Kilgorman Part 52

Had I been in the mood to stand on my dignity, I might have felt affronted to find myself set to do ordinary seaman's work on board the _Venerable_. For in the hurry of our setting out from Yarmouth there was time neither to report myself nor to choose my work. I was no sooner on board than I was hurried forward to set the fore-courses; and no sooner was that done than a mop was put into my hands to swab the main-deck; and no sooner was that done than I was told off to carry stores below. At any rate, it was better than a Dutch prison, and, thought I, a common sailor under Duncan is better than a lieutenant under Mr Adrian. Time enough when prizes were towed into port to stand out for dignities.

The next day, the tenth, despite the strong north-wester, our fleet, which numbered fourteen sail of the line, held well together for the Texel, picking up one or two fresh consorts during the day, and beating about now and again in expectation of news of the longed-for enemy. We saw nothing but a few merchantmen; and the admiral was beginning to fear that, after all, the Dutchmen had given us the slip, and made off to join forces with the French fleet at Brest, when an armed lugger, flying a signal, hove in sight, and reported that the Dutch admiral was only a few leagues away to the south.

The joy on board was indescribable; and as night closed in, and we stood out on the starboard tack, the certainty that daybreak would discover the enemy was almost as great a cause for jubilation as if we had already won our victory.

Eager as we were, however, the admiral ordered all of us who were not on the watch below, charging us to get sleep while we could, and lay provender on board, for we had hungry work before us.

The first lieutenant called me to him as I was turning in.

"Mr Gallagher," he said, "I have only just had time to go over the names of the last comers in the ship's books. I see you hold rank as a warrant-officer."

"I was boatswain to the _Zebra_, sir," said I.

"So I see. It does you credit that you have worked so cheerfully at the first work that came to hand. But to-morrow we shall want our best men at their right posts. The _Venerable_ has a boatswain already; but Captain Fairfax has ordered me to look up double hands for the helm. Be good enough to report yourself to the sailing-master at daybreak. We have our work cut out for us, I fancy, and much will depend on the smartness with which the admiral's signals are read and his ship handled. So you may take the duty as a compliment, Mr Gallagher; and good-night to you."

I turned in that night still better pleased with the service than ever.

At daybreak, as we came on deck, the first thing we spied to leeward was some of our own ships bearing down on us with signals flying of an enemy in sight; and not long after, the line of the enemy's fleet, straggling northeast and south-west, came into sight, hauled to the wind and evidently awaiting us. We counted over twenty of them; and with the additions that had joined us in the night, we were just as many.

The sea was rolling heavily, and a good many of our ships were lagging.

So, as we were already near enough to the Dutch side, the admiral ordered sails to be shortened till the slow coaches came up, which they did not too smartly.

I reported myself to the sailing-master as directed, and soon found myself one of four in charge of the helm. After that I saw very little of the famous battle of Camperdown, for I had no eyes or ears for anything but the admiral's signals. We waited for our ships to get into their proper stations till we could wait no longer.

"Confound them!" growled the quartermaster, a fresh, cheery salt at my side, as one or two sail still dawdled on the horizon, "These lubbers will spoil all. The Dutch are shallow sailers, and they'll have us on the flats before we are ready to begin. What is the ad-- Ah, that's better. Up she goes! Smart now and have at them!"

This jubilant exclamation was in response to a signal to wait no longer, but bear down on the enemy, every vessel being ordered to engage her opponent as best she could.

Up went the helm, round went the yards, and away sped the _Venerable_, and with her the rest of the British fleet, full tilt at the Dutchmen.

I learned more of the battle from the e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns of the quartermaster at my side than from my own observation.

"Confound the mist!" growled he as we reached out for the line. "They won't see the signal to cut the line and get to leeward. Take my word for it, mate, those Dutch dogs will pull us in on to the shallows before we know where we are."

Suddenly the thunder of guns on our right proclaimed that the action had begun in good earnest.

"That's the vice-admiral," said the boatswain, "at it already, and he's making a hot corner down there. Ease her up a bit now. There's the Dutch admiral's ship the _Vryheid_. It's her we're going for."

A sudden order came astern.

"Run under her stern?--right you are," said the quartermaster. "Keep her down more, my lads.--Lie as you are, my beauty," said he, apostrophising the _Vryheid_, "and we'll blacklead you somehow."

"What's that ship astern of her about?" said I. "She's closing up."

So she was. Before we could slip through and get under the _Vryheid's_ stern, she had neatly swung up into the gap, blocking us out, and leaving us to put our helm hard a-port to avoid running in on the top of her.

"Neatly done, by the powers," said the quartermaster; "but Duncan will make her smart for it. Ah, I thought so," as the _Venerable_ shook from stem to stern and poured the broadside intended for the _Vryheid_ into the stern of the intruder instead. "Take that, my la.s.s, and don't push in where you're not wanted again."

It was a tremendous thunder-clap; and the _States-General_--that was the name of the intruder--with her rigging all in shivers, and her stern- guns knocked all on end, was glad enough to bear up and drop out of line before she could get a second. This suited our admiral excellently, for it enabled him to cut the enemy's line and bring the _Venerable_ snugly round on the lee-side of Admiral De Winter's ship, his originally chosen antagonist.

Then all was thunder and smoke. The _Venerable_ shook and staggered under the crushing fire which struck her hull. But for every broadside she got she poured two into the masts and rigging of her opponent. More than once, as the two ships swung together, with yards almost locked, we had to duck for our lives to escape the falling spars of the Dutchman.

I can remember once and again, as the _Vryheid_ lurched towards us, seeing her deck covered with dead and wounded men; and every broadside she put into us left its tale of destruction among our fellows.

Presently, with a crash that sounded even above the cannon, down came her mainmast by the board, and the British cheers which greeted the fall were even louder still.

But if we reckoned on having done with her, we were sorely mistaken; for three other Dutchmen just then hove up to their admiral's help, and for a quarter of an hour the _Venerable_ had as hot a time of it as ship ever lived through. There was not much for us at the helm to do but stand and be shot at; which we did so well that when at last (just as the mizzen-mast of the _Vryheid_ followed the example of her mainmast) the order came to haul off and wear round on the other tack, I found myself the only one of four to answer, "Ay, ay," and ram down the helm.

The quartermaster, poor fellow, lay at my feet, shot nearly in two; while of our other two mates, one was wounded, with an arm shot away, another stunned by a falling timber.

It was a job to get the ship round; and when we did, there was the _Vryheid_, with her one mast left, waiting for us as saucy as ever.

After that, all pa.s.sed for me in even a greater maze than before; for a bullet from the enemy's rigging found me out with a dull thud in the shoulder, and sent me reeling on to the deck. I was able after the first shock to stumble up and get my hands upon the helm; but I stood there sick and silly, and of less use than the poor quartermaster at my feet.

I was dimly conscious of a din and smoke, like the opening of the gate of h.e.l.l. Then, through a drift in the smoke, I could see the tall form of the Dutch admiral standing almost alone on his quarter-deck, as cool as if he were on the street at Amsterdam, pa.s.sing a word of command through his trumpet. Beyond him I caught a glimpse of the low Dutch sand-hills, not two leagues to leeward. Then, away to our right, came the faint noise of British cheers above the firing. Then some one near me exclaimed, "Struck, by Saint George!" and almost directly after the firing seemed to cease, and our fellows, springing on to the yards and bulwarks, set up such a cheer that the _Venerable_ shook with it. I tried to get up my head to see what it was all about, but as I did so I tumbled all in a heap on the deck--and the battle of Camperdown was finished for me.

It was nearly dark when I came to between decks, with a burning pain in my shoulder and my mouth as dry as a brick. The place was full of groaning men, some worse hit than myself, and one or two past the help of the surgeon, who slowly went his round of the berths. By the time he reached me I did not much care if he were to order me overboard, so long as he put me out of my misery.

But, after all, mine was a simple case. There was a bullet in me somewhere, and a few bone-splinters were wandering about my system.

Apparently I could wait till my neighbour, whose thigh bone was crushed, was seen to. So while he, poor fellow, was having his leg cut off, and beginning to bleed to death (for he didn't outlive the operation an hour), I lay, with my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth, groaning.

"Ah, Mr Gallagher," said the first lieutenant, as he came the round, "they picked you out, did they? Nothing much, I hope? It's cost us a pretty penny in dead and wounded already."

"And we beat them?" groaned I.

"Beat? We made mincemeat of them! Haven't we the Dutch admiral a prisoner on board this moment, playing cards with Admiral Duncan in his cabin as comfortably as if he was in his own club at the Hague?"

"Could you give me some water?" I asked, with a sudden change of the subject.

"Surely; and, Mr Gallagher, I'll see you again before we land, and won't forget to put your name forward."

When at last the doctor came, I saved him a good deal of trouble by swooning away the moment he touched my wound, and remained in that condition, on and off, till I heard the anchor running out at the bows, and understood from those who lay near that we were at the Nore.

Had I wanted any further proof of our arrival in English waters, the shouting and saluting and bustle and laughter all around left no doubt of it.

"Come, lad," said the lieutenant, standing over me, while two sailors set down a stretcher beside my berth, "the tender's alongside to take you poor fellows ash.o.r.e. The doctor says you must go to hospital, and they'll have another look for the bullet there. So keep up heart, man.

Here are your papers, and a good word thrown in from the admiral himself, bless him!"

The pain of being lifted on to the stretcher and carried on deck was almost beyond endurance, yet I could hardly help, as I pa.s.sed the cheering crowd of our fellows, giving a faint "hurrah" in time with theirs. For our n.o.ble old admiral stood on the gangway, with a kind word for every one, especially the wounded.

"Never say die, my brave lad," said he, as I was carried by; "you stuck to your post bravely.--Steady, men," added he, as the two bearers broke step for a moment; "the poor boy has had jolting enough without you.-- G.o.d bless you, my fellow!"

And so I parted company with the bravest and kindliest gentleman I ever came across.

Every one ash.o.r.e was wild with the news of the great victory, and we poor cripples were escorted to the hospital like heroes. I wished, for my part, I had been allowed to get there quietly, for the horses of our waggon started and winced at the noise of the shouting and music, so that my poor shoulder was all aflame long before I got to our journey's end, and I myself in a high fever.

The doctors had a rare bullet-hunt over my poor body; and when it was found, there were bone-splinters still harder to get at. The result was that when I was at last bound up and left to mend, I was so weak and shattered that for weeks--indeed, for nearly three months--I lay, sometimes in a fever, sometimes recovering, sometimes relapsing, sometimes recovering again, till I found myself one of the veterans of the hospital.

What, during those weeks, were my fevered dreams you may guess. In fancy I was hunting through the world for Miss Kit; and as sure as I found her, Tim appeared and claimed my help; and ere Tim could be helped, my little mistress had vanished again and a new search was begun--now in Ireland, now in Paris, now in Holland, now up and down the blood-stained deck of the _Zebra_. But it all ended in naught; and I turned over wearily on my pillow, sick in body and mind, and longing, as prisoner never longed, for wings.

Glad enough I was when one day, early in January, the doctor p.r.o.nounced me cured, and put me on board a ship for Dublin, there to report myself to the Admiralty, and take my new sailing orders.

"But first," said I to myself, "cost what it may, I will have a peep at Fanad."