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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d9c6143 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65476 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65476) diff --git a/old/65476-0.txt b/old/65476-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 76a5372..0000000 --- a/old/65476-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10764 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Bounty Boy, by Frank Thomas Bullen - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: A Bounty Boy - Being Some Adventures of a Christian Barbarian on an Unpremeditated Trip Round the World - - -Author: Frank Thomas Bullen - - - -Release Date: May 31, 2021 [eBook #65476] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BOUNTY BOY*** - - -E-text prepared by MWS, Martin Pettit, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/bountyboybeingso00bulliala - - - - - -A BOUNTY BOY - -Being some Adventures of a Christian -Barbarian on an unpremeditated Trip -Round the World - -by - -FRANK T. BULLEN, F.R.G.S. - -Author of “The Cruise of the Cachalot,” -“With Christ at Sea,” etc. - - - - - - -London -Holden & Hardingham -Adelphi -1912. - - - * * * * * * - -_PREVIOUS WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ - -THE CRUISE OF THE _CACHALOT_. -IDYLLS OF THE SEA. -THE LOG OF A SEA WAIF. -THE MEN OF THE MERCHANT SERVICE. -WITH CHRIST AT SEA. -A SACK OF SHAKINGS. -A WHALEMAN’S WIFE. -DEEP SEA PLUNDERINGS. -THE APOSTLES OF THE SOUTH-EAST. -SEA WRACK. -SEA PURITANS. -A SON OF THE SEA. -CREATURES OF THE SEA. -BACK TO SUNNY SEAS. -SEA SPRAY. -FRANK BROWN, SEA APPRENTICE. -OUR HERITAGE, THE SEA. -ADVANCE; AUSTRALASIA. -THE CALL OF THE DEEP. - - * * * * * * - - - -To -DR. ROBERT F. HORTON -IN LOVING ADMIRATION - - - - -PREFACE - - -This perhaps should rather be called a prefatory note, since all the -introduction to my book that I deem necessary is to say that in it I -have endeavoured to sketch a community for whom I have the highest -admiration, the descendants of the mutineers of the _Bounty_, who I -maintain are a standing proof of the miraculous power of the Gospel in -the regeneration of mankind when unhindered by sacerdotal interference. -And in order to make the subject as full as possible, I have taken one -typical islander, the Bounty Boy, out of his surroundings into the -world, and told his adventures therein with a view of showing how the -Christian who is one indeed may fare. - -FRANK T. BULLEN. - -MELBOURN, CAMBS., -_September, 1907_. - - - - -CONTENTS - -CHAP. PAGE - I A CHRISTMAS BOUNTY 11 - - II A WHALE HUNT 20 - - III C. B.’S CHILDHOOD 32 - - IV EVIL FROM WITHOUT 46 - - V ENTERTAINING DEVILS UNAWARE 60 - - VI C. B.’S DEPARTURE 75 - - VII C. B. JUSTIFIES HIS POSITION 90 - - VIII TREACHERY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES 105 - - IX THE GREAT CATCH 120 - - X A GAM AND A REVENGE 135 - - XI THE STORY OF A CRIME 150 - - XII C. B.’S GREAT TEMPTATION 166 - - XIII C. B.’S NARROWEST ESCAPE 182 - - XIV A MOMENTOUS PASSAGE 198 - - XV FAREWELL TO THE SHIP 214 - - XVI POPULARITY 229 - - XVII A TROUBLESOME APPRECIATION 244 - -XVIII A HERO IN SPITE OF HIMSELF 259 - - XIX C. B.’S AWAKENING 274 - - XX C. B.’S TASK CONCLUDES 289 - - XXI MARRIAGE AND DEPARTURE 305 - - XXII BACK TO PRIMITIVE THINGS 320 - -XXIII SAVED FROM THE SEA 336 - - XXIV HOME AT LAST 351 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -A Christmas Bounty - - -Fifty years ago, in a primitive but comfortable house situated in one -of the fairest spots that this world can show, a group of men and -women were holding a prayer meeting. An unobserved listener who had -been accustomed to such gatherings elsewhere would have been at once -impressed by the perfect naturalness of these people, in that not one -of them behaved differently from how we should expect a happy family -to act in the presence of their parents while one of them was relating -some interesting experience. There was no self-conscious posing for -effect, no making of long prayers composed of meaningless repetitions -with an occasional verse of Scripture or of a hymn thrown in for -effect, no unnatural groaning or shouting, all was quiet, sweet, and -delightful. - -But truly, never did a body of Christians exercise their privileges -under more heavenly conditions upon this earth. Through the open sides -of the house could be seen in one direction a delectable stretch of -pasture land interspersed with graceful trees and edged by dazzlingly -white sand, beyond which lay a vast sapphire space flecked with -snowy-topped wavelets, whose diamond spray glittered rejoicingly -under the glowing beams of the fervent sun. In the opposite direction -tree-clad hills sprang from emerald meadows and cultivated land, -soaring upward until the fleecy cloud forms kissed their summits -lovingly as they gently glided past, flecking the smiling verdure -beneath with patches of softest shade and thus enhancing the beauty of -the picture. - -Yes, it was a fair spot to the eye, as any one who knows Norfolk Island -can testify, but that to the worshippers was not the greatest of their -many blessings. Time had been, and that not long before, when this -earthly paradise was polluted and degraded by the presence of the very -dregs of humanity, the lees of the convict settlements of New South -Wales; and it would be hard to say which was worst, the crimes for -which they were being punished, or the nameless horrors to which they -were subjected in excess of legal punishment. Happily that evil blot -had been removed from the lovely island, and now it was peopled by a -tiny community of less than two hundred, who were, it is safe to say, -quite near attainment of the heavenly state on earth, and consequently -were as happy as it is possible for man to be while bearing about with -him the body of physical death. - -Here the worship of God, free from any idea of form or ceremony, was -as natural to all as their ordinary conversation. Crime and vice were -unknown as was wealth, possessions were practically held in common, -sickness and disease and their necessary concomitant the doctor had no -place, and a spirit of idyllic simplicity reigned, of sweet contentment -and peace such as has never been known elsewhere in any other community -whatever. - -Now on this particular Christmas Day the meeting of which I spoke at -the beginning of the chapter had a special significance. The fifteen -or sixteen persons composing it had met together to celebrate, not -Christmas merely, but the birth of a babe who was hourly expected. It -would not be fair to say that they were special friends or relations -of the parents in a community where no enmity existed and where all -were more or less related to one another, better to say that they were -just those who could most conveniently be there on a day when every -household was celebrating in purest fashion the coming of the Babe of -Bethlehem. And these particular friends were in specially bright and -happy mood, for to them the expected event bore a double character. So -they passed the time in the pleasant exercises of which I have spoken, -their petitions being singularly free from suggestions that the mother -elect or the coming babe were in any danger, until suddenly the door of -the one inner apartment was thrown open, and a splendidly handsome man -appeared bearing the welcome infant, which plunged, squalled, and gave -other vigorous tokens of his conscious entrance to the world of sense. - -As if with one accord and in perfect harmony all burst into the -glorious old song “Angels from the realms of glory,” singing with all -their heart in their voices. And as the lovely strains of the refrain -died away, a sweet voice from within cried, “Thank you all, dear ones; -I’m so happy.” A glad response went up from all, and then, after duly -admiring the boy, the visitors strolled away, all but two, to spread -the glad news among the community that another dear life had arrived to -share their happy lot. - -Now this was a particularly happy occasion, for the parents of the new -comer were, in a society where all were friends, all were stalwart, -healthy and handsome, pre-eminently so. Grace, the mother, who had -only been married to Philip Adams some eighteen months, had been the -acknowledged beauty of the island, no mean honour where all the girls -were beautiful. She was also exceedingly beloved by all the women and -men alike, nor was there a trace of jealousy of her, that hateful weed -that poisons so many lives. Moreover, she was an accomplished musician, -and had for a long time filled the post of teacher of that precious -acquirement of singing (they had no instruments), with the result that -their choir, which comprised nearly the whole of them, would have taken -high rank anywhere, except that the vocal exercises were almost wholly -confined to hymns, just a very few old songs, such as the “Land o’ the -Leal,” “Robin Adair,” “Allan Water,” etc., making up the balance. - -Philip, her husband, was a prime favourite too, but for his high manly -qualities allied to a simple and gentle nature that invited as well as -gave confidence to all. He was awarded, without claiming it, the chief -place in the island as the strongest swimmer, the swiftest runner and -the most expert boatman, as well as the hardest worker of them all. -And those were the qualities that appealed to these children of nature -next to their supreme adoration of the good and true. Physically he was -easily first of the community, standing six feet six inches on his bare -feet, forty-five inches round the chest, with a perfect mouth of teeth; -and at the time of the birth of his first child he had never known an -hour’s illness in his life. - -Thus it will be seen that the entrance of our hero upon life’s arena -was one that any monarch might vainly covet for his child, one indeed -that left nothing to be desired, even though his surroundings were -almost as primitive as those which encompassed the birth of the Babe -of Bethlehem. In fact, I feel sure that I shall be accused of painting -too idyllic a picture of the conditions which obtained in Norfolk -Island at that date, and I hope and believe in a great measure in both -Norfolk and Pitcairn Islands to-day; but when I recall the great mass -of unbiassed testimony to all these facts which is easily available, I -feel much comforted in the belief that my readers will rejoice with me -in the knowledge that so happy a people have been and are existing in -the simple light of the Gospel. - -But we must return to the scene in the house after the guests had gone -singing away. The two remaining were John Young, father of the mother, -and Christian Adams, father of Philip, their respective wives being in -the inner room with the mother. As soon as Philip had handed back his -son to the women he returned to the society of the elder men, who were -both of them splendid specimens of manhood in the prime of middle age -or between forty and fifty. It must be noted in passing that, strange -as it may seem to our exotic notions of hospitality, there was nothing -set before these guests to drink: the water jar stood in the corner -with a coco-nut shell to drink out of; there was no tobacco, there were -no chairs, only clean soft mats upon the spotless floor; and yet they -were perfectly happy because none of these things had become desirable -or necessary to them. - -As Philip stretched his great limbs on the mat by the side of his -father, the latter looked round at him lovingly and said, “What are you -going to call the babe, Philip?” - -“Ha! ha!” laughed Philip. “I’ve thought of the finest name for him you -ever heard, and I want you to guess what it is. I’ve told Grace about -it, and she is delighted, says it’s just a splendid idea. Now guess.” - -The two elder men ran through practically every name on the island; -truly there was not much variety, for, as some of you know, these happy -folk have always seemed averse from using any but a certain set of -well-known names. But to all their suggestions Philip laughingly shook -his head until his father’s brow clouded a little and he said, “I hope -you haven’t got any high-falutin names out of some book; it will savour -of sinful pride if you have.” - -“No, father,” cried Philip, “but what do you say to Christmas Bounty -Adams?” - -Up sprang the two men to their feet in such delight that it seemed as -if they must leap into the air. - -“Why that is the most splendid set of names in all the world. Christmas -Bounty Adams! Well, he’s a lucky fellow, and I only hope he’ll be a -Christmas bounty all the days of a long life. And now, if the wife -can spare you--she’ll do with a little sleep, I’m sure--we’ll stroll -round and tell our friends this fresh bit of news, they will all be so -pleased.” - -Only pausing to peep in at his wife for a moment Philip rejoined the -two elder men, and together they strode through the beautiful glades -with the sound of gladsome song ringing in their ears on every hand, in -tune with their overfull hearts. - -Very briefly, for the story should be well known, let me recall the -circumstances of these primitive folk being on Norfolk Island. Most -people know the romantic story of the mutiny of the _Bounty_, and -how, after scenes of bloodshed and riot as bad as can be imagined, -the mutineers and their descendants, on their little island home of -Pitcairn, turned to God and became as little children in their simple, -loving faith. Not so many, however, are aware that in 1831, some forty -years after their first landing on Pitcairn, they outgrew their small -territory, and at their own request many of them were conveyed to -Tahiti. The gross immorality of the natives of that lovely island, -however, so dismayed them that they sacrificed the only available -wealth they possessed, the copper bolts of the old _Bounty_, and -purchased a passage back to their beloved Pitcairn. They managed to -maintain themselves there, although much straitened for room, until in -1855, two years before my story opens, the British Government, having -discontinued the use of Norfolk Island as a penal settlement, granted -it to as many of them as cared to migrate thither, a privilege which -was taken advantage of by between two and three hundred of them. - -And although they never wavered in their earnest affection for the -little island that had seen their first emergence into the shining -light of the Gospel, they evinced the same sweet spirit of contentment, -coupled with energy, in all they undertook, so that in about a year -they were as fully and completely settled there as could possibly -be, and were, if anything, more passionately fond of England, a land -they never saw, than ever they had been. Thus, having cleared the way -as it were, let me go on to say that in addition to the features of -natural beauty which I have already enumerated, Norfolk Island is the -centre of a most prolific haunt of sperm whales, and the capture of -these gigantic and dangerous mammals is one of the chief pursuits of -the agile islanders, who are probably about the best boatmen in the -world. For in addition to their wonderful whaling skill, the practice -of landing in the tremendous surf that beats upon the harbourless -coast has made them very expert in this most difficult art, while in -the water they are, like their maternal ancestors the Tahitians, almost -amphibious. - -Now, as the three men strolled along they were continually invited -as they passed the pretty houses to come in and join in the general -rejoicings that were afoot, the singing and thanksgiving; for all this -people’s joys were intimately associated with their simple faith; -their religion, bright and happy, was not merely a part of their life, -but the whole, the mainspring of all they thought and said and did. -And as the three were nothing loth, besides having their bit of news -to communicate, their progress was but slow. Still, eventually they -reached the abode of their venerable pastor, who was not only the -shepherd of this peaceful, docile flock, but teacher and magistrate, or -rather arbitrator since there were no evil-doers to punish. He received -them literally with open arms, and having heard their news lifted up -his voice in praise and solemnly blessed them, promising to visit them -the next day in their homes and view the wonderful new baby. - -Then as the day was wearing to a close practically the whole population -came joyously down to the shore, and there more like a school of -porpoises than men and women, boys and girls, they disported in the -limpid waves, swimming and living until, healthily wearied, they -regained the shore and sought their several homes. - -Philip and Grace, overflowing with happiness, knelt by the side of the -babe and solemnly commended him to their loving Almighty Friend, asking -only that he might grow to be a good man amongst good men, preserving -the golden tradition of the community, and if it should please God -that he should wander from their shores as some of their brethren had -done, that he might always present to the eyes of those with whom he -associated the pattern of a man of God. Then they took their simple -meal of fruit and bread and milk and went to rest. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -A Whale Hunt - - -Happy, says the proverb, is the nation that has no history. And since -history is so largely made up of the unspeakable horrors of war with -all its attendant retinue of resultant miseries, there would really -seem to be more truth in this proverb than in most. Yet it must not be -forgotten that, surfeited as we are with tales wherein all those things -that make life a burden almost too grievous to be borne are set forth -in hideous detail, it is no easy task to make a peaceful narrative -interesting nowadays. As difficult as to wean the epicure’s palate from -highly seasoned and mysteriously concocted dishes back to the simple -luxuries of childhood. - -Nevertheless it is an inestimable privilege to be allowed to try, and -I do hope to show that these simple happy folk possessed the true grit -and manliness that all must admire while being totally free from that -whining hypocrisy and hateful assumption of spurious virtue that makes -the world generally disgusted with so many professed religionists. And -here let me say that these happy islanders were what they were from -love of the infinitely good and in no wise from the fear of a punishing -hell too terrible even to be thought of by their simple trustful minds. - -Very early the next morning, Grace, in perfect health and strength, -and in accordance with time-honoured custom, took her babe down to -the sea and bathed him in those waters which henceforth would be as -familiar to him as the dry land. And as she laved his tiny limbs in the -shining waves, she noted with swelling heart how strongly and sturdily -he kicked, and she longed to take him in her arms and plunge into deep -water at once. But she realized that so severe an ordeal could not be -good for him, and although she sorely missed her morning swim, was -about to return when she heard her husband’s voice behind her. - -“Give him to me, Grace,” he cried. - -“Thank you, dear,” she replied, and laying the babe in his strong arms, -she turned back and sprang joyously into the sea, plunging and flashing -through the surf like a fish or a seal in the perfect abandonment of -delight that these children of the wave know when in the element they -love so well. Prudence restrained her from going too far yet, so in -a few minutes she returned, and taking the crowing babe from Philip -she sat sedately down upon a fallen tree trunk and watched her mighty -husband as he in turn hurled himself through the surf and sported like -a porpoise. His bath over, they returned to their home and breakfasted -as they had supped, simply and heartily, and then, leaving Grace to -receive the visits of matrons and maidens who would presently come -trooping along, he departed to his work of cultivating their tiny -fields. - -But it was ordained that on this eventful day he was not to remain long -at that peaceful task. He had not been thus engaged for more than an -hour when a long-drawn cry arrested his attention and caused him to -drop the tool he was using. It was the signal, well known to them all, -that whales were coming close in; the watcher on a high overhanging -cliff had spied them and sent his powerful voice ringing across the -settlement, from which came hurrying an eager company ready for the -great combat with the monsters of the deep. They gathered round the -boats where, carefully covered in against the fervent heat of the sun, -these precious craft lay waiting with all the gear, harpoons, lances, -lines, etc., neatly stored in a shed by their sides. - -Swiftly and with hardly a word their boats were equipped, the -necessary preparations made, and in less than half an hour from the -first sounding of the alarm the two boats, with six men in each, were -launched and springing seaward under the pressure of five long ash oars -wielded by men who were almost insensible to fatigue and whose rowing -was a wonder and a delight to behold. - -The watcher on the cliff guided them by means of well understood signs, -that is, he made a human semaphore of himself, for it is not until very -near to whales that men in boats can see them, and moreover the sperm -whale does not send aloft a high column of vapour into the air as do -other whales. His breathings are copious, but owing to the shape and -position of the spiracle or blow-hole, the thick, highly charged breath -spreads itself in a cloud immediately upon leaving his body. And that -cloud does not ascend, it is thrust forward ahead of the whale, and -being heavier than the air only spreads and gradually settles. - -So guided by the look-out man, they laid to their oars with great -energy, pulling with a peculiarly noiseless stroke. The blades entered -the water cleanly and gripped it so firmly that the tough ash of the -looms bent like the lower half of a fishing-rod when catching tarpon. -There was no noise either from the rowlocks, for they were padded with -thick mats covered with green hide and kept well greased. This great -care to preserve silence is absolutely necessary, for although as far -as we can tell the sperm whale has little or no sense of hearing as we -understand it, he is peculiarly susceptible to strange sounds, and the -accidental clatter of an oar on a gunwale is quite sufficient to alarm -a school of whales at over a mile’s distance. What this other sense -which answers the purpose of sight, scent, and hearing may be we do not -know, we can only imagine; like so many other matters connected with -the mysterious life of the whale it is hidden from us. - -For an hour they thus toiled at the oar, being by that time several -miles from the land they had left, so far indeed that even their keen -sight could hardly distinguish the movements of their ally on the -cliff, and then at the raising of the leader’s hand they all ceased -from their labour, lay on their oars and gazed keenly around. No sign -of whale or spout was visible; but that only meant that it would be -well to pause awhile, because the probability was that the creatures -they were hunting had, according to their usual custom, sounded or gone -down in quest of food. - -Now as they did not know what the approximate size of the whales might -be, they could only wait and watch, for small whales may only remain -below from twenty minutes to half an hour, while full-sized bulls have -been known to remain under water for as long as ninety minutes. Of -course they kept good watch and patient withal, but when an hour had -gone by and no sign came, each man felt that it was useless prolonging -the quest. So they only waited now for the signal to return, being in -any case too far from the land for a successful capture, that is, to -get their enormous prize home, supposing they did slay one. - -The signal was soon given, and without a word of regret or grumbling, -the boats’ heads were turned shoreward, and with a leisurely stroke -they began to retrace their way. There being no necessity now for -silence, the boats’ crews, as their custom was, began to sing, raising -their tuneful voices in the melodious strains of some well-known hymn, -until Philip suddenly lifted his hand in an authoritative gesture, at -which singing and rowing stopped simultaneously. Without a word, all -eyes being fixed upon him, he pointed ahead, where within a cable’s -length all saw the lazy spout of a whale, almost like a puff from a big -pipe, rise from the sea. - -With great care the oars were peaked, that is, the inner ends of them -were drawn inboard until they could be tucked into circular cleats -prepared for them, and short, broad paddles were produced, by means -of which the boats were quite noiselessly propelled towards the -unconscious whale. Philip, perched on a pair of cleats in the stern, -guided the boat, which was well ahead of her sister, as she silently -stole nearer the victim. Presently Philip swung his boat round, making -the signal to the harponeer to spring to his feet with his weapon as -the boat glided alongside the quiet monster. And, then to the amazement -of everybody, Philip shouted, “Put that iron down, Fletcher! This -whale is safe from us. Look, boys!” All hands did look, and saw that -the object of their pursuit was a cow with a calf clinging to her huge -breast, the nipple held in the angle of its immature jaw. - -The boat lay perfectly still until the other boat came up, Philip -raising his hand to warn his father that something unusual had -occurred. The new-comer swung alongside as Philip had done, and all -hands stared at the pretty sight. And owing to their habit of thought, -every one of those strong men understood intuitively why Philip had -countermanded the attack, and not at all considering the loss to -themselves in a monetary sense, fully agreed with him. So they lay on -their oars and watched the mother, as supremely happy she lolled upon -the shining sea and felt her offspring draining the life-giving milk. -Then suddenly turning over on the other side to present the other -breast, for the young whale cannot suck under water, she became aware -of the presence of intruders and sank, settled noiselessly, leaving -scarcely a ripple to mark the spot where she had been. - -As soon as she had disappeared Philip cried, “Out oars, boys, and let’s -get home,” following up his order by breaking out into song, in which -all the twelve lustily joined in perfect harmony until nearing the -beach, upon which the vast rollers of the Pacific, despite the glorious -weather, broke in massive rollers topped with dazzling foam. A sweep -or two of the steering oars and the graceful craft swung round head to -seaward, and as the mighty combers came irresistibly shoreward just a -measured stroke or two was made to meet them. Then, when the boats had -mounted the glowing crests of the breakers, the oars were peaked and -they were borne shorewards upon the shoulders of the advancing hill of -water until they touched the beach, when every man but the steersmen -sprang overboard, and snatching the gunnels of the boats rushed -beachwards, digging their toes into the yielding sand as the retreating -wave swept past them, until it was gone and they were all high ashore. - -This feat, nothing to them who practised it nearly every day of their -lives, is one of the supreme tests of boatmanship and must be witnessed -or taken part in to realize the resistless onrush of the roller and -the no less mighty drawback when, baffled, the vast rolling mass -retreats. It is a manoeuvre to try the skill and stamina of the best, -and the roll of its victims is very long. I speak feelingly, for on -my first encounter with this business I was as near being drowned -as could be. For not realizing the danger, I too leaped out of the -boat with the others, and was at once hurled seaward like a piece of -drifting seaweed, dazed and helpless, buried in the heart of a wave. -But my Kanaka shipmates, as much at home in that immense turmoil as if -they stood on the beach, grabbed me and held me against the rush of -retreating water, then hauled me to land and in rough but effectual -ways restored me to the world I had so nearly quitted. That was on the -steep beach of lava fragments at Sunday Island in the Kermadecs. - -A throng of villagers hastened down to greet the returned adventurers, -full of eager questioning and sympathy. Some of them had been on the -Head with the lookout man, and had witnessed the last encounter. Of -course they could not understand what had happened, but in a few words -Philip explained, and when he had done so, the public endorsement of -the righteousness of his action was spontaneous and complete. For, -after all, to this happy community what was a trifling loss like that -compared with the gain which each felt they had made in the practice of -mercy, of yielding to the best and truest impulses of the heart. And -so there were no sour faces, no recriminations, only the usual mutual -rejoicings. - -Philip only paused long enough to see his gear bestowed and then strode -away through the smiling meadows to his pretty home, where he found his -Grace holding quite a little Court surrounded by maidens, matrons and -children; she sat upon the threshold of the house, and her friends were -picturesquely disposed about her. The baby was asleep upon her lap, -undisturbed by the chorus of song that was going up from that concourse -of fifty persons. It was a scene to gladden the heart of a painter or -poet, and if it had been possible to bring it in its entirety before -any assemblage of cynics in the world, they would certainly have been -unable to resist its perfect charm. - -Philip’s coming was hailed with a long cry of joy, and he was -immediately surrounded by a bevy of girls who pushed and pulled him -into a place by the side of his wife. And there, enthroned as it were, -they sat while the joyous crowd, augmented every moment until almost -the whole community was present, sang and talked and sang again, -offering all the love and congratulations that their hearts could feel -or their lips express. The happening of the day out at sea was fully -commented upon, calling forth immense manifestations of approval, for -it was just the kind of thing that appealed to these gentle children -of the sun, and thus the happy time wore on until the arrival of the -patriarch minister who, however, wielded no priestly influence whatever. - -All loved him and reverenced him for his saintly character as well as -venerable age, but no one, not even the youngest, imagined that he -had any prescriptive right to approach their God for them. Every one -was taught as soon as able to understand that God was the all Father, -Christ the near and dear brother, and to choose a go-between from men -was to do dishonour to the great love manifested towards men by God, to -show practical disbelief in every word set down in the New Testament -for their guidance and comfort. - -Therefore though all showed the deepest respect and readiest reverence -to Mr. McCoy at his coming, it was a respect and reverence entirely -devoid of superstition, the loving homage of children to a father, or -friend to friend. They gathered round him, brought him to the seat of -honour beside Philip and Grace, and then waited with intense interest -for what he should say to them, knowing that he had come amongst them -for that purpose. - -He rose, and in trembling tones began-- - -“Beloved children, especially you by my side, Grace and Philip; I -am full of joy at being among you at this happy time. Surely we are -peculiarly blessed among all the people on earth, here in this little -out-of-the-way corner of the great globe. We live in love, fearing no -evil, having all our wants supplied to the full. We suffer neither -from cold nor heat; from hunger nor surfeit. Disease comes not near us -nor our live stock, and best of all this heavenly care has not made us -arrogant and careless, for we feel as full of gratitude as our hearts -can hold. And every day sees new mercies showered upon us. Some one of -our little company has a special blessing, and being one in heart and -mind we all rejoice in that blessing, and feel our mouths filled with -praise. - -“The latest is the babe bestowed upon our beloved ones here, a babe -lusty in form and beautiful of face, and given to us on the day -whereon we celebrate the coming to earth of our brother, God manifest -in the flesh, which in itself is a matter of great rejoicing. Truly -it is a blessed babe. I know but little of the great world with its -teeming millions, I have been too happy among you all my life to wish -to see more than I did on my one voyage, but what little I do know -convinces me that it is rare if not unheard of for a child to come -amongst a community and be received with such fervent love and sincere -thanksgiving as this one. We all rejoice, for we have no doubt that -he will be a beloved brother amongst us, worthily maintaining the -high and sweet standard of love towards God and man which has so long -prevailed among us. And if it should be the good pleasure of our Father -that he leaves us for a time and visits other countries, we shall -confidently look forward to his keeping up the character that we are so -pleased to bear, the character of being children of God, not haughtily -holding that we are better than others, but that we are only happy in -the knowledge of the love of our Father for us His loving, grateful -children. Little Christmas Bounty! upon your baby head rest all the -prayers, all the love of this people, all united to you by ties of -blood, but far more closely knit to you in the one bond of Christian -love. - -“Brother and sisters, it is time for us to separate, for the day -draws to its close. And before we sing our parting song of praise and -thanksgiving, let us unite in the spoken word to our Father. Father, -most good and gracious, we all thank you for your love. We have all -that we can ask or think. Blessings innumerable crowd upon us. We -have nothing to ask you for, only to praise you for the abundant joy -and happiness you have given us in overflowing measureless plenty. -Nothing, that is, for ourselves, but for those who suffer and sin, for -those who toil hopelessly in darkness and slavery of various kinds, we -ask that they may know Thee as we know Thee. That they may receive as -we do receive. They are as worthy as we are, but have not the same -inestimable advantages. Ah, dear Father, bless our less fortunate -brothers and sisters scattered about Thy beautiful world. Hear their -pitiful cries, heal their gaping wounds, fill their hungry hearts, and -may they all know Thy boundless love through Thy messenger Jesus, our -Beloved One, the Saviour of mankind. Let us sing, dear ones, ‘O God, -our help in ages past.’” - -That response was one to stir the most sluggish heart: no books, no -instrumental help, but the grandest of all music, the glorious human -voice when trained in harmony. The lovely woods and vales were filled -with golden melody, every soul pouring itself out in purest praise. -If only the most ardent scoffer at holy things could have been there, -he would have found his pointed sarcasm grow blunt, his ready sneer -fall harmless, for here was a people beyond the arrows of scorn, whose -worship was indeed single-eyed. They worshipped God because they loved -Him. They praised Him because they could not help it. No thought of -gaining heaven or of avoiding hell entered their minds. They had -already begun their heaven, and as for hell they never thought of it. -If pressed they would doubtless have admitted that they believed in -such a place, but with a thrusting aside shudder. What had it to do -with them? - -The sweet strain ceased, and the aged minister, rising to his unsteady -feet, lifted his hands in blessing, his voice full of happy tears: -“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God Almighty, the -leading of the Holy Spirit and the full knowledge of this intimate -communion with the unseen be with each and all of you now and for -evermore. Amen.” - -A moment’s silence and the gathering quietly melted away to their happy -homes, while the bright silver moon shed a splendid radiance over the -peaceful scene. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -C. B.’s Childhood - - -The story of a boy growing from his birth to manhood in our centres -of civilization cannot fail to be of interest if properly told, -principally because of the thousand and one dangers that beset him in -that perilous journey. This is the case, no matter how well or how ill -brought up he may be, peril encompasses him round about, visible as -well as invisible, peril from which no amount of care can adequately -protect him. Indeed the care that is often bestowed has the effect -of rendering the child’s life a burden to him, especially if he be -brought up at home. Moreover, if we are foolish enough to believe one -thousandth part of what we read about food and drink and the deadly -microbes and bacteria that lie in wait for us everywhere, we should -certainly perish of worry or become, as faddists always do become, a -misery to ourselves and a nuisance to all around us. - -But here on Norfolk Island the child had every chance. And in telling -of C. B. I am only taking the ordinary type: he had no advantages over -his fellows. Fed by his mother alone, who had never known a day’s -illness in her life, never knowing the taste of drugs, living in the -open air without ever being pampered by tight clothing of any kind, -never too hot, never too cold; how could he help growing up to the -age when he could run about, without an ache or a pain, a sturdy, -perfectly developed, perfectly healthy child? Of course he could swim -as soon as he could walk, that to any one who knows the island goes -without saying, and as soon as he could toddle down to the shore with -the other children, spent, as they did, quite half of his time in the -sea. The food given him was of the simplest: fruit and vegetables, milk -and fish, very little meat, because it was extremely scarce for one -thing, and for another, these gentle people only hunt when necessity -drives, and never kill a domestic animal if it can be avoided. - -So this child of love and prayer grew and waxed strong, a joy and -delight to his parents, and a pleasure to all the community, as all -the children were. In exuberant animal delight he and his companions -climbed the trees and the mountains, tumbled about in the surf like so -many dolphins, with never an anxious or fussy parent to say “don’t.” -Cuts, scratches, bruises they gained in plenty, all treated in the -simplest way and all getting cured in almost magically quick time, as -do the hurts of animals and savages. And it must never be forgotten -that these people led the perfectly natural lives of savages without -any of the savage vices, that they knew and practised the virtues -of civilization without its follies and crimes; what then could be -expected in the result but perfect health and happiness? - -With all this boisterous enjoyment of childhood the simple education -that the venerable McCoy was able to impart was not neglected. Reading, -writing and the first four rules of arithmetic were soundly taught, -and by Grace the beautiful accomplishment of singing through the tonic -sol-fa method. They were altogether a singing people; it was ingrained, -so that this took no trouble to teach. Beyond this in the way of -education there was nothing except that the reading of the Bible was -encouraged, not as a means of storing up virtue by reading so many -verses or chapters, but for the pleasure and profit of seeing what God -had said to His people. And this, with the exception of a few well-worn -books, such as the standard poets, Dickens, Thackeray and Miss -Wetherell, comprised their reading. None of the children were compelled -to read as a task. When once they had learned to read they were allowed -to read or not just as it pleased them. - -Under such pleasant auspices as this what wonder was it that our hero -at sixteen was as near being perfect in body and mind as the most -exacting parent could wish. True, he would have been plucked at an -examination for the fourth standard in any Board-school, but if he was -ignorant of much school learning as Board-school boys know at home, he -was also ignorant of a great number of other things, of practically all -the evil knowledge acquired by our children in great cities in spite -of all our efforts. And on the physical side, being a child of nature, -there could be no comparison between him and city children of whatever -class imaginable. His whole life, as was that of his companions, boys -and girls alike, was spent in training, unconsciously, and so he was -always fit for any of those manly exercises that the young human animal -rightly loves. He could not play cricket or football, but he could swim -and dive all day, could climb the tallest tree in the island like a -monkey, could run from the level to the top of a three-thousand-foot -hill without distress, and could not swear or lie, having never known -any occasion for either. - -Of course, he had not grown up so far without having brothers and -sisters--two of each had been added on to the family circle, all of -them fine children capable of keeping up the credit of the island -people. But we have no concern with them further than to note their -arrival, and to record the fact that, as they grew old enough to -realize things, they all adored their eldest brother, who, for some -reason or another which they could not understand, was looked up to as -possessing some mysterious blessing from on high beyond that accorded -to any one else. They knew, however, that he was totally unconscious of -this. He went on his happy care-free way, full of gay life, full of fun -and harmless mischief, but also full of love for all around him. - -It was now that he had his first real adventure. As I have said, he was -sixteen years of age, and, as was usual among the island people, he was -as big and strong as a full-grown man, though, of course, not with so -much stamina. He was a constant companion to his father, who was now -a mighty man indeed, at the meridian of a life that had been so well -spent and so peaceful that all his powers were in perfection. C. B. was -never tired of admiring his father’s huge proportions, as, with only -a pair of breeches on cut off at the mid-thigh, they swam or fished -together. To C. B. his father was indeed a king of men, strong, wise -and kind; and he was overjoyed to be near him, to feel his superiority, -and to hope some day, if God willed, to be like him. They were -companions in everything now that C. B.’s studies had finished, and the -elder man felt his youth renewed as he watched his son springing to -whatever work was in hand, felt indeed that he was signally blessed and -was very happy. - -So it came to pass that one morning, as soon as the first gorgeous -heralding of the dawn had overspread the sky, Philip and C. B. arose -from their several mats (bedsteads, bedding and all the paraphernalia -of our bedrooms being unknown and therefore unwanted), and after a -loving kiss and a blessing from mother Grace, who was still beautiful -and always abundantly happy, they strode down to the shore for the -commencement of a day’s fishing. It was the season when a special kind -of fish greatly liked by the islanders came inshore near enough to be -caught in large numbers with hook and line. It was always an occasion -of great activity among the men, not that they depended upon the -fishing, but because it afforded a large quantity of pleasant food, and -they always attacked the opportunity eagerly. - -So when Philip and his son reached the boat-house all hands requisite -for manning the boats were there, and after the usual hearty greetings -and the indispensable word of prayer, without which no enterprise was -ever undertaken, were over, all sprang to the work, fairly hurling the -vessels into the foaming surf, and in a few minutes the two vessels, -doubly manned, were in the smooth water beyond the rollers, and to -the accompaniment of happy song were making their way seaward to the -fishing grounds. - -The beauty of the day was not more marked than usual in such a lovely -climate, but to any one who was accustomed to the grey cold mornings of -our northern home it would have called forth ecstasies of admiration. -For as the golden sun rose majestically from the horizon all nature -was flooded with glory, an added wealth of beauty that made even those -most accustomed to it catch their breath. The sea was like a sheet -of shot-silk whereof every movement exhibited a wonderful play of -different colours and shades in endless variety, while the diversity -of hill, dale and beach ashore, unable to compete with all this glowing -series of tints, yet showed a splendour of illuminated contour flecked -with passing cloud shadows that held the eye enchanted with its beauty. - -Every member of the boats’ crews noted this loveliness, revelled in it, -and since there was no need for silence as in the chase of the whale, -discussed it in such terms of affection as their limited vocabulary -could command. Said John Young-- - -“Seems to me that the gold and jewellery of the New Jerusalem John -writes about wouldn’t please me like this. If God’s going to make a new -heaven and a new earth, I’d like to live on the new earth if it’s going -to be like this. But I can’t imagine Him making it any better.” - -“Ah,” responded Walter McCoy, “that’s because you’ve never been away -from here, one of the most favoured spots on His footstool. Now I’ve -been down south of New Zealand in the winter, an’ when the great gales -blow, a sea gets up that’s like a ravening host of wild beasts. Snow -and sleet strike you like whips, and the cold searches the very marrow -of your bones. Then I thought of our dear island home, and prayed God -to take me back there quick or let me die.” - -Philip chimed in, with one of his beautiful smiles mantling his strong -face, “Walter, my boy, that was because you let your body dictate to -your soul. I know, and when I was up the Behring Sea I hid away one -night when the call came to work. I had all the man frozen out of me. -And as I laid in the stinking corner I felt the bitterest pang of shame -I have ever known. Something said to me, ‘You’re a fine-weather man, -and your trust in God only works when you are comfortable.’ I tell -you, boys, that hit me worse than ever the mate’s boot would have done -if he had caught me. But I thank God that He gave me courage to rush -out of my hole as if I had been flung out, and do the work that fell to -my share. And the lesson has lasted all my life.” - -At that moment the leader in the other boat cried loudly, “Here we are, -boys; ship oars and out lines. There’s a splendid lot of fish, thank -God.” - -All hands obeyed on the instant, and presently the boy was delighted -beyond measure to see the fine big fish come tumbling inboard one after -the other in quick succession. It was indeed a stirring scene, although -from a sporting point of view it savoured too much of business, -perhaps. These were not sportsmen though; they only fished to satisfy -their bodily needs, having no idea of making game of taking life, their -savage instincts having been entirely modified by their practical -working belief in the loving Father. - -They were in the height of their fishing, the boats being half full -of spoil, when Philip, who had a very large fish on his line, turned -to see how his son was faring with another big fellow, and as he did -so, his foot slipped upon some slime in the sternsheets and he fell -backwards, striking his side upon the boat’s gunwale and falling -overboard. A great shout of laughter went up from all the boat’s crew -except C. B., for with these amphibious islanders to fall overboard was -just a bit of good fun. But C. B., craning over the side, saw that his -father, instead of coming to the surface again like a cork, was still -far below, and at the same instant he noticed an awful black shadow -gliding swiftly in the direction of the still sinking man. Without a -moment’s hesitation he dived, feeling at the same moment for the knife -in his belt, a long keen-bladed weapon which all carried while fishing. - -Downward he sped through the clear water, arriving by the side of his -father’s quietly undulating body just as a great glare of white showed -the belly of a sixteen-foot shark as he turned to bite at this big -piece of food. In a moment the boy had snatched his knife from his -belt, and with one tremendous spring sideways had plunged it deep into -the belly of the monster, and then with a strength that amazed himself -sawed it lengthways along the great body. The water grew thick with -blood, he groped blindly for the body of his father, felt nothing, swam -gropingly about until almost bursting from lack of air, and then with a -feeling of utter despair shot upwards to the surface. - -One deep painful breath and, clearing his eyes, C. B. stared wildly -about him. Then he gave one despairing cry of “Father!” It was answered -by a dozen different voices cheerfully crying, “All right, all right,” -and in a moment or two he found two stalwart swimmers by his side ready -to aid him if he needed help, and keeping up an incessant splashing in -the water for the purpose of scaring the sharks. Guided by them he swam -to the boat, and just as he snatched at the gunwale to climb inboard -two huge sharks rushed towards the little group of three from opposite -directions, meeting head on in full career with such a tremendous shock -that they both sank quietly down apparently stunned, while the three -friends climbed safely into the boat. - -And there lay his father, still and pale as his bronzed face would -show, but, God be praised, yet alive. C. B.’s first impulse was to -fling himself down by his father’s side and burst into an agony of -weeping, for he thought that the dear one was dead; but, without -a restraining hand being laid upon him, he conquered himself and, -trembling violently, said, “Is father much hurt?” - -“We don’t know yet,” replied Walter McCoy, “but, thank God, he’s still -alive, and I can’t imagine such a man as he is being killed by what -he’s just gone through. But we’re getting ashore with all speed, and -if you will take an oar it’ll help you a lot: you’ll know you’re doing -something for him that must be done and that with all your might: Give -way, boys; we want to get home quick.” - -C. B. instantly seized an oar and laid to it with a will, as did all -the rest, full of anxiety as they were to get their much-loved comrade -home. So in a very brief space they made a landing, and were met on the -beach by Grace, who with love’s intuition, had felt that something had -happened which needed her presence. When she saw the still limp form -of her love, she only turned a shade paler and felt her knees tremble. -Then quietly, as if inviting a few of them up to supper, said, “Please, -friends, bring him gently along to the house where I can attend to him -properly.” - -Then turning to her boy she kissed him, having noted his working face, -saying, “Don’t worry, dear; he’s in our Father’s hands and all will be -right.” - -But C. B., boy-like, could no longer restrain himself, and bursting -into a very tempest of tears, sobbed out, “I tried to save him, mother, -indeed I did.” - -“Ay, that he did; no man could have done more than this boy, Grace,” -said the nearest men in unison. And as they followed the bearers of -Philip across the fragrant fields to the house, Grace heard with a -swelling heart of the noble deed whereby her first-born had proved his -manhood, and managed to find room in her stricken heart for pride that -she had been permitted to rear such a noble son. Then dismissing the -whole heroic deed from her mind for the time she hastened her steps, -intent upon preparing a comfortable bed for her suffering husband. It -was an ordeal through which she had never before passed, but she rose -to the occasion, and when the bearers arrived she faced them calmly, -and directed them where to lay him. - -The ablest of the islanders in the matter of simple surgery soon -arrived, and after keen examination of the insensible man declared -that he was suffering from three broken ribs, a mere trifle in these -stalwart men’s eyes. What else there might be internally he could -not tell, but he did what he could in bandaging the massive body -tightly, and then suggested that they should all kneel and pray for -the success of the means used. Which was done in simplest fashion, and -as the prayer ended, all were startled to hear a sonorous amen from -the hitherto unconscious man. It needed no ordinary restraint to keep -them from bursting into cries of joy, but they did refrain, and with -murmured thanksgivings all went away except the impromptu surgeon, -Grace and her son, the younger children having been taken away by -helpful neighbours. - -The scene that ensued was a delightful one, Grace and her boy welcoming -back the friend and father, who, except for an occasional spasm of -pain flitting across his bronzed features, seemed to have entirely -recovered from his recent terrible experience, and inclined to blame -himself severely for letting “such a trifle upset him,” as he put it. -Indeed, except for the pain of his grating ribs, which at each movement -reminded him of the mischief done, he was quite impatient of lying -there, wanted to be up and doing, although there was nothing to be -done. - -Suddenly his roving glance fell upon C. B., who, having finished some -small task he had been engaged upon for his mother, was standing near -gazing upon his father with eyes humid with love. Philip half raised -himself, suppressing a groan of pain, and beckoning to his boy said, -“Grace, this son of ours is a man. He has done a deed to-day of which -any man might be proud and few men would even attempt. More than that -he has saved me for you.” - -Grace replied, with one of her beautiful smiles shining on her still -comely cheeks: “For that, if he had been a bad boy all his life instead -of a very crown of rejoicing, he should possess the very core of my -heart. But being what he is and has always been, I can only, as I have -continually done since he was born, bless God for him humbly as I do -for you.” - -Then Philip, putting his arm round the boy’s neck, said slowly: “From -this out my son, you are my partner as well. I look upon you no longer -as a boy but a man, not merely as a son but as a brother, equal in -all things. Grace, you must say good-bye to your little boy, who has -attained unto the full stature of a man.” At which his brothers and -sisters, who had now returned, burst into loud lamentations, not -realizing the importance of the occasion, only feeling that they had -lost their playmate. - -But C. B. drew himself up with an air of native dignity and replied, “I -felt like a man, dad, when I dived after you, but now I know I am one, -and I hope, like you, I shall never do what a man ought to be ashamed -to do.” - -There was another cheerful gathering at Philip’s home that evening, and -the usual round of prayer and praise which was the keynote of all their -festivities, praise especially, floods of melody rising and falling -across those peaceful savannahs and making them echo again. In all -the pleasant exercises C. B. took his part, being now recognized as -no longer a child, but he listened with greater interest than ever to -the thousand-times repeated tale of the Lord’s wondrous dealing with -this little band of people descended from murderers and savages, yet by -the special grace of Providence developing into the most consistently -Christian people upon earth. And so, with a final triumphant outburst -of the Old Hundredth, the happy meeting terminated, and the revellers -dispersed across the scented meadows to their several homes. - -One of the most remarkable things about primitive peoples is the way -they recover from hurts; wounds, bruises, fractures that would mean -long and severe illness to civilized folk being treated by them as of -little or no account. This is, of course, to be noted among animals, -who recover with surprising rapidity and ease from the most shocking -wounds, and with only the most rough and careless methods of surgery if -they receive any attention at all. I have a big Labrador dog which was -recently kicked in the face by a skittish horse. Owing to my absence -from home nothing was done to the poor beast, whose jaw was exposed -to a cut three inches long for four days. And the ghastly wound could -not heal, because when it irritated him the dog would rub his face -against a quickset hedge and tear the wound open again. I took him to a -veterinary surgeon, who put three stitches in the gaping gash, drawing -the ragged edges as closely together as possible, and confining the -poor animal for three days with a shield over his head. The result is -that now, two months after the accident, it is impossible to see where -the injury was. - -And in just the same marvellous way will the human animal recover from -the most ghastly wounds, although many savage customs militate directly -against health. But when perfectly natural living is allied to purity -of mind and body and an absence of every kind of stimulant whatever, we -have a condition of things making for perfect health, such health as -may only be seen among the people of whom I am writing. - -As usual then Philip made so rapid a recovery that within a week he was -going about his daily duties as if nothing had happened, and had quite -forgotten the episode as far as his injuries were concerned. But his -son was now his inseparable companion; they became as it were partners -in every enterprise, and the proud father noted with complacent pride -the development of his son’s body and mind as being on the way to -surpass his own. As far as ordinary school education went they were -about equal, as indeed were all the islanders, for the subjects they -learned were strictly limited, and they had no craving for higher -education, not knowing or feeling any need of it. - -But all unconsciously, during their long hours together, Philip was -filling the boy with strong desire to see the great world without. -Philip’s adventures on his two voyages had been fairly exciting, -but hitherto he had said little about them to his fellows, because -there were many things connected with them that he did not care to -recall. They had filled him with more ardent love than ever for his -quiet island home, and he had used such influence as he possessed to -dissuade any of his friends from wandering. - -Now, however, in reply to constant questioning, he told his son more -than ever he had done before, recalling scenes long forgotten, while -the boy listened with intensest interest and admiration for the grand -father whom he almost worshipped. And so C. B. grew steadily towards -manhood in all the best traditions of the community, until at eighteen -years of age he had risen to the full stature of a man in all that -makes for true manliness, innocent without being ignorant of all that -was worth his knowing, brave, modest and strong, and withal, in spite -of the uncouth garb in which he was clothed in common with all his -fellows, handsome as the statue of a Greek god. And here endeth the -sketch of Christmas Bounty’s boyhood. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -Evil from Without - - -Now it happened that one morning at about eight o’clock when the -fishermen were about to launch out into the deep in their regular quest -for food that a sudden cry of “Sail ho!” was raised and re-echoed -until all the islanders heard it. A large sailing ship was standing -in towards the bay with the obvious intention of communicating, and -immediately everybody was on the alert. For in spite of their happy -care-free life, which left little to be desired by them, there were -certain needs which they had inherited, such as clothes, tea, sugar, -flour, and tools, which the presence of a ship always brought vividly -to their remembrance. And in consequence they were always ready to -barter their simple commodities: fruit, vegetables, eggs, fowls, pigs, -fish, etc., for whatever they could induce the visitors to part with -except liquor and tobacco. - -So a boat was hurriedly launched, manned by the stoutest rowers, with -Philip at the steer oar, and C. B. at the stroke, while the rest of the -islanders busied themselves collecting such produce as they hoped the -ship might be in want of. Fowls and eggs and fruit and milk and pigs, -fresh food such as ships in that day were so often glad of. As the boat -dashed alongside in splendid style the rowers noted that the ship was -thronged with passengers of a curious type to them, hundreds of yellow -faces peered over the side and an incessant high pitched babblement -of voices went on, utterly unintelligible to the islanders. Philip -grabbed a rope thrown to him and was about to spring on board when he -caught sight of those rows of parchment-like faces and paused, looking -doubtfully at his boat’s crew. - -The captain, however, gazing cynically down upon him, said: “What’s the -matter with you? Afraid of a few Chinamen, are ye? Come on board and -don’t be such a fool.” - -Philip flushed darkly under his tan, and then saying quietly, “Don’t -make the warp fast,” swung himself lightly on board, where, standing -on the rail holding on by the main top-mast backstays, he surveyed -the strange scene beneath him on the vessel’s deck. She was crowded -with yellow men, who wandered aimlessly about or squatted in groups -gibbering away. To add to the confusion there were hundreds of canaries -in cages which were hung about, and they were all singing at once, each -doing his little best to drown the clamour of his neighbours. - -Raising his voice almost to a shout the captain addressed Philip with -the question: “Have you godly beach-combers got any fresh provisions to -sell? I’m fifty days out from Macao bound to Callao, and my passengers -are beginning to die like flies. I don’t know what’s the matter with -’em, unless it is the foul grub that was put aboard for ’em by the -compradore, though I never heard before that any grub was foul enough -to poison a Chink.” - -Philip replied calmly: “We have plenty of produce, sir, which we shall -be glad to exchange with you for tools, clothes, books or anything of -that sort. But we don’t want money, it’s of no use to us.” - -And he recapitulated the articles available for supply at once, to -which the captain replied: “All right, come on aft and I’ll have some -stuff brought up to show you.” So Philip most willingly sprang down on -the deck and followed the captain aft to the cabin. Here he was first -offered some rum, which he courteously refused, much to the captain’s -amusement. Then in obedience to the captain’s commands a heap of -clothing was brought up out of the slop chest and a few rusty tools of -various sorts, including half a dozen coal shovels, at sight of which -Philip’s eyes glistened, for these were sorely needed on the island. -There were no books available at all, only a heap of old newspapers -which Philip did not look twice at, for what did the news of the world -matter to these children of Nature? - -Then having selected such goods as they needed as far as the limited -supply before him would allow, Philip suggested that they should be put -in his boat and that the captain should accompany him ashore and see -what they had got to offer in exchange, which goods they would bring -back with the captain to the ship. To this the captain answered that he -should prefer Philip to bring such stuff as he had ready, pass it on -board and make his bargain there, as he, the captain, did not want to -leave the ship. - -Philip rose and looking the captain steadfastly in the face, said: “No -sir, on several occasions when we, trusting that other people would -act as we always do to one another, have brought our produce on board -a passing ship, we have been compelled to take whatever the captain -has chosen to give us or nothing at all, because we were completely at -his mercy. Now we are always ready to give of our substance to help -ships in distress, expecting no payment, but we are sorely in need of -certain things, and can only get them by selling our stuff. And if we -are cheated it is hard for us to bear, knowing as we do that we would -never cheat anybody for any consideration whatever.” - -At this modest and dignified remark the captain flew into an assumed -rage and cried, “You stuck up hypocritical half nigger, half mutineer, -how dare you talk to an English gentleman like that! I’ve half a mind -to have you flung overboard, only I know you can’t be drowned. Don’t -come any of your palaver over me, for it won’t do. I understand you -fellows through and through.” - -Philip smiled sadly, but without showing a trace of surprise or fear, -then saying, “I’m sorry, sir, that we can’t come to terms,” turned to -leave the saloon. - -This was too much for the captain, who roared “Here! where ye goin’, ye -black thief?” (Many a bronzed Englishman is darker than Philip was.) -“Come back here!” - -But Philip strode to the deck, leapt on the rail, and shouting, “Let -go, boys,” plunged feet foremost into the sea. In a moment the boat, -released, was at his side and he had climbed on board. - -Overhead, the captain, standing on the rail, was crying, “Don’t be -silly, I was only trying to bluff you, it’s all in the way of business. -Come up alongside; I’ll come with you and bring the stuff ashore. Good -heavens! what a rum lot these Kanakas are, to be sure.” - -By this time Philip had taken hasty counsel with his friends and had -decided to take the captain on shore if he would come, but that none -of them would board that awful ship again under any pretence. So they -sheered alongside, caught again the rope that was flung them and -received a heap of goods, the captain and two men following. Then they -headed for the beach with a sigh of relief, for the very proximity of -the ship was hateful to them. They soon reached the landing place, the -captain and his two henchmen looking very white as the ably handled -boat was deftly guided stern foremost over the immense breakers, and -stepping ashore uncertainly as the ready arms of the islanders were -held out to them. - -But no sooner had they landed than the captain and his two men began -to swagger and ogle the women and girls who crowded down to the beach -intent upon welcome. C. B. was close beside the skipper as he reached -forward to clasp a beautiful girl near him by the waist. Lithe as a -leopard the boy sprang between the maiden and the captain, crying as he -did so: “That’s my sister, sir, and anyhow you mustn’t touch our girls; -you are not good enough!” - -Well, wasn’t that foolish man angry? he made a sweeping motion with his -arm as if to brush an insect from his path, but C. B. seized him by -both hands and held him so firmly that he was unable to move, saying at -the same time, “Please behave yourself, sir; we won’t hurt you, but you -must not go on ugly like this.” The two men who were with the captain -looked frightened--for they were thinking of massacres in the South -Seas of which they had often heard and doubtless expected something -of the kind. The skipper however knew better, and acted worse, for he -raged like a madman, the islanders standing round looking grave and -stem while all the women folk slipped away. When he had cursed himself -out of breath C. B. spoke again: “Now, sir, if you are ready we’ll take -you back to your ship. We want to trade badly enough, but it’s almost -paying too dearly for the privilege, having men like you among us. We -are very sorry for you, but wish you would go.” - -No one of the islanders added anything, for they felt as if C. B. had -exactly expressed what they would say and for a few moments there was -a dead silence. Then the captain said in a curiously subdued voice: “I -don’t know but what you’re right after all, young fellow, whoever you -are, and I apologize. I didn’t intend to act so ugly, believe me. And -now if you’ll bring along your produce we’ll trade, for I ought to be -getting back to my ship.” Immediately following upon his words, and -without an order being given, there was a dispersal of the islanders, -who soon reappeared laden with all the things they had to sell: -vegetables, fruit, eggs, fowls and pigs, all that sailors most eagerly -desire after a long voyage. - -It was an easy market, for there was practically no haggling, and when -all the goods that the captain had brought were exhausted, the kindly -folk presented him with the rest of the produce which was left, an -act of generosity which deepened the tan on his face as he, even he, -realized what a contrast there was between his behaviour and theirs. -But I do not know that he was so very much to blame after all, for it -was probably the first time he had come across practical primitive -Christianity in full operation. However, as he turned to leave the -beach again he held out his hand to C. B., saying: “Youngster, I’m -ashamed of myself, that’s all I can say. I shall remember to-day as -long as I live. And I want to tell that splendid fellow the same, the -man whom I spoke so badly to in my saloon.” - -“Oh, you mean my father,” said C. B. “Here he is!” and Philip stepped -forward, a gentle smile on his face, and his hand outstretched, saying -as he came, “Don’t bother about me, sir, I’m only sorry that you should -be afflicted with such a hasty temper and disbelief in the goodness of -anybody. But please say no more. If you are ready to go on board we -are ready to take you.” - -“Ah, I don’t wonder you want to get rid of me,” murmured the skipper -sorrowfully; “how you’ve put up with me so long I don’t know. All I -know is that you’ve made me feel as I’ve never done before, and I’d -love to stay here and take a few lessons from you good folks how to -live. But I must get back to the hog-trough again, I suppose. Come -along, the sooner I get aboard the better,” and he strode firmly -towards the boat. - -Philip and his son looked at each other for a moment irresolutely, -the same thought in each of their minds, should they ask him to stay -and see their dear old pastor who would speak words of comfort to his -tortured soul? But the time had passed, all hands were in the boat save -the steersman, and Philip sprang to his place while the waiting crowd -ran the buoyant craft out into the foaming surf and the long oars drove -her strenuously through the tormented waters, forcing her out to the -smooth sea beyond. Once out of the surf the rowers settled down into -the long, regular swing of deep sea oarsmen, and they rapidly neared -the vessel. She lay lazily rolling to the heavy swell with her mainyard -to the mast, but not a sign of life about her, for all the crowd on -board. But as the boat swung alongside the mate sprang on to the rail -and shouted his orders, a rope was flung, the side ladder lowered -and the skipper climbed aboard, saying as he did so, “Come up, Mr. -Boat-steerer, and I’ll treat ye different, see if I don’t.” - -But Philip gravely declined. He did not care to run any such risks, -knowing from much previous experience how soon such impressions as -the captain had received are apt to change with a different scene. -And the captain did not repeat his invitation. Turning to the mate he -ordered all dispatch to be made in getting the stores on board, then -abruptly left the side and the boat’s crew saw him no more. In a very -few minutes the boat was cleared and as soon as she was empty Philip -shouted, “Cast off that rope.” It was done and with a powerful sweep of -the steer oar they swept away from the ship’s side, and shipping their -oars bent to them with a will, every man of them feeling glad to put -an increasing distance between them and the hive of evil they felt the -ship to be. - -And as they did so they saw the mainyard swing, heard the wailing -cries of the sailors as they trimmed the sails to the light breeze and -with a sense of utter relief watched her glide off towards the open -sea. Then Philip raised his beautiful voice in the grand old song of -satisfaction: “O God, our help in ages past,” in which his crew joined, -as was their wont, in sweetest concord. By the time she reached the -beach the ship was almost hull down on the horizon and never, as far as -log-books or signalling stations can tell, was she reported again. - -That night there was another great family gathering of the islanders, -first for equitable division of the articles bought, and next for the -usual thanksgiving in that they had suffered no harm at the hands of -their visitors. For even these gentle, happy children of love were -suspicious of all contact with the outer world, they always feared the -worst, knowing how utterly foreign to their ideas of brotherly love and -unity of heart were the majority of even the few people who touched -at their island. How hard it is for us, who, whether we like it or -not, are bound to feel doubtful of professors of Christianity, when we -realize the deeds and hear the words of so many of them, to understand -the feelings of this primitive people, among whom the commandment to -love one another had become an ingrained principle. Many of us with the -best will in the world to believe in them find ourselves saying, “Ah -well, they are exceptionally favoured by their situation and history. -If they only lived as we do, among civilized heathen, professing to be -Christians and yet denying the power of God to do His will among us -they would be as lukewarm and half hearted as most of us are.” - -Something of this kind must have entered into C. B.’s thoughts that -night. For after the young ones had gone to sleep he and his father and -mother sat on the stoop in front of their house discussing in their -simple way the events of the day and their bearing upon what they knew -of life until suddenly the young man said, “Mother, sometimes I think -that it’s all very well for us to be as happy and loving and fond of -God as we are here where everybody is like-minded, but what if one of -us should be suddenly flung out of this among people like those we’ve -seen to-day? How should we stand it, do you think? I don’t quite know -how to put it, but what I mean is, are we good because we are shut in -with goodness and have no temptations to be had, or are we good because -we really love good and hate evil? And should we be thus good if -everybody around us was bad?” - -His gentle mother made answer, “Dear son, why worry your head about -such things. If I understand God’s word at all it tells me that if I -live for God and with Him for the present the future has nothing to do -with me. But I believe that wherever He puts me He will provide me with -grace to meet every form of evil. I do not find, though, that if I go -voluntarily where there is evil I get any promise of being made proof -against it. At any rate I know that I love God and all His ways as -far as I know anything, and I can’t imagine myself happy in any other -condition. And I am quite content with that, blessing Him for putting -me where I am, in the midst of people who love Him also.” - -Philip who had been sitting, as was usual with him when unemployed, -gazing into vacancy with his thoughts far away, suddenly aroused -himself and said in a dreamy voice-- - -“I don’t believe that all the people who don’t know God are unhappy, -but I’m sure that most of them are, judging from those I’ve mixed -with on my travels. And I’m quite sure that if people were taught in -Christian lands as we are here, if they were brought up to look upon -God as a personal Friend always near, and one that no one who knows -Him could be afraid of, there would be an enormous number of people -more loving Him and knowing Him than there are. I kept my eyes open and -listened also while I was in America and Australia, and I went to all -sorts of places where they said God was worshipped, and I got entirely -bewildered. - -“For it seemed to me that what they called religion was a thing which -hadn’t anything to do with their lives at all. They went to church or -chapel or meeting on Sundays, and said so many prayers or listened to -what the preacher had to say, not at all because they loved God, but -because they thought that if they didn’t do these things they would -be punished for ever and ever by being in a place called hell, always -burning and never burnt up. As for loving God as a man loves a good -father or mother, or loving Jesus as one loves a dear elder brother who -has always been our ideal man since we were toddlers, the thing didn’t -seem to strike them in any way. And in some of the churches I went -into I could hardly help laughing, it all seemed so funny, all a big -show to please God who made all the glorious world we live in and the -wonders in heaven above. When I asked them if they thought God minded -how they dressed or walked or smelt (I didn’t like the smoky smelly -stuff at all), they got angry and said I was an ignorant heathen, which -of course didn’t hurt me a bit because I knew I wasn’t. But I did -try to show them in the Bible how plainly God had said as to little -toddling children that all this outward show was of no value in his -sight, that it was the heart and life that really mattered. Only they -said then that I was so stupid it was waste of time arguing with me.” - -C. B. did not remember ever having heard his father talk for so long -a time without stopping before, and he was tremendously impressed by -what he had heard. Nevertheless, there was a growing, deepening desire -in his mind to go and see this curious world, to test the reality of -his own love of God in contact with the extraordinary conditions which -his father said obtained in the great struggling masses of people who -belonged to professedly Christian countries. He felt, in fact, like the -inhabitant of another planet in the old story who was smitten with a -strong desire to come to earth and see for himself whether what he had -heard was true, and if there were even stranger things to be found in -this wonderful little world than he had heard of. - -No word of this growing craving escaped the young man, but daily, -almost hourly, in the midst of his simple toils, he thought over the -possibilities of his getting personally acquainted with the outside -world, until the longing to do so was the strongest factor in his life. -He grew graver, more self-centred, and all his intimates noticed -it, for it was so complete a change from his previous liveliness. -Still, nobody mentioned the matter to him, none felt it their business -to interfere with him, more especially as he was if anything more -energetic than ever in performing his share of the work, and if it may -be said, where all alike were kind and unselfish, was more thoughtful -of others than ever he had been. - -So the days and weeks and months glided away in most uneventful fashion -among the happy islanders. There were births hailed with decorous joy -and earnest praise for God’s good gifts, two or three deaths, met -by all as the natural termination of an earthly probation and the -commencement of real life. As such these events were no occasions for -wild outbursts of grief. Tears were shed of course when the bereaved -ones remembered that in this life the dear companion would be seen no -more, but these were speedily dried at the thought of the short time -which would pass before reunion came, and then separation would be an -impossibility. For these people, strange as it may seem to us, acted -as if what they believed were real to them, and not some cunningly -devised fable, in which they had to profess belief in order to hoodwink -God into letting them into Heaven. A Heaven, by the way, which they -believed to be a glorified earth wherein there should be no physical, -moral, or mental evil. - -For of all three of these, although they themselves were in so -wonderful a measure free from them, they had experience from without. -As, for instance, when one day after a long spell of perfect peace, -not a sail being sighted nor any whaling done, the lookout man on the -cliff reported something in the offing, either a dead whale, a boat, -or a piece of wreckage. In any case something quite well worth while -investigating, and so a boat with C. B. as boat steerer put off to see -what the waif might be. It was an hour’s strenuous pull before they -reached the object, but some time before C. B.’s eyes had made it out -to be a boat, apparently derelict. - -But when they drew up alongside of the wanderer a simultaneous groan -of pity burst from them, for the sight they saw chilled their blood. -There were four ghastly objects lying across the thwarts that had once -been men but now looked like mummified corpses. Burnt black by the sun, -every bone showing clearly beneath the strained withered skin, hair and -beards like weeds, and lying in the bottom of the boat sundry awful -fragments of humanity that told their own horrible tale of cannibalism. -And a foul stench arose from the boat which befouled the pure air and -made the visitors feel deathly sick. - -It was no time, however, to give way to any weakness of that sort, -especially as they had nothing with them in the way of restoratives, -supposing that any life remained in these pitiful relics of human -beings. So they made the strange boat fast to their own, and turning -shoreward laid to their oars with all their might. Fortunately it was -an almost perfectly calm day, so that the passage through the breakers -was accomplished with little difficulty, and when they reached the -beach there were scores of willing hands ready to help. They lifted the -poor wrecks ashore tenderly, finding that two of them still breathed, -and immediately carried them off to where hot milk and the juice of -fresh fruit could be administered to them. Very gently and patiently -they strove to coax back the fast departing life into those frail -bundles of bones, and were at last rewarded by hearing some words in -a tongue that none of them could understand issuing from the cracked -lips of one of the men. - -Their curiosity was restrained, however, by the absolute necessity -of keeping the poor creatures quiet if the flickering sparks of life -were to be kept glowing, and presently they were delighted by seeing -both the rescued ones fall into a deep sleep. Then they turned their -attention to the burial of the dead in their little graveyard with -all the sweet and simple solemnity they used in their own interments. -But the dreadful evidences of cannibalism in the boat could not be -forgotten, much as they tried to excuse and extenuate, for all of them -felt that nothing would ever have induced them to act in the same -manner. Still, these children of peace would not condemn, despite their -horror, and their pity was immense. - -Long and earnest were the consultations and speculations on the -circumstances which had led to the casting away of these poor waifs, -but when the time had come for retiring for the night only one possible -solution of the mystery had been arrived at--that these were survivors -of some terrible shipwreck, and all thanked God that such a frightful -experience had never been theirs. And so in this good and peaceful -atmosphere of peace and love the little community went to their happy -rest. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -Entertaining Devils Unaware - - -With the first streak of dawn, as was their wont, all the islanders -were astir, and their first thoughts were for the rescued ones. -The news soon spread throughout the community that the two men had -awakened, mightily refreshed, and that one of them could speak a few -words of English. All ordinary tasks were neglected, and practically -the whole village flocked to the house where they, the rescued ones, -had been sheltered for the night. And there they saw their guests -gaunt, wild-eyed and scared-looking, holding quite a levee, and one -endeavouring to explain how they came to be there. - -It was a difficult task, for his English was of the feeblest and -his pronunciation of the words he did know so extraordinary that it -required many repetitions of even the simplest phrases and great -patience on the part of the listeners to gather the sense of what he -said. At last, however, they learned that these two were the sole -survivors of ten men, who, after killing two of their guardians, had -escaped from New Caledonia, the French convict island. Four weeks -had elapsed since they had seen the last of that awful place of -their imprisonment, four weeks of such horror that the scanty words -of English possessed by the spokesman could only give the barest -outline of them. But quite enough was told to satisfy them that such -an experience savoured of that place of torment of which they never -spoke but in whispers, and they wondered much whether the men who -had succumbed early in the struggle were not the more fortunate. And -gradually, as they grew more and more accustomed to the curious speech -of the man who was trying to explain, they learned of doings within -the narrow compass of that boat adrift helplessly upon the great lone -sea that made their flesh crawl upon their bones, which made them -involuntarily shrink from the narrator, whose utter unconcern as he -told in baldest words the story of his adventures, fascinated them -while it frightened them. For none of them had ever realized such a -depth of callous depravity as was now manifested before them. - -Only the sacred laws of hospitality, nowhere more firmly held to and -observed than here where everything was held in common, as became the -primitive Christianity of the people, restrained them from isolating -the strangers as if they were suffering from frightful disease both -contagious and infectious. Occasionally a gentle attempt to show their -disapproval of the foul terms used by the narrator in telling his story -was made, but quite in vain, for it is a lamentable fact that picking -up a language colloquially, as one does among the workers of the world, -it is always the vilenesses of the language which are first acquired, -because they are most frequently used, and by some devilish twist of -memory they are always the expressions which stick. - -However, the older men among the islanders met and determined that, God -helping them, this new and bad element of evil must not be permitted -to spread among the younger folk, and the word was passed quietly -around that while the strangers were to be treated with every courtesy -and kindness, they were not to be associated with indiscriminately; -intercourse with them was to be confined to a very small body of the -older men, all of whom had known something of the evil of the world -without, and were all unlikely to be affected now by anything they -might hear, however vile. - -Nevertheless, it was felt throughout the settlement that there had -come into their peaceful midst an appalling danger, and the subject -came into their prayers continually. The strangers, having made a -rapid recovery, swaggered about the little settlement as if they were -the lords of it, rather enjoying the whole-hearted terror of them -evinced by the younger folk, and yet cursing vigorously what they -were pleased to call the inhospitable way in which they were being -treated. By this time the islanders had discovered that they were -harbouring two criminals of the blackest dye, men from whom the least -vestige of goodness was absent, whose thoughts were only evil, and -that continually. Worse still, it seemed as if the island was likely -to be cursed with their presence for an indefinite time, for upon -the suggestion that they would be able to leave by the first ship -that called at the island the two desperadoes avowed with awful words -that they were not going to risk their liberty in any ship whatever. -They were quite contented, they said, in their present position, and -proposed to marry and settle down. - -What that prospect meant to the islanders can hardly be realized unless -the readers have entered into the spirit of this happy community. -The advent of a couple of man-eating tigers in some peaceful, lonely -village here in England could not cause as much terror, because -sportsmen would speedily be forthcoming who would slay the beasts, and -these human beasts, though far more dangerous than tigers, could not be -destroyed in the same manner. And day by day those patient, peaceful -people watched and waited and prayed, yet feared what they could not -help feeling was the approaching tragedy. - -It is not too much to say that the whole course of life in that lovely -island home was embittered by the presence of these two degenerate -children of French civilization, who prated and bragged of their -superiority to all law, and being Anarchists and free, professing -indeed much the same principles that some of our legislators do -to-day, although the latter are hardly prepared as yet to carry those -principles to their logical conclusion. - -Deliverance from this terrible incubus came in dramatic fashion. By -some means, during an extra busy time, the two miscreants had escaped -from the almost ceaseless watchfulness of those set apart for that -purpose. And as they were always planning evil of a certain kind, and -were only waiting fitting opportunity to carry out those plans, they -seized this, to them, favourable chance to attempt a crime which I will -not hint at. It happened that at this very time C. B. had been up the -mountain side after honey, having some days before located a hive. He -was heavily burdened with spoil, and having tramped a good many miles -was feeling healthily weary, when he heard a piercing shriek. It was -the first time in his life that he had ever heard such a sound, but it -focussed all his fears and apprehensions, and for one moment paralyzed -all his energies. - -Then the brave blood surged back from his heart, he dropped his burden -and plunged furiously in the direction of the sound, actuated by he -could not tell what terrible thoughts. A stifled scream spurred him on, -like a buffalo he crashed through all obstacles, arriving presently in -the open of a little glade amidst the thick boscage to find his sister, -his darling Jenny, four years younger than himself, faintly struggling -in the grasp of the two ex-convicts. He was transformed for the moment -into a savage, and leapt upon the nearest with a yell that would have -quite become one of his dusky ancestors. The wretch upon whom he fell, -taken by surprise, had no chance at all, for C. B. snatched him up as -one does a filthy rag and hurled him with tremendous force against -a tree hole, which he struck with a dull crash and fell limp and -motionless. - -The other scoundrel, letting go the trembling girl, rushed off into -the bush, but C. B., full of fury, plunged after him, caught him in a -dozen strides, and battered him with fists and feet in so furious a -manner that in a very short time he was reduced to a helpless lump of -inanimate flesh. Then C. B. desisted, panting, but beginning to feel -compunction for the fury he had been led into, as well as fear that -he had killed one or both of the wretches. But I am truly thankful to -say that such a feeling was only momentary, justification of himself -as being bound to act in the way he did or be unfit to live quickly -succeeded, and he drew himself up again to the full stature of his -grand young manhood. And then he thought of his poor young sister; but -she, as soon as she was released from her savage assailants, had fled -with the swiftness of an antelope to the settlement, nor stayed until -she had found a group of men, to whom she told her story. - -So as C. B. was puzzling himself as to how he should secure his -prisoners--for, of course, he so regarded them--three stalwart men, -one of whom was his father, came crashing through the undergrowth and -greeted him warmly. He said little but pointed to the evidence of his -prowess. Both of the villains were just recovering from the shocks they -had received, and were looking almost as if they had been dragged along -under a harrow. They were very subdued, and regarded C. B. with a great -deal of respect, making no attempt at resistance as they were led away -toward the village. - -By this time the news of the affair had spread, and the whole -community were gathering with looks of horror and consternation at -the two wretches who had thus repaid, or attempted to repay, the -loving-kindness to which they owed life and health. But little was -said, and that only in whispers, as the prisoners were led to the house -of the old patriarch who was at once minister and dispenser of law, the -latter function indeed being quite a sinecure among this people whose -love of righteousness was inbred and fostered in every imaginable way. - -Arriving there, they were consigned to as near a substitute for a -prison as the island afforded, a strongly built outhouse, their hurts -being attended to and food and drink supplied them. Then they were left -under guard, being informed that any attempt on their part to break -loose would be followed immediately by their being tied up, for as -they had chosen to behave as wild beasts, they must look to be treated -as dangerous, and every precaution taken against them. Thoroughly -cowed for the time by the rough handling they had received, the only -argument they could understand, they attempted no protest against -their confinement, but sullenly accepted what was given them and done -for them like men accustomed to bow submissively to the inevitable. -And thus they were left to themselves, the guard keeping close watch -outside. - -Meanwhile the conduct of C. B. came under strong discussion. No one -attempted to suggest that he had acted wrongly, for all were agreed -that it was a matter of deepest thankfulness to God that he had arrived -so opportunely and acted as promptly as he had done, and yet there was -something disquieting, not merely to the community, but to himself, in -the fact that he had given way to such an outburst of savagery. And all -felt how terrible a thing it would have been if he had slain either or -both of the villains, as he would most likely have done had he carried -a weapon. He attempted no justification, showed no repentance for his -action, but frankly admitted that he was horrified to find that he had -so much of the savage in him. And strange as it may seem, though all -looked upon him as quite a hero, it is no less true that with their -admiration was mingled another feeling which they could not conceal, a -feeling which made them hold themselves slightly aloof from him and the -sense of which cut him to the quick. - -This, added to his previous unrest of spirit, decided him in his -half-formed idea of leaving the island at the first opportunity and -seeing the world. There was just a trace of bitterness in the thought -that his resolution should have been fixed by an event of which he -could not but feel proud, and could not help thinking should have made -all his acquaintances proud of him too. But there it was, and no amount -of meditation or self-examination would avail to alter it. So at the -earliest opportunity when he was alone with his parents he told them -of his resolve. For a few minutes neither spoke, and then his still -beautiful mother broke the silence, saying-- - -“Have you consulted the Lord about it, dear boy?” - -“Yes, mother,” he replied truly, “but I have not asked for any guidance -in the matter, for I feel, I have long felt, led to go. And I don’t -believe that such a strong inclination as I have towards something that -certainly is not wrong can be of the evil one. Besides it is not my own -pleasure I am seeking, neither am I tired of my lovely home, but--well, -I must go, that’s all.” - -Thereafter his father and mother regarded the matter as settled, -only mother like, Grace hoped that it might be a long time before an -opportunity came--she wanted to keep her boy as long as possible. But -it fell out that only a fortnight afterwards an extraordinary event for -the islanders occurred: two vessels arrived off the landing place in -one day and hove-to, one the British war-vessel _Thetis_, and the other -the American whale-ship _Eliza Adams_, of New Bedford. Joyfully the -boats’ crews sprang into their craft and pulled out to the vessels, one -visiting the man-o’-war to convey the respects of the whole community -to the representative of the country they loved so well, and the other, -steered by C. B., to the whale-ship to inquire after their wants. - -As soon as Philip, who was in charge of the first boat, had climbed on -board and had saluted the deck, he inquired for the captain, and first, -in time-honoured fashion, begged him to consider the resources of the -island at his disposal and to do them the honour of paying them a visit -to the shore in their boat. The captain having gravely accepted the -latter invitation and declared his intention of paying for whatever -produce they might supply, Philip informed him that they had a favour -to ask which they earnestly hoped he would see his way to grant, and -then proceeded to tell him the story of their undesirable visitors, -assuring him that the peace of the island had been destroyed since -their arrival, and that now matters were worse than ever, since the -miscreants must needs be watched day and night lest they should escape -and do some fiendish deed in revenge, adding that on their own showing -they were capable of any villainy. The captain listened patiently, and -as soon as Philip had done talking replied in cheery tones-- - -“Make your mind easy, Mr. Adams; it’s not only a pleasure to grant your -request to take these scoundrels off your hands, but my duty. I have -been officially warned of their escape by the authorities and told to -look out for them, and I shall be only too glad to rid you of them.” - -Philip thanked the captain and requested the loan of a couple of pairs -of handcuffs, saying that he would not put the captain to the trouble -of sending a boat for them but would bring them off. The captain -immediately assented, and in five minutes’ time the boat was flying -shoreward with the captain and two of his officers seated in the stern -sheets, quite glad of the opportunity afforded them of visiting this -wonderful little community whose fame as a model settlement had spread -all over the English-speaking world. - -But the joy of the islanders who can depict, when Philip told them of -their approaching deliverance from the misery under which they had -laboured. Do not think them selfish or unmindful of their obligations -to their fellow-men because they were glad to get rid of these -undesirables. Had the latter been amenable to kindness or at all to -be influenced by goodness so palpably manifested towards them, things -would have been quite different. Every effort had been made, more by -practice even than precept, to soften those flinty natures, but all -such attempts had been met by the most brutal and hideous language as -well as threats, of diabolical revenge if ever the chance came. It -delighted those foul creatures to see the islanders wince at the awful -words and blanch at what they were by no means inclined to regard empty -threats, although it was happily impossible for them to realize fully -the significance of some of the worst of them. - -Most of the islanders were on the strand ready to welcome the captain -of the _Thetis_ when he stepped ashore, and he and his officers were -reverentially borne off to the magistrate’s house, and offered the -best that the island afforded in the way of refreshments. On the way -thither the news flew from lip to lip that they were to be freed from -the prisoners, and the air resounded with songs of thanksgiving. Being -a man of prompt action, Captain Thurston, as soon as he was comfortably -installed at the magistrate’s, asked for the two prisoners to be -brought before him, and as soon as the handcuffs had been put upon them -his wish was obeyed. - -When they were brought he addressed them in French, but was answered -by a flood of foulest abuse, language that made even his tanned cheek -flush and his hand seek the sword at his side. But he quickly mastered -his rising temper and ordered them to be taken away and held in -readiness for carrying on board. Turning to his host, he said quietly-- - -“I think you are to be congratulated in that you have escaped serious -injury at the hands of these ruffians, for I don’t think they would -hesitate to commit any crime that lay within their power if the fit -seized them.” - -To which the dear old man made answer-- - -“We have never ceased thanking God for that He saved us from such a -calamity as that would have been, and we have now the answer to our -prayers that He would send a British man-o’-war to take them away from -our midst lest our vigilance should relax and they break out among us -like two ravening wolves in a flock of sheep.” - -But we must return to C. B. on his separate mission to the whaler. As -he swung his boat around and came alongside of her in true whaling -fashion he was conscious that all hands were watching him, from the -four pairs of keen eyes at the mastheads to the captain on top of the -little monkey poop. But he was well trained and in no way shy, so he -swung himself on board, being met by the mate and greeted cordially. -All hands were gathered in the waist, separate, of course, according to -their station, and admiring glances were cast upon their magnificent -young visitor, who towered nearly a head and shoulders over the tallest -man there. His simple garb of shirt and trousers, the former buttonless -and with sleeves cut off above the elbow, and the latter rolled up to -the knees, set off his splendid proportions to the best advantage, -while his noble head, bare save for clustering curls, and with a face -of rare open beauty, apparently fascinated every one there. - -The mate in particular was almost stupefied, but pulled himself -together quickly, saying-- - -“Come aft, young man, an’ see th’ capt’n; we’re in want of fresh -provisions, an’ we hope that there war canoe won’t scoff the hull -amount befo’ we can get a look in.” - -C. B. turned on him a dazzling smile, showing two perfect rows of teeth -as white as curd and remarked-- - -“That isn’t our fashion, sir. Whatever we have to dispose of, be sure -you shall have your share of it. I will guarantee that.” - -The mate muttered something which sounded like “Sure enough white man, -any way;” and, confronted with the skipper, introduced the visitor. - -Captain Taber was a man whose aspect alone was sufficient to win -confidence from any one not absolutely beyond the pale. He was one -of the grand old Quaker type who dare do anything but lie or cheat, -inflexibly just but tenderly merciful also where mercy was not a -cruelty. You could not look into those deep grey eyes and mistrust him, -the firm curves of the closely shut mouth and the huge benevolent nose -spelt good man in characters that those who ran might read. He wore the -old typical Yankee beard with clean shaven upper lip, and his garb was -a long grey coat and broad-brimmed grey felt hat. Grasping his visitor -firmly by the hand, he said, “Welcome, young man, aboard th’ _Eliza -Adams_. I’m glad to see you, and indeed it isn’t every day one’s eyes -light upon so fine a specimen o’ mankind as you be. Now what ha’ ye got -to trade? We’re in want of fresh provisions of all kinds if you can -make the price to suit us.” - -“If you have ever been here before or to Pitcairn, captain,” replied -C. B., “you’ll know that dollars mean nothing to us. Clothing, dress -material, tools and books, are our chief need, and we are always -prepared to deal liberally with everybody or not at all. We may not -be able to supply you as amply as we would like to-day because of the -arrival of the warship, but as I told your mate, we shall show the -strictest impartiality in dividing what we have to sell.” - -For a moment the captain gazed at C. B. in silence, and then turning to -his mate, said-- - -“Say, Mr. Winsloe, it ain’t often you find the contents match the -casket, is it? But here’s a feller ez handsom’ as a statoo, an’ talkin’ -like an angel. Well, he’s a phenomenon.” Then, turning to C. B., the -old man said-- - -“Excuse me, I forgot my manners; you see we don’t come across men like -you every day.” - -C. B. smiled shyly and answered, “It’s all right, sir, I was hardly -noticing. In fact, I was just then thinking of asking you whether by -any chance you might have a vacancy aboard for a boat-steerer?” The -skipper’s face was a study as he stood transfixed with astonishment and -then burst into a roar of happy laughter, while the big tears ran down -his russet cheeks. When at last he recovered his breath he gasped-- - -“Well, now, if that don’t beat all. Ben short of a harponeer goin’ on -three months since poor Diego got chawed up, and here’s one ready made -for us, that is if he can handle an iron like he can a steer-oar. Can -ye now by any happy chance?” he inquired almost wistfully of the young -man. - -“If you’ll let me try, sir, with one of the irons in the waist-boat -I’ll show you,” replied C. B. - -The skipper nodded assent, and C. B., shouting to one of his boat’s -crew to throw him up the baling gourd, sprang into the waist-boat with -it, and when he had bent on a lance warp or short line to a harpoon -he flung the gourd well away from the ship into the sea. Then poising -the heavy weapon he balanced himself for a moment, a perfect model for -a sculptor, and hurled it at the tiny object. The harpoon described -a regular parabola and fell, splitting the gourd in half, while an -involuntary cheer went up from the crew. - -“That’s as good as I want,” muttered the skipper, and then aloud to C. -B.: “Had any experience on whale?” - -“Oh yes, sir,” brightly responded the young man, “we do considerable -whaling here. In fact, we’ve got about thirty barrels of humpback oil -here now; we’d be glad to trade with you if we can come to terms.” - -“All right,” returned the captain, “we’ll talk about that later; the -thing now is to get you. Half the cruise is over, that is I can engage -you for about two years at the fiftieth lay and three hundred dollars a -ton for sperm oil, market price for black. An’ if you’re willin’, I’ll -put you on the articles now.” - -“I came principally for that purpose,” replied C. B. with sincerity, -and within ten minutes he was enrolled as captain’s boat-steerer of the -ship _Eliza Adams_, presently cruising for sperm whales in the Pacific -Ocean with some twenty-two months of her voyage to serve. - -I cannot say that C. B. felt excited or uplifted at this accomplishment -of his desires, but he certainly felt that satisfaction which arises -from the banishment of uncertainty, and with a contented face he took -his position in his boat again ready to pilot the skipper in, who was -lowering his own boat. A very few words sufficed to convey to his -friends in the boat the news of his step, but they were enough to -reduce the warm-hearted fellows to tears. For the departure of any -one from that happy community, where all were related and where all -were friends, was looked upon by everybody in the nature of a personal -bereavement, and indeed was considered much more serious than death, -because when any one died those remaining really believed that the -departed one had entered into a far happier state of life than could be -possible on earth, and that sorrow for them was unnatural and wrong. - -But no word was spoken as they sped towards the beach, the seasoned -hands in the skipper’s boat straining every nerve to keep up with them. -A bit of skilful piloting was needed, but the skipper was an old hand -at surf boating, and handled his boat with consummate skill. And as -soon as she touched the beach there were twenty willing hands ready to -grab her and run her up until the wave receded, when all hands jumped -out and assisted to drag her high and dry. - -In five minutes the news had spread to every member of the community -that C. B. was going away, and great were the lamentations. Indeed, it -was fortunate that the captain of the _Thetis_ demanded their attention -as he had to hurry away, as that took the edge off somewhat. C. B.’s -boat with a fresh crew was requisitioned to carry off the huge load -of fresh fruit, meat and vegetables that had been collected, while -the captain with the two desperadoes would go off in a boat free from -a hampering load of provisions. Glad as they were to get rid of the -terrible creatures that had worried them so long, and also that they -had been of service to a man-o’-war, there were few of the usual -demonstrations as the boats pushed off, for their hearts were very -heavy at the loss of C. B., in spite of all they had felt lately. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -C. B.’s Departure - - -Now that this momentous time in our hero’s life had arrived, all the -affection felt for him by every member of the community welled up, and -the slight reserve, manifested in spite of all efforts to hide it, -because of his furious onslaught upon the savage strangers, melted -away, leaving not a trace behind. He was hardly left alone a minute; -both men and women crowded around him as if eager to see everything -they could of him as long as they could. Many of the girls wept -copiously, for he had been secretly worshipped by a goodly number of -them, although he was quite fancy free, and had never singled one out -for special notice. He might have been affianced to any girl he chose, -for he possessed all the qualities that make a man beloved, but by -some curious twist, the delights of love for the other sex had never -appealed to him--as yet the love of one Christian for another, fostered -by the love of God as it should be, had been found all sufficient for -the needs of his heart. - -At all this display of affection Captain Taber looked on amazed, for -he had never seen anything like it before. In his experience people -were shy of showing how much they loved a popular favourite, but -these simple children of the sun believed in showing their love and -were in no wise ashamed of doing so. He kept close by C. B.’s mother, -who exercised a sort of fascination over him, and in response to her -repeated entreaties that he would be good to her boy, replied-- - -“My dear lady, for lady you are of the greatest, I regard your son as a -holy trust. He’s just the finest man to look at and hear speak I ever -set eyes on, and as far as I am concerned, you may take it that he’ll -do well. I have no favourites; as long as a man does his duty on board -my ship he’s entitled to and gets the best treatment I can give him, -and I take care that he isn’t put upon by anybody. But be comforted, -marm, your son’s bound to make his way anywhere. He’ll get imposed -upon, of course, until he learns that people such as you are very -scarce outside this island. But that won’t do him much harm, I take it. -Hallo! what’s this?” - -_This_ was the gathering together of the entire population of the -island, including the temporary visitors, upon an open grassy knoll -almost in the centre of the settlement, which was quite near to -where Captain Taber and Grace were standing. As the people disposed -themselves in picturesque attitudes upon the grass, Grace said to the -captain-- - -“They are about to hold a prayer meeting to commend my son to the -care of God while he is absent from us. We always do it when any one -leaves the island, for we know how lonely they will feel but for the -fellowship of Jesus.” - -The captain bowed his head gravely, but did not trust himself to say -anything. For one thing he felt sad and ashamed, knowing how careless -and lax in respect to spiritual things he had long been, although his -innate kindliness and sweet temper had preserved him from much evil. - -The captain of the _Thetis_ drew near and exchanged a cordial -handshake with his American compeer, saying as he did so-- - -“We are apparently about to witness a peculiar sight--a whole people at -prayer who all believe in what they’re doing. It is a moving spectacle.” - -There was no time for more conversation, for all had arrived, and -without further delay the white-haired old patriarch took up his -parable, saying to his assembled flock-- - -“My beloved ones, let us in accordance with our valued custom commend -our brother Christmas Bounty Adams to our loving Father. He goes out -from us for a time into a world where we have heard that the name -of God is lightly esteemed, where the worship of God is performed -at stated intervals, but the life that has God for its centre and -circumference is known to and lived by but a very few. But our God is -able to keep our dear brother as he kept Philip his father, and we send -him away full of confidence that he will live so as to show every one -with whom he comes in contact that he is a Christ’s man and that it is -a good and pleasant thing to be so. Now let us sing our favourite hymn, -‘O God of Bethel, by whose Hand.’” - -The two captains turned pale under their tan, and their frames trembled -with emotion as the glorious burst of human melody, unaided by any -instrument, rose upon the still air. Never had they imagined anything -like it, nor could they hardly believe their eyes when they saw the -tears streaming down nearly every face. And when at last the sweet -strains ceased, it seemed as if a certain beauty had suddenly left -the world. Then the grand old leader’s voice arose in tenderest, -most intimate intercourse with their Friend and Father. Nothing of -the stereotyped, pumped-up oration, utterly misnamed prayer, so -often heard in pseudo prayer meetings, but the close confidence of -beloved children with a Father whose love was known and proved hourly -throughout life. When he had finished, Philip stood up in touching -simplicity and blessed God for his son’s strength and beauty and good -life, held him up in his spiritual arms as it were, and gave him to -the Father as Abraham did Isaac. Grace followed in an even deeper, -sweeter strain, and then as her voice faltered and died away, as if -at a preconcerted signal, all the gathering broke out in the majestic -strains of St. Ann’s to “O God, our help in ages past,” followed -immediately by the Old Hundredth. - -The two captains were close together all the time, but neither spoke, -hardly breathed, so impressed were they by the simple yet tremendous -scene. When all was over, Captain Taber said sententiously-- - -“This just lays over all my experience. I’ve been to camp meetin’s -before now and they begun quiet enough, but before they got far there -was mor’en half of ’em just crazy, jumping mad, howlin’ and screechin’ -like ’sif they was possessed with devils, as the Scripture says. But -these folks seems full of earnestness, yet quiet and reverent all the -time.” - -“Yes,” responded the British captain, “though I’ve never been to a -camp meeting, I’ve been to some other meetings in England where the -behaviour of the folks has made me blush all over my body. And then -again I’ve been to other meetings where everything was so formal and -perfunctory that I could not think that any of them believed what they -were saying or what they were hearing.” - -Just then the old patriarch came up and claimed his guest, the British -captain, but the latter said that he must rejoin his ship at once -if the stuff was ready that he had purchased. He was amazed to find -that during his stay ashore one heavy boatload had already been taken -aboard, inquiring as he did so if his two passengers were ready and he -would see them put on board. They were brought along helpless to hurt -anybody, but using their foul tongues to their full power. The captain -had serious thoughts of gagging them, but exercised his patience, -remembering that once in the cells on board of his ship they might -curse themselves dumb and hurt nobody’s ears. - -So he departed, never to forget that visit and never to be forgotten -by the people whom he had relieved, and in an hour’s time the _Thetis_ -turned on her heel and sped seaward on her way to Sydney. Then came C. -B.’s turn. All his farewells were said, his exceedingly scanty wardrobe -was packed in a mat, and all being snugly stowed in the whaleship’s -boat, he, at the captain’s request, took the steer oar, while willing, -loving hands ran the boat out on the crest of a departing roller and, -the oars being handled with the usual skill, she shot out into the -smooth beyond, amidst a chorus of farewells rapidly growing fainter as -she receded. - -Reaching the ship the ample load of fresh provisions was taken aboard -with the usual smartness, and the boat hoisted into her place, while -the new-comer gazed with keenest interest as the sails were trimmed and -the ship filled away. For it must be remembered that for all his skill -in handling a boat, whether under sail or oars, and his many visits to -vessels, he had hitherto never been on board one of them while she was -being handled, and consequently the whole business was of the newest -and strangest to him. And here I must say that in all my conversations -with landsmen about the sea life, I have ever found it one of the -hardest tasks to explain that even the most experienced sailors, -upon first going on board ship, have some considerable difficulty in -becoming acquainted with her details. To the untrained eye she may look -precisely the same as the ship our sailor has just left, but to the -man who has to find in the blackest depth of night the gear about the -deck by means of which the sails high over head are worked, there are -certain to be many acute differences leading to much blundering and -botherment until he gets used to them. - -But this is very technical and needs much more space than can be spared -to elucidate it properly, and even then I doubt very much whether -the result would be considered worth while. So I fall back upon the -fact that C. B., grand fellow as he undoubtedly was, stood and looked -at what was going on, as the _Eliza Adams’_ yards were trimmed for -standing off to sea, with a sense of utter bewilderment, which went -far to dispel the admiration that his fine physique had excited among -the crew in the morning--especially among his fellows, the other -harponeers, who were all Portuguese, all full of enthusiasm for -their business as well as of skill in carrying it on, but absolutely -destitute of the finer feelings of humanity, ruthless and cruel beyond -belief, and only restrained from excesses among their boats’ crews -while on a whale by a wholesome respect for the strong man who ruled -them. - -These men bore no good will towards C. B. as a stranger and an -interloper, and besides, they were jealous of the favour with which -the skipper regarded him. Therefore, when he exhibited his ignorance -of the handling of the ship, they were unrestrained in their jeering -at him, and used their coarse limited English to its full extent in -letting him see how they regarded him. But he only looked at them -thoughtfully and wondered why they thus spoke to him, seeing that he -had not offended them in any way as far as he could tell. And then -the ship being fairly on her course for the south-east the mate, Mr. -Winsloe, came to him and said-- - -“Now then, C. B., you had better see your quarters and make yourself -acquainted with your shipmates. I can see you know but dern little -about a ship, but I guess you’ll learn mighty quick. Come along.” - -He led C. B. below to the narrow apartment on the port side where the -harponeers, the carpenter and cooper, cook and steward lived together -in a certain state, waited upon by a mulatto lad, and fed in precisely -the same way as the captain and officers. Here Mr. Winsloe introduced -him to the senior harponeer, a huge black Portuguese from Terceira, -saying-- - -“Pepe, just take this chap in hand and show him the ropes. I believe -he’s a boss whaleman, but a ship’s strange to him, and we want him to -get used to her as soon as may be. And say”--here his voice dropped to -a whisper--“just pass the word to the other fellows that there’s to be -no fool hazing of this chap. He’s too good for it and we don’t want him -spoiled. Besides, he’s quite up to acting ugly, and if he does and gets -a knife between his ribs there’s going to be big trouble with the old -man, an’ a joke ain’t worth all that.” - -Fortunately C. B. heard nothing of this, but he noted the deep scowl on -Pepe’s face as he replied-- - -“All right, sir. But you don’t ’spects me to look after him ’n keep -d’other fellows from hazin’ ’im, do ye? Kaze if ye do I cain’t say as I -thinks it far an’ reasonable, specially as he’s such a greenie.” - -“Now, that’s enough er that guff, Pepe,” returned the mate warningly; -“I know all about you and you know all about me.” Then turning to C. B. -the mate went on-- - -“Now, young man, this is your home and this man is the boss of the -show, not but what you’re all equal in theory; but there, you’ll find -out what I mean quick enough, and I hope you’ll learn how to take a -good-natured joke if you don’t know already.” And he departed on deck -again, leaving the two men face to face. - -For a while they eyed each other in silence, each apparently engaged in -taking the other’s measure; but while C. B.’s gaze was full of kindly -consideration, Pepe’s looked full of scowling hatred. At last Pepe -muttered some foul remark and turned away somewhat discomfited. He -could not understand the calm untroubled gaze, and he was far too good -a judge of men not to know that the young giant that stood before him -would be much too big a handful for even him to manage, big as he was, -if it came to a rough and tumble. This in itself was enough to make him -dislike the new-comer, for no man likes being suddenly deposed from a -position of supremacy over his fellows. - -Then the other harponeers came trooping down to supper, followed by the -carpenter and cooper, who were both taciturn Down East Yankees of a -good type, but, like most of their kind, utterly callous and godless, -although splendid workmen and brave men. In the babel that ensued C. B. -could not but notice that there were many blasphemous remarks levelled -at him obliquely, although no one spoke to him direct. And this was -in truth a fiery ordeal, seeing that he had never in his life heard -anything of the kind except a few broken words that the two escaped -prisoners used so freely, and they were scarcely intelligible to him. -But far harder to bear than that, he noted with surprise, was the air -of enmity aroused by his presence; he who was so sensitive that even -the slight reserve manifested towards him after his outbreak in defence -of his sister had cut him to the very soul. - -But his father had warned him that he might expect something of the -sort and that he must steel his heart against it, be strong to endure -and rest in the Lord, like the three holy children before the king of -Babylon. So he breathed an inward prayer for strength, and drawing -up to a vacant place at the table, helped himself to some food. From -life-long habit he bowed his head over his plate in thanks to the Giver -for a moment, and there burst out a roar of harsh laughter. But this -created a diversion, for the cooper growled-- - -“Shet up, ye heathen, an’ don’t jeer a better man than yerselves when -he’s asking a blessin’. Doan’t ye take no notice of ’em, youngster; -they don’t know no better.” - -C. B. gave him a grateful glance and bravely attacked his food, having -a perfectly healthy appetite, and the meal proceeded in silence. But -when all hands lit pipes and corn cob cigarettes, the reek of the place -immediately sickened him, and turning deathly pale he hurried on deck -for air. The smell of the place, full as it was of the odours of stale -oil, the smoke from the lamp and the effluvia of bilge-water, was bad -enough to lungs that had always been accustomed to pure air, and the -added fumes of tobacco made the combination unbearable. - -On deck it was beautiful; a strong breeze was blowing, and the sturdy -ship under easy sail was making good way through the water. Under the -brilliant moon the bold outlines of his island home were fast fading -into indistinctness, and for all his high resolves he felt a pang as he -thought of all that he had left and the unknown troubles he was going -to meet. And then a deep kindly voice behind him said-- - -“Well, Mr. Man, feeling a bit homesick, are ye? That’ll wear off mighty -sudden, but in the meantime you’ve got to have some clothes. Come down -into the cuddy and I’ll fit ye up.” - -It was the captain who had sought him out, knowing how easy it is for -these islanders to get a chill when first leaving the genial climate -of their home for the wide keenness of the sea, and knowing too how -scantily his new recruit was provided with clothes. So together they -went down into the little cabin, where, aided by the steward, Captain -Taber produced a complete outfit of clothes including boots, which C. -B. looked dubiously at and then shook his head merrily, saying-- - -“I’ve never had a boot on in my life, captain, and I’m afraid I -shouldn’t be able to walk in them now.” - -“True, my boy, I’d forgotten that,” laughed the skipper. “Well, we’ll -cut the boots out, and now your account is twenty-two dollars, so you’d -better pray for whale to enable you to pay off your score. Cart your -dunnage below and get off to ye’er bunk, for I guess you’ve got the -middle watch.” - -C. B. gathered up his bundle of clothes and carried them to his berth, -where he found several of his berth-mates had already turned in, but -they were all smoking furiously. So he could only stay below long -enough to get into some warm clothing, and then, feeling sick and -silly, he climbed on deck again, a blanket on his arm, to seek a spot -where he might sleep without fear of being suffocated. This experience -of knowing not where to lay his head was totally unexpected by him, for -it was the one thing his father had omitted to mention as being among -the hardships of a seafaring life. And he began to wonder whether in -all his career he should meet with anything harder to bear, being by -nature a perfect lover of pure air. - -However, he found a corner which struck him as being out of the way, -and laid himself down upon the planks, drew the blanket over himself -and commended himself to God, and like a perfectly healthy animal was -almost immediately fast asleep. He was roughly aroused at midnight by -one of the harponeers, who inquired caustically whether he thought he -was going to be a passenger and have all night in. He at once sprang up -and asked what his duties were, but his interlocutor turned away with a -mocking laugh, muttering-- - -“Ef yew fink Ise goin’ t’ be yer nuss yous way off.” - -So he went aft, where his instinct told him he should find the officer -of the watch, and when he discovered that functionary, a thickset -taciturn Yankee from Providence, Rhode Island, he courteously asked him -if he might be told what to do. Mr. Spurrell gave a snort, being in a -middle-watch humour, but he was a man of the most inflexible justice, -and his leading principle compelled him to answer the honest question -straightforwardly, instead of as so often happens overwhelming the -novice with contumely for asking. He informed C. B. that his only duty -was to keep on the alert, going forward occasionally to see if the -lookout was being properly kept by the man, and if any sail-trimming -had to be done to try and master the details of it, the how and why, -so that presently in case of an emergency he might be able to take the -watch himself. - -C. B. thanked the officer gravely, and then, a happy thought striking -him, asked if he might put in his first watch on deck learning to steer -the ship. Steering a boat he was as we know an adept at, but using -a ship’s wheel and compass is a very different matter, and he was -unwilling to remain ignorant of anything for a moment longer than was -necessary for him to learn it. Fortunately there was an able Kanaka -from Samoa at the wheel, who spoke reasonably understandable English -and was delighted to show C. B. all he knew. Thus it came about that at -four bells, that is at the end of the Samoan’s trick at the wheel, C. -B. could steer almost as well as his teacher. For there are some men -born helmsmen, who learn with astounding ease and rapidity, others who -to the last day of their lives never seem to be able to keep a ship, -a sailing ship that is, anywhere near her course. Of course steering -steamships is, like so many other things at sea in steamers, a purely -mechanical process, and if a man does not do it well it argues that he -is careless or lazy or both. - -The wind held steady, so that the new-comer had no opportunity of -learning anything about sail handling this watch, but it had passed -away very rapidly and pleasantly, and when eight bells struck C. B. -felt more contented than he had been since coming on board. Also he -recognized how much he would have to learn, and was correspondingly -eager to get on with that learning. But now he had to face the hole -below, for the work of cleansing the ship for the day was beginning, -the _Eliza Adams_ being, like all those old-time south-seamen from -New England, kept as spick and span as any yacht, quite contrary to -generally accepted notions, and also in great contrast to the condition -in which our English whalers used to be allowed to remain. - -The foul atmosphere caught him by the throat as he entered, but he -set his teeth and persevered, climbing into his bunk and lying there -suffering until he went off into an almost drugged slumber. From this -he was aroused at seven bells, 7.20 a.m., to breakfast, which was good -and plentiful; but he was not able to eat a morsel, and had to rush -on deck for relief. As soon as he appeared the captain saw him, and -immediately noticed that there was something wrong with him. Calling -him, the skipper inquired in kindly fashion after his health, and -on being told what was the matter, raised his eyebrows wonderingly, -for the complaint was new to him. And indeed it is nothing short of -miraculous to me how men could live at all in such foul dens, reeking -with stench and disease-laden air as they were. But of course the -poisoning process did not go on long enough to kill, and the strong -pure air of heaven when they came on deck soon acted as an antidote -to the evil in the blood. A greater mystery still is the way in which -our peasantry deliberately choose thus to poison themselves. Working -all day in the strong pure breath of the fields, they will go to their -cottages and, in company with a large family, close up every cranny -whereby a little fresh air can creep in, and soak in that foul fug -until the morning. Ugh! - -So all the consolation the skipper could give C. B. was that he would -soon get used to it as everybody else had to. And with that poor -comfort C. B. had to be content. Now while the captain went on talking -to him about the island life there was a cry from aloft, “Porps, -porps.” A school of porpoises had joined the vessel, and were indulging -in their graceful sinewy gambols under the bows as usual. - -“Now, my boy,” cried the skipper, “is your time to show your shipmates -what you can do with the iron. Your shot yesterday was a fancy one, -I’ll admit, but this is a different matter. Come along forrard.” - -Already a harpoon had been passed out to the bowsprit and attached to a -stout line, which was rove through a block secured there in readiness -and the other end passed in on deck. At the skipper’s direction C. B. -slid down the martingale on to the guys and stood there, his shoulders -braced against the martingale or dolphin-striker, while the old ship -plunged along, occasionally bringing his feet within a few inches of -the waves. - -Beneath him the graceful agile sea-creatures rolled and sprang and -plunged like mad things in the seething foam from the bluff bows of the -advancing ship. C. B. poised his iron, pointed it at one of the rising -porpoises, and at the moment it broke the water beneath him the iron -flew from his hands. It struck the creature fairly in the middle of the -back and sank through him as C. B. shouted-- - -“Haul up!” - -And the men on deck running away with the line jerked the writhing mass -out of the water up to the block, where a running bowline was dropped -over its broad tail, by means of which it was hauled inboard. Another -iron was hastily bent on and passed out, and the first victim had -hardly been cut loose from the barb before another was transfixed in -the same manner and lay struggling by the side of its fellow. - -Again and again the feat was repeated, for the new harponeer’s aim -seemed to be unerring, until eleven large porpoises lay in a heap -abaft the windlass. And then a really wonderful thing happened. Two -porpoises rose at once, rolling over and over each other as they did -so, and just as they broke water the harpoon flew and pierced them both -at once! Almost all hands saw the amazing stroke, and a great shout -of approbation went up, for none of them had ever seen such a feat -performed before. - -The pair were hauled inboard and another shot made, but this time the -iron went through the creature’s side, and in its tremendous efforts -it wrenched the iron out of its body and fell, a torn and bleeding -mass, back into the sea. In a moment the whole school rushed after it -and, like a pack of starving wolves, rent it in fragments, leaping -high into the air in their frenzied eagerness to get a share of the -cannibal feast. So there was no more hunting for the time, but C. B.’s -reputation as a harponeer was established upon the firmest basis, -and only his fellow-harponeers were ungenerous enough to mutter that -perhaps he wouldn’t do so well when it came to striking whales. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -C. B. Justifies His Position - - -It was Captain Taber’s intention to proceed in leisurely fashion -towards what we know as the “off-shore” grounds, by which term is meant -an immense oblong tract of sea off the west coast of South America, -extending for about a thousand miles to the westward and from about -50° south nearly to the Equator. This has always been a favourite -habitat of the sperm whale, and although not quite so prolific as the -Japan grounds or the vicinity of New Zealand, it has sometimes yielded -splendid results. But it will be easily understood that in so vast an -area, wherein the vision from the crow’s-nest of a single ship, or -say a circle 90 miles in circumference, is but a speck and that only -available by day, it is quite possible for a cruising ship to be many -weeks on the ground and never see a solitary spout of a payable whale. -And this too although the numbers of these creatures then frequenting a -favourite haunt may be incalculable. - -Few people, even sailors, can realize in any adequate measure the -immensity of the ocean, the vastness of the great lone spaces of the -deep. The best method I know to bring this home to one’s mind is to -come up channel, one of the very busiest of all ocean thoroughfares, on -a gloriously fine day and count the number of vessels seen. Of course -I assume that the course is in mid-channel, and thus out of the range -of the fishing-boats. The result is amazing. I have only just returned -from a cruise in the Channel with the Home Fleet, when we were never -more than twenty miles off shore, and I do not recall any one time -that we had beside our own ships more than three vessels in sight. If -then this be the case in the quite narrow waters of the greatest ocean -highway in the world, what must it be where the ocean spreads from -one quarter of the world to another? And no people realize this more -fully than whalers, who know what it is to cruise for months in the -unfrequented latitudes where their quarry is most likely to be found, -and who, after a month or so’s unsuccessful search are haunted by the -idea that just beyond the sea-rim, just over the edge of their little -circle, there may be, most likely are, whales in abundance, but in what -direction can they steer so as to come up with them? - -But to return to C. B. Little by little he became accustomed to the -fetid odours of his quarters, could bear to sleep down there even with -his berth-mates’ pipes all going. But he felt a wide gap in his soul -at the utter absence of one topic from all conversation which during -the whole of his life had been ever uppermost as the most vital and -interesting of all. His soul hungered for some one to talk to about -God; he was horrified almost to faintness at the incessant blasphemy -he heard around him continually; and, although he would not have owned -it to anybody he grieved bitterly in secret that ever he had desired -to leave his home and friends. And a great fear also possessed him -occasionally. It was that he should grow quite indifferent to the -realities of life in the shape of the things of God. Already he fancied -he detected within himself a tolerance of the shameful language current -about him, if only he could hear the stories it conveyed of things -hitherto beyond any apprehension of his. - -In fact, there was going on in the lonely man’s soul a conflict -such as few of us ashore are called upon to face, a struggle with -all the powers of darkness which has to be waged by every newly -converted sailor when he goes to sea again, and finds no fellowship -nor friendliness among his shipmates because he is suspected of -being a Holy Joe. Few things try my patience more than to listen to -hair-splitting doctrinal arguments, whether they be on so-called New -Theology, or the cut of ecclesiastical vestments, while my mind reverts -to the lonely soul in the ship’s fo’c’sle, who has just given his heart -to the Lord, and has been compelled by the exigencies of his calling to -go back to the foul life and conversation which never irked him before, -but now is torture. - -The proverb that a man is known by the company he keeps has no meaning -at sea because your company is not of your own choosing. Detest it -as you may you cannot get away from it, and although you may loathe -every word you hear spoken, being human your gregarious instincts will -assert themselves and fight fiercely against your desire to keep your -mind and heart clean by trying to drive you into the society of those -whose delight it is to outrage every feeling they think you possess of -decency or righteousness. In such a situation as nowhere else in the -world can a man rest upon the promise, “Lo, I am with you alway, even -unto the end of the age.” And happy will he be if the squabbling of -the schoolmen as to the authenticity of the dear words has never come -within his mental purview. - -I think, however, that C. B.’s plight was rather worse than that of the -newly converted sailor. For the latter has been long familiar with the -language, has long known the utter absence of all recognition of God -as having anything to do with men’s lives, and so, though a return to -such environment is utterly distasteful to him, it is not strange, does -not come with so much of a shock. But poor C. B., from his earliest -infancy, had been steeped in the atmosphere of prayer, of the constant -invariable immanence of God and in the belief of His immediate and -benevolent interference in the affairs of His children down here. He -had not been brought up religiously, for the word is suspect; in fact, -as most of us know to our cost, a religious man and an unutterable -scoundrel are often synonymous terms. But he had been bred in the -belief in the Father’s love and the unseen fellowship with Jesus -Christ His Son, Himself manifest in the flesh, and that not because, -hateful devilish thought, there was anything to be made out of it, any -well-deserved punishment to escape from, but because it was entirely -good and pleasant to love the all-Father whose plans and purposes -towards them were only love and that continually. - -One thing, however, came to his aid early in the struggle. It was -the remembrance of a conversation he had had with his parents once -upon the possibility of the islanders’ goodness being of a negative -character. That is to say, they had never been tempted to do wrong, -all their lives had been hemmed in on every side by right-doing and -right-thinking and perhaps, he had only hinted at it, if they had been -subjected to the same trials and tests as the people in the great -world, they would fall, and fall lamentably. He had not claimed for -himself any special strength or virtue, whatever his innermost thoughts -may have been, but he had really felt at the time that his love for God -was so strong and fervent that he would be glad to test it even in the -fiercest fires of persecution. - -Of course he did not in the least anticipate what the reality would -be, no one ever does. He had strung himself up to meet outrage, in -a physical sense to be treated in openly severe ways, not by covert -sarcasm, persistent blasphemy and ignoring of the very right of God -to interfere in the affairs of man. Now he was face to face with the -reality he felt dismayed, but he went to the unfailing resource of the -Christian, he claimed his dearly purchased right of direct intercourse -with the Fountain of love and wisdom and was at once stayed upon the -sure sense of being a child well beloved by the Father. - -He strove manfully also to acquaint himself with all those details -of ship work which he now found to be quite intricate and difficult. -Fortunately his fine physique and utter immunity from sea-sickness -stood him in good stead and he learned rapidly, so that at the end -of a fortnight he began to feel capable of holding his own with his -shipmates. And in consequence of the continually flung hints that he -would be found out when it came to the actual business of whaling he -prayed fervently for a chance to show that in this at any rate he -had nothing to learn here. But as day after day slipped by and no -whales appeared he had to listen to a fresh set of innuendoes from his -berth-mates, who now said that their ill-luck was due to his presence -on board. - -So when he took his spell at the mainmast head in the crow’s-nest, be -sure that his glance never missed any object, however small, that came -within the limits of human sight. At last when about halfway across the -Pacific it happened to be his first two hours in the main crow’s-nest, -from 6 to 8 a.m. The young Kanaka who was with him was sleepy and -lethargic, taking little heed of the necessity for keeping a good look -out in spite of the substantial bounty offered of twenty dollars for -the first sight of an afterwards captured whale making over forty -barrels of oil. C. B. was watchful as usual, for so far as he had yet -lived he had never allowed himself to scamp or neglect any duty. This -was hardly a virtue, it was bred in him. - -And consequently at this time, in the full glory of the early dawn, -while his heart uplifted itself in praise to the Creator of the -beautiful world, all his other senses were concentrated in sight; his -vision ranged ceaselessly over every square foot of the huge circle -of sea of which he was the centre. Then suddenly, from far away on -the Western horizon, there arose from the clear, placid bosom of the -deep a tiny puff as of smoke from a pipe. The watcher stiffened into -rigid attention. Ha, there it is again! another and another, and then -a creamy curdling of the blue water as if its swell had suddenly -met an obstruction. It was enough. Uplifting his mellow voice C. B. -sent through the quiet air the whaler’s musical long-drawn cry of -“Blo-o-o-o-o-w,” the liquid vowels persisting for nearly a minute. As -soon as it ceased there arose from the deck the strong voice of the -skipper, who had rushed on deck from deep sleep at the first beginning -of the cry-- - -“Where away? keep crying.” - -“Bloooooow, Bloooooow,” came the response, and then with a bursting -change: “There--ere--she--white waters--and Blows, Blows, Blow. Broad -on the starboard beam, sir, about ten miles off--seven or eight whales, -sperm whales, Blo-o-o-o-w.” - -There was but a very light breeze on the port quarter, the ship making -about two knots an hour, and the skipper, grabbing his binoculars and -mounting the main rigging, shouted:-- - -“Port braces, bring her head up WNW. Mr. Spurrell, lively now,” the -words exploding as he toiled upward and seated himself on the upper -topsail yard. Meanwhile the other masthead-men had caught sight of -the whales and were all adding their voices to the musical minor wail -that was going up. On deck the watch below were beginning to swarm up; -cleansing gear of brooms, buckets, sand, etc., was being put hurriedly -away, and boats’ gripes cast off, while in each boat the harponeer -might be seen critically examining the state of his weapons. - -Presently the old man’s voice rang out peremptorily-- - -“Down from aloft! See all clear for lowering, call all hands. -Christmas, you’d better git an’ see that all’s right in your boat.” - -As his orders rang out the recipients of them responded severally, and -swiftly the various duties were performed, but with an utter absence -of bustle, for all hands were well trained. C. B. grabbed a backstay -as he slid out of the crow’s-nest hoop and came to the deck like a -flash, plunging at once full of eagerness in the direction of his -boat. But here he found that the fourth mate had been before him and -left nothing for him to do. I have not hitherto spoken of this curious -individual, who is indeed worthy of special notice, because he is quite -a supernumary in time of peace and indeed in time of war has to give -place to the Captain should the latter wish to take the field himself. -He was a Guamese, from the Ladrone Islands, the offspring of a Spanish -father and a Chinese mother, but with practically only the facial -characteristics of the Mongol. He was taciturn to a degree, never -uttering an unnecessary word, although he spoke English fluently as -well as Spanish and the Lingua Franca of the islands with which a man -may get along from Honolulu to Haapai. And he answered to the name of -Merritt, Mr. Merritt. - -Seeing him in the boat, C. B. said pleasantly-- - -“Is there anything I can do, sir?” - -“Get the lines in,” growled the officer, but not uncivilly--it was his -natural mode of expression. And C. B., ready on the instant, turned -to the boat’s crew who stood near and gave the necessary orders. The -two tubs of line were flung into their places and all was ready. From -his lofty perch the skipper’s voice came occasionally in steering -directions as the whales, being on a passage, changed their bearings. -This state of suspense endured for nearly two hours, during which the -whales descended twice, their course, the time of their down-going -and up-coming and the number of their individual spoutings out being -carefully noted, all of which things are guides to the future movements -of the whale of the utmost value. - -For when unmolested and on a passage from one spot to another the sperm -whale steers an exact course, as if directed by compass. So that when -he settles down he heads his course and when he rises again, often -fifty minutes later, he heads still the same way. Moreover the time -he remains below, still when unmolested and on a passage, does not -vary, it is as fixed as in the number of times he breathes on reaching -the surface. But this latter phenomenon does not alter, whether the -creature be unmolested or chased in full health or dying; when rising -to breathe he must obey some strange law compelling him to keep to his -particular number of spouts unless their quantity is cut short by death. - -But it often happens that a school of sperm whales will spend an entire -day upon the surface of the sea, apparently basking in the sunshine -and doing nothing but enjoy the sensation of being peacefully alive. -In this case their spoutings can hardly be seen, so attenuated does the -vapour become as the creature’s air vessels get thoroughly charged with -pure air. On first rising to the surface, after a prolonged stay below, -the breath is so thick that a casual observer could easily mistake -it for water, as indeed has so frequently been done. I can never -understand why, though, because the expelled breath always hangs in the -air like a tiny fog wreath, which water of course could not do. - -This digression, which is hardly unnecessary, I think, is merely to -while away the long wait while the ship creeps up to the spot where the -happily unconscious monsters are pursuing their placid way. At last the -voice of the skipper is heard again, saying-- - -“Lower away, Mr. Winsloe, you’re less than two miles off now. Pull -straight ahead for ten minutes and then set sail. They’re just up and -headin’ as near No’the as makes no odds.” - -“Aye, aye, sir, lower it is,” came the ready response; and with a -musical whir of soft Manilla rope over patent sheaves the four boats -almost simultaneously took the water, the crews slid down the falls -after them and dropped into their places, shoved off, out oars and away. - -It is a stirring sight, the departure of boats after a whale from -a ship. Every man seems so bent upon distinguishing himself. The -flexible ashen oars spring as the weight of the body is thrown upon -them, entering the water cleanly, noiselessly, gripping it firmly and -leaving it as gently as if there had been no force behind the stroke. -The feather is perfect--you cannot pull in a sea way without it, under -pain of a bad chest blow, and the thickly padded rowlocks give no -sound. Suddenly the mate’s boat, leading, gave the signal by shipping -the oars and setting sail and immediately all the crews followed the -example, and the big masts were stepped, the white sails shaken out -to the gentle breeze, and without a sound the graceful craft slipped -through the water towards the still unconscious objects of their -efforts. - -Etiquette demands that the boats shall follow in order of official -precedence, but upon nearing the school that order is usually broken -up entirely by the movements of the whales and it is then a case for -individual smartness to assert itself. So now, just as the mate had -indicated by a wave of his hand that the boats must spread out fanwise, -a huge bull whale, the apparent monarch of the school, rose placidly a -couple of boat’s lengths ahead of C. B. He rose, gripping his iron and -jamming his left thigh in the “clumsy cleat” groove, cut out of the -little fore deck of the boat for that purpose. Hardly had he poised -the heavy weapon when the great back before him rounded upwards like a -bow--sure warning that the whale was about to seek the depths. - -There was a swift movement of the sinewy arms and the iron flew to its -mark at the same moment as Mr. Merritt yelled-- - -“Now then, let him have it!” - -Everybody in the boat saw the iron strike, sink in halfway and bend -over as the massive iron-wood pole, weighted additionally with the -line, sank downwards. But C. B. snatching his second harpoon sent it -whizzing after the first, striking the arrested monster’s side about -three feet away from the first wound. - -Mr. Merritt swung the boat up into the wind, shouting as he did so-- - -“Down with the mast, lively now, hump yerselves,” and all hands sprang -to the task, while the stricken whale, in a paroxysm of mingled terror -and fury, lashed the quiet sea into boiling foam with his gigantic -struggles against this unseen, unknown enemy that had so sorely -wounded him. But none of his efforts, tremendous as they were, had any -intelligent direction; they were just a blind waste of energy, and so -the toiling men were able to get the sail rolled up and secured, the -mast unshipped and fleeted aft, where, with its heel tucked under the -after thwart, it was completely out of the workers’ way, leaving the -boat clear for action. Then, as coolly as if on a pleasure trip and -entirely unheeding the frantic wallowings of the leviathan so near, -Mr. Merritt and C. B. changed ends, the former’s place now being in -the bow, for the purpose of using the lance on the whale, while the -harponeer steered. - -Before, however, Mr. Merritt had got the cap off his favourite lance’s -point there was a sudden cessation of the uproar, a huge whirling in -the sea and the vast body sank from sight, slowly, majestically, as if -the monster had suddenly regained the dignity befitting him in spite -of these new and terrifying circumstances. Now the line attached to -the harpoon led right aft, round a stout oak post built solidly in -the boat, the “loggerhead,” and thence into the tub where two hundred -fathoms of it was neatly coiled, a smaller tub on the other side of the -boat holding a hundred fathoms, but all in one length. - -“Hold him up, hold him up,” growled the officer, as the line began to -glide out slowly, and C. B. responded by taking three turns round the -loggerhead with the line and holding on to it until the boat’s nose was -dragged down to within an inch or two of the water, while all hands, -except the officer, crowded aft as far as they could get, with the -object of putting a check upon the whale’s descent. This is always -done, but remembering the immense power of a whale in addition to his -enormous weight (a full-sized sperm whale weighs considerably over a -hundred tons), its brake power would almost seem commensurate with that -of a fly on a cart wheel. - -Now they were at leisure to look round them to see how the other boats -had fared. But only one was visible, and that was coming towards them -at tremendous speed, obviously being towed by a whale, although he -could not be seen. On she came, heading straight for them, until, when -destruction seemed inevitable and the tomahawk for severing the line -gleamed in Mr. Merritt’s grip, the boat steerer of the rushing craft -made a mighty effort, bending his steer oar like a great bow, and she -flew past them only a few feet away. It was a breathless moment, but -such are frequent in this strenuous business, and except at the moment -are thought little of. Here, if anywhere, the proverb of a miss being -as good as a mile holds true--it generally means the difference between -life and death. - -Slowly, certainly, fake after fake of the line left the tub until it -was exhausted, and now the smaller one began to empty in its turn. So -the signal was made “running short of line” by up-ending an oar, and -soon after urgency was shown by another oar being pointed upwards. -But no boat was near, and all hands began to peer anxiously at the -fast emptying tub, while one stood by with the drogue, a flat piece of -planking a foot square which is made fast to the end of the line when -it has to be slipped. It is supposed to act as a drag upon the whale, -equal to the resistance of four boats. And then, as suddenly the boat -righted herself with a jerk, while the men scrambled each to his -thwart, the whale ceased to descend, and Mr. Merritt shouted-- - -“Haul in lively now, haul quick!” - -As fast as the fakes could be coiled in the sternsheets the line was -hauled in, for the whale rose as rapidly as he had gone down slowly, -until suddenly he broke water about a ship’s length away and with one -tremendous expiration of pent-up breath, sprang forward like a hound -loosed from the leash. C. B. had only just time to whip his turns -round the loggerhead again as the boat, with a jerk that nearly threw -all hands from their thwarts, sped after the rushing ocean monarch, -leaving a wide, glittering foam track behind her. Mr. Merritt leaned -over the bows, clutching his long lance and glaring vengefully at the -broad shining back of the whale ploughing through the waves fifty feet -away from him. With coarse gaspings he implored, taunted, threatened -his crew in the effort to get them to perform the impossible task of -bringing him nearer to the whale. The rope was tense as wire, and their -utmost endeavours could not get in an inch of it. - -And now the wind and sea began to rise, causing clouds of flying spray -to break over the boat as she was dragged furiously in the wake of -the whale. Merritt’s rage was awful to witness. What he said does not -matter; it was almost unintelligible anyhow; but his yellow teeth were -bared, he champed like an angry boar, and foam flecked with crimson -flew from his mouth and hung on his straggling beard. C. B. stood like -a statue, alert, tense, ready to act on the instant if the whale should -turn. - -And thus they sped for nearly twenty minutes, until as suddenly as he -had hitherto performed his other evolutions the whale stopped, turned -at bay, and with a splendid sweep of the steer oar C. B. avoided -running into his columnar head, bringing the boat head on to his -broadside. With one exultant savage yell Merritt hurled his lance, and -the whole four feet of slender steel sank into the black body as a -knife sinks into butter. “Haul and hold, haul and hold,” screamed the -furious man as he dragged the lance back, straightened it by a deft -blow or two on the gunnel, and now, being closely held against the -whale side, plunged it in again. But it struck a rib and bent almost -double. Flinging the warp or line by which it was attached to the bow -oarsman, he snatched another lance, uncapped it, and was about to -repeat his assault, when there came a warning shout from C. B. as the -agonized monster turned a somersault, his huge flukes snapping in the -air as he brandished them frantically. - -“Stern, stern,” roared Merritt, and all the energy the crew possessed -went into those awkward strokes, while the turmoil made by the maddened -whale was deafening. Black, fetid blood flew from his spiracle mingled -with acrid foam, which stung like a nettle where it touched the skin, -and from the wounds made by the lance the blood spurted to a distance -of two or three feet. It was obvious now that one or both of those -lance thrusts had reached a vital organ, and the sea monarch was now -writhing in the last great struggle of death. He rolled rapidly from -side to side, beat the ensanguined sea into yellow foam with his mighty -tail, while masses of clotted gore burst from his spouthole with a -mournful bellow, like that of some vast bull, and then in a moment the -great body went limp, rolled upon its side, and lay still, save for the -gentle motion given it by the swell. - -All hands drew a long breath, then at Merritt’s command hauled up to -the carcass and held the boat alongside, while with a boat spade he cut -a hole through the tail. Then cutting the line from the irons close up -to them, the end of it was passed through the hole and made fast, a -small flag was hoisted, and all was ready for the ship to run down and -secure the great prize. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -Treachery and its Consequences - - -There are few pleasures in life comparable with the contemplation of -the successful results of a tremendous struggle with overwhelming odds -in company with your fellows, whether you be leader or follower. And -I know of no circumstance where this is more fully exemplified than -in the precious rest-time enjoyed by a boat’s crew immediately after -the death of a whale. No matter how bad the treatment of the men on -board the ship may have been, how utterly weary of the life everybody -may feel, or how brutal officer and harponeer, the sense of having -successfully finished the combat draws them all together for a time, -and the smoke which is then permitted is essentially in the nature of a -pipe of peace. - -In the present case everybody was full of satisfaction. For in the -first place the new harponeer had acquitted himself in the best and -most approved fashion, the highest expectations of him had been fully -justified. Next, the whole operation had proceeded on the most orthodox -lines, both on the part of the whale and his destroyers. And lastly, -the weather had been fine, the time not too long, and crowning joy of -all, the prize was of the largest and therefore the most payable size. -Even Mr. Merritt’s curious yellow face wore a less ghastly expression -than usual, which in his case meant immense satisfaction. - -Their rest was of very brief duration, for when the whale died the -ship was barely three miles away to windward, and she had immediately -filled away for them. When she reached within a quarter of a mile she -was brought smartly up into the wind with her mainyard aback and laid -still. Immediately Mr. Merritt gave the order to slack away the line -and pull for the ship, which they reached in five minutes, noting -as they did so that all the other boats were in their place, at the -davits, and that the faces of the crew wore a preternatural air of -gloom. The bight of the line was passed on board and all hands tailed -on to it, walking the whale up to the ship in rapid fashion. And as the -great mass came alongside the skipper’s face lightened, for he mentally -assessed its stupendous proportions as able to yield about fourteen -tons, or a hundred and forty barrels of oil. In splendid seamanlike -fashion the fluke chain was passed round the tail and hauled through -the mooring pipe in the bow, where it was secured to the massive fluke -chain bitt, an oaken post built into the ship and bolted to the heel of -the bowsprit. - -Without a moment’s interval the work of cutting in was begun, but the -newly arrived boat’s crew were given time to get into another rig. -And C. B. received a fresh surprise when, with a pleased look on his -face, he went up to Pepe, the chief harponeer, and asked him what had -happened to the other boats that they had missed their chance. It was -a simple question, which, had C. B. known anything of the world, he -would never have asked, for he would then have known that it would be -taken as a bitter insult. Indeed it nearly led to tragedy, for Pepe’s -face went reddish black with rage, the veins in his neck stood out like -cords of the thickness of a little finger, and he snarled out something -in his own language, looking like a starving wolf as he did so. Then in -a calmer tone he said-- - -“Don’ you begin poke no fun at me, Mr. Greenie, or I settle de account -mighty quick. You talk somebody else.” And turned away, leaving the -bewildered C. B. staring wonderingly at him. - -But not for long, for Captain Taber came up, saying pleasantly as he -did so-- - -“Look a here, young man, you’re most too good for this wicked world, -you air, an’ I’m afraid I’m goin’ t’ have big trouble about ye. -Whatever possessed ye to go and ask Pepe what ye did? I heard ye.” - -“Only because I wanted to know, sir,” replied the young man; “I -supposed that they had all had some trouble, as will often happen in -whaling, and I thought I’d like to know the reason.” - -“And it never occurred to you that every one of those harponeers is -just full of mad against ye for havin’ disappointed ’em. They’ve ben -hopin’ for ye t’ break up fust time ye went on a whale; they hate ye -because ye be good an’ quiet an’ simple, an’ if ye was a clumsy galoot -they’d soon let up on ye and only play a few fool games on ye. But now -ye’re comin’ out smarter than any of ’em, for I can’t deny that this -mornin’s work was a bad piece of bunglin’ as ever I seen in the ship; -there isn’t one of ’em that wouldn’t enjoy stickin’ an iron through ye -right up t’ the hitches. But there, get along t’ the work,’n keep close -to me; I don’t want a blubber spade slipped into ye by accident.” - -That afternoon the deck of the _Eliza Adams_ presented a curious scene, -a scene of wonderful activity, of massy pieces of blubber swinging -inboard and decks streaming with oil. Much of the bad feeling among the -other three harponeers and officers had evaporated or was in abeyance, -though none of them could forget the blistering words spoken to them by -the skipper that morning. The present may be a fitting time to allude -to the circumstances briefly. The mate, with Pepe his harponeer, had -singled out the biggest whale he could see and laid Pepe on to it. -But for some strange reason, when Pepe raised his iron to dart, he -did not notice that the whale, evidently an old stager, had at that -moment hollowed his back, leaving the blubber all slack. Now an iron -cannot penetrate a whale’s body when this is the case. And at the -moment the point struck the whale arched his back with such suddenness -and violence that the iron was flung right back into the boat by the -tightening of the blubber, knocking the bow oarsman senseless. In the -momentary confusion induced by this, and while the mate was angrily -inquiring why Pepe had missed, the second mate, Mr. Spurrell, came -charging along fast to a whale which dived beneath the mate’s boat, -and in order to keep from cutting her in half the line was let go. It -kinked or caught in the groove or chock, and but for Mr. Spurrell’s -promptitude, two more seconds would have seen both boats a mass of -wreckage. He, however, chopped the line, losing the whale. - -Neither of them could get near a whale again, and as for the third -mate, nobody seemed to know what had happened to him, except that he -did not appear to have even located a whale, but ambled about like -a man in a dream. Take it all round, the morning’s work, as far as -the old hands were concerned, was a matter to be forgotten as soon -as possible. But that the despised Kanaka, as those fancy-coloured -Portuguese called him, the soft greenie, the everything of contumely -their narrow coarse minds could suggest, should succeed where they had -failed was enough to goad them to madness. - -But now a strange new factor intruded itself into the situation. -The thirty hands of the crew were, as usual, of several different -nationalities. There were several Kanakas from various islands, eight -native-born Down Easters who had been lured by spacious promises and a -spirit of adventure into this roving unprofitable life, four Europeans -of sorts, whom I cannot specify, and the rest Portuguese. Now their -discordant elements agreed very well under the stern discipline always -enforced on board those ships, but all of them felt warmly towards the -big handsome Bounty boy who always spoke so kindly, never used an oath, -and greatest quality of all in their eyes, was fully up to his work. - -And with that extraordinary instinct for what is going on which is -always so surprising on board ship they all realized the antagonism -felt towards him by the other harponeers, and though they dared not -show any partiality, they felt it, and whenever they could discuss -the situation among themselves without the Portuguese listening, they -always spoke in the most enthusiastic terms of the new recruit. It must -not be supposed that in saying what I have about the Portuguese I am -actuated by any hostility towards them. I know what fine men they are -for their work, but they are capable of the blackest treachery, regard -it as perfectly legitimate to get the better of a man you dislike by -any means however base, and to further their own ends will betray their -closest friend. Of course I know little of the pure-bred Portuguese, I -speak throughout of the breed I am acquainted with, the many-coloured -natives of the North Atlantic Isles; brave, fierce, and entirely -unscrupulous. - -Much of the work being done that afternoon was entirely new to C. -B., often as he had helped to cut up a whale, for it must be pointed -out that cutting a whale in on board ship at sea is an essentially -different process from the slipshod business of doing the same thing -on shore, especially where all are friends, all desire to get the job -done as quickly as possible, for all are co-equal partners in the -venture. So naturally he made many blunders, immediately pointed out -by the skipper, who worked as hard as any of them, and none missed by -the sardonic harponeers and officers toiling on the cutting stage. With -one exception, Merritt. Once when C. B. did something foolish, and in -consequence came a cropper in the midst of a pool of oil, Pepe, who was -toiling on the cutting stage by Merritt’s side hacking off the gigantic -head, snarled to Merritt. - -“Look a dat galoot! Bouts handy as a ba’r, don’t it?” - -Merritt turned upon the speaker with a green light in his curious -shaped eyes and snarled-- - -“Wen you k’n best ’im at ’is work you call ’im bad names t’ me, not -before. I got no use fer talk like dat. He’s a man, dat’s what he is, -an doan call nobody out deir names needer. Git along wid de work.” - -Oh yes, very pretty trouble was brewing all round, as the skipper said, -and not the less troublesome because the storm centre was perfectly -innocuous. Fortunately for himself he had early come to the conclusion -that to worry about what he knew to be the prevalent feeling concerning -him in the half deck, as the petty officers den was termed, would be -wrong. Again and again in the midst of his work, when tempted to long -for the kindly hearty fellowship he had enjoyed all his previous life, -he was cheered by the thought of the lonely One and uplifted by the -sense that he was privileged to be a fellow in those dark places of -the perfect Man. And went on, if not cheerfully, at least contentedly, -finding in his work a great solace. - -The intricate and disagreeable work of boiling down the oil and stowing -it away proceeded apace until all was washed away and the ship resumed -her spotless appearance. Then day succeeded day in the peaceful passage -across that placid mighty ocean, when there was nothing but ordinary -ship’s routine to be carried on, and very often C. B. felt sorely the -need of something to occupy his mind. True he could meditate and did -upon the home he had left, and the strange happenings he had witnessed -here; but he did long with an ache at his heart for the sweet communion -with his fellow-men that he had so long enjoyed and had thought so -little of. He had never imagined a little world like this with _nobody_ -to talk to who had a single thought in common with him. - -But this enforced solitude in the midst of his fellows was all -unconsciously on his part deepening and widening his character. In -throwing him upon his own resources, the fellowship with the unseen -realities of true life made him, without his being in any sense akin to -the useless self-centred recluse in his narrow cell wholly intent upon -the salvation of his own petty soul, realize in a very special sense -the perfect beauty of spiritual communion as he had never done before. -Also, because he was debarred from reading anything except his Bible, -there being no other literature available, turn all his physical and -mental powers during his hours of work to becoming perfect in his new -calling. - -And then he suddenly made a discovery which pleased him immensely, made -his heart leap for joy. It was that his queer boat-header, Mr. Merritt, -had conceived a great liking for him. He was struggling one afternoon -with the intricacies of a piece of sailor work, endeavouring to strop -a block with three-inch rope, and having made a mess of it, he looked -up despairingly to find the inscrutable yellow face of Merritt looking -down upon him with a twinkle in the oblique eyes. - -“Got kind o’ snarled up, I see,” said the fourth mate. “Comes a-tryin’ -to do sailor work ’thout bein’ properly showed how. Here, lemme show -ye.” And sitting down by his side Merritt explained patiently and -clearly every detail of the work, nor desisted, never losing patience, -until C. B. had fairly mastered it. - -“Now anything else in that way you hanker after knowin’ you come to me -an’ I’ll show ye, see. But don’t go askin’ anybody else, ’cause when -I take a job on like this I like it all to myself. I’m a jealous man -I am, and I’ve took a strong shine to ye, an’ as long as you stick -t’me I’ll show ye what my idea of bein’ a chum is.” Then settling down -comfortably by C. B.’s side he lit his pipe and went on, “Guess you’ve -often wondered what sort of a queer fellow I was, didn’t ye? Now don’t -say ye didn’t, kase ye couldn’t help it. Everybody does, an’ I don’t -blame ’em as long as they don’t throw it up to me; if they do, well, -I’m a pretty poisonous handful when I get a-goin’. But we won’t talk -about that. I’m talkin’ to you now as I ain’t talked to any man since I -lost my only chum, ten years ago. Some day I’ll tell you all about him, -but not now. Now I want t’say that I’ve been a-watchin’ this crowd -pretty cluse, an’ there’s two or three of ’em a-lookin’ for a chance to -spoil ye fer keeps. An’ I’ve a-made up my mind that I ain’t goin’ t’let -’em do it. I want ye, fer I believe yer a no end good man any way yer -took, an’ if ye are misshnary it’s the right kind. Put it thar,” and -he held out his yellow sinewy hand, which C. B. took warmly, and was -amazed at the force of the grip he received. - -Now this colloquy had certainly not passed unnoticed by the harponeers, -and something like dismay ran through the camp. For Merritt, although -they had been shipmates with him for eighteen months, was an enigma -to them, a riddle they had never thought it worth while trying to -solve. They knew him for a splendid whaleman and a thorough seaman, who -scarcely ever spoke except when it was absolutely necessary for the -purposes of the business. His colour and the strange mixture of races -obvious in his face made no difference in a community where a man is -judged only by his deeds and not in the least by his origin. And now -this mysterious mate had taken up their pet aversion, and who knew what -such a combination might produce? - -The first result of the association, however, was a decided easing off -in the villainous remarks made purposely in C. B.’s hearing whenever -he went below, and a certain indefinite shade of respect being shown -him. He noticed the change, wondered mildly at it, and then dismissing -it from his mind, went quietly on his way as before, until one evening -the skipper, coming up to him as he stood gazing over the rail at the -placid bosom of the ocean, said in a cheery voice-- - -“Well, Mr. Christmas, you seem to be getting along a little better -with ye’re berth-mates now, an’ I’m right down glad to see it. But what -ye ben doin’ t’bring it about? I thought nothin’ ’d do it but a big row -and mebbe a fight in which I was prepared to back ye up. An’ I’m ever -so pleased to see that ther don’t seem to be any prospect of the kind -now. Tell me what ye done to ’em?” - -C. B. turned on him one of his beautiful smiles and replied-- - -“I haven’t done a thing to them, sir; I don’t know what I could do -except try and go on as I began, doing my work as well as I can. They -wouldn’t talk to me, nor let me talk to them, and so I’ve just had to -let them go their own way while I have gone mine.” - -“Yes, yes, that’s all very well,” hastily rejoined the skipper, “but -how have you managed to make chums with Merritt? I never thought he -would associate with any one.” - -“I haven’t the least idea, sir,” replied the young man. “He says he -likes me, and I’m very glad, but I don’t know why he should have -suddenly found out that he did.” - -“Ah well,” sighed the captain, “it is as I’ve often said, you’re too -good for this wicked world and you’re bound to have trouble, but I’m -mighty glad I don’t see trouble stickin’ out so far as I did. An’ now -as we’re just comin’ on to the whaling ground, I hope you’ll bring us -luck and do as well as you did first time lowerin’.” - -“I hope so too, sir,” answered C. B., “and that the other fellows -’ll get a look in too. I can’t bear to see men so disappointed.” The -captain gave him a critical look and walked away, shaking his head -gravely as though to hint that really his new harponeer was a problem -too difficult for him to solve. - -Now by what process of reasoning or instinct Mr. Merritt arrived at -the conclusion that there was some mischief quietly hatching, directed -against his harponeer in connexion with his work, there are no means -of knowing; it was one of those impulses that are not to be reasoned -out, only felt and obeyed. At any rate, so strong was his feeling that -something was afoot, that he sacrificed watch after watch of his sleep -at night lying rolled up in a blanket on top of the after house where -he could keep an eye on his boat. This of course in his watch below, -when he was supposed to be in his cabin, and he took the greatest pains -to keep his movements secret. After nearly a week’s watching, he was -rewarded by seeing a dark figure, which his keen sight determined to -be the mate’s harponeer, Pepe, creep noiselessly up into the boat and -settle down into her so that his movements should not be seen, the mate -having gone below to fill his pipe, and the third mate lolling half -asleep abaft the wheel. - -Merritt slipped down from his place like an eel, slid along the deck to -the side of his boat, then sprang up on the rail and peered in to her, -saying sharply-- - -“What ye doin’ in my boat, Pepe?” - -The big harponeer stood up and stammered-- - -“I--I thought I heard a fly’n’ fish drop in thar, an’ was a-lookin’ for -it.” - -“Oh thet’s it, is it?” growled Merritt. “Well, come out of her right -now ’thout lookin’ any more. I sorter mistrust ye;” and as he spoke he -clambered into the boat and glanced keenly around while Pepe got out -reluctantly. - -It was then just upon the stroke of eight bells, 4 a.m., and Merritt -stayed where he was until the bell was struck and the watch mustered. -Then calling C. B. to him, he told him to watch the boat and make -sure that no one entered her. Having done this he returned on deck -and waited for daylight. As soon as it came he mounted into the boat -again and pointed out to C. B. that the line in the big tub had been -disturbed about ten fakes down. Then lifting fake after fake out he -carefully ran along the line as he did so, until a sharp “Ah” came from -his lips, followed by “Just look here, my son.” C. B. did look, and -there was a clean cut in the line severing two strands nearly through. -C. B. looked up at the fourth mate’s face, and was horror-struck, for -it wore the aspect of a fiend. Not knowing what to say, though burning -with righteous anger at the shameful treachery, he looked irresolutely -back and forth, first at the line and then at his leader, when suddenly -he heard the captain’s voice on deck. Merritt immediately slipped over -the rail and strode to the captain, saying as he came before him-- - -“Captain Taber, what’s to be done to a man that creeps into a boat at -night and cuts a tow-line through, an’, when he’s caught at it, says -he’s lookin’ for fly’n’ fish?” - -For a moment the captain was speechless with astonishment and rage, -then he burst into incoherent speech of a kind that cannot be reported. -Merritt stood looking coolly at him until he had finished, and then -resumed with-- - -“Guess I’d like you just to hev a peek at this thing,” and led the -way to the boat, the captain swiftly following. There sat C. B. still -almost helpless with wonderment at the devilish treachery of the thing -while Merritt showed the line and explained how he came to detect the -deed. - -“But who, who’s the man?” gasped the skipper. “Tell me who the man is -till I make him wish he’d never been born.” - -“Now, sir,” replied Merritt, “I ain’t ever asked you a favour since I -ben in your ship, an’ I know I’ve gi’n you satisfaction. Please let me -deal with this man in my own way. I won’t kill him, I promise ye that, -sir, an’ it’ll be less trouble for all of us.” By this time Captain -Taber had cooled down a bit, and he looked dubiously at the ugly face -before him. At last he said, “I don’t want murder done here, Mr. -Merritt, neither do I want a man laid up so’s he won’t be any use for -the work, otherwise I think I could leave it to you to give him he’s -lesson. Yes, I’ll do it, if you’ll tell me who it is.” - -“That’s good, sir,” rejoined Merritt, “your word’s always good -enough for me. Well, it’s Pepe, an’ I propose getting him here on -the quarter-deck with all hands to see and no weapons but our hands, -an’ if I don’t teach him suthin that’ll do him good you can heave me -overboard. But I own I’d just like to kill him.” - -“All right,” said the skipper, “I won’t go back on my word, keep you -yours. But only to think of it! my boss harponeer to serve me a dog’s -trick like that! And I thought he was getting so quiet and amiable too. -Ah,” shaking his head sadly at C. B., “I was a bit too sudden in what I -said to ye the other afternoon. This is on your account. Well, I wish -I’d never seen ye, but I’ll own that it ain’t any of your fault, an’ -I’m not goin’ t’ be cur enough t’ blame ye.” - -The air was surcharged with electricity until eight bells, for in that -mysterious manner before alluded to all hands knew that stirring -events were about to transpire. C. B. was very uneasy, for even without -the captain’s words he would have felt that he was in some measure -responsible for the trouble, though in no way to blame. The only man -who seemed perfectly unconcerned was Merritt, who just before eight -bells slipped below and presently returned clad only in a canvas -jumper, pants and boots. He wore a belt and no cap. The other officers -all whispered one to another anxiously, the mate looking specially -concerned, for, of course, he knew that it was his harponeer who had -done this thing. - -Eight bells! and in the orthodox fashion the watch below immediately -appeared on deck. “Lay aft all hands!” thundered the skipper, and -swiftly the whole crew appeared on the quarter-deck, foremast hands -forward, harponeers to starboard and officers to port. “Stand out here, -Pepe,” said the skipper, and Pepe stepped forward looking a greenish -grey. “Mr. Merritt reports to me that he found you in his boat in the -middle watch, and looking to see what you were doing, found that you’d -cut his line. What have you got to say?” - -He might have had something to say, but he could not say it, he was -fascinated at the sight of Merritt, who had glided nearer to him. -After waiting a full minute the skipper went on. “You’ve got nothing -to say, now come here.” Pepe came close up to the skipper, who flung -his hands round the harponeer’s waist and plucked from inside his shirt -a long keen knife, which he threw aft. “Now stand back, harponeers,” -the skipper cried; “Mr. Merritt is going to teach Pepe a lesson man -fashion.” The ring widened instantly, and like a leopard Merritt sprang -at the harponeer. For a few moments so rapid and furious were the -movements of the two men that it was impossible to tell which of them -was the better, and all eyes were strained upon them, lips parted and -breath came short. - -Then it was seen that Merritt had got the big Portuguese completely -at his mercy, holding him with one arm round his neck in a bear-like -grip. And with the disengaged hand Merritt beat him as if he were a -refractory child, beating him to bruise and hurt as much as possible -without disabling; and oh the humiliation of it! In that hour men saw -how tremendous was the strength that none had suspected Merritt of -before. At last the beaten man lost all sense of manhood and begged -for mercy, the big tears rolling down his dark cheeks. Immediately the -captain stepped forward and held up his hand, saying, “That will do, -Merritt.” And the fourth mate sprang to his feet. - -Pepe staggered up and would have crawled away, but the captain caught -him by the arm. “Wait!” he cried. “Now, men, Pepe has been punished -for shamefully cutting a line in order to make the new harponeer lose -a whale. If any more of this kind of thing is done and I find the man -out, I’ll tie him up and flog the flesh off his ribs. That’ll do. Carry -on with the work. Go below the watch.” And immediately the tide of ship -life flowed back into its usual channel, the wretched Pepe slinking -about like a beaten dog. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -The Great Catch - - -So sudden, dramatic and complete had been the justice dealt out to Pepe -that it made quite an imperceptible ripple in the steady current of the -ship’s routine. In the mind of the beaten man there was, of course, -a deep and deadly hatred for his chastiser as well as for C. B., and -schemes of revenge chased one another through his brain continually. -But he came of a race that understands and appreciates a good thrashing -and has no respect for gentle humanitarian methods, and so Pepe’s -respect for Mr. Merritt’s prowess was very real and sincere. Also his -compatriots in the half-deck were perceptibly less sympathetic than -they had been. In fact, they were quite ready to throw him over and -openly condemn him for doing that which any one of them would have done -given a favourable opportunity. - -In only one thing did they now agree with him, and that was in their -hatred of C. B. It is a melancholy fact that in an assemblage of bad -men anything will be condoned but goodness, and the perfectly blameless -life led by C. B. was a constant offence to men whose only virtues -were high courage in the performance of their dangerous duties, and -endurance in the most tremendous labours that can be imagined when the -circumstances called for them. But C. B. was now far happier than he -had been since he first came on board. He had almost unconsciously -been craving for some human sympathy and fellowship, and now he was in -a fair way to get both. He felt himself drawn to his saturnine chief in -a most intimate and affectionate way, while he could not but respect -and admire him for his effectual punishment of the dastardly offence -committed by Pepe. For C. B. had nothing in common with those curious -Christians among us whose sympathies are entirely with the criminal and -never with the victim, who shudder at pain being inflicted upon the -guilty but are quite callous to the agonies of the innocent. To his -simple ideas these folk would have seemed to be madmen. - -Various quiet warnings were conveyed to him to keep a wary eye upon -Pepe, who would be certain to do him a shrewd turn at the earliest -opportunity, but he only laughed cheerily and said-- - -“I’m not losing any sleep over this matter. If he kills me I am ready -to die, and shall not be worse off, but better. If he attacks me -openly, he will, I think, get some more sore bones. And that’s all I -care about it.” - -And then he would change the subject, for he was gradually becoming -able to talk about the pure and noble life of his island home to the -captain and officers and sometimes to the men, who listened fascinated: -as they would, for although most of them had at one time or another -heard the Gospel preached in some fashion, they had always looked upon -the preacher as one who was paid to say certain things which he did not -believe, but which were designed to keep the poor man quiet while the -rich man preyed upon him. - -Some of them had dim recollections of holy lives lived by their -parents, of prayers repeated in lisping tones at a mother’s knee and -recalled occasionally in moments of solitude, but none of them had ever -met before a man in the spring of life, strong, eager, and able to do -all that might become a man, who spoke of God and Christ and love that -rules the whole creation as if they were matters of intimate knowledge -and infinite importance to him. And while they wondered they admired, -and speculated among themselves in blind fashion as to what this -portent could mean. - -Then suddenly an incident occurred that raised C. B. in the estimation -of all hands more than anything else could have done. It was when -the ship was on the southern edge of the off-shore ground and slowly -working north. The weather was what we call dirty; low ragged clouds -shedding rain at frequent intervals, with strong winds and irregular -lumpy sea. C. B. and one of the Portuguese harponeers were working -together, when C. B. accidentally dropped a serving mallet upon the -other man’s bare foot. With a horrible exclamation in his own language -Louis spat in C. B.’s face, and at the same time struck him a violent -blow in the jaw. Not content with that the maddened man drew his knife -and was in the act of driving it into C. B.’s chest when the latter -seized the upraised wrist in his left hand, caught at the broad leather -belt worn by the Portuguese with his right, and with a movement deft -as that of an acrobat twirled him into the air and out over the side -into the tormented sea. All hands who witnessed the slight scuffle -stood aghast, helpless for the moment, as C. B., calmly springing on to -the rail, gave a searching glance at the spot where the harponeer was -struggling in the foam, and then shouting “Lower away a boat,” sprang -after his late enemy. - -A few vigorous fish-like strokes brought him to the side of the -Portuguese, who was evidently in great pain and only feebly -endeavouring to keep himself afloat, although these men are all -splendid swimmers. Throwing himself upon his back, C. B. seized the man -by the collar of his strong serge shirt and held him easily head to -sea, rising and falling on the waves like a piece of drift-wood. There -was no delay in picking the pair up; indeed, in ten minutes from the -time that Louis went flying overboard they were on board again, and C. -B. sprang lightly on deck and assisted his aggressor down. - -“What does this mean, Christmas?” sternly demanded the captain, who -had seen the whole affair. In brief, unimpassioned words C. B. told -what had happened, and then turning to Louis the skipper demanded his -version. Foolishly but naturally the Portuguese lied, making C. B. out -the aggressor, at which the skipper smiled sardonically, saying-- - -“Ah, I thought so. You Portagees are as bad as they make ’em. But -what’s wrong with yer hand?” seeing that he held it tenderly and was -evidently in pain. - -“I doan know, sir, feels all broke.” An examination proved that the -wrist was dislocated, and the skipper’s rough-and-ready surgery was -immediately put in force, after which the groaning and completely -discomfited man retired below, too miserable to curse his bad luck as -he called it. - -“Now, Christmas,” said the skipper severely when they were alone, -“I don’t know what t’ say t’ ye. You really mustn’t go heaving my -harponeers overboard like rubbidge, nor yet get t’ breaking ’em all up. -Nor yet you mustn’t let ’em go sticking knives in you. Confound you, -why are you always in the right and yet getting into some scrape or -another? I shipped a handful of hot stuff when I took you aboard, I can -see, and I wish I hadn’t, yet I’m beginning to feel that I’d rather -lose anybody than you, you ’mazing muscular Christian.” - -“I’m sorry I hurt the man, sir,” modestly replied C. B., “and I didn’t -intend to do so. But if I hadn’t been quicker than he was, he would -have probably put me out of action for longer than he’ll be now, while -I only thought of defending myself, and a dip overboard can’t possibly -do anybody any harm.” - -With a cross between a grunt and a laugh the skipper turned away, -leaving C. B. standing quietly to receive the curt congratulations of -Mr. Merritt, and be the centre of admiring glances from all the crew -that were on deck. The matter formed the principal, in fact almost the -only topic of conversation on board for the next three days, during -which C. B. went on his simple accustomed way, except that he was -assiduous in his attention to the suffering man, who, in addition to -the pain of his wrist, had sustained a severe rick to his spine, making -it very painful for him to get in and out of his bunk. And as none of -his compatriots thought of doing anything for him, he would have fared -very badly but for the man he intended to kill. - -By the time that Louis was able to resume work they had been nearly -three weeks on the ground and no spout of sperm or right whales had -been seen. It was just the fortune of the fishery, but as usual it bred -a good deal of peevishness among the crew, whose monotonous life grew -very irksome. I know of few conditions more trying to the active mind -than to be on board of a clumsy old whaleship always on a wind tacking -from side to side of a great lonely expanse of sea, shortening sail -every night to a close-reefed main topsail and fore topmast staysail -and making sail again at daylight. No books to read, no new topics to -talk about, nothing to do but the same things over and over again, week -in week out, with never another sail in sight. It is a life that unless -a man has mental resources of no common kind tends to stultification -of the intellect, and especially makes him peevish, irritable and -intolerant even of himself. - -The usual bounty had been doubled, and the men were so keen that they -hardly cared to go below when their turn came to do so. The only men -on board who seemed unmoved by the long spell of inaction were Captain -Taber and C. B. The first was that fine type of man, as I hope I have -suggested, that is even now, thank God, to be found in many New England -towns, who, though not making any special profession of religion, are -in a very real sense not far from the Kingdom of God. Honest, brave and -honourable; combining in a curious way the astuteness of the man of the -world with the sweet simplicity of a little child, they are the salt -of the United States, and their lives and work stand out in brilliant -contrast to those of the money-grubbers and professional politicians -who are making the noble name of the Great Republic a byword and a -hissing among the nations. - -As Captain Taber used to say so frequently, “This thing” (the scarcity -of whales within an area where they should be found) “runs in streaks; -we’ll get all we want and more also dreckly.” He was a highly educated -man but loved the vernacular, and occasionally lapsed into it from his -grave Elizabethan English. And so it proved, for one morning before it -was light he came on deck, and sauntering up to C. B., who was enjoying -a pannikin of coffee and biscuit, he said casually-- - -“Now you fellers ’at don’t smoke are supposed to have the sense of -smell more highly developed than us misbul degenerates who do, don’t -yer nose tell yer nothin’ now?” - -“Yes, sir,” brightly replied C. B., “it’s been telling me ever since -I came on deck at eight bells that we’re in the thick of either a big -shoal of fish or a school of whales of some sort. The air’s quite heavy -with fish smell.” - -“Ah! an’ I suppose you couldn’t indicate the kind o’ whale that’s -possibly around, could ye?” inquired the skipper drily. - -“Hardly, sir, although I’ve heard of it being done,” replied C. B. “But -I’ve never believed it. I feel sure, though, that the fellows who are -stealing up to the crow’s-nest now, sir--look at ’em--will start their -music at the first streak of dawn.” - -“So long as they see sperm whales I’m willing, or even right whale,” -murmured the skipper, “for this thing’s growing quite monotonous to me. -I want the boys to get some amusement too. Oh well, I must go below and -fill my pipe again. However a grown man like you can get along without -tobacco I don’t know.” And he glanced quizzically at C. B., who only -smiled and resumed his eager watch to windward. - -There was not a cloud in the sky from horizon to horizon, nor as far -as could be seen was there a trace of haze. So that when the first -tremulous throbbings of dawn made themselves felt it was as if an -indefinite weight had been lifted, the displacement of shadow by -light. And then the whole dome above began to glow in sombre tones, -at first duplicated below a shade or two deeper. It was like the birth -of colour, and even the eager watchers poised in mid air forgot their -desire for a moment at the amazing sight. Then, as at a celestial -signal, the sea-rim in the east brimmed with liquid gold, a blazing -disc appeared, and it was day. - -Simultaneously with the upward leap of the sun four voices rang out in -the thrilling cry of “Blo-o-o-o-w.” Indeed it was a stirring sight. -Far as the eye could reach from horizon to horizon there appeared to -be bursting from the sea an endless succession of jets of smoke, each -one denoting the presence of a monster sperm whale. Only twice in my -life have I ever seen such a sight, once off the Solander Rock, Foveaux -Straits, New Zealand, and there the horizon was restricted by land on -two sides, and once when on a passage to Gibraltar from London in the -P. & O. ss. _Arabia_, Captain Parfitt, who, if he sees these lines, -will doubtless remember that the previous day at dinner we had had a -slight controversy about the quantity of whales now to be seen at sea. -I held that whales were more plentiful than ever, he asserted that they -were nearly extinct, and the next morning the splendid ship steamed for -an hour at sixteen knots through one immense school of sperm whales -which must have numbered many thousands. - -The captain only took one glance round at the mighty concourse, then -shouted, “’Way down from aloft. Mr. Winsloe, we’ll lower all five boats -to-day, and each one act independently of the rest. These whales are -all feeding and I don’t anticipate any trouble, but the first boat that -kills, stick a wheft in the whale and get back to the ship. She’ll -want handling and that smartly too. Shipkeepers keep her to windward, -that’s all you’ve got to do, and look out for boats coming back. Now -then, away for good greasy money.” - -Whirr, whirr, splash went the five boats, and as soon as they struck -the water each boat pushed out from the ship using paddles only, -for the whales were quite near, and each singling out a whale for -themselves. Within fifteen minutes every boat was fast, that is, the -barbed harpoon had established a connexion between boat and whale that -would only cease by accident or design when the whale was dead. And -then that placid sea became the scene of a Titanic conflict, wherein -the puny men in their frail craft joined battle with the mightiest of -God’s creatures on most unequal terms. To and fro they flew, those -pigmy boats amidst the crowding hundreds of leviathans, who, filled -with wild dismay at this sudden calamity, knew not whither to flee -and moved aimlessly and harmlessly. And owing to the immense spaces -in which they wallowed they were not now even as dangerous as a herd -of bullocks would be in a field, for there a man might get crushed -to death by accident; here, although to a novice the scene appeared -dangerous, the older hands knew that an accident was now far less -likely than when whales were few and far between. - -To add to the confusion and apparent danger existing, the sea appeared -to be alive with immense sharks, who in some mysterious way had -gathered to that stupendous feast. In fact, the enormous amount of -marine life peopling that remote ocean breeds a feeling of dismay in -some minds, a sense of being out of place, weaklings in the midst of -unimaginable forces of destruction. Not, of course, that this thought -occurred to the old whalemen. They revelled in the gigantic slaughter, -and incurred unnecessary danger by being unable to resist the -temptation to lance loose whales passing by. The frenzy of killing was -upon them, and they lunged right and left indiscriminately, heedless of -consequences. - -In half an hour from the time of leaving the ship Captain Taber had -his whale dead, and sticking a wheft (a small flag with a pointed end -to its staff) in the carcass he bade his crew give way for the ship -with all speed. Arriving on board he took charge, and as there was a -good working breeze he was able so to handle his ship as to keep well -to windward of the whole flotilla of boats, which soon began to hoist -their whefts in token of having killed each one his whale. There was -no need to discriminate, for all had done well, five big whales had -been killed in less than two hours; and now came the hardest part -of the great day’s work, and one calling for the greatest amount of -seamanship. For when once the first whale had been secured to the -ship, she became sluggish in her movements, as indeed she well might -with a floating mass of some eighty tons attached to her. Those boats -that were farthest away, realizing the difficulty, attempted to tow -their prizes, an immense task in itself, but now, hampered as they -were on every side by the bewildered monsters, who wallowed aimlessly, -as having lost all sense of direction or power of flight, wellnigh -impossible. - -Yet in some strange and apparent come-by-chance fashion the whole five -whales were secured to the ship, all five boats were hoisted into their -places, and the utterly exhausted men went to their food, full of -satisfaction with their morning’s work. And while they fed and rested -the ship was left in charge of the cook and steward, who gazed over -the side at the strange scene with mingled feelings, in which real -alarm predominated. Indeed, it was a sight calculated to terrify. The -huge carcasses attached to the ship by hawsers floated around her like -a concourse of submerged wrecks bottom up. Around and between them -blundered bewildered whales lost to all their usual instincts, and all -the spaces in between the living and the dead monsters were thronged -with hordes of sharks countless in number. - -To complete the amazing scene there had drifted out of the void great -flocks of sea-birds, albatrosses, mallemauks, Cape hens, Cape pigeons, -fulmars and others, which kept up an incessant screaming, fluttering, -rising and falling, all ravenous and impatient for the cutting in to -begin. It was indeed a wonderful revelation of the abundance of life in -mid-ocean, such as is only vouchsafed to these deep-sea wanderers, the -whalemen. - -Two hours’ rest was allowed, and then Captain Taber, sauntering towards -his mate, said-- - -“Mr. Winsloe, we’ve got a big thing in hand, but the best of weather -for it. We’ll take each whale alongside and get the heads off first, -lettin’ them all tow astern as we cut them off. Then we’ll put all our -vim into gettin’ the carcasses skinned, and if the boys only work as -they ought, I think we might get the back of the work broken by eight -bells to-night.” - -Winsloe only grunted, for he was a man of few words, and, slouching -forrard, roared, “Turn to!” - -Now it would be quite easy for me to take an entire chapter in the -attempt to explain the nature and progress of the gigantic task that -was accomplished by those forty men, toiling almost incessantly from -noon until daylight the next morning; but as the great business has -nothing adventurous or thrilling about it, I fear I could not make it -interesting. Only I feel that I would like you to realize the scene. -The immense masses of blubber being hove inboard by the full power -of the crew at the windlass, the great tackles groaning and the ship -canting over under the load, the unwearying thrust and recover of the -long-handled spades as the toiling officers and harponeers laboured to -disjoint the huge heads or scarph the blubber so that it would strip -easily from the carcasses, the fitful weird glare of the cressets of -blazing “scrap” (pieces of blubber from which the oil has been boiled -disposed about the ship to give light to the toilers), and just outside -that tiny circle of human labour the solemn vastness of the darkling -ocean, the loneliness of that untraversed sea. - -But I should do scant justice to the picture if I failed to note how, -within that apparently charmed circle which had the ship for its -centre, the deep was alive, luminous and vivid. The ceaseless come and -go of the ravenous sea-scavengers, striving with all their wonderful -energy to get a share of the great feast that was spread, was in -itself a sight to linger in the memory as long as life should last, -had the workers but time to look at it. And to complete the uncanny -interest of the whole strange scene, there was the uneasy passings and -melancholy voices of the sea-birds, flitting whitely through the gloom, -impatiently waiting for the day. - -Daylight saw the huge task completed, and the ship’s deck from one -end to the other blocked with the mighty masses of case and junk and -blanket pieces. The blubber-room, as the square of the main-hatch -down to the ’tween decks and for about ten feet on either side of it -is called, was choked full of blubber, not another slice could be got -down, and in consequence all the rest had to be piled on deck. Old -whalemen will doubt the possibility of such a feat as the cutting in -of five sperm whales in twenty hours until I explain that none of the -whales were too large to have the case lifted inboard, and that, of -course, makes all the difference; for I have been twenty-four hours -engaged in cutting in _one_ whale, and with a smart man in charge too. -But then that whale was so huge that many time-wasting things had to be -done that were unnecessary in the case I am relating. - -As the last case was hove on board and secured, the skipper gave a long -sigh of relief and cried-- - -“Spell ho! all hands. Mr. Winsloe, give the boys three hours’ rest, -good, and then we’ll start blubber watches (six hours on and six hours -off); and say, you cook-man, just you see to it that the men get the -best breakfast that can be scared up in the ship.” And as he turned -away towards the stern the oil dripped from his hair, his clothing, and -squished out of his sea-boots, for the captains of those ships, if they -drove their crews, drove themselves hardest of all, and no man could -say that his skipper could only drive, not lead. - -Now, impossible as it may seem to us, there was no attempt made to -change clothing. Just a perfunctory wipe of hands and face with -oakum wads preliminary to a wolfish devouring of food, for all were -outrageously hungry. That everything eaten and even the tobacco smoked -afterwards was reeking with oil nobody minded, for in truth the product -of the sperm whale when absolutely fresh as this was is as bland and -pleasant as the purest olive oil: it is only when it gets stale and -rancid that its unpleasant taste and odour become manifest. - -The short respite worked wonders for the toilers, although those of -them who had to resume work at 10 a.m., four bells, thought longingly -of the greasy bunks in which the fortunate members of the watch below -were recuperating from their heavy labours. But a spirit of emulation -was aboard, and there was no cursing or driving; every man therefore -did his best to reduce the chaos on deck to something like order. The -huge cases were split open one after the other, the spermaceti baled -out and passed into tanks below, and as each was scraped dry it was -hauled to the waist and pushed through the open gangway into the sea, -where, in spite of the vast banquet given them in the carcasses of the -whales during the night, there were thousands of gaping candidates for -more. - -As the fierce sun came out and beat down upon the piles of blubber the -oil exuded and filled the decks, for all the scuppers and wash-ports -were closed tightly, and there was no time to bale or place to bale -the oil into until the fires in the try-works should be started. But -by dint of the hardest, most unremitting toil, at midday enough of a -clearance had been made to start the fires and the work of boiling down -began. And here I must leave the business for a while because, although -it has not its parallel in any other work ashore, it is dirty, greasy, -smelly; full of sordid discomforts, and difficult indeed to see the -romance of except to the privileged few who have strong imaginations. - -Throughout the following week all hands toiled nobly to stow away -their great catch, but the captain and officers had a pretty bad time, -for every day small pods of sperm whales would come nosing around, -quite close to the ship, as if they knew (and perhaps they did) that -her crew was unable to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity -through having their hands so abundantly filled. Then when at last the -whole catch had been reduced into the comparatively small compass of -nearly 600 barrels, or 60 tons of oil, and the lash rails all round the -ship were fully occupied by huge casks full of oil getting cool, the -harponeers of each boat made haste to refit their boats, sharpen their -weapons, and make all ready for the next opportunity, thinking at the -same time how very unlikely it was that those visiting whales would -happen along again now that they might look for a cordial reception. - -I have not made any special mention of my hero in connexion with this -great piece of work, because he did only what every one else did, his -best, and at a time like that the slightest softness or slacking-off of -a man in a position of authority is noted at once, not merely by his -compeers but by his subordinates. Through this really severe ordeal -C. B. passed triumphantly in spite of the novelty of much of the work -to him, and by the time it was over there really seemed to be a tacit -agreement on the part of the men who hated him to let him alone, -since he had proved in the most satisfactory way that he was entirely -capable, willing and cheerful, and that the men forward would jump more -eagerly at his slightest pleasantest word than they would at a bitter -curse weighing a threat from one of the truculent Portuguese. In fact, -although no one told him so in so many words, all the circumstances -attending this great catch went to place C. B. in the position in the -esteem of his fellows that he deserved to occupy, and lasting peace -seemed assured. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -A Gam and a Revenge - - -There was ample time after this severe ordeal to restore the _Eliza -Adams_ to her pristine cleanliness, for as the captain caustically -remarked, the whales seemed to have all concentrated in that spot and -subsequently to have all left for parts unknown. And really it did -seem like it, for no solitary spout was seen for nearly three weeks. -Then came a pleasant diversion; how pleasant only those can know -who for many months have been denied all the intercourse with their -kind outside of the little population of the ship. Pepe being at the -masthead from 4 to 6 p.m. yelled “Sail ho.” This was the first cry of -that kind that the crew had heard since leaving Norfolk Island, and be -sure they were proportionately excited. - -Many eager speculations were made during the next two hours, for the -wind was but light and she was fully ten miles away, as to whether the -stranger was a “spouter” or a merchantman. And a great relief was felt -when just at sunset she was made out to be one of their own fraternity, -and joyful greeting signals were exchanged. It was quite dark before -the two ships came near enough to each other to “gam” as we call it, -but what of that? What of the fact that a stiff breeze had got up, -and that boats passing between the ships in the dark must necessarily -have a rough time. In the Navy and among the whalers such things are -most lightly esteemed. I have seen a group of Naval officers brave -a most tempestuous passage of half an hour’s duration, the picquet -boat taking green water over as she plunged through the seas, merely -to have an hour’s lawn tennis or golf and come off again, and I have -known repeatedly whalemen brave the terrors of the great Southern ocean -rollers in half a gale of wind at night merely in order to have a chat -with some fresh fellows, exchange a few ideas that to strangers might -have the merit of novelty. - -So at eight bells, 8 p.m., as her lights were seen stationary abeam -about a mile away, a boat was lowered from the _Eliza Adams_ into which -the captain and C. B. with the boat’s crew descended, and pulled away -into the darkness until the dim black hull of the vessel they are bound -to suddenly loomed huge and threatening from the darkness. - -“Ship ahoy!” roared the skipper. “Here’s Captain Taber of the _Eliza -Adams_ come a gamming.” - -“Welcome, Captain Taber, I knew it was you as soon as I heard ye hail. -This is the _Matilda Sayer_ of Dartmouth, Captain Rotch.” - -“Good lad,” yelled Captain Taber delightedly. “Pull two, stern three, -ah! unrow there;”--and as the boat ranged alongside he gripped the -man ropes and ascended the side ladder of rope like a goat climbing a -precipice. - -While the two old friends greeted each other there was a whirring of -sheaves and down came the mate’s boat into the water. Dark forms leapt -into her and she pushed off, immemorial custom having decided that in -gamming when the captain visits a ship the mate of that ship goes a -visiting his fellow on board the other vessel. As they pushed off into -the darkness a voice was heard above, “Haul up and hook on, chums,” -and they did so, their boat being cheerily hoisted into the position -the other had left. For this was also a pleasant sea-custom among -whalers, being eminently practicable because of the almost standard -size of all whale boats. - -Arriving on deck the four hands were immediately haled forrard, and -C. B. was welcomed in the half deck by the harponeers, where such -hospitality as they possessed was offered him and all hands crowded -around him eager to talk to him, and listen to what he had to say. -First of all with native courtesy they inquired what sort of a season -the _Eliza Adams_ was having and other matters of that kind, but he -could not help noticing that they all looked curiously at him, as if -they could not quite make him out. At last the old carpenter, a fine -venerable Yankee, said-- - -“Whar d’ye hail from, mister?” - -“I come from Norfolk Island,” replied C. B. pleasantly. - -“Well, do tell,” ejaculated the cooper, “I didn’t know they was ever -any natives on Norfolk ’cept convicks from England, and I heerd that -they was done away with long ago. An’ yew don’ look like a Kanaka -neither.” - -“Neither am I,” explained C. B. with gentle dignity. “Surely you must -have heard of the Pitcairn Islanders finding Pitcairn too small for -them, and a number of them being sent by the British Government to -Norfolk Island, which was given them to live in.” - -A chorus of remembrance arose in a babel of voices until the old -carpenter, getting up, came close to C. B. and peered in his face -intently, at last remarking quietly, “Did your father ever go to sea in -a spouter, young feller?” - -“Oh yes,” answered C. B.; “he was in the _Rainbow_ and the _Canton_, -both New England whaleships, for a considerable time.” - -“And what might his name be, if he’s still alive, as I hope?” - -“Thank you, he’s still alive, or was three months ago, when I left -home, God bless him, and his name is Philip Adams!” - -The effect upon the carpenter was electrical. He smote his thigh with -great violence and shouted--“Boys, thishyer fine specimen of a boy is -the son of the finest specimen of a man that ever trod God Almighty’s -earth. Nine months I was shipmates with him in the ole _Canton_, and if -ever a man was tried by a lot of ornery scalawags, he was. He could a -broke any one of ’em in pieces with his fingers; he was as much above -’em at any kind o’ work as he was in strength an’ good looks, yet that -mis’ble gang used to chip him, poke fun at him, play tricks on him, -until I used to feel as if I could a killed ’em myself, and I warn’t -much better than they was. But never once did anybody hear an angry -word or a bad word of any kind outer his mouth, never once did he miss -a chance of doin’ even the worst of his tormentors a good turn, and -never once did anybody have real cause of complaint about his work or -anything that he did. And when he left the ship to go home because his -agreed time was up, I never see such a carryin’ on, you’d a thought -everybody on board had lost father and mother and all their other -relations. Young man”--solemnly--“if you’re only one quarter as good -a man as your father was, the ship is entirely blessed by having ye -aboard, and I’m honoured at bein’ able to shake ye by the hand.” - -There was a momentary pause as “Chips” sank down on his chest again, -and C. B.’s eyes glistened with heavenly pride at the honour paid to -that dear father whom he so fondly loved. Then he said-- - -“My dear dad is all you say of him, and all I am or ever likely to be -that’s any good I owe to him and mother. But he is a very quiet man, -especially about himself, and so we knew little of what he had gone -through. I understand it better now since I have been whaling myself. -I thank you with all my heart for what you have said about him, it has -done me more good than you can possibly imagine.” - -There was rather an awkward pause after this, as if the other members -of the half deck hardly knew what to do with such a prodigy as they now -believed they had got in their midst. But the carpenter came to the -rescue by saying-- - -“Looky here, youngster, your father had a very tuneful voice of his -own, and although he didn’t talk much he would sing by the hour, all -about God and heaven and the like, and my! but it made me feel right -good. D’ye happen to take after him in that?” - -C. B. flushed a little and replied-- - -“Since I’ve been to sea I’ve never sung a note except humming to -myself. But I used to sing at home a good deal, and I’ll be very glad -to try if you like. I only sing hymns, though.” - -“That’s quite good,” hastily answered the carpenter, “your father -didn’t sing anything else either, an’ I don’t suppose any of us will -know the difference. We’re all more or less heathen, you know.” - -So without further pressing C. B. lifted up his sweet tenor and sang -“O God of Bethel,” amid a silence that was positively painful in -its intensity of attention. And as soon as he had finished he was -disconcerted by a very tempest of applause and vociferous shouts of -“Same man sing agen. Bully for you, old hoss,” etc., etc. And nothing -loth C. B. sang again and again, his repertoire being tolerably -extensive and his memory as good as his bringing up would naturally -make it, until tired out he had to cry off. Then, and not till then, it -was found that all hands in the ship, forgetting the gam, had crowded -as near to the half deck as possible, charmed by the sweet strains. - -The whole incident brings forcibly to my memory an experiment of my -own once when gamming a ship called the _Cornelius Howland_ off the -Three Kings, New Zealand. I was one of the visiting boat’s crew, and -after the usual topics of conversation flagged a song was called for. -I explained that I had some pretensions to a voice, but could only -sing hymns, for in the sect among whom I was converted it was esteemed -wrong to sing anything secular, and mortal sin to go to any place of -amusement whatever. It was immediately explained to me that so long as -I sang, the words did not matter in the least, especially as scarcely -anybody would understand me. So I piped up instantly with a favourite -of mine from Sankey’s book, “Through the Valley of the Shadow I must -go.” It was received with shouts of joy, one man who was especially -delighted saying, “Well, ---- my eyes, that’s what I call a ---- good -song, d’ye know. I could sit and listen to that kind o’ singin’ all -night.” - -I humbly apologize for the blanks, but the reader will, I hope, feel -as I did, that the forcible expletives they represent meant nothing to -the speaker, who was only using his ordinary language. I only know -that I went on singing to the exclusion of everybody else, and was -quite hoarse the next day from the unaccustomed vocal exercise, for -we didn’t sing very much in my ship. After all, it was not much to be -wondered at, for the polyglot crowd met with in the forecastle and half -decks of a whaler has usually one gift in common--an intensely musical -ear, although the execution of pleasing music is denied them in nearly -every instance. And for instrumental music they usually have that truly -infernal instrument, the accordion, from which the most ingenious -musician that ever lived can draw nothing but noise. So that a little -real music is received with great joy. - -At midnight the cry was heard, “_Eliza Adams’_ boat’s crew away,” and -C. B. sprang to his post, but not before his new-found friend “Chips” -had handed over to him his choicest treasure, a small parcel of -well-thumbed books, ragged copies of Dickens and Charles Reade, with -one or two others by less known authors, but all to C. B. a storehouse -of wonders, a treasure unlocked. Then with a warm handshake they -parted, C. B. feeling happier than he had done since leaving home. -Never before had he realized how much he had craved for sympathy and -the opportunity to express himself in terms of love and admiration for -his Father in heaven. And when they presently reached the ship Captain -Taber said to him-- - -“You seem to have had a pretty good time, Christmas. I heard you -singing away and remembered how your folks used to sing. It must have -been quite a treat to you to let loose again.” - -C. B. said nothing, for he did not feel that any answer was required -of him, but he longed with greater desire than ever to be able to talk -about the matter that lay nearest his heart. No one who has not been -in a similar position can begin to realize what it means to be dumb -upon the one topic that interests you. To feel that if you mention it -to anybody you will not only not be understood, but your words will be -construed as an insult. But he gave a great sigh and took the matter -quietly to the Lord as was his wont, feeling much comforted thereby, -strengthened to wait and endure as long as he should be called upon to -do so. And all unknown to him relief was at hand. - -Two days after meeting with the _Matilda Sayer_ the crow’s-nest -reported whale in the usual manner. But this time it was a lone whale -of very large size steadily making a passage across the ground at a -leisurely pace. Now a lone whale is always potentially very dangerous, -because his loneliness is due to the fact that he has been cast out of -the society of his kind. A big bull whale only maintains his position -as leader of the school as long as he is able to beat all aspirants -to the dignity. And as the young bulls growing up are continually -striving to attain that position, it will easily be seen that to keep -it the holder must be of exceptional strength and vigour, while the day -will surely come when in the natural order of events he will have to -abdicate, which does not mean that he may take an inferior position in -the school, but that he must leave it altogether and from henceforth -until the end, which may be many years distant, he must roam solitary. - -But this condition of existence for the whale naturally means that he -becomes morose, savage and wary. And if he should in addition have -been the object of attack by whalemen and have got away from them, -he becomes doubly dangerous because of the never-to-be-forgotten -lessons he has learned as to how to act, and also because it usually -happens that he carries with him, imbedded in his flesh, some rankling -fragments of bombs and certainly a galling harpoon. - -Now in consequence of these well-known facts concerning the lone whale, -it is usual to approach him with considerable caution. But there are -many whalemen to whom caution in dealing with their gigantic quarry -is a word of no meaning, they are reckless in the extreme, and no -amount of disaster ever seems sufficient to teach them. Of such was Mr. -Merritt: that strange composed man took fire within when approaching a -whale. He “saw red” as the saying is, and although handling his boat -and using his weapons with consummate skill, he had not one iota of -prudence in his whole make up. - -Now on this momentous occasion, because it was a lone whale, Captain -Taber ordered the chief and fourth officers away, keeping the other -boats in readiness to lower of course should there be any necessity, -but not anticipating that more would be needed. It was a fine day, but -the wind was high and the sea was correspondingly heavy. According to -etiquette Mr. Winsloe was first on the whale, into which Pepe with his -usual skill planted both irons right up to the hitches. Mr. Merritt -lay off a little with his boat, noting with some surprise that no -frantic wallowings and struggling followed the dart. Assuming, as was -most natural, that Pepe had failed to strike the whale, he pulled up -rapidly, having dowsed his own sail, to where Mr. Winsloe’s men were -busy getting their mast down. - -When within a couple of boat’s lengths of them all were horrified to -see the huge black head of the whale suddenly rise ghost-wise on the -port bow of the boat, while the gleaming pointed lower jaw emerged -from the water on the starboard side. The view was only momentary, for -as they gazed horror-stricken they saw the great jaws close, crashing -through the flimsy sides of the boat as if she were of so much paper, -and with a yell that rang high above the roar of wind and sea the -crew sprang clear of the wreck for their lives. But C. B.’s eagle -eye noticed on the instant that the harponeer had disappeared, and -in a second he had leapt from the boat into the vortex caused by the -wallowing of the whale, dived and caught at a black mass far beneath -the surface, the body of Pepe entangled by the whale line. Fortunately -at that moment the whale, disdaining to seek safety in flight, returned -to the surface, and consequently there was little difficulty for such -a powerful expert as C. B. to bring his prize to the surface, free -him from the line, and assist him back to the boat. I say assist, for -Pepe, though grievously injured, had never lost consciousness, and in -consequence was able to make some feeble attempts to help himself. - -By the time he had been hauled inboard the rest of the crew had been -rescued and the bight of the line, which C. B. had dropped as soon as -he had cleared it from Pepe’s limbs, was picked up and taken through -the notch in the bows, displacing their own line. Now Mr. Merritt was -in his element, danger and difficulty of any kind seemed to give the -needed stimulus to his otherwise sluggish nature. Charging the rescued -crew to double bank the oars, and placing the injured man in the bottom -of the boat, he changed ends with C. B. and awaited the onslaught of -the whale. - -That monster played the usual waiting game, just appearing for an -instant to spout, and then only exposing the point of the snout where -the spiracle or blow-hole is situated. He was waiting his opportunity -to perform the same operation on the second boat as he had done on -the first. But Merritt seemed to have placed himself in absolute -correspondence with the whale’s mind, for each time that either the -great flukes or the ponderous jaws appeared above water the boat by a -quiet order had been driven to a safe distance, and the threatened blow -or bite did not take effect. In fact the queer yellow man was playing -the waiting game also, knowing that the whale’s exertions were rapidly -tiring him out. - -For, strange to say, vast as is the strength possessed by these -monsters, they tire very soon when they have to exert themselves -much. And it is only when they are allowed to take things easily, as -sometimes happens through cowardice or unskilfulness on the part of -the whalemen, that they are able to weary out their aggressors and -finally emerge the victors in the long fight. At last Merritt saw with -a chuckle of delight that the whale was going to rush him head and head -as we call it. He had his bomb gun ready to hand, and laying down his -hand lance he put it to his shoulder, crying-- - -“Now, stern all hard and keep her just as she heads, Christmas.” - -With so much power at the oars the boat rushed swiftly astern as the -whale came rushing on, the great head rearing high out of water and -exposing the gleaming white cavern of the throat. - -Coolly, as if ashore at some practising ground, Merritt took aim and -pulled the trigger. There was a splash, a report, and an appalling -commotion in the sea ahead of the boat, in the midst of which another -report was heard, the explosion of the bomb within the whale’s body. -“Way ’nough,” shouted Merritt, and the boat stopped a cable’s length -away from the place where the mighty mammal was tearing up the deep in -his Titanic death throes. For a few moments the scene was appalling, -almost akin to a submarine volcanic eruption, then the uproar suddenly -ceased and the magnificent beast lay dead, listlessly tossing upon the -waves which the exuding oil from his wounds turned into smooth hummocks -of water quietly rising and falling around. - -The tumult had hardly subsided when the second boat ranged alongside -with orders to Mr. Merritt to return at once with his overmanned boat. -And he obeyed cheerfully, because nothing is more annoying than to try -and work in a boat where the hands, by reason of their being too many, -get in one another’s way, this being especially so when, as was now the -case, one man grievously hurt was lying in the bottom of the boat. They -soon reached the ship and climbed on board, Mr. Winsloe hastening to -the skipper and reporting the catastrophe, while all hands rallied on -to the falls and ran the boat up with Pepe’s unconscious body in it. -He was tenderly lifted out and carried aft on to a mattress, where his -clothes were removed, disclosing the severe nature of his injuries. The -whale had evidently nipped him sideways, for the great teeth of the -lower jaw had made eleven ghastly bruises, each four or five inches -across, and in three places the clothing was driven deep into the -blackened flesh. Three of the largest ribs were broken, and the right -arm was horribly lacerated by the whale line being twisted round it -under a great strain. - -But owing to the bluntness of the teeth there had been no loss of -blood, except in so far as it had blackened and spread under the -skin, which of course was highly dangerous from the possibility of -mortification and the absence of any but the rudest surgery. However, -all that could be done for the poor wretch by way of cooling lotions -and bandages was done, and he regained consciousness to fall into a -refreshing sleep. - -Meanwhile the crew had toiled fiercely under the direction of the mate -to get their prize alongside, finding as it was hauled near that its -dimensions were more imposing than they had imagined. Measured along -the rail it was roughly seventy feet in length, which is as far as is -accurately known about the limit of size for a cachalot, while as it -lay on its side, its jaw parallel to the ship, it looked as imposing -in size as a vessel of two or three hundred tons bottom up. The fluke -chain was passed without difficulty, and all the available force of -harponeers and officers that could get at it attacked it at once with -almost desperate energy, for it was getting late in the day, the night -promised to be very dark, and none relished the prospect of pursuing -that gigantic task without other light save that afforded by the -feeble cressets. To Mr. Merritt and C. B. fell the task of severing -the monstrous head, a labour which it is most difficult to realize. -There is but a slight crease in the place where a neck ought to be, -and here the carcass is nearly twenty feet through--a mass of muscle -and sinew with scarcely any soft parts, and right in the centre of it -the huge ball and socket joint of the vertebrae which is composed of -bones nearly two feet thick. And if those spades plunging down into the -depths of that mass darkly (for it is impossible to keep the scarph -open) should miss the joint, as it is exceedingly likely they may, the -additional work is tremendous. I have seen this task occupy the labours -of the whole of the officers and harponeers of a ship, relieving one -another at frequent intervals, for a whole day. - -But this huge toil is but little greater than that which is being -prosecuted at the same time by the others, all of whom are balanced -upon the precarious plank of the cutting in stage, suspended far out -over the side and springing to every roll of the ship. There is the -junk to be divided from the head, a mass weighing eight to ten tons cut -diagonally from the lower point of the upper jaw, and there is also -the huge oblong mass of the case, or really half the remainder of the -head, to be cut through, where a careless lunge of the spade may cause -the leakage of all the valuable spermaceti which it holds in a liquid -state. In this immense task strength avails little unless allied to -skill, and skill is of small use without strength and endurance to keep -driving the spade in the right place. - -In a small whale, as I have hinted before, these operations are much -simplified, because the head can be cut off and hoisted on deck, where -the work of severing junk and case is quite easy. But as now the whale -was of the largest size and most of the work had to be done upon the -huge masses rolling and tumbling in the unquiet sea beneath, all the -strength, patience, and endurance possessed by the workers were needed -to the very limit. At last the head came off, and a great groan of -relief went up from Merritt and C. B., whose arms felt as if they would -drop off through sheer weariness. But there was no prospect of rest, -the only relief they could hope for was a change in their movements -bringing a different set of muscles into play. The blubber hook had -long been in position affixed to the eyepiece, and no sooner did the -huge mass of the head surge astern than the high clear voice of the -captain rose-- - -“Heave away there cheerily now, I want to see how quick ye can skin -this whale.” - -He was answered by an incessant clattering of the pawls as the windlass -brakes flew up and down, and the first blanket piece of blubber, a foot -thick and nine feet wide, rose majestically into the air. - -As soon as the blocks of the tackle came together the windlass stopped, -while the captain, armed with a formidable boarding-knife like a -cutlass blade stuck in a long wooden handle, cut a big circular hole in -the centre of the blanket piece, thrust the strap of the waiting tackle -through it and secured it by a large wooden toggle, shouting as he -slipped it into its place, “Heave on yer whale, my hearties, heave on -yer whale: surge on yer piece!” - -“Oh what a jargon,” I think I hear some reader say wearily. I’m sorry, -but it can’t be helped. It only means that the men at the windlass -heave on the second tackle and let the fall of the first slip round the -windlass barrel. Then as soon as the second tackle has taken the strain -“Vast heaving” is called, while the captain with his boarding-knife -cuts through the blanket piece high above the hole he made for the -securing of the second tackle and the mass, now disengaged, is lowered -into the blubber room. - -It sounds like a lengthy process but really is not, for in the present -instance the captain’s appeal was answered so well that in twenty-five -minutes the whole of that vast carcass was denuded of its blubber and -had floated away, the centre of a ravening horde of sharks. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -The Story of a Crime - - -Although it would be quite unfair to imagine from the immense activity -prevailing in the ship during the cutting-in that Pepe was neglected, -it is certain that according to a very well understood and constantly -acted upon rule in South Sea whalers, work connected with whaling takes -precedence of everything else. Nothing is allowed to interfere with -it as long as it is humanly possible to carry it on. Remembering the -quite scanty rewards to be obtained on an average by the most ardent -and successful whalemen, the absolute impossibility of any supervision -by the owners for three or four years at a time, it is, I think, little -short of marvellous to note the extraordinary energy and perseverance -manifested by these men, of whatever grade above that of seaman, in the -chief business of the voyage. - -Physical injury, lack of rest, incredible toil, privation suffered are -all made light of in the chase, capture, and disposal of the whale. -Charges are often brought against the leaders of gross inhumanity to -the men working under them in the absence of full restraint; but as -far as that cruelty consists in overwork, or work under desperate -conditions, I bear witness that if the sailor or foremost hand is not -spared, neither do those who drive him spare themselves. The voluntary -work that I have seen some of these men perform would be taken as -incredible if I were to relate it, and I therefore shrink from giving -instances. Besides, to the majority of those whom I hope will read this -book, the whole business would be unintelligible because entirely out -of the purview of a serene and quietly ordered life. - -This terribly energetic method of working was a most severe lesson to -C. B., hard to learn, harder still to understand. For in the gentle -life of the islanders, though great efforts were sometimes necessary -in an emergency, as we have seen, they had no ideas of hard work as -a habit, for the love of working hard, or for the greed of gain. -They were as far removed from being ascetics as they were from being -hypocrites. They loved their simple pleasures and heartily gave thanks -to God for them, and they could not understand why any sane person -should misuse his body in order to get more than somebody else had--the -last condition being an unthinkable one to them where everything was -held in common. But it had not taken C. B. long to discover that in -the new world of which he was now a denizen, might and endurance, as -well as ability to get and keep, were the objects of praise and almost -worship. That men were held in esteem, not for what they were, but -for what they had, and that the easiest sneer to their lips was that -a priest, a parson, or a religious man of any kind was an individual -who had found that the easiest way of getting a living without work -was gaining a hold over the minds of your hard-working fellows by -pretending that you were in touch with the unseen world. - -So he had early come to the conclusion that he must prove his manhood -by his eagerness to work, his indifference to fatigue, and his ability -to do all that was required of him, as well as by his passive -obedience to all the loving precepts of the Gospel. And this kept him -going sometimes when he would fain have sunk down with fatigue, a -generous pride and belief in God’s sustaining power as being certainly -no less able to uphold the Christian than the mysterious force that -kept Merritt, the man of no beliefs and strangest origin, going -apparently with ease when everybody else was sinking with fatigue. -Nobly he sustained his part, and nobody suspected how near he was -several times to giving up and declaring that whatever happened he -could work no more without rest. - -This present business was really the severest he had gone through, -because his successful effort to save Pepe was made under the most -trying conditions, every ounce of his great strength as well as his -endurance of privation of air had been put forth, and then as soon -as the ship was reached work harder than ever had to be engaged in. -Consequently as soon as the last case had been strung up alongside by -the two main tackles and the business of baling it out had commenced he -was most thankful to hear the skipper say-- - -“Now, I’ll watch these fellows baling the case, an’ all the rest of -ye scoot, get a good skin full of grub and a rest. We’ll set blubber -watches at eight bells” (eight o’clock p.m.). - -As they stepped away from the waist, with all its débris of quaint -fragments of blubber and bone, and the swish, swish of oil surging from -side to side of the deck, Merritt said to our friend-- - -“Christmas, me boy, I ain’t too sorry to knock off for an hour or two. -I believe I’m getting old; can’t work day in and day out ’thout wantin’ -a rest same as I used to.” - -C. B. replied simply-- - -“I thought you could hardly be made of ordinary flesh and blood. You -seem to work like a machine and never to think of rest, while I often -find myself wondering how much longer I can hold out.” - -“Ah, me boy,” responded Merritt, laying his hand most affectionately on -C. B.’s arm, “you forget the differences between our ages. You’re only -a boy just done growin’, ’bout twenty-two ain’t ye? while I--well I -don’t quite know how old I am, but I guess about thirty-five, have got -all my gristle hardened into man, and can plug along ’thout showin’ it. -But you shape better than any youngster I ever see.” - -As Merritt finished speaking, C. B. suddenly bethought him of Pepe, -lying aft there in miserable pain, and slipped along to his side. -Finding the wounded man awake he dropped one knee beside him, saying-- - -“How is it, Pepe? Can I do anything for you, get a pipe, a drink, or -move you?” - -Pepe looked up at the fine eager face, and moistened his lips twice or -thrice before he replied with another question: “What made ye save me? -If I’d been in your place, I’d let ye die, an’ glad o’ the chance. An’ -I’d be best pleased if you’d let me go when I was three parts gone. I -don’t want t’ live cos you’ve beat me, you an’ yer Chinaman. Go away; I -hate ye, an’ if I could I’d kill ye now. What did ye ever come aboard -this ship for? Ye’ve made a hell of her for better men than you are.” - -C. B. knew better than to stay and talk to a man in that frame of mind, -a man too who, for all he knew, might be raving in delirium; but he -thought with some consolation of certain unclean spirits of old who -cried to the healing Lord, “Art thou come to torment us before our -time?” and turned away to his berth below, where he found a good and -ample meal awaiting him. He ate and drank reverently, gratefully, and -then, greatly refreshed, lay down in his bunk and went fast asleep -almost on the instant, having not a single care of his own. And, as it -happened that he was not in the first watch, it was 2 a.m. before he -was called, and then he sprang to his feet at the word full of life and -energy. - -When he rushed on deck he found the machinery of oil-boiling in full -blast, the caldrons bubbling fiercely, the square iron funnels of the -try-works blazing like the squat chimneys of an iron foundry, and the -clatter of the mincing machine incessant. He had little imagination or -he would have thought what a picture she made, this tiny hive of human -energy with all her toilers, in the midst of that immense stretch of -lonely ocean, engaged in converting to human use the treasure of the -boundless deep ravished from its mightiest denizen. But he only saw a -little group of almost dead-beat men who had been working mechanically -for hours, only thought pityingly of the ill-requited toil and what he -considered to be the folly of it all. - -Then he plunged into the work himself, while the second and fourth -mates prowled about the decks, keeping a vigilant eye upon possible -shirkers, seeing the great casks rolled away from the cooler as the -cooked oil was poured into them and they brimmed over. In fact the ship -was now just a floating factory from which, except to an observant -onlooker if such there had been, all romance had departed to make way -for the greasy heavy toil. No lookout was kept, no hand at the wheel, -which was lashed hard a lee; for, in case any other ship should be -wandering that way, the trying-out whaler was a beacon in herself, -visible for many miles. She certainly could not run another ship down, -and any one who run her down could be little less than a criminal -lunatic, at least quite unfit to have charge of a ship. - -So the heavy round of work went on without intermission until, about -4.30, the darkest hour before the dawn, all hands on deck were startled -beyond measure by hearing a high clear voice crying-- - -“Ship ahoy! What ship is that? Do you need any assistance?” All eyes -were turned in the direction of the hail, and there close by them rode -a ship of war, her side crowded with men plainly visible in the blue -flare she was burning, but looking all corpse-like in that unnatural -light. - -Loud and clear came the response from aft, for Captain Taber seemed -to be always on hand when wanted: “Ship _Eliza Adams_ of New Bedford, -whaling, now engaged in trying out.” - -“Thank you,” came the somewhat dissatisfied answer across. “I thought -you were on fire. Good-night and good luck. Go ahead, please; forty -revolutions, course S.80.W.” - -It was only one of the police of the seas, a British man-o’-war -attached to the South American Squadron; but as she did not leave her -name or destination no one on board could guess who she was. Captain -Taber said sardonically, “That’s a Johnny Haul Taut, I bet; thinks -he owns the show. But I guess he’s ben sold a pup this watch. Wonder -what sort of guff he’ll enter up in his log about this.” It was not -generous, but characteristic of American captains in discussing British -seamen and their seamanship, and we can hardly quarrel or bother with -it to any good purpose. But what was entered in the log was just this-- - -“Saw a glare to the eastward, looking like a ship on fire, altered -course at 3.55 a.m. to E.N.E. and ran down at full speed, twelve -knots. Discovered the glare to be the whaleship _Eliza Adams_ of New -Bedford trying out a whale. Resumed course immediately, S.80.W., forty -revolutions. Weather as before.” - -By the next day at noon the deck was clear of all the filth, and the -factory-like work was proceeding with machine-like regularity, all -hands being now well rested. And as cask after cask was filled at the -cooler and rolled away to a secure temporary berth on deck, the captain -was heard to say something to this effect: “I thought so. I guessed -that whale to be about the biggest in all my experience, an’ now I’m -gettin’ to be sure of it. Never saw a bigger whale nor yet richer -blubber.” By which he meant that the blubber was so full of oil that -when cut the clear fluid gushed almost like water and besides it was -full of cysts, small cells of about the size of peas, which were filled -with a bland substance of the consistency of cream, probably almost -pure spermaceti. - -For although the great reservoir of spermaceti is in the head, in -this case yielding nearly fifty barrels or five tons of almost pure -spermaceti, this curious substance is found in the oil from any part of -the body, particularly the great dorsal hump. Why the head should have -so huge a quantity of this fluid contained in it is a mystery, the only -supposition concerning its use being that its very low specific gravity -brings the vast mass much more quickly to the surface than would -otherwise be the case, and brings it up too in such a position that the -spiracle or blow-hole is the first portion of the whale to break water. -This substance has nothing in it of the nature of brain matter--the -brains are quite small in proportion to the size of the creature--but -it has been held, in view of the high intelligence shown by the -whales and seals, all of which are noted for their apparent paucity -of brain, that this thought or intelligence matter is distributed -over the different nerve centres, or to put it more colloquially, the -creature has, like the telephone system in a large town, several local -exchanges, as well as one central exchange for the transaction of -general business. - -And in the same way it has been supposed that the whales, huge as -they are, cannot possibly contain sufficient air for the needs of the -creatures during the prolonged period--often nearly an hour--during -which they remain under water, since they have no other means of -aerating the blood whatever. So it has been assumed that in some -mysterious way the vital principle of the air, oxygen, is in some -way secreted during the period that the whale is on the surface, a -supposition which is somewhat supported by the fact that the whale upon -coming to the surface must make so many respirations, always the same -in number, before he can seek the depths again, which would point to -some process going on in addition to ordinary breathing. Also it would -certainly be impossible for him to sink if he inflated himself, as it -were, by shipping a great reservoir full of air. - -But this is probably enough of whale anatomy for one chapter, so I will -leave the subject for a while, merely recording that the captain’s most -sanguine expectations were fulfilled, the whale yielding one hundred -and sixty barrels or sixteen tons of oil and spermaceti, which at the -then high market-price of the day, £108 per ton, made the handsome -sum of over seventeen hundred pounds for less than a week’s work. Of -course the long spells of inaction and the heavy outlay as well as -upkeep must be borne in mind, and I do not suggest that the great game -was ever in the nature of a gold mine, only that when a monster like -the one we have just tried out was obtained he made a very considerable -addition to the profits of the voyage. - -All the oil having been run down, and the lavish application of lye and -sand to the decks and paintwork having made the ship look her usual -smart self, the monotonous old routine began again, but for our hero -at least its monotony was a thing of the past. For one thing he began -on his bundle of books, only reading a very little at a time at first, -but gradually getting absorbed in them and reading on to the great -loss of his sleep. But oh, to be able to read like him, to drink with -an entirely unsophisticated thirst at the fountain of good literature -believing every word as if it were directly inspired! Of course he read -his Bible as he had always done, from a genuine love of it and a full -appreciation of its living histories, not at all as a religious duty, -but as with his wonderful memory he knew it nearly all by heart, it was -entirely delightful to him to get hold of something fresh. - -At last his chief, Merritt, said to him one night, with just the -slightest shade of grievance in his voice, “’Pears to me you’re mighty -busy these days, too busy to have a yam even. What ’yer doin’ anyhow -with yer nose in a book all the time?” - -For a moment the idea of the extremely taciturn Merritt wanting a yam -almost made C. B. smile, but he suppressed the impulse and replied -apologetically-- - -“I’m afraid I’ve been a bit selfish of late, but the fact is I’ve just -found my way into a new world. I never knew how much there was in -books before, and I forget everything else but the people that seem to -be all alive before me, doing and saying things that I never dreamed -of before. You see, I’ve missed very much the long talks and pleasant -society that I’ve been used to all my life till I came here, for no -one here seemed to care about anything that I like, and I can’t listen -to their yarns at all: they’re all dreadful to me because of the bad -language.” - -Merritt looked at him keenly for the space of a minute, and then said -as if thinking aloud, “I wonder what Pepe thinks of ye now since you -saved his life. Don’t seem overnabove thankful ’s far ’s I can see. -Spoke t’ him yet?” - -C. B. flushed dark red as he replied, “Yes, I asked him the next day -if I could do anything for him, and I found him as bitter as ever. He -knows all about the business--how, I don’t know, but he does--and he -seems to hate me worse for it. What it means I don’t understand, but I -can’t alter it, and so I must let him go his own way.” - -“I know,” grunted Merritt; “he’s a bad man, eaten up with jealousy of -you. If you’d a ben a no ’count greenie that couldn’t keep your end -up, an’ had to knuckle down to him in the half deck same as his other -cronies do or did, you wouldn’t had no trouble with him. I got no use -for men like him except to make oil, for he’s a pretty fair average -whaleman--I’m not denying that. - -“But what I like about you is that you’re not only a good whaleman, but -you’re a good man. An’ now I want to tell you somethin’. I ben achin’ -to get it off my chest for a long time past, ever since I took such a -shine t’ ye at the first lowerin’. I told yer I had a chum once, didn’t -I? Yes; well, I picked him up on the beach at the Bay of Islands. -He’d swum ashore from the _Guidin’ Light_, a whaleship that had the -reputation in her day of being the worst of all the bad ships that ever -went a spoutin’. He was pretty desperate, but he knew enough not to try -and skip while she was anchor: the standin’ twenty dollars reward would -ha’ put every Maori in the neighbourhood on his track in a fluke-twist. -So he waited till she was under weigh, and then when she was well off -the heads he slipped down a rope and put for shore. - -“Well, he’d fetched round to Russell, an’, mind I’m telling ye, they -were pretty hard crowd there those days, so if a poor devil had no -money he stood a gaudy chance of starvin’. Well, I was in a good homely -ship, the _Mornin’ Star_, the skipper’s boat-header at that, an’ we -come into the Bay of Islan’s to wood and water up an’ give liberty as -usual. I come ashore with the skipper as soon as the kellick was down, -and while he was up at the store I strolled along the beach an’ I finds -Dick, the chap I’m talkin’ about, lyin’ on the sand half dead. I gives -him a kick just to let him know he was liable for a sunstroke, and he -gets up halfway and looks at me just like a dog I had once. That was -enough for me. I gets him up, takes him to old Rowsell’s store, and -fills him full of good grub an’ beer, and then when the skipper come -along I puts in a word fer him an’ he’s taken aboard. - -“We happened to be a couple of hands short, so the old man wasn’t sorry -to have him, and I--well, I don’t know what it could ha’ been, but I -got so fond of that fellow you can’t think. When he got into decent -rig, and had two or three square meals, he was a different chap, quite -handsome and a regular Jim Dandy. He was a white man too, some sort of -an Englishman I guess, an’ he could talk like a hull box o’ books. We -was only about nine months out from New Bedford when he came aboard, -an’ before another three months he’d so twisted himself around me, one -that had never had a pet before since I first knew myself, that I’d -ha’ died for him. He was after oarsman in my boat an’ smart too, but, -though I wouldn’t see it then, he was a coward an’ a sneak of the worst -kind. I was in hot water the whole time takin’ his part, for he was -always in rows, an’ used to run to me like a kid. I think I liked him -all the more for that, an’ beside a row has always ben a sort o’ tonic -to me. - -“Looking back now I can’t understand the hold that fellow had over me, -for he was always playing some dirty trick or another, not on me, but -other fellows, an’ I had to get him out o’ them. An’ if ever I went -for him real angry, he could always salve me over in a few minutes -with that soapy tongue of his. At last I found him out. We went into -Callao, an’ it was the days when shanghaiing was carried on wuss there -than anywhere else. No one was allowed out of the ship except on such -business as takin’ the skipper ashore, an’ then we was forbid to leave -the boat. But he had ben there before, an’ knew Buck Murphy, the big -shanghai boss, who used ter come down on the quay an’ yam with him -very quiet. One afternoon while we was waitin’ for the skipper, Dick -persuades me to come up to a house not above two ships’ lengths away -an’ have a drink with him, bringin’ two hands out of the boat with us -and leavin’ a Kanaka in charge. It was only to be for a minute. - -“Even t’ this day I don’t know what made me go. I knew better, o’ -course, an’ I never did care much fer drink anyway. But that fellow -could make me do anythin’ he liked, I believe, an’, so I went, like a -silly goat as I was. I smelt somehow that all wasn’t right when I got -in, for there was as tough a lookin’ crowd as ever I see sittin’ about, -an’ half of ’em looked ready to begin on anybody they didn’t sorter -just cotton to. But I had my drink, three fingers of aguardiente, an’ -so did the two chaps as was with us, two Yanks they was. Just as I puts -my glass down I sees Dick lookin’ at me curious, an’ in that moment I -knew that he had sold me. I never want to feel like that again. The -bottom seemed to have fell out of everything. I jumped up, knockin’ -the big table over; I heard an’ awful crashin’ an’ bangin’ an’, then -nothin’. - -“When I came to agen I was bein’ hauled along a deck by the neck, an’ I -was feelin’ wuss nor ever I had felt in my life. I heard somebody yell -‘up with ye, dirt; an’ loose that maintgallant s’l,’ an’ I started, -the sailor in me, I s’pose. But as I got on the sheer pole I looked -around, for my head was gettin’ clearer, and there, not more’n a mile -away was the _Mornin’ Star_ at anchor, an’ we flyin’ past her at the -rate o’ knots before a fresh breeze under topsails fore and aft. Just -one look was enough for me. I slued round and dived, comin’ up headin’ -straight for the ole ship. And the skunk in charge o’ that hooker that -I’d ben shanghaied into stood on his poop an’ took pot shots at me from -a Winchester as long as he could see me. But he dassent heave to where -he was ’n I played the ole islan’ game on him, boy, long swim under -water, bob up an’ a guts full of air, then down agen. Why, I’d run the -blockade of forty ships if only the water was rough enough. - -“Presently the old man sees me, he’d ben disturbed by the noise o’ the -shootin’, an’, as he afterwards told me, he ups with his glass an’ -makes out who it was. An’ then he was that excited he couldn’t keep -still; but he had too much savvy to lower a boat until the ship that -I’d jumped from was outer gunshot. Then they come an’ picked me up. I -was feelin’ real good, for that swim had put new life inter me. When -I got aboard the ole man was that delighted t’ see me I thought he’d -a cried, an’ I was some glad t’ get back. I told him all I knew, an’ -he says, ‘Why that chum o’ yours is wuss an’ what even I thought him, -an’ you know I never did like him. He got down inter my cabin that day -somehow and stole about two hundred dollars in money an’ some bits o’ -julery as I prized, an’ I hain’t heard nothin’ of him since.’ - -“I didn’t say nothin’, I couldn’t, but I reckoned that if ever I met -Mr. Dick agen, no matter where or how, it’d be his last meetin’ with -anybody. - -“I went an’ had a good sleep an’ a feed, an’ that night as soon as it -was dark I goes t’ the skipper an’ says I: ‘I’m goin’ ashore, sir, -with your permission, but I don’t want no boat, I’ll swim.’ He knew -me an’ he says, ‘Well, if you must you must. But I don’t want t’ lose -ye, try an’ get back agen.’ An’ I says, ‘You bet I’ll be back before -mornin’.’ So I puts my ole bowie in my belt, slips down over the side, -an’ puts for the shore. It was only a couple o’ miles off, so I was -as fresh as paint when I lands, an’ then I starts off on my search. I -knew, of course, that my joker calc’lated on me bein’ a good many miles -away by this time, so I didn’t dodge about, I went straight to the rum -mill he’d lured me to. An’ when I shoved open the door, there he is, a -settin’ with a big drink afore him, and Buck Murphy with two other boys -o’ the same class sittin’ around with cards in their hands. They were -playin’ bluff. - -“I wasn’t: I made one jump at him like a cougar. I knew I could a -had him out o’ the middle of a regiment of soldiers, an’ as I went I -knocked the kerosine lamp over that was on the table so that the only -light that there was came from the burnin’ ile lappin’ around the -wooden shanty. I got him by the neck, with my left hand. With the other -I pulls my knife an’ as I choked him I felt for anythin’ touchin’ me -an’ cut at it. The flame burst up high an’ showed me the rest o’ the -crowd clearin’, so I pulls up quickly an’ has a good look at him. I -thought he was dead, but I makes sure an’ then has a peep round. An’ in -the corner of the room I sees a big hole. Bein’ as clear in my mind as -I am now I makes a breach for it, guessin’ what it was, drops through -it an’ finds myself in the harbour which was all right. - -“So I takes a little journey, lands and get my bearin’s on, then -paddles off quietly to the ship feelin’ quite easy in my mind. I got -aboard agen at midnight, and was very near shot by the mate who, seein’ -me climb inboard in the dark, thought I was some pirate or another. I -jollied him a bit about his shootin’, not much, because I ain’t big on -the shoot myself, then turned in, tellin’ him I’d give the cuffer t’ -the skipper in the mornin’. - -“I was middlin’ tired, an’ I had to be called at two bells, an’ as -soon as I come on deck the ole man says, ‘So you got back all right, -Merritt?’ ‘Yes, sir,’ I says, ‘an’ I’ve squared the account. Mister -Dick won’t sell any more men, his pleasant little game is stopped for -a full due.’ ‘Why, you surely didn’t kill him, did you, Merritt?’ -says he, holdin’ up both han’s as if he was scared like. ‘Well, if I -didn’t,’ says I, ‘it’s a funny thing to me. But I don’t think there’s -much doubt about it;’ an’ I went on to give him the story. Would you -believe it, he looked at me as if I hurt his eyesight, an’ from that -out I don’t think he really ever liked me. Some men is like that, ye -know. They know you’ve done the right thing, yet they hate ye for doin’ -it. But that didn’t trouble me any.” - -All through the long recital C. B. had listened with mingled feelings -of admiration and horror, and when Merritt had finished he held out his -hand and said-- - -“Mr. Merritt, I feel that your deed was terrible, but I can’t find it -in my heart to blame you, except that you acted in revenge. But that -man was a danger and needed killing, I know, and I feel that you were -only the instrument in doing a necessary work. I couldn’t think any -less of you, for I believe you acted according to the light you had, -and anyhow I love and admire you.” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -C. B.’s Great Temptation - - -From that eventful evening the friendship between these two most -strangely assorted chums deepened in force until every man in the ship -knew certainly, what he had only suspected before, that whoever took it -in hand to do despite to one of them would surely have to reckon with -the other. And that knowledge had a wholly quietening and sweetening -effect upon all hands. Every one knew by this time, knew intimately, -that C. B.’s principles were of a high and noble kind, that he would -always be on the side of the good and true, and would be ready to put -up with much trouble and annoyance from anybody rather than assert -himself. But they all knew also that his chum Merritt was of a totally -different stamp. They felt that, given what he considered cause, he -would as soon kill a man as eat an orange, and they were afraid that if -they offended C. B. and Merritt got to know of it, he might suddenly -apply his own method of chastisement to the offender. - -And so the _Eliza Adams_ became a most eminently peaceful as well as -hard-working ship. Captain Taber used to gaze admiringly upon the quiet -gangs working here and there, with never a voice upraised in anger, and -say to his mate, “Winsloe, I’ve often said that the day of miracles was -long past, but I ain’t so sure now. You and me always looked upon the -old hooker as a good ship, an’ by jingo, she _was_ a good ship compared -with lots that we’ve known, a perfect little galley of angels, but -they was a good deal of rough house at times in order to keep her good, -now wasn’t they?” - -“True ’nough, captain,” sententiously assented Winsloe, “men must be -kep’ in hand.” - -“That’s just my point, Winsloe,” eagerly interrupted the skipper. “Ever -since the weltin’ that Merritt gave Pepe she ain’t wanted no keepin’ in -order, she’s been an abode of peace; y’ haven’t had t’ raise yer voice -above a whisper to get everything done on the instant. Whatever is it -in this young fellow that makes such a change in everybody that comes -near him? Some fellows hate him like pizen, others freeze to him like -Merritt, an’ yet he doesn’t do or say anythin’ except his plain duty.” - -“I guess I don’t know, sir,” yawned Winsloe as if tired of the subject. -“S’long as a man does his work ’thout giving trouble I ain’t usin’ my -brains on his character. Don’t make no sort o’ difference t’ me.” - -“Ah, I see,” murmured the skipper, and turned away, fully convinced -in his own mind that Mr. Winsloe did not view C. B. with any favour, -in fact, was a man of that strange mind calibre, that praise of any -other man, whether affecting him or not, acted upon him like a personal -affront. - -Thereafter for a space of three months, during which they continued to -cruise the off-shore ground with fair success, taking altogether some -four hundred barrels of oil, no incident occurred worth making special -mention of here. Only it could not escape the notice of any unbiassed -observer like the skipper, how, with the exception of the other boat -steerers and the three officers above Merritt, all the crew seemed to -worship C. B.; their faces brightened whenever they saw him. And then -there came another explosion with Pepe again, who seemed to have grown -moodier and more sullen, although he was just as good a whaleman as he -had ever been. - -It was during the trying out of some oil, just at the change of -watches, that one of C. B’s boat’s crew, coming hurriedly on deck, -charged into Pepe, who stood wiping his hands by the mincer, having -just relinquished the baler to C. B., standing on the try-works -platform. It was a pure accident, due to the quantity of oil on deck. -And besides, the man, a Yankee from Vermont, was not in the best of -health, for he was suffering from a severe outbreak of painful boils. -But Pepe sprang to his feet and seized the unfortunate fellow by the -throat, forcing him against the rail, and had already struck him -a heavy blow in the face, when C. B. leaped from his place on the -platform, and snatching Pepe’s just descending arm cried, “Let the man -alone!” - -Pepe turned like a baffled tiger, all teeth and snarl, and grappled C. -B., everything forgotten but his present desire to do harm to the one -who had got in his way. - -A serious smile was on C. B.’s face as he easily held the furious man -who, lost to all sense of danger, strove to get at his knife. Seeing -or rather feeling this, C. B. lost his temper and, freeing his right -arm, struck at Pepe’s face once, twice, with crushing force; then as if -maddened beyond endurance he clasped Pepe in his arms and dashed him -against the bulwarks where he lay limp and motionless. C. B.’s anger -passed as rapidly as it had kindled, and falling on his knees in the -oil by the side of the unconscious man he tore open the breast of his -shirt and felt his breast, finding to his immense relief that his heart -was beating, though feebly. - -Then rising, he lifted the limp body in his strong arms and bore it -aft out of the way of the oil. He was about to get some restoratives -when a hand was laid on his arm, and turning he saw Merritt who said-- - -“Looky here! no more foolin’ with that nigger. He ain’t hurt any worth -speakin’ of, an’ you’re only spoilin’ him. ’Sides, your pot wants -lookin’ after. Get back t’ yer work and leave him t’ learn his lesson.” - -C. B. obeyed mechanically, but with a dull feeling of regret at his -heart, for he was afraid of that demon that had so suddenly arisen -within him, remembering keenly as he did the last occasion when it -had done so. And as he went on with his baling, he prayed fervently -to be delivered from what he felt was the awful danger of taking a -fellow-creature’s life in anger. - -All the while he was thus accusing himself the rest of the watch, with -the exception of Mr. Spurrell, who was asleep and heard nothing of the -fray, were almost beside themselves with joy at the thought that the -gentle kindly fellow whom they all loved could on occasion use the -great strength they knew he possessed not only in self-defence but for -the defence of others. The man whom he had rescued, in particular, was -from thenceforward his devoted slave; no one could say a word even -remotely disparaging C. B., but he was upon them like a faithful dog in -defence of his master. And strangest of all, C. B. never heard another -word about it from anybody. Pepe was all right to all appearance at the -change of watches, and if the captain knew he never mentioned it. - -Now I fear that there are many good people who will feel that C. B. was -woefully lacking in what they consider should be the first attribute -of the Christian--the ability and grace to submit not only to any -violence offered to themselves, but to witness any shameful oppression -of others with the same meekness of spirit. I verily believe, I must -believe, judging from what I read written by these people and what I -have heard them say, that if they saw the last extremity of murderous -outrage being offered to their nearest and dearest they would only drop -upon their knees and pray that God would pardon the perpetrators; they -would not dare to interfere, actively, nor if they were able would they -allow others to do so. Nay more, if any person did interfere, and in -defence of their children happened to shed the blood of the aggressors, -they would be the first to call him or them murderers. - -It is an attitude of mind which I do not pretend to understand, but -one that is all too common and widespread to ignore. It is far removed -from the spirit of the ancient martyrs, in that its professors are -usually the very first to cry out for protection of their own bodies -and property by the forces of the law. And I can only characterize such -people by the plain old name of coward. More, I do not believe that God -saves a man to make him a coward, but to make him as brave as was the -Gentle Saviour when he scourged the infamous rabble out of the Temple, -alone and unaided. But our curious weaklings would have reserved their -wrath for the scourge wielder, their pity for the scoundrels. Would! -nay do so every day, as the columns of our newspapers bear witness. - -And now the time approaches when C. B. is to endure the heaviest -temptation of all. The season was over on the off-shore ground, and the -good ship was put under all sail for the Sandwich Islands, it being -the captain’s intention to visit Honolulu to refit there and replenish -with wood and water. As soon as the news became known all hands went -nearly wild with delight, for in those days Honolulu was a place where, -in spite of the efforts of the missionaries, scenes of the wildest -licence and debauchery took place upon the arrival of a whaleship whose -captain was kindly disposed enough to give his crew liberty and money. -Reminiscences of former excesses were now on everybody’s tongue, even -the taciturn Merritt became almost garrulous in describing to his chum -what he considered to be the attractions of Honolulu and its environs. - -In his innocence and ignorance C. B. listened greedily to these tales, -and asked many questions, which made Merritt grin and wonder loudly -that any man should be so fresh and green as he put it. And there was -no one to warn, nothing to give any hint as to the foulness of what -was coming. More than that, there was an uneasy sense in C. B.’s mind -of being gradually estranged from the high and holy thoughts which had -always been his precious possession, even his prayers were becoming -perfunctory as the scenes so vividly depicted by the conversation of -his fellows rose before his mental vision and his curiosity with regard -to them grew stronger. - -They made a very fine and uneventful passage to the islands, arriving -off Honolulu in the early dawn of a perfect day, and working into the -harbour, where four other whaleships were lying at anchor, in the usual -easy seaman-like fashion of those ships. The vessel was moored smartly, -and the order given to furl all sail, and in carrying out this order -an incident occurred which brings into my story for a little while -a man who has not received any but cursory mention and that not by -name--Mr. Allan the third mate. He was a jovial stocky little man of -great vivacity and good temper, who interfered with nobody and made no -trouble as long as the work went on all right. Being in the other watch -he had never had much to do with C. B., and regarded him as an amiable -sort of crank. - -Now it chanced that in the rush to get the sails furled C. B. found -himself side by side with Mr. Allan on the main topsail yard, tugging -furiously at the sail to get it furled before their rivals forrard, in -the usual emulation seen in these vessels at sail furling. Now C. B. -being so long and Mr. Allan so short, only about five feet four, the -latter could only reach from the foot-rope, and sprang upwards from it -grabbing at the sail and missing his hold. He was sliding backwards -from the yard with a despairing yell when C. B., letting go the sail, -made a grab at his left arm, caught it, and turning, held the whole -weight of his body as it fell. The wrench was terrible, and C. B’s -stout sinews cracked, but exerting all his great strength he drew the -third mate upward until he placed him on the foot-rope again in safety, -when they both lay gasping across the yard and looked at each other. - -When they had recovered their breath they finished furling the sail, -being hopelessly beaten of course by the fellows forrard. But when they -reached the deck Mr. Allan held out his hand to C. B. saying, “Put it -there, young man, I reckon I owe you a life or so.” - -C. B. was about to reply, when Merritt with his dangerous grin on came -between them and said-- - -“Now, Mr. Allan, what’s you doin’ with my chum?” - -“Oh, don’t bark,” replied Allan laconically, “nobody’s kidnappin’ your -chum. But I s’pose you haven’t any real objections t’ a fellow saying -thank ye for having his life saved, have ye?” - -“No, but we’ll let it go at that,” snarled Merritt. “When I’ve got a -chum I don’t want no partners in him, ’n I won’t have ’em neither, see. -You can thank all ye want to, but no chummin’.” And he turned away. - -C. B. looked bewildered from one to the other, and then went on with -his work, with a deep sigh of despair at his inability to comprehend -this peculiarly selfish form of affection. - -He could see, however, that it behoved him to be careful in his -intercourse with others, no matter how friendly they might be, not -that he felt the least fear of Merritt, but that he realized to the -full that the latter’s love for him had humanized and made gentle a -nature essentially savage and morose. He felt in a very special measure -responsible for Merritt, having an indefinable idea that he might one -day be able to hail him not only as a chum but as a brother Christian. -Not that C. B. had ever attempted to proselytize; he had absolutely -none of the missionary spirit except that he always did live before his -fellows as seeing Him who is invisible, and the example of such a life -often preaches louder than any amount of spoken words. And his heart -had greatly rejoiced when on several occasions during the night watches -Merritt had asked him in a casual off-hand sort of way to tell him what -Christianity really was. - -But I am forgetting altogether that the ship is at anchor in the -harbour of Honolulu, and that C. B., in a strange port for the first -time in his life, became carried away, quite bewildered by the -wonderful scene on deck. For the ship was overrun by both Kanakas from -the shore and visitors from the other ships, all manner of island -produce for sale was being continually hoisted on board, and all -round the ship, like so many dusky mermaidens, disported a very shoal -of girls, forbidden to come on board by the captain’s stern orders. -That gentleman, however, seeing how impossible it was for his men to -work under the present conditions, and being moreover of a very kindly -disposition, gave orders that as soon as the decks were cleared up work -should cease for the remainder of the day, so that the men should be -able to enjoy the change without breaking any rules or getting into -trouble. Then he called all officers and boat steerers aft and gave -them stringent orders to watch that no women or liquor were allowed on -board, as he didn’t want any gratuitous trouble. Also to keep a good -lookout that nothing of small portable size was left lying about for -the natives to steal, and especially that no rope under any pretence -was flung to a boat, since it is a frequent trick of theirs played upon -unwary seafarers to haul as much of a rope flung to them as possible -into a canoe and then--cut it off as high up as they can reach--which -of course causes serious trouble the first time the rope is let go, if -it is, as usual, a portion of the ship’s running gear. - -These orders required a great deal of energy and watchfulness to -carry out, but nobody seemed to take them seriously except C. B., -and in consequence he was kept extremely busy, especially as to his -slight annoyance he was continually being addressed in the Kanaka -tongue by natives who looked upon him as one of themselves, though not -full blood. For the Pitcairn Islanders, handsome as they undoubtedly -are, do show and probably always will show, both in complexion and -feature, a striking resemblance to the stock from which their maternal -ancestors were derived, and this by a well-known peculiarity is far -more pronounced in the case of males than of females. Now C. B. hardly -knew a word of Kanaka, for he had not fraternized at all with the -natives on board, having been early advised to keep his place, so when -these dusky Hawaiians smilingly saluted him with “Aloha,” to which he -cheerily responded, and then went on to talk to him, his blank stare -of non-understanding and his vigorous pantomime to that effect puzzled -them beyond measure. - -It was evident that they did not believe him at first, by their -scornful looks. They took him for a renegade, a half-breed ashamed of -his parentage, which is indeed an unpardonable offence in their eyes, -they having a vigorous hatred of all forms of snobbery, until presently -mixing with the Kanakas forward, they heard such an account of C. B.’s -goodness, his prowess as a fighter and his ability as a whaleman, that -they changed their minds concerning him, and were ready to accord -him supernatural honours. He, of course, noticed the deference they -paid him, the instant obedience to his lightest word, the anxiety to -please him manifested on every side, but ascribed it to their innate -kindliness, to everything in fact but its true reason. It was not until -they began to bring him tribute in the way of presents, fruit, eggs, -fowls and vegetables, that he began to wonder whereunto all this was -tending, and as he could make but little headway through his want of -knowledge of the language he hunted up Merritt, who spoke the language -very well, and asked him if he could ascertain the reason. - -Merritt held a palaver, which, by the way, is a West African native -word that has passed into our language, and then did what C. B. had -never deemed him capable of, burst into a perfect roar of laughter. -To C. B.’s puzzled inquiry as to the cause of this sudden hilarity, -he presently replied, wiping the tears of merriment from his eyes, in -allegory and parable-- - -“Boys oh! boys, get sticks and beat the natives. By the great hook -block ef this don’t beat heavin’ the anchor through the hause-pipe. -What sh’ll I hear next, I persoom? Well, never mind, this is the way of -it. All these kotow, that offerings, them perlite inquiries that you -don’t savvy means that you’re somethin’ of a second mate god. I don’t -know what them Kanakas of ours has been tellin’ ’em about ye, but it -must a ben a pretty tall yarn, judgin’ by what I’ve heard already. An’ -this is only the beginnin’ of it.” - -One of the crew-Kanakas was just shambling aft to the scuttle-butt for -a drink of water when Merritt hailed him in his own language and asked -him what sort of a game he had been putting up on “Seeby” as they all -called our hero forrard. The man told him as truthfully as he knew how -what had been said, at which Merritt laughed more than ever, and at -last turning to C. B. said-- - -“Looky here, my boy, ef you ain’t careful these yer Kanakas’ll be -wiling you away to become the head boss of some new religion of theirs. -I guess they hain’t ever struck one o’ your breed before.” - -C. B. tried to laugh, but it was a failure. He had come up against a -problem far too heavy for his simple mind to cope with. I know of no -subtler form of temptation than this for a good man, unless gifted with -an exceptionally large fund of common sense and much experience. Now C. -B. was a sensible youth, and his splendid early training as well as his -native grit had carried him grandly through his recent fiery trial, but -nothing that he had ever heard or learned had prepared him for this. - -His mind was chaos for a time, and then there emerged one idea clearly -and distinctly, an idea sedulously cultivated by the fine old man -McCoy--humility. He felt rather than knew that this would save him, -this and the steadfast performance of his duty, from being carried -off his balance, and unknown to any save his Maker his heart went up -in prayer to be kept humble, true and diligent. It was all over in a -moment; then he turned to Merritt with a bright and cheerful smile, -saying-- - -“Please tell these foolish fellows that I am only a boat-steerer, who -loves God, and that there’s nothing special about me except that I’m a -bit bigger and stronger than ordinary men, which I can’t help being, -you know.” - -Merritt still grinning told them something that C. B. did not of course -understand; if he had he would have protested, for it was not at all -what he meant to be conveyed to them. It was to the effect that while -C. B. was not exactly a godling he was a specially big man highly -favoured by God; that he was half a Kanaka, but had never learned his -mother language, and that the _papalangi_ (white men) were all agreed -in honouring him. So if they chose to show their appreciation of the -honour done to their race in him it was not for him to baulk them, -unless they worried him, when he would speedily inform them of the fact -and they must instantly obey him. For Merritt, old in the knowledge of -these light-hearted folks, foresaw that to occupy such a position as C. -B. had been involuntarily lifted into meant not only a great lightening -of labour for all the officers, but getting the best that life afforded -by way of tribute, as a right and without any cost except to the donors. - -In which, of course, Merritt was perfectly right from his point -of view, and from thenceforward the ease with which discipline was -maintained among the visitors was wonderful. Only C. B. felt sorely -handicapped by his inability to speak the language, although, as he -always had Merritt to fall back upon to interpret for him, that was not -so much of a drawback as he thought it. - -The other boat-steerers and officers soon found that life was very -easy for them, and took full advantage of the fact without worrying -about the reason for it, until on the third day after their arrival -the skipper said at dinner: “The Kanakas don’t seem to be half as -troublesome as usual on board, how is it?” There was silence for a -moment or two until, seeing his seniors said nothing, Mr. Allan, the -third mate, replied-- - -“It’s all on account of that extraordinary boat-steerer of ours, sir. -He seems to have got hold of the Kanakas in such a way that they’ll -do anything for him. They don’t take a bit of notice of us as far as -I can see, but if he so much as winks they’re ready to fly. I heard -him say to one the other day, ‘The captain doesn’t want any grog -brought aboard and I hope none of you will do it?’ That was all, but -that Kanaka looked as if he had had a message from heaven. An’ I don’t -believe there’s ben a drop come in over the rail, an’ that without our -troubling at all.” - -The other officers went on stolidly eating, apparently without any -interest in what was being said, but the captain, smiting his leg, said -with great earnestness-- - -“In all my fishin’ I’ve never met a man like this fellow. Whatever does -it mean? He don’t preach, he don’t psalm-sing (I often wish he would -after hearin’ him that night aboard the _Matilda Sayer_), he only just -does what we all try to do according to our ability, his duty, an’ yet -he strikes me as bein’ a miracle. I sometimes wonder whether we’re -lucky in havin’ him aboard the ship or not.” - -Then Mr. Winsloe lifted his head with a dogged air and remarked-- - -“Don’t see anything particularly lucky in havin’ him aboard, sir. We -hain’t had only an ordinary cruise, we’ve had two or three nasty rows -through him, and a pretty bad smash. I think there’s too much fuss -bein’ made altogether over a half-bred Kanaka who’s only a fair average -boat-steerer after all.” - -There was another silence after this, until presently the skipper said -with a half sigh-- - -“Ah well, I can understand you’re not having any praise to waste on -him, Winsloe. If I’d ben in your place, an’ he’d used up my harponeer -as cheaply as he has yours, I sh’d feel ’bout the same I guess. But -Pepe hasn’t made a good show, now has he?” - -“Best harponeer I ever saw get into a boat until this ’ere speculation -of yours came aboard. Now he ain’t wuth a row of pins. I could pick a -dozen men out o’ the crew as good as him at any time.” - -“I think that’ll quite do, Mr. Winsloe,” answered the skipper quietly, -but with a dangerous gleam in his eye. “I don’t allow any man to talk -t’ me as your permittin’ yerself to do. I k’n make allowance all right, -but you don’t need any allowance, you know better. Now don’t let it -occur agen, an’ if Pepe is useless as you say he is, disrate him an’ -put another man in his place.” - -Nothing more was said, but all four men filed out of the little cuddy -in silence thinking over the sudden turn affairs had taken. But Captain -Taber was not the man to allow any suspicion of injustice to taint his -actions, and so he presently sent for Mr. Winsloe to his cabin, gave -him a cigar, took one himself, and when they were well going he said -quite casually-- - -“Looky here, Winsloe, you’n me’s got on very well this last three -years nearly, an’ I ain’t goin’ t’ let any misunderstandin’ spoil our -relations if I can help it. Nor yet I ain’t goin’ t’ be unjust, to you -nor nobody else--tain’t in me t’ put up with it or suffer it. Tell -me, what ye got agen that young boat-steerer, ’cause if the matter’s -serious enough to cause a breach between us on account of him bein’ -in the ship, I’m goin’ t’ send him back t’ Norfolk; I ain’t goin’ t’ -lose my mate. Though, mind ye, if that meant turnin’ a man adrift that -had done no wrong just t’ save myself trouble an’ to please another -man who’d taken a dislikin’ for him, I wouldn’t do it, no, not for the -value of ship an’ cargo. Now, honest injun, own up, what ye got agen -him?” And lying back, calmly puffing his cigar, the captain awaited the -reply. After a long pause it came reluctantly-- - -“I ain’t got nothin’ agen him, only I hate the sight of his face”; and -here the speaker became transformed and gave vent to a string of awful -blasphemies, which even then seemed quite inadequate to express the -hatred he felt for C. B. Captain Taber watched this exhibition with -an abstracted air nor showed any surprise. When the furious man had -subsided, though still trembling with utter rage, the skipper said-- - -“I guess you’re in a pretty bad way, Winsloe. You seem to me to be like -one of them old-time folks that was possessed with devils. Here’s a man -that never done you a mite of harm, never give you a word o’ sass, nor -a minute’s trouble, yet if I’m any judge you’d wash yer hands in his -blood this minute if y’ got a chance, an’ feel glad. God help ye, I’m -afraid it means that you’re right down bad, an’ he’s about as good as -they make ’em. Well, I must see about this.” And Winsloe retreated on -deck. - -I must close this chapter with just a word of explanation to such dear -gentle souls among my readers who, leading sheltered lives, have never -had the misfortune to come across these terrible exhibitions of hatred -without any cause save the natural antagonism of light and darkness. -I beg them to believe that I am not exaggerating, but drawing from -life, and to be thankful if they have never met such instances of the -causeless hatred of the utterly innocent. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -C. B.’s Narrowest Escape - - -The life now led by C. B. was a most distracting one for him, and -stirred his somewhat easy mind to its depths. He gave not one thought -to the dark feelings of hatred with which he knew he was regarded by -certain of his shipmates in the conscientious discharge of duties. -He was much ashore and mixed freely with the Kanakas, who abated no -jot of the reverence with which they had first heard of his doings -upon closest acquaintance with him. It is pleasant to record that -he came and went among them blamelessly. All sorts of gifts were -pressed upon him, some of them such as we need not inquire into more -particularly, but specially of drink and other forms of hospitality. He -readily accepted food when he needed it, but kept his abstinence from -intoxicants or tobacco without any effort, because having never known -their taste he was not disposed to make a trial of them. Doubtless he -was virtuous, but if he had been given to self-analysis he would have -said that if it was virtue it was entirely unconscious on his part. - -Which gave it its peculiar charm, for few persons are more offensive -than the ostentatiously virtuous, who are usually Pharisees of the -very worst type. His influence over his men was so great that he could -always be depended upon to take a party ashore on a wood and water -expedition and get the work done without any trouble, while on the -several occasions when the other boat-steerers went on similar errands -there was always an aftermath of quarrels and fighting due to liquor. -Then when the captain intervened and pointed out the difference between -the behaviour of the men who went ashore with C. B. and those whose -conduct was under review, the debt of hatred steadily accumulated. - -But the work went steadily on until the ship was nearly ready for sea, -and the captain gave liberty to the port watch. In it were Pepe and -Louis and most of the Portuguese in the fo’c’sle, who, dressed in their -best and with money to spend, left the ship early in the morning with -leave until twenty-four hours later. C. B. spent a quiet day on board, -there being little to do, until just after dark the captain called -his boat away, and with C. B. in his usual place was pulled ashore to -an evening party. There was the usual little group of loafers at the -landing-place, and when the captain, dismissing the boat, ordered C. B. -to return for him at eleven o’clock the information spread. Like a wise -commander the skipper saw the boat on its way back to the ship before -he left the beach, not that he could not trust C. B. to keep his men -together, but from sheer force of habit. - -Now the gang of Portuguese who were ashore, fired with drink, had -waited all day in the hope of catching C. B. when he came ashore, and -when they heard of the order given they chuckled hugely, for they felt -that if they had luck they could get him out of the way once for all. -And they laid their plans carefully to entrap him when he came ashore -at eleven and kill him, trusting that under cover of the night none of -them would be recognized. C. B., all unconscious of any danger, called -away his boat’s crew at eleven, and as he was about to step into the -boat himself he was surprised to find Mr. Merritt at his elbow, who -said-- - -“All right, I’m comin’ with you. I’ve took a fancy t’ run ashore.” - -C. B. said nothing, although he wondered much whatever Merritt could -want ashore at that time of night. However, Merritt was his superior, -so he merely said-- - -“All right, sir, will you steer?” - -“No, my boy,” replied Merritt, “I’ll be the admiral for once.” And he -lay back in the stern sheets with a grand assumption of luxury, of -which there is none in a whaleboat, no seat of any kind being provided -aft. - -As soon as they swung alongside the little jetty, a Kanaka voice said -out of the darkness-- - -“That _Liza Adam’s_ boat?” - -“Yes,” replied C. B. “what’s the matter?” - -“All right, sir, cappen he say come up house, he want speak you ’bout -some things.” - -“All right,” responded C. B., “I’ll come,” and sprang ashore, saying as -he did so-- - -“I’m glad you came now, Merritt.” - -“So’m I,” muttered the fourth mate, unheard by C. B., as he watched -the lithe form striding off into the dark after the Kanaka. He allowed -him to get about fifty yards away, then, with a word of caution to the -boat’s crew, sprang lightly after him and rapidly ran in his track. He -was not an instant too soon, for C. B. had only just turned the corner -of the first store when he was attacked by a group of men with clubs, -who sprang at him as a pack of savage dogs might at a strange animal -that had accidentally happened to come in their midst. - -C. B., taken entirely by surprise and absolutely unarmed, did the only -thing possible to him: warding off the blows with his arms he sprang -at the nearest man, caught him round arms and body and used him as a -shield. It was a good move, for in their blind fury his assailants -showered their blows indiscriminately, and the helpless man in C. B.’s -arms came in for the full benefit of them. Then with a yell wild as -that of an Indian brave a dark form leapt into the straggling group, -and before its savage onslaught three men went down groaning one after -the other. “All right, Christmas, my boy,” shouted Merritt, for of -course it was he, “drop that swine and get a club.” Crash, crash went -his own as he spoke, each blow accompanied by ear-splitting yells in -Kanaka, which brought dim forms rushing from every side into the fray. - -The fracas was very brief, for every one of the assailants had been -laid low within two or three minutes. But C. B. also settled down, much -to Merritt’s dismay, who could not believe that he was badly hurt. -Merritt tried to raise him, but found that he was a dead weight in -his arms, and in great alarm he shouted for a light. Several Kanakas -brought torches, and the inanimate form of C. B. was lifted with tender -care and carried into the nearest store. It was there found that he had -received two serious wounds, one in the fleshy part of the thigh, which -had completely penetrated the great band of muscle and bled profusely, -the other in the side laying open the cavity of the abdomen. A surgeon -was immediately sent for, and in the meantime Merritt devoted all his -skill to stopping the bleeding, at the same time issuing orders that -every one of the villains who had committed this outrage should be -secured and brought into the store. - -It was done, but it was hardly necessary, for they were all so badly -hurt that they could not make their escape, Pepe and Louis especially -being recognized at once by Merritt, although their features were -battered into shapelessness, and their stertorous breathing pointed to -brain concussion. Of the other five only one belonged to the ship, the -third mate’s harponeer Carlo, the rest were beach-combers of the worst -repute. There was not a Kanaka among them. As usual the Kanakas crowded -around, volubly discussing the affair in all its possible details, but -when the news spread among them that the attack had been made upon the -man whom they had agreed to honour, almost worship, very ugly sounds -began to arise, and but for the arrival of the surgeon, accompanied -by the captain and a posse of police, the lives of those murderous -wretches would hardly have been worth a moment’s purchase. Certainly -Merritt would have joyfully egged the Kanakas on to do any deed they -thought fit. - -But with the coming of the police order was soon restored and the -offenders were carried off under strong guard to the calaboose, or -lock-up, where with scantiest ceremony they were flung into a cell and -left to recover or not as it might please them. C. B., though almost -at the last extremity from loss of blood, made a magnificent rally, -and in an hour had so far recovered as to be able to tell the simple -story of his waylaying. He could not identify any of his assailants, -for the attack had been so sudden and the night was so dark; but here -Merritt stepped in and took up the tale, filling in all the later -details of which C. B. had been unconscious, and winding up grimly with -the words--“An’ we’ve got ’em all by the heels now. Besides, I guess -they’ve got enough punishment to last ’em till next time. But if I’d -had my way I’d a killed every last one of ’em. A little killin’ ’d do -that gang a power of good.” - -The captain’s sympathy with his wounded harponeer was very great, but -it must be sorrowfully admitted that his annoyance was greater. It -would have given him much satisfaction if he could have blamed C. B. -or Merritt, but they were both utterly blameless. And so he had no one -upon whom he could expend the rage he felt at what he now realized -would mean considerable delay and expense, as well as alteration in -the personnel of his ship. Again and again the cowardly thought arose, -“I must get rid of this fellow, I shall never have any peace in this -ship until I do,” and he remembered Winsloe’s attitude as well as that -of the now discomfited harponeers. But in any case he feared that they -would be in no shape to resume the voyage from what he had heard of -their injuries. - -Whichever way he looked he could see nothing but trouble, and he weakly -put it down to the presence in his ship of a man who, he fretfully -muttered to himself, was too good for this world. At last, with a sigh, -he rose to his feet saying-- - -“Well, doctor, I s’pose I can leave the patient to you; you’ll oblige -me by seeing that he’s looked after, an’ I’ll be ashore again early in -the mornin’ to see him.” - -But before the doctor could reply Merritt stepped forward and said -respectfully but firmly-- - -“I’ll stay and look after him, sir, if you please.” - -“Ah, certainly not,” testily returned the skipper. “I can’t have any -more of you ashore. It’s bad enough as it is. You’ll come aboard with -me now.” - -Merritt looked keenly at his commander and replied in a deeper tone-- - -“No, sir, I wouldn’t leave him to-night for the value of the ship and -her cargo. I’m sorry, sir, to go agen your wishes, but he’s my chum, -an’ I want to look after his life. Nothing matters to me just now but -that.” - -Such unexpected opposition on the part of the most docile and quiet of -all his officers added to the annoyance he was already feeling nearly -maddened the skipper. Besides, he was angry with himself for what he -could not but feel was the injustice he was contemplating. He stormed -and raged and threatened until the doctor said laconically-- - -“If you want to kill this man, captain, you can’t do better than go on -as you’re doing.” - -That sobered him, and calling up all the self-control he had -temporarily lost he replied more quietly-- - -“Oh, all right, it seems I’m bound to be wrong anyway. But as for you, -you yellow image, I’ll make you sweat for this. I’ll let you see if -you’ll disobey my orders an’ have your own way for nothing”; but there -he stopped dead, for Merritt coming closer to him said-- - -“Don’t talk like that, captain, you ain’t thinkin’. You know you ain’t -got a more willin’ man than I am in the ship, an’ I know you’re too -good a man to mean what you say. You wouldn’t like this man to be left -here at the mercy of a careless Kanaka.” - -The captain looked at Merritt doubtfully, and then his better feelings -conquered him, and holding out his hand he said-- - -“You’re right, Merritt, of course. I’m so upset I don’t know what I’m -sayin’. But I feel that rattled that nothin’ ’d please me better than -to have a number one row with somebody, an’ I only hope Winsloe don’t -get talkin’ to-night. Good-night, I’ll be ashore before breakfast.” And -he departed for the jetty, where his patient boat’s crew were still -sitting, waiting through all the stirring scenes that had transpired. -He stepped into the boat, crying, “Shove off! Pull two stern three, so, -give way together,” and off flew the boat to the ship. - -Fortunately Mr. Winsloe was not on watch, and Spurrell was far too good -a man to be caught napping, so as soon as the captain came alongside -the officer was ready to receive him, the hands stood by the fall and -the boat was immediately hoisted to her place. And in ten minutes all -was quiet again on board, for the captain went straight to his bunk and -turned in, determined to sleep off his annoyance. - -During the night the captain had several long intervals of wakefulness, -every one of them occupied by reflections upon the happenings of the -day. And suddenly he remembered the promise he had made to C. B.’s -mother at that meeting which now seemed to be so far away, and his -conscience smote him, for that he found himself willing to sacrifice an -innocent man to avoid trouble for himself. It is done every day and by -people who ordinarily would scorn to do an unjust or unkind action, but -under the plea of business exigencies they will perpetrate this basest -of all betrayals. I hear now the voice of a good man, a man whose name -stands above all possibility of defamation, saying to me-- - -“Young man, I know that you are perfectly in the right, that your -conduct in the matter is above reproach, but--you are not indispensable -to the business and the man you are in conflict with is. Therefore if -he makes the condition that either you or he must go, you will have to -go, or hold a candle to the devil.” - -I am quoting the exact words, for they seared my soul, and I swore then -that at whatever cost I would not do the same mean unrighteous thing: -I would rather let the devil have the business than hold a candle to -him in that way. - -The outcome of the captain’s white night was that he arose in the -morning determined to do the right thing no matter what the personal -loss might be. And besides there was just the chance that C. B. might -die--another diabolical temptation to look to that solution of his -difficulty as welcome--but if he recovered the perpetrators of the -outrage should be punished, and the brave, innocent man protected. -He went on deck as usual at sunrise for his coffee, and exchanged -greetings with Mr. Winsloe, who reported that Mr. Merritt had not -returned last night, and had indeed gone ashore without asking leave. - -Then the captain said-- - -“I know all about Merritt, the service he’s ben able to render excuses -him from all breach of discipline. An’ I gave him leave to stay all -night. He’s nursing my boat-steerer, who was nearly killed last night -by your friend Pepe.” - -Strive as Winsloe would, he could not help a momentary gleam of triumph -in his eyes, and Captain Taber, keenly observant of him, saw it. The -simmering wrath within him awoke and, growing pale with rage, he burst -out-- - -“Yes, I know that’s pleasant intelligence to you, Winsloe, and I want -to tell you right here that, though I don’t believe for the honour of -our name as Americans that you were mixed up in this infernal cowardly -scheme to kill one of the best fellows that ever lived, I know you -would have been glad to hear of his death or disablement or anything -that would keep him out of this ship. I’ve been a bit of a cur myself -over this business, though I never suspected it before; but I’ve got -over that, thank God. If that chap gets well he’s comin’ back here as -boat-steerer, an’ if you or anybody else aboard dares to pick on him -except in th’ lawful way of discipline in case of his doin’ wrong, -you’ll have to reckon with me. I never did play no favourites, nor I -won’t now. But as I don’t want to spoil a good ship or a fairly good -man (though y’ ain’t half as good as I thought ye was), I’ll give ye -yeer option: treat that man square, white man fashion or skip. I won’t -have ye in my ship if ye can’t be a man.” - -Winsloe was beaten--let us hope that he felt ashamed--and he replied -after a pause-- - -“Captain Taber, I own up, I ben goin’ wrong. I don’t love the feller a -bit, but I can’t gainsay that he’s a good man, too good for me in fact. -If I’d ben skipper I’d ha’ give big money t’ get rid of him, or I’d ha’ -driven him out. But I didn’t try ner I wouldn’t ha’ tried, t’ kill him, -an’ I thank ye for exoneratin’ me from that. An’ I’ll put up with him -an’ try to get over my natural dislike fer a man whose whole life makes -ours look bad by comparison. An’ I’m ready to apologize for acting ugly -t’ you, Captain Taber, whom I’ve worked with and liked so long.” - -A hearty handshake was all that followed, but it spoke volumes. Then -the skipper called his boat and went ashore, making straight for the -store where he had left C. B. and Merritt the previous night. But -long before he reached it he was aware of a huge concourse of natives -gathered around it, and, wondering greatly what all the excitement was -about, he pushed through the crowd and gained the store, to find the -German proprietor in a state bordering on frenzy because his trade was -being ruined, he said, nobody could get near the shore to do business. -Inside the captain found Merritt sitting by the side of the patient -looking exceedingly dangerous. - -Upon seeing the skipper Merritt’s brow lightened a little but still he -looked black, and when Captain Taber accosted him, inquiring after the -welfare of the patient, he growled-- - -“He’s off his head and no wonder, what with that mob outside and this -infernal Dutchman fidgeting about in here ’cause of his half-cent -trade. Let’s get him aboard the ship, sir, at once, or he’ll be worried -to death, an’ then I shall have to kill a few of these animals to ease -my feelings.” - -The skipper looked dubious at this proposition, and yet knowing how -immense is the recuperative power of men like C. B. if left to nature’s -own restorative processes, he felt that probably Merritt was right. So -at last he said-- - -“Look here, Merritt, go down to the boat and get aboard as quick as you -can. Rig up a stretcher to carry him on an’----” - -“Beg pardon, sir,” interrupted Merritt, “but they’s plenty o’ stuff -here in the store to do that with, an’ I can rig somethin’ up in less -than a quarter of the time it’d take to fetch it from the ship. An’ -whatever’s to pay let me pay it, sir, if you will; it’d do me good to.” - -“All right, all right,” assented the skipper testily; “you’re right -again as usual. Now I’ll go an’ have a yarn with the Dutchman an’ see -if I can’t put him in a better humour. Hello, here’s the doctor. Good -mornin’, doc.; your patient isn’t anything to brag about this mornin’, -he’s in a high fever, an’ I’m not surprised after the way this gang has -been yelling around here all night I’m told. So I’m goin’ to shift him -aboard the ship as soon as my fourth mate can rig up something to carry -him on.” - -“Now, my dear sir,” interjected the doctor hastily, “you surely don’t -want to extinguish the feeble flicker of life, do you? If you move -that man in his present condition, he’ll die before sunset, now mark -my words. But let me see him.” And passing in the doctor examined the -suffering man, shaking his head gravely at each new symptom. When he -had concluded his examination, during which Merritt watched him as if -prepared at a moment’s notice to fall upon him and do him grievous -bodily harm, he turned to the captain and said deprecatingly-- - -“Just as I told you, sir, to move him now must be fatal. He has a good -sporting chance of life now; move him, and it’s gone.” - -Merritt sprang to the captain’s side and hissed, “Don’t take no manner -o’ notice of him, sir. He don’ know th’ first thing about it. You know -I’d rather die forty times than my chum should, an’ I say that his only -chance is to get him aboard. I’m willing to risk it, the rig is all -ready, an’ if you’ll let me hire four o’ these Kanakas, we’ll have him -out o’ this an’ inter a safe place ’thout him bein’ a cent the worse -for it.” - -“All right, Merritt,” agreed the skipper; “I feel sure you’re right.” - -“Thank you, captain,” sneered the doctor; “my fee is fifteen dollars, -which I’ll trouble you for.” - -Out came the skipper’s wallet on the instant and the money was paid. -Not another word was exchanged between the pair, and the doctor strode -off in high dudgeon. - -Meanwhile Merritt had enlisted volunteers, and poor C. B. was lifted -gently on to the improvised ambulance and carried down in the midst of -a huge procession of natives, all looking as if they had lost their -dearest friend. With the tenderest care he was placed in the boat, and -presently was laid in Merritt’s cabin on board the ship with one of the -hands on watch to fan him and keep off the flies, while Merritt went to -break his long fast. - -The captain had some difficulty in settling up with the proprietor of -the store, and only succeeded in doing so by threatening him that if he -did not accept the offer of five dollars for the use of his premises -for the night, he would get nothing but by process of law. The money -was then taken and they parted unfriends. Then the skipper, feeling -considerably easier in his mind, went off to his friends of the night -before and enjoyed a substantial breakfast, interesting his host, -who was the American Consul, mightily in his recital of the stirring -circumstances. - -As soon as the meal was over, they went down to the calaboose and -learned that the prisoners were in an exceedingly bad way bodily, and -quite unlikely to be fit to stand their trial for some time to come. -This intelligence decided the skipper on a course of action that had -been hazily floating in his mind--he would ship three more harponeers -(several had offered), make his season on the Japan grounds, leaving -bonds for payment of the shares due to the offenders, and then call -back again on his way south. In this resolve the Consul supported him -heartily, and within an hour three more harponeers had been shipped, -all of whom, strange to say, were Americans, who from some misfortune -or another had got stranded in Oahu. - -The rest of the business took very little time to clear up, and by -midday all was in train for the departure of the ship, if only the -authorities could be got to agree. This the Consul was able to manage -by leaving the charge against the ill doers as only that of a drunken -brawl, and declaring that he held all funds necessary for payment -of their fines and maintenance until they could be shipped away. So -expeditiously were matters settled that at sunset that evening the -_Eliza Adams_ was under weigh, stealing out of the harbour westward -bound for the coast of Japan, and her skipper bearing a lighter heart -than he had done for a very long time as regarded the conditions of -life on board of his ship. - -When all was settled and shipshape the skipper paid a visit to C. B., -finding to his amazement and delight that the patient had taken a long -stride towards convalescence. He was sane and cool, and was eating -with good relish some boiled rice and molasses with which his nurse -was feeding him. So far from being any the worse for his removal in -the morning he was demonstrably better, and when the captain sat down -by his side and commenced to talk with him, he turned a bright and -intelligent eye upon him and listened intently to what he had to say. -The captain proceeded to tell him all that had occurred in the short -time that had elapsed since the uproar of the previous night, but when -he described the parlous condition of the Portuguese aggressors and -explained that they had been left behind in prison, C. B. looked away -sad, saying-- - -“I do pity those poor fellows with all my heart, sir. I can’t in the -least understand why they hated me so, and, of course, I feel very -angry that they should have waylaid me as they did, but I expect it was -the drink that did it. I really don’t believe they would have done it -if they had been sober.” - -The skipper gave a dissatisfied grunt as he replied-- - -“Don’t, don’t ye? Well, if I should be asked what I think, I should say -they had planned the whole business long before we got in, an’ that -they was only waiting their chance to get you out of the way once for -all. But now I hope we’ll have a happy as well as a smart ship. You’ve -only got to hurry up and get better, because I can’t have you laid up -now, ye know. We may raise whale at any minute between here and the -cruisin’ grounds, an’ I know it wouldn’t be good for you to be lyin’ -here while we’re havin’ all the fun. So give your mind to gettin’ well.” - -The skipper had hardly gone when Merritt appeared, and sending the -attendant forrard, proceeded to make C. B. comfortable, renew the -dressings on his wounds, etc., with infinite patience and tenderness, -looking all the time as grim and savage as if he were meditating -murder. At last C. B., laying his hand affectionately upon his friend’s -arm, said-- - -“Thank you so much, dear man, for making me so comfortable, but why -are you looking so mad? I wish you wouldn’t, it grieves me to see that -terrible look in your eyes.” - -“All right,” growled Merritt, “I’ll try and look as pleasant as my ugly -mug will let me, for your sake. But when I see how you’ve been served, -I can’t help feeling sorry that I didn’t put all them Portuguese dogs -beyond the possibility of ever doin’ any more harm. Anyhow, I got one -consolation, they’ll probably die as it is. An’ if I only knew they -would, I’d be easy in my mind.” - -“Oh, chum, chum, don’t talk like that, you don’t know how it hurts me. -If I thought you were joking I could smile, dreadful though the words -sound. But I know you mean every word you say, and I feel so sorry -because--because I love you and wish you knew how good a thing, how -happy a thing it is to forgive.” - -Merritt stared blankly at his patient for a few moments and then -snorted, “Forgive, hay! Yes, I’d forgive ’em when they was fixed so’s -they couldn’t do any more harm. But if forgivin’ ’em means lettin’ -’em loose again to go on the same as before an’ murder some chap -that’s worth a whole regiment of ’em, why then I calls that such silly -nonsense that I won’t talk about it, not even to you. Never mind, I’ve -often wondered what good I was in the world and now I know--to look -after a great soft-hearted baby like you, who’d almost lie down and let -anybody walk over ye an’ thank ’em for doin’ it. But that’s enough now, -you go to sleep an’ get better more quicker.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -A Momentous Passage - - -Thenceforward the speed with which the wounded man got better was -marvellous except to those who knew how the body of man under primitive -conditions and perfectly healthy can recover from what in civilization -must be fatal injuries. I have alluded to this in one of the earliest -chapters in dealing with the accident to Philip, C. B.’s father, -although his injuries were far less dangerous than those that his son -had just sustained. But in four days after the ship had left Honolulu, -C. B. was able to come on deck without assistance, and to take short -walks up and down the deck until pain within, along the track of the -newly-healed wound, warned him to rest. - -As the captain had hoped, the ship was now the abode of peace, as far -as could be seen, and there was perfect harmony between all hands, -even Mr. Winsloe having regained his original placidity of temper. All -that now seemed in doubt was the capacity of the new harponeers, who, -however, as far as their ship work went, shaped thoroughly well. So day -after day slipped away and the vessel drew gradually near the turbulent -Japan grounds without as yet a single spout having been seen. - -The captain was just beginning to get fretty, for his average was -falling faster than he liked, when without intimating that such was his -intention C. B. turned up one morning in the gravy-eye watch and told -Merritt that he had come to stay. He was a bit trembly and weak still, -but felt no pain whatever from his wounds, which had perfectly healed, -and he therefore argued that he would be much better at work than -lolling about. Merritt fully agreed and at first break of dawn C. B. -climbed aloft into the main crow’s-nest, Merritt, whose lookout it was -with him, staying behind to finish a new lance-cap he had been making. -C. B. was somewhat surprised to find how the climb made him pant, -forgetting the recent strain upon his bodily resources, but got into -the rings and, leaning over, began to feast his eyes upon the glory and -majesty of the sunrise, nowhere more impressive than when seen from -such a vantage point as this. - -He fell into a reverie while gazing, thinking of the splendours of the -New Jerusalem, when he was rudely aroused by the mellow call of Merritt -far below him “Blo-o-o-o-w.” He gazed wildly around endeavouring to see -where the sighted whale could be, but it was not until looking down to -see if possible in which direction Merritt was looking that he saw to -his intense chagrin that there were four whales almost alongside the -ship. Then in accordance with custom he added his call to Merritt’s, -and the two at the fore joined in the long minor cry. - -Of course the captain was immediately on deck, and at his sharp -incisive orders the whole of the ship’s company flew into a state of -violent activity. Then suddenly his voice was heard pealing upward, -“Way down from aloft all but Christmas! You stop there and look after -the signallin’; I’m goin’ t’ take the boat.” It was a bitter pill for -C. B. to swallow in spite of his certainty that the skipper was acting -in the kindest and most thoughtful way. But he was so keen upon his -work and so anxious to show how completely fit he was that for a little -while he felt quite unhappy. Then as the boats pushed off and set sail -he recovered himself and remembered how important were the duties he -had to perform. - -For he was now in sole charge of the ship, being entrusted with the -task of keeping her to windward of the school with the aid of the -shipkeepers, that is the carpenter and cooper, cook and steward and -four hands. There are also many well understood signals to be made by -manipulating the upper sails, signals which are eagerly watched by -those in charge of boats whose sphere of vision is very limited as -compared with that of a man elevated so far above the sea as a ship’s -topgallant mast-head. These signals tell of the whale’s sounding or -reappearance, of the direction in which he heads, in fact, all his -or their movements, and of course the watcher is enabled to follow -the progress of the work and regulate movements of his ship thereby. -Consequently it was no sinecure post that C. B. had been appointed -to, but rather one that would test to the full his newly gained -acquaintance with the art of ship handling. - -As he stood there watching the departure of the four boats, which -from his lofty position looked like tiny specks of white dotting the -glittering surface of the sea, he could not help passing mentally in -review the events of the past few months. He had recently had many -opportunities for introspection and reverie, but somehow all his -musings had been mixed up, unmethodical and leading nowhere. Now, -however, realizing as he did the novelty of his position, he was led -to trace backward step by step the way by which he had been brought -thither, and the recollections affected him deeply. A strange sense of -exultation seized him, delight in that he had been so signally favoured -of God in all his undertakings, gratitude that he had been kept from -falling, but never once did he feel puffed up with the false idea that -it was his strength of character, his goodness that had kept him. - -That of course was owing to the simple, sensible, Christian training -which he had received, drawn direct from the fount of Infinite wisdom. -That teaching had always been valued by him, but never more than now -when he could see whither its results had led him. And then he thought -of the miserable men that had assailed him, had hated him without a -cause, and remembering how barren their lives must have been of the -advantages he had enjoyed, his heart swelled with a great pity for them. - -All this time he watched the boats receding, spreading out as they -went, and deeming it time to get a little nearer to them gave the order -to keep her away for a little as with the stiff breeze blowing the ship -could sail faster than the boats. He watched the whales settle, gave -the signal that caused the boats to heave to--hove his own ship to, and -waited intently watching until they rose again to his great joy quite -close to the boats. It was truly wonderful to watch from that height -the stern conflict going on, where the combatants were apparently -reduced in size to pigmies and specks. So I should imagine would a -battle between two armies look from a balloon or a great hunting scene -with lions and tigers as the quarry, except that here there was -nothing to obstruct the view. Presently he saw all four boats starting -off in different directions without sails or the use of oars, and he -knew that each one had gotten fast to a whale. Now he began to pray for -guidance as to what he should do in the event of the whales running -like that for long, since the simple rule of keeping to windward would -hardly suffice. Then he noticed that one of the boats was being towed -by its whale directly towards the ship at such a speed that the monster -was raising a great bow wave almost like that ahead of one of our bluff -bowed tramps going full speed. - -But also to his amazement and almost consternation he noticed that the -fast whale was accompanied by two loose whales, one on either side, who -were evidently determined to keep up with him, but whether with the -notion of helping him or not it was impossible to tell. C. B. had heard -of such things, and had put them aside as we often do the matters we do -not know whether to believe or not, but which certainly appear to us -incredible. It does not do, however, to be too sceptical with regard to -what is done or attempted by whales, because we may thereby lose some -hints which may be most useful to us in an emergency. - -Now he saw that the swiftly coming craft was his boat, and that the -skipper was in the bow. Nearer, nearer, nearer she came, and C. B.’s -pulses quickened as he noted they were heading straight for his -broadside. “Hard a starboard,” he cried, “let her come right up. Let go -starboard main and cro’jack braces, haul all after yards round.” And as -the ship swung up into the wind, bringing the advancing boat head on to -her, C. B. saw Merritt fling the turns off the loggerhead, letting the -boat fly by only a foot or two clear of the stem. And the ship slowly -filled round to the starboard tack, C. B. filling the fore yards as -she did so. If any sailor objects that he never heard of tacking ship -this way, let me tell him that many acts of seamanship are performed or -were performed in whalers that not only were never heard of, but would -have been impossible anywhere else, just as it would be impossible for -many of our long lean four-posters to back and fill up a river like a -Geordie brig on a good flood. - -Keeping his eager eyes upon the scene below him, C. B. noted that rapid -as the whale’s progress had been on the surface he was now moving -very sluggishly downwards and so he turned his attention to the other -boats which he found were scattered widely, but all three evidently -having some trouble with their whales. He became very anxious as to his -position and was about to keep away again when he saw that the whale -his skipper was fast to was coming up at a great rate. And when he -reached the surface he was still accompanied by the other two whales, -who seemed determined to put every obstacle in the way of his being -killed that they could. Both Captain Taber and Mr. Merritt were fully -alive to the danger of injuring a “loose” whale while fast to another -one, but something had to be done, so Captain Taber fired a bomb lance -at one of the loose whales which was between him and the whale he -was fast to. C. B. heard the crack of the shot and the boom of the -exploding bomb, and then saw, just as if a submarine mine had gone -off, a tremendous upheaval in the water where it was evident that the -intruder had got his mortal wound, and had gone immediately into his -death flurry. - -There was no question as to the danger of the situation, danger, too, -which no amount of energy or skill could avert. The three huge beasts, -apparently maddened by pain and fright, and mixed up with the line, -which was a mass of entanglement, fairly surrounded the boat. Even if -she had not been threatened with being smashed every moment by the -writhings and plungings of the mighty creatures, it was obvious that -she was only kept afloat by incessant baling, owing to the immense -amount of water which was hurled over her in the struggle. - -The apparently inevitable end came soon after C. B. had shouted from -his perch an order to man the spare boat and keep her in instant -readiness for lowering. One of the whales rose by the side of the -hemmed-in boat with widely extended jaws, fell over upon it sideways, -at the same time clashing those awful jaws together. Boatmen and whales -disappeared for a moment in a wallow of crimson flecked foam. C. B. -waited no longer. Snatching at a backstay, he glided to the deck, -shouted as soon as his feet touched the rail-- - -“Take hold, Chips, an’ keep as near me as you can.” - -Into the boat and with a whirr of the falls they were off, not a moment -too soon. Two whales were dead and a third was still moving about as if -unable to leave the spot; but clinging to fragments of the destroyed -boat were the crew, all hurt and hurt badly, and the skipper, sustained -by Merritt, looked almost as if he had fought his last fight. - -Disregarding entirely the urgency of securing the whales, all the -men were saved and brought on board with utmost speed. Then it was -found that three of them were absolutely helpless as far as work was -concerned, while the skipper needed instant attention if his life was -to be saved. Merritt, though sorely bruised and fatigued, took upon -himself this duty, and with C. B. to help him they made an examination -of the captain’s body. They found that his left arm was broken in four -places, most of the flesh was torn and lacerated on that side of his -body, his left thigh was out and his left foot crushed. Yet so great -was the man’s vitality, and also because there had been but little loss -of blood, that the good fellow was really not so nearly gone as might -have been expected. - -“Now, boy,” said Merritt, “you got your hands fuller’n ever you had -’em. Git on deck an’ sen’ me the cook and steward, an’ tell ’em t’ -bring a handy billy with ’em. I must get that thigh in fust off. -Then you gotter get hold o’ the’ whales. Get ’em alongside; they’s -two hundred barrel on ’em, I do believe, and then dig out fer the -other fellows. They’ll be all right, I guess, fer I’ve noticed that -things like these scarcely ever gets too bad for a _man_ to handle. -Now _git_.” And C. B. got, climbed to his lofty perch again, finding -however that when he reached there he had a strange giddiness come over -him for a few moments. He sent up a swift prayer for strength under his -heavy burden, remembering how recent had been his great weakness. - -Then he sprang up like a giant, and shouted the necessary orders to -bring the ship down on the whales, which were lying almost side by -side. He did not want to lower a boat, so conned the ship with utmost -care, and when he headed straight for them he had the yards backed to -deaden her way a little. Then taking an iron prepared with an ordinary -towline attached, he darted it as she came near enough, and hauled one -whale alongside at the same time as one of the shipkeepers performed a -similar feat on the whale which lay at the opposite side of the ship. - -Technicalities about any business are bound to become tiresome, no -matter how interesting the business may be in itself, or I would -explain the enormous amount of labour and skill expended upon getting -these two whales properly secured by a length of chain round the small -of their bodies and a hawser attached to that. A small cut would -explain it better than a page of letterpress. All hands worked nobly -(ah, how nobly do the rank and file often work for honourable reasons, -knowing that no recognition ever comes their way), and at last the two -vast bodies were well secured astern, and C. B. had now to solve the -problem of getting his ship to where the other boats were waiting for -him, with those two enormous masses hanging to his stern. - -Somewhat wearily he mounted to the crow’s-nest again, only remembering -as he did so that in the excitement of his manifold duties he had -forgotten to eat, and it was now nearly noon. So he hailed the deck and -ordered all hands to snatch what bites they could, but be ready to trim -sails as needed. He received the usual answer, and went on with his -scrutiny of the vast blazing expanse spread out before him. At last to -his great relief he located the three boats, each certainly fast to a -whale, and as far as he could judge with the whales dead. Fortunately, -I had almost said providentially, but remembered C. B.’s persistent -efforts to keep his ship to windward, the boats were all well to -loo’ard, which simplified his task considerably. - -But oh! the weary, weary wait of it all. A whaleship’s best gait is -slow, with two whales towing it is hardly perceptible, and presently -with a delightful start, as if he had made an original discovery, C. B. -decided that he might relieve himself of his duty without any harm or -hindrance, having set the course. So he came down and was astonished to -find how the food set before him revived him and made him take quite a -roseate view of difficulties which a few minutes before seemed almost -unsurmountable. - -When he had been thus refreshed he gave orders for all cutting gear to -be got ready, knowing that there would be plenty of time and that the -hands were all rested. Then he went below, where he found his skipper -bandaged and swathed until he looked like a mummy sleeping soundly with -only a light flush on his face, and Merritt, a half emptied plate of -food by his side, sitting almost bolt upright, fast asleep, but looking -as ghastly as a dead man. But then with people of that complexion you -never can tell. They are not to be judged by ordinary rules at all. - -Feeling that in both cases the men were better without interference on -his part he went on deck again, and seeing the carpenter and cooper -standing by, he went up to them and said-- - -“The captain and Mr. Merritt are both doing well, they’re fast asleep. -Have you had your dinner?” They both nodded and he then went on, “I’ll -look after the ship now if you’d both like a little rest, for I reckon -it’ll be another hour before we are up to the first boat, and it will -be hard enough for us all then.” - -The two old tradesmen looked at him and then at each other, finally -muttering-- - -“I guess we’ll keep you company. What you can do we can, and anyhow you -ain’t half a bad chap.” That was all, but it meant a good deal. - -Now of the subsequent proceedings in picking up the three whales I -need not write, except to say that as soon as Mr. Winsloe got on board -C. B. handed the control of the ship over to him with a full report of -what had happened since he had left the skipper’s company. The story -of the next week is just one of savage unremitting toil, only to be -compared to the way in which men work for the saving of their lives. -Mr. Winsloe developed in a direction that C. B. had never suspected -him of, he became a bowelless taskmaster, apparently needing no rest -himself nor imagining that anybody else could want any. - -Merritt took his place in the fighting line the next day, apparently -none the worse for his awful experiences, although a keen observer -might have seen in his sunken cheeks and hollow eyes indelible signs -of the great struggle. But the poor skipper was in evil case. Only the -natural vigour of his constitution and the tremendous force of his will -pulled him through. For four days he lay alternating between stupor and -delirium, never left by night or day, of course, entirely unconscious -of how the great business of the voyage was being carried on without -him. - -When at last he emerged into the land of sense Winsloe was with him, -having snatched a few minutes from the work to come down and have a -look at his suffering chief. And when he found that the captain was -sane again he felt a great lump in his throat, a weight lifted from his -chest, for with all his undoubted faults he loved the skipper and would -have felt his loss, in spite of the immediate benefit to himself, as a -blow for which there could be no adequate compensation. Captain Taber -raised his sadly attenuated hand and groped for that of Mr. Winsloe, -saying feebly-- - -“Well, Winsloe, how goes it? Are all the other boats back?” - -“Yes, sir,” replied Winsloe, “and nobody hurt to speak of but yourself. -But you’ve had a pretty bad time, sir, an’ I guess you don’t know that -it’s the thick end of a week since you was brought aboard. You’ll be -glad to know, an’ I think it’ll do you more good than all the doctors’ -stuff in the world, that we’ve cut in five whale, an’ I’m figurin’ that -there’s between four an’ five hundred bar’l of oil very nearly ready to -run down. So we ain’t done so mighty bad after all.” - -The effect upon the wounded man was magical. His eyes sparkled, and -he even made one effort to rise, but Winsloe put out a restraining -hand. “Well,” the captain cried in quite a strong voice, “I feel like -shoutin’ ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ If that ain’t great! But say, you ain’t -told me how long this job took ye?” - -“It’s just seven days to an hour since we started, an’ pretty late in -the day it was, for Christmas was mighty slow in getting down to us, -bein’ handicapped by your two whale----” - -“Two whale,” almost yelled the skipper. “D’ye mean t’ say that we saved -two?” - -“Yes, sir, that’s a true bill. I ain’t heard all about it, but Merritt -can tell ye, or Christmas. They was on in that piece, I was about six -mile to looard, an’ wonderin’ pretty bad what all the waitin’ meant. -An’ before I go, sir, as I don’t think you orter be tried too much, I -wanter say that these yer new harponeers of ours is the whole thing. I -don’t want no better men, an’ I ain’t goin’ t’ wear mournin’ fer Pepe -and Louis any longer. Both at strikin’ whale and steerin’ boat they’re -the limit, an’ as fer work, well, they suit me, an’ I ain’t the -easiest man to please in the matter o’ cuttin’ in an’ tryin’ out. Now -do try and get a sleep agen, sir, an’ don’t put in any time worryin’, -because everythin’s goin’ jist as it orter.” And he slipped on deck. - -But in spite of the mate’s cheery words he was far from satisfied with -the condition of things. Both Merritt and C. B., though neither of them -made any complaint, showed unmistakable signs of the enormous strain -that had been put upon them lately, C. B. especially, who was, as we -know, hardly convalescent when the pressure began. Besides that, the -other members of the captain’s boat’s crew were hardly fit to go on -much longer, although with rare fortitude they had stuck to their task -until work was almost done, and then were given lighter jobs--in fact, -the general routine of the ship was relaxed in view of the recent great -effort. So when Mr. Winsloe took his usual rough sights for position -and found that they were only about a couple of days’ sail with the -present wind from the Bonin Islands, he determined to steer for them, -and in the absence of any positive command on the part of the captain, -to go in and take a few days’ rest. - -And as, in any case, he was not going out of his way, he shaped his -course for Peel Island and carried sail to the fair wind then blowing, -with the object of making as much headway as possible, although under -ordinary circumstances, being now really in the great northern haunt -of the cachalot, he would have been in the usual cruising trim which -I have described as being pursued on the offshore ground. But much to -his relief the captain, though still remaining very weak, kept his -faculties and a clear head, so that when Winsloe broached the subject -to him of making for Port Lloyd in order to give the crew and himself -a chance to recover, he gave the plan an emphatic sanction. “For,” he -said, “I ain’t as young as I uster be, an’ a smash up such as I’ve had -ain’t calculated to make me feel any spryer. And although I’ve got no -shadow of doubt as to your ability t’ carry on, Winsloe, t’ the end of -the chapter, I really should feel happier with the kellick down in the -ten fathom hole. Moreover, tain’t as if we ain’t earned a rest. That -last catch of ours hez pulled our average up bully.” - -It was therefore with a light heart that Winsloe saw the bold outlines -of Peel Island standing out against the clear blue of the sky on the -third morning after the above conversation, and he noted with much -satisfaction how cheerful all hands seemed to be at the prospect of -a few days in harbour anywhere, whether it was possible to get any -of the so-called luxuries usually craved by sailors or not. Only two -of the crew had been there before, one of them being Merritt, and he -showed interest almost amounting to enthusiasm as he described the -wonders of the unique harbour to C. B. It was also, he said, almost -like his native place to him, for there he would certainly find some -people of the same strange mixture of races as he was himself, Chinese, -Japanese, Spaniards, Italians, Kanakas, and Americans having settled in -the strange place at different times, and their descendants being now -fairly numerous. - -Captain Taber being still too weak to be moved with safety, and Mr. -Winsloe never having been into the place before, Mr. Merritt became -pilot, and C. B., who was well able to criticize, was charmed at the -consummate ease with which his chum took the vessel in under all sail -in spite of the baffling winds, which necessitated constant attention -to the braces and halyards. Port Lloyd is nothing but the crater of -a mighty volcano, extinct ages ago, and by some awful convulsion of -nature sunk down low enough for one breach in it to form the entrance -with a general depth of over twenty fathoms, while the remaining sides -of the crater tower up to a height of seven or eight hundred feet. As -might be expected there are many reefs and ledges within the harbour, -but they are easily seen from aloft when coming in, and the central -anchorage, into which a vessel must needs be warped by kedges, is a -natural dock with an almost level bottom of ten fathoms depth, secure -from every wind that blows and with splendid holding ground. - -Into this beautiful nook the _Eliza Adams_ was taken and secured -to the immense satisfaction of all on board, and especially to Mr. -Winsloe, who now felt able to take that rest which he badly needed, -and, as there were several whaleships there, to get advice from other -commanders about the state of his captain’s health. Besides, it was an -ideal place for all those things that a ship like a whaler needs, good -water, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and swarms of excellent fish. - -The sails were hardly furled before the captains of three of the -whaleships, the _Phoenix_, the _James Arnold_, and the _Coral_ were -alongside and coming on board were received by Mr. Winsloe with great -delight. They heard of the adventure which had laid Captain Taber low -with grave faces, and after Mr. Winsloe had first ascertained that -Captain Taber was fit to receive them they descended to his cabin and -greeted him with that deep cordiality which used to be so marked a -feature among these men, brothers in arms, knowing and respecting one -another from a thorough knowledge of the high qualities that went to -make up the complete whaleman. - -But when they saw the wreck of their old friend, and had made a careful -examination of his injuries, they decided that although it was nothing -short of a miracle that he had made so good a recovery, it was hopeless -his attempting to finish the voyage. It was evident, they said, that he -must for at least a year to come have complete rest and immunity from -worry, and they gave it as their decided opinion that he should give -up the ship to Winsloe and go home. And although they did not say so -to him, they were also of opinion that George Taber would never again -be fit to command a ship in the great and strenuous business of sperm -whaling. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -Farewell to the Ship - - -It would be difficult if not impossible to convey to the reader the -consternation that fell upon Captain Taber’s mind when the decision of -his fellows were made known to him. How he fought against, not only -their sentence, but his own convictions, for during the long hours that -he had lain there sensible that the strength and vigour that he once -possessed had gone from him and gave no sign of returning, he had been -compelled to acknowledge that at last he had, as he put it, come up -against a difficulty that he could neither get around nor leap over. -And as soon as they were gone, he turned his face to the bulkhead and -shed the bitter tears of a strong soul compelled to admit complete -defeat. - -And then came a gleam of comfort. In his dire distress of mind he -thought of C. B., the gentle Christian man, who without making any -special effort had twined round his heart strings, who through great -and undeserved trials had still retained his serenity of soul, and he -felt that here indeed was a man that he could turn to in his hour of -need, one who would be able to impart to him some of that inner calm -that seemed proof against all outward disturbance however great. Man -fashion he hardly thought of the source of that calm, as we enjoy the -warmth of a fire in winter without feeling grateful to the elements -which make the fire possible. But for that we may not blame him, since -he is in this respect so completely at one with the great majority of -mankind. - -A dim indefinite purpose was shaping itself in his mind, but he did -not try to bring it into concrete form, he just laid back upon his -pillow exhausted and went to sleep, being indeed almost made worse -by the mental strain of the last few hours. And Mr. Winsloe, coming -down softly to inquire after his welfare, seeing that he was resting, -tip-toed up again. He, the mate, was quite insensibly bettered by -this series of happenings, for although, like all other mates, he had -ambitions, longed to command a ship, he actually forgot all about the -possible benefit to himself, forgot the strong words addressed to him -by the skipper in Oahu, forgot all his previous bitterness against -C. B. in sorrow for the sympathy for his sorely stricken friend. As -yet, however, he had refused to contemplate the possibility of Captain -Taber becoming a helpless invalid for life. Terrible though he knew his -injuries to be, he had been accustomed to seeing so many what we should -call miraculous recoveries, that the fact of his skipper being alive -and his wounds healed seemed to him the best evidence that presently he -would resume command as if nothing had happened. - -None of the visiting skippers had said anything to him about the -decision they had come to, so that at the most he only contemplated an -enforced holiday for the skipper on shore here while he took the ship -for a cruise and came back with a big catch of oil to find the skipper -awaiting him in the very prime and vigour of health. These ideas of his -were to receive a rude shock that very afternoon. - -While all hands were quietly busy and a party ashore were filling -casks with water, the soft musical cry of “Sail ho!” was raised. And -round the North Head came one of the dandies of the high seas, a -British corvette. She had just paid a visit to this out-of-the-way -place in the course of a surveying cruise, because--well, because it -is necessary in the interests of the world’s commerce that British -men-o’-war shall thus patrol the seas and record their observations, -an immense duty imposed upon the British Navy which is all too often -forgotten by its calumniators, and those who clamour for its starvation -and eventual abolition. Poor little one-idea’d men, what a pity it is -that their power for harm isn’t limited as is their power for good. - -She had not been at anchor very long before Captain Swift of the -_Coral_, deputed by his brother-captains, boarded her and begged that -her surgeon would have the goodness to visit the _Eliza Adams_ with -him, and give an opinion upon the state of her suffering captain. With -that ready courtesy so characteristic of British Naval officers, the -request was immediately complied with, and presently Mr. Winsloe saw -approaching the _Coral’s_ boat with the captain of the _Coral_ and a -Naval officer, who on mounting the side was introduced to him as Doctor -Devine of the British warship _Fame_. Informed of their errand, Mr. -Winsloe gravely led the way below, where the doctor made an exhaustive -examination of Captain Taber, at the conclusion of which, and after -hearing the history of the accident, he gave it as his opinion that it -was hardly short of miraculous that Captain Taber was alive at all, but -that he certainly would never be able to pursue his calling again. - -Captain Taber then, in a firm voice, requested the doctor to tell -him how long he had to live. “That, my dear sir, is a question that I -would answer you as frankly as you have asked it were it in my power. -But I cannot tell. There have been most extensive internal injuries in -addition to those that are apparent, and what their effect may be in -the future is a matter of conjecture only. You may live to a green old -age with great care and attention, and you may only live a week or two. -All I can tell you I have told you, and I should certainly advise you -to relinquish your command at once and proceed homeward by easy stages -and in as much comfort as you can get. I am deeply sorry that I can say -nothing more hopeful and pleasant, but I can see that you are a man -who is well fortified in the best possible way against any fortune. -Good-bye, sir, and may you have a pleasant and easy journey home.” -And the genial doctor was taken back to his ship with a story for the -wardroom that attracted the deepest attention from his fellows. - -He had been gone but a very short time when Captain Taber, having made -up his mind, sent for Winsloe and said-- - -“Now, my dear fellow, I’m going to hand the ship over to you, and hope -with all my heart that you’ll have a rattling good time for the rest of -the cruise. Everything is in order, and you know quite as much about -the affairs of the ship as I do, so there is no need for me to worry -you or myself with going over them. Next, I want you to send C. B. to -me. I feel that as I cannot travel alone there is no one to whom I -could more safely entrust myself than him, and I want to arrange with -him.” - -Winsloe signified assent, and going on deck passed the word for C. B., -telling him that the captain wished to see him. C. B. obeyed on the -instant, and seated himself at the captain’s side at his request. - -“Christmas,” said the suffering man impressively, “the doctor has -confirmed what my friends the captains of the other ships have told -me, that I am done, my career as a whaling skipper is over, and I am -bound to agree with them; for I mustn’t betray the interests of my -owners by spoiling the ship’s voyage. They have also told me that the -sooner I get home with as little exertion as may be, the better chance -I have of life. Now, I can’t travel alone, and I sent for you to learn -whether you are willing to take the burden of an invalid broken man on -your young shoulders, and give up your chance of making a good pay-day -here. Will you come with me and look after me for such small pay as I -am able to offer you, nothing in comparison with what your services are -worth; but I am a poor man, and I have a wife and three youngsters in -Fairhaven, who will need every cent that I can scrape together for the -lean years I see before me?” - -It was some little time before C. B. could answer, for, like all real -Christians, he was exceedingly tender-hearted, and the sad spectacle of -the suffering man before him touched him very deeply. But he recovered -himself and answered-- - -“Captain Taber, I thought you knew how little store my people set by -money. I did not come with you with any idea of making money, only -that I felt that I must see the world and at the same time earn my own -living. And if by doing what you ask I can repay your kindness to me, -money need not be mentioned between us as long as I can get food enough -to keep me alive and clothing such as is necessary. I shall be glad -and proud to serve you with all my ability, and though I may be clumsy -at first I hope to learn quickly.” - -“Ah, my dear fellow,” faintly murmured the skipper, “there is far more -than just body service I want from you. I want to learn the secret -of your quiet happiness and I believe you can teach me. I’ve watched -and wondered at you for a long time, envying you the peace that I saw -you always enjoying, the power of living blamelessly in the midst of -us ruffians and yet doing your work with the best of us. Perhaps the -Almighty has given me this stroke in mercy because He saw that I would -not give myself time to learn His ways without it. I don’t know, but -He knows I’m willing to learn now, and with the prospect of having you -with me I am quite resigned to what I at first felt would break my -heart. So that’s settled. I’ll make inquiries now as to the method of -getting from here to the States, to San Francisco, and thence across -the Continent home, and as soon as I find out I’ll let you know. Now, -I’m very tired again and I think I could sleep a little. God bless you, -my boy, and I thank you with all my heart.” - -As C. B. left the cabin to go on deck again he met Merritt, and one -glance at his face gave him a feeling of terrible compunction. A flood -of recollections rushed into his mind, the stern hatred and bitter -jealousy that Merritt had shown to any one who he suspected of coming -between him and the man he loved with an affection resembling that -of the tigress for her cubs. What would _he_ say? More painful and -important question still, what would he do? In this trouble he went -to his unfailing resource. Sitting down on a spar in a dark corner -he buried his face in his hands, and prayed for guidance in this -most difficult matter, and for poor Merritt. He felt a keen pang at -the thought that he had never been able to return the affection the -fourth mate had lavished upon him in anything like the same measure. -He had loved Merritt only as he had loved the skipper and a little -more than he had loved any other member of the ship’s company, the -only difference being that he had cherished a belief that he had been -the means of humanizing that stern and vengeful nature by becoming the -object of its fierce affection. - -He lifted his head refreshed by his communion, and there, quite near to -him, sat Merritt, having stolen up noiselessly. As soon as he looked up -Merritt edged towards him and said in a hoarse, constrained voice-- - -“What’s the matter with ye, chum? Ain’t ye feelin’ good?” - -“Oh yes, thanks,” replied C. B. somewhat wearily, “but I’m worried -about you. I don’t know how you’ll feel when I’m gone.” - -There was a painful pause for at least a minute and then Merritt said-- - -“Gone! Then I was right. I thought I heard the skipper say somethin’ -to ye ’bout comin’ with him to look after him. So you’re goin’, an’ -I shan’t see ye any more. Well, they’s one thing about it, you’ve -softened me a lot, my boy, I k’n tell ye that; for if I was now as I -have ben, I’d a killed you fust an’ myself after, I wouldn’t a ben -separated from you. Now I don’t feel able to say a crooked word t’ ye. -But I feel all gone in here, an’ I know for certain that I shall peg -out mighty quick after you’re gone. I hain’t got nothing t’ live fur -an’ I don’t want t’ live anyhow. When are ye goin’?” - -“I don’t know,” answered C. B.; “it depends upon the skipper getting a -passage, I suppose; but don’t, chum, don’t talk like that.” - -“Like what?” inquired Merritt harshly. - -“About dying because I’m going away. It sounds awful; I can’t -understand it.” - -“Very well, I won’t because ye wish it, but as t’ yeer understandin’ -it--how should ye? Never mind. Jest ask yer God t’ make it as easy -fer me as He can an’ keep me tame, fer I feel as if I’d like to die -fighting, run amok like a Malay. And for your sake I’d rather not do -that.” And he rose and walked abruptly away, leaving C. B. bewildered -and full of grief, yet on the whole relieved that Merritt had taken the -tidings so quietly. And he lifted a heart full of thanksgiving to God. - -Early the next morning Mr. Winsloe was considerably startled by seeing -a smart boat from the _Fame_ coming alongside, and going to the -gangway, he received a gentleman in uniform, who introduced himself as -Captain Silchester of the _Fame_. - -“I would like, sir,” said he, “to see your captain, who I regret to -hear is so seriously ill.” And Mr. Winsloe immediately led the officer -below. - -Captain Taber was awake and glad to see his visitor, who, after -exchanging compliments, proceeded to state the object of his visit. “My -doctor has told me of your sad condition, and I have come to offer you -a passage in my ship to Yokohama, which is our next port of call. From -thence you will be able to get a steamer to San Francisco.” - -Captain Taber smiled wanly and said-- - -“You are most kind, sir; you have greatly relieved my mind. I really -did not see how I was going to get in the track of a fairly rapid -passage home without wasting more of my owners’ time, which I am very -loth to do. But I have a personal friend and attendant who is going -with me to look after me in my helplessness, can you extend your -hospitality to him?” he inquired anxiously. - -“Oh, I see no difficulty in that,” breezily answered the British -captain; “in fact, I anticipated something of the sort and so was -prepared for it. But will you be able to come on board to-morrow, for -we sail in the afternoon?” - -“Oh yes,” eagerly assented the skipper, “my preparations are -practically all made. And now, sir, if you’ll allow me I’ll send for my -friend, who is one of the finest fellows that ever God made, and let -you see him.” And blowing a whistle that hung by his side the steward -appeared. “Tell Christmas I want him,” ordered the skipper. - -“Aye, aye, sir,” responded the steward, and in a couple of minutes C. -B. stood before them. - -In as short a time the skipper had explained matters to Captain -Silchester, who greeted C. B. warmly and said-- - -“I believe I have seen you before when you were a boy of about ten. My -visit to Norfolk Island in one of Her Majesty’s schooners is one of the -happiest recollections of my life. Your father’s name, I believe, is -Philip Adams?” - -C. B.’s face brightened as he gladly answered, “Yes, sir, and did you -meet my beautiful mother?” - -Captain Silchester smiled at the eager, loving question and replied, -“Yes, I had that honour and privilege, and I congratulate you upon -your parents, young man. They are, I should say, the very salt of the -earth. Well, I must not hinder you, sir,” to the captain; “you’ll have -much to set in order, and I shall expect you on board sometime before 4 -p.m. Good-bye.” And turning sharply he hastened on deck to avoid being -thanked again. - -But he was in no hurry, for once on deck he charmed Mr. Winsloe by -asking to be shown over the ship and have her strange appliances -explained to him, showing so much interest and appreciation that -Winsloe was delighted and when he had gone, said to Spurrell, “Well, if -all the Britishers was like that one I shouldn’t have no quarrel with -them, I’m dead sure of that.” - -“Ah,” said Spurrell, “there’s some good Britishers, but there’s an -awful lot of shysters. Still, there’s good and bad of all sorts, I -s’pose, and Britishers ain’t the worst by any odds.” - -Then the whistle blew and Winsloe hurried aft to find the skipper quite -excited at the near prospect of beginning his journey home. It took but -little time to acquaint the mate with the British captain’s courteous -offer, and then, with C. B.’s aid, the preparations for departure were -begun. Neatly and methodically everything belonging to the skipper -was packed, except his charts and navigational books, all of which he -left to Winsloe. And so swiftly was the work done that by the time -the skipper was wearied, that is in about an hour, everything was -practically ready, and the two men left him to sleep again. - -As they went softly on deck Mr. Winsloe said, “Well, Christmas, I -needn’t ask you to do your best for the skipper, because I believe that -no one could or would do better than you. I’ve never been able to like -ye, for yeer too goody goody for me. But I’m free to admit that if I’d -a had ten thousand men to pick and choose from, I’d have chosen you; -this sort o’ thing’s right in your line. I s’pose your packing won’t -take long?” - -“No, sir,” cheerily answered C. B., “five minutes ’ll see me through; -but I’d like if may to go forrard and say good-bye to the boys. I’m -very fond of them all, and I hope none of them has got anything -against me. I’d be very sorry to leave any hard thoughts of me behind.” - -“Oh, certainly,” said the mate, “go an’ hold a prayer meetin’ if ye -like, I’m sure I don’t care now. I can’t say that I saw any signs of -yer wantin’ t’ do such a thing before, but if I had I should have -stopped it, for I don’t want a crew too tender-hearted t’ kill a whale -in this business. There, get along, boy, an’ make the most of yeer -time.” - -C. B. felt that he hardly understood the mate’s curious remarks, but -he was glad of the permission, and going forrard he slipped down -into the dark triangular space where the crew lived, a funny abode -as shore-people would think for thirty-two men to spend all their -leisure time in for nearly four years. To his modest surprise he was -welcomed as if he had been an admiral, every man trying to show him -some attention. And when all had settled down and had riveted their -attention on him he said-- - -“Boys, I’m going to leave you, to look after the poor skipper on his -long journey home. But I felt as if I couldn’t go without coming into -your midst, and telling you how thankful I am to have got on so well -with all of you. I feel that I haven’t done my duty by you in one -respect: I might have tried to tell you something about the God I love, -I might have tried to show you how much He loves every one of you and -would, if you would let Him, make up to you the loss as you think it of -most of the good things that people have ashore. - -“As it’s too late to do that now I’ll ask you to forgive me for not -doing it before, for being so selfish as to enjoy my communion with Him -and not try to get others to share it. And if you’ll let me I’ll kneel -down in the midst of you here and pray that you may all learn from -him direct, how good He is in all His ways and how not one of you is -forgotten by Him.” And without any further preliminary C. B. fell on -his knees on the black planks, and said-- - -“Dear Father God, bless the good shipmates I’m leaving. They come from -all parts of Thy world, but whether they know Thee or not, whether any -one has ever spoken to them about Thee or not, they are all Thy well -beloved children. Show Thyself to them in all Thy love, keep them in -the hollow of Thy hand at all times, give them the assurance that Thou -art their Father, and that Thy dear Son Jesus Christ is their Saviour. -Bless all my dear shipmates, for Christ’s sake. Amen.” - -It was over, and Yankee, Portuguese, and Kanakas stared at C. B. and -each other with heavily throbbing hearts, as wondering what this -might mean. Evidently they were half expectant, half afraid of some -supernatural visitation, but as C. B. rose from his knees with a -streaming face and they all followed his example, a big slab-sided -Vermonter came over to C. B. and held out his hand saying-- - -“We’re all a lot of heathen, I’m afraid, but you’ve give us a better -idea of God Almighty than any of us ever had or likely to have. This -ship’s been better for you bein’ aboard. We shall be better for your -little prayer here to-day. Now we’ll bid you good-bye,” and turning to -the crew he said-- - -“Boys, all of us can say to him God bless you and keep you the same -good clean strong man you’ve allus been amongst us. Ef you hain’t -preached or prayed, you’ve done what’s harder than either, I guess. -You’ve lived such a life as we’ve never seen lived before, and if we -ain’t the better for it, ’tain’t any fault of yours. Good-bye and God -bless ye.” - -C. B. could only brokenly echo the blessing, and shaking hands all -round, looked lovingly into each face with their variations of -expression or utter want of expression. Then he climbed on deck again, -feeling as if he had been through an ordeal of the toughest kind. And -then he found he had to face his berthmates, who all appeared strange -to him. It was just the old story--they had taken but scanty interest -in him while he was one of themselves; now he was about to leave them -they recalled numberless instances of his lovingkindness, patience, -courage and industry, and were in danger of going to the opposite -extreme. The three Yankee boat steerers shipped in Honolulu held aloof -entirely. They knew very little of C. B., and probably felt some -little pride of race, looking down on one whom they ignorantly took to -be a mere Kanaka. But Chips, the cooper, cook, and steward, were for -them unusually demonstrative, and each pressed upon C. B. some little -memento, some piece of scrimshaw work to show that they remembered some -act of kindness long ago forgotten by him. - -When this part of his ordeal was over he was tired out and turned in, -falling asleep on the instant. But he was aroused almost immediately -as it seemed to him, though it was at 3 a.m., by a trembling hand laid -upon him. He sprang up in his bunk with his hands outspread, and one of -them was seized by the intruder, who said-- - -“It’s me, Merritt. Come on deck, I want t’ say good bye t’ ye.” - -C. B. leaped out of his bunk and hurried after his chum, who drew him -to a seat on a spar and said in a hollow strained tone-- - -“You’re goin’ away to-day, and before eight bells to-night I shall know -whether the God you’re so fond of talkin’ about is as good as you -say He is. Now don’t be skeered, I ain’t goin’ t’ kill myself, kase -why--it’d hurt you. But I know I’m goin’ out as soon as I’ve seen the -last of you, an’ I do think I’ve got a good opinion of your God because -of knowing that. He knows my life ain’t worth livin’ an’ He’s takin’ it -away. If I wasn’t a poor ignorant heathen I’d tell Him how thankful I -am, but I guess He’ll know.” - -To attempt any description of the talk that ensued until dawn would be -an impertinence, for one of the men, though such a Christian as the -greatest exponent of Christianity among us might envy, was, in all his -ideas and knowledge, simple as a little child, while the other, deeper -in darkness than the most debased Pagan, could only see one fact, for -such it was to him, that he was to die immediately after the parting. -It did not trouble his thoughts for one moment, any more than it would -that of the faithful dog who only lives in his master’s life, and dies -of a broken heart when that master is removed. - -So they sat hand in hand till dawn, they took the five o’clock coffee -together, with dim ideas in C. B.’s mind of it being a sort of -sacrament, and then as the mate’s loud call of “Turn to” echoed along -the decks Merritt simply rose from C. B.’s side and said-- - -“Good-bye, chum. I’ll be glad to find that what you say is true, an’ -that I sh’ll see you again in another life. I don’t understand it, -but it sounds good. Now I shall keep out of yer way till yer gone, so -good-bye.” - -At three o’clock p.m. the skipper was carried from his bunk well -wrapped up, and placed in his boat, which was lowered with her gunwale -level with the rail for the purpose. C. B. jumped in by his side and -stood by to steady him as the boat was lowered. The crew followed and -the boat shoved off, but as she did so all hands but one swarmed to -the rail and rigging, and gave a round of cheers, at which both the -skipper’s and C. B.’s eyes brimmed over. But C. B. noted what Captain -Taber did not; that in that crowd of faces Merritt’s did not appear. He -was found four hours later in his bunk, dead, without a sign about him -to show why he had gone. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -Popularity - - -And now behold C. B. launched upon a totally new series of adventures, -but still with that same quiet mind which accepted the events of each -new day as being all ordained by God, and consequently fraught with -blessing, no matter how hard it might be for him to see the benefit at -the time. Hitherto I have said nothing about his feelings with regard -to those whom he so fondly loved and from whom he had of course heard -no word. But when he left them both he and they had resigned themselves -to a complete separation without any communication until God should -please to reunite them again. Letters never came to that isolated, -self-contained little community, who indeed seldom had any interest -outside of their own boundaries. - -Yet it must not be supposed that for one day, hardly for a waking hour, -he ever forgot them. In his lonely vigils at the mast-head, or when by -himself at night, he looked out over the wide expanse of sea, he always -formed a mental picture of the peaceful happy home he had left, saw his -mother and father and friends at their simple tasks, heard their united -praises arising in the sweet evenings, imagined their discussions -concerning his whereabouts, until he almost fancied himself among them -in spirit, so vivid was his inner vision. And often it was with a -physical pang that he came back to his present surroundings. - -It must not for a moment be supposed either that he felt great delight -at leaving the ship, for he was in no way weary of his life on board. -But he calmly awaited each development as being just the right thing -for him, and indeed felt that in this latest move he was likely to be -of more use than he had ever been before. Besides, as I have before -hinted, he and his fellow-islanders were passionately attached to -the mother-country which they had never seen, and had consequently -idealized almost out of all reasonable recognition. The nearest -approach to realization of Britain that they could get was found in -a British man-o’-war, and when he stepped on board of the _Fame_ and -saluted the invisible presence on the quarter deck, he felt strangely -uplifted at the thought that he was privileged to sail in one of those -wonderful vessels. - -With greatest kindness and courtesy Captain Taber had been carried to a -cabin specially prepared for him; everything that he could want as far -as was in their power to supply it was at his disposal, and when C. B. -had got him comfortably bestowed and his belongings all safely at hand -he said-- - -“Thank ye, dear fellow, now go and leave me to sleep, for I feel very -tired, and you’ll be glad, I know, to see what’s going on about the -deck, all so different to what you’ve been used to.” So C. B. slipped -away and watched with a queer feeling of pride, as if he had a share -in the great business, the ordered method of getting under weigh, the -rapidity which characterized every evolution and the perfect discipline. - -Seaman-like his fingers itched to be helping, but he knew better than -to interfere, and moreover everything was so utterly strange and new. -Not the least wonderful of his new surroundings to him was the steam -engine. It is hard indeed for us to realize what it meant to this -intelligent man, British to the back-bone, and in some directions well -educated, but in others, notably in the appliances of civilization, as -ignorant as any savage from the island homes of his maternal ancestors. - -His gentle ways and pleasant speech soon made him a prime favourite, -and though the lower deck was mightily puzzled at his strange -dislike to grog and tobacco, they put it down simply to his want of -acquaintance with those luxuries. Anyhow they made a great pet of -him, and listened to his simple stories of island life and whaling, -interspersed as they were with loving reference to the Fatherly care -of God and the happiness of knowing Him, with growing interest and -appreciation. Nor was this interest confined to the lower deck. The -officers were just as keen, and though thoughtless and careless as -so many sailors are who feel that religion enters officially into -their lives at stated times, but need not be bothered about except -then, they all admitted that this young man was to them a new type -altogether outside their experience. Some scoffed at the idea of his -being genuine, saying that it was all put on for a certain purpose, -and watched him keenly to detect hypocrisy. But it was impossible to -maintain such an attitude towards him for long, in view of his perfect -devotion to his charge and his absolute lack of pose. - -He fell eagerly into his new role of nurse and valet, and the captain -grew to lean on him more and more each day, to long for his pleasant -words and to enjoy, in a measure that seemed to him amazing when he -thought about it, the simple reading of the Bible stories and the -common-sense comment, often quaint beyond description, that C. B. -indulged in. Only it made the matter real and vivid to the mind of the -listener as it had never been before, brought him face to face with -the actors in the great world drama unfolded in that amazing series of -stories, and above all made him wonder how it had been possible for him -to live so long in ignorance, and with so much time on his hands, too, -of the treasures contained within the covers of the ordinary little -volume. For let them deny it who dare, the most talked of and the least -intelligently read of any book in the world is the Bible. And from the -point of view of literature alone it does not deserve to be so treated. - -In consequence largely of the novelty of the position to the passengers -and the interest felt in them by the crew, the passage of the _Fame_ -to Yokohama, though rather long in point of time, was felt to be short -by all, so much so that a distinct sense of disappointment was felt -by all as the time for parting drew near. The sick man, though the -object of devoted attention by the ship’s doctor, fully justified that -gentleman’s prediction by making little or no progress. He could not be -said to be any worse, but his strength would not come back, and he had -many hours of severe pain internally. But his appetite was fairly good -and his spirits had recovered their normal serenity. He had become very -much attached to the ship where he had been so kindly welcomed, and -endeavoured to express his gratitude, but his genial hosts pooh-poohed -the idea of his being under any sort of obligation to them; they said -that his company had been a boon conferred upon them, and that they had -learned more of little understood sea-ways since he and C. B. had been -with them than they had ever dreamed of being possible. - -And so they parted with the best of good will on both sides, and a -certain definite effect of goodness impressed upon all hands by their -contact with C. B., which none of them were ever able to forget quite -as long as they lived. Very gently and tenderly the helpless skipper -was conveyed ashore, and to the best hotel in the City, there to await -the coming out of the steamer that sailed between Hong Kong, Yokohama, -and San Francisco. The American Consul had been apprised of Captain -Taber’s coming, and paid him an early visit of condolence and comfort, -promising to do all in his power to aid him, and to convey to Captain -Silchester his most cordial thanks for the timely help rendered to his -suffering countryman. - -C. B. was full of wonderment at the new and strange scenes around -him, but saw little of them, for nothing would persuade him to leave -his friend for more than a few minutes at a time. He did not lightly -construe the terms of his service, and when ordered with playful -vehemence by the skipper to go away and leave him to himself for a few -hours he never went beyond an easy call. But he got a great deal of -interest in observing the quaint manners of the Japanese, who seemed -to him to be almost denizens of another world to that which he had -hitherto known. Their courtesy, cleanliness and ability appealed to -him very much, but he wondered with painful intensity how they could -be apparently so happy and good without knowing anything of God. And -then he had an interview with a clerical gentleman belonging to the -Established Church, who was on his travels round the world, and being -an inmate of the hotel called upon the captain. - -The latter introduced C. B. as his friend as well as personal -attendant, and Mr. Vinter, the clergyman, made the almost unpardonable -mistake of treating our hero as if he was an ignorant Kanaka, that -is without a touch of kindliness or sympathy as of a being infinitely -high and wise, but without love, to another very low and foolish. C. -B. not being at all sensitive and full of reverence for the man of God -as he thought him, began to talk freely upon the things of God as he -had never been able to do since he left his home, where they were in -everybody’s mouth as the most frequent topic. To his utter amazement -and to the captain’s indignation the clergyman listened for a while -with a gradually contracting brow, and presently said severely-- - -“You should be less fluent and more reverent about holy things. You -cannot understand them, it is not possible that you should. You must -learn to leave such discussion as you have ventured to indulge in to -those who like myself are set apart as chosen ministers of the Gospel.” - -Had it not been so sad it would have been ludicrous to see the -open-mouthed stare of utter amazement with which C. B. regarded his -new mentor. For what he now heard from the mouth of a man whom he was -ready to regard as directly commissioned by God was to the effect that -the whole teaching of his life had been wrong. He dimly felt that this -man wished him to understand that so far from a close acquaintance with -and an intimate knowledge of God and the things of His kingdom being -right and according to His will, it was necessary to regard Him as -unapproachable except through a certain specially ordained class, and -that the sweet familiarity with Jesus which he had always been taught -and had understood from his Testament to be the end and the aim of the -Saviour’s teaching was irreverent and wrong. - -And then, to his great relief, the helpless skipper came to his -rescue, saying with clear and energetic voice-- - -“Forgive me, Mr. Vinter, if I seem rude, and allow me the privilege of -a man with one foot in the grave. I’ve learned more of God in a few -months’ acquaintance with this dear man than in all the rest of my -life. You gentlemen talk about God mostly too in language that a plain -man can’t understand, this man lives Him, has done ever since he came -aboard my ship. I’d rather have him with me, as far as the education of -my soul is concerned, than all the priests and clergy in the world. And -you call him irreverent! But so I s’pose you would have done Peter an’ -James an’ John, an’ as for Paul, well there!” - -Mr. Vinter made no reply, but rose with majestic gesture as of one who -finds the air polluted and passed out, nor did they ever see him again. -But the captain said cheerily-- - -“Git your Bible, Christmas, and read me that beautiful story again, -beginning with ‘Then drew near all the publicans and sinners for to -hear Him?’ I bet they did. They recognized the real thing same as I -do, they’d had enough of Pharisees same as I have. And then people -will be foolish enough to wonder why the Gospel don’t spread among the -heathen! Why a man like that might easily make heathen, he’d certainly -never make a Christian, he doesn’t know how to begin. Go on with your -reading, dear boy.” - -And in the comfort of the reading and the fellowship of his friend -C. B. felt the wound that had been made in his soul by that foolish -and injudicious man heal over. But he often returned to the subject -and asked many questions of the skipper concerning the ways of the -religious folk in America, and whether it was really true that the -great bulk of the people could be so foolish as to deny themselves so -great a pleasure as he had always found it, and those whom he had grown -up with, but was at last compelled to admit that it must be so though -it was a profound mystery to him. - -Happy man, knowing nothing of the thousand allurements of the civilized -world, its mad rush after fortune and no less mad lavishing of its -gettings upon things of no value. Happy in the coarse shirt and -trousers, bare headed and shoeless, but well nourished and healthy, how -could he understand the myriad artificial cravings that shut out from -the soul all desire for true happiness, or how in his perfect faith in -the love of God and His creation could he realize the awful fear of -eternal punishment that prompted men into excesses of religiousness in -order to escape from what they felt was the inevitable due of their -misdeeds. Not knowing how great had been his privileges he was entirely -unable to comprehend the difficulties of highly civilized man in -matters of religion, and so was an ever fresh source of interest to the -crippled man dependent upon him, who felt that he had never had leisure -to think upon these things until now. - -But gradually and unconsciously, as was his wont, he had endeared -himself to all with whom he had come in contact in service at the -hotel, so that when the big steamer arrived and the summons came for -them to go aboard he had quite an ovation, all the little yellow men -and women crowded around him in their gentle courteous fashion to wish -him “Sayonara” and to offer him tiny souvenirs of their affection for -the big kindly simple man who was so unlike any other stranger they had -yet seen. In his modesty and utter absence of self-consciousness he -wondered much at his popularity, the real reason of it never occurring -to him, for he had formed no friendships, had gone scarcely anywhere, -feeling that his duty was always to be within hail of his beloved -skipper. - -And so in leaving he had no regrets, but cheerfully and hopefully -assisted to carry Captain Taber on board of the _Golden Gate_, where -by the influence of the Consul a special cabin had been reserved for -the pair and all sorts of privileges arranged for also. She had a -great many passengers going eastward to the Pacific Coast, wealthy -folks travelling for pleasure, keen business men intent on making -money, adventurers, but all apparently flush of money and eager for -excitement. Amid this motley throng C. B. secured a good place on deck -for his patient’s long chair, a point wherefrom the wonderful panorama -unfolded as the ship steered seawards could be fully enjoyed. Here -C. B., standing by the skipper’s side, guarded him from inquisitive -intrusion and kept him amused by the quaint and original comments he -made upon the novel scene. - -But very soon, in spite of C. B.’s earnest efforts, the captain’s chair -was the centre of a sympathizing and wondering group of Americans, -who, having learned the skeleton of his sad story, were keen in their -desire to help in any way they could a countryman whom they dimly -suspected of being a hero, and that alone is sufficient with the most -hero-worshipping people in the world to have made them flock to him. -At last their attentions became so importunate and the questions so -incessant that Captain Taber, holding up his attenuated hand for -silence, said-- - -“Ladies and gentlemen, as you may see, I am not equal to the strain of -satisfying your legitimate curiosity, for I’m weaker than I care to -admit even to myself. But if you’ll let my friend here, who, in spite -of his dusky complexion, hasn’t got any of the nigger about him, but -is a sure enough Englishman of the purest stock, tell you the story -just as it happened, I can enjoy it as well as you. An’ I guess that he -knows a good deal more about it than I do anyhow.” - -The young ladies, who, as most people who have been in the United -States know, are the usual arbiters in such cases, guessed “it would -be perfectly lovely,” and with national promptitude settled themselves -around at once and looked expectantly at C. B. He looked somewhat -imploringly at the skipper, who only beamed on him and replied-- - -“Part o’ your duties ye know, Christmas, an’ I guess I don’t know -anybody better qualified to perform ’em.” - -That was quite sufficient for C. B., who, having seated himself by the -skipper’s side, commenced the story at the point where he had returned -to work. He had not been speaking a minute before he had everybody -spellbound, for like so many other simple-minded unselfish men he had a -natural gift of plain effective speech, not oratorical or rhetorical, -but what the Americans call heart to heart talk. - -For upwards of an hour he held the company almost breathless, and when -at last he ceased with the simple remark “and so through the goodness -of God we are thus far on our long journey,” there was a long breath -and then an irrepressible burst of applause. Many of the ladies made -no attempt to hide the fact that they had to wipe their eyes, and it -would have been hard to say which of the two in their estimation was -the greater hero, the skipper or C. B. And then the skipper brought -matters to a climax by saying-- - -“You’ve heard the story, ladies and gentleman, beautifully told as -I knew it would be, but far too favourable to me, in spots. As soon -as I’m fit I’ll tell you the parts ’at he’s left out, and a few more -things that you oughter know about him. Meantime let me say before God -and this company that I believe the hull earth don’t contain a better -man, a better Christian, with all that I’ve learned lately that means, -than my dear friend Christmas Bounty Adams.” - -Even this short speech, because it was delivered with rather more -energy than usual, exhausted the enfeebled man, and he lay back in his -chair breathless. C. B. immediately attended to him, looking round -imploringly at the onlookers, who, taking the hint, at once melted -away. But they carried away with them material enough for conversation -to last them the passage apparently, the human interest in it entirely -eclipsing that of the usual travel talk. But it must be admitted that -the chief object of interest was C. B.; in the absence of accurate -information concerning him the ladies formulated all sorts of fantastic -theories, the excitement rising almost to fever heat during the -luncheon hour. - -At last, when the captain had been conveyed below, one of the girls, -the only daughter of an immensely wealthy American, who was travelling -with her mother and father, came up to C. B. who was resting himself, -looking over the rail at the swiftly receding coast line. With that -sweet insouciance which is the most charming feature of the American -girl, she said-- - -“Say, Mr. Christmas, or is it Mr. Adams? we’re all just afire to hear -the rest of that story of yours. We don’t want to trouble that poor -captain, it would be too cruel to expect him to talk, but won’t you -take pity on us and tell us your beautiful story?” - -C. B. gazed down into the eager face with its big brown eyes and saw no -vulgar curiosity there. - -So after a moment or so of hesitation he replied, “Miss----” - -“Oh, May Stewart’s my name,” she hastily remarked. - -“Thank you, Miss Stewart,” he gravely interpolated and went on: “My -dear mother always taught me to try and please people who didn’t want -me to do anything wrong, and I am sure you don’t want me to do anything -wrong. So I’ll tell you my story as far as I can, on the understanding -that I’m free to leave off at any moment my captain wants me, for he is -a sacred helpless charge.” - -“That’s agreed on the instant,” she replied, “and I’ll bring the crowd -along right now. I’m real glad, and I think it’s awfully good of you, -for I do hate to be kept waiting for something that I feel I ought to -know.” - -“One moment, Miss Stewart,” said C. B., holding up a restraining hand. -“If you’ve been weaving a mighty romance out of my story and making me -its hero you’ll be gravely disappointed. All right, I’m ready whenever -you are.” - -Away fled the young lady, while C. B. took the opportunity of visiting -his patient’s airy cabin to make sure that he was sleeping soundly and -that everything about him was comfortable. Then he returned to the -promenade deck, where such had been the energy of Miss Stewart that -practically every passenger in the ship was present with the exception -of half a dozen inveterate poker players who, I believe, would keep on -at the monotonous business if the first notes of the last trump were -ringing in their ears. As soon as Miss Stewart saw C. B. she sprang -impetuously towards him, dragged him through the crowd to an elevated -seat she had got the quartermaster to prepare for him, and having seen -him comfortably installed, sat down on deck by the side of her mother -and waited for him to begin. - -You all know the story, but of course as he told it much of the -interest attaching to his doings evaporated because he would not say I -did this or I did that, a modesty which he shared with many far less -estimable men. But he did tell them all he could put into words about -his lovely island home, his origin, the pursuits of the islanders -and their happiness under the simple gospel of love. He told this -with a manly simple eloquence which captivated his hearers and made -even the most cynical and case-hardened of them feel that here was an -idyllic state of things which was unknown to their cheap and feverish -philosophies wrongly so called. And when at last he finished, so great -was the interest that many questions were put to him by the elder -men and women, all of which he answered with ease or owned that he -didn’t know. How long this would have gone on only those who know the -insatiable avidity of Americans in acquiring information upon some new -topic could imagine, but happily for C. B. there suddenly appeared on -the scene a Japanese waiter with the news that the captain was awake. -And immediately C. B. slipped away. - -Thenceforward this quiet unassuming child of nature was the idol of the -ship. “Guess it’s a complete rest-cure to be near him,” was the verdict -of one sallow owner of about a million dollars, who was fascinated by -C. B. to such an extent that he forswore poker, and courted every -chance to get a few words with a man whom he felt had the true secret -of happiness. “Now,” said this keen business man, “ef this chap was -advertising himself or startin’ a new religion, I’d be on to him in -once, bigger ’n a elevator. But he ain’t, ’s far ’s he knows he’s the -most ornery cuss there is around. ’N ’s far ’s I know he’s about the -newest breed o’ man there is, an’ I’d like t’ get the recipe for a few -more like him.” - -But the girls gave C. B. the most trouble. It was hard to convince them -that he was not the descendant of some dusky island potentate. That -he was but the offspring of a common English seaman and some nameless -Kanaka woman two or three generations back seemed impossible for them -to believe, for they were never tired of descanting upon the stately -grace of his form and the perfect unstudied beauty of his language. -Secretly too they were all piqued by the fact that he paid none of them -any special attention, was only gravely polite in a perfectly general -sense. To the men though who sought him out and talked with him he was -extremely open and genial, telling them frankly that he felt honoured -by their condescension, until one day the captain, hearing him speak -like this took him to task about it. - -“Christmas,” he said, “they’s such a thing as bein’ too humble, makin’ -yerself too cheap. You’ve no call to be so humble to these men. I ain’t -got nothing to say against any of ’em, but I should say they ain’t one -of ’em that’s fit to shine the boots of a good man like you are. Why, -they don’t talk of nothin’ else, mornin’ noon or night, ’cept they’re -talkin’ t’ you, but dollars and cents, how to pile ’em up as fast as -they kin no matter by what method. Money’s their God, Christmas, and -his worship means some practices that you’d shudder at. No, keep yer -head up, my friend, you’ll never git too big fer your boots I’m sure, -for I declare you’re the equal of any and the superior of most men in -this world.” And the excited man sank back in his chair exhausted, -while C. B. gently reproved him for thus exerting himself, and as soon -as he was rested again told him quaintly how bashful he felt before the -girls, especially Miss Stewart, who continually sought his company. - -“How should I behave to them?” he inquired, at which the Captain -laughed and replied-- - -“Ah, there I can’t give ye no advice, except to be mighty careful not -to fall in love with one of ’em. I guess you wouldn’t want no lessons -in humility if once you did that. For companionable as all these folks -seem to be and eager to make a fuss of ye, if once you lifted your -eyes to one of their women folk so as to desire her for a wife, they -wouldn’t have words enough t’ cuss ye in, an’ they’re pretty glib as a -rule.” - -“Well, captain,” said C. B., “there’ll be no occasion. I am not at all -likely to fall in love, as you call it, until I get back to Norfolk -Island again, and certainly not while I have the happy privilege of -taking care of you, God bless you.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -A Troublesome Appreciation - - -After all, the most important work of C. B.’s life was steadily -progressing without hindrance of any kind, the spiritual education of -Captain Taber. That fine man, in spite of his late advice to C. B. -about humility, was now exceedingly humble himself and ready to admit -his absolute indebtedness to C. B. for his present peace of mind, and -what in religious terminology would be called his growth in grace. -He certainly was in some respects an entirely changed man since his -accident, although it must not for a moment be supposed that he was -ever anything but just, kind and brave. It was only in the one thing -needful that he was then lacking, and that had now been supplied -through the agency of his friend, so that he had become a centre of -spirituality from which continually emanated a sweet aroma of content -and love of all mankind. - -The captain and chief officer of the _Golden Gate_ spent much time -with Captain Taber, although it must be said that they did not take -to C. B. very much. The sea tradition was strong with them, and as -they looked upon C. B. as a sort of menial in his personal attendance -upon the captain, they felt that discipline forbade them giving him -any opportunity to impose. He never noticed their reserve, in fact he -was almost impervious to the slights that most of us resent so much, -because of his want of self-consciousness, which went a long way to -account for his happiness. As soon as either the captain or the mate -came to have a yarn with his patient he would, first making sure that -all was in order, retire on deck, where he was always in request, and -remain there until his friend was alone again. In this way he made -the acquaintance of nearly everybody in the ship and enjoyed himself -very much, especially when the vessel drew into the bad-weather zone, -and gales of wind with heavy seas kept the passengers below. But one -afternoon, as he was engaged in earnest conversation with one of the -quartermasters whose turn it was to look after the promenade deck, he -saw with a thrill of horror a female emerge from the saloon, cross the -deck to the lee rail, deliberately mount it and topple overboard. As -soon as he had seen her making for the rail he started to run towards -her, so that he was on the spot almost in time to catch her by her -clothing. He just missed her, however, and with a roar of “Stop the -ship!” that was heard high above the gale, he plunged after her. A few -mighty strokes and he was by her side, only just in time to snatch her -long hair and fight his way from the ship to avoid the indraught of the -propeller, which if not stopped in time means awful mutilation to a -body in the water, and the strongest swimmer coming within its vortex -is entirely helpless. - -The ship was stopped so promptly that he was but a couple of hundred -yards away, but the sea was running very heavily with breaking crests, -and great as was his strength and skill, the burden of a woman to -support who could still struggle was a task that could not be endured -for long. As usual in merchant ships, especially steamers in those -days, the boats were secured as if they were never intended to be -used; not only so, but because of gross neglect the lashings and -gripes were rusted and clogged with paint, while the boats themselves, -never having been in the water for months nor having any water in them -through being carefully covered in, were leaky as sieves. - -Consequently it was nearly twenty minutes before the boat was in the -water, and when she was, for lack of ability to handle her it looked -for some time as if her lowering was going to cost several more lives. -And all this time Captain Taber in his berth was suffering mental -tortures, having been informed of the cause of the uproar by the -Japanese berth attendant. Nor was his anxiety selfish. He could not -bear the idea of his faithful friend being done to death like that, he -to whom the water was as familiar as the dry land. At last in his agony -he betook himself to prayer and was immediately comforted. Not only so -but the quiet that had reigned for some time gave place to tramplings -overhead and shoutings, showing that something had been or was being -done. - -It was fortunate that the vessel had stopped so promptly, as well as -that she had such little way on her at the time, steaming as she was -head to sea. Otherwise it would have been impossible to save the two -lives owing to the bungling in boat handling. As it was, when the boat -did reach them C. B. was just at the end of his resources, and when -lifted into the boat was almost as far gone as the woman he had saved. -Getting back to the ship, although she was handled with much skill, -was a series of wonderful escapes, and but for the promptitude of the -second mate, who suggested pouring a lot of oil over the lee bow as -the boat was brought alongside, which smoothed the turbulent sea and -permitted them to hook on the boat with comparative ease, there must -have been disaster. - -The two rescued ones were lifted out of the boat in the presence of -all the passengers, who had entirely forgotten their seasickness and -debility in their anxiety. The bodies were borne below and the doctor -worked upon the woman with the greatest perseverance, being at last -rewarded by feeling her heart beat and some warmth come from her -breast. From thence the task was easy, and the first to convey to the -anxiously waiting skipper below was C. B. himself, who apologized for -causing his beloved charge so much anxiety, but explained that he could -not see the woman drown. - -Then the skipper broke down, for he was very weak, and cried like a -child, sobbing out that he had felt that if he had lost his friend he -must have died too, and that he could never be sufficiently grateful to -God for sparing him. While they were thus enjoying their reunion came -the captain of the ship, who was visibly moved, and, holding out his -hand to C. B., said-- - -“Young man, I’m proud to have you aboard my ship, for you are indeed a -man. You may hardly believe it, but the husband of that lady whose life -you have saved is only just aware of what has happened. Both he and she -have been shockingly ill, for it seems that they are very bad sailors. -And she, in addition to horrible seasickness, had a raging toothache, -which must have driven her mad for the time. She says that she quite -remembers jumping overboard, says it seemed to her to be the only way -out of her misery, but she is very sorry indeed to have given so much -trouble. Neither she nor her husband realize yet what the trouble has -been, but their seasickness has left them and I guess you’ll hear from -them to-morrow. Hope you’re none the worse for your anxiety, Taber, now -you’ve got your chum back again. Now I must be off, for the weather’s -pretty bad still.” And he strode away. - -Next morning the weather had become beautiful again and C. B., having -seen his patient all right, was about to take a stroll forward when he -was seized by a man with red eyes and wild air, who said-- - -“Are you the hero who preserved my dear one for me?” - -C. B. was completely taken by surprise and stammered out something, -he knew not what in reply. But almost immediately there came bustling -round a crowd of the passengers, as full of excitement as if the -ship had been on fire, and poor C. B. wished he was anywhere out of -it. Still the man who had first accosted him kept hold of his hand, -occasionally patting it and murmuring disjointed sentences, until at -last the captain of the ship burst into the group, saying-- - -“Now, ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t fair to our friend. As for you, -sir,” turning to the man who was still holding C. B.’s hand, “you must -think of yourself for your wife’s sake as well as your own. We shan’t -be into San Francisco for three days, and you’ll have plenty of time -between now and then to thank Mr. Christmas all you want.” - -C. B. cast a grateful look upon the captain and fled forrard among the -crew, where he was received as one of themselves, no fuss being made -over him, but lots of questions asked about his swimming powers. Here -he was quite at home, for such was the respect that every one down -there felt for him that they modified their usual full-flavoured speech -because they knew it was unpleasant to him, although the boss of the -forecastle, a burly Californian, said after he had gone that he felt -quite weak with the strain he had put upon himself in the matter of -speech. “But,” he added, “I don’t grudge it him, for he’s the whitest -man I’ve struck for a long, long spell, if he can’t stand a cuss word.” - -The husband of the rescued lady having perfectly recovered begged -to be allowed to meet C. B. again, and tender his thanks in company -with his wife. So the meeting came off, when it appeared that they -were a wealthy American pair, named Ogden, travelling in search of -health, childless and most tenderly attached to each other. At first -the gentleman’s proposal was to adopt C. B. as their son with all the -advantages of such a position, but to this our friend returned so -decided a negative that it was not again mooted. Then the pair wished -to make C. B. a present of a large sum of money, to which he replied -that he had no use for it, that he had done nothing that he would not -have done for a beggar, and that he hoped they would think no more of -the matter. - -Thus coming to a deadlock there was no means of ridding themselves of -their almost intolerable burden of gratitude, until C. B. said-- - -“I cannot take anything from you, not because of pride, but because I -don’t want money; I hate the idea of getting fond of it, for I have -learned how evil a thing it can be. But if you must do something to -please me, help the poor whom I hear so much about and don’t know -anything of. Our Lord says that the poor ye have always with you, and -so you can never be short of means of doing good if you have got a -lot of money. In any case, I won’t take your money; I’ve done nothing -for it, and the only thing it could do for me would be to make me -discontented with what I now see to be the happiest life on earth, -that is, my dear island home.” - -Gratitude and the business instinct struggled for the mastery in -Mr. Ogden’s breast, coupled perhaps with a little resentment at C. -B.’s attitude, for he was one of those men who hate being under an -obligation. At last he went to Captain Taber and asked him to take C. -B. in hand and show him the error of his ways. Of course Captain Taber -flatly refused, knowing C. B. as he did, while his own fine honest -pride gloried in the same quality being possessed by C. B., as he -thought. So then Mr. Ogden was compelled to give up, and went about -among the other passengers discontentedly airing his grievance and -causing much mirth at the unusual spectacle of a man growling because -he couldn’t get another man to accept his money. - -The passage drew near to its close, and C. B., after rather anxious -watching of his patient, came to the conclusion that there was some -slight improvement in his strength. In consultation with the doctor -that gentleman pronounced him as strong as he could ever expect to -be, and that it would entirely depend upon his treatment during the -long crossing of the Continent whether he would have a short or a -fairly long lease of life with his friends. Upon this information C. -B. devoted all his time to getting news about the travelling, best -methods, little tips about accommodation, hotels, etc., secretly -grieving for his lack of experience which might prevent him doing the -best possible for his friend. The gentleman to whom he applied for -information, purely by accident, was the millionaire father of Miss -Stewart, who was apparently delighted to be of service to him. And -during their conversation C. B. said in perfect innocence-- - -“I hope Miss Stewart is well; I haven’t seen her about the deck lately. -I suppose I notice it more because she used to be the life and soul of -the ship.” - -Old man Stewart bent his shaggy eyebrows upon the speaker and replied -very slowly and distinctly-- - -“Yes, I guess her health’s all right as far as we know. She isn’t what -she used to be though, an’ I’ll admit that her keeping down as she has -done is more than a little puzzling to her mother and me. And I’d about -half made up my mind to ask you if you could give us any idea of what -ailed her?” - -The face that C. B. turned to Mr. Stewart was a study for a picture of -complete blank astonishment. For a few moments he could not speak, but -sat with his mouth partly open, while Mr. Stewart never relaxed his -steady gaze into the young man’s face. Then he found his tongue and -said with a sort of burst-- - -“Why, Mr. Stewart, what can you mean? Except at the outset of the -passage, when she arranged for me to tell the story of my life, I have -not exchanged a dozen words with your daughter, nor have I for the last -fortnight scarcely had her in my mind. It suddenly dawned upon me as -I talked with you that I had not seen her about in her usual lively -fashion, and on the impulse of the moment I asked you of her health. -And now you say you thought of asking _me_ if I had any idea what was -ailing her!” - -Mr. Stewart’s brow relaxed, his grim mouth formed a smile, and he said -cheerily-- - -“All right, sonny, I’m glad to see I hain’t made no mistake in ye. -Forget what I said and put it down to an old man’s anxiety for his only -child. An’ now about that journey of yours, I should recommend”--and -the old gentleman went off into minutest details of trains, hotels, -etc., in which C. B. followed painfully after him, feeling at every -word how far from this wonderful world of struggle and stress he was -removed. But what the reader will think of C. B.’s density with regard -to Miss Stewart I do not know. It is hard for us to believe in a fancy -free, unconceited youngster now, one who could have such a question -put to him by a father concerning his daughter, as Mr. Stewart had -just done to C. B., and not feel flattered and more conceited than -before. But the old man showed his wonderful knowledge of human nature -in dealing with C. B. as he did. In spite of his cynical disbelief in -most, if not all, his fellow-men he paid unconscious tribute to C. B. -in taking the step he did, and when he found his estimate justified he -was inclined to be puffed up and say, “I told you so, I knew he was -twenty-four carat stamped on every link. My judgment against the world.” - -Many people, however, would exercise their privilege of sitting in -judgment and call C. B. just plain fool. They are welcome, since such -an _ex parte_ statement does not affect the case. I must go on to say -that C. B. dismissed the whole matter from his mind, which indeed, -as the distance from the Golden Gate of its namesake was measured by -hours, became more full of anxiety concerning his helpless charge -than ever he had known it before. Then came the arrival, the breaking -up of pleasant little coteries such as are formed in a few days on -ship-board, and in many cases the parting from people whom you would -long to spend your life with but have to part from and usually see no -more. - -In accordance with a pre-arranged plan C. B. made his friend -comfortable and did not worry him until the rest of the passengers -were out of the vessel, so that he could take a quiet, unhurried -farewell of his friends the officers of the ship. Everybody had gone; -none, however, without a hearty handshake and a pleasant word for C. -B., many assuring him of what was really true--that they would never -forget him, when a shore boat came alongside bearing a man in some -sort of a uniform, who as soon as he came aboard inquired for Mr. C. -B. Adams. It took some little time for the unaccustomed address to be -realized, but at last the message was handed to C. B. and the messenger -said with easy nonchalance that he’d wait for an answer. And subsiding -into a deck chair produced his toothpick and made himself comfortable. - -The missive was brief and businesslike. It ran-- - - - “Private Car Mary A. Stewart waits at the dépôt to receive Captain - Taber, Mr. C. B. Adams, and any two friends they may select for - through transportation to New Bedford, Massachusetts. All charges - are paid through to destination, and all railway men are advised - to render any aid or service needed. It is advised that the party - start with the least possible delay though no time is fixed. - OLIVER P. STARBUCK, Gen. Mgr.” - - -C. B. simply could not believe the plain statement made, though it was -impossible to misunderstand it. So he handed the letter to Captain -Taber, who read and murmured, “Thank God. You see,” he went on to C. -B., “that money can do something. I was dreading in every fibre of my -bones that awful journey home, and here with a stroke of his pen one of -our many wealthy friends, who does not think enough of the act to let -us know who he is so that we may thank him, makes the way smooth and -plain for us from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Ah me, I’m being highly -favoured, and I more than half suspect that I ought to thank you for -it. Now don’t get up on your hind legs and make a fuss, because I feel -sure I’m right.” - -The skipper of the _Golden Gate_ was called in consultation, and he -agreed that this royal courtesy must have been paid by one of the -passengers who wished to remain unknown. And he said that he could -not help wishing that he was coming with them, for his wife was in -Liverpool, and he had not seen her for three years, while such a -chance might never occur again as long as he lived. Be sure that C. B. -cordially echoed the captain’s wish, for he dreaded the ordeal which he -felt awaited him more than he had ever feared anything before, but only -because of his anxiety for the helpless man under his charge. - -However, as in all such cases, there was little time for regrets or -speculation, the time pressed and departure could not be delayed. So -gathering all together C. B. and his charge were conveyed ashore, and -through the turbulent life of the city to the station, or dépôt as -it is called in the United States. The driver of the conveyance they -chartered upon getting ashore knew his business thoroughly and took -them straight to where the private car was standing in lonely majesty, -side tracked. And as they drew up alongside of it there appeared, to -their intense astonishment, the gaunt form of Mr. Stewart, who was -accompanied by his daughter. - -A look of perfect satisfaction was upon both their faces which changed -into an amused smile as they noted the stare of perfect bewilderment -upon the countenance of C. B. It remained there until Captain Taber -said, “Come, Christmas, what’s wrong with ye? have ye seen a ghost?” -Then C. B. started, apologized, and explained that somehow he had never -expected to see any of the ship’s late company again; he felt that -they were scattered far and wide. Then Mr. Stewart, having seen the -captain carefully placed within the palatial car and made comfortable -on the beautifully upholstered lounge with plenty of soft cushions, sat -down by his side, while C. B. stood looking around him in dumbfounded -amazement at the somewhat crude splendours of the car. - -Beckoning his daughter to a seat by his side the worthy American began -his explanation by saying-- - -“When I learned that you had been invited to make the journey across -the Continent in a private car I hoped that you would have had company -that would be helpful to you. And just as I heard that you were going -alone I received a telegram from Boston, calling me over there on -urgent business, so I calculated that perhaps you wouldn’t mind my -daughter and myself being your guests for a week. We may be of some use -if you can put up with us.” - -Captain Taber turned upon the speaker a look of grateful affection and -murmured-- - -“Don’t be afraid, Mr. Stewart, that I shall make a fuss, but do let me -say God bless you for your lovingkindness in lending us this car, for I -knew it was yours as soon as I heard the name, and for watching over us -since. He,” jerking his thumb in C. B.’s direction, “won’t bother you, -I know, won’t bother his head a little bit to whom the car belongs, -looks upon the whole affair as just another instance of God Almighty’s -particular care. I confess I can’t think yet that the Lord looks after -me to that extent, and yet I don’t know but what I will before long. -If anything could make me it would be association with that fellow. -He’s--but there, I can’t talk about him without kinder choking! Must -be getting weak in the head.” - -Then they passed to other topics, Mr. Stewart proving himself to be -a golden talker upon an immense variety of subjects, while the car, -having been very gently attached to the engine, began to glide out of -the station with an easy motion almost akin to that of a ship, the -great machine being beautifully balanced upon many springs so that even -the casually laid road-bed did not make it jolt, only sway and roll -slightly, keeping up the nautical comparison. Meanwhile Miss Stewart -had taken C. B. out upon the observation platform and was pointing out -to him the various wonders through which they were passing, finding -intense enjoyment in his utter bewilderment and childlike curiosity. -And when it dawned upon her that he had never even seen a railroad -before, hardly realized that such a thing existed, she experienced all -the pleasure of a generous nature at being able to give another such a -novel series of delightful new sensations. - -And such sensations! C. B. was always so calm and satisfied with -the way that he believed God was leading him that any one, even his -intimate friends, might have been forgiven for calling him stolid, -unimpressionable, really not competent to feel very much. But then -no one could enter into the quiet sanctuary of his mind where sat -enthroned his Eternal Friend and Guide. Occasionally, as Miss Stewart -pointed out to him some new marvel of Nature, such as travellers have -long chanted the praise of, on that wonderful railroad line from San -Francisco to New York, he would hold up his hands and murmur-- - -“How wonderful and glorious are your works, O my Father.” And at such -times she would gaze upon him with awe as feeling that he was in a -very special sense favoured by the Most High. - -Then when the train flew along some swaying cobweb-like trestle -bridge with the mist beneath hiding the awful depths and a suggestion -of impalpability, of travelling upon the track of a moonbeam, was -impossible to avoid, she would cling to him in real terror, feeling, -as all sensitive intelligences must in those situations, how tenuous -a thread separated them from the next world. But she always failed to -see any change in the steady gaze of his eye, or to feel any tremor -in his firmly knit muscles, not even when they swung out around some -tremendous curve on the scarp of a mountain and the struts beneath them -sprung and complained at their weight. - -At last she felt a little piqued; it seemed so strange that this -entirely inexperienced man could be so free from any apprehension while -she who had seen it all so often before trembled to her heart’s core. -Was it insensibility or inability to grasp the wonderful facts, or was -it superiority of mind to all things happening upon earth because of -intimacy with the Creator of all things? And so she asked him why he -seemed so unimpressed with all these marvels that all other people held -in such awe and reverence; did he not really think them very wonderful -and inspiring? And he, turning his deep eyes from her, answered-- - -“My dear young lady, it _is_ all very wonderful, but when I look up -at the stars and the sun, or out upon the sea, I feel more impressed -at these glorious works of my Father. And I feel very small but very -happy; I think that He who does all these things by the word of His -Power condescends to notice me, to assure me that I am precious in His -sight. I am not unconscious or dense really--I do admire and wonder, -but I cannot for one moment forget the Glory of God which is to this -amazing show as the substance is to the shadow. I feel much more than -this, but I cannot say, I only love and worship.” - -Alas for Miss Stewart’s happiness, she had grown to love this simple -stalwart man with an intensity that frightened her, as she had felt -that she was absolutely proof against any feeling of the kind. To all -her openness and kindness he responded respectfully yet almost as her -equal, but though the invitation to do so was almost palpable he never -overstepped an invisible line drawn between them. Old man Stewart was -indeed wise when he decided that this was a man to be trusted to the -limit. - -And so the great car sped on through freezing cold and scorching heat, -parched up desert and glowing prairie, until it drew near to the young -giant of the West, Chicago, that centre of the marvels of the United -States, humming with evil, fragrant with good, but in any case fully, -luxuriantly alive. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -A Hero in Spite of Himself - - -It must not be supposed that in all these long conversations with Miss -Stewart, while her father told stories turn about with the contented -Captain Taber, C. B. ever forgot his friend for one moment. The memory -of Merritt had faded almost entirely, or only came now and then with a -little pang of contrition that such devoted love as he had been shown -by that strange man had been so little requited. Had he been given to -reasoning these things out he would have known that the secret of his -love for Captain Taber was that he had been able to give himself up -entirely to his service, for it will ever be found that the deepest -love is that which gives itself to the beloved object. True love -is self-sacrificing, not passively recipient, and so even in this -beautiful journey, surrounded by all luxury and associated with so -charming a personality as that of Miss Stewart, C. B. never for one -instant wavered in his deep affection for his charge. - -One night within a hundred miles of Chicago they suddenly felt the -flying train slow down, and then with a couple of heavy jolts come to a -standstill. C. B. was with the captain at the time rendering him some -personal service, and at the shock they both looked inquiringly around -and at one another. - -“There’s something wrong,” said the captain. “I wonder what has -happened?” He had hardly uttered the words when through the unnatural -silence there came a faint shriek, and C. B., with one glance at his -friend, rushed out into the body of the car and main saloon. - -There were Mr. and Miss Stewart seated in two armchairs with a -truculent looking man clad in the picturesque garb of the cowboy -standing before them holding a heavy revolver pointed at them, -while both man and woman held their hands high above their heads. -At the sound of C. B.’s footsteps the intruder wheeled and shouted, -“Stop right there,” but he spoke to the wrong individual. Without -an instant’s hesitation C. B. sprang at him, there was a flash, a -stunning report, and a crash of glass, and there upon the floor lay -the intruder with C. B. on top of him easily tearing the revolver -from him with one hand, while with the other clutching his throat. -At the same moment Miss Stewart and her father disappeared. But they -returned almost instantly, each armed with a revolver, and Mr. Stewart -bringing in addition a length of gay cord torn from the heavy curtain -before his sleeping-place. With this C. B. bound the hands of the -villainous-looking fellow he had captured so securely that he could not -move them and looked around for another piece for the feet. - -But Mr. Stewart said sternly, “Never mind that. Mary, watch him, and -if he moves, shoot him. Come, Mr. Christmas, we’ll get the others.” -And at the word C. B. followed where Mr. Stewart led, finding in Miss -Stewart’s apartment two more men, who caught unawares submitted to be -bound as the first one had been, under cover of Mr. Stewart’s revolver. - -“Now,” said Mr. Stewart, “we must look out for the rest of the gang, -who are probably walking up and down outside. But first, out lights,” -and touching a switch the whole car was immediately in darkness. But -as soon as they stepped out upon the observation platform they heard -a couple of shots. Mr. Stewart, fully cognizant of all these Western -tactics, carefully marked the direction of the flashes and fired there -twice, sinking down at once and dragging C. B. with him. - -After waiting about a minute and hearing a low groan from the darkness, -he said-- - -“I don’t think there’s any more of ’em about, and we must go and see -to the engineer and his fireman,” finding them both cruelly tied up. -They released them, and Mr. Stewart curtly ordered them to put on all -the speed they could for Chicago, where explanations might be made in -quiet. Then turning to the car they hunted up the attendants, who they -found had all been treated similarly to the engineer. They released -them, and putting the captives in charge of the conductor in the -baggage car they returned to their quarters, finding Miss Stewart still -in charge of the scoundrel they had forgotten. - -She was soon relieved of her watch and then, with a heightened colour, -turned to C. B. and said-- - -“Forgive me for what I said to you.” - -C. B. stared at her and asked-- - -“What can you mean, Miss Stewart? How can I forgive you when you have -never done me wrong?” - -Then the young lady bursting into tears sobbed, “Oh, yes, I have. I -thought you were dull, stupid, and hardened because you didn’t make a -fuss, as I expected you to. And now you act like this--it’s heaping -coals of fire on my head.” - -At this Mr. Stewart came along and said-- - -“Come, my girl, get to your bed, we shall be in Chicago in about an -hour and you need all the rest you can get.” - -She obeyed with a look full of gratitude at C. B., who stood quite -bewildered at the sudden and strange march of events. - -He was not relieved when Mr. Stewart, holding out his hand, blurted -out, “Mr. Christmas, you’re the whitest man I know. And if you can -believe me, there isn’t anything that lies in my power to do for you -that I won’t do on the word. So give it a name and let me show my -gratitude.” - -It was then Mr. Stewart’s turn to feel astonished and set back, for C. -B. with some dignity replied, “Mr. Stewart, I don’t understand you. I -really haven’t done anything but what any man would have done. I can’t -imagine what makes you American gentlemen and ladies try and spoil a -poor man like me. Surely there is nothing wonderful or strange in my -behaviour, nothing that any man among you would not have done under the -same circumstances.” - -“My good boy,” answered Mr. Stewart solemnly. “Of course you don’t know -how your conduct appears to us, any more than we know how to regard -you. I can only say that I feel very humble and ordinary alongside of a -clean-souled man like you, and I know you’re worthy of any appreciation -that can be tendered you. But hark, there’s the skipper’s bell, he’ll -be anxious to know all about everything and you won’t tell him, but I -will, whatever you say, so get along with you.” And C. B., still in a -mental mist of wonder, rushed off to his charge. - -Captain Taber was naturally in a feverish state of excitement through -wonder. He had heard the shots and the rushing to and fro, imagined -all kinds of happenings as he lay there helplessly fretting and yet -ashamed of his want of confidence in the goodness of God. And now when -C. B. came swiftly gliding in, his face all aglow with eagerness, a -great wave of thankfulness rushed over him, and he held out both his -hands, saying, “Thank God you’re all right; my boy, do tell me what has -happened?” - -Then, first having seen that the captain wanted for nothing, C. B. told -him the stirring story in his own quiet, unexaggerated fashion, his -simple eyes brightening and his breath coming short as he realized the -danger they had all gone through and emerged triumphantly from, for -their assailants were of that desperate class who value life at less -than the smallest coin, are ready to dare anything in order to gratify -their desire for plunder, and who in this case felt quite certain of -securing a rich booty. They had lashed a huge log across the rails, -and erected by its side a pole with a red light upon it, which made -the engineer of the train slow up until he brought his engine butt up -against the obstruction, and immediately found himself threatened by -a couple of revolvers held at his face by desperate-looking men, who -threatened him with instant death, unless he obeyed their command. -Helpless to resist, he threw up his hands while they bound him and his -mate, then boarded the train itself, with the result we know. - -Presently, with a clanging of great bells and a hideous jolting over -badly laid points, they rolled into the great station, where a little -crowd of officials who were awaiting them sprang into the car as it -came to a rest, and greeted Mr. Stewart with that mingled air of -equality and deference which is so peculiarly characteristic of the -States between employés and their employers. In a few curt sentences -Mr. Stewart informed the new-comers of the events of the last couple of -hours, and then led the way to where his prisoners were lying, glaring -like trapped wolves. In a few minutes they had been removed to a patrol -wagon, which rumbled off with them to prison, and then Mr. Stewart -turned to confront a couple of night reporters, who, with the keen -scent for a story that all their class in the United States are noted -for, begged to be “put next” to the adventure, whatever it was. - -With a grim smile Mr. Stewart led them to the main saloon, bade them -be seated, ordered a steward to bring them refreshments, and then sent -for C. B. When our friend arrived Mr. Stewart introduced him to the -reporters as the hero of the night, assured them that he would tell -them all about it and, excusing himself, disappeared. - -It is impossible for me to convey any adequate idea of the contrast -between C. B. and his interlocutors, whose picturesque slang, eager -faces, and ravenous pencils all seemed to him so strange. He could -not imagine their errand, they were equally taken aback by his calm, -straight gaze and transparent simplicity. But presently, after a -rapier-like question or two, one reporter said to the other: “Hank, -we’re up against a mighty big scoop. This hold up’s only a tail-piece, -the story ahead of it’s the thing, and our friend here hain’t no idea -of the height of it. Now less go slow an’ take it between us an’, hold -on a minute----” He darted off and got the attendants to seal up the -car to any outsiders, declaring that Mr. Stewart would see nobody till -the morning, then returned to the feast. - -So C. B. told his story to the reporters, who took it down with heaven -knows what fantastic additions. They had never had such a lovely -subject before, a man who answered all their questions straightly and -simply, making no reservations. Many times they paused and looked at -him, feeling uncertain whether some colossal joke was not being put -upon them, but were reassured in spite of their brazen scepticism, and -when at last they raced off to their offices with the spoil they both -felt that they had had the time of their lives. - -C. B. was rather glad when they went, for he was tired, and went -straight to Captain Taber, whom he found sleeping sweetly. And, as -all the car was quiet, he too went to his comfortable bed, and, -entirely unexcited by the stirring events of the day, fell into a -deep, dreamless sleep. When he awoke it was to have thrust into his -hand by one of the car attendants two newspapers, each with flaming -headlines, describing in American journalese the happenings of the past -night. Glancing through the two and a half columns of gush he felt -his blood surge up into his head to find himself portrayed as a hero -of the highest eminence, his life history sketched out, in fact all -his quiet, open talk with those two guileful strangers transmogrified -into something that took his breath away. And even then he was unable -to grasp more than the remote fringe of the significance of those two -newspaper reports; he did not dream of the millions who would read his -story all over the United States and Canada within the next twenty-four -hours, or the fact that within a week or two the whole of the civilized -world would be talking about him. - -At present his feeling was one of extreme annoyance at seeing his name -in print, and making a hurried toilet he hastened to his friend, -Captain Taber, whom he found propped up in bed eagerly devouring the -story, and occasionally chuckling with laughter as he came across -some exceptionally turgid piece of description, or a sentence of such -extraordinary jargon of slang that even an educated American could -hardly translate it. It gave him thrills of great joy, and when he saw -the face of C. B. as he stood holding the two papers before him, he -laughed as C. B. had never heard him since his disaster. - -When at last he had ceased C. B. said quietly, “I don’t know why you -are so amused, sir, for I see you have been reading what those two men -wrote from what I told them last night. I think it was very wrong of -them, and I feel so ashamed of myself. I do wish I had known that they -were going to print it, I wouldn’t have told them a word. Besides, -there’s a great deal of it that isn’t true at all. It seems that where -they couldn’t remember what I told them they made up a bit to join the -story together. I must say though that it is wonderful how they can -have done it at all. It seems only a few minutes ago that I was talking -to them and here it is all in the newspapers.” - -“My dear, innocent Christmas,” burst in the captain, “as I’ve so often -told you, you’re too good for this world. To think how utterly out of -touch with all these things, railways, telegraphs, newspapers, etc., -you are. But try and see if you can what a lot of good your story will -do. Your life lived without effort in the sight of God has had much -more influence than you ever dreamed of or would imagine, think then of -the benefits that even this poor presentment of a bit of that life will -confer upon millions of people who will read it. I hain’t afraid that -you’ll get above yourself by hearing yourself praised, I know to whom -you’ll give all the glory, but I do hope that you won’t refuse to see -any more of these fellows, who are sure to be after you directly. And -look here, if I know my countrymen, an’ I think I do a little, they’ll -be lots of other folks after you to-day. You’ll be offered big money to -lecture and show yourself--but I don’t think I can spare you,” and the -helpless man looked upon him wistfully. - -That brought C. B. to his side in a moment, saying-- - -“Dear friend, I’ve often told you that I don’t want money, and as for -making a show of myself or talking about what I’ve done the idea’s -horrible. Since you wish it, I’ll see the newspaper men and talk to -them, but please remember that I’m not leaving you while you want me, -and when I do leave you because you don’t need me any more, I’m going -straight back home.” - -“All right, my boy, I never had any real doubt, only the mere thought -of losing you was so dreadful to my poor selfish heart. I’ve got -to lean on you so that I feel I couldn’t live without you now. For -to-day, anyhow, I’ll get one of the attendants to look after me; -you’ll be wanted all day long by one person and another. Oh me, I wish -this affray had never happened; I don’t know how long we may be kept -waiting----” - -Just then there was a firm tap at the door, and to the captain’s “Come -in” Mr. Stewart entered the room. As soon as greetings were exchanged -the captain inquired eagerly-- - -“Is this thing going to delay us long, sir? I’m so anxious to get home.” - -Mr. Stewart’s brow contracted as he replied-- - -“Not if I can help it, captain. It wouldn’t hinder you anyhow, because -you know nothing of it; but your friend’s a principal witness. Still, I -know how knit you are together--you can’t do without him. My influence -is not here what it is in San Francisco, but I’ll use what I’ve got -to get the trial expedited for your sake.” Then turning to C. B., he -said, “Well, Christmas, you’ve got fame by the bucketful this morning, -haven’t ye? How do you like it?” - -“Not a little bit, Mr. Stewart,” interrupted the captain; “he came in -here to me this morning with his face all afire. An’ but that I don’t -think he can get real angry, I believe he would have been mad with me -because he found me laughing over the story. However, I’ve soothed him -by telling him what a lot of good it will do, and now, I think, he’ll -be quite reconciled to the next batch of reporters that comes along.” - -“That’s principally what I’ve come in about, captain,” said Mr. -Stewart. “So far, the report has been all right and there’s no harm -done, but I’m a bit afraid that the gang that will surely arrive -presently will try to mix up Mary’s name with it, invent some fool -story about her and Christmas that’ll hurt us all like the devil. Now, -what I wanted to do was to warn you, Christmas, on this one point. Tell -those fellows everything you can, for the more you tell ’em the less -chance they’ll have to invent; but try and make ’em keep my girl’s name -out of it, won’t ye?” This last almost imploringly. - -C. B. drew himself up a little as he replied-- - -“How could I tell them anything about Miss Stewart beyond what has -been already printed, unless I told falsehoods, invented a story like -a reporter does? I know nothing, and if I did I should refuse to say -anything about another person’s business.” - -Mr. Stewart looked doubtfully at him as if mistrusting, not his -truthfulness or honour, but his ability to prevent those reporters from -turning him inside out like a glove, and gave a sigh, which Captain -Taber noticing, made him remark, “I think, Mr. Stewart, that you can -trust C. B.’s invincible honesty and truth to be a match for men who -are so accustomed to deal with the opposite qualities that they will be -hopelessly overmatched.” - -At that moment an attendant knocked at the door, and entering, said-- - -“Three gentlemen to see Mr. Adams.” - -“All right, Billy,” answered Mr. Stewart. “Go on, my boy; we can’t do -better I’m sure than leave you to yourself in this matter. I was a fool -to try and interfere.” And he gave C. B. a playful push out of the door. - -The attendant was waiting for him and ushered him into the main saloon, -where there sat three of the most divergent types of men one could -imagine. One had, in spite of his good, well-cut clothes, an air of -seediness about him, want of brushing, cigar ash, up all night kind -of appearance; he was a reporter. The next was obviously a parson -of sorts, yet with a keen business air about him too, which rather -belied his white tie. The third was the most objectionable person of -the three, as far as looks went. He was gross, with a great belly and -bulbous nose. His rather dirty hands were loaded with heavy rings, and -a massive gold watch-chain lay across the big rotundity of his stomach. -His clothes were of a violent pattern check, his broad-brimmed felt -hat was worn at the back of his head, a gaudy _boutonnière_ adorned -his coat lapel, a fat cigar was between his purple lips, he fingered -a huge roll of bills ostentatiously, and spat frequently wherever it -pleased him. - -As soon as C. B. appeared all three arose and extended their hands in -greeting. They all began to talk at once, but the reporter, holding up -his hand, said-- - -“Gentlemen, please let’s start fair. We can’t do a thing like this. I -was here first, but I’m willing to meet you any reasonable way, and I -propose to shake for the first deal.” Before either of the others could -reply C. B. said quietly-- - -“Are all you gentlemen reporters?” - -“Me every time,” answered the reporter gaily, but the other two -expressed their feelings at the question by a very decided negative. - -“Then,” went on C. B., “I think if this gentleman,” nodding to the -reporter, “will have a moment’s patience, I can promise him I will not -keep him waiting long. What do you wish with me, sir?” to the parson. -That gentleman said immediately-- - -“Oh, my committee have authorized me to invite you to preach at our -church in ---- Street to-night and incidentally tell the story of -your late experiences. They are prepared to meet your views as to the -honorarium, within limits, of course.” - -“Thank you very much,” replied C. B. “No. And you?” turning to the -gross man. - -“Wall, I guess I’m the representative of the Mammoth Vaudeville -Syndicate of the United States, and I’m prepared to book you for a -hundred nights at $100 a night to reel off that yarn of yours on the -stage an’----” - -“Thank you,” interrupted C. B. “No.” - -“And now,” turning to the reporter, and absolutely ignoring the other -two. “I am at your service.” - -The reporter gave a wicked little snigger at the two discomfited -competitors and plunged into his business. - -From thenceforward throughout, the whole of the time of C. B. was -thus occupied, but to every other class of persons beside reporters -he returned the same curt answer “No.” All, however, did not take it -as the first pair had done, the photographers especially being almost -painfully persistent. But, having made up his mind to a certain course -of action, believing it to be right, there was no hope of turning -C. B.; he was adamant, although as kind and yielding as could be in -anything that he felt did not matter. - -At last, as he was dismissing the fiftieth interviewer, Mr. Stewart -came in and laying his hand upon C. B.’s shoulder said kindly-- - -“Come on, dear boy, and have some food, you must need it. Billy, if -anybody else calls and wants to see Mr. Adams, tell them that he is -engaged until 6 p.m., and that no one is to see him until then. Now you -understand what I mean. No one, whatever their business may be.” - -“Yes, sir,” replied the attendant, and C. B. left to wash his face and -hands and have a comfortable meal. - -It was, except for C. B., the happiest luncheon any of them had taken -for a long time, for C. B.’s solemn description--he had hardly any -idea of a joke--of the various demands of his visitors made them rock -with laughter. Especially Captain Taber; but Miss Stewart was quite -sympathetic, except that she could not help smiling at the simplicity -of C. B.’s supposition that the majority of these people would take -“No” for an answer. He said-- - -“We were taught, ‘let your yea be yea, and nay, nay, for whatsoever is -more than these cometh of evil’; and yet some of these people wouldn’t -believe me, though I said no as plainly as I could say it more than a -dozen times.” - -“Ah, well,” said Mr. Stewart at last, “your best time is yet to come. -This afternoon you are to be at the Court to give evidence at the -trial, and then, if I mistake not, there will be fun. Hallo, what’s -that?” as an attendant came hurriedly in with a dirty envelope which he -handed to C. B., saying-- - -“I wouldn’t have brought it, sir, but the guy that give it me held a -gun at me head and said if I didn’t he’d empty it into me.” - -Not a word was spoken as C. B. opened it and read-- - -“There’s a thousand dollars in gold ready for you if you say in court -you never seen the prisoners before, that you don’t recognize ’em. -There’s another thousand if they get acquitted through your evidence. -And there’s sudden death for the hull gang of you if they get sent up. -Bearer waits.” - -C. B. then handed the note to Mr. Stewart, who quietly tore it in -pieces and handed the little pile to the attendant saying-- - -“Give him that. And call Simpson in.” The man disappeared and a minute -later a big pleasant-looking man came in and walked up to Mr. Stewart, -who said-- - -“Simpson, Mr. Adams here has just received an offer of a thousand -dollars to refuse identification, two thousand if the road agents are -acquitted, and sudden death to all of us if they’re not. I’ve torn -the note up and given it back to the man, but that doesn’t matter, of -course. Just attend to it, won’t ye.” - -And Simpson bowed and retired, while the party resumed their luncheon. -But Miss Stewart looked grave and said little, though she looked at C. -B. occasionally with keenest concern. Otherwise there was no apparent -change of demeanour in any of the men. And after coffee, while the two -Americans smoked, C. B. sat in calmest mood and meditated over the -events of the morning. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -C. B.’s Awakening - - -At 2 p.m., a hack being in waiting, the two men and Miss Stewart were -driven to the Court through the swarming streets, C. B. remarking -once or twice that he never thought there were so many people in the -world. He also inquired earnestly what they were all hurrying so for, -and Mr. Stewart told him that all the people he saw were divided into -two classes, the one class rushing after money to add to their already -overfat store in order to get more power, the other, and by far the -larger class, were being hunted by the gaunt spectre of want. They had -to rush or starve, and when one of them fell by the wayside there was -little hope of him ever rising again, his fellows would trample him to -death. - -C. B. heaved a great sigh and thought sadly of the lot of these poor -people as compared with the happiness of his own folk, and a great -longing came over him for that peaceful isle. The next moment he -repented of the feeling as being cowardly. He thought if these poor -folk had to bear the burden of what he took to be intolerant misery, he -could surely endure to look upon them doing so. And then they pulled up -at the Court. - -Like a man in a dream C. B. was conducted to a place where he and his -friends were allowed to seat themselves, and there he gazed around and -listened uncomprehendingly, his mind in a whirl of wonder. At last -their case was called, and the prisoners, each guarded by a warder, -stood up for identification. There was some little trouble about the -oath, which Miss Stewart and her father took unhesitatingly, but which -C. B., after having it explained to him two or three times, resolutely -refused to utter. His attitude was reported to the judge, who said -sharply-- - -“What religion do you profess?” - -“Christianity,” respectfully replied C. B. - -“Yes, but what sect, branch, or denomination of Christianity do you -belong to?” snapped the judge. - -“I do not know of any,” calmly replied C. B. - -“Come, come,” the judge went on, growing irritable, “we must have no -paltering with the time of the Court. If you are a Christian you must -take the oath, unless you have any conscientious objections. Why do you -object to swear?” - -A bright ray of intelligence lit up C. B.’s face as he realized the -question, and he gravely answered-- - -“I was taught in the Bible to swear not at all, but to let my yea be -yea and my nay nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” - -“I see,” sneered the judge, and, turning to the Clerk of the Court, -“let him affirm. He’s only a new kind of crank after all.” So C. B. -was allowed to make his affirmation to tell the truth, Miss Stewart -gazing at him with wonder-filled eyes as she realized how immeasurably -above these keen-faced unscrupulous men of the world and of law was -this quiet young man with the peaceful face standing among them like a -visitor from some other world. - -The preliminaries being completed he was asked for his story of the -“Hold up,” and gave it in a manner that impressed every one in Court, -especially the judge, for it was clear, succinct and unbiassed, not -a needless word or repetition. When he had concluded he was asked -if he identified the men before him as the intending robbers, and -unhesitatingly answered yes. Then the prisoner’s counsel took him in -hand, a man with a great reputation for compelling the most innocent -of witnesses to contradict themselves and look like perjurers, a -master of that vile practice of making witnesses suffer more than -the criminal. But for once he had met his match. To his thundering -invective, abuse, sarcasm, and crafty suggestions C. B. presented his -unconscious integrity and perfect innocence. He could not be terrified -or made contradict himself, and his past life, that bug-bear of so many -witnesses who are perfectly honest and truthful as well as desirous of -aiding justice, had no dark corners in it. And after a few minutes the -loud-voiced advocate retired discomfited, not having been able to shake -C. B.’s evidence in the least, but having conclusively directed the -attention of the public to the wonderful sincerity of the witness. - -Mr. Stewart’s evidence was taken more briefly, as it was in effect -but a repetition of C. B.’s, and Miss Stewart, in accordance with -the chivalric American custom, was spared as much as possible. In -these later days I see that woman is no longer immune from insult and -contumely as a witness, even in America, but at the time of which I -write it would have fared ill there with any lawyer who should have -dared to browbeat a woman in a witness box. So that the trial really -took very little time. The addresses of counsel were brief, for indeed -the abominable gang, of which the three men in the dock formed the -principal part, had for long terrorized the district where at last they -were caught, and except among their own class, which, however, is a -very numerous one in Chicago, they had no sympathizers. - -So when the judge rose to deliver his charge to the jury he was brief -and incisive. “We have here,” he said, “three road agents who have -been caught by their intended victims. There is no manner of doubt -as to their intentions or identity. They have attempted to bribe the -principal witness, and failing in that they have threatened his life -if he does his duty to society, both courses, I am glad to say, being -signally unsuccessful. I await your verdict with confidence, because it -is high time that we in Chicago show the rest of the States that they -have no monopoly of justice, a statement which has rather frequently -been made of late.” - -Without retiring the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty, and -the judge immediately took up his parable again to the effect that he -entirely agreed with the jury’s verdict, and that he sentenced all the -prisoners to ten years in the State prison. “And,” he added, “if either -of these innocent persons who have so manfully done their duty here -to-day are molested in any way, I trust that the State of Illinois will -rise to the occasion and hunt the vermin who would commit such a crime -from the face of the earth.” - -In ten minutes they were all in the carriage again and driving back -to the car, a stranger to C. B. seated beside the driver. Before they -had reached the car, however, there was a little tinkling noise in the -carriage which made them all look at each other in wonder, until Mr. -Stewart pointed quietly with his forefinger to two tiny round holes in -the windows, showing the passage of a bullet. Miss Stewart turned very -pale, but as she looked at C. B. and saw how absolutely unconcerned he -was, her colour came back and she softly murmured what had become a -sort of litany to her, her thanks for having been privileged to know -such a man. - -They reached the car without further incident, to find it besieged by a -crowd of people who wanted all sorts of things, principally interviews -and photographs, and others who only wanted to gape and shake hands, -for which somehow Americans have a mania. But the man on the box, -leaping down, made a way through the crowd for the three friends, and -as soon as they were within the car Mr. Stewart said-- - -“As soon as we have ‘line clear’ tell the engineer to get out of -this, and let us have dinner as soon as you will, with the blinds and -shutters down. I don’t want any potting at me while I am having my -food.” - -In ten minutes the attendant returned with the news that the engine was -now backing on and that in a few seconds they would be on their way out -of the great Lake City at a good rate. - -All this time Captain Taber had been suffering tortures of suspense. He -had not learned the secret possessed by his friend. “Thou shalt keep -him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” To C. B.’s inquiry -how he felt he replied hastily, “Oh, my dear man, don’t bother about my -health, that’s as usual, but I’m et up with longing to know how you got -on in the midst of all them Chicago sharks. Do tell me, but say, first, -are we gettin’ out o’ this?” - -“We’re off in a minute, I believe,” answered C. B., and as he spoke the -car began to move. - -“Thank God,” breathed the skipper, and C. B. settled down to the task -of telling him the whole story in his easy, simple style. It took but -little time in the telling, and as soon as he had finished the skipper, -beaming on him with a smile of intense satisfaction, pointed to a -pile of newspapers lying on a chair, and said with a touch of pride, -“There’s American enterprise for you, you seem to be the best talked-of -man in Chicago to-day.” - -C. B. made a small grimace expressive of his utter want of desire to -read more about himself and replied-- - -“I am only grateful to get away. It is all very wonderful, but I don’t -like it, and I am sure it is not good for you, you don’t look nearly as -well as when I left you last. Ah, there’s nothing like the peace of God -for soul and body, and I’m afraid there’s little room for it among your -people.” - -“Don’t say that,” eagerly interrupted the skipper. “In dear Fairhaven -there is peace, and please God we’ll soon be there. Then you’ll see the -difference between the welter of Chicago and a New England village.” -Just then Mr. Stewart and his daughter walked in, and after warmly -greeting the captain, Mr. Stewart said drily-- - -“Well, we’ve escaped, and now if we have luck we’ll be in Boston in -about thirty-six hours. I hope so, for I begin to feel my fingers itch -for business again. I haven’t got the hang of you fellows’ minds quite. -I want to be in the midst of it all again. But you wouldn’t understand, -so I shan’t try to explain. Mind, I’m not saying that you’re wrong, but -I can’t feel as you do, that’s all.” - -Then Miss Stewart chimed in quietly-- - -“Daddy, you know they are right. What good do we get out of all this -fret and hurry? Mr. Christmas seems to me to know better than any of us -how to live, and as far as I am concerned I am willing to learn of him -both how to live and die.” - -“That’s all very well,” rejoined her father lightly, “but in the -meantime in order to live at all we must have some food, and I guess -it’s about ready now. The car’s going a good lick, near forty miles -an hour, and I don’t think the friends of our late guests have got -much chance to molest us.” And in pleasant mood they all sat down to a -comfortable meal. - -After dinner C. B. retired with the captain, leaving Miss Stewart and -her father alone. They sat silent for a few minutes, and then Miss -Stewart, rising, came over to her father, who sat meditatively puffing -at his cigar and murmured-- - -“Daddy, what shall I do?” - -“How, my dear?” responded her father, with a look of deepest love in -his eyes as he bent them upon her. “I’ve always talked to you about -everything since ever I can remember, and I am so glad because it helps -me to say what I want now, for I could not even say it to mother.” - -“Go on, dear one,” murmured the old man soothingly. - -“I love that young man, daddy, with all my heart and soul and strength. -And I know that I am not doing wrong, because all that I love in him -comes direct from God, the God whom he’s always talking about and knows -so well. But he doesn’t love me, I’m afraid, at least he doesn’t show -any sign that he does, and what am I to do?” - -Her father looked at her seriously and said nothing for a minute. Then -he said-- - -“My darling girl, you can’t throw yourself at a man, not if he was half -an angel. I love the young fellow too, and if he came to me and asked -me for you, I should forget all about dollars and send him to you. But -he hasn’t, and if I know anything of him he won’t. I don’t believe he’s -ever had a thought about marryin’ or givin’ in marriage. In fact, I’ll -own to you that I can’t make him out. He’s a different breed of man -to any that I ever met before. However, dear one, believe this, your -father’s with you, heart and soul, and short of going to him and askin’ -him if he’ll be kind enough to take my daughter for a wife, I’ll do -anything you ask me. Your happiness, my love, that’s what I live for.” - -And the train sped relentlessly onward until in thirty-four hours from -Chicago the big car rolled easily into the huge station at Boston, -where by some mysterious means another coterie of journalists were -awaiting them. Again poor C. B. was chosen as the medium whereby the -Bostonians could acquire the information that apparently they thirsted -for. But as no man can possibly have such an experience as he and -remain quite ignorant of the task imposed upon him, so C. B. rose to -the occasion, and surprised the interviewers by the astuteness of his -answers. Of course he had been coached by both Mr. Stewart and Captain -Taber, and something was due also to the difference between the methods -of the journalists of Boston and those of Chicago. At any rate an hour -after their arrival they were all safely installed in the comfortable -Parker House, and feeling more at home than they had done since they -left San Francisco or rather the _Golden Gate_. - -And now for the first time Captain Taber sent a telegram acquainting -his wife and children with the fact that he would soon be among them. -He had not done so before, so as not to prolong their suspense, and -as to writing, it had been quite out of the question as they had come -more swiftly than a letter could have done. So that now while they were -imagining him sailing about looking for whales in some unfrequented -ocean on the other side of the world, there suddenly came to them the -shock of his being quite near, and their hearts sank beneath the -apprehension of calamity. - -The news fled from one end of Fairhaven to the other, and over to New -Bedford and its environs with great swiftness, for it was felt that -something serious must have happened to the ship or her skipper would -not have come home. And such excitement as these stern New Englanders -ever allow themselves to feel steadily rose until it affected the whole -neighbourhood. - -Meanwhile the little group at the Parker House had come to the parting -of the ways, and Mr. Stewart, remembering his daughter’s earnest -appeal, was almost at his wits’ end what to do in the matter. He felt -that to offer to go farther with the two men would be superfluous and -obtrusive, and yet he could not bear to part from them like this. For -not only had he his daughter’s happiness very near his heart, but he -had grown to love the patient suffering skipper, whose career had thus -been cut short in the prime of his days, and he felt that now if ever -was a time to make some good use of his great wealth. In his perplexity -it suddenly occurred to him to do the straight thing, go to the skipper -at once and tell him his trouble about his daughter, and then lead from -that up to his intentions or desires about the skipper himself. Here -was a case he felt where any diplomacy would fail. - -And while he was thus deciding, his daughter in an agony of doubt and -apprehension had locked herself in her cabin. She felt so helpless, so -little confident that even her good and powerful father would be able -to help her, and yet she seemed certain that unless she became the wife -of C. B., life for her would be henceforth a dreary blank. And she was -no foolish girl, but an extremely level-headed young woman, only--she -had hardly all her life known what it was to have a desire thwarted, -and now in what she felt must be the one object of her life there -appeared no way of obtaining it. She had seen C. B. put aside with calm -dignity offer after offer of wealth, she had listened to the kind level -tones of his voice and noted that the ring of passion never came into -it, and had sometimes wondered whether he was not an abnormal man in -whom love was so diffused that it could never be concentrated upon one -single object. Then with a despairing little moan she flung herself on -her knees and prayed to God for this good man’s love. In this she felt -a thrill of sympathy with her beloved one, who in reply to a question -of her one evening as to what he did if he wanted something very much -and saw no way of getting it, said-- - -“I should ask God for it, but I should ask Him too not to let me have -it if it were not good for me.” - -So she prayed with deepest fervour but without the proviso, and never -felt that she might be doing so without any warrant, not feeling at all -inclined to resign herself to the will of God, but feeling that unless -she got what she craved for she was aggrieved. A very common attitude, -an easily explainable one too, but oh, how sadly illogical. Because -it is certain that if we believe in the Infinite Wisdom as well as -Infinite Power of God we must be contented to be refused our requests -sometimes. And all of us who have prayed earnestly to God for something -we wanted very badly as we thought, have known what it is to get our -request granted, and afterwards, it may be many years after, to repent -bitterly that ever our prayer was heard. It is one of the experiences -of all Christians, yet few indeed are there of us who learn to pray -with absolute sincerity, “Thy will be done.” - -Captain Taber, lying waiting for the summons to the train, recognized -the firm tap on the door announcing Mr. Stewart, and cried heartily, -“Come in.” His friend entered, noting with satisfaction that C. B. was -not present--he had gone to see about the baggage. So advancing to -Captain Taber’s side he held out his hand and said-- - -“I’ve come to bid you good-bye, my friend, for you are practically at -home, and urgent business calls me away. But before I go I want to ask -you one or two things in confidence. We know one another pretty well -now, and I feel I can trust you with my life if necessary. First my -daughter has confessed to me that she’s in love with that noble chap -who has nursed you all the way home. I sounded him on the subject -carefully when I felt inclined to suspect him of having designs, as a -money grubber like myself would, and he satisfied me that his soul was -as white, his mind as pure of any intention of the kind as an angel’s -might have been. - -“Then, as you know, I took no further precautions to keep them apart, -for I felt I could trust my girl, and I knew he was sound. But she has -been in love with him all the time, and at last feeling she was going -to lose him came to her old daddy. And her old daddy, who would die for -her, can’t help her here. The man doesn’t seem to understand love as -ordinary men understand it. That he’s got no money and doesn’t want any -doesn’t matter to me a straw. I’ve got a good deal more than is good -for me, and I know to my cost just how little happiness there is in a -lot of money. Tell me, dear man, could you find out for me soon, and -let me know whether you think he has any of the love for my daughter -that a husband ought to have, and if it is his modesty holding him -back? - -“Then about yourself! I know you’ve been a man who has used all the -energy and wit you’ve had to good purpose as far as you were able, and -that it’s very probable that this disaster that has overtaken you has -found you but poorly fixed to face what may be and I hope will be a -long life, but of enforced leisure. Now I have often made more money in -an hour than you have in all your life by the hardest of hard work, and -I am going to ask you as an act of kindness to me to let me do an act -of justice, that is to settle upon you a sufficient sum to keep you and -your wife in decent comfort all your life.” - -Captain Taber was about to speak, but Mr. Stewart raised his hand -saying-- - -“Hold on a minute! what I am proposing is not, cannot be, at all -derogatory to your independence. It shall be known to none but you, and -alas, that I should have to say so, I cannot claim it as a virtue, for -in the first place I shall not miss it from my bank account, and in the -next it will give me more real pleasure than anything else in the world -except seeing my daughter happy. Now then.” - -Two big tears rolled quickly out of Captain Taber’s eyes and down his -cheeks as he strove to speak. At last he said-- - -“Stewart, I would refuse if I could, but how can I? I’m a broken man -and all I have been able to save, having been a fairly lucky whaleman -too, is five thousand dollars. I have three youngsters, two boys and a -girl, none old enough to begin the world, and I have been worried about -the future. But Christmas taught me to pray and rest in the Lord, and -since then I’ve been happier, feeling that He would see me through in -His own way.” - -“That’s settled then,” replied Mr. Stewart going to the bell and -touching it. “I’ll fix you $750 a year so tight that you can’t give -it away or lend it to anybody except quarterly, and I guess that’ll -see you through in Fairhaven without making you feel too wealthy. Now -about the other matter. Here I’m in your hands and I feel that there’s -nothing I wouldn’t do to straighten this out. If you can help me to a -successful issue I’ll feel eternally grateful.” - -“Stewart,” solemnly responded Captain Taber, “I can assure you that -I’ve often felt that I could pray that your daughter and Christmas -would come together. I’ve watched them together, and I’ve watched -him, and I’ve watched you, little as you think it, and I’ve just wore -my head thin scheming. But I felt that you wouldn’t have it at any -price. I wasn’t quite sure of Miss Stewart, and as for him, I often -felt that I could shake him for not having more get up and git. But -oh, Stewart, we need to reconsider our position when we think of him, -so brave, kind, gentle and loving--I swear I haven’t yet been able -to lay my finger on a sore spot in him yet, except maybe his temper, -which has boiled over twice and made things hum. Now, honest injun, -I don’t believe he loves your girl a bit more than he does me, and I -feel sure that he loves her in the same way. That’s no good to her. She -wants a husband as well as a friend. I may be wrong. Anyhow, I’ll know -soon, and as soon as I know you shall. I cannot promise more honestly, -because I have no more influence over him than the wind, nor I believe -has anybody in this world unless it is some of those folks of his in -Norfolk Island.” - -Just then there came a tap at the door, and in walked C. B., his face -bright and keen, saying-- - -“All is ready now, Captain Taber, and we’ve nice time to get to the -dépôt I’m told.” - -Mr. Stewart looked up quietly and said-- - -“Well, you haven’t left us much time to bid you good-bye, Christmas!” - -A look of blank amazement stole over C. B.’s face as he said slowly-- - -“I had no idea that we were separating, it never occurred to me. Please -forgive me,” and he looked so distressed that Mr. Stewart said kindly: -“Don’t worry, of course you didn’t know. Captain Taber didn’t know -until I told him just now. But it’s a fact all the same, and anyhow -long farewells are bad for anybody. Mary will just come in and say -good-bye, and we shall end a very pleasant trip in the usual way.” - -C. B. still stood looking like a man who had received a very heavy blow -when Miss Stewart came in through the half-open door looking very pale -and worn. Her heavy-lidded eyes were full of tears, and the sight of -her completed C. B.’s discomfiture. Sinking into a chair he covered his -face with his hands and sobbed like a boy. “I didn’t know, I didn’t -think,” wailed he, “or I would have been kinder, more thoughtful, more -thankful. Oh, I am so sorry we are parting.” - -Miss Stewart could bear it no longer, but rising swiftly from the chair -she had sank into on first entering she rushed across to him flung her -arms around his neck and cried-- - -“We need never separate unless you want to. If you only knew how we, -well yes, I, love you....” - -At this the young man lifted his face and looked at her. All his long -dormant love towards her awoke at that gaze, and he reached for her -with his long powerful arms, while she, blushing crimson from her hair -to her collar, laid her dear head upon his shoulder. - -The two men in the background, looking on, felt their hearts swell, -their eyes grow moist, and their throats become husky at the scene, -but they turned solemnly to each other and shook hands. At that moment -there was a loud rap at the door; it opened and a rough voice said-- - -“Th’ hackman says ye’ve just got time to get ye’re train if yez come -now.” - -They all sprang to their feet except the captain, and in two minutes -were all seated in the hack being rattled at breakneck speed towards -the station. On the way Mr. Stewart said-- - -“Well, I guess that business of mine’ll have to wait after all, for -I can’t leave ye now until I see ye safe in New Bedford. But then -I _must_ leave and attend to things. I’ve neglected them too long -already.” - -At this all laughed merrily, for the three of them had no idea of the -magnitude of the interests involved, and the principal actor, Mr. -Stewart, behaved in the fullness of his joy as if a million or so of -dollars more or less could make no possible difference to him. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -C. B.’s Task Concludes - - -As they sped away through the pleasant New England scenery towards -New Bedford, Mary Stewart was entirely happy. She sat by her lover’s -side on one of the seats in the crowded car, entirely oblivious of the -admiring glances directed at her by the men and at him by the women. -She had all the literature of that stern historic coast at her tongue’s -end, although this was her first actual visit, and vividly remembered -now, as she had never done before, how deeply the story of the -Pilgrim Fathers would touch her beloved one. And so she chatted away, -interesting him beyond measure, but with all a woman’s tact, keeping -back the painful side, the cruel intolerance, the witch burnings, -whippings and other cruelties practised in the name of the gentle -Saviour by a community which had only just escaped from the same sort -of treatment. - -So the time flew by until the train drew up at the funny little old -station at New Bedford, much the same then as it is now, for the -American railways do not believe in spending much money either on -permanent way or stations. And as the train stopped, a bonny but -sad-eyed woman pressed her face to the window of the car, and Captain -Taber, forgetting his pain, rose up and tried to open the sash, for it -was his wife. The effort was too much for him and he sank back into -C. B.’s arms, ready to receive him, while she, having also recognized -her beloved one, though so sadly changed, came gliding round with the -swiftness of love up the aisle, and dodging under C. B.’s supporting -arms laid the dear head on her breast. “My boy, my love, what have they -done to you? My pet, my own!” At this sacred scene all eyes turned -away, and most of them were wet. - -But C. B., who had only yielded a little from innate delicacy, now said -(he had never taken his eyes off his friend’s face)-- - -“Dear lady, your husband is well but weak. Please let us get him home -where you can be in comfort together, and then you shall have him all -to yourself.” - -She turned a grateful eye upon C. B. and said-- - -“He evidently isn’t very well, will you help me to get him to a hack?” - -C. B. looked round and caught Mr. Stewart’s eye, who standing outside -the car, made signs that he had engaged a conveyance to take their -friend up. So they carried the half-fainting man to the hack, which -was roomy and comfortable, and were joined on the way by his eldest -son and daughter, a stalwart pair of twelve and fourteen years old -respectively. And then C. B., having seen his friend comfortably -bestowed, and ascertained that his wife and children would have no -difficulty in getting him into their house at their journey’s end, -stepped aside and allowed them to drive off, his native modesty -refusing to allow him to suggest that he might accompany them for fear -of seeming to intrude. - -And as he watched them drive away a sense of great loss and loneliness -fell upon him. For the moment he forgot his good friends the Stewarts, -forgot everything but the salient fact that he had faithfully fulfilled -his task, and now at the end of it stood penniless and deserted in a -strange town thousands of miles from his home. A man came up to him and -asked him if he wanted a hotel, and he shrank back bewildered as he -realized that he was in very truth homeless. Then with a joyful tide -of recollection he thought of the Stewarts, and turned and rushed back -into the dépôt meeting them just coming out. - -And then the beautiful bright face of his beloved looking so -searchingly at him as if she knew what he had just felt, and the -knowledge of all that he possessed in her made his heart leap and his -eyes fill. Mr. Stewart queried kindly, “Have ye disposed of our friend -satisfactorily--handed him over to his folks?” - -“Yes,” replied C. B. “His wife and son and daughter came for him, and -as they said they could look after him all right and he was still -half unconscious I stepped aside and let them drive away with him. I -didn’t realize until they were gone how dependent I have been on him in -another way. And then I remembered you and Mary here and I was full of -gladness, because apart from our love I should have been very lonely -in this big town. And I have no money. I am beginning to see that out -in the world one must have money, and that it cannot be despised as I -thought.” - -Mary’s face glowed as she caught at C. B.’s arm and cried-- - -“Ah, you dear unselfish love, I am so glad that you will never need to -know the value of money or worry about it. It is a good thing in its -place, and I’m never going to run it down, for my dear daddy has taken -care that I never needed any, only I do know so many people who are -eaten up with the love of it, I’ve seen and heard of so many horrible -things being done for it, that I dread its power.” - -“All very well, my dear,” interposed her father drily; “in the meantime -I’d like to suggest that this isn’t the most convenient place to hold -forth on economic topics. The hack is waiting and we’ll get along to -the hotel if you don’t mind.” - -Mary laughingly assented and the old gentleman led the way to the hack, -which speedily whirled them off to the comfortable old hostelry on -Purchase Street, the Parker House, where in a few minutes they were -quite at home, much more so, in fact, than they had been in the immense -and luxurious building of the same name in Boston. - -They went to their respective rooms and again C. B. felt the sense of -loss that he had experienced when first the captain was taken away from -him. He had realized that sooner or later they must separate, but in -his constant fashion he had not anticipated trouble of that kind and -now it seemed almost as if a limb had been lopped off. It was hard work -too to keep down a rising feeling of resentment against those innocent -ones who had claimed their own, not being aware what C. B. had been to -him. While he thus thought a bell boy came up to him and asked-- - -“Are you Mr. Adams?” - -C. B. answered courteously that he was. - -“Then,” went on the messenger, “thar’s a boy here says he’d like to -speak to ye,” and turning beckoned into the apartment the same lad whom -C. B. had met at the station and known as Captain Taber’s son. - -“Yes, my lad,” said C. B. kindly, “what can I do for you?” - -“Father’s better now,” responded the youth, “but he’s in a terrible -takin’ about your not comin’ to our house, we don’t know how t’ pacify -him. The only thing would do was for me to come off at once and bring -you along.” - -C. B. immediately decided to go of course, but bade the youth wait -while he informed his friends. Having done so and excused himself till -dinner, he announced to the lad that he was ready, and in two minutes -they were on their way to sweet Fairhaven. As they drove along, the -youth, getting better of his shyness, asked question after question, -the principal point of which was “How did you save my father’s life? he -says he owes his life to you, and talks as if we’d pushed you off our -doorstep.” This last in a somewhat aggrieved tone. - -C. B. was hard put to it to explain to this keen lad all the -circumstances of the case, but he did his best, and by the time they -reached the captain’s modest home the lad knew nearly as much as he did -himself about the matter. - -As they pulled up at the porch they heard the captain’s voice within -crying, “Run, Delia, see if that’s him; Lord, do make haste, do.” And -Mrs. Taber came rushing out on the veranda with her face flushed, but -as she saw C. B. she extended her hand saying-- - -“If I’d only known, but you didn’t let on a word; to think that in -the first hour of that poor dear’s home-coming we should nearly -quarrel over a stranger. Forgive me, won’t ye, I didn’t know.” And -she literally dragged him into the room where, spread out to best -advantage, the most valued possessions of the family were displayed. -And in the midst of it all lay Captain Taber, in an easy chair, a high -flush upon his cheeks and a glitter in his eyes that made C. B. look -very serious as he came towards him. - -As he stooped over his friend, the skipper made a feeble grab at him -with one hand and at his wife with the other, and in a voice broken -with tears he exclaimed-- - -“Here, Delia, look at him! but for him you’d never seen me again, I -know it. He’s borne with me with such overflowing, never-failing love -from the other side of the world--I can’t ever tell you what this -beloved fellow has been to me. An’ then to think that he should be left -standin’ at the station like a hired man, it’s just heart-breakin’, -that’s what it is.” - -“Now, dear friend,” broke in the gentle voice of C. B., “you’re doing -yourself harm and giving us all pain for nothing. Nobody was to blame. -You were unconscious, your wife didn’t know me, we were all anxious -that you should be got home as soon as ever it could be done, and of -course I couldn’t stop to explain. Besides, I set out to bring you back -to your wife and children, and once you were there what better thing -could I do than step aside and let them rejoice over you?” - -As he ceased the skipper looked up, his eyes still humid with love, and -after gazing for a moment into C. B.’s clear eyes he turned to his wife -with a happy sigh and said-- - -“Darling, don’t be hurt, forgive me if I’ve wounded you, but you -can never know all that I and you owe to this man. He’s not only -brought me back to you, he’s brought peace to my soul, he’s made me -acquainted with God the Father. You know how you used to harp at me -to get religion; you said it was the one thing wantin’ to make you -happy. Well, I’d never got it your way. I didn’t like your preachers, -shan’t like ’em now any better than before, but I’ve seen Christ lived -from day to day before my eyes, I know what lots of things in the -Gospel mean as I never hoped to do, and I’m satisfied to be a child of -God. But I’m afraid if I come across any of them cantin’, drawlin’, -fat-mouthed, camp-meetin’ religionists I’ll have to tell ’em what I -think of ’em. I’ve seen the real and it’s made me more fierce against -the false. An’ it seems to me that the one thing that I can’t learn -from this beautiful friend is patience and toleration.” - -He sank back exhausted, and Mrs. Taber, looking reproachfully at C. B., -said-- - -“There now, you are making yourself ill again. I wonder your friend, if -he’s got so much control over you, doesn’t stop you from going on like -that.” - -C. B. was entirely unsophisticated, but his ear detected the note of -enmity in the good woman’s voice, and he thanked God with all his heart -that he had something to fall back upon. Nothing could have induced him -to remain where he saw that he would be a daily bone of contention, -even had he been as helpless and alone as for a few minutes that -afternoon he had felt he was. He did not know, he could not explain, -but he could feel that Mrs. Taber, though in other respects as good -a woman as ever lived, would forget at once all his services to her -husband in the jealousy of him occupying even a remote corner of her -husband’s heart. And his mind was swiftly made up. Squeezing his -friend’s hand, which indeed he had never released, he said-- - -“Mrs. Taber and dear friend, my job here is finished. I undertook to -bring the captain home at his request, and by the help of God and ever -so many human agencies He has used I have succeeded. I never could have -done it if it had not been for that. And now I must leave you. If the -captain needed me God knows I’d stay as long as I could be of any use -to him. But he has now some one to look after him far better than I -can, his dear wife, and he knows that I have found dear friends, so he -has no need to worry about what is to become of me. And I think that -now is a good time to bid him good-bye, knowing how safe he is.” - -“Stay,” cried Captain Taber, whose mind had been working fast as C. B. -spoke, “I feel you’re right; I feel, too, that when you go out of this -room I’ll never see you agen. But before you go pray; commend my dear -wife and children and me to the God you’ve taught me to know and love.” - -In an instant C. B. had slid to his knees, and amid a tense silence he -lifted his streaming face and cried-- - -“O dear Father, take all this household into your loving keeping. Let -them always know how good and kind and thoughtful you are, especially -how you love them. Keep them in that knowledge day and night until the -day dawns and the shadows flee away. Keep them happy, contented and -useful, but especially kind and loving to all who are about them. And -may we all meet again in the new world where Jesus is the Head of all -and all are good like Him. For His sake, dear Father. Amen.” - -Then rising to his feet he stooped over his friend and kissed him as -men kiss the dying, turned and shook hands with Mrs. Taber and the -three children, and turning swiftly left the house before they had -so far recovered as to try and stop him. And as he went he knew that -his duty to that fine fellow was done and that he would never see -him again. We too have done with him, except to note that Mr. Stewart -fulfilled his promise to the captain in fullest measure and so put him -and his beyond the reach of want or that half dependence which is so -painful to a gallant spirit that has to accept it for the sake of its -dear ones. - -It is a good step from the middle of Fairhaven back to the Parker -House, but C. B.’s long legs made little of it. He was now free of -his charge, free to go to the love that awaited him, and he could not -help feeling grateful to God that such a termination had been reached, -because he saw full well how hard he might have found it but for the -Stewarts, how unconsciously he might have become a burden upon those -whose load was almost more than they could carry themselves. - -Filled with these reflections he did not notice the distance and -reached the hotel before he was aware that he had travelled nearly as -far. Mr. and Miss Stewart were sitting on the veranda talking, but -Mary’s eyes, ever on the alert, saw him coming, and as he strode up the -steps she came to meet him with both hands outspread, recognizing with -the lightning intuition of love that now he was all her own. For she -like Mrs. Taber had unconsciously resented a share in her loved one’s -heart being held by anybody, although her claim was much slighter. And -the first words she said to him were-- - -“Back so soon? don’t they want you any more?” - -“No,” he replied gaily enough: “they can do without me now of course, -and I am free. It was a bit of a wrench at first, but I soon felt that -it would be a very wrong thing for me to stand for a moment between a -man and his wife. So I have bid them good-bye, and do not suppose I -shall ever see them again.” - -By this time they were up to Mr. Stewart, and so she did not reply but -squeezed his arm as she released it, in that act saying-- - -“I am so glad, for now you are all mine, my very own.” And yet such a -bundle of contradictions are we, that she felt quite indignant that her -king of men should, as she thought, be so cavalierly treated, flung -off as she felt like an old shoe that is worn out and therefore wanted -no longer. But no trace of this was to be seen in the bright face she -turned to her father as C. B. sat down by his side. Without giving -either of them time to speak she said-- - -“Just think of it, daddy, Christmas is free, they have bidden him -good-bye, and we can leave now if you like.” - -Mr. Stewart took a meditative puff at his cigar before he answered, -then he said-- - -“A good motto, dear one, is never to be in a hurry. Don’t you know -that since Christmas has been away there has been a whole raft of -people here wanting to see him, and hear him talk. We’ve been followed -from Boston, and I know he won’t want to disappoint all these eager -folks who’d like to hear what he’s got to say.” And the deep-set eyes -twinkled beneath their bushy grey lashes. - -“Indeed, Mr. Stewart,” broke in C. B., “I don’t want to see another -reporter. And unless you wish it I won’t. All I want now is to be left -alone to enjoy the company of Mary and yourself.” - -“You might have left me out I think without hurting your reputation for -truth, but never mind. Now I think as you don’t want a lot of newspaper -stuff written about you, it’s time I admitted that I don’t either, and -if you are quite willing we’ll get back to Boston, or rather New York, -by the Fall River boat to-night. I know what these provincial cities -are, and although I love New Bedford wholeheartedly, on this occasion -I’ll be pleased to get away from her.” - -This decision of Mr. Stewart’s sent the young folks into a silent -delight. It would be so good to get away alone, and though neither of -them knew what a Fall River boat was like, they were charmed at the -idea of going to sea after that weary rail-road time. All the callers -were put off, no one was admitted to the privacy of the trio, and so -well was the secret kept that when they departed for the station to -catch the Fall River train there was nobody about to pester them with -inconvenient questions. And when after a short railway journey C. B. -walked with Mary on his arm aboard of the palatial vessel which was -ready to convey them through the picturesque Long Island Sound route -to New York, she was literally _exaltée_, for she had not even then -realized how unsophisticated he was. - -“Is this a ship?” he cried in utter amazement. “Dear Lord, what -wonderful things men do! I should never have imagined that such luxury -was possible on the sea!” And when an obsequious negro steward showed -him to his beautiful stateroom, with its perfect hotel appointment, he -felt as if nothing henceforward could astonish him. But he was wrong. -For after a good night’s sleep he sprang up shortly after daylight, -washed, dressed, and went on deck in time to see the wonderful entrance -to New York Harbour. And as he gazed, lost in astonishment, at the -amazing traffic, at the masses of buildings everywhere, a mighty -steamship from England came gliding majestically past, and recognizing -the flag he took off his hat to it. Just as he did so he felt a light -touch upon his arm, and there stood his beloved, radiant as the dawn, -a sweet smile of loving greeting upon her beautiful face. No one was -near, for they were on the uppermost deck of all, which at that hour is -almost deserted. And so they embraced, and their souls went out to each -other in a long, loving, lingering kiss. - -Then, unheeding the flight of time, they stood on their lofty platform -while the huge craft beneath them, deftly handled by the invisible -pilot in the wheelhouse, threaded her way among the host of small craft -up to her berth. As she drew nearer C. B.’s amazement deepened, for he -saw the train ferries, laden with railway cars, gliding across the wide -arm of the sea, noted the wonderful energy manifested on every side, -and again and again turned to his lovely companion, saying in short -gasps-- - -“What a struggle, what work to be sure. And all to get money. And when -it is got, what then? Surely God never intended man to struggle so hard -for money alone. It does not seem right to me.” - -But she, looking up at him shyly, said in reply, “Perhaps you are -right, dear one, but you know that there are animals, insects, that -work far harder than man and with apparently far less reason, the ant -and the bee for instance.” - -But whenever she took him up like that she found that his ignorance -of so many things which had always been an open book to her precluded -all argument. He was in the primitive stage when everything around is -new, and consequently was unable to appreciate the difficulties and -limitations of civilized man. - -“Come down, dear,” said she at last, “father will be seeking us”; and -they descended to witness a scene on the great main-deck that arrested -C. B. as if he had been paralysed. It was crammed with people, all -ready to go ashore, all apparently full of eagerness to leave the -vessel and recommence the struggle. And as he looked upon the swarming -crowd his heart was filled with a great pity for them as he thought -how intolerable such a life would be to him. But his sweetheart deftly -guided him to her father’s cabin, where stood the old gentleman, his -morning cigar between his lips, calmly surveying the busy scene with -the eye of a master and enjoying the stir and bustle. - -He greeted them with curt affection and invited them to come in and -rest; “for,” said he, “you must have been on deck a long time.” - -“Since daylight, I think, daddy,” replied Mary laughingly, “but it -hasn’t seemed like five minutes; it’s so interesting to watch the -absolute wonder of Christmas at everything. I declare I never have -known anything more delightful in my life than to witness his amazement -and to tell him the most commonplace things, which he receives as if -they were details of miracles. Oh dear, dad, I never was so happy, -never.” - -“I’m so glad,” rejoined her father, “and now you two young people must -just leave things to me, for we’re at the wharf. Here, steward!” and an -obsequious black man came running up, “get our grips and take them down -the gangway to a hack. We’ll go to the Everett House.” - -“Yes, sir, I’ll be there at the hack station waitin’ for you when you -come down the gangway, sir;” and off he went. - -Like a man in a dream C. B. followed Mr. Stewart with his beloved on -his arm, but guiding him rather than leaning on him, until, in some -strange fashion as it seemed to him savouring of an enchantment, they -found themselves in a very babel of noise of men shouting, horses’ -hoofs striking fire on the slippery cobbles, clanging of bells and -shrill whistlings, seated in the carriage and passing swiftly through -a tremendous entanglement of traffic between mighty rows of buildings. -Tenderly his beloved looked in his bewildered face and sympathized -with him, as much out of his element as a fish is out of water, while -Mr. Stewart, his square jaw set and his bushy eyebrows frowning, sat -opposite them busily weaving plans for their future. - -It was not until they were quietly settled in their comfortable -sitting-room at the spacious hotel in Union Square that C. B. began to -lose that worried, harassed look which so distressed his sweetheart. -Then, when Mr. Stewart had left them, pleading business, she said -tenderly-- - -“My dear one, I know how you hate all this. And so do I for your sake. -Now tell me if you can what you would like to do after--well, after we -are married?” - -Without a moment’s hesitation he answered-- - -“Why, I would like to take you home. Home to that dear place where all -this needless bustle and uproar never comes, where peace and love reign -without a break and God is King. Oh, how I long to be there again!” - -For a moment her brow clouded as she felt that if the choice were to be -made by him between living here with her in the vortex of gay society -and going back to his island home alone, he would give her up, and the -question trembled on her lip. But she dared not ask it. She felt that -where he was she could be happy, and that she had chosen rightly in -taking such a man for her husband in any case, for although full of -spirits and intelligence and so easily first in all the gay companies -she had been wont to frequent, she had always longed for the peace and -quiet of a country where the absurd conventions of civilization did not -count. And she was glad. So she said quietly, “In the words of Ruth, in -that book you love so well, ‘Whither thou goest I will go, thy people -shall be my people, thy God my God.’ I will leave all for you, dear, -and I feel sure that I shall never regret my choice.” - -He, simple soul, took all that for granted, and as he had never dreamed -that there had been anything heroic in the sacrifice Mr. Stewart was -making, or thought about the monetary aspect of the affair, so now it -seemed to him the most natural thing in the world that this dear girl, -loving him as she said she did, should be glad to throw all the stress -and strain of the life she had been used to behind her and follow him. -I fear that many will account it callous selfishness on his part, but -it was really not so. In his very soul he felt that it would be best -for them both. He remembered the lovely life of his father and mother, -and could conceive of nothing happier, more delightful for his beloved. -And so his soul was at rest. - -They sat there and talked of their simple future until the waiter came -and announced luncheon, which they took together as the father had not -returned. And the afternoon slipped away as the morning had done, until -the shadows lengthened and still Mr. Stewart did not come. At last, -when it was quite dark, he returned, and flung himself into a chair -with a sigh of weariness. Immediately his daughter was at his side full -of solicitude. - -“Tired, daddy dear?” she queried gently. - -“Yes, love, and ruined,” he answered quietly. “There is just enough -saved from the wreck to take us out to your lover’s island and keep us -there till we die. And I don’t know that I’m sorry. I can’t say that -the Lord gave, but I think the Lord has taken away, and I can say I -know, that blessed be the name of the Lord.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -Marriage and Departure - - -For a little while after Mr. Stewart had communicated this important -news they all sat in perfect stillness: C. B. because he did not in the -least understand what had happened, but he could see it was something -that had tremendously upset these two people who were so dear to him. -Mr. Stewart was the first to speak. - -“I can never feel sufficiently grateful,” he said, “for the impulse -to fix up that annuity for Taber on the spot and for yielding to it. -It was only in the nick of time, for this great crash came yesterday -afternoon. Had I been in San Francisco it would not have---- But there, -why should I say that, Levy is as good and keen and straight a man as -I am, and the very best of us get caught sometimes. Even now, if it -wasn’t for you, my boy, I think I should have turned to and had a fight -for it; but you’ve kinder infected me with your pleasant doctrines, -putting me out of conceit with money grubbing for its own sake.” - -Mary here burst in impetuously-- - -“Oh, dear Daddy, that I should hear you say so makes me so glad. I feel -glad to think that we have lost our money if only we can get to this -happy land that Christmas is looking forward to so hungrily. I felt -almost jealous of it, and now I am as eager as he is.” - -Just then a rap came at the door and in walked the bell-boy with a -telegram. The old gentleman tore it open and fell back in his chair, -his face ghastly. Both Mary and C. B. sprang to his assistance, but -he roused himself with an effort, and waving them back to their seats -said, in a hard, strained voice-- - -“Mary, my love, your poor mother couldn’t stand the strain, she’s dead.” - -Mary sat as if stricken to the heart, unable to speak, but she was a -girl of great force of character, and she was rallying all her forces -to meet this quite unexpected blow. - -So her father resumed, saying, “She always had a weak heart as you -know, dear, and besides she always had a dread that we should come to -poverty. And so I suppose, when some heartless fool blurted out in her -hearing that Levy and Stewart had burst up, the blow was more than -she could stand. And so she died far away from me. Poor Mary, dear -wife. There’s one consolation, she went as she had always wished to -go without a long probation of pain, instantaneously from one life to -another, thank God. And now, dear ones, I’ll get you to excuse me. I’ve -been very hard hit and I feel old and tired. I need rest and quiet, -and so I’ll go to my room and lie down a bit. Christmas, I’ll leave -you to comfort Mary as no one else can.” And he left the room, walking -heavily, almost dragging one foot after the other. - -C. B. rose on the instant and strode to Mary’s side, where she sat with -lips tight shut, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright and dry. - -“Dearest one,” he murmured, taking her in his strong arms, “don’t fight -against your natural feelings. It is sometimes good to cry, I feel sure -it would be good for you now. And if ever any one had reason to cry it -is at the loss of a good mother.” - -The last word, softly uttered as it was by her lover, touched the -hidden spring of her tears, and they flowed, easily, gently, but -copiously, C. B. holding her in his arms and stroking her beautiful -hair as if she were a child. And at last she lifted her head and looked -him full in the face, saying-- - -“I do thank God, Christmas, that we’ve got you in this difficult -time. Do you know, I think even poor old dad will come to lean upon -you directly as I feel I must do now. Why is it, I wonder? I suppose -because you are really dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty God, and -the changes and chances of this mortal life seem such trivial things to -you.” - -C. B. fondled her hair a moment or two longer before he replied-- - -“No, darling, they none of them seem trivial, but I know in whom I have -believed, and because He is infinitely wise I do not worry, being sure -that He will do His part. I only try to do mine without hitting my head -against a brick wall, as I now know some people do if they want to get -it down, instead of waiting to hear from God whether it is good that -the wall shall come down or not.” - -“Ah,” she said in reply, “I’m afraid I shall never come to your -standard. Even now you don’t seem to worry at all about getting back -home, yet I feel you must be longing to see your mother and father -again and all your friends as well. And it is so far away as well -as being a difficult place to get to. I have not heard you say one -impatient word about getting back, and, do you know, dearest (I’m going -to tell you everything), I can’t help wondering sometimes whether you -are not just a little callous, unfeeling in some things.” - -As she said this she looked at him keenly to see how he would take it. -His face lit up with a beautiful smile as he replied, “No, dearest, -I don’t think so. I do feel very keenly, more keenly than I wish, -all that goes on around me, but if I have understood anything of the -character of Jesus, its principal feature was that in His love for -others He had no room for thinking about Himself. All that concerned -His personal welfare He left to His Father, and in that I do try, I -have always tried to imitate Him, because I have found it the easiest -thing to do, I suppose. What seems so strange to me is that any one -should wonder at me doing this or trying to do it. The Gospels are full -of instructions about it, Christianity seems to be built on the words -‘trust in God,’ and yet you, dearest, and others whom I have met who -are like-minded, look upon me as a being whom they cannot understand -for practising what is so continually preached.” - -All she answered was-- - -“Forgive me, dear, if I can help it I will never allude to it again, -but try as hard as I can to imitate the practice, knowing from your -example how good it is. But I can tell you one thing that will surprise -you,” she went on. “If any of my friends, however Christian their -profession, had been in our position, you would have heard worrying and -weeping enough, I can assure you. People don’t cast all their care upon -the Lord in practice, only in theory, at least no people that I’ve ever -met but you. And it seems to me that you don’t get any care, that is -you don’t let things become a care to you.” - -Just then Mr. Stewart came in, looking perceptibly older and seeming -to stoop more. “Now, my children,” he said, “it will be best for us -to have a consultation. I’ve quite made up my mind to go with you to -Norfolk Island, in fact I had I think before this news came of my -double loss. But it would simplify matters considerable if you two -were married, as well as save expense. What’s your idea, Mary, it’s no -use asking him, because it’s just one of those things that he wouldn’t -trouble about--you’ll have to decide that for him after worrying me so -to let you have him.” - -“Father,” said Mary, “would it be right and proper so soon after -mother’s death?” - -“I’ve thought of that,” rejoined he, “and unless you care about what -people say I don’t see where the objection lies. When our dear one was -with us she only thought of our happiness, and now she’s gone I’m sure -her spirit is the same towards us. Besides, if you really care about -what people say, remember that nobody knows you here, nor, unless you -want to have the usual big show of a wedding, will anybody know. If I -was you I’d cut all that business out, and I’m sure that if you consult -Christmas he’ll feel the same about it as I do. Only, my best beloved -one, do remember that on this, the greatest occasion of your dear life, -I want you to be quite satisfied and happy.” - -While this conversation was proceeding C. B. sat and listened with a -far-away expression in his eyes, which he always wore when anything -was being talked about which he did not understand. And although the -subject under consideration was of vital interest to him, he did not -in the least comprehend their observations upon it. And Mary, catching -sight of his face, said with a smile-- - -“Oh, father, it’s just too funny us discussing this before him as if he -had nothing to do with it at all. It’s so strange that he should know -nothing of these things. Tell us, dear one”--to C. B.--“what a wedding -is like with your people?” - -His face brightened directly and he answered-- - -“Oh, it is very simple and pretty. We make it a festive occasion -throughout the whole community, no work being done on that day except -what is necessary. The young people stand up before Mr. McCoy, who has -a licence to marry people, and he joins hands pronouncing them man and -wife in the sight of God and of all the people. They take one another -for husband and wife and they are thus made one. Then we have singing, -very much singing and praising God. But before the marriage everybody -has helped to build a house and prepare a piece of land for the couple -so that they have a place to themselves, I was going to say of their -own, but we don’t understand anything being our own as other folks do. -The idea of having anything which we will not share with others is not -known among us.” - -“But how about wedding garments?” queried Mary, with a touch of true -femininity. - -“Well, as you know,” replied C. B., “we are not troubled with many -clothes, but we put on the best we have, as we do on Sunday when we -all meet at stated hours to worship God in company. And the girls wear -flowers in their hair, which makes them look pretty.” - -Mr. Stewart here interposed, saying-- - -“I don’t think I’d pursue the subject any further if I were you, -Mary. We can be as simple as C. B.’s folk if we like and I think we -had better. As we are going to live like this I think it would be -foolish not to begin as early as we can, and I suggest that we go to a -parson and let him marry you just as is done in the country by eloping -couples,” and he laughed aloud, saying immediately after: “Don’t think -me unfeeling, but the thought of hefty Jim Stewart’s daughter getting -spliced in such a hole and corner fashion as this makes me. I reckon -in the ordinary way your nuptials would have run me into a couple of -hundred thousand dollars at the very least, and we’d a made the Pacific -Slope hum.” For a moment he looked regretful and then his face cleared -and he added, “But I hope we’ve left that costly kind o’ tomfoolery -behind us for ever, darling, and I’m sure we’ll be happier.” - -Therefore it came about that the next day, after judicious inquiries -made by Mr. Stewart, that the three went over to Brooklyn to a quiet -Manse, where Mary Stewart and Christmas Bounty Adams were made one by -an aged minister, who behaved as if he fully realized the solemn nature -of the ceremony and was in full sympathy with the comely pair. And -when Mr. Stewart, with a touch of past lavishness would have pressed a -fifty-dollar bill on him as a fee, he refused firmly, saying, “My fee -is five dollars, and I would not take that but that I have to live. Do -not tempt me with much money, friend, for it brings a snare as I know -full well.” Then he gave them his blessing and they returned to the -Everett House, Mr. Stewart introducing the newly wedded pair to the -proprietor as Mr. and Mrs. Adams, in order to save explanations and -invidious remarks. - -The rest of the afternoon was devoted to clearing up Mr. Stewart’s -business affairs, a task of no great difficulty, in which he was aided -by his daughter. It mainly consisted in surrendering all he possessed, -except a sum of twenty thousand dollars or four thousand pounds, to the -receivers of his estate. That sum he considered would suffice for all -their needs in their new life, and for everything else preliminary to -commencing it. And this being all put in train the old gentleman rose -with a sigh of relief, collected his papers and put them away. Then he -said-- - -“Love and business are all very well in their way, but we must also -eat; and now I vote that we go down to the restaurant and do so. It is -early for the regular diners, so that we shall not be crowded.” - -He did not tell them that he had ordered a simple little dinner for the -three of them at the far end of the room, where they could be almost -in private; and when C. B. saw the pretty little table decorated with -choice flowers, his face lighted up, and with great delight he called -his bride’s attention to what he considered the kindly behaviour of the -proprietor. - -The meal proceeded in the happiest fashion, for though the food was -of the simplest and best they all ate but sparingly, for their hearts -were full of joy and their minds full of hope. But they could not -help noticing that at a table not far from them there was a party of -four young men whose behaviour, from being quiet and gentlemanly at -the outset, as bottle after bottle of champagne was emptied became -boisterous and rude. Presently it became evident that their attention -was entirely directed to the table where our friends sat, and as their -voices grew louder and louder the epithet “nigger” was frequently -heard. Mr. Stewart and Mrs. Adams heard all too clearly, but C. B. was -quite unmoved, for although he heard the uproar he did not understand -its import. At last one of the roysterers rose and shouted for the head -waiter, who came instantly; whereupon the young man demanded to know -why a nigger, coupling the word with other abuse, was allowed to dine -in the same room with white men. - -The head waiter endeavoured to explain, but as he did so the other -three joined in the talk, which grew louder and louder until the -proprietor was brought up by one of the other waiters. By this time -Mr. Stewart was fully alive to what was going on, as was his daughter, -and Mary whispered her father that they might slip away. But there -was a dangerous look in the old man’s eyes now and he indignantly -repudiated the suggestion. Then C. B. leaned over and asked him -whatever could be the matter, and how the broil at another table could -affect them. Stewart looked straight at him for a moment and then said-- - -“The wine has got into their foolish heads, and they are discussing you -as a nigger who has no right to dine in the same room as them. And if I -know the signs, unless the proprietor is a man of grit, there’s going -to be big trouble.” - -He had hardly uttered the words before a big raw-boned youth sprang to -his feet and shouted-- - -“It’s an outrage to have to sit in the same room with a nigger, and you -are a beast to allow it. But I’m going to have him out of it as you -haven’t got the grit, and so here goes.” - -With that the crazy creature leapt across the room knocking his chair -half a dozen feet away, and seized the unconscious C. B. by the collar -and arm, at the same time yelling foul abuse. There was a shriek from -Mary, but her father held her arm as she was about to spring to her -husband’s rescue. - -“Keep quiet,” he said, “this is where your husband comes in.” - -Indeed it was, for C. B., as quietly as if he had been invited to -look at something, rose from his seat and winding his arms around -the frantic youth placed him helpless on the floor. This unexpected -defeat of their champion enraged the other three, who rushed to the -rescue, but were in their turn, attacked by the waiters, who at the -proprietor’s bidding charged on them in force, and succeeded in -overpowering them. - -Then C. B. lifted his prostrate enemy into a chair, and holding him -with one hand as if he had been a child waited while Mr. Stewart said-- - -“You shameless brutes to behave like this. Lucky for you that the -English gentleman you’ve attacked is as good a Christian as you are bad -citizens, or some of you would have been broken all up. You Americans! -I know ye by the back, and you’re a lot of dirt that brings shame upon -the name of American. Take ’em away,” he said to the waiters, “and put -’em on the pavement. It isn’t worth having them arrested, for better -folks than them would be hurt. Now, sir,” turning to the proprietor who -stood looking anxious, “what do you think of this?” - -“Well, sir,” replied the proprietor, “I think you and your son-in-law -and his wife had better go as soon as ever you can. You see I’ve got -my living to get and I can’t run counter to public opinion. I’ve no -doubt that Mr. Adams is a perfect gentleman, but he is a bit dark, and, -well, I needn’t explain to you, you know all about it. I shall be glad -if you’ll go to-night, for I don’t think you’d like to hurt a man that -hasn’t harmed you.” - -Stewart gave him a look of withering contempt, and then bidding C. B. -and his daughter see to their packing went out, returning in half an -hour with the news that he had secured rooms in a good family hotel, -and concealing the fact that he had arranged for them to have their -meals in private during their stay. An hour later saw them transferred, -Mr. Stewart saying to the proprietor as he took his leave: “I bear -you no ill will, my friend, but if you knew the kind of man you’ve -turned out of your house to-night you’d be sorry for having done so. -He’s worth a whole city full of such empty-headed dregs as those who -insulted him.” - -“I fully believe it, Mr. Stewart,” answered the man, “but there’s no -sentiment in business, and I can’t afford to shut my hotel up because -the presence of a good man in it is objected to. In fact we hotel -proprietors make our living mostly out of the bad men, and we must look -after their interest or go out of the business.” - -Stewart was so angry that he could not answer, and as soon as possible -they left those inhospitable walls and took up their quarters in their -new abode, feeling, if the truth be told, almost like fugitives from -justice. Then when they had settled down they began to think about -getting away, and for the first time since they had known him C. B. -began to show signs of enthusiasm. It was no easy matter to find any -vessel that was going near their destination, but at last they heard of -a large Boston barque that was bound to Sydney, New South Wales, with -kerosene oil in cases, and they went down to see her. She was a fine -powerful vessel of about 1,300 tons, but by no means intended to carry -passengers. But like most ships of her type she had been built with due -regard to the comfort of her officers as far as accommodation went, and -in her roomy saloon there were two cabins vacant which Mr. Stewart and -C. B. pronounced to be just the thing for them. - -So they arranged a passage to Sydney for the three of them for four -hundred dollars, the captain, a shrewd down-easter by the name of -Eldridge, agreeing to lay in extra stores so that they should fare -well on the long passage. Also Mr. Stewart decided to have the cabins -comfortably fitted up, for they looked very bare, and having made his -arrangements and learned that the _Julia D. South_ was to sail in ten -days’ time they returned to their temporary home well pleased with -their day’s work. - -To Mr. Stewart’s earnest inquiries C. B. replied that he could give a -list of everything that was most needed by his friends on the island, -for as Mr. Stewart said, it would look mean to go there, intending to -stay for life, empty handed, especially when coming from a land where -all the necessaries as well as the luxuries of life could be so readily -procured. So for the next few days C. B. and his wife were very busily -engaged collecting goods to take with them and having them carefully -packed for sending to the ship. And when at last the sailing day came -they went on board with the full assurance that nothing had been -forgotten, and that they were besides as well equipped for the long -passage before them as it was possible for them to be. - -C. B. as the time drew near for leaving America grew steadily more -lively and happy looking, indeed, as his wife said affectionately, he -seemed quite transformed. Her spirits rose with his, for she had been -somewhat depressed at the near prospect of leaving the land of her -birth as she felt for ever. In spite of her deep and true love for her -husband and the certainty she felt that she could know no happiness -apart from him, such feelings were perfectly natural and to be -expected. But when she saw how sedately happy her father seemed to be, -and how bright her husband was, she resolutely put aside all regrets -and determined henceforth to look forward only. - -Punctually to the day the _Julia D. South_ cast off her moorings and in -tow of a small tug went swiftly seaward, her three passengers standing -on the monkey poop and watching the fast receding shores with keen -interest. C. B., however, was not long before all his attention was -claimed by the working of the ship. It seemed to him so very long since -he had taken his part in what had become his profession that he watched -with keenest appreciation every bit of work done, his fingers itching -to have a share in it. At last, at the hoisting of the topsails, he -could restrain himself no longer, seeing how great a task it was for -her numerically weak crew, and rushing along to the halyards he caught -hold high above the hands of the two men who were pulling before -the block, and in an instant they felt the benefit of his vigorous -assistance. - -Then he forgot all about his being a passenger and to his wife and Mr. -Stewart’s unfeigned amusement joined in heart and soul with the crew at -their work, making his presence most helpfully felt in everything he -touched. As he was doing so the skipper drew near Mr. Stewart and his -daughter, saying-- - -“Our friend’s been a sailor man, I should say, from the way he handles -himself!” - -“You may well say that,” replied Mr. Stewart. “He was a boat steerer or -harponeer in a South Sea whaler, and according to what his old skipper -said the very best in the ship. I’ve never seen him at his work before, -but judging from what I know of him I should say he would be extra good -at anything he undertook. He’s that kind of a man, isn’t he, dear?” - -“Indeed he is,” replied Mary, “and oh, I’m so glad that he’s found -something that he likes to do. I know how he has been suffering for -exercise lately.” - -When presently C. B. rejoined them, looking with an air of comic -ruefulness at his hands, they roasted him unmercifully for forgetting -his dignity as a cuddy passenger at which he only smiled and replied-- - -“See what a lazy life does for a man. My hands have got that soft that -it is most painful for me to hold a rope. They feel as if they were all -red hot.” And the skipper, who was listening, laughed loudly before he -remarked that it sounded so familiar to him who had suffered much in -the same way himself. - -They had an excellent slant of wind right from the start, which was -most fortunate, for the crew were a poor lot and needed licking into -shape according to Yankee ideas before they were fit to do all that -was required of them. This same drilling hurt C. B. horribly, but -recognizing his position he did not venture to interfere in any way, -even when his gentle wife expressed her indignation at the harsh -treatment the men were receiving. After all, as he explained to her, -there was little real cruelty, it was little more than drill, though he -thought unnecessarily harsh, and he told her of several incidents on -board the _Eliza Adams_ which amazed her. - -So that by the time they had reached the equator she was a smart ship -and C. B. with his willing hands, his ready smile and his perfect habit -of non-interference except to help with his great strength was a highly -popular favourite fore and aft. But I regret to say that he was also -taken as soft because of his unfailing good humour, looked upon as a -man you might safely impose upon, and many were the sarcastic remarks -passed upon the hard luck as they called it of his wife, to be tied -to a man who seemed to be utterly devoid of pluck, although they put -it much more coarsely after the manner of seamen. The two aspects in -which he was regarded seemed contradictory, I know, but I have had much -experience of similar cases I am sorry to say. - -But the worst offender was the captain. When once a sailing ship is -well started on a long passage the life of her master, unless he be -a man with a good hobby of some kind, is a very lazy one. He has -literally nothing to do except find the ship’s position at noon each -day, and I have often wondered how it is that our sailing ship masters -having so much time on their hands have not turned out a number of -famous literary men from their ranks instead of being represented as -they are, but by one giant, and he a foreigner, Mr. Joseph Conrad. -In captain Eldridge’s case the old adage about Satan’s opportunity -for idle hands held good, and he began to amuse himself by paying -assiduous court to Mrs. Adams, yet in so polite and insidious a manner -that only her feminine wit divined his true intent; even her father, -immersed in books, tryin’ to catch up on to his readin’ as he termed -it, failed to notice anything wrong. And Mary could do nothing, for she -had nothing definite to complain of, and she did not wish to make any -unpleasantness. - -C. B. went on his happy way, spending much of his time at work and not -noticing in the least that he was leaving his beloved wife too much -to the attentions of the skipper. Indeed his true and honest mind was -clear and incapable of suspicion, and had any one hinted their ideas -of the wrong drift of things he would have been unspeakably shocked as -well as amazed. And so the clouds thickened insensibly about them as -the good ship sped on. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -Back to Primitive Things - - -Many harsh and ignorant things have been written concerning the masters -of ships, principally, I think, because of the crimes committed by -a few of them. Therefore I feel that it ought to be plainly stated -that, remembering the temptation a shipmaster in a sailing ship on a -long voyage is subjected to daily, it speaks well for human nature -in general, and for seafarers in particular, that those crimes have -been so few, so very few in proportion to the number of individuals -who have been tempted to the commission of them. It is too often -forgotten by those who ignorantly write upon this subject how free -from all restraint save that of his own conscience is the master of -a sailing ship at sea on a long passage. If he be a cruel, brave -bully and tyrant--and believe me the bully is _not_ always a coward -as is generally supposed--he finds abundant opportunity to gratify -his propensities and is almost sure of immunity from retribution when -the vessel reaches port from the well-known careless character of his -victims. - -Where he has a few passengers another side of him may develop, as with -Captain Eldridge, a side that must be touched very lightly upon but -which all will understand, and many have been the tragedies resulting -from his lack of gentlemanly self-restraint. And in the present case -all the indications pointed to a tragedy fast approaching as the -captain, encouraged by the apparently entire indifference of the two -male passengers, pressed his unwelcome attentions daily with more -perseverance upon the young wife. She, poor girl, took great care never -to be alone; when her father remained in his cabin she remained in -hers, C. B. being always fully occupied with work among the seamen. But -Captain Eldridge lay in wait for her, and as soon as she appeared on -deck with her father he took all sorts of interest in placing chairs, -getting wraps, etc., and then when they were settled seating himself by -the lady’s side and paying her all sorts of odious compliments in a low -voice while ogling her in a peculiarly bold and insolent manner. - -With all the desire in the world to keep the peace and natural fear of -the consequences of any action being taken on her part, Mary felt that -she must do something soon. She could not ask her husband to remain -with her always, for she loved to see him exercising his mighty limbs -at really hard work, and knew how much he felt the need of exercise. -Not only so, but she hated to disturb his quiet serenity of mind by the -hideous suggestion that the captain was paying assiduous court to his -wife, and besides she had nothing definite to go upon, even her father -would have been unable to substantiate a complaint. - -Presently the matter was taken out of her hands in a quite unexpected -manner. The chief mate, a very keen young Philadelphian named Haynes, -keeping his eye upon his chief as all mates do, was disgusted to -see how Mrs. Adams was persecuted by him. He himself scarcely ever -had a chance to speak to her, and there may well have been a spice -of jealousy in his mind, but in any case he was very angry with his -skipper and contemptuous of C. B.’s want of perception. Yet he had -grown very fond of C. B., as indeed everybody had but the skipper, and -the more he grew to like him the less could he understand his apparent -neglect of his wife, leaving her to be pestered continually by the -skipper. - -At last he could restrain himself no longer, and calling C. B. into his -berth one afternoon watch below, he said, after fidgeting about a bit-- - -“Look here, old man, I’ve got very fond of you--I believe you’re about -as good as they make ’em, but I’m hanged if I can understand how you -allow Eldridge to persecute your wife as he does. He never lets her -alone. And if you had any eyes in your head you’d see how peaky she’s -gettin’ with all the worry of it. I don’t want to make trouble, I’ve -got my living to get, but I honestly couldn’t see this cruel game going -on any longer without warnin’ you, as you don’t seem able to see a hole -through a ladder.” And all the time the mate was speaking he watched C. -B.’s face. It showed no signs of change except that the lips tightened -up a bit and the dark eyes glowed with a sombre fire. At last he spoke. - -“Thank you very much, Haynes, I’ll see to it at once. I’m afraid I am -guilty of neglect, and I can never forgive myself for being so selfish. -I thought she was happy with her books and her work and her father, -and that I was pleasing her by working about the ship. I didn’t dream -of anything of this kind happening. But,” and he rose, holding out his -hand, “I’m very grateful to you, Haynes, for your warning, which I’m -going to act upon now.” And he strode out of the cabin, Haynes watching -him with a queer sensation of wonder as to how the storm would burst, -for burst it would he felt sure. - -C. B. went straight to his cabin, but his wife was not there. From -thence he ascended to the deck, where he saw, as if it had been -arranged for him, a tableau such as the mate had been speaking about. -There was his father-in-law asleep with an open book in his hand in one -deck chair, his wife in another next to the old gentleman, and seated -on a cushion at her feet the skipper, whose face, distinctly visible -to C. B.’s eagle vision from where he was, bore an expression entirely -evil. His wife’s face he could not see, but he went quickly towards -her, saying-- - -“Mary, dear, will you come down for a moment, I want to speak to you.” - -She rose immediately, turning towards him as she did so, and he saw -that her dear face was pale and drawn and that her eyes were full of -tears. Choking down the awful wrath he felt rising within him at the -sight, he assisted her into their cabin, closed the door, and said-- - -“Mary, dear, forgive me, I never dreamed of neglecting you, but I see -that I have. And I fear that I have subjected you to persecution of a -very bad kind. Tell me, dear, what has the captain done?” - -She looked doubtfully at him for a moment as if wondering what the -outcome would be, but she was too much akin to him in soul to palter -with the truth through fear, so she said-- - -“Dear love, he has been very offensive for some time now. His actual -words have had little meaning in them for me, though I know they all -had a double intention, but his eyes and his looks generally have -filled me with horror. I have felt again and again that I must tell -you, but, dear one, I dreaded a scene, I find I don’t know you well -enough even yet, and then there was nothing actually to complain about -except his looks. But he certainly has made me very unhappy, and there -could be no mistake as to his meaning.” - -Again C. B. said with grave penitence-- - -“Forgive me, dear, I had not imagined that men could be so vile. I -suppose to them I must look like a semi-idiot. However, you shall have -no more of this. I will go to him now.” - -The captain was just then coming down into his stateroom whistling -dreamily, and C. B., following him to the door, said-- - -“I should like a few words with you, Captain Eldridge.” - -“Oh!” returned the skipper insolently, “what about?” - -“About your behaviour to my wife, which, I’m sorry to say, has been -entirely rude and distressing to her, making her feel quite ill. It has -I find been a topic of general conversation in the ship, but I, being -exceedingly unsuspicious and never dreaming that a gentleman could -behave so, have left her more than I ought to have done, and you have -taken advantage of this simplicity of mine to behave as you have. Now -my eyes are opened, I tell you this must cease.” - -While C. B. was speaking Captain Eldridge’s face grew almost livid with -rage, his eyebrows contracted until they met across the bridge of his -nose, and as soon as C. B. had finished he snarled out-- - -“Looky here, Mr. Educated Coon, I’ll allow no nigger to talk to me like -that on board my ship, and if you open your head to me again on the -subject, I’ll shoot ye: understand that. Now get out o’ my stateroom -an’ keep yer squaw out o’ my way.” - -C. B. retreated, keeping his eyes fixed upon the scoundrel, who -doubtless at that moment would have carried out his threat, so mad was -he. As soon as C. B. reached his cabin, where he was awaited by his -wife, he entered, closed the door and fell upon his knees, crying in -agony of soul, “Lord, keep my hands, keep my temper, save me from doing -wrong. Don’t let that man try me beyond endurance, and see right done.” - -Then he sprang up, calm again, and told his wife all that had happened, -only leaving out the opprobrious epithet applied to her by the captain. -As soon as he had done so he went on deck and sought Mr. Stewart, to -whom he told the story. The old gentleman listened with compressed lips -and lowering brows until it was finished, then said with a sigh, “Well, -I guess we’re in the hands of a deep-dyed scoundrel, and we shall not -have much of a gaudy time from this out. Now we shall all have to learn -from you how to bring God into all our troubles, or else feel pretty -miserable.” - -Indeed he was right, for from thenceforth no indignity that it was in -Captain Eldridge’s power to inflict upon them was omitted. He really -seemed as if he laid awake at night thinking over new ways of annoying -them. And the poor wretch did not know that only by constant prayer and -watchfulness did C. B. restrain himself from slaying him with his bare -hands. Coincidently with this development another arose. Every member -of the crew knew of what had happened in the mysterious way that news -spreads on board ship, and especially resented the way in which the -skipper continually vented his wrath and disappointment upon them. Not -only the foremast hands but the officers were thus disaffected, and -undoubtedly the ship was getting fully ripe for mutiny. - -Every time that C. B. came on deck it seemed as if the skipper was -waiting for him, and insults and provocations came thick and fast. With -his hand in his hip pocket where his revolver lay, the dastard (for a -man must be a dastard who insults and abuses an unarmed man, having -himself a lethal weapon) would hurl every epithet of contumely that he -could invent at the great fellow, who took not the slightest notice of -him until one day, maddened by the contemptuous silence as he deemed -it of the passenger, he hurled a foul and filthy insult at Mary. With -a leap like a tiger’s C. B. was upon him in spite of the quick shots -fired, had torn the revolver from his grip and flung it overboard, and -then, forcing him to his knees, said in a voice that was terrible in -its deep calm-- - -“You bad man, you don’t know how near you have been to hell. Abuse me -all you care to, it’s better than praise from a man like you; but if -you value your life, don’t say a syllable against the good woman who is -my wife. She is no subject for your foul lips.” - -With that C. B. released him and he staggered to his feet, all his -crew looking on at his discomfiture. If there be a greater punishment -for a man than he then endured without possibility of retaliation I do -not know of it. He had no second revolver, or he would assuredly have -gone and loaded it and laid for C. B., and shot him from some secure -hiding-place, after the most approved American methods. He staggered -into his cabin, shouted for his steward, and when that trembler -appeared, he said-- - -“Go an’ get a revolver from either Mr. Haynes’ cabin or Mr. Fisher’s -(the second mate), I don’t care which; but get me one or I’ll smash yer -face in.” - -The steward fled on deck and, seeing the mate, almost screamed-- - -“Oh, Mr. Haynes, the skipper wants yer revolver, says he’ll kill me -if I don’t get it for him. I believe he’s gone mad. Oh dear, oh dear, -whatever I’ll do I don’t know.” - -The mate’s face darkened, and, turning contemptuously away from the -steward, he went below and rapped sharply at the skipper’s stateroom -door. - -“Come in,” was snapped at him, and pushing back the door he looked in -at the skipper, who was standing like a wolf at bay. - -“What you want?” he snarled, and the mate replied-- - -“I understand you sent the steward to search my room for my revolver. -Now see here, what’s in that room’s mine, and don’t you dare to meddle -with it or there’ll be bigger trouble than you want. I’m at your -service on deck, but my room’s mine and no man’s coming into it without -my leave.” With that the mate turned on his heel and made for the deck -again. - -Now although the atmosphere seemed surcharged with electricity nothing -happened. Stewart and his daughter both implored C. B. to be very -wary and careful of the skipper, but he smiled placidly as usual, and -replied that a greater care than he could exercise was being manifested -for all of them: and went on his usual way. - -They were now getting down into the “roaring Forties,” and the stern -weather characteristic of those immense southern spaces had set in. -Needless to say the vessel was handled in seamanlike fashion, because -she was a Yankee clipper, and it is not possible to imagine them being -handled otherwise. So as the great west wind rushed out of its lair, -they trimmed their yards to it, set up preventer backstays, swayed up -all halyards and tautened all sheets, while the beautiful craft, like -a high-mettled steed, laid herself down to her mighty race over the -six-thousand-mile course. - -Great was the temptation to C. B. to help in these hard doings, to join -in the work when she was shipping green seas over all, but he dared not -leave his wife again for one minute, for he feared what the malevolent -ingenuity of the skipper might effect. And he dared not trust his -father-in-law, who seemed to have developed a strange habit for him of -reading himself off to sleep at any hour of the day. It looked as if -the stimulus of money getting having been removed, he was sinking into -a lethargy from which it would need something very urgent to arouse -him. And as he was only sixty-two that was a bad sign. - -Eastward, at three hundred miles a day, the good ship sped, the wind -and sea holding steady and true. C. B. and his wife watched her flying -over the immense combers with unconquerable energy, not lightly as the -sprite-like wanderers of the ocean that floated above, but as if in -full crashing triumph over all obstacles and dangers. Neither of them -had ever such an experience before, but it appealed most to C. B., -whose recollections of the leisurely movements of the old whaler were -entirely at variance with this wonderful utilization of the wind’s -power. Hour after hour they would sit watching the beautiful fabric, -noting every forceful bound and lurch, their ears attuned to the great -sea music, the blended chorus of wind and sea and ship all working -amicably together, but all strung up to concert pitch of highest energy. - -Never since that remarkable day when C. B. disarmed him had the -skipper made a sign of either enmity or friendship--he had simply -ignored their presence on board. But this unnatural quiet had the -effect of making C. B. doubly watchful because he could not understand -it, and he lived as we say a dog’s life, that is, he always seemed to -have one eye open: which for a man with a poor physique and weak nerves -would have been fatal, but had little or no effect upon this perfectly -healthy and natural man. Still, there was one thing which troubled him, -the absolute disregard of attention to the boats. As an ex-whaleman, -of course, he had to look upon the boats as being always in readiness. -Pretty they certainly looked, with their sword-mat gripes and their -gaily painted covers, but how they were to be got out puzzled him, for -there were no davits shipped. - -And when he mentioned his fears to the mate, who in utter defiance of -the skipper continually chummed up with him, that worthy said-- - -“Well, I guess it’s about the same in all merchant ships of all -nations; we don’t go much on boats because we ain’t got much confidence -in ’em. I know there have been boat voyages that make you gasp as you -read about them, but you take the average sailor and he don’t think -much of boats. And I’m a pretty average sailor too.” - -This did not content C. B., but he kept his ideas to himself, saying -that bad as the skipper might be, he was a No. 1 seaman, and that it -was most unlikely that any harm could come to the ship. - -And no one seemed to remember the nature of the cargo! - -That was why, I suppose, when during the second dog-watch of a -particularly strenuous day, when the ship was doing fully fifteen knots -an hour on her course, nobody took any notice of C. B.’s remark that -there was a smoky lamp somewhere. His keen scent had noticed it but -none of the others could, being used moreover to the unpleasant fumes -emitted by a kerosene lamp when it is turned down too low. Still, every -now and then he would utter his complaint, until suddenly there was a -cry from forrard that quickened the heart-beats of the listeners-- - -“There’s smoke comin’ up the forehatch.” - -And everybody remembered that the ship had 164,000 cases of kerosene -stowed in her hold, realized that they were in the midst of the -stormiest, remotest ocean in the world, afloat upon a volcano due to -burst, and quailed. No blame to any of them. From the outside we may -pass judgment upon what men do in such crises, but we should be chary -of so doing: it is an awful test of manhood. - -The mate rose to the occasion. “Call all hands!” he cried, “and pass -the hose along.” Then he sought the skipper and reported to him, at -the same time reminding him of the state of the boats. The skipper -received the news in the same curious, careless way that he had treated -everything of late, but to the mate’s remark about the boats he made -no reply whatever. This angered the mate, who repeated the remark in -a raised tone and asked for orders concerning them. In a strange, -unnatural voice the captain replied that he could do what he liked, it -would not matter. Of what use were boats here, and he waved his hand -around over the desperate sea. For a moment the mate hesitated, then -shouting--“I can’t waste time with you,” he rushed forrard, intending -to give orders to have the boats cleared, when he saw C. B. and two -hands working away at them, the rest being busy at the forehatch with -a monkey pump. - -It was a sad business but heroic in the extreme, that little group -of men engaged in the hopeless task of trying to subdue the flames -below among that terrible cargo, and aft one of their number steadily -pursuing his task of steering the doomed ship on her course through the -darkness. Suddenly the mate roared-- - -“Drop those buckets and get the boats clear, what’s the use of wasting -work?” and, obedient to his cry, all hands rushed to the boats, -realizing in a dazed sort of way what the neglect of this slender -chance of life might mean. But C. B. and his two companions had toiled -at the biggest boat on the skids to good advantage, for they already -had her clear, her gear all sorted out and water put in her. - -Then C. B., hurriedly whispering to his helpers to get such food as -they could out of the cabin, caught up his wife and placed her in the -stern of the boat. Next he settled his father-in-law by her side and -bade them remain where they were. They obeyed him implicitly, for at -that moment he seemed to them to be gifted with amazing power and -foresight. But he was at his wits’ end because the ship was still -running before the gale like a hunted thing, and the very act of -heaving her to, that is, bringing her round to the wind and stopping -her way, was fraught with the utmost danger, yet it had to be done if -the boats were to be launched. And the captain made no sign. - -At last the mate, able to bear it no longer, rushed off to where the -captain stood by the helmsman, and shouted so as to be heard above the -roar of the gale-- - -“We’ve only moments left; the fire may burst up through all hatches at -once at any time now.” - -“All right,” said the skipper wearily, as if the matter did not concern -him very much. - -“All, all hands to shorten sail.” He had hardly uttered the words when -with a roar that dumbed the gale a column of fire burst upwards from -the fore hatch as wide as that opening and as high as the topsail -yards. The man at the wheel, paralysed at the sight, let the spokes -slip from his nerveless grasp, and the vessel gave a tremendous sheer -up into the wind. She was of course carrying a press of canvas, and the -weight of it caught aback, heeled her over, until she was on her beam -ends. One gigantic sea towered above her like a wall, then swept down -and tore everything movable from her decks over the lee side which was -now under water. - -C. B. standing by the boat in which was all that he held dear felt her -heel and saw the sea coming. He clutched at the boat’s gunwale just as -the wave overwhelmed the ship, and was swept with her out and away into -the tormented sea, clinging with all his great strength to her as she -went. Presently he found the strain upon his arms ease, realized that -the boat was still afloat, and climbed into her. She was half full of -water, but his dear ones were still safe cowering in the stern sheets. -He uttered a fervent, “Thank God!” and feeling all his vigour return -got an oar out and tried to get the boat’s head round before the sea -so that she would ride easier. But it was an impossible task for one -man, however strong and skilful, and he realized it directly, resigning -himself to the mercy of God. But full of hope even then. - -He had just settled down by the side of his wife and grasped her clammy -hand when the whole of the wild heavens were lit up by a tremendous -glare, in which every detail of the ship close at hand was manifest, an -awful though a glorious sight. For the space of a couple of minutes the -mighty mass of flames soared heavenwards, lighting up the whole expanse -and revealing the heaving waste of ocean all dotted with wreckage. But -it showed also that the sea was smoothened greatly, as was inevitable -from the enormous quantity of oil which had been liberated. C. B. did -not think of the cause of this relief, but he seized the opportunity to -get the mast stepped and the jib set by means of which he could keep -the boat under control. And within the next five minutes before the -glare died down and the last sign of the ship disappeared, three men -were rescued from the watery wild around, the mate, the cook, and one -seaman. Then the light went out and darkness most profound swallowed -them up. - -Throughout that terrible night the boat, managed with consummate skill -by C. B., rode gallantly and easily over the tremendous billows. But -the strain of watching was intense, and when day dawned at last on the -tormented breadths of ocean the effect of it upon C. B. was painfully -manifest. Nestling side by side at his feet were his wife and her -father, sheltered as well as was possible, and marvellous to state, -sleeping soundly. The rescued men, however, did not appear to have been -able to sleep, they knew the danger too well, and besides, they were in -a miserable plight with wet and cold. Bad as they were, however, Mr. -Haynes, looking at C. B. and noting the effect that his ceaseless watch -had had upon him, at once offered to relieve him at the helm so that -he could rest a little if sleep was impossible. Very gratefully C. B. -accepted his offer, handed the tiller to him, and slipping down by the -side of his wife had only just time to murmur a few words of thanks -when he fell fast asleep. - -When he awoke the weather had become finer, and Haynes had managed to -get the mainsail set with a couple of reefs in it, so that something of -a course to the northward could be made. There were still heavy masses -of clouds marching swiftly up from the west, and occasionally obscuring -the pale blue that looked so hopeful, and the waves were still huge and -threatening, but the boat was now making good progress without shipping -any water to speak of, and the sun diffused some warmth through their -chilled frames. So that as C. B. looked around he felt a great wave of -thankfulness surge over him, and kneeling he invited all hands to join -with him in praising God for their wonderful deliverance. Very solemnly -and heartily they all agreed, and some of them for the first time in -their lives honestly and unreservedly recognized God as the Lord by -praising him for that their lives had been spared. - -Then a meal was taken, the provisions having been examined and -apportioned with the utmost care, and Mary looking up into her -husband’s face with eyes of deepest affection, said-- - -“Only to think, Christmas, that so short a time ago we were your -patrons, showing off the power of wealth, I’m afraid, and now we -are like little children in your hands.” And Mr. Stewart chimed in -laconically-- - -“I guess it’s good for a man to get down to the beginning of things -occasionally. I ain’t a bit comfortable, nor I wouldn’t be here if I -could help it, but somehow I feel glad to think I am here and getting -along almost as well as the next man.” - -And C. B., refreshed in body as well as exalted in mind, raised his -voice in the grand strains of “Oh God of Bethel by whose hand,” to the -manifest wonder of all his companions, but also to their exceeding -comfort. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -Saved from the Sea - - -Not a word was spoken by any of his companions until he had finished -his song, then his wife, looking up at him with streaming eyes, said-- - -“My dear love, how is it that I never knew of this wonderful gift of -yours? I could sit and hear you sing all day, forgetting everything -else in the world. How could you hide such a talent as that?” - -For a little while C. B. hardly knew what to say, for he actually felt -shy as if he had done something wrong. And at last all he could say -was-- - -“I’m sorry, dear, if you like it so much, that I haven’t sung before. -I’ll make it up to you now. But first of all I’d like to ask our chief -here what he’s proposing to do.” - -Haynes immediately suggested that C. B. should take charge as being -the most experienced boatman, but C. B. would not hear of it, saying -that as long as any particle of the late ship’s furniture remained upon -which they had to depend the senior officer of the ship should be in -charge of it, “and I,” concluded C. B. “am only too glad to be at your -orders.” - -“Well, then,” said Haynes, “my idea is this. We’re about midway between -Prince Edward Island and the Crozets, that is in about 46 S. We dassent -keep on east for we can’t stand the weather, and anyhow if we did -fetch the Crozets there’s nothing there, we might all starve to death -or remain in misery for many months. I think then we’d best stand on -as we’re doin’, about north-east by east as near as I can figure it, -hoping to be sighted by some of the clippers running east who won’t go -very far south at this time of the year because of the ice. An’ I guess -you’d better keep your pray-machine going, for as I figure it we’ve -only got provisions enough with the utmost economy to keep us going for -fourteen days. Fortunately an old fad of mine comes in handy now. I -always did keep a couple of fishing lines and some hooks in one of the -boats, and it happens to be in this one. It’s the first time I’ve ever -known any good to come of it, but it may now mean the saving of all our -lives.” - -“Thank you,” said C. B., “as I know very little of geography and -nothing at all of navigation I have no doubt you are right, and now if -you like I’ll give you another song.” Without waiting he plunged into -another sweet old melody and followed it up by another and another from -the rich stores of his memory until he himself called a halt. Everybody -was gratified, not merely by the sweet sounds but by the words which -now for the first time meant so much to them. As for Mary and her -father, it is impossible to say what their feelings were. It was a new -side of their beloved one that they had not suspected. Oh! I know of -no more poignant pleasure than to find that one you love and honour -and trust goes on to develop new excellencies undreamed of before. Not -merely that they do not fail you in your need, but that they rise to -heights undreamed of by you. It is certainly a foretaste of heaven, as -the failure of those you have lavished stores of love and trust upon to -justify any confidence at all is misery not to be explained. - -Now the life of a castaway boat’s crew in the middle of a mighty ocean -is a fascinating subject, but one that requires much room and great -care in handling. Principally, I think if dealt with faithfully from -the inside, it would reveal the true character of each individual, -because every one of the people involved has ever before them the -spectre of an awful struggle to exist, a struggle wherein body and soul -come to death grips, but where, thank God, it has so often been proved -that soul is the stronger, conquering the primal longings of the body -and vindicating its supremacy. - -But somehow in this boat’s crew, although privation and suffering from -exposure had full course, no one was really unhappy. When the awful -vision of the end as it might be came before any of their minds, it was -only able to affright them for a moment; then its effect departed, its -place being taken by a sense of trust in God akin to that of a little -child in its parents, which, I think, is the most precious instance -of faith that we have. But the privations endured by them were not so -terrible as some that have been recorded, for the weather having grown -finer remained steadily so, much to the disgust of many of the captains -of the great clippers, who by the failure of the heavy western winds -felt that their chance of making a record passage that trip was being -completely spoilt. They never dreamed of a little company of fellow-men -being in such straits quite near them that they blessed God with their -whole hearts because the usual sturdy winds had moderated their rugged -force, and the great swelling seas of the south were rolling quietly, -almost as the waters of an inland lake, the vast swell affecting them -not at all. - -Twelve days since they saw the last of the ship and only two day’s -rations remaining, because in that part of the ocean Mr. Haynes’ -fishing line was of practically no use. Only the roughest of dead -reckoning had been kept, for not only was there no sextant or chart -in the boat but there was no compass, and Mr. Haynes’ course of NE. -by E. was merely the expression of habit. So that although they hoped -to be drawing near to St. Paul’s Island they could not know with any -certainty. And cheeks grew thinner, eyes more hollow and sunken, but, -thank God, as yet no word of complaint or anger. Nor had there as yet -been any discussion as to what might happen if they sighted neither -land nor ship, and all their food and water were gone. Not a word, -yet it was in every one’s mind, coupled with the thought that having -endured the pangs of semi-starvation for so long, starvation itself -could not be so bad to bear. - -On the morning of the thirteenth day C. B., standing up to stretch -himself as his custom was on waking, took a searching glance all around -the horizon. And his eyes lighted upon a dazzling speck of white upon -the western verge of the horizon. It did not need a second look to tell -him that the blessed vision was the fore royal of a ship lit up by the -first gleam of the rising sun. But he said nothing, just waited till -the morning prayer was made and the tiny meal was served and eaten. -Then he raised himself up again, his heart full of unspoken pleading -for those with him, lest a disappointment should await them, and there -she was evidently steering in a line with them and coming at such a -rate that now her courses or lower square sails were plainly visible. -Then C. B. said quietly-- - -“Dear friends, there’s a ship steering straight for us, and if they are -keeping anything of a lookout on board of her they should have seen us -by this time. Only we are not so easy to make out as they are, being -on the wrong side of the sun.” - -No need to ask where, his outstretched arm told them, and all saw her -like some mighty angel swooping down on them, and from unaccustomed -lips came gently the gracious words, “Thank God.” She fascinated them -as she came nearer, a fine full-rigged ship, her stately beauty growing -upon them with every scend she made. And now they knew she must see -them, for she still steered right for them, and C. B. declared he could -see men on the foreyard. Nearer, nearer still, until suddenly she swung -up into the wind, showing a broad band of white along her side which -had black above and slate colour beneath, stamping her for all the -seafaring world as one of the fine ships of the great firm of Messrs. -T. & J. Brocklebank of Liverpool. - -The yards on the main swung round in fine style, and she lay motionless -but for the gentle heave and sway of the sea. “Out oars,” shouted -Haynes, “we mustn’t keep him waiting. Lord, what a lovely ship!” So -the oars were shipped and all hands pulled lustily until they got -alongside, where they found a whip with a basket already rigged for the -hoisting inboard of any too feeble to climb. Mary and her father went -up in this way, but the rest of them, in spite of their feebleness, -climbed on board pilot fashion up the swaying man ropes. And the boat, -like many another good servant that has outlived his usefulness, was -turned adrift, much to C. B.’s sorrow. - -The genial captain came to meet them and welcome them on board the -_Majestic_. He had over twenty passengers on board and was, of course, -bound to Calcutta. Whoever heard of a Brocklebank ship going anywhere -else in those days? The lady passengers captured Mary and carried her -off, their gentle hearts full of compassion for her sad plight, for in -spite of her courage and the calm heroism with which she had endured -the misfortune that had befallen them, her sunken cheeks and hollow -eyes and wasted arms told their own tale of privation. Her father -too, who had borne up amazingly with the dogged courage indeed of the -genuine American of the better class, now looked frail and very old, -while C. B. and the members of the crew, though thin and haggard, were -not nearly so bad as might have been expected. - -Hospitality of every kind was shown them, but food and drink were given -judiciously, after the well-known rule for fasting persons, and so -rapidly did they recover that the next evening they were all, except of -course the cook and the seaman, able to come to the well spread saloon -dinner table, where they were made very much of. They were indeed -a great acquisition to the ship, for swift as her passage had been -(those vessels usually made the run out from Liverpool to Calcutta in -from eighty to ninety days), the passengers as usual began to feel the -tedium of the voyage, as they termed it, hang very heavily upon them. -Consequently this romantic break in the monotony was welcomed with -great joy by them all, and as they heard more and more of the strange -adventures of one at least of their guests, their interest rose to a -very high pitch indeed. - -It was Saturday, and after dinner the patriarchal skipper announced -that he would hold the usual prayer meeting, for he was a Christian -indeed, and endeavoured to provide the means of worship for all, while -obliging none to attend. And he said, “We shall be able to-night to -turn it into a praise meeting for that the Lord has been so good as to -let us rescue the perishing.” - -C. B. looked up at him wonderingly. He could hardly believe his ears. -But there was no mistake at all. He presently realized that for the -first time since he had left his beloved home he was going to enjoy -what to him was the most precious privilege of life, that of meeting -with the Lord’s people in prayer and praise. His eyes sparkled and his -face flushed so that his wife, looking up at him, felt the influence -and bowed her head in silent thankfulness. - -Partly from curiosity, but in some cases in pure reverence, most of the -passengers attended the meeting in the saloon that night, also a few -of the crew. The grand old skipper presided, and after a hymn had been -sung, in which C. B.’s glorious tenor electrified them all, he read a -chapter, the stirring story of Paul’s shipwreck by Luke. And then he -prayed, being indeed accustomed to take all the parts himself, since -up till now no one of his crew or passengers had ever accepted his -invariable invitation, “Will any brother or sister lead us in prayer?” -There was no change in this evening’s exercises, except that the dear -old man was a little less stereotyped than usual, especially when he -thanked God for permitting the crew of the _Majestic_ to be the means -of rescuing their perishing brothers and sisters. - -And then he uttered his invitation, at which C. B. immediately sprang -to his feet and poured out his very soul. What a prayer that was to be -sure! It flooded the hearts of the hearers with a sense of the presence -of the Divine in their midst, it established with a certainty that -nothing could shake the connexion between the man and his heavenly -father. When at last he ceased, and be sure that he did not pray -long, there was a strange sensation among them all as if they expected -something to happen. And then the sweet voice of Mary rose, never -sweeter than now, following her husband. Never before had she raised -her voice in prayer in public, but now the inspiration seized her and -she could not refrain. Sweetly and gladly she praised the Lord, and the -people who had felt strange tremors while C. B. was praying now owned -to a peace that passed all their understanding stealing over them. She -ceased and, wonder of wonders, the hard rugged old citizen, the keen -fighter in the business arena, Old Man Stewart of the San Francisco -Stock Exchange, lifted up his voice. I have not dared to give a sample -of either C. B.’s or Mary’s out-pourings, but Mr. Stewart’s was so new -and vigorous and eminently common-sense that I cannot refrain. - -“Almighty God, in the name of Jesus Christ I thank you for all the -mercy you’ve shown me and my daughter and her husband. You’ve saved us -from a horrible death, you’ve brought us among good people, and you’ve -made me see as I never did before the glory and majesty that is yours. -If I knew, how I’d compete with the angels in praising you for what -you’ve been and done to me lately, but I don’t, and I guess ’tain’t -necessary either. So I’ll just say thank you, great God, for my dear -son and his good influence, thank you for savin’ us, thank you for the -lovingkindness of this good ship’s company and all, and all....” Then -the rugged voice faltered, the tall form trembled, subsided into a -seat, and he buried his face in his hands sobbing. - -And C. B. sprang to his feet, singing with his soul in his voice, “All -hail the power of Jesu’s Name.” They all sang it through, following him -verse by verse, and then when the voices died away the old skipper -solemnly pronounced the benediction, closing what he afterwards -declared was the most memorable prayer meeting he had ever attended. -And after the folks had dispersed in chastened mood to talk over the -strange happenings of the evening, he called C. B. and his wife to -him to ask of them certain things. He needed, as he explained, to be -strengthened in his soul by the conversation of such natural Christians -as he felt sure they were. - -His communion with them was of mutual benefit and much pleasure, and -C. B. felt happier than he had done for a long time, not that he was -ever unhappy, but that being a man he had sadly missed the pleasure -he had renewed this night. Then when the old skipper had bidden them -good night C. B. and his wife and Mr. Stewart sat and talked over the -amazing happenings of the past month, the strange ways in which it was -pleasing the Lord to lead them. And gradually the talk came round, as -it must do, to ways and means. They were now bound to Calcutta, and as -Mr. Stewart had remitted the balance of his money to Sydney except for -the trifle they had brought on board with them, all of which had been -lost, they were practically beggared; still they could not talk with C. -B. and feel that, for his cheery optimism was entirely proof against -any such depressing thoughts. He would only quote the simile of the -sparrows and smile contentedly. - -Next day they swung round the island of St. Paul’s, had set the course -northward for Calcutta. And as soon as the yards had been trimmed the -captain called C. B. to him and said that there was just a chance of -them meeting a ship bound South to Sydney or Melbourne which had been -to Calcutta with horses, then a very lucrative trade and one that gave -employment to a good many vessels. Then he said-- - -“If we do, I will signal to her and try to get them to take you on -board, for much as I should like to take you on to Calcutta with me I -know how hard it would be for you in your present penniless condition -to land in a port so very far away from where you are bound to. And -none of our passengers here are wealthy, they are all people who have -their living to earn, or I know they would help. So we will pray that -a vessel may be sighted into which you can be transhipped and thus the -way made clear for you.” - -C. B. thanked him and withdrew to the society of the dear ones, whom -he found seated among a delighted group of the passengers who were -listening spell-bound to some story Mr. Stewart was telling them. And -as C. B. approached they hailed him gladly and made room for him in -their midst, while Mr. Stewart said laconically-- - -“Now I guess I’ll turn the story over to him, for not only was he there -and knows the whole thing, but he’s the boss story-teller there is, -lays clean over any spinner of yarns I ever heard of, and what is best -of all, you can bank your entire substance that he’ll never tell you -anything that isn’t exactly so to an actual dot.” - -C. B. laughingly inquired what this was they were getting up for him -now, and learned that it was the story of poor Captain Taber’s breaking -up, which, although Mr. Stewart and Mary had heard several times, they -could not possibly tell as he could. And yet, having heard Captain -Taber’s side of the yarn, Mary was able to put her oar in occasionally -in order to prevent her husband’s modesty from entirely covering up his -good part in the great business. For like a thoroughly good wife she -loved to have her husband praised. His glory was hers, everything that -was spoken of him truly and gratefully warmed her very heart, for he -was part of herself and her typical hero. - -So C. B. told the story and more also, and in such pleasant ways the -time sped on until they had been a week on board and felt as if it had -been but one day. There was no more respite for C. B.’s voice now, -especially as the _Majestic_ had a piano in her saloon, and C. B. -now discovered to his boundless delight what he had never dreamed of -before, that Mary could play beautifully: a born musician, she could -accompany anybody with or without the music as soon as she got the air. -And how they did sing! It seemed as if they could have thus poured out -their very souls. Mr. Stewart made a mental note that whatever they -decided to do without in their new simplicity at Norfolk Island when -they got there, a piano or an American organ certainly would not be one -of the things, since it was a source of such great delight and innocent -pleasure. - -This pleasant time came to an end with great suddenness. A sail was -sighted coming towards them and the captain shaped his course to -meet her closely. As she drew nearer it was seen that she was a fine -full-rigged ship, and the flags soon revealed that she was the _Ben -Ledi_ from Calcutta to Sydney, thirty-one days out. To the signal “I -wish to communicate by boat” the stranger backed her maintopsail and -lay to expectantly, while the captain of the _Majestic_ invited the -three to accompany his chief officer to the boat to the other ship, -wisely remarking that if she would take them so much time would be -saved, if not there was no harm done. Of course the three hands of the -late _Julia D. South’s_ crew would go on to Calcutta; being sailors, -one port was as good to them as another. - -Hurried and fervent farewells were made and many tears were shed, for -the trio had made themselves much beloved during the short time of -their stay; then laden with good wishes and a substantial outfit of -clothing generously contributed by all the passengers they dropped into -the boat and departed. As only a mile separated the two ships but a -very short time elapsed before they were alongside the _Ben Ledi_, and -the mate of the _Majestic_ who had accompanied them climbed nimbly on -board and briefly stated their case to the captain, offering in their -name to pay whatever should be considered fair for a passage to Sydney. - -No difficulty whatever was made, for the _Ben Ledi_ was also a big -ship with good accommodation, and the captain, though a cautious -business-like Scotchman, said that he was happy to be of service, -and as for the passage money, that could be settled by the agents in -Sydney. So a whip was rigged for Mrs. Adams and her father, they were -lightly lifted on board, C. B. sprang up the side ladder, the mate -after a hearty handshake all round leaped into his boat, shoved off, -and away they went. - -As soon as ever the boat was clear the captain shouted-- - -“Fill away ye’ere main yard. Come up on the poop, friends, and wave -good-bye to your ship.” And with swelling hearts they watched the -hospitable _Majestic_ dipping her flag in farewell as the _Ben Ledi_ -gathered way and began to slip through the water southward bound. The -captain, introducing himself as “James McIntyre, at your service,” made -no attempt to persuade them to come below until the _Majestic_ was -hull down, and then gently suggested that they might be glad to see -their cabins, like a courteous host doing the honours of his house to -distinguished visitors. And so they became passengers in yet another -ship on this curious tortuous journey of theirs to the lonely lovely -isle of their hopes. - -They found to their astonishment that this ship was scarcely less -sumptuously fitted than the last, that the cabins were roomy if less -comfortable, and that an air of quiet ordered peace reigned on board. -And Mr. Stewart said emphatically-- - -“How is it, I wonder, that people will tell such needless lies about -this thing? Now I’d always believed the Britishers were hoggish, -unsociable, et up with pride. That British ships were dirty, no account -tubs, where life was hardly worth living and comfort was unknown. I’ve -heard the term lime-juicer applied to them all and felt that it meant -all that was contemptible and worthless. And now I find everything the -exact opposite, and I’m filled with shame that I ever believed such -lying slanders. Ah well, there must be some evil spirit at work tryin’ -to keep the two countries enemies. As for me, I’ll bless a Britisher -as long as I live if it’s only for the way I’ve been treated and seen -folks behave under that flag lately.” - -You can hardly imagine how C. B.’s heart thrilled with joy at hearing -his father-in-law say this. For he, like all the rest of his island -brethren, was passionately patriotic, and praise of the dear land they -had never seen was only second to praise of the Lord and His glorious -kingdom in their innocent ignorant minds. Perhaps it was as well that -they had no opportunities to become disillusioned, for Heaven knows the -latter process is easy enough to even our most fervent admirers who -visit us and take the trouble to inquire into things. - -Truly the old gentleman’s encomia were well deserved in this case, -for while the _Julia D. South_ was certainly far from being a fair -representative of American packets generally of that day, both the -_Majestic_ and the _Ben Ledi_ were among the very best of their -class, magnificently built and equipped, and in the hands of men who -were a credit to their profession. Of course the _Ben Ledi_ was not -so comfortable in some respects as the _Majestic_, for she was not -carrying passengers, but that did not trouble our friends, who were -grateful and delighted at the thought that they were once more on the -direct track for their last but one port. - -The passage was entirely uneventful, for no extraordinary weather was -experienced, and while every man in the ship knew his duty and did it -well, they were an exceedingly taciturn lot, being nearly all pawky -Scotchmen. Having given their guests the best reception in their power -and treated them in every way as first-class passengers, they left it -at that, as if they felt that it was no part of their duty to amuse -and entertain their guests as well. And doubtless they were perfectly -justified in their own eyes, but for my part, having been in a few of -them, I detest a _silent_ ship. It always seems as if everybody was -sullen or as if some trouble was brewing. - -Certainly it did so here to our friends, for Mary said to her husband -on the third day-- - -“Whatever can be the matter with these folks, they go about like -automata, and whenever I have spoken to one of the officers or the -captain they have seemed so embarrassed and troubled that I have felt -quite guilty, though for the life of me I can’t think of what. Their -whole stock of conversation seems to consist of ‘ay,’ long drawn out, -or a funny noise that they make with their mouths shut, all m’s. The -chief officer did say the other day when I remarked how beautiful the -weather was, ‘that’s a faact, mem,’ but he got quite red in the face -over it.” - -C. B. laughingly reproved her for her criticism, and reminded her how -the silent folks were almost always those who did most. And in any case -if their hosts were silent the ship was as near perfection in every -respect as a ship could be. - -And so she remained. Through the dreaded waters of the Great Australian -Bight, where she fought out a tremendous easterly gale in splendid -fashion, through the intricate navigation of Bass’s Straits, where she -behaved like a yacht against light, baffling winds and unfavourable -currents, and then as with a howling “Southerly buster” behind her -she flew north at the rate of fourteen knots an hour, she won the -most whole-hearted and lavish admiration from her guests. Mr. Stewart -waxed enthusiastic, a rare thing for him, and going up to the captain, -who was standing with impassive face near the binnacle, he burst -into praise of the ship and her many superb qualities as far as he -could tell, having travelled a good deal at sea. To which the captain -rejoined drily, “Aye, she’s no’ a bad ship.” - -Presently they opened up the wonderful harbour of Port Jackson, so -cunningly concealed as to its entrance that our greatest navigator -sailed right past it unsuspectingly, and after picking up a pilot -filled away again and sailed up to the crowded anchorage like some -mighty bird settling down to its nest and gradually folding its wings. -There was a crash and a tremor all through the ship as the anchor -fell, and there she lay, another passage safely accomplished, and her -passengers’ hearts full of joy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -Home at Last - - -In one hour from the time the _Ben Ledi’s_ anchor was dropped off -Sydney Cove, C. B., Mary and Mr. Stewart were in the fine offices -of the firm with which the latter gentleman had deposited the small -remainder of his fortune, and explaining as briefly as possible -the vicissitudes which had attended their journeying thither. They -were welcomed with great cordiality by the head of the firm, Mr. -Oliphant, who at once invited them to come and be his guests in his -beautiful home on the shores of Wooloomoolloo Bay, where they could -rest and refresh themselves while they made their preparations for -the last stage of their journey. They all smiled at the idea of their -needing either rest or refreshment after the luxurious life they had -been leading of late, but gratefully accepted the good man’s offer -nevertheless. - -Now visitors to the Queen City of the South are usually captivated at -once by her charms, especially with the wondrous beauty of her glorious -harbour, and their enjoyment is always heightened by the delightful -hospitality of the citizens. But although neither of the three friends -could be said to be insensible to either the beauties of nature or the -wonders of man’s handiwork, they were all filled with a great longing -for the home about which C. B. had spoken so lovingly, and whose simple -delights he had so often pictured to them. And therefore, when Mr. -Oliphant at his cheerful table that night produced a programme of -visits and sightseeing that he and his wife had arranged for their -guests, he received somewhat of a shock to find that they manifested -not the slightest desire to avail themselves of his thoughtful kindness. - -He had been amazed at the refusal of his guests to taste the costly -wines he had set before them, wondered too at the extreme simplicity -of their tastes, which made them neglect nearly all the carefully -prepared dishes on the table and content themselves with the plainest -fare, but now to find that they were careless of the wonders of Sydney, -both natural and artificial--well, it was incomprehensible to him, -and his wife’s chagrin was so great that she could hardly conceal her -vexation. Now the guests knew that as they were people of practically -no importance socially, for Mr. Oliphant had no idea that Mr. Stewart -had so recently been a millionaire, this solicitude for their comfort -and pleasure could only arise from sheer kindness of heart, so they -hastened to explain. The task of doing so fell upon Mr. Stewart, for -C. B. had been strangely reticent of late, his usual fluency of speech -seemed to have deserted him. - -“Dear host and hostess,” said the old gentleman, “nine months ago -when I was hastening home to San Francisco from a world-tour with my -dear daughter here and her mother, now with God, had anyone told me -that I should turn a cold shoulder to hospitality such as you offer -us I should have laughed in their faces. For we were all very keen on -sightseeing, and I was besides a business man to my finger-tips; in -fact it seemed to me almost the only thing that made life worth living, -for to make money rapidly and spend it royally. I do not feel inclined -to tell you all the story now, and indeed it would take too long, of -how thoroughly my views and my whole life have been changed. - -“I have lost my dear wife and almost the whole of my fortune, but I am -to-day a happier man than I have ever been in my whole life. I have -learned from that dear fellow there what it is to really live, and how -little we really need in this world in order to be truly happy. I am -more glad that he is my daughter’s husband than I should be if she were -the wife of a reigning sovereign, and I am looking forward with great -longing to spend the rest of my days in his peaceful home on Norfolk -Island, a place which perhaps you know something about?” - -“I know there is such a place at no great distance from here, less than -1,000 miles anyway, and I know too that it has had an awful history as -a convict settlement, but since that black stain has been wiped out -from our Australasian Colonies I cannot say that I know anything of its -history. I know at any rate that we have no trade with it, so if there -is a settlement there it must be self-supporting, I should think.” - -Then C. B., being appealed to by the gentle eyes of his wife, told his -host and hostess the story of the emigration to Norfolk Island of a -large number of the Pitcairn Island folk, descendants of the mutineers -of the _Bounty_, while they sat in dumb surprise. - -But when the recital was over Mrs. Oliphant looked at her husband, and, -shrugging her shoulders, said-- - -“There’s no accounting for tastes, Harry, but I think such a life as -that would drive me mad within a month. How can people go back to -such barbarism as that when once they have escaped from it? That’s -wonderful, but it’s ten times more wonderful that people like you,” -nodding at Mr. Stewart and his daughter, “should be attracted by such -a life and leave all the delights of civilization for it. However, -it’s no business of ours to try and persuade you, presumably you have -decided fully on your course?” - -“Indeed we have, ma’am,” said Mary; “and you see, although we are -fully persuaded ourselves, we do not seek to make converts to our way -of thinking, nor are we following any new religion. We ourselves have -been converted mainly by the spectacle of a good life--that of my -husband--whom if you knew, you would say of him as nearly every one -else says, that he is a man after God’s own mind. Now we should not -have told you these things because we felt we should be misunderstood, -but we wanted you to know that it was not churlishness nor ingratitude -that made us refuse your very kind and generous offer.” - -Mr. Oliphant made a gesture as if washing his hands of the whole -affair, as if indeed he felt frankly that it was quite beyond him, and -said, “Well then, Mr. Stewart, perhaps you will tell me in what way as -your agent here I can serve you?” - -“That I can,” responded Mr. Stewart cheerfully. “First of all, I want -the captain of the _Ben Ledi_ paid for our passage hither from where he -took us on board. I do not believe he will ask exorbitant rates, but I -must tell you that we have had first-class accommodation, and I should -not consider $350 too dear. I should object to paying more than that. -Secondly, I want you to find us either a vessel that we can charter at -a low rate, a schooner, say, to convey us to Norfolk Island, or perhaps -for less money you may be able to induce some owner to let his vessel, -bound somewhere else among the islands, go out of her way a little to -land us there. Lastly, we wish to buy rather a large quantity of goods, -tools of various kinds, clothing, books, and above all, a first-class -American organ. And I think that is all. Only of course we should like -despatch.” - -Mr. Oliphant, who had made notes while Mr. Stewart was speaking, turned -and replied-- - -“I think I have all your instructions now, sir, and you may rely upon -me to put your business through as soon as I can. And if there is -anything else I can do or my wife can do for Mrs. Adams command us. We -can and do honour and respect you for your opinions, even though we -totally disagree with them. And now perhaps you would like to retire, -as it is getting late.” - -C. B. looked wistfully at his wife and father-in-law, and then said -meekly, but as if he could not help speaking-- - -“Have you any objection, sir, and Mrs. Oliphant, to our having a little -prayer together before we part for the night?” - -A look of consternation came over the lady’s face, almost of terror, -and she turned appealingly to her husband, who replied immediately, -“I’m sure you’ll excuse us. That sort of thing is not at all in our -line. This is Liberty Hall and of course you may do what pleases you, -but we could not take part in your exercises, it would be hypocrisy.” - -C. B. rose at once bowing courteously and saying--“I hope you’ll -forgive me for mentioning the matter, I have no wish to intrude our -views upon you. Good-night”; and with mutual expressions of good will -they separated. But as soon as Mrs. Oliphant and her husband reached -their chamber the lady’s indignation broke forth, and she said many -bitter things about the impudence of these strangers suggesting such a -thing in a house where they were guests. - -This difference however did not affect her hospitable attentions to her -guests for, as if repentant of her feelings towards them, she really -toiled hard during the week of their stay to make them as comfortable -as could be, while her husband was certainly as good as his word. -So strenuously did he exert himself that by that day week he had -arranged everything for them, the goods they needed were all packed in -convenient parcels for transshipment, C. B. being the director of this -part of the business, and a handy brigantine, the _Lady Head_, bound to -Fiji, was chartered to land them and their belongings at Norfolk Island -with the least possible delay. - -The morning of their departure broke bright and clear, with a fresh -westerly breeze, and they bade Mrs. Oliphant and her three dear -children an affectionate and grateful farewell. But nothing could blind -them to the fact that she was almost nervously anxious to have them -gone, for as she afterwards confessed to a few chosen acquaintances, -they made her feel strangely uneasy, made her feel as if she were a -godless wicked creature, while all the time behaving themselves with -the utmost meekness and courtesy. And they on their part were hungry -for the place that C. B. was never tired of telling them about, and -reminding them that God might there be worshipped continually without -its being thought a strange thing to do, where no one felt bound to -dislike you because you admitted that the love of God was the chief -factor in your life and where, while living an active happy life with -all your God-given faculties in full play there was no brutal collision -at every turn with the forces of evil regnant in the world. - -The _Lady Head_ with all sail set sped swiftly seaward, our three -friends sitting on her little poop with no eyes for the beauty of the -shores they were leaving. Every day brought Mary and her father to a -clearer understanding of the thorny way C. B. must have travelled since -leaving his home, for even Mr. Oliphant, honest, courteous and urbane -as he had been, was obviously glad to see them go. They felt that for -men and women truly filled with the love of God there was no room in -the world that hated the Master. The thought that there was anything -cowardly in thus fleeing from the scene of conflict did not occur to -them as perhaps it should have done: I do not know. They only knew that -they were going to a place of peace and that sufficed them. - -They had no pleasant passage. The vessel was small, the crew were rough -and brutal, and the language they heard around them hurt them very -much, but nothing could disturb the serenity of their souls. So deeply -had they become imbued with the spirit that C. B. had always manifested -that they had no doubts, they felt that they were going home. And it -was with something of a shock that they learned from C. B. that since -his departure in the _Eliza Adams_, he had heard no word of his people. -It was but slight though, one look at his face with its calm assurance -of all being well gave them a mild rebuke. Of course all would be well. - -Contrary winds and heavy weather delayed them a good deal, but the -little vessel if uncomfortable was staunch, and they were proof against -bodily discomfort. Yet when on the fourteenth day from Sydney Heads -they sighted the well-known bay (to C. B.), Mary and her father were -seized with a strange trembling, and the stern old man, so wonderfully -softened, could not help a tear now and then stealing down his ruddy -cheeks. They stood in, and when within easy distance of the shore hove -to, C. B.’s keen glance detecting a boat putting off before any one -else did. Swiftly it came towards them, while C. B., holding his wife -with one hand and his father-in-law with the other, bade them observe -how she was handled. - -Suddenly he gave a joyful shout, “My father! Oh, thank God, thank -God!” Yes, it was Philip, with all his old vigour handling the steer -oar, and, as he skilfully swung the boat alongside, he looked up and -recognized his firstborn. He snatched at a rope flung to him, sprang -on board and folded his son to his breast in a silent ecstasy, while -Mary and Mr. Stewart stood back trembling and waited till the sacred -greeting was over. - -Suddenly C. B. sprang away from his father’s arms and, seizing Mary, -cried, “Here, father, here’s another daughter for you: this is my -darling wife; and here is her father, a brother for you.” - -Philip gravely embraced his daughter-in-law, his clear eyes appearing -to search out her very soul. She, poor girl, now that she was where she -had so longed to be, was for a moment just a little dismayed at the -aspect of Philip. While her whole heart cried shame at the thought, it -was there, that this noble-looking man’s rough sleeveless shirt, coarse -short pants and bare gnarled feet were repugnant to her. Life-long -prejudices are indeed hard to overcome. - -Surely then it should be accounted unto her for righteousness that she -bravely took those ignoble feelings by the throat and choked them, -envying her father as she did so the ease and grace with which he -greeted the roughly clad man before him. But then he had long ago known -the true value of clothes, and being besides a rare judge of a man when -he saw him he had mentally appraised Philip at once as being another -C. B. only more so. - -But neither C. B. nor his father thought of these things. C. B. -indeed, shaken out of his usual calm, could hardly restrain himself -sufficiently to explain about the goods they had brought with them; -he was so impatient to bring Mary and his mother together. But it -was certain that one boat could not possibly carry the boat load -that was waiting, and so it was decided that Philip and Mr. Stewart -should remain on board while C. B. took Mary ashore and sent the two -boats back. Such a precaution was necessary, for the character of -neither skipper nor crew of the _Lady Head_ stood very high, and it -was quite possible that in the absence of the owners of the freight -they might take it into their heads to up helm and be off in a fit -of absent-mindedness as it were. Such things have happened in those -latitudes before now. - -So Mary was carefully assisted into the boat, and crouching low in the -stern sheets she gazed upwards with loving admiration of the noble form -of her husband as erect at the great steer-oar he swung the boat’s head -landward. Every stroke of the way she watched him, nor blenched for -a breath, even when the enormous shoreward rushing billow poised the -craft like a feather upon its foaming crest, a vast green slope before -and behind, down one of which it seemed that they must roll and be -swallowed up. - -Presently the boat touched the beach, the crew sprang out, dug their -feet into the shingle as the wave receded, and then with a great cry of -delight as the next billow came in ran her up with it high and dry. And -C. B. sprang out, turned, lifted his wife like a babe in his powerful -arms, and running up the slope with her placed her in the arms of his -mother. Grace took Mary to her bosom while her son said with tears -streaming down, “Mother, I have brought you home a daughter, my dear -wife.” - -And the friends catching the word shouted aloud for joy, while Grace, -holding her new daughter a little way from her, looked in her sweet -face and murmured-- - -“Dear one, may God abundantly bless you and make your married life as -happy as mine has been. Come home and see your brothers and sisters, -they will all welcome you to their hearts as I do. Come, you are tired -and excited, but in our home you will find peace and rest.” And Mary -went with her mother, her mind all awhirl. In those few moments she -realized how fully she had severed herself from all the past, and with -Grace’s strong arm round her and her husband striding by her side knew -of a certainty that she had done well. - -That was the most exciting day in the history of the little community. -What with the landing of the very necessary and welcome consignment, -listening to the tale C. B. had to tell, welcoming the fine old -American gentleman Mr. Stewart, and occasionally breaking out into -songs of praise, it was midnight before the friends sought their homes, -and even then there were many who did not sleep until morning. - -My story is really done, for although in novels generally the story -ends with the marriage of the lovers, mine has not done so, but has -carried them on through the trials and developments that always follow -marriage, which after all is to most people but the beginning of a life -story. It would be quite easy to spend many pages in describing how the -new-comers were introduced to the many quiet sweet joys of their chosen -home, as easy as it would be to find fault with them for quitting the -world of effort for this peaceful nook. But to do so would be merely -repeating the earlier descriptions in the book, and so I do what -seems to me the right thing, merely record that with an ease that was -marvellous Mary and her father slipped into their allotted places in -the simple island scheme of existence. - -And presently they wondered how they had ever been able to bear the -burden of so-called civilization, and the thousand and one miseries -which the possession of wealth and the maintaining of a place in -society, supposed to be incumbent upon the wealthy, brings in its -train. Mary summed up her feelings upon the subject to her father one -Sunday night when after the usual united meeting for prayer and praise -they all sat upon the verdant hillside in the warm moonlight by saying-- - -“Daddy dear, I do not believe we ever knew what it really was to live, -and I am sure that we had no conception of the lovingkindness of God -until I met my Bounty Boy.” - - -[Illustration: Logo] - - - - -+-------------------------------------------------+ -|Transcriber’s note: | -| | -|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. | -| | -+-------------------------------------------------+ - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BOUNTY BOY*** - - -******* This file should be named 65476-0.txt or 65476-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/5/4/7/65476 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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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 <a -href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: A Bounty Boy</p> -<p> Being Some Adventures of a Christian Barbarian on an Unpremeditated Trip Round the World</p> -<p>Author: Frank Thomas Bullen</p> -<p>Release Date: May 31, 2021 [eBook #65476]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BOUNTY BOY***</p> -<h4 class="pgx" title="">E-text prepared by MWS, Martin Pettit,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (https://www.pgdp.net)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (https://archive.org)</h4> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/bountyboybeingso00bulliala - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - - -<div class="center"><img src="images/front.jpg" alt="front" /></div> - -<hr /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<h1>A BOUNTY BOY </h1> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="title page" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2"><i><span class="smcap">A Bounty Boy</span></i></p> - -<p class="bold"><i>Being some Adventures of a Christian<br /> -Barbarian on an unpremeditated Trip<br />Round the World</i></p> - -<p class="bold space-above"><i>By</i></p> - -<p class="bold2"><i>Frank T. Bullen, F.R.G.S.</i></p> - -<p class="bold"><i>Author of “The Cruise of the Cachalot,”<br /> -“With Christ at Sea,” etc.</i></p> - -<p class="bold space-above">LONDON<br />HOLDEN & HARDINGHAM<br />ADELPHI<br />1912.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span></p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/works.jpg" alt="PREVIOUS WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center">To<br /><span class="smcap">Dr.</span> ROBERT F. HORTON<br />IN LOVING ADMIRATION</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE</h2> - -<p>This perhaps should rather be called a prefatory note, since all the -introduction to my book that I deem necessary is to say that in it I -have endeavoured to sketch a community for whom I have the highest -admiration, the descendants of the mutineers of the <i>Bounty</i>, who I -maintain are a standing proof of the miraculous power of the Gospel in -the regeneration of mankind when unhindered by sacerdotal interference. -And in order to make the subject as full as possible, I have taken one -typical islander, the Bounty Boy, out of his surroundings into the -world, and told his adventures therein with a view of showing how the -Christian who is one indeed may fare.</p> - -<p class="right">FRANK T. BULLEN.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Melbourn, Cambs.</span>,<br /> <i>September, 1907</i>.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">CHAP.</span></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>I </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Christmas Bounty</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>II </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Whale Hunt</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_20">20</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>III </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">C. B.’s Childhood</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IV </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Evil from Without</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>V </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Entertaining Devils Unaware</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VI </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">C. B.’s Departure</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">C. B. justifies his Position</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_90">90</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VIII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Treachery and its Consequences</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IX </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Great Catch</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>X </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Gam and a Revenge</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_135">135</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XI </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Story of a Crime</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_150">150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">C. B.’s Great Temptation</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_166">166</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XIII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">C. B.’s Narrowest Escape</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_182">182</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>XIV </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Momentous Passage</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_198">198</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XV </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Farewell to the Ship</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_214">214</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XVI </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Popularity</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_229">229</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XVII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Troublesome Appreciation</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_244">244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XVIII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Hero in Spite of Himself</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XIX </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">C. B.’s Awakening</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_274">274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XX </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">C. B.’s Task Concludes</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXI </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Marriage and Departure</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_305">305</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Back to Primitive Things</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_320">320</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXIII </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Saved from the Sea</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_336">336</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXIV </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Home at Last</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_351">351</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER I</span> <span class="smaller">A Christmas Bounty</span></h2> - -<p>Fifty years ago, in a primitive but comfortable house situated in one -of the fairest spots that this world can show, a group of men and -women were holding a prayer meeting. An unobserved listener who had -been accustomed to such gatherings elsewhere would have been at once -impressed by the perfect naturalness of these people, in that not one -of them behaved differently from how we should expect a happy family -to act in the presence of their parents while one of them was relating -some interesting experience. There was no self-conscious posing for -effect, no making of long prayers composed of meaningless repetitions -with an occasional verse of Scripture or of a hymn thrown in for -effect, no unnatural groaning or shouting, all was quiet, sweet, and -delightful.</p> - -<p>But truly, never did a body of Christians exercise their privileges -under more heavenly conditions upon this earth. Through the open sides -of the house could be seen in one direction a delectable stretch of -pasture land interspersed with graceful trees and edged by dazzlingly -white sand, beyond which lay a vast sapphire space flecked with -snowy-topped wavelets, whose diamond spray glittered rejoicingly -under the glowing beams of the fervent sun. In the opposite direction -tree-clad hills sprang from emerald meadows and cultivated land, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span>soaring upward until the fleecy cloud forms kissed their summits -lovingly as they gently glided past, flecking the smiling verdure -beneath with patches of softest shade and thus enhancing the beauty of -the picture.</p> - -<p>Yes, it was a fair spot to the eye, as any one who knows Norfolk Island -can testify, but that to the worshippers was not the greatest of their -many blessings. Time had been, and that not long before, when this -earthly paradise was polluted and degraded by the presence of the very -dregs of humanity, the lees of the convict settlements of New South -Wales; and it would be hard to say which was worst, the crimes for -which they were being punished, or the nameless horrors to which they -were subjected in excess of legal punishment. Happily that evil blot -had been removed from the lovely island, and now it was peopled by a -tiny community of less than two hundred, who were, it is safe to say, -quite near attainment of the heavenly state on earth, and consequently -were as happy as it is possible for man to be while bearing about with -him the body of physical death.</p> - -<p>Here the worship of God, free from any idea of form or ceremony, was -as natural to all as their ordinary conversation. Crime and vice were -unknown as was wealth, possessions were practically held in common, -sickness and disease and their necessary concomitant the doctor had no -place, and a spirit of idyllic simplicity reigned, of sweet contentment -and peace such as has never been known elsewhere in any other community -whatever.</p> - -<p>Now on this particular Christmas Day the meeting of which I spoke at -the beginning of the chapter had a special significance. The fifteen -or sixteen persons composing it had met together to celebrate,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> not -Christmas merely, but the birth of a babe who was hourly expected. It -would not be fair to say that they were special friends or relations -of the parents in a community where no enmity existed and where all -were more or less related to one another, better to say that they were -just those who could most conveniently be there on a day when every -household was celebrating in purest fashion the coming of the Babe of -Bethlehem. And these particular friends were in specially bright and -happy mood, for to them the expected event bore a double character. So -they passed the time in the pleasant exercises of which I have spoken, -their petitions being singularly free from suggestions that the mother -elect or the coming babe were in any danger, until suddenly the door of -the one inner apartment was thrown open, and a splendidly handsome man -appeared bearing the welcome infant, which plunged, squalled, and gave -other vigorous tokens of his conscious entrance to the world of sense.</p> - -<p>As if with one accord and in perfect harmony all burst into the -glorious old song “Angels from the realms of glory,” singing with all -their heart in their voices. And as the lovely strains of the refrain -died away, a sweet voice from within cried, “Thank you all, dear ones; -I’m so happy.” A glad response went up from all, and then, after duly -admiring the boy, the visitors strolled away, all but two, to spread -the glad news among the community that another dear life had arrived to -share their happy lot.</p> - -<p>Now this was a particularly happy occasion, for the parents of the new -comer were, in a society where all were friends, all were stalwart, -healthy and handsome, pre-eminently so. Grace, the mother,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> who had -only been married to Philip Adams some eighteen months, had been the -acknowledged beauty of the island, no mean honour where all the girls -were beautiful. She was also exceedingly beloved by all the women and -men alike, nor was there a trace of jealousy of her, that hateful weed -that poisons so many lives. Moreover, she was an accomplished musician, -and had for a long time filled the post of teacher of that precious -acquirement of singing (they had no instruments), with the result that -their choir, which comprised nearly the whole of them, would have taken -high rank anywhere, except that the vocal exercises were almost wholly -confined to hymns, just a very few old songs, such as the “Land o’ the -Leal,” “Robin Adair,” “Allan Water,” etc., making up the balance.</p> - -<p>Philip, her husband, was a prime favourite too, but for his high manly -qualities allied to a simple and gentle nature that invited as well as -gave confidence to all. He was awarded, without claiming it, the chief -place in the island as the strongest swimmer, the swiftest runner and -the most expert boatman, as well as the hardest worker of them all. -And those were the qualities that appealed to these children of nature -next to their supreme adoration of the good and true. Physically he was -easily first of the community, standing six feet six inches on his bare -feet, forty-five inches round the chest, with a perfect mouth of teeth; -and at the time of the birth of his first child he had never known an -hour’s illness in his life.</p> - -<p>Thus it will be seen that the entrance of our hero upon life’s arena -was one that any monarch might vainly covet for his child, one indeed -that left nothing to be desired, even though his surroundings were -almost as primitive as those which encompassed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> the birth of the Babe -of Bethlehem. In fact, I feel sure that I shall be accused of painting -too idyllic a picture of the conditions which obtained in Norfolk -Island at that date, and I hope and believe in a great measure in both -Norfolk and Pitcairn Islands to-day; but when I recall the great mass -of unbiassed testimony to all these facts which is easily available, I -feel much comforted in the belief that my readers will rejoice with me -in the knowledge that so happy a people have been and are existing in -the simple light of the Gospel.</p> - -<p>But we must return to the scene in the house after the guests had gone -singing away. The two remaining were John Young, father of the mother, -and Christian Adams, father of Philip, their respective wives being in -the inner room with the mother. As soon as Philip had handed back his -son to the women he returned to the society of the elder men, who were -both of them splendid specimens of manhood in the prime of middle age -or between forty and fifty. It must be noted in passing that, strange -as it may seem to our exotic notions of hospitality, there was nothing -set before these guests to drink: the water jar stood in the corner -with a coco-nut shell to drink out of; there was no tobacco, there were -no chairs, only clean soft mats upon the spotless floor; and yet they -were perfectly happy because none of these things had become desirable -or necessary to them.</p> - -<p>As Philip stretched his great limbs on the mat by the side of his -father, the latter looked round at him lovingly and said, “What are you -going to call the babe, Philip?”</p> - -<p>“Ha! ha!” laughed Philip. “I’ve thought of the finest name for him you -ever heard, and I want you to guess what it is. I’ve told Grace about -it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> and she is delighted, says it’s just a splendid idea. Now guess.”</p> - -<p>The two elder men ran through practically every name on the island; -truly there was not much variety, for, as some of you know, these happy -folk have always seemed averse from using any but a certain set of -well-known names. But to all their suggestions Philip laughingly shook -his head until his father’s brow clouded a little and he said, “I hope -you haven’t got any high-falutin names out of some book; it will savour -of sinful pride if you have.”</p> - -<p>“No, father,” cried Philip, “but what do you say to Christmas Bounty -Adams?”</p> - -<p>Up sprang the two men to their feet in such delight that it seemed as -if they must leap into the air.</p> - -<p>“Why that is the most splendid set of names in all the world. Christmas -Bounty Adams! Well, he’s a lucky fellow, and I only hope he’ll be a -Christmas bounty all the days of a long life. And now, if the wife -can spare you—she’ll do with a little sleep, I’m sure—we’ll stroll -round and tell our friends this fresh bit of news, they will all be so -pleased.”</p> - -<p>Only pausing to peep in at his wife for a moment Philip rejoined the -two elder men, and together they strode through the beautiful glades -with the sound of gladsome song ringing in their ears on every hand, in -tune with their overfull hearts.</p> - -<p>Very briefly, for the story should be well known, let me recall the -circumstances of these primitive folk being on Norfolk Island. Most -people know the romantic story of the mutiny of the <i>Bounty</i>, and -how, after scenes of bloodshed and riot as bad as can be imagined, -the mutineers and their descendants, on their little island home of -Pitcairn, turned to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> God and became as little children in their simple, -loving faith. Not so many, however, are aware that in 1831, some forty -years after their first landing on Pitcairn, they outgrew their small -territory, and at their own request many of them were conveyed to -Tahiti. The gross immorality of the natives of that lovely island, -however, so dismayed them that they sacrificed the only available -wealth they possessed, the copper bolts of the old <i>Bounty</i>, and -purchased a passage back to their beloved Pitcairn. They managed to -maintain themselves there, although much straitened for room, until in -1855, two years before my story opens, the British Government, having -discontinued the use of Norfolk Island as a penal settlement, granted -it to as many of them as cared to migrate thither, a privilege which -was taken advantage of by between two and three hundred of them.</p> - -<p>And although they never wavered in their earnest affection for the -little island that had seen their first emergence into the shining -light of the Gospel, they evinced the same sweet spirit of contentment, -coupled with energy, in all they undertook, so that in about a year -they were as fully and completely settled there as could possibly -be, and were, if anything, more passionately fond of England, a land -they never saw, than ever they had been. Thus, having cleared the way -as it were, let me go on to say that in addition to the features of -natural beauty which I have already enumerated, Norfolk Island is the -centre of a most prolific haunt of sperm whales, and the capture of -these gigantic and dangerous mammals is one of the chief pursuits of -the agile islanders, who are probably about the best boatmen in the -world. For in addition to their wonderful whaling skill, the practice -of landing in the tremendous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> surf that beats upon the harbourless -coast has made them very expert in this most difficult art, while in -the water they are, like their maternal ancestors the Tahitians, almost -amphibious.</p> - -<p>Now, as the three men strolled along they were continually invited -as they passed the pretty houses to come in and join in the general -rejoicings that were afoot, the singing and thanksgiving; for all this -people’s joys were intimately associated with their simple faith; -their religion, bright and happy, was not merely a part of their life, -but the whole, the mainspring of all they thought and said and did. -And as the three were nothing loth, besides having their bit of news -to communicate, their progress was but slow. Still, eventually they -reached the abode of their venerable pastor, who was not only the -shepherd of this peaceful, docile flock, but teacher and magistrate, or -rather arbitrator since there were no evil-doers to punish. He received -them literally with open arms, and having heard their news lifted up -his voice in praise and solemnly blessed them, promising to visit them -the next day in their homes and view the wonderful new baby.</p> - -<p>Then as the day was wearing to a close practically the whole population -came joyously down to the shore, and there more like a school of -porpoises than men and women, boys and girls, they disported in the -limpid waves, swimming and living until, healthily wearied, they -regained the shore and sought their several homes.</p> - -<p>Philip and Grace, overflowing with happiness, knelt by the side of the -babe and solemnly commended him to their loving Almighty Friend, asking -only that he might grow to be a good man amongst good men, preserving -the golden tradition of the community, and if it should please God -that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> should wander from their shores as some of their brethren had -done, that he might always present to the eyes of those with whom he -associated the pattern of a man of God. Then they took their simple -meal of fruit and bread and milk and went to rest.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER II</span> <span class="smaller">A Whale Hunt</span></h2> - -<p>Happy, says the proverb, is the nation that has no history. And since -history is so largely made up of the unspeakable horrors of war with -all its attendant retinue of resultant miseries, there would really -seem to be more truth in this proverb than in most. Yet it must not be -forgotten that, surfeited as we are with tales wherein all those things -that make life a burden almost too grievous to be borne are set forth -in hideous detail, it is no easy task to make a peaceful narrative -interesting nowadays. As difficult as to wean the epicure’s palate from -highly seasoned and mysteriously concocted dishes back to the simple -luxuries of childhood.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless it is an inestimable privilege to be allowed to try, and -I do hope to show that these simple happy folk possessed the true grit -and manliness that all must admire while being totally free from that -whining hypocrisy and hateful assumption of spurious virtue that makes -the world generally disgusted with so many professed religionists. And -here let me say that these happy islanders were what they were from -love of the infinitely good and in no wise from the fear of a punishing -hell too terrible even to be thought of by their simple trustful minds.</p> - -<p>Very early the next morning, Grace, in perfect<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> health and strength, -and in accordance with time-honoured custom, took her babe down to -the sea and bathed him in those waters which henceforth would be as -familiar to him as the dry land. And as she laved his tiny limbs in the -shining waves, she noted with swelling heart how strongly and sturdily -he kicked, and she longed to take him in her arms and plunge into deep -water at once. But she realized that so severe an ordeal could not be -good for him, and although she sorely missed her morning swim, was -about to return when she heard her husband’s voice behind her.</p> - -<p>“Give him to me, Grace,” he cried.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, dear,” she replied, and laying the babe in his strong arms, -she turned back and sprang joyously into the sea, plunging and flashing -through the surf like a fish or a seal in the perfect abandonment of -delight that these children of the wave know when in the element they -love so well. Prudence restrained her from going too far yet, so in -a few minutes she returned, and taking the crowing babe from Philip -she sat sedately down upon a fallen tree trunk and watched her mighty -husband as he in turn hurled himself through the surf and sported like -a porpoise. His bath over, they returned to their home and breakfasted -as they had supped, simply and heartily, and then, leaving Grace to -receive the visits of matrons and maidens who would presently come -trooping along, he departed to his work of cultivating their tiny -fields.</p> - -<p>But it was ordained that on this eventful day he was not to remain long -at that peaceful task. He had not been thus engaged for more than an -hour when a long-drawn cry arrested his attention and caused him to -drop the tool he was using. It was the signal, well known to them all, -that whales were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> coming close in; the watcher on a high overhanging -cliff had spied them and sent his powerful voice ringing across the -settlement, from which came hurrying an eager company ready for the -great combat with the monsters of the deep. They gathered round the -boats where, carefully covered in against the fervent heat of the sun, -these precious craft lay waiting with all the gear, harpoons, lances, -lines, etc., neatly stored in a shed by their sides.</p> - -<p>Swiftly and with hardly a word their boats were equipped, the -necessary preparations made, and in less than half an hour from the -first sounding of the alarm the two boats, with six men in each, were -launched and springing seaward under the pressure of five long ash oars -wielded by men who were almost insensible to fatigue and whose rowing -was a wonder and a delight to behold.</p> - -<p>The watcher on the cliff guided them by means of well understood signs, -that is, he made a human semaphore of himself, for it is not until very -near to whales that men in boats can see them, and moreover the sperm -whale does not send aloft a high column of vapour into the air as do -other whales. His breathings are copious, but owing to the shape and -position of the spiracle or blow-hole, the thick, highly charged breath -spreads itself in a cloud immediately upon leaving his body. And that -cloud does not ascend, it is thrust forward ahead of the whale, and -being heavier than the air only spreads and gradually settles.</p> - -<p>So guided by the look-out man, they laid to their oars with great -energy, pulling with a peculiarly noiseless stroke. The blades entered -the water cleanly and gripped it so firmly that the tough ash of the -looms bent like the lower half of a fishing-rod when catching tarpon. -There was no noise<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> either from the rowlocks, for they were padded with -thick mats covered with green hide and kept well greased. This great -care to preserve silence is absolutely necessary, for although as far -as we can tell the sperm whale has little or no sense of hearing as we -understand it, he is peculiarly susceptible to strange sounds, and the -accidental clatter of an oar on a gunwale is quite sufficient to alarm -a school of whales at over a mile’s distance. What this other sense -which answers the purpose of sight, scent, and hearing may be we do not -know, we can only imagine; like so many other matters connected with -the mysterious life of the whale it is hidden from us.</p> - -<p>For an hour they thus toiled at the oar, being by that time several -miles from the land they had left, so far indeed that even their keen -sight could hardly distinguish the movements of their ally on the -cliff, and then at the raising of the leader’s hand they all ceased -from their labour, lay on their oars and gazed keenly around. No sign -of whale or spout was visible; but that only meant that it would be -well to pause awhile, because the probability was that the creatures -they were hunting had, according to their usual custom, sounded or gone -down in quest of food.</p> - -<p>Now as they did not know what the approximate size of the whales might -be, they could only wait and watch, for small whales may only remain -below from twenty minutes to half an hour, while full-sized bulls have -been known to remain under water for as long as ninety minutes. Of -course they kept good watch and patient withal, but when an hour had -gone by and no sign came, each man felt that it was useless prolonging -the quest. So they only waited now for the signal to return, being in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> -any case too far from the land for a successful capture, that is, to -get their enormous prize home, supposing they did slay one.</p> - -<p>The signal was soon given, and without a word of regret or grumbling, -the boats’ heads were turned shoreward, and with a leisurely stroke -they began to retrace their way. There being no necessity now for -silence, the boats’ crews, as their custom was, began to sing, raising -their tuneful voices in the melodious strains of some well-known hymn, -until Philip suddenly lifted his hand in an authoritative gesture, at -which singing and rowing stopped simultaneously. Without a word, all -eyes being fixed upon him, he pointed ahead, where within a cable’s -length all saw the lazy spout of a whale, almost like a puff from a big -pipe, rise from the sea.</p> - -<p>With great care the oars were peaked, that is, the inner ends of them -were drawn inboard until they could be tucked into circular cleats -prepared for them, and short, broad paddles were produced, by means -of which the boats were quite noiselessly propelled towards the -unconscious whale. Philip, perched on a pair of cleats in the stern, -guided the boat, which was well ahead of her sister, as she silently -stole nearer the victim. Presently Philip swung his boat round, making -the signal to the harponeer to spring to his feet with his weapon as -the boat glided alongside the quiet monster. And, then to the amazement -of everybody, Philip shouted, “Put that iron down, Fletcher! This -whale is safe from us. Look, boys!” All hands did look, and saw that -the object of their pursuit was a cow with a calf clinging to her huge -breast, the nipple held in the angle of its immature jaw.</p> - -<p>The boat lay perfectly still until the other boat came up, Philip -raising his hand to warn his father<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> that something unusual had -occurred. The new-comer swung alongside as Philip had done, and all -hands stared at the pretty sight. And owing to their habit of thought, -every one of those strong men understood intuitively why Philip had -countermanded the attack, and not at all considering the loss to -themselves in a monetary sense, fully agreed with him. So they lay on -their oars and watched the mother, as supremely happy she lolled upon -the shining sea and felt her offspring draining the life-giving milk. -Then suddenly turning over on the other side to present the other -breast, for the young whale cannot suck under water, she became aware -of the presence of intruders and sank, settled noiselessly, leaving -scarcely a ripple to mark the spot where she had been.</p> - -<p>As soon as she had disappeared Philip cried, “Out oars, boys, and let’s -get home,” following up his order by breaking out into song, in which -all the twelve lustily joined in perfect harmony until nearing the -beach, upon which the vast rollers of the Pacific, despite the glorious -weather, broke in massive rollers topped with dazzling foam. A sweep -or two of the steering oars and the graceful craft swung round head to -seaward, and as the mighty combers came irresistibly shoreward just a -measured stroke or two was made to meet them. Then, when the boats had -mounted the glowing crests of the breakers, the oars were peaked and -they were borne shorewards upon the shoulders of the advancing hill of -water until they touched the beach, when every man but the steersmen -sprang overboard, and snatching the gunnels of the boats rushed -beachwards, digging their toes into the yielding sand as the retreating -wave swept past them, until it was gone and they were all high ashore. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> - -<p>This feat, nothing to them who practised it nearly every day of their -lives, is one of the supreme tests of boatmanship and must be witnessed -or taken part in to realize the resistless onrush of the roller and -the no less mighty drawback when, baffled, the vast rolling mass -retreats. It is a manoeuvre to try the skill and stamina of the best, -and the roll of its victims is very long. I speak feelingly, for on -my first encounter with this business I was as near being drowned -as could be. For not realizing the danger, I too leaped out of the -boat with the others, and was at once hurled seaward like a piece of -drifting seaweed, dazed and helpless, buried in the heart of a wave. -But my Kanaka shipmates, as much at home in that immense turmoil as if -they stood on the beach, grabbed me and held me against the rush of -retreating water, then hauled me to land and in rough but effectual -ways restored me to the world I had so nearly quitted. That was on the -steep beach of lava fragments at Sunday Island in the Kermadecs.</p> - -<p>A throng of villagers hastened down to greet the returned adventurers, -full of eager questioning and sympathy. Some of them had been on the -Head with the lookout man, and had witnessed the last encounter. Of -course they could not understand what had happened, but in a few words -Philip explained, and when he had done so, the public endorsement of -the righteousness of his action was spontaneous and complete. For, -after all, to this happy community what was a trifling loss like that -compared with the gain which each felt they had made in the practice of -mercy, of yielding to the best and truest impulses of the heart. And -so there were no sour faces, no recriminations, only the usual mutual -rejoicings. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p> - -<p>Philip only paused long enough to see his gear bestowed and then strode -away through the smiling meadows to his pretty home, where he found his -Grace holding quite a little Court surrounded by maidens, matrons and -children; she sat upon the threshold of the house, and her friends were -picturesquely disposed about her. The baby was asleep upon her lap, -undisturbed by the chorus of song that was going up from that concourse -of fifty persons. It was a scene to gladden the heart of a painter or -poet, and if it had been possible to bring it in its entirety before -any assemblage of cynics in the world, they would certainly have been -unable to resist its perfect charm.</p> - -<p>Philip’s coming was hailed with a long cry of joy, and he was -immediately surrounded by a bevy of girls who pushed and pulled him -into a place by the side of his wife. And there, enthroned as it were, -they sat while the joyous crowd, augmented every moment until almost -the whole community was present, sang and talked and sang again, -offering all the love and congratulations that their hearts could feel -or their lips express. The happening of the day out at sea was fully -commented upon, calling forth immense manifestations of approval, for -it was just the kind of thing that appealed to these gentle children -of the sun, and thus the happy time wore on until the arrival of the -patriarch minister who, however, wielded no priestly influence whatever.</p> - -<p>All loved him and reverenced him for his saintly character as well as -venerable age, but no one, not even the youngest, imagined that he -had any prescriptive right to approach their God for them. Every one -was taught as soon as able to understand that God was the all Father, -Christ the near and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> dear brother, and to choose a go-between from men -was to do dishonour to the great love manifested towards men by God, to -show practical disbelief in every word set down in the New Testament -for their guidance and comfort.</p> - -<p>Therefore though all showed the deepest respect and readiest reverence -to Mr. McCoy at his coming, it was a respect and reverence entirely -devoid of superstition, the loving homage of children to a father, or -friend to friend. They gathered round him, brought him to the seat of -honour beside Philip and Grace, and then waited with intense interest -for what he should say to them, knowing that he had come amongst them -for that purpose.</p> - -<p>He rose, and in trembling tones began—</p> - -<p>“Beloved children, especially you by my side, Grace and Philip; I -am full of joy at being among you at this happy time. Surely we are -peculiarly blessed among all the people on earth, here in this little -out-of-the-way corner of the great globe. We live in love, fearing no -evil, having all our wants supplied to the full. We suffer neither -from cold nor heat; from hunger nor surfeit. Disease comes not near us -nor our live stock, and best of all this heavenly care has not made us -arrogant and careless, for we feel as full of gratitude as our hearts -can hold. And every day sees new mercies showered upon us. Some one of -our little company has a special blessing, and being one in heart and -mind we all rejoice in that blessing, and feel our mouths filled with -praise.</p> - -<p>“The latest is the babe bestowed upon our beloved ones here, a babe -lusty in form and beautiful of face, and given to us on the day -whereon we celebrate the coming to earth of our brother, God manifest -in the flesh, which in itself is a matter of great rejoicing. Truly -it is a blessed babe. I know but little of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> great world with its -teeming millions, I have been too happy among you all my life to wish -to see more than I did on my one voyage, but what little I do know -convinces me that it is rare if not unheard of for a child to come -amongst a community and be received with such fervent love and sincere -thanksgiving as this one. We all rejoice, for we have no doubt that -he will be a beloved brother amongst us, worthily maintaining the -high and sweet standard of love towards God and man which has so long -prevailed among us. And if it should be the good pleasure of our Father -that he leaves us for a time and visits other countries, we shall -confidently look forward to his keeping up the character that we are so -pleased to bear, the character of being children of God, not haughtily -holding that we are better than others, but that we are only happy in -the knowledge of the love of our Father for us His loving, grateful -children. Little Christmas Bounty! upon your baby head rest all the -prayers, all the love of this people, all united to you by ties of -blood, but far more closely knit to you in the one bond of Christian -love.</p> - -<p>“Brother and sisters, it is time for us to separate, for the day -draws to its close. And before we sing our parting song of praise and -thanksgiving, let us unite in the spoken word to our Father. Father, -most good and gracious, we all thank you for your love. We have all -that we can ask or think. Blessings innumerable crowd upon us. We -have nothing to ask you for, only to praise you for the abundant joy -and happiness you have given us in overflowing measureless plenty. -Nothing, that is, for ourselves, but for those who suffer and sin, for -those who toil hopelessly in darkness and slavery of various kinds, we -ask that they may know Thee as we know Thee. That they may receive as -we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> do receive. They are as worthy as we are, but have not the same -inestimable advantages. Ah, dear Father, bless our less fortunate -brothers and sisters scattered about Thy beautiful world. Hear their -pitiful cries, heal their gaping wounds, fill their hungry hearts, and -may they all know Thy boundless love through Thy messenger Jesus, our -Beloved One, the Saviour of mankind. Let us sing, dear ones, ‘O God, -our help in ages past.’”</p> - -<p>That response was one to stir the most sluggish heart: no books, no -instrumental help, but the grandest of all music, the glorious human -voice when trained in harmony. The lovely woods and vales were filled -with golden melody, every soul pouring itself out in purest praise. -If only the most ardent scoffer at holy things could have been there, -he would have found his pointed sarcasm grow blunt, his ready sneer -fall harmless, for here was a people beyond the arrows of scorn, whose -worship was indeed single-eyed. They worshipped God because they loved -Him. They praised Him because they could not help it. No thought of -gaining heaven or of avoiding hell entered their minds. They had -already begun their heaven, and as for hell they never thought of it. -If pressed they would doubtless have admitted that they believed in -such a place, but with a thrusting aside shudder. What had it to do -with them?</p> - -<p>The sweet strain ceased, and the aged minister, rising to his unsteady -feet, lifted his hands in blessing, his voice full of happy tears: -“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God Almighty, the -leading of the Holy Spirit and the full knowledge of this intimate -communion with the unseen be with each and all of you now and for -evermore. Amen.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p> - -<p>A moment’s silence and the gathering quietly melted away to their happy -homes, while the bright silver moon shed a splendid radiance over the -peaceful scene.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER III</span> <span class="smaller">C. B.’s Childhood</span></h2> - -<p>The story of a boy growing from his birth to manhood in our centres -of civilization cannot fail to be of interest if properly told, -principally because of the thousand and one dangers that beset him in -that perilous journey. This is the case, no matter how well or how ill -brought up he may be, peril encompasses him round about, visible as -well as invisible, peril from which no amount of care can adequately -protect him. Indeed the care that is often bestowed has the effect -of rendering the child’s life a burden to him, especially if he be -brought up at home. Moreover, if we are foolish enough to believe one -thousandth part of what we read about food and drink and the deadly -microbes and bacteria that lie in wait for us everywhere, we should -certainly perish of worry or become, as faddists always do become, a -misery to ourselves and a nuisance to all around us.</p> - -<p>But here on Norfolk Island the child had every chance. And in telling -of C. B. I am only taking the ordinary type: he had no advantages over -his fellows. Fed by his mother alone, who had never known a day’s -illness in her life, never knowing the taste of drugs, living in the -open air without ever being pampered by tight clothing of any kind, -never too hot, never too cold; how could he help growing up to the -age when he could run about,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> without an ache or a pain, a sturdy, -perfectly developed, perfectly healthy child? Of course he could swim -as soon as he could walk, that to any one who knows the island goes -without saying, and as soon as he could toddle down to the shore with -the other children, spent, as they did, quite half of his time in the -sea. The food given him was of the simplest: fruit and vegetables, milk -and fish, very little meat, because it was extremely scarce for one -thing, and for another, these gentle people only hunt when necessity -drives, and never kill a domestic animal if it can be avoided.</p> - -<p>So this child of love and prayer grew and waxed strong, a joy and -delight to his parents, and a pleasure to all the community, as all -the children were. In exuberant animal delight he and his companions -climbed the trees and the mountains, tumbled about in the surf like so -many dolphins, with never an anxious or fussy parent to say “don’t.” -Cuts, scratches, bruises they gained in plenty, all treated in the -simplest way and all getting cured in almost magically quick time, as -do the hurts of animals and savages. And it must never be forgotten -that these people led the perfectly natural lives of savages without -any of the savage vices, that they knew and practised the virtues -of civilization without its follies and crimes; what then could be -expected in the result but perfect health and happiness?</p> - -<p>With all this boisterous enjoyment of childhood the simple education -that the venerable McCoy was able to impart was not neglected. Reading, -writing and the first four rules of arithmetic were soundly taught, -and by Grace the beautiful accomplishment of singing through the tonic -sol-fa method. They were altogether a singing people; it was ingrained, -so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> that this took no trouble to teach. Beyond this in the way of -education there was nothing except that the reading of the Bible was -encouraged, not as a means of storing up virtue by reading so many -verses or chapters, but for the pleasure and profit of seeing what God -had said to His people. And this, with the exception of a few well-worn -books, such as the standard poets, Dickens, Thackeray and Miss -Wetherell, comprised their reading. None of the children were compelled -to read as a task. When once they had learned to read they were allowed -to read or not just as it pleased them.</p> - -<p>Under such pleasant auspices as this what wonder was it that our hero -at sixteen was as near being perfect in body and mind as the most -exacting parent could wish. True, he would have been plucked at an -examination for the fourth standard in any Board-school, but if he was -ignorant of much school learning as Board-school boys know at home, he -was also ignorant of a great number of other things, of practically all -the evil knowledge acquired by our children in great cities in spite -of all our efforts. And on the physical side, being a child of nature, -there could be no comparison between him and city children of whatever -class imaginable. His whole life, as was that of his companions, boys -and girls alike, was spent in training, unconsciously, and so he was -always fit for any of those manly exercises that the young human animal -rightly loves. He could not play cricket or football, but he could swim -and dive all day, could climb the tallest tree in the island like a -monkey, could run from the level to the top of a three-thousand-foot -hill without distress, and could not swear or lie, having never known -any occasion for either.</p> - -<p>Of course, he had not grown up so far without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> having brothers and -sisters—two of each had been added on to the family circle, all of -them fine children capable of keeping up the credit of the island -people. But we have no concern with them further than to note their -arrival, and to record the fact that, as they grew old enough to -realize things, they all adored their eldest brother, who, for some -reason or another which they could not understand, was looked up to as -possessing some mysterious blessing from on high beyond that accorded -to any one else. They knew, however, that he was totally unconscious of -this. He went on his happy care-free way, full of gay life, full of fun -and harmless mischief, but also full of love for all around him.</p> - -<p>It was now that he had his first real adventure. As I have said, he was -sixteen years of age, and, as was usual among the island people, he was -as big and strong as a full-grown man, though, of course, not with so -much stamina. He was a constant companion to his father, who was now -a mighty man indeed, at the meridian of a life that had been so well -spent and so peaceful that all his powers were in perfection. C. B. was -never tired of admiring his father’s huge proportions, as, with only -a pair of breeches on cut off at the mid-thigh, they swam or fished -together. To C. B. his father was indeed a king of men, strong, wise -and kind; and he was overjoyed to be near him, to feel his superiority, -and to hope some day, if God willed, to be like him. They were -companions in everything now that C. B.’s studies had finished, and the -elder man felt his youth renewed as he watched his son springing to -whatever work was in hand, felt indeed that he was signally blessed and -was very happy.</p> - -<p>So it came to pass that one morning, as soon as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> the first gorgeous -heralding of the dawn had overspread the sky, Philip and C. B. arose -from their several mats (bedsteads, bedding and all the paraphernalia -of our bedrooms being unknown and therefore unwanted), and after a -loving kiss and a blessing from mother Grace, who was still beautiful -and always abundantly happy, they strode down to the shore for the -commencement of a day’s fishing. It was the season when a special kind -of fish greatly liked by the islanders came inshore near enough to be -caught in large numbers with hook and line. It was always an occasion -of great activity among the men, not that they depended upon the -fishing, but because it afforded a large quantity of pleasant food, and -they always attacked the opportunity eagerly.</p> - -<p>So when Philip and his son reached the boat-house all hands requisite -for manning the boats were there, and after the usual hearty greetings -and the indispensable word of prayer, without which no enterprise was -ever undertaken, were over, all sprang to the work, fairly hurling the -vessels into the foaming surf, and in a few minutes the two vessels, -doubly manned, were in the smooth water beyond the rollers, and to -the accompaniment of happy song were making their way seaward to the -fishing grounds.</p> - -<p>The beauty of the day was not more marked than usual in such a lovely -climate, but to any one who was accustomed to the grey cold mornings of -our northern home it would have called forth ecstasies of admiration. -For as the golden sun rose majestically from the horizon all nature -was flooded with glory, an added wealth of beauty that made even those -most accustomed to it catch their breath. The sea was like a sheet -of shot-silk whereof every movement exhibited a wonderful play of -different<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> colours and shades in endless variety, while the diversity -of hill, dale and beach ashore, unable to compete with all this glowing -series of tints, yet showed a splendour of illuminated contour flecked -with passing cloud shadows that held the eye enchanted with its beauty.</p> - -<p>Every member of the boats’ crews noted this loveliness, revelled in it, -and since there was no need for silence as in the chase of the whale, -discussed it in such terms of affection as their limited vocabulary -could command. Said John Young—</p> - -<p>“Seems to me that the gold and jewellery of the New Jerusalem John -writes about wouldn’t please me like this. If God’s going to make a new -heaven and a new earth, I’d like to live on the new earth if it’s going -to be like this. But I can’t imagine Him making it any better.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” responded Walter McCoy, “that’s because you’ve never been away -from here, one of the most favoured spots on His footstool. Now I’ve -been down south of New Zealand in the winter, an’ when the great gales -blow, a sea gets up that’s like a ravening host of wild beasts. Snow -and sleet strike you like whips, and the cold searches the very marrow -of your bones. Then I thought of our dear island home, and prayed God -to take me back there quick or let me die.”</p> - -<p>Philip chimed in, with one of his beautiful smiles mantling his strong -face, “Walter, my boy, that was because you let your body dictate to -your soul. I know, and when I was up the Behring Sea I hid away one -night when the call came to work. I had all the man frozen out of me. -And as I laid in the stinking corner I felt the bitterest pang of shame -I have ever known. Something said to me, ‘You’re a fine-weather man, -and your trust in God only works<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> when you are comfortable.’ I tell -you, boys, that hit me worse than ever the mate’s boot would have done -if he had caught me. But I thank God that He gave me courage to rush -out of my hole as if I had been flung out, and do the work that fell to -my share. And the lesson has lasted all my life.”</p> - -<p>At that moment the leader in the other boat cried loudly, “Here we are, -boys; ship oars and out lines. There’s a splendid lot of fish, thank -God.”</p> - -<p>All hands obeyed on the instant, and presently the boy was delighted -beyond measure to see the fine big fish come tumbling inboard one after -the other in quick succession. It was indeed a stirring scene, although -from a sporting point of view it savoured too much of business, -perhaps. These were not sportsmen though; they only fished to satisfy -their bodily needs, having no idea of making game of taking life, their -savage instincts having been entirely modified by their practical -working belief in the loving Father.</p> - -<p>They were in the height of their fishing, the boats being half full -of spoil, when Philip, who had a very large fish on his line, turned -to see how his son was faring with another big fellow, and as he did -so, his foot slipped upon some slime in the sternsheets and he fell -backwards, striking his side upon the boat’s gunwale and falling -overboard. A great shout of laughter went up from all the boat’s crew -except C. B., for with these amphibious islanders to fall overboard was -just a bit of good fun. But C. B., craning over the side, saw that his -father, instead of coming to the surface again like a cork, was still -far below, and at the same instant he noticed an awful black shadow -gliding swiftly in the direction of the still sinking man. Without a -moment’s hesitation he dived, feeling at the same moment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> for the knife -in his belt, a long keen-bladed weapon which all carried while fishing.</p> - -<p>Downward he sped through the clear water, arriving by the side of his -father’s quietly undulating body just as a great glare of white showed -the belly of a sixteen-foot shark as he turned to bite at this big -piece of food. In a moment the boy had snatched his knife from his -belt, and with one tremendous spring sideways had plunged it deep into -the belly of the monster, and then with a strength that amazed himself -sawed it lengthways along the great body. The water grew thick with -blood, he groped blindly for the body of his father, felt nothing, swam -gropingly about until almost bursting from lack of air, and then with a -feeling of utter despair shot upwards to the surface.</p> - -<p>One deep painful breath and, clearing his eyes, C. B. stared wildly -about him. Then he gave one despairing cry of “Father!” It was answered -by a dozen different voices cheerfully crying, “All right, all right,” -and in a moment or two he found two stalwart swimmers by his side ready -to aid him if he needed help, and keeping up an incessant splashing in -the water for the purpose of scaring the sharks. Guided by them he swam -to the boat, and just as he snatched at the gunwale to climb inboard -two huge sharks rushed towards the little group of three from opposite -directions, meeting head on in full career with such a tremendous shock -that they both sank quietly down apparently stunned, while the three -friends climbed safely into the boat.</p> - -<p>And there lay his father, still and pale as his bronzed face would -show, but, God be praised, yet alive. C. B.’s first impulse was to -fling himself down by his father’s side and burst into an agony of -weeping, for he thought that the dear one was dead; but,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> without -a restraining hand being laid upon him, he conquered himself and, -trembling violently, said, “Is father much hurt?”</p> - -<p>“We don’t know yet,” replied Walter McCoy, “but, thank God, he’s still -alive, and I can’t imagine such a man as he is being killed by what -he’s just gone through. But we’re getting ashore with all speed, and -if you will take an oar it’ll help you a lot: you’ll know you’re doing -something for him that must be done and that with all your might: Give -way, boys; we want to get home quick.”</p> - -<p>C. B. instantly seized an oar and laid to it with a will, as did all -the rest, full of anxiety as they were to get their much-loved comrade -home. So in a very brief space they made a landing, and were met on the -beach by Grace, who with love’s intuition, had felt that something had -happened which needed her presence. When she saw the still limp form -of her love, she only turned a shade paler and felt her knees tremble. -Then quietly, as if inviting a few of them up to supper, said, “Please, -friends, bring him gently along to the house where I can attend to him -properly.”</p> - -<p>Then turning to her boy she kissed him, having noted his working face, -saying, “Don’t worry, dear; he’s in our Father’s hands and all will be -right.”</p> - -<p>But C. B., boy-like, could no longer restrain himself, and bursting -into a very tempest of tears, sobbed out, “I tried to save him, mother, -indeed I did.”</p> - -<p>“Ay, that he did; no man could have done more than this boy, Grace,” -said the nearest men in unison. And as they followed the bearers of -Philip across the fragrant fields to the house, Grace heard with a -swelling heart of the noble deed whereby her first-born had proved his -manhood, and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>managed to find room in her stricken heart for pride that -she had been permitted to rear such a noble son. Then dismissing the -whole heroic deed from her mind for the time she hastened her steps, -intent upon preparing a comfortable bed for her suffering husband. It -was an ordeal through which she had never before passed, but she rose -to the occasion, and when the bearers arrived she faced them calmly, -and directed them where to lay him.</p> - -<p>The ablest of the islanders in the matter of simple surgery soon -arrived, and after keen examination of the insensible man declared -that he was suffering from three broken ribs, a mere trifle in these -stalwart men’s eyes. What else there might be internally he could -not tell, but he did what he could in bandaging the massive body -tightly, and then suggested that they should all kneel and pray for -the success of the means used. Which was done in simplest fashion, and -as the prayer ended, all were startled to hear a sonorous amen from -the hitherto unconscious man. It needed no ordinary restraint to keep -them from bursting into cries of joy, but they did refrain, and with -murmured thanksgivings all went away except the impromptu surgeon, -Grace and her son, the younger children having been taken away by -helpful neighbours.</p> - -<p>The scene that ensued was a delightful one, Grace and her boy welcoming -back the friend and father, who, except for an occasional spasm of -pain flitting across his bronzed features, seemed to have entirely -recovered from his recent terrible experience, and inclined to blame -himself severely for letting “such a trifle upset him,” as he put it. -Indeed, except for the pain of his grating ribs, which at each movement -reminded him of the mischief done, he was quite impatient of lying -there, wanted to be up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> and doing, although there was nothing to be -done.</p> - -<p>Suddenly his roving glance fell upon C. B., who, having finished some -small task he had been engaged upon for his mother, was standing near -gazing upon his father with eyes humid with love. Philip half raised -himself, suppressing a groan of pain, and beckoning to his boy said, -“Grace, this son of ours is a man. He has done a deed to-day of which -any man might be proud and few men would even attempt. More than that -he has saved me for you.”</p> - -<p>Grace replied, with one of her beautiful smiles shining on her still -comely cheeks: “For that, if he had been a bad boy all his life instead -of a very crown of rejoicing, he should possess the very core of my -heart. But being what he is and has always been, I can only, as I have -continually done since he was born, bless God for him humbly as I do -for you.”</p> - -<p>Then Philip, putting his arm round the boy’s neck, said slowly: “From -this out my son, you are my partner as well. I look upon you no longer -as a boy but a man, not merely as a son but as a brother, equal in -all things. Grace, you must say good-bye to your little boy, who has -attained unto the full stature of a man.” At which his brothers and -sisters, who had now returned, burst into loud lamentations, not -realizing the importance of the occasion, only feeling that they had -lost their playmate.</p> - -<p>But C. B. drew himself up with an air of native dignity and replied, “I -felt like a man, dad, when I dived after you, but now I know I am one, -and I hope, like you, I shall never do what a man ought to be ashamed -to do.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was another cheerful gathering at Philip’s home that evening, and -the usual round of prayer and praise which was the keynote of all their -festivities, praise especially, floods of melody rising and falling -across those peaceful savannahs and making them echo again. In all -the pleasant exercises C. B. took his part, being now recognized as -no longer a child, but he listened with greater interest than ever to -the thousand-times repeated tale of the Lord’s wondrous dealing with -this little band of people descended from murderers and savages, yet by -the special grace of Providence developing into the most consistently -Christian people upon earth. And so, with a final triumphant outburst -of the Old Hundredth, the happy meeting terminated, and the revellers -dispersed across the scented meadows to their several homes.</p> - -<p>One of the most remarkable things about primitive peoples is the way -they recover from hurts; wounds, bruises, fractures that would mean -long and severe illness to civilized folk being treated by them as of -little or no account. This is, of course, to be noted among animals, -who recover with surprising rapidity and ease from the most shocking -wounds, and with only the most rough and careless methods of surgery if -they receive any attention at all. I have a big Labrador dog which was -recently kicked in the face by a skittish horse. Owing to my absence -from home nothing was done to the poor beast, whose jaw was exposed -to a cut three inches long for four days. And the ghastly wound could -not heal, because when it irritated him the dog would rub his face -against a quickset hedge and tear the wound open again. I took him to a -veterinary surgeon, who put three stitches in the gaping gash, drawing -the ragged edges as closely together as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> possible, and confining the -poor animal for three days with a shield over his head. The result is -that now, two months after the accident, it is impossible to see where -the injury was.</p> - -<p>And in just the same marvellous way will the human animal recover from -the most ghastly wounds, although many savage customs militate directly -against health. But when perfectly natural living is allied to purity -of mind and body and an absence of every kind of stimulant whatever, we -have a condition of things making for perfect health, such health as -may only be seen among the people of whom I am writing.</p> - -<p>As usual then Philip made so rapid a recovery that within a week he was -going about his daily duties as if nothing had happened, and had quite -forgotten the episode as far as his injuries were concerned. But his -son was now his inseparable companion; they became as it were partners -in every enterprise, and the proud father noted with complacent pride -the development of his son’s body and mind as being on the way to -surpass his own. As far as ordinary school education went they were -about equal, as indeed were all the islanders, for the subjects they -learned were strictly limited, and they had no craving for higher -education, not knowing or feeling any need of it.</p> - -<p>But all unconsciously, during their long hours together, Philip was -filling the boy with strong desire to see the great world without. -Philip’s adventures on his two voyages had been fairly exciting, -but hitherto he had said little about them to his fellows, because -there were many things connected with them that he did not care to -recall. They had filled him with more ardent love than ever for his -quiet island home, and he had used such influence as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> he possessed to -dissuade any of his friends from wandering.</p> - -<p>Now, however, in reply to constant questioning, he told his son more -than ever he had done before, recalling scenes long forgotten, while -the boy listened with intensest interest and admiration for the grand -father whom he almost worshipped. And so C. B. grew steadily towards -manhood in all the best traditions of the community, until at eighteen -years of age he had risen to the full stature of a man in all that -makes for true manliness, innocent without being ignorant of all that -was worth his knowing, brave, modest and strong, and withal, in spite -of the uncouth garb in which he was clothed in common with all his -fellows, handsome as the statue of a Greek god. And here endeth the -sketch of Christmas Bounty’s boyhood.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IV</span> <span class="smaller">Evil from Without</span></h2> - -<p>Now it happened that one morning at about eight o’clock when the -fishermen were about to launch out into the deep in their regular quest -for food that a sudden cry of “Sail ho!” was raised and re-echoed -until all the islanders heard it. A large sailing ship was standing -in towards the bay with the obvious intention of communicating, and -immediately everybody was on the alert. For in spite of their happy -care-free life, which left little to be desired by them, there were -certain needs which they had inherited, such as clothes, tea, sugar, -flour, and tools, which the presence of a ship always brought vividly -to their remembrance. And in consequence they were always ready to -barter their simple commodities: fruit, vegetables, eggs, fowls, pigs, -fish, etc., for whatever they could induce the visitors to part with -except liquor and tobacco.</p> - -<p>So a boat was hurriedly launched, manned by the stoutest rowers, with -Philip at the steer oar, and C. B. at the stroke, while the rest of the -islanders busied themselves collecting such produce as they hoped the -ship might be in want of. Fowls and eggs and fruit and milk and pigs, -fresh food such as ships in that day were so often glad of. As the boat -dashed alongside in splendid style the rowers noted that the ship was -thronged with passengers of a curious type to them, hundreds of yellow -faces peered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> over the side and an incessant high pitched babblement -of voices went on, utterly unintelligible to the islanders. Philip -grabbed a rope thrown to him and was about to spring on board when he -caught sight of those rows of parchment-like faces and paused, looking -doubtfully at his boat’s crew.</p> - -<p>The captain, however, gazing cynically down upon him, said: “What’s the -matter with you? Afraid of a few Chinamen, are ye? Come on board and -don’t be such a fool.”</p> - -<p>Philip flushed darkly under his tan, and then saying quietly, “Don’t -make the warp fast,” swung himself lightly on board, where, standing -on the rail holding on by the main top-mast backstays, he surveyed -the strange scene beneath him on the vessel’s deck. She was crowded -with yellow men, who wandered aimlessly about or squatted in groups -gibbering away. To add to the confusion there were hundreds of canaries -in cages which were hung about, and they were all singing at once, each -doing his little best to drown the clamour of his neighbours.</p> - -<p>Raising his voice almost to a shout the captain addressed Philip with -the question: “Have you godly beach-combers got any fresh provisions to -sell? I’m fifty days out from Macao bound to Callao, and my passengers -are beginning to die like flies. I don’t know what’s the matter with -’em, unless it is the foul grub that was put aboard for ’em by the -compradore, though I never heard before that any grub was foul enough -to poison a Chink.”</p> - -<p>Philip replied calmly: “We have plenty of produce, sir, which we shall -be glad to exchange with you for tools, clothes, books or anything of -that sort. But we don’t want money, it’s of no use to us.”</p> - -<p>And he recapitulated the articles available for supply at once, to -which the captain replied: “All<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> right, come on aft and I’ll have some -stuff brought up to show you.” So Philip most willingly sprang down on -the deck and followed the captain aft to the cabin. Here he was first -offered some rum, which he courteously refused, much to the captain’s -amusement. Then in obedience to the captain’s commands a heap of -clothing was brought up out of the slop chest and a few rusty tools of -various sorts, including half a dozen coal shovels, at sight of which -Philip’s eyes glistened, for these were sorely needed on the island. -There were no books available at all, only a heap of old newspapers -which Philip did not look twice at, for what did the news of the world -matter to these children of Nature?</p> - -<p>Then having selected such goods as they needed as far as the limited -supply before him would allow, Philip suggested that they should be put -in his boat and that the captain should accompany him ashore and see -what they had got to offer in exchange, which goods they would bring -back with the captain to the ship. To this the captain answered that he -should prefer Philip to bring such stuff as he had ready, pass it on -board and make his bargain there, as he, the captain, did not want to -leave the ship.</p> - -<p>Philip rose and looking the captain steadfastly in the face, said: “No -sir, on several occasions when we, trusting that other people would -act as we always do to one another, have brought our produce on board -a passing ship, we have been compelled to take whatever the captain -has chosen to give us or nothing at all, because we were completely at -his mercy. Now we are always ready to give of our substance to help -ships in distress, expecting no payment, but we are sorely in need of -certain things, and can only get them by selling our stuff. And if we -are cheated it is hard for us to bear, knowing as we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> do that we would -never cheat anybody for any consideration whatever.”</p> - -<p>At this modest and dignified remark the captain flew into an assumed -rage and cried, “You stuck up hypocritical half nigger, half mutineer, -how dare you talk to an English gentleman like that! I’ve half a mind -to have you flung overboard, only I know you can’t be drowned. Don’t -come any of your palaver over me, for it won’t do. I understand you -fellows through and through.”</p> - -<p>Philip smiled sadly, but without showing a trace of surprise or fear, -then saying, “I’m sorry, sir, that we can’t come to terms,” turned to -leave the saloon.</p> - -<p>This was too much for the captain, who roared “Here! where ye goin’, ye -black thief?” (Many a bronzed Englishman is darker than Philip was.) -“Come back here!”</p> - -<p>But Philip strode to the deck, leapt on the rail, and shouting, “Let -go, boys,” plunged feet foremost into the sea. In a moment the boat, -released, was at his side and he had climbed on board.</p> - -<p>Overhead, the captain, standing on the rail, was crying, “Don’t be -silly, I was only trying to bluff you, it’s all in the way of business. -Come up alongside; I’ll come with you and bring the stuff ashore. Good -heavens! what a rum lot these Kanakas are, to be sure.”</p> - -<p>By this time Philip had taken hasty counsel with his friends and had -decided to take the captain on shore if he would come, but that none -of them would board that awful ship again under any pretence. So they -sheered alongside, caught again the rope that was flung them and -received a heap of goods, the captain and two men following. Then they -headed for the beach with a sigh of relief, for the very proximity of -the ship was hateful to them. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> soon reached the landing place, the -captain and his two henchmen looking very white as the ably handled -boat was deftly guided stern foremost over the immense breakers, and -stepping ashore uncertainly as the ready arms of the islanders were -held out to them.</p> - -<p>But no sooner had they landed than the captain and his two men began -to swagger and ogle the women and girls who crowded down to the beach -intent upon welcome. C. B. was close beside the skipper as he reached -forward to clasp a beautiful girl near him by the waist. Lithe as a -leopard the boy sprang between the maiden and the captain, crying as he -did so: “That’s my sister, sir, and anyhow you mustn’t touch our girls; -you are not good enough!”</p> - -<p>Well, wasn’t that foolish man angry? he made a sweeping motion with his -arm as if to brush an insect from his path, but C. B. seized him by -both hands and held him so firmly that he was unable to move, saying at -the same time, “Please behave yourself, sir; we won’t hurt you, but you -must not go on ugly like this.” The two men who were with the captain -looked frightened—for they were thinking of massacres in the South -Seas of which they had often heard and doubtless expected something -of the kind. The skipper however knew better, and acted worse, for he -raged like a madman, the islanders standing round looking grave and -stem while all the women folk slipped away. When he had cursed himself -out of breath C. B. spoke again: “Now, sir, if you are ready we’ll take -you back to your ship. We want to trade badly enough, but it’s almost -paying too dearly for the privilege, having men like you among us. We -are very sorry for you, but wish you would go.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p> - -<p>No one of the islanders added anything, for they felt as if C. B. had -exactly expressed what they would say and for a few moments there was -a dead silence. Then the captain said in a curiously subdued voice: “I -don’t know but what you’re right after all, young fellow, whoever you -are, and I apologize. I didn’t intend to act so ugly, believe me. And -now if you’ll bring along your produce we’ll trade, for I ought to be -getting back to my ship.” Immediately following upon his words, and -without an order being given, there was a dispersal of the islanders, -who soon reappeared laden with all the things they had to sell: -vegetables, fruit, eggs, fowls and pigs, all that sailors most eagerly -desire after a long voyage.</p> - -<p>It was an easy market, for there was practically no haggling, and when -all the goods that the captain had brought were exhausted, the kindly -folk presented him with the rest of the produce which was left, an -act of generosity which deepened the tan on his face as he, even he, -realized what a contrast there was between his behaviour and theirs. -But I do not know that he was so very much to blame after all, for it -was probably the first time he had come across practical primitive -Christianity in full operation. However, as he turned to leave the -beach again he held out his hand to C. B., saying: “Youngster, I’m -ashamed of myself, that’s all I can say. I shall remember to-day as -long as I live. And I want to tell that splendid fellow the same, the -man whom I spoke so badly to in my saloon.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you mean my father,” said C. B. “Here he is!” and Philip stepped -forward, a gentle smile on his face, and his hand outstretched, saying -as he came, “Don’t bother about me, sir, I’m only sorry that you should -be afflicted with such a hasty temper and disbelief in the goodness of -anybody. But please<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> say no more. If you are ready to go on board we -are ready to take you.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, I don’t wonder you want to get rid of me,” murmured the skipper -sorrowfully; “how you’ve put up with me so long I don’t know. All I -know is that you’ve made me feel as I’ve never done before, and I’d -love to stay here and take a few lessons from you good folks how to -live. But I must get back to the hog-trough again, I suppose. Come -along, the sooner I get aboard the better,” and he strode firmly -towards the boat.</p> - -<p>Philip and his son looked at each other for a moment irresolutely, -the same thought in each of their minds, should they ask him to stay -and see their dear old pastor who would speak words of comfort to his -tortured soul? But the time had passed, all hands were in the boat save -the steersman, and Philip sprang to his place while the waiting crowd -ran the buoyant craft out into the foaming surf and the long oars drove -her strenuously through the tormented waters, forcing her out to the -smooth sea beyond. Once out of the surf the rowers settled down into -the long, regular swing of deep sea oarsmen, and they rapidly neared -the vessel. She lay lazily rolling to the heavy swell with her mainyard -to the mast, but not a sign of life about her, for all the crowd on -board. But as the boat swung alongside the mate sprang on to the rail -and shouted his orders, a rope was flung, the side ladder lowered -and the skipper climbed aboard, saying as he did so, “Come up, Mr. -Boat-steerer, and I’ll treat ye different, see if I don’t.”</p> - -<p>But Philip gravely declined. He did not care to run any such risks, -knowing from much previous experience how soon such impressions as -the captain had received are apt to change with a different scene.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> -And the captain did not repeat his invitation. Turning to the mate he -ordered all dispatch to be made in getting the stores on board, then -abruptly left the side and the boat’s crew saw him no more. In a very -few minutes the boat was cleared and as soon as she was empty Philip -shouted, “Cast off that rope.” It was done and with a powerful sweep of -the steer oar they swept away from the ship’s side, and shipping their -oars bent to them with a will, every man of them feeling glad to put -an increasing distance between them and the hive of evil they felt the -ship to be.</p> - -<p>And as they did so they saw the mainyard swing, heard the wailing -cries of the sailors as they trimmed the sails to the light breeze and -with a sense of utter relief watched her glide off towards the open -sea. Then Philip raised his beautiful voice in the grand old song of -satisfaction: “O God, our help in ages past,” in which his crew joined, -as was their wont, in sweetest concord. By the time she reached the -beach the ship was almost hull down on the horizon and never, as far as -log-books or signalling stations can tell, was she reported again.</p> - -<p>That night there was another great family gathering of the islanders, -first for equitable division of the articles bought, and next for the -usual thanksgiving in that they had suffered no harm at the hands of -their visitors. For even these gentle, happy children of love were -suspicious of all contact with the outer world, they always feared the -worst, knowing how utterly foreign to their ideas of brotherly love and -unity of heart were the majority of even the few people who touched -at their island. How hard it is for us, who, whether we like it or -not, are bound to feel doubtful of professors of Christianity, when we -realize the deeds and hear the words of so many of them, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> understand -the feelings of this primitive people, among whom the commandment to -love one another had become an ingrained principle. Many of us with the -best will in the world to believe in them find ourselves saying, “Ah -well, they are exceptionally favoured by their situation and history. -If they only lived as we do, among civilized heathen, professing to be -Christians and yet denying the power of God to do His will among us -they would be as lukewarm and half hearted as most of us are.”</p> - -<p>Something of this kind must have entered into C. B.’s thoughts that -night. For after the young ones had gone to sleep he and his father and -mother sat on the stoop in front of their house discussing in their -simple way the events of the day and their bearing upon what they knew -of life until suddenly the young man said, “Mother, sometimes I think -that it’s all very well for us to be as happy and loving and fond of -God as we are here where everybody is like-minded, but what if one of -us should be suddenly flung out of this among people like those we’ve -seen to-day? How should we stand it, do you think? I don’t quite know -how to put it, but what I mean is, are we good because we are shut in -with goodness and have no temptations to be had, or are we good because -we really love good and hate evil? And should we be thus good if -everybody around us was bad?”</p> - -<p>His gentle mother made answer, “Dear son, why worry your head about -such things. If I understand God’s word at all it tells me that if I -live for God and with Him for the present the future has nothing to do -with me. But I believe that wherever He puts me He will provide me with -grace to meet every form of evil. I do not find, though, that if I go -voluntarily where there is evil I get any <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>promise of being made proof -against it. At any rate I know that I love God and all His ways as -far as I know anything, and I can’t imagine myself happy in any other -condition. And I am quite content with that, blessing Him for putting -me where I am, in the midst of people who love Him also.”</p> - -<p>Philip who had been sitting, as was usual with him when unemployed, -gazing into vacancy with his thoughts far away, suddenly aroused -himself and said in a dreamy voice—</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe that all the people who don’t know God are unhappy, -but I’m sure that most of them are, judging from those I’ve mixed -with on my travels. And I’m quite sure that if people were taught in -Christian lands as we are here, if they were brought up to look upon -God as a personal Friend always near, and one that no one who knows -Him could be afraid of, there would be an enormous number of people -more loving Him and knowing Him than there are. I kept my eyes open and -listened also while I was in America and Australia, and I went to all -sorts of places where they said God was worshipped, and I got entirely -bewildered.</p> - -<p>“For it seemed to me that what they called religion was a thing which -hadn’t anything to do with their lives at all. They went to church or -chapel or meeting on Sundays, and said so many prayers or listened to -what the preacher had to say, not at all because they loved God, but -because they thought that if they didn’t do these things they would -be punished for ever and ever by being in a place called hell, always -burning and never burnt up. As for loving God as a man loves a good -father or mother, or loving Jesus as one loves a dear elder brother who -has always been our ideal man since we were toddlers, the thing didn’t -seem to strike them in any way.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> And in some of the churches I went -into I could hardly help laughing, it all seemed so funny, all a big -show to please God who made all the glorious world we live in and the -wonders in heaven above. When I asked them if they thought God minded -how they dressed or walked or smelt (I didn’t like the smoky smelly -stuff at all), they got angry and said I was an ignorant heathen, which -of course didn’t hurt me a bit because I knew I wasn’t. But I did -try to show them in the Bible how plainly God had said as to little -toddling children that all this outward show was of no value in his -sight, that it was the heart and life that really mattered. Only they -said then that I was so stupid it was waste of time arguing with me.”</p> - -<p>C. B. did not remember ever having heard his father talk for so long -a time without stopping before, and he was tremendously impressed by -what he had heard. Nevertheless, there was a growing, deepening desire -in his mind to go and see this curious world, to test the reality of -his own love of God in contact with the extraordinary conditions which -his father said obtained in the great struggling masses of people who -belonged to professedly Christian countries. He felt, in fact, like the -inhabitant of another planet in the old story who was smitten with a -strong desire to come to earth and see for himself whether what he had -heard was true, and if there were even stranger things to be found in -this wonderful little world than he had heard of.</p> - -<p>No word of this growing craving escaped the young man, but daily, -almost hourly, in the midst of his simple toils, he thought over the -possibilities of his getting personally acquainted with the outside -world, until the longing to do so was the strongest factor in his life. -He grew graver, more self-centred, and all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> his intimates noticed -it, for it was so complete a change from his previous liveliness. -Still, nobody mentioned the matter to him, none felt it their business -to interfere with him, more especially as he was if anything more -energetic than ever in performing his share of the work, and if it may -be said, where all alike were kind and unselfish, was more thoughtful -of others than ever he had been.</p> - -<p>So the days and weeks and months glided away in most uneventful fashion -among the happy islanders. There were births hailed with decorous joy -and earnest praise for God’s good gifts, two or three deaths, met -by all as the natural termination of an earthly probation and the -commencement of real life. As such these events were no occasions for -wild outbursts of grief. Tears were shed of course when the bereaved -ones remembered that in this life the dear companion would be seen no -more, but these were speedily dried at the thought of the short time -which would pass before reunion came, and then separation would be an -impossibility. For these people, strange as it may seem to us, acted -as if what they believed were real to them, and not some cunningly -devised fable, in which they had to profess belief in order to hoodwink -God into letting them into Heaven. A Heaven, by the way, which they -believed to be a glorified earth wherein there should be no physical, -moral, or mental evil.</p> - -<p>For of all three of these, although they themselves were in so -wonderful a measure free from them, they had experience from without. -As, for instance, when one day after a long spell of perfect peace, -not a sail being sighted nor any whaling done, the lookout man on the -cliff reported something in the offing, either a dead whale, a boat, -or a piece of wreckage. In any case something quite well worth while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> -investigating, and so a boat with C. B. as boat steerer put off to see -what the waif might be. It was an hour’s strenuous pull before they -reached the object, but some time before C. B.’s eyes had made it out -to be a boat, apparently derelict.</p> - -<p>But when they drew up alongside of the wanderer a simultaneous groan -of pity burst from them, for the sight they saw chilled their blood. -There were four ghastly objects lying across the thwarts that had once -been men but now looked like mummified corpses. Burnt black by the sun, -every bone showing clearly beneath the strained withered skin, hair and -beards like weeds, and lying in the bottom of the boat sundry awful -fragments of humanity that told their own horrible tale of cannibalism. -And a foul stench arose from the boat which befouled the pure air and -made the visitors feel deathly sick.</p> - -<p>It was no time, however, to give way to any weakness of that sort, -especially as they had nothing with them in the way of restoratives, -supposing that any life remained in these pitiful relics of human -beings. So they made the strange boat fast to their own, and turning -shoreward laid to their oars with all their might. Fortunately it was -an almost perfectly calm day, so that the passage through the breakers -was accomplished with little difficulty, and when they reached the -beach there were scores of willing hands ready to help. They lifted the -poor wrecks ashore tenderly, finding that two of them still breathed, -and immediately carried them off to where hot milk and the juice of -fresh fruit could be administered to them. Very gently and patiently -they strove to coax back the fast departing life into those frail -bundles of bones, and were at last rewarded by hearing some words in -a tongue that none<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> of them could understand issuing from the cracked -lips of one of the men.</p> - -<p>Their curiosity was restrained, however, by the absolute necessity -of keeping the poor creatures quiet if the flickering sparks of life -were to be kept glowing, and presently they were delighted by seeing -both the rescued ones fall into a deep sleep. Then they turned their -attention to the burial of the dead in their little graveyard with -all the sweet and simple solemnity they used in their own interments. -But the dreadful evidences of cannibalism in the boat could not be -forgotten, much as they tried to excuse and extenuate, for all of them -felt that nothing would ever have induced them to act in the same -manner. Still, these children of peace would not condemn, despite their -horror, and their pity was immense.</p> - -<p>Long and earnest were the consultations and speculations on the -circumstances which had led to the casting away of these poor waifs, -but when the time had come for retiring for the night only one possible -solution of the mystery had been arrived at—that these were survivors -of some terrible shipwreck, and all thanked God that such a frightful -experience had never been theirs. And so in this good and peaceful -atmosphere of peace and love the little community went to their happy rest.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER V</span> <span class="smaller">Entertaining Devils Unaware</span></h2> - -<p>With the first streak of dawn, as was their wont, all the islanders -were astir, and their first thoughts were for the rescued ones. -The news soon spread throughout the community that the two men had -awakened, mightily refreshed, and that one of them could speak a few -words of English. All ordinary tasks were neglected, and practically -the whole village flocked to the house where they, the rescued ones, -had been sheltered for the night. And there they saw their guests -gaunt, wild-eyed and scared-looking, holding quite a levee, and one -endeavouring to explain how they came to be there.</p> - -<p>It was a difficult task, for his English was of the feeblest and -his pronunciation of the words he did know so extraordinary that it -required many repetitions of even the simplest phrases and great -patience on the part of the listeners to gather the sense of what he -said. At last, however, they learned that these two were the sole -survivors of ten men, who, after killing two of their guardians, had -escaped from New Caledonia, the French convict island. Four weeks -had elapsed since they had seen the last of that awful place of -their imprisonment, four weeks of such horror that the scanty words -of English possessed by the spokesman could only give the barest -outline of them. But quite enough was told to satisfy them that such -an experience<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> savoured of that place of torment of which they never -spoke but in whispers, and they wondered much whether the men who -had succumbed early in the struggle were not the more fortunate. And -gradually, as they grew more and more accustomed to the curious speech -of the man who was trying to explain, they learned of doings within -the narrow compass of that boat adrift helplessly upon the great lone -sea that made their flesh crawl upon their bones, which made them -involuntarily shrink from the narrator, whose utter unconcern as he -told in baldest words the story of his adventures, fascinated them -while it frightened them. For none of them had ever realized such a -depth of callous depravity as was now manifested before them.</p> - -<p>Only the sacred laws of hospitality, nowhere more firmly held to and -observed than here where everything was held in common, as became the -primitive Christianity of the people, restrained them from isolating -the strangers as if they were suffering from frightful disease both -contagious and infectious. Occasionally a gentle attempt to show their -disapproval of the foul terms used by the narrator in telling his story -was made, but quite in vain, for it is a lamentable fact that picking -up a language colloquially, as one does among the workers of the world, -it is always the vilenesses of the language which are first acquired, -because they are most frequently used, and by some devilish twist of -memory they are always the expressions which stick.</p> - -<p>However, the older men among the islanders met and determined that, God -helping them, this new and bad element of evil must not be permitted -to spread among the younger folk, and the word was passed quietly -around that while the strangers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> were to be treated with every courtesy -and kindness, they were not to be associated with indiscriminately; -intercourse with them was to be confined to a very small body of the -older men, all of whom had known something of the evil of the world -without, and were all unlikely to be affected now by anything they -might hear, however vile.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, it was felt throughout the settlement that there had -come into their peaceful midst an appalling danger, and the subject -came into their prayers continually. The strangers, having made a -rapid recovery, swaggered about the little settlement as if they were -the lords of it, rather enjoying the whole-hearted terror of them -evinced by the younger folk, and yet cursing vigorously what they -were pleased to call the inhospitable way in which they were being -treated. By this time the islanders had discovered that they were -harbouring two criminals of the blackest dye, men from whom the least -vestige of goodness was absent, whose thoughts were only evil, and -that continually. Worse still, it seemed as if the island was likely -to be cursed with their presence for an indefinite time, for upon -the suggestion that they would be able to leave by the first ship -that called at the island the two desperadoes avowed with awful words -that they were not going to risk their liberty in any ship whatever. -They were quite contented, they said, in their present position, and -proposed to marry and settle down.</p> - -<p>What that prospect meant to the islanders can hardly be realized unless -the readers have entered into the spirit of this happy community. -The advent of a couple of man-eating tigers in some peaceful, lonely -village here in England could not cause as much terror, because -sportsmen would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> speedily be forthcoming who would slay the beasts, and -these human beasts, though far more dangerous than tigers, could not be -destroyed in the same manner. And day by day those patient, peaceful -people watched and waited and prayed, yet feared what they could not -help feeling was the approaching tragedy.</p> - -<p>It is not too much to say that the whole course of life in that lovely -island home was embittered by the presence of these two degenerate -children of French civilization, who prated and bragged of their -superiority to all law, and being Anarchists and free, professing -indeed much the same principles that some of our legislators do -to-day, although the latter are hardly prepared as yet to carry those -principles to their logical conclusion.</p> - -<p>Deliverance from this terrible incubus came in dramatic fashion. By -some means, during an extra busy time, the two miscreants had escaped -from the almost ceaseless watchfulness of those set apart for that -purpose. And as they were always planning evil of a certain kind, and -were only waiting fitting opportunity to carry out those plans, they -seized this, to them, favourable chance to attempt a crime which I will -not hint at. It happened that at this very time C. B. had been up the -mountain side after honey, having some days before located a hive. He -was heavily burdened with spoil, and having tramped a good many miles -was feeling healthily weary, when he heard a piercing shriek. It was -the first time in his life that he had ever heard such a sound, but it -focussed all his fears and apprehensions, and for one moment paralyzed -all his energies.</p> - -<p>Then the brave blood surged back from his heart, he dropped his burden -and plunged furiously in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> direction of the sound, actuated by he -could not tell what terrible thoughts. A stifled scream spurred him on, -like a buffalo he crashed through all obstacles, arriving presently in -the open of a little glade amidst the thick boscage to find his sister, -his darling Jenny, four years younger than himself, faintly struggling -in the grasp of the two ex-convicts. He was transformed for the moment -into a savage, and leapt upon the nearest with a yell that would have -quite become one of his dusky ancestors. The wretch upon whom he fell, -taken by surprise, had no chance at all, for C. B. snatched him up as -one does a filthy rag and hurled him with tremendous force against -a tree hole, which he struck with a dull crash and fell limp and -motionless.</p> - -<p>The other scoundrel, letting go the trembling girl, rushed off into -the bush, but C. B., full of fury, plunged after him, caught him in a -dozen strides, and battered him with fists and feet in so furious a -manner that in a very short time he was reduced to a helpless lump of -inanimate flesh. Then C. B. desisted, panting, but beginning to feel -compunction for the fury he had been led into, as well as fear that -he had killed one or both of the wretches. But I am truly thankful to -say that such a feeling was only momentary, justification of himself -as being bound to act in the way he did or be unfit to live quickly -succeeded, and he drew himself up again to the full stature of his -grand young manhood. And then he thought of his poor young sister; but -she, as soon as she was released from her savage assailants, had fled -with the swiftness of an antelope to the settlement, nor stayed until -she had found a group of men, to whom she told her story.</p> - -<p>So as C. B. was puzzling himself as to how he should secure his -prisoners—for, of course, he so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> regarded them—three stalwart men, -one of whom was his father, came crashing through the undergrowth and -greeted him warmly. He said little but pointed to the evidence of his -prowess. Both of the villains were just recovering from the shocks they -had received, and were looking almost as if they had been dragged along -under a harrow. They were very subdued, and regarded C. B. with a great -deal of respect, making no attempt at resistance as they were led away -toward the village.</p> - -<p>By this time the news of the affair had spread, and the whole -community were gathering with looks of horror and consternation at -the two wretches who had thus repaid, or attempted to repay, the -loving-kindness to which they owed life and health. But little was -said, and that only in whispers, as the prisoners were led to the house -of the old patriarch who was at once minister and dispenser of law, the -latter function indeed being quite a sinecure among this people whose -love of righteousness was inbred and fostered in every imaginable way.</p> - -<p>Arriving there, they were consigned to as near a substitute for a -prison as the island afforded, a strongly built outhouse, their hurts -being attended to and food and drink supplied them. Then they were left -under guard, being informed that any attempt on their part to break -loose would be followed immediately by their being tied up, for as -they had chosen to behave as wild beasts, they must look to be treated -as dangerous, and every precaution taken against them. Thoroughly -cowed for the time by the rough handling they had received, the only -argument they could understand, they attempted no protest against -their confinement, but sullenly accepted what was given them and done -for them like men accustomed to bow submissively to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> inevitable. -And thus they were left to themselves, the guard keeping close watch -outside.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the conduct of C. B. came under strong discussion. No one -attempted to suggest that he had acted wrongly, for all were agreed -that it was a matter of deepest thankfulness to God that he had arrived -so opportunely and acted as promptly as he had done, and yet there was -something disquieting, not merely to the community, but to himself, in -the fact that he had given way to such an outburst of savagery. And all -felt how terrible a thing it would have been if he had slain either or -both of the villains, as he would most likely have done had he carried -a weapon. He attempted no justification, showed no repentance for his -action, but frankly admitted that he was horrified to find that he had -so much of the savage in him. And strange as it may seem, though all -looked upon him as quite a hero, it is no less true that with their -admiration was mingled another feeling which they could not conceal, a -feeling which made them hold themselves slightly aloof from him and the -sense of which cut him to the quick.</p> - -<p>This, added to his previous unrest of spirit, decided him in his -half-formed idea of leaving the island at the first opportunity and -seeing the world. There was just a trace of bitterness in the thought -that his resolution should have been fixed by an event of which he -could not but feel proud, and could not help thinking should have made -all his acquaintances proud of him too. But there it was, and no amount -of meditation or self-examination would avail to alter it. So at the -earliest opportunity when he was alone with his parents he told them -of his resolve. For a few minutes neither<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> spoke, and then his still -beautiful mother broke the silence, saying—</p> - -<p>“Have you consulted the Lord about it, dear boy?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, mother,” he replied truly, “but I have not asked for any guidance -in the matter, for I feel, I have long felt, led to go. And I don’t -believe that such a strong inclination as I have towards something that -certainly is not wrong can be of the evil one. Besides it is not my own -pleasure I am seeking, neither am I tired of my lovely home, but—well, -I must go, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>Thereafter his father and mother regarded the matter as settled, -only mother like, Grace hoped that it might be a long time before an -opportunity came—she wanted to keep her boy as long as possible. But -it fell out that only a fortnight afterwards an extraordinary event for -the islanders occurred: two vessels arrived off the landing place in -one day and hove-to, one the British war-vessel <i>Thetis</i>, and the other -the American whale-ship <i>Eliza Adams</i>, of New Bedford. Joyfully the -boats’ crews sprang into their craft and pulled out to the vessels, one -visiting the man-o’-war to convey the respects of the whole community -to the representative of the country they loved so well, and the other, -steered by C. B., to the whale-ship to inquire after their wants.</p> - -<p>As soon as Philip, who was in charge of the first boat, had climbed on -board and had saluted the deck, he inquired for the captain, and first, -in time-honoured fashion, begged him to consider the resources of the -island at his disposal and to do them the honour of paying them a visit -to the shore in their boat. The captain having gravely accepted the -latter invitation and declared his intention of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> paying for whatever -produce they might supply, Philip informed him that they had a favour -to ask which they earnestly hoped he would see his way to grant, and -then proceeded to tell him the story of their undesirable visitors, -assuring him that the peace of the island had been destroyed since -their arrival, and that now matters were worse than ever, since the -miscreants must needs be watched day and night lest they should escape -and do some fiendish deed in revenge, adding that on their own showing -they were capable of any villainy. The captain listened patiently, and -as soon as Philip had done talking replied in cheery tones—</p> - -<p>“Make your mind easy, Mr. Adams; it’s not only a pleasure to grant your -request to take these scoundrels off your hands, but my duty. I have -been officially warned of their escape by the authorities and told to -look out for them, and I shall be only too glad to rid you of them.”</p> - -<p>Philip thanked the captain and requested the loan of a couple of pairs -of handcuffs, saying that he would not put the captain to the trouble -of sending a boat for them but would bring them off. The captain -immediately assented, and in five minutes’ time the boat was flying -shoreward with the captain and two of his officers seated in the stern -sheets, quite glad of the opportunity afforded them of visiting this -wonderful little community whose fame as a model settlement had spread -all over the English-speaking world.</p> - -<p>But the joy of the islanders who can depict, when Philip told them of -their approaching deliverance from the misery under which they had -laboured. Do not think them selfish or unmindful of their obligations -to their fellow-men because they were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> glad to get rid of these -undesirables. Had the latter been amenable to kindness or at all to -be influenced by goodness so palpably manifested towards them, things -would have been quite different. Every effort had been made, more by -practice even than precept, to soften those flinty natures, but all -such attempts had been met by the most brutal and hideous language as -well as threats, of diabolical revenge if ever the chance came. It -delighted those foul creatures to see the islanders wince at the awful -words and blanch at what they were by no means inclined to regard empty -threats, although it was happily impossible for them to realize fully -the significance of some of the worst of them.</p> - -<p>Most of the islanders were on the strand ready to welcome the captain -of the <i>Thetis</i> when he stepped ashore, and he and his officers were -reverentially borne off to the magistrate’s house, and offered the -best that the island afforded in the way of refreshments. On the way -thither the news flew from lip to lip that they were to be freed from -the prisoners, and the air resounded with songs of thanksgiving. Being -a man of prompt action, Captain Thurston, as soon as he was comfortably -installed at the magistrate’s, asked for the two prisoners to be -brought before him, and as soon as the handcuffs had been put upon them -his wish was obeyed.</p> - -<p>When they were brought he addressed them in French, but was answered -by a flood of foulest abuse, language that made even his tanned cheek -flush and his hand seek the sword at his side. But he quickly mastered -his rising temper and ordered them to be taken away and held in -readiness for carrying on board. Turning to his host, he said quietly—</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think you are to be congratulated in that you have escaped serious -injury at the hands of these ruffians, for I don’t think they would -hesitate to commit any crime that lay within their power if the fit -seized them.”</p> - -<p>To which the dear old man made answer—</p> - -<p>“We have never ceased thanking God for that He saved us from such a -calamity as that would have been, and we have now the answer to our -prayers that He would send a British man-o’-war to take them away from -our midst lest our vigilance should relax and they break out among us -like two ravening wolves in a flock of sheep.”</p> - -<p>But we must return to C. B. on his separate mission to the whaler. As -he swung his boat around and came alongside of her in true whaling -fashion he was conscious that all hands were watching him, from the -four pairs of keen eyes at the mastheads to the captain on top of the -little monkey poop. But he was well trained and in no way shy, so he -swung himself on board, being met by the mate and greeted cordially. -All hands were gathered in the waist, separate, of course, according to -their station, and admiring glances were cast upon their magnificent -young visitor, who towered nearly a head and shoulders over the tallest -man there. His simple garb of shirt and trousers, the former buttonless -and with sleeves cut off above the elbow, and the latter rolled up to -the knees, set off his splendid proportions to the best advantage, -while his noble head, bare save for clustering curls, and with a face -of rare open beauty, apparently fascinated every one there.</p> - -<p>The mate in particular was almost stupefied, but pulled himself -together quickly, saying—</p> - -<p>“Come aft, young man, an’ see th’ capt’n;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> we’re in want of fresh -provisions, an’ we hope that there war canoe won’t scoff the hull -amount befo’ we can get a look in.”</p> - -<p>C. B. turned on him a dazzling smile, showing two perfect rows of teeth -as white as curd and remarked—</p> - -<p>“That isn’t our fashion, sir. Whatever we have to dispose of, be sure -you shall have your share of it. I will guarantee that.”</p> - -<p>The mate muttered something which sounded like “Sure enough white man, -any way;” and, confronted with the skipper, introduced the visitor.</p> - -<p>Captain Taber was a man whose aspect alone was sufficient to win -confidence from any one not absolutely beyond the pale. He was one -of the grand old Quaker type who dare do anything but lie or cheat, -inflexibly just but tenderly merciful also where mercy was not a -cruelty. You could not look into those deep grey eyes and mistrust him, -the firm curves of the closely shut mouth and the huge benevolent nose -spelt good man in characters that those who ran might read. He wore the -old typical Yankee beard with clean shaven upper lip, and his garb was -a long grey coat and broad-brimmed grey felt hat. Grasping his visitor -firmly by the hand, he said, “Welcome, young man, aboard th’ <i>Eliza -Adams</i>. I’m glad to see you, and indeed it isn’t every day one’s eyes -light upon so fine a specimen o’ mankind as you be. Now what ha’ ye got -to trade? We’re in want of fresh provisions of all kinds if you can -make the price to suit us.”</p> - -<p>“If you have ever been here before or to Pitcairn, captain,” replied -C. B., “you’ll know that dollars mean nothing to us. Clothing, dress -material, tools and books, are our chief need, and we are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> always -prepared to deal liberally with everybody or not at all. We may not -be able to supply you as amply as we would like to-day because of the -arrival of the warship, but as I told your mate, we shall show the -strictest impartiality in dividing what we have to sell.”</p> - -<p>For a moment the captain gazed at C. B. in silence, and then turning to -his mate, said—</p> - -<p>“Say, Mr. Winsloe, it ain’t often you find the contents match the -casket, is it? But here’s a feller ez handsom’ as a statoo, an’ talkin’ -like an angel. Well, he’s a phenomenon.” Then, turning to C. B., the -old man said—</p> - -<p>“Excuse me, I forgot my manners; you see we don’t come across men like -you every day.”</p> - -<p>C. B. smiled shyly and answered, “It’s all right, sir, I was hardly -noticing. In fact, I was just then thinking of asking you whether by -any chance you might have a vacancy aboard for a boat-steerer?” The -skipper’s face was a study as he stood transfixed with astonishment and -then burst into a roar of happy laughter, while the big tears ran down -his russet cheeks. When at last he recovered his breath he gasped—</p> - -<p>“Well, now, if that don’t beat all. Ben short of a harponeer goin’ on -three months since poor Diego got chawed up, and here’s one ready made -for us, that is if he can handle an iron like he can a steer-oar. Can -ye now by any happy chance?” he inquired almost wistfully of the young -man.</p> - -<p>“If you’ll let me try, sir, with one of the irons in the waist-boat -I’ll show you,” replied C. B.</p> - -<p>The skipper nodded assent, and C. B., shouting to one of his boat’s -crew to throw him up the baling gourd, sprang into the waist-boat with -it, and when he had bent on a lance warp or short line to a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> harpoon -he flung the gourd well away from the ship into the sea. Then poising -the heavy weapon he balanced himself for a moment, a perfect model for -a sculptor, and hurled it at the tiny object. The harpoon described -a regular parabola and fell, splitting the gourd in half, while an -involuntary cheer went up from the crew.</p> - -<p>“That’s as good as I want,” muttered the skipper, and then aloud to C. -B.: “Had any experience on whale?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, sir,” brightly responded the young man, “we do considerable -whaling here. In fact, we’ve got about thirty barrels of humpback oil -here now; we’d be glad to trade with you if we can come to terms.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” returned the captain, “we’ll talk about that later; the -thing now is to get you. Half the cruise is over, that is I can engage -you for about two years at the fiftieth lay and three hundred dollars a -ton for sperm oil, market price for black. An’ if you’re willin’, I’ll -put you on the articles now.”</p> - -<p>“I came principally for that purpose,” replied C. B. with sincerity, -and within ten minutes he was enrolled as captain’s boat-steerer of the -ship <i>Eliza Adams</i>, presently cruising for sperm whales in the Pacific -Ocean with some twenty-two months of her voyage to serve.</p> - -<p>I cannot say that C. B. felt excited or uplifted at this accomplishment -of his desires, but he certainly felt that satisfaction which arises -from the banishment of uncertainty, and with a contented face he took -his position in his boat again ready to pilot the skipper in, who was -lowering his own boat. A very few words sufficed to convey to his -friends in the boat the news of his step, but they were enough to -reduce the warm-hearted fellows to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> tears. For the departure of any -one from that happy community, where all were related and where all -were friends, was looked upon by everybody in the nature of a personal -bereavement, and indeed was considered much more serious than death, -because when any one died those remaining really believed that the -departed one had entered into a far happier state of life than could be -possible on earth, and that sorrow for them was unnatural and wrong.</p> - -<p>But no word was spoken as they sped towards the beach, the seasoned -hands in the skipper’s boat straining every nerve to keep up with them. -A bit of skilful piloting was needed, but the skipper was an old hand -at surf boating, and handled his boat with consummate skill. And as -soon as she touched the beach there were twenty willing hands ready to -grab her and run her up until the wave receded, when all hands jumped -out and assisted to drag her high and dry.</p> - -<p>In five minutes the news had spread to every member of the community -that C. B. was going away, and great were the lamentations. Indeed, it -was fortunate that the captain of the <i>Thetis</i> demanded their attention -as he had to hurry away, as that took the edge off somewhat. C. B.’s -boat with a fresh crew was requisitioned to carry off the huge load -of fresh fruit, meat and vegetables that had been collected, while -the captain with the two desperadoes would go off in a boat free from -a hampering load of provisions. Glad as they were to get rid of the -terrible creatures that had worried them so long, and also that they -had been of service to a man-o’-war, there were few of the usual -demonstrations as the boats pushed off, for their hearts were very -heavy at the loss of C. B., in spite of all they had felt lately.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VI</span> <span class="smaller">C. B.’s Departure</span></h2> - -<p>Now that this momentous time in our hero’s life had arrived, all the -affection felt for him by every member of the community welled up, and -the slight reserve, manifested in spite of all efforts to hide it, -because of his furious onslaught upon the savage strangers, melted -away, leaving not a trace behind. He was hardly left alone a minute; -both men and women crowded around him as if eager to see everything -they could of him as long as they could. Many of the girls wept -copiously, for he had been secretly worshipped by a goodly number of -them, although he was quite fancy free, and had never singled one out -for special notice. He might have been affianced to any girl he chose, -for he possessed all the qualities that make a man beloved, but by -some curious twist, the delights of love for the other sex had never -appealed to him—as yet the love of one Christian for another, fostered -by the love of God as it should be, had been found all sufficient for -the needs of his heart.</p> - -<p>At all this display of affection Captain Taber looked on amazed, for -he had never seen anything like it before. In his experience people -were shy of showing how much they loved a popular favourite, but -these simple children of the sun believed in showing their love and -were in no wise ashamed of doing so. He kept close by C. B.’s mother, -who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> exercised a sort of fascination over him, and in response to her -repeated entreaties that he would be good to her boy, replied—</p> - -<p>“My dear lady, for lady you are of the greatest, I regard your son as a -holy trust. He’s just the finest man to look at and hear speak I ever -set eyes on, and as far as I am concerned, you may take it that he’ll -do well. I have no favourites; as long as a man does his duty on board -my ship he’s entitled to and gets the best treatment I can give him, -and I take care that he isn’t put upon by anybody. But be comforted, -marm, your son’s bound to make his way anywhere. He’ll get imposed -upon, of course, until he learns that people such as you are very -scarce outside this island. But that won’t do him much harm, I take it. -Hallo! what’s this?”</p> - -<p><i>This</i> was the gathering together of the entire population of the -island, including the temporary visitors, upon an open grassy knoll -almost in the centre of the settlement, which was quite near to -where Captain Taber and Grace were standing. As the people disposed -themselves in picturesque attitudes upon the grass, Grace said to the -captain—</p> - -<p>“They are about to hold a prayer meeting to commend my son to the -care of God while he is absent from us. We always do it when any one -leaves the island, for we know how lonely they will feel but for the -fellowship of Jesus.”</p> - -<p>The captain bowed his head gravely, but did not trust himself to say -anything. For one thing he felt sad and ashamed, knowing how careless -and lax in respect to spiritual things he had long been, although his -innate kindliness and sweet temper had preserved him from much evil.</p> - -<p>The captain of the <i>Thetis</i> drew near and exchanged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> a cordial -handshake with his American compeer, saying as he did so—</p> - -<p>“We are apparently about to witness a peculiar sight—a whole people at -prayer who all believe in what they’re doing. It is a moving spectacle.”</p> - -<p>There was no time for more conversation, for all had arrived, and -without further delay the white-haired old patriarch took up his -parable, saying to his assembled flock—</p> - -<p>“My beloved ones, let us in accordance with our valued custom commend -our brother Christmas Bounty Adams to our loving Father. He goes out -from us for a time into a world where we have heard that the name -of God is lightly esteemed, where the worship of God is performed -at stated intervals, but the life that has God for its centre and -circumference is known to and lived by but a very few. But our God is -able to keep our dear brother as he kept Philip his father, and we send -him away full of confidence that he will live so as to show every one -with whom he comes in contact that he is a Christ’s man and that it is -a good and pleasant thing to be so. Now let us sing our favourite hymn, -‘O God of Bethel, by whose Hand.’”</p> - -<p>The two captains turned pale under their tan, and their frames trembled -with emotion as the glorious burst of human melody, unaided by any -instrument, rose upon the still air. Never had they imagined anything -like it, nor could they hardly believe their eyes when they saw the -tears streaming down nearly every face. And when at last the sweet -strains ceased, it seemed as if a certain beauty had suddenly left -the world. Then the grand old leader’s voice arose in tenderest, -most intimate intercourse with their Friend and Father. Nothing of -the stereotyped, pumped-up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> oration, utterly misnamed prayer, so -often heard in pseudo prayer meetings, but the close confidence of -beloved children with a Father whose love was known and proved hourly -throughout life. When he had finished, Philip stood up in touching -simplicity and blessed God for his son’s strength and beauty and good -life, held him up in his spiritual arms as it were, and gave him to -the Father as Abraham did Isaac. Grace followed in an even deeper, -sweeter strain, and then as her voice faltered and died away, as if -at a preconcerted signal, all the gathering broke out in the majestic -strains of St. Ann’s to “O God, our help in ages past,” followed -immediately by the Old Hundredth.</p> - -<p>The two captains were close together all the time, but neither spoke, -hardly breathed, so impressed were they by the simple yet tremendous -scene. When all was over, Captain Taber said sententiously—</p> - -<p>“This just lays over all my experience. I’ve been to camp meetin’s -before now and they begun quiet enough, but before they got far there -was mor’en half of ’em just crazy, jumping mad, howlin’ and screechin’ -like ’sif they was possessed with devils, as the Scripture says. But -these folks seems full of earnestness, yet quiet and reverent all the -time.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” responded the British captain, “though I’ve never been to a -camp meeting, I’ve been to some other meetings in England where the -behaviour of the folks has made me blush all over my body. And then -again I’ve been to other meetings where everything was so formal and -perfunctory that I could not think that any of them believed what they -were saying or what they were hearing.”</p> - -<p>Just then the old patriarch came up and claimed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> his guest, the British -captain, but the latter said that he must rejoin his ship at once -if the stuff was ready that he had purchased. He was amazed to find -that during his stay ashore one heavy boatload had already been taken -aboard, inquiring as he did so if his two passengers were ready and he -would see them put on board. They were brought along helpless to hurt -anybody, but using their foul tongues to their full power. The captain -had serious thoughts of gagging them, but exercised his patience, -remembering that once in the cells on board of his ship they might -curse themselves dumb and hurt nobody’s ears.</p> - -<p>So he departed, never to forget that visit and never to be forgotten -by the people whom he had relieved, and in an hour’s time the <i>Thetis</i> -turned on her heel and sped seaward on her way to Sydney. Then came C. -B.’s turn. All his farewells were said, his exceedingly scanty wardrobe -was packed in a mat, and all being snugly stowed in the whaleship’s -boat, he, at the captain’s request, took the steer oar, while willing, -loving hands ran the boat out on the crest of a departing roller and, -the oars being handled with the usual skill, she shot out into the -smooth beyond, amidst a chorus of farewells rapidly growing fainter as -she receded.</p> - -<p>Reaching the ship the ample load of fresh provisions was taken aboard -with the usual smartness, and the boat hoisted into her place, while -the new-comer gazed with keenest interest as the sails were trimmed and -the ship filled away. For it must be remembered that for all his skill -in handling a boat, whether under sail or oars, and his many visits to -vessels, he had hitherto never been on board one of them while she was -being handled, and consequently the whole business was of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> newest -and strangest to him. And here I must say that in all my conversations -with landsmen about the sea life, I have ever found it one of the -hardest tasks to explain that even the most experienced sailors, -upon first going on board ship, have some considerable difficulty in -becoming acquainted with her details. To the untrained eye she may look -precisely the same as the ship our sailor has just left, but to the -man who has to find in the blackest depth of night the gear about the -deck by means of which the sails high over head are worked, there are -certain to be many acute differences leading to much blundering and -botherment until he gets used to them.</p> - -<p>But this is very technical and needs much more space than can be spared -to elucidate it properly, and even then I doubt very much whether -the result would be considered worth while. So I fall back upon the -fact that C. B., grand fellow as he undoubtedly was, stood and looked -at what was going on, as the <i>Eliza Adams’</i> yards were trimmed for -standing off to sea, with a sense of utter bewilderment, which went -far to dispel the admiration that his fine physique had excited among -the crew in the morning—especially among his fellows, the other -harponeers, who were all Portuguese, all full of enthusiasm for -their business as well as of skill in carrying it on, but absolutely -destitute of the finer feelings of humanity, ruthless and cruel beyond -belief, and only restrained from excesses among their boats’ crews -while on a whale by a wholesome respect for the strong man who ruled -them.</p> - -<p>These men bore no good will towards C. B. as a stranger and an -interloper, and besides, they were jealous of the favour with which -the skipper regarded him. Therefore, when he exhibited his ignorance -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> the handling of the ship, they were unrestrained in their jeering -at him, and used their coarse limited English to its full extent in -letting him see how they regarded him. But he only looked at them -thoughtfully and wondered why they thus spoke to him, seeing that he -had not offended them in any way as far as he could tell. And then -the ship being fairly on her course for the south-east the mate, Mr. -Winsloe, came to him and said—</p> - -<p>“Now then, C. B., you had better see your quarters and make yourself -acquainted with your shipmates. I can see you know but dern little -about a ship, but I guess you’ll learn mighty quick. Come along.”</p> - -<p>He led C. B. below to the narrow apartment on the port side where the -harponeers, the carpenter and cooper, cook and steward lived together -in a certain state, waited upon by a mulatto lad, and fed in precisely -the same way as the captain and officers. Here Mr. Winsloe introduced -him to the senior harponeer, a huge black Portuguese from Terceira, -saying—</p> - -<p>“Pepe, just take this chap in hand and show him the ropes. I believe -he’s a boss whaleman, but a ship’s strange to him, and we want him to -get used to her as soon as may be. And say”—here his voice dropped to -a whisper—“just pass the word to the other fellows that there’s to be -no fool hazing of this chap. He’s too good for it and we don’t want him -spoiled. Besides, he’s quite up to acting ugly, and if he does and gets -a knife between his ribs there’s going to be big trouble with the old -man, an’ a joke ain’t worth all that.”</p> - -<p>Fortunately C. B. heard nothing of this, but he noted the deep scowl on -Pepe’s face as he replied— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right, sir. But you don’t ’spects me to look after him ’n keep -d’other fellows from hazin’ ’im, do ye? Kaze if ye do I cain’t say as I -thinks it far an’ reasonable, specially as he’s such a greenie.”</p> - -<p>“Now, that’s enough er that guff, Pepe,” returned the mate warningly; -“I know all about you and you know all about me.” Then turning to C. B. -the mate went on—</p> - -<p>“Now, young man, this is your home and this man is the boss of the -show, not but what you’re all equal in theory; but there, you’ll find -out what I mean quick enough, and I hope you’ll learn how to take a -good-natured joke if you don’t know already.” And he departed on deck -again, leaving the two men face to face.</p> - -<p>For a while they eyed each other in silence, each apparently engaged in -taking the other’s measure; but while C. B.’s gaze was full of kindly -consideration, Pepe’s looked full of scowling hatred. At last Pepe -muttered some foul remark and turned away somewhat discomfited. He -could not understand the calm untroubled gaze, and he was far too good -a judge of men not to know that the young giant that stood before him -would be much too big a handful for even him to manage, big as he was, -if it came to a rough and tumble. This in itself was enough to make him -dislike the new-comer, for no man likes being suddenly deposed from a -position of supremacy over his fellows.</p> - -<p>Then the other harponeers came trooping down to supper, followed by the -carpenter and cooper, who were both taciturn Down East Yankees of a -good type, but, like most of their kind, utterly callous and godless, -although splendid workmen and brave men. In the babel that ensued C. B. -could not but notice that there were many blasphemous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> remarks levelled -at him obliquely, although no one spoke to him direct. And this was -in truth a fiery ordeal, seeing that he had never in his life heard -anything of the kind except a few broken words that the two escaped -prisoners used so freely, and they were scarcely intelligible to him. -But far harder to bear than that, he noted with surprise, was the air -of enmity aroused by his presence; he who was so sensitive that even -the slight reserve manifested towards him after his outbreak in defence -of his sister had cut him to the very soul.</p> - -<p>But his father had warned him that he might expect something of the -sort and that he must steel his heart against it, be strong to endure -and rest in the Lord, like the three holy children before the king of -Babylon. So he breathed an inward prayer for strength, and drawing -up to a vacant place at the table, helped himself to some food. From -life-long habit he bowed his head over his plate in thanks to the Giver -for a moment, and there burst out a roar of harsh laughter. But this -created a diversion, for the cooper growled—</p> - -<p>“Shet up, ye heathen, an’ don’t jeer a better man than yerselves when -he’s asking a blessin’. Doan’t ye take no notice of ’em, youngster; -they don’t know no better.”</p> - -<p>C. B. gave him a grateful glance and bravely attacked his food, having -a perfectly healthy appetite, and the meal proceeded in silence. But -when all hands lit pipes and corn cob cigarettes, the reek of the place -immediately sickened him, and turning deathly pale he hurried on deck -for air. The smell of the place, full as it was of the odours of stale -oil, the smoke from the lamp and the effluvia of bilge-water, was bad -enough to lungs that had always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> been accustomed to pure air, and the -added fumes of tobacco made the combination unbearable.</p> - -<p>On deck it was beautiful; a strong breeze was blowing, and the sturdy -ship under easy sail was making good way through the water. Under the -brilliant moon the bold outlines of his island home were fast fading -into indistinctness, and for all his high resolves he felt a pang as he -thought of all that he had left and the unknown troubles he was going -to meet. And then a deep kindly voice behind him said—</p> - -<p>“Well, Mr. Man, feeling a bit homesick, are ye? That’ll wear off mighty -sudden, but in the meantime you’ve got to have some clothes. Come down -into the cuddy and I’ll fit ye up.”</p> - -<p>It was the captain who had sought him out, knowing how easy it is for -these islanders to get a chill when first leaving the genial climate -of their home for the wide keenness of the sea, and knowing too how -scantily his new recruit was provided with clothes. So together they -went down into the little cabin, where, aided by the steward, Captain -Taber produced a complete outfit of clothes including boots, which C. -B. looked dubiously at and then shook his head merrily, saying—</p> - -<p>“I’ve never had a boot on in my life, captain, and I’m afraid I -shouldn’t be able to walk in them now.”</p> - -<p>“True, my boy, I’d forgotten that,” laughed the skipper. “Well, we’ll -cut the boots out, and now your account is twenty-two dollars, so you’d -better pray for whale to enable you to pay off your score. Cart your -dunnage below and get off to ye’er bunk, for I guess you’ve got the -middle watch.”</p> - -<p>C. B. gathered up his bundle of clothes and carried them to his berth, -where he found several of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> his berth-mates had already turned in, but -they were all smoking furiously. So he could only stay below long -enough to get into some warm clothing, and then, feeling sick and -silly, he climbed on deck again, a blanket on his arm, to seek a spot -where he might sleep without fear of being suffocated. This experience -of knowing not where to lay his head was totally unexpected by him, for -it was the one thing his father had omitted to mention as being among -the hardships of a seafaring life. And he began to wonder whether in -all his career he should meet with anything harder to bear, being by -nature a perfect lover of pure air.</p> - -<p>However, he found a corner which struck him as being out of the way, -and laid himself down upon the planks, drew the blanket over himself -and commended himself to God, and like a perfectly healthy animal was -almost immediately fast asleep. He was roughly aroused at midnight by -one of the harponeers, who inquired caustically whether he thought he -was going to be a passenger and have all night in. He at once sprang up -and asked what his duties were, but his interlocutor turned away with a -mocking laugh, muttering—</p> - -<p>“Ef yew fink Ise goin’ t’ be yer nuss yous way off.”</p> - -<p>So he went aft, where his instinct told him he should find the officer -of the watch, and when he discovered that functionary, a thickset -taciturn Yankee from Providence, Rhode Island, he courteously asked him -if he might be told what to do. Mr. Spurrell gave a snort, being in a -middle-watch humour, but he was a man of the most inflexible justice, -and his leading principle compelled him to answer the honest question -straightforwardly, instead of as so often happens overwhelming the -novice with contumely for asking. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> informed C. B. that his only duty -was to keep on the alert, going forward occasionally to see if the -lookout was being properly kept by the man, and if any sail-trimming -had to be done to try and master the details of it, the how and why, -so that presently in case of an emergency he might be able to take the -watch himself.</p> - -<p>C. B. thanked the officer gravely, and then, a happy thought striking -him, asked if he might put in his first watch on deck learning to steer -the ship. Steering a boat he was as we know an adept at, but using -a ship’s wheel and compass is a very different matter, and he was -unwilling to remain ignorant of anything for a moment longer than was -necessary for him to learn it. Fortunately there was an able Kanaka -from Samoa at the wheel, who spoke reasonably understandable English -and was delighted to show C. B. all he knew. Thus it came about that at -four bells, that is at the end of the Samoan’s trick at the wheel, C. -B. could steer almost as well as his teacher. For there are some men -born helmsmen, who learn with astounding ease and rapidity, others who -to the last day of their lives never seem to be able to keep a ship, -a sailing ship that is, anywhere near her course. Of course steering -steamships is, like so many other things at sea in steamers, a purely -mechanical process, and if a man does not do it well it argues that he -is careless or lazy or both.</p> - -<p>The wind held steady, so that the new-comer had no opportunity of -learning anything about sail handling this watch, but it had passed -away very rapidly and pleasantly, and when eight bells struck C. B. -felt more contented than he had been since coming on board. Also he -recognized how much he would have to learn, and was correspondingly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -eager to get on with that learning. But now he had to face the hole -below, for the work of cleansing the ship for the day was beginning, -the <i>Eliza Adams</i> being, like all those old-time south-seamen from -New England, kept as spick and span as any yacht, quite contrary to -generally accepted notions, and also in great contrast to the condition -in which our English whalers used to be allowed to remain.</p> - -<p>The foul atmosphere caught him by the throat as he entered, but he -set his teeth and persevered, climbing into his bunk and lying there -suffering until he went off into an almost drugged slumber. From this -he was aroused at seven bells, 7.20 a.m., to breakfast, which was good -and plentiful; but he was not able to eat a morsel, and had to rush -on deck for relief. As soon as he appeared the captain saw him, and -immediately noticed that there was something wrong with him. Calling -him, the skipper inquired in kindly fashion after his health, and -on being told what was the matter, raised his eyebrows wonderingly, -for the complaint was new to him. And indeed it is nothing short of -miraculous to me how men could live at all in such foul dens, reeking -with stench and disease-laden air as they were. But of course the -poisoning process did not go on long enough to kill, and the strong -pure air of heaven when they came on deck soon acted as an antidote -to the evil in the blood. A greater mystery still is the way in which -our peasantry deliberately choose thus to poison themselves. Working -all day in the strong pure breath of the fields, they will go to their -cottages and, in company with a large family, close up every cranny -whereby a little fresh air can creep in, and soak in that foul fug -until the morning. Ugh!</p> - -<p>So all the consolation the skipper could give C. B.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> was that he would -soon get used to it as everybody else had to. And with that poor -comfort C. B. had to be content. Now while the captain went on talking -to him about the island life there was a cry from aloft, “Porps, -porps.” A school of porpoises had joined the vessel, and were indulging -in their graceful sinewy gambols under the bows as usual.</p> - -<p>“Now, my boy,” cried the skipper, “is your time to show your shipmates -what you can do with the iron. Your shot yesterday was a fancy one, -I’ll admit, but this is a different matter. Come along forrard.”</p> - -<p>Already a harpoon had been passed out to the bowsprit and attached to a -stout line, which was rove through a block secured there in readiness -and the other end passed in on deck. At the skipper’s direction C. B. -slid down the martingale on to the guys and stood there, his shoulders -braced against the martingale or dolphin-striker, while the old ship -plunged along, occasionally bringing his feet within a few inches of -the waves.</p> - -<p>Beneath him the graceful agile sea-creatures rolled and sprang and -plunged like mad things in the seething foam from the bluff bows of the -advancing ship. C. B. poised his iron, pointed it at one of the rising -porpoises, and at the moment it broke the water beneath him the iron -flew from his hands. It struck the creature fairly in the middle of the -back and sank through him as C. B. shouted—</p> - -<p>“Haul up!”</p> - -<p>And the men on deck running away with the line jerked the writhing mass -out of the water up to the block, where a running bowline was dropped -over its broad tail, by means of which it was hauled inboard. Another -iron was hastily bent on and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> passed out, and the first victim had -hardly been cut loose from the barb before another was transfixed in -the same manner and lay struggling by the side of its fellow.</p> - -<p>Again and again the feat was repeated, for the new harponeer’s aim -seemed to be unerring, until eleven large porpoises lay in a heap -abaft the windlass. And then a really wonderful thing happened. Two -porpoises rose at once, rolling over and over each other as they did -so, and just as they broke water the harpoon flew and pierced them both -at once! Almost all hands saw the amazing stroke, and a great shout -of approbation went up, for none of them had ever seen such a feat -performed before.</p> - -<p>The pair were hauled inboard and another shot made, but this time the -iron went through the creature’s side, and in its tremendous efforts -it wrenched the iron out of its body and fell, a torn and bleeding -mass, back into the sea. In a moment the whole school rushed after it -and, like a pack of starving wolves, rent it in fragments, leaping -high into the air in their frenzied eagerness to get a share of the -cannibal feast. So there was no more hunting for the time, but C. B.’s -reputation as a harponeer was established upon the firmest basis, -and only his fellow-harponeers were ungenerous enough to mutter that -perhaps he wouldn’t do so well when it came to striking whales.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VII</span> <span class="smaller">C. B. Justifies His Position</span></h2> - -<p>It was Captain Taber’s intention to proceed in leisurely fashion -towards what we know as the “off-shore” grounds, by which term is meant -an immense oblong tract of sea off the west coast of South America, -extending for about a thousand miles to the westward and from about -50° south nearly to the Equator. This has always been a favourite -habitat of the sperm whale, and although not quite so prolific as the -Japan grounds or the vicinity of New Zealand, it has sometimes yielded -splendid results. But it will be easily understood that in so vast an -area, wherein the vision from the crow’s-nest of a single ship, or -say a circle 90 miles in circumference, is but a speck and that only -available by day, it is quite possible for a cruising ship to be many -weeks on the ground and never see a solitary spout of a payable whale. -And this too although the numbers of these creatures then frequenting a -favourite haunt may be incalculable.</p> - -<p>Few people, even sailors, can realize in any adequate measure the -immensity of the ocean, the vastness of the great lone spaces of the -deep. The best method I know to bring this home to one’s mind is to -come up channel, one of the very busiest of all ocean thoroughfares, on -a gloriously fine day and count the number of vessels seen. Of course -I assume that the course is in mid-channel, and thus<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> out of the range -of the fishing-boats. The result is amazing. I have only just returned -from a cruise in the Channel with the Home Fleet, when we were never -more than twenty miles off shore, and I do not recall any one time -that we had beside our own ships more than three vessels in sight. If -then this be the case in the quite narrow waters of the greatest ocean -highway in the world, what must it be where the ocean spreads from -one quarter of the world to another? And no people realize this more -fully than whalers, who know what it is to cruise for months in the -unfrequented latitudes where their quarry is most likely to be found, -and who, after a month or so’s unsuccessful search are haunted by the -idea that just beyond the sea-rim, just over the edge of their little -circle, there may be, most likely are, whales in abundance, but in what -direction can they steer so as to come up with them?</p> - -<p>But to return to C. B. Little by little he became accustomed to the -fetid odours of his quarters, could bear to sleep down there even with -his berth-mates’ pipes all going. But he felt a wide gap in his soul -at the utter absence of one topic from all conversation which during -the whole of his life had been ever uppermost as the most vital and -interesting of all. His soul hungered for some one to talk to about -God; he was horrified almost to faintness at the incessant blasphemy -he heard around him continually; and, although he would not have owned -it to anybody he grieved bitterly in secret that ever he had desired -to leave his home and friends. And a great fear also possessed him -occasionally. It was that he should grow quite indifferent to the -realities of life in the shape of the things of God. Already he fancied -he detected within himself a tolerance of the shameful language current -about him, if only he could hear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> the stories it conveyed of things -hitherto beyond any apprehension of his.</p> - -<p>In fact, there was going on in the lonely man’s soul a conflict -such as few of us ashore are called upon to face, a struggle with -all the powers of darkness which has to be waged by every newly -converted sailor when he goes to sea again, and finds no fellowship -nor friendliness among his shipmates because he is suspected of -being a Holy Joe. Few things try my patience more than to listen to -hair-splitting doctrinal arguments, whether they be on so-called New -Theology, or the cut of ecclesiastical vestments, while my mind reverts -to the lonely soul in the ship’s fo’c’sle, who has just given his heart -to the Lord, and has been compelled by the exigencies of his calling to -go back to the foul life and conversation which never irked him before, -but now is torture.</p> - -<p>The proverb that a man is known by the company he keeps has no meaning -at sea because your company is not of your own choosing. Detest it -as you may you cannot get away from it, and although you may loathe -every word you hear spoken, being human your gregarious instincts will -assert themselves and fight fiercely against your desire to keep your -mind and heart clean by trying to drive you into the society of those -whose delight it is to outrage every feeling they think you possess of -decency or righteousness. In such a situation as nowhere else in the -world can a man rest upon the promise, “Lo, I am with you alway, even -unto the end of the age.” And happy will he be if the squabbling of -the schoolmen as to the authenticity of the dear words has never come -within his mental purview.</p> - -<p>I think, however, that C. B.’s plight was rather worse than that of the -newly converted sailor. For the latter has been long familiar with the -language,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> has long known the utter absence of all recognition of God -as having anything to do with men’s lives, and so, though a return to -such environment is utterly distasteful to him, it is not strange, does -not come with so much of a shock. But poor C. B., from his earliest -infancy, had been steeped in the atmosphere of prayer, of the constant -invariable immanence of God and in the belief of His immediate and -benevolent interference in the affairs of His children down here. He -had not been brought up religiously, for the word is suspect; in fact, -as most of us know to our cost, a religious man and an unutterable -scoundrel are often synonymous terms. But he had been bred in the -belief in the Father’s love and the unseen fellowship with Jesus -Christ His Son, Himself manifest in the flesh, and that not because, -hateful devilish thought, there was anything to be made out of it, any -well-deserved punishment to escape from, but because it was entirely -good and pleasant to love the all-Father whose plans and purposes -towards them were only love and that continually.</p> - -<p>One thing, however, came to his aid early in the struggle. It was -the remembrance of a conversation he had had with his parents once -upon the possibility of the islanders’ goodness being of a negative -character. That is to say, they had never been tempted to do wrong, -all their lives had been hemmed in on every side by right-doing and -right-thinking and perhaps, he had only hinted at it, if they had been -subjected to the same trials and tests as the people in the great -world, they would fall, and fall lamentably. He had not claimed for -himself any special strength or virtue, whatever his innermost thoughts -may have been, but he had really felt at the time that his love for God -was so strong and fervent that he would be glad to test it even in the -fiercest fires of persecution. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p> - -<p>Of course he did not in the least anticipate what the reality would -be, no one ever does. He had strung himself up to meet outrage, in -a physical sense to be treated in openly severe ways, not by covert -sarcasm, persistent blasphemy and ignoring of the very right of God -to interfere in the affairs of man. Now he was face to face with the -reality he felt dismayed, but he went to the unfailing resource of the -Christian, he claimed his dearly purchased right of direct intercourse -with the Fountain of love and wisdom and was at once stayed upon the -sure sense of being a child well beloved by the Father.</p> - -<p>He strove manfully also to acquaint himself with all those details -of ship work which he now found to be quite intricate and difficult. -Fortunately his fine physique and utter immunity from sea-sickness -stood him in good stead and he learned rapidly, so that at the end -of a fortnight he began to feel capable of holding his own with his -shipmates. And in consequence of the continually flung hints that he -would be found out when it came to the actual business of whaling he -prayed fervently for a chance to show that in this at any rate he -had nothing to learn here. But as day after day slipped by and no -whales appeared he had to listen to a fresh set of innuendoes from his -berth-mates, who now said that their ill-luck was due to his presence -on board.</p> - -<p>So when he took his spell at the mainmast head in the crow’s-nest, be -sure that his glance never missed any object, however small, that came -within the limits of human sight. At last when about halfway across the -Pacific it happened to be his first two hours in the main crow’s-nest, -from 6 to 8 a.m. The young Kanaka who was with him was sleepy and -lethargic, taking little heed of the necessity for keeping a good look -out in spite of the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>substantial bounty offered of twenty dollars for -the first sight of an afterwards captured whale making over forty -barrels of oil. C. B. was watchful as usual, for so far as he had yet -lived he had never allowed himself to scamp or neglect any duty. This -was hardly a virtue, it was bred in him.</p> - -<p>And consequently at this time, in the full glory of the early dawn, -while his heart uplifted itself in praise to the Creator of the -beautiful world, all his other senses were concentrated in sight; his -vision ranged ceaselessly over every square foot of the huge circle -of sea of which he was the centre. Then suddenly, from far away on -the Western horizon, there arose from the clear, placid bosom of the -deep a tiny puff as of smoke from a pipe. The watcher stiffened into -rigid attention. Ha, there it is again! another and another, and then -a creamy curdling of the blue water as if its swell had suddenly -met an obstruction. It was enough. Uplifting his mellow voice C. B. -sent through the quiet air the whaler’s musical long-drawn cry of -“Blo-o-o-o-o-w,” the liquid vowels persisting for nearly a minute. As -soon as it ceased there arose from the deck the strong voice of the -skipper, who had rushed on deck from deep sleep at the first beginning -of the cry—</p> - -<p>“Where away? keep crying.”</p> - -<p>“Bloooooow, Bloooooow,” came the response, and then with a bursting -change: “There—ere—she—white waters—and Blows, Blows, Blow. Broad -on the starboard beam, sir, about ten miles off—seven or eight whales, -sperm whales, Blo-o-o-o-w.”</p> - -<p>There was but a very light breeze on the port quarter, the ship making -about two knots an hour, and the skipper, grabbing his binoculars and -mounting the main rigging, shouted:—</p> - -<p>“Port braces, bring her head up WNW. Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> Spurrell, lively now,” the -words exploding as he toiled upward and seated himself on the upper -topsail yard. Meanwhile the other masthead-men had caught sight of -the whales and were all adding their voices to the musical minor wail -that was going up. On deck the watch below were beginning to swarm up; -cleansing gear of brooms, buckets, sand, etc., was being put hurriedly -away, and boats’ gripes cast off, while in each boat the harponeer -might be seen critically examining the state of his weapons.</p> - -<p>Presently the old man’s voice rang out peremptorily—</p> - -<p>“Down from aloft! See all clear for lowering, call all hands. -Christmas, you’d better git an’ see that all’s right in your boat.”</p> - -<p>As his orders rang out the recipients of them responded severally, and -swiftly the various duties were performed, but with an utter absence -of bustle, for all hands were well trained. C. B. grabbed a backstay -as he slid out of the crow’s-nest hoop and came to the deck like a -flash, plunging at once full of eagerness in the direction of his -boat. But here he found that the fourth mate had been before him and -left nothing for him to do. I have not hitherto spoken of this curious -individual, who is indeed worthy of special notice, because he is quite -a supernumary in time of peace and indeed in time of war has to give -place to the Captain should the latter wish to take the field himself. -He was a Guamese, from the Ladrone Islands, the offspring of a Spanish -father and a Chinese mother, but with practically only the facial -characteristics of the Mongol. He was taciturn to a degree, never -uttering an unnecessary word, although he spoke English fluently as -well as Spanish and the Lingua Franca of the islands with which a man -may get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> along from Honolulu to Haapai. And he answered to the name of -Merritt, Mr. Merritt.</p> - -<p>Seeing him in the boat, C. B. said pleasantly—</p> - -<p>“Is there anything I can do, sir?”</p> - -<p>“Get the lines in,” growled the officer, but not uncivilly—it was his -natural mode of expression. And C. B., ready on the instant, turned -to the boat’s crew who stood near and gave the necessary orders. The -two tubs of line were flung into their places and all was ready. From -his lofty perch the skipper’s voice came occasionally in steering -directions as the whales, being on a passage, changed their bearings. -This state of suspense endured for nearly two hours, during which the -whales descended twice, their course, the time of their down-going -and up-coming and the number of their individual spoutings out being -carefully noted, all of which things are guides to the future movements -of the whale of the utmost value.</p> - -<p>For when unmolested and on a passage from one spot to another the sperm -whale steers an exact course, as if directed by compass. So that when -he settles down he heads his course and when he rises again, often -fifty minutes later, he heads still the same way. Moreover the time -he remains below, still when unmolested and on a passage, does not -vary, it is as fixed as in the number of times he breathes on reaching -the surface. But this latter phenomenon does not alter, whether the -creature be unmolested or chased in full health or dying; when rising -to breathe he must obey some strange law compelling him to keep to his -particular number of spouts unless their quantity is cut short by death.</p> - -<p>But it often happens that a school of sperm whales will spend an entire -day upon the surface of the sea, apparently basking in the sunshine -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> doing nothing but enjoy the sensation of being peacefully alive. -In this case their spoutings can hardly be seen, so attenuated does the -vapour become as the creature’s air vessels get thoroughly charged with -pure air. On first rising to the surface, after a prolonged stay below, -the breath is so thick that a casual observer could easily mistake -it for water, as indeed has so frequently been done. I can never -understand why, though, because the expelled breath always hangs in the -air like a tiny fog wreath, which water of course could not do.</p> - -<p>This digression, which is hardly unnecessary, I think, is merely to -while away the long wait while the ship creeps up to the spot where the -happily unconscious monsters are pursuing their placid way. At last the -voice of the skipper is heard again, saying—</p> - -<p>“Lower away, Mr. Winsloe, you’re less than two miles off now. Pull -straight ahead for ten minutes and then set sail. They’re just up and -headin’ as near No’the as makes no odds.”</p> - -<p>“Aye, aye, sir, lower it is,” came the ready response; and with a -musical whir of soft Manilla rope over patent sheaves the four boats -almost simultaneously took the water, the crews slid down the falls -after them and dropped into their places, shoved off, out oars and away.</p> - -<p>It is a stirring sight, the departure of boats after a whale from -a ship. Every man seems so bent upon distinguishing himself. The -flexible ashen oars spring as the weight of the body is thrown upon -them, entering the water cleanly, noiselessly, gripping it firmly and -leaving it as gently as if there had been no force behind the stroke. -The feather is perfect—you cannot pull in a sea way without it, under -pain of a bad chest blow, and the thickly padded rowlocks give no -sound. Suddenly the mate’s boat, leading,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> gave the signal by shipping -the oars and setting sail and immediately all the crews followed the -example, and the big masts were stepped, the white sails shaken out -to the gentle breeze, and without a sound the graceful craft slipped -through the water towards the still unconscious objects of their -efforts.</p> - -<p>Etiquette demands that the boats shall follow in order of official -precedence, but upon nearing the school that order is usually broken -up entirely by the movements of the whales and it is then a case for -individual smartness to assert itself. So now, just as the mate had -indicated by a wave of his hand that the boats must spread out fanwise, -a huge bull whale, the apparent monarch of the school, rose placidly a -couple of boat’s lengths ahead of C. B. He rose, gripping his iron and -jamming his left thigh in the “clumsy cleat” groove, cut out of the -little fore deck of the boat for that purpose. Hardly had he poised -the heavy weapon when the great back before him rounded upwards like a -bow—sure warning that the whale was about to seek the depths.</p> - -<p>There was a swift movement of the sinewy arms and the iron flew to its -mark at the same moment as Mr. Merritt yelled—</p> - -<p>“Now then, let him have it!”</p> - -<p>Everybody in the boat saw the iron strike, sink in halfway and bend -over as the massive iron-wood pole, weighted additionally with the -line, sank downwards. But C. B. snatching his second harpoon sent it -whizzing after the first, striking the arrested monster’s side about -three feet away from the first wound.</p> - -<p>Mr. Merritt swung the boat up into the wind, shouting as he did so—</p> - -<p>“Down with the mast, lively now, hump yerselves,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> and all hands sprang -to the task, while the stricken whale, in a paroxysm of mingled terror -and fury, lashed the quiet sea into boiling foam with his gigantic -struggles against this unseen, unknown enemy that had so sorely -wounded him. But none of his efforts, tremendous as they were, had any -intelligent direction; they were just a blind waste of energy, and so -the toiling men were able to get the sail rolled up and secured, the -mast unshipped and fleeted aft, where, with its heel tucked under the -after thwart, it was completely out of the workers’ way, leaving the -boat clear for action. Then, as coolly as if on a pleasure trip and -entirely unheeding the frantic wallowings of the leviathan so near, -Mr. Merritt and C. B. changed ends, the former’s place now being in -the bow, for the purpose of using the lance on the whale, while the -harponeer steered.</p> - -<p>Before, however, Mr. Merritt had got the cap off his favourite lance’s -point there was a sudden cessation of the uproar, a huge whirling in -the sea and the vast body sank from sight, slowly, majestically, as if -the monster had suddenly regained the dignity befitting him in spite -of these new and terrifying circumstances. Now the line attached to -the harpoon led right aft, round a stout oak post built solidly in -the boat, the “loggerhead,” and thence into the tub where two hundred -fathoms of it was neatly coiled, a smaller tub on the other side of the -boat holding a hundred fathoms, but all in one length.</p> - -<p>“Hold him up, hold him up,” growled the officer, as the line began to -glide out slowly, and C. B. responded by taking three turns round the -loggerhead with the line and holding on to it until the boat’s nose was -dragged down to within an inch or two of the water, while all hands, -except the officer, crowded aft as far as they could get, with the -object of putting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> a check upon the whale’s descent. This is always -done, but remembering the immense power of a whale in addition to his -enormous weight (a full-sized sperm whale weighs considerably over a -hundred tons), its brake power would almost seem commensurate with that -of a fly on a cart wheel.</p> - -<p>Now they were at leisure to look round them to see how the other boats -had fared. But only one was visible, and that was coming towards them -at tremendous speed, obviously being towed by a whale, although he -could not be seen. On she came, heading straight for them, until, when -destruction seemed inevitable and the tomahawk for severing the line -gleamed in Mr. Merritt’s grip, the boat steerer of the rushing craft -made a mighty effort, bending his steer oar like a great bow, and she -flew past them only a few feet away. It was a breathless moment, but -such are frequent in this strenuous business, and except at the moment -are thought little of. Here, if anywhere, the proverb of a miss being -as good as a mile holds true—it generally means the difference between -life and death.</p> - -<p>Slowly, certainly, fake after fake of the line left the tub until it -was exhausted, and now the smaller one began to empty in its turn. So -the signal was made “running short of line” by up-ending an oar, and -soon after urgency was shown by another oar being pointed upwards. -But no boat was near, and all hands began to peer anxiously at the -fast emptying tub, while one stood by with the drogue, a flat piece of -planking a foot square which is made fast to the end of the line when -it has to be slipped. It is supposed to act as a drag upon the whale, -equal to the resistance of four boats. And then, as suddenly the boat -righted herself with a jerk,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> while the men scrambled each to his -thwart, the whale ceased to descend, and Mr. Merritt shouted—</p> - -<p>“Haul in lively now, haul quick!”</p> - -<p>As fast as the fakes could be coiled in the sternsheets the line was -hauled in, for the whale rose as rapidly as he had gone down slowly, -until suddenly he broke water about a ship’s length away and with one -tremendous expiration of pent-up breath, sprang forward like a hound -loosed from the leash. C. B. had only just time to whip his turns -round the loggerhead again as the boat, with a jerk that nearly threw -all hands from their thwarts, sped after the rushing ocean monarch, -leaving a wide, glittering foam track behind her. Mr. Merritt leaned -over the bows, clutching his long lance and glaring vengefully at the -broad shining back of the whale ploughing through the waves fifty feet -away from him. With coarse gaspings he implored, taunted, threatened -his crew in the effort to get them to perform the impossible task of -bringing him nearer to the whale. The rope was tense as wire, and their -utmost endeavours could not get in an inch of it.</p> - -<p>And now the wind and sea began to rise, causing clouds of flying spray -to break over the boat as she was dragged furiously in the wake of -the whale. Merritt’s rage was awful to witness. What he said does not -matter; it was almost unintelligible anyhow; but his yellow teeth were -bared, he champed like an angry boar, and foam flecked with crimson -flew from his mouth and hung on his straggling beard. C. B. stood like -a statue, alert, tense, ready to act on the instant if the whale should -turn.</p> - -<p>And thus they sped for nearly twenty minutes, until as suddenly as he -had hitherto performed his other evolutions the whale stopped, turned -at bay, and with a splendid sweep of the steer oar C. B.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> avoided -running into his columnar head, bringing the boat head on to his -broadside. With one exultant savage yell Merritt hurled his lance, and -the whole four feet of slender steel sank into the black body as a -knife sinks into butter. “Haul and hold, haul and hold,” screamed the -furious man as he dragged the lance back, straightened it by a deft -blow or two on the gunnel, and now, being closely held against the -whale side, plunged it in again. But it struck a rib and bent almost -double. Flinging the warp or line by which it was attached to the bow -oarsman, he snatched another lance, uncapped it, and was about to -repeat his assault, when there came a warning shout from C. B. as the -agonized monster turned a somersault, his huge flukes snapping in the -air as he brandished them frantically.</p> - -<p>“Stern, stern,” roared Merritt, and all the energy the crew possessed -went into those awkward strokes, while the turmoil made by the maddened -whale was deafening. Black, fetid blood flew from his spiracle mingled -with acrid foam, which stung like a nettle where it touched the skin, -and from the wounds made by the lance the blood spurted to a distance -of two or three feet. It was obvious now that one or both of those -lance thrusts had reached a vital organ, and the sea monarch was now -writhing in the last great struggle of death. He rolled rapidly from -side to side, beat the ensanguined sea into yellow foam with his mighty -tail, while masses of clotted gore burst from his spouthole with a -mournful bellow, like that of some vast bull, and then in a moment the -great body went limp, rolled upon its side, and lay still, save for the -gentle motion given it by the swell.</p> - -<p>All hands drew a long breath, then at Merritt’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> command hauled up to -the carcass and held the boat alongside, while with a boat spade he cut -a hole through the tail. Then cutting the line from the irons close up -to them, the end of it was passed through the hole and made fast, a -small flag was hoisted, and all was ready for the ship to run down and -secure the great prize.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII</span> <span class="smaller">Treachery and its Consequences</span></h2> - -<p>There are few pleasures in life comparable with the contemplation of -the successful results of a tremendous struggle with overwhelming odds -in company with your fellows, whether you be leader or follower. And -I know of no circumstance where this is more fully exemplified than -in the precious rest-time enjoyed by a boat’s crew immediately after -the death of a whale. No matter how bad the treatment of the men on -board the ship may have been, how utterly weary of the life everybody -may feel, or how brutal officer and harponeer, the sense of having -successfully finished the combat draws them all together for a time, -and the smoke which is then permitted is essentially in the nature of a -pipe of peace.</p> - -<p>In the present case everybody was full of satisfaction. For in the -first place the new harponeer had acquitted himself in the best and -most approved fashion, the highest expectations of him had been fully -justified. Next, the whole operation had proceeded on the most orthodox -lines, both on the part of the whale and his destroyers. And lastly, -the weather had been fine, the time not too long, and crowning joy of -all, the prize was of the largest and therefore the most payable size. -Even Mr. Merritt’s curious yellow face wore a less ghastly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> expression -than usual, which in his case meant immense satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Their rest was of very brief duration, for when the whale died the -ship was barely three miles away to windward, and she had immediately -filled away for them. When she reached within a quarter of a mile she -was brought smartly up into the wind with her mainyard aback and laid -still. Immediately Mr. Merritt gave the order to slack away the line -and pull for the ship, which they reached in five minutes, noting -as they did so that all the other boats were in their place, at the -davits, and that the faces of the crew wore a preternatural air of -gloom. The bight of the line was passed on board and all hands tailed -on to it, walking the whale up to the ship in rapid fashion. And as the -great mass came alongside the skipper’s face lightened, for he mentally -assessed its stupendous proportions as able to yield about fourteen -tons, or a hundred and forty barrels of oil. In splendid seamanlike -fashion the fluke chain was passed round the tail and hauled through -the mooring pipe in the bow, where it was secured to the massive fluke -chain bitt, an oaken post built into the ship and bolted to the heel of -the bowsprit.</p> - -<p>Without a moment’s interval the work of cutting in was begun, but the -newly arrived boat’s crew were given time to get into another rig. -And C. B. received a fresh surprise when, with a pleased look on his -face, he went up to Pepe, the chief harponeer, and asked him what had -happened to the other boats that they had missed their chance. It was -a simple question, which, had C. B. known anything of the world, he -would never have asked, for he would then have known that it would be -taken as a bitter insult. Indeed it nearly led to tragedy, for Pepe’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> -face went reddish black with rage, the veins in his neck stood out like -cords of the thickness of a little finger, and he snarled out something -in his own language, looking like a starving wolf as he did so. Then in -a calmer tone he said—</p> - -<p>“Don’ you begin poke no fun at me, Mr. Greenie, or I settle de account -mighty quick. You talk somebody else.” And turned away, leaving the -bewildered C. B. staring wonderingly at him.</p> - -<p>But not for long, for Captain Taber came up, saying pleasantly as he -did so—</p> - -<p>“Look a here, young man, you’re most too good for this wicked world, -you air, an’ I’m afraid I’m goin’ t’ have big trouble about ye. -Whatever possessed ye to go and ask Pepe what ye did? I heard ye.”</p> - -<p>“Only because I wanted to know, sir,” replied the young man; “I -supposed that they had all had some trouble, as will often happen in -whaling, and I thought I’d like to know the reason.”</p> - -<p>“And it never occurred to you that every one of those harponeers is -just full of mad against ye for havin’ disappointed ’em. They’ve ben -hopin’ for ye t’ break up fust time ye went on a whale; they hate ye -because ye be good an’ quiet an’ simple, an’ if ye was a clumsy galoot -they’d soon let up on ye and only play a few fool games on ye. But now -ye’re comin’ out smarter than any of ’em, for I can’t deny that this -mornin’s work was a bad piece of bunglin’ as ever I seen in the ship; -there isn’t one of ’em that wouldn’t enjoy stickin’ an iron through ye -right up t’ the hitches. But there, get along t’ the work,’n keep close -to me; I don’t want a blubber spade slipped into ye by accident.”</p> - -<p>That afternoon the deck of the <i>Eliza Adams</i> presented a curious scene, -a scene of wonderful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> activity, of massy pieces of blubber swinging -inboard and decks streaming with oil. Much of the bad feeling among the -other three harponeers and officers had evaporated or was in abeyance, -though none of them could forget the blistering words spoken to them by -the skipper that morning. The present may be a fitting time to allude -to the circumstances briefly. The mate, with Pepe his harponeer, had -singled out the biggest whale he could see and laid Pepe on to it. -But for some strange reason, when Pepe raised his iron to dart, he -did not notice that the whale, evidently an old stager, had at that -moment hollowed his back, leaving the blubber all slack. Now an iron -cannot penetrate a whale’s body when this is the case. And at the -moment the point struck the whale arched his back with such suddenness -and violence that the iron was flung right back into the boat by the -tightening of the blubber, knocking the bow oarsman senseless. In the -momentary confusion induced by this, and while the mate was angrily -inquiring why Pepe had missed, the second mate, Mr. Spurrell, came -charging along fast to a whale which dived beneath the mate’s boat, -and in order to keep from cutting her in half the line was let go. It -kinked or caught in the groove or chock, and but for Mr. Spurrell’s -promptitude, two more seconds would have seen both boats a mass of -wreckage. He, however, chopped the line, losing the whale.</p> - -<p>Neither of them could get near a whale again, and as for the third -mate, nobody seemed to know what had happened to him, except that he -did not appear to have even located a whale, but ambled about like -a man in a dream. Take it all round, the morning’s work, as far as -the old hands were concerned, was a matter to be forgotten as soon -as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> possible. But that the despised Kanaka, as those fancy-coloured -Portuguese called him, the soft greenie, the everything of contumely -their narrow coarse minds could suggest, should succeed where they had -failed was enough to goad them to madness.</p> - -<p>But now a strange new factor intruded itself into the situation. -The thirty hands of the crew were, as usual, of several different -nationalities. There were several Kanakas from various islands, eight -native-born Down Easters who had been lured by spacious promises and a -spirit of adventure into this roving unprofitable life, four Europeans -of sorts, whom I cannot specify, and the rest Portuguese. Now their -discordant elements agreed very well under the stern discipline always -enforced on board those ships, but all of them felt warmly towards the -big handsome Bounty boy who always spoke so kindly, never used an oath, -and greatest quality of all in their eyes, was fully up to his work.</p> - -<p>And with that extraordinary instinct for what is going on which is -always so surprising on board ship they all realized the antagonism -felt towards him by the other harponeers, and though they dared not -show any partiality, they felt it, and whenever they could discuss -the situation among themselves without the Portuguese listening, they -always spoke in the most enthusiastic terms of the new recruit. It must -not be supposed that in saying what I have about the Portuguese I am -actuated by any hostility towards them. I know what fine men they are -for their work, but they are capable of the blackest treachery, regard -it as perfectly legitimate to get the better of a man you dislike by -any means however base, and to further their own ends will betray their -closest friend. Of course I know little of the pure-bred Portuguese, I -speak throughout of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> breed I am acquainted with, the many-coloured -natives of the North Atlantic Isles; brave, fierce, and entirely -unscrupulous.</p> - -<p>Much of the work being done that afternoon was entirely new to C. -B., often as he had helped to cut up a whale, for it must be pointed -out that cutting a whale in on board ship at sea is an essentially -different process from the slipshod business of doing the same thing -on shore, especially where all are friends, all desire to get the job -done as quickly as possible, for all are co-equal partners in the -venture. So naturally he made many blunders, immediately pointed out -by the skipper, who worked as hard as any of them, and none missed by -the sardonic harponeers and officers toiling on the cutting stage. With -one exception, Merritt. Once when C. B. did something foolish, and in -consequence came a cropper in the midst of a pool of oil, Pepe, who was -toiling on the cutting stage by Merritt’s side hacking off the gigantic -head, snarled to Merritt.</p> - -<p>“Look a dat galoot! Bouts handy as a ba’r, don’t it?”</p> - -<p>Merritt turned upon the speaker with a green light in his curious -shaped eyes and snarled—</p> - -<p>“Wen you k’n best ’im at ’is work you call ’im bad names t’ me, not -before. I got no use fer talk like dat. He’s a man, dat’s what he is, -an doan call nobody out deir names needer. Git along wid de work.”</p> - -<p>Oh yes, very pretty trouble was brewing all round, as the skipper said, -and not the less troublesome because the storm centre was perfectly -innocuous. Fortunately for himself he had early come to the conclusion -that to worry about what he knew to be the prevalent feeling concerning -him in the half deck, as the petty officers den was termed, would be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> -wrong. Again and again in the midst of his work, when tempted to long -for the kindly hearty fellowship he had enjoyed all his previous life, -he was cheered by the thought of the lonely One and uplifted by the -sense that he was privileged to be a fellow in those dark places of -the perfect Man. And went on, if not cheerfully, at least contentedly, -finding in his work a great solace.</p> - -<p>The intricate and disagreeable work of boiling down the oil and stowing -it away proceeded apace until all was washed away and the ship resumed -her spotless appearance. Then day succeeded day in the peaceful passage -across that placid mighty ocean, when there was nothing but ordinary -ship’s routine to be carried on, and very often C. B. felt sorely the -need of something to occupy his mind. True he could meditate and did -upon the home he had left, and the strange happenings he had witnessed -here; but he did long with an ache at his heart for the sweet communion -with his fellow-men that he had so long enjoyed and had thought so -little of. He had never imagined a little world like this with <i>nobody</i> -to talk to who had a single thought in common with him.</p> - -<p>But this enforced solitude in the midst of his fellows was all -unconsciously on his part deepening and widening his character. In -throwing him upon his own resources, the fellowship with the unseen -realities of true life made him, without his being in any sense akin to -the useless self-centred recluse in his narrow cell wholly intent upon -the salvation of his own petty soul, realize in a very special sense -the perfect beauty of spiritual communion as he had never done before. -Also, because he was debarred from reading anything except his Bible, -there being no other literature available, turn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> all his physical and -mental powers during his hours of work to becoming perfect in his new -calling.</p> - -<p>And then he suddenly made a discovery which pleased him immensely, made -his heart leap for joy. It was that his queer boat-header, Mr. Merritt, -had conceived a great liking for him. He was struggling one afternoon -with the intricacies of a piece of sailor work, endeavouring to strop -a block with three-inch rope, and having made a mess of it, he looked -up despairingly to find the inscrutable yellow face of Merritt looking -down upon him with a twinkle in the oblique eyes.</p> - -<p>“Got kind o’ snarled up, I see,” said the fourth mate. “Comes a-tryin’ -to do sailor work ’thout bein’ properly showed how. Here, lemme show -ye.” And sitting down by his side Merritt explained patiently and -clearly every detail of the work, nor desisted, never losing patience, -until C. B. had fairly mastered it.</p> - -<p>“Now anything else in that way you hanker after knowin’ you come to me -an’ I’ll show ye, see. But don’t go askin’ anybody else, ’cause when -I take a job on like this I like it all to myself. I’m a jealous man -I am, and I’ve took a strong shine to ye, an’ as long as you stick -t’me I’ll show ye what my idea of bein’ a chum is.” Then settling down -comfortably by C. B.’s side he lit his pipe and went on, “Guess you’ve -often wondered what sort of a queer fellow I was, didn’t ye? Now don’t -say ye didn’t, kase ye couldn’t help it. Everybody does, an’ I don’t -blame ’em as long as they don’t throw it up to me; if they do, well, -I’m a pretty poisonous handful when I get a-goin’. But we won’t talk -about that. I’m talkin’ to you now as I ain’t talked to any man since I -lost my only chum, ten years ago. Some day I’ll tell you all about him, -but not now. Now I want<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> t’say that I’ve been a-watchin’ this crowd -pretty cluse, an’ there’s two or three of ’em a-lookin’ for a chance to -spoil ye fer keeps. An’ I’ve a-made up my mind that I ain’t goin’ t’let -’em do it. I want ye, fer I believe yer a no end good man any way yer -took, an’ if ye are misshnary it’s the right kind. Put it thar,” and -he held out his yellow sinewy hand, which C. B. took warmly, and was -amazed at the force of the grip he received.</p> - -<p>Now this colloquy had certainly not passed unnoticed by the harponeers, -and something like dismay ran through the camp. For Merritt, although -they had been shipmates with him for eighteen months, was an enigma -to them, a riddle they had never thought it worth while trying to -solve. They knew him for a splendid whaleman and a thorough seaman, who -scarcely ever spoke except when it was absolutely necessary for the -purposes of the business. His colour and the strange mixture of races -obvious in his face made no difference in a community where a man is -judged only by his deeds and not in the least by his origin. And now -this mysterious mate had taken up their pet aversion, and who knew what -such a combination might produce?</p> - -<p>The first result of the association, however, was a decided easing off -in the villainous remarks made purposely in C. B.’s hearing whenever -he went below, and a certain indefinite shade of respect being shown -him. He noticed the change, wondered mildly at it, and then dismissing -it from his mind, went quietly on his way as before, until one evening -the skipper, coming up to him as he stood gazing over the rail at the -placid bosom of the ocean, said in a cheery voice—</p> - -<p>“Well, Mr. Christmas, you seem to be getting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> along a little better -with ye’re berth-mates now, an’ I’m right down glad to see it. But what -ye ben doin’ t’bring it about? I thought nothin’ ’d do it but a big row -and mebbe a fight in which I was prepared to back ye up. An’ I’m ever -so pleased to see that ther don’t seem to be any prospect of the kind -now. Tell me what ye done to ’em?”</p> - -<p>C. B. turned on him one of his beautiful smiles and replied—</p> - -<p>“I haven’t done a thing to them, sir; I don’t know what I could do -except try and go on as I began, doing my work as well as I can. They -wouldn’t talk to me, nor let me talk to them, and so I’ve just had to -let them go their own way while I have gone mine.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, that’s all very well,” hastily rejoined the skipper, “but -how have you managed to make chums with Merritt? I never thought he -would associate with any one.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t the least idea, sir,” replied the young man. “He says he -likes me, and I’m very glad, but I don’t know why he should have -suddenly found out that he did.”</p> - -<p>“Ah well,” sighed the captain, “it is as I’ve often said, you’re too -good for this wicked world and you’re bound to have trouble, but I’m -mighty glad I don’t see trouble stickin’ out so far as I did. An’ now -as we’re just comin’ on to the whaling ground, I hope you’ll bring us -luck and do as well as you did first time lowerin’.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so too, sir,” answered C. B., “and that the other fellows -’ll get a look in too. I can’t bear to see men so disappointed.” The -captain gave him a critical look and walked away, shaking his head -gravely as though to hint that really his new<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> harponeer was a problem -too difficult for him to solve.</p> - -<p>Now by what process of reasoning or instinct Mr. Merritt arrived at -the conclusion that there was some mischief quietly hatching, directed -against his harponeer in connexion with his work, there are no means -of knowing; it was one of those impulses that are not to be reasoned -out, only felt and obeyed. At any rate, so strong was his feeling that -something was afoot, that he sacrificed watch after watch of his sleep -at night lying rolled up in a blanket on top of the after house where -he could keep an eye on his boat. This of course in his watch below, -when he was supposed to be in his cabin, and he took the greatest pains -to keep his movements secret. After nearly a week’s watching, he was -rewarded by seeing a dark figure, which his keen sight determined to -be the mate’s harponeer, Pepe, creep noiselessly up into the boat and -settle down into her so that his movements should not be seen, the mate -having gone below to fill his pipe, and the third mate lolling half -asleep abaft the wheel.</p> - -<p>Merritt slipped down from his place like an eel, slid along the deck to -the side of his boat, then sprang up on the rail and peered in to her, -saying sharply—</p> - -<p>“What ye doin’ in my boat, Pepe?”</p> - -<p>The big harponeer stood up and stammered—</p> - -<p>“I—I thought I heard a fly’n’ fish drop in thar, an’ was a-lookin’ for -it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh thet’s it, is it?” growled Merritt. “Well, come out of her right -now ’thout lookin’ any more. I sorter mistrust ye;” and as he spoke he -clambered into the boat and glanced keenly around while Pepe got out -reluctantly. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was then just upon the stroke of eight bells, 4 a.m., and Merritt -stayed where he was until the bell was struck and the watch mustered. -Then calling C. B. to him, he told him to watch the boat and make -sure that no one entered her. Having done this he returned on deck -and waited for daylight. As soon as it came he mounted into the boat -again and pointed out to C. B. that the line in the big tub had been -disturbed about ten fakes down. Then lifting fake after fake out he -carefully ran along the line as he did so, until a sharp “Ah” came from -his lips, followed by “Just look here, my son.” C. B. did look, and -there was a clean cut in the line severing two strands nearly through. -C. B. looked up at the fourth mate’s face, and was horror-struck, for -it wore the aspect of a fiend. Not knowing what to say, though burning -with righteous anger at the shameful treachery, he looked irresolutely -back and forth, first at the line and then at his leader, when suddenly -he heard the captain’s voice on deck. Merritt immediately slipped over -the rail and strode to the captain, saying as he came before him—</p> - -<p>“Captain Taber, what’s to be done to a man that creeps into a boat at -night and cuts a tow-line through, an’, when he’s caught at it, says -he’s lookin’ for fly’n’ fish?”</p> - -<p>For a moment the captain was speechless with astonishment and rage, -then he burst into incoherent speech of a kind that cannot be reported. -Merritt stood looking coolly at him until he had finished, and then -resumed with—</p> - -<p>“Guess I’d like you just to hev a peek at this thing,” and led the -way to the boat, the captain swiftly following. There sat C. B. still -almost helpless with wonderment at the devilish treachery<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> of the thing -while Merritt showed the line and explained how he came to detect the -deed.</p> - -<p>“But who, who’s the man?” gasped the skipper. “Tell me who the man is -till I make him wish he’d never been born.”</p> - -<p>“Now, sir,” replied Merritt, “I ain’t ever asked you a favour since I -ben in your ship, an’ I know I’ve gi’n you satisfaction. Please let me -deal with this man in my own way. I won’t kill him, I promise ye that, -sir, an’ it’ll be less trouble for all of us.” By this time Captain -Taber had cooled down a bit, and he looked dubiously at the ugly face -before him. At last he said, “I don’t want murder done here, Mr. -Merritt, neither do I want a man laid up so’s he won’t be any use for -the work, otherwise I think I could leave it to you to give him he’s -lesson. Yes, I’ll do it, if you’ll tell me who it is.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good, sir,” rejoined Merritt, “your word’s always good -enough for me. Well, it’s Pepe, an’ I propose getting him here on -the quarter-deck with all hands to see and no weapons but our hands, -an’ if I don’t teach him suthin that’ll do him good you can heave me -overboard. But I own I’d just like to kill him.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said the skipper, “I won’t go back on my word, keep you -yours. But only to think of it! my boss harponeer to serve me a dog’s -trick like that! And I thought he was getting so quiet and amiable too. -Ah,” shaking his head sadly at C. B., “I was a bit too sudden in what I -said to ye the other afternoon. This is on your account. Well, I wish -I’d never seen ye, but I’ll own that it ain’t any of your fault, an’ -I’m not goin’ t’ be cur enough t’ blame ye.”</p> - -<p>The air was surcharged with electricity until eight bells, for in that -mysterious manner before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> alluded to all hands knew that stirring -events were about to transpire. C. B. was very uneasy, for even without -the captain’s words he would have felt that he was in some measure -responsible for the trouble, though in no way to blame. The only man -who seemed perfectly unconcerned was Merritt, who just before eight -bells slipped below and presently returned clad only in a canvas -jumper, pants and boots. He wore a belt and no cap. The other officers -all whispered one to another anxiously, the mate looking specially -concerned, for, of course, he knew that it was his harponeer who had -done this thing.</p> - -<p>Eight bells! and in the orthodox fashion the watch below immediately -appeared on deck. “Lay aft all hands!” thundered the skipper, and -swiftly the whole crew appeared on the quarter-deck, foremast hands -forward, harponeers to starboard and officers to port. “Stand out here, -Pepe,” said the skipper, and Pepe stepped forward looking a greenish -grey. “Mr. Merritt reports to me that he found you in his boat in the -middle watch, and looking to see what you were doing, found that you’d -cut his line. What have you got to say?”</p> - -<p>He might have had something to say, but he could not say it, he was -fascinated at the sight of Merritt, who had glided nearer to him. -After waiting a full minute the skipper went on. “You’ve got nothing -to say, now come here.” Pepe came close up to the skipper, who flung -his hands round the harponeer’s waist and plucked from inside his shirt -a long keen knife, which he threw aft. “Now stand back, harponeers,” -the skipper cried; “Mr. Merritt is going to teach Pepe a lesson man -fashion.” The ring widened instantly, and like a leopard Merritt sprang -at the harponeer. For a few moments so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> rapid and furious were the -movements of the two men that it was impossible to tell which of them -was the better, and all eyes were strained upon them, lips parted and -breath came short.</p> - -<p>Then it was seen that Merritt had got the big Portuguese completely -at his mercy, holding him with one arm round his neck in a bear-like -grip. And with the disengaged hand Merritt beat him as if he were a -refractory child, beating him to bruise and hurt as much as possible -without disabling; and oh the humiliation of it! In that hour men saw -how tremendous was the strength that none had suspected Merritt of -before. At last the beaten man lost all sense of manhood and begged -for mercy, the big tears rolling down his dark cheeks. Immediately the -captain stepped forward and held up his hand, saying, “That will do, -Merritt.” And the fourth mate sprang to his feet.</p> - -<p>Pepe staggered up and would have crawled away, but the captain caught -him by the arm. “Wait!” he cried. “Now, men, Pepe has been punished -for shamefully cutting a line in order to make the new harponeer lose -a whale. If any more of this kind of thing is done and I find the man -out, I’ll tie him up and flog the flesh off his ribs. That’ll do. Carry -on with the work. Go below the watch.” And immediately the tide of ship -life flowed back into its usual channel, the wretched Pepe slinking -about like a beaten dog.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IX</span> <span class="smaller">The Great Catch</span></h2> - -<p>So sudden, dramatic and complete had been the justice dealt out to Pepe -that it made quite an imperceptible ripple in the steady current of the -ship’s routine. In the mind of the beaten man there was, of course, -a deep and deadly hatred for his chastiser as well as for C. B., and -schemes of revenge chased one another through his brain continually. -But he came of a race that understands and appreciates a good thrashing -and has no respect for gentle humanitarian methods, and so Pepe’s -respect for Mr. Merritt’s prowess was very real and sincere. Also his -compatriots in the half-deck were perceptibly less sympathetic than -they had been. In fact, they were quite ready to throw him over and -openly condemn him for doing that which any one of them would have done -given a favourable opportunity.</p> - -<p>In only one thing did they now agree with him, and that was in their -hatred of C. B. It is a melancholy fact that in an assemblage of bad -men anything will be condoned but goodness, and the perfectly blameless -life led by C. B. was a constant offence to men whose only virtues -were high courage in the performance of their dangerous duties, and -endurance in the most tremendous labours that can be imagined when the -circumstances called for them. But C. B. was now far happier than he -had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> been since he first came on board. He had almost unconsciously -been craving for some human sympathy and fellowship, and now he was in -a fair way to get both. He felt himself drawn to his saturnine chief in -a most intimate and affectionate way, while he could not but respect -and admire him for his effectual punishment of the dastardly offence -committed by Pepe. For C. B. had nothing in common with those curious -Christians among us whose sympathies are entirely with the criminal and -never with the victim, who shudder at pain being inflicted upon the -guilty but are quite callous to the agonies of the innocent. To his -simple ideas these folk would have seemed to be madmen.</p> - -<p>Various quiet warnings were conveyed to him to keep a wary eye upon -Pepe, who would be certain to do him a shrewd turn at the earliest -opportunity, but he only laughed cheerily and said—</p> - -<p>“I’m not losing any sleep over this matter. If he kills me I am ready -to die, and shall not be worse off, but better. If he attacks me -openly, he will, I think, get some more sore bones. And that’s all I -care about it.”</p> - -<p>And then he would change the subject, for he was gradually becoming -able to talk about the pure and noble life of his island home to the -captain and officers and sometimes to the men, who listened fascinated: -as they would, for although most of them had at one time or another -heard the Gospel preached in some fashion, they had always looked upon -the preacher as one who was paid to say certain things which he did not -believe, but which were designed to keep the poor man quiet while the -rich man preyed upon him.</p> - -<p>Some of them had dim recollections of holy lives lived by their -parents, of prayers repeated in lisping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> tones at a mother’s knee and -recalled occasionally in moments of solitude, but none of them had ever -met before a man in the spring of life, strong, eager, and able to do -all that might become a man, who spoke of God and Christ and love that -rules the whole creation as if they were matters of intimate knowledge -and infinite importance to him. And while they wondered they admired, -and speculated among themselves in blind fashion as to what this -portent could mean.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly an incident occurred that raised C. B. in the estimation -of all hands more than anything else could have done. It was when -the ship was on the southern edge of the off-shore ground and slowly -working north. The weather was what we call dirty; low ragged clouds -shedding rain at frequent intervals, with strong winds and irregular -lumpy sea. C. B. and one of the Portuguese harponeers were working -together, when C. B. accidentally dropped a serving mallet upon the -other man’s bare foot. With a horrible exclamation in his own language -Louis spat in C. B.’s face, and at the same time struck him a violent -blow in the jaw. Not content with that the maddened man drew his knife -and was in the act of driving it into C. B.’s chest when the latter -seized the upraised wrist in his left hand, caught at the broad leather -belt worn by the Portuguese with his right, and with a movement deft -as that of an acrobat twirled him into the air and out over the side -into the tormented sea. All hands who witnessed the slight scuffle -stood aghast, helpless for the moment, as C. B., calmly springing on to -the rail, gave a searching glance at the spot where the harponeer was -struggling in the foam, and then shouting “Lower away a boat,” sprang -after his late enemy. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p> - -<p>A few vigorous fish-like strokes brought him to the side of the -Portuguese, who was evidently in great pain and only feebly -endeavouring to keep himself afloat, although these men are all -splendid swimmers. Throwing himself upon his back, C. B. seized the man -by the collar of his strong serge shirt and held him easily head to -sea, rising and falling on the waves like a piece of drift-wood. There -was no delay in picking the pair up; indeed, in ten minutes from the -time that Louis went flying overboard they were on board again, and C. -B. sprang lightly on deck and assisted his aggressor down.</p> - -<p>“What does this mean, Christmas?” sternly demanded the captain, who -had seen the whole affair. In brief, unimpassioned words C. B. told -what had happened, and then turning to Louis the skipper demanded his -version. Foolishly but naturally the Portuguese lied, making C. B. out -the aggressor, at which the skipper smiled sardonically, saying—</p> - -<p>“Ah, I thought so. You Portagees are as bad as they make ’em. But -what’s wrong with yer hand?” seeing that he held it tenderly and was -evidently in pain.</p> - -<p>“I doan know, sir, feels all broke.” An examination proved that the -wrist was dislocated, and the skipper’s rough-and-ready surgery was -immediately put in force, after which the groaning and completely -discomfited man retired below, too miserable to curse his bad luck as -he called it.</p> - -<p>“Now, Christmas,” said the skipper severely when they were alone, -“I don’t know what t’ say t’ ye. You really mustn’t go heaving my -harponeers overboard like rubbidge, nor yet get t’ breaking ’em all up. -Nor yet you mustn’t let ’em go sticking knives in you. Confound you, -why<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> are you always in the right and yet getting into some scrape or -another? I shipped a handful of hot stuff when I took you aboard, I can -see, and I wish I hadn’t, yet I’m beginning to feel that I’d rather -lose anybody than you, you ’mazing muscular Christian.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry I hurt the man, sir,” modestly replied C. B., “and I didn’t -intend to do so. But if I hadn’t been quicker than he was, he would -have probably put me out of action for longer than he’ll be now, while -I only thought of defending myself, and a dip overboard can’t possibly -do anybody any harm.”</p> - -<p>With a cross between a grunt and a laugh the skipper turned away, -leaving C. B. standing quietly to receive the curt congratulations of -Mr. Merritt, and be the centre of admiring glances from all the crew -that were on deck. The matter formed the principal, in fact almost the -only topic of conversation on board for the next three days, during -which C. B. went on his simple accustomed way, except that he was -assiduous in his attention to the suffering man, who, in addition to -the pain of his wrist, had sustained a severe rick to his spine, making -it very painful for him to get in and out of his bunk. And as none of -his compatriots thought of doing anything for him, he would have fared -very badly but for the man he intended to kill.</p> - -<p>By the time that Louis was able to resume work they had been nearly -three weeks on the ground and no spout of sperm or right whales had -been seen. It was just the fortune of the fishery, but as usual it bred -a good deal of peevishness among the crew, whose monotonous life grew -very irksome. I know of few conditions more trying to the active<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> mind -than to be on board of a clumsy old whaleship always on a wind tacking -from side to side of a great lonely expanse of sea, shortening sail -every night to a close-reefed main topsail and fore topmast staysail -and making sail again at daylight. No books to read, no new topics to -talk about, nothing to do but the same things over and over again, week -in week out, with never another sail in sight. It is a life that unless -a man has mental resources of no common kind tends to stultification -of the intellect, and especially makes him peevish, irritable and -intolerant even of himself.</p> - -<p>The usual bounty had been doubled, and the men were so keen that they -hardly cared to go below when their turn came to do so. The only men -on board who seemed unmoved by the long spell of inaction were Captain -Taber and C. B. The first was that fine type of man, as I hope I have -suggested, that is even now, thank God, to be found in many New England -towns, who, though not making any special profession of religion, are -in a very real sense not far from the Kingdom of God. Honest, brave and -honourable; combining in a curious way the astuteness of the man of the -world with the sweet simplicity of a little child, they are the salt -of the United States, and their lives and work stand out in brilliant -contrast to those of the money-grubbers and professional politicians -who are making the noble name of the Great Republic a byword and a -hissing among the nations.</p> - -<p>As Captain Taber used to say so frequently, “This thing” (the scarcity -of whales within an area where they should be found) “runs in streaks; -we’ll get all we want and more also dreckly.” He was a highly educated -man but loved the vernacular, and occasionally lapsed into it from his -grave Elizabethan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> English. And so it proved, for one morning before it -was light he came on deck, and sauntering up to C. B., who was enjoying -a pannikin of coffee and biscuit, he said casually—</p> - -<p>“Now you fellers ’at don’t smoke are supposed to have the sense of -smell more highly developed than us misbul degenerates who do, don’t -yer nose tell yer nothin’ now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” brightly replied C. B., “it’s been telling me ever since -I came on deck at eight bells that we’re in the thick of either a big -shoal of fish or a school of whales of some sort. The air’s quite heavy -with fish smell.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! an’ I suppose you couldn’t indicate the kind o’ whale that’s -possibly around, could ye?” inquired the skipper drily.</p> - -<p>“Hardly, sir, although I’ve heard of it being done,” replied C. B. “But -I’ve never believed it. I feel sure, though, that the fellows who are -stealing up to the crow’s-nest now, sir—look at ’em—will start their -music at the first streak of dawn.”</p> - -<p>“So long as they see sperm whales I’m willing, or even right whale,” -murmured the skipper, “for this thing’s growing quite monotonous to me. -I want the boys to get some amusement too. Oh well, I must go below and -fill my pipe again. However a grown man like you can get along without -tobacco I don’t know.” And he glanced quizzically at C. B., who only -smiled and resumed his eager watch to windward.</p> - -<p>There was not a cloud in the sky from horizon to horizon, nor as far -as could be seen was there a trace of haze. So that when the first -tremulous throbbings of dawn made themselves felt it was as if an -indefinite weight had been lifted, the displacement of shadow by -light. And then the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> dome above began to glow in sombre tones, -at first duplicated below a shade or two deeper. It was like the birth -of colour, and even the eager watchers poised in mid air forgot their -desire for a moment at the amazing sight. Then, as at a celestial -signal, the sea-rim in the east brimmed with liquid gold, a blazing -disc appeared, and it was day.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously with the upward leap of the sun four voices rang out in -the thrilling cry of “Blo-o-o-o-w.” Indeed it was a stirring sight. -Far as the eye could reach from horizon to horizon there appeared to -be bursting from the sea an endless succession of jets of smoke, each -one denoting the presence of a monster sperm whale. Only twice in my -life have I ever seen such a sight, once off the Solander Rock, Foveaux -Straits, New Zealand, and there the horizon was restricted by land on -two sides, and once when on a passage to Gibraltar from London in the -P. & O. ss. <i>Arabia</i>, Captain Parfitt, who, if he sees these lines, -will doubtless remember that the previous day at dinner we had had a -slight controversy about the quantity of whales now to be seen at sea. -I held that whales were more plentiful than ever, he asserted that they -were nearly extinct, and the next morning the splendid ship steamed for -an hour at sixteen knots through one immense school of sperm whales -which must have numbered many thousands.</p> - -<p>The captain only took one glance round at the mighty concourse, then -shouted, “’Way down from aloft. Mr. Winsloe, we’ll lower all five boats -to-day, and each one act independently of the rest. These whales are -all feeding and I don’t anticipate any trouble, but the first boat that -kills, stick a wheft in the whale and get back to the ship. She’ll -want handling and that smartly too. Shipkeepers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> keep her to windward, -that’s all you’ve got to do, and look out for boats coming back. Now -then, away for good greasy money.”</p> - -<p>Whirr, whirr, splash went the five boats, and as soon as they struck -the water each boat pushed out from the ship using paddles only, -for the whales were quite near, and each singling out a whale for -themselves. Within fifteen minutes every boat was fast, that is, the -barbed harpoon had established a connexion between boat and whale that -would only cease by accident or design when the whale was dead. And -then that placid sea became the scene of a Titanic conflict, wherein -the puny men in their frail craft joined battle with the mightiest of -God’s creatures on most unequal terms. To and fro they flew, those -pigmy boats amidst the crowding hundreds of leviathans, who, filled -with wild dismay at this sudden calamity, knew not whither to flee -and moved aimlessly and harmlessly. And owing to the immense spaces -in which they wallowed they were not now even as dangerous as a herd -of bullocks would be in a field, for there a man might get crushed -to death by accident; here, although to a novice the scene appeared -dangerous, the older hands knew that an accident was now far less -likely than when whales were few and far between.</p> - -<p>To add to the confusion and apparent danger existing, the sea appeared -to be alive with immense sharks, who in some mysterious way had -gathered to that stupendous feast. In fact, the enormous amount of -marine life peopling that remote ocean breeds a feeling of dismay in -some minds, a sense of being out of place, weaklings in the midst of -unimaginable forces of destruction. Not, of course, that this thought -occurred to the old whalemen. They revelled in the gigantic slaughter, -and incurred <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>unnecessary danger by being unable to resist the -temptation to lance loose whales passing by. The frenzy of killing was -upon them, and they lunged right and left indiscriminately, heedless of -consequences.</p> - -<p>In half an hour from the time of leaving the ship Captain Taber had -his whale dead, and sticking a wheft (a small flag with a pointed end -to its staff) in the carcass he bade his crew give way for the ship -with all speed. Arriving on board he took charge, and as there was a -good working breeze he was able so to handle his ship as to keep well -to windward of the whole flotilla of boats, which soon began to hoist -their whefts in token of having killed each one his whale. There was -no need to discriminate, for all had done well, five big whales had -been killed in less than two hours; and now came the hardest part -of the great day’s work, and one calling for the greatest amount of -seamanship. For when once the first whale had been secured to the -ship, she became sluggish in her movements, as indeed she well might -with a floating mass of some eighty tons attached to her. Those boats -that were farthest away, realizing the difficulty, attempted to tow -their prizes, an immense task in itself, but now, hampered as they -were on every side by the bewildered monsters, who wallowed aimlessly, -as having lost all sense of direction or power of flight, wellnigh -impossible.</p> - -<p>Yet in some strange and apparent come-by-chance fashion the whole five -whales were secured to the ship, all five boats were hoisted into their -places, and the utterly exhausted men went to their food, full of -satisfaction with their morning’s work. And while they fed and rested -the ship was left in charge of the cook and steward, who gazed over -the side at the strange scene with mingled feelings, in which real -alarm predominated. Indeed, it was a sight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> calculated to terrify. The -huge carcasses attached to the ship by hawsers floated around her like -a concourse of submerged wrecks bottom up. Around and between them -blundered bewildered whales lost to all their usual instincts, and all -the spaces in between the living and the dead monsters were thronged -with hordes of sharks countless in number.</p> - -<p>To complete the amazing scene there had drifted out of the void great -flocks of sea-birds, albatrosses, mallemauks, Cape hens, Cape pigeons, -fulmars and others, which kept up an incessant screaming, fluttering, -rising and falling, all ravenous and impatient for the cutting in to -begin. It was indeed a wonderful revelation of the abundance of life in -mid-ocean, such as is only vouchsafed to these deep-sea wanderers, the -whalemen.</p> - -<p>Two hours’ rest was allowed, and then Captain Taber, sauntering towards -his mate, said—</p> - -<p>“Mr. Winsloe, we’ve got a big thing in hand, but the best of weather -for it. We’ll take each whale alongside and get the heads off first, -lettin’ them all tow astern as we cut them off. Then we’ll put all our -vim into gettin’ the carcasses skinned, and if the boys only work as -they ought, I think we might get the back of the work broken by eight -bells to-night.”</p> - -<p>Winsloe only grunted, for he was a man of few words, and, slouching -forrard, roared, “Turn to!”</p> - -<p>Now it would be quite easy for me to take an entire chapter in the -attempt to explain the nature and progress of the gigantic task that -was accomplished by those forty men, toiling almost incessantly from -noon until daylight the next morning; but as the great business has -nothing adventurous or thrilling about it, I fear I could not make it -interesting. Only I feel that I would like you to realize the scene.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> -The immense masses of blubber being hove inboard by the full power -of the crew at the windlass, the great tackles groaning and the ship -canting over under the load, the unwearying thrust and recover of the -long-handled spades as the toiling officers and harponeers laboured to -disjoint the huge heads or scarph the blubber so that it would strip -easily from the carcasses, the fitful weird glare of the cressets of -blazing “scrap” (pieces of blubber from which the oil has been boiled -disposed about the ship to give light to the toilers), and just outside -that tiny circle of human labour the solemn vastness of the darkling -ocean, the loneliness of that untraversed sea.</p> - -<p>But I should do scant justice to the picture if I failed to note how, -within that apparently charmed circle which had the ship for its -centre, the deep was alive, luminous and vivid. The ceaseless come and -go of the ravenous sea-scavengers, striving with all their wonderful -energy to get a share of the great feast that was spread, was in -itself a sight to linger in the memory as long as life should last, -had the workers but time to look at it. And to complete the uncanny -interest of the whole strange scene, there was the uneasy passings and -melancholy voices of the sea-birds, flitting whitely through the gloom, -impatiently waiting for the day.</p> - -<p>Daylight saw the huge task completed, and the ship’s deck from one -end to the other blocked with the mighty masses of case and junk and -blanket pieces. The blubber-room, as the square of the main-hatch -down to the ’tween decks and for about ten feet on either side of it -is called, was choked full of blubber, not another slice could be got -down, and in consequence all the rest had to be piled on deck. Old -whalemen will doubt the possibility of such a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> feat as the cutting in -of five sperm whales in twenty hours until I explain that none of the -whales were too large to have the case lifted inboard, and that, of -course, makes all the difference; for I have been twenty-four hours -engaged in cutting in <i>one</i> whale, and with a smart man in charge too. -But then that whale was so huge that many time-wasting things had to be -done that were unnecessary in the case I am relating.</p> - -<p>As the last case was hove on board and secured, the skipper gave a long -sigh of relief and cried—</p> - -<p>“Spell ho! all hands. Mr. Winsloe, give the boys three hours’ rest, -good, and then we’ll start blubber watches (six hours on and six hours -off); and say, you cook-man, just you see to it that the men get the -best breakfast that can be scared up in the ship.” And as he turned -away towards the stern the oil dripped from his hair, his clothing, and -squished out of his sea-boots, for the captains of those ships, if they -drove their crews, drove themselves hardest of all, and no man could -say that his skipper could only drive, not lead.</p> - -<p>Now, impossible as it may seem to us, there was no attempt made to -change clothing. Just a perfunctory wipe of hands and face with -oakum wads preliminary to a wolfish devouring of food, for all were -outrageously hungry. That everything eaten and even the tobacco smoked -afterwards was reeking with oil nobody minded, for in truth the product -of the sperm whale when absolutely fresh as this was is as bland and -pleasant as the purest olive oil: it is only when it gets stale and -rancid that its unpleasant taste and odour become manifest.</p> - -<p>The short respite worked wonders for the toilers, although those of -them who had to resume work at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> 10 a.m., four bells, thought longingly -of the greasy bunks in which the fortunate members of the watch below -were recuperating from their heavy labours. But a spirit of emulation -was aboard, and there was no cursing or driving; every man therefore -did his best to reduce the chaos on deck to something like order. The -huge cases were split open one after the other, the spermaceti baled -out and passed into tanks below, and as each was scraped dry it was -hauled to the waist and pushed through the open gangway into the sea, -where, in spite of the vast banquet given them in the carcasses of the -whales during the night, there were thousands of gaping candidates for -more.</p> - -<p>As the fierce sun came out and beat down upon the piles of blubber the -oil exuded and filled the decks, for all the scuppers and wash-ports -were closed tightly, and there was no time to bale or place to bale -the oil into until the fires in the try-works should be started. But -by dint of the hardest, most unremitting toil, at midday enough of a -clearance had been made to start the fires and the work of boiling down -began. And here I must leave the business for a while because, although -it has not its parallel in any other work ashore, it is dirty, greasy, -smelly; full of sordid discomforts, and difficult indeed to see the -romance of except to the privileged few who have strong imaginations.</p> - -<p>Throughout the following week all hands toiled nobly to stow away -their great catch, but the captain and officers had a pretty bad time, -for every day small pods of sperm whales would come nosing around, -quite close to the ship, as if they knew (and perhaps they did) that -her crew was unable to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity -through having their hands so abundantly filled. Then when at last the -whole catch had been reduced into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> comparatively small compass of -nearly 600 barrels, or 60 tons of oil, and the lash rails all round the -ship were fully occupied by huge casks full of oil getting cool, the -harponeers of each boat made haste to refit their boats, sharpen their -weapons, and make all ready for the next opportunity, thinking at the -same time how very unlikely it was that those visiting whales would -happen along again now that they might look for a cordial reception.</p> - -<p>I have not made any special mention of my hero in connexion with this -great piece of work, because he did only what every one else did, his -best, and at a time like that the slightest softness or slacking-off of -a man in a position of authority is noted at once, not merely by his -compeers but by his subordinates. Through this really severe ordeal -C. B. passed triumphantly in spite of the novelty of much of the work -to him, and by the time it was over there really seemed to be a tacit -agreement on the part of the men who hated him to let him alone, -since he had proved in the most satisfactory way that he was entirely -capable, willing and cheerful, and that the men forward would jump more -eagerly at his slightest pleasantest word than they would at a bitter -curse weighing a threat from one of the truculent Portuguese. In fact, -although no one told him so in so many words, all the circumstances -attending this great catch went to place C. B. in the position in the -esteem of his fellows that he deserved to occupy, and lasting peace -seemed assured.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER X</span> <span class="smaller">A Gam and a Revenge</span></h2> - -<p>There was ample time after this severe ordeal to restore the <i>Eliza -Adams</i> to her pristine cleanliness, for as the captain caustically -remarked, the whales seemed to have all concentrated in that spot and -subsequently to have all left for parts unknown. And really it did -seem like it, for no solitary spout was seen for nearly three weeks. -Then came a pleasant diversion; how pleasant only those can know -who for many months have been denied all the intercourse with their -kind outside of the little population of the ship. Pepe being at the -masthead from 4 to 6 p.m. yelled “Sail ho.” This was the first cry of -that kind that the crew had heard since leaving Norfolk Island, and be -sure they were proportionately excited.</p> - -<p>Many eager speculations were made during the next two hours, for the -wind was but light and she was fully ten miles away, as to whether the -stranger was a “spouter” or a merchantman. And a great relief was felt -when just at sunset she was made out to be one of their own fraternity, -and joyful greeting signals were exchanged. It was quite dark before -the two ships came near enough to each other to “gam” as we call it, -but what of that? What of the fact that a stiff breeze had got up, -and that boats passing between the ships in the dark must necessarily -have a rough time. In the Navy and among<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> the whalers such things are -most lightly esteemed. I have seen a group of Naval officers brave -a most tempestuous passage of half an hour’s duration, the picquet -boat taking green water over as she plunged through the seas, merely -to have an hour’s lawn tennis or golf and come off again, and I have -known repeatedly whalemen brave the terrors of the great Southern ocean -rollers in half a gale of wind at night merely in order to have a chat -with some fresh fellows, exchange a few ideas that to strangers might -have the merit of novelty.</p> - -<p>So at eight bells, 8 p.m., as her lights were seen stationary abeam -about a mile away, a boat was lowered from the <i>Eliza Adams</i> into which -the captain and C. B. with the boat’s crew descended, and pulled away -into the darkness until the dim black hull of the vessel they are bound -to suddenly loomed huge and threatening from the darkness.</p> - -<p>“Ship ahoy!” roared the skipper. “Here’s Captain Taber of the <i>Eliza -Adams</i> come a gamming.”</p> - -<p>“Welcome, Captain Taber, I knew it was you as soon as I heard ye hail. -This is the <i>Matilda Sayer</i> of Dartmouth, Captain Rotch.”</p> - -<p>“Good lad,” yelled Captain Taber delightedly. “Pull two, stern three, -ah! unrow there;”—and as the boat ranged alongside he gripped the -man ropes and ascended the side ladder of rope like a goat climbing a -precipice.</p> - -<p>While the two old friends greeted each other there was a whirring of -sheaves and down came the mate’s boat into the water. Dark forms leapt -into her and she pushed off, immemorial custom having decided that in -gamming when the captain visits a ship the mate of that ship goes a -visiting his fellow on board the other vessel. As they pushed off into -the darkness a voice was heard above, “Haul up and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> hook on, chums,” -and they did so, their boat being cheerily hoisted into the position -the other had left. For this was also a pleasant sea-custom among -whalers, being eminently practicable because of the almost standard -size of all whale boats.</p> - -<p>Arriving on deck the four hands were immediately haled forrard, and -C. B. was welcomed in the half deck by the harponeers, where such -hospitality as they possessed was offered him and all hands crowded -around him eager to talk to him, and listen to what he had to say. -First of all with native courtesy they inquired what sort of a season -the <i>Eliza Adams</i> was having and other matters of that kind, but he -could not help noticing that they all looked curiously at him, as if -they could not quite make him out. At last the old carpenter, a fine -venerable Yankee, said—</p> - -<p>“Whar d’ye hail from, mister?”</p> - -<p>“I come from Norfolk Island,” replied C. B. pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“Well, do tell,” ejaculated the cooper, “I didn’t know they was ever -any natives on Norfolk ’cept convicks from England, and I heerd that -they was done away with long ago. An’ yew don’ look like a Kanaka -neither.”</p> - -<p>“Neither am I,” explained C. B. with gentle dignity. “Surely you must -have heard of the Pitcairn Islanders finding Pitcairn too small for -them, and a number of them being sent by the British Government to -Norfolk Island, which was given them to live in.”</p> - -<p>A chorus of remembrance arose in a babel of voices until the old -carpenter, getting up, came close to C. B. and peered in his face -intently, at last remarking quietly, “Did your father ever go to sea in -a spouter, young feller?” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh yes,” answered C. B.; “he was in the <i>Rainbow</i> and the <i>Canton</i>, -both New England whaleships, for a considerable time.”</p> - -<p>“And what might his name be, if he’s still alive, as I hope?”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, he’s still alive, or was three months ago, when I left -home, God bless him, and his name is Philip Adams!”</p> - -<p>The effect upon the carpenter was electrical. He smote his thigh with -great violence and shouted—“Boys, thishyer fine specimen of a boy is -the son of the finest specimen of a man that ever trod God Almighty’s -earth. Nine months I was shipmates with him in the ole <i>Canton</i>, and if -ever a man was tried by a lot of ornery scalawags, he was. He could a -broke any one of ’em in pieces with his fingers; he was as much above -’em at any kind o’ work as he was in strength an’ good looks, yet that -mis’ble gang used to chip him, poke fun at him, play tricks on him, -until I used to feel as if I could a killed ’em myself, and I warn’t -much better than they was. But never once did anybody hear an angry -word or a bad word of any kind outer his mouth, never once did he miss -a chance of doin’ even the worst of his tormentors a good turn, and -never once did anybody have real cause of complaint about his work or -anything that he did. And when he left the ship to go home because his -agreed time was up, I never see such a carryin’ on, you’d a thought -everybody on board had lost father and mother and all their other -relations. Young man”—solemnly—“if you’re only one quarter as good -a man as your father was, the ship is entirely blessed by having ye -aboard, and I’m honoured at bein’ able to shake ye by the hand.”</p> - -<p>There was a momentary pause as “Chips” sank<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> down on his chest again, -and C. B.’s eyes glistened with heavenly pride at the honour paid to -that dear father whom he so fondly loved. Then he said—</p> - -<p>“My dear dad is all you say of him, and all I am or ever likely to be -that’s any good I owe to him and mother. But he is a very quiet man, -especially about himself, and so we knew little of what he had gone -through. I understand it better now since I have been whaling myself. -I thank you with all my heart for what you have said about him, it has -done me more good than you can possibly imagine.”</p> - -<p>There was rather an awkward pause after this, as if the other members -of the half deck hardly knew what to do with such a prodigy as they now -believed they had got in their midst. But the carpenter came to the -rescue by saying—</p> - -<p>“Looky here, youngster, your father had a very tuneful voice of his -own, and although he didn’t talk much he would sing by the hour, all -about God and heaven and the like, and my! but it made me feel right -good. D’ye happen to take after him in that?”</p> - -<p>C. B. flushed a little and replied—</p> - -<p>“Since I’ve been to sea I’ve never sung a note except humming to -myself. But I used to sing at home a good deal, and I’ll be very glad -to try if you like. I only sing hymns, though.”</p> - -<p>“That’s quite good,” hastily answered the carpenter, “your father -didn’t sing anything else either, an’ I don’t suppose any of us will -know the difference. We’re all more or less heathen, you know.”</p> - -<p>So without further pressing C. B. lifted up his sweet tenor and sang -“O God of Bethel,” amid a silence that was positively painful in -its intensity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> of attention. And as soon as he had finished he was -disconcerted by a very tempest of applause and vociferous shouts of -“Same man sing agen. Bully for you, old hoss,” etc., etc. And nothing -loth C. B. sang again and again, his repertoire being tolerably -extensive and his memory as good as his bringing up would naturally -make it, until tired out he had to cry off. Then, and not till then, it -was found that all hands in the ship, forgetting the gam, had crowded -as near to the half deck as possible, charmed by the sweet strains.</p> - -<p>The whole incident brings forcibly to my memory an experiment of my -own once when gamming a ship called the <i>Cornelius Howland</i> off the -Three Kings, New Zealand. I was one of the visiting boat’s crew, and -after the usual topics of conversation flagged a song was called for. -I explained that I had some pretensions to a voice, but could only -sing hymns, for in the sect among whom I was converted it was esteemed -wrong to sing anything secular, and mortal sin to go to any place of -amusement whatever. It was immediately explained to me that so long as -I sang, the words did not matter in the least, especially as scarcely -anybody would understand me. So I piped up instantly with a favourite -of mine from Sankey’s book, “Through the Valley of the Shadow I must -go.” It was received with shouts of joy, one man who was especially -delighted saying, “Well, —— my eyes, that’s what I call a —— good -song, d’ye know. I could sit and listen to that kind o’ singin’ all -night.”</p> - -<p>I humbly apologize for the blanks, but the reader will, I hope, feel -as I did, that the forcible expletives they represent meant nothing to -the speaker, who was only using his ordinary language. I only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> know -that I went on singing to the exclusion of everybody else, and was -quite hoarse the next day from the unaccustomed vocal exercise, for -we didn’t sing very much in my ship. After all, it was not much to be -wondered at, for the polyglot crowd met with in the forecastle and half -decks of a whaler has usually one gift in common—an intensely musical -ear, although the execution of pleasing music is denied them in nearly -every instance. And for instrumental music they usually have that truly -infernal instrument, the accordion, from which the most ingenious -musician that ever lived can draw nothing but noise. So that a little -real music is received with great joy.</p> - -<p>At midnight the cry was heard, “<i>Eliza Adams’</i> boat’s crew away,” and -C. B. sprang to his post, but not before his new-found friend “Chips” -had handed over to him his choicest treasure, a small parcel of -well-thumbed books, ragged copies of Dickens and Charles Reade, with -one or two others by less known authors, but all to C. B. a storehouse -of wonders, a treasure unlocked. Then with a warm handshake they -parted, C. B. feeling happier than he had done since leaving home. -Never before had he realized how much he had craved for sympathy and -the opportunity to express himself in terms of love and admiration for -his Father in heaven. And when they presently reached the ship Captain -Taber said to him—</p> - -<p>“You seem to have had a pretty good time, Christmas. I heard you -singing away and remembered how your folks used to sing. It must have -been quite a treat to you to let loose again.”</p> - -<p>C. B. said nothing, for he did not feel that any answer was required -of him, but he longed with greater desire than ever to be able to talk -about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> the matter that lay nearest his heart. No one who has not been -in a similar position can begin to realize what it means to be dumb -upon the one topic that interests you. To feel that if you mention it -to anybody you will not only not be understood, but your words will be -construed as an insult. But he gave a great sigh and took the matter -quietly to the Lord as was his wont, feeling much comforted thereby, -strengthened to wait and endure as long as he should be called upon to -do so. And all unknown to him relief was at hand.</p> - -<p>Two days after meeting with the <i>Matilda Sayer</i> the crow’s-nest -reported whale in the usual manner. But this time it was a lone whale -of very large size steadily making a passage across the ground at a -leisurely pace. Now a lone whale is always potentially very dangerous, -because his loneliness is due to the fact that he has been cast out of -the society of his kind. A big bull whale only maintains his position -as leader of the school as long as he is able to beat all aspirants -to the dignity. And as the young bulls growing up are continually -striving to attain that position, it will easily be seen that to keep -it the holder must be of exceptional strength and vigour, while the day -will surely come when in the natural order of events he will have to -abdicate, which does not mean that he may take an inferior position in -the school, but that he must leave it altogether and from henceforth -until the end, which may be many years distant, he must roam solitary.</p> - -<p>But this condition of existence for the whale naturally means that he -becomes morose, savage and wary. And if he should in addition have -been the object of attack by whalemen and have got away from them, -he becomes doubly dangerous because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> of the never-to-be-forgotten -lessons he has learned as to how to act, and also because it usually -happens that he carries with him, imbedded in his flesh, some rankling -fragments of bombs and certainly a galling harpoon.</p> - -<p>Now in consequence of these well-known facts concerning the lone whale, -it is usual to approach him with considerable caution. But there are -many whalemen to whom caution in dealing with their gigantic quarry -is a word of no meaning, they are reckless in the extreme, and no -amount of disaster ever seems sufficient to teach them. Of such was Mr. -Merritt: that strange composed man took fire within when approaching a -whale. He “saw red” as the saying is, and although handling his boat -and using his weapons with consummate skill, he had not one iota of -prudence in his whole make up.</p> - -<p>Now on this momentous occasion, because it was a lone whale, Captain -Taber ordered the chief and fourth officers away, keeping the other -boats in readiness to lower of course should there be any necessity, -but not anticipating that more would be needed. It was a fine day, but -the wind was high and the sea was correspondingly heavy. According to -etiquette Mr. Winsloe was first on the whale, into which Pepe with his -usual skill planted both irons right up to the hitches. Mr. Merritt -lay off a little with his boat, noting with some surprise that no -frantic wallowings and struggling followed the dart. Assuming, as was -most natural, that Pepe had failed to strike the whale, he pulled up -rapidly, having dowsed his own sail, to where Mr. Winsloe’s men were -busy getting their mast down.</p> - -<p>When within a couple of boat’s lengths of them all were horrified to -see the huge black head of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> whale suddenly rise ghost-wise on the -port bow of the boat, while the gleaming pointed lower jaw emerged -from the water on the starboard side. The view was only momentary, for -as they gazed horror-stricken they saw the great jaws close, crashing -through the flimsy sides of the boat as if she were of so much paper, -and with a yell that rang high above the roar of wind and sea the -crew sprang clear of the wreck for their lives. But C. B.’s eagle -eye noticed on the instant that the harponeer had disappeared, and -in a second he had leapt from the boat into the vortex caused by the -wallowing of the whale, dived and caught at a black mass far beneath -the surface, the body of Pepe entangled by the whale line. Fortunately -at that moment the whale, disdaining to seek safety in flight, returned -to the surface, and consequently there was little difficulty for such -a powerful expert as C. B. to bring his prize to the surface, free -him from the line, and assist him back to the boat. I say assist, for -Pepe, though grievously injured, had never lost consciousness, and in -consequence was able to make some feeble attempts to help himself.</p> - -<p>By the time he had been hauled inboard the rest of the crew had been -rescued and the bight of the line, which C. B. had dropped as soon as -he had cleared it from Pepe’s limbs, was picked up and taken through -the notch in the bows, displacing their own line. Now Mr. Merritt was -in his element, danger and difficulty of any kind seemed to give the -needed stimulus to his otherwise sluggish nature. Charging the rescued -crew to double bank the oars, and placing the injured man in the bottom -of the boat, he changed ends with C. B. and awaited the onslaught of -the whale.</p> - -<p>That monster played the usual waiting game,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> just appearing for an -instant to spout, and then only exposing the point of the snout where -the spiracle or blow-hole is situated. He was waiting his opportunity -to perform the same operation on the second boat as he had done on -the first. But Merritt seemed to have placed himself in absolute -correspondence with the whale’s mind, for each time that either the -great flukes or the ponderous jaws appeared above water the boat by a -quiet order had been driven to a safe distance, and the threatened blow -or bite did not take effect. In fact the queer yellow man was playing -the waiting game also, knowing that the whale’s exertions were rapidly -tiring him out.</p> - -<p>For, strange to say, vast as is the strength possessed by these -monsters, they tire very soon when they have to exert themselves -much. And it is only when they are allowed to take things easily, as -sometimes happens through cowardice or unskilfulness on the part of -the whalemen, that they are able to weary out their aggressors and -finally emerge the victors in the long fight. At last Merritt saw with -a chuckle of delight that the whale was going to rush him head and head -as we call it. He had his bomb gun ready to hand, and laying down his -hand lance he put it to his shoulder, crying—</p> - -<p>“Now, stern all hard and keep her just as she heads, Christmas.”</p> - -<p>With so much power at the oars the boat rushed swiftly astern as the -whale came rushing on, the great head rearing high out of water and -exposing the gleaming white cavern of the throat.</p> - -<p>Coolly, as if ashore at some practising ground, Merritt took aim and -pulled the trigger. There was a splash, a report, and an appalling -commotion in the sea ahead of the boat, in the midst of which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> another -report was heard, the explosion of the bomb within the whale’s body. -“Way ’nough,” shouted Merritt, and the boat stopped a cable’s length -away from the place where the mighty mammal was tearing up the deep in -his Titanic death throes. For a few moments the scene was appalling, -almost akin to a submarine volcanic eruption, then the uproar suddenly -ceased and the magnificent beast lay dead, listlessly tossing upon the -waves which the exuding oil from his wounds turned into smooth hummocks -of water quietly rising and falling around.</p> - -<p>The tumult had hardly subsided when the second boat ranged alongside -with orders to Mr. Merritt to return at once with his overmanned boat. -And he obeyed cheerfully, because nothing is more annoying than to try -and work in a boat where the hands, by reason of their being too many, -get in one another’s way, this being especially so when, as was now the -case, one man grievously hurt was lying in the bottom of the boat. They -soon reached the ship and climbed on board, Mr. Winsloe hastening to -the skipper and reporting the catastrophe, while all hands rallied on -to the falls and ran the boat up with Pepe’s unconscious body in it. -He was tenderly lifted out and carried aft on to a mattress, where his -clothes were removed, disclosing the severe nature of his injuries. The -whale had evidently nipped him sideways, for the great teeth of the -lower jaw had made eleven ghastly bruises, each four or five inches -across, and in three places the clothing was driven deep into the -blackened flesh. Three of the largest ribs were broken, and the right -arm was horribly lacerated by the whale line being twisted round it -under a great strain.</p> - -<p>But owing to the bluntness of the teeth there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> had been no loss of -blood, except in so far as it had blackened and spread under the -skin, which of course was highly dangerous from the possibility of -mortification and the absence of any but the rudest surgery. However, -all that could be done for the poor wretch by way of cooling lotions -and bandages was done, and he regained consciousness to fall into a -refreshing sleep.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the crew had toiled fiercely under the direction of the mate -to get their prize alongside, finding as it was hauled near that its -dimensions were more imposing than they had imagined. Measured along -the rail it was roughly seventy feet in length, which is as far as is -accurately known about the limit of size for a cachalot, while as it -lay on its side, its jaw parallel to the ship, it looked as imposing -in size as a vessel of two or three hundred tons bottom up. The fluke -chain was passed without difficulty, and all the available force of -harponeers and officers that could get at it attacked it at once with -almost desperate energy, for it was getting late in the day, the night -promised to be very dark, and none relished the prospect of pursuing -that gigantic task without other light save that afforded by the -feeble cressets. To Mr. Merritt and C. B. fell the task of severing -the monstrous head, a labour which it is most difficult to realize. -There is but a slight crease in the place where a neck ought to be, -and here the carcass is nearly twenty feet through—a mass of muscle -and sinew with scarcely any soft parts, and right in the centre of it -the huge ball and socket joint of the vertebrae which is composed of -bones nearly two feet thick. And if those spades plunging down into the -depths of that mass darkly (for it is impossible to keep the scarph -open) should miss the joint, as it is exceedingly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> likely they may, the -additional work is tremendous. I have seen this task occupy the labours -of the whole of the officers and harponeers of a ship, relieving one -another at frequent intervals, for a whole day.</p> - -<p>But this huge toil is but little greater than that which is being -prosecuted at the same time by the others, all of whom are balanced -upon the precarious plank of the cutting in stage, suspended far out -over the side and springing to every roll of the ship. There is the -junk to be divided from the head, a mass weighing eight to ten tons cut -diagonally from the lower point of the upper jaw, and there is also -the huge oblong mass of the case, or really half the remainder of the -head, to be cut through, where a careless lunge of the spade may cause -the leakage of all the valuable spermaceti which it holds in a liquid -state. In this immense task strength avails little unless allied to -skill, and skill is of small use without strength and endurance to keep -driving the spade in the right place.</p> - -<p>In a small whale, as I have hinted before, these operations are much -simplified, because the head can be cut off and hoisted on deck, where -the work of severing junk and case is quite easy. But as now the whale -was of the largest size and most of the work had to be done upon the -huge masses rolling and tumbling in the unquiet sea beneath, all the -strength, patience, and endurance possessed by the workers were needed -to the very limit. At last the head came off, and a great groan of -relief went up from Merritt and C. B., whose arms felt as if they would -drop off through sheer weariness. But there was no prospect of rest, -the only relief they could hope for was a change in their movements -bringing a different set of muscles into play. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> blubber hook had -long been in position affixed to the eyepiece, and no sooner did the -huge mass of the head surge astern than the high clear voice of the -captain rose—</p> - -<p>“Heave away there cheerily now, I want to see how quick ye can skin -this whale.”</p> - -<p>He was answered by an incessant clattering of the pawls as the windlass -brakes flew up and down, and the first blanket piece of blubber, a foot -thick and nine feet wide, rose majestically into the air.</p> - -<p>As soon as the blocks of the tackle came together the windlass stopped, -while the captain, armed with a formidable boarding-knife like a -cutlass blade stuck in a long wooden handle, cut a big circular hole in -the centre of the blanket piece, thrust the strap of the waiting tackle -through it and secured it by a large wooden toggle, shouting as he -slipped it into its place, “Heave on yer whale, my hearties, heave on -yer whale: surge on yer piece!”</p> - -<p>“Oh what a jargon,” I think I hear some reader say wearily. I’m sorry, -but it can’t be helped. It only means that the men at the windlass -heave on the second tackle and let the fall of the first slip round the -windlass barrel. Then as soon as the second tackle has taken the strain -“Vast heaving” is called, while the captain with his boarding-knife -cuts through the blanket piece high above the hole he made for the -securing of the second tackle and the mass, now disengaged, is lowered -into the blubber room.</p> - -<p>It sounds like a lengthy process but really is not, for in the present -instance the captain’s appeal was answered so well that in twenty-five -minutes the whole of that vast carcass was denuded of its blubber and -had floated away, the centre of a ravening horde of sharks.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XI</span> <span class="smaller">The Story of a Crime</span></h2> - -<p>Although it would be quite unfair to imagine from the immense activity -prevailing in the ship during the cutting-in that Pepe was neglected, -it is certain that according to a very well understood and constantly -acted upon rule in South Sea whalers, work connected with whaling takes -precedence of everything else. Nothing is allowed to interfere with -it as long as it is humanly possible to carry it on. Remembering the -quite scanty rewards to be obtained on an average by the most ardent -and successful whalemen, the absolute impossibility of any supervision -by the owners for three or four years at a time, it is, I think, little -short of marvellous to note the extraordinary energy and perseverance -manifested by these men, of whatever grade above that of seaman, in the -chief business of the voyage.</p> - -<p>Physical injury, lack of rest, incredible toil, privation suffered are -all made light of in the chase, capture, and disposal of the whale. -Charges are often brought against the leaders of gross inhumanity to -the men working under them in the absence of full restraint; but as -far as that cruelty consists in overwork, or work under desperate -conditions, I bear witness that if the sailor or foremost hand is not -spared, neither do those who drive him spare themselves. The voluntary -work that I have seen some of these men perform would be taken as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> -incredible if I were to relate it, and I therefore shrink from giving -instances. Besides, to the majority of those whom I hope will read this -book, the whole business would be unintelligible because entirely out -of the purview of a serene and quietly ordered life.</p> - -<p>This terribly energetic method of working was a most severe lesson to -C. B., hard to learn, harder still to understand. For in the gentle -life of the islanders, though great efforts were sometimes necessary -in an emergency, as we have seen, they had no ideas of hard work as -a habit, for the love of working hard, or for the greed of gain. -They were as far removed from being ascetics as they were from being -hypocrites. They loved their simple pleasures and heartily gave thanks -to God for them, and they could not understand why any sane person -should misuse his body in order to get more than somebody else had—the -last condition being an unthinkable one to them where everything was -held in common. But it had not taken C. B. long to discover that in -the new world of which he was now a denizen, might and endurance, as -well as ability to get and keep, were the objects of praise and almost -worship. That men were held in esteem, not for what they were, but -for what they had, and that the easiest sneer to their lips was that -a priest, a parson, or a religious man of any kind was an individual -who had found that the easiest way of getting a living without work -was gaining a hold over the minds of your hard-working fellows by -pretending that you were in touch with the unseen world.</p> - -<p>So he had early come to the conclusion that he must prove his manhood -by his eagerness to work, his indifference to fatigue, and his ability -to do all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> that was required of him, as well as by his passive -obedience to all the loving precepts of the Gospel. And this kept him -going sometimes when he would fain have sunk down with fatigue, a -generous pride and belief in God’s sustaining power as being certainly -no less able to uphold the Christian than the mysterious force that -kept Merritt, the man of no beliefs and strangest origin, going -apparently with ease when everybody else was sinking with fatigue. -Nobly he sustained his part, and nobody suspected how near he was -several times to giving up and declaring that whatever happened he -could work no more without rest.</p> - -<p>This present business was really the severest he had gone through, -because his successful effort to save Pepe was made under the most -trying conditions, every ounce of his great strength as well as his -endurance of privation of air had been put forth, and then as soon -as the ship was reached work harder than ever had to be engaged in. -Consequently as soon as the last case had been strung up alongside by -the two main tackles and the business of baling it out had commenced he -was most thankful to hear the skipper say—</p> - -<p>“Now, I’ll watch these fellows baling the case, an’ all the rest of -ye scoot, get a good skin full of grub and a rest. We’ll set blubber -watches at eight bells” (eight o’clock p.m.).</p> - -<p>As they stepped away from the waist, with all its débris of quaint -fragments of blubber and bone, and the swish, swish of oil surging from -side to side of the deck, Merritt said to our friend—</p> - -<p>“Christmas, me boy, I ain’t too sorry to knock off for an hour or two. -I believe I’m getting old; can’t work day in and day out ’thout wantin’ -a rest same as I used to.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p> - -<p>C. B. replied simply—</p> - -<p>“I thought you could hardly be made of ordinary flesh and blood. You -seem to work like a machine and never to think of rest, while I often -find myself wondering how much longer I can hold out.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, me boy,” responded Merritt, laying his hand most affectionately on -C. B.’s arm, “you forget the differences between our ages. You’re only -a boy just done growin’, ’bout twenty-two ain’t ye? while I—well I -don’t quite know how old I am, but I guess about thirty-five, have got -all my gristle hardened into man, and can plug along ’thout showin’ it. -But you shape better than any youngster I ever see.”</p> - -<p>As Merritt finished speaking, C. B. suddenly bethought him of Pepe, -lying aft there in miserable pain, and slipped along to his side. -Finding the wounded man awake he dropped one knee beside him, saying—</p> - -<p>“How is it, Pepe? Can I do anything for you, get a pipe, a drink, or -move you?”</p> - -<p>Pepe looked up at the fine eager face, and moistened his lips twice or -thrice before he replied with another question: “What made ye save me? -If I’d been in your place, I’d let ye die, an’ glad o’ the chance. An’ -I’d be best pleased if you’d let me go when I was three parts gone. I -don’t want t’ live cos you’ve beat me, you an’ yer Chinaman. Go away; I -hate ye, an’ if I could I’d kill ye now. What did ye ever come aboard -this ship for? Ye’ve made a hell of her for better men than you are.”</p> - -<p>C. B. knew better than to stay and talk to a man in that frame of mind, -a man too who, for all he knew, might be raving in delirium; but he -thought with some consolation of certain unclean spirits of old who -cried to the healing Lord, “Art thou come to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> torment us before our -time?” and turned away to his berth below, where he found a good and -ample meal awaiting him. He ate and drank reverently, gratefully, and -then, greatly refreshed, lay down in his bunk and went fast asleep -almost on the instant, having not a single care of his own. And, as it -happened that he was not in the first watch, it was 2 a.m. before he -was called, and then he sprang to his feet at the word full of life and -energy.</p> - -<p>When he rushed on deck he found the machinery of oil-boiling in full -blast, the caldrons bubbling fiercely, the square iron funnels of the -try-works blazing like the squat chimneys of an iron foundry, and the -clatter of the mincing machine incessant. He had little imagination or -he would have thought what a picture she made, this tiny hive of human -energy with all her toilers, in the midst of that immense stretch of -lonely ocean, engaged in converting to human use the treasure of the -boundless deep ravished from its mightiest denizen. But he only saw a -little group of almost dead-beat men who had been working mechanically -for hours, only thought pityingly of the ill-requited toil and what he -considered to be the folly of it all.</p> - -<p>Then he plunged into the work himself, while the second and fourth -mates prowled about the decks, keeping a vigilant eye upon possible -shirkers, seeing the great casks rolled away from the cooler as the -cooked oil was poured into them and they brimmed over. In fact the ship -was now just a floating factory from which, except to an observant -onlooker if such there had been, all romance had departed to make way -for the greasy heavy toil. No lookout was kept, no hand at the wheel, -which was lashed hard a lee; for, in case any other ship should be -wandering that way, the trying-out whaler was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> beacon in herself, -visible for many miles. She certainly could not run another ship down, -and any one who run her down could be little less than a criminal -lunatic, at least quite unfit to have charge of a ship.</p> - -<p>So the heavy round of work went on without intermission until, about -4.30, the darkest hour before the dawn, all hands on deck were startled -beyond measure by hearing a high clear voice crying—</p> - -<p>“Ship ahoy! What ship is that? Do you need any assistance?” All eyes -were turned in the direction of the hail, and there close by them rode -a ship of war, her side crowded with men plainly visible in the blue -flare she was burning, but looking all corpse-like in that unnatural -light.</p> - -<p>Loud and clear came the response from aft, for Captain Taber seemed -to be always on hand when wanted: “Ship <i>Eliza Adams</i> of New Bedford, -whaling, now engaged in trying out.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” came the somewhat dissatisfied answer across. “I thought -you were on fire. Good-night and good luck. Go ahead, please; forty -revolutions, course S.80.W.”</p> - -<p>It was only one of the police of the seas, a British man-o’-war -attached to the South American Squadron; but as she did not leave her -name or destination no one on board could guess who she was. Captain -Taber said sardonically, “That’s a Johnny Haul Taut, I bet; thinks -he owns the show. But I guess he’s ben sold a pup this watch. Wonder -what sort of guff he’ll enter up in his log about this.” It was not -generous, but characteristic of American captains in discussing British -seamen and their seamanship, and we can hardly quarrel or bother with -it to any good purpose. But what was entered in the log was just this—</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Saw a glare to the eastward, looking like a ship on fire, altered -course at 3.55 a.m. to E.N.E. and ran down at full speed, twelve -knots. Discovered the glare to be the whaleship <i>Eliza Adams</i> of New -Bedford trying out a whale. Resumed course immediately, S.80.W., forty -revolutions. Weather as before.”</p> - -<p>By the next day at noon the deck was clear of all the filth, and the -factory-like work was proceeding with machine-like regularity, all -hands being now well rested. And as cask after cask was filled at the -cooler and rolled away to a secure temporary berth on deck, the captain -was heard to say something to this effect: “I thought so. I guessed -that whale to be about the biggest in all my experience, an’ now I’m -gettin’ to be sure of it. Never saw a bigger whale nor yet richer -blubber.” By which he meant that the blubber was so full of oil that -when cut the clear fluid gushed almost like water and besides it was -full of cysts, small cells of about the size of peas, which were filled -with a bland substance of the consistency of cream, probably almost -pure spermaceti.</p> - -<p>For although the great reservoir of spermaceti is in the head, in -this case yielding nearly fifty barrels or five tons of almost pure -spermaceti, this curious substance is found in the oil from any part of -the body, particularly the great dorsal hump. Why the head should have -so huge a quantity of this fluid contained in it is a mystery, the only -supposition concerning its use being that its very low specific gravity -brings the vast mass much more quickly to the surface than would -otherwise be the case, and brings it up too in such a position that the -spiracle or blow-hole is the first portion of the whale to break water. -This substance has nothing in it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> of the nature of brain matter—the -brains are quite small in proportion to the size of the creature—but -it has been held, in view of the high intelligence shown by the -whales and seals, all of which are noted for their apparent paucity -of brain, that this thought or intelligence matter is distributed -over the different nerve centres, or to put it more colloquially, the -creature has, like the telephone system in a large town, several local -exchanges, as well as one central exchange for the transaction of -general business.</p> - -<p>And in the same way it has been supposed that the whales, huge as -they are, cannot possibly contain sufficient air for the needs of the -creatures during the prolonged period—often nearly an hour—during -which they remain under water, since they have no other means of -aerating the blood whatever. So it has been assumed that in some -mysterious way the vital principle of the air, oxygen, is in some -way secreted during the period that the whale is on the surface, a -supposition which is somewhat supported by the fact that the whale upon -coming to the surface must make so many respirations, always the same -in number, before he can seek the depths again, which would point to -some process going on in addition to ordinary breathing. Also it would -certainly be impossible for him to sink if he inflated himself, as it -were, by shipping a great reservoir full of air.</p> - -<p>But this is probably enough of whale anatomy for one chapter, so I will -leave the subject for a while, merely recording that the captain’s most -sanguine expectations were fulfilled, the whale yielding one hundred -and sixty barrels or sixteen tons of oil and spermaceti, which at the -then high market-price of the day, £108 per ton, made the handsome -sum of over seventeen hundred pounds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> for less than a week’s work. Of -course the long spells of inaction and the heavy outlay as well as -upkeep must be borne in mind, and I do not suggest that the great game -was ever in the nature of a gold mine, only that when a monster like -the one we have just tried out was obtained he made a very considerable -addition to the profits of the voyage.</p> - -<p>All the oil having been run down, and the lavish application of lye and -sand to the decks and paintwork having made the ship look her usual -smart self, the monotonous old routine began again, but for our hero -at least its monotony was a thing of the past. For one thing he began -on his bundle of books, only reading a very little at a time at first, -but gradually getting absorbed in them and reading on to the great -loss of his sleep. But oh, to be able to read like him, to drink with -an entirely unsophisticated thirst at the fountain of good literature -believing every word as if it were directly inspired! Of course he read -his Bible as he had always done, from a genuine love of it and a full -appreciation of its living histories, not at all as a religious duty, -but as with his wonderful memory he knew it nearly all by heart, it was -entirely delightful to him to get hold of something fresh.</p> - -<p>At last his chief, Merritt, said to him one night, with just the -slightest shade of grievance in his voice, “’Pears to me you’re mighty -busy these days, too busy to have a yam even. What ’yer doin’ anyhow -with yer nose in a book all the time?”</p> - -<p>For a moment the idea of the extremely taciturn Merritt wanting a yam -almost made C. B. smile, but he suppressed the impulse and replied -apologetically—</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid I’ve been a bit selfish of late, but the fact is I’ve just -found my way into a new world. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> never knew how much there was in -books before, and I forget everything else but the people that seem to -be all alive before me, doing and saying things that I never dreamed -of before. You see, I’ve missed very much the long talks and pleasant -society that I’ve been used to all my life till I came here, for no -one here seemed to care about anything that I like, and I can’t listen -to their yarns at all: they’re all dreadful to me because of the bad -language.”</p> - -<p>Merritt looked at him keenly for the space of a minute, and then said -as if thinking aloud, “I wonder what Pepe thinks of ye now since you -saved his life. Don’t seem overnabove thankful ’s far ’s I can see. -Spoke t’ him yet?”</p> - -<p>C. B. flushed dark red as he replied, “Yes, I asked him the next day -if I could do anything for him, and I found him as bitter as ever. He -knows all about the business—how, I don’t know, but he does—and he -seems to hate me worse for it. What it means I don’t understand, but I -can’t alter it, and so I must let him go his own way.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” grunted Merritt; “he’s a bad man, eaten up with jealousy of -you. If you’d a ben a no ’count greenie that couldn’t keep your end -up, an’ had to knuckle down to him in the half deck same as his other -cronies do or did, you wouldn’t had no trouble with him. I got no use -for men like him except to make oil, for he’s a pretty fair average -whaleman—I’m not denying that.</p> - -<p>“But what I like about you is that you’re not only a good whaleman, but -you’re a good man. An’ now I want to tell you somethin’. I ben achin’ -to get it off my chest for a long time past, ever since I took such a -shine t’ ye at the first lowerin’. I told yer I had a chum once, didn’t -I? Yes; well, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> picked him up on the beach at the Bay of Islands. -He’d swum ashore from the <i>Guidin’ Light</i>, a whaleship that had the -reputation in her day of being the worst of all the bad ships that ever -went a spoutin’. He was pretty desperate, but he knew enough not to try -and skip while she was anchor: the standin’ twenty dollars reward would -ha’ put every Maori in the neighbourhood on his track in a fluke-twist. -So he waited till she was under weigh, and then when she was well off -the heads he slipped down a rope and put for shore.</p> - -<p>“Well, he’d fetched round to Russell, an’, mind I’m telling ye, they -were pretty hard crowd there those days, so if a poor devil had no -money he stood a gaudy chance of starvin’. Well, I was in a good homely -ship, the <i>Mornin’ Star</i>, the skipper’s boat-header at that, an’ we -come into the Bay of Islan’s to wood and water up an’ give liberty as -usual. I come ashore with the skipper as soon as the kellick was down, -and while he was up at the store I strolled along the beach an’ I finds -Dick, the chap I’m talkin’ about, lyin’ on the sand half dead. I gives -him a kick just to let him know he was liable for a sunstroke, and he -gets up halfway and looks at me just like a dog I had once. That was -enough for me. I gets him up, takes him to old Rowsell’s store, and -fills him full of good grub an’ beer, and then when the skipper come -along I puts in a word fer him an’ he’s taken aboard.</p> - -<p>“We happened to be a couple of hands short, so the old man wasn’t sorry -to have him, and I—well, I don’t know what it could ha’ been, but I -got so fond of that fellow you can’t think. When he got into decent -rig, and had two or three square meals, he was a different chap, quite -handsome and a regular Jim Dandy. He was a white man too, some sort of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> -an Englishman I guess, an’ he could talk like a hull box o’ books. We -was only about nine months out from New Bedford when he came aboard, -an’ before another three months he’d so twisted himself around me, one -that had never had a pet before since I first knew myself, that I’d -ha’ died for him. He was after oarsman in my boat an’ smart too, but, -though I wouldn’t see it then, he was a coward an’ a sneak of the worst -kind. I was in hot water the whole time takin’ his part, for he was -always in rows, an’ used to run to me like a kid. I think I liked him -all the more for that, an’ beside a row has always ben a sort o’ tonic -to me.</p> - -<p>“Looking back now I can’t understand the hold that fellow had over me, -for he was always playing some dirty trick or another, not on me, but -other fellows, an’ I had to get him out o’ them. An’ if ever I went -for him real angry, he could always salve me over in a few minutes -with that soapy tongue of his. At last I found him out. We went into -Callao, an’ it was the days when shanghaiing was carried on wuss there -than anywhere else. No one was allowed out of the ship except on such -business as takin’ the skipper ashore, an’ then we was forbid to leave -the boat. But he had ben there before, an’ knew Buck Murphy, the big -shanghai boss, who used ter come down on the quay an’ yam with him -very quiet. One afternoon while we was waitin’ for the skipper, Dick -persuades me to come up to a house not above two ships’ lengths away -an’ have a drink with him, bringin’ two hands out of the boat with us -and leavin’ a Kanaka in charge. It was only to be for a minute.</p> - -<p>“Even t’ this day I don’t know what made me go. I knew better, o’ -course, an’ I never did care much fer drink anyway. But that fellow -could make me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> do anythin’ he liked, I believe, an’, so I went, like a -silly goat as I was. I smelt somehow that all wasn’t right when I got -in, for there was as tough a lookin’ crowd as ever I see sittin’ about, -an’ half of ’em looked ready to begin on anybody they didn’t sorter -just cotton to. But I had my drink, three fingers of aguardiente, an’ -so did the two chaps as was with us, two Yanks they was. Just as I puts -my glass down I sees Dick lookin’ at me curious, an’ in that moment I -knew that he had sold me. I never want to feel like that again. The -bottom seemed to have fell out of everything. I jumped up, knockin’ -the big table over; I heard an’ awful crashin’ an’ bangin’ an’, then -nothin’.</p> - -<p>“When I came to agen I was bein’ hauled along a deck by the neck, an’ I -was feelin’ wuss nor ever I had felt in my life. I heard somebody yell -‘up with ye, dirt; an’ loose that maintgallant s’l,’ an’ I started, -the sailor in me, I s’pose. But as I got on the sheer pole I looked -around, for my head was gettin’ clearer, and there, not more’n a mile -away was the <i>Mornin’ Star</i> at anchor, an’ we flyin’ past her at the -rate o’ knots before a fresh breeze under topsails fore and aft. Just -one look was enough for me. I slued round and dived, comin’ up headin’ -straight for the ole ship. And the skunk in charge o’ that hooker that -I’d ben shanghaied into stood on his poop an’ took pot shots at me from -a Winchester as long as he could see me. But he dassent heave to where -he was ’n I played the ole islan’ game on him, boy, long swim under -water, bob up an’ a guts full of air, then down agen. Why, I’d run the -blockade of forty ships if only the water was rough enough.</p> - -<p>“Presently the old man sees me, he’d ben disturbed by the noise o’ the -shootin’, an’, as he <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>afterwards told me, he ups with his glass an’ -makes out who it was. An’ then he was that excited he couldn’t keep -still; but he had too much savvy to lower a boat until the ship that -I’d jumped from was outer gunshot. Then they come an’ picked me up. I -was feelin’ real good, for that swim had put new life inter me. When -I got aboard the ole man was that delighted t’ see me I thought he’d -a cried, an’ I was some glad t’ get back. I told him all I knew, an’ -he says, ‘Why that chum o’ yours is wuss an’ what even I thought him, -an’ you know I never did like him. He got down inter my cabin that day -somehow and stole about two hundred dollars in money an’ some bits o’ -julery as I prized, an’ I hain’t heard nothin’ of him since.’</p> - -<p>“I didn’t say nothin’, I couldn’t, but I reckoned that if ever I met -Mr. Dick agen, no matter where or how, it’d be his last meetin’ with -anybody.</p> - -<p>“I went an’ had a good sleep an’ a feed, an’ that night as soon as it -was dark I goes t’ the skipper an’ says I: ‘I’m goin’ ashore, sir, -with your permission, but I don’t want no boat, I’ll swim.’ He knew -me an’ he says, ‘Well, if you must you must. But I don’t want t’ lose -ye, try an’ get back agen.’ An’ I says, ‘You bet I’ll be back before -mornin’.’ So I puts my ole bowie in my belt, slips down over the side, -an’ puts for the shore. It was only a couple o’ miles off, so I was -as fresh as paint when I lands, an’ then I starts off on my search. I -knew, of course, that my joker calc’lated on me bein’ a good many miles -away by this time, so I didn’t dodge about, I went straight to the rum -mill he’d lured me to. An’ when I shoved open the door, there he is, a -settin’ with a big drink afore him, and Buck Murphy with two other boys -o’ the same class sittin’ around with cards in their hands. They were -playin’ bluff. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I wasn’t: I made one jump at him like a cougar. I knew I could a -had him out o’ the middle of a regiment of soldiers, an’ as I went I -knocked the kerosine lamp over that was on the table so that the only -light that there was came from the burnin’ ile lappin’ around the -wooden shanty. I got him by the neck, with my left hand. With the other -I pulls my knife an’ as I choked him I felt for anythin’ touchin’ me -an’ cut at it. The flame burst up high an’ showed me the rest o’ the -crowd clearin’, so I pulls up quickly an’ has a good look at him. I -thought he was dead, but I makes sure an’ then has a peep round. An’ in -the corner of the room I sees a big hole. Bein’ as clear in my mind as -I am now I makes a breach for it, guessin’ what it was, drops through -it an’ finds myself in the harbour which was all right.</p> - -<p>“So I takes a little journey, lands and get my bearin’s on, then -paddles off quietly to the ship feelin’ quite easy in my mind. I got -aboard agen at midnight, and was very near shot by the mate who, seein’ -me climb inboard in the dark, thought I was some pirate or another. I -jollied him a bit about his shootin’, not much, because I ain’t big on -the shoot myself, then turned in, tellin’ him I’d give the cuffer t’ -the skipper in the mornin’.</p> - -<p>“I was middlin’ tired, an’ I had to be called at two bells, an’ as -soon as I come on deck the ole man says, ‘So you got back all right, -Merritt?’ ‘Yes, sir,’ I says, ‘an’ I’ve squared the account. Mister -Dick won’t sell any more men, his pleasant little game is stopped for -a full due.’ ‘Why, you surely didn’t kill him, did you, Merritt?’ -says he, holdin’ up both han’s as if he was scared like. ‘Well, if I -didn’t,’ says I, ‘it’s a funny thing to me. But I don’t think there’s -much doubt about it;’ an’ I went on to give him the story. Would you -believe it, he looked at me as if I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> hurt his eyesight, an’ from that -out I don’t think he really ever liked me. Some men is like that, ye -know. They know you’ve done the right thing, yet they hate ye for doin’ -it. But that didn’t trouble me any.”</p> - -<p>All through the long recital C. B. had listened with mingled feelings -of admiration and horror, and when Merritt had finished he held out his -hand and said—</p> - -<p>“Mr. Merritt, I feel that your deed was terrible, but I can’t find it -in my heart to blame you, except that you acted in revenge. But that -man was a danger and needed killing, I know, and I feel that you were -only the instrument in doing a necessary work. I couldn’t think any -less of you, for I believe you acted according to the light you had, -and anyhow I love and admire you.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XII</span> <span class="smaller">C. B.’s Great Temptation</span></h2> - -<p>From that eventful evening the friendship between these two most -strangely assorted chums deepened in force until every man in the ship -knew certainly, what he had only suspected before, that whoever took it -in hand to do despite to one of them would surely have to reckon with -the other. And that knowledge had a wholly quietening and sweetening -effect upon all hands. Every one knew by this time, knew intimately, -that C. B.’s principles were of a high and noble kind, that he would -always be on the side of the good and true, and would be ready to put -up with much trouble and annoyance from anybody rather than assert -himself. But they all knew also that his chum Merritt was of a totally -different stamp. They felt that, given what he considered cause, he -would as soon kill a man as eat an orange, and they were afraid that if -they offended C. B. and Merritt got to know of it, he might suddenly -apply his own method of chastisement to the offender.</p> - -<p>And so the <i>Eliza Adams</i> became a most eminently peaceful as well as -hard-working ship. Captain Taber used to gaze admiringly upon the quiet -gangs working here and there, with never a voice upraised in anger, and -say to his mate, “Winsloe, I’ve often said that the day of miracles was -long past, but I ain’t so sure now. You and me always looked upon the -old hooker as a good ship, an’ by jingo, she <i>was</i> a good ship compared -with lots that we’ve known, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> perfect little galley of angels, but -they was a good deal of rough house at times in order to keep her good, -now wasn’t they?”</p> - -<p>“True ’nough, captain,” sententiously assented Winsloe, “men must be -kep’ in hand.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just my point, Winsloe,” eagerly interrupted the skipper. “Ever -since the weltin’ that Merritt gave Pepe she ain’t wanted no keepin’ in -order, she’s been an abode of peace; y’ haven’t had t’ raise yer voice -above a whisper to get everything done on the instant. Whatever is it -in this young fellow that makes such a change in everybody that comes -near him? Some fellows hate him like pizen, others freeze to him like -Merritt, an’ yet he doesn’t do or say anythin’ except his plain duty.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I don’t know, sir,” yawned Winsloe as if tired of the subject. -“S’long as a man does his work ’thout giving trouble I ain’t usin’ my -brains on his character. Don’t make no sort o’ difference t’ me.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, I see,” murmured the skipper, and turned away, fully convinced -in his own mind that Mr. Winsloe did not view C. B. with any favour, -in fact, was a man of that strange mind calibre, that praise of any -other man, whether affecting him or not, acted upon him like a personal -affront.</p> - -<p>Thereafter for a space of three months, during which they continued to -cruise the off-shore ground with fair success, taking altogether some -four hundred barrels of oil, no incident occurred worth making special -mention of here. Only it could not escape the notice of any unbiassed -observer like the skipper, how, with the exception of the other boat -steerers and the three officers above Merritt, all the crew seemed to -worship C. B.; their faces brightened whenever they saw him. And then -there came another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> explosion with Pepe again, who seemed to have grown -moodier and more sullen, although he was just as good a whaleman as he -had ever been.</p> - -<p>It was during the trying out of some oil, just at the change of -watches, that one of C. B’s boat’s crew, coming hurriedly on deck, -charged into Pepe, who stood wiping his hands by the mincer, having -just relinquished the baler to C. B., standing on the try-works -platform. It was a pure accident, due to the quantity of oil on deck. -And besides, the man, a Yankee from Vermont, was not in the best of -health, for he was suffering from a severe outbreak of painful boils. -But Pepe sprang to his feet and seized the unfortunate fellow by the -throat, forcing him against the rail, and had already struck him -a heavy blow in the face, when C. B. leaped from his place on the -platform, and snatching Pepe’s just descending arm cried, “Let the man -alone!”</p> - -<p>Pepe turned like a baffled tiger, all teeth and snarl, and grappled C. -B., everything forgotten but his present desire to do harm to the one -who had got in his way.</p> - -<p>A serious smile was on C. B.’s face as he easily held the furious man -who, lost to all sense of danger, strove to get at his knife. Seeing -or rather feeling this, C. B. lost his temper and, freeing his right -arm, struck at Pepe’s face once, twice, with crushing force; then as if -maddened beyond endurance he clasped Pepe in his arms and dashed him -against the bulwarks where he lay limp and motionless. C. B.’s anger -passed as rapidly as it had kindled, and falling on his knees in the -oil by the side of the unconscious man he tore open the breast of his -shirt and felt his breast, finding to his immense relief that his heart -was beating, though feebly.</p> - -<p>Then rising, he lifted the limp body in his strong<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> arms and bore it -aft out of the way of the oil. He was about to get some restoratives -when a hand was laid on his arm, and turning he saw Merritt who said—</p> - -<p>“Looky here! no more foolin’ with that nigger. He ain’t hurt any worth -speakin’ of, an’ you’re only spoilin’ him. ’Sides, your pot wants -lookin’ after. Get back t’ yer work and leave him t’ learn his lesson.”</p> - -<p>C. B. obeyed mechanically, but with a dull feeling of regret at his -heart, for he was afraid of that demon that had so suddenly arisen -within him, remembering keenly as he did the last occasion when it -had done so. And as he went on with his baling, he prayed fervently -to be delivered from what he felt was the awful danger of taking a -fellow-creature’s life in anger.</p> - -<p>All the while he was thus accusing himself the rest of the watch, with -the exception of Mr. Spurrell, who was asleep and heard nothing of the -fray, were almost beside themselves with joy at the thought that the -gentle kindly fellow whom they all loved could on occasion use the -great strength they knew he possessed not only in self-defence but for -the defence of others. The man whom he had rescued, in particular, was -from thenceforward his devoted slave; no one could say a word even -remotely disparaging C. B., but he was upon them like a faithful dog in -defence of his master. And strangest of all, C. B. never heard another -word about it from anybody. Pepe was all right to all appearance at the -change of watches, and if the captain knew he never mentioned it.</p> - -<p>Now I fear that there are many good people who will feel that C. B. was -woefully lacking in what they consider should be the first attribute -of the Christian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span>—the ability and grace to submit not only to any -violence offered to themselves, but to witness any shameful oppression -of others with the same meekness of spirit. I verily believe, I must -believe, judging from what I read written by these people and what I -have heard them say, that if they saw the last extremity of murderous -outrage being offered to their nearest and dearest they would only drop -upon their knees and pray that God would pardon the perpetrators; they -would not dare to interfere, actively, nor if they were able would they -allow others to do so. Nay more, if any person did interfere, and in -defence of their children happened to shed the blood of the aggressors, -they would be the first to call him or them murderers.</p> - -<p>It is an attitude of mind which I do not pretend to understand, but -one that is all too common and widespread to ignore. It is far removed -from the spirit of the ancient martyrs, in that its professors are -usually the very first to cry out for protection of their own bodies -and property by the forces of the law. And I can only characterize such -people by the plain old name of coward. More, I do not believe that God -saves a man to make him a coward, but to make him as brave as was the -Gentle Saviour when he scourged the infamous rabble out of the Temple, -alone and unaided. But our curious weaklings would have reserved their -wrath for the scourge wielder, their pity for the scoundrels. Would! -nay do so every day, as the columns of our newspapers bear witness.</p> - -<p>And now the time approaches when C. B. is to endure the heaviest -temptation of all. The season was over on the off-shore ground, and the -good ship was put under all sail for the Sandwich Islands, it being -the captain’s intention to visit Honolulu to refit there and replenish -with wood and water. As<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> soon as the news became known all hands went -nearly wild with delight, for in those days Honolulu was a place where, -in spite of the efforts of the missionaries, scenes of the wildest -licence and debauchery took place upon the arrival of a whaleship whose -captain was kindly disposed enough to give his crew liberty and money. -Reminiscences of former excesses were now on everybody’s tongue, even -the taciturn Merritt became almost garrulous in describing to his chum -what he considered to be the attractions of Honolulu and its environs.</p> - -<p>In his innocence and ignorance C. B. listened greedily to these tales, -and asked many questions, which made Merritt grin and wonder loudly -that any man should be so fresh and green as he put it. And there was -no one to warn, nothing to give any hint as to the foulness of what -was coming. More than that, there was an uneasy sense in C. B.’s mind -of being gradually estranged from the high and holy thoughts which had -always been his precious possession, even his prayers were becoming -perfunctory as the scenes so vividly depicted by the conversation of -his fellows rose before his mental vision and his curiosity with regard -to them grew stronger.</p> - -<p>They made a very fine and uneventful passage to the islands, arriving -off Honolulu in the early dawn of a perfect day, and working into the -harbour, where four other whaleships were lying at anchor, in the usual -easy seaman-like fashion of those ships. The vessel was moored smartly, -and the order given to furl all sail, and in carrying out this order -an incident occurred which brings into my story for a little while -a man who has not received any but cursory mention and that not by -name—Mr. Allan the third mate. He was a jovial stocky little man of -great vivacity and good temper, who interfered with <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>nobody and made no -trouble as long as the work went on all right. Being in the other watch -he had never had much to do with C. B., and regarded him as an amiable -sort of crank.</p> - -<p>Now it chanced that in the rush to get the sails furled C. B. found -himself side by side with Mr. Allan on the main topsail yard, tugging -furiously at the sail to get it furled before their rivals forrard, in -the usual emulation seen in these vessels at sail furling. Now C. B. -being so long and Mr. Allan so short, only about five feet four, the -latter could only reach from the foot-rope, and sprang upwards from it -grabbing at the sail and missing his hold. He was sliding backwards -from the yard with a despairing yell when C. B., letting go the sail, -made a grab at his left arm, caught it, and turning, held the whole -weight of his body as it fell. The wrench was terrible, and C. B’s -stout sinews cracked, but exerting all his great strength he drew the -third mate upward until he placed him on the foot-rope again in safety, -when they both lay gasping across the yard and looked at each other.</p> - -<p>When they had recovered their breath they finished furling the sail, -being hopelessly beaten of course by the fellows forrard. But when they -reached the deck Mr. Allan held out his hand to C. B. saying, “Put it -there, young man, I reckon I owe you a life or so.”</p> - -<p>C. B. was about to reply, when Merritt with his dangerous grin on came -between them and said—</p> - -<p>“Now, Mr. Allan, what’s you doin’ with my chum?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t bark,” replied Allan laconically, “nobody’s kidnappin’ your -chum. But I s’pose you haven’t any real objections t’ a fellow saying -thank ye for having his life saved, have ye?” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, but we’ll let it go at that,” snarled Merritt. “When I’ve got a -chum I don’t want no partners in him, ’n I won’t have ’em neither, see. -You can thank all ye want to, but no chummin’.” And he turned away.</p> - -<p>C. B. looked bewildered from one to the other, and then went on with -his work, with a deep sigh of despair at his inability to comprehend -this peculiarly selfish form of affection.</p> - -<p>He could see, however, that it behoved him to be careful in his -intercourse with others, no matter how friendly they might be, not -that he felt the least fear of Merritt, but that he realized to the -full that the latter’s love for him had humanized and made gentle a -nature essentially savage and morose. He felt in a very special measure -responsible for Merritt, having an indefinable idea that he might one -day be able to hail him not only as a chum but as a brother Christian. -Not that C. B. had ever attempted to proselytize; he had absolutely -none of the missionary spirit except that he always did live before his -fellows as seeing Him who is invisible, and the example of such a life -often preaches louder than any amount of spoken words. And his heart -had greatly rejoiced when on several occasions during the night watches -Merritt had asked him in a casual off-hand sort of way to tell him what -Christianity really was.</p> - -<p>But I am forgetting altogether that the ship is at anchor in the -harbour of Honolulu, and that C. B., in a strange port for the first -time in his life, became carried away, quite bewildered by the -wonderful scene on deck. For the ship was overrun by both Kanakas from -the shore and visitors from the other ships, all manner of island -produce for sale was being continually hoisted on board, and all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> -round the ship, like so many dusky mermaidens, disported a very shoal -of girls, forbidden to come on board by the captain’s stern orders. -That gentleman, however, seeing how impossible it was for his men to -work under the present conditions, and being moreover of a very kindly -disposition, gave orders that as soon as the decks were cleared up work -should cease for the remainder of the day, so that the men should be -able to enjoy the change without breaking any rules or getting into -trouble. Then he called all officers and boat steerers aft and gave -them stringent orders to watch that no women or liquor were allowed on -board, as he didn’t want any gratuitous trouble. Also to keep a good -lookout that nothing of small portable size was left lying about for -the natives to steal, and especially that no rope under any pretence -was flung to a boat, since it is a frequent trick of theirs played upon -unwary seafarers to haul as much of a rope flung to them as possible -into a canoe and then—cut it off as high up as they can reach—which -of course causes serious trouble the first time the rope is let go, if -it is, as usual, a portion of the ship’s running gear.</p> - -<p>These orders required a great deal of energy and watchfulness to -carry out, but nobody seemed to take them seriously except C. B., -and in consequence he was kept extremely busy, especially as to his -slight annoyance he was continually being addressed in the Kanaka -tongue by natives who looked upon him as one of themselves, though not -full blood. For the Pitcairn Islanders, handsome as they undoubtedly -are, do show and probably always will show, both in complexion and -feature, a striking resemblance to the stock from which their maternal -ancestors were derived, and this by a well-known peculiarity is far -more pronounced in the case of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> males than of females. Now C. B. hardly -knew a word of Kanaka, for he had not fraternized at all with the -natives on board, having been early advised to keep his place, so when -these dusky Hawaiians smilingly saluted him with “Aloha,” to which he -cheerily responded, and then went on to talk to him, his blank stare -of non-understanding and his vigorous pantomime to that effect puzzled -them beyond measure.</p> - -<p>It was evident that they did not believe him at first, by their -scornful looks. They took him for a renegade, a half-breed ashamed of -his parentage, which is indeed an unpardonable offence in their eyes, -they having a vigorous hatred of all forms of snobbery, until presently -mixing with the Kanakas forward, they heard such an account of C. B.’s -goodness, his prowess as a fighter and his ability as a whaleman, that -they changed their minds concerning him, and were ready to accord -him supernatural honours. He, of course, noticed the deference they -paid him, the instant obedience to his lightest word, the anxiety to -please him manifested on every side, but ascribed it to their innate -kindliness, to everything in fact but its true reason. It was not until -they began to bring him tribute in the way of presents, fruit, eggs, -fowls and vegetables, that he began to wonder whereunto all this was -tending, and as he could make but little headway through his want of -knowledge of the language he hunted up Merritt, who spoke the language -very well, and asked him if he could ascertain the reason.</p> - -<p>Merritt held a palaver, which, by the way, is a West African native -word that has passed into our language, and then did what C. B. had -never deemed him capable of, burst into a perfect roar of laughter. -To C. B.’s puzzled inquiry as to the cause of this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> sudden hilarity, -he presently replied, wiping the tears of merriment from his eyes, in -allegory and parable—</p> - -<p>“Boys oh! boys, get sticks and beat the natives. By the great hook -block ef this don’t beat heavin’ the anchor through the hause-pipe. -What sh’ll I hear next, I persoom? Well, never mind, this is the way of -it. All these kotow, that offerings, them perlite inquiries that you -don’t savvy means that you’re somethin’ of a second mate god. I don’t -know what them Kanakas of ours has been tellin’ ’em about ye, but it -must a ben a pretty tall yarn, judgin’ by what I’ve heard already. An’ -this is only the beginnin’ of it.”</p> - -<p>One of the crew-Kanakas was just shambling aft to the scuttle-butt for -a drink of water when Merritt hailed him in his own language and asked -him what sort of a game he had been putting up on “Seeby” as they all -called our hero forrard. The man told him as truthfully as he knew how -what had been said, at which Merritt laughed more than ever, and at -last turning to C. B. said—</p> - -<p>“Looky here, my boy, ef you ain’t careful these yer Kanakas’ll be -wiling you away to become the head boss of some new religion of theirs. -I guess they hain’t ever struck one o’ your breed before.”</p> - -<p>C. B. tried to laugh, but it was a failure. He had come up against a -problem far too heavy for his simple mind to cope with. I know of no -subtler form of temptation than this for a good man, unless gifted with -an exceptionally large fund of common sense and much experience. Now C. -B. was a sensible youth, and his splendid early training as well as his -native grit had carried him grandly through his recent fiery trial, but -nothing that he had ever heard or learned had prepared him for this. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span></p> - -<p>His mind was chaos for a time, and then there emerged one idea clearly -and distinctly, an idea sedulously cultivated by the fine old man -McCoy—humility. He felt rather than knew that this would save him, -this and the steadfast performance of his duty, from being carried -off his balance, and unknown to any save his Maker his heart went up -in prayer to be kept humble, true and diligent. It was all over in a -moment; then he turned to Merritt with a bright and cheerful smile, -saying—</p> - -<p>“Please tell these foolish fellows that I am only a boat-steerer, who -loves God, and that there’s nothing special about me except that I’m a -bit bigger and stronger than ordinary men, which I can’t help being, -you know.”</p> - -<p>Merritt still grinning told them something that C. B. did not of course -understand; if he had he would have protested, for it was not at all -what he meant to be conveyed to them. It was to the effect that while -C. B. was not exactly a godling he was a specially big man highly -favoured by God; that he was half a Kanaka, but had never learned his -mother language, and that the <i>papalangi</i> (white men) were all agreed -in honouring him. So if they chose to show their appreciation of the -honour done to their race in him it was not for him to baulk them, -unless they worried him, when he would speedily inform them of the fact -and they must instantly obey him. For Merritt, old in the knowledge of -these light-hearted folks, foresaw that to occupy such a position as C. -B. had been involuntarily lifted into meant not only a great lightening -of labour for all the officers, but getting the best that life afforded -by way of tribute, as a right and without any cost except to the donors.</p> - -<p>In which, of course, Merritt was perfectly right<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> from his point -of view, and from thenceforward the ease with which discipline was -maintained among the visitors was wonderful. Only C. B. felt sorely -handicapped by his inability to speak the language, although, as he -always had Merritt to fall back upon to interpret for him, that was not -so much of a drawback as he thought it.</p> - -<p>The other boat-steerers and officers soon found that life was very -easy for them, and took full advantage of the fact without worrying -about the reason for it, until on the third day after their arrival -the skipper said at dinner: “The Kanakas don’t seem to be half as -troublesome as usual on board, how is it?” There was silence for a -moment or two until, seeing his seniors said nothing, Mr. Allan, the -third mate, replied—</p> - -<p>“It’s all on account of that extraordinary boat-steerer of ours, sir. -He seems to have got hold of the Kanakas in such a way that they’ll -do anything for him. They don’t take a bit of notice of us as far as -I can see, but if he so much as winks they’re ready to fly. I heard -him say to one the other day, ‘The captain doesn’t want any grog -brought aboard and I hope none of you will do it?’ That was all, but -that Kanaka looked as if he had had a message from heaven. An’ I don’t -believe there’s ben a drop come in over the rail, an’ that without our -troubling at all.”</p> - -<p>The other officers went on stolidly eating, apparently without any -interest in what was being said, but the captain, smiting his leg, said -with great earnestness—</p> - -<p>“In all my fishin’ I’ve never met a man like this fellow. Whatever does -it mean? He don’t preach, he don’t psalm-sing (I often wish he would -after hearin’ him that night aboard the <i>Matilda Sayer</i>),<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> he only just -does what we all try to do according to our ability, his duty, an’ yet -he strikes me as bein’ a miracle. I sometimes wonder whether we’re -lucky in havin’ him aboard the ship or not.”</p> - -<p>Then Mr. Winsloe lifted his head with a dogged air and remarked—</p> - -<p>“Don’t see anything particularly lucky in havin’ him aboard, sir. We -hain’t had only an ordinary cruise, we’ve had two or three nasty rows -through him, and a pretty bad smash. I think there’s too much fuss -bein’ made altogether over a half-bred Kanaka who’s only a fair average -boat-steerer after all.”</p> - -<p>There was another silence after this, until presently the skipper said -with a half sigh—</p> - -<p>“Ah well, I can understand you’re not having any praise to waste on -him, Winsloe. If I’d ben in your place, an’ he’d used up my harponeer -as cheaply as he has yours, I sh’d feel ’bout the same I guess. But -Pepe hasn’t made a good show, now has he?”</p> - -<p>“Best harponeer I ever saw get into a boat until this ’ere speculation -of yours came aboard. Now he ain’t wuth a row of pins. I could pick a -dozen men out o’ the crew as good as him at any time.”</p> - -<p>“I think that’ll quite do, Mr. Winsloe,” answered the skipper quietly, -but with a dangerous gleam in his eye. “I don’t allow any man to talk -t’ me as your permittin’ yerself to do. I k’n make allowance all right, -but you don’t need any allowance, you know better. Now don’t let it -occur agen, an’ if Pepe is useless as you say he is, disrate him an’ -put another man in his place.”</p> - -<p>Nothing more was said, but all four men filed out of the little cuddy -in silence thinking over the sudden turn affairs had taken. But Captain -Taber<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> was not the man to allow any suspicion of injustice to taint his -actions, and so he presently sent for Mr. Winsloe to his cabin, gave -him a cigar, took one himself, and when they were well going he said -quite casually—</p> - -<p>“Looky here, Winsloe, you’n me’s got on very well this last three -years nearly, an’ I ain’t goin’ t’ let any misunderstandin’ spoil our -relations if I can help it. Nor yet I ain’t goin’ t’ be unjust, to you -nor nobody else—tain’t in me t’ put up with it or suffer it. Tell -me, what ye got agen that young boat-steerer, ’cause if the matter’s -serious enough to cause a breach between us on account of him bein’ -in the ship, I’m goin’ t’ send him back t’ Norfolk; I ain’t goin’ t’ -lose my mate. Though, mind ye, if that meant turnin’ a man adrift that -had done no wrong just t’ save myself trouble an’ to please another -man who’d taken a dislikin’ for him, I wouldn’t do it, no, not for the -value of ship an’ cargo. Now, honest injun, own up, what ye got agen -him?” And lying back, calmly puffing his cigar, the captain awaited the -reply. After a long pause it came reluctantly—</p> - -<p>“I ain’t got nothin’ agen him, only I hate the sight of his face”; and -here the speaker became transformed and gave vent to a string of awful -blasphemies, which even then seemed quite inadequate to express the -hatred he felt for C. B. Captain Taber watched this exhibition with -an abstracted air nor showed any surprise. When the furious man had -subsided, though still trembling with utter rage, the skipper said—</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re in a pretty bad way, Winsloe. You seem to me to be like -one of them old-time folks that was possessed with devils. Here’s a man -that never done you a mite of harm, never give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> you a word o’ sass, nor -a minute’s trouble, yet if I’m any judge you’d wash yer hands in his -blood this minute if y’ got a chance, an’ feel glad. God help ye, I’m -afraid it means that you’re right down bad, an’ he’s about as good as -they make ’em. Well, I must see about this.” And Winsloe retreated on -deck.</p> - -<p>I must close this chapter with just a word of explanation to such dear -gentle souls among my readers who, leading sheltered lives, have never -had the misfortune to come across these terrible exhibitions of hatred -without any cause save the natural antagonism of light and darkness. -I beg them to believe that I am not exaggerating, but drawing from -life, and to be thankful if they have never met such instances of the -causeless hatred of the utterly innocent.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIII</span> <span class="smaller">C. B.’s Narrowest Escape</span></h2> - -<p>The life now led by C. B. was a most distracting one for him, and -stirred his somewhat easy mind to its depths. He gave not one thought -to the dark feelings of hatred with which he knew he was regarded by -certain of his shipmates in the conscientious discharge of duties. -He was much ashore and mixed freely with the Kanakas, who abated no -jot of the reverence with which they had first heard of his doings -upon closest acquaintance with him. It is pleasant to record that -he came and went among them blamelessly. All sorts of gifts were -pressed upon him, some of them such as we need not inquire into more -particularly, but specially of drink and other forms of hospitality. He -readily accepted food when he needed it, but kept his abstinence from -intoxicants or tobacco without any effort, because having never known -their taste he was not disposed to make a trial of them. Doubtless he -was virtuous, but if he had been given to self-analysis he would have -said that if it was virtue it was entirely unconscious on his part.</p> - -<p>Which gave it its peculiar charm, for few persons are more offensive -than the ostentatiously virtuous, who are usually Pharisees of the -very worst type. His influence over his men was so great that he could -always be depended upon to take a party ashore on a wood and water -expedition and get the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> work done without any trouble, while on the -several occasions when the other boat-steerers went on similar errands -there was always an aftermath of quarrels and fighting due to liquor. -Then when the captain intervened and pointed out the difference between -the behaviour of the men who went ashore with C. B. and those whose -conduct was under review, the debt of hatred steadily accumulated.</p> - -<p>But the work went steadily on until the ship was nearly ready for sea, -and the captain gave liberty to the port watch. In it were Pepe and -Louis and most of the Portuguese in the fo’c’sle, who, dressed in their -best and with money to spend, left the ship early in the morning with -leave until twenty-four hours later. C. B. spent a quiet day on board, -there being little to do, until just after dark the captain called -his boat away, and with C. B. in his usual place was pulled ashore to -an evening party. There was the usual little group of loafers at the -landing-place, and when the captain, dismissing the boat, ordered C. B. -to return for him at eleven o’clock the information spread. Like a wise -commander the skipper saw the boat on its way back to the ship before -he left the beach, not that he could not trust C. B. to keep his men -together, but from sheer force of habit.</p> - -<p>Now the gang of Portuguese who were ashore, fired with drink, had -waited all day in the hope of catching C. B. when he came ashore, and -when they heard of the order given they chuckled hugely, for they felt -that if they had luck they could get him out of the way once for all. -And they laid their plans carefully to entrap him when he came ashore -at eleven and kill him, trusting that under cover of the night none of -them would be recognized. C. B., all unconscious of any danger, called -away his boat’s crew at eleven, and as he was about to step<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> into the -boat himself he was surprised to find Mr. Merritt at his elbow, who -said—</p> - -<p>“All right, I’m comin’ with you. I’ve took a fancy t’ run ashore.”</p> - -<p>C. B. said nothing, although he wondered much whatever Merritt could -want ashore at that time of night. However, Merritt was his superior, -so he merely said—</p> - -<p>“All right, sir, will you steer?”</p> - -<p>“No, my boy,” replied Merritt, “I’ll be the admiral for once.” And he -lay back in the stern sheets with a grand assumption of luxury, of -which there is none in a whaleboat, no seat of any kind being provided -aft.</p> - -<p>As soon as they swung alongside the little jetty, a Kanaka voice said -out of the darkness—</p> - -<p>“That <i>Liza Adam’s</i> boat?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied C. B. “what’s the matter?”</p> - -<p>“All right, sir, cappen he say come up house, he want speak you ’bout -some things.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” responded C. B., “I’ll come,” and sprang ashore, saying as -he did so—</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you came now, Merritt.”</p> - -<p>“So’m I,” muttered the fourth mate, unheard by C. B., as he watched -the lithe form striding off into the dark after the Kanaka. He allowed -him to get about fifty yards away, then, with a word of caution to the -boat’s crew, sprang lightly after him and rapidly ran in his track. He -was not an instant too soon, for C. B. had only just turned the corner -of the first store when he was attacked by a group of men with clubs, -who sprang at him as a pack of savage dogs might at a strange animal -that had accidentally happened to come in their midst.</p> - -<p>C. B., taken entirely by surprise and absolutely unarmed, did the only -thing possible to him: warding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> off the blows with his arms he sprang -at the nearest man, caught him round arms and body and used him as a -shield. It was a good move, for in their blind fury his assailants -showered their blows indiscriminately, and the helpless man in C. B.’s -arms came in for the full benefit of them. Then with a yell wild as -that of an Indian brave a dark form leapt into the straggling group, -and before its savage onslaught three men went down groaning one after -the other. “All right, Christmas, my boy,” shouted Merritt, for of -course it was he, “drop that swine and get a club.” Crash, crash went -his own as he spoke, each blow accompanied by ear-splitting yells in -Kanaka, which brought dim forms rushing from every side into the fray.</p> - -<p>The fracas was very brief, for every one of the assailants had been -laid low within two or three minutes. But C. B. also settled down, much -to Merritt’s dismay, who could not believe that he was badly hurt. -Merritt tried to raise him, but found that he was a dead weight in -his arms, and in great alarm he shouted for a light. Several Kanakas -brought torches, and the inanimate form of C. B. was lifted with tender -care and carried into the nearest store. It was there found that he had -received two serious wounds, one in the fleshy part of the thigh, which -had completely penetrated the great band of muscle and bled profusely, -the other in the side laying open the cavity of the abdomen. A surgeon -was immediately sent for, and in the meantime Merritt devoted all his -skill to stopping the bleeding, at the same time issuing orders that -every one of the villains who had committed this outrage should be -secured and brought into the store.</p> - -<p>It was done, but it was hardly necessary, for they were all so badly -hurt that they could not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> make their escape, Pepe and Louis especially -being recognized at once by Merritt, although their features were -battered into shapelessness, and their stertorous breathing pointed to -brain concussion. Of the other five only one belonged to the ship, the -third mate’s harponeer Carlo, the rest were beach-combers of the worst -repute. There was not a Kanaka among them. As usual the Kanakas crowded -around, volubly discussing the affair in all its possible details, but -when the news spread among them that the attack had been made upon the -man whom they had agreed to honour, almost worship, very ugly sounds -began to arise, and but for the arrival of the surgeon, accompanied -by the captain and a posse of police, the lives of those murderous -wretches would hardly have been worth a moment’s purchase. Certainly -Merritt would have joyfully egged the Kanakas on to do any deed they -thought fit.</p> - -<p>But with the coming of the police order was soon restored and the -offenders were carried off under strong guard to the calaboose, or -lock-up, where with scantiest ceremony they were flung into a cell and -left to recover or not as it might please them. C. B., though almost -at the last extremity from loss of blood, made a magnificent rally, -and in an hour had so far recovered as to be able to tell the simple -story of his waylaying. He could not identify any of his assailants, -for the attack had been so sudden and the night was so dark; but here -Merritt stepped in and took up the tale, filling in all the later -details of which C. B. had been unconscious, and winding up grimly with -the words—“An’ we’ve got ’em all by the heels now. Besides, I guess -they’ve got enough punishment to last ’em till next time. But if I’d -had my way I’d a killed every last one of ’em. A little killin’ ’d do -that gang a power of good.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p> - -<p>The captain’s sympathy with his wounded harponeer was very great, but -it must be sorrowfully admitted that his annoyance was greater. It -would have given him much satisfaction if he could have blamed C. B. -or Merritt, but they were both utterly blameless. And so he had no one -upon whom he could expend the rage he felt at what he now realized -would mean considerable delay and expense, as well as alteration in -the personnel of his ship. Again and again the cowardly thought arose, -“I must get rid of this fellow, I shall never have any peace in this -ship until I do,” and he remembered Winsloe’s attitude as well as that -of the now discomfited harponeers. But in any case he feared that they -would be in no shape to resume the voyage from what he had heard of -their injuries.</p> - -<p>Whichever way he looked he could see nothing but trouble, and he weakly -put it down to the presence in his ship of a man who, he fretfully -muttered to himself, was too good for this world. At last, with a sigh, -he rose to his feet saying—</p> - -<p>“Well, doctor, I s’pose I can leave the patient to you; you’ll oblige -me by seeing that he’s looked after, an’ I’ll be ashore again early in -the mornin’ to see him.”</p> - -<p>But before the doctor could reply Merritt stepped forward and said -respectfully but firmly—</p> - -<p>“I’ll stay and look after him, sir, if you please.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, certainly not,” testily returned the skipper. “I can’t have any -more of you ashore. It’s bad enough as it is. You’ll come aboard with -me now.”</p> - -<p>Merritt looked keenly at his commander and replied in a deeper tone—</p> - -<p>“No, sir, I wouldn’t leave him to-night for the value of the ship and -her cargo. I’m sorry, sir, to go agen your wishes, but he’s my chum, -an’ I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> want to look after his life. Nothing matters to me just now but -that.”</p> - -<p>Such unexpected opposition on the part of the most docile and quiet of -all his officers added to the annoyance he was already feeling nearly -maddened the skipper. Besides, he was angry with himself for what he -could not but feel was the injustice he was contemplating. He stormed -and raged and threatened until the doctor said laconically—</p> - -<p>“If you want to kill this man, captain, you can’t do better than go on -as you’re doing.”</p> - -<p>That sobered him, and calling up all the self-control he had -temporarily lost he replied more quietly—</p> - -<p>“Oh, all right, it seems I’m bound to be wrong anyway. But as for you, -you yellow image, I’ll make you sweat for this. I’ll let you see if -you’ll disobey my orders an’ have your own way for nothing”; but there -he stopped dead, for Merritt coming closer to him said—</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk like that, captain, you ain’t thinkin’. You know you ain’t -got a more willin’ man than I am in the ship, an’ I know you’re too -good a man to mean what you say. You wouldn’t like this man to be left -here at the mercy of a careless Kanaka.”</p> - -<p>The captain looked at Merritt doubtfully, and then his better feelings -conquered him, and holding out his hand he said—</p> - -<p>“You’re right, Merritt, of course. I’m so upset I don’t know what I’m -sayin’. But I feel that rattled that nothin’ ’d please me better than -to have a number one row with somebody, an’ I only hope Winsloe don’t -get talkin’ to-night. Good-night, I’ll be ashore before breakfast.” And -he departed for the jetty, where his patient boat’s crew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> were still -sitting, waiting through all the stirring scenes that had transpired. -He stepped into the boat, crying, “Shove off! Pull two stern three, so, -give way together,” and off flew the boat to the ship.</p> - -<p>Fortunately Mr. Winsloe was not on watch, and Spurrell was far too good -a man to be caught napping, so as soon as the captain came alongside -the officer was ready to receive him, the hands stood by the fall and -the boat was immediately hoisted to her place. And in ten minutes all -was quiet again on board, for the captain went straight to his bunk and -turned in, determined to sleep off his annoyance.</p> - -<p>During the night the captain had several long intervals of wakefulness, -every one of them occupied by reflections upon the happenings of the -day. And suddenly he remembered the promise he had made to C. B.’s -mother at that meeting which now seemed to be so far away, and his -conscience smote him, for that he found himself willing to sacrifice an -innocent man to avoid trouble for himself. It is done every day and by -people who ordinarily would scorn to do an unjust or unkind action, but -under the plea of business exigencies they will perpetrate this basest -of all betrayals. I hear now the voice of a good man, a man whose name -stands above all possibility of defamation, saying to me—</p> - -<p>“Young man, I know that you are perfectly in the right, that your -conduct in the matter is above reproach, but—you are not indispensable -to the business and the man you are in conflict with is. Therefore if -he makes the condition that either you or he must go, you will have to -go, or hold a candle to the devil.”</p> - -<p>I am quoting the exact words, for they seared my soul, and I swore then -that at whatever cost I would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> not do the same mean unrighteous thing: -I would rather let the devil have the business than hold a candle to -him in that way.</p> - -<p>The outcome of the captain’s white night was that he arose in the -morning determined to do the right thing no matter what the personal -loss might be. And besides there was just the chance that C. B. might -die—another diabolical temptation to look to that solution of his -difficulty as welcome—but if he recovered the perpetrators of the -outrage should be punished, and the brave, innocent man protected. -He went on deck as usual at sunrise for his coffee, and exchanged -greetings with Mr. Winsloe, who reported that Mr. Merritt had not -returned last night, and had indeed gone ashore without asking leave.</p> - -<p>Then the captain said—</p> - -<p>“I know all about Merritt, the service he’s ben able to render excuses -him from all breach of discipline. An’ I gave him leave to stay all -night. He’s nursing my boat-steerer, who was nearly killed last night -by your friend Pepe.”</p> - -<p>Strive as Winsloe would, he could not help a momentary gleam of triumph -in his eyes, and Captain Taber, keenly observant of him, saw it. The -simmering wrath within him awoke and, growing pale with rage, he burst -out—</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know that’s pleasant intelligence to you, Winsloe, and I want -to tell you right here that, though I don’t believe for the honour of -our name as Americans that you were mixed up in this infernal cowardly -scheme to kill one of the best fellows that ever lived, I know you -would have been glad to hear of his death or disablement or anything -that would keep him out of this ship. I’ve been a bit of a cur myself -over this business, though I never suspected it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> before; but I’ve got -over that, thank God. If that chap gets well he’s comin’ back here as -boat-steerer, an’ if you or anybody else aboard dares to pick on him -except in th’ lawful way of discipline in case of his doin’ wrong, -you’ll have to reckon with me. I never did play no favourites, nor I -won’t now. But as I don’t want to spoil a good ship or a fairly good -man (though y’ ain’t half as good as I thought ye was), I’ll give ye -yeer option: treat that man square, white man fashion or skip. I won’t -have ye in my ship if ye can’t be a man.”</p> - -<p>Winsloe was beaten—let us hope that he felt ashamed—and he replied -after a pause—</p> - -<p>“Captain Taber, I own up, I ben goin’ wrong. I don’t love the feller a -bit, but I can’t gainsay that he’s a good man, too good for me in fact. -If I’d ben skipper I’d ha’ give big money t’ get rid of him, or I’d ha’ -driven him out. But I didn’t try ner I wouldn’t ha’ tried, t’ kill him, -an’ I thank ye for exoneratin’ me from that. An’ I’ll put up with him -an’ try to get over my natural dislike fer a man whose whole life makes -ours look bad by comparison. An’ I’m ready to apologize for acting ugly -t’ you, Captain Taber, whom I’ve worked with and liked so long.”</p> - -<p>A hearty handshake was all that followed, but it spoke volumes. Then -the skipper called his boat and went ashore, making straight for the -store where he had left C. B. and Merritt the previous night. But -long before he reached it he was aware of a huge concourse of natives -gathered around it, and, wondering greatly what all the excitement was -about, he pushed through the crowd and gained the store, to find the -German proprietor in a state bordering on frenzy because his trade was -being ruined, he said, nobody could get near the shore to do business.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> -Inside the captain found Merritt sitting by the side of the patient -looking exceedingly dangerous.</p> - -<p>Upon seeing the skipper Merritt’s brow lightened a little but still he -looked black, and when Captain Taber accosted him, inquiring after the -welfare of the patient, he growled—</p> - -<p>“He’s off his head and no wonder, what with that mob outside and this -infernal Dutchman fidgeting about in here ’cause of his half-cent -trade. Let’s get him aboard the ship, sir, at once, or he’ll be worried -to death, an’ then I shall have to kill a few of these animals to ease -my feelings.”</p> - -<p>The skipper looked dubious at this proposition, and yet knowing how -immense is the recuperative power of men like C. B. if left to nature’s -own restorative processes, he felt that probably Merritt was right. So -at last he said—</p> - -<p>“Look here, Merritt, go down to the boat and get aboard as quick as you -can. Rig up a stretcher to carry him on an’——”</p> - -<p>“Beg pardon, sir,” interrupted Merritt, “but they’s plenty o’ stuff -here in the store to do that with, an’ I can rig somethin’ up in less -than a quarter of the time it’d take to fetch it from the ship. An’ -whatever’s to pay let me pay it, sir, if you will; it’d do me good to.”</p> - -<p>“All right, all right,” assented the skipper testily; “you’re right -again as usual. Now I’ll go an’ have a yarn with the Dutchman an’ see -if I can’t put him in a better humour. Hello, here’s the doctor. Good -mornin’, doc.; your patient isn’t anything to brag about this mornin’, -he’s in a high fever, an’ I’m not surprised after the way this gang has -been yelling around here all night I’m told. So I’m goin’ to shift him -aboard the ship as soon as my fourth mate can rig up something to carry -him on.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now, my dear sir,” interjected the doctor hastily, “you surely don’t -want to extinguish the feeble flicker of life, do you? If you move -that man in his present condition, he’ll die before sunset, now mark -my words. But let me see him.” And passing in the doctor examined the -suffering man, shaking his head gravely at each new symptom. When he -had concluded his examination, during which Merritt watched him as if -prepared at a moment’s notice to fall upon him and do him grievous -bodily harm, he turned to the captain and said deprecatingly—</p> - -<p>“Just as I told you, sir, to move him now must be fatal. He has a good -sporting chance of life now; move him, and it’s gone.”</p> - -<p>Merritt sprang to the captain’s side and hissed, “Don’t take no manner -o’ notice of him, sir. He don’ know th’ first thing about it. You know -I’d rather die forty times than my chum should, an’ I say that his only -chance is to get him aboard. I’m willing to risk it, the rig is all -ready, an’ if you’ll let me hire four o’ these Kanakas, we’ll have him -out o’ this an’ inter a safe place ’thout him bein’ a cent the worse -for it.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Merritt,” agreed the skipper; “I feel sure you’re right.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, captain,” sneered the doctor; “my fee is fifteen dollars, -which I’ll trouble you for.”</p> - -<p>Out came the skipper’s wallet on the instant and the money was paid. -Not another word was exchanged between the pair, and the doctor strode -off in high dudgeon.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Merritt had enlisted volunteers, and poor C. B. was lifted -gently on to the improvised ambulance and carried down in the midst of -a huge procession of natives, all looking as if they had lost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> their -dearest friend. With the tenderest care he was placed in the boat, and -presently was laid in Merritt’s cabin on board the ship with one of the -hands on watch to fan him and keep off the flies, while Merritt went to -break his long fast.</p> - -<p>The captain had some difficulty in settling up with the proprietor of -the store, and only succeeded in doing so by threatening him that if he -did not accept the offer of five dollars for the use of his premises -for the night, he would get nothing but by process of law. The money -was then taken and they parted unfriends. Then the skipper, feeling -considerably easier in his mind, went off to his friends of the night -before and enjoyed a substantial breakfast, interesting his host, -who was the American Consul, mightily in his recital of the stirring -circumstances.</p> - -<p>As soon as the meal was over, they went down to the calaboose and -learned that the prisoners were in an exceedingly bad way bodily, and -quite unlikely to be fit to stand their trial for some time to come. -This intelligence decided the skipper on a course of action that had -been hazily floating in his mind—he would ship three more harponeers -(several had offered), make his season on the Japan grounds, leaving -bonds for payment of the shares due to the offenders, and then call -back again on his way south. In this resolve the Consul supported him -heartily, and within an hour three more harponeers had been shipped, -all of whom, strange to say, were Americans, who from some misfortune -or another had got stranded in Oahu.</p> - -<p>The rest of the business took very little time to clear up, and by -midday all was in train for the departure of the ship, if only the -authorities could be got to agree. This the Consul was able to manage -by leaving the charge against the ill doers as only that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> of a drunken -brawl, and declaring that he held all funds necessary for payment -of their fines and maintenance until they could be shipped away. So -expeditiously were matters settled that at sunset that evening the -<i>Eliza Adams</i> was under weigh, stealing out of the harbour westward -bound for the coast of Japan, and her skipper bearing a lighter heart -than he had done for a very long time as regarded the conditions of -life on board of his ship.</p> - -<p>When all was settled and shipshape the skipper paid a visit to C. B., -finding to his amazement and delight that the patient had taken a long -stride towards convalescence. He was sane and cool, and was eating -with good relish some boiled rice and molasses with which his nurse -was feeding him. So far from being any the worse for his removal in -the morning he was demonstrably better, and when the captain sat down -by his side and commenced to talk with him, he turned a bright and -intelligent eye upon him and listened intently to what he had to say. -The captain proceeded to tell him all that had occurred in the short -time that had elapsed since the uproar of the previous night, but when -he described the parlous condition of the Portuguese aggressors and -explained that they had been left behind in prison, C. B. looked away -sad, saying—</p> - -<p>“I do pity those poor fellows with all my heart, sir. I can’t in the -least understand why they hated me so, and, of course, I feel very -angry that they should have waylaid me as they did, but I expect it was -the drink that did it. I really don’t believe they would have done it -if they had been sober.”</p> - -<p>The skipper gave a dissatisfied grunt as he replied—</p> - -<p>“Don’t, don’t ye? Well, if I should be asked what I think, I should say -they had planned the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> business long before we got in, an’ that -they was only waiting their chance to get you out of the way once for -all. But now I hope we’ll have a happy as well as a smart ship. You’ve -only got to hurry up and get better, because I can’t have you laid up -now, ye know. We may raise whale at any minute between here and the -cruisin’ grounds, an’ I know it wouldn’t be good for you to be lyin’ -here while we’re havin’ all the fun. So give your mind to gettin’ well.”</p> - -<p>The skipper had hardly gone when Merritt appeared, and sending the -attendant forrard, proceeded to make C. B. comfortable, renew the -dressings on his wounds, etc., with infinite patience and tenderness, -looking all the time as grim and savage as if he were meditating -murder. At last C. B., laying his hand affectionately upon his friend’s -arm, said—</p> - -<p>“Thank you so much, dear man, for making me so comfortable, but why -are you looking so mad? I wish you wouldn’t, it grieves me to see that -terrible look in your eyes.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” growled Merritt, “I’ll try and look as pleasant as my ugly -mug will let me, for your sake. But when I see how you’ve been served, -I can’t help feeling sorry that I didn’t put all them Portuguese dogs -beyond the possibility of ever doin’ any more harm. Anyhow, I got one -consolation, they’ll probably die as it is. An’ if I only knew they -would, I’d be easy in my mind.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, chum, chum, don’t talk like that, you don’t know how it hurts me. -If I thought you were joking I could smile, dreadful though the words -sound. But I know you mean every word you say, and I feel so sorry -because—because I love you and wish you knew how good a thing, how -happy a thing it is to forgive.”</p> - -<p>Merritt stared blankly at his patient for a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> moments and then -snorted, “Forgive, hay! Yes, I’d forgive ’em when they was fixed so’s -they couldn’t do any more harm. But if forgivin’ ’em means lettin’ -’em loose again to go on the same as before an’ murder some chap -that’s worth a whole regiment of ’em, why then I calls that such silly -nonsense that I won’t talk about it, not even to you. Never mind, I’ve -often wondered what good I was in the world and now I know—to look -after a great soft-hearted baby like you, who’d almost lie down and let -anybody walk over ye an’ thank ’em for doin’ it. But that’s enough now, -you go to sleep an’ get better more quicker.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIV</span> <span class="smaller">A Momentous Passage</span></h2> - -<p>Thenceforward the speed with which the wounded man got better was -marvellous except to those who knew how the body of man under primitive -conditions and perfectly healthy can recover from what in civilization -must be fatal injuries. I have alluded to this in one of the earliest -chapters in dealing with the accident to Philip, C. B.’s father, -although his injuries were far less dangerous than those that his son -had just sustained. But in four days after the ship had left Honolulu, -C. B. was able to come on deck without assistance, and to take short -walks up and down the deck until pain within, along the track of the -newly-healed wound, warned him to rest.</p> - -<p>As the captain had hoped, the ship was now the abode of peace, as far -as could be seen, and there was perfect harmony between all hands, -even Mr. Winsloe having regained his original placidity of temper. All -that now seemed in doubt was the capacity of the new harponeers, who, -however, as far as their ship work went, shaped thoroughly well. So day -after day slipped away and the vessel drew gradually near the turbulent -Japan grounds without as yet a single spout having been seen.</p> - -<p>The captain was just beginning to get fretty,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> for his average was -falling faster than he liked, when without intimating that such was his -intention C. B. turned up one morning in the gravy-eye watch and told -Merritt that he had come to stay. He was a bit trembly and weak still, -but felt no pain whatever from his wounds, which had perfectly healed, -and he therefore argued that he would be much better at work than -lolling about. Merritt fully agreed and at first break of dawn C. B. -climbed aloft into the main crow’s-nest, Merritt, whose lookout it was -with him, staying behind to finish a new lance-cap he had been making. -C. B. was somewhat surprised to find how the climb made him pant, -forgetting the recent strain upon his bodily resources, but got into -the rings and, leaning over, began to feast his eyes upon the glory and -majesty of the sunrise, nowhere more impressive than when seen from -such a vantage point as this.</p> - -<p>He fell into a reverie while gazing, thinking of the splendours of the -New Jerusalem, when he was rudely aroused by the mellow call of Merritt -far below him “Blo-o-o-o-w.” He gazed wildly around endeavouring to see -where the sighted whale could be, but it was not until looking down to -see if possible in which direction Merritt was looking that he saw to -his intense chagrin that there were four whales almost alongside the -ship. Then in accordance with custom he added his call to Merritt’s, -and the two at the fore joined in the long minor cry.</p> - -<p>Of course the captain was immediately on deck, and at his sharp -incisive orders the whole of the ship’s company flew into a state of -violent activity. Then suddenly his voice was heard pealing upward, -“Way down from aloft all but Christmas! You stop there and look after -the signallin’; I’m goin’ t’<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> take the boat.” It was a bitter pill for -C. B. to swallow in spite of his certainty that the skipper was acting -in the kindest and most thoughtful way. But he was so keen upon his -work and so anxious to show how completely fit he was that for a little -while he felt quite unhappy. Then as the boats pushed off and set sail -he recovered himself and remembered how important were the duties he -had to perform.</p> - -<p>For he was now in sole charge of the ship, being entrusted with the -task of keeping her to windward of the school with the aid of the -shipkeepers, that is the carpenter and cooper, cook and steward and -four hands. There are also many well understood signals to be made by -manipulating the upper sails, signals which are eagerly watched by -those in charge of boats whose sphere of vision is very limited as -compared with that of a man elevated so far above the sea as a ship’s -topgallant mast-head. These signals tell of the whale’s sounding or -reappearance, of the direction in which he heads, in fact, all his -or their movements, and of course the watcher is enabled to follow -the progress of the work and regulate movements of his ship thereby. -Consequently it was no sinecure post that C. B. had been appointed -to, but rather one that would test to the full his newly gained -acquaintance with the art of ship handling.</p> - -<p>As he stood there watching the departure of the four boats, which -from his lofty position looked like tiny specks of white dotting the -glittering surface of the sea, he could not help passing mentally in -review the events of the past few months. He had recently had many -opportunities for introspection and reverie, but somehow all his -musings had been mixed up, unmethodical and leading<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> nowhere. Now, -however, realizing as he did the novelty of his position, he was led -to trace backward step by step the way by which he had been brought -thither, and the recollections affected him deeply. A strange sense of -exultation seized him, delight in that he had been so signally favoured -of God in all his undertakings, gratitude that he had been kept from -falling, but never once did he feel puffed up with the false idea that -it was his strength of character, his goodness that had kept him.</p> - -<p>That of course was owing to the simple, sensible, Christian training -which he had received, drawn direct from the fount of Infinite wisdom. -That teaching had always been valued by him, but never more than now -when he could see whither its results had led him. And then he thought -of the miserable men that had assailed him, had hated him without a -cause, and remembering how barren their lives must have been of the -advantages he had enjoyed, his heart swelled with a great pity for them.</p> - -<p>All this time he watched the boats receding, spreading out as they -went, and deeming it time to get a little nearer to them gave the order -to keep her away for a little as with the stiff breeze blowing the ship -could sail faster than the boats. He watched the whales settle, gave -the signal that caused the boats to heave to—hove his own ship to, and -waited intently watching until they rose again to his great joy quite -close to the boats. It was truly wonderful to watch from that height -the stern conflict going on, where the combatants were apparently -reduced in size to pigmies and specks. So I should imagine would a -battle between two armies look from a balloon or a great hunting scene -with lions and tigers as the quarry, except<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> that here there was -nothing to obstruct the view. Presently he saw all four boats starting -off in different directions without sails or the use of oars, and he -knew that each one had gotten fast to a whale. Now he began to pray for -guidance as to what he should do in the event of the whales running -like that for long, since the simple rule of keeping to windward would -hardly suffice. Then he noticed that one of the boats was being towed -by its whale directly towards the ship at such a speed that the monster -was raising a great bow wave almost like that ahead of one of our bluff -bowed tramps going full speed.</p> - -<p>But also to his amazement and almost consternation he noticed that the -fast whale was accompanied by two loose whales, one on either side, who -were evidently determined to keep up with him, but whether with the -notion of helping him or not it was impossible to tell. C. B. had heard -of such things, and had put them aside as we often do the matters we do -not know whether to believe or not, but which certainly appear to us -incredible. It does not do, however, to be too sceptical with regard to -what is done or attempted by whales, because we may thereby lose some -hints which may be most useful to us in an emergency.</p> - -<p>Now he saw that the swiftly coming craft was his boat, and that the -skipper was in the bow. Nearer, nearer, nearer she came, and C. B.’s -pulses quickened as he noted they were heading straight for his -broadside. “Hard a starboard,” he cried, “let her come right up. Let go -starboard main and cro’jack braces, haul all after yards round.” And as -the ship swung up into the wind, bringing the advancing boat head on to -her, C. B. saw Merritt fling the turns off the loggerhead, letting the -boat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> fly by only a foot or two clear of the stem. And the ship slowly -filled round to the starboard tack, C. B. filling the fore yards as -she did so. If any sailor objects that he never heard of tacking ship -this way, let me tell him that many acts of seamanship are performed or -were performed in whalers that not only were never heard of, but would -have been impossible anywhere else, just as it would be impossible for -many of our long lean four-posters to back and fill up a river like a -Geordie brig on a good flood.</p> - -<p>Keeping his eager eyes upon the scene below him, C. B. noted that rapid -as the whale’s progress had been on the surface he was now moving -very sluggishly downwards and so he turned his attention to the other -boats which he found were scattered widely, but all three evidently -having some trouble with their whales. He became very anxious as to his -position and was about to keep away again when he saw that the whale -his skipper was fast to was coming up at a great rate. And when he -reached the surface he was still accompanied by the other two whales, -who seemed determined to put every obstacle in the way of his being -killed that they could. Both Captain Taber and Mr. Merritt were fully -alive to the danger of injuring a “loose” whale while fast to another -one, but something had to be done, so Captain Taber fired a bomb lance -at one of the loose whales which was between him and the whale he -was fast to. C. B. heard the crack of the shot and the boom of the -exploding bomb, and then saw, just as if a submarine mine had gone -off, a tremendous upheaval in the water where it was evident that the -intruder had got his mortal wound, and had gone immediately into his -death flurry. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span></p> - -<p>There was no question as to the danger of the situation, danger, too, -which no amount of energy or skill could avert. The three huge beasts, -apparently maddened by pain and fright, and mixed up with the line, -which was a mass of entanglement, fairly surrounded the boat. Even if -she had not been threatened with being smashed every moment by the -writhings and plungings of the mighty creatures, it was obvious that -she was only kept afloat by incessant baling, owing to the immense -amount of water which was hurled over her in the struggle.</p> - -<p>The apparently inevitable end came soon after C. B. had shouted from -his perch an order to man the spare boat and keep her in instant -readiness for lowering. One of the whales rose by the side of the -hemmed-in boat with widely extended jaws, fell over upon it sideways, -at the same time clashing those awful jaws together. Boatmen and whales -disappeared for a moment in a wallow of crimson flecked foam. C. B. -waited no longer. Snatching at a backstay, he glided to the deck, -shouted as soon as his feet touched the rail—</p> - -<p>“Take hold, Chips, an’ keep as near me as you can.”</p> - -<p>Into the boat and with a whirr of the falls they were off, not a moment -too soon. Two whales were dead and a third was still moving about as if -unable to leave the spot; but clinging to fragments of the destroyed -boat were the crew, all hurt and hurt badly, and the skipper, sustained -by Merritt, looked almost as if he had fought his last fight.</p> - -<p>Disregarding entirely the urgency of securing the whales, all the -men were saved and brought on board with utmost speed. Then it was -found that three of them were absolutely helpless as far<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> as work was -concerned, while the skipper needed instant attention if his life was -to be saved. Merritt, though sorely bruised and fatigued, took upon -himself this duty, and with C. B. to help him they made an examination -of the captain’s body. They found that his left arm was broken in four -places, most of the flesh was torn and lacerated on that side of his -body, his left thigh was out and his left foot crushed. Yet so great -was the man’s vitality, and also because there had been but little loss -of blood, that the good fellow was really not so nearly gone as might -have been expected.</p> - -<p>“Now, boy,” said Merritt, “you got your hands fuller’n ever you had -’em. Git on deck an’ sen’ me the cook and steward, an’ tell ’em t’ -bring a handy billy with ’em. I must get that thigh in fust off. -Then you gotter get hold o’ the’ whales. Get ’em alongside; they’s -two hundred barrel on ’em, I do believe, and then dig out fer the -other fellows. They’ll be all right, I guess, fer I’ve noticed that -things like these scarcely ever gets too bad for a <i>man</i> to handle. -Now <i>git</i>.” And C. B. got, climbed to his lofty perch again, finding -however that when he reached there he had a strange giddiness come over -him for a few moments. He sent up a swift prayer for strength under his -heavy burden, remembering how recent had been his great weakness.</p> - -<p>Then he sprang up like a giant, and shouted the necessary orders to -bring the ship down on the whales, which were lying almost side by -side. He did not want to lower a boat, so conned the ship with utmost -care, and when he headed straight for them he had the yards backed to -deaden her way a little. Then taking an iron prepared with an ordinary -towline attached, he darted it as she came near enough, and hauled one -whale alongside at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> the same time as one of the shipkeepers performed a -similar feat on the whale which lay at the opposite side of the ship.</p> - -<p>Technicalities about any business are bound to become tiresome, no -matter how interesting the business may be in itself, or I would -explain the enormous amount of labour and skill expended upon getting -these two whales properly secured by a length of chain round the small -of their bodies and a hawser attached to that. A small cut would -explain it better than a page of letterpress. All hands worked nobly -(ah, how nobly do the rank and file often work for honourable reasons, -knowing that no recognition ever comes their way), and at last the two -vast bodies were well secured astern, and C. B. had now to solve the -problem of getting his ship to where the other boats were waiting for -him, with those two enormous masses hanging to his stern.</p> - -<p>Somewhat wearily he mounted to the crow’s-nest again, only remembering -as he did so that in the excitement of his manifold duties he had -forgotten to eat, and it was now nearly noon. So he hailed the deck and -ordered all hands to snatch what bites they could, but be ready to trim -sails as needed. He received the usual answer, and went on with his -scrutiny of the vast blazing expanse spread out before him. At last to -his great relief he located the three boats, each certainly fast to a -whale, and as far as he could judge with the whales dead. Fortunately, -I had almost said providentially, but remembered C. B.’s persistent -efforts to keep his ship to windward, the boats were all well to -loo’ard, which simplified his task considerably.</p> - -<p>But oh! the weary, weary wait of it all. A whaleship’s best gait is -slow, with two whales towing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> it is hardly perceptible, and presently -with a delightful start, as if he had made an original discovery, C. B. -decided that he might relieve himself of his duty without any harm or -hindrance, having set the course. So he came down and was astonished to -find how the food set before him revived him and made him take quite a -roseate view of difficulties which a few minutes before seemed almost -unsurmountable.</p> - -<p>When he had been thus refreshed he gave orders for all cutting gear to -be got ready, knowing that there would be plenty of time and that the -hands were all rested. Then he went below, where he found his skipper -bandaged and swathed until he looked like a mummy sleeping soundly with -only a light flush on his face, and Merritt, a half emptied plate of -food by his side, sitting almost bolt upright, fast asleep, but looking -as ghastly as a dead man. But then with people of that complexion you -never can tell. They are not to be judged by ordinary rules at all.</p> - -<p>Feeling that in both cases the men were better without interference on -his part he went on deck again, and seeing the carpenter and cooper -standing by, he went up to them and said—</p> - -<p>“The captain and Mr. Merritt are both doing well, they’re fast asleep. -Have you had your dinner?” They both nodded and he then went on, “I’ll -look after the ship now if you’d both like a little rest, for I reckon -it’ll be another hour before we are up to the first boat, and it will -be hard enough for us all then.”</p> - -<p>The two old tradesmen looked at him and then at each other, finally -muttering—</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll keep you company. What you can do we can, and anyhow you -ain’t half a bad chap.” That was all, but it meant a good deal.</p> - -<p>Now of the subsequent proceedings in picking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> up the three whales I -need not write, except to say that as soon as Mr. Winsloe got on board -C. B. handed the control of the ship over to him with a full report of -what had happened since he had left the skipper’s company. The story -of the next week is just one of savage unremitting toil, only to be -compared to the way in which men work for the saving of their lives. -Mr. Winsloe developed in a direction that C. B. had never suspected -him of, he became a bowelless taskmaster, apparently needing no rest -himself nor imagining that anybody else could want any.</p> - -<p>Merritt took his place in the fighting line the next day, apparently -none the worse for his awful experiences, although a keen observer -might have seen in his sunken cheeks and hollow eyes indelible signs -of the great struggle. But the poor skipper was in evil case. Only the -natural vigour of his constitution and the tremendous force of his will -pulled him through. For four days he lay alternating between stupor and -delirium, never left by night or day, of course, entirely unconscious -of how the great business of the voyage was being carried on without -him.</p> - -<p>When at last he emerged into the land of sense Winsloe was with him, -having snatched a few minutes from the work to come down and have a -look at his suffering chief. And when he found that the captain was -sane again he felt a great lump in his throat, a weight lifted from his -chest, for with all his undoubted faults he loved the skipper and would -have felt his loss, in spite of the immediate benefit to himself, as a -blow for which there could be no adequate compensation. Captain Taber -raised his sadly attenuated hand and groped for that of Mr. Winsloe, -saying feebly— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, Winsloe, how goes it? Are all the other boats back?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” replied Winsloe, “and nobody hurt to speak of but yourself. -But you’ve had a pretty bad time, sir, an’ I guess you don’t know that -it’s the thick end of a week since you was brought aboard. You’ll be -glad to know, an’ I think it’ll do you more good than all the doctors’ -stuff in the world, that we’ve cut in five whale, an’ I’m figurin’ that -there’s between four an’ five hundred bar’l of oil very nearly ready to -run down. So we ain’t done so mighty bad after all.”</p> - -<p>The effect upon the wounded man was magical. His eyes sparkled, and -he even made one effort to rise, but Winsloe put out a restraining -hand. “Well,” the captain cried in quite a strong voice, “I feel like -shoutin’ ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ If that ain’t great! But say, you ain’t -told me how long this job took ye?”</p> - -<p>“It’s just seven days to an hour since we started, an’ pretty late in -the day it was, for Christmas was mighty slow in getting down to us, -bein’ handicapped by your two whale——”</p> - -<p>“Two whale,” almost yelled the skipper. “D’ye mean t’ say that we saved -two?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, that’s a true bill. I ain’t heard all about it, but Merritt -can tell ye, or Christmas. They was on in that piece, I was about six -mile to looard, an’ wonderin’ pretty bad what all the waitin’ meant. -An’ before I go, sir, as I don’t think you orter be tried too much, I -wanter say that these yer new harponeers of ours is the whole thing. I -don’t want no better men, an’ I ain’t goin’ t’ wear mournin’ fer Pepe -and Louis any longer. Both at strikin’ whale and steerin’ boat they’re -the limit, an’ as fer work, well, they suit me, an’ I ain’t the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> -easiest man to please in the matter o’ cuttin’ in an’ tryin’ out. Now -do try and get a sleep agen, sir, an’ don’t put in any time worryin’, -because everythin’s goin’ jist as it orter.” And he slipped on deck.</p> - -<p>But in spite of the mate’s cheery words he was far from satisfied with -the condition of things. Both Merritt and C. B., though neither of them -made any complaint, showed unmistakable signs of the enormous strain -that had been put upon them lately, C. B. especially, who was, as we -know, hardly convalescent when the pressure began. Besides that, the -other members of the captain’s boat’s crew were hardly fit to go on -much longer, although with rare fortitude they had stuck to their task -until work was almost done, and then were given lighter jobs—in fact, -the general routine of the ship was relaxed in view of the recent great -effort. So when Mr. Winsloe took his usual rough sights for position -and found that they were only about a couple of days’ sail with the -present wind from the Bonin Islands, he determined to steer for them, -and in the absence of any positive command on the part of the captain, -to go in and take a few days’ rest.</p> - -<p>And as, in any case, he was not going out of his way, he shaped his -course for Peel Island and carried sail to the fair wind then blowing, -with the object of making as much headway as possible, although under -ordinary circumstances, being now really in the great northern haunt -of the cachalot, he would have been in the usual cruising trim which -I have described as being pursued on the offshore ground. But much to -his relief the captain, though still remaining very weak, kept his -faculties and a clear head, so that when Winsloe broached the subject -to him of making for Port Lloyd in order to give the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> crew and himself -a chance to recover, he gave the plan an emphatic sanction. “For,” he -said, “I ain’t as young as I uster be, an’ a smash up such as I’ve had -ain’t calculated to make me feel any spryer. And although I’ve got no -shadow of doubt as to your ability t’ carry on, Winsloe, t’ the end of -the chapter, I really should feel happier with the kellick down in the -ten fathom hole. Moreover, tain’t as if we ain’t earned a rest. That -last catch of ours hez pulled our average up bully.”</p> - -<p>It was therefore with a light heart that Winsloe saw the bold outlines -of Peel Island standing out against the clear blue of the sky on the -third morning after the above conversation, and he noted with much -satisfaction how cheerful all hands seemed to be at the prospect of -a few days in harbour anywhere, whether it was possible to get any -of the so-called luxuries usually craved by sailors or not. Only two -of the crew had been there before, one of them being Merritt, and he -showed interest almost amounting to enthusiasm as he described the -wonders of the unique harbour to C. B. It was also, he said, almost -like his native place to him, for there he would certainly find some -people of the same strange mixture of races as he was himself, Chinese, -Japanese, Spaniards, Italians, Kanakas, and Americans having settled in -the strange place at different times, and their descendants being now -fairly numerous.</p> - -<p>Captain Taber being still too weak to be moved with safety, and Mr. -Winsloe never having been into the place before, Mr. Merritt became -pilot, and C. B., who was well able to criticize, was charmed at the -consummate ease with which his chum took the vessel in under all sail -in spite of the baffling winds, which necessitated constant attention -to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> the braces and halyards. Port Lloyd is nothing but the crater of -a mighty volcano, extinct ages ago, and by some awful convulsion of -nature sunk down low enough for one breach in it to form the entrance -with a general depth of over twenty fathoms, while the remaining sides -of the crater tower up to a height of seven or eight hundred feet. As -might be expected there are many reefs and ledges within the harbour, -but they are easily seen from aloft when coming in, and the central -anchorage, into which a vessel must needs be warped by kedges, is a -natural dock with an almost level bottom of ten fathoms depth, secure -from every wind that blows and with splendid holding ground.</p> - -<p>Into this beautiful nook the <i>Eliza Adams</i> was taken and secured -to the immense satisfaction of all on board, and especially to Mr. -Winsloe, who now felt able to take that rest which he badly needed, -and, as there were several whaleships there, to get advice from other -commanders about the state of his captain’s health. Besides, it was an -ideal place for all those things that a ship like a whaler needs, good -water, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and swarms of excellent fish.</p> - -<p>The sails were hardly furled before the captains of three of the -whaleships, the <i>Phoenix</i>, the <i>James Arnold</i>, and the <i>Coral</i> were -alongside and coming on board were received by Mr. Winsloe with great -delight. They heard of the adventure which had laid Captain Taber low -with grave faces, and after Mr. Winsloe had first ascertained that -Captain Taber was fit to receive them they descended to his cabin and -greeted him with that deep cordiality which used to be so marked a -feature among these men, brothers in arms, knowing and respecting one -another from a thorough knowledge of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> high qualities that went to -make up the complete whaleman.</p> - -<p>But when they saw the wreck of their old friend, and had made a careful -examination of his injuries, they decided that although it was nothing -short of a miracle that he had made so good a recovery, it was hopeless -his attempting to finish the voyage. It was evident, they said, that he -must for at least a year to come have complete rest and immunity from -worry, and they gave it as their decided opinion that he should give -up the ship to Winsloe and go home. And although they did not say so -to him, they were also of opinion that George Taber would never again -be fit to command a ship in the great and strenuous business of sperm whaling.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XV</span> <span class="smaller">Farewell to the Ship</span></h2> - -<p>It would be difficult if not impossible to convey to the reader the -consternation that fell upon Captain Taber’s mind when the decision of -his fellows were made known to him. How he fought against, not only -their sentence, but his own convictions, for during the long hours that -he had lain there sensible that the strength and vigour that he once -possessed had gone from him and gave no sign of returning, he had been -compelled to acknowledge that at last he had, as he put it, come up -against a difficulty that he could neither get around nor leap over. -And as soon as they were gone, he turned his face to the bulkhead and -shed the bitter tears of a strong soul compelled to admit complete -defeat.</p> - -<p>And then came a gleam of comfort. In his dire distress of mind he -thought of C. B., the gentle Christian man, who without making any -special effort had twined round his heart strings, who through great -and undeserved trials had still retained his serenity of soul, and he -felt that here indeed was a man that he could turn to in his hour of -need, one who would be able to impart to him some of that inner calm -that seemed proof against all outward disturbance however great. Man -fashion he hardly thought of the source of that calm, as we enjoy the -warmth of a fire in winter without feeling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> grateful to the elements -which make the fire possible. But for that we may not blame him, since -he is in this respect so completely at one with the great majority of -mankind.</p> - -<p>A dim indefinite purpose was shaping itself in his mind, but he did -not try to bring it into concrete form, he just laid back upon his -pillow exhausted and went to sleep, being indeed almost made worse -by the mental strain of the last few hours. And Mr. Winsloe, coming -down softly to inquire after his welfare, seeing that he was resting, -tip-toed up again. He, the mate, was quite insensibly bettered by -this series of happenings, for although, like all other mates, he had -ambitions, longed to command a ship, he actually forgot all about the -possible benefit to himself, forgot the strong words addressed to him -by the skipper in Oahu, forgot all his previous bitterness against -C. B. in sorrow for the sympathy for his sorely stricken friend. As -yet, however, he had refused to contemplate the possibility of Captain -Taber becoming a helpless invalid for life. Terrible though he knew his -injuries to be, he had been accustomed to seeing so many what we should -call miraculous recoveries, that the fact of his skipper being alive -and his wounds healed seemed to him the best evidence that presently he -would resume command as if nothing had happened.</p> - -<p>None of the visiting skippers had said anything to him about the -decision they had come to, so that at the most he only contemplated an -enforced holiday for the skipper on shore here while he took the ship -for a cruise and came back with a big catch of oil to find the skipper -awaiting him in the very prime and vigour of health. These ideas of his -were to receive a rude shock that very afternoon.</p> - -<p>While all hands were quietly busy and a party<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> ashore were filling -casks with water, the soft musical cry of “Sail ho!” was raised. And -round the North Head came one of the dandies of the high seas, a -British corvette. She had just paid a visit to this out-of-the-way -place in the course of a surveying cruise, because—well, because it -is necessary in the interests of the world’s commerce that British -men-o’-war shall thus patrol the seas and record their observations, -an immense duty imposed upon the British Navy which is all too often -forgotten by its calumniators, and those who clamour for its starvation -and eventual abolition. Poor little one-idea’d men, what a pity it is -that their power for harm isn’t limited as is their power for good.</p> - -<p>She had not been at anchor very long before Captain Swift of the -<i>Coral</i>, deputed by his brother-captains, boarded her and begged that -her surgeon would have the goodness to visit the <i>Eliza Adams</i> with -him, and give an opinion upon the state of her suffering captain. With -that ready courtesy so characteristic of British Naval officers, the -request was immediately complied with, and presently Mr. Winsloe saw -approaching the <i>Coral’s</i> boat with the captain of the <i>Coral</i> and a -Naval officer, who on mounting the side was introduced to him as Doctor -Devine of the British warship <i>Fame</i>. Informed of their errand, Mr. -Winsloe gravely led the way below, where the doctor made an exhaustive -examination of Captain Taber, at the conclusion of which, and after -hearing the history of the accident, he gave it as his opinion that it -was hardly short of miraculous that Captain Taber was alive at all, but -that he certainly would never be able to pursue his calling again.</p> - -<p>Captain Taber then, in a firm voice, requested<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> the doctor to tell -him how long he had to live. “That, my dear sir, is a question that I -would answer you as frankly as you have asked it were it in my power. -But I cannot tell. There have been most extensive internal injuries in -addition to those that are apparent, and what their effect may be in -the future is a matter of conjecture only. You may live to a green old -age with great care and attention, and you may only live a week or two. -All I can tell you I have told you, and I should certainly advise you -to relinquish your command at once and proceed homeward by easy stages -and in as much comfort as you can get. I am deeply sorry that I can say -nothing more hopeful and pleasant, but I can see that you are a man -who is well fortified in the best possible way against any fortune. -Good-bye, sir, and may you have a pleasant and easy journey home.” -And the genial doctor was taken back to his ship with a story for the -wardroom that attracted the deepest attention from his fellows.</p> - -<p>He had been gone but a very short time when Captain Taber, having made -up his mind, sent for Winsloe and said—</p> - -<p>“Now, my dear fellow, I’m going to hand the ship over to you, and hope -with all my heart that you’ll have a rattling good time for the rest of -the cruise. Everything is in order, and you know quite as much about -the affairs of the ship as I do, so there is no need for me to worry -you or myself with going over them. Next, I want you to send C. B. to -me. I feel that as I cannot travel alone there is no one to whom I -could more safely entrust myself than him, and I want to arrange with -him.”</p> - -<p>Winsloe signified assent, and going on deck passed the word for C. B., -telling him that the captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> wished to see him. C. B. obeyed on the -instant, and seated himself at the captain’s side at his request.</p> - -<p>“Christmas,” said the suffering man impressively, “the doctor has -confirmed what my friends the captains of the other ships have told -me, that I am done, my career as a whaling skipper is over, and I am -bound to agree with them; for I mustn’t betray the interests of my -owners by spoiling the ship’s voyage. They have also told me that the -sooner I get home with as little exertion as may be, the better chance -I have of life. Now, I can’t travel alone, and I sent for you to learn -whether you are willing to take the burden of an invalid broken man on -your young shoulders, and give up your chance of making a good pay-day -here. Will you come with me and look after me for such small pay as I -am able to offer you, nothing in comparison with what your services are -worth; but I am a poor man, and I have a wife and three youngsters in -Fairhaven, who will need every cent that I can scrape together for the -lean years I see before me?”</p> - -<p>It was some little time before C. B. could answer, for, like all real -Christians, he was exceedingly tender-hearted, and the sad spectacle of -the suffering man before him touched him very deeply. But he recovered -himself and answered—</p> - -<p>“Captain Taber, I thought you knew how little store my people set by -money. I did not come with you with any idea of making money, only -that I felt that I must see the world and at the same time earn my own -living. And if by doing what you ask I can repay your kindness to me, -money need not be mentioned between us as long as I can get food enough -to keep me alive and clothing such as is necessary. I shall be glad -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> proud to serve you with all my ability, and though I may be clumsy -at first I hope to learn quickly.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, my dear fellow,” faintly murmured the skipper, “there is far more -than just body service I want from you. I want to learn the secret -of your quiet happiness and I believe you can teach me. I’ve watched -and wondered at you for a long time, envying you the peace that I saw -you always enjoying, the power of living blamelessly in the midst of -us ruffians and yet doing your work with the best of us. Perhaps the -Almighty has given me this stroke in mercy because He saw that I would -not give myself time to learn His ways without it. I don’t know, but -He knows I’m willing to learn now, and with the prospect of having you -with me I am quite resigned to what I at first felt would break my -heart. So that’s settled. I’ll make inquiries now as to the method of -getting from here to the States, to San Francisco, and thence across -the Continent home, and as soon as I find out I’ll let you know. Now, -I’m very tired again and I think I could sleep a little. God bless you, -my boy, and I thank you with all my heart.”</p> - -<p>As C. B. left the cabin to go on deck again he met Merritt, and one -glance at his face gave him a feeling of terrible compunction. A flood -of recollections rushed into his mind, the stern hatred and bitter -jealousy that Merritt had shown to any one who he suspected of coming -between him and the man he loved with an affection resembling that -of the tigress for her cubs. What would <i>he</i> say? More painful and -important question still, what would he do? In this trouble he went -to his unfailing resource. Sitting down on a spar in a dark corner -he buried his face in his hands, and prayed for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> guidance in this -most difficult matter, and for poor Merritt. He felt a keen pang at -the thought that he had never been able to return the affection the -fourth mate had lavished upon him in anything like the same measure. -He had loved Merritt only as he had loved the skipper and a little -more than he had loved any other member of the ship’s company, the -only difference being that he had cherished a belief that he had been -the means of humanizing that stern and vengeful nature by becoming the -object of its fierce affection.</p> - -<p>He lifted his head refreshed by his communion, and there, quite near to -him, sat Merritt, having stolen up noiselessly. As soon as he looked up -Merritt edged towards him and said in a hoarse, constrained voice—</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with ye, chum? Ain’t ye feelin’ good?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, thanks,” replied C. B. somewhat wearily, “but I’m worried -about you. I don’t know how you’ll feel when I’m gone.”</p> - -<p>There was a painful pause for at least a minute and then Merritt said—</p> - -<p>“Gone! Then I was right. I thought I heard the skipper say somethin’ -to ye ’bout comin’ with him to look after him. So you’re goin’, an’ -I shan’t see ye any more. Well, they’s one thing about it, you’ve -softened me a lot, my boy, I k’n tell ye that; for if I was now as I -have ben, I’d a killed you fust an’ myself after, I wouldn’t a ben -separated from you. Now I don’t feel able to say a crooked word t’ ye. -But I feel all gone in here, an’ I know for certain that I shall peg -out mighty quick after you’re gone. I hain’t got nothing t’ live fur -an’ I don’t want t’ live anyhow. When are ye goin’?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” answered C. B.; “it depends<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> upon the skipper getting a -passage, I suppose; but don’t, chum, don’t talk like that.”</p> - -<p>“Like what?” inquired Merritt harshly.</p> - -<p>“About dying because I’m going away. It sounds awful; I can’t -understand it.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, I won’t because ye wish it, but as t’ yeer understandin’ -it—how should ye? Never mind. Jest ask yer God t’ make it as easy -fer me as He can an’ keep me tame, fer I feel as if I’d like to die -fighting, run amok like a Malay. And for your sake I’d rather not do -that.” And he rose and walked abruptly away, leaving C. B. bewildered -and full of grief, yet on the whole relieved that Merritt had taken the -tidings so quietly. And he lifted a heart full of thanksgiving to God.</p> - -<p>Early the next morning Mr. Winsloe was considerably startled by seeing -a smart boat from the <i>Fame</i> coming alongside, and going to the -gangway, he received a gentleman in uniform, who introduced himself as -Captain Silchester of the <i>Fame</i>.</p> - -<p>“I would like, sir,” said he, “to see your captain, who I regret to -hear is so seriously ill.” And Mr. Winsloe immediately led the officer -below.</p> - -<p>Captain Taber was awake and glad to see his visitor, who, after -exchanging compliments, proceeded to state the object of his visit. “My -doctor has told me of your sad condition, and I have come to offer you -a passage in my ship to Yokohama, which is our next port of call. From -thence you will be able to get a steamer to San Francisco.”</p> - -<p>Captain Taber smiled wanly and said—</p> - -<p>“You are most kind, sir; you have greatly relieved my mind. I really -did not see how I was going to get in the track of a fairly rapid -passage home without wasting more of my owners’ time, which I am very -loth to do. But I have a personal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> friend and attendant who is going -with me to look after me in my helplessness, can you extend your -hospitality to him?” he inquired anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I see no difficulty in that,” breezily answered the British -captain; “in fact, I anticipated something of the sort and so was -prepared for it. But will you be able to come on board to-morrow, for -we sail in the afternoon?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes,” eagerly assented the skipper, “my preparations are -practically all made. And now, sir, if you’ll allow me I’ll send for my -friend, who is one of the finest fellows that ever God made, and let -you see him.” And blowing a whistle that hung by his side the steward -appeared. “Tell Christmas I want him,” ordered the skipper.</p> - -<p>“Aye, aye, sir,” responded the steward, and in a couple of minutes C. -B. stood before them.</p> - -<p>In as short a time the skipper had explained matters to Captain -Silchester, who greeted C. B. warmly and said—</p> - -<p>“I believe I have seen you before when you were a boy of about ten. My -visit to Norfolk Island in one of Her Majesty’s schooners is one of the -happiest recollections of my life. Your father’s name, I believe, is -Philip Adams?”</p> - -<p>C. B.’s face brightened as he gladly answered, “Yes, sir, and did you -meet my beautiful mother?”</p> - -<p>Captain Silchester smiled at the eager, loving question and replied, -“Yes, I had that honour and privilege, and I congratulate you upon -your parents, young man. They are, I should say, the very salt of the -earth. Well, I must not hinder you, sir,” to the captain; “you’ll have -much to set in order, and I shall expect you on board sometime before 4 -p.m. Good-bye.” And turning sharply he hastened on deck to avoid being -thanked again. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span></p> - -<p>But he was in no hurry, for once on deck he charmed Mr. Winsloe by -asking to be shown over the ship and have her strange appliances -explained to him, showing so much interest and appreciation that -Winsloe was delighted and when he had gone, said to Spurrell, “Well, if -all the Britishers was like that one I shouldn’t have no quarrel with -them, I’m dead sure of that.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” said Spurrell, “there’s some good Britishers, but there’s an -awful lot of shysters. Still, there’s good and bad of all sorts, I -s’pose, and Britishers ain’t the worst by any odds.”</p> - -<p>Then the whistle blew and Winsloe hurried aft to find the skipper quite -excited at the near prospect of beginning his journey home. It took but -little time to acquaint the mate with the British captain’s courteous -offer, and then, with C. B.’s aid, the preparations for departure were -begun. Neatly and methodically everything belonging to the skipper -was packed, except his charts and navigational books, all of which he -left to Winsloe. And so swiftly was the work done that by the time -the skipper was wearied, that is in about an hour, everything was -practically ready, and the two men left him to sleep again.</p> - -<p>As they went softly on deck Mr. Winsloe said, “Well, Christmas, I -needn’t ask you to do your best for the skipper, because I believe that -no one could or would do better than you. I’ve never been able to like -ye, for yeer too goody goody for me. But I’m free to admit that if I’d -a had ten thousand men to pick and choose from, I’d have chosen you; -this sort o’ thing’s right in your line. I s’pose your packing won’t -take long?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” cheerily answered C. B., “five minutes ’ll see me through; -but I’d like if may to go forrard and say good-bye to the boys. I’m -very fond of them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> all, and I hope none of them has got anything -against me. I’d be very sorry to leave any hard thoughts of me behind.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, certainly,” said the mate, “go an’ hold a prayer meetin’ if ye -like, I’m sure I don’t care now. I can’t say that I saw any signs of -yer wantin’ t’ do such a thing before, but if I had I should have -stopped it, for I don’t want a crew too tender-hearted t’ kill a whale -in this business. There, get along, boy, an’ make the most of yeer -time.”</p> - -<p>C. B. felt that he hardly understood the mate’s curious remarks, but -he was glad of the permission, and going forrard he slipped down -into the dark triangular space where the crew lived, a funny abode -as shore-people would think for thirty-two men to spend all their -leisure time in for nearly four years. To his modest surprise he was -welcomed as if he had been an admiral, every man trying to show him -some attention. And when all had settled down and had riveted their -attention on him he said—</p> - -<p>“Boys, I’m going to leave you, to look after the poor skipper on his -long journey home. But I felt as if I couldn’t go without coming into -your midst, and telling you how thankful I am to have got on so well -with all of you. I feel that I haven’t done my duty by you in one -respect: I might have tried to tell you something about the God I love, -I might have tried to show you how much He loves every one of you and -would, if you would let Him, make up to you the loss as you think it of -most of the good things that people have ashore.</p> - -<p>“As it’s too late to do that now I’ll ask you to forgive me for not -doing it before, for being so selfish as to enjoy my communion with Him -and not try to get others to share it. And if you’ll let me I’ll kneel -down in the midst of you here and pray that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> you may all learn from -him direct, how good He is in all His ways and how not one of you is -forgotten by Him.” And without any further preliminary C. B. fell on -his knees on the black planks, and said—</p> - -<p>“Dear Father God, bless the good shipmates I’m leaving. They come from -all parts of Thy world, but whether they know Thee or not, whether any -one has ever spoken to them about Thee or not, they are all Thy well -beloved children. Show Thyself to them in all Thy love, keep them in -the hollow of Thy hand at all times, give them the assurance that Thou -art their Father, and that Thy dear Son Jesus Christ is their Saviour. -Bless all my dear shipmates, for Christ’s sake. Amen.”</p> - -<p>It was over, and Yankee, Portuguese, and Kanakas stared at C. B. and -each other with heavily throbbing hearts, as wondering what this -might mean. Evidently they were half expectant, half afraid of some -supernatural visitation, but as C. B. rose from his knees with a -streaming face and they all followed his example, a big slab-sided -Vermonter came over to C. B. and held out his hand saying—</p> - -<p>“We’re all a lot of heathen, I’m afraid, but you’ve give us a better -idea of God Almighty than any of us ever had or likely to have. This -ship’s been better for you bein’ aboard. We shall be better for your -little prayer here to-day. Now we’ll bid you good-bye,” and turning to -the crew he said—</p> - -<p>“Boys, all of us can say to him God bless you and keep you the same -good clean strong man you’ve allus been amongst us. Ef you hain’t -preached or prayed, you’ve done what’s harder than either, I guess. -You’ve lived such a life as we’ve never seen lived before, and if we -ain’t the better for it, ’tain’t any fault of yours. Good-bye and God -bless ye.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p> - -<p>C. B. could only brokenly echo the blessing, and shaking hands all -round, looked lovingly into each face with their variations of -expression or utter want of expression. Then he climbed on deck again, -feeling as if he had been through an ordeal of the toughest kind. And -then he found he had to face his berthmates, who all appeared strange -to him. It was just the old story—they had taken but scanty interest -in him while he was one of themselves; now he was about to leave them -they recalled numberless instances of his lovingkindness, patience, -courage and industry, and were in danger of going to the opposite -extreme. The three Yankee boat steerers shipped in Honolulu held aloof -entirely. They knew very little of C. B., and probably felt some -little pride of race, looking down on one whom they ignorantly took to -be a mere Kanaka. But Chips, the cooper, cook, and steward, were for -them unusually demonstrative, and each pressed upon C. B. some little -memento, some piece of scrimshaw work to show that they remembered some -act of kindness long ago forgotten by him.</p> - -<p>When this part of his ordeal was over he was tired out and turned in, -falling asleep on the instant. But he was aroused almost immediately -as it seemed to him, though it was at 3 a.m., by a trembling hand laid -upon him. He sprang up in his bunk with his hands outspread, and one of -them was seized by the intruder, who said—</p> - -<p>“It’s me, Merritt. Come on deck, I want t’ say good bye t’ ye.”</p> - -<p>C. B. leaped out of his bunk and hurried after his chum, who drew him -to a seat on a spar and said in a hollow strained tone—</p> - -<p>“You’re goin’ away to-day, and before eight bells to-night I shall know -whether the God you’re so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> fond of talkin’ about is as good as you -say He is. Now don’t be skeered, I ain’t goin’ t’ kill myself, kase -why—it’d hurt you. But I know I’m goin’ out as soon as I’ve seen the -last of you, an’ I do think I’ve got a good opinion of your God because -of knowing that. He knows my life ain’t worth livin’ an’ He’s takin’ it -away. If I wasn’t a poor ignorant heathen I’d tell Him how thankful I -am, but I guess He’ll know.”</p> - -<p>To attempt any description of the talk that ensued until dawn would be -an impertinence, for one of the men, though such a Christian as the -greatest exponent of Christianity among us might envy, was, in all his -ideas and knowledge, simple as a little child, while the other, deeper -in darkness than the most debased Pagan, could only see one fact, for -such it was to him, that he was to die immediately after the parting. -It did not trouble his thoughts for one moment, any more than it would -that of the faithful dog who only lives in his master’s life, and dies -of a broken heart when that master is removed.</p> - -<p>So they sat hand in hand till dawn, they took the five o’clock coffee -together, with dim ideas in C. B.’s mind of it being a sort of -sacrament, and then as the mate’s loud call of “Turn to” echoed along -the decks Merritt simply rose from C. B.’s side and said—</p> - -<p>“Good-bye, chum. I’ll be glad to find that what you say is true, an’ -that I sh’ll see you again in another life. I don’t understand it, -but it sounds good. Now I shall keep out of yer way till yer gone, so -good-bye.”</p> - -<p>At three o’clock p.m. the skipper was carried from his bunk well -wrapped up, and placed in his boat, which was lowered with her gunwale -level with the rail for the purpose. C. B. jumped in by his side and -stood by to steady him as the boat was lowered. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> crew followed and -the boat shoved off, but as she did so all hands but one swarmed to -the rail and rigging, and gave a round of cheers, at which both the -skipper’s and C. B.’s eyes brimmed over. But C. B. noted what Captain -Taber did not; that in that crowd of faces Merritt’s did not appear. He -was found four hours later in his bunk, dead, without a sign about him -to show why he had gone.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVI</span> <span class="smaller">Popularity</span></h2> - -<p>And now behold C. B. launched upon a totally new series of adventures, -but still with that same quiet mind which accepted the events of each -new day as being all ordained by God, and consequently fraught with -blessing, no matter how hard it might be for him to see the benefit at -the time. Hitherto I have said nothing about his feelings with regard -to those whom he so fondly loved and from whom he had of course heard -no word. But when he left them both he and they had resigned themselves -to a complete separation without any communication until God should -please to reunite them again. Letters never came to that isolated, -self-contained little community, who indeed seldom had any interest -outside of their own boundaries.</p> - -<p>Yet it must not be supposed that for one day, hardly for a waking hour, -he ever forgot them. In his lonely vigils at the mast-head, or when by -himself at night, he looked out over the wide expanse of sea, he always -formed a mental picture of the peaceful happy home he had left, saw his -mother and father and friends at their simple tasks, heard their united -praises arising in the sweet evenings, imagined their discussions -concerning his whereabouts, until he almost fancied himself among them -in spirit, so vivid was his inner vision. And often it was with a -physical pang that he came back to his present surroundings. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p> - -<p>It must not for a moment be supposed either that he felt great delight -at leaving the ship, for he was in no way weary of his life on board. -But he calmly awaited each development as being just the right thing -for him, and indeed felt that in this latest move he was likely to be -of more use than he had ever been before. Besides, as I have before -hinted, he and his fellow-islanders were passionately attached to -the mother-country which they had never seen, and had consequently -idealized almost out of all reasonable recognition. The nearest -approach to realization of Britain that they could get was found in -a British man-o’-war, and when he stepped on board of the <i>Fame</i> and -saluted the invisible presence on the quarter deck, he felt strangely -uplifted at the thought that he was privileged to sail in one of those -wonderful vessels.</p> - -<p>With greatest kindness and courtesy Captain Taber had been carried to a -cabin specially prepared for him; everything that he could want as far -as was in their power to supply it was at his disposal, and when C. B. -had got him comfortably bestowed and his belongings all safely at hand -he said—</p> - -<p>“Thank ye, dear fellow, now go and leave me to sleep, for I feel very -tired, and you’ll be glad, I know, to see what’s going on about the -deck, all so different to what you’ve been used to.” So C. B. slipped -away and watched with a queer feeling of pride, as if he had a share -in the great business, the ordered method of getting under weigh, the -rapidity which characterized every evolution and the perfect discipline.</p> - -<p>Seaman-like his fingers itched to be helping, but he knew better than -to interfere, and moreover everything was so utterly strange and new. -Not the least wonderful of his new surroundings to him was the steam -engine. It is hard indeed for us to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> realize what it meant to this -intelligent man, British to the back-bone, and in some directions well -educated, but in others, notably in the appliances of civilization, as -ignorant as any savage from the island homes of his maternal ancestors.</p> - -<p>His gentle ways and pleasant speech soon made him a prime favourite, -and though the lower deck was mightily puzzled at his strange -dislike to grog and tobacco, they put it down simply to his want of -acquaintance with those luxuries. Anyhow they made a great pet of -him, and listened to his simple stories of island life and whaling, -interspersed as they were with loving reference to the Fatherly care -of God and the happiness of knowing Him, with growing interest and -appreciation. Nor was this interest confined to the lower deck. The -officers were just as keen, and though thoughtless and careless as -so many sailors are who feel that religion enters officially into -their lives at stated times, but need not be bothered about except -then, they all admitted that this young man was to them a new type -altogether outside their experience. Some scoffed at the idea of his -being genuine, saying that it was all put on for a certain purpose, -and watched him keenly to detect hypocrisy. But it was impossible to -maintain such an attitude towards him for long, in view of his perfect -devotion to his charge and his absolute lack of pose.</p> - -<p>He fell eagerly into his new role of nurse and valet, and the captain -grew to lean on him more and more each day, to long for his pleasant -words and to enjoy, in a measure that seemed to him amazing when he -thought about it, the simple reading of the Bible stories and the -common-sense comment, often quaint beyond description, that C. B. -indulged in. Only it made the matter real and vivid to the mind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> of the -listener as it had never been before, brought him face to face with -the actors in the great world drama unfolded in that amazing series of -stories, and above all made him wonder how it had been possible for him -to live so long in ignorance, and with so much time on his hands, too, -of the treasures contained within the covers of the ordinary little -volume. For let them deny it who dare, the most talked of and the least -intelligently read of any book in the world is the Bible. And from the -point of view of literature alone it does not deserve to be so treated.</p> - -<p>In consequence largely of the novelty of the position to the passengers -and the interest felt in them by the crew, the passage of the <i>Fame</i> -to Yokohama, though rather long in point of time, was felt to be short -by all, so much so that a distinct sense of disappointment was felt -by all as the time for parting drew near. The sick man, though the -object of devoted attention by the ship’s doctor, fully justified that -gentleman’s prediction by making little or no progress. He could not be -said to be any worse, but his strength would not come back, and he had -many hours of severe pain internally. But his appetite was fairly good -and his spirits had recovered their normal serenity. He had become very -much attached to the ship where he had been so kindly welcomed, and -endeavoured to express his gratitude, but his genial hosts pooh-poohed -the idea of his being under any sort of obligation to them; they said -that his company had been a boon conferred upon them, and that they had -learned more of little understood sea-ways since he and C. B. had been -with them than they had ever dreamed of being possible.</p> - -<p>And so they parted with the best of good will on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> both sides, and a -certain definite effect of goodness impressed upon all hands by their -contact with C. B., which none of them were ever able to forget quite -as long as they lived. Very gently and tenderly the helpless skipper -was conveyed ashore, and to the best hotel in the City, there to await -the coming out of the steamer that sailed between Hong Kong, Yokohama, -and San Francisco. The American Consul had been apprised of Captain -Taber’s coming, and paid him an early visit of condolence and comfort, -promising to do all in his power to aid him, and to convey to Captain -Silchester his most cordial thanks for the timely help rendered to his -suffering countryman.</p> - -<p>C. B. was full of wonderment at the new and strange scenes around -him, but saw little of them, for nothing would persuade him to leave -his friend for more than a few minutes at a time. He did not lightly -construe the terms of his service, and when ordered with playful -vehemence by the skipper to go away and leave him to himself for a few -hours he never went beyond an easy call. But he got a great deal of -interest in observing the quaint manners of the Japanese, who seemed -to him to be almost denizens of another world to that which he had -hitherto known. Their courtesy, cleanliness and ability appealed to -him very much, but he wondered with painful intensity how they could -be apparently so happy and good without knowing anything of God. And -then he had an interview with a clerical gentleman belonging to the -Established Church, who was on his travels round the world, and being -an inmate of the hotel called upon the captain.</p> - -<p>The latter introduced C. B. as his friend as well as personal -attendant, and Mr. Vinter, the clergyman, made the almost unpardonable -mistake of treating<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> our hero as if he was an ignorant Kanaka, that -is without a touch of kindliness or sympathy as of a being infinitely -high and wise, but without love, to another very low and foolish. C. -B. not being at all sensitive and full of reverence for the man of God -as he thought him, began to talk freely upon the things of God as he -had never been able to do since he left his home, where they were in -everybody’s mouth as the most frequent topic. To his utter amazement -and to the captain’s indignation the clergyman listened for a while -with a gradually contracting brow, and presently said severely—</p> - -<p>“You should be less fluent and more reverent about holy things. You -cannot understand them, it is not possible that you should. You must -learn to leave such discussion as you have ventured to indulge in to -those who like myself are set apart as chosen ministers of the Gospel.”</p> - -<p>Had it not been so sad it would have been ludicrous to see the -open-mouthed stare of utter amazement with which C. B. regarded his -new mentor. For what he now heard from the mouth of a man whom he was -ready to regard as directly commissioned by God was to the effect that -the whole teaching of his life had been wrong. He dimly felt that this -man wished him to understand that so far from a close acquaintance with -and an intimate knowledge of God and the things of His kingdom being -right and according to His will, it was necessary to regard Him as -unapproachable except through a certain specially ordained class, and -that the sweet familiarity with Jesus which he had always been taught -and had understood from his Testament to be the end and the aim of the -Saviour’s teaching was irreverent and wrong.</p> - -<p>And then, to his great relief, the helpless skipper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> came to his -rescue, saying with clear and energetic voice—</p> - -<p>“Forgive me, Mr. Vinter, if I seem rude, and allow me the privilege of -a man with one foot in the grave. I’ve learned more of God in a few -months’ acquaintance with this dear man than in all the rest of my -life. You gentlemen talk about God mostly too in language that a plain -man can’t understand, this man lives Him, has done ever since he came -aboard my ship. I’d rather have him with me, as far as the education of -my soul is concerned, than all the priests and clergy in the world. And -you call him irreverent! But so I s’pose you would have done Peter an’ -James an’ John, an’ as for Paul, well there!”</p> - -<p>Mr. Vinter made no reply, but rose with majestic gesture as of one who -finds the air polluted and passed out, nor did they ever see him again. -But the captain said cheerily—</p> - -<p>“Git your Bible, Christmas, and read me that beautiful story again, -beginning with ‘Then drew near all the publicans and sinners for to -hear Him?’ I bet they did. They recognized the real thing same as I -do, they’d had enough of Pharisees same as I have. And then people -will be foolish enough to wonder why the Gospel don’t spread among the -heathen! Why a man like that might easily make heathen, he’d certainly -never make a Christian, he doesn’t know how to begin. Go on with your -reading, dear boy.”</p> - -<p>And in the comfort of the reading and the fellowship of his friend -C. B. felt the wound that had been made in his soul by that foolish -and injudicious man heal over. But he often returned to the subject -and asked many questions of the skipper concerning the ways of the -religious folk in America, and whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> it was really true that the -great bulk of the people could be so foolish as to deny themselves so -great a pleasure as he had always found it, and those whom he had grown -up with, but was at last compelled to admit that it must be so though -it was a profound mystery to him.</p> - -<p>Happy man, knowing nothing of the thousand allurements of the civilized -world, its mad rush after fortune and no less mad lavishing of its -gettings upon things of no value. Happy in the coarse shirt and -trousers, bare headed and shoeless, but well nourished and healthy, how -could he understand the myriad artificial cravings that shut out from -the soul all desire for true happiness, or how in his perfect faith in -the love of God and His creation could he realize the awful fear of -eternal punishment that prompted men into excesses of religiousness in -order to escape from what they felt was the inevitable due of their -misdeeds. Not knowing how great had been his privileges he was entirely -unable to comprehend the difficulties of highly civilized man in -matters of religion, and so was an ever fresh source of interest to the -crippled man dependent upon him, who felt that he had never had leisure -to think upon these things until now.</p> - -<p>But gradually and unconsciously, as was his wont, he had endeared -himself to all with whom he had come in contact in service at the -hotel, so that when the big steamer arrived and the summons came for -them to go aboard he had quite an ovation, all the little yellow men -and women crowded around him in their gentle courteous fashion to wish -him “Sayonara” and to offer him tiny souvenirs of their affection for -the big kindly simple man who was so unlike any other stranger they had -yet seen. In his modesty and utter absence of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>self-consciousness he -wondered much at his popularity, the real reason of it never occurring -to him, for he had formed no friendships, had gone scarcely anywhere, -feeling that his duty was always to be within hail of his beloved -skipper.</p> - -<p>And so in leaving he had no regrets, but cheerfully and hopefully -assisted to carry Captain Taber on board of the <i>Golden Gate</i>, where -by the influence of the Consul a special cabin had been reserved for -the pair and all sorts of privileges arranged for also. She had a -great many passengers going eastward to the Pacific Coast, wealthy -folks travelling for pleasure, keen business men intent on making -money, adventurers, but all apparently flush of money and eager for -excitement. Amid this motley throng C. B. secured a good place on deck -for his patient’s long chair, a point wherefrom the wonderful panorama -unfolded as the ship steered seawards could be fully enjoyed. Here -C. B., standing by the skipper’s side, guarded him from inquisitive -intrusion and kept him amused by the quaint and original comments he -made upon the novel scene.</p> - -<p>But very soon, in spite of C. B.’s earnest efforts, the captain’s chair -was the centre of a sympathizing and wondering group of Americans, -who, having learned the skeleton of his sad story, were keen in their -desire to help in any way they could a countryman whom they dimly -suspected of being a hero, and that alone is sufficient with the most -hero-worshipping people in the world to have made them flock to him. -At last their attentions became so importunate and the questions so -incessant that Captain Taber, holding up his attenuated hand for -silence, said—</p> - -<p>“Ladies and gentlemen, as you may see, I am not equal to the strain of -satisfying your legitimate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> curiosity, for I’m weaker than I care to -admit even to myself. But if you’ll let my friend here, who, in spite -of his dusky complexion, hasn’t got any of the nigger about him, but -is a sure enough Englishman of the purest stock, tell you the story -just as it happened, I can enjoy it as well as you. An’ I guess that he -knows a good deal more about it than I do anyhow.”</p> - -<p>The young ladies, who, as most people who have been in the United -States know, are the usual arbiters in such cases, guessed “it would -be perfectly lovely,” and with national promptitude settled themselves -around at once and looked expectantly at C. B. He looked somewhat -imploringly at the skipper, who only beamed on him and replied—</p> - -<p>“Part o’ your duties ye know, Christmas, an’ I guess I don’t know -anybody better qualified to perform ’em.”</p> - -<p>That was quite sufficient for C. B., who, having seated himself by the -skipper’s side, commenced the story at the point where he had returned -to work. He had not been speaking a minute before he had everybody -spellbound, for like so many other simple-minded unselfish men he had a -natural gift of plain effective speech, not oratorical or rhetorical, -but what the Americans call heart to heart talk.</p> - -<p>For upwards of an hour he held the company almost breathless, and when -at last he ceased with the simple remark “and so through the goodness -of God we are thus far on our long journey,” there was a long breath -and then an irrepressible burst of applause. Many of the ladies made -no attempt to hide the fact that they had to wipe their eyes, and it -would have been hard to say which of the two in their estimation was -the greater hero, the skipper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> or C. B. And then the skipper brought -matters to a climax by saying—</p> - -<p>“You’ve heard the story, ladies and gentleman, beautifully told as -I knew it would be, but far too favourable to me, in spots. As soon -as I’m fit I’ll tell you the parts ’at he’s left out, and a few more -things that you oughter know about him. Meantime let me say before God -and this company that I believe the hull earth don’t contain a better -man, a better Christian, with all that I’ve learned lately that means, -than my dear friend Christmas Bounty Adams.”</p> - -<p>Even this short speech, because it was delivered with rather more -energy than usual, exhausted the enfeebled man, and he lay back in his -chair breathless. C. B. immediately attended to him, looking round -imploringly at the onlookers, who, taking the hint, at once melted -away. But they carried away with them material enough for conversation -to last them the passage apparently, the human interest in it entirely -eclipsing that of the usual travel talk. But it must be admitted that -the chief object of interest was C. B.; in the absence of accurate -information concerning him the ladies formulated all sorts of fantastic -theories, the excitement rising almost to fever heat during the -luncheon hour.</p> - -<p>At last, when the captain had been conveyed below, one of the girls, -the only daughter of an immensely wealthy American, who was travelling -with her mother and father, came up to C. B. who was resting himself, -looking over the rail at the swiftly receding coast line. With that -sweet insouciance which is the most charming feature of the American -girl, she said—</p> - -<p>“Say, Mr. Christmas, or is it Mr. Adams? we’re all just afire to hear -the rest of that story of yours.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> We don’t want to trouble that poor -captain, it would be too cruel to expect him to talk, but won’t you -take pity on us and tell us your beautiful story?”</p> - -<p>C. B. gazed down into the eager face with its big brown eyes and saw no -vulgar curiosity there.</p> - -<p>So after a moment or so of hesitation he replied, “Miss——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, May Stewart’s my name,” she hastily remarked.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Miss Stewart,” he gravely interpolated and went on: “My -dear mother always taught me to try and please people who didn’t want -me to do anything wrong, and I am sure you don’t want me to do anything -wrong. So I’ll tell you my story as far as I can, on the understanding -that I’m free to leave off at any moment my captain wants me, for he is -a sacred helpless charge.”</p> - -<p>“That’s agreed on the instant,” she replied, “and I’ll bring the crowd -along right now. I’m real glad, and I think it’s awfully good of you, -for I do hate to be kept waiting for something that I feel I ought to -know.”</p> - -<p>“One moment, Miss Stewart,” said C. B., holding up a restraining hand. -“If you’ve been weaving a mighty romance out of my story and making me -its hero you’ll be gravely disappointed. All right, I’m ready whenever -you are.”</p> - -<p>Away fled the young lady, while C. B. took the opportunity of visiting -his patient’s airy cabin to make sure that he was sleeping soundly and -that everything about him was comfortable. Then he returned to the -promenade deck, where such had been the energy of Miss Stewart that -practically every passenger in the ship was present with the exception -of half a dozen inveterate poker players who, I believe, would keep on -at the monotonous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> business if the first notes of the last trump were -ringing in their ears. As soon as Miss Stewart saw C. B. she sprang -impetuously towards him, dragged him through the crowd to an elevated -seat she had got the quartermaster to prepare for him, and having seen -him comfortably installed, sat down on deck by the side of her mother -and waited for him to begin.</p> - -<p>You all know the story, but of course as he told it much of the -interest attaching to his doings evaporated because he would not say I -did this or I did that, a modesty which he shared with many far less -estimable men. But he did tell them all he could put into words about -his lovely island home, his origin, the pursuits of the islanders -and their happiness under the simple gospel of love. He told this -with a manly simple eloquence which captivated his hearers and made -even the most cynical and case-hardened of them feel that here was an -idyllic state of things which was unknown to their cheap and feverish -philosophies wrongly so called. And when at last he finished, so great -was the interest that many questions were put to him by the elder -men and women, all of which he answered with ease or owned that he -didn’t know. How long this would have gone on only those who know the -insatiable avidity of Americans in acquiring information upon some new -topic could imagine, but happily for C. B. there suddenly appeared on -the scene a Japanese waiter with the news that the captain was awake. -And immediately C. B. slipped away.</p> - -<p>Thenceforward this quiet unassuming child of nature was the idol of the -ship. “Guess it’s a complete rest-cure to be near him,” was the verdict -of one sallow owner of about a million dollars, who was fascinated by -C. B. to such an extent that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> forswore poker, and courted every -chance to get a few words with a man whom he felt had the true secret -of happiness. “Now,” said this keen business man, “ef this chap was -advertising himself or startin’ a new religion, I’d be on to him in -once, bigger ’n a elevator. But he ain’t, ’s far ’s he knows he’s the -most ornery cuss there is around. ’N ’s far ’s I know he’s about the -newest breed o’ man there is, an’ I’d like t’ get the recipe for a few -more like him.”</p> - -<p>But the girls gave C. B. the most trouble. It was hard to convince them -that he was not the descendant of some dusky island potentate. That -he was but the offspring of a common English seaman and some nameless -Kanaka woman two or three generations back seemed impossible for them -to believe, for they were never tired of descanting upon the stately -grace of his form and the perfect unstudied beauty of his language. -Secretly too they were all piqued by the fact that he paid none of them -any special attention, was only gravely polite in a perfectly general -sense. To the men though who sought him out and talked with him he was -extremely open and genial, telling them frankly that he felt honoured -by their condescension, until one day the captain, hearing him speak -like this took him to task about it.</p> - -<p>“Christmas,” he said, “they’s such a thing as bein’ too humble, makin’ -yerself too cheap. You’ve no call to be so humble to these men. I ain’t -got nothing to say against any of ’em, but I should say they ain’t one -of ’em that’s fit to shine the boots of a good man like you are. Why, -they don’t talk of nothin’ else, mornin’ noon or night, ’cept they’re -talkin’ t’ you, but dollars and cents, how to pile ’em up as fast as -they kin no matter by what method. Money’s their God, Christmas, and -his worship means some practices that you’d shudder at. No,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> keep yer -head up, my friend, you’ll never git too big fer your boots I’m sure, -for I declare you’re the equal of any and the superior of most men in -this world.” And the excited man sank back in his chair exhausted, -while C. B. gently reproved him for thus exerting himself, and as soon -as he was rested again told him quaintly how bashful he felt before the -girls, especially Miss Stewart, who continually sought his company.</p> - -<p>“How should I behave to them?” he inquired, at which the Captain -laughed and replied—</p> - -<p>“Ah, there I can’t give ye no advice, except to be mighty careful not -to fall in love with one of ’em. I guess you wouldn’t want no lessons -in humility if once you did that. For companionable as all these folks -seem to be and eager to make a fuss of ye, if once you lifted your -eyes to one of their women folk so as to desire her for a wife, they -wouldn’t have words enough t’ cuss ye in, an’ they’re pretty glib as a -rule.”</p> - -<p>“Well, captain,” said C. B., “there’ll be no occasion. I am not at all -likely to fall in love, as you call it, until I get back to Norfolk -Island again, and certainly not while I have the happy privilege of -taking care of you, God bless you.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVII</span> <span class="smaller">A Troublesome Appreciation</span></h2> - -<p>After all, the most important work of C. B.’s life was steadily -progressing without hindrance of any kind, the spiritual education of -Captain Taber. That fine man, in spite of his late advice to C. B. -about humility, was now exceedingly humble himself and ready to admit -his absolute indebtedness to C. B. for his present peace of mind, and -what in religious terminology would be called his growth in grace. -He certainly was in some respects an entirely changed man since his -accident, although it must not for a moment be supposed that he was -ever anything but just, kind and brave. It was only in the one thing -needful that he was then lacking, and that had now been supplied -through the agency of his friend, so that he had become a centre of -spirituality from which continually emanated a sweet aroma of content -and love of all mankind.</p> - -<p>The captain and chief officer of the <i>Golden Gate</i> spent much time -with Captain Taber, although it must be said that they did not take -to C. B. very much. The sea tradition was strong with them, and as -they looked upon C. B. as a sort of menial in his personal attendance -upon the captain, they felt that discipline forbade them giving him -any opportunity to impose. He never noticed their reserve, in fact he -was almost impervious to the slights that most of us resent so much, -because of his want of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> self-consciousness, which went a long way to -account for his happiness. As soon as either the captain or the mate -came to have a yarn with his patient he would, first making sure that -all was in order, retire on deck, where he was always in request, and -remain there until his friend was alone again. In this way he made -the acquaintance of nearly everybody in the ship and enjoyed himself -very much, especially when the vessel drew into the bad-weather zone, -and gales of wind with heavy seas kept the passengers below. But one -afternoon, as he was engaged in earnest conversation with one of the -quartermasters whose turn it was to look after the promenade deck, he -saw with a thrill of horror a female emerge from the saloon, cross the -deck to the lee rail, deliberately mount it and topple overboard. As -soon as he had seen her making for the rail he started to run towards -her, so that he was on the spot almost in time to catch her by her -clothing. He just missed her, however, and with a roar of “Stop the -ship!” that was heard high above the gale, he plunged after her. A few -mighty strokes and he was by her side, only just in time to snatch her -long hair and fight his way from the ship to avoid the indraught of the -propeller, which if not stopped in time means awful mutilation to a -body in the water, and the strongest swimmer coming within its vortex -is entirely helpless.</p> - -<p>The ship was stopped so promptly that he was but a couple of hundred -yards away, but the sea was running very heavily with breaking crests, -and great as was his strength and skill, the burden of a woman to -support who could still struggle was a task that could not be endured -for long. As usual in merchant ships, especially steamers in those -days, the boats were secured as if they were never intended<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> to be -used; not only so, but because of gross neglect the lashings and -gripes were rusted and clogged with paint, while the boats themselves, -never having been in the water for months nor having any water in them -through being carefully covered in, were leaky as sieves.</p> - -<p>Consequently it was nearly twenty minutes before the boat was in the -water, and when she was, for lack of ability to handle her it looked -for some time as if her lowering was going to cost several more lives. -And all this time Captain Taber in his berth was suffering mental -tortures, having been informed of the cause of the uproar by the -Japanese berth attendant. Nor was his anxiety selfish. He could not -bear the idea of his faithful friend being done to death like that, he -to whom the water was as familiar as the dry land. At last in his agony -he betook himself to prayer and was immediately comforted. Not only so -but the quiet that had reigned for some time gave place to tramplings -overhead and shoutings, showing that something had been or was being -done.</p> - -<p>It was fortunate that the vessel had stopped so promptly, as well as -that she had such little way on her at the time, steaming as she was -head to sea. Otherwise it would have been impossible to save the two -lives owing to the bungling in boat handling. As it was, when the boat -did reach them C. B. was just at the end of his resources, and when -lifted into the boat was almost as far gone as the woman he had saved. -Getting back to the ship, although she was handled with much skill, -was a series of wonderful escapes, and but for the promptitude of the -second mate, who suggested pouring a lot of oil over the lee bow as -the boat was brought alongside, which smoothed the turbulent sea and -permitted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> them to hook on the boat with comparative ease, there must -have been disaster.</p> - -<p>The two rescued ones were lifted out of the boat in the presence of -all the passengers, who had entirely forgotten their seasickness and -debility in their anxiety. The bodies were borne below and the doctor -worked upon the woman with the greatest perseverance, being at last -rewarded by feeling her heart beat and some warmth come from her -breast. From thence the task was easy, and the first to convey to the -anxiously waiting skipper below was C. B. himself, who apologized for -causing his beloved charge so much anxiety, but explained that he could -not see the woman drown.</p> - -<p>Then the skipper broke down, for he was very weak, and cried like a -child, sobbing out that he had felt that if he had lost his friend he -must have died too, and that he could never be sufficiently grateful to -God for sparing him. While they were thus enjoying their reunion came -the captain of the ship, who was visibly moved, and, holding out his -hand to C. B., said—</p> - -<p>“Young man, I’m proud to have you aboard my ship, for you are indeed a -man. You may hardly believe it, but the husband of that lady whose life -you have saved is only just aware of what has happened. Both he and she -have been shockingly ill, for it seems that they are very bad sailors. -And she, in addition to horrible seasickness, had a raging toothache, -which must have driven her mad for the time. She says that she quite -remembers jumping overboard, says it seemed to her to be the only way -out of her misery, but she is very sorry indeed to have given so much -trouble. Neither she nor her husband realize yet what the trouble has -been, but their seasickness has left them and I guess you’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> hear from -them to-morrow. Hope you’re none the worse for your anxiety, Taber, now -you’ve got your chum back again. Now I must be off, for the weather’s -pretty bad still.” And he strode away.</p> - -<p>Next morning the weather had become beautiful again and C. B., having -seen his patient all right, was about to take a stroll forward when he -was seized by a man with red eyes and wild air, who said—</p> - -<p>“Are you the hero who preserved my dear one for me?”</p> - -<p>C. B. was completely taken by surprise and stammered out something, -he knew not what in reply. But almost immediately there came bustling -round a crowd of the passengers, as full of excitement as if the -ship had been on fire, and poor C. B. wished he was anywhere out of -it. Still the man who had first accosted him kept hold of his hand, -occasionally patting it and murmuring disjointed sentences, until at -last the captain of the ship burst into the group, saying—</p> - -<p>“Now, ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t fair to our friend. As for you, -sir,” turning to the man who was still holding C. B.’s hand, “you must -think of yourself for your wife’s sake as well as your own. We shan’t -be into San Francisco for three days, and you’ll have plenty of time -between now and then to thank Mr. Christmas all you want.”</p> - -<p>C. B. cast a grateful look upon the captain and fled forrard among the -crew, where he was received as one of themselves, no fuss being made -over him, but lots of questions asked about his swimming powers. Here -he was quite at home, for such was the respect that every one down -there felt for him that they modified their usual full-flavoured speech -because they knew it was unpleasant to him, although the boss of the -forecastle, a burly Californian, said after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> he had gone that he felt -quite weak with the strain he had put upon himself in the matter of -speech. “But,” he added, “I don’t grudge it him, for he’s the whitest -man I’ve struck for a long, long spell, if he can’t stand a cuss word.”</p> - -<p>The husband of the rescued lady having perfectly recovered begged -to be allowed to meet C. B. again, and tender his thanks in company -with his wife. So the meeting came off, when it appeared that they -were a wealthy American pair, named Ogden, travelling in search of -health, childless and most tenderly attached to each other. At first -the gentleman’s proposal was to adopt C. B. as their son with all the -advantages of such a position, but to this our friend returned so -decided a negative that it was not again mooted. Then the pair wished -to make C. B. a present of a large sum of money, to which he replied -that he had no use for it, that he had done nothing that he would not -have done for a beggar, and that he hoped they would think no more of -the matter.</p> - -<p>Thus coming to a deadlock there was no means of ridding themselves of -their almost intolerable burden of gratitude, until C. B. said—</p> - -<p>“I cannot take anything from you, not because of pride, but because I -don’t want money; I hate the idea of getting fond of it, for I have -learned how evil a thing it can be. But if you must do something to -please me, help the poor whom I hear so much about and don’t know -anything of. Our Lord says that the poor ye have always with you, and -so you can never be short of means of doing good if you have got a -lot of money. In any case, I won’t take your money; I’ve done nothing -for it, and the only thing it could do for me would be to make me -discontented with what I now see to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> the happiest life on earth, -that is, my dear island home.”</p> - -<p>Gratitude and the business instinct struggled for the mastery in -Mr. Ogden’s breast, coupled perhaps with a little resentment at C. -B.’s attitude, for he was one of those men who hate being under an -obligation. At last he went to Captain Taber and asked him to take C. -B. in hand and show him the error of his ways. Of course Captain Taber -flatly refused, knowing C. B. as he did, while his own fine honest -pride gloried in the same quality being possessed by C. B., as he -thought. So then Mr. Ogden was compelled to give up, and went about -among the other passengers discontentedly airing his grievance and -causing much mirth at the unusual spectacle of a man growling because -he couldn’t get another man to accept his money.</p> - -<p>The passage drew near to its close, and C. B., after rather anxious -watching of his patient, came to the conclusion that there was some -slight improvement in his strength. In consultation with the doctor -that gentleman pronounced him as strong as he could ever expect to -be, and that it would entirely depend upon his treatment during the -long crossing of the Continent whether he would have a short or a -fairly long lease of life with his friends. Upon this information C. -B. devoted all his time to getting news about the travelling, best -methods, little tips about accommodation, hotels, etc., secretly -grieving for his lack of experience which might prevent him doing the -best possible for his friend. The gentleman to whom he applied for -information, purely by accident, was the millionaire father of Miss -Stewart, who was apparently delighted to be of service to him. And -during their conversation C. B. said in perfect innocence— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I hope Miss Stewart is well; I haven’t seen her about the deck lately. -I suppose I notice it more because she used to be the life and soul of -the ship.”</p> - -<p>Old man Stewart bent his shaggy eyebrows upon the speaker and replied -very slowly and distinctly—</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess her health’s all right as far as we know. She isn’t what -she used to be though, an’ I’ll admit that her keeping down as she has -done is more than a little puzzling to her mother and me. And I’d about -half made up my mind to ask you if you could give us any idea of what -ailed her?”</p> - -<p>The face that C. B. turned to Mr. Stewart was a study for a picture of -complete blank astonishment. For a few moments he could not speak, but -sat with his mouth partly open, while Mr. Stewart never relaxed his -steady gaze into the young man’s face. Then he found his tongue and -said with a sort of burst—</p> - -<p>“Why, Mr. Stewart, what can you mean? Except at the outset of the -passage, when she arranged for me to tell the story of my life, I have -not exchanged a dozen words with your daughter, nor have I for the last -fortnight scarcely had her in my mind. It suddenly dawned upon me as -I talked with you that I had not seen her about in her usual lively -fashion, and on the impulse of the moment I asked you of her health. -And now you say you thought of asking <i>me</i> if I had any idea what was -ailing her!”</p> - -<p>Mr. Stewart’s brow relaxed, his grim mouth formed a smile, and he said -cheerily—</p> - -<p>“All right, sonny, I’m glad to see I hain’t made no mistake in ye. -Forget what I said and put it down to an old man’s anxiety for his only -child. An’ now about that journey of yours, I should recommend”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span>—and -the old gentleman went off into minutest details of trains, hotels, -etc., in which C. B. followed painfully after him, feeling at every -word how far from this wonderful world of struggle and stress he was -removed. But what the reader will think of C. B.’s density with regard -to Miss Stewart I do not know. It is hard for us to believe in a fancy -free, unconceited youngster now, one who could have such a question -put to him by a father concerning his daughter, as Mr. Stewart had -just done to C. B., and not feel flattered and more conceited than -before. But the old man showed his wonderful knowledge of human nature -in dealing with C. B. as he did. In spite of his cynical disbelief in -most, if not all, his fellow-men he paid unconscious tribute to C. B. -in taking the step he did, and when he found his estimate justified he -was inclined to be puffed up and say, “I told you so, I knew he was -twenty-four carat stamped on every link. My judgment against the world.”</p> - -<p>Many people, however, would exercise their privilege of sitting in -judgment and call C. B. just plain fool. They are welcome, since such -an <i>ex parte</i> statement does not affect the case. I must go on to say -that C. B. dismissed the whole matter from his mind, which indeed, -as the distance from the Golden Gate of its namesake was measured by -hours, became more full of anxiety concerning his helpless charge -than ever he had known it before. Then came the arrival, the breaking -up of pleasant little coteries such as are formed in a few days on -ship-board, and in many cases the parting from people whom you would -long to spend your life with but have to part from and usually see no -more.</p> - -<p>In accordance with a pre-arranged plan C. B. made his friend -comfortable and did not worry him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> until the rest of the passengers -were out of the vessel, so that he could take a quiet, unhurried -farewell of his friends the officers of the ship. Everybody had gone; -none, however, without a hearty handshake and a pleasant word for C. -B., many assuring him of what was really true—that they would never -forget him, when a shore boat came alongside bearing a man in some -sort of a uniform, who as soon as he came aboard inquired for Mr. C. -B. Adams. It took some little time for the unaccustomed address to be -realized, but at last the message was handed to C. B. and the messenger -said with easy nonchalance that he’d wait for an answer. And subsiding -into a deck chair produced his toothpick and made himself comfortable.</p> - -<p>The missive was brief and businesslike. It ran—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Private Car Mary A. Stewart waits at the dépôt to receive Captain -Taber, Mr. C. B. Adams, and any two friends they may select for -through transportation to New Bedford, Massachusetts. All charges -are paid through to destination, and all railway men are advised -to render any aid or service needed. It is advised that the party -start with the least possible delay though no time is fixed. -<span class="smcap">Oliver P. Starbuck</span>, Gen. Mgr.”</p></blockquote> - -<p>C. B. simply could not believe the plain statement made, though it was -impossible to misunderstand it. So he handed the letter to Captain -Taber, who read and murmured, “Thank God. You see,” he went on to C. -B., “that money can do something. I was dreading in every fibre of my -bones that awful journey home, and here with a stroke of his pen one of -our many wealthy friends, who does not think enough of the act to let -us know who he is so that we may thank him, makes the way smooth and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> -plain for us from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Ah me, I’m being highly -favoured, and I more than half suspect that I ought to thank you for -it. Now don’t get up on your hind legs and make a fuss, because I feel -sure I’m right.”</p> - -<p>The skipper of the <i>Golden Gate</i> was called in consultation, and he -agreed that this royal courtesy must have been paid by one of the -passengers who wished to remain unknown. And he said that he could -not help wishing that he was coming with them, for his wife was in -Liverpool, and he had not seen her for three years, while such a -chance might never occur again as long as he lived. Be sure that C. B. -cordially echoed the captain’s wish, for he dreaded the ordeal which he -felt awaited him more than he had ever feared anything before, but only -because of his anxiety for the helpless man under his charge.</p> - -<p>However, as in all such cases, there was little time for regrets or -speculation, the time pressed and departure could not be delayed. So -gathering all together C. B. and his charge were conveyed ashore, and -through the turbulent life of the city to the station, or dépôt as -it is called in the United States. The driver of the conveyance they -chartered upon getting ashore knew his business thoroughly and took -them straight to where the private car was standing in lonely majesty, -side tracked. And as they drew up alongside of it there appeared, to -their intense astonishment, the gaunt form of Mr. Stewart, who was -accompanied by his daughter.</p> - -<p>A look of perfect satisfaction was upon both their faces which changed -into an amused smile as they noted the stare of perfect bewilderment -upon the countenance of C. B. It remained there until Captain Taber -said, “Come, Christmas, what’s wrong with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> ye? have ye seen a ghost?” -Then C. B. started, apologized, and explained that somehow he had never -expected to see any of the ship’s late company again; he felt that -they were scattered far and wide. Then Mr. Stewart, having seen the -captain carefully placed within the palatial car and made comfortable -on the beautifully upholstered lounge with plenty of soft cushions, sat -down by his side, while C. B. stood looking around him in dumbfounded -amazement at the somewhat crude splendours of the car.</p> - -<p>Beckoning his daughter to a seat by his side the worthy American began -his explanation by saying—</p> - -<p>“When I learned that you had been invited to make the journey across -the Continent in a private car I hoped that you would have had company -that would be helpful to you. And just as I heard that you were going -alone I received a telegram from Boston, calling me over there on -urgent business, so I calculated that perhaps you wouldn’t mind my -daughter and myself being your guests for a week. We may be of some use -if you can put up with us.”</p> - -<p>Captain Taber turned upon the speaker a look of grateful affection and -murmured—</p> - -<p>“Don’t be afraid, Mr. Stewart, that I shall make a fuss, but do let me -say God bless you for your lovingkindness in lending us this car, for I -knew it was yours as soon as I heard the name, and for watching over us -since. He,” jerking his thumb in C. B.’s direction, “won’t bother you, -I know, won’t bother his head a little bit to whom the car belongs, -looks upon the whole affair as just another instance of God Almighty’s -particular care. I confess I can’t think yet that the Lord looks after -me to that extent, and yet I don’t know but what I will before long. -If anything could make me it would be association with that fellow. -He’s—but there, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> can’t talk about him without kinder choking! Must -be getting weak in the head.”</p> - -<p>Then they passed to other topics, Mr. Stewart proving himself to be -a golden talker upon an immense variety of subjects, while the car, -having been very gently attached to the engine, began to glide out of -the station with an easy motion almost akin to that of a ship, the -great machine being beautifully balanced upon many springs so that even -the casually laid road-bed did not make it jolt, only sway and roll -slightly, keeping up the nautical comparison. Meanwhile Miss Stewart -had taken C. B. out upon the observation platform and was pointing out -to him the various wonders through which they were passing, finding -intense enjoyment in his utter bewilderment and childlike curiosity. -And when it dawned upon her that he had never even seen a railroad -before, hardly realized that such a thing existed, she experienced all -the pleasure of a generous nature at being able to give another such a -novel series of delightful new sensations.</p> - -<p>And such sensations! C. B. was always so calm and satisfied with -the way that he believed God was leading him that any one, even his -intimate friends, might have been forgiven for calling him stolid, -unimpressionable, really not competent to feel very much. But then -no one could enter into the quiet sanctuary of his mind where sat -enthroned his Eternal Friend and Guide. Occasionally, as Miss Stewart -pointed out to him some new marvel of Nature, such as travellers have -long chanted the praise of, on that wonderful railroad line from San -Francisco to New York, he would hold up his hands and murmur—</p> - -<p>“How wonderful and glorious are your works, O my Father.” And at such -times she would gaze<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> upon him with awe as feeling that he was in a -very special sense favoured by the Most High.</p> - -<p>Then when the train flew along some swaying cobweb-like trestle -bridge with the mist beneath hiding the awful depths and a suggestion -of impalpability, of travelling upon the track of a moonbeam, was -impossible to avoid, she would cling to him in real terror, feeling, -as all sensitive intelligences must in those situations, how tenuous -a thread separated them from the next world. But she always failed to -see any change in the steady gaze of his eye, or to feel any tremor -in his firmly knit muscles, not even when they swung out around some -tremendous curve on the scarp of a mountain and the struts beneath them -sprung and complained at their weight.</p> - -<p>At last she felt a little piqued; it seemed so strange that this -entirely inexperienced man could be so free from any apprehension while -she who had seen it all so often before trembled to her heart’s core. -Was it insensibility or inability to grasp the wonderful facts, or was -it superiority of mind to all things happening upon earth because of -intimacy with the Creator of all things? And so she asked him why he -seemed so unimpressed with all these marvels that all other people held -in such awe and reverence; did he not really think them very wonderful -and inspiring? And he, turning his deep eyes from her, answered—</p> - -<p>“My dear young lady, it <i>is</i> all very wonderful, but when I look up -at the stars and the sun, or out upon the sea, I feel more impressed -at these glorious works of my Father. And I feel very small but very -happy; I think that He who does all these things by the word of His -Power condescends to notice me, to assure me that I am precious in His -sight. I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> not unconscious or dense really—I do admire and wonder, -but I cannot for one moment forget the Glory of God which is to this -amazing show as the substance is to the shadow. I feel much more than -this, but I cannot say, I only love and worship.”</p> - -<p>Alas for Miss Stewart’s happiness, she had grown to love this simple -stalwart man with an intensity that frightened her, as she had felt -that she was absolutely proof against any feeling of the kind. To all -her openness and kindness he responded respectfully yet almost as her -equal, but though the invitation to do so was almost palpable he never -overstepped an invisible line drawn between them. Old man Stewart was -indeed wise when he decided that this was a man to be trusted to the -limit.</p> - -<p>And so the great car sped on through freezing cold and scorching heat, -parched up desert and glowing prairie, until it drew near to the young -giant of the West, Chicago, that centre of the marvels of the United -States, humming with evil, fragrant with good, but in any case fully, -luxuriantly alive.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVIII</span> <span class="smaller">A Hero in Spite of Himself</span></h2> - -<p>It must not be supposed that in all these long conversations with Miss -Stewart, while her father told stories turn about with the contented -Captain Taber, C. B. ever forgot his friend for one moment. The memory -of Merritt had faded almost entirely, or only came now and then with a -little pang of contrition that such devoted love as he had been shown -by that strange man had been so little requited. Had he been given to -reasoning these things out he would have known that the secret of his -love for Captain Taber was that he had been able to give himself up -entirely to his service, for it will ever be found that the deepest -love is that which gives itself to the beloved object. True love -is self-sacrificing, not passively recipient, and so even in this -beautiful journey, surrounded by all luxury and associated with so -charming a personality as that of Miss Stewart, C. B. never for one -instant wavered in his deep affection for his charge.</p> - -<p>One night within a hundred miles of Chicago they suddenly felt the -flying train slow down, and then with a couple of heavy jolts come to a -standstill. C. B. was with the captain at the time rendering him some -personal service, and at the shock they both looked inquiringly around -and at one another. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There’s something wrong,” said the captain. “I wonder what has -happened?” He had hardly uttered the words when through the unnatural -silence there came a faint shriek, and C. B., with one glance at his -friend, rushed out into the body of the car and main saloon.</p> - -<p>There were Mr. and Miss Stewart seated in two armchairs with a -truculent looking man clad in the picturesque garb of the cowboy -standing before them holding a heavy revolver pointed at them, -while both man and woman held their hands high above their heads. -At the sound of C. B.’s footsteps the intruder wheeled and shouted, -“Stop right there,” but he spoke to the wrong individual. Without -an instant’s hesitation C. B. sprang at him, there was a flash, a -stunning report, and a crash of glass, and there upon the floor lay -the intruder with C. B. on top of him easily tearing the revolver -from him with one hand, while with the other clutching his throat. -At the same moment Miss Stewart and her father disappeared. But they -returned almost instantly, each armed with a revolver, and Mr. Stewart -bringing in addition a length of gay cord torn from the heavy curtain -before his sleeping-place. With this C. B. bound the hands of the -villainous-looking fellow he had captured so securely that he could not -move them and looked around for another piece for the feet.</p> - -<p>But Mr. Stewart said sternly, “Never mind that. Mary, watch him, and -if he moves, shoot him. Come, Mr. Christmas, we’ll get the others.” -And at the word C. B. followed where Mr. Stewart led, finding in Miss -Stewart’s apartment two more men, who caught unawares submitted to be -bound as the first one had been, under cover of Mr. Stewart’s revolver.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Now,” said Mr. Stewart, “we must look out for the rest of the gang, -who are probably walking up and down outside. But first, out lights,” -and touching a switch the whole car was immediately in darkness. But -as soon as they stepped out upon the observation platform they heard -a couple of shots. Mr. Stewart, fully cognizant of all these Western -tactics, carefully marked the direction of the flashes and fired there -twice, sinking down at once and dragging C. B. with him.</p> - -<p>After waiting about a minute and hearing a low groan from the darkness, -he said—</p> - -<p>“I don’t think there’s any more of ’em about, and we must go and see -to the engineer and his fireman,” finding them both cruelly tied up. -They released them, and Mr. Stewart curtly ordered them to put on all -the speed they could for Chicago, where explanations might be made in -quiet. Then turning to the car they hunted up the attendants, who they -found had all been treated similarly to the engineer. They released -them, and putting the captives in charge of the conductor in the -baggage car they returned to their quarters, finding Miss Stewart still -in charge of the scoundrel they had forgotten.</p> - -<p>She was soon relieved of her watch and then, with a heightened colour, -turned to C. B. and said—</p> - -<p>“Forgive me for what I said to you.”</p> - -<p>C. B. stared at her and asked—</p> - -<p>“What can you mean, Miss Stewart? How can I forgive you when you have -never done me wrong?”</p> - -<p>Then the young lady bursting into tears sobbed, “Oh, yes, I have. I -thought you were dull, stupid, and hardened because you didn’t make a -fuss, as I expected you to. And now you act like this—it’s heaping -coals of fire on my head.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span></p> - -<p>At this Mr. Stewart came along and said—</p> - -<p>“Come, my girl, get to your bed, we shall be in Chicago in about an -hour and you need all the rest you can get.”</p> - -<p>She obeyed with a look full of gratitude at C. B., who stood quite -bewildered at the sudden and strange march of events.</p> - -<p>He was not relieved when Mr. Stewart, holding out his hand, blurted -out, “Mr. Christmas, you’re the whitest man I know. And if you can -believe me, there isn’t anything that lies in my power to do for you -that I won’t do on the word. So give it a name and let me show my -gratitude.”</p> - -<p>It was then Mr. Stewart’s turn to feel astonished and set back, for C. -B. with some dignity replied, “Mr. Stewart, I don’t understand you. I -really haven’t done anything but what any man would have done. I can’t -imagine what makes you American gentlemen and ladies try and spoil a -poor man like me. Surely there is nothing wonderful or strange in my -behaviour, nothing that any man among you would not have done under the -same circumstances.”</p> - -<p>“My good boy,” answered Mr. Stewart solemnly. “Of course you don’t know -how your conduct appears to us, any more than we know how to regard -you. I can only say that I feel very humble and ordinary alongside of a -clean-souled man like you, and I know you’re worthy of any appreciation -that can be tendered you. But hark, there’s the skipper’s bell, he’ll -be anxious to know all about everything and you won’t tell him, but I -will, whatever you say, so get along with you.” And C. B., still in a -mental mist of wonder, rushed off to his charge.</p> - -<p>Captain Taber was naturally in a feverish state of excitement through -wonder. He had heard the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> shots and the rushing to and fro, imagined -all kinds of happenings as he lay there helplessly fretting and yet -ashamed of his want of confidence in the goodness of God. And now when -C. B. came swiftly gliding in, his face all aglow with eagerness, a -great wave of thankfulness rushed over him, and he held out both his -hands, saying, “Thank God you’re all right; my boy, do tell me what has -happened?”</p> - -<p>Then, first having seen that the captain wanted for nothing, C. B. told -him the stirring story in his own quiet, unexaggerated fashion, his -simple eyes brightening and his breath coming short as he realized the -danger they had all gone through and emerged triumphantly from, for -their assailants were of that desperate class who value life at less -than the smallest coin, are ready to dare anything in order to gratify -their desire for plunder, and who in this case felt quite certain of -securing a rich booty. They had lashed a huge log across the rails, -and erected by its side a pole with a red light upon it, which made -the engineer of the train slow up until he brought his engine butt up -against the obstruction, and immediately found himself threatened by -a couple of revolvers held at his face by desperate-looking men, who -threatened him with instant death, unless he obeyed their command. -Helpless to resist, he threw up his hands while they bound him and his -mate, then boarded the train itself, with the result we know.</p> - -<p>Presently, with a clanging of great bells and a hideous jolting over -badly laid points, they rolled into the great station, where a little -crowd of officials who were awaiting them sprang into the car as it -came to a rest, and greeted Mr. Stewart with that mingled air of -equality and deference which is so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> peculiarly characteristic of the -States between employés and their employers. In a few curt sentences -Mr. Stewart informed the new-comers of the events of the last couple of -hours, and then led the way to where his prisoners were lying, glaring -like trapped wolves. In a few minutes they had been removed to a patrol -wagon, which rumbled off with them to prison, and then Mr. Stewart -turned to confront a couple of night reporters, who, with the keen -scent for a story that all their class in the United States are noted -for, begged to be “put next” to the adventure, whatever it was.</p> - -<p>With a grim smile Mr. Stewart led them to the main saloon, bade them -be seated, ordered a steward to bring them refreshments, and then sent -for C. B. When our friend arrived Mr. Stewart introduced him to the -reporters as the hero of the night, assured them that he would tell -them all about it and, excusing himself, disappeared.</p> - -<p>It is impossible for me to convey any adequate idea of the contrast -between C. B. and his interlocutors, whose picturesque slang, eager -faces, and ravenous pencils all seemed to him so strange. He could -not imagine their errand, they were equally taken aback by his calm, -straight gaze and transparent simplicity. But presently, after a -rapier-like question or two, one reporter said to the other: “Hank, -we’re up against a mighty big scoop. This hold up’s only a tail-piece, -the story ahead of it’s the thing, and our friend here hain’t no idea -of the height of it. Now less go slow an’ take it between us an’, hold -on a minute——” He darted off and got the attendants to seal up the -car to any outsiders, declaring that Mr. Stewart would see nobody till -the morning, then returned to the feast. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span></p> - -<p>So C. B. told his story to the reporters, who took it down with heaven -knows what fantastic additions. They had never had such a lovely -subject before, a man who answered all their questions straightly and -simply, making no reservations. Many times they paused and looked at -him, feeling uncertain whether some colossal joke was not being put -upon them, but were reassured in spite of their brazen scepticism, and -when at last they raced off to their offices with the spoil they both -felt that they had had the time of their lives.</p> - -<p>C. B. was rather glad when they went, for he was tired, and went -straight to Captain Taber, whom he found sleeping sweetly. And, as -all the car was quiet, he too went to his comfortable bed, and, -entirely unexcited by the stirring events of the day, fell into a -deep, dreamless sleep. When he awoke it was to have thrust into his -hand by one of the car attendants two newspapers, each with flaming -headlines, describing in American journalese the happenings of the past -night. Glancing through the two and a half columns of gush he felt -his blood surge up into his head to find himself portrayed as a hero -of the highest eminence, his life history sketched out, in fact all -his quiet, open talk with those two guileful strangers transmogrified -into something that took his breath away. And even then he was unable -to grasp more than the remote fringe of the significance of those two -newspaper reports; he did not dream of the millions who would read his -story all over the United States and Canada within the next twenty-four -hours, or the fact that within a week or two the whole of the civilized -world would be talking about him.</p> - -<p>At present his feeling was one of extreme annoyance at seeing his name -in print, and making a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> hurried toilet he hastened to his friend, -Captain Taber, whom he found propped up in bed eagerly devouring the -story, and occasionally chuckling with laughter as he came across -some exceptionally turgid piece of description, or a sentence of such -extraordinary jargon of slang that even an educated American could -hardly translate it. It gave him thrills of great joy, and when he saw -the face of C. B. as he stood holding the two papers before him, he -laughed as C. B. had never heard him since his disaster.</p> - -<p>When at last he had ceased C. B. said quietly, “I don’t know why you -are so amused, sir, for I see you have been reading what those two men -wrote from what I told them last night. I think it was very wrong of -them, and I feel so ashamed of myself. I do wish I had known that they -were going to print it, I wouldn’t have told them a word. Besides, -there’s a great deal of it that isn’t true at all. It seems that where -they couldn’t remember what I told them they made up a bit to join the -story together. I must say though that it is wonderful how they can -have done it at all. It seems only a few minutes ago that I was talking -to them and here it is all in the newspapers.”</p> - -<p>“My dear, innocent Christmas,” burst in the captain, “as I’ve so often -told you, you’re too good for this world. To think how utterly out of -touch with all these things, railways, telegraphs, newspapers, etc., -you are. But try and see if you can what a lot of good your story will -do. Your life lived without effort in the sight of God has had much -more influence than you ever dreamed of or would imagine, think then of -the benefits that even this poor presentment of a bit of that life will -confer upon millions of people who will read it. I hain’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> afraid that -you’ll get above yourself by hearing yourself praised, I know to whom -you’ll give all the glory, but I do hope that you won’t refuse to see -any more of these fellows, who are sure to be after you directly. And -look here, if I know my countrymen, an’ I think I do a little, they’ll -be lots of other folks after you to-day. You’ll be offered big money to -lecture and show yourself—but I don’t think I can spare you,” and the -helpless man looked upon him wistfully.</p> - -<p>That brought C. B. to his side in a moment, saying—</p> - -<p>“Dear friend, I’ve often told you that I don’t want money, and as for -making a show of myself or talking about what I’ve done the idea’s -horrible. Since you wish it, I’ll see the newspaper men and talk to -them, but please remember that I’m not leaving you while you want me, -and when I do leave you because you don’t need me any more, I’m going -straight back home.”</p> - -<p>“All right, my boy, I never had any real doubt, only the mere thought -of losing you was so dreadful to my poor selfish heart. I’ve got -to lean on you so that I feel I couldn’t live without you now. For -to-day, anyhow, I’ll get one of the attendants to look after me; -you’ll be wanted all day long by one person and another. Oh me, I wish -this affray had never happened; I don’t know how long we may be kept -waiting——”</p> - -<p>Just then there was a firm tap at the door, and to the captain’s “Come -in” Mr. Stewart entered the room. As soon as greetings were exchanged -the captain inquired eagerly—</p> - -<p>“Is this thing going to delay us long, sir? I’m so anxious to get home.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Stewart’s brow contracted as he replied— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Not if I can help it, captain. It wouldn’t hinder you anyhow, because -you know nothing of it; but your friend’s a principal witness. Still, I -know how knit you are together—you can’t do without him. My influence -is not here what it is in San Francisco, but I’ll use what I’ve got -to get the trial expedited for your sake.” Then turning to C. B., he -said, “Well, Christmas, you’ve got fame by the bucketful this morning, -haven’t ye? How do you like it?”</p> - -<p>“Not a little bit, Mr. Stewart,” interrupted the captain; “he came in -here to me this morning with his face all afire. An’ but that I don’t -think he can get real angry, I believe he would have been mad with me -because he found me laughing over the story. However, I’ve soothed him -by telling him what a lot of good it will do, and now, I think, he’ll -be quite reconciled to the next batch of reporters that comes along.”</p> - -<p>“That’s principally what I’ve come in about, captain,” said Mr. -Stewart. “So far, the report has been all right and there’s no harm -done, but I’m a bit afraid that the gang that will surely arrive -presently will try to mix up Mary’s name with it, invent some fool -story about her and Christmas that’ll hurt us all like the devil. Now, -what I wanted to do was to warn you, Christmas, on this one point. Tell -those fellows everything you can, for the more you tell ’em the less -chance they’ll have to invent; but try and make ’em keep my girl’s name -out of it, won’t ye?” This last almost imploringly.</p> - -<p>C. B. drew himself up a little as he replied—</p> - -<p>“How could I tell them anything about Miss Stewart beyond what has -been already printed, unless I told falsehoods, invented a story like -a reporter does? I know nothing, and if I did I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> should refuse to say -anything about another person’s business.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Stewart looked doubtfully at him as if mistrusting, not his -truthfulness or honour, but his ability to prevent those reporters from -turning him inside out like a glove, and gave a sigh, which Captain -Taber noticing, made him remark, “I think, Mr. Stewart, that you can -trust C. B.’s invincible honesty and truth to be a match for men who -are so accustomed to deal with the opposite qualities that they will be -hopelessly overmatched.”</p> - -<p>At that moment an attendant knocked at the door, and entering, said—</p> - -<p>“Three gentlemen to see Mr. Adams.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Billy,” answered Mr. Stewart. “Go on, my boy; we can’t do -better I’m sure than leave you to yourself in this matter. I was a fool -to try and interfere.” And he gave C. B. a playful push out of the door.</p> - -<p>The attendant was waiting for him and ushered him into the main saloon, -where there sat three of the most divergent types of men one could -imagine. One had, in spite of his good, well-cut clothes, an air of -seediness about him, want of brushing, cigar ash, up all night kind -of appearance; he was a reporter. The next was obviously a parson -of sorts, yet with a keen business air about him too, which rather -belied his white tie. The third was the most objectionable person of -the three, as far as looks went. He was gross, with a great belly and -bulbous nose. His rather dirty hands were loaded with heavy rings, and -a massive gold watch-chain lay across the big rotundity of his stomach. -His clothes were of a violent pattern check, his broad-brimmed felt -hat was worn at the back of his head, a gaudy <i>boutonnière</i> adorned -his coat lapel, a fat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> cigar was between his purple lips, he fingered -a huge roll of bills ostentatiously, and spat frequently wherever it -pleased him.</p> - -<p>As soon as C. B. appeared all three arose and extended their hands in -greeting. They all began to talk at once, but the reporter, holding up -his hand, said—</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen, please let’s start fair. We can’t do a thing like this. I -was here first, but I’m willing to meet you any reasonable way, and I -propose to shake for the first deal.” Before either of the others could -reply C. B. said quietly—</p> - -<p>“Are all you gentlemen reporters?”</p> - -<p>“Me every time,” answered the reporter gaily, but the other two -expressed their feelings at the question by a very decided negative.</p> - -<p>“Then,” went on C. B., “I think if this gentleman,” nodding to the -reporter, “will have a moment’s patience, I can promise him I will not -keep him waiting long. What do you wish with me, sir?” to the parson. -That gentleman said immediately—</p> - -<p>“Oh, my committee have authorized me to invite you to preach at our -church in —— Street to-night and incidentally tell the story of -your late experiences. They are prepared to meet your views as to the -honorarium, within limits, of course.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you very much,” replied C. B. “No. And you?” turning to the -gross man.</p> - -<p>“Wall, I guess I’m the representative of the Mammoth Vaudeville -Syndicate of the United States, and I’m prepared to book you for a -hundred nights at $100 a night to reel off that yarn of yours on the -stage an’——”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” interrupted C. B. “No.”</p> - -<p>“And now,” turning to the reporter, and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span>absolutely ignoring the other -two. “I am at your service.”</p> - -<p>The reporter gave a wicked little snigger at the two discomfited -competitors and plunged into his business.</p> - -<p>From thenceforward throughout, the whole of the time of C. B. was -thus occupied, but to every other class of persons beside reporters -he returned the same curt answer “No.” All, however, did not take it -as the first pair had done, the photographers especially being almost -painfully persistent. But, having made up his mind to a certain course -of action, believing it to be right, there was no hope of turning -C. B.; he was adamant, although as kind and yielding as could be in -anything that he felt did not matter.</p> - -<p>At last, as he was dismissing the fiftieth interviewer, Mr. Stewart -came in and laying his hand upon C. B.’s shoulder said kindly—</p> - -<p>“Come on, dear boy, and have some food, you must need it. Billy, if -anybody else calls and wants to see Mr. Adams, tell them that he is -engaged until 6 p.m., and that no one is to see him until then. Now you -understand what I mean. No one, whatever their business may be.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” replied the attendant, and C. B. left to wash his face and -hands and have a comfortable meal.</p> - -<p>It was, except for C. B., the happiest luncheon any of them had taken -for a long time, for C. B.’s solemn description—he had hardly any -idea of a joke—of the various demands of his visitors made them rock -with laughter. Especially Captain Taber; but Miss Stewart was quite -sympathetic, except that she could not help smiling at the simplicity -of C. B.’s supposition that the majority of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> these people would take -“No” for an answer. He said—</p> - -<p>“We were taught, ‘let your yea be yea, and nay, nay, for whatsoever is -more than these cometh of evil’; and yet some of these people wouldn’t -believe me, though I said no as plainly as I could say it more than a -dozen times.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, well,” said Mr. Stewart at last, “your best time is yet to come. -This afternoon you are to be at the Court to give evidence at the -trial, and then, if I mistake not, there will be fun. Hallo, what’s -that?” as an attendant came hurriedly in with a dirty envelope which he -handed to C. B., saying—</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t have brought it, sir, but the guy that give it me held a -gun at me head and said if I didn’t he’d empty it into me.”</p> - -<p>Not a word was spoken as C. B. opened it and read—</p> - -<p>“There’s a thousand dollars in gold ready for you if you say in court -you never seen the prisoners before, that you don’t recognize ’em. -There’s another thousand if they get acquitted through your evidence. -And there’s sudden death for the hull gang of you if they get sent up. -Bearer waits.”</p> - -<p>C. B. then handed the note to Mr. Stewart, who quietly tore it in -pieces and handed the little pile to the attendant saying—</p> - -<p>“Give him that. And call Simpson in.” The man disappeared and a minute -later a big pleasant-looking man came in and walked up to Mr. Stewart, -who said—</p> - -<p>“Simpson, Mr. Adams here has just received an offer of a thousand -dollars to refuse identification, two thousand if the road agents are -acquitted, and sudden death to all of us if they’re not. I’ve torn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> -the note up and given it back to the man, but that doesn’t matter, of -course. Just attend to it, won’t ye.”</p> - -<p>And Simpson bowed and retired, while the party resumed their luncheon. -But Miss Stewart looked grave and said little, though she looked at C. -B. occasionally with keenest concern. Otherwise there was no apparent -change of demeanour in any of the men. And after coffee, while the two -Americans smoked, C. B. sat in calmest mood and meditated over the -events of the morning.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIX</span> <span class="smaller">C. B.’s Awakening</span></h2> - -<p>At 2 p.m., a hack being in waiting, the two men and Miss Stewart were -driven to the Court through the swarming streets, C. B. remarking -once or twice that he never thought there were so many people in the -world. He also inquired earnestly what they were all hurrying so for, -and Mr. Stewart told him that all the people he saw were divided into -two classes, the one class rushing after money to add to their already -overfat store in order to get more power, the other, and by far the -larger class, were being hunted by the gaunt spectre of want. They had -to rush or starve, and when one of them fell by the wayside there was -little hope of him ever rising again, his fellows would trample him to -death.</p> - -<p>C. B. heaved a great sigh and thought sadly of the lot of these poor -people as compared with the happiness of his own folk, and a great -longing came over him for that peaceful isle. The next moment he -repented of the feeling as being cowardly. He thought if these poor -folk had to bear the burden of what he took to be intolerant misery, he -could surely endure to look upon them doing so. And then they pulled up -at the Court.</p> - -<p>Like a man in a dream C. B. was conducted to a place where he and his -friends were allowed to seat themselves, and there he gazed around and -listened uncomprehendingly, his mind in a whirl of wonder.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> At last -their case was called, and the prisoners, each guarded by a warder, -stood up for identification. There was some little trouble about the -oath, which Miss Stewart and her father took unhesitatingly, but which -C. B., after having it explained to him two or three times, resolutely -refused to utter. His attitude was reported to the judge, who said -sharply—</p> - -<p>“What religion do you profess?”</p> - -<p>“Christianity,” respectfully replied C. B.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but what sect, branch, or denomination of Christianity do you -belong to?” snapped the judge.</p> - -<p>“I do not know of any,” calmly replied C. B.</p> - -<p>“Come, come,” the judge went on, growing irritable, “we must have no -paltering with the time of the Court. If you are a Christian you must -take the oath, unless you have any conscientious objections. Why do you -object to swear?”</p> - -<p>A bright ray of intelligence lit up C. B.’s face as he realized the -question, and he gravely answered—</p> - -<p>“I was taught in the Bible to swear not at all, but to let my yea be -yea and my nay nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” sneered the judge, and, turning to the Clerk of the Court, -“let him affirm. He’s only a new kind of crank after all.” So C. B. -was allowed to make his affirmation to tell the truth, Miss Stewart -gazing at him with wonder-filled eyes as she realized how immeasurably -above these keen-faced unscrupulous men of the world and of law was -this quiet young man with the peaceful face standing among them like a -visitor from some other world.</p> - -<p>The preliminaries being completed he was asked for his story of the -“Hold up,” and gave it in a manner that impressed every one in Court, -especially the judge, for it was clear, succinct and unbiassed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> not -a needless word or repetition. When he had concluded he was asked -if he identified the men before him as the intending robbers, and -unhesitatingly answered yes. Then the prisoner’s counsel took him in -hand, a man with a great reputation for compelling the most innocent -of witnesses to contradict themselves and look like perjurers, a -master of that vile practice of making witnesses suffer more than -the criminal. But for once he had met his match. To his thundering -invective, abuse, sarcasm, and crafty suggestions C. B. presented his -unconscious integrity and perfect innocence. He could not be terrified -or made contradict himself, and his past life, that bug-bear of so many -witnesses who are perfectly honest and truthful as well as desirous of -aiding justice, had no dark corners in it. And after a few minutes the -loud-voiced advocate retired discomfited, not having been able to shake -C. B.’s evidence in the least, but having conclusively directed the -attention of the public to the wonderful sincerity of the witness.</p> - -<p>Mr. Stewart’s evidence was taken more briefly, as it was in effect -but a repetition of C. B.’s, and Miss Stewart, in accordance with -the chivalric American custom, was spared as much as possible. In -these later days I see that woman is no longer immune from insult and -contumely as a witness, even in America, but at the time of which I -write it would have fared ill there with any lawyer who should have -dared to browbeat a woman in a witness box. So that the trial really -took very little time. The addresses of counsel were brief, for indeed -the abominable gang, of which the three men in the dock formed the -principal part, had for long terrorized the district where at last they -were caught, and except among their own class, which, however,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> is a -very numerous one in Chicago, they had no sympathizers.</p> - -<p>So when the judge rose to deliver his charge to the jury he was brief -and incisive. “We have here,” he said, “three road agents who have -been caught by their intended victims. There is no manner of doubt -as to their intentions or identity. They have attempted to bribe the -principal witness, and failing in that they have threatened his life -if he does his duty to society, both courses, I am glad to say, being -signally unsuccessful. I await your verdict with confidence, because it -is high time that we in Chicago show the rest of the States that they -have no monopoly of justice, a statement which has rather frequently -been made of late.”</p> - -<p>Without retiring the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty, and -the judge immediately took up his parable again to the effect that he -entirely agreed with the jury’s verdict, and that he sentenced all the -prisoners to ten years in the State prison. “And,” he added, “if either -of these innocent persons who have so manfully done their duty here -to-day are molested in any way, I trust that the State of Illinois will -rise to the occasion and hunt the vermin who would commit such a crime -from the face of the earth.”</p> - -<p>In ten minutes they were all in the carriage again and driving back -to the car, a stranger to C. B. seated beside the driver. Before they -had reached the car, however, there was a little tinkling noise in the -carriage which made them all look at each other in wonder, until Mr. -Stewart pointed quietly with his forefinger to two tiny round holes in -the windows, showing the passage of a bullet. Miss Stewart turned very -pale, but as she looked at C. B. and saw how absolutely unconcerned he -was, her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> colour came back and she softly murmured what had become a -sort of litany to her, her thanks for having been privileged to know -such a man.</p> - -<p>They reached the car without further incident, to find it besieged by a -crowd of people who wanted all sorts of things, principally interviews -and photographs, and others who only wanted to gape and shake hands, -for which somehow Americans have a mania. But the man on the box, -leaping down, made a way through the crowd for the three friends, and -as soon as they were within the car Mr. Stewart said—</p> - -<p>“As soon as we have ‘line clear’ tell the engineer to get out of -this, and let us have dinner as soon as you will, with the blinds and -shutters down. I don’t want any potting at me while I am having my -food.”</p> - -<p>In ten minutes the attendant returned with the news that the engine was -now backing on and that in a few seconds they would be on their way out -of the great Lake City at a good rate.</p> - -<p>All this time Captain Taber had been suffering tortures of suspense. He -had not learned the secret possessed by his friend. “Thou shalt keep -him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” To C. B.’s inquiry -how he felt he replied hastily, “Oh, my dear man, don’t bother about my -health, that’s as usual, but I’m et up with longing to know how you got -on in the midst of all them Chicago sharks. Do tell me, but say, first, -are we gettin’ out o’ this?”</p> - -<p>“We’re off in a minute, I believe,” answered C. B., and as he spoke the -car began to move.</p> - -<p>“Thank God,” breathed the skipper, and C. B. settled down to the task -of telling him the whole story in his easy, simple style. It took but -little time in the telling, and as soon as he had finished the skipper, -beaming on him with a smile of intense<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> satisfaction, pointed to a -pile of newspapers lying on a chair, and said with a touch of pride, -“There’s American enterprise for you, you seem to be the best talked-of -man in Chicago to-day.”</p> - -<p>C. B. made a small grimace expressive of his utter want of desire to -read more about himself and replied—</p> - -<p>“I am only grateful to get away. It is all very wonderful, but I don’t -like it, and I am sure it is not good for you, you don’t look nearly as -well as when I left you last. Ah, there’s nothing like the peace of God -for soul and body, and I’m afraid there’s little room for it among your -people.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t say that,” eagerly interrupted the skipper. “In dear Fairhaven -there is peace, and please God we’ll soon be there. Then you’ll see the -difference between the welter of Chicago and a New England village.” -Just then Mr. Stewart and his daughter walked in, and after warmly -greeting the captain, Mr. Stewart said drily—</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ve escaped, and now if we have luck we’ll be in Boston in -about thirty-six hours. I hope so, for I begin to feel my fingers itch -for business again. I haven’t got the hang of you fellows’ minds quite. -I want to be in the midst of it all again. But you wouldn’t understand, -so I shan’t try to explain. Mind, I’m not saying that you’re wrong, but -I can’t feel as you do, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>Then Miss Stewart chimed in quietly—</p> - -<p>“Daddy, you know they are right. What good do we get out of all this -fret and hurry? Mr. Christmas seems to me to know better than any of us -how to live, and as far as I am concerned I am willing to learn of him -both how to live and die.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all very well,” rejoined her father lightly, “but in the -meantime in order to live at all we must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> have some food, and I guess -it’s about ready now. The car’s going a good lick, near forty miles -an hour, and I don’t think the friends of our late guests have got -much chance to molest us.” And in pleasant mood they all sat down to a -comfortable meal.</p> - -<p>After dinner C. B. retired with the captain, leaving Miss Stewart and -her father alone. They sat silent for a few minutes, and then Miss -Stewart, rising, came over to her father, who sat meditatively puffing -at his cigar and murmured—</p> - -<p>“Daddy, what shall I do?”</p> - -<p>“How, my dear?” responded her father, with a look of deepest love in -his eyes as he bent them upon her. “I’ve always talked to you about -everything since ever I can remember, and I am so glad because it helps -me to say what I want now, for I could not even say it to mother.”</p> - -<p>“Go on, dear one,” murmured the old man soothingly.</p> - -<p>“I love that young man, daddy, with all my heart and soul and strength. -And I know that I am not doing wrong, because all that I love in him -comes direct from God, the God whom he’s always talking about and knows -so well. But he doesn’t love me, I’m afraid, at least he doesn’t show -any sign that he does, and what am I to do?”</p> - -<p>Her father looked at her seriously and said nothing for a minute. Then -he said—</p> - -<p>“My darling girl, you can’t throw yourself at a man, not if he was half -an angel. I love the young fellow too, and if he came to me and asked -me for you, I should forget all about dollars and send him to you. But -he hasn’t, and if I know anything of him he won’t. I don’t believe he’s -ever had a thought about marryin’ or givin’ in marriage. In fact, I’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> -own to you that I can’t make him out. He’s a different breed of man -to any that I ever met before. However, dear one, believe this, your -father’s with you, heart and soul, and short of going to him and askin’ -him if he’ll be kind enough to take my daughter for a wife, I’ll do -anything you ask me. Your happiness, my love, that’s what I live for.”</p> - -<p>And the train sped relentlessly onward until in thirty-four hours from -Chicago the big car rolled easily into the huge station at Boston, -where by some mysterious means another coterie of journalists were -awaiting them. Again poor C. B. was chosen as the medium whereby the -Bostonians could acquire the information that apparently they thirsted -for. But as no man can possibly have such an experience as he and -remain quite ignorant of the task imposed upon him, so C. B. rose to -the occasion, and surprised the interviewers by the astuteness of his -answers. Of course he had been coached by both Mr. Stewart and Captain -Taber, and something was due also to the difference between the methods -of the journalists of Boston and those of Chicago. At any rate an hour -after their arrival they were all safely installed in the comfortable -Parker House, and feeling more at home than they had done since they -left San Francisco or rather the <i>Golden Gate</i>.</p> - -<p>And now for the first time Captain Taber sent a telegram acquainting -his wife and children with the fact that he would soon be among them. -He had not done so before, so as not to prolong their suspense, and -as to writing, it had been quite out of the question as they had come -more swiftly than a letter could have done. So that now while they were -imagining him sailing about looking for whales in some unfrequented -ocean on the other side of the world, there suddenly came to them the -shock of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> his being quite near, and their hearts sank beneath the -apprehension of calamity.</p> - -<p>The news fled from one end of Fairhaven to the other, and over to New -Bedford and its environs with great swiftness, for it was felt that -something serious must have happened to the ship or her skipper would -not have come home. And such excitement as these stern New Englanders -ever allow themselves to feel steadily rose until it affected the whole -neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the little group at the Parker House had come to the parting -of the ways, and Mr. Stewart, remembering his daughter’s earnest -appeal, was almost at his wits’ end what to do in the matter. He felt -that to offer to go farther with the two men would be superfluous and -obtrusive, and yet he could not bear to part from them like this. For -not only had he his daughter’s happiness very near his heart, but he -had grown to love the patient suffering skipper, whose career had thus -been cut short in the prime of his days, and he felt that now if ever -was a time to make some good use of his great wealth. In his perplexity -it suddenly occurred to him to do the straight thing, go to the skipper -at once and tell him his trouble about his daughter, and then lead from -that up to his intentions or desires about the skipper himself. Here -was a case he felt where any diplomacy would fail.</p> - -<p>And while he was thus deciding, his daughter in an agony of doubt and -apprehension had locked herself in her cabin. She felt so helpless, so -little confident that even her good and powerful father would be able -to help her, and yet she seemed certain that unless she became the wife -of C. B., life for her would be henceforth a dreary blank. And she was -no foolish girl, but an extremely level-headed young<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> woman, only—she -had hardly all her life known what it was to have a desire thwarted, -and now in what she felt must be the one object of her life there -appeared no way of obtaining it. She had seen C. B. put aside with calm -dignity offer after offer of wealth, she had listened to the kind level -tones of his voice and noted that the ring of passion never came into -it, and had sometimes wondered whether he was not an abnormal man in -whom love was so diffused that it could never be concentrated upon one -single object. Then with a despairing little moan she flung herself on -her knees and prayed to God for this good man’s love. In this she felt -a thrill of sympathy with her beloved one, who in reply to a question -of her one evening as to what he did if he wanted something very much -and saw no way of getting it, said—</p> - -<p>“I should ask God for it, but I should ask Him too not to let me have -it if it were not good for me.”</p> - -<p>So she prayed with deepest fervour but without the proviso, and never -felt that she might be doing so without any warrant, not feeling at all -inclined to resign herself to the will of God, but feeling that unless -she got what she craved for she was aggrieved. A very common attitude, -an easily explainable one too, but oh, how sadly illogical. Because -it is certain that if we believe in the Infinite Wisdom as well as -Infinite Power of God we must be contented to be refused our requests -sometimes. And all of us who have prayed earnestly to God for something -we wanted very badly as we thought, have known what it is to get our -request granted, and afterwards, it may be many years after, to repent -bitterly that ever our prayer was heard. It is one of the experiences -of all Christians, yet few indeed are there of us who learn to pray -with absolute sincerity, “Thy will be done.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span></p> - -<p>Captain Taber, lying waiting for the summons to the train, recognized -the firm tap on the door announcing Mr. Stewart, and cried heartily, -“Come in.” His friend entered, noting with satisfaction that C. B. was -not present—he had gone to see about the baggage. So advancing to -Captain Taber’s side he held out his hand and said—</p> - -<p>“I’ve come to bid you good-bye, my friend, for you are practically at -home, and urgent business calls me away. But before I go I want to ask -you one or two things in confidence. We know one another pretty well -now, and I feel I can trust you with my life if necessary. First my -daughter has confessed to me that she’s in love with that noble chap -who has nursed you all the way home. I sounded him on the subject -carefully when I felt inclined to suspect him of having designs, as a -money grubber like myself would, and he satisfied me that his soul was -as white, his mind as pure of any intention of the kind as an angel’s -might have been.</p> - -<p>“Then, as you know, I took no further precautions to keep them apart, -for I felt I could trust my girl, and I knew he was sound. But she has -been in love with him all the time, and at last feeling she was going -to lose him came to her old daddy. And her old daddy, who would die for -her, can’t help her here. The man doesn’t seem to understand love as -ordinary men understand it. That he’s got no money and doesn’t want any -doesn’t matter to me a straw. I’ve got a good deal more than is good -for me, and I know to my cost just how little happiness there is in a -lot of money. Tell me, dear man, could you find out for me soon, and -let me know whether you think he has any of the love for my daughter -that a husband ought to have, and if it is his modesty holding him -back? </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Then about yourself! I know you’ve been a man who has used all the -energy and wit you’ve had to good purpose as far as you were able, and -that it’s very probable that this disaster that has overtaken you has -found you but poorly fixed to face what may be and I hope will be a -long life, but of enforced leisure. Now I have often made more money in -an hour than you have in all your life by the hardest of hard work, and -I am going to ask you as an act of kindness to me to let me do an act -of justice, that is to settle upon you a sufficient sum to keep you and -your wife in decent comfort all your life.”</p> - -<p>Captain Taber was about to speak, but Mr. Stewart raised his hand -saying—</p> - -<p>“Hold on a minute! what I am proposing is not, cannot be, at all -derogatory to your independence. It shall be known to none but you, and -alas, that I should have to say so, I cannot claim it as a virtue, for -in the first place I shall not miss it from my bank account, and in the -next it will give me more real pleasure than anything else in the world -except seeing my daughter happy. Now then.”</p> - -<p>Two big tears rolled quickly out of Captain Taber’s eyes and down his -cheeks as he strove to speak. At last he said—</p> - -<p>“Stewart, I would refuse if I could, but how can I? I’m a broken man -and all I have been able to save, having been a fairly lucky whaleman -too, is five thousand dollars. I have three youngsters, two boys and a -girl, none old enough to begin the world, and I have been worried about -the future. But Christmas taught me to pray and rest in the Lord, and -since then I’ve been happier, feeling that He would see me through in -His own way.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s settled then,” replied Mr. Stewart going to the bell and -touching it. “I’ll fix you $750 a year so tight that you can’t give -it away or lend it to anybody except quarterly, and I guess that’ll -see you through in Fairhaven without making you feel too wealthy. Now -about the other matter. Here I’m in your hands and I feel that there’s -nothing I wouldn’t do to straighten this out. If you can help me to a -successful issue I’ll feel eternally grateful.”</p> - -<p>“Stewart,” solemnly responded Captain Taber, “I can assure you that -I’ve often felt that I could pray that your daughter and Christmas -would come together. I’ve watched them together, and I’ve watched -him, and I’ve watched you, little as you think it, and I’ve just wore -my head thin scheming. But I felt that you wouldn’t have it at any -price. I wasn’t quite sure of Miss Stewart, and as for him, I often -felt that I could shake him for not having more get up and git. But -oh, Stewart, we need to reconsider our position when we think of him, -so brave, kind, gentle and loving—I swear I haven’t yet been able -to lay my finger on a sore spot in him yet, except maybe his temper, -which has boiled over twice and made things hum. Now, honest injun, -I don’t believe he loves your girl a bit more than he does me, and I -feel sure that he loves her in the same way. That’s no good to her. She -wants a husband as well as a friend. I may be wrong. Anyhow, I’ll know -soon, and as soon as I know you shall. I cannot promise more honestly, -because I have no more influence over him than the wind, nor I believe -has anybody in this world unless it is some of those folks of his in -Norfolk Island.”</p> - -<p>Just then there came a tap at the door, and in walked C. B., his face -bright and keen, saying— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All is ready now, Captain Taber, and we’ve nice time to get to the -dépôt I’m told.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Stewart looked up quietly and said—</p> - -<p>“Well, you haven’t left us much time to bid you good-bye, Christmas!”</p> - -<p>A look of blank amazement stole over C. B.’s face as he said slowly—</p> - -<p>“I had no idea that we were separating, it never occurred to me. Please -forgive me,” and he looked so distressed that Mr. Stewart said kindly: -“Don’t worry, of course you didn’t know. Captain Taber didn’t know -until I told him just now. But it’s a fact all the same, and anyhow -long farewells are bad for anybody. Mary will just come in and say -good-bye, and we shall end a very pleasant trip in the usual way.”</p> - -<p>C. B. still stood looking like a man who had received a very heavy blow -when Miss Stewart came in through the half-open door looking very pale -and worn. Her heavy-lidded eyes were full of tears, and the sight of -her completed C. B.’s discomfiture. Sinking into a chair he covered his -face with his hands and sobbed like a boy. “I didn’t know, I didn’t -think,” wailed he, “or I would have been kinder, more thoughtful, more -thankful. Oh, I am so sorry we are parting.”</p> - -<p>Miss Stewart could bear it no longer, but rising swiftly from the chair -she had sank into on first entering she rushed across to him flung her -arms around his neck and cried—</p> - -<p>“We need never separate unless you want to. If you only knew how we, -well yes, I, love you....”</p> - -<p>At this the young man lifted his face and looked at her. All his long -dormant love towards her awoke at that gaze, and he reached for her -with his long powerful arms, while she, blushing crimson<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> from her hair -to her collar, laid her dear head upon his shoulder.</p> - -<p>The two men in the background, looking on, felt their hearts swell, -their eyes grow moist, and their throats become husky at the scene, -but they turned solemnly to each other and shook hands. At that moment -there was a loud rap at the door; it opened and a rough voice said—</p> - -<p>“Th’ hackman says ye’ve just got time to get ye’re train if yez come -now.”</p> - -<p>They all sprang to their feet except the captain, and in two minutes -were all seated in the hack being rattled at breakneck speed towards -the station. On the way Mr. Stewart said—</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess that business of mine’ll have to wait after all, for -I can’t leave ye now until I see ye safe in New Bedford. But then -I <i>must</i> leave and attend to things. I’ve neglected them too long -already.”</p> - -<p>At this all laughed merrily, for the three of them had no idea of the -magnitude of the interests involved, and the principal actor, Mr. -Stewart, behaved in the fullness of his joy as if a million or so of -dollars more or less could make no possible difference to him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XX</span> <span class="smaller">C. B.’s Task Concludes</span></h2> - -<p>As they sped away through the pleasant New England scenery towards -New Bedford, Mary Stewart was entirely happy. She sat by her lover’s -side on one of the seats in the crowded car, entirely oblivious of the -admiring glances directed at her by the men and at him by the women. -She had all the literature of that stern historic coast at her tongue’s -end, although this was her first actual visit, and vividly remembered -now, as she had never done before, how deeply the story of the -Pilgrim Fathers would touch her beloved one. And so she chatted away, -interesting him beyond measure, but with all a woman’s tact, keeping -back the painful side, the cruel intolerance, the witch burnings, -whippings and other cruelties practised in the name of the gentle -Saviour by a community which had only just escaped from the same sort -of treatment.</p> - -<p>So the time flew by until the train drew up at the funny little old -station at New Bedford, much the same then as it is now, for the -American railways do not believe in spending much money either on -permanent way or stations. And as the train stopped, a bonny but -sad-eyed woman pressed her face to the window of the car, and Captain -Taber, forgetting his pain, rose up and tried to open the sash, for it -was his wife. The effort was too much<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> for him and he sank back into -C. B.’s arms, ready to receive him, while she, having also recognized -her beloved one, though so sadly changed, came gliding round with the -swiftness of love up the aisle, and dodging under C. B.’s supporting -arms laid the dear head on her breast. “My boy, my love, what have they -done to you? My pet, my own!” At this sacred scene all eyes turned -away, and most of them were wet.</p> - -<p>But C. B., who had only yielded a little from innate delicacy, now said -(he had never taken his eyes off his friend’s face)—</p> - -<p>“Dear lady, your husband is well but weak. Please let us get him home -where you can be in comfort together, and then you shall have him all -to yourself.”</p> - -<p>She turned a grateful eye upon C. B. and said—</p> - -<p>“He evidently isn’t very well, will you help me to get him to a hack?”</p> - -<p>C. B. looked round and caught Mr. Stewart’s eye, who standing outside -the car, made signs that he had engaged a conveyance to take their -friend up. So they carried the half-fainting man to the hack, which -was roomy and comfortable, and were joined on the way by his eldest -son and daughter, a stalwart pair of twelve and fourteen years old -respectively. And then C. B., having seen his friend comfortably -bestowed, and ascertained that his wife and children would have no -difficulty in getting him into their house at their journey’s end, -stepped aside and allowed them to drive off, his native modesty -refusing to allow him to suggest that he might accompany them for fear -of seeming to intrude.</p> - -<p>And as he watched them drive away a sense of great loss and loneliness -fell upon him. For the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> moment he forgot his good friends the Stewarts, -forgot everything but the salient fact that he had faithfully fulfilled -his task, and now at the end of it stood penniless and deserted in a -strange town thousands of miles from his home. A man came up to him and -asked him if he wanted a hotel, and he shrank back bewildered as he -realized that he was in very truth homeless. Then with a joyful tide -of recollection he thought of the Stewarts, and turned and rushed back -into the dépôt meeting them just coming out.</p> - -<p>And then the beautiful bright face of his beloved looking so -searchingly at him as if she knew what he had just felt, and the -knowledge of all that he possessed in her made his heart leap and his -eyes fill. Mr. Stewart queried kindly, “Have ye disposed of our friend -satisfactorily—handed him over to his folks?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied C. B. “His wife and son and daughter came for him, and -as they said they could look after him all right and he was still -half unconscious I stepped aside and let them drive away with him. I -didn’t realize until they were gone how dependent I have been on him in -another way. And then I remembered you and Mary here and I was full of -gladness, because apart from our love I should have been very lonely -in this big town. And I have no money. I am beginning to see that out -in the world one must have money, and that it cannot be despised as I -thought.”</p> - -<p>Mary’s face glowed as she caught at C. B.’s arm and cried—</p> - -<p>“Ah, you dear unselfish love, I am so glad that you will never need to -know the value of money or worry about it. It is a good thing in its -place, and I’m never going to run it down, for my dear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> daddy has taken -care that I never needed any, only I do know so many people who are -eaten up with the love of it, I’ve seen and heard of so many horrible -things being done for it, that I dread its power.”</p> - -<p>“All very well, my dear,” interposed her father drily; “in the meantime -I’d like to suggest that this isn’t the most convenient place to hold -forth on economic topics. The hack is waiting and we’ll get along to -the hotel if you don’t mind.”</p> - -<p>Mary laughingly assented and the old gentleman led the way to the hack, -which speedily whirled them off to the comfortable old hostelry on -Purchase Street, the Parker House, where in a few minutes they were -quite at home, much more so, in fact, than they had been in the immense -and luxurious building of the same name in Boston.</p> - -<p>They went to their respective rooms and again C. B. felt the sense of -loss that he had experienced when first the captain was taken away from -him. He had realized that sooner or later they must separate, but in -his constant fashion he had not anticipated trouble of that kind and -now it seemed almost as if a limb had been lopped off. It was hard work -too to keep down a rising feeling of resentment against those innocent -ones who had claimed their own, not being aware what C. B. had been to -him. While he thus thought a bell boy came up to him and asked—</p> - -<p>“Are you Mr. Adams?”</p> - -<p>C. B. answered courteously that he was.</p> - -<p>“Then,” went on the messenger, “thar’s a boy here says he’d like to -speak to ye,” and turning beckoned into the apartment the same lad whom -C. B. had met at the station and known as Captain Taber’s son. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, my lad,” said C. B. kindly, “what can I do for you?”</p> - -<p>“Father’s better now,” responded the youth, “but he’s in a terrible -takin’ about your not comin’ to our house, we don’t know how t’ pacify -him. The only thing would do was for me to come off at once and bring -you along.”</p> - -<p>C. B. immediately decided to go of course, but bade the youth wait -while he informed his friends. Having done so and excused himself till -dinner, he announced to the lad that he was ready, and in two minutes -they were on their way to sweet Fairhaven. As they drove along, the -youth, getting better of his shyness, asked question after question, -the principal point of which was “How did you save my father’s life? he -says he owes his life to you, and talks as if we’d pushed you off our -doorstep.” This last in a somewhat aggrieved tone.</p> - -<p>C. B. was hard put to it to explain to this keen lad all the -circumstances of the case, but he did his best, and by the time they -reached the captain’s modest home the lad knew nearly as much as he did -himself about the matter.</p> - -<p>As they pulled up at the porch they heard the captain’s voice within -crying, “Run, Delia, see if that’s him; Lord, do make haste, do.” And -Mrs. Taber came rushing out on the veranda with her face flushed, but -as she saw C. B. she extended her hand saying—</p> - -<p>“If I’d only known, but you didn’t let on a word; to think that in -the first hour of that poor dear’s home-coming we should nearly -quarrel over a stranger. Forgive me, won’t ye, I didn’t know.” And -she literally dragged him into the room where, spread out to best -advantage, the most valued possessions of the family were displayed. -And in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> the midst of it all lay Captain Taber, in an easy chair, a high -flush upon his cheeks and a glitter in his eyes that made C. B. look -very serious as he came towards him.</p> - -<p>As he stooped over his friend, the skipper made a feeble grab at him -with one hand and at his wife with the other, and in a voice broken -with tears he exclaimed—</p> - -<p>“Here, Delia, look at him! but for him you’d never seen me again, I -know it. He’s borne with me with such overflowing, never-failing love -from the other side of the world—I can’t ever tell you what this -beloved fellow has been to me. An’ then to think that he should be left -standin’ at the station like a hired man, it’s just heart-breakin’, -that’s what it is.”</p> - -<p>“Now, dear friend,” broke in the gentle voice of C. B., “you’re doing -yourself harm and giving us all pain for nothing. Nobody was to blame. -You were unconscious, your wife didn’t know me, we were all anxious -that you should be got home as soon as ever it could be done, and of -course I couldn’t stop to explain. Besides, I set out to bring you back -to your wife and children, and once you were there what better thing -could I do than step aside and let them rejoice over you?”</p> - -<p>As he ceased the skipper looked up, his eyes still humid with love, and -after gazing for a moment into C. B.’s clear eyes he turned to his wife -with a happy sigh and said—</p> - -<p>“Darling, don’t be hurt, forgive me if I’ve wounded you, but you -can never know all that I and you owe to this man. He’s not only -brought me back to you, he’s brought peace to my soul, he’s made me -acquainted with God the Father. You know how you used to harp at me -to get religion; you said it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> was the one thing wantin’ to make you -happy. Well, I’d never got it your way. I didn’t like your preachers, -shan’t like ’em now any better than before, but I’ve seen Christ lived -from day to day before my eyes, I know what lots of things in the -Gospel mean as I never hoped to do, and I’m satisfied to be a child of -God. But I’m afraid if I come across any of them cantin’, drawlin’, -fat-mouthed, camp-meetin’ religionists I’ll have to tell ’em what I -think of ’em. I’ve seen the real and it’s made me more fierce against -the false. An’ it seems to me that the one thing that I can’t learn -from this beautiful friend is patience and toleration.”</p> - -<p>He sank back exhausted, and Mrs. Taber, looking reproachfully at C. B., -said—</p> - -<p>“There now, you are making yourself ill again. I wonder your friend, if -he’s got so much control over you, doesn’t stop you from going on like -that.”</p> - -<p>C. B. was entirely unsophisticated, but his ear detected the note of -enmity in the good woman’s voice, and he thanked God with all his heart -that he had something to fall back upon. Nothing could have induced him -to remain where he saw that he would be a daily bone of contention, -even had he been as helpless and alone as for a few minutes that -afternoon he had felt he was. He did not know, he could not explain, -but he could feel that Mrs. Taber, though in other respects as good -a woman as ever lived, would forget at once all his services to her -husband in the jealousy of him occupying even a remote corner of her -husband’s heart. And his mind was swiftly made up. Squeezing his -friend’s hand, which indeed he had never released, he said—</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Taber and dear friend, my job here is finished. I undertook to -bring the captain home<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span> at his request, and by the help of God and ever -so many human agencies He has used I have succeeded. I never could have -done it if it had not been for that. And now I must leave you. If the -captain needed me God knows I’d stay as long as I could be of any use -to him. But he has now some one to look after him far better than I -can, his dear wife, and he knows that I have found dear friends, so he -has no need to worry about what is to become of me. And I think that -now is a good time to bid him good-bye, knowing how safe he is.”</p> - -<p>“Stay,” cried Captain Taber, whose mind had been working fast as C. B. -spoke, “I feel you’re right; I feel, too, that when you go out of this -room I’ll never see you agen. But before you go pray; commend my dear -wife and children and me to the God you’ve taught me to know and love.”</p> - -<p>In an instant C. B. had slid to his knees, and amid a tense silence he -lifted his streaming face and cried—</p> - -<p>“O dear Father, take all this household into your loving keeping. Let -them always know how good and kind and thoughtful you are, especially -how you love them. Keep them in that knowledge day and night until the -day dawns and the shadows flee away. Keep them happy, contented and -useful, but especially kind and loving to all who are about them. And -may we all meet again in the new world where Jesus is the Head of all -and all are good like Him. For His sake, dear Father. Amen.”</p> - -<p>Then rising to his feet he stooped over his friend and kissed him as -men kiss the dying, turned and shook hands with Mrs. Taber and the -three children, and turning swiftly left the house before they had -so far recovered as to try and stop him. And as he went he knew that -his duty to that fine fellow was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> done and that he would never see -him again. We too have done with him, except to note that Mr. Stewart -fulfilled his promise to the captain in fullest measure and so put him -and his beyond the reach of want or that half dependence which is so -painful to a gallant spirit that has to accept it for the sake of its -dear ones.</p> - -<p>It is a good step from the middle of Fairhaven back to the Parker -House, but C. B.’s long legs made little of it. He was now free of -his charge, free to go to the love that awaited him, and he could not -help feeling grateful to God that such a termination had been reached, -because he saw full well how hard he might have found it but for the -Stewarts, how unconsciously he might have become a burden upon those -whose load was almost more than they could carry themselves.</p> - -<p>Filled with these reflections he did not notice the distance and -reached the hotel before he was aware that he had travelled nearly as -far. Mr. and Miss Stewart were sitting on the veranda talking, but -Mary’s eyes, ever on the alert, saw him coming, and as he strode up the -steps she came to meet him with both hands outspread, recognizing with -the lightning intuition of love that now he was all her own. For she -like Mrs. Taber had unconsciously resented a share in her loved one’s -heart being held by anybody, although her claim was much slighter. And -the first words she said to him were—</p> - -<p>“Back so soon? don’t they want you any more?”</p> - -<p>“No,” he replied gaily enough: “they can do without me now of course, -and I am free. It was a bit of a wrench at first, but I soon felt that -it would be a very wrong thing for me to stand for a moment between a -man and his wife. So I have bid them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span> good-bye, and do not suppose I -shall ever see them again.”</p> - -<p>By this time they were up to Mr. Stewart, and so she did not reply but -squeezed his arm as she released it, in that act saying—</p> - -<p>“I am so glad, for now you are all mine, my very own.” And yet such a -bundle of contradictions are we, that she felt quite indignant that her -king of men should, as she thought, be so cavalierly treated, flung -off as she felt like an old shoe that is worn out and therefore wanted -no longer. But no trace of this was to be seen in the bright face she -turned to her father as C. B. sat down by his side. Without giving -either of them time to speak she said—</p> - -<p>“Just think of it, daddy, Christmas is free, they have bidden him -good-bye, and we can leave now if you like.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Stewart took a meditative puff at his cigar before he answered, -then he said—</p> - -<p>“A good motto, dear one, is never to be in a hurry. Don’t you know -that since Christmas has been away there has been a whole raft of -people here wanting to see him, and hear him talk. We’ve been followed -from Boston, and I know he won’t want to disappoint all these eager -folks who’d like to hear what he’s got to say.” And the deep-set eyes -twinkled beneath their bushy grey lashes.</p> - -<p>“Indeed, Mr. Stewart,” broke in C. B., “I don’t want to see another -reporter. And unless you wish it I won’t. All I want now is to be left -alone to enjoy the company of Mary and yourself.”</p> - -<p>“You might have left me out I think without hurting your reputation for -truth, but never mind. Now I think as you don’t want a lot of newspaper -stuff written about you, it’s time I admitted that I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> don’t either, and -if you are quite willing we’ll get back to Boston, or rather New York, -by the Fall River boat to-night. I know what these provincial cities -are, and although I love New Bedford wholeheartedly, on this occasion -I’ll be pleased to get away from her.”</p> - -<p>This decision of Mr. Stewart’s sent the young folks into a silent -delight. It would be so good to get away alone, and though neither of -them knew what a Fall River boat was like, they were charmed at the -idea of going to sea after that weary rail-road time. All the callers -were put off, no one was admitted to the privacy of the trio, and so -well was the secret kept that when they departed for the station to -catch the Fall River train there was nobody about to pester them with -inconvenient questions. And when after a short railway journey C. B. -walked with Mary on his arm aboard of the palatial vessel which was -ready to convey them through the picturesque Long Island Sound route -to New York, she was literally <i>exaltée</i>, for she had not even then -realized how unsophisticated he was.</p> - -<p>“Is this a ship?” he cried in utter amazement. “Dear Lord, what -wonderful things men do! I should never have imagined that such luxury -was possible on the sea!” And when an obsequious negro steward showed -him to his beautiful stateroom, with its perfect hotel appointment, he -felt as if nothing henceforward could astonish him. But he was wrong. -For after a good night’s sleep he sprang up shortly after daylight, -washed, dressed, and went on deck in time to see the wonderful entrance -to New York Harbour. And as he gazed, lost in astonishment, at the -amazing traffic, at the masses of buildings everywhere, a mighty -steamship from England came gliding majestically past, and recognizing -the flag<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> he took off his hat to it. Just as he did so he felt a light -touch upon his arm, and there stood his beloved, radiant as the dawn, -a sweet smile of loving greeting upon her beautiful face. No one was -near, for they were on the uppermost deck of all, which at that hour is -almost deserted. And so they embraced, and their souls went out to each -other in a long, loving, lingering kiss.</p> - -<p>Then, unheeding the flight of time, they stood on their lofty platform -while the huge craft beneath them, deftly handled by the invisible -pilot in the wheelhouse, threaded her way among the host of small craft -up to her berth. As she drew nearer C. B.’s amazement deepened, for he -saw the train ferries, laden with railway cars, gliding across the wide -arm of the sea, noted the wonderful energy manifested on every side, -and again and again turned to his lovely companion, saying in short -gasps—</p> - -<p>“What a struggle, what work to be sure. And all to get money. And when -it is got, what then? Surely God never intended man to struggle so hard -for money alone. It does not seem right to me.”</p> - -<p>But she, looking up at him shyly, said in reply, “Perhaps you are -right, dear one, but you know that there are animals, insects, that -work far harder than man and with apparently far less reason, the ant -and the bee for instance.”</p> - -<p>But whenever she took him up like that she found that his ignorance -of so many things which had always been an open book to her precluded -all argument. He was in the primitive stage when everything around is -new, and consequently was unable to appreciate the difficulties and -limitations of civilized man.</p> - -<p>“Come down, dear,” said she at last, “father will be seeking us”; and -they descended to witness a scene<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> on the great main-deck that arrested -C. B. as if he had been paralysed. It was crammed with people, all -ready to go ashore, all apparently full of eagerness to leave the -vessel and recommence the struggle. And as he looked upon the swarming -crowd his heart was filled with a great pity for them as he thought -how intolerable such a life would be to him. But his sweetheart deftly -guided him to her father’s cabin, where stood the old gentleman, his -morning cigar between his lips, calmly surveying the busy scene with -the eye of a master and enjoying the stir and bustle.</p> - -<p>He greeted them with curt affection and invited them to come in and -rest; “for,” said he, “you must have been on deck a long time.”</p> - -<p>“Since daylight, I think, daddy,” replied Mary laughingly, “but it -hasn’t seemed like five minutes; it’s so interesting to watch the -absolute wonder of Christmas at everything. I declare I never have -known anything more delightful in my life than to witness his amazement -and to tell him the most commonplace things, which he receives as if -they were details of miracles. Oh dear, dad, I never was so happy, -never.”</p> - -<p>“I’m so glad,” rejoined her father, “and now you two young people must -just leave things to me, for we’re at the wharf. Here, steward!” and an -obsequious black man came running up, “get our grips and take them down -the gangway to a hack. We’ll go to the Everett House.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I’ll be there at the hack station waitin’ for you when you -come down the gangway, sir;” and off he went.</p> - -<p>Like a man in a dream C. B. followed Mr. Stewart with his beloved on -his arm, but guiding him rather than leaning on him, until, in some -strange fashion as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> it seemed to him savouring of an enchantment, they -found themselves in a very babel of noise of men shouting, horses’ -hoofs striking fire on the slippery cobbles, clanging of bells and -shrill whistlings, seated in the carriage and passing swiftly through -a tremendous entanglement of traffic between mighty rows of buildings. -Tenderly his beloved looked in his bewildered face and sympathized -with him, as much out of his element as a fish is out of water, while -Mr. Stewart, his square jaw set and his bushy eyebrows frowning, sat -opposite them busily weaving plans for their future.</p> - -<p>It was not until they were quietly settled in their comfortable -sitting-room at the spacious hotel in Union Square that C. B. began to -lose that worried, harassed look which so distressed his sweetheart. -Then, when Mr. Stewart had left them, pleading business, she said -tenderly—</p> - -<p>“My dear one, I know how you hate all this. And so do I for your sake. -Now tell me if you can what you would like to do after—well, after we -are married?”</p> - -<p>Without a moment’s hesitation he answered—</p> - -<p>“Why, I would like to take you home. Home to that dear place where all -this needless bustle and uproar never comes, where peace and love reign -without a break and God is King. Oh, how I long to be there again!”</p> - -<p>For a moment her brow clouded as she felt that if the choice were to be -made by him between living here with her in the vortex of gay society -and going back to his island home alone, he would give her up, and the -question trembled on her lip. But she dared not ask it. She felt that -where he was she could be happy, and that she had chosen rightly in -taking such a man for her husband in any case, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> although full of -spirits and intelligence and so easily first in all the gay companies -she had been wont to frequent, she had always longed for the peace and -quiet of a country where the absurd conventions of civilization did not -count. And she was glad. So she said quietly, “In the words of Ruth, in -that book you love so well, ‘Whither thou goest I will go, thy people -shall be my people, thy God my God.’ I will leave all for you, dear, -and I feel sure that I shall never regret my choice.”</p> - -<p>He, simple soul, took all that for granted, and as he had never dreamed -that there had been anything heroic in the sacrifice Mr. Stewart was -making, or thought about the monetary aspect of the affair, so now it -seemed to him the most natural thing in the world that this dear girl, -loving him as she said she did, should be glad to throw all the stress -and strain of the life she had been used to behind her and follow him. -I fear that many will account it callous selfishness on his part, but -it was really not so. In his very soul he felt that it would be best -for them both. He remembered the lovely life of his father and mother, -and could conceive of nothing happier, more delightful for his beloved. -And so his soul was at rest.</p> - -<p>They sat there and talked of their simple future until the waiter came -and announced luncheon, which they took together as the father had not -returned. And the afternoon slipped away as the morning had done, until -the shadows lengthened and still Mr. Stewart did not come. At last, -when it was quite dark, he returned, and flung himself into a chair -with a sigh of weariness. Immediately his daughter was at his side full -of solicitude.</p> - -<p>“Tired, daddy dear?” she queried gently.</p> - -<p>“Yes, love, and ruined,” he answered quietly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> “There is just enough -saved from the wreck to take us out to your lover’s island and keep us -there till we die. And I don’t know that I’m sorry. I can’t say that -the Lord gave, but I think the Lord has taken away, and I can say I -know, that blessed be the name of the Lord.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXI</span> <span class="smaller">Marriage and Departure</span></h2> - -<p>For a little while after Mr. Stewart had communicated this important -news they all sat in perfect stillness: C. B. because he did not in the -least understand what had happened, but he could see it was something -that had tremendously upset these two people who were so dear to him. -Mr. Stewart was the first to speak.</p> - -<p>“I can never feel sufficiently grateful,” he said, “for the impulse -to fix up that annuity for Taber on the spot and for yielding to it. -It was only in the nick of time, for this great crash came yesterday -afternoon. Had I been in San Francisco it would not have—— But there, -why should I say that, Levy is as good and keen and straight a man as -I am, and the very best of us get caught sometimes. Even now, if it -wasn’t for you, my boy, I think I should have turned to and had a fight -for it; but you’ve kinder infected me with your pleasant doctrines, -putting me out of conceit with money grubbing for its own sake.”</p> - -<p>Mary here burst in impetuously—</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear Daddy, that I should hear you say so makes me so glad. I feel -glad to think that we have lost our money if only we can get to this -happy land that Christmas is looking forward to so hungrily. I felt -almost jealous of it, and now I am as eager as he is.”</p> - -<p>Just then a rap came at the door and in walked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> the bell-boy with a -telegram. The old gentleman tore it open and fell back in his chair, -his face ghastly. Both Mary and C. B. sprang to his assistance, but -he roused himself with an effort, and waving them back to their seats -said, in a hard, strained voice—</p> - -<p>“Mary, my love, your poor mother couldn’t stand the strain, she’s dead.”</p> - -<p>Mary sat as if stricken to the heart, unable to speak, but she was a -girl of great force of character, and she was rallying all her forces -to meet this quite unexpected blow.</p> - -<p>So her father resumed, saying, “She always had a weak heart as you -know, dear, and besides she always had a dread that we should come to -poverty. And so I suppose, when some heartless fool blurted out in her -hearing that Levy and Stewart had burst up, the blow was more than -she could stand. And so she died far away from me. Poor Mary, dear -wife. There’s one consolation, she went as she had always wished to -go without a long probation of pain, instantaneously from one life to -another, thank God. And now, dear ones, I’ll get you to excuse me. I’ve -been very hard hit and I feel old and tired. I need rest and quiet, -and so I’ll go to my room and lie down a bit. Christmas, I’ll leave -you to comfort Mary as no one else can.” And he left the room, walking -heavily, almost dragging one foot after the other.</p> - -<p>C. B. rose on the instant and strode to Mary’s side, where she sat with -lips tight shut, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright and dry.</p> - -<p>“Dearest one,” he murmured, taking her in his strong arms, “don’t fight -against your natural feelings. It is sometimes good to cry, I feel sure -it would be good for you now. And if ever any one had reason to cry it -is at the loss of a good mother.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span></p> - -<p>The last word, softly uttered as it was by her lover, touched the -hidden spring of her tears, and they flowed, easily, gently, but -copiously, C. B. holding her in his arms and stroking her beautiful -hair as if she were a child. And at last she lifted her head and looked -him full in the face, saying—</p> - -<p>“I do thank God, Christmas, that we’ve got you in this difficult -time. Do you know, I think even poor old dad will come to lean upon -you directly as I feel I must do now. Why is it, I wonder? I suppose -because you are really dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty God, and -the changes and chances of this mortal life seem such trivial things to -you.”</p> - -<p>C. B. fondled her hair a moment or two longer before he replied—</p> - -<p>“No, darling, they none of them seem trivial, but I know in whom I have -believed, and because He is infinitely wise I do not worry, being sure -that He will do His part. I only try to do mine without hitting my head -against a brick wall, as I now know some people do if they want to get -it down, instead of waiting to hear from God whether it is good that -the wall shall come down or not.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” she said in reply, “I’m afraid I shall never come to your -standard. Even now you don’t seem to worry at all about getting back -home, yet I feel you must be longing to see your mother and father -again and all your friends as well. And it is so far away as well -as being a difficult place to get to. I have not heard you say one -impatient word about getting back, and, do you know, dearest (I’m going -to tell you everything), I can’t help wondering sometimes whether you -are not just a little callous, unfeeling in some things.”</p> - -<p>As she said this she looked at him keenly to see how he would take it. -His face lit up with a beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> smile as he replied, “No, dearest, -I don’t think so. I do feel very keenly, more keenly than I wish, -all that goes on around me, but if I have understood anything of the -character of Jesus, its principal feature was that in His love for -others He had no room for thinking about Himself. All that concerned -His personal welfare He left to His Father, and in that I do try, I -have always tried to imitate Him, because I have found it the easiest -thing to do, I suppose. What seems so strange to me is that any one -should wonder at me doing this or trying to do it. The Gospels are full -of instructions about it, Christianity seems to be built on the words -‘trust in God,’ and yet you, dearest, and others whom I have met who -are like-minded, look upon me as a being whom they cannot understand -for practising what is so continually preached.”</p> - -<p>All she answered was—</p> - -<p>“Forgive me, dear, if I can help it I will never allude to it again, -but try as hard as I can to imitate the practice, knowing from your -example how good it is. But I can tell you one thing that will surprise -you,” she went on. “If any of my friends, however Christian their -profession, had been in our position, you would have heard worrying and -weeping enough, I can assure you. People don’t cast all their care upon -the Lord in practice, only in theory, at least no people that I’ve ever -met but you. And it seems to me that you don’t get any care, that is -you don’t let things become a care to you.”</p> - -<p>Just then Mr. Stewart came in, looking perceptibly older and seeming -to stoop more. “Now, my children,” he said, “it will be best for us -to have a consultation. I’ve quite made up my mind to go with you to -Norfolk Island, in fact I had I think before this news came of my -double loss. But it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> would simplify matters considerable if you two -were married, as well as save expense. What’s your idea, Mary, it’s no -use asking him, because it’s just one of those things that he wouldn’t -trouble about—you’ll have to decide that for him after worrying me so -to let you have him.”</p> - -<p>“Father,” said Mary, “would it be right and proper so soon after -mother’s death?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve thought of that,” rejoined he, “and unless you care about what -people say I don’t see where the objection lies. When our dear one was -with us she only thought of our happiness, and now she’s gone I’m sure -her spirit is the same towards us. Besides, if you really care about -what people say, remember that nobody knows you here, nor, unless you -want to have the usual big show of a wedding, will anybody know. If I -was you I’d cut all that business out, and I’m sure that if you consult -Christmas he’ll feel the same about it as I do. Only, my best beloved -one, do remember that on this, the greatest occasion of your dear life, -I want you to be quite satisfied and happy.”</p> - -<p>While this conversation was proceeding C. B. sat and listened with a -far-away expression in his eyes, which he always wore when anything -was being talked about which he did not understand. And although the -subject under consideration was of vital interest to him, he did not -in the least comprehend their observations upon it. And Mary, catching -sight of his face, said with a smile—</p> - -<p>“Oh, father, it’s just too funny us discussing this before him as if he -had nothing to do with it at all. It’s so strange that he should know -nothing of these things. Tell us, dear one”—to C. B.—“what a wedding -is like with your people?”</p> - -<p>His face brightened directly and he answered— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, it is very simple and pretty. We make it a festive occasion -throughout the whole community, no work being done on that day except -what is necessary. The young people stand up before Mr. McCoy, who has -a licence to marry people, and he joins hands pronouncing them man and -wife in the sight of God and of all the people. They take one another -for husband and wife and they are thus made one. Then we have singing, -very much singing and praising God. But before the marriage everybody -has helped to build a house and prepare a piece of land for the couple -so that they have a place to themselves, I was going to say of their -own, but we don’t understand anything being our own as other folks do. -The idea of having anything which we will not share with others is not -known among us.”</p> - -<p>“But how about wedding garments?” queried Mary, with a touch of true -femininity.</p> - -<p>“Well, as you know,” replied C. B., “we are not troubled with many -clothes, but we put on the best we have, as we do on Sunday when we -all meet at stated hours to worship God in company. And the girls wear -flowers in their hair, which makes them look pretty.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Stewart here interposed, saying—</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I’d pursue the subject any further if I were you, -Mary. We can be as simple as C. B.’s folk if we like and I think we -had better. As we are going to live like this I think it would be -foolish not to begin as early as we can, and I suggest that we go to a -parson and let him marry you just as is done in the country by eloping -couples,” and he laughed aloud, saying immediately after: “Don’t think -me unfeeling, but the thought of hefty Jim Stewart’s daughter getting -spliced in such a hole and corner fashion as this makes me. I reckon -in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> the ordinary way your nuptials would have run me into a couple of -hundred thousand dollars at the very least, and we’d a made the Pacific -Slope hum.” For a moment he looked regretful and then his face cleared -and he added, “But I hope we’ve left that costly kind o’ tomfoolery -behind us for ever, darling, and I’m sure we’ll be happier.”</p> - -<p>Therefore it came about that the next day, after judicious inquiries -made by Mr. Stewart, that the three went over to Brooklyn to a quiet -Manse, where Mary Stewart and Christmas Bounty Adams were made one by -an aged minister, who behaved as if he fully realized the solemn nature -of the ceremony and was in full sympathy with the comely pair. And -when Mr. Stewart, with a touch of past lavishness would have pressed a -fifty-dollar bill on him as a fee, he refused firmly, saying, “My fee -is five dollars, and I would not take that but that I have to live. Do -not tempt me with much money, friend, for it brings a snare as I know -full well.” Then he gave them his blessing and they returned to the -Everett House, Mr. Stewart introducing the newly wedded pair to the -proprietor as Mr. and Mrs. Adams, in order to save explanations and -invidious remarks.</p> - -<p>The rest of the afternoon was devoted to clearing up Mr. Stewart’s -business affairs, a task of no great difficulty, in which he was aided -by his daughter. It mainly consisted in surrendering all he possessed, -except a sum of twenty thousand dollars or four thousand pounds, to the -receivers of his estate. That sum he considered would suffice for all -their needs in their new life, and for everything else preliminary to -commencing it. And this being all put in train the old gentleman rose -with a sigh of relief, collected his papers and put them away. Then he -said— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Love and business are all very well in their way, but we must also -eat; and now I vote that we go down to the restaurant and do so. It is -early for the regular diners, so that we shall not be crowded.”</p> - -<p>He did not tell them that he had ordered a simple little dinner for the -three of them at the far end of the room, where they could be almost -in private; and when C. B. saw the pretty little table decorated with -choice flowers, his face lighted up, and with great delight he called -his bride’s attention to what he considered the kindly behaviour of the -proprietor.</p> - -<p>The meal proceeded in the happiest fashion, for though the food was -of the simplest and best they all ate but sparingly, for their hearts -were full of joy and their minds full of hope. But they could not -help noticing that at a table not far from them there was a party of -four young men whose behaviour, from being quiet and gentlemanly at -the outset, as bottle after bottle of champagne was emptied became -boisterous and rude. Presently it became evident that their attention -was entirely directed to the table where our friends sat, and as their -voices grew louder and louder the epithet “nigger” was frequently -heard. Mr. Stewart and Mrs. Adams heard all too clearly, but C. B. was -quite unmoved, for although he heard the uproar he did not understand -its import. At last one of the roysterers rose and shouted for the head -waiter, who came instantly; whereupon the young man demanded to know -why a nigger, coupling the word with other abuse, was allowed to dine -in the same room with white men.</p> - -<p>The head waiter endeavoured to explain, but as he did so the other -three joined in the talk, which grew louder and louder until the -proprietor was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> brought up by one of the other waiters. By this time -Mr. Stewart was fully alive to what was going on, as was his daughter, -and Mary whispered her father that they might slip away. But there -was a dangerous look in the old man’s eyes now and he indignantly -repudiated the suggestion. Then C. B. leaned over and asked him -whatever could be the matter, and how the broil at another table could -affect them. Stewart looked straight at him for a moment and then said—</p> - -<p>“The wine has got into their foolish heads, and they are discussing you -as a nigger who has no right to dine in the same room as them. And if I -know the signs, unless the proprietor is a man of grit, there’s going -to be big trouble.”</p> - -<p>He had hardly uttered the words before a big raw-boned youth sprang to -his feet and shouted—</p> - -<p>“It’s an outrage to have to sit in the same room with a nigger, and you -are a beast to allow it. But I’m going to have him out of it as you -haven’t got the grit, and so here goes.”</p> - -<p>With that the crazy creature leapt across the room knocking his chair -half a dozen feet away, and seized the unconscious C. B. by the collar -and arm, at the same time yelling foul abuse. There was a shriek from -Mary, but her father held her arm as she was about to spring to her -husband’s rescue.</p> - -<p>“Keep quiet,” he said, “this is where your husband comes in.”</p> - -<p>Indeed it was, for C. B., as quietly as if he had been invited to -look at something, rose from his seat and winding his arms around -the frantic youth placed him helpless on the floor. This unexpected -defeat of their champion enraged the other three, who rushed to the -rescue, but were in their turn, attacked by the waiters, who at the -proprietor’s bidding charged on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> them in force, and succeeded in -overpowering them.</p> - -<p>Then C. B. lifted his prostrate enemy into a chair, and holding him -with one hand as if he had been a child waited while Mr. Stewart said—</p> - -<p>“You shameless brutes to behave like this. Lucky for you that the -English gentleman you’ve attacked is as good a Christian as you are bad -citizens, or some of you would have been broken all up. You Americans! -I know ye by the back, and you’re a lot of dirt that brings shame upon -the name of American. Take ’em away,” he said to the waiters, “and put -’em on the pavement. It isn’t worth having them arrested, for better -folks than them would be hurt. Now, sir,” turning to the proprietor who -stood looking anxious, “what do you think of this?”</p> - -<p>“Well, sir,” replied the proprietor, “I think you and your son-in-law -and his wife had better go as soon as ever you can. You see I’ve got -my living to get and I can’t run counter to public opinion. I’ve no -doubt that Mr. Adams is a perfect gentleman, but he is a bit dark, and, -well, I needn’t explain to you, you know all about it. I shall be glad -if you’ll go to-night, for I don’t think you’d like to hurt a man that -hasn’t harmed you.”</p> - -<p>Stewart gave him a look of withering contempt, and then bidding C. B. -and his daughter see to their packing went out, returning in half an -hour with the news that he had secured rooms in a good family hotel, -and concealing the fact that he had arranged for them to have their -meals in private during their stay. An hour later saw them transferred, -Mr. Stewart saying to the proprietor as he took his leave: “I bear -you no ill will, my friend, but if you knew the kind of man you’ve -turned out of your house to-night<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> you’d be sorry for having done so. -He’s worth a whole city full of such empty-headed dregs as those who -insulted him.”</p> - -<p>“I fully believe it, Mr. Stewart,” answered the man, “but there’s no -sentiment in business, and I can’t afford to shut my hotel up because -the presence of a good man in it is objected to. In fact we hotel -proprietors make our living mostly out of the bad men, and we must look -after their interest or go out of the business.”</p> - -<p>Stewart was so angry that he could not answer, and as soon as possible -they left those inhospitable walls and took up their quarters in their -new abode, feeling, if the truth be told, almost like fugitives from -justice. Then when they had settled down they began to think about -getting away, and for the first time since they had known him C. B. -began to show signs of enthusiasm. It was no easy matter to find any -vessel that was going near their destination, but at last they heard of -a large Boston barque that was bound to Sydney, New South Wales, with -kerosene oil in cases, and they went down to see her. She was a fine -powerful vessel of about 1,300 tons, but by no means intended to carry -passengers. But like most ships of her type she had been built with due -regard to the comfort of her officers as far as accommodation went, and -in her roomy saloon there were two cabins vacant which Mr. Stewart and -C. B. pronounced to be just the thing for them.</p> - -<p>So they arranged a passage to Sydney for the three of them for four -hundred dollars, the captain, a shrewd down-easter by the name of -Eldridge, agreeing to lay in extra stores so that they should fare -well on the long passage. Also Mr. Stewart decided to have the cabins -comfortably fitted up, for they looked very bare, and having made his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span>arrangements and learned that the <i>Julia D. South</i> was to sail in ten -days’ time they returned to their temporary home well pleased with -their day’s work.</p> - -<p>To Mr. Stewart’s earnest inquiries C. B. replied that he could give a -list of everything that was most needed by his friends on the island, -for as Mr. Stewart said, it would look mean to go there, intending to -stay for life, empty handed, especially when coming from a land where -all the necessaries as well as the luxuries of life could be so readily -procured. So for the next few days C. B. and his wife were very busily -engaged collecting goods to take with them and having them carefully -packed for sending to the ship. And when at last the sailing day came -they went on board with the full assurance that nothing had been -forgotten, and that they were besides as well equipped for the long -passage before them as it was possible for them to be.</p> - -<p>C. B. as the time drew near for leaving America grew steadily more -lively and happy looking, indeed, as his wife said affectionately, he -seemed quite transformed. Her spirits rose with his, for she had been -somewhat depressed at the near prospect of leaving the land of her -birth as she felt for ever. In spite of her deep and true love for her -husband and the certainty she felt that she could know no happiness -apart from him, such feelings were perfectly natural and to be -expected. But when she saw how sedately happy her father seemed to be, -and how bright her husband was, she resolutely put aside all regrets -and determined henceforth to look forward only.</p> - -<p>Punctually to the day the <i>Julia D. South</i> cast off her moorings and in -tow of a small tug went swiftly seaward, her three passengers standing -on the monkey poop and watching the fast receding shores with keen -interest. C. B., however, was not long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> before all his attention was -claimed by the working of the ship. It seemed to him so very long since -he had taken his part in what had become his profession that he watched -with keenest appreciation every bit of work done, his fingers itching -to have a share in it. At last, at the hoisting of the topsails, he -could restrain himself no longer, seeing how great a task it was for -her numerically weak crew, and rushing along to the halyards he caught -hold high above the hands of the two men who were pulling before -the block, and in an instant they felt the benefit of his vigorous -assistance.</p> - -<p>Then he forgot all about his being a passenger and to his wife and Mr. -Stewart’s unfeigned amusement joined in heart and soul with the crew at -their work, making his presence most helpfully felt in everything he -touched. As he was doing so the skipper drew near Mr. Stewart and his -daughter, saying—</p> - -<p>“Our friend’s been a sailor man, I should say, from the way he handles -himself!”</p> - -<p>“You may well say that,” replied Mr. Stewart. “He was a boat steerer or -harponeer in a South Sea whaler, and according to what his old skipper -said the very best in the ship. I’ve never seen him at his work before, -but judging from what I know of him I should say he would be extra good -at anything he undertook. He’s that kind of a man, isn’t he, dear?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed he is,” replied Mary, “and oh, I’m so glad that he’s found -something that he likes to do. I know how he has been suffering for -exercise lately.”</p> - -<p>When presently C. B. rejoined them, looking with an air of comic -ruefulness at his hands, they roasted him unmercifully for forgetting -his dignity as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> cuddy passenger at which he only smiled and replied—</p> - -<p>“See what a lazy life does for a man. My hands have got that soft that -it is most painful for me to hold a rope. They feel as if they were all -red hot.” And the skipper, who was listening, laughed loudly before he -remarked that it sounded so familiar to him who had suffered much in -the same way himself.</p> - -<p>They had an excellent slant of wind right from the start, which was -most fortunate, for the crew were a poor lot and needed licking into -shape according to Yankee ideas before they were fit to do all that -was required of them. This same drilling hurt C. B. horribly, but -recognizing his position he did not venture to interfere in any way, -even when his gentle wife expressed her indignation at the harsh -treatment the men were receiving. After all, as he explained to her, -there was little real cruelty, it was little more than drill, though he -thought unnecessarily harsh, and he told her of several incidents on -board the <i>Eliza Adams</i> which amazed her.</p> - -<p>So that by the time they had reached the equator she was a smart ship -and C. B. with his willing hands, his ready smile and his perfect habit -of non-interference except to help with his great strength was a highly -popular favourite fore and aft. But I regret to say that he was also -taken as soft because of his unfailing good humour, looked upon as a -man you might safely impose upon, and many were the sarcastic remarks -passed upon the hard luck as they called it of his wife, to be tied -to a man who seemed to be utterly devoid of pluck, although they put -it much more coarsely after the manner of seamen. The two aspects in -which he was regarded seemed contradictory, I know, but I have had much -experience of similar cases I am sorry to say. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the worst offender was the captain. When once a sailing ship is -well started on a long passage the life of her master, unless he be -a man with a good hobby of some kind, is a very lazy one. He has -literally nothing to do except find the ship’s position at noon each -day, and I have often wondered how it is that our sailing ship masters -having so much time on their hands have not turned out a number of -famous literary men from their ranks instead of being represented as -they are, but by one giant, and he a foreigner, Mr. Joseph Conrad. -In captain Eldridge’s case the old adage about Satan’s opportunity -for idle hands held good, and he began to amuse himself by paying -assiduous court to Mrs. Adams, yet in so polite and insidious a manner -that only her feminine wit divined his true intent; even her father, -immersed in books, tryin’ to catch up on to his readin’ as he termed -it, failed to notice anything wrong. And Mary could do nothing, for she -had nothing definite to complain of, and she did not wish to make any -unpleasantness.</p> - -<p>C. B. went on his happy way, spending much of his time at work and not -noticing in the least that he was leaving his beloved wife too much -to the attentions of the skipper. Indeed his true and honest mind was -clear and incapable of suspicion, and had any one hinted their ideas -of the wrong drift of things he would have been unspeakably shocked as -well as amazed. And so the clouds thickened insensibly about them as -the good ship sped on.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXII</span> <span class="smaller">Back to Primitive Things</span></h2> - -<p>Many harsh and ignorant things have been written concerning the masters -of ships, principally, I think, because of the crimes committed by -a few of them. Therefore I feel that it ought to be plainly stated -that, remembering the temptation a shipmaster in a sailing ship on a -long voyage is subjected to daily, it speaks well for human nature -in general, and for seafarers in particular, that those crimes have -been so few, so very few in proportion to the number of individuals -who have been tempted to the commission of them. It is too often -forgotten by those who ignorantly write upon this subject how free -from all restraint save that of his own conscience is the master of -a sailing ship at sea on a long passage. If he be a cruel, brave -bully and tyrant—and believe me the bully is <i>not</i> always a coward -as is generally supposed—he finds abundant opportunity to gratify -his propensities and is almost sure of immunity from retribution when -the vessel reaches port from the well-known careless character of his -victims.</p> - -<p>Where he has a few passengers another side of him may develop, as with -Captain Eldridge, a side that must be touched very lightly upon but -which all will understand, and many have been the tragedies resulting -from his lack of gentlemanly self-restraint. And in the present case -all the indications pointed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> to a tragedy fast approaching as the -captain, encouraged by the apparently entire indifference of the two -male passengers, pressed his unwelcome attentions daily with more -perseverance upon the young wife. She, poor girl, took great care never -to be alone; when her father remained in his cabin she remained in -hers, C. B. being always fully occupied with work among the seamen. But -Captain Eldridge lay in wait for her, and as soon as she appeared on -deck with her father he took all sorts of interest in placing chairs, -getting wraps, etc., and then when they were settled seating himself by -the lady’s side and paying her all sorts of odious compliments in a low -voice while ogling her in a peculiarly bold and insolent manner.</p> - -<p>With all the desire in the world to keep the peace and natural fear of -the consequences of any action being taken on her part, Mary felt that -she must do something soon. She could not ask her husband to remain -with her always, for she loved to see him exercising his mighty limbs -at really hard work, and knew how much he felt the need of exercise. -Not only so, but she hated to disturb his quiet serenity of mind by the -hideous suggestion that the captain was paying assiduous court to his -wife, and besides she had nothing definite to go upon, even her father -would have been unable to substantiate a complaint.</p> - -<p>Presently the matter was taken out of her hands in a quite unexpected -manner. The chief mate, a very keen young Philadelphian named Haynes, -keeping his eye upon his chief as all mates do, was disgusted to -see how Mrs. Adams was persecuted by him. He himself scarcely ever -had a chance to speak to her, and there may well have been a spice -of jealousy in his mind, but in any case he was very angry with his -skipper and contemptuous of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> C. B.’s want of perception. Yet he had -grown very fond of C. B., as indeed everybody had but the skipper, and -the more he grew to like him the less could he understand his apparent -neglect of his wife, leaving her to be pestered continually by the -skipper.</p> - -<p>At last he could restrain himself no longer, and calling C. B. into his -berth one afternoon watch below, he said, after fidgeting about a bit—</p> - -<p>“Look here, old man, I’ve got very fond of you—I believe you’re about -as good as they make ’em, but I’m hanged if I can understand how you -allow Eldridge to persecute your wife as he does. He never lets her -alone. And if you had any eyes in your head you’d see how peaky she’s -gettin’ with all the worry of it. I don’t want to make trouble, I’ve -got my living to get, but I honestly couldn’t see this cruel game going -on any longer without warnin’ you, as you don’t seem able to see a hole -through a ladder.” And all the time the mate was speaking he watched C. -B.’s face. It showed no signs of change except that the lips tightened -up a bit and the dark eyes glowed with a sombre fire. At last he spoke.</p> - -<p>“Thank you very much, Haynes, I’ll see to it at once. I’m afraid I am -guilty of neglect, and I can never forgive myself for being so selfish. -I thought she was happy with her books and her work and her father, -and that I was pleasing her by working about the ship. I didn’t dream -of anything of this kind happening. But,” and he rose, holding out his -hand, “I’m very grateful to you, Haynes, for your warning, which I’m -going to act upon now.” And he strode out of the cabin, Haynes watching -him with a queer sensation of wonder as to how the storm would burst, -for burst it would he felt sure. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span></p> - -<p>C. B. went straight to his cabin, but his wife was not there. From -thence he ascended to the deck, where he saw, as if it had been -arranged for him, a tableau such as the mate had been speaking about. -There was his father-in-law asleep with an open book in his hand in one -deck chair, his wife in another next to the old gentleman, and seated -on a cushion at her feet the skipper, whose face, distinctly visible -to C. B.’s eagle vision from where he was, bore an expression entirely -evil. His wife’s face he could not see, but he went quickly towards -her, saying—</p> - -<p>“Mary, dear, will you come down for a moment, I want to speak to you.”</p> - -<p>She rose immediately, turning towards him as she did so, and he saw -that her dear face was pale and drawn and that her eyes were full of -tears. Choking down the awful wrath he felt rising within him at the -sight, he assisted her into their cabin, closed the door, and said—</p> - -<p>“Mary, dear, forgive me, I never dreamed of neglecting you, but I see -that I have. And I fear that I have subjected you to persecution of a -very bad kind. Tell me, dear, what has the captain done?”</p> - -<p>She looked doubtfully at him for a moment as if wondering what the -outcome would be, but she was too much akin to him in soul to palter -with the truth through fear, so she said—</p> - -<p>“Dear love, he has been very offensive for some time now. His actual -words have had little meaning in them for me, though I know they all -had a double intention, but his eyes and his looks generally have -filled me with horror. I have felt again and again that I must tell -you, but, dear one, I dreaded a scene, I find I don’t know you well -enough even yet, and then there was nothing actually to complain about -except his looks. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> he certainly has made me very unhappy, and there -could be no mistake as to his meaning.”</p> - -<p>Again C. B. said with grave penitence—</p> - -<p>“Forgive me, dear, I had not imagined that men could be so vile. I -suppose to them I must look like a semi-idiot. However, you shall have -no more of this. I will go to him now.”</p> - -<p>The captain was just then coming down into his stateroom whistling -dreamily, and C. B., following him to the door, said—</p> - -<p>“I should like a few words with you, Captain Eldridge.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” returned the skipper insolently, “what about?”</p> - -<p>“About your behaviour to my wife, which, I’m sorry to say, has been -entirely rude and distressing to her, making her feel quite ill. It has -I find been a topic of general conversation in the ship, but I, being -exceedingly unsuspicious and never dreaming that a gentleman could -behave so, have left her more than I ought to have done, and you have -taken advantage of this simplicity of mine to behave as you have. Now -my eyes are opened, I tell you this must cease.”</p> - -<p>While C. B. was speaking Captain Eldridge’s face grew almost livid with -rage, his eyebrows contracted until they met across the bridge of his -nose, and as soon as C. B. had finished he snarled out—</p> - -<p>“Looky here, Mr. Educated Coon, I’ll allow no nigger to talk to me like -that on board my ship, and if you open your head to me again on the -subject, I’ll shoot ye: understand that. Now get out o’ my stateroom -an’ keep yer squaw out o’ my way.”</p> - -<p>C. B. retreated, keeping his eyes fixed upon the scoundrel, who -doubtless at that moment would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> have carried out his threat, so mad was -he. As soon as C. B. reached his cabin, where he was awaited by his -wife, he entered, closed the door and fell upon his knees, crying in -agony of soul, “Lord, keep my hands, keep my temper, save me from doing -wrong. Don’t let that man try me beyond endurance, and see right done.”</p> - -<p>Then he sprang up, calm again, and told his wife all that had happened, -only leaving out the opprobrious epithet applied to her by the captain. -As soon as he had done so he went on deck and sought Mr. Stewart, to -whom he told the story. The old gentleman listened with compressed lips -and lowering brows until it was finished, then said with a sigh, “Well, -I guess we’re in the hands of a deep-dyed scoundrel, and we shall not -have much of a gaudy time from this out. Now we shall all have to learn -from you how to bring God into all our troubles, or else feel pretty -miserable.”</p> - -<p>Indeed he was right, for from thenceforth no indignity that it was in -Captain Eldridge’s power to inflict upon them was omitted. He really -seemed as if he laid awake at night thinking over new ways of annoying -them. And the poor wretch did not know that only by constant prayer and -watchfulness did C. B. restrain himself from slaying him with his bare -hands. Coincidently with this development another arose. Every member -of the crew knew of what had happened in the mysterious way that news -spreads on board ship, and especially resented the way in which the -skipper continually vented his wrath and disappointment upon them. Not -only the foremast hands but the officers were thus disaffected, and -undoubtedly the ship was getting fully ripe for mutiny.</p> - -<p>Every time that C. B. came on deck it seemed as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span> if the skipper was -waiting for him, and insults and provocations came thick and fast. With -his hand in his hip pocket where his revolver lay, the dastard (for a -man must be a dastard who insults and abuses an unarmed man, having -himself a lethal weapon) would hurl every epithet of contumely that he -could invent at the great fellow, who took not the slightest notice of -him until one day, maddened by the contemptuous silence as he deemed -it of the passenger, he hurled a foul and filthy insult at Mary. With -a leap like a tiger’s C. B. was upon him in spite of the quick shots -fired, had torn the revolver from his grip and flung it overboard, and -then, forcing him to his knees, said in a voice that was terrible in -its deep calm—</p> - -<p>“You bad man, you don’t know how near you have been to hell. Abuse me -all you care to, it’s better than praise from a man like you; but if -you value your life, don’t say a syllable against the good woman who is -my wife. She is no subject for your foul lips.”</p> - -<p>With that C. B. released him and he staggered to his feet, all his -crew looking on at his discomfiture. If there be a greater punishment -for a man than he then endured without possibility of retaliation I do -not know of it. He had no second revolver, or he would assuredly have -gone and loaded it and laid for C. B., and shot him from some secure -hiding-place, after the most approved American methods. He staggered -into his cabin, shouted for his steward, and when that trembler -appeared, he said—</p> - -<p>“Go an’ get a revolver from either Mr. Haynes’ cabin or Mr. Fisher’s -(the second mate), I don’t care which; but get me one or I’ll smash yer -face in.” </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span></p> - -<p>The steward fled on deck and, seeing the mate, almost screamed—</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Haynes, the skipper wants yer revolver, says he’ll kill me -if I don’t get it for him. I believe he’s gone mad. Oh dear, oh dear, -whatever I’ll do I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>The mate’s face darkened, and, turning contemptuously away from the -steward, he went below and rapped sharply at the skipper’s stateroom -door.</p> - -<p>“Come in,” was snapped at him, and pushing back the door he looked in -at the skipper, who was standing like a wolf at bay.</p> - -<p>“What you want?” he snarled, and the mate replied—</p> - -<p>“I understand you sent the steward to search my room for my revolver. -Now see here, what’s in that room’s mine, and don’t you dare to meddle -with it or there’ll be bigger trouble than you want. I’m at your -service on deck, but my room’s mine and no man’s coming into it without -my leave.” With that the mate turned on his heel and made for the deck -again.</p> - -<p>Now although the atmosphere seemed surcharged with electricity nothing -happened. Stewart and his daughter both implored C. B. to be very -wary and careful of the skipper, but he smiled placidly as usual, and -replied that a greater care than he could exercise was being manifested -for all of them: and went on his usual way.</p> - -<p>They were now getting down into the “roaring Forties,” and the stern -weather characteristic of those immense southern spaces had set in. -Needless to say the vessel was handled in seamanlike fashion, because -she was a Yankee clipper, and it is not possible to imagine them being -handled otherwise. So as the great west wind rushed out of its lair,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> -they trimmed their yards to it, set up preventer backstays, swayed up -all halyards and tautened all sheets, while the beautiful craft, like -a high-mettled steed, laid herself down to her mighty race over the -six-thousand-mile course.</p> - -<p>Great was the temptation to C. B. to help in these hard doings, to join -in the work when she was shipping green seas over all, but he dared not -leave his wife again for one minute, for he feared what the malevolent -ingenuity of the skipper might effect. And he dared not trust his -father-in-law, who seemed to have developed a strange habit for him of -reading himself off to sleep at any hour of the day. It looked as if -the stimulus of money getting having been removed, he was sinking into -a lethargy from which it would need something very urgent to arouse -him. And as he was only sixty-two that was a bad sign.</p> - -<p>Eastward, at three hundred miles a day, the good ship sped, the wind -and sea holding steady and true. C. B. and his wife watched her flying -over the immense combers with unconquerable energy, not lightly as the -sprite-like wanderers of the ocean that floated above, but as if in -full crashing triumph over all obstacles and dangers. Neither of them -had ever such an experience before, but it appealed most to C. B., -whose recollections of the leisurely movements of the old whaler were -entirely at variance with this wonderful utilization of the wind’s -power. Hour after hour they would sit watching the beautiful fabric, -noting every forceful bound and lurch, their ears attuned to the great -sea music, the blended chorus of wind and sea and ship all working -amicably together, but all strung up to concert pitch of highest energy.</p> - -<p>Never since that remarkable day when C. B.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> disarmed him had the -skipper made a sign of either enmity or friendship—he had simply -ignored their presence on board. But this unnatural quiet had the -effect of making C. B. doubly watchful because he could not understand -it, and he lived as we say a dog’s life, that is, he always seemed to -have one eye open: which for a man with a poor physique and weak nerves -would have been fatal, but had little or no effect upon this perfectly -healthy and natural man. Still, there was one thing which troubled him, -the absolute disregard of attention to the boats. As an ex-whaleman, -of course, he had to look upon the boats as being always in readiness. -Pretty they certainly looked, with their sword-mat gripes and their -gaily painted covers, but how they were to be got out puzzled him, for -there were no davits shipped.</p> - -<p>And when he mentioned his fears to the mate, who in utter defiance of -the skipper continually chummed up with him, that worthy said—</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess it’s about the same in all merchant ships of all -nations; we don’t go much on boats because we ain’t got much confidence -in ’em. I know there have been boat voyages that make you gasp as you -read about them, but you take the average sailor and he don’t think -much of boats. And I’m a pretty average sailor too.”</p> - -<p>This did not content C. B., but he kept his ideas to himself, saying -that bad as the skipper might be, he was a No. 1 seaman, and that it -was most unlikely that any harm could come to the ship.</p> - -<p>And no one seemed to remember the nature of the cargo!</p> - -<p>That was why, I suppose, when during the second dog-watch of a -particularly strenuous day, when the ship was doing fully fifteen knots -an hour on her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span> course, nobody took any notice of C. B.’s remark that -there was a smoky lamp somewhere. His keen scent had noticed it but -none of the others could, being used moreover to the unpleasant fumes -emitted by a kerosene lamp when it is turned down too low. Still, every -now and then he would utter his complaint, until suddenly there was a -cry from forrard that quickened the heart-beats of the listeners—</p> - -<p>“There’s smoke comin’ up the forehatch.”</p> - -<p>And everybody remembered that the ship had 164,000 cases of kerosene -stowed in her hold, realized that they were in the midst of the -stormiest, remotest ocean in the world, afloat upon a volcano due to -burst, and quailed. No blame to any of them. From the outside we may -pass judgment upon what men do in such crises, but we should be chary -of so doing: it is an awful test of manhood.</p> - -<p>The mate rose to the occasion. “Call all hands!” he cried, “and pass -the hose along.” Then he sought the skipper and reported to him, at -the same time reminding him of the state of the boats. The skipper -received the news in the same curious, careless way that he had treated -everything of late, but to the mate’s remark about the boats he made -no reply whatever. This angered the mate, who repeated the remark in -a raised tone and asked for orders concerning them. In a strange, -unnatural voice the captain replied that he could do what he liked, it -would not matter. Of what use were boats here, and he waved his hand -around over the desperate sea. For a moment the mate hesitated, then -shouting—“I can’t waste time with you,” he rushed forrard, intending -to give orders to have the boats cleared, when he saw C. B. and two -hands<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> working away at them, the rest being busy at the forehatch with -a monkey pump.</p> - -<p>It was a sad business but heroic in the extreme, that little group -of men engaged in the hopeless task of trying to subdue the flames -below among that terrible cargo, and aft one of their number steadily -pursuing his task of steering the doomed ship on her course through the -darkness. Suddenly the mate roared—</p> - -<p>“Drop those buckets and get the boats clear, what’s the use of wasting -work?” and, obedient to his cry, all hands rushed to the boats, -realizing in a dazed sort of way what the neglect of this slender -chance of life might mean. But C. B. and his two companions had toiled -at the biggest boat on the skids to good advantage, for they already -had her clear, her gear all sorted out and water put in her.</p> - -<p>Then C. B., hurriedly whispering to his helpers to get such food as -they could out of the cabin, caught up his wife and placed her in the -stern of the boat. Next he settled his father-in-law by her side and -bade them remain where they were. They obeyed him implicitly, for at -that moment he seemed to them to be gifted with amazing power and -foresight. But he was at his wits’ end because the ship was still -running before the gale like a hunted thing, and the very act of -heaving her to, that is, bringing her round to the wind and stopping -her way, was fraught with the utmost danger, yet it had to be done if -the boats were to be launched. And the captain made no sign.</p> - -<p>At last the mate, able to bear it no longer, rushed off to where the -captain stood by the helmsman, and shouted so as to be heard above the -roar of the gale— </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span></p> - -<p>“We’ve only moments left; the fire may burst up through all hatches at -once at any time now.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said the skipper wearily, as if the matter did not concern -him very much.</p> - -<p>“All, all hands to shorten sail.” He had hardly uttered the words when -with a roar that dumbed the gale a column of fire burst upwards from -the fore hatch as wide as that opening and as high as the topsail -yards. The man at the wheel, paralysed at the sight, let the spokes -slip from his nerveless grasp, and the vessel gave a tremendous sheer -up into the wind. She was of course carrying a press of canvas, and the -weight of it caught aback, heeled her over, until she was on her beam -ends. One gigantic sea towered above her like a wall, then swept down -and tore everything movable from her decks over the lee side which was -now under water.</p> - -<p>C. B. standing by the boat in which was all that he held dear felt her -heel and saw the sea coming. He clutched at the boat’s gunwale just as -the wave overwhelmed the ship, and was swept with her out and away into -the tormented sea, clinging with all his great strength to her as she -went. Presently he found the strain upon his arms ease, realized that -the boat was still afloat, and climbed into her. She was half full of -water, but his dear ones were still safe cowering in the stern sheets. -He uttered a fervent, “Thank God!” and feeling all his vigour return -got an oar out and tried to get the boat’s head round before the sea -so that she would ride easier. But it was an impossible task for one -man, however strong and skilful, and he realized it directly, resigning -himself to the mercy of God. But full of hope even then.</p> - -<p>He had just settled down by the side of his wife and grasped her clammy -hand when the whole of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span> wild heavens were lit up by a tremendous -glare, in which every detail of the ship close at hand was manifest, an -awful though a glorious sight. For the space of a couple of minutes the -mighty mass of flames soared heavenwards, lighting up the whole expanse -and revealing the heaving waste of ocean all dotted with wreckage. But -it showed also that the sea was smoothened greatly, as was inevitable -from the enormous quantity of oil which had been liberated. C. B. did -not think of the cause of this relief, but he seized the opportunity to -get the mast stepped and the jib set by means of which he could keep -the boat under control. And within the next five minutes before the -glare died down and the last sign of the ship disappeared, three men -were rescued from the watery wild around, the mate, the cook, and one -seaman. Then the light went out and darkness most profound swallowed -them up.</p> - -<p>Throughout that terrible night the boat, managed with consummate skill -by C. B., rode gallantly and easily over the tremendous billows. But -the strain of watching was intense, and when day dawned at last on the -tormented breadths of ocean the effect of it upon C. B. was painfully -manifest. Nestling side by side at his feet were his wife and her -father, sheltered as well as was possible, and marvellous to state, -sleeping soundly. The rescued men, however, did not appear to have been -able to sleep, they knew the danger too well, and besides, they were in -a miserable plight with wet and cold. Bad as they were, however, Mr. -Haynes, looking at C. B. and noting the effect that his ceaseless watch -had had upon him, at once offered to relieve him at the helm so that -he could rest a little if sleep was impossible. Very gratefully C. B. -accepted his offer, handed the tiller to him, and slipping down by the -side of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span> wife had only just time to murmur a few words of thanks -when he fell fast asleep.</p> - -<p>When he awoke the weather had become finer, and Haynes had managed to -get the mainsail set with a couple of reefs in it, so that something of -a course to the northward could be made. There were still heavy masses -of clouds marching swiftly up from the west, and occasionally obscuring -the pale blue that looked so hopeful, and the waves were still huge and -threatening, but the boat was now making good progress without shipping -any water to speak of, and the sun diffused some warmth through their -chilled frames. So that as C. B. looked around he felt a great wave of -thankfulness surge over him, and kneeling he invited all hands to join -with him in praising God for their wonderful deliverance. Very solemnly -and heartily they all agreed, and some of them for the first time in -their lives honestly and unreservedly recognized God as the Lord by -praising him for that their lives had been spared.</p> - -<p>Then a meal was taken, the provisions having been examined and -apportioned with the utmost care, and Mary looking up into her -husband’s face with eyes of deepest affection, said—</p> - -<p>“Only to think, Christmas, that so short a time ago we were your -patrons, showing off the power of wealth, I’m afraid, and now we -are like little children in your hands.” And Mr. Stewart chimed in -laconically—</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s good for a man to get down to the beginning of things -occasionally. I ain’t a bit comfortable, nor I wouldn’t be here if I -could help it, but somehow I feel glad to think I am here and getting -along almost as well as the next man.”</p> - -<p>And C. B., refreshed in body as well as exalted in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> mind, raised his -voice in the grand strains of “Oh God of Bethel by whose hand,” to the -manifest wonder of all his companions, but also to their exceeding comfort.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIII</span> <span class="smaller">Saved from the Sea</span></h2> - -<p>Not a word was spoken by any of his companions until he had finished -his song, then his wife, looking up at him with streaming eyes, said—</p> - -<p>“My dear love, how is it that I never knew of this wonderful gift of -yours? I could sit and hear you sing all day, forgetting everything -else in the world. How could you hide such a talent as that?”</p> - -<p>For a little while C. B. hardly knew what to say, for he actually felt -shy as if he had done something wrong. And at last all he could say -was—</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry, dear, if you like it so much, that I haven’t sung before. -I’ll make it up to you now. But first of all I’d like to ask our chief -here what he’s proposing to do.”</p> - -<p>Haynes immediately suggested that C. B. should take charge as being -the most experienced boatman, but C. B. would not hear of it, saying -that as long as any particle of the late ship’s furniture remained upon -which they had to depend the senior officer of the ship should be in -charge of it, “and I,” concluded C. B. “am only too glad to be at your -orders.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” said Haynes, “my idea is this. We’re about midway between -Prince Edward Island and the Crozets, that is in about 46 S. We dassent -keep on east for we can’t stand the weather, and anyhow if we did -fetch the Crozets there’s nothing there, we might all starve to death -or remain in misery for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> many months. I think then we’d best stand on -as we’re doin’, about north-east by east as near as I can figure it, -hoping to be sighted by some of the clippers running east who won’t go -very far south at this time of the year because of the ice. An’ I guess -you’d better keep your pray-machine going, for as I figure it we’ve -only got provisions enough with the utmost economy to keep us going for -fourteen days. Fortunately an old fad of mine comes in handy now. I -always did keep a couple of fishing lines and some hooks in one of the -boats, and it happens to be in this one. It’s the first time I’ve ever -known any good to come of it, but it may now mean the saving of all our -lives.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said C. B., “as I know very little of geography and -nothing at all of navigation I have no doubt you are right, and now if -you like I’ll give you another song.” Without waiting he plunged into -another sweet old melody and followed it up by another and another from -the rich stores of his memory until he himself called a halt. Everybody -was gratified, not merely by the sweet sounds but by the words which -now for the first time meant so much to them. As for Mary and her -father, it is impossible to say what their feelings were. It was a new -side of their beloved one that they had not suspected. Oh! I know of -no more poignant pleasure than to find that one you love and honour -and trust goes on to develop new excellencies undreamed of before. Not -merely that they do not fail you in your need, but that they rise to -heights undreamed of by you. It is certainly a foretaste of heaven, as -the failure of those you have lavished stores of love and trust upon to -justify any confidence at all is misery not to be explained.</p> - -<p>Now the life of a castaway boat’s crew in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span> middle of a mighty ocean -is a fascinating subject, but one that requires much room and great -care in handling. Principally, I think if dealt with faithfully from -the inside, it would reveal the true character of each individual, -because every one of the people involved has ever before them the -spectre of an awful struggle to exist, a struggle wherein body and soul -come to death grips, but where, thank God, it has so often been proved -that soul is the stronger, conquering the primal longings of the body -and vindicating its supremacy.</p> - -<p>But somehow in this boat’s crew, although privation and suffering from -exposure had full course, no one was really unhappy. When the awful -vision of the end as it might be came before any of their minds, it was -only able to affright them for a moment; then its effect departed, its -place being taken by a sense of trust in God akin to that of a little -child in its parents, which, I think, is the most precious instance -of faith that we have. But the privations endured by them were not so -terrible as some that have been recorded, for the weather having grown -finer remained steadily so, much to the disgust of many of the captains -of the great clippers, who by the failure of the heavy western winds -felt that their chance of making a record passage that trip was being -completely spoilt. They never dreamed of a little company of fellow-men -being in such straits quite near them that they blessed God with their -whole hearts because the usual sturdy winds had moderated their rugged -force, and the great swelling seas of the south were rolling quietly, -almost as the waters of an inland lake, the vast swell affecting them -not at all.</p> - -<p>Twelve days since they saw the last of the ship and only two day’s -rations remaining, because in that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span> part of the ocean Mr. Haynes’ -fishing line was of practically no use. Only the roughest of dead -reckoning had been kept, for not only was there no sextant or chart -in the boat but there was no compass, and Mr. Haynes’ course of NE. -by E. was merely the expression of habit. So that although they hoped -to be drawing near to St. Paul’s Island they could not know with any -certainty. And cheeks grew thinner, eyes more hollow and sunken, but, -thank God, as yet no word of complaint or anger. Nor had there as yet -been any discussion as to what might happen if they sighted neither -land nor ship, and all their food and water were gone. Not a word, -yet it was in every one’s mind, coupled with the thought that having -endured the pangs of semi-starvation for so long, starvation itself -could not be so bad to bear.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the thirteenth day C. B., standing up to stretch -himself as his custom was on waking, took a searching glance all around -the horizon. And his eyes lighted upon a dazzling speck of white upon -the western verge of the horizon. It did not need a second look to tell -him that the blessed vision was the fore royal of a ship lit up by the -first gleam of the rising sun. But he said nothing, just waited till -the morning prayer was made and the tiny meal was served and eaten. -Then he raised himself up again, his heart full of unspoken pleading -for those with him, lest a disappointment should await them, and there -she was evidently steering in a line with them and coming at such a -rate that now her courses or lower square sails were plainly visible. -Then C. B. said quietly—</p> - -<p>“Dear friends, there’s a ship steering straight for us, and if they are -keeping anything of a lookout on board of her they should have seen us -by this time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> Only we are not so easy to make out as they are, being -on the wrong side of the sun.”</p> - -<p>No need to ask where, his outstretched arm told them, and all saw her -like some mighty angel swooping down on them, and from unaccustomed -lips came gently the gracious words, “Thank God.” She fascinated them -as she came nearer, a fine full-rigged ship, her stately beauty growing -upon them with every scend she made. And now they knew she must see -them, for she still steered right for them, and C. B. declared he could -see men on the foreyard. Nearer, nearer still, until suddenly she swung -up into the wind, showing a broad band of white along her side which -had black above and slate colour beneath, stamping her for all the -seafaring world as one of the fine ships of the great firm of Messrs. -T. & J. Brocklebank of Liverpool.</p> - -<p>The yards on the main swung round in fine style, and she lay motionless -but for the gentle heave and sway of the sea. “Out oars,” shouted -Haynes, “we mustn’t keep him waiting. Lord, what a lovely ship!” So -the oars were shipped and all hands pulled lustily until they got -alongside, where they found a whip with a basket already rigged for the -hoisting inboard of any too feeble to climb. Mary and her father went -up in this way, but the rest of them, in spite of their feebleness, -climbed on board pilot fashion up the swaying man ropes. And the boat, -like many another good servant that has outlived his usefulness, was -turned adrift, much to C. B.’s sorrow.</p> - -<p>The genial captain came to meet them and welcome them on board the -<i>Majestic</i>. He had over twenty passengers on board and was, of course, -bound to Calcutta. Whoever heard of a Brocklebank ship going anywhere -else in those days? The lady<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> passengers captured Mary and carried her -off, their gentle hearts full of compassion for her sad plight, for in -spite of her courage and the calm heroism with which she had endured -the misfortune that had befallen them, her sunken cheeks and hollow -eyes and wasted arms told their own tale of privation. Her father -too, who had borne up amazingly with the dogged courage indeed of the -genuine American of the better class, now looked frail and very old, -while C. B. and the members of the crew, though thin and haggard, were -not nearly so bad as might have been expected.</p> - -<p>Hospitality of every kind was shown them, but food and drink were given -judiciously, after the well-known rule for fasting persons, and so -rapidly did they recover that the next evening they were all, except of -course the cook and the seaman, able to come to the well spread saloon -dinner table, where they were made very much of. They were indeed -a great acquisition to the ship, for swift as her passage had been -(those vessels usually made the run out from Liverpool to Calcutta in -from eighty to ninety days), the passengers as usual began to feel the -tedium of the voyage, as they termed it, hang very heavily upon them. -Consequently this romantic break in the monotony was welcomed with -great joy by them all, and as they heard more and more of the strange -adventures of one at least of their guests, their interest rose to a -very high pitch indeed.</p> - -<p>It was Saturday, and after dinner the patriarchal skipper announced -that he would hold the usual prayer meeting, for he was a Christian -indeed, and endeavoured to provide the means of worship for all, while -obliging none to attend. And he said, “We shall be able to-night to -turn it into a praise meeting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span> for that the Lord has been so good as to -let us rescue the perishing.”</p> - -<p>C. B. looked up at him wonderingly. He could hardly believe his ears. -But there was no mistake at all. He presently realized that for the -first time since he had left his beloved home he was going to enjoy -what to him was the most precious privilege of life, that of meeting -with the Lord’s people in prayer and praise. His eyes sparkled and his -face flushed so that his wife, looking up at him, felt the influence -and bowed her head in silent thankfulness.</p> - -<p>Partly from curiosity, but in some cases in pure reverence, most of the -passengers attended the meeting in the saloon that night, also a few -of the crew. The grand old skipper presided, and after a hymn had been -sung, in which C. B.’s glorious tenor electrified them all, he read a -chapter, the stirring story of Paul’s shipwreck by Luke. And then he -prayed, being indeed accustomed to take all the parts himself, since -up till now no one of his crew or passengers had ever accepted his -invariable invitation, “Will any brother or sister lead us in prayer?” -There was no change in this evening’s exercises, except that the dear -old man was a little less stereotyped than usual, especially when he -thanked God for permitting the crew of the <i>Majestic</i> to be the means -of rescuing their perishing brothers and sisters.</p> - -<p>And then he uttered his invitation, at which C. B. immediately sprang -to his feet and poured out his very soul. What a prayer that was to be -sure! It flooded the hearts of the hearers with a sense of the presence -of the Divine in their midst, it established with a certainty that -nothing could shake the connexion between the man and his heavenly -father. When at last he ceased, and be sure that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span> did not pray -long, there was a strange sensation among them all as if they expected -something to happen. And then the sweet voice of Mary rose, never -sweeter than now, following her husband. Never before had she raised -her voice in prayer in public, but now the inspiration seized her and -she could not refrain. Sweetly and gladly she praised the Lord, and the -people who had felt strange tremors while C. B. was praying now owned -to a peace that passed all their understanding stealing over them. She -ceased and, wonder of wonders, the hard rugged old citizen, the keen -fighter in the business arena, Old Man Stewart of the San Francisco -Stock Exchange, lifted up his voice. I have not dared to give a sample -of either C. B.’s or Mary’s out-pourings, but Mr. Stewart’s was so new -and vigorous and eminently common-sense that I cannot refrain.</p> - -<p>“Almighty God, in the name of Jesus Christ I thank you for all the -mercy you’ve shown me and my daughter and her husband. You’ve saved us -from a horrible death, you’ve brought us among good people, and you’ve -made me see as I never did before the glory and majesty that is yours. -If I knew, how I’d compete with the angels in praising you for what -you’ve been and done to me lately, but I don’t, and I guess ’tain’t -necessary either. So I’ll just say thank you, great God, for my dear -son and his good influence, thank you for savin’ us, thank you for the -lovingkindness of this good ship’s company and all, and all....” Then -the rugged voice faltered, the tall form trembled, subsided into a -seat, and he buried his face in his hands sobbing.</p> - -<p>And C. B. sprang to his feet, singing with his soul in his voice, “All -hail the power of Jesu’s Name.” They all sang it through, following him -verse by verse, and then when the voices died away<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span> the old skipper -solemnly pronounced the benediction, closing what he afterwards -declared was the most memorable prayer meeting he had ever attended. -And after the folks had dispersed in chastened mood to talk over the -strange happenings of the evening, he called C. B. and his wife to -him to ask of them certain things. He needed, as he explained, to be -strengthened in his soul by the conversation of such natural Christians -as he felt sure they were.</p> - -<p>His communion with them was of mutual benefit and much pleasure, and -C. B. felt happier than he had done for a long time, not that he was -ever unhappy, but that being a man he had sadly missed the pleasure -he had renewed this night. Then when the old skipper had bidden them -good night C. B. and his wife and Mr. Stewart sat and talked over the -amazing happenings of the past month, the strange ways in which it was -pleasing the Lord to lead them. And gradually the talk came round, as -it must do, to ways and means. They were now bound to Calcutta, and as -Mr. Stewart had remitted the balance of his money to Sydney except for -the trifle they had brought on board with them, all of which had been -lost, they were practically beggared; still they could not talk with C. -B. and feel that, for his cheery optimism was entirely proof against -any such depressing thoughts. He would only quote the simile of the -sparrows and smile contentedly.</p> - -<p>Next day they swung round the island of St. Paul’s, had set the course -northward for Calcutta. And as soon as the yards had been trimmed the -captain called C. B. to him and said that there was just a chance of -them meeting a ship bound South to Sydney or Melbourne which had been -to Calcutta with horses, then a very lucrative trade and one that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span> gave -employment to a good many vessels. Then he said—</p> - -<p>“If we do, I will signal to her and try to get them to take you on -board, for much as I should like to take you on to Calcutta with me I -know how hard it would be for you in your present penniless condition -to land in a port so very far away from where you are bound to. And -none of our passengers here are wealthy, they are all people who have -their living to earn, or I know they would help. So we will pray that -a vessel may be sighted into which you can be transhipped and thus the -way made clear for you.”</p> - -<p>C. B. thanked him and withdrew to the society of the dear ones, whom -he found seated among a delighted group of the passengers who were -listening spell-bound to some story Mr. Stewart was telling them. And -as C. B. approached they hailed him gladly and made room for him in -their midst, while Mr. Stewart said laconically—</p> - -<p>“Now I guess I’ll turn the story over to him, for not only was he there -and knows the whole thing, but he’s the boss story-teller there is, -lays clean over any spinner of yarns I ever heard of, and what is best -of all, you can bank your entire substance that he’ll never tell you -anything that isn’t exactly so to an actual dot.”</p> - -<p>C. B. laughingly inquired what this was they were getting up for him -now, and learned that it was the story of poor Captain Taber’s breaking -up, which, although Mr. Stewart and Mary had heard several times, they -could not possibly tell as he could. And yet, having heard Captain -Taber’s side of the yarn, Mary was able to put her oar in occasionally -in order to prevent her husband’s modesty from entirely covering up his -good part in the great business. For like a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span> thoroughly good wife she -loved to have her husband praised. His glory was hers, everything that -was spoken of him truly and gratefully warmed her very heart, for he -was part of herself and her typical hero.</p> - -<p>So C. B. told the story and more also, and in such pleasant ways the -time sped on until they had been a week on board and felt as if it had -been but one day. There was no more respite for C. B.’s voice now, -especially as the <i>Majestic</i> had a piano in her saloon, and C. B. -now discovered to his boundless delight what he had never dreamed of -before, that Mary could play beautifully: a born musician, she could -accompany anybody with or without the music as soon as she got the air. -And how they did sing! It seemed as if they could have thus poured out -their very souls. Mr. Stewart made a mental note that whatever they -decided to do without in their new simplicity at Norfolk Island when -they got there, a piano or an American organ certainly would not be one -of the things, since it was a source of such great delight and innocent -pleasure.</p> - -<p>This pleasant time came to an end with great suddenness. A sail was -sighted coming towards them and the captain shaped his course to -meet her closely. As she drew nearer it was seen that she was a fine -full-rigged ship, and the flags soon revealed that she was the <i>Ben -Ledi</i> from Calcutta to Sydney, thirty-one days out. To the signal “I -wish to communicate by boat” the stranger backed her maintopsail and -lay to expectantly, while the captain of the <i>Majestic</i> invited the -three to accompany his chief officer to the boat to the other ship, -wisely remarking that if she would take them so much time would be -saved, if not there was no harm done. Of course the three hands of the -late <i>Julia D. South’s</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> crew would go on to Calcutta; being sailors, -one port was as good to them as another.</p> - -<p>Hurried and fervent farewells were made and many tears were shed, for -the trio had made themselves much beloved during the short time of -their stay; then laden with good wishes and a substantial outfit of -clothing generously contributed by all the passengers they dropped into -the boat and departed. As only a mile separated the two ships but a -very short time elapsed before they were alongside the <i>Ben Ledi</i>, and -the mate of the <i>Majestic</i> who had accompanied them climbed nimbly on -board and briefly stated their case to the captain, offering in their -name to pay whatever should be considered fair for a passage to Sydney.</p> - -<p>No difficulty whatever was made, for the <i>Ben Ledi</i> was also a big -ship with good accommodation, and the captain, though a cautious -business-like Scotchman, said that he was happy to be of service, -and as for the passage money, that could be settled by the agents in -Sydney. So a whip was rigged for Mrs. Adams and her father, they were -lightly lifted on board, C. B. sprang up the side ladder, the mate -after a hearty handshake all round leaped into his boat, shoved off, -and away they went.</p> - -<p>As soon as ever the boat was clear the captain shouted—</p> - -<p>“Fill away ye’ere main yard. Come up on the poop, friends, and wave -good-bye to your ship.” And with swelling hearts they watched the -hospitable <i>Majestic</i> dipping her flag in farewell as the <i>Ben Ledi</i> -gathered way and began to slip through the water southward bound. The -captain, introducing himself as “James McIntyre, at your service,” made -no attempt to persuade them to come below until the <i>Majestic</i> was -hull down, and then gently suggested<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span> that they might be glad to see -their cabins, like a courteous host doing the honours of his house to -distinguished visitors. And so they became passengers in yet another -ship on this curious tortuous journey of theirs to the lonely lovely -isle of their hopes.</p> - -<p>They found to their astonishment that this ship was scarcely less -sumptuously fitted than the last, that the cabins were roomy if less -comfortable, and that an air of quiet ordered peace reigned on board. -And Mr. Stewart said emphatically—</p> - -<p>“How is it, I wonder, that people will tell such needless lies about -this thing? Now I’d always believed the Britishers were hoggish, -unsociable, et up with pride. That British ships were dirty, no account -tubs, where life was hardly worth living and comfort was unknown. I’ve -heard the term lime-juicer applied to them all and felt that it meant -all that was contemptible and worthless. And now I find everything the -exact opposite, and I’m filled with shame that I ever believed such -lying slanders. Ah well, there must be some evil spirit at work tryin’ -to keep the two countries enemies. As for me, I’ll bless a Britisher -as long as I live if it’s only for the way I’ve been treated and seen -folks behave under that flag lately.”</p> - -<p>You can hardly imagine how C. B.’s heart thrilled with joy at hearing -his father-in-law say this. For he, like all the rest of his island -brethren, was passionately patriotic, and praise of the dear land they -had never seen was only second to praise of the Lord and His glorious -kingdom in their innocent ignorant minds. Perhaps it was as well that -they had no opportunities to become disillusioned, for Heaven knows the -latter process is easy enough to even our most fervent admirers who -visit us and take the trouble to inquire into things. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span></p> - -<p>Truly the old gentleman’s encomia were well deserved in this case, -for while the <i>Julia D. South</i> was certainly far from being a fair -representative of American packets generally of that day, both the -<i>Majestic</i> and the <i>Ben Ledi</i> were among the very best of their -class, magnificently built and equipped, and in the hands of men who -were a credit to their profession. Of course the <i>Ben Ledi</i> was not -so comfortable in some respects as the <i>Majestic</i>, for she was not -carrying passengers, but that did not trouble our friends, who were -grateful and delighted at the thought that they were once more on the -direct track for their last but one port.</p> - -<p>The passage was entirely uneventful, for no extraordinary weather was -experienced, and while every man in the ship knew his duty and did it -well, they were an exceedingly taciturn lot, being nearly all pawky -Scotchmen. Having given their guests the best reception in their power -and treated them in every way as first-class passengers, they left it -at that, as if they felt that it was no part of their duty to amuse -and entertain their guests as well. And doubtless they were perfectly -justified in their own eyes, but for my part, having been in a few of -them, I detest a <i>silent</i> ship. It always seems as if everybody was -sullen or as if some trouble was brewing.</p> - -<p>Certainly it did so here to our friends, for Mary said to her husband -on the third day—</p> - -<p>“Whatever can be the matter with these folks, they go about like -automata, and whenever I have spoken to one of the officers or the -captain they have seemed so embarrassed and troubled that I have felt -quite guilty, though for the life of me I can’t think of what. Their -whole stock of conversation seems to consist of ‘ay,’ long drawn out, -or a funny noise that they make with their mouths shut, all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span> m’s. The -chief officer did say the other day when I remarked how beautiful the -weather was, ‘that’s a faact, mem,’ but he got quite red in the face -over it.”</p> - -<p>C. B. laughingly reproved her for her criticism, and reminded her how -the silent folks were almost always those who did most. And in any case -if their hosts were silent the ship was as near perfection in every -respect as a ship could be.</p> - -<p>And so she remained. Through the dreaded waters of the Great Australian -Bight, where she fought out a tremendous easterly gale in splendid -fashion, through the intricate navigation of Bass’s Straits, where she -behaved like a yacht against light, baffling winds and unfavourable -currents, and then as with a howling “Southerly buster” behind her -she flew north at the rate of fourteen knots an hour, she won the -most whole-hearted and lavish admiration from her guests. Mr. Stewart -waxed enthusiastic, a rare thing for him, and going up to the captain, -who was standing with impassive face near the binnacle, he burst -into praise of the ship and her many superb qualities as far as he -could tell, having travelled a good deal at sea. To which the captain -rejoined drily, “Aye, she’s no’ a bad ship.”</p> - -<p>Presently they opened up the wonderful harbour of Port Jackson, so -cunningly concealed as to its entrance that our greatest navigator -sailed right past it unsuspectingly, and after picking up a pilot -filled away again and sailed up to the crowded anchorage like some -mighty bird settling down to its nest and gradually folding its wings. -There was a crash and a tremor all through the ship as the anchor -fell, and there she lay, another passage safely accomplished, and her -passengers’ hearts full of joy.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIV</span> <span class="smaller">Home at Last</span></h2> - -<p>In one hour from the time the <i>Ben Ledi’s</i> anchor was dropped off -Sydney Cove, C. B., Mary and Mr. Stewart were in the fine offices -of the firm with which the latter gentleman had deposited the small -remainder of his fortune, and explaining as briefly as possible -the vicissitudes which had attended their journeying thither. They -were welcomed with great cordiality by the head of the firm, Mr. -Oliphant, who at once invited them to come and be his guests in his -beautiful home on the shores of Wooloomoolloo Bay, where they could -rest and refresh themselves while they made their preparations for -the last stage of their journey. They all smiled at the idea of their -needing either rest or refreshment after the luxurious life they had -been leading of late, but gratefully accepted the good man’s offer -nevertheless.</p> - -<p>Now visitors to the Queen City of the South are usually captivated at -once by her charms, especially with the wondrous beauty of her glorious -harbour, and their enjoyment is always heightened by the delightful -hospitality of the citizens. But although neither of the three friends -could be said to be insensible to either the beauties of nature or the -wonders of man’s handiwork, they were all filled with a great longing -for the home about which C. B. had spoken so lovingly, and whose simple -delights he had so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span> often pictured to them. And therefore, when Mr. -Oliphant at his cheerful table that night produced a programme of -visits and sightseeing that he and his wife had arranged for their -guests, he received somewhat of a shock to find that they manifested -not the slightest desire to avail themselves of his thoughtful kindness.</p> - -<p>He had been amazed at the refusal of his guests to taste the costly -wines he had set before them, wondered too at the extreme simplicity -of their tastes, which made them neglect nearly all the carefully -prepared dishes on the table and content themselves with the plainest -fare, but now to find that they were careless of the wonders of Sydney, -both natural and artificial—well, it was incomprehensible to him, -and his wife’s chagrin was so great that she could hardly conceal her -vexation. Now the guests knew that as they were people of practically -no importance socially, for Mr. Oliphant had no idea that Mr. Stewart -had so recently been a millionaire, this solicitude for their comfort -and pleasure could only arise from sheer kindness of heart, so they -hastened to explain. The task of doing so fell upon Mr. Stewart, for -C. B. had been strangely reticent of late, his usual fluency of speech -seemed to have deserted him.</p> - -<p>“Dear host and hostess,” said the old gentleman, “nine months ago -when I was hastening home to San Francisco from a world-tour with my -dear daughter here and her mother, now with God, had anyone told me -that I should turn a cold shoulder to hospitality such as you offer -us I should have laughed in their faces. For we were all very keen on -sightseeing, and I was besides a business man to my finger-tips; in -fact it seemed to me almost the only thing that made life worth living, -for to make money rapidly and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span> spend it royally. I do not feel inclined -to tell you all the story now, and indeed it would take too long, of -how thoroughly my views and my whole life have been changed.</p> - -<p>“I have lost my dear wife and almost the whole of my fortune, but I am -to-day a happier man than I have ever been in my whole life. I have -learned from that dear fellow there what it is to really live, and how -little we really need in this world in order to be truly happy. I am -more glad that he is my daughter’s husband than I should be if she were -the wife of a reigning sovereign, and I am looking forward with great -longing to spend the rest of my days in his peaceful home on Norfolk -Island, a place which perhaps you know something about?”</p> - -<p>“I know there is such a place at no great distance from here, less than -1,000 miles anyway, and I know too that it has had an awful history as -a convict settlement, but since that black stain has been wiped out -from our Australasian Colonies I cannot say that I know anything of its -history. I know at any rate that we have no trade with it, so if there -is a settlement there it must be self-supporting, I should think.”</p> - -<p>Then C. B., being appealed to by the gentle eyes of his wife, told his -host and hostess the story of the emigration to Norfolk Island of a -large number of the Pitcairn Island folk, descendants of the mutineers -of the <i>Bounty</i>, while they sat in dumb surprise.</p> - -<p>But when the recital was over Mrs. Oliphant looked at her husband, and, -shrugging her shoulders, said—</p> - -<p>“There’s no accounting for tastes, Harry, but I think such a life as -that would drive me mad within a month. How can people go back to -such barbarism as that when once they have escaped from it? That’s -wonderful, but it’s ten times more wonderful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> that people like you,” -nodding at Mr. Stewart and his daughter, “should be attracted by such -a life and leave all the delights of civilization for it. However, -it’s no business of ours to try and persuade you, presumably you have -decided fully on your course?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed we have, ma’am,” said Mary; “and you see, although we are -fully persuaded ourselves, we do not seek to make converts to our way -of thinking, nor are we following any new religion. We ourselves have -been converted mainly by the spectacle of a good life—that of my -husband—whom if you knew, you would say of him as nearly every one -else says, that he is a man after God’s own mind. Now we should not -have told you these things because we felt we should be misunderstood, -but we wanted you to know that it was not churlishness nor ingratitude -that made us refuse your very kind and generous offer.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Oliphant made a gesture as if washing his hands of the whole -affair, as if indeed he felt frankly that it was quite beyond him, and -said, “Well then, Mr. Stewart, perhaps you will tell me in what way as -your agent here I can serve you?”</p> - -<p>“That I can,” responded Mr. Stewart cheerfully. “First of all, I want -the captain of the <i>Ben Ledi</i> paid for our passage hither from where he -took us on board. I do not believe he will ask exorbitant rates, but I -must tell you that we have had first-class accommodation, and I should -not consider $350 too dear. I should object to paying more than that. -Secondly, I want you to find us either a vessel that we can charter at -a low rate, a schooner, say, to convey us to Norfolk Island, or perhaps -for less money you may be able to induce some owner to let his vessel, -bound somewhere else among the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span> islands, go out of her way a little to -land us there. Lastly, we wish to buy rather a large quantity of goods, -tools of various kinds, clothing, books, and above all, a first-class -American organ. And I think that is all. Only of course we should like -despatch.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Oliphant, who had made notes while Mr. Stewart was speaking, turned -and replied—</p> - -<p>“I think I have all your instructions now, sir, and you may rely upon -me to put your business through as soon as I can. And if there is -anything else I can do or my wife can do for Mrs. Adams command us. We -can and do honour and respect you for your opinions, even though we -totally disagree with them. And now perhaps you would like to retire, -as it is getting late.”</p> - -<p>C. B. looked wistfully at his wife and father-in-law, and then said -meekly, but as if he could not help speaking—</p> - -<p>“Have you any objection, sir, and Mrs. Oliphant, to our having a little -prayer together before we part for the night?”</p> - -<p>A look of consternation came over the lady’s face, almost of terror, -and she turned appealingly to her husband, who replied immediately, -“I’m sure you’ll excuse us. That sort of thing is not at all in our -line. This is Liberty Hall and of course you may do what pleases you, -but we could not take part in your exercises, it would be hypocrisy.”</p> - -<p>C. B. rose at once bowing courteously and saying—“I hope you’ll -forgive me for mentioning the matter, I have no wish to intrude our -views upon you. Good-night”; and with mutual expressions of good will -they separated. But as soon as Mrs. Oliphant and her husband reached -their chamber the lady’s indignation broke forth, and she said many -bitter things<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span> about the impudence of these strangers suggesting such a -thing in a house where they were guests.</p> - -<p>This difference however did not affect her hospitable attentions to her -guests for, as if repentant of her feelings towards them, she really -toiled hard during the week of their stay to make them as comfortable -as could be, while her husband was certainly as good as his word. -So strenuously did he exert himself that by that day week he had -arranged everything for them, the goods they needed were all packed in -convenient parcels for transshipment, C. B. being the director of this -part of the business, and a handy brigantine, the <i>Lady Head</i>, bound to -Fiji, was chartered to land them and their belongings at Norfolk Island -with the least possible delay.</p> - -<p>The morning of their departure broke bright and clear, with a fresh -westerly breeze, and they bade Mrs. Oliphant and her three dear -children an affectionate and grateful farewell. But nothing could blind -them to the fact that she was almost nervously anxious to have them -gone, for as she afterwards confessed to a few chosen acquaintances, -they made her feel strangely uneasy, made her feel as if she were a -godless wicked creature, while all the time behaving themselves with -the utmost meekness and courtesy. And they on their part were hungry -for the place that C. B. was never tired of telling them about, and -reminding them that God might there be worshipped continually without -its being thought a strange thing to do, where no one felt bound to -dislike you because you admitted that the love of God was the chief -factor in your life and where, while living an active happy life with -all your God-given faculties in full play there was no brutal collision -at every turn with the forces of evil regnant in the world. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span></p> - -<p>The <i>Lady Head</i> with all sail set sped swiftly seaward, our three -friends sitting on her little poop with no eyes for the beauty of the -shores they were leaving. Every day brought Mary and her father to a -clearer understanding of the thorny way C. B. must have travelled since -leaving his home, for even Mr. Oliphant, honest, courteous and urbane -as he had been, was obviously glad to see them go. They felt that for -men and women truly filled with the love of God there was no room in -the world that hated the Master. The thought that there was anything -cowardly in thus fleeing from the scene of conflict did not occur to -them as perhaps it should have done: I do not know. They only knew that -they were going to a place of peace and that sufficed them.</p> - -<p>They had no pleasant passage. The vessel was small, the crew were rough -and brutal, and the language they heard around them hurt them very -much, but nothing could disturb the serenity of their souls. So deeply -had they become imbued with the spirit that C. B. had always manifested -that they had no doubts, they felt that they were going home. And it -was with something of a shock that they learned from C. B. that since -his departure in the <i>Eliza Adams</i>, he had heard no word of his people. -It was but slight though, one look at his face with its calm assurance -of all being well gave them a mild rebuke. Of course all would be well.</p> - -<p>Contrary winds and heavy weather delayed them a good deal, but the -little vessel if uncomfortable was staunch, and they were proof against -bodily discomfort. Yet when on the fourteenth day from Sydney Heads -they sighted the well-known bay (to C. B.), Mary and her father were -seized with a strange trembling, and the stern old man, so wonderfully -softened, could not help a tear now and then stealing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span> down his ruddy -cheeks. They stood in, and when within easy distance of the shore hove -to, C. B.’s keen glance detecting a boat putting off before any one -else did. Swiftly it came towards them, while C. B., holding his wife -with one hand and his father-in-law with the other, bade them observe -how she was handled.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he gave a joyful shout, “My father! Oh, thank God, thank -God!” Yes, it was Philip, with all his old vigour handling the steer -oar, and, as he skilfully swung the boat alongside, he looked up and -recognized his firstborn. He snatched at a rope flung to him, sprang -on board and folded his son to his breast in a silent ecstasy, while -Mary and Mr. Stewart stood back trembling and waited till the sacred -greeting was over.</p> - -<p>Suddenly C. B. sprang away from his father’s arms and, seizing Mary, -cried, “Here, father, here’s another daughter for you: this is my -darling wife; and here is her father, a brother for you.”</p> - -<p>Philip gravely embraced his daughter-in-law, his clear eyes appearing -to search out her very soul. She, poor girl, now that she was where she -had so longed to be, was for a moment just a little dismayed at the -aspect of Philip. While her whole heart cried shame at the thought, it -was there, that this noble-looking man’s rough sleeveless shirt, coarse -short pants and bare gnarled feet were repugnant to her. Life-long -prejudices are indeed hard to overcome.</p> - -<p>Surely then it should be accounted unto her for righteousness that she -bravely took those ignoble feelings by the throat and choked them, -envying her father as she did so the ease and grace with which he -greeted the roughly clad man before him. But then he had long ago known -the true value of clothes, and being besides a rare judge of a man when -he saw<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span> him he had mentally appraised Philip at once as being another -C. B. only more so.</p> - -<p>But neither C. B. nor his father thought of these things. C. B. -indeed, shaken out of his usual calm, could hardly restrain himself -sufficiently to explain about the goods they had brought with them; -he was so impatient to bring Mary and his mother together. But it -was certain that one boat could not possibly carry the boat load -that was waiting, and so it was decided that Philip and Mr. Stewart -should remain on board while C. B. took Mary ashore and sent the two -boats back. Such a precaution was necessary, for the character of -neither skipper nor crew of the <i>Lady Head</i> stood very high, and it -was quite possible that in the absence of the owners of the freight -they might take it into their heads to up helm and be off in a fit -of absent-mindedness as it were. Such things have happened in those -latitudes before now.</p> - -<p>So Mary was carefully assisted into the boat, and crouching low in the -stern sheets she gazed upwards with loving admiration of the noble form -of her husband as erect at the great steer-oar he swung the boat’s head -landward. Every stroke of the way she watched him, nor blenched for -a breath, even when the enormous shoreward rushing billow poised the -craft like a feather upon its foaming crest, a vast green slope before -and behind, down one of which it seemed that they must roll and be -swallowed up.</p> - -<p>Presently the boat touched the beach, the crew sprang out, dug their -feet into the shingle as the wave receded, and then with a great cry of -delight as the next billow came in ran her up with it high and dry. And -C. B. sprang out, turned, lifted his wife like a babe in his powerful -arms, and running up the slope with her placed her in the arms of his -mother. Grace took Mary to her bosom while her son said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span> with tears -streaming down, “Mother, I have brought you home a daughter, my dear -wife.”</p> - -<p>And the friends catching the word shouted aloud for joy, while Grace, -holding her new daughter a little way from her, looked in her sweet -face and murmured—</p> - -<p>“Dear one, may God abundantly bless you and make your married life as -happy as mine has been. Come home and see your brothers and sisters, -they will all welcome you to their hearts as I do. Come, you are tired -and excited, but in our home you will find peace and rest.” And Mary -went with her mother, her mind all awhirl. In those few moments she -realized how fully she had severed herself from all the past, and with -Grace’s strong arm round her and her husband striding by her side knew -of a certainty that she had done well.</p> - -<p>That was the most exciting day in the history of the little community. -What with the landing of the very necessary and welcome consignment, -listening to the tale C. B. had to tell, welcoming the fine old -American gentleman Mr. Stewart, and occasionally breaking out into -songs of praise, it was midnight before the friends sought their homes, -and even then there were many who did not sleep until morning.</p> - -<p>My story is really done, for although in novels generally the story -ends with the marriage of the lovers, mine has not done so, but has -carried them on through the trials and developments that always follow -marriage, which after all is to most people but the beginning of a life -story. It would be quite easy to spend many pages in describing how the -new-comers were introduced to the many quiet sweet joys of their chosen -home, as easy as it would be to find fault with them for quitting the -world of effort for this peaceful nook. But to do so would be merely -repeating the earlier descriptions in t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span>he book, and so I do what -seems to me the right thing, merely record that with an ease that was -marvellous Mary and her father slipped into their allotted places in -the simple island scheme of existence.</p> - -<p>And presently they wondered how they had ever been able to bear the -burden of so-called civilization, and the thousand and one miseries -which the possession of wealth and the maintaining of a place in -society, supposed to be incumbent upon the wealthy, brings in its -train. Mary summed up her feelings upon the subject to her father one -Sunday night when after the usual united meeting for prayer and praise -they all sat upon the verdant hillside in the warm moonlight by saying—</p> - -<p>“Daddy dear, I do not believe we ever knew what it really was to live, -and I am sure that we had no conception of the lovingkindness of God -until I met my Bounty Boy.”</p> - - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span></p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/logo.jpg" alt="logo" /></div> - -<hr /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="mynote"><p class="center">Transcriber’s Note:<br /><br /> -Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.<br /></p></div> - - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BOUNTY BOY***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 65476-h.htm or 65476-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/5/4/7/65476">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/5/4/7/65476</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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