The Privateer's-Man, One hundred Years Ago Read online

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  THE PRIVATEER'S-MAN

  ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

  BY

  CAPTAIN MARRYAT.

  _SANCTIONED BY THE AUTHOR FOR CONTINENTAL CIRCULATION._

  LEIPZIGBERNH. TAUCHNITZ JUN.1846.

  EXTRACTS FROM THE LOG OF A PRIVATEER'S-MAN.

  CHAPTER I.

  We cruise off Hispaniola--Capture a French Ship--Continue our Cruise--Make a Nocturnal Attack upon a Rich Planter's Dwelling--Are repulsed with Loss.

  _To Mistress ----._

  RESPECTED MADAM,

  In compliance with your request I shall now transcribe from thejournal of my younger days some portions of my adventurous life. WhenI wrote, I painted the feelings of my heart without reserve, and Ishall not alter one word, as I know you wish to learn what my feelingswere then, and not what my thoughts may be now. They say that in everyman's life, however obscure his position may be, there would be amoral found, were it truly told. I think, Madam, when you have perusedwhat I am about to write, you will agree with me, that, from myhistory, both old and young may gather profit, and, I trust, if everit should be made public, that, by divine permission, such may be theresult. Without further preface, I shall commence with a narrative ofmy cruise off Hispaniola, in the Revenge privateer.

  The Revenge mounted fourteen guns, and was commanded by CaptainWeatherall, a very noted privateer's-man. One morning at daybreak wediscovered a vessel from the masthead, and immediately made all sailin chase, crowding every stitch of canvas. As we neared, we made herout to be a large ship, deeply laden, and we imagined that she wouldbe an easy prize, but as we saw her hull more out of the water sheproved to be well armed, having a full tier of guns fore and aft. Asit afterwards proved, she was a vessel of 600 tons burden, and mountedtwenty-four guns, having sailed from St. Domingo, and being bound toFrance.

  She had been chartered by a French gentleman (and a most gallantfellow we found him), who had acquired a large fortune in theWest-Indies, and was then going home, having embarked on board hiswhole property, as well as his wife and his only son, a youth of aboutseventeen. As soon as he discovered what we were, and theimpossibility of escape from so fast a sailing vessel as the Revenge,he resolved to fight us to the last. Indeed, he had every thing tofight for; his whole property, his wife and his only child, his ownliberty, and perhaps life, were all at stake, and he had every motivethat could stimulate a man. As we subsequently learnt, he had greatdifficulty in inspiring the crew with an equal resolution, and it wasnot until he had engaged to pay them the value of half the cargoprovided they succeeded in beating us off, and forcing their way insafety to France, that he could rouse them to their duty.

  Won by his example, for he told them that he did not desire any man todo more than he would do himself, and perhaps more induced by hisgenerous offer, the French crew declared they would support him to thelast, went cheerfully to their guns and prepared for action. When wewere pretty near to him, he shortened sail ready for the combat,having tenderly forced his wife down below to await in agony the issueof a battle on which depended every thing so dear to her. The resolutebearing of the vessel, and the cool intrepidity with which they hadhove to to await us, made us also prepare on our side for a combatwhich we knew would be severe. Although she was superior to us inguns, yet the Revenge being wholly fitted for war, we had manyadvantages, independent of our being very superior in men. Some fewchase-guns were fired during our approach, when, having ranged upwithin a cable's length of her, we exchanged broadsides for half anhour, after which our captain determined upon boarding. We ran ourvessel alongside, and attempted to throw our men on board, but metwith a stout resistance. The French gentleman, who was at the head ofhis men, with his own hand killed two of our stoutest seamen, andmortally wounded a third, and, encouraged by his example, his peoplefought with such resolution, that after a severe struggle we wereobliged to give it up, and retreat precipitately into our own vessel,leaving eight or ten of our shipmates weltering in their blood.

  Our captain, who had not boarded with us, was much enraged at ourdefeat, stigmatizing us as cowards for allowing ourselves to be drivenfrom a deck upon which we had obtained a footing; he called upon us torenew the combat, and leading the way, he was the first on board ofthe vessel, and was engaged hand to hand with the brave Frenchgentleman, who had already made such slaughter among our men. Braveand expert with his weapon as Captain Weatherall undoubtedly was, hefor once found rather more than a match in his antagonist; he wasslightly wounded, and would, I suspect, have had the worst of thishand-to-hand conflict, had not the whole of our crew, who had nowgained the deck, and were rushing forward, separated him from hisopponent. Out-numbered and over-matched, the French crew fought mostresolutely, but notwithstanding their exertions, and the gallantconduct of their leader, we succeeded in driving them back to thequarter-deck of the vessel. Here the combat was renewed with thegreatest obstinacy, they striving to maintain this their last hold,and we exerting ourselves to complete our conquest. The Frenchmencould retreat no further, and our foremost men were impelled againstthem by those behind them crowding on to share in the combat. Retreatbeing cut off, the French struggled with all the animosity and rage ofmingled hate and despair; while we, infuriated at the obstinateresistance, were filled with vengeance and a thirst for blood. Wedgedinto one mass, we grappled together, for there was no room for fairfighting, seeking each other's hearts with shortened weapons,struggling and falling together on the deck, rolling among the deadand the dying, or trodden underfoot by the others who stillmaintained the combat with unabated fury.

  Numbers at last prevailed; we had gained a dear-bought victory--wewere masters of the deck, we had struck the colours, and wererecovering our lost breaths after this very severe contest, andthought ourselves in full possession of the ship; but it provedotherwise. The first lieutenant of the privateer and six of us, haddashed down the companion, and were entering the cabin in search ofplunder, when we found opposed to our entrance, the gallant Frenchgentleman, supported by his son, the captain of the vessel, and fiveof the French sailors; behind them was the French gentleman's wife, towhose protection they had devoted themselves. The lieutenant, whoheaded us, offered them quarter, but stung to madness at the prospectof the ruin and of the captivity which awaited him, the gentlemantreated the offer with contempt, and rushing forward attacked ourlieutenant, beating down his guard, and was just about to pierce himwith the lunge which he made, when I fired my pistol at him to savethe life of my officer. The ball entered his heart, and thus died oneof the bravest men I ever encountered. His son at the same time wasfelled to the deck with a pole-axe, when the remainder threwthemselves down on the deck, and cried for quarter. So enraged wereour men at this renewal of the combat, that it required all theefforts and authority of the lieutenant to prevent them fromcompleting the massacre by taking the lives of those who no longerresisted. But who could paint the condition of that unhappy lady whohad stood a witness of the horrid scene--her eyes blasted with thesight of her husband slain before her face, her only son groaning onthe deck and weltering in his blood; and she left alone, bereft of allthat was dear to her; stripped of the wealth she was that morningmistress of, now a widow, perhaps childless, a prisoner, a beggar, andin the hands of lawless ruffians, whose hands were reeking with herhusband's and offspring's blood, at their mercy, and exposed to everyevil which must befal
a beautiful and unprotected female from thosewho were devoid of all principle, all pity, and all fear! Well mightthe frantic creature rush, as she did, upon our weapons, and seekthat death which would have been a mercy and a blessing. Withdifficulty we prevented her from injuring herself, and, after aviolent struggle, nature yielded, and she sank down in a swoon on thebody of her husband, dabbling her clothes and hair in the gore whichfloated on the cabin-deck. This scene of misery shocked even theactors in it. Our sailors, accustomed as they were to blood andrapine, remained silent and immoveable, resting upon their weapons,their eyes fixed upon the unconscious form of that unhappy lady.

  The rage of battle was now over, our passions had subsided, and wefelt ashamed of a conquest purchased with such unutterable anguish.The noise of this renewed combat had brought down the captain; heordered the lady to be taken away from this scene of horror, and to becarefully tended in his own cabin; the wound of the son, who was foundstill alive, was immediately dressed, and the prisoners were secured.I returned on deck, still oppressed with the scene I had witnessed,and when I looked round me, and beheld the deck strewed with the deadand dying--victors and vanquished indiscriminately mixed uptogether--the blood of both nations meeting on the deck and joiningtheir streams--I could not help putting the question to myself, "Canthis be right and lawful--all this carnage to obtain the property ofothers, and made legal by the quarrels of kings?" Reason, religion,and humanity, answered, "No."

  I remained uneasy and dissatisfied, and felt as if I were a murderer;and then I reflected how this property, thus wrested from its formerpossessor, who might, if he had retained it, have done much good withit, would now be squandered away in riot and dissipation, inpurchasing crime and administering to debauchery. I was young then,and felt so disgusted and so angry with myself and everybody else,that if I had been in England, I probably should never again have putmy foot on board of a privateer.

  But employment prevented my thinking; the decks had to be cleaned, thebodies thrown overboard, the blood washed from the white planks, thewounded to be removed, and their hurts dressed, the rigging and otherdamages to be repaired, and when all this had been done, we made sailfor Jamaica with our prize. Our captain, who was as kind and gentle tothe vanquished as he was brave and resolute in action, endeavoured byall the means he could think of to soften the captivity and sufferingsof the lady. Her clothes, jewels, and every thing belonging to her,were preserved untouched; he would not even allow her trunks to besearched, and would have secured for her even all her husband'spersonal effects, but the crew had seized upon them as plunder, andrefused to deliver them up. I am almost ashamed to say that the swordand watch of her husband fell to my lot, and whether from my wearingthe sword, or from having seen me fire the pistol which had killedhim, the lady always expressed her abhorrence of me whenever I enteredher presence. Her son recovered slowly from his wound, and, on ourarrival at Port Royal, was permitted by the admiral to be sent to theKing's Hospital, and the lady, who was most tenderly attached to him,went on shore and remained at the Hospital to attend upon him. I wasglad when she was gone, for I knew how much cause she had for herhatred of me, and I could not see her without remorse. As soon as wehad completed our repairs, filled up our provisions and water, wesailed upon another cruise, which was not so successful, as you willpresently perceive.

  For five or six weeks we cruised without success, and our people beganto grumble, when one morning our boats in shore off Hispaniolasurprised a small schooner. A negro who was among the prisonersoffered to conduct us through the woods by night to the house of avery rich planter, which was situated about three miles from a smallbay, and at some distance from the other plantations. He asserted thatwe might there get very valuable plunder, and, moreover, obtain alarge ransom for the planter and his family, besides bringing away asmany of the negro slaves as we pleased.

  Our captain, who was tired of his ill-success, and who hoped also toprocure provisions, which we very much wanted, consented to thenegro's proposal, and standing down abreast of the bay, which was inthe Bight of Lugan, he ran in at dark, and anchoring close to theshore, we landed with forty men, and, guided by the negro, weproceeded through the woods to the house. The negro was tied fast toone of our stoutest and best men, for fear he should give us the slip.It was a bright moonlight; we soon arrived, and surrounding the house,forced our way in without opposition. Having secured the negroes inthe out-houses, and placed guards over them, and videttes on thelook-out to give timely notice of any surprise, we proceeded to ourwork of plunder. The family, consisting of the old planter and hiswife, and his three daughters, two of them very beautiful, was securedin one room. No words can express their terror at thus findingthemselves so suddenly in the power of a set of ruffians, from whosebrutality they anticipated every evil. Indeed the horrid excessescommitted by the privateers'-men, when they landed on the coast, fullyjustified their fears, for as this system of marauding is consideredthe basest of all modern warfare, no quarter is ever given to thosewho are taken in the attempt. In return, the privateers'-men hesitateat no barbarity when engaged in such enterprises.

  Dumb with astonishment and terror, the old couple sat in silent agony,while the poor girls, who had more evils than death to fear, drownedin their tears, fell at the captain's feet and embraced his knees,conjuring him to spare and protect them from his men.

  Captain Weatherall, who was, as I have before stated, a generous andhumane man, raised them up, assuring them, on his word, that theyshould receive no insult, and as his presence was necessary to directthe motions of his people, he selected me, as younger and less brutalthan most of his crew, as a guard over them, menacing me with death ifI allowed any man to enter the room until he returned, and ordering meto defend them with my life from all insults. I was then young andfull of enthusiasm; my heart was kind, and I was pure in comparisonwith the major portion of those with whom I was associated.

  I was delighted with the office confided to me, and my heart leaped athaving so honourable an employment. I endeavoured by every means in mypower to dissipate their terrors and soothe their anxious minds; butwhile I was thus employed, an Irish seaman, distinguished evenamongst our crew for his atrocities, came to the door, and would haveforced his entrance. I instantly opposed him, urging the captain'smost positive commands; but, having obtained a sight of the youngfemales, he swore with a vile oath that he would soon find out whethera boy like me was able to oppose him, and finding that I would notgive way, he attacked me fiercely. Fortunately, I had the advantage ofposition, and supported by the justice of my cause, I repelled himwith success. But he renewed the attack, while the poor young womenawaited the issue of the combat with trembling anxiety--a combat onwhich depended, in all probability, their honour and their lives. Atlast I found myself very hard pushed, for I had received a wound on mysword arm, and I drew a pistol from my belt with my left-hand, andfired it, wounding him in the shoulder. Thus disabled, and fearing atthe same time that the report would bring back the captain, whom hewell knew would not be trifled with, he retired from the door vowingvengeance. I then turned to the young women, who had witnessed theconflict in breathless suspense, encircled in the arms of the poor oldcouple, who had rushed towards them at the commencement of the fray,offering them their useless shelter. Privateer's-man as I was, I couldnot refrain from tears at the scene. I again attempted to reassurethem, pledged myself in the most solemn manner to forfeit my life ifnecessary for their protection, and they in some degree regained theirconfidence. They observed the blood trickling down my fingers from thewound which I had received, and the poor girls stained theirhandkerchiefs with it in the attempts to staunch the flow.

  But this scene was soon interrupted by an alarm. It appeared that anegro had contrived to escape and to rouse the country. They hadcollected together from the other plantations, and our party being, asis usually the case when plunder is going on, very negligent, thevidettes were surprised, and had hardly time to escape and apprise usof our danger. There was not a moment to b
e lost; our safety dependedupon an immediate retreat. The captain collected all hands, and whilehe was getting them together that the retreat might be made in goodorder, the old planter who, by the report of the fire-arms and thebustle and confusion without, guessed what had taken place, pressed meto remain with them, urging the certainty of our men beingoverpowered, and the merciless consequences which would ensue. Hepledged himself with his fingers crossed in the form of the crucifix,that he would procure me safe quarter, and that I should ever enjoyhis protection and friendship. I refused him kindly but firmly, and hesighed and said no more. The old lady put a ring on my finger, whichshe took from her own hand, and kissing my forehead, told me to lookat that ring, and continue to do good and act nobly as I had justdone.

  I waved my hand, for I had no time even to take the proffered hands ofthe young ones, and hastened to join my shipmates already on theretreat, and exchanging shots with our pursuers. We were harassed by amultitude, but they were a mixed company of planters, mulattoes, andslaves, and not half of them armed, and we easily repelled theirattacks, whenever they came to close quarters. Their violentanimosity, however, against us and our evil doings, induced them tofollow close at our heels, keeping up a galling irregular fire, andendeavouring to detain us until we might be overpowered by theirnumbers, every minute increasing, for the whole country had beenraised, and were flocking in. This our captain was well aware of, andtherefore made all the haste that he could, without disturbing theregularity of his retreat, to where our boats were lying, as shouldthey be surprised and cut off, our escape would have been impossible.Notwithstanding all his care, several of our men were separated fromus by the intricacies of the wood, or from wounds which they hadreceived, and which prevented them from keeping up with us. At last,after repelling many attacks, each time more formidable than thepreceding, we gained our boats, and embarking with the greatestprecipitation, we put off for the schooner. The enemy, emboldened byour flight, flocked down in great numbers to the water's edge, and wehad the mortification to hear our stragglers, who had been captured,imploring for mercy; but groans and then silence too plainly informedus that mercy had been denied.

  Captain Weatherall was so enraged at the loss of his men that heordered us to pull back and attack the enemy on the beach, but wecontinued to pull for the schooner, regardless of his threats andentreaties. A panic had seized us all, as well it might. We evendreaded the ill-aimed and irregular fire which they poured upon us,which under other circumstances would have occasioned only laughter.The schooner had been anchored only two hundred yards from the beach,and we were soon on board. They continued to fire from the shore, andthe balls passed over us. We put a spring upon our cable, warped ourbroadside to the beach, and loading every gun with grape andcannister, we poured a whole broadside upon our assailants. From theshrieks and cries, the carnage must have been very great. The menwould have reloaded and fired again, but the captain forbade them,saying, "We have done too much already." I thought so too. He thenordered the anchor to be weighed, and with a fresh land-breeze, wewere soon far away from this unlucky spot.