University of Virginia Library

2. CHAPTER II.
THE MERCHANT-MAN.

We have said the report of the guns from the larger vessel produced no
little emotion in the group we have been describing as gathered in the cupola.

`There can be no doubt of the fate of the merchant-man now', said Colonel
Hood, as the report reached their ears.

`God grant that she may yet escape,' said Henry Hood, with an animated
expression upon his finely intellectual face.

`She deserves it, for she has manœuvred well!' said Hebert Vincent. `If
she could have got into the passage between the islands before the frigate took
the wind of her and cut her off, she would have run up to town in spite of her.'

`There is another gun,' exclaimed Colonel Hood, with heightened glow
and speaking with the energy of a military man who could enter fully, heart
and soul, into a contest like the present.

`Yes, and there goes the forty-two of the privateer!' exclaimed Vincent.
`I knew that saucy little fellow wasn't hovering round the merchant-man without
intending to have a finger in the pie.'

`That gun sounds like a peal of thunder,' said Mary, who could not but
catch the spirit of the moment. `Oh that the poor vessel may yet escape!'

`There goes another—another—and there roars the whole broadside!' cried
Vincent.

`They are discharged at the privateer-schooner,' said Colonel Hood with the
glass still at his eye.

`And there, hear that?' said Hebert. `It is the forty-four's bay again, and
at the distance she lays from the Englishman, she can play at bowls with him
and pitch her shot among his men and spars and hit just where she pleases.'

`And do you think the corvette's balls fall short?' asked Henry of Vincent,
as likely to understand the subject best.

`The largest gun the corvette has is a thirty-two, and they will fall short at
the distance at which you see the privateer has taken up her position; while
the forty-four from the little schooner will reach full a mile further than any of
the corvette's!'

`I did not think of this advantage before,' responded Henry Hood, `take the
glass and see what you think they are doing, Hebert. There goes the forty-four
again.'

`Steady, my child, steady!' said Colonel Hood to his daughter, who was
supporting the telescope for him, but who, with ali her firmness, could not but
shudder at the sound of the cannonading, as she reflected that every shot
might be winged with death. `You are right, Hebert, I plainly saw the shot
from the broadside of the Englishman dash up the spray in long ridges full a
quarter of a mile short of the brave schooner, while her shot has knocked two
of the ports into one! God help the right.'

`Amen,' answered Henry with fervor. `God will prosper the right. See
how the merchant-man presses on to get that island between her and the
frigate!'

`Yes,' said Hebert, who was closely observing with his glass: `the frigate
is crowding sail to defeat her object and get within the schooner's fire, and is
constantly firing also single guns from her bows across the passage the ship is
steering for! This is certainly a spirited affair.'

The three vessels towards which their attention was directed with so much
anxious interest, were, as has already been hinted, an English corvette of the
smallest class, carrying about twenty guns, a large Canton merchant-man and
a privateer schooner of about one hundred and fifty tons.

About twelve o'clock at noon the merchant-man had been discovered by Col.
Hood just on the horizon, standing towards the north-west, her yards squared,

the wind being outside about a six knot breeze from the S.S.E. As it was his
custom to while away the time by watching the ocean with his spy-glass, and
amuse himself with the motions of the graceful fishing smack, and follow with
his eye the steadier advance of the larger coasting traders as they hugged the
land and dodged among the islands to avoid the cruisers that were always
prowling like wolves about the entrance of the Bay, he now went into his
`observatory' as he termed the cupola, to give his attention to the larger vessel,
for it had become a rare sight of late to see a large vessel approaching
Boston harbor, unless it was a British man of war running in close to the light,
to let us know `they were out,' or an American frigate returning after a short
cruise. For a merchant vessel from a foreign port to be seen on the coast was
a sight that for many weeks had not gladdened the vision of the Colonel.—
Nearly every vessel that was abroad on the ocean or in foreign ports had returned
or been captured long since, for the war had then been two years carried
on; and no freighted vessels, unless convoyed, had for many months left
or entered the port, save at the imminent risk of capture.

The impression, therefore, of Colonel Hood on seeing this ship appear on
the horizon, that she was either a sloop of war of our country, or an English
cruiser. He consequently watched her with a great deal of interest, trying,
as she slowly lifted above the horizon line to make out her colors. When he
first discovered she was full fifteen miles distant, and her topsail yards were
below the horizon; but in less than an hour she had come up to her deck, and
soon after he was able to take in her hull. She was then about twelve miles
off, and he could see that she had no colors flying, and that she showed no sign
of having ports. In a little while afterwards he satisfied himself that she was
a large merchantman. On making this discovery and confirming it to the satisfaction
of his own mind, his interest in her became increased; for he was
surprised at the boldness of a single ship trying to make her port in such a
dangerous time, and he well knew that an English cruiser was in the neighborhood,
having seen one far to the northward only four days before, but of
what class he was unable to make out. He, therefore, gave most anxious attention
to the lonely ship and his heart throbbed with her as he saw how she
spread every yard with canvass from deck to truck, and strained, as it were,
every nerve to escape the fate which had befallen so many others as daring
as herself.

The vessel had not shown any colors, but he was well aware from her appearance
that she was a Boston ship. There was also an additional motive to
interest him in her; for he had long been expecting from India a dear friend,
who had been twenty years absent, and who had written some months before
that he should embark the first safe opportunity for his native land, and that
he might look for him and his daughter in the first ship that was likely to make
the passage in safety. Colonel Hood therefore thought of his friend, whom in
boyhood and youth had been like a brother in his affections and frindship, and
with the faint hope that he might be on board that very vessel he watched her
with deeper solicitude.

He had called his daughter to him, as usual to help him to hold the telescope
and be companion for him; and never was she happier than thus doing
kindnesses for a father whom she fondly loved and whose only happiness was
centered in his children.

`If your friend should be on board, dear father,' she said with joyful anticipation.
`How very boisterous you'll be. There'll be no doing anything
with you!'

`You must put me in a cage, then, as you do your black crow Tom when
he forgets his propriety of demeanor,' said her father smiling. `But you will
have a friend to be noisy about too. I suspect Clara and you will be great
friends. She is just your age.'

`Four weeks younger, dear father!'

`True. A great matter, surely! I dare say you'll presume upon this seniority
to take her under your chaperoning wing?'

`I know we shall be quite as great friends as you and Mr. Forrest, father.'

`I hope you will, dear. What so stately as a ship under full sail. How
noble she appears. What an embodiment of power and confidence in that
power.'

`Is not that another vessel further to the north?' said Mary who, without
the aid of the glass, had first discovered the object that drew the inquiry
from her.

`Another!' he exclaimed, directing the glass in the direction she pointed;
`Heaven forbid it should be a cruiser.'

There was a moment's silence while be bore the telescope upon the distant
sail. Miss Hood saw his countenance grow pale and that he compressed his
lip with painful earnestness.

`I hope it is not any enemy, father?'

`It is! There is no question of it. It is without doubt a British frigate or
sloop. She is at any rate a large vessel and no merchant vessel of that size
would be standing from the North East. Where is Hebert? He can tell us
what he thinks of her.'

His eye fell upon the young man at that moment entering the avenue gate,
with a gun on his arm, two dogs at his side and a bag of game slung across
his shoulder; and he called out to him to come up into the cupola.

`Here, east of us, Hebert, is a merchantman standing for Boston harbor;
and there, to the North East, I have just discovered another large ship.—
Your eye has been practised at sea; look at her and tell me what you make
of her.'

`That ship east of us is a merchantman of the largest class: she has bright
sides and is a Boston vessel. There is no mistaking her,' he said, letting his
glass rest a moment first upon her. `And the other,' he added in a slow tone,
as he began to make her out, `the other, sir, is an armed ship!'

`I thought so! I feared so!' cried Colonel Hood, making with this only arm, a
gesture of grief and disappointment. `I thought it was too much good fortune
for one of our good ships to get fairly into port without being cut off. Is she
a frigate?'

`She is a sloop, sir, I think. But she may be one of our own ships.'

`There is no such good luck. What ships of war have we in these waters

`None, that is true. And then no sloop would be sent here when it is well
known there are frigates. She is English, sir,' he said after a moment's longer
inspection.

`Do you see her colors?'

`No. But I can tell by the shape of her sails. The English have narrower
and taller topsails, their yards not being so square as those of American ships,
nor do they rake so much as ours. She is a solid up and down sparred John
Bull, sir.'

`Then the merchantman I fear is gone. How is the enemy standing?'

`She is close-hauled on the starboard tack and is lying as nigh the wind as
she can, so that she may fetch up with the merchant-man and cut her off. The
way she is steering will bring directly across the channel to windward of the
ledge by the time the ship gets up with its entrance, that is if both keep the
same course they are now steering.

`See the ship has seen her, thank God.'

`She would have seen her before, sir, but the head of the outermost island,
perhaps, lay in range; but probably she may have seen her as soon as the frigate
saw her; for she could do no better than she is now doing; she has studdensails
out on both sides and even her sky-scrapers out; and from the appearance
of the lower sails they have been wetting them. It is my opinion,
uncle, that they have been using their heels to reach port this half hour, and
no doubt saw the frigate before we discovered her.'

`But there is a fresh movement on board the ship, Hebert, as if just seeing
her. She seems all in confusion! She looks as if struck by a squal!!'

`She is taking in her studdensails and at the same time going about! She

finds, as I said, if she keeps her course she will run right into the cruiser's
jaws!'

The merchantman for two or three minutes seemed to the eye of the unpractised
observer, to be a scene of confusion, but gradually evolving herself
from it as the studdensails on one side were hauled aboard and her yards swung
round in their slings, braced sharply up, she moved with compact and stately
symmetry on a course a little south of west, steering precisely as the frigate
steered, which, by the movement, was thrown directly astern. The ship, however,
could not stand on her present course long, for in less than an hour she
would have beached herself somewhere within a mile of the villa southwardly.