken from some
+pirates, and was thus able to earn a good deal of prize-money. But nothing
+has given me greater pleasure since I went away than the purchasing of
+this little present for you as a token, though a very poor one, of my
+gratitude to you for your kindness;” and he handed her a little case
+containing a diamond brooch, for which he had paid one hundred and fifty
+pounds as he came through London.
+
+“Willie!” she exclaimed in surprise as she opened it, “how could you think
+of buying such a valuable ornament for me?”
+
+“I should have liked to buy something more valuable,” he said. “If I had
+paid half my prize-money it would only have been fair, for I should never
+have won it but for you.”
+
+“I have nothing nearly so valuable,” she said. “Well, now, you must take
+up your abode with us while you stay here. How long have you?”
+
+“I have a fortnight’s leave, but it has taken me four days to come down
+here, and of course I shall have to allow as many for the return journey.
+I have therefore six days to spare, and I shall be very pleased indeed to
+stay with you. I must, of course, spend one day going over to the village
+to see John Hammond and his wife. I am happy to say that I shall be able
+to make their declining days comfortable. Your father is, I hope, well,
+Mrs. Archer?”
+
+“Yes, he is going on just as usual. I was over there a fortnight ago. I am
+sure he will be very glad to see you; he always enquires, when I go over,
+whether I have had a letter from you, and takes great interest in your
+progress.”
+
+“Tom Stevens has come back with me, and has gone on to-day to the village.
+I told him not to mention about my coming, as I want to take the old
+couple by surprise.”
+
+“That you certainly will do. Of course they have aged a little since you
+went away, but there is no great change in them. Ah, there is my husband’s
+knock! Lawrence,” she said, as he entered, “this is the village lad I have
+so often spoken to you about. He has completely changed in the three years
+and a half he has been away. We heard, you remember, that he had become an
+officer, but I was quite unprepared for the change that has come over
+him.”
+
+“I am glad to see you, Mr. Gilmore. My wife has talked about you so often
+that I quite seem to know you myself, but, of course, as I did not know
+you in those days I can hardly appreciate the change that has come over
+you. One thing I can say, however, and that is that you bear no
+resemblance whatever to a fisher lad.”
+
+Will was soon quite at home with Mr. and Mrs. Archer, who introduced him
+with pride as “our sailor boy” to many of their friends. On the third day
+of his stay he hired a gig and drove over to Scarcombe. Alighting at the
+one little inn, he walked to John Hammond’s cottage, watched on the way by
+many enquiring eyes, the fisher folk wondering whether this was a new
+revenue officer. He knocked at the door, lifted the latch, and entered.
+The old couple were sitting at the fire, and looked in surprise at the
+young officer standing at the door.
+
+“Well, sir,” John asked, “what can I do for you? I have done with
+smuggling long ago, and you won’t find as much as a drop of brandy in my
+house.”
+
+“So I suppose, John,” Will said; “your smuggling didn’t do you much good,
+did it?”
+
+“Well, sir, I don’t see as that is any business of yours,” the old man
+answered gruffly. “I don’t mind owning that I have handled many a keg in
+my time, but you can’t bring that against me now.”
+
+“I have no intention of doing so, John. I dare say you gave it up for good
+when that dirty little boy who used to live with you chucked it and got
+into trouble for doing so. You recollect me, don’t you, mother?” he said,
+as the old woman sat staring at him with open eyes.
+
+“Why, it is Willie himself!” she exclaimed; “don’t you know him, John, our
+boy Willie, who ran away and went to sea?”
+
+“You don’t say it is Will!” the old man said, getting up.
+
+“It is Will sure enough,” the lad said, holding out his hand first to one
+and then to the other. “He has come back, as you see, an officer.”
+
+“Yes, Parson told us that. Well, well! Why, it was only two days ago that
+Tom Stevens came in. He has growed to be a fine young fellow too, and he
+told us that you were well and hearty and had been through lots of fights.
+But he didn’t say nothing about your having come home.”
+
+“Well, here I am, John; and what is better, I have brought home some money
+with me, and I shall be able to allow you and the mother a guinea a week
+as long as you live.”
+
+“You don’t mean it, lad!” the old man said with a gasp of astonishment; “a
+guinea a week! may the Lord be praised! Do you hear that, missis? a guinea
+a week!”
+
+“Lord, Lord, only to think of it; why, we shall be downright rich!” said
+his wife. “Plenty of sugar and tea, a bit of meat when we fancy it, and a
+drop of rum to warm our old bones on Saturday night. It is wonderful,
+John. The Lord be praised for His mercies! But can you afford it, Will? We
+wouldn’t take it from you if you can’t, not for ever so.”
+
+“I can afford it very well,” Will said, “and it will give me more pleasure
+to give it you than to spend it in any other way. Now, mother, let us say
+no more about it. Here is a guinea as a start, and I wish you would go to
+the shop and get some tea and sugar and bread and butter and a nice piece
+of bacon, and let us have a meal just as we used to do when we had made a
+good haul, or taken a hand in a successful run.”
+
+“It is three years and a half since I saw a golden guinea,” the old woman
+said as she put on her bonnet, “and they won’t believe their eyes at the
+shop when I go in with it. You are sure you would like tea better than
+beer?”
+
+“Much better, though if John would prefer beer, get it for him; but I
+think we had better put that off till this evening, then we will have a
+glass of something hot together before I start.”
+
+“You are not going away so soon as that, Will, surely?” the old man said
+when his wife had left them.
+
+“Yes, John, this is a short visit. I have only four days, and am staying
+with Miss Warden; that is to say, Miss Warden that was. I must go in and
+see her father for a few minutes. We’ll have plenty of time to talk over
+everything before I leave, which I won’t do till eight o’clock. I don’t
+suppose you have much to tell me, for there are not many changes in a
+place like this. This man, perhaps, has lost his boat, and that one his
+life, but that is about all. Now I have gone through a big lot, and have
+many adventures to tell you.”
+
+“But how did you come to be made an officer, Will? That is what beats me.”
+
+“Entirely owing to my work at books, which you used always to be raging
+about. But for that I should have remained before the mast all my life.
+Now in a couple of years or so I’ll be a lieutenant.”
+
+“Well, well! one never knows how things will turn out. I did think you
+were wasting your time in reading, and reading, and reading. I didn’t see
+what good so much book-learning would do you; but if it got you made an
+officer, there is no doubt that you were right and I was wrong. But you
+see, lad, I was never taught any better.”
+
+“It has all turned out right, John, and there is no occasion for you to
+worry over the past. I felt sure that it would do me good some day, so I
+stuck to it in spite of your scolding, and you will allow that I was never
+backward in turning out when you wanted me for the boat.”
+
+“I will allow that, Will, allow it hearty; for there was no better boy in
+the village. And so you have been fighting, I suppose, just like Tom
+Stevens.”
+
+“Just the same, father. We have been together all the time, and we have
+come back together.”
+
+“And he didn’t say a word about it!” the old man said. “He talked about
+you just as if you were somewhere over the sea.”
+
+“I told him not to tell,” Will said, “as I wanted to take you by
+surprise.”
+
+“But he is not an officer, Will. He is just a sailor like those revenue
+men. How does that come about? Didn’t he fight well?”
+
+“Yes, no one could fight better. If he had had as much learning as I had
+he would have been made an officer too; but, you see, he can hardly read
+or write, and, fight as he may, he will always remain as he is. A finer
+fellow never stepped; but because he has no learning he must always remain
+before the mast.”
+
+“And you have lost some fingers I see, Will.”
+
+“Yes, they were shot off by a musket-ball in the West Indies. Luckily it
+was my left hand; so I manage very well without them.”
+
+“I hope you blew off the fingers of the fellow that shot you.”
+
+“No, I can’t say who did it, and indeed I never felt anything at all until
+some little time after.”
+
+“I wish I had been there,” John said, “I would have had a slap at him with
+a musket. That was an unlucky shot, Will.”
+
+“Well, I have always considered it a lucky one, for if it had gone a few
+inches on one side it would have probably finished me altogether.”
+
+“Well, well, it is wonderful to me. Here am I, an old man, and never, so
+far as I can remember, been a couple of miles from Scarcombe, and you,
+quite a young chap, have been wandering and fighting all over the world.”
+
+“Not quite so much as that, John, though I have certainly seen a good
+deal. But here is mother.”
+
+Mrs. Hammond entered with a face beaming with delight.
+
+“You never saw anyone so astonished as Mrs. Smith when I went in and
+ordered all those things. Her eyes opened wider and wider as I went on,
+and when I offered her the gold I thought she would have a fit. She took
+it and bit it to make sure that it was good, and then said: ‘Have you
+found it, Mrs. Hammond, or what good fortune have you had?’
+
+“ ‘The best of fortunes, Mrs. Smith,’ says I. ‘My boy Will has come back
+from the wars a grand officer, with his pocket lined with gold, so you
+will find I’ll be a better customer to you than I have been.’
+
+“ ‘You don’t say so, Mrs. Hammond!’ says she. ‘I always thought he was a
+nice boy, well spoken and civil. And so he is an officer, is he? Only to
+think of it! Well, I am mighty pleased to hear it,’ and with that I came
+off with my basket full of provisions. The whole village will be talking
+of it before nightfall. Mrs. Smith is a good soul, but she is an arrant
+gossip, and you may be sure that the tale will gain by the telling, and
+before night people will believe that you have become one of the royal
+family.”
+
+In half an hour a meal was ready—tea, crisp slices of fried bacon, and
+some boiled eggs—and never did three people sit down to table in a more
+delighted state of mind.
+
+“My life,” the old woman said, when at last the meal was finished, “just
+to think that we’ll be able to feed every day of the year like this! Why,
+we’ll grow quite young again, John; we sha’n’t know ourselves. We had five
+shillings a week before, and now we’ll have six-and-twenty. I don’t know
+what we’ll do with it. Why, we didn’t get that on an average, not when you
+were a young man and as good a fisherman as there was in the village. We
+did get more sometimes when you made a great haul, or when a cargo was
+run, but then, more often, when times were bad, we had to live on fish for
+weeks together.”
+
+“Now, missis, clear away the things and reach me down my pipe from the
+mantel, and we’ll hear Will’s tales. I’ll warrant me they will be worth
+listening to.”
+
+When the table was cleared the old woman put some more coal on the fire
+and they sat round it, the old folk one on each side, with Will in the
+middle. Then Will told his adventures, the fight with the French frigate,
+the battle with the three Moorish pirates, how he had had the luck to save
+the first lieutenant’s life and so obtained his promotion, and how the
+next prize they took was recaptured, but that he and a portion of the crew
+again overcame the Moors. Then he related how he had had the good fortune
+to obtain the command of a prize, with forty men and another midshipman
+under him, and gave a vivid account of the adventures he had gone through
+while cruising about in her.
+
+“Well, well!” John Hammond said, when he brought his story to a
+conclusion, “you have had goings-on. To think that a boy like you should
+command a vessel and forty men, and should take three pirates.”
+
+“But the most awful part of it all,” the old woman said, “is about them
+black negroes that carried you off and were going to burn you alive. Lor’,
+I’ll dream of it at nights.”
+
+“I hope not, missis,” John said. “You dream more than enough now, and wake
+me up with your jumps and starts, and give me a lot of trouble to pacify
+you and convince you that you have only been dreaming. I am sorry, Will,
+that you told us about those niggers. I know I’ll have lots of trouble
+over it. Generally all she has had to dream about has been that my boat
+was sinking, or that the revenue officers had taken me and were going to
+hang me; but that will be nothing to this ’ere negro business.”
+
+“They are terrible creatures these negroes, ain’t they?” the old woman
+said. “I have heard tell that they have horns and hoofs like the devil.”
+
+“No, no, mother, they are not so bad as that, and they don’t have tails,
+either. They are not good-looking men for all that, and they look
+specially ugly when they are gathering firewood to make a bonfire of you.”
+
+“For goodness sake don’t say more about them; it makes me all come over in
+a sweat to think about them.”
+
+Just at this moment Tom Stevens came in and sat and chatted for some time.
+Will asked him to come in again later and to bring with him a bottle of
+the best spirits he could find in the village.
+
+“I’ll warrant I will get some good stuff,” Tom said. “There are plenty of
+kegs of the best hidden away in the village, and I think I know where to
+lay my hand on one of them.”
+
+Will then went to the rectory and had a chat with Mr. Warden, who was
+unaffectedly glad to see him.
+
+“I never quite approved,” he said, “of my daughter’s hobby of educating
+you, but I now see that she was perfectly right. I thought myself that at
+best you would obtain some small clerkship, and that your life would be a
+happier one as a fisherman. It has, however, turned out admirably well,
+and she has a right to be proud of her pupil. After the way you have begun
+there is nothing in your own line to which you may not attain.”
+
+“I wanted to ask you, Mr. Warden, what you could remember about my father.
+My own recollection of him is very dim. I am going to sea again in a week,
+but next time I return I’ll have a longer spell on shore, and I am
+resolved to make an effort to discover who he was.”
+
+“I fear that is quite hopeless, but I will certainly tell you all I know
+about him. I saw him, of course, many times in the village. He was a tall
+thin man with what I might call a devil-may-care, and at the same time a
+mournful expression. I have no doubt that had his death not been so sudden
+he would have told you something about himself. I have his effects tied up
+in a bundle. I examined them at the time, but there was nothing of any
+value in them except a signet-ring. It bore a coat-of-arms with a falcon
+at the top. I intended to hand this to you when you grew up, but of course
+you left so suddenly that I had no opportunity to do so. I will give you
+the bundle now.”
+
+“Thank you very much, sir! That ring may be the means of discovering my
+identity. Of course I have no time to make enquiries now, but when I next
+return I will advertise largely and offer a reward for information. It is
+not that I want to thrust myself on any family, or to raise any claim, but
+I should like, for my own satisfaction, to know that I come of a decent
+family.”
+
+“That is very natural,” the clergyman said; “but were I you I should not
+hope to be successful. You see, nearly thirteen years have elapsed since
+his death, and he may have been wandering about for three or four years
+before. That is a long time to elapse before making any enquiries.”
+
+“That may be so, but if these arms belong, as I suppose, to a good family,
+there must be others bearing them, and an advertisement of a lost member
+of it might at once catch their eye, and might very possibly bring a
+reply. Besides, surely there must be some place where a record is kept of
+these things.”
+
+“I do not know that, but I am sure I wish you success in your search, and
+can well understand that, now you are an officer in His Majesty’s navy,
+you would like to claim relationship with some big family.”
+
+“Quite so, sir. Of course I cannot imagine how it was my father came to be
+in such reduced circumstances.”
+
+“I should say, Will, that he quarrelled with his father, perhaps over his
+marriage, and left home in a passion. He was a man who, I could well
+imagine, when he once quarrelled, would not be likely to take the first
+step to make it up.”
+
+“Perhaps that was it, sir. Well, I am exceedingly obliged to you, and
+will, you may be sure, investigate the contents of the bundle carefully.”
+
+Returning to the cottage, Will found Tom Stevens already there with a
+small keg of brandy.
+
+“This is good stuff, Will,” he said; “it has been lying hidden for eight
+years, and was some of the choicest landed. I got it as a favour, and had
+to pay pretty high for it; but I knew you would not stick at the price.”
+
+“Certainly not, I wanted the best that could be got. Now, mother, mix us
+three good stiff tumblers, and take a glass for yourself.”
+
+“It is twenty year since I tasted spirits,” the old woman said, “though
+John has often got a drop after a successful run; but this afternoon I
+don’t mind if I do try a little, if it is only to put the thought of them
+bonfiring negroes out of my mind.”
+
+“I hope it will have that effect,” Will laughed.
+
+“Now, John, I told you about my adventures; let me hear a little village
+gossip.”
+
+John’s tale was not a very long, nor, it must be owned, a very interesting
+one. Mary Johnson, Elizabeth Cruikshank, Mary Leaper, and Susie Thurston
+had all had boys, while there had been five girls born. It was not
+necessary, however, to specify the names of their mothers, as girls were
+considered quite secondary persons in Scarcombe. One small cargo had been
+run, but the revenue people were so sharp that the French lugger had given
+up making the village a landing-place. John Mugby and his two sons had
+been drowned, and John Hawkins’s boat had been smashed up. As a result of
+the decline of smuggling there had been a revulsion of the feeling against
+Will, and the four men who had been the ringleaders in the movement had
+made themselves so generally obnoxious that they had had to leave the
+village.
+
+At seven o’clock Will said:
+
+“Now, father, I must be moving. Here are fifty guineas. They will last you
+for nearly a year. I’ll hand another fifty to Mr. Archer, and ask him to
+send you twenty pounds at a time. I’ll probably be back in England before
+it has all gone, and if not I will manage to find a means of sending more
+over to you.”
+
+“I sha’n’t sleep,” the old woman said; “I never shall sleep with all that
+money in the house. It is sure to get known about, and I should never feel
+safe.”
+
+“Very well, mother, take the money up to Mr. Warden, and ask him to hand
+you a guinea every Monday.”
+
+“Tom Stevens,” said the old woman, “I will ask you to go up to the rectory
+with me this very evening. I daren’t keep it here, and I daren’t carry it
+through the village, for there might be a pedlar about, and everybody
+knows that pedlars are apt to be thieves.”
+
+“Very well,” Tom said with a smile, “I will go with you, missis, when Will
+has left. I am big enough to tackle a pedlar if we meet one on the way.”
+
+“Thank you very heartily, Tom! I’ll be comfortable now; but I should never
+get a wink of sleep with fifty gold guineas in the house.”
+
+Will had noticed that the old couple’s clothes were sorely patched, and
+the next morning he purchased a complete new outfit for both. These he
+sent over by a carrier, with a note, saying: “My dear father, it is only
+right that you should start with a fair outfit, and I therefore send you
+and the missis a supply that will last you for some time.”
+
+Tom Stevens came over two days later, and he and Will started together for
+London. On their arrival at Portsmouth they at once joined the _Tartar_,
+which was quite ready to sail, and which was under orders to join Lord
+Hood’s fleet in the Mediterranean.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XI
+
+
+ CAPTIVES AMONG THE MOORS
+
+
+A week later the _Tartar_ proceeded to the Mediterranean. One morning
+after cruising there for some weeks, when the light mist lifted, a vessel
+was seen some three miles away. The captain looked at her through his
+telescope.
+
+“That is a suspicious-looking craft,” he said to the first lieutenant, Mr.
+Roberts. “We will lower a cutter and overhaul her.”
+
+The cutter’s crew were at once mustered. Will was the midshipman in charge
+of her, and took his place by the side of the third lieutenant, Mr.
+Saxton. The lieutenant ordered the men to take their muskets with them.
+
+“May I take Dimchurch and Stevens?” Will asked.
+
+“Yes, if you like. There is room for them in the bow, and two extra
+muskets may be useful.”
+
+The two men, who were standing close by, took their places when they heard
+the permission given.
+
+“I certainly don’t like her appearance, Gilmore,” the lieutenant said. “I
+cannot help thinking that she is an Algerine by her rig; and though every
+Algerine is not necessarily a pirate, a very large number of them are. I
+fancy a breeze will spring up soon, and in that case we may have a long
+row before we overtake her.”
+
+The breeze came presently, and the Algerine began to slip away. It was,
+however, but a puff, and the boat again began to gain on her. When they
+were five miles from the ship they were within a quarter of a mile from
+the chase.
+
+“Confound the fellow!” the lieutenant muttered; “but I think I was
+mistaken, for there are not more than half a dozen men on her deck.”
+
+At length the boat swept up to the side of the craft. As the men leapt to
+their feet a couple of round shot were thrown into the boat, one of them
+going through the bottom. The cutter immediately began to fill, and the
+men as they climbed up were confronted by fully a hundred armed Moors.
+Lieutenant Saxton was at once cut down, and most of the sailors suffered
+the same fate. As usual, Will, Dimchurch, and Stevens held together and
+fought back to back. The contest, however, was too uneven to last, and the
+Moorish captain came up to them and signed to them that they must lay down
+their arms.
+
+“Do it at once,” Will said. “They evidently prefer to take us prisoners to
+killing us, which they could do without difficulty. We have been caught in
+a regular trap, and must make the best of it.”
+
+So saying he threw down his cutlass, and the others followed his example.
+
+They were taken down below with three other unwounded sailors, and the
+wounded and dead were at once thrown overboard.
+
+“This is the worst affair we have been in together,” said Dimchurch,
+“since we fell into the hands of those negroes. Unless the _Tartar_
+overtakes us I am afraid we are in for a bad time.”
+
+“I am afraid so, Dimchurch, and I fear that there is little chance indeed
+of the frigate overtaking us. In such a light wind this craft would run
+away from her, and with fully five miles start it would be useless for the
+boats to try to overtake her.”
+
+“What are they going to do with us?”
+
+“There is very little doubt about that. They will make slaves of us, and
+either set us to work on the fortifications or sell us to be taken
+up-country.”
+
+“I don’t expect they will keep us long,” Dimchurch said grimly.
+
+“I don’t know; they have great numbers of Christians whom they hold
+captive, and it is rare indeed that one of them escapes. I suppose some
+day or other we’ll send a fleet to root them out, but our hands are far
+too full for anything of that sort at present. If we have a chance of
+escape you may be sure that we’ll take it, but we had better make up our
+minds at once to make the best of things until opportunity offers.”
+
+“I only hope we’ll be kept together, sir. I could put up with it if that
+were so, but it would be awful if we were separated; for even if one saw a
+chance for escape he could not let the others know.”
+
+“You may be sure, Dimchurch, that whatever opportunity I might see I would
+not avail myself of it unless I could take you both off with me.”
+
+“The same here, sir,” Dimchurch said; and the words were echoed by Tom.
+
+Six days later they heard the anchor run down, and presently the hatchway
+was lifted and they were told to come on deck. They found, as they had
+expected, that the craft was lying in the harbour of Algiers. At any other
+time they might have admired the city, with its mosques and minarets, its
+massive fortifications, and the shipping in the port, but they were in no
+humour to do so now. They regarded it as their jail. They and the three
+sailors were put into a boat and rowed ashore, the captain of the craft
+going with them. They were met at the wharf by a Moor, who was evidently
+an official of rank. He and the captain held an animated conversation, and
+by their laughter Will had no doubt whatever that the captain was telling
+the clever manner in which he had effected their capture. Then the
+official said something which was not altogether pleasing to the captain,
+who, however, crossed his hands on his breast and bowed submissively. The
+official then handed the six prisoners over to some men who had
+accompanied him, and they were immediately marched across to a large
+barrack-like building, which was evidently a prison. Two hours afterwards
+a great troop of captives came in. These were so worn and wearied that
+they asked but few questions of the new-comers.
+
+“Don’t talk about it,” one said in answer to a question from Will. “There
+is not one of us who would not kill himself if he got the chance. It is
+work, work, work from daybreak till sunset. We have enough to eat to keep
+us alive; we are too valuable to be allowed to die. We get food before we
+start in the morning, again at mid-day, and again when we get back here.
+Oh, they are very careful of us, but they don’t mind how we suffer! The
+sun blazes down all day, and not a drop of drink do we get except at
+meals. In spite of their care we slip through their hands. Sunstroke and
+fever are always thinning our ranks. That is the history of it, mate, and
+if I were to talk till morning I could not tell you more. I suppose by
+your cut that you are a man-of-war’s-man?”
+
+“You’re right,” Dimchurch said. “We got caught in a trap, and our nine
+mates were killed without having a chance to fire a shot.”
+
+“Ah!” the man said with a sigh, “I wish I had had their luck, and you will
+wish so too before you have been here long.”
+
+Rough food was served out, and then the slaves, after eating, lay down
+without exchanging a word, anxious only to sleep away the thought of their
+misery. The three friends lay down together. To each prisoner a small rug
+had been served out, and this was their only bedding.
+
+“We are certainly in a bad corner,” Dimchurch said, “but the great point
+will be to keep up our spirits and make the best of it.”
+
+“That is so,” Will agreed. “I am convinced that, however sharp a watch
+they may keep, three resolute men will find some way of escape. We’ll know
+a little more about it to-morrow. If there are windows to this building we
+ought to be able to get out of them, and if it is surrounded by walls we
+ought to be able to scale them. Besides, if we are set to work in the city
+we might find an opportunity of evading the diligence of our guards. For
+one thing, we must assume an air of cheerfulness while we work. In time,
+when they see that we do our work well and are contented and obedient,
+their watch will relax. Above all, we must not, like these poor fellows,
+make up our minds that our lot is hopeless. If we once lose hope we shall
+lose everything. At any rate, for the present we must wait patiently. We
+have still got to find out everything; all we know is that we are confined
+in a prison, and that we shall have to do some work or other during the
+day.
+
+“We have got to find out the plan of the city and its general bearings, to
+learn something, if we can, of the surrounding country, and to see how we
+should manage to subsist if we got away. Of course the natural idea would
+be to make for the sea and steal a boat. But we came up from the shore
+through an archway in the wall; it was strongly guarded, and I fear it
+would be next to impossible to get down to the port. Our best plan, I
+think, would be to take to the country if we can, and go down to the shore
+some distance from the city. We might then light upon a boat belonging to
+some fisherman. Of course all this is pure conjecture, and all we can
+arrange is that we shall keep our eyes about us, and look for an empty
+house in which we might hide and discover how we might leave the town on
+the land side, where it is not likely the fortifications will be nearly so
+strong as on the sea-face.”
+
+The next morning the captives were deprived of their clothes, and in their
+place were given dirty linen jackets and loose trousers. Their shoes were
+also taken away. They then fell in with the rest of the captives. On
+leaving the prison they were formed into companies, each of which, under a
+strong guard, marched off in different directions. The three friends kept
+close together, and were assigned to a company which was told off to clean
+the streets of a certain quarter of the town. They were furnished with
+brooms and brushes, and were soon hard at work. As the morning went on,
+the heat became tremendous. Several men fell, but the overseers lashed
+them until they got upon their feet again.
+
+“My eye! this is like working in an oven,” Dimchurch muttered; “the dust
+is choking me. We must certainly get out of this as soon as we can, sir.”
+
+“I agree with you, Dimchurch. I feel as if I were melting away. If I were
+to put a bit of food in my mouth I believe the heat would bake it in no
+time.”
+
+“I couldn’t swallow anything,” Tom said, “not even a mackerel fresh out of
+the sea.”
+
+“You know we agreed that we must make the best of everything,” Will said.
+“If we work as we are doing we can’t but please our overseers, and shall
+save ourselves from blows.”
+
+“They had better not strike me,” Dimchurch said; “the man that did it
+would never live to strike another.”
+
+“That might be,” Will said, “but it would be a small satisfaction to you
+if you were to be flogged to death afterwards.”
+
+“No, I suppose not, sir; but flesh and blood can’t stand such a thing as
+being struck by one of these yellow hounds.”
+
+At twelve o’clock the gang returned, and the men drank eagerly from a
+fountain in the courtyard of the prison.
+
+“Take as little as you can,” Will said; “if you drink much it will do you
+harm. You can drink often if you like, provided that you only take a sip
+at a time.”
+
+“It is easy to say, Mr. Gilmore, but it is not so easy to do. I feel as if
+I could drink till I burst.”
+
+“I dare say you do; I feel the same myself; but I am sure that to take a
+lot of water just now would do us harm instead of good.”
+
+Their abstinence so far benefited them that they felt their work in the
+afternoon less than they had done in the morning, though the heat was, if
+anything, greater.
+
+That evening they examined their prison. It consisted of one great hall
+supported by rows of pillars. Here the whole of the prisoners were
+confined. It was lighted by windows five-and-twenty feet from the ground.
+There was no guard inside, but fifty men, some of whom were always on
+sentry, slept outside the hall. It was clear to them, therefore, that no
+escape could be made after they were once locked up, and that if they were
+to get away at all they must make the attempt when they were employed
+outside.
+
+On the third day one of the sailors from the _Tartar_, who had disregarded
+Will’s advice to drink sparingly, fell down dead after drinking till he
+could drink no more. Scarcely a day passed without one or more of the
+captives succumbing; some of them went mad and were at once despatched by
+their guards.
+
+After working for a fortnight in the streets the gang were marched in
+another direction, and were put to labour on the fortifications. This was
+a great relief. They were now free from the choking dust of the streets,
+and obtained a view of the surrounding country. The three, as usual,
+laboured together, and showed so much zeal and activity that they pleased
+the head of their guard. They had the great advantage that they were
+accustomed to work together, while the majority of the gang had no such
+experience. There were men of all nationalities—French, Spanish, Italians,
+Maltese, and Greeks, and though most of them were accustomed to a warm
+climate, they had nothing like the strength of the three Englishmen. In
+moving heavy stones, therefore, the three friends were able to perform as
+much work as any dozen other prisoners. They were the only Englishmen in
+the gang, for the other two sailors had been from the first placed with
+another party.
+
+On the march to their work they passed by a palace of considerable extent,
+surrounded by grounds which were entered on that side by a small postern
+gate. “I would give a good deal to know if that gate is locked,” Will
+said.
+
+“What good would that do, sir?”
+
+“Well, if we could get in there we might hide in the shrubbery, and stop
+there till the first pursuit was over. No one would think of searching
+there. I should say we might, if we had luck, seize and bind three of the
+gardeners or attendants, and so issue from one of the gates dressed in
+their clothes without exciting suspicion.”
+
+“What should we do for grub, sir?”
+
+“Well, for that we must trust to chance. There are houses that might be
+robbed, and travellers who might be lightened of their belongings. I can’t
+think that three active men, though they might be unarmed, would allow
+themselves to starve. Of course we should want to get rid of these
+clothes, and find some weapons; but the great point of all is to discover
+whether that door is locked.”
+
+“All right, sir! I am ready to try anything you may suggest, for I am sick
+to death of this work, and the heat, and the food, and the guard, and
+everything connected with it.”
+
+They looked at the door with longing eyes each time they passed it. At
+last one day a man came out of the gateway just as they were passing, and,
+pulling the gate to behind him, walked away without apparently thinking of
+locking it.
+
+“That settles that point,” Will said. “The next most important question
+is, Are there people moving about inside? Then how are we to slip away
+unseen? To begin with, we will manage always to walk in the rear of the
+gang. There are often rows; if some poor wretch goes mad and attacks the
+guard there is generally a rush of the others to his assistance. If such a
+thing were to happen near this gate we might manage to slip in unnoticed.
+Still, I admit the chances are against anything of the sort taking place
+just at that point, and I expect we must try and think of something
+better.”
+
+A fortnight later, just as they were passing the door, a small party of
+cavalry, evidently the escort to some great chief, came dashing along at
+full speed. The road being somewhat narrow the slaves and guards scattered
+in all directions, several of them being knocked down.
+
+“Now is our chance!” Will exclaimed; and the three ran to the gate and
+entered the garden. There was no one in sight; evening was coming on, and
+any men who might have been working in the garden had left. They closed
+the gate behind them and turned the key in the lock, then ran into a
+shrubbery and threw themselves down. They trusted that in the confusion
+their absence would not be noticed, and this seemed to be the case, for
+they heard loud orders given and then all was quiet.
+
+“So far so good,” Will said. “The first step is taken, and the most
+difficult one. To-morrow, when the gardeners come, we will spring upon
+three of them and bind them. I should not think that there will be more
+than that.”
+
+Fortune favoured them, however, for an hour later three servants came
+along, laughing and talking together. The sailors prepared to act, and as
+the men passed their hiding-place Will gave the word, and, leaping out
+upon them, they hurled them to the ground. Tom and Dimchurch both stunned
+their men, and then aided Will to secure the one he had knocked down.
+Without ceremony they stripped off the clothes of the fallen men, tore up
+their own rags, and bound the captives securely, shoving a ball of the
+material between the teeth of each, and then secured them to three trees a
+short distance apart.
+
+“That is good,” said Will, as they put on the servants’ clothes; “they are
+safe till they are found in the morning. In these clothes we can boldly
+venture out from the town gate as soon as it is opened. There is always
+the risk that our colour may betray us, but we are all burnt nearly as
+dark as mahogany and may very well pass.”
+
+“Shall we start now, sir?”
+
+“No, they will find out when they get to the prison that we are missing,
+and there will be a keen hunt for us. And now I come to think of it, the
+guards at the gate will be warned of our escape, and will probably
+question us, particularly as these bright-coloured garments would attract
+their attention. I really think our best plan would be to go out into the
+town at once and try to get hold of other disguises.”
+
+“It would be a good thing if we could do so, sir.”
+
+“Dear me, how stupid I am!” exclaimed Will after a pause. “You know that
+wall we were repairing to-day? It was only about fourteen feet above the
+ground outside, so we should have no difficulty in dropping down.”
+
+“That is so, sir. It is an easy drop, and by leaving in that way we’ll
+avoid being questioned, and get well away before the alarm is given.”
+
+“Then we will lose no time,” said Will. “We have to pass through a busy
+quarter, but if we go separately we shall attract no notice, though no
+doubt by this time the search will have begun. They will be looking,
+however, for three men together. Of course they will not so much as cast
+an eye upon the servants of this palace, for they will know nothing of our
+doings here till to-morrow morning. I will go first when we get into the
+street. You, Dimchurch, follow me forty or fifty yards behind, and Tom the
+same distance behind you.”
+
+“I hardly think they will be in search of us yet,” Dimchurch said. “It is
+little more than an hour since we escaped, and they won’t find out till
+they get to the prison and count the gang. When they have done that they
+would have to see who it was that was missing, and then they would take
+some time to organize the search.”
+
+“That is so, Dimchurch; still, we will take every precaution.”
+
+So saying they started. When they were half-way to the wall they saw a
+number of soldiers and convict guards come running along, questioning many
+people as they passed. They trembled lest they should be discovered, but
+fortunately no question was put to any of them, and they kept on their
+way. Presently Will emerged upon the open space of ground between the wall
+and the houses, and when Dimchurch and Tom had come up they went together
+along the foot of the wall until they came to the place where they had
+been working.
+
+“Keep your eyes open,” Will said as they climbed up, “there are crowbars
+and hammers lying about, and, where the stone-cutters were working,
+chisels. A crowbar or a heavy hammer is a weapon not to be despised.”
+
+In a few minutes each was armed with a chisel and a light crowbar. They
+then went to the edge of the wall, and, throwing these weapons down,
+lowered themselves as far as they could reach and dropped to the ground.
+
+“Thank God we are out of that place!” Will said fervently; “we won’t enter
+it again alive. Now, the first thing is to get as far away as possible,
+keeping as nearly parallel to the line of the coast as we can, but four or
+five miles back, for we may be sure that when they cannot find us in the
+town they will suspect that we have made for the coast, and a dozen
+horsemen will be sent out to look for us along the shore. It is no use our
+thinking of trying to get to sea until the search has been given up. Our
+principal difficulty will be to live. From the walls the country looked
+well cultivated in parts, and even if we have to exist on raw grain we
+shall not be much worse off than when we were in prison.”
+
+“I don’t care what it is,” Tom said, “so long as there is enough of it to
+keep us alive; but we must have water.”
+
+“I don’t think there will be much difficulty about that, Tom, as every one
+of the houses scattered over the plain will have wells and fountains in
+their gardens. Thank goodness, they won’t miss any we take, and we could
+go every night and fetch water without exciting any suspicion that we had
+been there!”
+
+“One of the first things we must do,” said Will, “is to dirty these white
+jackets and trousers so that we may look like field labourers, for then if
+anyone should catch sight of us in the distance we should attract no
+attention.”
+
+They walked all night, and just as morning was breaking they saw a large
+country house with the usual garden. They climbed over the wall, which was
+not high, and drew some water in a bucket which they found standing at the
+mouth of the well.
+
+“This bucket we will confiscate,” Will said; “we can hardly lie hidden all
+day without having a drink. Of course they will miss it; but when they
+cannot find it they will suppose that it has been mislaid or stolen. One
+of the gardeners will probably get the blame, but we can’t help that. Now
+we will go another mile and then look for a hiding-place. There are a lot
+of sand-hills scattered about, and if we can’t find a hole that will suit
+us we must scoop one out. I believe they are pretty hard inside, but our
+crowbars will soon make a place large enough.”
+
+After an hour’s walk they fixed upon a spot on the shady side of a hill
+and began to make a cave that would allow the three to lie side by side.
+The work was completed in less than an hour, and they crawled in and
+scraped up some of the fallen sand so as partially to close the mouth
+behind them.
+
+“Thank goodness, we have got shelter and water!” Will said. “As for food,
+we must forage for it to-night.”
+
+“I am quite content to go without it for to-day,” Dimchurch said, “and to
+lie here and sleep and do nothing. I don’t think anything would tempt me
+to get up and walk a mile farther, not even the prospects of a good
+dinner.”
+
+“Well, as we are all so tired we shall probably sleep till evening.”
+
+In a few minutes all were asleep. Once or twice in the course of the day
+they woke up and took a drink from the bucket and then fell off again. At
+sunset all sat up quite refreshed.
+
+“I begin to feel that I have an appetite,” Will said; “now I think, for
+to-night, we will content ourselves with going into one of the fields and
+plucking a lot of the ears of maize. Messages may have been sent out all
+over the country, and the people may be watchful. It will be wise to avoid
+all risk of discovery. We can gather a few sticks and make a fire in there
+to roast the maize; there are sand-hills all round, so what little flame
+we make would not be noticed.”
+
+“But how about a light?” Dimchurch asked.
+
+“I picked up a piece of flint as we came along this morning,” Will said,
+“and by means of one of these chisels we ought to be able to strike a
+light; a few dead leaves, finely crumbled up, should do instead of
+tinder.”
+
+“It is a good thing to keep one’s eyes open,” Dimchurch remarked. “Now if
+I had seen that piece of stone I should not have given it a thought, and
+here it is going to give us a hot dinner!”
+
+As there were numbers of fields in the neighbourhood they soon returned
+with an armful of maize each. Dried weeds and sticks were then collected,
+and after repeated failures a light was at last obtained, and soon the
+grain was roasted. A jacket was stretched across the entrance of their den
+so that, should anyone be passing near, they would not observe the light.
+
+“Now,” Will said as they munched some maize the next evening, “we must
+start foraging. We will go in opposite directions, and each must take his
+bearing accurately or we’ll never come together again.”
+
+They were out for some hours, and when they returned it was found that
+Will had come across four fowls, Tom had gathered a variety of fruit,
+consisting chiefly of melons and peaches, while Dimchurch, who was the
+last to come in, brought a small sheep.
+
+“We only want one thing to make us perfect,” Will said, “and that is a
+pipe of ’bacca.”
+
+“Well, that would be a welcome addition,” Tom admitted, “but it does not
+do to expect too much. I should not be at all surprised if we were to
+light upon some tobacco plants in one of the gardens, but of course it
+could hardly be like a properly dried leaf. I dare say, though, we could
+make something of it.”
+
+So they lived for a month, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but with
+sufficient food of one sort or another. So far as they knew no suspicion
+of their presence had been excited, though their petty robberies must have
+been noticed. One evening, however, Will, on going to the top of the
+sand-hill, as he generally did, saw a large detachment of soldiers coming
+along, searching the ground carefully. He ran down at once to his
+companions.
+
+“Take your weapons, lads,” he said, “and make off; a strong party of
+soldiers are searching the country, and they are coming this way. No doubt
+they are looking for us.”
+
+They had run but a few hundred yards when they heard shouts, and, looking
+round, they saw a Moorish officer waving his hands and gesticulating. This
+was alarming, but they reckoned that they had fully five hundred yards
+start.
+
+“Keep up a steady pace,” Will said; “I don’t expect the beggars can run
+faster than we can. It will be pitch dark in half an hour, and as,
+fortunately, there is no moon, I expect we’ll be able to give them the
+slip.”
+
+As they advanced they found that the vegetation became scarcer and
+scarcer.
+
+“I am afraid we are on the edge of a desert,” Will said, “which means that
+there are no more fowls and fruit for us. I see, Dimchurch, that you have
+been the most thoughtful this time. That half sheep and those cakes will
+be very valuable to us.”
+
+“I wasn’t going to leave them for the soldiers if I knew it, sir; they
+wouldn’t have gone far among them, while they will last us some time with
+care.”
+
+They changed their course several times as soon as it became quite dark,
+and presently had the satisfaction of hearing the shouts of their pursuers
+fade away behind them.
+
+“Now we can take it quietly, lads. We can guide ourselves towards the sea
+by means of the stars. I fancy it must be fully twenty miles away. We must
+hold on till we get to it, and then gradually work our way along among the
+sand-hills or clumps of bush bordering it till we come to a village. Then
+we must contrive to get a good supply of food and water, steal a boat, and
+make off. If galleys were sent out to search for us they must have given
+it up long ago. As for other craft, we’ll have to take our chance with
+them.”
+
+They kept steadily north and at last came down to the coast. As it was
+still dark they lay down till morning. When the sun rose they thought they
+could make out a village some eight miles away.
+
+“Now it will be quite safe to cook our breakfast,” Dimchurch said.
+
+“Yes, I think so,” Will answered, “but we must be sparing with the mutton;
+that is our only food at present, and it may be some little time before we
+get hold of anything else.”
+
+After breakfast they lay down among the bushes and slept till evening.
+Then they started along the shore towards the village. When they got
+within half a mile of it they halted. They could see some boats on the
+shore, so they felt that the only difficulty in their way was the question
+of provisions. When it was quite dark they went into the village and
+started to forage, but on meeting again they had very little to show.
+Between them they had managed to take five fowls; but the village was
+evidently a poor place, for with the exception of a few melons there was
+no fruit.
+
+“The beggars must have grain somewhere,” said Will. “They can’t live on
+fowls and melons.”
+
+“I expect, sir, they live very largely on fish.”
+
+“That is likely enough,” Will agreed. “Let us put down these fowls and
+melons under this bush, and have a nap for a couple of hours, till we are
+sure that everyone is asleep. We can then go down and have a look at the
+boats. Those of them that come in late may probably leave some of their
+catch on board.”
+
+When they went down to the boats they found that three of them contained a
+fair quantity of fish. They helped themselves to some of these, and then
+retreated some distance from the village, picking up the other provisions
+on the way, and then, going into a clump of bushes, cooked a portion of
+the fish.
+
+“That pretty well settles the question of provisions,” Will said. “We must
+choose a night when there is a good wind blowing offshore, so that we may
+run a good many miles before morning. Then we must trust to falling in
+with one of our cruisers.”
+
+“Fish won’t keep long in this climate,” suggested Tom.
+
+“No,” said Will, “but we can dry some of them in the sun and they will
+then keep good for some time. Then we might clean half a dozen fowls and
+cook them before we start.”
+
+“The great difficulty will be water.”
+
+“Yes, but we can get over that by stripping the gardens clean of their
+melons. They weigh four or five pounds apiece and would supply us with
+fluid for a week easily.”
+
+The next evening they went down and made a more careful examination of the
+boats. One in particular attracted their attention. She was nearly new,
+and looked likely to be faster than the rest. She was anchored some fifty
+yards from the shore. Three more evenings were spent in prowling about the
+village collecting food. It was evident that the villagers were alarmed at
+their depredations, for on the third evening they were fired at by several
+men. In consequence of this they moved a mile farther away, in case a
+search should be made, and the next night carried the provisions down to
+the shore. As they were all expert swimmers they were soon alongside the
+chosen craft. They pushed the provisions before them on a small raft, and
+when they had put them on board they made a trip to one or two of the
+other boats and brought away some twenty pounds of fish. Then they cut the
+hawser and hoisted sail. As they did so they heard a great tumult on
+shore, and the villagers ran down to the water’s edge and opened fire upon
+them. The shooting, however, was wild, and they were very soon out of
+range. Several boats put off in pursuit. This caused them some uneasiness,
+and they watched them somewhat anxiously, for the wind, though favourable,
+was light, and they felt by no means certain that they would be able to
+keep ahead of the rowers. The stolen craft, however, proved unexpectedly
+fast, and the boats, after following fifteen miles without sensibly
+gaining, at last gave up the chase. About this time, too, the wind, to
+their great relief, became stronger, and the little vessel flew more and
+more rapidly over the sea.
+
+“She is a fine craft,” Dimchurch said; “these Moors certainly know how to
+build boats. It would require a smart cutter to hold her own with us.”
+
+Dimchurch kept at the helm and the other two investigated their capture.
+She was three parts decked. In the cabin they came upon a lantern and
+flint and steel, and soon had light, which helped them greatly in their
+work. In the bow ropes were stored away, while in a locker they found some
+bread, which, although stale, was very acceptable. They also unearthed two
+or three suits of rough sea clothes with which they were glad to replace
+the light clothes they had carried away with them from the palace grounds,
+for though the weather on shore was warm the sea-breeze was chilly. Among
+other useful things they also discovered several long knives, and axes,
+and a flat stone for cooking upon.
+
+“Now it is all a question of luck,” Will said; “the danger will be greater
+when we get a bit farther out. All vessels going up and down the
+Mediterranean give the Barbary coast a wide berth. Of course those pirate
+fellows are most numerous along the line of traffic, but they are to be
+found right up to the Spanish, French, and Italian coasts, though of late,
+I fancy, they have not been so active. There are too many of our cruisers
+about for their taste, and the Spaniards, when they get a chance, show the
+scoundrels no mercy.”
+
+When morning broke not a sail was visible.
+
+“I think, sir,” Dimchurch said, “that there is going to be a change of
+weather, and that we are in for a gale.”
+
+“It does not matter much. I fancy this boat would go through it however
+severe it might be.”
+
+“Yes, sir, but it would check our progress, and we want to run north as
+fast as we can. I see, by the line you are making, that you are aiming at
+Toulon, and at our present pace it would take us something like four days
+to get there. If we are caught in a gale we may take two days longer.”
+
+“That is so,” Will agreed; “but on the other hand, if the wind becomes
+much stronger we’ll have to take in sail, and in that case we should have
+more chance of escaping notice if we come near any of those Moorish craft.
+Besides, if the sea were really rough it would be difficult for them to
+board us even if they did come up with us.”
+
+“You are right, sir; still, for myself, I should prefer a strong southerly
+wind and a clear sky.”
+
+“Well, I am afraid you will not get your wish, for the clouds certainly
+seem to be banking up from the north, and we’ll get a change of wind ere
+long.”
+
+By night the wind was blowing fiercely and the sea rapidly rising. The
+sails were closely reefed, and even then they felt with pleasure that the
+little craft was making good way. The wind increased during the night, and
+was blowing a gale by morning. Just at twelve o’clock a craft was seen
+approaching which all were convinced was an Algerine. She changed her
+course at once and bore down upon them, firing a gun as a signal for them
+to stop.
+
+“She is rather faster than we are,” Dimchurch said, “but we’ll lead her a
+good dance before she gets hold of us. She could not work her guns in this
+sea, and if she is the faster, at least we are the handier.”
+
+For three hours the chase continued. Again and again the Algerine came up
+on them, but each time the little boat, turning almost on her heel, so
+cleverly was she handled, glided away from underneath the enemy’s bows.
+Each time, when they saw the chase slipping away from them, the angry
+Moors sent a volley of musketry after her, but the fugitives took refuge
+in the cabin, or lay down on the deck close under the bulwarks, and so
+escaped.
+
+Soon the Moors were so intent on the chase that they began to take great
+risks with their own vessel. In fact, they became positively reckless. For
+this they paid very heavily. After many disappointments they felt that the
+fugitives were at last in their clutches, and were preparing to board her
+when suddenly Dimchurch put down his helm sharply. He nearly capsized the
+little craft, and indeed they would rather have gone down with her than
+fall into the hands of the Moors again, but she righted immediately, and
+once more skimmed away from her pursuers. In the excitement of the moment
+the Moorish steersman attempted the same manœuvre. If he had succeeded he
+would probably have run down the cockle-shell that had baffled him so
+long. But at that moment a violent squall struck his ship with its full
+force, and her mainmast snapped a few feet above the deck. The three
+fugitives jumped to their feet and cheered, and then calmly proceeded on
+their way.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XII
+
+
+ BACK ON THE “TARTAR”
+
+
+The next morning broke fair. Their late foe had dropped out of sight on
+the previous evening, but now, when the sun rose, Tom made out the
+top-sails of a large ship on the horizon.
+
+“She is coming towards us, lads, and by the course she is steering she
+will pass within three miles of us. Is she English or French?”
+
+“She is too far away yet to be certain,” Dimchurch said, “but I can’t help
+thinking she is French.”
+
+“At any rate, Dimchurch, our best course will be to lower the sail, shake
+the reef-points out, and have it ready for hoisting at a moment’s notice.
+Now that the wind is light again I should fancy we could get away from
+her; with a start of two or three miles she would have no chance whatever
+of catching us.”
+
+Suddenly Tom Stevens exclaimed:
+
+“There is a sail coming up from behind. She looks to me close-hauled. If
+both ships come on they are bound to meet; if one is French and the other
+is English they are likely to have a talk to each other. In that case we
+should be able to tell friend from foe by the colours, and could then make
+for the English ship.”
+
+They sat anxiously watching the two ships, and soon they saw that the
+point of meeting must be very near their own position. Presently their
+hulls became visible, and Dimchurch pronounced one to be a thirty-two-gun
+frigate, and the other a forty or forty-two. They then made out that the
+one coming up from the south was flying the white ensign, and at once they
+hoisted their sail and made for her. Equally intent upon a fight, the two
+vessels approached each other without paying the slightest attention to
+the little craft.
+
+“The Frenchman means fighting, and as he has ten guns to the good he may
+well think he is more than a match for our ship. Do you know her,
+Dimchurch?”
+
+“I think she is the _Lysander_, sir, though I can’t be sure; there are so
+many of these thirty-twos.”
+
+The vessels, as they passed, exchanged broadsides. Then both tacked, but
+the Englishman was the quicker, and he raked the French frigate as she
+came round. Then they went at it hammer and tongs. The Frenchman suffered
+very heavily in spars and rigging, but at last the foremast of the English
+ship fell over her side. The Frenchman at once closed with her, and after
+pouring in a broadside, tried to board her.
+
+The little boat bore up to the stern of the English ship. A desperate
+conflict was going on at that point, and failing to get up they moved
+along the side. Here a rope, which had been cut by the French fire, was
+hanging overboard, and, grasping this, they climbed up to a port-hole. The
+deck was deserted, all hands having rushed up to meet the attack of the
+French boarders. Without a moment’s delay they snatched cutlasses from a
+rack and ran up the companion to the upper deck.
+
+Here things were going somewhat badly. The French were much more numerous
+than the English, and were forcing them back by sheer weight of numbers.
+The new-comers rushed at once into the fray, and laid about them lustily.
+The force and suddenness of the onslaught caused the enemy to hesitate,
+and at the same time it had the effect of inspiring to fresh efforts the
+English crew, who, having lost their captain and first lieutenant, were
+beginning to lose heart. They answered the cheers of their strangely-clad
+allies, and with one accord charged to meet them. At that moment Dimchurch
+almost severed the French captain’s head from his body by a sweeping blow,
+and the French, being disheartened by the loss of their leader, gave way.
+The English sailors redoubled their efforts, and after ten minutes of
+desperate fighting succeeded in driving their foes back to their own ship.
+Then the men ran to their guns again and the cannonade recommenced. But
+the spirit of the two crews had changed. The French were discouraged by
+their failure, and the British were exultant over their success.
+Consequently the guns of the English ship were fired with far more
+rapidity and precision than those of the French. Several of the port-holes
+of the French ship were knocked into one, and when at last her mainmast,
+which had been hit several times, fell over her side, her flag was run
+down amidst tremendous cheering from the English ship.
+
+Immediately all hands were engaged in disarming and securing the French
+prisoners. When these had been sent below, the decks of both ships were
+cleared of the dead. Then the bulk of the crew set to work to cut away the
+wreckage, secure damaged spars, and stop holes near the water’s edge. At
+last the second lieutenant, who was now in command, had time to turn to
+the strangers. Will was superintending the work, while Dimchurch and Tom
+were working hand in hand with the crew.
+
+“May I ask,” said the lieutenant, addressing Will, “who it is that has so
+mysteriously come to our assistance?”
+
+“Certainly,” said Will, laughing; “I had quite forgotten that I am clothed
+in strange garments. I am a midshipman belonging to the _Tartar_. One of
+my companions is a boatswain’s mate, and the other is an A.B. on the same
+ship. We were sent with a lieutenant and ten men to overhaul a craft
+which, though she was somewhat suspicious looking, seemed to have but a
+small crew. When we got alongside her, however, we found to our disgust
+that she was manned by at least a hundred Algerines. The lieutenant and
+seven of the crew were killed, and three others, my two companions, and
+myself were made prisoners and carried to Algiers. We three escaped, and,
+capturing the small craft which you will see lying by the side of your
+ship, made for the open sea. An Algerine nearly recaptured us in the gale
+yesterday, but fortunately she carried away her mast and we again escaped.
+This morning we saw two ships approaching us, and when we made out their
+nationalities we knew there was bound to be a fight. Naturally we made for
+your ship, and when we found that the French had boarded you we did our
+best to aid you to drive them back. My name is Gilmore.”
+
+“Well, Mr. Gilmore, I have to thank you most heartily for the very
+efficacious aid you have rendered us. Things were going very badly, but
+your unexpected appearance, your strange attire, and the strength and
+bravery with which you fought, quite turned the tables. I think,” he said
+with a laugh, “the French must have taken you for three devils come to our
+assistance, and certainly you could not have fought harder if you had
+been. You will, I hope, give us your assistance until we reach Malta, to
+which port, of course, I shall carry the prize. Our third lieutenant is
+severely wounded, and I have lost two of my midshipmen.”
+
+“Certainly, sir, and I will place myself at once under your orders.”
+
+“The two midshipmen who have fallen were the seniors,” the lieutenant
+said, “and as you must be two or three years older than the others I’ll
+appoint you acting-lieutenant. Our first duty here will be to rig up a
+jury foremast. I’ll appoint you, however, temporary commander of the
+_Camille_, which is, I see, the name of our prize. I can only spare you
+forty men. We have lost forty-three killed and at least as many wounded,
+and I have therefore only a hundred and ten altogether fit for service,
+and must retain seventy for the work of refitting. I should not attempt to
+get up a jury mainmast on the _Camille_. It will be better to clear away
+the wreckage and secure her other two masts in case we meet with another
+squall.”
+
+“I understand, sir. If either of the midshipmen that have been killed is
+about my size, I should be glad to rig myself out with a suit from his
+chest, for my appearance at present is rather undignified for a British
+officer. I should also be glad if the purser’s clerk would issue a couple
+of suits for my two men. I may tell you that they have been with me in
+every ship in which I have served, and indeed entered the navy with me. I
+therefore regard them quite as personal friends. The bigger of the two
+held the position of boatswain under me in a small craft of which I had
+command in the West Indies, as well as on the _Tartar_.”
+
+“Very well, then, by all means give him the temporary rank of boatswain on
+board the _Camille_, and you can appoint the other as boatswain’s mate.”
+
+“Thank you, sir! I am very much obliged. It would be difficult to find two
+better men.”
+
+In ten minutes Will was attired in a midshipman’s uniform, and his two
+companions, to their great relief, in the clothes of British seamen. They
+then crossed to the _Camille_ with the forty men whom the lieutenant had
+told off as a prize crew. Work was at once begun, and before sundown the
+fore and mizzen masts were as firmly secured as if the mainmast were still
+in its place. Will felt that they could now meet a storm without
+uneasiness. Next morning the repairs to the hull were begun, pieces of
+plank covered with tarred canvas being nailed over the shot-holes, and ere
+the day was done the _Camille_ had a fairly presentable appearance.
+Meanwhile the crew of the _Lysander_ had been hard at work, and had got
+the jury-foremast into position and securely stayed.
+
+“You have made a very good job of the prize, Mr. Gilmore,” the lieutenant
+said. “Of course she is a lame duck without her mainmast, but we’ll sail
+together, and so will show a good face to any single ship we may meet.”
+
+“I should certainly think so, sir. Should any ship heave in sight I will
+get all the guns loaded on both broadsides. Of course, I should only be
+able to work one side at a time, but with forty good men I could keep up a
+pretty hot fire.”
+
+“I will give you ten more, Mr. Gilmore. Now that our repairs are finished
+I can manage that easily, and as the _Camille_ is a bigger ship than the
+_Lysander_ you ought certainly to have as many as can be spared.”
+
+“Thank you, sir! I am sure I could make a good fight with that number, and
+as we have covered all the shot-holes with canvas, and so do not appear to
+be injured in the hull, I don’t think any one ship would think of meddling
+with us, unless, of course, she were a line-of-battle ship. In that case
+our chance would be a small one, although, by presenting a resolute front,
+we might cause her to sheer off without engaging us.”
+
+Fortunately they fell in with no enemy on their way to Malta. When they
+arrived in port the lieutenant went to the flag-ship with his report. The
+admiral was greatly pleased at the capture, and he was specially
+interested when he learned the share that Will and his two companions had
+taken in the fight, and the manner in which Will had performed his duties
+while in command of the _Camille_.
+
+“Gilmore?” he asked. “That is the name of a young midshipman who was on
+board the _Furious_. Is that the man?”
+
+“I believe he is, sir.”
+
+“Well, tell him to come and see me when he is disengaged.”
+
+The lieutenant reported this when he returned, and a little later Will
+went on board the flag-ship.
+
+“Well, Mr. Gilmore,” said the admiral, “so you are still to the fore. I
+read some time ago the official report of a midshipman of your name in the
+West Indies who had captured two vessels, each larger than the craft he
+commanded, and I wondered whether it was the lad I had met here.”
+
+Will acknowledged that he had commanded on that occasion.
+
+“It shows that the admiral there was as struck as I was myself with your
+doings, that he should have appointed you to command that craft, when he
+must have had so many senior midshipmen to select from. What had you
+done?”
+
+“It was really nothing, sir. We were lying off a pirate stronghold, but
+could not get at it, as our ship was too deep for the shallow approaches.
+In the course of conversation in the midshipmen’s mess I happened to
+suggest that if we got hold of some native craft we might be able to beard
+the lion in his den, and one of the elder midshipmen reported the idea to
+one of the lieutenants, who passed it on to the captain, who put it into
+execution. The result was that we captured two vessels and a very large
+amount of plunder which they had stored on an island. I got a great deal
+more credit than was due to me, for I had only suggested the plan when
+joking with my companions, and the captain improved upon it greatly in
+carrying it out. It was very good of him to mention in his report that the
+original idea was mine.”
+
+“It was a good plan,” the admiral said, “and you well deserve the credit
+you got. And so it was for that that you got the command of the cutter!
+Tell me about the capture of those two pirate vessels.”
+
+Will related the story of the trap that had been formed for _L’Agile_, and
+the manner in which he had captured his two opponents.
+
+“Admirably managed, Mr. Gilmore,” the admiral said. “How much longer have
+you to serve?”
+
+“I have another year yet, sir.”
+
+“Well, a commission is to sit here next week to pass midshipmen. I will
+direct them to examine you, and will see that you get your step the day
+you finish your term of service. If I had the power I would pass you at
+once, but that is one of the things an admiral cannot do. But how was it
+that you got on board the _Lysander_?”
+
+Will related the story of his captivity with the Algerines and his escape.
+
+“Just what I should have expected of you,” the admiral said. “I fancy it
+would take a very strong prison to hold you. Well, tell Lieutenant Hearsey
+that I shall expect him to dinner to-day, and that he is to bring you with
+him. I’ll ask two or three other officers to meet you, and you shall then
+tell the story of your adventures.”
+
+A post-captain and three other captains dined that evening with the
+admiral, and when Will had modestly related his adventures they
+complimented him highly. Two of them happened to be on the examining
+committee, and consequently Will passed almost without question. A few
+days later he was appointed temporarily to a ship bound for the blockading
+fleet of Toulon, where he was informed he would probably find his own
+ship. When he and his two companions rejoined the _Tartar_ they were
+warmly congratulated on their escape from Algiers.
+
+“I am sorry for the loss of Lieutenant Saxton,” the captain said, when
+Will had reported the manner in which they had been captured. “He was a
+good officer, and in this case he was not to blame. With our telescopes we
+could only see a few men on board the Algerine, and they must have kept up
+the deception till the last. It is to be regretted that you followed her
+so far out of reach of our guns, though, so far as his fate was concerned,
+we could not have altered it even if we had been within easy range.
+
+“At any rate, Mr. Gilmore, you were by no means to blame in the affair,
+and I congratulate you on having effected your escape with your two
+followers.”
+
+They had only rejoined the _Tartar_ a short time when, on the 5th
+February, 1794, the captain was signalled to proceed with a small squadron
+that was to sail, under Captain Linzee of the _Alcide_, as commodore, to
+Corsica, where a force under General Paoli had asked for assistance in
+their endeavours to regain their freedom.
+
+The chief strongholds of that island were the fortified towns of San
+Fiorenzo, Bastia, and Calvi. These towns are near each other, and as the
+troops scornfully rejected his summons to surrender, the commodore was
+placed in a difficulty. The force under his command was not strong enough
+to blockade the three forts at once, while they were so near each other
+that to blockade one or two and leave the entrance to the other open would
+have been useless. He determined at first to take Forneilli, a fortified
+place two miles from San Fiorenzo, but when he opened the attack he found
+that it was so much more strongly fortified than he had anticipated that
+its capture could not be effected without more loss than the gain of the
+position would justify.
+
+Lord Hood then placed a squadron of frigates under Captain Nelson’s
+command to cruise off the north-western coast of the island so as to
+prevent supplies being introduced, and he also sailed there himself with
+some of his seventy-fours and a body of soldiers under Major-general
+Dundas. Before he arrived, Nelson had done something towards facilitating
+his enterprise, for, having learned that the French in San Fiorenzo drew
+their supplies of flour from a mill near the shore, he landed a body of
+seamen and soldiers and burnt the mill, threw into the sea all the flour
+contained in it and in a large storehouse close to it, and regained his
+ship without the loss of a man.
+
+When Lord Hood arrived he ordered Nelson to land on the island to prevent
+supplies from getting into Bastia, and took charge of the siege of San
+Fiorenzo himself. On his way Nelson captured the town of Maginaggio,
+routed the garrison, and destroyed a great quantity of provisions which
+were being prepared for a number of French vessels in the harbour. Lord
+Hood commenced the siege by attacking the town of Mortella. The garrison
+fought with great bravery and inflicted heavy loss upon the _Fortitude_,
+seventy-four guns, to which the task of battering was assigned. As she was
+evidently getting the worst of it the _Fortitude_ was withdrawn, but the
+shore batteries were more successful, and the place being set on fire the
+garrison surrendered.
+
+The Convention redoubt was the next place to be attacked. It was fortified
+in a most formidable manner, and indeed was so strongly constructed as to
+withstand any ordinary attack. A short distance away, however, was a rock
+rising seven hundred feet above the level of the sea, which entirely
+commanded it. This the enemy had left unfortified and unguarded because
+they believed it was inaccessible. In many places it was almost
+perpendicular, and though there was a path leading to the summit, this was
+in very few places wide enough to allow more than one person to ascend at
+a time. Admiral Hood in person reconnoitred and decided that a battery
+could be formed on the summit.
+
+The next day Will was on shore in command of a party of thirty men who
+were to start getting up the guns. The sailors looked at the rock and at
+the guns in dismay.
+
+“La, Mr. Gilmore,” one of them said, “we can never get them up there! In
+the first place it is too steep, and in the second it is too rough. It
+would take two hundred men to do it, and even they would not be much good,
+for the path winds and twists so much that they could not put their
+strength on together.”
+
+Will looked at the path, and at the hill on which the new battery was to
+be formed.
+
+“You see, sir,” another said, “the path would have to be blasted in lots
+of places to make room for the guns, and we have got no tools for the
+job.”
+
+Will did not answer. He saw that what the men said was correct. Presently,
+however, his eye fell upon an empty rum puncheon, and at once his thoughts
+flashed back to the West Indies.
+
+“Wheel that puncheon here, men.”
+
+Much surprised, the men did as they were ordered.
+
+“Now knock out both ends, and when you have tightened the hoops again,
+fill the barrel about a third full with sticks, grass, bits of wood,
+anything you can come across.”
+
+The men scattered at once to collect the ballast, with some doubts in
+their minds as to whether the midshipman had not gone out of his senses.
+In about fifteen minutes they had carried out his instructions.
+
+“Dismount the gun,” he then ordered, “and put it inside the barrel.”
+
+When this had, with some difficulty, been accomplished, and the barrel
+surrounded the centre of the gun, he said: “Now fill up the barrel with
+the rest of that rubbish.”
+
+The sailors had now caught the idea, and very soon they had the gun
+tightly packed into its novel carriage. Two long ropes were then passed
+round the puncheon, the ends being carried a little way up the hill. This
+formed a parbuckle, and when the men hauled upon the upper lengths of the
+ropes the cask easily rolled up to the ends of the lower lengths. This
+operation was repeated again and again, and gradually the cask moved up
+the rock. At places it had to be hauled up lengthways, boards being placed
+underneath it to give it a smooth surface over which to glide instead of
+the rough rock, and men encouraging it from behind with levers. While they
+were at work Nelson came up and stood watching them for some minutes
+without speaking.
+
+“Where did you learn how to do that?” he said to Will at last.
+
+“I heard of it at the siege of St. Pierre, sir.”
+
+“Well, you profited by your lesson. It is a pleasure to see a young fellow
+use his wits in that way. But for your sharpness I question whether we
+should ever have got the guns up there. I was looking at it myself
+yesterday, and I doubted then whether it was at all practicable. You have
+settled the question for me, and I’ll not forget you. What is your name,
+sir?”
+
+“Gilmore of the _Tartar_.”
+
+Nelson made a note of it and walked away.
+
+The work took two days of tremendous labour, the seamen being relieved
+three times a day. Will was constantly on the spot directing and
+superintending the operations, and had the satisfaction at last of seeing
+six guns placed on the summit of the rock.
+
+Next morning the besieged were astonished when the guns opened fire upon
+them from the rock, for, the path being at the back, they had not seen
+what was going on. As they could obtain no shelter from this attack, and
+there was no possibility of silencing the guns, they hastily abandoned the
+post and retreated on San Fiorenzo. The battery on the rock, however, also
+commanded the town, which, accordingly, had to be abandoned on the
+following day, the garrison retiring to the adjoining ridge of ground and
+to Bastia, which was considered the strongest place in the island.
+
+The capture of San Fiorenzo was the more valuable, inasmuch as in the
+harbour were two frigates, the _Minerve_ and _La Fortunée_, both of which
+became our prizes. The _Minerve_, thirty-eight guns, was sunk by the
+French, but was weighed by our men and taken into the service, when she
+was renamed the _San Fiorenzo_.
+
+Nelson was immensely pleased with the manner in which the operation of
+getting the guns up the rock had been performed, and requested the captain
+of the _Tartar_ that Will should be permanently stationed on shore to act
+as his own aide-de-camp, a request which was, of course, complied with.
+
+In the meantime Nelson had reconnoitred Bastia and the neighbouring coast,
+and recommended that troops and cannon be disembarked, for he was
+convinced that a land force of about a thousand, in co-operation with a
+few ships, would be sufficient to reduce the place. Unfortunately the
+general commanding the troops was one of the most irresolute of men, and
+when, after a few days, he resigned the command, in consequence of his
+differences with Lord Hood, his successor, General D’Aubant, was still
+more incapable. He pronounced at once that, though the force at his
+command was almost double that which Nelson asked for, it was insufficient
+for the work required of it. Nelson, burning with indignation, decided
+that the attempt to take Bastia must be made, and that if the army would
+not do it the navy must.
+
+Lord Hood agreed with him, but even when it was decided to undertake the
+siege, D’Aubant insisted on their doing without a single soldier or a
+single cannon, and, retiring to San Fiorenzo, kept his men inactive while
+the sailors were performing the work. On the 17th of February, 1794, the
+fortified town of Mareno, a little to the north of Bastia, was captured,
+and four days later a reconnaissance was made. Nelson’s ship, the
+_Agamemnon_, was supported by the _Tartar_ and the frigate _Romulus_. As
+they passed slowly in front of the town thirty guns opened upon them with
+shot and shell. Nelson lowered his sails, and for an hour and
+three-quarters peppered the forts so warmly that at last the French
+garrison deserted their guns. One battery, containing six guns, was
+totally destroyed. The citizens of Bastia were eager to surrender, but the
+governor declared that he would blow up the city if such a step were
+taken. Two days later Nelson was preparing to repeat the blow, but a
+sudden calm set in, and he could not get near the town. In a short time
+the opportunity for carrying the place by assault passed away, as the
+French officers were indefatigable in strengthening their fortifications,
+and soon rendered the town practically impregnable.
+
+Nelson, however, maintained the blockade in spite of heavy weather, and in
+the middle of March provisions were so short in the place that a pound of
+bread was selling for half a crown. Nelson himself was almost as much
+straitened for provisions, but the admiral contrived to send him a supply.
+
+Nelson pitched a tent on shore and personally superintended all the
+operations. A considerable body of seamen were landed, and worked like
+horses, dragging guns up heights that appeared inaccessible, making roads,
+and cutting down trees with which to build abattis.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIII
+
+
+ WITH NELSON
+
+
+One day during the siege Nelson said to Will: “I’ll be glad, Mr. Gilmore,
+if you will accompany me on an excursion along the shore. I have my eye on
+a spot from which, if we could get guns up to it, we should be able to
+command the town. From what I have seen of you I believe you know more
+about mounting guns than anyone here, so I’ll be glad to have your opinion
+of the position.”
+
+Will of course expressed his willingness to go, and they at once started
+in the gig. They rowed on for some time, keeping a sharp look-out for
+suitable landing-places. At last Nelson bade the men lie on their oars,
+and pointed to the ridge of which he had spoken.
+
+“Well, what do you say?” he asked, after Will had made a careful
+examination of it from the boat.
+
+“I am afraid it would not be possible, sir, to carry out your plan. The
+labour of getting the guns up from the shore would be enormous, and
+considering the rugged state of the country I question if they could be
+taken across to the ridge when they were up.”
+
+“No; I agree with you. I did not examine it so closely before; and at any
+rate, underhanded as we are, we could not spare enough men for the
+business. We may as well, however, row a bit along the shore. I am
+convinced that if we could land three or four hundred men within five or
+six miles of the town, and attack it simultaneously on both sides, we
+should carry it without much trouble. The French have been fighting well,
+but they must have been losing heart for some time. A Frenchman hates to
+be cornered, and as they see our batteries rising they cannot but feel
+that sooner or later they must give in. I fancy by this time they are
+asking each other what use it is to keep on being killed when they must
+surrender in the end.”
+
+They had rowed on for a couple of hours without fixing on a suitable
+place, when Nelson exclaimed: “We are going to be caught in a fog. That is
+distinctly unpleasant. Have we a compass in the boat?” he said, turning to
+the coxswain.
+
+“No, sir. I thought you were only going to row out to the ship, and did
+not think of bringing one with me.”
+
+“Never forget a compass, my man,” Nelson said, “for though the sky may be
+blue when you start, a sudden storm may overtake you and blow you far from
+your ship. However, it can’t be helped now.”
+
+In less than ten minutes the boat was enveloped in a dense fog. The
+position was decidedly awkward. Had there been any wind they could have
+steered by the sound of the surf breaking at the foot of the cliffs, but
+the sea was absolutely calm, and they could hear nothing. They rowed on
+for some time, and then Nelson said: “Lay in your oars, men, we may be
+pulling in the wrong direction for all we know. We’ll have to remain here
+till this fog lifts, even if it takes a week to clear. This is a northerly
+fog,” he said to Will. “Cold wind comes down from the Alps and condenses
+when it reaches the sea. These fogs are not very common, but they
+sometimes last for a considerable time.”
+
+The afternoon passed, and presently night fell. There was no food of any
+kind in the boat. The men chewed their quids, but the two officers could
+not indulge in that relief. At night Nelson and Will wrapped themselves in
+their boat-cloaks and made themselves as comfortable as they could,
+getting uneasy snatches of sleep. Morning broke and there was no change; a
+white wall of fog rose all round the boat.
+
+“This is awkward,” Nelson said. “I wish one of the batteries would fire a
+few guns; that might give us some indication as to our position, though I
+am by no means sure that in this thick atmosphere the sound would reach so
+far. I think we were about eleven miles away when the fog caught us.”
+
+In the afternoon a breeze sprang up.
+
+“God grant that it may continue!” Nelson said. “Slight as it is, two or
+three hours of it might raise a swell, and we might then hear the wash of
+the waves on the rocks.”
+
+Hour after hour passed, but at last the coxswain said: “I think I hear a
+faint sound over on the right.”
+
+“I have thought so some little time,” Will said, “but I would not speak
+until I was sure.”
+
+“Out oars,” Nelson ordered, “and row in that direction.” The sound became
+more and more distinct as they proceeded, and soon they were satisfied
+that they were heading for the land. In a quarter of an hour the boat ran
+up on a sandy beach.
+
+“I have not seen this spot before, it must therefore be farther away from
+the town than the point we had reached, and as we have been nearly
+twenty-four hours in the fog the current may have taken us a good many
+miles. However, we will land. I am parched with thirst, and you must be
+the same, lads. Leave two men in the boat; the rest of us will go in
+search of water and bring some down to those left behind when we find it.
+I think we had better scatter and look for some way up the cliff. If we
+can find a path we must follow it until we come to some house or other.
+Where there is a house there must be water. Mr. Gilmore and I will go to
+the right. If any of you find water, shout; we will do the same. But
+whether you find water or not, come down to the boat in three hours’ time.
+Thirsty or not thirsty we must row back to the town this evening. Now, Mr.
+Gilmore, we will walk along the beach until we come to a path, or at any
+rate some place where we can climb. I hope, as we get higher, the fog will
+become less dense.”
+
+For an hour they groped their way along the foot of the cliff, and then,
+finding a place where it seemed not so steep as elsewhere, began to climb.
+When they had reached a height of some three or four hundred feet they
+emerged from the fog into bright sunshine. Below them stretched a white
+misty lake. On all sides rose hill above hill, for the most part covered
+to the top by foliage.
+
+“I see some smoke rising from among the trees over there to the right,
+sir, a mile or a mile and a half away.”
+
+“I will take your word for it, Mr. Gilmore. As you know, my sight is not
+at all in good condition. Let us be off at once, for the very thought of
+water makes me thirstier than ever.”
+
+Half an hour’s walking brought them to the hut of a peasant. The owner
+came to the door as they approached. He was a rough-looking man in a long
+jacket made of goat-skin, coarse trousers reaching down to the knee, and
+his legs bound with long strips of wadding. “Who are you,” he asked in his
+own language, “and how come you here?” As neither of the officers
+understood one word of the patois of the country they could only make
+signs that they wanted something to eat and drink. The peasant understood,
+and beckoned to them to come into the hut. As they entered he gave some
+instructions to a boy, who went out and presently returned with a jug of
+water. While the officers were quenching their thirst the boy went out
+again, and the man brought from a cupboard some black bread and
+goats’-milk cheese, which he set before them.
+
+“I don’t altogether like that man’s movements, sir. He crawls about as if
+he were trying to put away as much time as possible. The boy, too, has
+disappeared.”
+
+“Perhaps he has gone to get some more water,” Nelson suggested.
+
+“He could have gone a dozen times by now, sir. It is possible that he
+takes us for French officers. A peasant living in such a spot as this,
+sixteen or twenty miles from a town, might not even know that there are
+English troops in the country.”
+
+Having satisfied their hunger and thirst, they tried to make the man
+understand that they were willing to buy all the bread and cheese he had,
+together with a large jar for carrying water.
+
+The man showed a prodigious amount of stupidity, and although his eyes
+glistened when Nelson produced gold, he still seemed unable to understand
+that, having had as much as they could eat, they wanted to buy more. At
+last Nelson, in a passion, said: “Look here, my man, there is a sovereign,
+which is worth at least twenty times your miserable store of bread and
+cheese. If you don’t choose to accept the money you needn’t, but we will
+take the food whether or no,” and he pointed to his store. As he spoke
+there was a sound of footsteps outside, and a moment later the door was
+darkened by the entry of a dozen wild figures, who flung themselves upon
+the two officers before they had time to make any effort to defend
+themselves.
+
+In vain Nelson attempted in French and Italian to make himself understood.
+The men would not listen, but poured out objurgations upon them whenever
+they attempted to speak. The word Français frequently occurred in their
+speeches, mixed up with what were evidently expressions of hatred.
+
+“This is awkward, Mr. Gilmore,” Nelson said quietly as they lay bound
+together in a corner of the hut. “A more unpleasant situation I was never
+in.”
+
+“I was in one as bad once before. I was captured by a band of negroes in
+Cuba, and they were preparing to burn me alive when I managed to escape.”
+
+“I should not be at all surprised if that is what these gentlemen are
+preparing to do now, Gilmore. I am sorry I have brought you into this.”
+
+“It cannot be helped, sir,” Will said cheerfully; “and if they do kill us,
+my loss to the nation will be as nothing compared with yours. There is no
+doubt they take us for French officers who have lost their way in the
+mountains, and they are preparing to punish us for the misdeeds of our
+supposed countrymen. There are only two things that could help us out of
+this plight so far as I can see. One is the arrival of a priest; I suppose
+they have priests hereabouts with a knowledge of French or Italian. The
+other is the appearance on the scene of our boat’s crew.”
+
+“Both are very unlikely, I am afraid. The crew, you know, all went the
+other way.”
+
+“Yes, sir; but it is just possible that they may have seen the smoke of
+this hut also, and be making their way here. Though I looked carefully on
+all sides I could see no other signs of life.”
+
+“It is possible,” Nelson said; “but for my part I think the priest the
+more likely solution, if there is to be a solution. Well, it is a comfort
+to know that we have eaten a hearty meal and shall not die hungry or
+thirsty. It was foolish of us to come up here alone, knowing what wild
+savages these people in the mountains are. It would have been better to
+have gone on suffering ten or twelve hours longer, and to have made our
+way to the fleet by following close in by the foot of the rocks.”
+
+“I don’t think we could have done it in that time, sir. We should have had
+to keep within an oar’s-length of the rocks, and so must have progressed
+very slowly. Besides, we might have staved in the boat at any moment.”
+
+“That is so. Still, we were only drifting for about twenty-four hours, and
+we shouldn’t have taken so long to go back. Even twenty-four hours of
+hunger and thirst would have been better than this. It is useless,
+however, to think of that now.”
+
+In the meantime the men were engaged in a noisy talk, each one apparently
+urging his own view. At last they seemed to come to an agreement, and four
+of them, going to the corner, dragged the two officers to their feet, and
+hauled them out of the cottage. Then they bound them to trees seven or
+eight feet apart, and piled faggots round them. When this was done they
+amused themselves by dancing wildly round their prisoners, taunting them
+and heaping execrations upon them.
+
+“The sooner this comes to an end the better,” Nelson said quietly. “Well,
+Mr. Gilmore, we have both the satisfaction of knowing that we have done
+our duty to our country. After all, it makes no great difference to a man
+whether he dies in battle or is burnt, except that the burning method
+lasts a little longer. But it won’t last long in our case, I fancy. Do you
+notice that these faggots are all lately cut? We’ll probably be suffocated
+before the flames touch us.”
+
+“I see that, sir, and am very grateful for it.”
+
+The dance was finished, and two men brought brands from the cottage.
+
+“Listen, Mr. Gilmore,” said Nelson at this moment. “I think I can hear
+footsteps; I am sure I heard a branch crack.”
+
+Brands were applied to the faggots, but these were so green that at first
+they would not catch. At this, several of the peasants rushed into the
+cottage, and were returning with larger brands, when some figures suddenly
+appeared at the edge of the little clearing in the direction from which
+Nelson had heard sounds. They stood silent for a minute, looking at the
+scene, and then with a loud shout they rushed forward with drawn cutlasses
+and attacked the natives. Four or five of the peasants were cut down, and
+the remainder fled in terror.
+
+“Thank God, your honour, we have arrived in time!” the coxswain said as he
+cut Nelson’s bonds, while another sailor liberated Will.
+
+“Thank God indeed! Now, my lads, we have not a moment to lose. Those
+fellows are sure to gather a number of their comrades at the nearest
+village, and I have no wish to see any more of them. Go into that hut; you
+will find enough bread and cheese there to give you each a meal, and there
+is a spring of water close by.”
+
+The sailors scattered at once, and were not long in discovering the
+spring. There they knelt down and drank long and deeply. Then they went
+into the cottage and devoured the bread and cheese, which, although far
+from being sufficient to satisfy them, at least appeased their hunger for
+a time. After they had finished they all went back to the spring for
+another drink. Then, taking some bread and cheese and a large jug of water
+for the boat keepers, they followed Nelson and Will from the place which
+had so nearly proved fatal to their officers. They went down the hill at a
+brisk pace until they reached the top of the fog. After this they
+proceeded more cautiously. They had no longer any fear of pursuit, for,
+once in the fog, it would require an army to find them. At last they
+reached the strand and found the boat. When the two men who had been left
+in charge had finished their share of the food and water, Nelson said:
+
+“Now, my lads, we must row on. If we keep close to the foot of the rocks,
+that is, within fifty yards of them, the noise of the waves breaking will
+be a sufficient guide to prevent our getting too far out to sea.”
+
+“May I be so bold as to ask how far we’ll have to row?” the coxswain said.
+
+“That is more than I can tell you. It may be a little over eleven miles,
+it may be twice or even three times that distance. Now, however, that you
+have had something to eat and drink you can certainly row on until we
+reach the ships.”
+
+“That we can, sir. We feel like new men again, though we did feel mighty
+bad before.”
+
+“So did we, lads. Now it is of no use your trying to row racing pace; take
+a long, quiet stroke, and every hour or two rest for a few minutes.”
+
+“It will be dark before very long,” Nelson remarked quietly to Will when
+the men began to row; “but fortunately that will make no difference to us,
+as we are guided not by our eyes but by our ears. There is more wind than
+there was, and on a still night like this we can hear the waves against
+the rocks half a mile out, so there is no fear of our losing our way, and
+it will be hard indeed if we don’t reach the ships before daylight. The
+boat is travelling about four knots an hour. If the current has not
+carried us a good deal farther than we imagine, five or six hours ought to
+take us there.”
+
+The hours passed slowly. Sometimes the men had to row some distance
+seaward to avoid projecting headlands. At last, however, about twelve
+o’clock, Will exclaimed:
+
+“I hear a ripple, sir, like the water against the bow of a ship.”
+
+“Easy all!” Nelson said at once.
+
+The order was obeyed, and all listened intently. Presently there was a
+general exclamation as the sound of footsteps was heard ahead.
+
+“That is a marine pacing up and down on sentry. Give way, lads.”
+
+In a few minutes a black mass rose up close in front of them. The coxswain
+put the helm down, and the boat glided along the side of the ship. As she
+did so there came the sharp challenge of a sentry:
+
+“Who goes there? Answer, or I fire.”
+
+“It is all right, my man; it is Captain Nelson.”
+
+“Wait till I call the watch, Captain Nelson,” the sentry replied in the
+monotonous voice of his kind.
+
+“Very well, sentry, you are quite right to do your duty.”
+
+In half a minute an officer’s voice was heard above, and a lantern was
+shown over the side.
+
+“Is it you, sir?” he asked.
+
+“Yes; what ship is this?”
+
+“The _Romulus_.”
+
+“Can you lend me a compass?”
+
+“Yes, sir, I will fetch one in a moment.”
+
+“Thank you!” Nelson said when the officer returned with the instrument. “I
+have lost my bearings in the fog, and I want to get to my tent on shore. I
+know its exact bearings, however, from this ship.”
+
+Twenty minutes’ row brought them to the landing-place. Nelson’s first
+thought was for the crew, and, going to the storehouse close at hand, he
+knocked some of the people up, and saw that they were supplied with plenty
+of food and drink. Then he went into his tent. Here the table was spread,
+with various kinds of food standing on it. His servant being called up, a
+kettle was boiled, and he and Will sat down to a hearty meal.
+
+“Do you know what has been said about us in our absence, Chamfrey?” Nelson
+asked his servant.
+
+“No, sir; everything has been upset by this fog. They sent down from the
+batteries to enquire where you and Mr. Gilmore were, and we could only say
+that we supposed you were on board the ship. They sent from the ships to
+ask, and we could only say that we didn’t know, but supposed that you were
+somewhere up in the batteries. Some thought, when you did not return this
+afternoon, that you had lost your way in the fog; but no one seemed to
+think that anything serious could have happened to you.”
+
+Nelson got up and went to where the boat’s crew were sitting after having
+finished their meal.
+
+“Coxswain, here are two guineas for yourself and a guinea for each of the
+men. Now I want every man of you to keep his mouth tightly shut about what
+has happened. I promise you that if any man blabs he will be turned out of
+my gig. You understand?”
+
+“Yes, sir,” they replied together. “You can trust us to keep our mouths
+shut. We will never say a word about it.”
+
+“That is a good thing,” Nelson remarked when he returned to Will. “If what
+has happened came to be known, I should get abused by Lord Hood for having
+gone so far away and run so great a risk. Of course, as you and I are
+aware, there would have been no risk at all if that fog had not set in and
+we had not forgotten to bring a compass. But, you know, a naval man is
+supposed to foresee everything, and I should have been blamed just as much
+as if I had rowed into the fog on purpose. I should have had all the
+captains in the fleet remonstrating with me, and they would be saying: ‘I
+knew, Nelson, the way you are always running about, that you would get
+into some scrape or other one of these days.’ A report, indeed, might be
+sent to England, enormously magnified, of course, with the headings:
+‘Captain Nelson lost in a fog!’ ‘Captain Nelson roasted alive by Corsican
+brigands!’ I would not have the news get about for five hundred guineas. I
+don’t suppose my absence was noticed the first day. It was known, of
+course, that I went off in my gig; but as I sometimes sleep here and
+sometimes on board my ship, the fact that I was not in either place would
+not cause surprise. As for to-day, if any questions are asked, I’ll simply
+say that I lost my way in the fog and did not return here until late at
+night, a tale which will have the advantage of being true.”
+
+“You may be sure, sir, that no word shall pass my lips on the matter.”
+
+“I am quite sure of that, Mr. Gilmore. I shall never forget this danger we
+have shared together, nor how well you bore the terrible trial. I shall
+always regard you as one of my closest comrades and friends, and when the
+time comes will do my best to further your interests. I have not much
+power at present, as one of Lord Hood’s captains, but the time may come
+when I shall be able to do something for you, and I can assure you that
+when that opportunity arrives I shall need no reminder of my promise.”
+
+By the 11th of April, 1794, the three batteries were completed, and they
+at once opened fire on the town. The garrison vigorously replied with hot
+shot, which set fire to a ship that had been converted into a battery.
+Still D’Aubant remained inactive. The sailors, fired with indignation,
+worked even harder than before. Nelson now felt confident of success. He
+predicted that the place would fall between the 11th and 17th of May, and
+his prediction was fulfilled almost to the letter, for at four o’clock on
+the afternoon of the 11th a boat came out from the town to the _Victory_
+offering to surrender. That afternoon, General D’Aubant, having received
+some reinforcements from Gibraltar, arrived from San Fiorenzo only to find
+that the work he had pronounced impracticable had been done without his
+assistance.
+
+Will had spent the whole of his time during the siege on shore. He had
+laboured incessantly in getting the guns up to their positions, and had
+been placed in command of one of the batteries. Nelson specially
+recommended him for his services, and Lord Hood mentioned him in his
+despatches to the Admiralty at home.
+
+No sooner had Bastia fallen than the admiral determined to besiege Calvi,
+the one French stronghold left in the island. The news came, however, that
+a part of the French fleet had broken out of Toulon, and Lord Hood at once
+started in pursuit, leaving Nelson to conduct the operations.
+
+Taking the troops, which were now commanded by General Stuart, a man of
+very different stamp from D’Aubant, Nelson landed them on the 19th June
+without opposition at a narrow inlet three miles and a half from the town.
+A body of seamen were also landed under Will. These instantly began, as at
+Bastia, to get the guns up the hills to form a battery.
+
+The enemy were strongly protected with four outlying forts. There were
+also in the harbour two French frigates, the _Melpomene_ and the
+_Mignonne_. The proceedings resembled those at Bastia. The work
+accomplished was tremendous, and batteries sprang up as if by magic.
+
+At the end of June Lord Hood returned from watching the French, and the
+work proceeded even more vigorously than before. As at Bastia, Nelson
+animated his men by his energy and example. He himself was wounded by some
+stones which were driven up by a shot striking the ground close to him,
+and lost the sight of his right eye for ever. But although his suffering
+was very severe he would not interrupt his labours for a single day.
+Presently the batteries opened fire, and one by one the outlying forts
+were stormed, and the town itself attacked. At last, on the 1st of August,
+the enemy proposed a capitulation. This was granted to them on the terms
+that if the Toulon fleet did not arrive in seven days they would lay down
+their arms, and surrender the two frigates. The Toulon fleet was, however,
+in no position to risk a battle with Lord Hood’s powerful squadron, and
+accordingly on the 10th the garrison surrendered and marched out of the
+great gate of the town with the honours of war. Nelson was exultant at the
+thought that the capture of this town, as well as Bastia, was the
+achievement of his sailors, that the batteries had been constructed by
+them, the guns dragged up by them, and with the exception only of a single
+artillery-man all the guns also fought by them.
+
+Will gained very great credit by his work. He had a natural gift for
+handling heavy weights, and he had thoroughly learnt the lesson that the
+power and endurance of English sailors could surmount obstacles that
+appeared insuperable.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIV
+
+
+ THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE
+
+
+It was while besieging Calvi that the news came of the great sea-battle
+fought in the Channel by Lord Howe, and very much interested were the
+sailors on shore in Corsica at hearing the details of the victory. A vast
+fleet had assembled at Spithead under the command of the veteran Lord
+Howe. It had two objects in view besides the primary one of engaging the
+enemy. First, the convoying of the East and West India and Newfoundland
+merchant fleets clear of the Channel; and next, of intercepting a French
+convoy returning from America laden with the produce of the West India
+Islands. It consisted of thirty-four line-of-battle ships and fifteen
+frigates, while the convoy numbered ninety-nine merchantmen.
+
+On 2nd May, 1794, the fleet sailed from Spithead, and on the 5th they
+arrived off the Lizard. Here Lord Howe ordered the convoys to part company
+with the fleet, and detached Rear-admiral Montagu with six seventy-fours
+and two frigates with orders to see the merchantmen to the latitude of
+Cape Finisterre, where their protection was to be confided to Captain
+Rainier with two battle-ships and four frigates.
+
+Lord Howe now proceeded to Ushant, where he discovered, by means of his
+frigates, that the enemy’s fleet were quietly anchored in the harbour of
+Brest.
+
+He therefore proceeded in search of the American convoy. After cruising in
+various directions for nearly a fortnight he returned to Ushant on the
+18th May, only to find that Brest harbour was empty. News was obtained
+from an American vessel that the French fleet had sailed from that harbour
+a few days before. It afterwards turned out that the two fleets had passed
+quite close to each other unseen, owing to a dense fog that prevailed at
+the time. They were exactly the same strength in numbers, but the French
+carried much heavier guns, and their crews exceeded ours by three thousand
+men.
+
+For more than a week the two fleets cruised about in the Bay of Biscay,
+each taking many prizes, but without meeting. At last, early on the
+morning of the 28th of May, they came in sight of each other. The French
+were to windward, and, having a strong south west wind with them, they
+came down rapidly towards us, as if anxious to fight. Presently they
+shortened sail and formed line of battle. Howe signalled to prepare for
+battle, and having come on to the same tack as the French, stood towards
+them, having them on his weather quarter. Soon, however, the French tacked
+and seemed to retreat. A general chase was ordered, and the English ships
+went off in pursuit under full sail. Between two and three o’clock the
+_Russell_, which was the fastest of the seventy-fours, began to exchange
+shots with the French, and towards evening another seventy-four, the
+_Bellerophon_, began a close action with the _Révolutionnaire_, one
+hundred and ten guns. The _Bellerophon_ soon lost her main top-mast, and
+dropped back; but the fight with the great ship was taken up, first by the
+_Leviathan_ and afterwards by the _Audacious_, both seventy-fours, which,
+supported by two others, fought her for three hours. By that time the
+_Révolutionnaire_ had a mast carried away and great damage done to her
+yards, and had lost four hundred men. When darkness fell she was a
+complete wreck, and it was confidently expected that in the morning she
+would fall into our hands. At break of day, however, the French admiral
+sent down a ship which took her in tow, for her other mast had fallen
+during the night, and succeeded in taking her in safety to Rochefort. The
+_Audacious_ had suffered so severely in the unequal fight that she was
+obliged to return to Plymouth to repair damages.
+
+During the night the hostile fleets steered under press of canvas on a
+parallel course, and when daylight broke were still as near together as on
+the previous day, but the firing was of a desultory character, Lord Howe’s
+efforts to bring on a general engagement being thwarted by some of the
+ships misunderstanding his signals. The next day was one of intense fog,
+but on the 31st the weather cleared, and the fleets towards evening were
+less than five miles apart. A general action might have been brought on,
+but Lord Howe preferred to wait till daylight, when signals could more
+easily be made out. Our admiral was surprised that none of the French
+ships showed any damage from the action of the 29th. It was afterwards
+found that they had since been joined by four fresh ships, and that the
+vessels that had suffered most had been sent into Brest.
+
+During the 31st various manœuvres had been performed, which ended by
+giving us the weather-gage; and the next morning, the 1st of June, Lord
+Howe signalled that he intended to attack the enemy, and that each ship
+was to steer for the one opposed to her in the line. The ships were
+arranged so that each vessel should be opposite one of equal size. The
+_Defence_ led the attack, and came under a heavy fire. The admiral’s ship,
+the _Queen Charlotte_, pressed forward, replying with her quarter-deck
+guns only to the fire of some of the French ships which assailed her as
+she advanced, keeping the fire of her main-deck guns for the French
+admiral, whom he intended to attack. So close and compact, however, were
+the French lines that it was no easy matter to pass through. As the _Queen
+Charlotte_ came under the stern of the _Montagne_ she poured in a
+tremendous fire from her starboard guns at such close quarters that the
+rigging of the two vessels were touching. The _Jacobin_, the next ship to
+the _Montagne_, shifted her position and took up that which the _Queen
+Charlotte_ had intended to occupy. Lord Howe then engaged the two vessels,
+and his fire was so quick that ere long both had to fall out of the fight.
+A furious combat followed between the _Queen Charlotte_ and the _Juste_,
+in which the latter was totally dismasted. The former lost her
+main-topmast, and as she had previously lost her fore-topmast she became
+totally unmanageable.
+
+Thus almost single-handed, save for the distant fire of the _Invincible_,
+Lord Howe fought these three powerful ships. At this time a fourth
+adversary appeared in the _Républicain_, one hundred and ten guns,
+carrying the flag of Rear-admiral Bouvet. Just as they were going to
+engage, however, the _Gibraltar_ poured in a broadside, bringing down the
+main and mizzen-masts of the Frenchman, who bore up and passed under the
+stern of the _Queen Charlotte_, but so great was the confusion on board
+her that she neglected to rake the flagship.
+
+The _Montagne_, followed by the _Jacobin_, now crowded on all sail; and
+Lord Howe, thinking they intended to escape, gave the order for a general
+chase, but they were joined by nine other ships, and wore round and sailed
+towards the _Queen_. This craft was almost defenceless, owing to the loss
+of her mainmast and mizzen-topmast.
+
+Seeing her danger, Lord Howe signalled to his ships to close round her,
+and he himself wore round and stood to her assistance.
+
+He was followed by five other battle-ships, and Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse
+gave up the attempt and sailed to help his own crippled ships, and, taking
+five of them in tow, made off.
+
+Six French battle-ships were captured, and the _Vengeur_, which had been
+engaged in a desperate fight with the _Brunswick_, went down ten minutes
+after she surrendered.
+
+The British loss in the battle of the 1st of June, and in the preliminary
+skirmishes of the 28th and 29th of May, was eleven hundred and
+forty-eight, of whom two hundred and ninety were killed and eight hundred
+and fifty-eight wounded.
+
+The French placed their loss in killed and mortally wounded at three
+thousand, so that their total loss could not have been much under seven
+thousand.
+
+Decisive as the victory was, it was the general opinion in the fleet that
+more ought to have been done; that the five disabled ships should have
+been taken, and a hot chase instituted after the flying enemy. Indeed, the
+only explanation of this inactivity was that the admiral, who was now an
+old man, was so enfeebled and exhausted by the strain through which he had
+gone as to be incapable of coming to any decision or of giving any order.
+
+One of the most desperate combats in this battle was that which took place
+between the _Brunswick_, seventy-four guns, under Captain John Harvey, and
+the _Vengeur_, also a seventy-four. The _Brunswick_ had not been engaged
+in the battles of the 28th and 29th of May, but she played a brilliant
+part on the 1st of June. She was exposed to a heavy fire as the fleet bore
+down to attack, and she suffered some losses before she had fired a shot.
+She steered for the interval between the _Achille_ and _Vengeur_. The
+former vessel at once took up a position closing the gap, and Captain
+Harvey then ran foul of the _Vengeur_, her anchors hooking in the port
+fore channels of the Frenchman.
+
+The two ships now swung close alongside of each other, and, paying off
+before the wind, they ran out of the line, pouring their broadsides into
+each other furiously.
+
+The upper-deck guns of the _Vengeur_ got the better of those of the
+_Brunswick_, killing several officers and men, and wounding Captain Harvey
+so severely as to compel him to go below.
+
+At this moment the _Achille_ bore down on the _Brunswick’s_ quarter, but
+was received by a tremendous broadside, which brought down her remaining
+mast, a foremast. The wreck prevented the _Achille_ from firing, and she
+surrendered; but as the _Brunswick_ was too busy to attend to her, she
+hoisted a sprit-sail—a sail put up under the bowsprit—and endeavoured to
+make off.
+
+Meantime the _Brunswick_ and _Vengeur_, fast locked, continued their
+desperate duel. The upper-deck guns of the former were almost silenced,
+but on the lower decks the advantage was the other way. Alternately
+depressing and elevating their guns to their utmost extent, the British
+sailors either fired through their enemy’s bottom or ripped up her decks.
+
+Captain Harvey, who had returned to the deck, was again knocked down by a
+splinter, but continued to direct operations till he was struck in the
+right arm and so severely injured as to force him to give up the command,
+which now devolved on Lieutenant Cracroft, who, however, continued to
+fight the ship as his captain had done.
+
+After being for some three hours entangled, the two ships separated, the
+_Vengeur_ tearing away the _Brunswick’s_ anchor. As they drifted apart,
+some well-aimed shots from the _Brunswick_ smashed her enemy’s rudder-post
+and knocked a large hole in the counter. At this moment the _Ramillies_,
+sailing up, opened fire at forty yards’ distance at this particular hole.
+In a few minutes she reduced the _Vengeur_ to a sinking condition, and
+then proceeded to chase the _Achille_. The _Vengeur_ now surrendered. The
+_Brunswick_, however, could render no assistance, all her boats being
+damaged, but, hoisting what sail she could, headed northward with the
+intention of making for port. During the fight the _Brunswick_ lost her
+mizzen, and had her other masts badly damaged, her rigging and sails cut
+to pieces, and twenty-three guns dismounted. She lost three officers and
+forty-one men killed; her captain, second lieutenant, one midshipman, and
+one hundred and ten men wounded. Captain Harvey only survived his wounds a
+few months.
+
+The greater portion of the crew of the _Vengeur_ were taken off by the
+boats of the _Alfred_, _Culloden_, and _Rattler_, but she sank before all
+could be rescued, and two hundred of her crew, most of whom were wounded,
+were drowned. Among the survivors were Captain Renaudin and his son. Each
+was ignorant of the rescue of the other, and when they met by chance at
+Portsmouth their joy can be better imagined than described.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The _Tartar_ returned to the blockade of Toulon after the work in Corsica
+was done. When she had been there some time she was ordered to cruise on
+the coast, where there were several forts under which French
+coasting-vessels ran for shelter when they saw an English sail
+approaching, and she was, if possible, to destroy them. There was one
+especially, on one of the Isles d’Hyères, which the _Tartar_ was
+particularly ordered to silence, as more than any other it was the resort
+of coasters. The _Tartar_ sailed in near enough to it to exchange shots,
+and so got some idea of the work they had to undertake; then, having
+learned all she could, she stood out to sea again. All preparations were
+made during the day for a landing; arms were distributed, and the men told
+off to the boats. After nightfall she again sailed in, and arrived off the
+forts about midnight. The boats had already been lowered, and the men took
+their places in them while the _Tartar_ was still moving through the
+water, and, dividing into three parties, made respectively for the three
+principal batteries.
+
+Dimchurch was not in the boat in which Will had a place, as he rowed
+stroke of the first gig and Will was in the launch. Tom was also in
+another boat, but was in the same division. No lights were to be seen, and
+absolute silence reigned. Noiselessly the men landed and formed up on the
+beach. To reach the batteries they had to climb the cliff by a zigzag
+pathway, up which they were obliged to go in single file. They arrived at
+the summit without apparently creating a suspicion of their presence, and
+then advanced at a run. Suddenly three blue lights gleamed out,
+illuminating the whole of the ground they had to traverse, and at the same
+moment a tremendous volley was fired from the battery. Simultaneously fire
+opened from the other batteries, showing that the boats’ crews had all
+arrived just at the same instant, and that while the French were supposed
+to be asleep they were awake and vigilant. Indeed, from the heaviness of
+the fire there was little question that the force on the island had been
+heavily reinforced from the mainland.
+
+Numbers of the men fell, but nevertheless the sailors rushed forward
+fearlessly and reached the foot of the fort. This was too high to be
+climbed, so, separating, they ran round to endeavour to effect an entrance
+elsewhere. Suddenly they were met by a considerable body of troops. The
+first lieutenant, who commanded the division, whistled the order for the
+sailors to fall back. This was done at first slowly and in some sort of
+order, but the fire kept up on them was so hot that they were compelled to
+increase their pace to a run. A stand was made at the top of the pass, as
+here the men were only able to retreat in single file. At length the
+survivors all reached the beach and took to the boats again under a heavy
+fire from the top of the cliffs, which, however, was to some extent kept
+down by the guns of the _Tartar_. The other divisions had suffered almost
+as severely, and the affair altogether cost the _Tartar_ fifty killed and
+over seventy wounded. Will was in the front rank when the French so
+suddenly attacked them, and was in the rear when the retreat began.
+Suddenly a shot struck him in the leg and he fell. In the confusion this
+was not noticed, and he lay there for upwards of an hour, when, the fire
+of the _Tartar_ having ceased, the French came out with lanterns to search
+for the wounded. Will was lifted and carried to some barracks behind the
+fort, where his wound was attended to. They asked whether he spoke French,
+and as, though he had studied the language whenever he had had time and
+opportunity and had acquired considerable knowledge of it, he was far from
+being able to speak it fluently, he replied that he did not, a French
+officer came to him.
+
+“What is your name, monsieur?” he asked.
+
+“William Gilmore.”
+
+“What is your rank?”
+
+“Midshipman.”
+
+“Age?”
+
+“Nearly nineteen.”
+
+“Nationality, English” was added.
+
+“What ship was that from which you landed?”
+
+There was no reason why the question should not be answered, and he
+replied: “The _Tartar_, thirty-four guns.”
+
+“Ah, you have made a bad evening’s business, monsieur!” the officer said.
+“When the ship was seen to sail in and sail away again, after firing a few
+shots, we felt sure that she would come back to-night, and five hundred
+men were brought across from the mainland to give you a hot reception.
+And, parbleu, we did so.”
+
+“You did indeed,” Will said, “a desperately hot reception. I cannot tell
+what our loss was, but it must have been very heavy. You took us
+completely by surprise, which was what we had intended to do to you. Well,
+it is the fortune of war, and I must not grumble.”
+
+“You will be sent to Toulon as soon as you can be moved, monsieur.”
+
+Three other wounded officers had fallen into the hands of the enemy, and
+these were placed in the same room as Will. One was the third lieutenant,
+another the master’s mate, and the third was a midshipman. They were well
+treated and cared for and were very cheery together, with the exception of
+the lieutenant, whose wound was a mortal one, and who died two days after
+the fight.
+
+A month after their reception into the hospital all were able to walk, and
+they were taken across in a boat to the mainland and sent to Toulon. They
+were all asked if they would give their parole, and though his two
+companions agreed to do so, Will refused. He was accordingly sent to a
+place of confinement, while the other two were allowed to take quarters in
+the town.
+
+Will was privately glad of this, for, though both were pleasant fellows,
+he thought that if he were to make his escape it must be alone, and had
+the others been quartered with him he could not well have left them. His
+prison was a fort on a hill which ran out into the sea, and Will could see
+the sails of the blockading vessels as they cruised backwards and
+forwards. He also commanded a view over the town, with its harbour crowded
+with shipping, its churches, and fortifications. He longed continually for
+the company of his two faithful followers, Dimchurch and Tom. They had
+been with him in all his adventures, and he felt that if they were
+together again they would be able to contrive some plan of escape. At
+present no scheme occurred to him. The window of the room in which he was
+confined was twenty feet from the ground, and was protected by iron bars.
+In front was a wall some twelve feet high, enclosing a courtyard in which
+the garrison paraded and drilled. At night sentinels were planted at short
+intervals, from which Will concluded that there must be many other
+prisoners besides himself in the fort. He was attended by an old soldier,
+with whom he often had long chats.
+
+“They certainly know how to make prisons,” he grumbled to himself. “If it
+was not that I shall never lose hope of something turning up, I would
+accept my parole.”
+
+After he had been there for three months he was one day led out and, with
+three other midshipmen, taken down to a prison in the town. He had no
+doubt that prisoners of more importance had arrived, and that he and the
+others had been moved to make way for them. A month later they were again
+taken out, and, having been joined by a hundred other prisoners under a
+strong guard, were marched out of the town. There were five officers among
+them, and the rest were seamen. All were glad of the change, though it was
+not likely to be for the better. Will was sorry, inasmuch as at Toulon he
+could always hope that if he escaped from prison he would be able to get
+hold of a boat and row out to the blockading squadron. Inland he felt that
+escape would be vastly more difficult. Even if he got out of prison he
+knew but little French, and therefore could hardly hope to make his way
+across country. They trudged along day after day, each according to his
+fancy, some sullen and morose, others making the best of matters and
+trying to establish some speaking acquaintance with their guards, who
+evidently regarded the march as a sort of holiday after the dull routine
+of life in a garrison town. Will, who had during his imprisonment at
+Toulon studied to improve his French to the best of his ability by the aid
+of some books he had obtained and by chatting with his jailer, worked his
+hardest to add to his knowledge of the language, and as the French
+soldiers were quite glad to beguile the time away by talking with their
+captives, he succeeded at the end of the journey, which lasted nearly a
+month, in being able to chat with a certain amount of fluency. Verdun was
+one of the four places in which British prisoners were confined. At that
+time France had fifteen thousand prisoners, England forty thousand. By an
+agreement between the governments these were held captive in certain
+prisons, so that they could, when occasion offered, be exchanged; but
+owing to the vastly greater number of English prisoners the operation went
+on very slowly. The health of the prison was bad, the large number
+confined in the narrow space, and the lack of sanitary arrangements,
+causing a vast amount of fever to prevail.
+
+When he got to Verdun, Will continued to devote himself to the study of
+French. He knew that, should he escape, he could have no hope of finding
+his way across country unless he could speak the language fluently, and
+accordingly he passed the whole day in conversation with the guards and
+others employed about the prison. These were inclined to regard his
+anxiety to become proficient in the language as a national compliment.
+Some of the prisoners also knew French well, so that at the end of four
+months he could talk with perfect fluency. He was a good deal laughed at
+by the English officers for the zeal he was displaying in studying French,
+for, as they said, he might as well try to get to the moon as out of
+Verdun. He accepted their chaff good-humouredly, and simply said: “Time
+will show, but for my part I would as soon be shot as continue to live as
+prisoner here.”
+
+Many of the prisoners passed their time in manufacturing little trifles.
+The sailors, for the most part, made models of ships; some of them were
+adepts at sewing patchwork quilts, and got their warders to purchase
+scraps of various materials for the purpose. The soldiers were also, many
+of them, skilled in making knick-knacks. These were sold in the town,
+chiefly to country people who came in to market, and so their makers were
+able to purchase tobacco and other little luxuries. A few of the prisoners
+were allowed every day to go into the town, which, being strongly walled,
+offered no greater facility for escape than did the prison itself. They
+carried with them and sold their own manufactures and those of other
+prisoners, and with the proceeds purchased the things they required.
+
+Several times Will was one of those allowed out, and he set himself to
+work to make the acquaintance of some of the townspeople. As he was one of
+the few who could speak French, he had no difficulty in getting up a
+chatty acquaintance with several people, among them a young girl living in
+a house close to the wall. She had looked pitifully at him the first time
+he had come out with a small load of merchandise.
+
+“Ah, my poor young fellow,” she said in French, “how hard it is for you to
+be thus kept a prisoner far from all your friends!”
+
+“Thank you, mademoiselle,” he said, “but it is the fortune of war, and
+English as well as French must submit to it.”
+
+“You speak French!” she said. “Yes, yes, monsieur, I feel it as much as
+any. There is one who is very dear to me a prisoner in England. He is a
+soldier.”
+
+“Well, mademoiselle, it is a pity that they don’t exchange us. We give a
+lot of trouble to your people, and the French prisoners give a lot of
+trouble to ours, so it would be much better to restore us to our friends.”
+
+“Ah! that is what I say. How happy I should be if my dear Lucien were
+restored to me.”
+
+So the acquaintance became closer and closer, and at last Will ventured to
+say: “If I were back in England, mademoiselle, I might perhaps get your
+Lucien out. You could give me his name and the prison in which he is
+confined, and it would be hard if I could not manage to aid him to
+escape.”
+
+“Ah, monsieur, that would be splendid!” the girl said, clasping her hands.
+“If you could but get away!”
+
+“Well, mademoiselle, I think I could manage to escape if I had but a
+little help. For example, from the top window of this house I think I
+could manage to jump upon the wall, and if you could but furnish me with a
+rope I could easily make my escape. Of course I should want a suit of
+peasant’s clothes, for, you see, I should be detected at once if I tried
+to get away in this uniform. I speak French fairly now, and think I could
+pass as a native.”
+
+“You speak it very well, monsieur, but oh, I dare not help you to escape!”
+
+“I am not asking you to, mademoiselle; I am only saying how it could be
+managed, and that if I could get back to England I might aid your lover.”
+
+The girl was silent.
+
+“It could never be,” she murmured.
+
+“I am not asking it, mademoiselle; and now I must be going on.”
+
+The next time he came she said: “I have been thinking over what you said,
+monsieur, and I feel that it would be cowardly indeed if I were to shrink
+from incurring some little danger for the sake of Lucien. I know that he
+would give his life for me. We were to have been married in a fortnight,
+when they came and carried him off to the war. Now tell me exactly what
+you want me to do.”
+
+“I want a disguise, the dress of a travelling pedlar. I could give you two
+English sovereigns, which would be ample to get that. I want also a rope
+forty feet long. Then you must let me go up through your house to the top
+story. I have been looking at it from behind, and see that from the upper
+window I could climb up to the roof, and I am sure that from there I could
+easily jump across the narrow lane to the wall.”
+
+“I will do it, monsieur, partly for Lucien and partly because you are kind
+and gentle and,” she added with a little blush and laugh, “good-looking.”
+
+“I thank you with all my heart, mademoiselle, and I swear to you that when
+I get to England I will spare no pains to find Lucien and aid him to
+escape.”
+
+“When will you be out again, monsieur?”
+
+“This day week.”
+
+“I will have everything ready by that time,” she said. “You will come as
+late as you can?”
+
+“Yes, I will come the last thing before we all have to return to the
+prison. It will be dark half an hour later.”
+
+“But there are sentries on the walls,” she said.
+
+“Yes, but not a large number. The prison is strongly guarded at night, but
+not the outer walls; I have often watched. There is one other thing which
+I shall want, and that is a sack in which to put this long box. I carry
+it, as you see, full of goods, but to-day I have intentionally abstained
+from selling any of them. I will leave the things with you if you have any
+place in which to hide them.”
+
+“I will put them under my bed,” the girl said. “My grand’mère never goes
+into my room. Besides, she is generally away at the time you will arrive,
+and if she is not she will not hear you go upstairs, as she is very deaf.
+My father is one of the warders of the prison, and only comes home once a
+week.”
+
+Will then returned to the prison. When the appointed day arrived he put
+only a few small articles into his box. For these he paid cash. Then he
+said good-bye to four or five of the officers with whom he was most
+friendly.
+
+“You are mad to try to escape,” one of them said, “there is no getting
+over the walls.”
+
+“I am going to try at any rate. I am utterly sick of this life.”
+
+“But you may be exchanged before long.”
+
+“It is most improbable,” he said. “Only a few are exchanged at a time, and
+as I have not a shadow of influence my name would not be included in the
+list.”
+
+“But how are you going to attempt it?”
+
+“Now that I must keep to myself. A plan may succeed once, but may fail if
+it is tried again. I really think I have a chance of getting through, but
+of course I may be caught. However, I am going to take the risk.”
+
+“Well, I wish you luck, but I can hardly even hope that you will succeed.”
+
+After going about the town as usual, without making any serious effort to
+sell his goods, Will made his way, towards the end of the day, to the
+house in the lane. Marie was standing at the door. As he approached she
+looked anxiously up and down the street, to be certain that there was no
+one there, and then beckoned to him to enter quickly. He obeyed at once,
+and she closed the door behind him. “Are you sure no one saw you enter,
+monsieur?” she said.
+
+“Yes,” he said, “I am quite certain.”
+
+“Now,” said Marie, “you must go at once up to the attic in case my
+grand’mère should come in. I have everything ready for you there. It will
+be dark in half an hour. I hear the prison bell ringing for the return of
+the prisoners who are out, but the roll-call is not made until all have
+returned to their cells and are locked up for the night, which will not be
+for an hour and a half, so you have plenty of time.”
+
+“I thank you with all my heart, mademoiselle.”
+
+He went up with her to the attic and looked out at the wall. The lane was
+only some twelve feet across, and he was convinced that he could leap it
+without difficulty. He emptied his box and repacked it, selecting chiefly
+articles which would take up the smallest amount of room. He made quite
+sure how he could best climb from the window to the roof above it, then he
+waited with what patience he could until it was absolutely dark. When he
+was ready to start he fastened the rope firmly round the box and said
+good-bye to Marie.
+
+His last words were: “I will do my very best for Lucien, and when the war
+is over I will send you a gold watch to wear at your wedding.”
+
+Then he got upon the window-sill, with the end of the rope tied round his
+waist, and with some little difficulty climbed to the roof of the house,
+and when he had got his breath began to pull at the rope and hoisted up
+the box. He had, before starting, put on the disguise Marie had bought for
+him, and handed her the remains of his uniform, telling her to burn it at
+once, and to hide away the buttons for the present, and throw them away
+the first time she left the town. “There will be a strict search,” he
+said, “for any signs of me, and those buttons would certainly betray you
+if they were found.”
+
+When he got the box up he listened attentively for a little, and as, to
+his great joy, he could not hear the footsteps of a sentinel, he threw it
+on to the wall and jumped after it. He landed on his feet, and, picking up
+the box, ran along the wall till he came to a gun. He tied the end of the
+rope round this and slipped down. Then without a moment’s delay he slung
+the box over his shoulder and walked away. He had two or three outworks to
+pass, but luckily there were no guards, so he made his way through them
+without difficulty. All night he tramped on, and by morning was forty
+miles away from Verdun. He did not want to begin to ply his assumed trade
+till he was still farther away, so he lay down to sleep in a large wood.
+He had saved from his rations during the week a certain amount of bread,
+and he had bought a couple of loaves while wandering with his wares
+through the town. He slept for the best part of the day, and started again
+at night. Beyond making sure that he was going west he paid but little
+attention to the roads he followed, but, keeping steadily in that
+direction, he put another forty miles between him and Verdun by the
+following morning. Then after a few hours’ sleep he boldly went into a
+village and entered an inn.
+
+“You are a pedlar,” the landlord said, “are you not?”
+
+“Yes,” he said, “I am selling wares manufactured by the prisoners at
+Verdun.”
+
+The news spread and the villagers flocked in to look at these curiosities.
+
+“I bought them at a low price, and will sell at the same. They could not
+be made by ordinary labour at ten times the price I charge for them.”
+
+The bait took, and soon a good many small articles were sold. Two hours
+later he again started on his way.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XV
+
+
+ ESCAPED
+
+
+So he travelled across France, avoiding all large towns. Once or twice he
+got into trouble with a pompous village official on account of his not
+holding a pedlar’s permit; but the feeling of the people was strong in
+favour of a man who was selling goods for the benefit of poor prisoners,
+and, of course, he always had some plausible story ready to account for
+its absence. At last he came to Dunkirk. He had saved money as he went,
+and on his arrival there had eight louis in his pocket. He took up a
+lodging at a little cabaret, and, leaving his box, which was now almost
+empty, strolled down to the harbour. Fishing-boats were coming in and
+going out. Observing that they were not very well manned, probably because
+many of the men had been drafted into the navy, he selected one which had
+but four men, a number barely sufficient to raise the heavy lug-sail, and
+when she made fast alongside the quay he went on board.
+
+“Do you want a hand?” he said, “I am not accustomed to the sea, but I have
+no doubt I could haul on a rope as well as others.”
+
+“Where do you come from,” one asked, “and how is it that you have escaped
+the conscription?”
+
+“I am exempt,” he said, “as the only son of my mother. I come from
+Champagne.”
+
+“But why have you left?”
+
+“I came away because the girl I was engaged to jilted me for a richer
+suitor, and I could not stop there to see her married; I should have cut
+his throat or my own. So I have tramped down here to see if I can find
+some work for a time.”
+
+“You are a fool for your pains,” the skipper said. “No girl is worth it.”
+
+“Ah, you never could have been jilted! If you had been you wouldn’t think
+so lightly of it.”
+
+“Well, mates, what do you say? Shall we take this young fellow? He looks
+strong and active, and I dare say will suit us.”
+
+“At any rate we can give him a trial for a voyage or two.”
+
+“Well, you may begin by helping us up into the town with our fish. We have
+had a heavy catch to-day.”
+
+Will at once shouldered a basket and went up with them to the
+market-place.
+
+“We are going to get a drink,” the fisherman said. “Let us see how well
+you can sell for us. You must get a franc a kilogramme. Here are scales.”
+
+For a couple of hours Will sold fish, attracting, by his pleasant face,
+buyers who might otherwise have passed him; and when the fishermen
+returned they were pleased to find that he had almost sold out their
+stock, and accounted for his take to the last sou.
+
+“I have been watching you all the time,” the captain said, “though you did
+not know. I wanted to see if you were honest, and, now that I have a proof
+of it, will take you willingly. The pay is twelve francs a week and a
+tenth share in the sales. The boat takes a third, I take two, and the
+sailors take one apiece, and you will have half a share besides your pay
+till you know your business. Do you agree to that?”
+
+“Yes,” Will said.
+
+Accordingly he settled down to the work of a fisherman, and gave great
+satisfaction. His mates were indeed astonished at the rapidity with which
+he learned his work, and congratulated themselves upon the acquisition of
+so promising a recruit.
+
+A month after he had joined the smack a ship-of-war was seen sailing along
+three miles from shore. The fishermen were half-way between her and the
+land, and paid no great attention to her, knowing that British men-of-war
+did not condescend to meddle with small fishing-boats. Will waited until
+the captain and one of the men were below; then, suddenly pushing the
+hatch to and throwing a coil of rope over it, he produced from his pockets
+a brace of pistols which he had bought at Dunkirk out of the stock of
+money he had had in his pocket when he was captured, and ordered the man
+at the helm to steer for the frigate. The man let go the tiller at once,
+and he and his companion prepared to make a rush upon Will. But the sight
+of the levelled pistols checked them.
+
+ [Illustration: “HE ORDERED THE MAN AT THE HELM TO STEER FOR THE
+ FRIGATE”]
+
+“You will come to no harm,” Will said. “You have but to put me on board,
+and I warrant you shall be allowed to depart unmolested. I am an English
+officer. Now, down with the helm without hesitation, or I will put a
+bullet through your head; and do you, Jacques, sit down by his side.”
+
+Sullenly the men obeyed his orders, and the boat went dancing through the
+water in a direction which, Will calculated, would enable him to cut off
+the frigate. In the meantime the captain and his companion, unable to
+understand what was going on, were thumping at the hatchway. Will,
+however, paid no attention to them, but stood on it, keeping his eye upon
+the men in the stern. Twenty minutes brought them close to the frigate,
+which, on seeing a small boat making for her, threw her sails aback to
+wait for it. As they came close a rope was thrown; Will grasped it and
+swung himself up the side, leaving the boat to drift away. The sailors
+stood looking in surprise at him, but Will went straight up to the first
+lieutenant.
+
+“I beg to report myself as having come on board, sir. I am, or rather was,
+a midshipman on board the _Tartar_. I have just escaped from Verdun.”
+
+“Do you really mean it?” the lieutenant said. “I thought only one or two
+English prisoners had ever made their escape from there.”
+
+“That is so, sir, and I am one of the fortunate ones.”
+
+“But how on earth have you managed to pass right through France?”
+
+“I was detained three months at Toulon, sir, and there was allowed to buy
+some French books. I was then a month on the way to Verdun, and five
+months there. During that time I practised French incessantly, and picked
+up enough to pass muster. At last, thanks to a French girl, I succeeded in
+getting a disguise and climbing over the wall, and passed through France
+as a pedlar with wares made by the prisoners.”
+
+“Come with me to the captain’s cabin. He will, I am sure, be glad to hear
+your story. How were you captured?”
+
+“In the attack the _Tartar_ made on a battery on one of the Isles d’Hyères
+I was shot through the leg and left behind in the retreat.”
+
+“Yes, I heard of that affair, and a most unfortunate one it was. You
+caught it hot there, and no mistake!”
+
+The captain listened to the story with great interest, and then said:
+“Well, Mr. Gilmore, I congratulate you very heartily on getting out of
+that terrible prison. I am rather short of officers, and will rate you as
+midshipman until I have an opportunity of sending you home. I have no
+doubt your brother officers will manage to rig you out.”
+
+The lieutenant went out with Will and introduced him to the officers of
+the ship, to whom he had again to tell the tale of his adventure. “Now
+come down below to our berth,” the senior midshipman said, “and we will
+see what we can do to rig you out. We lost one of our number the other
+day, and I have no doubt the purser’s clerk will let you take what you
+require out of his kit if you give him a bill on your paymaster.”
+
+Fortunately the clothes fitted Will, so he took over the whole of the
+effects, as there was sufficient standing to his account on the _Tartar_
+to pay for them, in addition to the pay that would accrue during the time
+of his captivity.
+
+He learned that they were on their way to the Texel, where they were to
+cruise backwards and forwards to watch the flotilla of boats that Napoleon
+was accumulating there for the invasion of England. It was arduous work,
+for the heavy fogs rendered it necessary to use the greatest caution, as
+there were many dangerous shoals and currents in the vicinity.
+
+One dark night, when they thought that they were in deep water, the ship
+grounded suddenly. The tide was running out, and though they did
+everything in their power they could not get her off.
+
+“If we have but another couple of hours,” the first lieutenant said, “we
+shall float, as the tide will be turning very soon. But it is getting
+light already, and we are likely to have their gun-boats out in no time.”
+
+His anticipation turned out correct, for six gun-boats were soon seen
+making their way out of the Texel. When within range they opened fire. The
+_Artemis_ replied with such guns as she could bring to bear on them. She
+suffered a good deal of damage, but the tide had turned and was flowing
+fast. Hawsers had been run out at the stern and fastened to the capstan,
+and the bars were now manned, and the sailors put their whole strength
+into the work. At last there was a movement; the ship quivered from stem
+to stern, and then slipped off into deep water. A joyous cheer burst from
+the crew. But they did not waste time. They ran at once to their guns, and
+opened a broadside fire on the gun-boats. One was disabled and taken in
+tow by two others; and the rest, finding themselves no match for the
+frigate, sheered off and re-entered the Texel.
+
+The _Artemis_ continued to cruise to and fro for upwards of a month. One
+evening the first lieutenant said to Will: “The captain is worried because
+we were told to expect a messenger with news as to the state of affairs at
+Amsterdam and in Holland generally, and none has arrived. There is no
+doubt that they are adding to the number of gun-boats there, and also to
+the flat-bottomed boats for the conveyance of troops. The delay is most
+annoying, especially as we have orders to sail for England with the news
+as soon as we get it, and we are all heartily sick of this dull and dreary
+work.”
+
+“I will volunteer to land and communicate with some of the country-people
+near Amsterdam,” Will said, “if the captain would like it. We know that
+their sympathies are all with us, and I have no doubt that I could get
+what information is required. If my offer is accepted I should greatly
+prefer to go in uniform, for, while I am quite ready to run the risk of
+being taken prisoner, I have certainly no desire to be captured out of
+uniform, as I should be liable to be hanged as a spy.”
+
+The first lieutenant mentioned the matter to the captain, who at once
+embraced the offer, for he, too, was sick of the work, in which no honour
+was to be obtained, and in which the risks were great, as the coast was a
+dangerous one. He sent for Will and said: “I hear, Mr. Gilmore, that you
+are willing to volunteer to land and gain information. Have you considered
+the risks?”
+
+“I know that, of course, there is a certain amount of danger, sir, but do
+not consider it to be excessive. At any rate I am ready to try it.”
+
+“I am very much obliged to you,” the captain said, “for we are all anxious
+to get away from this place; but mind, I cannot but consider that the risk
+is considerable. With our glasses we constantly see bodies of horsemen
+riding along the sands, and have sometimes noticed solitary men, no doubt
+sentinels; and it is probably because of them that the messenger we
+expected has not been able to put out. I will give you his address. He
+lives within half a mile of Amsterdam, in a house near the shore of the
+Texel. When are you prepared to start?”
+
+“This evening if you wish it, sir.”
+
+“Well, I think the sooner you go the better. If you land to-night I will
+send the boat ashore to the same spot to-morrow night. They will lie off
+two or three hundred yards, and come to your whistle.”
+
+“Very well, sir.”
+
+Will had no preparations to make for his journey. He received a letter
+from the captain authorizing the man to give every information in his
+power to the bearer, and with this in his pocket he took his place in the
+boat after dark and was rowed towards the shore. The _Artemis_ was four
+miles from the land when he embarked in the gig, the oars were muffled,
+and the men were enjoined to row with the greatest care when they
+approached the land. An officer went in charge, and the _Artemis_ was to
+show a light an hour after they started, so that they could find their way
+back to her. Will chatted in a whisper to the officer till they were, he
+judged, within half a mile of the land. Then they rowed on in perfect
+silence till the keel grated on the sands. At that moment a musket shot
+was heard from a sand-hill a couple of hundred yards away. Will leapt out
+and ran at full speed for some little distance, and then threw himself
+down. The shots were repeated from point to point, and men ran down to the
+water’s edge and fired after the retiring boat.
+
+Presently the noise ceased. Whether he had been seen or not he could not
+say, but he hoped that, although the sentinel had made out the boat
+against the slight surf that broke on the beach, he had not been able to
+see him leave it. He got up cautiously, and, stooping low, moved off until
+he was quite certain that he was well beyond the line of sentries. Once or
+twice he heard the galloping of parties of men, evidently attracted by the
+sound of firing, but none of them came very near him, and he ran on
+without interruption. In two hours he saw lights before him, and knew that
+he was approaching Amsterdam. He turned to the right, and went on until he
+came to a wide sheet of water, which must, he knew, be the Texel. Then he
+lay down and slept for some hours. At the first gleam of dawn he was on
+his feet again, and made his way to a farmhouse which exactly agreed with
+the description that had been given him. He knocked at the door, and it
+was presently opened by a man in his shirt-sleeves.
+
+“Are you Meinheer Johan Van Duyk?” he asked.
+
+“I am,” the man said. “Who are you?”
+
+“I am the bearer of this letter from the captain of the _Artemis_, who had
+expected you to communicate with him.”
+
+“Come in,” the man said. “We are early risers here, and it is advisable
+that no one should see you. Yes,” he went on when the door was closed, “I
+have been trying to communicate, but the cordon of sentries along the
+shore has been so close, and the watch so vigilant, that it has been quite
+impossible for me to come out. I suppose you are an officer of that ship?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Do you speak Dutch?”
+
+“No, I speak French.”
+
+The man read the letter.
+
+“That is all right; I can furnish you with all these particulars when you
+leave to-night, but of course in that uniform you must lie dark until
+then. For some reason or other the French have suspicions of me, and they
+have paid me several visits. Were you seen to land last night?”
+
+“I do not know. They fired on the boat, and I expect they have a shrewd
+idea that somebody was put on shore.”
+
+“In that case,” the man said, “it is probable that they will search my
+house to-day. By this time they know every little corner of it, so I
+cannot see where I am to conceal you.”
+
+“I observed a stack behind your house,” suggested Will.
+
+“Yes, there is one.”
+
+“Well, if you would at once get a ladder, and take off some of the thatch
+and make a hole, I could get into it, and you could then replace the
+thatch long before the soldiers are likely to come out from Amsterdam.”
+
+“Yes, I could do that, and I could hand you in a bottle of schnapps and
+some water and bread and meat.”
+
+“That will do very well. I suppose you have men?”
+
+“Yes, I have two, and both of them are true Dutchmen, and may be trusted.
+I will give you at once the list of the gun-boats and flat-boats I have
+made ready to send on the first opportunity. I shall be glad to get it out
+of the house, for, though it is well hidden, they search so strictly that
+they might find it. They broke all my wainscots, pulled up the flooring,
+and almost wrecked the house the last time they came; and I don’t suppose
+they will be less vigilant this time.”
+
+He went to the cupboard and brought out some food and drink.
+
+“Now, sir,” he said, “if you will eat this I will call up my two men and
+set to work at once to get your hiding-place made, so that you may be
+safely lodged in it before any people are about.”
+
+Will was by no means sorry to take breakfast. He ate the food leisurely,
+and just as he had finished Van Duyk came in to say that the place was
+ready for him.
+
+It was not a large hole, but sufficient to let him lie down at full length
+under the thatch. He climbed up the ladder the men had used and got into
+his nest, and after Van Duyk had handed him in the provisions he had
+promised, the two men set to work with all speed to replace the thatch. It
+was made thin, so that he had no difficulty in raising it, and could even
+with his finger make a tiny opening through which he could look. The hay
+that had been removed to make room for him was carried away and thrown
+down in the mangers for the cows, so that there was nothing to show that
+the stack had recently been touched.
+
+Two hours later Will heard the trampling of horses, and two officers, with
+a troop of cavalry, rode up.
+
+“I bear a warrant to search your house, Van Duyk,” Will heard one of them
+say.
+
+“You have searched it three times already, meinheer, but you can, of
+course, search it again if you wish. You will certainly find no more now
+than you did then.”
+
+“A spy landed last night, Van Duyk, and it is more than probable that he
+is taking shelter here.”
+
+“I don’t know why you should suspect me more than anyone else. I am a
+quiet man, meddling in no way with public matters, and attending only to
+my own business.”
+
+“It is all very well to say that; we have certain information about you.”
+
+“I am well known to my neighbours as a peaceable man,” Van Duyk repeated,
+“and think it monstrous that I should be so interfered with and harried.”
+
+“Well, we don’t want any talk. Now, men, set to work and search every
+corner of the house, not only where a man could be hidden, but even a
+paper. These Dutchmen are traitors to a man, and if this fellow is no
+worse than others he is at least as bad.”
+
+For an hour and a half Will, in his hiding-place, heard the sound of
+smashing panels and furniture, and the pulling up of floors. At the end of
+that time the troopers left the house and mounted, the officer saying:
+“You have deceived us this time, old traitor, but we will catch you yet.”
+
+“Catch me if you can. I tell you that if you level the house to the ground
+you will find nothing.”
+
+After they had ridden off, Van Duyk went out to the haystack.
+
+“They have gone for the present, meinheer, but you had better stay where
+you are. They are quite capable of coming back again in the hope that you
+may have come out from some hiding-place they may have overlooked.”
+
+Indeed, an hour later the troop galloped up again, only to find the
+Dutchman smoking placidly on a seat before his house. Another search was
+made, but equally without success, and then, with much use of strong
+language, the party rode off.
+
+“I think you can come down safely now,” the Dutchman said to Will.
+
+“Thank you, but I don’t wish to run the least risk. I will remain where I
+am till it gets dark; I can very well sleep the time away till then. I
+sha’n’t get much sleep to-night.”
+
+Not until it was quite dark did Van Duyk and his men come with a ladder to
+remove the thatch again. It took but a minute to extricate Will from his
+hole.
+
+“We will get that filled up and mended before morning,” Van Duyk said.
+“Now, can I let you have a horse?”
+
+“No, thank you, I have but twelve miles to walk. I noted the road as I
+came, and can find the spot where I landed without difficulty.”
+
+With thanks for the Dutchman’s kindness, and handing him the reward with
+which the captain had entrusted him, Will started on his walk. When he
+approached the spot it was still four hours from the time at which the
+boat was to arrive, and seeing a light in a cottage he went and looked in
+at the window. Only a girl and an old woman were there, so he lifted the
+latch and went in. “I am an English officer,” he said, “will you let me
+sit down by your fire for a couple of hours? The cold is piercing
+outside.”
+
+The old woman answered in broken French, bidding him welcome, and he sat
+down and began to talk to her. Her stock of French was small, and the
+conversation soon languished. Presently the girl leapt to her feet and
+exclaimed in Dutch: “Soldiers!” The old woman translated, and Will then
+heard the trampling of horses. He jumped up, snatched a long cloak of the
+old woman’s from the wall, and threw it round him. He also took one of her
+caps that hung there and put it on his head. It was large, with frills,
+and almost covered his face. He had but just time to reseat himself by the
+fire and cower over it, as if warming his hands, when the door opened and
+a French officer entered. At the sight of the two apparently old women
+bending over the fire, and the girl sitting knitting, he stopped.
+
+“Madam,” he said courteously, “it is my duty to search your house. It is
+believed that a spy who landed here last night may be returning to-night.”
+
+“You can look,” the old woman said in her quavering voice, “as much as you
+like; you will not find any spy here.”
+
+As the cottage consisted of only two rooms the search was quickly
+effected.
+
+“Thank you, madam!” the French officer said; “I am quite satisfied, and am
+sorry I have incommoded you.”
+
+“That is a civil fellow,” Will said, as the sound of the retreating hoofs
+was heard. “Some of these fellows would have blustered and sworn and
+turned the whole place upside down. Well, madam, I am deeply obliged to
+you for the shelter you have given me and the risk you have run for my
+sake. Here is a guinea; it is all the gold I have with me, but it may buy
+some little comfort for you.”
+
+“It will buy me enough turf to last me all the winter,” the old woman
+said. “My son is a fisherman who is sometimes weeks from home, and our
+supply of turf is running low. Thank you very much! though I would gladly
+have done it without reward, for we all hate the French.”
+
+Will went out cautiously and made his way down to the shore, listening at
+every step for some sound that would tell of the presence of a sentry. He
+lay down near the edge of the sea and watched. At last he saw a dim shape
+lying stationary a hundred yards out. He gave a low whistle, but this was
+almost instantaneously followed by the report of a musket within fifty
+yards of him. He did not hesitate, but with a shout to the boat ran into
+the water and struck out towards it. Another musket was fired, fifty yards
+to the left, and the signal was, as before, repeated by sentry after
+sentry till the sound died away in the distance. Almost immediately the
+galloping of horses could be heard. The boat rowed in to meet him, and as
+he scrambled on board a volley of carbines rang out from the shore. The
+sailors bent to their oars and, although the firing continued for some
+time, they knew that the enemy had lost sight of them. A quarter of an
+hour later the sound of oars was heard. “Stop rowing,” the lieutenant in
+command of the boat ordered, “and don’t move.”
+
+In about three minutes a large rowing-boat, manned by a number of oars,
+could be made out passing across ahead of them. The ship’s boat, however,
+was so small an object in comparison that it remained unnoticed. They
+waited till the beat of oars ceased in the distance and then rowed on
+again.
+
+“That was a narrow escape,” the lieutenant muttered. “Evidently she was
+lying in wait to catch you, and if she had been fifty yards nearer to us
+she must have made us out. I think we are safe now, for the course she was
+taking will not carry her anywhere near the frigate. At any rate we have a
+good start, and I have a lantern here to show in case we are chased.”
+
+They had rowed two miles farther when they again heard the sound of oars.
+
+“We must row for it now,” the lieutenant said. “The frigate is not much
+more than a mile away.”
+
+The men bent to their oars, and the lieutenant raised and lowered his
+lantern three times. This signal was almost immediately answered by the
+boom of a gun from the frigate. For a time the enemy continued the
+pursuit, but on a second gun being fired they ceased rowing.
+
+“They must know that the frigate can’t see them,” the lieutenant said,
+“but they have no doubt come to the conclusion that they cannot overtake
+us before we get to her. Anyhow it is certain that they have given it up
+as a bad job.”
+
+In ten more minutes they were alongside the frigate.
+
+“Is Mr. Gilmore with you?” a voice asked from above.
+
+“Yes, I am here, sir, safe and sound.”
+
+“That is good news,” the first lieutenant said, as Will stepped on deck.
+“The captain was afraid, after he had let you go, that he had sacrificed
+you, and that, going as you did in your uniform, you would be certain to
+be captured.”
+
+“No, sir; I had two narrow escapes, but got off all right, and have
+brought you the list of gun-boats and row-boats that you required. I am
+afraid, though, that it will require careful opening, for I had to swim
+off to the boat.”
+
+“That will not matter as long as we can read it,” the lieutenant said.
+“Now you had better come to the captain and hand it to him.”
+
+“I am heartily glad to see you, Mr. Gilmore,” the captain said. “I have
+been very uneasy about you, and I really hardly expected you to return
+to-night. We knew that the boat was being chased, by the lights Lieutenant
+Falcon showed, but I feared that she was coming back without you. Now tell
+me what has happened to you. We knew by the firing that French sentries
+saw the boat come to land last night.”
+
+Will gave a full account of his adventures.
+
+“Well done indeed, Mr. Gilmore! I shall have much pleasure in reporting
+your conduct. Now let us examine the list.”
+
+The words were a good deal blurred by water, but were still quite legible.
+
+“They are stronger in gun-boats than I expected,” the captain said when he
+had read it. “If they had had an ounce of pluck about them they would have
+come out and fought us. A thirty-two-gun frigate is no match for sixteen
+gunboats. Well, now that we have got this despatch, we can make for
+Sheerness at once. Have her headed for that port, Mr. Falcon, if you
+please. We won’t lose a moment before making for England.”
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVI
+
+
+ A DARING EXPLOIT
+
+
+On reaching Sheerness the captain at once went ashore, accompanied by
+Will, and they proceeded to London. Will took up his quarters at the
+Golden Cross, and next day called at the Admiralty, where he sent in his
+name to the First Lord.
+
+“I have received a most favourable report from Captain Knowles of your
+conduct in landing on the coast of Holland, and of obtaining despatches of
+much value. How were you taken prisoner?”
+
+“At the attack by a force from the _Tartar_ on some batteries on one of
+the Isles d’Hyères. I was hit in the leg, and, being left behind in the
+confusion of the retreat, fell into the hands of the French. I was
+imprisoned for four months at Toulon, and then sent to Verdun. Six months
+after leaving Toulon I effected my escape in a disguise procured for me by
+a French girl. I had learned the language while in prison, and, travelling
+through France in the disguise of a pedlar, reached Dunkirk. There I
+worked in a fishing-boat for a month, and then, seeing the _Artemis_
+cruising off the town, I shut up two of the sailors in their cabin, and
+frightened the other two into taking me off to her.”
+
+“In consideration of the valuable services you have rendered I have much
+pleasure in appointing you master’s mate.”
+
+“Thank you, sir! but I own I had rather hopes of obtaining a lieutenancy.”
+
+“A lieutenancy!” the admiral said in a changed tone. “I am surprised to
+hear you say so, when you have had no service as a master’s mate. What
+makes you entertain such a hope?”
+
+“My past services, sir,” Will said boldly.
+
+“Captain Purfleet, will you hand me down the volume of services under the
+letter G. Ah! here it is.”
+
+He glanced at it cursorily at first, and then read it carefully.
+
+“You were right, Mr. Gilmore, in entertaining such a hope. I see that you
+have been highly spoken of by the various officers under whom you have
+served; that you were most strongly recommended by the admirals both at
+Malta and in the West Indies for your singular services, and also by Lord
+Hood for your conduct in Corsica. You were in command of a small craft for
+nearly a year, and in that capacity you not only took a number of prizes,
+some of them valuable, but actually captured, in one hard-fought action,
+two pirates, each of which was stronger than yourself. You have,
+therefore, well shown your capacity to command. Captain Purfleet, have any
+appointments been made yet to the _Jason_?”
+
+“No, sir.”
+
+“Very well, then appoint Mr. Gilmore to be second lieutenant of her. You
+need not thank me, sir; you owe your commission to your own gallantry and
+good conduct. I don’t know that I have at any time seen such strong
+testimonials and so good a record for any officer of your age and
+standing. I am quite sure that you will do full justice to the appointment
+that I have made. As the _Jason_ will not be ready for two months I can
+grant you six weeks leave.”
+
+No sooner was this matter settled than Will took the coach to Fairham.
+Thence he drove to the village of Porchester, where Marie’s fiancé was
+confined. Here he put up at a little inn. He had, before starting from
+London, bought and put on the disguise of a countryman, as he could hardly
+have stayed in the village as a gentleman without exciting remark or
+suspicion. He had, however, brought other clothes with him, so that if
+necessary he could resume them, and appear either as a naval officer or as
+a civilian. His first step was to make a tour of the great wall which
+enclosed the castle and the huts in which the prisoners were confined. He
+saw at once that any attempt to scale the wall would be useless. At the
+inn he gave out that by the death of a relative he had just come into a
+few pounds and meant to enjoy himself.
+
+The inn he had selected was scarcely more than a tavern, and he had chosen
+it because he thought it probable that it would be frequented by the
+soldiers whose camp stood near the walls, and who supplied the guards in
+the castle. This expectation was fulfilled a short time after his arrival
+by four or five soldiers coming in.
+
+“Will you drink a glass with me?” he said. “I have been telling the
+landlord that I have come into a little brass, and mean to spend it.”
+
+The soldiers, not unwillingly, accepted the invitation, and sat down at a
+table with him.
+
+“It must be slow work,” he said, “keeping guard here, and I expect you
+would sooner be out at the war.”
+
+“That we should,” one of them replied; “there is nothing to do here but to
+drill all day, and stare across the water when we are off duty, and wish
+we were at Portsmouth, where there is something to do and something to
+amuse one. This is the dullest hole I ever was quartered in. Cosham on one
+side and Fairham on the other are the only places that one can walk to. We
+expect, however, to be relieved before long, and I never want to see the
+place again.”
+
+“I suppose you take recruits here?” Will said.
+
+“Oh yes, we take recruits when we can get them.”
+
+“How long is a recruit before he begins to be a soldier, and takes his
+regular turn as guard and so on?”
+
+“Two or three months,” the man said; “that is long enough to get them into
+something like shape.”
+
+“I should like to go in and have a look at the prisoners,” Will said after
+a little chat.
+
+“Well, there is no chance of your doing that,” the soldier replied.
+“Orders are very strict, and only three or four hucksters are allowed to
+go in, to sell things to them.”
+
+“How many are there of them?”
+
+“About three thousand.”
+
+He chatted for some time, and then, after calling for another pint of beer
+all round, sauntered out, leaving the soldiers to finish it. He saw at
+once that his only possible plan in the time he had at his command was
+either to bribe some of the guards, which appeared to him too hazardous a
+plan to adopt, and not likely to lead to success, or to get at one or
+other of the people who were allowed in.
+
+He spent two days watching the gate of the prison. During that time five
+people in civilian dress went in. One of these was a short fat woman, who
+carried a large basket with cakes and other eatables. Another was
+similarly laden. A third, a man of about his own height, took in a variety
+of material used by the prisoners for making articles for sale. He had
+needles and thread, scraps of materials of many colours for making
+patchwork quilts, blocks of wood for carving out model ships, straw dyed
+various colours for making fancy boxes, glass beads, and other small
+articles. Will at once fixed on him as being the most likely of the
+visitors to serve his purpose. He spoke to him after he had left the
+prison.
+
+“My friend,” he said, “do you want to earn fifty pounds?”
+
+The man opened his eyes in surprise.
+
+“I should certainly like to,” he said, “if I could see my way to do it.”
+
+“Well, I will double that if you do as I tell you. I want you, in the
+first place, to find out the hut in which Lucien Dupres is confined, and
+give him a letter.”
+
+“There will be no great difficulty about that,” the man said. “I only have
+to whisper to the first prisoner I meet that I want to find a man, and
+have got a letter from his friends for him, and if he doesn’t know him he
+will find him out for me. That is not much to do for a hundred pounds.”
+
+“No; but in the next place I want you to keep out of the way for a week,
+and to lend me your clothes and pass. I want to go in and see the man.”
+
+“Well, that is a more dangerous business. How could you pass for me?”
+
+“I think I could do that without fear. We are about the same height. I
+should have a wig made to imitate your hair, and should, I imagine, have
+no difficulty in getting my face made up so as to be able to pass for you.
+You must be so well known that they will do no more than glance at me as I
+go in. The only alternative to that will be for you to take to him a rope
+and other things I will give you. I tell you frankly I want to aid his
+escape. Mind, a hundred pounds is not to be earned without some slight
+risk.”
+
+“Of the two things I would rather risk carrying the rope and the tools, if
+they are not too bulky. Mind you, it is a big risk, for I should be liable
+to be shot for aiding in the escape of a prisoner.”
+
+“Well, look here,” Will said, “I will go into Portsmouth this afternoon
+and find some man who can fake me up. There are sure to be two or three
+men who make that their business, for young naval officers are constantly
+getting into scrimmages, and must want to have their eyes painted before
+they go back on board. Do you go to the prison to-morrow morning. Find out
+the man, and deliver this letter to him. Then come into Portsmouth in the
+coach. I will be waiting there till it arrives, and you can go with me,
+and when I have got myself made up you shall judge for yourself whether I
+shall pass muster for you. There will be no difficulty in getting whiskers
+to match yours.”
+
+“Very well,” the man said, “I will be on the coach to-morrow.”
+
+Will at once changed his clothes to an ordinary walking suit, and went
+into town. On making enquiries he found that there was a barber who made
+it his business to paint black eyes and to remove the signs of bruises. He
+went to him and said: “I hear you are an artist in black eyes.”
+
+The man smiled.
+
+“You don’t look as if you wanted my services, sir.”
+
+“No, not in that way, but I suppose you could make up a face so as to
+resemble another.”
+
+“Yes, sir, I was at one time engaged at a theatre in London in making up
+the performers, and feel sure that I could accomplish such a job to your
+satisfaction.”
+
+“I have made a bet,” Will said, “that I could disguise myself as a certain
+man so well that I could take my friends in. Have you a sandy wig in your
+shop?”
+
+“Yes, sir, half a dozen.”
+
+“And whiskers?”
+
+“I have several sets, sir, and I dare say one would be the right colour.”
+
+“Very well, then, I will bring the man here to-morrow, and you shall paint
+me so as to resemble him as closely as possible. I don’t mind giving you a
+five-pound note for the job.”
+
+“Well, sir, if I am not mistaken I can paint you so that his own mother
+wouldn’t know the difference.”
+
+Will took a bed at the George, and at mid-day went to the inn where the
+coach stopped. The man was on the outside.
+
+“Well, sir, I have found the Frenchman, and given him the letter, so that
+part of the business is done.”
+
+“That is good. What is the number of the man’s hut?”
+
+“Number sixty-eight;” and the man carefully described its position.
+
+“Very well. Now we will set about the second part.”
+
+When they arrived at the shop the barber seated them in two chairs next to
+each other, in a room behind the shop, and set to work at once. He first
+produced a wig and whiskers, which, with a little clipping, he made of the
+size and shape of the hair on the huckster’s face. Then he set to work
+with his paints, first staining Will’s face to the reddish-brown of the
+man’s complexion, and then adding line after line. After two hours’ work
+he asked them to stand together before a glass, and both were astonished;
+the resemblance was indeed perfect. Will’s eyebrows had been stained a
+grayish white, and some long hairs had been inserted so as to give them
+the shaggy appearance of the pedlar. A crow’s foot had been painted at the
+corner of each eye, and a line drawn from the nose to the corners of the
+lips. The chin and lower part of the cheeks had been tinted dark, to give
+them the appearance of long shaving. Both of them burst into a laugh as
+they looked at the two faces in the mirror.
+
+“You will do, sir,” the man said. “It would need a sharp pair of eyes to
+detect the difference between us.”
+
+“Yes, I think that will do,” Will said, “and to aid the deception I will,
+as I go in, use my handkerchief and pretend to have a bad cold.”
+
+“Is there a basket-maker’s near?” Will asked the barber.
+
+“Yes, sir, first turning to the right, and first to the left, two or three
+doors down, there is a small shop.”
+
+“I want you at once to go and choose one the size and shape of your own,”
+Will said to his companion. “When you see one, set the man to work to
+weave a false bottom to it. I want it to lodge so as to leave a recess
+four or five inches deep. Have it made with two handles, so that it can be
+lifted in and out. How long would he be doing it, do you think?”
+
+“About an hour and a half, I should say.”
+
+“Very well; order the man to send it round to the George, wrapped up in
+paper, to the address of Mr. Earnshaw. When you have done this, come back
+here. We cannot go into the street together; our singular resemblance
+would at once be noticed.”
+
+“Now,” Will said to the pedlar when he returned, “meet me on the road a
+hundred yards from where it turns down to Porchester; bring a stock of
+goods with you, and I will put them in my basket. Of course you will bring
+your pass, and the clothes you now have on in a bundle. I will change
+there; as far as I have seen it is very seldom that anyone passes that
+way.”
+
+Will then went for a walk, and when it became quite dark he took off his
+wig and whiskers and went into the town again. Here he bought a long rope,
+very slender, but still strong enough to support a man’s weight, and a
+grapnel which folded up flat when not in use. Then he went to the George,
+having wrapped a muffler round his face as if he were suffering with
+toothache. His basket was standing in the hall.
+
+“I shall not return this evening,” he said, “so I will pay my bill.”
+
+Then, having bought a suit of ready-made sailor’s clothes, with hat
+complete, he put them into his basket, hired a vehicle, and drove to
+Fairham. In the morning at nine o’clock he walked along the main road
+towards Cosham till he reached the turning to Porchester, went down it a
+couple of hundred yards, and sat on a grassy bank till he saw the pedlar
+approaching.
+
+“It is a foggy morning,” the huckster said when he came up.
+
+“So much the better. I hope it will last over to-morrow, and then they
+won’t be able to signal the news of the prisoner’s escape. It is only in
+clear weather that the semaphores can be made out from hill to hill.”
+
+The goods were changed from the pedlar’s basket to the one Will had
+brought.
+
+“There, then, is the hundred pounds I promised you; I hope you are
+perfectly satisfied?”
+
+“Perfectly, sir; it is the best two days’ work I have ever done.”
+
+“Now for my clothes,” Will said; and no one being in sight he quickly
+changed into the clothes the pedlar had brought.
+
+“We are more alike than ever,” the man said with a laugh, “but you will
+have to remember that I walk with a limp. I got a ball in my leg in the
+fighting at Trinidad, and was discharged as being unfit for service. But I
+got a small pension, and the right to sell things to the prisoners in
+Porchester Castle.”
+
+“I noticed the limp when I saw you first,” Will said, “and there will be
+no great difficulty in copying it. I regarded it as rather fortunate, as
+when the soldiers see me limp along they will not look farther.”
+
+“Well, sir, I wish you luck. You are the freest-handed gentleman I ever
+came across.”
+
+Will hid his own clothes in a neighbouring bush, and then started,
+imitating the pedlar’s limp so exactly that the man laughed as he looked
+after him before starting for Fairham.
+
+There were few people in the streets of the quiet little village as Will
+passed through it. When he neared the castle he overtook the fat
+apple-woman, who hailed him as a friend, and they walked together into the
+castle. They showed their passes to the guard at the gate, but he scarcely
+looked at them. They then separated, and Will, stopping now and then to
+sell small articles, made his way at last to Lucien’s hut. He had in his
+letter informed Lucien of his reasons for trying to get him free, and had
+directed him to be leaning at that hour against the corner of the hut.
+When Lucien saw the pedlar approaching, if all was clear he was to retire
+into it, but if there were others inside he was to shake his head
+slightly. As Will approached the hut he saw a prisoner standing there
+according to his instructions, but he gave the danger signal and Will
+passed on. This he did twice, but when Will returned the third time the
+man went quietly into the hut.
+
+“There is not a moment to lose,” Will said as he followed, and he at once
+lifted up the false bottom and pulled out the rope and grapnel. He had
+knotted the rope about every foot, to assist the prisoner in climbing, and
+had covered the iron of the grapnel with strips of flannel so that it
+would make no noise when it struck the wall.
+
+“Hide them in your bed. It will be a very dark night, and you must steal
+out and make your way to the middle of the south wall. There fling your
+grapnel up and scale the wall. I shall be there waiting for you. It looks
+as if it will be very wet as well as very dark, so you ought to be able to
+avoid the sentinel.”
+
+At this moment he heard someone at the door, and adroitly changing his
+tone said: “You do not like these colours for a bed-quilt? Very well, I am
+getting a fresh stock from London in a few days, and I have no doubt you
+will be able to suit yourself. Good-morning!”
+
+He then turned and offered some of his goods to the new-comer, who bought
+a block for carving out a ship, and some twine and other things for
+rigging her. When he left the hut he went about the yard till he had
+disposed of a considerable amount of his goods, and then left the prison
+and made his way back to the spot where he had hidden his clothes. On
+arriving there he changed at once, rubbed the pigment from his face, threw
+away the wig and whiskers, hid the basket in a place which he and the
+pedlar had agreed upon, with the clothes in it and the pass in one of the
+pockets, and then went back into the village, where he hired a chaise and
+drove to Fairham.
+
+“Landlord,” he said, as he drew up at the principal hotel, “I shall want a
+post-chaise to-night for London. I shall be at a party to-night and cannot
+say at what time I may get away, but have the horses ready to put in at
+twelve o’clock. If they have to wait an hour or two you shall not be the
+loser.”
+
+After ordering dinner, he strolled about the town till he thought it would
+be nearly ready. Then he asked for a room, and there changed into his
+naval uniform, which he had brought with him. He ate a good dinner, and
+then, putting on his cloak, started to walk back to Porchester, carrying
+with him a bag in which was the sailor’s suit he had bought for Lucien.
+The night was pitch dark, and the rain had set in heavily, but although
+his walk was not an agreeable one he was in high spirits. In his letter to
+Lucien he had told him that if anything should prevent him from making his
+way to the wall that night he would expect him on the following one.
+Nevertheless he felt sure that in such favourable circumstances he would
+be able to get through the sentries without difficulty. He took up a
+position as near as he could guess at the centre of the south wall, on the
+narrow strip of ground between it and the lake. He had waited about an
+hour when he heard a slight noise a few yards on one side of him. He moved
+towards the sound, and was just in time to see Lucien alight. He grasped
+him by the hand.
+
+ [Illustration: “HE WAS JUST IN TIME TO SEE LUCIEN ALIGHT”]
+
+“Thank heaven,” he said in French, “that I have got you free, as I
+promised your sweetheart I would! Now let us first make our way up the
+village. I have a suit of sailor’s clothes for you in this bag; you can
+change into them when we get beyond the houses, and throw those you are
+wearing into the pond there, with a few stones in them to make them sink.”
+
+“Ah, monsieur, how can I thank you?” Lucien said.
+
+“I am only paying a debt. Marie risked a good deal to aid me, and I
+promised solemnly that I would, if it were at all possible, get you out of
+prison in return, so there is no occasion for any thanks.”
+
+Few words passed between them as they walked through the village, and when
+they had left it behind, Lucien changed his clothes and disposed of his
+old ones as Will had suggested.
+
+“It was necessary to get rid of them,” Will said, “because if they were
+found in the morning it would show that you had got a change, and instead
+of looking for someone in a well-worn uniform they would direct their
+attention to other people.”
+
+They tramped along to Fairham, and reached the hotel just as it was about
+to be shut up, the stage-coach having passed a few minutes before. They
+had some refreshments, and then took their seats in the chaise. At once
+the postilions cracked their whips, and the four horses started at a
+gallop.
+
+“We are absolutely safe now,” Will said; “they will not discover that you
+have gone until the roll-call in the morning, and by that time we shall be
+within a few miles of London. In such weather as this they will be unable
+to signal. Before we arrive I will put on civilian clothes again, and as
+soon as we have discharged the chaise we will go to a clothier’s and get a
+suit for you. There are so many emigrants in London that your speaking
+French will attract no attention.”
+
+The journey was quickly accomplished. Will was very liberal to the
+postilions at the first stage, and these hurried up those who were to take
+the next, and so from stage to stage they went at the top of the horses’
+speed, the ninety miles being covered in the very fast time, for the
+period, of ten hours. At the last stage Will asked for a room to himself
+for a few minutes and there changed his clothes. They were put down in
+front of a private house, and, having seen the post-chaise drive off, took
+their bags and walked on until they reached a tailor’s shop.
+
+“I want to put my man into plain clothes while he is with me in town,”
+Will said to the shopman.
+
+“Yes, sir. What sort of clothes?”
+
+“Oh, just private clothes, such as a valet might wear when out of livery!”
+
+Lucien was soon rigged out in a suit of quiet but respectable garments,
+and, putting his sailor suit into his bag, they went on. They looked about
+for a considerable time before they found a suitable lodging, but at last
+they came upon a French hotel. Entering, Will asked in French for two
+rooms. They were at once accommodated, and after washing and dressing they
+went down to the coffee-room, where several French gentlemen were
+breakfasting. It had been arranged that Will should say that they were two
+emigrants who had just effected their escape from France.
+
+The next day they took the coach to Weymouth, the port from which at that
+time communication was kept open with France by means of smugglers and men
+who made a business of aiding the French emigrants who wanted to escape,
+or the Royalists who went backwards and forwards trying to get up a
+movement against the Republic. On making enquiries they heard of a man who
+had a very fast little vessel, and they at once looked him up. “This
+gentleman wants to go across,” Will said. “What would you do it for?”
+
+“It depends whether he will wait till I get some more passengers or not.”
+
+“He is pressed for time,” Will said; “what will you run him over for
+alone?”
+
+“Fifty pounds,” the man said. Will thought it advisable not to appear to
+jump at the offer.
+
+“That is rather stiff,” he said; “I should think thirty-five would be
+ample.”
+
+“It seems a good sum,” the man said; “but you see there are dangers. I
+might be overhauled by a British cruiser.”
+
+“You might,” Will said; “but when they learned your business they would
+not interfere with you.”
+
+“Then there are the port authorities,” the man said.
+
+“Yes, but a few francs would prevent them from asking inconvenient
+questions. Besides, my friend is not a royalist, he is only going over to
+see his friends.”
+
+“Well, we will say thirty-five,” the man said with a smile. “When will you
+want to start?”
+
+“He doesn’t care whether he sails this evening or to-morrow morning.”
+
+“Well, we will say to-morrow morning at daybreak.”
+
+“Where will you land him?”
+
+“At Cherbourg or one of the villages near; most likely at Cherbourg if the
+coast is clear, for I have friends there who work with me.”
+
+They went to an hotel for the night. In the morning Will gave Lucien a
+small package containing a very handsome gold watch and chain which he had
+bought in London.
+
+“Give this to Marie from me,” he said; “I promised that she should have
+one for her wedding-day. Here are a thousand francs of French money, which
+will carry you comfortably from Cherbourg to Verdun and give you a bit of
+a start there. No, you need not refuse it, I am a rich man, and can afford
+it without in the least hurting myself. Give my love to Marie,” he said,
+“and tell her that I shall never forget her kindness.”
+
+Lucien was profuse in his gratitude, but Will cut him short by hurrying
+him down to the boat, which was lying at the quay with her sails already
+hoisted. Will watched the boat till it was well out to sea, and then took
+the next coach back to London, filled with pleasure that he had been able
+to carry out his plan and to repay the kindness that Marie had shown him.
+
+He had given Lucien the address of his London agent, so that on his
+arrival at Verdun he could write him a letter saying how he had fared, and
+when he and Marie were to be married. This letter he received on his
+return from the next cruise. It contained the warmest thanks of Marie and
+her lover, and the information that they were to be married the following
+week, and that the young man had an offer of good employment in the town.
+
+When he reached London, Will obtained the address of a respectable
+solicitor, and called upon him to ask his advice as to advertising to try
+to discover a family bearing the arms on his seal.
+
+“I should advise you,” the lawyer said, “to leave the matter until you
+return from sea again. Questions of this sort always require a good deal
+of time to answer. You would have to be present to give information, and
+when the matter is taken up it should be pressed through vigorously. Of
+course there would be difficulties to face. The mere fact of this seal
+being in the possession of your father, that is, if he was your father,
+would not be sufficient to prove his identity, and there would be all
+sorts of investigations to make, which would, of course, take time. If you
+will leave the matter in my hands I will cause enquiries to be made as to
+the arms. That will probably only take a day or two, and it would perhaps
+be a satisfaction to you to know the family with which you might be
+connected. It will be in the subsequent steps that delays will occur.”
+
+“Thank you, sir! I should certainly like to know, though I quite see that,
+as you say, it will be very difficult for me to establish my connection.”
+
+The lawyer then took down what particulars Will could give him of his
+early history. When he returned a week later the lawyer gave him a cordial
+reception.
+
+“I congratulate you, Mr. Gilmore,” he said. “The head of the family
+carrying those arms is Sir Ralph Gilmore, one of our oldest baronets. He
+has no male issue. He had one son who died six years ago. There was
+another son, a younger one, of whom there is no record. He may be alive
+and he may be dead; that is not known. It is, of course, possible that you
+were stolen as a child by your reputed father, and that he gave you the
+family name in order that when the time came he could produce you, but of
+course that is all guesswork. When you return from sea again I will set
+people to work to trace, if possible, the wanderings of this person; but
+as I said, this will take time, and as you will be going to sea in a
+fortnight the matter can very well stand over. So long as you are on board
+a ship your parentage can make very little difference to you.”
+
+Will had still a fortnight of his leave remaining. He wandered about
+London for a couple of days, but he found it rather dull now that he had
+finished his business, as he had no friends in town. On the second day he
+was walking along one of the fashionable streets of Bloomsbury,
+considering whether he should not go down by the next coach to Portsmouth,
+where he was sure of meeting friends, when a carriage passed him, drawn by
+a pair of fine horses. A young lady who was sitting in it happened to
+notice him. She glanced at him carelessly at first, and then with great
+interest. She stopped the carriage before it had gone many yards, and when
+Will came up, looked at him closely. “Excuse me, sir,” she said as he was
+passing; “but are you not Mr. Gilmore?” Greatly surprised he replied in
+the affirmative.
+
+“I thought so!” she exclaimed. “Do you not remember me?”
+
+He looked at her hard. “Why—why,” he hesitated, “surely it is not—”
+
+“But it is!” she cried. “I am Alice Palethorpe!”
+
+“Miss Palethorpe!” he exclaimed, grasping the hand she held out. “Is it
+possible?”
+
+“Not Miss Palethorpe,” she said. “To you I am Alice, as I was nearly four
+years ago. Get into the carriage. My father will be delighted to see you.
+We have talked of you so often. He made enquiries at the Admiralty when he
+came home, but found that you were a prisoner in France, and he has been
+trying to get your name down in the list of those to be exchanged, but he
+had so little interest that he could not succeed, and, indeed, for the
+past two years no exchange had taken place.”
+
+By this time he was in the carriage, and they were driving rapidly along
+the busy streets. Presently they stopped before a large house in Bedford
+Square.
+
+“This is our home, for the present at any rate,” she said. “Now come in.”
+
+She ran upstairs before him and signed to him to wait at the top.
+“Father,” she said, bursting into a room, “I have taken a captive; someone
+you certainly don’t expect to see. Now, you must guess.”
+
+“How can I, my dear, when you say I don’t expect to see him? Is it—?” and
+he mentioned five or six of his friends in Jamaica, any of whom might be
+returning.
+
+“No, father. You are out altogether.”
+
+“Then I give it up, Alice.”
+
+“It is Will,” she said.
+
+Will heard him spring to his feet and hurry to the door.
+
+“My dear young friend!” he exclaimed. “At least I suppose it is you, for
+you have grown out of all recognition.”
+
+“Ah, father!” the girl broke in. “You see, he hadn’t changed so much as to
+deceive me. I felt sure of him the moment I set eyes upon him.”
+
+“Well, then, your eyes do you credit,” her father said. “Certainly I
+should not have recognized him. He has grown from a lad into a man since
+we saw him last. He has widened out tremendously. He was rather one of the
+lean kind at that time.”
+
+“Oh, father, how can you say so? I consider that he was just right.”
+
+“Yes, my dear, I quite understand that. At that time he was perfect in
+your eyes, but for all that he was lean.”
+
+“You are quite right, sir, I was, and I really wonder that I have put on
+flesh so much. The diet of a French prisoner is not calculated to promote
+stoutness. But your daughter was not only sharper-sighted than you, but
+even than myself. Till she spoke to me I had not an idea who she was. I
+saw that she thought she recognized me, but I was afraid it would be rude
+on my part to look at her closely. Of course now I do see the likeness to
+the Alice I knew, but she has changed far more than I have. She was a
+little girl of fourteen then, very pretty, certainly, I thought, but still
+quite a girl—” and he stopped.
+
+“Now, you mean that I have grown into a young woman, and have lost my
+prettiness?”
+
+“I think your looking-glass tells you another story,” he laughed. “If it
+doesn’t, it must be a very bad one.”
+
+“Well, now, do sit down,” her father said. “You must have an immense deal
+to tell us.”
+
+“It is a longish story,” Will replied, “too long to tell straight off.
+Besides, I want to ask some questions. When did you come home? Have you
+come for good? If not, how long are you going to stay? though I am sorry
+to say that the length of your visit can affect me comparatively little,
+for I am appointed second-lieutenant of the _Jason_, and must join in a
+few days.”
+
+“I congratulate you very heartily, Will,” Mr. Palethorpe said. “You are
+fortunate indeed to get such promotion so early.”
+
+“I am most fortunate, sir. Though just at present I feel inclined to wish
+that it hadn’t come quite so soon.”
+
+“In answer to your question, Will, I can say that we are home for good. I
+have disposed of my estate and wound up my business, principally, I think,
+because this little girl had made up her mind that she should like England
+better than Jamaica.”
+
+“I am glad to hear that, sir. I shall have something to look forward to
+when I return to England.”
+
+“Where are you staying?”
+
+“At the Golden Cross.”
+
+“Well, then, you must go and fetch your luggage here at once. It would be
+strange indeed if you were to be staying at any house but mine while you
+are in London.”
+
+As he saw that the planter would not hear of a refusal, Will gladly
+accepted the invitation, and, taking a fly, drove to the hotel, paid his
+bill, and took his things away.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVII
+
+
+ ON BOARD THE “JASON”
+
+
+“I won’t ask you for your story till after dinner,” Mr. Palethorpe said.
+“To enjoy a yarn one needs to be comfortable, and I feel more at home in
+my arm-chair in the dining-room than I do in this room, with all its
+fal-lals. You see, I have taken the house furnished. When I settle down in
+a home of my own, I can assure you it will look very different from this.
+In fact I have one already building for me. It is at Dulwich, and will be
+as nearly as possible like my house in Jamaica. Of course there will be
+differences. I at first wished to have the same sort of veranda, but the
+architect pointed out that while in Jamaica one requires shade, here one
+wants light. So they are getting large sheets of glass specially made for
+putting in instead of wood above the windows. Then, of course, we want
+good fireplaces, whereas in Jamaica a fire is only necessary for a few
+days in the year. There are also other little differences, but on the
+whole it will remind me of the place I had for so many years.”
+
+“The house will have one advantage over that in Jamaica, Mr. Palethorpe.”
+
+“What is that?” he asked.
+
+“You will be able to go to bed comfortably without fear of having the roof
+taken from over your head by a hurricane.”
+
+“Ah! that is indeed a matter to which I have not given sufficient
+consideration, but it is certainly a very substantial advantage, as we
+have all good reason to know.”
+
+“I never think of it without shuddering,” Alice said. “It was awful! It
+seemed as if there was an end of everything! I think it was the memory of
+that night that first set me thinking of going to England.”
+
+“Then I cannot but feel grateful to that hurricane, for if you had
+remained out there it is probable that I should never have met you again.”
+
+“I am having a large conservatory built so that we can have greenness and
+flowers all the year,” Mr. Palethorpe remarked presently.
+
+“I should think that would be charming. I hope you will be settled at
+Dulwich long before I come back from my next cruise.”
+
+“Well, I don’t know that I can say the same, Will. I hope your next cruise
+will be a short one.”
+
+When dinner was over, the chairs were drawn up to the fire, and Will
+related his adventures since his return from the West Indies.
+
+“Have you heard of your two favourite sailors?” Alice interrupted.
+
+“Dimchurch and Tom Stevens? No, I have not. I shall feel lost without them
+at sea, and sincerely hope that I may some day run against them, in which
+case I am sure, if they are free, they will join my ship.”
+
+“How terribly cut up they must have been,” the girl said, “when they got
+down to the beach and found that you were missing!”
+
+“I am sure they would be,” he replied. “I expect the rest of the men
+almost had to hold them back by force.”
+
+“Well, go on. You were hit and made prisoner.”
+
+Will went on with his story till he came to his escape from Verdun.
+
+“What was she like?” the girl asked. “I expect she was very pretty.”
+
+“No, not particularly so. She was a very pleasant-looking girl.”
+
+“I can imagine she seemed very pleasant to you,” the girl laughed; “and,
+of course, before you got out of the window and climbed to the top of the
+house you kissed her, didn’t you?”
+
+“Yes, I did,” Will said. “Of course she expected to be kissed. I am not at
+all used to kissing. In fact, I only experienced it once before, and then
+I was a perfectly passive actor in the affair.”
+
+The girl flushed up rosily.
+
+“You drew that upon yourself, Alice,” her father said. “If you had left
+him alone he would not have brought up that old affair.”
+
+“I don’t care,” she said. “I was only thirteen, and he had saved my life.”
+
+“You didn’t do it again, my dear, I hope, when you met him in the street
+to-day.”
+
+“Of course not!” she exclaimed indignantly. “The idea of such a thing!”
+
+“Very well, let this be a lesson to you not to enquire too strictly into
+such matters.”
+
+“Ah! I will bear it in mind,” she said.
+
+“I can assure you, Alice, that it was a perfectly friendly kiss. She was
+engaged to be married to a young soldier who was a prisoner at Porchester,
+and during the past week I have been employed in setting him free, as you
+will hear presently. I promised her I would do so if possible, and of
+course I kept my word.”
+
+“What! you, an English officer, set a French prisoner free! I am shocked!”
+Mr. Palethorpe said.
+
+“I would have tried to set twenty of them free if twenty of their
+sweethearts had united to get me away from prison.”
+
+They laughed heartily at the story of his escape as a pedlar, and were
+intensely interested in his account of the manner in which he succeeded in
+getting a despatch from the agent of the British Government at Amsterdam.
+He continued the narrative until his arrival in England.
+
+“Now we shall hear, I suppose, how this British officer perpetrated an act
+of treason against His Most Gracious Majesty.”
+
+“Well, I suppose it was that in the eyes of the law,” Will laughed.
+“Fortunately, however, the law has no cognizance of the affair, at any
+rate not of my share in it. I don’t suppose it has been heard of outside
+Porchester. As His Gracious Majesty has some forty thousand prisoners in
+England, the loss of one more or less will not trouble his gracious
+brain.”
+
+He then related the whole story of Lucien’s escape.
+
+“I should have liked to see you dressed up like a pedlar, with your face
+all painted, and a wig and whiskers,” the girl said, “though I don’t
+suppose I should have recognized you in that disguise to-day.”
+
+“It was a capitally-managed plan, Will, and had it been for a legitimate
+object I should have given it unstinted praise. And so you saw him fairly
+off from England?”
+
+“Yes; and by this time I have no doubt he is on the top of a vehicle of
+some sort, going as fast as horses can gallop to join his sweetheart.”
+
+“I wonder,” Alice said mischievously, “whether she will ever tell him of
+that kiss at the window.”
+
+“I dare say she will,” laughed Will, “but perhaps not till they are
+married. I sent her the gold watch I promised her, and when she holds it
+up before his eyes I think he won’t grudge her the kiss. Still, I believe
+these things are not always mentioned.”
+
+“No, I suppose not,” she said, with an affectation of not understanding
+him. “Why should they be?”
+
+“I can’t say indeed, if you can’t.”
+
+“Well, I am not ashamed of it one little bit, though I own that I never
+have told anybody. But I don’t see why I shouldn’t. I am sure there were
+at least half a dozen ladies in Jamaica who would willingly have kissed
+you for what you did for them.”
+
+“Thank you! I should certainly not have willingly submitted to the
+ordeal.”
+
+It was late when the story was finished, and they soon afterwards went to
+bed.
+
+Will spent a delightful week with his friends. Alice had grown up into a
+charming young woman, full of life and vivacity, and even prettier than
+she had promised to be as a girl. They went about together to all the
+sights of London, for Mr. Palethorpe said that he didn’t care about going,
+and young people were best left to themselves. When the time came for
+parting, Will for the first time experienced a feeling of reluctance at
+joining his ship. He and Alice were now almost on their old footing, and
+Will thought that she was by far the nicest girl he had ever seen; but it
+was not until he was on the top of the Portsmouth coach that he recognized
+how much she was to him. “Well,” he said to himself, “I never thought I
+should feel like this. Some young fellows are always falling in love. I
+used to think it was all nonsense, but now I understand it. I do not know
+why her father should object to me, as I am fairly well off. I must see as
+much of her as I can when I land next time. I hope she won’t meet anyone
+in the meantime she likes better.”
+
+The _Jason_ was now lying out in the harbour, and the riggers had taken
+possession of her. Will at once reported himself and went on board. The
+other officers had not yet joined, but he at once took up his work with
+his usual zeal, and spent a busy fortnight looking after the riggers, and
+seeing that everything was done in the best manner. He was, however,
+somewhat angry to find that Alice’s face and figure were constantly
+intruding themselves into the cordage and shrouds. “I am becoming a
+regular mooncalf,” he said angrily to himself. “It is perfectly absurd
+that I can’t keep my thoughts from wandering away from my work, and for a
+girl whom I can hardly dare hope to win. I shall be very glad when we are
+off to sea. I’ll then have, I won’t say something better, but something
+else to think of. If this is being in love, certainly it is not the thing
+a sailor should engage in. I have often heard it said that a sailor’s ship
+should be his wife, and I have no longer any doubt about it. But I know
+I’ll get over it when I hear the first broadside fired.”
+
+A week later the first lieutenant joined. His name was Somerville.
+
+“Ah, Mr. Gilmore,” he said, “I see you have taken time by the forelock and
+given an eye to everything! I only received my appointment two days ago or
+I should have joined before. There is nothing like having an officer to
+superintend things, and I feel really very much obliged to you for not
+having extended your leave, which, of course, you could have done,
+especially as, so far as I know, no boatswain has yet been appointed.”
+
+“I was glad to get back to work, sir, and it is really very interesting
+seeing all the rigging set up from the very beginning.”
+
+“That is so, but for all that men don’t generally want to rejoin,” the
+first lieutenant said with a smile. “The difficulty is to get young
+officers on board. They hang back, as a rule, till the very last moment.
+Well, if you will dine with me this evening, Mr. Gilmore, at the George, I
+shall be glad to hear of some of your services. That they are
+distinguished I have no doubt, for nothing but the most meritorious
+services or extraordinary interest could have gained you at your age the
+appointment of second lieutenant in a fine ship like this. I think it a
+very good thing for the first lieutenant to know the antecedents of those
+serving with him. Such knowledge is very useful to him in any crisis or
+emergency.”
+
+After dinner that evening Will gave an account of his services, the
+lieutenant at times asking for more minute details, especially of the
+capture of the two pirates.
+
+“Thank you very much!” Lieutenant Somerville said when he had finished.
+“Now I feel that I can, in any emergency, depend upon you to second me,
+which I can assure you is by no means commonly the case, for promotion
+goes so much by influence, and such incapable men are pushed up in the
+service that it is a comfort indeed to have an officer who knows his work
+thoroughly. I hope to goodness we shall have the captain so fine a ship
+deserves.”
+
+“I hope so indeed, sir. I have hitherto been extremely fortunate in having
+good captains, as good as one could wish for.”
+
+“You are fortunate indeed, then. I have been under two or three men who,
+either from ignorance or ill-temper or sheer indifference, have been
+enough to take the heart entirely out of their officers.”
+
+On the day when the _Jason_ was ready for commission the captain came down
+to Portsmouth and put up at the George, and Mr. Somerville and Will called
+upon him there. He was a young man, some years younger than the first
+lieutenant.
+
+“Gentlemen,” he began, “I have pleasure in making your acquaintance. I saw
+the admiral this morning, and he assured me that I could not wish for
+better officers. I hope we shall get on pleasantly together, and can
+assure you that if we do not it will not be my fault. We have as fine a
+ship as men could wish to sail in, and I will guarantee that you will not
+find me slack in using her. As you may guess by my age, I owe my present
+position partly to family interest, but my object will be to prove that
+that interest has not been altogether misplaced. I have already had
+command of a frigate, and we had our full share of hard service. I am
+afraid that with a seventy-four we shall not have quite so many
+opportunities of distinguishing ourselves, but shall generally have to
+work with the fleet and fight when other people bid us, and not merely
+when we see a good chance. There is, however, as much credit, if not as
+much prize-money, to be gained in a pitched battle as in isolated actions.
+I was kindly permitted by the admiral to read both your records of
+service, and I cannot say how gratified I was to find that I had two such
+able and active officers to second me.”
+
+“I am sure we are much obliged to you, sir,” Lieutenant Somerville
+replied, “for speaking to us as you have done. I can answer for it that we
+will second you to the very best of our power, and I am glad indeed to
+find that we have a commander whose sentiments so entirely accord with our
+own.”
+
+“Now, gentlemen, we have done with the formalities. Let us crack a bottle
+of wine together to our better acquaintance, and I hope I shall very often
+see you at my table on board, for while I feel that discipline must be
+maintained, I have no belief in a captain holding himself entirely aloof
+from his officers, as if he were a little god. On the quarter-deck a
+captain must stand somewhat aloof, but in his own cabin I cannot see why
+he should not treat his officers as gentlemen like himself.”
+
+They sat and chatted for an hour, and when they left, Lieutenant
+Somerville said to Will: “If I am not much mistaken, we shall have a very
+pleasant time on board the _Jason_. I believe Captain Charteris means
+every word he says, and that he is a thoroughly good fellow. He has a very
+pleasant face, though a firm and resolute one, and when he gives an order
+it will have to be obeyed promptly; but he is a man who will make
+allowances, and I do not think the cat will be very often brought into
+requisition on board.”
+
+One day Will was sauntering down the High Street when he saw two
+country-looking men coming along. One of them looked at him and staggered
+back in astonishment.
+
+“Why,” he exclaimed, “it is Mr. Gilmore! We thought you were in prison in
+the middle of France, sir.”
+
+“So I was, Dimchurch; but, as you see, I have taken leg-bail.”
+
+“That was a terrible affair, sir, at them French batteries. When I got
+down to the shore, and found you were missing, it was as much as they
+could do to keep Tom here and me from going back. You mayn’t believe me,
+Mr. Gilmore, but we both cried like children as we rowed to the _Tartar_.”
+
+“I am indeed glad to see you again, and you too, Tom. I guessed that if I
+ever came across the one I should meet the other also. What are you doing
+in those togs?”
+
+“Well, sir, we put them on because we did not want to be impressed by the
+first ship that came in, but preferred to wait a bit till we saw one to
+suit us. I see, sir, that you have shipped a swab. That means, of course,
+that you have got a lieutenancy. I congratulate you indeed, sir, on your
+promotion.”
+
+“Yes, I got it a month ago, and to a fine ship, the _Jason_.”
+
+“She is a fine ship, sir, and no mistake. Tom and I were watching her
+lying out in the harbour yesterday, and were saying that, though we have
+always been accustomed to frigates, we should not mind shipping in her if
+we found out something about the captain.”
+
+“Well, I can tell you, Dimchurch, that he is just the man you would like
+to serve under, young and dashing, and, I should say, a good officer and a
+fine fellow.”
+
+“And who is the first lieutenant, sir, because that matters almost as much
+as the captain.”
+
+“He is a good fellow too, Dimchurch, a man who loves his profession and
+has a good record.”
+
+“And who is the second, sir? not that it matters much about him if the
+captain and first luff are all right. I suppose she has four on board, as
+she is a line-of-battle ship?”
+
+“Yes, she carries four. As to the second, I can only tell you that he is
+one of the finest fellows in the service, and you will understand that
+when I say that I am the second lieutenant.”
+
+“What, sir!” Dimchurch almost shouted, “they have made you second
+lieutenant on a line-of-battle ship! Well, that is one of the few times I
+have known promotion go by merit. I am glad, sir. Well, I will go and sign
+articles at once, and so, of course, will Tom; and what is more, I will
+guarantee to find you a score of first-rate hands, maybe more.”
+
+“That is good indeed,” Will said. “I will speak to the first lieutenant
+and get you rated as boatswain, if possible. You have already served in
+that capacity, and unless the berth is filled up, which is not likely, I
+have no doubt I can get it for you.”
+
+“Well, sir, if you can, of course I shall be glad; but I would ship with
+you if it was only as loblolly boy.”
+
+“The same here,” Tom said; “you know that, sir, without my saying it.”
+
+“Is there any berth that I could get you, Tom?”
+
+“No, sir, thank you! A.B. is good enough for me. I am not active enough to
+be captain of the top, but I can pull on a rope, or row an oar, or strike
+a good blow, with any man.”
+
+“That you can, Tom; but I do wish I could get you a lift too. How about
+gunner’s mate?”
+
+“No, thank you, sir! I would rather stop A.B. I should like to be your
+honour’s servant, but, lor’, I should never do to wait in the ward-room. I
+am as clumsy as a bear, and should always be spilling something, and
+breaking glasses, and getting into trouble. No, sir, I will be A.B., but
+of course I should like to be appointed to your boat.”
+
+“That is a matter of course, Tom. Well, I will go round to the dockyard at
+once and see you sworn in, and then gladden the first lieutenant’s heart
+by telling him that you will bring a good number of men along with you,
+for at present we are very short-handed.”
+
+“You trust me for that, sir. I know where lots of them are lying hid, not
+because they don’t want to serve, but because they want a good ship and a
+good captain. When I tell them that it is a fine ship, and a good captain,
+and a good first and second, they will jump at it.”
+
+Dimchurch was as good as his word, and the following week persuaded thirty
+first-class seamen to sign on.
+
+“At the same time, sir,” he said as they went towards the harbour, “I
+would rather she had been a frigate. One has always a chance of picking up
+something then, as one gets sent about on expeditions, while on a
+battle-ship one is just stuck blockading.”
+
+“That is just what I think,” Tom said. “There are no boat expeditions, no
+chances of picking up a prize every two or three days, or of chasing a
+pirate. Still, though the _Tartar_ was a frigate, we did not have much fun
+in her, except when we were on shore. That was good enough, though it
+would not have been half so good if the sailors had not done it alone. We
+wanted to show these redcoats what British seamen could do when they were
+on their metal. I know I never worked half so hard in my life.”
+
+“Well, I quite agree with you. It is more pleasant commanding a small
+craft than being second officer in a large one, although I must say I
+could not have had a more pleasant captain and first lieutenant than I
+have now if I had picked them out from the whole fleet. I am sorry that I
+cannot get leave at present, for I want to make researches about my
+father. According to what my lawyer said it is likely to be a long job. I
+hope, however, to get it well in trim on my next spell ashore. It makes
+really no difference to me now who or what my father was. I have a good
+position, and what with the prize-money I made before, and shall gain now
+by my share of the sale of the frigates we took at Corsica, to say nothing
+of the guns and stores we captured, I have more than enough to satisfy all
+my wants.”
+
+“I have done extraordinarily well too, Mr. Gilmore,” Dimchurch said. “I
+took your advice, and Tom and I have put all our prize-money aside. He has
+over a thousand saved, and I have quite sufficient to keep me in idleness
+all my life, even if I never do a stroke of work again.”
+
+Mr. Somerville, on Will’s recommendation, at once appointed Dimchurch
+boatswain, and he soon proved himself thoroughly efficient. “He is a fine
+fellow, that sailor of yours,” the lieutenant said, “and will make a
+first-rate boatswain. He has done good service in bringing up so many
+hands, and good ones too, and he is evidently popular among the men.”
+
+“He is a thoroughly good man, sir. He attached himself to my fortunes when
+I was but a ship’s boy, and has stuck to me ever since. He and Tom Stevens
+are, with one exception, the greatest friends I have ever had, and both of
+them would lay down their lives for me.”
+
+“A good master makes a good man,” Lieutenant Somerville said with a smile.
+“Your greatest friend was, of course, the lady who pushed you on with your
+education.”
+
+“Yes, sir, certainly I regard her as the best friend I ever had.”
+
+“Well, there is no better friend for a lad than a good woman, Gilmore. In
+that sense my mother was my greatest friend. Most mothers are against
+their sons going to sea. In my case it was my father who objected, but my
+mother, seeing how I was bent upon it, persuaded him to let me go.”
+
+Three weeks after being commissioned the complement of the _Jason_ was
+complete, and she was ordered to proceed to the West Indies, to which
+place they made a fast passage. To their disappointment they fell in with
+none of the enemy’s cruisers on their way. The voyage, however, sufficed
+to give the crew confidence in their commander. He was prompt and quick in
+giving orders, and at the same time pleasant in manner. He paid far more
+attention than most captains to the comfort of his crew, and, while he
+insisted upon the most perfect order and discipline, abstained from giving
+unnecessary work. In cases where punishments were absolutely necessary he
+punished severely, but when it was at all possible he let delinquents off
+with a lecture. So, while he was feared by the rougher spirits of the
+crew, he was regarded with liking and respect by the good men.
+
+On their arrival at Carlisle Bay, Barbados, they found that they were in
+time to join a naval expedition whose object was to recover the islands of
+St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Grenada, which had been captured by the French
+the previous year.
+
+A fleet had been sent from England under the command of Rear-admiral
+Christian, consisting of two ships of the line and five frigates,
+convoying a large fleet of transports with a strong body of troops on
+board under the command of Sir Ralph Abercrombie.
+
+At Carlisle Bay this fleet were joined by most of the ships on the West
+Indian station, and on the 21st April, 1796, the augmented fleet, under
+the command of Sir John Laforey, sailed to Marin Bay, Martinique, where
+they anchored. On the following day Sir John Laforey resigned his command
+to Admiral Christian and sailed for England. The fleet then stood across
+to St. Lucia. The troops were landed at three different points under the
+protection of the guns of the fleet.
+
+The first point was protected by a five-gun battery. The fire of the
+ships, however, soon silenced it, and the first division made good its
+landing. The seventy-four-gun ship _Alfred_ was to have led the second
+division, supported by the fifty-four-gun ship _Madras_ and the forty-gun
+frigate _Beaulieu_, but the attempt was thwarted by lightness of wind and
+a strong lee current. On the next day, however, a landing was effected
+with little opposition. Eight hundred seamen, under the command of
+Captains Lane of the thirty-two-gun frigate _Astrea_ and Ryves of the
+bomb-vessel _Bulldog_, were landed to co-operate with the troops. Morne
+Chabot was attacked and carried that night with the loss of thirteen
+officers and privates killed, forty-nine wounded, and twelve missing.
+
+On the 3rd of May an attempt was made to dislodge the enemy from their
+batteries at the base of the mountains, but was repulsed with loss, as was
+an attack on the 17th on the place called Vigie.
+
+In the meantime the men had been busy building batteries and planting
+guns, and when these opened fire on the evening of the 24th of May the
+enemy capitulated, two thousand marching out and laying down their arms. A
+great quantity of guns, together with stores of every description, were
+found in the different forts, and some small privateers and merchantmen
+were captured in the offing. Eight hundred seamen and three hundred and
+twenty marines had been landed from the ships of war, and had behaved with
+their usual courage and promptitude. The manner, indeed, in which they
+established batteries and planted guns in places deemed almost
+impracticable astonished the troops, unused as they were to exercises
+demanding strength and skill.
+
+As soon as St. Lucia had surrendered, the expedition moved to St. Vincent.
+The defence here was decidedly weak, and after some skirmishing, the
+enemy, composed chiefly of negroes and Caribs, capitulated. Our loss
+amounted to thirty-eight killed and one hundred and forty-five wounded.
+Grenada offered a comparatively slight resistance. The monster, Fedon, who
+was in command there, massacred twenty white people who were in his power
+in full view of the British, who were on the plain below. He and his men,
+however, were hotly pursued through the forest by a detachment of German
+riflemen, and the greater portion of them killed without mercy.
+
+A detachment of British and colonial troops from the garrison of Port au
+Prince in St. Domingo proceeded to besiege the town of Leogane in that
+island. Covered by the guns of the fleet the troops were landed in two
+divisions, while the _Swiftsure_, seventy-four, cannonaded the town, and
+the _Leviathan_ and _Africa_ the forts. The place, however, was too strong
+for them, and at nightfall the ships moved off to an anchorage, while
+those who had landed were withdrawn on the following morning. Two of the
+frigates were so much damaged that they were compelled to return to
+Jamaica to refit. An attack was next made upon the fort of Bombarde, which
+stood at a distance of fifteen miles from the coast. Will and a detachment
+from his ship formed part of the force engaged. The road was extremely
+rough, and was blocked by fallen trees and walls built across it. The
+labour of getting the cannon along was prodigious.
+
+“I must say,” Will said to Dimchurch, who was one of the party, “I greatly
+prefer fighting on board to work like this. We have to labour like slaves
+from early morning till late in the evening; but I don’t so much mind
+that, as the fact that at night we have to lie down with only the food
+that remains in our haversacks, and what water we may have saved, for
+supper. Now in a fight at sea one at least gets as much to drink as one
+wants.”
+
+“I quite agree with you, Mr. Gilmore. It’s dog’s work without dog’s food.
+I don’t mind myself working here with a chopper eight or ten hours a day,
+but I do like a good supper at the end of it. The worst of it is, that
+when it is all over it is the troops who get all the credit, while we poor
+beggars do the greater part of the work. The soldiers are well enough in
+their way, but they are very little good for hard work. How do you account
+for that, sir?”
+
+“I can only suppose, Dimchurch, that while they get as much food as we do,
+they have nothing like the same amount of hard work to do.”
+
+“That’s it, sir. Why, look at them at Portsmouth! They just go out of a
+morning and drill on the common for a bit, and then they have nothing else
+to do all day but to stroll about the town and talk to the girls. How can
+you expect a man to have any muscle to speak of when he never does a
+stroke of hard work? I don’t say they don’t fight well, for I own they do
+their duty like men in that line; but when it comes to work, why, they
+ain’t in it with a jack-tar. I do believe I could pull a couple of them
+over a line.”
+
+“I dare say you could, Dimchurch, but you must remember that you are much
+stronger than an ordinary seaman.”
+
+“Well, sir, I grant I am stronger than usual, but I should be ashamed of
+myself if I could not tackle two of them soldiers.”
+
+“Yes, but don’t forget they have been cooped up on board a ship for a
+month, with nothing to keep them in health, and certainly no exercise,
+while you are constantly doing hard work. If you were to put these men
+into sailors’ clothes, and give them sailors’ work for six months, they
+would be just as strong and useful.”
+
+“Well, sir, if they are that sort of men why do they go and enlist in the
+army instead of becoming sailors. It stands to reason that it is because
+they know that they cannot do work.”
+
+“Why, Dimchurch, I have heard that in the great towns girls think as much
+of soldiers as of sailors.”
+
+“Well, that shows how little they know about them. In a seaport, what girl
+would look at a soldier if she were pretty enough to get a sailor for a
+sweetheart.”
+
+“You are a prejudiced beggar,” Will laughed, “and it is of no use arguing
+with you. If you had gone as a soldier instead of taking to the sea you
+would think just the other way.”
+
+On the next morning the march was renewed, and in the evening they reached
+the fort. They had had several severe skirmishes during the day, losing
+eight killed and twenty-two wounded, but the garrison, consisting of three
+hundred, surrendered without further resistance as soon as the place was
+surrounded, and the sailors then rejoined their ships.
+
+“Well, I am mighty glad I am back on board,” Dimchurch said to Will the
+evening they re-embarked. “This marching, and chopping trees, and being
+shot at from ambushes, doesn’t suit me. There is nothing manly or
+straightforward about it. Hand to hand and cutlass to cutlass is what I
+call a man’s work.”
+
+“That is all very well, Dimchurch, but though you may capture ships you
+will never get possession of islands or colonies in that way. If you want
+them you must land and fight for them.”
+
+“Yes, sir, that is all very good, but it seems to me that the hard work of
+making batteries and mounting guns falls on the sailor, while the soldier
+gets all the credit. It is not our admiral who sends the despatches, it is
+the general. He may speak a few good words for the sailors, as a man
+speaks up for a dog, but all the credit of the fighting, and the
+surrender, and all that business goes to the soldiers. The sooner we sail
+away from here, and do some fighting nearer home, where there are no
+soldiers, and where the sailors get their due, the better pleased I shall
+be.”
+
+“Well, Dimchurch, I hope our turn out here is nearly finished. We may have
+to take part in a few more attacks on French possessions, but as soon as
+that work is over I have great hopes that we shall get sailing orders for
+home again.”
+
+Indeed, late in August a fast cruiser arrived with orders that the _Jason_
+was at once to return to Brest and join the Channel fleet. To the great
+delight of everyone the wind continued favourable throughout the whole
+voyage, and after an exceptionally speedy passage they joined Admiral
+Bridport, who was cruising off Ushant on the look-out for the French fleet
+that was preparing for the invasion of Ireland.
+
+The French fleet, under Admiral Morard-de-Galles, got under weigh from
+Brest on 26th December, 1796. It consisted of seventeen ships of the line,
+thirteen frigates, six corvettes, seven transports, and a powder-ship,
+forty-four sail in all, conveying eight thousand troops under the command
+of Generals Grouchy, Borin, and Humbert. Misfortune, however, dogged the
+fleet from the very commencement, for the _Séduisant_, a seventy-four-gun
+battle-ship, got on shore shortly after leaving Brest, and out of thirteen
+hundred seamen and soldiers on board six hundred and eighty were drowned.
+
+They were noticed by Vice-admiral Colpoys’ fleet, who sent off two
+frigates to warn Lord Bridport, and after chasing the French for some
+distance himself, sailed for Falmouth to report the setting out of the
+expedition.
+
+Admiral Bouvet, with thirty-two sail, managed to reach the mouth of Bantry
+Bay, but the weather was so tempestuous that he was unable to land his
+troops. After struggling for some days against this boisterous weather,
+the fleet scattered, and the majority of the ships returned to Brest. The
+rest reached the coast of Ireland, but not finding the main portion of
+their fleet there, they returned to France.
+
+The failure of the expedition was as complete as was that of the Spanish
+Armada, and was due greatly to the same cause. Out of the forty-four ships
+that sailed from Brest only thirty-one managed to return to France. The
+British frigates, by the vigilance they displayed, had done good service,
+cutting off four transports and three ships of war; but the stormy weather
+had dispersed the expedition, and was accountable for the loss of two
+battle-ships, three frigates, and a transport. It was curious that
+although Lord Bridport’s fleet was constantly patrolling the Channel
+during this time, the two fleets never came in contact.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVIII
+
+
+ ST. VINCENT AND CAMPERDOWN
+
+
+On the 19th of January, 1797, Lord Bridport detached Rear-admiral Parker
+with five battle-ships—among them the _Jason_—and one frigate, to
+Gibraltar, and on the 6th of February they joined Admiral Sir John Jervis
+off Cape St. Vincent.
+
+They were cruising along the Portuguese coast when, on the morning of the
+13th of February, Nelson brought Admiral Jervis the long-expected news of
+the approach of the Spanish fleet. Its exact strength he had not
+discovered, but it was known to exceed twenty sail of the line, while
+Jervis had but fifteen, two of which had been greatly injured by a
+collision the night before. The repairs, however, were quickly executed,
+and they fell into their positions. Jervis made the signal to prepare for
+action. During the night the signal guns of the Spaniards were heard, and
+before daylight a Portuguese frigate came along and reported that they
+were about four leagues to windward. At that time the fleet were
+south-west of Cape St. Vincent. The Spaniards, who had hitherto been
+prevented by an adverse wind from getting into Cadiz, were ready to meet
+us, not knowing that the British admiral had been reinforced, and
+believing that he had but some ten ships.
+
+The wind, however, changed during the night, and, acting in strict
+obedience to his orders, the Spanish commander-in-chief determined to set
+sail for Cadiz. When day broke, his fleet was seen about five miles off,
+the main body huddled together in a confused group, with one squadron to
+leeward. It was then seen what a formidable fleet lay before us. The
+admiral’s flag was carried by the _Santissima-Trinidada_, one hundred and
+thirty, and he had with him six three-deckers of one hundred and twelve
+guns each, two of eighty, and eighteen seventy-fours. Our fleet had
+scarcely half the ships and guns. We had two ships of one hundred guns,
+three of ninety-eight, one of ninety, eight seventy-fours, and a
+sixty-four. There was, however, no comparison between the men. Our own
+were for the most part tried and trained sailors, while a considerable
+proportion of the Spaniards were almost raw levies.
+
+The morning of the 14th February was foggy, and neither the number nor the
+size of our ships could be made out by the Spaniards until we were within
+a mile of them. Then, as mid-day approached and the fog cleared off, they
+saw Jervis bearing down upon them in two lines. His object was to separate
+the Spanish squadron to leeward from the main body, and in this he
+completely succeeded.
+
+The _Culloden_ led the way, and the greater part of the fleet followed,
+opening a tremendous fire as they came up with the Spaniards, and
+receiving their broadsides in return. The Spanish vice-admiral attempted
+to cut through the British line, but was thwarted by the rapid advance of
+the _Victory_, which forced the admiral’s ship, the _Principe de
+Asturias_, to tack close under her lee, pouring in a tremendous raking
+broadside as she did so. Fortunately at this moment Commodore Nelson was
+in the rear, and had a better view of the movements of the enemy than had
+the commander-in-chief. He perceived that the Spanish admiral was
+beginning to bear up before the wind, with the object of uniting the main
+body with the second division. Accordingly he ordered his ship the
+_Captain_ to wear.
+
+Up to this time she had hardly fired a gun, but this movement gave her the
+lead of the fleet, and brought her at once into action with the enemy. In
+a few minutes she was attacked by no fewer than four first-raters and two
+third-raters. The _Culloden_, however, bore down with all speed to her
+assistance, and some time afterwards the _Blenheim_ came up to take a
+share in the fight. Two of the Spanish ships dropped astern to escape the
+tremendous fire of the three British seventy-fours, but they only fell in
+with the _Excellent_ coming up to support the _Captain_, and she poured so
+tremendous a fire into them both that one of them struck at once. She left
+the other to her own devices and pressed on to join Nelson, who greatly
+needed help, for the _Captain_ was now little better than a wreck.
+
+Her chief antagonist at this time was the _San Nicholas_. Into that ship
+she poured a tremendous fire, and then passed on to the _San Isidro_ and
+_Santissima-Trinidada_, with which the _Captain_ had been engaged from the
+beginning. The fire of the _Excellent_ had completed the work done by the
+_Captain_, and the _San Nicholas_ and the _San Josef_ had collided with
+each other. Nelson, being in so crippled a state that he could no longer
+take an active part in the action, laid his ship alongside the _San
+Nicholas_ and carried her by boarding; and after this was done the crew
+crossed to the _San Josef_, and carried her also. Other prizes had been
+taken elsewhere; the _Salvador Del Mundo_ and _Santissima-Trinidada_
+surrendered, as did the _Soberano_. The _Santissima-Trinidada_, however,
+was towed away by one of her frigates. Evening was closing in, and as the
+Spanish fleet still greatly outnumbered the British, Jervis made the
+signal to discontinue the action, and the next morning the fleets sailed
+in different directions, the British carrying their four prizes with them.
+Considering the desperate nature of the fighting the British loss was
+extraordinarily small, only seventy-three being killed and two hundred and
+twenty-seven wounded. Of these nearly a third belonged to the _Captain_,
+upon which the brunt of the fight had fallen. For this victory Admiral
+Jervis was made an earl, and two admirals baronets. Nelson might have had
+a baronetcy, but he preferred the ribbon of the Bath. Also, he shortly
+afterwards was promoted to the rank of Rear-admiral. Captain Calder
+received the ribbon of the Bath, and all the first lieutenants were
+promoted.
+
+The captain of the _Jason_ had earned golden opinions from his crew by the
+manner in which he had fought his vessel and the careless indifference he
+had shown to the enemy’s fire as he walked up and down on the quarter-deck
+issuing what orders were necessary. Their losses had not been heavy, but
+among them, to Will’s deep regret, the first lieutenant had been killed by
+a cannon-ball.
+
+“I am grieved indeed,” the captain said the next morning to Will, “at the
+death of Mr. Somerville. He was an excellent officer and a most worthy
+man. It is, however, a consolation to me that I have a successor so worthy
+to take his place. Since we have sailed together, Mr. Gilmore, I have
+always been gratified by the manner in which you have done your duty, and
+by the skill you have shown in handling the ship during your watch. It is
+a great satisfaction to me that I have so good an officer for my first
+lieutenant.”
+
+It was but a few months after the battle of St. Vincent that a greater
+danger threatened England than she had ever before been exposed to. The
+seamen in the navy had long been seething with discontent, and all their
+petitions had been neglected, their remonstrances treated as of no
+account.
+
+Rendered desperate, they at last determined to mutiny, and the first
+outbreak occurred on the 15th April in the Channel fleet, which was at the
+time anchored at Spithead. On Admiral Lord Bridport giving the signal to
+weigh anchor, the seamen of the flagship, instead of proceeding to their
+stations, ran up the rigging and gave three cheers, and the crews of the
+rest of the ships at once did the same. The officers attempted to induce
+the men to return to their duty, but in vain. The next day two delegates
+from each ship met on the _Queen Charlotte_, the flagship, to deliberate,
+and the day after all the men swore to stand by their leaders, and such
+officers as had rendered themselves obnoxious to the men were put on
+shore.
+
+The delegates then drew up two petitions, one to Parliament the other to
+the Admiralty, asking that their wages should be increased—they had
+remained at the same point since Charles II was king,—that the pound
+should be reckoned at sixteen ounces instead of fourteen, and that the
+food should be of better quality. Further, that vegetables should be
+occasionally served out, that the sick should be better attended and their
+medical comforts not embezzled; and, finally, that on returning from sea
+the men should be allowed a short leave to visit their friends.
+
+On the 18th a committee of the Board of Admiralty arrived at Portsmouth,
+and in answer to the petition agreed to ask the king to propose to
+Parliament an increase of wages, and also to grant them certain other
+privileges; but these terms the sailors would not accept, and expressed
+their determination not to weigh anchor till their full demands were
+granted.
+
+The committee now sent, through Lord Bridport, a letter to the seamen
+granting still further concessions, and promising pardon to all concerned;
+but the sailors answered expressing their thanks for what had been
+granted, but reiterating their demands.
+
+On the 21st Vice-admirals Sir Allen Gardner and Colpoys and Rear-admiral
+Pole went on board the _Queen Charlotte_ to confer, but they were informed
+that until the reforms were sanctioned by the king and Parliament they
+would not be accepted as final. This so angered Admiral Gardner that he
+seized one of the delegates by the collar and swore he would hang the lot,
+and every fifth man in the fleet. The delegates at once returned to their
+ships, and the seamen of the fleet proceeded to load the guns. Watches
+were set as at sea, and the ships were put into a complete state of
+defence.
+
+On the 22nd Lord Bridport, having received a letter from the mutineers
+explaining the cause of the steps they had taken, went on board, and after
+a short deliberation his offers were accepted, and the men returned to
+their duty.
+
+The fleet was detained at St. Helens by a foul wind until the 7th of May,
+when news was received that the French were preparing to sail. Lord
+Bridport made the signal to weigh, but the crews again refused to obey
+orders, alleging that the silence that Parliament had observed respecting
+their grievances led them to suspect that the promised redress was to be
+withheld.
+
+For four days matters continued in the same state, but on the 14th Admiral
+Lord Howe arrived from London with full powers to settle all disputes with
+an Act of Parliament which had been passed on the 9th, and a proclamation
+granting the king’s pardon to all who should return at once to their duty.
+
+After various discussions the men agreed to the terms, and on the 16th
+May, all matters having been amicably settled, Lord Bridport put to sea
+with his fleet of fifteen sail of the line.
+
+Notwithstanding these concessions the sailors of the ships lying at the
+Nore broke into mutiny on the 20th of May, their ringleader being a seaman
+of the name of Richard Parker, one of a class of men denominated
+sea-lawyers. The delegates drew up a statement of demands containing eight
+articles, most of which were perfectly impossible, and the Admiralty
+replied by pointing out the concessions the Legislature had recently made,
+and refusing to accede to any more, but offering to pardon the men if they
+would at once return to their duty. The mutineers refused, and hoisted the
+red flag. They landed at Sheerness and marched through the streets, and in
+many ways went to greater lengths than their comrades at Spithead. They
+even flogged and otherwise ill-treated some of the officers.
+
+This outbreak now assumed the most alarming proportions. Eleven ships
+belonging to the North Sea fleet, on the way to blockade the Texel, turned
+back and joined Parker, and the greatest alarm was felt in London, the
+Funds falling to an unheard-of price. The Government acted, however, with
+vigour; buoys were removed, and the forts were manned and the men ordered
+to open fire should the fleet sail up the river. Bills were rushed through
+Parliament in two days, authorizing the utmost penalties on the mutineers
+and on all who aided them.
+
+This had the desired effect, and early in June the fleets at Portsmouth
+and Plymouth disavowed all complicity with Parker, and two ships—the
+_Leopard_ and _Repulse_—hauled down the red flag and retreated up the
+Thames, being fired on by the rest of the fleet. The example was, however,
+contagious, and ship after ship deserted until, on the 14th, the crew of
+the _Sandwich_ handed over Parker to the authorities.
+
+He was tried, convicted, and hanged on board that ship on the 29th of
+June. Some of the other leaders were also hanged, some were flogged
+through the fleet, and some sent to prison.
+
+The mutiny was not confined to the ships on the home stations, but it
+never became serious at any point, and a display of timely severity soon
+brought matters back to their usual condition of discipline and obedience
+to orders.
+
+A mutiny of a different character, as it was caused by the tyranny of the
+captain, and had very different results, took place in the West Indies.
+
+On the night of the 21st of September the thirty-two-gun frigate
+_Hermione_ was cruising off Porto Rico. Its captain, Pigot, was known to
+be one of the most harsh and brutal officers in the navy. On the previous
+day, while the crew were reefing topsails, he had called out that he would
+flog the last man down. The poor fellows, knowing well that he would keep
+his word, hurried down; and two of them, in trying to jump over those
+below them, missed their footing and were killed. When this was reported
+to the captain he simply said: “Throw the lubbers overboard.” All the
+other men were severely reprimanded. The result of this, the last of a
+succession of similar acts of tyranny, was that the crew broke into
+mutiny. The first lieutenant went to enquire into the disturbance, but he
+was killed and thrown overboard. The captain, hearing the tumult, ran on
+deck, but he suffered the same fate as his second in command. The
+mutineers then proceeded to murder eight other officers, two lieutenants,
+the purser, the surgeon, the captain’s clerk, one midshipman, the
+boatswain, and the lieutenant of marines. The master, a midshipman, and
+the gunner were the only officers spared. They then carried the ship into
+the port of La Guayra, representing to the Spanish governor that they had
+turned their officers adrift. The real circumstances of the case were
+explained to the governor by the British admiral, but he insisted upon
+detaining the vessel and fitting her out as a Spanish frigate.
+
+Many of the perpetrators of this horrible crime were afterwards captured
+and executed. Had they contented themselves with wreaking their vengeance
+on their captain, some excuse might have been offered for them when the
+catalogue of his brutalities was published, but nothing could be said in
+condonation of the cold-blooded murder of the other officers, including
+even a midshipman and the young captain’s clerk, neither of whom could
+have in any way influenced their commander’s conduct.
+
+The _Hermione_, however, was of but little use to the Spaniards. Sir Hyde
+Parker, in October, 1799, hearing that she was about to sail from Porto
+Cabello, in Havana, detached the _Surprise_ under Captain Hamilton, to
+attempt to obtain possession of her. On arriving off Porto Cabello he
+found the _Hermione_, which was manned by four hundred men, moored between
+two strong batteries at the entrance to the harbour, but, nothing daunted,
+Captain Hamilton resolved to cut her out. At eight o’clock in the evening
+he pushed off from the _Surprise_ with all his boats, manned by one
+hundred officers and men.
+
+Undeterred by a heavy fire, the boats made for the _Hermione_ and were
+soon alongside. The main attack at the gangways was beaten off, but the
+captain, with his cutter’s crew, made good his footing on the forecastle,
+and here he was joined by the crew of the gig and some of the men from the
+jolly-boat. He then fought his way to the quarter-deck, where he was soon
+reinforced by the crews of the boats that had at first been repulsed. In a
+very short time, after some desperate fighting, the _Hermione_ was
+captured. The cables were now cut and the sails hoisted, and under a heavy
+fire from the batteries the frigate was brought off, though much damaged
+both in rigging and hull. A few days later she anchored in Port Royal.
+
+This feat stands perhaps unparalleled in naval history for its audacity
+and success. The victors had only twelve wounded; the enemy lost one
+hundred and nineteen killed and ninety-seven wounded. Captain Hamilton was
+knighted for this achievement, the legislature of Jamaica presented him
+with a sword valued at three hundred guineas, and on his arrival in
+England after his exchange, for he was taken prisoner on his way home, the
+common council of London voted him the freedom of the city. He was,
+however, much injured in the attack, and was to the end of his life under
+medical treatment.
+
+After the battle of St. Vincent the _Jason_ required some repairs to her
+hull, but as her spars were uninjured she was ordered by Admiral Jervis to
+proceed to Portsmouth with despatches. Here, to Will’s great joy, he was
+confirmed in his position as first lieutenant. He was unable to get leave,
+as it was found the repairs would take but a short time, and after ten
+days’ stay in port the _Jason_ sailed to join Lord Bridport’s fleet. On
+doing so, she was at once despatched to reinforce the North Sea fleet
+under Admiral Duncan, then blockading the Texel.
+
+It was while engaged in this monotonous work that the news came of Admiral
+Nelson’s disastrous attack on Santa Cruz. The expedition was a complete
+failure, one hundred and forty-one being killed or drowned, and one
+hundred and five wounded or missing. Among the wounded was Admiral Nelson
+himself, who lost his arm.
+
+The news of the mutinies taking place at Spithead and the Nore was a
+source of great anxiety to the officers, but the men were so attached to
+them that there was no real cause for uneasiness with regard to their own
+ship, and when the eleven ships of Duncan’s fleet joined the mutineers at
+the Nore, the _Jason_ was one of the few that remained with the admiral.
+
+During the equinoctial gales many of the ships were so badly strained that
+Admiral Duncan returned to Yarmouth Roads to gather and repair his fleet,
+leaving the _Jason_ and two other ships to watch the enemy. De Winter lost
+not a moment in taking advantage of his absence, and on the 7th of October
+sailed out with his whole fleet, chasing the watch vessels before him. On
+their way, however, they met a squadron under Captain Trollope, consisting
+of Duncan’s ships which had been refitted. The Dutch fleet, on seeing
+them, thought that the whole British fleet was behind, and not at the time
+wishing to engage, went about and steered again for the Texel. On the 9th
+the _Active_ came in sight off Yarmouth Roads with the signal flying that
+the enemy were at sea. At once a general chase was ordered, and by the
+time the _Active_ joined them the whole fleet was under way. Her captain
+was hailed and ordered to guide the fleet to the precise spot where he had
+last seen the enemy.
+
+Captain Trollope had, as soon as the Dutch fleet went about, started in
+chase of them, and kept them in sight until they approached the Texel,
+when he steered to meet Admiral Duncan. He was therefore able to give the
+exact position of the enemy, and at once the fleet sailed towards them. On
+the morning of the 11th October, 1797, the admiral came in sight of the
+enemy about nine miles from shore and nearly opposite the village of
+Camperdown. The fleet, however, was greatly scattered owing to the
+different speeds of the ships. De Winter, as soon as he saw the British
+coming, got up his anchors and made for shore, hoping that he might be
+able to get so close in among its shoals and sand-banks, which were much
+better known to him than to his antagonists, as to deter Duncan from
+pursuing him. He was, above all things, anxious to avoid action; not so
+much because his fleet was slightly inferior to the British, as because
+his instructions enjoined him to regard his junction with the French at
+Brest as his chief object.
+
+The British admiral, seeing his arrangements and divining his object,
+pressed on, regardless of the scattered state of his fleet, and made the
+signal for each ship to attack as she came up. Another signal intimated
+that he should attempt to break the enemy’s line, so as to get between it
+and the land. But this signal was not generally seen by the fleet. It was,
+however, seen and acted upon by the second in command, Admiral Onslow, in
+the _Monarch_, who soon after led the larboard division through the Dutch
+line, three ships from the rear, and then closely engaged the _Jupiter_.
+Duncan’s own ship, the _Venerable_, the leading ship of the starboard
+division, marked out the _Vryhide_, De Winter’s flagship, as his own
+antagonist.
+
+The Dutch ship _States-general_, the flagship of their rear-admiral,
+seeing his design, pressed so close up to his chief that the British
+admiral was compelled to change his course and pass astern of her; but as
+he did so he poured so terrible a fire into her stern that she was glad to
+fall back and leave the _Venerable_ free to attack the _Vryhide_. Others
+of our ships followed the example of their chief, breaking the Dutch line
+at several points. At one o’clock the battle became general, and was
+carried on with unsurpassed courage on both sides. The two biggest Dutch
+frigates, which carried as heavy guns as the British line-of-battle ships,
+crept forward into the fight and fought gallantly, the _Mars_ raking the
+_Venerable_ severely while she was engaged with no fewer than three Dutch
+line-of-battle ships.
+
+The crew of the _Venerable_ had been particularly anxious to fight, their
+ship having been for the past five months engaged in the dreary work of
+blockading the Texel; and when they had seen the Dutch with their topsails
+bent, as if intending to come out, they had offered to advance into the
+narrow entrance to the Texel, and in that position stop the way against
+the whole fleet, or at least fight their ship till she sank. Now they
+proved that their offer had been no empty boast, for, although fighting
+against overwhelming odds, they stuck to their guns with unexampled
+devotion.
+
+More than once every flag they hoisted was shot away, and at last one of
+the sailors went aloft and nailed the admiral’s colours to the stump of
+the main topgallant mast. The _Vryhide_ also fought with desperate
+courage. Other British ships, however, came up, and the disparity in
+numbers turned the other way. The _Ardent_ attacked her on the other side,
+and the _Triumph_ and _Director_ poured a raking fire along her decks. One
+after another her masts fell, and the wreck rendered half her guns
+unworkable. Her crew were swept away, until De Winter was left alone on
+her quarter-deck, while below there were hardly enough men left to man the
+pumps. Then the gallant admiral with his own hand hauled down his colours,
+having fought to the admiration of the whole British fleet. The
+_States-general_, almost disabled by the fruitless attempt to foul the
+_Venerable_, maintained a vigorous conflict for some time against a
+succession of adversaries, during which she lost above three hundred men
+killed and wounded, until at last her captain was compelled to strike. No
+one, however, attempted to take possession of her, and, gradually dropping
+astern until clear of both fleets, she rehoisted her colours and made off
+to the Texel.
+
+ [Illustration: “AT LAST HER CAPTAIN WAS COMPELLED TO STRIKE”]
+
+Ship after ship struck, and of the whole Dutch fleet but six ships of the
+line and two frigates managed to reach the Texel, and this was only due to
+the fact that several of the Dutch vessels, knowing that the orders had
+been that they were not to fight, stood aloof and disregarded their
+admiral’s signal to engage. The entire casualties among our men exceeded a
+thousand. Many of the ships were completely riddled by shot, and on some
+of them the men were employed day and night at the pumps to keep them
+afloat till they could cross the Channel to our own harbours. Two
+seventy-fours, five fifty-fours, two gun-ships, and two frigates remained
+in our hands, but all were so battered that not one of them could ever be
+made fit for service. The two fleets were nearly equal in strength, the
+British being about one-twelfth the stronger. Some of the Dutch ships took
+no share in the action, but the same is true of the British. Some of them
+arrived too late, the hazy weather having prevented the signals of the
+_Venerable_ from being seen by them. For one of them, however, the
+_Agincourt_, no excuse could be found, so her captain was tried by
+court-martial and declared incapable of serving in the navy for the
+future.
+
+The _Jason_ had taken her share in the battle. She had at once placed
+herself alongside the _Brutus_, a battle-ship of the same size as herself.
+All the afternoon the duel was continued, and both ships lost some masts
+and spars and had their hulls completely shattered. It was not until the
+engagement had almost ceased elsewhere that the enemy hauled down her
+colours. The battle was a desperate one, and Will had felt the strain
+greatly; there was comparatively little for him to do, for both ships
+sailed along side by side, and there was no attempt at manœuvring. He had,
+therefore, simply to move about, encouraging the sailors and directing
+their fire. So incessant was the cannonade that it was with difficulty he
+could make his orders heard, and, cool as he was, he was almost confused
+by the terrible din that went on around. It was found, after the _Brutus_
+surrendered, that her loss had been one hundred and twenty killed and
+wounded, while on board the _Jason_ little over half that number had
+suffered.
+
+As soon as the prize surrendered, parties were put on board to take
+possession, while the rest of the men were engaged in attending to their
+own and the Dutch wounded. The next day jury-masts were got up, and the
+_Jason_, with her prize in tow, sailed with the rest of the fleet for
+England. When they arrived at Sheerness the _Jason_ was found to require a
+complete refit. The crew were therefore ordered to be paid off, and Will
+was promoted to the rank of captain, and at once appointed to the command
+of the frigate _Ethalion_, thirty-four guns, which had just been fitted
+ready for sea.
+
+He had no difficulty in manning his ship, as a sufficient number of the
+_Jason’s_ old crew volunteered, and he was soon ready for service.
+
+He was at once despatched to join Lord Bridport’s fleet, and for nearly
+nine months was engaged in the incessant patrolling which at that time the
+British frigates maintained in the Channel.
+
+Towards the end of July, 1798, the vigilance of the frigates, if possible,
+increased, for it became known that two French squadrons were being
+prepared with the intention of landing troops in Ireland. On the 6th of
+August a small squadron slipped out of Rochefort, and, eluding the British
+cruisers, succeeded, on the 22nd, in landing General Humbert and eleven
+hundred and fifty men at Killala Bay, and then at once returned to
+Rochefort.
+
+The attempt ended in failure; the peasantry did not join as was expected,
+and on the 8th of September General Humbert surrendered at Ballinamuck to
+Lieutenant-general Lake.
+
+Another fleet sailed from Brest on the 16th of September, 1798, consisting
+of one ship of the line, the _Hoche_, and eight frigates, under Commodore
+Bompart. It had on board three thousand troops, a large train of
+artillery, and a great quantity of military stores. It had set sail for
+Ireland before the news of the failure of Humbert’s expedition had
+arrived, and it was certain that as soon as it reached its intended place
+of landing in Ireland it would endeavour to return without delay. Two or
+three days earlier the _Ethalion_ and the eighteen-gun brig _Sylph_ had
+joined the thirty-eight-gun frigate _Boadicea_, which was watching Brest.
+At daybreak a light breeze sprang up, and the French made sail. Leaving
+the _Ethalion_ to watch the French fleet, the _Boadicea_ sailed to carry
+the news of the start of the expedition to Lord Bridport.
+
+At two o’clock on the 18th the _Ethalion_ was joined by the _Amelia_, a
+thirty-eight-gun frigate, and at daylight the French directed their course
+as if for the West Indies. At eight o’clock they bore up, and five of
+their frigates chased the English ships. Presently, however, finding that
+they did not gain, they rejoined the squadron, which bore away to the
+south-west. On the 20th the two frigates were joined by the forty-four-gun
+frigate _Anson_. At noon the French were nearly becalmed. There was now no
+doubt that the destination of the squadron was Ireland, and the news was
+despatched by the _Sylph_ to the commander-in-chief of the Irish station.
+
+On the 26th the French ships turned on the frigates, but gave this up
+about noon, and proceeded on their way. The sea now became so rough that
+all the ships shortened sail. On the 29th the weather moderated, and the
+French squadron again started in chase. About nine o’clock the French
+battle-ship, the _Hoche_, sprung her main-topmast, and one of the French
+frigates carried away her top-sail yard. At this both the French and the
+British ships shortened sail. The French ships wore away to the
+north-west, and the British again followed them; but the _Anson_ had
+sprung her topmast, and in the evening the _Hoche_ lowered hers. The
+weather now became very bad, and the frigates hauled up and soon lost
+sight of the enemy. A week later the _Amelia_ left them, but three days
+after, they fell in with the squadron that had been despatched from
+Cawsand Bay when the _Boadicea_ arrived with news of the start of the
+French squadron from Brest. They were also joined by the frigates
+_Melampus_ and _Doris_, which while at Lough Swilly had received news from
+the _Sylph_ of the destination of the French squadron. The whole were
+under the command of Sir John Warren.
+
+With the hope that he had now shaken off his pursuers, Admiral Bompart
+bore away for Killala Bay, but as he neared the land his leading frigate
+signalled the appearance of the British squadron. Sir John Warren
+immediately gave the signal for a general chase, but a heavy gale set in
+that evening, during which the _Anson_ carried away her mizzen-mast
+main-yard and main-topsail-yard. The _Hoche_, however, was even more
+unfortunate, for she carried away her main-topmast, and this in its fall
+brought down the fore and mizzen-topgallant-masts. A few hours later the
+_Résolue_ signalled that she had sprung a leak which she could not stop,
+and the admiral signalled orders to her captain to sail towards the coast,
+and by burning blue lights and sending up rockets to endeavour to lead the
+British squadron after him, and so allow the rest of the fleet to make
+off.
+
+Admiral Bompart now changed his course, but at daybreak found himself
+almost surrounded by the British vessels. Both squadrons waited, but with
+very different feelings, the order to commence action. The _Robust_ led
+the way, followed closely by the _Magnanime_, and was received with a fire
+from the stern-chasers and the quarter guns of the French frigates
+_Embuscade_ and _Coquille_. A few minutes later the _Robust_ returned the
+fire, and bore down to leeward for the purpose of engaging the _Hoche_,
+which, like herself, was a seventy-four-gun ship. In half an hour all the
+French frigates that could get away were making off. The _Hoche_ by this
+time was a mere wreck, having suffered terribly from the fire of the
+_Robust_; her hull was riddled with shot, she had five feet of water in
+her hold, twenty-five of her guns were dismounted, and a great portion of
+her crew were killed and wounded. After the battle had raged for three
+hours she struck her colours. The _Embuscade_ had also surrendered. The
+other British vessels set out in pursuit of the fugitives. The _Coquille_,
+after a brave resistance, was forced to haul down her colours, and the
+_Ethalion_ pursued and captured the _Bellone_. Five French frigates
+attempted to escape, and in doing so sailed close to the _Anson_, which
+had been unable to take part in the action owing to the loss of her
+mizzen-mast, and as they passed ahead of her, poured in such destructive
+broadsides that she lost her fore and main masts, and had much other
+serious damage. Of the ships that had escaped, the _Résolue_ was captured
+two or three days later. The _Loire_ made a good fight; she was pursued by
+the _Mermaid_, and _Kangaroo_. The latter, which was an eighteen-gun brig,
+engaged her, but lost her fore-topmast. The _Mermaid_, a thirty-two-gun
+frigate, continued the pursuit.
+
+At daybreak the _Loire_, seeing that her pursuer was alone, shortened
+sail. As the _Loire_ was a forty-gun ship the fight was a desperate one,
+and both vessels were so badly injured that by mutual consent they ceased
+fire. The _Mermaid_ lost her mizzen-mast, main topmast, and had her
+shrouds, spars, and boats cut to pieces. She was also making a great deal
+of water, and was therefore necessarily obliged to discontinue the fight.
+The _Loire_, however, was out of luck, for a day or two later she fell in
+with the _Anson_ and _Kangaroo_, and in consequence of her battered
+condition she had to surrender without resistance. Similarly, the
+_Immortalité_, while making her way to Brest, fell in with the _Fisgard_,
+a vessel of just the same size. The _Immortalité’s_ fire was so well aimed
+that in a short time the _Fisgard_ was quite unmanageable. Repairs,
+however, were executed with great promptness, and after a chase the action
+was recommenced. At the end of half an hour the _Fisgard_ had received
+several shots between wind and water and she had six feet of water in her
+hold. Nevertheless she continued the fight, and at three o’clock the
+_Immortalité_, which was in a semi-sinking state, and had lost her captain
+and first lieutenant, hauled down her colours.
+
+Thus seven out of the ten vessels under the command of Commodore Bompart
+were captured.
+
+In the combat with the _Bellone_ Will had been slightly wounded, and as he
+was most anxious to proceed with his investigation with regard to his
+relations, he applied for leave on his arrival at Portsmouth.
+
+This was at once granted, and at the same time he received his promotion
+to post rank in consequence of his capture of the _Bellone_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIX
+
+
+ CONCLUSION
+
+
+Will’s first visit, after arriving in London, was to Dulwich. He had
+visited the house with Mr. Palethorpe when it was in progress of building,
+and had been favourably impressed with it, but now that it was complete he
+thought it was one of the prettiest houses that he had ever seen. The
+great conservatory was full of plants and shrubs, which he recognized as
+natives of Jamaica, and the garden was brilliant with bright flowers.
+
+“I am delighted to see you again, Will,” Mr. Palethorpe said, as he was
+shown in. “Alice is out at present, but she will be back before long. I
+must congratulate you on your promotion, which I saw in the _Gazette_ this
+morning.”
+
+“Yes, sir, my good fortune sticks to me, except for this wound, and it is
+nothing serious and will soon be right again.”
+
+“Don’t say good fortune, lad. You have won your way by conduct and
+courage, and you have a right to be proud of your position. I believe you
+are the youngest captain in the service, and that without a shadow of
+private interest to push you on. I am very glad to hear that your wound is
+so slight.”
+
+“You are not looking well, sir,” Will said, after they had chatted for a
+time.
+
+“No, I have had a shock which, I am ashamed to say, I have allowed to
+annoy me. I came home with £70,000. Of that I invested £40,000 in good
+securities, and allowed the rest to remain in my agent’s hands until he
+came upon some good and safe security. Well, I was away with Alice in the
+country when he wrote to me to say that he strongly recommended me to buy
+a South Sea stock which everyone was running after, and which was rising
+rapidly. I must own that it seemed a good thing, so I told him to buy.
+Well, it went up like wildfire, and I could have sold out at four times
+the price at which I bought. At last I wrote to him to realize, and he
+replied that it had suddenly fallen a bit, and recommending me to wait
+till it went up again, which it was sure to do. I didn’t see a London
+paper for some days, and when I did get one I found, to my horror, that
+the bubble had burst, and that the stock was virtually not worth the paper
+on which it was printed. The blow has affected me a good deal. I admit now
+that it was foolish, and feel it so; but when a man has been working all
+his life, it is hard to see nearly half of the fortune he has gained swept
+away at a blow.”
+
+“It is hard, sir, very hard. Still, it was fortunate that you had already
+invested £40,000 in good securities. After all, with this house and
+£40,000 you will really not so very much miss the sum you have lost.”
+
+“That is exactly what I tell myself, Will. Still, you know, a dog with two
+bones in his mouth will growl if he loses one of them. Nevertheless
+£40,000 is not to be despised by any means, and I shall have plenty to
+give my little Alice a good portion when she marries.”
+
+“That will be comfortable for her, sir, but I should say that the man
+would be lucky if he got her without a shilling.”
+
+“Well, well, we’ll see, we’ll see. I have no desire to part with her yet.”
+
+“That I can well understand, sir.”
+
+“Ah, here she is!”
+
+A rosy colour spread over the girl’s face when she saw who her father’s
+visitor was.
+
+“I expected you in a day or two,” she said, “but not so soon as this. When
+we saw your name in the _Gazette_ we made sure that it would not be long
+before you paid us a visit. I am glad to see that your wound has not
+pulled you down much.”
+
+“No indeed. I am all right; but it was certain that I should come here
+first of all.”
+
+“And what are your plans now?” Mr. Palethorpe asked.
+
+“I am going to set to work at once to discover my family. I have not been
+to my lawyer yet, so I don’t know how much he has done, but I certainly
+mean to go into the business in earnest.”
+
+“Well, it doesn’t matter to you much now, Will, whether your family are
+dukes or beggars. You can stand on your own feet as a captain in the royal
+navy with a magnificent record of services.”
+
+“Yes, I see that, sir; but still I certainly do wish to be able to prove
+that I come of at least a respectable family. I have not the least desire
+to obtain any rank or anything of that kind, only to know that I have
+people of my own.”
+
+“I do not say that it is not a laudable ambition, but I don’t believe that
+anyone would think one scrap better or worse of you were you to find that
+you were heir to a dukedom.”
+
+Will slept there that night, and the next morning drove into the city to
+his lawyer’s office. “Well, Captain Gilmore?” said that gentleman as Will
+entered his private room. “I am glad to see you. I have been quietly at
+work making enquiries since you were last here. I sent a man down to
+Scarcombe some months ago. He learned as much as he could there, and since
+then has been going from village to village and has traced your father’s
+journeyings for some months. Now that you are home I should suggest
+employing two or three men to continue the search and to find out if
+possible the point from which your father started his wanderings.
+Assuming, as I do, that he was the son of Sir Ralph Gilmore, I imagine
+that he must have quarrelled with his father at or about the time of his
+marriage. In that case he would probably come up to London. I have
+observed that most men who quarrel with their parents take that step
+first. There, perhaps, he endeavoured to obtain employment. The struggle
+would probably last two, or three, or four years. I take the last to be
+the most likely period, for by that time you would be about three years
+old. I say that because he could hardly have taken you with him had you
+been younger.
+
+“It is evident that he had either no hope of being reconciled to his
+father or that he was himself too angry to make advances. I therefore
+propose to send men north from London to enquire upon all the principal
+roads. A man with a violin and a little child cannot have been altogether
+forgotten in the villages in which he stopped, and I hope to be able to
+trace his way up to Yorkshire. Again, I should employ one of the Bow
+Street runners to make enquiries in London for a man with his wife and
+child who lived here so many years ago, and whose name was Gilmore. I am
+supposing, you see, that that was his real name, and not one that he had
+assumed. I confess I have my doubts about it. A man who quits his home for
+ever after a desperate quarrel is as likely as not to change his name.
+That of course we must risk. While these enquiries are being made I should
+like you to go back to your old home; it is possible that other mementoes
+of his stay there may have escaped the memory of the old people with whom
+you lived. Anything of that kind would be of inestimable value.”
+
+“I will go down,” Will said. “I am afraid there is little chance of my
+finding them both alive now. I fancy they were about fifty-five when I
+went to live with them, which would make them near eighty now. One or
+other of them, however, may be alive. I have not been to my agent yet, and
+therefore do not know whether he still sends them the allowance I made
+them.”
+
+After leaving the lawyer he went to his agent and found that the allowance
+was still paid, and regularly acknowledged by a receipt from the
+clergyman. He supposed, therefore, that certainly one, if not both, of the
+old people were still alive. He went back to Dulwich and said that he had
+taken a seat on the north coach for that day week. “I could not bring
+myself to leave before,” he said, “and I knew you would keep me.”
+
+“Certainly, my boy. I don’t think either Alice or myself would forgive you
+were you to run away the moment you returned.”
+
+When the time came Will started for the north, though he felt much
+reluctance to leave Alice. He acknowledged now to himself that he was
+deeply in love with her. Though from her father’s manner he felt that when
+he asked for her hand he would not be refused, about Alice herself he felt
+far less confident. She was so perfectly open and natural with him that he
+feared lest she might regard him rather as a brother than as a lover, and
+yet the blush which he had noticed when he first met her on his return
+gave him considerable hope.
+
+On arriving at Scarborough he stopped for the night at the house of his
+old friend Mrs. Archer. She and her husband listened with surprise and
+pleasure to his stories of his adventures in spite of his assurances that
+these were very ordinary matters, and that it was chiefly by luck that he
+had got on. He was a little surprised when, in reply to this, Mrs. Archer
+used the very words Mr. Palethorpe had uttered. “It is of no use your
+talking in that way, Will,” she said. “No doubt you have had very good
+fortune, but your rapid promotion can only be due to your conduct and
+courage.”
+
+“I may have conducted myself well,” he said warmly, “but not one bit
+better than other officers in the service. I really owe my success to the
+fortunate suggestion of mine as to the best method of attacking that
+pirate hold. As a reward for this the admiral gave me the command of
+_L’Agile_, and so, piece by piece, it has grown. But it was to my good
+fortune in making that suggestion, which really was not made in earnest,
+but only in reply to the challenge of another midshipman, that it has all
+come about. Above all, Mrs. Archer, I shall never forget that it was the
+kindness you showed me, and the pains you took in my education, that gave
+me my start in life.”
+
+The next day he drove over to Scarcombe, and to his pleasure, on entering
+the cottage, found John and his wife both sitting just where he had last
+seen them. They both rose to greet him.
+
+“Thank God, Will,” John said, “that we have been spared to see you alive
+again! I was afraid that our call might come before you returned.”
+
+“Why, father, I don’t think you look a year older than you did when I last
+saw you. Both you and mother look good for another ten years yet.”
+
+“If we do, Will, it will be thanks to the good food you have provided for
+us. We live like lords; meat every day for dinner, and fish for breakfast
+and supper. I should not feel right if I didn’t have a snack of fish every
+day. Then we have ale for dinner and supper. There is no one in the
+village who lives as we do. When we first began we both felt downright
+fat. Then we agreed that if we went on like that we never could live till
+you came back, so we did with a little less, and as you see we both fill
+out our clothes a long way better than we did when you were here last.”
+
+“Well you certainly do both look uncommonly well, father.”
+
+“And you ain’t married yet, Will?”
+
+“No, I’ve not done anything about that yet, though perhaps it won’t be
+very long before I find a wife. I am not going to apply to go on service
+again for a time, so I’ll have a chance to look round, though I really
+have one in my mind’s eye.”
+
+“Tell us all about it, Will,” the old woman said eagerly; “you know how
+interested we must be in anything that affects you.”
+
+“Well, mother, among the many adventures I have been through I must tell
+you the one connected with this young lady.”
+
+He then told her of his first meeting, of his stay at her father’s house,
+and of the hurricane which they experienced together.
+
+“Well, mother, I met her again unexpectedly more than two and a half years
+ago in London. Her father had come over here to live, and has a fine house
+at Dulwich. I have just been staying there for a week, and I have some
+hope that when I ask her she will consent to be my wife.”
+
+“Of course she will,” the old woman said quite indignantly. “How could she
+do otherwise? Why, if you were to ask the king’s daughter I am sure she
+would take you. Here you are, one of the king’s captains, have done all
+sorts of wonderful things, and have beaten his enemies all over the world,
+and you are as straight and good-looking a young gentleman as anyone wants
+to see. No one, who was not out of her mind, could think of saying ‘No’ to
+you.”
+
+“Ah, mother, you are prejudiced! To you I am a sort of swan that has come
+out of a duck’s egg.”
+
+They chatted for some time, and then Will said:
+
+“Are you quite sure, John, that the bundle the clergyman handed over to me
+contained every single thing my father left behind him?”
+
+“Well, now I think of it, Will, there is something else. I never
+remembered it at the time, but when my old woman was sweeping a cobweb off
+the rafters the other day she said: ‘Why, here is Will’s father’s fiddle’,
+and, sure enough, there it was. It had been up there from the day you came
+into the house, and if we noticed it none of us ever gave it a thought.”
+
+“I remember it now,” Will exclaimed. “When I was a young boy I used to
+think I should like to learn to play on it, and I spoke to Miss Warden
+about it. But she said I had better stick to my lessons, and then as I
+grew up I could learn it if I still had a fancy to do so.”
+
+He got on to a chair, and took it from the rafter on which it had so long
+lain. Then he carefully wiped the dust off it.
+
+“It looks a very old thing, but that makes no difference in its value to
+me. I don’t see in the least how this can be any clue whatever to my
+father’s identity. Still, I will take it away with me and show it to my
+lawyer, who is endeavouring to trace for me who my father was.”
+
+“And do you think that he will succeed, Will?”
+
+“I rather believe he will. At any rate he has found a gentleman, a
+baronet, who has the same name and bears the same coat of arms as is on
+the seal which was in my father’s bundle. We are trying now to trace how
+my father came down here, and where he lived before he started. You see I
+must get as clear a story as I can before I go to see this gentleman.
+Mind, I don’t want anything from him. He may be as rich as a lord for
+anything I care, and may refuse to have anything to do with me, but I want
+to find out to what family I really belong.”
+
+“He must be a bad lot,” John said, “to allow your father to tramp about
+the country with a fiddle.”
+
+“I would not say that,” Will said; “there are always two sides to a story,
+and we know nothing of my father’s reasons for leaving home. It may have
+been his fault more than his father’s, so until I know the rights and
+wrongs of the case I will form no judgment whatever.”
+
+“That is right, my boy,” the old woman said. “I have noticed that when a
+boy runs away from home and goes to sea it is as often his fault as his
+father’s. Sometimes it is six of one and half a dozen of the other;
+sometimes the father is a brute, but more often the son is a scamp, a
+worthless fellow, who will settle down to nothing, and brings discredit on
+his family. So you are quite right, Will, not to form any hard judgment on
+your grandfather till you know how it all came about.”
+
+“I certainly don’t mean to, mother. Of course I have so little
+recollection of my father that it would not worry me much if I found that
+it were his fault, though of course I would rather know that he was not to
+blame. Still, I should wish to like my grandfather if I could, and if I
+heard that my poor father was really entirely to blame I should not grieve
+much over it.”
+
+“I can’t help thinking that he was to blame, Will. He was a
+curious-looking man, with a very bitter expression at times on his face,
+as if he didn’t care for anyone in the world, except perhaps yourself, and
+he often left you alone in the village when he went and wandered about by
+himself on the moor.”
+
+“Well, well,” Will said, “it matters very little to me which way it is. It
+is a very old story now, and I dare say that there were faults on both
+sides.”
+
+Will spent a long day with the old people and then returned to
+Scarborough, taking the violin with him. When he told how he had found it
+Mr. Archer took the instrument and examined it carefully.
+
+“I think really,” he said at last, “that this violin may prove a valuable
+clue, as valuable almost as that coat of arms. That might very well have
+been picked up or bought for a trifle at a pawnshop, or come into the
+hands of its possessor in some accidental way. But this is different;
+this, unless I am greatly mistaken, is a real Amati, and therefore worth
+at least a couple of hundred guineas. That could hardly have come
+accidentally into the hands of a wandering musician; it must be a relic of
+a time when he was in very different circumstances, and may well have been
+his before he left the home of his childhood.”
+
+“Thank you very much for the information, Mr. Archer! I see at once that
+it may very well be a strong link in the chain.”
+
+Two days later he returned to London. Mr. Palethorpe was greatly pleased
+to hear that he had found so valuable a clue.
+
+“I don’t care a rap for family,” he said, “but at the same time I suppose
+every man would like his daughter—” Here he stopped abruptly. “I mean to
+say,” he said, “would like to have for his son-in-law a man of good
+family. I grant that it is a very stupid prejudice, still I suppose it is
+a general one. You told me, I think, that your lawyer had found out that
+this Sir Ralph Gilmore had only two sons, and that one of them had died
+suddenly and unmarried.”
+
+“That is so, sir.”
+
+“Then in that case, you see, if you prove your identity you would
+certainly be heir to the baronetcy.”
+
+“I suppose so, sir. I have never given the matter any thought. It is not
+rank I want, but family. Still, I might not be heir to the baronetcy, for
+even supposing that my father was really the other son, he might have had
+children older than I am who remained with their grandfather.”
+
+“That is possible,” Mr. Palethorpe said, “though unlikely. Why should he
+have left them behind him when he went out into the world?”
+
+“He might not have wished to bother himself with them; he might have
+intended to claim them later. No one can say.”
+
+“Well, on the whole, I should say that your chance of coming into the
+baronetcy is distinctly good. It would look well, you know—Captain Sir
+William Gilmore, R.N.”
+
+“We mustn’t count our chickens too soon, Mr. Palethorpe,” Will laughed;
+“but nevertheless I do think that the prospects are favourable. Still, I
+must wait the result of the search that my lawyer has been carrying on.”
+
+“Well, you know my house is your home as long as you like to use it.”
+
+“Thank you, sir! but I don’t like to intrude upon your kindness too much,
+and I think that I will take a lodging somewhere in the West End, so that
+I may be within easy reach of you here.”
+
+“Well, it must be as you like, lad. In some respects, perhaps, it will be
+best so. I may remind you, my boy, that it is not always wise for two
+young people to be constantly in each other’s society.” And he laughed.
+
+Will made no answer; he had decided to defer putting the question until
+his claim was settled one way or the other.
+
+In a few days he again called upon his lawyer.
+
+“I have found out enough,” the latter said, “to be certain that your
+father started from London with his violin and you, a child of three. I
+have considerable hopes that we shall, ere long, get a clue to the place
+where he lived while in London. The runner has met a woman who remembers
+distinctly such a man and a sick wife and child lodging in the house of a
+friend of hers. The friend has moved away and she has lost sight of her,
+but she knows some people with whom the woman was intimate, and through
+them we hope to find out where she lives.”
+
+“That is good news indeed,” Will said. “I had hardly hoped that you would
+be so successful.”
+
+“It is a great piece of luck,” the lawyer said. “I have written to my
+other agents to come home. It will be quite sufficient to prove that he
+journeyed as a wandering musician for at least fifty miles from London. Of
+course if further evidence is necessary they can resume their search.”
+
+“I have found a clue too, sir,” Will said; and he then related the
+discovery of the Amati, the possession of which showed that the minstrel
+must at one time have been in wealthy circumstances.
+
+“That is important indeed,” the lawyer said, rubbing his hands. “Now, sir,
+if we can but find out where the man lived in London I think the chain
+will be complete, especially if he was in comparatively good circumstances
+when he went there. The woman will also, doubtless, be able to give a
+description of his wife as well of himself, and with these various proofs
+in your hand I think you may safely go down and see Sir Ralph Gilmore,
+whom I shall, of course, prepare by letter for your visit.”
+
+Four days afterwards Will received a letter by an office-boy from his
+lawyer asking him to call.
+
+“My dear sir,” he said as Will entered, “I congratulate you most heartily.
+I think we have the chain complete now. The day before yesterday the Bow
+Street runner came in to say that he had found the woman, and that she was
+now living out at Highgate. Yesterday I sent my clerk up to see her, and
+this is his report. I may tell you that nothing could possibly be more
+satisfactory.”
+
+The document was as follows:
+
+“I called on Mrs. Giles. She is a respectable person who lets her house in
+lodgings. Twenty-five years ago she had a house in Westminster, and let
+the drawing-room floor to a gentleman of the name of Gilmore. He was
+rather tall and dark, and very variable in his temper. He had his wife
+with him, and two months afterwards a child was born. It was christened at
+St. Matthew’s. I was its god-mother, as they seemed to have very few
+friends in the town. Mr. Gilmore was out a good deal looking for
+employment. He used to write of an evening, and I think made money by it.
+He was very fond of his violin. Sometimes it was soft music he played, but
+if he was in a bad temper he would make it shriek and cry out, and I used
+to think there was a devil shut up in it. It was awful! When he came to me
+he had plenty of money, but it was not long before it began to run short,
+and they lived very plain. He had all sorts of things, whips and books and
+dressing-cases. These gradually went, and a year after the child was born
+they moved upstairs, the rooms being cheaper for them. A year later they
+occupied one room. The wife fell ill, and the rent was often in arrears.
+He was getting very shabby in his dress too. The child was three years old
+when its mother died. He sold all he had left to bury her decently, and as
+he had no money to pay his arrears of rent, he gave me a silver-mounted
+looking-glass, which I understood his mother had given him, and he said:
+‘Don’t you sell this, but keep it, and one day or other I will come back
+and redeem it.’ ”
+
+“This is the glass, sir,” the lawyer said. “My clerk redeemed it after
+telling her that her lodger had died long ago. He went round to St.
+Matthew’s Church and obtained the certificate of the child’s baptism. So I
+think now, Mr. Gilmore, that we have all the evidence that can be
+required. Mrs. Giles, on hearing that the child was alive, said she would
+be happy to come forward and repeat what she had said to my clerk. She
+seemed very interested in the affair, and is evidently a kindly
+good-hearted woman. I fancy the silver frame is of Italian workmanship,
+and will probably be recognized by your grandfather. At any rate, someone
+there is sure to know it. Now I think you are in a position to go down and
+see him, and if you wish I will write to him to-day. I shall not go into
+matters at all, and shall merely say that the son of his son, Mr. William
+Gilmore, is coming down to have an interview with him, and is provided
+with all necessary proofs of his birth.”
+
+The next morning Will took the coach and went down to Radstock, in
+Somersetshire. He put up at the inn on his arrival, and next morning hired
+a gig and drove to the house of Sir Ralph Gilmore. It was a very fine
+mansion standing in an extensive park.
+
+“Not a bad place by any means,” Will said to himself; “I should certainly
+be proud to bring Alice down here.”
+
+He alighted at the entrance and sent in his name, and was immediately
+shown into the library, where a tall old man was sitting.
+
+“I understand, sir,” he said stiffly, “that you claim to be the son of my
+son, William Gilmore?”
+
+“I do, sir, and I think the proofs I shall give you will satisfy you. You
+will understand, sir, please, before I do so, that I have no desire
+whatever to make any claim upon you; I simply wished to be recognized as a
+member of your family.”
+
+The old man looked him up and down, and then motioned him to take a seat.
+
+“And what has become of your father, supposing him to be your father?” he
+asked with an evident effort.
+
+“He died, sir, nearly twenty years ago.”
+
+The old man was silent for some little time, and then he said: “And you,
+sir, what have you been doing since then? But first, in what circumstances
+did he die?”
+
+“In the very poorest. For the last two years of his life he earned his
+living and mine as a wandering fiddler.”
+
+“And what became of you?”
+
+“I was brought up, sir, by a fisherman in the village in Yorkshire in
+which my father died.”
+
+“Your manner of speech does not at all agree with that, sir,” the old man
+said sharply.
+
+“No, sir,” Will said quietly. “I had the good fortune to attract the
+interest of the clergyman’s daughter, and she was good enough to assist me
+in my education and urge me on to study.”
+
+“And what is your trade or profession, sir?”
+
+“I have the honour, sir, to be post-captain in His Majesty’s navy.”
+
+“You a post-captain in His Majesty’s navy!” the old man said scornfully.
+“Do you think to take me in with such a tale as that? You might possibly
+be a very junior lieutenant.”
+
+“I am not surprised that you think so, sir. Nevertheless I am indeed what
+I say. My name appeared in the _Gazette_ a month ago.”
+
+“I remember now,” the baronet said, “there was a William Gilmore appointed
+to that rank. The name struck me as I glanced through the _Gazette_. I had
+noticed it before on several occasions, and I sighed as I thought to
+myself how different must have been his career from that of my unfortunate
+son. Now, sir, I beg that you will let me see your proofs.”
+
+“In the first place, sir, there is this seal with your armorial bearings,
+which was found upon him after his death. This is a looking-glass, one
+which I believe was given to him by his mother. This is the violin with
+which he earned his living.”
+
+The old man stretched his hand out for the violin, with tears in his eyes.
+
+“I gave it to him,” he said, “when he was eighteen. I thought it a great
+piece of extravagance at the time, but he had such a taste for music that
+I thought he deserved the best instrument I could get. The looking-glass I
+also recognize, and of course the seal. Is there anything more, sir?”
+
+“This, sir, is the certificate of my baptism at St. Matthew’s Church,
+Westminster. This is a statement of my lawyer’s clerk, who interviewed the
+woman in whose house my father and mother lived, and my mother died.”
+
+The baronet took it and read it in silence.
+
+“I can produce also,” Will went on, as the old man laid it down with a
+sigh, “the evidence of the lady who educated me, and to whom I owe all the
+good fortune that has befallen me. The old fisherman and his wife who
+brought me up are still alive, though very old. I have means of obtaining
+abundant evidence from my shipmates in the various vessels in which I have
+sailed that I am the boy who left that village at the age of fifteen, and
+entered as a ship’s boy in one of His Majesty’s vessels.”
+
+“And you are now—?” the baronet asked.
+
+“I am now twenty-three, sir.”
+
+“And a captain?”
+
+“That is so, sir. I was made a midshipman before I had been three months
+on board, partly because I saved the first lieutenant’s life, and partly
+because I understood enough mathematics to take an observation. Of course
+I served my time as a midshipman, and a year after passing I was made a
+second lieutenant. By the death of my first lieutenant at the battle of
+St. Vincent I succeeded to his post, and obtained the rank of captain for
+my share in the battle of Camperdown. I received post rank the other day
+when, in command of the _Ethalion_, I brought the _Bellone_, a frigate of
+Admiral Bompart’s fleet, a prize to Portsmouth.”
+
+“Well, sir, your career has indeed been creditable and successful, and I
+am proud to acknowledge, as my grandson and heir to my title, a young
+gentleman who has so greatly distinguished himself. For I do acknowledge
+you. The proofs you have given me leave no doubt in my mind whatever that
+you are the son of my second son. You were, of course, too young to
+remember whether he ever spoke to you of me.”
+
+“Yes, sir. I was but five at the time of his death, and have but a very
+faint recollection of him.”
+
+“Of course, of course,” the baronet said; “it was a sad affair. Perhaps I
+was to blame to some extent, though I have never thought so. Your father
+was, as doubtless you know, a second son. Although somewhat eccentric in
+disposition, and given to fits of passion, I had no serious occasion to
+complain of him until he went up to Oxford. There he got into a wild and
+dissipated set, and became the wildest and most dissipated among them. His
+great talent for music was his bane. He was continually asked out. After
+being two years up there, and costing me very large sums in paying his
+debts, he was sent down from the university. He would not turn his hands
+to anything, and went up to London with the idea of making his way
+somehow. He made nothing but debts, got into various scandalous affairs,
+and dragged our name through the dust. At last he came home one day and
+calmly informed me that he had married a woman in a rank of life beneath
+him. She was, I believe, the daughter of a horse-dealer of very doubtful
+character. He also said that he wanted £1200 to enable him to start fair.
+I lost my temper and said that he should not have another pound from me.
+We had a desperate quarrel, and he left the house, taking with him all his
+belongings. It was four years before I took any steps to bring him back.
+Then his elder brother died, and on that I took every means to find him
+out. That he would ever be a credit to me I did not even dare to hope, but
+at least he could not be allowed to live in poverty. I advertised widely
+and employed detectives for months, but all without result. I have long
+since given up any hopes of ever seeing him again. I am glad, indeed, to
+find that the title, at my death, will not go to a distant cousin, but to
+my grandson, a gentleman in every way worthy of it. You are not married, I
+hope?”
+
+“I am not married, sir; but I think, if you had asked the question, I
+should have replied that I was engaged, or rather had hopes of being
+engaged soon.”
+
+“Who is she?” the baronet asked quickly.
+
+“She is the only daughter of a successful West Indian planter, a man of
+the highest standing in the colony, who has now returned and settled
+here.”
+
+The baronet heaved a sigh of relief.
+
+“That is well,” he said; “and considering that you have been all your life
+at sea, and have had no opportunity of making the acquaintance of ladies
+of titled families, it is better than I could have expected. As I do not
+know the procedure in these matters I had better consult my lawyer as to
+the best way of using these relics and the proofs you have given me that
+you are my grandson. It may be that my recognition of you is sufficient,
+but it would be as well to make sure that at my death there will be no
+opposition to your succession. You will stop here for a day or two, I
+hope, before going up to town to arrange the little affair you spoke of,
+and I think if your chances were good before, they will be still better
+now that you are recognized as heir to a baronetcy and one of the finest
+estates in England.”
+
+“I have never thought of that, sir. I have my profession and nearly
+£40,000 of prize-money, which will enable us to live in great comfort; and
+indeed I anticipate that her father will wish us to reside with him, or,
+at any rate, that she shall do so while I am away on service.”
+
+“I hope you will not think of remaining at sea. It would be monstrous for
+a man heir to £10,000 a year, besides very large accumulations, to be
+knocking about the world and running the risk of having his head taken off
+with a round-shot every day. I earnestly entreat you not to dream of such
+a thing.”
+
+“I will think it over. I am fond of the sea, but shall certainly be fonder
+of my wife, and I feel that your wishes in the matter should weigh with
+me.”
+
+“Well, I hope you will at least spend a portion of your time here. It will
+be your future home, and it is well that you should acquaint yourself with
+your duties. Besides, remember the years that I have been a lonely man.”
+
+“I would rather not give a promise, but I shall certainly take your wishes
+into consideration.”
+
+“Well, I am content with that, my boy. You will stay here now a few days,
+I hope. I have so much to hear of your life, and of course I wish to
+become better acquainted with you.”
+
+Will remained a week, during which time he made a great advance in the
+baronet’s affections, and the old man seemed to gain some years of life as
+he walked in the garden and drove through the country with his young heir,
+whom he was delighted to introduce to everyone.
+
+When he returned to London he at once drove over to Dulwich.
+
+“Well, Will, what is the result of it all?” Mr. Palethorpe asked, for Will
+had purposely abstained from going to their house after his last interview
+with his lawyer. “Alice has been imagining all sorts of things: that you
+had been run over, or had run away with some girl.”
+
+“Father! I never thought that for a moment,” his daughter said
+indignantly, “though I have been very anxious, for it is nearly a
+fortnight since he was here.”
+
+“I have done a good deal in the time,” Will said. “I did not write to you,
+because I wanted to tell you. I am acknowledged as the grandson and heir
+to the title and estates of Sir Ralph Gilmore.”
+
+Both gave an exclamation of pleasure.
+
+“And now,” he said, taking her hand, “I only need one thing to complete my
+happiness, and that is, that you will share my good fortune with me. May I
+hope that it will be so?”
+
+“Certainly you may, Will. I think I have loved you ever since I was a
+little girl, and acknowledge that my principal reason for inducing father
+to come to live in England was that I believed I should have more chance
+of meeting you again here than in Jamaica.”
+
+“I am heartily glad, too, that it is all settled,” Mr. Palethorpe said. “I
+have seen it coming on ever since you met us the first time in London, and
+I may say that I have seen it with pleasure, for there is no one to whom I
+would sooner trust her happiness than you. Now I will leave you to
+yourselves.”
+
+It need hardly be said that Alice was as anxious as Sir Ralph Gilmore that
+Will should quit the navy, and he consequently yielded to their
+entreaties. He wrote to his grandfather to tell him of his engagement, and
+the baronet wrote back by return of post to Mr. Palethorpe, begging him to
+come down with his daughter and Will for a time.
+
+“I only half know him at present,” he said, “and as I understand that just
+at present he will not want to leave the young lady of his choice, you
+will gladden an old man if you will all three come down to stay with me.”
+
+Three months later the marriage took place from the house at Dulwich. Sir
+Ralph Gilmore came up for the ceremony, and the change that the three
+months had effected in him was extraordinary. He was the gayest of the
+party.
+
+Among those present at the ceremony were also Will’s two devoted friends,
+Dimchurch and Tom Stevens. The baronet was greatly pleased with their
+affection and pride in Will, and offered both good posts on the estate. So
+none of the comrades went to sea again.
+
+The baronet gave into Will’s hands the entire management of the estate and
+house, so his death, seven years later, made practically no difference to
+Will’s position. Will took to country pursuits, and became one of the most
+popular landlords in Somersetshire, while his wife was quite one of the
+most popular ladies in the county. Her father, up to the time of his
+death, spent most of his time down there, and they used the house at
+Dulwich as their abode when they stayed in London during the season. Mrs.
+Archer came more than once to stay with them, as their most honoured
+guest. Stevens and Dimchurch both married. The former became
+head-gamekeeper on the estate, a post in which he showed great talent. The
+latter took a small cottage with a bit of land just outside the park
+gates, for he was able to live very comfortably on the interest of his
+prize-money. He had no children of his own, and his great pleasure was to
+wander about with Will’s, telling them of their father’s adventures in the
+great war.
+
+It was not till well on in the sixties that Sir William Gilmore, captain,
+R.N., departed this life, a few weeks after the death of his wife, leaving
+behind him a large family to carry on the old name.
+
+
+
+
+ THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+“English boys owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Henty.”—_Athenæum_.
+
+ Blackie & Son’s
+ Illustrated Story Books
+
+ --------------
+
+_HISTORICAL TALES BY_
+
+G. A. HENTY
+
+With the Allies to Pekin: A story of the Relief of the Legations.
+Illustrated by WAL PAGET. With a Map. 6_s._
+
+On the outbreak of the Boxer movement Rex Bateman, by a daring stratagem,
+rescues some relatives from an outlying village, and conducts them into
+Pekin. Then he makes his way down to Tien-tsin and joins Admiral Seymour’s
+column. When the advance of this force is checked he pushes on alone to
+the capital, where his courage and ready invention are invaluable to the
+defenders. On the declaration of an armistice, however, he again succeeds
+in eluding the Boxer bands, goes through the storming of Tien-tsin, and
+marches with the allied army to Pekin.
+
+ “The hero contrives and performs all kinds of exciting undertakings, and
+ a clever story is woven into an accurate account of the various
+ expeditions.”—_School Guardian_.
+
+ “A boy could have no better guide to that story of British pluck and
+ energy.”—_Spectator_.
+
+
+Through Three Campaigns: A Story of Chitral, the Tirah, and Ashanti.
+Illustrated by WAL PAGET. With 3 Maps. 6_s._
+
+The hero of this story, the son of an officer, joins the Chitral
+expedition secretly as a private soldier, but the enormous difficulties
+which have to be overcome in the course of the march soon call forth his
+noble qualities, and before the end of the campaign he qualifies for a
+commission. His subsequent career is a series of brilliant successes. He
+takes part in the storming of the Dargai heights, is more than once
+captured by the enemy, and by a heroic sacrifice wins the V.C.
+
+ “Every true boy will enjoy this story of plucky adventure.”—_Educational
+ News_.
+
+ “Gives animation to recent history, and its confident art and abundant
+ spirit will greatly satisfy the intelligent and spirited boy.”—_Dundee
+ Advertiser_.
+
+
+For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. Illustrated by SOLOMON J.
+SOLOMON, A.R.A. With a Map. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+Mr. Henty weaves into the record of Josephus an admirable and attractive
+plot. The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the marches of the
+legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem, form an
+impressive historic setting to the figure of the lad who passes from the
+vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomes the leader of a guerrilla
+band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief term of
+slavery at Alexandria returns to his Galilean home with the favour of
+Titus.
+
+ “A good tale of early Bible times, told with a verve and vigour that
+ keeps the interest sustained to the very end.”—_Academy_.
+
+
+—With Kitchener in the Soudan: A Tale of Atbara and Omdurman. With 10
+Illustrations by W. RAINEY, R.I., and 3 Maps. 6_s._
+
+In carrying out various special missions with which he is entrusted the
+hero displays so much dash and enterprise that he soon attains an
+exceptionally high rank for his age. In all the operations he takes a
+distinguished part, and adventure follows so close on adventure that the
+end of the story is reached all too soon.
+
+ “Mr. Henty has collected a vast amount of information about the
+ reconquest of the Soudan, and he succeeds in impressing it upon his
+ reader’s mind at the very time when he is interesting him
+ most.”—_Literary World_.
+
+
+—With the British Legion: A Story of the Carlist Wars. With 10
+Illustrations by WAL PAGET. 6_s._
+
+The hero joins the British Legion, which was raised by Sir de Lacy Evans
+to support the cause of Queen Christina and the Infant Queen Isabella, and
+as soon as he sets foot on Spanish soil his adventures begin. Arthur is
+one of Mr. Henty’s most brilliant heroes, and the tale of his experiences
+is thrilling and breathless from first to last.
+
+ “It is a rattling story told with verve and spirit.”—_Pall Mall
+ Gazette_.
+
+
+—The Treasure of the Incas: A Tale of Adventure in Peru. With 8
+Illustrations by WAL PAGET, and a Map. 5_s._
+
+The heroes of this powerful story go to Peru to look for the treasure
+which the Incas hid when the Spaniards invaded the country. Their task is
+both arduous and dangerous, but though they are often disappointed, their
+courage and perseverance are at last amply rewarded.
+
+ “The interest never flags for one moment, and the story is told with
+ vigour.”—_World_.
+
+ [Illustration: THE LATE G. A. HENTY]
+
+ [Illustration: _From WITH THE ALLIES TO PEKIN_
+ BY G. A. HENTY (See page 1)]
+
+
+With Roberts to Pretoria: A Tale of the South African War. With 12
+Illustrations by WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I., and a Map. 6_s._
+
+The hero takes part in the series of battles that end in the disaster at
+Magersfontein, is captured and imprisoned in the race-course at Pretoria,
+but escapes in time to fight at Paardeberg and march with the victorious
+army to Bloemfontein. He rides with Colonel Mahon’s column to the relief
+of Mafeking, and accomplishes the return journey with such despatch as to
+be able to join in the triumphant advance to Pretoria.
+
+ “In this story of the South African war Mr. Henty proves once more his
+ incontestable pre-eminence as a writer for boys.”—_Standard_.
+
+
+—Both Sides the Border: A Tale of Hotspur and Glendower. With 12 page
+Illustrations by RALPH PEACOCK. 6_s._
+
+The hero casts in his lot with the Percys, and becomes esquire to Sir
+Henry, the gallant Hotspur. He is sent on several dangerous and important
+missions in which he acquits himself with great valour.
+
+ “With boys the story should rank among Mr. Henty’s best.”—_Standard_.
+
+ “A vivid picture of that strange past ... when England and Scotland ...
+ were torn by faction and civil war.”—_Onward_.
+
+
+—Through Russian Snows: or, Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow. With 8 page
+Illustrations by W. H. OVEREND. 5_s._
+
+Julian Wyatt becomes, quite innocently, mixed up with smugglers, who carry
+him to France, and hand him over as a prisoner to the French. He
+subsequently regains his freedom by joining Napoleon’s army in the
+campaign against Russia.
+
+ “The story of the campaign is very graphically told.”—_St. James’s
+ Gazette_.
+
+ “One of Mr. Henty’s best books, which will be hailed with joy by his
+ many eager readers.”—_Journal of Education_.
+
+ “Is full of life and action.”—_Journal of Education_.
+
+
+—Out with Garibaldi: A Story of the Liberation of Italy. With 8 page
+Illustrations by W. RAINEY, R.I., and two Maps. 5_s._
+
+Mr. Henty makes the liberation of Italy by Garibaldi the groundwork of an
+exciting tale of adventure. The hero is an English lad who joins the
+expedition and takes a prominent part in the extraordinary series of
+operations that ended in the fall of the Neapolitan kingdom.
+
+ “A first-rate story of stirring deeds.”—_Daily Chronicle_.
+
+ “Full of hard fighting, gallant rescues, and narrow escapes.”—_Graphic_.
+
+
+At the Point of the Bayonet: A Tale of the Mahratta War. With 12
+Illustrations by WAL PAGET, and 2 Maps. 6_s._
+
+Harry Lindsay is carried off to the hills and brought up as a Mahratta. At
+the age of sixteen he becomes an officer in the service of the Mahratta
+prince at Poona, and afterwards receives a commission in the army of the
+East India Company. His courage and enterprise are rewarded by quick
+promotion, and at the end of the war he sails for England, where he
+succeeds in establishing his right to the family estates.
+
+ “A brisk, dashing narrative.”—_Bookman_.
+
+
+—Under Wellington’s Command: A Tale of the Peninsular War. With 12 page
+Illustrations by WAL PAGET. 6_s._
+
+In this stirring romance Mr. Henty gives us the further adventures of
+Terence O’Connor, the hero of _With Moore at Corunna_. We are told how, in
+alliance with a small force of Spanish guerrillas, the gallant regiment of
+Portuguese levies commanded by Terence keeps the whole of the French army
+in check at a critical period of the war, rendering invaluable service to
+the Iron Duke and his handful of British troops.
+
+ “An admirable exposition of Mr. Henty’s masterly method of combining
+ instruction with amusement.”—_World_.
+
+
+—To Herat and Cabul: A Story of the first Afghan War. With 8 full-page
+Illustrations by C. M. SHELDON, and Map. 5_s._
+
+The hero takes a distinguished part in the defence of Herat, and
+subsequently obtains invaluable information for the British army during
+the first Afghan war. He is fortunately spared the horrors of the retreat
+from Cabul, and shares in the series of operations by which that most
+disastrous blunder was retrieved.
+
+ “We can heartily commend it to boys, old and young.”—_Spectator_.
+
+
+—With Cochrane the Dauntless: A Tale of his Exploits. With 12 page
+Illustrations by W. H. MARGETSON. 6_s._
+
+It would be hard to find, even in sensational fiction, a more daring
+leader than Lord Cochrane, or a career which supplies so many thrilling
+exploits. The manner in which, almost single-handed, he scattered the
+French fleet in the Basque Roads is one of the greatest feats in English
+naval history.
+
+ “As rousing and interesting a book as boys could wish for.”—_Saturday
+ Review_.
+
+ “This tale we specially recommend.”—_St. James’s Gazette_.
+
+
+Redskin and Cow-Boy: A Tale Of the Western Plains. With 12 page
+Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. 6_s._
+
+Hugh Tunstall accompanies a frontiersman on a hunting expedition on the
+Plains, and then seeks employment as a cow-boy on a cattle ranch. His
+experiences during a “round up” present in picturesque form the toilsome,
+exciting, adventurous life of a cow-boy; while the perils of a frontier
+settlement are vividly set forth. Subsequently, the hero joins a
+wagon-team, and the interest is sustained in a fight with, and capture of,
+brigands.
+
+ “A strong interest of open-air life and movement pervades the whole
+ book.”—_Scotsman_.
+
+
+—With Buller in Natal: or, A Born Leader. With 10 page Illustrations by W.
+RAINEY, R.I., and a Map. 6_s._
+
+The heroic story of the relief of Ladysmith forms the theme of one of the
+most powerful romances that have come from Mr. Henty’s pen. When the war
+breaks out, the hero, Chris King, and his friends band themselves together
+under the title of the Maritzburg Scouts. From first to last the boy
+scouts are constantly engaged in perilous and exciting enterprises, from
+which they always emerge triumphant, thanks to their own skill and
+courage, and the dash and ingenuity of their leader.
+
+ “Just the sort of book to inspire an enterprising boy.”—_Army and Navy
+ Gazette_.
+
+
+—By England’s Aid: or, The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585–1604). With 10
+page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE, and 4 Maps. 6_s._ & 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+Two English lads go to Holland in the service of one of “the fighting
+Veres”. After many adventures one of the lads finds himself on board a
+Spanish ship at the defeat of the Armada, and escapes from Spain only to
+fall into the hands of the Corsairs. He is successful, however, in getting
+back to Spain, and regains his native country after the capture of Cadiz.
+
+ “Boys know and love Mr. Henty’s books of adventure, and will welcome his
+ tale of the freeing of the Netherlands.”—_Athenæum_.
+
+
+—Condemned as a Nihilist: A Story of Escape from Siberia. With 8 page
+Illustrations by WAL PAGET. 5_s._
+
+Godfrey Bullen, a young Englishman resident in St. Petersburg, becomes
+involved in various political plots, resulting in his seizure and exile to
+Siberia. After an unsuccessful attempt to escape, he gives himself up to
+the Russian authorities. Eventually he escapes, and reaches home, having
+safely accomplished a perilous journey which lasts nearly two years.
+
+ “The escape from Siberia is well told and the description of prison life
+ is very graphic.”—_Academy_.
+
+
+The Lion of St. Mark: A Tale of Venice, with 6 page Illustrations. Cloth
+elegant, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+A story of Venice at a period when intrigue, crime, and bloodshed were
+rife. The hero, the son of an English trader, displays a fine manliness,
+and is successful in extricating his friends from imminent dangers.
+Finally he contributes to the victories of the Venetians at Porto d’Anzo
+and Chioggia.
+
+ “Every boy should read The Lion of St. Mark.”—_Saturday Review_.
+
+
+—The Dragon and the Raven: or, The Days of King Alfred. With 8 page
+Illustrations by C. J. STANILAND. 5_s._
+
+In this story the author gives an account of the desperate struggle
+between Saxon and Dane for supremacy in England. The hero, a young Saxon,
+takes part in all the battles fought by King Alfred, and the incidents in
+his career are unusually varied and exciting.
+
+ “We have nothing but praise for this story, which is excellently
+ written, and will make the history of the period to which it relates a
+ reality to its readers.”—_School Guardian_.
+
+
+—The Bravest of the Brave: or, with Peterborough in Spain. With 8 page
+Illustrations by H. M. PAGET. 5_s._
+
+There are few great leaders whose life and actions have so completely
+fallen into oblivion as those of the Earl of Peterborough. He showed a
+genius for warfare which has never been surpassed. Round the fortunes of
+Jack Stilwell, the hero, and of Peterborough, Mr. Henty has woven a
+brilliant narrative of the War of the Spanish Succession (1705–6).
+
+ “The adventures of the aide-de-camp, Jack, will probably be found to be
+ no less interesting than the marvellous operations of the General
+ himself, in which he takes a leading part.”—_Spectator_.
+
+
+—For Name and Fame: or, To Cabul with Roberts. With 8 page Illustrations.
+5_s._
+
+After being wrecked and going through many stirring adventures among the
+Malays, the hero of this story finds his way to Calcutta, and enlists in a
+regiment proceeding to the Afghan Passes. He accompanies the force under
+General Roberts to the Peiwar Kotal, is wounded, taken prisoner, and
+carried to Cabul, whence he is transferred to Candahar, and takes part in
+the final defeat of the army of Ayoub Khan.
+
+ “The book teems with spirited scenes and stirring adventures, and the
+ boy who reads it attentively will acquire a sound knowledge on subjects
+ that are of vital importance to our Indian Empire.”—_School Guardian_.
+
+
+—Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War. With 8 page
+Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. 5_s._
+
+The Renshaws lose their property and emigrate to New Zealand. Wilfrid, a
+strong, self-reliant lad, is the mainstay of the household. The odds seem
+hopelessly against the party, but they succeed in establishing themselves
+happily in one of the pleasantest of the New Zealand valleys.
+
+ “A book which all young people, but especially boys, will read with
+ avidity.”—_Athenæum_.
+
+
+—Beric the Briton: A Story of the Roman Invasion of Britain. With 12 page
+Illustrations by W. PARKINSON. 6_s._
+
+Beric is a boy-chief of a British tribe which takes a prominent part in
+the insurrection under Boadicea: and after the defeat of that heroic queen
+he continues the struggle in the fen-country. Ultimately Beric is defeated
+and carried captive to Rome, where he succeeds in saving a Christian maid
+by slaying a lion in the arena, and is rewarded by being made the personal
+protector of Nero. Finally, he escapes and returns to Britain, where he
+becomes a wise ruler of his own people.
+
+ “He is a hero of the most attractive kind.... One of the most spirited
+ and well-imagined stories Mr. Henty has written.”—_Saturday Review_.
+
+ “His conflict with a lion in the arena is a thrilling chapter.”—_School
+ Board Chronicle_.
+
+ “Full of every form of heroism and pluck.”—_Christian World_.
+
+
+—The Dash for Khartoum: A Tale of the Nile Expedition. With 10 page
+Illustrations by JOHN SCHÖNBERG and J. NASH. 6_s._
+
+In the record of recent British history there is no more captivating page
+for boys than the story of the Nile campaign, and the attempt to rescue
+General Gordon. For, in the difficulties which the expedition encountered,
+and in the perils which it overpassed, are found all the excitement of
+romance, as well as the fascination which belongs to real events.
+
+ “The Dash for Khartoum is your ideal boys’ book.”—_Tablet_.
+
+ “It is literally true that the narrative never flags a
+ moment.”—_Academy_.
+
+ “The Dash for Khartoum will be appreciated even by those who don’t
+ ordinarily care a dash for anything.”—_Punch_.
+
+
+—With Wolfe in Canada: or, The Winning of a Continent. With 12 page
+Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 6_s._
+
+Mr. Henty tells the story of the struggle between Britain and France for
+supremacy on the North American continent. The fall of Quebec decided that
+the Anglo-Saxon race should predominate in the New World; that Britain,
+and not France, should take the lead among the nations.
+
+ “A moving tale of military exploit and thrilling adventure.”—_Daily
+ News_.
+
+
+—Held Fast for England: A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar. With 8 page
+Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 5_s._
+
+The story deals with one of the most memorable sieges in history. The
+hero, a young Englishman resident in Gibraltar, takes a brave and worthy
+part in the long defence, and we learn with what bravery, resourcefulness,
+and tenacity the Rock was held for England.
+
+ “There is no cessation of exciting incident throughout the
+ story.”—_Athenæum_.
+
+
+—In the Irish Brigade: A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain. With 12 page
+Illustrations by CHARLES M. SHELDON. 6_s._
+
+The hero is a young officer in the Irish Brigade, which for many years
+after the siege of Limerick formed the backbone of the French army. He
+goes through many stirring adventures, successfully carries out dangerous
+missions in Spain, saves a large portion of the French army at Oudenarde,
+and even has the audacity to kidnap the Prime Minister of England.
+
+ “A stirring book of military adventure.”—_Scotsman_.
+
+
+—At Agincourt: A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. With 12 page
+Illustrations by WAL PAGET. 6_s._
+
+Sir Eustace de Villeroy, in journeying from Hampshire to his castle in
+France, made young Guy Aylmer one of his escort. Soon thereafter the
+castle was attacked, and the English youth displayed such valour that his
+liege-lord made him commander of a special mission to Paris. This he
+accomplished, returning in time to take part in the campaign against the
+French which ended in the glorious victory for England at Agincourt.
+
+ “Cannot fail to commend itself to boys of all ages.”—_Manchester
+ Courier_.
+
+
+—A Final Reckoning: A Tale of Bush Life in Australia. With 8 page
+Illustrations by W. B. WOLLEN. 5_s._
+
+The hero, a young Englishman, emigrates to Australia, where he gets
+employment as an officer in the mounted police. A few years of active work
+gain him promotion to a captaincy. In that post he greatly distinguishes
+himself, and finally leaves the service and settles down as a squatter.
+
+ “A stirring story capitally told.”—_Guardian_.
+
+
+
+
+
+“Young reader have no better friends than Blackie & Son.”—_Westminster
+Gazette_.
+
+ Blackie & Son’s
+ Story Books for Boys
+
+ --------------
+
+G. MANVILLE FENN
+
+Quicksilver! or, The Boy with no Skid to his Wheel. With 6 page
+Illustrations by F. DADD. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+Dr. Grayson has a theory that any boy, if rightly trained, can be made
+into a gentleman. He chooses a boy from the workhouse, with a bad
+reputation but with excellent instincts, and adopts him, the story
+narrating the adventures of the mercurial lad. The restless boyish nature,
+with its inevitable tendency to get into scrapes, is sympathetically and
+humorously drawn.
+
+ “Quicksilver is little short of an inspiration. In it that prince of
+ story-writers for boys—George Manville Fenn—has surpassed himself. It is
+ an ideal book for a boy’s library.”—_Practical Teacher_.
+
+ “Not only a most engrossing story, but full of noble impulses and
+ lessons.”—_Newcastle Journal_.
+
+
+—In the King’s Name. Illustrated. 3_s._ 6_d._ _New Edition._
+
+A spirited story of the Jacobite times, concerning the adventures of
+Hilary Leigh, a young naval officer on board the _Kestrel_, in the
+preventive service off the coast of Sussex. Leigh is taken prisoner by the
+adherents of the Pretender, amongst whom is an early friend and patron,
+who desires to spare his life, but will not release him. The narrative is
+full of exciting and often humorous incident.
+
+ “Mr. Fenn has won a foremost place among writers for boys. This is, we
+ think, the best of all his productions in this field.”—_Daily News_.
+
+
+—The Golden Magnet: A Tale of the Land of the Incas. With 12 page
+Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 3_s._
+
+The tale is of a romantic youth, who leaves home to seek his fortune in
+South America. He is accompanied by a faithful companion, who, in the
+capacity both of comrade and henchman, does true service, and shows the
+dogged courage of an English lad during their strange adventures.
+
+ “There could be no more welcome present for a boy. There is not a dull
+ page, and many will be read with breathless interest.”—_Journal of
+ Education_.
+
+
+Capt. F. S. BRERETON, R.A.M.C.
+
+Foes of the Red Cockade: A Story of the French Revolution. Illustrated by
+WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I. 6_s._
+
+Two English lads, wrecked at St. Malo, are persecuted as Aristocrats. They
+see the Reign of Terror in all its horror, but fortunately escape to the
+château of an uncle in La Vendée. A quarrel with a cousin ensues, and
+fighting occurs at the same time with the Republicans. As a scout the
+elder does gallant service till captured and taken to Paris, where he
+confronts Robespierre and falls into his cousin’s hands. Again, however,
+he escapes, and after many exciting experiences finally reaches safety and
+friends.
+
+ “Cannot fail to give great enjoyment to many boys and girls, and not a
+ little profit.”—_Literary World_.
+
+
+—In the Grip of the Mullah: A Tale of Adventure in Somaliland. Illustrated
+by CHARLES M. SHELDON. With a Map. 5_s._
+
+The hero organizes a search-party and advances into Somaliland to rescue
+his father, who has fallen into the hands of the Mullah. The little force
+is opposed from the outset, but undaunted they push forward, and in spite
+of many difficulties and dangers succeed in accomplishing their object.
+The interest increases as the story advances, and becomes intense when the
+hero penetrates alone into the heart of the Mullah’s camp.
+
+ “A fresher, more exciting, and more spirited tale could not be wished
+ for.”—_British Weekly_.
+
+
+—One of the Fighting Scouts: A Tale of Guerilla Warfare in South Africa.
+Illustrated by STANLEY L. WOOD. With a Map. 5_s._
+
+This story deals with the guerrilla aspect of the Boer War, and shows how
+George Ransome is compelled to leave his father’s farm and take service
+with the British. He is given the command of a band of scouts as a reward
+for gallantry, and with these he punishes certain rebels for a piece of
+rascality, and successfully attacks Botha’s commando. Thanks to his
+knowledge of the veldt he is of signal service to his country, and even
+outwits the redoubtable De Wet.
+
+ “Altogether an unusually good story.”—_Yorkshire Post_.
+
+
+—Under the Spangled Banner: A Tale of the Spanish-American War. With 8
+Illustrations by PAUL HARDY. 5_s._
+
+Hal Marchant is in Cuba before the commencement of hostilities. A Spaniard
+who has been frustrated in an attempt to rob Hal’s employer attacks the
+hacienda and is defeated, but turns the tables by denouncing Hal as a spy.
+The hero makes good his escape from Santiago, and afterwards fights for
+America both on land and at sea. The story gives a vivid and at the same
+time accurate account of this memorable struggle.
+
+ “Just the kind of book that a boy would delight in.”—_Schoolmaster_.
+
+
+HERBERT STRANG
+
+Tom Burnaby: A Story of Uganda and the Great Congo Forest. Illustrated by
+CHARLES M. SHELDON. With 3 Plans. 5_s._
+
+ Field-Marshal Lord Wolseley writes:—“It is just the sort of book I would
+ give to any school-boy, for I know he would enjoy every page of it.”
+
+ The Rev. Dr. Wood, Head-master of Harrow, writes:—“I have read it
+ through with interest. It is an excellent book for boys, full of vigour
+ and romance.”
+
+ “The fierce struggles between the Bahima and the Arabs, with their
+ Manyema allies, are told with a vigour and enthusiasm that will stir the
+ heart of any boy.... When we add that Mr. Strang gives us a really
+ graphic and thrilling impression of travel in the forests of Africa, and
+ an almost living acquaintance with Arab and Negro, it is scarcely
+ necessary to recommend it to boys as a delightful story of African
+ adventure.”—_Spectator_.
+
+
+Dr. GORDON STABLES, R.N.
+
+In the Great White Land: A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean. With 6
+Illustrations by J. A. WALTON. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+This is a most fascinating story from beginning to end. It is a true
+picture of what daring healthful British men and boys can do, written by
+an author whose name is a household word wherever the English language is
+spoken. All is described with a master’s hand, and the plot is just such
+as boys love.
+
+ “The narrative goes with a swing and a dash from start to
+ finish.”—_Public Opinion_.
+
+
+ERNEST GLANVILLE
+
+In search of the Okapi: A Story of Adventure in Central Africa.
+Illustrated by WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I. 6_s._
+
+Two school chums join an expedition into the unexplored reaches of the
+vast central forest which the Okapi inhabits. The search for the strange
+animal, however, serves merely as an excuse for the journey, and once the
+little party is afloat on the Congo they go whither fortune leads them,
+and many and exciting are their adventures in the unknown wilds.
+
+ “A story to make a boy’s heart throb with eager interest.”—_Birmingham
+ Gazette_.
+
+
+The Diamond Seekers: A Story of Adventure in South Africa. With 8
+Illustrations by WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I. 6_s._
+
+The discovery of the plan of the diamond mine, the dangers incurred in
+reaching the wild, remote spot in an armoured wagon, and the many
+incidents of farm and veldt life, are vividly described by an author who
+knows the country well.
+
+ “We have seldom seen a better story for boys.”—_Guardian_.
+
+
+FREDERICK HARRISON
+
+The Boys of Wynport College. With 6 Illustrations by HAROLD COPPING. 3_s._
+_New Edition._
+
+The hero and his chums differ as widely in character as in personal
+appearance. We have Patrick O’Flahertie, the good-natured Irish boy; Jack
+Brookes, the irrepressible humorist; Davie Jackson, the true-hearted
+little lad, on whose haps and mishaps the plot to a great extent turns;
+and the hero himself, who finds in his experiences at Wynport College a
+wholesome corrective of a somewhat lax home training.
+
+ “A book which no well-regulated school-boy should be
+ without.”—_Whitehall Review_.
+
+
+LÉON GOLSCHMANN
+
+Boy Crusoes: A Story of the Siberian Forest. Adapted from the Russian by
+LÉON GOLSCHMANN. With 6 page Illustrations by J. FINNEMORE, R.I. 3_s._
+6_d._
+
+Two Russian lads are so deeply impressed by reading _Robinson Crusoe_ that
+they run away from home. They lose their way in a huge trackless forest,
+and for two years are kept busy hunting for food, fighting against wolves
+and other enemies, and labouring to increase their comforts, before they
+are rescued.
+
+ “This is a story after a boy’s own heart.”—_Nottingham Guardian_.
+
+
+MEREDITH FLETCHER
+
+Every Inch a Briton: A School Story. With 6 page Illustrations by SYDNEY
+COWELL. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+This story is written from the point of view of an ordinary boy, who gives
+an animated account of a young public-schoolboy’s life. No moral is drawn;
+yet the story indicates a kind of training that goes to promote veracity,
+endurance, and enterprise; and of each of several of the characters it
+might be truly said, he is worthy to be called, “Every Inch a Briton”.
+
+ “In Every Inch a Briton Mr. Meredith Fletcher has scored a
+ success.”—_Manchester Guardian_.
+
+
+EDGAR PICKERING
+
+In Press-Gang Days. With 4 Illustrations by W. S. STACEY. 2_s._ 6_d._ _New
+Edition._
+
+In this story Harry Waring is caught by the Press-gang and carried on
+board His Majesty’s ship _Sandwich_. He takes part in the mutiny of the
+Nore, and shares in some hard fighting on board the _Phœnix_. He is with
+Nelson, also, at the storming of Santa Cruz, and the battle of the Nile.
+
+ “It is of Marryat, that friend of our boyhood, we think as we read this
+ delightful story; for it is not only a story of adventure, with
+ incidents well-conceived and arranged, but the characters are
+ interesting and well-distinguished.”—_Academy_.
+
+
+FRED SMITH
+
+The Boyhood of a Naturalist. With 6 page Illustrations. 3_s._ 6_d._ _New
+Edition._
+
+Few lovers of Nature have given to the world a series of recollections so
+entertaining, so vigorous, and so instinct with life as these delightful
+reminiscences. The author takes the reader with him in the rambles in
+which he spent the happiest hours of his boyhood, a humble observer of the
+myriad forms of life in field and copse, by stream and hedgerow.
+
+ “We cannot too highly recommend the book to all readers.”—_Guardian_.
+
+
+—The World of Animal Life. Edited by FRED SMITH. Profusely Illustrated
+with Engravings after F. SPECHT and other eminent artists. 5_s._
+
+The aim of _The World of Animal Life_ is to give in non-scientific
+language an account of those inhabitants of the land, sea, and sky with
+whose names we are all familiar, but concerning whose manner of life the
+majority of us have only the haziest conceptions.
+
+ “An admirable volume for the young mind enquiring after
+ Nature.”—_Birmingham Gazette_.
+
+
+J. CHALMERS
+
+Fighting the Matabele: A story of Adventure in Rhodesia. Illustrated by
+STANLEY L. WOOD. 3_s._ _New Edition._
+
+A story of the great Matabele rising in 1896. The hero and his friends are
+surprised by the revolted natives in the heart of the Matopo mountains,
+and after many stirring adventures make their way back to Buluwayo. The
+hero subsequently joins the Africander Corps, and distinguishes himself in
+the operations by which the insurrection is crushed.
+
+ “The stormy times of the recent insurrection in Matabeleland are
+ described with a piquantness which will ensure the book becoming a
+ favourite.”—_Liverpool Courier_.
+
+
+CLIVE PHILLIPPS-WOLLEY
+
+Gold, Gold in Cariboo: A Story of Adventure in British Columbia. With 4
+Illustrations by G. C. HINDLEY. 2_s._ 6_d._ _New Edition._
+
+Ned Corbett, a young Englishman, and his companion set out with a
+pack-train in order to obtain gold on the upper reaches of the Fraser
+River. After innumerable adventures, and a life-and-death struggle with
+the Arctic weather of that wild region, they find the secret gold-mines
+for which they have toilsomely searched.
+
+ “It would be difficult to say too much in favour of _Gold, Gold in
+ Cariboo_. We have seldom read a more exciting tale of wild mining
+ adventure in a singularly inaccessible country. There is a capital plot,
+ and the interest is sustained to the last page.”—_The Times_.
+
+
+ROBERT LEIGHTON
+
+The Wreck of the Golden Fleece. Illustrated by FRANK BRANGWYN. 3_s._ _New
+Edition._
+
+The hero is apprenticed on board a Lowestoft fishing lugger, where he has
+to suffer many buffets from his shipmates. The storms and dangers which he
+braved are set forth with intense power. The narrative deals with a
+highway robbery, the trial of the accused fisherman, his escape, and the
+mad chase after the criminal out upon the high seas.
+
+ “Excellent in every respect, it contains every variety of incident. The
+ plot is very cleverly devised, and the types of the North Sea sailors
+ are capital.”—_The Times_.
+
+
+S. BARING-GOULD
+
+Grettir the Outlaw: A Story of Iceland in the days of the Vikings. With 6
+page Illustrations by M. ZENO DIEMER. 3_s._
+
+A narrative of adventure of the most romantic kind. No boy will be able to
+withstand the magic of such scenes as the fight of Grettir with the twelve
+bearserks, the wrestle with Karr the Old in the chamber of the dead, the
+combat with the spirit of Glam the thrall, and the defence of the dying
+Grettir by his younger brother.
+
+ “Has a freshness, a freedom, a sense of sun and wind and the open air,
+ which make it irresistible.”—_National Observer_.
+
+
+C. J. CUTCLIFFE HYNE
+
+The Captured Cruiser: or, Two Years from Land. With 6 page Illustrations
+by F. BRANGWYN. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+The central incidents deal with the capture, during the war between Chili
+and Peru, of an armed cruiser. The heroes and their companions break from
+prison in Valparaiso, board this warship in the night, overpower the
+watch, escape to sea under the fire of the forts, and finally, after
+marvellous adventures, lose the cruiser among the icebergs near Cape Horn.
+
+ “The two lads and the two skippers are admirably drawn. Mr. Hyne has now
+ secured a position in the first rank of writers of fiction for
+ boys.”—_Spectator_.
+
+
+—Stimson’s Reef: With 4 Page Illustrations by W. S. STACEY. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+This is the extended log of a cutter which sailed from the Clyde to the
+Amazon in search of a gold reef. It relates how they discovered the
+buccaneer’s treasure in the Spanish Main, fought the Indians, turned aside
+the river Jamary by blasting, and so laid bare the gold of _Stimson’s
+Reef_.
+
+ “Few stories come within hailing distance of _Stimson’s Reef_ in
+ startling incidents and hairbreadth ’scapes. It may almost vie with Mr.
+ R. L. Stevenson’s _Treasure Island_.”—_Guardian_.
+
+ [Illustration: _From IN THE GRIP OF THE MULLAH_
+ BY CAPT. F. S. BRERETON (See page 10)]
+
+ [Illustration: _From THE DISPUTED V.C._
+ BY FREDERICK P. GIBBON (See page 15)]
+
+
+PAUL DANBY
+
+The Red Army Book. With many Illustrations in colour and in
+black-and-white. 6_s._
+
+This book includes chapters on the various branches of the regular army,
+and also on such attractive subjects as “Boys who have won the V.C.”,
+“Pets of the Regiment”, “The Colours”, “Famous War Horses”, &c. Each
+chapter, besides dealing generally with its subject, is full of capital
+anecdotes, and the book as a whole is excellently illustrated with colour
+and black-and-white illustrations.
+
+ “Every boy would glory in the keeping and reading of such a
+ prize.”—_Daily Telegraph_.
+
+
+FREDERICK P. GIBBON
+
+The Disputed V.C. Illustrated by STANLEY L. WOOD. 5_s._
+
+ “A tale of the Great Mutiny which should stir a boy’s blood, and will
+ tell him all he cares to know of that memorable death-struggle for our
+ supremacy.... Even Lord Roberts scarcely gives a more spirited account
+ of the defence of Delhi, of the difficulties to be overcome, and of the
+ good service of the gallant little army which so long held stubbornly to
+ the Ridge.”—_Times_.
+
+
+A. J. CHURCH
+
+Two Thousand Years Ago. Illustrated. 3_s._ 6_d._ _New Edition._
+
+Lucius Marius, a Roman boy, has a very chequered career, being now a
+captive in the hands of Spartacus, again an officer on board a vessel
+detailed for the suppression of the pirates, and anon a captive once more
+on a pirate ship. He escapes to Tarsus, is taken prisoner in the war with
+Mithridates, and detained in Pontus for a number of years.
+
+ “Adventures well worth the telling. The book is extremely entertaining
+ as well as useful, and there is a wonderful freshness in the Roman
+ scenes and characters.”—_Times_.
+
+
+OLIPHANT SMEATON
+
+A Mystery of the Pacific. Illustrated by WAL PAGET. 3_s._ _New Edition._
+
+The _Fitzroy_, a small sailing vessel, discovers an extraordinary island
+in the South Seas, that has been hidden for ages behind a wide belt of
+sea-weed. The country is peopled by descendants of colonists from Imperial
+Rome, and by a yet older race who trace their origin to the long-lost
+Atlantis. In graphic language the author describes the strange experiences
+that befell the crew of the _Fitzroy_ among these remarkable people.
+
+ “A tale of unprecedented adventure in unknown lands.... Boys will revel
+ in the book.”—_Birmingham Gazette_.
+
+
+R. STEAD
+
+Grit will Tell: The Adventures of a Barge-boy. With 4 Illustrations by D.
+CARLETON SMYTH. Cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+A lad whose name has been lost amidst early buffetings by hard fortune
+suffers many hardships at the hands of a bargeman, his master, and runs
+away. The various adventures and experiences with which he meets on the
+road to success, the bear-hunt in which he takes part, and the battle at
+which he acts as war correspondent, form a story of absorbing interest and
+after a boy’s own heart.
+
+ “A thoroughly wholesome and attractive book.”—_Graphic_.
+
+
+HARRY COLLINGWOOD
+
+The Pirate Island. With 6 page Illustrations by C. J. STANILAND and J. R.
+WELLS. 3_s._ _New Edition._
+
+By a deed of true gallantry the hero’s whole destiny is changed, and,
+going to sea, he forms one of a party who, after being burned out of their
+ship in the South Pacific, are picked up by a pirate brig and taken to the
+“Pirate Island”. After many thrilling adventures, they ultimately succeed
+in effecting their escape.
+
+ “A capital story of the sea; indeed in our opinion the author is
+ superior in some respects as a marine novelist to the better-known Mr.
+ Clark Russell.”—_Times_.
+
+
+FLORENCE COOMBE
+
+Boys of the Priory School. With 4 page Illustrations by HAROLD COPPING.
+2_s._ 6_d._
+
+The interest centres in the relations of Raymond and Hal Wentworth, and
+the process by which Raymond, the hero of the school, learns that in the
+person of his ridiculed cousin there beats a heart more heroic than his
+own.
+
+ “It is an excellent work of its class, cleverly illustrated with ‘real
+ boys’ by Mr. Harold Copping.”—_Literature_.
+
+
+JOHN C. HUTCHESON
+
+Afloat at Last: A Sailor Boy’s Log. With 6 page Illustrations by W. H.
+OVEREND. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+From the stowing of the vessel in the Thames to her recovery from the
+Pratas Reef on which she is stranded, everything is described with the
+accuracy of perfect practical knowledge of ships and sailors; and the
+incidents of the story range from the broad humours of the fo’c’s’le to
+the perils of flight from, and fight with, the pirates of the China Seas.
+
+ “As healthy and breezy a book as one could wish.”—_Academy_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Blackie & Son’s
+ Story Books for Girls
+
+ --------------
+
+KATHARINE TYNAN
+
+A Girl of Galway. With 8 full-page Illustrations by JOHN H. BACON. 6_s._
+
+When Bertha Grace is on the threshold of young womanhood, she goes to stay
+with her grandfather in Ireland, with the trust from her mother of
+reconciling him and his son, Bertha’s father. Bertha finds her grandfather
+a recluse and a miser, and in the hands of an underling, who is his evil
+genius. How she keeps faith with her mother and finds her own fate,
+through many strange adventures, is the subject of the story.
+
+ “Full of the poetic charm we are accustomed to find in the works of that
+ gifted writer.”—_World_.
+
+
+—The Handsome Brandons. Illustrated by G. D. HAMMOND, R.I. 3_s._ 6_d._
+_New Edition._
+
+A delightful story of an ancient Irish family. Every one of the nine young
+Brandons was handsome, and every one was spirited and lovable. The shadows
+in the picture hang ominously over Castle Angry and its inmate, the
+vindictive Sir Rupert de Lacy. The story ends happily for “The Handsome
+Brandons” with the re-establishment of the family fortunes.
+
+ “A really excellent piece of work, ... the literary quality of Miss
+ Tynan’s work is its chief distinction.”—_Spectator_.
+
+
+CAROLINE AUSTIN
+
+Cousin Geoffrey and I. With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. PARKINSON.
+3_s._
+
+The only daughter of a country gentleman finds herself unprovided for at
+her father’s death, and for some time lives as a dependant upon her
+kinsman. Life is saved from being unbearable to her by her young cousin
+Geoffrey, who at length meets with a serious accident for which she is
+held responsible. She makes a brave attempt to earn her own livelihood,
+until a startling event brings her cousin Geoffrey and herself together
+again.
+
+ “Miss Austin’s story is bright, clever, and well developed.”—_Saturday
+ Review_.
+
+
+ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS
+
+A Queen among Girls. With 6 Illustrations by HAROLD COPPING. Cloth, 3_s._
+6_d._
+
+Augusta Pembroke is the head of her school, the favourite of her teachers
+and fellow-pupils, who are attracted by her fearless and independent
+nature and her queenly bearing. She dreams of a distinguished professional
+career; but the course of her life is changed suddenly by pity for her
+timid little brother Adrian, the victim of his guardian-uncle’s harshness.
+The story describes the daring means adopted by Augusta for Adrian’s
+relief.
+
+ “An interesting and well-written narrative, in which humour and a keen
+ eye for character unite to produce a book happily adapted for modern
+ maidens.”—_Globe_.
+
+
+—A Girl of To-Day. With 6 page Illustrations by G. D. HAMMOND, R.I. 3_s._
+6_d._
+
+“What are Altruists?” humbly asks a small boy. “They are only people who
+try to help others,” replies the Girl of To-Day. To help their poorer
+neighbours, the boys and girls of Woodend band themselves together into
+the _Society of Altruists_. That they have plenty of fun is seen in the
+shopping expedition and in the successful Christmas entertainment.
+
+ “It is a spirited story. The characters are true to nature and carefully
+ developed. Such a book as this is exactly what is needed to give a
+ school-girl an interest in the development of character.”—_Educational
+ Times_.
+
+
+FRANCES ARMSTRONG
+
+A Girl’s Loyalty. With 6 Illustrations by JOHN H. BACON. Cloth, 3_s._
+6_d._ _New Edition._
+
+When she was still but a child, Helen Grant received from her grandfather,
+on his death-bed, a secret message. The brief words remained fast in her
+memory, and dominated her whole career. She was loyal to her trust,
+however, and to her friends in the hour of their need. For the girl was
+possessed of that quick courage which leaps up in a shy nature when
+evil-doers have to be unmasked, and wrongs made right.
+
+ “The one book for girls that stands out this year is Miss Frances
+ Armstrong’s A Girl’s Loyalty.”—_Review of Reviews_.
+
+
+MRS. HERBERT MARTIN
+
+The Two Dorothys: A Tale for Girls. Illustrated. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+In this story the shy, dreamy, unselfish Dorothy Heriot comes to live with
+her great-aunt, the other Dorothy. This old lady is kind enough, but her
+discipline is unsympathetic. But the younger Dorothy’s loving, unselfish
+nature wins upon the proud old lady, and the end is happiness.
+
+ “Will not only interest and please all girls, but will also stimulate
+ and encourage to better and higher things, youthful hopes and
+ ambitions.”—_The Lady_.
+
+
+ETHEL F. HEDDLE
+
+Strangers in the Land. Illustrated by HAROLD COPPING. 6_s._
+
+Two old maiden ladies and their charming young friend, Elspeth Macdonald,
+voyage to the beautiful island of Java on a quest that involves a story of
+uncommon interest. In the course of a series of exciting adventures,
+Elspeth unwittingly makes a discovery which seriously affects her friends.
+Towards the close the narrative is darkened by tragedy, but a flood of
+sunshine is thrown on the final chapter by the happy ending of a pleasant
+love-story.
+
+ “Apart from providing the best of entertainment, this book is noteworthy
+ as stimulating high ideals of life and action, and renewing faith in
+ lofty and chivalrous sentiment as a factor in human service.”—_Dundee
+ Advertiser_.
+
+
+—An Original Girl. With 8 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 6_s._
+
+Christobel Beauchamp makes her living by typewriting in an office till
+chance throws her across the path of Lady Anne Prideaux, her grandmother.
+Her mother had made a _mésalliance_ by marrying an actor. Lady Anne
+desires to adopt Christobel, but the girl prefers to help her father. The
+story tells how the poor actor at last receives his “call”, and ends with
+the promise of good fortune for Christobel and her devoted lover.
+
+ “A very clever, well-constructed tale is this, and we wish it
+ success.”—_British Weekly_.
+
+
+—A Mystery of St. Rule’s. With 8 Illustrations by G. DEMAIN HAMMOND, R.I.
+6_s._
+
+ “The author has been amazingly successful in keeping her secret almost
+ to the end. Yet the mystery attending a stolen diamond of great value is
+ so skilfully handled that several perfectly innocent persons seem all
+ but hopelessly identified with the disappearance of the gem. Cleverly,
+ however, as this aspect of the story has been managed, it has other
+ sources of strength.”—_Scotsman_.
+
+ “The chief interest ... lies in the fascinating young adventuress, who
+ finds a temporary nest in the old professor’s family, and wins all
+ hearts in St. Rule’s by her beauty and her sweetness.”—_Morning Leader_.
+
+
+SARAH DOUDNEY
+
+Under False Colours. With 6 Illustrations. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+A story which will attract readers of all ages and of either sex. The
+incidents of the plot, arising from the thoughtless indulgence of a
+deceptive freak, are exceedingly natural, and the keen interest of the
+narrative is sustained from beginning to end. _Under False Colours_ is a
+book which will rivet the attention, amuse the fancy, and touch the heart.
+
+ “This is a charming story, abounding in delicate touches of sentiment
+ and pathos. Its plot is skilfully contrived. It will be read with a warm
+ interest by every girl who takes it up.”—_Scotsman_.
+
+
+ROSA MULHOLLAND (LADY GILBERT)
+
+Cynthia’s Bonnet Shop. With 8 Illustrations by G. DEMAIN HAMMOND, R.I.
+5_s._
+
+Cynthia, one of three charming lively sisters of an impoverished Connaught
+family, desires to make money for the sake of her delicate mother. Cynthia
+and her star-struck sister Befind go to London, the former to open a
+bonnet shop, which becomes a great success, and the other to pursue the
+study of astronomy. How both girls find new interests in life, more
+important even than bonnet shop or star-gazing, is described with mingled
+humour and pathos.
+
+ “Just of the kind to please and fascinate a host of girl
+ readers.”—_Liverpool Mercury_.
+
+
+—The Girls of Banshee Castle. With 6 Illustrations by JOHN H. BACON. 3_s._
+6_d._ _New Edition._
+
+Three girls, with an old governess, migrate from Kensington to the West of
+Ireland. Belonging as they do to “the ould family”, the girls are made
+heartily welcome in the cabins of the peasantry, where they learn many
+weird and curious tales from the folk-lore of the district. An interesting
+plot runs through the narrative, but the charm of the story lies in its
+happy mingling of Irish humour and pathos.
+
+ “Is told with grace, and brightened by a knowledge of Irish folk-lore,
+ making it a perfect present for a girl in her teens.”—_Truth_.
+
+
+—Giannetta: A Girl’s Story of Herself. With 6 full-page Illustrations by
+LOCKHART BOGLE. 3_s._
+
+The story of a changeling who is suddenly transferred to the position of a
+rich English heiress. She develops into a good and accomplished woman, and
+has gained too much love and devotion to be a sufferer by the surrender of
+her estates.
+
+
+ANNIE E. ARMSTRONG
+
+Three Bright Girls. With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. PARKINSON. 3_s._
+6_d._
+
+By a sudden turn of fortune’s wheel the three heroines are brought down
+from a household of lavish comfort to meet the incessant cares and worries
+of those who have to eke out a very limited income. The charm of the story
+lies in the cheery helpfulness of spirit developed in the girls by their
+changed circumstances.
+
+ “Ever bright and cheerful, they influence other lives, and at last they
+ come out of their trials with honour to themselves and benefits to all
+ about them.”—_Teachers’ Aid_.
+
+
+ELIZA F. POLLARD
+
+For the Red Rose. With 4 Illustrations by JAMES DURDEN. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+A gipsy finds a little girl in the forest of Wimbourne, after the sacking
+of the castle by the Yorkists. He carries her to the camp and she is
+adopted by the tribe. The story tells how, when some years later Margaret
+of Anjou and her son are wrecked on the coast of England, the gipsy girl
+follows the fortunes of the exiled queen, and by what curious chain of
+events her own origin is discovered.
+
+ “This is a good story, and of special interest to lovers of historical
+ romance.”—_Court Circular_.
+
+
+—The Doctor’s Niece. With 6 Illustrations by SYDNEY COWELL. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+The scene of this charming story is laid in Brittany at the end of the
+eighteenth century. The heroine is educated considerably above her
+station. When she is about sixteen she becomes companion to a little girl
+at a neighbouring château. Her charge mysteriously disappears during a
+peasant rebellion, and she goes out into the woods to find her. The result
+of the adventure is that Rosette discovers her mother, who proves to be
+the rightful owner of the château, and the tale ends happily.
+
+ “Full of mystery, adventure, and a winning simplicity.”—_Bookman_.
+
+
+—The King’s Signet: The Story of a Huguenot Family. With 6 Illustrations
+by G. DEMAIN HAMMOND, R.I. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+This story relates the adventures of a noble Huguenot family, driven out
+of their château by the dragoons after the Revocation of the Edict of
+Nantes. A friend of the family, Claudine Malot, who is also a Huguenot,
+but a protégée of Madame de Maintenon, possesses a talisman, by means of
+which she saves many lives; but this brings trouble upon her, and she has
+to leave France. The adventures lead to the battle of the Boyne, and to
+the happy reunion of the scattered family in Ireland.
+
+ “A stirring tale of the persecution of the Huguenots clearly and
+ touchingly told.”—_Guardian_.
+
+
+BESSIE MARCHANT
+
+Three Girls on a Ranch: A Story of New Mexico. Illustrated. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+The Lovell family emigrate from England to New Mexico. Mr. Lovell is
+delicate and unfit for farming, but the three eldest girls take upon
+themselves the burden of working the ranch. They have adventures of a
+perilous kind, and the story of their mishaps and how they overcame them
+is throughout both exciting and stimulating.
+
+ “A story with a fresh, bright theme, well handled.”—_Nottingham
+ Guardian_.
+
+
+E. EVERETT-GREEN
+
+Little Lady Clare. Illustrated. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+The little Lady Clare inherits the responsibilities of an ancestry and a
+family feud, but the estates and title of her father fall to the hated
+branch of the family. The child, however, works out for herself the
+problem of the divided house, which is at last united again in a romantic
+manner.
+
+ “Reminds us in its quaintness and tender pathos of Mrs. Ewing’s
+ delightful tales. The characters are very real and lifelike. Is quite
+ one of the best stories Miss Green has yet given us.”—_Literary World_.
+
+
+SARAH TYTLER
+
+A Loyal Little Maid. With 4 page Illustrations by PAUL HARDY. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+This pretty story is founded on a romantic episode of Mar’s rebellion. A
+little girl has information which concerns the safety of her father in
+hiding, and this she firmly refuses to divulge to a king’s officer. She is
+lodged in the Tolbooth, where she finds a boy champion, whom in future
+years she rescues in Paris from the _lettre de cachet_ which would bury
+him in the Bastille.
+
+ “Has evidently been a pleasure to write, and makes very enjoyable
+ reading.”—_Literature_.
+
+
+—Girl Neighbours. With 6 Illustrations. 3_s._
+
+A story for girls, told in that quaint, delightful fashion which has made
+Miss Tytler’s books so popular and attractive. The introduction of the two
+young ladies from London, who represent the modern institutions of
+professional nursing and schools of cookery, is very happily effected.
+
+ “One of the most effective and quietly humorous of Miss Sarah Tytler’s
+ stories. Very healthy, very agreeable, and very well written.”—_The
+ Spectator_.
+
+
+ALICE CORKRAN
+
+Margery Merton’s Girlhood. With 6 full-page Illustrations by GORDON
+BROWNE. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+The experiences of an orphan girl who in infancy is left by her father—an
+officer in India—to the care of an elderly aunt residing near Paris. The
+accounts of the various persons who have an after influence on the story
+are singularly vivid.
+
+ “_Margery Merton’s Girlhood_ is a piece of true literature, as dainty as
+ it is delicate, and as sweet as it is simple.”—_Woman’s World_.
+
+ [Illustration: _From THE FOUR MISS WHITTINGTONS_
+ BY GERALDINE MOCKLER (See page 23)]
+
+ [Illustration: _From CYNTHIA’S BONNET SHOP_
+ BY ROSA MULHOLLAND (See page 20)]
+
+
+GERALDINE MOCKLER
+
+The Four Miss Whittingtons: A Story for Girls. With 8 full-page
+Illustrations by CHARLES M. SHELDON. 5_s._
+
+This story tells how four sisters, left alone in the world, went to London
+to seek their fortunes. They had between them £400, and this they resolved
+to spend on training themselves for the different careers for which they
+were severally most fitted. On their limited means this was hard work, but
+their courageous experiment was on the whole very successful.
+
+ “A story of endeavour, industry, and independence of spirit.”—_World_.
+
+
+ALICE STRONACH
+
+A Newnham Friendship. With 6 full-page Illustrations by HAROLD COPPING.
+3_s._ 6_d._
+
+A sympathetic description of life at Newnham College. After the tripos
+excitements, some of the students leave their dream-world of study and
+talk of “cocoas” and debates and athletics to begin their work in the real
+world. Men students play their part in the story, and in the closing
+chapters it is suggested that marriage has its place in a girl graduate’s
+life.
+
+ “Foremost among all the gift-books suitable for school-girls this season
+ stands Miss Alice Stronach’s A Newnham Friendship.”—_Daily Graphic_.
+
+
+BESSIE MARCHANT
+
+A Heroine of the Sea. Illustrated by A. M‘LELLAN. 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+Maudie’s home was on the wild westerly shore of Vancouver Island, and she
+earned her living by fishing in the Inlet, heartily despising all merely
+feminine occupations, and not even knowing that she was beautiful. Then
+changes come, and Maudie awakes to the charm of a domestic life. Clouds
+gather about the home, and many troubles intervene before the mystery is
+at last happily cleared away.
+
+ “A genuine tale of adventure for girls, and girls will thoroughly enjoy
+ it.”—_Academy_.
+
+
+—Three Girls on a Ranch: A Story of New Mexico. With 4 page Illustrations
+by W. E. WEBSTER. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+The Lovell family emigrate from England to New Mexico, where they settle
+on a ranch. Mr. Lovell is delicate and unfit for farming, but the three
+eldest girls take upon themselves the burden of working the ranch. They
+have adventures of a perilous kind, and the story of their mishaps and how
+they overcame them is throughout both exciting and stimulating.
+
+ “A story with a fresh, bright theme, well handled.”—_Nottingham
+ Guardian_.
+
+ “A rousing book for young people.”—_Queen_.
+
+
+MRS. HENRY CLARKE
+
+The Fairclough Family. With 6 Illustrations by G. D. HAMMOND, R.I. Cloth,
+3_s._ 6_d._
+
+It was matter for amazement when Ronald Hammersley fell in love with Kathy
+Fairclough, who was considered a blue-stocking, instead of with her
+younger sister Nell, whom Mrs. Hammersley had chosen for him. Why Mrs.
+Hammersley desired her wealthy stepson to marry one of Dr. Fairclough’s
+penniless daughters was a secret. How the secret became known, and nearly
+wrecked the happiness of Kathy and Ronald, is told in the story. But all
+ends well, and to the sound of marriage bells.
+
+ “One of those stories which all girls enjoy.”—_World_.
+
+
+J. M. CALLWELL
+
+A Little Irish Girl. Illustrated by H. COPPING. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+An orphaned family inherit a small property on the coast of Clare. The two
+youngest members of the party have some thrilling adventures in their
+western home. They encounter seals, smugglers, and a ghost, and lastly, by
+most startling means, they succeed in restoring their eldest brother to
+his rightful place as heir to the ancestral estates.
+
+ “Sure to prove of thrilling interest to both boys and girls.”—_Literary
+ World_.
+
+
+E. EVERETT-GREEN
+
+Miriam’s Ambition. With Illustrations. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+Miriam’s ambition is to make someone happy, and her endeavour carries with
+it a train of incident, solving a mystery which had thrown a shadow over
+several lives. A charming foil to her grave elder sister is to be found in
+Miss Babs, a small coquette of five, whose humorous child-talk is so
+attractive.
+
+ “Miss Everett-Green’s children are real British boys and girls, not
+ small men and women. Babs is a charming little one.”—_Liverpool
+ Mercury_.
+
+
+ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS
+
+Those Twins! With a Frontispiece and 28 Illustrations by S. B. PEARCE.
+2_s._ 6_d._
+
+Two little rogues are the twins, Horatio and Tommy; but loyal-hearted and
+generous to boot, and determined to resist the stern decree of their aunt
+that they shall forsake the company of their scapegrace grown-up cousin
+Algy. So they deliberately set to work to “reform” the scapegrace; and
+succeed so well that he wins back the love of his aunt.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Blackie & Son’s
+ Illustrated Books for Children
+
+ --------------
+
+CHARLES ROBINSON—WALTER JERROLD
+
+The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes. Selected and edited by WALTER JERROLD.
+With nearly 400 Illustrations in Colour or Black-and-White by CHARLES
+ROBINSON. Large 4to, cloth elegant, gilt edges, 7_s._ 6_d._ net.
+
+This beautiful volume, in which Mr. Charles Robinson has interpreted with
+delightful humour and rare artistic skill the old familiar rhymes of the
+nursery, will be an unfailing source of pleasure to children of all ages.
+The pictures are bold, clear, and direct, as befits a book intended in the
+first place for little folk, but they exhibit at the same time a power of
+draughtsmanship that will give the volume a permanent artistic value.
+
+ “This is a really magnificent gift-book for quite little
+ children.”—_Saturday Review_.
+
+
+JOHN HASSALL—CLIFTON BINGHAM
+
+Six and Twenty Boys and Girls. Pictures by JOHN HASSALL; Verses by CLIFTON
+BINGHAM. 25 pages in full colour, and 24 pages of letterpress. Picture
+boards, 9 inches by 11¼ inches, cloth back, 3_s._ 6_d._; also cloth
+elegant, 5_s._
+
+Most of us know some at least of the little girls and boys portrayed by
+Mr. Hassall in this amusing picture-book. As depicted with Mr. Hassall’s
+inimitable skill, and described in humorous verse by Mr. Bingham, they may
+challenge comparison with the classic Struwwelpeter. Each picture is not
+only attractive and amusing in itself, but furnishes a hint of virtues to
+be imitated or faults to be avoided.
+
+ “A most original picture-book.”—_World_.
+
+
+MRS. PERCY DEARMER
+
+Roundabout Rhymes. With 20 full-page Illustrations in colour by Mrs. PERCY
+DEARMER. Imperial 8vo, cloth extra, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+A charming volume of verses and colour pictures for little folk-rhymes and
+pictures about most of the everyday events of nursery life.
+
+ “The best verses written for children since Stevenson’s _Child’s
+ Garden_.”—_The Guardian_.
+
+
+STEWART ORR—JOHN BRYMER
+
+Gammon and Spinach. Pictures by STEWART ORR. Verses by JOHN BRYMER. Cover
+design and 24 pages in Full Colour. Picture boards, cloth back, 6_s._
+
+In _Gammon and Spinach_ Mr. Stewart Orr has produced a picture-book unique
+of its kind. Nothing could be more droll than the situations in which he
+represents the frog, the pig, the mouse, the elephant, and the other
+well-known characters who appear in his pages. Little folk will find in
+these pictures a source of endless delight, and the artistic skill which
+they display will have a special appeal to children of an older growth.
+
+ “Merry and handsome enough to make thousands of friends among little
+ folk, what with its original verses and its amusing pictures.”—_Literary
+ World_.
+
+ “The book should attain a wide popularity in the nursery.”—_Morning
+ Post_.
+
+
+—Two Merry Mariners. Pictures by STEWART ORR. Verses by JOHN BRYMER. Cover
+design and 24 pages in full colour. Picture boards, cloth back, 6_s._
+
+This delightful volume tells in picture and verse how Dick and his friend
+the Hare sailed to the Downy Isle, the adventures they met with in that
+strange country, their encounter with the Dragon, and their remarkable
+voyage home. Mr. Orr exhibits in these designs a rare combination of
+humorous invention with brilliant draughtsmanship and command of colour,
+and the author supports him with a series of racy verses.
+
+ “The illustrations are masterpieces of drollery.”—_Manchester Courier_.
+
+ “The verses are very funny and original.”—_World_.
+
+
+FRED SMITH
+
+The Animal Book. A Natural History for Little Folk with a Coloured
+Frontispiece and 34 full-page Illustrations by F. SPECHT. Crown quarto,
+11¼ inches by 9½ inches, picture boards, cloth back, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+This book consists of a series of bright and instructive sketches of the
+better-known wild beasts, describing their appearance, character and
+habits, and the position they hold in the animal kingdom. The text is
+printed in a large, clear type, and is admirably illustrated with
+powerful, realistic pictures of the various creatures in their native
+state by that eminent animal artist F. Specht.
+
+ “A work of the greatest value to the young.”—_Eastern Morning News_.
+
+ [Illustration: _From THE BIG BOOK OF NURSERY RHYMES_
+ BY CHARLES ROBINSON—WALTER JERROLD (See page 25)]
+
+ [Illustration: _From MY BOOK OF TRUE STORIES_
+ (See page 31)
+ SIR PHILIP SIDNEY AND THE DYING SOLDIER
+ (_Reduced from a Colour Illustration_)]
+
+
+H. B. NEILSON—CLIFTON BINGHAM
+
+The Animals’ Academy. With 24 full-page Colour Illustrations and many
+Black-and-White Vignettes. Picture-boards, cloth back, 3_s._ 6_d._; cloth,
+5_s._
+
+In _The Animals’ Academy_ Mr. Neilson and Mr. Bingham have again combined
+their forces, and have turned out a picture-book which for fun and variety
+will be difficult to equal. In bright, musical, “catchy” verse Mr. Bingham
+tells of the many amusing events that take place at a school in which the
+elephant is master and other well-known animals are the scholars, and Mr.
+Neilson illustrates the story as only he can illustrate animal frolics.
+
+ “A humorous, clever, and delightful book. The pictures of the dressed-up
+ animals will captivate little children.”—_British Weekly_.
+
+
+H. B. NEILSON—JOHN BRYMER
+
+Games and Gambols. Illustrated by HARRY B. NEILSON; with Verses by JOHN
+BRYMER. 26 pages in colour, and 24 pages of letterpress. Picture boards, 9
+inches by 11¼ inches, cloth back, 2_s._ 6_d._; also cloth elegant, 3_s._
+6_d._
+
+Mr. Neilson surpasses himself in these irresistible colour pictures
+representing the animal world at play. The great test match between the
+Lions and the Kangaroos, Mrs. Mouse’s Ping-Pong Party, Mr. Bruin playing
+Golf, Towser’s Bicycle Tour, and the Kittens _v._ Bunnies Football Match,
+are a few among the many droll subjects illustrated in this amusing and
+original series.
+
+ “Mr. Neilson has a positive genius for making animals comic.”—_Academy_.
+
+ “Children will revel in his work.”—_Daily Graphic_.
+
+
+S. R. PRAEGER
+
+How They Went to School. With 24 full-page pictures in full colour.
+Picture-boards, cloth back, 2_s._ 6_d._; cloth extra, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+A pretty picture-book for the little ones, full of quiet humour and shrewd
+observation of child life. The book tells in picture and story how Hal and
+Kitty, two tiny scholars, set out on their way to school, and the various
+adventures that happen to them on the road.
+
+ “Quite the most charming book we have yet seen.”—_Daily News_.
+
+
+OUR DARLING’S FIRST BOOK
+
+Bright Pictures and Easy Lessons for Little Folk. Quarto, 10⅛ inches by 7¾
+inches, picture boards, 1_s._; cloth, gilt edges, 2_s._
+
+An interesting and instructive picture lesson-book for very little folk.
+Beginning with an illustrated alphabet of large letters, the little reader
+goes forward by easy stages to word-making, reading, counting, writing,
+and finally to the most popular nursery rhymes and tales.
+
+ “The very perfection of a child’s alphabet and spelling-book.”—_St.
+ James’s Budget_.
+
+
+ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS
+
+Those Twins! With a Frontispiece and 28 Illustrations by S. B. PEARSE.
+Cloth elegant, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+Two little rogues are the twins, Horatio and Tommy; but loyal-hearted and
+generous to boot, and determined to resist the stern decree of their aunt
+that they shall forsake the company of their scapegrace grown-up cousin
+Algy. So they deliberately set to work to “reform” the scapegrace; and
+succeed so well that he wins back the love of his aunt, and delights the
+twins by earning a V.C. in South Africa.
+
+ “A merry story for young and old.”—_World_.
+
+
+A. B. ROMNEY
+
+Little Village Folk. With 37 Illustrations by ROBERT HOPE. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+A series of delightful stories of Irish village children. Miss Romney
+opens up a new field in these beautiful little tales, which have the
+twofold charm of humour and poetic feeling.
+
+ “A story-book that will be welcomed wherever it makes its
+ way.”—_Literary World_.
+
+
+MY NEW STORY-BOOK
+
+Stories, Verses, and Pictures for the Little Ones. 290 pages, of which 48
+are in colour. Cloth; 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+A treasury of entertainment for the nursery. The contents are extremely
+varied both as regards the text and the illustrations, and carefully
+designed to meet the tastes of the little ones. The many bright colour
+pictures will be in themselves a never-failing source of delight.
+
+ “A fascinating little volume, well filled with stories and quaint and
+ pretty illustrations.”—_Guardian_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ STORIES BY GEORGE MAC DONALD
+
+ (NEW AND UNIFORM EDITION)
+
+ --------------
+
+A Rough Shaking. With 12 page Illustrations by W. PARKINSON. Crown 8vo,
+cloth elegant, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+Clare, the hero of the story, is a boy whose mother is killed at his side
+by the fall of a church during an earthquake. The kindly clergyman and his
+wife, who adopt him, die while he is still very young, and he is thrown
+upon the world a second time. The narrative of his wanderings is full of
+interest and novelty, the boy’s unswerving honesty and his passion for
+children and animals leading him into all sorts of adventures. He works on
+a farm, supports a baby in an old deserted house, finds employment in a
+menagerie, becomes a bank clerk, is kidnapped, and ultimately discovers
+his father on board the ship to which he has been conveyed.
+
+
+At the Back of the North Wind. With 75 Illustrations by ARTHUR HUGHES, and
+a Frontispiece by LAURENCE HOUSMAN. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+ “In _At the Back of the North Wind_ we stand with one foot in fairyland
+ and one on common earth. The story is thoroughly original, full of fancy
+ and pathos.”—_The Times_.
+
+
+Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood. With 36 Illustrations by ARTHUR HUGHES. Crown
+8vo, cloth elegant, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+ “Dr. Mac Donald has a real understanding of boy nature, and he has in
+ consequence written a capital story, judged from their stand-point, with
+ a true ring all through which ensures its success.”—_The Spectator_.
+
+
+The Princess and the Goblin. With 30 Illustrations by ARTHUR HUGHES, and a
+Frontispiece by LAURENCE HOUSMAN. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+In the sphere of fantasy George Mac Donald has very few equals, and his
+rare touch of many aspects of life invariably gives to his stories a
+deeper meaning of the highest value. His _Princess and Goblin_ exemplifies
+both gifts. A fine thread of allegory runs through the narrative of the
+adventures of the young miner, who, amongst other marvellous experiences,
+finds his way into the caverns of the gnomes, and achieves a final victory
+over them.
+
+
+The Princess and Curdie. With Frontispiece and 30 Illustrations by HELEN
+STRATTON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+A sequel to _The Princess and the Goblin_, tracing the history of the
+young miner and the princess after the return of the latter to her
+father’s court, where more terrible foes have to be encountered than the
+grotesque earth-dwellers.
+
+
+
+
+
+ NEW “GRADUATED” SERIES
+
+ _With coloured frontispiece and black-and-white illustrations_
+
+ --------------
+
+No child of six or seven should have any difficulty in reading and
+understanding _unaided_ the pretty stories in the 6_d._ series. In the
+9_d._ series the language used is slightly more advanced, but is well
+within the capacity of children of seven and upwards, while the 1_s._
+series is designed for little folk of somewhat greater attainments. If the
+stories are read _to_ and not _by_ children, it will be found that the
+6_d._ 9_d._ and 1_s._ series are equally suitable for little folk of all
+ages.
+
+*“GRADUATED” STORIES AT A SHILLING*
+
+ Holidays at Sunnycroft. By ANNIE S. SWAN. _New Edition._
+ At Lathom’s Siege. By SARAH TYTLER.
+ Fleckie. By BESSIE MARCHANT.
+ Elsie Wins. By ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS.
+ Bears and Dacoits. By G. A. HENTY.
+ Crusoes of the Frozen North. By DR. GORDON STABLES.
+ A Saxon Maid. By ELIZA F. POLLARD.
+ Uncle Bob. By MEREDITH FLETCHER.
+ Jack of Both Sides. By FLORENCE COOMBE.
+ Do Your Duty! By G. A. HENTY.
+ Terry. By ROSA MULHOLLAND (Lady Gilbert).
+
+*“GRADUATED” STORIES AT NINEPENCE*
+
+ Gipsy Dick. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE.
+ Two to One. By FLORENCE COOMBE.
+ Cherrythorpe Fair. By MABEL MACKNESS.
+ Little Greycoat. By ELLINOR DAVENPORT ADAMS.
+ Tommy’s Trek. By BESSIE MARCHANT.
+ That Boy Jim. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE.
+ The Adventures of Carlo. By KATHARINE TYNAN.
+ The Shoeblack’s Cat. By W. L. ROOPER.
+ Three Troublesome Monkeys. By A. B. ROMNEY.
+ The Little Red Purse. By JENNIE CHAPPELL.
+
+*“GRADUATED” STORIES AT SIXPENCE*
+
+ Hi-Tum, Ti-Tum, and Scrub. By JENNIE CHAPPELL.
+ Edie’s Adventures. By GERALDINE MOCKLER.
+ Two Little Crusoes. By A. B. ROMNEY.
+ The Lost Doll. By JENNIE CHAPPELL.
+ Bunny and Furry. By GERALDINE MOCKLER.
+ Bravest of All. By MABEL MACKNESS.
+ Winnie’s White Frock. By JENNIE CHAPPELL.
+ Lost Toby. By M. S. HAYCRAFT.
+ A Boy Cousin. By GERALDINE MOCKLER.
+ Travels of Fuzz and Buzz. By GERALDINE MOCKLER.
+ Teddy’s Adventures. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE.
+
+
+
+
+
+ NEW CHILDREN’S PICTURE-BOOKS
+
+ --------------
+
+ Grimm’s Fairy Tales
+
+In this beautiful series of picture-books the best of these fairy tales
+are given. The text is printed on good paper in a large and clear type,
+and the many illustrations in colour and in black-and-white are by Miss
+HELEN STRATTON.
+
+ HALF-CROWN SERIES
+
+ _Picture-boards, 13½ inches by 10 inches_
+
+ *Grimm’s Fairy Tales*
+
+This handsome volume contains a large selection of the most popular
+stories by the brothers Grimm. The cover and no fewer than thirty pages
+are in full colour. Also in cloth, 3s. 6d.
+
+ ONE SHILLING SERIES
+
+ _Picture-boards, 13½ inches by 10 inches_
+
+ *Hansel and Grettel* | *Cherryblossom*
+ *Roland and Maybird*
+
+Besides the title story each volume contains several of the most popular
+of _Grimm’s Fairy Tales_.
+
+ --------------
+
+ Historical Picture-Books
+
+This novel series comprises those stories in English History that will
+interest and amuse little children. The tales are told in such a manner as
+to attract children, dates and anything that might even in the slightest
+way suggest the lesson-book being carefully avoided.
+
+ ONE SHILLING SERIES
+
+ _Picture-boards. Quarto, 10⅛ inches by 7¾ inches_
+
+ *My Book of True Stories*
+
+This book contains over thirty full-page drawings and a large number of
+smaller illustrations by Mr. T. H. Robinson. The cover and about twenty
+pages are in colour. Also in cloth, gilt edges, 2_s._
+
+ SIXPENNY SERIES
+
+ _Picture-boards. Quarto, 10⅛ inches by 7¾ inches_
+
+ *True Stories of Olden Days*
+ *True Stories of Great Deeds*
+ *My Book of Noble Deeds*
+
+Each book contains seven or eight pages in colour and many black-and-white
+illustrations. The text is printed in bold type.
+
+ --------------
+
+ Scripture Picture-Books
+
+This excellent series includes several books of New Testament stories
+simply told. The illustrations are by eminent artists, and the text,
+which, besides incidents in the life of Christ, includes most of the
+Parables, has been specially written by Mrs. L. Haskell, one of the most
+popular authors of stories for little folk.
+
+ ONE SHILLING SERIES
+
+ _Picture boards. Quarto, 10⅛ inches by 7¾ inches._
+
+ *Stories from the Life of Christ*
+
+This interesting volume contains over thirty full-page drawings, and a
+large number of smaller illustrations. The cover and no fewer than twenty
+pages are in colour. Also in cloth, gilt edges, 2_s._
+
+ SIXPENNY SERIES
+
+ _Picture boards. Quarto, 10⅛ inches by 7¾ inches_
+
+ *Glad Tidings* | *Gentle Jesus*
+ *The Good Shepherd*
+
+Each book contains an average of six full-page illustrations, many
+vignettes, and eight pages in colour. The text is printed in bold type.
+
+ --------------
+
+ Animal Picture-Books
+
+This is certainly the best series of Animal Picture-books published at the
+price. The pictures, which are all drawn by eminent artists, will form an
+endless source of pleasure to little folks. The text is written in very
+simple language.
+
+ ONE SHILLING SERIES
+
+ _Picture-boards. Quarto, 10⅛ inches by 7¾ inches_
+
+ *A Picture-Book of Animals* | *Faithful Friends*
+
+These bright and attractive volumes contain over thirty full-page
+drawings, and a number of smaller illustrations. The cover and about
+twenty pages are in colour. Also in cloth, gilt edges, 2_s._
+
+ SIXPENNY SERIES
+
+ _Picture-boards. Quarto, 10⅛ inches by 7¾ inches_
+
+ *Talks about Animals* | *Bow-wow Picture-Book*
+ *Animals of All Lands* | *Cats and Kits*
+ *My Book of Animals* | *Friends at the Farm*
+
+Each contains seven or eight pages in colour and many black-and-white
+illustrations. The covers, also in colour, are very attractive.
+
+
+
+
+
+ TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
+
+
+The following typographical errors were corrected:
+
+ page 54, “been” changed to “been on”
+ page 54, “mast.” changed to “mast?”
+ page 60, “clergyman” changed to “clergyman.”
+ page 96, “operation.” changed to “operation?”
+ page 97, “may” changed to “many”
+ page 251, “coxwain” changed to “coxswain”
+ page 252, “as well” changed to “a swell”
+ page 319, “kine” changed to “kind”
+ page 341, “Colpoy’s” changed to “Colpoys’”
+ advertisements, page 12, “success” changed to “success.”
+
+In addition, many missing or wrong quote marks have been standardized.
+
+Inconsistent use of hyphens and capitalization of military ranks has been
+retained as in the original.
+
+One illustration, which was between pages 32 and 33 in the original
+edition, has been moved to page 65, as indicated in the list of
+illustrations.
+
+
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE***
+
+
+
+ CREDITS
+
+
+March 19, 2009
+
+ Project Gutenberg TEI edition 1
+ Taavi Kalju, Stefan Cramme, and the Online Distributed
+ Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+ produced from images generously made available by The Internet
+ Archive/Canadian Libraries)
+
+
+
+ A WORD FROM PROJECT GUTENBERG
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