The Two Admirals

J >> J. Fenimore Cooper >> The Two Admirals

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40

"I have carried arms from boyhood, it is true, Sir Reginald, but it is
in a service that will scarcely much avail us in this warfare. Prince
Edward has no ships, nor do I know he will need any."

"True, my dear sir, but King George has! As for the necessity, permit me
to say you are mistaken; it will soon be all-important to keep open the
communication with the continent. No doubt, Monsieur de Vervillin is
out, with some such object, already."

Bluewater started, and he recoiled from the firm grasp which the other
took of his arm, in the earnestness of discourse, with some such
instinctive aversion as a man recoils from the touch of the reptile. The
thought of a treachery like that implied in the remark of his companion
had never occurred to him, and his honest mind turned with a strong
disrelish, from even the implied proposition of the other. Still, he was
not quite certain how far Sir Reginald wished to urge him, and he felt
it just to ascertain his real views before he answered them. Plausible
as this appeared, it was a dangerous delay for one so simple-minded,
when brought in contact with a person so practised as the baronet; Sir
Reginald having the tact to perceive that his new friend's feelings had
already taken the alarm, and at once determined to be more wary.

"What am I to understand by this, Sir Reginald Wychecombe?" demanded the
rear-admiral. "In what manner can I possibly be connected with the naval
resources of the House of Hanover, when it is my intention to throw off
its service? King George's fleets will hardly aid the Stuarts; and they
will, at least, obey the orders of their own officers."

"Not the least doubt in the world of this, Admiral Bluewater! What a
glorious privilege it was for Monk to have it in his power to put his
liege sovereign in his rightful seat, and thus to save the empire, by a
_coup de main_, from the pains and grievances of a civil contest! Of all
the glorious names in English history, I esteem that of George Monk as
the one most to be envied! It is a great thing to be a prince--one born
to be set apart as God's substitute on earth, in all that relates to
human justice and human power;--yet it is greater, in my eyes, to be the
subject to _restore_ the order of these almost divine successions, when
once deranged by lawless and presuming men."

"This is true enough, sir; though I would rather have joined Charles on
the beach at Dover, armed only with an untainted sword, than followed by
an army at my heels!"

"What, when that army followed _cheerfully_, and was equally eager with
yourself to serve their sovereign!"

"That, indeed, might somewhat qualify the feeling. But soldiers and
sailors are usually influenced by the opinions of those who have been
placed over them by the higher authorities."

"No doubt they are; and that is as it should be. We are encouraged to
believe that some ten or fifteen captains are already well-disposed
towards us, and will cheerfully take their respective ships to the
points our wants require, the moment they feel assured of being properly
led, when collected. By a little timely concert, we can command the
North Sea, and keep open important communications with the continent. It
is known the ministry intend to employ as many German troops as they can
assemble, and a naval force will be all-important in keeping these
mustachoed foreigners at a distance The quarrel is purely English, sir,
and ought to be decided by Englishmen only."

"In that, indeed, I fully concur, Sir Reginald," answered Bluewater,
breathing more freely. "I would cruise a whole winter in the North Sea
to keep the Dutchmen at home, and let Englishmen decide who is to be
England's king. To me, foreign interference, in such a matter, is the
next evil to positive disloyalty to my rightful prince."

"These are exactly my sentiments, dear sir, and I hope to see you act on
them. By the way, how happens it you are left alone, and in what manner
do you admirals divide your authority when serving in company?"

"I do not know I comprehend your question, Sir Reginald. I am left here
to sail the last with the Caesar; Sir Gervaise leading out in the
Plantagenet, with a view to draw a line across the channel that shall
effectually prevent de Vervillin from getting to the westward."

"To the _westward_!" repeated the other, smiling ironically, though the
darkness prevented the admiral from seeing the expression of his
features. "Does Admiral Oakes then think that the French ships are
steering in _that_ direction?"

"Such is our information; have you any reason to suppose that the enemy
intend differently?"

The baronet paused, and he appeared to ruminate. Enough had already
passed to satisfy him he had not an ordinary mind in that of his
companion to deal with, and he was slightly at a loss how to answer. To
bring the other within his lures, he was fully resolved; and the spirits
that aid the designing just at that moment suggested the plan which, of
all others, was most likely to be successful. Bluewater had betrayed his
aversion to the interference of foreign troops in the quarrel, and on
this subject he intended to strike a chord which he rightly fancied
would thrill on the rear-admiral's feelings.

"We have our information, certainly," answered Sir Reginald, like one
who was reluctant to tell all he knew; "though good faith requires it
should not actually be exposed. Nevertheless, any one can reason on the
probabilities. The Duke of Cumberland will collect his German
auxiliaries, and they must get into England the best way that they can.
Would an intelligent enemy with a well-appointed fleet suffer this
junction, if he could prevent it? We know he would not; and when we
remember the precise time of the sailing of the Comte, his probable
ignorance of the presence of this squadron of yours, in the channel, and
all the other circumstances of the case, who can suppose otherwise than
to believe his aim is to intercept the German regiments."

"This does seem plausible; and yet the Active's signals told us that the
French were steering west; and that, too, with a light westerly wind."

"Do not fleets, like armies, frequently make false demonstrations? Might
not Monsieur de Vervillin, so long as his vessels were in sight from the
shore, have turned toward the west, with an intention, as soon as
covered by the darkness, to incline to the east, again, and sail up
channel, under English ensigns, perhaps? Is it not possible for him to
pass the Straits of Dover, even, as an English squadron--your own, for
instance--and thus deceive the Hanoverian cruisers until ready to seize
or destroy any transports that may be sent?"

"Hardly, Sir Reginald," said Bluewater, smiling. "A French ship can no
more be mistaken for an English ship, than a Frenchman can pass for a
Briton. We sailors are not as easily deceived as that would show. It is
true, however, that a fleet might well stand in one direction, until far
enough off the land or covered by night, when it might change its course
suddenly, in an opposite direction; and it _is possible_ the Comte de
Vervillin has adopted some such stratagem. If he actually knew of the
intention to throw German troops into the island, it is even quite
_probable_. In that case, for one, I could actually wish him success!"

"Well, my dear sir, and what is to prevent it?" asked Sir Reginald, with
a triumph that was not feigned. "Nothing, you will say, unless he fall
in with Sir Gervaise Oakes. But you have not answered my inquiry, as to
the manner in which flag-officers divide their commands, at sea?"

"As soldiers divide their commands ashore. The superior orders, and the
inferior obeys."

"Ay, this is true; but it does not meet my question. Here are eleven
large ships, and two admirals; now what portion of these ships are under
your particular orders, and what portion under those of Sir Gervaise
Oakes?"

"The vice-admiral has assigned to himself a division of six of the
ships, and left me the other five. Each of us has his frigates and
smaller vessels. But an order that the commander-in-chief may choose to
give any captain must be obeyed by him, as the inferior submits, as a
rule, to the last order."

"And _you_," resumed Sir Reginald, with quickness; "how are _you_
situated, as respects these captains?"

"Should I give a direct order to any captain in the fleet, it would
certainly be his duty to obey it; though circumstances might occur which
would render it obligatory on him to let me know that he had different
instructions from our common superior. But, why these questions, Sir
Reginald?"

"Your patience, my dear admiral;--and what ships have you specifically
under your care?"

"The Caesar, my own; the Dublin, the Elizabeth, the York, and the Dover.
To these must be added the Druid frigate, the sloop of war, and the
Gnat. My division numbers eight in all."

"What a magnificent force to possess at a moment as critical as
this!--But where are all these vessels? I see but four and a cutter, and
only two of these seem to be large."

"The light you perceive there, along the land to the westward, is on
board the Elizabeth; and that broad off here, in the channel, is on
board the York. The Dover's lantern has disappeared further to the
southward. Ah! there the Dublin casts, and is off after the others!"

"And you intend to follow, Admiral Bluewater?"

"Within an hour, or I shall lose the division. As it is, I have been
deliberating on the propriety of calling back the sternmost ships, and
collecting them in close squadron; for this increase and hauling of the
wind render it probable they will lose the vice-admiral, and that
day-light will find the line scattered and in confusion. One mind must
control the movements of ships, as well as of battalions, Sir Reginald,
if they are to act in concert."

"With what view would you collect the vessels you have mentioned, and in
the manner you have named, if you do not deem my inquiry indiscreet?"
demanded the baronet, with quickness.

"Simply that they might be kept together, and brought in subjection to
my own particular signals. This is the duty that more especially falls
to my share, as head of the division."

"Have you the means to effect this, here, on this hill, and by yourself,
sir?"

"It would be a great oversight to neglect so important a provision. My
signal-officer is lying under yonder cover, wrapped in his cloak, and
two quarter-masters are in readiness to make the very signal in
question; for its necessity has been foreseen, and really would seem to
be approaching. If done at all, it must be done quickly, too. The light
of the York grows dim in the distance. It _shall_ be done, sir; prudence
requires it, and you shall see the manner in which we hold our distant
ships in command."

Bluewater could not have announced more agreeable intelligence to his
companion. Sir Reginald was afraid to propose the open treason he
meditated; but he fancied, if the rear-admiral could fairly withdraw his
own division from the fleet, it would at once weaken the vice-admiral so
much, as to render an engagement with the French impossible, and might
lead to such a separation of the commands as to render the final
defection of the division inshore easier of accomplishment. It is true,
Bluewater, himself, was actuated by motives directly contrary to these
wishes; but, as the parties travelled the same road to a certain point,
the intriguing baronet had his expectations of being able to persuade
his new friend to continue on in his own route.

Promptitude is a military virtue, and, among seamen, it is a maxim to do
every thing that is required to be done, with activity and vigour. These
laws were not neglected on the present occasion. No sooner had the
rear-admiral determined on his course, than he summoned his agents to
put it in execution. Lord Geoffrey had returned to the heights and was
within call, and he carried the orders to the lieutenant and the
quarter-masters. The lanterns only required lighting, and then they were
run aloft on Dutton's staff, as regularly as the same duty could have
been performed on the poop of the Caesar. Three rockets were thrown up,
immediately after, and the gun kept on the cliffs for that purpose was
fired, to draw attention to the signal. It might have been a minute ere
the heavy ordnance of the Caesar repeated the summons, and the same
signal was shown at her mast-head. The Dublin was still so near that no
time was lost, but according to orders, she too repeated the signal; for
in the line that night, it was understood that an order of this nature
was to be sent from ship to ship.

"Now for the Elizabeth!" cried Bluewater; "she cannot fail to have heard
our guns, and to see our signals."

"The York is ahead of her, sir!" exclaimed the boy; "see; she has the
signal up already!"

All this passed in a very few minutes, the last ships having sailed in
the expectation of receiving some such recall. The York preceded the
ship next to her in the line, in consequence of having gone about, and
being actually nearer to the rear-admiral than her second astern. It was
but a minute, before the gun and the lanterns of the Elizabeth, however,
announced her knowledge of the order, also.

The two ships last named were no longer visible from the cliffs, though
their positions were known by their lights; but no sign whatever
indicated the part of the ocean on which the Dover was struggling along
through the billows. After a pause of several minutes, Bluewater spoke.

"I fear we shall collect no more," he said; "one of my ships must take
her chance to find the commander-in-chief, alone. Ha!--that means
something!"

At this instant a faint, distant flash was seen, for a single moment, in
the gloom, and then all heads were bent forward to listen, in breathless
attention. A little time had elapsed, when the dull, smothered report of
a gun proclaimed that even the Dover had caught the rapidly transmitted
order.

"What means that, sir?" eagerly demanded Sir Reginald, who had attended
to every thing with intense expectation.

"It means, sir, that all of the division are still under my command. No
other ship would note the order. _Their_ directions, unless specifically
pointed out by their numbers, must come from the vice-admiral. Is my
barge ashore, Lord Geoffrey Cleveland?"

"It is, sir, as well as the cutter for Mr. Cornet and the
quarter-masters."

"It is well. Gentlemen, we will go on board; the Caesar must weigh and
join the other vessels in the offing. I will follow you to the landing,
but you will shove off, at once, and desire Captain Stowel to weigh and
cast to-port. We will fill on the starboard tack, and haul directly off
the land."

The whole party immediately left the station, hurrying down to the
boats, leaving Bluewater and Sir Reginald to follow more leisurely. It
was a critical moment for the baronet, who had so nearly effected his
purpose, that his disappointment would have been double did he fail of
his object altogether. He determined, therefore, not to quit the admiral
while there was the slightest hope of success. The two consequently
descended together to the shore, walking, for the first minute or two,
in profound silence.

"A great game is in your hands, Admiral Bluewater," resumed the baronet;
"rightly played, it may secure the triumph of the good cause. I think I
may say I _know_ de Vervillin's object, and that his success will reseat
the Stuarts on the thrones of their ancestors! One who loves them should
ponder well before he does aught to mar so glorious a result."

This speech was as bold as it was artful. In point of fact, Sir Reginald
Wychecombe knew no more of the Comte de Vervillin's intended movements
than his companion; but he did not hesitate to assert what he now did,
in order to obtain a great political advantage, in a moment of so much
importance. To commit Bluewater and his captains openly on the side of
the Stuarts would be a great achievement in itself; to frustrate the
plans of Sir Gervaise might safely be accounted another; and, then,
there were all the chances that the Frenchman was not at sea for
nothing, and that his operations might indeed succour the movements of
the prince. The baronet, upright as he was in other matters, had no
scruples of conscience on this occasion; having long since brought
himself over to the belief that it was justifiable to attain ends as
great as those he had in view, by the sacrifice of any of the minor
moral considerations.

The effect on Bluewater was not trifling. The devil had placed the bait
before his eyes in a most tempting form; for he felt that he had only to
hold his division in reserve to render an engagement morally improbable.
Abandon his friend to a superior force he could and would not; but, it
is our painful duty to avow that his mind had glimpses of the
possibility of doing the adventurer in Scotland a great good, without
doing the vice-admiral and the van of the fleet any very essential harm.
Let us be understood, however. The rear-admiral did not even contemplate
treason, or serious defection of any sort; but through one of those
avenues of frailty by which men are environed, he had a glance at
results that the master-spirit of evil momentarily placed before his
mental vision as both great and glorious.

"I wish we were really certain of de Vervillin's object," he said; the
only concession he made to this novel feeling, in words. "It might,
indeed, throw a great light on the course we ought to take ourselves. I
do detest this German alliance, and would abandon the service ere I
would convoy or transport a ragamuffin of them all to England."

Here Sir Reginald proved how truly expert he was in the arts of
management. A train of thought and feeling had been lighted in the mind
of his companion, which he felt might lead to all he wished, while he
was apprehensive that further persuasion would awaken opposition, and
renew old sentiments. He wisely determined, therefore, to leave things
as they were, trusting to the strong and declared bias of the admiral in
favour of the revolution, to work out its own consequences, with a
visible and all-important advantage so prominently placed before his
eyes.

"I know nothing of ships," he answered, modestly; "but I do _know_ that
the Comte has our succour in view. It would ill become me to advise one
of your experience how to lead a force like this, which is subject to
your orders; but a friend of the good cause, who is now in the west, and
who was lately in the presence itself, tells me that the prince
manifested extreme satisfaction when he learned how much it might be in
your power to serve him."

"Do you then think my name has reached the royal ear, and that the
prince has any knowledge of my real feelings?"

"Nothing but your extreme modesty could cause you to doubt the first,
sir; as to the last, ask yourself how came I to approach you to-night,
with my heart in my hand, as it might be, making you master of my life
as well as of my secret. Love and hatred are emotions that soon betray
themselves."

It is matter of historical truth that men of the highest principles and
strongest minds have yielded to the flattery of rank. Bluewater's
political feelings had rendered him indifferent to the blandishments of
the court at London, while his imagination, that chivalrous deference to
antiquity and poetical right, which lay at the root of his Jacobitism,
and his brooding sympathies, disposed him but too well to become the
dupe of language like this. Had he been more a man of facts, one less
under the influence of his own imagination; had it been his good fortune
to live even in contact with those he now so devoutly worshipped, in a
political sense at least, their influence over a mind as just and
clear-sighted as his own, would soon have ceased; but, passing his time
at sea, they had the most powerful auxiliary possible, in the high
faculty he possessed of fancying things as he wished them to be. No
wonder, then, that he heard this false assertion of Sir Reginald with a
glow of pleasure; with even a thrill at the heart to which he had long
been a stranger. For a time, his better feelings were smothered in this
new and treacherous sensation.

The gentlemen, by this time, were at the landing, and it became
necessary to separate. The barge of the rear-admiral was with difficulty
kept from leaping on the rock, by means of oars and boat-hooks, and each
instant rendered the embarkation more and more difficult. The moments
were precious on more accounts than one, and the leave-taking was short.
Sir Reginald said but little, though he intended the pressure of the
hand he gave his companion to express every thing.

"God be with you," he added; "and as you prove true, may you prove
successful! Remember, 'a lawful prince, and the claims of birth-right.'
God be with you!"

"Adieu, Sir Reginald; when we next meet, the future will probably be
more apparent to us all.--But who comes hither, rushing like a madman
towards the boat?"

A form came leaping through the darkness; nor was it known, until it
stood within two feet of Bluewater, it was that of Wycherly. He had
heard the guns and seen the signals. Guessing at the reasons, he dashed
from the park, which he was pacing to cool his agitation, and which now
owned him for a master, and ran the whole distance to the shore, in
order not to be left. His arrival was most opportune; for, in another
minute, the barge left the rock.

CHAPTER XIX.

"O'er the glad waters of the dark-blue sea.
Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free.
Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam,
Survey our empire and behold our home."

THE CORSAIR.

One is never fully aware of the extent of the movement that agitates the
bosom of the ocean until fairly subject to its action himself, when
indeed we all feel its power and reason closely on its dangers. The
first pitch of his boat told Bluewater that the night threatened to be
serious. As the lusty oarsmen bent to their stroke, the barge rose on a
swell, dividing the foam that glanced past it like a marine Aurora
Borealis, and then plunged into the trough as if descending to the
bottom. It required several united and vigorous efforts to force the
little craft from its dangerous vicinity to the rocks, and to get it in
perfect command. This once done, however, the well-practised crew urged
the barge slowly but steadily ahead.

"A dirty night!--a dirty night!" muttered Bluewater, unconsciously to
himself; "we should have had a wild berth, had we rode out this blow, at
anchor. Oakes will have a heavy time of it out yonder in the very chops
of the channel, with a westerly swell heaving in against this ebb."

"Yes, sir," answered Wycherly; "the vice-admiral will be looking out for
us all, anxiously enough, in the morning."

Not another syllable did Bluewater utter until his boat had touched the
side of the Caesar. He reflected deeply on his situation, and those who
know his feelings will easily understand that his reflections were not
altogether free from pain. Such as they were, he kept them to himself,
however, and in a man-of-war's boat, when a flag-officer chooses to be
silent, it is a matter of course for his inferiors to imitate his
example.

The barge was about a quarter of a mile from the landing, when the heavy
flap of the Caesar's main-top-sail was heard, as, close-reefed, it
struggled for freedom, while her crew drew its sheets down to the blocks
on the lower yard-arms. A minute later, the Gnat, under the head of her
fore-and-aft-main-sail, was seen standing slowly off from the land,
looking in the darkness like some half-equipped shadow of herself. The
sloop of war, too, was seen bending low to the force of the wind, with
her mere apology of a top-sail thrown aback, in waiting for the flag-ship
to cast.

The surface of the waters was a sheet of glancing foam, while the air
was filled with the blended sounds of the wash of the element, and the
roar of the winds. Still there was nothing chilling or repulsive in the
temperature of the air, which was charged with the freshness of the sea,
and was bracing and animating, bringing with it the flavour that a
seaman loves. After fully fifteen minutes' severe tugging at the oars,
the barge drew near enough to permit the black mass of the Caesar to be
seen. For some time, Lord Geoffrey, who had seated himself at the
tiller,--yoke-lines were not used a century since,--steered by the
top-light of the rear-admiral; but now the maze of hamper was seen
waving slowly to and fro in the lurid heavens, and the huge hull became
visible, heaving and setting, as if the ocean groaned with the labour of
lifting such a pile of wood and iron. A light gleamed from the
cabin-windows, and ever and anon, one glanced athwart an open gun-room
port. In all other respects, the ship presented but one hue of
blackness. Nor was it an easy undertaking, even after the barge was
under the lee of the ship, for those in it, to quit its uneasy support
and get a firm footing on the cleets that lined the vessel's side like a
ladder. This was done, however, and all ascended to the deck but two of
the crew, who remained to hook-on the yard and stay-tackles. This
effected, the shrill whistle gave the word, and that large boat, built
to carry at need some twenty souls, was raised from the raging water, as
it were by some gigantic effort of the ship herself, and safely
deposited in her bosom.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40