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Updated: September 26, 2025
"Well, I suppose it can't do much harm, eh, Schank?" observed the Captain, after a moment's reflection, and the Little Lady's nurse was buried, according to the notion of the crew, in a decent Christian manner; they piously believing that, however she might have lived, she would now at all events have a fair chance of getting a safe passage to heaven.
Captain Schank and all the officers were quickly on deck, as were the crew, and all eyes were turned to the wreck. As we drew near, we were left in no doubt of her being a large Indiaman; and Mr Paul, the mate, soon recognised her as the "Yarmouth Castle," to which he had belonged. The signal of distress was flying on the stump of her mizzen-mast.
Mr Schank was still doing duty on board the frigate expecting to be superseded, that he might commence refitting the brig. It had just become dark. She was lying some distance inside of us. Happily for themselves several of the crew in charge had come on board the frigate. Suddenly a tremendous explosion was heard.
In a short time not a trace of the Frenchmen could be discovered, nor did we sight another enemy till we entered Malta harbour. Captain Oliver and Mr Schank were as good as their words. They mentioned among the inhabitants the circumstance of my father's death, and that his widow and child were on board, and very soon collected a considerable sum of money, which they presented to my poor mother.
They all seemed much older than Lieutenant Schank. Two of them were very like him, tall and thin, and the other bore a strong resemblance, I thought, to our worthy Captain. Their names I soon learned. There was Miss Martha, and Miss Jemima, and the youngest a fat one was Anna Maria. They all shrieked out in different tones as they saw us.
Three men only were picked up alive, floating on fragments of the wreck. It sank almost directly the boats got up to the spot. What had caused the catastrophe no one could tell, but the brig certainly must have had a larger amount of gunpowder on board her than was supposed. Mr Schank therefore, as before, continued to act as our First-Lieutenant.
"Hillo, little chap! Where did you come from?" exclaimed several of them as they first discovered me. I replied that I wanted to go and help them fight the enemy. I was passed to Mr Schank. "Why, Ben," he said, "what business have you to be here? What can you do?" "Please, sir, I can carry your flask if you will let me, or if anybody is hit I can stay by them and help them."
There is only one thing worse, and that is when they lie, and cheat, and deceive each other, and it seems often to me that more than one-half of the world is employed in doing one or the other." "Have we gained much on the chase, Mr Schank?" asked the Captain, who just then appeared on deck. "The best part of a mile, sir, I should think, in the course of the last hour.
"That is very clear, and very wonderful it is; but if he had been killed it would be still more wonderful! Well, I am very glad he has come back." After a little time I went back to my father and mother, and brought him in to see Mrs Schank and the Little Lady, both of whom welcomed him cordially. I inquired after Mrs Lindars.
The construction of these craft was superintended by a lieutenant afterwards Admiral Schank of scientific knowledge as a ship architect; and through close association with him Pellew's instinctive appreciation of all things nautical received an intelligent guidance, which gave him a quick insight into the probable behavior of a ship from an examination of her build, and enabled him often to suggest a suitable remedy for dangerous faults.
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