The Two Admirals (25 page)

"I write this in a bed big enough to ware a ninety in. I've been
athwart ships half the night, without knowing it. Galleygo has just
been in to report 'our fleet' all well, and the ships riding flood.
It seems there is a good look-out from the top of the house, where
part of the roads are visible. Magrath, and the rest of them, have
been at poor Sir Wycherly all night. I learn, but he remains down
by the head, yet. I am afraid the good old man will never be in
trim again. I shall remain here, until something is decided; and as
we cannot expect our orders until next day after to-morrow, at the
soonest, one might as well be here, as on board. Come ashore and
breakfast with us; when we can consult about the propriety of
remaining, or of abandoning the wreck. Adieu,

"OAKES.
"REAR-ADMIRAL BLUEWATER.

"P.S.—There was a little occurrence last night, connected with Sir
Thomas Wycherly's will, that makes me particularly anxious to see
you, as early as possible, this morning.

"O."

Sir Gervaise, like a woman, had written his mind in his postscript. The
scene of the previous night had forcibly presented itself to his
recollection on awakening, and calling for his writing-desk, he had sent
off this note, at the dawn of day, with the wish of having as many
important witnesses as he could well obtain, at the interview he
intended to demand, at the earliest practicable hour.

"What the deuce can Oakes have to do with Sir Wycherly Wychecombe's
will?" thought the rear-admiral. "By the way, that puts me in mind of my
own; and of my own recent determination. What are my poor £30,000 to a
man with the fortune of Lord Bluewater. Having neither a wife nor child,
brother nor sister of my own, I'll do what I please with my money. Oakes
won't
have it; besides, he's got enough of his own, and to spare. An
estate of £7000 a year, besides heaps of prize-money funded. I dare say,
he has a good £12,000 a year, and nothing but a nephew to inherit it
all. I'm determined to do as I please with my money. I made every
shilling of it, and I'll give it to whom I please."

The whole time, Admiral Bluewater lay with his eyes shut, and with a
tongue as motionless as if it couldn't stir. With all his
laissez
aller
manner, however, he had the promptitude of a sailor, when his
mind was made up to do a thing, though he always performed it in his own
peculiar mode. To rise, dress, and prepare to quit his state-room,
occupied him but a short time; and he was seated before his own
writing-desk, in the after-cabin, within twenty minutes after the
thoughts just recorded, had passed through his mind. His first act was
to take a folded paper from a private drawer, and glance his eye
carelessly over it. This was the will in favour of Lord Bluewater: It
was expressed in very concise terms, filling only the first side of a
page. This will he copied,
verbatim et literatim
, leaving blanks for
the name of the legatee, and appointing Sir Gervaise Oakes his executor,
as in the will already executed. When finished in this manner, he set
about filling up the blanks. For a passing instant, he felt tempted to
insert the name of the Pretender; but, smiling at his own folly, he
wrote that of "Mildred Dutton, daughter of Francis Dutton, a master in
His Majesty's Navy," in all the places that it was requisite so to do.
Then he affixed the seal, and, folding all the upper part of the sheet
over, so as to conceal the contents, he rang a little silver bell, which
always stood at his elbow. The outer cabin-door was opened by the
sentry, who thrust his head in at the opening.

"I want one of the young gentlemen, sentry," said the rear-admiral.

The door closed, and, in another minute, the smiling face of Lord
Geoffrey was at the entrance of the after-cabin.

"Who's on deck, my lord," demanded Bluewater, "beside the watch?"

"No one, sir. All the idlers keep as close as foxes, when the decks are
getting it; and as for any of our snorers showing their faces before six
bells, it's quite out of the question, sir."

"Some one must surely be stirring in the gun-room, by this time! Go and
ask the chaplain and the captain of marines to do me the favour to step
into the cabin—or the first lieutenant; or the master; or any of the
idlers."

The midshipman was gone two or three minutes, when he returned with the
purser and the chaplain.

"The first lieutenant is in the forehold, sir; all the marines have got
their dead-lights still in, and the master is working-up his log, the
gun-room steward says. I hope these will do, sir; they are the greatest
idlers in the ship, I believe."

Lord Geoffrey Cleveland was the second son of the third duke in the
English empire, and he knew it, as well as any one on board. Admiral
Bluewater had no slavish respect for rank; nevertheless, like all men
educated under an aristocratic system, he was influenced by the feeling
to a degree of which he himself was far from being conscious. This young
scion of nobility was not in the least favoured in matters of duty, for
this his own high spirit would have resented; but he dined in the cabin
twice as often as any other midshipman on board, and had obtained for
himself a sort of license for the tongue, that emboldened him to utter
what passed for smart things in the cock-pit and gun-room, and which,
out of all doubt, were pert things everywhere. Neither the chaplain nor
the purser took offence at his liberties on the present occasion; and,
as for the rear-admiral, he had not attended to what had been uttered.
As soon, however, as he found others in his cabin, he motioned to them
to approach his desk, and pointed to the paper, folded down, as
mentioned.

"Every prudent man," he said, "and, especially every prudent sailor and
soldier, in a time of war, ought to be provided with a will. This is
mine, just drawn up, by myself; and that instrument is an old one, which
I now destroy in your presence. I acknowledge this to be my hand and
seal," writing his name, and touching the seal with a finger as he
spoke; "affixed to this my last will and testament. Will you have the
kindness to act as witnesses?"

When the chaplain and purser had affixed their names, there still
remained a space for a third signature. This, by a sign from his
superior, the laughing midshipman filled with his own signature.

"I hope you've recollected, sir," cried the boy, with glee, as he took
his seat to obey; "that the Bluewaters and Clevelands are related. I
shall be grievously disappointed, when this will is proved, if my name
be not found somewhere in it!"

"So shall I, too, my lord," drily returned Bluewater; "for, I fully
expect it will appear as a witness; a character that is at once fatal to
all claims as a legatee."

"Well, sir, I suppose flag-officers can do pretty much as they please
with their money, since they do pretty much as they please with the
ships, and all in them. I must lean so much the harder on my two old
aunts, as I appear to have laid myself directly athwart-hawse of
fortune, in this affair!"

"Gentlemen," said the rear-admiral, with easy courtesy, "I regret it is
not in my power to have your company at dinner, to-day, as I am summoned
ashore by Sir Gervaise, and it is uncertain when I can get off, again;
but to-morrow I shall hope to enjoy that pleasure."

The officers bowed, expressed their acknowledgments, accepted the
invitation, bowed once or twice more each, and left the cabin, with the
exception of the midshipman.

"Well, sir," exclaimed Bluewater, a little surprised at finding he was
not alone, after a minute of profound reverie; "to what request am I
indebted still for the pleasure of your presence?"

"Why, sir, it's just forty miles to my father's house in Cornwall, and I
know the whole family is there; so I just fancied, that by bending on
two extra horses, a chaise might make the Park gates in about five
hours; and by getting under way on the return passage, to-morrow about
this time, the old Cæsar would never miss a crazy reefer, more or less."

"Very ingeniously put, young gentleman, and quite plausible. When I was
of your age, I was four years without once seeing either father or
mother."

"Yes, sir, but that was such a long time ago! Boys can't stand it, half
as well now, as they did then, as all old people say."

The rear-admiral's lips moved slightly, as if a smile struggled about
his mouth; then his face suddenly lost the expression, in one
approaching to sadness.

"You know, Geoffrey, I am not commander-in-chief. Sir Gervaise alone can
give a furlough."

"Very true, sir; but whatever you ask of Sir Gervaise, he always does;
more especially as concerns us of your flag-ship."

"Perhaps that is true. But, my boy, we live in serious times, and we may
sail at an hour's notice. Are you ignorant that Prince Charles Edward
has landed in Scotland, and that the Jacobites are up and doing? If the
French back him, we may have our hands full here, in the channel."

"Then my dear mother must go without a kiss, for the next twelvemonth!"
cried the gallant boy, dashing a hand furtively across his eyes, in
spite of his resolution. "The throne of old England must be upheld, even
though not a mother nor a sister in the island, see a midshipman in
years!"

"Nobly said, Lord Geoffrey, and it shall be known at head-quarters.
Your
family is whig; and you do well, at your time of life, to stick
to the family politics."

"A small run on the shore, sir, would be a great pleasure, after six
months at sea?"

"You must ask Captain Stowel's leave for that. You know I never
interfere with the duty of the ship."

"Yes, sir, but there are so many of us, and all have a hankering after
terra firma
. Might I just say, that I have your permission, to ask
Captain Stowel, to let me have a run on the cliffs?"

"You may do
that
, my lord, if you wish it; but Stowel knows that he
can do as he pleases."

"He would be a queer captain of a man-of-war, if he didn't sir! Thank
you, Admiral Bluewater; I will write to my mother, and I know she'll be
satisfied with the reason I shall give her, for not coming to see her.
Good-morning, sir."

"Good-morning,"—then, when the boy's hand was on the lock of the
cabin-door—"my lord?"

"Did you wish to say any thing more, sir?"

"When you write, remember me kindly to the Duchess. We were intimate,
when young people; and, I might say, loved each other."

The midshipman promised to do as desired; then the rear-admiral was left
alone. He walked the cabin, for half an hour, musing on what he had done
in relation to his property, and on what he ought to do, in relation to
the Pretender; when he suddenly summoned his coxswain, gave a few
directions, and sent an order on deck to have his barge manned. The
customary reports went their usual rounds, and reached the cabin in
about three minutes more; Lord Geoffrey bringing them down, again.

"The barge is manned, sir," said the lad, standing near the cabin-door,
rigged out in the neat, go-ashore-clothes of a midshipman.

"Have you seen Captain Stowel, my lord?" demanded the rear-admiral.

"I have, sir; and he has given me permission to drift along shore, until
sunset; to be off with the evening gun of the vice-admiral."

"Then do me the favour to take a seat in my barge, if you are quite
ready."

This offer was accepted, and, in a few minutes, all the ceremonies of
the deck had been observed, and the rear-admiral was seated in his
barge. It was now so late, that etiquette had fair play, and no point
was omitted on the occasion. The captain was on deck, in person, as well
as gun-room officers enough to represent their body; the guard was
paraded, under its officers; the drums rolled; the boatswain piped six
side boys over, and Lord Geoffrey skipped down first into the boat,
remaining respectfully standing, until his superior was seated. All
these punctilios observed, the boat was shoved off from the vessel's
side, the eight oars dropped, as one, and the party moved towards the
shore. Every cutter, barge, yawl, or launch that was met, and which did
not contain an officer of rank itself, tossed its oars, as this barge,
with the rear-admiral's flag fluttering in its bow, passed, while the
others lay on theirs, the gentlemen saluting with their hats. In this
manner the barge passed the fleet, and approached the shore. At the
landing, a little natural quay formed by a low flat rock, there was a
general movement, as the rear-admiral's flag was seen to draw near; and
even the boats of captains were shoved aside, to give the naval
pas
.
As soon, however, as the foot of Bluewater touched the rock, the little
flag was struck; and, a minute later, a cutter, with only a lieutenant
in her, coming in, that officer ordered the barge to make way for
him
,
with an air of high and undisputed authority.

Perhaps there was not a man in the British marine, to whom the etiquette
of the service gave less concern, than to Bluewater. In this respect, he
was the very reverse of his friend; for Sir Gervaise was a punctilious
observer, and a rigid enforcer of all the prescribed ceremonials. This
was by no means the only professional point on which these two
distinguished officers differed. It has already been mentioned, that the
rear-admiral was the best tactician in England, while the vice-admiral
was merely respectable in that branch of his duty. On the other hand,
Sir Gervaise was deemed the best practical seaman afloat, so far as a
single ship was concerned, while Bluewater had no particular reputation
in that way. Then, as to discipline, the same distinction existed. The
commander-in-chief was a little of a
martinet
, exacting compliance
with the most minute regulations; while his friend, even when a captain,
had thrown the police duty of his ship very much on what is called the
executive officer: or the first lieutenant; leaving to that important
functionary, the duty of devising, as well as of executing the system by
which order and cleanliness were maintained in the vessel. Nevertheless,
Bluewater had his merit even in this peculiar feature of the profession.
He had made the best captain of the fleet to his friend, that had ever
been met with. This office, which, in some measure, corresponds to that
of an adjutant-general on shore, was suited to his generalizing and
philosophical turn of mind; and he had brought all its duties within the
circle and control of clear and simple principles, which rendered them
pleasant and easy. Then, too, whenever he commanded in chief, as
frequently happened, for a week or two at a time, Sir Gervaise being
absent, it was remarked that the common service of the fleet went on
like clock-work; his mind seeming to embrace generals, when it refused
to descend to details. In consequence of these personal peculiarities,
the captains often observed, that Bluewater ought to have been the
senior, and Oakes the junior; and then, their joint commands would have
produced perfection; but these criticisms must be set down, in a great
measure, to the natural propensity to find fault, and an inherent desire
in men, even when things are perfectly well in themselves, to prove
their own superiority, by pointing out modes and means by which they
might be made much better. Had the service been on land, this opinion
might possibly have had more practical truth in it; but, the impetuosity
and daring of Sir Gervaise, were not bad substitutes for tactics, in the
straight-forward combats of ships. To resume the narrative.