“I explained as briefly as possible, to the great surprise of the Captain and his first officer.
“‘Yours, and your unfortunate mother’s and sister’s fate,’ said Captain Renaudin, with emotion, ‘is a sad specimen of the mad acts committed by monsters, for I will not call them men. I believe every word you have told me. I regret you are of English birth, for I will not insult you by even supposing you would fight against your countrymen. My intention was to place you on the quarter-deck. Now I cannot do so; but I will remove you from your present position, till I have an opportunity of restoring you to your country. As you are entered on the ship’s books, I must continue you on them, but you shall remain with my son, nominally his tutor; thus in any engagement with your countrymen, you will have nothing to reproach yourself with. To me you will always be dear, for you have saved that which is dearer to me than life.’
“From this noble, excellent man I received every kindness and attention. I was supplied with proper garments by one of the midshipmen, and allotted a berth in the Captain’s cabin for young Renaudin and myself, and had all my meals at the Captain’s table. Some of my old associates in the forecastle viewed my transition from the galley to the Captain’s cabin with envy and sneers; they imputed my exaltation to the simple act of saving the Captain’s son; but such was not the case; had I been of low birth, and one of the crew, he would have amply rewarded me, but never have admitted me to an intercourse with himself and his officers; who, hearing my story, considered me their equal, and were exceedingly kind.
“Monsieur Renaudin was a man of high birth and refined mind. We often spoke of the horrors enacted in France during the Reign of Terror, and shuddered to think of Frenchmen having degenerated into demons. He knew my mother’s husband, the Duke de Coulancourt, and had heard of my beloved parent’s cruel misfortunes, but had no knowledge of her fate. He thought it too probable she and my little sister had perished under the monstrous rule of Collet d’Herbois.
“I became attached to Alfred Renaudin, and did all in my power to instruct him; fortunately, before my family became victims to the Revolution, every pains had been taken with my education, so, though scarcely seventeen, I may, without vanity, say that I had profited by the masters I had. I will pass over a period of sixteen months, and come to the eventful morning when the French fleet, of which the Vengeance was one, was attacked by the British fleet under Lord Howe. Of this tremendous and glorious action, ending in victory to the English, I can only speak as it affected the Vengeance. I requested Captain Renaudin’s permission to remain on the quarter-deck. He hesitated, saying, ‘My dear young friend, you will be risking life uselessly;’ but I prevailed. I need not say my heart beat quicker as I gazed out over the broad ocean, and beheld it covered with noble vessels, all preparing for a deadly strife. I counted five-and-twenty stately ships; but no doubt you know all about that memorable fight, Captain O’Loughlin, better than I can relate it to you.”
“Yes,” returned O’Loughlin, “but never from an eye-witness; moreover, there are some doubts thrown upon the exact cause of the foundering of the Vengeance. I pray you, therefore, to omit no particular that you witnessed.”
Julian Arden then continued—
“I said I counted five-and-twenty stately ships, all under full canvas, for the weather was very moderate, and the sea smooth. The ships, shortly after sighting each other distinctly, reduced their canvas to single-reefed topsails. The French ships kept signalling, and presently, as they read the signals, they all drew up in line, east and west. On our starboard quarter was the Achille, on the other the Patriote, or the Jeannapes, at this moment I forget which; but as I gazed in breathless anxiety, the breeze rapidly freshened, and then the English ships filled, and stood right for our line, and, as it appeared to me, each ship singling out its antagonist. I do not know the name of the ship, but she was by far the largest in the British fleet——”
“That was the Queen Charlotte,” said Captain O’Loughlin, “Lord Howe’s ship of one hundred guns.”
“Ah, now I remember, so it was,” said Julian. “She appeared to be bearing down right upon us; but suddenly she broke off from her course, and the Vengeance opened fire upon her, which she did not return; but immediately setting her top-gallant sails, shot past us, and ranged up abreast of the Achille, who at once commenced a fierce fire upon her, and immediately after, the action became general, and to my unpractised eye, a scene of intense confusion. What with the thundering of the cannon, the flapping of the monstrous sails, as the several ships tacked or hove-to, the cheers from some of the British ships, and the thunder of the huge blocks, as the sheets and tacks, cut by the balls, allowed them to dash wildly about, knocking against yards and masts, altogether created an astounding din. Still there was an intense excitement in the scene, that left no thought of danger to intrude itself. Thus the action continued: the Vengeance, most admirably handled, her captain as cool and as calm as at his dinner-table. Two of his officers were struck down by his side, and splinters were knocked about like chips, when I suddenly observed a ship—the first lieutenant told me was the Brunswick—steer directly between us and the Achille. I then heard Captain Renaudin give his orders to close; the Vengeance shot ahead, there no longer remained an opening, and thus the Brunswick ran foul of us, with a great shock. My first idea was to run up the rigging and get into the rigging of the English ship, but I should, at such a moment, no doubt have lost my life.