The Three Midshipmen Part 10

"'Your honour has. .h.i.t it,' he replied.

"I am sorry to say he was an Irishman.

"'But I'm ready to serve a countryman, and I think I can help you at a pinch.'

"'I shall be much obliged to you,' I answered; and from that time forward Pat Hoolan became my interpreter and right-hand man.

"He was a great ragam.u.f.fin, and I did not trust him more than I could help; but he was very useful to me, and I believe faithfully interpreted the orders I issued through him. I learned also from him some of the politics of the ship. The captain was a great rascal according to our notions. He cheated the crew of their pay and their rations, and his government of the stores and provisions, and indeed anything on which he could lay his hands; while he had been tampered with by some of Mehemet Ali's emissaries, and was only waiting an opportunity to carry his ship into Alexandria. Such was the state of affairs when we put to sea. He had just before found out that his treachery had been discovered, and that another Turkish ship had been sent in pursuit of him. He tried to get to Alexandria but could not, so we knocked about running from our own shadow till you hove in sight. He then did what he had long resolved to do, ran the ship on sh.o.r.e. He and most of the officers and some of the men escaped in the boats, leaving me with the remainder to be blown up as a reward for my services. No thanks to them I escaped, and that's the end of my story."

Two days after this a brig of war hove in sight. She signalised "Important news", "The war has begun." The frigate made sail towards her. The two men-of-war, as they drew near each other, hove-to, and the commander of the brig came on board the frigate. It was soon known that the _Racer_ was to join the squadron of Sir Robert Stopford. All sail was immediately made on both ships, and together they steered a course for the coast of Syria.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

TO SAVE THE FLAG.

"I say, Jack, can you tell me what all this row is about between us and these wide-breeched, red-capped n.i.g.g.e.rs, the Egyptians?" asked Adair, as he stood by the side of Jack Rogers on the quarter-deck of the _Racer_, while the latter, with his spygla.s.s under his arm, was doing duty as signal midshipman. The outlines of many a picturesque hill and white stone stronghold, famed in ancient and modern history, rose in the distance on the Syrian coast out of the blue glittering ocean.

"Why," replied Jack, "I'm not much of a politician, Paddy, but as far as I can make out, old Mehemet Ali wants to be Sultan of the Turks, and we won't let him; and so Charlie Napier told him that if he didn't draw in his horns within twenty days, we would blow his fortresses on this coast about the ears of his pachas. He, in return, told Charlie to go to Jericho, that he intended to keep what he'd got; and so now we're going to do what we promised. We shall have some fun, depend on it."

"Now I understand all the ins and outs of the matter," replied Paddy.

"There's nothing like knowing what you are fighting about."

"There, up goes a signal from the flag-ship," cried Jack, putting his gla.s.s to his eye, and pointing it towards the _Princess Charlotte_, Sir Robert Stopford's flag-ship, which, with the _Powerful, Thunderer, Benbow_, and several other line-of-battle ships and frigates, sloops and steamers, joined by a Turkish squadron under Admiral Walker, and a few Austrian ships, was cruising off Beyrout.

"The signal for the captains of each ship to a.s.semble on board the _Princess Charlotte_," cried Jack. "Hurrah! the fun's to begin."

The captains having visited the flag-ship, the squadron stood in, the larger portion taking up a position opposite the town, which they forthwith commenced bombarding, while the rest were employed in landing troops at different points to co-operate with the Turks, and to distract the attention of the Egyptians. Suliman Pacha, Governor of Beyrout, in spite of the shot and sh.e.l.l showered into his fortress, held out bravely and fired away in return as hard as he could. It was the first time the three midshipmen of the _Racer_ had been under fire, but as she had not to take any very active part in the affair, they voted it very slow work.

"Is this what you call fighting?" said Jack. "It seems to me as if all the fun was on one side."

"Stay a bit, my boy," observed Hemming; "this is only just the beginning of the game. Before many days are over perhaps we shall be at something which will make you cry out the other way."

"At all events, we have silenced them; see, up goes a flag of truce on the old castle," exclaimed Jack.

Jack was right in his fact but wrong in his conclusions. A boat was instantly sent on sh.o.r.e to inquire the meaning of the white flag. She quickly returned to the flag-ship bringing the Indian mail, with a polite message from Suliman Pacha, a.s.suring the admiral that he was not at war with individuals, and that he should feel a satisfaction in forwarding all letters to and from India. Sir Robert Stopford, himself so generous and polite, was the very man to appreciate such an act of courtesy: he therefore sent back the boat immediately with a case of wine, warmly thanking the pacha, and begging that he would accept it as a slight acknowledgment of his kindness. This little episode over, the belligerents began firing away at each other as hard as ever. The pacha showed that he was as brave as he was courteous, for in spite of all the cannonading he would not give in. A short drama was, however, enacted, which showed the midshipmen a little more of the realities of war. An Egyptian deserter came on board one of the ships, and gave notice that a train of gunpowder had been laid along a bridge leading to the eastern castle, in which was collected a large quant.i.ty of gunpowder, with the intention of blowing up into the sky any of the besiegers who might succeed in entering the place. The deserter offered to guide any party formed to cut off the train. Commander Worth, of the _Hastings_, undertook to accomplish the dangerous service; and numbers of officers and men volunteered to accompany him. Jack and Murray and Adair were among others eager to go. However, it was not likely that more than one midshipman from the frigate would be allowed to accompany the expedition. The morning of the day in which it was to take place, Murray had been sent with a message on board the _Hastings_. He came back with a flush on his cheek and a look of intense satisfaction on his countenance.

"Jack, Terence, my dear fellows, congratulate me. I'm to go. W--, who has known me for some time, has applied for me. He did so in most flattering terms. He said he wanted a midshipman who would be calm and collected whatever might occur, and yet one on whose courage and resolution he could perfectly rely, and he has selected me. It is that he has spoken of me in such flattering terms that has given me so much pleasure. I wish that you two fellows were going also."

"I wish we were," said Jack. "But I congratulate you, Alick; you'll do justice to W--'s choice. That I know right well."

"There will be more work to be done than when we attacked the pirate's stronghold the other day," observed Adair. "Well, I hope that my turn will come before long; I don't feel as if I had any right to wear starch in my shirt-collar till I've taken part in some real downright fighting."

Jack and Terence warmly shook Murray's hand, as he stepped into the boat which was to convey him on board the _Hastings_.

"I say, old fellow, don't now forget to come back to us safe and sound in life and limb," cried Terence, laughing; "remember the fright I gave you and Jack. Don't give him and me the same, and we'll take care that Pigeon does not malign your character in your absence."

Away went Murray. To say that he was in high glee would be to use a wrong term. There was a calm satisfaction and proud joy in his heart at the thought that the time had arrived when he might have an opportunity of distinguishing himself in the n.o.ble profession he had chosen, and to which he was so devotedly attached. Neither Rogers nor Adair would have felt as he did; and yet, though neither of them could be considered less brave than he was, yet in reality he was the bravest of all three, because his mind was so const.i.tuted that he clearly saw all the dangers to be encountered and knew every risk he was running. The expedition rendezvoused round the _Hastings_. The ships stood in as close as the depth of water would allow them, and then, opening their fire, the boats shoved off and pulled away for the bridge which led to the castle. As soon as they appeared a heavy fire of musketry was opened on them from the fortifications; but in the face of it the men clambered upon the bridge and, led by their gallant commander, rapidly pushed on across it.

Jack and Terence eagerly watched the progress of the boats through their telescopes. Their chief sympathy was concentrated on that which contained Murray and his fortunes. They looked upon him as a dear brother, and, in spite of their apparent light-heartedness, they both felt the deepest anxiety for his safety. In a very short time the whole party were hid from sight by the thick smoke which surrounded them.

Murray, with his brave companions, in spite of the leaden shower which came pattering around their heads, pushed on till they reached the spot where the train was laid. A few buckets of water, brought for the purpose, quickly cut off the train; then on they went to the gates of the castle. They were not long in blowing it open. In they rushed, putting the defenders to flight, who made their escape by an opposite gate, rejoicing in the belief that the infidel besiegers would soon be blown up sky high, and become the food of ghouls and vampires. They were sorely disappointed when they found that the castle did not blow up, and that the giaours had taken entire possession of it. The English leader saw that no time was to be lost. He and his men hunted about and soon came upon the casks of powder of which they were in search. "Now, my lads, heave them over the walls into the sea," he sang out, setting the example which the men were ready enough to follow. Cask after cask was stove and thrown into the sea till some sixty or seventy casks had been destroyed. Sentries had been placed to give notice of the approach of the enemy. Notice was given that they were returning in force.

"Now, my lads," cried Captain W--, "we'll carry off some of these casks to pepper the fellows with their own powder." The idea just suited the taste of the seamen. Each man shouldered a cask, and, fearless of the consequences should a spark of fire get inside one of them, away they scampered through the gates and across the bridge with their booty. As soon as the enemy caught sight of them they again opened their fire.

Several of the daring party were hit. The officers cheered them on.

The fire was hotter than ever. One officer fell. He was a midshipman.

The men rallied round him, and lifting him on their shoulders bore him on towards the boats. He did not breathe or give a sign of life. "Who is it? who is it?" was asked. They reached the boats and shoved off, for the Egyptians were gathering in force to attack them. Jack and Terence, perched on the hammock-nettings, were looking out for the return of the expedition. The frigate was close in, and the boats had to pa.s.s her on their way to their respective ships. One of the boats of the _Hastings_ came first, the one in which Murray had embarked. A union jack was thrown over a part of the stern-sheets.

"Who have you there?" asked Jack, not able to restrain his anxiety.

"A midshipman, sir, who has been killed," was the answer.

"Oh, Terence, it must be Murray!" exclaimed Jack, almost falling off the hammock-nettings overboard. "And yet, no, it can't be; it must not be.

Who is he, that midshipman?" shouted Jack; but the boat was already at some distance, and the people in her did not hear the question asked.

The report soon got about the decks that Murray was killed. Jack and Adair would have been gratified at hearing all the things said about him, and the grief expressed at his loss. Still, after giving vent to their grief for a time, they began to hope that possibly he might not have been killed, but only desperately wounded, and they resolved to ask leave to go on board the _Hastings_ to ascertain the state of the case.

As they were going aft for that purpose, a boat came alongside, and in a few seconds afterwards, who should appear on deck uninjured in limb, and in capital spirits, but Murray himself.

"Who are you? what are you? where do you come from?" exclaimed Terence, scarcely knowing what he said. "Why, Alick, to a certainty you are dead, are you not?"

"I hope not," answered Murray, laughing at the reception his two friends were giving him. "I have not been hit or hurt that I know of."

"All right," exclaimed Jack, springing forward and grasping his hand, which he wrung heartily. "I am so glad. It would have been too dreadful if you had been killed."

"Unhappily, one poor fellow of our party, a midshipman, L--, of the _Hastings_, was killed," observed Murray. "However, let us promise each other for the future, not to fancy that any accident has happened to those who are absent, unless we have very strong evidence of the same."

"Agreed! agreed!" the other two exclaimed. "Whatever anybody else may tell us, we'll all believe that we shall meet again somewhere or other, and be happy together."

It is extraordinary what an effect the notion the three midshipmen had taken up had on them. If Adair was away, though perhaps on some far-distant station, Jack frequently had to say that he did not know where he was to be found, but he always added, "I am certain that we shall meet again before long. What message shall I give him?" Murray said much the same thing of Jack or Adair, and they said the same of Murray. I cannot follow them through the various scenes of the war in Syria. While Sir Charles Napier, to his great delight, was acting the part of a general on sh.o.r.e, with some of his naval followers as his aides-de-camp, they were employed on board their ship, which, with the rest of the squadron, was engaged in sailing along the coast in cooperating with the army, and in blowing up and capturing one fortress after another of those which still held out for Mehemet Ali. Now and then both bluejackets and marines landed, and, much to their satisfaction, stormed the old pacha's strongholds, and literally fulfilled Charley Napier's promise of pulling the stones about the ears of his governors. On one occasion success did not attend the British arms, but, as Paddy Adair observed, "It's an ill wind which blows no one good," and he here had an opportunity which he had so long desired of distinguishing himself. The fortress was a very strong one, with a high thick-walled tower which looked fully capable of defying the battle and the breeze for a thousand years. The ship stood in with the intention of battering it down, but after firing away for an hour or more, little impression was made, and it was resolved to endeavour to take it by storm. Jack had to stay on board, greatly to his disgust, and he did say that he considered himself a most ill-used officer. Adair and Murray accompanied the body of seamen who, with the marines of the squadron, and some mountaineers who had been taken on board along the coast, were landed to form the storming-party. The ground between the castle and the sea was laid out in gardens. Here a body of the enemy was drawn up. The storming-party landed to the south of the town, covered by the fire of the ships, which also cleared the gardens of the enemy. The marines and bluejackets now pushed bravely on, but encountered a terrific fire from the troops within the forts. Murray and Adair were side by side, scrambling over walls and leaping ditches, and cutting through hedges of p.r.i.c.kly pears in spite of the showers of shot which rattled round their heads.

"I say, Alick, poets talk of genial showers; I wonder what they would call the shower now rattling round us?" cried Adair, as he waved on his men.

"A leaden shower, I should think," said Alick.

"Not far wrong, my boy, but I'm afraid it will not make us grow, though," answered Adair. "But I say, the shot do pepper, though."

They did, indeed. Numbers of the marines and sailors were knocked over.

"There's another poor fellow down," cried Adair, stooping down to help up the man, but his aid was of no avail. A deep groan escaped from his bosom, his musket fell from his grasp, and he was dead. Adair with a sigh, for the marine had been his servant, let go his hand and sprang on. In vain the British and their allies fired away at every loophole and embrasure where a man's head or firelock was to be seen. The enemy rattled away as rapidly as ever, and no impression seemed to be made on the walls, while numbers of the storming-party were falling one after the other around. Now a poor fellow would spring up into the air shot through the head, and now would fall down with a groan, and rolling over, clutch convulsively at the earth; one would utter a sharp shriek as he fell; others, with the blood streaming from their limbs, would endeavour to scramble on till they sank with a cry of pain exhausted to the ground. The midshipmen now began to comprehend more clearly than they had ever before done the stern realities of warfare. They got within thirty yards of the walls when they found themselves in front of a crenelled outwork with a deep ditch before it. In vain the officers looked for some part of the castle wall which might prove practicable.

Not a spot appeared accessible, and nothing but the ugly-looking muzzles of the enemy's muskets were visible through the loopholes. Most unwillingly was the command given to retire, and most unwillingly was it obeyed.

"I say, Murray, I don't like this--to have to turn my tail on those red-capped gentry," exclaimed Adair.

"We must obey orders, at all events," observed Murray. "Steady, my men, steady," he added, as some of the sailors were turning round to take a parting shot at the foe.

The marines were drawn off in beautiful order, and the whole party were soon out of the reach of shot. As they were pulling off, Murray and Adair remarked that a flag which had been planted in the garden, in front of the fort, was left flying.

"That will never do, the enemy will be getting it," cried Adair. "I say, Alick, let you and I go and see if we cannot pull it down, and carry it off."

"With all my heart," answered Murray. "Let us put back at once; we must ask Captain A--'s leave as we pa.s.s his boat. He will not refuse it, I am sure."