Show imm T 2 IAL ak STORY of the LADY by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL copyright bob bobbs s oralu C 0 SYNOPSIS at 14 years of age admiral sir peter hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew fell deeply in love at first sight with lady arabella stormont who spurned his attentions the lad an orphan was given a berth as midshipman on the ajax by his uncle giles vernon nephew of sir thomas vernon became the boys pal they attended a theater where hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew saw lady arabella vernon met philip over tori toji next in line for sir thomas vernons Ver estate they started a duel which was interrupted vernon overton and hawk shaws nephew found themselves attracted by pretty lady arabella CHAPTER ill continued the frenchmen thought they had bad us we heard afterward that a prize 4 crew was already told oft off to take us into corunna coranna Cor unna but no man or boy on the ajax dreamed of 0 giving up the spa fa r f 1 l the ajax was cleared for action acison in eleven minutes minute sand and with four ensig ensigns fis flying we fie headed abed for the ship of ta line which was waiting for us with her topsails top sails shivering the ajax had bad been lately coppered and with all sart to royals set legged it at a lively galt gait in spite of the heavy sea which occasionally caused our lower deck guns to roll their noses in the water As we wallowed toward the ship of the line which was the indomitable the frigate the xantippe xanthippe Xan tippe was maneus ering for a position on our starboard quarter to rake us seeing this the ajax came up a little into the wind which brought our broadside to bear directly on the xantippe xanthippe Xan tippe and she hedged off a little the steadiness coolness and precision with which the ship was handled astonished my young mind I 1 knew very well that if we were defeated sir peter hawkshaw Hawk sha would stand no show of leniency lor there was no doubt that owing to our now new copper we could easily have out sailed the frenchmen but sir peter preferred to outfight them even against desperate odds the officers and men had entire confidence in sir peter and in the ship and went into action wib ciui h the hearth heart est goodwill good will imaginable the people were amused by two powder monkeys coming to blows in the magazine passage over which one would be entitled to the larger share of prize money the gayety gaiety of the men was contagious every mans face wore a grin and when the word was given to take in the royals and send down the yards furl all stay sails and the flying jib they literally rushed into the rigging with an aye aye sir that seemed to shake the deck the admiral who had been on the bridge left it and went below presently he came up he was in his best uniform with a gold gilted sword his order of the bath on his bis breast and add he wore a cocked hat As he passed me mr air buxton who was stepping along briskly said 41 pardon me sir peter but a french musket wants no better target than a cocked hat asi sir replied sir peter 1 I have al ways fought in a cocked hat bat and silk stockings as becomes a gentleman and I 1 shall always fight in a cocked hat bat and silk stockings damme mr buxton passed on laughing now I 1 had taken the opportunity after we had sighted the frenchman to run below and put on my newest uniform with silk stockings and to get out several cambric pocket handkerchiefs and I 1 had also scented myself liberally with some attar of rose which I 1 had bought in portsmouth sir peter putting his fingers to his nose sniffed the attar of rose and speedily identifying me he surveyed me calmly all over while I 1 blushed and found myself unable to stand still under his searching gaze when he spoke however it was in words of praise nephew you have the right idea it is a holiday when we meet the enemy and officers should dress accordingly mr buxton who was standing near sneaked off a little he had on an old coat such as I 1 had never seen him wear and had removed his stock and tied aled a red silk handkerchief around his neck he certainly did not look quite the gentleman the in able being then about halt half a mile distant bore up and fired a shot to windward which was an invitation to come on and take a licking or give one the ajax was not misled into the rashness of coming on with the xantippe xanthippe Xan tippe hanging on her quarter but f 0 we were so near that every shot told bluffing up suddenly for she answered her helm beautifully she brought the frigate friga c directly under her guns and that fetched the indomitable as fast as aa rhe dhe could trot the ajax opened the ball with one of her long twenty f fours ours sir peter himself sighting and pointing the gun and immediately after the whole broadside roared out had it ft struck the frigate full it would ha have ve sent her to the bott bottom oin but by hauling quickly by the wind she only received about half the discharge that however was terrible her mizzenmast was cut off and hung over her side in a mass of torn rigging her mainmast was wounded and it was plain that our broadside had killed and wounded many men and had dismounted several guns her wheel however was uninjured and in an inconceivably short time the wreck of the mast had been cut away and wearing with the wind in her favor she 1 got ot into a raking position on our port quarter qua rier and gave us a broadside that raked us from storn stern to stem the savage which dwells in man had made me perfectly indifferent to the loss of life on the french ship but when a man dropped dead at my side I 1 fell into a passion of rage and I 1 must honestly admit of fear my station was amidships and I 1 recalled with a dreadful sinking of the heart that it was commonly known as the slaughter house from the execution generally done there I 1 looked down and saw the mans blood soaking into the sand with which the deck was plentifully st and 1 I richard glyn longed to desert my station and run below but as I 1 turned I 1 sight eight of giles vernon a little distance away from me ine he was smiling and waving his hat and he cried out see boys the big un Is coming to take her punishment the indomitable had then approached pro ached to within a quarter of a mile and as a heavy sea was kicked up by the wind and all three of the ships were rolling extremely she bluffed up to deliver her broadside and at that moment three thundering cheers broke from the throats on the ajax and they were instantly answered by a cheer as great from the frenchman owing to the sharp roll most of the french shot went a little too high just above the heads of the marines who were drawn up in the waist of the ship my paroxysm of fear still held me but when I 1 saw these men with the one proud word gibraltar written on their hats standing steadily as it if at parade in the midst of the hurricane of fire the men as cool as their off officers leers shame seized me for my cowardice from that on I 1 gradually mastered my alarms I 1 here mention a strange thing as long as I 1 was a coward at heart I 1 was also a villain for if one single shot could have sent the frenchmans French mans body to the sea aea and his soul to hell I 1 would have have fired that shot but when I 1 was released from the nightmare of fear a feeling of mercy stole into my soul I 1 began to feel for our brave enemy and to wish that we might capture him with as little loss as possible the cannonade now increased but the wind which is usually deade deadened zed continued to rise and both the heavy ships were almost rolling their yard arms in the water the tables fire was exceedingly steady hut but not well directed while after ten minutes of a close fire it was seen that we were ere fast shooting her spars out of her th the 9 frigate much disabled by the loss of her mast had fallen off of f to leeward and never got close enough again to be of any assist assistance ance io to her consort the people began to clamor to get alongside and alongside we got As we neared the indomitable occasionally casio nally yawing to prevent being raked his metal began to tell and we were much cut up aloft besides having been hulled repeatedly but we came on steadily the man at the wheel had nearly all his clothes torn off him by a splinter but with the spirit of a true seaman se timan he stood at his bis post unflinchingly never letting go of the spokes pokes for one moment when we were within a couple of pistol shots the frenchman opened a smart musketry fire sir peter had left the bridge for a moment and was crossing the deck when a ball went through his hat knocking it off and tearing it to pieces he stooped down picked it up and then called out to i powder boy who was passing go to my cabin and in the upper drawer of the locker to the left of my bed place you will see two cocked hats bring me the newest one hanged if ill not wear a decent hat in spite of the frenchman and this man was ruled by his wife we hove to about a cables length from the frenchman and then the fight began in earnest we were so near that every shot told the frenchman made great play with his hip main deck battery and our sails and rigging soon were so cut up that when we came foul a few minutes later we were jammed fast but nobody on either ship wished it otherwise the frenchmans French mans mainyard main yard swung directly over our poop and capt guilford himself made it fast to our mizzen rigging the frenchman however was not yet beaten at the guns and the firing was so heavy on both sides that a pall of smoke enveloped both ships this was to our advantage for the frigate having got some sail emil on the stump of 0 her mizzenmast now approached but the wind drifted the smoke so between her and the two fighting ships that she could not in the dim twilight plainly discern friend from too foe especially as both painted black and we swung together with the sea and wind when tho the smoke drifted off the gallant but unfortunate xantippi Xan tippo found herself di erectly under our broadside we gave her one round from our main battery and she troubled us no more of my own feelings I 1 can only say that I 1 welcomed the return of my courage so rapturously I 1 felt capable of heroic things occasionally I 1 decoi recognized Si Sl as lie he flitted flirted past he seemed everywhere at once and I 1 perceived that although capt gull ford was technically fighting the ship sir peter was by no means an idle spectator my gun was on the engaged side all the time and several of the guns on oil that side aide became disabled and officers wore were wounded or killed hilled it brought giles vernon quito quite close to me through the smoke and the fast falling darkness lighted only by the red flash of the guns and the glare of the battle lanterns I 1 could see his face he never lost his smile and his ringing voice always led tho the cheering presently the frenchmans French mans fire slackened and then a dull rumbling sound was heard in the depths of tho indomitable followed by a roar and streams of light from the the forward magazine had exploded and it seemed in the awful crash and blaze as if all the masts and spars went skyward with the rags of th the e sails and a solemn hush and silence followed the explosion in another instant I 1 heard sir peters sharp voice shouting call all hands to board boatswain cheer the men up with the pipe and then the clear clean notes of the boatswains pipe floated out into the darkness and with a yell the meu gathered at the bulwarks bulwa on the F rench french sh ship pl they appeared to be dazed b by y the e explosion X and we could see only a few officers running about and trying g to collect the men in another instant I 1 saw mr buxton burton leap upon the hammock netting and about to spring when a figure behind him seized him by the coattails coat tails and dragging him backward he measured his length on the deck the figure was giles vernon after me he cried to the first lit lic ant and the next moment liet he ma lis spring and landed the first man on oil the dar As soon as the ship was given up tip we hauled up our courses and ran off a little rove now new braces and made ready to capture the frigate which although badly cut up showed no dispo to surrender and stood gall gallantly antL by her consort in h liala a if an hour w wo were ready to go into action again it necessary with another ship of tho the line we got within range the sea had 9 gone one down much and giving tho the xantippe xanthippe Xan tippe our broadside brought down the tr tricolor 1 color which the frenchmen had nailed to the stump of the mizzenmast she proved to have on board near a million sterling which with the indomitable was the richest prize taken in for years preceding the admiral and captain got 11 sterling each the senior officers received 2500 sterling each the juniors got 2000 sterling the midshipmen and petty officers 1500 sterling and every seaman got sterling and the landsmen landsman lands men and boys sterling in prize money and I 1 say it with diffidence we got much more in glory for the two french ships were not only beaten but beaten in the most seamanlike manner sir peter ever after kept the anniversary as his day of glory putting on the same uniform and cocked hat he had worn and going to church if on shore with lady hawkshaw on his hia arm and giving thanks in a loud voice TO BE CONTINUED |