Paddy Finn Part 28

Dubois, knowing that Larry and I had gone aboard the frigate, must have been aware that the captain was acquainted with the character of his vessel, and also that she was carrying despatches. He would certainly, I thought, suppose that we should follow him, should he put to sea. I therefore scarcely fancied that he would venture out of the harbour during daylight, but fully expected that he would wait another night, on the chance of there being a breeze during the time to enable him to get away. I was therefore greatly surprised when the look-out hailed--

"The brig is loosing her topsails, and heaving up her anchor."

The breeze at this time had freshened considerably. Scarcely had the words been uttered than I saw, between the other vessels, the brig, with her topsails and courses set, steering towards the narrow entrance, through which only small or light vessels could venture.

The capstan was instantly manned; the hands were ordered aloft, and topsails, and topgallant-sails were let fall; but before we could cant the right way, the brig had pa.s.sed us, and had already reached the pa.s.sage, when, the head-sails filling, the anchor was tripped, and being run up to the bows, we steered for the broader and only safe channel.

What had induced Dubois to put to sea, and leave the safe shelter of the harbour, I could not divine. It made me suspect that he had not discovered the loss of the despatches, and knowing the importance of delivering them without delay, he had determined to run every risk for that object. He probably expected, by getting the first of the breeze, to be a long way ahead before we could follow, trusting to the various chances which might occur to effect his escape. Had we been able to go through the narrow pa.s.sage, he must have known that he would to a certainty have been caught; but our captain, from remarks I heard, seemed to think that the brig might possibly succeed in getting off, though he was resolved to use every exertion to overtake her, provided we were not led out of our course, for it was of still greater importance to get down to Barbadoes, or wherever the English admiral might be.

During the stay of the _Liffy_ in the harbour, information had been obtained of the movements of the French fleet, as also that they had a large number of troops on board. Their object was to capture as many of our West India Islands as they could, and several had already fallen into their hands. Saint Christopher's, however, had hitherto held out; Jamaica was prepared to resist to the last; and Barbadoes, our pet island, was strongly protected by Sir Samuel Hood's fleet.

The French were, I should have said, vastly superior in numbers to the English. We had, however, brave and vigilant commanders, who took good care not to let the gra.s.s grow beneath their feet.

Had Captain Macnamara been certain that Lieutenant Dubois was ignorant of the contents of the packet Larry had carried off, he would have cared very little about letting the brig escape. He thought, however, that Dubois might possibly have duplicates, or might have learned the information they contained.

The wind freshened as we got outside. We could now see the brig about five or six miles away to the southward, for she had got the first of the breeze, and had carried it along while we were getting under weigh.

All sail being made, however, we rapidly gained on her.

"It'll be a bad job for Dan Hoolan if we come up with the little hooker, Mr Terence," said Larry. "If the Frenchmen haven't shot him already, our captain will be shure to run him up to the yard-arm, with the poor fellows he decaived."

"It's what he richly deserves," I replied; "but I wish that he had never been pressed. It would have been better to have left him on sh.o.r.e, to stand his chance of hanging, or turning honest."

"Ah, shure there's but little honesty likely to come out of Dan Hoolan,"

observed Larry, who disliked him more than ever since he had caused the deaths of Tim Logan and Ben Nash.

The brig was steering south-east directly for Guadaloupe, and we followed in the same direction; but as there were numerous islands in her course, she might, if she could retain her distance ahead till dark, escape by keeping round them, or if hard pressed, run on sh.o.r.e, when the French officers would probably endeavour to forward the information they were conveying by some other vessel. She was, as I have said, very fast, and she was now carrying every st.i.tch of canvas she could set.

The _Liffy_ was no laggard, and we pressed after her. The chase was as exciting as it could well be. Scarcely any of the officers left the deck, except to take a hurried breakfast, and every gla.s.s on board was in requisition. Now, when the breeze freshened, we appeared to be gaining on her; now, when it fell, she seemed to draw ahead of us. We pa.s.sed between the islands of Saint John and Tortola; we sighted the east end of Santa Cruz, and then made out the curious conical hill of Saba, to the north of Saint Eustatia. Noon had pa.s.sed, and the wind again freshening, we gained rapidly on the chase. The look-out aloft hailed that he saw several sail right ahead. It was a question whether they were English or French. If the latter, the brig might lead us under their guns, and it was necessary to be cautious. Dubois must have seen them also, but probably was as uncertain about their character as we were. He might, after all, be captured should he stand on. At length he altered his course, and appeared to be making for Saint Eustatia, and from this it was pretty evident that he took the fleet ahead to be English. Whether he was right in that respect or not we could not tell, but he made a mistake in hauling his wind. In another half hour we got near enough to send a shot, which fell aboard him; another and another followed, when, letting fly his head sheets, he put his helm to starboard, and hauled down his colours. We at once hove-to.

A boat was lowered, and I, being able to speak French, was sent with Mr Harvey to take possession. We were soon alongside. Dubois must have recognised me when in the boat. As we stepped on deck he and La Touche advanced, and presented their swords to Mr Harvey, at the same time each of them made me a very formal bow. I returned it, and said, as I stepped forward--

"What is the meaning of this, Monsieur Dubois? You have made a gallant attempt to escape. It's the fortune of war that you have failed; but why do you treat me as a stranger? I wish to behave towards you as old friends, and will do all in my power to help you."

"We do not desire the friends.h.i.+p of one who has been guilty of such an act as you have committed," answered Dubois stiffly.

"What act do you speak of?" I asked, suspecting, however, to what he alluded.

"You were trusted. You made your escape, and carried off the despatches," he answered.

"I had a right to make my escape, for I had not given you my word to remain," I said. "I did not carry off the despatches, nor did I instigate any one to do so. You'll find that I speak the truth."

"I have, then, to beg your pardon," said Dubois, with French politeness, though he looked doubtfully at me.

There was little time for conversation, however. Mr Harvey desired the two French officers to prepare for going on board the frigate. "I understand that you have some English seamen on board. Where are they?"

he asked.

"Two of them lie there," said Dubois, "and the third, in trying to swim on sh.o.r.e, was seized by a shark. We are well rid of them, for they were mutinous rascals."

I looked forward; there, on the deck, lay Dan Hoolan and the other mutineer. A shot had struck him on the chest, and nearly knocked the upper part of his body to pieces, while it had cut his companion almost in two, but I recognised his features, grim and stern, even in death.

One of the French seamen had also been killed, and his countrymen, without ceremony, hove his body overboard. Mr Harvey ordered our men to dispose of the mutineers in the same manner, and to wash down the deck, for the sight was not such as any of us cared to look at longer than was necessary. Dubois and La Touche, who had gone below to get their valises, now returning with them, stepped into the boat, and Mr Harvey left me in charge of the brig. I felt somewhat elated at finding myself on board the craft of the command of which I had been so suddenly deprived, and began to hope that I was to retain it. I resolved, at all events, should any of the Frenchmen be left in her, to be careful that they didn't again take her out of my hands.

I was sorry that I didn't know rather more about navigation, but I thought that I could manage, by carrying on, to keep in sight of the frigate. I was especially thankful that we had not been compelled to hang Dan Hoolan and the other men, for ruffians as they were, and outlaws as they had been, I felt for them as countrymen, and should have been sorry to see them suffer so ignominious a fate. The brig was still hove-to, and I was pacing the deck with all the dignity of a commanding officer, when I saw another boat come off from the frigate, full of men.

In a short time, Sinnet stepped up the side.

"I have come to supersede you, Paddy," he said. "The captain doubts your capabilities as a navigator; besides which, he wants you as an interpreter, so you need not consider yourself slighted."

"Not a bit of it," I answered. "Only look out that the Frenchmen don't take the brig from you."

"The captain has made sure that that won't be the case, by ordering all the prisoners to be sent to the frigate," he replied.

I saw Larry step on deck with the new arrivals, and fancied that he had been sent to form part of the brig's crew. I asked him if we were to be separated.

"No, Mr Terence, I'm thankful to say; but I axed leave of Mr Saunders to come and look for my fiddle. 'To be shure,' said he; 'it puts life into the men, and you may go.' So I've come, Mr Terence. If Dan Hoolan hasn't hove it overboard, I'll be after setting the men a-jigging this very evening, supposing we haven't to fight the French, or do any other trifle of that sort!"

"Be smart, then, Larry, about it," I said, "for I have to be off;" and Larry dived below. I ordered the Frenchmen to tumble into the boat,-- they obeying in their usual light-hearted manner, not in any way looking as if they were prisoners. The last man had got into the boat, when Larry came up from below with his fiddle-case under his arm.

"Hooray, Mr Terence! shure I'm in luck, for I've got back my Cremona!"

he exclaimed, as he came down the side, "I'll set your heels going, mounseers, so don't be down-hearted, my boys," he said, addressing the French prisoners.

They seemed to understand him. Some exclaimed, "_Bon garcon_!" snapping their fingers, and moving their feet, to show that they were ready enough to dance notwithstanding that they were prisoners.

"It's a wonder, Mr Terence: I've been after looking for Dan Hoolan, but never a sight could I get of him, or Phelan, or Casey," said Larry.

When he heard of their fate, he'd scarcely believe it, till I told him that I had seen two of them dead on the deck, and that Dubois had accounted for the other.

"Well, I'm mighty thankful, for they might have had a worse ending, and it wasn't to be supposed that they'd come to a good one," he remarked.

Soon after I got back to the s.h.i.+p the captain sent for me into the cabin.

"I wish you, Finnahan," he said, "to try and ascertain from these two young French officers what they know about the proceedings of their fleet, and also learn whether they suppose the s.h.i.+ps ahead are those of our country or theirs."

I promised to do as he desired. I found Dubois walking the deck, looking somewhat disconsolate. He received me as before, in a cold manner, though La Touche held out his hand when I offered him mine.

"It's of little consequence now," he said; "but I confess that we suspect you of carrying off the packet. We only discovered that it was gone after we left the harbour."

I told him exactly how it had happened, and that I myself considered that under the circ.u.mstances I should not have been justified in taking it.

"You have acted honourably, monsieur. I apologise for our wrong suspicions, and I hope Dubois will do the same," he said.

"Certainly," said Dubois. "I vowed, when I discovered our loss, that I would never trust an English officer again."

"You will now acknowledge, then, that though we are compelled to be enemies, we act honourably towards you," I remarked. "However, all is said by you to be fair in love or war--is it not?"

"We have got the saying, though it may not be a true one, for all that,"

he answered.

I now tried to carry out the captain's instructions, but I confess that I could gain very little either from Dubois or La Touche. Perhaps they didn't know much about the movements of their own fleet. Their opinion was that the s.h.i.+ps they had seen ahead were English, or they would not have gone out of their course to avoid them. Captain Macnamara was not quite satisfied on that point.

We continued standing to the southward, with the brig following in our wake, while a bright look-out was kept aloft, that we might haul our wind, and get out of their way, in case they should prove enemies. It was fortunate that we were cautious, for, just before dark, the s.h.i.+ps in sight were made out to be certainly French, and we immediately stood away to the southward to avoid them. Two frigates were seen coming in chase, but we made all sail, and night hid them from our sight. Whether or not they were still pursuing us we could not tell, but no lights were shown, and it was important to avoid an engagement, especially with enemies of a superior force. A careful look-out, however, was kept, lest they should come up with us during the night. When morning dawned we found that we had run them out of sight, and we now once more steered our course for Barbadoes.