The brig, now close to her, also backed her main topsail, when the captain"s gig was piped away, and Fleetwood, with a heart less depressed than he had long felt, went on board the frigate.
He was warmly received by Captain Grantham, who exclaimed, "I am delighted to see you, Fleetwood. From the accounts we received we thought it was all up with you; and I came more with the hope of avenging you, than of seeing you alive; but now you shall have that satisfaction yourself. By Jove! we must blow up the hornet"s nest without delay. When did you propose to make the attempt?"
"The very moment a sufficient force was collected," replied Fleetwood, highly gratified at his friend"s zeal.
"Well, what do you say to this very night?" asked Grantham. "There is the _Venus_ coming up after me, and your Greek friend cannot be far off.
I am afraid she is not likely to meet any other ship of the squadron; but we are enough, as it is, to drive every one of the rascals into the sea."
"To-night, by all means," exclaimed Fleetwood. "I could not have hoped for anything better. We shall have a sufficient force to ensure success; and as there is no moon till a late hour, we shall have less risk of discovery before we are upon them."
"Then to-night let it be; and I suppose there"s no use insisting on your remaining on board, on account of your illness, and letting Rawson, of the _Venus_, lead the attack," said Captain Grantham. "He is a gallant fellow, and will do it well."
"I trust, Grantham, that you will give the command of the expedition to me. I shall, indeed esteem it a most especial favour if you will do so," pleaded Fleetwood. "I would, on no account, if I can help it, lose that post."
"Well, I suppose, under the circ.u.mstances of the case, we must persuade Rawson to keep the ship, though, indeed, Fleetwood, I do not think you are yet strong enough for the exertion you must go through."
"I have a Hercules of a c.o.xswain, and I must make him carry me, if my legs fail me," said Fleetwood, smiling sadly. "But you know, Grantham, I have motives enough to carry me through anything."
"Yes, indeed, I know, and feel for you. I suppose the fellows will show fight."
"Not a doubt of it, from the specimen we have had of them. They know that they have no mercy to expect at our hands, and that they fight with ropes round their necks."
"We must give them enough of it, then; but I suppose, with the force we have collected, we shall have no great difficulty in forcing our way into the harbour I understand they have got there, though it seems to be well fortified."
"We should be blown to atoms if we attempted it in the boats," said Fleetwood. "You have no idea how strong the place is."
"How, in the name of goodness, are we to get at them, then?" exclaimed Captain Grantham, who was more celebrated for his dash at an enemy, when once he saw him, than for originating any plan where stratagem was required. "But let me hear what you propose to do."
"I have, as you may suppose, thought much on the subject, so I may claim for it more attention than I might otherwise venture to do," said Fleetwood. "I would on no account attempt to enter the harbour; but there is at the east end of the island a small cove, with an entrance so narrow that one boat can alone pa.s.s at a time."
He spoke of the one into which the Greek captain had steered the mistico, all the circ.u.mstances of which he explained.
"Now, I propose," he continued, "that the three English ships should stand towards the place, as soon as it is dark, and there is no chance of our being seen from the sh.o.r.e, while the _Ypsilante_ I will employ in another way. We will bring up close in sh.o.r.e, and have all the boats ready to drop into the water, at the same moment. I will lead in the _Tone"s_ cutter, and, with my men, will mount by the concealed pa.s.sage, and secure the approach to the summit of the cliff. When this important point is gained, the other boats can enter; and Raby, who knows the pa.s.sage, will lead the main body through it. We will then proceed, as silently as we can, to the causeway, across which we must make a dash, and, I hope, may take the pirates by surprise. I would send the _Ypsilante_, meantime, to approach the harbour; and when we reach the causeway, we will throw up a rocket, and she must commence a feigned attack on the mouth of the harbour, blazing away as hard as she can.
This will distract the attention of the pirates, and make them fancy that they have most to fear from their enemies on that side. As soon as she opens her fire, we will rush on; and as the Greeks will have hurried to the defences of the fort towards the harbour, I hope that we may have an easy victory."
"I like your plan very much, and it has my hearty concurrence, as I have no doubt it will have Rawson"s," said Captain Grantham. "We shall soon have him up with us, and when he comes on board you can explain your proposal. The _Venus_ should be near us by this time." He rang his bell, and the steward appeared. "Mason, learn from the officer of the watch how soon the _Venus_ will be up with us, and beg him to signalise her captain to come on board."
"She"s close to us now, sir," said Mason, as he went to fulfil the rest of the order.
In about a quarter of an hour, Captain Rawson was ushered into the cabin. He was a short, fat man, with a large, round, red, good-natured countenance, and if he was a fire-eater, as he had the character of being, he certainly did not look like one, except it might be supposed that the ruddy hue on his cheeks could have arisen from that cause. He shook the hands of his brother-captains, as if he would have wrung them off, and then threw himself into a chair to recover from his exertions; but, when he began to speak, instead of the rough voice one might have expected, a soft, mellifluous tone was heard, which might better win a woman"s ear than vie with the howling of the tempest. He at once waived all the right he might claim to lead the attack on the island, and cordially agreed to the plan proposed by Captain Fleetwood.
"In fact," he said, laughing, "there is no great credit due to me, Fleetwood; for I would much rather fight a ship twice the size of my own with the deck under my feet, than have to scramble up such a place as you describe, on a pitch-dark night, to thrash a few scoundrels of pirates."
"If I don"t mistake, you tried the first, and with no little success,"
observed Grantham.
"Oh, yes! that was when I was first lieutenant of the _Pan_, eighteen-gun sloop, and the captain being ill below, we fell in with the French thirty-gun frigate, _Liberte_, and instead of her taking us, as she expected, we not only beat her off, but gave her such a drubbing, that if we had carried as long guns as she did, we should have made her our prize. But I"m afraid, Grantham, neither you nor I will see any more of that fun. Well, we"ve had a good deal of it in our day, and have no right to complain."
The friends, in talking over the adventures of the past, would very likely have forgotten what Fleetwood considered the much more important present, when they were interrupted by the entrance of a midshipman, who brought the agreeable intelligence that a sail, supposed to be the _Ypsilante_, was in sight to windward.
"Huzza, then!" exclaimed Rawson. "We shall have all your plan complete, Fleetwood,--and you think those fellows will fight? Well, on my word, I should much like to bear you company if it was not for the hill--mind, only as a volunteer though--I will keep alongside your friend, Colonel Gauntlett."
Seldom had an expedition been undertaken under better auspices than that to rescue Ada Garden and her companions, and to punish the pirate. The night was very dark, and the breeze was just sufficient to enable the ships of war to get up to their anchorage at the proper time, while being from the west, or rather from the northward of it, the sea was perfectly smooth, which would enable the boats to enter the little bay without danger.
As the dusk came on the little squadron hauled up for the island, the Greek brig standing for the port, the others keeping more to the eastward; the former had, however, sent two of her boats to accompany the _Ione_, and to a.s.sist in landing the men, thus rendering herself rather short handed; but, as she had only to make a feint of attacking, this was not considered of any importance, nor was it supposed for a moment that the _Sea Hawk_ would, or even could, make an attempt to quit the harbour in face of so superior a force.
It was so dark that it was scarcely possible to distinguish the sh.o.r.e; but Fleetwood, who led in the _Ione_, as she was the smallest vessel, kept the lead going, and, as he knew the coast, he had no fears. As he thought of the certain result of the expedition, and the unspeakable joy of releasing Ada, and bearing her off in triumph from the pirates"
island, the depression of spirits, from which he had so long suffered, wore off entirely, and every moment which intervened seemed an age in his sight.
"I am delighted to see you looking so well, my dear sir," said Colonel Gauntlett, as, before getting close in with the land, they sat at table with some refreshment before them, of which, by the by, the captain took but little, though his guest did ample justice to it. "I must claim a post next to you, with Mitch.e.l.l as my body-guard, and we must make it our business to find out my poor niece as soon as we get into the port.
You will have to attend to the business of thrashing the pirates, and taking possession of the place, you must remember, so it is fortunate you have some one to a.s.sist you in rescuing the prisoners."
"I shall be glad, indeed, to have some one with whom to place Miss Garden, as soon as she is released; but I expect that I shall be called on to perform that grateful duty at the head of my men, for round her tower, probably, the greatest resistance will be made by the pirates."
"Well, then, my boy, we"ll keep together--we"ll keep together, and you"ll find, I hope, that an old soldier is no bad ally!" exclaimed the colonel with animation. "And now, Mitch.e.l.l," (he was standing behind his master"s chair, his head pressed against the deck above, and the tip of his nose just appearing from under a beam, which entirely concealed his eyes), "let me have another look at my arms. There"s nothing like having one"s weapons in order on an expedition of this kind, depend upon it, Captain Fleetwood. A good general always takes care that his army is well supplied with munitions of war."
While he was speaking, Mitch.e.l.l brought forth from his cabin his sword and two brace of pistols, which he placed on the table. The old soldier drew his sword from its scabbard, and regarded it with a look of the greatest affection. He turned it round to the light, to see that no rust had rested on it, and then pressed its point on the deck, and let it spring up again, to a.s.sure himself that it had not lost its pliancy.
"Ah!" he said, "this and my pistols were the only things I saved from the wreck of the _Zodiac_ and the Frenchman; for I hold that no soldier should part with his sword till the last extremity. An old friend, too, and served with me right through the campaigns in the Peninsula, till the crowning fight of Waterloo. I have reason to be proud of it, Captain Fleetwood."
"Indeed you have, sir; and I have no doubt that it will do good service to-night," said the captain.
"I hope so; and, Mitch.e.l.l, recollect the same orders as I have often before given you--never let this sword be left behind, should my arm lose the power of using it."
"Yes, your honour," said Mitch.e.l.l, with all the gravity of a mute, putting his hand to the beam, as he could not reach his forehead. "I"ll not forget."
The captain, followed by his guest, went on deck, and, in about half an hour, the brig he considered was near enough in to anchor. A light shown over the taffrail was the signal of what he was about to do, and as he clewed up his sails, his consorts followed his example, and all three dropped their anchors within a short distance of each other--the frigate being on the outside. Not a light was allowed to be shown, lest it might be observed by any sleepless eye on sh.o.r.e--and as little noise as possible was made, lest any ear might hear it.
The moment the anchors were let go, the boats were got out and manned, and rapidly collected round the _Ione_.
Fleetwood then summoned the officers, commanding them, into his cabin, where, on the table, was spread out a rough sketch of the part of the island across which they would have to proceed, and of the port and harbour; and he then repeated briefly the plan of the attack, and a.s.signed to each his particular duties.
The frigate and corvette had each sent two lieutenants; and Linton insisted on being as well able to undergo the fatigue as his captain; the rest of the boats were commanded by the mates and midshipmen.
Tompion had the jolly boat, and Jack Raby the gig, while the frigate sent also her lieutenant of marines to command those of the other messes.
"Now, gentlemen, you clearly understand my wishes. I will go in first, and climb to the top of the cliffs, and five minutes afterwards, Mr Raby, who knows the place well, will lead in the _Tone"s_ gig, and show you the way to follow me, unless I should be attacked; and even then, do not come to my a.s.sistance till I call you. I need scarcely caution you to preserve the strictest silence among your men to the last moment-- indeed, till we are actually upon the enemy; and could we surround, and take possession of the tower you see marked there, it would be of the most vital importance, though I fear the pirates will keep too brisk a watch to allow us to get thus far without discovery; and now, the quicker we set about the work the better."
Everybody expressed their full comprehension of Captain Fleetwood"s directions, and he led the way on deck, followed by Colonel Gauntlett and Mitch.e.l.l, and descended to his boat. There his big c.o.xswain, Tommy Small, was waiting for him. Small had charge of the signal rocket, which the captain had, however, determined not to let off, unless they were first discovered by the pirates.
One by one the other officers stepped silently into their boats as they dropped alongside, and, with m.u.f.fled oars, shoved off after the gig; and no one, two cables" length off the ships, would have supposed that nearly two hundred armed men were about to land on the coast.
Fleetwood"s heart beat quick as he approached the sh.o.r.e, he felt sure that he could not have mistaken the spot; but still very great caution was necessary; and the entrance between the rocks was so narrow, that, even in the day time, it was difficult to find. Twice he pulled up to the black towering rocks, and was obliged to back off again disappointed in finding the pa.s.sage. High above their heads they rose, looking like some impenetrable wall, the confines to a world.
"Give way again, my lads," he whispered. "Port the helm a little, Small. That will do; I see it on the starboard bow. Now, give way gently, my men. In with your oars."
And the boat was seen to disappear, as it were, into the very rocks.
She glided, however, between them, and slid with a slight grating noise on to the soft sand, close to where still lay the mistico, which it seemed the pirates had not got off. All hands jumped out, with the exception of the boat-keepers, and Captain Fleetwood lost not a moment in leading the way to the cavern, which he feared to find blocked up.
With cautious steps he groped his way to it, and to his great satisfaction discovered that it was open, and feeling for the steps he ascended them.