“Mind your own business,” cried some of the marines. “What have you got to say to us?”
Just then the ladies got more frightened than ever. The youngest lady screamed, and, I thought, looked towards me. I sprang forward—I felt more like a man than I had ever before done.
“Let go your hold,” I exclaimed in a tone of authority, to the fellow who had his hand on the fair girl’s arm. “If one of you dares to interfere with these ladies, I will have him up before the commodore, and he’ll make short work with the matter.” The fellow still looked defiant. “Let go,” I again shouted, rushing at him with my dirk.
What I might have done I do not know, but at that moment a bullet struck him in the head and knocked him over.
It was supposed I had shot the man, and a good many, even of his party, siding with me and Mr Johnson, the ladies were released.
I made signs to the ladies, and endeavoured to assure them in French that they were safe.
“I speak English,” said the young lady. “Thank you—thank you very much.”
The Dutch soldiers had in the meantime thrown down their arms and taken to flight. The shot which had wounded the man was nearly the last fired. The Dutch flag was hauled down, and the shouts of our men proclaimed that in about four hours we had captured, with the loss of three killed and fourteen wounded, one of the strongest fortresses in the West Indies.
I was determined not to lose sight of the ladies till I had placed them in safety. I found that the youngest was the niece of the governor, and that she had a sister and her mother with her. The governor’s daughter, a buxom-looking damsel, was also of the party. I conducted them all to Captain Lydiard, who commanded the expedition, and their carriages and horses being found in the fort, he ordered that they should be conveyed back into the town under an escort. I was highly delighted when I found that I might accompany it. Perigal had command. The British flag was flying from every fort and ship in the harbour, and many of the worthy burghers, when their schiedam-steeped senses returned and they opened their eyes, as they looked out of their windows, could not make out what had occurred. We were treated with the greatest respect by everybody we met, and the ladies endeavoured to show their gratitude by every means in their power. As soon as we had seen them to their own homes we were to return on board. I found that the young lady’s name was Essa von Fraulich.
“You will come and see us very often, Mr Merry,” she exclaimed in a very foreign accent, though her phraseology was pretty correct. “We want to show how much we love you, and we make nice cake for you, and many other good things.”