Kilgorman Part 46

The quartermaster had charge of the helm.

"Look alive, my lads," said he, as we prepared to let ourselves overboard; "her head may go round any moment. As she lies you can drop on to it easy. Take a line with you, and pay out as you go, as you'll need it to come back by. Over you go."

We secured our pistols as best we could against the water, and then one after the other dropped over the stern and struck out for the peak. The s.h.i.+p was already beginning to sway on the breeze, and once or twice as we kept close under her side we were in peril of being sucked under or else crushed down by her lurches. However, we managed to reach the hanging tackle below the bowsprit without misadventure; and making fast the end of the line we carried, so that it hung close on the water-line from stem to stern, we began to haul ourselves, with our knives between our teeth, up into the shrouds.

While we were doing so the s.h.i.+p swung round into the wind, and began to move through the water.

As soon as we got our heads level with the gunwale we could dimly see the forecastle deck before us, and the breeches of the two twenty-four pounders, pointed astern. There was a man in charge of each. The two sat on the deck, with a can of liquor between them, playing dice in a quarrelsome, half-tipsy way. The rest of the company were a.s.sembled on the middle deck, and, to judge by the sounds, were deep in the discussion of their rum and their grievances.

I gave my comrade a signal, and next moment we sprang noiselessly on board, and had the two gunners overpowered, gagged, and made fast before they could utter a sound or reach for their arms.

Then without losing a moment we drove our nails into the touch-holes of the guns, trusting to the noise of the revellers and the dash of the water at the bows to drown the sound of the hammer. This done we dropped overboard, each with a prisoner, as quietly as we had come, and with the aid of the line reached the stern in safety, and found ourselves once more on the sanctuary of the quarter-deck.

Scarcely had we done so when we became aware of a movement among the enemy. So busily occupied had they been in their debauch that they had not noticed the change in the weather, or the advantage which had been taken of it to put the s.h.i.+p under way. As it was, they might have even allowed that to pa.s.s, supposing it only brought them nearer to Yarmouth Roads, when one of the old salts in their number p.r.o.nounced that the new wind was from another quarter, and that instead of closing in with the admiral's fleet off Yarmouth the _Zebra_ was running for the open sea with a strong south-wester astern.

Finding themselves thus hoodwinked, and already excited by drink, the leaders, and as many of the men as could be enticed from the liquor, came once more aft and demanded another interview.

The quarter-deck, except for the sentries, the watch, and the men at the guns, was comparatively deserted, the officers having retired below until the hour allowed by the enemy had expired.

The senior officer present was Mr Felton.

"Quartermaster," said he, as he stepped up to the helmsman, "how does she sail?"

"Nor'-east by east, sir. Making ten knots an hour."

"Keep her so.--Mr Gamble," said he, turning to a mids.h.i.+pman, "have the goodness to go to my cabin at once and fetch the magnet you will find lying in the drawer of my desk."

In a minute Mr Gamble had performed his errand. Mr Felton meanwhile had lifted the cover of the compa.s.s-box, into which he now inserted the small magnet, so that it pulled the needle a quarter of the circle round, and made it appear that our course was due north.

"That should give us time," said he as he replaced the cover. "The land-lubbers will know no better.--Use your pocket-compa.s.s, quartermaster, and keep her as she is.--Now, my man," said he, addressing one of the loyal marines who had been standing sentry, "what is it?"

"If you plaze, sir, the hounds beyant there want a word with yez."

"Tell them the hour is not yet up, and that Mr Adrian is below."

"Sure I told them so, and Callan, he's their talking man, says he must see yourself, or there'll be mischief."

"Very good," said Mr Felton. "Pa.s.s the word below for all hands on deck; and let every man go quietly to his place.--Marine, allow Callan on the quarter-deck."

But Mr Callan was not tipsy enough to fall into such a trap, and insisted on the honours of war and the word of a gentleman that he and three of his followers should be allowed safe-conduct, hinting at the same time that the forward guns were still in position, and that any attempt to break parole would be visited with ugly consequences.

Lieutenant Felton gravely gave the necessary a.s.surance, whereupon, ordering their followers to wait below, Callan and three comrades, as tipsy as himself, staggered up the ladder.

"Now, sir, what is the matter?" demanded Mr Felton.

"Matter? The s.h.i.+p's on the wrong tack. You're sailing her out to sea; and if she's not put round at once, we'll put her about for you."

Mr Felton laughed.

"Not so easy to sail out to sea in this wind as you think, my lad. I wonder, now, if you really know what direction we are going in."

One of the four replied, "Nor'-east," unless he was mistaken.

"Bless me," said the officer, "and these are the men who pretend to speak in the name of the British seaman! I should prefer to take the word of the compa.s.s against yours in a cap of wind, my fine fellow, any day. Nor'-east, indeed!"

"The compa.s.s will say the same as us; or maybe we're a point more to eastward."

"You can satisfy yourself as to that if you please," said Mr Felton dryly.--"Mr Gallagher, take these men and show them the compa.s.s. It will be a lesson to them in navigation."

The laughter of the company succeeded in effectually damping the confidence of our amateur seamen as they slowly followed me abaft.

"Steer gingerly round these guns," said I, as we pa.s.sed the two guns which had been brought to bear on the forecastle; "they're loaded.

Gently now; it's not so steady walking on a deck as round the Newgate exercise-yard. Come away now.--Quartermaster, show a light on the compa.s.s here for these gentlemen. They have come to give us a lesson in seamans.h.i.+p."

"Compa.s.s!" said the quartermaster with a chuckle. "Ain't the stars good enough for you? Who but a landlubber ever needed to look at a compa.s.s to see which way the wind blew? However, look away; and if it's a point out of due north call me a Dutchman."

The men peered stupidly over the compa.s.s.

"It's north, sure enough," growled the only man of the party who was at all weatherwise. "I could have sworn it was nor'-east or more."

To encourage him I tapped the gla.s.s.

"We could make it nor'-east for you by putting a spring on the needle, if that's what you want," said I with a laugh.

Callan and the others looked wisely at the mendacious instrument, and then began to sheer off with the best grace they could.

"We should be in Yarmouth Roads at this rate by daybreak," said he, "provided they play us no tricks."

"We'll see to that," said the old salt. "Now we know she's sailing north we'll see she keeps so, or there'll be the mischief in it."

"Come away now," said I, "your friends will be missing you; and what will become of your first, second, third, and fourth without you?"

It did not tend to raise the spirits of the four n.o.ble mariners as they pa.s.sed round the guns to hear the laughter and cries of "nor'-east by east it is, sir," which greeted their pa.s.sage. Nor did they quite recover till they returned to the arms of their comrades, who bore them off with the glorious news that a fresh cask of rum had been broached, and that the lights of Yarmouth were already visible on the horizon.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

"BATTLE AND MURDER AND SUDDEN DEATH."

It was past midnight, and in two hours the summer night would be past.

After that, further mystification as to our course would be impossible; but could we hold on till then, with half a gale of wind behind us, we should be well over to the Dutch side, and clear at any rate of the mutinous atmosphere which infected Yarmouth Roads and the Nore.

The men, having, as I supposed, satisfied themselves that the _Zebra_ was being sailed according to their own directions, decided to wait till daylight, by which time they counted on the encouragement and company of the Yarmouth mutineers, before they finally hoisted the red flag and took possession of the s.h.i.+p. Meanwhile they applied themselves a.s.siduously to the liquor, an indulgence which, in the case of a good many of the land-lubbers of their company, must have been seriously spoiled by the rolling of the s.h.i.+p and their first acquaintance since we left Dublin with really dirty weather.

I reckoned that we were some twelve leagues from the Dutch coast, with the wind s.h.i.+fting westerly and sending heavy seas over our counter, when the grey dawn lifted and showed us a waste of water, with nothing visible but a single speck on the eastern horizon.

After close scrutiny we concluded this to be one or more sail beating up against the gale; but whether they were Dutch or English, it was too soon to say.