Ben Burton

Front matter

OR

BORN AND BRED AT SEA

BY

Chapter I

ICK Burton, you're a daddy 1 PoU/s been and got a baby for you, old boy ! " exclaimed several voices, as the said

Dick mounted the side of the old " Boreas," on the books of which ship he was rated as a quarter-master, he having just then returned from a pleasant little cutting-out expedition, where he had obtained, besides honour and glory, a gash on the cheek, a bullet through the shoulder, and a prong from a pike in the side.

"Me a whaf?" he inquired, bending his head forward with a look of incredulity, and mechanically hitching up his trousers. "Me a daddy? On course it's a boy? Polly wouldn't go for to get a girl, a poor little helpless girl, out in these outlandish parts."

"On course, Dick, it's a boy, a fine big,

walloping younker, too. Why bless ye,

Quacko ain't no way to be compared to him, especially when he sings onty which he can do already, loud enough to drown the bo'sun's whistle, let me tell you," was the reply to" Dick Burton's last question.

That baby was me. Quacko was the monkey of the ship. I might not have been flattered at being compared to him, though it must be owned that I stood very much in the light of his rival. I soon, however, cut him out completely. My mother was one of two women on board. The other was Susan King, wife of another quarter-master. The two men enjoyed a privilege denied to their captain, for they could take their wives to sea, which he could not To be sure, Polly and Susan made themselves more generally useful than the captain's wife would probably have done had she lived on board, for they washed and mended the men's shirts, nursed them when sick or wounded, prepared lint and bandages for the surgeons, and performed many other offices such as generally &11 to the lot of female hands. They had both endeared themselves to the men, by a thousand kind and gentle acts, but my mother was decidedly the favourite. This might have been because she was young and remarkjibly handsome, and at the same time as good and modest as a woman could be ; and bo discreet that she was nevei known to cause a quaxrel among her shipmates, or a pang of jealousy to her husband ; and that, under the circumstances of the case, is saying a great deal in her favour. Fancy two women among nearly four hundred men, and not one of the latter even thinking of infringing the last commandment of the Decalogue. What an amount of good sense, good temper, and self-commandmust have been exerciBed on the part of the former.

Susan's qualifications for the position she held were very different to those of my mother. In appearance she was a very Gorgon, a veritable strong-minded, double-fisted female, tall, gaunt, and coarse-featured. A hoarse laugh, and a voice which vied with the boatswain's in stentorian powers, and yet withal she was a true woman, with a gentle, loving, tender heart. Bill King, her husband, knew her good qualities, and vbwed that he would not swap her for Queen Charlotte, or any other lady in the land, not if the offer wag made to him with a thousand gold guineas into the bargain.

I ought to be grateful to her, and do cherish her memory with affection, for she assisted to bring me into the world ; attended my mother in her time of trial and trouble, and nursed me with the gentlest care. Yet Sue had a tongue, and could use it too when occasion, in her judgment, required its employment. But she always took the side of right and virtue against wrong and vice, and woe betided the luckless wight who fell under the ban of her just displeasure. She would belabour him, not with her hands, but by word, look, and gesture, till he shrieked out for mercy and promised never again to oflFend, or took to ignominious flight like a thief with a possS of constables at his heels. Bill King was a quietmannered little man with a huge pair of whiskers, like studden sails rigged out on either side of his cheeks, and a mild expression of countenance which did not belie his calm goodtemper and amiability of disposition. But though gentle in peace, he was as brave and daring a seaman as ever sprang, cutlass in hand, on an enemy's deck, or flew aloft to loose topsails when a prize had been cut out, amid showers of bullets and round-shot.

Of my father, I will only say that he was in no way behind his friend Bill King in bravery, and though he spoke the sailor's lingo like his shipmates, he was vastly his superior in manners and appearance. Indeed, he and my mother were a very handsome couple. They were also, I may say, deservedly looked upon, with great respect by the oflS-cers, from the captain downwards, and regarded with affection by all the crew.

To go back to that insignificant little individual, myself, as I certainly was on the day I have mentioned, when I made my first appearance on board the H.M.S. '* Boreas ". I came in for a large share of the regard entertained by the ship's company for my parents. My father was the first person introduced by Susan King into my presence.

"Well, he is a rum little youngster!" he exclaimed, taking me up in his open palms. "He is like Polly — that he is !" he added, as he gazed at me affectionately, the feelings of a father for the first time welling up in his bosom. "Yes, he is a sweet little cherub! Shouldn't wonder but he is like them as lives up aloft there to watch over us poor chaps at sea. Ay, that he must be. They can't beat him. Lord love ye, Sue, I am grateful to you for this here day's work."

I here interrupted my father's remarks by a loud cry, and other infantine operations, on which Sue insisted on having me back again to her safe keeping, while outside the screen several voices were heard entreating my father to bring me out for inspection, a request with which Mrs. King had before steadily refused to comply.

« BEN BURTON.

" I say, Dick, just let's have a look at him. One squint, Burton, just to see what sort of a youpker he may be. Come now, he ain't a chap to be ashamed of, I'm sure. There ain't none like him here aboard, I'll swear. He don't come up to Quacko anyhow, Come, Dick, show us him now, do, there's a good chap."

These and similar exclamations were sung out by various voices in different tones, to which my mother, as she lay in her cot, listened not unpleased, till at length my father having given her a kiss, and uttered a few words of congratulation and thanks to Heaven

sailors are not addicted to long prayers — again took me in his outstretched palms, and thus brought me forth to the admiring gaze of his shipmates. So eager were they to see me, that I ran no little risk of being knocked out of my father's hands, bb they were shoving each other aside in their endeavours to get to the front rank. Then one and all wanted to have me to handle for a moment ; but to this Susan King, who had followed my father from behind the screen, would on no account consent

"Why, bless you, my lads, you would be wringing the little chap's neck off, if you were to attempt to take hold of him," said Susan.

" Oh ! no, don't fear, we will handle him just as if he was made of sugar," was the reply.

•* Oh ! you don't know what delicate, weak little creatures these babies are when, they are first bom," observed Susan. *^ Just like jellyfish, they will not stand any rough handling."

Still in spite of my kind nurse's remarks, the bystanders continued to urge my father to let them have me.

" It is as much as my place is worth, mates," he answered at length ; "I would not let him out of my hands on no account."

My new shipmates were, therefore, compelled to admire me at a respectful distance. I believe the remarks they made were generally complimentary, only they seemed to have arrived at the opinion that I was not at that time so fat or so fair as the cherubs they had heard of who live up aloft.

" And now, mates, I will just hand him back to Susan, and go and get the doctor to look at me, for I begin to feel pretty stiflSsh with the holes I got made in me just now," saidmy father.

And I was forthwith reconsigned to the charge of my mother and her attendant, while he went to the surgeon to get his wounds dressed. There were none of them, fortunately very serious, for the bullet had gone through the fleshy part of the arm, and the pike had missed the bone ; the cut in the cheek, which at first appeared the most trifling, giving in the end more trouble and annoyance than either of the other hurts. The expedition in which he had been engaged was something out of the common way, though when I come to note down the numerous ones he has described to me, it is somewhat difficult not to mix them all up together.

The frigate, on board which I thus suddenly found myself, formed one of the East India Squadron, of which Admiral Peter Kainier was Commander-in-Chief.

The " Boreas " had a short time before this been despatched to Macao for the protection of the China trade. I speak of course from hearsay, as what I am about to relate occurred just before I came into existence; indeed, of many other subsequent events which I shall venture to describe I cannot be said to have any very vivid recollection, although present at the time. The frigate was standing to the eastward, some three or four leagues from the coast, when one of the top-men, Pat Brady, on the look-out at the mast-head, discovered a sail in shore to the northward. Pat was a relation of my mother — she was an Irishwoman, and, as Pat never failed to assert, a credit to her country. He would at all times have been ready to fight any man who ventured to hold a different opinion.

Our Captain, Christopher Cobb, was a brave man, but somewhat peppery, and very easily

put out.

The wind had previously been light. It fell

a dead calm soon after the stranger had been

sighted. Our First-Lieutenant, Mr. Schank,

who, in spite of having a wooden leg, was as

active as any man on board, having gone aloft

himself to take a look at her, came to the

opinion that she was a brig of war. From the

way in which she increased her distance from

the frigate after she was seen, it was very

evident that she had her sweeps out, and there

was every probability of her escaping.

" That must not be ! that must not be ! " muttered the Captain, as he paced the quarterdeck, fretting and fuming under the hot sun of ^the tropics. *' Mr. Schank, we must not let her

go.

" No, sir," said the First-Lieutenant, " that would never do."

"We must take her with the boats if we cannot overtake her with the ship," said the Captain, with one of his quiet laughs.

"The very thing I was thinking of, sir," aiuswered Mr. Schank, who, I may observe, presented a great contrast to his excellent superior, the one being short and rotund, while in figiure the Lieutenant was tall and gaunt

** Then wd will have the boats out and sea what we can do/' said the Captain.

"With all my heart, sir," answered the First-Lieutenant " I will, if you please, take the command/'

" Out boats 1 " was the order. The object was quickly known. In an instant the men who had till then been listlessly hanging about the decks in the few shady places they could find, for the sun was pretty nigh overhead, were instantly aroused into activity.

In a short time six boats were in the water manned and armed. In them went three lieutenants and the master, two master's mates, fifty seamen, and twenty marines. One of the gigs, the fastest boat, led the way, each boat taking the one next to her in tow. As they shoved off their shipmates cKeered, and heartily wished them success. That . they were determined to obtain, though they well knew 'that they had a pull before them of a good many hours under a burning sun, and probably some pretty sharp fighting at the end of it After following her for an hour or more, Mr. Schank perceived that they gained nothing on the brig. He therefore ordered the boats to cast off from each other, and to make the best of their way, provided no boat rowed ahead of the barge under his command. It was just

BEN BURTON. U

two o'clock when the expedition left the frigate. My father was in the launch conmianded by a master^s mate, Mr. Harry Oliver, a slight delicate youth who appeared utterly unfit for gach work, but he had the heart of a lion, and daring unsurpassed by any officer in the service. For four long hours the chase continued, when, at about six in the evening, she was still four leagues ahead. Mr. Schank now ordered the master to proceed in the gig

fast as he could pull, and by all means to keep sight of the brig, while in the event of darkness coming on he was to hoist a light to show her position. It had been arranged that the attack was to be made in two lines. The barge, pinnace, and gig were to board on the starboard quarter ; and the other line, consisting of the three other boats, on the larboard quarter. For upwards of two hours longer the boats pulled on, the gloom of evening gradually closing over them. Still they could distinguish the dim outline of the brig ahead. The First-lieutenant having got within musket-shot of the chase with Mr. Oliver^s boat, he directed his men to lie on to their oars that they might arm, and allow the stemmost boats to come up. Just then the master in the gig rejoined them.

" What is she ? " asked Mr. Schank

"A French man-of-war brig of sixteen guns," was the answer. " She is under all sail with her sweeps out, and we shall find it pretty brisk work getting on board." The crews had of course been ordered to keep silence, or I rather think that they would have uttered a hearty shout at this announcement. In a few minutes more the stemmost boats got up, and their crews also armed and prepared for the attack. They were directed to steer one on each side of the brig, and to get in under the sweeps and close to her sides. In ten' minutes they were within pistol-shot of the enemy, who was slipping along through the water, her sweeps being aided by the light wind off the land, at about two knots an hour.

And now the silence which had hitherto been kept was broken by the voice of their gallant leader shouting, " What vessel is that ? "

There was no answer. Again he asked the same question in French. It was very bad French, and perhaps was not better understood than the previous question. At all events no reply was made.

" Then at her, lads 1 " cried Mr. Schank ; and the crews of the boats, uttering three hearty cheers, dashed up towards the brig's stern. As they got close up, however, a tremendous fire of heavy guns and musketry was opened on them, the bullets whizzing round them and wounding many, though fortunately none of the boats were struck by the round shot, while, as they got up, pikes weje thrust down at them and pistols fired in their faces. The bowmen in the leading boats which had got hold of the ship's sides were killed or wounded, and the boats dropped astern. Among those hit was their brave leader, but undaunted he shouted to his men to pull up again. Again as they did so they met with the same reception.

CHAPTEE II.

HE First-Lieutenant was not a man to be

defeated. Wounded as he was, he still

resolved to persevere.

" Never say die, lads I " he shouted, as they

were driven back. ** Give them a taste of our

powder in return ! "

On this, the boats poured a hot fire of mus-

ketoons and small arms through the brig's stern

and quarter-ports. It told with tremendous

effect, for not a shot was now fired upon the boata.

0,794) 2

"On, on, lads!" shouted the First-Lieutenant; and before the Frenchmen could recover, the boats were hanging on to her quarters, and the crews were climbing up on deck. The First-Lieutenant, in spite of his wooden leg and wound, was among the foremost. My father, though also hit, followed close behind the brave young mate — Harry Oliver. Scarcely had they gained the brig's deck, however, ere the Frenchmen rallied and opposed them with the most determined bravery. The English crew climbing up one after the other, quickly gained possession of the whole of the after part of the brig, not, however, without several being killedand wounded, the Second- Lieutenant being among the former. He was cut down, after being twice shot through the body. For a few minutes a most bloody and tremendous conflict ensued. A Frenchman thrust his pike through Mr. Oliver's side, and another was following it up with his sword, and would certainly have put an end to the young officer, had not my father, just as he got an ugly prong in his side of the same description, with one sweep of his cutlass brought the man to the deck, never to move again. French crews can very seldom, if ever, stand against English boarders. The bravest of the enemy were cut down, or began to give way. My father, with

Jlr. Oliver on one side and the First-Lieutenant and Master on the other, with the men at their backs, now made a clear path, strewing the decks with the bodies of those who attempted to oppose them. The remainder of the enemy fled ; some leaped down the hatchways, others took shelter on the bowsprit and jib-boom, and the more nimble sprang up the shrouds, where, as my father declared, like so many monkeys, they hung chattering and asking for quarter.

"Of course, if they would but have been quiet and peaceable, we had no wish to kill them," he used to say, " and glad enough we were when we found ourselves in possession of the brig, just about five minutes from the time we had first stepped on her decks. It was about the hardest bit of work I ever was engaged in," he always averred. " We lost our Second-Lieutenant, five seamen and three marines killed, three ofl&cers and twenty-two men wounded. The Frenchman had a crew of one hundred and sixty men and boys, out of whom there were no less than fourteen killed and twenty wounded — pretty badly, too, for we were not apt to use our cutlasses over gently, you may suppose.

"We had still plenty of work to do, for, though cowed for the moment, the Frenchmen would not have made much ceremony in trying to turn the tables again upon us. We had barely fifty men fit for work, and they had still one hundred and twenty — considerable odds against us.

"Mr. Schank, as soon as he saw that the deck was ours, directed one of the officers to hurry down into the cabin and secure the private signals, and ordered me, at the same time, to go with a couple of marines to take charge of the magazine, for one never knows what desperate fellows may do when they have lost their ship, aud some mad chap or other might have set fire to it, and blown us and themselves up into the air. Such things have been done before now.

*' The next thing we did was to carry the wounded below. Our own people and the enemy's were treated alike. Poor fellows ! how some of them did groan when they were lifted up. Next, an order waa given to heave the dead overboard, * And look out, lads, that you don't send any with the breath in their bodies to feed the sharks,' said the First- Lieutenant. The caution did not come too soon. Two men, one of whom was Paddy Brady, were about shoving a big Frenchman through a port, when the poor fellow uttered a groan. *What is that you say, monsieur? Just speak again. Are you alive or dead?

exclaimed Brady. No answer was returned, and Paddy began to drag the dead body nearer the port Again a groan, considerably louder than the first was heard. 'Arrah, now/ said Paddy, * I wish you would just make up your mind whether it is overboard you would wish to go, or be carried below. Speak, man ; I ax ye again for the last time : are ye alive or

deadr

"The Frenchman, maybe, might not have

understood exactly what Brady was saying,

but he must have had a pretty horrible idea

that he was about to be sent overboard. This

time he not only groaned, but uttered some

words, and endeavoured to drag himself along

the deck, 'Arrah, now, that's like a dacent,

sinsible man,' observed Pat. 'Anyhow, you

deserve to have your hurts looked to, and so

we will carry him below, Jim.' '*

The truth was that the man had been only

slightly wounded, and afterwards stunned by a

blow. Had he not come to himself at that

moment, his career would undoubtedly have

been finished. Hands were now sent aloft,

the studden-sails hauled down, and the brig

brought on a wind. The sweeps, which

had all this time remained run out, were

taken in-board, and the boats were veered astern.

18 BET^ BURTQN,

" We now stood in the direction we hoped to find the frigate, hoisting two lights at the mast-head, firing guns, and burning blue lights to show our position. It was an anxious time, however, and we had to keep a very watchful eye on the Frenchmen. They evidently were hatching mischief, for they must have known aa well as we did that the frigate was still a long way ofi", and that if they could overcome us they might yet get away with their brig. She was called the * Loup ' (the Wolf), and a wolf she had proved herself among our merchantmen. I had been relieved at my station at the magazine, when Pat Brady came

up to me. 'Burton,' he said, *I wish you would just take a look at the wounded prisoners. There is one of them whom I thought dead, and there he is, sitting up and talking away as if there was nothing the matter with him? " I cannot understand his lingo, but, by the way he moves his arms about, I think he means mischief ! '

" I went below with Brady, and there, sure enough, was the man he had so nearly thrown overboard, apparently very little the worse for his hurt, and evidently, as it appeared to me, trying to persuade his countrymen to do something or other which he had proposed. Sentries had been placed over the other prisonere^ of course, but desperate men might soon have overpowered them, especially if the prisoners knew that there would be a little diversion in their favour.

" Hurrying on deck, I reported what we had seen to Mr. Schank, who immediately ordered the man to be brought on deck, and as his wound was dressed, there was no cruelty in that. He grumbled considerably ; the more so, probably, because his plan had been defeated.

"We continued every now and then sending up blue lights, keeping a very watchful eye all the time on our prisoners. At length, far away on our weather-beam, a bright light suddenly burst forth as if out of the dark ocean. We tacked and stood towards it. However, as the wind was very light, the Third-Lieutenant was sent off in the gig with an account of our success. Two hours had still to pass away before we at length got up to the frigate, and pretty well pleased we were when the cheer which our shipmates sent forth to congratulate us on our success reached our ears." Such was the substance of my father's account, often subsequently told.

I do not know whether the anxiety which Mrs. Burton felt when she saw her husband Betting out on what she knew must be a dangerous expedition had any peculiar effect on her, but certain it is, that while my father was slashing away at the Frenchmen, and the bullets were flying about his head, I was bom into the world.

With regard to the prize, she was carried safely into Macao, in the expectation that she would be fitted out as a cruiser, and that Mr. Schank would get the command of her. Her fate I shall have hereafter to relate.

I meantime grew apace, and speedily cut out Quacko in the estimation of our shipmates. He, however, had his friends and supporters ; for some months, at all events, he afforded them more amusement than I could do. They could tease him and play him tricks, which my mother and Mrs. King took very good care they should not do to me. I had no lack of nurses from the first, and highly honoured were those into whose hands my mother ventured to commit me.

Mrs. King had enough to do for some time after the action, in attending both to my mother and the poor fellows who had been wounded, both English and French, the latter receiving as much care from her gentle hands as did our own people. The two chief rivals for the honour of looking after me were my cousin, Pat Brady, and Toby Kiddle, boatswain's mate. Although many of my old shipmates have passed away from my memory, Toby Kiddle made an impression which was never erased. Nature had not intended him for a topman, for though wonderfully muscular, his figure was like a tun. His legs were short, and his arms were unusually long. With them tucked akimbo, he could take up two of the heaviest men in the ship, and run along the deck with them as lightly as he would have done with a couple of young children. He had a generous, kind heart, could tell a good story, and troll forth a ditty with any man ; and as to his bravery, where all were brave, I need scarcely mention it, except to say that I do no not think anyone beat him at that. Boatswain's mate though he was, Toby Kiddle had a heart as gentle as a lamb's. He scarcely seemed cut out for the post, and yet there was a rough crust over it which enabled him to do his duty, and when he had to lay on with the cat, to shut his eyes, and to hit as hard as he was ordered. And yet I always have pitied a kind-hearted boatswain's mate, though he is not after all worse off than the captain and officers, who have to stand by and see men punished. However, I will not say anything about that matter just now. Time went on, and I grew bigger, and began to chew beef and

M BEN BURTON.

bacon with the rest of the ship's company becoming more and more independent of my mother in every way. Yet I loved her, as such a mother deserved to be loved. As I grew bigger I made more and more friends. The Captain himself very frequently took notice of me, and patted my head, which was beginning to get curls upon it, and often gave me cakes and other Chinese manufactured delicacies which he had got from the shore. Captain Cobb was a short man, and since he came out to China had grown very round and stout. His face, as a boy, had been probably pink and white, but it had now been burnt into a deep red copper colour. His eyes, which were small, were bloodshot, with a ferrety expression, and altogether his outward man was not attractive. His uniforms, which had hung loosely on him when he left home, had been, by the skill of the tailor, let out and out to meet the demands of his increasing corpulency ; but no art or skill could do more for them ; and as he was unwilling to procure others till those were worn out, he looked, when walking the quarterdeck, very much as if he had on a straight waistcoat.

Captain Cobb was not disregardful of his creature comforts, and in order to supply himself with milk for breakfast and tea, he had shipped on board, some time back, a shegoat, which fully answered his wishes. Seamen will make pets of everything — monkeys, babies, lions, pigs, bears, dogs, and cats. The goat had become a favourite, for she was a handsome creature, and very tame, but it was chiefly in connection with Quacko, who was soon taught to ride upon her. Quacko was certainly very well aware that he must never venture upon the quarterdeck, and before, therefore, he reached the sacred precincts on his daily rides, he always managed to wheel the goat about and retrace his steps forward. Quacko was a wonderfully sagacious monkey, and held his position in the good opinion of the crew in spite of my rival claims. Had I been thrown entirely upon their mercy as Quacko was, I might have completely cut him out ; but having my mother and Mrs. King, with two or three select friends to look after me, the remainder very naturally felt that they had not so much interest in the matter. On one occasion, when I was about three years old, the frigate was caught in a typhoon. I was safe below in my poor mother's arms, but Quacko remained on deck to see what was going forward. Nobody was thinking of him. The seamen, indeed, had to hold on with might and main to secure their own lives.