The frigate and the lugger : a nautical romance

Front matter

In 3 vols, post 8vo., price 31s. 6d.

THE CRUISE OF THE DARING:

A SEA TALE.

Chapter I

THe war with France had just commenced. Vice-Admiral Lord Hood hoisted his flag on board the Victory, of one hundred guns; and, with the English fleet under his command, sailed from Spithead.

Amongst the many midshipmen on board the Victory, were two youths, who will occupy prominent places in our story;—one, William Thornton, our intended hero, was at this period between sixteen and seventeen years of age, and vou. 1. B was known on board the Victory as the Admiral’s protegée. He was a high-spirited and generous youth, and had, thus early in life, distinguished himself on several occasions; and was a general favourite; but all that was known of his parentage was, that his supposed father had been formerly Lord Hood’s favourite coxswain, and that the Admiral had taken him on board the Victory as‘one of his midshipmen. Henry Howard Etherton, the other, the younger son of a wealthy baronet, was nearly two years older than William Thornton, but unlike him in every respect, except, perhaps, in personal appearance. He was well-looking, tall, and of gentlemanly manners; he had served two years in another ship, had been four years the schoolfellow of William Thorrton, and when he left the school, which he did before William, it was with a feeling of bitter hatred against his schoolfellow, and for no better reason than that he excelled him in mental acquirements, and bodily exercises.

The meeting of the two youths on board the Victory was a surprise to both.

William Thornton was, as we have said, a general favourite, but especially with a fine young fellow, named Saunders, a top-man, whose life he had saved under very trying circumstances.

Howard Etherton took especial care to circulate all he knew of young Thornton’s antecedents. He stated that he passed at school as the son of Lord Hood’s coxswain; but it was doubtful whose son he was; some one had paid his schooling and other expenses munificently; but that it was too bad, to have as a comrade in the midshipmen’s berth, one of so doubtful, at all events, of so low an origin.

Only some of Howard’s cronies and toadies listened to these spiteful stories; the oflicers, perhaps, heard, but gave no heed to them, for the young midshipman was a noble-looking boy, singularly powerful and tall for his age.

One day nearly all the midshipmen happened to be assembled together in their berth, when one of their number, a stout youth of eighteen, who was noted for his envious disposition, B 2 took up a large book, like an account book, saying:

“Gentlemen, I wish to ask your attention for a moment.”

Then, turning to William Thornton, he continued with a serious countenance :

“Tn this book, Master Thornton, we enter the names of our fathers and mothers, as well as of our sisters, provided we have any. Now, ours are alldown; pray oblige me with your father’s name, aad also your mother’s maiden name, if you remember such a personage.”

William Thornton fixed his dark, expressive eyes upon the speaker with a most unmitigated expression of contempt; but with perfect selfcontrol said:

‘You cannot suppose, Master Joshua Dykes, that I am quite so green as to listen seriously to your nonsense. You have been put up to this intended insult by Howard Etherton, who knows remarkably well that I have the misfortune not to know who my parents were; therefore you are weak and silly enough to get this trash up for the express purpose of provoking me; but—”

‘Oh, by St. Peter’s toe! and that’s a brass one,” exclaimed a loud, manly voice, the speaker at the moment entering the midshipmen’s berth, “‘ give us your hand, William; I’ll be your father and mother, and, faith, your grandmother too, if you’re in want of one; you’re a broth of a boy, and have shown us what pluck and heart can do. Now, if any of these sky-larking lubbers bother you again with their balderdash, by the powers of Moll Kelly, [ll tache them better manners. Hark ye, my lads! my name, as you all know, is Patrick O’Loughlin, and, as far as I know, I never had a father or mother; but look at this (and clenching his hand he tucked up his sleeve, andstretched outan arm capable of felling an ox); there, this has been my father and mother, and, faith, a whole host of relations beside; it has made me third lieutenant of the Victory; and that’s what I call being a father and mother. Now if any of you want to be better acquainted with William

Thornton’s father and mother, he can show you just such another fist and arm, and is quite willing to give you a taste of it, to establish his parentage; and now, William, come with me, I want to have half an hour’s chat with you.”

Most of the mids burst into a hearty laugh, taking the Lieutenant’s words good-humouredly, for he was greatly loved by all the officers and crew of the ship- Howard Etherton and two others, his special cronies, sneered, though they evidently did not admire Lieutenant O’Loughlin’s father and mother.

William Thornton and Lieutenant O’ Loughlin sat down in the latter’s berth, with a bottle of light wine and some biscuits before them.

‘¢ Now tell me, William,” said the kind-hearted Lieutenant, “all you know about yourself. You promised to tell me. We have an idle hour now—to-morrow may see us in action.”

‘“‘Most willingly, dear friend,” replied our hero. ‘I have no desire to conceal any part of my history, and least of all from you; so now listen to a very short yarn, and then you will know as much as I do myself.”

THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER. if

‘“‘T was reared in a cottage at Deal, by one of the kindest and most generous of men, and whom I hononr and love as a fond father. He was once coxswain to Lord Hood, but, having lost a leg and arm in the service, now lives upon a pension. Shortly after his retirement he was left a comfortable annuity, and persuaded a sister of his—a widow in poor circumstances— to live with him, purchased a pretty cottage on the sea coast near Walmer, where I grew up till I was eight years old.

“‘ T was then sent to one of the best seminaries in the county, where I first met Howard Etherton. I remained at school till I was fourteen years old, when I returned to my supposed father’s cottage. He told me I was going to serve His Majesty as a midshipman. I was delighted. One evening the old tar, who was never so happy as when relating sea-yarns, said, ‘Bill, my lad, (ll spin you a yarn; mix my grog—there, you’re bountiful with the water— sit quiet and listen, for it consarns you.

“¢¢ JT was aboard the Quebec, 36-gun frigate, began the old tar, ‘commanded by as brave a fellow as ever trod a deck. We were cruising off Ushant, with the Rambler cutter in company. It was the month of October, in the year 177—, we fell in with a large frigate to the sou-west of Ushant, and she had a smart cutter cruising in company. Well, we were soon hammering away at it, and kept it up for three mortal hours. Our decks were slippery with blood, our masts all gone, and our sails, lying over the guns, caught fire, and soon after we blew up, with our colours flying, and—the Lord be merciful to us! —our captain and most of our crew were hurled into the air.

“¢T can’t say how I got out of her; all I remember is that I found myself struggling in the water amid a mass of rigging and spars. I was finally picked up and carried on board the French frigate Surveillante, where I found several of my shipmates. We were treated with the greatest kindness, by order of the dying commander, who also desired that we should be put aboard the first neutral vessel they came across, for we had fought gallantly and nobly, and it was not our fault that the ship blew up.

‘““* The French frigate had suffered awfully ; her masts, sails and rigging were cut to pieces; her crew half killed and wounded. We were permitted to walk about the deck. I could speak a little of their lingo, and some of them spoke ours.

‘““* One morning I saw a little boy, not much more than two years old, toddling about the ship’s deck, and, to my surprise, I beard him speak some words in English to one of the men.

““¢ You may parley-vous to that little chap in your own language,’ said one of the sailors, seeing me caress the child—for I was always softhearted, and the child took to me at once. ‘ How did he come here? asked I.

““<¢ Why,’ said the Frenchman, ‘about ten days before we fought your frigate, in a heavy gale we ran down a ship in the night; we put out our boats, though it did blow a treble-reefedtopsail breeze, but all we could see was the long boat, and all that we found inside of it was that BS child, wrapped up in a heap of blankets. The poor little thing was half dead with wet and cold.’ That’s all I could learn, but the man ~ said, and I would see it, ‘ that the child was sure to be a gentleman’s son, his little garments were so costly and handsome.’

‘Well, after a time jury-masts were rigged and we made way; but a gale drove the frigate ashore on Gros Point, to the lee of Isle Dieu. A scene of terrible confusion ensued, in the midst of which, I, with eight comrades, got off in one of the boats. I took the child with me, for I loved it, and it was English. The next day we were picked up by the...... ; 74, commanded by Rear-Admiral Hood, who was proceeding to join the fleet under Admiral Rodney. We were all glad, of course, to join that ship, and be under so gallant and brave a seaman.

‘The child became the pet of the ship, he throve like a young bantam, and crowed like one whenever he heard a gun fired.

‘““The admiral called me on to the quarter-deck, and desired me to say how I came by the

THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER. TI child, and Idid so. Before I left the ship I became his coxswain, and to finish my yarn,” said Bill Thornton, finishing his grog, ‘I now tell you youare the child so strangely found on board the Surveillante.

“You may imagine my emotion, O’Loughlin, when I heard this, and how I blessed and caressed the dear old man for the love he had bestowed upon me.

“Now this is all I have to tell you, dear friend; I went to sea shortly after in the frigate as midshipman, and in the course of two years was appointed to this ship through the interest Bill Thornton had with his old commander. The admiral knows I am the same child that used to toddle about the quarter-deck of the thus probably feels an interest for me from the

74, when he commanded her, and peculiarity of my introduction on board his ship, and his esteem for his old and favourite coxswain.”

‘“‘ Here’s your health, my lad,” said the Lieutenant, tossing down a full glass, “ and here’s my hand, I’ll be a second father to you. I’m fiveand-twenty, and upon my conscience it appears to me I have lived fifty years, or I was in some other person’s skin before I got sewed up in this, I’ve been so knocked about in this world. We are in a glorious service, and if we have luck, why, by St. Patrick, we may advance to be admirals by the time we get to seventy.

Chapter II

In the month of August the British fleet, under Lord Hood, arrived before the port of Toulon. Two commissioners from the Royalist party came -on board the Victory, to treat for the surrender of the port and shipping to the British. William Thornton’s favorite companion amongst the mids was a youth named Charles Pole, a fine spirited lad of his own age. They were leaning over the bulwarks, gazing at the boats rowing aboard with the two commissioners, and then a look was cast at the bold high land of Cape Cesi, and the entrance to the noble gulf of Toulon.

“T wish they would commence hammering away at those grim looking forts on the heights,” said Charles Pole to his comrade, “I’m tired of doing nothing.”

“TT dolce far niente,” said William Thornton, “the Italian’s supreme delight, that and serenading his lady love by the light of a bright moon.”

“ Oh! wait a bit, my beauties,” said O’Loughlin, joining them, ‘ you won’t talk of the Dolce far niente in a day or two, for it’s all up with negotiations. We shall have those grim forts talking to us shortly, and faith, I’m longing myself to have a bout with those republican bloodhounds.”

O'Loughlin was right in his conjectures. Lord Hood, in great perplexity as to the intentions of the royalist party, resolved upon the hazardous experiment of sending an officer into the town to ascertain how matters stood, being aware that Rear-Admiral St. Julian with the bulk of the French fleet sided with the republicans.

This perilous expedition was confided to the

THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER. Tt judgment and courage of Lieutenant Edward Cooke, who was to select a midshipman to accompany him.

“Take Thornton, Cooke,” said O’Loughlin, ‘‘ that’s the lad for the work; as courageous as a lion and as cool as a lettuce. Do you remember how he behaved in the affair off Cadiz. If you come back safe, which I predict you will, it will _ be a feather in his cap.”

“The very one I would have selected,” said Lieutenant Cooke; ‘ but he’s too young to run the gauntlet through the French fleet; it’s almost a pity.”

To the great delight of Thornton he was selected.

“] think,” said Howard Etherton, with a malicious grin, and giving his chum Dykes a poke in the ribs, “I think we shall be one less in our mess by this time to-morrow. I suppose he will leave his kit to you, Pole.”

‘“‘T hope he will live to break your head yet,” said Charles Pole, with a look of contempt as he walked on.

“Thank you, Master Pole; we shall not forget that,” bawled out Howard Etherton.

A remarkably fast gig was selected to take the lieutenant and his young companion, and eight picked men, Saunders, the top-man, being one of them. It was ten o’clock at night when the gig left the side of the ship. It was blowing very fresh, and considering the time of year, extremely dark. Our hero was steering.

“Now, William,” said the Lieutenant, ‘“ keep her away for the high land, yonder; and when we come abreast of the ships steer boldly right into the midst of them.”

After entering the harbour our hero could see the light on the dockyard pier plain enough; and he knew from drafts and maps every inch of the outward and inner harbour, whilst the Committee General were aware of the intended attempt to communicate with them.

The boat flew through the water, under the strokes of eight vigorous oars men, and passed close under the stern of ahuge hundred and twenty gun ship, which they knew was the Commerce De

Marseilles. There were eighteen or more ships moored in two lines, with a considerable space between, through which the light boat was impelled rapidly, and without even a challenge from any of the ships. It was evidently taken for one of their own boats. William Thornton steered steadily for the jetty, which was known to be in the hands of the royalist party. In a few minutes they were along side the pier, which was crowded with persons of all grades and denominations, the soldiers on duty finding it almost impossible to keep them back. A naval officer came to the side of the boat, and addressed Lieutenant Cooke, saying:

“‘ You have done a daring feat, Monsieur; and, fortunately, you have succeeded. I am desired to let you know that until to-morrow morning you cannot land. It would be dangerous.”

“Very good,” said Lieutenant Cooke. ‘We can pass the rest of the night in our boatcloaks.”

‘‘ Wine and refreshments,” continued the officer,

‘shall be sent to you for yourself and men; and Ipray you, Monsieur, not to feel aggrieved at this delay; it is unavoidable.”

Ere half-an-hour had elapsed a large hamper was handed on board the boat, and then they were told to pull off from the jetty, and make fast to one of the buoys, which they did.

“Come, my lads,” said Lieutenant Cooke, “ rip up the hamper, and let us feel the contents if we can’t see them; we shall not require light to appease our hunger.”

William Thornton was delighted with the excitement of the affair They could hear the various sounds from the interior of the town; loud shouts and cries, and all the noises attending the assembly of a number of people in the street; but all was perfectly quiet within the dockyard and basin. Not a boat passed in or out, and the crowd, a while back standing on the jetty, were-all put outside the gates, and only the sentries remained, walking backwards and forwards on their watch.

The hamper contained a dozen of wine, a couple of fowls, and a ham, with abundance of bread.

“* Well, by Jove, William, this is not bad ; I suppose you expected a mess of frogs, or some other outlandish dish, eh?”

““T prefer the half of a fowl, I confess,” returned our hero, pulling out his knife to commence operations, “though frogs may not be such a bad dish as we may imagine.”

“Oh, confound their frogs!” said the Lieutenant, drawing a cork out of one of the bottles. “ By Jupiter, there’s neither cup nor glassof any kind.”

‘“‘ Here’s a horn, your honour,” said one of the men; “I brought it, thinking it might serve a turn somehow if we got anything better than water.”

“ You’re a thoughtful man, Saunders,” said the Lieutenant; ‘hand it here,” and giving it a rinse first with water and then with wine, he filled himself a bumper and tossed it off. ‘‘Good Bordeaux, by Jove, and no mistake.

Come, these fellows know what’s good.”

‘‘ There’s a row in the town, Mr. Cooke,” said the midshipman; “you can hear them rioting very distinctly.”

“Those cursed, blood-thirsty Republicans, trying to cut the throats of the royalists, I suppose,” returned the Lieutenant, ‘and that’s the reason they would not let us land, during the tumult. We shall have to reinain here till to-morrow night, as we cannot attempt to pass the ships in the broad daylight.”

Telling the men to help themselves to the remains of the fowl and ham, and letting them have a couple of bottles of wine between them, a regular watch having been set, the lieutenant and midshipman wrapped themselves up in their boat cloaks, and reclined on the thwarts, conversing together till they dropped off into a short slumber. William Thornton slept an hour or two, and then, waking, sat up; the lieutenant was fast asleep, and so were the men, excepting the two that kept watch. The night was still extremely dark, but as our hero sat gazing over the dark water, looking at the huge dismasted

THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER. va hulls of some unfinished war vessels, he thought he heard at a little distance a splashing in the water like a person swimming.

“Do you see anything in the water, right ahead, Saunders ?” asked the midshipman to one of the watch, stooping down low as he spoke, and looking along the surface of the water.

““T thought as how I heard a noise, sir,” said the man, “and I think I see a dark object moving towards us.”

“So do I now,” returned William Thornton, “it isa man swimming. Hush! do not make a noise, one man cannot hurt us.”

Bill Saunders put down the boat stretcher he had taken up, with the laudable intention of hitting the swimmer over the head, and the next moment a man swam up alongside, stripped all to his drawers, holding up his hand and requesting them to make no noise. He seized the gunnel of the boat, and Saunders and the other men being roused helped him in. The heeling over of the boat rolled Lieutenant Cooke off the thwart, who immediately sprang up, saying:

“‘Hollo! William, what’s in the wind now.”

Our hero told him that a man had swam alongside with a letter in his cap for the English officer, and that they had taken him on board. Fortunately both Lieutenant Cooke and Thornton spoke French fluently.

“Well, Monsieur,” said the lieutenant, looking at the Frenchman in the dim light, and taking the letter, “I cannot read this till daylight; tell me, if you please, what it is about, and what has induced you to iucur so great a risk.”

7 have undertaken this adventure, monsieur,” returned the stranger, “to serve a most persecuted lady, a countrywoman of yours, and of high rank in this country. She is even now concealed in the vaults of a house in the Rue Province. She escaped from the fearful massacres of Lyons in a miraculous manner, even when brought out with her young daughter to be shot, by order of that infernal monster Collet qd Herbois.”

Lieutenant Cooke and the midshipman listened to the stranger’s account with considerable interest, and no little surprise. Our hero had lent the stranger his boat cloak, and given him a small quantity of brandy, and Lieutenant Cooke then said:

‘* May Lask, Monsieur, who you are, that have so generously periled your life to serve this lady ?”

‘¢T was, Monsieur, the Intendant of the husband of Madame la Duchesse, her second husband, who alas! perished with many other loyal noblemen in defending his unfortunate king. Her first husband was an English gentleman of the name of Arden, perhaps you may know the name, the Duchess’s daughter is by her first husband.”

“The Ardens are an old and wealthy family,” said Lieutenant Cooke, “ but I do not know them. I should be delighted to serve this unfortunate lady and her daughter, but you see, I am now employed upon a most important mission, and dare not depart from my instructions or take part in any private affair. Nevertheless, some effort must be made to rescue this lady, but could she not trust herself to the royalist party in Toulon; they are strong, are they not ?”

“No, in truth, Monsieur, they are not, as I fear the result will shew. Madame la Duchesse is, 1 am satisfied, closely sought after. She trusted herself to the royalists of Lyons, and would, but for my assistance, have perished. Once known to be in Toulon, she would be sacrificed long before she could be got on board the British fleet.”

Lieutenant Cooke thought for a moment, and then said:

“To-morrow morning I am to meet the committee-general, respecting the surrender of the town and ships. If the town is given up Madame and her daughter will be instantly placed in safety. But as this may not happen, could not you, Monsieur, conduct this young gentleman,” putting his hand on the midshipman’s shoulder, “ to-morrow morning to where Madame is concealed. He may be able, by conversing with her, to plan some method of getting her and her daughter to the sea-shore of the outer harbour by to-morrow night, for we cannot leave in the day time, and thus as we pass out we may be enabled to take them on board.”

“That is a very good idea of yours, Monsieur,” said the Frenchman; “ therefore, if this young gentleman comes on shore to-morrow morning, I will secretly watch for his landing, and as you all proceed through the streets to the Committee-General’s, I will contrive to attract his attention; then if he will follow me at a short distance, I will introduce him to Madame.”

“Very good,” said William Thornton, “I will keep a sharp look-out for you, and if you hold up your hand it will be sufficient.’

“ How far have you to swim?” questioned Lieutenant Cooke.

*‘ Not very far, Monsieur,” said the stranger; “‘ there is no boom across the basin, and once outside, I can land where I left my garments.”

The Frenchman thanked the Lieutenant for his courtesy, slipped over the side, and noiselessly made his way through the still waters of the basin, and was soon lost to sight. VOL. I. a

Chapter III

Artrr the departure of the Frenchman, Lieutenant Cooke and William Thornton commented upon what they had just heard.

“ T forgot to ask the stranger,” remarked the lieutenant, ‘the lady’s present title; he called her Madame la Duchesse. Her former name, at all events, was Arden.”

‘7 dare say,” said the midshipman, “ the note he presented will explain, and perhaps give some further particulars of her situation.”

“True, I forgot the note; there will be day-

THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER. rare light in another hour, it’s getting grey to the eastward. A terrible scene this poor lady and her child must have witnessed in Lyons,” continued the lieutenant, “the atrocities committed there by that fiend, Collet de Herbois exceeds all human belief. That wretch found the guillotine too slow for his blood-thirsty soul; he had the unfortunate people of Lyons actually shot down by cannon, loaded with grape shot, hundreds at a time. He even undermined the streets, and blew up the houses with gunpowder,* tied his victims to trees, and shot them down like wild beasts. In five months this detestable monster slaughtered six thousand persons.”

‘‘ What extraordinary infatuation,” exclaimed our hero. ‘I can scarcely understand human beings becoming so suddenly seized with such a thirst for blood.”

Lieutenant Cooke, finding the daylight rapidly increasing, became curious to examine his letter.

It was addressed in a female hand writing:

* Fact.

G2

“TO THE ENGLISH OFFICER IN COMMAND OF THE VICTORY’S BOAT.”

Opening the letter, he read its contents in a low voice to William Thornton:

“ Sir,—

‘‘ Hearing that a boat from the British Admiral’s ship, was lying in the Dock basin, inspired me with the hope of being rescued from the perilous situation in which, with my daughter, IT am placed. I am a native of England, and the widow of the late Duke de Coulancourt. My first husband, the father of my little girl, was the Honourable James Somers Arden. My anxious desire is, if possible, to get on board one of the British ships, hoping thus to be able to reach England. If, therefore, any assistance can be rendered me, I shall for ever pray for the welfare of those to whom my gratitude will be due; you may implicitly trust Monsieur Jean Plessis, the bearer of this; he can give you every. information.

‘ ANNE COULANCOURT.

“ nNEZ DE Bracey.”

‘Well, William, you must do your best, and try and see this poor lady and her little girl,” said Lieutenant Cooke. ‘If they could manage to get on the beach to the eastward of the shipping, along which we pass to get clear of the harbour, we might readily pick them up. I do not know the locality myself, but Monsieur Plessis I dare say knows how to get them there. Now let us pull in for the quay, I see a number of persons assembled; and there goes a signal for us. Be very cautious, William, how you act, get back to the boat as soon as you can; Saunders will keep a good look-out for you, and haul off from the quay till he sees either you or me. Now, my lads,” added the Lieutenant, “pull in for the pier.”

On reaching the pier, they found the Commissioners and several naval officers, in full uniform, waiting to receive them. As Lieutenant Cooke leaped on shore, followed by our hero, two of the Commissioners advanced and offered many apologies for leaving them in their boat all night.

The tumultuous assemblies in the town was the cause. Breakfast was prepared for them in a mansion near the dock gates, after partaking of which, they would conduct Lieutenant Cooke before the constituted authorities, to hear his proposals. Accordingly, they all went. through the dock gates, a vast concourse of people of the very lowest grade were assembled outside, and various cries and violent vociferations saluted their ears. There were royalists and republicans, Jacobins and Girondists, all furious and excited ; nevertheless, they proceeded unmolested to the house where breakfast was prepared for them; after which, accompanied by more than twenty gentlemen and officers, Lieutenant Cooke arrived at the chamber, where the Commissioners sat awaiting them.

“Be cautious, and take care of’ yourself, William,” whispered the Lieutenant as the mid-shipman dropped into the rear, without being particularly noticed, for the crowd rushed eagerly after Lieutenant Cooke and his escort, Thornton walked quietly on, attired in a plain jacket and trousers, without any marks of a naval uniform on them; his dirk he left in the boat purposely, but he carried a brace of small pistols in his pockets.