Every Man Will Do His Duty (21 page)

In the smoke I purceiv’d the French capt[ain] drawing a pistol from his belt to fire at our capt[ain] that was giving command. I drew a pistol at the same time and let him have the contents. At the same time a stout Frenchman made a blow at me with a large hanger, from the netting, but the man behind me saw the blow and covered my head with his boarding pike, which was cut that it fell and the bare pint struck me in the head and I fell, but the man ketch’d up the pike and run it into his body and he fell between the two vessels. I recovered in a few minutes.

They finding they could not board us, and there capt[ain] slain, and our small brass piece made a scattering on their decks, they found it in vain and struck their colours [29 May 1800] in less than 30 minutes. We had no men killed but a good many wounded. What was kiled on b[oar]d the cutter we had no purticular account of, as some went over board, but a great many wounded.

We cleared the decks and repaird the riging and took hur into Lisbon. We refited and refreshed the crew. The cutter was sold into the Portogees service as a man of war.

We put to see again. Runing off Porto we took a Spanish lugger. I went on board, and in going to Lisbon, the
Netley
in company, we took two more, and the
Netley
going on a cruise, left me in charge of them. I took them in, and laying there under the charge of Mr. Lynes & Gill, our agents, Mr. Lynes had bought a privateer schooner that had been taken, and I laying in one of the luggers, close two hur off of Buckeys Stairs, about the center of the town, which is a square where the gentry generally walk and meat [meet] upon acasion on the River Tagos. Mr. Loynes wished I would “give an I,” or take charge of the schooner, as well as the rest, having only one old man on board, a Portegee, and all hur powder on board.

One forenoon, being on board my own lugger with the men and one of the prisemasters belonging to one of the luggers, we purceived the flames and smoke coming up the main hatchway. I jumped into the skiff and asked who would follow me. They, knowing the danger, refused, till one man by the name of Wm. Grimes came with me and a bucket. We got on b[oar]d as fast as posseble. The merchant ships that lay all around hur wore away their cables to the klinch, [k]nowing she had a good deal of powder in and expecting she would blow up every moment. We got on board, and the old man was sitting before the fire in the hatchway and the bulkhead all in a blaze. There was the lazareet between the magazeen and the fire, which was not more than 10 or 12 feet.

The oul man, as soon as he saw me, cried out, “O, munta frees,” and rubing his hands, which was that he was very cold.

“Yes, dam you,” said I, “you will be hot a nuff presently,” jumping down the hatchway, with a crowbar in my hand, and stove away the bulk head, as he kept heaving water wherever I stove down the bricks and boards. Some bricks in the fireplace had been broken, therefore the bulk head ketched fire on the opposite side. We got the fire out but could not be certain. I hailed the nearest ship to send there boat to take the powder out of the schooner, but the mate told me he could not get a man to go. I inshured him there was no danger.

At length one of the men came with the mate in the lanch [launch] a long side. I broke open the magazeen scuttle and took out 14 whole and half barrels of powder, several boxes of hand granades, several boxes of muskets catriges, and boxes of glas handgronades, which are to heave by hand, where you see them most numerous for boarding. I took it all on b[oar]d the lugger, which I was in myself and would not allow any fier on b[oar]d while I had charg of it. If she had been blown up there would of
been a great distruction both by the houses on shore and the shiping laying roun about hur. I went to the agent and inform’d him, but he had the news before I inform’d him. I and my comrad receiv’d great aplause for our conduct, but I had a new suit of clothing spoilt for my labour. Shortly after the
Netley
came in and Capt[ain] Bond was inform’d by the agent of my conduct in saving his vessel and a number of lives, which gave me a great deal of privilage both on b[oar]d and a shore.

The
Netley
being complete for see we all went on b[oar]d and put to see. After passing Fort Julian, which stands on the north side and west end in entering the Tagos up to Lisbon, we fell in with a Portegee fishing boat. They inform’d us there was a Spanish privateer laying under the fort at an anchor with an English brig they had taken the same day. We run in shore and by this time it was dark. We saw both schooner and brig. We lowered the boat down, armed, and boarded hur as we run under hur stern. When we had possession we lufed up for the schooner. I was order to be ready with 25 men to jump on board as soon as we tutched hur sides. The anchor was let go the moment we tuched hur main chains, head and stern. We jumped on board. Some run below, and some that did not got wounded. We cleared the decks. The officers run down in the cabin. I told them to remain there and they would not be hurt. I claped a sentry on the dore, and we cut the cable and made sail out to see, and the
Netley
hove up hur anchor and followed us.

In the morning we fell in with a fleet of Portegee merchantmen under convoy of an English 24 gun ship man of war and a privateer of 16 guns. The privateer had seen the Spanish schooner the day before and was afraid to engage hur and supposing she and the
Netley
was coming to take the convoy, begin to fire at us by whole broad sides, and we could not fire at hur without damaging or hurting some of the merchat men, till the
Netley
made sail and spoke the commedore. Then they ceased, but there shot was at random and done us no harm, excepting cuting our riging. We went in with them and our prises. The Portegees thought to take them from us, as they ware taken under there forts, but we took the privateer out in the night and sent hur to England. The English privateer lay below Bellom Castle and would not come up to Lisbon for fear of our captain.

We put to see again and run to Porto Port and went in as soon as we came to an anchor. We ware inform’d that a French privateer of 14 guns had come off the barr and had taken an English brig that lay under the fort. Being loaded, and not able to get hur in till the tide served, therefore the Portegees new they would have to pay for hur. Being taken under cover of there guns, they sent out a Kings lugger mounted 12 twelve pounders to retake the brig. Being heavyer mettal than the Frenchman off Viana, she
came up with them. The privateer engaged the luger and in a quarter of an hour took the luger. The next day we ariving and hearing of the event, the capt[ain] got under way to go out, but the pilots said it was unpossible, as the wind was due west and right into the harbour, and the channel too narrow to beat out over the barr. The capt[ain] was determend to take hur out himself and he beat hur out. The pilots said there never was the like done before over that bar.

We stood to the nothord, but the wind died away almost calm. The capt[ain] seeing a fishing boat within gunshot, we fired a 24 pounder over them and they came a long side amediately, [k]nowing the
Netley.
We took the men on b[oar]d. The master and myself with 25 men took to the oars and pulled all night to the nothord. We had no other arms but pistols and cutlashes. By daylight we ware off Viana and saw the brig in the offin. The
Netley
had ketched a breze of wind in the night and had got farther to the nothord than we ware. The lugger was close in shore, but the wind was very light. We made for the brig and came up with hur and boarded hur. I rem[aine]d on board with 5 men and 9 Spaniards. The master went to the
Netley
and from thence to the lugger, pulled up a stern and boarded hur, but they could of kill’d every man if they had fired, but they said they new the
Netley
would take them, and if they had fired they expected no quarter from us. The privateer had got off Vigo, and seeing hur prizes taken she was glad to get in hurself. We took the prizes into Porto Port. Capt[ain] Bond and ships company agreed to make the lugger a present to the King again, and I having charge of hur, I received a letter to deliver hur up to the Kings officer when he came on board, which I did according to my orders. We went out again and fell in with a Sweedish ship that had been taken by the Spaniard. I was sent on board and took charge of hur, though the capt[ain] and mate were left on board.

About 10 o’clock the next day, having light winds and fair weather, coming in with the bar off Porto Port, distance about 5 mile, I purceived a French privateer schooner boarding every vessel that was coming into the bar, and an English man of war of 24 guns was laying at an anchor without the bar and took no notice of hur. At the same time a convoy of Portegees vessels was to the sotherd of harbour, distance about 5 or 6 miles. The Frenchman was now coming to board me, but when about half way, they purceived a vessel standing out to the westward from the convoy. The Frenchman new hur and amediately called them back again and got the boat in and made sail. I amediately new hur to be the
Netley.
This French schoon[er] was supposed to out sail anything on the coast, which made hur so daring with the 20 gun ship, but the
Netley
having such a name made them jubus [dubious] of hur. The
Netley
was coming up with hur very fast.
When we ware going over the bar, about 9 o’clock
P.M.,
the
Netley
got with in gun shot, and to the Frenchman’s misfortune, shot away the head of hur foremast. Then she was amediately a long side of hur. They struck and was brough[t] into Porto next morning.

In a few days I returned on board, and we put to sea. Cruising off Laguardo we saw a schooner coming down upon us before the wind, and we were then in the rig of a Dutch galyot, which I before mentioned we could be in the rig of a schooner in twenty minutes, and when our ports were closed and caps on the muzels of the guns they could not purceive we had any till they got near us. This schooner had a French sailor on board that had been taken by us twice before. He inform’d the French capt[ain] that we ware the “trees keelus” as they call’d us, having three keels, but the French capt[ain] thought he new better and said we ware a Sweedish galyot, as they ware very comon then on the Portegee coast trading from Hollond. However they came down so close that they could purceive we had guns but not at any great distance with the spy glass. They hall’d their wind. We then made sail. In a short time we ware abrest of them. They up hellem and claped hur before the wind, but all would not do, we ware amediately along side of hur and they struck their colours.

The Frenchman that we had taken before got up on one of the guns and cried out, “Capt[ain], how you do.” We all new him.

The capt[ain] asked him why he did not [k]now the
Netley.
He replyed, “Yes, Sir, I [k]now de trees keelus. De capt[ai]n no belief me. I tel him many times. Now he tink so two.”

We got the prisoners on b[oar]d and this Frenchman went to the capt[ain] and told him he must stay on board the
Netley.
The capt[ain] asked him if he wanted to enter for the
Netley.
He replyed, “Yes, Sir, I go no more from de trees keelus. He take me tree times, I must stay here.” Therefore he remain’d on board. Som tim after, we retook an English ship from Newfound land which had been taken by the Spaniards. She had seven thousand kentals [quintals] of kodfish on board, and in sending hur into Lisbon, this Frenchman was one sent in hur. In going in in a gale of wind the ship was lost and all hands perished excepting this Frenchman. He got on shore and left Lisbon, and we never heard of him afterwards.

The
Netley,
though a man of war, having such excelent yousage on board from Capt[ain] Bond that we could at any time get as many seamen out of the merchant ships as he wanted and would not except of them unless they ware good seaman, I being on shore waiting for the
Netley
to come off the bar at Porto and having orders from the capt[ain] to enter some good seam[en], and when they had intilegence, there ware more came than I would except of, but I took 28 men and a good many of them
ware mates and boatswains of merchantmen, and when I came on b[oar]d we had more men than we wanted. Capt[ain] Bond runing into Lisbon in my absence had entered some there. In a few days after we fell in with a gansey [Guernsey] privateer that had all hur men pressed by a sixty four and had not men sufficient to take hur into harbour. Capt[ain] Bond gave him the priviledge of having any of the new hand if they chewsed to go, but all he could get was one Sweed and a boy.

Capt[ain] Bond took a delight in making his ships company comfortable, and when in harbour as much liberty as could be expected. He could not bare to punish men at the gangway, but he contrived a collar of one inch plank to ware round there necks with a large padlock for any certain time, which they dreaded more than floging. Likewise for lighter crimes was a scarlot cap full of black tossels hung all over it. When any strangers came on board, these men that had them on would sneak a way below for shame.

We fell in with a Merican ship that had lost hur masts and hur side stove in, which made hur so leakey they could scarcely keep hur free. We sent men on board and carpenters on board, tared a tarpolan, and ocam [oakum] over it, and nail’d it well over with boards, which stoped the leak considerable, and took hur in tow and caried hur into Lisbon where she was bound to. She belonged to the notherd.

On our cruises there was two privateers hove in sight, a cutter of 18 guns, the schooner of 16 guns, and we gave chase after them. Coming up, we run betwen both of them with our colours hoisted. The cutter fired two broad sides, great guns and small arms, and then made sail. We having the schooner under our lee, when the cutter made sale, he gave hur one 24 p[ounde]r, which dismounted one gun, killed one man, and wounded several more. At the same time the capt[ain] gave me orters to give the schooner a gun, which I did and split hur stem. The men left their quarter and the capt[ain] hall’d the coluurs down. We sent the boat on board and brought the capt[ain] on board. They proved to be English privateers from the Isle of Ganzey [Guernsey]. They new we ware an English man of war, but they expected we would press there men. As luck would have it, they done us no harm excepting cutting some of our riging. We took one man out of the schooner, not as we wanted him, but to certify as a witness. The capt[ain] rought to the Admiralety and there was strict orders sent to Gernsey that the capt[ain] of the cutter was never more to have command of a vessel out of the port, if known.