The Lily and the Totem; or, The Huguenots in Florida

by William Gilmore Simms

  XV.

  THE MUTINEERS AT SEA.

  HISTORICAL SUMMARY.

  For fifteen days was Laudonniere kept a close prisoner by theconspirators on board of one of his own vessels, attended by one oftheir own number, and denied all intercourse with his friends andpeople. One of the objects of this rigid _duresse_, was the coercion ofthe garrison. With its captain in their power, even were his followersbetter prepared, with the proper spirit and energy, to give themannoyance, they were thus able to put them at defiance; since any showof hostility on the part of the garrison might be visited upon the headof their prisoner. By this means they got possession of the armory, themagazines, the granaries; and, when ready to put to sea, and not before,did they release the unhappy commandant from his degrading durance.

  It was at dawn on the morning of the 8th of December, that the twobarks which the conspirators had prepared for sea, might have beenseen dropping down the waters of May River, their white sails gleamingthrough the distant foliage. At the same moment, with head bowed uponhis bosom, the unhappy Laudonniere, for the first time fully consciousof his weakness and his misfortune,--deeply sensible now to all hisshame as he reflected upon the roving commission which had been extortedfrom him by the mutineers,--turned his footsteps from the banks of theriver, and made his way slowly towards the fortress;--confident nolonger in his strength--suspicious of the faith of all around him--andhalf tempted to sink his shame forever, with his dishonored person,in the waters of the river which had witnessed his disgrace. But hegathered courage to live when he thought of the revenge which fortunemight yet proffer to his embrace.

  We must now follow the progress of our maritime adventurers. They had,as we have seen, succeeded in fitting out two barks; one on which wasconfided to Bertrand Conferrant, one of Laudonniere's sergeants; theother to a soldier named D'Orange. La Croix was named the ensign to theformer; Trenchant, the pilot of Laudonniere, was compelled, againsthis will, to assume this station on board the vessel of D'Orange. Theoriginal plan of the rovers was to pursue a common route, and mutuallyto support each other: but the plans of those who have given themselvesup to excess, are always marked by caprices, and the two partiesquarrelled before they had left the mouth of the river. They hadarranged to descend together upon one of the Spanish islands of theAntilles, and on Christmas night, while the inhabitants were assembledat the midnight mass, at their church, to set upon and murder theinmates and sack the building and the town. Their dissentions affectedthis purpose; and when they emerged from the river May, they partedcompany;--one of the vessels keeping along the coast, in order the moreeasily to double the cape and make for Cuba;--the other boldly standingout to sea and making for the Lucayos. Both vessels proceeded withcriminal celerity to the performance of those acts of piracy which hadseduced them from their duties. The bark which took her way along thecoast, was that of D'Orange. Near a place called Archaha, he took abrigantine laden with _cassavi_, the Indian breadstuff, and a smallquantity of wine. Two men were slain, two taken in a sharp encounterwith the people of Archaha. Transferring themselves and stores to thebrigantine which they had captured, on account of its superiority, thepirates made sail for the cape of Santa Maria; and from thence, afterrepairing a leak in their vessel, to Baracou, a village of the island ofJamaica. Here they found an empty caravel which they preferred to theirbrigantine; and after a frolic among the people of Baracou, which lastedfive days, they made a second transfer of their persons and material tothe caravel. Dividing their force between their own and this vessel,which was of fifty or sixty tons burthen, they made for the Cape ofTiburon, where they met with a _patach_, to which chase was immediatelygiven. A sharp encounter followed. The _patach_ was well manned andprovided, for her size. She had particular reasons for giving battleand for fighting bravely. Her cargo was very precious. It consisted ofa large supply of gold and silver plate and bullion, merchandise, wines,provisions, and much besides to tempt the rovers, and quite as much tomove the crew to a vigorous defence. But, over all, it had a-board theGovernor of Jamaica himself, with two of his sons. This nobleman wasequally fearless and skilful. He directed the resistance of his people,and gave them efficient example. But the force of our rovers was quitetoo great to be successfully resisted by one so small as that of theGovernor, and he directed his people to yield the combat, as soon as hesaw its hopelessness.

  Greatly, indeed, were our free companions delighted with theirsuccesses. The treasure they had acquired was large, but they were notthe persons to be content with it. They were apprised of another caravelladen with greater wealth and a more valuable merchandise, and theyfollowed eagerly after this prey. But she escaped them, getting insafety into the port of Jamaica. The governor was a subtle politician.He soon discovered the character of the men with whom he had to deal,and he wrought successfully upon their cupidity. He proposed to ransomhimself at an enormous price; and, with this object, they stood towardsthe mouth of the harbor in which the caravel had taken shelter. Blindedby their avarice, our rovers were persuaded to suffer the governor todespatch his two boys to their mother, his wife, in a boat which hiscaptors were to furnish. The boys were to procure his ransom, andsupplies were to be sent to the vessel also. But the secret counselof the Governor to his sons, contemplated no such ransom as the freecompanions desired. They knew not that, in one of the contiguous havens,there lay two or more vessels, superior in burthen to their own, andmanned and equipped for war. The Governor, with but a look and a word,beheld his sons depart. The lads knew the meaning of that look, and thatsingle word; they felt all the ignominy of their father's position, andthey knew their duty. A noble and courageous dame was the mother ofthose boys. With tears and tremors did she clasp her children to herbreast; with horror did she hear of her lord's captivity; but sheyielded to no feminine weaknesses which could retard her in theperformance of her duty. Her movements were prompt and resolute. TheGovernor concealed his anxieties, and spoke fairly to his captors.Quite secure in their strength and position, eager with expectationsof further gain, rioting in the rich wines they had already won, theyentertained no apprehensions of defeat or disappointment. They lay atthe mouth of the haven, which stretched away for two leagues into themainland. Here, suddenly, about the break of day, they saw emergingthrough a heavy fog, a couple of vessels of greater size than their own.Apprehending no danger, the pirates were taken by surprise. The enemywas upon them before they could prepare for action, and they hadscarcely an opportunity to attempt their flight. A volley of Spanishshot soon rang against their sides, and as the trumpets of D'Orange,from his brigantine, blew to announce their danger to those in charge ofthe captured vessels, he cut his cables and stood off for sea, closelypressed by his swift-footed enemies. Then it was that, watching hismoment, the Governor of Jamaica seized upon the enemy nearest him andplunged him into the sea. His example was followed by his people, andthe Spaniards coming up with the captured _patach_ at the fortunatemoment, the Frenchmen, with whom it was left in charge, threw downtheir arms, and yielded themselves at discretion to their enemies. Bothvessels were recovered, while the brigantine of D'Orange, well navigatedby Trenchant, succeeded in showing a clean pair of heels to herpursuers. The chase continued for several leagues without success; andthe brigantine, passing Cape des Aigrettes, and the Cape of St. Anthony,swept on to the Havanna. This was the desired destination of D'Orange;but his people were not wholly with him. Several of them, likeTrenchant, the pilot, had been forced to accompany the expedition. Thesewere anxious to escape from a connection which was not only againsttheir desires, but was likely, by the crimes of their superiors, toresult in the destruction of the innocent. Accordingly, under theguidance of Trenchant, a conspiracy was conceived against theconspirators. The wind serving, while D'Orange slept, Trenchant passedthe channel of the Bahamas, and made over for the settlement on MayRiver. The route taken was unsuspected, until the morning of the 25thof March, when they found themselves upon the coast of Florida. By thistime, it was too late to prevent the determination of those wh
o hadresolved upon their return to La Caroline. The latter had grown strongby consultation together, and the true men urged the less guilty of theconspirators with promises of pardon at the hands of Laudonniere. Thishope gradually extended to some of the most guilty; but the discussionwhich led to this conclusion, was productive of a scene which strikinglyillustrates the profligacy of the human heart, particularly when it oncethrows off the restraints of social authority. The unhappy criminals, innominal command of the roving brigantine were prepared to dance upon thebrink of the precipice,--to sport with the dangers immediately beforethem, and convert into a farce the very tragedy whose denouement theyhad every reason to dread. Well charged with wine, and quaffing fullbeakers to fortune, they suddenly conceived the idea of a mock courtof justice, for the trial of their own offences. The idea was scarcelysuggested than it was fastened upon by the wanton imaginations of thisbesotted crew. The court was convened, on the deck of the vessel, asit would have been at La Caroline. One of the parties personated thecharacter of the judge: another counterfeited the costume and mannerof Laudonniere, and appeared as the accuser. Counsel was heard on bothsides. There were officers to wait upon and obey the decrees of thecourt. The cases were elaborately argued. Heavy accusations were made;ingenious pleas put in; and in the very excess of their recklessness,their ingenuity became triumphant. They showed themselves excellentactors, if not excellent men; and caught from their own art, a momentaryrespite from the oppressive doubts which hung upon their destinies. Itwas somewhat ominous, however, that their judge--himself one of the mostguilty--should say to them, when summing up for judgment--"Make yourcase as clear as you please--exert your ingenuity as you may, in findingexcuses, yet, take my word for it, that, when you reach La Caroline, ifLaudonniere causes you not to swing for it, then I will never take himfor an honest man again."

  This may have been intended as a mere jocularity. But fate frequentlyshapes our own words, as she does those of the oracle, in that doublesense, which confounds the judgment while it ensures the doom. Thecounterfeit judge spoke prophetically. It was only when the offenderswere fairly in the hands of Laudonniere, beyond escape or remedy, thatthey were taught to apprehend that they had too greatly exaggeratedtheir sense of his mercy. He detached immediately from the rest four ofthe leading criminals, who were put in fetters. That was the judgmentthat prefigured their doom. They were sentenced to be hanged. Theystrove to question this judgment. The pleasant jest which they hadenjoyed on ship-board was quite too recent, to suffer them to forego thehope that this summary decision upon their fate would turn out a jestalso. But when they could doubt no longer, three of them took to theirprayers with an appearance of much real contrition. The fourth,--asturdy villain,--still had his faith in human agency. He appealed forprotection to his friends and comrades.

  "What," said he, "brethren and companions, will you suffer us to die soshamefully?"

  "These are none of your companions," said Laudonniere;--"they are noauthors of seditions--no rebels unto the king's service. Ye appeal tothem in vain."

  A corps of thirty soldiers with their matchlocks ready, and underthe command of Alphonse D'Erlach, who had returned from his Indianexpedition, and who now stood ready and prompt to execute the orders ofthe chief, were, perhaps, more potent in silencing the appeal of themutineer, and quieting the active sympathies of those to whom he prayed,than all the words of Laudonniere. But, at the entreaty of his people,the form of punishment was changed, and the criminals, instead ofperishing by the rope, met their death from the matchlock. Amongthe victims of this necessary justice, were three of the originalconspirators, and the ringleader, Stephen le Genevois. Thus ends thehistory of one of our roving vessels. The other, commanded by BertrandConferrent, which we parted with, on her progress towards the Lucayos,was never heard of after, and probably perished in the deeps, with allher besotted crew. Let us now leave the ocean, and follow, for aseason, the progress of Alphonse D'Erlach upon the land, and into theterritories of Paracoussi Hostaqua.