Ocean And Earth
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The night was still and calm; the moon, as it rose high over the ocean, shone on the water like a mirror, its reflection brightened by the fire of the setting sun. The sky above was clear and cloudless: there could be no doubt that we had passed out from under the shadow of land.
I watched our course carefully to see how the moon and the stars changed their position as the ship moved forward through the waves, but they remained in their places unmoved. We sailed on towards an unknown destination for three days, making little speed.
On the third day, we saw a few sails far astern. I hailed them: “How many are you?” I asked. “Eight ships,” was the reply. “Where do you sail from? Where are you bound?” I inquired, and the men looked at one another uncomfortably, not daring to speak out, until one man replied, with a gesture to me to listen, “There is nothing for us to tell you, my Lord.”
I thought of what Captain Haddock had once said to me when I had questioned him about his orders: “I’m only the messenger boy. My orders come from a higher authority; I have been told to sail this way and that way.” The answer seemed satisfactory. The next morning I sent a boat to board them.
The crew made no attempt to resist; they did not even try to stop their vessel when she grounded. There was no sign of life among the men. They all lay motionless as if they were already dead. It seemed probable that they had either deserted or had been put ashore by some misfortune.
In either case, I would take possession of the ship. I ordered a couple of men to go aboard her with me and bring the captain. The captain came down to the deck without any difficulty, though he appeared rather ill-at-ease; he was an old soldier, who had never lost a battle and was used to seeing death before him in war.
His appearance, however, was not alarming, so I let him remain at liberty after examining him and finding that he was not wounded, nor even suffering from scurvy. He answered my questions very cautiously and evasively. I took his papers and letters from him and read them thoroughly, but found no proof of anything suspicious.
As to why he had run away, it might have been the result of some private trouble between himself and his officers, of some accident that had happened during the voyage, or perhaps simply because of the change of government, which rendered it unwise for him to continue on the same line as before.
I was inclined to think the latter. But what was most curious about him was the fact that he had made no effort to repair the damages to his ship since leaving Porto Ferro. I was sure he had had time enough to do so. The sails hung loose; there were holes in the masts and in the rigging. A number of cannons had been fired and broken.
The hull of the ship had been scraped badly by the coral reefs, and was covered with barnacles and weed; she certainly needed repairing. When I pointed this out to him he looked at me in surprise and asked me if I could have imagined that such a thing was possible.
I told him, rather impatiently, that it was indeed quite possible, but that I did not wish to discuss it now. “What do you want to do with me?” he asked me abruptly.
“You are my prisoner,” I answered, “and you will be taken into Porto Ferro. You may then make your case to the Governor, whatever it is; but first, tell me where you came from.”
He hesitated for a moment, but I interrupted him: “It is of no importance whether you tell me or not. You must answer me at least. Where did you come from?”
“From Lisbon.”
“And you left Portugal because… ?”
“Because I was afraid for my safety. I am a friend of the Queen Dowager’s daughter, Countess Joanna Maria of Viseu, who lives in France, where I was staying; the Emperor has declared against her. So I thought it better to leave Portugal.”
“Did your family know where you were going?” I asked as if I knew nothing.
“No, I had told them nothing about my destination except that I was going away from home.”
“And where will you go to?” I demanded.
“I don’t know yet. To France.”
“Well, what do you want me to do with you?”
“Release me. I’ll go back to sea and serve my country again.”
My heart sank as I heard this. I remembered what Captain Haddock had told me about Portuguese captains, who often had their own private reasons for deserting a ship. If the man before me was a deserter like other sailors I might have been able to get rid of him easily enough, but I feared that this was not the case.
And it was a pity that we should lose a good seaman, who could sail well and who had served the King faithfully up until then. But it seemed impossible for me to release him under these circumstances, and besides, I did not wish him to return to the sea.
I told him he was still my prisoner and handed him over to the soldiers. We were not far from the coast when I saw two boats approaching us at full speed. I recognized them at once as those of Lieutenant Ruy Barbosa, the governor’s secretary, and Lieutenant Joaquim Gomes, who commanded one of the galleons.
It was obvious that they had come to see what was happening and I went down to meet them. I gave them both orders to return to Porto Ferro and inform the governor of my arrival. They saluted and ran off at full speed. I waited until they had got quite close, and then ordered four men to jump into each boat.
They seized hold of the oars, but the men in the boats were already rowing furiously and managed to pull clear of my ship before she came within musket shot range. She was too big for any of them to get aboard.
The first galleon had just reached us when a second approached from the opposite direction and soon joined our first vessel. In another minute the third appeared on the horizon and soon came alongside us. Lieutenant Barbosa boarded my ship, while Lieutenant Gomes took charge of the second and third vessels. I climbed aboard the first frigate.
“Have you captured this one?” asked Lieutenant Barbosa of a midshipman.
“Yes, sir,” replied the officer promptly and pointed towards my ship.
“What sort of a boat is that?” asked Lieutenant Barbosa.
“A small one, sir; a cutter.”
“Where did you find her?”
“We found her lying alongside one of the wrecks on the reef, sir.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About three hours.”
“She looks seaworthy.”
“Yes, sir,” said the young man.
“Are you willing to take command of her?”
“Certainly, sir.”
“Very well. Take her into Porto Ferro.”
Lieutenant Barbosa went off to talk to his superiors and I returned to my ship with Lieutenant Gomes. As soon as we had exchanged greetings we sat down to eat and drink something warm after the cold ride through the night.
The first mate, Mr. Fergusson, brought the prisoners over and I ordered them to put under lock and key in the captain’s cabin. When they were all locked up I went back onboard my ship. A few moments later I heard some noise outside my door and opened it to find Lieutenant Gomes standing there, looking at me with an impassive expression.
He held out his hand. “Captain Doria,” he said, “I hope you’ll excuse me if I say so, but I am astonished to find you here.”
“I am also surprised to find you in these waters,” I replied.
“Why? What happened?”
“Nothing very important, I’m afraid.”
“Do you mean to tell me that the Portuguese army does not control Porto Ferro?”
“Not exactly. But it has not got there yet.”
“Then what’s going on here?” he asked.
“This is no time to be talking about it,” I answered. “Come into my cabin and let’s hear what you’ve got to say.”
He followed me, and we entered my cabin together. After locking the door behind him, I took a seat and motioned him to do likewise.
“Now tell me what happened,” he began. “I understand you landed last night on this island?”
“That’s right. We took possession of the entire island and killed every Portuguese soldier we met along the way. The garrison was taken completely by surprise.”
“So they were, Captain Doria,” said Lieutenant Barbosa.
“And what else happened?”
“Nothing more than we were expecting—the governor and his family fled across the lagoon and are now hiding somewhere near the town. We sent a boat over to take them, prisoner.”
“Did they resist?”
“Oh yes, they resisted very strongly and fought like wild beasts. It was only the fact that we had a couple of gunboats with us that kept them from being completely wiped out.”
“And where is your flag?” I asked.
“We haven’t hoisted anything yet, Captain Doria, because we don’t intend to stay here very long. I think we ought to go back to the mainland, take possession of the towns of Ponto de Barra and São Miguel, and then sail for the main island. That would give us total control of all of these islands and cut the communications between Brazil and Portugal.”
“Good idea, Lieutenant,” I said, “but how can you carry it out?”
“It won’t be easy,” he replied. “I have a few men left who are good sailors and I want you to come with me.”
“Where?”
“To Ponto de Barra. The sooner we get there the better because once the Portuguese start to organize themselves they’ll send ships to reinforce the garrison on this island. I’m sure there are at least two or three of their frigates hidden somewhere close by.”
“You’re going to sail across the whole Gulf of Guinea?” I asked.
“I’ll take any wind I can get. If I don’t run aground I’ll make it.”
“What about the other ships you took?” I asked. “Can you take them all to Ponto de Barra too?”
“No, Captain Doria, I couldn’t do that. We’ll need some extra hands for the journey, that’s why I wanted you to come with me. Besides, we’d have to use our own boats to tow them there, which would increase the chances of running ashore on one of the reefs, which I know too well.”
“All right,” I said, “I’ll join you as soon as I can.”
“Thanks,” said the lieutenant, getting up. “I’ll see you back on board your ship.”
He left my cabin and I went back to sleep until the next morning. Then we were ready to begin again: we weighed anchor and sailed towards Ponto de Barra, leaving the fort in Porto Ferro behind us. Lieutenant Barbosa took command of the expedition and gave orders to sail around the northern end of the island instead of going directly to Ponto de Barra.
Once past the reef, there was a channel that led directly to the lagoon of the island itself. As soon as we rounded the headland we saw our first frigate, lying anchored in the bay of Porto Ferro. It was a small sloop-of-war, with a single screw. There were only five guns mounted and she had a crew of forty men.
But the thing that surprised me most was her flag; it was flying a white cross on red ground, just like those we carried.
“Lieutenant Barbosa, we should go back to the east,” I shouted to him, trying to raise his attention. “If we go straight ahead there is a frigate waiting for us!”
“Yes, sir,” he replied without changing direction.
“Well, you’re the commander, but look at that flag! It belongs to one of the Portuguese frigates and she’s probably lying there to keep an eye on our movements, so let’s turn aside, at least for a while.”
But Barbosa ignored my words and continued sailing towards Ponto de Barra. Soon after we passed the reef, the sea became calm, and it looked as if we were safe. But I had been deceived once before, and it seemed to me that there was something strange about Lieutenant Barbosa’s attitude.
He was acting as though he didn’t care whether or not he succeeded in his mission, and that worried me.
We reached the entrance to the harbor of Ponto de Barra without incident and found ourselves under attack. A battery of eight cannons fired on us without stopping.
They were manned by twenty men, who must have thought themselves lucky to be stationed there because there was no food coming into Ponto de Barra anymore and they could hardly expect to survive more than a day or two.
I ordered the boats lowered to try to take them prisoners, but when I saw what they were firing at I knew it wouldn’t be possible. At that point it occurred to me that Barbosa wasn’t taking any notice of the situation, so I shouted to him. “Lieutenant, where are you going?”
“We’ll get closer,” he answered calmly. “There are too many guns firing at us from the shore. We might be able to get inside the port, but it would be safer if we came alongside the shore so we could land the men.”
That was sensible, and I was sure he had calculated that risk in advance. So, as we neared the quay, I made sure that we stopped a little way out, so we could drop anchor, and then I signaled to the men standing on deck that they had permission to disembark.
The men were ordered to climb down the side of the boat and tie it up there. That way there was nothing to stop us from continuing our escape, even if the Portuguese sent an armed party over in order to capture us.
The men tied the ropes to the quay and then started walking towards the town, where the fort was located. I went along with them, making sure none of them got lost.
When we reached the wall surrounding the fortress I heard a man shouting orders and saw a troop of cavalry coming through the gate carrying swords and muskets. One of them noticed me and called me back.
I was taken inside the castle and placed in a room with four other prisoners: a lieutenant, a midshipman, two soldiers, and myself. It seemed as though they were expecting me there because the lieutenant recognized me and asked me how I had come to be captured.
“I was in Porto Ferro,” I told him. “My mission was to take some of the inhabitant’s prisoner, and I did that quite successfully. But when I went back to my ship I met Lieutenant Barbosa who offered me an exchange deal. If I took one thousand men, including officers, he would give me a hundred and fifty of his own, plus three frigates.”
“Why didn’t you take them?” the lieutenant asked me. “You could have escaped easily enough.”
“Because we were being pursued by a fleet of six ships that were trying to cut off our retreat. But I managed to make it away and then I saw the enemy frigate, which was hiding out there waiting for me to arrive.”
“And why didn’t you run back and warn your friends?” he asked me.
“There was no time because the frigates were already firing at me. I was too far away to warn anyone in time.”
He shook his head sadly, as though I was to blame for everything. I tried to explain again that it hadn’t been possible to escape, but I don’t think he understood. Instead, he kept asking me questions about Barbosa, whom he described as a traitor and a liar.
He also asked me what the captain and his first lieutenant were doing there, and I told him they were waiting for me to return so that they could join their crew.
After listening to all this, he finally gave orders that a guard should be posted to protect us, and I left the room. There was still no news of the British fleet, so I decided to wait patiently until the Portuguese army arrived in force. When they did come they would have the power to free us and carry us off somewhere safe.
The next day the same thing happened – more cannon fire from the island in the lagoon; this time however we managed to reach the harbor and enter without difficulty. I sent two boats ahead so we could avoid another encounter with the defenders. Then we lowered boats and went ashore at one of the other towns where there were a lot of people gathered around a large tent.
They must have known it was a temporary shelter because the Portuguese army had set up camp in the square nearby and was setting up their tents around the church, where several soldiers were keeping watch.
I went straight over and asked someone for news. “Who is in charge here?” I asked him.
“It’s Lieutenant Colonel José Maria da Fonseca de Abrantes,” he replied. “But he has gone to take part in the battle. His brother is commanding now.”
So at least there was someone in command.
As soon as I had told him about Barbosa, he sent me to speak with the new commander of the garrison, Captain António Pereira do Carmo, who was also a colonel.
“Where are all your officers?” I asked him, knowing full well they were somewhere close by, just out of sight.
“We haven’t seen any for several days,” he said. “The governor was supposed to bring them to help defend these lands, but we’ve not seen him yet. And as for the rest of the army, they’re in the city and can’t be seen by the enemy.”
“Well, let me go and talk to them and see if they can get some of your artillerymen to help us,” I suggested.
It was fortunate that Captain António was prepared to listen to me because most captains would never have agreed. But he thought I might have something worthwhile to offer. The fact that I wasn’t wearing my uniform meant he assumed that I was a soldier from the town, and he was willing to trust me with his secrets.
First, he had to send one of his men off to find Captain Barbosa and ask him to meet me. When they found him, they told him about the situation in the city and asked for his help. I then explained that I wanted to capture the fort and destroy it as quickly as possible, but that they couldn’t do it without artillery support.
“All right, send the men to the city,” Barbosa said at last. “When you’re ready, signal to the batteries on the hills and ask them for assistance.”
“Will it help to attack in force?” I asked him.
“It will make no difference whatever we do,” he answered. “We have to wait until the British get here, and that may take some time. They won’t leave Porto Ferro without a fight.”
“What makes you think that?”
“That’s simple: I know General Wellington. If he knows there’s a chance of destroying our enemies, then he’ll stay and fight until the very end.”
“Then what shall we do?” I asked. “If you have to leave the fort, then we’ll be trapped between the enemy ships and those that have already arrived. It will mean certain death for everyone in the city.”
“There’s only one way we can save ourselves,” he said, as though he’d worked out some great plan. “We must surrender immediately before there’s another attack. That will make the British decide to keep us here until the reinforcements arrive. At least then we’ll have a chance to survive.”
“Surrender? Are you mad?” I cried indignantly. “Never!”
“No,” Barbosa replied calmly. “You don’t understand. We won’t have to give up the city. Only the fortress. Once the British have destroyed it, they will turn around and sail away. All we need to do is convince the governor and his men to agree.”
“And how do we do that?”
Barbosa looked at me as if to say that I’d obviously been living in the forest too long.
“Why, with a flag of truce,” he explained. “Tell him we’re prepared to hand over the fort in return for food and arms for our troops. Tell him we want nothing else.”
“But that would mean giving up everything we’ve built here,” I protested. “Everything we’ve achieved.”
“Of course it does, but there’s no point trying to hold on until the British fleet comes. You’ll only die and we’ll all starve in the process. Besides, when did this country ever care for anything except money? Now, what are we going to do?”
I realized that Barbosa was right. The governor and his men were just like everyone else—they wouldn’t risk their lives defending these shores against an enemy they hadn’t even seen or heard of. I needed to make them understand the situation so that they could help.
“I’ll try again with the governor tomorrow,” I said, although I knew it was hopeless. “In the meantime, you should send a message to all the ships that are anchored offshore to come to the beach. It shouldn’t take long before you have more than enough to defend yourself.”
Barbosa nodded, satisfied that now we would have a fighting chance.
After I left, Barbosa went to speak to the governor once more, but he didn’t seem inclined to accept the offer. It was only later that afternoon when Barbosa returned to the fort and informed me of the response received from Admiral Colley, that it became clear why.
The admiral had given Barbosa orders to attack the British fleet, not wait for the reinforcements. As such, he had ordered him to abandon any attempt at diplomacy and start preparations to attack immediately.
The End