Under the Meteor Flag Part 20

Ten minutes afterwards Captain Hood came up the side, and immediately gave orders for all hands to come aft. He then, accompanied by Mr Annesley, went up on the p.o.o.p, and stood there, watching the eager and expectant faces of the men as they cl.u.s.tered thickly in the waist on both sides of the deck. The officers were all grouped together upon the quarter-deck.

Waiting until all hands were present, the skipper stepped forward to the head of the p.o.o.p-ladder, and, waving his hand for silence, said,--

"My lads, I have just weturned from a conference with the admiwal, at which every captain in the fleet was pwesent. And I am--ah--charged by Lord Hood to expwess to you all--officers and men alike--his thanks for your wecent exertions in waising the guns to the top of yonder wock.

The battewy thus--er--ah--placed in position will, it is expected, effect a--a pwacticable bweach in the wall of the Convention Wedoubt by sunset this evening, and it is intended to storm the place as soon as-- ah--darkness sets in. The storming-party is to be made up of an equal number of soldiers and bluejackets,"--here the speaker was interrupted by an enthusiastic cheer from his audience, the repet.i.tion of which was checked by the skipper's uplifted hand--"the storming-party," he continued, "is to be composed equally, I say, of soldiers and bluejackets, and the admiwal has authowized each captain to call for fifty volunteers--keep steady, men; be silent and--ah--wait until I have quite finished, if you please. I am authowized to call for fifty volunteers; but I wish you all distinctly to understand that no man who has in any way misconducted himself will be accepted. Now let those who volunteer for the storming-party come abaft the mainmast."

Bob and I, knowing what was coming, had gradually edged to the front--we were of course, with the rest of the officers, already abaft the mainmast--and, directly the skipper ceased, we stepped smartly out and posted ourselves at the foot of the p.o.o.p-ladder, to show that we were volunteering; and then faced round to witness the effect of Captain Hood's speech upon the crew.

The scene was irresistibly comic. In the first place we found that the group of officers had simply shifted position in a compact body, so that we all stood pretty much as we were before. The front ranks of the men had also advanced until they were well abaft the mainmast, when they halted--that is, they _would_ have baited had it not been for the pressure behind, which was pretty steady in the front portion of the ma.s.s, but in the rear something very like a panic ensued, and almost before one could count ten those unfortunates who had not already gained the coveted position began to clamber over the booms, along the hammock- rail, and actually out through the ports, along the main-channels, and in again through the ports farther aft, in their eagerness to volunteer.

The struggling and elbowing increased until it became almost desperate, when one of the boatswain's mates--a brawny, muscular, old sea-dog, with a mahogany visage, a gigantic pig-tail, and his chest and arms elaborately tattooed--stepped out, and, facing round, exclaimed in stentorian tones,--

"Avast heaving there, ye unmannerly swabs; do you take his Majesty's quarter-deck,"--lifting his hat--"for a playhouse-booth on Southsea common? Belay all, and stand fast, every mother's son of ye, and let me speak to the skipper for ye."

Then, facing the p.o.o.p once more, he stepped forward out of the crowd, and doffing his hat, while he made an elaborate sea-sc.r.a.pe with his right foot and gave a tug at his forelock, he addressed the skipper somewhat as follows,--

"I hope your honour'll kindly overlook this little bit of a scrimmage that's just took place, and forgive our unperliteness, seeing as how a many of us has never had a chance of larnin' how to behave ourselves in delicate sitivations. Your honour doesn't need to be told--at least, we hopes not--that we didn't mean nothing in any way unbecoming or disrespectable to you or the rest of the hofficers--no, not by no manner of means whatsomever. All we want to say is just this here: that all hands on us, down to the powder-monkeys, begs most respectably to wolunteer for this here boardin'-party; and we hopes as how you'll take the whole kit of us, 'ceptin' of course the black-sheep as your honour spoke of just now, and let them and the 'jollies' look arter the old barkie, who won't mind takin' care of herself for an hour or two--G.o.d bless her!--while us, her precious hinfants, is havin' a little bit of a lark with the c.r.a.poos ash.o.r.e there."

A loud murmur of approval greeted this effort on the part of the boatswain's mate, and then everybody awaited in silence the reply.

A deep flush of gratification lighted up Captain Hood's features as he said,--

"I thank you from my heart, men, for your--um--generous wesponse to my call, and I am sincerely sowwy that I cannot take you--er--eh--at your words. But the admiwal's instwuctions are impewative, and I have no power to dwaw more than the specified number. As therefore you have _all_ volunteered, the 'Juno's' contingent shall be chosen by lot, whereby all partiality or unfairness will be avoided, and I hope that the aww.a.n.gement will pwove satisfactowy."

The crew were accordingly arranged in a double rank, fore and aft the deck, and lots drawn--each man choosing a folded slip of paper from a bundle, fifty of which were marked, the remainder being blank.

Then came the question of selecting officers, a proper quota of which were to go with the men. It came out at this stage of the proceedings that our skipper had been chosen to command the naval brigade; Mr Annesley therefore, much to his chagrin, found that he had no option but to remain on board. The second and third lieutenants tossed up to decide which of them should go, and the "second" was lucky enough to win. One other officer was required, and the lot fell on Percival, the master's-mate. The doctor was to go, as a matter of course, but he was to be a non-combatant. Little Summers and I--poor Pilgarlic--were so entirely consumed with disgust, that we could find no words sufficiently powerful to express our feelings, and we simply stood glaring at each other in moody silence.

Suddenly a brilliant idea flashed through my brain. Winking encouragingly at the disconsolate Bob, I stepped boldly up to the skipper, and, touching my cap, said,--

"I hope, sir, as the officers will doubtless go ash.o.r.e in the cutter, that you will allow Summers and me to land and join the storming-party.

We will try to make ourselves useful, sir, in the carrying of messages and so on, and--and we have been looking forward so much to the affair that--that we _hope_ you will not disappoint us, sir."

"Oh!" said the skipper; "you wish--you and Summers--to join the storming-party, eh? Well, I weally don't know what to say about that; it would scarcely be fair to the other young gentlemen, you know.

Still--um--ah--let me see. The admiwal and some of the officers, not forming part of the stormers, are going on sh.o.r.e, and they will doubtless use the cutter; and as they will stay until all is over, I think you may venture to join us, and if you get into twouble over the affair, I must do the best I can to make excuses for you."

"Hurrah, Bob!" I exclaimed, as I rejoined my despondent friend. "Faint heart never won fair lady; the skipper has given us permission to slip ash.o.r.e and join the stormers, so off you go at once and get ready. And don't be long, old chap, for the admiral and a lot more are going ash.o.r.e in the little 'Mouette,' and we must be on hand directly our signal is made."

"Never fear," joyously responded Bob. "I'll be ready in a brace of shakes; I've only to get my 'weepons' as our Scotch doctor calls them, and I'll be on deck again as soon as you are."

Having already so successfully enacted the part of a pet.i.tioner, I determined to try my luck once more, and accordingly hunted up the Honourable Mortimer, who had retired to his cabin. One of the hobbies of our somewhat eccentric "third" was the collection of choice weapons, several valuable specimens of which adorned his state-room. If he ever saw anything specially curious or choice in the shape of sword or pistol, he never rested until he had made it his own; but when once the coveted article had come into his possession he seemed to lose all further interest in it, and accordingly, being also a good-natured individual enough, he was always ready to lend from his stock, provided an undertaking were entered into to take due care of the borrowed article, and to faithfully return it.

To this accommodating friend I briefly stated my case, which was simply, that as there was just a bare possibility--I did not like to put it any stronger, remembering that he was one of the disappointed ones--of my being present at the storming of the redoubt, I was anxious to be provided with some more efficient weapon than my dirk, and that I would feel very much obliged to him if he would lend me one of his swords.

This he at once did, bidding me take my choice, and I thereupon selected a beautiful Turkish scimitar, the curved blade of which, inlaid with a delicate scroll pattern in gold, was as keen as a razor. Tucking this under my arm, and thanking him duly for his kindness, I next hurried away to the armourer, and wheedled him out of a pair of ship's pistols, together with the necessary ammunition; after which I returned to the deck and awaited my ally, calm in the consciousness that I was now prepared for any and every emergency. I was almost immediately afterwards joined by Bob, whose face beamed with delight as he directed my attention to a ship's cutla.s.s which he had girded to his thigh, and a pair of long-barrelled duelling-pistols which our fire-eating "second"

had entrusted to his care. We at once trundled down over the side into our c.o.c.klesh.e.l.l of a boat, and, getting on board the "Mouette" with all speed, roused up the anchor and dodged about well in view of the admiral, keeping a sharp lookout for the "whiff" in the mizzen-rigging, which was our especial signal for service.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

THE STORMING OF THE REDOUBT, AND THE ATTACK ON BASTIA.

As the afternoon wore on the wind grew light, and by eight bells it had so far died away that it was practically valueless to the boats which were to convey the naval brigade to the sh.o.r.e. The admiral, however, would not allow the men to row, being anxious that they should reach the scene of action fresh and vigorous; at the last moment, therefore, one of the lieutenants belonging to the "Victory" was sent onboard the "Requin"--or the "Shark," as she was now almost universally called--with orders to get under weigh and tow the flotilla down to the cove.

At the same time our signal was made, in obedience to which we went through the fleet and took on board Lord Hood, Sir Hyde Parker, Vice- Admiral Hotham, Captain Purvis of the "Princess Royal," Commodore Linzee, Captain Elphinstone of the "Robust," Captain Nelson of the "Agamemnon," and some half a dozen other officers who were going on sh.o.r.e to witness the attack.

By the time that we had embarked all our pa.s.sengers, the "Shark" was under weigh and dodging about, waiting for the boats, which were alongside their respective ships, taking in their proper complement of men.

When all was ready, the boats shoved off and pulled for the brig, which was by this time hove-to in readiness for taking them in tow. Admiral Hood himself marshalled the boats in the order which he wished them to take; and two stout hawsers being pa.s.sed out of the brig's stern-ports, the boats were lashed to them in two divisions, larboard and starboard; and when everything was arranged to the satisfaction of our chief, he gave the order for the brig to fill, and away we went.

It took us an hour and a half to reach the cove, the wind being so light; and in order to remain in company, the little "Mouette's" canvas had to be reduced to a close-reefed mainsail and small jib, under which we were still able to sail round the flotilla occasionally, in order that Lord Hood might see that all was right.

It was just growing dusk when the boats, having cast off from the towing hawsers, pulled into the cove and grounded on its steep shingly beach.

We anch.o.r.ed the "Mouette" about a cable's length from the beach, landed our pa.s.sengers, and watched them fairly out of sight on the San Fiorenzo road, when Bob and I leaped into our dinghy and were pulled ash.o.r.e. The naval brigade was by this time in motion; and, hurrying forward, we soon found ourselves alongside the "Juno's" contingent, under the command of the second lieutenant, whose Irish blood was already up, and who greeted our appearance with a rollicking joke, which would in almost any other man have been unbecoming the dignity of his rank. But "Paddy" Flinn--or Micky Flinn, as he was indifferently called by his friends--had a subtle knack of behaving in an undignified manner, without jeopardising the respect due to him; for, let his vagaries take what form they would, he never by any chance descended to the committal of a mean, cowardly, or ungentlemanly act.

The camp of the land forces was pitched at a distance of about two miles from the beach; and the march was accomplished in about three-quarters of an hour, our tars beguiling the way with jokes and yarns of the most outrageous and improbable character. The strictest discipline was always maintained on board ship; but on land-expeditions, which would admit of it, a little more freedom was tacitly permitted.

When we reached the point of rendezvous, we found the troops who were to share with us the honours of the night already on the ground, and waiting. The guns of the Cliff Battery were still thundering away far above us; and the redoubt was replying with apparently undiminished vigour.

The place of rendezvous was a sort of ravine, situated about midway between the two opposing batteries; the ground being masked from the redoubt by one of the precipitous sides of the ravine. At the farther end, the precipice gradually merged into a steep slope, from the summit of which rose the hill upon which the redoubt stood; and up these two steep slopes the storming-party had to go.

By the time that all was ready, night had completely set in. Contrary to our hopes, it was exquisitely fine, not a single shred of cloud obscuring the deep blue vault of heaven. The wind had died away to the faintest zephyr, and the dew was falling so copiously that it promised soon to wet us to the skin. At a signal, made by the waving of a lantern, the guns of the Cliff Battery above us suddenly became mute, as though the artillerymen had given up for the night; and a calm and tranquil silence ensued, broken only by the gentle rustle of the fitful breeze through the foliage of some firs which were dotted here and there along the precipitous sides of the ravine, the chirping of insects, the occasional twitter of a sleeping bird, or a low murmur here and there in the serried ranks of armed men which stood awaiting the order to rush forth to death or victory. The stars flooded the scene with their subdued and mellow radiance, and, but for the occasional gleam of a naked weapon, everything was suggestive of restfulness and peace.

It had been hoped that we should be able to take the garrison of the redoubt at least partially by surprise; but the fineness and silence of the night rendered this impossible; as soon, therefore, as everything was ready, the party moved forward toward the farther end of the ravine, the soldiers leading the way, in accordance with the proviso of Major- General Dundas, who refused to co-operate with the naval brigade upon any other terms. It took us but a few minutes to reach the end of the ravine; and directly we were clear and had reached a point where the first slope became practicable, we were led up it at an easy pace, and halted just beneath its brow--and consequently under cover--in order that all hands might recover their wind in readiness for the rush up the second slope to the redoubt.

I was not, at that period of my life, particularly susceptible to serious thought or grave reflections; but as I stood on that steep hill- side in the hush and solemn beauty of the starlit night, and looked upon that band of silent men, every one of them with the pulses of life beating quick and strong within him, his frame aglow with health, and every nerve quivering with intense excitement, the awful thought flashed through my brain that, with many of them, a few brief seconds only stood between them and eternity. I wondered to how many of them had the same idea presented itself; and then came the question, "Does G.o.d ever in His infinite mercy, in such supreme moments as this, inspire similar reflections in the minds of the doomed ones, in order that they may not be hurried into His presence wholly unprepared?" It might be so, I thought; and if that were the case, was it not probable that, coming to me at such a time, they foreshadowed my own doom, and warned me to prepare for it while still I had an opportunity? Five minutes hence, perhaps, and Time would be, for me, no more. The signal to advance--the breathless rush--the flash and roar of artillery, a sickening crash, a hideous whirl, in which all nature becomes blotted out, and then--The Great White Throne.

Was that what lay before me? The oppressive excitement under which I had been labouring pa.s.sed away; tears of emotion welled up into my eyes, and my heart went up to G.o.d in a brief, silent, fervent prayer for mercy and forgiveness; that if I were about to die I might be pardoned for Christ's sake and received into everlasting life. For a minute or two the fear of death--or rather, of the eternity beyond death--had been upon me; but with the conclusion of my hurried prayer the mantle of fear fell from my shoulders, and a blessed peace--"the peace of G.o.d, which pa.s.seth all understanding," as I reverently believed--took its place. I was supported by a consciousness, or perhaps it was only a belief, that whatever happened I was safe; and from that moment my only anxiety was to faithfully do my duty.

At length, sufficient time having been allowed for the men to completely recover their breath and brace themselves for the final rush up the hill to the redoubt, the word was given, and we dashed over the brow of the slope and charged up the steep ascent; and at the same instant the artillerymen in the Cliff Battery--who had been keenly watching our movements--reopened with a terrific fire upon the devoted redoubt.

Our men gave a single ringing, soul-stirring cheer, as they sprang into view, and then were silent, the exertion of pressing up that steep acclivity leaving them no breath to waste in profitless noise. The distance to be traversed was not more than 200 yards--no great matter upon level ground--but the hill rose so abruptly that, after the first fifty yards, our pace was reduced to something between a walk and a climb. The French, too, had evidently expected and been on the watch for us; for we had hardly advanced twenty paces before the parapet of the redoubt blazed out above us in a long line of fire; a storm of round shot and grape swept down upon us; great ghastly gaps were mown out of our ranks, a hideous chorus of shrieks and groans rose above the thundering roar of the artillery, and long lines of dead and dying men marked the path of the pitiless shot. The calmness and stillness of night gave place to a horrible discord of deafening sounds; the earth beneath our feet shook and vibrated with the ceaseless discharge of heavy guns; the baleful glare of portfires and fireb.a.l.l.s flung down the hill by the enemy to enable them more clearly to ascertain our position, and the incessant flash of the cannon, cast a fierce, unearthly light upon the scene. Again, again, and again came the hissing storm of iron, each time with more deadly effect; the ground before and around us was ploughed and gashed by the rushing shot; our men were swept away before it like withered leaves before a hurricane; the death-cries of cherished comrades continually pierced the ear; the storming-party was melting away like snow beneath the scorching breath of that fiery tempest; and still the remnant struggled on.

At length that fearful breathless climb was nearly over. We were so near the redoubt that the muzzles of the guns could no longer be depressed sufficiently for the shot to take effect; the artillerymen, therefore, left their cannon and joined the grenadiers in throwing down hand-grenades upon us, or in pouring in a ceaseless musketry-fire. The guns in the Cliff Battery also became silent, in dread of striking friends as well as foes. A few yards more, and we were close enough to distinguish the stern, bronzed features of the defenders cl.u.s.tering thick in the breach to bar our entrance, the musketry flashes gleaming on their glistening eyeb.a.l.l.s, and flickering on their levelled bayonet- points. My recent runs on sh.o.r.e, and the exercise of climbing up and down the Cliff rock seemed to have given me an advantage over the rest; for there was by this time no one in front of me. Two individuals there were, however, close at hand, in one of whom I recognised the skipper, the other being Major-General Dundas. They were evidently racing for the breach, and the skipper was getting the worst of it, being thoroughly blown. We were all three pretty evenly in line, but the soldier had chosen his road with the greater judgment. At last the skipper, too exhausted to keep upright any longer, put his sword between his teeth and went down on his hands and knees. I saw at once the nature of the rivalry, it was a struggle which should reach the breach first, the army or the navy; and I knew Captain Hood would rather lose a hundred pounds than be beaten.

Like them, I was dreadfully exhausted, the fatigue I experienced being so great that it amounted to positive pain; the muscles of my legs in particular ached and quivered violently with the exertions I had been making. Still, I was not nearly so bad as the other two, being decidedly strong and vigorous for my age, and I determined that the skipper should be gratified if it lay in my power; so I scrambled to his side and held out my hand to him shouting,--

"Let me give you a tow, sir; and we'll be in before the red-coat yet."

He grasped my hand without a word, rose to his feet, and together we strained and pressed upward. A couple of yards still lay between us and the hedge of bayonets which guarded the breach. The bullets flew about us thick as hail; one pa.s.sing through my hat, another shredding away half the bullion from the skipper's starboard epaulette, two more actually pa.s.sing through my jacket and razing the skin; yet by a miracle we escaped unwounded.

One more desperate effort, and we staggered up the loose _debris_ and into the breach, a clear yard ahead of our rival; and then, shoulder to shoulder, we stood and tried to recover our breath as best we could, defending ourselves meanwhile from the innumerable cuts and thrusts which were aimed at us. The next to arrive was, of course, Major- General Dundas; then came Mr Flinn, closely followed by the captain of the "Juno's" main-top; then five or six soldiers; and, thus strengthened, we pressed forward, foot by foot, the Frenchmen obstinately contesting every inch of the way, until we had fairly penetrated to the interior of the redoubt, when--a path being thus cleared for those who came behind--the relics of the storming-party surged in and rushed upon the enemy with such resistless impetuosity that some of the garrison threw down their arms and surrendered; while the rest broke and fled in direst confusion.

A feeble cheer announced our success, which was immediately answered by a ringing "three times three--and one cheer more, for the storming- party," from the occupants of the Cliff Battery away aloft in the cool night-air.

Poor little Bobby Summers came panting in with the ruck, after all was over; and the first use he made of his breath, after he had recovered it sufficiently to speak, was to abuse me in unmeasured terms for what he was pleased to term my "meanness," in leaving him to struggle up the hill unaided.

All hands remained on sh.o.r.e that night, to make everything secure, and to guard against the possibility of an attempt to retake the redoubt; the storming-party being quickly reinforced by a strong detachment from the camp, which had been held in readiness to march in as soon as the redoubt should be carried.