Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

2. Next day they made Gravesend steeple, in the Hague; but while they were steering for their port, the Brancas, a French privateer, that lay concealed among the Dutch fishing boats, suddenly came against them, singling out the Isabella, as the object of attack, while the rest dispersed and escaped.

3. The strength of the two ships was most unequal; for the Isabella mounted only four carriage guns and two swivels, and her crew consisted of only five men, three boys, besides the captain; while the privateer, commanded by Captain Andre, had ten carriage guns and eight swivels, with seventy-five men and three hundred small arms. Yet Captain Hornby was nothing daunted.

4. Having animated his little crew by an appropriate address, and obtained their promise of standing by him to the last, he hoisted the British colors, and with his two swivel guns returned the fire of the enemy's chase guns. The Frenchman, in abusive terms, commanded him to strike.*

5. Hornby coolly returned an answer of defiance, on which the privateer advanced, and poured such showers of bullets into the Isabella, that the captain found it prudent to order his brave fellows into close quarters. While he lay thus sheltered, the enemy twice attempted to board him on the larboard quarter; but by the dexterous turn of the helm, he frustrated both attempts, though the Frenchman kept firing upon him both with guns and small arms.

6. At two o'clock, when the action had lasted an hour, the privateer, running furiously in upon the larboard of the Isabella, entangled her bowsprit among the main shrouds, and was lashed fast to her.--Captain Andre now bawled out in a menacing tone, "You English dog, strike." Captain Hornby challenged him to come on board and strike his colors if he dared.

7. The exasperated Frenchman instantly threw in twenty men on the Isabella, who began to hack and hew into close quarters; but a general discharge of blunderbusses forced the assailants to retreat as fast as their wounds would permit. The privateer, being now disengaged from the Isabella, turned about and made another attempt on the starboard|| side, when the valiant Hornby and his mate, shot each his man, as the enemy were again lashing the ships together.

* Strike, to let down the flag or ensign.

+ Larboard, the left hand side of the ship.

Blunderbuss, a short gun, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls.

# Starboard, the right hand side of the ship.

8. The Frenchman once more commanded him to strike and the brave Englishman returning another refusal, twenty fresh men entered, and made a fierce attack on the close quarters with hatchets and pole axes, with which they had nearly cut their way through in three places, when the constant fire kept up by Captain Hornby and his crew, obliged them a second time to retreat, carrying their wounded with them, and hauling their dead after them with boat hooks.

9. The Isabella continued still lashed to the enemy, the latter with small arms, firing repeated volleys into her close quarters; but the fire was returned with such spirit and effect, the Frenchman repeatedly gave way.

10. At length Captain Hornby, seeing them crowding behind their mainmast for shelter, aimed a blunderbuss at them, which, being by mistake doubly loaded, containing twice twelve balls, burst in the firing, and threw him down, to the great consternation of his little crew, who supposed him dead.

11. In an instant, however, he started up again, though greatly bruised, while the enemy, among whom the blunderbuss had made dreadful havoc, disengaged themselves from the Isabella, to which they had been lashed an hour and a quarter, and sheered off with precipitation, leaving their grap plings, and a quantity of pole-axes, pistols, and cutlasses be hind them.

12. The gallant Hornby now exultingly fired his two starboard guns into the enemy's stern. The indignant Frenchman immediately returned and renewed the conflict, which was carried on yard-arm and yard-arm, with great fury for two hours together.

13. The Isabella was shot through her hull* several times, her sails and rigging were torn to pieces, her ensign was dismounted, and every mast and yard damaged; yet she still bravely maintained the conflict, and at last, by a fortunate shot which struck the Brancas between wind and water, obliged her to sheer off and careen.†

14. While the enemy were retiring, Hornby, and his little crew, sallied out from their fastness, and, erecting their fallen ensign, gave three cheers. By this time, both vessels had driven so near the English shore, that immense crowds had assembled to be spectators of the action.

15. The Frenchman, having stopped his leak, returned to the combat, and poured a dreadful fire into the stern of the * Hull, the body of a ship, exclusive of her masts, yards, and rigging. + Careen, to lie on one side.

Isabella, when Captain Hornby was wounded by a ball in the temple, and bled profusely. The sight of their brave comman der, streaming with blood, somewhat disconcerted his gallant companions, but he called to them briskly to keep their courage and stand to their arms, for his wound was not dangerous.

16. On this their spirits revived, and again taking post in their close quarters, they sustained the shock of three more tremendous broadsides, in returning which, they forced the Brancas, by another well aimed shot, to sheer off. The huzzas of the Isabella's crew were renewed, and they again set up their shattered ensign, which was shot through and through into honorable rags.

17. Andre, who was not deficient in bravery, soon returned to the fight, and having disabled the Isabella, by five terrible broadsides, once more summoned Hornby to strike his colors. Captain Hornby turned to his gallant comrades. "You see yonder, my lads," pointing to the shore, "the witnesses of your valor."

18. It was unnecessary to say more; they one and all assuring him of their resolution to stand by him to the last; and finding them thus invincibly determined, he hurled his final defiance at the enemy.

19. Andre immediately run his ship upon the Isabella's starboard, and lashed close along side; but his crew murmured, and refused to renew the dangerous task of boarding, so that he was obliged to cut the lashings, and again retreat.

20. Captain Hornby resolved to salute the privateer with a parting gun; and his last shot, fired into the stern of the Brancas, happening to reach the magazine, it blew up with a terrible explosion, and the vessel instantly went to the bottom. Out of seventy-five men, thirty-six were killed or wounded in the action, and all the rest, together with the wounded, perished in the deep, except three, who were picked up by the Dutch fishing boats.

21. This horrible catastrophe excited the compassion of the brave Hornby and his men; but they could unfortunately render no assistance to their ill-fated enemies, the Isabella having become unmanageable, and her boat being shattered to pieces.

22. Captain Hornby afterwards received from his sovereign, a large gold medal, in commemoration of his heroic conduct on this occasion; conduct, perhaps, not surpassed by any thing in the annals of British naval prowess.

[ocr errors][merged small]

1. WHEN Damon was sentenced by Dionysius, tyrant of Sicily, to die on a certain day, he begged permission to retire, previous to his execution, to his own country, that he might set in order the affairs of his disconsolate family.

2. This the tyrant intended peremptorily to refuse, by granting it on what he conceived to be the impossible condition of his procuring some one to remain as security for his return under equal forfeiture of his life.

3. Pythias, who was the friend of Damon, heard the conditions, and did not wait for an application on the part of the latter, but instantly offered to remain in his place; which being accepted, Damon was immediately set at liberty.

4. The king and all the courtiers were astonished at this action; and, therefore, when the day of execution drew near, the tyrant had the curiosity to visit Pythias in his confinement.

5. After some conversation on the subject of friendship, in which the tyrant delivered it as his opinion, that self-interest was the sole mover of human actions; as for virtue, friendship, benevolence, patriotism, and the like, he looked upon them as terms invented by the wise to keep in awe and impose upon the weak :

6. "My lord," said Pythias, with a firm voice and noble aspect, "I would it were possible that I might suffer a thousand deaths, rather than my friend should fail in any article of his honor! He cannot fail therein, my lord; I am as confident of his virtue as I am of my own existence. But I pray, I beseech the gods, to preserve the life and the integrity of Damon together.

7. Oppose him, ye winds! prevent the eagerness and impatience of his honorable endeavors, and suffer him not to arrive, till, by my death, I have redeemed a life a thousand times more valuable than my own; more estimable to his lovely wife, to his innocent children, to his friends, and to his country. O leave me not to die the worst of deaths in that of my friend !"

[ocr errors]

8. Dionysius was awed and confounded by the dignity of these sentiments, and by the manner in which they were uttered: he felt his heart struck by a slight sense of invading truth; but it served rather to perplex than to undeceive him.

9. The fatal day arrived: Pythias was brought forth, and walked amidst the guards, with a serious but satisfied air, to the

place of execution. Dionysius was already there; he was exalted on a moving throne, drawn by six white horses, and sat pensive and attentive to the prisoner.

10. Pythias came; he vaulted* lightly on the scaffold, and beholding for a time the apparatus of death, he turned with a placid countenance, and thus addressed the spectators :-" My prayers are heard; the gods are propitious; you know, my friends, that the winds have been contrary till yesterday.Damon could not come; he could not conquer impossibilities; he will be here to-morrow, and the blood which is shed to-day shall have ransomed the life of my friend.

66

- 11. "Q! could I erase from your bosoms every doubt, every mean suspicion of the honor of the man for whom I am about to suffer, I should go to my death with as much joy as to a marriage feast. Be it sufficient, in the mean time, that my friend will be found noble; that his truth is unimpeachable; that he will speedily prove it; that he is now on his way hurrying forward,accusing himself, the adverse elements, and fortune; but I haste to prevent his speed:-Executioner ! perform your duty."

12. As he pronounced the last word, a buzz began to rise among the remotest of the people; a distant voice was heard; the crowd caught the words, and “ Stop, stop the execution," was repeated by the whole assembly.

13. A man came at full speed; the throng gave way to his approach; he was mounted on a courser that almost flew; in an instant, he was off his horse,—on the scaffold,—and in the arms of Pythias.

14. "You are safe," he cried, "my friend, my dearest friend! the gods be praised, you are safe! I now have nothing but death to suffer, and am delivered from the anguish of those reproaches which I gave myself for having endangered a life so much dearer than my own.

[ocr errors]

15. Pale, cold, and half speechless in the arms of his Damon, Pythias replied in broken accents-" Fatal haste!-Cruel impatience! What envious powers have wrought impossibilities in your favor? But I will not be wholly disappointed. Since I cannot die to save, I will not survive you.".

16. Dionysius heard, beheld, and considered all with astonishment. His heart was touched: he wept, and leaving his throne, he ascended the scaffold.

* Vaulted, leaped.

« AnteriorContinua »