The Project Gutenberg EBook of By Conduct and Courage by G. A. Henty This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license Title: By Conduct and Courage Author: G. A. Henty Release Date: March 19, 2009 [Ebook 28357] Language: English ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE*** BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE MR. HENTY’S HISTORICAL TALES. THE CAT OF BUBASTES: A Story of Ancient Egypt. 5s. THE YOUNG CARTHAGINIAN: A Story of the Times of Hanni- bal. 6s. FOR THE TEMPLE: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. 6s. BERIC THE BRITON: A Story of the Roman Invasion. 6s. THE DRAGON AND THE RAVEN: or, The Days of King Alfred. 5s. WULF THE SAXON: A Story of the Norman Conquest. 6s. AKNIGHT OF THE WHITE CROSS: The Siege of Rhodes. 6s. IN FREEDOM’S CAUSE: A Story of Wallace and Bruce. 6s. THE LION OF ST.MARK: A Story of Venice in the 14th Century. 6s. ST.GEORGE FOR ENGLAND: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers. 5s. AMARCH ON LONDON: A Story of Wat Tyler. 5s. BOTH SIDES THE BORDER: A Tale of Hotspur and Glendower. 6s. AT AGINCOURT: A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. 6s. BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST: or, With Cortez in Mexico. 6s. ST.BARTHOLOMEW’S EVE: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars. 6s. BY PIKE AND DYKE: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. 6s. BY ENGLAND’S AID: or, The Freeing of the Netherlands. 6s. UNDER DRAKE’S FLAG: A Tale of the Spanish Main. 6s. THE LION OF THE NORTH: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus. 6s. WON BY THE SWORD: A Tale of the Thirty Years’ War. 6s. WHEN LONDON BURNED: A Story of the Great Fire. 6s. ORANGE AND GREEN: A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick. 5s. AJACOBITE EXILE: In the Service of Charles XII. 5s. IN THE IRISH BRIGADE: A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain. 6s. THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE: or, With Peterborough in Spain. 5s. iv By Conduct and Courage BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. 6s. WITH CLIVE IN INDIA: or, The Beginnings of an Empire. 6s. WITH FREDERICK THE GREAT: The Seven Years’ War. 6s. WITH WOLFE IN CANADA: or, The Winning of a Continent. 6s. TRUE TO THE OLD FLAG: The American War of Indepen- dence. 6s. HELD FAST FOR ENGLAND: A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar. 5s. IN THE REIGN OF TERROR: The French Revolution. 5s. NO SURRENDER! A Tale of the Rising in La Vendée. 5s. AROVING COMMISSION: A Story of the Hayti Insurrection. 6s. THE TIGER OF MYSORE: The War with Tippoo Saib. 6s. AT ABOUKIR AND ACRE: Napoleon’s Invasion of Egypt. 5s. WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA: A Tale of the Peninsular War. 6s. UNDER WELLINGTON’S COMMAND: The Peninsular War. 6s. WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS: A Tale of his Exploits. 6s. THROUGH THE FRAY: A Story of the Luddite Riots. 6s. THROUGH RUSSIAN SNOWS: The Retreat from Moscow. 5s. ONE OF THE 28TH: A Story of Waterloo. 5s. IN GREEK WATERS: A Story of the Grecian War (1821). 6s. ON THE IRRAWADDY: A Story of the First Burmese War. 5s. THROUGH THE SIKH WAR: A Tale of the Punjaub. 6s. MAORI AND SETTLER: A Story of the New Zealand War. 5s. WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA: A Story of the American Civil War. 6s. BY SHEER PLUCK: A Tale of the Ashanti War. 5s. OUT WITH GARIBALDI: A Story of the Liberation of Italy. 5s. FOR NAME AND FAME: or, To Cabul with Roberts. 5s. THE DASH FOR KHARTOUM: A Tale of the Nile Expedition. 6s. v CONDEMNED ASA NIHILIST: A Story of Escape from Siberia. 5s. WITH BULLER IN NATAL: or, A Born Leader. 6s. vii “AS THEY CLIMBED UP THEY WERE CONFRONTED BY FULLY A HUNDRED ARMED MOORS” BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE A STORY OF THE DAYS OF NELSON BY G. A. HENTY Author of “With Roberts to Pretoria”“With Buller in Natal” “With Kitchener in the Soudan” &c. x By Conduct and Courage ILLUSTRATED BY WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I. BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED LONDON GLASGOW DUBLIN BOMBAY 1905 [5] PUBLISHERS’ NOTE Mr. George A. Henty, who died in November, 1902, had completed three new stories, With the Allies to Pekin, Through Three Campaigns, and By Conduct and Courage. Of these, Through Three Campaigns and With the Allies to Pekin were published in the autumn of 1903; the present story is therefore the last of Mr. Henty’s great series of historical stories for boys. The proofs have been revised by Mr. G. A. Henty’s son, Captain C. G. Henty. [6] [7] CONTENTS CHAP. Page I. AN ORPHAN 11 II. IN THE KING’S SERVICE 32 III. A SEA-FIGHT 53 IV. PROMOTED 75 V. A PIRATE HOLD 96 VI. A NARROW ESCAPE 119 VII. AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND 137 VIII. A SPLENDID HAUL 157 IX. A SPELL ASHORE 178 X. BACK AT SCARCOMBE 197 XI. CAPTIVES AMONG THE MOORS 212 XII. BACK ON THE “TARTAR” 234 XIII. WITH NELSON 250 XIV. THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE 264 XV. ESCAPED 284 XVI. A DARING EXPLOIT 300 XVII. ON BOARD THE “JASON” 321 XVIII. ST.VINCENT AND CAMPERDOWN 342 XIX. CONCLUSION 362 [8] [9] ILLUSTRATIONS Page “AS THEY CLIMBED UP THEY WERE CONFRONTED Frontis. 213 BY FULLY A HUNDRED ARMED MOORS” AFTER HIS FIRST FIGHT 65 WILL LEADS A PARTY TO TAKE THE ENEMY IN 109 THE REAR THE RESCUE 155 “TOM AND DIMCHURCH MADE A DESPERATE 191 DEFENCE” “HE ORDERED THE MAN AT THE HELM TO STEER 286 FOR THE FRIGATE” “HE WAS JUST IN TIME TO SEE LUCIEN ALIGHT” 312 “AT LAST HER CAPTAIN WAS COMPELLED TO 355 STRIKE” [10] [11] BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE CHAPTER I AN ORPHAN A wandering musician was a rarity in the village of Scarcombe. In fact, such a thing had not been known in the memory of the oldest inhabitant. What could have brought him here? men and women asked themselves. There was surely nobody who could dance in the village, and the few coppers he would gain by performing on his violin would not repay him for his trouble. Moreover, Scarcombe was a bleak place, and the man looked sorely shaken with the storm of life. He seemed, indeed, almost unable to hold out much longer; his breath was short, and he had a hacking cough. To the surprise of the people, he did not attempt to play for their amusement or to ask, in any way, for alms. He had taken a lodging in the cottage of one of the fishermen, and on fine days he would wander out with his boy, a child some five years old, and, lying down on the moorland, would play soft tunes to himself. So he lived for three weeks; and then the end came suddenly. The child ran out one morning from his room crying and saying that daddy was asleep and he could not wake him, [12] 2 By Conduct and Courage and on the fisherman going in he saw that life had been extinct for some hours. Probably it had come suddenly to the musician himself, for there was found among his scanty effects no note or memorandum giving a clue to the residence of the child’s friends, or leaving any direction concerning him. The clergyman was, of course, called in to advise as to what should be done. He was a kind-hearted man, and volunteered to bury the dead musician without charging any fees. After the funeral another question arose. What was to be done with the child? He was a fine-looking, frank boy, who had grown and hardened beyond his years by the life he had led with his father. Fifteen pounds had been found in the dead man’s kit. This, however, would fall to the share of the workhouse authorities if they took charge of him. A sort of informal council was held by the elder fishermen. “It is hard on the child,” one of them said. “I have no doubt his father intended to tell him where to find his friends, but his death came too suddenly. Here is fifteen pounds. Not much good, you will say; and it isn’t. It might last a year, or maybe eighteen months, but at the end of that time he would be as badly off as he is now.” “Maybe John Hammond would take him,” another suggested. “He lost his boat and nets three weeks ago, and though he has a little money saved up, it is not enough to replace them. Perhaps he would take the child in return for the fifteen pounds. His old woman could do with him, too, and would soon make him a bit useful. John himself is a kind-hearted chap, and would treat him well, and in a few years the boy would make a useful nipper on [13] board his boat.” John Hammond was sent for, and the case was put to him. “Well,” he said, “I think I could do with him, and the brass would be mighty useful to me just now; but how does the law stand? If it got to be talked about, the parish might come down upon me CHAPTER I 3 for the money.” “That is so, John,” one of the others said.