il;iflf 
 
 
 
 
 
COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/sapphirestorybooOOcous 
 
THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
The Jewel Series 
 
 THE DIAMOND STORY BOOK. Com- 
 piled by Penrhyn W. Coussens. Illus- 
 trations in color by Ethel Green. net $1.50 
 
 THE EMERALD STORY BOOK. Stories 
 of Spring, Nature, and Easter. By Ada 
 and Eleanor Skinner. Illustrations 
 in color by Maxfield Parrish. . . .net $1.50 
 
 THE RUBY STORY BOOK. Tales of 
 
 Courage and Heroism. Retold by 
 Penrhyn W. Coussens. Illustrations 
 in color by Maxfield Parrish net $1.50 
 
 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK. Tales 
 of the Sea. Collected and retold by 
 Penrhyn W. Coussens. Frontispiece 
 in color by Maxfield Parrish net $1.50 
 
Drawn by Maxfield Parrish 
 
 "Men have ever looked toward the sea for high 
 adventure and the proving of courage and daring." 
 
THE 
 
 SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Stories of the Sea 
 
 COLLECTED, RETOLD, AND WRITTEN BY 
 
 PENRHYN W. COUSSENS 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE RUBY STORY BOOK" "THE DIAMOND STORY BOOK" 
 
 EDITOR OF "A CHILD'S BOOK OF STORIES" "POEMS CHILDREN LOVE". 
 
 "ONE THOUSAND BOOKS FOR CHILDREN" ETC. 
 
 FRONTISPIECE BY 
 
 MAXFIELD PARRISH 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 DUFFIELD & COMPANY 
 
 1917 
 
&525 
 
 .en 
 
 Copyright, 1917, by 
 DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 MAY 21 1917 
 
 9GI.A467065 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Wonderful Voyage 3 
 
 King Olaf's Last Fight 12 
 
 Henry Hudson's Last Voyage ... 20 
 
 The Opening of Japan to the World 29 
 
 A Famous Sea Fight 38 
 
 Spanish Bloodhounds and English 
 
 Mastiffs 47 
 
 Capturing a Malayan Pirate ... 75 
 The First Dutch Attempt to Dis- 
 cover the Northwest Passage . 81 
 The Burning of the "Philadelphia" 90 
 A Descent into the Maelstrom . .100 
 "Don't Give Up the Ship" . . . .136 
 
 A Conflict of Monsters 143 
 
 Captain Kidd 152 
 
 Honest John, Pilot of the "Jersey" 159 
 
 "Casabianca" 163 
 
 Captain Hawk, Pirate 174 
 
 The Battle of Trafalgar 228 
 
 The Great Armada 250 
 
 Wreck of the "Drake"'. 279 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Stormy Sea ; , 286 
 
 On the Raft 302 
 
 The "Titanic" Disaster 324 
 
 Sinking of the Pirate Proa .... 334 
 The Loss of the "Birkenhead" . . . 344 
 
 Among the Icebergs 352 
 
 The Mutineers of the "Bounty" . . 360 
 
 The Testing of a Man 367 
 
 The Laying of the Atlantic Cable . 381 
 The Capture of the Silver Fleet . . 389 
 
 Wrecked on an Iceberg 394 
 
 The Burning of the "Alice" . . . .412 
 Sources of the Tales 419 
 
PREFACE 
 
 "The Sapphire Story Book," the fourth of 
 the "Jewel" series, is composed of stories re- 
 lating to the sea. 
 
 As in the preceding volume, "The Ruby 
 Story Book," many of the stories tell of cour- 
 age, heroism, and devotion to duty, which, it 
 is hoped, will benefit, as well as interest, the 
 reader. 
 
 My thanks are due the following for per- 
 mission to include stories which appear in 
 their publications: 
 
 E. P. Dutton & Co., for "The Testing of a 
 Man," taken from "Frank Brown," by Frank 
 T. Bullen. 
 
 J. B. Lippincott Co., for "Wrecked on an 
 Iceberg," from "Adventures on the High 
 Seas," by Richard Stead. 
 
 P. W. C. 
 
THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 
 
 Three small ships were anchored at the bar 
 of Saltes, near the town of Palos, in Spain. 
 It was a gala day, this 3rd of August, 1492, 
 for Christopher Columbus was ready to start 
 on his voyage of discovery. 
 
 Crowds thronged the waterside to witness 
 the departure of the adventurer, who, for 
 eighteen long years, had striven to interest one 
 or another of the rulers of Europe in the great 
 enterprise. At last Ferdinand and Isabella 
 of Spain had agreed to finance the expedition, 
 and now three caravels, the largest of them 
 being the Santa Maria, his flag-ship, of one 
 hundred tons' burden, sixty-five feet long and 
 twenty feet in breadth, and two smaller ones, 
 the Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonzo Pin- 
 zon, and the Nina, captained by Vincente 
 Yanez Pinzon, were waiting the arrival of the 
 
 3 
 
4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Admiral, for such was the title under which 
 Columbus sailed. 
 
 There was no cheering from the people as 
 the boat left the shore, for many of the watch- 
 ers believed that none of the hundred and 
 twenty men who were to sail would return. 
 
 Not all of those on board went willingly, 
 for some were pressed into the service. Oth- 
 ers embarked through love of adventure, and 
 the treasure they expected to find. Many of 
 them were of undesirable and lawless char- 
 acter, released from prisons in which they 
 were serving sentence on condition that they 
 serve for the voyage with Columbus, and these 
 tried to spread dissatisfaction almost as soon 
 as the anchors were weighed. 
 
 On the second day out the Pinta became un- 
 manageable, and the rudder was found to be 
 broken. This was repaired as well as pos- 
 sible, and in nine days they reached the 
 Canaries, where it was found necessary to de- 
 lay a month in order to render the ships suf- 
 ficiently seaworthy to continue the voyage into 
 unknown seas. 
 
 They left the islands on September 6th, the 
 
A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 5 
 
 men being somewhat lighter-hearted on ac- 
 count of the tales told by the inhabitants that 
 they sometimes saw land far off to the west. 
 But in a few days their dissatisfaction re- 
 turned. 
 
 On September 13th, they saw a bird of 
 bright plumage, and this encouraged them. 
 Three days later they ran into large patches 
 of seaweed, and on September 18th, the Pinta, 
 which was ahead of the other two boats, re- 
 ported a flock of birds; the next day they saw 
 two pelicans, and on September 21st a whale 
 passed them. 
 
 They were then in what is known as the Sar- 
 gasso Sea (from the Portuguese word meaning 
 "floating seaweed"). 
 
 Knowing their desire for gain, Columbus 
 spoke often to his men about the treasure 
 which would surely be found. He also made 
 two records daily, a true one for himself only, 
 and a false one for the sailors. By these means 
 he obtained some sort of order. He told to 
 none of them his own thoughts, but he knew if 
 they kept on a westerly course, some land must 
 be reached. This he had reasoned out to his 
 
6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 own satisfaction. The crews were fearful that 
 if they went far enough, they would sail over 
 the edge of the ocean to destruction. 
 
 Now most sailors are superstitious, and 
 when they discovered that the needle of the 
 compass pointed westward, they were sure that 
 something dreadful would happen. Colum- 
 bus, of course, had noticed this variation of 
 the needle, and kept it from his men as long as 
 he could. He himself had some misgiving as 
 to the meaning of this, but he kept steadily 
 on. It needed all his powers of persuasion to 
 keep the men at their work. 
 
 On September 25th, Captain Martin Pin- 
 zon reported land ahead, and all rejoiced and 
 returned thanks to God. But this turned out 
 to be only low-lying clouds, which gave the 
 appearance of land. 
 
 Discontent now became more pronounced 
 than before, and there was open talk of 
 mutiny. But Columbus faced them fearlessly, 
 and managed to keep them in hand both by 
 appeal and by threats of punishment. 
 
 By his own figuring, Columbus had ex- 
 pected to reach land by this time, and he began 
 
A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 7 
 
 to wonder how far away was the famed "Ca- 
 thay" (the westward passage to which coun- 
 try he thought to discover). He felt that he 
 must have erred in his calculations, and when 
 Martin Pinzon pointed out that the birds they 
 saw flew from the southward rather than from 
 the west, Columbus changed his course to that 
 direction. 
 
 They had been on the new course for three 
 days, and there were continuous signs of some 
 sort or another that land was not far away, but 
 now the sailors were sure that these were only 
 illusions, and on the night of October 10th 
 they again became mutinous, and declared that 
 they would return to Spain. 
 
 The courage of the dauntless Columbus was 
 now indeed put to the test. The arguments 
 he made and the rewards he promised were 
 scoffed at by the crew. He became more de- 
 termined, and told them that their king had 
 ordered him to discover a way to the Indies, 
 and that this he should continue to seek. 
 
 At last he managed to secure a semblance 
 of order. He was sure that land was near, 
 and when in the morning he saw a fresh green 
 
8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 branch floating by the ship, he had no more 
 doubt. 
 
 That night he kept watch himself, and 
 through the darkness he thought he saw the 
 fitful gleam of a light. At two o'clock in the 
 morning a gun on board the Pinta was fired, 
 and then Columbus knew that he was not mis- 
 taken. 
 
 Roderigo de Triana, of the Pinta, was the 
 first man to see land, and it was he, who, ac- 
 cording to the signal agreed upon, fired the 
 cannon in order to let the other vessels know 
 of his discovery. 
 
 When it was light enough, they saw what 
 appeared to be an island covered with trees, 
 and upon the shore were many inhabitants 
 looking intently at the oncoming ships. 
 
 Soon a boat was lowered from each caravel, 
 and Columbus and the two Pinzons, clad in 
 shining armour, were rowed ashore. There 
 Columbus drew his sword, and took possession 
 of the island, which he named San Salvador, 
 in the name of the King of Spain. 
 
 He believed that the island was off the 
 mainland of India, and since that time the 
 
A WONDERFUL VOYAGE 9 
 
 original inhabitants of the western hemi- 
 sphere have been called Indians. 
 
 Columbus treated the natives kindly, and 
 made friends with them. San Salvador 
 proved to be a small island, and he was now 
 filled with a greater desire than ever to find 
 the land of wonderful treasure, which he had 
 set out to discover, and which he believed lay 
 to the south. 
 
 In three days' time he left San Salvador, 
 taking with him several of the natives to serve 
 as guides. He cruised among the various 
 islands, taking possession of each in the name 
 of King Ferdinand, and at last reached Cuba, 
 which he then thought to be the object of his 
 search. 
 
 On the night of October 20th, the Captain of 
 the Pinta deserted his Admiral, thinking to 
 hasten back to Spain, and take to himself the 
 glory of the discovery. This was a great blow 
 to Columbus, but his pride kept him up. 
 
 Soon after this the Santa Maria was 
 wrecked, and had to be abandoned. This was 
 a seemingly overwhelming disaster, but a 
 great idea now came to the Admiral, 
 
io THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The only vessel now left was the Nina, too 
 small to accommodate both crews, so he gave 
 permission for all who wished to do so to stay 
 in this beautiful country, and this appealed to 
 many of them. 
 
 About forty men remained, and on January 
 4th, 1493, Columbus started on the return voy- 
 age. He met Martin Pinzon on the way, but 
 no longer was there any confidence between 
 them. 
 
 Both ships were almost overcome by fierce 
 storms, and they became separated. For many 
 days the little Nina was tossed and buffeted by 
 the waves, and was driven far out of her 
 course. At length, however, the Island of St. 
 Mary, of the Azores group, was reached. 
 
 Another storm drove the little caravel from 
 her anchorage at St. Mary's, and for several 
 days she was tossed about at the mercy of the 
 waves before being able to return. 
 
 The Azores belonged to Portugal, and of 
 the Portuguese Columbus was suspicious, so 
 as soon as he could leave St. Mary's, he set sail 
 for Spain. 
 
 Storms raged fiercely, and it seemed that 
 
A WONDERFUL VOYAGE n 
 
 only the hand of God kept them safe. But 
 finally, after having been forced to run into 
 the mouth of the river Tagus, the adventurers 
 reached Palos, from which point they had de- 
 parted seven and a half months ago. 
 
 A great reception was given to the returned 
 heroes, and in the midst of the rejoicing the 
 Pinta, which was thought to have been lost, 
 reached port. 
 
 Truly this was a wonderful voyage, the suc- 
 cess of which was due only to the indomitable 
 courage and perseverance of Christopher Co- 
 lumbus. He did not discover the India he set 
 out to find, but he did discover a land which 
 now contains the world's greatest republic, 
 and which for centuries has paid tribute to 
 the memory of a daring explorer. 
 
KING OLAF'S LAST FIGHT 
 
 Hakon, the father of Earl Erik, had been the 
 
 real ruler of Norway, although not of royal 
 
 birth. He was a man of great courage and 
 
 strength, and had been very popular with his 
 
 people, who for many years recognized him 
 
 as their sovereign. But as he acquired more 
 
 power, he became cruel and deceitful, so that 
 
 his people began to hate him. 
 
 At last they rebelled, and just at this time 
 
 Olaf Triggvison, grandson of King Harold 
 
 Fairhair, arrived in Norway, and him the 
 
 royal people made their king, Hakon being 
 
 slain in battle. This was in the year 995, five 
 
 years before the time of this story. And these 
 
 five years had brought peace and prosperity 
 
 to Norway such as the people of that country 
 
 had not before known, and they had adopted 
 
 Christianity in place of Paganism. 
 
 12 
 
KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 13 
 
 The kings of Sweden and Denmark had be- 
 come very jealous of King Olaf, but each of 
 them feared to war against him, because of his 
 powerful navy. This jealousy was fanned by 
 Earl Erik, who was famous as a viking, and 
 whose fleet of battleships was greater than that 
 of either the king of Sweden or of Denmark, 
 and about equal to that of Olaf. 
 
 He was eager to take revenge upon the lat- 
 ter for having overthrown his father Hakon. 
 
 At length the three fleets joined, and there 
 was war between the allies and Norway. 
 
 The Swedes and Danes, with Earl Erik, had 
 an overwhelming force of ships and warriors, 
 but the Norsemen were all picked men and 
 able sailors. The hostile fleets met, and from 
 early morning the battle had raged fiercely. 
 By noon most of the ships of Sweden and Den- 
 mark were either sunk or had withdrawn from 
 the fight, defeated. But the cost to the Norse- 
 men was heavy. Half of King Olaf's ships 
 had been disabled, but none was boarded, or 
 captured. 
 
 The plan of the allies was for the combined 
 ships of Sweden and Denmark to make the 
 
i 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 attack, while Erik's fleet should be held in re- 
 serve. The crafty Earl was very sure that, 
 while King Olaf s vessels would be battered 
 and bruised, he would prove more than a 
 match for his opponents, even though the odds 
 were against him, so skilful a general was he. 
 But he was also sure that, reduced in numbers 
 and strength as the Norsemen would be, vic- 
 tory would be comparatively easy for him, 
 with his fresh ships and men. 
 
 He was a Norseman himself, and had, in 
 his time, fought against all Scandinavian 
 countries, including his own. He, therefore, 
 knew the mettle of his own men, and of those 
 he was about to attack. His judgment told 
 him that the battle now could have but one re- 
 sult — victory for him. King Olaf had lost 
 half his ships, and his warriors were spent and 
 weary. He himself was wise in warfare; his 
 ships now outnumbered those of his opponent 
 by two to one, and his vikings were eager for 
 the battle. 
 
 This was an opportunity for which he had 
 long waited. He had expected to occupy the 
 throne of Norway on his father's death, but 
 
KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 15 
 
 this hope Olaf had shattered. To be revenged, 
 he had induced the kings of Sweden and Den- 
 mark to declare war against his enemy, and 
 now his vengeance was at hand. 
 
 King Olaf had seven ships which were not 
 disabled, while Earl Erik led fifteen into the 
 fray. The ship which Olaf himself com- 
 manded was larger than any of the others. It 
 stood much higher out of the water, and this 
 made it almost impossible to board. Erik 
 wisely gave his attention first to the wrecking 
 of the smaller vessels. His own ships were 
 fitted with sharp, iron-bound prows, which 
 were terribly effective when used for ram- 
 ming. 
 
 Selecting the ships upon the extreme right 
 and left wings, he directed three of his vessels 
 to ram each, the rowers using their utmost 
 speed. This was successfully done, and soon 
 Erik's vigorous vikings were engaged in ter- 
 rific combat with the tired warriors, who had 
 already borne the brunt of a day's hard fight- 
 ing, and were almost exhausted. 
 
 The defenders who were not slain jumped 
 into the sea, and swam to the nearest ship, the 
 
16 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 captured vessels being taken to the rear. The 
 operation was then repeated, and after a fierce 
 struggle, the next two ships were out of action. 
 
 King Olaf's great battleship, the Long Ser- 
 pent, was now the object of attack, but Erik 
 knew that Olaf's generalship and splendid sea- 
 manship would make this no easy task. The 
 afternoon was advanced, and in four hours 
 darkness would be upon them. 
 
 The Long Serpent had been reinforced by 
 the men driven from the captured ships, and 
 a perfect rain of arrows was kept up upon her 
 swarm of adversaries. Erik soon saw that he 
 could not board this vessel as he had the oth- 
 ers; it towered above his own decks, making 
 it impossible to reach the bulwarks. 
 
 Stratagem must be used. He gave the sig- 
 nal to retire, and then consulted with his cap- 
 tains. One of them suggested that heavy 
 weights be thrown on one side of the deck of 
 the Long Serpent, making the ship lean over. 
 It would then be easy to board. Erik thought 
 this a good plan, and having made the 
 necessary preparations, he urged the rowers to 
 their utmost, and rammed the Long Serpent 
 
KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 17 
 
 amidships with great force, making the ship 
 keel half over. 
 
 Other ships had been sent to the opposite 
 side, and now the men hurled logs of wood and 
 everything that had weight over the gunwale. 
 The stout vessel leaned over, and quickly 
 bridges of oars were made, across which the 
 vikings swarmed. 
 
 And now the conflict was more fierce than 
 ever. Three out of four of Erik's men who 
 attempted to board were slain, and the Earl 
 began to regret his strategy. But it was too 
 late to withdraw, so he ordered that every- 
 thing of weight from all of his ships that it 
 was possible to move be thrown upon the de- 
 voted vessel, even to the stones used as bal- 
 last. 
 
 This was done, and soon the Long Serpent, 
 under the heavy load, leaned over so that her 
 gunwale was almost on a level with the other 
 ships. And now Erik himself led his vikings 
 on board. 
 
 From the first the battle had been unequal, 
 so greatly was King Olaf outnumbered in 
 ships and men, but he was still the undaunted 
 
18 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 warrior. The odds against him now were so 
 great that there could be but one end. With 
 his brave warriors he fought on and on, pre- 
 ferring death to surrender. 
 
 And now only five of them were left, and 
 King Olaf himself was sorely wounded; he 
 had fought a great fight, and lost. The day 
 was drawing to a close, and darkness was ap- 
 proaching. By his side was a faithful coun- 
 sellor and friend; together they ran to the rail 
 of the ship, and leaped into the sea. 
 
 Earl Erik was filled with wrath that Olaf 
 had escaped him, for he had wished to capture 
 the king even more than he desired victory. 
 He looked across the water and saw the two 
 swimming. Presently one of them disap- 
 peared; boats were sent to secure the other, 
 who proved to be the King's friend. 
 
 The sun was setting in a blaze of glory, and 
 those looking over the sea were amazed to 
 see a bright light, in the center of which was 
 a cross. 
 
 Legend has it that King Olaf reached the 
 shore, and finally journeyed to Rome. But 
 never did he return to Norway. 
 
KING OLAFS LAST FIGHT 19 
 
 Earl Erik soon afterwards renounced Pa- 
 ganism, and became a Christian. His ships 
 had been decorated with images of Thor; 
 these he removed, and in their place were put 
 figures of the Cross. 
 
HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 
 
 On April 17th, 1610, Henry Hudson set sail 
 from the river Thames on his last voyage of 
 discovery. 
 
 It was his ambition to discover a passage 
 round the northern part of the world, which 
 he was sure existed. Already he had made 
 three attempts to find a way through the north- 
 east, and on his second voyage, in 1608, he had 
 reached Nova Scotia, but had not succeeded 
 in his quest. 
 
 Undaunted by his former failure, he re- 
 solved to try his fortune by a westward route, 
 so now he started upon his perilous search in 
 a small ship, manned by twenty-three sailors. 
 
 Among those on board the ship was a young 
 man named Henry Greene, to whom he had 
 long been a friend. Of such character was 
 this young man that all his former friends and 
 
HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 21 
 
 acquaintances would have nothing more to do 
 with him, and he was in desperate straits when 
 Hudson took him into his home, and treated 
 him as though he were his own son. 
 
 By the time they had reached the coast of 
 Iceland, Greene had quarreled with most of 
 his shipmates, and here he came near causing 
 the surgeon, who accompanied the expedition, 
 to leave them, and go ashore. But Hudson 
 managed to settle the differences between 
 them. 
 
 The ship continued in a northwesterly di- 
 rection, and in time reached the channel 
 which is now known as Hudson's Strait, 
 named after the intrepid explorer. Through 
 this they passed, now sailing south, and they 
 came to a bay, now called Hudson's Bay. 
 
 Summer had gone, and it was becoming 
 colder and colder. They had reached the 
 southern shore of the vast bay, and here Hud- 
 son decided to land, and build a house in 
 which they could pass the winter. 
 
 He directed the carpenter to go ashore and 
 begin the building. But the carpenter re- 
 fused, saying that he would not and could not 
 
22 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 construct any sort of a dwelling place in such 
 cold weather, and that the ground was unfit. 
 
 Hudson determined to stay where they were 
 during the winter, and continue his voyage of 
 discovery as soon as the ice should disappear, 
 so he sought and found a sheltered place where 
 the ship was anchored. 
 
 The matter of provisions caused him some 
 worry, but, fortunately, game was plentiful 
 during the colder months. Their greatest 
 hardship at this time was caused by the sever- 
 ity of the weather, and several of the men suf- 
 fered from frost-bite. 
 
 But with the approach of spring the game 
 disappeared, and they were obliged to rely 
 entirely upon their original supply of food, 
 which was running low. They were still 
 locked in the ice when they were surprised by 
 a visit from a lone Eskimo. 
 
 Hudson treated the savage kindly, and gave 
 him numerous presents. He tried to get some 
 information from him about the land and 
 water farther north, but without success. The 
 Eskimo stayed on board for two days, and then 
 made signs that he must leave them, but would 
 
HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 23 
 
 return later. They saw no more of him. 
 
 As soon as the ice cleared sufficiently to al- 
 low the passage of a boat, Hudson sent some 
 of the men out fishing. Among these was 
 Henry Greene, and as soon as they were away 
 from the ship, he sought to make the others 
 agree to mutiny. All of them were discon- 
 tented, and he easily persuaded them to con- 
 sent to do as he suggested. 
 
 When the men returned from their fishing 
 expedition, which was fairly successful, Hud- 
 son decided to explore the coast, to see if he 
 could discover any of the tribe to which the 
 savage who had visited them belonged. But 
 he did not find a single human being. 
 
 This was discouraging, because the supply 
 of food was very low now, and he knew that 
 they could not stay long where they were, with 
 no means of adding to their stock of provisions 
 other than what fish they might catch. 
 
 The ice had now broken up sufficiently for 
 the ship to go out into the broad bay, and so, to 
 his sorrow and great disappointment (for he 
 greatly wished to continue his exploration), 
 he was obliged to give orders to sail for home. 
 
24 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 But before starting, all the food on board was 
 collected, and then divided equally among 
 them. 
 
 Their progress was slow, on account of the 
 masses of drifting ice, and it soon became ap- 
 parent that the food would not last until Eng- 
 land could be reached. 
 
 Greene had been plotting with the crew to 
 mutiny. Among those he had not yet sounded 
 was Pricket, the man who kept a chronicle of 
 the expedition. 
 
 Now Pricket was faithful to Henry Hud- 
 son, and when one night he was awakened by 
 Greene, and asked to join the mutineers, he 
 was filled with horror. It was dark, and 
 Greene did not see the look of fear and dis- 
 gust upon Pricket's face, but went on to tell 
 him that his plan was to put their captain and 
 those who were sick adrift in the boat, to save 
 themselves if they could. 
 
 Pricket endeavored to turn Greene from his 
 purpose, pointing out what an awful thing it 
 was, and that none of the mutineers would 
 dare return to England. He refused to join 
 them, and Greene, in a rage, told Pricket that 
 
HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 25 
 
 he should be put into the boat with Hudson 
 and the sick men. 
 
 Greene called the boatswain, and leaving 
 him to guard Pricket, went away to talk with 
 King, the carpenter, who had not yet been ap- 
 proached. 
 
 Presently Greene returned, carrying a lan- 
 tern; by its dim light Pricket saw that upon 
 his face was a look of hatred, and he was now 
 sure that Greene's chief motive was revenge. 
 He recalled that upon more than one occasion 
 the captain had been compelled to publicly 
 censure Greene, and to his mind this explained 
 the mutineer's present conduct. 
 
 Pricket told Greene and the boatswain what 
 he thought to be the real reason for the mutiny, 
 but each swore that the only reason was the 
 good of the crew, and that no bodily harm 
 should be done to anyone. 
 
 Now Greene wished to win Pricket to his 
 way of thinking, because he was the only man 
 on the boat, other than Hudson, who possessed 
 a knowledge of navigation, and, therefore, his 
 services would be very necessary. 
 
 The carpenter also had refused to agree 
 
26 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 to Greene's plans, and so it was decided to put 
 him in the boat with Hudson. Pricket be- 
 sought Greene to spare King, and to this he 
 finally consented, thinking thereby to bribe 
 him. 
 
 Soon after daylight Hudson came out of 
 his cabin, and immediately he was caught 
 from behind, and pinioned. The carpenter 
 endeavored to assist his master, but was held 
 back by the mutineers. 
 
 The boat was lowered, and into it were 
 placed all of the sick men. Pricket did his 
 best to prevent this, but the ringleader, 
 Greene, showed himself to be without pity, 
 and thereupon ordered him to be locked in his 
 cabin. 
 
 Hudson was forced over the side and into 
 the boat, and with him his son John. Henry 
 King, the carpenter, refused to stay on the 
 ship, and so his chest was thrown into the boat, 
 and he followed it. 
 
 The rope was cut, and the boat cast adrift 
 in the icy sea. What became of its occupants 
 has never been discovered. But the fame of 
 
HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 27 
 
 the intrepid explorer will never die, and the 
 great River and Bay which bear his name 
 form an everlasting monument to a brave man. 
 
 The lot of the mutineers proved to be any- 
 thing but a happy one. Most of them were 
 stricken with remorse for their cruel deed. 
 Pricket was forced to take command, a posi- 
 tion he did not in the least desire. 
 
 A fierce gale sprang up, and for two weeks 
 the ship was surrounded by ice. At last they 
 escaped from this, and at the end of July, 161 1, 
 they reached Digges' Cape. Here some of 
 them went ashore, where they were attacked 
 by savages, and all but one of them mortally 
 wounded. This man rowed the boat, with the 
 stricken sailors on board, back to the ship, and 
 before night had fallen, each one of the 
 wounded was dead, Greene being the first 
 to go. 
 
 There were now but few men left to work 
 the boat, and these were in rags, and starving. 
 Finally, in a condition # too pitiable to mention, 
 this remnant of the crew reached Solway Bay, 
 on the coast of Ireland. 
 
28 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Their tale was told, and an expedition was 
 sent from England in quest of Hudson and his 
 companions, but no trace of them was ever 
 discovered. 
 
THE OPENING OF JAPAN TO THE 
 WORLD 
 
 It is to the United States of America that 
 Japan is really indebted for her present posi- 
 tion as one of the great powers of the world. 
 
 For hundreds of years this empire of the 
 east had kept to the policy of having nothing 
 to do with other nations. The Japanese be- 
 lieved that they were too superior a people to 
 permit themselves to have any intercourse 
 with the rest of the world. They did, how- 
 ever, make an exception of Holland, whose 
 sailors were permitted to make one visit a year 
 to their capital. 
 
 But this was not a very pleasant matter for 
 their Dutch guests, because they were re- 
 quested to stay as short a time as possible, and 
 not only were they given to understand that 
 their presence was not particularly welcome, 
 
 29 
 
3 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 but whenever the captain of a ship or any of 
 the officers had occasion to visit a magistrate 
 or any other dignitary, he had to degrade him- 
 self by crawling on his hands and knees before 
 the official. 
 
 It is true that in this way the Dutch traders 
 introduced a small amount of Japanese mer- 
 chandise to their markets, but it also taught 
 the Japanese to think less than ever of these 
 western people, who would allow themselves 
 to be treated in so humiliating a manner. 
 
 Business relations with the east were grow- 
 ing rapidly, and the countries of Europe and 
 America became irritated because Japan re- 
 fused to open her ports to their ships. One 
 Russian captain boldly attempted to land, and 
 he and his sailors were captured and kept as 
 prisoners for two years. If a Japanese were 
 known to leave his own country and visit an- 
 other, he was not permitted to return. 
 
 When Jackson was President of the United 
 States, he made a strenuous effort to open com- 
 mercial relations with Japan, but without suc- 
 cess. This was in the year 1 83 1 . Twenty- four 
 years later Commodore Biddle, with two war 
 
OPENING OF JAPAN 31 
 
 ships, made an attempt to negotiate a treaty 
 with the island empire, and in this he not only 
 failed, but was treated with the greatest con- 
 tempt. 
 
 A few years later the Government decided 
 that this state of affairs could be tolerated no 
 longer, so Commodore Matthew Calbraith 
 Perry, who was sure that a peaceful opening 
 with Japan could be made, and who had made 
 a very careful study of the problem, was ap- 
 pointed to command an expedition with this 
 end in view. 
 
 He left Norfolk, Va., in March, 1852, on 
 the steamer Mississippi, and in the Spring of 
 the following year he reached Hongkong, 
 China, where he added to his expedition the 
 steamship Susquehannah, and the ships Sara- 
 toga and Plymouth. 
 
 On July 7th, he arrived at Urago, in the bay 
 of Yedo. Here the ships dropped anchor, 
 greatly to the indignation of the inhabitants. 
 Boats from the shore were sent with orders to 
 request the immediate departure of the ships, 
 but Perry would allow no one on board. 
 Through an interpreter he gave them to un- 
 
32 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 derstand that he would receive none but the 
 highest dignitaries. He also let them see that 
 his ships were ready for action. 
 
 So the boats returned without any message 
 having been delivered, but they took one back 
 with them. That this was effective was soon 
 shown by the fact that another boat left the 
 shore bearing the vice-governor of the district. 
 Perry showed some hesitation about allowing 
 him to come on board, but at length said that 
 he could speak with one of his lieutenants, as 
 his own rank would not permit him to give 
 an interview with any but one who occupied a 
 station of the highest importance. 
 
 The vice-governor had to content himself 
 with telling the lieutenant that the ships must 
 leave the harbor at once, and proceed to Nag- 
 asaki, where the Dutch were allowed to make 
 their annual visit. 
 
 The Lieutenant replied that such a request 
 was an insult to the great President of the 
 United States, who was represented by the 
 commander of this expedition, and that the 
 message he brought would be delivered only 
 to an official of the highest rank. He added 
 
OPENING OF JAPAN 33 
 
 that if the governor himself did not accept the 
 message, they would force their way to the 
 capital, if necessary, and deliver it to the Ty- 
 coon* himself. 
 
 The vice-governor left the ship, much im- 
 pressed by the manner of his reception. Two 
 more attempts he made to see Commander 
 Perry, but without avail. The next visit was 
 made by the governor of the district, and in 
 accordance with his greater rank, Perry al- 
 lowed him to see two captains. The governor 
 was even more struck with the dignified stand 
 taken by the President's representative than 
 the vice-governor had been, and he went so 
 far as to tender an apology for having inti- 
 mated, during his talk with the two captains, 
 that the Tycoon equalled in rank the Presi- 
 dent of the United States. 
 
 He finally said that the presenting of the 
 message was a matter which would have to be 
 passed upon by the Mikado himself, and that 
 at least four days' time must elapse before he 
 could hope for a reply. 
 
 *The Mikado's personal representative. 
 
34 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The captains made their report to Commo- 
 dore Perry, who said that as the capital was 
 a journey of only a few hours, the reply must 
 reach him within three days, otherwise the 
 ships would go to Yedo (the capital), and he 
 himself would go to the Tycoon's palace for a 
 reply to the message. 
 
 The governor was so greatly impressed by 
 the Commodore's unflinching attitude, that he 
 promised to comply with his commands. 
 
 In three days' time a reply came to the effect 
 that the Tycoon would send a high dignitary 
 to receive the President's letter, and that an 
 answer to it would be returned through either 
 a Dutch or Chinese source. 
 
 The commodore's reply intimated that this 
 was an insult, and he threatened to force his 
 way to the palace. This answer was effec- 
 tive, and two days later, accompanied by the 
 governor, vice-governor, and a large guard of 
 honor, he went ashore in his barge, the ships 
 firing a salute of thirteen guns as he stepped 
 on land. 
 
 Here he was received with the respect due 
 to one of the most exalted rank. His creden- 
 
OPENING OF JAPAN 35 
 
 tials and the President's letter were placed in 
 receptacles of solid gold, a guard of honor 
 was placed around a gorgeous sedan chair, in 
 which he was invited to ride, and the proces- 
 sion proceeded on its way to the* Tycoon's 
 palace. 
 
 The letter was received with every evidence 
 of respect, and a formal receipt given for it. 
 Commodore Perry was then told that a reply 
 could not be made at this time, so he, fairly 
 well satisfied with the temporary success of 
 his mission, took his leave, saying that he 
 would return for a definite answer in the 
 course of a few months. 
 
 He went back to his flagship, the Susque- 
 hannah, and in order to show his independ- 
 ence, moved his fleet up the bay to a point 
 not far from the capital. Having thus in- 
 troduced America to the Japanese, he left the 
 bay of Yedo on July 17th, having spent ten 
 days in an effort which was destined to be of 
 great service not only to America, but to the 
 whole world. 
 
 It had been his intention to return to the bay 
 of Yedo some time within the following three 
 
36 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 or four months, but shortly after the depart- 
 ure of his fleet, he received news of the death 
 of the Tycoon, and so delayed his visit until 
 February, 1854. On this occasion he com- 
 manded six ships, three of them being steam- 
 ers, and objects of considerable interest to the 
 Japanese who possess to an unusual degree 
 the spirit of curiosity, and a desire to inves- 
 tigate. 
 
 Having reached the Bay of Yedo the sec- 
 ond time, it became a matter of considera- 
 tion as to what place should be selected for 
 the delivery of the reply of the President's 
 letter. The Commodore desired it to be the 
 capital, but to this the authorities objected. 
 After some argument, Yokohama, at that time 
 a small village, but now a large and thriving 
 city, was selected. There, on March 8th, the 
 formal articles of convention between the 
 United States of America and Japan were ex- 
 changed, and the spot upon which the treaty 
 was made has been, in a way, dedicated to 
 America, for there stands the United Chris- 
 tian church. 
 
 At the conclusion of the ceremony, Com- 
 
OPENING OF JAPAN 37 
 
 modore Perry invited the high Japanese dig- 
 nitaries to attend a banquet on board his ship. 
 Only a few months before this time such an 
 invitation from a foreigner would have been 
 considered an insult, but now it was accepted 
 with pleasure, and it proved to be a means of 
 creating a feeling of friendship between the 
 two countries. 
 
 Following the success of Commodore 
 Perry's expedition, other nations signed com- 
 mercial treaties with Japan, which country, as 
 a result, has grown to be a great world power. 
 
 And so was won, without bloodshed, one of 
 the greatest of naval victories, the only guns 
 fired being those used in saluting. 
 
 As a monument to the memory of the Com- 
 modore and Statesman, his son-in-law, Aug- 
 ust Belmont, of New York, erected a superb 
 bronze statue, which stands in Touro Park, 
 Newport, Rhode Island. Perry's name is held 
 in reverence by the people of Japan, for they 
 look upon him as the man who brought about 
 their real freedom. 
 
A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 
 
 As Told by Captain Paul Jones Himself 
 
 On the morning of that day, the 23rd (Sep- 
 tember, 1779), the brig from Holland not be- 
 ing in sight, we chased a brigantine that ap- 
 peared laying to, to windward. About noon 
 I manned and armed one of the pilot boats 
 to send in pursuit of the brigantine, which 
 now appeared to be the vessel that I had 
 forced ashore. Soon after this a fleet of forty- 
 one sails appeared of! Flamborough Head, 
 bearing N.N.E. This induced me to abandon 
 the single ship which had then anchored in 
 Burlington Bay; I also called back the pilot 
 boat, and hoisted a signal for a general chase. 
 When the fleet discovered us bearing down, 
 all the merchant ships crowded sail towards 
 the shore. The two ships of war that pro- 
 
 38 
 
A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 39 
 
 tected the fleet at the same time steered from 
 the land, and made the disposition for bat- 
 tle. In approaching the enemy, I crowded 
 every possible sail, and made the signal for 
 the line of battle, to which the Alliance 
 showed no attention. Earnest as I was for the 
 action, I could not reach the commodore's 
 ship until seven in the evening, being then 
 within pistol shot, when he hailed the Bon 
 Homme Richard. We answered him by fir- 
 ing a whole broadside. 
 
 The battle being thus begun was continued 
 with unremitting fury. Every method was 
 practiced on both sides to gain an advantage, 
 and rake each other; and I must confess that 
 the enemy's ship, being much more manage- 
 able than the Bon Homme Richard, gained 
 thereby several times an advantageous situa- 
 tion, in spite of my best endeavors to prevent 
 it. As I had to deal with an enemy of greatly 
 superior force, I was under the necessity of 
 closing with him, to prevent the advantage 
 which he had over me in this point of ma- 
 noeuvre. It was my intention to lay the Bon 
 Homme Richard athwart the enemy's bow; 
 
40 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 but as the operation required great dexterity 
 in the management of both sails and helm, and 
 some of our braces being shot away, it did not 
 exactly succeed to my wish. The enemy's 
 bowspirit, however, came over the Bon 
 Homme Richard's poop by the mizzenmast, 
 and I made both ships fast together in that 
 situation, which, by the action of the wind 
 on the enemy's sails, forced her stern close to 
 the Bon Homme Richard's bow, so that the 
 ships lay square alongside of each other, the 
 yards being all entangled, and the cannon of 
 each ship touching the opponents. When this 
 position took place it was eight o'clock, pre- 
 vious to which the Bon Homme Richard had 
 received sundry eighteen-pound shots, on 
 which I had placed my chief dependence, be- 
 ing commanded by Dale and Colonel Wei- 
 bert, and manned principally with American 
 seamen and French volunteers, was entirely 
 silenced and abandoned. 
 
 As to the six old eighteen-pounders that 
 formed the battery of the lower gun-deck, 
 they did no service whatever, except firing 
 eight shots in all. Two out of the three of 
 
A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 41 
 
 them burst at the first fire, and killed almost 
 all of the men who were stationed to manage 
 them. Before this time, too, Colonel de 
 Chamillard, who commanded a party of 
 twenty soldiers on the poop, had abandoned 
 that station after having lost some of his men. 
 I had now only two pieces of cannon (nine- 
 pounders) on the quarter deck that were not 
 now silenced, and not one of the heavier 
 cannon was fired during the rest of the 
 action. 
 
 The purser, M. Mease, who commanded 
 the guns on the quarter-deck, being danger- 
 ously wounded in the head, I was obliged to 
 fill his place, and with great difficulty rallied 
 a few men, and shifted over one of the lee 
 quarter-deck guns, so that we afterwards 
 played three pieces of nine-pounders upon the 
 enemy. The tops alone seconded the fire of 
 this little battery, and held out bravely dur- 
 ing the whole of the action, especially the 
 main-top, where Lieutenant Stack com- 
 manded. I directed the fire of one of the 
 three cannon against the mainmast, with 
 double-headed shot, while the other two were 
 
42 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 exceedingly well served with grape and can- 
 nister shot, to silence the enemy's musketry 
 and clear her decks, which was at last ef- 
 fected. 
 
 The enemy were, as I have since under- 
 stood, on the instant of calling for quarter, 
 when the cowardice or treachery of three of 
 my under-officers induced them to call to the 
 enemy. The English commodore asked me if 
 I demanded quarter, and I having answered 
 him in the most determined negative, they re- 
 newed the battle with double fury. They 
 were unable to stand on the deck; but the fire 
 of their cannon, especially the lower battery, 
 which was entirely formed of ten-pounders, 
 was incessant; both ships were set on fire in 
 various places, and the scene was dreadful 
 beyond the reach of language. To account for 
 the timidity of my three under-officers, I 
 mean, the gunner, the carpenter, and the mas- 
 ter-at-arms, I must observe that the first two 
 were slightly wounded, and, as the ship had 
 received various shot under water, and one 
 of the pumps being shot away, the carpenter 
 expressed his fears that she would sink, and 
 
A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 43 
 
 the other two concluded that she was sink- 
 ing, which occasioned the gunner to run aft on 
 the poop, without my knowledge, to strike the 
 colors. Fortunately for me, a cannon ball had 
 done that before, by carrying away the en- 
 sign-staff; he was therefore reduced to the 
 necessity of sinking, as he supposed, or of call- 
 ing for quarter, and he preferred the latter. 
 
 All this time the Bon Homme Richard had 
 sustained the action alone, and the enemy, 
 though much superior in force, would have 
 been very glad to have got clear, as appears 
 by their own acknowledgment, and by their 
 having let go an anchor the instant that I laid 
 them on board, by which means they would 
 have escaped, had I not made them fast to 
 the Bon Homme Richard. 
 
 My situation was really deplorable; the 
 Bon Homme Richard received various shot 
 under water from the Alliance; the leaks 
 gained on the pumps, and the fire increased 
 much on board both ships. Some officers per- 
 suaded me to strike, of whose courage and 
 good sense I entertained a high opinion. My 
 treacherous master-at-arms let loose all my 
 
44 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 prisoners without my knowledge, and my 
 prospects became gloomy indeed. I would 
 not, however, give up the point. The en- 
 emy's mainmast began to shake, their firing 
 decreased fast, ours rather increased, and the 
 British colors were struck at half-past ten. 
 This prize proved to be the British ship 
 of war the Serapis, 2l new ship of forty-four 
 guns, built on the most approved construction, 
 with two complete batteries, one of them of 
 eighteen-pounders, and commanded by the 
 brave Commodore Richard Pearson. I have 
 yet two enemies to encounter, far more for- 
 midable than the Britons, I mean, fire and 
 water. The Serapis was attacked only by the 
 first, but the Bon Homme Richard was as- 
 sailed by both; there was five feet of water in 
 the hold, and though it was moderate from the 
 explosion of so much gunpowder, yet the three 
 pumps that remained could with difficulty 
 only keep the water from gaining. The fire 
 broke out in various parts of the ship, in spite 
 of all the water that could be thrown in to 
 quench it, and at length broke out as low as 
 the powder magazine, and within a few inches 
 
A FAMOUS SEA FIGHT 45 
 
 of the powder. In that dilemma, I took out 
 the powder upon deck, ready to be thrown 
 overboard at the last extremity, and it was 
 ten o'clock the next day, the 24th, before the 
 fire was entirely extinguished. 
 
 With respect to the situation of the Bon 
 Homme Richard, the rudder was cut entirely 
 off, the stern frame and transoms were almost 
 entirely cut away, and the timbers by the 
 lower deck, especially from the mainmast 
 towards the stern, being greatly decayed with 
 age, were mangled beyond my power of de- 
 scription, and a person must have been an eye- 
 witness to form a just idea of the tremendous 
 scene of carnage, wreck, and ruin, which 
 everywhere appeared. Humanity cannot but 
 recoil from the prospect of such finished hor- 
 ror, and lament that war should be capable 
 of producing such fatal consequences. The 
 wind augmented in the night, and the next 
 day, the 25th, it was impossible to prevent 
 the good ship from sinking. 
 
 They did not abandon her until after nine 
 o'clock; the water was then up to the lower 
 deck, and a little after ten I saw, with inex- 
 
46 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 pressible grief, the last glimpse of the Bon 
 Homme Richard. No lives were lost with the 
 ship, but it was impossible to save the stores 
 of any sort whatever. I lost even the best 
 part of my clothes, books and papers; and 
 several of my officers lost all their clothes and 
 effects. 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS AND 
 ENGLISH MASTIFFS 
 
 When the sun leaped up the next morning, 
 and the tropic light flashed suddenly into the 
 tropic day, Amyas was pacing the deck, with 
 dishevelled hair and torn clothes, his eyes red 
 with rage and weeping, his heart full — how 
 can I describe it? Picture it to yourselves, 
 you who have ever lost a brother, and you 
 who have not, thank God that you know noth- 
 ing of his agony. Full of impossible projects, 
 he strode and staggered up and down, as the 
 ship thrashed close-hauled through the rolling 
 seas. He would go back and burn the villa. 
 He would take La Guayra, and have the life 
 of every man in it in return for his brother's. 
 "We can do it, lads!" he shouted. "If Drake 
 took Nombre de Dios we can take La 
 
 47 
 
48 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Guayra." And every voice shouted, "Yes." 
 
 "There are the Spanish bloodhounds on our 
 heels, the same ships which we saw yester- 
 day off La Guayra. Back, lads, and welcome 
 them, if they were a dozen." 
 
 There was a murmur of applause from all 
 around; and if any young heart sank for a 
 moment at the prospect of fighting three ships 
 at once, it was awed into silence by the cheer 
 which rose from all the older men, and by Sal- 
 vation Yeo's stentorian voice. 
 
 "If there were a dozen, the Lord is with 
 us, who has said, 'One of you shall chase a 
 thousand.' Clear away, lads, and see the glory 
 of the Lord this day." 
 
 "Amen!" cried Cary; and the ship was 
 kept still closer to the wind. 
 
 Amyas had revived at the sight of battle. 
 He no longer felt his wounds, or his great sor- 
 row; even Frank's last angel's look grew dim- 
 mer every moment as he bustled around the 
 deck; and ere a quarter of an hour had passed, 
 his voice cried firmly and cheerfully as of 
 old— 
 
 "Now, my masters, let us serve God, and 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 49 
 
 then to breakfast, and after that clear for ac- 
 tion." 
 
 Jack Brimblecombe read the daily prayers, 
 and the prayers before a fight at sea, and his 
 honest voice trembled, as, in the Prayer for 
 all Conditions of Men (in spite of Amyas's 
 despair), he added, "and especially for our 
 dear brother Mr. Francis Leigh, perhaps cap- 
 tive among the idolaters" ; and so they rose. 
 
 "Now, then," said Amyas, "to breakfast: A 
 Frenchman fights best fasting, and a Dutch- 
 man drunk, an Englishman full, and a Span- 
 iard when the devil is in him, and that's al- 
 ways." 
 
 "And good beef and the good cause are a 
 match for the devil," said Cary. "Come 
 down, captain ; you must eat too." 
 
 Amyas shook his head, took the tiller from 
 the steersman, and bade him go below and 
 fill himself. Will Cary went down, and re- 
 turned in five minutes with a plate of bread 
 and beef, a great jack of ale, coaxed them 
 down Amyas's throat, as a nurse does with a 
 child, and then scuttled below again with tears 
 hopping down his face. 
 
50 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Amyas stood still steering. His face was 
 grown seven years older in the last night. A 
 terrible set calm was on him. Woe to the 
 man who came across him that day! 
 
 "There are three of them, you see, my mas- 
 ters," said he, as the crew came on deck again. 
 "A big ship forward, and two galleys astern 
 of her. The big ship may keep; she is a race 
 ship, and if we can but recover the wind of 
 her, we will see whether our height is not a 
 match for her length. We must give her the 
 slip, and take the galleys first." 
 
 "I thank the Lord," said Yeo, "who has 
 given so wise a heart to so young a general; 
 a very David and Daniel, saving his presence, 
 lads; and if any dare not follow him, let him 
 be as the men of Meroz and of Succoth. 
 Amen! Silas Stavely, smite me that boy over 
 the head, the young monkey; why is he not 
 down at the powder-room door?" 
 
 And Yeo went about his gunnery, as one 
 who knew how to do it, and had the most ter- 
 rible mind to do it thoroughly, and the most 
 terrible faith that it was God's work. 
 
 So all fell to; and though there was com- 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 51 
 
 paratively little to be done, the ship having 
 been kept as far as could be in fighting order 
 all night, yet there was "clearing of decks, lac- 
 ing of nettings, making of bulwarks, fitting of 
 waistcloths, arming of tops, tallowing of 
 pikes, slinging of yards, doubling of sheets 
 and tacks," enough to satisfy even the pedan- 
 tical soul of Richard Hawkins himself. 
 Amyas took charge of the poop, Cary of the 
 forecastle, and Yeo, as gunner, of the main- 
 deck, while Drew, as master, settled himself 
 in the waist; and all was ready, and more 
 than ready, before the great ship was within 
 two miles of them. 
 
 The great ship is now within two musket- 
 shots of the Rose, with the golden flag of 
 Spain floating at her poop; and her trumpets 
 are shouting defiance up the breeze, from a 
 dozen brazen throats, which two or three an- 
 swer lustily from the Rose, from whose poop 
 flies the flag of England, and from her fore 
 the arms of Leigh and Cary side by side, 
 and over them the ship and bridge of 
 the good town of Biddeford. And then 
 Amyas calls: 
 
52 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "Now, silence trumpets, waits, play up! 
 'Fortune my foe!' and God and the Queen be 
 with us!" 
 
 Whereon (laugh not, reader, for it was the 
 fashion of those musical, as well as valiant 
 days) up rose that noble old favourite of good 
 Queen Bess, from cornet and sackbut, fife and 
 drum; while Parson Jack, who had taken his 
 stand with the musicians on the poop, worked 
 away lustily at his violin, like Volker of the 
 Nibelungen Lied. 
 
 "Well played, Jack; thy elbow flies like a 
 lamb's tail," then said Amyas, forcing a 
 jest. 
 
 "It shall fly to a better fiddle-bow pres- 
 ently, sir, and I have the luck " . 
 
 "Steady, helm!" said Amyas. "What is he 
 after now?" 
 
 The Spaniard, who had been coming upon 
 them right down the wind under a press of 
 sail, took in his light canvas. 
 
 "He don't know what to make of our wait- 
 ing for him so bold," immediately said the 
 helmsman. 
 
 "He does, though, and means to fight us," 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 53 
 
 cried another. "See, he is hauling up the 
 foot of his mainsail; but he wants to keep the 
 wind of us." 
 
 "Let him try, then," quoth Amyas. "Keep 
 her closer still. Let no one fire till we are 
 about. Man the starboard guns; to starboard, 
 and wait, all small-arm men. Pass the order 
 down to the gunner, and bid all fire high, and 
 take the rigging." 
 
 Bang went one of the Spaniard's bow guns, 
 and the shot went wide. Then another and 
 another, while the men fidgeted about, look- 
 ing at the priming of their muskets, and loos- 
 ened their arrows in the sheaf. 
 
 "Lie down, men, and sing a psalm. When 
 I want you, I'll call you. Closer still, if you 
 can, helmsman, and we will try a short ship 
 against a long one. We can sail two points 
 nearer the wind than he." 
 
 As Amyas had calculated, the Spaniard 
 would gladly enough have stood across the 
 Rose's bows, but, knowing the English readi- 
 ness, dare not for fear of being raked; so her 
 only plan, if she did not intend to shoot past 
 her foe down to leeward, was to put her head 
 
54 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 close to the wind, and wait for her on the 
 same tack. 
 
 Amyas laughed to himself. "Hold on yet 
 awhile. More ways of killing a cat than 
 choking her with cream. Drew, there, are 
 your men ready?" 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir!" and on they went, closing 
 fast with the Spaniard, till within a pistol- 
 shot. 
 
 "Ready about!" and about she went like an 
 eel, and ran upon the opposite tack right un- 
 der the Spaniard's stern. The Spaniard, 
 astounded at the quickness of the manoeuvre, 
 hesitated a moment, and then tried to get 
 about also, as his only chance; but it was too 
 late, and while his lumbering length was still 
 hanging in the wind's eye, Amyas's bowsprit 
 had all but scraped his quarter, and the Rose 
 passed slowly across his stern at ten yards' 
 distance. 
 
 "Now, then!" roared Amyas. "Fire, and 
 with a will! Have at her, archers: have at 
 her, muskets, all!" and in an instant a storm of 
 bar and chain-shot, round and canister, swept 
 the proud Don from stem to stern, while 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 55 
 
 through the white cloud of smoke the musket- 
 balls, and the still deadlier clothyard ar- 
 rows, whistled and rushed upon their veno- 
 mous errand. Down went the steersman, and 
 every soul who manned the poop. Down went 
 the mizzen-topmast, in went the stern-win- 
 dows and quarter-galleries; and as the smoke 
 cleared away, the gorgeous painting of the 
 Madre Dolorosa, with her heart full of seven 
 swords, which, in a gilded frame, bedizened 
 the Spanish stern, was shivered in splinters; 
 while, most glorious of all, the golden flag of 
 Spain, which the last moment flaunted above 
 their heads, hung trailing in the water. The 
 ship, her tiller shot away, and her helmsman 
 killed, staggered helplessly a moment, and 
 then fell up into the wind. 
 
 "Well done, men of Devon!" shouted 
 Amyas, as cheers rent the welkin. 
 
 "She has struck," cried some, as the deaf- 
 ening hurrahs died away. 
 
 "Not a bit," said Amyas. "Hold on, helms- 
 man, and leave her to patch her tackle while 
 we settle the galleys." 
 
 On they shot merrily, and, long ere the ar- 
 
56 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 mada could get herself to rights again, were 
 two good miles to windward, with the galleys 
 sweeping down fast upon them. 
 
 And two venomous-looking craft they were, 
 as they shot through the short chopping sea 
 upon some forty oars apiece, stretching their 
 long sword-fish snouts over the water, as if 
 snuffing for their prey. Behind this long 
 snout, a strong square forecastle was crammed 
 with soldiers, and the muzzles of cannon 
 grinned out through port-holes, not only in 
 the sides of the forecastle, but forward in the 
 line of the galley's course, thus enabling her 
 to keep up a continual fire on a ship right 
 ahead. 
 
 The long low waist was packed full of the 
 slaves, some five or six to each oar^ and down 
 the centre, between the two banks, the Eng- 
 lish could see the slave-drivers walking up 
 and down a long gangway, whip in hand. A 
 raised quarter-deck at the stern held more sol- 
 diers, the sunlight flashing merrily upon their 
 armour and their gun-barrels; as they neared, 
 the English could hear plainly the cracks of 
 the whips, and the yells as of wild beasts 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 57 
 
 which answered them; the roll and rattle of 
 the oars, and the loud "Ha!" of the slaves 
 which accompanied every stroke, and the 
 oaths and curses of the drivers; while a sick- 
 ening musky smell, as of a pack of kennelled 
 hounds, came down the wind from off those 
 dens of misery. No wonder if many a young 
 heart shuddered, as it faced, for the first time, 
 the horrible reality of those floating hells, the 
 cruelties whereof had rung so often in English 
 ears, from the stories of their own country- 
 men, who had passed them, fought them, and 
 now and then passed years of misery on board 
 of them. Who knew but what there might be 
 English among those sun-browned half-naked 
 masses of panting wretches? 
 
 "Must we fire upon the slaves?" asked more 
 than one, as the thought crossed him. 
 
 Amyas sighed. 
 
 "Spare them all you can, in God's name; 
 but if they try to run us down, rake them we 
 must, and God forgive us." 
 
 The two galleys came on abreast of each 
 other, some forty yards apart. To outmanoeu- 
 vre their oars as he had done the ship's sails, 
 
58 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Amyas knew was impossible. To run from 
 them was to be caught between them and the 
 ship. He made up his mind, as usual, to the 
 desperate game. 
 
 "Lay her head up in the wind, helmsman, 
 and we will wait for them." 
 
 They were now within musket-shot, and 
 opened fire from their bow-guns; but, 
 owing to the chopping sea, their aim 
 was wild. Amyas, as usual, withheld his 
 fire. 
 
 The men stood at quarters with compressed 
 lips, not knowing what was to come next. 
 Amyas, towering motionless on the quarter- 
 deck, gave his orders calmly and decisively. 
 The men saw that he trusted himself, and 
 trusted him accordingly. 
 
 The Spaniards, seeing him wait for them, 
 gave a shout of joy — was the Englishman 
 mad? And the two galleys converged rap- 
 idly, intending to strike him full, one on each 
 bow. 
 
 They were within forty yards — another 
 minute, and the shock would come. The 
 Englishman's helm went up, his yards creaked 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 59 
 
 round, and gathering way, he plunged upon 
 the larboard galley. 
 
 "A dozen gold nobles to him who brings 
 down the steersman!" shouted Cary, who had 
 his cue. 
 
 And a fight of arrows from the forecastle 
 rattled upon the galley's quarter-deck. 
 
 Hit or not hit, the steersman lost his nerve, 
 and shrank from the coming shock. The gal- 
 ley's helm went up to port, and her beak slid 
 all but harmless along Amyas's bow; a long 
 dull grind, and then loud crack on crack, as 
 the Rose sawed slowly through bank of oars 
 from stem to stern, hurling the wretched 
 slaves in heaps upon each other; and ere her 
 mate on the other side could swing around, 
 to strike him in his new position, Amyas's 
 whole broadside, great and small, had been 
 poured into her at pistol-shot, and was an- 
 swered by a yell which rent their ears and 
 hearts. 
 
 "Spare the slaves! Fire at the soldiers!" 
 cried Amyas; but the work was too hot for 
 much discrimination; for the larboard galley, 
 crippled but not undaunted, swung round 
 
60 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 across his stern, and hooked herself veno- 
 mously on to him. 
 
 It was a move more brave than wise; for 
 it prevented the other galley from returning 
 to the attack without exposing herself a sec- 
 ond time to the English broadside; and a des- 
 perate attempt of the Spaniards to board at 
 once through the stern-ports and up the quar- 
 ter was met with such a demurrer of shot and 
 steel, that they found themselves in three min- 
 utes again upon the galley's poop, accompa- 
 nied, to their intense disgust, by Amyas Leigh 
 and twenty English swords. 
 
 Five minutes' hard cutting, hand to hand, 
 and the poop was clear. The soldiers in the 
 forecastle had been able to give them no as- 
 sistance, open as they lay to the arrows and 
 musketry from the Rose's lofty stern. Amyas 
 rushed along the central gangway, shouting 
 in Spanish, "Freedom to the slaves! death to 
 the masters!" clambered into the forecastle, 
 followed close by his swarm of wasps, and set 
 them so good an example how to use their 
 stings, that in three minutes more, there was 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 61 
 
 not a Spaniard on board who was not dead 
 or dying. 
 
 "Let the slaves free!" shouted he. "Throw 
 us a hammer down, men. Hark! there's an 
 English voice!" 
 
 There is, indeed. From amid the wreck 
 of broken oars and writhing limbs, a voice is 
 shrieking in broadest Devon to the master, 
 who is looking over the side. 
 
 "O Robert Drew! Robert Drew! Come 
 down and take me out of hell!" 
 
 "Who be you, in the name of the Lord?" 
 
 "Don't you mind William Prust, that Cap- 
 tain Hawkins left behind in the Honduras, 
 years and years agone? There's nine of us 
 aboard, if your shot hasn't put them out of 
 their misery. Come down, if you've a Chris- 
 tian heart, come down!" 
 
 Utterly forgetful of all discipline, Drew 
 leaps down, hammer in hand, and the two 
 old comrades rush into each other's arms. 
 
 Why make a long story of what took but 
 five minutes? The nine men (luckily none 
 of them wounded) were freed, and helped 
 on board, to be hugged and kissed by old com- 
 
62 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 rades and young kinsmen; while the remain- 
 ing slaves, furnished with a couple of ham- 
 mers, are told to free themselves and help the 
 English. The wretches answer by shouts; 
 and Amyas, once more safe on board again, 
 dashed after the other galley, which has been 
 hovering out of reach of his guns : but there 
 is no need to trouble himself about her; sick- 
 ened with what she has got, she is struggling 
 right up wind, leaning over to one side, and 
 seemingly ready to sink. 
 
 "Are there any English on board of her?" 
 asked Amyas, loth to lose the chance of free- 
 ing a countryman. 
 
 "Never a one, sir, thank God." 
 
 So they set to work to repair damages; 
 while the liberated slaves, having shifted some 
 of the galley's oars, pulled away after their 
 comrade; and that with such a will that in ten 
 minutes they have caught her up, and, careless 
 of the Spaniard's fire, boarded her en masse, 
 with yells as of a thousand wolves. There 
 will be fearful vengeance taken on those ty- 
 rants, unless they play the man this day. 
 
 She was a long flush-decked ship of full 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 63 
 
 five hundred tons, more than double the size, 
 in fact, of the Rose, not so lofty in propor- 
 tion; and many a bold heart beat loud, and 
 no shame to them, as she began firing away 
 merrily, determined, as all well knew, to wipe 
 out in English blood the disgrace of her late 
 foil. 
 
 "Never mind, my merry masters," said 
 Amyas, "she has quantity and we quality." 
 
 "That's true," said one, "for one honest man 
 is worth two rogues." 
 
 "And one culverin three of their footy lit- 
 tle ordnance," said another. "So when you 
 will, Captain, and have at her." 
 
 "Let her come abreast of us, and don't burn 
 powder. We have the wind, and can do what 
 we like with her. Serve the men out a horn 
 of ale all round, steward, and take your time." 
 
 So they waited for five minutes more, and 
 then set to work quietly, after the fashion of 
 English mastiffs, though, like those mastiffs, 
 they waxed right mad before three rounds 
 were fired, and the white splinters (sight be- 
 loved) began to crackle and fly. 
 
 Amyas, having, as he had said, the wind, 
 
64 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 and being able to go nearer it than the Span- 
 iard, kept his place at easy point-blank range 
 for his two eighteen-pounder culverins, which 
 Yeo and his mate worked with terrible ef- 
 fect. 
 
 "We are hacking her through and through 
 every shot," said he. "Leave the small ord- 
 nance alone yet a while, and we shall sink 
 her without them." 
 
 "Whing, whing," went the Spaniard's shot, 
 like so many humming-tops, through the rig- 
 ging far above their heads; for the ill-con- 
 structed ports of those days prevented the guns 
 from hulling an enemy who was to windward, 
 unless close alongside. 
 
 "Blow, jolly breeze," cried one, "and lay 
 the Don over all thou canst. What the mur- 
 rain is gone, aloft there?" 
 
 Alas! a crack, a flap, a rattle; and blank dis- 
 may! An unlucky shot had cut the foremast 
 (already wounded) in two, and all forward 
 was a mass of dangling wreck. 
 
 "Forward, and cut away the wreck!" said 
 Amyas, unmoved. "Small-arm men, be ready. 
 He will be aboard of us in five minutes!" 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 65 
 
 It was too true. The Rose, unmanageable 
 from the loss of her head-sail, lay at the mercy 
 of the Spaniards; and the archers and mus- 
 queteers had hardly time to range them- 
 selves to leeward, when the Madre Dolorosa's 
 chains were grinding against the Rose's, 
 and grapples tossed on board from stem to 
 stern. 
 
 "Don't cut them loose!" roared Amyas. 
 "Let them stay and see the fun! Now, dogs 
 of Devon, show your teeth, and hurrah for 
 God and the Queen!" 
 
 And then began a fight most fierce and fell; 
 the Spaniards, according to their fashion, at- 
 tempting to board; the English, amid fierce 
 shouts of "God and the Queen!" "God and 
 St. George for England !" sweeping them back 
 by showers of arrows and musket-balls, thrust- 
 ing them down with pikes, hurling grenades 
 and stinkpots from the tops ; while the swivels 
 on both sides poured their grape, and bar, and 
 chain, and the great main-deck guns, thunder- 
 ing muzzle to muzzle, made both ships quiver 
 and recoil, as they smashed the shot through 
 and through each other. 
 
66 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 So they roared and flashed, fast clenched 
 to each other in that devil's wedlock, under a 
 cloud of smoke beneath the cloudless tropic 
 sky; while all around the dolphins gambolled, 
 and the flying-fish shot on from swell to swell, 
 and the rainbow-hued jellies opened and shut 
 their cups of living crystal to the sun, as mer- 
 rily as if man had never fallen, and hell had 
 never broken loose on earth. 
 
 So it raged on for an hour or more, till all 
 arms were weary, and all tongues clove to the 
 mouth. And sick men, rotting with scurvy, 
 scrambled up on deck, and fought with the 
 strength of madness; and tiny powder-boys, 
 handing up cartridges from the hold, laughed 
 and cheered as the shots ran past their ears; 
 and old Salvation Yeo, a text upon his lips, 
 and fury in his heart as of Joshua or Elijah 
 in old time, worked on, calm and grim, but 
 with the energy of a boy at play. And now 
 and then an opening in the smoke showed the 
 Spanish captain, in his suit of black steel ar- 
 mour, standing cool and proud, guiding and 
 pointing, careless of the iron hail, but too lofty 
 a gentleman to soil his glove with aught but a 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 67 
 
 knightly sword-hilt; while Amyas and Will, 
 after the fashion of the English gentlemen, 
 had stripped themselves nearly as bare as 
 their own sailors, and were cheering, thrust- 
 ing, hewing, and hauling, here, there, and 
 everywhere, like any common mariner, and 
 filling them with a spirit of self-respect, fel- 
 low-feeling, and personal daring, which the 
 discipline of the Spaniards, more perfect me- 
 chanically, but cold and tyrannous, and crush- 
 ing spiritually, never could bestow. The black- 
 plumed Senor was obeyed; but the golden- 
 locked Amyas was followed ; and would have 
 been followed through the jaws of hell. 
 
 The Spaniards, ere five minutes had passed, 
 poured en masse into the Rose's waist; but 
 only to their destruction. Between the poop 
 and forecastle (as was then the fashion), the 
 upper-deck beams were left open and un- 
 planked, with the exception of a narrow 
 gangway on either side; and off that fatal 
 ledge the boarders, thrust on by those behind, 
 fell headlong between the beams to the main- 
 deck below, to be slaughtered helpless in that 
 pit of destruction by the double fire from the 
 
68 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOR 
 
 bulkheads fore and aft; while the few who 
 kept their footing on the gangway, after vain 
 attempts to force the stockades on poop and 
 forecastle, leaped overboard again amid a 
 shower of shot and arrows. The fire of the 
 English was as steady as it was quick; and 
 though three-fourths of the crew had never 
 smelt powder before, they proved well the 
 truth of the old chronicler's saying (since 
 proved again more gloriously than ever, at 
 Alma, Balaklava, and Inkerman), that "the 
 English never fight better than in their first 
 battle." 
 
 Thrice the Spaniards clambered on board; 
 and thrice surged back before that deadly 
 hail. The decks on both sides were very 
 shambles; and Jack Brimblecombe, who had 
 fought as long as his conscience would allow 
 him, found, when he turned to a more cleri- 
 cal occupation, enough to do in carrying poor 
 wretches to the surgeon, without giving that 
 spiritual consolation which he longed to give, 
 and they to receive. At last there was a lull 
 in that wild storm. No shot was heard from 
 the Spaniard's upper deck. 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 69 
 
 Amyas leaped into the mizzen rigging, and 
 looked through the smoke. Dead men he 
 could descry through the blinding veil, rolled 
 in heaps, laid flat; dead men and dying; but 
 no man upon his feet. The last volley had 
 swept the deck clear; one by one had dropped 
 below to escape that fiery shower; and alone 
 at the helm, grinding his teeth with rage, his 
 mustachios curling up to his very eves, stood 
 the Spanish captain. 
 
 Now was the moment for a counter-stroke. 
 Amyas shouted for the boarders, and in two 
 minutes more he was over the side, and clutch- 
 ing at the Spaniard's mizzen rigging. 
 
 What was this? The distance between him 
 and the enemy's side was widening. Was she 
 sheering off. Yes — and rising too, growing 
 bodily higher every moment, as if by magic. 
 Amyas looked up in astonishment, and saw 
 what it was. The Spaniard was heeling fast 
 over to leeward away from him. Her masts 
 all sloping forward, swifter and swifter — the 
 end was come, then! 
 
 "Back! in God's name back, men! She is 
 sinking by the head!" And with much ado 
 
yo THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 some were dragged back, some leaped back — 
 all but old Michael Heard. 
 
 With hair and beard floating in the wind, 
 the bronzed naked figure, like some weird old 
 Indian fakir, still climbed on steadfastly up 
 the mizzen chains of the Spaniard, hatchet in 
 hand. 
 
 "Come back, Michael! Leap while you 
 may!" shouted a dozen voices. Michael 
 turned — 
 
 "And what should I come back for, then, 
 to go home where no one knoweth me? I'll 
 die like an Englishman this day, or I'll know 
 the reason why!" and turning, he sprang in 
 over the bulwarks, as the huge ship rolled up 
 more and more, like a dying whale, exposing 
 all her long black bulk almost down to the 
 keel, and one of her lower-deck guns, 
 as if in defiance, exploded upright into 
 the air, hurling the ball to the very 
 heavens. 
 
 In an instant it was answered from the Rose 
 by a column of smoke, and the eighteen-pound 
 ball crashed through the bottom of the de- 
 fenceless Spaniard. 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 
 
 / 
 
 "Who fired? Shame to fire on a sinking 
 ship!" 
 
 "Gunner Yeo, sir," shouted a voice up from 
 the main-deck. "He's like a madman down 
 here." 
 
 "Tell him if he fires again, I'll put him in 
 irons, if he were my own brother. Cut away 
 the grapples aloft, men. Don't you see how 
 she drags us over? Cut away, or we shall sink 
 with her." 
 
 They cut away, and the Rose, released from 
 the strain, shook her feathers on the wave- 
 crest like a freed seagull, while all men held 
 their breaths. 
 
 Suddenly the glorious creature righted her- 
 self, and rose again, as if in noble shame, for 
 one last struggle with her doom. Her bows 
 were deep in the water, but her after-deck still 
 dry. Righted: but only for a moment, long 
 enough to let her crew come pouring wildly 
 up on deck, with cries and prayers, and rush 
 aft to the poop, where, under the flag of 
 Spain, stood the captain, his left hand on the 
 standard-stafT, his sword pointed in his 
 right. 
 
72 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "Back, men!" they heard him cry, "and die 
 like valiant mariners." 
 
 Some of them ran to the bulwarks and 
 shouted "Mercy! We surrender!" and the 
 English broke into a cheer, and called to them 
 to run her alongside. 
 
 "Silence!" shouted Amyas. "I take no sur- 
 render from mutineers. Senor," cried he to 
 the captain, springing into the rigging and 
 taking off his hat, "for the love of God and 
 these men, strike! and surrender a buena 
 querra." 
 
 The Spaniard lifted his hat and bowed 
 courteously, and answered, "Impossible, 
 Senor. No querra is good which stains my 
 honour." 
 
 "God have mercy on you, then!" 
 
 "Amen!" said the Spaniard, crossing him- 
 self. 
 
 She gave one awful lunge forward, and 
 dived under the coming swell, hurling her 
 crew into the eddies. Nothing but the point 
 of her poop remained, and there stood the 
 stern and steadfast Don, cap-a-pie in his glis- 
 tening black armour, immovable as a man of 
 
SPANISH BLOODHOUNDS 73 
 
 iron, while over him the flag, which claimed 
 the empire of both worlds, flaunted its gold 
 aloft and upwards in the glare of the tropic 
 noon. 
 
 "He shall not carry that flag to the devil 
 with him; I will have it yet, if I die for it!" 
 said Will Cary, and rushed to the side to leap 
 overboard, but Amyas stopped him. 
 
 "Let him die as he has lived, with 
 honour." 
 
 A wild figure sprang out of the mass of 
 sailors who struggled and shrieked amid the 
 foam, and rushed upward at the Spaniard. It 
 was Michael Heard. The Don, who stood 
 above him, plunged his sword into the old 
 man's body; but the hatchet gleamed, never- 
 theless; down went the blade through head- 
 piece and head; and as Heard sprang onward, 
 bleeding, but alive, the steel-clad corpse rat- 
 tled down the deck into the surge. Two more 
 strokes, struck with fury of a dying man, and 
 the standard-staff was hewn through. Old 
 Michael collected all his strength, hurled the 
 flag far from the sinking ship, and then stood 
 erect one moment, and shouted, "God save 
 
74 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Queen Bess!" and the English answered with 
 a "Hurrah!" which rent the welkin. 
 
 Another moment, and the gulf had swal- 
 lowed his victim, and the poop, and him; and 
 nothing remained of the Madre Dolorosa but 
 a few floating spars and struggling wretches, 
 while a great awe fell upon all men, and a 
 solemn silence, broken only by the cry: 
 
 "Of some strong swimmer in his agony." 
 
 And then, suddenly collecting themselves, as 
 men awakened from a dream, half-a-dozen 
 desperate gallants, reckless of sharks and ed- 
 dies, leaped overboard, swam towards the 
 flag, and towed it alongside in triumph. 
 
CAPTURING A MALAYAN PIRATE 
 
 CAPTAIN Ames, of the American gunboat 
 Annapolis, had orders to capture a notorious 
 Malay pirate who had been preying upon 
 many of the small vessels which were in the 
 carrying trade, and running out of Manila 
 Bay- 
 There was good reason to believe that the 
 object of their search was hiding among the 
 many islands off the south-eastern coast of 
 Luzon, and at length, through one of the na- 
 tives, the captain received information as to 
 the place where the pirate was concealed. 
 
 The water was too shallow for the gunboat: 
 in the channel through which it was neces- 
 sary to go in order to make the capture, so 
 when it was dark three boats were lowered 
 and manned. 
 
 75 
 
76 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The first boat was commanded by Lieuten- 
 ant Granger, and the other two were in charge 
 of Ensigns Archer and James. With muffled 
 oars they pulled noiselessly along until they 
 reached the entrance to the channel, up which 
 they pulled until they reached a sort of shel- 
 tered bay. Here the lieutenant decided to go 
 ashore, and spy out the land. Taking three 
 men with him, he led the way into the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 In about an hour the four returned, having 
 located the pirate's hiding place. 
 
 Telling the men to see that their cutlasses 
 and revolvers were ready for instant use, and 
 impressing upon all the need for silence, the 
 lieutenant's boat led the way out of the little 
 bay, and they continued their journey up the 
 channel. 
 
 Moving along quietly, they came to a high, 
 rocky point. Here the lieutenant signalled 
 the boats to stop, for the pirate proa was lay- 
 ing, snugly hidden in a cove, just round the 
 point. He gave his orders; the three boats 
 were to continue in their present order; the 
 men in the first were to board the vessel at the 
 
CAPTURING A PIRATE 77 
 
 bow, the second amidship, and the third at the 
 stern. He thought it probable that no watch 
 would be kept, as the robbers undoubtedly 
 considered themselves to be quite safely hid- 
 den, so the chances were that the surprise 
 would be complete. 
 
 As the lieutenant had surmised, no vigil was 
 kept on the proa. Noiselessly the three boats 
 reached their appointed stations, and, at a 
 given signal, all three crews proceeded to 
 board the ship. 
 
 Most of the pirates were asleep, but the 
 slight noise the sailors made in boarding at- 
 tracted the attention of those who were not, 
 and these at once awoke their mates. But 
 they were too late to make any determined 
 stand against the sudden rush of the jackies. 
 They were brave enough, but the odds were 
 against them. The struggle was short, and 
 after one was killed and several wounded, 
 they were overcome and disarmed. 
 
 The proa was taken round the point and 
 into the channel. The unwounded pirates 
 were bound, and then the American sailors 
 (with the exception of Lieutenant Granger, 
 
78 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 who, with a crew of five men, remained in 
 charge of the prize) returned to their boats, 
 and soon all were on their way to the open sea. 
 
 The last few hours had been full of excite- 
 ment, and now that this was over, those on the 
 proa, not having to row as their mates in the 
 three boats had to, began to feel more keenly 
 the loss of a night's sleep. They had passed 
 through the channel, and were now in the 
 open sea. The lieutenant was seated in a com- 
 fortable deck chair, and near him was the pi- 
 rate chief, seemingly securely bound. 
 
 He must have been dozing, when suddenly 
 the sound of a splash aroused him. He 
 jumped up, and at once saw what had hap- 
 pened. The pirate had managed to loosen his 
 bonds, and had jumped overboard with the in- 
 tention of swimming ashore. 
 
 At a little distance off the lieutenant saw a 
 round object moving in the water; he gave a 
 loud shout to draw the attention of those in 
 the boats, which were a little behind the proa, 
 and in an instant had sprung into the water in 
 chase of the man. 
 
 He would not have chosen this particular 
 
CAPTURING A PIRATE 79 
 
 place for a swim, because the sea here is in- 
 fested with sharks. But he felt that he was 
 responsible for his prisoner, and blamed him- 
 self for falling asleep. The Malay was a 
 strong swimmer, as are most of his race, but 
 the lieutenant was more than his match, and 
 soon he began to overhaul the pirate. 
 
 The man looked around and saw that his 
 pursuer was only five or six yards behind. He 
 pretended to yield, and Granger darted 
 towards him. Suddenly he dived, and only 
 just in time, for the treacherous pirate held in 
 his hand a deadly kriss, which he was about 
 to plunge into the lieutenant's body. 
 
 Coming up on the other side of him, Gran- 
 ger managed to wind one arm around the Ma- 
 lay's legs, and with the other he grasped the 
 hand which held the knife. He exerted his 
 utmost strength in endeavouring to keep the 
 pirate from changing the weapon to the other 
 hand, and the struggle was rapidly exhausting 
 both men. 
 
 It took only a few minutes for this to 
 happen, but to the two men struggling in the 
 water hours seemed to pass. With a final 
 
8o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 effort, the lieutenant twisted the Malay's arm 
 so that the kriss fell from his hand and sank 
 to the bottom of the sea. 
 
 Consciousness was fast leaving him, when 
 he felt a grasp upon his shoulder, and soon 
 he was being lifted into one of the boats, 
 which arrived only just in time to save the 
 lives of both. 
 
 They reached the gunboat in due course, 
 and Lieutenant Granger made his report and 
 turned the prisoners over to Captain Ames, 
 who at once proceeded to Manila, and deliv- 
 ered them into the hands of the authorities. 
 
THE FIRST DUTCH ATTEMPT TO 
 
 DISCOVER THE NORTHWEST 
 
 PASSAGE 
 
 As there are no coal, iron or gold mines in 
 Holland, the people have to depend for their 
 living chiefly by trading with foreign coun- 
 tries. 
 
 In the sixteenth century, and particularly 
 during the latter part, Spain made it very dif- 
 ficult for the Dutch sailors to bring any car- 
 goes to their home ports. The Spanish King 
 gave orders to the captains of his ships to 
 seize vessels of the Dutch whenever they 
 might be found, and to throw the sailors over- 
 board. 
 
 The Hollanders were naturally a sea-far- 
 ing people, and their ships sailed all over the 
 world, bringing coffee, spices, silk, ivory, tim- 
 ber, and many other things to Amsterdam, 
 
 81 
 
82 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 where they were sold to the English, French, 
 German and Russian merchants who came to 
 buy them. 
 
 The Dutch were very cruelly treated by 
 Spain, and they began to despair; it did seem 
 as though they would be ruined. The things 
 in which they traded had to be brought 
 from far away countries, from Egypt, Turkey, 
 Greece, Italy, America and Africa, but the 
 great Spanish galleons were always on the 
 lookout for their ships, which they captured 
 whenever possible. 
 
 One day Jacob van Heemskerk, the son of 
 a well-known merchant of Amsterdam, was 
 looking at a map of the world, when it sud- 
 dently struck him that there was a large 
 sea above Norway where no ship had yet been, 
 and through which China and America might 
 be reached. If this could be done, there need 
 be no fear of Spanish galleons. 
 
 He spoke with other men, and all agreed 
 that this sea must go somewhere, and that if 
 the earth were round, and one sailed far 
 enough, he must come out at the other side, 
 and reach China or America. 
 
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 83 
 
 The result was that on the 2nd of July, 
 1595, a fleet of seven small ships set sail from 
 Texel, bound for the unknown northern sea. 
 The commander of the expedition was a brave 
 and experienced sailor named William Ba- 
 rends, and with him was Jacob van Heem- 
 skerk, who represented the merchants of Am- 
 sterdam. 
 
 On August 19th they reached the Straits of 
 Waygatz, where they went on shore. Fortu- 
 nately one of the crew could speak the lan- 
 guage of the natives (the Samoyedes), who 
 told him how, if they sailed far enough, they 
 could get from a cold sea into a warm one, 
 where they would find a new land. 
 
 This information elated Barends and van 
 Heemskerk, and they returned to the ships in 
 high spirits. But soon what a disappoint- 
 ment came to them! The sea became full of 
 great blocks of ice, and although they tried 
 to follow the direction given by the Samoye- 
 des, it was found impossible to make any 
 progress. 
 
 Being close to an island, several of the sail- 
 ors obtained permission to go ashore to gather 
 
84 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 some crystals which they saw in the crevices 
 of the rocks. Suddenly one of the men gave 
 a terrific yell. He had gone ahead of his 
 companions, and right in front of him was a 
 huge polar bear. 
 
 Shaking with fright, he ran back to the 
 others, the bear following him. They all 
 rushed to the boat, and some seized the oars, 
 others axes, muskets, boat-hooks, or what- 
 ever would serve as weapons. After a com- 
 bat lasting nearly an hour, they managed to 
 kill the monster, which they skinned. 
 
 The ice continued to gather, and to add to 
 their danger it became very stormy and foggy. 
 They could not go on, and so were finally 
 forced to return, arriving at Amsterdam about 
 the end of October, bringing with them as the 
 result of their expedition, only a bear-skin and 
 a few crystals. 
 
 But van Heemskerk and Barends were not 
 to be conquered by one failure; they resolved 
 to make another effort. In this they met with 
 little encouragement; the government refused 
 to support them, and the merchants feared 
 that what money they might contribute 
 
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 85 
 
 toward the enterprise would be lost. But 
 Heemskerk persevered, and at last the govern- 
 ment consented to give valuable privileges and 
 a considerable sum of money to the owners of 
 such ships as could find a way through the 
 northern sea. 
 
 Thus encouraged, several Amsterdam mer- 
 chants fitted out two small ships, and gave 
 Heemskerk and William Barends the joint 
 command. It was a difficult matter to ob- 
 tain crews, but they finally succeeded in se- 
 curing a splendid lot of brave and hardy men, 
 used to the sea. 
 
 The two ships left Amsterdam May 10th, 
 1596, and for three weeks nothing unusual 
 happened. On the night of June 1st, Heem- 
 skerk, who was asleep in his cabin, was awak- 
 ened by one of the men on watch. 
 
 "What is the matter?" asked Heem- 
 skerk. 
 
 "There is something wrong with the sun, 
 sir," replied the man. "It is long past mid- 
 night, and it hasn't gone down yet." 
 
 The captain hastened to the deck, and sure 
 enough, the sun was still above the horizon. 
 
86 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 It was six weeks from that time before they 
 had an hour's darkness. 
 
 The men began to think they were in a re- 
 gion of enchantment, especially when, after 
 a slight snow storm, they saw three suns and 
 several gorgeous rainbows. Heemskerk had 
 read about the aurora borealis, and this he 
 explained to them. 
 
 It was daily growing colder, and the sea 
 was covered with ice. This the two captains 
 had expected, and knew that they faced a hard 
 fight. The farther north they went the more 
 compact became the ice, until with the begin- 
 ning of August they encountered icebergs 
 which were like mountains. 
 
 By the end of the month they were frozen 
 in solidly. Whichever way they looked, noth- 
 ing but ice could be seen. It seemed that the 
 ships could not stand the strain, so great was 
 the pressure, so the men loaded the boats with 
 provisions, and put them on the firm ice. 
 There was now no hope of moving, so a hut 
 was built on the hard mass, and in this they 
 prepared to pass the winter. . 
 
 As there were polar bears prowling about, 
 
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 87 
 
 a constant watch had to be kept, and during 
 the night a fire was maintained. Fortunately 
 it was possible to reach land across the ice, and 
 a considerable amount of timber was trans- 
 ported to the ships by means of rude sleds. 
 
 The days began to grow shorter and the 
 nights longer, and as the amount of oil they 
 had was limited, Heemskerk saw a way in 
 which the bears might be of great benefit to 
 them. He had the men go out in parties to 
 hunt the animals, a number of which were 
 killed, some of them after very exciting com- 
 bats. 
 
 He showed the men how to preserve the 
 bear's grease, so that it could be used for the 
 oil lamps, and the hides were useful as added 
 clothing to protect them against the cold, 
 which was becoming more and more intense. 
 
 Early in November the sun disappeared al- 
 together, and for nearly three months the only 
 light they had was from the lamps, so the 
 precaution taken to add to their stock of oil 
 was a very wise one. 
 
 Life under these conditions was very mo- 
 notonous, so Heemskerk and Barends, know- 
 
88 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 ing how necessary it was to keep the men oc- 
 cupied, were continually inventing things for 
 them to do. They hunted, raced, wrestled, 
 made traps, boxed, mended clothes, sawed 
 wood — anything to keep them busy and out 
 of mischief. 
 
 Every morning a chapter from the Bible 
 was read, and at night they took turns in tell- 
 ing stories. And so the time passed, slowly 
 and monotonously enough. One morning, 
 after eleven weeks of darkness, they were 
 overjoyed by the sight of the sun peeping 
 above the horizon. They danced, sang, and 
 hugged each other, and felt as though new 
 life had come to them. But their troubles 
 were not yet over, for another three months 
 passed before the sun became warm enough 
 to melt the ice sufficiently for the ship to 
 move. (They now had only one ship, the 
 other having been used, piece by piece, for 
 firewood.) 
 
 Gradually they prepared for the return 
 journey. The boats were dug out of the ice, 
 and a way had to be cut from the ship to clear 
 water. By the middle of June, after a great 
 
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 89 
 
 deal of hard labor, they set sail for home. 
 
 On the 29th of October they reached Am- 
 sterdam, where almost the entire population 
 turned out to welcome those who had been 
 thought to have perished in the frozen North. 
 
 The fame of these brave men spread 
 throughout the whole of Europe, for all were 
 astonished that so small a company should 
 have travelled where no human being had 
 been before, and have lived through such 
 hardships as these men had endured. 
 
 Jacob van Heemskerk afterwards served his 
 country on the water, and became one of the 
 most famous sea-captains of the Dutch re- 
 public. 
 
THE BURNING OF THE PHILA- 
 DELPHIA 
 
 The frigate Philadelphia, one of the finest 
 ships in the navy of the United States, lay un- 
 der the guns of the castle in the harbor of 
 Tripoli, the stronghold of the Barbary pi- 
 rates. Captain Bainbridge was in command 
 when she unfortunately ran upon a reef just 
 outside the entrance to the harbor. 
 
 The Philadelphia was on blockade duty 
 outside the harbor when so furious a gale 
 sprung up that the gallant ship was driven 
 before it, and some days elapsed before she 
 could return to her post. 
 
 It was the morning of October 31st, 1803, 
 when the Philadelphia was again at her sta- 
 tion. A vessel was sighted, stealing into port, 
 and immediately Bainbridge gave chase. The 
 
 corsairs were familiar with these waters, and 
 
 90 
 
BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 91 
 
 stood close into the shore, which was studded 
 with reefs. The pirates led the way to shoal 
 water, not heeding the shots which soon came 
 from the frigate's guns. 
 
 The lead showed eight fathoms, then seven, 
 then six and a half was reported. It was too 
 dangerous to continue, and the helm was 
 thrown hard over, but too late. With a ter- 
 rific shock, the frigate struck a rock. She 
 was fast on the reef, and efforts to get her off 
 were useless. 
 
 To lighten the ship most of the guns were 
 thrown overboard, but to no purpose. She 
 was now practically helpless. Her plight was 
 clearly seen from the shore, from which 
 came an overwhelming flotilla of small pi- 
 rate ships, which opened fire at the wrecked 
 frigate. 
 
 With the few guns which were left the 
 Americans replied, but owing to the position 
 of the ship, which keeled over with the ebbing 
 tide, it was merely a waste of powder and 
 shot. They were helpless, and recognizing 
 this Captain Bainbridge ordered the ship to be 
 scuttled, and the magazine flooded. But even 
 
92 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the efforts to sink her were futile, so fast was 
 she on the reef. 
 
 The Tripolitans nad a wholesome awe of 
 American prowess, and it was not until dark- 
 ness had fallen that the pirate boarded the 
 frigate, whose officers and crew were forced 
 to surrender. For more than a year and a 
 half they were kept in prison by the Bashaw of 
 Tripoli. 
 
 Within a few days the Philadelphia was 
 repaired, hauled off the reef, and taken into 
 the harbor. The guns which had been thrown 
 overboard were recovered. 
 
 The American fleet, under Commodore 
 Preble, was at Syracuse. News of the cap- 
 ture of the Philadelphia was the signal for the 
 laying of plans to either recapture or destroy 
 the ship, and thus deprive the corsairs of so 
 valuable an addition to their navy. 
 
 Among the officers under Preble was 
 Stephen Decatur, the youthful captain of the 
 Enterprise, a schooner mounting twelve guns. 
 His father had been the first commander of 
 the Philadelphia, and he eagerly sought the 
 
BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 93 
 
 honor of being in charge of the expedition to 
 destroy the frigate (for the commander had 
 decided upon this rather than to attempt its 
 cutting-out). 
 
 Decatur at this time was not yet twenty- five 
 years of age, but he came of a fighting fam- 
 ily, and his rise in the navy of the United 
 States had been rapid. The anticipated expe- 
 dition appealed to his adventurous spirit, and 
 he was the first officer to ask the Commodore 
 for permission to make the attempt. 
 
 At his request Preble smiled grimly, but 
 he was evidently impressed by Decatur's en- 
 thusiasm, and promised that as he had been 
 the first to speak, he should have the first 
 consideration for the command. 
 
 Early in December Decatur captured a 
 Tripolitan ketch, and thinking it would be 
 of great service in the contemplated expedi- 
 tion to destroy the Philadelphia, he put a 
 prize crew aboard, and sent it back to the 
 fleet's base at Syracuse. The ketch was of a 
 build and rig common to these parts, and it 
 seemed to him that such a vessel could enter 
 the harbor without attracting undue attention. 
 
94 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Before attempting the destruction of the 
 frigate, Commodore Preble determined upon 
 making a demonstration in force. He there- 
 fore ordered the fleet to proceed to Tripoli, 
 and bombarded the town as a token of 
 what would follow later. They had no ships 
 small enough to navigate the rocky channel 
 leading to the harbor, and were too far off 
 to do much damage, but the Bashaw saw 
 enough of the American fleet to know it would 
 not be many months before a decisive attack 
 upon his stronghold would be made. 
 
 Captain Bainbridge and the other prison- 
 ers heard the firing of the guns with joy. 
 They knew that it was only a demonstration, 
 but it brought hope for the future to them. 
 They were imprisoned in the castle which 
 overlooked the harbor, and every day they 
 saw at anchor, flying the hated flag of Tripoli, 
 their old ship Pliiladelphia, and under the 
 circumstances it was anything but a pleasant 
 sight to them. 
 
 After the bombardment the fleet returned 
 to Syracuse, and there Decatur's plan for go- 
 ing boldly into the harbor with the ketch and 
 
BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 95 
 
 blowing up the Philadelphia was debated. 
 The commodore gave his approval, and pre- 
 parations for the hazardous undertaking were 
 made. 
 
 It was decided that the expedition should 
 start early in February, and there was much 
 excitement among the officers and men of the 
 fleet as to who should have the honor of being 
 selected. On February 9th, 1804, a picked 
 crew of sixty-two men and thirteen officers 
 were put aboard the ketch, which was dis- 
 guised as a fruit-carrying Maltese vessel, and 
 accompanied by the brig Siren, under the 
 command of Lieutenant Stewart (which was 
 to lie off the harbor in case the fugitives 
 should have to make their escape in boats), 
 the two ships set sail for Tripoli. 
 
 They were blown about by a furious gale, 
 and it was not until the 16th of the month that 
 the waves calmed sufficiently for the ketch to 
 enter the harbor. Seven volunteers were 
 transferred from the Siren to the ketch, and 
 when darkness had fallen, after examining the 
 combustibles to see that they were in perfect 
 order, and giving implicit directions to of- 
 
96 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 ficers and men, Decatur gave the order to en- 
 ter the harbor. 
 
 With the exception of six men, who were 
 disguised as Moors, all on board the ketch 
 were hidden behind the bulwarks, or down be- 
 low. As they drew near the Philadelphia, the 
 crew were seen to be on the alert, and 
 through all the port-holes lights were visible. 
 Soon they were hailed by a sentinel, who was 
 told that the ketch had lost her anchors, and 
 they wished to make fast to the Philadelphia 
 until they could procure more. 
 
 The ketch purposely had run afoul of the 
 frigate's bowsprit, and while the sentinel's at- 
 tention was being engaged by the supposed pi- 
 lot, some of the sailors, in charge of Midship- 
 man Lawrence, lowered a boat, and quietly 
 fastened a hawser to a ring-bolt on the Phila- 
 delphia's bow. 
 
 The pilot then asked for another cable 
 from the frigate, saying that their best ones 
 had been lost with the anchors, and they 
 wished to make the ketch secure in case the 
 wind should rise during the night. This was 
 given them, and made secure. 
 
BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 97 
 
 Unfortunately, just at this time the ketch 
 turned broadside on, and by the light of the 
 moon some of the Tripolitans saw the men 
 lying under the bulwarks, and also the an- 
 chors and cables on the deck. The alarm 
 was given, and the ropes were ordered to be 
 cut. 
 
 Quick action was now necessary. Decatur 
 called for boarders, and soon the American 
 sailors were clambering over the frigate's rail 
 and through the open port-holes. 
 
 The surprise was complete, and in less than 
 a quarter of an hour those of the Tripolitans 
 who were not killed or wounded were driven 
 overboard. 
 
 Rapidly powder and combustibles were 
 transferred from the ketch to the frigate, and 
 distributed throughout the ship from hold to 
 upper deck. The men had previously been 
 divided into gangs, and definite orders given 
 them, so that the work was quickly done. 
 Decatur gave the order to fire the ship, and 
 soon tongues of flame were darting here and 
 there. So expeditiously was this carried out, 
 that the men had scarcely time to reach the 
 
9 8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 ketch before being cut off by the fire which 
 had already caught the rigging. The last man 
 to leave the flaming ship was Decatur, who 
 waited to see that the work of destruction was 
 complete. 
 
 But they were in great danger, for the 
 ketch was still held by the line at the stern, 
 where some ammunition was stored. Just in 
 time this line was severed; a moment longer, 
 and the ketch itself would have been blown up. 
 
 And now the batteries on shore were work- 
 ing, shots from the guns falling into the water 
 all around them, but fortunately hitting none 
 of them. The Americans gave three rousing 
 cheers as they left the burning ship. 
 
 It was a grand spectacle. The flames lit 
 up the whole harbor, and the cannons from 
 the forts were answered by those of the fri- 
 gate, which were discharged through the in^ 
 tense heat. The magazine was reached by the 
 fire, and with a tremendous roar the stately 
 Philadelphia burst into thousands of frag- 
 ments. 
 
 Thus was a bold and daring expedition suc- 
 cessfully carried out. Not an American sailor 
 
BURNING THE PHILADELPHIA 99 
 
 was lost, and only one was wounded, and that 
 by a slight cut behind the ear. From the 
 boarding of the frigate to the firing of the ship 
 only twenty-five minutes elapsed. As a re- 
 ward for the carrying out of the enterprise, 
 Congress voted Decatur a sword, and to each 
 of the men was given two months' extra pay. 
 
A DESCENT INTO THE MAEL- 
 STROM 
 
 We had now reached the summit of the 
 loftiest crag. For some minutes the old man 
 seemed too much exhausted to speak. 
 
 ''Not long ago," said he at length, "and I 
 could have guided you on this route as well 
 as the youngest of my sons; but, about three 
 years past, there happened to me an event 
 such as never happened before to mortal 
 man, — or at least such as no man ever survived 
 to tell of, — and the six hours of deadly terror 
 which I then endured have broken me-up body 
 and soul. You suppose me a very old man, 
 but I am not. It took less than a single day 
 to change these hairs from a jetty black to 
 white, to weaken my limbs, and to unstring 
 my nerves, so that I tremble at the least exer- 
 tion, and am frightened at a shadow. Do you 
 
 IOO 
 
THE MAELSTROM 101 
 
 know I can scarcely look over this little cliff 
 without getting giddy?" 
 
 The "little cliff," upon whose edge he had 
 so carelessly thrown himself down to rest that 
 the weightier portion of his body hung over it, 
 while he was only kept from falling by the 
 tenure of his elbow on its extreme and slippery 
 edge, — this "little cliff" arose, a sheer unob- 
 structed precipice of black shining rock, some 
 fifteen or sixteen hundred feet from the world 
 of crags beneath us. Nothing would have 
 tempted me to within half a dozen yards of its 
 brink. In truth, so deeply was I excited by 
 the perilous position of my companion, that 
 I fell at full length upon the ground, clung to 
 the shrubs around me, and dared not even 
 glance upward at the sky, while I struggled 
 in vain to divest myself of the idea that the 
 very foundations of the mountain were in dan- 
 ger from the fury of the winds. It was long 
 before I could reason myself into sufficient 
 courage to sit up and look out into the dis- 
 tance. 
 
 "You must get over these fancies," said the 
 guide, "for I have brought you here that you 
 
102 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 might have the best possible view of the scene 
 of that event I mentioned, and to tell you the 
 whole story with the spot just under your 
 eye." 
 
 "We are now," he continued, in that par- 
 ticularizing manner which distinguished him, 
 — "we are now close upon the Norwegian 
 coast, in the sixty-eighth degree of latitude, in 
 the great province of Nordland, and in the 
 dreary district of Lofoden. The mountain 
 upon whose top we sit is Helseggen the 
 Cloudy. Now raise yourself up a little 
 higher — hold on to the grass if you feel giddy 
 — so — and look out, beyond the belt of vapor 
 beneath us, into the sea." 
 
 I looked dizzily, and beheld a wide expanse 
 of ocean, whose waters wore so inky a hue as 
 to bring at once to my mind the Nubian geog- 
 rapher's account of the Mare Tenebrarum. 
 A panorama more deplorably desolate no 
 human imagination can conceive. To the 
 right and left, as far as the eye could reach, 
 there lay outstretched, like ramparts of the 
 world, lines of horridly black and beetling 
 cliff, whose character of gloom was but the 
 
THE MAELSTROM 103 
 
 more forcibly illustrated by the surf which 
 reared high up against its white and ghastly 
 crest, howling and shrieking forever. Just 
 opposite the promontory upon whose apex we 
 were placed, and at a distance of some five or 
 six miles out at sea, there was visible a small 
 bleak-looking island; or, more properly, its 
 position was discernible through the wilder- 
 ness of surge in which it was enveloped. 
 About two miles nearer the land arose an- 
 other, of smaller size, hideously craggy and 
 barren, and encompassed at various intervals 
 by a cluster of dark rocks. 
 
 The appearance of the ocean, in the space 
 between the more distant island and the shore, 
 had something very unusual about it. Al- 
 though, at the time, so strong a gale was blow- 
 ing landward that a brig in the remote offing 
 lay to under a double-reefed trysail, and con- 
 stantly plunged her whole hull out of sight, 
 still there was here nothing like a regular 
 swell, but only a short, quick, angry cross dash- 
 ing of water in every direction, — as well in the 
 teeth of the wind as otherwise. Of foam there 
 was little except in the vicinity of the rocks. 
 
io 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 „ "The island in the distance," resumed the 
 old man, "is called by the Norwegians 
 Vurrgh. The one midway is Moskoe. That 
 a mile to the northward is Ambaaren. Yonder 
 are Iflesen, Hoeyholm, Keildholm, Suarven, 
 and Buckholm. Farther off — between Mos- 
 koe and Vurrgh — are Otterholm, Flimen, 
 Sandflesen, and Skarholm. These are the true 
 names of the places; but why it has been 
 thought necessary to name them at all is more 
 than either you or I can understand. Do you 
 hear anything? Do you see any change in the 
 water?" 
 
 We had now been about ten minutes upon 
 the top of Helseggen, to which we had as- 
 cended from the interior of Lofoden, so that 
 we had caught no glimpse of the sea until it 
 had burst upon us from the summit. As the 
 old man spoke, I became aware of a loud and 
 gradually increasing sound, like the moaning 
 of a vast herd of buffaloes upon an American 
 prairie; and at the same moment I perceived 
 that what seamen term the chopping charac- 
 ter of the ocean beneath us was rapidly chang-' 
 ing into a current which set to the eastward. 
 
THE MAELSTROM 105 
 
 Even while I gazed, this current acquired a 
 monstrous velocity. Each moment added to 
 its speed, — to its headlong impetuosity. In 
 five minutes the whole sea, as far as Vurrgh, 
 was lashed into ungovernable fury; but it was 
 between Moskoe and the coast that the main 
 uproar held its swa3 7 . 
 
 Here the vast bed of the waters, seamed and 
 scarred into a thousand conflicting channels, 
 burst suddenly into frenzied convulsion, — 
 heaving, boiling, hissing, — gyrating in gigan- 
 tic and innumerable vortices, and all whirling 
 and plunging on to the eastward with a rapid- 
 ity which water never elsewhere assumes, ex- 
 cept in precipitous descents. 
 
 In a few minutes more, there came over the 
 scene another radical alteration. The general 
 surface grew somewhat more smooth, and the 
 whirlpools, one by one, disappeared, while 
 prodigious streaks of foam became apparent 
 where none had been seen before. These 
 streaks at length, spreading out to a great dis- 
 tance and entering into combination, took unto 
 themselves the gyratory motion of the subsided 
 vortices, and seemed to form the germ of an- 
 
106 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 other more vast. Suddenly — very suddenly — 
 this assumed a distinct and definite existence, 
 in a circle of more than a mile in diameter. 
 The edge of the whirl was represented by a 
 broad belt of gleaming spray; but no particle 
 of this slipped into the mouth of the terrific 
 funnel, whose interior, as far as the eye could 
 fathom it, was a smooth, shining, and jet- 
 black wall of water, inclined to the horizon at 
 an angle of some forty-five degrees, speeding 
 dizzily round and round with a swaying and 
 sweltering motion, and sending forth to the 
 winds an appalling voice, half shriek, half 
 roar, such as not even the mighty cataract of 
 Niagara ever lifts up in its agony to Heaven. 
 
 The mountain trembled to its very base, and 
 the rock rocked. I threw myself upon my 
 face, and clung to the scant herbage in an ex- 
 cess of nervous agitation. 
 
 "This," said I at length to the old man, — 
 "this can be nothing else than the great whirl- 
 pool of the Maelstrom." 
 
 "So it is sometimes termed," said he. "We 
 Norwegians call it the Moskoe-strom, from 
 the island of Moskoe in the midway." 
 
THE MAELSTROM 107 
 
 The ordinary accounts of this vortex had by 
 no means prepared me for what I saw. That 
 of Jonas Ramus, which is perhaps the most 
 circumstantial of any, cannot impart the faint- 
 est conception either of the magnificence or of 
 the horror of the scene, — or of the wild, be- 
 wildering sense of the novel, which confounds 
 the beholder. I am not sure from what point 
 of view the writer in question surveyed it, nor 
 at what time; but it could neither have been 
 from the summit of Helseggen, nor during a 
 storm. There are some passages of his de- 
 scription, nevertheless, which may be quoted 
 for their details, although their effect is ex- 
 ceedingly feeble in conveying an impression 
 of the spectacle. 
 
 "Between Lofoden and Moskoe," he says, 
 "the depth of the water is between thirty-six 
 and forty fathoms; but on the other side, to- 
 ward Ver (Vurrgh), this depth decreases so 
 as not to afford a convenient passage for a ves- 
 sel without the risk of splitting on the rocks, 
 which happens even in the calmest weather. 
 When it is flood, the stream runs up the coun- 
 try between Lofoden and Moskoe with a bois- 
 
108 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 terous rapidity; but the roar of its impetuous 
 ebb to the sea is scarce equaled by the loudest 
 and most dreadful cataracts, the noise being 
 heard several leagues off; and the vortices or 
 pits are of such an extent and depth that, if a 
 ship comes within its attraction, it is inevitably 
 absorbed and carried down to the bottom, and 
 there beat to pieces against the rocks; and 
 when the water relaxes, the fragments thereof 
 are thrown up again. But these intervals of 
 tranquility are only at the turn of the ebb and 
 flood, and in calm weather, and last but a quar- 
 ter of an hour, its violence gradually return- 
 ing. When the stream is most boisterous, and 
 its fury heightened by a storm, it is dangerous 
 to come within a Norway mile of it. Boats, 
 yachts, and ships have been carried away by 
 not guarding against it before they were 
 within its reach. It likewise happens fre- 
 quently that whales come too near the stream, 
 and are overpowered by its violence ; and then, 
 it is impossible to describe their howlings and 
 bellowings in their fruitless struggles to disen- 
 gage themselves. A bear once, attempting to 
 swim from Lofoden to Moskoe, was caught 
 
THE MAELSTROM 109 
 
 by the stream and borne down, while he roared 
 terribly, so as to be heard on shore. Large 
 stocks of firs and pine-trees, after being ab- 
 sorbed by the current, rise again broken and 
 torn to such a degree as if bristles grew upon 
 them. This plainly shows the bottom to con- 
 sist of craggy rocks, among which they are 
 whirled to and fro. This stream is regulated 
 by the flux and reflux of the sea, it being con- 
 stantly high and low water every six hours. 
 In the year 1645, early in the morning of Sexa- 
 gesittia Sunday, it raged with such noise and 
 impetuosity that the very stones of the houses 
 on the coast fell to the ground." 
 
 In regard to the depth of the water, I could 
 not see how this could have been ascertained 
 at all in the immediate vicinity of the vortex. 
 The "forty fathoms" must have reference only 
 to portions of the channel close upon the shore 
 either of Moskoe or Lofoden. The depth in 
 the centre of the Moskoe-strom must be im- 
 measurably greater; and no better proof of 
 this fact is necessary than can be obtained from 
 even the sidelong glance into the abyss of the 
 whirl which may be had from the highest 
 
no THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 crag of Helseggen. Looking down from this 
 pinnacle upon the howling Phlegethon below, 
 I could not help smiling at the simplicity with 
 which the honest Jonas Ramus records, as a 
 matter difficult of belief, the anecdotes of the 
 whales and the bears ; for it appeared to me, in 
 fact, a self-evident thing that the largest ships 
 of the line in existence, coming within the in- 
 fluence of that deadly attraction, could resist 
 it as little as a feather the hurricane, and must 
 disappear bodily and at once. 
 
 The attempts to account for the phenome- 
 non — some of which, I remember, seemed to 
 me sufficiently plausible in perusal — now wore 
 a very different and unsatisfactory aspect. 
 The idea generally received is that this, as well 
 as three smaller vortices among the Faroe is- 
 lands, "have no other cause than the collision 
 of waves rising and falling, at flux and re- 
 flux, against a ridge of rocks and shelves, 
 which confines the water so that it precipitates 
 itself like a cataract; and thus the higher the 
 flood rises, the deeper must the fall be, and the 
 natural result of all is a whirlpool or vortex, 
 the prodigious suction of which is sufficiently 
 
THE xMAELSTROM in 
 
 known by lesser experiments." These are the 
 words of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica." 
 Kircher and others imagine that in the centre 
 of the channel of the Maelstrom is an abyss 
 penetrating the globe, and issuing in some very 
 remote part, — the Gulf of Bothnia being some- 
 what decidedly named in one instance. This 
 opinion, idle in itself, was the one to which, as 
 I gazed, my imagination most readily as- 
 sented; and, mentioning it to the guide, I was 
 rather surprised to hear him say that although 
 it was the view almost universally entertained 
 of the subject by the Norwegians, it neverthe- 
 less was not his own. As to the former notion, 
 he confessed his inability to comprehend it; 
 and here I agreed with him — for, however 
 conclusive on paper, it becomes altogether un- 
 intelligible, and even absurd, amid the thun- 
 der of the abyss. 
 
 "You have had a good look at the whirl 
 now," said the old man, "and if you will creep 
 round this crag, so as to get in its lee, and 
 deaden the roar of the water, I will tell you 
 a story that will convince you I ought to know 
 something of the Moskoe-strom." 
 
ii2 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 I placed myself as desired, and he pro- 
 ceeded. 
 
 "Myself and my two brothers once owned a 
 schooner-rigged smack of about seventy tons' 
 burden, with which we were in the habit of 
 fishing among the islands beyond Moskoe, 
 nearly to Vurrgh. In all violent eddies at sea 
 there is good fishing, at proper opportunities, 
 if one has only the courage to attempt it; but 
 among the whole of the Lofoden coastmen we 
 three were the only ones who made a regular 
 business of going out to the islands, as I tell 
 you. The usual grounds are a great way lower 
 down to the southward. There fish can be got 
 at all hours, without much risk, and therefore 
 these places are preferred. The choice spots 
 over here among the rocks, however, not only 
 yield the finest variety, but in far greater 
 abundance ; so that we often got in a single day 
 what the more timid of the craft could not 
 scrape together in a week. In fact, we made 
 it a matter of desperate speculation — the risk 
 of life standing instead of labor, and courage 
 answering for capital. 
 
 "We kept the smack in a cove about five 
 
THE MAELSTROM 113 
 
 miles higher up the coast than this; and it was 
 our practice in fine weather to take advantage 
 of the fifteen minutes' slack to push across the 
 main channel of the Moskoe-strom, far above 
 the pool, and then drop down upon anchorage 
 somewhere near Otterholm or Sandflesen, 
 where the eddies are not so violent as else- 
 where. Here we used to remain until nearly 
 time for slack water again, when we weighed 
 and made for home. We never set out upon 
 this expedition without a steady side wind for 
 going and coming, — one that we felt sure 
 would not fail us before our return, — and we 
 seldom made a miscalculation upon this point. 
 Twice during six years we were forced to stay 
 all night at anchor on account of a dead calm, 
 which is a rare thing indeed just about here; 
 and once we had to remain on the grounds 
 nearly a week, starving to death, owing to a 
 gale which blew up shortly after our arrival, 
 and made the channel too boisterous to be 
 thought of. Upon this occasion we should 
 have been driven out to sea in spite of every- 
 thing (for the whirlpools threw us round and 
 round so violently that at length we fouled our 
 
ii 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 anchor and dragged it) if it had not been that 
 we drifted into one of the innumerable cross- 
 currents — that are here to-day and gone to- 
 morrow — which drove us under the lee of 
 Flimen, where, by good luck, we brought 
 up. 
 
 "I could not tell you the twentieth part of 
 the difficulties we encountered 'on the ground,' 
 — it is a bad spot to be in, even in good 
 weather, — but we made shift always to run the 
 gauntlet of the Moskoe-strom itself without 
 accident, although at times my heart has been 
 in my mouth when we happened to be a min- 
 ute or so behind or before the slack. The wind 
 sometimes was not as strong as we thought it 
 at starting, and then we made rather less way 
 than we could wish, while the current ren- 
 dered the smack unmanageable. My eldest 
 brother had a son eighteen years old, and I 
 had two stout boys of my own. These would 
 have been of great assistance at such times in 
 using the sweeps, as well as afterward in fish- 
 ing; but, somehow, although we ran the risk 
 ourselves, we had not the heart to let the young 
 ones get into the danger, for after all is said 
 
THE MAELSTROM 115 
 
 and done, it was a horrible danger, and that is 
 the truth. 
 
 "It is now within a few days of three years 
 since what I am going to tell you occurred. It 
 was on the tenth of July, 18 — , a day which 
 the people of this part of the world will never 
 forget, for it was one in which blew the most 
 terrible hurricane that ever came out of the 
 heavens. And yet all the morning, and in- 
 deed until late in the afternoon, there was a 
 gentle and steady breeze from the southwest, 
 while the sun shone brightly, so that the old- 
 est seaman among us could not have foreseen 
 what was to follow. 
 
 "The three of us — my two brothers and my- 
 self — had crossed over to the islands about two 
 o'clock, P. M., and soon nearly loaded the 
 smack with fine fish, which, we all remarked, 
 were more plenty that day than we had ever 
 known them. It was just seven by my watch 
 when we weighed and started for home, so as 
 to make the worst of the Strom at slack water, 
 which we knew would be at eight. 
 
 "We set out with a fresh wind on our star- 
 board quarter, and for some time spanked 
 
n6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 along at a great rate, never dreaming of dan- 
 ger, for indeed we saw not the slightest rea- 
 son to apprehend it. All at once we were 
 taken aback by a breeze from over Helseggen. 
 This was most unusual, — something that had 
 never happened to us before, — and I began to 
 feel a little uneasy, without exactly knowing 
 why. We put the boat on the wind, but could 
 make no headway at all for the eddies, and I 
 was upon the point of proposing to return to 
 the anchorage, when, looking astern, we saw 
 the whole horizon covered with a singular cop- 
 per-colored cloud that rose with the most 
 amazing velocity. 
 
 "In the meantime, the breeze that had 
 headed us off fell away, and we were dead be- 
 calmed, drifting about in every direction. 
 This state of things, however, did not last long 
 enough to give us time to think about it. In 
 less than a minute the storm was upon us; in 
 less than two the sky was entirely overcast; 
 and what with this and the driving spray, it 
 became suddenly so dark that we could not see 
 each other in the smack. 
 
 "Such a hurricane as then blew it is folly 
 
THE MAELSTROM 117 
 
 to attempt describing. The oldest seaman in 
 Norway never experienced anything like it. 
 We had cleverly let our sails go by the run be- 
 fore it took us; but, at the first puff, both our 
 masts went by the board as if they had been 
 sawed off, — the mainmast taking with it my 
 youngest brother, who had lashed himself to 
 it for safety. 
 
 "Our boat was the lightest feather of a thing 
 that ever sat upon water. It had a complete 
 flush deck, with only a small hatch near the 
 bow, and this hatch it had always been our cus- 
 tom to batten down when about to cross the 
 Strom, by way of precaution against the chop- 
 ping seas. But for this circumstance we 
 should have foundered at once, for we lay en- 
 tirely buried for some moments. How my 
 elder brother escaped destruction I cannot say, 
 for I never had an opportunity of ascertaining. 
 For my part, as soon as I had let the foresail 
 run, I threw myself flat on deck, with my feet 
 against the narrow gunwale of the bow, and 
 with my hands grasping a ring-bolt near the 
 foot of the foremast. It was mere instinct 
 that prompted me to do this, — which was un- 
 
u8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 doubtedly the very best thing I could have 
 done, — for I was too much flurried to think. 
 
 "For some moments we were completely 
 deluged, as I say, and all this time I held my 
 breath and clung to the bolt. When I could 
 stand it no longer I raised myself upon my 
 knees, still keeping hold with my hands, and 
 thus got my head clear. Presently our little 
 boat gave herself a shake, just as a dog does 
 in coming out of the water, and thus rid her- 
 self, in some measure, of the seas. I was now 
 trying to get the better of the stupor that had 
 come over me, and to collect my senses so as 
 to see what was to be done, when I felt some- 
 body grasp my arm. It was my elder brother, 
 and my heart leaped for joy, for I had made 
 sure that he was overboard; but the next mo- 
 ment all this joy was turned into horror, for 
 he put his mouth close to my ear and screamed 
 out the word 'Moskoe-strom/' 
 
 "No one ever will know what my feelings 
 were at that moment. I shook from head to 
 foot, as if I had had the most violent fit of 
 the ague. I knew what he meant by that one 
 word well enough, — I knew what he wished 
 
THE MAELSTROM 119 
 
 to make me understand. With the wind that 
 now drove us on, we were bound for the whirl 
 of the Strom, and nothing could save us! 
 
 "You perceive that, in crossing the Strom 
 channel, we always went a long way up above 
 the whirl, even in the calmest weather, and 
 then had to wait and watch carefully for the 
 slack; but now we were driving right upon 
 the pool itself, and in such a hurricane as this! 
 'To be sure,' I thought, Sve shall get there just 
 about the slack, — there is some little hope in 
 that,' — but in the next moment I cursed my- 
 self for being so great a fool as to dream of 
 hope at all. I knew well that we were doomed, 
 had we been ten times a ninety-gun ship. 
 
 "By this time the first fury of the tempest 
 had spent itself, or perhaps we did not feel it 
 so much as we scudded before it; but at all 
 events the seas, which at first had been kept 
 down by the wind and lay flat and frothing, 
 now got up into absolute mountains. A singu- 
 lar change, too, had come over the heavens. 
 Around in every direction it was still as black 
 as pitch, but nearly overhead there burst out, 
 all at once, a circular rift of clear sky, — as 
 
120 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 clear as I ever saw, and of a deep, bright blue, 
 — and through it there blazed forth the full 
 moon with a lustre that I never before knew 
 her to wear. She lit up everything about us 
 with the greatest distinctness — but, oh God, 
 what a scene it was to light up ! 
 
 "I now made one or two attempts to speak 
 to my brother, but, in some manner in which 
 I could not understand, the din had so in- 
 creased that I could not make him hear a sin- 
 gle word, although I screamed at the top of 
 my voice in his ear. Presently he shook his 
 head, looking as pale as death, and held up one 
 of his fingers, as if to say listen! 
 
 "At first I could not make out what he 
 meant, but soon a hideous thought flashed upon 
 me. I dragged my watch from its fob. It was 
 not going. I glanced at its face by the moon- 
 light, and then burst into tears as I flung it 
 far away into the ocean. It had run down at 
 seven o'clock! We were behind the time of 
 the slack, and the whirl of the Strom was in 
 full fury! 
 
 "When a boat is well built, properly 
 trimmed, and not deep-laden, the waves in a 
 
THE MAELSTROM 121 
 
 strong gale, when she is going large, seem al- 
 ways to slip from beneath her, — which ap- 
 pears very strange to a landsmen, — and this is 
 what is called riding, in sea phrase. 
 
 "Well, so far we had ridden the swells very 
 cleverly; but presently a gigantic sea hap- 
 pened to take us right under the counter, and 
 bore us with it as it rose — up — up — as if into 
 the sky. I would not have believed that any 
 wave could rise so high. And then down we 
 came with a sweep, a slide, and a plunge that 
 made me feel sick and dizzy, as if I was fall- 
 ing from some lofty mountain-top in a 
 dream. But while we were up I had thrown 
 a quick glance around, — and that one glance 
 was all-sufficient. I saw our exact position in 
 an instant. The Moskoe-strom whirlpool was 
 about a quarter of a mile dead ahead, but no 
 more like the every-day Moskoe-strom than 
 the whirl as you now see it is like a mill-race. 
 If I had not known where we were, and what 
 we had to expect, I should not have recognized 
 the place at all. As it was, I involuntarily 
 closed my eyes in horror. The lids clenched 
 themselves together as if in a spasm. 
 
122 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "It could not have been more than two min- 
 utes afterward until we suddenly felt the 
 waves subside, and were enveloped in foam. 
 The boat made a sharp half turn to larboard, 
 and then shot off in its new direction like a 
 thunderbolt. At the same moment the roar- 
 ing noise of the water was completely drowned 
 in a kind of shrill shriek, — such a sound as you 
 might imagine given out by the water-pipes 
 of many thousand steam-vessels letting off 
 their steam all together. We were now in the 
 belt of surf which always surrounds the whirl ; 
 and I thought, of course, that another moment 
 would plunge us into the abyss, down which 
 we could only see indistinctly on account of 
 the amazing velocity with which we were 
 borne along. The boat did not seem to sink 
 into the water at all, but to skim like an air- 
 bubble upon the surface of the surge. Her 
 starboard side was next the whirl, and on the 
 larboard arose the world of ocean we had 
 left. It stood like a huge writhing wall be- 
 tween us and the horizon. 
 
 "It may appear strange, but now, when we 
 were in the very jaws of the gulf, I felt more 
 
THE MAELSTROM 123 
 
 composed than when we were only approach- 
 ing it. Having made up my mind to hope no 
 more, I got rid of a great deal of that terror 
 which unmanned me at first. I suppose it was 
 despair that strung my nerves. 
 
 "It may look like boasting, but what I tell 
 you is truth, — I began to reflect how magnifi- 
 cent a thing it was to die in such a manner, 
 and how foolish it was in me to think of so 
 paltry a consideration as my own individual 
 life, in view of so wonderful a manifestation 
 of God's power. I do believe that I blushed 
 with shame when this idea crossed my mind. 
 After a little while I became possessed with 
 the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself. I 
 positively felt a wish to explore its depths, 
 even at the sacrifice I was going to make; and 
 my principal grief was that I should never be 
 able to tell my old companions on shore about 
 the mysteries I should see. These, no doubt, 
 were singular fancies to occupy a man's mind 
 in such extremity, and I have often thought 
 since that the revolutions of the boat around 
 the pool might have rendered me a little light- 
 headed. 
 
i2 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "There was another circumstance which 
 tended to restore my self-possession; and this 
 was the cessation of the wind, which could not 
 reach us in our present situation; for, as you 
 saw yourself, the belt of surf is considerably 
 lower than the general bed of the ocean, and 
 this latter now towered above us, a high, black, 
 mountainous ridge. If you have never been 
 at sea in a heavy gale, you can form no idea 
 of the confusion of mind occasioned by the 
 wind and spray together. They blind, deafen, 
 and strangle you, and take away all power of 
 action or reflection. But we were now, in a 
 great measure, rid of these annoyances, just as 
 death-condemned felons in prison are allowed 
 petty indulgences forbidden them while their 
 doom is yet uncertain. 
 
 "How often we made the circuit of the belt 
 it is impossible to say. We careened round 
 and round for perhaps an hour, flying rather 
 than floating, getting gradually more and more 
 into the middle of the surge, and then nearer 
 and nearer to its horrible inner edge. All this 
 time I had never let go of the ring-bolt. My 
 brother was at the stern, holding on to a small, 
 
THE MAELSTROM 125 
 
 empty water-cask which had been securely 
 lashed under the coop of the counter, and was 
 the only thing on deck that had not been swept 
 overboard when the gale first took us. As we 
 approached the brink of the pit he let go his 
 hold upon this and made for the ring, from 
 which, in the agony of his terror, he endeav- 
 ored to force my hands, as it was not large 
 enough to afford us both a secure grasp. I 
 never felt deeper grief than when I saw him 
 attempt this act, although I knew he was a 
 madman when he did it, — a raving maniac 
 through sheer fright. I did not care, however, 
 to contest the point with him. I knew it could 
 make no difference whether either of us held 
 on at all, so I let him have the bolt, and went 
 astern to the cask. This there was no great 
 difficulty in doing, for the smack flew round 
 steadily enough, and upon an even keel, — only 
 swaying to and fro with the immense sweeps 
 and swelters of the whirl. Scarcely had I se- 
 cured myself in my new position when we gave 
 a wild lurch to starboard, and rushed head- 
 long into the abyss. I muttered a hurried 
 prayer to God, and thought all was over. 
 
126 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "As I felt the sickening sweep of the de- 
 scent, I had instinctively tightened my hold 
 upon the barrel and closed my eyes. For some 
 seconds I dared not open them, — while I ex- 
 pected instant destruction, and I wondered 
 that I was not already in my death-struggles 
 with the water. But moment after moment 
 elapsed. I still lived. The sense of falling 
 had ceased; and the motion of the vessel 
 seemed much as it had been before, while in 
 the belt of foam, with the exception that she 
 now lay more along. I took courage and 
 looked once again upon the scene. 
 
 "Never shall I forget the sensations of awe, 
 horror, and admiration with which I gazed 
 about me. The boat appeared to be hanging, 
 as if by magic, midway down, upon the inte- 
 rior surface of a funnel vast in circumference, 
 prodigious in depth, and whose perfectly 
 smooth sides might have been mistaken for 
 ebony, but for the bewildering rapidity with 
 which they spun around, and for the gleaming 
 and ghastly radiance they shot forth, as the 
 rays of the full moon, from that circular rift 
 amid the clouds, which I have already de- 
 
THE MAELSTROM 127 
 
 sciibed, streamed in a flood of golden glory 
 along the black walls, and far away down into 
 the inmost recesses of the abyss. 
 
 "At first I was too much confused to ob- 
 serve anything accurately. The general burst 
 of terrific grandeur was all that I beheld. 
 When I recovered myself a little, however, my 
 gaze fell instinctively downward. In this di- 
 rection I was able to obtain an unobstructed 
 view, from the manner in which the smack 
 hung on the inclined surface of the pool. She 
 was quite upon an even keel, — that is to say, 
 her deck lay in a plane parallel with that of 
 the water; but this latter sloped at an angle of 
 more than forty-five degrees, so that we 
 seemed to be lying upon our beam ends. I 
 could not help observing, nevertheless, that I 
 had scarcely more difficulty in maintaining 
 my hold and footing in this situation than if 
 we had been upon a dead level; and this, I 
 suppose, was owing to the speed at which we 
 revolved. 
 
 ( 'The rays of the moon seemed to search the 
 very bottom of the profound gulf; but still I 
 could make out nothing distinctly, on account 
 
128 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 of a thick mist in which everything there was 
 enveloped, and over which there hung a mag- 
 nificent rainbow, like that narrow and totter- 
 ing bridge which Mussulmans say is the only 
 pathway between Time and Eternity. This 
 mist or spray was no doubt occasioned by the 
 clashing of the great walls of the funnel as they 
 all met together at the bottom ; but the yell that 
 went up to the heavens from out of that mist I 
 dare not attempt to describe. 
 
 "Our first slide into the abyss itself, from the 
 belt of foam above, had carried us to a great 
 distance down the slope; but our farther de- 
 scent was by no means proportionate. Round 
 and round we swept, — not with any uniform 
 movement, but in dizzying swings and jerks 
 that sent us sometimes nearly the complete cir- 
 cuit of the whirl. Our progress downward, at 
 each revolution, was slow but very percep- 
 tible. 
 
 "Looking about me upon the wide waste of 
 liquid ebony on which we were thus borne, I 
 perceived that our boat was not the only ob- 
 ject in the embrace of the whirl. Both above 
 and below us were visible fragments of vessels, 
 
THE MAELSTROM 129 
 
 large masses of building timber and trunks of 
 trees, with many smaller articles, such as 
 pieces of house furniture, broken boxes, bar- 
 rels, and staves. I have already described the 
 unnatural curiosity which had taken the place 
 of my original terrors. It appeared to grow 
 upon me as I drew nearer and nearer to my 
 dreadful doom. I now began to watch with a 
 strange interest the numerous things that 
 floated in our company. I must have been de- 
 lirious; for I even sought amusement in spec- 
 ulating upon the relative velocities of their 
 several descents toward the foam below. 
 'This fir-tree,' I found myself at one time say- 
 ing, 'will certainly be the next thing that takes 
 the awful plunge and disappears;' and then I 
 was disappointed to find that the wreck of a 
 Dutch merchant ship overtook it and went 
 down before. At length, after making several 
 guesses of this nature, and being deceived in 
 all, this fact — the fact of my invariable mis- 
 calculation — set me upon a train of reflection 
 that made my limbs tremble, and my heart 
 beat heavily once more. 
 
 "It was not a new terror that thus affected 
 
i 3 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 me, but the dawn of a more exciting hope. 
 This hope arose partly from memory, and 
 partly from present observation. I called to 
 mind the great variety of buoyant matter that 
 strewed the coast of Lofoden, having been ab- 
 sorbed and then thrown forth by the Moskoe- 
 strom. By far the greater number of the ar- 
 ticles were shattered in the most extraordi- 
 nary way, — so chafed and roughened as to 
 have the appearance of being stuck full of 
 splinters, — but then I distinctly recollected 
 that there were some of them which were not 
 disfigured at all. Now I could not account 
 for this difference except by supposing that 
 the roughened fragments were the only ones 
 which had been completely absorbed, — that 
 the others had entered the whirl at so late a 
 period of the tide, or from some reason had 
 descended so slowly after entering, that they 
 did not reach the bottom before the turn of 
 the flood came, or of the ebb, as the case might 
 be. I conceived it possible, in either instance, 
 that they might be thus whirled up again to 
 the level of the ocean without undergoing the 
 fate of those which had been drawn in more 
 
THE MAELSTROM 131 
 
 early or absorbed more rapidly. I made, 
 also, three important observations. The first 
 was, that, as a general rule, the larger the 
 bodies were, the more rapid their descent; 
 the second, that, between two masses of equal 
 extent, the one spherical and the other of any 
 other shape, the superiority in speed of de- 
 scent was with the sphere; the third, that be- 
 tween two masses of equal size, the one cylin- 
 drical and the other of any other shape, the 
 cylinder was absorbed the more slowly. Since 
 my escape, I have had several conversations 
 on this subject with an old schoolmaster of 
 the district; and it was from him that I 
 learned the use of the words 'cylinder' and 
 'sphere.' He explained to me — although I 
 have forgotten the explanation — how what I 
 observed was, in fact, the natural consequence 
 of the forms of the floating fragments, and 
 showed me how it happened that a cylinder 
 swimming in a vortex offered more resistance 
 to its suction, and was drawn in with greater 
 difficulty than an equally bulky body of any 
 form whatever. 
 
 "There was one startling circumstance 
 
132 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 which went a great way in enforcing these 
 observations, and rendering me anxious to 
 turn them to account, and this was that, at 
 every revolution, we passed something like a 
 barrel, or else the yard or the mast of a ves- 
 sel; while many of these things, which had 
 been on our level when I first opened my eyes 
 upon the wonders of the whirlpool, were now 
 high up above us, and seemed to have moved 
 but little from their original station. 
 
 "I no longer hesitated what to do. I re- 
 solved to lash myself securely to the water- 
 cask upon which I now held, to cut it loose 
 from the counter, and to throw myself with 
 it into the water. I attracted my brother's 
 attention by signs, pointed to the floating bar- 
 rels that came near us, and did everything in 
 my power to make him understand what I was 
 about to do. I thought at length that he com- 
 prehended my design; but, whether this was 
 the case or not, he shook his head despairingly, 
 and refused to move from his station by the 
 ring-bolt. It was impossible to reach him; the 
 emergency admitted of no delay; and so, with 
 a bitter struggle, I resigned him to his fate, 
 
THE MAELSTROM 133 
 
 fastened myself to the cask by means of the 
 lashings which secured it to the counter, and 
 precipitated myself with it into the sea, with- 
 out another moment's hesitation. 
 
 "The result was precisely what I had hoped 
 it might be. As it is myself who now tell 
 you this tale, — as you see that I did escape, 
 and as you are already in possession of the 
 mode in which this escape was effected, and 
 must therefore anticipate all that I have fur- 
 ther to say, — I will bring my story quickly to 
 conclusion. It might have been an hour, or 
 thereabout, after my quitting the smack, 
 when, having descended to a vast distance be- 
 neath me, it made three or four wild gyrations 
 in rapid succession, and, bearing my loved 
 brother with it, plunged headlong, at once 
 and forever, into the chaos of foam below. 
 The barrel to which I was attached sunk very 
 little farther than half the distance between 
 the bottom of the gulf and the spot at which 
 I leaped overboard, before a great change 
 took place in the character of the whirlpool. 
 The slope of the sides of the vast funnel be- 
 came momentarily less and less steep. The gy- 
 
134 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 rations of the whirl grew gradually less and 
 less violent. By degrees, the froth and the 
 rainbow disappeared, and the bottom of the 
 gulf seemed slowly to uprise. The sky was 
 clear, the winds had gone down, and the full 
 moon was setting radiantly in the west, when 
 I found myself on the surface of the ocean, 
 in full view of the shores of Lofoden, and 
 above the spot where the pool of the Moskoe- 
 strom had been. It was the hour of the slack, 
 but the sea still heaved in mountainous waves 
 from the effects of the hurricane. I was 
 borne violently into the channel of the Strom, 
 and in a few minutes was hurried down the 
 coast into the 'grounds' of the fishermen. A 
 boat picked me up — exhausted from fatigue 
 — and (now that the danger was removed) 
 speechless from the memory of its horror. 
 Those who drew me on board were my old 
 mates and daily companions, but they knew 
 me no more than they would have known a 
 traveler from the spirit-land. My hair, which 
 had been raven-black the day before, was as 
 white as you see it now. They say, too, that 
 the whole expression of my countenance had 
 
THE MAELSTROM 135 
 
 changed. I told them my story; they did not 
 believe it. I now tell it to you, and I can 
 scarcely expect you to put more faith in it 
 than did the merry fishermen of Lofoden." 
 
"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 
 
 In Trinity churchyard, New York, there is 
 a monument which is of especial interest to 
 all Americans, for beneath it lie the remains 
 of a brave naval officer, Captain James Law- 
 rence, who was mortally wounded in one of 
 the most desperate sea-fights of the war of 
 1812 — that between two frigates, the Chesa- 
 peake, of the United States Navy, and the 
 British ship, Shannon — which took place in 
 Boston harbor on the 1st of June, 18 13. 
 
 When war was declared, Captain Lawrence 
 commanded the Hornet, a sloop-of-war carry- 
 ing eighteen short thirty-two and two long 
 twelve-pounders. With this ship he won sev- 
 eral notable victories in South American wa- 
 ters, and as a reward Congress voted him a 
 gold medal (which he did not live to receive) , 
 and promoted him to the command of the fri- 
 gate Chesapeake. 
 
 136 
 
"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 137 
 
 The Chesapeake was not popular in the 
 navy, having achieved the reputation of being 
 unluckv, and Lawrence would not have se- 
 lected her had any choice been allowed him. 
 When he succeeded to the command she had a 
 mixed crew, most of them foreigners, and was, 
 besides, considerably undermanned. It was 
 difficult at this time to secure well-trained sea- 
 men, owing to the fact that so many were at- 
 tracted by the greater inducements offered by 
 privateersmen, and so he had much trouble in 
 getting together a sufficient number of ex- 
 perienced men. But at last a crew was gath- 
 ered, and arrangements were made to join the 
 Hornet in a raid on British ships bound for 
 Canada. 
 
 The port of Boston, where the Chesapeake 
 lay, was at this time being blockaded by a 
 British ship-of-the-line, and the frigate Shan- 
 non. The commander of the latter, Captain 
 Broke, was anxious to try his mettle against 
 Lawrence, of whose reputation as a fighter he 
 was well aware. Up to this time commanders 
 of the British navy had paid but scant atten- 
 tion to the adequate training of their gun 
 
138 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 crews, and this was a defect which Captain 
 Broke had worked hard to remedy on board 
 his ship. He had spent much energy in drill- 
 ing his men, and wished to test the result of 
 his endeavors against a worthy adversary. 
 
 He therefore persuaded the captain of the 
 larger ship to depart, feeling sure that Law- 
 rence would not hesitate to leave port if the 
 odds against him were anything like even. 
 And in this he judged rightly. Lawrence 
 was quite as eager as the Englishman, and he 
 immediately accepted what he took to be a 
 challenge. 
 
 In haste he got his men aboard, and as soon 
 as possible sail was set. In too great haste, 
 because his crew were for the most part un- 
 acquainted with the ship, or with their respec- 
 tive places. They did not know one another, 
 and they did not know their officers. It was 
 an act of youthful folly. Lawrence was only 
 thirty-two years of age, brave, indeed, but 
 reckless. It meant pitting the unprepared 
 against the prepared. 
 
 Wishing to impart to the men some of his 
 own ardor, Captain Lawrence told them of 
 
"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 139 
 
 the glory that would be theirs; of the joyous 
 reception which would be given them when 
 they returned to Boston victorious, and of the 
 prize money they would win. To defeat he 
 gave no thought. Thus he spoke to them as 
 they went down the harbor, but among the 
 crew, made up of various nationalities, there 
 was a lack of his own enthusiasm, and a dissat- 
 isfaction which his words did not remove. 
 
 The Chesapeake reached the mouth of the 
 harbor at ten minutes before six o'clock in the 
 afternoon; the Shannon was ready and wait- 
 ing for her, and at once the battle commenced. 
 The Shannon opened hostilities, and it was 
 soon seen that Captain Broke's efforts to teach 
 his gunners to shoot straight had not been 
 wasted. The sharpshooters in her tops did 
 deadly execution, and it became almost im- 
 possible to keep a man at the wheel. Within 
 five minutes Captain Lawrence was wounded, 
 although not dangerously, and Mr. Ludlow, 
 his first lieutenant, was mortally injured about 
 the same time. 
 
 The Chesapeake was living up to her un- 
 enviable reputation. The upper deck was 
 
i 4 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 swept almost clean of men; a quantity of am- 
 munition was exploded, doing deadly execu- 
 tion; the executive officer was mortally 
 wounded, and the ship, without a guiding 
 hand at the wheel, drifted so that she crashed 
 into the enemy, and was made fast by grap- 
 pling irons. 
 
 Her position was critical; the ships were 
 locked together, and Lawrence knew that 
 their only salvation was to carry the fight to 
 the very deck of the Shannon. He called for 
 boarders, but his voice was lost amid the roar 
 of cannon. It would, indeed, be an order im- 
 possible to carry out, because the crew of the 
 Chesapeake, were now doing their utmost to 
 repel boarders from the Shannon. 
 
 A second time Captain Lawrence was 
 wounded, and this time fatally. A musket 
 ball struck him in the abdomen, and he was 
 taken down to the cockpit. 
 
 But consciousness remained; while being 
 carried below, he noticed a gradual slacken- 
 ing in the firing, and called out: "Tell the 
 men to fire faster, and don't give up the ship! j 
 While I live the flag shall fly." 
 
"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP" 141 
 
 It was well for Captain Lawrence that he 
 now became delirious. Captain Broke himself 
 had led boarders to the deck of the Chesa- 
 peake, where for a short time the fighting was 
 fast and furious. It was soon over, but not 
 before Broke himself was very severely 
 wounded in the head. Had the crew of the 
 Chesapeake been composed entirely of Ameri- 
 can sailors, the result of the battle might have 
 been different. What Americans there were 
 fought with desperate courage, but in this 
 time of need they were deserted by the cow- 
 ardly foreigners, who rled to the hold. Their 
 officers were nearly all killed or wounded. In 
 less than twenty minutes from the firing of the 
 first gun, the battle was over, and the Ameri- 
 can flag hauled down. What greater lesson 
 than this could there be for preparedness? 
 
 But Captain Lawrence never knew that his 
 ship had struck. In his delirium he repeated 
 many times his last order : "Don't give up the 
 ship" an order which will never be forgotten, 
 and which, later on, was emblazoned on the 
 flag by Commodore Perry in the famous bat- 
 tle on Lake Erie. 
 
142 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 And not for some days did Captain Broke 
 know that he had won the victory, for he be- 
 came unconscious from his wound, from 
 which, however, he was fortunate enough to 
 recover later. 
 
 The Shannon took her prize to Halifax, 
 and there on July 5th, 1813, the hero died. 
 His body, and that of Lieutenant Ludlow, 
 were afterwards taken to New York, where 
 they were buried, with due honor, in Trin- 
 ity churchyard. Engraved upon the monu- 
 ment erected to the memory of Captain James 
 Lawrence may be read the words, which will 
 live forever: 
 
 "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP." 
 
A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 
 
 IT has often been a matter for considerable 
 surprise to me, that while the urban popula- 
 tion of Great Britain is periodically agitated 
 over the great sea-serpent question, sailors, as 
 a class, have very little to say on the subject. 
 During a considerable sea experience in all 
 classes of vessels, except men-of-war, and in 
 most positions, I have heard a fairly compre- 
 hensive catalogue of subjects brought under 
 dog-watch discussion; but the sea-serpent had 
 never, with my recollection, been one of 
 them. 
 
 The reason for this abstinence may vary a 
 great deal, but chief among them is — sailors, 
 as a class, "don't believe in no such pusson." 
 More than that, they do believe that the 
 mythical sea-serpent is "boombed" at certain 
 periods, in the lack of other subjects, which 
 
 143 
 
i 4 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 may not be far from the fact. But there is 
 also another reason, involving a disagreeable, 
 although strictly accurate statement. Sail- 
 ors are, again taken as a class, the least ob- 
 servant of men. They will talk by the hour 
 of trivialities about which they know nothing; 
 they will spin interminable "cuffers" of de- 
 baucheries ashore all over the world; pick to 
 pieces the reputation of all the officers with 
 whom they have ever sailed; but of the glo- 
 ries, marvels, and mysteries of the mighty 
 deep you will hear not a word. I can never 
 forget when on my first voyage, to the West 
 Indies, at the age of twelve, I was one night 
 smitten with awe and wonder at the sight of 
 a vast halo round the moon, some thirty or 
 forty degrees in diameter. Turning to the 
 man at the wheel, I asked him earnestly "what 
 that was." He looked up with an uninterested 
 eye for an instant in the direction of my finger, 
 then listlessly informed me, "That's what they 
 call a sarcle." For a long time I wondered 
 what he could mean, but it gradually dawned 
 upon me that it was his Norfolk pronuncia- 
 tion of the word circle. The definition was 
 
A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 145 
 
 a typical one, no worse than would be given 
 by the great majority of seamen of most of 
 the natural phenomena they witness daily. 
 Very few seamen could distinguish between 
 one whale and another of a different species, 
 or give an intelligible account of the most 
 ordinary and often-seen denizens of the sea. 
 Whalers are especially to be blamed for their 
 blindness. "Eyes and no Eyes; or the Art of 
 Seeing" has evidently been little heard of 
 among them. To this day I can conceive of 
 no more delightful journey for a naturalist to 
 make than a voyage in a southern whaler, 
 especially if he were allowed to examine at his 
 leisure such creatures as were caught. But on 
 board the Cachalot I could get no informa- 
 tion at all upon the habits of the strange crea- 
 tures we met with, except whales, and very 
 little about them. 
 
 I have before referred to the great mol- 
 luscs upon which the sperm whale feeds, por- 
 tions of which I so frequently saw ejected 
 from the stomach of dying whales. Great as 
 my curiosity naturally was to know more of 
 these immense organisms, all my inquiries on 
 
i 4 6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the subject were fruitless. These veterans of 
 the whale-fishery knew that the sperm whale 
 lived on big cuttle-fish; but they neither knew, 
 nor cared to know, anything more about these 
 marvellous molluscs. Yet, from the earliest 
 dawn of history, observant men have been 
 striving to learn something definite about the 
 marine monsters of which all old legends of 
 the sea have something to say. 
 
 It would at first sight appear strange that, 
 in view of the enormous traffic of steamships 
 through the Malacca Straits, so easily "gal- 
 lied" a creature as the cachalot should care to 
 frequent its waters; indeed, I should certainly 
 think that a great reduction in the numbers 
 of whales found there must have taken place. 
 But it must also be remembered, that in mod- 
 ern steam navigation certain well-defined 
 courses are laid down, which vessels follow 
 from point to point with hardly any devia- 
 tion therefrom, and that consequently little 
 disturbance of the sea by their panting pro- 
 pellers takes place, except upon these subma- 
 rine pathways; as, for instance, in the Red 
 Sea, where the examination of thousands of 
 
A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 147 
 
 log-books proved conclusively that, except 
 upon straight lines drawn from point to point 
 between Suez to Perim, the sea is practically 
 unused to-day. 
 
 The few Arab dhows and loitering survey- 
 ing ships hardly count in this connection, of 
 course. At any rate, we had not entered the 
 straits, but were cruising between Car Nico- 
 bar and Junkseylon, when we "met up" with 
 a full-grown cachalot, as ugly a customer as 
 one could wish. From nine a. m. till dusk 
 the battle raged — for I have often noticed that 
 unless you kill your whale pretty soon, he 
 gets so wary, as well as fierce, that you stand 
 a gaudy chance of being worn down your- 
 selves before you settle accounts with your ad- 
 versary. This affair certainly looked at one 
 time as if such would be the case with us; 
 but along about five p. m., to our great joy, we 
 got him killed. The ejected food was in 
 masses of enormous size, larger than any we 
 had yet seen on the voyage, some of them 
 being estimated to be of the size of our hatch 
 house, viz., 8 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet. The 
 whale having been secured alongside, all 
 
148 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 hands were sent below, as they were worn out 
 with the day's work. The third mate being 
 ill, I had been invested with the questionable 
 honour of standing his watch, on account of 
 my sea experience and growing favour with 
 the chief. Very bitterly did I resent the priv- 
 ilege at the time, I remember, being so tired 
 and sleepy that I knew not how to keep awake. 
 I did not imagine that anything would hap- 
 pen to make me prize that night's experience 
 for the rest of my life, or I should have taken 
 matters with a far better grace. 
 
 At about ii p. m. I was leaning over the 
 lee rail, gazing steadily at the bright surface 
 of the sea, where the intense radiance of the 
 tropical moon made a broad path like a pave- 
 ment of burnished silver. Eyes that saw not, 
 mind only confusedly conscious of my sur- 
 roundings, were mine; but suddenly I started 
 to my feet with an exclamation, and stared 
 with all my might at the strangest sight I ever 
 saw. There was a violent commotion in the 
 sea right where the moon's rays were con- 
 centrated, so great that, remembering our po- 
 sition, I was at first inclined to alarm all 
 
A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 149 
 
 hands; for I had often heard of volcanic 
 islands suddenly lifting their heads from the 
 depths below, or disappearing in a moment, 
 and, with Sumatra's chain of active volcanoes 
 so near, I felt doubtful indeed of what was 
 now happening. Getting the night-glasses 
 out of the cabin scuttle, where they were al- 
 ways hung in readiness, I focussed them on 
 the troubled spot, perfectly satisfied by a short 
 examination that neither volcano nor earth- 
 quake had anything to do with what was going 
 on; yet so vast were the forces engaged that 
 I might well have well been excused for my 
 first supposition. A very large sperm whale 
 was locked in deadly conflict with a scuttle- 
 fish, or squid, almost as large as himself, 
 whose interminable tentacles seemed to en- 
 lace the whole of his great body. The head 
 of the whale especially seemed a perfect net- 
 work of writhing arms — naturally, I suppose, 
 for it appeared as if the whale had the tail 
 part of the mollusc in his jaws, and, in a busi- 
 ness-like, methodical way, was sawing 
 through it. By the side of the black columnar 
 head of the whale appeared the head of a 
 
ISO THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 great squid, as awful an object as one could 
 well imagine even in a fevered dream. Judg- 
 ing as carefully as possible, I estimated it to 
 be at least as large as one of our pipes, which 
 contained three hundred and fifty gallons; but 
 it may have been, and probably was, a good 
 deal larger. The eyes were very remarkable 
 from their size and blackness, which con- 
 trasted with the livid whiteness of the head, 
 made their appearance all the more striking. 
 They were, at least, a foot in diameter, and, 
 seen under such conditions, looked decidedly 
 eerie and hobgoblin-like. All around the 
 combatants were numerous sharks, like jack- 
 als round a lion, ready to share the feast, and 
 apparently assisting in the destruction of the 
 huge cephalopod. So the titanic struggle 
 went on, in perfect silence as far as we were 
 concerned, because, even had there been any 
 noise, our distance from the scene of conflict 
 would not have permitted us to hear it. 
 
 Thinking that such a sight ought not to be 
 missed by the captain, I overcame my dread 
 of him sufficiently to call him, and tell him 
 of what was taking place. He met my re- 
 
A CONFLICT OF MONSTERS 151 
 
 marks with such a furious burst of anger at 
 my daring to disturb him for such a cause, that 
 I fled precipitately on deck again, having the 
 remainder of the vision to myself, for none of 
 the others cared sufficiently for such things 
 to lose five minutes' sleep in witnessing them. 
 The conflict ceased, the sea resumed its placid 
 calm, and nothing remained to tell of the fight 
 but a strong odor of fish, as of a bank of sea- 
 weed left by the tide in the blazing sun. Eight 
 bells struck, and I went to a troubled sleep, 
 wherein all the awful monsters that an over- 
 excited brain could conjure up pursued me 
 through the gloomy caves of ocean, or mocked 
 my pigmy efforts to escape. 
 
CAPTAIN KIDD 
 
 The earlier years of Captain Kidd's life were 
 spent in Greenock, Scotland, the town of his 
 birth. It is not strange that he should have 
 obeyed the call of the sea, even though his 
 father was a Covenanting Minister, who suf- 
 fered much from persecution, for he pos- 
 sessed a roving disposition, and in his boy- 
 hood days was much in the company of sail- 
 ors. For years he sailed the sea, and became 
 well and favorably known in New York, from 
 which port he sailed, and where he was mar- 
 ried. When England and France were at 
 war he saw much privateering service, and 
 gained such renown for his courage that in 
 the year 1691 the city of New York presented 
 him with £150! 
 
 In 1594, King William appointed Lord 
 Bellomont to be governor of New York. For 
 some years the Atlantic had been infested 
 
 152 
 
CAPTAIN KIDD 153 
 
 with pirates, who carried on their nefarious 
 trade from New York to the West Indies. 
 They became so bold that they would even 
 land at towns on the coast, and force the peo- 
 ple to pay tribute. The governor was given 
 instructions to use every effort to get rid of 
 these pests. 
 
 Before this time Lord Bellomont had been 
 governor of the Barbados, and there he had 
 met Kidd, who was then captain of a privateer 
 operating against the French in the West In- 
 dies. The governor must have been im- 
 pressed by Captain Kidd, for he requested 
 that he be given the command of a man- 
 of-war, with orders to wipe out the pi- 
 rates. 
 
 But the British government refused to do 
 this, so Lord Bellomont and some of his 
 friends formed a company, and fitted out a 
 ship, appointing Kidd as captain, and secur- 
 ing a King's commission giving him authority 
 to capture all pirates. 
 
 The prospect was not particularly inviting 
 to Kidd, but as England and France were 
 again at war, the governor also procured for 
 
154 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 him from the government a commission en- 
 titling him to seize any French ships he might 
 intercept. Kidd now accepted, and also in- 
 vested a considerable amount of his own 
 money in the enterprise. 
 
 It was known that the pirates, in their un- 
 holy profession, collected a great amount of 
 money and merchandise, and it was in order 
 to gather in these hoards for their own profit 
 that the company had been formed. 
 
 The Adventure, a ship of 287 tons and 
 mounting 30 guns, was purchased. With Cap- 
 tain Kidd in command, and a crew of eighty 
 men, she sailed from Plymouth Sound in 
 May, 1696, bound for New York. 
 
 Before reaching port, the Adventure cap- 
 tured several trading ships, which, as a com- 
 missioned privateer, Captain Kidd was le- 
 gally entitled to do. Having arrived at New 
 York, word was sent out to idle sailors that 
 special inducements were offered to ship 
 aboard the Adventure, and soon a crew of 
 more than one hundred and fifty signed. 
 
 The ship sailed late in 1696, manned by a 
 lot of rascals ready for any devility, who were 
 
CAPTAIN KIDD i$$ 
 
 attracted by the expectation of booty. They 
 crossed the Atlantic, bound for the Islands 
 of Madagascar, which was known to be a pi- 
 rate headquarters. 
 
 They sailed round the island, meeting with 
 little success. Theirs had been a long voy- 
 age, with practically no profit to show, and 
 the men were becoming restless. The ship 
 was in need of repairs and stores, and this 
 fact, coupled with the urging of many of his 
 crew, caused William Kidd to change from 
 privateer and pirate chaser to pirate, preying 
 upon his weaker brethren of the sea. 
 
 It must be understood that he had been sent 
 out for the profit of the syndicate he repre- 
 sented, and so far he had met with no success. 
 Not a pirate had he captured, and only one 
 French ship, from which but little was re- 
 alized. He became disheartened through his 
 ill-fortune, and needed but little persuasion 
 to sink to the level of those he sought. 
 
 He crossed the Indian ocean and came to 
 the coast of Malabar, where he took a small 
 Moorish vessel. He had now committed 
 himself definitely, and his course was clear. 
 
156 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 He pillaged wherever opportunity offered, 
 and the more successful he was, the more cruel 
 he became. 
 
 After a while the Adventure became un- 
 seaworthy, so he transferred his guns and 
 stores to the Queda, a ship he had captured. 
 He had now collected a large amount of 
 booty, which netted him about twenty-five 
 thousand pounds in cash, in addition to jewels 
 of considerable value, after dividing the spoil 
 with the crew. 
 
 For some reason, many of his men deserted 
 the ship, so with a crew of less than fifty he 
 headed for America, to make a report to 
 Lord Bellomont. When he reached the West 
 Indies, which was in the spring of 1699, he 
 was surprised to learn that the manner of his 
 misdoings was widely known. He saw that 
 it would be well for him to change the nature 
 of these reports, and with this in mind, he 
 made all haste to reach the governor, Lord 
 Bellomont, who, he thought, would protect 
 him. 
 
 He sold the Queda at Antigua and pur- 
 chased a swift sloop, in which he sailed to 
 
CAPTAIN KIDD 157 
 
 Oyster Bay, on Long Island Sound. Here he 
 is supposed to have hidden a large part of 
 his treasure. He then ventured to Boston, 
 where he arrived in July, two years after he 
 had begun his cruise in search of pirates. 
 
 When he arrived at Boston he was arrested 
 and confined in jail. Lord Bellomont re- 
 fused to set him free, or to intercede for him 
 with the government. He was afterwards 
 taken to London, together with six members 
 of his crew, who had gone to Boston with 
 him. The trial was held in the famous court 
 room at the Old Bailey, and all of them were 
 found guilty of piracy, and condemned to be 
 executed. The sentence was carried out on 
 the 23rd day of May, 1701. 
 
 There has been much speculation as to the 
 amount of treasure Captain Kidd brought 
 back to America with him. Doubtless, the 
 imagination of man has greatly enlarged it, 
 but that it was considerable there is no ques- 
 tion. It is known that his wife and the gov- 
 ernment received at least a part of it; for 
 the rest of his hoard many have sought, but 
 without success. 
 
158 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 William Kidd's career as a pirate was brief. 
 He was a man with brilliant prospects before 
 him, which he not only destroyed, but brought 
 himself to a terrible end through his lust for 
 gold. 
 
HONEST JOHN, PILOT OF THE 
 JERSEY 
 
 ONE beautiful morning in May, a good many 
 years ago, the passenger boat Jersey left Buf- 
 falo, New York, bound for Erie, Pennsylva- 
 nia. It was a balmy spring day, and the ship 
 was crowded with people who were taking 
 advantage of the fine weather. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon, and the boat 
 was due to reach her destination in about an 
 hour. Old John Maynard, one of the best 
 known and most popular pilots on the lake, 
 was at the wheel. He was a bluff old sailor, 
 who had sailed over every known sea. A ge- 
 nial, kind-hearted and generous man was 
 Honest John, as he was called. 
 
 They were about ten miles from land when 
 a thin spiral of smoke was observed coming 
 from below. The captain sent a sailor to see 
 
 159 
 
160 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 if anything were wrong, and the man quickly 
 returned with the news that there was a fire 
 in the hold. 
 
 The captain hastened down, and found that 
 the fire had made considerable headway. He 
 at once ordered passengers and sailors to the 
 deck, and formed them in two lines, so that 
 the hold could be reached on either side, and 
 soon buckets of water were being quickly 
 passed from hand to hand. There was no fire- 
 fighting apparatus on board, so this primi- 
 tive method had to be adopted. As soon as 
 a bucket was emptied, it was returned to those 
 whose part it was to refill it from the lake. 
 
 The efforts to quell the fire seemed to be 
 meeting with success. The flames were al- 
 most conquered when a gust of wind revived 
 them, and soon the blaze was more furious 
 than ever. The partition between the hold 
 and the saloon caught, and in a few minutes 
 the fire had eaten its way to the deck itself. 
 
 They were now about seven miles from 
 land, and with a full head of steam this could 
 be made in forty minutes. The vessel had 
 no boats on board, there being no law then 
 
HONEST JOHN 161 
 
 compelling ships engaged in lake traffic to 
 take this measure of safety for passengers and 
 crew. Their hope lay in what speed could 
 be made, and in the ability of the man at the 
 wheel. 
 
 The heat became intense, and the smoke 
 was suffocating, but John Maynard stuck to 
 his post at the helm, and between him and 
 the fore part of the ship was now a sheet of 
 flame and smoke which separated him from 
 the terrified passengers and crew, who had re- 
 treated to the bow. The fire had driven the 
 engineers from their station below; planks 
 to which the women and children might be 
 lashed were pulled from the deck, and men 
 were preparing to plunge into the water in an 
 effort to swim to shore. 
 
 The paddles were still working, and gradu- 
 ally they neared the shore. Their plight had 
 been discovered, and boats were put off to 
 render them assistance. They were now less 
 than two miles from land. 
 
 And what of John Maynard at the wheel? 
 The captain called to him: "John, can you 
 hold on for another five minutes?" 
 
1 62 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "I'll do my best, sir," replied John. 
 
 The flames were scorching, and the smoke 
 almost suffocated him. He knew that upon 
 him depended many human lives, and he de- 
 termined to stick to his post even though he 
 should lose his own. The very wheel he held 
 was attacked by the flames; his right hand 
 was burned to a cinder, but he bore the pain 
 with fortitude, and still held on with his left. 
 His hair was singed and his clothing burned 
 from his body, but he held on until he heard 
 the captain shout: "Women and children 
 first." He held on until he heard cheers, 
 which told him that the boats had reached the 
 burning ship. 
 
 Then the soul of this hero fled. Truly can 
 it be said of Honest John Maynard : "Greater 
 love hath no man than this, that he gave up 
 his life for others." 
 
"CASABIANCA" 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte was climbing to power 
 in France by directing her successful arms 
 against the world. He had beaten Germany, 
 and conquered Italy; he had threatened Eng- 
 land, and the dream was of the conquest of 
 the East. Like another Alexander, he hoped 
 to subdue Asia, and overthrow the hated Brit- 
 ish power by depriving it of India. Hitherto, 
 his dreams had become earnest by the force 
 of his marvellous genius, and by the ardour 
 which he breathed into the whole French na- 
 tion; and when he set sail from Toulon, with 
 40,000 tried and victorious soldiers and a 
 magnificent fleet, all were filled with vague 
 and unbounded expectations of almost fabu- 
 lous glories. He swept away, as it were, the 
 degenerate Knights of St. John from their 
 rock of Malta, and sailed for Alexandria 
 in Egypt in the latter end of June, 1798. 
 
 ?63 
 
1 64 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 His intentions had become known, and the 
 English Mediterranean fleet was watching 
 the course of this great armament. Sir Ho- 
 ratio was in pursuit, with the English ves- 
 sels, and wrote to the First Lord of the Ad- 
 miralty: "Be they bound to the Antipodes, 
 your lordship may rely that I will not lose a 
 moment in bringing them to action." 
 
 Nelson had, however, not ships enough 
 to detach any to reconnoitering, and he actu- 
 ally overpassed the French, whom he guessed 
 to be on the way to Egypt; he arrived at the 
 port of Alexandria on the 28th of June, and 
 saw its blue waters and flat coast lying still in 
 their sunny torpor, as if no enemy were on the 
 seas. Back he went to Syracuse, but could 
 learn no more there; he obtained provisions 
 with some difficulty, and then, in great anx- 
 iety, sailed for Greece, where at last, on the 
 28th of July, he learned that the French fleet 
 had been seen from Candia, steering to the 
 southeast, about four weeks since. In fact, it 
 had actually passed by him in a thick haze, 
 which concealed each fleet from the other, and 
 had arrived in port at Alexandria on the first 
 
"CASABIANCA" 165 
 
 day of July, just three days after he had 
 left it! 
 
 Every sail was set for the south, and at 
 four o'clock in the afternoon of the 1st of 
 August a very different sight was seen in 
 Aboukir Bay, so solitary a month ago. It was 
 crowded with shipping. Great castle-like 
 men-of-war rose with all their proud, calm 
 dignity out of the water, their dark portholes 
 opening in the white bands on their sides, and 
 the tricolored flag floating as their ensign. 
 There were thirteen ships of the line and four 
 frigates, and, of these, three were 80-gun 
 ships, and one, towering high above the rest, 
 with her three decks, was UOrient, of 120 
 guns. Look well at her, for there stands the 
 hero for whose sake we have chosen this and 
 no other of Nelson's glorious fights to place 
 among the setting of our Golden Deeds. 
 There he is, a little cadet de vaisseau, as the 
 French call a midshipman, only ten years old, 
 with a heart swelling between awe and exul- 
 tation at the prospect of his first battle; but, 
 fearless and glad, for is he not the son of the 
 brave Gasabianca, the flag-captain? And is 
 
1 66 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 not this Brueys' own ship, looking down in 
 scorn on the fourteen little English ships, not 
 one carrying more than 74 guns, and one 
 only 50? 
 
 Why Napoleon had kept the fleet there was 
 never known. In his usual way of disavowing 
 whatever turned out ill, he laid the blame 
 upon Admiral Bruey; but, though dead men 
 could not tell tales, his papers made it plain 
 that the ships had remained in obedience to 
 commands, though they had not been able to 
 enter the harbor of Alexandria. Large re- 
 wards had been offered to any pilot who 
 would take them in, but none could be found 
 who would venture to steer into that port a 
 vessel drawing more than twenty feet of wa- 
 ter. They had, therefore, remained at an- 
 chor outside, in Aboukir Bay, drawn up in 
 a curve along the deepest of the water, with 
 no room to pass them at either end, so that 
 the commissary of the fleet reported that they 
 could bid defiance to a force more than double 
 their number. The admiral believed that 
 Nelson had not ventured to attack him when 
 they had passed by one another a month be- 
 
"CASABIANCA" 167 
 
 fore, and when the English fleet was signalled, 
 he still supposed that it was too late in the 
 day for an attack to be made. 
 
 Nelson had, however, no sooner learned 
 that the French were in sight than he sig- 
 nalled from his ship, the Vanguard, that pre- 
 parations for battle should be made, and in 
 the meantime summoned his captains to re- 
 ceive his orders during a hurried meal. He 
 explained that, where there was room for a 
 large French ship to swing, there was room 
 for a small English one to anchor, and, there- 
 fore, he designed to bring his ships up to the 
 outer part of the French line, and station them 
 close below their adversaries; a plan that he 
 said Lord Hood had once designed, though he 
 had not carried it out. 
 
 Captain Berry was delighted, and ex- 
 claimed, "If we succeed, what will the world 
 say?" 
 
 "There is no if in the case," returned Nel- 
 son; "that we shall succeed is certain. Who 
 may live to tell the tale is a very different 
 question." 
 
 And when they rose and parted, he said, 
 
1 68 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "Before this time to-morrow I shall have 
 gained a peerage or Westminster Abbey." 
 
 In the fleet went, through a fierce storm 
 of shot and shell from a French battery in 
 an island in advance. Nelson's own ship, the 
 Vanguard, was the first to anchor within half- 
 pistol-shot of the third French ship, the Spar- 
 tlate. The Vanguard had six colors flying, 
 in case any should be shot away; and such was 
 the fire that was directed on her, that in a few 
 minutes every man at the six guns in her fore- 
 part was killed or wounded, and this hap- 
 pened three times. Nelson himself received 
 a wound in the head, which was thought at 
 first to be mortal, but which proved but slight. 
 He would not allow the surgeon to leave the 
 sailors to attend to him till it came to his turn. 
 
 Meantime his ships were doing their work 
 gloriously. The Bellerophon was, indeed, 
 overpowered by L'Orient, 200 of her crew 
 killed, and all her masts and cables shot away, 
 so that she drifted away as night came on ; but 
 the Swiftsure came up in her place, and the 
 Alexander and Leander both poured in their 
 shot. Admiral Brueys received three wounds, 
 
"CASABIANCA" 169 
 
 but would not quit his post, and at length a 
 fourth shot almost cut him in two. He de- 
 sired not to be carried below, but that he 
 might die on deck. 
 
 About nine o'clock the ship took fire, and 
 blazed up with fearful brightness, lighting up 
 the whole bay, and showing five French ships 
 with their colors hauled down, the others 
 still fighting on. Nelson himself rose and 
 came on deck when this fearful glow came 
 shining from sea and sky into his cabin; and 
 gave orders that the English boats should im- 
 mediately be put off for L'Orient, to save as 
 many lives as possible. 
 
 The English sailors rowed up to the burn- 
 ing ship which they had lately been attack- 
 ing. The French officers listened to the offer 
 of safety, and called to the little favorite of 
 the ship, the captain's son, to come with them. 
 "No," said the boy, "he was where his father 
 had stationed him, and bidden him not to 
 move save at his call." They told him his 
 father's voice would never call him again, for 
 he lay senseless and mortally wounded on the 
 deck, and that the ship must presently blow 
 
170 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 up. "No," said the brave child, "he must 
 obey his father." The moment allowed no 
 delay — the boat put off. The flames showed 
 all that passed in a quivering glare more in- 
 tense than daylight, and the little fellow was 
 then seen on deck, leaning over the prostrate 
 figure, and presently tying it to one of the 
 spars of the shivered masts. 
 
 Just then a thundering explosion shook 
 down to the very hold every ship in the har- 
 bor, and burning fragments of UOrient 
 came falling far and wide, splashing heavily 
 into the water, in the dead awful stillness that 
 followed the fearful sound. English boats 
 were plying busily about, picking up those 
 who had leapt overboard in time. Some were 
 dragged in through the lower port-holes of. 
 the English ships, and about seventy were 
 saved altogether. For one moment a boat's 
 crew had sight of a helpless figure bound to 
 a spar, and guided by a little childish swim- 
 mer, who must have gone overboard with his 
 precious freight just before the explosion. 
 They rode after the brave little fellow, ear- 
 nestly desiring to save him, but in darkness, 
 
"CASABIANCA" 171 
 
 in smoke, in lurid uncertain light, amid hosts 
 of drowning wretches, they lost sight of him 
 again. 
 
 By sunrise the victory was complete. Nay, 
 as Nelson said, "It was not a victory, but a 
 conquest." Only four French ships escaped, 
 and Napoleon and his army were cut off from 
 home. These are the glories of the English 
 navy, gained by men with hearts as true and 
 obedient as that of the brave child they had 
 tried in vain to save. Yet still, while giving 
 the full meed of thankful, sympathetic honor 
 to the noble sailors, we cannot but feel that 
 the Golden Deed of Aboukir Bay fell to — 
 
 "That young faithful heart." 
 
 The boy stood on the burning deck, 
 
 Whence all but him had fled; 
 The flame that lit the battle's wreck, 
 
 Shone round him o'er the dead. 
 
 Yet beautiful and bright he stood, 
 
 As born to rule the storm; 
 A creature of heroic blood, 
 
 A proud though childlike form. 
 
172 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The flames rolled on — he would not go 
 
 Without his father's word; 
 That father, faint in death below, 
 
 His voice no longer heard. 
 
 He called aloud — "Say, father, say 
 
 If yet my task be done!" 
 He knew not that the chieftain lay 
 
 Unconscious of his son. 
 
 "Speak, father!" once again he cried, 
 
 "If I may yet be gone!" 
 And but the booming shots replied, 
 
 And fast the flames rolled on. 
 
 Upon his brow he felt their breath, 
 
 And in his waving hair; 
 And looked from that lone post of death, 
 
 In still, yet brave despair. 
 
 And shouted but once more aloud, 
 
 "My father! must I stay?" 
 While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud, 
 
 The wreathing fires made way. 
 
"CASABIANCA" 17; 
 
 They wrapt the ship in splendour wild, 
 They caught the flag on high, 
 And streamed above the gallant child, 
 Like banners in the sky. 
 
 There came a burst of thunder sound — 
 
 The boy — oh! where was he? 
 Ask of the winds that far around 
 
 With fragments strewed the sea. 
 
 With mast, and helm, and pennon fair, 
 That well had borne their part; 
 
 But the noblest thing that perished there 
 Was that young faithful heart. 
 
 — Felicia Dorothea Hemans. 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 
 
 PART I 
 
 The Susannah was a fine brig, of about three 
 hundred tons' burden. She had a raised poop, 
 but no top-gallant forecastle, so the crew were 
 berthed in the forepeak, in the very nose, as 
 it were, of the vessel. I had engaged to serve 
 as a boy before the mast. Indeed, perfectly 
 unknown as I was, with slight pretensions to 
 a knowledge of seamanship, I could not hope 
 to obtain any other berth. 
 
 The crew were composed of about equal 
 numbers of Americans — that is, subjects of 
 the United States — and of Englishmen, with 
 two blacks and a mulatto, a Spaniard, and a 
 Portuguese. The first officer, Mr. Dobree, 
 was a great dandy, and evidently considered 
 himself much too good for his post; while the 
 
 174 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 175 
 
 second mate, Mr. Jones, was a rough and 
 ready seaman, thoroughly up to his work. 
 
 I was welcomed by my new shipmates in the 
 fore-peak with many rough but no unkind 
 jokes; and as I had many stories to tell of my 
 adventures in the backwoods, before we 
 turned in for the night I had made myself 
 quite at home with them. 
 
 At daybreak on the next morning all hands 
 were roused out to weigh anchor. The sec- 
 ond mate's voice had scarcely done sounding 
 in my ear before I was on deck, and with the 
 rest running round between the capstan-bars. 
 "Loose the top-sails," next sang out the cap- 
 tain. I sprung aloft to aid in executing the 
 order. Though a young seaman may not have 
 knowledge, he may, at all events, exhibit ac- 
 tivity in obeying orders, and thus gain his 
 superior's approbation. The anchor was 
 quickly run up to the bows, the top-sails were 
 sheeted home, and with a light breeze from 
 the northward, we stood towards the mouth 
 of the Mississippi. 
 
 As we passed close to the spot where, on the 
 previous day, the Foam lay at anchor, I 
 
176 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 looked for her. She was nowhere to be seen. 
 She must have got under weigh and put to 
 sea at night. "She's gone, Peter, you ob- 
 serve," remarked Captain Searle, as some 
 piece of duty called me near him. "I am glad 
 you are not on board her; and I hope neither 
 you nor I may ever fall in with her again." 
 From New Orleans to Belize, at the mouth 
 of the Mississippi, is about one hundred miles, 
 and this distance, with the aid of the current 
 and a favourable breeze, we accomplished by 
 dusk, when we prepared once more to breast 
 old ocean's waves. These last hundred miles 
 of the father of rivers were very uninterest- 
 ing, the banks being low, swampy, and dis- 
 mal in the extreme, pregnant with ague and 
 fevers. Although I rejoiced to be on the free 
 ocean, I could scarcely help feeling regret at 
 leaving, probably forever, the noble stream on 
 whose bosom I had so long floated — on whose 
 swelling and forest-shaded banks I had trav- 
 elled so far — whom I had seen in its infancy, 
 if an infant it may ever be considered, in 
 its proud manhood, and now at the termina- 
 tion of its mighty course. 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 177 
 
 These thoughts quickly vanished, however, 
 as I felt the lively vessel lift to the swelling 
 wave, and smelt the salt pure breeze from 
 off the sea. Though the sea-breeze was very 
 reviving after the hot pestilential air of New 
 Orleans, yet as it came directly in our teeth, 
 our captain wished it from some other quar- 
 ter. We were enabled, however, to work off 
 the shore, and as during the night the land- 
 breeze came pretty strong, by daybreak the 
 next morning we were fairly at sea. 
 
 Before the sun had got us the wind had 
 gone down, and it soon became what seamen 
 call a flat calm. The sea, as the hot rays of 
 the sun shone on it, was, as it were, like molten 
 lead; the sails flapped lazily against the mast; 
 the brig's sides, as she every now and then 
 gave an unwilling roll, threw off with a loud 
 splash the bright drops of water which they 
 lapped up from the imperceptibly heaving 
 bosom of the deep. The hot sun struck down 
 on our heads with terrific force, while the 
 pitch bubbled up out of the seams of the deck; 
 and Bill Tasker, the wit of the crew, declared 
 he could hear it squeak into the bargain. An 
 
178 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 awning was spread over the deck in some way 
 to shelter us, or we should have been roasted 
 alive. Bill, to prove the excess of the heat, 
 fried a slice of salt junk on a piece of tin, 
 and, peppering it well, declared it was deli- 
 cious. The only person who seemed not only 
 not to suffer from the heat, but to enjoy it, was 
 the black cook, and he, while not employed 
 in his culinary operation, spent the best part 
 of the day basking on the bowsprit-end. 
 
 The crew were engaged in their usual oc- 
 cupation of knotting yarns, making sinnit, etc., 
 while the aforesaid Bill Tasker was instruct- 
 ing me — for whom he had taken a special 
 fancy — in the mysteries of knotting and splic- 
 ing; but we all of us, in spite of ourselves, 
 went about our work in a listless, careless way, 
 nor had the officers sufficient energy to make 
 us more lively. Certainly it was hot. There 
 had been no sail in sight that I know of all 
 the day, when, as I by chance happened to 
 cast my eyes over the bulwarks, they fell on 
 the topsails of a schooner, just rising above 
 the line of the horizon. 
 
 "A sail on the starboard bow!" I sung out 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 179 
 
 to the man who was nominally keeping a look- 
 out forward. He reported the same to the 
 first mate. 
 
 "Where away is she?" I heard the captain 
 enquire, as he came directly afterwards on 
 deck. 
 
 "To the southward, sir; she seems to be 
 creeping up towards us with a breeze of some 
 sort or other," answered Mr. Dobree. "Here, 
 lad," he continued, beckoning to me, "go aloft, 
 and see what you can make of her; your eyes 
 are as sharp as any on board, if I mistake not, 
 and a little running will do you no harm." 
 
 I was soon at the masthead, and in two 
 minutes returned, and reported her to be a 
 large topsail schooner, heading north-north- 
 east, with the wind about southeast. 
 
 "I can't help thinking, sir, from her look, 
 that this is the same craft that was lying off 
 New Orleans two days ago," I added, touch- 
 ing my hat to the captain. I don't remember 
 exactly what made me suppose this, but such 
 I know was my idea at the time. 
 
 "What, your friend Captain Hawk's craft, 
 the Foam, you mean, I suppose," he observed. 
 
180 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "But how can that be? She was bound to 
 Havannah, and this vessel is standing away 
 from it." 
 
 "I can't say positively, sir; but if you would 
 take the glass and have a look at her, I don't 
 think you would say she is very unlike her, at 
 all events," I replied. 
 
 "It's very extraordinary if such is the case," 
 said the captain, looking rather more as if he 
 thought I might be right than before. 
 
 "Give me the glass, and I'll judge for my- 
 self; though it's impossible to say for a cer- 
 tainty what she may be at this distance." Say- 
 ing this, he took the telescope and, in spite of 
 the heat, went aloft. 
 
 When he came down again I observed that 
 he looked graver than usual. He instantly 
 gave orders to furl the awning, and to be 
 ready to make sail as soon as the breeze should 
 reach us. "The youngster is right, Mr. Do- 
 bree," he said, turning to the mate, and prob- 
 ably not aware that I overheard him. 
 
 "It's that piccarooning craft, the Foam; 
 and Mr. Hawk, as he calls himself, is after 
 some of his old tricks. I had my suspicions 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 181 
 
 of him when I saw him off New Orleans; but 
 I did not think he would venture to attack us." 
 
 "He's bold enough to attack any one, sir," 
 said the mate; "but we flatter ourselves that 
 we shall be able to give a very good account 
 of him, if he begins to play off any of his 
 tricks on us." 
 
 "We'll do our best, Mr. Dobree," said the 
 captain; "for if we do not, we shall have but 
 a Flemish account to render of our cargo, let 
 alone our lives." 
 
 I do not know if I before stated that the 
 Susannah carried four guns — two long and 
 two carronades; and as we had a supply of 
 small arms and cutlasses, we were tolerably 
 able to defend ourselves. 
 
 The captain walked the deck for some time 
 in silence, during which period the stranger 
 had perceptibly approached us. He then 
 again went aloft, and scrutinised her atten- 
 tively. On coming down he stopped at the 
 break of the poop, and, waving his hand, let 
 us know that he wished to address us: "My 
 lads," he began, "I don't altogether like the 
 look of that fellow out yonder, who has been 
 
182 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 taking so much pains to get up to us. He may 
 be honest, but I tell you I don't think so; and 
 if he attempts to molest us, I'm sure you'll 
 one and all do your duty in defending the brig 
 and the property on board her entrusted to 
 you. I need not tell you that pirates gen- 
 erally trust to the saying, that dead men tell 
 no tales; and that, if that fellow is one, and 
 gets the better of us, our lives won't be worth 
 much to any of us." 
 
 "Don't fear for us, sir; we're ready for him, 
 whatever he may be," sung out the whole crew 
 with one voice. 
 
 The stranger brought along the breeze with 
 him, but as yet our sails had not felt a par- 
 ticle of its influence. At length, when he was 
 little more than a mile off, a few cat's paws 
 were seen playing on the water; they came 
 and vanished again as rapidly, and the sea 
 was soon as before. In time they came oftener 
 and with more power; and at length our top- 
 sails and top-gallant sails were seen slowly to 
 bulge out as the steadier breeze filled them. 
 
 The wind came, as I have said, from the 
 southeast, which was directly in our teeth in 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 183 
 
 our proper course to Havannah. The stranger 
 had thus the weather-guage of us, and a glance 
 at the map will show that we were completely 
 embayed, as we had stood to the eastward, 
 and we should have run on the Florida coast, 
 while on the other tack we must have run 
 right down to meet him. We might possi- 
 sibly reach some port; but the probabili- 
 ties were that he might overtake us before 
 we could do so, and the appearance of fear 
 would encourage him to follow us. We had 
 therefore only the choice of running back to 
 Belize, or of fighting our way onward. Cap- 
 tain Searle decided on the latter alternative; 
 and bracing the yards sharply upon the star- 
 board tack, we stood to the eastward, intend- 
 ing, whatever course the stranger pursued, to 
 go about again at the proper time. 
 
 The schooner, on seeing this, also closely 
 hugged the wind and stood after us. There 
 could now be no longer any doubt about his 
 intentions. We, however, showed the stars 
 and stripes of the United States, but he hoisted 
 no ensign in return. It was very soon evi- 
 dent that he sailed faster than we did, and 
 
184 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 he was then coming rapidly within range of 
 our guns. Our captain ordered us, however, 
 on no account to fire, unless we were struck, 
 as he was unwilling to sacrifice the lives of 
 any one unnecessarily, even of our enemies. 
 
 Every stitch of canvas the brig could carry 
 was cracked on her: all would not do. The 
 stranger walked up to us hand over hand. 
 Seeing that there was not the slightest chance 
 of escaping by flight, Captain Searle ordered 
 the foresail and top-gallant sails to be clewed 
 up, and under our topsails and fore-and-aft 
 sails resolved to wait the coming up of the 
 enemy, if such the stranger might prove. 
 
 On came the schooner, without firing or 
 showing any unfriendly disposition. As she 
 drew near, I felt more and more convinced 
 that she must be the Foam. She had a pecu- 
 liarly long cut-water and a very straight 
 sheer, which, as she came up to the windward 
 of us and presented nearly her broadside, was 
 discernible. As she heeled over to the now 
 freshening breeze, I fancied that I could even 
 discern, through the glass, Captain Hawk 
 walking the quarter-deck. When she got 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 185 
 
 about a quarter of a mile to windward of us 
 she hove to and lowered a boat, into which 
 several people jumped and pulled towards 
 us. At the same time up went the Spanish 
 ensign at her peak. 
 
 Captain Searle looked puzzled. "I cannot 
 make it out, Dobree," he observed. "I still 
 doubt if that fellow is honest, and am half 
 inclined to make sail again, and while he 
 bears down to pick up his boat we may get to 
 windward of him." 
 
 "If he isn't honest, he'll not trouble himself 
 about his boat, but will try to run alongside 
 us, and let her come up when she can," an- 
 swered the mate. "There is no trusting to 
 what such craft as that fellow may do." 
 
 "Oh, we'll take care he does not play off 
 any tricks upon us," said the captain; and we 
 waited the approach of the boat. 
 
 As she drew near, she was seen to contain 
 eight men. Four were pulling, one sat in the 
 bow, and the other in the stern-sheets. If 
 they were armed, it could not be discovered. 
 When they got within hail, the captain asked 
 them what they wanted? 
 
1 86 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 They pointed to their mouths, and one an- 
 swered in Spanish, "Aqua, aqua, por amor de 
 Dios." 
 
 "They want water, sir, they say," observed 
 the first mate, who prided himself on his 
 knowledge of Spanish. 
 
 "That's the reason, then, that they were in 
 such a hurry to speak to us," said the captain. 
 "But still, does it not strike you as odd that a 
 vessel should be in want of water in these 
 seas?" 
 
 "Her water-butts might have leaked out, 
 and some of these Spanish gentry, sir, are 
 very careless about taking enough water to 
 sea," replied the mate, who was biassed by 
 the pleasure he anticipated of being able to 
 sport his Spanish. 
 
 "Get a water-cask up on deck, and we'll 
 have it ready to give these fellows, whatever 
 they may be," said our humane captain. 
 "Have some pannikins ready to serve it out 
 to them. Thirst is a dreadful thing, and one 
 would not keep a fellow-creature in that state 
 a moment longer than one could help." 
 
 I do not know what the second mate 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 187 
 
 thought of the strangers, but I remember sev- 
 eral of the crew saying that they did not like 
 their looks; and I saw him place a cutlass 
 close to the gun nearest the starboard gang- 
 way, while he kept eyeing them in no very 
 affectionate manner. Notwithstanding the 
 heat of the weather, the men in the stern- 
 sheets wore cloaks. On observing this, Bill 
 Tasker said he supposed it was to hide the 
 shabby jackets they wore under them. The 
 other men were dressed in blue shirts, and 
 their sleeves rolled up to the shoulder, with 
 the red sash usually worn by Spaniards round 
 their waist, in which was stuck the deadly 
 Cuchillo, or cut-and-thrust knife, in a sheath, 
 carried by most Lusitanian and Iberian sea- 
 men, and their descendants of the New 
 World. 
 
 They pulled up at once alongside, ana* be- 
 fore any one attempted to stop them they had 
 hooked on, the man in the bows climbing up 
 on deck, followed by his companions in cloaks, 
 and two of the seamen. The other two re- 
 mained in the boat, pointing at their mouths, 
 as a sign that they wanted water. 
 
188 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Seamen, from the sufferings and dangers 
 to which they were exposed, are proverbially 
 kind to those in distress. Our men, there- 
 fore, seemed to vie with each other who 
 should first hold the pannikins of water to 
 the mouths of the strangers, while a tub, with 
 the fluid, was also lowered into the boat along- 
 side. They eagerly rushed at the water, and 
 drank up all that was offered them, but I 
 could not help remarking that they did not 
 look like men suffering from thirst. How- 
 ever, a most extraordinary effect was pro- 
 duced on two of them, for they fell down on 
 the deck, as if in intense agony. This drew 
 the attention of all hands on them; and as we 
 had no surgeon on board, the captain began 
 to ransack his medical knowledge to find rem- 
 edies for them. 
 
 While he was turning over the pages of 
 his medical guide to find some similar case 
 of illness and its remedy described, the 
 schooner was edging down towards us. As she 
 approached, I observed only a few men on 
 board; and they, as the people in the boat had 
 done, were pointing at their mouths, as if 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 189 
 
 they were suffering from the want of water. 
 I think I said that there were some sails, 
 and two or three cloaks, apparently thrown 
 by chance, in the bottom of the boat. While 
 all hands were engaged in attending to the 
 strangers, and for some minutes no one had 
 looked towards the schooner; on a sudden I 
 heard a loud grating sound — there was the 
 wild triumphant cry of a hundred fierce 
 voices. The seemingly exhausted men leaped 
 to their feet — the helmsman and our captain 
 lay prostrate by blows dealt by our treacher- 
 ous foes — the second mate and several of the 
 men were knocked down; and before any of 
 us had time to attempt even any defence of 
 the brig, a set of desperadoes, of all colours 
 and nations, were swarming down on her 
 decks from the rigging of the schooner; while 
 others who had been concealed in the boats 
 sprang on board on the lee side. Never was 
 a surprise more complete, or treachery more 
 vile. In an instant we were helplessly in the 
 power of as lawless a band of pirates as ever 
 infested those seas. The captain and mates 
 were first pinioned — the men were sharing 
 
190 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the same treatment. I was at the time for- 
 ward, when, on looking aft, who should I see 
 but Captain Hawk himself, walking the deck 
 of the brig as if he were her rightful com- 
 mander. He took off his hat with mock cour- 
 tesy to poor Captain Searle, as he passed him. 
 "Ah! my dear sir, the fortune of war makes 
 you my prisoner today," he said, in a sneering 
 tone; "another day, if my people do not insist 
 on your walking the plank, you may hope, 
 perhaps, to have the satisfaction of behold- 
 ing me dangling at a yard-arm. By the bye, 
 I owe you this turn; for you shipped on board 
 your craft a lad who had engaged to sail with 
 me, and I must have him forthwith back 
 again, with a few other articles of your cargo 
 which I happen to require." As he said this, 
 his eye fell on me, and he beckoned me 
 towards him. I saw that there was no use 
 hanging back, so I boldly advanced. "You 
 are a pretty fellow to desert your colours," 
 he continued, laughing. "You deserve to be 
 treated as a deserter. However, I will have 
 compassion on your youth, if you will swear 
 to be faithful to me in the future." 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 191 
 
 "I never joined your vessel, so I am not a 
 deserter. I cannot swear to serve a man of 
 whose character I know nothing, except that 
 he has taken forcible possession of a peace- 
 ful trader." I said this without hesitation or 
 the least sign of fear. The truth is, I felt too 
 desperate to allow myself to consider what I 
 said or did. 
 
 "You are a brave young bantam," he an- 
 swered, laughingly. "And though all the rest 
 may hang or walk the plank, we will save you 
 to afford us sport, so set your mind at rest." 
 
 "Thank you for my life; for I've no wish to 
 lose it, I can assure you," I replied; "but don't 
 suppose I am going to spend it in your service. 
 I shall do my best to get away from you as 
 soon as possible." 
 
 "Then we must tie you to the leg," he an- 
 swered, without at all appearing angry. 
 "Here, Mark Anthony," — he beckoned to a 
 tall, ill-looking black who had been busy in 
 securing the rest of the crew, — "take charge 
 of this youngster, and render an account of 
 him to me by and by, without a hair of his 
 head injured, mind you." 
 
192 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "Yes, sare," said the Roman general, who 
 I afterwards found was a runaway slave from 
 Kentucky. "I'll not singe his whiskers, even. 
 Come here, Massa." And seizing me by the 
 shoulder he dragged me forward away from 
 the rest of the people. "What's your name?" 
 asked my black keeper as he made me sit 
 down on the bits of the bowsprit. 
 
 "Peter, at your service, Mr. Mark An- 
 thony," said I in as fearless a voice as I could 
 command; for having once taken a line of 
 conduct which seemed to answer well, I de- 
 termined to persevere in it. 
 
 "Den, Massa Peter, you sit dere quiet," he 
 said with a grin. "I no break your skull, be- 
 cause Hawk break mine if I do. I no let any- 
 body else hurt you for the same reason." 
 
 From his look and voice I certainly did 
 not flatter myself that he refrained from 
 throwing me overboard from any love he bore 
 me; but, on the contrary, that he would have 
 been much more gratefully employed in 
 making me walk the plank, or in tricing me 
 up to the fore-yard. 
 
 Meantime the pirates were busily em- 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 193 
 
 ployed in ransacking the vessel, and in trans- 
 ferring everything of value to them which 
 they could find, from her to their own 
 schooner. The captain and mates were 
 threatened with instant death if they did not 
 deliver up all the money they had on board; 
 and even the crew were compelled to hand 
 over to our captors the small sums they pos- 
 sessed. To make them do this, they were 
 knocked about and beaten unmercifully, and 
 even those who possessed watches and rings 
 were deprived of them, as well as of any 
 clothes which appeared worth taking. 
 
 I had often read the history of pirates and 
 of their bold exploits till I almost fancied that 
 I should like to become one, or at all events 
 that I should like to encounter them; but I 
 can assure my friends that the reality was 
 very different from the fiction, and as the hide- 
 ous black was standing over me, ready every 
 moment to knock out my brains, and my com- 
 panions were suffering all sorts of ill-treat- 
 ment, I most heartily wished that such gen- 
 try as pirates had not been allowed to exist. 
 
 Though I tried to look as indifferent as 
 
i 9 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 possible, the black would have observed me 
 trembling had he not been watching to see 
 what his friends were about, no doubt eager 
 to obtain his share of the plunder. The work 
 the pirates were engaged in went on for some 
 time, till even they had tolerably satiated their 
 eagerness for booty; and I then fully expected 
 to see them either heave my shipmates over- 
 board as food for the sharks alongside, or 
 hang them at the yard-arms, and then set the 
 ship on fire, as Mark Anthony insinuated for 
 my satisfaction, that they would do. Instead 
 of this, to my surprise, Captain Hawk went 
 up to Captain Searle and said, "I sent a mes- 
 sage by that youngster there to you to look 
 out for yourself, and I never threaten in vain. 
 He goes with me. I want a good navigator; 
 and as your second mate seems a lively sort 
 of person, I shall take him also. The rest of 
 you may go free; but remember, if any of you 
 attempt to betray me, or to appear as witnesses 
 against me, you will dearly pay for it." 
 
 Our poor captain, who was almost ruined 
 and heartbroken by the pillage of his ship, 
 said nothing, but bowed his head on his breast, 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 195 
 
 looking as if he would as soon have been killed 
 outright. The unfortunate mate, Abraham 
 Jones, seemed horrified at hearing what his 
 fate was to be; but he knew enough about 
 the pirates to be aware that it would have 
 been worse than useless to attempt to escape 
 accompanying them. He, however, took the 
 precaution of calling on the crew of the Sus- 
 sannah to bear witness that he was compelled 
 through bodily fear and by force to join the 
 pirates; and he made the best show of resist- 
 ance that under the circumstances he could 
 venture to do. 
 
 From what I saw of him, I do not think 
 that he had so great an objection to joining 
 them as some men might have had. Indeed, 
 I confess that I was very wrong in doing so; 
 and I feel that a person ought rather to sac- 
 rifice his life than consent to commit a crime, 
 even though driven to it with a dagger to his 
 throat. However, both Jones and I fancied 
 that the only chance of saving our own lives, 
 and those of our shipmates, was by our going 
 on board the schooner. 
 
 "Remember, Captain Searle, if we get into 
 
196 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 any misfortune through you, these two will be 
 the first to suffer; and then again, I say, look 
 out for yourself," exclaimed the pirate chief 
 as he quitted the deck of the Susannah. 
 
 His people then hove her guns overboard, 
 and removed the small arms on board their 
 own craft, to which the mate and I were also 
 transferred. They also cut the standing and 
 running rigging, which would effectually pre- 
 vent making sail for a long time to come. 
 
 The first mate was next released, and was 
 ordered to stand on the poop, on pain of being 
 shot down if he attempted to move while the 
 schooner was near. Her boat was then hoisted 
 in, she was cast off from the brig, and with a 
 cheer of triumph from her crew she stood 
 away from the Susannah. 
 
 The first mate wisely did as he was or- 
 dered, and it was not till we had got to such 
 a distance that there was little fear of his be- 
 ing hit, that I saw him jump down to release 
 his companions. It was with a sense of mis- 
 ery and degradation I have never before ex- 
 perienced that I watched till we lost sight of 
 the unfortunate Susannah, 
 
II 
 
 A WEEK passed away on board the Foam. 
 Whereabouts we were I had no means of tell- 
 ing, for the captain kept me in his cabin, and 
 would not allow me to go on deck without 
 first asking his leave, nor would he permit me 
 to communicate with Mr. Jones. He treated 
 me very kindly, and even gave me books with 
 which to amuse myself; but I was very far 
 from happy. I felt that the schooner might 
 some day be captured by a ship of war, and 
 that I might probably be hung as a pirate be- 
 fore I had an opportunity of establishing my 
 innocence. I also did not like to be a prisoner, 
 even though I was kindly treated; and I 
 thought that, most probably, when Hawk 
 found I would not join in any piratical acts, 
 and I had resolved that nothing should com- 
 pel me to do so, his behaviour would change, 
 
 197 
 
198 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 and that if I escaped with my life, I should 
 no longer be treated as before. 
 
 Abraham Jones had, I am sorry to say, as 
 far as I was able to judge from appearances, 
 taken readily enough to the office imposed on 
 him, and on two occasions when I went on 
 deck I saw him doing duty as the officer of 
 the watch. My opinion of him was that he 
 would not have sought to have become a pi- 
 rate, but that, having no nice sense of right 
 and wrong — finding himself thrust, as it were, 
 into the.life — he did not think it worth mak- 
 ing any exertion to escape from it. 
 
 Whether we went to Havannah or not 
 I did not know. We certainly were once at 
 anchor, and three times we either chased ves- 
 sels or were chased by a superior force, from 
 the eager tone in which the captain ordered 
 sail to be made. Once we fired several shots, 
 and were fired at in return; and I suspect it 
 must have been at some vessel on our beam 
 chasing us, and that some of her rigging or 
 her masts must have been cut away, from the 
 loud cheers the pirates gave. Perhaps they 
 sank the enemy. 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 199 
 
 An hour afterwards Hawk came down into 
 the cabin, looking as cool and unconcerned as 
 if nothing had happened. I tried to gain some 
 information from him, but he would answer 
 none of my questions. He only gave a ghastly 
 smile when I asked if the vessel at which 
 he had fired had sunk; and he then took up a 
 book, in which he soon seemed to be deeply 
 absorbed. After some time the book dropped 
 from his hand, and he sat for half-an-hour in 
 a state of abstraction, unconscious of where he 
 was, or who was present. 
 
 He was roused by the black, Mark An- 
 thony, putting his head in at the door and say- 
 ing, "A sail on the lee bow." 
 
 He sprang on deck in a moment, all life 
 and activity. Instantly all sail the schooner 
 could carry was packed on her, and we were 
 bowling along with a fine breeze in chase of 
 the stranger. This I could only surmise, how- 
 ever, by the way the vessel heeled over to the 
 breeze, for I was still kept in the cabin. 
 
 Presently Hawk came down again. "Peter," 
 he observed, "you have disappointed me. I 
 thought you would not be content to lead the 
 
200 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 idle life you do; I fancied you would like 
 the excitement of the chase and the fight bet- 
 ter than sitting alone in the cabin all day, like 
 a young girl." 
 
 "I am not content, Captain Hawk," I re- 
 plied; "but a prisoner has no choice." 
 
 "No one is allowed freedom on board here, 
 unless he has taken the oaths of allegiance to 
 the captain and our laws," he answered, look- 
 ing steadfastly at me. 
 
 "Nothing could induce me to take one or 
 the other," I exclaimed; "so I suppose I shall 
 remain a prisoner till you release me, or die." 
 
 He seemed to take my answer very calmly; 
 and this encouraged me to proceed and to 
 make an effort to obtain my freedom. 
 
 "Captain Hawk," I said, "you have been 
 very kind to me; and though I should have 
 been willing to sail with you before I knew 
 the character of your vessel, I am now most 
 anxious to be put on shore; and, if you will 
 liberate me, I will swear most solemnly not 
 to betray you, or any of those who sail with 
 you." 
 
 "We do not trust to the oaths of those who 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 201 
 
 do not join us," he answered. "For your 
 own sake, I must make you take part in the 
 next capture we attempt, or else my people 
 will begin to suspect you are a mere coward, 
 and even I shall be unable to protect you." 
 
 "I am no coward, Captain Hawk, and that 
 I will prove any time that I have an oppor- 
 tunity; but I do not choose to commit murder 
 or robbery," I answered, in the same bold tone 
 in which I usually spoke. 
 
 "You use harsh terms, youngster, to one 
 who could any moment order you to be hove 
 to the sharks," exclaimed the pirate. "How- 
 ever, I do not quarrel with you for speaking 
 your mind; I once thought as you do, but cus- 
 tom has altered my ideas." 
 
 "Then why do you wish me to do what you 
 know I must consider wrong?" I asked. 
 
 "Because I have a liking for you, and want 
 a lad of spirit and education to be my com- 
 panion," he replied. "The old hands I can- 
 not trust — they are as likely to turn against 
 me as to serve me, while you, I know, will be 
 faithful for a while, till you get hardened like 
 the rest, and then " 
 
202 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "And then," interrupting him, I said, "what 
 would you do with me? Give me as food for 
 the sharks, I suppose?" 
 
 "No, lad, I should let you live to fight your 
 own way in the world, with a charge to keep 
 out of my path," he replied. "But that is 
 not what I wanted to talk to you about. You 
 must come on deck and join in capturing the 
 vessel we are in chase of, for we think she is 
 likely to prove a prize of value." 
 
 I am sorry to say that so heartily tired was 
 I of remaining shut up in the cabin, that I was 
 glad of being allowed, on any terms, to see 
 what was going forward on deck. 
 
 On this, I suspect, the pirate calculated. 
 He well knew the force of the French 
 proverb, "It is but the first step to crime 
 which is difficult." He wished me to take 
 that first step, being assured that I should then 
 be his. 
 
 I thought, when I went on deck, that noth- 
 ing would tempt me to take any part in the 
 acts of the pirates, even as far as in assisting 
 to navigate the vessel; but there is something 
 so exciting in the chase of a vessel, that it 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 203 
 
 is difficult not to wish to come up with her. 
 At first I stood merely looking on; but the 
 breeze freshened and rather headed us, and 
 Hawk issued an order to flatten in the fore- 
 and-aft sails, and to brace up the yards. I 
 flew instinctively to the sheets, and found my- 
 self pulling and hauling with the rest. 
 
 The captain made no remark; nor did he 
 appear even to notice what I had done. The 
 wind was about south, and the chase was to 
 the eastward of us, standing on a bowline. 
 She was a brig of some size, and at the first 
 glance I thought she was a man-of-war; but 
 Hawk pronounced her to be a Spaniard, and 
 homeward bound from Cuba. On hearing 
 this, of course, I knew that we must be some- 
 where to the eastward of that place, and this 
 was the first intimation I had had of our 
 whereabouts. 
 
 The chase had not observed us, or, if he 
 had, seemed not to be at all suspicious of our 
 character, for he was standing on under easy 
 sail, as if in no way in a hurry to escape 
 from us. 
 
 Hawk, who was usually so calm and almost 
 
2o 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 apathetic, walked the deck full of energy and 
 excitement. Every order he gave was uttered 
 in a sharp, quick tone, which demanded in- 
 stant obedience. Every one partook of the 
 same spirit; and there appeared to be as much 
 discipline and regularity as on board a man- 
 of-war. Even the most lawless vagabonds 
 find this necessary for the attainment of their 
 ends and their own preservation. 
 
 We rapidly came up with the chase, and 
 were within about three miles of her when she 
 began, it seemed, to suspect that all was not 
 right, for sail after sail was set on her, till 
 she could carry no more, while she edged away 
 a little from her course, so as to allow every 
 one of them to draw properly. This threw 
 us completely to windward, for we held on 
 the same course as before, and she appeared 
 at first to be recovering her lost ground. In 
 a short time we also kept away with the wind 
 almost a-beam, a point on which the Foam 
 sailed her best. 
 
 "Huzza, my lads!" exclaimed Hawk, "in a 
 short time the chase will be ours; and if I mis- 
 take not, plenty of good doubloons into the 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 205 
 
 bargain, if you can but make our craft walk 
 along faster." 
 
 "Huzza!" shouted the English and Ameri- 
 can part of the crew, in which the people of 
 other nations joined in their peculiar cries. 
 
 The brig once more hauled her wind, and 
 this brought us soon nearer again to her. 
 
 Hawk thought it was because the captain 
 saw indications of a shift of wind, and hoped 
 to be placed well to windward. He was scru- 
 tinising her narrowly through a telescope. 
 "She does not show any guns," he remarked; 
 "but it is no reason that she has not got them. 
 Get all ready for action, in case she should 
 prove a Tartar." 
 
 I scarcely knew what I was about; but I 
 confess I not only assisted to hand up powder 
 and shot, but to load and run out the guns. 
 
 Neither of us made any further variation 
 in our course; but the chase was, it appeared, 
 a very slow sailer, for we so rapidly came up 
 with her that five hours after she was seen she 
 was within range of our guns. She did not 
 fire, nor did we; for, supposing her to be un- 
 armed, Hawk was anxious to capture her 
 
206 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 without in any way injuring her hull or cargo. 
 We sailed on, therefore, as if we were en- 
 gaged in a friendly race; and no one by look- 
 ing at us could have supposed that we were 
 deadly enemies. 
 
 We were getting very near to the chase, and 
 with our telescopes could almost distinguish 
 the faces of those on board, when I observed 
 Abraham Jones, the new second mate of the 
 Foam, hurry aft to the captain with a face 
 pale as a ghost. Hawk laughed, and shook 
 his head incredulously. Jones seemed, from 
 his manner, to be insisting that he was right, 
 for I did not hear what he said. Still we 
 stood on till the chase was within the dis- 
 tance of half the range of our guns. I was 
 again aft. "Hoist our bunting to make him 
 show his colors," I heard Hawk say; "and 
 give him a shot from our bow-chaser to hurry 
 him." 
 
 Directly afterwards a broad red flag, with- 
 out any device, was run up at our peak, and 
 with a spout of smoke a shot went flying over 
 the water, and with a crash which made the 
 splinters fly it struck the dark sides of the brig. 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 207 
 
 The effect was instantaneous, and such as was 
 little expected by the pirates. 
 
 A flag was run up to the gaff of the brig; 
 but instead of the Spanish ensign, the stars 
 and stripes of the United States were dis- 
 played; and the ports being opened as if by 
 magic, eight guns were run out, and, luffing 
 up, she let fly her broadside right into our 
 bows. The shot tore up our decks, and 
 knocked away part of our starboard bulwarks, 
 killing two of the people, and wounding three 
 more, but without injuring our rigging. Then 
 I saw what sort of men I was mingling with. 
 I cannot describe the fierce rage which took 
 possession of them, the oaths and execrations 
 to which they gave vent. The bodies of the 
 two men who were killed, while yet warm, 
 were thrown overboard directly they were 
 found to be dead, and the wounded were 
 dragged below, and left without a surgeon 
 or any one to attend on them. Instead of the 
 timid Spanish merchantman we expected to 
 get alongside, we found that this vessel was 
 no other than a United States man-of-war 
 sent to look out for the Foam — in fact, that 
 
208 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 we had caught a Tartar. Hawk, to do him 
 justice, stood undaunted, his energies rising 
 with the occasion. Keeping away a little, so 
 as to get our broadside to bear, we fired in 
 return, and the guns being planted high, some 
 of the running rigging was cut away, and 
 her foretop-mast was struck, and must have 
 been badly wounded, for some hands instantly 
 were seen going aloft to fix it. 
 
 "About ship, my lads — down with the 
 helm; and while she's in stays, give Uncle 
 Sam our larboard broadside." 
 
 The sails of the schooner were well full; 
 she quickly came round, and before the brig 
 could follow our example, we sent the shot 
 from our whole broadside flying among her 
 rigging. A loud shout of exultation from our 
 pirate crew showed their satisfaction at the 
 damage they had done; for several spars and 
 sails, with blocks and ropes, were seen coming 
 down by the run on deck. 
 
 "Now, my lads, let's up stick away," cried 
 Hawk. "They thought, doubtless, that they 
 were sure of us; but we'll show them that the 
 Foam is not to be caught so easily." 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 209 
 
 All hands who could be spared from the 
 guns, and I among the rest, flew to their sta- 
 tions to trim sails; the yards were braced 
 sharp up, and with her head to the southwest 
 the Foam stood away on a bowline from her 
 powerful antagonist. We were not to escape, 
 however, with impunity; for as soon as the 
 brig's crew had somewhat recovered from the 
 confusion into which the damage done by our 
 shot had thrown them, such guns as could be 
 brought to bear were fired at us with no bad 
 aim. One struck our tafTrail, and another 
 killed a man on the forecastle; but our rig- 
 ging escaped. Twice the brig missed stays in 
 attempting to come about from so much of 
 her head-sail having been cut away; and this, 
 as she all the time was sailing one way and 
 we the other, contributed much to increase 
 our distance. The breeze also favoured us 
 further by freshening, making it more diffi- 
 cult to the enemy to repair damages, while, 
 as we were unhurt, it sent us along all the 
 more rapidly. The Americans were not the 
 people to take the treatment we had given 
 them with calmness, especially as we were so 
 
210 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 much the smaller, and had less force. At last, 
 at a third trial, the brig came about, while she 
 continued without cessation firing at us. Not 
 much damage was done, though our sails had 
 daylight made through them several times by 
 her shot, and another man was killed ; but this 
 casualty the pirates seemed to make light of; 
 it was the fortune of war, and might happen 
 every instant to any of us. The bodies, with 
 scant examination, except to discover whether 
 there was money in their pockets, or rings in 
 their ears or on their fingers, were thrown 
 overboard without a prayer or sigh. As the 
 shot came whistling over us, they laughed 
 when they saw me bobbing down my head in 
 the hope of avoiding them. I had no fancy, 
 I own, to be shot by people against whom I 
 had not the slightest enmity, nor whom I in 
 any way wished to injure. 
 
 We soon found that the brig-of-war, in- 
 stead of being a slow sailer, was remarkably 
 fast, and that, while we were in chase of her, 
 she must, by towing a sail overboard, or some 
 other manceuvre, have deadened her way on 
 purpose to allow us to come up with her. We 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 211 
 
 had now, therefore, to put the schooner's best 
 leg foremost to get away from her, even be- 
 fore she had got all her gear aloft again. To 
 try and do her further damage a gun was got 
 over the taffrail, and a constant fire was kept 
 up from it as fast as it could be loaded. 
 
 I was standing in the waist, with the black 
 Mark Anthony near me. "Well, Massa Pe- 
 ter, if de brig catch we, we all be hung; how 
 you like dat?" he asked, with a broad grin, 
 which made him look far from pleasing. 
 
 "I should be sorry to see any of those who 
 have treated me with kindness hung, or other- 
 wise injured," I replied. 
 
 "See! ha, ha! but how you like feel being 
 hung, Massa Peter?" he said again, grinning 
 more horribly than before. 
 
 "Why, I have no fear of that sort, Mr. 
 Mark, I can assure you," I replied; though I 
 confess the disagreeable idea did come across 
 me that I might possibly not be able to prove 
 that I was not a pirate should we be captured. 
 "I have had nothing to do with any of the 
 acts committed by the crew of this vessel." 
 
 "Ho, ho, ho!" he exclaimed, "den you no 
 
212 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 pull and haul, and help work de guns which 
 fire at de ship of war; me swear me saw you 
 myself. Ho, ho, ho!" 
 
 The black's laughter sounded almost de- 
 moniacal in my ears. He spoke the truth, too : 
 I had indeed helped to work the guns; and 
 on the strength of it, like a tempter to evil, 
 he was endeavouring to persuade me, in his 
 rough way, to join the pirates. I did not think 
 it prudent to show that I clearly saw his aim; 
 but I resolved still to remain firm. 
 
 The evening was now drawing on, and for- 
 tunately the breeze did not drop. I confess 
 that I was just as anxious to escape from our 
 pursuer as any pirate on board; scarcely more 
 so, perhaps, than the new mate, who had 
 guessed the character of the brig, and had no 
 fancy for having his career cut short so soon. 
 
 The brig did not fire at us, as to do so she 
 would have have had to yaw and thus lose 
 ground, while we continued to ply her with 
 our long gun. Her fore-topsail could not be 
 set while the mast was being fixed. An at- 
 tempt was now made to hoist it ; but the breeze 
 at that instant strengthened, away went the 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 213 
 
 mast, rigging and sail together. A loud cheer 
 arose from our decks; a parting shot was 
 given her from our gun, and in two hours 
 darkness hid her from our sight. 
 
Ill 
 
 I DREAMED all night that I was in the hands 
 of the Americans, with a rope round my neck, 
 and about to be run up at the yard-arm — I 
 felt the practical inconvenience of associat- 
 ing with bad company. As soon as I awoke I 
 went on deck, for Hawk no longer placed any 
 restrictions on my movements. I fully ex- 
 pected to see the brig-of-war in chase of us. 
 I own I felt somewhat relieved when, on look- 
 ing round, not a sail of any description was 
 to be seen, and the schooner was still bowling 
 along with a brisk breeze on a westerly course. 
 Towards evening we sighted land, towards 
 which our course was altered. We ran on, 
 and by marks which I could not distinguish, 
 steered between coral banks, till on a sudden 
 I found that we were entering a lagoon, with 
 trees towering on either side high above our 
 
 214 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 215 
 
 topmast heads. The wind dropped completely 
 as we got within the passage, and the boats 
 were sent ahead to tow. Hawk ordered me 
 into one of them, and I saw no reason to dis- 
 obey; indeed, I felt that it would be very 
 foolish not to do my best to please him in mat- 
 ters unconnected with piracy. 
 
 The sky was clear overhead, and the stars 
 shone down and were reflected, as in a mir- 
 ror, on the otherwise ink-black water of the 
 lagoon. As we pulled ahead, we appeared to 
 be passing through a narrow canal, with lofty 
 impenetrable walls on either side, while in 
 the centre rose before our eyes the phantom- 
 like outline of the schooner, her topmast 
 heads and rigging alone being seen against 
 the sky above the dark shadows of the trees. 
 
 The splash of our oars was the only sound 
 which broke the dead silence which reigned 
 in this sequestered spot; while the only light, 
 except from the glittering stars above us, was 
 from the phosphorescent flashes as the blades 
 entered the water, and the golden drops again 
 fell into their parent element. On looking 
 on that gloomy surface, it seemed as imp rob- 
 
216 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 able that anything so bright should come 
 from it as that sparks of real fire should be 
 emitted from the hard flint stone. Mat Ha- 
 gan, an Irishman, who pulled the bow oar in 
 my boat, declared that our oars were throw- 
 ing up to the sky again the reflection of the 
 stars, which had no business to be there at all. 
 
 We pulled on for about half-an-hour, and 
 then a sort of bay, or bight, appearing on one 
 side, we brought the vessel into it, and moored 
 her stem and stern fast to the trees. There 
 she lay so completely concealed that any one 
 passing up the canal could not by any possi- 
 bility have seen her, even in broad daylight. 
 
 Here we lay for several days, repairing 
 damages and refitting the ship. Where we 
 were I could not learn from any one on board; 
 but I suspected that we were in one of the 
 numberless keys among the Bahama or Lu- 
 caya Islands; and I had afterwards reason to 
 know that I was right. 
 
 Some of the booty taken by the pirates was 
 landed, as, on account of the marks on the 
 bales and other signs, it was likely to lead to 
 their detection should they attempt to dispose 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 217 
 
 of it in its present form. Some of the things 
 were hid away; the others, after undergoing 
 various operations, were re-shipped with such 
 perfectly different marks, that it would have 
 been impossible to detect them. Cunning and 
 trickery seemed to be now the means taken by 
 the pirates to carry on their operations, in- 
 stead of the bold, daring way in which, as I 
 had read, their predecessors formerly plun- 
 dered the honest trader. 
 
 Hawk ordered me to lend a hand in refit- 
 ting the schooner, so I made myself as useful 
 as my knowledge would allow. I had begun 
 to entertain a hope of escaping when the pi- 
 rates were off their guard, and fancied that 
 I had become reconciled to my lot. It was 
 against my nature to be in any way treacher- 
 ous; and I almost certainly would not have 
 injured Hawk, on account of the kindness 
 with which he had treated me; but, at the 
 same time, I did not feel that I was acting 
 wrongly in concealing from him my wish to 
 regain the liberty he had deprived me of. 
 
 One morning, while the yards were still 
 on deck and the sails unbent, notice was given 
 
218 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 from our lookout at the mouth of the lagoon 
 that a sail was in sight, about two miles in 
 the offing. 
 
 "What is she?" asked Hawk of the mes- 
 senger. 
 
 "A barque, deeply laden, captain," replied 
 the man, who was an old pirate. "To my 
 mind she looks as if she would not make a bad 
 prize, if we could get hold of her; and, as 
 the wind is dropping, and it will be some time 
 before the sea-breeze sets in, I think there will 
 not be much difficulty in doing that." 
 
 The captain was pleased at his follower's 
 suggestion; indeed, he would have risked the 
 loss of his authority had he refused to attend 
 to it. The men were ordered to knock off 
 work, and to get the boats ready, while those 
 who were away in the interior of the little 
 island were recalled to lend their assistance. 
 Every one was instantly all life and animation. 
 With the prospect of making a prize, even the 
 most sluggish were aroused. 
 
 There were three boats, which were soon 
 launched; and oars, arms, and provisions were 
 placed in them. To my surprise, Hawk gave 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 219 
 
 the command of them to Abraham Jones, he 
 himself remaining to take charge of the 
 schooner. From what I heard, I found that 
 the pirates expected no difficulty or danger in 
 making the capture. 
 
 I, of course, hoped that I should have noth- 
 ing to do in the matter. What was my horror, 
 then, when Hawk ordered me into the boats, 
 and my old enemy, for I cannot call him my 
 friend, Mark Anthony, was told to keep me 
 company! I do not know whether this was 
 Hawk's wish, or the desire of the men, who 
 did not like to trust me till I had been guilty 
 of some piratical act. At first I hesitated 
 about obeying; but I soon saw, by the angry 
 looks which were cast at me, that I was doing 
 so at the peril of my life; and at the same in- 
 stant it struck me that if I went I might by 
 some means or other obtain my liberty. 
 
 The boats were one long-boat, which pulled 
 eight oars, and carried in all sixteen men, and 
 two large swift-rowing gigs. Tones took com- 
 mand of the long-boat, and I was in one of 
 the gigs. In silence we left the vessel on our 
 nefarious errand — in silence we pulled down 
 
220 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the canal with steady and slow strokes, for 
 while the wind held there was no hurry. 
 When we got close to the mouth of the har- 
 bour, the boat I was in was sent out to recon- 
 noitre. 
 
 The stranger was apparently beating up 
 along shore, towards which her head was now 
 pointed, those who directed her movements 
 little aware of the danger which threatened 
 them. After waiting a short time, during 
 which she had drawn nearer to us, her sails 
 began to flap against the masts, and the ripple 
 which had been playing on the water disap- 
 peared altogether. With the last breath of 
 wind she was put about, and attempted to 
 stand off shore; but she was very soon left in 
 what is called the doldrums, namely without 
 steerage-way. 
 
 When the officer of the boat I was in saw 
 the barque becalmed, he gave the signal to 
 our consort, and without further delay we 
 three pulled out together towards her. 
 
 For some time no one on board appeared 
 to have observed us. At last some one saw us, 
 and two or three glasses were directed towards 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 221 
 
 us; but we did not seem to have created any 
 alarm or even suspicion among them. Thus 
 we were enabled to approach without any 
 preparation having been made to prevent our 
 getting on board. When it was too late, prob- 
 ably from the eagerness with which they saw 
 us dash alongside, they suspected that all was 
 not right, and a few of the hands ran to the 
 arm-chest, while others attempted to slew 
 round one of the two guns the barque carried, 
 and to point it down at the boats. Before 
 they could do so, we were scrambling up her 
 sides. 
 
 "Oh, oh, Massa Peter, you hurry enough 
 now to turn pirate, when you tink something 
 to be got," shouted Mark Anthony, as he saw 
 my eagerness to be one of the first on deck. 
 
 The cutter boarded on one side, the two 
 gigs on the other — one on the fore-rigging, the 
 other at the mizzen-chains — so that the crew 
 had to separate into three divisions to oppose 
 us. The crew thus weakened, the people from 
 the long-boat gained easily a footing on deck. 
 They drove the crew aft, who were now at- 
 tacked in the rear by the party from one of 
 
222 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the gigs. I was in the foremost gig, and we 
 had no one to oppose us. The only defence 
 made was by the master, his mates, and two 
 of the crew, who had secured cutlasses. They 
 stood together on the larboard side of the 
 poop, and boldly refused to yield up the ship 
 till they knew the authority of those attack- 
 ing her. 
 
 The capture of the barque proved an easy 
 victory for the pirates, and soon her officers 
 and crews were bound to the masts and rig- 
 ging, while the ship was being searched. 
 
 The boats had made two trips to the shore 
 before it was dark, taking much of the lighter 
 part of the cargo. The removal of the rest, 
 Captain Hawk decided, should be left until 
 the following day. Most of the pirates re- 
 turned to the schooner for the night, leaving 
 the prisoners, with the third mate and a small 
 guard, including myself, in charge of them. 
 
 "I leave you on board of the prize, Peter," 
 Captain Hawk said, "because, though you are 
 young and untried, yet you have more of hu- 
 manity about you than the rest of my follow- 
 ers, and I can place more confidence in you. 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 223 
 
 I must, however, have you take the oath of our 
 band, to the effect that you will not desert 
 the ship, betray a comrade, or separate from 
 the rest till our compact is dissolved by mutual 
 agreement." 
 
 I thought, as seriously and as rapidly as I 
 could, whether such an oath would not only 
 preclude my own escape, but prevent me from 
 assisting the prisoners. "It must effectually 
 bind me to the pirates, and probably cause 
 my death; but if I refuse to do it, I shall lose 
 all chance of aiding them, so for their sakes 
 I will do as I am asked." I told Hawk I 
 would no no longer refuse to take the oath 
 he proposed. 
 
 "Then swear," he said, repeating it, while 
 a number of the pirates gathered round. 
 
 "I swear," I said, in a voice which must, 
 I thought, betray emotion. The pirates 
 cheered and welcomed me as a brother among 
 them. 
 
 I did not go to sleep, but walked the deck, 
 considering what I should do. The third 
 mate, who was now commanding officer, was 
 a surly ruffian, and it was with difficulty that 
 
224 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 I gained permission from him to carry some 
 food and water to the prisoners. 
 
 I had found several bottles of fine old Ja- 
 maica rum in the cabin, and I conceived the 
 idea that with the help of these I might be 
 able to liberate the prisoners, who could then 
 run the vessel out of reach of the pirates be- 
 fore morning. I brought one of the bottles on 
 deck, and poured out a stiff tumblerfull for 
 the mate. It appealed so to him that he asked 
 for another, and then for more. Soon he fell 
 asleep, as I had expected. I secured more of 
 the rum, and soon the rest of the pirates were 
 in the same condition as the mate. 
 
 It did not take long to release the captain 
 and crew, and in a few minutes the previous 
 order of things was reversed, and the pirates 
 were bound and floating helplessly in a boat by 
 themselves. The black was the only one 
 aroused, and he saw me bound like himself. 
 
 It was broad daylight before any of the peo- 
 ple came to their senses. I looked over the 
 gunnel: the barque was nowhere to be seen. 
 
 The wind was off the shore, and the boat 
 was drifting out to sea, driven by a current 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 225 
 
 which set to the southward. The black recog- 
 nized the mouth of the lagoon, which he 
 knew well, but which I could not make out. 
 Some sculls were found in the boat, and we 
 began to pull towards the shore. 
 
 My companions soon grew weary, and be- 
 gan to blame me for having given them the 
 rum. They had begun to threaten me, when 
 a brig was seen coming rapidly towards us. 
 
 The black jumped up, and watched her for 
 some time, then, "De brig we fought de oder 
 day!" he exclaimed. 
 
 We tried to invent a plausible tale of hav- 
 ing been cast adrift, but before it was thor- 
 oughly concocted the brig was alongside us, 
 and we were hauled on board. 
 
 We were immediately taken before the cap- 
 tain and his officers, who stood on the quarter 
 deck. 
 
 "What brought you here?" he demanded of 
 the mate, who told him the tale which had 
 just been invented. But the appearance and 
 manner of my companions had raised suspi- 
 cions in the minds of the American officer 
 which were not easily allayed. 
 
226 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The brig, I found, was the Neptune, Cap- 
 tain Faith. She was a remarkably fine ves- 
 sel, carrying nineteen guns, and had been sent 
 out expressly to look for the Foam. Captain 
 Faith and his officers were burning to re- 
 venge the insult offered them shortly before 
 by the schooner, and it appeared that 
 they had gained knowledge of her where- 
 abouts. 
 
 The attention of all on board was now 
 taken up by the manning of the boats which 
 were to be sent on an expedition in search of 
 the pirates. Four of the boats were sent away, 
 to which was added the one in which I had 
 been taken, so that there was a pretty strong 
 flotilla engaged. I saw them enter the mouth 
 of the lagoon, and in about half-an-hour the 
 roar of big guns and musketry was heard re- 
 verberating among the rocks. There was a 
 pause, and then a loud, fearful explosion, and 
 the masts and spars of the pirate schooner 
 could be seen rising in the air. 
 
 Before long one boat was seen to emerge 
 from among trees, and then another and an- 
 other, until all appeared. They pulled to the 
 
CAPTAIN HAWK, PIRATE 227 
 
 brig, and with them were the prisoners, mostly 
 wounded. 
 
 Such was the end of the Foam. Sail was 
 made to the northward, and I found that our 
 destination was Charlestown, to which port 
 the brig belonged, and where my trial and 
 that of the other prisoners would take place. 
 Soon after the Neptune had dropped her an- 
 chor we were taken on shore and placed in 
 jail. 
 
 Before many days our trial commenced. 
 The fate of the pirates was easily settled; all 
 were adjudged to be hanged at the yard-arm 
 of the brig which had captured us. I was 
 given my liberty, provided I would volunteer 
 to serve for two years on board a ship of war 
 just then about to sail, and which was short 
 of hands. 
 
THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 
 
 NELSON'S last signal: "England expects 
 every man will do his duty," was received 
 throughout the fleet with a shout of answer- 
 ing acclamation, made sublime by the spirit 
 which it breathed, and the feeling which it 
 expressed. "Now," said Lord Nelson, "I can 
 do no more. We must trust to the great Dis- 
 poser of all events, and the justice of our 
 cause. I thank God for this great opportu- 
 nity of doing my duty." 
 
 He wore that day, as usual, his Admiral's 
 frock-coat, bearing on the left breast four 
 stars, of the different orders with which he 
 was invested. Ornaments which rendered him 
 so conspicuous a mark for the enemy were be- 
 held with ominous apprehensions by his offi- 
 cers. It was known that there were riflemen 
 
 on board the French ships; and it could not 
 
 228 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 229 
 
 be doubted but that his life would be particu- 
 larly aimed at. They communicated their 
 fears to each other; and the surgeon, Mr. 
 Beatty, spoke to the chaplain, Dr. Scott, and 
 to Mr. Scott, the public secretary, desiring 
 that some person would entreat him to change 
 his dress, or cover the stars; but they knew 
 that such a request would highly displease 
 him. "In honour I gained them," he had 
 said, when such a thing had been hinted to 
 him formerly, "and in your honour I will die 
 with them." Mr. Beatty, however, would not 
 have been deterred by any fear of exciting 
 displeasure from speaking to him himself 
 upon a subject upon which the weal of Eng- 
 land, as well as the life of Nelson, was con- 
 cerned — but he was ordered from the deck 
 before he could find an opportunity. This 
 was a point upon which Nelson's officers knew 
 that it was hopeless to remonstrate or reason 
 with him; but both Blackwood and his own 
 captain, Hardy, represented to him how ad- 
 vantageous to the fleet it would be to keep 
 out of action as long as possible; and he con- 
 sented at last to let the Leviathan and the 
 
2 3 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Temeraire, which were sailing abreast of the 
 Victory, be ordered to pass ahead. Yet even 
 here the last infirmity of this noble mind was 
 indulged; for these ships could not pass ahead 
 if the Victory continued to carry all her sail; 
 and so far was Nelson from shortening sail, 
 that it was evident that he took pleasure in 
 pressing on, and rendering it impossible for 
 them to obey his own orders. A long swell 
 was setting into the Bay of Cadiz: our ships, 
 crowding all sail, moved majestically before 
 it, with light winds from the southwest. The 
 sun shone on the sails of the enemy; and their 
 well-formed line, with their numerous three- 
 deckers, made an appearance which any as- 
 sailants would have thought formidable; but 
 the British sailors only admired the beauty 
 and the splendour of the spectacle; and, in 
 full confidence of winning what they saw, re- 
 marked to each other what a fine sight yonder 
 ships would make at Spithead. 
 
 The French Admiral, from the Bucentaure, 
 beheld the new manner in which his enemy 
 was advancing — Nelson and Collingwood 
 each leading in line; and, pointing them out 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 231 
 
 to his officers, he is said to have exclaimed 
 that such conduct could not fail to be suc- 
 cessful. Yet Villeneuve had made his own 
 dispositions with the utmost skill, and the 
 fleets under his command waited for the at- 
 tack with perfect coolness. Ten minutes be- 
 fore twelve they opened fire. Eight or nine 
 of the ships immediately ahead of the Vic- 
 tory and across her bows fired single guns at 
 her to ascertain whether she was yet within 
 their range. As soon as Nelson perceived 
 that their shot passed over him, he desired 
 Blackwood, and Captain Prowse, of the Sirius, 
 to repair to their respective frigates; and, on 
 their way, to tell all the captains of the line- 
 of battle ships that he depended on their ex- 
 ertions; and that, if by the prescribed mode 
 of attack they found it impracticable to get 
 into action immediately, they might adopt 
 whatever course they thought best, provided it 
 led them quickly and closely alongside an en- 
 emy. As they were standing on the front 
 poop, Blackwood took him by the hand, say- 
 ing he hoped soon to return and find him in 
 possession of twenty prizes. He replied, 
 
232 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "God bless you, Blackwood, I shall never see 
 you again!" 
 
 Nelson's column was steered about two 
 points more to the north than Collingwood's, 
 in order to cut off the enemy's escape into 
 Cadiz: the lee line, therefore, was first en- 
 gaged. "See," cried Nelson, pointing to the 
 Royal Sovereign, as she steered right for the 
 centre of the enemy's line, cut through it 
 astern of the Santa Ana, three-decker, and en- 
 gaged her at the muzzle of her guns on the 
 starboard side; "see how that noble fellow, 
 Collingwood, carries his ship into action!" 
 Collingwood, delighted at being first in the 
 head of the fire, and knowing the feelings of 
 his commander and old friend, turned to his 
 captain, and exclaimed: "Rotherham, what 
 would Nelson give to be here?" Both these 
 brave officers, perhaps, at this moment, 
 thought of Nelson with gratitude, for a cir- 
 cumstance which had occurred on the pre- 
 ceding day. Admiral Collingwood, with 
 some of the captains, having gone on board 
 the Victory to receive instructions, Nelson in- 
 quired of him where his captain was ; and was 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 233 
 
 told, in reply, that they were not upon good 
 terms with each other. "Terms!" said Nel- 
 son, "good terms with each other!" Imme- 
 diately he sent a boat for Captain Rother- 
 ham; led him, as soon as he arrived, to Col- 
 lingwood, and saying: "Look; yonder are the 
 enemy!" bade them shake hands like English- 
 men. 
 
 The enemy continued to fire a gun at a time 
 at the Victory, till they saw that a shot had 
 passed through her main-top-gallant sail; 
 then they opened their broadsides, aiming 
 chiefly at her rigging, in the hope of disabling 
 her before she could close with them. Nel- 
 son, as usual, had hoisted several flags, lest 
 one should be shot away. The enemy showed 
 no colours till late in the action, when they 
 began to feel the necessity of having them to 
 strike. For this reason the Santissima Trini- 
 dad, Nelson's old acquaintance, as he used to 
 call her, was distinguishable only by her four 
 decks; and to the bow of this opponent he or- 
 dered the Victory to be steered. Meantime, 
 an incessant raking fire was kept up upon the 
 Victory. The Admiral's secretary was one of 
 
234 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the first who fell ; he was killed by a cannon- 
 shot while conversing with Hardy. Captain 
 Adair, of the marines, with the help of a 
 sailor, endeavoured to remove the body from 
 Nelson's sight, who had a great regard for 
 Mr. Scott; but he anxiously asked, "Is that 
 poor Scott that's gone?" and being informed 
 that it was indeed so, exclaimed, "Poor fel- 
 low!" Presently a double-headed shot struck 
 a party of marines, who were drawn up on 
 the poop, and killed eight of them: Upon 
 which Nelson immediately desired Captain 
 Adair to disperse his men round the ship that 
 they might not suffer so much from being to- 
 gether. A few minutes afterwards a shot 
 struck the fore-brace bits on the quarter-deck, 
 and passed between Nelson and Hardy, a 
 splinter from the bit tearing off Hardy's 
 buckle, and bruising his foot. Both stopped 
 and looked anxiously at each other: Each 
 supposed the other to be wounded. Nelson 
 then smiled, , and said: "This is too warm 
 work, Hardy, to last long." 
 
 The Victory had not yet returned a single 
 gun; fifty of her men had been by this time 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 235 
 
 killed or wounded, and her main-top-mast, 
 with all her studding-sails and their booms, 
 shot away. Nelson declared that, in all his 
 battles, he had seen nothing which had sur- 
 passed the cool courage of his crew on this 
 occasion. At four minutes after twelve she 
 opened her fire from both sides of her deck. 
 It was not possible to break the enemy's line 
 without running on board one of their ships; 
 Hardy informed him of this, and asked him 
 which he would prefer. Nelson replied: 
 "Take your choice, Hardy, it does not signify 
 much." The master was ordered to put the 
 helm to port, and the Victory ran on board 
 the Redoutable, just as her tiller ropes were 
 shot away. The French ship received her with 
 a broadside: then instantly let down her 
 lower-deck ports, for fear of being boarded 
 through them, and never afterwards fired a 
 great gun during the action. Her tops, like 
 those of all the enemy's ships, were filled with 
 riflemen. Nelson never placed musketry in 
 his tops; he had a strong dislike to the prac- 
 tice: not merely because it endangers setting 
 fire to the sails, but also because it is a mur- 
 
236 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 derous sort of warfare by which individuals 
 may suffer, and a commander now and then 
 be picked off, but which never can decide the 
 fate of a general engagement. 
 
 Captain Harvey, in the Temeraire, fell on 
 board the Redoutable on the other side. An- 
 other enemy was in like manner on board the 
 Temeraire, so that these four ships formed as 
 compact a tier as if they had been moored 
 together, their heads lying all the same way. 
 The lieutenants of the Victory, seeing this, de- 
 pressed their guns on the middle and lower 
 decks, and fired with a diminished charge, lest 
 the shot should pass through and injure the 
 Temeraire. And because there was danger 
 that the Redoutable misfit take fire from the 
 lower-deck guns, the muzzles of which 
 touched her side when they were run out, the 
 fireman of each gun stood ready with a 
 bucket of water; which, as soon as the gun 
 was discharged, he dashed it into the smoke 
 made by the shot. An incessant fire was kept 
 up from the Victory from both sides; her lar- 
 board guns playing upon the Bucentaure, and 
 the huge Santissima Trinidad. 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. 237 
 
 It had been part of Nelson's prayer that 
 the British fleet might be distinguished by hu- 
 manity in the victory he expected. Setting an 
 example himself, he twice gave orders to cease 
 firing upon the Redontable, supposing that she 
 had struck, because her great guns were si- 
 lent; for, as she carried no flag, there was no 
 means of instantly ascertaining the fact. From 
 this ship, which he had thus twice spared, he 
 received his death. A ball fired from her 
 mizzen-top, which, in the then situation of 
 the two vessels, was not more than fifteen 
 yards from that part of the deck where he 
 was standing, struck the epaulette on his left 
 shoulder, about a quarter after one, just in the 
 heat of action. He fell upon his face, on the 
 spot which was covered by his poor secretary's 
 blood. Hardy, who was a few steps from him, 
 turning around, saw three men raising him up. 
 "They have done for me at last, Hardy!" said 
 he. "I hope not," cried Hardy. "Yes," he 
 replied; "my backbone is shot through!" Yet 
 even now, not for a moment losing his pres- 
 ence of mind, he observed, as they were carry- 
 ing him down the ladder, that the tiller-ropes, 
 
238 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 which had been shot away, were not yet re- 
 placed, and ordered that new ones should be 
 rove immediately. Then, that he might not 
 be seen by the crew, he took out his hand- 
 kerchief and covered his face and his stars. 
 Plad he but concealed these badges of hon- 
 our from the enemy, England, perhaps, would 
 not have had cause to receive with sorrow the 
 news of the battle of Trafalgar. The cockpit 
 was crowded with wounded and dying men; 
 over whose bodies he was with some difficulty 
 conveyed, and laid upon a pallet in the mid- 
 shipman's berth. It was soon perceived, 
 upon examination, that the wound was mor- 
 tal. This, however, was concealed from all 
 except Captain Hardy, the chaplain, and the 
 medical attendants. Pie himself being cer- 
 tain, from the sensation in his back, and the 
 gush of blood he felt momentarily within his 
 breast, that no human care could avail him, in- 
 sisted that the surgeon should leave him, and 
 attend to those to whom he might be useful. 
 "For," said he, "you can do nothing for me." 
 All that could be done was to fan him with 
 paper and frequently to give him lemonade 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAP 239 
 
 to alleviate his intense thirst. He was in great 
 pain, and expressed much anxiety for the 
 event of the action, which now began to de- 
 clare itself. As often as a ship struck, the 
 crew of the Victory hurrahed; and at every 
 hurrah a visible expression of joy gleamed in 
 the eyes, and marked the countenance of the 
 dying hero. But he became impatient to see 
 Captain Hardy; and as that officer, though 
 often sent for, could not leave the deck, Nel- 
 son feared that some fatal cause prevented 
 him, and repeatedly cried: "Will no one 
 bring Hardy to me? He must be killed! He 
 is surely dead!" An hour and ten minutes 
 elapsed from the time when Nelson received 
 his wound before Hardy could come to him. 
 They shook hands in silence; Hardy in vain 
 struggling to suppress the feelings of that 
 most painful and yet sublimest moment. 
 "Well, Hardy," said Nelson, "how goes the 
 day with us?" "Very well," replied Hardy; 
 "ten ships have struck, but five of the van 
 have tacked, and show an intention to bear 
 down upon the Victory. I have called two or 
 three of our fresh ships round, and have no 
 
2 4 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 doubt of giving them a drubbing." "I hope," 
 said Nelson, "none of our ships have struck?" 
 Hardy answered, "There was no fear of that." 
 Then, and not till then, Nelson spoke of him- 
 self. "I am a dead man, Hardy," said he; 
 "I am going fast; it will be all over with me 
 soon. Come nearer to me. Let my dear Lady 
 Hamilton have my hair and all other things 
 belonging to me." Hardy observed that he 
 hoped Mr. Beatty could yet hold out some 
 prospect of life. "Oh, no!" he replied; "it 
 is impossible, my back is shot through. Beatty 
 will tell you so." Captain Hardy then, once 
 more, shook hands with him; and with a heart 
 almost bursting, hastened on deck. 
 
 By this time all feeling below the breast 
 was gone; and Nelson, having made the sur- 
 geon ascertain this, said to him: "You know 
 I am gone. I know it. I feel something ris- 
 ing in my breast" (putting his hand on his 
 left side) "which tells me so." And upon 
 Beatty's inquiring whether his pain was very 
 great, he replied : "So great that he wished 
 he were dead. Yet," said he, in a lower voice, 
 "one would like to live a little longer, too!" 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 241 
 
 And after a few minutes, in the same under- 
 tone, he added: "What would become of 
 poor Lady Hamilton if she knew my situa- 
 tion!" Next to his country, she occupied his 
 thoughts. Captain Hardy, some fifty minutes 
 after he had left the cockpit, returned, and 
 again taking the hand of his dying friend and 
 commander, congratulated him on having 
 gained a complete victory. How many of 
 the enemy were taken he did not know, as it 
 was impossible to perceive them distinctly, 
 but fourteen or fifteen at least. "That's well !" 
 cried Nelson; "but I bargained for twenty." 
 And then, in a stronger voice, he said: "An- 
 chor, Hardy; anchor." Hardy, upon this, 
 hinted that Admiral Collingwood would take 
 upon himself the direction of affairs. "Not 
 while I live, Hardy," said the dying Nelson, 
 ineffectually endeavoring to raise himself 
 from his bed; "do you anchor." His previous 
 order for preparing to anchor had shown how 
 clearly he foresaw the necessity of this. Pres- 
 ently, calling Hardy back, he said to him, in 
 a low voice: "Don't throw me overboard"; 
 and he desired that he might be buried by his 
 
242 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 parents, unless it should please the king to 
 order otherwise. Then, reverting to private 
 feelings, "Take care of my dear Lady Hamil- 
 ton, Hardy; take care of poor Lady Hamilton. 
 Kiss me, Hardy," said he. Hardy knelt down 
 and kissed his cheek; and Nelson said : "Now 
 I am satisfied. Thank God, I have done my 
 duty!" Hardy stood over him in silence for 
 a moment or two, then knelt again and kissed 
 his forehead. "Who is that?" said Nelson; 
 and being informed, he replied: "God bless 
 you, Hardy!" And Hardy then left him for- 
 ever. 
 
 Nelson now desired to be turned upon his 
 right side, and said: "I wish I had not left 
 the deck; for I shall soon be gone." Death 
 was, indeed, fast approaching. He said to the 
 chaplain: "Doctor, I have not been a great 
 sinner"; and after a short pause, "Remember 
 that I leave Lady Hamilton, and my daughter 
 Horatia, as a legacy to my country." His ar- 
 ticulation now became difficult; but he was 
 distinctly heard to say: "Thank God I have 
 done my duty!" These words he repeatedly 
 pronounced; and they were the last words 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 243 
 
 which he uttered. He expired at thirty min- 
 utes past four, three hours and a quarter after 
 he had received his wound. 
 
 Within a quarter of an hour after Nelson 
 was wounded above fifty of the Victory's men 
 fell by the enemy's musketry. They, however, 
 on their part, were not idle; and it was not 
 long before there were only two Frenchmen 
 left alive in the mizzen-top of the Redout- 
 able. One of them was the man who had 
 given the fatal wound; he did not live to 
 boast of what he had done. An old quarter- 
 master had seen him fire, and easily recog- 
 nized him, because he wore a glazed cocked- 
 hat and a white frock. This quarter-master 
 and two midshipmen, Mr. Collingwood and 
 Mr. Pollard, were the only persons left in the 
 Victory's poop; the two midshipmen kept fir- 
 ing at the top, and he supplied them with car- 
 tridges. One of the Frenchmen, attempting 
 to make his escape down the rigging, was shot 
 by Mr. Pollard, and fell on the poop. But 
 the old quarter-master, as he cried out, 
 "That's he, that's he!" and pointed at the 
 other, who was coming forward to fire again, 
 
244 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 received a shot in his mouth, and fell dead. 
 Both the midshipmen then fired at the same 
 time, and the other fellow dropped in the top. 
 When they took possession of the prize, they 
 went into the mizzen-top and found him dead ; 
 with one ball through his head, and another 
 through his breast. 
 
 The Redoutable struck within twenty min- 
 utes after the fatal shot had been fired from 
 her. During that time she had been twice on 
 fire, in her forechains and in her forecastle. 
 The French, as they had done in other bat- 
 tles, made use in this of fire-balls and other 
 combustibles; implements of destruction 
 which other nations, from a sense of honour 
 and humanity, have laid aside; which add to 
 the sufferings of the wounded, without de- 
 termining the issue of the combat; which none 
 but the cruel would employ; and which never 
 can be successful against the brave. Once 
 they succeeded in setting fire, from the Re- 
 doutable, to some ropes and canvas on the 
 Victory's booms. The cry ran through the 
 ship, and reached the cockpit; but even this 
 dreadful cry produced no confusion; the men 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 245 
 
 displayed that perfect self-possession in dan- 
 ger by which English seamen are character- 
 ised; they extinguished the flames on board 
 their own ship, and then hastened to extin- 
 guish them in the enemy, by throwing buckets 
 of water from the gangway. When the Re- 
 doutable had struck, it was not practicable 
 to board her from the Victory, for, though the 
 two ships touched, the upper works of both 
 fell in so much that there was a great space 
 between their gangways; and she could not be 
 boarded from the lower or middle decks, be- 
 cause her ports were down. Some of our 
 men went to Lieutenant Quilliam, and of- 
 fered to swim under her bows, and get up 
 there; but it was thought unfit to hazard brave 
 lives in this manner. 
 
 What our men would have done from gal- 
 lantry, some of the crew of the Santissima 
 Trinidad did to save themselves. Unable to 
 stand the tremendous fire of the Victory, 
 whose larboard guns played against this great 
 four-decker, and not knowing how else to 
 escape them, nor where else to betake them- 
 selves for protection, many of them leaped 
 
246 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 overboard, and swam to the Victory, and were 
 actually helped up her sides by the English 
 during the action. The Spaniards began the 
 battle with less vivacity than their unworthy 
 allies, but continued it with greater firmness. 
 The Argonaula and Bahama were defended 
 till they had each lost about four hundred 
 men; the San Juan Nepomuceno lost three 
 hundred and fifty. * * * 
 
 Once, amidst his sufferings, Nelson had ex- 
 pressed a wish that he were dead; but imme- 
 diately the spirit subdued the pains of death, 
 and he wished to live a little longer; doubt- 
 less, that he might hear the completion of the 
 victory that he had seen so gloriously begun. 
 That consolation, that joy, that triumph w r as 
 afforded him. He lived to know that the vic- 
 tory was decisive; and the last guns that were 
 fired at the flying enemy were heard a minute 
 or two before he expired. The ships which 
 were thus flying were four of the enemy's van, 
 all French, under Rear-Admiral Dumanoir. 
 They had borne no part in the action; and 
 now, when they were seeking safety in flight, 
 they fired not only into the Victory and Royal 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 247 
 
 Sovereign as they passed, but poured their 
 broadsides into the captured Spanish ships; 
 and they were seen to back their top-sails, for 
 the purpose of firing with more precision. 
 The indignation of the Spaniards at this de- 
 testable cruelty from their allies, for whom 
 they had fought so bravely, and so profusely 
 bled, may well be conceived. It was such, 
 that when, two days after the action, seven of 
 the ships which had escaped into Cadiz came 
 out, in hopes of retaking some of the disabled 
 prizes, the prisoners in the Argonauta, in a 
 body, offered their services to the British 
 prize-master to man the guns against any of 
 the French ships: saying, that if a Spanish 
 ship came alongside they would quietly go 
 below; but they requested that they might be 
 allowed to fight the French, in resentment for 
 the murderous usage which they had suffered 
 at their hands. Such was their earnestness, 
 and such the implicit confidence which could 
 be placed in Spanish honour, that the offer 
 was accepted; and they were actually sta- 
 tioned at the lower-deck guns. Dumanoir 
 and his squadron were not more fortunate 
 
248 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 than the fleet from whose destruction they 
 fled; they fell in with Sir Richard Strachan, 
 who was cruising for the Rochfort squadron, 
 and were all taken. In the better days of 
 France, if such a crime could have been com- 
 mitted, it would have received an exemplary 
 punishment from the French Government; 
 under Bonaparte it was sure of impunity, and, 
 perhaps, might be thought deserving of re- 
 ward. But, if the Spanish court had been 
 independent, it would have become us to have 
 delivered Dumanoir and his captains up to 
 Spain, that they might have been brought to 
 trial, and hanged in sight of the Spanish fleet. 
 he total British loss in the battle of Trafal- 
 gar amounted to 1,690. Nineteen of the en- 
 emy struck — unhappily the fleet did not an- 
 chor, as Nelson, almost with his dying breath, 
 had enjoined — a gale came on from the south- 
 west; some of the prizes went down, some 
 went on shore; one effected its escape into Ca- 
 diz; others were destroyed; four only were 
 saved, and those by the greatest exertions. 
 The wounded Spaniards were sent ashore, an 
 assurance being given that they should not 
 
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 249 
 
 serve till regularly exchanged; and the Span- 
 iards, with a generous feeling which would 
 not, perhaps, have been found in any other 
 people, offered the use of their hospitals for 
 our wounded, pledging the honour of Spain 
 that they should be carefully attended there. 
 When the storm, after the action, drove some 
 of the prizes upon the coast, they declared 
 that the English, who were thus thrown into 
 their hands, should not be considered as pris- 
 oners of war; and the Spanish soldiers gave 
 up their own beds to their shipwrecked ene- 
 mies. The Spanish Vice-Admiral, Alava, 
 died of his wounds. Villeneuve was sent to 
 England, and permitted to return to France. 
 The French Government says that he de- 
 stroyed himself on the way to Paris, dreading 
 the consequences of a court-martial; but there 
 is every reason to believe that the tyrant, who 
 never acknowledged the loss of the battle of 
 Trafalgar, added Villeneuve to the numerous 
 victims of his murderous policy. 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 
 
 "The Lord High Admiral of England, send- 
 ing a pinnace before, called the Defiance, an- 
 nounced war by discharging her ordnance; 
 and presently approaching within musket- 
 shot, with much thundering out of his own 
 ship, called the Arkroyall (alias the Tri- 
 umph), first set upon the Admiral's, as he 
 thought, of the Spaniards (but it was Alfonso 
 de Leon's ship) . Soon after Drake, Hawkins, 
 and Frobisher played stoutly with their ord- 
 nance on the hindmost squadron, which was 
 commanded by Recalde." The Spaniards 
 soon discovered the superior "nimbleness of 
 the English ships"; and Recalde's squadron, 
 finding that they are getting more than they 
 give, in spite of his endeavours, hurry for- 
 ward to join the rest of the fleet. Medina, 
 
 the Admiral, finding his ships scattering fast, 
 
 250 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 251 
 
 gathers them into a half-moon; and the Ar- 
 mada tries to keep solemn way forward, like 
 a stately herd of buffaloes, who march on 
 across the prairie, disdaining to notice the 
 wolves which snarl around their track. But 
 in vain. These are no wolves, but cunning 
 hunters, swiftly horsed, and keenly armed, and 
 who will "shamefully shuffle" (to use Drake's 
 own expression) that vast herd from the Liz- 
 ard to Portland, from Portland to Calais 
 Roads; and who, even in this short two hours' 
 fight, have made many a Spaniard question 
 the boasted invincibleness of this Armada. 
 
 One of the four great galliasses is already 
 riddled with shot, to the great disarrange- 
 ment of her "pulpits, chapels," and friars 
 therein assistant. The fleet has to close round 
 her, or Drake and Hawkins will sink her; in 
 effecting which manceuvre, the "principal gal- 
 leon of Seville," in which are Pedro de Val- 
 dez and a host of blue-blooded Dons, runs 
 foul of her neighbour, carries away her fore- 
 mast, and is, in spite of Spanish chivalry, left 
 to her fate. This does not look like victory, 
 certainly. But courage! though Valdez be 
 
252 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 left behind, "our Lady," and the saints, and 
 the Bull Coena Domini (dictated by one 
 whom I dare not name here) are with them 
 still, and it were blasphemous to doubt. But 
 in the meanwhile, if they have fared no better 
 than this against a third of the Plymouth 
 fleet, how will they fare when those forty be- 
 lated ships, which are already whitening the 
 blue between them and the Mewstone enter 
 the scene to play their part? 
 
 So ends the first day; not an English ship, 
 hardly a man, is hurt. It has destroyed for- 
 ever, in English minds, the prestige of boast- 
 ful Spain. It has justified utterly the policy 
 which Lord Howard has adopted by Ral- 
 eigh's and Drake's advice of keeping up a run- 
 ning fight, instead of "clapping ships to- 
 gether without consideration," in which case, 
 says Raleigh, "he had been lost if he had 
 not been better advised than a great many 
 malignant fools were, who found fault with 
 his demeanour." 
 
 Be that as it may, so ends the first day, in 
 which Amyas and the other Bideford ships 
 have been right busy for two hours knock- 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 253 
 
 ing holes in a huge galleon which carries on 
 her poop a maiden with a wheel, and bears 
 the name of St. Catharina. She had a coat- 
 of-arms on the flag at her sprit, probably those 
 of the commandant of soldiers; but they were 
 shot away early in the fight, so Amyas can- 
 not tell whether they were De Soto's or not. 
 Nevertheless, there is plenty of time for pri- 
 vate revenge; and Amyas called off at last by 
 the Admiral's signal, goes to bed and sleeps 
 soundly. 
 
 But ere he has been in his hammock an 
 hour, he is awakened by Cary's coming down 
 to ask for orders. 
 
 "We were to follow Drake's lantern, 
 Amyas; but where it is I can't see, unless he 
 has been taken up aloft there among the stars, 
 for a new Drakium Sidus." 
 
 Amyas turns out grumbling: but no lantern 
 is to be seen; only a sudden explosion and 
 a great fire on board some Spaniard, which is 
 gradually got under, while they have to lie-to 
 the whole night long, with nearly the whole 
 fleet. 
 
 The next morning finds them off Torbay; 
 
254 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 and Amyas in a pinnace, bringing a letter 
 from Drake, which (saving the spelling, 
 which was somewhat arbitrary, like most 
 men's in those days) ran somewhat thus: 
 
 "Dear Lad, — I have been wool-gathering 
 all night after five great hulks, which the Pix- 
 ies transfigured overnight into galleons, and 
 this morning again into German merchant- 
 men. I let them go with my blessing; and 
 coming back fell in (God be thanked) with 
 Valdez's great galleon; and in it good booty, 
 which the Dons his fellows had left behind, 
 like faithful and valiant comrades, and the 
 Lord Howard had let slip past him, think- 
 ing her deserted by the crew. I have sent to 
 Darmouth a sight of noblemen and gentle- 
 men, maybe a half hundred; and Valdez him- 
 self, who, when I sent my pinnace aboard, 
 must needs stand on his punctilios, and pro- 
 pound conditions. I answered him I had no 
 time to talk with him; if he would needs die, 
 then I was the very man for him; if he would 
 live, then buena querra. He sends again, 
 boasting that he was Don Pedro Valdez, and 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 255 
 
 that it stood not with his honour, and that of 
 the Dons in his company. I replied, that for 
 my part, I was Francis Drake, and my 
 matches burning. Whereon he finds in my 
 name salve for the wounds of his own, and 
 comes aboard, kissing my fist, with Spanish 
 lies of holding himself fortunate that he had 
 fallen into the hands of Drake, and much 
 more, which he might have kept to cool his 
 porridge. But I have much news from him 
 (for he is a leaky tub) ; and among others, 
 this, that your Don Guzman is aboard of the 
 Sta. Catharina, commandant of her soldiery, 
 and has his arms flying at her sprit, beside 
 Sta. Catharina at the poop, which is a maiden 
 with a wheel, and is a lofty built ship of three 
 tier of ordnance, from which God preserve 
 you, and send you like luck with 
 
 "Your deare Friend and Admiral, 
 
 "F. Drake." 
 
 "She sails in this squadron of Recalde. The 
 Armada was minded to smoke us out of Ply- 
 mouth; and God's grace it was they tried not: 
 but their orders from home are too strait, and 
 
256 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 so the slaves fight like a bull in a tether, no 
 farther than their rope, finding thus the devil 
 a hard master, so do most in the end. They 
 cannot compass our quick handling and tack- 
 ing, and take us for very witches. So far so 
 good, and better to come. You and I know 
 the length of their foot of old. Time and 
 light will kill any hare, and they will find it 
 a long way from Start to Dunkirk." 
 
 "The Admiral is in a gracious humour, 
 Leigh, to have vouchsafed you so long a let- 
 ter." 
 
 "St. Catharine? Why, that was the galleon 
 we hammered all yesterday," said Amyas, 
 stamping on the deck. 
 
 "Of course it was. Well, we shall find her 
 again, doubt not. That cunning old Drake! 
 How he has contrived to line his own pockets, 
 even though he had to keep the whole fleet 
 waiting for him." 
 
 "He has given the Lord High Admiral the 
 dor, at all events." 
 
 Amyas answered by a growl, for he wor- 
 shipped Drake, and was not too just to Pa- 
 pists. 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 257 
 
 The fleet did not find Lord Howard till 
 night fell; he and Lord Sheffield had been 
 holding on steadfastly the whole night after 
 the Spanish lanterns with two ships only. At 
 least there was no doubt now of the loyalty 
 of English Roman Catholics, and, indeed, 
 throughout the fight, the Howards showed 
 (as if to wipe out the slurs which had been 
 cast on their loyalty by fanatics) a desperate 
 courage, which might have thrust less pru- 
 dent men into destruction, but led them only 
 to victory. Soon a large Spaniard drifts by, 
 deserted and partly burnt. Some of the men 
 are for leaving their place to board her; but 
 Amyas stoutly refuses. He has "come out to 
 fight and not to plunder; so let the nearest 
 ship to her luck without grudging." They 
 pass on, and the men pull long faces when 
 they see the galleon snapped up by their next 
 neighbour, and towed off to Weymouth, where 
 she proves to be the ship of Miguel 
 d'Oquenda, the Vice- Admiral, which they saw 
 last night, all but blown up by some desperate 
 Netherland gunner, who, being "misused," 
 was minded to pay off old scores on his tyrants. 
 
258 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 And so ends the second day; while the Port- 
 land rises higher and clearer every hour. The 
 next morning finds them off the island. Will 
 they try Portsmouth, though they have spared 
 Plymouth? The wind has shifted to the north, 
 and blows clear and cool off the white-walled 
 downs of Weymouth Bay. The Spaniards 
 turn and face the English. They must mean 
 to stand off and on until the wind shall change, 
 and then to try for the Needles. At least, 
 they shall have some work to do before they 
 round Purbeck Isle. 
 
 The English go to the western again; but 
 it is only to return on the opposite tack; and 
 now begins a series of manoeuvres, each fleet 
 trying to get the wind of the other; but the 
 struggle does not last long, and ere noon the 
 English fleet have slipped close-hauled be- 
 tween the Armada and the land, and are com- 
 ing down upon them right before the wind. 
 
 And now begins a fight most fierce and 
 fell. "And fight they did confusedly, and 
 with variable fortunes; while on the one hand 
 the English manfully rescued the ships of 
 London, which were hemmed in by the Span- 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 259 
 
 iards; and on the other side the Spaniards as 
 stoutly delivered Recalde, being in danger. 
 Never was heard such thundering of ord- 
 nance on both sides, which, notwithstanding 
 from the Spaniards, flew for the most part 
 over the English without harm. Only Cock, 
 an Englishman" (whom Prince claims, I hope 
 rightfully, as a worthy of Devon), "died with 
 honour in the midst of the enemies in a small 
 ship of his. For the English ships, being far 
 the lesser, charged the enemy with marvel- 
 ous agility; and, having discharged their 
 broadsides, drew forth presently into the deep, 
 and levelled their shot directly, without miss- 
 ing, at those great unwieldy Spanish ships. 
 This was the most furious and bloody skirm- 
 ish of all (though ending only, it seems, in 
 the capture of a great Venetian and some 
 small craft), in which the Lord Admiral 
 fighting amidst his enemies' fleet, and seeing 
 one of his captains afar off (Fenner by name, 
 he who fought the seven Portugals at the 
 Azores), cried, 'O George, what dost thou? 
 Wilt thou now frustrate my hope and opinion 
 conceived of thee? Wilt thou forsake me 
 
260 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 now?' With which words he, being enflamed, 
 approached, and did the part of a most vali- 
 ant captain; as, indeed, did all the rest." 
 
 Night falls upon the floating volcano; and 
 morning finds them far past Purbeck, with 
 the white peak of Freshwater ahead; and 
 pouring out past the Needles, ship after ship, 
 to join the gallant chase. For now from all 
 havens, in vessels fitted out at their own ex- 
 pense, flock the chivalry of England; the 
 Lords Oxford, Northumberland, and Cum- 
 berland, Pallavicin, Brooke, Carew, Raleigh, 
 and Blunt, and many other honourable names, 
 "as to a set field, where immortal fame and 
 honour was to be attained." Spain had staked 
 her chivalry in that mighty cast; not a noble 
 house of Arragon or Castile but has lent a 
 brother or a son — and shall mourn the loss of 
 one: and England's gentlemen will measure 
 their strength once for all against the Cava- 
 liers of Spain. Lord Howard has sent for- 
 ward light craft into Portsmouth for ammu- 
 nition, but they will scarce return tonight, for 
 the wind falls dead, and all the evening the 
 'two fleets drift helpless with the tide, and 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 261 
 
 shout idle defiance at each other with trum- 
 pet, fife and drum. 
 
 The sun goes down upon a glassy sea, and 
 rises on a glassy sea again. But what day 
 is this? The twenty-fifth, St. James's day, sa- 
 cred to the patron saint of Spain. Shall noth- 
 ing be attempted in his honour by those whose 
 forefathers have so often seen him with their 
 bodily eyes, charging in their van upon his 
 snow-white steed, and scattering Paynims 
 with celestial lance? He might have sent 
 them, certainly, a favouring breeze; perhaps, 
 he only means to try their faith; at least the 
 galleys shall attack; and in trjeJr van three of 
 the great galliasses (the fourth lies half-crip- 
 pled among the fleet) thrash the sea to foam 
 with three hundred oars apiece; and see, not 
 St. James leading them to victory, but Lord 
 Howard's Triumph, his brother's Lion, South- 
 well's Elizabeth Jonas, Lord Sheffield's Bear, 
 Barker's Victory, and George Fenner's Leices- 
 ter, towed stoutly out to meet them with such 
 salvoes of chain-shot, smashing oars, and cut- 
 ting rigging, that had not the wind sprung up 
 again toward noon, and the Spanish fleet come 
 
262 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 up to rescue them, they had shared the fate 
 of Valdez and the Biscayan. And now the 
 fight becomes general. Frobisher beats down 
 the Spanish admiral's mainmast; and, at- 
 tacked himself by Mexia and Recalde, is res- 
 cued in his turn; "while after that day" (so 
 sickened were they of the English gunnery) 
 "no galliasse would adventure to fight." 
 
 And so, with variable fortune, the fight 
 thunders on the livelong afternoon, beneath 
 the virgin cliffs of Freshwater; while myriad 
 sea-fowl rise screaming up from every ledge, 
 and spot with their black wings the snow- 
 white wall of chalk; over the dizzy edge, and 
 forgets the wheatear fluttering in his snare, 
 while he gazes trembling upon glimpses of 
 tall masts and gorgeous flags, piercing at times 
 the league-broad veil of a sulphur-smoke 
 which welters far below. 
 
 So fares St. James's day, as Baal's did on 
 Carmel in old time. "Either he is talking, 
 or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey; or 
 peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awak- 
 ened." At least, the only fire by which he has 
 answered his votaries has been that of Eng- 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 263 
 
 lish cannon : and the Armada, "gathering into 
 a roundel," will fight no more, but make the 
 best of its way to Calais, where perhaps the 
 Guises' faction may have a French force 
 ready to assist them, and then to Dunkirk, to 
 join with Parma and the great flotilla of the 
 Netherlands. 
 
 So on, before "a fair Etesian gale," which 
 follows clear and bright out of the south- 
 south-west, guide forward the two great 
 fleets, past Brighton cliffs and Beachy Plead, 
 Hastings and Dungeness. Is it a battle or a 
 triumph? For by sea Lord Howard, instead 
 of fighting is rewarding; and after Lord 
 Thomas Howard, Lord Sheffield, Townsend, 
 and Frobisher have received at his hands that 
 knighthood, which was then more honourable 
 than a peerage, old Admiral Hawkins kneels 
 and rises up Sir John, and, shaking his shoul- 
 ders after the accolade, observes to the repre- 
 sentative of majesty that his "old woman will 
 hardly know herself again, when folks call her 
 'My Lady/ " 
 
 Lord Henry Seymore has brought Lord 
 Howard a letter of command from Eliza- 
 
264 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 beth's self; and Drake has been carrying it 
 out so busily all that Sunday long that by two 
 o'clock on the Monday morning, eight fire- 
 ships "besmeared with wildfire, brimstone, 
 pitch, and resin, and all their ordnance 
 charged with bullets and with stones," are 
 stealing down the wind straight for the Span- 
 ish fleet, guided by two valiant men of De- 
 von, Young and Prowse. (Let their names 
 live long in the land!) The ships are fired, 
 the men of Devon steal back, and in a mo- 
 ment more the heaven is red with glare from 
 Dover Cliffs to Gravelines Tower; and weary- 
 hearted Belgian boors far away inland, plun- 
 dered and dragooned for many a hideous year, 
 leap from their beds, and fancy (and not so 
 far wrongly, either) that the day of judg- 
 ment is come at last, to end their woes, and 
 hurl down vengeance on their tyrants. 
 
 And then breaks forth one of those dis- 
 graceful panics, which so often follow over- 
 weening presumption; and shrieks, oaths, 
 prayers, and reproaches, make night hideous. 
 There are those too on board who recollect 
 well enough Jenebilli's fire-ships at Antwerp 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 265 
 
 three years before, and the wreck which they 
 made of Parma's bridge across the Scheldt. 
 If these should be like them! And cutting all 
 cables, hoisting any sails, the Invincible Ar- 
 mada goes lumbering wildly out to sea, every 
 ship foul of her neighbour. 
 
 The largest of the four galliasses loses her 
 rudder, and drifts helpless to and fro, hinder- 
 ing and confusing. The duke, having (so the 
 Spaniards say) weighed his anchor deliber- 
 ately instead of leaving it behind him, runs 
 in again after a while, and fires a signal for 
 return, but his truant sheep are deaf to the 
 shepherd's pipe, and, swearing and praying by 
 turns, he runs up Channel towards Gravelines, 
 picking up stragglers on his way who are 
 struggling as they best can among the flats 
 and shallows : but Drake and Fenner have 
 arrived as soon as he. When Monday's sun 
 rises on the quaint old castle and muddy dykes 
 of Gravelines town, the thunder of the cannon 
 recommences, and is not hushed till night. 
 Drake can hang coolly enough in the rear to 
 plunder when he thinks fit; but when the bat- 
 tle needs it none can fight more fiercely 
 
266 THE SAPPHIPvE STORY BOOK 
 
 among the foremost; and there is need now, 
 if ever. That Armada must never be allowed 
 to re-form. If it does, its left wing may yet 
 keep the English at bay, while its right drives 
 off the blockading Hollanders from Dunkirk 
 port, and sets Parma and his flotilla free to 
 join them, and to sail in doubled strength 
 across the mouth of the Thames. 
 
 So Drake weighed anchor, and away up 
 Channel with all his squadron the moment 
 that he saw the Spanish fleet come up; and 
 with him Fenner, burning to redeem the 
 honour which, indeed, he had never lost; and 
 ere Fenton, Beeston, Crosse, Ryman, and 
 Lord Southwell can join them, the Devon 
 ships have been worrying the Spaniards for 
 two hours into confusion worse confounded. 
 
 But what is that heavy firing behind them? 
 Alas for the great galliasse! She lies, like a 
 huge stranded whale, upon the sands where 
 now stands Calais pier; and Amyas Preston, 
 the future hero of La Guayra, is pounding 
 her into submission, while a fleet of hoys and 
 drublers look on and help, as jackals might the 
 lion, 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 267 
 
 Soon, on the southwest horizon, loom up 
 larger and larger, two mighty ships, and be- 
 hind them sail on sail. As they near a shout 
 greets the Triumph and the Bear; and on and 
 in the Lord High Admiral glides stately into 
 the thickest of the fight. 
 
 True, we have still but some three-and- 
 twenty ships which can cope at all with some 
 ninety of the Spaniards; but we have dash, 
 and daring, and the inspiration of utter need. 
 Now, or never, must the mighty struggle be 
 ended. We worried them off Portland; we 
 must rend them in pieces now; and in rushes 
 ship after ship, to smash her broadsides 
 through and through the wooden castles, 
 "sometimes not a pike's length asunder," and 
 then out again to reload, and give place 
 meanwhile to another. The smaller are fight- 
 ing with all sails set; the few larger, who, 
 once in, are careless about coming out again, 
 fight with topsails loose, and their main and 
 foreyards close down on deck, to prevent be- 
 ing boarded. The Duke, Oquenda, and Re- 
 calde, having with much ado got clear of the 
 shallows, bear the brunt of the fight to sea- 
 
268 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 ward; but in vain. The day goes against 
 them more and more, as it runs on. Seymore 
 and Winter have battered the great San Phil- 
 lip into a wreck; her masts are gone by the 
 board; Pimentelli in the San Matthew comes 
 up to take the mastiffs off the fainting bull, 
 and finds them fastened on him instead; but 
 the Evangelist, though smaller, is stouter than 
 the Deacon, and of all the shot poured into 
 him, no twenty, "lackt him thorough." His 
 masts are tottering; but sink or strike he will 
 not. 
 
 "Go ahead, and pound his tough hide, 
 Leigh," roars Drake off the poop of his ship, 
 while he hammers away at one of the great 
 galliasses. "What right has he to keep us all 
 waiting?" 
 
 Amyas slips in as best he can between 
 Drake and Winter; as he passes, he shouts to 
 his ancient enemy: 
 
 "We are with you, sir; all friends to-day!" 
 and slipping round Winter's bows, he pours 
 his broadside into those of the San Matthew, 
 and then glides on to re-load; but not to re- 
 turn. For not a pistol-shot to leeward, wor- 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 269 
 
 ried by three or four small craft, lies an im- 
 mense galleon; and on her poop — can he be- 
 lieve his eyes for joy? — the maiden and the 
 wheel which he has sought so long! 
 
 "There he is!" shouts Amyas, springing to 
 the starboard side of the ship. The men, too, 
 have already caught sight of that hated sign; 
 a cheer of fury bursts from every throat. 
 
 "Steady, men!" says Amyas, in a suppressed 
 voice. "Not a shot! Re-load, and be ready; 
 I must speak with him first." And silent as 
 the grave, amid the infernal din, the Ven- 
 geance glides up to the Spaniard's quarter. 
 
 "Don Guzman Maria Magdalena Soto- 
 mayer de Soto!" shouts Amyas, from the miz- 
 zen rigging, loud and clear amid the roar. 
 
 He has not called in vain. Fearless and 
 graceful as ever, the tall, mail-clad figure of 
 his foe leaps up upon the poop railing, twenty 
 feet above Amyas's head, and shouts through 
 his vizor: 
 
 "At your service, sir, whosoever you may 
 be." 
 
 A dozen muskets and arrows were levelled 
 at him; but Amyas frowns them down. "No 
 
270 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 man strikes him but I. Spare him, if you 
 kill every other soul on board. Don Guz- 
 man! I am Captain Sir Amyas Leigh; I pro- 
 claim you a traitor and ravisher, and chal- 
 lenge you once more to single combat, when 
 and where you will." 
 
 "You are welcome to come on board me, 
 sir," answers the Spaniard in a clear, quiet 
 tone; "bringing with you this answer, that you 
 lie in your throat"; and lingering a moment 
 out of bravado to arrange his scarf, he steps 
 slowly down behind the bulwarks. 
 
 "Coward!" shouted Amyas at the top of his 
 voice. 
 
 The Spaniard reappears instantly. "Why 
 that name, Senor, of all others?" asks he in a 
 cool, stern voice. 
 
 "Because we call men cowards in England 
 who leave their wives to be burned alive by 
 priests." 
 
 The moment the words had passed Amyas's 
 lips, he felt that they were cruel and unjust. 
 But it was too late to recall them. 
 
 "For that word, sirrah, you hang at my 
 yard-arm, if Saint Mary gives me grace." 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 271 
 
 "See that your halter be a silken one, then," 
 laughed Amyas, "for I am just dubbed 
 knight." And he stepped down as a storm of 
 bullets rang through the rigging round his 
 head; the Spaniards are not as punctilious 
 as he. 
 
 "Fire!" His ordnance crash through the 
 sternworks of the Spaniard; and then he sails 
 onward, while her balls go humming harm- 
 lessly through his rigging. 
 
 Half-an-hour has passed of wild noise and 
 fury; three times has the Vengeance, as a dol- 
 phin might, sailed clean round and round the 
 St. Catharina, pouring in broadside after 
 broadside, till the guns are leaping to the 
 deck-beams with their own heat, and the 
 Spaniard's sides are slit and spotted in a hun- 
 dred places. And yet, so high has been his 
 fire in return, and so strong the deck defences 
 of the Vengeance, that a few spars broken, 
 and two or three men wounded by musketry 
 are all her loss. But still the Spaniard en- 
 dures, magnificent as ever; it is the battle of 
 the thresher and the whale; the end is cer- 
 tain, but the work is long. 
 
272 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 "Can I help you, Captain Leigh?" asked 
 Lord Henry Seymore, as he passes within 
 oar's length of him, to attack a ship ahead. 
 "The San Matthew has had his dinner, and 
 is gone on to Medina to ask for a digestive 
 to it." 
 
 "I thank your Lordship; but this is my pri- 
 vate quarrel, of which I spoke. But if your 
 Lordship could lend me powder " 
 
 "Would that I could! But so, I fear, says 
 every other gentleman in the fleet." 
 
 A puff of wind clears away the sulphurous 
 veil for a moment; the sea is clear of ships 
 towards the land; the Spanish fleet are mov- 
 ing again up Channel, Medina bringing up 
 the rear; only some two miles to their right 
 hand the vast hull of the San Philip is drift- 
 ing up the shore with the tide, and somewhat 
 nearer the San Matthew is hard at work at 
 her pumps. They can see the white stream 
 of water pouring down her side. 
 
 "Go in, my Lord, and have the pair," 
 shouts Amyas. 
 
 "No, sir! Forward is a Seymore's cry. We 
 will leave them to pay the Flushingers' ex- 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 273 
 
 penses." And on went Lord Henry, and on 
 shore went the San Philip at Ostend, to be 
 plundered by the Flushingers; while the San 
 Matthew, whose captain, "on a hault cour- 
 age," had refused to save himself and his gen- 
 tlemen on board Medina's ship, went blun- 
 dering miserably into the hungry mouths of 
 Captain Peter Vanderduess and four other va- 
 liant Dutchmen, who, like prudent men of 
 Holland, contrived to keep the galleon afloat 
 till they had emptied her, and then "hung up 
 her banner in the great church of Leyden, 
 being of such a length, that being fastened to 
 the roof, it reached unto the very ground." 
 
 But in the meanwhile, long ere the sun had 
 set, comes down the darkness of the thunder- 
 storm, attracted, as to a volcano's mouth, to 
 that vast mass of sulphur-smoke which cloaks 
 the sea for many a mile; and heaven's artil- 
 lery above makes answer to man's below. But 
 still, through smoke and rain, Amyas clings 
 to his prey. She too has seen the northward 
 movement of the Spanish fleet, and sets her 
 topsails: Amyas calls to the men to fire high, 
 and cripple her rigging; but in vain; for 
 
274 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 three or four belated galleys, having forced 
 their way at last over the shallows, come flash- 
 ing and sputtering up to the combatants, and 
 take his fire off the galleon. Amyas grinds 
 his teeth, and would fain hustle into the thick 
 of the press once more, in spite of the galley's 
 beaks. 
 
 "Mostheroical Captain," says Gary, pulling 
 a long face, "if we do, we are stove and sunk 
 in five minutes; not to mention that Yeo says 
 he has not twenty rounds of great cartridge 
 left." 
 
 So, surely and silent, the Vengeance sheers 
 off, but keeps as near as she can to the little 
 squadron, all through the night of rain and 
 thunder which follows. Next morning the 
 sun rises on a clear sky, with a strong west- 
 northwest breeze, and all hearts are asking 
 what the day will bring forth. 
 
 They are long past Dunkirk now; the Ger- 
 man Ocean is opening before them. The 
 Spaniards sorely battered, and lessened in 
 numbers have, during the night, regained 
 some sort of order. The English hang on 
 their skirts a mile or two behind. They have 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 275 
 
 no ammunition, and must wait for more. To 
 Amyas's great disgust, the St. Catharina has 
 rejoined her fellow during the night. 
 
 "Never mind," says Cary; "she can neither 
 dive nor fly, and as long as she is above water 
 we What is the admiral about?" 
 
 He is signalling Lord Henry Seymore and 
 his squadron. Soon they tack, and come down 
 the wind for the coast of Flanders. Parma 
 must be blockaded still, and the Hollanders 
 are likely to be too busy with their plunder 
 to do it effectually. Suddenly there is a stir 
 in the Spanish fleet. Medina and the rear- 
 most ships turn upon the English. What can 
 it mean? Will they offer battle once more? 
 If so, it were best to get out of their way, 
 for we have nothing wherewith to fight them. 
 So the English lie close to the wind. They 
 will let them pass, and return to their old 
 tactics of following and harrassing. 
 
 "Good-bye to Seymore," says Cary, "if he 
 is caught between them and Parma's flotilla. 
 They are going to Dunkirk." 
 
 "Impossible! They will not have water 
 enough to reach his light craft. Here, comes 
 
276 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 a big ship right upon us! Give him all you 
 have left, lads, and if he will fight us, lay 
 him alongside, and die boarding." 
 
 They gave him what they had, and hulled 
 him with every shot; but his huge side stood 
 silent as the grave. He had not wherewithal 
 to return the compliment. 
 
 "As I live, he is cutting loose the foot of 
 his mainsail! The villain means to run." 
 
 "There go the rest of them! Victoria!" 
 shouted Cary as, one after the other, every 
 Spaniard set all the sail he could. 
 
 There was silence for a few minutes 
 throughout the English fleet; and then cheer 
 upon cheer of triumph rent the skies. It was 
 over! The Spaniard had refused battle, and, 
 thinking only of safety, was pressing down 
 toward the Straits again. The Invincible Ar- 
 mada had cast away its name, and England 
 was saved. 
 
 "But he will never get there, sir," said old 
 Yeo, who had come upon deck to murmur his 
 Nunc Domine, and gaze upon that sight be- 
 yond all human faith or hope : "Never, never 
 will he weather the Flanders shore, against 
 
THE GREAT ARMADA 277 
 
 such a breeze as is coming up. Look to the 
 eye of the wind, sir, and see how the Lord is 
 fighting for His people!" 
 
 Yes, down it came, fresher and stiffer every 
 minute out of the grey northwest, as it does 
 so often after a thunderstorm; and the sea 
 began to rise high and whiter under the 
 "Claro Aquilone," till the Spaniards were 
 fain to take in all spare canvas, and lie to as 
 best they could; while the English fleet, lying 
 to also, awaited an event which was in God's 
 hands and not in theirs. 
 
 "They will be all ashore on Zealand before 
 the afternoon," murmured Amyas; "and I 
 have lost my labour. Oh, for powder, pow- 
 der, powder! to go in and finish it at once!" 
 
 "Oh, sir," said Yeo, "don't murmur against 
 the Lord on the very day of His mercies. It 
 is hard, to be sure, but His will be done." 
 
 "Could we not borrow powder from Drake 
 there?" 
 
 "Look at the sea, sir! 
 
 And, indeed, the sea was far too rough for 
 any such attempt. The Spaniards neared 
 and neared the fatal dunes, which fringed the 
 
278 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 shore for many a dreary mile; and Amyas had 
 to wait many dreary hours, growling like a 
 dog who has had the bone snatched out of 
 his mouth till the day wore on; when, behold, 
 the wind began to fall as rapidly as it had 
 risen. A savage joy rose in Amyas's heart. 
 
 "They are safe! Safe for us! Who will 
 go and beg us powder? A cartridge here and 
 a cartridge there — anything to set to work 
 again!" 
 
 Cary volunteered, and returned in a couple 
 of hours with some quantity; but he was on 
 board again only just in time, for the south- 
 wester had recovered the mastery of the skies, 
 and Spaniards and English were moving 
 away; but this time northward. Whither, 
 now? To Scotland? Amyas knew not, and 
 cared not, provided he was in the company of 
 Don Guzman de Soto. 
 
 The Armada was defeated and England 
 saved. 
 
WRECK OF THE DRAKE 
 
 Among those men who have performed the 
 most gallant and self-devoted deeds in the 
 most simple and natural way, we should espe- 
 cially reckon captains in the navy. With 
 them it is an understood rule that, happen 
 what may, the commanding officer is to be 
 the last to secure his own life — the last to 
 leave the ship in extremity. Many and many 
 a brave life has thus been given, but the spirit 
 nurtured by such examples is worth infinitely 
 more than ever the continued service of the 
 persons concerned could have been. And for 
 themselves — this world is not all, and have 
 we not read, that "He who will save his life 
 will lose it, and he who will lose his life shall 
 save it?" 
 
 The Newfoundland coast is a peculiarly 
 279 
 
280 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 dangerous one, from the dense fogs that hang 
 over the water, caused by the warm waters 
 of the gulf-stream, which, rushing up from 
 the equator, here come in contact with the 
 cold currents from the pole, and send up such 
 heavy vapour that day can sometimes scarcely 
 be discerned from night, and even at little 
 more than arm's length objects cannot be dis- 
 tinguished, while from without the mist looks 
 like a thick sheer precipice of snow. 
 
 In such a fearful fog, on the morning of 
 the 20th of June, 1822, the small schooner 
 Drake struck suddenly upon a rock, and al- 
 most immediately fell over on her side, the 
 waves breaking over her. Her commander, 
 Captain Baker, ordered her masts to be cut 
 away, in hopes of lightening her so that she 
 might right herself, but in vain. One boat 
 was washed away, another upset as soon as she 
 was launched, and there only remained the 
 small boat called the captain's gig. The ship 
 was fast breaking up, and the only hope was 
 that the crew might reach a small rock, the 
 point of which could be seen above the waves 
 at a distance that the fog made it difficult to 
 
WRECK OF THE DRAKE 281 
 
 calculate, but it was hoped might not be too 
 great. A man named Lennard seized a rope, 
 and sprang into the sea, but the current was 
 too strong for him; he was carried away in 
 an opposite direction, and was obliged to be 
 dragged on board again. Then the boatswain, 
 whose name was Turner, volunteered to make 
 the attempt in the gig, taking a rope fastened 
 round his body. The crew cheered him after 
 the gallant fashion of British seamen, though 
 they were all hanging on by ropes to the ship, 
 with the sea breaking over them, and threat- 
 ening every moment to dash the vessel to 
 pieces. Anxiously they watched Turner in his 
 boat, as he made his way within a few feet of 
 the rock. There it was lifted high and higher 
 by a huge wave, then hurled down on the 
 rock and shattered to pieces; but the brave 
 boatswain was safe, contriving to keep his hold 
 of the rope and to scramble upon the stone. 
 Another great wave, almost immediately 
 after, heaved up the remains of the ship, and 
 dashed her down close to this rock of safety, 
 and Captain Baker, giving up the hope of 
 saving her, commanded the crew to leave her 
 
282 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 and make their way to it. For the first time 
 he met. with disobedience. With one voice 
 they refused to leave the wreck unless they saw 
 him before them in safety. Calmly he re- 
 newed his orders, saying that his life was the 
 last and least consideration; and they were 
 obliged to obey, leaving the ship in as orderly 
 a manner as if they were going ashore in har- 
 bour. But they were so benumbed with cold 
 that many were unable to climb the rock, and 
 were swept off by the waves, among them the 
 lieutenant. Captain Baker last of all joined 
 his crew, and it was then discovered that they 
 were at no great distance from the land, but 
 that the tide was rising, and the rock on which 
 they stood would assuredly be covered at high 
 water, and the heavy mist and lonely coast 
 gave scarcely a hope that help would come 
 ere the slowly rising waters must devour 
 them. 
 
 Still there was no murmur, and again the 
 gallant boatswain, who still held the rope, 
 volunteered to make an effort to save his com- 
 rades. With a few words of earnest prayer, 
 he secured the rope round his waist, strug- 
 
WRECK OF THE DRAKE 283 
 
 gled hard with the waves, and reached 
 the shore, whence he sent back the news 
 of his safety by a loud cheer to his 
 comrades. 
 
 There was now a line of rope between the 
 shore and the rock, just long enough to reach 
 from one to the other when held by a man at 
 each end. The only hope of safety lay in 
 working a desperate passage along this rope 
 to the land. The spray was already beating 
 over those who were crouched on the rock, 
 but not a man moved till called by name by 
 Captain Baker, and then it is recorded that 
 not one, so summoned, stirred till he had used 
 his best entreaties to the captain to take his 
 place; but the captain had but one reply — 
 "I will never leave the rock until every soul 
 is safe." 
 
 Forty-four stout sailors had made their per- 
 ilous way to shore. The forty-fifth looked 
 round and saw a poor woman lying helpless, 
 almost lifeless, on the rock, unable to move. 
 He took her in one arm, and with the other 
 clung to the rope. Alas! the double weight 
 was more than the much-tried rope could 
 
284 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 bear; it broke halfway, and the poor woman 
 and the sailor were both swallowed in the 
 eddy. Captain Baker and three seamen re- 
 mained, utterly cut of! from hope or help. 
 The men in best condition hurried off in 
 search of help, found a farmhouse, obtained 
 a rope, and hastened back; but long ere their 
 arrival, the waters had flowed above the head 
 of the brave and faithful captain. All the 
 crew could do was, with full hearts, to write 
 a most touching letter to an officer who had 
 once sailed with them in the Drake to entreat 
 him to represent their captain's conduct to 
 the Lords of the Admiralty. "In fact," said 
 the letter, "during the whole business he 
 proved himself a man whose name and last 
 conduct ought ever to be held in the highest 
 estimation by a crew who feel it their duty 
 to ask, from the Lords Commissioners of the 
 Admiralty, that which they otherwise have 
 not the means of obtaining; that is, a public 
 and lasting record of the lion-hearted, gener- 
 ous, and very unexampled way in which our 
 late noble commander sacrificed his life, in 
 the evening of the 23rd of June." This letter 
 
WRECK OF THE DRAKE 285 
 
 was signed by the whole surviving crew of the 
 Drake, and in consequence a tablet in the 
 dockyard chapel at Portsmouth commemo- 
 rates the heroism of Captain Charles Baker. 
 
A STORMY SEA 
 
 Scud was seen flying rapidly across the sky, 
 thick white masses of clouds banked up 
 densely in the horizon. It was Adair's first 
 watch ; Murray had been about to turn in. He 
 cast his eyes around. 
 
 "Depend on it, Adair, we are going to have 
 a heavy blow, and a regular tornado will be 
 down on us before long, and the sooner we 
 make everything snug the better." 
 
 Adair doubted whether there would be 
 anything more than a squall. Just then the 
 sails flapped ominously, and there was a per- 
 fect calm. The flame of a candle brought 
 on deck would have ascended straight up- 
 wards. 
 
 " Adair, I tell you it will be down on us in 
 a few minutes, and with terrific force, too," 
 exclaimed Murray. "All hands shorten sail!" 
 
A STORMY SEA 287 
 
 Not a moment was to be lost. Needham and 
 the rest saw that with the exception of the 
 fore-staysail every sail was lowered and care- 
 fully stowed; the topmasts were struck, and 
 everything on deck was lashed and secured. 
 All the time a dead calm continued, the at- 
 mosphere was dreadfully close, so that even 
 on deck at times it seemed difficult to breathe, 
 while all around became darker and darker. 
 Suddenly a sound like heavy thunder was 
 heard in the distance. 
 
 "It is the beginning of the strife, the first 
 gun fired in action. Look there, what do you 
 say to that?" He pointed to a thick bank of 
 foam which was seen rolling up through the 
 dense gloom towards the devoted little vessel. 
 
 "Why, I suspect that we shall find ourselves 
 in the midst of a sea which will pretty nearly 
 swamp us," answered Adair. 
 
 On it came rolling and leaping, as if eager 
 to destroy the little craft. No sooner did her 
 head feel the force of the gale than off like 
 a sea-bird on the wing she flew before it. The 
 fore-staysail was now stowed, for from the 
 fury of the tornado it would either have been 
 
288 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 torn out of the bolt-ropes or run the vessel 
 under water. On flew the little craft, the sea 
 every minute getting up and the wind fresh- 
 ening. 
 
 The caution was not ill-timed. On came a 
 monster sea, roaring astern. High above her 
 quarters it rose, and down it rushed on her 
 decks, well nigh swamping her. All the 
 hatches had been secured, but, had not the 
 ports been open, so as to allow the water im- 
 mediately to run out, it would have swamped 
 her. The half-drowned crew shook them- 
 selves as they once more emerged from the 
 weight of water above them. Happily, none 
 were washed away. 
 
 The little half sinking schooner dashed on 
 amid the raging seas, now lifted up to the sum- 
 mit of one surrounded by hissing foam, now 
 sinking down into the gloomy hollow between 
 others which seemed as if they were about 
 instantly to engulf her. Again another sea 
 struck her, and had not every one held on 
 tight to the rigging or bulwarks, her deck 
 would have been cleared, as it made a clean 
 wash fore and aft, 
 
A STORMY SEA 289 
 
 "We must not run this risk again!" ex- 
 claimed Murray. "All hands go below; one 
 on deck is enough. I'll take the helm. No 
 expostulation, Adair; remember I am com- 
 manding officer. I am determined to do it." 
 
 Adair with a bad grace was obliged to 
 obey with the rest. They all went below, and 
 Murray battened down the hatches. Lash- 
 ing himself to the helm, he alone remained 
 on deck through that fearful gale. The sea 
 roared around the little vessel, the wind whis- 
 tled through the shrouds, fierce lightnings 
 darted from the dark, heavy clouds, the thun- 
 der rattled in deafening peals, while deluges 
 of rain and spray flew about his head and al- 
 most blinded him. Yet, undaunted as at the 
 first, he stood like some spirit of the storm 
 at his dangerous post. 
 
 Those below tried to sleep, to pass away 
 the time, but so fearful was the tumult that 
 sleep refused to visit even the seaman's eyes. 
 Hour after hour passed by. Still by the noise 
 and the movement of the vessel it was too evi- 
 dent that the gale continued. Adair calcu- 
 lated that it must already be almost day. Just 
 
2 9 o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 then the vessel became more steady, and the 
 noise of the storm considerably diminished. 
 Adair was surprised that Murray did not take 
 off the hatches. He was anxious to go on 
 deck to relieve him. He knocked and knocked 
 again on the skylight. He called and called 
 out again and again. There was no answer. 
 With frantic energy he attempted to burst 
 open the skylight. The dreadful idea seized 
 him that Murray, his brave and noble friend, 
 had been washed overboard and lost. 
 
 He and his companions again knocked sev- 
 eral times. Still there was no answer. They 
 themselves were almost stifled with the heat 
 of the atmosphere, and the odour of the rot- 
 ting tobacco and monkey-skins which came 
 from the hold. "This will never do," ex- 
 claimed Adair, becoming more and more 
 alarmed for Murray's safety. "We must force 
 the hatches off, or break our way through the 
 skylight." They groped about and found a 
 handspike which had been chucked down be- 
 low. "Now, lads, heave ho!" cried Adair, 
 and, getting the end under the skylight, with 
 a loud crash they pried it off, and one after 
 
A STORMY SEA 291 
 
 the other sprang on deck. There stood Mur- 
 ray lashed to the helm, looking more like a 
 man in a trance than one awake. 
 
 "Hello, where am I?" he exclaimed, gaz- 
 ing wildly around. 
 
 "On the deck of the Venus, old fellow," an- 
 swered Terence, taking him by the hand. 
 "Right gallantly you steered us through the 
 gale, and as soon as it fell calm you dropped 
 asleep, and small blame to you. We did the 
 same below, and I cannot tell you how glad 
 I am to see you safe : we all thought you had 
 fallen overboard." Murray was very much 
 surprised to find that he had slept so long and 
 so soundly, but he soon gave evidence that 
 he had not had enough rest, for Adair had a 
 mattress brought up and stretched under an 
 awning on deck, and the moment he placed his 
 head on it he was off again as soundly as be- 
 fore. 
 
 "We must turn to at the pumps, sir," ob- 
 served Needham, coming from below. "If we 
 don't bear a hand, I fear the craft will sink 
 under us." Such it appeared would prob- 
 ably be the case, but no one was daunted. All 
 
292 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 set to work and laboured away as manfully as 
 before. When Murray awoke he found that 
 the schooner was again almost cleared of 
 water. The last man to leave the pumps was 
 Wasser. He was still labouring away, when 
 down he sank on the deck. Murray and Adair 
 ran to lift him up. He could scarcely open 
 his eyes, and looked thoroughly worn out. 
 They lifted the poor fellow to the mattress 
 from which Murray had just risen, and as 
 soon as the fire, which had gone out, could 
 be lighted, they made some beef broth, which 
 they poured down his throat. They also gave 
 him a little rum. Alick and Terence differed 
 as to which was the best restorative, but, un- 
 like doctors in general, they agreed to min- 
 ister them alternately. Paddy wanted to give 
 them in equal proportions — that is to say, for 
 every cup of broth Alick gave, he wanted to 
 give a glass of grog; but, fortunately, to this 
 arrangement Murray would not consent. He 
 argued that one tumbler of grog, half-and- 
 half, was stronger than a dozen basins of 
 broth, and he would therefore allow only half 
 a tumbler in the day. When Wasser was at 
 
A STORMY SEA 293 
 
 length able to speak, to Adair's astonishment, 
 he declared in favour of the remedy of the 
 rival practitioner, and Murray and his broth 
 carried the day. In spite of the heat, Wasser 
 had to be carried below, and all who could 
 were glad to take shelter there, for down came 
 the rain with terrific force, and continued 
 without intermission, almost swamping the 
 little vessel. Her crew had work enough to 
 do all their time in keeping her clear of water, 
 which poured in through the leaks in buckets 
 full. For days and nights together no one 
 had on a dry jacket. By such observations as 
 they could manage to make, Murray and 
 Adair began to suspect that all their seaman- 
 ship was set to naught; for though they at 
 times made some way through the water, they 
 as quickly lost all the ground they had gained, 
 and thus it became evident that there was a 
 strong current against them. 
 
 "This is dreadfully trying," exclaimed 
 Terence, after they had become convinced of 
 this disagreeable fact. "Let us try and make 
 the land again, and see whereabouts we are. 
 Perhaps by hugging the shore we may be able 
 
294 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 to get round Cape Oalmas, after all." Mur- 
 ray agreed to this proposal, although he was 
 not very sanguine of success. He knew that 
 the currents were probably as strong in shore 
 as where they then were, but he hoped that 
 they might possibly get a slant of wind off the 
 land, enabling them to stem the current, and 
 help them along round the Cape. Murray 
 had been making his calculations on paper. 
 
 "I could scarcely have believed that we 
 should have been so unfortunate," he observed, 
 looking calmly up. "For the last six days we 
 have not made good more than four or five 
 miles — perhaps scarcely so much. I have no 
 wish to pay another visit to Cape Coast Cas- 
 tle, though I dare say the old governor would 
 be kind to us." 
 
 "I agree with you," answered Adair. "Let 
 us stick at it. We must get the wind in our 
 favour some day or other. It does not al- 
 ways blow from the nor'ard, I suppose." 
 
 Like true British sailors they did stick at it. 
 Such is the spirit which has animated the nu- 
 merous brave voyagers who have explored the 
 arctic regions, the southern seas and the wide 
 
A STORMY SEA 295 
 
 spreading Pacific. At length the land was 
 made. It was a long way, however, to the 
 southward, or rather to the eastward of Cape 
 Palmas. The wind fell soon afterwards, and 
 slowly they drifted in towards the shore. 
 Their glasses, as they approached, were di- 
 rected at it, and they could see a number of 
 blacks collected on the beach and evidently 
 watching them. The part of the coast they 
 were now off is called the Ivory Coast. As 
 far as the eye could reach it was flat and mo- 
 notonous, but along its whole extent appeared 
 rich groves of cocoanut trees, extending a 
 considerable distance inland. Here and there 
 emblossomed by the cocoanut groves they 
 could see small villages and separate build- 
 ings, the cottages with high conical roofs, 
 thatched with palmetto leaves. To the east 
 appeared a long thin spit of sand, separated 
 from the main beach by a lagoon, into which 
 several rivers and streams appeared to fall. 
 As they approached the shore a terrific surf 
 was seen rolling in towards it, and breaking 
 with a loud roar on the sand. 
 
 "What will become of our little craft if we 
 
296 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 get in among those breakers?" said Adair. 
 "She will have hard work to swim, I suspect." 
 
 "I doubt if she will ever float through 
 them," answered Murray. "If she does and 
 we are stranded, which is the best fate we 
 can then hope to happen to us, I fear that 
 those black gentry on the shore will not give 
 us a very friendly reception. They are flour- 
 ishing their spears as if they would like to dig 
 them into us." 
 
 "We shall be completely in their power, 
 and, what is worse, we have not the means of 
 showing fight," said Adair, watching the peo- 
 ple on the shore through his glass. "They 
 have some big canoes hauled up on the beach, 
 and they seem disposed to launch them, and 
 come in chase of us should the rollers not send 
 us to them." 
 
 "I wish that there was a chance of that," 
 exclaimed Murray; "I should have very lit- 
 tle fear of them if they came to attack us. Ah ! 
 there's a puff of wind off the shore. Our 
 blacks have discovered it. They are wetting 
 their fingers and holding up their hands. We 
 may yet be able to stand off the land." 
 
A STORMY SEA 297 
 
 The minutes passed slowly by. They were 
 full of the most anxious suspense. Now the 
 promised breeze died away, and the little ves- 
 sel floated helplessly in towards the dreaded 
 surf. Now it came on again, and she was 
 able to get a little farther off, again to be left 
 to drift back towards the land. Then, just as 
 her case seemed hopeless, another puff would 
 come, and all on board hoped that she would 
 make a good offing. Had they possessed 
 sweeps, with the help of the transient breeze, 
 they might have got to a safe distance from 
 the land. As to anchoring, that was out of 
 the question. Even had there been bottom to 
 be found with such an inset, their cable would 
 not have held them for an instant. When the 
 schooner got near enough to the shore, they 
 saw that the natives were still watching them 
 eagerly, and no sooner did the breeze return 
 than preparations were made to launch their 
 canoes. From the gestures of the blacks, Mur- 
 ray and Adair agreed that their intentions did 
 not appear to be friendly, and therefore it 
 would be wiser to avoid them altogether if 
 they could, and at all events to be prepared 
 
298 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 to receive them warmly should they overtake 
 the schooner. Her progress was very slow, 
 and there appeared too great a prospect of 
 their doing this. Every preparation was there- 
 fore made for such a contingency. The wind 
 was light, but it appeared to be increasing, 
 and by degrees it was evident that the little 
 craft was forging ahead more and more rap- 
 idly through the smooth shining ocean. The 
 negroes on shore must have seen that their 
 chance of overtaking her was every moment 
 lessening, and they were observed to make 
 several strenuous efforts to launch their canoes 
 through the surf. The first two were cap- 
 sized and sent back on the beach, which the 
 people in her (or rather out of her) very 
 easily regained, as if perfectly accustomed to 
 that mode of proceeding. Again, however, 
 the canoes were righted and launched, and 
 that time four gained the open sea. The fifth 
 was driven back, and probably received some 
 damage, for she was not again launched. 
 Four large canoes full of strong, active ne- 
 groes, completely armed according to their 
 own fashion, were antagonists not to be de- 
 
A STORMY SEA 299 
 
 spised; still it was evident that they had not 
 firearms, or that if they had, they must have 
 been rendered completely useless from the 
 thorough drenching they must have got. 
 Night was drawing on. The wind in a few 
 minutes drew more round to the eastward, and 
 gave signs of once more dropping. Of course, 
 every inch of canvas the little Venus could 
 carry was set on her, so that unless the breeze 
 increased it was impossible to make her go 
 faster than she was going through the water. 
 As yet, she was keeping well ahead of the 
 canoes. The two midshipmen anxiously 
 watched the proceedings of the latter. The 
 blacks in the stern sheets were standing up 
 and gesticulating, flourishing their clubs and 
 lances, and encouraging their companions. 
 The sun at length went down, and with the 
 last gleam of light shed by his rays they could 
 see the canoes still in pursuit. Darkness, 
 however, now rapidly rose over the deep, and 
 hid them from their view. Murray wisely 
 bethought him of altering the schooner's 
 course more to the southward for a short time. 
 Nearly an hour passed, and there were no 
 
300 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 signs of the canoes. They had therefore lit- 
 tle apprehension that they would overtake 
 them. The schooner was hauled up again on 
 a wind. The night passed away, and when 
 morning broke neither the canoes nor the land 
 were in sight. 
 
 "If the breeze lasts we may hope to regain 
 the ground we lost last night," observed Mur- 
 ray. But it did not, and when once more they 
 reached in towards the land, they found that 
 they had made as little progress as before. 
 Again, too, their provisions were running 
 short. Though they might catch some fish, 
 the supply was uncertain. 
 
 "We shall have to bear up again for Cape 
 Coast Castle, after all, I am afraid," observed 
 Adair to Murray. "And, really, Alick, if I 
 were you, I would leave the old craft there, 
 and let us find our way as best we can to Sierra 
 Leone. Yet, of course, if you resolve to con- 
 tinue the voyage, I'll stick by you. You'll not 
 think I hesitate about that point?" 
 
 "I know full well that you'd not desert me, 
 Paddy, even if things were ten times as bad 
 as they are," answered Murray. "But you 
 
A STORMY SEA 301 
 
 also know me well enough not to suppose that 
 I would disobey my orders and abandon the 
 schooner while she holds together. If she gets 
 a slight repair, with a fresh supply of provi- 
 sions, she will be as well able to perform the 
 voyage as she was at first. There is no use 
 starving, though; and as we have scarcely 
 anything left to eat on board, we'll keep away 
 at once for Cape Coast Castle." 
 
 The order to put up the helm was received 
 with no little satisfaction by Needham and 
 the rest, and in less than three days the 
 schooner was riding safely at anchor before 
 the old fort. 
 
ON THE RAFT 
 
 The heart of the bravest of men may well 
 sink within him when he hears the cry ut- 
 tered, in accents of despair, "The ship is sink- 
 ing, the ship is sinking!" Rogers and Adair 
 looked at each other, and thought that their 
 last moment had really come. All the bright 
 visions in the future which their young im- 
 aginations had long conjured up vanished in 
 a moment. Well might they, for the ship lay 
 hopelessly on her side, with more than half 
 her deck under the water. There arose from 
 every side shrieks and cries of terror. There 
 were the distorted countenances of the blacks, 
 as they crowded up the hatchway, through 
 which the sea was pouring in torrents, while 
 their own men, intent on preserving their lives 
 to the last, were clambering up the bulwarks 
 
 or working their way forward, which was the 
 
 302 
 
ON THE RAFT 303 
 
 part of the ship the highest out of the water. 
 Hemming, followed by two midshipmen with 
 axes in hand, endeavoured to gain the same 
 part of the ship. It was no easy task. The 
 howling wind blew with terrific violence 
 around them, and the seething ocean bubbled 
 up, and sent its fierce waves dashing over 
 their heads. "Oh, save me, save me!" cried 
 Adair, as a sea struck him and washed him 
 down the deck; but Hemming and Rogers 
 caught the rope he had happily clutched, and 
 hauled him up again. At length they gained 
 the forecastle, where most of their own crew 
 had assembled, and some few of the unfor- 
 tunate blacks. They were the only survivors 
 of the four or five hundred human beings who 
 lately breathed the breath of life on board. 
 Mr. Hemming, looking around, saw that 
 there was not a chance of the ship righting 
 herself. He accordingly promptly issued or- 
 ders for the formation of a raft. Such spars 
 as were loose or could be got at were hauled 
 up on the forecastle. The top-gallant masts 
 and royals had been carried away, and fortu- 
 nately still floated near; Jack saw them and 
 
3o 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 got them hauled in. Hemming meantime was 
 wrenching up the forecastle deck to assist in 
 the formation of a raft. There was not a 
 moment to lose, for it was evident that the 
 ship was fast settling down. Fortunately a 
 hammer and some nails were found forward. 
 
 "Here, my lads, lash the ends of these spars 
 together, so as to form a square," cried Hem- 
 ming, working energetically. "That will do; 
 now this one diagonally — that will strengthen 
 it; now these planks; nail them on as we best 
 can on the top. That will do bravely; next 
 lash these lighter spars above all, they will 
 form a coaming, and prevent us from slip- 
 ping off the raft." Thus he went on, by his 
 activity and cheerful voice keeping up the 
 spirits of his men and encouraging them to 
 exertion. 
 
 "Mr. Hemming," said Jack, "how are we 
 to live without food? I must try to get some 
 — who'll follow me?" 
 
 "I will, with all my heart," cried Dick 
 Needham. Jack and he fastened ropes to 
 their waists, and dashed aft towards the chief 
 cabin, which was already under water. The 
 
ON THE RAFT 305 
 
 tornado had passed away as suddenly as it 
 began, so that the water was tolerably smooth, 
 or they could not have attempted this daring 
 feat. 
 
 "I know where a cask of biscuits was 
 stowed. If we can get it out, it will be a great 
 thing," cried Jack, preparing to dive into the 
 cabin. 
 
 "I saw some beef in one of the starboard 
 lockers," said Needham, accompanying him. 
 Another good swimmer and diver followed 
 them. All three remained under water so 
 long that those forward thought they were 
 lost. Adair could not restrain himself, and 
 was dashing aft, when Jack came to the sur- 
 face puffing and blowing like a grampus. He 
 had .discovered the cask of biscuits, but no 
 beef was to be found. What, however, was 
 of great consequence was a breaker of water 
 which Needham found, and both were floated 
 up to the raft forward. Two other attempts 
 were made to get provisions, but in vain. All 
 the rest of the party were engaged with all 
 their might in increasing and strengthening 
 the raft. Then the cry arose, "She is going 
 
3 o6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 down, she is going down!" Jack looked about 
 him as he came to the surface out of the sub- 
 merged cabin, and seeing that not a moment 
 was to be lost, summoning his two followers, 
 sprang forward. Adair, with outstretched 
 hand, was ready to help him on to the raft as 
 he felt the big ship sinking under his feet. 
 
 "Shove off, shove off, my lads!" sung out 
 their commander. With spars and oars the 
 seamen forced the raft away from the found- 
 ering hull. Then, as the eddy formed by the 
 huge mass going downwards through the wa- 
 ter caught it, the helpless raft was whirled 
 round and round, and then horrible seemed 
 the fate in store for them. One side dipped 
 into the sea, and all believed that it was going 
 to be drawn down amid the vortex. But, how- 
 ever, up it came to the surface, and floated 
 evenly on the water. Still their condition was 
 melancholy in the extreme. On counting 
 numbers, it was found that fifteen men who 
 formed the prize crew, including officers, had 
 escaped, with two Spaniards out of those who 
 had been left on board to assist in working 
 the ship, and twelve negroes. To supply all 
 
ON THE RAFT 307 
 
 these people with food there was only a cask 
 of biscuits and about twelve gallons of water. 
 How long they might have to remain exposed 
 to scorching heat, fierce storms, or chilling 
 fogs, it was impossible to say. Jack looked at 
 Adair, and Adair looked at Jack, to read each 
 other's feelings in their countenances. They 
 felt for each other as brothers, and each trem- 
 bled for the fate which might overtake his 
 friend. 
 
 "How far do you make it out we are from 
 land?" asked Adair. 
 
 "Oh, not more than a hundred miles," an- 
 swered Hemming. "That is nothing. The 
 sea breezes would drive us in there in the 
 course of the day." 
 
 He did not say this because he thought it; 
 he wanted to keep up the spirits of the peo- 
 ple under his charge. Nor did he remind 
 them that they were five or six hundred miles 
 from Free Town, Sierra Leone, and a very 
 considerable distance from Manovia in Li- 
 beria. A fore-top-gallant studding-sail had 
 been hauled on board the raft, and this set 
 on a spar served them as a sail. As soon as 
 
3 o8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the ship had disappeared, and everything 
 floating out of her had been picked up, Hem- 
 ming's first care was to arrange the people 
 so as to trim the raft properly. He made them 
 sit in rows back to back, with faces to the 
 sea. He, with Jack and Terence, sat in the 
 centre by the mast on the cask of biscuits and 
 the water. A spar with a plank nailed to the 
 outer end served as a rudder, and two very 
 inefricient oars were manufactured in the 
 same way. For some hours after the tornado 
 they were becalmed, and then a light air from 
 the southward sprung up, which enabled them 
 to steer towards the land. After some con- 
 sideration, Hemming stood up and addressed 
 the men; Jack and Adair admired the calm 
 and collected, and, indeed, dignified way in 
 which he spoke, so different from his manner 
 when he was a mate. "My men," he said, "we 
 are placed by Providence in a very danger- 
 ous position. We must trust to the help of 
 the Almighty, not to our own arms ; to save us ; 
 still we must exert ourselves to the best of our 
 power to take care of our lives; we must hus- 
 band our resources, we must behave with the 
 
ON THE RAFT 309 
 
 utmost order, we must be kind to each other, 
 and we must keep up our spirits and hope 
 for the best. If we pray to God, He will hear 
 us, and if He sees fit, He will save us. Now, 
 my lads, let us pray." On this the lieutenant 
 offered up a sincere prayer for their preser- 
 vation, and all who could understand him 
 joined in. Even the benighted blacks com- 
 prehended that he was performing some rite 
 by which they were to benefit. After it Hem- 
 ming again got up. "I told you, my lads, we 
 must husband our resources. Till we see what 
 progress we make, it will be v/ise to take only 
 one biscuit a day. That will support life for 
 some days, and if we take more our stock will 
 soon be exhausted." The men replied cheer- 
 fully that they would limit themselves to any 
 quantity he thought best. Poor fellows, they 
 were to be sorely tried: the sun went down, 
 and an easterly wind blew, and not only pre- 
 vented them from approaching the coast, but 
 again drove them slowly off it. When the sun 
 rose the wind fell altogether, and they lay 
 exposed to the full fury of its scorching rays. 
 A thirst, which the small quantity of water 
 
3 io THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 served out in a teacup during the day could 
 in no way assuage, now attacked them. Jack 
 and Adair felt their spirits sinking lower than 
 they had ever gone before. They could 
 scarcely eat their small allowance of biscuit. 
 They knew too that in another day the bottom 
 of the cask would be reached. Still they tried 
 to imitate Hemming in keeping a cheerful 
 countenance. Many of the people complained 
 bitterly of their sufferings. The poor blacks 
 said nothing, but three of them almost at the 
 same moment sank back on the raft, and when 
 those near them tried to lift them up, they 
 were found to be dead. They were speedily 
 lowered into the water. 
 
 "Adair, what is that?" asked Jack, as a dark 
 fin was seen gliding round the raft. 
 
 "A shark," answered Adair. "See, there 
 are two, three, four of them. We must have 
 one of those fellows. They will eat us if we 
 don't eat them, that is very certain. Here, 
 Needham, have a running bowline ready to 
 slip over the head of the first who comes near 
 enough." The idea was taken up eagerly by 
 the men; there being plenty of line on board, 
 
ON THE RAFT 311 
 
 several of them sat ready with the bight of a 
 rope in hand, hoping to catch one of those 
 evil-disposed monsters of the deep. But death 
 in the meantime was busy among their com- 
 panions. One by one the blacks dropped off, 
 till one only remained. He was a fine-look- 
 ing, intelligent young man, of great muscular 
 strength, and evidently superior to the rest in 
 rank. He sat by himself, slowly looking with 
 steadfast eyes toward the land of his birth. 
 Once more the wind got up, and sent the water 
 washing over the frail raft, which worked 
 fearfully, as if it would come to pieces. 
 
 "Never fear, my lads," said Hemming, "I 
 know of no part which might give way. It 
 will hold together, depend on that." In spite 
 of all the workings it did hold together. Hem- 
 ming's face, though his words were always 
 cheering, looked very grave. "Roger, Adair, 
 my friends," he said solemnly, "the water is 
 expended, and there are no more biscuits — 
 how shall I announce it to these poor fel- 
 lows?" He thought a little. "Come, lads," 
 he cried out, "be smart about catching some 
 fish; a change of food will do us all good." 
 
312 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 No one asked for more biscuits or water; 
 they knew it was all gone. Some gave way 
 under the appalling thought. One of the 
 Spaniards went raving mad, and threw him- 
 self into the sea, whence no one had strength 
 to pull him out; the other fell back and died 
 quietly. 
 
 "Some of our men won't hold out much 
 longer," observed Jack to Hemming; "can we 
 do nothing for them?' , 
 
 "Nothing," answered Hemming, solemnly. 
 The cool air of the night seemed to revive 
 them; but when the hot sun came out, and 
 shone down on their unprotected heads they 
 died. Two more went raving mad. They 
 chattered and sung, and then howled and 
 shrieked. It was with difficulty they could 
 be held down. One of them escaped from his 
 companions, and threw himself into the sea. 
 The other was prevented from following his 
 example, but his strength gradually decreased 
 till he also died. Scarcely was his body sent 
 into the deep than a fair wind sprung up, and 
 the sail being hoisted, the raft went along at 
 the rate of three or four miles an hour. No 
 
ON THE RAFT 313 
 
 one had relaxed their efforts to catch a shark. 
 A shout was given (not a loud one, for their 
 voices were already hollow and weak), and 
 several men were seen hauling in the head and 
 shoulders of a large shark. How eager and 
 anxious was the expression on their counte- 
 nances, for they all dreaded their prize to 
 escape them. Their strength too was scarcely 
 adequate to the task. At last he was hauled 
 up on the raft, but so violent were his strug- 
 gles that he nearly threw some of the people 
 into the sea as they crawled up to him to de- 
 spatch him with their axes. At last Jack, not 
 knowing what mischief might be committed, 
 sprang towards him, and aiming a blow at his 
 tail struck directly on it, and instantly he was 
 quieted. Scarcely was the monster dead than 
 the men's knives were cutting away at him. 
 Some drank his blood, and others eagerly ate 
 the yet-quivering flesh. The officers, how- 
 ever ravenous they felt, got some thin slices, 
 which they dried in the sun before eating. 
 Food had thus been providentially sent them, 
 but their sufferings from thirst soon became 
 very painful. It was piteous to hear some of 
 
3H THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the poor fellows crying out for water when 
 there was none to give them. Several more 
 died from the grievous thirst they were suf- 
 fering. Mr. Hemming anxiously looked 
 round the horizon. Not a sail was in sight in 
 any direction. Hour after hour passed away. 
 Their tongues became parched, and clove to 
 the roofs of their mouths. 
 
 "This is dreadful," whispered Jack; "I 
 don't think I can stand it much longer." 
 
 "I would give a guinea for a bottle of gin- 
 ger beer," exclaimed Terence. 
 
 "Oh, how delicious! don't talk of such a 
 thing. I would give ten for a pint of the dir- 
 tiest ditch-water in which a duck ever wad- 
 dled," said Jack; "however, we must try and 
 not think about it." 
 
 Some hours passed slowly by after this, 
 when Hemming's eye was seen to brighten up. 
 
 "Is there a sail in sight?" asked Jack and 
 Adair, who were constantly watching his 
 looks. 
 
 "No," he answered; "but there is a cloud in 
 the horizon. It is a small one, but it rises 
 slowly in the northwest, and I trust betokens 
 
ON THE RAFT 315 
 
 rain. If it does not bring wind at the same 
 time, our sufferings may be relieved." 
 
 How anxiously all on the craft, who had 
 yet consciousness left, watched the progress of 
 that little cloud, at first not bigger than a 
 man's hand. How their hearts sank within 
 them when they thought that it had stopped, 
 or that its course was altered; but it had not 
 stopped, though it advanced but slowly. Still 
 it grew and grew, and extended wider and 
 wider on either hand, and grew darker and 
 darker till it formed a black canopy over their 
 heads; and then there was a pattering, hissing 
 noise heard over the calm sea, and down came 
 the rain in large drops thick and fast. The 
 men lifted up their grateful faces to heaven 
 to catch the refreshing liquid in their mouths 
 as it fell, but Hemming lowered the sail, and, 
 ordering the men to stretch it wide, caught the 
 rain in it, and let it run off into the breaker 
 until that was full; then they filled the cask 
 which had held the biscuit, each man took 
 off his shirt, and let it get wet through and 
 through, and eagerly they sucked the sail, so 
 that not a drop more than could be helped of 
 
3 i6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the precious fluid should be lost. Then, when 
 they found that the rain continued, each man 
 took a draught of the pure water from the 
 cask, which they again filled up as before by 
 means of the sail. 
 
 "Oh, Terence, how delicious!" exclaimed 
 Jack, drawing a deep breath. 
 
 "Nectar," said Adair, draining a last drop 
 in his cup. It was of a doubtful brown hue, 
 and in reality tepid from falling on the not 
 over clean hot sail. 
 
 Jack and Terence learned the lesson, that 
 the value of things can only be ascertained 
 by being compared with others. The shower 
 was the means sent by Providence to preserve 
 the lives of many of those on the raft. Some 
 were already too far gone to benefit by it. 
 They opened their glassy eyes, and allowed 
 their shipmates to pour the water down their 
 parched throats; they seemed to revive for a 
 short time, but soon again sunk, and some 
 even died while the water was trickling over 
 their cracked lips. All this time the raft was 
 constantly surrounded by sharks. The flesh of 
 the first caught was almost exhausted, and, 
 
ON THE RAFT 317 
 
 though dried in the sun, had become rather 
 unsavoury. 
 
 "Come, my lads, we must have another of 
 those fellows," cried Hemming, standing up, 
 and supporting himself against the mast. 
 "Can any of you heave the bight of a rope 
 over one of them?" 
 
 "I'll try, sir," said Dick Needham, kneel- 
 ing at the edge of the raft, for he had not 
 strength to stand. How changed he was from 
 the stout seaman he had appeared but a few 
 days before. He made several trials in vain. 
 Jack shark always kept at too great a distance 
 when the rope was thrown. At last one of 
 the seamen took off his shoes, and, tucking up 
 his trousers, stuck out his leg, and moved it 
 slowly backwards and forwards. The vora- 
 cious shark saw the tempting bait, and made 
 a dash at it. The seaman drew it in, and as 
 the fish, disappointed of his prize, turned 
 round, whisking up his tail out of the water, 
 Needham adroitly hove the rope over it. As 
 the shark darted off, Dick was very nearly 
 drawn overboard, but the rope, tightening, 
 brought up the shark, and as he turned round 
 
3 i8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 to ascertain what had got hold of his tail, an- 
 other rope was thrown over his head, and he 
 was hauled, in spite of his plunges and strug- 
 gles, on board. A few blows on the spine, 
 near the tail, quickly finished him. He was 
 soon cut up, some part of him was eaten fresh, 
 and the rest was hung up to dry. The men 
 would have thrown what they did not want 
 overboard, but their commander reminded 
 them that bad weather might come on when 
 they could not catch another, and that they 
 should preserve a store for such an event. It 
 was fortunate this forethought was shown, for 
 that very night a strong breeze sprung up, 
 and the frail raft was tossed up and down, till 
 there appeared every chance of its upsetting 
 or being knocked to pieces. Happily more 
 rain came down and refreshed them, and the 
 clouds sheltered them from the scorching rays 
 of the sun, or not one of them would have 
 held out. Sadly were their numbers reduced. 
 Ten Englishmen and the young African chief 
 only now remained alive. Some of them ap- 
 peared almost at death's door, and they would 
 have slipped from the raft had not their com- 
 
ON THE RAFT 319 
 
 rades held them on. Darkness again came 
 down on the waters, and the wave-tossed raft 
 drove onwards, no one knew in what direc- 
 tion. The stars were hidden — they had no 
 compass — nor had they possessed one was 
 there a lantern by which to see it. Great were 
 the horrors of that night and of two succeed- 
 ing nights; still neither did the gallant Hem- 
 ming nor his two younger companions allow 
 their courage to desert them. They conversed 
 as much as they could, they talked of their 
 past lives, they even spoke of the future; nor 
 did they forget to pray to heaven for strength 
 to support whatever might yet be in store for 
 them. Still, the wet and cold of the night 
 and the heat of the day, were telling fearfully 
 on all of them. 
 
 "When do you think we shall reach the 
 shore, sir?" asked Jack. "We have been driv- 
 ing for a long time towards it nicely." 
 
 "In two days, if the wind holds," answered 
 Hemming; "perhaps in less time we may 
 sight it." 
 
 But the wind did not hold. Once more 
 they knew they were being blown off it. Their 
 
320 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 hearts sank. They well-nigh gave way to 
 despair. Each of the officers took it in turns 
 to stand up to keep a lookout for a sail or for 
 land. Jack was standing on the top of the 
 cask, holding on by the mast, when his eye 
 fell on a white glittering object to the north- 
 ward. 
 
 "Yes, it is! it is!" he exclaimed; "a sail! 
 a sail! she must be standing this way." All 
 but the weakest or most desponding turned 
 their anxious eyes in the direction Jack indi- 
 cated. The sight of some was already too 
 dim to discern her; but others raised a feeble 
 shout, and declared that she was standing close 
 hauled towards them. How eagerly they 
 watched her, till their anxiety became pain- 
 ful in the extreme. Some shouted, "We shall 
 be saved! we shall be saved!" but others 
 moaned out, "No, no, she'll not see us, she 
 will pass us." Hemming stood up, watching 
 the approaching vessel near them. One hour 
 of intense anxiety passed. There was very lit- 
 tle wind. Another glided on. 
 
 "Yes, my lads, she is undoubtedly standing 
 this way," cried Hemming. "But " and 
 
ON THE RAFT 321 
 
 he stopped: "she may be a slaver; and, if so, 
 I know not whether we should be better off 
 than we now are." 
 
 "Surely, bad as they may be, they would 
 not leave us," said Jack. 
 
 "Don't be too sure of that. There is noth- 
 ing too bad for slavers to do," observed Hem- 
 ming; "however, let us hope for the best." 
 
 The stranger approached. She had very 
 square yards, very white canvas, and a black 
 hull. If she was not a slaver she looked very 
 like one. Still even had they wished it they 
 could not have avoided her. On she came. 
 Her course would have taken her somewhat 
 wide of the raft. It was not seen, apparently. 
 Then suddenly her course was altered. Some 
 one on board had made them out. The brig 
 stood towards them. When she was scarcely 
 more than half a mile off it fell dead calm. 
 A boat was lowered. 
 
 "Those fellows pull in a man-of-war's 
 style," observed Hemming. "Grant she may 
 be an English cruiser: but I fear not." 
 
 The almost dying seamen endeavoured to 
 cheer, but their weak voices were scarcely 
 
322 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 heard over the waters. The boat dashed 
 towards them. They could hear the officer 
 in her speaking to his men. It was in Span- 
 ish. 
 
 "Then they are slavers, after all," cried 
 Jack, with a sigh. 
 
 He had taken a great antipathy to slavers. 
 To an Englishman no class of men are more 
 hateful. The boat came alongside. The peo- 
 ple in her regarded them with looks of com- 
 miseration. Well they might have done so; 
 for more wretched-looking beings could 
 scarcely have been seen. Two of them stepped 
 on board the raft, to which they secured a 
 rope, and began towing it toward the brig. 
 Neither Hemming nor any of his companions 
 could speak Spanish, so they asked no ques- 
 tions. They were soon alongside the brig and 
 were handed up on deck. They felt sure they 
 were going on board a slaver or perhaps a pi- 
 rate ; but what was their surprise to see several 
 officers in uniform on deck, one of whom 
 stepped forward and addressed them in very 
 good English : "You are on board her most 
 Catholic Majesty's brig the San Fernando. 
 
ON THE RAFT 323 
 
 We will not ask you how you came into this 
 plight. You shall be taken below, and all 
 possible care shall be bestowed on you." 
 
 Hemming tried in vain to reply to this very 
 kind and polite speech. He pointed to his 
 mouth and signified that he could not speak. 
 The necessity for exertion being over, he felt 
 himself completely unnerved. 
 
 The officers were conveyed to the captain's 
 cabin; the men to a sick bay on deck: and 
 the surgeon, if not very clever, was kind; and 
 what they chiefly wanted was rest and food. 
 Jack and Terence fell asleep, and slept 
 twenty-four hours without waking, so they 
 said. Several days passed, however, before 
 they were able to sit up in their beds. At 
 last they were able to crawl up on deck. It 
 was wonderful then how soon they picked up 
 their strength. Hemming took longer to 
 come round. Dick Needham was about as 
 soon as they were. Two poor fellows died on 
 board, so that eight only of the prize crew 
 ultimately remained alive. 
 
THE TITANIC DISASTER 
 
 THAT marvel of naval architecture, the Ti- 
 tanic, a thing of wonderful grace and strength, 
 left Southampton on Wednesday, April nth, 
 191 2, bound for New York. It was her 
 maiden voyage, and many passengers had de- 
 layed, or hurried, their sojourn in England, in 
 order that they might cross the Atlantic on 
 this floating palace. 
 
 The magnitude of this great ship almost 
 passes the power of imagining, but the follow- 
 ing figures give some idea of her greatness. 
 Her gross tonnage was 46,328, and net 21,831 ; 
 length, ,852 feet, and breadth, 92 feet; hold, 
 60 feet deep, and length from keel to beam 
 64 feet; horse-power, 50,000. The vessel had 
 three screws, and owing to her many water- 
 tight bulkheads and inner bottom, was sup- 
 posed to be unsinkable. She was provided 
 with six separate sets of boilers, telephones, 
 
 324 
 
THE TITANIC DISASTER 325 
 
 wireless outfit, electric power and submarine 
 signalling systems; electric elevators, swim- 
 ming baths, tennis courts, concert rooms, li- 
 braries, etc. In fact, she had been fitted with 
 everything that science and ingenuity could 
 suggest for the safety and comfort of her pas- 
 sengers. 
 
 The great ship called at Cherbourg and 
 Queenstown, and then the course was set for 
 New York, taking the usual outward-bound 
 route. On the fourth day out from Southamp- 
 ton warnings were received by wireless from 
 S.S. Garonia and Baltic that icebergs and 
 field ice had been seen in large quantities. 
 These warnings were significant, because it is 
 very unusual for field ice so far south. 
 
 All was quiet on board, and only the officers 
 and men who were on duty were about. Sud- 
 denly there was a quiet thud, and soon the 
 engine ceased vibrating. The sleepers were 
 aroused by the unusual stillness, and ran 
 from their staterooms to discover the cause, 
 only to be told that all was well. Most of 
 them returned to their cabins. 
 
 But all was not well. The Titanic had been 
 
326 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 rushing through the water, making twenty-one 
 knots an hour, and had dashed into a gigantic 
 iceberg. In less than a quarter of a minute 
 more than three hundred feet of her plates 
 had been opened, and the hole was being 
 flooded by tons and tons of water. 
 
 The first officer, who was on the bridge, 
 had realized too late that the ship was con- 
 fronted by a huge mass of ice. He quickly 
 ordered the port propeller to be reversed, and 
 full speed ahead on the starboard propeller, 
 also the water-tight doors to be closed, but 
 almost before these orders could be carried 
 out came the collision, the great ship run- 
 ning upon a spur of the iceberg, which pro- 
 truded under the surface of the water. 
 
 The captain ran to the bridge, and at once 
 directed the carpenter to sound the ship. 
 When his report was received, he ordered the 
 wireless operator to send out calls for help. 
 The SOS and C Q D signals were picked up 
 almost immediately by the Carpathia, which 
 was seventy-eight miles away. She learned 
 the position of the Titanic, and proceeded at 
 once to her assistance. 
 
THE TITANIC DISASTER 327 
 
 Such was the faith of the passengers in the 
 absolute safety of the Titanic under any cir- 
 cumstances, that they had no thought of dan- 
 ger, and, indeed, but few of them were awake. 
 The captain knew that their peril would be 
 greatly increased if they should be panic- 
 stricken, so no information as to what had ac- 
 tually happened was given to any of them. 
 
 At length, realizing from the reports which 
 he was receiving from below that the ship was 
 really sinking, the captain gave orders for the 
 passengers to be assembled on deck. And 
 even when they were first gathered together 
 the belief of most of them in the unsinkabil- 
 ity of the great steamship was unshaken. 
 Some of them even complained at having been 
 requested to leave their comfortable cabins. 
 
 The ship listed to starboard, and was set- 
 tling rapidly forward. The steam sirens were 
 now blowing, the engines working at pumping 
 out the water, and rockets were sent up from 
 the bridge. The captain rushed one of the 
 officers below to see how fast the water was 
 coming in, and directed him to place armed 
 guards over the engineers and stokers to see 
 
328 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 that they kept at their posts. (Happily, the 
 latter order proved to be entirely unneces- 
 sary.) And still the passengers were not 
 alarmed. 
 
 The officer soon returned, reporting that the 
 bottom was filling quickly, and that the locks 
 on the water-tight doors were useless, all hav- 
 ing been sprung. 
 
 At this the captain ordered that all the pas- 
 sengers put on life-belts, and now came the 
 first real feeling of fear among them. On 
 both the steerage and the upper decks the of- 
 ficers ordered the women and children to be 
 separated from the men, the former to muster 
 on the boat-deck. Lifeboats and collapsible 
 boats were made ready, and their crews 
 shipped. The cry rang out: "Women and 
 children first," and, to their honor, the men 
 either stood calmly by, or assisted the women 
 and children into the boats, which they helped 
 to lower into the water. Only once was there 
 anything like a panic, and this was when a 
 few foreign immigrants among the steerage 
 passengers attempted to force their way into 
 one of the boats. An officer ordered them to 
 
THE TITANIC DISASTER 329 
 
 stand back and make way for the women. 
 They persisted, and he fired two shots, and 
 this ended the confusion. 
 
 To cheer the women who were leaving their 
 husbands, and the men who were staying be- 
 hind, the orchestra played lively tunes. He- 
 roes all were the musicians. 
 
 And heroes were the engineers and stokers, 
 who labored hard in their appointed places, 
 keeping the engines going so that the pumps 
 could continue working, and the dynamos run- 
 ning to supply electricity for the wireless, and 
 light for all. 
 
 Heroes also were the two Marconi opera- 
 tors, J. G. Phillips and Harold Bride, who 
 continued to send out messages to the very end. 
 Other ships than the Carpathia had received 
 the calls for help, and sent word that they 
 were hastening to the rescue. The Allan liner 
 Virginia, 170 miles away; the Baltic, 200 
 miles to the eastward; the Olympic, at a dis- 
 tance of 300 miles, received the latitude and 
 longitude of the Titanic, and these and other 
 ships were headed for the spot. 
 
 The captain at length warned the operators 
 
330 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 that the dynamos would not hold out much 
 longer, telling them that they had done their 
 full duty. Phillips refused to leave the keys, 
 and Bride, thinking of his friend's safety, left 
 the cabin and secured lifebelts for both of 
 them. They were notified to leave their post, 
 for they could do no more. The water had 
 reached the wireless room, but still the. two 
 courageous men waited. Phillips went down 
 with the ship, losing his life in his gallant ef- 
 fort to save others. Bride reached the deck 
 at the last moment. 
 
 All of the boats had now left the ship, but 
 there were about fifteen hundred souls still 
 on board, for whom there had been no room 
 in the boats. The orchestra was still heard, 
 but they were playing hymns now, which 
 many of those left behind joined in singing. 
 
 The scene now is almost beyond imagina- 
 tion. The stern of the Titanic towered high 
 in the air. From one of the great funnels came 
 a mass of sparks and smoke; one by one the 
 engines broke loose, the boilers exploding 
 with terrific noise. The captain had stuck to 
 the bridge until carried away by the rising 
 
THE TITANIC DISASTER 331 
 
 water, and his last words were: "Every man 
 save himself." 
 
 The boats were a few hundred yards from 
 the ship, out of danger from the suction, 
 awaiting the end. What a sight for those 
 who had been saved from destruction! There 
 was the great mass standing out of the water 
 like a tower, the lights which still beamed 
 brilliantly showing human beings clinging 
 desperately to whatever they could hold on 
 to. They heard the sharp crack of the decks 
 as they bent and broke; heard the explosions 
 which followed one another in quick succes- 
 sion, and, worst of all, the shouts and cries 
 of loved ones left behind. 
 
 The great ship, this wonder of the ocean, 
 disappeared beneath the water, and where the 
 Titanic had been were hundreds of people 
 struggling for life. 
 
 There were still more acts of heroism 
 shown. Some of the men managed to swim to 
 a boat, and on finding that it was already over- 
 crowded, rather than imperil the safety of its 
 occupants, they deliberately turned away, and 
 sank in the icy water. 
 
332 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The survivors in the boats, suffering men- 
 tally and physically, were rescued by the Car- 
 pathia about 5.30 A. M. The Titanic had on 
 board two thousand three hundred and one 
 souls, and of these seven hundred and twenty 
 were saved, several of whom died later as a 
 result of shock and exposure. She struck the 
 iceberg at 11.40 P. M., Sunday, April 14th, 
 and sank about two and a half hours later. 
 
 Many men and women distinguished them- 
 selves by their coolness and bravery while 
 the tragedy was being enacted, especially Ma- 
 jor Archibald Butt, whose soldierly courage 
 was of the greatest help to Captain Smith and 
 his officers in directing the work of saving the 
 women and children. 
 
 At the very time of the sinking of the Ti- 
 tanic, the intrepid members of the orchestra 
 were playing the beautiful and appropriate 
 hymn, "Autumn." 
 
 God of mercy and compassion, 
 
 Look with pity on my pain; 
 Hear a mournful, broken spirit 
 
 Prostrate at Thy feet complain. 
 
THE TITANIC DISASTER 333 
 
 Many are my foes, and mighty; 
 
 Strength to conquer have I none; 
 Nothing can uphold my goings 
 
 But Thy blessed Self alone. 
 
 Saviour, look on Thy beloved, 
 
 Triumph over all my foes; 
 Turn to heavenly joy my mourning, 
 
 Turn to gladness all my woes; 
 Live or die, or work or suffer, 
 
 Let my weary soul abide, 
 In all changes whatsoever, 
 
 Sure and steadfast by Thy side. 
 
 When temptations fierce assault me, 
 
 When my enemies I find, 
 Sin and guilt and death and Satan, 
 
 All against my soul combined, 
 Hold me up in mighty waters, 
 
 Keep my eyes on things above — 
 Righteousness, divine atonement, 
 
 Peace and everlasting love. 
 
SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 
 
 The strength of the monsoon had blown 
 
 over, and Captain M , in pursuance of 
 
 his orders, beat across the Bay of Bengal for 
 the Straits of Sumatra, where he expected to 
 fall in with some of the enemy's privateers, 
 who obtained their supplies of water in that 
 direction. After cruising for six weeks, with- 
 out success, they fell in with an armed Eng- 
 lish vessel, who informed them that she had 
 been chased by a large pirate proa, and had 
 narrowly escaped — acquainting Captain 
 
 M with the islet from which she had 
 
 sailed out in pursuit of them, and to which 
 she had in all probability returned. 
 
 Captain M , naturally anxious to scour 
 
 the seas of these cruel marauders, who showed 
 no quarter to those who had the misfortune 
 
 334 
 
SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 335 
 
 to fall into their hands, determined to pro- 
 ceed in quest of this vessel, and, after a week's 
 unsuccessful reconnoitre of the various islets 
 which cover the seas in that quarter, one 
 morning discovered from the mast-head, on 
 his weather beam, a proa sailing and rowing 
 down towards the frigate, to ascertain whether 
 she was a vessel that she might attack. 
 
 The Aspasia was disguised as much as pos- 
 sible, and the pirates were induced to ap- 
 proach within a distance of two miles, when, 
 perceiving their mistake, they lowered their 
 sails, and, turning the head of their vessel in 
 the opposite direction, pulled away from the 
 frigate, right in the wind's eye. The breeze 
 freshened, and all possible sail was crowded 
 on the Aspasia to overtake them, and, al- 
 though, at the close of the day, they had not 
 neared her much, the bright moon enabled 
 them to keep the vessel in view during the 
 night. Early in the morning (the crew being 
 probably exhausted from their incessant la- 
 bour) she kept away for some islets broad 
 upon the Aspasia' s weather bow, and came to 
 an anchor in a small cove between the rocks, 
 
336 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 which sheltered her from the guns of the fri- 
 gate. 
 
 Captain M considered it his duty at all 
 
 risk to destroy the proa; and hoisting out the 
 boats, he gave the command to his first lieu- 
 tenant, with strict injunctions how to deal 
 with such treacherous and ferocious enemies. 
 The launch was under repair at the time, and 
 could not be employed; but the barge, pin- 
 nace, and two cutters were considered fully 
 adequate to the service. Courtenay was sec- 
 ond in command in the pinnace; Seymore had 
 charge of the cutter; and, at his own par- 
 ticular request, Prose was entrusted with the 
 other. 
 
 "I do declare, I think that I should like 
 to go," observed Prose when he first heard 
 that the vessel was to be cut out. 
 
 "Why, you ought, Prose," replied Sey- 
 more; "you have never been on service yet." 
 
 "No — and you and I are the only two 
 passed midshipmen in the ship." (Seymore 
 and Prose had both passed their examinations 
 when the Aspasia was at Bombay.) "I think 
 I have a right to one of the boats," 
 
SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 337 
 
 So thought the first lieutenant, when he 
 made his application, and he obtained the 
 command accordingly. 
 
 The boats shoved off as soon as the men had 
 swallowed their breakfasts, and in less than an 
 hour were but a short distance from the proa, 
 which proved to be one of the largest size. 
 A discharge of landgrage from one of the two 
 long brass guns mounted on her prow flew 
 amongst the boats without taking effect. A 
 second discharge was more destructive, three 
 of the men in the boat which Prose com- 
 manded being struck down, bleeding, under 
 the thwarts — the oars, which they had not re- 
 linquished their hold of when they fell, being 
 thrown high up in air. 
 
 "Halloa! I say — all catching crabs to- 
 gether?" cried Prose. 
 
 "Caught something worse than a crab, sir," 
 replied the coxswain. "Wilson, are you much 
 hurt?" 
 
 "The rascals have let daylight in, I'm 
 afraid," answered the man, faintly. 
 
 "Well, I do declare, I'd no idea the poor 
 fellows were wounded. Coxswain, take one 
 
338 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 of the oars, and I'll steer the boat, or we shall 
 never get alongside. I say, Mr. Jolly, can't 
 you pull?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, upon a pinch," answered the ma- 
 rine whom he addressed, laying his musket 
 on the stern-sheets, and taking one of the un- 
 manned oars. 
 
 "Well, there now, give away." 
 
 But the delay occasioned by this mishap had 
 left the cutter far astern of the other boats, 
 who, paying no attention to her, had pulled 
 alongside, and boarded the vessel. The con- 
 flict was short, from the superior numbers of 
 the English, and the little difficulty in getting 
 on board of a vessel with so low a gunwale. 
 By the time that Prose came alongside in the 
 cutter the pirates were either killed, or had 
 been driven below. Prose jumped on the gun- 
 wale, flourishing his cutlass — from the gun- 
 wale he sprang on the deck, which was not 
 composed of planks, as in vessels in general, 
 but of long bamboos running fore and aft, and 
 lashed together with rattans; and as Prose de- 
 scended upon the rounded surface, which hap- 
 pened where he alighted to be slippery with 
 
SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 339 
 
 blood, his feet were thrown up, and he came 
 down on the deck in a sitting posture. 
 
 "Capital jump, Mr. Prose," cried Courte- 
 nay; "but you have arrived too late to shed 
 your blood in your country's cause — very an- 
 noying, ain't it?" 
 
 "O Lord! — O Lord! — I do declare — oh — 
 oh — oh!" roared Prose, attempting to recover 
 his feet, and then down again. 
 
 "Good heavens, what's the matter, Prose?" 
 cried Seymore, running to his assistance. 
 
 "Oh, Lord!— oh, Lord!— another— oh!"— 
 again cried Prose, making a half spring from 
 the deck, from which he was now raised from 
 by Seymour, who again inquired what was the 
 matter? Prose could not speak — he pointed 
 his hand behind him, and his head fell upon 
 Seymour's shoulder. 
 
 "He's wounded, sir," observed one of the 
 men who had joined Seymour, pointing to the 
 blood which ran from the trousers of Prose 
 in a little rivulet. "Be quick, Mr. Seymour, 
 and get on the gunwale, or they'll have you 
 too." The fact was, that the deck being com- 
 posed of bamboos, as already described, one 
 
34Q THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 of the pirates below had passed his creese 
 through the spaces between them into Prose's 
 body when he came down on deck in a sitting 
 posture, and had repeated the blow when he 
 failed to recover his feet after the first wound. 
 
 One of the seamen, who had not provided 
 himself with shoes, now received a severe 
 wound ; and after Prose had been handed into 
 one of the boats, a consultation was held as to 
 the most eligible method of proceeding. 
 
 It was soon decided that it would be the 
 extreme of folly to attack such desperate peo- 
 ple below, where they would have a great ad- 
 vantage with their creeses over the cutlasses 
 of the seamen; and as there appeared no 
 chance of inducing them to come up, it was 
 determined to cut the cables, and tow the ves- 
 sel alongside of the frigate, who could sink her 
 with a broadside. 
 
 The cables were cut, and a few men being 
 left on board to guard the hatchways, the boats 
 commenced towing out; but scarcely had they 
 got way on her when, to their astonishment, 
 a thick smoke was followed by flames bursting 
 with a rapidity that seemed incredible. From 
 
SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 341 
 
 the deck the fire mounted to the rigging; 
 thence to the masts and sails, and before the 
 boats could be backed astern to take them out, 
 those who had been left were forced to leap 
 into the sea to save themselves from the de- 
 vouring element. The pirates had themselves 
 set fire to the vessel. Most of them remained 
 below, submitting to suffocation with sullen 
 indifference. Some few, in the agony of com- 
 bustion, were perceived, through the smoke, 
 to leap overboard, and seek in preference a 
 less painful death. The boats laid upon their 
 oars, and witnessed the scene in silence and 
 astonishment. 
 
 "Desperate and determined to the last," ob- 
 served the first lieutenant. 
 
 In a few minutes the proa, whose fabric 
 was of the slightest materials, filled, and went 
 down. The last column of smoke, divided 
 from her by the water, ascended in the air 
 as she sunk down below, and nought remained 
 but a few burnt fragments of bamboo, which 
 lay floating on the wave. A few seconds after 
 the vessel had disappeared, one of the pirates 
 rose on the surface. 
 
342 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 'There is a man alive yet," observed Cour- 
 tenay. "Let us save him if we can." 
 
 The boat, by his directions, pulled a few 
 strokes of the oars, and, having rather too 
 much way, shot ahead, so as to bring the man 
 close to the counter of the boat. Courtenay 
 leaned over the gunwale to haul him in; the 
 malignant wretch grasped him by the collar 
 with his left hand, and with his right hand 
 darted his creese into Courtenay's breast; 
 then, as if satisfied, with an air of mingled 
 defiance and derision, immediately sunk un- 
 der the bottom of the pinnace, and was seen 
 no more. 
 
 "Ungrateful viper!" murmured Courtenay, 
 as he fell into the arms of his men. 
 
 The boats hastened back to the frigate; 
 they had but few men hurt, except those men- 
 tioned in our narrative; but the wounds of 
 Courtenay and of Prose were dangerous. The 
 creeses of the pirates had been steeped in the 
 juice of the pineapple, which, when fresh ap- 
 plied, is considered as a deadly poison. The 
 Aspasia soon afterwards anchored in Madras 
 Roads, and a removal to a more invigorating 
 
SINKING THE PIRATE PROA 343 
 
 clime was pronounced essential to the recov- 
 ery of the two officers. Courtenay and Prose 
 were invalided, and sent home in an East In- 
 diaman, but it was months before they were 
 in a state of convalescence. 
 
THE LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 
 
 A STORY of military heroism that has to do 
 with the sea is the wreck of the Birkenhead. 
 It is a thing that for bravery in the face of 
 certain death will never be forgotten. 
 
 The Birkenhead had taken a detachment of 
 soldiers to Cape Town, in South Africa, dur- 
 ing the Kaffir War, in the early part of 1852. 
 She left Cape Town by the end of February 
 to take another detachment to Algoa Bay. 
 There were on board about five hundred sol- 
 diers, a number of whom were accompanied 
 by their wives and children. Of the crew 
 there were one hundred and thirty-two. 
 
 It was a beautiful night; the sea was fairly 
 smooth, and the moon and stars were shining 
 brightly, showing distinctly the shore, which 
 was barely more than three miles away. All 
 was quiet, with the exception of the noise 
 
 344 
 
LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 345 
 
 caused by the paddle wheels as they churned 
 the water, and that made by the engines in 
 their revolutions. Suddenly there was a shock 
 which jarred the whole ship, as she struck 
 upon a reef of rocks. The water rushed in 
 volumes through the bottom of the boat, 
 bringing death to near a hundred men, who 
 had been peacefully sleeping in their ham- 
 mocks. What a change had come upon the 
 scene in the twinkling of an eye! Before, all 
 had been calm and quiet, now all was disor- 
 der and commotion, and the screaming of 
 women and children, thus rudely awakened 
 from slumber, was heard. 
 
 The captain hastened to the deck. He saw 
 at once that the ship was doomed, and that 
 prompt action was all that could save any of 
 the lives for which he was, in a way, respon- 
 sible. He at once signalled the engineer to 
 stop the engines, and ordered that all of the 
 boats be lowered, and that the anchor be 
 let go. 
 
 Colonel Seton, who was in command of 
 the soldiers, also did his part to avoid confu- 
 sion. He issued orders that all soldiers and 
 
346 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 officers assemble on the deck in company or- 
 der, and soon they were standing as though on 
 parade. Of these he ordered a number to be 
 detached to assist in working the pumps; 
 others were put to the work of lowering the 
 boats; the rest calmly stood at ease. Orders 
 were given that women and children should 
 be saved first. 
 
 It was unfortunate that just at this time the 
 captain of the vessel, who evidently had found 
 out the full extent of the damage, ordered 
 the engineer to try and back off the rocks, with 
 full speed astern. The engines moved, and 
 part of the ship slid off the rocks, thereby 
 merely hastening the end, for another hole 
 was made immediately under the engine, into 
 which the water rushed. If there was hope 
 before, there was none now. 
 
 And now was a display of heroism such as 
 but seldom is witnessed. The men helped 
 the women and children into the boats, know- 
 ing that by doing this they could not save 
 themselves. Colonel Seton, perhaps fearing 
 that the temptation to save their own lives 
 might be too much for his men, stood on deck 
 
LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 347 
 
 with his sword drawn. But he need have 
 had no fear, for not a soldier stirred from 
 his post. Those who had been told to work, 
 worked their hardest, well knowing, as they 
 did, that it would not be themselves who 
 would be saved by their own efforts. All the 
 soldiers stood still to the last, calmly awaiting 
 their fate. 
 
 The women and children were safe in the 
 boats; the Birkenhead was fast breaking up, 
 but not a man quailed, nor sought to save him- 
 self. Those of the soldiers who had assisted 
 in manning the pumps were now ordered to 
 join their comrades. This was quietly and 
 quickly done, and there they stood on the poop 
 deck steadfastly awaiting the end which they 
 knew must soon come. 
 
 The captain of the vessel called out for all 
 those who were left to jump overboard, but 
 Colonel Seton and his officers knew that this 
 would imperil the boats which were already 
 loaded, because the men in the water would 
 naturally endeavor to catch hold of them, and 
 this would probably overturn them. This 
 danger they pointed out to the motionless he- 
 
348 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 roes, and, to the everlasting glory of these sol- 
 diers, not a man moved from the ranks. All 
 the more so because the colonel did not make 
 this an order, but merely a request. The ship 
 had now broken in two, and the fore part sunk, 
 so that only half of the vessel was out of 
 water. The stern tilted more and more and 
 then suddenly, with a terrible roll, the half of 
 the ship upon which they were standing 
 slipped from the rock, and was swallowed by 
 the sea. Captain Salmond, commander of the 
 Birkenhead, who had stuck to the ship with 
 the soldiers, was struck by a piece of wreck- 
 age, rendered unconscious, and drowned. 
 
 Where the ship had been was now a mass 
 of struggling men. Part of the mainmast was 
 standing out of the water, and to this perhaps 
 four men were clinging. Others were striv- 
 ing to catch hold of pieces of wood which 
 were floating about. To add to the horror of 
 the scene, many sharks appeared, and these 
 took toll of many who were now wrestling for 
 their lives. 
 
 In the meantime the three boats made for 
 the shore, it being the intention to land those 
 
LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 349 
 
 who had been saved, and then return to the 
 scene of the wreck to pick up the survivors. 
 The cutter, largest of the boats, led the way, 
 and on nearing the shore it was almost over- 
 turned by the huge breakers, among which it 
 was well-nigh helpless. Only expert seaman- 
 ship enabled the master's assistant, who was 
 in charge, to take the cutter out of the raging 
 surf. Directing the other boats to wait, he 
 followed the coast for several miles, seeking 
 a spot where they might safely land, but no 
 place was found. 
 
 Morning dawned, and a schooner was 
 sighted. The cutter made after her, those on 
 board hoping to attract her attention. But 
 in this they failed, and the schooner was soon 
 out of sight. Weary and heart-sick at this 
 disappointment, they made their way back 
 towards the land, on the way passing the scene 
 of the wreck. Not a man was there. Had 
 they been rescued during the night by some 
 passing ship, or had none of them had suffi- 
 cient strength to retain hold upon the wreck- 
 age? Or, gruesome thought, had the fear- 
 some sharks been the means of their end? 
 
350 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Just then one of the men saw the schooner 
 again, and this time their signal was answered. 
 She soon reached them, and those in the cut- 
 ter were overjoyed to see on board the oc- 
 cupants of the other two boats. 
 
 They went up and down the coast looking 
 for possible survivors of the wreck, but none 
 was found. After a thorough search, the 
 schooner set out for Simon's Bay, having on 
 board one hundred and sixteen who had been 
 saved from the Birkenhead. 
 
 But not all who had remained on board 
 the ill-fated vessel were lost. Some who had 
 taken hold of the mainmast fell into the sea 
 and were drowned, having been forced 
 through sheer exhaustion to loosen their hold. 
 Others, clinging to bits of the wreckage, had 
 been carried through the surf, and so reached 
 shore. Some, alas, had been killed by sharks. 
 
 With the dawning light, those who had had 
 strength to retain their grasp upon the mast 
 all through that dreadful night were re- 
 warded by the sight of a ship sailing in their 
 direction. They were seen, and a rescuing 
 party soon had them on board. 
 
LOSS OF THE BIRKENHEAD 351 
 
 Of six hundred and thirty-one souls who 
 had been on the ill-fated Birkenhead, four 
 hundred and forty lost their lives, but among 
 these was not one woman or child. 
 
 As long as the world endures, the story of 
 those heroes who willingly gave up their own 
 lives to save others will not be forgotten. The 
 story of the Birkenhead is an everlasting 
 monument to the gallant soldiers and sailors 
 who gave to the world so magnificent an ex- 
 ample of true courage. 
 
AMONG THE ICEBERGS 
 
 For ten days we had fine weather and light 
 winds, but a southerly gale sprung up and 
 drove us to the northward, and then I then 
 found out what it was to be at sea. Of course 
 I had to do duty, as before, aloft; and fol- 
 lowing Derrick's advice was of service, or, 
 one night, while furling topsails, and when 
 the ship was pitching tremendously, I should 
 certainly have been killed. On a sudden I 
 found myself jerked right off the yard; but I 
 fortunately had hold of the gasket, which I 
 was passing round the mizzen topsail, and by 
 it hauled myself up again, and finished the 
 work. After the gale had lasted a week, the 
 wind came round from the northward, and 
 bitter cold it was. We then stood on rather 
 further to the north than the usual track, I be- 
 lieve. 
 
 352 
 
AMONG THE ICEBERGS 353 
 
 It was night, and blowing fresh. The sky 
 was overcast, and there was no moon, so that 
 darkness was on the face of the deep — not to- 
 tal darkness, it must be understood, for that 
 is seldom known at sea. I was in the middle 
 watch, from midnight to four o'clock, and 
 had been on deck about half-an-hour when 
 the lookout forward sang out, "Ship ahead — 
 starboard — hard-a-starboard !" 
 
 These words made the second mate, who 
 had the watch, jump into the weather rigging. 
 "A ship!" he exclaimed. "An iceberg it is, 
 
 rather, and All hands wear ship," he 
 
 shouted in a tone which showed there was 
 not a moment to lose. 
 
 The watch sprang to the braces and bow- 
 lines while the rest of the crew tumbled up 
 from below, and the captain and other offi- 
 cers rushed out of their cabins: the helm was 
 kept up, and the yards swung round, and the 
 ship's head turned towards the direction 
 whence we had come. The captain glanced 
 his eye round, and then ordered the courses 
 to be brailed up, and the topsail to be backed, 
 so as to lay the ship to. I soon discovered 
 
354 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 the cause of these manoeuvres; for before the 
 ship had quite wore round I perceived close 
 to us a towering mass with a refulgent ap- 
 pearance, which the lookout man had taken 
 for the white sails of a ship, but which had 
 proved in reality to be a vast iceberg; and 
 attached to it, and extending a considerable 
 distance to leeward, was a field of very exten- 
 sive floes of ice, against which the ship would 
 have run had it not been discovered in time, 
 and would in all probability instantly have 
 gone down with every one on board. 
 
 In consequence of the extreme darkness it 
 was dangerous to sail either way: for it was 
 impossible to say what other floes or smaller 
 cakes of ice might be in the neighbourhood, 
 and we might probably be on them before 
 they could be seen. We therefore remained 
 hove-to. As it was, I could not see the floe 
 till it was pointed out to me by Derrick. 
 
 When daylight broke the next morning, the 
 dangerous position in which the ship was 
 placed was seen. On every side of us ap- 
 peared large floes of ice, with several icebergs 
 floating like mountains on a plain among 
 
AMONG THE ICEBERGS 355 
 
 them; while the only opening through which 
 we could escape was a narrow passage to the 
 northeast, through which we must have come. 
 What made our position more perilous was 
 that the vast masses of ice were approaching 
 nearer and nearer to each other, so that we 
 had not a moment to lose if we would effect 
 our escape. 
 
 As the light increased we saw, at the dis- 
 tance of three miles to the westward, another 
 ship in a far worse predicament then we were, 
 inasmuch as she was completely surrounded 
 by ice, though she still floated in a sort of 
 basin. The wind held to the northward, so 
 that we could stand clear out of the passage 
 should it remain open long enough. She by 
 this time had discovered her own perilous 
 condition, as we perceived that she had hoisted 
 a signal of distress, and we heard the guns 
 she was firing to call our attention to her; but 
 regard to our own safety compelled us to dis- 
 regard them till we had ourselves got clear 
 of the ice. 
 
 It was very dreadful to watch the stranger, 
 and to feel that we could render her no assist- 
 
356 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 ance. All hands were at the braces, ready 
 to trim the sails should the wind head us; for 
 in that case we should have to beat out of the 
 channel, which was every instant growing nar- 
 rower and narrower. The captain stood at 
 the weather gangway, conning the ship. 
 When he saw the ice closing in on us, he or- 
 dered every stitch of canvas the ship could 
 carry to be set on her, in hopes of carrying 
 her out before this could occur. It was a 
 chance, whether or not we should be nipped. 
 However, I was not so much occupied with 
 our own danger as not to keep an eye on the 
 stranger, and to feel a deep interest in her 
 fate. 
 
 I was in the mizzen-top, and as I possessed 
 a spy-glass I could see clearly all that oc- 
 curred. The water on which she floated was 
 nearly smooth, though covered with foam, 
 caused by the masses of ice as they approached 
 each other. I looked; she had but a few 
 fathoms of water on either side of her. As 
 yet she floated unharmed. The peril was 
 great; but the direction of the ice might 
 change, and she might yet be free. Still, on 
 
AMONG THE ICEBERGS 357 
 
 it came with terrible force; and I fancied 
 that I could hear the edges grinding and 
 crushing together. 
 
 The ice closed on the ill-fated ship. She 
 was probably as totally unprepared to resist 
 its pressure as we were. At first I thought 
 that it lifted her bodily up; but it was not so, 
 I suspect. She was too deep in the water for 
 that. Her sides were crushed in, her stout 
 timbers were rent into a thousand fragments 
 — her tall masts tottered and fell, though still 
 attached to the hull. For an instant I con- 
 cluded that the ice must have separated, or 
 perhaps the edges broke with the force of the 
 concussion; for, as I gazed, the wrecked mass 
 of hull and spars and canvas seemed drawn 
 suddenly downwards with irresistible force, 
 and a few fragments which had been hurled 
 by the force of the concussion to a distance 
 were all that remained of the hapless vessel. 
 Not a soul of her crew could have had time to 
 escape to the ice. 
 
 I looked anxiously: not a speck could be 
 seen stirring near the spot. Such, thought I, 
 may be the fate of the four hundred and forty 
 
358 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 human beings on board this ship ere many 
 minutes more are over. 
 
 I believe that I was the only person on 
 board who witnessed the catastrophe. Most 
 of the emigrants were below, and the few who 
 were on deck were with the crew watching 
 our own progress. 
 
 Still narrower grew the passage. Some of 
 the parts we had passed through were already 
 closed. The wind, fortunately, held fair; and 
 though it contributed to drive the ice faster in 
 on us, it yet favoured our escape. The ship 
 flew through the water at a great rate, heel- 
 ing over to her ports; but though at times it 
 seemed as if the masts would go over the 
 sides, still the captain held on. A minute's 
 delay might prove our destruction. 
 
 Every one held their breaths, as the width 
 of the passage decreased, though we had but 
 a short distance more to make good before we 
 should be free. 
 
 I must confess that all the time I did not 
 myself feel any sense of fear. I thought it 
 was a danger more to be apprehended for 
 others than for myself. At length a shout 
 
AMONG THE ICEBERGS 359 
 
 from the deck reached my ears, and, looking 
 round, I saw that we were on the outside of 
 the floe. We were just in time, for, the in- 
 stant after, the ice met, and the passage 
 through which we had come was completely 
 closed up. The order was now given to keep 
 the helm up and to square away the yards; 
 and with a flowing sheet we ran down the edge 
 of the ice for upwards of three miles before 
 we were clear of it. 
 
 Only then did the people begin to enquire 
 what had become of the ship we had lately 
 seen. I gave my account, but few expressed 
 any great commiseration for the fate of those 
 who were lost. Our captain had had enough 
 of ice, so he steered a course to get as fast 
 as possible into more southern latitudes. This 
 I may consider the first adventure I met with 
 in my nautical career. 
 
THE MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 
 
 In the latter part of the eighteenth century 
 the good ship Bounty, commanded by Lieu- 
 tenant Bligh, set sail from Spithead, bound 
 for the scene of Captain Cook's discoveries in 
 the Pacific. 
 
 Two expert botanists were attached to the 
 expedition with the object of studying the 
 vegetation of the South Sea Islands. These, 
 with the crew and officers, made a total of 
 forty-six souls on board. 
 
 Almost from the commencement of the voy- 
 age rough weather was experienced. Gale 
 succeeded gale, and nearly a year had elapsed 
 before the island of Otaheite was reached. 
 
 The natives were pleased at the arrival of 
 
 the white men, for they had known and loved 
 
 Captain Cook, the explorer, and they did 
 
 everything they could to show Lieutenant 
 
 360 
 
MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 361 
 
 Bligh and his sailors that they were wel- 
 come. 
 
 After a stay of several months at Otaheite 
 the anchor was weighed, and the Bounty left 
 to cruise among the other islands of the south- 
 ern Pacific. 
 
 The commander of the expedition was a 
 man of harsh and ungovernable temper, and 
 cruel and vindictive to those who aroused his 
 displeasure. Most of the crew at one time or 
 another had suffered as a result of his ill-tem- 
 per, and the time came when they could stand 
 his ill-treatment no longer. 
 
 A special object of his wrath was Fletcher 
 Christian, one of his officers, and one day 
 when Christian happened to be in charge of 
 the watch, the lieutenant missed some fruit 
 from the deck. He flew into a terrible pas- 
 sion, berated the officer in a manner beyond 
 all reason, and then said that he would make 
 life so unbearable for the crew that they 
 would be glad to throw themselves overboard. 
 This outbreak was the last straw so far as 
 Christian was concerned, and he at once made 
 up his mind to desert the ship, and with this 
 
362 THE SAPPHIRE STOPvY BOOK 
 
 end in view he soon began the construction of 
 a raft. 
 
 Many of the crew knew of his intention, 
 and the idea came to one of them to seize the 
 ship. He spoke to some of his mates, and 
 before long plans were made which included 
 most of the ship's company. 
 
 The same night several of the sailors, witK 
 Christian at their head, surprised the lieuten- 
 ant in his cabin, and, binding his hands behind 
 him, forced him on deck. At the same time 
 the others in the plot were busy securing those 
 who were not in sympathy with the mutiny. 
 
 Arms, bread, water, and clothing were 
 placed in a boat, and into this Bligh and 
 eighteen of the crew, who had not joined the 
 mutineers, were forced. 
 
 The nineteen men were truly in a desperate 
 plight. The nearest land where they might 
 look for help was the island of Timor, 
 nearly four thousand miles away. There they 
 were in an open boat, in the middle of the 
 vast Pacific Ocean. A dreary prospect, in- 
 deed. 
 
 The mutineers had taken the precaution to 
 
MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 363 
 
 forcibly detain on board three officers who 
 possessed a knowledge of navigation, but who 
 were not in sympathy with the casting adrift 
 of their commander, much as they disliked 
 him. These were ordered to take the ship 
 back to Otaheite. 
 
 The castaways took careful stock of their 
 provisions, and it was decided that each man 
 should be placed upon an allowance of one 
 ounce of bread and half-a-pint of water a day. 
 It was calculated that with very good fortune 
 the food they had would thus last until they 
 reached Timor. It meant practically starva- 
 tion, but it was the best that could be done 
 under the circumstances, and after some con- 
 siderable argument each man agreed to the 
 condition. 
 
 It seems impossible that this small boat, 
 weighed down by its load of men almost to 
 the level of the water, should reach the goal 
 nearly four thousand miles away, but the mira- 
 cle happened, and in time the island of Timor 
 was sighted. The pitiful condition of the men 
 when they landed may be imagined ; they were 
 more like skeletons than human beings. 
 
364 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The people of the island did all they could 
 for them, but only thirteen lived to make their 
 way back to England, where the story of their 
 sufferings attracted the greatest attention. In 
 his version of the mutiny Lieutenant Bligh 
 did not fail to dwell upon his kindness to all 
 the men under his command, and his inability 
 to give any reason for the cruel treatment ac- 
 corded to him and his fellow sufferers. As 
 a measure of compensation, he was given a 
 raise in rank. 
 
 aJc j3& j& Jfe £te> •& j& 
 
 The mutineers of the Bounty, having rid 
 themselves of the tyrannical Bligh, and those 
 who went with him, elected Fletcher Chris- 
 tian to be their commander, and set out for 
 Otaheite. They told the islanders that their 
 ship had fallen in with Captain Cook, and 
 that Lieutenant Bligh and eighteen of their 
 crew were with him. They themselves had 
 been sent back to Otaheite for provisions, and 
 these the natives gave them in abundance, 
 being overjoyed to learn that their friend, 
 Captain Cook, was still alive. 
 
 Being plentifully supplied with food, 
 
MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY 365 
 
 Christian set sail for the island of Toobonai, 
 taking with him about twenty Otaheitans. 
 
 As soon as the Bounty reached Toobonai, 
 the mutineers landed and built a fort, because 
 the people of the island were not well-dis- 
 posed towards the white men. And before 
 long they had good cause to regret their com- 
 ing, because the sailors ill-treated them, try- 
 ing to make them their slaves. The natives 
 turned against them, and drove them from the 
 island, and soon the Bounty was on the way to 
 Otaheite again. 
 
 More than half of the men decided to re- 
 main at Otaheite, and Christian, with the 
 others, sailed away. This was in September, 
 1789, and many years passed before anything 
 more was heard of either ship or crew. 
 
 About twenty-five years later a British 
 cruiser touched at the lonely island of Pit- 
 cairn, and on the shore was found a handsome 
 young white man who addressed the sailors 
 in excellent English. On being asked his 
 name, he replied, "Thursday October Chris- 
 tian." 
 
366 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The island was found to be inhabited by 
 forty-six people, and investigation showed 
 that they were the descendants of those of 
 the mutineers who had sailed from the Ota- 
 heite on board the Bounty. 
 
THE TESTING OF A MAN 
 
 The wind backed round into the northwest, 
 with an awfully hideous sea which made the 
 deeply-laden Sealark strain and labour as if 
 she would loosen her plates. Captain Jenkins, 
 full of care for his charge, saw to it that all 
 the sails were well secured, all the mast sup- 
 ports well looked to by means of preventer 
 backstays, and, in short, everything done that 
 a good sailor could think of for the safety of 
 the vessel and all on board under any circum- 
 stances of the weather. For he knew how 
 low the glass had fallen, and he felt the 
 need of preparing for the worst possible 
 eventuality. 
 
 At last the weather grew so bad, and the 
 wind so high, that the carrying of any sail was 
 impossible, and so the Sealark lay hove-to un- 
 der bare poles, with just a tarpaulin in the 
 
 367 
 
368 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 mizzen rigging to keep her head from falling 
 off and leaving her in the trough of the enor- 
 mous sea then running. 
 
 It was a gale that will be long remembered 
 in shipping annals for the enormous destruc- 
 tion of property and loss of life at sea, a regu- 
 lar tropical hurricane raging in the tempe- 
 rate zone and just where the greatest traffic in 
 the world congregates, outward and home- 
 ward bound. It blew so hard that the Sea- 
 lark lay down with her lee rail under water, 
 deeply laden as she was, and refused to rise; 
 while the sea smiting her weather side was 
 caught by the furious tempest and hurled high 
 over her mast's head in great sheets of spume. 
 Then is the time when the weak spots show 
 and when faithful work proves its worth, for 
 one small mishap at such a time may, and 
 often does, lead to the loss of the ship and the 
 lives of all hands. 
 
 So day faded into night with no relief, while 
 all hands hung on to their patience, as it were, 
 thankful for a staunch ship and a fairly good 
 cargo. But, oh! the weary hours of the night. 
 A man does get so weary of the ravenous roar 
 
TESTING OF A MAN 369 
 
 of the wind, the unceasing assault of the 
 mighty sea, does long so for a little respite. 
 Day, moreover, broke again over an ocean 
 that was one expanse of white, for the sea 
 seemed mingling with the sky, its very surface 
 torn off by the ferocious wind. It was impos- 
 sible to see for any distance through the hiss- 
 ing spray, two or three hundred yards at the 
 most, and yet they craved for further vision, 
 it was so lonely. Then suddenly there was a 
 slight lull, the ship eased up a little, and the 
 sky cleared temporarily, although it was still 
 blowing a tremendous gale. 
 
 And into their circle of sight there came 
 an object of pity, awakening a passionate de- 
 sire to do something at any risk whatever for 
 the help of their fellowmen. It was a vessel 
 of about the same size as themselves, but of 
 wood, and by the appearance of her very near 
 the foundering point. Her three masts, bul- 
 warks and boats were gone, she was just a mere 
 hulk upon the terrible sea; but upon the high- 
 est part of her, lashed to the stanchions of the 
 departed bulwarks, which showed up like a 
 set of broken teeth, were visible the cowering 
 
370 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 forms of her crew, visible, that is, at intervals, 
 when the incessant spray which fell over them 
 became thinner than usual. The word went 
 quickly round the Sealark, and all hands 
 rushed on deck, staring with bated breath on 
 the pitiful sight, and glancing anxiously at 
 the skipper between whiles to see what he 
 might be going to do. 
 
 Poor man, it was an anxious time for him, 
 for his ship was quite unmanageable, as he 
 dared not make sail. True, the derelict was 
 to leeward of him, and a boat could reach her 
 without very great danger; but unless the 
 wind let up soon, the getting of that boat back 
 was an obvious impossibility. However, 
 there was no question about the urgency of 
 the matter, for at every scend of the sea it 
 would be noticed that the unfortunate craft 
 had settled deeper, had less buoyancy. So, 
 pulling himself together, Captain Jenkins 
 shouted at the pitch of his great voice, "Who 
 will volunteer to go and try and save those 
 men from drowning?" 
 
 There was only a momentary hesitation, 
 and then four men stepped forward. They 
 
TESTING OF A MAN 371 
 
 were the two Scotchmen, Hansen, and one of 
 the Welshmen, the other being at the 
 wheel. 
 
 Then the second mate looked up at the 
 skipper, and said quite coolly, "I shall want 
 another man, sir." 
 
 He had hardly uttered the words when 
 Frank (sea apprentice), who had been watch- 
 ing the wreck with indescribable feelings, 
 sprang forward and said, "Let me go, sir; I 
 would have offered before, but I was afraid 
 you would not let me go." 
 
 The skipper shook his head sadly, and said, 
 "I'm afraid it's no place for you, my 
 boy." 
 
 But Frank bounded up the ladder to his 
 side, and said gaspingly, "I'm as strong as 
 any of those men, sir, and you know I can pull 
 a good oar. Besides, I want to show the sec- 
 ond mate, sir " 
 
 That was all, but the skipper nodded "All 
 right," and immediately all hands were busy 
 getting the boat out, a difficult and heavy task 
 in a ship like that, where the boats are seldom 
 carried ready for launching. But by dint of 
 
372 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 hard work and eagerness she was got all ready 
 for lowering in fifteen minutes. 
 
 "Now, Mr. Jacks," roared the skipper, "all 
 I've got to say is, keep your eye on that ship 
 and see that she doesn't go down while you're 
 alongside, and take you all with her. As soon 
 as ever I see you have reached her, I'll keep 
 away and run down to leeward at any risks, 
 so that you can run down to me as you are 
 going to do to her, and may God grant that 
 you save 'em all and yourselves too. Off 
 you go." 
 
 The six of them got into the boat as she 
 hung by a single bridle from a mainyard 
 tackle, a steady shove off and she touched the 
 seething surface almost instantly. The man 
 at the tackle fall let go, and, as the barque 
 heeled over, one hand in the boat unhooked 
 the tackle and hove it clear, while the sea 
 surging up beneath the vessel's bottom bore 
 the boat a hundred yards to leeward at a sin- 
 gle sweep. The second mate at the tiller 
 kept her off before the wind, ordering the men 
 to ship their oars and hold the blades high 
 out of water by depressing the looms, with the 
 
TESTING OF A MAN 373 
 
 effect that the boat sped away as if under a 
 press of sail. 
 
 There was no time to be afraid had the 
 crew been ever so fearful, and in addition they 
 all felt at once that they were being steered 
 by a master in the science of boat-handling. It 
 seemed but a minute or two before she reached 
 the wallowing vessel, and as she fled under 
 the stern the second mate shouted to his port 
 oarsmen to pull for their very lives, starboard 
 oarsmen to ship their oars and watch for a 
 rope. The boat spun round right up into the 
 smooth, and at the same moment a coil of 
 rope was hove into her from the derelict, 
 which was caught and held. 
 
 But now the boat's position was full of peril, 
 for the derelict's decks on the lee side were 
 under water, and some ugly fragments of 
 spars, still attached by the lee rigging, were 
 trembling about and threatening the boat with 
 destruction. It was quite impossible to get 
 close alongside, and yet every moment was 
 precious, while the poor fellows, so close to 
 rescue, and yet confronted with that terrible 
 few feet of boiling foam and jagged trembling 
 
374 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 spars, were in an agony of doubt. But their 
 natural hesitation was solved by a huge sea 
 which, bursting over the weather side, washed 
 full half of their number overboard, as they 
 were not then on the lookout for it; and be- 
 fore even they themselves had realized what 
 had happened, they were clambering into the 
 boat. 
 
 The rest were emboldened by what had 
 happened, and jumped into the foaming vor- 
 tex at the same moment as the second mate 
 screamed, "Let go that rope, she's going." 
 Happily one of them managed to reach the 
 boat's side, and clung to it with desperate 
 tenacity, as the heavily laden craft, caught by 
 a swell, was swept away clear of that brutal 
 entanglement alongside. Only just in time, 
 for, as the boat swung off the wind, those in 
 the boat, in spite of their efforts to get the 
 struggling men who were hanging on the gun- 
 wale inboard, could not help seeing the de- 
 feated ship give one throe like a Titan in his 
 death agony, and, her bow rising high in air, 
 she slid down a yawning gulf into darkness 
 
TESTING OF A MAN 375 
 
 and peace, never again to be seen by the eye 
 of man. 
 
 It was a splendid rescue, nobly planned and 
 carried out, and all the more impressive be- 
 cause of the scanty sum of the moments during 
 which it had been effected. And now the 
 heavily laden boat must needs be brought to 
 the wind and sea, which latter was getting up 
 at a most dangerous rate, because it was evi- 
 dent that otherwise she would go as fast to 
 leeward as the ship to which she belonged. It 
 was most fortunate, therefore, that the sec- 
 ond mate was so skillful, and, calling upon his 
 men to stand by, one side to pull and the other 
 to stern on the word, he watched the smooth 
 when a big sea had passed, and then shouting 
 fit to crack his throat, "Pull port, stern star- 
 board," he swung the boat up into the wind, 
 and she was safe for the time. 
 
 But she rode very deep, and threatened 
 every moment to swamp, only the most ener- 
 getic baling keeping her afloat. In addition, 
 the air was so thick with spray that they could 
 see nothing of the ship, and they could only 
 
376 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 hope that from her superior height their ship- 
 mates were able to keep sight of them. They 
 all looked wistfully at the grim face of Mr. 
 Jacks, which showed no trace of his great anx- 
 iety, and took comfort therefrom. 
 
 On board the ship they had not yet kept 
 away, for a tremendous squall had blotted out 
 the whole scene, and when it had passed and 
 vision was restored for about a square mile, 
 there was nothing visible but the small circle 
 of white sea and black sky, although all hands 
 were straining their eyes to leeward through 
 the clouds of spindrift, for sight or sign of the 
 devoted little boatload of beings who were at 
 present all in all to them. 
 
 Suddenly there was a scream from forward 
 heard above the monotonous growl of the 
 storm. It was from Johnson, who had 
 climbed up inside the lee fore-rigging, and 
 had just caught a glimpse of something, he 
 knew not what, a black patch on a hill of 
 white. But the skipper had heard, and saw 
 his pointing arm, and, focussing his glasses on 
 the spot for a moment, shouted, "Run that 
 fore-topmast staysail up." 
 
TESTING OF A MAN 377 
 
 All hands flew to obey, and steadily the 
 small triangle of sail rose, carefully attended 
 as to the sheet, until without a shake it was 
 set. "Hard up with that helm, stand by your 
 weather braces," were the next orders, while 
 springing into the weather mizzen-rigging the 
 skipper tore the tarpaulin down which was 
 holding her to the wind. Slowly she paid off, 
 and gathered way as the yards were checked, 
 and presently, to the almost hysterical delight 
 of all hands, they saw the boat, a tiny spot in. 
 that snowy waste, being tossed like a chip in 
 the torrent, looking staunch and seaworthy 
 still. 
 
 Down towards her sped the ship now, al- 
 though only that rag of sail was set forrard, 
 under full steerage control, with the skipper 
 clinging in the weather rigging like a bat, 
 and conning the vessel with waves of his hand, 
 for his voice was useless in that uproar. Down 
 past the boat they swept, high on the crest of 
 a gigantic wave, while the tiny overloaded 
 craft seemed to come in the valley between 
 two wave-crests as if sheltering there. 
 
 Then, at the skipper's beckoning hand, 
 
378 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 some of the fellows rushed aft and hauled out 
 the head of the mizzen. Down with the helm, 
 no time to watch for smooth seas now, let go 
 the fore-topmast staysail halyards, and up 
 she comes into the wind, receiving, as she did 
 so, the full impact of the terrible sea that 
 seemed as if it must crush her into fragments. 
 She shuddered in every rivet, but survived ; the 
 drivers of those rivets in some far-away ship- 
 yard all unconscious of this life and death test- 
 ing of their work. 
 
 And there, hove to again under bare poles 
 with just the tarpaulin spread as before, she 
 lay with all hands straining their eyes for the 
 coming of the boat. M r. J acks, watching with 
 stern-set face the manceuvres of the ship, fol- 
 lowed the passing with orders to stand by the 
 oars so that at his word the boat might be 
 swung off, and driven before the wind and sea, 
 and got under the lee of the waiting ship. 
 
 It was boldly, gallantly, successfully done, 
 but not one of them failed to note how hun- 
 grily the mighty seas roared around their in- 
 significance, but while some felt their hearts 
 shrivel within them at the immediate prospect 
 
TESTING OF A MAN 379 
 
 of dissolution, others, among whom was 
 Frank, were elated as the old Vikings at the 
 prospect of battle, and would fain have 
 shouted for joy. But the weary time of 
 watching, and waiting, and noting the onrush 
 of each awful sea had tested them to the last 
 fiber, and they felt infinitely relieved at the 
 change of action for passive endurance. 
 
 Away she sped, flung from crest to hollow 
 of the seas, but steered so splendidly by the 
 second mate that, although the foam seemed 
 to stand above her gunwale in wreaths, noth- 
 ing but the spray came over. And they all 
 watched the face of the steersman, who 
 looked, as indeed he was, a tower of strength, 
 confident and able. Just shaving the stern of 
 the Sealark by, as it seemed, a hand's breadth, 
 he shouted, "Pull port, all you know," and 
 the boat shot up alongside, to receive a line 
 and be secured. 
 
 Then as she rose and fell, kept away from 
 being stove in by the eddying seas coming un- 
 der the ship's bottom, one by one, watching 
 their opportunity, scrambled on board until, 
 all but the second mate and Frank having left 
 
380 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 her, the bridle was hooked on and many will- 
 ing hands swung the gallant craft up into her 
 place again. A splendid feat nobly per- 
 formed, and one that all those engaged in 
 would ever remember as making an elevating 
 epoch in their lives. 
 
THE LAYING OF THE ATLANTIC 
 CABLE 
 
 One of the greatest triumphs of all ages was 
 the connecting of England and America by 
 the Atlantic Cable, and this was brought 
 about through the remarkable energy and de- 
 termination of two men, Mr. Cyrus Field, of 
 America, and Professor William Thomson, 
 the noted Scotch scientist. 
 
 It was in July, 1857, tnat tne fi fSt attempt 
 was made. Two ships, the Niagara and the 
 Agamemnon, carrying between them nearly 
 three thousand miles of steel cable, left Va- 
 lentia, the most westerly point on the coast 
 of Ireland, for the voyage across the great At- 
 lantic Ocean. 
 
 The men who conceived the enterprise were 
 ridiculed by many who considered them to be 
 
 merely foolish enthusiasts, but time showed 
 
 381 
 
382 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 that their lofty ambitions were practical, and 
 that their ideals for the advantage of mankind 
 would be realized. 
 
 The Niagara began paying out the cable, 
 but before being out of sight of land the first 
 hitch occurred — the cable became entangled 
 with the machinery, and broke. Repairs were 
 soon made, however, and for three hundred 
 miles all went well. Then suddenly the ca- 
 ble parted and down it went to the bed of the 
 Atlantic. The result was that the project had 
 to be temporarily abandoned, and with sor- 
 row in the hearts of all concerned in the work, 
 the ships returned to Ireland. 
 
 But the work was merely postponed. The 
 leaders of the gigantic enterprise were de- 
 termined to bring their undertaking to a suc- 
 cessful conclusion, and, undaunted by their 
 failure, the following summer saw the two 
 ships together again, ready for a second at- 
 tempt. 
 
 But this time the plan was to make the 
 connection between two cables in the middle 
 of the ocean. There the necessary splicing 
 was done and the ships separated, the Niagara 
 
LAYING THE CABLE 383 
 
 proceeding on her way to the American coast, 
 and the Agamemnon turning back to Ireland. 
 The operation was carried out under great 
 difficulty, owing to the high seas and the 
 weight of the cables, which made the work 
 extremely dangerous. A week elapsed be- 
 fore the splicing could be accomplished. 
 
 This being done, the vessels started in op- 
 posite directions, but almost at once a break- 
 age occurred. This was repaired, and an- 
 other start was made. For a few hours all 
 went well; then suddenly the anxious watch- 
 ers on the Agamemnon were startled to see a 
 huge whale approach the spot where the cable 
 was disappearing into the depths of the sea. 
 It was a time of great anxiety for them. If 
 the great amphibean struck the cable with 
 any force, it would probably mean disaster; 
 but fortunately the animal barely touched it, 
 so this danger was past. 
 
 A few more miles of cable were paid out, 
 and then came a breakage which caused an- 
 other splicing to be made. Nothing daunted, 
 the engineers accomplished this, and again a 
 start was made. 
 
384 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 But fate seemed to be against them. Be- 
 fore long there was a break which could not 
 be repaired, and nearly one hundred and fifty 
 miles of cable sunk to the bottom of the At- 
 lantic, which at this point is more than two 
 miles in depth. 
 
 But no time was lost in crying over spilt 
 milk. There was only one thing to do, and 
 that was to return and secure more cable. 
 The plucky engineers refused to accept de- 
 feat; they meant to try and try until their ef- 
 forts were crowned with success. 
 
 Having secured the necessary cable, the two 
 ships again parted company in the mid-At- 
 lantic. This time they were fortunate in hav- 
 ing fine weather, and from the time the splic- 
 ing was finished all went well, and there was 
 great joy at the excellent progress made. 
 
 So well had the plans been made, that the 
 Niagara reached the coast of Newfoundland 
 on the very day that the Agamemnon landed 
 at Valentia, in Ireland. At half-past two 
 o'clock in the afternoon of August 18th, 1858, 
 the following message flashed underneath the 
 ocean, from the Old World to the New: 
 
LAYING THE CABLE 385 
 
 "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, 
 good will towards men." Queen Victoria and 
 the President of the United States exchanged 
 friendly greetings, and there was great rejoic- 
 ing on both sides of the Atlantic. 
 
 A magnificent feat of engineering, but not 
 yet perfected. So far as laying the cable was 
 concerned, it was eminently successful, but in 
 a few days the current became weak, and soon 
 refused to transmit any message. 
 
 It might be imagined that this failure 
 would completely dishearten those who had so 
 carefully planned and carried out the great 
 undertaking. For the time being they were 
 discouraged, but not to the point of despair. 
 Such men do not permit defeat or disaster 
 to overcome them, and they refused to admit 
 themselves beaten. 
 
 But seven years passed before the next at- 
 tempt was made to lay a cable under the ocean, 
 and on this occasion the wonderful Great 
 Eastern was the ship selected for the work. 
 
 Up to this time there had been no one ship 
 afloat large and powerful enough to carry the 
 necessary cable, but now this monster, the 
 
386 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 wonder of the maritime world, was engaged 
 by the Atlantic Telegraph Co. for the carry- 
 ing out of the great undertaking. 
 
 Much of the interior of this immense ship 
 was changed to permit the erection of three 
 vast tanks, in which was to be stowed a new 
 cable, superior in strength to that which had 
 before been used. 
 
 To the rocks of Valentia the end of the 
 cable was made fast, and the grand work was 
 again in progress. 
 
 But difficulties again beset them, and when 
 about sixty miles from the coast of Ireland 
 something went wrong. The Great Eastern 
 had been fitted with a special apparatus for 
 picking up cable, so cutting the latter at this 
 point and securing the end to a huge buoy, 
 the ship went slowly back, pulling up the 
 sunken strand. Ten miles were traversed be- 
 fore the cause of the trouble was found, and 
 there it was seen that some of the outside 
 strands had been driven into the centre of the 
 cable. The damage was repaired, and the 
 Great Eastern proceeded on her way. 
 
 Good progress was being made, and about 
 
LAYING THE CABLE 387 
 
 fifteen hundred miles of cable had been laid 
 when the picking-up process again became 
 necessary. A bad place this, because of the 
 great depth of the ocean. The strain was 
 tremendous, and more than the wire could 
 stand. There was a snap, the cable parted, 
 and sank to the bed of the Atlantic, more than 
 two miles below. 
 
 The engineers were now confronted with a 
 task that seemed almost impossible of accom- 
 plishment. They had to fish for the cable, 
 which lay at the bottom of the ocean. Fas- 
 tening a great grapnel to the end of a very 
 strong wire rope, they lowered it into the wa- 
 ter, and, after groping for a considerable time, 
 their efforts were rewarded by feeling a strong 
 grip. Anxiously they began to haul in the 
 rope, but when about halfway up it broke, and 
 down went grapnel and all. 
 
 Again the attempt was made, but with the 
 same result. A still stronger grapnel was 
 forged, and for the third and last time it was 
 sent over the stern of the ship. It was a most 
 anxious time for both workers and watchers — 
 would their efforts meet with success? 
 
388 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 No — their last endeavor to rescue the cable 
 failed, and sadly they were forced to abandon 
 the work. 
 
 But even this disaster did not deter the cour- 
 ageous promoters from their resolve to finish 
 the work they had undertaken. The next sum- 
 mer the Great Eastern was again made ready 
 for the task, with a new cable and an im- 
 proved picking-up apparatus. 
 
 This time they were successful, as they well 
 deserved to be. Advance was made at the rate 
 of more than one hundred miles a day, and on 
 July 27th, 1866, from the harbor of Heart's 
 Content, Newfoundland, a message was 
 flashed underneath the ocean to Ireland, tell- 
 ing the people of the Old World that tele- 
 graphic communication with the New World 
 was established. 
 
 Truly a marvelous achievement, and one 
 which reflects great honor upon those intrepid 
 men who refused to admit defeat, and who, 
 undaunted by failures, finally carried to a suc- 
 cessful issue their plans for the benefit of man- 
 kind. 
 
THE CAPTURE OF THE SILVER 
 FLEET 
 
 The great galleons sailed from the port of 
 Havana, richly laden with silver and gold. 
 It was unfortunate for the fleet that one of the 
 largest ships sprung a leak, for all had to wait 
 while it was being overhauled and repaired. 
 
 For twelve years there had been peace be- 
 tween Spain and Holland, but now the two 
 countries were again at war. Piet Hein, the 
 great Dutch admiral, was in command of a 
 fleet of thirty ships, and had made up his mind 
 to capture the Spanish vessels and their great 
 treasure. 
 
 A gale had driven the Dutch fleet towards 
 the Bay of Matanza, about sixty miles east 
 of Havana, for which port Hein was making 
 when the storm came up. The delay caused 
 by the accident to the galleon was really the 
 
 389 
 
39o THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 cause of bringing the two fleets together. 
 
 The Spanish governor of Havana learned 
 of the nearness of the Dutch fleet, and so de- 
 spatched a swift yacht to notify the silver fleet 
 of its danger. The storm also drove the yacht 
 to the Bay of Matanza, where it was taken by 
 one of Piet Hein's ships. The papers on the 
 yacht gave the Dutch admiral just the infor- 
 mation he desired, for he now knew that the 
 Spanish vessels were somewhere in the neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 A sharp lookout was kept, and soon the 
 Dutch sailors at the mast-heads sighted the 
 sails of numerous ships. They gave chase, 
 and, being the swifter vessels, soon began to 
 overhaul the Spanish fleet. Piet Hein knew 
 that the enemy was making for the Bay of 
 Matanza, and so spread out his ships in the 
 form of a fan, thereby giving the Spaniards 
 small opportunity for escape to the open 
 sea. 
 
 But Hein was in strange waters, and did 
 not know the soundings as did the Spaniards. 
 Darkness began to fall, and before night the 
 galleons had all entered the bay, while the 
 
THE SILVER FLEET 391 
 
 Dutch ships lay outside, like a pack of hounds 
 that had missed their prey. 
 
 Boats were sent on a reconnoitering expe- 
 dition, and returned with the news that the 
 Spanish ships were being unloaded, and their 
 cargoes taken ashore. But at this Piet Hein 
 only laughed, and said that there would be 
 plenty of the treasure left for them to capture 
 as soon as it was light again. 
 
 Very early in the morning, as soon as the 
 sun began to rise, every one in the Dutch 
 fleet was astir, and ready for the work ahead. 
 The great galleons were heavily armed and 
 manned, and, of course, would not surrender 
 without a fierce struggle. Every Spanish 
 sailor had been forced to take an oath that 
 he would defend the treasure with his life, 
 and to fire the ships and throw overboard their 
 cargoes rather than to allow the enemy to cap- 
 ture any of the rich booty. 
 
 So a desperate battle was expected. At the 
 earliest moment Piet Hein led the way into the 
 bay, and soon the Spanish fleet was seen, 
 aground in shallow water, but among the ships 
 was no sign of life. 
 
392 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 This made him doubly cautious. The 
 Dutch admiral had no desire to run aground, 
 and the silence of the enemy made him sus- 
 picious of some artfully-laid trap. He sig- 
 nalled to his captains that the attack would 
 be made in boats. 
 
 The anchors were dropped, and soon the 
 bay swarmed with the Dutch boats. The first 
 Spanish ship to be approached was that of 
 the admiral of the fleet, and as the Dutch 
 neared the galleon, they were suddenly 
 greeted by a broadside, which, however, did 
 them no harm. The answer was a volley of 
 musketry, following which was a demand to 
 surrender. 
 
 To Piet Hein's surprise up went the white 
 flag and in a few minutes the Dutch were 
 on board. The Spanish admiral surrendered 
 himself and his fleet. 
 
 Hein was amazed, for, without any real 
 fighting, the Dutch fleet had captured one of 
 the richest prizes in the world. The silver 
 alone weighed more than two hundred thou- 
 sand pounds, and in addition to this there was 
 
THE SILVER FLEET 393 
 
 a vast amount of gold, jewels and other valu- 
 able material. 
 
 The Spanish admiral had a pet parrot, and 
 while Hein and his officers were counting the 
 money the parrot, hearing the clink of coins, 
 cried out, "Victoria, 'victoria! O que bien 
 va!" In English these words mean, "Bravo, 
 bravo! How lucky we are!" Probably the 
 bird had often heard its master say this when 
 counting his treasures. 
 
 The Dutch fleet, with its vast amount of 
 booty, reached Holland safely during Christ- 
 mas week, 1628. A great reception was given 
 to the sailors, and particularly to their com- 
 mander, Piet Hein. The treasure they 
 brought was especially valuable at this time, 
 because the government was in great need of 
 money, and the country was almost on the 
 verge of bankruptcy. Now they had no fear 
 of poverty, for the enemy himself had pro- 
 vided them with plenty. 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 
 
 It is not always necessary to run into Polar 
 regions to meet with icebergs, as the experi- 
 ence of many Atlantic vessels proves. Even 
 in these days of steam and improved naviga- 
 tion there is danger more than a little to be 
 apprehended from the presence of these wan- 
 dering islands, especially in times of fog or 
 thick weather. As an instance of this, we may 
 take the story of the Lady Hobart, one of 
 the old Atlantic mailboats, in the days when 
 steamships were not yet. 
 
 The Lady Hobart left Halifax, Nova Sco- 
 tia, in the middle of the summer of 1803, un- 
 der the command of Captain Fellowes. When 
 three days out the vessel encountered bad 
 weather, with fog and a heavy sea. There was, 
 however, so far as could be seen, no special 
 cause for alarm, and the passengers and some 
 
 394 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 395 
 
 of the crew retired for the night as usual. But 
 at one o'clock in the morning everybody was 
 effectually aroused by a tremendous shock. 
 "So violent was the concussion," says the cap- 
 tain in his account of the affair, "that several 
 of the crew were pitched out of their ham- 
 mocks." The skipped rushed on deck, and 
 found, towering far above his tallest mast, and 
 close to the ship, "an island of ice." It was 
 against this unseen and monster enemy that 
 the Lady Hobart had struck. Instantly the 
 helm was put about, but again the vessel 
 crashed upon the huge iceberg. It is prob- 
 able that she collided more than twice with 
 the berg, for when at length the crew had got 
 her off, her stern-post had been stove in, her 
 rudder carried away, and her hull badly shat- 
 tered. 
 
 The seas were breaking over the vessel with 
 great force, and in a few minutes the hole was 
 filled with water. The situation had in that 
 short space of time become desperate. But 
 prompt action was taken. "We hove the guns 
 overboard, cut away the anchors from the 
 bows, and got two sails under the bottom. 
 
396 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 Both pumps were kept going, and we con- 
 tinued bailing with buckets from the main 
 hatchway, in hopes of preventing the ship 
 from sinking. But, in less than a quarter of 
 an hour, she settled down to her fore-chains 
 in water. Our situation was now become 
 most perilous." The captain at once con- 
 sulted with his master, Mr. Batgus, and Cap- 
 tain Thomas, an officer of the Royal Navy, 
 who was a passenger. Both agreed that not 
 a moment should be lost in trying to get out 
 the boats, if it could be done at all in that 
 tossing sea. To save the ship was plainly im- 
 possible; it was the lives alone that must be 
 thought of. 
 
 Without a murmur the skipper's orders 
 were obeyed; the boats, the cutter and the 
 jolly-boat were launched, though with great 
 difficulty and risk. Then, without panic, 
 without selfish pushing or disorder, each 
 waited his or her turn to embark. Into the 
 cutter were first placed the three ladies the 
 ship's company included. One of these, in 
 her haste to get into the boat, sprang from the 
 deck and fell violently to the bottom. It was 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 397 
 
 a marvel that she neither injured herself seri- 
 ously nor smashed the craft, to the danger of 
 herself and the rest. All this time the ship 
 was sinking lower and lower in the water, and 
 by the time the boats were filled only the 
 quarter deck showed above the surface. At 
 any instant even that might disappear. 
 
 But there was much to be done yet. The 
 mails, in their water-tight case, were first bal- 
 lasted with pigs of iron and then thrown over- 
 board, possibly to be recovered some day. 
 Then hurriedly some provisions were tossed 
 into the boats, forty or fifty pounds of biscuit, 
 a vessel containing five gallons of water, a five- 
 gallon cask of rum, a quantity of spruce beer, 
 and a few bottles of wine, a scanty supply for 
 a company of twenty-nine persons. Two com- 
 passes, a quadrant, and telescope were also 
 taken. An episode Captain Fellowes thinks 
 well worth recording occurred at this time. 
 One of the seamen was observed emptying 
 out a five-gallon bottle of rum, to the astonish- 
 ment of the captain. The man, however, 
 proceeded to fill the empty vessel with water 
 from the cask on the quarter-deck, the only 
 
398 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 available supply now. And this was the only 
 water the boats had with them. The thought- 
 fulness of the sailor, who sacrificed the sail- 
 or's favourite drink for water, was praise- 
 worthy. The last to leave the ship was Mr. 
 Batgus, the master, who had utterly refused 
 to precede the skipper. It was not a moment 
 too soon. 
 
 "We had scarce quitted the ship when she 
 gave a heavy lurch to port, and then went 
 down head foremost. I had ordered the col- 
 ours to be hoisted at the main-top-gallant 
 mast-head, with the Union downwards, as a 
 signal of distress, that if any vessel should 
 happen to be near us at the dawn of day our 
 calamitous situation might attract observa- 
 tion from her, and relief be afforded us. At 
 this awful crisis of the ship sinking, when 
 fear might be supposed to be the predominant 
 principle of the human mind, a British sea- 
 man, named John Andrews, exhibited uncom- 
 mon coolness : 'There, my brave fellows,' he 
 exclaimed, 'there goes the pride of old Eng- 
 land!' " A pathetic spectacle it was, a gallant 
 ship foundering under the towering heights of 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 399 
 
 the iceberg that had brought destruction to 
 her; two boats, weighed down almost to the 
 water's level with their human freights, toss- 
 ing on the agitated sea, no land nearer 
 than hundreds of miles, and not a sail 
 in sight! 
 
 A strange incident accompanied the sink- 
 ing of the Lady Hobart. An immense school 
 of whales came crowding round the doomed 
 wreck and the neighbouring boats. These 
 monsters of the deep, by their unwieldly an- 
 tics, might send to the bottom every soul in 
 the little craft. Instantly the men set up a 
 loud whistling and shouting, and did all they 
 knew to drive the animals away, but it was to 
 no purpose. The whales pursued the boats 
 for a full half-hour, and kept the occupants 
 in mortal dread, "frequent instances having 
 occurred, in the fishery, of boats being rent in 
 twain by the force of a single blow from a 
 whale." At last, to their infinite relief, the 
 ship-wrecked crews were left in peace, and 
 uninjured. 
 
 Captain Fellowes now resolved to steer for 
 Newfoundland, which he estimated to be 
 
4 oo THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 about three hundred and fifty miles distant, 
 bearing almost due west. It was a disheart- 
 ening prospect that was before them; provi- 
 sions small in quantity, and water scarcer still ; 
 seas rough and often shrouded in fog, boats 
 crowded to their fullest capacity, there being 
 eighteen persons in the cutter and eleven in 
 the jolly-boat; and, to make matters worse, 
 the wind dead against them. But it was the 
 only chance of saving their lives, so far as 
 they could see. The men all agreed to the 
 captain's suggestions as to the economizing of 
 their stock of eatables and drinkables. The 
 allowance to each person per diem was but 
 half a biscuit and a glass of wine. The water 
 they decided not to touch at all except in case 
 of the direst emergency. A sail was rigged 
 up for the cutter, and the smallest boat was 
 taken in tow. Crowded and cramped to such 
 a degree that a man could with difficulty get 
 his hand into his pocket, the unfortunate folk 
 had before them the prospect of many days 
 of hunger, of raging thirst, and of exposure 
 to the dashing seas. 
 
 What other dangers they were tnreatened 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 401 
 
 by they did not need reminding of. Before 
 many hours had passed they found themselves 
 in the neighbourhood of another iceberg. 
 Luckily it was broad daylight, and they 
 avoided it. Later in the day they fell in with 
 yet another of these dangerous rovers, and 
 this also they kept clear of. But what would 
 happen should they in the darkness of the 
 night drive in upon yet another! And that 
 they were likely enough to meet with more of 
 the icebergs they were well aware. So they 
 passed a sleepless night, and the morning 
 found them cramped, cold, and miserable. 
 Some of their biscuit had been damaged by 
 the sea-water they had shipped, so that even 
 the meagre allowance they had settled upon 
 had to be still further reduced. Half a glass- 
 ful of rum to each helped to restore the circu- 
 lation a little, and even the ladies found the 
 benefit of it when, after several refusals, they 
 were prevailed upon to take their share of the 
 spirit. The skipper induced his men to work 
 hard at the oars, and for two reasons — to help 
 the cutter to make more way than she could by 
 sail merely, in a breeze but slightly favour- 
 
4 o2 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 able, and also to keep the warmth in their 
 bodies. 
 
 In truth, they all needed something to keep 
 up the circulation. Though it was summer 
 time, the weather was intensely cold. Fogs 
 and sleet made the atmosphere very raw, and 
 the spray, which almost incessantly flew over 
 them, began to freeze as it fell, making their 
 position almost unendurable. Matters grew 
 rapidly from bad to worse when a gale sprang 
 up. The tempest increased to such an extent 
 that it was no longer safe to keep the two 
 boats near each other, and the jolly-boat had 
 to be cut adrift. Very soon she was out of 
 sight, to the great distress of those in the cut- 
 ter. "The uncertainty of ever meeting the 
 companions of our misfortunes excited the 
 most acute affliction. To add to the misery 
 of our situation, we lost, along with the boat, 
 not only a considerable quantity of our store, 
 but with them our quadrant and spy-glass. 
 The gale, increasing with a prodigious heavy 
 sea, we brought the cutter to, about four in 
 the afternoon, by heaving the boat's sail loose 
 over the bow, veering it out with a rope bent 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 403 
 
 to each yard-arm, which kept her head to the 
 sea, to break its force before it reached us." 
 
 The sixth day of their exposure came, and 
 the captain estimated that St. John's, New- 
 foundland, was no less than a hundred and 
 fifty miles distant, so that they had covered 
 some two hundred from the scene of the 
 wreck. The heroism of the ladies especially 
 was beyond all praise, and did not a little to 
 cheer the men and keep them to their work. 
 But it had rained all night, and the condition 
 of the poor creatures had become truly de- 
 plorable. "The cold became so severe that 
 hardly one in the boat was able to move. Our 
 hands and feet were so swelled that many of 
 them became quite black, owing to our con- 
 fined state and the constant exposure to wet 
 and cold weather. At daybreak I served out 
 about a third of a wine-glass of rum to each 
 person, with a quarter of a biscuit, and be- 
 fore noon a small quantity of spruce-beer, 
 which afforded us great relief." As the day 
 wore on, the wind abated, and the cold became 
 less intense, though still severe. 
 
 That forenoon a sail was observed in the 
 
4 o 4 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 distance, over-joying the ship-wrecked folk. 
 The sight seemed to put new life into them, 
 and every effort was made to attract atten- 
 tion. The skipper tied a lady's shawl to the 
 boat-hook, and, getting up as well as his feeble 
 condition would let him, he waved it till he 
 could wave no longer. The other craft came 
 nearer. Then, to their exceeding surprise, 
 they perceived that it was their own jolly- 
 boat that was approaching, her crew having 
 managed to rig up some sort of sail. What 
 conflicting emotions struggled in their breasts 
 at this discovery! What a disappointment to 
 men and women who had so fervently trusted 
 that the much-hoped-for deliverance was at 
 hand ! Yet what a delight to find once more 
 their companions, who in this marvellous way 
 had come back to them after many days and 
 nights of separation on the bosom of the 
 boundless ocean! A more equal distribution 
 of the food and drink between the respective 
 boats was now made, and it was determined 
 that the two should not again separate, except 
 under the most urgent necessity. 
 Notwithstanding the joy of meeting again, 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 405 
 
 and the fact that they were now but a little 
 more than a hundred miles from St. John's, 
 it was a miserable time that succeeded. "The 
 cold, wet, and hunger, which we experienced 
 the following days, are not to be described," 
 says the skipper. Some of the men, in spite 
 of every warning and entreaty, began to drink 
 a good deal of salt water. More than one 
 became delirious, while others were seized 
 with violent internal pains. Worse was still 
 to come. Amongst the company were the 
 skipper and two of the crew of a French 
 schooner, which the Lady Hobart had cap- 
 tured at an early stage of the voyage, for it 
 was a time of war between Britain and 
 France. One of the French sailors now be- 
 came so violent in his delirium that he had 
 to be tied down in the jolly-boat. The French 
 captain had supposed, on the wreck of the 
 Lady Hobart, that he and his fellow-prisoners 
 would be left to perish. That condition could 
 never have occurred to a man like Captain 
 Fellowes, and he had in all respects treated 
 the poor Frenchmen as his own crew. But 
 the French master had grown more despond- 
 
4 o6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 ent every day, and at last he suddenly sprang 
 into the sea from the cutter, in a fit of mad- 
 ness. He sank in a moment and never ap- 
 peared again above the surface. Had it been 
 otherwise nothing could have been done for 
 the unfortunate man, at the speed with which 
 the cutter was tearing through the water, and 
 with the oars lashed as they were to the gun- 
 wale. This first loss of life greatly affected 
 nearly all the survivors, and many began from 
 this time to fear the very worst issue for the 
 whole party. 
 
 Most of them were more or less unwell by 
 this time, and the captain, who had been the 
 mainstay of the company, himself fell seri- 
 ously ill. He had violent shivering fits at 
 intervals; he could take no nourishment, and 
 grew feverish and delirious. His companions 
 were alarmed, naturally enough, but the pa- 
 tient dropped into a profound sleep, which 
 lasted for several hours, and when he woke 
 again he was bathed in perspiration. But he 
 felt much better; the fever had subsided a 
 good deal, and there was hope for him. This 
 illness caused the deepest anxiety to the rest, 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 407 
 
 for the captain's case might at any hour be that 
 of others, and no man knew if, should he be 
 attacked, he would emerge with results 
 equally favourable. 
 
 Bad weather was experienced all along, 
 and it was as much as the miserable people 
 could do to keep down, by baling, the water 
 which was constantly being shipped. The 
 baling had to be done without interruption, 
 by day as well as by night, yet few of the 
 sailors had strength enough to do the work at 
 all. So far as sun and warmth were con- 
 cerned, the day was little better than the night ; 
 only once during the whole time of their ex- 
 posure did the sun show himself to them. An- 
 other gale bore down upon the unhappy crea- 
 tures, a gale "accompanied with so tremend- 
 ous a sea that the greatest vigilance was neces- 
 sary in managing the helm, for the boats 
 would have broached to from the slightest de- 
 viation, and occasioned our inevitable destruc- 
 tion. We scudded before the wind, expecting 
 every returning wave to overwhelm us; but, 
 through the Providence of God, we weathered 
 the storm, which, towards night, began to 
 
4 o8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 abate." Nothing need be added to the sim- 
 plicity of this account; the horrors of the situ- 
 ation can be feebly imagined by one who has 
 not gone through a like experience. The mere 
 discomforts of the wind, the cold, and the wet 
 were enough to send the sufferers into a seri- 
 ous illness. As for the crew, the poor fel- 
 lows were in worse case than the handful of 
 passengers. Such sleep as they got they took 
 as they lay in the water at the bottom of the 
 boats. 
 
 By their reckoning, necessarily imperfect, 
 but the best they could make under the cir- 
 cumstances, they estimated that they ought 
 now to be near St. John's. But the fog was 
 so dense that it was impossible to see more 
 than a few yards ahead. There was great 
 danger lest the boats might unexpectedly run 
 aground, and this might occur at a point 
 where destruction was certain. Some parts 
 of the Newfoundland coast are rocky and 
 dangerous, and to avoid these was now all the 
 care of the shipwrecked. Yet they welcomed 
 with delight the signs of the near neighbour- 
 hood of land that were observed — bits of rock- 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 409 
 
 weed floating by, a land bird which came and 
 settled on their very boats for an instant or 
 two. It was plain they were well under the 
 shadow of Newfoundland, and the captain 
 called for a last and special effort from his 
 men. "It was strongly urged to them that 
 should the wind come off the shore in the 
 morning, and drive us to leeward, all exer- 
 tions to regain it then might be too late, as, 
 independent of our feeble state, the provi- 
 sions, with all possible economy, could not 
 last more than two days, and the water, which 
 as yet remained untouched, except in the in- 
 stances before mentioned, could not hold 
 out much longer. We had been six days and 
 nights constantly wet and cold, and without 
 any other sustenance than the quarter of a bis- 
 cuit and one wineglass of liquid for twenty- 
 four hours. The men, who had appeared to- 
 tally indifferent respecting their fate, now 
 summoned up resolution; and as many as were 
 capable of moving from the bottoms of the 
 boats betook themselves to the oars. 
 
 All night they rowed, but were obliged, 
 with the freshening breeze, to cut adrift the 
 
410 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 jolly-boat again, and, when morning came, 
 those in the cutter could see no sign of their 
 companions, so thick was the fog that pre- 
 vailed. Presently a sound as of the firing of 
 guns was heard, and" the men concluded with 
 joy that they were close to land. Singularly 
 enough, however, the noise was afterwards 
 ascertained to be only the blowing of whales. 
 At last the fog cleared and the sun shone out, 
 and in a moment eager eyes spied land less 
 than a mile away. It was near Kettle Cove, 
 in Conception Bay. "I wish that it were pos- 
 sible for me," writes the skipper, "to describe 
 our sensations at this interesting moment. . . . 
 The joy of speedy relief affected us all in a 
 most remarkable way. Many burst into tears ; 
 some looked at each other with a stupid stare, 
 as if doubtful of the reality of what they saw; 
 while some were in so lethargic a condi- 
 tion that no consolation, no animating words, 
 could rouse them to exertion. 
 
 A service of thanksgiving was at once held 
 on board the cutter, and the captain did what 
 he had not dared to do before, except in one 
 or two isolated cases, he gave each person a 
 
WRECKED ON AN ICEBERG 411 
 
 drink of water, yet not too much, for he well 
 knew the danger attending too free an indul- 
 gence after a long period of privation. Soon, 
 to the joy of all, they saw their jolly-boat 
 coming to meet them, and with her a schooner. 
 The worst of the troubles for the ship-wrecked 
 crew were over. The people on shore flocked 
 in hundreds to see the boats, and helped to 
 carry ashore the poor fellows, many of whom 
 were unable to walk at all. The captain says, 
 and the statement may well be believed, that 
 "nothing could exceed their surprise on see- 
 ing the boats that had carried nine-and-twenty 
 persons such a distance over a boisterous sea; 
 and when they beheld so many miserable ob- 
 jects they could not conceal emotions of pity 
 and concern." 
 
THE BURNING OF THE ALICE 
 
 The four-master Alice, of the East India 
 Company, had made a good run since leaving 
 Singapore, and apparently all was well. The 
 ship was some hundreds of miles south of the 
 equator, off the west coast of Africa, and mak- 
 ing twelve knots an hour, with a spanking 
 breeze. 
 
 Suddenly one of the sailors discovered 
 smoke coming up through the main hatchway, 
 and immediately reported this to the officer 
 in charge of the deck. An investigation was 
 at once made, and it was found that fire was 
 raging in the hold. 
 
 The alarm was given, and any one who has 
 experienced the excitement caused by an 
 alarm of fire at sea can understand the feeling 
 of dread caused by it. 
 
 413 
 
BURNING OF THE ALICE 413 
 
 The hatchways were at once closed, and all 
 hands were set to work flooding the hold with 
 water, but it was soon seen that the fire had 
 gained such headway that the ship was 
 doomed. The men worked like demons; the 
 pumps were operated, and all available buck- 
 ets were used, but still the fire gained upon 
 them. The deck became so hot from the fury 
 of the flames that it was almost impossible 
 to walk along it. 
 
 Higher and higher mounted the flames, and 
 soon the boats were ordered out. One of 
 these was launched and filled, but it was small, 
 and would hold but few of the ship's com- 
 pany. Efforts were made to lower the long- 
 boat, but unfortunately the fire reached the 
 tackle, which it I5urnt through, the boat fall- 
 ing into the sea and drifting away. 
 
 This was a terrible misfortune, because it 
 was the only large boat, and its loss meant that 
 many poor souls must perish miserably, either 
 by fire or by being drowned. Men sprang 
 into the rigging of the ship, with the natural 
 desire to keep away as long as possible the 
 last dread moment. Everything that would 
 
4H THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 float was thrown overboard, and soon many 
 were clinging to this wreckage. 
 
 The whole ship became a sheet of flames, 
 and to add to the horror of the scene the 
 loaded cannon (which it was then the custom 
 to have on board of all merchantmen) be- 
 came so heated that they discharged their 
 shot, adding to the already dreadful toll of 
 death and destruction. 
 
 The last man to leave the sinking ship was 
 the captain, who at the latest moment threw 
 himself into the sea. Fortunately he was a 
 strong swimmer, and seeing a large spar, to 
 which some people were clinging, he struck 
 out for it. He reached it, but at once saw 
 that it was already so crowded that his ad- 
 ditional weight would probably cause the im- 
 mediate loss of those who had been so fortu- 
 nate as to secure a hold upon it. Gallantly 
 he left them, preferring to lose his own life 
 rather than to endanger others. 
 
 He swam about for some time, and was rap- 
 idly becoming exhausted when he saw an- 
 other spar, to which he clung. Almost un- 
 conscious, he heard a terrific roar. It was the 
 
BURNING OF THE ALICE 415 
 
 explosion of the ship. The air was filled with 
 fiery pieces of timber, which, in falling, struck 
 many of those who were still struggling for 
 life in the sea. 
 
 The captain fainted, and on opening his 
 eyes he found himself in the small boat which 
 had left the burning ship. The sailors who 
 had left the ship in this were cruising around 
 in the hope of picking up those who might 
 have survived, and found him just as he was 
 relaxing his hold upon the spar. 
 
 Fortunately his injuries were slight, and 
 soon the men were working hard to rig up 
 a sail. There were few provisions in the 
 locker, consisting only of a keg of water, some 
 salt pork, and a few biscuits, little enough for 
 ten men in a small boat, and at least six hun- 
 dred miles from the nearest land. There was 
 no compass, so that their direction had to be 
 judged by the sun. 
 
 They were in desperate case, but the cap- 
 tain did his best to cheer his fellow castaways. 
 Fair progress was made, there being a good 
 breeze, but the monotony and lack of food 
 told upon the strength and spirits of all. 
 
4 i6 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 The days dragged slowly by, and weaker 
 and more exhausted did the men become. A 
 very small piece of pork, a quarter of a bis- 
 cuit and a swallow of water was allowed each 
 day per man, and upon this fare most of them 
 became ill. Twice it rained, and then the 
 sail was pulled down in order to catch as 
 many of the precious drops as possible. 
 
 On the morning of the tenth day land was 
 sighted, to their great joy, and who can de- 
 scribe the feeling of thankfulness that came 
 over them when the boat reached the shore? 
 
 But even though they were now on dry 
 land, their condition was pitiable. They 
 were almost dying from thirst and hunger, 
 and clad in rags. Still, they were no longer 
 at the mercy of the waves, and the very 
 thought of food and succor revived them. 
 Three of the party, of whom the captain was 
 one, walked away from the sea in search of 
 help, while the others lay wearily upon the 
 sand. 
 
 Fortunately the three soon found signs of 
 habitation, and to their relief stumbled upon 
 the abode of white people. They had been 
 
BURNING OF THE ALICE 417 
 
 fearful that the place would be inhabited 
 only by savages, and thankful were they to 
 be hailed in the Portuguese tongue, with 
 which language the captain was familiar. 
 
 He quickly told his story to the men who 
 appeared, and who lived at a Portuguese set- 
 tlement close by. Horses were at once har- 
 nessed to a large wagon, and soon the poor 
 starved sailors were enjoying what was to 
 them the best meal they had ever eaten. 
 
 For two weeks the castaways stayed with 
 their preservers, who did their best to help 
 them back to health and strength. After the 
 fearful hardships through which they had 
 gone, their present lot seemed heavenly, but 
 they did not wish to impose longer upon their 
 kindly friends, so as soon as they were able 
 they set off for the nearest port, about forty 
 miles distant. Here they were so fortunate 
 as to find a ship needing more hands, and 
 soon they were on the way back to old Eng- 
 land. 
 
 It was a truly remarkable and almost in- 
 credible voyage these ten men had made. 
 They had crossed more than six hundred 
 
4 i8 THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK 
 
 miles of the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat, 
 with little to eat or drink. God, who rules 
 both land and sea, was surely with them, and 
 guided their frail craft to safety. 
 
Sources of Tales 
 
 Title Author Page 
 
 Among the Icebergs W. H. G. Kingston 352 
 
 From "Peter the Whaler" 
 
 Battle of Trafalgar, The Robert Southey 228 
 
 From "The Life of Nelson" 
 
 Burning of the Alice, The P. W. Coussens 412 
 
 Burning of the Philadelphia, The P. W. Coussens 90 
 
 Captain Hawk, Pirate W. H. G. Kingston 174 
 
 From "Peter the Whaler" 
 
 Captain Kidd P. W. Coussens 152 
 
 Capture of the Silver Fleet P. W. Coussens 389 
 
 Capturing a Malayan Pirate P. W. Coussens 75 
 
 "Casabianca" Charlotte M. Yonge 163 
 
 From "A Book of Golden Deeds" 
 
 Conflict of Monsters, A ...Frank T. Bullen 143 
 
 From "The Cruise of the Cachalot" 
 
 Descent into the Maelstrom Edgar Allan Poe 100 
 
 "Don't Give up the Ship" P. W. Coussens 136 
 
 Famous Sea Fight, A John Paul Jones 38 
 
 First Dutch Attempt to Discover the Northwest Passage, 
 
 The P. W. Coussens 81 
 
 Great Armada, The Charles Kingsley 250 
 
 From "Westward Ho!" 
 
 Henry Hudson's Last Voyage P. W. Coussens 20 
 
 Adapted from Richard Hakluyt's Voyages 
 
 Honest John, Pilot of the Jersey John Nathan Neale 159 
 
 Adapted from "Christian Heroism" 
 
 King Olaf 's Last Fight P. W. Coussens 12 
 
 Laying of the Atlantic Cable, The P. W. Coussens 381 
 
 Adapted from Various Sources 
 
 Loss of the Birkenhead, The P. W. Coussens 344 
 
 Mutineers of the Bounty, The P. W. Coussens 360 
 
SOURCES OF TALES 
 
 Title Author Page 
 
 On the Raft W. H. G. Kingston 302 
 
 From "Three Midshipmen" 
 Opening of Japan to the World, The. . . .P. W. Coussens 29 
 Adapted from Authentic Sources 
 
 Spanish Bloodhounds and English Mastiffs 
 
 Charles Kingsley 47 
 
 From "Westward Ho!" 
 
 Sinking of the Pirate Proa W. H. G. Kingston 334 
 
 From "King's Own" 
 
 Stormy Sea, A W. H. G. Kingston 286 
 
 From "Three Midshipmen" 
 
 Testing of a Man, The Frank T. Bullen 367 
 
 From "Frank Brown" 
 
 Titanic Disaster, The P. W. Coussens 324 
 
 Adapted from Various Sources 
 
 Wonderful Voyage, A P. W. Coussens 3 
 
 Adapted from Richard Hakluyt's Voyages 
 
 Wreck of the Drake, The Charlotte M. Yonge 279 
 
 From "A Book of Golden Deeds" 
 
 Wrecked on An Iceberg Richard Stead 394 
 
 From "Adventures on the High Seas" 
 
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