Captain Dyer

“ It had taken the objective it was sent for, and this boy has had to help shell the position where Dyer would have been if the battalion hadn’t been sacrificed. His idea is that it was a perhaps inevitable sacrifice, but the thought that he might have been pouring lead and steel in on his friend, still alive and hiding in a shell-hole, has got on his nerves till he’s all in pieces. He’s a giant physically, but Dyer is twice his size, nevertheless.”
[348] “I’ll find him,” said Jane. She felt suddenly weak with dread. ”

“ The major, who was an observer of nature, smiled and winked sagaciously at the exasperated captain before he said:
“Why should the ladies go down at all? it's a pleasant night, and begad, sir, a group of nightcaps like this isn't to be got together more than once in a lifetime.” Before the gallant officer had finished his sentence the deck was cleared of women; but, of course, the luxury of seeing a dead body lifted from the boat being too great to be missed, the starboard cabin ports had many faces opposite them.
The doctor left Daireen to the care of Mrs. ”

“ She be turnin’ over now, as I’m a livin’—No, no; ’tis all right; her be rightin’ again, but Cap’n, her can’t live much longer to that rate.”
“No,” agreed George, who, like Dyer, had been breathlessly watching the outrageous antics of the waterlogged craft, and had seen how very nearly she had come to capsizing as the sea flung her up and hove her over on her beam ends—“I’m afraid she cannot. As you say, something must be done if we are to save those poor wretches; but the only thing that I can think of is to at least make the attempt to launch a boat. ”

“ His quarters, we should observe, were the three foremost lower-deck guns; and they suffered more than any others on that deck, one gun being quite disabled, and 14 men killed and wounded.
In the ensuing winter, Mr. Dillon followed Captain Gambier into the Prince George 98, then fitting at Chatham, and afterwards attached to the Channel fleet, under Lord Bridport. Of that ship he was the senior midshipman at the capture of three sail of the line, near l’Orient, June 23, 1795 [4] , but unfortunately he had not then served a sufficient time to qualify him for promotion. ”

“ He was feeling much better after his experiences; in fact, a couple of good nights' sleep and recreation had put him back in good trim again. Two years at sea in the U. S. Navy will toughen the bone and muscle of any lad.
Dick and Larry had been wanting Jay to go to Captain Austin to relate the whole story of what had happened on the bottom of the sea in the cabin of the Dominion. Magnanimously, Jay had spurned the proposition.
"They might think I was jealous because Weddigen fished up the diamonds while all I got was a handful of deck railing that well-nigh finished me," was his answer. ”

“ The thought of being near you—that is, near the time when I can get the advice I want from your father—makes all my labour seem light.”
“But if I ask the captain, he will, I am sure, let you become a passenger,” said the girl suddenly. “Do let me ask him, Standish. It is so—so hard for you to have to work as a sailor.”
“It is no harder than I expected it would be,” he said; “I am not afraid to work hard: and I feel that I am doing something—I feel it. I should be more wretched in the cabin. Now do not think of speaking to me for the rest of the voyage, Daireen ”

“ He had seen enough to acquaint him with the fact that whoever these men were aboard this palatial craft, they were pirates bold who had filched from the Dominion some of her gold bullion.
The lad hesitated not a moment, but quickly ran back over the deck to the rope ladder and as deftly lowered over the side. He had come aboard all unsuspected and undetected. Now he would hasten back to the Jules Verne and tell Captain Austin all that he had seen. It would be up to the chief officer of the salvage ship to say what next should be done.
"They must not get away at all hazards," Jay told himself. ”

“ We stood on the deck together, Men that had looked on death In battle and stormy weather; Yet a little we held our breath, When, with the hush of death, The great ships drew together.
Our Captain strode to the bow, Drayton, courtly and wise, Kindly cynic, and wise, (You hardly had known him now, The flame of fight in his eyes!) — His brave heart eager to feel How the oak would tell on the steel!
But, as the space grew short, A little he seemed to shun us; Out peered a form grim and lanky, And a voice yelled, “Hard-a-port! Hard-a-port!—here’s the damned Yankee Coming right down on us!” ”

“ I was able to tell him where to get fresh water: to get this it was necessary to pull up to the head of the bay to where the Umbilo river ran into the harbour. The water of this river was very good, and at low tide was not affected by the salt water that entered the bay. I told the captain he must be very cautious; because, as the boat would be seen as it proceeded to the river, an ambuscade could be arranged by an enemy without any difficulty. The captain said he would take his pistols, and the men would be armed with guns and handspikes; so he did not fear a few naked niggers. ”

“ Colonel Gerald sprang from the Cape cart in which he was driving with the commodore of the naval station.
“Good God, Daireen, what does this mean?” he cried, looking from the girl to the man beside her.
But Daireen, regardless of her dripping condition, threw herself into his arms, and the stranger turned away whistling. He reached the road and shook his head confidentially at the commodore, who was standing beside the Cape cart.
“Touching thing to be a father, eh, Admiral?” he said.
“Stop, sir,” said the commodore. “You must wait till this is explained.” ”

“ Captain Drury sent his boats in search of any of the unfortunate crew that might have escaped; but not a soul was found alive. The Camelion was much damaged, and had 12 men wounded.
The subject of this sketch was advanced to the rank of Post-Captain, March 21, 1782; and commanded the Myrmidon, of 20 guns, on the home station, during the remainder of the American war. At the commencement of the contest with the French republic, we find him in the Fox frigate, employed at Newfoundland; and subsequently in the Flora, of 36 guns, on Channel service. ”

“ Taking advantage of the undertow [116] that snatched up every loosened particle of sand and scurried it away, Jay proposed to do a little excavating in the neighborhood of the U-boat and leave it to the currents themselves to exhume the lost ship—at least to free it far enough for the divers to get inside and salvage the plans so much wanted by the U. S. Government.
And now Jay was ready to be off. His new "vacuum cleaner" was ready and the air pump working smoothly.
"Good luck to you," called out Captain Austin as Dick prepared to clamp on his chum's helmet. ”

“ Jay eyed his watch for a second.
"Not more than five minutes," came Jay's even reply.
"There's only one thing to do," the Captain told him in reassuring tones. "Our pump has gone back on us and the steel cables have parted on us—a combination of hard luck that would not happen once in a thousand years. Can you get your bomb back in any way and detach it?"
Jay said they would try, and turned toward his chum. "It's our only chance now, Dick," he told him.
Together they flung back the aquascope to grapple for the bomb they had set under the deck of the coal barge. ”

“ As she was under the shelter of the guns of Fort Caswell, a boat from shore was sent off to her next morning, and poor Dyer was found in a dying condition on the deck with his skull fractured. He had paid for his folly with his life.
Our first voyage to Nassau was made without any unusual incident. The Major took passage with us by permission of the Secretary of War, and his practical jokes amused every one except the butt of them; even the aggrieved party, himself, being frequently obliged to laugh at his own expense. ”

“ I fear we are about as dismal a crew as ever sailed. How shocked my wife will be to hear of our disaster! The swell has gone down now, and we are doing about eight knots with all sail set and a nice little breeze. Hyson is practically in command of the ship, as Tibbs, though he does his best to bear up and keep a brave front, is incapable of applying himself to serious work.
October 24.—Is the ship accursed? Was there ever a voyage which began so fairly and which changed so disastrously? Tibbs shot himself through the head during the night. ”

“ Having explained to Dyer his proposed scheme of operations, George left to the pilot the task of attending to the necessary manoeuvring of the ship, and, going forward, called for four volunteers to go with him in the boat to handle her and assist, if it might be, in saving the unfortunate crew of the Spanish ship. As he had anticipated, he met with no difficulty in obtaining a sufficient number of men for his purpose, four of his old Bonaventure’s at once stepping forward at his call. ”

“ But the storm ceasing in an instant, his mind grew calmer by degrees, he weighed anchor, and set sail again, and took the way of Canton, with intention there to pass the winter. But the designs of men, and power of devils, can do nothing against the decrees of Providence. A contrary wind broke all the projects of the captain, constraining him, in his own despite, to enter with full sails into the ocean of Japan. And the same wind carried the junk of the pirate toward Cangoxima, the birth-place of Anger, sirnamed Paul de Sainte Foy. ”

“ When he himself was upon his death-bed he greeted his old friend Colonel Dyer—he of the absent overcoat and over-shoes—with:
"Dyer, I'm almost gone. I am in the shadow of death. I am standing upon the very brink. I cannot see clearly, I cannot speak coherently, the film of death obstructs my sight. I know what this means. It is the end, but all is well with me. I have no fear. I have said and done things that would have been better left unsaid and undone, but I have never willfully wronged a man in my life. I have no concern for myself. I am concerned only for those I leave behind. ”

“ A white-crested wave sweeps over her, and throws her down; she tries to rise; she sees her husband with clasped hands praying for her; she waves hers in reply, and Dorian is called away on duty.
He speaks coolly and decidedly; he gives the necessary orders to an old sergeant, but is stopped by the screams of the unhappy women on the deck, who are hoping that the launch may come back for them. A strong rope had been affixed to the ship, and it had been decided that this, being also connected with the launch, should be fastened ashore by any means that the will of Providence might offer. ”

“ To counter this manoeuvre, therefore, Dyer gave the order “Ready about!” and as the sail-trimmers sprang to their stations, George shouted an order to the gunners of the starboard battery to be ready to fire at the word of command. The men accordingly blew their smouldering matches vigorously, again looked to the priming of their ordnance, and held themselves ready to discharge at the word. Up swept the Nonsuch into the wind, with all her sails ashiver in the brisk breeze, and, watching carefully, George gave the order to fire at the exact moment when the Spanish ship was square abeam. ”

“ It was not, however, until the Nonsuch arrived immediately opposite the opening that Dyer was able, with the assistance of the perspective glass, to pick up the little narrow streak of unbroken water in the midst of the flashing surf which marked the channel through the reef, and from his lofty perch he immediately shouted down the necessary orders to George, who stood aft upon the poop, and who in his turn repeated them to the mariners, whereupon the ship was brought to the wind and, under the pilot’s directions, headed straight for the passage. ”

“ She was still some two miles distant, and it would be at least ten minutes before she arrived within gun-shot.
“Pilot,” said George, turning to Dyer, after he had eyed the stranger carefully, “let the mariners clew up and furl our topgallants. I believe we can do without them, by the look of yonder ship, which seems to be not nearly so fast as ourselves, and there will be the less tackle for the men to handle when it comes to manoeuvring, and consequently the more men free to fight.” ”

“ The captain looked at me in astonishment and said, “What are you shouting about?” I told him he must halt his men and keep them quiet, or we might have a thousand men on us in half a minute. As he could not see a Caffre, or even hear one, he said, “A thousand men! why there is not one to be seen.” I again called out in Caffre and said, “I have brought the chief of the big ship to talk to Umnini. He is friendly and wants to see him.” There was silence for a short time, and then a voice from the bush was heard, and inquiry was made as to why a messenger was not sent first to say we were friends. ”

“ By the light of his own flash I saw him break open the chest in the captain's cabin of the Dominion and transfer some of those sparklers to his pockets. As God is my judge, I saw this man take those diamonds."
The hubbub increased. The crew of the Nemo seemed about to leap on the accused diver.
"Since he didn't get away with the theft because of the alertness of Seymour," Jay continued, "I decided to let the matter go by. But now that he's been caught again, and this time in a dastardly effort against the country [135] that we all love, I'm telling the whole story. ”

“ They liked to think they were not really working, but out upon a blue and dancing sea, and came back one by one, the carpenters, the tinsmiths, the millwrights, one and all, with cheerful grins to do us honor.
“So you’re the captain, eh?” lazy old Jack, the partner of car-loading Carder, asked of the engineer, and John looked his full dignity at once.
“That I am, Jack,” he replied, “only able seamen ain’t supposed to ask too many familiar questions. Are they, mate?” ”