第 47 页

turn out learned men and good divines."

"Certainly your wishes have weight with me, Mr. Harvey, and should

events so turn out that I can enter one of the foreign Universities,

it shall be one of those you name--that is, should we, after this war

is ended, come into peaceful relations with the Dutch."

Before leaving the Earl's, Cyril had promised faithfully that he

would return thither with Sydney, and accordingly, at the end of the

fortnight, he rode back with him there, and, three weeks later,

journeyed up to London with the Earl and his family.

It was the middle of March when they reached London. The Court had

come up a day or two before, and the Fleet was, as Cyril learnt,

being fitted out in great haste. The French had now, after hesitating

all through the winter, declared war against us, and it was certain

that we should have their fleet as well as that of the Dutch to cope

with. Calling upon Prince Rupert on the day he arrived, Cyril learnt

that the Fleet would assuredly put to sea in a month's time.

"Would you rather join at once, or wait until I go on board?" the

Prince asked.

"I would rather join at once, sir. I have no business to do in

London, and it would be of no use for me to take an apartment when I

am to leave so soon; therefore, if I can be of any use, I would

gladly join at once."

"You would be of no use on board," the Prince said, "but assuredly

you could be of use in carrying messages, and letting me know

frequently, from your own report, how matters are going on. I heard

yesterday that the _Fan Fan_ is now fitted out. You shall take the

command of her. I will give you a letter to the boatswain, who is at

present in charge, saying that I have placed her wholly under your

orders. You will, of course, live on board. You will be chiefly at

Chatham and Sheerness. If you call early to-morrow I will have a

letter prepared for you, addressed to all captains holding commands

in the White Squadron, bidding them to acquaint you, whensoever you

go on board, with all particulars of how matters have been pushed

forward, and to give you a list of all things lacking. Then, twice a

week you will sail up to town, and report to me, or, should there be

any special news at other times, send it to me by a mounted

messenger. Mr. Pepys, the secretary, is a diligent and hard-working

man, but he cannot see to everything, and Albemarle so pushes him

that I think the White Squadron does not get a fair share of

attention; but if I can go to him with your reports in hand, I may

succeed in getting what is necessary done."

Bidding farewell to the Earl and his family, and thanking him for his

kindness, Cyril stopped that night at Captain Dave's, and told him of

all that had happened since they met. The next morning he went early

to Prince Rupert's, received the two letters, and rode down to

Chatham. Then, sending the horses back by his servant, who was to

take them to the Earl's stable, where they would be cared for until

his return, Cyril went on board the _Fan Fan_. For the next month he

was occupied early and late with his duties. The cabin was small, but

very comfortable. The crew was a strong one, for the yacht rowed

twelve oars, with which she could make good progress even without her

sails. He was waited on by his servant, who returned as soon as he

had left the horses in the Earl's stables; his cooking was done for

him in the yacht's galley. On occasions, as the tide suited, he

either sailed up to London in the afternoon, gave his report to the

Prince late in the evening, and was back at Sheerness by daybreak, or

he sailed up at night, saw the Prince as soon as he rose, and

returned at once.

The Prince highly commended his diligence, and told him that his

reports were of great use to him, as, with them in his hand, he could

not be put off at the Admiralty with vague assurances. Every day one

or more ships went out to join the Fleet that was gathering in the

Downs, and on April 20th Cyril sailed in the _Fan Fan_, in company

with the last vessel of the White Squadron, and there again took up

his quarters on board the _Henrietta_, the _Fan Fan_ being anchored

hard by in charge of the boatswain.

On the 23rd, the Prince, with the Duke of Albemarle, and a great

company of noblemen and gentlemen, arrived at Deal, and came on board

the Fleet, which, on May 1st, weighed anchor.

Lord Oliphant was among the volunteers who came down with the Prince,

and, as many of the other gentlemen had also been on board during the

first voyage, Cyril felt that he was among friends, and had none of

the feeling of strangeness and isolation he had before experienced.

The party was indeed a merry one. For upwards of a year the fear of

the Plague had weighed on all England. At the time it increased so

terribly in London, that all thought it would, like the Black Death,

spread over England, and that, once again, half the population of the

country might be swept away. Great as the mortality had been, it had

been confined almost entirely to London and some of the great towns,

and now that it had died away even in these, there was great relief

in men's minds, and all felt that they had personally escaped from a

terrible and imminent danger. That they were about to face peril even

greater than that from which they had escaped did not weigh on the

spirits of the gentlemen on board Prince Rupert's ship. To be killed

fighting for their country was an honourable death that none feared,

while there had been, in the minds of even the bravest, a horror of

death by the Plague, with all its ghastly accompaniments. Sailing out

to sea to the Downs, then, they felt that the past year's events lay

behind them as an evil dream, and laughed and jested and sang with

light-hearted mirth.

As yet, the Dutch had not put out from port, and for three weeks the

Fleet cruised off their coast. Then, finding that the enemy could not

be tempted to come out, they sailed back to the Downs. The day after

they arrived there, a messenger came down from London with orders to

Prince Rupert to sail at once with the White Squadron to engage the

French Fleet, which was reported to be on the point of putting to

sea. The Prince had very little belief that the French really

intended to fight. Hitherto, although they had been liberal in their

promises to the Dutch, they had done nothing whatever to aid them,

and the general opinion was that France rejoiced at seeing her rivals

damage each other, but had no idea of risking her ships or men in the

struggle.

"I believe, gentlemen," Prince Rupert said to his officers, "that

this is but a ruse on the part of Louis to aid his Dutch allies by

getting part of our fleet out of the way. Still, I have nothing to do

but to obey orders, though I fear it is but a fool's errand on which

we are sent."

The wind was from the north-east, and was blowing a fresh gale. The

Prince prepared to put to sea. While the men were heaving at the

anchors a message came to Cyril that Prince Rupert wished to speak to

him in his cabin.

"Sir Cyril, I am going to restore you to your command. The wind is so

strong and the sea will be so heavy that I would not risk my yacht

and the lives of the men by sending her down the Channel. I do not

think there is any chance of our meeting the French, and believe that

it is here that the battle will be fought, for with this wind the

Dutch can be here in a few hours, and I doubt not that as soon as

they learn that one of our squadrons has sailed away they will be

out. The _Fan Fan_ will sail with us, but will run into Dover as we

pass. Here is a letter that I have written ordering you to do so, and

authorising you to put out and join the Admiral's Fleet, should the

Dutch attack before my return. If you like to have young Lord

Oliphant with you he can go, but he must go as a Volunteer under you.

You are the captain of the _Fan Fan_, and have been so for the last

two months; therefore, although your friend is older than you are, he

must, if he choose to go, be content to serve under you. Stay, I will

put it to him myself."

He touched the bell, and ordered Sydney to be sent for.

"Lord Oliphant," he said, "I know that you and Sir Cyril are great

friends. I do not consider that the _Fan Fan_, of which he has for

some time been commander, is fit to keep the sea in a gale like this,

and I have therefore ordered him to take her into Dover. If the Dutch

come out to fight the Admiral, as I think they will, he will join the

Fleet, and although the _Fan Fan_ can take but small share in the

fighting, she may be useful in carrying messages from the Duke while

the battle is going on. It seems to me that, as the _Fan Fan_ is

more likely to see fighting than my ships, you, as a Volunteer, might

prefer to transfer yourself to her until she again joins us. Sir

Cyril is younger than you are, but if you go, you must necessarily be

under his command seeing that he is captain of the yacht. It is for

you to choose whether you will remain here or go with him."

"I should like to go with him, sir. He has had a good deal of

experience of the sea, while I have never set foot on board ship till

last year. And after what he did at Lowestoft I should say that any

gentleman would be glad to serve under him."

"That is the right feeling," Prince Rupert said warmly. "Then get

your things transferred to the yacht. If you join Albemarle's Fleet,

Sir Cyril, you will of course report yourself to him, and say that I

directed you to place yourself under his orders."

Five minutes later Cyril and his friend were on board the _Fan Fan._

Scarcely had they reached her, when a gun was fired from Prince

Rupert's ship as a signal, and the ships of the White Squadron shook

out their sails, and, with the wind free, raced down towards the

South Foreland.

"We are to put into Dover," Cyril said to the boatswain, a

weatherbeaten old sailor.

"The Lord be praised for that, sir! She is a tight little craft, but

there will be a heavy sea on as soon we are beyond shelter of the

sands, and with these two guns on board of her she will make bad

weather. Besides, in a wind like this, it ain't pleasant being in a

little craft in the middle of a lot of big ones, for if we were not

swamped by the sea, we might very well be run down. We had better

keep her close to the Point, yer honour, and then run along, under

shelter of the cliffs, into Dover. The water will be pretty smooth in

there, though we had best carry as little sail as we can, for the

gusts will come down from above fit to take the mast out of her."

"I am awfully glad you came with me, Sydney," Cyril said, as he took

his place with his friend near the helmsman, "but I wish the Prince

had put you in command. Of course, it is only a nominal thing, for

the boatswain is really the captain in everything that concerns

making sail and giving orders to the crew. Still, it would have been

much nicer the other way."

"I don't see that it would, Cyril," Sydney laughed, "for you know as

much more about handling a boat like this than I do, as the boatswain

does than yourself. You have been on board her night and day for more

than a month, and even if you knew nothing about her at all, Prince

Rupert would have been right to choose you as a recognition of your

great services last time. Don't think anything about it. We are

friends, and it does not matter a fig which is the nominal commander.

I was delighted to come, not only to be with you, but because it will

be a very great deal pleasanter being our own masters on board this

pretty little yacht than being officers on board the _Henrietta_

where we would have been only in the way except when we went into

action."

As soon as they rounded the Point most of the sail was taken off the

_Fan Fan,_ but even under the small canvas she carried she lay over

until her lee rail was almost under water when the heavy squalls

swooped down on her from the cliffs. The rest of the squadron was

keeping some distance out, presenting a fine sight as the ships lay

over, sending the spray flying high into the air from their bluff

bows, and plunging deeply into the waves.

"Yes, it is very distinctly better being where we are," Lord Oliphant

said, as he gazed at them. "I was beginning to feel qualmish before

we got under shelter of the Point, and by this time, if I had been on

board the _Henrietta,_ I should have been prostrate, and should have

had I know not how long misery before me."

A quarter of an hour later they were snugly moored in Dover Harbour.

For twenty-four hours the gale continued; the wind then fell

somewhat, but continued to blow strongly from the same quarter. Two

days later it veered round to the south-west, and shortly afterwards

the English Fleet could be seen coming out past the Point. As soon as

they did so they headed eastward.

"They are going out to meet the Dutch," Sydney said, as they watched

the ships from the cliffs, "The news must have arrived that their

fleet has put out to sea."

"Then we may as well be off after them, Sydney; they will sail faster

than we shall in this wind, for it is blowing too strongly for us to

carry much sail."

They hurried on board. A quarter of an hour later the _Fan Fan_ put

out from the harbour. The change of wind had caused an ugly cross sea

and the yacht made bad weather of it, the waves constantly washing

over her decks, but before they were off Calais she had overtaken

some of the slower sailers of the Fleet. The sea was less violent as

they held on, for they were now, to some extent, sheltered by the

coast.

In a short time Cyril ran down into the cabin where Sydney was lying

ill.

"The Admiral has given the signal to anchor, and the leading ships

are already bringing up. We will choose a berth as near the shore as