CHAPTER XVI.
IRISH LOYALTY.
Captain Avery's boat pulled away toward the _Noank_, and he remarked ashe took hold of the tiller ropes:--
"I'm glad to be rid of all that crowd. Now there'll be more room forthe rest of us. We can't afford to take prisoners."
"They'll report us, sir," said one of the sailors.
"They may say we mean to sack Liverpool, for all I care," growled thecaptain. "I wish we had a supply of fresh provisions, though. We hadno time to take in any at Brest."
The whole boat's crew agreed with him, for they had been living on saltrations during many a long week.
The skipper of the _Killarney_ and his friends of all sorts, with theirpersonal baggage, were scattered high and low along the beach. Thehospitable commiseration they were receiving was even excessive, andthere appeared to be but one opinion among the population of that edgeof Ireland concerning the general wickedness of privateering. At theside of the schooner, however, as if waiting for the captain's return,was a stout yawl-boat. It had four rowers and in the stern-sheets sata large, florid, handsome man, very well dressed.
"It's the captain of this American pirate?" he loudly inquired. "Gladto see you, sir. I'm The McGahan and my place is inshore, yonder.Have ye ony good tobacco aboord, or a drop o' claret, or an anker ofold Hollands?"
"Well," said Captain Avery, staring into the broadly smiling face ofthe handsome Irishman, "we've no liquid, but we've loads o' prime Cubaleaf, plug, and cigars. How are you off for beef and mutton, or, itmight be, a little fresh pork?"
"No pork handy, the day," responded The McGahan. "Twinty head o' bafe,though, and all the mutton ye want. It's me sorrow that I couldn'tlawfully sell ye huf or horn. The customs patrol is oll along thecoast, looking after smoogglers and the like, and it's loyal to theking we are. God bless him!"
"I'm glad you're law abidin'," replied the captain. "I wouldn't askyou to sell me a pound! Guert Ten Eyck, you and the men have up thatchoice lot from the after cabin lockers. Mr. McGahan; come aboard andmake your own selections. I'm not the kind of man to evade thecustoms. You'd better rob me of a lot of tobacco and whatever elsethere is. I couldn't help myself, you know."
"That's what I'll do," said McGahan, with a comical twist of his face."I'd like to ploonder a privateer. Hurrah for King Garge! Doon widall rebels!--exceptin' it may be Oirish rebels, and I'm wan o' thim.Ye may sind over a party wid goons and cutlashes to rob me o' the bafeand mutton. I'm thinking there's a good catch o' fish, along shore,but the fisher folk'd niver evade the coostoms to get a little 'baccy."
His boatmen had been listening, and he had not been whispering. One ofthem now sang out:--
"Your Worship! Plaze tell the bloody pirates to fetch along theirplug, and sthale the fish! We're oll a wake sort o' people, riddy tobe ploondhered."
It was a bargain! Boats came and went, after that, and when CaptainSyme himself expressed his curiosity concerning them, he was sadlyinformed that the American freebooters had demanded supplies.
Captain Avery did not waste any time in carrying out his part of thecontract. He led an overpowering party of well-armed men to theelegant country-seat of The McGahan, two miles away. A cart which wasdriven along with him contained a number of small boxes and bales.
"Some of McGahan's neighbors," he explained to Guert, "are as ready tobe robbed as he is. I'll not have to pay a dollar of cash. Thebalance o' this trade'll come the other way. If we dared stay, wecould sell out our whole cargo."
Guert was getting hold of several new ideas. One was, that a greatmany Irishmen were about as devoted to the British government as werethe people of America. Another was, that war expenses were large andthat British taxes were heavy. A great part of the revenue collectedcame from duties upon imported goods, and these imposts were such as topractically offer bribes to all smugglers.
"I see," he said to the captain. "It was the duty on imported tea thatset our war for independence a-going."
"No!" replied Captain Avery. "That was only one p'int in the 'count.We had enough else to fight for. I can tell you one thing, though.All the Irish people'd be up in arms, to-day, if they had any GeorgeWashington to lead them. They are treated badly; worse, in somethings, than we were."
Neither going nor coming did Guert hear any blessings uttered uponEngland. The fat oxen and the sheep were hurriedly driven to theshore. Some butchering was done at once, and some salting, but thesailors managed to convey to the schooner more live stock than therewas room for. One large sheep-pen was constructed amidships, belowdeck, that there might be fresh mutton as long as possible. Near itwere cattle-stalls, and these would soon be empty, with so large a crewof hungry eaters ready for roast beef and boiled. As for the fish theycame along in abundance, and casks of sea-water were provided for theirkeeping. With them came fishermen and women and dozen of boys andgirls, all wild with curiosity concerning the "bloody privateer."
One day more did the _Noank_ linger at her pleasant anchorage. Thus,just as the sun was nearing the western horizon, Up-na-tan, at thebeach in the small boat, with its regular crew, raised his hand.
"Whoo-oop!" sounded his war-cry of warning.
"Hark!" said Guert. "That's a bugle! British troops coming! Off wego!"
A gun from the _Noank_ told that the lookout on board had been as alertas was the red man himself.
"Aff wid yez!" yelled a fisherwoman, running frantically toward them."It's the Donegal Rigimint o' cavalry! They'd cut yez all down! Beaff!"
The boat was pulled swiftly away, and as it did so the head of a finecolumn of uniformed horsemen came trotting out to where it could beseen.
"Charge 'em! Charge 'em!" roared a rider in civilian rig at the sideof their commander. "It's your duty, sir, to seize that pirateschooner! They've carried aff more'n twinty head o' fat bafe for me.You're answerable to the king if you let 'em get away!"
"All right!" replied the cavalry major, coolly. "We'll charge theschooner. You ride on board, if you will, and tell 'em we're coming."
"It's not me duty," responded the excited McGahan. "It's a poor patrolye're kaping, whin a booccaneer can sail in and ploonder the coast."
Straight to the shore the dragoons, for such they were called, rodefearlessly onward, and the _Noank_ fired a salute for them while sheswung out flag after flag, fore and aft.
"They'll know the stars and stripes when they see it again," laughedCaptain Avery. "They're fools, though, to expose themselves in thatway. We might damage 'em badly, at this range."
"She's an American privateer! Can that be a fact?" exclaimed theBritish officer, in blank astonishment. "'Pon my soul, I couldn'tbelieve it till I saw it! I'm sure enough, now. Why, McGahan, you arecorrect. My dear old boy, you couldn't help yourself."
"Of coorse I couldn't," replied the robbed Irish gentleman. "I'm gladyou can belave me, at last. What do you think o' the impidence of 'em?"
"It's fine!" exclaimed the major.
That was the striking feature of it. Even in later days, it wasdifficult for the country people of England to realize that suchAmerican pirates as John Paul Jones, for instance, were actuallyattacking the British islands.
Leisurely, tauntingly, the crew of the _Noank_ lifted their anchor. Nohostile shot was fired at the gallant-looking horsemen, and the majorconfidently ventured out in a fishing boat until he was near enough tohail. He was a bright-eyed, daring fellow and his first remark was anoddity.
"Captain Avery, is it?" he said. "Fine schooner of yours, I'd say. Iwas thinking of making a dash. I might surround you, you know. But ifyou are going, I'll let you go."
"I wish you would," called back the captain of the _Noank_. "Would youlike to come aboard? I'll give you a box of Cuba cigars."
"Thank you kindly," said the major. "I'll not trouble you to thatextent. I'm Major Avery of the Donegal Dragoons. I didn't know therewere any of the name in America. Sorry to find an Avery fightingagainst his king."
"Well," said the captain, "you're out a little, there. He is yourking, not ours, and he is fighting us."
"All right!--or rather, it's all wrong," replied the brave major. "Theking'll have his own again, before long. Your cruise'll be a shortone, if you run around in these waters."
"Oh," said the captain, "they're safe enough. We can get away from thecavalry, and from the tubs, too."
"Tubs, eh? That's what you call 'em? You'll find that some of 'em arepretty large tubs."
"Good-by!" shouted back the captain. "I'm glad to find one moregood-looking Avery. Come and visit at my house as soon as the war'sover."
The sails of the _Noank_ were taking the breeze. She swung awayseaward, bowing to the cavalry and to the swarm of fisher folk, andthese forgot their loyalty to England so far that they cheered herlustily.
"Do you know, Guert," remarked the captain, thoughtfully, "this isabout the worst side of our war! It has set old neighbors against eachother, and even kinfolk. Why! Old Ben Franklin himself has a sonthat's an out and out Tory. He is the British Tory governor of NewJersey. He and his father don't speak to each other. There's morelike 'em."
"That's so, sir," said Guert. "Some first-rate fellows that I used toknow in New York went off on the wrong side. Steve de Lancey was oneof 'em. I used to take his boat whenever I wanted to, and they wereall real good neighbors."
The recently appointed first mate of the _Noank_, taking Sam Prentice'splace and responsibilities, broke up the study of civil war evils.
"Where away now, Captain?" he inquired. "Our being here'll be knownwide enough."
"We won't be here, Morgan," replied the captain. "We are goin' rightup St. George's Channel. We may run all the way around the islands andreach Amsterdam from the north."
"That is," said Morgan, "if we get there at all. It's just as thatdragoon said: there are a good many king's cruisers hereaway. Bigones, too."
"We are safest in a crowd," replied the captain. "Our best plan is tobe where they won't dream of our darin' to go."
"No doubt about that," said Morgan. "I'm agreed we're likely to pickup something worth taking if we watch, while we're making such a run asthat."
"We'll go ashore, here and there, too," laughed the captain, "and show'em the flag."
The Noank's Log: A Privateer of the Revolution Page 16
