Captain Hardy

“ Across the bows of the outermost was jammed the offending vessel, the rushing ebb-tide holding her fast. The end of her bowsprit dangled helplessly and a broken jib-stay was waving about in the wind. Jammed tight in her rigging was the bowsprit of one of the ships she had fouled, holding her tight, like an apple spitted on a stick. But no damage had been done excepting to the offending vessel herself. Men were pushing against the ship with boat-hooks, while Captain Hardy's own crew were pumping at a capstan from which a hawser, stretched tight as a fiddle string, ran to an up-stream pier. ”

“ To avoid him she frequently sat upstairs in a window overlooking the garden. Lieutenant Loveday carefully dressed himself in a new uniform, which he had caused to be sent some days before, to dazzle admiring friends, but which he had never as yet put on in public or mentioned to a soul. When arrayed he entered the sunny garden, and there walked slowly up and down as he had seen Nelson and Captain Hardy do on the quarter-deck; but keeping his right shoulder, on which his one epaulette was fixed, as much towards Anne’s window as possible. ”

“ His mind continued intent on the great object that was always before him, his duty to his country; he therefore anxiously inquired for Captain Hardy, to know whether the annihilation of the enemy might be depended on; but it was upwards of an hour before our officer could, at so critical a period, leave the deck, and Lord Nelson became apprehensive that his brave associate was dead. The crew of the Victory were now heard to cheer, and he anxiously demanded the cause ”

“ In despair Captain Hardy turned aside, desperately thinking how to meet the situation. Argument, he saw, was of no avail with this type of man. Force would have to be used. But what had he to offer that would impress the man?
"Captain Hardy," said Roy, slipping up to his commander, "would our police cards help any?"
"The very thing," said Captain Hardy. "I had forgotten that you boys had them."
Captain Hardy hastened back to the commander of the Patrol. "Lieutenant Gavigan," he said sharply, "there are more ways than one a policeman can lose his head. One is by being a fool. ”

“ The captain shook his head severely, and presently observed: ‘I am glad to find that you think of entering the service, Loveday; smart men are badly wanted. But it will not be in your power to choose your ship.’
‘Well, well, sir; then I must take my chance elsewhere,’ said Bob, his face indicating the disappointment he would not fully express. ‘’Twas only that I felt I would much rather serve under you than anybody else, my father and all of us being known to ye, Captain Hardy, and our families belonging to the same parts.’
Captain Hardy took Bob’s altitude more carefully. ”

“ Captain Hardy may be depended upon for that; he knows every current about here, being a native.’
‘And now I can see the other side; it is a soldier where a sailor was before. You are sure it is the Victory?’
‘I am sure.’
After this a frigate came into view—the Euryalus—sailing in the same direction. Anne sat down, and her eyes never left the ships. ‘Tell me more about the Victory,’ she said.
‘She is the best sailer in the service, and she carries a hundred guns. The heaviest be on the lower deck, the next size on the middle deck, the next on the main and upper decks. ”

“ He could think of nothing but the work ahead of him, of the rendezvous in the darkness at Hell Gate. The little steamer, ploughing her way through the water, seemed to Captain Hardy to be almost motionless, so keen were his fears that he would be too late. He pulled out his watch and groaned. The boat was well into the East River, but it was already almost nine o'clock. In agony of mind he began to pace up and down the deck.
"Got an answer," said Lieutenant Gavigan, suddenly coming out of the cabin, and he thrust a paper into Captain Hardy's hand. ”

“ Please not to be angry with me, father, for deserting you and the mill, where you want me, for I must go. For these three years we and the rest of the country have been in fear of the enemy; trade has been hindered; poor folk made hungry; and many rich folk made poor. There must be a deliverance, and it must be done by sea. I have seen Captain Hardy, and I shall serve under him if so be I can.’
‘Captain Hardy?’
‘Yes. I have been to his house at Pos’ham, where he’s staying with his sisters; walked there and back, and I wouldn’t have missed it for fifty guineas. ”

“ The parade was over at last—for the Rodman R. Hardy Post had been one of the latest in line—and I turned away across the square. The sight of the widow with her two sons had cleansed the atmosphere from the miasma that trailed behind the politician as he rode by me in his vulgar barouche. The memory of a great deed is an oasis in the vista of life, and the recollection of Captain Hardy's death made the day seem fairer. The sunshine flooded the streets with molten gold. ”

“ Hardy answered, “There was no fear of that.” Then, and not till then, Nelson spoke of himself. “I am going fast,” said he;—“it will be all over with me soon.” Hardy observed that he hoped Mr. Beatty could yet hold out some prospect of life. “Oh, no!” he replied; “it is impossible.” Captain{191} Hardy then, once more, shook hands with him; and, with a heart almost bursting, hastened upon deck.
Captain Hardy, some fifty minutes after he had left the cockpit, returned; and, again taking the hand of his dying friend and commander, congratulated him on having gained a complete victory. ”

“ The Victory and Euryalus are to join the rest of the fleet at Plymouth. There was a great crowd of people assembled to see the admiral off; they cheered him and the ship as she dropped down. He took his coffin on board with him, they say.’
‘His coffin!’ said Anne, turning deadly pale. ‘Something terrible, then, is meant by that! O, why would Bob go in that ship? doomed to destruction from the very beginning like this!’
‘It was his determination to sail under Captain Hardy, and under no one else,’ said John. ‘There may be hot work ”

“ The eyes of the British public were instantly directed toward their invincible Admiral; and, agreeably to the national wish, Lord Nelson was immediately appointed to the chief command of the Mediterranean fleet. His Lordship sailed for that station in the Victory of 100 guns, accompanied by Captain Hardy in the Amphion; and on his arrival off Brest shifted his flag to that frigate, where it remained till he was rejoined by the Victory off Toulon at the latter end of July [5] . From this period till the termination of that hero’s glorious career, Captain Hardy was his constant companion. ”

“ The grave fronts and bastions were wrapped in silence; so much so, that, standing awhile in the inner ward, they could hear through an open window a faintly clicking sound from within.
‘She’s at the telegraph,’ said Dare, throwing forward his voice softly to the captain. ‘What can that be for so early? That wire is a nuisance, to my mind; such constant intercourse with the outer world is bad for our romance.’
The speaker entered to arrange his photographic apparatus, of which, in truth, he was getting weary; and De Stancy smoked on the terrace till Dare should be ready. ”

“ The mess of blood about Makes ’em so slippery that one’s like to fall In carrying the wounded men below. [While CAPTAIN HARDY is still a little way off, LORD NELSON turns to walk aft, when a ball from one of the muskets in the mizzen- top of the “Redoubtable” enters his left shoulder. He falls upon his face on the deck. HARDY looks round, and sees what has happened.] HARDY [hastily] Ah—what I feared, and strove to hide I feared!... [He goes towards NELSON, who in the meantime has been lifted by SERGEANT-MAJOR SECKER and two seamen.] NELSON Hardy, I think they’ve done for me at last! ”

“ The captain at this time was a bachelor of thirty-five, rather stout in build, with light eyes, bushy eyebrows, a square broad face, plenty of chin, and a mouth whose corners played between humour and grimness. He surveyed Loveday from top to toe.
‘Robert Loveday, sir, son of the miller at Overcombe,’ said Bob, making a low bow.
‘Ah! I remember your father, Loveday,’ the gallant seaman replied. ‘Well, what do you want to say to me?’ Seeing that Bob found it rather difficult to begin, he leant leisurely against the mantelpiece, and went on, ‘Is your father well and hearty? ”

“ Captain Hardy shrugged his shoulders.
“You cannot go there with your airship,” he said.
“Very true!”
“How then do you propose to go?”
“On foot.”
“Mercy! a handful of men like us will stand no show with such a myriad of foes, however insufficiently armed.”
“How many of the natives do you reckon there are?” asked Frank.
“At least several thousand.”
The young inventor was silent. He realized that there was logic in Captain Hardy’s words.
But he was not to be defeated.
“Barney,” he said, “go down and fetch up those long, black boxes in the forward cabin.” ”

“ That fire is not much less than a mile off, for all that 'a seems so near."
"'Tis in the heath, but no furze," said the turf-cutter.
"'Tis cleft-wood, that's what 'tis," said Timothy Fairway. "Nothing would burn like that except clean timber. And 'tis on the knap afore the old captain's house at Mistover. Such a queer mortal as that man is! To have a little fire inside your own bank and ditch, that nobody else may enjoy it or come anigh it! And what a zany an old chap must be, to light a bonfire when there's no youngsters to please." ”

“ He replied as soon as he could regain self-command, ‘I am glad Bob is in the navy at last—he is so much more fitted for that than the merchant-service—so brave by nature, ready for any daring deed. I have heard ever so much more about his doings on board the Victory. Captain Hardy took special notice that when he—’
‘I don’t want to know anything more about it,’ said Anne impatiently; ‘of course sailors fight; there’s nothing else to do in a ship, since you can’t run away! ”

“ Then we brought you down here into the captain's cabin; I put the ship about, and cast off the Fury with ten men in her; she's following in our wake now, sir."
"Capital! And what of the prisoners?"
"Tied up, sir. There's a hundred and forty, sir, all told, and being such a terrible lot more than us I couldn't leave 'em loose. They're sitting on the lower deck, side by side, twenty of them slung on to one rope, and for every twenty there's a man with a musket. ”

“ Hardy was different, realizing his helplessness, but eying me coolly, his hands held over his head.
"What does all this mean?" he asked quietly. "Who the devil are you?"
"He's that damned Yank Billie's been so interested in," broke out the captain, "the same fellow who knocked me off my horse at Jonesboro."
Major Hardy glanced toward his daughter inquiringly, but before she could utter a word in explanation I cut in:
"This has nothing to do with Miss Hardy. She is as much a prisoner as you are. Now, Captain, hand me your revolver--butt first, please. Major Hardy, I will also trouble you. ”

“ Hardy told stories to the married ladies, at which they laughed very much in their pocket-handkerchiefs, and hit him on the knuckles with their fans, declaring him to be ‘a naughty man—a shocking creature’—and so forth; and Captain Helves gave slight descriptions of battles and duels, with a most bloodthirsty air, which made him the admiration of the women, and the envy of the men. ”

“ But they were answered by a loud and confident cheer from the beach, and in the momentary silence that ensued they heard the rapid tramp of a large body of men hurrying over the shingle. Immediately afterward they saw the fugitives halt, and rush back, largely reinforced, to the gangway, led by the indomitable captain. On they came, tumbling into the water three or four of the Englishmen who had started in pursuit and were making for the shore. ”

“ Beatty’s Narrative, the real number of wounded was 102; 27 men having reported themselves too late to be included in the returns [10] .
The Victory having been made sea-worthy at Gibraltar, where she arrived seven days after the battle, passed through the Straits during the night of the 4th of November, and the next day at noon joined Vice-Admiral Collingwood off Cadiz. Captain Hardy parted company in the evening, and stood for England. The body of Lord Nelson had been preserved with the greatest care and attention by the Surgeon ”

“ It was impossible for Jack to collect his men; yet if Babbage and his gallant band were overcome all would be over.
"You four, watch the foc's'le!" he shouted. "Come on, you others! Babbage ahoy!"
With a shout he dashed aft, a dozen men bellowing as they sprang after him. Flash went a pistol; the clashing of cutlasses mingled with the various cries of the men; and Jack, cleaving his way through the press toward the old bo'sun's side, found himself face to face with the French captain. ”

“ Hardy eagerly said that he hoped he was not severely wounded, and Nelson replied, ‘They have done for me at last, Hardy!’ ‘I hope not,’ said Hardy. ‘Yes,’ replied the Admiral, ‘my backbone is shot through.’ The men, by Captain Hardy’s direction, [I-388] bore the Admiral to the cockpit,” where we shall leave him for the present.
Although sure to suffer most from the effects of fire, the Redoutable continued to throw hand grenades from her tops and yard-arms, some of which, rebounding, set fire to her fore and main chains and shrouds. ”

“ With a view to avoiding the awkwardness of a chance meeting with any member of the Nugent family Hardy took the sea road on his way to the office the morning after the captain's return. Common sense told him to leave matters for the present to the healing hand of Time, and to cultivate habits of self-effacement by no means agreeable to one of his temperament. ”