CHAPTER II.WE STORM THE FORT.
Aftera long and patient search, our vigilance was rewarded by the discovery of theFlying-fish, securely moored in an almost land-locked creek on the southern coast of Cuba. It was impossible for theRattlerto enter, on account of her draught; nor could she bring her guns to bear on the merchantman, for that craft was protected by an outlying spit of land, over which her spars alone were visible.
Under these circumstances there was no alternative but to send in some of the boats to cut her out; and the pinnace, the first and second cutters, and the jolly-boat were quickly got in readiness for the service. As far as we could see with our glasses, there was a battery on the heights above the creek; but as it was probably garrisoned by Spanish regulars, Captain Graves refrained from opening fire. We soon, however, saw the true nature of this work; for, as soon asthe crew of theFlying-fishsaw that we were going to push in with our boats, they abandoned their ship, and putting off to the shore, leisurely retreated into the fort, where we saw them get into readiness to open fire as soon as our flotilla should get within range. It was pretty evident that they were being encouraged in their resistance by bodies of insurgents, who had apparently seized the battery and killed or dispersed the Spanish garrison.
Mr. Thompson commanded the flotilla of boats, and took his station in the pinnace, which carried a nine-pounder Armstrong gun in the bows. He had previously sent for Charlie Balfour and myself, who were to go in the first and second cutters, and had given us an outline of the proposed operations.
“There is little doubt of our success, Mr. Darcy,” he had said laughingly; “but I must warn you and your brother-midshipman not to allow your men to waste their ammunition, and mind you attend strictly to any orders I may issue from the pinnace.”
“Jolly spree this will be, Jack; won’t it?” Charlie had sung out to me just as we were getting into our respective boats.
“The best lark we’ve had all the commission, I expect,” I had answered with boyish thoughtlessness.
We had reason to change our minds when we reached the shore and grappled with our determined foes.
At the last moment the captain sent a sub-lieutenant and the gunner to assist us in the cutters, and the boatswain and one of the middies shared the honours of the jolly-boat.
With a cheer we shoved off from the ship, fully expecting to see jets of flame dart from the embrasures of the fort, and hissing shot and shell come hurtling through the air in our direction. At first, however, all was silent in the battery. Not even a cheer or a shout was audible, and no defiant bunting flew from the flagstaff which occupied a prominent position on the sea-front.
Mr. Thompson immediately took the offensive, and with his nine-pounder opened a brisk and well-directed fire upon the mutineers and their allies. This had the effect of creating some confusion within the fort, as we were able to observe with our glasses; and this was still further increased when we began peppering them with rockets from the cutters. After a time, however, they steadied down and returned our fire with very indifferent aim from six guns, which appeared to be the armament of the work.TheRattlernow brought some of her guns to bear, and her heavy shell told with great effect, making a breach in the sea-front and dismounting two of the guns even before we had reached the landing-place.
Under cover of this iron hailstorm we got our gallant fellows safely on shore, formed them up, and charged forward up the hill at the double. As yet not a man had fallen, though there had been some narrow escapes which seemed to me almost miraculous. As we swept up the slope to the assault, the enemy depressed the muzzles of their remaining guns, and met us with a galling salute of grape-shot. This discharge, at almost point-blank range, cut up our ranks a little. Undaunted, we gave a loud cheer and pressed on without a moment’s hesitation—Mr. Thompson waving his sword well in advance, and shouting words of encouragement.
The frigate was now obliged to suspend her fire, as was also the pinnace, which latter, in charge of the gunner, had taken up a position in the creek so as to cover our advance.
In the onward rush, Charlie and I found ourselves advancing side by side, though we could scarcely identify each other through the cloud of dun war-smoke that enveloped us as we approached thebattery. Now and again the ruddy jets of flame darted angrily through the vapour, as the mutineers and insurgents plied their guns; and the hoarse roar of the artillery and the sharper rattle of the musketry made a terrible din in our ears as we pressed onwards.
As yet we had not fired a shot in return, as Mr. Thompson’s plan was to rush the fort and, if possible, carry it at the point of the bayonet in true British style.
“Well, Jack,” shouted Charlie, “what do you think of this for a nice little shindy?”
“It’s rather awful,” I replied; “not that I funk it in the least, but I can’t bear to see our brave fellows knocked over. Lobb, the captain of the mizzen-top, was killed by a round-shot just now, and you know he was rather a pal of mine.”
“I’m awfully sorry, I can tell you, old man,” said Charlie in sympathetic tones; “I didn’t know the poor fellow had lost the number of his mess. Lobb was such a general favourite that everybody on board theRattlerwill miss him.”
“We’re close to the fort now,” I said, drawing my loaded revolver from my belt. “Let’s stick to each other, Charlie, and try to be first over the rampart!”
“We’ll make a dash for it at any rate!” shoutedmy friend excitedly. “Come along, Jack; try to think you’re winning a hurdle-race!”
Like an inrushing tide, determined to drive everything before it, our little naval brigade swept up to the attack, and with a ringing cheer threw itself, sword and revolver in hand, into the breach which the frigate had made with her shell.
A more diabolical set of men than those who clustered on the rampart to meet us I had never before seen. They were not in the least cowed by our determined attack, and met us with shouts of defiance and rage, some discharging pistols in our faces, and others pouring in volleys of musketry, which for a moment checked our advance.
Butonlyfor a moment!
Charlie and I did not succeed, much to our disappointment, in being the first to cross swords with the enemy. However, there was no time to think about such things at the moment, for our work was cut out for us, and a foe worthy of our steel, desperate and determined, was lining the earthworks to dispute our advance inch by inch and foot by foot. All our energies, and all our dogged British courage and persistence, were called into play at that supreme crisis in our fortunes; and well andvalorously did our noble blue-jackets respond to our call.
As Charlie and I scrambled upwards, still mercifully unscathed, we caught sight of Mr. Thompson’s and the boatswain’s forms erect upon the rampart, looming huge through the smoke, and in a few seconds we had scrambled up beside them through a storm of bullets. Then was heard the sharp ringing clash of steel as we crossed swords with the desperadoes. As we had suspected, they had leagued themselves with a ferocious band of Creole insurgents, who no doubt anticipated sharing in the plunder of theFlying-fish.
Very soon after themêléecommenced, I saw Charlie—who had got a little separated from me—seized by two of the mutineers, and, in spite of his violent struggles, thrown violently over the wall into the ditch. Much to the astonishment of an antagonist with whom I was crossing swords at the time, I disengaged myself from him and darted to the rear in search of my chum, much fearing that I should find him badly hurt. No doubt the piratical fellow I had been fighting with thought that I was fleeing from him in dismay; but fortunately he did not attempt to follow me. Nor did I meetwith any obstruction by the way; for every moment our brave fellows were pressing forward and slowly but surely driving the enemy back, though the latter, to do them full justice, fought most tenaciously, and seemed little inclined to surrender.
It took me only a few seconds to rush down the embankment, and I at once caught sight of Charlie’s prostrate form extended motionless in the ditch. Close beside him lay the dead body of a seaman who had been shot through the head with a rifle-bullet just as we were about to rush the fort. In a moment I was at my friend’s side, half dreading that he might be dead too; for he lay motionless, with his white face upturned to the sky.
In vivid contrast to all the sounds of battle was the deathlike stillness of that gloomy ditch, where the two human forms lay inert and apparently lifeless.
In an agony of apprehension I knelt down at Charlie’s side, and called him loudly by his name, at the same time placing my hand upon his heart to feel whether it still throbbed with life. I fancied there was a faint pulsation, and this gave me hope; but I was alarmed to find that my friend’s head had been cut and was bleeding rather profusely. This I quicklybandaged with my pocket-handkerchief; and then, as there appeared to be no signs of returning consciousness, I looked about me to see if I could discover any water near. By great good-fortune, I found a little stream trickling down the hillside not fifty yards away. Overjoyed at this discovery, I ran quickly across the intervening space, took up some of the water in my cap, hurried back to Charlie’s side, and commenced bathing his temples with the refreshing liquid.
To my joy the effect was almost immediate, for after a few moments I noticed a little colour coming back into his cheeks, and a quivering of the eyelids. I wetted his lips, and chafed his cold hands with my warm ones.
“He’s coming round all right,” I muttered. “I must persevere for a few minutes.”
Presently my friend moved uneasily, and then opened his eyes, which rested upon me with a frightened expression.
“You’re all right, old chap,” I said reassuringly. “You fell over the embankment, and were stunned for a few minutes.”
“I recollect something about it now,” he replied faintly, making a futile attempt to raise his righthand to his head. “A fellow pitched me over—yes—an awfully strong chap—I’d like—”
“Don’t talk till you’re feeling a bit stronger,” I interrupted. “Try to take a drink of this water.”
My friend managed to swallow a mouthful or two, and the effect was almost instantaneous, for he presently sat up and looked about him.
“Damaged about the head,” he observed, his hand straying to the bandage; “but I don’t believe it’s anything very bad.”
“It’s just cut a little by a stone,” I said; “but I don’t believe you’ve got any bones broken, Charlie, or you wouldn’t be able to sit up like that.”
At this moment one of our surgeons who had accompanied the force came running up at full speed, carrying a case of instruments in one hand.
“I’ve only just caught sight of you fellows,” he exclaimed, as he arrived breathless on the scene. “What did you stow yourselves away in this ditch for, I should like to know?”
I hurriedly explained the position of affairs.
“Well, I must just overhaul you, Balfour,” said the surgeon, laying his case of instruments upon the ground, and turning to examine him. “I trust, however,that it’s only a case of cuts and bruises, which boys are pretty well accustomed to.”
“Have a look at that poor fellow first,” said Charlie, pointing to the body of the poor seaman which lay near him; “I’m afraid he’s much worse off than I am.”
The surgeon bent down and felt the pulse and heart of the poor fellow, more as a matter of form than anything else. The bullet-wound in his forehead told its own tale only too legibly, and that tale was: “Died for Queen and country.”
The surgeon now again turned his attention to Charlie, and soon announced, much to my joy, that there was no serious damage done.
“We’ll have you carried on board as soon as possible,” he said, “and you’ll be as right as a trivet in a few days, if you keep perfectly quiet in a cot.”
“Do you know if the scrimmage is over?” I asked the doctor.
“Our fellows were driving all before them when I last had a glimpse of them,” themedicoreplied.—“Hallo! who are these rascally-looking villains bearing down upon us?”
Turning in astonishment, I beheld four armed desperadoes swiftly approaching us from the rear.