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Title: The Rover's Secret
       A Tale of the Pirate Cays and Lagoons of Cuba

Author: Harry Collingwood

Illustrator: W. Christian Symons

Release Date: April 13, 2007 [EBook #21071]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROVER'S SECRET ***




Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England




The Rover's Secret
A Tale of the Pirate Cays and Lagoons of Cuba

By Harry Collingwood
________________________________________________________________________
It was a bit puzzling to to work out who or what the Rover was, and what
the secret was.  The word Rover is not mentioned once in the body-text
of the book, and the word secret only three or four times.  However,
eventually I sussed it out.  The Rover is a pirate who figures enough in
the book for one to be aware he is there.  He is mortally wounded, and
in the last chapter he tells his secret before he dies, thus providing
an explanation for several other puzzling things that we have been told,
or that happened, in the book.

On the other hand I was not too happy with the overall style of the
book, which is too florid and long-winded. Practically every sentence
could be greatly shortened without loss, and it is sometimes an amusing
exercise to rest from reading, and then try to re-phrase the current
paragraph.

Apart from those things, the book is written in a style much like that of
Kingston.  This is typical of Collingwood, but one sometimes thinks he is
a bit plagiaristic. That doesn't stop it from being quite an enjoyable
book.  There is some evidence that there are some missing commas in the
text as I have presented it, but I do not think that this will at all
impede the flow of the story as it unfolds.
________________________________________________________________________
THE ROVER'S SECRET
A TALE OF THE PIRATE CAYS AND LAGOONS OF CUBA

BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD



CHAPTER ONE.

MY CHILDHOOD.

My father--Cuthbert Lascelles--was the great painter who, under a
pseudonym which I need not mention here, was a few years ago well known
in the world of art, and whose works are now to be found enshrined in
some of the noblest public and private collections both at home and
abroad.

He was a tall and singularly handsome man; with clear grey eyes, and a
stern resolute-looking mouth shadowed by a heavy moustache which, like
his short curly hair and carefully trimmed beard, was of a pale golden
tint.

My mother died in giving me birth; and this, together with the fact that
she was a native of Italy, was all I, for some years, knew concerning
her.

One of the earliest impressions made upon my infant mind--for I cannot
recall the time when I was free from it--was that my parents suffered
great unhappiness during the latter part of their short married life;
unhappiness resulting from some terrible mistake on the part of one or
the other of them; which mistake was never explained and rectified--if
explanation and rectification were indeed possible--during my mother's
lifetime.

Having received this impression at so very early an age, I cannot, of
course, say with certainty whence I derived it; but I am inclined to
attribute it chiefly to the singularity of my father's conduct toward
myself.

I was his only child.

He was a man to whom solitude and retirement appeared to be the chief
essentials of existence.  Though living in London, he very rarely
mingled in society, yet I have since heard that he always met with a
most cordial welcome when he did so--and it was seldom indeed that his
studio doors unfolded to admit anyone but their master.  If he went into
the country, as of course was often the case, in search of subjects, he
never by any chance happened to be going in the same direction as any of
his brethren of the brush; his destination was invariably some wild
spot, unfrequented--possibly even unknown--alike by painter and tourist.
And there--if undisturbed--he would remain, diligently working all day
in the open air during favourable weather; and, when the elements were
unpropitious for work, taking long walks over solitary heaths and
desolate mountain sides, or along the lonely shore.  And when the first
snows of winter came, reminding him that it was time to turn his face
homeward once more, he would pack up his paraphernalia and return to
town, laden with studies of skies and seas, of barren moorland, rocky
crag, and foaming mountain torrent which provoked alike the envy and the
admiration of his brother artists.

It will naturally be supposed that, to a man of such solitary habits as
these, the society of his only child would be an unspeakable comfort.
But, with my father, this did not appear to be by any means the case.
He never took me out of town with him on his annual pilgrimage to the
country; and, when he was at home, it often happened that I did not see
him, face to face, for weeks together.  As a consequence of this
peculiar arrangement, almost the whole of the time which I spent indoors
was passed in the nursery, where also my meals were served, and wherein
my only companion was Mary, the nursemaid.

The only exceptions to this isolated state of existence were those rare
occasions when my father, without the slightest warning, and apparently
with as little reason, used to send for me to visit him in his studio.
It was during these interviews that his peculiar treatment of me became
most noticeable.  As a general rule, when--after a vigorous cleansing of
my face and hands and a change of my raiment had been effected by the
nursemaid--I was introduced into the studio, my father would ensconce me
in a roomy old easy-chair by the fire; provide me with a picture-book of
some kind wherewith to amuse myself; and then take no further notice of
me.  This, however, seemed to depend to some extent upon the greeting
which I received from him, and that proved to be a tolerably accurate
index of the humour which happened to possess him at the moment.
Sometimes the greeting would consist of a cold shake of the hand and an
equally cold "I hope you are well, boy," accompanied by a single keen
glance which seemed at once to take in every detail of my person and
clothing.  Sometimes the shake of the hand would be somewhat warmer, the
accompanying remark being, perhaps, "I am glad to see you looking so
well, my boy."  And occasionally--but very rarely--I was agreeably
surprised to find myself received with an affectionate embrace and
kiss--which I always somewhat timidly returned--and the words, "Lionel,
my son, how are you?"

When the greeting reached this stage of positive warmth, it usually
happened that, instead of being consigned at once to the arm-chair and
the picture-book, I was lifted to my father's knee, when, laying aside
palette and brushes, he would proceed to ask me all sorts of questions,
such as, What had I been doing lately; where had I been, and what had I
seen worthy of notice; did I want any new toys? and so on; enticing me
out of my reserve until he had coaxed me into talking freely with him.
On these especial occasions he had a curious habit of wheeling round in
front of us a large mirror which constituted one of his studio
"properties," and into this, whilst talking to me, he would intently
gaze at his own reflected image, and mine, laying his cheek beside mine
so as to bring both our faces to the same level, and directing me also
to look into the mirror.  Sometimes this curious inspection terminated
satisfactorily; in which case, after perhaps an hour's chat on his knee,
I was tenderly placed in the easy-chair, in such a position that my
father could see me without his work being materially interfered with;
our conversation was maintained with unflagging spirit on both sides;
and the day was brought to a happy close by our dining together, and
perhaps going to the theatre or a concert afterwards.  There were
occasions, however, when this pleasant state of affairs did not obtain--
when the ordeal of the mirror did not terminate so satisfactorily.  It
occasionally happened that, whilst gazing at my father's reflected
features, I observed a stern and sombre expression settling like a heavy
thunder-cloud upon them; and this always sufficed to speedily reduce me
to silence, however garrulous I might before have been.  The paternal
gaze would gradually grow more intense and searching; the thunder-cloud
would lower more threateningly; and unintelligible mutterings would
escape from between the fiercely clenched firm white teeth.  And,
finally, I would either be placed--as in the last-mentioned instance--
where my father could look at me whilst at work--and where he _did_
frequently look at me with appalling sternness--or I was at once
dismissed with a short and sharp "Run away, boy; I am busy."

Looking back upon the first eight years of my existence, and
contemplating them by the light of my now matured knowledge, I am
inclined to regard them as quite an unique experience of child-life; at
all events I would fain hope that but few children have suffered so
keenly as I have from the lack of paternal love.  And yet I cannot say
that I was absolutely unhappy, except upon and for a day or two after
those chilling dismissals from my father's presence to which I have
briefly referred; the _suffering_, although it existed, had by long
usage become a thing to which I had grown accustomed, and it consisted
chiefly in a yearning after those endearments and evidences of affection
which I instinctively felt were my due.  The conviction that _my
father_--the one to whom my childish heart naturally turned for sympathy
in all my little joys and sorrows--regarded me coldly--for his
demonstrations of affection were indeed few and far between--exercised a
subduing and repressive influence upon me from which, even now, I have
not wholly recovered, and which will probably continue to affect me to
the latest hour of my life.  What made my position decidedly worse was
that my father had, so far, not deemed it necessary to send me to
school; and I had, therefore, no companions of my own age, none of _any_
age, in fact, except Mary, the nursemaid aforementioned, and Mrs
Wilson, the housekeeper; the latter--good motherly body--so far
compassionating the state of utter ignorance in which I was growing up
that, in an erratic, unmethodical sort of way, she occasionally devoted
half an hour or so of her time of an evening to the task of forwarding
my education.  In consequence of this state of things I often found it
difficult to effect a satisfactory disposal of the time left to lie
somewhat heavily on my hands.

I have said that Mrs Wilson was kind enough to undertake my education;
and very faithfully and to the best of her ability, poor soul, she
carried on the task.  But nature had evidently intended the old lady to
be a housekeeper, and not an instructress of youth; for whilst she
performed the duties of the former post in a manner which left
absolutely nothing to be desired, it must be confessed that in her self-
imposed task of schoolmistress she failed most lamentably.  Not through
ignorance, however, by any means.  She was fairly well educated, having
"seen better days," so she was possessed of a sufficiency of knowledge
for her purpose had she but known how to impart it.  Unfortunately,
however, for me she did not; she was entirely destitute of that tact
which is the great secret of successful instruction; she had not the
faintest conception of the desirability of investing my studies with the
smallest particle of interest; and they were in consequence dry as the
driest of dry bones and unattractive in the extreme.  She never dreamed
that it might be advantageous to explain or point out the ultimate
purpose of my lessons to me, or to illustrate them by those apposite
remarks which are often found to be of such material assistance to the
youthful student; if I succeeded in repeating them perfectly "out of
book" the good woman was quite satisfied; she never attempted to
ascertain whether I understood them or not.

Under such circumstances it is probable that I should have derived
little or no advantage from my studies had not my preceptress possessed
a valuable ally in my own inclinations.  Writing I was fond of; reading
I had an especial desire to master, for reasons which will shortly
become apparent; but arithmetic I at first found difficult, and utterly
detested--until I had mastered its rules, after which I soon reached a
point where the whole became clear as the noonday light; and then I fell
under the magical influence of that fascination which figures for some
minds is found to possess.  But geography was my favourite study.  There
was an old terrestrial globe in the nursery, the use of which my father
had taught me in one of his rare genial moments; and over this globe I
used to stand for hours, with my geography in my hand and a gazetteer on
a chair by my side, finding out the positions of the various places as
they occurred in the books.

It sometimes happened that Mrs Wilson went out to spend the evening
with a married daughter who resided somewhere within visiting distance;
and, when this was the case, my studies were of course interrupted, and
other means of employing my time had to be found.  Thanks, chiefly, to
the fact that these occasions afforded Mary, my particular attendant, an
opportunity of escape from the somewhat dismal lonesomeness of the
nursery, these evenings were very frequently spent in the servants'
hall, where I had an opportunity of enjoying the conversation of the
housemaid Jane, the cook, and Tim, the presiding genius of the knife-
board and boot-brushes.  I always greatly enjoyed these visits to the
lower regions, for two reasons; the first of which was that they were
surreptitious, and much caution was needed, or supposed to be needed, in
order that my journey down-stairs might be accomplished without
"master's" knowledge; the remaining reason for my enjoyment being that I
generally heard something which interested me.  Whether the interest
excited was or was not of a healthy character the reader shall judge.

The cook, of course, reigned supreme in the servants' hall, the other
occupants taking their cue from her, and regulating their tastes and
occupations in accordance with hers.  Now this woman--an obese, red-
armed, and red-visaged person of about forty years of age--was possessed
by a morbid and consuming curiosity concerning all those horrors and
criminal mysteries which appear from time to time in the public prints;
and the more horrible they were, the greater was her interest in them.
The evening, after all the work was done and there was opportunity to
give her whole attention to the subject, was the time selected by her
for the satisfaction of this curiosity; and it thus happened very
frequently that, when I made my appearance among the servants, they were
deep in the discussion of some murder, or mysterious disappearance, or
kindred matter.  If the item under discussion happened to be fresh, the
boy Tim was delegated to search the newspaper and read therefrom every
paragraph bearing upon it, the remainder of the party listening intently
and open-mouthed as they sat in a semicircle before the blazing fire.
And if the item happened to be so stale as to have passed out of the
notice of the papers, the cook would recapitulate for our benefit its
leading features, together with any similar events or singular
coincidences connected with the case which might occur to her _memory_
at the moment.  From the discussion of murders to the relation of ghost
stories is a natural and easy transition, and here Jane, the housemaid,
shone pre-eminent.  She would sit there and discourse by the hour of
lonely and deserted houses, long silent galleries, down which misty
shapes had been seen to glide in the pallid moonlight, gaunt and ruinous
chambers, the wainscot of which rattled, and the tattered tapestry of
which swayed and rustled mysteriously; gloomy passages through which
unearthly sighs were audibly wafted; dismal cellars, with never-opened
doors, from whose profoundest recesses came at dead of night the muffled
sound of shrieks and groans and clanking chains; "of calling shapes, and
beckoning shadows dire, and airy tongues that syllable men's names on
sands, and shores, and desert wildernesses," until not one of the party,
excepting myself, dared move or look round for fear of seeing some dread
presence, some shapeless dweller upon the threshold, some horrible
apparition, the sight of which, Medusa-like, should blast them into
stone.  Not infrequently the situation was rendered additionally
harrowing by the cook, who would suddenly interrupt the narrative, send
an icy thrill down our spines, and cause the unhappy Tim's scalp to
bristle even more than usual, by exclaiming in a low startling whisper:

"_Hark_! didn't you hear something move in the passage just then?"

Whereupon Jane and Mary would spring to their feet, and, with pallid
faces, starting eyes, and blanched lips, cling convulsively to each
other, convinced that at last their unspoken fears were about to be
dreadfully realised.

It will naturally be supposed that these _seances_ would have a
dreadfully trying effect upon my infantile nerves; but, strangely
enough, they did not.  I never looked beneath my cot with the
expectation of discovering a midnight assassin; for, in the first place,
the outer doors of the house were always kept so carefully closed that I
did not see how such an individual could well get in; and, in the second
place, admitting, for argument's sake, the possibility of his effecting
an entrance, I did not for a moment believe he would give himself the
wholly unnecessary trouble of murdering a little boy, or girl either,
for that matter.  Then, as to the ghosts, though it never occurred to me
to doubt their existence, I entirely failed to understand why people
should be afraid of them.  I felt that, in regarding these beings as
objects of dread and apprehension, the housemaid, the cook, and in fact
everybody who took this view of them, entirely misunderstood them, and
were doing the poor shadows a most grievous injustice.  My own
experience of ghosts led me to the conclusion that, so far from their
being inimical to mankind, they were distinctly benign.  There was one
ghost in particular to whose visitations I used to look forward with the
greatest delight; and I was never so happy as when I awoke in the
morning with the vague remembrance that, at some time during the silent
watches of the past night, I had become conscious of a sweet and
gracious presence beside my cot, bending over me with eyes which looked
unutterable love into mine, and with lips which mingled kisses of
tenderest affection with softly-breathed blessings upon my infant head.
At first I used to mention these visitations to Mary, my nurse, but I
soon forbore to do so, noticing that she always looked uncomfortably
startled for a moment or two afterwards, and generally dismissed the
subject somewhat hurriedly by remarking:

"Ah, poor lamb! you've been dreaming about your mother."

Which remark annoyed me, for I felt convinced that so realistic an
experience could not possibly result from a mere dream.

It sometimes happened that there were no tragedies or other horrors in
the newspapers sufficiently piquant to tempt the cook's intellectual
palate; and in the absence of these, if it happened also to be Jane's
"evening out," Mary would occasionally produce a well-thumbed copy of
the _Arabian Nights_, or some old volume of fairy tales, from which she
read aloud.

How I enjoyed those evenings with the old Eastern romancist!  How I
revelled in the imaginary delights and wonders of fairydom!  Of course I
pictured myself the hero of every story, the truth of the most
outrageous of which it never occurred to me to doubt.  Sitting at Mary's
feet, on a low stool before the fire, with the old cat blinking and
purring with drowsy satisfaction upon my knee, I used to gaze
abstractedly at the glowing coals, now thinking myself the prince in
"Cinderella," now the happy owner of "Puss in Boots," and now the
adventurous Sindbad.  There was one story, however--I quite forget its
title--which, in strong contrast with the others, instead of affording
me gratification, was a source of keen annoyance and vexation to me
whenever I heard it.  It related to a boy who on one occasion had the
good fortune to meet, in the depths of the forest, a little old man in
red cap and green jerkin--a gnome or fairy, of course--who with the
utmost good-nature offered to gratify any single wish that boy might
choose to express.  Here was a glorious chance, the opportunity of a
lifetime!  The boy's first thought was for ginger-bread, but before the
thought had time to clothe itself in words the vision of a drum and
trumpet flashed across his mind.  He was about to express a wish for
these martial instruments, and a real sword, when it occurred to him
that the fairies were quite equal to the task of providing gifts of
infinitely greater value and splendour than even these coveted articles.
And then that unfortunate boy completely lost his head; his brain
became muddled with the endless variety of things which he found he
required; and he took so long a time to make up his mind that, when, in
desperation, he finally did so, the unwelcome discovery was made that
his fairy friend, disgusted at the delay and vacillation, had vanished
without bestowing upon him so much as even one poor ginger-bread
elephant.  It was that boy's first and last opportunity, and he lost it.
He never again met a fairy, though he wandered through the forest, day
after day, week after week, and year after year, until he became an old
man, dying at last in a state of abject poverty.

The moral of this story was obvious even to my juvenile mind.  It
plainly pointed to the necessity for being prepared to take the fullest
advantage of every opportunity, whenever it might present itself; and I
was resolved that, if ever I encountered a fairy, he should find me
fully prepared to tax his generosity to its utmost limit.  And,
forthwith, I began to ask myself what was the most desirable thing at
all likely to be within a fairy's power of bestowal.  At this point I,
for the first time, began to realise the difficulties of the situation
in which the unhappy boy of the story found himself.  I thought of
several things; but none of them came quite up to my idea of a gift such
as would do full honour and justice to a fairy's power of giving; the
utmost I could imagine was a real ship full of real sailors, wherein I
might roam the seas and perform wonderful voyages like Sindbad; and, in
my efforts to achieve a still higher flight of imagination, I found
myself so completely at a loss that I was fain to turn to Mary for
counsel.  Accordingly, as I was being escorted by that damsel upstairs
to bed one night, I broached the subject by saying:

"Mary, supposing you were to meet a fairy, what would you ask him to
give you?"

"Lor'!  Master Lionel, I dun know," she replied.  "That's a question I
shouldn't like to answer just off-hand; I should want to think it over a
good bit.  I should read a lot of books, and find out what was the best
thing as was to be had."

"What sort of books?"  I asked.

"Oh! any sort," was the reply; "books such as them down-stairs in your
pa's lib'ry; them's downright _beautiful_ books--your pa's--full of all
sorts of wonderful things such as you never heard tell of."

This reply afforded me food for a considerable amount of profound
reflection before I went to sleep that night; the result of which was
that on the following morning, as soon as I had taken my breakfast, I
descended to the "lib'ry," opened the doors of one of the book-cases,
and dragged down upon my curly pate the most bulky volume I could reach.
With the expenditure of a considerable amount of labour I conveyed it
to the nursery, and, flinging it and myself upon the floor, opened it
hap-hazard, feeling sure that, in a book of such imposing dimensions, I
should find something valuable wherever I might open it.  It was an
English work of some kind, I remember; but, alas for my aspirations! it
might almost as well have been Greek.  I was equal, just then, to the
mastery of words of two syllables, but no more; and the result was that,
though I occasionally caught a glimpse of the meaning of a sentence here
and there, the subject matter of the book, as a whole, remained a
profound mystery to me.  My want of knowledge was at once made most
painfully apparent to myself; I discovered that I had a very great deal
to learn before the treasures of wisdom by which I was surrounded could
be made available; and I forthwith bent all my energies to the task of
perfecting myself in the art of reading as a first and indispensable
step.



CHAPTER TWO.

MY MOTHER'S PORTRAIT.

Actuated by what was to me so powerful an incentive, my progress toward
proficiency as a reader was rapid; and, in a comparatively short time, I
felt equal to a renewed effort to sound the depths of the well of
knowledge.

On this momentous occasion--momentous to me, at least, for I am
convinced that it exercised a very material influence on my eventual
choice of a career--I chanced upon an illustrated volume of _Travels by
Land and Sea_.  I opened it at the title-page, down which I patiently
and conscientiously waded; then on to the preface--which, luckily, was a
short one--and so into the body of the book.  I of course encountered a
great deal that I could only imperfectly understand; and I detected
within myself a rapidly-growing disposition to skip all the hard words;
but, notwithstanding these drawbacks, I contrived to catch a glimmering,
if not something more, of the author's meaning.  It was hard work, but I
struggled on, down page after page, fascinated, my imagination vividly
depicting the various scenes of which I read.  I saw the deep blue
tropic sea heaving and sparkling in the joyous sunshine, and the stout
ship, with her gleaming wide-spread canvas, sweeping bravely over its
bosom.  I stood upon the deck of that ship, among the seamen, peering
eagerly ahead, and saw a faint grey cloud gradually shape itself in the
midst of the haze on the far western horizon.  I heard the joyous shout
of "Land ho!" break from the lips of the lookout at the mast-head; and
watched the cloud gradually hardening its outlines and changing its
tints until it assumed the unmistakable aspect of land; saw the distant
mountains steal into view, and the trees emerge into distinct and
prominent detail along the shore; saw, at length, the strip of sandy
beach, dazzlingly white in the blazing sunlight; heard the deep hoarse
roar of the breakers, and saw the flashing of the snow-white foam as the
rollers swept grandly on and dashed themselves into surf and diamond
spray upon the strand.  Then I saw the natives launching their light
canoes and paddling off through the surf to the ship; or leapt eagerly
into the boat alongside; reached the strip of dazzling beach--strewn now
with beautiful shells; plunged into the grateful shade of enticing
groves rich with the prodigal luxuriance and fantastic beauty of
tropical growth, ablaze with flowers of gorgeous hues, alive with birds
whose plumage flashed like living gems, and breathed an atmosphere
oppressive with perfume.

From that hour forward the entertainments of the servants' hall paled
their ineffectual fires before the superior effulgence of those
delightful visions which I now possessed the power of summoning at will;
books or stories of travel and adventure alone had now any charm for me;
and these I devoured with an appetite which grew by what it fed on.  The
natural consequence of all this will readily be foreseen: a desire
sprang up, which steadily ripened into a resolve, that, when I should
become a man, I too would be a traveller, and--like those of whom I was
never tired of reading--would make my home upon the pathless sea.

Thus matters went on until the arrival of the eighth anniversary of my
birthday, on the morning of which, soon after I had finished my
breakfast, I was summoned to my father's studio.  I was received
somewhat coldly; and, after indicating to me the chair which he had
placed for my occupation, my father resumed his work and continued it
for some time without taking the slightest further notice of me.

A silence of perhaps half an hour ensued; when, laying down his brush,
he said:

"I am glad to learn from Mrs Wilson that you are making very
satisfactory progress with your studies; that, in fact, you are
exhibiting a marked disposition to acquire knowledge.  This is well;
this is as it should be; and, to mark my appreciation of your conduct, I
have resolved to further your desires and give you increased facilities
for study, by sending you to school, where you will have the advantage
of such guidance and assistance as only trained masters can give; and
where you will also enjoy the companionship and association of lads of
your own age.  I hope the prospect is a pleasant one to you."

As this last remark seemed to partake somewhat of the form of a
question, I replied that the prospect _was_ pleasant, and that I felt
very much obliged to him for his kind and thoughtful intentions.  I
wanted to say a great deal more by way of thanks; I wished him to
understand how delightful to me would be the change which this
arrangement involved; how I had longed for some one to take me by the
hand, to guide my erratic footsteps and lead me by the shortest way to
that fountain of knowledge for the waters of which I was just beginning
to thirst; and I wished him to understand, too, how welcome would be the
companionship of the other boys, after so lonely a life as mine had
been.  But to make all this clear to him through my imperfect method of
expressing myself would have involved quite a long speech on my part;
and, as my eager glance fell on his unsympathetic face, the words failed
me, and I held my peace.

"The school I have selected is a large one," my father continued.  "I am
informed that the pupils at present number over two hundred; and it is
quite in the country.  The principal encourages every kind of innocent
pastime, such as cricket, football, swimming, skating in the winter, and
so on; so you will not lack amusements--the necessaries for joining in
which I will take care that you shall be provided with.  And I have
arranged that, for the present, you shall receive from the headmaster
sixpence a week as pocket-money--a sum which I consider quite sufficient
for a boy of your age.  With regard to your studies, I would urge you to
make the most of your opportunities; as, on the completion of your
education, you will have to make your own way in the world.  My
profession, as you will perhaps better understand later on, is somewhat
a precarious one.  As long as I retain my health and strength and the
unimpaired use of all my faculties, matters will no doubt go well with
me; but accident, disease, or the loss of sight may at any moment
interrupt my labours or stop them altogether: in which case my income,
which I derive solely from the use of my brush, would cease altogether.
You will easily comprehend, therefore, that it would be unwise in the
extreme for you to depend upon me in any way to provide for your future.
Now, do you think you clearly comprehend what I have been saying?"

I replied, `Yes, I believed I did.'  I wanted to add that there was one
thing, however, that I did _not_ understand, which was, how a father
could communicate to his only child so lengthy an explanation on a
subject of so much importance without giving one word or sign of
affection to that child, and that I was most earnestly anxious to know
the reason, if any, for so marked an omission; but, whilst I was
hesitating how to frame my remark in such a manner as to avoid the
giving of offence, my father rose from before his easel, and, unlocking
a cabinet which stood in the room, said:

"One word more.  You will probably be asked by your companions all
manner of questions about your home and your parents.  Now, with regard
to your mother, you know nothing about her beyond, possibly, the fact
that she died when you were born; and that is quite as much as I
consider it needful for you to know.  But you may perhaps be glad to be
made acquainted with her personal appearance; you may, possibly, at some
future day--if you have not already experienced such a desire--be
anxious to possess the means of bringing her before you as something
more than a mere _name_.  I will therefore give you this miniature,
which is a correct and striking likeness of what your mother was when I
painted it."

And, as he finished speaking, my father placed in my hand a small velvet
case, to which was attached a thin gold chain by which it might be
suspended from the neck.

I was about to open the case; but my father somewhat hastily prevented
the action by throwing the chain round my neck, thrusting the miniature
into the bosom of my dress, and dismissing me with the words:

"There! run away now and make your preparations.  We shall set out for
your school to-morrow, immediately after breakfast."

I hastened away to my play-room, and, once fairly within the bounds of
my own domain, drew forth the miniature case and opened it.  As the lid
flew back at the pressure of my finger upon the spring a thrill of half
joy, half terror, shot through me; for I instantly recognised in the
features of the portrait a vivid presentment of that sweet dream-face
whose visits to me during the silent and lonely night-watches had
flooded my infant soul with such an ecstasy of rapture and delight.  The
portrait, which is before me as I write, was that of a young and
beautiful girl.  The complexion was clearest, faintest, most transparent
olive; the face a perfect oval, crowned with luxuriant masses of wavy,
deep chestnut hair, the colour almost merging into black; indeed it
would have been difficult to decide that it was _not_ black but for the
lights in it, which were of a deep dusky golden tone.  The eyebrows were
beautifully arched, and the lashes of the eyes were represented as
unusually long.  The eyes themselves were very deep hazel, or black--it
was impossible to say which; the nose perfectly straight; the lips, of a
clear, rich, cherry hue, were full and slightly pouting; the mouth
perhaps the merest shade larger than it ought to have been for perfect
beauty; the chin round, with a well-defined dimple in its centre.
Altogether, it was the loveliest face I had ever seen; and I stood for
some time gazing in a trance of admiration on it, the feeling being
mingled with one of deep regret that fate had, in snatching away the
living original, deprived me of such rich possibilities of mutual love.
I felt keenly that, had she continued to live, my life would, in all
probability, have been widely different and very much happier than it
ever had been.  Musing thus, I turned the case over in my hand, and
found that there was a contrivance for opening it at the back.  I soon
discovered the spring, upon pressing which the back flew open,
disclosing a circlet of glossy chestnut hair reposing upon an oval of
pale yellow silk, in the centre of which were painted the words "Maria
Lascelles; aet. 18.  C.L."

Closing the case again and placing it carefully in my bosom, I turned my
thoughts to my new prospects; and whilst collecting together a few of my
more treasured valuables to take with me, and packing the remainder away
in a place of safety, I suffered myself to indulge in much pleasant
speculation upon my immediate future.

On the following morning, about ten o'clock, my father and I left town
in a post-chaise, and, stopping only for an hour about mid-day to dine
at a pleasant little road-side country inn, arrived, at about seven
o'clock in the evening, at our destination.  This was a large brick-
built edifice evidently constructed especially to serve the purposes of
a scholastic establishment, standing in its own somewhat extensive
grounds, and situated in a lonely spot about half a mile from the sea,
and--though actually in Hampshire--some four miles only from the port of
Poole in Dorsetshire.  I was speedily presented to the principal, who at
once made a favourable impression upon me, afterwards abundantly
confirmed; and, after perhaps half an hour's conversation with him, my
father formally delivered me over to his care and left me--his leave-
taking, though somewhat hurried, being decidedly warmer than his
abstracted manner during the journey had led me to expect.

At this school, let it suffice to say, I remained for the following
seven years; enjoying, during that period of my life, such happiness as,
up to then, my imagination had never been able to conceive; and devoting
myself to my studies with a zest and enthusiasm which won the warmest
encomiums from the several masters who had charge of my education.
French, geography, mathematics, and navigation were my favourite
subjects; and I also developed a very fair amount of talent with my
pencil.  Athletics I especially excelled in; and by the time I had been
three years at the school I had become almost amphibious.  It affords me
particular pleasure to reflect that, notwithstanding my previous total
want of training, I was, from the very outset of my school career, an
especial favourite with my fellow-pupils, never having had more than one
quarrel serious enough to result in a fight, on which occasion I
succeeded in giving my antagonist--a great bully who had been cruelly
tyrannising over a smaller boy--so severe a trouncing that a resort to
this rough-and-ready mode of settling a dispute never again became
necessary, so far as I was concerned.  During this period there was only
one thing that troubled me, which was, that I never saw my father.
Owing to what at the time seemed to me an uninterrupted series of
unfortunate coincidences, it invariably happened that when holiday-time
came round my father had urgent business calling him away from home; and
arrangements had accordingly to be made for my spending my holidays at
the school.  This, in itself, constituted no very great hardship; there
were several other lads--Anglo-Indians and others whose friends resided
at too great a distance to admit of the holidays being spent with them--
who always remained behind to bear me company; and, as we were allowed
to do pretty much what we liked so long as we did not misconduct
ourselves or get into mischief, the time was passed pleasantly enough;
but, notwithstanding his singular treatment of me, I loved my father,
and regarded it as a positive hardship that so long a time should be
permitted to elapse without my seeing him.  I was continually in hopes
that, as we were unable to meet at holiday-time, he would run down into
the country and pay me a visit, but he never did, and this was another
disappointment.

At length, however, an end came to my disappointment and to my school-
days together; for, on the morning of my fifteenth birthday, I was sent
for by the principal of the school, who, after complimenting me upon my
diligence and the progress I had made whilst under his care, informed me
that the day had arrived when my school-boy life was to cease, and when
I must go out into the world and commence that great battle of life,
which all of us have to fight in one shape or another.  He added to his
communication some most excellent advice, the value of which I have
since had abundant opportunity of proving; and concluded with the
announcement that my father would make his appearance that same evening
and take me away with him.

Within a quarter of an hour of the time specified, the grinding sound of
wheels upon the gravel drive in front of the building suggested the
probability that the moment of my departure was at hand; and, a few
minutes later, I was summoned to the library to meet my father.  With my
heart throbbing high with mingled feelings of joy and trepidation, I
hastened to the spot, and, before I well knew where I was, found myself
in the presence of the parent who had allowed seven full years to elapse
without an attempt to see his only child.  For an instant--which
sufficed me to note that those seven years had left abundant traces of
their passage on the once almost unwrinkled brow--we stood gazing with
equal intentness in each others' faces; then my father grasped the
outstretched hand which I offered, and said, somewhat constrainedly:

"So this is the once quiet dreamy little Leo, is it?  I am glad to see
you once more, my boy; glad to see you looking so strong and well--so
wonderfully improved in appearance in every way, in fact; and glad, too,
to hear that Dr Tomlinson is able to confirm so thoroughly the good
reports of your conduct which he has sent me from time to time."  He
paused, and I was about to make a suitable answer to his greeting, when
he continued--half unconsciously, it seemed to me, but with a quite
perceptible ring of harshness in his voice:

"You are wonderfully like your mother, boy; no one who knew her would
ever mistake you for anyone else than her son."

The words were simple, but were accompanied by such a regretful look,
deepening into a baleful frown as he regarded me fixedly, that I was
completely startled, and in fact so overwhelmed with astonishment that,
for the moment, I was quite unable to make any reply; and before I could
recover myself my father appeared to have become conscious of his
singularity of manner, which he evidently overcame by a very powerful
effort.  Laying his hand somewhat heavily upon my shoulder, he said:

"Do not be frightened, Leo; I have been far from well lately, and my
illness seems to have slightly affected my brain; sometimes I detect
myself saying things which I had not the remotest intention of saying a
moment before.  If you should observe any little peculiarity of that
kind in me, take no notice of it, let it pass.  And now, if your boxes
are all ready--as I suppose they are--let them be brought down and put
on the chaise; we shall sleep in Poole to-night, and we can converse at
the hotel, over a good dinner, as well as here."

An hour later we were discussing that same good dinner, and maintaining
a tolerably animated conversation over it, too.  My father put a few
adroit questions to me relative to my school experiences, which had the
effect of "drawing me out," and he listened to all I had to say with
just that appearance of friendly interest which is so flattering and
encouraging to a youthful talker.  His treatment of me was everything
that could be desired--except that he seemed to be rather taking the
ground of an elder friend than of a parent.  I should have preferred a
shade less of the polite suavity of his manner and a more distinct
manifestation of fatherly affection.  He seemed anxious to efface the
memory of the singularity which marked our first meeting; and yet I
thought that, later on in the evening, when our conversation assumed a
more general character, I could detect a disposition on his part to
again approach the subject, these approaches being accompanied by a very
perceptible nervousness and constraint of manner.  But, though my father
certainly led the conversation once or twice in that direction, he as
often changed the subject again, and nothing more was said about it
until our bed-room candles were brought to us and we were about to
retire for the night.  Then, as we vacated the chairs we had been
occupying during the evening, and rose to our feet, he grasped me by the
arm and planted me square in front of the chimney-piece, which was
surmounted by a pier-glass, and, placing himself beside me, remarked,
looking at our reflected images:

"You have grown tremendously, Leo, during the seven years you have been
at school.  I really believe you will develop into as tall a man as I
am.  But," (taking a candlestick in his hand and holding it so as to
throw the light full upon our faces) "you are so like your mother, so
painfully like your mother;" and again the frown darkened his face and
for a moment he seemed almost to shrink from me.

"Well, sir," said I, "it seems to me that I have your forehead, your
mouth, and your chin; we both possess considerable width between the
eyes; and my hair, though dark, is curly, like your own."

"Ah, yes!" he answered, somewhat impatiently; "the latter, however, is a
mere accident; and, as to the other points you have mentioned, I really
_cannot_ see any positive resemblance; I wish I could--I earnestly wish
that my son resembled me rather than--Ah! there I go again, saying words
which positively have _no_ meaning.  I really _must_ take rest and
medical advice; I have executed several very important commissions
during the past year, and the strain upon my imagination and upon my
nerves has been almost too much for me.  Now, I'll be bound, Leo, that
you have noticed more than once this evening that there are moments when
I am not--well, not exactly my natural self."

"Well, sir," I hesitatingly replied, "I must confess that--that--"

"That you have," my father interrupted.  "Very well; take no notice of
it; forget it; it means nothing.  Good night, boy; good night."

"Good night, sir," I replied.  "I hope you will sleep soundly, and rise
in the morning refreshed.  And, oh father!  I wish I could do anything
to help you--"

"So you can, my son; so you can.  Thank you, Leo, for your kind wish.
You _can_ help me very greatly, by taking no notice whatever of any
little eccentricities you may observe in my behaviour, and by
remembering that they are entirely due to overwork.  Now, good night,
once more; and remember that we must be stirring early in the morning,
as we have a long journey before us."

And, with this very peculiar mode of dismissal, my father gently forced
me out of the room, and closed the door upon me.



CHAPTER THREE.

I JOIN THE "HERMIONE."

On the following morning, after an early breakfast, we set out for
London; where we safely arrived on the evening of the same day.  At the
outset of the journey my father appeared to be in tolerably good
spirits, conversing with much animation upon the subject--which he had
introduced--of my future career.  I explained to him that my great
desire was, and had been for some time, to become a sailor; and that I
hoped he would be able to see his way to forward my views.  Contrary, I
must confess, to my expectations, my father raised no objections,
stipulating only that I should enter the naval service; and he promised
me that he would use his best efforts to secure my nomination as a
midshipman; but he cautioned me that, as he scarcely knew to whom to
apply for this service, I might have to wait some time for the
gratification of my wishes.  The conversation which settled this, to me,
important matter took place in the forenoon, the subject being finally
disposed of and dismissed just as we alighted for luncheon.  On the
resumption of our journey the conversation was by no means so lively,
and it distressed me much to observe that my father was gradually
sinking back into the same strange moody state of mind which had
possessed him on the previous day.  I made several efforts to win him
back to a more cheerful condition, but they were quite ineffectual; and,
after receiving two or three increasingly impatient replies, I was
compelled to abandon the attempt.  For several days the same
unsatisfactory state of affairs continued, my father and I only meeting
at breakfast and dinner, and then exchanging scarcely half a dozen words
beyond the ordinary courtesies; I was therefore not only considerably
surprised but much gratified when he one morning informed me that he had
succeeded in securing my appointment as midshipman on board the frigate
_Hermione_, then about to sail for the West Indies.  He added that there
was no time to lose if I wished to go out in her; and that it would
consequently be necessary for us to set out for Portsmouth on the
following morning.  This promptitude was rather more than I had
bargained for; notwithstanding my father's very peculiar behaviour I was
much attached to him, and had hoped to have enjoyed at least a month or
two of his society; moreover, I felt very anxious as to his peculiar
condition, and would fain have remained with him until I could have seen
some improvement in his mental state; but, on my mentioning this, he
seemed so singularly averse to any delay of my departure that I saw
nothing for it but to acquiesce.

A week later I had joined my ship, and on November 18th, 1796, we were
bowling down channel under double-reefed topsails.

We duly arrived at our destination--Port Royal, Jamaica--after a tedious
passage of over two months' duration; and, having landed our despatches,
were ordered to cruise between Cape Tiburon and the Virgin Islands.

By this time I had pretty well settled down into my proper place, had
ceased to be the butt of the other midshipmen; and, having a real liking
for my duties, had learned to perform them pretty satisfactorily.  Mr
Reid, the first lieutenant, had expressed the opinion that I "shaped
well."  But, even before our arrival at Jamaica, I had made the
unwelcome discovery that the _Hermione_ was by no means likely to prove
a comfortable ship.  The vessel herself there was no fault whatever to
find with; she was a noble frigate of thirty-two guns, very fast, and a
splendid sea-boat.  But the skipper--Captain Pigot--was a regular
tartar.  He was a tall, powerful man, and would have been handsome but
for his somewhat bloated features.  Even to his officers he was
arrogant, overbearing, and discourteous to an almost unbearable degree;
to the men he was simply an unmitigated tyrant.  There was certainly
some excuse for severity of discipline and occasional loss of temper,
had it gone no further than that, for our crew was, as a whole, the
worst I have ever had the misfortune to be associated with, several of
them being foreigners, and of the remainder a good sprinkling were men
who had been _sentenced_ by the magistrates _to serve the King_.
Possibly in other and more patient hands they might have developed into
a good smart body of men, and such it was doubtless the skipper's hope
and intention to make them.  But he most unfortunately went the wrong
way to work.  Punishment was his doctrine; the "cat" was his sovereign
remedy for all evils.  He flogged almost daily, even for the most
trivial offences, and our "black list" was probably the longest in the
navy for a ship of our size.  As might be expected, with a captain of
this kind, we poor unfortunate mids were constantly in trouble, and the
greater part of our time was spent at the mast-heads.

One afternoon--it was on the 22nd of March, 1797--being off Zaccheo, the
lookout aloft reported that a brig and several smaller vessels were at
anchor inshore between that island and the larger one of Porto Rico.
The first lieutenant thereupon at once went aloft with his telescope,
where he made a thorough examination of the strangers and their
position; having completed which to his satisfaction, he returned to the
deck and made his report to Captain Pigot.  The ship's head was
immediately directed inshore; and the pinnace, first and second cutters,
and gig were ordered away, under lieutenants Reid and Douglas, to go in,
as soon as the ship had anchored, and cut out the vessels.  Mr Reid,
with whom, I think, I was somewhat of a favourite, kindly selected me to
take charge of the gig; and young Courtenay, my especial chum, was
fortunate enough to be chosen by Mr Douglas to command the second
cutter.  By Courtenay's advice, I procured from the armourer a ship's
cutlass, to replace my almost useless dirk; and having carefully loaded
and primed a very excellent pair of pistols with which my father had
presented me, I thrust those useful articles into my belt and hastened
on deck, just as the frigate was rounding to preparatory to anchoring.
A couple of minutes later the anchor was let go abreast of and scarcely
half a mile distant from a small battery, the guns of which commanded
the vessels we were about to attack, and the canvas was very smartly
clewed up and furled.

The men were still aloft when the battery, which had hoisted Spanish
colours, opened fire upon us, the first shot severing our larboard main-
topgallant back-stay.  This damage, slight as it was, sufficed to
effectually rouse Captain Pigot's hasty, irritable temper; and, hurrying
the men down from aloft, he ordered the larboard broadside to be manned,
and the guns to be directed upon the audacious battery.  A couple of
well-directed broadsides sufficed to silence its fire, and the boats
were then immediately piped away.

"Mark my words, Lascelles," said Courtenay, as we trundled down the
ship's side together, "we are going to have a tough time of it with
those craft in there; three of them have boarding nettings triced up,
and are evidently preparing to give us a warm reception.  They look like
privateers, and if so, I daresay they are full of men, who will have
ample opportunity to bowl us over at their leisure whilst we are pulling
in upon them.  And we shall have no help from the frigate's guns, for
the rascals are beyond their reach."

"Now then, Courtenay, no croaking, young gentleman, if you please, or I
shall be under the painful necessity of sending you back on board, and
taking Mr Maxwell in your place," said Mr Douglas, who was following
us down the side, and who happened to overhear Courtenay's encouraging
remarks.

"Oh, no, sir, you can't be so heartless as to do that; have some
consideration for my feelings," laughed Courtenay; and flinging himself
down in the stern-sheets of the boat, he drew his cutlass, and affected
to be very cautiously feeling its edge, to the covert amusement of the
men who happened to see him.

"It's a'most sharp enough for you to shave with, ain't it, sir?"
demurely inquired the smart fore-topman, who was stroke-oar in
Courtenay's boat, at which there was another grin; Courtenay's chin
being as guiltless of hair as the back of a lady's hand, notwithstanding
which it was whispered that he assiduously shaved every morning with his
penknife.

"Now, are we all ready, Douglas?" asked Mr Reid, as he stood in the
stern-sheets of the pinnace, and ran his eye critically over the boats.
"Then, shove off; let fall and give way, lads.  Lascelles and I will
tackle the brig, Mr Douglas, whilst I must leave you and Mr Courtenay
to give a good account of those two schooners which have hoisted their
colours.  We will take matters quietly, so as to spare the men as much
as possible, until the shot begins to drop round us, when we must make a
dash and get on board as quickly as we can."

Courtenay's assumption that the three vessels we had marked out for
attack were privateers was speedily strengthened by the circumstance
that boats were seen to put off from the smaller craft--doubtless prizes
of the others--conveying what were probably the prize-crews back to
their own ships, to assist in their defence.  As we neared the land we
made out that the people in the battery were still standing to their
guns, and we momentarily expected them to open fire upon us; but they
were wise enough to refrain, evidently having already had a sufficient
experience of the frigate's broadsides, the destructive effects of which
became distinctly visible as we pulled past.

Upon our arriving abreast the battery, the brig and the two schooners,
for which we were heading, having got springs upon their cables and
hoisted French colours, brought their broadsides to bear upon us, and
commenced firing, whereupon we separated, taking "open order," as the
marines say, so as to offer as small a mark as possible.  It was the
first time I had "smelt powder," and as the shot began to hum past us, I
must plead guilty to having at the outset experienced a certain amount
of nervous trepidation.  I had an idea that every shot would find its
mark, that "every bullet has its billet," and I momentarily expected to
feel the crushing blow which would tell me that I had been hit.  But on
we swept, the shot flying close over our heads, or just past us on
either side, occasionally striking the water within such near proximity
as to dash a little shower of spray right over the boat, and presently
the musketry bullets came whistling about our ears, yet we remained
unscathed.  This opened my eyes, and gave me a juster appreciation than
I had had before of the perils of warfare.  I saw that it was by no
means the necessarily deadly thing I had hitherto imagined it to be, and
my courage came back to me, my spirits rising momentarily higher in
response to the increasing excitement of the occasion.  For we were now
dashing forward upon our several quarries at racing speed, the men
straining at the oars until the stout ashen staves bent like willow
wands, and the water buzzed and foamed and bubbled, hissing past us in a
regular series of miniature whirlpools, whilst the boats seemed every
now and then as though they were about to be lifted clear out of the
water by the herculean efforts of their panting crews.

Once within musket-shot of the vessels, a very few minutes at this pace
sufficed us to cover the remaining distance, when we dashed alongside--
the first lieutenant ranging up on the brig's starboard quarter, whilst
we in the gig took her in the larboard fore-chains--and a stubborn hand-
to-hand fight immediately commenced.  The craft we had attacked proved
to be full of people; and upon our attempting to board, we found that
they had been divided into two distinct parties, one of which was
successfully opposing Mr Reid, whilst the other seemed determined at
all costs to prevent my own little party from gaining a footing upon the
deck.  Twice were we forced back into the boat, and I saw that two or
three of the men were bleeding from pike or bullet wounds.  A third time
we made the attempt, and as I was scrambling up into the brig's channels
a Frenchman thrust his pike through a port at me.  I grasped the weapon,
and partly through my antagonist's efforts to wrench it away again, and
partly with the aid of a friendly push behind from one of our own lads,
I suddenly found myself shot in through the port, and safely landed on
the brig's deck.  Springing to my feet in an instant, I laid fiercely
about me with my cutlass, and thus cleared a way for the gig's crew to
follow me.  In less than a minute the gigs were in possession of the
fore part of the deck, and so quickly was the thing done, and with such
good-will did our lads lay about them, that the party opposed to us
recoiled in a sudden panic.  Taking instant advantage of this, we
charged them with a wild hurrah, whereupon they fairly turned tail and
fled before us, rushing helter-skelter in among the other party.  The
whole body of defenders being thus thrown into disorder, the first
lieutenant's party managed to make good their footing on deck; and then,
after one desperate but ineffectual charge on the part of the Frenchmen,
we had no further trouble, the defenders throwing down their weapons and
calling for quarter.  This was, of course, at once accorded them, and
they were ordered below, the hatches being clapped over them, whilst the
ship was subjected to an overhaul.  She proved to be both empty and old,
besides being apparently a particularly leaky tub; she was consequently
valueless, and except for the purpose of destroying her, and thus
putting a stop to her depredations, not worth the trouble of taking.
This fact definitely ascertained, Mr Reid ordered the crew on deck
again; and, giving them five minutes in which to collect their personal
belongings, directed them to take the brig's boats and make the best of
their way ashore.  The crew thus got rid of, the vessel herself was
effectually set on fire in three places, and as soon as the flames had
taken such a hold as to prevent all possibility of their extinction we
left her.

Meanwhile, the second lieutenant and Courtenay had been equally
successful with ourselves, each having captured one of the schooners
without very much difficulty.  They proved, however, to be, like the
brig, very old and weak, having evidently been strained all to pieces in
the effort to make them perform services for which they were never
built.  They, therefore, were also set on fire.  And as for their
prizes, they consisted of half a dozen wretched little dirty coasters,
the largest of which could not have measured over sixty tons.  Their
crews, we were informed, had been landed on various parts of the coast,
so, their lawful owners not being there to take possession of them,
these craft were likewise devoted to the flames.  By the time that the
Frenchmen had all been got rid of, and the little fleet effectually set
on fire, it had fallen dark, and all hands being pretty well tired out,
we made the best of our way back to the frigate.  We had eight hands
wounded in this skirmish, all the wounds proving fortunately of a very
trifling character, so much so indeed that not one of the wounded was
put on the sick list for even a single day.

The _Hermione_ remained at anchor all night; and on the following
morning Mr Douglas, with a boat's crew, went on shore, drove the small
garrison out of the fort, and spiked and dismounted the guns.

Thus, harmlessly, so far at least as I was concerned, ended my first
brush with the enemy; and though I never heard anything further of the
affair, I received the gratifying information that the first lieutenant
had spoken very highly of my conduct on the occasion when making his
report to Captain Pigot.



CHAPTER FOUR.

AN UNSUCCESSFUL CHASE.

A fortnight later we fell in with and were ordered to join the squadron
of Vice-admiral Parker.

This arrangement was, to the _Hermione's_ officers at least, a source of
intense gratification.  For whereas, whilst we were cruising alone, our
opportunities for social intercourse were limited to an occasional
invitation to dine with the captain--and that, Heaven knows, was poor
entertainment enough!--we now had frequent invitations to dine with the
officers of the other ships, or entertained them in return in our own
ward-room.  But, though matters were thus made more pleasant for the
officers of the _Hermione_, I cannot say that the change wrought any
improvement in the condition of the ship's company--quite the reverse,
indeed.  For, so anxious was Captain Pigot that his ship should be the
smartest in the fleet, that when reefing topsails at night, if any other
ship happened to finish before us, the last man of the yard of the
dilatory topsail was infallibly booked for a flogging next day.  And so
with all other evolutions.  The result of which was, that while our crew
became noted for their smartness, they daily grew more sullen, sulky,
and discontented in their dispositions, shirking their work whenever
there was a possibility of doing so undetected, and performing their
duties with an ill-will which they took little pains to conceal.  This,
of course, only tended to make matters still worse.  The skipper could
not fail to notice his increasing unpopularity, and this wounded his
self-love; added to which he soon got the idea into his head--and
certainly not altogether without reason--that the men were combining
together to thwart and annoy him.  And this only made him still more
irritable and severe.  It seemed at length as though matters were
steadily approaching the point when it would become an open and
recognised struggle between the captain and the crew for supremacy in
respect of dogged obstinacy and determination.  What made it all the
worse was that the officers, in the maintenance of proper order and
discipline in the ship, were compelled--very much against their will--to
support and countenance the skipper in his arbitrary mode of dealing
with the crew; thus dividing the inmates of the frigate into two well-
defined parties--namely, those on the quarter-deck and those on the
forecastle.  We were _all_ unpopular in varying degrees, from the
captain down to the midshipmen.  I have good reason to believe that the
first lieutenant on more than one occasion remonstrated with Captain
Pigot upon his excessive harshness to the men, and strongly urged him to
try the effect of more lenient measures with them; but, if such was the
case, the remonstrances proved wholly unavailing.  Added to all this
there was, especially after we joined the squadron, incessant sail, gun,
musketry, and cutlass drill, in addition to the daily combined
evolutions of the ships; all of which made our poor lads pray for a
change of some sort--they cared not what--it could scarcely be for the
worse, and might very reasonably be hoped to be somewhat for the better.

Under such circumstances the joy of the men may be imagined when, one
morning at daylight, the signal was made by the admiral to chase to the
eastward.  Nevertheless, our unfortunate lookout aloft was promptly
booked for two dozen at the gangway that day because he had failed to be
the first to discover the stranger.

We were cruising at this time in the Windward Channel, the squadron
being at the moment of the discovery about midway between Points Malano
and Perle.  We were working to windward under double-reefed topsails on
the starboard tack, the trade-wind blowing fresh at about east-nor'-
east.

The strange sail was about ten miles dead to windward of us; and that
she had sharp eyes on board her was manifest from the fact that, before
we had time to acknowledge the admiral's signal, she had shaken the
reefs out of her topsails and had set topgallant-sails.  Every ship in
the squadron of course at once did the same, and forthwith a most
animated chase commenced.  The _Hermione_ happened to be the weathermost
British ship, and, consequently, nearest the chase; and most anxiously
did Captain Pigot struggle to maintain this enviable position; albeit we
were closely pressed by the frigates _Mermaid_ and _Quebec_, which were
thrashing along, the one on our lee bow and the other on our lee beam, a
distance of a bare cable's length separating the three ships from each
other.  It was an interesting and exhilarating spectacle to watch these
two graceful craft leaping and plunging over the swift-rushing foam-
capped emerald surges, spurning them aside with their swelling bows and
shivering them into cloud-like showers of snowy spray which they dashed
as high as their fore-yards; now rolling heavily to windward as they
slid down into a liquid valley, and anon careering to leeward under the
influence of wind and wave, as they mounted to the succeeding crest,
until their wet gleaming sides and glistening copper flashed in the sun
almost down to their garboard strakes.  Nor did our own ship present a
less gallant spectacle as she careered madly forward through the hissing
brine, now burying her bows deep in a fringe of yeasty foam, and next
moment soaring aloft as though she meant to forsake the ocean
altogether; her steeply-inclined deck knee-deep with the rushing
cataracts of water which poured over her to windward, her canvas tugging
at the stout spars until they bent and sprang like fishing-rods, and the
wind singing through her tautly-strained rigging as through the strings
of a gigantic Aeolian harp.  The bearings of the chase were promptly
taken by Mr Southcott, the master; and a single hour sufficed to show
that we were not only fore-reaching, but also weathering upon her.  By
that time we had brought her a couple of points abaft our weather-beam,
and the _Hermione_ was then hove about, this manoeuvre temporarily
bringing the chase fair in line with our jib-boom end; whilst the
_Mermaid_ lay broad away on our lee quarter fully a mile distant, with
the _Quebec_ half a mile astern of her.  With the rising of the sun the
breeze freshened still more; and it soon became evident, from the first
lieutenant's manner, that he was beginning to feel anxious about his
spars.  Captain Pigot, however, who was on deck, would not allow the
canvas to be reduced by so much as a single thread; so Mr Reid was at
length compelled (at considerable risk to the men who executed the duty)
to get up preventer back-stays fore and aft; and to this precaution was
doubtless due the ultimate success which crowned our efforts.  Another
hour brought us fairly astern of the chase; and, the moment that her
three masts were in line, we again tacked and stood after her, being now
directly in her wake and about nine miles astern.  Meanwhile the rest of
the squadron had also tacked, and were now to be seen tailing out in a
long straggling line on our lee quarter--the _Mermaid_ leading, the
_Quebec_ next, and the rest--nowhere, as the racing men say.

Breakfast was now served, and by the time that I again went on deck we
had so far gained upon the chase that the foot of her courses could be
now and then seen as we rose upon the crest of a sea.  She was evidently
a very smart as well as a very fine ship; yet we were overhauling her,
hand over hand, as our ships pretty generally did those of the French.
It was freely admitted on all hands that the French were better
shipbuilders than ourselves, yet our ships generally proved the faster
in a chase like the present; and I had often wondered how it was.  _Now_
I saw and could understand the reason.  It was because the British ships
were better sailed and better _steered_ than those of our enemies.  Even
at our then distance it was painfully apparent that the yards of the
chase were trimmed in the most slovenly manner, and in the matter of
steering she was sheering and yawing all over the place; whilst for
ourselves, our canvas was trimmed with the utmost nicety; and we had a
man at the wheel who never for a single instant removed his glance from
the weather-leach of our main-topgallant--sail, which was kept the
merest trifle a-lift--just sufficiently so, and no more, to show that
the frigate was looking up as high as it was possible for her to go,
whilst the remainder of her canvas was clean full and dragging her along
at race-horse speed.  The result was that, though our ship was possibly
the slower of the two, her wake was as straight as though it had been
_ruled_ upon the heaving water; whilst that of the chase was so crooked
that she must have travelled over nearly half as much ground again as
ourselves, thus losing through faulty steering more than she gained
through superiority in speed.

At 10 a.m., by which time we had neared the chase to within a distance
of six miles, the stranger hove about for the first time and stood to
the southward and eastward, close-hauled on the larboard tack.  At 10:30
we followed suit, and half an hour later the high land behind Jean
Rabel, Saint Domingo, was sighted from aloft Captain Pigot now came to
the conclusion that the stranger was aiming to take refuge in Port au
Paix; and, should she succeed in effecting her design, it might prove
difficult if not impossible to capture her.  His anxiety to speedily get
alongside her and force her to action accordingly grew almost
momentarily more intense, as also did his acerbity of temper, until at
length he became so nearly unbearable that, had he just then happened to
have been washed overboard, I believe not a single man in the ship--
apart from the officers, that is, of course--would have raised a hand or
joined in any effort to save him.

At noon, however, matters grew a little more tolerable; for it had by
that time become apparent that, unless favoured by some unforeseen
accident, the chase could not possibly escape us.  At Jean Rabel the
land begins to trend to the southward and westward, extending in that
direction a distance of some four or five miles, when it bends somewhat
more to the westward, thus forming a shallow bay.  It was towards the
bottom of this bay that the chase was now heading; and it speedily
became apparent that, if she would avoid going ashore, there would soon
be only two alternatives open to her; one of which was to go round upon
the starboard tack and make a stretch off the land sufficient to allow
of her fetching Port au Paix on her next board--in which event she would
have to pass us within gun-shot; and the other was to bear up and run to
the southward and westward, when she would have to run the gauntlet of
the whole remaining portion of the squadron; in which case her fate
could only be certain capture.  We hoped and believed she would choose
the first of these two alternatives.

We were both nearing the land very rapidly--the chase now only some
three miles ahead of us--and at length Captain Pigot, feeling certain
that the stranger must now very soon heave in stays, ordered our own
people to their stations, resolved to tack simultaneously with the
chase, and thus, by remaining some three miles further in the offing,
retain the advantage of a stronger and truer breeze.  Minute after
minute lagged slowly by, however, and still the French ship kept
steadily on, with her bows pointing straight toward the land.  Suddenly,
without warning or premonition, her three masts, with all their spread
of canvas, were seen to sway violently over to leeward; and, before any
of us fully realised what was happening, they lay prone in the water
alongside, snapped short off by the deck.  The next moment the ship
swung round, broadside on to the land, and the sea began to break over
her.  Her captain had actually run her on shore to escape us.

Sail was at once shortened on board the _Hermione_, and the ship hove
to, with her head off-shore.  Captain Pigot then sent for his telescope,
and, with its aid, made a thorough inspection of the stranded frigate;
most of the officers following his example.  Yes, there could be no
possible mistake about it, she was hard and fast on shore, bumping
heavily to all appearance, and with the sea breaking over her from stem
to stern.  Not satisfied, however, with this distant inspection, the
skipper caused his gig to be lowered, and in her proceeded as near to
the scene of the wreck as prudence would allow.  He was absent two full
hours, and on his return we learnt that the French ship was hopelessly
lost; that the crew were with the utmost difficulty effecting a landing
on the beach; and that the craft herself was already breaking up.  He
was highly exasperated, as indeed were we all, at this noble prize thus
slipping through our fingers, at a moment, too, when escape seemed
absolutely impossible; and in the heat of temper he denounced the French
captain as a dastardly poltroon, a disgrace to his uniform; and swore
that, could he but have got hold of him, he would have seized him to a
grating and given him five dozen at the gangway.  And I firmly believe
he fully meant what he said.  As for me, though I--youngster that I
was--felt, perhaps, as keenly disappointed as the skipper himself, I yet
thought that the French captain had more thoroughly performed his duty
to his country than he would have done had he remained afloat and fought
us.  For, with the vastly superior force of an entire squadron on our
side, escape would then have been for him impossible; his ship must
inevitably have been captured; with the sequence that, in the hands of a
British crew, she would have become a formidable foe to the country
which had recently owned her.  Whereas, now, though that country had
lost her, her guns could at least never be turned against it.

Captain Pigot's inspection over, and the gig hoisted in, the
_Hermione's_ main-topsail was filled and we made sail for the offing,
where the remainder of the squadron was now hove to awaiting the
progress of events.

On the following day the hands were mustered to witness punishment, and,
to the unspeakable surprise and indignation of everybody, officers as
well as men, the whole of the poor fellows who had steered the ship
during the unlucky chase of the preceding day were ordered to receive
three dozen apiece, "for culpable negligence in the performance of their
duty," Captain Pigot choosing to assert that, had the ship been properly
steered, we should have overtaken and brought the French frigate to
action.  Now the manner in which the _Hermione's_ helm had been
manipulated on the occasion in question had excited the admiration of,
and extorted frequent favourable comments from the officers; there was a
stiff breeze blowing at the time; and the frigate, when heavily pressed
upon a taut bowline, had a most unhandy knack of griping;
notwithstanding which, as I have before stated, her wake had been as
straight as though ruled upon the water.  But Captain Pigot was bitterly
chagrined at his want of success--quite unreasonably, for he and
everybody else had done all that was possible to secure it--and he could
not rest until he had vented his ill-humour upon some of the
unfortunates placed in his power.  Hence the cruel and unjust order; the
issuing of which very nearly ended in results most disastrous, so far as
I was personally concerned.

For, when the first man of the unfortunate batch had stripped and was
seized up, seeing that the skipper actually intended to carry out his
monstrous resolve--a fact which, until that moment, I had doubted--
forgetting for the time everything but the cruelty and injustice of the
action, I sprang forward and placing myself immediately in front of our
frowning chief, exclaimed:

"No, no; do not do it, sir!  I assure you that you are mistaken.  The
men do not deserve it, sir; they did their utmost, I am sure; indeed I
heard Mr Reid remark to Mr Douglas that he had _never_ seen the ship
so beautifully steered before.  Didn't you, sir?"  I continued,
appealing to the first lieutenant.

"Young gentleman, you have placed me in a very awkward position,"
replied poor old David, turning to me, very red in the face; "but I'll
not deny it; I _did_ say so, and I meant it, too."

Captain Pigot turned absolutely livid with fury; he was white even to
the lips; his eyes literally blazed like those of a savage animal about
to spring upon its prey; his hands were tightly clenched; and, for a
moment, I felt that he would strike me.  He did not, however; possibly
even at that moment some instinct may have warned him that he was on the
verge of committing a very grave imprudence; and, instead of striking
the blow I had expected, he turned short on his heel and walked into his
cabin.  Then, and not until then--when I glanced about me and noted the
universal consternation with which I was regarded--did I fully realise
the enormity of the offence of which I had been guilty.

Captain Pigot was absent from the deck for perhaps ten minutes.  When he
returned the low hum of conversation which had set in on his
disappearance abruptly ceased, and every eye was turned upon him in
anticipation of the next act in this little drama.

He had evidently made a successful effort to subdue his excitement, for
he was now, to all outward appearance, perfectly calm; this somewhat
abrupt calmness seeming to me, I must confess, even more portentous than
his recent exhibition of passion had been.  Halting before me, he
pointed sternly to the hatchway, and said:

"Go below, sir; and regard yourself as under arrest.  I will consider
your case by and by.  So grave a dereliction of duty as that of which
you have been guilty is not to be dealt with hurriedly."

I bowed, and turned to go below; and, as I did so, I heard him say to
the first lieutenant:

"Since you, Mr Reid, appear to have taken a different view of these
men's conduct from that which I had entertained, and have, moreover,
seen fit to publicly express that view, I have no alternative but to
give the fellows the benefit of our difference of opinion, and withhold
that punishment which I still think they richly deserve.  But I will
take this opportunity of explaining to you, and to every other officer
and man in this ship, that I reserve to myself the exclusive right of
expressing an opinion as to the behaviour, individually and
collectively, of those under my command; and, whatever any of you may
choose to _think_ upon such a matter, I shall expect that you will
henceforward keep your opinion strictly to yourselves.  Now, let the
hands be piped down."

I had paused just below and under cover of the coamings long enough to
hear this speech to its conclusion; now, as the boatswain's pipe sent
forth its shrill sounds, I scurried off and made the best of my way to
the midshipmen's berth.  I felt that I had allowed my sympathy to get
the better of my discretion, and in so doing had plunged myself into a
very awkward predicament, out of which I did not at all clearly see how
I was to extricate myself; but, whatever might be the result to myself
of my imprudence, it had at least been the means of saving several men
from an undeserved flogging, and this reflection served somewhat to
comfort me.  I was speedily joined by those of the midshipmen whose
watch below it then happened to be; and with them came a master's mate
named Farmer--a man of some thirty-five years of age, whose obscure
parentage and want of influential friends had kept him back from
promotion, and who in consequence of countless disappointments had grown
chronically morose and discontented.  My fellow-mids were very
enthusiastic in their expressions of admiration for what they were
pleased to term "the pluck with which I had tackled the skipper;" and
equally profuse in the expression of their hopes and belief of a
successful issue of the adventure.  Farmer, however, speedily put a
stopper upon their tongues by growling impatiently:

"Belay there with that jabbering, you youngsters; you don't know what
you are talking about.  The fact is that Lascelles there has made a fool
of himself and an enemy of the skipper; and to do the latter, let me
tell you, is no joke, as he will probably discover to his cost.  He has,
however, done a kindly thing; and perhaps, in the long run, he may have
no reason to regret it."

I was suspended from duty for the remainder of that day, until late in
the evening, when a marine made his appearance at the door of the berth,
with an intimation that he had orders to conduct me to the captain's
cabin; and in the custody of this man--who was armed with a drawn
bayonet--I was accordingly marched into the presence of the skipper.  On
entering the cabin, I found Captain Pigot sitting over his wine, with
the first lieutenant seated on the opposite side of the table.  When I
entered the apartment Mr Reid was leaning across the table, talking to
his superior in a low earnest tone of voice, but upon my entrance the
conversation abruptly ceased.  The marine saluted, announced me as "The
prisoner, sir!" and then, facing automatically to the right, took up a
position just outside the cabin door.  I approached until within a
respectful distance of the table, and then halted; the first lieutenant
rising as I did so and closing the door.

"Well, young gentleman," said the skipper when old David had resumed his
seat, "have you anything to say by way of excuse for or explanation of
your extraordinary and--and--insubordinate conduct this morning?"

"Nothing, sir," I replied, "except that I felt you were about--under the
influence of a grave misapprehension--to inflict punishment upon men who
had not deserved it; and that if you did so you would certainly regret
the act most deeply.  It was from no motive of disrespect that I acted
as I did, I assure you, sir; it was done on the impulse of the moment,
and because I felt that if the evil was to be prevented it must be done
instantly.  I acted as I should have wished another to act had I been in
your place, sir."

This I felt was but a lame explanation, and not likely to help me to any
great extent out of my difficulty; but there was really nothing else I
could say without directly charging the skipper with wanton tyranny,
which it was certainly not the place of a reefer on his first cruise to
do; if Mr Reid and the rest of the officers were content with the
position of affairs it was not for me to gainsay them.

"Very well, young gentleman," answered the skipper, after a somewhat
lengthy pause, "I am willing to accept your explanation, and to believe
that you acted upon a good motive the more readily that Mr Reid here
has been most eloquent pleading your cause, and giving you the best of
characters.  But, hark ye, Mr Lascelles, never, for the future, presume
to form _any_ opinion--good or bad--upon your captain's conduct; nor,
under any circumstances, attempt to put him right.  You are too young
and too inexperienced to be capable of forming a just judgment of the
actions of your superiors; moreover, a midshipman's duty is to _obey_,
not to judge or advise his superior officers.  You may return to your
duty, sir; and let the unpleasant incident of to-day be a warning to you
throughout the remainder of your career."

Highly delighted, and, I must confess, equally surprised in so easy an
escape from what threatened at the outset to be an exceedingly awkward
scrape, I stammered out a few confused words of thanks and assurances of
good behaviour for the future, bowed, and executed a somewhat hasty
retreat.



CHAPTER FIVE.

A "CUTTING-OUT" EXPEDITION.

On going on deck to stand my watch that night shortly after my dismissal
by Captain Pigot, found the squadron heading to the northward on an easy
bowline, under reefed topsails, with the island of Tortuga bearing
south-east, about ten miles distant.  We continued on the starboard tack
during the whole of that night, tacking at eight o'clock on the
following morning, and heading in toward the land once more, at the same
time shaking the reefs out of our topsails.  An hour later the lookout
aloft reported a sail to leeward; and, on signalling the fact to the
admiral, the _Hermione_ received permission to chase.

We managed to approach within ten miles of the stranger without exciting
his suspicions; but shortly afterwards a doubt appeared to enter his
mind as to the honesty of our intentions, and he tacked, no doubt with
the object of ascertaining whether our business had anything to do with
him or not.  He soon found that it _had_; for before he was fairly round
our course had been altered so as to intercept him.  This sufficed to
thoroughly alarm him, and, wearing short round, he went square off
before the wind, setting every stitch of canvas his little vessel--a
schooner of some seventy tons--could spread to the breeze.  The chase
now showed herself to be a very smart little craft, staggering along
under her cloud of canvas in a really surprising manner; indeed, had the
pursuit lasted an hour longer we should probably have lost her, for she
was within five miles of the harbour of Jean Rabel when we succeeded in
bringing her to.

The obstinate craft having at length consented to back her topsail,
Courtenay was sent away in the gig, with the crew fully armed, to give
her an overhaul.

He remained on board nearly half an hour, and when he returned he
brought the skipper of the schooner, a negro, with him.  The little
vessel, it now appeared, was a coaster, sailing under French colours,
and was bound from Jean Rabel to Porto Caballo.  She was consequently a
prize, though utterly valueless to us; and Courtenay's instructions had
been that, if such proved to be the case, he was to take her crew out of
her and set her on fire.  She, however, belonged to the negro who
commanded her, and he had begged so earnestly that his property might be
spared, and had backed up his petition by representations of so
important a nature, that Courtenay had deemed it best, before carrying
out his instructions, to bring the man on board the _Hermione_, and give
him an interview with Captain Pigot.  The skipper was in his cabin when
the gig returned alongside, so Courtenay went in and made his report,
the result being that the negro was speedily admitted to Captain Pigot's
presence.  The next thing that happened was the summoning of the first
lieutenant to the cabin, Courtenay being at the same time dismissed.  A
conference of some twenty minutes' duration now ensued, at the
termination of which Courtenay, with half a dozen men as a prize-crew,
was sent away to take charge of the schooner; and on the return of the
boat, both vessels filled away and stood off the land on a taut bowline,
the negro owner of the schooner being detained on board the frigate.

Early the next morning the remainder of the squadron was sighted, and
immediately after breakfast Captain Pigot boarded the commodore, taking
the negro with him.  He was absent for the greater part of the morning,
and that something of moment was on the _tapis_ soon became apparent,
from the fact that the captains of the _Quebec, Mermaid, Drake_, and
_Penelope_ were signalled for.  Everybody was now on the _qui vive_, a
pleasant excitement taking the place of that stolid sullen indifference
and apathy on the part of our crew which had gradually resulted from the
skipper's ill-advised harshness to them.  At length the boats were seen
to push off on their way back to their respective ships; and, a few
minutes later, Captain Pigot passed up the gangway and came in on deck.
Everybody now waited in breathless expectation for the anticipated order
which should convey to us an inkling of the nature of the work in hand;
but, to our general disappointment, no such order was given.  The
skipper's face, however, wore a look of exultant satisfaction, and his
demeanour was so much less unpleasant than usual that we felt convinced
there was something in the wind; and all hands settled down accordingly
to await, with what patience we could muster, the development of events.

It was not, however, until two days later, the 20th of April, that our
curiosity was satisfied.  A signal from the commodore requesting the
captains of the _Hermione, Quebec, Mermaid, Drake_, and _Penelope_ to
repair on board him, was the first incident of the day; and this was
followed by a conference so protracted that the gigs' crews only got
back to their ships barely in time for dinner.  A most careful and
scrupulous inspection of the arm-chest consumed nearly the whole of the
afternoon watch; and finally, at eight bells, or four o'clock p.m.,
after a considerable amount of signalling, the ships already named
detached themselves from the rest of the squadron, and, under Captain
Pigot's orders, made sail to the westward; the negro captain being at
the same time restored to his command and allowed to proceed on his way.

Urged forward by a brisk trade-wind, to which we exposed every possible
stitch of canvas, the little squadron made short miles of it, arriving,
at three o'clock in the morning, off Port a l'Ecu; where, at a distance
of about a mile off the shore and some two miles from the harbour of
Jean Rabel on the one hand, and Port au Paix on the other, the trade-
wind encountering the land-breeze, we ran into a calm.  A carefully-
masked lantern was now exhibited on board the _Hermione_, the utmost
caution being observed to prevent its light being seen from the shore,
and at the same moment our launch, pinnace, and first and second
cutters, the two former each carrying a boat's gun in the bows, were
ordered away.

To Mr Reid, who, in conjunction with Lieutenant Burdwood of the
_Penelope_, had been closeted with the skipper for at least two hours
previously, was intrusted the command of one division of the boats which
was about to be sent away, Lieutenant Burdwood being placed at the head
of the other division.  Mr Reid went, of course, in our launch; Mr
Douglas commanded the pinnace; Farmer, a master's mate, was put in
charge of the first cutter; and, to my supreme surprise and
gratification, I was instructed to take charge of the second.

In less than five minutes, so well planned had been Captain Pigot's
arrangements, our boats were joined by the rest of the flotilla; and,
the whole having been quietly but rapidly marshalled by Mr Reid into
two divisions, our muffled oars dropped simultaneously into the water,
and we departed on our several ways.

Mr Burdwood, with his division, consisting of four boats from the
_Mermaid_, two from the _Drake_, and two from his own vessel, pulled
briskly away to the eastward, his destination being, as I shortly
afterwards learned, Port au Paix, whilst the division to which I
belonged headed west for Jean Rabel.

The night was fine, but very dark; a broad belt of dappled cloud
overspreading almost the entire heavens, and permitting only an isolated
star or two to twinkle feebly through it here and there.  A couple of
miles in the offing the trade-wind was blowing briskly, and inshore of
us, at a distance of less than a quarter of a mile, the land-breeze was
roaring down off the hills with the strength of half a gale.  Where the
two met there occurred a narrow belt of calm, broken into momentarily by
an eddying puff of wind, now warm, as the trade-wind got slightly the
better of the land-breeze, and anon cool, refreshing, and odoriferous
with the perfume of a thousand flowers, as the land-breeze regained the
ascendency and pushed forward in its turn on the domain of the trade-
wind.  Mr Reid availed himself of the opportunity afforded by our
passage across this narrow belt of calm to rally the rest of the boats
round the launch for a moment, in order to explain the object of the
expedition, and to give a few brief directions respecting the movements
of each boat.  From this explanation we now learned that we were about
to make an attack upon two privateer brigs, together with a ship and
brig which had been captured by them, all of which were lying in Jean
Rabel harbour, and were believed to be well protected and very strongly
manned.  The ship--a very fine vessel, which had recently been armed
with eighteen 9-pounder brass guns, and manned by a crew of over one
hundred men--our gallant "first" proposed to attack in person, the
launch being supported by the first and second cutters.  Mr Douglas,
our second lieutenant, aided by the _Quebec's_ launch, was to tackle the
heaviest of the privateer brigs; the _Quebec's_ first and second cutters
were to attack the other; whilst the _Mermaid's_ second cutter and the
_Quebec's_ gig were to make a dash at the remaining brig, a prize, and,
having secured her, hold themselves in readiness to lend a hand wherever
their presence might seem to be most required.  Our work having thus
been explicitly set out for us, Mr Reid gave the word for us to renew
our advance, and we once more pushed ahead.

No night could well have been more favourable for such an attack as
ours--which was meant to be a surprise, if possible--than the one
selected; so dark, indeed, was it that, by a piece of the rarest good
fortune, we had actually entered the harbour before we were able to
completely identify our whereabouts.

It now became necessary for us to pause for a moment and look about us,
in order to ascertain the locality of our game; and the word was
accordingly quietly passed from boat to boat for the men to lay on their
oars.  At first it was simply impossible for us to distinguish
anything--except the land, which loomed vague and dark, like a broad
shadow, above the water.  At length, however, one of the men in the
launch announced, in a low cautious whisper, that he could make out the
spars of a vessel directly ahead; and immediately afterwards, the clouds
overhead breaking slightly away for a moment, we were able to
distinguish the craft herself.

Feeling sure that this must be one of the vessels of which we were in
quest, Mr Reid at once gave the order for the flotilla to again move
cautiously forward; and the boats' oars immediately dipped into the
phosphorescent water, causing it to gleam and flash brilliantly.  There
is no doubt that this vivid phosphorescence of the water--which must
have been visible at a long distance in the intense darkness of the
night--occasioned the premature discovery of our presence which now took
place; for the men had not pulled half a dozen strokes before a startled
hail came pealing out across the water; to which we of course paid not
the slightest attention.  Failing to get a reply, the hail was hurriedly
repeated, a musket was fired, and a port-fire was burned on board the
craft first sighted, which now proved to be the brig which our pinnace
and the _Quebec's_ launch were destined to attack.  For the burning of
this port-fire, though it rendered further concealment on our part
impossible, we were very much obliged, as by its unearthly glare we were
enabled to discern the whereabouts of the remaining vessels, at which,
with a wild cheer, the crews of the boats at once dashed with the most
commendable promptitude.

The ship happened to be moored in the innermost berth, or that which was
farthest up the harbour; our contingent, therefore--consisting of the
_Hermione's_ launch, first, and second cutters--was the last to get
alongside; and by the time that we reached the craft her crew were quite
ready to receive us.  She was, fortunately for us, riding head to wind,
with her bows pointing up the harbour, and her stern directly towards
us; consequently the only guns which she could bring to bear upon us
were her two stern-chasers, each of which she fired twice, without
effect.  We were within twenty yards of her when the guns were fired for
the second time; and immediately afterwards a most formidable volley of
musketry was poured into us.  Strange to say, though the bullets sent a
perfect shower of splinters flying about our ears, not a man in either
boat was hit; and before the Frenchmen had time to load again we were
alongside--the launch on the port quarter, the first cutter under the
main chains on the starboard side, and my boat under the bows.  Luckily
for us, they had not had time to trice up the boarding nettings, so
that, with the aid of a volley from our pistols, we had not much
difficulty in making our way in over the craft's low bulwarks.  But when
we gained the deck we found it literally crowded with Frenchmen, who met
us with a most stubborn resistance; and had there been light enough for
them to see what they were doing, we should probably have been driven
back to our boats in less than three minutes.  But the port-fire had by
this time burnt itself out, or been extinguished, and the darkness, save
for the intermittent flash of the pistols, was profound; so that,
although there was a great deal of firing, of hacking, and hewing, and
shouting, there was very little harm being done, at least to our side,
so far as I could see.  And if the French had the advantage of us in
point of numbers, we had the advantage of them in an equally important
matter; for whilst our men were dressed in their ordinary rig of blue-
jackets and trousers, rendering them almost invisible in the darkness,
the suddenness of our attack had compelled our enemies to turn out on
deck in their shirts only, by which we were able to distinguish them
pretty clearly.

The fight had been progressing in this unsatisfactory manner for about
ten minutes, when suddenly the dash and rattle of oars was heard
alongside, immediately followed by a ringing British cheer.  In another
instant a ghastly blue glare of light illumined the decks; and we saw
Douglas, at the head of the pinnace's crew, fling himself in over the
bulwarks, with a lighted port-fire held aloft in one hand, whilst he
brandished his sword with the other.  This timely reinforcement at once
brought the fight to a conclusion, the Frenchmen forthwith flinging down
their weapons and crying for quarter.  The help came not a moment too
soon, so far as Farmer was concerned; for the very first act of Mr
Douglas, on reaching the deck, was to cleave to the chin a Frenchman
whom he saw with both knees on Farmer's chest and with his sword
shortened in his hand about to pin the unfortunate master's mate to the
deck.

The Frenchmen were at once driven below and the hatches clapped over
them; after which our lads were sent aloft to loose the topsails; and,
the cable being cut, the ship was got under weigh.  Whilst this was
doing, I had time to question our gallant "second" as to the cause of
his opportune appearance; and I then learned that so complete had been
the surprise that the other craft had been taken almost without an
effort; and that as soon as this was accomplished and the crews secured
Mr Douglas had hastened to our assistance, rightly surmising that, from
the longer warning given to the ship's crew and their great strength, we
should have our hands pretty full with them.  The moon, in her last
quarter, and dwindled to the merest crescent, was just rising over the
hills to the eastward of us as we swept before the land-breeze out of
Jean Rabel harbour; and by her feeble light I was enabled with some
difficulty to discern that, by my watch, it was just four o'clock in the
morning.  Thus satisfactorily terminated this cutting-out expedition;
the most surprising circumstance connected with which was, perhaps, the
fact that, when the hands were mustered, not one was found to have
received a hurt worthy of being termed a wound.

We had scarcely got clear of the land with our prizes--consisting of one
ship and three brigs--when we discovered three schooners and two sloops
standing out from Port au Paix; and as they, like ourselves, were
heading directly for the squadron in the offing, we conjectured--and
rightly, as it afterwards proved--that they were the vessels which
Lieutenant Burdwood had been sent in to attack.

Late in the evening of the following day we rejoined the remainder of
the squadron, and Captain Pigot at once proceeded on board the admiral
to report the complete success of the expedition.  Nothing was settled
that night as to the disposal of the prizes, but on the following
forenoon it was arranged that, as both the _Quebec_ and ourselves were
getting short of provisions and water, we should escort the prizes into
Port Royal, and at the same time avail ourselves of the opportunity to
revictual.

We reached our destination in due time without adventure, and as it then
seemed likely that there would be some delay in the matter of
revictualling, Mr Reid improved the occasion to give the spars and
rigging a thorough overhaul.  This, with such repairs and renewals as
were found necessary, kept all hands busy for four full days, at the end
of which time the ship was once more all ataunto.  Meanwhile, from some
unexplained cause or other, the provisions were coming on board very
slowly, much, it must be confessed, to the delight of the crew, who,
having worked hard at the overhauling and repairs of the rigging--to say
nothing of their behaviour at Jean Rabel--now confidently expected at
least a day's liberty with its accompanying jollification ashore.  But
when the request for it was made Captain Pigot point-blank refused in
language of the most intemperate and abusive character, stigmatising the
whole crew as, without exception, a pack of skulking, cowardly ruffians.
He added a pretty broad hint that in his opinion the officers were
nearly, if not quite as bad as the men, and finished up by swearing
roundly that not a man or boy, forward or aft, should set foot on shore,
even though the ship should remain in harbour until she grounded upon
her own beef-bones.

This was exasperating enough in all conscience, even for the hands
forward, who, though there were certainly some rough characters among
them, were by no means _all_ bad--indeed a full half of the entire crew
were really as smart willing fellows as one need wish to see; but it was
even worse for the officers, for we had all been looking eagerly forward
to a certain ball which was about to be given by the governor, to which
every one of us had received an invitation.  The disappointment was so
keen and so general that good-natured "old David"--as our genial "first"
was dubbed by all hands--took it upon himself to respectfully
remonstrate with the skipper upon so arbitrary and high-handed a
treatment of the ship's company, with no result, however, except that
the first lieutenant received an unmitigated snubbing for his pains.

The revictualling of the ship was completed about five o'clock in the
evening upon which the ball was to take place; there was plenty of time,
therefore, for us aft to have availed ourselves of the governor's
invitation had the skipper seen fit, but he remained obdurate, and we
consequently had to content ourselves with watching the departure of the
officers from the other ships, and framing such excuses as came
uppermost at the moment in reply to the inquiries of such of them as
passed near us as to why we were not going.  This was made all the more
difficult from the fact that, though we were under orders to sail at
daybreak next morning, there were no less than three other ships in
harbour similarly circumstanced, the officers of which were nevertheless
going to be present at the ball.  The only consolation we could find was
in the reflection that, whereas the others would commence the duties of
the next day fagged out with a long night's dancing, we should rise to
them refreshed, with a more or less sound night's rest; and with this
small crumb of comfort we were fain to go below and turn in.

When the hands were called next morning it was found that Captain Pigot
was still absent from the ship, but as he was expected to turn up at any
moment the messenger was passed and the cable hove short.  A slight stir
was occasioned by the crews of the other three ships making preparations
to get under way; and as these craft one after the other let fall and
sheeted home their topsails, finally tripping their anchors and making
their way to sea with the last of the land-breeze, it became evident
that something out of the ordinary course must have occurred to delay
our skipper.  It was close upon eight bells when the gig was sighted
pulling down from the direction of Kingston, and when a few minutes
later Captain Pigot came up over the side, it was noticed that he was
ghastly pale and that his right arm was in a sling.  He seemed to be
suffering considerably, and it was in a somewhat wavering voice that he
said to the first-lieutenant:

"Are you all ready, Mr Reid?  Then get your anchor, sir, and let us be
off at once.  And, Mr Courtenay, be good enough to tell the surgeon I
wish to see him in my cabin."

With which he turned short round and walked somewhat unsteadily away,
not making his appearance on deck again for nearly a week.

It afterwards transpired that his awkward temper had led to a quarrel,
during the progress of the ball, between himself and one of the soldier
officers from Up-park Camp, which quarrel had terminated in a meeting on
the Palisades, the soldier escaping unscathed, whilst Captain Pigot had
emerged from the encounter with his arm broken by a bullet from his
adversary's pistol.

Noon that day found us off Morant Point thrashing to windward under
single-reefed topsails, with a sea running which every now and then made
the frigate careen gunwale-to.



CHAPTER SIX.

A REMONSTRANCE--AND ITS SEQUEL.

Our instructions, it seemed, were that we should cruise to the southward
of Saint Domingo, from Cape Tiburon as far eastward as the Mona Passage,
giving an occasional look into Port-au-Prince.  We accordingly carried
on all that day, taking a second reef in the topsails at sunset, and
heaving the ship round on the starboard tack at midnight, which brought
us well in under the lee of Cape Tiburon by daybreak next morning.  We
were then on our cruising ground; sail was shortened, and the frigate,
being hove about, was allowed to jog along under easy canvas.
Thenceforward, until Captain Pigot reappeared on deck, we had a pleasant
and comfortable time of it; for although the discipline of the ship was
never for one moment relaxed, there was an utter absence of all that
worry and petty tyranny, and, above all, those daily floggings which the
skipper seemed to consider essential to the maintenance of a proper
degree of subordination and smartness on the part of the crew.

With the reappearance of Captain Pigot on deck, however, this brief
period of rest and quietness came to an end.  The pain and irritation of
his wound, together, perhaps, with the reflection that he had been
worsted in an encounter brought about by his own arrogant and
overbearing demeanour, seemed to have chafed his temper almost to the
point of madness.  The floggings were resumed with greater severity than
ever; and every time the hands were turned up a boatswain's-mate, armed
with a colt, was stationed at each hatchway, with instructions to
"freshen the way" of the last man on the ladder.  And the same with
shortening or making sail, the last man out of the rigging on each mast
received a liberal application of the execrable colt to his shoulders.
It certainly had the effect of making the men smart in a double sense,
but it also made them, perhaps, the most discontented crew in the
service.

Thus matters went on, steadily growing from bad to worse, until the
month of September set in.  We had been dodging off and on, carefully
beating over every inch of our cruising ground and looking into every
likely and unlikely spot, in the hope of picking up a prize or two, and
our non-success had been simply phenomenal.  It really seemed as though
every craft worth the trouble of capture had deserted our part of the
world altogether.  This of course resulted, as was perhaps only natural,
in a further accession of acerbity fore and aft, the brunt of which of
course fell upon the hands forward, who--what with drill of one sort and
another, perpetual making and shortening of sail, shifting of spars and
canvas, overhauling and setting-up of the rigging, lengthy, tedious, and
wholly unnecessary boat expeditions, in addition to the incessant
floggings and coltings already referred to--at length found their lives
a positive burden to them.  This kind of treatment could, of course,
produce but one result, and, by the period before-named, the crew had
been wrought up to such a pitch of exasperation and revengeful fury,
that I am convinced they would have refused to go to the guns had we
encountered an enemy.  It may easily be imagined how difficult and
anxious a task it was for the officers to carry on the duty of the ship
under such circumstances as these.

It had by this time become clear to everybody--excepting, apparently,
Captain Pigot himself--that the existing state of affairs could not
possibly last much longer; and at length the first lieutenant,
recognising the gravity of the situation, took it upon himself to invite
the second and third lieutenants and the master to a consultation in his
own cabin, the result of which consultation was a resolve to adopt the
extreme measure of making a collective representation and appeal to the
skipper.  This being decided, it was determined to carry out the resolve
on that same evening, the time to be during the first dog-watch, it
being Captain Pigot's habit to retire to his cabin after eight bells had
been struck, and to devote an hour or so to reading before dinner.

Accordingly, no sooner had the skipper left the deck than I was
despatched by Mr Reid to apprise Mr Douglas, Mr Maxwell, and Mr
Southcott of the fact, and to state that the first lieutenant awaited
them on the quarter-deck.  We midshipmen had of course been left in the
dark as to the proposed interview; but the message of which I was the
bearer was of so very unusual a character that I at once suspected there
must be something out of the common in prospect; and when, a few minutes
later, I saw the four principal officers of the ship march with
portentously solemn faces into the cabin, I determined that, right or
wrong, I would know what was in the wind.

Fortunately for my purpose it was my watch below, and my absence from
the deck would consequently not be noticed.  It took me but a moment to
form my plans, and not much more to execute them.  The ship had a full
poop, under which the captain's cabin was situated; the weather was
warm, and all the ports were open.  Slipping off my shoes and thrusting
them beneath a gun, where they were not likely to be discovered, I made
my way in my stockings up on to the poop, which was entirely deserted,
and at once slipped over the side into the mizzen channels.  The lid of
one of the ports was then immediately beneath me, and I knew beforehand
that there was just room for me to squeeze in upon it, where, though my
attitude must be somewhat constrained, I should be perfectly concealed
from every eye, whilst I should also be able to hear with tolerable
distinctness every word which might be spoken in the cabin in an
ordinary conversational tone of voice.

Now, I am not going to defend my conduct.  I know, and I knew at the
time, that I was doing what I had no business to do, but I was quite
free from any feeling of absolute wrong-doing; I had an instinctive
perception that the interview in which I was about to play the part of
eaves-dropper was in some way connected with the critical state of
affairs then prevailing on board, and I felt that whilst my cognisance
of what was about to pass could be hurtful to nobody, the knowledge
might be advantageous to myself, and possibly to others also.  If I
acted wrongly I must be content to bear the blame; the fact remains that
I posted myself safely and undetected in the position I had fixed upon,
and overheard almost every word which passed in the brief interview
between the skipper and his visitors.

As I swung myself out over the channels and settled myself into my
somewhat cramped quarters I heard Captain Pigot's strident voice
speaking in a tone of surprised inquiry; but I was too busy just then to
catch what he said.  By the time he had finished, however, I was all
ready to listen; and I presently heard Mr Reid reply:

"We have taken the unusual step, sir, of waiting upon you thus in a
body, to direct your attention, in the most respectful manner, to the
present condition and temper of the ship's company, the which we
conceive to have resulted wholly from your excessive severity toward
them.  They are, almost to a man, in such an excited and dangerous frame
of mind that we have the greatest difficulty in maintaining discipline,
and keeping them under proper control.  Indeed, to adequately carry on
the duty of the ship has become almost an impossibility; and--to speak
the truth frankly, sir--on comparing notes with my brother officers we
have come to the conclusion that the men are no longer to be depended
upon in case of an emergency.  Matters cannot possibly remain much
longer in their present state, a change of some sort is inevitable; and
we would most respectfully suggest, sir, to your earnest and immediate
consideration the desirability of adopting a more lenient and generous
line of policy--"

"Great Heaven! man, do you know what you are saying?" gasped the
skipper.  And the crash of a falling chair together with the quiver in
his voice seemed to indicate that he had started to his feet in a
paroxysm of fury which he was ineffectually struggling to suppress.
"How dare you," he continued--"how dare anyone or all of you presume to
call in question my conduct, or dictate to me the line of policy which I
shall pursue with regard to my crew--a lazy, skulking, cowardly set of
vagabonds, three-fourths of whom are foreigners?  Why, man, if it had
not been for the severe discipline of which you complain they would have
had the ship away from us ere now.  I know the class of men I have to
deal with, aboard here, and I also know how to deal with them; and you
may take my word for it that I will never rest satisfied until I have
made them the smartest crew in the service.  As to the difficulty you
profess to experience in carrying on the duty of the ship, I must
confess I have not observed it, the rascals have always appeared active
and willing enough whenever I have been on deck--thanks to that
wholesome fear of the cat with which I have imbued them; and if the
difficulty _really_ exists, I cannot but think, gentlemen, the fault
must be with yourselves, and it can easily be cured by a somewhat firmer
maintenance, rather than a relaxation, of that rigid discipline which
you deprecate.  And I will take this opportunity of mentioning, whilst
we are upon the subject, my very strong disapproval of the manifest
tendency which I have observed in the officers of this ship to overlook
and condone what I suppose _they_ would term _trifling_ infractions of
duty.  In so doing, gentlemen, you have made a most grievous mistake,
which, however, I will do my best to remedy in the immediate future.
There is nothing like plenty of flogging if you wish to keep such curs
in proper order."

During the progress of this speech the skipper had gradually recovered
the control of his temper; the tremulous tones of anger in his voice
were succeeded by those of bitter sarcasm; and the manifest sneer with
which he concluded made my blood boil.

There was a momentary pause, then I heard the first lieutenant say:

"With all submission, sir, permit me to say that I believe--nay, that I
am _convinced_--you wholly misunderstand the character and disposition
of the crew.  Some of them--far too many of them, indeed--_are_
foreigners, who have neither the strength nor the spirit to perform
their duties as efficiently as Englishmen would, but I believe that, for
the most part, they honestly do their best; and for honest service,
faithfully performed, perpetual flogging seems to me but a poor reward.
The jail-birds among our own countrymen are the most difficult subjects
to deal with, and flogging only hardens them; if I had to deal with them
I should be far more disposed to look for a cure from the contempt and
raillery of their shipmates.  Besides, the rogues are so cunning that
they frequently succeed in shifting the blame on to other shoulders; and
when one man gets punished for another's offences we know that the
tendency is to make him sullen and discontented.  I could name at least
a dozen men who, from being bright smart, active, reliable men at the
commencement of the cruise, have degenerated into as many idle skulks,
solely because their good qualities have received no recognition, and
they have been punished over and over again for the faults of others.
And as to our leniency toward the men--"

"There, that will do, Mr Reid; the less said on that head the better,"
interrupted the skipper impatiently.  "This discussion has gone far
enough," he continued, "and I must now request you all to withdraw.  You
have--relieved your consciences, let us say, by entering this formal
protest and expressing your disapproval of my method of dealing with the
hands forward; now let the matter drop.  And hark ye, one and all, if
there is any repetition of this impertinent interference with me, by the
Heaven above us I will clap the presumptuous individual who attempts it
in irons, and bring him to court-martial at the first convenient port we
reach.  Now go, and be hanged to you!"

"Very well, sir," said old David, "we _will_ go; but, before we leave
your presence, permit me to observe that--"

I heard no more, for, perceiving that the interview was about to
somewhat abruptly terminate, I judged it best to effect an escape from
my place of concealment whilst escape was still possible, and I
forthwith proceeded hurriedly to do so.  I managed to make my way back
to the quarter-deck without attracting attention, and had barely secured
my shoes and replaced them on my feet when the first lieutenant and his
companions emerged from the poop cabin and began to pace the quarter-
deck in apparently careless conversation, though I could tell, by the
gloomy expression of their countenances, that they were discussing an
anything but agreeable topic.

At length the westering sun approached the horizon; and Mr Douglas and
Mr Southcott retired to their cabins in anticipation of Captain Pigot's
appearance on deck to watch the nightly operation of reefing topsails,
leaving Mr Reid and Mr Maxwell to slowly pace the quarter-deck side by
side.  It being now my watch on deck, I stationed myself in the waist on
the larboard side of the deck and endeavoured to forget the gloomy
forebodings which had arisen out of the conversation I had recently
overheard by abandoning myself to the soothing influences of the
glorious eventide.

It was indeed a glorious evening, such as is seldom or never to be met
with outside the tropics.  The wind had gradually fallen away during the
afternoon until it had dropped stark calm; and there the ship lay, with
her head to the northward, gently rolling on the long glassy swell which
came creeping stealthily up out from the northward and eastward.  The
small islands of Mona and Monita--the latter a mere rock--lay broad on
our larboard quarter about eight miles distant, two delicate purplish
pink blots on the south-western horizon, whilst Desecho reared its head
above the north-eastern horizon on our starboard bow, a soft grey
marking in the still softer grey haze of the sky in that quarter.  A
great pile of delicately-tinted purple and ruby clouds with golden edges
lay heaped up in detached fantastic masses along the glowing western
horizon, shaped into the semblance of an aerial archipelago, with far-
stretching promontories and peninsulas, and boldly jutting capes and
headlands with deep gulfs and winding straits of rosy sky between.  Some
of these celestial islands were shaped along their edges into a series
of minute gold-tipped projections and irregularities, which needed only
the slightest effort of the fancy to become converted into the spires
and pinnacles of a populous city or busy seaport; whilst certain minute
detached flakelets of crimson and golden cloud dotted here and there
about the aerial channels might easily be imagined to be fairy argosies
navigating the celestial sea.  Gazing, as I did, enraptured, upon that
scene of magical beauty, it was not difficult to guess at the origin of
that most poetical--as it is perhaps the oldest--nautical superstition,
which gives credence to the idea that there exists, far away beyond the
sunset, an enchanted region which poor storm-beaten sailors are
sometimes permitted to reach, and wherein, during an existence which is
indefinitely prolonged, they enjoy a complete immunity from all those
perils and hardships with which the seaman's life is ordinarily
environed; wherein life is one long day of ineffable peace and rest and
tranquillity; and from whence every disagreeable influence is
permanently banished.

I was abruptly aroused from my fanciful musings by the sound of the
ship's bell, four strokes upon which proclaimed the end of the first
dog-watch.  The momentary bustle of calling the watch immediately
followed, in the midst of which came the customary orders to reef
topsails.  Simultaneously with the appearance of the larboard watch,
Captain Pigot issued from his cabin and, ascending the poop ladder, made
his way aft to the taffrail, from which position he was able to command
a view of the proceedings on each topsail-yard.  The royals and
topgallant-sails were very smartly clewed up and furled; and, as the
topsail halyards were let run, I saw the skipper pull out his watch and,
noting the time by it, hold it face upwards in his hand.

"Soho!" thought I, "that does not look very much as though the first
lieutenant's remonstrance had produced any beneficial effect; there's
trouble in store for some of those unfortunates on the yards if they are
not exceptionally lively."

The hands themselves, who had not failed to mark the skipper's actions,
seemed to think so too, and they set about their work with the activity
of wild-cats.  But "the more hurry the less speed" is an old adage; and
so it proved in the present case, the men on the mizzen topsail-yard
managing so to bungle matters that when, on the expiration of two and a
half minutes--the outside limit of time allowed by the skipper for
reefing a topsail--Captain Pigot closed his watch with a snap and
replaced it smartly in his pocket, several of the reef-points still
remained to be tied.

"Now," thought I, "look out for squalls."  And as the thought passed
through my mind the squall came, in the shape of a hail from the skipper
himself.

"Mizzen topsail-yard, there!" he shouted, "what are you about, you lazy
lubbers?  Do you intend to spend the remainder of the watch in reefing
that topsail?  Wake up, and put some life into your motions, for (and
here came an oath) I'll flog the last man off the yard."

The work was completed ere he had finished speaking, and the men began
hurriedly and in some little confusion to lay in off the yard.  There
was a decided scramble for the topmast rigging, each man naturally
striving to be off the yard before his neighbour, and thus exposing
himself and those immediately about him to a very considerable amount of
peril.

Mr Reid, who was also on the poop near the skipper, saw this, and
hailed the men with:

"Steady, there, on the mizzen topsail-yard; steady, men, and take things
quietly, or some of you will be meeting with a nasty accident."

The men's fear of an accident was, however, less than their dread of a
flogging, and the hustling went on, much, apparently to the amusement of
Captain Pigot, who smiled cynically as he silently watched the struggle.
The two captains of the to were in the most disadvantageous position of
all, as they, bent supposed to be the two smartest hands on the yard,
had laid out, one to each yard-arm to pass and haul out the earrings and
they would consequently, in the ordinary course of things be the last
men off the yard.  This, however, meant a flogging for at least one of
them, which they were resolved to escape if possible.  Instead,
therefore, of laying in along the foot-rope like the rest of the men,
they scrambled up on the yard, by the aid of the lifts, and standing
erect on the spar, started to run in along it toward the mast.  They
managed very well until they reached the little struggling crowd about
the topmast rigging, when, to avoid them, the two men made a spring
simultaneously for the back-stays.  How it happened can never be known,
but, somehow or other, both overleaped themselves missed the back-stays,
and came crashing down on the poop where they lay motionless upon the
white planks which in another moment were crimsoned with their blood.

Captain Pigot turned ghastly pale as this sudden and terrible
consequence of his tyrannical behaviour presented itself to him; but he
never moved a single step to help either of the injured men.  The first
lieutenant, however, sprang forward and raised the head of one poor
fellow, whilst I, springing up the poop ladder, went to the assistance
of the other.  The man to whom I went lay on his face, and, as I turned
him over and raised his head, I turned sick and faint at the ghastly
sight which met my horrified gaze.  The features were battered out of
all recognition, the lower jaw was broken, and from what appeared to be
the crushed face the blood was spurting in a torrent which almost
instantly drenched through my small-clothes and wetted me to the skin.
Unable to endure the terrible spectacle, I turned my eyes in Mr Reid's
direction, only to see that the unfortunate man whom he supported was in
quite as bad a plight.  It was evident not only that the poor fellow was
dead, but also that death must have been instantaneous, the neck being
broken, and the crown of the skull apparently crushed in such a way that
the brain could be seen protruding, and the deck also was bespattered.

"Pass the word for the surgeon, there, somebody, and tell him to look
smart!" gasped poor old David in a voice so hoarse and changed with
horror and grief that I should never have recognised it as his had I not
seen his lips move.

In a minute or two the surgeon made his appearance on the scene, and a
very brief examination sufficed to enable him to pronounce both the men
dead.

The first lieutenant undertook to announce the sad intelligence to the
skipper, who still remained standing in the same position, apparently as
unconcerned as if nothing had happened.  I must confess that I, for one,
fully expected to see some very decided manifestation of emotion on the
captain's part when he learned the tragical nature of the disaster; but,
instead of that, on being told the news, he--to the horror and
indignation of everybody who heard him--simply said:

"Um! dead, are they?  Then throw the lubbers overboard!"  And this was
actually done.  Without the slightest pretence to ceremony or reverence
of any kind, without so much as a single prayer to consecrate their
dismissal to their final resting-place in the bosom of the deep, without
even pausing to sew up the poor fellows in their hammocks, with a shot
at their feet to ensure their safe arrival in the quiet and peaceful
region of the ocean's bed, the bodies were straightway raised from the
deck and, with a "One, two, three, _heave_!" were flung over the side,
to be instantly fought over and torn to pieces by some half a dozen
sharks which had put in an unsuspected appearance on the scene.  Many a
curse, "not loud but deep," was called down upon the skipper's head that
night by the shipmates of the murdered men--for murdered they
undoubtedly were--and many a vow of complete and speedy vengeance was
solemnly registered.  Insulted, scoffed at, derided, their last spark of
self-respect--if indeed any such thing still remained to them--outraged
and trodden under foot, the crew were that night changed from men to
devils; and if, at the conclusion of those unceremonious obsequies, a
leader had but stepped forward and placed himself at their head, they
would have risen upon us and, all unarmed as they were, torn us to
pieces.

No such thought or fear, however, appeared to present itself to Captain
Pigot, for, instead of evincing or expressing any sorrow for what had
occurred, he imperiously ordered the hands to be mustered in the waist,
with the evident intention of "reading them a lecture," as he was wont
to term his too frequent hectoring addresses.

The men, sullen, and with suppressed fury blazing in their eyes and
revealing itself in their every gesture, swarmed aft and stood in
reckless expectation of some further outrage.  Nor were they
disappointed.

"I have sent for you," the skipper began, in his most sneering and
contemptuous accents, "not to express any hypocritical sorrow for the
occurrence which has just taken place, but to point out to you the
obvious lesson which is to be learned from it--a lesson which I fear
your dense ignorance, your utter destitution of discernment and common-
sense, would prevent your ever discovering for yourselves.  Within the
last half-hour two men have come to their deaths.  How?  Why, by a
sneaking, cowardly attempt to evade the punishment justly due to the
lazy, skulking, lubberly way in which they performed their duty.  It
would have been better for them had they listened to the first
lieutenant's admonition and come quietly down from aloft, to receive at
a proper time the punishment which they richly deserved.  But they must
needs attempt to shirk it, with the consequences which you have all
witnessed; and, so far as I am concerned, I can only say that I think
they have met with no more than their just deserts.

"But it is not of them I want to speak to you; it is of yourselves.  The
same shirking, idle, rebellious spirit which distinguished them is
conspicuous in every one of you.  It is little more than a couple of
hours ago that your officers waited upon me in a body to make formal
complaint of your idleness and insubordinate conduct.  There was no
necessity for them to do any such thing, for I am not altogether lacking
in powers of observation, and I have not failed to notice that for some
time past there has been a general disposition on the part of all hands
to thwart and oppose me in every possible way; but I just mention the
fact of this complaint to show you that I am not alone in my opinion as
to your conduct.  Now, my lads, you are a great many, and I am only one
man; but if you suppose that on that account you will be able to get
your own way, or successfully oppose me, you will discover that you
never made a greater mistake in your lives.  You may shirk your work, or
perform it in a slovenly, unseamanlike manner as long as you please, but
I warn you, one and all, that I have made up my mind to convert you from
the lazy, skulking, mutinous set of tinkers and tailors you now are,
into the smartest and best-disciplined crew in the service; and by
Heaven I will do it too, even though it should be necessary to
administer a daily flogging to every man in the ship.  There are some
few of you who are a shade worse--a shade more idle, and lubberly, and
insubordinate--than the rest; you, Jones, are one; you, Hoskings, are
another, and you, Thomson, Kirkpatrick, Davis, Morrison, I have my eye
upon all of you; you are booked, every man of you, for an early taste of
the cat; and I assure you that when it comes it will be a sharp one.
You shall learn that, in laying yourselves out to oppose your captain,
you have undertaken a task altogether beyond your strength.  You shall
have neither rest nor peace day or night, henceforward, until I have
completely quelled your present rebellious spirit and brought you to a
proper condition of subordination and smartness.  So now, my lads, you
know what you have to expect, and, whatever happens, you will never be
able to say that I did not give you due warning.  Pipe down!"

The men turned away and dispersed in perfect silence.  Usually after the
administration of a lecture, however severe, some irrepressible joker
might be detected with his head cocked on one side and his face with a
waggish grin upon it, turned toward his next neighbour, evidently giving
utterance to some jocular comment upon the lately-delivered address, as
he gave his breeches the true nautical hitch forward and abaft; but on
this occasion there was nothing of the kind, the indignation and disgust
aroused by the skipper's arrogant and threatening speech appeared to be
altogether too overpowering to allow of the escape of a humorous idea to
the surface.

The silence of the men was so complete as to be, to my mind, ominous,
whilst their bearing was marked by that peculiar air of defiant
recklessness which is to be observed in individuals who feel that
Fortune has at length done her very worst for them.  How much longer, I
wondered, would they thus tamely suffer themselves to be hectored and
browbeaten? how much longer go quietly to the gangway and submit to be
severely flogged for the most trifling offences?  Then, too, I felt
indignant at the unscrupulous way in which the skipper had
misrepresented the nature of the officers' recent interview with him,
and had conveyed the impression that they were rather favouring than
deprecating the severity of his discipline.  Such conduct struck me as
being not only barbarously tyrannical, but also in the highest degree
impolitic; for what could any man of sense expect but that, by
persistence in it, he would make good men bad, and bad men worse.  And
if the men were to turn restive in the presence of an enemy--which was,
to my mind, not unlikely, though I never anticipated anything worse--
what would be the result?  The whole aspect of affairs looked
unsatisfactory in the extreme, and when I turned into my hammock that
night it was to indulge in sundry very gloomy forebodings before I
finally dropped off to sleep; though Heaven knows how far I was from
guessing at the scenes of horror of which the frigate was to be the
theatre before another twenty-four hours had passed over my head.



CHAPTER SEVEN.

THE MUTINY.

During the night a little air of wind sprang up from the eastward which
carried us out clear of the Mona Passage, and when day dawned we found
ourselves with a clear horizon all round the ship.  At noon we wore
round to retrace our steps, and by sunset we were within a dozen miles
of the spot we had occupied at the same hour on the previous evening.

The day, for a wonder, had passed almost pleasantly; there had been no
flogging; Captain Pigot had scarcely showed himself on deck, except for
a few minutes after breakfast and again at noon; and the officers of the
watches, glad to be freed from his obnoxious presence, had been careful
not to unnecessarily hurry and badger the men whilst carrying on the
duty of the ship.  The only circumstance which, to my mind, seemed
disquieting, was the unusual demeanour of the men, who performed their
work, steadily enough indeed, but in a moody, unnatural silence,
wearing, meantime, a gloomy, preoccupied air, whilst they at the same
time--at least so it appeared to me--seemed to be, one and all, in a
restless, anxious, watchful frame of mind, as though they were in
momentary expectation of something happening.  I could not at all
understand this state of things, which was something quite new, for,
notwithstanding the skipper's intolerable tyranny, there were a few of
the men--and those among the best and smartest hands we had in the
ship--who had hitherto contrived to maintain a fairly cheerful
demeanour, and who seldom let slip such an opportunity as that afforded
by the captain's absence from the deck to indulge in the exchange of a
quiet bit of nautical humour or a harmless practical joke with their
next neighbour.  To-day, however, this sort of thing was conspicuously
absent; and I was at first disposed to attribute the unwonted gloom to
the men's horror and regret at the lamentable accident of the previous
evening.  But that, I felt again, would scarcely account for it; for,
however sincere may be Jack's attachment to his shipmates whilst they
are alive and with him, they are no sooner dead and buried than, from
his quickly acquired habit of promptly casting behind him all
disquieting memories, he forgets all about them and their fate.

At length, as the day wore on and drew to a peaceful close, my
misgivings, such as they were--and they were, after all, so slight as
scarcely to deserve mention--passed away; and at eight bells I retired
to my hammock with a dawning hope that perhaps, after all, the
collective remonstrance of the officers was about to bear good fruit.

My mind being thus at rest, I at once sank into a profound sleep, from
which I was abruptly startled by a loud noise of some kind, though what
it was I could not for the moment make out.  Almost immediately
afterwards, however, I heard it again--a loud furious combined shout of
many voices from the fore part of the ship.  Feeling instinctively that
something was wrong, I leaped from my hammock--as also did Courtenay, my
only companion in the berth--and began hurriedly to search for my
clothes by the dim light of the smoky lamp which hung swaying from the
deck-beam overhead.  Before, however, I had time to do more than don my
socks, a grizzled weatherbeaten main-topman named Ned Sykes made his
appearance in the doorway of the berth, with a drawn cutlass in his hand
and a pair of pistols in his belt.  He looked intently at us both for a
moment, and then said, in a gruff but kindly tone of voice:

"Muster Lascelles, and Muster Courtenay, ain't it?  Ha! that's all
right; I reckoned I should find you two young gen'lemen here, safe
enough.  Now, you two, just slip into your hammicks again as fast as you
knows how, and stay there until I gives you leave to get out of 'em."

"Why, what is the matter, Ned?  What is all the row about?" asked
Courtenay, with wide-staring, horrified eyes.  For, by this time, the
shouting and yelling were tremendous, and accompanied by a loud
thumping, rumbling sound, produced, as we afterwards ascertained, by the
shot which the men were flinging about the decks.

"The matter is just this here, young 'un," replied Ned, entering the
berth and seating himself on a chest, "The hands for'ard has made up
their minds not to have no more such haccidents as them two that
occurred last night; nor they ain't a-goin' to have no more floggin' nor
bully-raggin', so they've just rose up and are takin' possession of the
ship--Aha!  I'm terrible afeard that means bloodshed," as a piercing
shriek echoed through the ship.  "Now," he continued, seeing that we
evinced a strong disinclination to return to our hammocks, "you just
tumble into them hammicks and lie down, _quick_; you couldn't do a
morsel of good, e'er a one of yer, if you was out there on deck--you'd
only get hurted or, mayhap, killed outright,--and I've been specially
told off to come here and see as neither of yer gets into trouble;
you've both been good kindly lads, you especial, Muster Lascelles--
you've never had your eyes open to notice any little shortcomin's or
skylarkin's on the part of the men, nor your tongues double-hung for to
go and report 'em, so the lads is honestly anxious as you sha'n't come
to no harm in this here rumpus."

"Then the men have actually mutinied," said I--and there I stopped
short, for at that moment came the sound of a rush aft of many feet,
with shouts and curses, mingled with which I heard the loud harsh tones
of Captain Pigot's voice raised in anger.  The _melee_, however, if such
there was, quickly swept aft, and there was a lull for perhaps two or
three minutes, followed by the sounds of a brief struggle on the
quarter-deck, a few shrieks and groans, telling all too plainly of the
bloody work going forward, and then silence, broken only now and then by
the sound of Farmer's voice, apparently issuing orders, though what he
was actually saying we could not distinguish.

During all this time Courtenay and I lay huddled up in our hammocks, too
terrified and horror-stricken to say a word.  At length, after the lapse
of about an hour of quietness on deck, Sykes--after cautioning us most
earnestly not, on any account, to move from where we were until his
return--set out with the expressed intention of ascertaining how the
land lay.  He was absent about a quarter of an hour; and on his return
he informed us in horrified accents that, out of all the officers of the
ship, there remained alive only Mr Southcott the master, the gunner,
the carpenter, Courtenay, myself--and Farmer, the master's mate, who, it
appeared, had taken a leading part in the mutiny, and had been elected
to the command of the ship.  It was evident, from the scared and
horrified appearance and manner of our informant, that he had never
anticipated any of this awful violence and bloodshed, though he frankly
admitted that he had been a consenting party to the mutiny--the general
understanding being that the officers were all to be secured in the
first instance, and afterwards handed over as prisoners to the enemy--
and he hurriedly explained to us that, for his own safety's sake, it
would now be necessary for him to leave us and join the rest of the
mutineers without delay, but that he would return to us as soon as he
possibly could; and that, in the meantime, we were on no account to
leave the berth, or our lives would certainly be sacrificed.

After hearing such statements as these, no further warning was needed to
keep us two unhappy mids close prisoners for the rest of the night.
Further sleep was of course quite out of the question; so we hastily
dressed, and, closing the door of the berth, seated ourselves on a sea-
chest, where we passed the remainder of the night discussing the awful
tragedy which had so suddenly been enacted, comparing notes as to our
mutual forebodings of some such disaster, and, lastly, wondering what
would be the ultimate fate of ourselves and the few other surviving
officers.

At length, after what appeared to be a very eternity of suspense and
anxiety, steps were heard approaching the berth; and, upon our throwing
open the door, Sykes, somewhat the worse for liquor, made his
appearance, hailing us, in tones of obviously forced joviality, with:

"Well, what cheer, my fighting cocks--my bully bantams?  How goes it?
Hope your honours has passed a comfortable night," with a ghastly grin
at his own facetiousness.  Then, with considerably more seriousness of
manner, he continued:

"Well, young uns, Farmer--or _Mister_ Farmer, I should say--has been
axing arter you, and his instructions am that you may now go 'pon deck.
But--hark 'e, my bullies, keep your weather eyes a-liftin' and a stopper
upon your tongues.  Whatsomever you may happen to see don't you be led
away into indulgin' in any onpleasant remarks upon it; nor don't you go
for to try and talk over any of the lads into `returning to their duty,'
or any rot of that sort; for so sure as either of you attempts anything
like that, so surely will you get your brains blowed out.  The ship's
took--what's done is done--and neither you nor nobody else can make or
mend the job; the men is in a mighty ticklish humour, I can tell 'e, and
if you wants to save your precious carcasses you'll have to walk mighty
carcumspect.  And that's the advice and opinion of a friend, all free,
gratis, and for nothink.  Now, come along, my hearties; show a leg!"

We followed our well-meaning guide up the ladder to the quarter-deck,
where we found Farmer apparently awaiting our appearance.  He was
standing or rather leaning in a wearied attitude against a gun on the
starboard side of the deck; his cheeks were flushed and his eyes gleamed
feverishly; he looked a good twenty years older than he had appeared to
be on the previous day; and, like a good many of the other mutineers, he
appeared to have been indulging somewhat freely in liquor.  He roused
himself at our approach, and, seating himself in a negligent, careless
attitude on the breech of the gun, said:

"Good morning, young gentlemen.  I am glad to see you both safe and
sound.  Sykes has of course informed you of what has taken place--he had
my instructions to do so, as also to see that you were kept out of
harm's way last night.  Now, what I have to say to you is this.  You two
lads having invariably manifested kindness and sympathy for the men,
they were especially anxious that whenever the rising might take place
your lives should be spared.  This has been done.  You are alive and
unharmed this morning, whilst others have gone to render an account of
their manifold misdeeds--their countless acts of oppression and
cruelty--before that Judge in whose sight their lives are not one whit
more valuable than the lives of those whom they have goaded and driven
to death--ay, and to _worse_ than death--to such frantic desperation as
can only be allayed by the shedding of blood like water.  Now, mark me
well, both of you; you have had neither part nor lot in this matter--
those who wished you well have so managed that, whether or no, you
should be kept strictly neutral throughout the affair; all those to whom
you owed obedience are either dead or prisoners; you are not asked or
expected to join us--we do not want you and should not care to have you
even if you were willing--you are therefore relieved from duty; and all
that is asked of you is that you shall interfere in no way, either by
word or deed, with the working of the ship or with our plans.  If you
are agreeable to abide by this proposal, well and good; you will be
welcome to come and go as you like until we find it convenient to land
you; you will be allowed to occupy your former quarters, and your
rations will be regularly served out to you.  But if on the other hand
you make the slightest attempt to communicate with the prisoners, or
endeavour in any way to seduce any of the men from their loyalty to the
rest, I will hang you both that same hour, one from each yard-arm.  That
is understood and agreed to, is it not, men?" he continued, raising his
voice and appealing to the crowd of mutineers who had gathered round us.

"Ay, ay, that's agreed; that's fair enough," was the unanimous reply.

With that, Farmer waved his hand to us by way of dismissal; and
considerably thrown off our balance by the address to which we had just
listened, and by the terrible turn affairs had taken generally, we slunk
off to the poop, so as to be as far away as possible from the murderous
gang and from the ghastly puddles of coagulated blood about the quarter-
deck, which still bore witness to heaven against them.

At this moment a man on the forecastle electrified all hands by
shouting:

"Sail ho!"

I saw Farmer start from his seat on the gun as if shot, his flushed
features turned ashen pale, and for a moment his palsied lips refused to
give utterance to a sound.

"Sail ho!" repeated the man in a louder hail, thinking, I suppose, that
his first intimation had passed unnoticed.  This second hail fairly
startled the men, and in a moment everything was bustle and confusion
and panic.  It aroused Farmer too; he pulled himself together
sufficiently to respond to the hail with the usual question, "Where
away?" and, on receiving the reply, "Two points on the larboard bow,"
walked forward to personally inspect the stranger.  We, of course,
likewise directed our glances in the specified direction; and there she
was, sure enough, a large ship, on the starboard tack, with every stitch
of canvas set that would draw, and steering a course which would take
her across our bows at a distance of about a mile.

"Bring me the spy-glass out of the cabin, somebody!" hailed Farmer from
the forecastle.  The glass--a very powerful one and a favourite
instrument with the murdered captain--was handed him by one of the
quarter-masters, and he applied it to his eye.  A breathless silence now
prevailed fore and aft for the stranger had all the look of a British
man-of-war, and everybody was waiting to hear what Farmer's verdict
would be.  The inspection was a long-sustained and evidently anxious
one.  At length, dropping the glass into the hollow of his arm Farmer
turned and said:

"Bring Mr Southcott on deck, and let us hear his opinion of yonder
hooker."

In a few minutes the master was escorted on deck by a couple of armed
seamen, and led forward to where Farmer was standing.

"Mr Southcott," said the mutineer, turning toward the individual
addressed, and perceptibly shrinking as their glance met, "be good
enough to take this glass, and let me know wha' you think of the
stranger yonder."

"Stranger!" ejaculated Southcott.  "Where away?  Ah, I see her!" and he
took the glass from Farmer's extended hand.

"Well, what think you of her?" asked Farmer impatiently, after the
master had been silently working away with the glass for some two or
three minutes.

"One moment, please," answered Southcott with his eye still glued to the
tube; "I think--but I am not quite sure--if she would only keep just the
merest trifle more away--so as to permit of my catching a glimpse--"

"Sail ho!" shouted a man in the fore-top; "two of 'em, a brig and a ship
on the starboard beam, away in under the land there!"

Farmer unceremoniously snatched the glass away from the master and
levelled it in the direction indicated.

"Ay, ay, I see them," said he.  "That is the _Drake_ nearest us, and the
_Favourite_ inshore of her.  They are all right; we have nothing to fear
from them.  It is this stranger here ahead of us that bothers me.  Come,
Mr Southcott," he continued, "you ought to know something about her by
this time--you have been looking at her long enough; do you think you
ever saw her before?"

The master took the glass, had another long squint at the ship ahead,
then handed the instrument back to Farmer, with the answer:

"I decline to say whether I have or not."

"That is enough," said Farmer; "your answer but confirms me in my
conviction as to the identity of yonder frigate.  It is the _Mermaid_.
Speak, sir, is it not so?"

"You are right, Farmer, it _is_ the _Mermaid_, thank God! and you cannot
escape.  See! she is already hauling up to speak us; and in another
twenty minutes will be alongside.  Now, sir, resign to me the command
which you have with so much violence and bloodshed usurped; and you,
men," he continued, turning round and in a loud voice addressing the
rest of the crew, "return at once to your duty.  Support and assist me
in recovering the command of the ship, and I promise--"

"Silence!" roared Farmer, striking the master a heavy blow full in the
mouth with his clenched fist.  "Seize him, you two," he continued to the
men who had charge of the prisoner, "and if he offers to speak again to
the men clap a belaying-pin between his teeth.  My lads, you now know
the truth; yonder frigate is our old acquaintance the _Mermaid_.  Mr
Southcott proposes that I should surrender the command of this ship to
him; and if I do so we all know what will follow.  Most of us will
dangle at the yard-arm; and though, _through the royal clemency_," (with
a bitter sneer), "a few may be allowed to escape with a flogging through
the fleet, with left-handed boatswains' mates to cross the lashes--think
of that, men, and compare it with the mere two or three dozen at the
gangway which most of you have tasted since you joined the _Hermione_--
where is the man among you, I ask, who can point to himself and say, `I
shall be one of the _fortunate_ few?'  No, no, my lads! after last
night's work there must be no talk of surrender; the ropes are already
round our necks, and as surely as we ever find ourselves beneath the
British flag again, so surely will those ropes be hauled taut and
ourselves bowsed up to the yard-arm.  And, even if our lives could be
assured to us, what inducement is there to us to serve under British
bunting again?  I say there is _none_.  We must choose, then, between
two alternatives; we must either fight or fly.  Which is it to be?"

The rest of the mutineers huddled together, evidently irresolute; each
man eagerly sought his neighbour's opinion, the _pros_ and _cons_ of
Farmer's question were hurriedly discussed, and I saw with inexpressible
delight that a good many of the men were more than half disposed to fall
in with the master's suggestion.

Mr Southcott must have seen this too, for he wheeled round upon Farmer
and exclaimed:

"Surely, Farmer, you are not mad enough to entertain the idea of
fighting the _Mermaid_?  Why, man, you could not stand up before her for
five minutes with the men in their present undisciplined state and no
one but yourself to direct operations.  Your defeat under such
circumstances is an absolute certainty; and think what would be the fate
of yourself and your misguided followers if taken in arms against the
flag under which they have sworn to serve.  At present some at least of
them may hope for mercy if they will but--"

"Away with him!  Take him below!" shouted Farmer, "and if he attempts to
open his mouth again put a bullet through his brains.  Now, shipmates,"
he continued, as the master was hurried below, "make up your minds, and
quickly too; which will you have, the yard-rope or a pitched battle?"

"What occasion is there for either?" inquired a burly boatswain's-mate.
"There's more ways of killing a cat than choking of her with cream.
Let's square dead away afore it and set stunsails alow and aloft, both
sides.  I'll lay my life we run far enough away from the _Mermaid_ afore
sunset to dodge her in the dark."

"No good," dissented Farmer.  "The _Mermaid_ could beat us a couple of
knots off the wind in this breeze."

"Ay, ay; that's true enough; she could so," assented a topman.  "But we
have the heels of her on a taut bowline; so why not brace sharp up on
the starboard tack, pass between the islands, and then make for Porto
Rico?"

"What! and run the gauntlet of those two cruisers inshore there, as well
as take our chance of falling in with the _Magicienne_ and the
_Regulus_, which we know are knocking about somewhere in that direction!
Is that the best counsel you can give, Ben?"

"Well, then, let's haul close in with the land, set fire to the ship,
and take to the boats," answered Ben.

"And what then?" sneered Farmer.

"Why, land, to be sure, and take sarvice with Jack Spaniard," was the
reply.

"Why, man, do you suppose they would welcome us if we went to them
empty-handed?" asked Farmer.  "No, no, that will never do.  If we join
the Spaniards we must take the ship with us to ensure a welcome; and I'm
half inclined to think that will be the best thing we can do.  But not
now; that must be thought over at leisure.  Meanwhile, what is to be
done in the present emergency?  We have no time for further argument.
Will you stand by me and obey my orders?"

"Ay, ay, we will, every man Jack of us, sink or swim, fight or fly," was
the reply from a hundred throats.

"That's well, my lads," exclaimed Farmer exultantly; "it shall go hard
but I will bring you through somehow.  Starboard your helm, there," to
the man at the wheel; "let her come to on the larboard tack; to your
stations, men; let go the larboard sheets and braces, and round in on
the starboard.  Smartly, my bullies; let's have no bungling, now, or
Captain Otway there will at once suspect that something is amiss.
That's well; ease up the lee topgallant and royal-braces a trifle; well
there of all; belay!  Afterguard, muster your buckets and brushes and
wash down the decks.  Roberts, go below with a gang and rouse the
hammocks on deck; and quarter-masters, see that they are snugly stowed.
Where's the signal-man?  Bend the ensign on to the peak-halliards and
our number at the main; and main-top, there I stand by to hoist away the
pennant.  Gunner, muster your crew; go round the quarters with them; and
see that everything is ship-shape in case we should have to make a fight
of it."

I was surprised to see how, as Farmer issued his orders in a tone of
authority, the instinct of discipline asserted itself; the men sprang to
their stations as nimbly and executed their several duties as smartly as
though Captain Pigot himself had been directing their movements.  The
_Hermione_ was braced sharp up on the larboard tack and heading as near
as she would lay for the _Mermaid_, which was now about a point and a
half on our weather bow, about four miles distant, and nearing us fast;
whilst the _Favourite_ and the _Drake_ were stretching out from under
the land to join her.

Presently a string of tiny balls went soaring aloft to the _Mermaid's_
main-royal mast-head, to break abroad as they reached it and stream out
in the fresh morning breeze as so many gaily coloured signal flags.

"There goes the _Mermaid's_ bunting, sir!" sang out the signal-man, "she
is showing her number."

"Ay, ay, I see it," exclaimed Farmer.  "And, by Heaven," he added, "it
never struck me until this moment that Pigot was senior captain.  Hoist
away your ensign and pennant! up with the number!  We are all right, my
hearties; I know how to trick them now."

He raised the telescope to his eye and brought it to bear upon the
_Mermaid_.

"All right," he exclaimed a few seconds later, "she sees our number--
haul down!  Now signal her to chase in the north-eastern quarter.
Hurrah, my hearties, that's your sort!  There goes her answering
pennant; and there she hauls to the wind on the starboard tack.  That
disposes of her at all events.  Now signal the _Favourite_ and _Drake_
to chase to the nor'ard; that will send them through the Mona Passage,
and leave us with a clear sea."

A quarter of an hour later the three cruisers which had caused the
mutineers so much uneasiness were thrashing to windward under every rag
they could spread; when Farmer bore up and ran away to the southward and
westward with studding-sails set on both sides of the ship.



CHAPTER EIGHT.

LA GUAYRA.

After breakfast that morning the men were mustered on the quarter-deck;
and Farmer, with some half a dozen of the other mutineers, discussed in
their presence and hearing the question of what should be done with the
ship now that they had her.  There was, of course, a great deal of wild
talk, especially among the foreigners--of whom, most unfortunately for
the ill-fated officers of the ship, there were far too many on board--
and at one period of the discussion it seemed by no means improbable
that the frigate would be converted into a pirate, in which event there
can be no doubt but that, for a time at least, she would have proved a
terrible scourge to all honest navigators in those seas.  Farmer,
however, was strongly in favour of going over to the Spaniards; and in
the end his counsels prevailed, though he met with a great deal of
opposition.

This point settled, the ship's head was laid to the southward; and
sunrise on the fourth morning succeeding the mutiny found us off La
Guayra, with a flag of truce flying.  The signal was duly observed and
answered from the shore; upon which the gig was lowered, and, with a
white flag floating from her ensign staff, her crew in their holiday
rig, and Farmer with three other ringleaders of the mutiny in her stern-
sheets, she shoved off for the harbour.  She was absent for the greater
part of the day, it being seven bells in the afternoon watch before she
was observed pulling out of the harbour again; and when she made her
appearance it was at once observed that she was accompanied by several
heavy launches full of men.  It took the flotilla fully an hour to pull
off to us, and when they reached the frigate it was seen that the
occupants of the shore-boats were Spanish seamen, with a sprinkling of
officers among them.  On coming alongside the entire rabble at once
boarded; the ship was formally handed over by Farmer to an officer in a
resplendent uniform, whose first act was to direct one of his aides to
strike the white flag and hoist the Spanish ensign at the peak; and the
surviving officers--five of us in number--were then mustered and ordered
into one of the boats alongside.  We were compelled to bundle down over
the side just as we were, without a single personal belonging, or
article of clothing except what we stood in; and, the boat being manned
by some twenty as bloodthirsty-looking desperadoes as I ever clapped
eyes on, we were forthwith pulled ashore and at once marched off to
prison.

It was dark by the time that we reached the harbour; we were
consequently unable to see much of the place that night beyond the fact
that it lay at the base of a lofty range of hills.  We were received at
the landing-place by a party of soldiers with fixed bayonets, who had
evidently been awaiting our arrival, and, escorted by them, we arrived--
after a march of about a mile--at the gates of a most forbidding-looking
edifice constructed of heavy blocks of masonry, and which had all the
appearance of being a fortress.  Passing through the gloomy gateway--
which was protected by a portcullis--we found ourselves in a large open
paved courtyard, across which we marched to a door on the opposite side.
Entering this door, we wheeled to the right and passed along a wide
stone passage which conducted us to a sort of guard-room.  We were here
received by a lanky, cadaverous-looking individual with a shrivelled
yellow parchment skin, hands like the claws of a vulture, piercing black
eyes, and grizzled locks and moustache, who, with but scant courtesy,
took down the name and rank of each of us in a huge battered volume;
after which we were conducted through another long echoing passage, and
finally ushered into a sort of hall, about sixty feet long by forty feet
wide, with a lofty stone groined roof, and six high, narrow, lancet-
shaped windows in each of the two longer walls.  These windows we
subsequently found were closely grated on the outside with heavy iron
bars.  The moment that we crossed the threshold the heavy oaken door was
closed and barred upon us, and we were left to shift for ourselves as
best we could.

The first thing of which I was distinctly conscious on entering the hall
was the volume of sound which echoed from the walls and the groined
roof.  Singing, laughter, conversation, altercation were all going on at
the same moment at the utmost pitch of the human voice, and apparently
with the whole strength of the assembled company, which, after winking
and blinking like an owl for several moments, I succeeded in dimly
making out through the dense cloud of suffocating smoke which pervaded
the place, and which appeared to emanate from a wood fire burning on the
pavement at the far end of the hall, and from some three or four flaring
oil lamps which were suspended from nails driven into the walls between
the joints of the masonry.

It was a minute or two before any of the noisy company appeared to
notice us.  At length, however, one man, rising to his feet and shading
his eyes with his hand as he looked in our direction, ejaculated:

"Who have we here?  More companions in misfortune?"

Then advancing with outstretched hand he exclaimed uproariously:

"What cheer, my hearties?  Welcome to Equality Hall!"

Then, as he for the first time noticed our uniforms, he muttered:

"Why, dash my old frizzly wig if they ain't navy gents!" adding in a
much more respectful tone of voice: "Beg pardon, gentlemen, I'm sure,
for my familiarity.  Didn't notice at first what you was.  Come forward
into the range of the light and bring yourselves to an anchor.  I'm
afraid you'll find these but poor quarters, gentlemen, after what you've
been used to aboard a man-o'-war.  And you'll find us a noisy lot too;
but the fact is we're just trying to make the best of things here,
trying to be as happy as we can under the circumstances, as you may say.
Here, you unmannerly lubbers," he continued, addressing a group who
were sprawling at full length on a rough wooden bench, "rouse out of
that and make room for your betters."

The men scrambled to their feet and made way for us good-naturedly
enough; and we seated ourselves on the vacated bench, feeling--at least
I may answer for myself--forlorn enough in the great dingy, dirty,
comfortless hole into which we had been so unceremoniously thrust.  Our
new friend seated himself alongside Mr Southcott, and, first informing
that gentleman that the company in which we found ourselves were the
crews of sundry British merchantmen which had been captured by the
Spaniards, and that he was the ex-chief mate of a tidy little Liverpool
barque called the _Sparkling Foam_, proceeded to inquire into the
circumstances which had led to our captivity.  The account of the mutiny
was received by the party, most of whom had gathered round to listen to
it, with expressions of the most profound abhorrence and indignation,
which were only cut short by the appearance of a sergeant and a file of
soldiers bearing the evening's rations, which were served out raw, to be
immediately afterwards handed over to a black cook who answered to the
name of "Snowball," and who had good-naturedly constituted himself the
cook of the party.  The rations, which included a portion for us
newcomers, consisted of a small modicum of meat, a few vegetables, a
tolerably liberal allowance of coarse black bread, and water _ad
libitum_.  The little incident of the serving out of rations having come
to an end, and the sergeant having retired with his satellites, our
friend of the _Sparkling Foam_--whose name, it transpired, was Benjamin
Rogers--resumed his conversation with us by proceeding to "put us up to
a thing or two."

"I've no doubt, gentlemen," he said, "but what you'll be asked to give
your parole to-morrow, if you haven't already--you haven't, eh? well, so
much the better; you'll be asked to-morrow.  Now, if you'll take my
advice you won't give it; if you do, you'll simply be turned adrift into
the town to shift for yourselves and find quarters where you can.  If
you've got money, and plenty of it, you might manage to rub along pretty
well for a time; but when your cash is gone where are you?  Why, simply
nowheres.  Now, this is a roughish berth for gentlemen like you, I'll
allow; but within the last few days we've been marched out every morning
and set to work patching up an old battery away out here close to the
beach, and we've been kept at it all day, so that we get plenty of fresh
air and exercise, and merely have to ride it out here during the night.
There's only some half-a-dozen soldiers sent out to watch us; and it's
my idea that it might be no such very difficult matter to give these
chaps the slip some evening, and at nightfall make our way down to the
harbour, seize one of the small coasting craft which seem to be always
there, and make sail for Jamaica.  At least that's my notion, gentlemen;
you are welcome to it for what it's worth, and can think it over."

We thanked our new friend for his advice, which we followed so far as to
think and talk it over before stowing ourselves away for the night upon
the bundle of straw which constituted the sole apology for a bed and
covering allowed us by the Spaniards.

Mr Southcott, the master, was indignant beyond measure at the scurvy
treatment thus meted out to us as prisoners of war, and talked a great
deal about the representations he intended to make to the authorities
with regard to it; but in the meantime he decided to give his parole, in
the hope of a speedy exchange, and strongly recommended us to do the
same.  He was possessed of a little money, it seemed, which he had taken
the precaution of secreting about his person immediately on the ship
making the land, in anticipation of his speedily finding a use for it;
and this money he most generously offered to share with us as far as it
would go.  To this, however, none of us would listen; and as we were
wholly without means the only alternative left to us was to refuse our
parole, and put up as best we could with such board and lodging as the
Spaniards might be disposed to give us, and to bend all our energies to
the accomplishment of a speedy escape.  As for me, I still held in vivid
remembrance the statement which my father had made to me on the eve of
my departure for school, and the caution he had given me against
expecting any assistance from him after I had once fairly entered upon
my career; and I resolved to endure the worst that could possibly befall
me rather than act upon a suggestion which the master threw out, to the
effect that possibly someone might be found in the town willing to cash
(for a heavy premium) a draft of mine upon my father.

Rogers' expectation that we should be asked for our parole was verified
next morning; and Southcott, giving his, bade us a reluctant farewell
after a further ineffectual effort to persuade us to reconsider our
decision.  Finding that we were not to be persuaded he bade us take
heart and keep up our spirits, as his very first task should be to make
such representations to the authorities as must result in a very speedy
and considerable amelioration of our condition.  We parted with many
expressions of mutual regret; and that was the last any of us ever saw
of the poor fellow, nor were our subsequent inquiries as to what had
become of him in the slightest degree successful.

As for us who remained, upon our explaining, through the medium of a
very inefficient interpreter, that the lack of means to support
ourselves precluded the possibility of our giving our parole upon the
terms offered us, we were brusquely informed that we must then be
content to be classed among the common prisoners, to put up with their
accommodation, and to take part in the tasks allotted to them.  We were
then abruptly dismissed, and, without further ceremony, marched off to
the scene of our labours, which we found to be the fort mentioned by
Rogers--an antiquated structure in the very last stage of dilapidation,
which it was the task of the prisoners to repair.

To be obliged to work was, after all, no very great hardship.  We were
in the fresh open air all day, which was infinitely better than
confinement between four walls, even had those walls inclosed a far
greater measure of comfort than was to be found within the confines of
our prison-house.  The physical exertion kept us in a state of excellent
health, and consequently in fairly good spirits; the labour, though of
anything but an intellectual character, kept our minds sufficiently
employed to prevent our brooding over our ill fortune; we were allowed
to take matters pretty easily so long as we did not dawdle too much, and
thus entail upon our lounging guard the unwelcome necessity of
scrambling to their feet and hunting up our whereabouts; our daily
labours brought with them just that amount of fatigue which ensured
sound sleep and a happy oblivion of the dirt and manifold discomforts of
our night quarters; and finally, there was the prospect that at any
moment some lucky chance might favour our escape.

Four days from the date of our incarceration the muster-roll of the
prison was increased by the addition of the names of half a dozen
Spanish smugglers, who had been captured a few miles up the coast by one
of the guarda-costas and brought into La Guayra.  They were a rough,
reckless-looking set of vagabonds; but their looks were the worst part
of them, for they all turned out to be gay, jovial spirits enough,
taking their reverse of fortune with the utmost nonchalance, and having
a laugh and a jest for everything and everybody, the guards included,
with whom they soon became upon the most amicable terms.  One of these
men, a fellow named Miguel--I never learned his other name--was attached
to the gang of labourers to which I belonged; and though I fought rather
shy of him for a time his hearty good-nature and accommodating
disposition soon overcame my reserve, and I gradually grew to be on the
best of terms with him.  He could speak a word or two of English, and,
seeming to have taken a fancy to me, he would strike up a conversation
with me as often as the opportunity offered, much to his own amusement
and mine, since we rarely succeeded in comprehending each other.  These
efforts at conversation, however, inspired me with the idea that this
man's companionship afforded me an opportunity to acquire a knowledge of
Spanish, which could not fail to be of service to me; and this idea I at
length with some difficulty succeeded in conveying to my smuggler
friend.  He pantomimically expressed himself as charmed with the
suggestion, which he intimated might be improved upon by my undertaking
in return to teach him English; and, a satisfactory understanding being
arrived at, we commenced our studies forthwith.  We were of course
utterly destitute of all aid from books, and we were therefore compelled
to fall back upon the primitive method of pointing out objects to each
other and designating them alternately in English and Spanish, each
repeating the word until the other had caught its proper pronunciation.
From this we advanced to short simple sentences, the meaning of which we
conveyed as well as we could by appropriate gestures; and though we
sometimes made the most ridiculous mistakes through misunderstanding the
meaning of those gestures, yet on the whole we managed tolerably well.
The first steps were the most difficult, but every word mastered cleared
the way to the comprehension of two or three others; so that by the time
we had been a couple of months at our studies we found ourselves making
really satisfactory progress.  And when seven months had been thus
spent, though neither could speak the language of the other like a
native, each could converse in the other's language with tolerable
fluency and make himself perfectly understood.  I had, long before this,
however, after considerable hesitation and cautious feeling of my
ground, broached to Miguel the question of escape, and had been
considerably chagrined to learn from him that, unless aided by friends
outside the prison, there was hardly the remotest chance of success.
The only way in which it could be done was, in his opinion, to obtain
shelter and concealment for, say a month, in some family in the
immediate neighbourhood; and _then_, when the scent had grown cold and
the zeal of the pursuers had died away, a dark night and some assistance
might enable one to get safely off the coast.  If _he_ were free now, he
was good enough to say, the thing might be managed, for a consideration,
without any very great difficulty; but--a shrug of the shoulders and a
glance at the prison dress which he was condemned to wear for more than
a year longer eloquently enough closed the sentence.

About this time--or, to speak more definitely, some eight months from
the date of our landing at La Guayra--a change in our fortunes occurred,
which, whilst it had the immediate result of considerably ameliorating
Courtenay's and my own condition, was destined to ultimately--but avast!
I must not get ahead of my story.  It happened in this way.  One
morning after we had been out at work about a couple of hours the
military engineer who was in charge of our operations rode up to the
battery, accompanied by a very fine, handsome, middle-aged man,
evidently also a soldier, for he was attired in an undress military
uniform.

"Hillo!" exclaimed Miguel, as he noticed the new arrivals, "what is in
the wind now?  That is the commandant of the district with Senor
Pacheco."

The appearance of such a notability naturally created a profound
sensation; but we were of course obliged to go on with our work all the
same.  The commandant dismounted, and, accompanied by Senor Pacheco,
proceeded to make an inspection of the battery, which by this time was
beginning to assume the appearance of a tolerably strong fortification.
That done, the sergeant of the guard was summoned, and something in the
nature of a consultation ensued, which terminated in Courtenay and
myself being ordered to drop our tools and step forward to where the
commandant was standing.

The great man regarded us both fixedly for a moment or two, and then
said, of course in Spanish:

"I understand that you are two of the officers who were landed here from
the British frigate _Hermione_?"

I replied that we were.

"Well," he said, "I suppose, in that case, you know all about ships, or,
at all events, sufficient to be able to construct and rig a few models?"

I answered that we certainly did.

"Very well," said he, turning to Senor Pacheco, "in that case they will
serve my purpose very well, and you may send them up to the castle at
once.  And, as they are, after all, merely a couple of boys, I think we
shall run no very great risk of losing them if we arrange for them to
stay about the place altogether; what say you?--it will be much more
convenient for me; and I will find rations and quarters for them; and
they can report themselves periodically at the citadel, if need be."

Senor Pacheco expressed himself as perfectly satisfied with the proposed
arrangement; and we were forthwith instructed to leave work there and
then and make the best of our way to a chateau which was pointed out to
us, and which lay embosomed in trees some three miles to the westward of
the town and about a mile from the shore.  We had no packing to do, as
we possessed nothing in the world but the clothes we stood up in--and
which, by the way, were now in the very last stage of "looped and
windowed raggedness"--so we simply nodded a "good-bye" to such of our
envious acquaintances as happened to be within saluting range, and at
once set off up the road which we were informed would conduct us to our
destination.

Once fairly away from the scene of our late labours, Courtenay and I
gave full rein both to our tongues and to our imaginations, discussing
and wondering what in the world the commandant could possibly want with
ship-models; but that, after all was a question which we did not greatly
trouble ourselves to solve; the dominant thought and reflection in our
minds that we were likely to be, for some time at least, absentees from
the prison and all the discomfort and wretchedness connected with it,
and which I have not dwelt upon or attempted to describe for the one
simple reason that it was wholly undescribable.  We never thought of
escaping, although we soon found ourselves passing through a thinly-
inhabited country where our abandonment of the high-road and concealment
in the neighbouring woods could have been accomplished without the
slightest risk of observation; but we had learned by this time that
escape was no such easy matter; it was a something which would have to
be carefully planned beforehand and every possible precaution adopted to
ensure success, and had we been foolishly tempted to try it then and
there our non-arrival at the chateau would speedily have been reported,
with the result that a search would have been instituted, followed by
our speedy recapture and ignominious return to the abhorred prison.  No;
we were very thankful for and very well satisfied with the sudden change
in our fortunes which had been so unexpectedly wrought, for, though we
could of course form no very clear idea of what our lot would be in the
service of the commandant, we felt pretty certain it would be much
easier than what we had been obliged to put up with since our landing
from the frigate; and, for the rest, we were content to wait and see
what time had in store for us, whilst we were fully resolved to keep a
bright lookout for and to take the utmost advantage of any opportunity
for escape which might be opened out to us.

We had just arrived at a handsome pair of park gates which we
conjectured gave admittance to the castle grounds when we were overtaken
by the commandant, on horseback.  He nodded to us; remarked, "I see you
have found your way all right;" shouted for the ancient custodian to
open the gates; and then, as the heavy iron barriers swung back,
dismounted, threw the bridle over his arm, and walked up the long avenue
with us.

We now had an opportunity to observe him a little more closely than at
our first interview; and we found him to be a tall and strikingly
handsome man, somewhere about fifty years of age, as we judged; with
piercing black eyes which seemed to read one's very thoughts, yet which
were by no means devoid of amiable expression, and black hair and
moustache thickly dashed with grey.  Somewhat to our surprise, we found
that he could speak English very fairly.  His demeanour to us was
characterised by that lofty stately courtesy peculiar to the old
nobility of Castile (of which province he was a native); and we
subsequently learned that he was as gallant a warrior as he was a
polished gentleman, having served with much distinction in various parts
of the world.  His style and title, we afterwards ascertained, was El
Commandant Don Luis Aguirre Martinez de Guzman; and we speedily found
that he had a very strong predilection for the English, attributable to
the fact--which ultimately leaked out--that his first and deepest love
had been won by an English girl, whom, however,--the course of true love
not running smoothly--he never married.

As we walked up the noble avenue side by side he questioned us as to our
names, ages, and rank, how long we had been prisoners, and so on; and
expressed his astonishment at the harsh treatment which we had received
at the hands of the prison authorities.  Upon this I thought it
advisable to mention to him our refusal to give our parole, stating as
our reason our total lack of funds.

"Oh, well," he said laughingly, "that need no longer influence you, you
know.  You will have free quarters and rations at the castle, in
addition to the remuneration to which you will be entitled for your
services, so you can give your parole when next you report yourselves at
the citadel, and that will end the matter."

This, however, would not suit our views at all, though we did not choose
to say so; we therefore changed the subject by asking him what more
particularly were the services which we should be asked to perform.  His
answer was to the effect that his especial hobby was the study of
fortification, respecting which, it seems, he had several rather novel
theories, in the working out and testing of which--and also by way of
amusement--he had constructed the model of a fortified town on the
shores of a small lake within the castle grounds; and he had sought our
assistance to enable him to place a fleet of ship-models before this
town, to illustrate his method of overcoming the difficulties attendant
upon a state of siege and blockade.  By the time that this fancy of his
had been fully explained we had reached the castle--a noble building as
to size but of no very great pretensions from an architectural point of
view--and, the major-domo having been summoned, we were handed over to
him with the necessary instructions for our proper housing and so on.



CHAPTER NINE.

INEZ DE GUZMAN.

We were conducted by our guide--an ancient and somewhat pompous
individual--to a large and very pleasantly situated room in the north
wing of the castle, from whence, through an opening between the trees, a
glimpse of the sea was to be obtained; the foreground being occupied by
a kitchen-garden.  This room, it seemed, was to be our sleeping
apartment.  It was somewhat meagrely furnished, according to our English
ideas, and there was only one bed in it--our guide informing us,
however, that the commandant had ordered another to be placed there
forthwith--but what little furniture the apartment contained was good,
and everything was scrupulously clean, so that, in comparison with our
recent quarters, those we were now to occupy seemed absolutely palatial.
And our gratification was considerably increased when we were informed
that another very large and handsomely furnished room, through which we
had passed to gain access to our sleeping quarters, was to be devoted to
our exclusive use and occupation during the day at such times as we were
not engaged in the park.  We voted the commandant a trump, there and
then, and mutually resolved to do all that in us lay to retain our
exceedingly comfortable berths until we should find opportunity to quit
them of our own accord for good and all.

Having duly installed us, and suggestively directed our attention to the
toilet gear--of which in truth we both most grievously stood in need--
the major-domo left us, first informing us, however, that if, when we
were ready, we would ring a bell, the cord of which he pointed out to
us, a servant would bring us some refreshment.

We lost no time in freshening ourselves up and making ourselves as
presentable as circumstances would permit, and then sat down to a plain
but substantial meal, which, after our meagre and coarse prison fare,
seemed a veritable banquet.  At the conclusion of this meal we were
informed that the commandant awaited us below, upon which we followed
our informant down a sort of back staircase, and issuing from a little
side door found ourselves in the garden before mentioned.  It was walled
in on all sides, but a door in the wall adjoining the house was pointed
out to us, and issuing through it we found ourselves on the noble
terrace which stretched along the whole front of the castle.  Here we
discovered the commandant pacing up and down with a cigar in his mouth,
and joining him he proposed to conduct us to the scene of our future
labours.

With all his stateliness, which he never laid aside, Don Luis de Guzman
knew how to be very affable when he chose, and he chose to be so with
us.  Commencing a long conversation by courteously expressing a hope
that our apartments were to our liking, and kindly informing us that, if
they were not, a hint to the major-domo would be sufficient to secure
the rectification of whatever might be amiss, he then went on to speak
of "the unnecessary haste" with which we had been removed from the ship,
and of the inconvenience which we must have experienced from the
scantiness of our wardrobe, an inconvenience which, he said, he would
"take the liberty" of having remedied as speedily as might be.  This, of
course, was very kind of him, and we ungrudgingly credited him with the
most generous of motives; at the same time I have no doubt that the
stately don was as heartily ashamed of the two scarecrows who
accompanied him as we were of our own appearance.

Having thus cleared the ground, as it were, our benefactor proceeded to
question us closely as to the circumstances connected with and which led
up to the mutiny, at which he expressed the most unqualified
reprobation; and when we had told him all we knew about it he informed
us that the British government had made a formal demand for the
restitution of the frigate and the surrender of the mutineers, as well
as the captive officers, a demand which, he said, the Spanish government
had seen fit to refuse; and I thought, from his manner of speaking upon
the subject, that he by no means favourable regarded the action of his
countrymen in the matter.  This conversation, and indeed all that we
subsequently held with him, was, I ought to say, conducted in English.
He asked us questions innumerable--indeed more than we were able to
fully answer--respecting the habits and customs of our nation, our mode
of government, and what not; and it was not long before we were able to
perceive that his liking for the English was as strong as it was
possible for a thorough-bred Spanish noble to entertain.

A walk, or rather a saunter, of about a mile and a half through the park
brought us to the scene of our future operations--a lake of, I should
say, some four or five acres in extent--and here the subject of our
conversation was diverted to the theme of the commandant's requirements
of us.

The lake, it appeared, was a natural feature of the landscape, with a
stream some twenty feet in width flowing through it.  A walk had been
constructed right round it, crossing the stream by a couple of rustic
bridges; and for about one-half its length the banks had been most
beautifully laid out as a flower-garden.  For the remaining half of its
length, however, nature had been allowed to have pretty much her own
way, except at the point where the stream entered the lake.  There the
ground had been carefully cleared of trees, and trimmed so as to present
the aspect of a low flat shore, with hills in the rear.  And on this
shore, covering an area of some fifty feet square on each side of the
stream, the commandant had caused to be constructed an exceedingly
pretty and carefully finished model of a town, with streets, houses,
public buildings, squares, and even monuments, with a harbour, including
moles, piers, lighthouses, batteries, etcetera, complete down to the
minutest detail.  It had evidently been a labour of love with him, as
could be seen at a glance from the care and finish lavished upon the
work; and we afterwards learned that it had occupied him and a staff of
a dozen workmen for more than a year.  It was to blockade this miniature
town and port that the fleet of ships which we were to construct was
required, the trenches and investing earthworks and batteries on the
land side being already finished.  It was surprising to see how this
most dignified Spaniard unbent, and how enthusiastic he became as he
described his plans to us and gave us instructions respecting the
dimensions and number of his pigmy fleet.  He was evidently much pleased
with the admiration we expressed at the care and skill exhibited in
working out his quaint idea; and when we had minutely inspected every
part of it he led us to a comfortable airy little workshop, concealed in
a kind of brake among the trees, where we found a good stock of wood,
with a capital supply of tools and everything necessary to the proper
carrying out of our task.  We did not do anything in the way of work on
that day, however, for by the time that we had seen everything and had
taken a walk to the seaward extremity of the park the sun was getting
low, and the time had arrived for us to see about getting back to the
castle.

Oh, how we enjoyed the luxury of that first dinner at the castle!--the
only decent meal of which we had partaken since our landing--with the
quiet evening which followed it, spent in a large, lofty, well-furnished
apartment, lighted up by a massive silver lamp of elaborate workmanship,
and cooled by the light evening breeze which floated in through the
widely-opened casements.  Stretched luxuriously in a couple of low
comfortable sloping-backed chairs, we sat at one of these open casements
discussing a bottle of excellent wine, and looking out upon the dark
woods which surrounded the building, watching the full moon soar into
the cloudless sky from behind the gently-swaying foliage, and listening
to the song of the nightingale, amidst which we once or twice thought we
detected the tinkling sounds of a guitar apparently issuing from one of
the open windows in another wing of the castle.

We retired early to rest that night, after a bath, not so much because
we were tired, but rather to enjoy the unwonted luxury of rest in an
actual bed, with the pleasant accompaniment of clean sweet-smelling
linen.

We were disappointed, however, in our anticipations of a sound night's
sleep.  After making shift for so long with a heap of straw spread on a
hard pavement, the beds seemed too soft and yielding to our unaccustomed
limbs, and we lay tossing to and fro for a long time before we
eventually dropped off to sleep.  This trifling inconvenience
disappeared, however, after a few nights' experience.

We were up and stirring by daybreak next morning, and a few minutes
later we might have been seen scudding across the park on our way to a
certain rocky pool on the beach, which the commandant had pointed out to
us the day before as a place where we might safely venture to indulge in
a swim without fear of the sharks.  Taking his word for it we plunged in
and swam off, until we found ourselves almost among the breakers, then
returned to the shore, dressed, and made our way back to the castle,
which we reached in good time for breakfast.  That meal over we set out
for the workshop, Pedro--the servant who seemed to have been appointed
to wait upon us--informing us as we started that he had orders to have
luncheon ready for us by one o'clock.  Arrived at the scene of our
labours we each selected a suitable block of wood, and whilst Courtenay
set to work upon a model of the _Hermione_, I, with greater ambition,
devoted all my energies to the hewing out of a line-of-battle ship.
Thus occupied the time passed swiftly away, and almost before we were
aware of it the commandant, who had looked in upon us to see how we were
progressing, announced that it was time for us to see about returning to
the castle.  He walked back with us, chatting most affably all the way;
and on reaching our rooms we found a tailor awaiting us, by his orders,
to take our measures for a new outfit of rigging.  The first instalment
of this, in the shape of a loose white nankin suit apiece, with shirt,
stockings, light shoes of tan-coloured leather, crimson silk sashes--to
serve instead of braces--and broad-brimmed cane-hat, all complete,
awaited us on our waking a couple of mornings later, much to our
gratification, as the idea grew upon us that the castle contained other
inmates besides the commandant, and we were anxious to avoid a rencontre
with these so long as we retained our ragged, scarecrow appearance.

We had been at work about a week; Courtenay had completed the hull of
his frigate, and was busy about her spars, whilst I was putting the
finishing touches to a figure-head for my seventy-four, when, about four
o'clock in the afternoon, our workshop suddenly became darkened to such
an extent that we could no longer see to work.  Looking up and glancing
out of the window, we observed that, unnoticed by us, a heavy thunder-
storm had been gathering over the sea, and the clouds, setting
shoreward, were now hovering immediately overhead.  That it was likely
to be a severe storm was manifest, the sky being blacker than I had ever
seen it before.  We were debating upon the advisability of effecting an
immediate retreat to the castle, and taking our chance of reaching it
before the storm should burst, when a vivid flash of lightning, green
and baleful, quickly succeeded by a most deafening peal of thunder,
decided us to remain where we were.  Another flash and another rapidly
followed, and then down came the rain in a perfect deluge.  It fell, not
in drops but in regular _sheets_ of water, lashing the surface of the
lake into a plain of milky foam, and so completely flooding the ground
that in five minutes the water everywhere, as far as we could see from
the window at which we had taken our stand, must have been ankle-deep.
The storm gained in intensity with startling rapidity, the lightning
blazing and flashing about us so uninterruptedly that the whole
atmosphere seemed a-quiver with the greenish-blue glare; whilst the
rattling crash and roar of the thunder went on absolutely without any
intermission, filling the firmament with one continuous chaos of
deafening sound and causing the very earth beneath our feet to tremble.
This had been going on for some eight or ten minutes, perhaps, when we
caught sight, through the streaming deluge outside, of a couple of
white-clad flying figures making their way down the path from the rustic
bridge toward the workshop.  I sprang to the door and threw it open; and
in another moment two young women plunged through the doorway--their
light flimsy garments streaming with water and clinging about their
limbs--and flung themselves breathlessly down upon a bench, the taller
and darker of the two panting out:

"A thousand thanks, senors!  Madre de Dios, what a storm!"

"It is indeed terrible," I replied in my best Spanish, as I closed the
door again.  "And you have been fairly caught in it.  Have you come from
a distance?"

"Only from the castle.  I am Inez de Guzman, the commandant's daughter,
and this," pointing to her companion, "is Eugenia Gonzalez, my foster-
sister.  We left home about two hours ago to walk through the park as
far as the beach; and it was not until we had emerged from among the
trees near the shore that we noticed the gathering storm.  Then we
hastened back homeward as quickly as possible, but were overtaken before
we could gain shelter anywhere.  I hope you will excuse our bursting in
so unceremoniously upon you.  You are the young English officers who
have come to assist my father, I presume?"

Courtenay and I bowed our affirmatives with all the grace we could
muster.

"Poor papa!" she continued.  "Are you not amused at his having taken so
much, so _very_ much trouble just to work out and illustrate his pet
theories?"

"By no means," we hastened to assure her.  "On the contrary," said I, "I
regard it as an evidence of the thoroughness with which the commandant
carries out all his undertakings."

"Ah, yes!" said she, evidently well pleased, "I see you understand my
father.  He is just the same in everything.  Heavens, what a flash!
Will the storm _never_ cease!"

"There is no present indication of its ending," said I as I glanced
through the window at the blackness outside illumined only by the
quivering lightning flashes.  "However, it surely _cannot_ last very
much longer.  Meanwhile you are both wet to the skin, and I fear we are
utterly destitute of means to remedy the disaster.  I am afraid you will
be chilled sitting there in your drenched garments; and indeed--if you
will forgive me for saying so--I think that, since you cannot possibly
be made more wet than you now are, you would run less risk of taking
cold if you were to proceed home to the castle at once, even though you
would have to walk through the storm.  We would of course accompany you
if you would permit us that honour."

"But," said she with a little shudder indicative of incipient chill,
"you are both of you dry and comfortable."

"That is nothing," said I.  "It is evident that we shall have to go
through it sooner or later; so perhaps the sooner the better."

After a little more persuasion on our part and protestations on theirs
our fair companions acceded to our suggestion, and we set out, I leading
the van with the commandant's daughter, and Courtenay following with the
foster-sister.

We stepped out briskly, so as to avert, if possible, any evil
consequences of the drenching already received; and as we picked our way
along the partially submerged footpath, giving the trees as wide a berth
as possible for fear of the lightning which still played vividly about
us, my fair companion informed me that the commandant on returning from
his visit to us that morning had found an urgent summons to Cartagena
awaiting him, and that he had started in obedience thereto within half
an hour of its receipt, mentioning, as he hastily bade her farewell,
that he could not get back in less than a fortnight at the earliest.  We
discussed this subject and her father's probable present whereabouts for
a few minutes, and then the young lady asked me to detail to her the
particulars of the mutiny on board the _Hermione_, which I did as fully
as I possibly could, exciting thereby her keenest anger against the
mutineers and her tenderest commiseration for the sufferers.

"Poor boy!" said she as I concluded my narrative, "what a dreadful
experience for you to pass through!"

After that we seemed to get along capitally together; and in due time--
an incredibly short time it seemed to me--we reached the castle without
misadventure; and, parting with our charges at the chief entrance,
Courtenay and I repaired to our own quarters to take a bath and don dry
clothing preparatory to sitting down to dinner.

Courtenay, it seemed, had been as favourably impressed with his
companion as I had been with mine; and for the next two or three days we
could talk of little but the two charming girls who had burst in upon us
so unexpectedly on the afternoon of that, for us, lucky thunder-storm,
reiterating our hopes that the soaking had done them no harm, and
wondering whether we should ever be favoured with another meeting, and,
if so, when.  And, indeed, trivial as the incident may seem, it
exercised an important and beneficial influence on our lives after the
eight months of hardship and misery unspeakable which we had so recently
experienced; it gave us something fresh and pleasant to think about, and
prevented our dwelling for ever upon the subject of our escape, which
event seemed every day to assume a more thoroughly impossible aspect.

On the fourth day after the eventful one of the storm, and just when we
were beginning to despair of ever seeing our fail acquaintances again,
we were agreeably surprised by seeing them enter the workshop one
afternoon, about half an hour after we had returned from luncheon.

They paused just within the threshold, and Dona Inez, glancing somewhat
shyly at me, said:

"Will you allow us to come in and sit down for a little while?  We
should like to watch you at your work."

We replied, as coherently as our fluster of delight would allow us, that
nothing would give us greater pleasure; and, flinging down our tools,
Courtenay and I hastened to dust down a bench, place a tool-box in such
a position that it would serve for a footstool, and in other ways
arrange as far as we could to make our visitors comfortable.

Our preparations completed, the young ladies sat down, and, Courtenay
and I pairing off as before, an animated conversation ensued which
lasted for the remainder of the afternoon, during which I am ashamed to
say that very little work was done.

If we were charmed at our first interview with these young ladies, when
they appeared under all the disadvantages incidental to a condition of
utter limpness of soaked and draggled clothing, I fear I should lay
myself open to the charge of indulging in unbridled rhapsody were I to
attempt a description of the effect produced upon our rather susceptible
hearts on the occasion of this their second visit.  Not that on the
present occasion their charms were very greatly enhanced by the
adventitious aid of dress; far from it--but the present opportunity is
as good as any to describe their appearance.

Dona Inez Isolda Aurora Dolores Maria Francesca de Guzman was a little
above the average height of her countrywomen, with a somewhat slender
yet perfectly-proportioned figure.  Her skin was dazzlingly fair; her
luxuriant hair, which floated unconfined in long wavy tresses down her
back, was of so deep a chestnut hue that it might easily have been
mistaken for black; and her eyes--well, they sparkled and flashed so
brilliantly that it was difficult for a stranger to determine their
precise colour.  Her features were perhaps scarcely formed with
sufficient regularity to warrant her being termed strictly _beautiful_,
but she was most assuredly, at least in my eyes, bewitchingly lovely.
She possessed just sufficient colour in her cheeks and lips to give
assurance of her being in the most perfect health, and the music of her
voice and laugh was nothing short of a revelation to me.  I could see
that, being an only child, she had not wholly escaped being spoiled; but
the slight touch of hauteur and imperiousness which was noticeable in
her manner was only just sufficient to add to it another piquant charm.
Like her foster-sister she was attired in white, the bodice being
fastened with a white silken lace or cord, and having no sleeves, a
couple of shoulder-straps trimmed with lace taking their place.  That
was the fashion of the country, and was doubtless adopted for the sake
of coolness and comfort.  Neither of the girls wore a hat or head-gear
of any description, a most graceful and picturesque substitute therefore
being a lace mantilla folded over the crown of the head with the ends
brought down over the shoulders and knotted across the bosom.  A
handsome feather fan fastened to the loose silken girdle or sash about
the waist was both useful and ornamental, and gave the only finishing
touch required to as piquant and graceful a costume as I ever saw.

Courtenay's companion, little Eugenia Gonzalez, was a striking contrast
to her foster-sister.  She was a couple of inches shorter in stature,
and less slender in figure; a blonde, with blue eyes and just the
faintest suggestion of ruddiness in the tints of her hair; a merry,
good-humoured expression of countenance; and altogether, though of
humble parentage, as dainty, piquant a little beauty as anyone would
wish to see.

As may be supposed, with such visitors as these to entertain, our work
that afternoon did not progress very rapidly; but Courtenay and I
quieted our consciences by entering into a mutual compact to exercise
such increased diligence in the future as should fully make up for lost
time.  But when, an afternoon or two later, we overtook our fair friends
in the park as we were making our way back to the workshop after our
mid-day meal, and they seemed again inclined to favour us with their
company, our good resolves took flight and we once more neglected our
work in the enjoyment of their society.

This, however, I saw would never do.  It seemed pretty evident that,
being so strictly secluded within the confines of the castle demesne as
these two girls were, our appearance upon the scene had assumed almost
the importance of an event in their lives, and had wrought so
interesting a change in the somewhat monotonous daily routine of their
existence that the unsophisticated creatures had each inwardly resolved
to make the most of the novelty whilst the opportunity to do so
remained.  And in that case our work was likely to suffer both in
quality and quantity.  This, I felt, ought not to be allowed.  At the
same time the pleasure to be derived from their society was a thing not
to be lightly given up; and so the end of it all was that we prevailed
upon the two girls to walk with us in the park after dinner instead of
visiting the workshop.  This arrangement was rendered all the more easy
by the arrival of a letter from the commandant announcing his detention
at Cartagena, and the probable delay of a month in the date of his
return.



CHAPTER TEN.

OUR FLIGHT--AND SUBSEQUENT MYSTIFICATION.

I am fully aware _now_ that in thus persuading the commandant's daughter
and her companion to meet us in the park we were quite inexcusable, and
that the fact that they were members of the family of a man who had very
materially befriended us should have deterred us from tempting them to
act in a clandestine manner such as the father of Inez would certainly
have disapproved.  And if we had been honourable _men_ it would
doubtless have done so.  But we were not men, we were simply _boys_, and
thought only of the pleasant companionship.  I frankly plead guilty to
the charge of deplorable _heedlessness_.  We were as heedless as lads of
our age usually are; and, thinking no harm, we at once succumbed to the
temptation to neglect the task on which we were employed and to devote
ourselves to the society of Inez and her companion.  The consequences
were, almost as a matter of course, such as an older and more
experienced head would at once have foreseen--so far, at least, as Dona
Inez and I were concerned--for we discovered that we were as desperately
in love as ever boy and girl believed themselves to be.

But at length our rosy dream was rudely broken in upon and our souls
filled with consternation by the news that in three days' time the
commandant hoped to be once more at home.  We knew at once what that
meant.  We felt instinctively that, blameless as our love for each other
might be, it would meet with no sympathy from Don Luis, nor would he
tolerate its continued indulgence for a moment.  At first a wild hope
sprang up within my heart that such might not be the case; that the fact
of my being a British officer might have some weight with the haughty
don.  But Inez dispelled that hope in a moment.

"No," she sobbed, "you do not know my father or you would understand
that nothing of that kind would influence him in the slightest degree in
our favour.  He loves me; oh, yes! he loves me more than anything else
in the world; and I believe he would do almost anything to secure my
happiness--but not _that_.  My father is proud--_very_ proud--of his
birth and lineage; and whenever the idea of my marriage may suggest
itself to him I am certain he will wish me to wed some noble of at least
equal rank with himself.  Of you, my poor Leo, he knows nothing save
that you are a prisoner; and were you to go to him and plead our cause,
not only would he refuse to listen to you, but I greatly fear his anger
would fall heavily upon us both.  Our only hope, dear Leo, lies in your
speedily recovering your freedom, and gaining such distinction in your
profession as shall justify you in asking him for my hand."

"And that is precisely what I _will_ do," I exclaimed in an ecstasy of
mingled hope and despair; "Courtenay and I will make good our escape
before your father's return, even if we have to take to the sea in an
open boat."

"And where would you go in your open boat, supposing that you could
secure one, and could make good your escape from the shore?" asked Inez.

"We should head for Jamaica, and take our chance of being picked up by a
friendly craft," I replied.

"And supposing that you were _not_ picked up by a friendly craft?"
persisted my fair questioner.

"In that case," said I rather ruefully, "we should have to push on,
taking our chance as to wind and weather, and also as to our being able
to hit Jamaica.  It is only some twelve hundred miles or so across, and
with favourable weather and a good boat we might accomplish the run in
from ten days to a fortnight."

"_A fortnight! in an open boat_!" exclaimed Inez.  "Oh no, Leo, that
would never do!  You must not attempt it; the risk is far too great.  It
were better that you should remain here prisoners than that you should
lose your lives in any such desperate attempt as that.  Let me think.
You want to get to Jamaica, do you not?  And to get there safely you
must be conveyed there in a vessel.  Ha!  I have it.  Eugenia, when does
your brother sail?"

"In about a week hence, so he told me yesterday," was the answer.

"A week hence! that is too late," exclaimed Inez.  "Send for him, and
tell him to call at the castle early to-morrow morning, without fail."

I inquired who and what this brother of Eugenia's might happen to be,
and was informed that he was the owner and master of a small felucca
which traded regularly between La Guayra and Santiago de Cuba, and that
by a lucky chance his vessel happened at that moment to be lying in the
former port.  This was eminently satisfactory, as I did not doubt for a
moment that an arrangement might be come to whereby we could get him to
run us directly across to Port Royal, we of course undertaking to insure
him and his craft against capture during the run and on arrival there.
There was a fair amount of prize-money due to us from the Jean Rabel
affair; and even if it had not yet been awarded I felt certain that we
could raise cash enough upon it to defray the expenses of the trip.

On the following morning, whilst we were at the workshop, the two girls
made their appearance, accompanied by a hearty, honest-looking young
fellow, who was introduced to us as Juan Gonzalez, Eugenia's brother.

In answer to our inquiries he informed us that he would be quite willing
to convey us to Port Royal, and to land us safely there, in
consideration of the sum of one hundred dollars, to be paid to him
within six hours of our arrival, with the proviso that we should
guarantee him against capture during the entire trip, the said sum of
one hundred dollars to cover everything, provisions included, and to
entitle us to the sole use of the felucca's cabin during the passage
across.  These terms we considered exceedingly reasonable, and upon
inquiring of him when he would be ready to sail, and being informed that
he could start at any moment, we at once closed the bargain.  That
matter satisfactorily settled we determined upon leaving forthwith,
since there was nothing to detain us; and it was then arranged, upon
Juan's suggestion, that instead of making our way into town and boarding
the felucca in harbour, we should avoid all risk of capture by taking
our departure from a little cove about three miles to the westward of
the castle, the felucca calling off the place about nine o'clock that
night and sending her boat ashore for us.

As may be supposed, the conclusion of these arrangements threw us all
into a state of such excitement that it was quite impossible to think
further of work.  Courtenay and I therefore hastily put the workshop
into something like decent order, wrote a joint note to the commandant--
which we left conspicuously displayed on the workshop table--wherein we
expressed our most sincere thanks for all the kindness he had shown us,
and begged that he would not think too hardly of us for seizing upon an
opportunity which had presented itself for our escape.

Now I am painfully aware that--keeping in view our exceeding
youthfulness--any reference which it may be necessary for me to make to
the mutual attachment subsisting between myself and Dona Inez is liable
to be received with a certain amount of gentle ridicule and incredulity.
But in deprecating any such reception of my confidential communications
I will only say that we ourselves were thoroughly in earnest, and that
the prospect of our speedy separation reduced us both to a condition of
the keenest anguish and despair.  The luncheon hour passed unheededly
by, and it was not until the deepening shadows warned us of approaching
night that we reluctantly turned our steps castleward, to complete the
very trifling preparations necessary for the coming flight.

Courtenay, I was glad to see, was so completely heart-whole that he was
in the highest possible spirits; and he did such ample justice to the
dinner set before us as in some degree to make up for my own
shortcomings in that respect.  The meal over we dismissed Pedro for the
night, and then proceeded to pack up our dilapidated uniforms in a small
parcel, to assist in our identification as British officers should such
prove necessary.  This brought the time on to about half-past seven, at
which hour we had arranged to meet again in the park, Inez having
insisted--much against my wish--in accompanying us to the cove and
satisfying herself as to the fact of our actual escape.

The walk to the cove was not a long one, only some three miles or so,
but it occupied us a full hour and a half, and a very wretched time it
proved for both of us.

We reached the place fixed upon as the point for our embarkation at nine
o'clock, and a few minutes later a small wavering black blotch appeared
through the intense darkness off the entrance.  We heard the sound of a
coil of rope being flung upon a deck, followed by a creaking of blocks;
then a scraping sound and a splash such as would be caused by the
launching of a boat over the low gunwale of a small craft, an indistinct
murmur of voices for a moment, and then the plash of oars in the water.
The distance to be traversed by the boat was not more than three or four
hundred feet; I therefore had time only to breathe a hurried and
inarticulate word or two of final farewell to Inez, during which I
slipped on to her slender finger the only ring I possessed, when a
grating sound down by the water's edge told us that the boat had
grounded, and we hurried away down the beach.

The boat was a tiny cockle-shell of a craft, with only one man in her,
and he was just hauling her nose up out of the water as we reached him.

"Oh, you are here, excellencies!" he exclaimed in a tone of some little
surprise, I thought.  "So much the better.  Jump in, caballeros, and let
us be off; there is another craft creeping down under the land, only a
mile or so astern of us, of which el capitano feels somewhat suspicious,
and he will be glad to make a good offing before she comes up."

"All right, my man!" said Courtenay as we tumbled into the stern-sheets
of the small craft; "shove off as soon as you like."

The man placed his shoulder against the stem of the boat and gave her a
powerful shove, scrambling in over the bows as she slid stern-foremost
into the deep water, and thereby nearly capsizing all hands.  However we
managed, between us, to keep the boat right side up, and the man seating
himself at the oars the craft was slewed round by one powerful stroke
until her nose pointed seaward, and away we went, a faint clear silvery
cry of "_A mas ver_!  _A Dios_!" floating after us into the darkness,
accompanied by a ghostly flutter of scarcely discernible handkerchiefs.
"_A Dios_!" we shouted back as the two lingering forms vanished in the
gloomy shadow of the precipitous slope leading down to the shore; and in
another minute or so we shot alongside the felucca and sprang in over
her low bulwarks.

"Welcome, gentlemen!" exclaimed the figure who received us.  "This is
better than I expected.  I was afraid we should have been obliged to
wait for you; and there is a craft creeping down alongshore there whose
movements I do not like.  I fear she has been watching us, since she can
have no other business down here so close in with the land.  However,
here you are, so we will bear away at once, if you please; and if he
wants to watch us let him follow.  It will take a smart craft to
overhaul the little _Pinta_.  Perhaps you would like to go below at once
and inspect your berths?"

We replied that we should, whereupon he ushered us aft to the small
companion, and, cautioning us against the almost perpendicular ladder
and the lowness of the beams, shouted to some unseen "Francisco" to show
a light below and to attend generally to our wants.

We dived below and entered the small cabin; a gruff order or two on
deck, accompanied by a creaking of blocks and gear bearing testimony to
the fact that the _Pinta_ was bearing away for the open sea, and that
our escape was actually an accomplished fact.

"Francisco" proved to be a bright intelligent lad of some thirteen or
fourteen years of age, jauntily rigged in a picturesque costume somewhat
similar to that of the Neapolitan fishermen in "Masanielo;" but his
shapely features were somewhat marred by the long white cicatrice of an
ugly wound across his forehead which showed up with startling
distinctness against the somewhat dusky hue of his skin.  The wound must
have given him a rather narrow squeak for it when it was inflicted; and
I was about to question him as to the particulars concerning it when he
bustled away, and in a few minutes returned with a couple of bottles of
wine and the materials for an excellent supper, which he laid out upon
the table and then with a graceful bow invited us to fall to.  This
diverted our thoughts in another direction.  We seated ourselves, and in
a very few minutes--I, at least, having eaten scarcely anything at
dinner--were thinking of nothing beyond the satisfaction of our
appetites.

Before the meal was over the little vessel began to roll and tumble
about in such a lively manner as to satisfy us that she was hauling out
fast from under the lee of the land, and presently we heard the sharp
patter and swish of rain upon the deck overhead.  It was by this time
past ten o'clock; the two standing berths, one on each side of the small
cabin, looked tolerably clean and inviting; so, instead of going on deck
as we had originally intended, we turned in, and tried to lose
remembrance of the somewhat exciting events of the day in a sound sleep.

The sun was shining brightly down through the diminutive sky-light when
I awoke next morning, and the lad Francisco was busy sweeping out the
cabin.  Seeing me astir he inquired at what time we would choose to have
breakfast, to which I answered that we would have it as soon as it could
be got ready; but that in the meantime we should be glad to be supplied
with water, soap, and towels.  These he scuttled away to get, whilst I
tumbled out of my bunk and began to dress, calling out at the same time
to rouse Courtenay, who was snoring away most melodiously in his berth
on the opposite side of the cabin.  The little _Pinta_ was lying over a
good deal, and the loud gurgling rush of the water past her sides seemed
to indicate that she was travelling through it at a fairish speed,
whilst the long regular heel to leeward, the steady buoyant soaring
motion of the little vessel, with the succeeding recovery and weather-
roll and rapid drop as she settled away down into the trough, informed
us that we were favoured with a fresh breeze, accompanied by quite a
respectable beam-sea.  With the exception of an occasional footstep, or
a word or two from the vicinity of the binnacle, everything, save for
the singing of the wind in the rigging and the hissing of the surges
past our lee side, was quiet enough on deck; but below Courtenay and I
could scarcely hear each other speak for the noise and clatter; bulk-
heads creaking, the crockery in the pantry rattling, the weapons in the
rack abaft the table clanking and jarring, and Heaven knows how many
other sounds beside.

By the way, those same weapons had attracted my notice on the previous
evening, though my thoughts were at the time so much preoccupied with
other things that I made no remark about them.  Now, however, their
persistent clank and clatter forced them so prominently upon our
attention that we both burst simultaneously into some exclamation
respecting the incongruity of so small a craft being so well provided
with arms.  So well-furnished indeed was the _Pinta_ in this respect
that anyone entering her cabin might naturally have supposed himself to
have been on board a privateer, or something worse.  In the first place
there was a rack stretching right athwart the aftermost bulkhead, in
which were stacked a dozen good serviceable-looking muskets, their
barrels brightly polished, the stocks carefully oiled, and new flints in
every one of the locks.  These were flanked on each side by a sheaf of
some half a dozen boarding-pikes, the points of which had been ground
almost to the sharpness of a needle.  Above the muskets, forming a star-
shaped trophy, which occupied almost the whole remaining surface of the
bulkhead, were a dozen brace of sturdy pistols, their muzzles pointing
inward, whilst their butts, all turned one way, formed the outer
extremities of the star-rays.  These, too, were as bright and clean as
it was possible for them to be; and I noticed that, fancifully as they
were arranged, they were merely suspended from nails, from which they
could be snatched at a moment's notice.  And, finally, over each stand
of pikes was arranged another star formed of sheathed cutlasses, with
belts and cartridge-pouches attached, all ready, in short, for instant
service.

"I cannot for the life of me imagine why our friend Juan should arm his
cock-boat like this," I remarked; "why, there must be enough weapons
here for twice the number of men the _Pinta_ carries."

"Who can tell!" returned Courtenay.  "For my part I fancy all Spaniards
have very lax notions of commercial morality, and Master Juan may
perhaps amuse himself, as opportunity offers or when times are bad, with
a little quiet smuggling.  Although, even in such a case," he continued,
"I can scarcely see the need for such a formidable armoury; for I should
hardly suspect him of the inclination to undertake the risk of running a
cargo worth fighting for.  Well, shall we go on deck and take a look
round before sitting down to breakfast?"

"By all means," said I; and we were in the very act of ascending the
companion-ladder when Francisco made his appearance at its head, coming
down stern-foremost, with a coffee-pot in one hand and a smoking dish of
broiled fish in the other, so we had to give way for him or run an
imminent risk of being scalded.

"El capitano kisses your hands, excellencies," said the lad, as he laid
his double burden on the table, "and he hopes you have both slept well."

"Admirably," I answered, adding, as I looked at the appetising dish
which sent up its grateful odours from the table, "Put out another
plate, knife and fork, and so on; and tell `el capitano' that we shall
be very pleased if he will join us at breakfast."

The lad stared at us in mute astonishment for a moment, flushing like a
bashful girl meanwhile.  Then, recovering himself, he muttered: "I will
tell him, gentlemen; he will feel himself highly honoured."

"That is all right," laughed Courtenay, as the lad slid up the
companion; "a very right and proper feeling, though I scarcely know why
he should experience it."

A minute later a heavy tramp was audible coming along the deck.  The
sunlight streaming down through the open companion suffered a temporary
eclipse; a pair of legs, encased in enormous sea-boots, presented
themselves to our admiring gaze, and finally a huge fellow of fully six
feet in height, and broad in proportion, came towards us, bowing and
stooping in the most awkward manner, partly by way of salutation and
partly to avoid striking his head against the low deck-beams.  He was
dark-complexioned, bushy whiskered, with keen restless black eyes, and a
shock of ebon hair very imperfectly concealed by a black-and-red-striped
fisherman's cap of knitted worsted, which he removed deferentially the
moment his eye fell upon us.  He wore large gold ear-rings in his ears,
and was attired in a thick dreadnought jacket over a black-and-red-
striped shirt, which was confined about his waist by a broad leather
belt, to which was attached a sheath-knife of most formidable
dimensions.  The skirts of the shirt were worn _outside_ his trousers,
so that his _tout ensemble_ was exactly that of a dashing pirate or
smuggler bold, as that interesting individual is presented on the boards
of a third-rate transpontine theatre of the present day.  He was a
picturesque-looking person enough, _but he certainly was not Juan
Gonzalez_, to whom he bore no more resemblance than I did.

Courtenay and I glanced at each other in surprise, but neither of us
said a word.

"_Muchisimos gracias_ for your honoured invitation, excellencies," said
our friend, again bowing awkwardly, as he slid into a seat at the head
of the table, leaving Courtenay and me to stow ourselves on the lockers,
one on each side of him.  "I am gratified to learn from Francisco that
you rested soundly during the night I was afraid the motion of the
felucca would prove disagreeable to you.  We have had a fine breeze from
the eastward all night, and La Guayra is now nearly a hundred miles
astern of us."

"That is good news," I remarked.  "But why should you have anticipated
any evil results to us from the motion of the craft?  Are you not aware
that we are pretty well seasoned sailors?"

"No," said our companion; "I was not aware of it.  When I urged the
captain-general to send naval officers I understood him to say that he
had none available for the service, but that he would send two officers
of marines.  I did not like his proposal, and I am very glad to find
that he has thought better of it.  What can a soldier--even though he be
a marine--know about soundings, and bearings, and sea-marks?  And the
entrance to the place is very difficult indeed, as you will see,
gentlemen, when we come to it."

"What in the world is the man talking about?" thought I, glancing across
the table at Courtenay to see what he thought of it.  That irrepressible
young gentleman elevated his eyebrows inquiringly, tipped me a wink of
preternatural significance with his left eye--our host was sitting on
Courtenay's starboard hand--and then devoted himself most assiduously to
the red snapper off which he was breakfasting.

"How long do you reckon it will take us to make the run?"  I asked, with
the view of maintaining the conversation rather than because of my
comprehension of it.

"Well," said our picturesque friend, "let me reckon.  To-day is
Thursday.  If this breeze holds steady we ought to be off Cape Irois
about daybreak next Wednesday morning.  Then, unless the wind heads us,
we may hope to weather Cape Maysi about sunset the same day; after which
we may expect to have the breeze well on our starboard quarter, which
will enable us to complete the run in good time to pass through the
Barcos Channel and reach our anchorage before nightfall on the following
Friday evening."

"Ah!" remarked Courtenay, as coolly as though he fully understood the
whole drift of this singular conversation, "a little over a week, if the
weather remains favourable.  When you say that the entrance is
difficult, do you refer to the Barcos Channel more particularly or
to--?"

"Oh no!" was the reply; "that is easy enough--for a small vessel of
light draught, that is to say--although there are one or two awkward
places there which I will point out to you; but it is the entrance to
the lagoon itself which will give you the most trouble."

"Precisely; that is what we have been given to understand," said
Courtenay, addressing himself to us both.  "I presume you have a chart
of the place?"

"No," said our friend; "the place has never yet been surveyed, and
Giuseppe will not permit anyone to sound anywhere within the entrance to
the lagoon.  I told the captain-general this when he asked me the same
question.  Did he not mention this to you?"

"No, he did not," said Courtenay, with all the seriousness imaginable;
"he never said a word to me about it.  Did he mention it to you?" with a
glance across the table at me.

"Not a word," said I.  "I suppose he forgot it in his hurry.  You must
understand," I continued, turning to the unknown one, "that so far as
_we_ are concerned, this business has been arranged in the most hurried
manner, and we must look to you for enlightenment upon any points which
the captain-general may have omitted to explain to us."

"Oh, yes! assuredly, senors, assuredly," was the satisfactory reply.
"It is part of my bargain, you know."

"Quite so," chimed in Courtenay.  "And if, as my friend and I talk the
matter over, we happen to come to something which is not altogether
clear, we will not fail to apply to you.  By the by, do you happen to
have such a thing as a decent cigar on board this smart little felucca
of yours?"

Our interlocutor glanced from one to the other of us with a merry
twinkle in his eye, as though Courtenay's innocent inquiry veiled the
best joke he had heard for a long time.

"A decent cigar!" said he.  "Ha! ha! if I have not, then I don't know
where else you should look for one, gentlemen.  Allow me."  And, pushing
past me to the after part of the locker, he raised a lid and produced a
box of weeds which he laid upon the table.  Then, with an awkward bow,
he said, as he made for the companion-ladder:

"If you have finished breakfast, gentlemen, I will send Francisco down
to clear the table."



CHAPTER ELEVEN.

CAPTAIN CARERA IMPARTS SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION.

Not a word was said by either of us until the unknown one had emerged
from the companion and removed himself well out of ear-shot.  Then, as
Courtenay pushed the cigar-box across the table to me, after selecting a
weed for himself, he looked me in the face and, with a mischievous
twinkle in his eye, remarked:

"Well, Lascelles, what is your interpretation of this riddle?  What is
the character of this felucca?  Who and what is her skipper?  And
whither are we bound?"

"Hush!" said I, "here comes the boy.  We shall find ourselves in an
exceedingly awkward fix unless we keep a very bright lookout."

Here Francisco entered the cabin and began to clear away the wreck of
the breakfast.

"Why, Francisco, my lad, you look pale.  You surely do not feel sea-
sick, do you?" exclaimed Courtenay.

"Sea-sick! oh, no!" said the lad.  "I got over all that long ago."

"Ah, indeed!" remarked my fellow-mid in his usual off-hand manner.
"And, pray, what may `long ago' mean?  Last voyage, or the voyage
before--three months ago--six months--a year?"

"More nearly two years ago, senor.  I shall have been to sea two years
come next month," was the reply.

"Two years, eh!  Why, you are a perfect veteran, a regular old sea-dog,
Francisco," continued Courtenay as he exhaled a wreath of pale-blue
smoke from his pursed-up lips and watched it go curling in fantastic
wreaths up through the open sky-light.  "And have you been all that time
in the _Pinta_?"

"Yes, senor, all that time.  Captain Carera is my uncle, you know.  He
adopted me when my mother died, and has promised to make a sailor of
me."

"Ah! very good of him; very good, indeed," went on Courtenay.  "A very
worthy fellow that uncle of yours, Francisco.  And has the _Pinta_ been
engaged in the same trade ever since you joined her?"

"The same trade, senor?  I--I--"

"There, don't be alarmed at my question, my lad," interrupted Courtenay.
"You need not answer it unless you choose, you know; but there is no
occasion for secrecy with _us_.  You understand that, do you not?"

"Well, I don't know, I am sure, excellency.  I suppose it is all right,
however, or you would not be here, so I do not mind answering.  We
_have_ been engaged in the same trade--for the most part--ever since I
joined the _Pinta_."

"And a pretty profitable business your uncle must have found it,"
remarked Courtenay.

"I don't know so much about that, senor," was the reply.  "It _used_ to
be profitable enough at first, I believe, when el capitano had it all in
his own hands.  But now that Giuseppe has admitted other traders, we not
only have to pay higher prices for the goods, but we also have to take
our turn with others for a cargo.  Then, too, Giuseppe has not been so
very fortunate of late; the British cruisers have given him a great deal
of trouble."

"Ah, yes, they are a pestilent lot, those British--always thrusting
their noses into other people's business!" agreed my unabashed chum.
"Well," he continued to me, "shall we go on deck and take a look round?
Uncommonly good cigars these of your uncle's, Francisco.  Leave the box
on the table, my lad, will ye?"

On reaching the deck we were now, for the first time, able to take
particular note of the vessel on board which we, by some inexplicable
blunder, thus found ourselves--for that a blunder had been perpetrated
by somebody we now fully realised.  The craft proved to be a sturdy
little felucca of some sixty tons or so; very shallow and very beamy in
proportion to her length; stoutly built, with high quarters, and low but
widely-flaring bows, which tossed the seas aside in fine style and
enabled her to thrash along with perfectly dry decks.  She was rigged
with a single stout, stumpy mast, raking well forward, upon which was
set--by means of an immense yard of bamboos "fished" together, and twice
the length of the craft herself--an enormous lateen or triangular sail,
the tack of which consisted of a stout rope leading from the fore-end of
the yard to a ring-bolt sunk into the deck just forward of the mast,
whilst the sheet travelled upon an iron hawse well secured to the
taffrail.  There were five hands on deck when we made our appearance,
namely, the skipper and the helmsman--who were having a quiet chat
together--and three men in the waist, on the weather side of the deck,
who were busy patching a sail.  The weather was gloriously fine, with
scarcely a cloud to be seen in the clear sapphire vault overhead; and a
fresh cool breeze from about east-north-east was ruffling up the white-
caps to windward, straining at the huge sail until the yard bent like a
fishing-rod, and careening the gallant little craft to her covering-
board, whilst it drove her along at the rate of a good honest nine knots
in the hour.  There was no other sail anywhere in sight, nor indeed
anything to distract attention from the little vessel herself, save the
shoals of flying-fish which now and then sparkled out from under our
forefoot and went skimming away through the air to leeward, until they
vanished with a flash, only to reappear, perhaps, next moment, with
their inveterate foe, a dolphin, in hot pursuit.  The moment we showed
ourselves above the companion the skipper rose to his feet--he had been
sitting cross-legged on the deck, under the weather bulwarks--and joined
us, evidently under the impression that it was an essential part of his
duty to make himself agreeable.  He made some commonplace remark about
the weather, to which we both vouchsafed a ready and gracious response,
very fully realising by this time the peculiarity and perilous nature of
our position on board the felucca--a position from which it was, of
course, utterly impossible for us then to effect a retreat--and being
especially anxious not only to avert any possibility of a suspicion as
to our _bona fides_, but also to extract such further hints as might
tend to the elucidation of that position.  For some time the
conversation was of a general and utterly unimportant character; at
length, however, Carera, evidently reverting to the topic which was
uppermost in his mind, remarked:

"I have thought it best, senors, to mention to Manuel, my mate there,"
nodding his head toward the helmsman, "and the rest of the hands, the
fact that you are both seamen, and they are as pleased as I was to hear
it.  It has made matters much easier for us all round, and very much
less dangerous for you; indeed, Manuel thinks that if you will only
consent to act as part of the crew whilst we are in harbour there, and
rig accordingly, neither Giuseppe nor any of his people will suspect
anything, and you will thus be able to freely look about you and make
such observations as will enable you to subsequently carry out your part
of the scheme with success.  If it can only be carried through it will
make all our fortunes, for they must have doubloons stored away by the
caskful by this time.  Why, I am taking across two hundred doubloons
this time to trade with, and I have never taken less in any one of my
trips."

"And how many trips do you consider you have made altogether?" asked
Courtenay.

"Oh, well, let me see--not less than sixty, I should suppose," was the
answer.

"Sixty times two hundred gives twelve thousand.  Twelve thousand
doubloons--that is a goodly sum indeed," murmured I.

"Yes," answered Carera; "and to that you must add what the other traders
have taken across, which will perhaps amount to at least as much more.
And there is also the specie which he has captured, and which of course
he has had no need to barter away."

"Whew!"  I involuntarily whistled, a great light suddenly bursting in
upon my hitherto darkened understanding.  Courtenay frowned a warning to
me, and I hastened on to say: "That will be a big haul, certainly.  Why,
Carera, you will be able to retire from the sea altogether, and live
like a gentleman for the rest of your days."

"Yes," he responded somewhat gloomily, "if the secret is well kept.  If
not--if it ever gets abroad that any of us on board here have been the
means of--of--well, of betraying Giuseppe and his gang, our lives will
not be worth a maravedi; for were all hands over there,"--nodding
ahead--"to be taken, there would still be the traders to reckon with.
We shall completely spoil their game, you know, senors, and where there
is so much money to be made out of it they would never forgive us."

"Pooh!" exclaimed Courtenay reassuringly, "have no fear about that; they
will never get to know how the thing has happened.  If you can only
depend upon your own people keeping close you may rely upon _our_ so
managing affairs that no suspicion shall rest upon you."

"I hope so--I fervently hope so!" murmured Carera anxiously.  "Riches
would be of little value if one had to go about in constant dread of the
assassin's knife."

We gave a cordial affirmation to this sentiment, and then noticing that
our worthy and most estimable skipper seemed somewhat indisposed for
further conversation just then, Courtenay and I retired to the cabin to
talk matters over, having at length extracted sufficient information to
show us pretty nearly how the land lay.

On getting below Master Courtenay's first act was to carefully select
another cigar from the box on the table, cut off the point with
mathematical regularity, light the weed, and then push the box over to
me with the cheerful invitation:

"Help yourself, old fellow.  Really superb weeds these--wonder what was
the name of the ship these were taken out of, eh?"

Then he seated himself upon the lockers, planted his elbows squarely on
the table, rested his chin in the palms of his hands, and, in this by no
means elegant attitude, puffed a long thin cloud of smoke at me.  He
intently watched the tiny wreath for a moment or two, and then broke
ground by saying:

"Well, Lascelles, old boy, do you happen to know whereabouts we are?"

"Certainly," I answered, in perfectly good faith; "we are now just about
one hundred and twenty miles to the northward and westward of La
Guayra."

"Precisely.  And we are--also--in--the--centre--of--a--hobble!" retorted
the lively youth, nodding his head impressively at every word to give it
additional emphasis.  "In the centre of a hobble--that's where you and I
happen to be at the present moment," he continued more soberly.  "Let us
look at the facts of the case.  To start with, we are manifestly on
board the wrong ship.  The crew of that ship, or _this_ ship--it is all
the same in the present case--take us to be, not two unfortunate
fugitive British midshipmen yearning to return to their duty, but two
officers of the Spanish navy told off by that no doubt most respectable
old gentleman--whose acquaintance I regret I have not yet had the honour
of making--the captain-general, to execute a certain duty which we may
perhaps make a rough guess at, but as to the precise nature of which we
are at present without any definite information.  Do you agree with me
so far?"

"Yes," said I.  "But why can't you discuss the matter seriously?  It may
prove serious enough for us both at any moment, Heaven knows!"

"True for you, O lovelorn youth with the solemn visage.  But wherefore
this emotion?  _Becoje tu heno mientras que el sol luciere_ is as sound
a bit of wisdom as any that I have happened to pick up during our
exceedingly pleasant sojourn at La Guayra.  `Make hay whilst the sun
shines!'--make the most of your opportunities--have all the fun you can
during your enforced absence from the jurisdiction of the first luff--is
a proverb which ought to command the most profound respect of every
British midshipman; and I am surprised at you, Lascelles, and
disappointed in you, that you so little endeavour to live up to it,"
remarked Courtenay.  "However," he resumed, "there is a certain
glimmering of truth in what you say; this hobble--I like the word
`hobble,' don't you, so expressive, eh?--this hobble, then, in the
centre of which we find ourselves, may prove a serious enough matter for
us both at any moment, so let us go carefully over the ground and
ascertain exactly how we stand.  To start once more.  I suppose you are
prepared to accede to my proposition before stated, that we have by some
unaccountable mistake blundered on board the wrong craft; and that on
board her we have, in the same unaccountable way, established in our two
respectable selves a most interesting case of mistaken identity, eh?"

"Yes," said I, "I agree with you there.  Go on," seeing that it was
quite hopeless to think of diverting him from his ridiculous mood.

"That is all right," resumed Courtenay.  "Now, judging from the
fragmentary information we have been able to acquire thus far in our
interesting conversations with that amiable old traitor, Carera, on deck
there, I imagine our position to be this.  We are two youthful but
intelligent Spanish naval officers commissioned by the captain-general
at La Guayra to accompany Carera on a little trading voyage he is making
to certain lagoons lying somewhere inside the Barcos Channel.  Now where
_is_ the Barcos Channel?  Do you know?"

"Haven't the slightest idea, beyond the exceedingly hazy one I have been
able to form from what Carera said," answered I.

"Neither have I," acknowledged Courtenay.  "But I think we know enough
to identify its position very nearly.  If I understood our friend aright
we are now heading for Cape Irois, the most westerly point of Saint
Domingo.  From thence he intends to shape a course for Cape Maysi, which
we both know to be the easternmost point of Cuba.  Then, having
weathered that point, he informed us that we might expect to have the
wind well on our starboard quarter, which--knowing as we do that the
prevailing wind in that latitude is from about east-north-east--means
that we shall be steering a westerly course, or say from west to north-
west.  That would take us up along the northern coast of Cuba.  Now, how
long did you understand Carera to say it would take us to complete the
run to the Barcos Channel?"

"Something like forty-eight hours," I replied.

"Exactly," acquiesced Courtenay.  "That was what I understood.  Now I
should say that, with the wind on her quarter, this little hooker may be
expected to run about ten knots per hour, which, for forty-eight hours,
gives a run of four hundred and eighty miles, at which distance, there
or thereabouts, from Cape Maysi, I imagine the Barcos Channel to be.
That, then, seems to indicate approximately the locality of the spot to
which we are bound.  Do you agree with me?"

"I do," said I.  "That is precisely how I have reasoned it out in my own
mind."

"That is well," resumed Courtenay.  "Now, why are we going there?
Manifestly to assist in the betrayal of one Giuseppe something--I don't
happen to know his other name.  From a hint dropped by Carera I have
formed the opinion that this Giuseppe must be an industrious, hard-
working, and, withal, somewhat canny gentleman of the piratical
profession; a man who seems to have made the business pay pretty well,
too, for does not our friend on deck estimate that he has accumulated
the tidy little sum of close upon twenty-five thousand doubloons?  Now,
however, that fickle goddess, Fortuna, appears to have withdrawn her
smiles from him.  Those pestilent British cruisers are interfering with
him, and we know that when _they_ meddle with a business of that kind it
means simple ruination for the honest people who are trying to make a
livelihood out of it; consequently, our amigo Carera is no longer able
to depend upon finding a rich cargo, at a low figure for cash, awaiting
him at Giuseppe's snug little stronghold.  Carera, the honest and
faithful, therefore proposes to become virtuous.  He has, doubtless, of
late experienced certain qualms of conscience respecting the trade he is
at present engaged in, and he has made up his mind to abandon it.  He
has also resolved to reform his friend Giuseppe; and, in order that the
reformation of that estimable person may be made thoroughly effectual,
he has undertaken--for a consideration, most probably a share of the
plunder--to point out to us, the captain-general's deputies, the various
rocks, shoals, and other impediments which obstruct the fairway to the
pirates' anchorage, and to indicate the several sea-marks which will
enable us to safely and successfully pilot an expedition into such a
position as will enable it to knock Giuseppe's stronghold into a cocked
hat.  How does that accord with your view of the situation?"

"Yes," said I, "I think you are about right.  That is pretty much the
idea I have formed of it."

"Good, again!" ejaculated Courtenay.  "Let us go a little further.  We
now come to the `hobble,' or dilemma, if you prefer the latter word, in
which we find ourselves.  The unfortunate hitch in this business, as I
look at it, is this.  It so happens that we are _not_ the captain-
general's deputies, but two British midshipmen, and we want to go, not
to the Barcos Channel, but to Port Royal.  How are we to get to the
latter place?"

"That is a question which will demand our most serious consideration;
but we need not worry about it for a few days," I replied.  "And, as to
our not wanting to go to the Barcos Channel, why should we not want to
go there?"

"Why, because we want to go to Port Royal instead, I suppose.  What d'ye
mean, Lascelles?--hang it, man, I--what are you driving at?" stammered
Courtenay, thoroughly taken aback.

"Ah!" said I, with a certain air of triumph, I am afraid, "I see that my
plan has not yet dawned upon your benighted understanding.  What is to
prevent our going to this Barcos Channel, seeing everything that is to
be seen there, and then making our way to Port Royal--the difficulty as
to that will be no greater then than it is now--and reporting the whole
affair to the admiral, who will doubtless send an expedition on his own
account, and send us with it as a reward for our--"

"That will do," interrupted Courtenay enthusiastically.  "By George,
Lascelles, you are a trump! a genius! a--a--in fact I don't know what
you are not, in the line of `superior attainments,' as my schoolmaster
used to say.  And I--what a _consummate_ idiot I must have been not to
think of it too!  I say, old fellow, would you be so kind and obliging
as to kick me _hard_ once or twice.  No?  Well, never mind; I daresay
somebody else will, sooner or later, so I will excuse you.  But, I say,
Lascelles," he continued, as serious now as myself, "it is an awful
risky thing to do; do you think we have nerve and--and--_impudence_
enough to carry it through without being found out?  We are only two
against ten, you know, on board here; and if we are detected it will be
a sure case of,"--and he drew his hand suggestively across his
throat--"eh?"

"No doubt of that, I think," said I.  "But why should we be found out?
I feel as though my nerve would prove quite equal to the task; and as
for impudence, you have enough and to spare for both of us."

"All right, then," said he, "we'll chance it; and there's my hand upon
it, Lascelles.  You make whatever plans you may consider necessary, and
I'll back you up through thick and thin.  A man can but die once; and if
we fail in this we shall at least have the consolation of feeling that
we fell whilst doing our duty--for there can be no mistake about its
being our duty to bring about the destruction of that gang of pirates
who, I now feel convinced, are lurking among those lagoons inside the
Barcos Channel."

"Yes," said I, "I think there can be no doubt about that.  And now,
having arrived at a clear understanding as to what we are about to do, I
think it is all plain sailing up to the time of our arrival in those
lagoons.  We must carefully note every particular which Carera may point
out to us, and make a sort of chart, if possible, wherewith to refresh
our memories; after which it only remains for us to find our way to Port
Royal; and _that_, it seems to me, is the only item in our programme
which is likely to give us any very serious difficulty."

This closed the discussion for the time being, and we went on deck,
where Carera once more obsequiously joined us, much to our disgust; for
it seemed probable that, if this sort of thing was to continue, we
should find the fellow far too attentive to suit our ulterior plans.
We, however, made the best of the matter, and, finding that his thoughts
were wholly occupied with the trip and its object, we simply let him
talk about it to his heart's content, merely interjecting a remark here
and there with the object of directing his conversation into such
channels as would afford us the information in which we still happened
to be deficient.  In this way we gradually--and with some little skill,
we flattered ourselves--acquired full particulars of the plot in the
carrying out of which we were supposed to be important agents, and which
turned out to be very much the sort of thing we had already pictured to
ourselves.  The man Giuseppe was, we found, an Italian, who had made his
appearance in West Indian waters some five or six years previously,
first in the character of a slaver, and afterwards as an avowed pirate.
He was, according to Carera's account, a man of exceptional daring, as
wily as a fox, and a thorough seaman; and these excellent qualities had
not only raised him to the position of head or chief of the powerful
gang with whose fortunes he had identified himself, but had also enabled
him to carry on his nefarious business so successfully that he had
gradually acquired an almost fabulous amount of booty, and had at the
same time gained for himself--at all events among the Spaniards--the
somewhat sensational title of "The Terror of the Caribbean Sea."  He had
established a sort of head-quarters for himself in a snug spot at the
head of the Conconil lagoons, where he had erected buildings for the
accommodation of his entire gang--part of which always remained on shore
to look after the place--and where he had gradually surrounded himself
with every convenience for repairing and refitting his craft.  It was to
this secluded, and indeed almost unknown spot, that he was in the habit
of running for shelter when hard pressed by the cruisers who were always
on the lookout for him; and, from Carera's description of the
difficulties of the navigation, it would seem almost impossible to
devise or hit upon a place better suited for such a purpose.  It was
here, also, that he first stored his plunder, and afterwards bartered it
for gold or such necessaries as he might happen to require, with the
three or four favoured individuals who, with the most extreme
precaution, he had invited to trade with him.  And it was the key to the
navigation of these lagoons and their approaches which Carera had
undertaken to sell to the Spanish authorities in consideration of his
receiving, as the price of his treachery, one-half the amount of the
captured spoil.

For the remainder of that day our minds were chiefly occupied with the
question of how, after our visit to the Conconil lagoons, we were to
make our way to Port Royal; and the more carefully we considered the
question the more numerous and insurmountable appeared to be the
difficulties in our way.  It was not as though we were going to touch at
a civilised port; in that case, if it came to the worst, we might have
run away from our craft and taken our chance of getting another to suit
us.  But this, under the circumstances, was out of the question.
Moreover, directly we began to consider the matter, it seemed imperative
that the _Pinta_ and her entire crew should be detained at least until
our expedition should have sailed, otherwise Carera, finding himself
duped, might endeavour to make the best of a bad matter by hurrying off
to warn Giuseppe of the possibility of our beating up his quarters.  The
situation eventually resolved itself into this: that whereas, on the
completion of our ostensible trading errand, the _Pinta_ would, in the
ordinary course of events, return to La Guayra, taking us with her--when
on her arrival the whole fiasco would come to light and the least
misfortune we might expect would be a return to our loathsome prison
quarters--it was necessary for the success of our plan that the craft
and her crew should, by some means or other, find their way to Royal
Port.  How was the affair to be managed?  The outlines of a scheme at
length arranged themselves in my mind; and, although it was of so
desperate a character that we agreed it was almost impossible that we
should be able to carry it through, we nevertheless took immediate steps
to further its accomplishment.  It was not much that we could do just
then; all that was possible for us was to assume extreme pleasure at
being allowed to steer the little craft; and we so managed affairs that
in the course of a few days it came to be an understood thing among the
hands that whenever either of them happened to be too lazy to take his
"trick" at the tiller he could always get relief by appealing to one or
the other of us--if we happened to be on deck at the time.

The breeze continued to hold from the eastward; but as we drew over
toward the coast of Saint Domingo it softened down a trifle; so that, on
our arrival off Cape Irois, we found ourselves just about twelve hours
behind the time reckoned on by Carera.  That, however, was a matter of
no very great moment, being rather an advantage than otherwise, since it
enabled us to slip across the Windward Channel with less risk of being
sighted and overhauled by a British cruiser, an incident which--now that
Courtenay and I had quite made up our minds to go through with the
adventure--we were folly as anxious as any of the _Pinta's_ regular crew
to avoid.  We were fortunate enough to make the passage without
molestation, though not wholly without an alarm, for a large ship was
made out, about the end of the middle watch, coming down before the wind
and heading right for us, with a whole cloud of flying kites aloft and
studding-sails set on both sides.  She proved, however, to be a
merchantman, apparently British; and, from the course she was steering,
we judged her to be bound to Kingston.  She swept magnificently across
our stern at a distance of about a couple of miles; and in little more
than an hour from the time of our first sighting her she was hull-down
again upon our larboard quarter.

With sunrise we found ourselves hauling in under the high land about
Cape Maysi; and here we ran into the calm belt dividing the land and
sea-breezes, and lay for an hour rolling gunwale under, our great sail
flapping noisily and sending the dew pattering down on deck in regular
showers with every roll of the little vessel, whilst the huge yard
swayed and creaked aloft, tugging at the stumpy mast and tautening out
the standing rigging alternately to port and starboard with such
violence that I momentarily expected to see the whole affair go toppling
over the side.  "Hold on, good rope-yarns!" was now the cry; and they
_did_ hold on, fortunately, though, during that hour of calm, there was
more noise aloft than I had ever before heard on board a vessel.  At
length the sea-breeze came creeping down to us; a cat's-paw filled the
lofty tapering sail, and passed, causing the canvas to flap heavily ere
it filled to the next.  Another flap; then the sail swelled out gently
and "went to sleep," the nimble little hooker turned her saucy nose into
the wind's eye; a few bubbles drifted past her side as she gathered way,
a long smooth ripple trailed out on each side of her sharp bows, then
she heeled gracefully over to larboard as the languid breeze freshened
upon us, and presently down it came, half a gale of wind, burying us
half bulwark deep and making everything crack again as the boat gathered
way and darted off like a startled dolphin.  And here Carera was within
an ace of making a mess of the whole business; for whilst we had been
tumbling about becalmed a current had got hold of us and had set us so
close in with the land that whilst rounding the point we actually passed
_through_ the breakers beating on the reef; and I am convinced that had
we been a couple of fathoms further to leeward the hooker would have
laid her bones there.  However, the danger was come and gone in less
than a minute; it was the extreme point of the reef we had grazed so
very closely, and, once past it, we had a clear sea ahead and were out
of the reach of all further danger.  It was Courtenay, however, who
actually saved the felucca; for at the supreme moment when the little
craft plunged into the breakers, and when, if ever, there was the utmost
need for coolness and self-possession, what must all hands do but plump
down upon their knees, calling upon Saint Antonio and Heaven knows how
many other saints to come and help them, Carera himself being one of the
foremost to do so, abandoning the tiller meanwhile, and leaving the
vessel to take care of herself, at the very moment of all others when
she most needed looking after.  She of course shot into the wind's eye
in an instant, and in another minute the craft would have been on the
rocks, stern-foremost, and beating her bottom in, had not Courtenay--who
happened to be standing close by--sprung to the tiller and jammed it
hard a-weather, thus causing her to pay off and forge ahead before
losing steerage-way altogether.

Once fairly clear of the point, Carera put his helm up, and away we
went, with a flowing sheet, upon a north-west by west course; arriving
off Mangle Point about noon.  From thence we began to haul somewhat off
from the land, the wind drawing further aft and freshening somewhat as
we did so; so that by sunset the lively little craft had brought
Lucrecia Point fairly on her larboard beam.  As the sun went down the
wind manifested a disposition to drop; and for a couple of hours we
crept along at a speed of scarcely five knots; but it breezed up again
just after the first watch came on deck; and by two bells we were
smoking through it faster than I had ever before seen the craft travel.
In accordance with the plan which Courtenay and I had arranged, we took
the tiller between us during the whole of the first watch, the two hands
whose places we had taken coolly going below and turning in.  When the
watch was called at midnight we felt that we had done enough for our
purpose, so we retired below and spent the remainder of the night in our
bunks.



CHAPTER TWELVE.

A NARROW ESCAPE.

At daybreak next morning we were awakened by a terrific hubbub overhead,
and going on deck to ascertain what was the matter we found that the
felucca, having been allowed to draw in too close with the land during
the night, was becalmed off Guajaba Island, whilst a sail, some nine
miles distant in the offing--evidently a British man-of-war from the cut
of her canvas, and apparently a frigate from her size--was heading
straight for us, close-hauled on the larboard tack, with a rattling
breeze, as we could see by the way she was laying over to it and the
rapidity with which her sails rose above the horizon.  There could be no
doubt that they had seen us with the first approach of daylight and were
determined to give us an overhaul, hence the confusion which had aroused
us from our peaceful slumbers.  It was laughable to witness the agonised
dismay with which the Spaniards viewed the approach of this craft, and
to listen to the prayers, vows, and maledictions which issued
indiscriminately from their lips as she swept relentlessly down toward
us.  They anticipated nothing less than the capture and destruction of
the felucca, and the detention of themselves as prisoners, which
catastrophe, bad enough in itself as it must have appeared to them, was
doubtless rendered infinitely more disagreeable by the reflection that
to this mishap must be added the total collapse of their pretty little
plan for the betrayal of their friends the pirates, and the subsequent
division of the spoil.  And even to us the prospect was by no means
inviting.  It was true that here was a chance for us to rejoin our own
countrymen, and so escape from the dilemma in which we foresaw that we
should be placed after leaving the Conconil lagoons; but we were not
altogether without hopes that we might in any case be able to escape
from that dilemma; and having resolved to go through with the adventure
we were now by no means disposed to have it nipped in the bud.  We were
consequently quite as averse to a visit from the frigate as was Carera
himself, and we at once set our wits to work to see if it might not be
possible to devise some means of escape.  The breeze was blowing fresh
to within a mile of where we lay, and I felt convinced that the frigate,
with the way she had on her, would shoot far enough ahead, even after
she had entered the calm belt, to reach us with her guns; it was
therefore evident that whatever was to be done would have to be done
quickly, if it was to be of any use at all.  I looked around and saw, by
the colour of the water, that there was a shoal at no great distance
inshore of us.  I called Carera aft and said to him:

"Look here, Carera, do you happen to know this coast pretty well?"

"Every inch of it, senor," was the reply.

"I see there is shoal water over there," said I, indicating the
direction with a nod of the head.  "Now, what is to hinder you from
rigging out your sweeps and sweeping the felucca into such shallow water
as will prevent the frigate yonder from approaching you near enough to
reach you with her guns?  The _Pinta_ is in light trim, and with all
hands at the sweeps you ought to be able to move her pretty smartly
through the water.  And even should the frigate send her boats after us,
we might be able to keep out of their way until the breeze comes."

"Excellent, senor!" he exclaimed rapturously.  "I had never thought of
that.  Ah, it is you gentlemen of the navy who, after all, have the
ideas!  Out sweeps, forward there!" he continued; "we will escape that
accursed Englishman yet."

The crew, aroused by the hopeful tone in which Carera spoke, scrambled
up off their knees, and rigging out the sweeps soon had the little craft
heading direct for the shore and moving through the water at the rate of
some four knots.  The frigate seeing this hoisted her ensign and fired a
gun as a signal for us to heave to, of which we took not the slightest
notice.  I placed myself at the tiller, Carera took up a position on the
stem-head, conning the felucca, and Courtenay devoted all his energies
to the encouragement of the men as they laboured at the sweeps.
Meanwhile, the breeze was gradually creeping nearer to us every minute,
which, whilst an advantage in so far as it lessened the time during
which the men would have to toil at the sweeps, was more than
counterbalanced by the disagreeable fact that it would enable the
frigate to approach so much the nearer to us before she in her turn
became becalmed.

At length the noble craft shot across the outer boundary of the calm
belt, and the instant that her canvas flapped to the masts her helm was
gently ported until she headed straight for us, when another gun was
fired; and before the smoke had cleared away she had swept round until
her whole broadside--numbering eighteen guns--was bearing upon us.

"Now," shouted Courtenay, "look out for squalls!"

The words had scarcely left his lips when _bang_! went another gun, and
we saw the shot come skipping and ricochetting across the glassy surface
of the water straight toward us, ploughing up long steamy jets of spray
at every bound, and finally, with a skurrying splash, disappearing about
a dozen yards astern of us.  After this there was a pause of about half
a minute, apparently to see whether we were really foolhardy enough to
persist in attempting our escape--and also, probably, to give the
muzzles of their guns a little more elevation--when, seeing that the
sweeps were still kept steadily going, she let fly her whole broadside
at us with a rattling crash, which caused the Spaniards with one accord
to let go their hold upon the sweeps and drop flat on their faces on the
deck.  Another moment and the shot came hurtling about us, some overhead
and a very fair dose on each side of the little craft, so close too that
the spray flashed in over the deck in a regular shower, whilst one shot
came crashing in through the taffrail, flying close past me where I was
standing at the tiller, smashing through the head of the companion and
then flying out over the bows, passing through the sail on its way and
missing Carera's head by a hair's-breadth.

"Eighteen-pounders, by the powers!" ejaculated Courtenay, turning to me.
"A narrow squeak that for you, old boy?  Now, then, my hearties," to
the Spaniards, "tail on to those sweeps again, and look sharp about it.
Remember, if we are caught away goes your chance of making a fortune out
of friend Giuseppe yonder."

This suggestion aroused anew their courage, or their cupidity, and with
a shout they sprang once more to their feet and to the sweeps.

Meanwhile, the breeze had crept in until it had overtaken the frigate,
which at once filled on the starboard tack, keeping her luff until she
had gathered good way, when she squared away and once more came booming
into the calm belt, nearing us almost half a mile by this manoeuvre.

"It is no good, excellencies; we shall have to give up!" exclaimed
Carera, coming aft.  "We are now as close in as we dare go; and if that
diabolical frigate fires another broadside at us she will blow us out of
the water.  Port your helm, senor--hard a-port! the coral is close under
our keel."

"Hard a-port!"  I responded.  "But why give up, my good fellow?  The
frigate is as close now as she dare come to us.  You may take my word
for it that her captain will not run the risk of plumping his ship
ashore for the sake of such an insignificant craft as the _Pinta_.  Ha,
look out! here comes another broadside."

How we escaped that second storm of shot I am sure I cannot tell, for we
were now almost within point-blank range; but escape we did, although
for a single instant the whole air around us seemed filled with iron, so
thick and close did the shot fly about us.  The sail was pierced in
three places, but beyond that no harm was done.

"He is after us with the boats!  He will waste no more powder and shot
upon us," exclaimed Courtenay; and sure enough on looking astern I saw
two boats just dropping into the water.

"We must give up--we must give up," cried our crew as they saw this; and
leaving their sweeps they came aft in a body with the request that
Carera would hoist the Spanish ensign and haul it down again in token of
our surrender.

"No, no," I exclaimed; "see how the breeze is creeping down to us; it
will be here as soon as the boats--or sooner, if you stick to the
sweeps--and then I will engage that we scrape clear somehow.  Is there
no place, Carera, that we can run into, and so dodge the frigate!  We
can laugh at the boats if we once get the breeze."

"Place! of course there is!" exclaimed the skipper, his courage again
reviving; "there is the Boca de Guajaba, not half a mile from us on our
larboard bow.  Once in there we can run up at the back of Romano--I know
the channel--and so effectually give the frigate the slip.  Back to your
sweeps, children! we will never yield until we are obliged."

Again the crew manned the sweeps, and again--animated by another
judicious reminder from Courtenay of the treasure awaiting them in the
Conconil lagoons--they bent their backs and lashed the water into foam
as they gathered way upon the felucca; and once more Carera went forward
to con the craft through the dangerous channel we were now fast
approaching.  Meanwhile the two boats--a gig and a cutter--were tearing
after us, going two feet to our one, and evidently quite alive to the
fact that, unless they kept ahead of the breeze and reached us before
it, we still stood a fair chance of escape.

Presently a narrow opening revealed itself in the shore about a quarter
of a mile away, among the trees which clustered close to the water's
edge; and Carera, directing my attention to it, informed me that was the
channel.  The surf was breaking heavily all along the shore, and to
attempt a passage through it seemed, from the point of observation we
then occupied, to be simply courting destruction.  I said nothing,
however, trusting in Carera's assertion that he knew the place, and
presently a narrow band of unbroken water appeared in the midst of the
foam, toward which a minute later the felucca was headed.

The boats were now closing with us fast, the gig, which was leading,
being within about three cables' length of us, whilst the cutter was not
more than fifty feet astern of her.  Three or four minutes at most would
suffice to bring them alongside of us, fast as we were moving through
the water, unless the breeze came to our aid.  The sea was ruffled all
astern of them, and a cat's-paw now and then would come stealing along
the glassy surface between us and them, but so far they had managed to
keep ahead of the breeze.  The measured roll of the oars in their
rowlocks could now be distinctly heard and the sound reaching the ears
of the Spaniards made them strain and tug at the sweeps more desperately
than ever, Courtenay not only cheering them on but now actually tailing
on to a sweep which the lad Francisco was manfully tugging away at with
the best of them.  The perspiration was pouring off the poor fellows'
faces and bare arms in streams, but they still worked away, looking
eagerly at me every time I shot a hasty glance astern, as if anxious to
gather from my expressive countenance what hopes of escape still
remained.

At length we reached the mouth of the channel, and I dared no longer
withdraw my eyes for a single instant from Carera.  The passage was
exceedingly narrow, so confined, indeed, that a man might have leaped
from either rail into the seething breakers on each side of us.  The
little craft bobbed and pitched as she glided into the troubled water,
the huge sail rattled and flapped, and we seemed to visibly lose way.
At this juncture a voice hailed us in execrably bad Spanish from the gig
astern, peremptorily exclaiming:

"Heave to, you rascally pack of piratical cut-throats, or I will fire
into you!"

"Pull, men, _pull_!"  I urged.  "Here is the breeze close aboard of us."

At the same instant our great lateen sail swelled heavily out, wavered,
jerked the sheet taut, and collapsed again.  The Spaniards greeted the
sight with a joyous shout, and, whereas they had hitherto been toiling
in grimmest silence, they now burst out with mutual cries of
encouragement and a jabber of congratulatory remarks which were almost
instantly cut short by the crack of a musket, the ball of which clipped
very neatly through the brim of my straw hat.  Again the sail flapped,
collapsed, flapped again, and then filled steadily out.

"Hurrah, lads!"  I exclaimed.  "Half a dozen more strokes with the
sweeps and the breeze will fairly have got hold of us.  See how the
sheet tautens out!"

"In bow-oar, and stand by to heave your grapnel!"  I heard a voice say
in English close underneath our counter; and the next instant came the
rattle of the oar as it was laid in upon the thwart.  Courtenay too
heard the words, and knowing well what they meant left his sweep and
sprang aft.

"Give way, men, give way!" now came up from the boat.  "Spring her, you
sodjers, _spring her_, and take us within heaving distance, or they will
get away from us yet.  See how the witch is gathering way!  Bend your
backs, now; lift her! _well_ pulled! another stroke--and another--that's
your sort; _now_ we travel--hang it, men, _pull_, can't ye! heave there,
for'ard, and see if you can reach her."

Courtenay was crouching low behind the bulwarks on the watch for the
grapnel, and in another second it came plump in over the taffrail.
Before it had time to catch anywhere, however, my chum had pounced upon
it, and, tossing it into the air just as the bowman in the boat was
bringing a strain upon the chain, the instrument dropped overboard
again.

"You lubberly rascal!" exclaimed the officer in charge of the gig,
addressing the unfortunate bowman, "you shall get a couple of dozen at
the gangway as soon as we get back to the ship for that.  And if you
miss next time I'll make it five dozen.  We've lost a good fathom of
distance through your confounded stupidity.  _Pull_, men!  D'ye mean to
let the hooker slip through your fingers after all?"

Then a thought seemed suddenly to strike this exasperated individual;
his boat was too close under our counter to enable him to use his own
muskets, so he hailed the cutter and inquired if there was "no one in
her clever enough to pick off that rascally Spaniard at the felucca's
tiller?"

"Come," thought I, "this is pleasant!  A pretty pass the service is
coming to when a man is coolly fired upon by his own countrymen.
However, let us hope the `cutters' are as bad shots with the musket as
the average of our blue-jackets!"

Just then _crack_! went a musket from the cutter, and I heard the thud
of the bullet in the planking somewhere behind me.

"A miss is as good as a mile," thought I; whilst the lieutenant in the
gig astern relieved his feelings by alternately anathematising the poor
marksmanship of the `cutters,' and urging his own crew to increased
exertions.  By this time, however, the breeze had fairly caught us; we
were in smooth water, and slipping so rapidly through it that it was
evident the sweeps were no longer rendering us the slightest effective
service; whilst, from the more subdued sounds issuing from the pursuing
gig, I could tell that we were distinctly drawing away from her; I
therefore took it upon me to order the sweeps to be laid in, an order
which was obeyed with the utmost alacrity.  This action of ours seemed
to inspire the gigs with renewed hope and they put on such a determined
spurt that for the next ten minutes it was an even chance whether after
all they would no catch us.  They _did_ gain upon us decidedly for the
first five minutes of the spurt; but their desperate and long-continued
exertions were now beginning to tell pretty severely upon the oarsmen,
and by the end of that time it became evident that they were completely
pumped out, for we rapidly ran away from them.  The cutter, meanwhile,
had been manfully following her lighter consort all this while, the
midshipman in charge of her amusing himself by blazing away at me as
fast as he could load and fire even after we had run out of range.
Fortunately he was an outrageously poor shot, his first attempt being
his best, so I escaped unhurt; but I inwardly vowed that if ever I
happened to meet him in the future I would have my revenge by telling
him pretty plainly what I thought of him as a marksman.  At length, the
felucca having distanced the gig about a mile, we saw both boats give up
the chase and lay upon their oars; and a few minutes later they turned
tail, and made their way slowly back toward the channel.  We had
escapee--so far.

Meanwhile, having passed safely through the narrow channel we found
ourselves in an extensive lagoon, some ten miles wide, and so long that
we had a clear horizon to the southward and eastward, whilst on our
starboard hand was a cluster of perhaps a dozen islands, large and
small, some almost awash, whilst others rose to a height of from fifty
to sixty feet above the water's edge at their highest points, all of
them being wooded right down to the water.  To the northward and
westward of us the lagoon narrowed down to about a mile in width,
forming a sort of strait between the largest of the islands above-
mentioned and a bold projecting promontory; and beyond this strait the
horizon was again clear save for certain faint grey blots which our
experienced eyes told us were the foliage crowning another group of
islands.  It was an enchanting prospect for a man to gaze upon; the
broad sheet of water upon which we were sailing was perfectly smooth
save for the slight ruffle of the breeze upon it; every spot of dry
land, large or small, within sight of us, was completely hidden by the
luxuriant tropical vegetation which flourished upon it, the foliage
being of every conceivable shade of green, from the lightest to the
darkest, and thickly besprinkled with flowers and blossoms of all the
hues of the rainbow.  Nor was animate life wanting to add its charm to
the scene; for aquatic birds of various kinds were to be seen stalking
solemnly about the shallows busily fishing, or skimming with slowly-
flapping pinions close along the surface of the water; whilst, as we
shot between two of the contiguous islands, butterflies of immense size
and gorgeous colouring were distinctly visible flitting to and fro among
the blossoms of the plants and trees; a flock of gaily painted
parroquets, startled by our sudden appearance, took to flight with
discordant screams; humming-birds hovered and darted here and there,
their brilliant metallic-like plumage flashing in the sun so that they
resembled animated gems; and lizards of various kinds, including an
immense iguana, could be seen lying stretched out at full length on some
far-reaching branch, basking in the broiling sun.  It was all very
beautiful; and I should have liked nothing better than to spend a week
with my gun and sketch-book in so charming a spot, but this was of
course impossible; and it was also impossible for me, posted as I still
was at the tiller, to take more than a hasty glance now and then, for
the water was extremely shallow everywhere but in the channel, which was
so intricate that, with the fresh breeze then blowing, it taxed me to
the full extent of my ability to follow Carera's quick motions and keep
the little hooker from running bodily ashore with us.

This novel species of inland navigation lasted until four bells in the
forenoon watch, by which time we had cleared the second group of
islands.  The channel then became wider, deeper, and less difficult to
follow; the land receding on either hand so far that all details were
lost; the trip consequently began to grow somewhat monotonous; so I
resigned the tiller to Manuel, the mate, and joined Courtenay below for
a quiet chat.  At one o'clock Carera called down through the sky-light
that we were about to make for the open sea again, whereupon we
proceeded on deck to watch the passage of the felucca out through the
northern channel.  This was simply a pleasant repetition of our
morning's experience for a run of about three miles; after which we
found ourselves at sea again, indeed, but with still a very awkward
passage of some nine miles to make over an extensive shoal before we
could reach deep water.  We had a most disagreeable time of it for the
first half-hour, for, though we were under the lee of a couple of
islands, a heavy swell was setting in from seaward, the white water was
all round us in every direction, and a very sharp eye was needed at the
con, and an equally quick hand at the tiller, to prevent the little
craft from beating her bottom in on the coral.  After that, however, the
water gradually deepened; and about two o'clock, to everybody's intense
relief, we found ourselves once more in open water, with no sign of the
frigate, or indeed of a sail of any kind, anywhere within sight.

For the remainder of that day and during the ensuing night our course
led us to the northward and westward close along the northern edge of
the great shoal, dotted with its multitudinous _cayos_ and _cays_, which
commences some thirty miles to the eastward of the Boca de Guajaba,
through which we had run to escape the frigate's boats, and extends
right along the north-eastern coast of Cuba to its most northerly point,
terminating at Maya Point at the entrance to Matanzas Bay.  These cays
lie so thickly scattered along the coast, and are so close to each
other, that they afford innumerable places of shelter with snug
anchorage for small craft; whilst, from the fact that they are all
situated well within the outer limit of the shoal, they are
unapproachable except by vessels of exceedingly light draught; I was
therefore not at all surprised to learn from Carera that they were
infested by a perfect nest of pirates, who, in feluccas and schooners of
great speed and shallow draught of water, were wont to sally forth for a
few days' cruise in the Gulf of Florida, or among the Bahamas, to prey
upon the shipping bound into and out of the Gulf of Mexico; returning to
their depots after every successful raid, and landing their booty there,
so that, in the event of their encountering a man-of-war, nothing of an
incriminating character might be found on board them.  I asked Carera
whether he was never afraid that some of these free-and-easy gentlemen
might some time or another take it into their heads to overhaul the
_Pinta_, on the chance of her happening to have on board something worth
taking; to which he replied, with a laugh, that he had no fear whatever
of any such thing; the pirates always respected such traders as happened
to be engaged in dealing with any of the fraternity, these traders
having a means of making their characters known to any suspicious-
looking craft which might happen to manifest a too curious interest in
their movements.  And, indeed, we had a verification of this statement
that same evening, whilst we were lying becalmed off the Cristo cays;
for a noble felucca, which we had sighted an hour or so before, came
foaming down toward us, with sails furled and ten sweeps of a side
lashing the glassy surface of the water into foam, evidently determined
to know the why and the wherefore of our being there.  Carera, seeing
there was a chance of his being boarded, dived below and routed out a
small square red flag, with a black diamond in the centre, which he
hoisted at the end of the yard; whereupon the felucca swerved slightly
from her course, and, passing close under our stern, inquired whither we
were bound; to which Carera replied: "The Conconil lagoons," an answer
which appeared to be perfectly satisfactory.  This felucca was quite a
formidable craft of her class, measuring, I should say, close upon two
hundred tons.  She was very low and very broad on the water--due, as I
could distinctly see when she swept so closely past us, to the extreme
shallowness of her hull; there was no scale on her stern-post to show
her draught of water; but it could not have been more than eight feet,
if as much; her water-lines were the finest I had ever seen, and she
must have been a wonderfully smart vessel under canvas, judging from the
ease and the speed with which her crew swept her through the water.
There were fully sixty men on her roomy decks as she passed us--and
possibly others below--as ruffianly-looking a set of wretches as I ever
wish to see; and her armament consisted of eight long brass nines--four
in each battery--with a long eighteen between her fore and main mast.
She was rigged with three masts; and, from the great length of her
graceful tapering yards, she must have been capable of showing an
enormous spread of canvas to the breeze.  With an eye to future
business, I not only noted the direction in which she was steering, but
also questioned Carera about her; but that individual was--or professed
to be--totally unacquainted with her.

Next morning at daybreak we were aroused by Carera, who requested us to
put in an appearance on deck as soon as possible, as we were off the
mouth of the Barcos Channel and he wished to run in with the first of
the sea-breeze.  We accordingly dressed with all expedition and hurried
on deck, to find ourselves becalmed off a cluster of low mangrove-
covered islets, so numerous that the whole sea inshore of us seemed to
be completely covered with them.  A single glance sufficed to convince
us that no more suitable spot than this for a pirate's head-quarters
could well be found, for any attempt on the part of the uninitiated to
penetrate the intricacies of these multitudinous cays must inevitably
have resulted in failure.  Channel there was none--so far as we could
see--or rather, there were hundreds of them, each more hopelessly
impracticable than the other, for there appeared to be only a very few
feet of water in any of them.  Had we been able to ascend to any such
elevation as, say, a frigate's mast-head, it might indeed have been
possible to pick out the true channel; but, viewed from the low deck of
the felucca, they all appeared pretty much alike.  That there _was_ a
channel, however, and that a fairly good one, Carera assured us,
pointing out at the same time an island fully a mile in length, and
lying about due east and west, which he informed us marked the western
boundary of the entrance.

Soon afterwards the sea-breeze set in, and, squaring away before it, we
ran straight for a tiny islet with a single tree upon it, which lay some
distance within the mouth of the channel, and which had been brought
exactly midway between the long island above-mentioned and a much
smaller one about a quarter of a mile to the eastward of it.  Courtenay
now set to work to take soundings throughout the whole length of the
channel, whilst I noted down upon a piece of paper the particulars and
bearings of the numerous marks.  The Barcos Channel itself was some two
miles in length, as nearly as I could guess at it, curving slightly to
the eastward from its entrance, and by no means difficult to navigate
when once one had fairly hit off its mouth, but so narrow that a passage
through it in either direction could only be accomplished with a leading
wind.  Once through this passage we found ourselves in an extensive
sheet of water--an immense lagoon, in fact--which Carera informed me was
known as Santa Clara Bay; and it is at the bottom of this bay that the
Conconil lagoons, to which we were bound, is situated.

And here our difficulties may be said to have fairly commenced.  The
wide expanse of water upon which we were now sailing is exceedingly
shallow, a fathom and a quarter of water being its average depth
everywhere, except at its south-eastern extremity, where it dwindles
down to one fathom only.  The _Pinta_, from her exceedingly light
draught, might, with careful management, have made a tolerably straight
run of it from the inner extremity of the Barcos Channel to the entrance
to the lagoons; but this of course would not do for us; a deeper, though
very intricate passage to the last-named point existed, and it was of
the utmost importance to us to have it pointed out to us; it was, in
fact, supposed to be the chief object of our journey with Carera.
Accordingly, away we went for it, stretching across the lagoon, now to
one side, now to another; bearing away for a few yards, then hauling
close to the wind; twisting and doubling like a hunted hare, and
changing our course so rapidly that it was all I could do to jot down
the various marks as they were pointed out to me.  The distance to be
traversed was, in a straight line, about ten miles, so Carera told me;
but we must have passed over fully forty miles of ground in following
the windings of this exasperating channel, for it was two o'clock in the
afternoon when we reached the entrance to the Conconil lagoons.  These
lagoons extend about six miles in length, and vary in breadth from
perhaps half a mile in their widest part, to less than a hundred feet at
their narrowest.  They run pretty nearly east and west and are formed by
a remarkable spit, shaped like an inverted L, jutting out from the
mainland, and some eight or nine islands of various sizes.  Some of
these islands stand fair in the middle of the lagoon, as regards its
width, and where these occur the channel is exceedingly narrow, and
consequently can be very easily defended.  The lagoons, in fact,
constitute a stronghold within a stronghold; and as we wound our way
slowly along, the breeze coming to us only light and fitfully through
the dense and lofty vegetation crowning the islands outside of us, my
admiration for Signor Giuseppe's sagacity in selecting such a place of
refuge grew momentarily more profound.  At the same time I could not but
think, as my gaze rested for a moment upon the black turbid water upon
which we floated, whilst my offended nostrils sniffed the very
unfragrant odours which it exhaled, that the possible unhealthiness of
the place more than compensated for its exceeding safety in other
respects.  However, when we reached the head of the lagoon, I found,
contrary to my expectations, that a very capital and apparently healthy
site had been pitched upon for the depot at the higher extremity of the
last lagoon--an irregular triangular-shaped piece of water about a mile
long by half a mile wide, with four small islands pretty evenly
distributed over its surface.  The largest of these rose somewhat
precipitously from the water's edge to a height of about fifty or sixty
feet--quite high enough, at all events, to be above the level of the
miasmatic fogs which gather on the surface of the water toward evening--
and on the very summit of this island, deliciously embowered with noble
trees, were placed the various buildings appertaining to the piratical
community.  A narrow strip of firm sandy beach fringed the island on its
eastern side; and as we opened it out from behind a projecting point of
land, we saw a fine smart-looking schooner hauled close in to it and
hove down for repairs.  We anchored about a quarter of a mile distant
from her, in four fathoms of water; and as Courtenay joined me he made
the gratifying announcement that he had never met with less than two and
a half fathoms of water in all the soundings he had taken.



CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE CONCONIL LAGOONS.

No sooner was our anchor down than the boat was launched over the side;
the felucca's hatches were whipped off, and Carera, diving below, drew
forth from some mysterious recess in the little cabin a stout canvas bag
containing the two hundred doubloons which he had brought with him for
the purpose of trading, whilst the crew, including Courtenay and myself,
who were appropriately rigged for the occasion, roused up out of the
hold sundry bales of canvas and clothing, coils of rope, casks of
provisions, and other etceteras which had been purchased on Giuseppe's
account and to his especial order, and for which he would pay in booty.
These articles were at once passed over the side into the boat, and as
soon as she was loaded with as much as she could safely carry, Carera
and a couple of his most trusted hands jumped into her and pulled
ashore.  As Courtenay and I were strangers, whilst all the other hands
belonging to the felucca had frequently visited the place before and
were pretty well known to the whole gang, it was deemed advisable that
we should remain on board, so as to obviate as far as possible the
propounding of perhaps awkward questions as to who and what we were,
with the contingent probability of arousing suspicion in the minds of
the pirates.  To this arrangement we had no objection whatever to make,
as Carera assured us there was nothing in the least likely to interest
us on shore--nothing whatever, in fact, that we could not just as well
see from the felucca's deck with the aid of a telescope.  We therefore
remained on board, busying ourselves by putting our notes into shape
whilst everything was still fresh in our minds, and making as thorough
an examination of the island, with the various buildings upon it, as was
possible without running the risk of attracting attention.  The latter
part of our task was an easy one, there being only four buildings
altogether on the island; the largest, a kind of general storehouse,
being built upon the beach just above high-water mark, so as to be easy
of access from the water; whilst the remaining three, consisting of a
dwelling for Giuseppe and his principal officers, a long, rambling
barrack-like structure for the men who might happen to be left on shore,
and a cook-house, were all erected on the top of the hill.  The schooner
naturally attracted a great deal of attention.  She was dismantled, all
to her lower masts, and was hove right down on her beam-ends, so as to
bring her keel out of the water, so that we could not see as much of her
as we should have liked; but, judging of her size from the boats
alongside, and the men working about her, we estimated her to measure
about one hundred and fifty tons.  Her bottom was turned in our
direction, and the men were busily engaged in stripping off a quantity
of her sheathing and removing several of her planks below the water-
line, which, in conjunction with the fact that we detected what looked
uncommonly like a couple of shot-holes through her bottom, led us to
believe that she, like ourselves, had recently had a very narrow escape
of being sunk.  The position she was in afforded us an excellent
opportunity of inspecting her lines, and I must say I never before saw
any nearly so perfect.  Looking at them from where we were, they seemed
to be absolutely faultless; and as we critically examined them the
conviction forced itself upon us that, in moderate weather and with not
too much sea on, there was nothing flying British bunting in West Indian
waters--or elsewhere, for that matter--which would stand the slightest
chance of catching her.

After an absence of about an hour the felucca's boat came off again,
without Carera, but loaded down to the gunwale with the most
heterogeneous assortment of goods it is possible to imagine, including
bales of silk and other valuable stuffs, casks of wine and spirits, and
a considerable quantity of handsome silver plate; the latter alone being
worth, according to my estimation, considerably more than Carera's bag
of doubloons and the rest of his cargo to boot.  These goods were passed
on deck and from thence down into the hold; the remainder of our own
small cargo was loaded into the boat, and away she went on shore again.
When she came off the second time it was nearly sunset; Carera came with
her, bringing off the remaining price of his barter, consisting of half
a dozen bales of tobacco and fifty boxes of prime cigars.  The rascal
seemed thoroughly well pleased with the result of his bargaining, as
indeed he very well might be, for he must have secured fully four times
the value of the money and goods he had brought with him to the lagoons.
He informed us that, if we had seen all we considered necessary to the
successful issue of our projected expedition, he would be off again at
daybreak next morning, as Giuseppe was in a most unamiable, and indeed
dangerous temper, having been badly mauled a week previously by a
British frigate--most probably the one which had manifested such a very
marked interest in the _Pinta's_ movements--and that he had only scraped
clear of her and made good his escape at last by the happy accident of
being close to shoal water, into which he had retreated, with his
schooner half unrigged and seven eighteen-pound shot-holes through her
sides and bottom, which he had inefficiently plugged with the utmost
difficulty, reaching the lagoons at last in a water-logged and sinking
condition.  Carera further informed us that, by a lucky combination of
circumstances, he had not only discovered the locality of but had
actually been permitted to enter the pirates' treasure-house--a cellar
hollowed out of the earth beneath Giuseppe's dwelling--and that there
was a considerably larger accumulation of treasure in it than even he
had imagined; and that, further, there was no time to be lost in
organising the expedition against the pirates, as it had transpired that
many of them were growing anxious to enjoy the fruit of their nefarious
labours, and serious thoughts were entertained of a speedy general
division of the spoil and dispersion of the gang.  I may as well
mention, _en passant_, that it appeared to be the fashion for everybody
visiting the lagoons to speak of Giuseppe, whenever they had occasion to
mention him, as "Captain Merlani," whilst within the limits of Santa
Clara Bay.  I have not the least idea why it was so, but such is the
fact; and as the use of a man's Christian name seems to imply a closer
degree of intimacy with, and personal friendship for, him than we could
rightfully claim, I will, with the reader's kind permission, refer to
him henceforward as "Merlani" The reason why I have not done so earlier
in my story is, that it was not until our arrival within his territory,
so to speak, that we became acquainted with the fellow's surname.  This
by the way.

As night closed down upon the lagoons with that rapidity which is
peculiar to the tropics and the regions immediately adjacent thereto,
our ears were assailed by that babel of sound which prevails with
scarcely a moment's intermission all through the hours of darkness
wherever there is a patch of land large enough to support a few trees
with their almost invariable attendant undergrowth, and which emanates
from the countless myriads of insects which find their home in the
ground, the long grass, the foliage, and the bark of the trees, the
chorus being swelled in the present instance by the cries of countless
lizards--from the diminutive and harmless grass-lizard up to the
alligator, the weird sounds uttered by the nocturnal birds which flitted
on noiseless wing from bough to bough, and the rattling _chirr_ of a
whole army of frogs.  And very soon, too, we discovered that we were in
one of the favourite haunts of the mosquito, for the cabin lamp was
scarcely lighted when the pests made their appearance below in absolute
clouds, and so tormented us that we were fain to beat a hasty retreat to
the deck, in the vain hope of avoiding them.

We had no sooner set foot on deck, however, than we felt almost thankful
to the pertinacious little wretches for having driven us there, for a
scene at once burst upon us of such singular and bewitching beauty as I
certainly had never up to that time looked upon.  The moon, nearly full,
and tinted a pale but rich crimson by the atmosphere of miasmatic fog
which overhung the lagoon, was just rising into view above the tree-tops
and flinging a long tremulous trail of blood-red colour athwart the
almost stagnant water.  The trees near at hand stood up black as ebony,
and motionless as if painted upon the deep soft violet of the cloudless
sky, whilst, as they receded to the right and left, their forms
gradually became merged with and lost in the fog, which floated not in
one uniform mass but in wreaths of ever-changing and most fantastic
shape, with their upper edges here and there delicately tinged in
faintest rainbow hues as the slanting moonbeams fell upon them.
Fireflies, visible only as tiny sparks of light, flitted and glanced and
whirled hither and thither against the black shadows of the foliage,
whilst the black water, so highly phosphorescent that every tiniest
ripple was edged with its own individual and separate line of silvery
fire, glowed and darkened, sparkled and flashed, and at times seemed to
fairly throb with liquid lightning as the countless living creatures
within it stirred its sleeping depths.  So insignificant a disturbance
even as the falling of a leaf into the water sufficed to evolve a
slowly-widening circle of silver light, whilst a frog, a lizard, or a
water-rat, making an aquatic excursion, revealed his form and presence
much more distinctly than would have been the case at noonday.

Our attention, however, was soon distracted from this witching scene--
the exquisite beauty of which is not to be described in mere words--by a
noise of singing and shouting on Merlani's island.  Presently a feeble
flickering fame became visible on the sandy beach, which, quickly
increasing in brilliancy, revealed the evident fact that a party of the
buccaneers were intent upon a carouse.  With the aid of a telescope we
could see that these men, some twenty in number, had seated themselves
round the fire--which they had probably kindled for the twofold purpose
of providing themselves with light and smoking away the mosquitoes--and
were industriously passing round a bulky jar, presumably containing
spirits, from which, as it came round, each man scrupulously replenished
his pannikin; the intervals not devoted to the more important business
of drinking being occupied in the singing, or rather _shouting_, of
ribald songs, in the performance of which every man's aim appeared to be
to out-yell everybody else.  This lasted for rather more than an hour,
when a temporary lull occurred, and we were in hopes that the orgy was
about over and that the hubbub had ceased for the night, when a large
boat full of men was seen to be pulling off in our direction.  I did not
like the look of this at all; the idea of being boarded there in that
out-of-the-way spot by a score of desperadoes, half crazy with drink,
and, even at the best of times, ripe for any deed of diabolical
mischief, was so uninviting that I suggested to Carera the advisability
of at once arming all hands, so as to be in readiness for any emergency.
I could see that Carera was even more discomposed than ourselves at the
approach of the boat, but he would not for a moment listen to my
proposal to arm the felucca's people, hastily explaining--and possibly
he was right--that the display of weapons would be only too likely to
further excite our coming visitors and lead to some overt act productive
of a terrible disaster.  He expressed the opinion--his teeth chattering
with fear, meanwhile, to such an extent that he could scarcely
articulate--that the visit would probably prove to be no more than a
drunken frolic, and that if it were received and treated as such all
would doubtless turn out well; but he very earnestly urged upon
Courtenay and me the desirability of our retiring and keeping out of
sight so long as our visitors remained on board, which I thought good
enough advice to be acted upon, and we accordingly retreated below
forthwith.  At first sight this retreat of ours smacked a little, I will
admit, of slinking off out of possible harm's way; but after all what
good could we have done by remaining on deck?  And having thus far
carried our somewhat foolhardy adventure prosperously through, it was
scarcely worth while to endanger its ultimate success by courting risks
in which the remarks or questions of a drunken desperado might at any
moment involve us.

We had barely made good our retreat when the boat arrived alongside, and
her occupants were in another moment in possession of the felucca's
deck.  A torrent of ribald banter and raillery--of the sort which,
coming from a drunken man, is expected to be received as jovial humour,
but which a chance word or inadvertent glance of misappreciation may in
a moment cause to be exchanged for expressions and acts of the most
diabolical ferocity--was at once discharged by these ruffians at Carera
and his crew, who, anxious to propitiate their most unwelcome visitors,
did their best to retort in kind; and for the next twenty minutes or so
the little vessel fairly rang with the most foul, blasphemous, and
blood-curdling language it has ever been my misfortune to listen to.
Fortunately for us our knowledge of the Spanish tongue, though it had
proved sufficiently thorough to deceive Carera and his crew into the
belief that we were their fellow-countrymen, was not equal to the
comprehension of one-half of the utterances to which we were just then
compelled to listen, or I have no doubt we should have been even more
thoroughly shocked and disgusted than we were.

And here let me break the thread of my story for a moment to speak an
earnest word of kindly caution to my youthful readers.  Avoid the use of
foul, obscene, or blasphemous language, my lads, as you would avoid the
most deadly pestilence.  I am grieved to notice that it is sometimes the
fashion among lads, ay, even in some cases those of respectable
parentage, to freely _garnish_, as they think, their conversation
habitually with language of the most vile and disgusting description.
They perhaps think it _manly_ to do so, and imagine that a bold reckless
style of conversation, freely besprinkled with obscenity and profanity,
will excite admiration.  But if they think this they are making as great
and grievous a mistake as they are ever likely to make in the whole
course of their lives.  The feeling excited is not admiration; it is
utter loathing and disgust.  Can you think of any man the victim of this
horrible vice, for whom you entertain the smallest spark of admiration
or respect?  Would you like to hear such words from the lips of your own
father or mother, your brother or your sister?  Or would you like either
of them to hear you making use of such language?  After all, who and
what are the men who thus habitually indulge in obscenity and profanity?
Are they not the vicious and disreputable, the brutal drunken ruffians,
the scum of the slums, the lowest of the low, the very outcasts and
pariahs of society?  And is it for one of these that you would like to
be mistaken? is it with this repulsive brotherhood that you would choose
to ally yourself?  Hardly, I would fain hope.  No, boys, it is _not_
manly--still less is it _gentlemanly_--to be ribald and profane.  No
true gentleman--let his position in life be what it may--ever degrades
himself by the use of foul language, and don't you do it, unless you are
anxious to gain for yourself the loathing and utter contempt of your
fellows.

To resume.  In this horrible interchange of filthy banter the pirates
appeared to have forgotten, for the time being, the object of their trip
off to the felucca, but at length one of them exclaimed, with a
profusion of oaths, that Carera had secured an unfair advantage of them
during the afternoon's bartering transactions, and that they had come
off to demand a cask of rum with which to square the account Carera, on
his part, tried to laugh off the whole affair as an excellent joke, and
proposed to mix them a tub of grog there and then as an appropriate
finish to it; but this would by no means satisfy the ruffians, who were
firm in their demands.  So at length, recognising that longer refusal
would prove dangerous, he reluctantly ordered the hatches to be lifted.
The cask of rum was hoisted out and lowered into the boat, the pirates
tumbled in after it, and, finally, with more profanity mingled with
snatches of sea-songs, which were bellowed forth at the top of their
voices in the style usual with half-tipsy men, away they went for the
shore, followed by the smothered imprecations of Carera and his fervent
prayers that the boat might capsize and drown them all.

This visit had evidently discomposed Carera's nerves to a very
considerable extent, for the boat was no sooner fairly away from the
felucca's side than our host presented himself in the cabin, to inform
us that, the land-breeze having sprung up and the night being fine and
clear, he proposed to go to sea at once instead of waiting until
morning.  We accordingly went on deck again instead of turning in, as
had been our original intention; and a few minutes later--the boat being
by this time close to the beach, and so thoroughly within the circle of
the brilliant firelight that her occupants were not likely to observe
our movements--the canvas was loosed and all hands went cheerily to work
to get the anchor.  This, the water being shallow, was not a long job,
and a quarter of an hour later we were stealing noiselessly away down
the lagoon; the land-breeze, which was rustling cheerily among the tree-
tops, just reaching us in a languid zephyr, mingled now and again with
fitful puffs, which sent us along at a speed of about three knots.

It was now nearly ten o'clock at night; the moon rode high in the
heavens, which were flecked here and there by small patches of fleecy
scurrying cloud; the fog had drifted away, leaving the atmosphere
delightfully pure and clear, so that, narrow as was the channel down
which we were winding our way, we had no difficulty in steering clear of
all obstruction.  As we crept down the lagoon we gradually got a truer
breeze and more of it, so that by midnight we found ourselves just
passing out of the Conconil lagoons and entering Santa Clara Bay.

We now had a fine rattling breeze, which we expected would carry us
across the bay and out through the Barcos Channel within the next hour,
but, to Courtenay's and my own inexpressible chagrin, Carera now
informed us that, in order to escape the possibility of a second
rencontre with the frigate we had fallen in with on our passage up, he
had determined to go to the westward, returning round Cape San Antonio
instead of by way of Cape Maysi.

This was horribly disconcerting, for, to tell the truth, we had to a
large extent been hoping for and depending upon such a rencontre as a
means whereby we might effect our escape from the felucca.  We thought
that, in the event of such a meeting, as we had on the former occasion
afforded such material assistance to the felucca's crew in their evasion
of capture, so now by a little judicious manoeuvring on our part we
might be the means of effecting it; and it was a severe disappointment
to us to find that this--the most promising opening we had so far been
able to think of--was going to slip through our fingers.  We urged upon
Carera the importance of time, and reiterated, as often as we dared, our
(assumed) belief that the frigate was by that time far enough away from
the Bahama Channel; but it was all in vain, the fellow was not to be
dissuaded from his purpose, and accordingly, on leaving the Conconil
lagoons, instead of stretching away before the wind straight for the
Barcos Channel, the felucca was headed to the westward, on the larboard
tack, for the Manou Channel, leading from Santa Clara Bay into Cardenas
Bay.

As this course would take us over new ground, Courtenay and I determined
to remain on deck to pick up any information likely to be of use to us
in the future; and I went to the helm, whilst my companion busied
himself with the sounding-line.  An hour's run brought us to the inner
end of the channel, which we found to be somewhat serpentine in its
course, but trending generally in a north-north-west direction, with a
minimum depth of two and a half fathoms.  A run of about twenty minutes
carried us clear of this channel and we found ourselves in Cardenas Bay,
an almost landlocked sheet of water nearly double the area of Santa
Clara Bay and with slightly deeper water, though even here navigation
was only possible for vessels of very light draught.  Stretching across
the bay we, half an hour later, passed through a group of small cays,
after which the water began to deepen somewhat.  At two o'clock a.m. we
passed Molas Point, and, hauling sharp round it, found ourselves a
quarter of an hour later fairly out at sea and clear of all dangers.
After which, thoroughly tired out by our long and busy day, Courtenay
and I went below and turned in.

By noon next day--or rather, _the same_ day, to speak with strict
accuracy--we were off Havana; and I was in hopes that Carera would put
in there, as he seemed at first to have some idea of doing; for our
whole thoughts were now bent on effecting our escape from the felucca as
early as possible, and I considered it not improbable that in so
important a harbour some neutral ship might be found, on board which we
might succeed in taking refuge, and with the master of which we might be
able to effect an arrangement by which he would be willing to convey us
to Port Royal.  But to our intense, though secret, mortification, Carera
at length resolved to keep straight on; and thus another of our
cherished hopes was disappointed.  We found, however, on inspecting
Carera's well-worn chart, that the route he had adopted would take us
within some ten miles of West Point, Jamaica; and shaving the island so
closely as that there was just a possibility that we might be pounced
upon by one of our own cruisers, so that we were, after all, not exactly
in despair.  Still, there was, on the other hand, the chance that the
felucca might scrape clear; and it was just this chance that we had to
provide against, the attempt to do which cost us an infinite amount of
anxious and almost fruitless thought.  It was, indeed, the only thing
now left us to think about.  By a curious combination of fortuitous
circumstances we had not only tumbled blindfold, as it were, into this
singular adventure, but had also been enabled to successfully avoid
awakening the suspicions of the people we were so unexpectedly
associated with, as well as to see our way clearly all through the
adventure, except to its successful ending; and, having carried the
thing smoothly forward so far, we did not intend to be beaten at last,
if there was any possibility of avoiding it.  We racked our brains
perpetually on the subject, separately and together, and numerous enough
were the schemes which we evolved; but, alas, they were all so nearly
impracticable that only under the most exceptionally favourable
circumstances could we hope to carry them through successfully.  The two
least impracticable were Courtenay's proposal to scuttle the felucca
when within a few miles of Jamaica, trusting to all hands being able to
make the island, as the nearest place of refuge, in the boat; and my own
scheme, which was that we should secure possession of the armoury in the
cabin, and, seizing upon the first favourable opportunity which might
present itself, arm ourselves to the teeth, and, driving the watch on
deck into the forecastle, take possession of the felucca and endeavour
to navigate her into Port Royal by our own unaided exertions.  The chief
objections to the first scheme were the difficulty of obtaining the
tools necessary to the effectual performance of the scuttling, in the
first place, and, in the next, the still greater difficulty of
performing the operation undetected.  As regards my own scheme, the
difficulty lay in the fact that, unless the watch could be driven below
without alarming that portion of the crew already in the forecastle, our
case was utterly hopeless; for, should these last be disturbed and come
on deck, what could two slender lads, even fully armed, do against ten
stout, sinewy, full-grown men?  We might possibly shoot down three or
four; but unless the rest happened to be cowed by this--which we decided
was not by any means to be depended upon--we must then be quickly
overpowered by sheer force of numbers.  This scheme was justly regarded
by us both as being of so exceedingly desperate a character, that only
as a very last resource would its adoption be justifiable.
Nevertheless, we determined to take such measures as were possible for
the carrying out of either scheme in the event of nothing better
occurring to us.

Meanwhile, day succeeded day without the slightest opportunity occurring
for us to initiate Courtenay's scheme.  We required a good-sized auger
with which to bore the necessary holes in the ship's bottom, and some
soft wood out of which to fashion plugs wherewith to plug up those holes
until the proper moment should arrive for withdrawing them and letting
the water into the hull.  The wood there was no difficulty about, and we
secured enough for a dozen or more plugs; but no such thing as an auger
could we lay hands upon.  We even went the perilous length of inventing
a pretext for gaining access to the carpenter's tool-chest, without
success; and we were at length driven to the conclusion that, strange as
it might seem, there was no such thing on board the felucca.

To add to our chagrin and discomfiture, we were no sooner round Cape San
Antonio than we discovered that Carera, quite as acute as ourselves, had
also foreseen the possibility of a British cruiser being fallen in with
if Jamaica were shaved too closely; and he had provided against this
contingency by laying off a course for Cartagena, which would enable him
to give the island a wide berth.  This move on our worthy skipper's part
we were, however, able to a large extent to frustrate; for we found that
he was no navigator, sailing his vessel by dead-reckoning only, so that
by each of us taking long spells at the tiller, as was now indeed our
regular custom, we were able to edge the felucca considerably to
windward of her course and in toward Jamaica without Carera being any
the wiser.

In this exceedingly unsatisfactory manner time progressed--and we with
it--until the sixth morning after our abrupt departure from the Conconil
lagoons; when, as day broke and the sun rose, clearing away a light bank
of grey cloud on the eastern horizon, a soft, delicate purplish hummock-
like protuberance was seen rising out of the sea broad on our larboard
bow, which was at once recognised as _land_, and so reported to Carera.
Courtenay and I were in our berths and asleep at the moment; but the cry
of "_Land ho_!" at once aroused us, and, slipping on our clothes, we
hurried on deck to see what it looked like.  We found Carera there,
staring in the utmost perplexity at the small grey shape--only
discernible when the felucca rose on the crest of a sea--and audibly
wondering what on earth it could be.  _We_ knew pretty well what it was;
Carera kept his small stock of charts in the after cabin, and always
spread them out on the cabin table to lay off his course and distance
run, so that we had had abundant opportunity to refer, as often as we
pleased, to the particular chart he was using on that trip, and had met
with no difficulty whatever in keeping a private dead-reckoning of our
own, from which we were already aware that we might expect to make
Dolphin Head, the highest point of land at the extreme westernmost end
of Jamaica, on this particular morning.  The report that other land had
just become visible about a point further to the southward--and which we
judged to be the lofty hill behind Blewfields Bay--confirmed us in our
belief that our calculations had proved correct.  Carera, in his
perplexity, went aloft as far as our stumpy mast-head--a thing we had
never known him do before--to get a clearer view of the land, the
bearings of which were then taken, after which our skipper, accompanied
by Courtenay and me, descended to the cabin to consult the chart.  On
reference to this, there was of course only one conclusion to be arrived
at, which was that the land in sight was none other than Jamaica.  It
now turned out that he had never visited the island, had never indeed
sighted it from the westward before; hence his difficulty in identifying
it; but whilst we were all three discussing the matter down below Manuel
came to the open sky-light in great trepidation to report shoal water
all round the ship.  This of course caused us to rush straightway on
deck again, though Courtenay and I, knowing that we must be just about
crossing the edge of the Pedro bank, felt no apprehension whatever.
With Carera and the rest of the felucca's people the matter was very
different; they were all out of their reckoning, and confused
accordingly; and the sudden sight of the bright-green water all about
us, and the shorter, more choppy character of the sea, whilst only a
short time before the water had been as purely blue as the heaven above
us, and the sea long and regular, completed their discomfiture.  For a
minute or two disorder reigned supreme on board the little craft;
everybody had an opinion to express and advice to give, everybody was
jabbering excitedly at the same moment; no man paid the slightest
attention to his neighbour; and as all hands were by this time on deck
the result may be imagined.  Even the helmsman deserted his post at last
to join in the general clamour; a circumstance of which Courtenay took
immediate advantage by springing to the tiller and ramming it hard down.
The lively little craft at once shot into the wind with her canvas
loudly flapping; and this stilled the tumult in a moment.

"'Bout ship!" shouted Courtenay, as every man stopped short in the midst
of his gabbling; "'bout ship! there is blue water away there to windward
of us, and if we can once reach it we are safe."

The men sprang at once like cats to their stations, and the immense
lateen sail was trimmed over on the other tack with an amount of
alacrity which showed how intense was their relief at finding somebody
on board equal to the occasion.

So far, this was well; the felucca was now heading about north-north-
east and straight for the land, so that our chance of falling in with a
British cruiser was a shade better than before.  But, alas, no cruiser,
or sail of any kind, was just then in sight; for, giving way to my
anxiety, I in my turn shinned aloft to take a good look round.  But the
land was there, plainly enough, not only the two peaks already
reported--the second of which was now directly ahead--but also five
others, ranging from three to five points on our weather bow.

We stood on as we were going for a couple of hours, so as to get well to
windward of the shoal--though, as a matter of fact, there was plenty of
water over it everywhere to have floated us, or even a frigate, for that
matter--going about again when the men had taken their breakfast.  The
high land was by this time well in sight all along our larboard beam,
being certainly not more than forty miles distant; and the circumstance
that Carera was afraid of the shoal and determined to keep off it was
greatly in our favour, since in order to clear Portland Rock, at its
north-eastern extremity, we should have to draw even closer still in
with the island.  I was at first terribly afraid that some suspicion
would attach to my comrade and myself as the authors of the error in the
course we had been steering, but I was agreeably disappointed; so far,
indeed, was Carera from suspecting anything that he confided to us at
breakfast--to which we had invited him--that, though he could not in the
least account for our being so far to windward, he was most heartily
glad of it, since we appeared to have the sea all to ourselves.  He was
still a trifle uneasy, however, at being so near the very stronghold and
head-quarters of the dreaded British in those waters; and when we all
went on deck after breakfast, his first act was to order a hand aloft to
the mast-head to keep a bright lookout.  It was just ten o'clock in the
forenoon, and the man at the mast-head was in the very act of descending
the rigging--another man getting ready meanwhile to relieve him--when he
uttered an excited exclamation which at once attracted all eyes toward
him.

"Look over there, captain, broad on our weather bow.  Do you see that
turtle lying there asleep on the water?"

Carera sprang on to the weather rail, and, steadying himself with one
hand by the shroud whilst he shielded his eyes with the other, peered
eagerly to windward.  The rest of the watch also dropped whatever they
happened to be busied with, and, exclaiming "A turtle! a turtle!"
unceremoniously ranged themselves alongside their skipper.

"No," said Carera, after a long look in the direction indicated, "I
don't see anything of him; where is--"

"There he is; I see him!" exclaimed one of the men.  "Ah! now he is gone
again, settled into the trough.  Look a bit further out in that
direction, captain--there he is again; Madre de Dios, what a monster!
don't you see him?"

"Yes, yes; I see him now," answered Carera excitedly; "down with your
helm, my man, and let her shoot into the wind.  We will have that
fellow.  Get the boat into the water, smartly now, men.  Give the watch
below a call."

"To what purpose?"  I interposed: "No, no, let the poor fellows finish
their sleep in peace; my friend and I will look after the felucca whilst
you are away in the boat."

"To be sure we will," said Courtenay, with a quiet wink at me; and
springing aft to the tiller, he laid his hand upon it, saying to the man
who held it:

"Away with you, Jose, my fine fellow, into the boat, and lend a hand to
secure that turtle; it is not every day we sailors get such a chance."

Meanwhile, the rest of us unshipped the lee gangway, and getting the
boat athwart the deck, sent her stern first overboard with a splash
which I was in an agony of fear would awake the turtle, and so frustrate
the scheme which had darted into my brain--and Courtenay's also, I
fancied, by the knowing wink he had bestowed upon me--when it was
proposed to go away in the boat after the creature.  But no; there he
was still, apparently fast asleep, rising and falling upon the surface
of the restless waters, his capacious shell glistening brightly as the
sunbeams flashed upon it.

The four men constituting the watch stepped as quietly as possible into
the boat, and, followed by Carera, took their places at the oar; Carera
standing up in the stern-sheets to look out for the quarry and to direct
his men how to pull.  I was in a perfect fever of anxiety lest the
flapping of the sail and the bustle on deck should awaken the watch
below and bring them out of the forecastle to see what was the matter;
but seamen seldom pay any attention to these things, so far at least as
to leave their bunks in their watch below; and when at length the boat
shoved off and paddled gently round the felucca's quarter, Courtenay and
I found ourselves most unexpectedly in the very situation for which we
had so long been ineffectually scheming, namely, in undisputed
possession of the little craft's deck.

Without wasting a single moment in watching the progress of the boat, I
at once slipped forward, and, gently drawing over the slide of the fore-
scuttle, slipped the hasp over the staple, stuffed a few doubled-up
rope-yarns through the latter to keep the former in position, and then
quietly walked aft.

"Well, old boy," said I, as I joined Courtenay at the tiller, "the
felucca is ours; and that, too, without a single particle of all that
trouble which we anticipated.  If we had planned the thing ever so
elaborately we could not have managed half so well.  Up stick, my
hearty, fill on her; and hey for Port Royal, which I hope we shall see
to-morrow morning."

"Ay, ay," said Courtenay with a puzzled air, "that is all very well.
But what about those poor beggars adrift there in the boat?  What are
they to do without food and water?"

"Well," said I, "to tell you the truth I never thought about that.  It
is true they are only forty miles from the land, with fine weather and
every prospect of its lasting, but I suppose we ought not to leave them
without a mouthful of bread or a drop of water.  Just jog the felucca
gently along, taking care that the boat is not allowed to come alongside
again, and I'll see what I can do.  I wonder how they are getting on in
the matter of the turtle!"

I jumped on the rail in the wake of the rigging and looked out to
windward.  Apparently they were too much engrossed with their chase to
take any notice of us, for I could see them paddling warily along,
evidently purposing to get to windward of their sleeping prey and then
drift with the wind noiselessly down upon him.  Carera was still
standing up in the stern-sheets peering eagerly over the boat's larboard
bow; and the men were all intently looking over their right shoulders.
Presently I saw them lay their oars cautiously inboard, and then all
hands ranged themselves along the larboard side of the boat, careening
her almost gunwale-to as they stretched their arms over her side.  Then
followed a short pause of evidently breathless suspense, succeeded by a
simultaneous _grab_! and in another instant I saw that they had secured
the turtle--and a splendid fellow he was--and were dragging him inboard
by main strength.

"All right!"  I exclaimed; "they have caught him.  Now, I will see what
I can do toward providing them with some food and water."

As I turned away to do this a large wash-deck tub caught my eye; and it
immediately struck me that this would be a capital thing to turn adrift
with a supply of food, as it was sufficiently capacious to hold as much
as would last them, with care, two or three days, instead of the twenty
hours or so which it would take them to reach the land.  The tub was
quite dry inside and perfectly water-tight, as I happened to know, so I
dragged it to the lee gangway for convenience in launching, and then
hurried away to the cabin in search of provender.  Opening the store-
room door, I rummaged about until I found a bread-bag half full.  I
turned the bread out of this until there was only enough left to serve
them amply for the time they were likely to be afloat, and in on top of
this I popped half a cheese, together with a cooked ox-tongue, which we
had only cut into that morning at breakfast, and a piece of boiled salt
beef.  This cargo I conveyed on deck and deposited in the tub, which I
considered was then loaded as fully as was desirable, considering that
we intended to set it afloat in a roughish sea for a craft of that
build.  I then went below again for an empty vinegar keg which I had
stumbled over in the store-room; and, taking it on deck, I filled it
with water from the scuttle-butt, bunged it securely, and my
preparations were complete.

Meanwhile Courtenay had been very cleverly dodging the felucca along
almost in the wind's eye, so that she had made but little progress, and
the boat, which had been tearing after us as hard as the oarsmen could
pull her through the water, was not more than half a mile astern.  I
told Courtenay what I had done, and what I proposed to do; and whilst I
passed a couple of rope's ends through the handles of the tub, in
readiness to launch it overboard at the proper moment, my companion wore
the felucca round and stood back toward the boat.

Seeing us returning directly toward them, the men laid upon their oars,
possibly imagining that we were about to pick them up.  Straight as a
line for them we ran until they were only about a cable's length
distant, when Courtenay sprang his luff, and we darted away considerably
to windward of them, upon which they took to their oars once more, and
began to force the boat heavily ahead against the sea.  Seeing that we
had ample time to launch the tub, I now signed Courtenay to shoot the
felucca into the wind, when, waiting until she had all but lost her way,
we very cleverly launched the tub and the keg over the side without
causing the former to ship so much as a drop of water, and then filled
away once more.  The occupants of the boat, by this time thoroughly
mystified, paddled quietly up to the floating tub, and transferred its
contents to the boat.  Meanwhile we in the felucca, having stood on to a
sufficient distance, once more wore round, and again made for the boat,
luffing and shaking the wind out of our sail when within hailing
distance of her.  Then, whilst Courtenay narrowly watched the boat, and
held himself ready to fill on the felucca again in good time to avoid
being boarded, I sprang into the lee rigging and hailed:

"Boat ahoy!  We are sorry to take the felucca from you, but
circumstances, which we have now no time to explain, oblige us to do so.
We are going to take her to Port Royal.  Yonder is the land, not more
than forty miles away; the weather is fine and settled, so you will have
no difficulty in reaching the shore by this time to-morrow.  When you
land make at once for Port Royal.  We will arrange that, on reaching
there, you shall be properly cared for until such time as the _Pinta_
can be restored to you.  You will find provisions in the tub and fresh
water in the keg, which we have dropped overboard.  And now, adieu! we
wish you a pleasant passage."

Carera and his comrades seemed to take in my meaning even before I had
finished speaking, for, with a whole torrent of sonorous Spanish
maledictions, they once more dashed their oars into the water and made
for the felucca.  But Courtenay promptly kept her away and filled the
sail, and we slid foaming past the boat at a distance of some five-and-
twenty feet; and of course, once fairly moving in such a breeze and sea,
no boat that was ever built would have had the slightest chance with the
_Pinta_.  They pulled desperately after us for fully half an hour,
however, and then we lost sight of them.

We were hardly well clear of the boat when a hammering and shouting at
the fore-scuttle told us that the watch below had awakened to the
suspicion that something was amiss on deck, and that they were anxious
to know why they were battened down.  I accordingly went forward and,
without opening the scuttle, shouted to them that the felucca had been
surprised and captured by the British, which in a sense was quite true,
and that, unless they wished to be treated as pirates, the best thing
they could do would be to remain perfectly quiet and give no trouble
whatever.  That the vessel was being taken into Port Royal, and that on
our arrival there I would make it my business to see the proper
authorities and so explain matters to them that the worst thing likely
to befall the felucca's crew would be their temporary detention only.
It is very likely that this communication puzzled them considerably, but
if so, it also had the effect of keeping them quiet, for we never heard
another sound from them.  Indeed, had they tried to give us trouble, it
is probable we should have mastered them before they could all have
gained the deck, for our first act, after quieting them, was to arm
ourselves each with a whole beltful of loaded pistols and the best of
the swords in the felucca's armoury, after which we pitched the whole of
the remaining weapons overboard.

Next morning, at daybreak, we took on board a black pilot off Portland
Point, reaching Port Royal just in time to hear eight bells struck on
board the various ships lying at anchor in the harbour.



CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

A PACKET OF DISTURBING LETTERS.

The first task was to send by shore-boat a brief note on board the
admiral, informing him of our capture, and requesting him to send a few
hands on board to take care of the vessel.  A prompt reply, in the shape
of a somewhat dandified mid, with a dozen stout seamen to back him, was
vouchsafed to this request, the midshipman bringing with him also a
verbal message to the effect that the admiral would be glad to see us on
board to breakfast with him.  This condescension, of course, merely
meant that he was curious to hear full particulars of the capture, but
we nevertheless felt much gratified at the invitation; and, detaining
the gig alongside only long enough to enable us to make ourselves
presentable, we jumped into her, and five minutes later found ourselves
on the quarter-deck of the old _Mars_.

Admiral J-- himself happened to be on deck at the moment when we stepped
in through the entering port, and the look of mingled astonishment and
anger with which he regarded us as we presented ourselves before him at
once told us that something was wrong.

"How now, young gentlemen!" he testily exclaimed; "are you the two
midshipmen who sent me this note, informing me that you had captured
yonder cock-boat of a felucca?"  We respectfully intimated that we were.
"Then how comes it, sirs, that you have presumed to come on board me in
those 'longshore togs?  Away with you back at once, and when next you
venture to appear in my presence, see to it that you come in a proper
uniform."

The murder was out.  We were, of course, dressed in the clothes with
which Don Luis de Guzman had so generously supplied us, and we had been
for so long a time out of uniform that it had never occurred to us that
our costume would be regarded as in the slightest degree inappropriate.
We explained in as few words as possible that we were two of the
surviving officers of the _Hermione_, that we had been for some time
prisoners in La Guayra, and that we had only very recently effected our
escape therefrom; and that put the whole affair straight in a moment,
the admiral, who, peppery as was his temper, was a thoroughly kind-
hearted old fellow in the main, actually condescending to apologise for
his hasty speech; and, the steward at that moment announcing that
breakfast was on the table, we all--that is to say, the admiral, Captain
Bradshaw, Courtenay, and myself--trundled into the cabin and took our
places at the table.  Then, for the first time, as we found ourselves
once more in the society of our own countrymen, with good wholesome
English fare sending forth its grateful odours to our nostrils, with the
table covered with its snowy linen, and laden with the handsome, yet
home-like breakfast equipage, did we fully realise all that we had
passed through since we had last found ourselves so placed, and for my
part the revulsion of feeling almost overcame me.  The emotions of a
midshipman are, however, proverbially of a very transient character, and
I soon found myself prosecuting a most vigorous attack upon the
comestibles, and, between mouthfuls, relating in pretty full detail all
our adventures from the moment of the mutiny, excepting, of course, my
love passages with Dona Inez, which I kept strictly to myself.

The story of the mutiny naturally excited a very lively interest, and
Courtenay and I were questioned and cross-questioned upon the subject
until we were absolutely pumped dry, it transpiring that we were the
first survivors of that dreadful tragedy who had reappeared among our
own countrymen.  The narrative of our sojourn in La Guayra did not, I
regret to say, prove one-tenth part so attractive; but when we reached
the subject of the Conconil lagoons, Merlani's treasure hoard, and the
scheme of the Spanish authorities to at once possess themselves of it
and suppress the piratical band, the interest again revived, and we were
questioned almost as closely on this subject as we had been about the
mutiny.

Before the meal was concluded, it had been settled that a schooner--
lately a French privateer--recently captured, and then in the hands of
the dockyard people undergoing the process of refitting, should be
hurried forward with all possible despatch, and commissioned by a
certain lieutenant O'Flaherty, with Courtenay and myself as his aides,
her especial mission to be the destruction of Merlani's stronghold, and
the capture of as many members of the piratical gang as we could lay
hands upon.  As, however, it seemed that the _Foam_--as the schooner had
been re-christened--could not possibly be got ready under eight or ten
days at the earliest, we were informed that we might take a week to look
about us, a permission of which we most gladly availed ourselves.  We
were also informed that the prize-money for the Jean Rabel affair had
been awarded, and the admiral was good enough to advise us to put our
business affairs into the hands of his own agent in Kingston, to whom he
gave us a letter of introduction.

Our first business on leaving the _Mars_ was to take passage to Kingston
in one of the many sailing-boats which, owned by negro boatmen, are
always obtainable at Port Royal, and in her we managed, with the aid of
a fine sea-breeze, to make the passage in an hour, being badly beaten,
however, in a race with a gig belonging to the frigate _Volage_ which
happened to be lying at Port Royal at the time.

Arrived in Kingston we made our way, in the first instance, to the post-
office, where we each found several letters awaiting us.  There were
nine for me, of which eight were from my father, and one--heaven only
knows how it had found its way across in so short a time--from Dona
Inez.  I _ought_, I suppose, to have first opened those from my father;
but I did not.  With the ardour that might have been expected I first
tore open the envelope superscribed by Inez.  The letter was dated the
day after our flight from La Guayra; and the poor girl, who had already
learned from the faithful Juan that our plans had somehow been capsized,
had written in an agony of apprehension as to our safety.  It appeared
that Juan--whose arrival at the cove had been delayed about half an hour
by the suspicious manoeuvres of a felucca ahead of him, undoubtedly the
_Pinta_--had hung about the spot for something like an hour and a half,
at the expiration of which time two Spaniards had presented themselves
on the beach and had inquired whether he belonged to the _Pinta_.  On
his saying that he did not he had been very sharply cross-questioned as
to who he was, and the reasons for his presence there at that hour,
which cross-questioning he was sensible enough to evade and cut short by
retreating to his felucca and returning to La Guayra, from whence he,
the first thing next morning, made his way to the castle to report and
to seek further instructions.  Having actually witnessed our departure,
and knowing from the time at which it had occurred that we must have
made our way on board the wrong felucca--which Juan was subsequently
able to say with almost absolute certainty _must_ have been the
_Pinta_--my lady-love was painfully anxious as to our fate; for it
appeared that the _Pinta_ and her crew bore a somewhat evil reputation
among those who professed to know her best at La Guayra; and the only
hope or consolation which Dona Inez could find lay in her somewhat too
favourable estimate of our ability to take care of ourselves.  She most
earnestly entreated that I would not lose a moment, after the receipt of
her letter, in writing to set her mind at rest.  She added that her
father had returned home in excellent health; and that, though he had at
first betrayed some vexation at the loss of our services, he had soon
cooled down, and had then acknowledged that he was glad, for our sakes,
that we had succeeded in effecting our escape.

Having read and re-read this most cherished epistle some half a dozen
times over, I refolded and put it carefully into my pocket, next turning
to the letters from my father, which I arranged and opened according to
the dates of the postmarks.

The first of these letters--being the third written by my father since
the date of my leaving England (I had received the other two on the
occasion of our former visit to Port Royal, in the _Hermione_)--was very
similar to all others which had ever reached me from the same writer;
brief, cold, and evidently strained and artificial as to the one or two
expressions of affection contained therein--altogether a painful and
unsatisfactory letter to receive, in fact.  The second was somewhat
similar, except that therein my father condescended to inform me that he
was by no means well; that he thought he had perhaps been overworking
himself, and that unless his health speedily mended he feared he should
be obliged to call in medical advice.  This was sufficiently alarming;
but the third letter was even more so, for in it he informed me that he
had suffered a complete break-down in health and spirits; that he had
placed himself under the care of Doctor Wise, one of the most eminent
physicians of the day, and that he had not only been strictly enjoined
to entirely lay aside his brush for at least six months, but that he had
also been ordered to travel.  This, however, was evidently not the worst
of it; for the letter, a long, rambling, and somewhat incoherent epistle
this time, went on to hint mysteriously at the causes which had brought
this lamentable state of affairs about; but so obscurely was the letter
worded that, on its first perusal, the only information I could
definitely gather from it was that my father was then suffering from the
effects of many years of mental anguish resulting from some matter
which, if I understood him aright, seemed to be in some way connected
with my poor dead mother.  The letter concluded with the extraordinary
words, "Lionel, the shadow of deception and falsehood rests upon us
both, and from no fault of ours.--Yours distractedly, Cuthbert
Lascelles."

"The shadow of deception and falsehood!--no fault of ours!--yours
distractedly!"  Whatever could it all mean?  The closing words of the
letter, "yours distractedly," puzzled me most of all.  Hitherto my
father's communications to me, however lacking in affection they might
otherwise have been, had all terminated with the orthodox "your
affectionate father."  Why, then, this departure from the rule?  Was it
intentional, or was it merely to be regarded as an indication of the
terribly disturbed state of the writer's mind?

I read and re-read this most singular epistle at least half a dozen
times without gathering any additional light upon the obscure and
mysterious hints which it contained, and I then turned to the remaining
letters, thinking I might possibly find in them a solution to the
enigma.  And at the first reading I imagined I _did_ find it; the
conclusion at which I arrived being that my poor unfortunate father must
have gone mad!  I patiently went through the whole packet a second time,
seeking in them some additional evidence of insanity; but no, saving on
this one particular matter the writer had evidently been in full
possession of all his faculties.  The fourth letter contained the
information that the news of the mutiny on board the _Hermione_ had
reached England, and that it was believed some of the officers had
escaped massacre and had been landed at La Guayra.  Touching this matter
he had written: "I can scarcely say, at this moment, whether I hope you
are among the living or among the dead.  If the latter, I shall at least
enjoy the melancholy satisfaction of knowing that I have seen the last
of one who, though I could have dearly loved him, and have been proud of
him for his own sake, was, nevertheless, although my own son, almost
hateful to me, because of his marked resemblance to one whose duplicity
has been the curse of my life.  But if, on the other hand, you are
living, Lionel--as something whispers to me that you are--I shall
perhaps be disposed to accept your preservation as a token from Heaven
that I may, after all, have been mistaken, and that your mother could,
had I given her the opportunity, have explained those circumstances
which, unexplained, completely shattered her own happiness and mine."

The next letter, the fifth, was dated from Rome, in which city my father
informed me that he had then been staying for about three weeks; but
that he was about to leave it again, for what destination he could not
then say, as he had derived no benefit whatever from the change--was
rather worse, in fact--since the city was so full of associations
connected with my mother that his trouble was then harder than ever to
bear.  He added that he was still strongly impressed with the idea of my
being alive, and that this idea, with the excuse it afforded him for
continuing to write to me, gave him some small comfort.  He said he had
been exceedingly gratified at the very favourable report which had
reached him of my conduct at Jean Rabel, and he most earnestly besought
me, if indeed I were still alive, to comport myself in such a manner
that my glorious deeds might in some measure, if not wholly, atone for
the suffering my mother had caused him.  The remaining letters were
dated from Naples.  They all dwelt upon the same theme; but the last
closed with the request that, if it ever reached me, I would at once
write in reply, addressing my letter to his lawyer in London, who would
be kept advised of his whereabouts and would forward it on to him.
There was also an assurance that he had no desire to visit my mother's
heartless deception of him upon me, since, whatever were _her_ faults,
_I_ was his son, and he had no intention of disowning the relationship;
so that, if ever in need of money, I was without hesitation to draw upon
him for any reasonable amount.  "In want of money, indeed!"  Luckily, I
was not; but, as I crushed the letters back into my pocket, I solemnly
vowed that, rather than touch a penny of that man's money, at least
whilst his state of mind remained what it then was, I would perish of
starvation in a ditch.  Then bewildered, stunned, and utterly crushed in
spirit, I hastily excused myself to Courtenay upon the plea of having
received distressing news from England, and, obeying the same impulse
which impels a wounded animal to rush away and hide itself and its
suffering in the deepest solitudes, I turned my back upon Kingston, with
its busy bustling streets, and hastened to bury myself among the hills.
I pushed forward without rest or pause until I found myself on the crest
of a lofty eminence overlooking the town and harbour; when, flinging
myself down beneath the grateful shade of a gigantic cotton-wood, I gave
free vent to my feelings of suspense, indignation, and sorrow, and
burying my face in my hands wept as if my heart would break.  I will not
attempt to describe or enlarge upon the feelings which then harrowed my
soul; the words have never yet been coined which could adequately
express my anguish.  No merely mortal pen could depict it; nor can
anyone, save those unfortunates who have passed through such an ordeal,
imagine it.  Moreover, the subject even now, when I am old and grey-
headed, is still so painful to me that I care not to dwell unduly upon
it.  Let me, therefore, pass on to the moment when, relieved, yet
exhausted by the passage of that terrible outburst of tears, I had so
far regained composure as to be able to look my position fairly in the
face.

My first act was to draw forth the fatal bundle of letters and reperuse
them patiently from beginning to end, still clinging to the desperate
hope that I had after all, in some unaccountable way, misunderstood my
father's meaning, and that I was under some hallucination.  But no;
there were the words all too plainly written for any possibility of
mistake.  His was the hallucination--not mine.  _False_?  A
dissimulator?  I thrust my hand into my bosom, and dragged forth the
velvet case containing my mother's portrait, which I had worn next my
heart throughout all the vicissitudes of fortune encountered by me since
the moment it had first been placed in my hands, and, pressing the
spring, threw back the cover, and allowed my eyes to rest upon the
loveliness it had concealed.  Deceitful!  If falsehood lurked within the
liquid depths of those clear, calm, steadfast eyes, or was hidden behind
that smooth and placid brow, then I thought must the very angels be
false!  If falsehood could shroud itself behind a mask of such
surpassing loveliness, such an aspect and personification of all that is
pure, and innocent, and faithful, and true, "where," I asked myself,
"oh! where is truth to be found?"  That my mother had, all unwittingly,
and in some inexplicable manner aroused my father's suspicions, I could
not doubt; but, after all, the matter was manifestly, to my mind, merely
one of fancied or implied duplicity or deceit capable of easy
explanation; it would probably have had no lasting effect on any but a
diseased mind; and, knowing him as well as I did, I could understand
how, with his reserved temperament and in his wounded pride, my father
would silently withdraw himself from his wife, nor deign to stoop so far
as to seek an explanation.  I could discern only too clearly that he had
taken as proof of dissimulation some circumstance that would only appear
suspicious until the opportunity for explanation had passed away for
ever--hence the unhappiness of which I had gained an inkling during my
nursery days--and that it was probably not until his heart had been
softened by bereavement that he had coolly and dispassionately enough
reviewed the circumstances to arrive at the conclusion that he might,
after all, have been mistaken.  My father had written of his "doubts and
misgivings," and I felt confident that it was nothing in the world but
the tenacious hold of these doubts and misgivings upon his mind which
had in the first instance made him so unfatherly in his treatment of me,
and had now reduced him almost to a condition of insanity.  It was the
horrible uncertainty which was killing him, soul and body--the
uncertainty whether, on the one hand, his suspicions had been well
founded; or whether, on the other hand, he had been hideously cruel and
unjust to the one being who, above all others, ought to have been the
object of his most tender solicitude.  _I_ had no doubt whatever upon
the subject; there was a conviction, amounting to absolute certainty in
my mind, that my unhappy father had all too easily allowed himself to be
deceived, and I there and then solemnly vowed and resolved that
henceforward it should be the great object and aim of my life to
demonstrate this to him to the point of positive conviction.  "Yes," I
exclaimed, springing to my feet with renewed hope, "I had already one
incentive--my love for Inez--to spur me forward to great and noble
achievements: I have now another--the justification of my dead mother's
memory; and henceforward these shall be the twin stars to guide me
onward in my career.  `For Love and Honour' shall be my motto; and, with
these two for guerdon, what may a man not dare and do?"

An hour later saw me back in Kingston and comfortably ensconced in the
bay-window of a private room in the--hotel, inditing a long epistle to
my father in collective reply to the entire budget I had that morning
received from him.  In this letter I summarily disposed of the mutiny
and my subsequent adventures in half a dozen brief sentences, feeling
that such a matter could well wait until my father was in a more
congenial mood for the communication of particulars; devoting my entire
energies to the combating of those doubts which I now saw had been for
years insidiously sapping his happiness, ay, and his very intellect as
well I thanked him for taking me into his confidence, fully entered into
my reasons for regarding his suspicions as groundless, and besought him
first to communicate to me fully all the facts of the case--which, I
pointed out to him, I ought to be made acquainted with, in order that I
might be enabled to take the fullest advantage of any opportunity which
might offer, in my wanderings, to sift the matter to the bottom--and
then to dismiss all thought of it from his mind.  This letter cost me
three or four hours of severe study; but I contrived to bring it to a
satisfactory conclusion at last; and then, with a considerably lighter
heart, I began and finished a letter to Inez, in which, mingled with the
usual lover-like protestations, I gave her full details of our adventure
from the parting moment on the beach to our arrival in Port Royal
harbour.  I further told her that I found myself at that moment
possessed of a tidy little sum in prize-money, and that, inspired by my
love for her, I had resolved to fight my way to the top of the ladder
with the utmost possible expedition, with a great deal more of the same
sort, which would no doubt appear the most arrant nonsense to _you_,
dear reader, so I will not inflict it upon you.

These two important tasks completed, I felt very much more easy in my
mind, and was able to sit down to my dinner, which was shortly
afterwards served, with a tolerable appetite.  Whilst I was engaged in
discussing the meal Courtenay came in.  He informed me that he had
accepted an invitation for himself and me to spend a week with Mr
Thomson (the admiral's, and also our own, agent) at his country house,
some fifteen miles off in the heart of the Blue Mountain range; and
that, as he had been unable to find me in time for us to go out there
that evening, our host had promised to send in a couple of saddle-horses
and a negro guide for our accommodation next morning, and that we should
find them awaiting us at Mr Thomson's store at nine o'clock.  This was
good news, for though I had pulled myself pretty well together after the
shock occasioned by the perusal of my father's letters, I felt that a
little change and amusement would be most acceptable under the
circumstances.

On the following morning, punctual to the moment, we presented ourselves
at the rendezvous; where we found, as had been promised, a couple of
excellent saddle-horses awaiting us in charge of a grinning, happy-
looking negro groom, who was mounted on a stout mule.  Our guide, who
informed us that his name was Pompey, promptly took charge of our
valises, which he slung one on each side of his own saddle; we then
mounted, and without loss of time got under weigh for our destination.
The first six or seven miles of our journey was uninteresting enough,
but when we plunged into the mountain road and found ourselves environed
on each side by a thick growth of luxuriant tropical vegetation, the
foliage and flowers of which bore all and more than all the hues of the
rainbow, whilst gorgeous butterflies, gaudy insects, and birds of the
most brilliant plumage flitted hither and thither about us, with an
occasional opening in the dense growth revealing the most enchanting
little views of the distant harbour and sea, or perchance a passing
glimpse of some quiet vale, with its cane-fields, boiling-house, and
residential buildings, our journey became an enjoyable one indeed.  We
reached our destination--an extensive and somewhat straggling one-
storied building, with large lofty rooms shrouded in semi-darkness by
the "jalousies" or Venetian shutters which are used to carefully exclude
every ray of sunlight--about noon; and received a most cordial and
hearty welcome from our host, a most hospitable Scotchman, and his
family, and here--not to unnecessarily spin out my yarn--we spent one of
the most pleasant and enjoyable weeks I had up to that time passed.  The
family, in addition to our host and his charming wife, consisted of a
son and three daughters, who did everything that was possible to make
our visit pleasant, and they were a musical family throughout; so that
what with shooting, riding, visiting our somewhat distant neighbours,
and receiving visits in return, when singing and dancing became the
order of the evening, our short holiday passed all too quickly.  These
most excellent people were the first, as they were the warmest, friends
I ever made in the island; and when, late in the afternoon of the eighth
day of our visit, Courtenay and I, with Pompey again for our pilot,
mounted to return to Kingston, we received a very warm and evidently
sincere invitation from the whole family to make their house our home
whenever opportunity would afford.  We slept at our hotel that night,
and, bright and early next morning, made our way to Port Royal, where
almost the first object which met our view was our new ship, the _Foam_,
at anchor close under the stern of the flag-ship, with the hands on
board busy bending a new suit of canvas.

Directing our boatman to run alongside, a minute or two later saw us on
deck shaking hands with Mr Neil O'Flaherty, our new commander, who
proved to be a regular typical Irishman--genial, high-spirited, and full
to overflowing with fun and humour.  We took to him in a moment; and I
think the favourable impression was mutual, for we never had the ghost
of an unpleasantness with him during the short but eventful period which
we served under him.  We had been thoughtful enough to bring our chests
along with us in the boat, so that we could join at once, if need were;
these were accordingly hoisted up over the side, and the boatman
dismissed; after which, at O'Flaherty's invitation, we descended to the
cabin to cement our new friendship over a glass of wine, and to have a
chat about the cruise upon which we were about to enter, leaving the
boatswain to superintend the operations on deck.  The admiral, it
seemed, had only given our new skipper a very general set of
instructions, leaving him to arrange all details as to the armament and
manning of the schooner after a conference with us, as we were supposed
to be the persons best posted on the question of these requirements.
The whole of the morning was devoted to a full and particular recital on
our part of everything which had transpired from the moment of our
boarding the _Pinta_ until that of our leaving her; after which we
formed ourselves into a committee to discuss the outfit of the craft;
and we now learned, somewhat to our chagrin, that Carera and his boat's
crew, having duly turned up at Port Royal, had made such representations
to the admiral as had induced that distinguished officer to release them
and the felucca forthwith, upon the understanding that they were to
return at once to La Guayra, and were not to attempt to communicate,
either directly or indirectly, with Merlani or any of the other pirate
gangs on the Cuban coast which it was proposed that we should attack.
This, of course, was all very well; and would do no harm whatever _if_
the rascals only adhered to their agreement; but of this I confess I
felt somewhat doubtful.  The mischief, however, if mischief there were,
was done, and it was therefore no use to worry about it; but I saw that
it would need even greater circumspection than ever in the carrying out
of our difficult enterprise, and for that, heaven knows, the necessity
ought never to have been created.

Our palaver over, we all adjourned to the deck, and from, thence into
the gig, which had been ordered alongside to convey us on shore to the
dockyard.  We took advantage of this opportunity to make a thorough
inspection of the outward appearance of the craft which was to be our
future home; and, so far as I at least was concerned, I cannot say that
the impression produced was an altogether satisfactory one.  In the
first place, the _Foam_ was, to my mind, rather small for the work she
had to do, measuring only eighty tons register.  She was, it is true, a
very fine beamy little vessel for her size, of shallow draught of water,
with sides as round as an apple, and beautifully moulded; indeed, I
judged, from the look of her, that she had evidently been specially
built for privateering purposes, her carrying capacity being very small,
whilst no effort seemed to have been spared to render her exceedingly
fast and stiff under her canvas.  She was very strongly built of oak,
with massive timbers, copper fastened throughout, and heavily coppered
up to her bends; so that, as far as her hull was concerned, there was
not much, beyond its size, to find fault with.  But, in the matter of
spars and rigging, those heathens the dockyard riggers had completely
ruined her, as O'Flaherty admitted, almost with tears in his eyes.  Her
lower masts had been left in her intact and untouched, as they had been
when she first fell into our hands, and two handsomer sticks I never
saw; but, in place of the tall slim willowy topmasts which she then
carried, they had sent up a couple of heavy, clumsy sticks which, with
the yards on her foremast, were stout enough for a vessel of at least
twice her tonnage.  And, not content with this, they had further
hampered the poor little craft with a regular maze of heavy shrouds,
stays, and back-stays, all of which had been set up until they were as
taut as harp-strings; so that we had only too much reason to fear that,
in a fresh breeze and a choppy sea, we should find the little craft
cramped and her sailing powers completely spoiled.  There was one
comfort, however, the rigging was all new; and we trusted that a few
hours at sea would stretch it sufficiently to restore in some measure
the spring and play of her spars; but the heavy top-hamper with which
she was burdened was an evil which could only be cured in one way; and I
resolved that it _should_ be cured as soon as we got out of harbour, if
I could bring O'Flaherty to my way of thinking.

Our inspection completed, we pulled ashore to the dockyard, where
O'Flaherty made out and handed in his requisition for such further
stores as we considered would be necessary; and from thence we wended
our way to the gun wharf, where arrangements were made for the
substitution of six brass long sixes in place of the nine-pound
carronades with which it had been proposed to arm the little hooker.
These, with the long eighteen which was already mounted on a pivot on
the forecastle, would, we considered, make us as fit to cope with the
pirates as we could hope to be in so small a craft.  The guns came
alongside and were hoisted in that same afternoon; and the following day
witnessed the completion of our preparations for sea, including the
shipping of our ammunition and the filling up of our water-tanks,
etcetera.  O'Flaherty was able to report himself ready for sea late that
afternoon, upon which all three of us were invited on board the _Mars_
to dine with the admiral.  The captain of the _Emerald_ frigate, which
had arrived the previous day, and his son, a midshipman belonging to the
same ship, were also among the guests; and, in the latter, I thought I
recognised the young gentleman who had amused himself by popping away at
me with a musket during the pursuit of the _Pinta_ through the Boca de
Guajaba.  I was not quite certain about the matter at first; but the
conversation which ensued upon the admiral making mention of the
_Foam's_ destination and mission soon convinced me that I was correct in
my surmise.  The _Emerald_, it then turned out, was the identical
frigate from which we had so narrowly escaped; and Captain Fanshawe at
once waxed eloquent upon the unparalleled audacity and effrontery of the
Cuban pirates, and the urgent necessity for their prompt suppression,
instancing the escape of the _Pinta_ as a case in point.  His son, too,
as one of the actual participators in the pursuit, had a great deal to
say upon the subject, and seemed somewhat disposed to draw the long-bow
when narrating his own share of the exploit, which tendency I thought it
only kind to nip in the bud by giving our version of the affair.  Both
father and son at first appeared to be considerably nettled when they
found that it was to us they owed their discomfiture; but their better
sense speedily prevailed, and they joined as heartily as the rest in the
laugh against themselves.  On parting at the gangway that night,
however, as we prepared to leave for our respective vessels, young
Fanshawe laughingly remarked, as he gave our hands a cordial farewell
grip:

"You have the laugh on your side at present, Lascelles; but I warn you
that you will not get off so easily the next time I have an opportunity
of taking a pot-shot at you."

We reached the _Foam_ about midnight; and next morning at daybreak
weighed and worked out of the roadstead with the first of the sea-
breeze, nipping sharp round the point as soon as we could weather it and
keeping close along to windward of the Palisades until we were abreast
of Plum Point; when, being fairly clear of the shoals, we braced sharp
up for Yallah's Point.  Once abreast of this, we were enabled to check
our weather-braces a trifle and ease off a foot or two of the main-
sheet, when away we went for Morant Point through as nasty a short
choppy sea as it has ever been my luck to encounter; the schooner
jerking viciously into it and sending the spray flying from her weather
bow right aft into the body of the mainsail and out over the lee
quarter.  But the discomfort to which we were thus subjected was amply
compensated for by the magnificent panorama of wooded mountain, brawling
stream, sweeping bay, landlocked inlet, frowning cliff, and white sandy
beach, as we skirted the shores of this most beautiful island of
Jamaica.



CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

A BRUSH WITH A PIRATICAL FELUCCA.

We had not been three hours at sea before the unwelcome conviction
forced itself upon us that our apprehensions respecting the injury to
the _Foam's_ sailing powers were only too well founded; whatever they
might originally have been the bungling dockyard riggers had effectually
destroyed them.  The breeze was blowing so strongly that we had been
compelled to furl the topgallant--sail, and, steering as we were with
the wind abeam, we ought, with the shapely hull we had beneath us, to
have been going at least nine knots, whereas, so cramped were the little
vessel's movements by her tautly set-up rigging and the consequent
rigidity of her spars, that she was going little more than six.  This
was anything but satisfactory; O'Flaherty's first action, therefore, was
to order a general easing-up of lanyards, fore and aft, aloft and alow;
and no sooner was this done than we felt the advantage of the change;
the swing and play of the spars being restored, and the rigging eased up
until they were merely _supported_ without their pliancy being
interfered with, the little craft at once recovered her elasticity, and
not only went along faster, but also took the seas much more buoyantly,
riding lightly over them instead of digging through them as before, so
that she no longer threw the spray over and over herself, but went along
as light and dry as an empty bottle.  But it was still evident that her
top-hamper was too heavy; we therefore set the carpenter to work to
reduce a couple of spare topmasts we had on board, with the view to
shifting them upon the first favourable opportunity; and, this done, we
hoped to have the hooker once more at her best.

Nothing of importance occurred until we arrived off the Cristo Cays,
when--the time being about three bells in the forenoon watch, and the
larger island bearing about two miles on the larboard bow, a couple of
miles distant--O'Flaherty brought a chart on deck and, spreading it out
on the companion slide, beckoned me to him.

"Look here, Lascelles," said he, making a mark on the chart with his
pencil-point, "there is where we are, and that," pointing away over the
larboard bow, "is Cristo Cay.  Now, whereabouts is the channel that you
saw that big felucca going into?"

"It is further on to the westward; you cannot see it from here.  But why
do you ask?"  I inquired.

"Because, me bhoy, I intind to take a look in there and see what there
is to be seen," he replied.

"If you will excuse my saying so, I think you had better not," said I.
"In my opinion it would be wiser to meddle with these other places as
little as possible until we have beaten up Merlani's quarters.  From all
that we could learn from Carera his gang is far and away the most
formidable all along this coast; and it seems to me that it would be
only prudent on our part to create as little alarm as possible among
these fellows until we have polished him off.  His snuggery is strong
enough and difficult enough of approach as it is, and it might be made
infinitely more so if an alarm were given along the coast, as it easily
might be if one of their craft happened to escape us; my advice,
therefore--if you ask it--is to interfere with nobody until we have been
into the Conconil lagoons."

"Why, Lascelles, you surely are not _afraid_?" he asked, looking me
surprisedly in the face.

"No, sir, I am _not_," I answered, rather nettled, "I am only prudent;
and--"

"Pooh!" he interrupted lightly, "prudent!  Me dear bhoy, prudence is a
very good thing--sometimes, but it does not do for such business as
ours.  A bould dash and have done wid it is the motto for us.  Anyhow, I
intind to go in, so there's an end av it, and I'll thank ye, young
gintleman, to point out the channel as soon as we open it."

"But," I remonstrated, "I know nothing whatever of the place beyond what
I saw of it in passing.  Do you?"

"Not a wan ov me; but what matther?" was his characteristic reply.

"Simply this," said I.  "The navigation is doubtless difficult, and the
water shallow.  We should find ourselves in a pretty pickle if we
plumped into a hornet's nest and on to a shoal at the same moment."

"How big did you say that felucca was that you saw going in there?" he
asked.

"Nearly or quite two hundred tons," said I, "but--"

"And we are eighty," said he.  "Where she could float we can--"

"By no means," I interrupted.  "I do not believe she drew an inch more
than eight feet, whilst we draw nine; and an extra foot of water, let me
tell you, Mr O'Flaherty, makes all the difference in these shallow
inlets."

"Say no more," was the answer.  "In we go, even if we never come out
again."

That, I thought, was scarcely the resolution to which a wise commander
would have come; but after such an expression I could, of course, only
hold my peace, and I did so until a few minutes later when we opened the
entrance to the channel, which I pointed out to him.

"Then you will clear for action and send the crew to quarters, av ye
plaise, Mr Lascelles," said O'Flaherty; which done, we hauled our wind
and reached in for the narrow opening.

It was a foolhardy undertaking, to my mind; but I must do.  O'Flaherty
the justice to say that, having entered upon it, he neglected no
precaution to ensure our success.  Thus, his first act, after the
mustering of the crew, was to furl the square canvas, to facilitate the
working of the schooner; after which he requested Courtenay to go aloft
to the topgallant-yard to search out from that elevation the deepest
water and to con the ship accordingly.

On entering the channel it was discovered to be very narrow, so much so
indeed that at one point there was not width enough to work the ship,
and it was only by means of a very smartly executed half-board, under
Courtenay's directions from aloft, that we avoided plumping the schooner
ashore on the projecting spit.  The water, too, was so shallow that, on
looking over the taffrail, it was seen to be quite thick and clouded
with the sand stirred up by the vessel's keel; whilst so close aboard of
us was the land on either hand that a couple of batteries, of, say, four
twenty-four pounders each, one on either side of the channel, would have
inevitably blown us out of the water.  Most fortunately for us, it had
not occurred to the frequenters of the place to plant batteries at this
spot; so we passed in unmolested.  The channel was about a mile in
length, on emerging from which we found ourselves in a landlocked lagoon
about four and a half miles wide at its broadest part, and so long that
neither extremity could be accurately defined even from the elevated
perch occupied by Courtenay.  No sign whatever of anything like a
settlement could be anywhere seen from the deck; but Courtenay hailed us
to the effect that he could see something like a vessel's mast-head over
the middle island of a group of three on our starboard beam.  He further
reported, on the question being put to him, that the water was very
shoal all round the ship, but that there were indications of something
like a channel to the southward and eastward; upon which sail was
shortened to lessen the schooner's speed through the water, and her head
was put in the direction indicated.  This course was held for about two
miles, when, by Courtenay's direction, it was changed to south-south-
west.  Another run of two miles enabled us to open the southern sides of
the three islands before referred to; and there, sure enough, in a snug
bight between the two most distant islands, and completely concealed
from to seaward by the lofty trees with which the ground was densely
overgrown, we discovered three feluccas at anchor, two of them being
small, one-masted craft, of about the same tonnage as the _Pinta_,
whilst the third carried three masts, and looked very much like the
identical craft we had seen when last we passed up the coast.  They were
about four miles distant from us; and for the first minute or two after
sighting them not the slightest sign of life could we discover about
them.  As we now had a trifle more water under our keel sail was once
more made upon the schooner, and we headed straight for the strangers;
but we were hardly round upon our new course before we saw four very
large boats, full of men, push out from among the bushes and make in all
haste for the craft at anchor; two of them going alongside the big
felucca, and one each to the smaller craft.  They remained alongside
only about a minute, and then returned to the shore with two men in
each.  Watching the craft through our glasses, we could see the crews
bustling about the deck in a state of extraordinary activity; and, in
less time than it takes to describe it, the enormous lateen yards--which
had, evidently for the purpose of concealing the whereabouts of the
craft, been lowered down on deck--were mastheaded, the canvas loosed,
and the feluccas got under weigh.  The two small craft at once made sail
to the westward, heading for a passage between the mainland and a long
mangrove-covered spit which jutted out from the larger and more westerly
of the three islands; but the large felucca boldly headed for us direct
under every inch of canvas she could spread.

"Now," said I to O'Flaherty, "if that is the same felucca that passed
the _Pinta_ when we were up here before, we shall have our hands full,
for she carries two more guns than we do, and hers are nines whilst ours
are sixes; moreover, she has half as many men again as we have, and if
they are anything like as tough as they appeared to be they will fight
desperately.  However, it will never do to turn tail now, so please say
how you mean to engage her, and I will take the necessary steps."

"We will run her aboard, me bhoy, throw all hands on her decks, and
dhrive her cut-throat crew below or overboard in less than two minutes,
or I'm very much mistaken.  So be good enough, Misther Lascelles, to
have the guns loaded wid a couple ov round shot and a charge ov grape on
the top ov thim," said O'Flaherty, rubbing his hands gleefully.

I was in the act of issuing the necessary orders when Courtenay
hurriedly hailed from aloft--what he said I could not distinguish--and
the next moment the schooner gave a sort of upward surge and stopped
dead.  We were aground!

"Loose and set the topsail and topgallant-sail, and throw them aback!"
shouted O'Flaherty.  "Lower away the quarter-boat; get the stream-anchor
into her with a hawser bent on to it, and run it away astern; be smart,
my lads; we must get afloat again before that felucca reaches us."

These orders were obeyed with that smartness and promptitude which
distinguishes the disciplined man-of-war's-man; but the operation of
laying out the anchor astern necessarily occupied some little time.  The
boat had only just dropped the anchor overboard, and the men on board
the schooner were gathering in the slack of the hawser preparatory to
taking it to the capstan, when the felucca came foaming down upon us,
and a hasty turn had to be taken with it, and the men at once sent back
to their guns, as the manoeuvres of our antagonist seemed to threaten
that she was about to turn the tables upon us by laying us aboard, as we
had contemplated doing with her.

"Boarders prepare to repel boarders!" exclaimed O'Flaherty, drawing his
sword.  I whipped out my toasting iron, and at the same moment down came
Courtenay on deck by way of the back-stays.  "Give me a musket,
somebody," exclaimed he, as he alighted on the rail and sprang nimbly
from thence to the deck.

"Here you are, sir, all ready primed and loaded," responded the captain
of one of the guns, promptly thrusting the required weapon into my
chum's hands.

The felucca was within one hundred feet of us, foaming along at the rate
of about seven knots, and apparently aiming to strike us stem on
directly amidships, when Courtenay sprang on the rail again, and,
steadying his body against the fore-topmast back-stay, raised the musket
steadily to his shoulder.

"Stand by, men, to fire, but wait until I give the word, and then fire
only when you are certain of your shot taking effect!" exclaimed
O'Flaherty.  "Mr Courtenay, the helmsman is your mark, if you can--"

_Crack_! went Courtenay's musket, interrupting O'Flaherty's speech; a
cry was heard on board the felucca, and her bows began to fly into the
wind as Courtenay jumped down off the rail again, and, requisitioning a
cartridge, began to hastily reload his piece.

"Now, men--now is your time to rake her!  Fire!" exclaimed O'Flaherty,
and our broadside of three six-pounders rang sharply out, followed by
the crashing and rending sound of timber as the shot entered through the
felucca's starboard bow, and a hideous outburst of shrieks, groans,
yells, and shouts of defiance as the grape tore obliquely along her deck
almost fore and aft.  In another moment, still flying up into the wind,
the felucca crashed into our starboard quarter with a shock which made
us heel to our covering-board, and caused our antagonist to rebound a
full fathom from us.  Then, as the schooner recovered herself and rolled
heavily to windward, the felucca poured in her broadside, and whilst the
sharp ring of her brass pieces, mingled with the crash of timber, was
vibrating in my ears, I felt a sharp stunning blow on the head which
momentarily rendered me unconscious.

"Hurrah, sir, we're afloat, we're afloat!" were the first sounds I heard
as my scattered senses came back to me; and, clearing away with my
pocket-handkerchief the blood which was streaming down into my eyes and
blinding me, I found that I had been knocked up against the mainmast, to
one of the belaying-pins in the spider-hoop of which I was clinging with
one hand; and I further observed that the shock of the collision,
coupled no doubt with the action of our square canvas, which had been
laid aback, had caused the schooner to back off the shoal on which she
had grounded, and that she now had stern-way upon her.  A hasty glance
round the deck showed that our bulwarks and deck-fittings had been
considerably damaged by the felucca's fire; and some eight or nine
prostrate forms--O'Flaherty's among them--bore still further witness to
its destructive effect.

The boatswain came up to me and said:

"Poor Mr O'Flaherty's down, sir; and you're hurt, yourself.  Who is to
take command of the schooner, sir?"

"I will," said I, rallying at once as a sense of the responsible
position in which I thus suddenly found myself rushed upon me.

The boatswain touched his forelock and remarked:

"We've got starn-way upon us, sir, and if we don't look out we shall
drive over that there stream of ours and perhaps send a fluke through
our bottom."

"Yes," said I.  "Have the goodness, Mr Fidd, to muster all hands aft
here; let them tail on to the hawser and rouse it smartly inboard; then
man the capstan and lift the anchor."

"Ay, ay, sir," was the reply, and the man turned away to see the order
executed.  At that moment Courtenay came aft.

"Why, Lascelles, old man," he exclaimed, starting back as I turned my
face toward him, "what have the rascals done to you?  You're an awful
sight, old fellow; are you hurt much?"

"I can scarcely say yet," I replied; "not very much, I think; but my
head is aching most consumedly.  I wish you would kindly get a couple of
hands and have Mr O'Flaherty taken below.  I must remain here and look
after the ship."

"Is O'Flaherty wounded?" gasped Courtenay.  I pointed to the prostrate
body of the lieutenant, upon which my chum at once hurried away, and,
raising the wounded man in his arms, called one of the men to help in
conveying him below.

We were lucky enough to trip and recover our anchor without accident;
the quarter-boat was hoisted up, and we then wore round after the
felucca, which was hovering irresolutely about a mile away, apparently
undecided whether to renew the attack or not.  On seeing, however, that
we were afloat again and after her, she bore up and stood to the
eastward, close hauled on the larboard tack.

We cracked on after her under every stitch of canvas we could spread,
but she walked away from us hand over hand, at the same time looking up
a couple of points nearer the wind than we did, so that it soon became
evident we might as well hope to catch the Flying Dutchman as to get
alongside the chase.  And in the midst of it all we plumped ashore
again, this time with such violence that our fore and main-topmasts both
snapped short off at the caps, like carrots, and hung dangling by their
gear to leeward.

We were now in a very tidy mess, and had our late antagonist chosen to
retrace her steps and renew her attack upon us we should, in our
disabled condition, have found her an exceedingly awkward customer to
tackle.  Fortunately for us she seemed to have had as much as she
wanted; and a quarter of an hour later she slid out through one of the
numerous channels between the islands and disappeared.

Setting one watch to clear away the wreck and the other to furl all
canvas, I requested Courtenay, who was now again on deck, to take the
quarter-boat and a sounding-line and to go away in search of the deepest
water.  This was found at about fifty fathoms distant from and directly
to windward of the ship; and in this direction we accordingly ran away
our stream-anchor and cable as before, the cable this time, however,
being led in through one of the chocks on the larboard bow, from whence
it was taken to the capstan.  The men hove and hove until everything
creaked again, whilst the schooner careened fully a couple of streaks to
port; but it was all to no purpose, not an inch would she budge; and
finally the anchor began to come home pretty rapidly.  The stream was
evidently of no use, so I sent away the boat to weigh it, giving orders
at the same time to get the larboard-bower ready for slinging between
the quarter-boat and the launch, which I also ordered to be hoisted out.
Presently the quarter-boat came alongside with the stream-anchor
hanging over her stern; and then the reason for its coming home became
evident--we had hove upon it until one of the flukes had been torn off.

By the time that the stream-anchor was out of the boat the bower was
hanging at the bows ready for slinging, and it was then run away by the
two boats directly to windward.  As soon as it was let go we began to
heave away once more, but with no better result--the schooner was hard
and fast, and no efforts of ours were equal to the moving of her.

We now found ourselves in a very pretty pickle; and to add to my
annoyance I made the discovery that we had grounded just about high-
water, and that the tides, such as they were, were "taking off;" that is
to say, each high tide would be a trifle lower than the preceding one
until the neaps were reached and passed.  There was nothing for it then
but to lighten the ship; and getting the remaining boat into the water,
all three were brought alongside, and the iron ballast was then hoisted
out of the hold and lowered into the boats until they were as deeply
loaded as they could be with safety, even in that perfectly smooth
water.  This lightened the schooner so considerably that I felt sanguine
of getting her afloat when the tide next rose; but, not to neglect any
means at my disposal to secure this very desirable end, I ordered all
our spare spars to be launched overboard, and with them, some empty
casks, and a quantity of lumber from the hold, a raft was constructed
capable of supporting three of the guns, though they sank it so deep
that I was at first afraid we should lose them altogether.  I could then
do no more until it was again high-water--which would not be until an
hour past midnight--unless I sent the boats ashore to discharge their
cargoes on the beach and then come alongside again to further lighten
the ship; and this I was very loath to do, as I felt convinced that the
process of handling and re-handling the heavy pigs of ballast would
consume so much time that we should lose rather than gain by it, to say
nothing of the exhausting labour which would thus devolve upon the men.
Leaving Courtenay, therefore, who was uninjured, in charge of the deck,
I retired to the cabin, which was at that moment serving for a cockpit,
and, finding the surgeon disengaged, submitted myself to his tender
mercies.

His first act was to bathe my head with warm water until the dry blood
with which my hair was matted was cleared away as much as possible, and
then the hair itself was shorn away until the wound was fairly exposed.
The injury was then found to consist of a scalp wound some six inches in
length, extending from a point above my right eye, just where the hair
commenced, obliquely across the skull toward the back of the left ear,
the scalp itself, for a width of about four inches, being torn from the
skull and folded back like a rag.  It burned and throbbed and smarted
most horribly, particularly when the sponge was applied to my bare skull
to clear away the blood preparatory to replacing the scalp; and I was
informed by the medico that it was a very ugly wound, probably inflicted
by a piece of langridge which, if it had been deflected a couple of
inches to the right, would in all probability have killed me.  And I was
warned that I should have to exercise the greatest caution in the matter
of exposing myself to the night air, or inflammation might set in, with
very serious results.  During the tedious and exceedingly painful
operation of dressing the wound, I learned that O'Flaherty's injury
consisted of a contusion on the head, whereby he had been struck
senseless to the deck, and a very badly lacerated right shoulder, the
bone of which was also broken, so that he would probably be quite unfit
for duty for the remainder of the cruise.  When at length I was fairly
coopered up and made tolerably comfortable, I sent word to Courtenay
that I intended to lie down for a while, but that he was to have me
called the moment that my presence on deck might be necessary, and then
retired to my berth and stretched myself, dressed as I was, upon my bed,
where, though I was in too much pain to get sound sleep, I soon dozed
off into a kind of half-delirious stupor which, unpleasant as was the
sensation, still afforded me a certain measure of relief.

From this I was aroused by the clatter of plates and dishes in the
cabin, which, as it was quite dark in my berth, I rightly assumed must
indicate the forwarding of preparations for dinner.  I now felt very
much more comfortable than when I had lain down; the violent splitting
headache had almost entirely passed away; the cool soothing salve which
had been liberally applied to my wound had greatly modified the burning,
smarting sensation; and I experienced a feeling of by no means
unpleasant languor, which produced an almost irresistible repugnance to
move.  I remembered, however, that the ship was now in my charge--
unpleasant as it might be I could now less than ever afford to neglect
my duty--so, though the effort produced a sudden giddiness and momentary
lapse into almost total insensibility, I staggered to my feet and
cautiously groped my way to the door of my berth, through which I passed
into the close and stuffy cabin, and from thence up the companion-way
and out on deck.

Here everything was so perfectly silent, save for the gentle lap and
gurgle of the water alongside, that I was for a moment startled into the
belief that the ship had been deserted; and it was so intensely dark
that I could see absolutely nothing.  Glancing aft, however, I detected
a tiny glowing spark away in the neighbourhood of the taffrail, and at
the same moment I heard Courtenay's voice saying:

"Is that you, Mr O'Flaherty?"

"No," I responded, "it is I, Lascelles.  What has become of the hands,
Courtenay?"

"They are below getting their suppers," he answered.  "And I told them
that, when they had finished, they might turn in for an hour or two.
They must be pretty well done up with their hard day's work, and we can
do nothing more now until after half-flood.  How are you feeling now,
old fellow?  Sanderson tells me you got a very ugly clip over the head
to-day in our little boxing match with the felucca.  It has been rather
an unfortunate business altogether--two killed and seven wounded at a
single broadside from only four guns is pretty hard lines."

"Do you mean to say that we have lost two men?"  I exclaimed, for I had
not heard this before.

"Yes," was the answer.  "Jones--that comical fellow who used to play the
violin on the forecastle during the dog-watches, and poor Tom Cotterel
have both lost the number of their mess; and there are five more in
their hammocks hurt more or less severely; though I believe O'Flaherty
and yourself are the worst sufferers in that respect."

I was greatly concerned to hear this; and more than ever regretted the
fool-hardihood--as I could not help thinking it--which had induced
O'Flaherty to rush headlong, as it were, into a lagoon so shallow that
there was scarcely water enough in it in the deepest part to float the
schooner, and abounding, moreover, as we had found to our cost, in
shoals, of the position of which we knew absolutely nothing.  The
mischief, however, had been done, and nothing now remained but to make
the best of it; with which reflection we made our way below to dinner in
obedience to the steward's summons.

As we entered the cabin Sanderson, the surgeon, emerged on tiptoe from
O'Flaherty's state-room, and requested us, in a whisper, to make as
little noise as possible, as the lieutenant, under the influence of a
soothing draught, had just dropped off to sleep.

"I want to keep him as quiet as possible," continued Sanderson, "for if
he is disturbed or excited I am afraid I shall have a deal of trouble
with him.  What I am principally afraid of in his case--as in yours,
Lascelles--is an access of fever, which, with its resulting
restlessness, may retard the healing of the wound, or even bring on
mortification."

"And what about the others?"  I asked, "are any of their injuries
severe?"

"No; chiefly lacerations, painful enough, but not serious," was the
reply.  "Those rascals must have fired nothing but langridge, or
canister."

"Ay," said Courtenay; "and had they fired a little earlier, and so
allowed the charges to scatter more, they would have made a clean sweep
of our decks.  As it was the charges took effect almost like solid shot,
as may be seen by the marks in the planking and bulwarks where they
struck."

"Ah, well! it's a good job it was no worse," remarked Sanderson.  "It
has had one good result, in that it has let some of the wild Irish blood
out of O'Flaherty, and has taught us the lesson, let us hope, to be a
trifle more cautious in future.  And, by the by, in the meantime, whilst
he is on his beam-ends, which of you youngsters is going to be skipper?"

"Oh, Lascelles, of course," answered Courtenay quickly.  "We joined the
service together, you know; but he is a few months my senior in point of
age.  Moreover, he is ever so much the better navigator of the two;
indeed I am ashamed to say I am so shaky in my navigation that I should
really be almost afraid to take sole charge of a ship.  I _might_ manage
all right, but I am not absolutely sure of myself, and that is an
awfully unpleasant feeling to have, let me tell you, when you are
occupying a position of responsibility."

The land-breeze, meanwhile, had sprung up, and was by this time blowing
pretty strongly; so, as I was a trifle anxious about the raft with the
guns alongside, we hurried our meal to a conclusion; and, whilst
Sanderson first took another peep at O'Flaherty, and then went forward
to look after the rest of his patients, Courtenay and I went on deck,
where we found the gunner keeping a lookout.  "Well, Mr Tompion," said
I, as the man approached, "how are matters looking here on deck?"

"All quiet, sir," was the reply, "leastways as far as one can be sartain
on sich a pitch-dark night as this.  It's lightnin' a little away down
there to the west'ard, and durin' one o' the flashes I sartaintly _did_
think I see some objek a-movin' away over there in the direction where
the felucca came from, but when the next flash took place there weren't
a sign of anything."

"Oh, indeed!" said I, "what did the object look like?"

"Well, sir, it might ha' been a boat--or a raft--or it might only ha'
been the trunk of a tree struck adrift; but if it had been a tree I
don't think as it would ha' wanished quite so quick."

"How long ago was this, Mr Tompion?"

"Just a minute or two afore you came on deck, sir."

"Well," said I, "we must keep a sharp lookout, that is all we can do at
present Is there anybody on the lookout on the forecastle?"

"Yes, sir, Jack Sinclair and Bob Miles."

"Thank you, that will do, Mr Tompion," said I, and the man turned away
to his former post at the gangway.

Whatever the mysterious object might have been it was invisible on the
occurrence, not only of the next, but also of several succeeding flashes
of the bluish summer lightning which quivered up from behind a heavy
bank of cloud low down on the western horizon, momentarily lighting up
with a weird evanescent radiance the lagoon, the mainland, the distant
islands toward which our suspicious glances were directed, and the ship
herself, which, partially dismantled as she was, looked in the faint and
momentary illumination like the ghost of some ancient wreck hovering
over the scene of her dissolution; the incident was therefore soon
forgotten as Courtenay took me round from point to point explaining what
further steps he had taken, after my retirement below in the afternoon,
to facilitate the floating of the ship.

The tide was now again making, and at length, about two bells in the
first watch, we became conscious that the schooner, which had been lying
somewhat over on her port bilge, was gradually becoming more upright.
Meanwhile the lightning had ceased, and the darkness had become, if
possible, more profound than ever, whilst the only sounds audible were
the rippling splash of the water alongside, the melancholy sough of the
wind, and the faint _chirr_ of insects ashore which the breeze brought
off to us on its invisible wings.

As the tide made so the schooner continued imperceptibly to right
herself, and at length she was so nearly upright that I thought we might
set about the attempt to get her afloat.  The wind, being now off-shore,
was in our favour, as the deepest water was to leeward or to seaward of
us, and the canvas, had I dared to set it, would have materially
assisted us; but I did not care to set it, as, once off the bank, we
should have perforce to remain at anchor where we were until morning,
any attempt at navigating those shallows in darkness being the most
utter madness.  I therefore left the canvas stowed, resolving to seek
its aid only as a last resort, and in the event of all other means
failing, and ordered the messenger to be passed and the capstan manned.
The anchor was already laid out to leeward, so the slack of the cable
was soon hove in, and a steady strain brought to bear upon it, after
which came the tug of war.  The capstan bars were now fully manned; the
tars pressed their broad chests against the powerful levers, planted
their feet firmly upon the deck, straightened out their backs, and
slowly pawl after pawl was gained until the schooner was once more
heeling over on her bilge, this time, however, in consequence of the
intense strain upon her cable.

"That's your sort, my hearties," exclaimed the boatswain encouragingly,
as he applied his tremendous strength to the outer extremity of one of
the bars, "heave with a will! heave, and she _must_ come! _heave_, all
of us!! now--one--_two_--three!!!"

The men strained at the bars until it seemed as though they would burst
their very sinews; another reluctant click or two of the pawl showed
that something was at length yielding; and then, first with a slow jerky
motion which quickened rapidly, and ended in a mighty surge as the men
drove the capstan irresistibly round, the bows of the schooner swerved
to seaward, the vessel herself righted, hung for a moment, and then
glided off the tail of the bank, finally swinging to her anchor, afloat
once more.

"Well done, lads!"  I exclaimed joyously, for it was a great relief to
me to have the schooner afloat again--a sailor feels just as much out of
his element in a stranded ship as he does when he personally is on
_terra firma_--and in the exuberance of my gratification I gave orders
to "splice the main brace" preparatory to the troublesome and laborious
task of getting the guns and ballast on board once more.



CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

THE PIRATES ATTEMPT A NIGHT ATTACK UPON THE "FOAM."

The men were busily discussing their "nip" of grog when, mechanically
glancing over the black surface of the water which lay spread out on all
sides of the ship, my gaze was arrested by a sudden phosphorescent flash
on our starboard beam, which was now turned in the direction of the
islands we had been watching so suspiciously earlier on in the night.
Looking intently I caught it again, and yet again, three or four times.

The gunner at that moment approached me to report that the men were all
ready to turn-to once more, upon which I directed his attention to the
point at which I had noticed the mysterious appearance, and asked him if
he could see anything.

Shading his eyes with his hand, he looked earnestly in the direction
indicated.

"N-o, sir, I can't say as I can," replied he, after a good long look;
"you see, sir, it's so precious dark just now that there's no--eh, what
was that?  I thought I seed something just then, sir," as another flash
appeared, this time sensibly nearer the ship than before.

"So did I," I replied; "and it is my belief, Tompion, that what we saw
is neither more nor less than the phosphorescent flash of oars in the
water.  If I am not mistaken there is a boat out there trying to steal
down and catch us unawares.  Just go to the men, please, and pass the
word for them to go _quietly_ to quarters, and see that the starboard
broadside guns are loaded with grape."

Courtenay just then emerged from the companion with a lighted cigar in
his mouth, which he had helped himself to in the brief interval of rest
following the floating of the schooner.  The spark at the end of the
weed glowed brightly in the intense darkness, and could probably be seen
for a considerable distance.

"Dowse that cigar, Courtenay, _quick_!"  I exclaimed, as I moved to his
side, "and tell me if you can hear or see anything over there."

Instinctively guessing at an alarm of some kind from the quarter I had
indicated, my shipmate stepped to the opposite side of the deck, dropped
his cigar over the rail, and rejoined me.

"Now then, what is it, Lascelles?" he asked; "is there anything wrong?
and why are the men mustering at quarters?"

"Look over in that direction, and see if you can find an explanation,"
said I.

Unconsciously imitating Tompion in the attitude he assumed, Courtenay
stood intently gazing into the darkness for a full minute or more,
without result.  He had turned to me and was about to speak when a faint
_crack_, like the breaking of a thole-pin, was heard, the sound being
accompanied by a very distinct luminous splash of the water.

"Ha!" exclaimed Courtenay, "there is a boat over there at no great
distance from us!" and at the same moment Fidd came barefooted and
noiselessly to my side with the question:

"Did ye see and hear that, sir?"

"Ay, ay, Mr Fidd, I saw it.  Are the starboard guns loaded?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then kindly pass along the word to the captain of each gun to watch for
the next splash and then to train his gun upon it."

"Ay, ay, sir," was the reply; and Fidd turned away to execute his
mission as I sprang upon the rail and, grasping one of the shrouds of
the main rigging to steady myself, hailed in Spanish:

"Boat ahoy! who are you, and what do you want?  Lay on your oars and
answer instantly, or I will fire upon you."

I waited a full minute without eliciting any response or sign of any
description from the direction in which our enemies were supposed to be
lurking, and then ordered a port-fire to be burnt and a musket to be
fired in their direction.

A brief interval elapsed, and then the darkness was suddenly broken into
by the ghastly glare of the port-fire, with which one of the men nimbly
shinned up the fore-rigging in order to send the illumination as far
abroad as possible, and at the same instant a musket was fired.  For a
moment or two nothing whatever was to be seen but our own decks, with
the men standing stripped to the waist at their guns--a row of statues
half marble, half ebony, as the glare lighted up one side of each figure
and left the other side in blackest shadow--the spars and rigging
towering weird and ghostly up into the opaque blackness above us like
those of a phantom ship; whilst the water shimmered like burning
brimstone under the baleful light.  Then, evidently under the impression
that the boat had become visible in the gleam of the port-fire--though
at that instant we could see nothing--a voice was heard from out the
darkness on our starboard beam exclaiming in Spanish:

"Give way with a will, my heroes! one smart dash now and we shall be
alongside yet before they can load their guns."

The dash of oars in the water instantly followed, the whereabouts of the
boat being at once made manifest by the flash of the port-fire upon the
wet oar-blades, and upon the foaming ripple which gathered under the
bows of the boat; and by the time that half a dozen strokes had been
pulled the boat herself--a very large craft, apparently, and crowded
with men--became dimly visible like a faint luminous mist driving along
the surface of the inky water.

"Steady now, men," I cried.  "Take your time, and aim straight.  Say
when you are ready."

"All ready with the midship gun!"

"All ready aft!"

"Ready for'ard!"

The replies were uttered almost simultaneously, and I instantly gave the
word "_Fire_!"

The three guns rang out as one, the triple flash not only illuminating
vividly, for a fraction of a second, the boat against which they were
discharged, but also revealing for the same brief space of time a second
and similar boat a few yards in the rear of the first.  Fatally sped
those three terrible charges of grape.  The guns had been aimed with
such deadly precision, and discharged so exactly at the right moment,
that the leading boat was literally torn to pieces; so utterly
destroyed, indeed, that she seemed to have vanished instantly from the
surface of the lagoon, leaving in her stead only a few fragments of
shattered planking, and a broad patch of phosphorescent foam in the
midst of which floated her late crew, a ghastly array of _corpses_, save
where, here and there, some wretch, less fortunate than his comrades,
still writhed and splashed feebly as the life reluctantly left his torn
and mutilated body.  The spectacle of this catastrophe, so suddenly and
completely wrought, this instant destruction of some thirty or forty
human beings, was absolutely appalling; and its effect was intensified
by the extraordinary circumstance that not a single shriek, or groan, or
outcry of any description, escaped the victims of our murderous fire.
So dreadful was the sight that, for perhaps half a minute, the entire
crew of the schooner, fore and aft, stood motionless and dumb, petrified
with horror, staring with dilated eyeballs at the spot where the bodies,
now all motionless, lay faintly defined in the last rays of the almost
burnt-out port-fire.

But there was no time to be lost; another boat was lurking out there
somewhere, in the impenetrable gloom; so, rallying my faculties by a
powerful effort, I managed to exclaim in a tolerably steady voice:

"Load again, men, smartly! there is another boat out there somewhere,
and she must be prevented from coming alongside at all costs.  Light
another port-fire forward, there!" as the man in the fore-rigging
dropped the fag-end of the first into the water alongside and the
blackness of darkness once more enshrouded us as with a pall.

There was, apparently, to be no more fighting just then, however; the
crew of the remaining boat had evidently seen enough to completely damp
their ardour, for the time being at least, for before the operation of
reloading the guns had been completed, the splash and roll of oars in
their rowlocks could be heard in fast diminishing cadence, conveying to
our experienced ears the fact that our enemies were beating a
precipitate retreat.

But the horrors of the night were not yet quite over, for, whilst we
were busily preparing to hoist in the guns from the raft alongside and
to get the ballast back into its proper place in the hold, a loud,
confused, splashing sound was suddenly heard away on our starboard beam,
and, on looking in that direction to ascertain what this new disturbance
might portend, we saw that the water was literally alive with hundreds
of sharks, distinctly visible by the phosphorescent glow which shone
from their bodies, which were tearing and snapping at the floating
corpses of the pirates, rending them limb from limb, and rushing off in
all directions with the dismembered fragments as the monsters succeeded
in securing them.

Such a sight was not calculated to inspire the men with any relish for
the somewhat perilous task of going down upon the submerged raft and
into the deeply-laden boats to sling the guns and ballast; but the work
had to be done, and the boatswain and the gunner volunteering to go down
first, we soon had the work well under weigh, finishing it
satisfactorily off and bringing a toilsome night of labour to an end
about two o'clock the next morning.

By daybreak all hands were once more astir, notwithstanding the arduous
character of their previous day's and night's work; the anchor was
weighed; and under short canvas, with Courtenay once more on the
topgallant-yard to con us, and a leads-man in the fore-chains on each
side of the ship, we cautiously felt our way to the northward and
westward until, about seven bells, we managed to reach the anchorage
which the feluccas had vacated on the previous day.  A hurried breakfast
was then scrambled through; after which the long-boat and the gig, under
the command of Courtenay and the boatswain, with their crews fully
armed, pulled away for the shore, to see whether they could discover
anything like a depot, of which no sign whatever could be detected from
the deck of the schooner.

They pulled inshore about a quarter of a mile, after which we suddenly
lost sight of them among the mangroves which thickly fringed the shores
of the island.  Three or four minutes later the sound of musketry
firing, at first in whole volleys and then intermittingly, floated off
to us from the direction where the boats had disappeared, and very soon
we saw the light wreaths of pale-blue smoke floating up and out from
among the trees.  The firing soon ceased; and then nothing more was
heard or seen for nearly two hours, at the end of which time a thin
volume of light brownish smoke rose into the sky from about the spot
where we had before seen the indications of musketry firing; the smoke,
rapidly increasing in volume and deepening in colour until, thickly
besprinkled with sparks, it poured across the bay in one vast dense
black cloud which swept right over us where we lay, half suffocating us
with its pungent fumes, and almost hiding the islands from sight.  Then,
when the smoke-cloud had become almost intolerable, the boats were seen
approaching; upon which the schooner was hove short and the canvas set
in readiness for a speedy retreat from our uncomfortable berth.  The
moment that they came alongside the anchor was tripped, and, by the time
that the boat's crews were once more on the schooner's decks, we had run
out clear of the nuisance.  The _Foam_ was then hove to; seven
singularly heavy kegs were hoisted in from the long-boat; the boats
themselves next followed; and then away we went, groping our way as
before, back toward the main channel from the sea.  This channel was
successfully traversed and the open sea reached about three bells in the
afternoon watch, when I turned over the command of the schooner to
Courtenay and went below to my berth, not only dead tired, but also
suffering dreadfully from the wound in my head, which had not been
dressed for nearly twenty-four hours, and which was certainly none the
better for the excitement and exposure of the preceding night.  Previous
to this, though, I had been fully informed of what had transpired on
shore; and which may be related in a very few words.

It appeared that the sudden evanishment of the boats from our sight was
due to the fact that they had discovered and pushed into a narrow
channel running to the northward and eastward between the two
westernmost islands of the group; along which channel they had proceeded
for about half a mile when they suddenly opened a tiny bay, on their
starboard hand, from the shore of which projected a long wooden jetty of
rough mangrove piles decked over with ship timber.  This jetty they at
once headed for, and were immediately saluted with a volley of musketry
from a long black wooden building which stood close to the shore.
Luckily, nobody was hit; and the same good fortune befell them when,
whilst landing on the jetty, a second volley was fired at them.  The
tars, headed by Courtenay and the boatswain, then charged up to the
building, and, without very much difficulty, burst in the door, just in
time to see some twenty Spaniards effecting a hasty retreat through an
opening in the opposite side of the building.  Our lads at once crowded
sail in chase, shouting and laughing like a parcel of schoolboys out for
a holiday, and occasionally stopping to pop away at the enemy with
musket or pistol as opportunity offered.  The Spaniards, however, were
lighter in the heels than our own men, and they possessed the further
advantage of knowing the country, so they quickly hauled out of sight,
nor was anything further seen of them, though Courtenay maintained the
pursuit for about half an hour.  The party then returned to the shed by
the beach; and whilst Courtenay with three or four hands gave the place
a thorough overhaul, Fidd, with the remainder of the men, turned to and
broke up a very large yawl-built boat which was lying alongside the
jetty, afterwards carrying her dismembered planking and timbers up to
the shed, to be still more effectually destroyed with it by fire.  A
quantity of ship's stores, such as rope, canvas, pitch, tar, paint,
etcetera, was found, evidently showing that this was one of the many
pirates' rendezvous which were known to be in existence along this
coast; but there was nothing in the shape of plunder except the seven
heavy kegs before mentioned, one of which, upon being opened, proved to
be filled with Spanish dollars (as did the rest, eventually), so they
were promptly tumbled down to the jetty and put on board the long-boat.
It had evidently been a place of some little importance; but, from
Courtenay's account, it was not to be compared for a moment with
Merlani's establishment.  At last, the place having been thoroughly
rummaged, a bonfire was built on the weather side of the shed, which,
being well fed with tar, etcetera, soon set the entire building in a
blaze, after which they retreated to the boats, firing the jetty also
before shoving off.  Altogether it was a very satisfactory morning's
work, since, with their limited facilities, it would be a long time
before the pirates could make good the loss and damage inflicted upon
them, if indeed they would have the heart to attempt it at all.  The
Barcos Channel being only some five hours' sail distant from the Cristo
Cays, near which we had emerged once more into open water, and as it
would be quite impossible for us to traverse the intricate channel
through Santa Clara Bay during the hours of darkness, Courtenay
stretched off the land under easy canvas, and employed the remainder of
the afternoon in getting up the two topmasts which the carpenter had
reduced, in place of the spars expended on the previous day.  This job
was completed and the schooner made all ataunto again by sunset; at
which hour the _Foam_ was hove to with her head toward the land; and all
hands, with the exception of the officer of the watch and two men on the
lookout, were allowed to go below and get as much rest as possible, in
order that they might not only recover from the fatigue of the previous
night, but also prepare for what would probably prove an equally
fatiguing day on the morrow.

On sitting down to the dinner-table that evening we were much gratified
to learn from Sanderson that poor O'Flaherty was doing remarkably well;
so well indeed, that the doctor had yielded a somewhat unwilling assent
to a wish the lieutenant had expressed to see me after dinner.  But I
was strictly enjoined to make the interview as brief as possible; and to
be cautious above all things not to engage in conversation of an
exciting character.  Accordingly, as soon as dinner was over, I knocked
at the door of O'Flaherty's state-room, and, in response to his feebly
spoken "Come in," entered.  Notwithstanding what Sanderson had
previously told us about his appearance, I was shocked to see how
terribly loss of blood and the torture of his wound had pulled the poor
fellow down.  His swarthy, sunburnt features were now sallow, bloodless,
and shrunken; contrasting strongly with his dark curly hair, which hung
in long elf-locks over his forehead and about his face, dripping with
perspiration caused partly by the excessive heat of the cabin and still
more by the anguish from which he was suffering.  A sheet was his only
covering, his body being bare from the chest upwards, for greater
convenience in dressing his wound; and his right shoulder and arm down
to the elbow was closely swathed in bandages through which the blood
still oozed here and there.  There was a restless feverish gleam and
glitter in his eyes which told all too plainly how acutely he was
suffering; and there was an occasional nervous twitching of the fingers
of the right hand which I did not like to see, and which he said had
come on within the last half-hour.  But his spirits were excellent; and
his voice became stronger almost with every word he spoke as he
questioned me about our doings since the moment of his being struck
down.  He expressed himself as highly satisfied with all that we had
done, and especially so at the watchfulness which had defeated the
pirates' attempt at a night attack; but he intimated his expectation
that, although he was unable to actually command the schooner, I would
keep him fully acquainted with everything which might transpire, and
consult him with regard to every proposed movement of an important
character.  This I, at the time, thought reasonable enough; but I soon
had cause to regret that he had imposed any such condition upon me.

Daybreak next morning found us some eight miles off the mouth of the
Barcos Channel, and in such a position that we should be dead to
windward of it upon the springing up of the sea-breeze.  We were,
consequently, as well placed for the run down to it as heart could wish.
But, on the boatswain calling me--I had remained in my berth all
night--I was greatly annoyed to learn that there was a small craft of
some kind, apparently a one-masted felucca, hovering about the entrance
of the channel and manoeuvring in such a way as to lead to the belief
that she was enacting the part of lookout.  Courtenay and I had both
been called at the same time; but he was the quicker of the two in his
movements; and upon my reaching the deck I discovered him on the
topsail-yard scrutinising the stranger through his telescope.

The craft was then becalmed, though _we_ had a nice little breeze from
about east-north-east; but on our filling upon the schooner and edging
away in her direction, the felucca--for such she was--at once rigged out
six sweeps of a side and headed direct for the mouth of the channel.
Now this, I was afraid, indicated first, that the felucca was enacting
the part of lookout; and second, that our late antagonists had effected
a retreat to the Conconil lagoons, where they had probably united
themselves temporarily with Merlani's gang; and I anticipated that, if
this surmise of mine should prove correct, we should have our hands more
than full in the forthcoming attack.  So heavy, indeed, would be the
odds against us in such a case that I thought it would be more prudent
to defer the attack for a day or two, merely passing through the channel
and affecting to make an examination of the cays on each side of it,
previous to retiring again and pursuing a course to the westward, thus
throwing our adversaries off their guard; when I considered it might be
possible to effect a descent upon them by way of Cardenas Bay, through
which we might perhaps be able to so nearly approach them, unobserved,
as to take them in a great measure by surprise.  This plan, however, in
consequence of the injunction O'Flaherty had laid upon me at our
interview of the previous evening, I dared not put into effect without
first submitting it for his approval; and I accordingly went down to his
state-room to speak to him about it.  To my surprise and chagrin I found
him utterly opposed to it.  He argued that my plan would _not_ throw the
pirates off their guard, whilst it would allow them a great deal more
time in which to complete their preparations for an effective defence;
moreover, he disliked the idea of our making our approaches through
Cardenas Bay because of our having originally passed through it during
the night, when, as he said, we had had no opportunity to take careful
note of the landmarks, etcetera.  I reminded him of the fact that the
water in Cardenas Bay was deep enough to float the schooner everywhere
about the track over which we should have to pass, and that that track
was, moreover, so nearly straight that, with a good breeze, we could
traverse it in an hour, thus materially lessening our chance of
discovery; but it was all of no avail, he _would_ have his own way; so I
was perforce compelled--with, I must confess, somewhat serious
misgivings--to return to the deck and give the necessary orders for
running in through the Barcos Channel as soon as the sea-breeze should
spring up.

At length, after what appeared to me an unusually long delay, a cat's-
paw reached us; and presently the true sea-breeze came creeping along
the water, freshening as it came.  We allowed it to reach the mouth of
the channel, when the _Foam_ bore up; and a quarter of an hour later we
were rattling through the passage at the rate of eight knots.  On
clearing the channel and opening up the bay we discovered the felucca
some four miles ahead, or about half-way across, foaming along with her
enormously long tapering yard square across her deck and the sheet eased
well out, running down dead before the wind, straight for the entrance
of the lagoons, apparently in the hope that we would follow her and thus
ground upon one of the numerous shoals which lay between her and us.
But if they hoped this they were speedily disappointed, as the moment we
had cleared the end of the channel, all concealment being then
impossible, we hauled our wind and headed the schooner for the first of
the marks which were to pilot us safely on our difficult way.  Before we
had completed our first reach the felucca had arrived at the entrance to
the lagoons, and had disappeared.  It was half an hour after noon when
we reached the same spot.

Two miles further on lay the narrowest passage in the whole length of
the lagoons, and here I fully expected our progress would meet with a
check.  Nor was I disappointed, for on reaching the spot our further
progress was suddenly interrupted, and the schooner brought up all
standing, by a heavy chain which had been thrown athwart the channel,
just far enough beneath the surface of the water to catch our forefoot,
the ends being artfully concealed among the bushes on either side.

"Down, flat on your faces on the deck, every man of you, fore and aft!"
I shouted, for I guessed what would follow; and scarcely was the order
obeyed when the flash of artillery blazed out from among the mangroves
on either hand, and a perfect hailstorm of grape and langridge struck
us, riddling our bulwarks, and tearing the foot of the mainsail and
foresail to shreds, but, luckily, not hitting a soul of us; though how
Courtenay and I escaped--it not being etiquette for either of us to seek
the shelter of the bulwarks--heaven only knows; but we did.  The guns
were pointed so as to sweep the ship from stem to taffrail at about the
level of the top of the bulwarks; and, had the men been standing erect,
we must have lost half of them.

"Starboard your helm! hard a-starboard!" cried I to the man at the
wheel, as the schooner rebounded from the chain; "let fly your starboard
braces!  Gigs and quarter-boats away!  Mr Courtenay, have the goodness
to take the gig and silence that battery on the north side of the
channel; Mr Fidd, go you in the quarter-boat and do the same with the
battery on the south side.  Take a hammer and a bag of nails each, and
spike the guns before you leave them.  Flatten in, forward there, the
larboard sheets, and help her head to pay round; we must go outside
again and seek a passage elsewhere."

The men, fully realising the peril of the situation in which we now
found ourselves, sprang like wild-cats to execute the orders I had
given; and in an incredibly short time both boats were in the water,
with their crews in them, fully armed.

They were in the very act of shoving off when the sound of a sudden
commotion in the cabin reached me, quickly followed by cries for help
from Sanderson; and, before I had time to reach the sky-light to see
what was amiss, up through the companion dashed poor O'Flaherty closely
followed by the doctor, the former naked as when he was born, his hair
bristling, his eyes aflame with fever, his teeth clenched, and the blood
streaming from the disarranged bandages about his right shoulder.  He
glared round the deck for an instant, a single horrible unearthly cry
escaped from between his clenched teeth, and then--before any of us had
sufficiently recovered from our astonishment to lay a preventing hand
upon him--with one bound he reached the rail, sprang upon it, and,
steadying himself with his left hand by grasping the main-topmast back-
stay, waved his bleeding right arm frantically to Courtenay, who by this
time was a hundred yards away.  At this moment the hidden battery on the
north side of the channel again opened fire, this time with round shot.
We felt a jar which told us that the schooner had been hulled; and, at
the same moment, heard a sickening thud and saw poor O'Flaherty's body,
doubled-up like a pair of compasses, dashed lifeless and bloody to the
deck by one of the shot, which had struck him fair in the stomach and
cut him almost in two.  It was a ghastly sight; but there was no time
just then to inquire of Sanderson what the sudden escapade meant, or
even to have the body removed, for the schooner was at that moment head
to wind, and I was most anxious to get her round, which in that cramped
channel was no very easy matter.  We managed to box her off, however, in
the right direction, when the topsail was backed, and we lay motionless
on the half stagnant water waiting for the return of the boats.

We had not very long to wait.  A loud, confused shouting, intermingled
with a ringing British cheer from our own lads now and then, accompanied
by the clash of steel and the popping of pistols, told us, whilst we
were manoeuvring the schooner, that the boats' crews had effected a
landing; and about ten minutes later Courtenay's boat reappeared,
emerging from among the mangroves with another boat in tow, which, being
captured from the enemy, was stove and sunk directly she was brought
alongside the schooner.  Fidd's boat followed almost immediately
afterwards; and I then had the gratification of learning that both
batteries had been captured, the guns spiked and capsized into the mud,
and the men who manned them driven off into the swamps, where they were
perfectly powerless to work us further harm, for some time to come at
all events, in consequence of the destruction of the boat, which
constituted their only means of escape from the situation they then
occupied.  And this, too, without injury to a man on our side, though
the pirates had suffered pretty severely.

This was eminently satisfactory.  There was now nothing to prevent the
removal by us of the chain which barred our passage up the lagoon; but I
had a shrewd suspicion that other snares and pitfalls had been prepared
for us further on, and I had made up my mind to see if these could not
be evaded by passing out of the lagoons and making our way to the
westward, close along the northern shore of the chain of islands which
formed them.  I thought it quite possible that a navigable channel for
the schooner might be found somewhere between these islands, giving
access to the lagoons so near their head as to be beyond the range of
whatever other barriers to our upward progress might have been prepared;
and, if we failed in this, I felt confident that we should at least be
able to push through with our boats.  As soon, therefore, as the boats
had been hoisted up, we filled on the schooner and made the best of our
way back again.

I judged that it would take us a full hour or more to reach the spot
which I had in my mind's eye; advantage was therefore taken of this
brief period of peace and quietness to let the men get their dinners,
with a glass of grog afterwards.  They were thus rested, refreshed, and
ready to do anything or go anywhere when, about three bells in the
afternoon watch, we arrived at a spot distant something like five miles
from the entrance to the lagoons, where we found a narrow but apparently
deep channel trending to the southward, and promising to give access to
the lagoons.

The schooner was at once hove to, and Courtenay, in the gig, with his
crew fully armed, went away to take soundings and to reconnoitre.
Twenty minutes later the boat returned with the gratifying intelligence
that the channel was scarcely a quarter of a mile in length; that it
communicated, as anticipated, with the lagoon, and that, too, so
advantageously that, with due caution and by taking advantage of the
cover afforded by a small island, it might be possible for the boats to
approach undetected so closely to our enemies as to take them in a great
measure by surprise.  It was further discovered that there were three
feluccas--one large three-masted craft and two small one-masters,
surmised to be our recent acquaintances of the Cristo Cays--lying in the
anchorage, with springs on their cables and apparently all ready for
immediate action; but the schooner which we saw on our last visit was
now absent, and Merlani--presumably--with her.  The channel upon which
we had so fortuitously chanced was found to be of ample depth throughout
almost its entire length to float the _Foam_; but, unhappily, there was
a sort of bar, with only four feet of water upon it, stretching entirely
across its inner extremity; and we should thus be compelled to make the
attack with the boats.  This was peculiarly unfortunate, as it would
necessitate the division of our forces, a certain number of hands being
required to look after the schooner--and this we could ill afford to do
in view of the strength of those opposed to us.  There was, however,
evidently no help for it; we therefore manned all three of the boats, a
six-pounder being placed in the bows of the long-boat, or launch as our
people had got into the way of calling her; and I decided, after
considerable reflection, to personally lead the attack, leaving the
schooner under weigh and with all her guns loaded with round and grape,
with six hands and the quarter-master on board to take care of her.  I
was, heaven knows, wretchedly unfit for service of so arduous a
character as that involved in a boat attack; but the consciousness that
upon the result of this action depended the success or failure of the
main object of the expedition, coupled with the anxiety attendant upon
my responsible position, overcame for the time being the feeling of
illness resulting from my wound, and created a restless excitement and
eagerness for which I feared I should afterwards suffer severely, but
which impelled me at all risks to be present and to take the direction
of affairs.  The men, encouraged by the report of the gig's crew,
tumbled into the boats with alacrity and in high spirits; Courtenay
retained the command of the gig; Fidd, the boatswain, again assumed the
command of the quarter-boat; and, snatching a cutlass from the arm-
chest, I stepped into the launch, said a parting word or two to the
quarter-master, and then gave the order to shove off; upon which away we
all dashed in profound silence for the mouth of the passage.



CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE CONQUEST OF THE CONCONIL LAGOONS.

A very short time, some three minutes or so, sufficed to carry us
through the channel into the lagoon, which once reached, away we went
for the back of the island, under the friendly cover of which we hoped
to reach undiscovered within about a cable's length of our foe.  Half a
dozen strokes of the oars sufficed to carry our little flotilla across
the narrow strip of water, during the traversing of which there was a
possibility of our premature discovery; and whilst we were dashing
across this open space, I made the best possible use of my eyes to take
in the position of affairs.  I was enabled to note the situations of the
three feluccas, which were lying at anchor about a mile distant, and we
could see men moving about the decks of each, but there was no movement
or sound on board either that we could discern indicative of our
presence being observed.  I was earnestly hoping and praying that the
eyes and the whole attention of the pirates would be turned in the
opposite direction, from whence they doubtless expected us to make our
appearance, and we subsequently learned that such was actually the case.

The moment we were fairly under cover of the island I ordered the men to
ease up on their oars, in order that they might husband their strength
as much as possible for the final dash and the ensuing struggle, which I
could see would be a severe one, and waving Courtenay to range
alongside, the next few minutes were devoted to a final settlement of
the plan of attack.  I had observed that the two small feluccas were
lying inside the larger one, all three of the craft being nearly in a
straight line; and it was arranged that our three boats should, on
emerging from the shelter of the island, make a dash at the nearest, as
if about to board her, Courtenay making for the larboard side of the
vessel, whilst Fidd and I made a feint of attacking on the starboard
side.  The bulk of the crew we considered would naturally, seeing this,
muster on the starboard side to oppose the strongest division of the
attacking force, thus leaving the larboard side but weakly defended, and
so rendering it a tolerably easy matter for Courtenay and his boat's
crew to gain a footing upon her deck.  Having thus given the gigs what
aid we could, the launch and quarter-boat were to pass on and make for
the large felucca, leaving Courtenay to gain possession of the first
vessel attacked, to secure her crew, and then to further act according
to his own discretion.

Shortly after the completion of these arrangements we found that we were
getting into close proximity with our foes, the masts of the feluccas
opening out simultaneously from behind a high bluff, and showing over a
sloping spur or point of the island between them and ourselves.  We
accordingly got the boats into line, the men braced themselves for a
dash, and in another minute or two the boats were unmasked by rounding
the point.  Even then we managed to get a length or two nearer the
vessels before we were discovered, for I had given the strictest
injunctions to the men not to cheer until we heard from the feluccas,
but the roll of the oars in their rowlocks at length betrayed us, as was
announced by a shout of unmistakable dismay from the nearest felucca,
immediately succeeded by a tremendous amount of confusion and bustle on
board.  Then, indeed, our lads _did_ cheer once, with an enthusiasm
which must have been eminently disconcerting to the enemy, after which
they laid down to their oars in a style which, I must confess, fairly
astonished me.  We went through the water like race-horses over the
ground, dashing alongside the first felucca in so short a time that her
crew were unable to train their guns upon us, and so greeted us only
with a confused volley of musketry which hurt nobody.  As we swerved
away from her, and headed for the large craft a couple of cable's-
lengths distant, I caught sight of Courtenay's head and shoulders over
the bulwarks, showing that he, gallant fellow, had already gained a
footing on her deck; and a few seconds later, amid the clash of steel
and the popping of pistols, another British cheer told us that the gigs
were all hard at it, and evidently gaining the advantage.

The crews of the other two feluccas now began to haul on their springs,
in order that their broadsides might be brought to bear upon us, but we
were too quick for them both as it happened; the second small craft
could not be got round smartly enough to do us any harm, and as for the
big one, in their hurry to annihilate us, her crew fired too high, and
their whole broadside whizzed harmlessly over our heads.  We replied
effectively with our six-pounder, which was loaded with round and grape,
and pointed so high that we were enabled to fire within three fathoms of
the felucca's side, and before the smoke had cleared away we were
alongside, Fidd tackling them on the larboard side, whilst we in the
launch attacked on the starboard.

It was well for us that we had had the forethought to bring the gun with
us, for the deck of the vessel we were now attacking was crowded with
men, so crowded, indeed, that the bulwarks were closely lined on each
side to oppose us, whilst others were seen behind the first line all
ready to support their comrades, and but for the confusion created by
the timely discharge of our piece, not one of us could possibly have
lived to reach her deck.  As it was, I slightly altered my plans at the
last moment, for seeing that the pirates had mustered strongly in the
waist, evidently expecting us to board there, I gave orders for the
launch to be allowed to shoot along the vessel's side until we reached
her bows, where there were fewer men to oppose us.  It proved to be a
happy inspiration, for whilst we were busy forcing our way in over the
felucca's low rail, several cold shot were hove over her side amidships,
evidently with the intention of sinking the boat, but being where we
were, they of course all missed and splashed harmlessly into the water.
Poor Fidd was less fortunate than ourselves, his boat being stove the
instant she ran alongside, and for a few minutes he and his crew were in
a pretty pickle, hanging on to the bulwarks and channels, and wherever
they could gain a hold, vainly striving to force their way inboard.
Indeed, for that matter, none of us were over-comfortably situated, our
party being outnumbered in the proportion of fully four to one, with the
further disadvantage that we were _outside_ the bulwarks, whilst our
opponents were _inside_, and with a firm spacious deck to stand upon.
It was perceptible at a glance that the case was one wherein a prompt
and bold dash was necessary, for unless we could succeed in establishing
a footing at the first rush, the chances were that we should fail
altogether.  I therefore hastily called to my men to reserve their
pistol-fire until they were sure of their mark, and, placing my cutlass
between my teeth and whipping a pistol from my belt, sprang for the
bulwarks the instant we touched.  A great brawny fellow, whose ferocious
visage I well-remembered having seen among those of the drunken party
who boarded the _Pinta_, instantly stepped forward with an upraised axe
to oppose me, but I was fortunate enough to send a bullet crashing
through his brain ere the weapon descended, and as he staggered and fell
backwards on the deck I leapt in over the rail and gained the spot which
he had occupied.  A dozen opponents at once closed in upon me, but my
second pistol accounted for one; another lost his weapon and his right
hand together by the first stroke of my cutlass; and by that time most
of the launches had gained a footing on the deck, so that we began to
make our presence felt.  About this time, too, Fidd, with three or four
of his best men, were on the right side of the bulwarks; and in another
minute the entire party, or at least all those who were not killed or
desperately wounded, were on the felucca's deck, and settling down to
their work in grim earnest.  And now ensued a hand-to-hand encounter of
as desperate and sanguinary a character as it has ever been my fortune
to witness, our tars on the one hand realising that if we were
vanquished very few of us would ever be allowed to escape alive from the
lagoon, whilst the pirates, of course, knew only too well that they were
fighting with halters round their necks.  For fully a quarter of an hour
was the hellish conflict waged upon the deck of the felucca, our lads
now gaining a yard or two, and anon being driven back by sheer force of
numbers until our backs were pressed against the rail, and further
retreat, unless over the side, became impossible.  And all the while the
air was full of the gleam and clash of steel, the crack of pistol and
musket, the tramp of feet, the heavy breathing of the combatants, with
their muttered execrations and ejaculations, the sharp cries of the
newly wounded, and the groans and moans of those who were already down,
and whose lives were being trampled out of them in the press and stress
of the strife.  And, oh! the sickening odour of blood which tainted the
hot, still atmosphere, and assailed our nostrils with every gasping
breath we drew!  The deck planking was slippery with the sanguinary
flood, the bulwarks were splashed with it, our hands, faces, and
clothing were bespattered with it, the scuppers were flowing with it,
for a time it almost seemed to be _raining_ blood!  Faugh! the very
memory of that dreadful scene is sickening; let us say no more about it
but pass on.  At length our lads--that is to say the launches and
quarter-boat's crews--managed to get the pirates fairly jammed in
between them, and then the very numbers of our foes were in our favour,
for, huddled together as they were in the waist, not half of them could
find room enough to strike an effective blow.  Moreover, it became
pretty evident that they had had enough of it, and were beginning to
lose heart; instead of pressing eagerly to the front to meet us, as at
first, each man now seemed anxious only to retire into the centre of the
crowd, leaving to somebody else the glory of carrying on the defence.
Seeing this, I rallied the launches, and with them made a final and
desperate charge into the thickest of the enemy, when the rout of the
latter at once became complete, some of them flinging away their weapons
and leaping overboard, whilst others tore up the hatches and sprang
headlong into the hold.  Example of this kind is always contagious; if
one gives way, another does the same, and is immediately imitated by a
third, and so it was in the present case; the panic instantly spread,
and before we well knew what was happening the two boats' crews had
joined forces, our enemies had vanished, and victory was ours.

The cheer raised by the victors was immediately responded to from the
second of the small feluccas, which we now had time to notice had, like
the first, been boarded and carried by Courtenay and his gallant little
band.  My dashing shipmate had, it seemed, on capturing his first prize,
promptly clapped her crew under hatches, after which he immediately cut
her cables, loosed her canvas, and ran her on board her consort, by
which piece of skilful generalship he was enabled to board his enemy
upon equal terms, instead of having to clamber in over her bulwarks from
the boat.  He was just securing his second batch of prisoners,
preparatory to bearing down to lend us a helping hand, when our cheer of
victory announced to him that his assistance was no longer necessary.

We now set to work to clap the whole of our prisoners in irons, a task
in the execution of which I anticipated a considerable amount
difficulty; but, fortunately for us, they seemed to have had quite as
much fighting as they cared for, and therefore submitted with a
tolerably good grace--or, perhaps, I ought rather to say with the apathy
of hardened men fully conscious of the fact that further resistance was
utterly unavailing.  This task completed, and the whole of the captured
pirates transferred to the hold of the big felucca--round the open
hatchway of which four of her brass nine-pounders were ranged, loaded
with langridge, within view of our prisoners, and their muzzles
depressed so that they pointed right down into the interior of the
hold--our next business was to land a party for the purpose of securing
whatever booty could be found, and afterwards to destroy the various
buildings and stores of the depot.  As yet we had detected no sign of
life anywhere on shore; the pirates seemed, one and all, to have betaken
themselves to their craft, apparently confident of their ability with
them to achieve an easy victory over us in the--to them--unlikely event
of our forcing a passage through the various obstructions which they had
prepared for us at different parts of the channel; but notwithstanding
this apparent absence of foes on shore I deemed it best to send a very
strong party, fully armed of course, under Courtenay's command.  The
entire force of the expedition, with the exception of six hands which I
retained on board our biggest prize to keep an eye on the prisoners, was
accordingly sent away in the launch--now, unhappily, in consequence of
our numerous casualties, of ample capacity to accommodate the men
composing it--and ten minutes later we who were left behind had the
satisfaction of witnessing its unopposed landing.  The launch, with two
boat-keepers in her, was shoved off a few fathoms from the beach; and
the remainder of the party, led by Courtenay, headed at once for the
buildings which crowned the highest spot in the little island.

They reached their destination unmolested, broke up into parties which
entered the various buildings, and, after an interval of some twenty
minutes, reappeared, each man loaded with evidently as much as he could
carry.  The spoil--or whatever it was--was piled upon the sandy beach,
close to the water's edge; and a second journey to the buildings then
followed.  Three of these journeys in all were made, and at the
conclusion of the third the launch was hailed to run in and commence
taking in cargo.  That the articles shipped were tolerably weighty was
evident from the fact that the boat repeatedly needed to be pushed
further and still further astern to keep her afloat, and from the
rapidity with which she settled down in the water.  It was no very long
job to transfer the goods from beach to boat; after which the men who
had been doing the work scrambled on board and took their places, the
water reaching above their waists as they waded off to her.  A shrill
signal whistle was then given from the boat; a lookout on the summit of
the hill answered it with a wave of the hand and then disappeared
through the door of the principal building.  A pause of a minute or two
followed, when a little party of four, Courtenay being one of them,
emerged from the various buildings and set off down the hill.  By the
time that they reached the launch thin wreaths of light bluish smoke
were seen issuing from the buildings they had just left; and by the time
the launch had arrived once more alongside the felucca the smoke had
assumed a darker hue, had increased in volume and density, and was seen
to be streaked here and there with flickering tongues of flame.

"Well," said I, as Courtenay clambered in over the low bulwarks of the
felucca, "you met with no resistance, I was glad to see, and you appear
to have taken pretty effectual measures for the destruction of the
hornets' nest yonder.  Did you see no sign of anybody about there?"

"No sign whatever," was the reply.  "We could see all over the place
from the top of the hill, and I do not believe there is a living
creature of any description on the island.  If there is, it will be so
much the worse for them half an hour hence, about which time something
very like an earthquake will take place, for I have lighted a slow match
communicating with a magazine containing about three tons of powder in
bulk, to say nothing of perhaps a couple of thousand cartridges.  The
buildings are all effectually fired, as you may see; and we have brought
off a boat-load of plunder which, from its weight, I judge must consist
largely of specie, the doubloons, doubtless, of which our friend Carera
discoursed so eloquently.  Now what is the next thing to be done?"

"Why," said I, "I think you had better take the wounded into the launch,
and proceed with her, just as she is, as quickly as possible to the
schooner.  Turn the wounded over to Sanderson, stow your booty in the
hold, hoist in the launch, and then make sail for the mouth of the
lagoon, where I hope to fall in with you in the felucca.  I shall only
be able to spare you six hands to pull the boat, but that will not
greatly matter, as I think you are not likely to be interfered with
during your passage to the schooner; and I do not wish to start short-
handed, as we may possibly have a little more fighting to do on our way
down the lagoon.  Now, hurry away as fast as you can, please; those two
small craft which you so gallantly took are not worth the trouble of
carrying away; I shall therefore fire them and then get under way
forthwith."

The painful task of moving the wounded was then undertaken; and it was
most distressing to see how severe our loss had been.  Out of a total of
thirty-six, all told, which had left the schooner in the boats, five
only had escaped uninjured--Courtenay and I had both been hurt, though
nothing to speak of--nine were killed, and thirteen so severely wounded
as to be unfit for duty.

Having at length seen the launch fairly under weigh for the schooner, I
sent Fidd away with four hands in the gig to fire our two smaller
prizes--a task which was soon accomplished, as the vessels were lying
alongside each other.  The felucca's canvas was then loosed, her anchor
was roused up to her bows, and we got under weigh.

We had not proceeded further than a couple of miles down the lagoon
before--as I had quite expected--we came upon a battery constructed upon
a small projecting spit; which battery, had we been passing _up_ instead
of _down_ the lagoon, could have raked us fore and aft for at least
twenty minutes, and peppered us with grape for another ten, without our
being able to fire a single shot in return.  This battery was a hastily
constructed affair of sods, and it mounted only one gun, but that gun
was a long eighteen; and had we removed the chain barrier which formed
the first obstruction, and persevered in our original attempt to pass up
the lagoon, there can be no doubt that this gun would have destroyed the
schooner and all hands.  The people who manned the battery could not
possibly have failed to hear the firing that had been going on at the
head of the lagoon; but they seemed to have failed to comprehend its
full significance, and, therefore, to have been unable to make up their
minds to slue the gun round and point it in the opposite direction.
This state of indecision on their part not only enabled us to approach
them with impunity but also to take them in flank; and a couple of
rounds of grape from the felucca so astonished and demoralised them that
those who were not killed or disabled by our fire incontinently
abandoned the battery and sought safety in flight to the deepest
recesses of the bush which lined the shore.

Fidd, with a dozen hands, then jumped into the schooner's gig, which had
been towing astern of the felucca, and shoved off with the object of
destroying the battery; and we now had another specimen of the ability
with which the defences of the lagoon had been planned; for, on
approaching the battery, it was found to be bordered on three sides by a
bank of ooze, some ten fathoms broad, which ooze proved to be of such a
consistency that, whilst it was much too liquid and too deep to permit
of a man wading through it, it was at the same time so thick as to
render the passage of a boat through it almost impossible.  It took the
crew of the gig more than twenty minutes to force the boat through this
semi-liquid mass, they exerting themselves to their utmost, meanwhile;
so that, had the schooner, in passing up the lagoon, managed to survive
the fire of the gun, any attempt to storm the battery with the aid of
boats must have resulted in irretrievable disaster.  However, Fidd and
his blue-jackets managed to reach _terra firma_ eventually; and it was
then the work of only a few minutes to capsize the gun and all its
appurtenances over the edge of the bank into the ooze, where the whole
was instantly swallowed up.

Meanwhile, the felucca, slowly drifting down the lagoon, encountered--at
a distance of some fifty fathoms below the battery--another obstacle, in
the shape of a second chain, similar to the former, stretched across the
channel, which rendered our further progress impossible until the
barrier had been removed.  This--there being nobody to interfere with
our actions--was soon done; and we then passed on, meeting with no
further obstruction until we came to the first chain.  This, like the
one previously passed, was removed by casting off both ends and allowing
the whole affair to sink to the bottom of the lagoon--where it was
doubtless instantly swallowed up by the mud--and in less than half an
hour afterwards we found ourselves clear of the terrible lagoons
altogether and fairly in Santa Clara Bay, where we fell in with the
_Foam_, hove to and waiting for us.

It was by this time within an hour of sunset; so, as I was anxious to
get into open water before nightfall, it was arranged that we should go
out to sea through the Manou Channel and Cardenas Bay, as we had before
done in the _Pinta_; and the passage was accomplished without mishap;
Diana Cay being passed on our larboard hand, and the vessels' heads
being laid north by east just as the first stars began to twinkle out
from the darkening blue above us.

Shortly after this it fell calm; and advantage was taken of the brief
period of inactivity preceding the springing up of the land-breeze to
apportion the few effective hands remaining to us as fairly as possible
between the schooner and her prize, the latter being, of course, put
under Courtenay's command, with Pottle, the quarter-master, as
lieutenants, gun-room officers, and midshipmen all rolled into one.
Courtenay's crew, with their kits and hammocks, were transferred to the
felucca in good time to fill on her and stand on in the wake of the
_Foam_ with the first of the land-breeze; and then, with Pottle in
temporary charge of the prize, and Tompion keeping a lookout on the deck
of the schooner, Courtenay and I, more firmly knit together than ever by
the trying events of the day we had just passed through, sat down to
talk matters quietly over together while we discussed the very
creditable dinner which the steward had provided for us.

On the following morning the melancholy task of burying our dead was
performed, both vessels being hove to, with their colours' hoisted half-
mast high, during the ceremony; and I think it was a very great relief
to all hands when, the poor fellows--ten in all, including O'Flaherty--
having been consigned with all solemnity to their last resting-place
beneath the heaving billow, we were able to fill away again and resume
our course to the northward and eastward.

Noon that day found us three miles to windward of the Anguilas, situate
at the south-east extremity of the Cay Sal Bank; and an hour later the
lookout on board the _Foam_ reported a sail, apparently a large
schooner, on our weather-beam, running up the Old Channel under easy
canvas.  The breeze was then blowing rather fresh at about east by
north, the _Foam_ thrashing along with her lee covering-board awash, her
royal stowed, and her topmasts whipping about like a couple of fishing-
rods; whilst the felucca was about three miles ahead of us and broad on
our weather bow, going two feet to our one, and weathering on us at
every plunge.  We were consequently sailing at right angles to the
stranger, and rather drawing away from the line of her course than
otherwise; yet such was the speed with which she came along that in half
an hour she was hull-up from our deck.  It now became apparent that she
was manifesting a certain amount of curiosity as to who and what we
might happen to be; for instead of gradually revealing her starboard
broadside to us, as she would have done had she held on her original
course, she was gradually hauling her wind by keeping her bowsprit
pointed straight for us.  I was at first disposed to regard her as
English, but the enormous spread of her lower and topsail-yards
convinced me, upon her nearer approach, that I was mistaken.  That same
peculiarity of rig was a strong argument against the assumption of her
being French; and, considerably puzzled what to make of her, I sent for
my glass, in order to get a clearer view of her.  By the time that the
instrument had been brought on deck and put into my hand she was within
four miles of us; and a single glance through the telescope sufficed to
tell me who and what she was.  Yes, there could be no doubt about it;
the craft running down so rapidly toward us was none other than
Merlani's schooner, the identical craft Courtenay and I had seen hove
down on the occasion of our visit to the Conconil lagoons.

Here was a pretty kettle of fish, indeed!  The fellow's decks would, of
course, be crowded with men, whilst I had not enough hands to man a
single broadside, supposing even that I sent every available man to the
guns, leaving the canvas to take care of itself!  And as for Courtenay,
he was even worse off than myself.  I was puzzled what to do for the
best; for I felt that a single false move at such a juncture, and in the
presence of such an enemy, might involve us in absolute ruin.  A hurried
consultation with the boatswain and gunner, however, decided me to put a
bold face upon the affair and "brazen it out;" in accordance with which
resolution our ensign and pennant were hoisted, the topgallant-sail was
clewed up and furled, and the gaff-topsail hauled down and stowed.
Courtenay very smartly followed suit in the matter of showing his
colours, tacking at the same time and edging down toward us.  This
evidently shook the nerves of our unwelcome neighbour somewhat; he
seemed to think two to one rather long odds, for he immediately bore
away far enough to show us his gaff-end clear of his topsail, when he at
once ran up the stars and stripes.  With this display of bunting we, of
course, feigned to be perfectly satisfied, and each vessel held on her
course, Merlani, doubtless, chuckling to think how smartly he had
hoodwinked us, whilst we were only too pleased at having got out of the
difficulty so easily.  On Courtenay rounding to under our stern it
appeared that he, too, believed the strange craft to be Merlani's
schooner; like me, he had been temporarily thrown off his balance; and
like me, also, he had just come to the conclusion that a bold front was
the proper game to play, when the sight of our colours and our
shortening of sail gave him his cue, and he had forthwith put down his
helm and come round to take his part in the game of braggadocio.

This incident of our rencontre with Merlani (for we subsequently learned
that it actually _was_ he) was the last occurrence worthy of record
which befell us on our somewhat eventful cruise; for after losing sight
of the suspected schooner we never fell in with another sail of any
description until we entered Port Royal harbour, where we arrived, after
a pleasant but somewhat tardy passage, exactly one week after our fight
in the Conconil lagoons.  I may as well here state, parenthetically,
that, under Sanderson's skilful hands and assiduous care, all the
wounded, myself included, did marvellously well; and though some of the
poor fellows, on arrival, had to be removed to the hospital, every one
of them eventually recovered.  As for me, contrary to all expectation
the excitement and exertion to which I had been unavoidably exposed did
me no harm whatever; and on the morning of our arrival I was able to
dispense with the cumbersome and unsightly swathing of turban-like
bandages which I had up to then been compelled to wear, a liberal
application of sticking-plaster being all that I thenceforward required
until my wound was completely healed.

Our black pilot berthed us, at my request, close under the guns of the
flag-ship; and our anchor had scarcely taken a fair grip of the ground
before I found myself seated in the stern-sheets of my gig, with my
carefully written report in my hand, _en route_ for an interview with
the admiral I found the old gentleman on the quarter-deck of the _Mars_,
up and down which he was stumping in evidently no very amiable mood.
Something or other, I forget what, had put his temper out of joint; and
he was expressing himself with a freedom, vigour, and fluency of
language which I have seldom heard equalled, certainly never surpassed.
He was inclined to be ironical, too; for on my presenting myself before
him he brought up abruptly, and, surveying me fiercely for a moment,
exclaimed:

"Well, young gentleman, pray, who may you be, and what do you want, if I
may venture so far as to make the inquiry?"

"I am Mr Lascelles, sir, of the schooner _Foam_, just arrived; and I
have come on board to make my report," I replied.

"Oh!" said he, somewhat less sternly, "you are Mr Lascelles, of the
schooner _Foam_, are you?  And pray, sir, where is Mr O'Flaherty, that
you should find it necessary to discharge his functions?  He is not
wounded, I hope?"

"I regret to say, sir, that he is dead," said I.

"Dead!" he repeated; "tut, tut; that is bad news, indeed.  Here, come
into my cabin with me, and sit down; you look as pale as a ghost, and
have been wounded yourself, if that fag-end of sticking-plaster which I
see projecting beneath the rim of your hat has any significance.  There,
take a chair, help yourself to a glass of wine, and make yourself
comfortable," he continued, as we reached his cool, roomy cabin.  "Give
me your report, and let me have a short verbal account of how you got on
and what has befallen you.  You brought in a prize with you, I see, and
a very fine craft of her class she seems to be.  There, now, fire away
with your yarn."

I refreshed myself with a sip of the old gentleman's very excellent
Madeira, and then proceeded to give him an outline of the principal
events of our cruise, my narrative being frequently broken in upon by
him with questions of a decidedly searching character in reference to
such matters as seemed to him to require further elucidation.

At the close of my narrative the old gentleman rose from his seat and
shook me warmly by the hand, exclaiming:

"Well done, my dear boy; well done!  You have behaved admirably, and
with a discretion far beyond your years.  Had I known as much at the
outset as I do now I need not have sent Mr O'Flaherty at all.  Poor
fellow! he was a good officer and a brave man, none braver, but he was
rash.  He had seen a great deal of boat service, and I thought--well,
well! never mind.  It is a pity he gave the alarm to those feluccas so
prematurely, though.  I am very pleased with you, young gentleman, and
with your shipmate too--very pleased indeed.  You got out of two bad
scrapes very cleverly, to say nothing of the way in which you afterwards
weathered upon the arch-pirate himself.  Ha! ha! that was neatly done,
upon my word.  You did quite right, my boy, not to turn your stern to
him.  Never turn tail to an enemy, even though he be big enough to eat
you, until the very last moment, nor then, if you think you have the
ghost of a chance of thrashing him.  Which does not mean, however, that,
when retreat is necessary, you are to stay until it is too late and be
eaten.  I should have liked to see the fellow chuckling to himself as he
thought how cleverly he had hoodwinked you.  Poor chap! he little
dreamed that you were walking off with all his hard-earned savings
snugly stowed away beneath your cabin-floor.  And it shall not be so
very long, please God, before we will have him also and his crew safe in
irons.  Well, well!  Now, be off aboard your hooker again, and see all
ready for turning over the prisoners and the plunder; and, harkye,
youngster, come and dine with me at the Penn to-night.  Seven, sharp!
and give my compliments to your shipmate, and say I shall be glad to see
him too."



CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

A DINNER PARTY AT THE ADMIRAL'S PENN.

The dinner that evening at the Penn was a very pleasant affair indeed,
at all events for Courtenay and myself; for on that occasion we reaped
the first-fruits of all the toil and peril which we had recently
encountered in the shape of that ungrudging and unstinted praise and
commendation which is so welcome and so encouraging to the young
aspirant for fame.  The party consisted of three post-captains, a
commander, four lieutenants, and half a dozen mids, ourselves included;
which, with the jolly old admiral our host, made up a nice compact
party.  The guests, it appeared, had all been invited expressly to meet
us and do us honour; we consequently found ourselves to be the lions of
the evening.  We were, of course, invited to tell our story all over
again from its commencement, which we did, beginning with the mutiny on
board the _Hermione_, the narrative being frequently broken in upon by
questions from one or another of the guests, all of whom, I am bound to
record, manifested the utmost interest in what we had to say.  These
questions, on more than one occasion, took quite the form of a severe
cross-examination, the post-captains in particular seeming determined to
arrive at a clear and distinct understanding as to the motives which
prompted us in many of our actions and decisions.  I was somewhat at a
loss at first to comprehend the meaning of all this cross-questioning;
but it became apparent later on in the evening when the three captains
and the commander each formally offered to receive us on board their
ships, one of which happened to be a seventy-four, whilst the other
three were fine dashing frigates.  These offers were all, of course, of
a most advantageous character, and had we accepted them I feel sure
that, joining either ship with the reputations which we had honestly won
for ourselves, our advancement in the service would have been certain
and rapid.  But something in the admiral's manner caused me to hesitate,
so, with hearty thanks to each for his kind offer, I begged the favour
of a few hours for consideration; and Courtenay, taking his cue from me,
did the same.  When at length we all rose to take leave of our host and
return to our respective ships the admiral drew Courtenay and me aside,
and said, as he shook hands with us:

"Before you decide to accept or to refuse either of the offers which
have been made to you to-night come and see me.  I shall be on board the
flag-ship to-morrow at noon."

We promised that we would do so, and shortly afterwards got under weigh
in company with our fellow guests, the whole party being on horseback,
for Kingston; our road, or rather the bush path along which we travelled
for the greater part of the way, being brilliantly lighted by the rays
of a glorious full moon.

The "autocrats of the quarter-deck" with whom we thus found ourselves
privileged to ride cheek by jowl all proved to be splendid fellows, very
gentlemanly in their manner, yet--having evidently sunk the quarter-deck
for the nonce--frank and hearty as I believe only sailors can be.  They
permitted, or rather they _invited_ us by their cordial manner, to join
freely in the conversation, instead of relegating us to the rear, as
some captains would undoubtedly have done in like circumstances, and
held out so many inducements for us to join that I at length got the
idea into my head that they actually _wanted_ us.  This frank and
friendly treatment served one good purpose at least; it gave us a
clearer insight into their characters and dispositions than we had been
able to obtain at the admiral's dinner-table, and helped us to
definitely make up our minds under which leader, if either of them, we
would serve.

Punctual to the moment Courtenay and I presented ourselves on the
quarter-deck of the _Mars_ next day and sent in our names to the
admiral, who was in his cabin, just as the ship's bell was striking
eight.  We were at once invited to step into the cabin, which we did,
finding the old gentleman busy with his secretary writing letters.  He
had evidently just completed the dictation of one as we entered, for he
remarked to the thin pale young man who was seated with him at the
table:

"There, Purkis, that will do for the present.  Just transcribe the
documents you have already taken down whilst I have a chat with these
young gentlemen; and I daresay that by the time you have finished I
shall be ready to go on again.  Well, young gentlemen," he continued,
"good morning.  Find a couple of chairs and bring yourselves to an
anchor," waving his hand toward some of the articles of furniture in
question as he spoke.

When we had seated ourselves he resumed:

"Well, now that you have slept over the offers you received last night,
what do you think of them?"

As he looked straight at me during the propounding of this question I
took the initiative in replying, and said:

"So far as I am concerned, sir, _unless you have something else in view
for me_, I should like to join the _Alecto_ and serve under Captain
Fanshawe."

"And you?" inquired the old gentleman, turning to Courtenay.

"I should like to accompany my friend Lascelles wherever he goes, if you
have no objection, sir," was Courtenay's reply.

"Well," said the admiral, rubbing his bald head in a manner which seemed
to denote that he was somewhat perplexed, "I think you have chosen very
well.  The _Alecto_ is a noble frigate and a very comfortable ship,
whilst Fanshawe is one of the very best men on the station, or indeed I
may say in the entire service.  He will be very glad to have you both, I
know, if you elect to join, him.  But you," he continued, addressing me
more particularly, "qualified the expression of your choice by adding
the words, `unless you have something else in view for me,' upon which
words you laid some stress.  Now, I do not wish to influence either of
you in any way; but do I understand you to mean by that expression that
you are willing to place yourselves in my hands?"

"Most assuredly yes, sir," I replied.  "In any case it would be our duty
to do so, but you have been pleased to express such very high approval
of our conduct during our recent cruise, and have exhibited such a
flattering interest in us and our welfare, that duty in this case
becomes a positive pleasure; and for my part, I ask nothing better than
permission to leave myself entirely in your hands."

"And I, also," chimed in Courtenay.

"Very well spoken, young sirs; very well spoken, indeed!" exclaimed the
admiral, evidently much gratified at our reply.  "Well," he continued,
"I _have_ other views for you both; views which presented themselves as
I sat listening to what you had to tell me yesterday morning, and which
were strengthened by what I afterwards found in your capitally written
report.  It is not my practice to flatter or unduly praise officers--
especially youngsters like you--for a proper performance of their duty;
such a practice is apt to make them conceited--to think too much of
themselves, to consider that there is nobody like them, and that they
cannot be done without.  But you both appear to be modest and thoroughly
sensible lads; you have exhibited an amount of tact and judgment quite
beyond your years, in circumstances where much older men might have been
puzzled how to act; I therefore do not hesitate to say that I am
exceedingly pleased with you both, that I am thoroughly satisfied with
your conduct in every respect; and that I think, considering how very
short-handed we are at present on the station in the matter of officers,
you might be better employed than in the mere doing of midshipman's duty
even on board a smart frigate.  You have, both of you, interested me
very much; I should like to see you getting on in your profession and
mounting the ratlines as speedily as may be; and if you like to trust
yourselves to me, are willing to work hard and behave well, I'll see to
it that you have every chance given you to make your mark.  But I am
afraid I shall have to separate you.  Now, what do you say?"

As the question was again put pointedly to me I replied that, whilst I
should greatly regret being separated from so stanch a shipmate and so
true a friend as my companion had proved himself to be in many a
situation of difficulty and peril, I would not allow the feeling to
interfere in any way with the plans of a kind and generous patron; and I
felt sure that, in saying this on my own behalf, I might also say as
much for my friend.  To which speech Courtenay bowed his acquiescence,
looking rather glum at the same time, I must say.

"Very well," said the admiral, "I _must_ separate you for the present;
but I promise you that you shall become shipmates again at the earliest
convenient opportunity.  Now, listen to me.  There have been numerous
complaints from the merchants here, during the last two or three months,
that cargoes consigned to them have never arrived; and the only
conclusion possible is that the ships carrying these cargoes have been
snapped up by privateers.  I have already sent out all the men-of-war
available to cruise about the spots most likely to be haunted by these
pests; but there are a couple of cruising grounds which are still less
effectively watched than I should like, and I have been thinking I would
send you two lads away to them, just to see what you can do.  You,
Courtenay, I intend to put in charge of that large felucca you brought
in from the lagoons; she is just the craft for the work you will have to
do--a good powerful vessel, but of light draught of water.  Your
cruising ground will be from Cape Maysi northward as far as Long Island,
giving the Kays in Austral Bay an overhaul now and then, thence to
windward of the Windward Passages, down as far south as, say, the Silver
Kay Passage, then to the westward as far as Cape Maysi again.  But you
will have to be very careful, young gentleman, in your navigation of
Austral Bay, or you may find yourself cast away on one or another of the
shoals.  You, Lascelles, I intend to put in command of that schooner,
the _Dauphin_, which was brought in by the _Minerva_ a few days ago; she
is a really formidable vessel of her class, and I think it quite likely
I shall be very severely blamed--behind my back--for intrusting her to a
mere boy, as you are; but you must look upon this command as an
indication of the confidence I have in your gallantry and discretion,
and I shall look to you to justify me by your conduct in the choice I
have made.  Your cruising ground will be round Saint Domingo and as far
east as the Virgin Islands, and the duty of you both will be, firstly,
to protect commerce, and next to beat up the enemy's quarters everywhere
within your bounds, and capture, sink, burn, and destroy everything you
can lay hands on which is not too big for you to tackle.  The whole
coast of Saint Domingo is swarming with French privateers, really
pirates under a rather more respectable name; and it is to these fellows
I want you to more particularly direct your attention.  The _Foam_ I
shall pay off at once, and I think it will be a good plan if you, Mr
Courtenay, will try to secure the hands you now have on board the
felucca for your next cruise.  If you, Mr Lascelles, have any
particularly good men on board the _Foam_ that you would like to keep,
you had better endeavour to get them to enter for the _Dauphin_, which,
by the way, we will re-christen and call the _Dolphin_ for the future.
And now, good morning both of you; if you want a few days' leave, take
it, sending Mr Purkis here your addresses, so that I may know where to
communicate with you.  Do not leave your ships, however, until the
_Foam_ is paid off, which will be to-morrow."

Upon this hint to depart we rose, and thanking our kind benefactor as
briefly as possible for his really extraordinary kindness to us, bowed
ourselves out and withdrew.

As we went down over the side I resolved that I would there and then pay
a visit to my new command, and see what she was like.  I had already
noticed her lying alongside the dockyard wharf, and had admired her, not
only for her handsome rakish appearance, but also because she was the
largest schooner I had at that time ever seen.  We therefore pulled
straight away for the dockyard, Courtenay accompanying me in the
_Foam's_ gig.  As soon as we were fairly away from the _Mars_ my _fidus
achates_ turned to me and said:

"Well, Lascelles, this is all very well for you, old fellow, who are
well up in your navigation; but I really don't know how in the world _I_
shall get on.  It is true I did fairly well in the felucca on our trip
from the lagoons; but then I was always careful to keep the schooner
well in sight, so that I was really trusting to you as much as to
myself.  But now I shall have to depend upon myself, and if I had not
felt certain that you will polish me up during the few days that we may
be in port together, I should have been obliged to decline the admiral's
very kind offer.  What a brick the old fellow is, to be sure; and yet
see what a name he has for harshness and severity."

"Depend upon it," said I, "he is only harsh and severe with those who
deserve it.  Then, great allowances must be made for a man occupying
such a responsible position as his; no matter what goes wrong, or who is
to blame, it is always he who is called to account for it.  He has
certainly proved himself a true friend to us, and henceforward I will
never sit down tamely and hear him vilified.  And as to yourself, my
dear fellow, make your mind easy; you are a far better navigator than
you think yourself, and what little help you may need to render you
perfect I will cheerfully give you; a week's hard study on your part
will be quite sufficient to qualify you for going anywhere."

As we rapidly approached the wharf, the noble proportions of the
_Dolphin_ became every moment more apparent, and when at length the gig
dashed alongside and I passed in through the wide gangway I felt as
though I had a frigate under me.  She measured one hundred and twenty
feet in length between perpendiculars, and was thirty feet beam at her
widest part, which dimensions gave her a measurement of close upon five
hundred tons.  Her hull was, however, exceedingly shallow, her draught
of water being only nine feet when in her usual sailing trim; her lines
were, moreover, without any exception the finest and most beautiful I
ever saw; so that, though, in consequence of the curious manner in which
tonnage was at that time calculated, she was an extraordinarily large
vessel of her class, I do not believe she would have carried a cargo of
more than four hundred tons of dead weight.  This, however, was all in
her favour, so far as speed was concerned, as it gave her large and
beamy hull a very small displacement, whilst her long flat floor
rendered her exceedingly stiff; this latter quality being peculiarly
apparent from the fact that, though on this occasion she had an empty
hold--her iron ballast having been all removed and stacked upon the
wharf--she scarcely deigned to heel at all to the sea-breeze, though it
was blowing half a gale at the time, whilst her spars were all ataunto
just as she had come in from sea.  She was a truly noble craft, her
model was superb, and I fell in love with her on the spot--no sailor
could have helped doing so.  She had been taken under French colours,
but my own opinion, which was supported by that of others who were far
better judges than myself, was that she was American built.  There was
an easy graceful spring in her long spacious deck which no Frenchman
could ever have compassed, and there was an American look too about her
bows, which raked forward in an exquisite curve, whilst they flared
outward in a way which promised to make her wondrously dry and
comfortable in a sea-way.  Her armament had been, like her ballast,
removed to the wharf, and I understood from the foreman in charge that
it was to be replaced by one somewhat lighter; but when I stepped on
shore and saw the guns--eight long eighteens, with a long thirty-two
mounted on a pivot for the forecastle--I inwardly resolved that, since
she had been able to carry them so far, she should continue to do so if
my powers of persuasion could be made to avail anything with the
admiral.  She had accommodation for eighty men forward, and a cabin
abaft which for size and elegance of fittings would not have disgraced a
frigate.  Poor Courtenay was so completely overwhelmed with admiration
that I really felt quite sorry for him; hitherto there had been nothing
approachable in his opinion to the felucca--which, by the bye, I have
forgotten to say was called the _Esmeralda_--but now she was dwarfed
into insignificance in every respect by the _Dolphin_, and her young
skipper quite put out of conceit with her.  However, I consoled myself,
if not him, with the reflection that, the _Dolphin_ once out of sight,
he would forget all about her.  Having given the craft a thorough
overhaul, we sauntered off to the naval hospital, only a short distance
from the dockyard gates, to see how our wounded were progressing, and
also--to tell the whole truth--that my boat's crew might have an
opportunity to take a good look at the schooner, which I felt sure would
so favourably impress them that I should have little difficulty in
persuading them to enter for her.

We remained in the hospital about an hour, and on our return to the
dockyard I just caught a glimpse of my men tumbling over the schooner's
side back into their boat, so I had good hopes of finding that they had
one and all swallowed my bait.

Shoving off, I put Courtenay on board his craft and then proceeded to
the _Foam_, where I was kept pretty busy for the remainder of the day
preparing to pay off, as I had no clerk to help me.  I allowed the hands
to go to dinner without saying anything to them, to give the "gigs" an
opportunity to discuss the _Dolphin_ with their shipmates, as I felt
sure they would, but before they turned-to after dinner I sent for them
aft and made my maiden speech, which ran somewhat as follows:

"My lads," said I, "I have sent for you to tell you that the _Foam_ will
be paid off to-morrow.  And I wish to take advantage of the opportunity
which this announcement affords me to also thank you heartily for the
gallant way in which you have all stood by me, and for the way you have
behaved generally from the moment when it devolved upon me, through Mr
O'Flaherty's wounding and subsequent death, to assume the command of the
schooner.  Our cruise together has been a short one, it is true, but it
has been long enough to enable me to become personally acquainted with
you individually, and to discover both your good and your bad qualities.
The latter, I am pleased to say, have been so few and so trifling that
they are not worth further mention, whilst the former have been so
conspicuous as to render me anxious for a continuance of the connection
between us.  And this brings me to my final statement, which is that the
admiral has been pleased to announce his intention of commissioning that
fine schooner the _Dolphin_, yonder, and placing me in command.  Now, my
lads, I daresay you guess pretty well at what further I have to say: the
_Dolphin_ is to proceed against the French privateers which are snapping
up so many of our westerly-bound merchantmen, so there will probably be
plenty of fighting for her to do, but there will also be plenty of
captures and recaptures, which mean plenty of prize-money for her crew.
And I am most anxious that that crew shall be a good one, as good in
every respect as the _Foam's_ crew has proved itself to be; in short, my
lads, I should like to have every one of you with me again.  Think the
matter over, and those of you who are willing to try another cruise with
me, and to enter for the _Dolphin_, can let me know to-morrow when you
are paid off.  That will do now, you may go to your duty."  Instead of
turning-to at once, however, the men clustered together and began to
confer eagerly with each other, and with the boatswain, the gunner, and
the quarter-master; the result of the confabulation being that in less
than five minutes the entire crew, to a man, came forward and announced
their desire to enter for the _Dolphin_.  This was eminently
satisfactory, for I now had at least the nucleus of a thoroughly good
crew.

On the following day the _Foam_ was paid off, as previously arranged,
whereupon all hands re-entered for the _Dolphin_, after which they were
granted forty-eight hours' leave.

This business being settled, I sought another interview with the
admiral, and told him of my success, at which he expressed himself
greatly pleased.  "There will be no difficulty in making up your
complement," said he, "though I shall have to put on board you a few
convalescents from the hospital, but I will take care that you get none
but thoroughly sound and healthy men; there are at least a dozen now
ready to be discharged, and who only want a mouthful of sea air and a
meal or two of salt junk to make them fit for anything.  I shall also
give you a couple of midshipmen and a master's mate, which, with what
you have already, will, I think, make you pretty complete."

This was more than I had dared hope, though certainly not more than was
necessary for such a craft as the _Dolphin_; so, finding the old
gentleman disposed to be generous, I boldly broached the matter of the
guns, and pleaded so earnestly that I at length won his consent to my
retention of the schooner's original armament.  This concluded my
business on board the flag-ship, so, handing my address to the
secretary, I jumped into a shore-boat which I had alongside, and made
the best of my way to Kingston, where Courtenay had preceded me.  We had
previously made up our minds to test the sincerity of an invitation
which Mr Thomson--who had very hospitably entertained us on our last
visit to Kingston--had given us, so we first disposed at the hotel of an
excellent meal, which we _called_ lunch, but which was quite substantial
enough to merit the name of dinner, then hastily dashed off letters to
the officers who had proposed to receive us on board their ships,
thanking them for their very kind offers, which we explained we were
gratefully obliged to decline in consequence of the admiral having
intimated his intention of sending us on special service.  This duty
performed we sallied forth and made the best of our way to our friend's
place of business, where, upon our first hint of having obtained a few
days' leave, his former invitation was repeated so earnestly and
heartily as to leave us in no shadow of doubt as to its sincerity.  We
found to our great gratification that his family still occupied the
country house where we had previously been so hospitably entertained,
and to get over the slight difficulty which presented itself as to how
we were to convey ourselves thither, our host, with a generous
confidence which we certainly had done nothing to merit, urged us to
make an immediate start in his ketureen, begging us at the same time not
to forget to send into town a saddle-horse for his own use later on in
the day.  The unbounded confidence reposed in us by this gentlemen will
be better understood when I mention that we were actually trusted _to
drive ourselves_!  However, we proved worthy of the trust, I am proud to
say, we neither broke the knees nor the wind of the spirited animal
which had us in tow, nor did we smash the ketureen; on the contrary, we
arrived at our journey's end with both in such excellent condition as to
extort a compliment upon our skilful driving from our somewhat surprised
but by no means disconcerted hostess.  We also faithfully delivered the
message anent the saddle-horse, and then, feeling that we had done our
whole duty manfully, we dropped into the wake of the two black servants
who had shouldered our trunks, and followed them to the rooms promptly
assigned to us, where we hastily removed our travel stains preparatory
to entering the family circle.

Our appearance there was greeted with enthusiasm; for the news of our
triumphant return from the lagoons had by this time spread throughout
the entire length and breadth of the island; we were regarded as heroes,
especially by the juveniles; we were invited to fight our battles over
and over again; were made much of; and, had we remained there long,
there is no doubt we should have been utterly spoiled.  Luckily,
perhaps, for us--though we certainly did not think so at the time--our
leave was cut short on the fourth day by an intimation from the admiral
that our presence on board our respective ships had now become
desirable; whereupon we reluctantly bade our land friends adieu once
more, and returned to Port Royal; Courtenay, I more than half suspected,
leaving his heart behind him in charge of sweet Mary Thomson, our host's
youngest and (if such a distinction be permissible) most charming
daughter.



CHAPTER NINETEEN.

WE ASSIST IN THE CAPTURE OF A FRENCH FRIGATE.

For the next three days I was so busy looking after the thousand-and-one
things requiring attention just before a ship goes to sea, that I
scarcely had time to sleep, much less to get my meals; but on the fourth
morning I was able to report myself as ready for sea, when the admiral
gave me my written instructions and ordered me to sail forthwith.  We
accordingly got under weigh about noon, with a strong sea-breeze
blowing; made a short stretch over toward the Quarantine Ground; tacked
as soon as we could weather Port Royal Point; passed between Rackum and
Gun Cays; and went flying down through the East Channel at the rate of
full thirteen knots, with our topgallant-sail stowed.  (Courtenay, I
ought to have mentioned, sailed on the previous day.)  Eight bells in
the afternoon watch saw us drawing well up abreast of Morant Point; and
half an hour later Mr Woodford, the master's mate, who was doing duty
as master, took his departure, and we had fairly entered upon our
cruise.

To merely say that I was delighted with my new command would very
inadequately express my feelings; I was _enchanted_ with her; she worked
like a top, and sailed like a witch; she was as stiff as a church; and
so weatherly, notwithstanding her exceedingly light draught, that
Woodford declared he would be puzzled how to correctly estimate her lee-
way.  And last, though not least, she was a superb sea-boat, and dry as
a bone--save for the spray which flew in over her weather cat-head--
notwithstanding her extraordinary speed.  The men, too, were in
ecstasies with her, slapping the rail with their hands and crying
enthusiastically, "Go it, old gal!" as she plunged easily into the short
choppy sea and sent the spray and foam hissing and whirling many a
fathom away to leeward and astern of her.  Then, too, I had a fairly
good crew, amounting to eighty-six, all told fore and aft, though
several of them were fresh from the hospital.  The two midshipmen with
which the admiral had supplied me were quiet, gentlemanly lads, aged
fourteen and thirteen respectively; Woodford, the master's mate, was a
man of about twenty-five, and a first-rate navigator; Sanderson was
again with me as doctor; my old friends Fidd, Tompion, and Pottle
occupied the same position on board the _Dolphin_ that they had held on
board the _Foam_; and I had, in addition, a very respectable young man
to perform the duty of purser, and a very handy man--a Swede--as
carpenter.

As I walked the deck that evening chatting gaily with Woodford and
Sanderson I felt, it must be confessed, intensely proud of my position.
And was not the feeling pardonable?  There was I, a lad who had still to
see his eighteenth birthday, intrusted with the absolute command of a
vessel so powerful and with so numerous a crew that many a poor hard-
working third lieutenant would have looked upon it as promotion had he
been placed in my shoes, and with the destinies of nearly a hundred of
my fellow-beings in my hands.  And to this responsible position I had
attained not through the influence of powerful friends--for of such I
had none--but solely, as I could not help feeling, through good conduct
and my own unaided exertions, with, of course, the blessing of God,
about which, I am ashamed to say, I thought far too little in those
days.  And yet I could not see that I had done anything very
extraordinary; I had simply striven with all my might to do my duty
faithfully and to the best of my ability, keeping my new motto, "For
Love and Honour," ever before my eyes, and lo! my reward had already
come to me, as come it must and will to all who are diligent and
faithful.  And if I had succeeded so well in the past, with the limited
advantages which I then possessed, "what," I asked myself, "may I not
achieve with my present means?"  I felt that there was scarcely anything
I might not dare and do; and my pulses throbbed and the blood coursed in
a quicker tide through my veins as I told myself that I was now indeed
fairly on the highway toward the achievement of that twofold object to
which I had dedicated my life.

Shortly after taking our departure from Morant Point, as already
recorded, the wind headed us, and the schooner "broke off" until she was
heading about north-east, close-hauled.  Notwithstanding this, and the
fact that we had run into a very nasty choppy sea, the log showed that
the _Dolphin_ was going through the water at the rate of eleven knots.
We stood on in the same direction until midnight, when, having brought
the high rocky islet of Navaza far enough on our weather quarter to go
to windward of it on the other tack, we hove about, standing to the
southward and eastward for the remainder of the night.  Daylight next
morning found us with Point a Gravois broad on our weather bow and
distant about twenty miles.  This was most gratifying, as it showed us
that we had beaten clear across the Windward Channel against a fresh
head-wind in about fourteen hours--a passage almost if not quite
unexampled in point of celerity.

It was my intention to work close along the whole of the southern coast
of Saint Domingo on our eastward passage; and this we did, looking in
first behind the island of a-Vache, where we were lucky enough to descry
a French privateer brigantine snugly anchored under the shelter of a
small battery.  As there is nothing like making hay whilst the sun
shines, we at once headed straight for the anchorage, and, trusting to
the extreme roguishness of our own appearance to put our enemies off
their guard, began to shorten sail in a somewhat slovenly fashion, as
though we were about to bring up.  Then, passing under the stern of our
quarry we luffed up into the wind, shot alongside the craft, hove our
grappling-irons into her rigging, and, whilst our boarders were still
busy driving her astonished crew below, cut her cable and dragged her a
quarter of a mile to sea before the people in the battery woke up and
fully realised what we were about.  By that time, however, we were in
full possession of our prize, and were able to make sail upon her; and
although the shot from the battery flew about our ears pretty thickly
for the next ten minutes, we actually succeeded in getting out of range
without once being struck; and so completely had we surprised the French
crew that not one of our men received so much as a scratch.

The _Julie_, for such proved to be the name of our prize, though small,
turned out to be of considerable value; for she was pretty nearly full
of a rich but heterogeneous assortment of goods which I shrewdly
suspected had been taken out of ships which were subsequently scuttled
or burnt; we therefore put one of the mids with half a dozen hands on
board her, and sent her into Port Royal, where, as we afterwards
learned, she safely arrived next morning.

This little slice of good fortune, coming as it did at the very outset
of our cruise, was peculiarly gratifying to me, not so much on account
of either the honour or the profit likely to accrue to me personally
from the transaction, but because it put the crew into good spirits, and
infused into them, especially the strangers among them, an amount of
confidence in me which my extremely youthful appearance would perhaps
have otherwise failed to command.

We devoted an entire week to our projected examination of the Saint
Domingo coast, making four more captures during that time; but they all
proved to be of so little value that they were set on fire and
destroyed.  Then, having worked our way as far east as Saona, we
stretched across the Mona Passage; looked into the various bays and
creeks on the south coast of Porto Rico without success, and finally
found ourselves, on our sixteenth day out, with the island of Virgin
Gorda and the Herman reefs under our lee as we stood to the northward
and eastward to weather the Virgin group.

It was about noon when--having stretched off the land some twenty miles
or so, we were about to bear up and take a look at the northern shores
of those islands whose southern coastline we had just so rigorously
overhauled--the lookout aloft hailed to say that he thought he heard
firing somewhere to windward.  I was walking the deck at the time
chatting with young Marchmont, one of the two mids sent on board by the
admiral, and, upon this report being made, the lad volunteered to go
aloft and investigate.  A couple of minutes later the active youngster
was on the royal-yard, peering out eagerly ahead and to windward, with
one hand shading his eyes to ward off the glare of the sun.  He remained
thus for perhaps three or four minutes, when I saw him assume a more
eager look, and presently he turned round and hailed:

"On deck there! there certainly _is_ firing going on somewhere in our
neighbourhood, sir, for I have just heard it most distinctly; and a
moment before I spoke I thought I caught sight of something like a
smoke-wreath gleaming in the sun away yonder, broad on our weather bow.
Ha! there it goes again!  Did you not hear it, sir?"

"No," I replied; "the wash of the water under our bows and alongside
makes too much noise down here.  But that will do; you can come down
again, Mr Marchmont.  If, as you believe, there is firing going on to
windward of us we shall soon know more about it, for, of course, I shall
not now bear up until I have satisfied myself as to the matter."

The men forward became at once upon the _qui vive_, as I could see by
the animated countenances of the messmen, and the eagerness with which
they exchanged remarks as they went to the galley for the dinner which
the cook was then serving out; as also by the nimble manner in which the
relief lookout aloft shinned up the ratlines.  He was one of the
keenest-sighted men we had on board; and instead of seating himself, as
usual, on the topsail-yard, he continued his upward progress until he
reached the royal-yard, upon which he perched himself as easily as if he
had been in an arm-chair, steadying his body by bracing his back against
the few inches of the slender royal-mast which rose above the yard.  He
had not been settled more than ten minutes before he hailed to report
that he heard the firing distinctly, and had also caught sight of a
light wreath of smoke about four points on the weather bow.  This was so
far satisfactory, inasmuch as there could now be no longer any doubt as
to the firing; the next thing was to find out its nature, whether it was
in broadsides or by single guns, and how often it occurred.  So I hailed
him to report every time he heard anything.  Presently he hailed again:

"Another gun, sir!"

I took the time.  Not quite a minute had elapsed when he again reported:

"Another gun, sir, but not so loud this time.  I think it was a lighter
piece than the last."

It was nearly five minutes before the next report was made, so I
concluded that it must be a running fight--a chase, in fact--which was
going forward.

An interval of perhaps a minute passed, when I distinctly caught the
sound of a faint _boom_! and at the same moment the hail came down:

"Another gun, sir--a heavier one than the last; and sail ho! three
points on the weather bow."

"That will do," I replied; "you need not report the firing any further,
but keep a sharp lookout for another sail.  What is the one in sight
like?"

"I can hardly tell at this distance, sir; the heads of her royals are
only just showing above the horizon, but they don't appear to be of any
great size."

Some four minutes later a second sail was reported, as I had expected;
the lookout now expressing an opinion that the new-comer was probably a
frigate, whilst the smaller craft, the leader in the race, was either a
ship-sloop or a brig.  My other midshipman, a lad named Boyne, was now
on deck, having relieved Marchmont at noon, and this youngster, who had
taken the precaution to bring his telescope on deck with him, now
started forward and, with the agility of a monkey, soon placed himself
alongside the lookout.  He immediately raised the telescope to his eye,
but we were by this time jumping into a short but lumpy sea, which made
the motion aloft very considerable; moreover, the position was not one
very favourable for observation, so he was rather a long time bringing
his glass to bear.  At length, however, with the assistance of the
lookout, he managed to get both craft, one after the other, into his
field of vision, and after a good long look he reported:

"We are raising the strangers very fast, sir; I can see the royals and
half-way down the topgallant-sails of both.  They are running dead
before the wind, with royal studding-sails set on both sides; the
leading ship is a brig, apparently British, and the one in chase seems
to be a frigate."

"Thank you, Mr Boyne," I replied.  "Just stay there a little longer, if
you please; keep your eye on the strangers and report anything
noteworthy which you may see."

"Ay, ay, sir!" was the answer, and to work the lad again went with his
telescope most industriously.

We could now hear the firing quite distinctly on deck, but of course
were unable to see anything, though we expected to catch the gleam of
canvas on the horizon very shortly.

Presently young Boyne hailed again:

"The big fellow is overhauling the little one very fast, sir!"

"No doubt.  How does the frigate bear now, Mr Boyne?"

"About three points on our weather bow, sir."

"Thank you!  Keep her away a point,"--to the helmsman.  "Mr Pottle,
take a small pull upon the weather-braces, if you please, and give her
another foot or two of the main sheet."

"Ay, ay, sir," answered Pottle.  "Lay aft here, you sea-dogs, and check
the weather-braces.  Royal-yard there! hold on tight, we are going to
take a pull upon the weather-braces.  Are you all ready there?  Now
then, lads, steady, not too much; you've rather overdone it.  Ease off
an inch or two of that royal-brace; haul taut to leeward, well there,
belay!  Lee to'gallant-brace haul taut; topsail and fore-braces, well
there, belay of all.  Forecastle there! ease up that flying-jib sheet.
What do you mean, you know-nothings, by flattening the sail like that?
So, that's better, belay!"  And so the old fellow went on, making the
round of the decks and trimming every sail until it drew to the utmost
advantage.

At length, as the schooner rose upon the crest of a sea, the gleam of
the sun upon white canvas was caught for a moment and instantly reported
by a dozen eager voices from the forecastle.  It then bore two and a
half points good upon the weather bow.  I again hailed the royal-yard:

"Royal-yard there! can you make out how the strangers are steering, Mr
Boyne?  We are heading north-east and by north."

"Ay, ay, sir; if that is the case the vessels ahead are steering about
west-south-west."

"That will do, Mr Boyne; you may come down, sir!  Clear for action, Mr
Pottle, if you please, and then let the crew go to quarters."

"Ay, ay, sir.  Clear for action, Mr Fidd!"

"_Twee, twee, twee-e-e, tweetle, weetle, tee, tee, tee-e_!" piped the
boatswain, following up his shrill music with the hoarse bellow of:

"All hands clear for action.  Now then, old stew-pan,"--to the
cook--"dowse your galley-fire, my hearty, and stow away all your best
chiney down in the run.  Tumble up there, you bull-dogs, tumble up!"

It was no very long job to prepare the schooner for action, and in
twenty minutes everything was ready--the magazine opened, powder and
shot passed up on deck, the guns cast loose and loaded, the pikes cut
adrift from the main-boom, arms served out to the crew, and every man at
his appointed station.  By this time the lower yards of the brig had
risen level with the horizon, whilst the upper half of the frigate's
topsails could be seen from the deck.  The firing, meanwhile, had gone
on pretty deliberately, and it was now possible to see from our deck,
with the aid of a telescope, that the sails of both pursuer and pursued
were suffering pretty extensively from the effects of the cannonade.  It
was evident that each was firing high, the frigate trying to wing the
brig and so arrest her flight, whilst the brig was equally anxious to
maim her big antagonist's spars, by which means only could she hope to
effect her escape.  So far the brig appeared to be getting rather the
best of it, for though her canvas showed the daylight through it in
several places, her spars and running gear still remained uninjured, and
every sail was drawing to the utmost advantage, whilst the frigate had
lost her fore royal-mast, which, with its sail, was hanging down over
the topgallant-sail and topsail, and the main-topmast studding-sail tack
was cut and the sail streaming out loose and flapping furiously in the
wind; these little casualties being sufficient to enable the brig to
hold her own, for the time being at least, in the unequal race.  To
encourage the plucky little vessel, by showing her that help was at
hand, we now fired a gun and hoisted our colours, allowing the ensign to
stream as far out to leeward as possible, in the act of running it up to
the gaff-end, in order that those on board her might catch a glimpse of
it before it was hidden by our canvas.  Approaching each other as we
were, nearly end on, we rose each other very rapidly; and at length we
in the _Dolphin_ had the satisfaction of seeing the frigate, the vessel
most distant from us, fairly hull-up.  She had by this time cleared away
the wreck of her fore royal-mast, had spliced her studding-sail tack,
and was in the very act of setting the sail again when the brig's two
stern-chasers spoke out simultaneously, and next moment down toppled the
frigate's fore and main-topgallant-masts with all attached, the
topgallant studding-sail booms snapping off like carrots at the same
time, and there the noble craft was in a pretty mess.  A ringing cheer,
which those on board the brig might almost have heard, went up from our
lads at this sight, followed by a hoarse murmur of:

"Lookout! now Johnny Crapeau has lost his temper, and the brig is going
to get _loco_ in 'arnest!" as the frigate put her helm down and fired
her whole broadside at the flying craft.  There was not so very much
damage done, after all, so far as the brig was concerned.  Her peak-
halliards were cut and she temporarily lost the use of her main trysail,
and we could see a rope's-end or two streaming out here and there in the
wind; but that was all, excepting that her canvas showed a few extra
eyelet-holes.  With the frigate, however, it was different; by yielding
to his feeling of exasperation, as he had, her skipper had been betrayed
into a very unseamanlike act, in luffing his ship with all her studding-
sails upon her, and the result was that he lost the remainder of his
booms in an instant, and found himself in a worse pickle than ever.

By this time the brig had passed far enough to leeward of us to be able
to clearly distinguish the colour of our bunting; and seeing also that
we were indisputably holding our luff so as to close with the frigate,
she accepted us as a friend, notwithstanding our decidedly rakish
appearance, and at once coolly began to shorten sail, evidently now
determined, with our aid, to try conclusions with her big antagonist.
It was about time for us to do the same; we