University of Virginia Library

15. XV.
THE MUTINEERS AT SEA.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY.

For fifteen days was Laudonniere kept a close prisoner by the
conspirators on board of one of his own vessels, attended by one
of their own number, and denied all intercourse with his friends
and people. One of the objects of this rigid duresse, was the
coercion of the garrison. With its captain in their power, even
were his followers better prepared, with the proper spirit and energy,
to give them annoyance, they were thus able to put them at
defiance; since any show of hostility on the part of the garrison
might be visited upon the head of their prisoner. By this means
they got possession of the armory, the magazines, the granaries;
and, when ready to put to sea, and not before, did they release the
unhappy commandant from his degrading durance.

It was at dawn on the morning of the 8th of December, that
the two barks which the conspirators had prepared for sea, might
have been seen dropping down the waters of May River, their
white sails gleaming through the distant foliage. At the same
moment, with head bowed upon his bosom, the unhappy Laudonniere,
for the first time fully conscious of his weakness and his

misfortune,—deeply sensible now to all his shame as he reflected
upon the roving commission which had been extorted from him by
the mutineers,—turned his footsteps from the banks of the river,
and made his way slowly towards the fortress;—confident no
longer in his strength—suspicious of the faith of all around him
—and half tempted to sink his shame forever, with his dishonored
person, in the waters of the river which had witnessed his disgrace.
But he gathered courage to live when he thought of the
revenge which fortune might yet proffer to his embrace.

We must now follow the progress of our maritime adventurers.
They had, as we have seen, succeeded in fitting out two barks;
one on which was confided to Bertrand Conferrant, one of Laudonniere's
sergeants; the other to a soldier named D'Orange.
La Croix was named the ensign to the former; Trenchant, the
pilot of Laudonniere, was compelled, against his will, to assume
this station on board the vessel of D'Orange. The original plan
of the rovers was to pursue a common route, and mutually to support
each other: but the plans of those who have given themselves
up to excess, are always marked by caprices, and the two
parties quarrelled before they had left the mouth of the river.
They had arranged to descend together upon one of the Spanish
islands of the Antilles, and on Christmas night, while the inhabitants
were assembled at the midnight mass, at their church, to
set upon and murder the inmates and sack the building and the
town. Their dissentions affected this purpose; and when they
emerged from the river May, they parted company;—one of the
vessels keeping along the coast, in order the more easily to
double the cape and make for Cuba;—the other boldly standing
out to sea and making for the Lucayos. Both vessels proceeded
with criminal celerity to the performance of those acts of piracy

which had seduced them from their duties. The bark which took
her way along the coast, was that of D'Orange. Near a place
called Archaha, he took a brigantine laden with cassavi, the Indian
breadstuff, and a small quantity of wine. Two men were
slain, two taken in a sharp encounter with the people of Archaha.
Transferring themselves and stores to the brigantine which they
had captured, on account of its superiority, the pirates made sail
for the cape of Santa Maria; and from thence, after repairing a
leak in their vessel, to Baracou, a village of the island of Jamaica.
Here they found an empty caravel which they preferred to their
brigantine; and after a frolic among the people of Baracou,
which lasted five days, they made a second transfer of their persons
and material to the caravel. Dividing their force between
their own and this vessel, which was of fity or sixty tons burthen,
they made for the Cape of Tiburon, where they met with a patach,
to which chase was immediately given. A sharp encounter
followed. The patach was well manned and provided, for her
size. She had particular reasons for giving battle and for fighting
bravely. Her cargo was very precious. It consisted of
a large supply of gold and silver plate and bullion, merchandise,
wines, provisions, and much besides to tempt the rovers, and
quite as much to move the crew to a vigorous defence. But,
over all, it had a-board the Governor of Jamaica himself, with
two of his sons. This nobleman was equally fearless and skilful.
He directed the resistance of his people, and gave them efficient
example. But the force of our rovers was quite too great to be
successfully resisted by one so small as that of the Governor, and
he directed his people to yield the combat, as soon as he saw its
hopelessness.

Greatly, indeed, were our free companions delighted with their

successes. The treasure they had acquired was large, but they
were not the persons to be content with it. They were apprised
of another caravel laden with greater wealth and a more valuable
merchandise, and they followed eagerly after this prey. But she
escaped them, getting in safety into the port of Jamaica. The
governor was a subtle politician. He soon discovered the character
of the men with whom he had to deal, and he wrought succesfully
upon their cupidity. He proposed to ransom himself at an
enormous price; and, with this object, they stood towards the
mouth of the harbor in which the caravel had taken shelter.
Blinded by their avarice, our rovers were persuaded to suffer the
governor to despatch his two boys to their mother, his wife, in a
boat which his captors were to furnish. The boys were to procure
his ransom, and supplies were to be sent to the vessel also.
But the secret counsel of the Governor to his sons, contemplated
no such ransom as the free companions desired. They knew not
that, in one of the contiguous havens, there lay two or more vessels,
superior in burthen to their own, and manned and equipped
for war. The Governor, with but a look and a word, beheld his
sons depart. The lads knew the meaning of that look, and that
single word; they felt all the ignominy of their father's position,
and they knew their duty. A noble and courageous dame was
the mother of those boys. With tears and tremors did she clasp
her children to her breast; with horror did she hear of her lord's
captivity; but she yielded to no feminine weaknesses which could
retard her in the performance of her duty. Her movements were
prompt and resolute. The Governor concealed his anxieties, and
spoke fairly to his captors. Quite secure in their strength and
position, eager with expectations of further gain, rioting in the
rich wines they had already won, they entertained no apprehensions
of defeat or disappointment. They lay at the mouth of the
haven, which stretched away for two leagues into the mainland.
Here, suddenly, about the break of day, they saw emerging through
a heavy fog, a couple of vessels of greater size than their own.
Apprehending no danger, the pirates were taken by surprise.
The enemy was upon them before they could prepare for action,
and they had scarcely an opportunity to attempt their flight. A
volley of Spanish shot soon rang against their sides, and as the
trumpets of D'Orange, from his brigantine, blew to announce their
danger to those in charge of the captured vessels, he cut his
cables and stood off for sea, closely pressed by his swift-footed
enemies. Then it was that, watching his moment, the Governor
of Jamaica seized upon the enemy nearest him and plunged him
into the sea. His example was followed by his people, and the
Spaniards coming up with the captured patach at the fortunate
moment, the Frenchmen, with whom it was left in charge, threw
down their arms, and yielded themselves at discretion to their
enemies. Both vessels were recovered, while the brigantine of
D'Orange, well navigated by Trenchant, succeeded in showing a
clean pair of heels to her pursuers. The chase continued for
several leagues without success; and the brigantine, passing Cape
des Aigrettes, and the Cape of St. Anthony, swept on to the
Havanna. This was the desired destination of D'Orange; but his
people were not wholly with him. Several of them, like Trenchant,
the pilot, had been forced to accompany the expedition.
These were anxious to escape from a connection which was not
only against their desires, but was likely, by the crimes of their
superiors, to result in the destruction of the innocent. Accordingly,
under the guidance of Trenchant, a conspiracy was conceived
against the conspirators. The wind serving, while D'Orange
slept, Trenchant passed the channel of the Bahamas, and made
over for the settlement on May River. The route taken was unsuspected,
until the morning of the 25th of March, when they
found themselves upon the coast of Florida. By this time, it
was too late to prevent the determination of those who had resolved
upon their return to La Caroline. The latter had grown
strong by consultation together, and the true men urged the less
guilty of the conspirators with promises of pardon at the hands
of Laudonniere. This hope gradually extended to some of the
most guilty; but the discussion which led to this conclusion, was
productive of a scene which strikingly illustrates the profligacy
of the human heart, particularly when it once throws off the restraints
of social authority. The unhappy criminals, in nominal
command of the roving brigantine were prepared to dance upon
the brink of the precipice,—to sport with the dangers immediately
before them, and convert into a farce the very tragedy
whose denouêment they had every reason to dread. Well charged
with wine, and quaffing full beakers to fortune, they suddenly
conceived the idea of a mock court of justice, for the trial of
their own offences. The idea was scarcely suggested than it was
fastened upon by the wanton imaginations of this besotted crew.
The court was convened, on the deck of the vessel, as it would have
been at La Caroline. One of the parties personated the character
of the judge: another counterfeited the costume and manner of
Laudonniere, and appeared as the accuser. Counsel was heard on
both sides. There were officers to wait upon and obey the decrees
of the court. The cases were elaborately argued. Heavy
accusations were made; ingenious pleas put in; and in the very
excess of their recklessness, their ingenuity became triumphant.
They showed themselves excellent actors, if not excellent men;
and caught from their own art, a momentary respite from the oppressive
doubts which hung upon their destinies. It was somewhat
ominous, however, that their judge—himself one of the most
guilty—should say to them, when summing up for judgment—
“Make your case as clear as you please—exert your ingenuity as
you may, in finding excuses, yet, take my word for it, that, when
you reach La Caroline, if Laudonniere causes you not to swing
for it, then I will never take him for an honest man again.”

This may have been intended as a mere jocularity. But fate
frequently shapes our own words, as she does those of the oracle,
in that double sense, which confounds the judgment while it ensures
the doom. The counterfeit judge spoke prophetically. It was
only when the offenders were fairly in the hands of Laudonniere,
beyond escape or remedy, that they were taught to apprehend
that they had too greatly exaggerated their sense
of his mercy. He detached immediately from the rest
four of the leading criminals, who were put in fetters. That
was the judgment that prefigured their doom. They were
sentenced to be hanged. They strove to question this judgment.
The pleasant jest which they had enjoyed on ship-board was quite
too recent, to suffer them to forego the hope that this summary
decision upon their fate would turn out a jest also. But when
they could doubt no longer, three of them took to their prayers
with an appearance of much real contrition. The fourth,—a
sturdy villain,—still had his faith in human agency. He appealed
for protection to his friends and comrades.

“What,” said he, “brethren and companions, will you suffer us
to die so shamefully?”

“These are none of your companions,” said Laudonniere;—

“they are no authors of seditions—no rebels unto the king's service.
Ye appeal to them in vain.”

A corps of thirty soldiers with their matchlocks ready, and
under the command of Alphonse D'Erlach, who had returned
from his Indian expedition, and who now stood ready and prompt
to execute the orders of the chief, were, perhaps, more potent in
silencing the appeal of the mutineer, and quieting the active sympathies
of those to whom he prayed, than all the words of Laudonniere.
But, at the entreaty of his people, the form of punishment
was changed, and the criminals, instead of perishing by
the rope, met their death from the matchlock. Among the victims
of this necessary justice, were three of the original conspirators,
and the ringleader, Stephen le Genevois. Thus ends the
history of one of our roving vessels. The other, commanded by
Bertrand Conferrent, which we parted with, on her progress towards
the Lucayos, was never heard of after, and probably perished
in the deeps, with all her besotted crew. Let us now leave
the ocean, and follow, for a season, the progress of Alphonse
D'Erlach upon the land, and into the territories of Paracoussi
Hostaqua.