Will Weatherhelm Part 41

"Why should we be dull, Messieurs," he said, "when we can sing and play!" And he forthwith took his fiddle, which he had stuck up in one of the baskets, and began sc.r.a.ping away a merry air, which, jarring on our feelings, had a different effect to what he had expected. Still he sc.r.a.ped on, every now and then trolling forth s.n.a.t.c.hes of French songs.

At last, Mr Harvey told him to put up his fiddle for the present, and to lie down and go to sleep.

"I shall want you to look out by and by, when I keep my watch," he said; "and meantime you, Wetherholm and Hagger, take charge of the raft, and I hope in a short time to be able to let you lie down."

Saying this, Mr Harvey laid down on a small platform which we had built for the purpose of enabling two of us at a time to be free of the wash of the water. d.i.c.k and I kept our places, lashed to the raft with our paddles in our hands. Our young officer was asleep almost immediately he placed his head upon the piece of timber which ran across the platform and served to support the mast.

"What do you think of matters, Will?" asked d.i.c.k, after a long silence.

"If it comes on to blow, will this raft hold together?"

"I fear not," I answered; "at all events, we should find it a hard job to keep alive on it if the sea were to get up, for it would wash over and over us, and although we might hold on, our provisions would be carried away. I hope, however, before another day is over that we shall be picked up by some homeward-bound craft; but don't let such thoughts trouble you, d.i.c.k. Having done our best, all we can do is to pray that we may be preserved."

"I don't let them trouble me," answered d.i.c.k, "but still they will come into my head. I've fought for my king and country, and have done my duty, and am prepared for the worst."

"You should trust rather to One who died for sinners," I felt myself bound to say. "He will save our souls though our bodies perish."

"I have never been much of a scholar, but I know that," answered d.i.c.k, "and I believe that our officer knows it too. If he didn't, he would not be as sound asleep as he is now."

I was very glad to hear d.i.c.k say this, for although we were at present much better off than we might have been, I was fully alive to our precarious situation. Even should the weather prove fine, we might not reach the sh.o.r.e for many a day, and our provisions and water would not hold out long, while, should it come on to blow, they might be lost, and we should be starved, even if the raft should hold together and we had strength to cling on to it.

d.i.c.k and I occasionally exchanged remarks after this, but still the time went on very slowly. Neither of us had the heart to call up Mr Harvey; but about midnight, as far as I could judge, he started up, and calling Jacques, told d.i.c.k and me to lie down. We did so thankfully securing ourselves with lashings one on either side of the mast. Before I closed my eyes, I observed that not a star was twinkling in the sky which seemed overcast down to the horizon. Though there was not much wind, there was rather more than there had been, and there was still too much sea on to allow us to set sail.

I was never much given to dreaming, but on this occasion, though I closed my eyes and was really asleep, I fancied all sorts of dreadful things. Now the raft appeared to be sinking down to the depths of the ocean, now it rose to the top of a tremendous sea, to sink once more amid the tumbling waters. I heard strange cries and shrieks, and then the howling of a gale as if in the rigging of a ship. I thought I was once more on board the brig, and saw the sea which had swept away my shipmates come rolling up towards us. Again the shrieks which I had heard sounded in my ears, and I felt the wild waters rushing over me. I started up to find that it was a dreadful reality. The portion of the raft to which I was clinging was almost submerged. The larger part appeared broken up. I looked round for my companions. The night was pitchy dark, I could see no one. I called to them, there was no reply.

I felt across to where d.i.c.k had been--he was gone!

"d.i.c.k Hagger, Mr Harvey, Jacques, where are you?" I shouted.

d.i.c.k's voice replied, "Heave a rope and haul us in." I felt about for one, but not a line could I find, except the lashings attached to the raft.

"Where are you?" I again cried out.

"Here, with Mr Harvey; I tried to save him," was the answer.

Alas, how helpless I felt! With frantic haste I endeavoured to draw out some of the lashings, in the hopes of forming a line long enough to reach d.i.c.k, but my efforts were in vain. The raft was tossing wildly about. It was with the greatest difficulty I could cling on to it, pressing my knees round one of the cross timbers. I heard once more the cry:

"Good-bye, Will, G.o.d help you!" and then I knew that d.i.c.k and the young officer he was trying to save had sunk beneath the waves.

Again and again I shouted, but no voice replied. Though thus left alone, I still desired to live, and continued clinging to the shattered raft, tossed about by the foaming seas. Frequently the water rushed over me; it was difficult to keep my head above it long enough to regain my breath before another wave came rolling in. It seemed to me an age that I was thus clinging on in pitchy darkness, but I believe the catastrophe really occurred only a short time before daylight. In what direction the wind was blowing I could not tell. When the raft rose to the top of a sea I endeavoured to look round. No sail was in sight, nor could I distinguish the land. I felt that I could not hold out many hours longer. One of the baskets still remained lashed to the raft, but its contents had been washed out, and the casks of water had been carried away. Hour after hour pa.s.sed by. There was less sea running, and the wind had somewhat gone down. The thoughts of my wife still kept me up, and made me resolve to struggle to the last for life, but I was growing weaker and weaker. At length I fell off into a kind of stupor, though I still retained sufficient sense to cling to the rail.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

AT THE LAST GASP--TAKEN ON BOARD THE SOLWAY CASTLE INDIAMAN-- HOMEWARD-BOUND--HOPES OF FREEDOM AT LAST--WE ENTER THE THAMES--SHIP BRINGS UP AT THE MOUTH OF THE MEDWAY--VISITED BY A PRESSGANG--CARRIED ON BOARD THE GLATTON, 56 GUNS, CAPTAIN HENRY TROLLOPE--SAIL TO JOIN THE NORTHERN FLEET UNDER ADMIRAL DUNCAN--REACH YARMOUTH ROADS--SENT TO JOIN A SQUADRON OFF HELVOETSLUIS--THE GLATTON ENCOUNTERS A FRENCH SQUADRON OF FOUR FRIGATES, TWO CORVETTES, A BRIG, AND CUTTER--WE ENGAGE THEM, AND OUR HEAVY CARRONADES FEARFULLY CUT THEM UP--THEY TAKE TO FLIGHT AND ESCAPE--WHILE RETURNING TO YARMOUTH I FALL OVERBOARD--FIND A BOAT-- PICKED UP BY A CUTTER BOUND TO PLYMOUTH--BECALMED OFF THE EDDYSTONE--AM AGAIN SEIZED BY A PRESSGANG AND TAKEN ON BOARD THE CLEOPATRA--MY DESPAIR--SAIL FOR THE WEST INDIES--A DESPERATE BATTLE--OVERPOWERED BY NUMBERS--WE STRIKE OUR FLAG--MISERABLE CONTEMPLATIONS.

How long I had remained thus I could not tell, when I was aroused by hearing a man's voice, and looking up, saw a boat close to me, beyond her a ship hove-to. One of the crew sprang on to the raft, and casting off the lashings, he and others leaning over the bow of the boat, dragged me on board. After this I knew nothing until I found myself in a hammock on board a large merchantman. A surgeon soon afterwards came to me.

"You will do well enough now, my man," he said to me in a kind voice; "but you were almost gone when we picked you up."

I inquired what ship I was on board.

"The _Solway Castle_, homeward-bound East Indiaman," he answered.

This was indeed satisfactory news, as I should now, I trusted, be able to get back to my dear wife without the necessity of asking leave. I might indeed almost consider myself a free man, for I did not feel that it would be my duty to return to the _Galatea_, considering that the prize I had been put on board had gone down. After the doctor had left me, the sick bay attendant brought me a basin of soup which wonderfully revived me, and in shorter time than the doctor said he expected I could not help acknowledging that I was almost myself again.

I felt very sad as I thought of the loss of young Mr Harvey and my old friend d.i.c.k Hagger; still the hopes of so soon being at home again made me think less of them than I might otherwise have done, and contributed greatly to restore my strength. I was treated in the kindest way by the doctor, and many others on board, who, having heard my history, commiserated my hitherto hard fate. A fair breeze carried us up Channel. When I was able to go on deck I kept a look-out, half expecting to see an enemy's ship bear down on us, although, unless she should be a powerful frigate or line-of-battle ship, she would have had a hard job to capture the _Solway Castle_, which was well armed, and carried a numerous crew. Still I could not help recollecting the old saying, "There's many a slip between the cup and the lip." The truth was, I had not yet recovered my full strength, and the doctor remarked that I required tonics to set me up and drive gloomy thoughts out of my head. We kept well over to the English coast to avoid the risk of falling in with French cruisers. We had got abreast of Portland when a strange sail was made out to the southward, which, as she was seen edging in towards the land, it was supposed without doubt was an enemy.

The pa.s.sengers, of whom there were a good number returning after a long absence from India, began to look very blue.

"Never fear, ladies and gentlemen," I heard the captain observe, "we'll show the Frenchman that we're not afraid of him, and the chances are, make him afraid of us." Saying this, he ordered the studden sails we had carried to be taken in, and the royals to be set, and then bringing the ship on a wind, boldly stood out towards the stranger. The effect was as desired. The stranger, hauling her wind, stood away to the southward, taking us probably for a line-of-battle ship, which the stout old "tea chest" resembled at a distance. By yawing and towing a sail overboard, we stopped our way, until the captain thought the object had been answered, when once more, squaring away the yards, we continued our course up the Channel.

As we pa.s.sed the Isle of Wight, I cast many a look at its picturesque sh.o.r.es, hoping that a pilot boat might put off at the Needles, and that I might have the opportunity of returning in her, but none boarded us until we were near the Downs, when, unfortunately, I was below, and before I could get on deck the boat was away. However, I consoled myself with the reflection that in another day or two we should be safe in the Thames, and I resolved not to lose a moment in starting for Portsmouth as soon as I stepped on sh.o.r.e. I thought that I might borrow some money from my friend the doctor, or some of the pa.s.sengers, who would, I believed, willingly have lent it me, or if not, I made up my mind to walk the whole distance, and beg for a crust of bread and a drink of water should there be no other means of obtaining food. My spirits rose as the lofty cliffs of Dover hove in sight, and rounding the North Foreland, we at length, the wind shifting, stood majestically up the Thames. When off the Medway, the wind fell, and the tide being against us, we had to come to an anchor. We had not been there long when a man-of-war's boat came alongside. I observed that all her crew were armed, and that she had a lieutenant and midshipman in her, both roughish-looking characters. They at once stepped on board with an independent, swaggering air. The lieutenant desired the captain to muster all hands. My heart sank as I heard the order. I was on the point of stowing myself away, for as I did not belong to the ship, I hoped to escape. Before I had time to do so, however, the midshipman, a big whiskered fellow, more like a boatswain's mate than an officer, with two men, came below and ordered me up with the rest. The captain was very indignant at the behaviour of the lieutenant and the midshipman, declaring that his crew were protected, and had engaged to sail in another of the Company's ships after they had had a short leave on sh.o.r.e.

"Well and good for those who are protected, but those who are not must accompany me," answered the lieutenant. "We want hands to man our men-of-war who protect you merchantmen, and hands we must get by hook or by crook." Having called over the names, he selected twenty of the best men who had no protection. I was in hopes I should escape, when the midshipman pointed me out.

The lieutenant inquired if I belonged to the ship. I had to acknowledge the truth, when, refusing to hear anything I had to say, though I pleaded hard to be allowed to go free, he ordered me with the rest into the boat alongside. Having got all the men he could obtain, the lieutenant steered for Sheerness, and took us alongside a large ship lying off the dockyard, where she had evidently been fitting out. She looked to me, as we approached her, very much like an Indiaman, and such I found she had been. She was, in truth, the _Glatton_, of one thousand two hundred and fifty-six tons, which had a short time before been purchased, with several other ships, from the East India Company by the British Government. She was commanded, I found, by Captain Henry Trollope, and carried fifty-six guns, twenty-eight long eighteen-pounders on the upper deck, and twenty-eight carronades, sixty-eight pounders, on the lower deck. Her crew consisted in all of three hundred and twenty men and boys, our arrival almost making up the complement. The ship's company was superior to that of most ships in those days, although somewhat scanty considering the heavy guns we had to work.

We were welcomed on board, and I heard the lieutenant remark that he had made a good haul of prime hands. It was a wonder, men taken as we had been, could submit to the severe discipline of a man-of-war, but all knew that they had do help for it. They had to run the risk of being flogged or perhaps hung as mutineers if they took any steps to show their discontent, or to grin and bear it.

Most of them, as I did myself, preferred the latter alternative. I had never before seen such enormous guns as were our sixty-eight pounder carronades, larger than any yet used in the service,--indeed, their muzzles were almost of equal diameter with the ports, so that they could only be pointed right abeam. We had neither bow nor stern-chasers, which was also a great drawback. Some of the men, when looking at the guns, declared that they should never be able to fight them; however, in that they were mistaken. Practice makes perfect, and we were kept exercising them for several hours every day.

The ship was nearly ready for sea, and soon after I was taken on board we sailed from Sheerness, for the purpose of reinforcing the North Sea Fleet under Admiral Duncan. In four or five days, during which we were kept continually exercising the guns, we arrived in Yarmouth Roads.

Scarcely had we dropped anchor than we were ordered off again to join a squadron of two sail of the line and some frigates, commanded by Captain Savage of the _Albion_, sixty-four, supposed to be cruising off Helvoetsluis.

Next morning, long before daylight,--it had gone about two bells in the middle watch,--we made the coast of Flanders, and through the gloom discovered four large ships under the land. The wind, which had hitherto been fresh, now fell, and we lay becalmed for some hours in sight of Goree steeple, which bore south by east. We and the strangers all this time did not change our relative positions. That they were enemies we had no doubt, but of what force we could not make out. As the day wore on, a breeze sprang up from the north-west; at the same time we saw two other good-sized ships join the four already in view.

We instantly made all sail, and stood towards the strangers, making signals as soon as we got near enough for them to distinguish our bunting. No reply being made, we were satisfied that they were an enemy's squadron. There were four frigates and two ship corvettes, while a large brig corvette and an armed cutter were seen beating up to join them from leeward.

"We're in a pretty mess. If all those fellows get round us, they'll blow us out of the water, and send us to the bottom," I heard one of the sailors who had been pressed out of the Indiaman observe.

"Our captain doesn't think so, my boy," answered an old hand. "Depend upon it, he intends trying what the mounseers will think of our big guns."

The order was now given to clear for action, and we stood on with a light breeze in our favour towards the enemy. The wind freshening, the four frigates, in close line of battle, stood to the north-east.

Shortly afterwards they shortened sail, backing their mizzen-topsails occasionally to keep in their stations. We were nearing them fast. Up went the glorious flag of Old England, the Saint George's ensign, just as we arrived abreast of the three rearmost ships, the two corvettes and the smallest of the frigates. Our captain ordered us, however, not to fire a shot until we had got up to the largest, which he believed from her size to be the commodore's, and intended to attack.

"I wonder what we are going to be after?" I heard the man from the Indiaman inquire. "We seem to be mighty good friends; perhaps, after all, those ships are English."

"Wait a bit, my bo', you'll see," answered the old hand, "our captain knows what he's about. If we can knock the big one to pieces, the others will very soon give in."

The ship next ahead of the commodore had now fallen to leeward, so that the latter formed the second in the line. Not a word was spoken. I should have said that as we had not men sufficient for our guns, for both broadsides at the same time, we were divided into gangs, one of which, having loaded and run out the gun, was directed to leave it to be pointed and fired by the others, picked hands, and we were then to run over and do the same to the gun on the other side. We thus hoped to make amends for the smallness of our numbers.

The ship we were about to attack was evidently much larger than the _Glatton_, upwards of three hundred tons as it was afterwards proved, but that did not daunt our gallant captain. We continued standing on until we ranged close up alongside her, when our captain hailed and desired her commander to surrender to his Britannic Majesty's ship. No verbal reply was made, but instead, the French colours and a broad pendant were hoisted, showing that the ship we were about to engage was, as we had supposed, that of the commodore. Scarcely had the colours been displayed, than she opened her fire, her example being followed by the other French ships. We waited to reply until we were within twenty yards of her. Then we did reply with a vengeance, pouring in our tremendous broadside. The shrieks and cries which rose showed the fearful execution it had committed.

Still the French commodore continued firing, and we ran on, keeping about the same distance as before, exchanging broadsides. Meantime the van ship of the enemy tacked, evidently expecting to be followed by the rest of the squadron, and thereby drive us upon the Brill shoal, which was close to leeward. The van ship soon after arrived within hail of us on our weather-beam, and received our larboard guns, which well-nigh knocked in her sides, while the groans and shrieks which arose from her showed that she had suffered equally with her commodore. Anxious to escape a second dose of the same quality of pills, she pa.s.sed on to the southward, while we cheered l.u.s.tily at seeing her beaten. We had not much time for cheering; we were still engaged with the commodore on our lee bow, while the second largest frigate lay upon our lee quarter, blazing away at us. Just then our pilot shouted out, "If we do not tack, in five minutes we shall be on the shoal!"

"Never mind," answered the captain; "when the French commodore strikes the ground, put the helm a-lee."

Just as he spoke, the French ship tacked, evidently to avoid the shoal, and while she was in stays, we poured in another heavy raking fire which well-nigh crippled her. Meantime the other French ships had gone about.

"Helm's a-lee!" I heard shouted out, but as our sails and rigging were by this time terribly cut about, it seemed as if we should be unable to get the ship round. The wind, however, at last filled our sails, and round she came. We, as well as the Frenchmen, were now all standing on the starboard tack. The three largest frigates had fallen to leeward, and could do us but little damage, but the three smaller ones kept up a hara.s.sing long-shot fire, to which we, on account of the distance, could offer but a very slight return. All our topmasts being wounded, and the wind freshening, it became necessary to take a reef in the topsails. In spite of the risk we ran, the moment the order was issued we swarmed aloft, though we well knew that at any moment the masts might fall, while the enemy's shot came flying among us.