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diff --git a/23387.txt b/23387.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6b8b8de --- /dev/null +++ b/23387.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5008 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Washed Ashore, by W.H.G. Kingston + +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 www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Washed Ashore + The Tower of Stormount Bay + +Author: W.H.G. Kingston + +Release Date: November 6, 2007 [EBook #23387] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WASHED ASHORE *** + + + + +Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England + + + + +Washed Ashore; or, The Tower of Stormont Bay, by W.H.G. Kingston. + +________________________________________________________________________ + +This is a fairly short book, and probably an easier read for the younger +teenager. + +Jack is a young member of a respectable family living in Stormount +Tower, on the south coast of England. Unfortunately the silly boy got +himself involved with the smugglers, who got caught. This of course +would have been a hanging offence, but Jack manages to go to sea aboard +the "Truelove", which, it is later heard, is lost at sea. + +Folk at home long to see him again, but meanwhile there are some strange +goings-on, involving ghosts, kidnaps, strange noises, secret tunnels, +and smugglers' caves. + +Eventually some of the local young men sail to the Pacific, hoping to +find where the "Truelove" had gone down, and hoping above all to find +young Jack. After some misses they eventually manage to get some useful +information, and from this they are able to find Jack, and bring him +home to his family. + +________________________________________________________________________ + +WASHED ASHORE; OR, THE TOWER OF STORMOUNT BAY, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON. + + + +CHAPTER ONE. + +THE OLD TOWER--CAPTAIN ASKEW'S FAMILY--THE SMUGGLERS--WHY JACK ASKEW +WENT TO SEA. + +There was an old grey weather-beaten stone tower standing on the top of +a high rocky promontory, which formed the western side of a deep bay, on +the south coast of England. The promontory was known as the Stormy +Mount, which had gradually been abbreviated into Stormount, a very +appropriate name, for projecting, as it did, boldly out into the ocean, +many a fierce storm had, age after age, raged round its summit and +hurled the roaring, curling waves into masses of foam against its base, +while the white spray flew in showers far above its topmost height. To +the west of Stormount, the coast was rocky and fringed by numerous +reefs, while on the further side of the bay, also formed by a +promontory, less in height than that of Stormount, it consisted of +cliffs, broken considerably however by chines and other indentations, +and pierced here and there by caverns, some close down to the water, and +others high up and almost inaccessible from below. Inland, the country +was sparsely cultivated--open downs and fern and gorse-covered heaths +prevailing. The more sheltered nooks in the bay contained a few +fishermen's cottages, pitched here and there wherever the ground +favoured their erection, with very little regard to symmetry or order. +Nearer to the water were boat-sheds, and stakes, and spars, on which +nets were spread to dry or to be repaired. + +But the old stone tower of Stormount claims our attention. It was of +considerable circumference, three stories in height, the walls massive +and substantial, the strongest gales could not shake it, nor any blasts +find entrance. The tower had been the donjon-keep of the ancient +castle, part of the wall of which attached to the tower, had of late +years been roofed over, and formed a portion of a dwelling-house and +offices, the main portion being in the keep itself. The appearance of +the tower from the outside, though highly picturesque, was bleak and +comfortless, and gave a stranger the idea that it was more fitted for +the habitation of sea-gulls and other wild fowl, than for the abode of +man. But those who had once entered within its portal came out with a +very different notion. And on a stormy, long winter night, when the +wind whistled and the waves roared, and all was darkness around, and the +entrance to the bay, easily enough seen in daylight, was difficult to be +found, a bright light streamed forth from an upper window of the old +tower, sending its rays far off over the troubled ocean, cheering the +passers by, a warning to some of neighbouring dangers, a guide and +welcome to those who might be seeking shelter from the gale. + +People are occasionally met with in this world very like that old +tower--rough and weather-beaten on the outside, yet with warm hearts and +genial dispositions, cheering and encouraging the wanderer, blessings to +all with whom they come into contact. The old tower was inhabited, and +about its inmates we have still more to say than about the tower itself. +Five miles to the eastward of the tower was a Revenue Station, and +fifteen years or so before the time of our history commences, the +command was held by an old Lieutenant Cumming, who had obtained it, he +used with a touch of satire to tell his friends, as a recompense for +forty years' services and numerous wounds in fighting his country's +battles. + +He was one day standing on the beach, when a cutter brought up in the +bay, and her boat soon afterwards came on shore with a passenger. No +sooner did the old lieutenant see him than he hurried to the boat, and +grasping his hand as he stepped on shore, exclaimed, "Welcome, welcome, +old shipmate; I knew, Askew, that you would find me out some day; and so +you have; come along!" + +Towards his cottage near the beach the old lieutenant and his friend +bent their steps, the former assisting the new comer, who having lost a +leg, walked with difficulty--a seaman following with a small +well-battered valise. Didn't the old shipmates talk as they sat +together during their supper! Many a battle they fought over again, and +Commander Askew had besides to talk of his own doings since last they +parted. He told his friend how in lashing the enemy's bowsprit to the +mizen-mast of his own ship, his leg had been shattered, and how he held +on to the task till he had done it, and then sank fainting on the deck. +He did not utter an expression like a boast, though he thoroughly +possessed the characteristics of the true-hearted naval officers of the +old school, who feared God, did their duty like lions, and said very +little about it. He spoke, too, of a promise he had made to a brother +officer, who lay dying in the cot next to him, and how he had fulfilled +it (the request was common in those days), "Jack, you'll keep an eye on +my wife and little girl, I know you will." + +"Cheer up, Tom, don't be cast down about that matter, God knows that +I'll try and do the best I can for them." + +That was all that passed. John Askew did do his best. He found his +late friend's widow dying, and the orphan girl, not a child, but a young +woman, without a friend in the world besides him. He looked about to +find a husband for her. To those eyes who could only see the pure +bright loving spirit beaming through her countenance, she appeared +plain. In vain Jack looked for what he sought. "Why don't you marry +her yourself?" said a friend. + +Jack said that he was much too old for Margaret Treherne. However, he +put the matter before her. Her heart leaped with joy as she thought how +she should now be able to devote her life to the comfort of her generous +benefactor. A truly happy couple were Captain and Mrs Askew. He had +lately got his promotion to the rank of Commander, and was now in search +of a house in sight of the ocean he loved so well, where he might live a +retired life and bring up the two children God had given him. + +"Fit up Stormount Tower," said his friend, half in a joke, "the rent +will be nominal, and you'll have as much of the sea as you can desire." + +The next day the two brother officers walked over to inspect the tower. +The captain decided that he could soon make it comfortable, and +accordingly went on to see the proprietor, Mr Ludlow. Mr Ludlow, who +resided on his somewhat extensive but barren estate, was glad to find a +tenant willing to help to keep the old walls from tumbling down, and who +might also prove a pleasant neighbour. In a short time the old tower, +under the captain's directions, was put into a habitable condition, and +well caulked, as he observed, when he surveyed the work. The furniture +was of a modest description, for the captain's means were small. When +all was ready, he went away and returned with his wife and two +children--one a boy, four years old, and the other a little girl. The +boy was named after his father, John, though he was generally known as +Jack Askew; the daughter was called Margaret, but more frequently spoken +of as Margery Askew. An old follower of the captain's came with him-- +Tom Bowlby was a sailor of the old school, and knew as little of the +shore as a whale does of the inside of Saint Paul's. He loved the +captain as a father, and would have been ready to die to save his life. +He had saved it once, by interposing his own arm, which he lost in +consequence, and Captain Askew resolved that, should he ever have a +home, Tom should share it with him. + +Jack Askew grew up a fine bold, generous-hearted boy, and what was +better still, fearing and loving God as did his father and mother. In +his childhood's days, when not with his parents, he was under Tom's +entire charge; but as he grew older the old sailor found it impossible +to follow him in his distant rambles, and Jack, who was of a sociable +disposition, soon made the acquaintance of every individual of the +surrounding population. + +While Lieutenant Cumming remained at the revenue station, Jack was +constantly out with him and his men in their boats; he was equally +intimate with a class of men living on the coast, who, though they +professed to be fishermen, either made smuggling their chief business, +or were ready on all occasions to help the smugglers. Tom knew very +little about their proceedings; indeed, brought up as he had been, had +he done so, it is not likely that he would have looked on them with much +horror. Captain Askew, of course, knew that there was a good deal of +smuggling on the coast, but, except in the case of a few notorious +characters, he did not know who were the individuals engaged in it. +Jack was a favourite with both revenue men and smugglers, and the latter +knew that, should he by chance learn anything of their proceedings, he +would not betray them. He used to go off with them when they went out +fishing, sometimes with Tom, and sometimes alone, and soon became a very +expert boat sailor. One thing is very certain, that his associates did +Jack no good. We know from Scripture that "Evil communications corrupt +good manners," and, though undeservedly, he got the character of being a +wild lad, likely some day to get into trouble. + +Such was the opinion formed of him by Mr Ludlow, his father's landlord, +who consequently seldom invited him to his house, nor did he encourage +any intimacy between him and his son, which he would probably otherwise +have done. Mr Ludlow, who was a country magistrate, was a stern, +self-opinionated, and narrow-minded man, with very little of the milk of +human kindness in his composition. He believed, among other things, +that he could put down smuggling by force, and he was engaged in an +effort to accomplish the task. Stephen, his son, was rather younger +than Jack, a good-looking boy, but he was conceited, headstrong, and not +good tempered. + +He occasionally went over to Stormount, where he was always welcomed, +but he and Jack were not especially good friends; indeed, their pursuits +were so different, that even then they did not see much of each other. +It happened one day that Jack, having betaken himself to the beach, +found some of his friends going off a in boat, and begged to go with +them. One or two objected, others said--"Let him come, he's true as +gold, he'll not peach." + +"Yes, yes, for do ye not see if we get into trouble, they'll not be hard +on us for his sake." + +This decided the matter. Jack did not hear these remarks, and went. +The boat sailed off till she was out of sight of land, when she met with +a long white lugger, and out of her received a quantity of goods, bales +of silk, and ribbons, and lace, and then returned towards the shore. +Night had come on--certain lights were seen, a signal that all was +right, and without hesitation the smugglers pulled in towards the beach. +Suddenly from behind a point two revenue boats darted out and gave +chase. The smugglers' galley was put about and pulled away along the +coast. Jack's hitherto peaceable friends were suddenly transformed into +fierce savages. Their venture was a valuable one, and they swore that +sooner than yield it they would lose their own lives, or take those of +their opponents. Jack heartily wished that he had learned the object of +their expedition, and had avoided coming. He, by this time, knew enough +about the ways of smugglers to make him feel that he ought to have +suspected that his friends were about some unlawful work. + +Scarcely had Jack left the tower than a post-chaise came rumbling up the +steep ascent which led to it. Had it come five minutes sooner Jack +would not have gone down to the beach. It contained an old friend of +his father's, Captain Summers, who had come to spend a few days at the +tower while his ship was refitting. She was a South Sea trader, +generally sailing to the western coasts of America and the islands of +the Pacific. Everybody in the household was so busy--Captain Askew in +talking to his friend, Mrs Askew and Margery in getting his room ready, +and Tom in preparing supper, that no one thought of Jack. It was not +till they were seated at their evening meal that Jack was missed. Tom +went out to make inquiries. He was not very well pleased when he at +length learned that Jack had been seen with Bob Herring and some other +men going off in Bill Starling's galley, Bill being, as Tom well knew, +one of the most determined smugglers belonging to Stormount Bay. "Well, +Bob Herring would give his life before any harm should come to the lad, +and Bill's a clever chap, and it's not likely that he'll be getting into +mischief," said Tom to himself as he returned homewards. + +As long as daylight lasted Captain Askew or Tom had their eye at the +large telescope in the captain's own room, ranging over the ocean in +search of Bill Starling's galley, but no where was she to be seen, and +at length the captain became more anxious than he had ever before been +about Jack. He had done his best to prevent Mrs Askew from being +alarmed, but was on the point of going out himself to make inquiries +about the galley, when a ring was heard at the gate, and Becky Bott, the +maid, came to say that blind Peter, the pedlar, wanted to see the +captain. Blind Peter with his dog Trusty traversed the country round, +selling needles, thread, tape, and such like small wares. Peter seldom +failed, when he required it, to obtain a crust of bread, and a piece of +cheese, and a glass of cider for himself, and a few bones for his dog. +He had always met with a kind reception at the tower, and seemed to have +taken a very great fancy to little Margery. "It's her sweet gentle +voice I love to hear," he said one day talking to Becky. "That's what +goes to my heart." + +"What brings you here, Peter, at this time of night?" asked Captain +Askew, with some anxiety in his voice. + +"I wish, captain, I could say it was pleasant news I've brought you, and +yet when there's evil it is better to know it, that we may find a +remedy," answered the blind man. "I wouldn't like to frighten the +missus though--but it's just this--Master Jack has been taken with Bill +Starling, Bob Herring, and a lot of other chaps, by the coastguards' +men, with a cargo of contraband, and they are all now on their way to +Mr Ludlow's. He's long been wishing for such a haul, and he'll commit +one and all of them to prison, and Master Jack too, if you don't go and +bail him out." + +Peter's news caused a considerable amount of anxiety, for Mr Ludlow's +stern character was well known. However, the only thing to be done was +to set off immediately to see him. Fortunately the post-chaise which +brought Captain Summers was still at the public-house in the village, +and the postboy sufficiently sober to undertake to drive to the hall. +The two captains found Mr Ludlow seated in magisterial state, with the +prisoners before him, making out their committal for trial. + +"I am very sorry for this, Captain Askew, very sorry," he remarked, as +they were introduced. "The case is clear against all the party, and +your son was with them. He is young, and may have been led astray by +others, but a severe example is necessary, and he must suffer with the +rest. He will be sent to prison for a year, or to sea in a ship of +war." In vain Captain Askew and his friend pleaded for Jack. Mr +Ludlow would not listen to their explanations. Captain Summers, as a +last resource, offered to take Jack away with him to sea, and, to his +surprise, Mr Ludlow at once agreed to the proposal. Jack was +accordingly allowed to accompany his father and his friend home. + +Jack, though he liked the thoughts of going to sea, was very sorry to +leave his father and mother and dear little Margery, but he bravely kept +up his spirits, that he might not grieve them more than he could help. + +Not a word of complaint either did he utter against Mr Ludlow, or those +who had brought him into trouble. "It will be a lesson to me through +life to avoid associating with those who are doing wrong," he remarked, +and he said but little more on the subject. + +There was a void not likely soon to be filled in the old tower, and a +greater still in the hearts of its inmates, when Jack Askew went to sea. +They occasionally received letters from him, not very often though, and +they found that many he had written had not reached them. The last +letter they received was dated from a port on the coast of Peru. The +ship was about to sail among some of the wide-scattered islands of the +Pacific, whose then still savage inhabitants were said to be addicted to +the worst vices which disgrace humanity. In vain they waited for +another letter--none came. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. Still +they hoped, and hoped on, that tidings would come some day or other. + +At length rumours arrived that Captain Summers' ship, the _Truelove_, +with all hands, had been lost on a coral reef. Captain Askew would not +allow himself to believe the report, and he took a journey to London to +ascertain its truth. "God's will be done, dear wife," he said when he +came back. "He that gave has taken our child away." Many a pious +parent has repeated the same words, yet with anguish of heart. Still +they went on hoping against hope. However, at length it became too +certain that the _Truelove_ had been lost, and that not a trace of her +crew had been discovered, although a brother captain of Captain Summers +had made every inquiry in his power, and a ship of war had been sent to +search for them. + +Margery was now the sole earthly object round which the affections of +Captain and Mrs Askew ere entwined. Tom Bowlby, too, had transferred +his love for her brother to her. She was a bright sunny little +creature, with light auburn hair, deep blue eyes, and a pure rich +glowing complexion, which might have vied with that of the lily, had it +not been burnt by the sun and sea breezes. No one who saw her, or heard +her joyous ringing laugh, or her voice so soft or gentle when moved by +pity or sorrow, could fail to love her. She had learned to think of +Jack as of a brother gone on a long, long voyage, whom she should meet +again, not for years perhaps, but some day certainly, and so she ceased +to mourn for him. The captain had seen so many of his companions +launched into watery graves, and knew so well that it is the fate for +which all who go to sea must be prepared, that he accepted his lot as +common to many another parent, though his gallant boy was not often out +of his thoughts. He and Tom seldom, as was once their wont, talked over +their adventures and battles, for Jack and his doings was the theme on +which, when together, they loved to speak, in subdued tones though, and +often with faltering voices and tears springing unexpectedly to their +eyes. + +Margaret seldom spoke about her boy, but she did not think of him the +less, and there lingered yet in her mother's heart the hope--she knew it +was baseless, yet she dared not contradict it--that she should yet again +fold him to her heart on earth; she knew that she should meet him in +heaven. One thing Margaret bethought herself that she would do. She +might assist to save others from the fate which had befallen her own +dear boy. The day on which the sad tidings reached her she had retired +to an upper chamber of the tower which overlooked the sea, to pray that +strength might be given her to bear her deep affliction. To those who +pray aright, never are their petitions refused. By labouring for the +good of others, the sorrow-stricken heart is greatly relieved. "Surely, +if this tower could be seen by night as well as by day, it would show +the entrance to our sheltered bay," she said to herself. She possessed +a large bright lamp; filling it with oil and trimming it carefully, she +placed it in the window as the shades of evening closed over the then +tranquil ocean. Night after night, without fail, she did the same, +allowing no one, not even Margery, to share her task. By and by a +reflector and more powerful burners were obtained, and the rays of the +lamp were thrown still further over the sea. The fishermen out on the +waters soon learned whence the light came, and blessed the hand that +placed it there. + + + +CHAPTER TWO. + +MARGARET--STEPHEN--THE ROCKS--THE FACE--BLIND PETER--THE STORM. + +When the old tower of Stormount was being fitted for a modern +habitation, the original arrangements of the interior had been in a +great measure restored. Entering at the gateway, a narrow passage led +to the foot of a spiral stair which ran up to the top of the building. +On each story there was a landing-place, into which the rooms opened. +Most of them were in shape like a slice of cake, the largest, used as a +sitting-room, almost semi-circular. At each window there was a deep +recess--the windows themselves in the lower stories being very narrow, +having been made rather as loopholes for musketry than to let in light-- +while in the upper story they were square and low, formed as ports for +such cannon as were used in the days of the Commonwealth. Under the +ground-floor some of the inmates suspected that there were vaults, as at +two or three spots a hollow sound on stamping hard was elicited, but as +there was no apparent way down, the captain had not thought it worth +while to break up the pavement to examine them. The dining-room, +kitchen, some offices and bedrooms were in the newer part of the +structure. + +Captain Askew's own room was one of those on the upper story, looking +towards the sea. It could not be called his study--for he was not a +reading man, and there were but few books in it,--but it contained +something of everything, arrayed in the most perfect order on shelves +arranged one above another, in cupboards, on tables, and in drawers. It +was a workshop, a museum, a laboratory, a model room, a library, a +dressing-room in one. Here he sat at work for a large portion of each +day, but not often alone, as his wife, or daughter, or Tom Bowlby was +constantly with him. In two or three points the captain had changed +somewhat of late years. He lived less for himself and more for others +than formerly. He took delight in going out among the fishermen and +cottagers in the neighbourhood, with his Bible in hand, or with some +book on religion, and in reading and explaining the Scriptures. He was +also engaged in making the model of a lifeboat, and inventing other +apparatus for saving life. + +He had likewise been appointed a magistrate, for the especial object of +assisting the revenue officers in putting down smuggling, which it was +found difficult to do without a strong force of coastguards on shore and +numerous cutters afloat. He most unwillingly undertook the office, but +having taken it, set about doing his duty, as he was accustomed to do +everything, thoroughly. This of course made him enemies among those he +had hitherto looked upon as his friends; still, all but the worst +characters acknowledged that the captain was an upright man, and that +whatever he did, he would take no undue advantage of them. + +Captain Askew sat in his room--the captain's room. It was known by no +other name. He was a strongly-built man, with a fine open countenance, +florid, or rather sunburnt, with blue eyes--Margery's were like them-- +and hair sprinkled thickly with frost. The loss of his leg had +prevented him from taking much rapid exercise, and he had grown slightly +stout in consequence, but he was still hale and active. Margery stood +by his side watching his proceedings, and occasionally, when required, +helping him in his work. + +They were interrupted by Becky Bott, who put her head in at the door, +saying, "Please, there's young master Stephen Ludlow a come to see you, +Miss Margery, with a book he says." Having delivered her message, Becky +popped her head out of the room. + +"I don't like that Stephen Ludlow, father, and I wish that he wouldn't +come here as he does," exclaimed Margery, pouting. "He never cared for +dear Jack, and he has no right to come here, with his proud manners, +sneering at everything, and thinking himself the most important person +in all the country round." + +"He is our landlord's son, little daughter, and it is our duty to treat +him with attention," answered the captain. "I have not found his manner +un-courteous, though, being an only son, he possibly is spoilt a little +at home." + +"He is spoilt a great deal, I suspect," cried Margery tossing her head +in scorn. + +"Well, well, ask him if he has a mind to stop to dinner, then tell him +that you are engaged with me, and come back here," said the captain; "he +will find means of amusing himself in the meantime." + +Margery found Stephen in the sitting-room. He was a pale-faced boy, +with irresolution marked on every lineament of his countenance; the curl +of his lip, and a frown marked on his brow, were not pleasant traits. +"I have brought this book for you, Margery, as I thought you would like +it if you have never read it," he said, presenting a good thick volume, +with a somewhat awkward manner. + +Margery took it coldly, saying, "Thank you, I'll try and read it, but I +have not much time to read by myself, as papa likes to be read to, and +so does mamma of an evening when she is at work. Oh! by the by, I am to +ask you to stop and dine, dinner will soon be ready, and you can amuse +yourself in the meantime on the beach. As I think of it, it is really a +pity that you should leave the book, I may never look into it." + +"Oh! but this book is not like any other, it is full of adventure. All +about a man living on a desert island, with a black called Friday, for I +don't know how many years. If it isn't true, it ought to be, and so +you'd better read it," said the boy, pressing the book on her. + +Margery had become interested with the description of the work, and no +longer refused to take it. She thanked Stephen more graciously than +before, and, taking the book with her, hurried back to her father. +Stephen was satisfied; he liked Margery and the captain, and Mrs Askew, +better than most people, next to himself, and he thought that he could +pass the hour till dinner-time to his satisfaction on the beach, in +picking up shells and other sea curiosities. So, leaving his pony in a +shed near the tower, which served as a stable, he strolled down to the +shore. + +The tide was unusually low, and on turning to the right as he faced the +sea, he found that he could get along under the cliff on which the tower +stood, by means of a narrow ledge of rock and sand. He had never been +there before, and he thought that he should like to see how the cliff +looked towering above him. He forgot the danger he was running, should +the tide rise and cut off his retreat. He went on and on till he got +completely under the cliff, and when he looked up it seemed to bend over +above his head, and to reach up to the sky. The rocks were so wet that +it was evident the tide had only just gone down, so he thought that he +should have abundance of time to get further, and perhaps to get round, +so as to climb up the cliff on the west side. Going on, as he happened +suddenly to look up, he fancied that he saw, high above his head, a +human face looking down on him out of the side of the cliff. He was +startled--as well he might--for it seemed impossible that any one could +get to the spot. When he looked again the face--if fact it was--had +disappeared, and he saw nothing which he could have mistaken for a face. +Still he went on; there was novelty in the expedition, and no apparent +danger, of which he was not fond, and he thought that it could only be a +very little way longer round. Again he was startled, but this time it +was by a cry, and hastening on to the spot whence the sound came, he saw +a young girl, in the dress worn by the children of the fishermen, +holding on to a wet, seaweed-covered rock, on which she had fallen to +save herself from slipping off into the water. He was not so devoid of +good feeling as not to wish to help her, so he ran on, and taking one of +her hands, he dragged her up and enabled her to reach a spot where the +footing was more secure. + +She thanked him simply but warmly, and then looking at him earnestly, +she said, "You are young Master Ludlow, and I think this no place for +you: so get back the way you came, or ill may come of it: there is time +for you before the tide rises, but none to spare." + +"Who are you?" said Stephen; "I don't know what you mean; I've done +nothing to offend anybody." + +"Who I am does not matter," answered the girl, "It's enough that you are +the son of one who is trying to take the bread out of the mouths of poor +folks who never harmed him." + +This remark was sufficient to give Stephen a notion of what she meant, +and being naturally timid, thanking her for her warning, he hurried back +as fast as he could scramble over the rocks. He saw, indeed, that on +account of the tide there was no time to lose, for the tops of several +rocks which were before exposed were completely covered, and the ledge +along which his path lay was becoming narrower and narrower. He began +to get alarmed. It seemed a long way to the broad part of the beach. +He could not swim. He wished he could, even a little, because he might +then swim from rock to rock. He thought that he was very near the end, +when the tide came gliding treacherously up, till the water touched the +very base of the cliff before him. There was no retreat either +backwards or up the cliff. The rocks on which he stood were evidently +covered completely at half-flood, while by the marks on the cliff the +water must reach far above his head at high tide. He ran on almost +shrieking out with terror till the water completely barred his further +progress. He stood trembling on a rock, not daring to plunge in and +attempt to scramble across. It would have been better for him had he +done so boldly at once, for every instant the water was deepening. + +He was about to sink down in despair, when he heard a voice shouting to +him. This roused him up, and he saw Tom Bowlby waving the stump of his +arm, and standing on a rock not twenty yards off. "Jump in, young +master, and come over to me, the water is not up to your middle yet, and +it's all smooth sailing between you and me." + +Still Stephen, paralysed with fear, would not obey, and at length Tom, +losing patience, dashed into the water himself, and hooking him through +the jacket by the iron hook which he had fixed to the end of his stump, +dragged him across, not, however, without having to swim a short +distance, and consequently giving poor Stephen a thorough wetting. They +had two places of the same character to pass through, but by the +exertions of Tom, Stephen, more frightened than hurt, was at length +landed safely on the dry beach, and was able to accompany him on foot up +to the tower. On their way Tom told him that he had seen him go down, +and hearing from a fishwife the direction he had taken, he had come +after him to bring him back. On his reaching the tower, Stephen was +carried into a room which had never been used since its last occupant, +poor Jack, had slept in it; and while his own clothes were drying, +others were given him that he might appear at dinner. He guessed at +once to whom they had belonged. Tears came into Mrs Askew's eyes when +she saw him, and Margery treated him with more gentleness than she was +accustomed to do, forsooth to say, she had generally very little +patience with him, he was so far behind her idea of what a boy ought to +be. She thanked him again for the book; she had read a few pages and +found them very interesting, but would tell him more about her opinion +when they next met, and she had read it through. Stephen described the +appearance of the face in the cliff, and what the girl he had met had +said to him. The captain seemed to think that the face might have been +in his fancy, but he was puzzled to account for the girl being where he +found her, and not wishing to accompany him, as it was evident that she +must have known of some way up from the beach. The captain got a hint +which he resolved to make use of as opportunity should occur. + +Margery ran off as soon as dinner was over to read more of the book +Stephen had lent her, and when she returned to the sitting-room to wish +him good-bye, as he was about to leave on his return home, she told him +that it was a delightful book, and that she was sure she should like it +better than any she had ever read. Stephen did not appear at all the +worse for his ducking and fright. Tom brought his pony round to the +door, and as he helped him to mount, he advised him to hurry home.--"A +storm's brewing, young gentleman, d'ye see, and a wetting with fresh +water will do ye more harm than the one with salt ye got this forenoon," +he remarked. + +"I don't just want to be reminded of that," answered Stephen, in a tone +which showed his annoyance. "But if there is rain coming, I think I had +better." + +"Put spurs to your pony, Master Ludlow, and get home as fast as you +can," said the captain, who at that moment appeared at the door. + +Stephen took the observation as a hint to him to be off, and he was too +proud, fancying this, to return into the house as he was about to do. + +"Ah!--he'll never be what our Jack was," sighed Tom, as Stephen rode +off. Dark clouds were coming up thickly from the south-west, the +advanced guard of a dense mass rising rapidly out of the horizon. +Stephen, looking round occasionally to see if the clouds were likely to +overtake him, galloped on down the steep path which led from the tower +to the more level country over which his road lay. He had not gone far +when the voice of some one from behind a hedge cried out, "Who goes +there? Stop, I charge you!" + +Stephen was at first not a little alarmed, but directly afterwards he +saw Blind Peter, the pedlar, emerge from his concealment, led by his +little dog. Stephen had known Blind Peter all his life, and as soon as +he saw him he answered, "I am Stephen Ludlow. What do you want?" + +"I warn you that you are in danger, young gentleman," said Blind Peter. +"I have been waiting for you all the morning. I thought that I should +know the tread of your pony's hoof, with your light weight on his back. +Don't go back the way you came, or evil may come of it. Take the round +by Fairleigh farm. Be advised, young sir, be advised." + +Stephen was timid, but he was obstinate, and as the rain was likely soon +to fall he was in a hurry to get home. He therefore was disinclined to +believe Blind Peter. "For what can any one want to hurt me?" he asked. + +"Ask your father, young sir. He may guess better than you can," replied +Peter, "But, I say again, go by Fairleigh. Be advised. The round will +not increase your ride by more than twenty minutes, and a wet jacket is +of less consequence than a broken head." + +At the mention of a broken head, Stephen turned pale. He remembered the +warning he had from the girl in the morning, and he now no longer +hesitated to take Blind Peter's advice. Scarcely, however, thanking the +pedlar, he turned his pony's head down a road to the left, and galloped +on at full speed. + +"He's a poor-spirited creature, or he would have had a word of thanks, +or may be a piece of silver for the poor blind man," said Peter to +himself, shaking his head as he spoke, and then hastened on towards the +tower. He had not gone far when down came the rain, driven by a heavy +gale which dashed it furiously in his face. Still he struggled on, his +faithful dog pulling at his leading-string to induce him to walk faster, +the animal's instinct telling him that the storm had but commenced, and +that it was increasing in strength. + +Captain Askew had been watching the storm after Stephen left from the +window of his room in the tower, occasionally sweeping the horizon with +his glass, to see what vessels were passing up and down the Channel, and +exposed to its rage. Then he returned to his work, in which he was much +interested, and then he went back to the window again. At length he +remained longer than he had before done at the window, earnestly looking +through his glass. "She'll be lost to a certainty if they don't succeed +in getting up jury-masts," he exclaimed. "No chance of that either, +she's driving right ashore. She'll anchor, but the ground will not hold +her. I must get some of our fellows to go off to her with me. They've +courage enough, if they can be stirred up." + +He was watching all this time a large ship, which, totally dismasted, +was being driven towards the coast. He quickly put on his +foul-weather-dress, as he called it, with water-proof boots, and a +sou'-wester, and went to his wife's room. He put his head into the room +and said, "Margaret, I am wanted out there. God protect you and +Margery. I pray that I may be soon back--so will you, I know, dear +wife--good-bye." He did not stay to say more, and before she could ask +any questions he had hurried from the room. + +Tom saw his master leaving the house. "I know what you're after," he +said to himself, and with a rapidity which few but sailors can exercise, +he had stepped into his rough-weather clothing, and was hurrying after +him. Though the captain was superior to Tom in most things, Tom having +two real legs, and the captain only one, Tom went over the ground the +fastest, and soon caught him up. "You are not going without me, sir, I +hope," said Tom, in a tone which showed that his feelings were deeply +hurt. "Did you ever go without me, sir, where there was anything to be +done, and the chance of a knock on the head?" + +"No! Tom--but you see in this sort of work two hands are wanted, and +you haven't got two, and that's the long and the short of it," answered +the captain. + +"One of them was lost in saving my life. I don't forget that either." + +"That's nothing, sir," answered Tom. "If I haven't two hands, I've got +a strong set of teeth, which are pretty well as useful as a hand; and +who can say that my on arm isn't as good as the two arms of many a man." + +"Not I, Tom, not I!" answered the captain; "but it's just this--if +anything was to happen to me, what would my wife and child do without +you, Tom, to look after them?" + +Tom still, however, argued the point. They were walking as fast as the +captain could move down to the beach. Suddenly the latter stopped, +looked Tom full in the face, and said--"It's just this. Are you +captain, or am I?" + +"You, sir," answered Tom, touching his hat mechanically, as he was wont +in the days of yore. + +"Then stay, and do as I order you," said the captain, walking on. "But +I'll tell you what, Tom; you may go and look out for volunteers, and +then come and help to launch the boat." + +The appearance of the captain at the boat was the signal for the inmates +of the neighbouring huts to come out to know what he wanted. He showed +them the ship driving towards the coast--urged them to come and help him +save the lives of those on board; and when he saw that his appeal made +but little impression, talked of the salvage money they would receive, +and other recompense from those they might save, and from their friends. +First one man volunteered--then another, and another, from various +motives. Tom had collected more from other quarters, till a fine crew +was formed. Once having said they would go, they were not the men to +draw back; but they might have been excused had they done so, for it was +very evident that the undertaking was one full of dangers of the most +formidable character. + +The boat, one of the finest of her class on the coast, and fitted with a +double row of empty kegs on either side to give her buoyancy (one of the +earliest attempts at a life boat), was now hauled up in a cove on the +west side of the bay. The captain had ordered as many ropes as could be +collected to be brought down. These were now coiled up carefully at the +bow and stern, ready for immediate use. The oars were secured by ropes +to the sides of the boat, so that they could not be washed away, but +would swing fore and aft. "All ready, lads?" cried the captain, "Now +altogether, shove, and off she goes!" The united strength of her crew, +and some twenty other men, quickly launched her on the water of the +comparatively sheltered bay. "Remember!" cried the captain, standing up +in the stern-sheets, and looking back at Tom. "Shove off, lads! Give +way! We shall be wanted out there before long." + +Bravely the men bent to their oars. Not many minutes had passed when +the boat got from under the shelter of the headland, and exposed to the +full force of the storm. It seemed scarcely possible that a boat could +live amidst the foaming, roaring seas which came rolling in towards the +beach. Her head was put at them, and on she went--now hid from view by +the seething mass of water--now reappearing on the summit of a wave. On +she went, in the teeth of the gale--on--on--rising and falling, every +instant in danger of being swallowed up by the fiercely-leaping seas. +Many of those who stood on the beach, cried--"The Lord have mercy on +them!" + + + +CHAPTER THREE. + +THE WRECK--SAILORS' HUMANITY--THE NEGRO--THE YOUNG STRANGER. + +Two persons were watching the storm and the progress of the solitary +boat over the foaming water, from one of the windows of the old tower. +Both, as they watched, were praying that He who rules the wind would +protect the husband and the father, and those with him, from the dangers +to which they were exposed. Mrs Askew looked through the telescope at +the boat, a mere speck in the troubled ocean, till her eyes grew dim and +her heart sank with anxiety, and she was compelled to relinquish her +post to Margery. + +The dismasted ship was some way to the south-west. + +"The boat goes on bravely!" cried Margery. + +"Now she is on the top of a wave--now she sinks into the trough--she is +rising again though--yes, yes, there she is! But the ship--they will +grieve to be too late; yet she is driving fearfully near those dark +rocks! and I heard papa say that not a human being would escape from the +ship that once strikes them." + +"Heaven have mercy on them!" ejaculated Mrs Askew. "How many have +mothers and sisters, or wives and daughters expecting them at home--poor +people, poor people!" + +"But perhaps the wind will change, and the ship may be driven along the +coast and into the bay, and they may yet be saved!" exclaimed Margery, +who was naturally more sanguine than her mother. + +"I fear that there is no likelihood of that," said Mrs Askew. "See! +the boat is still a long way off, and she makes but slow progress--while +the ship is driven on to destruction with even greater speed than at +first." + +That the above remarks may be clearly understood, it should be mentioned +that the ship was a considerable way to the west of Stormount Bay, and +that she was driving almost directly on the coast, so that the boat, +after pulling out some way to sea to get clear of the cape, had to steer +almost parallel with the coast to cut off the ship, their courses being +almost at right angles to each other. All the time, though they looked +occasionally towards the ship, the eyes of either the mother or daughter +were scarcely for a moment off the boat--difficult as it was to keep her +in view. Often they gasped for breath, and their hearts sank within +them, when she was concealed by the foaming waves; and more than once +they could with difficulty refrain from crying out with agony of spirit +as she remained longer than before hidden from view. Still, there she +was; but as yet she had encountered only a portion of the dangers she +had to go through; the greatest was in getting alongside the ship, and +next to that was the return through the breakers which were dashing on +the shore. + +The brave men on board might venture on yet greater danger, should the +ship strike, in attempting to go close to the wreck. Both Mrs Askew +and Margery knew enough of the state of the case to be aware of this, +for there was no lee side on which the boat could approach; and yet they +knew that if the captain saw the faintest possibility of saving the +lives of any of his fellow-creatures, he would make the attempt. + +"I can still see the boat, mother--I can still see the boat!" cried +Margery, when Mrs Askew, pale and trembling, had resigned the telescope +to her daughter, unable longer to discern the boat, and tinder the +belief that it had been overwhelmed by the seas. "She floats--she +floats; but she is still a long way from the ship!" + +"The ship! where is she?" exclaimed Mrs Askew. "I do not see her." + +Both, without the glass, looked out in the direction where the big ship +had just before been seen floating. + +"Oh! mother, the ship is not there!" cried Margery. + +"Gone! gone! is it so?" exclaimed Mrs Askew; "The Lord have mercy on +those now struggling out there for their lives amid the raging waves!" + +The ship had indeed gone down; and it seemed impossible that any but the +strongest swimmers could keep afloat till the boat should reach the +spot. Still they watched for an occasional glimpse of her, for they +were certain that the captain would not return till he had been +compelled to abandon all hope of saving life. Since he had gone out the +rain had cleared off, but at the moment the ship disappeared a thick +driving rain came sweeping on over the ocean, soon shutting out the boat +from view. In vain the lady and her daughter waited till the veil of +mist should clear off; and at length their anxiety became too great for +endurance. They thought that Tom would come in to relieve this +impatience, but he did not appear. + +"Come, dearest, come! we must go down to the beach," said Mrs Askew, +taking Margery's hand. + +Their cloaks and hats were soon put on, and together they hastened down +to the shore, where they saw a group of men, with Tom in the midst. In +spite of the rain driving in their faces, they pressed on. The men were +eagerly looking out over the sea. Some held coils of rope in their +hands, others long poles, while Tom had fastened a number of cork +net-floats together to form a life-buoy. They drew aside as they saw +the lady and her daughter. + +"No fear, marm!" exclaimed Tom, when he observed their alarmed looks. +"We doesn't think anything has happened to the captain, do you see, but +it's just as well to be ready for whatever does happen, and there's no +saying what that may be." + +So poor Mrs Askew and Margery thought; and they were thankful that +their friends were making such preparations, as seemed to them, for the +worst. Indeed, they might well do so. The huge billows came rolling in +towards the shore, breaking with a loud roar on the beach into masses of +foam, and then rolling back again, looking as if it must sweep off +everything it might encounter. Mrs Askew found that some parties of +men had gone along the coast to the eastward with ropes, on the +possibility of some of the wreck driving on shore in that direction, for +they were not aware that the ship had gone down, the mist having come on +almost at the moment of the catastrophe. Some of them shook their heads +behind the lady's back when they heard of it. The captain would be +tempted to go looking about round the spot till darkness should come on, +and then the return on shore would be doubly hazardous. One thing was +certain, that he would select the spot where they were for running in +the boat, as it was the only one for miles along the coast affording the +slightest chance of safety. This was owing to its being sheltered by +the cape from the south-west, a small bay being formed within the bay. +Still the sea rolled in even there with great force, and the landing was +an undertaking of great difficulty and risk. Mrs Askew heard the men +say that in one respect the boat would gain by the delay, as the tide +was on the point of turning, and would set up Channel with the wind, +thus enabling her to return more speedily, while the sea might not +possibly break so much as it had hitherto been doing. Tom wanted Mrs +Askew and Margery to return to the tower; but, though the rain pelted +down, and the wind blew against them so that they could scarcely stand, +they persisted in awaiting the expected return of the boat. + +Now the mist cleared off a little; they peered anxiously out, but no +boat was to be seen. Now it settled down thicker than ever, and all +they could see was billow after billow crested with foam come rolling +in, and breaking with loud roars on the beach, making the very ground +beneath their feet tremble. They stood with their hands clasped +together, Margery partly sheltered by her mother's cloak. As they could +see but a short distance, they listened the more attentively, in the +hope of hearing some sound which might give them notice of the approach +of the boat. At length Margery started, and bent forward; either her +quick ears had distinguished a shout amid the roar of the waters, or she +fancied that she heard one. She waited for some time. "Oh! yes, +mother, it is--it is! I hear a voice--it is papa's! He is shouting! +He is telling the men to do something! I know it is him!" exclaimed +Margery, darting forward. Was it the little girl's fancy, or not? +Surely not her fancy, though no one else heard the voice. + +Suddenly the mist again for an instant cleared away, and revealed the +boat on the summit of a billow, close in with the shore. Now is the +time for the men on the beach to exert themselves if they will save the +lives of their friends, though the risk of losing their own is very +great. The strongest secure the ropes round their waists, and prepare +to rush into the sea that they may seize the boat as she touches the +beach, before the sea can draw her back again or those in her. + +On comes the boat--the captain steers her with consummate skill; the +brave crew exert themselves to the utmost, yet with difficulty can they +prevent her from being turned broadside to sea, and rolled over on the +beach. Those who are watching hold their breath with anxiety. Margery +and her mother stand trembling. Tom can do but little except hold on to +the end of one of the ropes. The boat draws nearer--then down she +comes. The sea follows, ready to sweep all out of the boat, as if +disappointed of its prey; but those on shore each grasp a man. Tom +seizes his master with his hook, and drags him up the beach. Others +attend to the boat. She is quickly hauled up, and all are safe. +Margery and her mother were soon in the captain's arms: they were +recompensed for all they had suffered by seeing him safe. But where +were those they had gone out to rescue? Were none preserved? Yes! one +person had been discovered alone, of the numbers who had been on board +the ship--a black boy, but he could speak but a few words of English, +and could give no account of the ship. + +The captain, with his wife and daughter, and Tom leading the young +stranger, now hurried up towards the tower. The captain stopped, +however, for a moment before he went. "Thank ye, lads, for what you've +done!" he said; "it was your best, and you could do no more; and one +life saved is better than none. As soon as you've shaken yourselves +dry, come up to the tower, and such fare as I can offer you I'll give it +gladly." + +"Thank ye, sir, thank ye!" answered the crew of the boat, "we'll come by +and by, if it's only to drink yours and the missus's health." + +Before entering the tower, the captain gave a glance over the ocean. +The mist had again cleared off completely, and his keen eye discovered +far out a small object--what it was he could not determine. He pointed +it out to his daughter. Throwing off her wet cloak, she hurried to the +telescope, that she might ascertain what the object was. She looked +eagerly, as it was, probably, she thought, a part of the wreck. After +watching it a short time, it became evident to her that it was being +drifted by the tide and wind towards the shore. She called her father, +who by this time had put on his dry clothes. He asked her to point out +the spot where she had first seen it. "Yes--yes, it may possibly drift +into the bay!" he exclaimed; "but it will be midnight before it can +reach the shore. I must go out, however, and set men to watch, for it +is large enough to support a dozen or more people, though it is scarcely +possible that they should have clung on in that heavy sea out there." + +Once more the Captain and Tom, habited in their foul-weather clothes, +repaired to the beach. Darkness was coming on, and the object they were +in search of was only for an instant at a time visible as it rose to the +foaming summit of a wave. It however remained long enough in sight to +enable them to point it out to the men at the huts, several of whom +agreed to remain with the captain and Tom on the shore, with ropes, to +assist any one by chance clinging to the piece of wreck. + +Again Mrs Askew and Margery were left in a state of anxiety, for they +knew the danger that must be run in the attempt to draw a person out of +such a raging sea. Margery insisted on running down to take her father +some food--for he had had none since dinner--and, of course, Becky +offered to go, but at that moment Blind Peter came to the door, and he +undertook to convey some supper for the captain and Tom; and the black +boy, seeming to comprehend the matter, begged by signs to be allowed to +accompany him, and to carry the baskets. To Blind Peter day and night +were the same, and with every inch of the ground he was well acquainted, +so that he had no difficulty in finding the captain and his companions-- +guided to them by the sound of their voices. Blind Peter was +recompensed for his want of sight by the most acute sense of hearing. +Accustomed also to be out in all weathers, he cared nothing for the +pelting of the storm, or for the clouds of spray which beat over those +who stood on the beach, and expressed his intention of remaining till +the piece of wreck should reach the shore. + +"Then you must share with us the provender you have brought, friend +Peter," said the captain, taking a seat on some rocks rather more out of +the reach of the spray than where they had been standing. Some lighted +their pipes, and others produced bottles of spirits from their pockets, +and, being all of them well clothed to resist the weather, they made +themselves as comfortable as circumstances would allow. Occasionally, +one or two got up and ran along the beach, to try to ascertain if the +wreck could be seen. Suddenly, Blind Peter started up, exclaiming, "I +hear something floating on the water! There is a voice, too, faint, +calling for help." + +The captain, and Tom, and the other men, with their ropes, hurried after +Peter along the beach. He stopped, pointing over the sea. The moon, +which had hitherto been obscured, at that moment broke forth from behind +a cloud, and revealed a small raft floating among the breakers. Again +the moon was hidden by the cloud, and then once more it appeared, and +this time the raft was seen more distinctly, and on it appeared a human +form, grasping the planks firmly with one hand as he lay along then he +waved the other to show that he was alive. No sooner was he seen than +the agitation of the young black became very great; and taking the end +of a rope from one of the men, he fastened it round his own body, and +intimated that he would swim off with it to the raft. There was no time +to be lost, for any moment the lad--for lad he evidently was--might be +swept off by the breakers, or the raft might be thrown violently on the +shore, and he crushed beneath it. The captain and Tom also fastened +ropes round their waists, as sailors well know how to do, and rushed +into the surf to help the brave black boy. The raft came on towards +them; the black boy sprang on it, and seized the lad, who seemed at that +moment to have lost all consciousness. An instant longer, and he would +have been swept away. The receding waters rushed back with the raft. +The black boy, though an excellent swimmer, could scarcely support his +friend as those on shore hauled him in, when the captain and Tom rushed +to his aid. The captain stuck his timber-toe in the sand, Tom caught +the stranger's jacket with his iron hook, and all three brought him at +length safely up the beach out of the reach of the surf, which came +hissing after them as if angry at the loss of its prey. + +"Now, lads, carry him up among you to the tower; a warm bed and some hot +grog is what the lad now wants!" cried the captain, who possibly felt +that it was high time for himself to get to a warm bed, for he was not +so strong as he had been, and he had gone through great exertions. + +It was too evident, that if the raft had had more occupants, the lad was +the only survivor. The light of the moon, as it shone on him as the +seamen bore him up to the tower, showed that he was dressed in a sea +officer's uniform jacket, such as is worn by midshipmen--to which rank, +from his youth, it seemed probable that he belonged. Tom had hurried on +before, so that when the party arrived, Mrs Askew, Margery, and Becky, +were busily preparing and warming Jack's bed for the young stranger. +The warmth and rubbing soon brought him to consciousness; but Mrs +Askew, observing his exhausted condition, would not let him speak to +give any account of himself until he had had some sleep, without which +it was evident that food would do him but little good. The captain +pretended to be very indignant at being popped into bed as soon as he +got home, "like a little boy who had tumbled into the water," he said; +but he was not sorry to drink a glass of hot grog which Margery brought +him, after which he fell fast asleep. + +Mrs Askew watched by the side of the young sailor lad, who now also +slept soundly. She thought of her own dear boy, who might have been as +this lad was--washed ashore on some strange land; and as she would have +wished him to have been treated, so she desired to treat the young +stranger. He was older than Jack would now be--stouter and fairer--not +like him, indeed, except in possessing an honest and innocent +countenance. She did not for a moment suppose that he was her own boy +come back to her, and yet, as she watched him, her heart strings began +strangely to coil round him, and she felt that he could never be a +stranger to her. She was sure that he would be worthy of her regard-- +judging by the expression of his countenance--this opinion being +strengthened by hearing of the affection shown to him by the young +negro. She sat up with some food ready to give him when he should +awake, and it was not till daybreak, after he had taken it, that she +would allow Becky to take her place. When she opened the door she found +the black boy coiled up close to it, on a rug. He had left the snug bed +provided for him that he might be near the lad, to whom he was evidently +attached. + +Margery was the first of the family on foot; she longed to hear more +about the young stranger, but he was still asleep, and there was no one +else to tell her--the black boy was about, but he could not exchange +many words with her--so, to employ the time, they looked through the +telescope to ascertain if any more pieces of the wreck were floating +about near the shore, but nothing was to be seen. The wind had +considerably abated, and the sun was shining brightly on the sparkling +waves; though she could not forget that they danced over the graves of +so many of her fellow-creatures who that time the day before were full +of life and strength, and that probably the only survivors were the +black boy and the young lad, now sleeping safely in the tower, who had +been on the last night washed ashore. + + + +CHAPTER FOUR. + +CHARLEY BLOUNT--PETER A PRISONER--TRUSTY'S ASSISTANTS--IN HIDING. + +"I want to know your name and all about you," said Margery, addressing +the young stranger, who, having eaten a very good breakfast, and +obtained permission to use his tongue, had had his clothes dried, and +having dressed in them, looked every inch a midshipman, and spoke like +one also. + +"Why, you see, Miss Margery, for I understand that is what you are +called, that matter is quickly settled. My name is Charles, or rather +Charley Blount. My father and mother are dead, and I was sent away +early to sea, and have been at sea ever since, and as I am very fond of +it I know more about it than most lads of my age. I was on my fifth +voyage home from India in the `Durham Castle,' and expected before long +to become a mate, when just in the chops of the Channel, our rigging +being slack, we lost all our masts, and at the same time the ship sprung +a leak. We little knew how bad it was, but instead of getting up +jury-masts, with which we might have steered the ship up Channel, the +crew were compelled to work at the pumps; but the leaks gained on us, +and so the poor old ship went down, with upwards of a hundred people on +board." + +"Dreadful!" exclaimed Margery. "But how did you escape from the ship?" + +"A few of us, when we found that nothing could save the ship, hurriedly +put together a small raft, but very few of the rest seemed inclined to +venture on it. Just as the ship was going down I sprang on to it with +five others; they lost their hold, and were washed off; I retained mine, +and was washed on shore, and now I think that I have told you all about +myself that you will care to know." + +"Oh no! not by half!" answered Margery. "I want to know why the black +boy is so much attached to you, and how it was that papa when he picked +him up did not see you?" + +"That I can easily account for," answered Charley, "as the ship went +down a thick fog came on, and I had drifted by up Channel; that is to +say, nearly east, before the boat coming more from the north had reached +the spot; and as to honest, faithful Crambo, I once upon a time picked +him out of the water as he last night helped to pick me out, and he has +ever since stuck by me, and I assure you that I value his friendship." + +"Oh yes! I can easily understand that," said Margery. "I am reading +about a very interesting person, a great traveller, who had a black +servant called Friday, and they lived together on a desert island for a +long time--it must have been very delightful--but at last they got away. +I have not read the book through yet, but when I have I will tell you +more about it, and perhaps Stephen Ludlow will lend it to you. I will +ask him, for I am sure that you will like it." + +"Perhaps I may have read it, Miss Margery, already," said Charley, +smiling. "If it is the `Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe,' I +have." + +"Yes, yes! that is the very book!" exclaimed Margery, "how could you +guess so quickly?" + +"Because I know of no other book with a man Friday in it, or one so +interesting," said Charley; "but I must tell you one thing. Friday is +always spoken of as a black, but that is a mistake, as the inhabitants +of all the islands in the part of the Pacific where Robinson Crusoe is +supposed to have been wrecked are light brown people; some are very +light. Many of them are civilised, and have become Christians, but in +those days they were perfect savages, and some of them were cannibals." + +"How dreadful!" exclaimed Margery. "But have you been out in those +seas?" + +"Yes!" answered the midshipman, "I once came home that way, and we +touched at several islands. They are very beautiful, and I should much +like to go out there again." + +"So should I," said Margery, and she sighed. She would like to have +told him all about Jack, but he was as yet too great a stranger to her +to allow her to speak to him on a subject which was to her almost +sacred, so she said nothing; she did not even tell him that she had had +a brother Jack, who had gone to sea and been lost. + +Charley Blount soon became a great favourite of the inmates of the +Tower, as also with most of the neighbours. His history seemed a sad +one, and yet he was as merry and happy a fellow as ever lived. He had +but few friends on whom he had any claim, and they were in India; the +only one he had had in England, an aunt, was dead. She was the sister +of his father--a maiden lady of true piety, who had indeed instructed +him in the way he should go, and Charley Blount had not departed from +it. This was the reason he was so merry and happy. His happiness was +within himself. Captain Askew delighted in him. He seemed to him what +his own boy would have been, and it was with inward satisfaction he +heard that he had no friends in England to whom he could go. + +"Then, Charley, you must make this old Tower your home, as long as you +can keep off the salt water," he answered. "We are grave, old-fashioned +people, but we'll do our best to make your stay with us pleasant." + +Charley assured his friends that he knew when he was in good quarters, +and that he should be in no hurry to go away. It naturally occurred to +the captain that his young guest would like a companion occasionally, so +he sent a note inviting Stephen Ludlow to come over and spend a day at +the tower, hoping also that Mr Ludlow would invite Charley in return. + +Margery was very anxious to see Stephen to thank him for his book, and +to tell him how much she liked it. An idea had also occurred to her +which she proposed broaching to him on the first opportunity. + +Blind Peter was the general messenger as well as the purveyor of small +wares in the neighbourhood, and as he happened to call that day, Becky +took the captain's note down to him to carry. + +"It's just to ask the young master at Ludlow to come over for a day," +she observed, as she gave it to him. + +"Then just, Becky, do you give him a hint not to wander away from the +Tower while he is here, and tell him to go back by the way he went the +last time, mind that," said Peter. + +"I'll do as you tell me, Master Peter," answered Becky. "But what's in +the wind that makes you say that? You know I am not a woman to go and +prattle about other people's affairs, but I should just like to know, +that I should, Master Peter." + +Blind Peter turned his sightless orbs towards Becky, while a smile +played round his lips. + +"I'll tell you what, Becky," he answered, "there's an old saying, that a +secret is no longer a secret if it's in the keeping of more than one +person; so, do ye see, I think as I've got it I'd better keep it. Not +but what I own that you are a right sensible woman, Mistress Becky, and +it's for your good as much as for my own that I don't tell it to you." + +Becky was not satisfied, but she knew Peter of old, and that, as she +said of him, "he was as close as wax, and if he was determined not to do +a thing no mortal power could make him do it." She made up her mind to +abide her time, in the hope that after all she might discover the +secret. Blind Peter having received the note, set off on his journey, +promising to deliver it either that night or the following morning. + +Peter's reception at the hall was always very different to that at the +tower, yet he did not refuse the crust of bread and mug of water offered +to him at the former, but meekly took it, and went on his way with a +thankful heart. On this occasion, having delivered the note at the +hall, and finding that both Mr Ludlow and his son were out, he +continued his journey. It was towards evening, as he was within a mile +or so of the little public-house, near the coast, at which he intended +to sleep, that he was overtaken by a man in a cart. + +"Ah, Peter! is that you?" said the driver. "Just get in, and I'll put +you and your dog and your wares down wherever you may wish to stop." + +"Thank you for your offer, Dick Herring--for I know you by your voice,-- +but my legs are well accustomed to carry me; and they'll do so as long +as I need their services, I hope." + +"Oh, nonsense, man; there's a storm brewing, and you'll be wet to the +skin, if you keep to your legs; but just do you get in, and I'll whisk +you along to your journey's end in no time," answered Dick Herring. + +"That's kind of you, Dick, anyhow," said Peter; "but as to the storm, I +don't feel as if one was coming, and I'm not often deceived." + +"Just now you are, though, depend on't, mate. Come, step in, I want to +do you a service, and it isn't the like of me that would do you a harm," +said Herring, in a persuasive tone. + +Peter, who was in reality very tired from his long walk, was glad to +have a lift, and his doubts as to Herring's intentions, which from +certain circumstances known to him he entertained, having been quieted, +he stepped up to the cart to get in. In an instant he felt himself +lifted up by strong arms, and placed on a seat next to another man who +had not before spoken, and the cart drove on at a rapid rate. + +In vain he begged that poor old Trusty might be lifted in with him. +"The dog has four legs, and can run as fast as the horse; we can't stop +for him," said the man, in a gruff and feigned voice, though Peter +thought that he recognised it as that of a notorious smuggler living not +far off. + +"I told you, Peter, that I'd whisk you along pretty quickly over the +road, and I am doing so, you'll allow," observed Herring, in a tone +which the blind man did not like, but he said nothing. He was, however, +after some time, convinced that they had gone much farther than the two +miles which he calculated would take him to the inn where he had +proposed sleeping. He became aware, too, that the cart had altered its +direction, by the feeling of the wind on his face. On they went at a +rapid rate for some time, when Peter inquired why they were conveying +him from the place to which he wished to go. + +"We've a good reason, Master Peter," answered Dick Herring, in a still +more disagreeable tone than before; "you know a thing or two more than +you ought to know, and we intend to keep you out of harm's way for a day +or two; and that's the fact, if it pleases you to know it." + +Peter was aware that expostulation was useless, so he resigned himself +to his fate, believing that Herring, though a daring smuggler and +utterly lawless, would do him no personal harm. He felt the cart go up +and down several rough places, and he was certain that it doubled +several times, and had made a full circuit more than once. The object +of the smugglers, it was evident, was to mislead him and to make him +suppose that he had gone a long distance. He kept his own counsel, +however, and in a short time the cart stopped, and he was told to get +out. He called Trusty to come and lead him, but no Trusty came. + +"The dog couldn't quite keep up with us, and maybe he has lost his way," +said Herring. "But never do you mind, Peter, I'll lead you; here, take +my arm." + +Poor Peter did as he was directed, and then he found himself going up +some very rough stone steps, and then he knew by the change of air that +he had been led through a doorway into a room, and that there were +people in it, though they did not speak; and then Dick led him into +another room, and told him to sit down on a chair, and that he must make +up his mind to remain there for some days to come, and that if he +promised to be quiet and to behave well, he should be well treated. +Saying this, the smuggler walked out of the room, and bolted the door +behind him. + +Peter immediately got up and felt about the room. It contained, he +ascertained, a low pallet bed, a table and a chair, and had a small +lattice window, with a bar across it; but it was so small that even +without the bar he could scarcely have got through it had he wished. He +opened the window gently. He could hear the sough of the sea on the +beach, far down below him. "I thought as much," he said to himself, +"they have brought me to old Dame Herring's cottage, upon Eastdown +Cliff. I was here as a boy more than once, and could find my way from +it easy enough, if I had Trusty's help to keep me from any pits or holes +dug of late. I know the reason why this has been done. They suspect +that I know what I do know, and perhaps more, and they want to keep me +out of the way till they have carried out their undertaking. However, +they might have treated me worse; so I'll not complain, but try and take +matters easily." + +Saying this he took off his wallet and the knapsack which contained his +wares, and threw himself at his length on the bed, intending to go to +sleep. He had not lain there very long when the door opened and some +person looked in, and placing something on the table retired again, +bolting the door. In a short time several people came into the larger +room, most of whom Peter knew by their heavy tread were men in large +boots. + +"Well! Mother Herring, do you promise us success in our venture, we've +been waiting long enough for it?" said one of the new comers in a gruff +voice. + +"If you do as I bid you this time you will succeed," answered an old +woman, whom by her cracked, harsh voice, Peter, even had she not been +named, would at once have recognised. "But, as I before told you, if +you want to make all secure, get hold of the son of old Ludlow. He +dotes on the boy, and you would have the father in your power, if you +could get hold of the son." + +"So we should, long ago, if it hadn't been for blind Peter; +howsomedever, we can keep him quiet for some time." + +"I mind the time before the captain came to the Tower, the matter was +much more easier than it now is," said an old man, whom Peter knew as a +daring smuggler all his life. "That was a first-rate place, I believe +you." + +"Then why not get rid of the captain and his family?" croaked out old +Mother Herring; "what business has he to come interfering with people's +rights?" + +"More easily said, Mother Herring, than done," exclaimed another of the +party. "The captain is a tough old bird, not to be driven from his +perch in a hurry." + +"Ha! ha! ha! May be I'll put you up to a trick or two, my sons, that'll +make the place too hot to hold him," croaked out the old woman. "Just +you be guided by me, and all will go right, depend on that;" and she +gave way to a fit of laughter which almost choked her. + +Peter did not hear more of consequence just then, but he had heard +enough to show him that the smugglers were prepared to run a cargo of +contraband goods on the coast, and in case of failure they wished to get +young Stephen Ludlow into their power, that they might make terms with +his father. Had it not been for Peter, who had been long aware of their +object, they might ere this have accomplished it, and he now guessed +that they had discovered that it was owing to him that they had not +hitherto succeeded. At length Peter, being very tired from his long +walk, to sleep. He had a notion that the people in the next room were +taking supper, and indulging in a carouse, of the materials for which +their calling afforded them an ample supply. + +The smugglers were drinking when Peter went to sleep, and when he again +woke some were still at the table, and talking loudly and wildly, though +others had, apparently overcome by the liquor, dropped off to sleep. +They spoke as men do when the wine is in their heads, without fear or +caution. The wildest proposals were made to carry out their objects. +One man suggested that if they could get rid of their two principal +opponents, Mr Ludlow and Captain Askew, they would have no one to +interfere with them. The idea was taken up by others, who did not +scruple to talk of murder; though, tipsy as they were, when they spoke +of so awful a deed, they sank their voices so low that Peter did not +clearly hear all they said. His ear, however, caught one or two ominous +expressions, such as--"over the cliff," "sink him out at sea," "entice +him from the house," "the sooner the better." These words convinced him +that the speakers would not scruple to commit the most atrocious crime +if they fancied it would advance their interests. They made him also +very anxious to get away to warn those who were threatened of their +danger. + +But how to get away was the question. He might fancy that no one was +observing him, and yet be watched the whole time. One thing he hoped +was that Herring and his associates, trusting to his blindness, fancied +that he did not know where he had been carried to, and that he could not +possibly get away. By degrees the speakers dropped off, and the loud +snores which came from the room showed that the occupants were mostly +asleep. He hoped that all might be so. Considering what he should do +kept him broad awake. He had not remained so long, when his attention +was drawn to a scratching under the window. The night was warm, and the +lattice had been left open. He went to the window and put out his hand, +and directly he did so he felt it licked by the tongue of his faithful +Trusty. He put down his hand still further, and calling the animal by +name, it leaped up and he was able to drag it in. Poor Trusty showed +his delight at meeting his master by jumping up and licking his face and +hands all over. "But can you help me out of this, good Trusty?" said +Peter, whispering in the dog's ear. + +Trusty, as if he understood the meaning, immediately went to the window, +and leaped up on the sill. + +"He thinks that I can get out," said Peter to himself. "He is seldom +wrong--I will try." Suiting the action to the word, he put his head out +between the bars. "Where my head can go my body can follow, but my body +must go first just now." + +After twisting his body a variety of ways, he worked his way between the +bars, to which he held on while he lowered himself to the ground. The +leading-string was still attached to Trusty's collar, and taking it in +his hand, he said, "Go on, Trusty." Trusty, pulling hard, led the way, +as if he was conscious that there was danger in delay, and Peter set off +as fast as he could venture to move. + +No sound came from the cottage, and he had every reason to hope that he +should completely effect his escape. Trusty, that good sagacious dog, +worthy of his name, pulled on as if he well knew that it was important +to leave old Dame Herring's cottage far behind before daybreak. Peter +decided on going first to the tower, that he might consult with the +captain, to whom he knew he could speak as to a friend. Should he go to +Mr Ludlow, he was afraid that the magistrate would perhaps immediately +send off to Dame Herring's Cottage, and attempt to apprehend the whole +body of smugglers. "If he does, what will be the advantage? None at +all. I know what I heard, but I cannot swear to the voices of any one +of them and they will all escape, and revenge themselves on me; not that +I care for that if I can do others a service, but it's hard to suffer +and do no good to any one." + +The captain was an early riser. He had scarcely been a minute on foot +when he heard blind Peter knocking at the door. Peter was admitted, and +his story soon told. "I will consider what is to be done, and will give +due warning to Mr Ludlow," answered the captain. "But one thing is +certain, Peter, that you must lie by for a while, and take up your abode +in the tower. The ruffians would treat you with little ceremony if they +were to catch you as you were wandering about the country, but they +would scarcely venture to molest you while you are here--indeed, there +is no reason that they should know that you are here." + +There was a small vacant room on the ground-floor of the Tower--into +this the captain conducted Peter, and told him that he must consider +himself a prisoner there till the smugglers were captured or driven out +of the country, and it was safe for him again to go out by himself. He +promised him, however, that he should not be without visitors, and that +Margery and Charley Blount should come and read to him. + +Captain Askew, having made these arrangements for the safety of the poor +blind man, considered how he could warn Mr Ludlow of the danger +threatening Charley Blount was the best messenger he could select. The +hall was nine miles off, but Charley said that the distance was nothing, +and that he would be there and back by dinner-time; so having received +his instructions he set off, with a stout stick in his hand, in high +spirits, observing that should the smugglers wish to stop him, they +would have to run very fast before he was caught. + + + +CHAPTER FIVE. + +HOPES--THE SAILOR'S STORY--THE SMUGGLERS--GUESTS AT THE TOWER--GHOSTS. + +About an hour after Charley Blount had left the Tower, Stephen Ludlow +trotted up on his pony, not having met the young sailor on the way. He +said that he had come over early, to spend the day, and that if he was +asked to sleep he might do so. Of this the captain was very glad as he +did not wish him to run the risk of going back alone, and at the same +time he had not sufficient confidence in his discretion to tell him what +he had learned from Blind Peter; so he said, "I am very glad to receive +you, my young friend; but I must exact a promise that you will not go +beyond the open beach, or the downs in sight of the windows of the +Tower, unless with Tom or me. I have my reasons, which I need not +mention now." + +Stephen thought this rather odd, but as he wished to stay, he readily +gave the required promise. Margery had for some time been wishing to +see him, to talk to him about the book he had lent her, and which she +had now read completely through. + +"Oh, Stephen!" she exclaimed, when she saw him, "it is such a delightful +book. I have never read anything I have liked half so much. It has +given me an idea--but I cannot talk to you about it here. You must come +out on the beach, and we will sit on a rock and look out over the sea, +and then I shall be able to say all I wish." + +So they went out together, and easily found a spot to suit Margery's +taste. + +"Well, Margery, what is it that you have to tell me about my old book?" +said Stephen, in a tone which would have told her, had she not been +herself so engrossed in her subject, that she was not likely to have a +very sympathising hearer. + +"Pray do not speak of it in that way, Stephen," she answered. "It's a +dear, delightful book, at all events; and since I read it I have been +thinking more than ever of dear Jack. You know that he went away in a +ship to the Pacific Ocean, and the ship was wrecked, just as Robinson +Crusoe's was, and though he was not a supercargo, he was a midshipman, +and I don't suppose there is much difference; and at all events, if +Robinson Crusoe was saved, and lived on a desert island for many years, +though everybody else in the ship was lost, why should not dear Jack +have been cast on some island, and be still alive, though not able to +get away, or I am sure that he would, and would come home and tell us +all about it; for he knows how we all love him and think about him every +day." + +"What a strange idea!" said Stephen, somewhat coldly. "I thought that +it was settled that Jack was dead long ago. Do you really believe that +he is alive?" + +"Of course I do," answered Margery, with some little impatience in her +tone; "it was only those who don't care about him settled that he was +dead. I have always, always, been sure that he is alive, over the sea +there, a long, long way off; but he will come back when we can send for +him." + +"Very strange!" muttered Stephen. "But what, Mrs Margery, would you +have me do?" + +"Stephen, you knew dear Jack well," she answered, fixing her large blue +eyes on him; "you used to call him your friend, and friends ought to +help each other. If I was a boy, whether or not I was Jack's brother-- +if I was his friend,--I know what I would do: I would go out and look +for him." + +"But where would you look?" asked Stephen. "The Pacific is a very wide +place, even on the map; and I have a fancy that in reality it is wider +still. There are many, many islands no one knows anything of." + +"Ah! that is the very thing I have been thinking of," exclaimed Margery. +"I am certain that Jack is living on one of those very islands." + +"How can you, Margery, be certain of any such thing?" said Stephen, in +his usual cold tone, which contrasted curiously with the enthusiastic +manner of little Margery. + +"How can you ask that question, Stephen?" she exclaimed, half angry that +he should venture to doubt the correctness of her most cherished belief. +"Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on a desert island and so Jack may be, and +I want you to go and look for him, and bring him home! There! I will +not be refused! You are old enough and big enough to go,--bigger than +Jack was--and you have plenty of money; and your papa always lets you do +just what you like, so you say; and besides, you often speak to me of +Jack as your old friend; and if he was your friend I ask you to prove it +by bringing him home." + +When Stephen heard this he first thought that Margery was joking, but +the matter was too serious for that; then the idea occurred to him that +she had gone out of her mind; but she looked so calm, and quiet, and +earnest, that he banished it immediately, and promised to think over her +proposal, and speak to his father. He, however, very well knew the +answer his father would give, and he himself had no wish to go wandering +about the world in search of one for whom he cared but little. Had +Margery known what was passing in his mind how she would have despised +him. But she did not; she fancied that he must be as enthusiastic as +she herself was, and that it was only necessary to mention her idea for +him to take it up warmly. She therefore was prepared to wait patiently, +under the belief that Stephen would soon be able to give a favourable +answer to her request. + +Margery's belief that Jack was still alive received a very remarkable +and curious confirmation that very day, after she had parted from +Stephen. She was on her way to the village to carry some food to a sick +child, when she encountered a rough sailor-like man, who, taking off his +hat, begged for assistance, as he was on his way to join his ship at +Plymouth, and had spent all his money; and if he did not make haste she +would sail without him. He had come last from the Pacific, and +complained that he had had but very little time on shore to amuse +himself. The mention of the Pacific made Margery instantly ask him if +he thought it possible that her brother Jack might be living, cast away +on one of the numerous islands of that vast ocean. + +"It is a very strange question for you to put to me, Miss, for a curious +thing happened as we were steering southward from Vancouver's Island, on +our way home. What should we see but a small boat floating, all alone, +hundreds of miles, for what we knew, from any land. We made towards her +and picked her up, for there was a man in her, or what once had been a +man, for he was lighter than a baby, and that I found out, for I lifted +him upon deck myself. He was still alive, though the life was going +fast out of him, and he couldn't speak above a whisper, and only a few +words then. He had been living on fish, we guessed, may be for weeks, +by the number of scales we saw at the bottom of the boat. Now this is +what he told me. His name was David King. He had been shipwrecked with +another young man--a gentleman's son, I know he said, and they were the +only survivors of all the crew. He had gone out fishing in their boat, +and had been blown off the island. I made out this by fits and starts, +as it were, for he couldn't speak without pain, it seemed. Poor fellow! +he was far gone, and though the doctor poured all sorts of things down +his throat, it was no use, he never lifted up his head, and before the +evening he was dead. Maybe if we had seen him a day or two before he'd +have lived, and been able to tell us more about himself." + +Margery was, of course, deeply interested with this account of the +sailor. She imprudently gave him all the money she possessed, and then +begged him to come up to the Tower that he might repeat the story to her +father. He, however, was in a hurry to proceed on his journey, and +declined coming, possibly not aware of the importance which might have +been attached to his narrative, and perhaps selfishly indifferent in the +matter. Margery at length hurried home and told her father, and he and +Tom went down to look for the sailor, but he had disappeared, and +notwithstanding all their inquiries they could gain no trace of him. +The captain, indeed, suspected that the man was some begging impostor, +who had heard of the loss of his son, and had concocted the tale for the +sake of getting money out of the young lady. This was especially Mr +Ludlow's opinion of the matter. + +Charley Blount stepped boldly out towards Ludlow Hall, singing as he +went, not from want of thought, but from joyousness of heart. He +reached the hall without interruption. Mr Ludlow was much pleased with +his manner and appearance, thanked him warmly for bringing the message, +and said that he would accompany him back to the Tower, with a couple of +men on horseback. Charley, like most sailors, could ride; that is to +say, he could stick on and let his horse go. He did so on the present +occasion. They had got within two miles of the Tower, when a number of +men, rough-looking fellows, were seen standing in the road before them. + +As Mr Ludlow and his party drew near, their gestures became +threatening, and it was evident that they meant mischief. The squire +was not a man to be turned aside from his purpose. "Charge the fellows, +and if they attempt to stop us, fire at them," he exclaimed, putting +spurs to his horse. Charley and his men followed his example. Those +most frequently succeed who bravely face dangers and difficulties--the +timid and hesitating fail. Mr Ludlow dashed on. The smugglers, for +such there could be no doubt that they were, had black crape over their +faces, and most of them wore carters' smock frocks, which still further +assisted to disguise them. This made it yet more evident that they had +collected with evil intentions. There could no longer be any doubt +about the matter when two or three of them stretched out their arms to +stop the horses, but when they saw the pistols levelled at their heads, +most of them sprang hurriedly back again. One, however, more daring +than the rest attempted to seize Mr Ludlow's rein. Fortunately for the +ruffian the magistrate's pistol missed fire, but he dealt the man's +wrist so heavy a blow with the butt-end of his weapon that the smuggler +was glad to let go his hold lest he should have had another such a blow +on his head. Charley laid about him with his thick walking-stick, and +in a few seconds the whole party were out of the reach of the smugglers. +They galloped on, however, without pulling rein till they reached the +Tower. + +"Never in the whole course of my life have I been subject to so daring +an outrage, Captain Askew," exclaimed Mr Ludlow, as he dismounted--"It +is more like the doings of ancient days than what we have a right to +expect in the nineteenth century. I dread to hear what has happened to +my boy. Has he reached you safely?" + +Stephen, who had just come up from the beach, answered the question for +himself. + +"So far the smugglers have gained no advantage over us," observed Mr +Ludlow, addressing Captain Askew. "But with your leave, my good +neighbour, I will take up my abode here with you for a night, that we +may the better consult as to the further steps it may be necessary to +take to put a stop to these proceedings. I have written to Captain +Haultaught, the new inspecting commander of the district, requesting him +to meet me here with two or three of his lieutenants, and it will be +very strange if we cannot manage to get to windward, as you would say, +of these smuggling gentlemen." + +Captain Askew could only say that he was happy to put his house at the +disposal of Mr Ludlow and those he thought fit to invite, on a public +matter of so much importance. He had forgiven, and he believed from his +heart, the unfeeling way in which Mr Ludlow had acted towards Jack, +under what, he acknowledged, might have been his stern sense of justice; +yet he, as a father, could not but remember that he was indirectly the +cause of Jack's loss. He felt this, but did not allow his feelings in +any way to bias his conduct. Tom and Becky were therefore directed to +make all necessary preparations to do honour to the guests present and +expected. Mrs Askew and Margery were also not idle in arranging the +provisions and the rooms for the guests. Tom was a man of a single +idea; that was, that it was his business to obey the captain in all +things without questioning. He had learned that lesson at sea and it +would have been impossible for any one to persuade him out of it. +Becky, however, not having been under similar discipline, did not +consider herself bound to obey in the same way as did Tom. + +She therefore grumbled very much when she heard that Mr Ludlow was to +remain during the night. + +"It's bad enough to have the young cub come prowling about the house, +but when the old wolf comes and sits down in the hall, it bodes ill luck +to the family," she muttered to herself, though loud enough for her +mistress to overhear her. + +Mrs Askew made no remark, but of course knew to what she alluded. + +"I'd be ashamed to show my face inside the doors, if I were he, after +sending the only son of the house away over the sea to die in foreign +lands, and then to come up laughing and talking as if he had never done +any harm to any one of us." + +"We are taught to forgive our enemies not only seven times, but seventy +times seven, Becky," observed Mrs Askew, feeling that she ought at +length to check her attendant. "Even had Mr Ludlow wantonly or +intentionally inflicted an injury on us, it would be for us to receive +him as a guest. What he did was under a sense of duty, and we have no +right to complain." + +"A sense of duty, indeed," muttered Becky, "what would he have said if +his precious son had been packed off to sea like poor dear Master Jack? +I should care little if the food I have to cook should choke him. I +only hope that he'll not get a wink of sleep in the bed I have to make +for him. Towards the boy I have no ill will; but I only hope when he +grows bigger that he'll not be thinking he's worthy of our Miss +Margery--that's what I have to say." + +The last words were addressed to Tom, Mrs Askew having left the room. + +"What need have you or I to trouble our heads about the matter, Mistress +Becky," he observed. "What the captain thinks fit is fit, that's what I +have to say." + +"I don't gainsay that, Mister Tom," answered Becky, "but what I ask is, +why this Mr Ludlow, who has behaved so shamefully to the captain and +the missus, dares to come to the Tower, and why they let him?" + +"Why, to my mind, Mistress Becky, it's just this--the captain's a +Christian of the right sort, and real Christians don't bear malice, and +so, do you see, the captain doesn't bear malice," answered Tom, giving a +tug to the waistband of his trousers, a nautical trick he had never +lost. "If he was a make-believe Christian, like too many folks, I can't +say what he might do. Becky, does you say your prayers? Now I do, +since the captain taught me, and I know that I axes God to forgive me my +trespasses as I forgive others as trespasses against me; and I'll +moreover make bold to declare that the captain says that prayer every +night of his life, and has said it too, blow high or blow low, ever +since he was a little chap on his mother's knee. There, Mistress Becky +you have what I calls the philosophy of the matter, and if I'm not right +I don't know no better." + +Becky acknowledged that Tom's arguments were unanswerable, though she +did not altogether comprehend them. She resolved, however, to dress the +dinner as well as she could, and to make up a comfortable bed for the +magistrate. + +Everything went off as satisfactorily as could have been desired. Mr +Ludlow did his best to be agreeable, and Stephen was pleasanter than +usual, and listened with interest to the accounts Charley Blount gave of +his voyages, and the countries he had visited. The inspecting +commander, however, did not arrive. Late in the evening a revenue +cutter came off the coast, and put on shore a very stout lieutenant, who +came puffing up to the Tower, and announced himself as Lieutenant +Dugong, of the Coast Guard. The captain received him cordially, but +Becky surveyed him in despair. + +"He'd break down the strongest bed in the house if there was one to +spare for him," she exclaimed, when she and Tom were next alone. "What +can you do with people like him, Mr Tom, at sea? What sort of +bedsteads have they got to sleep on?" + +"Why, Mistress Becky, that depends whether they are berthed forward or +aft," answered Tom. "If forward, they swing in a hammock; and if aft, +in a cot. We'll soon sling one or t'other for this here Lieutenant +Dugong, and depend on't he'll have no cause to complain." + +As may be supposed, every room in the Tower was occupied. Tom took +charge of Blind Peter, and Charley Blount was put into the room he had +occupied on the ground-floor, and the stout lieutenant had another small +room on the same floor, while Stephen was placed in a small one near the +first landing, and his father had a room not far off. + +The whole family and their inmates retired to rest and to sleep. No one +in the old Tower was awake. The hour of midnight had been struck by a +clock constructed by the captain. The evening had been calm, but now +the wind began to moan and sigh and whistle round the walls, and through +any crevice into which it could find an entrance, while the dash of the +sea on the beach grew every instant louder and louder, and ever and anon +the shriek of some wild fowl startled from its roost was heard, as it +flew by to find another resting-place; giving the notion to the ignorant +and superstitious that spirits of evil were flying about intent on +mischief. + +The clock struck one when Stephen Ludlow awoke with a start, and saw +standing close to his bed a figure clothed in white, and from it +proceeded a curious light, which, while thrown brightly on him, darkened +everything else around. His first impulse was to hide his head under +the bed-clothes, but then he was afraid that the creature might jump on +him, and so he remained staring at it, till his hair stood on end, and +yet not daring to scream out. At length it stretched out an arm, with a +long thin hand at the end of it, shook a chain, which rattled and +clanked on the floor, and growled forth, "Out of this! out of this! out +of this!" + +Stephen's teeth chattered. He could not speak--he could not move. He +thought for a moment, and hoped that the apparition might be merely the +phantom of a dream; but he pinched himself, and became too truly +convinced that it was a dreadful reality. There it stood glaring at +him; he was too frightened to mark very minutely its appearance. "Out +of this! out of this! out of this!" again repeated the phantom, slowly +retiring towards the door--a movement which would have been greatly to +Stephen's relief had he not felt sure that it would come back again. +His eyes followed it till it glided out of the door as noiselessly as it +had entered. Poor Stephen kept gazing towards the open door, which he +dared not get out of bed to shut, lest he should encounter the phantom +coming back again. + +About the same time that Stephen saw the phantom, Charley Blount was +awakened by a strange noise in his bed-room of clanking of chains and +horrible groans; then all was silent, and a voice exclaimed-- + +"Out of this! out of this! out of this!" + +"What do you mean by `Out of this! out of this! out of this'?" cried +Charley, quietly leaning out of his bed, and seizing one of his heavy +walking shoes. "Explain yourself, old fellow, whoever you are." + +"Out of this! out of this! out of this!" repeated the voice. + +"That is no answer to my question," said Charley, undaunted, and peering +into the darkness, in the direction from whence the voice appeared to +proceed. + +"Out of this! out of this! out of this!" said the voice. + +"I say, you had better get out of this, or I'll be trying the thickness +of your skull with my walking-stick." + +There was a loud groan and a clanking of chains; a light flashed in +Charley's eyes, and at the same moment he saw at the further end of the +room, near the door, a tall figure in white. The instant he saw it the +young sailor's shoe was flying across the room, and he following it with +his stick in his hand; the ghost, if ghost it was, made a rapid spring +through the doorway, and fled along the passage. Charley, having no +light, could not follow, so he returned to his room, and took his post +behind the door, hoping that if the ghost should come back he might have +the satisfaction of trying the strength of his stick on its head, +supposing ghosts to have heads. In this case, at all events, it showed +that it possessed some sense, as, though he waited till he was almost as +cold as the ghost might be supposed to be, it never came back, so he +picked up his thick shoes, and with them and his trusty stick by his +side, ready for any emergency, got into bed again. + +Meantime, Lieutenant Dugong had been sleeping soundly in a cot formerly +used by the captain, which Tom had slung for him in the unused room. He +was contentedly snoring away, when suddenly he felt a tremendous blow +under his back, which almost sent him flying out of his cot, which +immediately afterwards was violently shaken from side to side. "Hullo! +what's got hold of the ship now?" he cried out, only half awake. +"Steady, now! Steady! All comes from bad steering." However, directly +afterwards awaking, he struck out right and left with his fists, hoping +to catch those disturbing him. + +A loud, hoarse laugh followed, and the next moment a light flashed in +the room, and a figure in white appeared before him, and he heard, amid +rattling of chains and groans, the words, "Out of this! out of this! out +of this!" + +"Get out of this indeed! I'll see you at the bottom of the Red Sea +first!" exclaimed the fat lieutenant, "I've done my duty; and so if you +are a ghost I don't fear you; and if you are not, just wait a bit, and +I'll give you such a drubbing that it will be a long time before you +venture again to awake a naval officer out of his first sleep." + +Whether or not the ghost understood this address it is difficult to say; +but at all events, as the gallant officer began to get out of his cot, +an operation he could not very rapidly perform, it vanished from his +sight, so he drew in his stout legs again, rolled himself up, and under +the impression that he was suffering from nightmare from having taken +too much lobster at supper, was in two minutes fast asleep, to be +awakened again in a minute by the loud report of a pistol, which made +him start up and look about him in earnest, not to see anything, +however, for it was nearly dark, as a faint glimmer of starlight alone +came through the long, narrow, and only window in the room. + +What befel the other inmates of the Tower on that memorable night must +be narrated in another chapter. + + + +CHAPTER SIX. + +MR. LUDLOW DISTURBED--MAGGIE SCUTTLE AND BLIND PETER--MARGERY +DISAPPEARS. + +How the slumbers of several of the inmates of the old Tower of Stormount +Bay were disturbed has already been described. The ghosts, if ghosts +they were--for that may be doubted--were of a daring character, for they +ventured to appear even to Mr Ludlow. He was awakened by a groan close +to his head, a chain clanked, and a deep voice uttered the words, "Out +of this! out of this! out of this!" + +Though broad awake by this time he made no answer, but endeavoured to +pierce through the gloom with his eyes to ascertain who was in the room. +A minute or more passed by, and he also suspected that he had been +dreaming; at the same time he quietly stretched out his hand to take +hold of a pistol which he had placed on a chair by his bedside--a +dangerous, and in most instances very useless practice. He kept his +finger on the trigger, peering into the dark in the hope of seeing the +person who was attempting, he suspected, to play off some trick on him. +His hand began to ache with holding the pistol in an uncomfortable +position. Suddenly a bright light flashed in his face, and a voice +groaned, "Out of this! out of this! out of this!" He pulled the +trigger, aiming at the point whence the voice came, but the cap alone +exploded, a hoarse laugh at the same time bursting forth, when a fearful +looking figure for an instant appeared, surrounded by a blue flame, and +then again all was dark and silent. + +Mr Ludlow was a man of nerve; springing from his bed he rushed towards +the spot where he had seen the figure, but nearly fractured his head +against the wall. He sprang to the other side, but only upset some +articles of furniture which seemed to have been placed purposely in the +way; and at length, after groping about for some time, he was glad to +get back, utterly baffled, to his bed. He had no matches in the room, +or he would have lighted a candle and gone in search of the disturbers +of his slumbers. He could not go to sleep again very easily, so he lay +wondering who could have played the trick. "Not Stephen, my own son," +he thought, "but that other boy, Charley Blount; he seems up to +anything. Still he would not have the audacity to come into my room and +attempt to frighten me." + +Thus thinking, he was dropping off to sleep when a deep groan awoke +him--he listened, all was silent; he thought that he must be mistaken, +but he tried to keep awake to listen, directing his eyes at the same +time towards the door. Once more there was a groan, and directly +afterwards, at a spot where a gleam of starlight came through the +window, he caught a glimpse of a tall figure gliding across the room. +He fired at the instant; this time his pistol went off. There was a +hoarse laugh as before; but when he sprang up, hoping to seize his +untimely visitor, the figure had disappeared, and he ran his head +against the edge of the door which had been left open. So unusual a +sound as the report of a pistol in a quiet household at midnight soon +brought most of the inmates to his room. The captain came stumping down +in a red nightcap and an old pea-coat; Tom had quickly slipped into a +pair of trousers, and had a yellow handkerchief round his head; Becky +appeared, her countenance ornamented with huge curlpapers, in a flannel +petticoat and piece of chintz curtain over her shoulders; while the +stout lieutenant, unable to find his garments in the dark, had groped +his way up wrapped in a blanket, when coming suddenly in front of Becky, +she shrieked out, "A ghost! a ghost! a ghost!" and ran off, nearly +upsetting her master in her flight. + +"Stop! stop! I'm not a ghost, my good woman," cried out the lieutenant; +"I only wish that you would tell me where I could find any of the +gentlemen, and I would break their heads for them, for not a wink of +sleep have they allowed me for the last two hours." + +The captain and Tom having brought lights, search was made throughout +Mr Ludlow's room, and in the other rooms where the noises had been +heard, but not a trace of any one having been in them could be +discovered. Still, both the captain and magistrate were convinced that +not only one person, but several, must have been in the house during the +night for nearly two hours, and probably were still there, for the front +and the side doors were closed, and no windows were found open by which +they could have escaped. The lieutenant was rather more doubtful as to +the character of their visitors, and Becky and Tom shook their heads and +declared that they did not believe mere mortals could play such pranks, +and get away without being discovered. "If my visitor was a ghost, we +shall find the pistol bullet, but I rather suspect that the fellow +withdrew it while I was asleep, or he would not have ventured to have +remained in the room after he knew I had a fire-arm," acutely observed +Mr Ludlow. + +On examining the room, not a trace of a bullet could be discovered, +though a piece of paper in which it had been wrapped was picked up +unburnt. This confirmed the magistrate in the opinion that his surmise +was correct, and it proved also the daring character of the people who +had played the trick. How they had managed to get into the Tower was +the question. The magistrate was puzzled, so was everybody else. +Neither the captain nor Tom, who knew the building better than anybody +else, could solve the mystery. Charley, hearing their voices, came out +of his room, and Stephen crawled out of his, still pale and trembling, +and both had accounts to give of their ghostly visitant. Stephen gave +the most dreadful account of the ghost he had seen, of the spiritual +character of which he seemed to have no doubt. "Tut! boy, ghosts, if +there were such things, would not spend their time in trying to shake a +stout gentleman like myself out of his cot, in drawing bullets out of +pistols, in using dark lanterns, and groaning and growling with the +rough voices of boatswain's mates," exclaimed Lieutenant Dugong, with a +look of contempt at poor Stephen. "The people who have been in here +deal in spirits, I have no doubt, for they are smugglers, and pretty +stupid ones too, if they fancy that by such mummeries they can frighten +officers and gentlemen as we are." + +"You don't mean to say, Mr Dugong, that those are not ghosts which we +have been seeing to-night," exclaimed Stephen. + +"I wish as how I thought they weren't," cried Becky, "for it's awful to +think that the old Tower where we've lived so long in peace should be +haunted." + +"Fiddlestick, woman, with your haunted Tower!" said the magistrate, who +was apt soon to lose his patience; "I suspect that you and your +one-armed companion there, who looks as scared as if he had a real +goblin at his heels, have been leaving some door or window open by which +these ghosts, as you call them, have found an entrance, and if they have +not got out by the same way they came in they must still be somewhere +about the building, and you must be held responsible for any mischief +they may commit--you hear me, sirrah!" + +"Beg pardon, sir, and no offence, I do hear you," said Tom, stepping +forward and giving a pull to his red nightcap, and a hitch to his wide +trousers: "but I've served his Majesty--that's three on 'em and her +Majesty, that's Queen Victoria--man and boy for better than forty years, +afloat in all seas, and all climes, and never once have I been told that +I wasn't attending to my duty, and doing the work I was set to do as +well as I could. Now I know it's my duty to see that all the doors and +windows are fast at night, not to keep out robbers, because we've no +reason to fear such gentry down here, but to prevent Mister Wind from +making an entrance, and I say it, and again I begs pardon, I did close +the doors and windows as securely as I ever did in my life." + +"Oh! very well, very well, my good man, I do not doubt your honest +intentions, but assertions are not proofs; if you were to set about it, +and find the ghost, I should be better pleased," said the magistrate. + +"I really think, Mr Ludlow, that you are somewhat hard upon Tom," +interposed Captain Askew; "I can answer for his doing his best to find +the ghost if he is to be found, and if not I will leave him in charge of +the deck while we turn in again; and you may depend on it no ghost will +dare to show his nose while he is on duty." + +This proposal was agreed to, and, as after a further search no trace of +the nocturnal visitors was discovered, the family once more retired to +rest, and Tom, with Mr Ludlow's pistols in his belt, and a thick stick +in his hand, kept watch--walking up and down the passages, and into all +the empty rooms, and should he see anything he was immediately to call +the captain and the rest of the gentlemen. Once, as he was walking +slowly along a passage on the basement story, he saw on the ceiling a +faint gleam of light, as if it had been cast from somewhere below, but +as he proceeded it vanished, and though he looked about carefully he +could not discover the spot whence it had come. He however noted it, +that he might prosecute his examination in the morning. He was walking +on, when a deep groan came from almost beneath his feet, as it seemed. +Tom was not altogether free from superstition, but though he did not +disbelieve in ghosts and other foolish notions, he was too brave to be +frightened by anything, and consequently cool and capable of reflection. + +"Ho! ho!" he thought, "if that was a ghost which groaned, he has got a +light to light himself about with anyhow; and he must be stowed away in +some hollow hereabouts, under the floor or in the wall, and there he +shall remain till morning light if he doesn't want a broken head or an +ounce of lead sent through his body." So he posted himself in the +passage to watch the place whence the sound had come. After waiting for +some time he took a short turn, when directly his footsteps sounded +along the passage there was another groan. "Ho! ho! old mate," he +muttered, not aware that Hamlet had used the expression before him; +"groan away as much as you like, you'll find it a tough job to work your +way through the hard rock, I suspect, and I'm not going to let you +frighten me away from my post, let me tell you; the pistol has got a +bullet in it this time, understand." + +The ghost evidently considered discretion the best part of valour, for +after this not a groan or any other sound was heard. Tom watched all +the night, hoping that somebody or something might appear, that he might +get a shot at it; but not even a mouse crept out of its hole, nor were +the inmates of the Tower again disturbed. Everybody was on foot at an +early hour, and the old Tower was thoroughly examined inside and out, +but no possible way by which the visitors could have entered could be +discovered. + +Tom's account of his having seen a light and heard a groan was +disbelieved; it was thought that his imagination had deceived him. +"Maybe it did," muttered Tom to himself, "howsomdever, I'll keep a +bright look-out thereabouts, and I've a notion that some day I'll catch +the mole coming out of his hole." + +The next day the inspecting commander of the coastguard, and another +magistrate and two more lieutenants arrived, and a grand consultation +was held. Plans were resolved on by which it was hoped that the +smugglers would be completely put down. It did not occur to them, +possibly, that while the temptation to smuggling was so great that would +be a very difficult matter. + +Margery had never seen so many people at the lower before, but she acted +with as much propriety as if she were every day accustomed to receive +guests. + +It was supposed at length that the anger of the smugglers against Blind +Peter would have passed away; and at all events, as he could not for +ever be kept a prisoner, he begged that he might be allowed to go out +again with his faithful dog Trusty. "There is One watches over me and +takes care of me, and He has sent that good dog and given him sense to +guide my steps, and so I trust in Him and do not fear what can happen to +me," he observed, when one morning, not without Captain and Mrs Askew +feeling some misgivings, he went forth from the Tower. He had, as +usual, his pack on his back and his staff in his hand, as he wound his +way down the hill to the hamlet on the seashore. As it was not his +custom to tell the people whence he had last come, they, naturally +supposing that he had been at a distance, asked him if he had heard of +the awful doings up at the Tower since he had last been there? "What +are they, Maggy Scuttle?" he inquired of the old woman who asked the +question. + +"Terrible! Peter, terrible!" she answered, shaking her head; "not but +what the captain is a good man, and a charitable man, and a kind man; +that I'll allow. He comes down here and reads to us out of a book, and +preaches to us, and talks to us about our souls; but do all he can, he +can't keep the devil out of his house. It's haunted; no doubt about +that. They say that ghosts and hobgoblins, and all sorts of bad spirits +go wandering up and down night after night, and won't let the people in +the Tower sleep. It's believed that the captain is so vexed that he'll +give up the Tower and go away, and 'twill then soon turn back into the +ruin it was when he came to it." + +"I hope not," said Peter, "he's a good customer of mine and a good +neighbour to you, and so we shall both be the losers; and as for the +ghosts, he's not a man to be frightened by such nonsense. I don't +believe in ghosts, and I'll tell you why--I couldn't see them in the +first place; I couldn't feel them, because they are spirits; and if they +are spirits, I couldn't hear them, because, do ye see, spirits haven't +got the power of speaking; they've no throat nor lungs, nor tongue, nor +lips. I've thought of these things as I go along on my solitary way +with my good dog Trusty to guide me, for there is nothing to draw off my +thoughts such as those who can see have, by what is passing around. My +idea is this--that God made everything in order, and keeps everything +that He alone has to do with in order--though He leaves man free to do +what he likes--be it good or evil. Now God alone can have to do with +spirits or ghosts, and I'm very sure that He wouldn't let them play the +pranks and foolish tricks all the ghosts or spirits or hobgoblins, and +such like things I've ever heard of, are said to have played. I've +never yet met a man who has seen a ghost; and what's more, I'm very +certain that I never shall." + +"What do the people up at the Tower say to the ghosts, which have been +appearing there night after night I'm told?" asked Dick Herring, who had +the moment before walked into old dame Scuttle's, but unseen by Peter. + +"They say, Master Herring, that the ghosts are clever ghosts to get into +the Tower as they did; but they are not so clever as they fancy +themselves, and that if they don't look sharp they'll be trapped one of +these days. You've seen a mole-trap, Master Herring, such as the +farmers use--when the mole is caught the end of the stick flies up with +him, and there he hangs dangling in the air. Perhaps your ghosts +wouldn't approve of a fate like that!" + +"I don't see what you're driving at, Master Peter," answered Dick +Herring, in a growling, displeased tone; "but I'll tell you what, those +who know more than they ought to know are likely to come to grief some +day." + +"Maybe, Dick, if they make a bad use of what they know," said the blind +man, turning his face towards the smuggler; "and I have something to +tell you--there is One who watches over the poor blind man, who puts his +trust in Him; and He is able to keep him from all harm." + +"That's what you say, Master Peter, you'll have to prove it some day, +maybe," growled out the smuggler, anxious, however, to change the +subject of conversation. + +"I have proved it," answered Peter, with a firm voice; "and now +good-bye, Dick, I must be round and see who wants anything from my +pack." + +And the blind man went fearlessly on his way, showing that the +confidence he spoke of in God's protecting providence was real, and not +assumed. + +The subject of the ghosts had by this time pretty well been dropped by +the inmates of the Tower, although it was still a matter of wonder how +they, or rather the people who acted them, could have got inside. +Stephen had come over again to see them, attended by a groom, for he was +not allowed to ride about by himself. He said that he must go back +early; indeed, it was clear that nothing would tempt him to spend a +night in the Tower--and he wondered how Charley Blount could venture to +sleep on by himself after the dreadful sights he had seen. "I never +have found that sights or sounds could do a man any harm, and so I do +not mind them any more than the Scotch Quaker, who, when a fellow was +one day abusing him, observed quietly, `Say what ye like, friend, with +your tongue, but dinna touch me.' If the ghost had come with a dagger, +or pistol, or bowl of poison, I should have had good reason for wishing +him to keep his distance." + +"Oh! Charley, you are so fool-hardy," drawled out Stephen; "I, for my +part, don't see any fun in trifling with such serious matters." + +Charley Blount burst out into a hearty fit of laughter. "Why, Stephen, +I thought from what I have heard, that you were more of a man than to +believe in such nonsense," he exclaimed. + +"What is it that you have heard that makes you think so?" asked Stephen. + +"That you were going to persuade your father to let you go to the South +Seas, that you might try and find out what has become of Jack Askew." + +"Yes, I know that is what I thought of doing," answered Stephen; "that +is to say, Margery wished me to go; but, in the first place, I know that +my father wouldn't let me go; and in the second, I don't think that I +should like the sea, and my health wouldn't stand it, and altogether I +have made up my mind not to go." + +"Have you told Margery this?" asked Charley; "at present she fully +believes that you are going and that you are certain to find her brother +alive in some desert island, like that Robinson Crusoe lived in; as you +knew him so well, she thinks that you are more likely than any one else +to find him out." + +"Oh! that is a mere fancy of Margery's," answered Stephen, in a tone +which showed great indifference to the subject. "It is a hundred to one +that Jack is alive, in the first place, and equally unlikely that I +should stumble on him, even if he is. The captain does not think so, or +he would go out himself, or send out, I should think." + +"As to that I do not know, but I do know that you ought to tell Margery; +at least, I know that I would, if I had made up my mind as you seem to +have done." + +"You had better go, then, instead of me, if you think so favourably of +the little girl's wild scheme," said Stephen, in a sneering tone, which +somewhat tried Charley's temper. + +"She has not asked me," he answered; "it would make them all very happy +if Jack was to be found, and I should think no trouble too great if I +could bring him back, that is all I say." + +"Oh! you are very generous," sneered Stephen who would have been very +glad to please Margery if he could have done so without any risk or +trouble to himself. + +There are a good many people in the world of similar character: the test +of love or friendship is the amount of self-sacrifice which a person is +ready to make for the object of his regard. Stephen had at length, at +Charley's instigation, to confess to Margery that he had no intention of +becoming a sailor for the sake of trying to find Jack. Her countenance +expressed as much scorn as its sweetness would allow, as she answered, +"Oh! I feared that you did not care for him, and am certain that you do +not care for me. Here is the book you were polite enough to lend me, +and I suppose that you will not very often come over to the Tower, as we +shall have no longer that subject to talk about." + +Stephen could say nothing, but looked very sheepish, and soon afterwards +ordered his horse and rode homewards. + +The next morning the family assembled in the breakfast-room for prayers; +but Margery, usually the first on foot, had not made her appearance. +She slept in a little room on the first floor, with a window looking out +over the sea; it was prettily papered, and had white dimity curtains, +and everything in it looked fresh and nice, like herself. Charley ran +up and knocked at the door, but got no answer; then Becky went to the +room, the door was not locked and her heart sank with an undefined alarm +when she found the room empty. She scarcely dared to return to the +breakfast-room to tell Captain and Mrs Askew, fearful of the effect the +announcement might have on her mistress. She hunted about the room. +The little girl had slept in the bed, but neither her night things nor +her day clothing were there. Several other articles appeared to have +been removed from the room. Becky had an observant eye, and quickly +discovered this; otherwise she might have supposed that she had merely +gone out unobserved to take a morning walk. As to her having gone away +of her own accord, without saying anything to her father and mother, or +allowing even a suspicion that any plan was running in her head, that +was so unlike dear little, loving, tender-hearted Miss Margery that +Becky dismissed the notion as altogether improbable; but then again, how +could anybody have got into the house to carry her off? Poor Becky, +with grief and perplexity, would have sat down on the bed and cried her +eyes out, but she felt conscious that the so doing would not assist in +discovering what had become of Margery; so at length, mustering courage +for announcing what she would, she told Tom, rather have cut out her +tongue than have had to do, she slowly returned to the breakfast-room. +Her prolonged absence had produced some anxiety, and she met Mrs Askew +coming to see what was the matter. Becky's face alarmed her. + +"Is my child ill? is she dead? oh! speak--speak--tell me the worst!" she +exclaimed. + +"Oh! don't take on so, marm, Miss Margery isn't ill, and she isn't dead, +that I know on; but, oh dear! marm, she isn't there," she answered, +bursting into tears. It is needless further to describe the sorrow and +consternation which everybody in the house felt when this fact became +known, and very soon it was ascertained to be a fact, for, hunting high +and hunting low, not a trace of dear little Margery could be discovered. + + + +CHAPTER SEVEN. + +THE SEARCH FOR MARGERY--THE SLIPPER--THE VAULT--TOM AND CHARLEY +DISAPPEAR. + +Captain Askew was a man of action, and, while the search for Margery was +being carried on in the Tower, he hurried down to the hamlet, to +ascertain if she had been seen by any one there, or if any one could +give him any clue by which to trace her. He went, in the first place, +to Dick Herring's cottage, for though of late Dick had always met him +with a sulky, surly expression on his countenance, they were once good +friends, and he thought that under the present circumstances the heart +of even the rough smuggler would be softened; but Dick was away, and +Susan, his wife, said that she did not know when he would return--she +never did know. Their daughter Polly, whom he met bringing in a bucket +of fresh water from the neighbouring spring, also said that she had not +seen Miss Margery, though the captain fancied that there was an odd +expression on her countenance when she spoke. He therefore +cross-questioned her, but not a word to show that she could even guess +what had become of Margery could he elicit. He next went to Molly +Scuttle's cottage, but the old woman could give him no information; she +could only suggest that the ghosts must to a certainty have had +something to do with it. When he replied that he did not believe in +such things, she answered that they had evidently carried off his +daughter to punish him for his incredulity, and to prove their existence +to him. He hurried round from cottage to cottage, but the people only +opened their eyes and mouths wide with astonishment, and gave him no +information likely to be of the slightest use. Disappointed, he +returned to the Tower. There the search had continued with unabated +diligence; Tom had made a discovery, but it seemed doubtful to what it +would lead. He had found one of the little girl's slippers in the dark +passage on the ground-floor, near the spot where he had fancied that he +had seen the light and heard the groan on the memorable night when the +pretended ghosts had appeared. How it had come there, however, was the +question. He carried it to Becky to consult with her on the subject. +It was not likely to have been dropped by Margery, because had she been +walking she would naturally have stopped to put it on again. Indeed it +was absurd to suppose that she had run away of her own free will; it +therefore seemed most probable that she had been carried along by some +one, and that her slipper had fallen off unobserved. Still the +questions, how those who had committed the outrage had got into the +house, and how they had got out again, remained unanswered. Becky could +solve neither. She was of opinion, "though she would not like to tell +the captain or the missus, that the ghosteses had done it, and that they +hadn't got in by either of the doors or windows, but somehow or other +out of the ground, for that's where them things, I have heard say, +always comes from; but it's dreadful to think that poor, dear, sweet +Miss Margery should have been carried off into such a place as they +lives in," she observed to Tom in a low voice. + +"That's all nonsense, Becky," responded Tom. "The captain says as how +there's no such things as ghosteses, and therefore it's my belief that +there isn't; besides, don't you know that this here old Tower stands on +the solid rock? Why there isn't an inch of ground all round it, into +which I could run a spade if I tried ever so much, and I should like to +see the ghost who could work his way through that: it's all very well +for them as is put under the soft black mould of a churchyard, of +course, if they has a mind to take a turn or two about the world at +midnight, there'd be nothing to prevent them that I sees, except that +the captain says it's impossible." + +"Oh, dear! Tom, don't go on to talk in that way; it makes me all over +in a cold shiver to think what has become of poor dear Miss Margery." + +Neither Tom nor Becky were possessed of any education of the most +ordinary sort, so they may be excused talking the nonsense to which it +must be confessed they gave utterance on the subject. Poor Mrs Askew +was bewildered with grief and dismay and anxiety as to what had become +of her beloved child. Charley could not believe that Margery would be +guilty of any foolish act, yet when he remembered her conversation in +the morning with Stephen about going to look for her brother in the +South Seas, and her indignation on finding that he would not go, he +thought it just possible that she might have set off by herself with +some wild scheme of the sort in her head; and yet such a proceeding was +so unlike herself that he dismissed the idea as soon as he had conceived +it, and did not even mention it to Captain Askew. If she had gone, it +was not likely that she would get far without being discovered, and they +would soon hear of her. Although Captain Askew was himself a +magistrate, it was necessary to give information of the strange event to +Mr Ludlow, that he might assist in discovering the perpetrators of the +outrage, and Charley Blount volunteered to go over to the Hall for that +object. Some time had already been spent in fruitless search, so +Charley, after he had snatched a hurried breakfast, set off as fast as +his legs could carry him. He was a good runner at all times, but on the +present occasion, believing that the faster he went the sooner dear +little Margery might be recovered, he ran as he had never before run in +his life. Had he been dilatory he might never have reached the Hall at +all, for those who were on the watch for any one leaving the Tower, +believing that he would have gone at an ordinary speed, happily missed +him. + +Mr Ludlow was highly indignant at what he heard, and sorry too, for +even he admired little Margery, and he at once proposed sending to +London for a detective officer. "One of those sharp-witted gentlemen is +far more likely than are we thick-headed country-folks to discover how +she little girl has been spirited away," he observed. "Of one thing I +am certain, that the smugglers are at the bottom of it, and of another, +that if they have not a confederate in the house--and old Tom and Becky +look honest enough--they have the means of getting in unknown to us. I +will write for the officer, and then you and Stephen shall ride over +with me and we will look into the matter." + +Captain Askew was very grateful to Mr Ludlow for coming over so +speedily, but though they again made a thorough examination, as they +supposed, of the whole tower, they could not throw any fresh light on +the mysterious subject. + +"The detective officer, when he arrives, will soon ferret out the truth, +however, depend on that," observed Mr Ludlow, as he and Stephen mounted +their horses to ride back. But neither the captain nor Charley were +inclined to wait till the said detective should arrive to win back what +they valued so much. Charley thought again and again over the subject, +and talked to Tom about the light, and the groan, and the dear little +slipper, and suddenly Tom slapped his leg and said that he remembered +when the Tower was being put in order that one of the workmen had told +him that there was a vault or cellar under a part of it, from which a +passage was said to lead down to the seashore. He was not certain +whether the captain had heard the account, at all events he did not +appear to have believed it, and of course had forgotten it altogether. +Tom confessed that he was very stupid not to have thought of it before, +though he was not even then much inclined to believe in the truth of the +story. + +Charley thought differently, and resolved at once to search for the +opening--if such existed--to the vault. He charged Tom not to tell the +captain, as it would be a disappointment to him should they fail to make +the discovery they hoped for. At that very juncture blind Peter, having +heard a rumour of the supposed abduction of Miss Margery, came to the +Tower to learn whether or not the story was true. + +Charley immediately took him into his counsels. Peter thought over the +subject. Yes, he had heard the account of the vault under the Tower, +and what was more, he knew an old mason residing about two miles off who +had worked there, and who was, he rather thought, the very man who had +told him of it. He would go off at once and fetch John Trowel and his +tools, and they would very soon burrow into the molehill if one existed. + +Charley and Tom occupied the time of Peter's absence in preparing with a +rope and a lantern to explore the cavern they hoped to find. They +forgot at first that they might possibly encounter opposition, as it was +certain that if the cavern did exist it had had occupants, and probably +had still, who would not welcome any intrusion on their privacy. +Charley, however, at length thought of this. It did not for a moment +make him hesitate about carrying out his plans, but he thought that it +would be wise to provide himself and Tom with arms. The captain had a +brace of pistols and a fowling-piece, and Tom had an old French cutlass +which he had taken from the enemy, and treasured as a trophy of his +fighting days. Charley at once went up to the captain, who was writing +to the officers of the coastguard, and to others who might possibly hear +something of his little girl. "Any news? any news?" he asked, as +Charley entered. + +"No, sir, but if we could find our way into some of the smugglers' +hiding-places, we might learn more than we do now, and as I would rather +have a weapon in my hand than trust to my fists with such gentry, I beg +that you will lend me your firearms." + +The captain made no answer, but pointed to them over the fireplace, +where they hung, with a flask of powder and a bag of bullets. + +Charley hurried off to avoid having any questions asked him. Tom was +delighted to get the weapons, and declared that, although he had but one +arm, he could use his cutlass as well as any man. He then put on a belt +that he might stick a pistol in it, and advised Charley to do the same, +that he might hold the gun ready for use. At last old John Trowel +arrived with Peter. He remembered perfectly all about the vault, had +once been down it, and thought that he could find the entrance without +difficulty, though it had been been blocked up; but as to a passage +leading down to the beach--of that he could not speak with any +certainty. + +"No time is to be lost, though!" exclaimed Tom, when he heard this. +"Come along, and mind you make as little noise as possible." + +The old mason went at once up to the very spot where Tom had seen the +light, and he began immediately to work there, scraping away the mortar +from between the stones, Charley and Tom helping him, while blind Peter +held the lantern. They worked on patiently, knowing that by such means +people have frequently let themselves out through the thick walls of a +prison. More than half-an-hour had been thus employed when Charley felt +the stone on which he stood move; jumping off it, with but little +difficulty he lifted it up, when a regular wooden trap-door appeared +below. This it was soon found was made to open downwards and how to +force it open without making a noise was the question. + +Again Charley had to hurry off to the captain's room to borrow a +centrepiece, a small saw and a file, and by labouring with these +steadily the bolt which held up the trap was cut round, and Tom then +having securely fastened a rope to it, the trap was noiselessly lowered +and a dark vault appeared below. There could now be little doubt by +which way the pretended ghosts had found their way into the Tower. On a +lantern being lowered a ladder was seen, on to which Charley immediately +jumped, and fearlessly descended into the vault. As a sailor, he knew +the importance of securing a fresh hold before letting go of the first, +so he held on to the beam above till he had found a firm rest for his +feet. He thus descended for a considerable depth, while Tom let down +the lantern by a rope that he might see the nature of the place into +which he had got. He at length reached the bottom, and taking the +lantern from the end of the rope, commenced an examination of the place +in which he found himself. It was a large roughly-hewn vault, which +looked as if it had been the quarry from whence the stone with which the +fortress was built had been taken. Around it were cells, where some +rusty iron bars and ring bolts let into the rock showed that it had been +the prison of the castle, and Charley shuddered as he thought of the +unhappy people who had once been confined there, where not a gleam of +light nor the slightest sound could pierce through the solid rock. As +soon as Tom found that Charley had reached the bottom, he also +descended--holding his cutlass in his teeth--as actively as most men +could have done with two hands. Peter and old John Trowel were directed +to wait above. Peter said that from his acuteness of hearing he should +be able to judge what progress they were making, and to let Captain +Askew know where they were gone. + +Blind Peter and old John waited on the top of the ladder leading down +into the vault, expecting the return of Tom or Charley, or else to +receive some signal from them announcing the progress they had made. +Peter listened attentively--"I hear them going round and round the vault +to look for the passage," he observed to old John. "It must be a large +place, larger than I thought for, and they don't seem to be able to find +the passage." + +"Maybe there's no passage to find," said John sagaciously. + +Still they did not come back, and Peter declared that he could no longer +hear their footsteps. They waited and waited, but the explorers did not +appear. Old John suggested that there might be some pit or hole into +which they had tumbled, and perhaps nothing would ever again be heard of +them; but the idea was too terrible to entertain, for Peter had a +sincere regard for Tom, and Charley's blithe voice and kind manners had +won his heart. They ought at once to have gone to Captain Askew, and +procured proper assistance, with lights, ropes, and ladders. Old John +was scarcely able to descend the ladder, and did any hole exist, the +blind man would most probably have fallen into it. Notwithstanding this +he proposed descending, till old John persuaded him to give up the idea, +and at length, when it would very likely be too late to save the lives +of the explorers, they agreed to summon the captain. Captain Askew +could scarcely understand the account he heard. That there was a vault +under the Tower he was ready to believe, as he now remembered hearing +the report that one existed, but that his young friend Charley and old +companion Tom should have gone into it and been irretrievably lost he +would not believe. He would immediately have descended himself to look +for them, but that his timber-toe and a rickety ladder did not suit each +other. He considered whom he could summon in the village, but they were +all more or less connected with the smugglers. He however determined to +ask the assistance of some of the most trustworthy among them. He took +his hat and was hurrying down the hill when he met one of the men of the +coastguard going his rounds. He at once agreed to accompany the +captain, but said that by the delay of twenty minutes or so he could +obtain the assistance of two or three of his mates, and as he could be +of little use by himself, the captain begged him to get them as soon as +possible. + +The captain then went back to the Tower, and found blind Peter and old +John waiting at the trap-door. They had heard sounds, they said, but +had got no answer to their shouts. In vain the captain also hailed as a +sailor alone can, though his voice had perhaps lost something of its +strength. All remained silent below, and his fears for the safety of +his friends increased to a painful degree. At last the coastguard men +arrived--stout fellows, well armed--with their lanterns and ropes; they +were not likely to be baffled in the search. As, however, they stood +over the entrance of the dark abyss, the countenances of most of the +party turned pale. They were ready to face smugglers or pirates, +Russians, Frenchmen, Turks, or savages of every description, all the +enemies of their country; but they had heard of the Tower being haunted, +and suppose any of the ghosts, or spirits, or imps, who frequented the +spot, should start up and confront them! The captain saw what they were +thinking about. Following the system he had always adopted where danger +was to be incurred, he exclaimed, "Lower me down first, my lads, I'll +see what is to be seen." Suiting the action to the word he fastened a +rope round his waist, and, with the help of it and the ladder, soon +reached the bottom. The men now followed without hesitation, the +captain leading the way, and looking round and round the vault. "It is +very extraordinary," he exclaimed at length. "I can scarcely believe +that they came down here, there is no hole into which they could have +fallen, no outlet through which they could have passed." + +"It's vary terrible, vary terrible indeed, sir," said Sandy MacGregor, +an old Scotchman and the chief boatman. "It's the spirits or the bogies +ha' carried them off, there's na doubt about that, and it's only to be +hoped that they'll na come and carry us awa' too." + +The fear thus expressed very soon communicated itself to the other men, +and had a rat started up, although they would not have deserted the +captain, their knees would certainly have shaken as they had never done +in the presence of a mortal foe. + +"Nonsense, my man," exclaimed Captain Askew. "There are no spirits in +this vault to hurt us, and depend on it if our friends have been carried +away spirits have had nothing to do with it; still, I tell you, I cannot +account for it." + +It was indeed strange. Every cell, every nook and corner was examined. +The sides of the vault were either solid rock or masonry. There was no +place through which two people could have passed by any visible means. +At length, most unwillingly, Captain Askew told the men that he should +return into the Tower. The order was obeyed with wonderful alacrity, +and they were well pleased when he told them that he would be the last +man up. They were all soon out of the vault, and ready to assist him up +in the way he had gone down. He had to confess himself thoroughly +baffled. When he talked the subject over with Mrs Askew, they could +neither of them account for the way in which their dear child had been +so cruelly carried off, nor how Tom nor Charley had disappeared, and yet +they were fully convinced that human agency alone had been at work. + +Meantime Becky had taken charge of the coasts guard men, and blind Peter +and John, and was able, in spite of her grief, to serve them with bread +and cheese and cider. As they continued to discuss the matter, Peter +was the only one who persisted in asserting that human agency alone had +been employed, while Sandy MacGregor as strongly maintained that spirits +of a very disreputable nature had a finger in the pie. That, however, +like other matters of mystery, was one day to receive a solution. + + + +CHAPTER EIGHT. + +THE SMUGGLER'S CAVE--TAKEN CAPTIVE--A TERRIBLE SITUATION. + +As soon as Charley was joined by Tom, he commenced a more thorough +examination of the vault; but no outlets could they discover, and they +began to doubt whether their nocturnal visitors could have got through +it into the Tower. Could there be another passage independent +altogether of the vault? They went round and round and could find no +door or trap, or opening of any sort. + +"I doubt if we are right, after all," observed Charley; "we must try and +find some other way down--for way there is, of that I am certain." + +"We are right; still, though," answered Tom, "that ladder has had other +feet on it of late besides ours; and just let me see how the bolt of the +trap-door could have been fastened from below if there wasn't some one +to do it. It wasn't the ghosteses, I suppose, Mister Charles? and look +here--what's this?" he added, as stooping down he picked up another +small slipper, the fellow to the one which was known to be Margery's. + +The sight of it induced Charley to renew his search, and directly +afterwards he discovered in one of the cells a ring, which looked, he +thought, as if it was intended to serve as a handle to a stone door. He +pulled it with all his strength, and slowly turning on a pair of heavy +rusty hinges it opened, and showed a flight of steps cut in the rock, +and leading downwards. + +"Come along," he whispered to Tom, "we shall soon solve the mystery." + +He led, Tom following, and holding the lantern with a torch ready to +light at the end of his hook arm, while he held a pistol in his other +hand. At first they descended by very steep steps cut in the rock, then +the passage was almost on a level and turned and twisted considerably, +showing that it had been formed in the first place by nature, and had +been simply enlarged by the hand of man. + +Charley was, however, thinking all the time far more of little Margery, +and how frightened she must have been when carried along it, than of the +way in which the passage had been formed. He was expecting also every +instant to find himself confronted by a number of fierce smugglers, who +would naturally be exasperated at having their long-concealed haunt at +length discovered. There could be no longer any doubt as to who +represented the ghosts, nor how they had entered the Tower and so +speedily disappeared. The passage was somewhat slippery from the +moisture which here and there trickled through the rock, and was clearly +not often traversed, which it would have been had the vault above been +used as a store-house. + +It was pretty evident from the words the smugglers had used that their +object was to get rid of the inhabitants of the Tower that they might +occupy the vaults as a store-house, and have free egress from it for +their goods. They had probably hoped, could they have attained their +object, to have baffled the revenue officers for years to come. They +must have felt that they had been completely defeated, and, either in +revenge or in the hopes of making some terms with Captain Askew, had +carried off Margery. Still, Charley could not believe, that, savage and +lawless as they might be, they would wish to injure the innocent little +girl, and was nearly sure that he was on the right track to recover her. + +Charley now proceeded very cautiously, for he thought it possible that +the passage might lead to the edge of a precipice to be descended only +by a ladder, and an incautious step in advance might send him tumbling +headlong down; and he had the sense to know that people even when +engaged in the best of enterprises must guard against accidents and +failure, and that they have no right to expect success unless they do +their best to secure it. Tom wanted to lead, but Charley would not let +him. + +"No," he answered, "make fast the rope you've got round my waist, then +if I slip you'll haul me up." + +Tom did so, and they once more advanced. They had gone some way further +when Charley again stopped and listened. He heard a low, murmuring +sound--it was that of human voices. He and Tom crept on more cautiously +than ever. A gleam of light shone on them as if through a crevice. +There was evidently either a door or a curtain hung across the passage. +This would enable them perhaps to see what was going on within, before +entering. Shading their lantern and making as little noise as possible, +they got close up to what seemed to be a door or a number of planks +nailed together, and placed so as to lean against the entrance. Charley +was afraid that while searching for a hole to look through he might +knock it over. + +At length he found a chink through which he could look into what +appeared to be a cavern of some size, but the hole allowed him the +command only of a very limited range of vision. In front of him were +two men seated on casks at a rough table, made apparently of pieces of +wreck. There was a lantern on the table, and they had account-books and +some piles of money, with a bottle or two and some tin mugs. From the +way in which they were occupied, Charley supposed that they were +principal men among the smugglers, settling their accounts. They were +both strangers to him. He was afraid to ask Tom whether he knew them, +for fear of his voice being heard. The plan he at once formed was to +rush out on them, seize and bind them, and hold them as hostages till +Margery should be given up; for it did not occur to him that a young lad +like himself and a one-armed man were scarcely likely to overpower two +stout, hardy ruffians like those before him. He drew Tom back a little +distance where it was safe to speak, and asked him if he would make the +attempt. The old sailor was ready for anything. It would certainly be +a grand matter to capture the leaders of the gang. He only wished that +the captain was there to lead them, then there would be no doubt about +it. + +Charley's chief anxiety was with respect to Margery. If she was in the +cavern, and any of their pistols were discharged, she might be hurt. As +regarded the risk he and Tom ran, he did not reflect a moment. The +outlaws were to be captured, and he had undertaken the task of seizing +them if he could. + +"Now, Tom, are you all ready?" he asked; "I will take the man on the +right side, you the man on the left--knock them over and hold our +pistols to their heads, while we march them up the passage into the +Tower." + +"Yes, I'm ready, Mr Charles," answered Tom. "But leave the gun where +we are, it will be only in our way, and I'll stick to my cutlass. We +must be sharp about it, though, for they don't look like fellows who'd +stand child's-play; and yet I've known in the war time, two staunch +fellows take a ship out of the hands of a prize crew of ten men: and so +I don't see why we shouldn't be able to clap into bilboes two big +ragamuffins like those there. Come on!" + +The hearts of the bravest must beat quick when they are about to engage +in a desperate struggle with their fellow men. Charley Blount felt his +beat a great deal quicker than usual when he and old Tom were about to +rush on the two smugglers in the cavern, and, as they hoped, overpower +them. They got close up to the door, and pressing with all their might +against the upper part, sent it flat down before them on the floor of +the cavern, and rushing over it threw themselves instantly on the +smugglers, who, astonished at the sudden noise, had not time to rise +from their seats when they felt their throats seized, and saw the +muzzles of a brace of pistols presented at their heads. + +Nothing could have been better done, and the two smugglers would have +been made prisoners, but at the same moment a dozen stout fellows, who +had been sleeping round the cavern, and had sprang to their feet at the +noise of the falling door, came round them; the muzzles of the pistols +were knocked up, Tom's going off and the bullet flattening against the +roof of the cavern, and they found their arms pinioned, and instead of +capturing others were themselves made captives. Charley felt bitterly +disappointed and crestfallen, but not for a moment forgetting the object +of his expedition, he looked round the cavern for Margery. She was not +to be seen. "Where have you carried the little girl to?" he asked; "we +came to fetch her. You had no business to carry her off. Take her back +to her father and mother, and you may do what you like with us." + +"You are von brave young rogue, _mon jolie garcon_!" exclaimed the man +(the captain of a French lugger), whom Charley had seized. "You have no +fear, it seems, for ghosts nor for men; but you give me von terrible +gripe of my neck. Ah, not you tink we do wid you?" + +"I don't know, and don't care," answered Charley, recklessly; "only give +me back Miss Margery--that's what I want." + +"Ah! is it? She long way from dis, _mon garcon_," said the captain, in +a mocking tone; "Vould you like go see her?" + +"Yes, I would," answered Charley; "and let me tell you that if a hair of +her head has been injured, you will all have to pay dearly for it." + +"Vary well, vary well," said the Frenchman, still mocking at Charley; +"Ve vill take you wid us, eh?" + +"Come, enough of this, mounseer," growled out the other man, who was +only then recovering from the effects of the iron grip Tom had taken of +his throat. "If we don't look out, mates, we shall have a whole gang of +the coastguard down on us while we stay chattering here. Just settle +what's to be done with the old man and the lad, and then the sooner we +are away from here the better." + +"Give us up the little girl, and neither coastguard nor police shall +molest you if we can help it," exclaimed Charley. + +"Then no one is following you?" asked the man. + +"No," answered Charley, without thinking of the consequences of his +reply. + +"Then come with me, lads, and we'll stop up the entrance to our burrow +in a way which will give plenty of work to any one to find it!" +exclaimed the man; "but we'll put irons first on the claws of this young +fighting-cock and his companion." + +The smugglers were deaf to all Charley's expostulations, and he and Tom +speedily found their hands in heavy manacles, which would effectually +prevent them from making their escape. Tom did not at first deign even +to speak, but now lifting up his manacled hands he exclaimed, "Thank ye, +mates, for these pretty gloves; we had intended to put your hands into +some like them before the night is over, and just let me advise you, or +you'll be caught as it is." + +Charles and Tom were left standing by themselves to indulge in +meditation, while one-half of the smugglers hurried off to stop the +entrance to the passage, and the other half packed up the goods which +lay about the cavern, ready to carry them off. + +Charley's meditations were not altogether pleasant, but though +grievously disappointed at the failure of his expedition, he kept up his +spirits with the hope that something might still turn up to enable him +either to see Margery, or to learn where she was. He was, however, +greatly concerned with the thought of the additional anxiety Captain and +Mrs Askew would feel when he and Tom did not return. "Of course the +vault will be explored, and if the smugglers stop up the passage as they +intend the entrance to it will not be found, and no one will be able to +guess what has become of us." + +The smugglers were not long about the work, and as soon as they returned +they blindfolded Charley's and Tom's eyes, the Captain observing that +though they had found their way into the cavern, they should not be able +to boast that they knew their way out again. Most of the men were +strangers, and by their appearance French; but Charley thought that he +recognised the countenances of a few, though as there was but a dim +light in the cavern, and they kept out of his way, he could not be +certain. As they led him along he heard them muttering in angry tones, +and, as he thought, consulting what they should do with him and Tom. + +"He knows too much already," said one. + +"Dead men tell no tales," growled another. + +"A slip over the cliff--nothing could be proved against us," muttered a +third. + +Similar pleasant remarks continued to be made while he was led up and +down passages, and, he was convinced, more than once turned completely +round, till at last a rope was fastened round his waist, and he felt +himself lowered down what he concluded was the side of a cliff, for the +wind blew strongly against him. He was then led along the bench to the +westward; this he knew by hearing the surf beating on his left hand, and +feeling the wind on his left cheek. He heard the footsteps of several +people, but he could not ascertain whether Tom was of the party, and he +began to be afraid that they were separated from each other. The way +was very rough, and he had great difficulty in keeping his feet. The +wind too was getting up, and he heard the men grumbling at having to +lead him along, and at being unable to embark; from which he concluded +that their original intention had been to send him and Tom off to the +coast of France with the French captain. + +After going a considerable distance, the wind still increasing, he found +that they turned inland up a steep ravine. He was now in a part of the +country with which he was unacquainted, he supposed, but still he +endeavoured to remember each turn he took, that if necessary he might be +able to retrace his steps. More than once, as he went along, he thought +that he heard Tom's voice, and he was about to shout to him, but the +muzzle of a pistol pressed against his cheek, and a hint from a gruff +voice, that if he hallooed his brains would be blown out, warned him +that it would be wiser to hold his tongue. + +Poor Charley had never taken so unpleasant a walk in his life; he had +attacked the smugglers first certainly, and--though he did not know it, +as he had no warrant--in an illegal manner, and they could if they had +chosen have brought an action against him and Tom for an assault and +battery; but, on the other hand, as they were themselves engaged in +illegal transactions, this they could not venture to do, as it would +have brought their own misdeeds to light. + +On the party went, now turning rapidly to the right, now to the left, +till Charley felt convinced that they were attempting to mislead him. +At last, strong as he was, he was almost ready to drop with fatigue. +The men who held him were frequently changed, as if they too were +knocked up with their work. Suddenly they stopped, declaring they could +go no further, and that there could not be a more convenient place for +getting rid of their prisoners. + +"Heave them over the cliff!" said one, in a low, savage tone. "The +water is deep, and they will be soon washed out to sea." + +"Not so certain of that," said another; "better make some stones fast to +their feet to sink them." + +"Just to prove that they came to their end by foul means!" observed a +third with a sneer. "No, no, heave 'em over here, they'll never speak +again after they reach the bottom, and no one will be able to tell but +what they fell over of themselves." + +This agreeable discussion afforded Charley the first intimation that old +Tom was near him, and directly afterwards he heard his voice saying, "Do +what you like with me, mates, but let that young lad go free. How would +you like to have one of your own boys or young brothers treated as you +threaten to treat him? There's life and work and happiness in him, and +you'd just knock it all to pieces for the sake of a paltry revenge. +What good can killing the boy do to any of you? Why, I'll tell you-- +murder will out, and you'll all be hanged, every one of you." + +"Hold your jaw!" exclaimed one of the smugglers; "we've made up our +minds, and you'll both go the same way." + +Neither Charley nor Tom were of a disposition to beg for their lives; +besides, they believed that if the ruffians had determined to kill them, +no entreaties would make them alter their minds. Charley, not to lose +precious time, tried to prepare himself for death; he thought of the +sins he had committed, and endeavoured to repent of them; he forgave all +his enemies, even those who were about to kill him, and then, claiming +no merit for anything he had ever done, he cast himself at the feet of +One he knew to be full of love, and mighty to save. Such is the way a +true Christian and a brave man would prepare himself for that great +change which must come on all of us. + +"Are you going to say your prayers, young man, before we heave you off?" +asked a smuggler, in a gruff voice. + +"I have said them, thank you," answered Charley, calmly. "Tom, have you +said yours? Have you made your peace with Heaven in the only way it can +be made?" + +"Yes, Mr Charles, I've done that for many a day. When I first came to +live on shore with the captain, `Tom,' says he, `we must all die, and as +we know not the day we should always be ready,' so he showed me the way +to be ready, and I've kept ready ever since." + +"Now, friends," said Tom, addressing the smugglers, "what do you intend +to do? I've again to tell you that you'll gain nothing by committing a +cruel murder, and you'll repent of it as long as you live, and longer, +far longer." + +"Stop his canting mouth, and over the cliff with him! let him preach to +the lobsters and crabs if he's a mind!" exclaimed one of the smugglers, +and others joined in the vindictive cry. + +Charley and Tom on this found themselves dragged along by the shoulders +till their feet were over the cliff. + +"Now, over with them, let them drop!" cried one of the men. + +"No, no," exclaimed another, "let them grip on to the edge with their +hands. They'll have time to think about that where they're going, and +pleasant thoughts to them!" + +This last sally of wit produced a roar of laughter from the savage +smugglers who, passing their lives in systematically outraging the laws +of their country, seemed no longer to be moved by any of the better +feelings of our nature. Still Charley and Tom felt grateful for the few +moments of existence allowed them, and clutched the edge of the cliff +with all the energy of despair. No sooner had they been lowered into +their perilous position than they heard the smugglers, with heartless +indifference to the agony they were suffering, moving off, some actually +laughing, as if enjoying their misery, though none of them apparently +were so utterly inhuman as to wait to see them dashed to pieces by their +fall. + +Charley, light and strong, felt that he could hold on for some time, but +at the same time was afraid of struggling and endeavouring to get up on +the cliff lest he should lose his gripe altogether. Tom had stuck his +hook into the earth, but he in the same way knew that in attempting to +climb up on to the top of the cliff, he might slip, and fall to the +bottom. Their hope was that somebody might come by and help them, but +that was very unlikely. + +"Hold on, Mr Charles, hold on, my lad!" cried Tom. "If I could but +just get the point of a rock to put my knee on, I would soon be on the +firm ground and have you safe in a moment." + +"I'm doing my best to hold on," answered Charles, "but the edge is +terribly crumbling; I would make the attempt to get up, but I am nearly +certain that I should fail." + +"Then don't try, Mr Charles," said Tom, "I'll shout, and may be one of +the coastguard men or somebody else will hear us. Help, ahoy! help! +help ahoy!" he shouted in a voice which age had not weakened, and which +might have been heard nearly half a mile off, had any one been near +enough. + +Charley then joined him in shouting, but no answer came, and Charley +felt as a person does in a dreadful dream, every instant growing weaker +and weaker. + +"Tom, I don't think that I can hold on many seconds longer," he at last +said; "good-bye--I must let go--the earth is crumbling away--I am +going--oh?" + +At that instant Tom, feeling that Charley's safety depended on his being +able to get on the ground above, made a desperate effort--his hook +became loosened, in vain he tried to dig his fingers into the earth, and +at the same moment that Charley gave his last despairing cry and lost +his hold he lost his; down he came, but not as he expected, on the hard +rock a hundred feet below him, but into a shallow pool not five feet +from where he had been so long hanging. + +"Why, where am I?" exclaimed Charley, who, at the same time, had lodged +safely on a green mound close to the pool, and tearing off the +handkerchief from his eyes he looked about him; "after all, those +smugglers are not so bad as we thought them." + +"We are at the bottom of a chalk-pit, Mr Charles," answered Tom, "the +fellows have played us a somewhat scurvy trick, but I cannot but say +that it was better than sending us over the cliff and breaking our +necks; howsomdever, the sooner we get out of it the better as I'm wet to +the skin, and would like to take a brisk walk homeward to get dry." + +A bright moon was shining, though obscured occasionally by the fast +driving clouds which came up from the south-west, and by its light they +had no difficulty in clambering out of the pit. They were on the top of +some downs, at some distance from the edge of the cliff. However, they +could see the now foam-covered sea, and distinguish vessels far off +running up the Channel before the gale, and thus could take a tolerably +direct road homeward, though neither of them had before been thus far +from the Tower. They hurried on, being certain that the smugglers could +not leave the coast, and hoping that even if one could be captured he +would give information where Margery was to be found. + +"Margery! poor dear little Margery, she to be all this time in the power +of these ruffians!" Charley kept saying to himself as he and Tom +hurried on. + + + +CHAPTER NINE. + +A FRIEND IN NEED--MARGERY ESCAPES--MARGERY'S MISSION. + +Tom and Charley had gone through so much that they could not calculate +at all what hour of the night it then was. They had not noted the hour +when they commenced their adventure, but remembered that it was then +daylight; they had had no dinner, and they felt very hungry. They were +hurrying along a path which led through a hollow, when on the hill above +them they saw a female figure. She stopped and looked about, either to +find the path or in expectation of some one. What could she want at +that hour of the night, in so lone a place? They were under the shadow +of a stone wall, and she evidently did not see them. They hesitated +whether to remain concealed, as it occurred to both that her appearance +there was in some way or other connected with the smugglers. However, +after waiting a minute, she came down the hill with the light step of a +young girl; when, catching sight of them, instead of retreating she came +boldly forward. "Oh, Tom, oh, Mr Charles, I am so glad to see you all +right!" she exclaimed, as she got near enough for them to recognise the +features of Polly Herring, the smuggler's daughter. "I heard that +something dreadful was going to happen, and I came along to try and stop +it." + +"And you thought, Polly, that your father was in it, and may be James +Trevany, and you did not wish them to get into trouble. Was not that +it, Polly?" + +"Yes! Tom, that was one reason," answered the girl, frankly; "another +was that I wanted to save you and Mister Charles from coming to harm; +and now I'll ask you, if father or James get into trouble, to speak a +good word to the captain to help them out of it." + +"The captain is a just man, and will return kindness with kindness, no +doubt of that," answered Tom. "But I say, Polly, if any one can find +out where Miss Margery is, you can, for I am as certain as I stand here +that your father, or James, or some of your friends, had a hand in +carrying her off. Come, speak the truth, girl; you'll gain more by +helping us to find her than by any other way." + +"Yes! it was a cruel shame to carry her away," she muttered, in a low +voice; "but I dare not indeed I dare not." + +"Dare not do what, Polly?" asked Tom, in a soothing tone. + +"Tell where she is, or help you to get her," answered the girl, +promptly. + +"Then you do know where she is, Polly, and may be who took her away, and +all about her," said Tom. "Now what I've got to say is this, that just +do you do what's right, and never do you fear what any one can do to +you." + +The girl still hesitated. + +"Just let me ask you a question, Polly," continued Tom. "Is your father +in trouble, or James? Tell me that." + +"Yes! the revenue men have got some information against them, and are +after them both." + +"Then depend on't, Polly, the best thing for them is to give up Miss +Margery before they are caught," said Tom; "they'll gain nothing by +giving her up afterwards. The law doesn't make terms with people." + +"But they're terrible people who've got her," answered Polly. "They'd +as soon shoot you, or me, or anybody, as look at us, if we came near +them." + +"We don't fear terrible men," said Tom, laughing, "just do you put us in +the way of getting back Miss Margery, and we'll say as many good words +as we can for thy father, Polly, and for James too, if he needs them." + +"But you'll do no harm to those who have got her, and all you'll say is +that Polly Herring, Dick Herring's daughter, helped you to get her +back," said the girl, in a tone which showed that she still feared the +consequences of what she was about to do. + +Charley had not before spoken, but he now thanked her, and urged her to +lose no time in restoring Margery to them. + +"Come on, then," she said, in a firm voice; "it's a long way from here, +but you may be there and back at the Tower with the little girl before +daybreak." These words made Charley's affectionate heart beat with joy. +Polly added, however, "We must be careful, though, for if we were to +fall in with any of our people it would go hard with you and me too." + +Polly had well-knit limbs, and, being accustomed to active exercise, led +the way at a rapid rate. She seemed well acquainted with the road, for +she never stopped or hesitated as to which path to take, and Charley +soon totally lost the direction in which he was going, and Tom had no +little difficulty in keeping up with her. + +They had thus gone on for some distance, when Polly stopped and stood as +if listening. + +"I hear some coming; we must hide, and quick too, for if they are those +I fancy, and they catch us, our lives are not worth much." + +A high bank with a hedge on the top of it was on one side, and as she +spoke she led the way through a gap, and the adventurers found +themselves perfectly concealed from any one passing along the road. +Scarcely had they got behind the hedge, when a party of five or six men +appeared, talking in subdued tones, but high enough to allow some of +their words to be heard. They were uttering oaths and breathing +vengeance against the revenue officers and others, by whom their plans +had been defeated. From the mood they were in, Charley felt that it +would have been very unpleasant to have again encountered them. Polly +waited for some time before she ventured into the road, and then she led +on, without speaking, as fast as ever. The ground became very rough, +and they went up and down hill till the sound of the surf told that they +were once more approaching the sea. + +As they were ascending a steep, rocky hill, covered with loose stones, a +light appeared before them. They crept on cautiously, imitating Polly's +way of proceeding. + +"They have taken her there," she whispered, pointing to a cottage, the +dim outline of which could be seen. "This very night, if the weather +had been fine, they would have carried her across the Channel. There's +no time to lose, for they won't let her stay long, and if we don't get +her to-day, to-morrow she may be far off from this." + +Again she moved on, till she reached a low stone wall, which formed a +fence to the garden of the house. "Stay still as death here," she +whispered. "There's a terrible woman lives there. If she was to find +out what I was about she'd kill me though I am her own flesh and blood, +and you too, and, may be, in her rage, the little girl too." Saying +this, Polly stole on towards the cottage. + +Charley had expected that he should have been called on to run some +personal risk, and to carry off Margery from the grasp of half-a-dozen +fierce smugglers or so, and he felt somewhat disappointed at the +inactive part he was called on to play. From the words Polly had +dropped he guessed that the cottage was the one inhabited by old Dame +Herring, who was looked upon by the inhabitants of the country for miles +round as a witch, and known to be a very bad character. She took +advantage of her evil reputation, and practised on the credulity of the +people. It is not necessary to mention her bad practices. A few years +before she would very probably have been burnt as a witch; she now ran a +risk of being ducked in a horse-pond. + +Polly seemed to be a long time absent. Tom had the gift of patience, +and was accustomed to wait, and so, though he was fully as anxious as +Charley to have Margery safe under his charge, he made no complaint; but +Charley began to lose patience, and to wonder what could have become of +Polly, contemplating even going to look for her. Those who have had +experience in life know that it is much more difficult to wait for an +event than to rush forward to meet it; passive courage is therefore +often the greatest. Still, when difficulties occur, the wisest course +is boldly to face them at once. To the eyes of the multitude the +soldier who rushes onward into the thickest of the fight may appear the +bravest, and yet he may be a positive coward, urged forward by despair. +The truly brave is he who can stand undaunted to meet the shock of the +onset. Charley had to wait and wait till his patience was taxed to the +utmost. At length his ear caught a light footstep approaching, and +Polly came up to him. "I couldn't get the little girl out, for she is +shut up in a room by herself," she whispered. "I had to wait till they +were all asleep, and then I crept out to tell you. Still, I think if +you are careful you may manage to get her. I will show you the window +of the room where she is shut up, and if you can climb in and awake her +without making any noise you may do it; but understand that there are +several men sleeping in the cottage with loaded pistols under their +heads, which they are very quick to use; and remember that the slightest +noise will alarm them. Come along, but you must wait ten minutes to let +me get into the cottage before you begin your business." + +Charley and Tom, of course, promised to attend to Polly's injunctions, +and eagerly followed her through the garden to the back of the cottage. +She showed them the window, which seemed a very small one, about eight +feet from the ground; and then, with her finger on her lips, disappeared +round the corner. Charley waited what he considered a very long ten +minutes, but Tom, who could calculate better, held him tight, as a sign +that it was not yet time to move, and at last bent his back with his +head against the wall, and signed to him to get on the top of it. This +Charley did with alacrity, and grasping the window-sill, drew himself up +till he got his knees on it, and he was then able without noise to open +one side of the lattice window. There was barely room for him to creep +through, but he managed to do so without making any noise, and at length +he stood inside. He looked round anxiously into the room. At that +moment a gleam of moonlight burst through the passing clouds, and showed +him a small bed, and Margery, completely dressed, sleeping soundly and +peaceably on it. He was afraid if he awakened her suddenly she might +speak or cry out; so taking off his shoes he crept softly up to her, and +kissing her brow, whispered low in her ear, "Margery, Margery, don't +speak--a friend--Charley has come for you, to take you home." + +She opened her eyes, which Charley could see, for the moonbeam cast its +light directly on her countenance; a sweet smile came across it, and he +thought that she had never looked more lovely; but she evidently thought +that she was dreaming. + +"Dear Margery, wake up; Charley has come to take you away from this +place," he repeated. + +"Is it possible?" she asked, in the same low voice in which he spoke, +and took his hand. The touch assured her. + +"Yes, yes! I am ready; oh, thank you, thank you!" + +Charley helped her to rise, and to step softly across the room. He then +got through the window, and holding on, as only a sailor or a cat could, +to nothing, helped her through and lifted her down to Tom, who couldn't +refrain from giving her a hearty kiss in his joy at recovering her. +Charley then put on his shoes, and dropped noiselessly to the ground. +"They brought me here without shoes, and would give me none for fear I +should run away," she whispered; "but I will try to walk without them." + +"Not for worlds, Margery," answered Charley. "We'll carry you all the +way, never fear." + +"Aye, aye, Miss Margery," said Tom; "I've carried you many a mile when +you was a baby and you was no heavier than a feather, and I've still +strength left in my old arms to carry you now that you are a young lady +nearly grown, I may say." + +Margery could only murmur her thanks, as Tom bore her in his arms across +the garden and down the hill at a rapid rate, Charley bringing up the +rear, and ready to do battle should they be pursued. + +Polly had so far proved faithful, and Charley hoped sincerely that the +part she had played in the affair might not be discovered by her +associates. Still, he cast many an anxious glance behind him as they +descended the steep, rough hill side, lest any of the smugglers should +have been aroused, and have come in pursuit. Their chief difficulty was +to find the way; but they guessed pretty correctly the direction of the +Tower, the moon still affording them the assistance of her light. They +did not even stop to rest, Tom declaring that Miss Margery was still +almost as light as a feather, if not quite as light as when she was a +baby. They had thus made good progress, when Charley said that he heard +footsteps. + +"May be," answered Tom; "but they must be stout fellows who will dare to +take our Miss Margery from us." + +"I am not at all afraid of anybody now," said Margery. "I am sure, +Charley, that you and Tom would not let them take me from you." Charley +of course promised that no one should, and as they did not believe that +any smugglers would venture to interfere with them, should any be met, +they continued their course. However, before they had gone much +further, two very suspicious-looking personages overtook them and asked +various questions, as to whence they had come and where they were going. + +"Easily answered, mates," said Tom; "we are coming from the place we +last stopped at, and we are going home, and our business is nobody +else's, do ye see?" + +Whatever had been the intentions of the men, Tom's firm bearing, and +Charley's determined air, as he brought up the rear, following Tom as a +bull-terrier does the heels of his master, ready to fly at any one +venturing to interfere with him, made them alter their purpose. + +"I thought as how those piratical craft would sheer off if we showed a +bold front," said Tom, as the men turned down a lane on one side. "It's +a great point to show an enemy that you are wide awake and not afraid of +him. Mind you that, Master Charley. There's a great enemy, too, who is +always going about seeking whom he may devour; and if he finds that we +are prepared for him, and know how to resist him, he'll be off like a +shot." + +At length the door of the Tower was reached. Becky, who opened it, +instead of welcoming them as they might naturally have expected that she +would, stared wildly at them, and then throwing her apron over her head +ran back screaming, "There are ghosts--there are ghosts--there are +ghosts at the door!" + +"No we ain't," said Tom, bluntly, as he entered; "but we've brought back +Miss Margery all right, and she'll be glad of some grub presently, and +so shall we by and by I'm thinking,--eh, Master Charley? But just do +you first, as soon as you have got your five senses back, run up and +tell the captain and missis. They'll not be sorry to hear the news, at +all events." + +In another minute Margery was in her parents' arms, and they were +thanking Heaven that she had been safely restored to them. + +Little Margery had kept up her courage wonderfully, from the moment she +was seized till her return home. She said that she was awake and +thought that she saw Becky collecting her clothes, when suddenly she was +taken up in the arms of a woman; she supposed her mouth was gagged and +her eyes blinded, and she was carried swiftly along, down into some damp +place and along passages into the open air, and finally into the cottage +where Charley had found her. She had had no fear about being ill +treated, for she did not think any one would hurt a little girl like +herself. She was very grateful, however, to Charley and Tom for all the +risk they had run to rescue her. + +Tom and Charley's adventures created great surprise, for the captain +could not conceive how they could have got out of the vaults; and it was +not until they had all together paid another visit to it that they +discovered the aperture lately blocked up with loose stones, and then at +length guessed that it had been done by the smugglers to cut off +pursuit. The result of the whole proceeding was the very reverse of +what the smugglers had expected. In their foolish ignorance they +fancied that they could frighten away a sensible man, like Captain +Askew, from the Tower by their notable scheme of making it be supposed +that it was haunted. + +We may be surprised at their gross representations of ghosts and +spirits, but which were undoubtedly exact imitations of their own +conceptions of such things; nor does it at all follow, that because some +of them ventured to appear in the character of ghosts, they did not +firmly believe in their existence. Probably their own superstitious +fears would as easily have been worked on as they hoped to work on those +of others. + +A considerable amount of the property of the gang, which they had not +time to remove, was seized when they left their chief stronghold and +place of rendezvous on the coast, where they had long defied the +vigilance of the revenue officers, and many of them were driven away +from the coast. The entrance to the cave from the sea was carefully +blocked up, so that no one could again undermine the Tower, and attempt +to play off such tricks on the inmates. + +Mr Ludlow, accompanied by Stephen, rode over to the Tower to +congratulate his tenants on the recovery of their daughter. "I am very +glad to see the young lady back, and safe, and well; but," he added, "I +have a bone to pick with her. What do you think, captain? She has +actually been endeavouring to persuade my only son to go to sea, that he +may spend his life in searching for your poor boy, whom she asserts is +still alive in some island of the Pacific, either in consequence of +reading a child's book, or from some cock-and-bull story which she heard +from an old sailor one day, who was never afterwards to be found to +corroborate the truth of his narrative. I wish bygones to be bygones, +and I would rather not have alluded to the subject, but I really do not +know what powerful influence she may exert over him, though I cannot say +that at present he has any fancy for the undertaking; but I wish, at all +events, to nip the project in the bud." + +As may be supposed, Captain Askew was not a little astonished at this +address, while he could not but be sensible of the want of feeling of +the man who could thus coldly speak of his long-lost son, that son who +had been banished in consequence of Mr Ludlow's own stern decree. "I +was not aware that my little Margery entertained any such notion," he +answered mildly. "Did she, I should have supposed that your son, +Stephen, however much she may esteem him as a friend, was the very last +person she would have selected for the scheme." + +"Oh, the foolish boy lent her a book, a copy, I believe, of Defoe's +`Robinson Crusoe,' and as he describes a person living on an island for +a number of years by himself, she has taken it into her head that her +brother may have escaped shipwreck, and be still alive on one of the +many islands which I understand stud parts of the Pacific." + +"I have only to repeat that my daughter has not mentioned the subject to +me, and I will undertake that she does not induce your son to act +contrary to your wishes," answered Captain Askew. + +"Very well, neighbour, I will trust to your word," said Mr Ludlow, in +his usual supercilious manner, which, to a man of a temper less mild +than the captain, would have been very galling. "I, of course, have +other designs for him than to lead the life of a sailor." + +When Mr Ludlow and Stephen had taken their departure, he could not help +repeating to himself, "he may be alive on one of the many islands which +stud parts of the Pacific. The sailor's story may be true, or it may be +only dear Margery's fancy. It is but natural that she should indulge in +it; I would that I had health and strength, and the means to go out and +search for the dear boy--dear whether alive or dead." + +That evening the captain spoke of their boy to his wife. He would not +venture to raise her hopes. He scarcely hinted at the possibility of +his having escaped from the wreck, and yet he spoke of such things +having happened to others. Margaret's reply was, "God's will be done. +He knows what is kept for us in all respects." + +In the meantime, Stephen had told Margery that his father objected +decidedly to his becoming a sailor, that he might go and look for her +brother Jack; an announcement which the young lady received with much +dignity, and an expression of contempt on her pretty countenance which +it was not wont to wear. + +"Of course, Mr Stephen Ludlow, you are right in doing what your father +wishes," she observed; "and now I think over the matter you are not at +all fitted to become a sailor. Sailors are true friends--generous, +brave, kind, and liberal; I was mistaken when I supposed that you were +likely to possess those qualities. Good-bye. I do not want to quarrel +with you, but now you know what I think." + +Margery was not aware how severe her words might have sounded. Stephen +did not fully understand their meaning, but he felt very sheepish, and +had an idea that it would probably be some time before he again paid a +visit to Stormount Tower. Margery had, however, far from abandoned her +idea. She had for some time naturally thought that Charley Blount would +be the proper person to perform her behests, and she felt certain that +he would very gladly undertake the task she might assign him. She put +the matter before him, and to her great delight he at once undertook her +mission. + +"I cannot say that your brother Jack is alive," he observed; "but this I +promise, that if he is I will do my utmost to find him and bring him +home." + + + +CHAPTER TEN. + +CHARLEY GOES TO SEA--A GALLANT COMRADE--COOLNESS OF ISLANDERS--THE +SAVAGES. + +"May Heaven bless and prosper you, my boy!" said Captain Askew, as +Charley Blount was prepared to start for Liverpool, where he expected to +get a berth on board some ship bound for the shores of the Pacific. He +had letters of introduction to Jack's old friend, now Captain Cumming, +who resided at Birkenhead, on the other side of the Mersey, and to other +friends of Captain Askew, so that his way would be likely to be made +smooth. + +His parting with the inmates of the Tower need not be fully described. +Neither Mrs Askew nor Margery dared trust themselves with words. Becky +gave him a hug, such as he was not accustomed to receive as she +whispered, "Bring him back, Mr Charley, bring him back, oh do!" + +"If the lad's above board you'll find him out, I know you will, Mr +Charles," said old Tom, heartily wringing his hand. He modestly replied +that he would do his best; and that, with a person of spirit and energy, +signifies a good deal. + +He was not going altogether without pecuniary means. Captain Askew had +raised every shilling he could for the undertaking, and he felt sure +that Captain Cumming would get friends at Liverpool to help him yet +further. He soon reached that city, and when his object became known, +although many declared that it was visionary, he had, from the +liberality of merchants and others, ample supplies placed at his +disposal, which he was to employ as he considered best. He without +delay obtained a berth on board the _Southern Cross_, Captain Harper, as +fourth mate, with the understanding that he should be allowed to quit +the ship after she had reached the coast of Peru, where she was to take +a fresh cargo on board. + +The _Southern Cross_ was a well-found ship, Captain Harper, an upright +man and a good seaman, and with the other officers and the crew, Charley +was on his first acquaintance tolerably well pleased. + +He enjoyed the sensation, which few but seamen can enjoy after some time +spent on shore, when he once more trod the deck moved by the buoyant +waves, as the good ship pursued her southward course over the Atlantic, +and he thought of the enterprise in which he was engaged. Most of his +shipmates, as many people on shore had done, thought his undertaking +preposterous, and said that to search for a lad he had never seen, among +the thousand and one isles of the Pacific, and who probably had been +drowned, or eaten by the savages years ago, was more ridiculous than +looking for a needle in a bundle of hay. Charley, however, kept, if not +to his own opinion, to that which Margery, at all events, entertained, +and got two young shipmates, midshipmen, to join him in it. Hugh Owen, +an enthusiastic Welshman, and Edward Elton, a quiet and unpretending +English lad who had been three years at sea. He was pale-faced and +small of his age, his eyes were blue and his features regular, and in a +crowd he would have been the last selected to do a daring deed; and yet +no bolder or braver lad was to be found on board, and there was no act +of heroism of which those who knew him would not have believed him +capable. + +Charley Blount was not much senior to either of the lads, but having +been to sea longer, was their superior in rank. Off duty he treated +them as equals, and the three young men soon formed a sincere friendship +for each other. + +The Falkland Islands were visited to obtain a supply of fresh provisions +and water, and then the ship steered west round Cape Horn into the +Pacific. Just, however, as that mighty headland was sighted there +sprang up a fierce gale from the westward, which drove the _Southern +Cross_ back into the Atlantic, the huge billows rising up like mountains +to bar her progress. But her captain well knew that perseverance alone +could overcome this as it can conquer most difficulties, and she was +kept under close-reefed sails, now with her head to the south, now to +the north, ready to take advantage of any slant of wind which might +enable her to work her way to the westward. The wind had fallen, and +once more sail was made. + +It was night, and Charley Blount had a watch on deck, when without +warning down came the gale on the ship with greater fury than before. +With a crack like a clap of thunder the main-topgallant-yard parted and +hung by the lifts, dashing furiously against the topsail, and +threatening to carry away the topmast. "It is my duty to clear that," +exclaimed Charley, not waiting to be ordered or asked to go, for it was +a task of the greatest peril, which only volunteers alone would be +expected to attempt. Seizing an axe, he flew aloft. + +"Heaven protect the bold fellow!" exclaimed the captain, who had hurried +on deck. + +Young Elton had also come, up from below. One part of the task was done +when Charley's axe was torn from his grasp, and he was seized by the +coils of a loose rope, lashing furiously, while the remaining part of +the spar came whirling round his head. His terrific position could be +seen from the deck, and the great danger any one would incur in going +near him could be equally well perceived. Not a moment, however, did +young Elton hesitate. Scarcely had the accident happened than he was +flying up the ratlines amid the clouds of spray which drove across them. +The ship was heeling over and pitching into the seas as if never to +rise again, the masts were bending and straining, and the broken spar +was flying round, now in one direction, now in the other, and +threatening to render the brave young Elton's attempt useless, by +hurling Charley Blount to destruction before he could release him, while +the least want of vigilance would have proved equally fatal to himself. +He had, amid the darkness of the night and the heeling of the ship to +watch the movements of the threatening spar, and to dart forward as it +receded and left a spot for an instant free from its attacks. His first +aim was to release Charley, whom the rope was encircling every instant +more closely in its deadly embrace. He watched his opportunity; he +sprang along the yard, and with two blows of his axe the rope was +severed, and Charley was released, and able to join him in the still +more difficult task of clearing away the broken spar. Together they +climbed the mast. "Stand from under!" was the cry, but there was no +need of it. Again their sharp axes were at work; the spar fell clear of +the ship into the foaming ocean, the topmast was saved, and loud cheers +greeted the young seamen as they descended safely on deck. + +This incident united Charley Blount and Elton in still closer +friendship, and gained the support more completely of the enthusiastic +Hugh Owen, who became now more than ever eager to follow their fortunes. + +At length the ship got to the westward of the Cape, but she had been +driven far to the south, and it was some time before the wind allowed +her to steer a northerly course. She had already got into warm +latitudes, when a high, cocoa-nut-covered, reef-bound island was +discovered ahead. The savage character of the inhabitants of the isles +of the Pacific had frequently been the subject of conversation on board, +among those who had never before been in that part of the world, and it +was naturally supposed that those living on the island in sight were +deserving of the same description. As they coasted along, however, they +could distinguish with their glasses numerous neat white buildings, and +a wide extent of cultivated ground, and here and there towers and +steeples, and edifices which had the appearance of ordinary +school-houses; indeed, the land wore a wonderfully civilised aspect. + +The captain, ordering the chief mate to keep the ship standing on and +off, invited as many as two boats would contain to accompany him on +shore. He carried an assortment of goods, not beads and looking-glasses +and spear-heads, as would once have been the case, but cottons, and +useful cutlery, and writing materials, and leather, and other articles +in demand among civilised people. The boats arrived at a +well-constructed wharf, where several decently-clothed natives stood +ready to receive them. They were greeted with the salutation of +"Blessings be on your head!" and one stepped forward and introduced +himself as the trading-master, and requested to know what articles they +wished to purchase. The captain gave a list of what he wanted, which +were very soon brought down, and, the trade-master acting as +interpreter, equitable bargains were soon struck, and all that was +required by the voyagers was obtained at a reasonable rate. They were +then allowed to visit any part of the island they chose with licensed +guides. They expressed their surprise to the native interpreter at the +state of things. + +"Yes! great indeed is the change," he answered. "Thirty years ago we +were among the most degraded of savages; but the good missionaries came, +and though we would have driven them away, they persevered in remaining +till they had taught us better things; and now you see us sitting +clothed and in our right minds." + +On inquiry, Charley found that there was not a heathen native in the +whole island. There were churches always regularly attended, school +houses, printing presses, lecture halls, a well-constituted government, +and a perfectly educated native ministry. Not only were there no +heathen, but, as far as human discernment could discover, true Christian +principles were professed and practised by a large majority of the +population. Few islands were in a more satisfactory state than this +one; at the same time Charley heard that the inhabitants of a very +considerable number had become Christians by the instrumentality of +English missionaries, and still more by that of Christian natives, eager +to impart to their countrymen the glad tidings they had themselves +received. + +"It was to this island, many years ago, that a native missionary swam on +shore with a few books, wrapped up in a cloth, on his head. Our savage +fathers stood on the rocks with clubs and spears, ready to kill him, but +his life was preserved by the mercy of God, who loved our souls though +we knew Him not. At first no one would listen to what the missionary +had to say, and laughed him to scorn; but by degrees one stopped to +hear, and then another and another, and found what he said to be very +good, till by degrees as they understood more clearly the tidings he +brought, hundreds flocked in and believed, and were converted." + +Captain Harper corroborated all Charley had heard, and stated that +whereas once it was dangerous at most of the islands to land unless in a +strong body, well armed; now, throughout the whole of the eastern +groups, the inhabitants were as kind and courteous to strangers and as +well conducted as any people he had met on the face of the globe. One +day after they had left the island, the officers of a whaler becalmed +near them came on board, and complained bitterly of the altered state of +things, abusing the missionaries for being the cause of the change to +which they so much objected. + +The surgeon of the ship, who ought to have known better, was especially +very indignant with them. + +"Once we could go on shore, and for a few beads or a knife not worth +twopence buy as many provisions as we required, or any other article, +and we could play all sorts of pranks with the natives, and nobody +interfered with us. Now, if we ask them to buy or sell, or to dance, or +to do anything else on a Sunday, they won't do it, and we can have no +fun of any sort; and they say that we have lost our religion, and pull +long faces at us, and ask us all sorts of strange questions about our +souls. As a fact, these savages know more about religion than we do; +and they can write books, and print and bind them, and some of them can +preach for an hour at a time; indeed, I don't know what they can't do. +The missionaries have done it all--spoilt them, I say; they were jolly +fellows as savages, but they are desperately stupid now. To be sure, +they did now and then murder a whole ship's company if they had the +chance, and roast and eat them too, and they would steal anything they +could lay hands on; and they were always fighting among each other; and +they worshipped curious logs of wood and stumps of trees, and figures +made out of rags, matting, and feathers; but we had nothing to do with +that, it was rather fun to see them." + +And so the surgeon of the whaler ran on, not at all aware that he was +condemning himself and his companions, and their practices, and praising +the long-benighted savages. + +Charley observed that he could not help thinking that the change was for +the better, and he could not help asking himself, "Where will the white +man and where will the brown man be found standing at the day of +judgment?" + +He inquired of the doctor if he had heard of any young Englishman +residing among the natives, or on any island in the eastern Pacific. + +The doctor laughed, and said that there were a good many who had native +wives, and were the prime ministers and privy councillors of the kings +and princes who ruled the islands, especially those which still remained +heathen. + +Charley scarcely wished to find Margery's brother among these unhappy +men. No! he was certain that if he was alive he was living on some +unfrequented island, unable to get away. The _Southern Cross_ touched +at several islands, for the captain had a roving commission, to go where +he thought best. At each of them Charley left on shore a number of +cards on which he had written, "Jack Askew, a friend of your father's, +Charley Blount, is looking for you. Send word to Callao, on the coast +of Peru, and he will assist you to return home." + +Captain Harper gave every assistance to Charley, but not a trace could +they discover of the missing one. Two uninhabited islands had been +visited; a third was sighted. Charley's heart beat high in anticipation +of finding him whom he sought. Yet, why he expected to find Jack there +more than at any other place he could not tell. + +On the island, though it was a small one, there was a mountain and three +or four lesser heights, which might prevent a person on the opposite +side from seeing a ship; the captain, therefore, though he could not +spare much time, agreed to sail partly round it, and to land Charley, +Elton, Owen, and some of the men, to explore it. They landed in high +spirits, on a sandy beach, and pushed on to the highest point whence +they could survey the whole island, and where a flag they carried could +be seen by any inhabitant on it. They reached the summit of the +mountain. There were valleys and rocks and cascades, and cocoa-nut and +other tropical trees and plants; indeed it was very like the description +of Robinson Crusoe's island. They waved the flag and shouted, though +shouting was of no use, as no one in the valley could have heard them. +At length they descended towards the east, the point from which the ship +was to take them off. Still they hoped that some one might appear. + +"He may have been all the time watching the ship, and not have looked up +towards the mountain," observed Owen, who had assumed the fact of Jack's +existence, even more than Charley himself. They reached the beach +without meeting the trace even of a human being. All the party looked +blank at each other; it was very clear that that was not Jack's island. + +Disappointed they returned on board. "Don't let us despair," cried +Charley. "There may be, in the latitude where the _Truelove_ was lost, +fifty other islands, and Jack can only be in one of them, so that we +cannot hope to find him in a hurry." + +"No! of course not," cried Owen; "but we will find him notwithstanding +that. Just let us get our little schooner fitted out and we'll visit +every one of them, and twice as many if necessary." + +Captain Harper had most liberally and kindly done his best for Charley's +object. Captain Askew's friends at Liverpool had promised a reward of a +hundred pounds to any man or ship's company, half to go to the master, +who should discover and bring off young Askew, and half that amount for +the discovery of any of the crew of the ill-fated ship. This +information he gave to every whaler and other vessel the _Southern +Cross_ fell in with. Whalers especially, visit so many out-of-the-way +spots while searching for their prey, to obtain wood and water and +vegetables, essentials for the support of the health and life of the +crew, that it was possible some of them might be tempted to make a more +thorough examination of islands near which they might find themselves, +than they would otherwise do. At length Callao was reached, and Charley +with his two friends obtained their discharge. + +The next thing was to find a vessel suited for their purpose. After +inspecting a number, a beautiful little Spanish schooner, of about +eighty tons, which had just come into the harbour, was purchased, and a +motley crew engaged. The crew consisted of one Englishman, who had been +twenty years from home, a negro, a Tahitian, and a native Indian; but +still they all pulled wonderfully well together. Charley Blount was +captain; Elton, first mate; and Hugh Owen, second. The schooner had +been called the _Boa Esperanza_, and so they called her the _Good +Hope_--an appropriate name. + +Never had a happier party put to sea. They were in prime health and +spirits, and had a good object in view, so that they could venture to +pray for the success of their expedition. They had an ample crew for +the size of the vessel; she was well-found, and sailed like a witch, and +was altogether a first-rate little craft. + +The _Good Hope_ went out of harbour at the same time as the _Southern +Cross_, the latter steering south on her homeward voyage, the former +west, to explore all the islands known and unknown in that direction. +Charley had given his utmost attention to navigation since he left +England, and from the time Elton and Owen had agreed to accompany him, +they had also studied the subject more carefully than before. They +were, therefore, all three very fair navigators; indeed a good knowledge +of navigation was very necessary for the work in which they were about +to engage. + +Away went the _Good Hope_ on her adventurous and perilous voyage. The +Pacific, though often calm, shows that it does not deserve its name at +all times. After they had been a week out, the weather gave signs of +changing: dark clouds appeared in the west, though the wind was still +blowing from the east. They continued their course to reach an island +which rose high out of the sea ahead. With the fair wind they then had +they rapidly neared the island. Their glasses showed them that it was a +beautiful spot, very like the island they had before visited, but +larger. Just, however, as they got abreast of it, the gale, which had +for some time been brewing, broke on them with great fury. Fortunately +they were able to run back for shelter under the lee of the island, +where, though they still felt the wind, the sea was comparatively +smooth. Great vigilance was, at the same time, necessary, lest the wind +changing suddenly she might be driven on the reefs which surrounded the +island. Still they kept as close as they could, looking out for an +opening through which they might pass and anchor inside. + +Hugh Owen had a remarkably sharp pair of eyes, and was the first to +espy, some way to the northward, a space of clear water with a sheltered +bay beyond. The schooner was steered towards the spot. Owen was right. +A slant of wind enabled them to stand through the passage. The sea +dashed in foam over the coral reefs on either hand; careless steering, +the parting of a rope, or a sudden change of wind would have hurled them +to destruction. The dangers were passed, and she rode safely in a +little bay, which had a sandy beach, and a fringe of rocks and trees +above. No huts or dwelling-places could be seen, yet it seemed scarcely +possible that so fine an island should be uninhabited. Still people +might exist on the other side of the island, or more inland. + +They had been advised not to venture on shore on any island, unless the +inhabitants had become Christians, without arms. Owen and Elton +proposed on this occasion going without them, as they were heavy to +carry. + +"No, no!" said Charley. "A rule is a rule, which, if a good one, should +never be broken through." + +This was the first island where, by their calculations, they had the +slightest chance of finding Jack Askew, at least, it was about the +longitude that the _Truelove_ was supposed to have been lost. + +Owen took charge of the schooner while Charley and Elton and three men +went on shore, all sufficiently armed with rifles, pistols in their +belts, and cutlasses by their sides. They hoped by starting early in +the day to accomplish the tour of the island before dark. Having drawn +up their boat on the beach, they pushed on for the highest point of land +in the neighbourhood. On reaching it they saw in the valley below, on +the further side, wreaths of smoke ascending from among a grove of +trees. Charley and Elton agreed that there must be inhabitants, but +wisely determined not to approach them without first ascertaining, if +possible, their disposition. They therefore continued along the height, +so as to avoid the valley, proposing to cross over by a route which +appeared open to the opposite side of the island. + +As they advanced they saw more signs of the island being inhabited: +tracks leading in various directions, ruined huts, and marks of fires +and native ovens. Some natives were also seen in the distance, but +whether or not they were observed they could not tell. Charley and +Elton speculated as they went on as to the probability of Jack being on +the island. Wherever they went, in all conspicuous places they left the +cards, with a notice that the schooner, on the east side of the island, +was waiting for him, hoping that possibly he might see one of them, +should they themselves miss him. + +At length they reached the west side of the island, where the full +strength of the gale was felt, and they were thankful that their vessel +lay snugly in harbour, and sheltered from its fury. Here they found a +group of huts and patches of cultivated ground, for the production of +the taro root, but the inhabitants had hastily fled. This was +unsatisfactory, as they must have had cause to dread the appearance of +white men. They saw, therefore, that it would be prudent to return by +the most direct route to the bay, where it would be safer to attempt +establishing friendly relations with them; for should they fail, unless +they could fight their way, they would probably be cut off. Keeping +close together, they therefore marched rapidly westward. + +Several times they saw natives armed with bows, spears, and clubs, +hovering on either side, but none of them came within speaking distance. +They seemed to increase in numbers as the party approached the bay, and +Charley felt thankful when they came in sight of the schooner. Their +first care was to get the boat afloat, that they might retreat if +necessary. They had brought a number of useful articles for barter-- +knives and pieces of cotton cloth, and handkerchiefs, and nails, and +some of them they placed on the rocks, beckoning the natives with +friendly gestures to approach and take them. No sooner had Charley and +his party retired to the boat, than nearly forty savages started up from +behind the rocks and rushed towards the goods, eagerly seizing them, and +as quickly retreating again under shelter. After this, nothing could +tempt the savages from their cover. One thing was certain, that Jack +could not be on the island, or the savages would have learned to treat +white men in a different manner. Charley, therefore, determined to +return to the schooner. No sooner, however, had his men begun to shove +off the boat, than the savages, fearing to lose the treasures they +possessed, made a furious rush in a body towards her, flourishing their +war-clubs, and holding their spears ready to throw. + +"Shove off, lads, shove off, for your lives!" cried Charley, seizing an +oar. "Let not a shot be fired unless I give the word." + +The savages, however, seeing that their expected prize was about to +escape them, rushed on with greater speed, some hurling their spears, +others, with clubs uplifted, threatening the destruction of all in the +boat. + + + +CHAPTER ELEVEN. + +THE RIGHT WAY TO TREAT SAVAGES--THE MISSIONARY AND HIS CONVERTS--THE BOY +ON THE ISLAND. + +Charley Blount's great wish was to avoid injuring any of the natives. +In spite, therefore, of the spears which came flying around him, and the +array of warriors with their war-clubs, he refrained from firing, and +directed all his efforts to get the boat completely afloat. Just as a +savage had got one hand on the stern and with the other was about to +deal a blow with his club which would have killed Charley, the boat +glided off into deep water, and the savage warrior toppled down with his +nose in the surf. He was up again in a moment, but blinded by the salt +water, and not seeing that the boat had escaped him, struck out with his +club and again fell over as before, and would possibly have been +drowned, had not some of his companions hauled him up and set him again +on his legs. This circumstance assisted the escape of the boat, which +was now getting away from the shore. Charley, anxious not to injure any +of the savages, had ordered his men not to fire till the last extremity. +Not a shot therefore was fired, and the boat got well off out of +danger. + +The question was now, how to show the savages that the white men +possessed power, but had mercifully not employed it against them. They +had on board an empty cask, in which some of the articles left with the +savages had been brought off. This was ballasted and put in the water +with a short flag-staff, and a handkerchief as a flag fixed in it. +Pulling away a short distance Elton and Charley, and one of the men, who +was a good shot, repeatedly fired and hit it, till at last the flag and +staff were shot away to the astonishment of the natives, who stood +looking on. Fortunately, a tree grew near the beach on one side, where +there were no natives. Charley next made this his target, and the white +splinters which flew out on either side must have convinced the savages +that the missiles which produced them would have made, with greater ease +very disagreeable holes in their bodies. Charley now once more pulled +in towards the beach; the savages ran off. He had a few more articles +left; he landed, spread them out, and then, returning to the boat, +beckoned to the people to come and take them. + +At length they seemed to comprehend his humane intentions, for several +of them, leaving their clubs and spears on the bank above, approached +the water, holding out their hands as if to welcome the strangers. +Charley, on seeing this, telling Elton to be ready to support him if +necessary, leaped boldly on shore, and advanced with extended hands +towards the savages. They understood him, and now seemed to have +banished their fears, and to have no treacherous intentions. + +His first object gained, he endeavoured to make them understand that he +was looking for one of his own countrymen. By signs he showed how a +vessel had been wrecked, and that two of the people had swam on shore, +and how he was looking for them; but they shook their heads, and he felt +certain that this was not the island where Jack was to be found. While +he was speaking several of the people brought down cocoa-nuts, +plantains, taro, and other roots and fruits in baskets, as a proof of +their friendly feelings, and showing, also, that they knew what the +wants of white men were. How different, however, would have been the +conclusion of the intercourse with these people, if the schooner's crew +had fired on the first alarm, and the blood of the poor savages been +shed? + +The _Good Hope_ laid at anchor for two days, when, the gale abating, she +again sailed. There was still a good deal of sea, but as Captain Blount +found that he could lay his course, he was unwilling to delay any +longer, and, like most sailors, he believed that his craft could do +anything. He ought before to have been called captain, though it must +be owned that he was rather a young one, and captain of a somewhat small +craft. He and his companions regretted that they had not brought an +interpreter with them, that they might communicate without difficulty +with the natives. + +"We might have obtained some information from the poor savages we last +visited about other islands lying to the westward," observed the +captain; "I suspect, too, that they would have had to tell us, that some +former visitors had taken them unawares and killed some of them, and so +they had thought all white men were enemies, and had determined to kill +the next they could get in their power." + +"Yes, indeed," said Elton, "how different these are from the inhabitants +of the first island we visited; I have been thinking that I should like +to tell some of their missionaries of these poor people, and get them to +send one of their number to instruct them." + +"What, do you think that you could hope to make Christians out of such +naked savages as those are?" exclaimed Hugh Owen, who had not turned his +mind to the subject. + +"Of course; those well-behaved, well-clothed people we saw, were quite +as wild and ignorant as the naked savages we have just left, but a very +few years ago. Not fifty years since there was not an island in the +wide Pacific which had risen out of a state of the most complete +savagedom. Now, in the eastern part of the ocean, whole groups have +embraced Christianity. The Sandwich Islands are rapidly advancing in +civilisation, and King George of Tonga, himself a man of much talent, +though once a savage, ruled over a large population of enlightened men, +a large number of whom possess a better knowledge of the Scriptures, and +would be able to give better reasons for the faith that is in them than +would nine-tenths of the population of any country in Europe, England +not excepted." + +"Who told you that?" asked Owen; "I have heard a very different +account." + +"I heard it from my late captain, who spent three years cruising among +the islands of all parts of the Pacific," answered Elton. "Captain +Harper, too, said the same thing, and neither of them can be accused of +being in the interest of the missionaries." + +"Certainly not; I fully believe the facts," exclaimed Charley. "If I +had not undertaken to carry Jack back to his family, I should like to +volunteer to convey missionaries to all these islands. I could not wish +for a better employment for the little schooner or for myself." + +"The very thought that was in my head," said Elton. "When our present +enterprise is accomplished, I will offer my services for the work. I +think that a sailor could scarcely be engaged in a better." + +Faithfully did young Elton keep his promise. + +Just then the man on the look-out exclaimed that he saw an object +floating on the water ahead, but what it was he could not make out. As +the schooner got nearer, the object was pronounced to be a raft, and to +have living people on it. On getting still nearer, it was seen to be +not a raft, but one of the double canoes of those seas, which consist of +two canoes joined together by a platform. This platform extends across +the entire width of both canoes and the greater part of their length. +Several people were on the deck. Some were kneeling, one was standing +up, and others were lying at their length, their heads propped up, as if +in a state of exhaustion. As the schooner hove-to close to them, those +on board her were startled by hearing, among sounds strange to their +ears, the name of Jehovah clearly pronounced. + +The people were dark-skinned, undoubtedly natives, though clothed in +garments, either of native cloth or cotton, several of them wearing +hats. They, however, it was evident, did not regard the appearance of +the schooner with satisfaction, and several of them hung down their +heads with apprehension at seeing her. As there was still too much sea +to allow of the schooner going alongside of the canoe, a boat was +lowered, and Elton and two men pulled up to her. + +"We are friends; we, too, worship Jehovah," he shouted, holding up his +hands as if in prayer. In an instant the aspect of the whole changed. +Those who had been hanging down their heads lifted them up with a smile +on their countenances, and the man who was standing in the midst of them +exclaimed in return, "Yes, yes; friends--all who worship Jehovah are our +friends!" + +Elton was soon on board the canoe. The condition of the crew was truly +piteous. Their last drop of water was exhausted--their last +taro-root-their last cocoa-nut,--yet they were not desponding. They had +done their utmost: they had prayed earnestly for deliverance, and were +calmly waiting the result. Their canoe was in so battered a condition, +that before Elton asked them any questions he advised that they should +remove at once on board the schooner. Though only one of them spoke a +little English, several of them understood what he said. They gladly +assented to his proposal, begging him to take the most feeble first. +These were quickly conveyed to the deck of the schooner, where Charley +and Owen were ready with food and water to administer to them. + +It took several trips before they were all safely placed on board the +schooner, and, not long after the last party left the canoe, she slowly +settled down to her platform, from which all on it would soon have been +washed away, even with the sea there was then running. + +When the whole party had been carefully attended to, Charley inquired by +what means they had been brought into the condition in which they had +been found. The chief man among them answered in broken but still +intelligible English, that he was a native missionary, that he and his +companions, two of whom were catechists and one a schoolmaster, had +started to visit an island to the westward, which they had expected to +reach in a couple of days, but that they were caught in a gale, and +their mast and sail being carried away they were driven past it, and +onward before the gale utterly unable to return, or even to stop their +frail vessel. + +Day after day they had been driven on, anxiously looking out for reefs +ahead, knowing that if driven on one, their canoe must be dashed to +pieces. Their rudder and oars had been lost, so that they had no power +of directing their vessel. Several islands were passed on which they +might have landed if they had had their paddles to guide the canoe to +the shore. "One of them," said the missionary, "we passed so close, +that we could clearly see a man on shore. It was a small low coral +island, with a lagoon, or lake in the centre, and cocoa-nuts and other +trees growing round it. By his dress and appearance we judged the man +to be a white. We also saw a hut of some size built under the trees. +He waved his hands wildly, as if entreating us to take him off, and +seemed to be shouting, and then he went down on his knees and lifted up +his hands, as if imploring mercy. Helpless ourselves, we could render +him no aid." + +"That must have been Jack!" cried Charley and his two friends in the +same breath. "If we had not heard this, we might easily have overlooked +such a spot. We might have run past it at night, or within ten miles, +and not have seen it. What a dull and solitary life the poor fellow +must have dragged out in such a place." + +"If a man's mind is at peace, and he can converse with his God, he need +not be sad or solitary," observed the missionary, calmly. + +The young men then inquired how far off he should suppose the island to +be. + +The missionary answered that they had passed it about ten days before; +that at that time they had been driving very fast before the gale, but +after it had abated, much slower. So eager were Charley and his friends +to follow up their search, that they debated whether or not they should +continue their course to the west, and look for the island which had +been described. + +Elton was opposed to this while they had so many strangers on board. +"No, no," he exclaimed; "do not let us be carried away by our zeal in +the cause of our lost countryman; we have another duty to perform. We +were but lately wishing that we could send a missionary to the ignorant +inhabitants of the island we have lately left. Here is one presented to +us--a man in every way fitted for the work. Let us put the matter +before him." + +They did so. Directly the missionary had heard the account they gave of +the wild islanders, he, without hesitation, expressed his readiness to +go among them, and said he was sure that all his companions would be +ready to join him in the work. He was not mistaken in the zeal of his +friends, "When souls are to be saved, and the glorious tidings of +salvation to sinners to be conveyed, we are ready to go," they answered. + +The schooner was therefore at once put about, and a course at once +steered for the island. They were all curious to see how the wild +natives would take their speedy return, and whether the missionary would +be able to communicate with them, though he seemed to have no doubt on +the subject. The next day the schooner dropped her anchor in the +sheltered bay she had lately left. The natives were seen assembling +from all quarters, and soon a large number collected on the beach. + +Charley and Elton, Mark, the missionary,--for so he was called--and two +other natives, went in the boat. Instead of pulling at once for the +beach, the missionary begged to be landed at a point where some trees +grew. From these he cut down some branches and distributed them among +the party, when the boat was steered in for the place where the natives +were collected. The branches were waved as the boat approached the +beach, when the natives were seen cutting down branches and waving them +in return. "It's all right," exclaimed the missionary, in a cheerful +voice; "we shall be friends." + +He then shouted to the natives, who replied in the same language; and +without landing, as the stem touched the sand, he began an address, +which appeared from his tones to be full of eloquence. They listened to +it with profound attention, and then several of them stretched out their +hands, and gave indubitable signs that they were eager to welcome him on +shore. He and his companions accordingly landed, and were surrounded by +the natives, who appeared as eager to listen as before. Captain Blount +determined, however, to remain till the following day, as he had heard +that these island savages were seldom to be trusted, and that, though +they might appear friendly at one time, the next instant they might turn +round and destroy those who had trusted them. + +The night was an anxious one to Charley and his friends, as well as to +the natives on board; but the next morning, when they went on shore, +Mark gave so good a report of the islanders, that the whole of the +strangers agreed to land and remain. Mark, however, recommended one +young man, who understood English, though he could not speak it, to +continue on board the _Good Hope_, that he might tell the natives of any +islands they might visit who the strangers were, and also to assist in +discovering the small coral island where the solitary white man had been +seen. Captain Blount gladly accepted the offer. + +"Tell my friends," said Mark, "that we have begun the work, but some +years may pass away before all the inhabitants of even this small island +understand the Glad Tidings, which they at present appear to receive so +readily. When the work is accomplished, then I may return home." + +Charley found that Mark, who was thus ready to devote himself to the +work of the Gospel, was the son of a powerful chief or prince, and that +he had thus literally given up much and all for its sake. + +Both officers and men of the _Good Hope_ had enough to do in keeping a +proper look-out ahead for the numerous dangers in their course. Those +who have only sailed in seas navigated for centuries with excellent +charts of every rock, shoal, and current, are scarcely aware of the +anxiety those experience who have to sail across an unknown ocean where +numberless small islands exist, and reefs, some under the water and some +just above it, on which the incautious voyager may run his ship and lose +her, with little or no warning. At night, except when there was a moon, +the schooner was hove-to, lest she should run on a reef, or past Jack's +supposed island. The native, who said that his name was Peter, was as +eager as any one, and was constantly aloft looking out for it. + +Such an island as it was described might very easily be passed by +without being observed. Charley, Elton, Owen, or Peter was therefore +always on the look-out, for they would not trust one of the crew. Their +difficulty was increased by a foul wind which sprung up from the +westward, and compelled them to tack across their course. This greatly +increased the distance they had to go over, and completely baffled +Peter's calculations. + +One night, having stood farther than before to the northward, a bright +light was seen in the distance, which was pronounced by all on board to +be a ship on fire. Sad must be the fate of all on board if no +assistance arrived! Making all sail, they stood towards the spot. The +red glare increased, the reflection extending over the whole sky. While +they looked, expecting every instant to see the supposed ship blow up or +the light suddenly cease by her sinking, Charley exclaimed that it was a +burning mountain. His companions doubted the fact. Still they thought +that it was a burning ship; the light was decreasing--again it blazed +up. The sky over head appeared peculiarly dark. "Hillo! what is this +coming down on us?" exclaimed Owen. + +They felt the tops of their caps--they and the deck were gritty. It was +a shower of ashes; the mystery was explained; the light was that of a +burning mountain. As there was no object to be gained in going nearer +to it, and Peter gave them to understand that he had not seen it when on +board the canoe, they tacked and stood to the southward. More than once +Charley thought of the remark people had made to him, that his +expedition was like looking for a needle in a bundle of hay. "Never +mind," he repeated; "if the needle is in the bundle, by diligent +searching it may be found. A solitary white man has been seen on an +island, we must first find out who he is." + +The wind baffled them frequently, but still they perseveringly plied to +windward, though next night they were again in sight of the burning +mountain, which was to the north-east of the schooner, showing that they +had made but little way to the west. Once more the wind turned in their +favour, and they rejoiced that they were able to make better way than +they had done for a long time. It was getting dusk, but at sunset no +land had been seen ahead, and, eager to get on, they continued their +course without shortening sail. Suddenly, Owen, who was forward on the +look-out, shouted at the top of his voice, "Breakers ahead! Starboard! +Down with the helm! Haul aft the sheets! For your lives be smart about +it!" All hands flew to the sheets. The little vessel came up to the +wind, and turned aside from the danger with a rapidity no larger one +could have accomplished; but, even as it was, as she went about the +white spray was seen dancing up in the darkness close under her counter, +while beyond was a mass of foaming-breakers, among which had they been +thrown, in vain would they have struggled for their lives, their career +would quickly have been over. + +Owen confessed afterwards that he was very weary, that he was fully +under the impression that he was keeping a very bright look-out, and +that certainly his eyes were wide open, but that it was on a sudden he +became aware, from hearing some unusual sound, that breakers were +dancing up directly ahead of the schooner. In another minute her doom +would have been sealed. + +Thankful for their merciful preservation, they agreed that at night two +people should be on the look-out, and that they should be relieved every +hour. The appearance of the reef made it probable that they were in the +neighbourhood of other reefs and low coral islands, and they anxiously +waited for daylight in anticipation of discovering the particular island +of which they were in search. Standing to the south they cleared the +reef, and once more, having shortened sail, they stood on their course. + +The sun was just rising, a vast globe of fire, out of the purple ocean, +when Elton, who had gone aloft, shouted, "Land! land! A low island, +with palm-trees on it!" One after another, everybody on board went +aloft to look at the long-wished for island. Peter came nodding his +head, with a pleased smile, exclaiming, "Dat is land! dat is land!" for +he had already learned some words of English. + +The island, as the schooner drew near it, appeared to be of an oval +form, under a mile in length and half that in width, with a large lagoon +in the centre, having one entrance from the southern end and an outer +reef, on which the surf broke, curling upwards like a wall of snow, and +then falling back in wreaths of foam; the outer reef thus saving the +islet from being overwhelmed during every gale of wind which raged. +Inside the reef, the water was calm as a mirror and of the deepest blue; +then came a line of glittering white sand, and then a circle of green of +the brightest emerald, surrounding a basin of water even of a deeper +blue than that on the outside. + +Carefully the schooner approached; frequently she hove-to and sounded, +but no bottom was to be found, and consequently there was little hope of +her being able to anchor. She stood closer and closer in; with their +glasses the adventurers examined the island in every part, but no one +was seen moving. Still Peter insisted that it was the island on which +the white man had been seen; indeed, he pointed out what certainly +appeared to be a hut under the trees. The only way to ascertain whether +the man was still there was to land, and that was a work of some +difficulty. The boat, fitted with empty casks and pieces of cork round +her sides to serve as a lifeboat, was lowered; the captain steered, +Elton and three other men rowed. A narrow space of clear water +presented itself through the surf: "Give way! give way!" cried Charley, +and they dashed on, the water foaming and leaping up on either side, and +they were safe within the outer reef. + +The safest landing was within the lagoon. As they pulled up to it and +looked over the sides of the boat, so pure and transparent was the water +that they could see down to the very bottom, and beautiful indeed was +the sight they beheld. Masses of varied coloured coral, sea-plants of +every conceivable tint and of the brightest shells--some with their +living inhabitants, others deserted--of the most lovely forms, while +fish of curious shapes and beautiful colours glided noiselessly in and +out amid the rocks and groves of this submarine fairy land. + +Charley, however, was thinking of Jack, and was eager to land to +ascertain whether he was really an inhabitant of the islet, or whether +they had yet further to continue their search. The whole party was soon +on shore, and hurrying up towards the spot where they expected to find +the hut. + +"Jack Askew! Jack Askew! are you there?" cried Charley, thinking that +this was the best way to bring out the inhabitant of the hut should +there be one, but there was no reply. "Alas!" he said to himself, "I am +afraid that we have come too late to save him. Dear Margery, how bitter +will be her disappointment; how it will grieve the hearts of the good +old captain and Mrs Askew to hear it!" + +And Charley walked on in silence towards the hut, which just then +appeared between the cocoa-nut trees. + + + +CHAPTER TWELVE. + +JACK ASKEW FOUND--HIS ADVENTURES. + +Was the hut deserted, or was the person whom Peter had seen waving his +hands as the canoe drove past still its occupant? The hut was rudely +built, partly of pieces of coral but chiefly of drift-wood, and thatched +with the broad leaves of the pandanus, a species of palm growing on the +island. Charley entered:--yes, it was inhabited. On a rough bed of +dried leaves lay a young man; his cheeks were pale and hollow, his eyes +sunken, but he breathed. "Water, water," he muttered; "oh mercy, +water!" + +Happily, Charley had brought a flask with some weak brandy-and-water; he +poured a few drops down the sufferer's throat, while the men dispersed +to try to find water on the island. Charley repeated his remedy, and by +the time the water was found the sufferer was able to sit up long enough +to take a refreshing draught of it. He looked around him with a +surprised and bewildered air. "Who are you all?" he asked at length, in +a low voice. "Where do you come from? I thought that I was left alone +to die." + +"Friends and countrymen; but don't speak," answered Charley, for though +he was burning to learn if the sufferer was Jack Askew, he saw that he +was in so weak a state from famine and sickness that any agitation might +prove fatal. Suppressing therefore his curiosity, his great wish was to +get him on board the _Good Hope_, where such food as was best fitted for +his weak state could be procured. Still it seemed very important to +give him some hot food before an attempt was made to remove him. + +"I will manage it," exclaimed Elton, producing a calabash. "Let us get +a fire lighted first, and see if any shell-fish or crabs, or perhaps +even a young turtle may be found; I will make some soup, and though it +may be blackish, it will not be the less wholesome." + +As soon as the fire was lighted, while the men went to search for the +fish, Elton collected a number of clean rounded stones from the beach +and placed them in the midst of it. He then half-filled the calabash +with water, into which, by means of a cleft stick which served the +purpose of tongs, he put the red hot stones, and quickly made the water +boil. By the time this was done the men returned with a very +respectable sized turtle, which they had caught in a pool, into which he +had been unwittingly washed. Some strips were immediately cut off him +and put into the boiling pot. As soon as their goodness was supposed to +be extracted, they and the stones were taken out with the cleft stick, +and hotter stones and fresh strips put in. In a very short time a thick +and nutritious soup was formed, which, though it would have been +improved with salt, pepper, lemon, and a few other condiments, was well +calculated to restore the vital energies, aided with small doses of +brandy-and-water. Such, at all events, were the only means that Charley +and Elton could think of for giving the sufferer the strength he +required. Whether or not the turtle soup would have served the purpose +without the spirit, or the spirit without the soup, it may be difficult +to determine; at all events, the two combined had a most beneficial +effect. + +In the course of two or three hours he was able to sit up of his own +accord, and then, gazing earnestly at those surrounding him, he asked, +"What made you come to look for me? I have watched several ships pass, +but no one saw me; no one thought that on this little island there was a +human being longing to be at home with his friends, who must have long +thought him dead, perhaps forgotten him altogether." + +Charley saw that now was the time to speak, and that if the stranger +should prove to be Jack Askew, the news he brought would do him good. +"But, my friend, do you think that a fond mother so easily forgets her +sailor son?--do you think a young loving sister forgets her brother?--do +you suppose that an old sailor father does not know that a person may be +cast on shore on a desert island in these little-known seas, and remain +for years undiscovered?" + +"Why do you ask those questions?" asked the lad, leaning forward with +earnest eyes, and eagerly seizing Charley's arm--"How do you know that I +have a sailor father, a fond mother, and a young sister?" + +"If you are Jack Askew I know it very well, for your parents and dear +little sister Margery have never ceased to think of you," answered +Charley. + +"I am! I am!" exclaimed the lad, throwing his arms round Charley's +neck. "You tell me that they are alive still, father and mother, and +Margery--dear, dear Margery! And are they well?--do they ever expect to +see me?--can they believe that I am alive? All you tell me nearly turns +my head with joy, but it won't kill me; I must live to go back to them." + +Charley assured Jack that all were well, and that the only drawback to +their happiness was his absence. + +"And Margery! dear, dear little Margery; you must tell me all about +her," exclaimed Jack, after a lengthened pause. "Is she grown?--is she +as fair and bright and beautiful as she was? You don't know how I loved +that little girl. I have often dreamed of her as an angel coming to +look for me and take me home; and I have thought that she was flying +away with me, holding my hand, over the sea and over the land; and oh, +how bitter was the disappointment when I awoke and found that I was +alone." + +"You see, Jack, that she was constantly praying for you, and going in +spirit to look for you, and her prayers were heard in heaven, as I am +sure that sincere prayers, rightly prayed, are heard," observed Charley. +"But you must not talk any more just now; have a little more soup, and +go to sleep, if you can, for a short time, and then we will go on +board." + +"Thank you; you are very kind indeed, quite like a brother; and I want +to know more about you--who you are, and why you came to look for me?" +said Jack. + +"Time enough for that when we get on board," answered Charley; "we have +a somewhat long voyage before us, and it will be well to keep something +in store to talk about." + +Jack made no reply, he was indeed too weary to speak. Charley even now, +as he watched over him, felt far from sure that he would ultimately +recover, he was so thin and wan, and when he slept he looked more like a +dead person than one alive. + +Two or three anxious hours passed away, and every moment, as Charley +watched the poor lad, he dreaded to see him heave his last sigh; but the +food he had swallowed began to take effect permanently on his system--a +slight colour spread slowly over his cheeks, his breathing became more +regular, and when he awoke there was a brightness in his eye and a +cheerfulness in his voice which Charley had not before observed. He +wished that they could remain some days longer on the island, that Jack +might regain more strength before going on board; but the weather was +uncertain, and a gale might spring up and drive the schooner off, or +perhaps wreck her; and, besides this, Jack entreated that he might be +taken on board, and that no time might be lost in commencing their +homeward voyage. + +Hugh Owen was feeling somewhat anxious at the long delay of the boat, +and was standing close in shore with the schooner to look for her, when +she emerged from the passage through the reefs. His delight at seeing +Jack was very great, and he declared that he could scarcely believe his +senses when he found that what they had been so long talking about had +really come true. By standing to the south they should be able to touch +at one of the Harvey or Society Island groups, where they were certain +of a hospitable reception, and of obtaining such provisions as they +might require. + +To refit the schooner properly, and to obtain stores for their long +voyage home, it would be necessary to touch at Valparaiso, or some other +port on the coast of Chili. It was a satisfaction to feel that wherever +they touched among the groups of islands which have been mentioned, they +would find civilised men and Christians ready to welcome them as +friends, instead of as formerly savages, who would have taken every +opportunity of murdering them and plundering their vessel. Still, as +the noble-hearted Elton observed, as they looked over the chart of the +Pacific and noted the numberless islands which dotted it in often +thick-clustering groups, there must still exist a great deal of work to +be done, and that he trusted to be able to engage in doing it. + +Some days passed before Jack was able to speak much, and even then not +beyond a whisper, or to listen to the account Charley had to give him of +his expedition, and the way it had been brought about. Then, of course, +he also wanted to hear of the doings at Stormount Tower, and how Margery +had been carried off by the smugglers, and how Charley and Tom had +recovered her. "Tom, dear old Tom, how I shall like to wring his horny +fist again; it's as honest a palm as any in England!" cried Jack. "And +you, Charley, what a fine fellow you are; I don't like to talk of giving +Margery to any one, but I would rather give her to you, when the time +comes, than to anybody else in the world; and I suspect that she +wouldn't say nay if she was asked." + +Charley said that he hoped so, and turned the conversation. + +And now Jack was asked to narrate his own adventures, for hitherto the +subject had been avoided, and he seemed in no way inclined to allude to +it. + +"It has been a terrible time indeed, as you may guess," he observed; +"but now that it is over, I ought to think of it with gratitude to the +good God who has preserved me safe through all my dangers. You know how +I sailed in the _Truelove_ with Captain Summers, and how, after touching +at Callao, we steered westward, to visit various islands on our way to +Japan. We were in high spirits, for we thought nothing of the dangers +of the voyage, and only of seeing so many beautiful and strange islands +and their inhabitants. A good look-out was always supposed to be kept +ahead, and we were running one night, in the first watch, believing that +the whole of our voyage would be as prosperous as the commencement, when +the cry arose, `Breakers ahead! Breakers on the starboard bow!' +followed by `Breakers on the port bow!' The helm was put down, the +sheets hauled flat, but before the ship could by any possibility come +about, she struck--then forged ahead, to strike again more heavily. + +"Directly every one on board knew that there was not the slightest hope +of saving the ship, scarcely of escaping with our lives. We had a long +night before us, and the wind was increasing. The order was given to +lower the boats, but two were swamped and the hands in them carried +away. We heard their shrieks, but could not help them; besides, we knew +that their fate would soon probably be ours. Then the sea began to beat +over the ship, and soon made a clean breach across the waist, washing +away the captain and the first mate and several more of the men. Just +then a bright light burst forth to the north-east; two or three of the +men who were clinging to the taffrail with me thought that it was a ship +on fire, but after watching it for some minutes we became convinced that +it was a burning mountain. We argued that if there was a mountain there +was land; and I had heard that such lands were generally the most +fertile, and so we hoped that if we could reach it we should find +support. + +"There was a light burning in the cabin, and the captain's supper was on +the table; I managed to reach the companion-hatch, and slipped down +below. I quickly snatched up whatever provisions I could find--a +compass, a quadrant, and navigation book, and returned with them on +deck. A small boat hung astern; two of the men, David King and another, +agreed to lower her, for the water astern appeared occasionally to be +comparatively smooth, and we fancied that she might swim where a larger +boat might be swamped; at all events, we believed that the ship was +about to break up, and that this would be the only chance of saving our +lives. There was no time to be lost; we put everything necessary we +could find into the boat, and, jumping in, lowered her down. As she +touched the water, the other man, crying out that we should be swamped, +swarmed up the falls, and in an instant King and I were carried far away +from the ship. I thought his words would come true, but we were driven +on right through the surf, and once more floated in smooth water. + +"What would happen next we could not tell, so we lay on our oars, +waiting till daylight. It was very long of coming; we thought that it +never would come--at least that we should never see it. When it broke, +we could no longer see the burning mountain, nor any land in that +direction; nor could we have reached it had we seen it, for the wind was +blowing strong from the quarter in which the light had appeared. Still +more anxiously we looked for the ship; not a portion of her remained +entire, but the numerous pieces of wreck which floated about near us, +told us plainly what had become of her and our shipmates. We looked +about, hoping that some of them might be floating on bits of the wreck, +but no living being was to be seen. In the distance we observed the +bodies of two poor fellows; we pulled up to them, knowing from the first +that they were dead; they were those of two men who had been holding on +to the ship when we left her. + +"It would not do to remain where we were, and as we could not sail in +the direction we proposed, we agreed to run before the wind till we +could fall in with some island on which we could land. For four anxious +days we ran on, till some palm-trees appeared ahead rising out of the +water, and we knew that we we approaching a coral island. The wind had +happily fallen, but the surf ahead showed us our danger in time, and +putting down our helm we stood to the southward till we came to the end +of the island; keeping away again we found a passage through the reef, +by which we safely entered the lagoon. + +"Here, for the present, we were safe from the dangers of the sea; the +island was uninhabited, and we found a spring of water, but provisions +were not likely to be plentiful. There were cocoa-nuts for one part of +the year, and turtle and their eggs occasionally, and roots and +shell-fish; and after a time it occurred to King that we might be able +to catch some fish. Having walked round and round the island, or +rather, almost round and back again, and considered how we should +procure food, our next care was to build a hut to shelter ourselves from +the sun by day, and the dews by night. + +"And now commenced a solitary life, the end of which we could not see. +Years might go by before a vessel might pass that way, and if one should +pass, what little chance was there of our being seen! Still, I do not +think a day went by without our talking on the subject, and looking out +for a sail. King, poor fellow, was not much of a companion, as we had +few ideas in common; but we never grew tired of talking of the +probability of our getting away. He had a wife and family in England +whom he longed to see, as much as I did my friends. How many months or +years went by while he was with me I could not tell, for our life was a +very monotonous one. + +"We had kept our boat in as good repair as possible, not with the hope +of making our escape in her, for she was too small for that, but for the +purpose of putting off to get on board any ship which might appear. We +were, therefore, chary of using her, but occasionally we went out +fishing in her, when the supply we could get in the lagoon or from the +shore ran short. One day I was ill, and King said that he would go out +by himself. I warned him not to go, for from the appearance of the sky +I thought bad weather was coming on. He laughed at my fears, said that +he would bring me back a good dinner, and rowed round to the eastward of +the island. + +"He had not been gone long before my prognostications were verified; the +wind began to rise. I went to the beach and beckoned him to return, but +he was busy hauling up fish and did not see me, or observe the altered +state of the weather; I shouted, but my voice did not reach him. He had +already drifted out farther than usual; suddenly the movement of the +boat as she got into rough water made him look up. By some carelessness +one of his oars slipped overboard, and before he could recover it the +squall had caught the boat, and whirling it round had sent her far from +it. I saw his frantic gestures as he endeavoured to scull the boat back +toward the island. Now he tried to paddle her with his remaining oar as +an Indian does a canoe, but in vain. Every instant the gale was +increasing and driving her farther and farther away. + +"I watched her with a sinking heart growing less and less to my sight, +till she was lost among the foaming seas in the distance. I then for +the first time felt with full force my lonely position; I wrung my hands +like a child; I burst into tears; I bemoaned my hard fate, and thought +that I was forsaken of God and man. Not only was my companion taken +from me, but the only means that I saw by which I could effect my +escape. He might possibly reach some other shore; I should never leave +that on which I was drawing out my weary existence. I see now, from +what you tell me, how short-sighted I was; that our kind Father in +heaven chooses His own way in carrying out plans for our benefit, and +that what I thought was my ruin would ultimately prove the means of my +rescue. + +"For several days after King had gone I could neither eat nor sleep, or +if I slept I dreamed that I saw him floating away, and tried to follow +and could not. By degrees I recovered a portion of my tranquillity. +Still I watched more eagerly for any passing ship. It might have been +nearly a year afterwards, one morning as I arose a sail hove in sight. +My heart leaped within me: I thought in my folly that those on board +were coming to look for me. Oh how eagerly I watched her as her masts +rose out of the water! On she came; I could see that she was a ship, a +large ship, a man-of-war by her square yards. She must have sighted the +island, and I thought that she would approach to survey it more +carefully, when suddenly--perhaps some reef unknown to me intervened-- +she turned aside, and after hovering in the distance to tantalise me the +more, she slowly stood away to the northward. I was almost as much +overcome as when poor King was blown off the island. I now passed my +days in a dull state of apathy; I had no books, no writing materials. +Had I, as I might when I visited the cabin, brought away a Bible I saw +on the captain's table which he had been reading for the last time, what +a blessing and a comfort it would have, proved to me! I had a knife and +an axe, and I often began to make various articles, but I had not the +heart to finish them, for I always thought--`No one will see them, of +what use will they be?' So the days passed on. Two other vessels +appeared at long intervals, but passed at too great a distance to see +me. One of them was becalmed off the island for some hours, and had I +still possessed the boat I could without difficulty have pulled off to +her. At length I fell sick; I had long been ailing, and it is my belief +that had you not appeared at the moment you did, my career on earth +would soon have been over." + +"God, who in His kind mercy had resolved that you should be saved, so +directed our movements for your speedy rescue; so that you owe us no +gratitude," observed Elton. "But I am surprised at the description you +give of your sensations, I had thought that a solitary life on an island +might be made very pleasant and satisfactory." + +"Oh, no, no!" cried Jack, "do not believe any such thing. We are not +born to live alone, of that I became convinced. An older man might have +found the life less irksome, but when I took it into my head that I +should never get away it became perfectly terrible. Even had I not been +ill, I do not think that I could have survived many weeks longer." + +Such was the outline Jack gave of his life on the island, but when once +he had begun the subject he described many adventures and other details +which showed that there had been rather more variety it his existence +than he had at first led his hearers to suppose, and that had he had +books and paper and pens, he might probably have kept up his spirits +better than he appeared to have done. + +"Still, all is well that ends well!" exclaimed Jack, after he had one +day been talking on the subject. "I now feel sure that what I have gone +through was for my ultimate benefit, and I can thank God for the +merciful way in which He has dealt with me." + +The _Good Hope_ touched at several islands, the entire population of +which had become Christians not only in name but in deed, as they +evinced by their lives and their totally changed characters. She got a +thorough refit at Valparaiso, on the coast of Chili, to prepare her for +her voyage round Cape Horn, and five months after Jack got on board she +sighted the shores of Old England. Captain Blount felt sure that he +could pilot her safely into Stormount Bay, but the wind fell somewhat, +and the shades of evening came on before the schooner could beat up to +it. Just then a fishing-boat was sighted, and a signal was made to her +that a pilot was wanted. She was soon alongside, and a stout, +middle-aged man stepped on board. + +"Can you pilot us into Stormount Bay, friend?" asked the captain. + +"I should think I could, since I've sailed in and out of it, man and +boy, for pretty nigh forty years," answered the man. "It makes no +matter night or day to us now either. You see that bright light just +now, beaming out from the top of the cliff it seems? That's the light +the lady who lives in the tower burns every night, that (as they say) +her lost son who went away to sea and has never since been heard of, may +see it when he comes up Channel, and find his way into the bay. Poor +lad, I'd give pretty nigh all I'm worth to see him come back, for I was +the main cause, I fear, why he was sent away; and bless his honest old +father, he has never owed me a grudge for it, but on the contrary, has +done me all the kindness in his power,--he has taught me to be an honest +man." + +The fisherman might have run on much longer had not Jack, who overheard +him, exclaimed, "Nor do I owe you a grudge, Dick Herring; but tell me, +old friend, how are my father and mother, and sister Margery, and old +Tom, good old Tom?" + +"Why, bless my heart! Master Jack, is it you? Well, it's hard to +believe my senses,--and you to be alive all this time!" exclaimed Dick +Herring, seizing Jack's hand and wringing it nearly off. "They're all +well, every one on 'em, and they will be glad to see you, that they +will." + +Dick now recognised Charley, and right proud he was to pilot the _Good +Hope_ into Stormount Bay, nor would he receive a shilling reward, not +even a glass of grog to drink Jack's health, for since he had given up +smuggling and all its accompanying sins, he had become a strict +temperance-league man. + +"No, Master Jack, I won't drink your health, but I'll pray for it, and +that'll do us both more good," he observed. + +Little did Mrs Askew suppose whose vessel her lantern was guiding into +Stormount Bay that night. The schooner's anchor was dropped and her +sails furled before nine o'clock. The voyagers had purposed waiting +till the morning before going on shore, but Jack's impatience would +brook no delay. Charley went first and announced himself to Becky, who +immediately exclaimed under her breath, "Is he come, Master Charles?" + +"Never mind," answered Charley, "Do you go in and say Charley Blount has +come." + +Somebody heard his voice, and that somebody, forgetting that he was not +Jack himself, rushed into his arms. "Has Jack come? has Jack come? +Dear Charley, have you brought him?" exclaimed Margery. + +"I can't keep you in suspense, my sweet Margery, he has come, and is not +far off," answered Charley and before he could say more, Tom, who had +followed Becky to the door, darted out into the darkness, and was soon +heard exclaiming, "Come in, come in, my dear boy, joy does no harm to no +one!" + +Mrs Askew, who had been sitting at her work opposite Captain Askew, who +was reading the newspaper by a bright light, hearing an unusual +commotion, rose from her seat, as he also did from his. + +"What is it all about, Margery?" cried the captain, stumping to the +door. + +"Good news, father, good news!" cried Margery. "Charley has come back +safe, and he has--" + +"Has he brought our boy--has Jack been found?" asked the captain, his +voice trembling with eagerness. + +"Yes, dear father, he has, he has!" cried Margery. + +"Then let me have him here, and thank God!" cried the old sailor, +stretching out his arms; and Jack, who had been hauled in by Tom, +overheard him, and in another second, bounding up the stairs, was folded +in those arms, with his mother and Margery clinging to his neck and +weeping tears of joy. + +The evening was indeed a happy one, and not till a late hour did any of +the inmates of Stormount Tower think of retiring to rest. + +While Mrs Askew lived, the light in the Tower was always, as before, +lit at night, and on her death a lighthouse was built in its place. +Charley Blount at a very early age, got command of a fine trader to +India and Australia, and on the death of her parents Margaret Askew +became his wife, while Jack was chief mate with Captain Blount for many +years; and when the latter came to live on shore, Jack took command of a +fine ship he had built, called _The Stormount Tower_. + +THE END. + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Washed Ashore, by W.H.G. 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