The Missing Ship Part 5

"We'll shift the stern-chasers, Owen," cried the captain; "they'll soon be of little use where they are."

"Ay, ay, sir," answered the first mate, and he with several hands began to haul one of the guns along the deck, when again the enemy fired his whole broadside. The guns had been elevated--the shot whistled overhead--a crash was heard, and down came the main-topmast of the _Ouzel Galley_ on her deck, striking dead another of her crew. The survivors made a desperate effort to clear the wreck and prevent the fore-topmast from sharing the same fate, but even the captain now saw that all hope of escaping the enemy must be abandoned. On looking round to direct Owen to haul down the ensign, to his grief he saw that he too was wounded, and apparently severely so from the stream of blood flowing from his shoulder. At the same moment the French ship, which had rapidly shot up abeam, ran alongside and, throwing grappling-irons on board the chase, held her fast, while a party of the enemy headed by an officer leaped on the deck from the bows. Resistance was vain, but a few of the British crew instantly attempted to defend themselves with their cutla.s.ses, the fallen topmast serving as a barricade; but the Frenchmen scrambling over it, the former were quickly driven aft. Owen had in the mean time hauled down the ensign by the captain's orders, and shouted out that they surrendered. The enemy, however, enraged at the stubborn resistance they had met with, were rushing aft, when the second mate appeared from the cabin with his arm in a sling and encountered the officer who led the boarders.

"You will not injure a beaten foe!" he exclaimed. "You know me, though you must be surprised to find me where I am. See, my shipmates have surrendered and can offer no further resistance."

As he spoke he put out his right hand, which the French officer grasped, and together they walked aside, where they held a hurried conversation while the survivors of the crew threw down their weapons. The Frenchmen, however, while their leader's eye was off them, rushed into the cabin and began ransacking the lockers and appropriating such articles as took their fancy. Dan, on observing this, sprang before them and placed himself at the door of Norah's berth, into which he would allow no one to enter.

"You can't come in here, mounseers," he exclaimed; "shure, you'll be too polite to frighten a lady out of her wits--and it's already fright enough she's had with hearing all the hullabaloo you've been after making."

Dan hoped by this artifice to prevent the Frenchmen searching for Norah, which he was afraid they might have done had they broken into the cabin and discovered female gear. As it was, he made them understand that the captain's wife was the occupant of the cabin.

Meantime Owen, overcome by loss of blood, sank exhausted on the deck.

The French officer, a fair, slightly built man, with more the appearance of a Briton than a Gaul, now approached Captain Tracy and addressed him in English with but little French accent. "I must compliment you on your bravery, though I cannot do so on your discretion in attempting to resist me," he said. "Your vessel has become my prize, and, as I understand that your cargo is of value, I must send you into a French port; but having heard that you have the yellow fever on board, I will not remove any of your people to my ship, though I will leave an adequate prize crew to navigate her."

Just then the report of a pistol was heard, and a shriek was heard coming from the hold of the ship.

"What's that?" exclaimed the French officer.

"My daughter!--save her from your people!" cried Captain Tracy, hurrying towards the main hatchway. The more active Frenchman sprang before him and descended, followed by the captain and Carnegan, who, suffering from his wound, was less able than they were to move quickly. The Frenchman by his loud shouts soon let his men know that he was approaching. On reaching the hold he found Gerald in the hands of several of them, while Norah was endeavouring to protect him from their rage which he had excited.

"Let go that boy!" shouted the French officer, at the same time drawing his sword to enforce his order. He was quickly obeyed. "Who is this young lady?" he asked, turning to the captain; "I was not aware that she was on board."

"She is my daughter, sir; and I sent her down here to be out of danger during the fighting. I am sure I can trust to your gallantry to protect her," said Captain Tracy.

"You may depend on my doing so," answered the French officer; then addressing Gerald, he said, "Come here, my lad--you are a brave boy, I see, and thinking my people were about to insult your sister, you fought for her. The fellow you wounded deserved his punishment. Return on deck and go on board your own ship," he continued, addressing his crew in French. The men quickly obeyed him. "And now, young lady, let me escort you to your cabin," he added; "you need be under no further anxiety, as no one will venture to intrude on you."

Carnegan had before this reached the hold. He was about to a.s.sist Norah in ascending.

"I must claim that honour," said the Frenchman; and, offering his hand, he conducted Norah out of the dark place. No sooner had they reached the deck than her eyes fell on Owen lying wounded on the p.o.o.p.

Disregarding every one, she threw herself down by his side.

"Oh, speak to me, Owen--tell me where you are hurt!" she exclaimed.

Owen tried to answer her, but could only point to his wounded shoulder.

"He will bleed to death!" she cried. "Run, Gerald--get some bandages from the cabin. Oh, father, come and help me!"

"I will send my surgeon to dress the young officer's wound," said the French captain, approaching; "he will attend also to the other injured men, and I regret that I cannot remain near you to be of any further use."

Carnegan had watched Norah; an angry frown pa.s.sed across his brow, but he made no remark. The French surgeon was quickly on board; he desired that Owen should be carried to his cabin, where he speedily dressed his wound and gave him a stimulant which restored him to consciousness. He then left directions with Norah how to treat his patient, a.s.suring her that the hurt was very slight, and that he would soon recover.

"Come, my friend," said the French officer to Carnegan; "as you are not from the West Indies, we shall have no fear of your giving us the fever.

I must therefore beg for your company--you will require the attendance of the surgeon, and one wounded man is enough for that young lady to look after."

Carnegan appeared to be expostulating; but the French officer refused to accede to his request, and hurried him on board, without allowing him even the opportunity of wishing farewell to Norah.

The French crew had in the mean time brought a fresh topmast on board the _Ouzel Galley_, to supply the place of the one shot away, and had been busily employed in getting it up. They had not, however, completed the work when the look-out from the mast-head of the French ship shouted, "A sail to the south-east!" and they were immediately summoned back to their own ship. A young lieutenant and seven men, forming the prize crew, then came on board the _Ouzel Galley_, the surgeon being the last person to quit her.

"Who is the officer who boarded us, and what is the name of your ship?"

asked Captain Tracy, after expressing his thanks to the surgeon for his attention.

"He is Captain Thurot, and his ship is the _Coquille_, the most celebrated privateer out of Dunkirk," was the answer. "It is positively an honour to be captured by him--let that be your consolation, my dear sir."

"Faith, it's but a poor consolation, then," answered Captain Tracy; "but I thank you for suggesting even a shadow of comfort. I will follow your directions with regard to my poor wounded fellows, and once again beg to express my grat.i.tude for what you have done for them."

The _Coquille_ immediately casting off her prize, made all sail in chase of the stranger, the rapidly approaching shades of evening soon concealing her from sight. The French prize crew, aided by the seamen of the _Ouzel Galley_, went on with the work which had been left incomplete of setting up the main-topmast rigging and getting the yard across. Night compelled them to knock off before the work was finished.

The wind, however, continued steady, and the ship ran on almost dead before it under her head-sails the French officer, Lieutenant Vinoy, was a remarkably polite young gentleman, but whether or not he was a good seaman remained to be proved. He expressed his wish in no way to incommode Mademoiselle, as he called Norah, and declared that he should be perfectly satisfied to occupy the second mate's cabin, and would on no account turn her or her father out of theirs. Besides himself, he had but one person, a petty officer, capable of taking charge of a watch, so that he had but very little time to bestow on the young lady those attentions which, under other circ.u.mstances, he might have been inclined to pay. She too was fully engaged in attending on Owen and in visiting with her father the wounded and sick men.

The night pa.s.sed off quietly, and the whole of the first day was spent by all hands in setting up the topmast. It was not till supper-time that the lieutenant entered the cabin, and, throwing himself on a chair, expressed his satisfaction that the task was at length accomplished.

"And your men, captain, deserve credit for the way they have worked," he observed; "they could not have done so more willingly had they been performing the task for their own advantage. For my part, I am pretty well worn out--you may be sure that I shall sleep soundly during my watch below."

"Do you generally sleep soundly, Lieutenant Vinoy?" asked Gerald.

"Yes, I am celebrated for it," answered the lieutenant, laughing; "it takes a good deal to awake me when once my eyes are closed. I am never idle, you see; I work hard and sleep hard--that is as it should be."

Gerald recollected the lieutenant's remark, and a thought at that moment came into his head which he kept there, turning it and round and over and over till he carried it into execution.

CHAPTER THREE.

A HEAVY GALE AHEAD--THE WIND BECOMES FAIR--GERALD'S PLAN TO RECOVER THE SHIP--CARRIES IT OUT--NORAH'S RESOLUTION--THE LIEUTENANT CAUGHT NAPPING--THE FRENCHMEN'S WEAPONS SECURED--BUSSON AND THE FRENCH CREW OVERPOWERED--GERALD AND NORAH HOLD LIEUTENANT VINOY IN CHECK--THE OUZEL GALLEY REGAINED--A COURSE STEERED FOR WATERFORD--PRECAUTIONS AGAINST RECAPTURE--APPROACH THE LAND.

The _Ouzel Galley_ had run very nearly as far north as the lat.i.tude of Ushant, though she was still some way to the westward. Her crew had got on very well with their captors, who called them _bons garcons_, and were perfectly willing to fraternise with them. No one coming on board would have suspected their relative positions. The lieutenant made himself at home in the cabin; he was polite and courteous to Norah and Captain Tracy, and in no way presumed on being, as he was, the real commander of the ship. Gerald, however, did not seem inclined to a.s.sociate with him, and seldom came into the cabin when he was there.

Gerald, indeed, spent most of his time in a.s.sisting Norah to attend on Owen, by whose side he would sit patiently for hours together; or else he was holding secret confabulations with Dan Connor and Tim Maloney.

Although Owen had been greatly weakened by loss of blood, it saved him from fever, and his wound, which was not deep, rapidly healed. Of this, however, Gerald advised Norah not to tell the lieutenant. The other wounded and pick men continued in their berths, apparently making no progress towards recovery; so that, of the original crew of the _Ouzel Galley_, there were only five hands besides Gerald and Tim fit for duty.

These, of course, the Frenchmen, with their officer, considered that they were perfectly able to keep in order. The weather, which had hitherto been especially favourable, now greatly changed for the worse; a strong north-easterly gale springing up threatened to blow the _Ouzel Galley_ far away to the westward. Lieutenant Vinoy was in despair; he had been antic.i.p.ating the pleasure of carrying his prize into Boulogne, the port to which Captain Thurot had ordered him to take her, in the course of two or three days--and now she might be kept out for a week, or three weeks for that matter, and the risk of being recaptured greatly increased. Still he did his best to hold his ground, keeping the ship close-hauled, now on one tack, now on the other; while either he or his mate, Jacques Busson, were ever on deck ready to take advantage of any change of wind.

"I shall sleep soundly when this vile wind from the eastward has ceased to blow," exclaimed the lieutenant one day, on coming down to dinner.

"I hope you will," said Gerald, looking him boldly in the face. "You deserve some rest after keeping watch and watch so long."

"Gerald," said Norah, when they were together in the cabin, the captain being on deck, "I suspect that you are thinking of attempting to recover the vessel, and that our father has not been told what you intend to do."

"Why should you suppose so?" asked Gerald.

"Because I see you constantly talking to the men in a way you never used to do, and because you avoid the French lieutenant and speak to him in so strange a manner," answered Norah.

"I won't deny that I have a plan in my head; but you are to know nothing about it till it has succeeded," replied Gerald. "One thing I'll tell you, that I'm very sure it can't fail of success if all hands are true to each other--and, Norah, don't be alarmed if you hear that two or three more of our people are down with the fever; and if our father says anything, you can just remark that I told you I was sure they would very soon be well again."

"I have confidence in your discretion," said Norah, "but I pray that there may be no necessity for violence, and that neither the young officer nor any of the men may be injured."

"That depends on circ.u.mstances," said Gerald; "no one wishes to hurt a hair of their heads if they behave themselves--if not, they must take the consequences."

The gale increasing, it taxed all the strength of the Frenchmen, and the few of the original crew who remained, to shorten sail; but anxious as Lieutenant Vinoy was to get into port, he refused to heave to, and continued beating the ship to windward. At length, one day, soon after noon, the wind began to decrease, and before dark a moderate breeze was blowing from the southward. Captain Tracy had every day taken an observation, the French officer not objecting to his doing so, and Gerald always asked him whereabouts they were, noting the spot carefully down on the chart when the lieutenant was on deck, so that his proceedings might not be remarked. This day, according to Gerald's calculations, they were exactly a hundred and fifty miles to the southward of Waterford. The night was cloudy, and, as there was no moon, it was darker than usual. One-half of the Frenchmen had turned in, as had Lieutenant Vinoy; Jacques Busson had the middle watch.

Gerald had gone to his berth, but not to sleep; he merely pulled off his shoes and jacket, and then, lying down, drew the blanket over him.

After waiting for about an hour he got up and groped his way to Lieutenant Vinoy's cabin; the door was partly open--the sound which issued from within showed that the French officer was fast asleep.

Gerald cautiously entered and possessed himself of a brace of pistols which hung within reach of the lieutenant's hand at the head of his cot, as also of a sword suspended to the bulkhead. Carefully carrying them out, he then, quietly closing the door, made his way to Owen Ma.s.sey's cabin.

"We could not have a better opportunity than the present," he whispered.