"I don"t see that I shall have much to boast of, having only to creep along in the dark up to the fort and back again. There"s no great difficulty in the undertaking, besides having to keep out of the way of the French pickets."
"It"s not so much what you have to do, as the object to be attained, and the danger of doing it, which will bring credit on you," he answered.
It was perfectly dark before we reached the place which had been fixed on for landing, so that we ran no risk of being observed from the sh.o.r.e.
It was arranged that Nettleship was to wait off it until I made the signal for him to come in and take me aboard. Not a word was spoken as Larry and I stepped on to the beach, he carrying the signals and I the book and the admiral"s letter. We kept first to our right till we found a path leading inland through a wood. We went on as rapidly as the nature of the ground would allow. The snake-like roots ran across the path, and creepers hung low down in festoons, forming nooses, which might have brought us sharply up if we had run our heads into them. Now and then I fancied that I saw a huge snake winding its way along before me; and tree-frogs, crickets, and other nocturnal insects, kept up a noisy chorus as we went on. Sometimes it was so dark that it was with the greatest difficulty I could make my way with the stick I carried. I was very glad when, getting out of the wood, we found ourselves on the borders of a sugar-cane plantation. This I knew I should have to skirt till I reached another path leading almost directly up to the fort.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
THE LAST OF THE "LIFFY."
We had proceeded some distance when the voice of a sentry hailing a pa.s.ser-by struck my ear. The challenge was in French, as was the answer. It appeared to be some way off, and I hoped might come from one of the extreme outposts. Still I knew that it was necessary to proceed with caution, or we might suddenly find ourselves close upon another.
We went on and on, occasionally stopping to listen. No other sounds besides those of noisy insects broke the silence of night. Already we could see the top of Brimstone Hill rising against the dark sky. In another quarter of an hour or so we might reach it. I hoped that we might find nothing to stop us in pa.s.sing over the intervening s.p.a.ce. We continued on, concealing ourselves as much as possible beneath the hedges of cacti, or the trunks of trees. We had got close to a thick copse, as we should call it, only that the plants were of a very different character, when I heard a sound of feet pa.s.sing apparently before us. Then I heard a remark made in French by one person to another, who answered it in the same tongue. Grasping Larry"s arm, I dragged him towards the wood. Fortunately we found some thick bushes, behind which we crouched down. Presently the sounds of the footsteps grew louder, and I could just distinguish the dim outline of a party of men and several officers, pa.s.sing along the road towards the left, where the French army were supposed to be encamped. They had evidently been out on a reconnoitring expedition, and were now returning. Had we gone on we should certainly have fallen into their hands. I waited until they were out of hearing, and then, whispering to Larry, we got up and made our way directly towards the fort, with much less fear than before of meeting any one. Still I knew that we were not safe until we had actually gained our destination.
At last we were hurrying on, when I heard a voice say, "Who goes there?"
and I answered, "A friend from the fleet, with a letter for the general." The sentry told us to pa.s.s on. In another minute we reached the picket, a soldier from which was sent up with us to the fort. We were at once admitted into the presence of General Fraser, to whom I delivered the despatches and signals.
"You have performed your service well, young gentleman," said the general. "Are you to remain here, or to return to the fleet?"
I told him that my directions were to get back as soon as possible.
"I"ll detain you, then, but a short time, while I write a letter to Sir Samuel Hood," he said. "I hope that you"ll be as successful on your journey back, as you were in coming here."
Before he began to write, he ordered a servant to bring me refreshments, and to look after my companion. The walk had given me an appet.i.te; and I did justice to the food placed before me.
The general had soon finished his letter; and, giving it to me, with a warm shake of the hand, told me that I was at liberty to set out when I was ready.
"My orders are to return without delay, sir," I answered, and took my leave.
The sentry accompanied Larry and me to the outer picket, thence we hurried on as fast as we could manage to get along. Still I maintained the same caution as in coming, for at any moment we might fall in with some of the enemy, who might be watching the fort from a distance. The farther we got, the more my hopes of succeeding increased. I could already make out the lights of the ships in the bay, and the sheen of the intermediate water. We reached the wood through which we had before pa.s.sed, and had just made our way to the outside, when I caught sight of a body of men, apparently a patrol, a short distance to the right. We were still under the shade of the trees, and I hoped that we should not be discovered. We drew back to see in what direction they were coming.
It appeared to me that they had already pa.s.sed, and that we might gain the landing-place, even should they see us making towards it. We accordingly, after waiting a short time, darted forward, running at our full speed. Scarcely, however, had we begun to run, than I heard a shout of--
"_Arretez la_!"--Stop there, stop!
It was an order we were not likely to obey. It was too late to return to the wood, so, scampering as fast as our feet could move, we ran on to where we expected to find the boat.
Again the Frenchmen shouted to us, and presently a shot came whistling by my ear.
"Stoop down, Larry," I cried, "as low as you can; it doesn"t do to present a larger target to the enemy than is necessary."
I hoped that the shots would attract the attention of Nettleship, and that he would pull in to take us aboard. I turned my head for a moment, and saw the soldiers running towards us; still, as we were some way ahead, I expected that we should have time to reach the boat, and to shove off to a distance before they came up.
To make sure, I shouted out--
"Nettleship, ahoy! Pull in as hard as you can."
Though I could see lights on board the ships, close to the water as it was, I could not distinguish the boat, and I was afraid that, not expecting us so soon, Nettleship had pulled to a distance. Should he not arrive our capture was certain. We had nearly gained the rocks on which we had landed, when I made out a dark object on the water approaching. That must be the boat, I thought, and again hailed.
Nettleship, recognising my voice, answered, and I guessed by the sound of the oars that the men were bending to them with all their might.
Larry and I stood ready to spring in. We could hear the footsteps of the Frenchmen approaching rapidly. By stooping down we managed to conceal ourselves, and to avoid several more shots which were fired.
The moment the bowman touched the rock with his boat-hook, Larry and I sprang on board. I scrambled aft, while Nettleship shouted out--
"Back oars all. Now, starboard oars, give way."
The boat was quickly got round, but we had pulled to no great distance before the Frenchmen, reaching the beach, began to blaze away at us. We returned the compliment by firing the only two muskets which had been brought. The Frenchmen standing up on the rock presented a good target.
First one shot struck the stern, and another the blade of an oar, but no one was hurt, and the Frenchmen, finding that they were the greatest sufferers, prudently retired from the beach.
After a long pull we got back to the frigate. The captain, to whom I delivered General Fraser"s letter, complimented me on having performed the duty.
"Your conduct will be noted, Finnahan, and you may depend upon obtaining your promotion as soon as you are old enough."
I expected to be able to turn in, but he sent me with the letter at once on board the flag-ship, and I delivered it in person to Sir Samuel Hood.
The admiral almost repeated what the captain had said; and I had good reason to congratulate myself at the success of my adventure.
Next day, General Prescott"s division was re-embarked, as it was not a sufficient force to fight its way to General Fraser at Brimstone Hill.
Other attempts were made to communicate with him, and two officers were captured; so that I had good cause to be thankful that I had escaped.
Dubois and La Touche confessed that they were very sorry to see me back.
"I felt sure that you would be made prisoner, and fully expected to have had the satisfaction of being exchanged for you," said the latter. "But we have to practise patience and laugh at our misfortunes, to get on in this world."
"I"m very glad you were not caught, Paddy," said Tom Pim. "I envy you your success, and only wish that I could talk French as you do, to be employed on the same sort of service. La Touche is teaching me, and I"m trying to teach him English, but we make rum work of it without a grammar or dictionary, or any other book. I suspect he gets more out of me than I do out of him, though I try very hard to p.r.o.nounce the words he says."
We could hear the French guns thundering away at the fort, and those of the fort replying, hour after hour, without intermission, but the signals made by General Fraser were not supposed to be satisfactory.
At last, one day, we saw the flag hauled down; the guns at the same time ceased, and we knew that all was over, and the gallant garrison had been compelled to capitulate. Information of this was sent on board to the admiral, with a flag of truce, by the Marquis de Boullie.
That evening we sailed on a cruise to ascertain the movements of the French fleet. We had not been to sea many hours when we saw them standing in for Nevis Point, where they came to an anchor; and counting them, we found that they numbered no less than twenty-four sail of the line, several ships having lately joined them. We at once returned with the information to Sir Samuel Hood. It was now discovered that the French had been throwing up gun and mortar batteries on a hill, which would completely command the fleet.
We were seated in the berth after we had brought up, discussing the state of affairs.
"We"re in a nice position," said Chaffey. "We shall be pounded at from the sh.o.r.e, and shall have the French fleet, with half as many more ships as we possess, down upon us before long, and it will be a tough job to fight our way out from among them."
"Just trust our admiral," answered Tom; "he knows what he"s about, depend on that; he won"t let us be caught like rats in a trap."
As he was speaking, Nettleship came into the berth.
"The captain was sent for on board the flag-ship, and he"s just returned," he said. "I hear that he met all the captains of the fleet on board, and the admiral told them to set their watches by his timepiece, and directed all the ships to slip or cut their cables at eleven o"clock. The sternmost and leewardmost ships are to get under weigh first, and so on in succession, and we"re to stand on under easy sail, in sight of each other, till we receive further orders from the admiral."
No one turned in; the crews were at their stations; not a sign was shown which might allow the French--who were of course watching us from the sh.o.r.e--to discover that any movement was in contemplation. At the appointed time, the _Alfred_, the most leeward of our ships, was seen to get under weigh, followed in rapid succession by the _Canada_ the _President_, and the rest of the line-of-battle ships, which stood out of the bay, accompanied by the frigates, before probably the French were aware what we were about.
It was a masterly movement, as it would have been madness to have stopped to be attacked by so superior a force as the French possessed; for though we might have driven them off, we must have suffered severely, and have had to return into harbour to refit. At this time we were outnumbered, and even out-manoeuvred, by the French, who took possession of several of our islands, which we were unable to protect.
We were not to be idle, for there was plenty of work for the frigates in watching the enemy, and occasionally in engaging their frigates.
We had not been long at sea when our captain received orders from Sir Samuel Hood to stand in towards where the French fleet were supposed to be, and ascertain what they were about.