England was now in a storm of indignant protest. The Admiralty was besieged7 with letters, and ship-owners and insurance people, frightened at the prospect8 of further losses, showed signs of panic. Vessels already loaded and ready for sailing were held in port until they could sail, under convoy9 of an armed guard-ship. Insurance rates rose twenty-five per cent. And all this time a little, fast-sailing craft drove up and down the Channel, occasionally flaunting10 the rattlesnake flag almost in sight of the fleets that lay at anchor in the roadways.
And so we find her on one bright day in August, still in sight of the white cliffs, but heading southwest in chase109 of a deep-laden vessel1 whose suspicions had been aroused, for she was staggering along under a press of snow-white canvas.
Conyngham had gone forward to the forecastle and was watching the chase through his spy-glass. The crew, much reduced in numbers by reason of manning the prizes, watched him carefully. There had been something about the set of the stranger’s canvas that had suggested the man-o’-war, and now—although, as we have said, she had all sail set—she seemed to display a slowness that was puzzling, for hand over hand the Revenge picked up on her. The six-pounders and the swivels had been cast loose and provided, and the men were only waiting the orders to take their stations. There was a ponderous11 sea running, and the armament of the Revenge was practically useless except at short range. Time and again had the captain longed for a bow gun, and he would have exchanged half of his broadside for a long twelve-pounder. They were within two miles of the vessel now, and for the last few minutes Conyngham had not taken his eye from the glass, crouching12, or at least half kneeling, against the bow-sprit in order to steady himself. The lower sails were wet with the spray that dashed up from the bows, and he himself was soaked almost to the skin. Suddenly he arose and shouted some orders hurriedly. The Revenge came up into the wind as if abandoning the chase. The second mate, who stood beside the helmsman, saw the captain come running aft.
“She’s a man-o’-war brig!” cried Conyngham. “I thought as much. She has a drag out to hold her back.”
“There she comes about,” answered the second mate. “Now we can see her teeth. You’re right, sir. She110 hoped to bring us up to her. Hadn’t we better run for it?”
For an instant the captain did not reply. He seemed to measure carefully the rate of the other vessel’s speed against that of his own. The result apparently13 satisfied him, for he turned again with a smile.
“I’ve got half a mind to try a few passes with him,” he said, “and I would do it if it were not for the old adage14 about discretion15. For an Irishman, sure I have a reputation for discreetness16 that must not be broken. And so,” he continued, “we’ll let well enough alone.”
It was evident to every one on board the Revenge that their vessel sailed faster and closer on the wind than did the brig. And though both were heading toward the white cliffs, it became apparent that if the wind held, the Revenge would not only cross the brig’s bows at a distance that was practically out of range of her broadside guns, but would also weather the point that was the southernmost cape17 on the English coast—Land’s End. By nightfall, if all went well, she should be past the entrance to the Irish Channel and in her new cruising grounds. But an unlooked-for occurrence put an end to all such hopes. Suddenly appearing around the point of land, carrying the wind from an entirely18 new direction, came a large three-masted vessel. At once the brig, that, although to leeward19, was the nearer, began to set a little row of signal flags, and, as if noticing the shift of the wind, she came about, apparently abandoning the attempt to head off the Revenge. Instantly Conyngham divined her purpose, and came about also as quickly as he could. The breeze, which had been from the eastward20, was rapidly dying down.
111 The big stranger, carrying the new wind, grew larger and larger. Through the glass Conyngham could make out three rows of ports, and the billowing canvas rising above the dark hull21 looked like a cloud hanging low in the sky. It was almost dead calm, and the Revenge swung lazily up and down, with her steering22 sails dipping uselessly in the water, while the brig, that had now caught the wind, bore down nearer and nearer. The men looked back at the quarter-deck with frightened, white faces. All the good fortune that had so far followed them in the cruise had apparently deserted23 them. They saw visions of their prize-money disappearing, and many of the knowing ones could imagine the crowded harbor of Portsmouth, with the big seventy-four lying at anchor, while black, faintly struggling objects depended from her yard-arms. The first mate and Conyngham had not exchanged a word, when suddenly the former, lifting his hand, broke the silence.
“She’s coming, captain; by tar24, she’s coming!” he cried.
The big foresail of the Revenge lifted and the sheets and outhauls of the steering-sails spattered a line of spray as they tautened up out of the water. But it seemed almost too late that the breeze had reached them. Broad off the starboard bow was the brig, but a mile and a half away, while little more than twice that distance, dead astern, came the seventy-four, a roll of seething26 white playing under her forefoot and sweeping27 out on either side. Down on the wind came the ominous28 rolling of a drum.
“They’re beating to quarters, sir,” observed the mate; and then in almost semitragic despair he muttered, “and they’ve got us in their locker29!”
112 But the Revenge was now slipping along swiftly, although she had not yet felt the full force of the following wind. The brig had set a little answering pennant30 to a new string of signals that had risen to the masthead of the seventy-four, and in obedience31, although at extreme range, she began firing with her bow guns, the balls plashing harmlessly in the water a few hundred yards away, but each one appearing to come nearer than the last, and threatened to reach the Revenge at any moment. It looked black indeed for the little cruiser. Her actions had placed her, beyond doubt, in the minds of her pursuers as the vessel for whose capture a large reward had been offered. Subterfuge32 was useless. She had proclaimed herself as much as if she had flown the cross-barred flag with the wriggling33 rattlesnake that, bent34 to the color halyards, lay on deck ready to have risen and to have been tossed to the wind.
The feeling of terror that was spreading through the crew seemed to unnerve them. A French sailor, as a shot from the brig came closer than before, fell on his knees and began to call upon the saints. Something must be done, although it seemed that all human exertion35 would be futile36, for even now the line-of-battle ship had opened up with her two forward guns, but, like her smaller consort37, the shots fell harmlessly some distance off. Now the Revenge had caught the full force of the wind, and every sheet was taut25 as a bar of iron. The spray began to fly over her bows as she dipped and rose against the crest38 of the seas. For an instant it appeared as if she was holding her own, and it was so, as far as the brig was concerned; but the seventy-four was faster than her bulk would lead one to suspect. A shot came skipping113 along the water, jumping from wave to wave until it sank almost broad off the beam of the Revenge.
“We must try the last resort, Mr. Minott,” said Conyngham quietly; “we must lighten her.”
And with that he began to shout orders to the crew, all of whom were gathered in the waist talking in subdued39 voices, with much shaking of heads and low curses. As if relieved at having something to do and at hearing their captain’s voice ring with a note of assurance, they sprang forward. The swivels were cast over the side, and one after another the broadside guns followed. The effect was immediately perceptible; the Revenge seemed to lift to the sea instead of dipping into it. And now the water casks, some of which were on deck just abaft40 the foremast, were broken in with swift blows of the axes, and the scuppers were running full with a mixture of salt water and fresh. The shot from the lockers41 followed, and both anchors, cut away, were let go and plashed overboard. And now, inch by inch, the Revenge drew ahead. The brig had fallen back until she was almost astern, and had ceased firing, but the seventy-four maintained her distance and continued, by an increased elevation42 of her bow-chasers, in an endeavor to reach her quarry43.
It was approaching dusk; a fine red sunset, with bars of narrow blue clouds against the glare, glowed in the west; a still narrower and darker cloud was draped down from the sky above, and it looked for all the world like a picture on a grand scale of the Revenge’s cross-barred flag, the wriggling snake and all. Prompted by an impulse, Conyngham stepped to the color halyards, and with his own hands hoisted44 the Revenge’s colors to the masthead.
114 As if angered by the seeming insult, the big vessel swung off a point or two until, port after port, her broadside could be seen being brought to bear. It was the very thing for which Conyngham had been waiting. By doing so she lessened45 her speed and lost perceptible headway.
Every nerve was tense in the captain’s body as he stood there close to the taffrail waiting for the coming discharge, and trusting that the British commander had underestimated the distance or the rate of the Revenge’s sailing. The brig also was repeating the maneuver46 and endeavoring to bring her broadside also into play, for she and the seventy-four were now sailing almost side by side.
All at once it came! A cloud of white smoke broke from the tall sides of the larger vessel, and immediately the thunderous roar of her main-deck battery followed. How the Revenge escaped was more than any one on board of her could tell, for some of the heavy shot passed over her and crashed into the crests47 of the waves some distance in her path. But one shot reached her, and that, striking the top of her port bulwarks48, sent a shower of white splinters whirring across the deck and then glanced harmlessly into the sea.
The brig, that had yawed wide, immediately followed suit, and just here the strangest thing occurred. Whether one of the guns that she had been firing earlier in the day had not been re-aimed or whether some accident in the firing took place has never been ascertained49; perhaps some impressed seaman50 gunner who had been taken by the press-gang in a British port now found the moment to wreak51 his vengeance52. At all events, a shot from one of115 the brig’s broadside guns went so wide of the mark that it caught the foretopmast of the big one full and square just above the hounds and brought it, with a tangle53 of sails and rigging, lurching and swinging down to deck, where the wreckage54 poised55 for a minute and then, swayed by the wind, tangled56 in the head-sails and brought the vessel almost to a stop.
The chase was over! The Revenge slipped on her way, and as Conyngham looked back he could see his two pursuers shortening sail.
“Somebody’ll swing for that, Mr. Minott,” observed the captain.
“And somebody would have swung if it hadn’t happened, sir,” returned the mate, giving up the wheel, which he had been handling himself, to the now grinning helmsman.
“What course, sir?” asked the latter.
“Hold as you are,” Conyngham answered. “We’ll make some port in Spain.”
Two days later the Revenge entered the harbor of Corunna.
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1
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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3
cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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4
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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5
auctions
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| n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 ) | |
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6
wharves
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| n.码头，停泊处( wharf的名词复数 ) | |
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7
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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9
convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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10
flaunting
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| adj.招摇的，扬扬得意的，夸耀的v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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11
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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12
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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13
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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14
adage
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| n.格言，古训 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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discreetness
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| 谨慎，用心深远 | |
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17
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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18
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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19
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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20
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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21
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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22
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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23
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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24
tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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25
taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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26
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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27
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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28
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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29
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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30
pennant
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| n.三角旗；锦标旗 | |
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31
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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32
subterfuge
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| n.诡计；藉口 | |
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33
wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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34
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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35
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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36
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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37
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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38
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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39
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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40
abaft
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| prep.在…之后；adv.在船尾，向船尾 | |
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41
lockers
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| n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 ) | |
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42
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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43
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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44
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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46
maneuver
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| n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略 | |
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47
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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48
bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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49
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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51
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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52
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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53
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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54
wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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55
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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56
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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