By Conduct and Courage

le, who set to work immediately to repair damages, while large q

this," Forster said; "I should say t

get up the anchors and set sail. Her head was pointed west as she left the harbour, and the general opinion was that she was bound for Gibraltar. It leaked out, however, in the afternoon that she was sailing under sealed orders, and as that would hardly be the ca

n asked an old sailor, who had sat qui

said, "I should say we are

Bill! What makes

me as that is where we are most wanted. The French

ng a fleet at Toulon, and qu

and fight us fair, whereas in the West Indies they are a good bit stronger. There are so many ports and islands

r been there

full of cocoa-nuts. Your officer steps up to her and examines them, and they look as right as can be. Perhaps he breaks one and it is full of milk; very good. So you go up to buy, and the officer looks on. The woman hands you two or three, and when she gives you the last one she winks her eye. She don't

ank, and a bottle of it would knock you silly. And that is not the worst of it, for fever catches hold of you, and fever out there ain't no joke. You eats a good dinner at twelve o'clock, and you are buried in the palisades at six; that's called yellow jack. It is a country where you can enjoy yourselves reasonable with fruit, and p

hot, isn't

ways have to keep your eyes in your head and your cutlass handy when you go ashore. The worst of them are what they call mulattoes; they are a whity-brown sort of chaps, neither one thing nor the other, and a nice cut-throat lot they are. A sailor who drinks too much and loses his boat is as like as not to be murdered by some of them before morning. I hate them chaps like poison. [pg 99]There are scores of small craft manned by them which p

f amusement and plenty of fighting to be done there, a

proval; the picture w

or which they were bound. The ship's course was at once changed. Teneriffe was passed, and they stopped for a day to take in fresh water and vegetables at St. Vincent. Then her head was turned more westward, and three weeks later the Furious anchored at Port

heavier guns than we do, but they sail faster. We are as speedy, however, as any of our class, and will, I hope, be able to show them a clean pair of heels. In addition to this, I am told that three piratical craft, which h

hey?" asked the

r two are schooners, each carrying six guns on a broadside; it is not kn

e do, and those long-toms are vastly more powerful than anything we have. I think it is a pity that they do

fill up the ships with eight and ten-pounders, while, as you say, one long twenty-four would be worth

we shall have something to look for besides the

usand," the c

pg 101]this conversation. His heart beat high at the thought

time to time they heard from native craft of the pirates. The natives differed somewhat widely as to the h

at once shaped their course for it. When they approached i

cer in a boat to row round her and gather any particulars as to her fate. I

th intent interest as s

fficer said on his return. "Her bulwarks are burnt away, and I c

o scan the horizon carefully for a sail. I should say thi

hed the top of the mast th

?" Mr. Farr

port b

u make her

e was a schooner

ail put upon her. The first lieutenant climbed to the upper crosst

at we are in search of, sir, but I doubt whether with

bably steering for the rendezvous, so by following

d on the schooner, as her mainsails were now visible. At twelve o'clock a low bank of sand was sighted ahead, and the schooner had entered a channel in this two hours later. The Furious had to be hove-to outside the shoal. The sand extended a long distance,

. The first thing to do will be to sail round and note and sound the various channels. I wish you would go aloft with you

arrance went aloft an

e schooner is nearing them, and I think, though of this I am not ce

ow we must find how we can best get there; that will be a work of

ckly showed that in three of them there was but two feet of water; the other was somewhat deeper, but

t she draws three or four feet less than we do, and, knowing the passage perfectly, s

annels, but at last the captain was obliged to admit that none of them were deep enough for the

inst such a force as that, especially as they have no doubt thrown up batteries to strengthen their

terprise," the first lieutenant agreed, "and,

t dinner, "you are always full of ideas; can't y

that I can see would be to sail away, get together a num

native craft over our boats," on

men would be scattered about their decks instead of being crowded in boa

and one would have to choose a night when there was just enough breeze to take them quietly along. At any rate I will run the risk o

an went up to Mr. Peters, who was

?" the lieu

not be worth anything at all, but it certainl

erally worth somet

an explained

eters said. "What a beggar that boy is for ideas

on thinking it over, he concluded that it would b

one hand would be required to steer each vessel, and the rest would remain out of sight of the enemy until near enough to make a dash either for the shore or the pirates' craft, as the case might be. It is

l entered the captai

that by collecting a number of native craft of shallow drau

r, that occurred to me o

ht cannon on board they would be able to answer the enemy's fire. If I do attack in this manner I propose to send the boats in towing behind the native craft, so that when the [pg

ng the boats certainly see

er, he only said: "I think it will work. Should any other suggestion occur to you, you will mention i

ir!" said Wil

gate was sailing away

y?" the midshipmen asked

d the native craft, so that if the fire gets very heavy the men can take to them and be towed in perfect shelter until near enough

"and it certainly seems, Gilmore, as if

gestion were eager to congratulate him now that the cap

[pg 107]would naturally take the retirement of the Furious as an admission of defeat. They were, of course, open t

ne, and lashed these in the bottom of the boats, using a sufficient quantity to keep them afloat even if they were riddled with balls. Then the carpenters set to work to make platfo

be aware of the method of attack. The greater portion of the men were told off to them, only forty remaining on board the Furious. All was ready an hour after nightfall, and the men took their places in the native craft, fastening their boats to the stern in each cas

d Dimchurch and Tom Stevens were among the crew. Dimchurch had exchanged places with [

h prize, and he is very much attached to me. I

tow himself away in the bow till the fighting begi

five hundred yards away. Presently from a projecting point, where a heavy mass could be made out, a cannon was fired.

two there was no return, and it was evident that the greater portion of the crew had been ashore. The battery that had first fired now kept up a steady discharge, but as the boats were almost invisible, the shot flew wild

ignal, and the boats, with a cheer, dashed forward at full speed. They had [pg 109] received instructi

the oars were cast aside, and the men, drawing their cutlasses, leapt to their feet and endeavoured to climb up. T

f the men in the other boats, seeing what he was doing, followed his example. They were unnoticed. A fierce fight was raging on the quarter-deck, and the shouting was prodigious. When some thirty men were gathered Will led the way aft.

TY TO TAKE THE E

ates in the rear. Many of these were cut down, and t

utenant shouted. "Throw yourselve

uch for them. At last the pirate captain was cut down by Dimchurch, and with his fall his men entirely lost heart. Some threw down thei

boat to row to it. Unseen by the pirates they reached the bow and climbed on deck. Then as soon as all had g

ion of the men were ordered to land, and the fugitives from the ships were hunted down. Most of these had taken refuge in the battery at the mouth of the harbo

he native craft. A boat had been sent off, directly the fighting was over, with news to the captain of the success they had gained, and in the morning another message was sent saying that it

ight of a vessel entering the harbour, and the crews to take [pg 111]their places on the captured vessels. When this was done the guns were loaded and the men stood to their quart

ted: "I call upon you to surrender! These vessels are prizes of His Majes

astonishment, and then the captain ca

t. When two more broadsides had been fired into her, the cutter blew up with a tremendous explosion which shook both vessels to the keel and threw many of the men down. When the smoke cleared aw

s had been destroyed by fire, the two schooners sailed out

d and some seventeen wounded, while with the exception of some thirty priso

e's despatch several officers were noted for distinguished conduct. Among these was Will Gilmore, to whom the lieutenant gave great credit for the manner

ngly said, "if you go on like this we shall send you to Coven

Furious returned with her two prizes and it became known that the t

ay Will was sent f

o me. Your idea showed great ingenuity, and although the surprise was so complete that even had the attack been made by ships' boats only it would probably have been successful, this detracts in no way from the merit of the suggestion. O

, sir!" Will said, a

red and pillaged, and as none of these were ever heard of after they had sailed it was reasonably concluded that all must have been burnt, and those on board murdered. The case was so atrocious that the prisoners were all tried, condem

and with the three French frigates in pursuit started on her way back. The wind was light, and though every stitch of canvas was set, it was evident, after an hour's sailing, that one, at least, of her pursuers gained steadily on her. The French ship would, indeed, have gained

mile astern of her. If she continues [pg 114]to travel at her present rate she will be close up to us by sunset. She is just about our own size, and I make no doubt that we should give a good acco

ot fight them separately, but we could hardly hope to beat three of them at once. W

for it but to pray either for another frigate or for more w

oing to be fulfilled. There is a cloud rising very rapidly on the larboard bow, and

been hit ten times in the last half-hour, and the near

nly a tornado. All hands reduce sail. Don't waste

ot only by the voices of their officers but by the appearance of the heavens. The frigate behind held on three

tain said grimly, "and if it is, she will turn t

approaching with the speed of a race

e to get down all our light spars. Get ready your small for

ning roar and a force of wind that seemed about to lift the ship bodily out of the water. Over and over she heeled, and all thought that she was about

utenant exclaimed, "

e wreckage. At the same time the two try-sails were

f we lash a hawser to all this hamper, and hang to it, it wil

arrance," the captain shoute

with the ship's strongest hawser [pg 116]attached, soon drifted past her, and

t it will more than delay it, unless we can get up some sail and crawl off the

in spite of the floating anchor the drift was great. The crew of the Furious had now time to breathe, but it was pitch dark and nothing could be seen save

ne. In fair fight one strives to do as much damage as possible, but such a

would be partially sheltered. There is no hope for the first, and their fate is terrible in

d our fate is sealed, and a few hours will see the ship grinding her bones on that roc

little more than half a mile away. The

that you will all get ashore, but as far as we can see at present the rocks are almost precipitous, and, high as they are, the spray flies right over them. I thank you all for your good conduct while the ship has been in commiss

the cliff! I do not know how far it goes in, but it looks to me as if it might be the opening to an inlet. We are nearly opposite to it, so

t," the captain said. "Thank God, th

nd almost instantly. As soon as she headed dead for shore the raffle that had so long served for their floating anchor was cut adrift and the try-sail was hoisted on the stump of the [pg 118]foremast, and with six good men at the wheel the vessel surged shorewards under the force of the gale, every man on board holding his breath. The opening was but a

ad swung round, and in less than a minute she was riding quietly over great waves that came rolling in through the entrance and broke in foam against the shore of the inlet. The quiet after the roar and din was almost startling. Above, the clouds

trust that there is not a man on board this ship who will not offer his ferv

und was heard on board the ship. Then the captain replac

g