Captain De Crespigny

“ Squadrons of admirers, but not so many lovers as you think, Marion! The race of marrying men is becoming extinct in the world, so I must not be severely discouraging to poor diffident Captain De Crespigny, who has been setting his mustachios at me so long. ”

“ The fact was the Dutchmen, having found the right flank well guarded on the 16th, had made a ferocious lunge at the left of General Pole-Carew’s position, and simultaneously all along the left. A tremendous day’s fighting followed, during which the posts held by the Royal Irish Fusiliers, under Major Munn, the New Zealanders under Captain Vaughan, the Canadians under Colonel Alderson, were defended with amazing valour and persistence. So many officers distinguished themselves that it was almost impossible to record their names. ”

“ Colonel MacBean hesitated. Was he to retire his Gordons and leave the guns in the enemy’s hands? Never! He called for volunteers to bring in the pieces, and his Scotsmen leapt to the word. All could not be accepted—too large a number must not be risked. Captains Gordon, Younger, and Allen, leading a band of ten men, pushed forward in a blizzard from the Mausers of the foe. Captain Younger, hit in three places, dropped, the others gloriously struggled on, but in vain, to rescue the prized weapons of war. ”

“ A man was constantly kept aloft to watch the horizon, and repeatedly hailed from the deck that we might know he was awake to his work; other sharp-eyed seamen were stationed on the forecastle; at night every light was screened, so that we moved along like a blot of liquid pitch upon the darkness. On several occasions I heard Captain Skevington say that he would sooner have parted with twenty guineas than have boarded, or had anything to do with, the snow. Happily, the adventure with the Dutchman led the seamen to suppose that the master's anxiety wholly concerned the ships of the enemy ”

“ It will be remembered that in August, 1851, on the passage to San Francisco, his first officer was put off duty soon after rounding Cape Horn, "in consequence of his arrogating to himself the privilege of cutting up rigging." This was a more serious offence than perhaps appears at first sight, as the Flying Cloud was badly crippled aloft, and was a long way from the nearest ship chandler's store, while Captain Creesy needed every fathom of rope on board for preventers and lashings. ”

“ The men in the Bon Homme Richard's tops climbed into those of the Serapis, the yards of the two ships being interlocked, and swept her decks with fire and shot. Dazed by the explosion, and helpless against the American sharpshooters, the courageous men on the Serapis saw themselves conquered, and Captain Pearson himself lowered the flag which had been nailed to the mast. Lieutenant Dale, swinging himself on board the Serapis' deck, received the captain's surrender; and thus ended one of the greatest single ship fights on record. ”

“ I'll make the crew act in a manner which will belie any statements made by one or two dissatisfied beasts among them, who fancy they have a right to be treated like men; then if they come forward to give us trouble, we can bring overwhelming proof that our men were the most happy, jolly, devil-me-care fellows in the navy."
"And I am to be your scapegoat, Captain Puffeigh?"
"My dear Crushe, the next mail will bring news of our promotion, you to commander, and I to post-captain; then you may laugh at your detractors." ”

“ There were a number of men and several women on board whom Captain Crespin had known in India, had met in the hills, at Calcutta and in leaves in Kashmir; but none of his regiment, or of his own station in the Punjab. But at Malta two brother officers, returning from a shorter leave than his, joined the ship. As a matter of course they “chummed up” with the Crespins and Crespin with them. ”

“ The day passed without anything happening. So many thoughts occupied the minds of the three Cresville boys that they almost forgot to speculate on the outcome of the information they had given their captain. ”

“ Capten say, "Stay here, Krasippe; I get hind bush." Capten creep trough bush, light cannle, an' bust out trough circle to middle of fire. I see fifty Injin fright dat way. Dose Injin not frighten much. I see one man jump on capten, trow him down, raise hatchet to kill him. Then one girl catch at his arm, an' I fire my rifle. Then I see no more until I wake up.'"
"'Well, Krasippe, the captain is alive, and we are to meet him here in a year from now. In the mean time we'll try to navigate the Thyri, and make as much money for the skipper as we can;' and well he kept his word." ”

“ If not, we’ll shift cargo from forrard. Look alive, sir!”
“Yes, sir!” And Crevay, too, departed, filled with the energy that comes to every man when treated like a man and given a man’s work to do.
As by a miracle, the spirit of the Silver Fleece had changed. Discipline had all come back with a rush; the battling blood had risen. No longer, for the moment, were the captain’s heavy crimes and misdemeanors held against him. Briggs stood for authority, defense in face of the peril of death. His powerful body and stern spirit formed a rallying-point for every white man aboard. ”

“ At about 0230, Marines on Peacock Point detected the two patrol boats, which appeared to them only as dark shapes as they made for the reef by the airstrip. Then, the two ships ground gently ashore on the coral. The Japanese naval infantrymen slipped over the side into the surf, struggled ashore, and sprinted across the coral for cover.
On Wilkes, Gunner McKinstry called to Captain Platt and informed him that he thought he heard the sound of engines over the boom of the surf, and at 0235 one of his .50-caliber guns (gun no. 10) opened fire in the darkness. ”

“ His letter was answered by an assurance, that he was not superseded; but that having disobeyed the orders given, and declared his determination not to hold the command of the Galvarino, Captain Crosbie had been ordered to anchor her on the starboard beam of the O'Higgins, this appearing necessary from the state of the crew of the brig, and that he was not superseded in consequence of his said determination, nor had he gone through the usual forms of delivering up the brig. Captain Spry again insisted on his exemption from martial law ”

“ From rigid and overstrained discipline they relaxed into the greatest disorder, such being the usual action of persons like Puffeigh, who carry everything to extremes. Crushe endeavoured to change this state of things, and twice reported men for gross insolence; but upon hearing the evidence, the captain dismissed the sailors, and shortly afterwards rated them petty officers. The first lieutenant chafed under the restraint, as he knew now his power was gone, the men would take advantage of the commander's weakness, and treat him with indifference. ”

“ He made a forced march from [Pg 120] Springs towards Middelburg, but the commando which had wrought such havoc among Captain Wood’s men was nowhere to be seen. Report said it had disappeared towards the south-east, so after dispersing such stragglers as were found hanging about the line of march preparing to locate themselves in the comfortable sniping-places of spruit and donga, he proceeded to Olifantsfontein, whence he sent for further supplies from Springs. At Olifantsfontein he stayed a week, then went to Springs for the purpose of co-operating with Colonel Benson. ”

“ It was Captain Vernon’s signal for action. On the instant a thin line of moving kharki broke from cover, bayonets glittered among the scrub, cheers and the rattle of musketry filled the air. Officers and men were dashing, as only Britons can dash, each striving to outrush the other towards the lair of the enemy. Quick as thought they had plunged into the scrub that girdled the sandbags, and excitedly, jubilantly, some one on Dummie Fort sang out, “They are swarming over the bags—the position is ours!” ”

“ You may be interested to hear a little about the Navy, who have come to the front as usual and met an emergency. From the first it would seem that what was wanted were long-range guns which could shell the enemy at a distance outside the range of their Mauser rifles, and the captain of the Terrible, therefore, proposed a field-mounting for the Naval long 12-pounder of 12 cwt., which has a much longer range than any artillery gun out here. ”

“ As De Wet’s luck would have it, Colonel Byng, under orders, made a temporary move to Hamilfontein, causing a gap, of which the slim Dutchman was not slow to avail himself. He tore along towards the bank of the river, found the loophole at Lilliefontein (some four miles west of Colesberg Road bridge) , and was over the river like a rocket! Space does not admit of a detailed account of this exciting chase, of Captain Dallimore’s prodigious haul of twenty-seven Boers by fifteen Victorians, and of the part taken by all the splendid troops, that knew no rest night nor day for over a fortnight. ”

“ When Captain Creesy was appointed to command the Flying Cloud, he was well known in New York, as he had commanded the ship Oneida, for a number of years in the China and East India trade, and bore a high reputation among ship-owners and underwriters, many of whom were his personal friends and associates. ”

“ I then ordered all our men to be called up, and told them there was a design to seize the ship, and take us for pirates, and asked them if they would stand by us, and by one another; the men answered cheerfully, one and all, that they would live and die with us. Then I asked the captain what way he thought best for us to manage a fight with them; for resist them I was resolved we would, and that to the last drop. He said readily, that the way was to keep them off with our great shot as long as we could, and then to use our small arms, to keep them from boarding us ”

“ Scriven was one amongst the very few of the petty-officers who conducted themselves to my satisfaction. He is a very correct, attentive, sober young man; therefore I beg leave to recommend him to your lordship’s attention. I have the honor to be, &c.
(Signed) ⁠“Robert Cuthbert, Captain.” Mr, Scriven subsequently served as supernumerary on board the Sans Pareil 80, commanded by Captain Essington; and as admiralty midshipman, under Commodore Samuel Hood, with whom he proceeded to the Leeward Islands, in the Ulysses 44, of which ship he was appointed an acting lieutenant, Dec. ”

“ There were two hundred and twenty human beings entirely helpless to save themselves. None may know the agonies of that hour, when even hope itself had fled—when nothing intervened between the soul and the unseen world. The Crescent went to pieces a short time after the departure of the jolly-boat, and every one left on board perished, to the number of two hundred and twenty, out of a crew of two hundred and eighty. Amongst the lost were the captain, three lieutenants, a lieutenant of marines, nine midshipmen, the surgeon, purser, carpenter, and gunner ”

“ His promotion to the rank of lieutenant took place in December, 1796.
From this period, we find no particular mention of Mr. Crispin until November 4, 1805, when, as first lieutenant of the Caesar 80, Captain Sir Richard J. Strachan, he assisted at the capture of Rear-admiral Dumanoir le Pelley; for which he was made commander on the 24th of the following month [2] . ”

“ The Ladysmith chief signaller, Captain Walker, rapidly came into communication with the signallers on Swartz Kop, and Sir George White was informed of the satisfactory progress of the advance so far.
The Naval guns were now comfortably ensconced on the western ridge of the hill, ready to do duty in sweeping away the strong positions which were being rapidly built up by the hostile hordes, who were fast beginning to congregate from the neighbourhood of Colenso. ”

“ He entered very early into the service of the navy, for which profession he soon discovered uncommon talents. In the year 1757 he was appointed captain of the Elizabeth, and proceeded with Commodore Stevens to the East Indies, where he distinguished himself in three several actions against the French squadron, being always opposed to a ship of superior force. His skill was of the utmost importance during the blockade of Pondicherry as well as at the subsequent reduction of Manilla by Admiral Cornish in 1761. ”

“ In the Zastron district a party of the 2nd Division of Brabant’s Horse—mostly raw recruits—got into difficulties on the 13th. They became detached from the main body, were caught in a defile, and 120 of them were taken prisoners. The captain in command was wounded in several places, and the Colonials lost eight killed and eighteen wounded, three of whom since died. At this time De Wet was retreating north, flying towards the Thabanchu region from the pursuit of Knox, and struggling to break through the British cordon. ”

“ They succeeded in creeping to within thirty yards of the enemy, many of whom were sleeping outside, and when near the fort poured in two or three rapid volleys. Trooper Webb got sufficiently close to the fort to blow out the brains of one of the enemy. The natives then beat a rapid retreat, in accordance with instructions previously given to them, having inflicted some losses upon the enemy. In the brickfields the Cape Boys were reinforced by a detachment of Protectorate troops under Captain Fitzclarence. ”

“ He thought, "of course the lieutenant imagines all women who have anything to do with sailors are bad; he don't know how good she is. I wish I could have him face to face on shore, I'd cram them ere words down his lean throat, I would."
Tom's leave had been stopped for over a fortnight, and all his appeals met with insults from Crushe, when one morning, the crew having been transferred from the hulk to the Stinger, Captain Puffeigh visited the ship; and after a superficial survey, desired the first lieutenant to muster the men, observing, "I think it's time they should know who I am." ”