the boat, and stowed him away in the bottom under
his thwart. The boat's crew saw the transaction,
but only grinned and expressed their admiration of
the pluck of the middy in the terse and forcible
ejaculations usually employed by Jack to vent his
satisfaction.
The fourth lieutenant, the officer who took charge
of the boat, having received his final instructions
from the captain, now stepped into the boat, and the
word being passed that all was ready, the cutter
shoved off, and joining two other boats from the
"Melpomene," under the chief command of the
second lieutenant, took up their stations in Captain
Balfour's division.
All the boats were divided into subdivisions and
* See Illustration.
76 The Autobiography of a M an- 0'- War's Bell.
sections, according to a plan drawn up by the
admiral, and then rowed off with muffled oars in the
direction of the harbour. The divisions, pulling a
good, ordinary stroke, so as to avoid fatiguing the
men, were not long in finding themselves at the
mouth of the harbour, but no sooner had they
entered than they became the object of the lively
attention of the enemy. Their approach had been
discovered notwithstanding the darkness and the
noiselessness of their advance, and the French bat-
teries, as well as the line-of-battle ships, opened a
terrific fire of cannon and musketry. There was no
thought, however, of backing out of the enterprise.
The boats' crews cheered with one accord, and the
loud British hurrahs could be heard, clear as a clarion,
above the din of the tempest of shot that rained upon
them. The fire of the ships which formed the object
of this cutting-out affair, directed the boats to their
position, and they made for them, the crews giving
way with frantic energy and enthusiasm. Captain
Balfour's division, with which were the boats of
the "Melpomene," being the smaller in point of
numbers, made for the 64-gun ship, the "Bien-
faisant," but they had nevertheless the more arduous
task to perform.
The " Prudent," of 74 guns being aground, was
The Autobiography of a Man-v' -War's Bell. 77
set on fire and destroyed, the crew escaping ashore
as best they could; but the "Bienfaisant " was
afloat, and received the advancing boats with a
deadly fire from her guns, while every port-hole and
her top-sides were illuminated with the volleys of
her small-arm men. Notwithstanding every species
of opposition, the boats closed, and the British tars,
drawing their cutlasses and clutching them between
their teeth, clambered up the lofty sides of the line-
of-battle ship, and jumping, or forcing their way
through the ports, carried the great vessel by storm.
It was like magic, the celerity with which was
worked the transformation scene, to borrow a
theatrical simile, -of the conversion of a French
ship-of-vvar into an English prize. The trick was
done in a few minutes, and the enemy either
killed, driven overboard, or compelled to sur-
render with the swords of the British seamen at
their throats.
The " Bienfaisant" was now cut adrift from her
moorings, and then a number of the boats pro-
ceeded to tow her out from under the batteries.
This was done successfully in spite of the works on
shore, the guns from which kept up an indignant
roar at the disgrace that had befallen the Gallic
arms. Thus was this affair brought to a triumphant
78 The Autobiography of a Man-o' -War's Bell.
conclusion, though not without a heavy loss to the
victors.
Among the killed at the very commencement of
the action, was the fourth lieutenant of the u Mel-
pomene/' who commanded the cutter in which
Duckworth had secreted himself. This young
officer was shot through the breast, as, sword in
hand, he was in the act of leading his men on board
the " Bienfaisant." The musket was fired by a
Frenchman who leant out of a gun-port and took
deliberate aim, and so close was the muzzle of the
gun to his victim's body, that the clothes of the
latter were set on fire by the discharge. Young
Duckworth saw his officer fall, and, springing for-
ward, extinguished the fire, but, finding that he was
already past human aid, he laid his body gently
down on the boat's thwarts, and releasing the sword
from out of the grasp of the fingers of the dead man,
followed the gallant band who were making their way
on board the line-of-battle ship.
The command of the boat's crew now devolved
upon him, and he assumed it in sober earnest, boy
as he was, and was fortunate enough to get through
the fighting without receiving a scratch, which was a
marvel, for, notwithstanding his courage, one would
have thought the physical weakness of so young an
The Autobiography of a Man-o '-War's Bell. 79-
antagonist, must have brought him to grief in so
desperate an affair.
On his return on board his ship, he sprang up
the rope ladder on the port side with all the assur-
ance of his nature, and reported his return in com-
mand of the cutter, to the first lieutenant and captain,
who were both waiting at the gangway to learn par-
ticulars of the affair. The latter feigned displeasure
at the disobedience of orders, but Lieutenant Higham
could not contain his admiration of the hardihood
and pluck of the " younker," as he called him, and
asked Captain Gaisford to forgive the breach of
discipline in consideration of the gallantry he had
displayed ; to which the coxswain of the boat, anxious
to screen the young officer from the consequences of
his fault, bore witness.
"I axes your parding, sir/' said this worthy,
addressing the first lieutenant, and touching his hat,
while he pointed to the youth, who stood by, having
in one hand the sword, so disproportionate to his
size, of the lieutenant he had succeeded, his face
flushed with excitement, " I axes your parding, sir,
but this 'ere young gentleming was among the first
on us as boarded the ' Ben Pheasant/ as them French
chaps call the line-o'-battle ship as we cut out, arter
Mr. Harness was knocked over. He led us on to
8o The Autobiography of a. Man-o' -War's Bell.
wictory, and no mistake, he did your honours, arter
that distressing ewent."
This burst of eloquence concluded, the honest
fellow appeared so overcome at his apparently un-
wonted flow of words, that he stood as if rooted to
the spot, while his face bore the expression of a
schoolboy who has been caught in the very act ot
committing some offence.
However, Holroyd was speedily re-assured by the
captain, who replied, " All right, you can go forrard ;
Mr. Duckworth shan't suffer for what he has
done."
Turning to the abashed midshipman, Captain
Gaisford invited him and the first lieutenant to
accompany him to his state cabin, as he wished to
learn particulars of the action and also of the death
of Mr. Harness, for, being a kind-hearted man and
taking a deep interest in his officers, he always made
a point of personally communicating the intelligence
of the death of any of them to their relatives. The
captain also invited the officers who commanded the
other two boats to join them, and then the party
adjourned to the comfortable and roomy quarters of
the commander of the " Melpomene," where our
young hero, over a good stiff glass of grog, ' ' fought
his battle o'er again," and related what he saw of
The Autobiography of a Man-o'-War's Bell. 81
the affair that had ended so propitiously. The cap-
tain, though the strictest of officers on duty, indeed
he was regarded as somewhat of a martinet, could
relax on such occasions, and play the part of a host
with all the grace and bonhomie of a polished gentle-
man.
Young Duckworth's adventurous conduct came
to the ears of Admiral Boscawen, and that gallant
officer, who could sympathize with the eagerness of
the youngster to acquire fame (his own career from
his childhood having been passed amidst scenes of
bloodshed) sent a note to Captain Gaisford, asking
him to dine on board his flag-ship, and bring the boy
with him.
The honour of having attracted the attention of
the commander-in-chief of His Majesty's ships and
vessels, was enough to turn the brain of most young
middies, but Duckworth fortunately was gifted with
common sense, that rarest of all good qualities, and
though pleased, he refrained from giving himself any
petty airs of superiority, but "bore his honours
meekly/' and so avoided giving offence to his mess-
mates, who though perhaps individually jealous, were
still unanimous in speaking of him as " a right good
fellow."
THe admiral not only praised the boy and drank
82 The Autobiography of a Man-o' -War's Bell.
his health at dinner, but offered to take him on board
his own flag-ship and keep an eye upon him. This
flattering offer, however, James Duckworth declined
with many thanks, saying that he liked his ship and
all the officers so much, that he would rather remain
where he was. This refusal, though unexpected,
tended to raise our hero still further in the estima-
tion of the commander-in-chief, as it did, you may
be sure, in the good opinion of Captain Gaisford and
all the officers of the frigate.
The siege of Louisburg still continued with un-
abated resolution, on the part of the general and
admiral respectively commanding the sea and land
forces, between whom also the utmost harmony
existed. The admiral cheerfully assisted General
Amherst with cannon and other implements for con-
ducting the siege operations, and sent on shore
detachments of marines to maintain posts on shore,
and otherwise assist the soldiers who were greatly
harassed, owing to the extent of ground over which
the necessary works were spread. Not content with
thus aiding his colleague, Admiral Boscawen formed
a strong naval brigade to act on shore as pioneers,
but chiefly to assist in working the heavy guns and
mortars. On their part the besieged displayed great
pertinacity and resolution of purpose as well as skill.
The Autobiography of a Man-o' -War's Bell. 83
The fire of their guns was kept up with ceaseless
activity and great perseverance, but at length it
became evident to the Chevalier Drucour, that he
could not hold out much longer with any prospect of
success. The French shipping had been all taken or
destroyed, the two principal bastions were in ruins,
while two or three practicable breaches had already
been effected ; to render matters desperate, forty out
of fifty-two pieces of cannon had been either dis-
mounted or rendered unserviceable by the British fire.
The commandant, therefore, in a letter to General
Amherst, proposed a capitulation by which he and
his garrison should be allowed to march out with all
the honours of war ; that is, with their arms, and
flags flying. These were the terms that had been
accorded to the English troops at Port Mahon in the
Balearic Isles in the previous year, after Byng's un-
successful attempt to relieve them. To this proposal,
however, General Amherst declined to accede, but
informed the Chevalier that he, together with his
garrison, must surrender themselves unconditionally
as prisoners of war, otherwise he must prepare to
expect, on the following morning, a general attack by
the fleet under Admiral Boscawen. The French
commander, a high-spirited man, piqued at the
severity of these terms, replied that rather than
84 The A utobiography of a Man-o ' War's Bell.
comply with them, he would stand an assault, and be
buried in the ruins of the fortress it was his duty to
lefend. Such was his fixed determination, when the
commissary-general and intendant of the colony pre-
sented a petition from the merchants and inhabitants
of the place, requesting him to accede to the terms
of the English commander, and pointing out the
futility of further resistance. Sorely against his
grain, the Chevalier yielded to this prayer, and
agreed to capitulate on the original terms.
On the ayth of July, three companies of grena-
diers, commanded by Major Farquhar, took posses-
sion of the western gate, while Brigadier Whitmore
was detached into the town, to see the garrison lay
down their arms and deliver up their colours on the
esplanade, and to post the necessary guards on the
stores, magazines, and ramparts. Thus the English
obtained possession of the important town of Louis-
burg, together with the whole island of Cape Breton,
and to this day it has never changed masters. The
victors became possessed of two hundred and twenty-
one pieces of cannon with eighteen mortars, and a
considerable quantity of military stores and ammu-
nition, while the total loss incurred in achieving
these' great results did not exceed four hundred men
killed and wounded. The merchants and those of
The Autobiography of a Man-o'-War's Bell. 85
the inhabitants who were non-combatants, were
shipped off to France in English vessels, but the
garrison, together with all the naval officers, seamen,
and marines, to the number of 5637 men, were
transported to England as prisoners of war.
The loss of Louisburg and of the ships in the
harbour, was keenly felt by the French people and by
their King (Louis), while in England the nation was
carried away with feelings of exultation proportionate
to the depression of their neighbours. The despatches,
giving particulars of the event, were immediately sent
to England in a vessel detached for that purpose, and
Captain Amherst, brother to the successful general,
was also entrusted with eleven pairs of colours.
These were, by order of his Majesty, old King
George II., then in the declining ? years of his life,
carried, with every circumstance of pomp, escorted
by detachments of horse and foot-guards, with
kettle-drums and trumpets, from his residence, the
palace at Kensington, to St. Paul's Cathedral, where
they were deposited as trophies under a salute of
cannon and amid other noisy expressions of national
triumph. But these rejoicings were not confined to
the capital; the joy was universal throughout tht
British dominions, and addresses of congratulation
on the conquest of Louisburg and reduction of Cape
86 The Autobiography of a Man-o' -War's Bell.
Breton, were presented to the King by a great
number of considerable towns and corporations.
After the occupation of Louisburg, some ships,
among which was the l< Melpomene/' together with
a body of troops, were despatched to take possession
of the Island of St. John, which also lies in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence, and, by its fertility in corn and
cattle, had, since the beginning of the war, supplied
Quebec with considerable quantities of provisions.
This island was likewise the asylum to which the
French neutrals of Annapolis fled for shelter from
our Government, and the retreat from whence they,
and the Indians, made their sudden incursions into
Nova Scotia, where the latter perpetrated the most
inhuman barbarities on the subjects of Great Britain.
What these barbarities were, may be gathered from
the fact, that several scalps of our countrymen were
actually found in the governor's quarters, proving
the truth of the allegations of the English settlers,
that the savages received not only encouragement to
perpetrate these outrages, but even a premium for
every scalp they produced. The inhabitants of St.
John showed themselves as cowardly as they were
cruel, and did not attempt any resistance against the
English force. They submitted to the number of
4100, and brought in their arms. The island was
The Autobiography of a Man-o '-War's Bell. 87
stocked with 10,000 head of black cattle, with vast
quantities of corn. This concluded for that year the
naval part of the operations against the French pos-
sessions in North America.
The "Melpomene" returned to England with
Admirals Boscawen and Hardy, and a small
squadron, the greater part of the fleet being left at
Halifax. We arrived in England in the beginning
of November, after having given chase to six large
French ships which were descried to the westward of
the Scilly Isles, but were unable either to overhaul
them, or bring them to action. The gallant Bos-
cawen was received with applause by his King and
country, as were also the captains and crews of the
ships of his squadron. Not many months elapsed
before both he and they were engaged in fresh enter-
prises, but I must leave my readers to learn details of
Admiral Boscawen's later achievements from the
naval histories that treat of that period, and will con-
fine myself to the autobiography of so uninteresting
an object as a man-o'-war's bell.
CHAPTER IV.
AT this time the whole English people were nearly
beside themselves with a war fever, chiefly directed
against the country's old traditional foe, France.
The nation was filled with pride and triumph at the
recent successes, not only as we have seen in
America, under Amherst and Boscawen, but with
the news of the great victories achieved by Clive and
Admirals Watson and Pocock in the East Indies.
Parliament voted large subsidies, and increased the
taxes to raise the sinews of war, and the people, so
far from being restive under the additional burdens,
acquiesced in the imposition of these new and bur-
densome imposts. The arsenals resounded with the
clang of preparation ; the ships of the Navy were
repaired, and their number augmented ; and, in order
to man the different squadrons with which our dock-
yards were crowded, the administration resorted with
greater rigour and success than ever to the practice
of pressing a proclamation was issued offering a
The Autobiography of a Man-o '-War's Bell. 89
considerable bounty for every seaman and every lands-
man that should by a certain day enter voluntarily into
the King's service. As an additional encouragement
to this class of his subjects, George II. promised his
pardon to all seamen who had deserted from their
ships, provided they returned before the 3rd of July ;
while those deserters who neglected to surrender
themselves would be tried by court-martial on appre-
hension, and suffer the penalties of military law
without any hope of mercy.
William Morris and his friend Johnson, the cap-
tain of the maintop, had together concocted a plan
for deserting from the ship at Plymouth, where she
was refitting for foreign service on some distant
station, as was manifest by the large amount of
stores and war material she was embarking ; but so
strict was the supervision kept over the men, even
when they went on shore on leave, that their chance
of escape appeared a very slender one. The Govern-
ment issued a mandate to all justices of the peace,
mayors, and magistrates of corporations throughout
Great Britain, commanding them to make particular
search for straggling seamen fit for service, and to
forward all that should be found to the nearest port,
that they might be sent on board whatever ship lying
there that might be in want of hands.
9O The Autobiography of a Man-o'-War's Bell.
As there was almost a certainty of being captured
should they attempt to escape, the friends came to the
determination to give up the scheme, but not without
great reluctance on the part of Morris. However, he
had become accustomed to the discomfort of a nau-
tical life, and on learning that the "Melpomene"
had been ordered to proceed to the East Indies to
reinforce the fleet of Admiral Pocock in those waters,
reconciled himself to the prospect of a further length-
ened period of service. The frigate was to go out for
ji period of two years, the remainder of his commis-
sion, as Captain Gaisford informed his officers and
men one morning when they were all assembled on
the quarter-deck for grand divisions. The gallant
captain promised his men lots of prize-money, as
well as a " bellyful of fighting/' The announcement
was received with a grin of delight from one end of
the double line of seamen to the other ; the rules of
the service did not allow Jack a more demonstrative
method of testifying his approval of the .object and
prospects of the forthcoming cruise, or else he would
have cheered ; as it was, he simply grinned, and
touched his hat in respectful acquiescence.
So the " Melpomene," having filled up with
stores and secured her proper complement of men by
a moderate application of the press-gang system,
The Atitobiograpky of a Man-o' War's Bell. 91
sailed from Plymouth in the latter part of April,
leaving, doubtless, many sorrowing hearts behind in
old England, and carrying away 011 board her some
that were heavy also at the thought of the long part-
ing, with all the chances and dangers of war time,
and the ordinary perils of the sea; yet I should say
that the major part of the gallant fellows, both
officers and crew, were unspeakably relieved when,
as the nautical saying has it, the " fore-topsail paid
their debts/' a rather unpromising method of liquidat-
ing one's liabilities as far as the unhappy creditor
was concerned.
Nothing of moment occurred during the first days
of the passage to the southward. No French ships
were sighted, but one morning a large fleet was seen
standing to the nor'-westward. This was soon made
out to be the squadron commanded by Admiral Sir
Edward Hawke, who had been dispatched to block-
ade the harbour of Brest, in which was shut up a
powerful fleet, which the French Government pro-
posed to send to sea under M. de Conflans, with the
object of effecting a descent on the Irish coast. After
exchanging signals, the "Melpomene" proceeded
on her course, and ran down with a fair wind nearly
to the line. Here she was detained some two weeks
with variable and light airs, known as the " dold-
92 The Autobiography of a Man-o'-War's Bell.
rums j" but at length edging away to the southward,
she caught a fine south-east trade-wind, and stood
away a couple of points to the westward of south,
with her yards braced sharp up on the port tack, and
every stitch of plain sail drawing. For many days
not a rope-yarn was touched in the way of trimming
sail. During these pleasant long days, many and
tough were the yarns I heard recounted under my
shadow. Some, I assure you, were beyond my
capacity to swallow. There was only one, however,
that would greatly interest my readers, and as it
relates to William Morris, who has played so
prominent a part in these pages, and whose history
I had long entertained a curiosity to learn, I will give
it to my friends as nearly as possible in the language
employed by the narrator himself :
" You must know then, in the first place, that my
real name is not William Morris. I need scarcely
tell you that I am not a sailor by profession, for you
are seaman enough to know that. When I came on
board, you will remember I was rated in the ship's
books a landsman. What will surprise you, how-
ever, is, that I am a country gentleman or 'squire,
as you call them and that I have considerable
landed property in one of the midland counties. My
name is Cavendish, and the Cavendishes of shire
The Autobiography of a Ma/t-o'- War's Bell. 93
are one of the first families of that county. My
father died a few years ago, and left me, his eldest
son, heir to the entailed estates, which brought me
in an income of ^7000 a year. I have two brothers
and three sisters living, and the curious fact of it is
that they are all more or less well married, and have
large families ; while I, who am the head of the
family and possess the largest income, have neither
wife nor child, and, who knows, before we are out of
this war or return to England again, but that a
French bullet or cutlass will hand over to a brother
or nephew the rent-roll, which, indeed, I have turned
to precious little good account, beyond supplying my-
self with the enjoyments that ordinarily form the
staple amusements of an English 'squire. No, 1
have passed my days in hunting, and coursing, and
shooting, and my nights in card playing and drink-
ing; though, to do myself but justice, I must say
that I never cared for London frivolities and dis-
sipations, or indeed took any part in them during
the visits to town, unfrequent and paid at long in-
tervals as they were."
The narrator paused a minute, and then pro-
ceeded, as if soliloquizing, and seeking to excuse to
his conscience the utterly selfish life he had led during
the few years he had enjoyed the ancestral estates ;
94 The Autobiography of a Man-o'- War's Bell.
but he was cut short by his companion, who after
the surprise occasioned by the discovery that his friend
was a gentleman, and the still greater astonishment
aroused at his expression of regret that he had
thoroughly enjoyed himself with the means placed
at his disposal had fallen into a doze, from which