Chapter 28
Chapter 28 of John Dean of Nottingham, Historic Adventures by Land and Sea. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Dion Gines, Salt Lake City, Utah. John Dean of Nottingham, Historic Adventures by Land and Sea by William Henry Giles Kingston. Chapter 28 serves under Benbow in the West Indies.
It was early in March in the year 1702. As Jack Dean was approaching London, he heard a postman shouting, Sad news! Sad news! What is it? asked Jack. The king is dead, was the answer.
Our good King William is no more. Jack, on making further inquiry, learned that the king had, on Saturday 21st, gone out to hunt, as was his custom, near Hampton Court, when his horse fell and he fractured his collarbone. The injury was not considered serious, and he was conveyed to his palace at Kensington. Having been, however, in a very weak state, he did not rally, and it was evident to those around him that he was near his end. On the 8th of March, one of the best and most sagacious of English monarchs breathed his last,
holding the hand of the faithful Duke of Portland. His voice had gone ere that, but his reason and all his senses were entire to the last. He died with a clear and full presence of mind and with a wonderful tranquility. On the ascension of Queen Anne, the Jacobites remained quiet, under the belief that she would leave the crown to the son of James II, now known as the Chevalier St. George. They were not aware of the sound Protestant principles of the great mass of
Englishmen, and that any attempt to bring back a Romanist member of the hated House of Stuart, so often tried and found utterly unfit for ruling, would have produced another civil war. Those infatuated men, the Jacobites, did not conceal their joy at the death of the Protestant monarch. Banquets were held among them to celebrate the event, and some had the audacity and wickedness, it may be said,
to toast the health of the horse which had thrown William. Another toast they drank was to the health of the little gentleman dressed in velvet, in other words, the mole that raised the hill over which Sorrel, the king's favorite horse, stumbled. Jack Dean, on hearing these things, felt as if, had he been present, he should have been very much inclined to challenge those who showed this disrespect to a sovereign
whom he had learned to honor and love. The fleet had taken its departure some time before John Dean reached Portsmouth, but he found a fast frigate on the point of sailing to carry dispatches to the admiral, the Venus. Admiral Benbow's object in going out to the West Indies had been to detain the Spanish galleons. When war was declared on the accession of Queen Anne,
a French admiral had also sailed from Brest for the same station, with 14 sail of the line and 16 frigates to meet the galleons and convoy them to Cadiz. Although the brave Benbo's squadron was far smaller than that of the French, he kept a sharp lookout for the enemy. He had performed many services in the West Indies to the merchants by capturing privateers
and protecting their settlements from the attacks of the enemy. Admiral Benbow's ship was the Breda of 70 guns, and her youngest lieutenant, having died of fever, Jack Dean, greatly to his satisfaction, found himself appointed to that ship. Early in July, the Admiral sailed from Jamaica with seven sail of men of war
in the hope of joining Admiral Whitstone, who had been sent from England with a reinforcement to endeavor to intercept the French squadron which had sailed under Monsieur Ducasse. The Admiral, on the 10th of August, being off Donna Maria Bay, received advice that Ducasse had sailed for Carthagena and Portobello. He instantly went in quest of him and, in the evening of the 19th, discovered, off Santa Martha, ten sail of ships. On his nearer approach, he found
the greatest number of them to be French men of war. Four ships of from 60 to 70 guns, one great Dutch ship of about 30 or 40 guns, and another full of soldiers, the rest being of a smaller size. They were steering along shore under their top sails. The admiral made a signal to form a line of battle ahead, and bore away under an easy sail that those to leeward might the more readily get into their station. It was the admiral's intention not to make the signal of battle, but only of
defiance, when he had got abreast of the enemy's headmost ship. Before he reached his station, however, the Falmouth, which was in the rear, began to fire, as did also the Windsor and Advance, and soon after the vice-admiral was engaged, and now an act was performed which has rarely happened in the British Navy. After exchanging two or three broadsides, the Windsor and Advance lofted to windward out of gunshot and left the admiral exposed to the fire of the two sternmost
ships of the enemy, by whom he was very much galled. Neither did the ships in the rear come up to his assistance with the alacrity he expected. In spite of this, the brave Benbow continued to engage the enemy from four o'clock until night, and although the latter then ceased firing, yet he kept sight of them, intending to renew the action in the morning.
On the following day at daybreak, he found himself close to the enemy, with the ruby only near enough to support him. Unintimidated by the misconduct of those who had so shamefully deserted him, he pursued the enemy, who were using every effort to escape. The ruby, in a short time, was so dreadfully knocked about
that he was obliged to order her to return to Port Royal. Two more days passed away, and still the brave old admiral kept up the pursuit. On the morning of the 24th, he got up with the sternmost ships of the French, and although receiving but little assistance from the rest of the squadron, he brought them to close action. Round shot and chain shot and language came flying on board the Breda,
the British seamen sending back much the same sort of missiles as those with which they were complemented. Volumes of smoke from the guns rolled out of the ports. Still undaunted and excited by the example of their brave admiral, the British sailors fought on. At length, a shot swept across the quarterdeck on which the admiral was standing. He was seen to fall. His right leg was shattered by it. Immediately he was carried
below. He urged the surgeons to dress the wound as rapidly as they could, and then, being placed in his cradle, he directed himself to be brought once more on the deck. There, in spite of the agony he was suffering, he continued to give his orders. One of the last he issued was to direct the other captains to keep the line and behave like men. Great was his grief, vexation, and rage when the recreant captains came on board and declared that enough had been done and that it
would be dangerous to follow the enemy. In vain the old admiral pleaded with them. They persisted that by so doing they would ensure the destruction of their ships and crews. Wounded and sick at heart, he had at length to yield to them, and he issued the order for the squadron to return to Jamaica. Here the brave old admiral was carried on shore,
and shortly afterwards died of the wound he had received. The captains who had refused to support him were tried by a court-martial, and two of them were carried home and shot on the decks of their ships as soon as they arrived in an English port to return to John Dean. Soon after the Breda reached Port Royal, as she was likely to remain there for some time and he was anxious for active employment, he got reappointed to the Venus, which was sent to cruise for the protection of British commerce.
As soon as the frigate was clear of the island, a bright lookout was kept for the French privateers or any other of the enemy's vessels. The frigate had been cruising for a week or more and had already got some distance from Jamaica, having during the time captured several small vessels, some of which had been destroyed and others sent to Port Royal, when one forenoon a large ship was descried to leeward. All sail was crowded in chase, and as the frigate had the advantage of the wind,
the stranger being almost becalmed, she soon came up with her. As soon as the breeze reached the stranger, without hoisting her colors, she made all sail in an attempt to escape. Various opinions were offered as to her character. Some thought she was a Spanish galleon,
though how she should have come thus far north was a question not easily answered. Others believed she was a large French merchantman, and some pronounced her to be a privateer. She was a fast craft at all events, for as soon as she felt the breeze, she slipped through the water at a rate which made it doubtful whether the Venus would come up with her. This made the English still more anxious for her capture, as in the first place,
if a merchantman, she was likely to have a rich cargo on board, and, at all events, she might be converted into a useful cruiser. It was a general opinion in those days that the French vessels were faster sailors than the English, and certainly it is that many of the best models of men of war
were taken from the French. The Genoese, however, were reputed to be better shipbuilders than either. A stern chase is a long chase always. The stranger persevered in her flight in the hope that some accident might secure her escape.
The English pursued in the hope that an accident to the chase might enable them to capture her. The day wore on, and fears were entertained that the chase would escape during the darkness of the night. Every stitch of canvas which the frigate could carry was set on her,
while the sails which could be reached were kept constantly wet that no wind might pass through them. The crew cheered with glee when they found that their efforts were not without good effect and that the frigate at last was overhauling the chase. At length, she got near enough to fire a bow chaser.
The shot took effect and cut away several of her braces. This allowed the sails to fly wildly in the air. In consequence, the frigate now came up more rapidly and, as she did so, continued firing with good effect. The chase at length let fly all her sheets and hauled down the French flag, which had just before been run up.
As soon as the frigate hoved to, Lieutenant Dean was ordered to board the prize with a boat's crew. She proved to be a rich merchant vessel, outward bound to the French colonies on the main, with a large and valuable assorted cargo, and was evidently a prize worth taking. The captain of the Venus was ordered to send in his prizes, as he should take them, to Port Royal, but as long as he had sufficient men to fight his ship not to return himself.
It was important, however, that so rich a prize should be carefully navigated, and he accordingly ordered his junior lieutenant, John Dean, to take charge of her with a crew of 15 men to carry her into Port Royal. Ten of her former crew volunteered to assist in navigating her, and they were allowed to remain, while the rest, with the captain and officers, were carried on board the Venus.
Jack now found himself for the first time in his life in command of a large ship. As may be supposed, he had not been asleep all the time he had been at sea, and he already possessed a very good knowledge of seamanship as well as of navigation. He had no doubt, therefore, that he should be able safely to carry his prize to her destined port. Two midshipmen were sent with him to act as lieutenants,
and an old quartermaster to do the duty of boatswain. Jack was a great favorite among all with whom he had served, both with his superiors and with those beneath him. His two young midshipmen, Dick Lovett and Ned Hawk, had become particularly attached to him, while Will Burridge, the old quartermaster, would have
gone through fire and water to serve him. On one occasion, Burridge, whether he had had too much Jamaica rum on board or not, it was difficult to say, managed to fall overboard into the harbor, swarming with sharks. As the tide was running strong at the time, Burridge had already been swept some distance from the ship before he was perceived. Jack, regardless of the sharks, leaped overboard, and swimming towards the sinking seamen, kept him up, splashing about,
so as to make the monsters of the deep keep at a respectful distance till a boat arrived to take them both on board. Jack declared it was not a thing to be talked about. Anybody might have done the same, and therefore it was not mentioned at the time of its occurrence. It, however, raised Dean's character among the crew and made them all ready to volunteer in any expedition where he was to lead. As soon as the damages which the prize had received were repaired, the frigate stood on
her course, and Jack made sail for Port Royal. The prize was called the Coquille and carried 12 guns so that Jack hoped, should he be attacked by one of the enemy's privateers or any small man of war, he might make a good fight of it and beat off his opponent if he could not take her. The first day the weather was very fine. The wind then fell and there was a dead calm. The sun struck down with intense heat on the deck of the vessel, making the very pitch in her seams
bubble up. The crew began to feel the effects of the heat and moved languidly about the decks, exhibiting a listlessness very different to their usual activity. Jack, with one of his officers, was sitting below at dinner when Hawk, the other, who had the watch on deck, entered the cabin. I thought it as well to tell you, sir, he said, that I don't quite like the way the Frenchmen are carrying on. I have observed them for some time past whispering together, and I cannot help
thinking that they expect to find us napping and to set on us and try to retake the vessel. It's as well to be prepared, answered Jack. Thank you for your forethought. But it will scarcely be right to put them in irons unless we have evidence of their intention. I will tell Burridge and hint to the men to be on the lookout, so that we shall be even with the messieurs if they make the attempt which you fancy they propose. Burridge soon made his appearance in the cabin, hat in hand, and
receiving his directions, hurried back to speak to the English crew. Jack and his two young officers, having loaded their pistols and stuck them in their belts and fastened on their swords, made their appearance also on deck. The French men seemed to be watching them, but if they had any
sinister intentions, the preparations which Jack had made to oppose them compelled them for the moment to keep quiet. End of chapter 28
