Charley Laurel.
by W. H. G. Kingston.
CHAPTER ONE.
VALUABLE BOOTY.
A good many years ago, before, indeed, I can remember, His Majesty"s Ship _Laurel_, a corvette of eighteen guns and a hundred and thirty men, commanded by Captain Blunt, formed one of the West India squadron.
She, with another corvette, and a brig in company, came one fine morning off a beautiful island, then in possession of the French, although, as d.i.c.k Driver, from whom I got the particulars, said, properly belonged to England, at least, it once had. Of course, therefore, it was their business to get it back again. d.i.c.k could not recollect its name, nor the exact date of the occurrences I am describing, for, being no scholar, he was a very bad hand at recollecting dates; and as he could not write his own name, of course it was not to be expected that he would keep a journal, or remember very accurately all the places he had visited.
The _Laurel_ and her consorts, having hoisted French colours, stood along the coast, which the captain and officers of the former ship narrowly examined with their gla.s.ses.
At length the shades of evening drew on, and they came off a small town, situated on the sh.o.r.e of a bay, the entrance of which was guarded by a fort. The _Laurel_ stood on, as if about to enter the bay, but the land-wind coming off the sh.o.r.e, she and the other two vessels stood away till they had got such a distance from the harbour that there was no chance of their being seen by the sharpest eyes, with the best of night-gla.s.ses, looking out for them.
The ships having hove-to, the commanders of the other vessels came on board the _Laurel_, when Captain Blunt announced his intention of attacking the town, hoping to hold possession of it till another squadron, which had been destined for the purpose, had captured a more important place on the other side of the island. The captain"s plan was to send in the different boats of the squadron with a strong party of marines and blue-jackets, in three divisions, a couple of hours before daylight, as it was hoped at that time, the garrison of the fort being less on the alert than at an earlier hour, the boats might enter the bay unperceived.
The first and largest division was instructed to take possession of the town; the second was to attack the fort; and the third to cut out any vessels found in the harbour, in case the other two should be compelled to retreat, so that, at all events, there might be something to show for the night"s work.
The boats" crews, and all who were fortunate enough, as they considered it, to be selected for the expedition, were soon busily employed in sharpening cutla.s.ses, fitting fresh flints to their pistols, and making other preparations for the possible b.l.o.o.d.y work in which they were to be engaged. d.i.c.k Driver, who belonged to the cutter"s crew, was among the most active. d.i.c.k was a short, strongly built, powerful fellow, with a broad, honest countenance, bright blue eyes, and fair bushy beard and whiskers,--a truer-hearted, braver seaman than d.i.c.k Driver never stepped.
"If this here cutla.s.s of mine does its duty, we"ll thrash the Mounseers, and gain the King his own again," exclaimed d.i.c.k, as he applied his weapon to the grindstone, feeling that he was a host in himself; and so he was, provided no treacherous bullet found its way through his st.u.r.dy frame, when, alas, d.i.c.k"s strength and courage would have availed him nothing.
The boats at length collected round the _Laurel_; the oars were m.u.f.fled; the officers were ordered to maintain a strict silence. It was hoped that by getting in the rear of the fort it might be taken with a rush, while the larger party entered the town, and took by surprise any troops who might be stationed within it.
The night was very dark, for clouds were in the sky, and the water was smooth.
The first lieutenant of the _Laurel_, who commanded the expedition, leading in the gig, away the boats pulled, keeping close together, and looking as they glided along like some huge serpent creeping on his prey. The entrance to the bay was gained without the boats being discovered. They dashed on more rapidly than before. In a few minutes they would be hard at work, the seamen slashing away with their cutla.s.ses, and the marines firing, and p.r.o.nging with their muskets and bayonets at their fellow-creatures.
Strange that men should like such work. d.i.c.k confessed he did, though he could not exactly say why.
The officers did their duty admirably; the marines were landed, and the blue-jackets were springing on sh.o.r.e before a shot was fired from the town.
d.i.c.k, who belonged to the first division, pushed on in that direction with his party, while the other two attended to their destined duty.
The gates of the fort, however, being closed, the intended rush could not be accomplished; and it was evident from the rapid firing that some hot work was going on there. Instead also of at once entering the town, the first party found their progress impeded by a somewhat numerous body of troops, who, quartered near at hand, turned out in time to defend it.
The Frenchmen fought well, d.i.c.k acknowledged, though some had neither boots nor coats on, and many were dest.i.tute of other garments. They were, however, driven back inch by inch, till some turned tail and fled; the rest soon afterwards doing the same, followed by the victors, who fired indiscriminately at every one they saw in front of them. On such an occasion many of the unfortunate inhabitants were too likely to suffer, and many who had no arms in their hands, or had thrown them down and cried out for quarter, were shot before the officers could halt their men.
Meeting with two streets forking in different directions, some in the darkness had followed one and some the other. Flames were seen also bursting in the rear from houses set on fire either intentionally or by accident; while shouts and shrieks and cries arose in all directions.
Altogether, the little town, which a few minutes before had been slumbering peacefully, was now the scene of havoc, terror, and confusion.
As d.i.c.k, cutla.s.s in hand, was making his way along the dark street, a piteous cry reached his ears, and looking down, he saw lying wounded on the ground a black woman, holding up to him a little white child.
"Oh, save him! save him! or he will be killed!" she exclaimed.
"Of course I will," answered d.i.c.k, tucking the child under his left arm; "and I"ll help you into a house, where you may be safe."
He was about to perform the humane act he proposed, when there was a cry, "The French are coming on in force--fall back, men! fall back!"
d.i.c.k had only time to draw the poor woman on one side, when he was compelled, with his companions, rapidly to re-trace his steps. Not knowing where to deposit the child in safety, he kept it under his arm; and though on most occasions he would have been in the rank nearest the foe, he now, according to orders, retreated as fast as he could. Many of the other men had bundles of things they had picked up, but they were certainly not little children.
The boats were reached at last, though not until a good many of the gallant jollies and several of the blue-jackets had been shot down by a large body of French troops, who had come in from the farther side of the town. They were again, however, driven back far enough to allow the marines and sailors to embark.
d.i.c.k, unhurt, had reached the barge, still carrying his burden, for he had not the heart to throw it down, and could not find any safe place to put it in.
The fort had not been taken, but five merchantmen were captured and towed out of the harbour, in spite of the hot fire through which they had to pa.s.s.
Captain Blunt was very angry on finding that the men had brought away plunder from the town; and they were ordered to deliver it up, that it might be sent back to the inhabitants, whom, as he said, he had no intention of injuring.
d.i.c.k Driver, who among others had been seen to come aboard with a bundle, was ordered aft.
"Please, sir," said d.i.c.k, as he presented himself, holding a fine child in his arms of about four years old, "it ain"t any booty, but a lawful gift. I was axed to take care of it, and I promised I would, and so I have."
"I do believe it"s a little girl," exclaimed the captain, examining the delicate features and somewhat feminine appearance of the child, which had long fair locks hanging down over its shoulders.
"Lord bless you, no, sir! If it had been a she I shouldn"t have known what to do with her--but it"s as fine a youngster as I ever set eyes upon, barring his curls: and we will soon dock them, seeing they will be in his way, and not suited for the smart little tarpaulin I am going to make for him."
"What, my man, you don"t expect to keep the child?" exclaimed the captain. "We must send him on sh.o.r.e with the rest of the property brought away."
"But, sir, he was given to me to look after by his dying mother,"
exclaimed d.i.c.k, forgetting for the moment that the child was white, and that the woman who had given it to him was as black as his shoe. "He is not like the rest of the booty, and if I may make so bold, I would like to keep him, and bring him up as one of the ship"s company. We are all agreed that we will take precious good care of him, and he will be a greater favourite among us than either Quacho, or Jocko, or the old goat that went overboard in the last gale, or the pig as was killed when we were short of fresh provisions. Do, sir, let us keep him? We wouldn"t part with the little chap for all the prize-money we have made this cruise."
d.i.c.k, in his anxiety to keep the child, had become desperate, and spoke with greater freedom than he would otherwise have ventured to do when addressing his captain. "If he were to be sent ash.o.r.e there"s no one might own him," he continued; "then what would become of the poor little chap? he might be taken to the workhouse, or just brought up nohow."
The captain, however, was not to be moved by all d.i.c.k"s arguments.
"You did very rightly, my man, in saving the child"s life, and you deserve a reward," he observed; "but we cannot turn the ship into a nursery, and he must run his chance of finding his friends. However, as you seem to have made a good nurse, you may take charge of him till we can send him away."
"Thank you, sir," said d.i.c.k, as he touched his hat, glad of even this short respite, and hoping that something might turn up to induce the captain to allow the child to remain on board. "We will take good care of him--that we will; and if he has to go back to his friends, we will see that he is in proper trim, so that they won"t be nohow ashamed of him."
d.i.c.k, having thus delivered himself, swung his body round and hurried forward with light step, holding his young charge in his arms.
The _Laurel_ and the other ships, with their prizes, were at this time standing away from the land. The seamen grumbled not a little at having to give up their booty: they could not understand why the merchantmen should have been cut out, and they not allowed to keep what they had picked up on sh.o.r.e.
An officer, who spoke French, now came from one of the prizes with some important information which he had obtained from a prisoner. It was to the effect that three heavy French frigates were hourly expected off the coast. Captain Blunt accordingly ordered a bright look-out to be kept for any strange sail. In a short time three were descried standing along sh.o.r.e. There could be no doubt that they were the enemy"s frigates; and as the two corvettes and brig could not hope to cope with them, all sail was made to escape. The enemy soon afterwards were seen crowding all sail in chase: the prizes were ordered by signal to separate and to make the best of their way to Jamaica, while the _Laurel_ and her consorts stood to the eastward, under all the canvas they could spread. Before nightfall they had run their powerful foes out of sight.
The next day a heavy gale sprang up, which increased to a hurricane. A signal of distress was made by the unfortunate ten-gun brig, while the other sloop was evidently in a bad plight.
During the night, the _Laurel_ having to run before the gale, lost sight of both of them. The gale continuing longer than usual, ere it ceased she found herself in a the wide waters of the Atlantic, with all her boats washed away or stove in, her three top-masts gone, and besides other damages, a leak sprung, which kept the pumps going for the best part of each watch.
CHAPTER TWO.
THE LIFE-RAFT.
The _Laurel_ had for some days been becalmed, and though every one on board, from the captain to the smallest powder-monkey, had been whistling for a breeze to carry her back to look after her prizes and consorts, no breeze came.