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

by Harry Collingwood

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

  THE CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF THE "SANTA CATALINA."

  I rather overslept myself that night, so that it was I close upon eightbells before I was ready to go on deck. As I reached the foot of theladder leading to the upper deck an officer, apparently on the quarter-deck, made some remark which I, being below, did not catch; but I didthat of Captain Calderon, who immediately replied quite loud enough forme to hear:

  "A schooner in these waters is always an object to be looked upon withsuspicion, but the _Dolphin_ has gone to the bottom, thanks be to theBlessed Virgin, and I do not think we need fear anything else of her rigthat we may meet with hereabouts. Still, I do not altogether like thelooks of that fellow yonder."

  I smiled as this back-handed compliment to the poor _Dolphin_ camefloating down the hatchway, and turned back to my berth for a minute ortwo in order that those on deck might have no cause to think I hadoverheard a remark which obviously was not intended to reach my ears.Then I went on deck, and found the skipper with two or three officersgrouped near the capstan and intently eyeing some object to windward.

  The wind, I discovered, had fallen light during the night, and hadhauled round from the eastward, in consequence of which the _SantaCatalina_ was then heading due north, close-hauled upon the larboardtack, with hardly enough motion through the water to give her steerage-way. The object which was exciting so much interest among the Spanishofficers was a schooner broad on our weather-beam, about eight milesdistant, and consequently hull-down from the deck. She was steeringabout west-north-west, and appeared to have every stitch of canvaspacked upon her that her crew could spread, including square-sail,topgallant, topmast, and lower studding-sails, which was not at allsurprising, considering that the wind was light and dead fair for her.It was apparent enough to me, however, that the Spaniards did not likethe look of her.

  I was greeted with great cordiality by the little group as I made myappearance on deck; the kindest hopes were expressed that I had passed acomfortable night, and I was promptly invited to take breakfast with theskipper in his cabin. These compliments being duly paid andacknowledged, Captain Calderon remarked:

  "We have been looking at that schooner yonder, and wondering who andwhat she can be. Schooners--unless they happen to be British cruisers,French privateers, or piratical craft--are seldom to be met with abouthere; and, though we ought to have nothing to fear from the secondvariety I have named, I have, to speak the plain truth, no very greatdesire to meet with either of the three."

  "Perhaps she is an American from one of the islands, bound up into theGulf," I suggested.

  "Hardly that, I think," answered Don Felix. "Tell me, did you ever seean American trader with such a beautifully cut suit of canvas as thatfellow spreads?" thrusting the glass into my hand as he spoke.

  I applied the instrument to my eye, taking a good long steady look atthe distant vessel; and when I had completed my examination I was forcedto admit that I had never seen a trader, American or otherwise, withsuch a handsome suit of canvas, or with everything so snug and ship-shape about her rigging as was this craft. "Still," said I, "I amdisposed to think her American from the enormous spread of her yards,which you have doubtless noticed. But if, Don Felix," I continued, "youare really anxious to ascertain the fellow's intentions, why not wearround on the opposite tack? That will at once make him declare himself;for if he is an honest trader he will continue to hold on his presentcourse, whilst if he is not he will certainly alter it so as tointercept you; you will thus have plenty of time to prepare for him, ashe cannot get alongside in less than a couple of hours unless the breezefreshens."

  "I was just thinking of that," remarked Don Felix, "and I will do so.For the sake of my--ah--my--passengers, I must be cautious. We willwear ship, gentlemen, if you please, and then go to breakfast."

  This was done, the operation occupying nearly a quarter of an hour, inconsequence of the lightness of the wind, and we then, a party of four,went below to breakfast.

  The steward was only just pouring out our chocolate when the firstlieutenant came down to say that the schooner had altered her courseabout four points to the southward, and evidently intended to interceptus.

  Don Felix looked very blank for a moment or two on hearing this, thenhis brow cleared, and he remarked:

  "Pooh! she cannot mean to attack us; she merely wishes to speak. Hoistthe Spanish ensign, sir, she will not interfere with us when she sees_that_!"

  I must say I had my doubts whether the mere exhibition of the Spanishensign would have the deterrent effect Captain Calderon anticipated;however, I reflected it could not possibly matter to me--unless, ofcourse, the craft were British, which I did not believe--so I went oncomposedly with my breakfast. My companions were evidently somewhatperturbed, the news just brought down into the cabin interferedconsiderably with the enjoyment of their meal, and I could see that theywere anxiously waiting for me to finish in order that they might go ondeck and see how matters were progressing. I therefore brought myrepast to a hurried conclusion, and we all returned to the upper regionstogether.

  The strange sail had by this time reduced her distance to some fivemiles from the _Santa Catalina_; and, from the course she was steering,it could no longer be doubted that she intended to pass close to us, ifnothing more. Captain Calderon lost not a moment in bringing his glassto bear upon her, and so intent was his scrutiny and examination that itwas fully five minutes before he removed his eye from the tube. When hedid so he handed the glass to me, and I in turn had a look at her. Shehad now raised her hull clear of the horizon, but owing to the intenseheat her outline was so magnified and distorted that it was quiteimpossible to get a good view of her. Still, as I watched the waveringimage, the idea began to grow upon me that I had somewhere seen thecraft before; and I tried for a long time to remember where it was, butwithout success.

  "Well, what do you think of her, my friend?" asked Don Felix as Ireplaced the instrument in his hands.

  "I do not know what to think," said I; "but I have assuredly seen thatvessel before, though _where_, I cannot for the life of me remember."

  "I wish you would allow me to ask you a single question," said Don Felixvery earnestly.

  "Certainly," I thoughtlessly replied; "what is it?"

  "Is yonder schooner one of your cruisers?"

  I had not expected such a question as this, and I did not think it atall a fair one for Don Felix to put I scarcely knew what reply to maketo it, and in order to gain time I begged the loan of the glass oncemore, which having obtained I composedly ascended to the main-top, andfrom that advantageous stand-point renewed my examination. In thissituation I obtained a much better view; and as I stood there swaying tothe sluggish heave of the vessel, with the glass glued to my eye, mymemory suddenly carried me back on board the _Foam_, and I once morefancied myself standing on her heaving deck watching the approach of astrange schooner running down toward us pretty much as this one was nowdoing; the only difference being that we then had a great deal more windthan we now had, whilst the schooner in sight showed a great deal morecanvas than the one we were then so anxiously watching. But the hullwas the same; the taunt spars, and especially the excessive spread ofher yards it was utterly impossible to mistake; and I hurried down ondeck with all speed, feeling that the _Santa Catalina_ and every soul onboard her was in a very awkward fix, to escape from which would tax ourenergies and ingenuity to the utmost.

  "Well?" said Don Felix interrogatively, as I swung off the rail down ondeck close to him.

  "Don Felix," said I, "when you asked me that question a minute or twoago I had not succeeded in identifying yonder schooner, though I feltsure I had seen her somewhere before. _Now_ I know her; she is thevessel in which that notorious pirate, Merlani, plies his nefarioustrade; and I would therefore strongly recommend you to clear for actionat once."

  "Merlani!" ejaculated the skipper; "the saints defend us! It cannot betrue; you are surely joking with us, senor!"
<
br />   "I was never more serious in my life, Captain Calderon," I retorted;"and to show you how grave I consider our situation, I beg that you willallow my men and myself to assist you in the defence of the ship."

  The little gentleman turned almost livid for a moment, and I reallythought he was frightened; but after an ineffectual effort or two tosteady his voice, he managed to stutter out passionately:

  "No, senor, no; certainly not! Your offer is almost an insult--thoughperhaps you did not intend it as such. The _Santa Catalina_ is aSpanish ship, and she is manned by a crew who, with her officers, arequite able to take care of her and to uphold the honour and dignity ofyonder flag," pointing as he spoke to the languidly floating ensign atthe peak.

  "Very good, Don Felix," said I; "you, of course, know the capabilitiesof your crew far better than I do. But the schooner there is sure to becrowded with men, who, to my personal knowledge, are as desperate a setof ruffians as ever trod a deck. You will have all your work cut out tobeat them off; and if you fail, what is to become of us all? I warn youthat neither I nor my men will submit tamely and without a struggle tohave our throats cut. If the pirates gain possession of this ship weshall fight for our lives, and if we prove victorious I shall considerthe _Santa Catalina_ my lawful prize."

  "And you shall be welcome to her, senor, on those conditions," said DonFelix, with all the hauteur he could muster. "At present I must requestthat you and your people will retire below and consider yourselves asclose prisoners until you hear further from me. And I rely upon yourcourtesy and sense of honour to relieve me of the necessity for callingupon my crew, in the present critical state of affairs, to enforce mycommands."

  "You shall be instantly obeyed, Captain Calderon," said I, highlynettled at so very unnecessary an exhibition of warmth. "Come, mylads," I continued to my own people, who were lounging about the decksand looking somewhat wistfully at the guns, "below with you, every man,the _Dolphins_ are to have no hand in this fight it seems. Come, downwith you; no disobedience; for shame, men; would you disgrace me beforeall these Spaniards?"

  This was enough, and the few who seemed at first inclined to hang backnow pressed forward eager to show their obedience by being among thefirst to pass down the hatchway.

  As I turned away with a bow from Don Felix and his little group ofofficers, the former gave the order to clear ship for action; and at thesame moment Don Luis, who, it seemed, had come unobserved on deck andhad heard the altercation between Don Felix and myself, pressed forwardand placed himself by my side.

  "I will come below with you for a moment, if I may," said he.

  "Assuredly," said I; "I shall be glad to have a word with you, Don Luis,before the action commences. _Dolphins_," I continued in English, "justlook about you as you pass below, and take possession of anything youcan find likely to prove handy as a weapon. I'm by no means sure weshall not be yet obliged to fight for our lives, though the dons have soscornfully refused our assistance."

  "Is that your honest conviction?" asked Don Luis, who understood Englishperfectly, "or is it merely the expression of a little bitterness atCaptain Calderon's singularly discourteous behaviour?"

  "It is my honest conviction," said I. "It may seem a very impertinentthing for me to say, Don Luis; but, from what I have seen of theofficers and crew of this vessel, I do not believe they will be able towithstand the pirates' attack longer than five minutes at the utmost. Iam glad you have given me the opportunity to say this to you, for Ishould not like disaster to find you quite unprepared. Would that Icould think of some means of providing for your daughter's safety!"

  "The saints be merciful to us! Do you really think matters are sodesperate as that, Senor Lascelles?" ejaculated Don Luis.

  "I do, indeed," replied I.

  "Then, supposing the pirates gain possession of the ship, what do youthink will happen?" asked my friend, in great perturbation.

  "They will undoubtedly ransack the ship and plunder her of every articleof the slightest value, in the first place," said I; "but what they willnext do is not so certain. `Dead men tell no tales,' however, and thechances are that every male on board will be slaughtered in cold blood,or thrown overboard, after which the ship will, doubtless, be scuttledor set on fire."

  "Stay were you are a few minutes, I pray you, my dear boy," ejaculatedDon Luis, in a tone of voice which betrayed his extreme consternation;"I must go on deck and have a word or two with Captain Calderon. I havenot yet wholly lost my power or influence, though I _am_ to some extentin disgrace."

  He hurried away and left me standing on the main-deck. My men,meanwhile, had, in obedience to my instructions, made their way below tothe lower deck, and I could hear them now and then--during a momentarycessation in the din on deck and around me caused by the Spaniards'preparations for action--rummaging about below and calling to eachother.

  About ten minutes later Don Luis rejoined me, with a drawn sword in hishand and a pair of pistols in the sash which girded his waist, showingthat he, at all events, fully intended to do his part in the protectionof the ship and those within her.

  "Where are your men?" he asked.

  "Gone below, whither I must now join them," said I. "I can see thatyour countrymen are already regarding my prolonged presence here withjealous and mistrustful eyes."

  "Come, then," said Don Luis, "I will go with you."

  We descended to the lower deck, and I saw, by the dim light of a lanternsuspended from the beams, that most of my lads had provided themselveswith at least _something_ in the shape of a weapon. Some had armedthemselves with tail-blocks, which they had routed out from somewhere;some carried marlinespikes; and others were balancing crowbars andpieces of old iron in their hands; whilst one or two had dragged tolight some short lengths of chain, which, wielded by their sinewy arms,might prove formidable weapons of offence.

  Don Luis looked at them, then at me, and smiled.

  "You English are a most extraordinary people," he said. "I believe youare never more happy than when fighting. Those men of yours look morelike a parcel of schoolboys preparing for a holiday than men makingready for a desperate life-and-death struggle. But I must be brief;there is no time for anything like gossip now; the pirate schooner iswithin two miles of us, and Don Felix expects her to open fireimmediately. I have tried to persuade him that he was hasty and ill-advised to refuse your offer of assistance; but the fellow is asobstinate as a pig; he will _not_ listen to reason, albeit I believe heis growing more nervous every minute. Now, first, I want to ask youwhat had I better do with my daughter?"

  "Stow her away as low down in the run of the ship as you can put her,"said I. "She will then be out of reach of the shot. It will also besome little time before she can be discovered by the pirates--assuming,of course, that they take the ship--and in the meantime there will bethe chance of my men being able to do something. But, for the love ofHeaven, Don Luis, let her not fall alive into the hands of thescoundrels!"

  "She shall _not_, if I have to slay her with my own hand," ejaculatedDon Luis through his set teeth. "There is one thing more," he continuedhurriedly. "Your men cannot possibly do any good with those makeshiftweapons with which they have provided themselves. Now, if I am willingto compromise myself to the extent of providing you all with suitablearms, will you pledge your sacred word of honour, Don Leo, that thoseweapons shall not be employed save against the pirates, and only then inthe event of my countrymen proving unequal to cope with them."

  "Willingly," said I, "but with this proviso, Don Luis: If the piratesconquer your countrymen and gain possession of the _Santa Catalina_, andwe, after that, are able to recover her, I shall regard her as my prizeand retain possession of her by every means in my power."

  Don Luis cogitated deeply for a full minute.

  "Be it so," he then said. "That was agreed upon between you and DonFelix, I remember; and after all it would be infinitely preferable thatwe should be your prisoners than that we should fall by the murderoushands of the pira
tes. Do you happen to know if there is any other meansof gaining the deck above than the ladder by which we descended!"

  "Yes," said I; "there is another ladder abaft there which leads to themain and upper decks by way of the after hatchway."

  At this moment a muffled _boom_ smote our ears, and a crash somewhereabove us, which followed a second or two later, showed that the piratehad opened fire and was within range.

  This was immediately succeeded by a confused discharge from the _SantaCatalina_ of all the main-deck guns of the larboard broadside, one afterthe other.

  "Don Luis," said I, "for Heaven's sake try to persuade Don Felix not toreturn the pirate's fire. Those twelve-pounder carronades are ofcomparatively little use except at close quarters, and Merlani is notfool enough to give you the chance to use them to advantage; he willsimply heave to out of range and blaze away with his long gun until morethan half your crew are killed, when he will dash alongside and carrythe ship without an effort. Tell Don Felix to double-shot his guns andto depress them as much as he can, but not to fire. Let the schoonercome alongside--haul down your ensign if you cannot otherwise get him tocome--and, when the schooner is close under the muzzles of your guns,fire, and your shot will go right through her bottom. The pirates willthen be obliged to board, when, with the advantage afforded by the_Catalina's_ high sides, you ought to have things all your own way."

  "Thanks! thanks! I will see what I can do," said Don Luis. "But now,come this way, and bring your men with you; I will take it upon myselfto arm you, and then, if the worst comes to the worst, I shall look toyou to save ay daughter."

  "And I will do it or perish!" I exclaimed fervently, as I beckoned the_Dolphins_ to follow me and made sail in the wake of Don Luis.

  He led us along until we reached the after hatchway, through which weascended to the deck above, when we again turned aft until we reached abulkhead inclosing a room beneath Don Felix's cabin. Don Luis threwopen a door in this bulkhead, and exclaiming:

  "There, help yourselves; I providentially noticed this room as I wascoming down to you just now," rushed away on deck.

  The room disclosed by the opening of the door was of some extent,occupying nearly half the breadth of the vessel; and it had evidentlybeen fitted up as an armoury when the ship had been doing duty as a man-of-war, for though sundry unoccupied pegs and pins showed that thepresent crew had just been armed from this place, there still remainedweapons enough unappropriated for more than twice our numbers. Theweapons consisted of muskets, pistols, swords, and cutlasses; but, asthere were of course no cartridges lying about, we chose cutlasses only,and, having secured them, hurried back to our former lurking-place.Once safely back there, I lost no time in briefly, yet as fully aspossible, explaining the position of affairs to my followers; afterwhich we sat down and calmly waited the course of events, I employingthe interval in comparing notes with those of the _Dolphin's_ officerswho had been taken off the floating deck.

  Meanwhile gun after gun had been fired by the pirates, to which DonFelix had persistently replied; but after a time the firing ceasedoverhead, and I was in hopes that Don Luis had been able to persuade theskipper to follow my advice.

  At length, after a somewhat tedious interval of suspense, a sharp orderor two was given on deck, quickly followed by the simultaneous dischargeof the whole of the _Santa Catalina's_ larboard broadside. A terribledin of shrieks, yells, shouts, and imprecations--heard but veryimperfectly by us down below--immediately succeeded. A crash ofartillery, accompanied by the thud of shot against the ship's sides, andthe rending of timber overhead, told us that the pirate schooner hadpromptly returned the broadside, and a slight but very perceptibleconcussion a minute later indicated that she was alongside. A rattlingfire of musketry was immediately opened from the deck of the _SantaCatalina_, to which the pirates replied with their pistols. Orders wereshouted on both sides, the sharp cries of the wounded, and the muffledthud of their bodies falling to the deck, began to mingle with theofficers' shouts of encouragement and the fierce defiances of the men.There was a rush, a confused trampling of feet, more pistol-shots, thering of steel upon steel, and a medley of human voices raised high inthe excitement of mortal combat which told us that the pirates wereboarding.

  "There they are!" exclaimed Woodford, springing to his feet, his examplein this respect being followed by the whole of the men. "Now, what doyou say, Mr Lascelles, are we to go up and tackle them?"

  "Not yet," said I; "I have pledged my word that we will not interfereunless the pirates absolutely gain possession of the ship, and thatpledge must be scrupulously observed. By the way," I continued, as anidea flashed through my brain, "I wish you all to understand, my lads,that I am particularly anxious to secure the pirate captain alive, ifpossible; and I will give fifty pounds to the man who effects hiscapture. And I suppose I need not remind you that if we have to fightat all it will be for our lives. Those fellows on deck are not likelyto give any quarter if they get the best of the tussle."

  "Never fear, sir," answered Collins, one of the smartest of the crew;"we'll give 'em a second taste of what they got from us away over therein the lagoons."

  "Ay, ay; we will. Trust us for that," etcetera, etcetera, murmured oneand another; and as I looked round at them standing there like hounds inthe leash, their eyes gleaming, their feet shuffling impatiently on thedeck, their cutlasses tightly grasped in their sinewy hands, their everymovement betraying their excitement and eagerness to join in the fray, Ifelt that they most assuredly would.

  Presently hasty footsteps were heard approaching, and in another momentseveral of the _Santa Catalina's_ crew came helter-skelter down theladder, and, taking not the slightest notice of us, rushed off anddisappeared in the darkness.

  "Steady, lads; not yet!" said I, as the _Dolphins_, like one man, pulledthemselves together and braced themselves for a rush.

  More footsteps, and Don Luis appeared, bareheaded, in his shirt-sleeves,his right arm bleeding profusely and dangling useless and broken at hisside, whilst his right hand still convulsively grasped the hilt of hisbroken sword.

  "Quick, Don Leo," he panted; "up with you, for the love of God! CaptainCalderon's courage failed him half an hour ago, and he left the defenceof the ship to the first lieutenant, who was killed a moment agofighting gallantly, and the crew, panic-stricken, at once gave way,scattering all over the decks like frightened sheep, and huddling bytwos and threes into the first corner they could find, where they arenow being savagely slaughtered by those fiends of pirates. Quick, mydear boy, or you may be too late--my daughter--oh, God, have mercy!--"

  "Collins," said I, "off with your neckerchief; quick, my man; tie ittightly about this gentleman's arm, _above_ the wound, mind, and stayhere in charge of him until you are relieved. Now, lads, away on deckwe go. Follow me; hurrah!"

  The brave fellows responded with a single heart-stirring cheer as theybounded after me up ladder after ladder, and in the twinkle of apurser's dip we found ourselves on the upper deck.

  A glance sufficed to show us that Don Luis' statement was literallytrue. The pirates were scattered all over the upper deck, killing theunresisting Spaniards as if they had been so many rats.

  I hastily detailed the gunner with a dozen men to enter and explore thecabins, to defend them against all comers, and to capture any strangersthey might discover therein; and then, Woodford leading one division andI the other, we swept the decks from the after hatchway right forward,cutting down everybody who attempted to oppose us. The pirates thusunexpectedly found themselves all huddled together in the eyes of theship, where, their freedom of movement being seriously interfered withby the presence of the heel of the bowsprit and all the gear which sofrequently hampers a ship's forecastle-head, they were placed at a veryserious disadvantage; and, though they fought desperately, weoverpowered them without much difficulty, gaining possession of the shipin less than two minutes from the time of our first appearance on deck.