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

by Harry Collingwood

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  AN UNSUCCESSFUL CHASE.

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

  This arrangement was, to the _Hermione's_ officers at least, a source ofintense gratification. For whereas, whilst we were cruising alone, ouropportunities for social intercourse were limited to an occasionalinvitation to dine with the captain--and that, Heaven knows, was poorentertainment enough!--we now had frequent invitations to dine with theofficers of the other ships, or entertained them in return in our ownward-room. But, though matters were thus made more pleasant for theofficers of the _Hermione_, I cannot say that the change wrought anyimprovement in the condition of the ship's company--quite the reverse,indeed. For, so anxious was Captain Pigot that his ship should be thesmartest in the fleet, that when reefing topsails at night, if any othership happened to finish before us, the last man of the yard of thedilatory topsail was infallibly booked for a flogging next day. And sowith all other evolutions. The result of which was, that while our crewbecame noted for their smartness, they daily grew more sullen, sulky,and discontented in their dispositions, shirking their work wheneverthere was a possibility of doing so undetected, and performing theirduties with an ill-will which they took little pains to conceal. This,of course, only tended to make matters still worse. The skipper couldnot fail to notice his increasing unpopularity, and this wounded hisself-love; added to which he soon got the idea into his head--andcertainly not altogether without reason--that the men were combiningtogether to thwart and annoy him. And this only made him still moreirritable and severe. It seemed at length as though matters weresteadily approaching the point when it would become an open andrecognised struggle between the captain and the crew for supremacy inrespect of dogged obstinacy and determination. What made it all theworse was that the officers, in the maintenance of proper order anddiscipline in the ship, were compelled--very much against their will--tosupport and countenance the skipper in his arbitrary mode of dealingwith the crew; thus dividing the inmates of the frigate into two well-defined parties--namely, those on the quarter-deck and those on theforecastle. We were _all_ unpopular in varying degrees, from thecaptain down to the midshipmen. I have good reason to believe that thefirst lieutenant on more than one occasion remonstrated with CaptainPigot upon his excessive harshness to the men, and strongly urged him totry the effect of more lenient measures with them; but, if such was thecase, the remonstrances proved wholly unavailing. Added to all thisthere was, especially after we joined the squadron, incessant sail, gun,musketry, and cutlass drill, in addition to the daily combinedevolutions of the ships; all of which made our poor lads pray for achange of some sort--they cared not what--it could scarcely be for theworse, and might very reasonably be hoped to be somewhat for the better.

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

  We were cruising at this time in the Windward Channel, the squadronbeing at the moment of the discovery about midway between Points Malanoand Perle. We were working to windward under double-reefed topsails onthe 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 thatshe had sharp eyes on board her was manifest from the fact that, beforewe had time to acknowledge the admiral's signal, she had shaken thereefs out of her topsails and had set topgallant-sails. Every ship inthe squadron of course at once did the same, and forthwith a mostanimated chase commenced. The _Hermione_ happened to be the weathermostBritish ship, and, consequently, nearest the chase; and most anxiouslydid Captain Pigot struggle to maintain this enviable position; albeit wewere closely pressed by the frigates _Mermaid_ and _Quebec_, which werethrashing along, the one on our lee bow and the other on our lee beam, adistance of a bare cable's length separating the three ships from eachother. It was an interesting and exhilarating spectacle to watch thesetwo graceful craft leaping and plunging over the swift-rushing foam-capped emerald surges, spurning them aside with their swelling bows andshivering them into cloud-like showers of snowy spray which they dashedas high as their fore-yards; now rolling heavily to windward as theyslid down into a liquid valley, and anon careering to leeward under theinfluence of wind and wave, as they mounted to the succeeding crest,until their wet gleaming sides and glistening copper flashed in the sunalmost down to their garboard strakes. Nor did our own ship present aless gallant spectacle as she careered madly forward through the hissingbrine, now burying her bows deep in a fringe of yeasty foam, and nextmoment soaring aloft as though she meant to forsake the oceanaltogether; her steeply-inclined deck knee-deep with the rushingcataracts of water which poured over her to windward, her canvas tuggingat the stout spars until they bent and sprang like fishing-rods, and thewind singing through her tautly-strained rigging as through the stringsof a gigantic Aeolian harp. The bearings of the chase were promptlytaken by Mr Southcott, the master; and a single hour sufficed to showthat we were not only fore-reaching, but also weathering upon her. Bythat time we had brought her a couple of points abaft our weather-beam,and the _Hermione_ was then hove about, this manoeuvre temporarilybringing the chase fair in line with our jib-boom end; whilst the_Mermaid_ lay broad away on our lee quarter fully a mile distant, withthe _Quebec_ half a mile astern of her. With the rising of the sun thebreeze freshened still more; and it soon became evident, from the firstlieutenant's manner, that he was beginning to feel anxious about hisspars. Captain Pigot, however, who was on deck, would not allow thecanvas to be reduced by so much as a single thread; so Mr Reid was atlength compelled (at considerable risk to the men who executed the duty)to get up preventer back-stays fore and aft; and to this precaution wasdoubtless due the ultimate success which crowned our efforts. Anotherhour brought us fairly astern of the chase; and, the moment that herthree masts were in line, we again tacked and stood after her, being nowdirectly in her wake and about nine miles astern. Meanwhile the rest ofthe squadron had also tacked, and were now to be seen tailing out in along 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 wehad so far gained upon the chase that the foot of her courses could benow and then seen as we rose upon the crest of a sea. She was evidentlya 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 bettershipbuilders than ourselves, yet our ships generally proved the fasterin 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 shipswere better sailed and better _steered_ than those of our enemies. Evenat our then distance it was painfully apparent that the yards of thechase were trimmed in the most slovenly manner, and in the matter ofsteering she was sheering and yawing all over the place; whilst forourselves, our canvas was trimmed with the utmost nicety; and we had aman at the wheel who never for a single instant removed his glance fromthe weather-leach of our main-topgallant--sail, which was kept themerest trifle a-lift--just sufficiently so, and no more, to show thatthe 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 alongat race-horse speed. The result was that, though our ship was possiblythe 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 crookedthat she must have travelled over nearly half as much ground again asourselves, thus losing through faulty steering more than she gainedthrough superiority in speed.

  At 10 a.m., by which time we had neared the chase to within a distanceof six miles, the stranger hove about for the
first time and stood tothe southward and eastward, close-hauled on the larboard tack. At 10:30we followed suit, and half an hour later the high land behind JeanRabel, Saint Domingo, was sighted from aloft Captain Pigot now came tothe conclusion that the stranger was aiming to take refuge in Port auPaix; and, should she succeed in effecting her design, it might provedifficult if not impossible to capture her. His anxiety to speedily getalongside her and force her to action accordingly grew almostmomentarily more intense, as also did his acerbity of temper, until atlength he became so nearly unbearable that, had he just then happened tohave 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 orjoined in any effort to save him.

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

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

  Sail was at once shortened on board the _Hermione_, and the ship hoveto, 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 nopossible mistake about it, she was hard and fast on shore, bumpingheavily to all appearance, and with the sea breaking over her from stemto stern. Not satisfied, however, with this distant inspection, theskipper caused his gig to be lowered, and in her proceeded as near tothe scene of the wreck as prudence would allow. He was absent two fullhours, and on his return we learnt that the French ship was hopelesslylost; that the crew were with the utmost difficulty effecting a landingon the beach; and that the craft herself was already breaking up. Hewas highly exasperated, as indeed were we all, at this noble prize thusslipping through our fingers, at a moment, too, when escape seemedabsolutely impossible; and in the heat of temper he denounced the Frenchcaptain as a dastardly poltroon, a disgrace to his uniform; and sworethat, could he but have got hold of him, he would have seized him to agrating and given him five dozen at the gangway. And I firmly believehe fully meant what he said. As for me, though I--youngster that Iwas--felt, perhaps, as keenly disappointed as the skipper himself, I yetthought that the French captain had more thoroughly performed his dutyto his country than he would have done had he remained afloat and foughtus. For, with the vastly superior force of an entire squadron on ourside, escape would then have been for him impossible; his ship mustinevitably have been captured; with the sequence that, in the hands of aBritish crew, she would have become a formidable foe to the countrywhich had recently owned her. Whereas, now, though that country hadlost 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 theprogress of events.

  On the following day the hands were mustered to witness punishment, and,to the unspeakable surprise and indignation of everybody, officers aswell as men, the whole of the poor fellows who had steered the shipduring the unlucky chase of the preceding day were ordered to receivethree dozen apiece, "for culpable negligence in the performance of theirduty," Captain Pigot choosing to assert that, had the ship been properlysteered, we should have overtaken and brought the French frigate toaction. Now the manner in which the _Hermione's_ helm had beenmanipulated on the occasion in question had excited the admiration of,and extorted frequent favourable comments from the officers; there was astiff breeze blowing at the time; and the frigate, when heavily pressedupon a taut bowline, had a most unhandy knack of griping;notwithstanding which, as I have before stated, her wake had been asstraight as though ruled upon the water. But Captain Pigot was bitterlychagrined at his want of success--quite unreasonably, for he andeverybody else had done all that was possible to secure it--and he couldnot rest until he had vented his ill-humour upon some of theunfortunates placed in his power. Hence the cruel and unjust order; theissuing of which very nearly ended in results most disastrous, so far asI was personally concerned.

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

  "No, no; do not do it, sir! I assure you that you are mistaken. Themen do not deserve it, sir; they did their utmost, I am sure; indeed Iheard Mr Reid remark to Mr Douglas that he had _never_ seen the shipso 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'llnot deny it; I _did_ say so, and I meant it, too."

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

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

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

  "Go below, sir; and regard yourself as under arrest. I will consideryour case by and by. So grave a dereliction of duty as that of whichyou 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 tothe first lieutenant:

  "
Since you, Mr Reid, appear to have taken a different view of thesemen's conduct from that which I had entertained, and have, moreover,seen fit to publicly express that view, I have no alternative but togive the fellows the benefit of our difference of opinion, and withholdthat punishment which I still think they richly deserve. But I willtake this opportunity of explaining to you, and to every other officerand man in this ship, that I reserve to myself the exclusive right ofexpressing an opinion as to the behaviour, individually andcollectively, of those under my command; and, whatever any of you maychoose to _think_ upon such a matter, I shall expect that you willhenceforward keep your opinion strictly to yourselves. Now, let thehands be piped down."

  I had paused just below and under cover of the coamings long enough tohear this speech to its conclusion; now, as the boatswain's pipe sentforth its shrill sounds, I scurried off and made the best of my way tothe midshipmen's berth. I felt that I had allowed my sympathy to getthe better of my discretion, and in so doing had plunged myself into avery awkward predicament, out of which I did not at all clearly see howI was to extricate myself; but, whatever might be the result to myselfof my imprudence, it had at least been the means of saving several menfrom an undeserved flogging, and this reflection served somewhat tocomfort me. I was speedily joined by those of the midshipmen whosewatch below it then happened to be; and with them came a master's matenamed Farmer--a man of some thirty-five years of age, whose obscureparentage and want of influential friends had kept him back frompromotion, and who in consequence of countless disappointments had grownchronically morose and discontented. My fellow-mids were veryenthusiastic in their expressions of admiration for what they werepleased to term "the pluck with which I had tackled the skipper;" andequally profuse in the expression of their hopes and belief of asuccessful issue of the adventure. Farmer, however, speedily put astopper upon their tongues by growling impatiently:

  "Belay there with that jabbering, you youngsters; you don't know whatyou are talking about. The fact is that Lascelles there has made a foolof himself and an enemy of the skipper; and to do the latter, let metell 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 haveno reason to regret it."

  I was suspended from duty for the remainder of that day, until late inthe 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'scabin; and in the custody of this man--who was armed with a drawnbayonet--I was accordingly marched into the presence of the skipper. Onentering the cabin, I found Captain Pigot sitting over his wine, withthe first lieutenant seated on the opposite side of the table. When Ientered the apartment Mr Reid was leaning across the table, talking tohis superior in a low earnest tone of voice, but upon my entrance theconversation abruptly ceased. The marine saluted, announced me as "Theprisoner, sir!" and then, facing automatically to the right, took up aposition just outside the cabin door. I approached until within arespectful distance of the table, and then halted; the first lieutenantrising as I did so and closing the door.

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

  "Nothing, sir," I replied, "except that I felt you were about--under theinfluence of a grave misapprehension--to inflict punishment upon men whohad not deserved it; and that if you did so you would certainly regretthe act most deeply. It was from no motive of disrespect that I actedas 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 doneinstantly. I acted as I should have wished another to act had I been inyour place, sir."

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

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

  Highly delighted, and, I must confess, equally surprised in so easy anescape from what threatened at the outset to be an exceedingly awkwardscrape, I stammered out a few confused words of thanks and assurances ofgood behaviour for the future, bowed, and executed a somewhat hastyretreat.