Under the Meteor Flag Part 8

I was sure I saw the two French officers start and glance quickly at each other at this remark; and then, for the first time, I noticed that they wore tri-coloured c.o.c.kades in their hats.

"Why, those gentlemen have _national_ c.o.c.kades in their hats!" I exclaimed involuntarily.

"By Jove! you are right, young gentleman, they have!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the skipper. "What is the meaning of all this, monsieur? Are you a Nationalist, or are you a Royalist in disguise? And I beg that you will at once tell me the whereabouts of Lord Hood and his fleet. Unless I receive a distinct answer, I shall be forced to believe that treachery is meditated, and shall take the necessary precautionary steps forthwith."

The Frenchmen looked in each other's faces for an instant, and then the one who had called his boat's crew on deck turned to the skipper and said, in French,--

"Calm yourself, monsieur, I have the honour to inform you that you and your ship's company are prisoners. But the English are a good people, and we will treat you all with the utmost kindness. The English admiral went away some time ago, and Toulon is now in the hands of the Nationalists."

The expression of mingled horror and disgust which slowly overspread the features of the skipper and the first luff, like a summer cloud sailing slowly across the disc of the full moon, would have been irresistibly laughable under other circ.u.mstances, but as matters stood n.o.body felt the slightest inclination to laugh.

"_Prisoners_!!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Mr Annesley. He was apparently too full for further utterance, but he had already said quite enough. "We are prisoners!" flew from mouth to mouth, like wildfire, and in less than two minutes every man in the ship had become acquainted with our position. Every officer came crowding aft, to ascertain the truth of the startling rumour, and a more disgusted and dejected-looking group of mortals than we appeared, it would have been difficult to find.

The disagreeable announcement once made, the French officers hastened to place matters upon a more agreeable basis, exerting themselves to the utmost to get up a lively general conversation, and explaining how it was that we had so easily run into the trap. A very few words sufficed for this, the matter was so excessively simple.

It appeared, from the French officers' statement, that Lord Hood, after sustaining a long and hara.s.sing siege of nearly four months, had, on the night of the 18th of the previous December, been at length compelled to evacuate Toulon, he finding it utterly impossible to hold it any longer with the small force at his command--barely 17,000 men--against the overwhelming numbers of the besiegers, who mustered close upon 50,000.

But though unable to prevent the Republicans from obtaining possession of this important place, the British admiral resolved that it should pa.s.s into their hands, comparatively speaking, valueless. Immediately, therefore, that it was finally decided to retire from the place, he set on foot preparations to destroy the a.r.s.enal, magazines, etcetera, and such of the French ships as it was deemed inexpedient to take away with him; and though he was unable to carry out in their entirety the whole of his arrangements, it was pretty evident, from our informants'

account, that the destruction actually effected was something enormous; the dockyard, with its various storehouses, the magazines, two powder- ships, and two 74-gun ships of war--the "Heros," and "Themistocle"-- being burnt.

It must have been a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight to witness these destructive operations, effected as they were during the darkness of the night. The conflagration of the stores, warehouses, and ships, the explosion of powder magazines and powder vessels--the latter being _set on fire_ by our lubberly allies, the Spaniards, instead of being scuttled, as had been arranged--and the incessant flash of the cannon and musketry--a hot conflict raging all the while between the British and the Republican forces--could not fail of being an awfully impressive sight; and such it had evidently proved to our informants, who described the various scenes which they had witnessed on that memorable night with a very considerable amount of graphic power.

So interested were we all, for the moment, in this narration, that every one appeared to have completely forgotten our excessively unpleasant position, until it was recalled to our minds by an exclamation from our third lieutenant, the Honourable Edward Plantagenet Mortimer.

"Aw--excuse my intewupting this extwemely intewesting er--ah-- conversation," said he, in his usual dandified style, "but I should like to diwect your attention, Captain Hood, to the--ah--important fact that--ah--_the wind has changed_, and, if I may be allowed to expwess an opinion, I would say that if we could get the canvas upon the ship, I believe _we could fetch out of the harbour again_."

The effect was electrical. The remark suggested such readiness of resource, such consummate seamanship, and such dashing courage on the part of the speaker, that, had it been uttered by Mr Annesley even, we should probably have been somewhat surprised; but emanating from the source it did, our astonishment simply beggars description. There was a dead silence for a moment, while we were ruminating upon and digesting the possibilities involved in the suggestion, and then, as it became apparent that a bold dash for freedom was still in our power, a ringing cheer burst out, fore and aft.

In an instant the skipper was himself again. "Silence, fore and aft!"

he exclaimed; "every sound you utter now may cost a man's life. To your stations, men, and let every order be executed with the rapidity and-- ah--silence of thought. Mr Annesley, make sail, if you please.

Gentlemen,"--to the Frenchmen--"you will wegwet to learn that you have made a slight--ah--mistake. Instead of our _being your_ prisoners, you are _ours_. And--er--as your countwymen, with their chawactewistic politeness, may possibly salute us as we pa.s.s the battewies, and as they may, in their anxiety to do so, omit to dwaw the shot from their guns, allow me to suggest that you wetire below. Mr Carnegie--our lieutenant of mawines--has, I see, been thoughtful enough to pwovide an escort for you, and in his hands I have much pleasure in leaving you; you will find him a twuly delightful companion. Good evening, gentlemen, for the present."

At first the Frenchmen appeared unable to believe their own ears. Then, as they began to realise that we were actually about to attempt our escape, they rapidly threw themselves together, back to back, and began to handle their sabres menacingly. Carnegie, however, who upon hearing the Honourable Mortimer's remark had grasped the situation in an instant, had at once slipped off, returning in a very few minutes with some five-and-twenty fully-armed marines, and with these he promptly surrounded the chagrined Frenchmen, who found the way in which the "jollies" handled their half-pikes so little to their taste that they at length came to the conclusion that discretion was, in their case, the better part of valour, and sullenly suffered themselves to be conducted below.

In the meantime our lads had been anything but idle. With the activity of so many cats they had scuttled away aloft, laying out upon the yards, and casting off the gaskets in a style which must have done Mr Annesley's heart good, and which, to a moral certainty, considerably astonished the Frenchmen on board the surrounding ships and in the batteries. There was no confusion whatever; everything was done with as much method and precision as if we had been merely exercising the crew; but, on the other hand, not one second of precious time was wasted, and it really was a pretty sight to see all the canvas falling simultaneously from the yards, the topsail sheets instantly going home into their places, and the three topsail-yards directly afterwards soaring away up to the mast-heads. Then home came the topgallant sheets, and up went the yards, the royals following, and being set literally before the topgallant halliards were belayed. The fore-and- aft canvas was at the same time set, and the moment that the royals were at the mast-heads the yards were braced for casting the ship. The carpenter and one of his mates were stationed at the hawse-pipe, armed with their keenest axes, and stood ready to strike directly the word was given. In three minutes from the time that the order had been given to make sail, Mr Annesley turned to the skipper and said, with the utmost composure, "All ready, sir."

"Where is Mr Percival?" inquired Captain Hood.

"Here, sir!" replied Percival, stepping forward and touching his cap.

"Take charge, sir, if you please," said the skipper. "And do not forget that the safety of the frigate, and our chances of escape from a long captivity are absolutely in your hands. If we touch the ground and hang for five minutes, we shall be simply blown out of the water."

"I will do my best, sir," quietly replied Percival taking up a convenient position for conning the ship.

"I feel sure you will, sir," returned the skipper. "Say when we shall cut."

"At once, sir, if you please," was the reply.

"Cut, and cut with a will!" said Mr Annesley. Three or four quick strokes were heard, the frigate's head paid slowly off until her sails filled, when the head-yards were swung, the fore-and-main-tacks were boarded, the sheets hauled aft, and every sail trimmed as if for a sailing-match.

The fact that our movements were closely watched became apparent the moment that the hands appeared in the rigging to loose the sails, a very perceptible stir taking place on board the brig, while lights rapidly made their appearance in the several batteries.

"We are about to have a warm quarter of an hour," remarked the skipper, who had been keenly noting these sinister indications, while the first luff was getting the ship under weigh. "Let the crew go to quarters at once, if you please, Mr Annesley."

"Ay, ay, sir!" was the reply. "If we only had a little more wind--and there it comes--blow, good breezes, blow! I believe we shall sc.r.a.pe clear, after all. Beat to quarters!"

A sharp roll of the drum immediately broke in upon the quietude of the night; there was a momentary bustle--but only momentary the men having already gone to quarters, as a matter of course--and then all was profound silence once more on board, save for a gentle rippling sound beneath the bows and along the sides, and the occasional creak of a block aloft.

"Say when you wish to tack, Mr Percival," said the first luff, stationing himself alongside the master's-mate.

"Not yet, sir," said Percival; "the wind is favouring us a little just now--there it freshens a trifle, and she looks up better than ever.

Keep her a good clean full, quarter-master, and let her go through the water. I wish there was not quite so much tide, though it _is_ in our favour; it is setting us bodily down towards the shoal water. Keep the lead going, there, in the fore-chains. We should do none the worse, sir, if the Frenchmen's boat were cut adrift."

"Cut it adwift at once," said the skipper, who was standing close by; "cut it adwift at once, and the launch as well; we cannot afford to have so much as a rope's end dragging alongside just now. Ah! I have been expecting that," as the brig before referred to, having got a spring upon her cable, and brought her broadside to bear, opened fire upon us.

"Never mind," continued the skipper, "we shall soon be out of harm's way, as far as she is concerned; it is the fire of the battewies I dwead most; they, no doubt, mount heavy metal, and if the guns are well served a single bwoadside will unwig us. This is an ugly looking fellow here, on our starboard bow; they evidently mean mischief there, by the number of lights they show. Let the starboard bwoadside guns be twained for the thwee ports where we see the most light, Mr Annesley, and let each gun be fired, as it is bwought to bear."

At this juncture another broadside from the brig whistled overhead, making a few eyelet-holes in our canvas and cutting one or two unimportant ropes; and immediately afterwards a shot, quickly followed by another, and yet another, came plunging at us from the fort.

The guns were evidently pointed with the intention of bringing down our spars, but luckily we again escaped without any damage worth speaking of. Matters were beginning to a.s.sume a very lively aspect for us; for as we glided down the harbour we could see the lights glancing in battery after battery, on each side of us, until every one of them was lighted up.

Still, on swept the frigate, silent as a ghostly ship, and without a light of any kind visible on board her, the battle-lanterns being every one carefully masked, the men standing silent and motionless as statues at their guns; even the remarks interchanged between the officers were expressed in low murmurs only loud enough to reach the ear for which they were intended, the oppressive silence being intensified rather than broken by an occasional "Luff! luff, you may, quarter-master," from Percival.

Presently, _crash_ came a simultaneous discharge of five heavy guns from the battery on our starboard hand, and four from another battery on the opposite sh.o.r.e; the shot hissed overhead, there was a dull crushing thud or two aloft, and a little rattling shower on deck as ropes and splinters came clattering down. Some of our spars had evidently been badly wounded, and the carpenter and his mates were sent aloft to ascertain the extent of the damage. While they were ascending the rigging, _bang_ went our foremost gun on the starboard side, followed by the remainder of the broadside; and the moon happening to shine full upon the stone walls of the fort which had just opened upon us, we saw, as the smoke drove astern, a little cloud of dust rise about one of the embrasures, a ragged patch of chipped and broken stone appeared to start out upon the wall, and faintly borne down to us on the heavy night-wind came the sound of shrieks and yells of agony. It was perfectly evident that our shot had told with severe effect.

As though the discharge of our broadside had been the preconcerted signal for a general cannonade, every battery within range on each side of the harbour now opened fire upon us, some of them, however, fortunately for us, being unable to bring more than a single gun to bear. Had the guns on sh.o.r.e been served with only ordinary skill, we should undoubtedly have been destroyed; as it was, though the shot flew over and over us thick as hail, lashing the sea into foam all round us, shredding our sails to ribbons, cutting up very badly our standing and running rigging, bringing down our main-topgallant-mast, and severely wounding several of our other spars, we still glided safely on, our hull uninjured, and not a man hurt. Orders were now sent down for the guns on the main-deck to play upon every battery upon which they could be brought to bear, and for each gun to be laid with the greatest possible accuracy, precision rather than rapidity of fire being the skipper's object. An irregular fire from both broadsides accordingly now commenced; and that it was not altogether without effect was demonstrated by the speedy silencing of two or three out of the many guns now playing upon us; but, as our object was to escape with the least possible delay, Captain Hood would not allow the frigate's course to be altered by so much as one single hair's-breadth in order to bring our guns more directly to bear upon either of the batteries.

"We shall have to make a short board presently, sir," said Percival to the skipper, as we drew down to within half a mile of the harbour entrance; "there is shoal water directly ahead of us now, and we have broken off a couple of points within the last ten minutes. Shall we heave about at once, or go on as far as we can? If we stand on much farther, we shall be exposed to the fire of yonder battery, which seems to be preparing a warm reception for us."

"Go about at once, sir, by all means," replied the skipper. "We have got off wonderfully well so far; we will certainly not run any unnecessary risks now. Ready about, Mr Annesley."

"Ay, ay, sir. Ready about!" repeated the first lieutenant. The men went to their several stations, the coiled-up braces, etcetera, were thrown off the belaying-pins, and all was ready for the execution of the proposed manoeuvre.

"Down with your helm, quarter-master," was the next order. The tiller- ropes creaked as the wheel was rapidly spun round by the brawny and dexterous arms of the quarter-master, and the ship slowly luffed to the wind.

"Hold on of all!" suddenly exclaimed Percival. Then, turning to the skipper, he continued. "The wind is favouring us again, sir; she is still clean full; and if the breeze keeps as it is for ten minutes more, we shall fetch out clear of everything."

"So much the better," remarked the skipper. "Our present course, however, will take us unpleasantly close to that battery; so,"--looking round until his eye lighted on me--"be so good as to step down to the main-deck, Mr Chester, and request Mr Flinn to treble-shot his larboard broadside and pour it into that battery as we pa.s.s. Perhaps we may be a second or so beforehand with them; and if so, a well-directed broadside on our part may stop their fire altogether."

I soon found Mr Flinn; and, having delivered my message, returned at once to the quarter-deck, anxious to see how we should fare with this last battery, which, to judge by appearances, was the most formidable of them all. As I emerged through the hatchway. Percival gave the word to the helmsman to keep away a couple of points, the frigate having just shaved past the most prominent part of the shoal. This brought the battery directly abreast of us, and less than a quarter of a mile distant; and I was waiting for the concussion of our broadside, which I momentarily expected would be poured into it, when the whole face of the fort blazed out into a line of fire; there was a deafening roar, a loud whirring sound in the air, a crashing among our spars aloft, two distinct and heavy thuds, telling that some of the shot had struck our hull; and then, as the mizen-topmast fell over the side, the fore- topgallant-mast following--the topmast-head being shot away--our whole broadside rang out at once, and we distinctly heard the crushing sound of the shot as it struck the masonry.

The breeze had in the meantime freshened somewhat, and notwithstanding our crippled condition, we were slipping through the water at the rate of about five knots. We had by this time run the gauntlet of all the batteries on each side of the haven, and we considered that we had had the worst that we were to have; our spirits accordingly began to rise, as the prospect of escape became more hopeful. The skipper expected that we should have to sustain a couple more broadsides from the battery with which we had just exchanged compliments, after which, if we escaped further serious damage, we might consider ourselves safe. Every eye-- excepting perhaps Percival's and the helmsman's--was accordingly directed anxiously to the dark frowning ma.s.s which stood out indistinctly from the dark background of land, and which every moment grew more and more vague and undefined, expecting to see the lurid line of fire blaze out from the darkness once more. But minute after minute pa.s.sed by, the frigate drawing out from the land all the while, and the breeze freshening with every fathom of additional distance, until nothing could be discerned, even with the aid of our night-gla.s.ses, but the feeble glimmer of the lanterns showing through the port-holes; and presently these abruptly disappeared: the battery was shut in by a projecting point of land and _we had escaped_.

The moment that this agreeable fact became known the crew with one accord gave three hearty cheers, the skipper himself for the nonce laying aside his usual _sang-froid_ and leading off. The guns were secured, a liberal allowance of grog served out, and then, late as it was--about half an hour after midnight--all hands turned-to to repair damages.

CHAPTER TEN.