The Missing Ship Part 4

"Depend upon it, the Frenchman is coming up much too fast to give us any chance of keeping ahead till dark--we must not expect that. I have more confidence in our knocking away some of his spars; Owen is a first-rate shot, and if it can be done he'll do it. Don't be cast down, Norah; it would never have done for you to remain where you might have run the risk of being hit. Our father was right in sending you here, though I wish he had allowed me to stay on deck--but then, you see, you couldn't be left alone; and if, after all, the Frenchmen do take us, why, there would have been no one to protect you. That consoles me for remaining here, and if the worst happens I'll fight for you. See, I've brought a cutla.s.s, and a brace of pistols, and it would be a hard matter for any one to get in here without my leave."

"Oh, it would be dreadful!" cried Norah, shuddering at the thought of the ship being captured--for she could not conceal from herself that such might too probably be the case. "Don't attempt to fight if any of our enemies should find their way down here--it would be utterly useless, and only exasperate them."

"Well, perhaps they won't find their way down here," said Gerald, who directly he had uttered anything calculated to alarm his sister was anxious to remedy the mistake; "let us try and talk of something else, and wait patiently for what may happen."

The proposal was not as easily carried out as made; in another minute Gerald was again talking of what might or might not occur. Some time went by. "Hark! hark! what is that?" exclaimed Norah suddenly, as the boom of a gun, which from its faintness showed that it must have been fired at a distance, reached their ears.

"There comes the first shot, but it didn't strike us--the Frenchman is trying whether he has got us within range," said Gerald.

"It shows, though, that the enemy must be very near," cried Norah.

"It will be the sooner over," said Gerald. "We shall hear our guns go off soon--they'll make a much greater noise; but don't be frightened, Norah dear--they, at all events, will not injure you."

"I am not thinking of myself," answered Norah, "but for those on deck, and for our poor father--he is still so ill and so little able to bear all this anxiety--and for Owen, should they be struck by those dreadful cannon-b.a.l.l.s."

"The round shot, you mean," said Gerald; "but they are not to be so much dreaded, after all. They may fall pretty thickly aboard without doing any harm. I've heard some of our men who were in the last war say that they've known ships firing away at each other for an hour or more without anybody being hit. Hark! there's another gun; that came from the enemy, but the shot missed us. I wonder we don't begin to fire--we soon shall, though, no doubt about that. I wish that I had brought down the boat's compa.s.s with us, to know how we were steering; we are keeping, however, on the same tack as before--I can tell that by the heel of the ship."

Norah, while Gerald was talking, held her breath, expecting every moment to hear the guns go off with a loud roar, not aware how much the sound would be deadened before it reached the hold. Neither she nor Gerald had at first observed the increased motion of the ship, or that she was heeling over to larboard considerably more than at first. Gerald now, however, remarked it.

"The breeze has freshened," he exclaimed, "though I don't know if that will be in our favour. I wish that our father had not told me to stay here without moving--I would run upon deck to see how things are going on, and be back in a moment."

"Gerald, not for my sake but for your own, I earnestly pray you to remain--remember, our father ordered you not to leave this, whatever might happen," exclaimed Norah.

"Yes, I know that; I was only saying what I should like to do," answered Gerald.

Nearly another minute elapsed, during which not a word was spoken; then came a much louder report than had before been heard.

"That was one of our guns, I am sure of it," exclaimed Gerald; though, from its deadness, Norah could scarcely believe that it was from one of the _Ouzel Galley's_ guns.

"Hurrah! we've begun at last," cried Gerald, "no fear; I shouldn't be surprised to find that the shot had knocked away one of the enemy's topsail yards."

Another and another gun followed in rapid succession; at intervals could be clearly distinguished the firing of the enemy's guns, and every now and then a report succeeded by a loud thud, showing that the shot had struck some part of the _Ouzel Galley_.

"Fire away, my boys, fire away!" shouted Gerald. "I wish that I could be on deck, even if I'd nothing better to do than hand up the powder!"

Norah again entreated him to remain. For some time the firing continued, but from the sound of the enemy's guns it was pretty clear that the ships had not yet got to close quarters.

"Sure, we must be giving it them," cried Gerald. Scarcely had he spoken when there came a loud crashing sound, as if one of the masts had been knocked away and had fallen on the deck. Cries and shrieks of injured men writhing in pain penetrated even to the depths of the hold.

"Oh that some one would come and tell us what has happened!" exclaimed Norah. "I wonder our father or Owen don't send--it must be something dreadful."

"I've heard of ships holding out, even though a mast has been shot away," said Gerald; "we don't know what has happened to the enemy-- perhaps she is worse off than we are."

Not another gun was fired from the deck of the _Ouzel Galley_; that was a bad sign, and presently afterwards there came a violent concussion and a grating sound, as if one ship had run alongside the other.

"Gerald, oh, what is taking place?" cried Norah, seizing her brother's hand.

"We are about to be boarded, or perhaps we are going to board the enemy," he answered; "I don't see why one thing shouldn't happen as well as the other."

"I am afraid it is as you first suggested," said Norah. "Hark to those loud shouts; they are the voices of Frenchmen--they must have boarded us. I hear their feet tramping on deck, and there they come down below.

Our people must have been quickly overpowered; what resistance could such a mere handful offer to the numerous crew of the enemy? Oh! our poor father and Owen--can they wish us to remain here? They may be wounded and bleeding to death, and may require our help."

It was now Gerald's turn to insist on obeying orders. "Norah, Norah!

stay where you are," he exclaimed. "Should the Frenchmen have boarded us, you might meet them, and we can't tell how they might behave. If any come here they'll have to repent their audacity," he added, placing himself with a pistol in one hand and a cutla.s.s in the other at the entrance of Norah's retreat.

"I must fight for you if they come down here--it is my duty, and I'll do it," answered Gerald to his sister's expostulations; for she dreaded lest, by offering resistance, he might induce the enemy to kill him.

He, however, would not listen to her entreaties. "At all events, don't speak, Norah," he said; "the Frenchmen may hear us and find us out-- whereas if we remain quiet we may escape discovery till the boarders have gone back to their own ship and ours is left in charge of a prize crew, and we may be very sure that neither our father nor Owen will be induced to quit the _Ouzel Galley_ without us."

Norah saw the prudence of this advice. She wisely also put out the lantern, the light from which would very certainly have betrayed their hiding-place.

We must now return on deck. As soon as Norah and Gerald had gone below, the captain addressed the crew and asked whether they would stick by him and a.s.sist in making every effort he could devise for escaping. They one and all declared that they were ready to fight to the last to preserve the _Ouzel Galley_ from capture and to escape a French prison.

"Then we'll make a running fight of it, my lads," he said. "The enemy has probably much heavier metal and many more men than we have, but our two guns will be of as much service as her twenty if we can keep her as she now is, right astern--and that's what I intend to do."

The second mate had narrowly scanned the French ship. "I can tell you what, Captain Tracy," he said at length, "you haven't a chance of escaping from her. I know her and her commander well, and not a better or more determined seaman ever walked the deck of a ship. I have reason to be grateful to you for the way I have been treated on board this vessel, and to your first mate for saving my life; and for your own sake I would advise you to haul down your flag at once and surrender--you will probably be far better treated than if you lead the Frenchman a long chase and are taken at last."

"I am obliged to you for your good intentions in giving the advice you do," said Captain Tracy, "but my principle is to hold out till the last hope of success has gone--and we haven't quite arrived at that point yet. If you don't wish to fight you can go below."

"You mistake me," answered the second mate, in a somewhat angry tone, and he walked away. The next instant a puff of smoke was seen to issue from the bows of the French ship, and a shot came flying across the water; but it fell short of the _Ouzel Galley_.

"Stand by to fire our stern-chasers, Mr Ma.s.sey," sang out the captain, "but we'll let the enemy find out the range before we throw a shot away."

The captain did not fail to keep his eye on the canvas, to be ready to alter his course should there be the slightest shift of wind. The second mate continued walking the deck in sullen silence, determined apparently to take no further part in defence of the ship. Owen stood ready, match in hand, to fire the stern-chasers. In the course of a few minutes the Frenchman fired another shot; it went ricocheting over the water, and pa.s.sed the quarter of the _Ouzel Galley_.

"Our guns will carry as far as the Frenchman's," exclaimed the captain.

"Now see what you can do, Owen."

The first mate, looking along his gun, fired; the shot struck the enemy.

The crew of the _Ouzel Galley_ watched eagerly for the effect of the shot. It went through the Frenchman's fore-topsail. A loud cheer showed their satisfaction.

"Well done, Owen--fire the other and try to wing him," cried the captain. While the crew were loading the first gun, Owen fired the second. The captain, who had his gla.s.s turned towards the enemy, shouted, "Hurrah! it's struck the fore-topsail yard."

The spar, however, remained standing, and some of the Frenchmen were seen running aloft to fish it. Owen sprang back to the first gun he had fired, and again discharged it; but the enemy at that moment kept away, and before what damage it had effected could be seen, clouds of smoke issued from her, and the shot from her whole broadside came rushing towards the chase. They were mostly aimed high, and either went through the sails or pa.s.sed by without doing any injury; but two struck the quarter, and another glanced along the side, leaving a long white furrow.

"Those shots were well aimed, but if she plays that trick often we shall have a better chance of escaping," observed the captain, calmly; "try another shot, Owen."

The French ship quickly came up to the wind. Owen again fired, and one of the Frenchmen was seen to drop to the deck. The enemy had now brought a gun on the forecastle, from which they opened fire in return to the _Ouzel Galley's_ stern-chasers. Both vessels then fired away as fast as the guns could be loaded and run out; but though most of Owen's shot told with some effect, the damage he produced was speedily repaired, while several of the Frenchmen's shot struck the _Ouzel Galley_, though as yet no one had been injured. The former was, however, in the mean time, creeping up nearer and nearer, and also, from sailing closer to the wind, weathering on the chase. The second mate, who had been walking the deck with as much calmness as if no fight was going on, again came up to the captain.

"I before warned you that it would be useless to contend with yonder ship," he said, "and before many minutes are over we shall have the shot from her broadside crashing on board us. By holding out you risk your own and your people's lives, and the lives of others dear to you--for it is more than possible that another broadside will send the ship and all in her to the bottom. We must--"

Before the captain could reply the enemy fired his two foremost guns, the shot from which shattering the bulwarks sent pieces of splinter flying about, one of which struck Carnegan on the arm.

"It might have been worse," he observed; and after staggering a few paces he recovered himself. He added, "I will thank some one to bind up my wound."

"Shure, I'll be glad enough to do that same," exclaimed Dan Connor; "and if you'll just step into your cabin, sir, we'll have you all to rights in a jiffy."

"I shall not be the only one hit," observed the second mate, as he allowed Dan to take off his coat.

Still the captain had not abandoned all hopes of escaping, and kept to his resolution of persevering to the last. He ordered the guns on the lee side to be hauled over to windward, and as they could be brought to bear on the enemy they were fired; but what effect they produced was not perceptible, as both vessels were encircled in smoke. Several more shot struck the _Ouzel Galley_, and at length two of her gallant crew fell, desperately wounded, to the deck, and the next instant a third had his head taken off. Still no one thought of giving in.