James Braithwaite, the Supercargo: The Story of his Adventures Ashore and Afloat

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER TWELVE.

  A GLORIOUS VICTORY.

  I began seriously to fear that we were getting the worst of it. Shotafter shot came crashing on board, and several more men were broughtdown. I expressed my fears aloud to the surgeon. A poor fellow alreadyon the table about to undergo amputation overheard me. "Don't think ofthat, sir," he exclaimed; "they are tough ones, those mounseers, butwe'll go down with our colours flying sooner than strike them."

  At that instant our ears were saluted by loud cheers, which burst fromthe crew on deck. Still the firing was kept up, and it was evident thatour ship continued in action. At last, another wounded man beingbrought down, we heard that the _Renomme_, the French commodore'sfrigate, had struck.

  In a few minutes another cheer was heard, the firing ceased, and we hadthe satisfaction of finding that the _Clorinde_ had also struck hercolours to us. My heart felt intense relief when I found that theaction was over, and that my young brother had escaped without a wound.Then I recollected that those who had been killed had not been broughtbelow. I wondered that he had not come below to relieve my anxiety.Those of whom I inquired could not tell me what officers had beenkilled. The instant, therefore, I could leave the poor sufferingfellows I had undertaken to assist, I hurried on deck. When I wentbelow the frigate had presented a trim and orderly appearance. Now hersails were torn and full of shot-holes, her running rigging hung inloose festoons, with blocks swaying here and there, her bulwarks wereshattered, her lately clean deck ploughed up with round shot coveredwith blood and gore, and blackened by powder. The thickening shades ofevening threw a peculiar gloom over the whole scene. I looked anxiouslyround for William. I could not see him. My heart sank within me.Could he be among the slain? A midshipman hurried past me.

  "Where is Braithwaite, my brother?" I asked, in a trembling voice.

  "There; don't you see him on the forecastle?"

  I looked in the direction to which he pointed. My heart bounded upagain as I saw him directing the men engaged in bending a freshforesail, which had before concealed him from my sight. My voicetrembled with emotion as I ran forward, and, shaking him by the hand,congratulated him on our victory and his safety. He seemed scarcely tounderstand my agitation.

  "Yes, I am thankful to say we have thrashed the enemy, and I wish therewere a few more to treat in the same way. There is one fellow makingoff, and I am afraid the _Astrea_ will not be able to work up to bringher to action."

  I looked out as he spoke. One of our frigates, to which he pointed, wasa long way to leeward, while a French frigate was standing under allsail to the north-west. Our two antagonists appeared fearfullyshattered, both the French commodore's ship and the _Clorinde_, whichwas even in a worse condition than we were. All our boats had been soinjured by shot that we were unable to send one to take possession ofour prize, and as the night was now rapidly coming on, we could not hopeto do much to repair damages till the morning. As long, however, as themen could work, the carpenter's crew continued putting the ship torights. The rest of the already overworked crew were then piped below,that they might be able to renew their labours on the morrow. I hadplenty to do in assisting the surgeons in attending on the wounded, tillat last, well wearied out, I turned into my hammock, thankful that mydear brother and I had escaped the perils of the fight, and sincerelyhoping that, as it was my first battle, so it might be the last in whichI should be engaged. Before going below I took a look towards ourprize, whose light I saw burning brightly at no great distance from us.I had now time to think of my own affairs, and of course was not alittle anxious about the fate of the _Barbara_, for it was too probablethat she had fallen into the hands of the Frenchmen. If so, they wouldprobably have sent her to France, as she was well provisioned for a longvoyage, or to one of their settlements, where she could be disposed ofto advantage. My sleep was sadly disturbed with these thoughts and withthe scenes of pain and suffering I had witnessed. I awoke soon after itwas light, and dressing quickly went on deck. It was to find everybodythere in a state of no small anger and vexation.

  "She is off, gone clean out of sight," I heard people saying.

  I inquired what was the matter.

  "Why, it is enough to vex a man, Mr Braithwaite," observed the firstlieutenant. "As we could not send on board last night to takepossession of our prize, she has managed to slip away during thedarkness. She left a light burning astern on a cask to deceive us. Ifwe ever come up with her we'll make her pay dearly. The other fellow,too, has got clear away; however, we will find him out, wherever he hashid himself."

  Soon after this the commodore signalled to us to send our boats toassist in removing the prisoners from the _Renomme_. Thanks to theexertions of the carpenter and his crew, three were already made capableof floating. I asked to take an oar, as I wished to go on board theprize. No sooner did I step on board than I regretted having come.Terrible was the scene of slaughter I witnessed. The frigate had beencrowded with troops, nearly one-half of whom had been cut down by the_Galatea's_ shot, which she had poured into the Frenchman's hull. Thecrew were only now beginning to throw the dead bodies of their shipmatesoverboard. The French commodore, a gallant officer, and many others,were killed. But the wounded nearly doubled the killed, and theychiefly excited our sympathy. Their own surgeons were already almostworn out with attending to them, and of course we could not spare any ofours to render them assistance. The more of the effects of war I saw,even on this small scale, the more I longed for the time when wars areto cease and nations to live at peace with each other. It was not,however, the fashion to speak on that subject in those days, nor do thenations of the world, alas! appear more inclined now than then to bringabout that happy state of things!

  When taking some of the prisoners on board the _Galatea_, I found shehad also suffered severely, though not at all in proportion to the_Renomme_. Captain Schomberg ordered us, as soon as our damages wererepaired, to make sail for the port of Tamatave, on the east coast ofMadagascar, where he suspected the other French frigate had takenrefuge, her captain supposing probably that we should return at oncewith our prizes to the Mauritius. The _Astrea_ coming up, her crew wenton board the _Renomme_, to put her to rights, and this being done, allfour frigates made sail together for Tamatave. It is merely areef-formed harbour, and by no means a secure or good one. The Englishhad sent a force of about fifty men there after the reduction of theMauritius, and they had, we understood, built a fort, or takenpossession of an old one. It was a question whether they had been ableto hold it against the French, or had been compelled to surrender. Aswe approached the coast, all our glasses were in requisition, toascertain whether any ships were at anchor off the place. There weretwo, certainly, one larger than the other. The wind was light, but weat length got in close enough to see that the French flag flew at theirmastheads, as also over the fort, and that there were several smallervessels. I thought that there would be more fighting, but instead ofproceeding to that extremity, the commodore sent in a boat with a flagof truce, pointing out the overpowering force he had under him, anddemanding the instant surrender of the ships and fort.

  We anxiously watched for the return of the boat, for if the demand werenot acceded to we should have, it was understood, to go in and cut outthe ships with our boats. Many liked the thought of such an exploit, inspite of its dangerous character. It was very possible that the Frenchcaptain might hope, with the support of the fort, to be able to beat offthe boats, and to hold out until the squadron should be driven off by astorm. At last the boat was seen returning. The frigate was the onewhich had escaped from us. Her captain wisely agreed to yield to thefortune of war, and to give her up with all her prizes, and the fortinto the bargain.

  "And what is the name of the other ship?" I asked.

  "The _Barbara_ merchantman," answered the lieutenant. "She was on thepoint of sailing with a French crew when we appeared, so that her ownershave had a narrow chance of losing their property."

  This
was, indeed, satisfactory news. I was, of course, very eager to goon board and hear from Captain Hassall what he intended doing. Theaccount brought off as to the state of the English garrison wasmelancholy. The fort was built in an especially unhealthy spot, withmarshy undrained land close round it. The consequence was, that of thefifty men who had been sent there, when the French appeared not a dozenwere alive, and that sad remainder were scarcely able to lift theirmuskets. They had therefore at once yielded to the enemy. Severalothers had since died, but the sickly season being now over, it washoped that the remainder would live on till the next year, when in allprobability during the same season they would share the fate of theircomrades. I got a passage in one of the next boats which pulled in.Captain Hassall had been allowed by the French to return to his ship,and he was taking a turn on deck when I went alongside. He looked at mecuriously two or three times when I stepped on deck, and, raising hishat, inquired what I wanted. Suddenly he stopped when he got close upto me, exclaiming, "What! James Braithwaite, my dear boy, is it reallyyou? I am delighted to see you, for to say the truth, I had given youup as lost. I never supposed that cockleshell of a boat in which youleft the ship would have survived the hurricane which came on directlyafterwards."

  There was one question above all others I wished to ask him, "Have youwritten home to tell my friends of my loss?"

  "No," he answered; "I have so often found people turn up whom I thoughthad been lost, that I am very unwilling to send home bad news till it isabsolutely necessary, and as I did not require your signature, I wasable to avoid mentioning that you were not on board."

  This answer greatly relieved my mind, and I was in a short time able totalk over our arrangements for the future. The capture of the _Barbara_would, of course, be a heavy expense to the owners; but if the voyageshould prove as successful as we still hoped it would, a handsome profitmight yet be realised. To that object we had now to bend all ourenergies. We were therefore anxious as soon as we could to proceed onour voyage. I had heard from the captain of the _Phoebe_ that anexpedition was fitting out in India for the capture of Batavia, thechief town in Java, of which the French now held possession; and we hadgreat hopes, if we could reach it soon after the English had gained theplace, which of course we expected they would do, that we should sell alarge portion of our cargo to great advantage. Before sailing, however,we determined to see what trade could be carried on with the natives.Fortunately, the French had not touched our cargo for that purpose.Though they had made frequent attempts to form settlements inMadagascar, they had never succeeded in gaining the confidence andgoodwill of the natives. Had the plans of the Count Benyowsky beencarried out when he offered his services to France, they might possiblyhave obtained a powerful influence in the affairs of the country, if notentire possession of it. His plans were, however, completely defeatedby the governor of the Mauritius, who, looking on Madagascar as adependency of that island, was jealous of his--the Count's--proceedings,and finally drove him to make common cause with the natives against theFrench Government. I heard some details of the life of thatextraordinary adventurer. The Count Benyowsky was a Polish nobleman,who for some political reason was banished by the Russian Government toone of its settlements in the extreme eastern part of Siberia, whence itseemed impossible for him ever to find his way back to Europe. Thegovernor of the town in which the Count was compelled to reside had adaughter, young and lovely, who had conceived a warm affection for him,which appears to have been fully returned. Through the means of thisyoung lady he was able to gain information as to everything which wastaking place. He heard, among other things, that two large Russianships were expected at the neighbouring port. He had long been lookingout for the means of making his escape from Siberia.

  Here was an opportunity. None but a man of great boldness and energywould, however, have considered it one. He was a prisoner in afortified town; it contained a considerable number of his countrymen,but they were prisoners strictly watched. Still he was determined tomake the attempt. He set to work and gained over a hundred men toassist in his dangerous undertaking. By some means they were able toprovide themselves with arms. The governor's fair daughter undertook toobtain the keys of the fortress, provided her father's life was spared.The adventurers found it impossible to make their escape without firstmastering the garrison. The conspirators were mustered, and were readyfor the enterprise. The young lady brought her lover the keys. Herlast words were, "Do not injure my father."

  "Of course not, if he makes no resistance," was the Count's answer.

  The gates were opened; the conspirators rushed in. The old governorwas, however, not a man to yield without a struggle. Putting himself atthe head of some of his men, he endeavoured to keep back the assailants.Again and again he charged them, calling on the troops to rally roundhim. It was evident to the Count and his companions that if he wereallowed to live their undertaking would fail. He therefore, pressed onby numbers, was killed, with all who stood by him.

  The adventurers, now putting all who opposed them to the sword, becamecomplete masters of the place, and without difficulty obtainedpossession also of the two ships which had just arrived. A sufficientnumber of officers and seamen were found to navigate the ships, and,having provisioned them for a long voyage, the Count, taking thedaughter of the governor with him, went on board them, with a hundredcompanions, and made sail to the southward. The Count had takenprecautions against pursuit; indeed, there were probably no Russianmen-of-war in those waters at the time, and thus he made good hisescape. He touched at a variety of places. He reached Canton insafety. Here he wisely sold his ships, as, had he fallen in with anyRussian men-of-war, his destruction would have been certain. At Cantonhe and his companions embarked on board two French vessels, in whichthey proceeded to the Isle of France. Here he announced his intentionof forming a colony in Madagascar, or perhaps of conquering the countryfor France.

  His plans, as I have said, excited the jealousy of the governor of theMauritius, and of other people of authority in that island, whodetermined to oppose him. Notwithstanding, he proceeded to France,where he so completely gained the good opinion of the French ministerthat he was appointed to take command of an expedition to found theproposed settlement, with the title of governor-general. He had marriedthe daughter of the Russian governor, and she accompanied him in all histravels, but what was her ultimate fate I do not remember having heard.After returning to the Isle of France, where the governor still kept uphis hostility, and opposed him by every means in his power, he set sailwith about three hundred men for Madagascar. He landed at Antongil Bay,where he was well received by the chiefs, but he at first was subject toa good deal of opposition from the natives generally. He did his bestto conciliate them, but as he had often to employ force, and to keep upa strict military rule at the same time, it must have been difficult topersuade them that his intentions were pacific and philanthropic. Heseems to have met with heroic courage all the innumerable difficultiesby which he was beset. He lost many of his officers and men bysickness, as the position where he attempted to found his firstsettlement, from being surrounded by marshes, was very unhealthy. Amongothers, his only boy lost his life by fever. He was left without thenecessary supplies he expected from the Isle of France, the governorpurposely neglecting to send them. The natives also were incited byemissaries of the governor to oppose him, while, of the officers sent tohim, some were incapable, and others came with the express purpose ofbetraying him. Notwithstanding all these difficulties, by the middle of1775 the settlers had built a fort in a more healthy situation, whichwas called Fort Louis, had constructed all the necessary buildings forthe town of Louisbourg, and had formed a road twenty-one miles in lengthand twenty-four feet in breadth. The Count had also done somethingtowards civilising the people, and among other important measures hadpersuaded the women to give up their practice of infanticide, which hadbeen terribly prevalent. They, however, refused to ratify theengagement without the presence of
the Count's wife, who was residing atthe Isle of France. She was accordingly sent for, and on her arrivalthe women of the different provinces, assembling before her, boundthemselves by an oath never to sacrifice any of their children. Theyagreed that any who should break this oath should be made slaves, whilethey were to send all deformed children to an institution which had beenfounded by the Count in the settlement for that purpose.

  He had by this time formed alliances with many of the surroundingchiefs, who ever afterwards remained faithful to him. In other parts ofthe island combinations were formed against him. He accordinglymustered his forces, and marching against his enemies, who had broughtforty thousand men into the field, put them to flight. Those who fellinto his hands he treated with so much leniency and kindness that heultimately attached them to his cause. A curious superstition of thenatives was the cause of his being at length raised to the dignity ofthe principal chief of the island. It appears that the hereditarysuccessor to the title was missing, when some of the natives took itinto their heads that the Count Benyowsky was the lost heir. The ideagained ground at the very time that the affairs of the Count were in avery precarious condition. His own health was failing, the morefaithful among his European officers were dead, his enemies in theMauritius had succeeded in prejudicing the minds of the members of theFrench Government against him, and two, if not more, vessels bringingout supplies had been lost. Under these circumstances it is notsurprising that he should have accepted the proffered dignity, whichshortly led to his being recognised as the principal chief and supremeruler of the whole island.

  Commissioners had been sent out from France to investigate the affairsof the settlement. While they were there he took the opportunity ofgiving up the command of the settlement to another officer, and entirelydissolved his connection with it and with France, though he at the sametime, with the other chiefs, expressed his desire to live on friendlyterms with the inhabitants, and to support the settlement to the best ofhis ability. He employed some time after this in consolidating hispower and in improving the condition of the people. He also drew up aconstitution, which for those days was of the most liberal character.Having done all he could to civilise the people, he resolved to go toEurope to establish mercantile relations with different countries forthe improvement of the commerce of his adopted country.

  In France, though he had some friends who welcomed him cordially, he wascoldly received by those in power, though his course was supported bythe celebrated Dr Franklin, who was at that time in Paris. At length,quitting the country, he went to England; but though he offered to placethe country under the protection of the English Government, noencouragement was afforded him. All his hopes in Europe having failed,he set sail for the United States, in the vessel he chartered with acargo of goods suited to the markets of Madagascar. After remaining forsome time in the United States and obtaining another ship and cargo, hereached Antongil Bay in July 1785. He was here cordially welcomed bythe chiefs, but instead of going into the interior and assuming thereins of government, he remained on the coast for the purpose ofestablishing trading-posts where his goods might be disposed of. He hadcaptured one port from the French, and was engaged in repairing a fortbuilt by them, when a body of troops landing from a French frigateattacked him. He retired with some few Europeans and natives into thefort, where he attempted to defend himself. The French advanced, he wasshot through the body, and being ignominiously dragged out, directlyafterwards expired. Poor Count Benyowsky! I could not help feelingsorrow when I heard of his sad fate.

  The climate of the low lands near the seashore was, from what we heard,_very_ unhealthy, but in the hill country of the interior it is ashealthy as any part of the world. We heard a good deal of the Englishand French pirates, who had formed, a century before, some flourishingsettlements on the northern coasts. The name of a bay we visited(Antongil) was derived from one of the most celebrated, Anthony Gill.Several other places also obtained their names from members of thefraternity of freebooters. While the pirates continued theirdepredations on the ocean, they in general behaved well to the natives,but when being hotly pressed by the men-of-war of the people they hadbeen accustomed to rob, they entered upon the most nefarious of alltraffics, that of slaves, and to obtain them instigated the people ofone tribe to make war on those of another. This traffic has ever sincebeen carried on, greatly contributing to retard the progress ofcivilisation.