The Three Lieutenants Part 49

The wind, which had been variable all day, still continued so, and now once more came from the eastward. The chase immediately took advantage of it to alter her course. The corvette had now gained greatly on her.

"I think our bow-chasers will reach her," said Murray. "Try them, Adair; we will see if we can knock away some of her spars."

The excitement on board increased, and every one now felt as if the chase was already within their grasp. The gun was run out. Murray gave the word, "Fire!" Scarcely had its loud report rung through the air, than his voice again was heard--

"All hands, shorten sail! In studding-sails and royals. Let fly tacks and sheets."

The corvette had been taken aback, but every man was at his station, and the sails came in without the loss of a royal or studding-sail-boom. As soon as the sails were handed, and the ship wearing round was put before the wind, the chase was eagerly looked for; she was seen running before the wind for the northeast. Her bearings being taken, the corvette steered directly for her, but darkness, which had been rapidly coming on, now hid her from sight, and even the most sanguine gave up all hopes of finding her again. Still Murray determined to keep after her as light as she was; he was convinced that with a strong wind blowing she would continue before it.

The first watch was set, the watch below turned in, and many a grumble was heard at their ill success. Adair, who was officer of the watch, was walking the deck, with Desmond by his side. The wind still blowing fresh, he had his eye aloft on the spars, ready to shorten sail should it increase. The sea, however, was tolerably smooth; a few stars only could be seen among the clouds which pa.s.sed rapidly across the sky. The night was therefore rather darker than usual. The wind whistled shrilly in the rigging, and Desmond declared that he could hear strange sounds coming across the waters. A sharp lookout was, of course, kept ahead, and hopes were still entertained that the chase might possibly be again sighted. s.n.a.t.c.hblock, who was on the forecastle, hailed in a loud, sharp voice, "Sail ahead! the chase! the chase! That's her! No doubt about it."

Adair and Desmond hurried forward, but by the time they reached the forecastle no sail was to be seen. s.n.a.t.c.hblock, however, was positive that he had not been mistaken. He rubbed his eyes in vain, and peered into the gloom. She was certainly not visible. Adair, who had returned aft, was pacing the deck, when suddenly a tremendous shock was felt. He and others on deck were nearly thrown off their legs, and a cry arose of "We are on sh.o.r.e! we are on sh.o.r.e!" The watch below came tumbling up on deck, fully believing that the ship had struck. One of the hands seizing a leadline, sprang into the chains and hove it.

"What induced you to do that?" asked Adair.

"I thought we had struck on a rock, sir," was the answer.

"You found no bottom?"

"No, sir."

"We must have run over the chase! Heaven be merciful to the poor creatures!" exclaimed Murray, who unperceived had just come on deck.

"She must have attempted to haul her wind, to alter her course, and, being too much lightened, capsized."

Desmond and several others who had run aft declared they saw several objects, like the heads of human beings, floating for an instant on the surface, but when they looked again they had disappeared. Not a cry, not a sound of any sort had been heard. At that instant probably some four or five hundred human beings chained in the hold of the slave-ship, with their white captors, had been carried into eternity.

Next morning the _Tudor_ spoke the _Supplejack_, which, however, had seen nothing of the chase. No manner of doubt remained that she had been capsized, and that the _Tudor_ had run over her during the night.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

AN AMERICAN SKIPPER GIVES IMPORTANT INFORMATION--JACK LEADS A BOAT ATTACK ON A SLAVER IN THE RIO FRIO--CAPTURE--SLAVER BLOWN UP--THE SUPPLEJACK EXPOSED TO A HOT FIRE--THE CORVETTE AND BRIG IN THE HARBOUR OF PARANAGUA--SLAVERS ATTACKED--SEVERAL PRIZES MADE--FIRED AT FROM THE Sh.o.r.e--ENGAGEMENT WITH A FORT--PRIZES DESTROYED--CARRY ONE OFF--A MAN OVERBOARD--PICKED UP--HIS HAIR TURNS WHITE.

The corvette and brig had been cruising for some days in company, having chased several vessels, some of which got away, while others were found to be honest traders. They were some way to the southward of Cape Frio, when land just being in sight, a brig was made out, standing towards them. She hoisted American colours, and as she approached, pa.s.sing close to the corvette, a man, who appeared to be her skipper, standing on the p.o.o.p-deck, hailed.

"If you will heave to I will come aboard you, as I have information to give."

The corvette was immediately brought to the wind, her foretopsail backed, the brig performing the same movement, when a boat was lowered, and a stout florid man, a Yankee in appearance from truck to kelson, dressed in Quaker costume, came alongside in her. Quickly climbing on deck, without making the usual salutation performed by visitors to a man-of-war, he advanced towards Murray, and introduced himself as Captain Aaron Sturge, of the brig _Good Hope_ bound for Boston.

"This ship, I guess, friend, is one of the cruisers engaged in putting down the slave-trade," he said.

Murray replied in the affirmative, and inquired what information he had to give.

"It is this, friend; I have just come out of the Rio Frio, where I left a wicked-looking craft, called the _Rival_, nearly ready for sea, which will carry, I guess, six hundred slaves at least. She is a vessel I heard that the British cruisers have been long looking after; so if thou dost wish to catch her, now is thy time, and I would advise thee to stand in at once, and thou mayest cut her off as she comes out, or, what would be more certain, catch her before she puts to sea."

Murray thanked the Yankee skipper for his information, and invited him below.

"No, friend, I thank thee. The sooner thou art on thy way toward the coast and I on mine northward, the better. Thou will do thy best to take this vessel?"

Murray a.s.sured him that he would, and would lose not a moment in standing in for the land.

The honest skipper then shaking hands, swung himself down the side into his boat, and returned to the brig, which stood away to the southward, while the _Tudor_ and _Supplejack_, hauling their wind, stood towards the coast. Murray hoped to be off the mouth of the harbour some time after dark. He hailed Jack, and told him what he intended to do.

His plan was to send the brig in with the boats and capture the slaver, before she got under weigh, or, should she sail that evening, catch her as she was coming out. As the vessels drew near the land, a sharp lookout was kept, on the chance of the slaver having put to sea, but no sail appeared in sight, and some time after nightfall, having got well in with the land, they hove to, to wait for daybreak.

Just before dawn Murray despatched two of his boats, one under charge of Higson, and the other of the master, with directions to Jack to stand in directly there was light enough to see his way. Jack, having a good chart, felt confident of being able to take the brig in without a pilot.

Directly the first streaks of dawn appeared in the sky, he put the brig's head towards the harbour. The sea breeze set in sooner than usual, and, having a leading wind, he rapidly stood on towing the boats.

He was soon pa.s.sing through the narrow entrance.

"I see a number of fellows coming along the beach, some of them with arms in their hands. They probably suspect us, and will give us some trouble when we are coming out again," said Bevan.

"I shall care very little for that, provided we get hold of the slaver.

I only hope that she has not given us the slip," answered Jack.

"There she is, sir, high up the harbour," cried Bevan. "Her topsails are loose, and had the wind held she would probably have been under weigh by this time."

"We have her safe enough now, however," said Jack.

The brig stood on for some way, but the wind fell light, the current was running out, and the channel here was far more intricate than the part already pa.s.sed through. Jack determined, therefore, to bring up, and to board the slaver with the boats. Those selected for the expedition eagerly leaped into them. Jack took command of the whole, five in number, leaving Bevan in charge of the brig.

"It is possible that the Brazilians may imitate the example of those fellows at Bahia, and attempt to attack you," said Jack to Bevan; "you will therefore keep a good lookout, and allow no boat to approach under any pretence whatever. Order them to keep off, and fire a musket-shot or two ahead of them, as a sign that you are in earnest. If they still come on, fire the carronades into them, and drive them back as you best can."

The boats shoved off and made good way towards the slaver. Jack observed a horseman or two galloping along the sh.o.r.e, but no attempt was made to molest the English, though they pa.s.sed round a couple of points within musket-shot. At last the slaver was seen at anchor right ahead.

The expected prize before them, the boats' crews gave way with a will, Jack's boat leading.

He had ordered Higson to board on the port side, while he attacked on the starboard. The schooner's sails, though they had been loose when first seen, had in the meantime been furled. One man only was visible on board her, he was composedly walking the quarterdeck with a gla.s.s under his arm, through which he had been watching the approaching boats.

As they got close he hailed in broken English, and ordered them to keep off.

"No, no; we intend to come aboard and examine that schooner," cried Jack.

"And I say you shall not," answered the man; "if you attempt it you must stand by the consequences."

"We intend to do so. Give way, lads," shouted Jack. As he spoke, the schooner's ports were opened. Her hitherto silent decks appeared crowded with men, while the next instant, four guns, run out on either side, let fly a shower of grape and canister, while twenty or thirty men opened fire with muskets. Happily the guns did no damage, for the boats were already close up to the schooner's sides, though two or three men were slightly wounded by the bullets which came in sharp thuds against the gunwales.

"Board her, my lads," shouted Jack; and he and his followers threw themselves quickly on deck. The slaver's crew stood their ground for a few seconds only; then, throwing down their cutla.s.ses and muskets, they sprang overboard, and attempted to make their way to the not distant bank. A few had been cut down at the first onslaught; half-a-dozen yielded themselves prisoners, and two had tumbled into the boats, making eight in all captured. The others, in shoals, were swimming for their lives. The seamen, irritated at the opposition they had met with, would have shot them down, but Jack ordered them to desist.

"These fellows are not to be treated as enemies, now that they have abandoned their vessel. It was their duty to defend her," he shouted out, knocking up their muskets. "We must now get her out of this before their friends collect on the sh.o.r.e, or we shall find it rather a hot berth, I suspect."

The cable was cut, and the boats, taking the prize in tow, began to make way down the harbour. They had not, however, got far from the spot, before several shots struck the schooner, fired from some men who had already collected on the sh.o.r.e. No one was hurt, and she was soon beyond the range of the muskets. As the breeze increased it became very hard work, towing the schooner against it; still Jack determined, if possible, to carry her off. As they approached one of the points which they had to round, they observed a number of armed men collecting on it.

To avoid them the schooner was kept over to the opposite side. Just then a squall struck her and drove her on a bank. The Brazilians, encouraged by this, opened a hot fire, and though at some distance, several of their shot struck the schooner. In spite of it, Jack ordered warps to be got out, and endeavoured to haul her off. Two of his men had been hit and he in vain endeavoured to get the prize into deep water. Ahead was a bank over which he found it impossible to haul her; she had driven, indeed, into a bay, shoal water being found ahead, astern, and on her port side.

"It must be done, though I am sorry to lose so fine a craft; we must blow her up," he said to Higson.

Several casks of powder were found on board. They were placed in her hold, surrounded by such combustible materials as could be quickly gathered together. All hands were then ordered into the boats; Jack, with Higson and Needham, set her on fire simultaneously amidships and fore and aft. They then jumped into the boats, and Jack, anxious to have his men safe from further risk of being shot, gave the order to pull down the river as fast as they could lay their backs to the oars.

The Brazilians probably fancied that they had taken to flight, and three boats, which had been concealed behind the point, were now seen shoving off for the schooner. They had got more than half way towards her when the flames burst out through all the hatchways; still they pulled on, hoping to extinguish them. The people in the leading boat were on the point of jumping on board, when the flames catching the gunpowder, up she went, her masts and spars shooting towards the sky, with fragments of her decks, while her sides split in all directions. Whether any of the Brazilians were injured could not be discovered; two of their boats pulled away in hot haste, the third following far more slowly. It was the general opinion that the people in her must have suffered severely, as they were close to the side of the vessel when she blew up.