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diff --git a/old/69952-0.txt b/old/69952-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3021bf3..0000000 --- a/old/69952-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15883 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Leonard Lindsay, by Angus B. Reach - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Leonard Lindsay - or, the story of a buccaneer - -Author: Angus B. Reach - -Release Date: February 4, 2023 [eBook #69952] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Bob Taylor, Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEONARD LINDSAY *** - - - - - - Transcriber’s Note - Italic text displayed as: _italic_ - - - - - LEONARD LINDSAY - OR - _THE STORY OF A BUCCANEER_ - - BY - - ANGUS B. REACH - - “NO PEACE BEYOND THE LINE.”—_Old Sailors Proverb_ - - - LONDON - - GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS - - THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE - - NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - CHAPTER I. - - OF MY BOYHOOD, AND HOW, BEING CAST AWAY AT SEA, I AM - CARRIED TO THE WEST INDIES AGAINST MY WILL 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - OF MY ESCAPE FROM THE FRENCH SHIP, AND MY LANDING IN - HISPANIOLA 18 - - - CHAPTER III. - - I JOIN A BROTHERHOOD OF HUNTERS AND ADVENTURERS ON - THE COAST 27 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - OF THE LIFE OF A BUCCANEER 39 - - - CHAPTER V. - - HOW WE ENCOUNTER GREAT DANGERS, THE SPANIARDS - ATTACKING US 44 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - HOW THE DEADLY FEVER OF THE COAST FASTENS ON ME 58 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE BUCCANEERS TIRE OF THE LIFE ON SHORE, AND DETERMINE - TO GO AGAIN TO SEA 64 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE LEGEND OF FOUL-WEATHER DON 73 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE AUTHOR, WITH SUNDRY OF HIS COMRADES, SET OUT FOR - THE CREEK WHERE HE LEFT HIS BARK, AND THERE - BRAVELY CAPTURE A SPANISH SCHOONER 89 - - - CHAPTER X. - - THEY RETURN WITH THE PRIZE TO THE MARMOUSETTES, AND - NICKY HAMSTRING SHORTLY RELATES HIS HISTORY 103 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE BUCCANEERS PRESENTLY SET SAIL IN THE SCHOONER - FOR JAMAICA, WITH A RELATION OF THE EVENTS WHICH - HAPPENED THERE 110 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - OF THE DEATH OF AN OLD FRIEND 125 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE BUCCANEERS SAIL FOR THE SPANISH MAIN, AND ARE - CHASED BY A GREAT SHIP OF WAR 131 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF THE UNKNOWN SHOALS AND THE - DWARF PILOT 140 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - AT LENGTH THEY CATCH THE DWARF PILOT, AND HEAR - STRANGE THINGS TOUCHING A TREASURE 157 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - HOW THE DWARF TURNS TRAITOR, AND OF HIS FATE 170 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - OF THEIR UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR THE SUNKEN TREASURE—WEARYING - AT LENGTH OF THE UNDERTAKING, THEY - PURSUE THEIR COURSE—THE LEGEND OF ‘NELL’S BEACON,’ - OR THE ‘CORPUS SANT’ 183 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - A KNAVE OF THE CREW PLAYING WITH COGGED DICE IS - KEEL-HAULED 191 - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - WE CRUISE OFF CARTHAGENA AWAITING THE GALLEON, AND I - FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE SPANIARDS 205 - - - CHAPTER XX. - - I AM TRIED AND TORTURED BY THE SPANIARDS 220 - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - HOW I ESCAPE FROM THE SPANISH GUARDHOUSE—AM CHASED - BY BLOOD-HOUNDS IN THE WOODS, AND HOW AT LENGTH - I FIND A STRANGE ASYLUM 243 - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - THE FAMILY OF THE SPANISH MERCHANT 263 - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - HOW WE SAIL TO JOIN THE PEARL FLEET, AND THE NEGRO - DIVER’S STORY 282 - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - MY ADVENTURES AMONG THE PEARL FISHERS, AND MY ESCAPE - FROM THE FLEET 303 - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - THE PIRAGUA IS PICKED UP BY A GREAT PRIVATEER, AND I - FIND MYSELF AMONG NEW SHIPMATES 338 - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - THE LEGEND OF THE DEMON WHO HAUNTS POINT MORANT - IN JAMAICA 357 - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - WHAT HAPPENS ABOARD THE ‘SAUCY SUSAN’—AND THE ENDING - OF HER AND HER CREW 369 - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - THE FOODLESS BOAT AND THE ISLAND 397 - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW WORLD 412 - - - CHAPTER THE LAST. - - I MEET OLD FRIENDS 416 - - - - - LEONARD LINDSAY; - - OR, - - THE STORY OF A BUCCANEER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -OF MY BOYHOOD, AND HOW, BEING CAST AWAY AT SEA, I AM CARRIED TO THE -WEST INDIES AGAINST MY WILL. - - -It was in the fair sunlight of a May morning, in the year of Grace -1672, that that great brave ship, the Golden Grove of Leith, hoisted -her broad sails, with many a fluttering pendant and streamer above -them, and stood proudly down the Firth of Forth, designing to reach -the open ocean, not far from the hill, well known to mariners by -the name of the North Berwick Law. On board of the Golden Grove, I, -LEONARD LINDSAY, then in my twenty-second year, was, you must know, -a sailor, and I hope a bold one. My father was a fisherman, and, as -I may say, his coble was my cradle. Many a rough rocking in truth it -bestowed upon me, for it was his use even before I could go alone, -to carry me with him a fishing, wrapped up, it may be, in a tattered -sail, while my mother, with a creel upon her back, journeyed through -the landward towns, and to the houses of the gentry, to sell the -spoil of hook and net. - -We fared hard and worked hard; for no more industrious folk lived -in the fisher-town of Kirk Leslie, a pleasant and goodly spot, -lying not far from the East Neuk of Fife, than old Davie Lindsay -and Jess, his wife and my mother. Many a weary night and day have -come and gone since I beheld that beach whereon I was born; but I -can yet shut my eyes and see our cottage and our boat—called the -“Royal Thistle”—rocking at the lee of the long rough pier of unhewn -whinstone, gathered from the wild muirs around, which ran into the -sea and sheltered the little fisher harbour, formed by the burn of -Balwearie, where it joins the waters of its black pools to the salt -brine. Opposite our house was a pretty green bourock, as we called -it, that is to say, a little hill, mostly of bright green turf, with -bunches of bent and long grass, which rustled with a sharp sad sound -when the east wind blew snell, and creeping cosily into the chimney -neuk, we would listen to the roaring of the sea. But the bourock was -oftentimes brown with nets or with wet sails stretched there to dry, -and below it there lay half-buried in the sand, old boats, mouldering -away and masts and oars all shivered, bleaching like big bones in the -sun and the rain. - -I remember old Davie Lindsay my father well. He was a stern, big man, -with a grisly grey beard, shaved but once a month. No fisher on the -coast had a surer hand for the tiller, or a firmer gripe to haul aft -the sheet of the lugsail in a fresh breeze and a gathering sea. Often -when we were rising and falling on the easterly swell, half-a-score -miles from Kirk Leslie pier, he loved to tell me old-world tales and -sing old-world songs of the sea. Then would he recount how the Rover -sunk the bell which good abbot Ignatius, of Aberbrothwick, caused to -be placed upon the wild Bell Rock, as a guide to poor mariners; and -how the pirate dreed the weird—that is, underwent the fate—he had -prepared for himself, and was lost with ship and crew on that very -reef. Sometimes, too, he would drop his voice, and when I came close -to him, he would speak of great monsters in the sea; of the ocean -snake, whose head looked up at the bridge of Stirling, and whose tail -went nine times round the Bass; of singing mermaids, who come upon -the yellow sands at night, and beguile men with their false lays, -till they leave house and home, being bewitched by the glamour of -elfin palaces under the brine; and, most terrible of all, of phantom -ships with crews of ghosts, which sailors see by the pale glimmerings -of the moon, when it shines through the driving scud, upon a mirk -midnight and a roaring sea. But, then, if I was frightened and cried, -my father would straightway change the theme, and burst out with a -strong clear voice into some loud fishing-song, or, what I loved -better still, into some brave, ancient ballad, about the fair kingdom -of Scotland, and its gallant kings and stalwart knights; and of such, -my favourite was the lay of Sir Patrick Spens, for he was both a -knight and a sailor. - - “The king sits in Dunfermline town, - Drinking the blude-red wine, - O whare will I get a skeely skipper - To sail this ship of mine? - - “Then up and spake an eldern knight, - Sat at the king’s right knee, - Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor - That ever sailed the sea.” - -Oh, I can yet hear my father’s strong voice rising over the dash of -the water and the moan of the wind, as he sung the brave voyage of -Sir Patrick to Norroway, to bring home the king’s daughter; but his -tones would sink and grow hoarse and low, when he chanted the storm, -and the perishing of all the fair company on the voyage home. - - “O forty mile off Aberdeen - ’Tis fifty fathom deep, - And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens, - Wi’ the Scots lords at his feet.” - -My father’s long home was also the bottom of the sea. One wild March -day, the coble left Kirk Leslie pier without me. I staid at home -mending a dredge-net with my mother. The easterly har was on the -coast, that is to say, thick cold mists and a keen wind. As the sun -rose high so did the tempest; we could see nought seaward, for the -grey fog was out upon the water, but every wave came white, over -and over the pier, from end to end. My mother went to and fro, wan, -and praying to herself; as indeed did many another fisher-wife, for -they had great cause. The night was awful. I sat cowering beside my -mother, who was rocking herself on a settle with her apron over her -head; or now and then stole down to the beach, to where men stood -with lanterns upon masts to show the harbour mouth to the poor folks -at sea. Three boats, with crews pale and worn, made the land before -the day; an hour after dawn our coble came tossing to the outside -belt of the surf—but she was bottom upwards. - -In a month after this, my mother and I went to her father’s, a very -old man, and a reverend elder of the kirk. He sent me to school to -Dominie Buchanan, a learned carle, who by his own account behoved to -be of the race of the great Geordie Buchanan, of whom they tell merry -tales, which surely are idle and false, for he was a severe, grave -man, and handled the tawse unmercifully, as his royal pupil, gentle -King Jamie, could in his time well testify. At school I was diligent, -and pleased master and friends. - -Afterwards, up to my sixteenth year, I went much a fishing in the -boat of Saunders Draugglefute, my maternal uncle, when desiring -to see more of my country than could be descried in our furthest -voyages between Kirk Leslie pier and the deep-sea fisheries at the -back of the Isle of May, I made many coasting trips, for the space -of near five years, in the stout brig Jean Livingstone, belonging to -Kirkaldy, during which time I twice visited the Thames and the city -of London; plying also once each year with a great cargo of herrings -to Antwerp, in the Low Countries. But still I wished to see the world -further from home, and to this intent preferred rather to go on board -the Golden Grove of Leith, as a common sailor, than to be mate of the -Jean Livingstone, a promotion which was offered me by John Swanson, -skipper and part owner of the brig. - -The reason of my coming to think of the Golden Grove was, that the -Jean Livingstone having a cargo of goods from Yarmouth to Edinburgh, -lay while they were delivered close by the great ship, then preparing -at the foot of Leith Wynd for a voyage to Italy, and from thence to -divers ports on the Moorish side of the Mediterranean sea. Now Italy -was a land which I had long wished to behold, as being once the seat -of that great people the Romans, some knowledge of the poetry and -philosophy of whom, the worthy Dominie Buchanan had not failed to -instil into me, but which I ofttimes felt with pain to be fast fading -from my mind. Indeed, I must tell you that it is to the exertions -of that learned man that this narrative is altogether owing, for -he, seeing, as he was pleased to say, a more congenial soil in my -mind for the seeds of his instructions than was presented by the -other fisher-boys, took great pains to imbue me with a love for the -humanities, which has not deserted me entirely unto this day. After -much pondering upon my prospects, I therefore finally made up my mind -to offer myself on board of the Golden Grove, which I did, and was -accepted without more ado. My friends would have me pause and think -of the dangers of unknown coasts, and pirates and robbers of the sea, -but I knew Captain John Coxon, of the Golden Grove, to be a stout -and experienced seaman, and one who was readily trusted with rich -freights—while as to freebooters, when I looked upon the array of -culverins, demi-culverins, and falconets ranged upon the decks, and -also the show of carabines and patterreroes placed about the masts, -with many stout fellows to man and wield them, I felt we could bid -defiance to any rover who ever sailed out of Sallee. - -Therefore, to make a long story short, we completed our cargo, -took in provisions and water, and, as has been said, on a fine May -morning, I do not remember the exact day, sailed. The wind was so -fair that by even-fall we saw St. Abb’s Head. - -And here at the outset of what was to me so adventurous a voyage, -I would describe my captain and my shipmates, as well as the -stout vessel herself, the latter being indeed a brave craft, with -top-gallant forecastle and high poop, surmounted by three great -lanterns; but, as the reader will shortly perceive, the Golden Grove -and I soon parted company, and I never saw either her or any of her -crew again. - -We carried the fair north wind with us all along the English coast, -until passing through the straits of Dover, we bade farewell to -the white cliffs. Then in two days’ time we saw upon the larboard -bow great rocks which form the cape called La Hogue, in France, -and passing to the westward of the island of Guernsey, sighted the -little isle of Ushant lying off the port of Brest, where the French -maintain fleets and great naval stores. Hereabouts the wind changed, -veering round to the westward, and speedily rolling in upon us -billows so vast that we could well discern that we were no longer in -the narrow seas, but exposed to the great strength and fierceness -of the Atlantic or Western ocean. Notwithstanding, however, we made -good progress; the breeze was not steady but blew in squalls, making -it often necessary to hand topsails, and raising great seething -seas around us, over which the Golden Grove rode very gallantly. -At nightfall, on the eighth day of our voyage, we lost sight of -Ushant and entered into the great Bay of Biscay. The sea here runs -exceedingly high, tumbling in to the shore in great ridges of blue -water; but with a stout ship, well manned, the nature of the waves is -not so dangerous as that of the short, boiling surges in the North -Sea. And now I come to the accident which so sadly determined my lot -for many a day. - -On the morning of either the 13th or the 14th of May the weather was -squally and unsettled, and the sea irregular and high. About eight -o’clock, looking forth to windward, I saw a great blackness in the -sky, which I took to be the prelude of a gust of no common strength. -At the same moment, the mate of the watch ordered the topmen aloft -to hand the topsails, we carrying at the moment no higher canvas. My -station was upon the leeward fore-topsail yard-arm, and as I clung -by the man-ropes to the great creaking pieces of timber, grasping the -fluttering canvas of the sail, I thought I had never seen a finer -sight than the great rolling ship below, wallowing and labouring -in the white foaming seas, which would sometimes strike her and -pour heavy masses of clear green water in a flood over the decks. -When we were securing the sail, the motion aloft was very great, we -being violently swung from side to side in such wise as might well -make giddy even the grizzled head of an old mariner. Meantime, the -gust to windward was coming fast; the blackness increased, and a -rushing sound, as of the chariot wheels of a host, rose above the -rude clamour of the sea. Then, amid great showers of flying brine, -which it drove before it, the fierce wind struck the Golden Grove -bodily over upon her side. At the same instant, I heard a hoarse -voice below summoning the men from the yards down upon deck; but as -I was about to obey, the tempest grew terrible. There were great -clouds of mist above me, through which I could see nought below but -the white patches of waves breaking over the strong bulwarks of the -ship. Suddenly the canvas, which had not been quite secured, was torn -open, as it were, with a loud screech by the wind, and flapped and -banged so that I felt the very mast shake and quiver violently, while -I received rude blows from the loose and flying ropes, insomuch as, -being half blinded by that and the pelting of the brine, I shut my -eyes, and bending down my head grasped the yard firmly in my arms. I -might have remained thus three or four seconds, when I heard the loud -howl of the wind suddenly increase to a sort of eldritch scream. In a -moment, the mast gave two violent jerks, and with the third I heard -five or six sounding twangs like the breaking of harp-strings, and -immediately a crashing of wood. Then, still clinging to the yard, I -was hurried with a mighty rush through the air, and suddenly plunged -down into the choking brine, which rose all gurgling over my head, -and I knew at the same time that the Golden Grove had carried away -her fore-topmast, and that I was overboard in the boiling sea. - -By instinct, I suppose, I struggled so to climb upon the floating -wreck as to get my head and shoulders above water. Then I saw that -I was alone in my misery. I have said that my station was at the -outer end of the yard, and I conceive that my shipmates must have -gained the top, and from thence, I hoped, the deck. But as for me, I -saw nought but speedy drowning for my fate. The seas rose in great -foaming peaks and pyramids around me, and the wind drove drenching -showers from the crests of the waves down into the hollows. All -around gloomy clouds passed swiftly, torn by the squall, but the -pitchy darkness which showed where its strength lay, was far down to -leeward, and looking thereat as I rose upon a higher sea than common, -I faintly descried the ship in a crippled plight, but having managed -to put her helm up so as to scud before the storm. She was already -near a league away, and leaving me fast; so that the bitterness of -death rose up in my very heart. For a moment I thought I might as -well die at once, and letting go my hold of the spars, I allowed -myself to sink backward into the sea. But God has wisely made man -to love life with a clinging love, and to grapple with death as -with a grim enemy. Therefore, as the water closed above me, and I -felt suffocating, I could not help making a struggle, which soon -replaced me on my desolate seat on the floating wreck. I looked at -the spars, and saw that the topmast had broken only about a foot -beneath the place to which the yard had been lowered. Nearly the -whole of the foretop and the top-gallant masts of the Golden Grove, -with the fragments of the foretopsail, which had been rent almost -into ribbons, and the yard to which they were fastened lay therefore -in the sea. I clambered in from the end of the yard, and took up my -position where the mast and it crossed each other; making myself fast -thereto with one of the numerous ends of broken rope which abounded, -and for near an hour sat dismal and almost broken-hearted, unheedful -of how the waves tossed me to and fro, or how they sometimes burst -over and almost stifled me. I was somewhat roused by a feeling of -warmth, and looking abroad saw that the clouds had broken, and that -the sun was shining brightly on the sea. The wind was also abated, -and the waves not combing so violently, I was more at ease. Then I -heard that terrible sound—the sound of the sea alone—which no one -who has listened to save he who has swam far from any vessel, or -who, like myself, has clung to a driving spar. On the beach you hear -the surf, where the waves burst upon rock or sand; on shipboard you -hear the dashing of the billows on counter and prow; and, above them -all, the sigh of the wind and the groaning of timbers and masts. -But to hear the sea alone, you must be alone upon the sea. I will -tell you of the noise: it is as of a great multitudinous hiss, -rising universally about you—the buzz of the fermenting and yeasty -waves. There are no deep, hollow rumblings; except for that hissing, -seething sound, the great billows rise and sink in silence; and you -look over a tumbling waste of blue or green water, all laced, and -dashed, and variegated with a thousand stripes, and streaks, and -veins of white glancing froth, which embroider, as it were with lace, -the dark masses of heaving and falling ocean. Hearing this sound, and -seeing this sight, I tossed until the sun got high and warm. I felt -no very poignant anguish, for my soul was clothed, as it were, in a -species of lethargy—the livery of despair. Sometimes only I tried to -pray, but thoughts and tongue would grow benumbed together. - -Once, indeed, I was for a time aroused. I heard a sharp little -dash in the water, and a soft quackle, as of a sea-fowl. Looking -up, I descried beside me two ducks of that species which we, in -the Scottish seas, called marrots; they are white on the breast -and neck, and brown above, and have very bright, glancing, yellow -eyes. Moreover, they dive, and use their short wings under water, -as other fowls do theirs in flying. By the appearance of these -creatures I knew that land was, at farthest, within two days’ sail. -There—tilting gaily over each sea—they swam for hours, seeming to -look at me; sometimes they would dive, but they never went far from -the wreck, always coming up and riding head to wind, with their keen -yellow eyes fixed as I thought upon the poor drowning mariner. They -seemed tame and fearless—for, indeed, what should they dread from me? -Once, in a sort of melancholy mirth, I raised my arm threateningly, -but they stirred neither wing nor leg to flee, lifting over seas -which would make a great man-of-war work and groan to her very keel, -but which these feathered ships, built by God, could outride without -a film of down being washed aside from their white breasts. - -The sun having attained its zenith began to descend the westerly -skies, and the afternoon was fair and warm, the wind now blowing -but a summer breeze. Sometimes, when on the crest of the swell, -I looked anxiously for a sail, but I saw nought save the bright -horizon, against which the sharp outlines of the waves rose and fell -in varying curves and ridges; so that now again I resigned myself to -death, and covering my face with my hands, I, as it were, moaned, -rather than sung inwardly to myself, many verses of psalms, which, -when I was but a little child, I had repeated at my mother’s knee. -Meantime, I began to feel a stiffening and a heavy drowsiness over -all my limbs and upon my soul. When I opened my eyes the heaving -waters turned into divers colours before my sight, so that I knew -that my brain was wandering, and that my soul was departing. Howbeit, -a holy tranquillity came down upon me. The blue sea appeared to -melt away, and I saw—but dimly—the green bourock and the sweet soft -swarded links of the Balwearie burn, with the brown herring nets -drying on the windy grass. The place seemed holy and still; the -sun was hot, and none were stirring, and presently I knew it was a -summer’s sabbath day, for from out the open windows of the grey old -kirk there came a low sound of psalmody, and I heard, as it were, in -my brain, the voices of the congregation, as they sang— - - “In Judah’s land God is well known, - His name in Israel’s great, - In Salem is his tabernacle, - In Zion is his seat.” - -After this, there came on me silence and darkness, I having gradually -fallen into a fit or trance. - -I was roused by rude shocks and pulls, and a confused clamour of -voices. Opening my eyes with effort, I saw surging upon the broken -water, close to the spars, a ship’s boat with men, one of whom—he -who rowed the boat oar—had grasped the collar of my sea doublet, and -was hauling me into the pinnace, in which effort he succeeded, ere -I could well make out whereabouts I was. At the same time several -voices asked, in two different languages, what was my name and -country, and how I came there. Now, of both of these tongues I had -some smattering, the one being French and the other Low Dutch, of -which I had heard and picked up somewhat in my several voyages up the -river Scheldt to Antwerp. - -I therefore, trying to muster my senses, replied truthfully that my -name was Leonard Lindsay—that I was a Scotsman, a mariner of the ship -Golden Grove, of Leith, wherefrom I had fallen overboard, the spar -to which I clung having been, as, indeed, they might perceive, blown -away in tempestuous weather. - -At this they consulted in a low tone amongst themselves. They were -all seafaring men, mostly very swarthy, and tanned by the sun and -the wind. They wore long black hair, and silver and gold earrings, -which glanced amid their greasy curls. Only two were fair and -blue-eyed—namely, the men who first addressed me in Flemish or Dutch. -After remaining for a brief time beside the spars, and seeming to -consult as to whether they were worthy to be made a prize of, they -decided in the negative, and dipping their oars into the water, rowed -away, the steersman narrowly watching the run of the seas, so as to -avoid being broached-to and swamped. In the meantime, I had clambered -from the bottom of the boat, and looking over the bows, saw, not more -than a third of a mile from us, a bark, which appeared to be both -small and frail to contend with such a sea. The manner of her rig was -new and strange to me, for she carried two masts, both very stout -and short, and above them were two great supple yards, upon which -was spread a good show of canvas, each sail being of that triangular -form, called by the seamen who use them, lateen. In fine, the ship -belonged to a port on the Mediterranean coast of France, and was of -the class named feluccas. - -It was necessary to approach the vessel with great caution, inasmuch -as she rolled and surged excessively. We therefore came slowly up, -under her lee-quarter, and a man, of very dark complexion, and the -fieryest eyes I ever saw, jumped up upon the gunwale, and hailed the -boat in French, but talking so rapidly, that I could make nothing of -it. Then, a line having been thrown on board, it was made fast to me, -and without more ado, I was soused into the sea, and dragged on board -the felucca, where I lay panting on the deck, while the crew—very -wild and fierce-looking sailors—amused themselves with my wretched -appearance. Presently, however, the man who had hailed the boat, -and who seemed to have great authority on board, came up to me, and -putting the rest aside, said more deliberately than before, but still -in French, and with a peculiar accent— - -‘You are not, then, a Spaniard?’ - -I mustered my few words of French, and answered, that—‘I was not, but -a Scotsman.’ - -Without more ado, he stooped over me, and searched my pockets. -They contained some small English coins, being groats and silver -pennies, and also a letter, which Captain Swanson, of the Jean -Livingstone, had written to me to Leith. The sight of these things -appeared to satisfy his doubts, for he spoke a few words in a kinder -tone to those about him, and presently leaving me, a man dressed -in a tarnished livery, like a lackey, brought me a great cup of -hot distilled waters, which I greedily swallowed, and found myself -comforted and refreshed. Being, however, much exhausted from the -length of time which I had passed in the water, I laid me down upon -a heap of sails in the forecastle, and being taken but little notice -of, thanked God, inwardly, for my deliverance, and began to drop off -to sleep. Only beforehand, like a sailor, I observed the course of -the ship. The wind being westerly, and she being close hauled, and -labouring heavily to windward, I deemed, and with truth, that her -destination must be across the Atlantic. But whithersoever she went, -with my then feelings, mattered little; I was saved from an early -death, and grateful for my escape, I fell into a deep and dreamless -sleep. - -When I wakened it was dark night, and the first watch was set. As -the wind, however, was now very steady, and the sea not only lower -but regular, the men were mostly lying and dozing about the deck, -except he that conned and he that steered. Seeing me stirring, a -sailor presently came to me with a lantern in his hand, and, to my -great joy, addressed me in English, asking me from whence I came, -and the particulars of my disaster. Having shortly informed him, I -requested that he would tell me what the ship was, which had rescued -me, and what manner of treatment I might expect at the hands of the -captain and crew. At first, he made as if he would put off talking of -these matters, but as I was importunate, he asked me in turn, whether -I had not heard of the great association of men of all nations, -but principally Englishmen, Frenchmen, and Hollanders, who carried -on a constant warfare with the Spaniards among the islands of the -West Indies, and along the coast of Darien, sometimes even crossing -that narrow neck of land, and descending with fire and sword upon -Panama and other towns of the South Sea. To this I replied, that -certainly I had heard of these companies, but only very partially -and nothing distinctly, that they were, I supposed, the adventurers -called Flibustiers or Buccaneers, and more anciently the ‘Brethren -of the Coast.’ My new friend made answer moodily, that I should most -probably have ample means of learning more of these Freebooters ere I -put my foot on British ground again—‘That is,’ says he, ‘after you -have either escaped or served your time.’ - -These phrases naturally threw me into great trouble, and I earnestly -asked what he signified by them. - -‘Why,’ he replied, ‘that you will be sold as an apprentice, or in -other words, as a slave, to the French West India company, in the -Isle of Tortugas, on the northern coast of Hispaniola, whither we are -bound.’ - -At these words I grew sick at heart. ‘Better,’ I said, ‘to have -allowed me drown in that sea than to have rescued me only to sell me -into slavery.’ - -‘Not so,’ answered my companion, something sternly. ‘You are young, -and have a thousand hopes before you. The Hand that miraculously -preserved you this day is ever stretched out in wisdom and mercy, -readier to help than to chastise.’ - -At this I could not avoid looking steadfastly at my Englishman; such -phrases being little apt to fall from the lips of sailors. By the -light of the lantern, I saw that he was a tall and stout old man, -with something of great grandeur, as I thought, in his high brow and -serene eyes. He could not have been much younger than sixty-five, but -he was still a very strong great man, with a presence and bearing -not like those of a wild sailor who has lived, as I may say, all his -life with his hands in the tar-bucket. After some pause he went on to -inform me, that besides himself there was no Englishman amongst the -crew, and that he counted upon being safely put ashore at Tortugas, -from whence he could get to Jamaica; for, as he said, he was not -unknown to the hunters and privateers who frequented the former -island. In reply to my entreaties, that he would endeavour to take me -with him, he said it was not possible; for although the captain might -consent, yet that many of the crew were greedy low fellows, who would -not render up a maravedi of the profits, to which, by the articles of -the voyage, it seems that they were all in some sort and in different -proportions entitled. - -‘But be thankful,’ said my comrade, ‘that you are not a Spaniard; -for had you but a drop of the blood of that people in your veins, a -speedy death would be the best fate you could hope for on board a -ship commanded by Louis Montbars.’ - -‘Why,’ said I, ‘is he so inveterate against the people of Spain?’ - -‘I find,’ returned the Englishman, ‘that you do indeed know little -of the adventurers of the West Indies, if you have never heard of -one of the most noted captains of them all. He is a gentleman of -good birth, of Languedoc in France. In his early manhood, having -taken great interest in reading various relations of the barbarities -committed by the Spaniards upon the ancient and inoffensive Indians, -the inhabitants of the islands and the main discovered by Christopher -Columbus and his coadjutors and successors, Montbars, being, like -many in the South of France, a man of warm and fierce passions and -feelings, made a solemn vow to God and the Virgin, that the whole -of his future life should be devoted to the task of revenging upon -every Spaniard who might be placed in his power the injuries received -at the hands of their fathers, alike by the fierce Charibs of the -islands, and the gentle Peruvians of the main. To this intent, he -spent all his patrimony in fitting out a ship, in which he sailed -to the West Indies, and speedily made his name so famous, and so -terrible to the Spaniards, that they call him in their language, ‘The -Exterminator,’ and know that they can hope for not one moment’s life -after they come into his power. In general,’ pursued my informant, -‘he is grave, staid, and courteous, unless his mind run upon what -I cannot but think the sort of bloody madness wherewith he is -afflicted. And then, indeed, and more especially when in action with -the Spaniards, he demeans himself more like a raging demon than a -Christian man. He has lately had occasion to visit his native land, -and I being also in Paris on my own business, and hearing that he -proposed to set forth again, joined him as a mariner, but to be put -ashore after the voyage at the island of Tortugas.’ - -This was the substance of our conversation that night After which the -quartermaster came to me, and saying, he understood that I had been -a fisherman in my youth, and so must needs know how to make nets; -and that they were in want of some seine nets for use in the keys -or small islands of the Indies, I might therefore, by making them, -pay my passage. To this arrangement I very willingly acceded, and -the next day had a hammock assigned to me, and set about my task of -net-making, which was pleasant enough, pursued in fine weather upon -the deck; although, indeed, my heart was heavy and sore with thinking -of what was before me. - -I soon discovered that my Englishman’s appellation, by which he -was known, was Richard Wright, although that was not, indeed, as I -afterwards found, his proper name. The crew were now reasonably kind -to me, and the more so because Wright, whom they seemed to respect, -took me in some sort under his protection, and upon the whole I found -myself not ill off. The Captain mixed very familiarly with the men, -as is common on board of privateers, and sometimes he would recite -to them tales of the cruelties of the Spaniards to the Indians; how -in Hispaniola the numbers of these latter were reduced in fifteen -years from a million to sixty thousand; how the Spaniards worked -them to a miserable death in the gold mines, or hunted them with -blood-hounds through the mountains, feeding the dogs only upon the -victims’ flesh; how the Spaniards would often kill these miserable -people for mere diversion, or for wagers, or to keep their hands -in, as they called it; and how many of these white savages had made -a vow—ay, and kept it—that, for a certain time, they would destroy -thirteen Indians every morning before breakfast, in honour of our -Saviour and the twelve apostles! With such relations, and all of them -I believe to be true, would Montbars seek to stir up the deadly wrath -of the ship’s company against the Spaniards. But, in truth, this was -a flame which required but little fanning, it being my opinion that -had the Spaniards behaved like angels rather than demons, still the -great body of ordinary Buccaneers would be content to treat them -as the latter, so long as they possessed fair towns and rich mines -ashore, and many treasure-ships and galleons at sea. Notwithstanding, -however, it must be confessed that there never being a nation more -proud, cruel, and arrogant than these Spanish—at least, in all that -refers to their American dominions—so there never was a people more -justly to be despoiled of their ill-gotten gains. - -But these are considerations apart from my narrative. Our voyage was -reasonably prosperous, the west wind having soon given place to more -favourable breezes, and at length, but not until after many teasing -calms, which delayed our progress, the first welcome farmings of -the trade wind caught our sails, and we glided swiftly towards the -setting sun, over the great heaving ocean swells and undulations, -from whose shining sides flying fishes would leap briskly forth, and -within which, the water being wondrously clear, we usually saw, on -looking over the low bulwarks of the bark, swift dolphins, which swam -round and round us, even when our ship was sailing three leagues an -hour, and many smaller fishes, one individual of which, called by -sailors a bonetta, about a foot long and of a reddish colour, swam -for three days and three nights just before our cutwater, so that the -men began, as it were, to know that fish, and used to feed it with -crumbs from the end of the bowsprit. - -About the 6th of June, the weather being then very hot, with light -breezes, we crossed the line, as it is called, not of course the true -equator or equinox, but the tropic of Cancer. This was, according to -the custom of the sea, a great festival on board, those who had not -passed that way before being obliged to submit to the ceremony of -baptism, as they call it, which was performed after the manner then -in use amongst French ships, as follows:— - -The master’s mate dressed himself in a strange sort of garment, -fashioned so as to be ridiculous and burlesque, and reaching to his -heels, with a hat or cap made to match. In his right hand he held a -great clumsy wooden sword; in his left a pot of ink. His face he -had besmirched with soot, and he wore an uncouth necklace made of -strings of blocks or pulleys, such as are used in the rigging for -ropes to pass through. Thus accoutred, all the novices knelt down -before him, while he favoured the shoulders of each with a smart -slap of the sword, smearing also a great cross upon his brows, or -sometimes over all his face with the ink. Immediately after, the -novice was drenched with dozens of buckets of water, and the ceremony -ended by his depositing his offering, as they call it, of a bottle -of brandy, which must be placed in perfect silence at the foot of -the mainmast. For myself, I underwent the mummery with the rest, and -had, fortunately, sufficient in my pocket to contribute my bottle of -brandy. One of the Hollanders on board told me that their mode of -baptism was different; they either insisting upon a ransom, according -to the station of the novice, or hoisting him to the main yard and -from thence dropping him into the sea three several times. ‘If, -however,’ said my informant, a simple man, ‘he be hoisted a fourth -time in the name of the Prince of Orange, or of the master of the -vessel, his honour is reckoned more than ordinary.’ In case of the -ship—I speak still of the Hollanders—never having passed that place -before, the captain is bound to give the mariners a small runlet of -wine, which if he neglect to do, they maintain that they may cut the -stem off the vessel. But in French and in Dutch ships, the profits -accruing from the ceremony are kept by the master’s mate, and spent -upon the arrival in port, in a general debauch by all the seamen. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -OF MY ESCAPE FROM THE FRENCH SHIP, AND MY LANDING IN HISPANIOLA. - - -And now, being fairly within the grasp of the trade wind, we sped -swiftly on towards those western islands whither we were bound, -experiencing, however, as we approached the Indies, some of the -squally weather common in these latitudes. Such gusts soon blow -over, but are troublesome and fatiguing to mariners, and wearing to -ship and rigging. First comes a black cloud on the horizon, then the -waves to windward become tipped with whitish foam. Presently the -gust strikes with great force, the firmament being very dark and -threatening: at the time of its greatest strength there will be a -flash of lightning and a thunderclap or two, after which a pelt of -rain and a sudden clearing of the sky, the squall being for that time -over. - -Meanwhile, I often discussed with Wright the question of my -deliverance. He said that there was now so much jealousy between the -French and the English, in the West Indies, that I could possibly -look for no other fate than being sold to serve my time as a slave -in Tortugas; where I would be employed in field labour, such as -the cultivation of tobacco, great crops of which are grown in that -island. Wright’s opinion was, that I ought, in some way or other, -to attempt an escape before being landed at Tortugas; but this was -easier talked of than done. While all was still unsettled between us, -‘Land’ was one day proclaimed from the mast-head. This announcement -surprised us all, for we had not expected to see any land until we -came in sight of the mountains of Hispaniola, which still lay well to -the westward. However, we soon found that, either through currents -or errors in the reckoning, we were further to the south than we had -calculated, and that the island we saw was one of the Virgin Isles, -forming a cluster just where the long line of windward islands which -stretch northward from the mainland, trend away to the west. This -discovery necessitated a change in our steering—we hauling up two or -three points more to the northward. The next day we saw, at a very -great distance to leeward, a long faint blue ridge rising out of -the water, which was the mountain line of the high ground of Porto -Rico. Towards evening, the trade wind abated, being influenced, as -we conjectured, by the distant land-breeze, which blows at night off -the shore, in and near these islands; and before the setting of the -sun the weather grew wellnigh calm. It was then that one of the crew -discovered a bottle floating not far from the felucca, and pointed -it out to the Captain, who straightway commanded it to be brought -aboard; inasmuch as mariners in distress often fling such into the -sea, with letters and papers relating their sad condition. Now, on -board the felucca were two boats—the pinnace, in which I had been -rescued, and a little skiff, not bigger than a canoe, which, being -hoisted out and manned by two hands, brought in the bottle. It turned -out to be empty and of no account. Still the finding of it was a -lucky accident for me, inasmuch as the skiff was not again hoisted on -board, but—the weather being exceedingly fine, and we soon expecting -to use her to help in mooring ship—left towing astern. - -That same night, Wright came to me and pointed her out as a means of -escape. - -‘Look you,’ says he, ‘your business is to get ashore on some island -where you will find Englishmen, and which is not entirely under -French or Spanish influence. Now, on the coast of Hispaniola are not -a few of your countrymen and mine, sometimes cruizing, sometimes -hunting and slaughtering cattle. By the course we are now lying, -we shall have to run all along the northern coast of Hispaniola, -which we will probably approach close to, for the benefit of the -land-breeze at night, and because the shore is bold and the sea deep. -Provided the skiff be left towing astern, it will not be difficult -for you to smuggle yourself into it in the night-time, and so escape -ashore.’ - -This advice appeared to me admirable, and threw me quite into a fever -of eagerness and anxiety. I was in the middle watch that night, -and how often I gazed upon the little boat—the expected ark of my -deliverance—as she tossed upon the smooth ridges of swell, which -glanced like silver in the bright moonlight! About nine o’clock -in the morning the trade wind resumed its powers, and we soon saw -rising out of the ocean, upon our lee bow, the blue-peaked mountains -of Hispaniola. All day, you may be sure, I very eagerly watched the -weather, fearing lest the approach of a squall would cause Montbars -to order the skiff to be taken on deck, but the sky continued quite -cloudless, the sun was burning hot, and the sea breeze—for such -amid the Western Indies they call the regular daily trade wind—blew -most refreshingly upon our starboard quarter, urging the felucca -gloriously along. We were now fast closing in with the coast, which -stretched in a long high range under the lee; and as we approached -an exceeding bold promontory, called Le Vieux Cap François, I saw -how delicious was the land, with its bright green forests—its rocks, -rising from thick bushes and brushwood—and the great blue mountain -peaks in the distance. Besides ourselves the ocean was solitary. No -sail scudded before the breeze—no fishing-boat rode head to sea, -surrounded by the buoys of her nets and lines. All above was a sky -of dazzling and lustrous brightness—beneath was a limpid and foaming -sea, from which arose the groves and rocks, the deep ravines and the -green savannahs of an isle which seemed Paradise. I stood in the -bows of the felucca, and stretched forth my arms, and prayed for the -moment when I should set foot on shore. - -When I was in this kind of rapture, Wright came to me privately, -and asked whether I was determined to make the attempt. I replied, -I only longed for night to come. Then at his request I went below -with him to his berth, when he showed me, all else being on deck, -a short-barrelled musket, hid in the bedding, with a flask of fine -glazed powder and a small bag of balls. There was also a leathern -bottle, called a broc, well stoppered and full of water, and some -biscuits. ‘These things,’ says he, ‘will be necessary for you, so -that you may not want, until you pick up some comrade along shore. -Should you not succeed at first, you must trust to your gun for food, -and you will soon find water, of which there is abundance, fresh and -clear.’ - -I thanked him heartily for his goodness and foresight, for I had -thought of nothing but how I should get ashore, not even how I should -satisfy my hunger and thirst when I landed. But Wright was my good -genius, and, taking advantage of our being now alone, for the deck -was so much the more pleasant that all were there, he made me put -on a couple of stout linen shirts which he gave me, as also a good -jacket, such as sailors wear, and a pair of strong yet light shoes, -like pumps. I was quite overpowered with such goodness, and could -scarce refrain from weeping. What a poor forlorn miserable creature -I should have been had Wright not been on board! and although I was -nothing to him, yet had I been his son, the old man could not have -used me with more grave and simple kindness. I told him that when he -first spoke to me I was in great desolation and despair of spirit, -but that now my heart was cheery and buoyant, and that I well trusted -to see my own land again. At this his face darkened, and he heaved -a great sigh. I went on, and said that he, too, I hoped, would end -his days, not in these burning climes, but in the green valley of -Hertfordshire, where he told me he was born. - -‘No, no,’ says he, ‘never—never! I shall see England no more. I am -but a wanderer and an outcast, even like Cain of old, and the place -that once knew me, shall know me no more for ever.’ - -With this he sat himself down on a great sea-chest, and putting his -hands to his face, sobbed aloud, so that all his great frame was -shaken. I was much moved, and strove to take his hand. Then he looked -at me with his large grey eyes, all dry, and, as I thought, somewhat -bloodshot, for he could not weep, and said, ‘In a churchyard there, -lie my fathers and my kindred, also the wife of my bosom and the -two children of my loins, but my dust must not mingle with theirs. -I shall sleep my last sleep in some desert wilderness, or amid the -weeds under the sea.’ - -Observing me much astonished, and, perhaps, somewhat frightened, for -I thought he must have committed some great and horrible crime, he -grasped my hand in his, till I thought the blood came, and said, in a -low voice— - -‘Young man, I know not your soul, whether it loveth the gauds and the -pomps of the world which are but vanity, or whether it would walk in -the paths which are narrow and thorny, but which lead upwards. Yet -I do believe you to be in spirit true and leal; and wherefore then -should I dissemble, that if I am an outcast, it is in a holy and a -just cause—ay, and a cause which will triumph, when the blood of the -saints which crieth aloud is justified and avenged! Leonard Lindsay, -I am one of those who by voice and hand did to death the man Charles -Stuart.’ - -This, then, was one of the regicides whom I had often heard were -wandering about the world, being driven from their land by this -great and justifiable deed, for so my parents taught me to esteem -it, of the putting to death of the king. I would have told my friend -somewhat to this effect, but he stopped me, saying, applause or -disapprobation were alike to him; that he would help and comfort all -his fellow-men, but that he cared not for their opinion on what he -had done, always looking for judgment inwards to his own soul, and -thence upwards to his God. - -Shortly after this we went on deck, and my first glance was astern, -where the skiff was still towing, although the waves raised by the -sea-breeze ran so gaily, that sometimes as they chased us, the boat, -rising on the crest of the following sea, would seem as though she -would be hove bodily on deck. The land was now quite close, not more -than a mile under the lee, so that we could see a great succession of -bays and little headlands with bushes of many sorts, and rich tangled -underwood, creeping among and clothing the knolls and banks even to -the water’s edge. Over these, high palms bended and waved in the -sea-breeze, these seeming to issue from every crevice in the rocks; -and sometimes, where a rivulet came down into the sea, the banks -thereof being flat and soft, grew great thickets of the mangrove -bush, a shrub which rises on bare grey stems out of the water, -supporting whole beds of tangled and intertwisting foliage above, -thus raising, as it were, a sort of canopy above the water. Between -such places and the rocky headlands were often little bays, with -narrow strips of white glittering beach, running like crescents from -cliff to cliff, the sea breaking in flashing surf upon the shingle, -and often sending its spray pelting among the bushes. Never, indeed, -had I seen a more glorious coast, one so teeming with beauty and the -riches of an overflowing nature. Involuntarily after every long and -ardent gaze I turned my eyes upon my skiff, praying within my heart -that nought might come to make my adventure miscarry. - -As the evening approached, I was so impatient that I disposed of -the biscuits, the powder, and the ball about my person, and was for -ever going below to the berth to see that the musket was safe. The -mariners, however, being excited and joyful, that the end of the -voyage was nigh, gave little heed to me, otherwise my continued -movements and feverish demeanour could not have but raised suspicion. -In those low latitudes there is but little twilight, and half an -hour after the sun went down into the sea ahead of us, the stars -were shining out through the night. Meantime the sea-breeze had -died away, and for an hour or longer we were left heaving upon the -glassy swell, the land showing in vast dusky masses which, as it -were, cut great spaces out of the firmament twinkling with stars, and -the roar of the surf coming heavy and loud over the sea. Presently, -after divers faint puffs, which caused the canvas to flap, shaking -down on the deck great showers of dew, the land-wind, or _terral_, -arose in its turn, balmy and sweet with the smell of the forests, -and our lateen sails being dipped, we glided along, leaning over to -seaward. The mid-watch came at last, and it had not been set for -more than half an hour, ere the men dropped to sleep, under the lee -of the bulwarks, excepting the steersman, and he leaned heavily and -drowsily over the tiller. Then I brought on deck the musket and the -broc, depositing them in safe places. But the question was how to -get on board the skiff so as to elude the notice of the sailor who -steered. Having soon devised a plan, I communicated it to Wright, who -did not hesitate to put it into execution. Going aft, he stood beside -the helmsman, and after some time, looking astern, remarked how the -land-wind broke the usual heave of the sea into wild disorderly -waves, and then observing that the skiff might be injured by being -flung under our counter by the jumble of the water, he took the rope -and hauled the boat ahead—the steersman thinking no harm—until he -made it fast alongside, and screened from sight by the mainsail. In -five minutes after, with a strong gripe of the hand, and a fervent -‘God speed you,’ I swung myself noiselessly aboard, and placed the -gun and the broc in the bottom of the boat. Wright, so I must still -call him, then undid the rope. My hand was at that moment upon the -smooth side of the felucca, which I suddenly felt slip by me; I was -adrift! Holding my breath, and my hand still against the planking -of the vessel, she glided fast and faster by me, eluding as it were -my clutch, when her shape melted away into the run. A minute after -and I saw the small dusky hull and white stretching canvas becoming -indistinct in the darkness ahead. I was alone, but I was free. For -near an hour I remained almost motionless, fearing every moment to -hear an alarum-gun fire; but the night continued silent, and then -with a good heart I took up my oars, and using two as sculls, rowed -towards the coast. The land-breeze blew steadily, so I had to tug -long and hard. At last, seeing the dusky bank close ahead, I paused -to look for a landing-place, but none could I see. The nature of the -coast seemed to have changed, the land hereabout being a long smooth -wall of perpendicular rock, sinking sheerly into the sea, which -rose and fell at the base, with a loud hissing, pouring, gurgling -sound—not like the deep thunder of surf. I therefore set myself to -pull eastwardly, in search of a creek or bay. I knew that the moon -would presently rise over the land, and in sooth, in about an hour, -I noticed the glow of her broad disc peeping over the edge of the -cliff ahead of me, and showing it, fringed, as it were, with a line -of bushes and brushwood, which curled over the precipice, surmounted -now and then by one of the tall, bending palmetto trees. In about an -hour I had moonlight sufficient to see pretty distinctly the great -limestone ledges along which I was cautiously coasting—pausing on my -oars, now and then, to hear the great buzz of insects and the forlorn -cries of night-birds which floated from the land. It must have been -near three o’clock, when I saw a black-like opening in the wall of -cliff, and very cautiously I pulled my boat inwards. For some time I -was in great doubt as to whether I had found a creek, but presently -I beheld the two portals of rock between which I was, fairly astern -of the boat, and saw and heard the white gleam of the surf breaking -on the beach. But the former was too high for me to risk a landing, -and I would have pulled out to sea again, but seeing another dark -shadowy space upon the left, I made for it, hoping it might turn out -an oblique channel leading from the main cove. I was not deceived, -and presently the boat glided along a sort of dusky canal, with great -rocks on either hand, clothed with rich creeping herbage; trees -hanging over either ledge, and, as the channel narrowed, meeting, and -by their intertwining boughs shutting out the blue sky. Below me the -water showed as black as tar, yet sparkling, when the undulations -from the outer creek caused it to rise and sink upon the bushy banks. -Now and then a flutter of wings would echo in the narrow passage, -and the loud shriek of a night-bird would drown the noise. Anon a -scrambling, walloping sound, followed by a splash, as of a great -animal scuttling from a ledge into the water, would ensue, and again, -for a time, there would be deep silence. In about a quarter of an -hour, the heave of the sea was no longer felt, owing, as I concluded, -to the shallowing of the creek; and then, making fast the skiff to -a great protruding branch, which I struck my head against, I rolled -myself in a blanket which I found Wright had flung into the boat, and -was soon asleep, being thus, as it were, safely anchored to the New -World! - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -I JOIN A BROTHERHOOD OF HUNTERS AND ADVENTURERS ON THE COAST. - - -I did not wake until the sun was reasonably high, although but few -rays found their way into the curious cove, which by such a lucky -chance I had hit. It was, indeed, a sort of natural corridor or -aisle: rocks covered with plants and bushes forming great green -walls, with tangled trees bending from side to side, and meeting and -interlacing above, like a roof, while the floor was limpid water. -The air within this natural alcove was of a greenish hue, and the -reflection from the water the same. Great numbers of gay-coloured -birds fluttered and screamed, rather than sang, amid the boughs; -and on almost every projecting stone by the edge of the water stood -a great grey crane or heron, watching for the small fish which -form its prey. After I had looked my fill, I began to think of -breakfast; for, in order to eke out my store, I had gone supperless -to bed. So I munched a couple of biscuits, and took a great pull at -the sweet, fresh water. There were fruits and vegetables of many -kinds growing near, which I feared to meddle with, not knowing -their properties. After breakfast, I cast off from my bough, and -paddled to and fro in the channel to seek a landing-place. This I -was not long in discovering, at the spot where a little runnel of -the most transparent water I ever saw in my life came trickling -down in a small hollow, or what, in Scotland, we would call a -_scaur_. The sides of the ravine were, it is true, very steep, -but they were clothed with matted grass and vegetation, so that I -could clamber up without much difficulty. I therefore made my boat -fast very carefully, for I knew not what use she might be to me -afterwards, and also loaded my gun and hammered the flint, after -which I addressed myself to climb to the top of the bank. I found -this tolerably hard work; the heat of the sun was excessive, and -here there was no sea-breeze to refresh one. Moreover, I did not -much like the infinity of creeping and crawling things which, as I -made my way upwards, I startled amid the coarse grass and underwood. -Great beetles, shining and speckled—writhing creatures, like grey -worms, with numberless legs—horrible hairy spiders—and one or two -small snakes, all mottled and brindled. Besides, there flew about -me, making a tiny buzz, as if they blew small hairy trumpets, hosts -of that accursed fly called by the French maranguinnes, and by the -English mosquitos, which stung me until I was almost mad,—slapping -my face and my hands, and thrashing the air with a leafy branch, but -all in vain. At length, after great toil, I stood upon the top of the -bank, and felt, to my joy, the cool blast of the strong sea-breeze, -which rustled in the bushes, and soon blew away my insect enemies far -to leeward. Then, mounting a moderate-sized eminence, I set myself -to reconnoitre; and truly I might have deemed that I was in a desert -and unpeopled land. Behind me rose great swelling ridges, extending -above one another as far as my eye could reach, and all covered -with bright green brushwood, with here and there one of the long -feathery palm-trees standing up like a steeple over houses. Not many -paces in front ran a long fringe, as it were, of waving trees and -bushes, marking the extreme edge of the cliff, which sank into the -ocean; while beyond this there stretched out the great blue expanse -of the sea, speckled here and there with white, as the waves broke, -but sailless, and as lonely as the land. The great mountains which -we had seen from on board were here invisible, and even the ridges -around, as I gazed on them, seemed to move and quiver in the great -heat. Notwithstanding pretty humming-birds, less than Jenny Wrens, -fluttered about, and there was a mighty chattering, as of armies of -parrots and parroquets, which whooped and called to each other from -grove to grove. - -At first, I felt a kind of sinking at being alone in this great -wilderness, but plucking up courage, I set off to trudge along the -coast to the eastward. The journey was toilsome in the extreme, for -the stunted shrubs were tangled so, that I was ofttimes compelled -to cut a passage with my clasp-knife, and the heat made my temples -throb and ache strangely. At length, seeing great trees of prodigious -size, the skirts of a forest, on my right hand, I made for them, and -entering their shade, found better walking, for here was a canopy -of leaves which warded off the sun, and also prevented the growth -of underwood, the ground being clear, and the air cool, between the -vast trunks of these glorious trees. However, I kept upon the edge -of the wood, for fear of losing myself, not designing to stray far -from the sea. Having marched thus near two hours, I heard a noise, -which, as I came nearer, I took to be the yellings of wild animals; -so that, somewhat startled, I looked to the priming of my gun, and -also gazed around for a tree into which it might be convenient to -climb. Meantime, the tumult came nearer, and I imagined it to be of -dogs, yet it was rather a savage yelping than the deep bay of hounds. -Next I heard a great crashing of branches on the edge of the wood, -and making my way there, and mounting a tree, I speedily saw a huge -wild boar, as I judged, with great tusks, and his jaws covered with -flakes of foam, closely chased by a pack of dogs. These latter were -fawn-coloured, with black muzzles; their legs were short, but very -brawny; and as I heard no sound or shout of hunters, I concluded, -with reason, that the pack before me were descendants of those -ferocious bloodhounds brought by the Spaniards into Hispaniola, and -other islands, to hunt down the inoffensive Indians, and which, being -deserted by their masters, ran wild and multiplied, so that flocks of -them assemble, and hunt the cattle and boars for their own support. -Meantime, however, the quarry had turned to bay underneath a tree -not far from me, and the dogs stood round in a semicircle, yelping -at him. At length, one bolder than the rest made a spring, and drove -his great jaws, as it seemed to me, into the animal’s flank. This was -the signal for a general onset, and, in a moment, the boar, grunting -and squeeling hideously, was tumbled on the ground, the ferocious -dogs, with jaws and muzzles all blood and froth, tearing and riving -its living flesh, so that, in the space of a very few minutes, the -creature was not only killed, but well-nigh pulled into morsels. Then -the dogs, several of which were hurt, and limped and whined, fell to -and ate their fill, after which having gorged themselves to their -very throats, they lay down to sleep. Seeing this, I concluded that -I could with safety pursue my journey, and accordingly got down from -the tree and did so, none of the bloodhounds molesting me. - -I walked until the afternoon, still seeing no sign of human life, and -then feeling very hungry, and moreover wishing for something more -savoury than bread and water, I looked about for game. Many green -lizards or guanos were to be seen in the branches, and these the -Frenchmen on board the felucca had assured me were good food, but -I could not bring my stomach to them, and at length, after several -unsuccessful shots, I secured a bird, nearly double the size of our -pigeon, on which I determined to dine. Coming to a little rivulet -of clear water, with pretty pools, nourishing the most luscious -profusion of water-plants, I sat me down, and presently discovered a -large duck quackling and nibbling in the herbage. Now, the flesh of a -duck I knew, but the bird I had already killed was a stranger to me; -so taking a very careful aim at the poor fellow, I fired and sent the -bullet—I had no small shot—right through him. But immediately there -rose such a loud rustling of wings, and quacking, and screaming, -that I was confounded, until, making a few steps in advance, I saw -that the rivulet a little above spread into a good-sized weedy pond, -which harboured thousands of ducks, and teal, and widgeon, all of -which flew away on hearing the report of my piece. Having recovered -my game from the water, I set to work, plucked him, and, kindling -a fire of dry sticks and leaves, broiled him thereon. The cookery -was rough, but I thought the fare capital, only the want of salt -annoyed me. Having dined, I jogged on as before, and as evening -approached found myself exceedingly fatigued and dispirited at having -seen no human being. When the sun went down and the short tropical -twilight gave way to night, through which the stars blazed with a -fiery lustre, unknown to me until I had crossed the Atlantic, I even -began to ponder as to whether I had done well in leaving the ship -at all; but speedily shaking off this idle despondency, I wrapped -myself up in my blanket, which, in spite of its weight, I had carried -strapped tightly on my shoulders, and seasoning my biscuit with a -piece of tobacco to chew, made my supper, and slept in the fork of -a tree, lying back not uncomfortably among the branches. I awoke -once or twice and listened to the low hum and drone of insects, in -addition to which a bird, as I judged, uttered from time to time a -long mournful cry, sounding like ‘Weep, poor weel,’ which was very -melancholy, echoing through that great midnight wilderness. Around -me gleamed the little lights of glow-worms, called by the Spaniards -_Moscas del Fuego_. But these extinguished their lamps in the latter -part of the night. - -I was awake with the sun, at the rising of which a great white fog -which lay upon the earth and drenched me, lifted and dispersed. -The heat soon dried my clothes, and about nine o’clock, when the -sea-breeze whistled through the herbage, I began again my weary -march. Not long after, having a good view of the sea from a -promontory, I descried almost beneath me, a ship under sail, lying -along shore, which, the coast here tending southerly, she could -do very well, and yet keep her sails full. She was a two-masted -vessel, seemingly very quick, and, plunging over the breasting -waves gallantly, soon passed me, steering to the east and keeping -fearlessly along the rocks. I found no wild ducks to-day, but, urged -by hunger, I shot a monkey; and although the poor creature looked -horrible when skinned, his flesh was not unpalatable. Towards the -afternoon, I perceived that I was approaching an indented part of the -coast, and I saw many ravines down which I could have gone to the -sea. Now and then, too, I would get a glimpse of such pretty, shingly -and bushy bays as I descried from the felucca, while on the other -hand, between the hills, there opened up vistas of great flat green -fields, here called savannahs. I had hopes that I was approaching -some inhabited place, and ere long I heard faint shouts before me -and nearer to the sea. This made me push on vigorously, yet not -without caution; and at length, forcing my way through a forest of -stunted trees, I caught a glimpse of the figure of a man through the -boughs. His back was to me, and I thought he was standing in a low -tree, when suddenly a great gust of the sea-breeze came rattling in -the wood, and the man swang to and fro with a slow motion, among the -waving branches. Immediately a horrid thought seized me, and looking -up as I heard a croaking, I saw two great carrion vultures circling -in the air. Manning myself, I ran forward, and there, sure enough, -was the body of a man hanging from a horizontal branch of a tree, -his feet not many inches from the tops of the Guinea grass. I was -overpowered with horror; but turning away from the terrible sight, -what were my feelings to see two other bodies hanging in a similar -manner! Having a little recovered my first natural fright, I looked -attentively at these unfortunates. They were all three dressed in the -same fashion, with coarse shirts, great jackets or doublets, cut in -a square fashion, like the coats of the water-men on the Thames, and -pantaloons. What surprised me, however, was the red filthy hue of the -garments, as though they had been soaked in blood, and never cleaned -or scoured. But then I called to mind what Wright had told me of the -hunting dresses of the Buccaneers, and how they took a sort of pride -in being disorderly and neglectful of their attire, never washing it -from the blood-stains which their occupation plenteously bedaubs them -with. The hair and beards of these men were long and matted, and they -wore buskins of untanned hide. I looked attentively, but could see no -gun or weapon, and the whole matter was a mystery to me. However, it -was not a pleasant locality to linger in, so I continued my way, and -presently saw a fine wooded bay, with winding shores, lying beneath -me, the forest sometimes reaching into the very surf, but in other -places leaving beaches of sand, carpeted as it were with a sort of -creeping grass of the kind, as I afterwards heard, called Bahama. - -Along this bay I skirted, often stopping to look keenly about. At -length I saw a boat or canoe, pulled by several persons, paddling -across the smooth surface; and observing it disappear beyond a -green headland on the opposite side of the bay, my attention was -directed thither, and presently I noticed several columns of thin -blue smoke rising up above the trees at that very point. I was still -gazing at them when the sound of voices smote my ear distinctly, -and I had scarce time to conceal myself among the thick brushwood, -when near a score of men, some of whom wore gold-laced doublets and -seemed officers, came scrambling down towards the water from a point -higher up the bay than I had attained. I saw at a glance that they -were not Englishmen, being much too swarthy; and as they passed at -no great distance, and talked and laughed loudly, I perceived that -their language was Spanish, the sound and accent whereof I knew -very well. All these men were armed, each with a great bell-mouthed -short-barrelled gun, but I observed that three carried, each of them, -in addition, a musket of quite another shape. Seeing that they were -Spaniards, I was in mortal dread that they might have bloodhounds -with them, fiercer even than the wild dogs I had seen, and I drew -my strong clasp-knife, determined that, at least, there should be a -weasen or so cut before I was worried. Happily, however, the party -had no dogs whatever. I held my breath as they were passing, but -what was my consternation when the whole body stopped not ten paces -from me, while one pointed out to the others the smoke on the other -side of the bay. At this, two or three other of the fellows made -gestures, by jerking their heads aside and pointing to their necks, -as though there were halters round them, and then all laughed. But -he who seemed the principal officer restrained them, and taking out a -pocket compass, appeared to set, as mariners call it, the direction -in which the smoke appeared. Then they all went on together, I -cautiously following at a very respectful distance. Their course was -to the outer part of the bay, and they proceeded hastily down a steep -wooded glen, in which I lost sight of them. Presently, however, I -heard them hailing a ship, as I conjectured; and I was right, for -having got a little further, I heard the ripple of water, and saw -over the trees the rigging and masts of a vessel, which I recognised -as the same I had descried at sea early in the morning; and, getting -a good vantage-ground, I at last looked down upon her deck, and saw -a well-armed ship, full of men. Putting all these circumstances -together, I soon concluded that the craft was a Spanish Guarda Costa. -Then I thought of the men pointing to the distant smoke, and making -motions as though they would hang the people there. In a moment I -saw it all. The three executed Buccaneers—the three guns different -from the rest carried by the Spaniards—their gestures at sight of -the smoke of a little settlement! Doubtless the party belonged to a -ship which had come upon the coast to make the usual attacks on the -French and English settlers, and they, having caught these three -unfortunates in the woods, had hanged them out of hand, and meant to -attack the people on the opposite side of the bay, taking them by -surprise. This last I inferred from the care with which a sheltering -cove had been found to conceal their vessel. - -It was now my clear duty to make my way to the opposite side of -the bay, to warn the people there, who, being enemies of the -Spaniards, must necessarily, by the rule of these seas, be friends -of mine. But how to get to them? I knew not how far up the country -the bay, or lagoon, extended; to swim across would not have been -difficult, but I thought of caymans and sharks, and my heart failed -me. Notwithstanding, I made my way to the seaside, and sat down -on a large rock. What would I have given now for the skiff I had -abandoned! But then, if I had come along the coast in her, I should -have been picked up and murdered by the Guarda Costa. So in cruel -perplexity I sat until it grew dark. All at once I thought that if -the three unhappy Buccaneers who were put to death belonged to the -settlement opposite, that they would have brought a canoe to waft -them over, which I might find along the shore. This idea gave me -fresh vigour, and I ran eagerly along the shingle, climbing from -time to time over points of rock which jutted out. Near two hours -were wasted in fruitless search, wading through little creeks, and -tracing small channels amid the bushes into which the rising tide was -flowing, when at length, just as I was despairing, I happily found -the object of my search. In a narrow cove, alongside a ledge of rock, -floated a light canoe, scooped out of a single tree. I immediately -stepped on board, and using the paddle alternately on either side, -managed, though I was awkward at first, to make the canoe move in -the direction I wished. Crossing the bay, I had enough to do to keep -the land wind from blowing me out of my course, and by the time I -was two-thirds over, every muscle in my body ached with the unwonted -exercise. Paddling on, however, I suddenly saw on the dusky shore -a cluster of red dim lights, by which I knew that I had opened the -headland behind which the smoke rose, and almost at the same moment I -heard behind a faint plash, and the rattle as of arms. I saw at once -that I had no time to lose, if, as I guessed, the boats of the Guarda -Costa were not far astern. Immediately I redoubled my efforts, making -for the lights, and at the same time hailed, ‘Ho! the shore, ahoy.’ -Immediately a voice replied, ‘Is that you, Benjamin?’ When I heard -the sounds of my own language, my heart leaped to my mouth; and, -catching up my musket, I fired it off, shouting, ‘Look out! look out! -the Spaniards! the Guarda Costa!’ In an instant there gleamed a great -many little lights, as of lanterns carried by people running about -on the beach, and I heard the clash of arms and loud hallooings; -then the voice I had heard sang out again, ‘Where are they?—who are -you?’ But before I could reply the Spaniards suddenly fired two -volleys in my direction, the flashes showing two great boats, full -of men, and rowing fast. The water near me was torn up by the balls, -but none touched the canoe, and the fire was promptly answered by a -small piece of artillery ashore, which echoed grandly in the hills, -and caused a harsh concert of the wakened birds. Not willing to be -between two fires, I paddled hard, and presently ran the canoe on the -beach; when I leaped out and found myself in the midst of a group of -men, all shouting and cheering in English and French, running to and -fro, and fetching and making ready arms,—their muskets, and hangers, -and pikeheads gleaming in the sparkle of the lanterns. Directly -I splashed through the surf, I shouted that I was a friend and a -Scottish sailor, and that the Spaniards were upon us; whereon they -gave a loud shout in my honour, and in defiance of the enemy, and -fired a straggling volley. This the boats returned briskly, and the -Buccaneers, rushing up to their middles in the sea, cried out with -desperate imprecations to the Spaniards to come on, swearing they -would roast them alive on their _grilles de bois_, and taunting them -with every infamous name, keeping up a spattering irregular fire all -the time. However, Jack Spaniard, seeing a warm reception before him, -hung off, keeping in the shadow of the little headland. Then two or -three canoes were promptly manned, but the men in their eagerness -over-crowded them, and fought amongst themselves who should go; so -that time was lost, and meantime we heard the dash of oars, as the -boats, having failed in their purpose of surprise, pulled away. - -When the hubbub was a little abated, I was asked by a dozen persons -at once what I was; whereon I recounted that having left, I did not -say escaped, from a French ship on the coast, I had travelled hither, -and on my way saw the Spaniards, and guessed their intentions. Then -I told them of the bodies I had passed hanging from trees, at which -they raised a great clamour of cursing; for these, as I had guessed, -were their comrades, who had crossed the bay to hunt the day before. -Then there was a proposal to man all the canoes, and go and attack -the Spaniards; but just as this was acceded to with a loud shout, a -light pirogue, which it seems had been fishing down the bay, ran in -with the news that the ship had weighed anchor directly her boats -returned, and made all sail to sea. On this there was a great groan -given for the cowardice of the Don, and the crowd began to disperse. - -At this moment a young Englishman came up to me, and asked, with -great solicitude, if one of the Buccaneers I had seen hanging was -light haired with yellow moustaches. I replied in the affirmative; -on which, in words of strong passion and feeling, he swore that he -would bitterly revenge on the Spaniards the death of Benjamin, his -‘partner,’ as he called him, and, in short, broke out into a great -paroxysm of grief and rage. Meantime, several of the Buccaneers -offered me the hospitality of their huts, but my Englishman declared -I must go to his, as he was now alone, which the rest consenting to, -very cordially shook hands with me, and thanked me in French and -English, and then I followed my new friend along the beach to his -hut. There were a good many of these, irregularly placed, and beside -several there smouldered a slow fire, making the lights I had seen -in the bay. Over these fires there were gratings or hurdles of wood, -and on them lumps of beef, rudely cut, drying and cooking little -by little; great bales and heaps of hides lay about, the perfume -exhaling from them not being by any means pleasant, and numbers of -dogs howled and barked without ceasing. My conductor led me into a -hut built like the others, of wood and clay, and thatched with some -sort of thick leaf. The inside was lighted by a smoky lamp, showing -two beds of hide with dirty blankets, and a clumsy table. There were -shelves all round, whereon were ranged several guns, hangers, and -long Spanish knives, with fish and boar-spears, and other weapons. -Also I saw a mariner’s compass and some instruments for taking the -latitude, so that I rightly guessed my host to be a sailor as well -as a hunter. Besides these, there were strewn about, bits of net, -canvas, bullock horns, and one or two panthers’ skins were arranged -as coverlets for the beds. - -My host asked many questions about the Spaniards, while he produced -for supper a piece of dried beef, prepared over the slow fire which I -had seen, and which being called ‘boucan’ gave to those who make it -the name of ‘Buccaneers.’ I found it somewhat tough, but relishing -and wholesome. After supper, we had brandy and rum, tempered by -water, and while drinking it very sociably, my comrade informed me -that he was a native of Cornwall, and that his name was Treveltham; -but that here, following a custom which was universal among the -Buccaneers, he had changed it for a nickname, or _nomme de guerre_, -by which only he was known to the generality of his comrades. His -Christian appellation being Nicholas, he was called Nicky Hamstring, -a whimsical appellation, which set me laughing heartily. He had been -on the coast since the end of the last rainy season, and liked the -life well. The bay on the banks of which we were, he told me, was the -estuary of a river called Le Marmousette, and about it there were -much wild cattle. The English and the French Buccaneers lived here -generally good friends. ‘Not but,’ said he, ‘that sometimes when the -rum has gone round, there is not a brawl, and it may be a stick with -a knife; but after all the island is big enough for all, and the -cattle are many enough for all, and so we love each other, and hate -Jack Spaniard.’ While we were talking, we heard loud shouting and -singing without, great roaring choruses both in French and English, -and oftimes a Lingua Franca, which was a compound of the two, but the -burden of all being words of hatred and contempt of the Spaniards. -Once or twice I thought the singers would have entered our hut, for -the door had neither lock nor bar, but they did not, and as the night -wore on, everything became silent except the dogs, who, having been -unloosed from their kennels to act as sentinels, growled hoarsely -along the beach. Having drunk and talked as much as we chose, we -went to bed, I having, indeed, been asleep all through several long -stories which Nicky recounted of the exploits and bravery of the -Buccaneers, my drowsiness being easily excused to my companion by the -long journey I had come that day. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -OF THE LIFE OF A BUCCANEER. - - -Next morning Nicky asked me to accompany him, with two others to -guide them to the spot where their comrades had suffered, in order -that they might bury the bodies; we accordingly set off in the canoe, -our companions being one Jonas, as he was called, an Englishman, -and Pierre le Noir, or Black Peter, a Frenchman from the coast of -Normandy. Jonas was so called, owing to the great ill-luck which he -had met with in cruising, having been twice taken, and once very -nearly hanged by the Spaniards on the coast of Porto Rico; while once -upon the Mosquito coast, in the expedition in which l’Olonnais, a -famous French Buccaneer, was killed, he had been left for some months -in a small quay or island near the Mosquito shore, eating what wild -fruit he could get, and what birds he could catch with his hands. We -landed in the same creek in which I found the canoe, and after less -troublous walking than I expected, my comrades knowing the country, -found the bodies still hanging, but already defaced by the hideous -vultures, so as to present a horrid spectacle. Nevertheless, having -brought shovels and pickaxes with us, we performed our task, and over -the grave, for they all three were laid in one, we put a rude cross -made of withies, or willow wands, and so left them to take their long -sleep in the wilderness. - -Being returned to the opposite side, I rambled through the village, -for such it was, to note the appearance of the place, and its -inhabitants. - -The huts were built upon a green bank, rising pleasantly from the -sea, the little headland of which I spoke sheltering it. Behind some -lofty ridges, partly covered with luxuriant wood, which here and -there had been cleared, certain small fields were marked out, these -last being planted with a brown herb, like overgrown rhubarb, which -they told me was tobacco. At the water’s edge was a rude wharf, -made of wood called shingles—and several canoes and European-built -boats lay there. While I was sauntering about, one of the former -put off, navigated by two Indians, who spoke both French and -English reasonably well. These Indians were better and more neatly -attired than the whites; they were of a sallow-brown hue, had long, -lank black hair, and very bright eyes. In person they were tall, -raw-boned, and muscular. In the canoe they carried an assortment, -as it were, of spears, called fizgigs and harpoons, for striking -fish; at which exercise they are inconceivably expert, often killing -in a forenoon what will form a good dinner for a hundred men. The -Mosquito men, for so are these Indians called, are therefore very -highly prized by the whites, who give them good wages to go on board -their ships, or to stay at their settlements on shore, to provide -turtle or manatee for the company. While I was looking at them, -Nicky came up to me, and we walked through the village together, he -bringing me into many of the cabins, all of which were similar to -his own. Those of the men who were not in the mountains or savannahs -hunting, were attending to their boucans, or fires, for the drying -of the meat, and I thought as I saw them, working like butchers and -cooks, that I would rather take the huntsman’s part of the business. -All around lay the quarters of slaughtered beeves and hogs, while the -Buccaneers, armed with long knives, cut the flesh from the bones. -These lumps were then carefully salted in open sheds used for that -purpose, and after being well steeped in brine, were placed on the -boucan—that is to say, upon the grille of wood above a slow fire, -which gradually dried and cooked the meat, giving it at the same -time a sort of smoky taste, which however is not without an aroma to -the palate. This method of preserving meat may be called national -in these islands, for so did the original Charibs dress their food, -whether fish or flesh. These savages were so fond of this cookery, -and of such endurance, that an Indian returning from the chase, -fatigued and hungry, would often wait patiently by the boucan, or -as they called it, the _barbecu_, the best part of a day, until a -fish or slice of hog, or beeve, was well cooked, the morsel being -suspended almost two feet above a little and slow fire. The Charibs, -being cannibals, were often in use to treat their prisoners just -as they treated their game, and I know many who, visiting some of -the smaller windward islands, and also the Brazilian coast, saw -great flitches of human flesh, smoked and barbecued, hanging in the -huts. The meat, when sufficiently preserved in the manner which I -have described, the Buccaneers placed in storehouses, built so that -both land and sea winds may play well around them. The hides are -also prepared in a rude fashion, and the tallow, the whole being -periodically sold, either for money or goods, to the captains of -privateers for their crews, or to certain planters in those islands -in which cattle do not abound. The latter are the best customers, -making regular contracts with the Buccaneers for the supply of a -certain quantity of meat and hides for a fixed sum, the stipulations -on both sides being honourably adhered to. Many of the Buccaneers -have servants and hired assistants, who are chiefly employed in -conveying the cattle from the spot where they are killed to the -boucan, and afterwards in helping to stow away the food. Although -this appeared to be a regular settlement, its inhabitants led but a -roving life. Many of them intended to go to sea for a change at the -first opportunity, and others, conceiving that there were more cattle -and fewer hunters to the eastward, spoke of shifting their quarters. -This I heard while wandering about with Nicky, from boucan to boucan, -and hut to hut. The scene indeed was a new one to me. Such groups of -wild-looking blood-stained men; such slashing and cutting of meat, -as though one were in the shambles; such shouting and singing in -different tongues, mixed with the clamour of dogs and the screams of -parrots, and other birds from the neighbouring groves; such quaffing -of bumpers of brandy and constant smoking of tobacco; such an -appearance indeed of rude plenty and coarse health and enjoyment—all -this made a curious impression on me, and I returned to the hut -pondering on it. - -‘Well,’ says Nicky, ‘will you stay with us, and be my comrade, in -lieu of poor Benjamin? Here is his stock in trade,’ pointing to two -good guns and a little assortment of household stuff. ‘By the rules -of the coast, as you know, we all work in couples. Each man has his -comrade, with whom he shares all: and when one dies, the survivor is -entitled to his partner’s wealth and implements—the last of which I -will very willingly bestow upon you, should you deem it meet to join -me.’ - -We talked for some time about the matter. My own mind was naturally -buoyant, and my spirits easily fitted themselves to circumstances; -and so, concluding that I would lead an adventurous life, and see -much well worthy of being beheld, we in the end concluded a bargain; -and then putting on a doublet which had belonged to poor Benjamin, -and which being almost new, was but slightly smirched with blood, my -partner summoned in several of the chief men to the hut; and they -being accommodated with great goblets of brandy, admitted me by -acclamation into the body of the brave Huntsmen and Buccaneers, and -the ancient order of Brethren of the Coast, baptizing me in brandy, -with various mummeries, by the nick-name of Will Thistle, as showing -my Scottish nativity. Then Jonas, who was there, would fain have had -a carouse, but they persuaded him not, saying that there was ample -work to do, and little time to do it in, before the ships would -arrive from Jamaica and Nevis for boucan. - -Behold me now, therefore, a Buccaneer on the coast of Hispaniola! -I let my beard and moustache grow, and they and my hair, which -was naturally luxuriant, mingling, I speedily looked as grim and -grisly as any of them. My comrade, Nicky, was a good man and true; -he had really felt the death of Benjamin his partner, and so had -been at first more grave and more reserved than usual. But as this -natural feeling wore away, he became truly a merry madcap, with a -jest, sometimes of the coarsest, or a lusty sea-song, or a tale of -brave privateersmen, ever in his mouth. Under his tuition, I soon -became a good shot, and learned to break up a bull or cow most -scientifically with the knife. Also I became acquainted with the -various trees and shrubs, birds and beasts of the coast. I knew how -to fell the mountain cabbage, and to roast the savoury plantain in -the hot cinders. I could bake the mealy cassava cake, and I knew how -to bore the Frank palm for the luscious sap which flows from the -wounded bark. Besides, these great forests and fair beaches teem with -infinite food. We turned the lazy turtles which we found upon the -shore, or hunted for their eggs in the hot sand. We intercepted and -roasted the land-crab in his annual journey from the mountains; we -shot the guano or yellow lizard, as he whimpered in the boughs, and -prejudice being set aside, found his flesh like that of a barn-door -fowl; while the racoon and the monkey both formed good roasts when we -tired of pork and beef. Then on every pond bred flocks of fat ducks, -and, in the season, the delicious ortolan fed amid the guinea grass. -Great hosts of pigeons built in the high trees and the rocks, and the -bright-coloured woodpeckers afforded us many a savoury dish. For the -sea, the Mosquito men kept us well supplied. Standing in the bows of -the canoe, with their barbed spears poised and ready, and their keen -eyes fixed upon the water beneath, there was hardly a fish at which -they darted their harpoons which the next moment lay not quivering -and bleeding in the bottom of the boat. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -HOW WE ENCOUNTER GREAT DANGERS, THE SPANIARDS ATTACKING US. - - -I have said that the bay on which we lived was part of the mouth or -estuary of the river Marmousette, which, rising in distant mountains, -falls into the sea, between Port Plate, a great land-bound gulf, and -a high cape called Point de Cas Rouge. A mile or so further up the -country than the Buccaneer settlement, the coast was low and marshy; -the mangroves here grew in great abundance, and divers deep channels -of salt water ran away from the main branch of the sea, and led, some -of them, to great open savannahs, covered with rich grass, where the -wild cattle loved to come and feed. One day, five of us started in a -small pirogue, which could barely contain such a crew, to seek for -bulls and cows in these swampy prairies—a Buccaneer called Walshe, -who perfectly knew the mangrove canals, acting as pilot. We paddled -up alongside of the bank, and having come to the swampy ground, -directed the canoe through certain intricate channels in the forest -of mangroves, with the intent of coming to a bit of the savannah -favourable for our sport, which Walshe knew. It was curious, thus -rowing, as it were, through a submerged forest. The water beneath us -was very deep—for we were obliged to keep in the channels by reason -of the mangroves growing on the muddy banks—and quite transparent, -so long as the fat black slime remained undisturbed. Over head, the -mangroves formed a complete canopy, so that we paddled in a hot green -twilight, looking through long vistas of this natural alcove, or else -trying in vain to make our eyesight penetrate more than a few yards -athwart the infinity of grey, slimy stems. At this time, the tide was -flowing inward, floating alongside of us broad layers of thick, rich -scum, which gradually, as it were, clung to the trees on either side, -leaving the mid-passage clear. - -I, happening to be in the bow of the canoe as look-out man, amused -myself by gazing down into the green, translucent sea, ahead of -the ripples caused by the progress of the canoe. The channel could -not have been less than three fathoms deep, yet I saw, as clearly -as though there were nothing but air beneath me, the broad, moving -leaves of great plants at the bottom, and the heaps, and coils, and -meshes of twisted stalks, and long, serpent-like withes springing -from the fat mud, and which waved with a slow and sickly motion as -the passing tide stirred them. There were also great shoals of fish -of divers kinds, which fled away on all sides as we advanced; but -what fascinated my gaze was the appearance of a huge blue shark, -which I could distinctly see cleaving the water about half way -between the boat’s keel and the bottom, and keeping pace with us very -exactly. I was in the very act of raising my head to tell what I had -seen, when I heard a loud exclamation from Walshe, who was steering, -and who exclaimed that there was a rope stretched across the passage. -The words were hardly out of his mouth, when the canoe struck the -obstacle, broached to with the swing of the tide, and in an instant -turned over, tilting us all, with a huge splash, into the water. As -I went souse into the sea, the vision of the horrible monster which -I had just seen shot through my very heart and brain, and striking -out with convulsive strokes, in a moment I clutched a mangrove stem, -and then, almost unknowing how I did it, I swung myself into the -tree. Turning round, I looked for my companions; two were clinging -to the canoe, which was drifting rapidly away with the tide. Nicky, -my comrade, was in a similar position to myself, but on the opposite -side of the creek; but poor Walshe was struggling in mid-channel, -vainly trying, in his flurry, to swim against tide. We both shouted -to him to sheer to one side; but just as he was attempting to do so, -I saw a bluish white glimmer shoot through the troubled water beneath -him, and at that moment, the poor fellow gave such an unearthly yell, -that the woods echoed, flinging his arms about, and dashing the water -into a foam, in the midst of which he disappeared, his cry ending in -a loud, choking gurgle. Then there rose and rolled a great smooth, -boiling wave, tinged with blood, as the shark, having secured his -prey, turned again on his belly, and dived into the deep water. Nicky -and I sat looking at each other for near the space of ten minutes -without uttering a syllable. Then we began, I know not why, to talk -in low whispers, and to consult upon our own situation. Our hope was, -that the two hunters, who had stuck by the canoe, would be able to -right it, and return for us, and so, joining our voices, we shouted -loud and long, but the only answer which came back was the clamour of -parrots and other birds, and the hissing sound of the water pouring -between the slimy mangrove stems. We had no fire-arms, they having -gone to the bottom when the canoe upset; so, having shouted ourselves -hoarse, we had nothing for it but painfully to converse with each -other. Our discourse turned upon the cause of our mishap. The rope -was, by this time, far beneath the water, but we could observe the -tremor of the two stout mangroves to which it was attached. It was -Nicky’s opinion that there were Spaniards upon the coast, and that we -had fallen into one of their traps—they being aware that we sometimes -used these canals to paddle to the savannahs, and return with the ebb -of the tide. ‘If so,’ said my comrade, ‘we shall not be left long -here, and shall come by a fate not much better than that of poor Sam -Walshe.’ I inquired if there was no hope of escape at low water, -when we might wade through the water to firm ground; but my comrade -replied, that unless we were giants, we could hope nothing from that. -Neither would it be practicable to clamber shorewards from tree to -tree, on account of the great multiplicity of canals and passages -which traverse the mangroves, the smaller of which harboured caymans -in their muddy depths. ‘No, no,’ concluded Nicky, ‘we can do nothing; -we must wait and take our chance.’ - -Presently the tide began silently to ebb, and in due time it left the -marsh bare. But, oh! what a dismal spectacle that was! Everywhere -fat banks of black mud, nourishing everlasting mangroves, the obscene -slime here piled up in great rotting masses, there smooth in beds, -from which bubbles of impure air would come bursting to the surface, -and sending up hideous smells of putrefaction. The air, indeed, -became as the air of a pest-house. Dank vapours began to roll amid -the trees, a sort of seething steam boiled up from the pools and -canals, and by night-time a wet grey fog, which was as the very -breath of fever, brooded all through the marsh. The night wind was -hardly felt amid these woody solitudes; and if a gust sometimes swept -by us, it only brought the unwholesome vapour in fresh supplies. From -time to time, we called to each other. Nicky recommended me to keep -the collar of my doublet between my teeth, so as to breathe through -the stuff, but we suffered terribly from hunger. With the morning, -the fog lifted, and the tide, which had of course flowed and ebbed -during the night, began to flow again. Still, there was no appearance -of relief. We would even have welcomed the arrival of the Spaniards, -but not an oar or paddle-splash broke the terrible silence. We were -both, I think, falling into a sort of stupor, when Nicky suddenly -shouted to me. - -‘There—see, there!’ he cried; ‘down the channel!’ - -I looked, and lo! our canoe, still floating on her side and full of -water, was coming drifting up, rubbing the mangrove stems, on my side -of the channel. - -‘Now or never, Will Thistle!’ cried Nicky. ‘This is life or death! -Catch her as she passes!’ - -I roused all my strength, and slipped down from the fork, where I -had been sitting, until my legs were in the water. The canoe drifted -close in, and I had no difficulty in catching the rope, which yet -hung from her bow, and making it fast to a tree. At this Nicky gave -a great hurrah, and slipping from his perch, swam boldly across -the deep water, having grasped my hand before I was aware of his -proximity. ‘Here,’ says he, ‘let me right the boat, a Mosquito man -taught me the art.’ And, sure enough, in a minute or two the canoe -was swimming properly, only still half full of water. This, however, -we speedily baled with our hats, and getting into the canoe, found -it none the worse. By good chance a couple of spare paddles had -been secured in the boat, with a piece of spun-yarn. We, being so -far fortunate, shook hands with each other very heartily; and after -bestowing a few sorrowful words upon our unhappy comrades, all of -whom were indeed lost, we set ourselves to consider what was our -best course to return again to the settlement. We could either have -gone on with the flowing tide, and landed upon the savannah, as -we originally purposed, from whence we could have made our way by -land, although the journey would be toilsome, or we might return -into the open lagoon in the canoe, and so paddle down the coast. -This last plan we determined upon, even although to follow it there -would be a necessity for waiting some hours, until the force of the -flood tide had spent itself. But to wait in hope is another matter -from remaining in despair; and so, making ourselves as comfortable -in the canoe as we could, we tarried patiently. At length, the -stream beginning to slacken, we pushed off, and paddled cautiously -seaward. Coming to the spot where the rope had been stretched across -the channel, we paused, and after some search, having found it, we -managed to cast loose either end, although it was then near two feet -under water, with the intention of carrying it away as a memorial -of our escape. Hardly, however, had we got it into the canoe, when -we heard the sound of oars and voices rapidly approaching, as if -from the landward side. We paused to listen, hoping it might be our -comrades coming in search of us; but presently the sound approached -so near as to enable us to distinguish the Spanish accent of the -speakers. - -‘Give way for the love of God!’ I exclaimed, tossing the rope aside. -We both seized the paddles, but ere the canoe had got headway, a -large boat, full of men, suddenly appeared behind us at a winding of -the channel. At sight of the canoe they set up a great shout, called -upon us in Spanish, French, and English, to surrender. But we only -plied our paddles the harder, working fast to seaward. - -Oh, thought I, that we had not removed the rope, and then the -Spaniards, in their eagerness, would have been caught in their own -snare; but a minute’s reflection told me that the tide was then too -high for the line to have stopped the pursuing boat. The chase was -now a most eager one. True, we were tired and faint; but the sight -of our deadly enemies nerved our arms; the paddles bent and cracked -and the light canoe flew over the water with a speed which the heavy -boat astern could not hope long to cope with. At this moment the -Spaniards fired at us, the bullet flashed in the water alongside, and -Nicky cried to zig-zag the canoe—that is, to pull her by jerks from -side to side, out of her true course, so as to make the object a more -difficult one to hit. We accordingly paddled in this fashion, and -it was completely effectual: not a shot struck us. Now a ball would -sing overhead; now one would tear up the still water alongside of us; -but neither the canoe nor ourselves were hit, although the Spaniards -must have fired a score of shots. Still the efforts we were making -were too severe to be long continued; and, in spite of our exertions, -our muscles began to flag. It was then that, ahead of us, we saw a -bend in the channel, on the right of which grew a huge mangrove, with -dozens of long cord-like withes depending into the water. ‘Thank -God, we shall do yet,’ said Nicky, who knew the channel well. ‘Pull -for the other side of that big mangrove!’ And in a moment the canoe -glanced round the corner in question, and we were shut out from the -view of the Spaniards. Here a small muddy creek almost covered with -foliage, diverged from the main channel. - -‘I know not where it leads,’ said my comrade, ‘but we must take it. -The strait is too narrow to row in, so we cannot be followed.’ - -The advice was good, and the canoe speedily flew up the tributary -creek, urged on, not only by our paddles, but a favouring current. -This last circumstance gave us good heart, for the tide being now -ebbing, and the current along the passage in our favour, it was -evident that it led to the open sea. The Spanish boat had, no doubt, -passed the outlet of the small creek without observing it, for as -we sat silently to listen, we heard the dash of the oars and the -shouts of our pursuers to the left, but could see nothing through -the thicket of mangrove stems. We were about to resume our paddles -again when the distant sound of musquetry struck our ears. We both -listened breathlessly; volley after volley was fired, and mingling -with it came the deep roar of culverins and other heavy ordnance. In -a moment the crew of the boat near us, as though they had also heard -the noise of conflict, gave a great shout of ‘Death to the Pirates!’ -for so they called the Buccaneers, and shot off their pieces in a -loud straggling volley. - -‘The settlement is beset,’ said Nicky; ‘the Spaniards are on us in -great force, and they must have been lurking in the lagoon for days; -this explains the cowardly treachery of the rope,’ and he broke -into loud invectives against our enemies, to all of which I most -heartily said ‘Amen.’ For was not this attack most wanton? Here were -we, living in a wilderness belonging to no man, killing those wild -animals which God hath appointed to be human food, and so far surely -performing a service to our fellows, when down come the Spaniards -upon us out of pure arrogance and ill-blood, hanging and shooting -our defenceless hunters, and, as we had no doubt, now attempting to -destroy our huts and the property, for the accumulation of which we -had honestly sweated and toiled. But such it has been ever since -any flag but that of Spain floated in these seas. The mariners of -many nations came naturally to enrich themselves with the produce of -the new-discovered lands; but Spain arrogantly desired to squeeze -in her greedy gripe the whole New World! Therefore, is it wonderful -that we—the sailors of England, Scotland, France, Holland, and -Portugal—should give the Spaniards fierce and eager battle? It was -they who began the warfare; and such being the case, we paid them -back in their own coin—usually, indeed, giving them the worst of the -bargain. - -Such were the natural thoughts which passed through my head as we sat -listening to the roar of battle, which we could hear but faintly, -being more than a league distant from home. Presently, without -speaking, we addressed ourselves steadily to our paddies, and it -was not long before, to our great joy, we shot out of the dreary -forest of mangroves, and found ourselves in the clear water of the -lagoon. The boat which had given us chase was not anywhere to be -seen; but we now heard the firing distinctly, for it was kept up -very hot and constant. By this time the tide was running out like -a mill stream, and the canoe was swept down with great rapidity -before it. There was no wind, and the current had a glassy look; the -air, too, was inexpressibly sultry. Great wreaths of dense vapour -hung upon the hills, and the firmament was one louring sea of black -clouds piled one above another, as though climbing up on each other’s -vapoury shoulders from the horizon to the zenith. Presently the -gloom increased to a foreboding blackness, which hung upon land and -sea. The sounds of the birds and the insects were hushed, and in -the intervals of the firing we heard only the low continuous rush -of the turbid tide washing amid the mangroves. All at once a great -flash of lightning tore, as it were, the black firmament into a -blue gulf of flame, and at the same instant the thunder came, not -rumbling or pealing, as I have heard it in Britain, but exploding -with a splitting crash which seemed right above us, and which went -through and through our ears. A quick succession of flashes and peals -followed, so that I was almost blinded and deafened, for I had never -seen or heard such terrible thunder or lightning; and then, at the -recommendation of Nicky, who said that the storm would probably clear -up with a squall, which we were ill prepared to face in the open -lagoon, we paddled into a little opening in the amphibious forest, -and made the canoe fast amid the trees. Here we abode for more than -half-an-hour, the thunder and lightning continuing to be fearful; -and the effect of each flash, gleaming down through the thick leaves -and branches of the network of boughs above us, and lighting up with -a grim glare the unwholesome marsh, with its slimy stake-like boles -of trees, its long twisting withes, and its black oily pools and -channels,—the effect of all this was, I say, very fearfully grand. -But at length the rain began to fall; the gloom deepened, so that -under the mangroves it was as murk as midnight; but gazing from -beneath them to the opposite side of the lagoon, we saw dimly a sort -of moving and rending of the vapoury clouds, and then a sudden and -perpendicular descent upon the hills of what appeared to be countless -streaks of mist or vapour, binding, as it were, the green earth by -webs of watery thread to the firmament. This, Nicky said, was the -rain, and truly we found it so; for the misty appearance spread fast -and far, and we heard a mighty rustling sound, which became louder -and louder, until the windows of heaven above us were opened, and -down, not in mere drops, as it appeared to me, but in opaque sheets -and masses of falling water, tumbled that blinding rain, lashing the -sea as though it were smitten by rods into churning foam, and beating -with a continuous assault our leafy canopy, until it poured through -the drenched branches in tiny waterfalls. Meanwhile we cowered in -the canoe dripping from every limb, and watching the weather over -the lagoon. Before long, there was a sudden rift or opening torn -through the veiling fog, and the perpendicular lines of the rain -became slanting, or were broken and dispersed. At the same moment, -we saw distant ridges which were hid and lost before in the vapour, -now standing out clearly and rigidly in the thinning air, and Nicky -whispered to me to note how the feathery palms were bending and -shaking, as though great airy hands were seeking to drag them up by -the roots. It was the clearing squall, and a few moments only passed -away ere heavy dank puffs sighed through the mangroves with a wet, -warm, unwholesome savour, as the steams of a caldron where masses of -putrid vegetation were simmering, and then, driving before it a broad -belt of tumbling foam, and whistling and hurtling through the air -with a sound as of rushing wings and blowing trumpets, the blast came -down from the far-off mountains and fell upon the sea. I have often -seen more violent squalls since, I have also been afloat and ashore -during a hurricane or tornado, but this was the first West Indian -tempest I encountered, and I did not soon forget the great grandeur -of the elements—the torn clouds flying in misty fragments—the blast -whizzing through the trees, with a long loud eldritch cry—the foam -gathered up from the sea, like the drift from the great wreaths -of snow at Christmas on a Scottish muir—the rustling hosts of -leaves, and rent and riven foliage scattered through the air—all -the confusion of wild noises, the dash of the troubled sea, and the -constant crackling and smashing of boughs and branches, torn out and -blown fast away to leeward. - -In the midst of the elemental strife there shone upon the waving and -dripping woods, and the torn and tumbling sea, a pale watery ray of -sunlight. This was the indication that the fury of the storm was -over. The broken clouds showed patches of deep azure here and there; -the mists had been rolled away to sea in the impetuous currents -of air; presently the gust lulled; the foam flew no longer about -the water; and the birds began to cry from out the thickets. Nicky -therefore counselled that we should again put to sea. - -‘The squall,’ he said, ‘must have put an end to the fight, and if -the Spaniards be attacking our huts from their ships, which is most -likely, they may well have been either driven ashore upon the bluff, -or blown out to sea.’ - -So we paddled cautiously along the edge of the mangroves, listening -for any sound of the renewal of the combat, but heard none. It was -obvious that, one way or another, the matter was decided—either -that our comrades had been overpowered, or that the Spaniards had -been forced by the weather to discontinue the attack. At length, -we approached a point in the shore where the character of the bank -changed—the ground heaving itself boldly above the high-water mark, -and the mangroves ceasing to grow; a little further on, a bluff of -limestone rock, overgrown with brush and creeping trees, and its -base green with tangled and slippery sea-weeds, stretched out into -the water, and from the top of this we knew our settlement was -visible. Having, therefore, made fast the canoe in a suitable place, -we clambered through the dripping grass and leaves to the summit, -and there saw a piteous sight. The rock being high, we overlooked -several small capes and bays which stretched between us and our -late habitation, and saw plainly the green bank upon which our huts -stood, and the pretty clear bay, with its crescent of white sand -and shingle beneath. In this bay—with her top-gallant-masts struck, -and top-masts and yards lowered—there lay a great Spanish ship, -carrying not less than thirty guns, with immensely high forecastle -and poop. Moored somewhat nearer the beach was the smaller Spanish -ship which had already attacked us, riding also very snugly with her -top hamper lowered; and astern of them, and ashore upon the rocky -bluff which formed the seaward horn of our bay, was a small sloop, -which, as we conjectured, had been driven from her moorings by the -force of the tempest, and now lay bodily upon the rocks, the sea -beating and breaking over her. But the piteous sight was our huts -and storehouses—some lay in ruins on the ground, torn and shattered -by cannon-balls, others had been set on fire, but the rain having so -plenteously descended, had extinguished the flames, which, however, -still smouldered in the blackened ashes and amid the charred timber, -sending up thin volumes of bluish-grey smoke. All over the beach were -scattered the bales and casks in which we had been used to store the -provisions we made; and the principal of these the Spanish robbers -were removing into the great ship; but, saddest sight of all, round -the burning huts, and upon the shingle down to the water’s edge, were -strewn the corpses of our late comrades, they having evidently sold -their lives dear, for many Spanish soldiers and seamen were stretched -out starkly among them. - -We long remained crouched amid the brushwood, regarding this sad -spectacle as though fascinated by its horrors. Who had escaped? we -thought; and, if any, where, and how? Not a man in our company but -who was brave as the steel he wielded; but what could a handful of -undisciplined hunters and sailors do against the broadsides of two -Spanish men-of-war? - -Nicky and I looked at each other mournfully—unarmed, and fainting -with hunger and thirst, what were we to do. Under the torments of -the latter infliction, however, we found that we need not long -suffer. In the hollow’s of the rocks, and the reservoirs of the large -green leaves of divers plants, the heavy rain had left abundance -of water, of which we drank and were refreshed. After this, we sat -down in a sheltered nook to hold a council of war. The Spaniards -were still busy upon the beach, and occasionally straggling into the -woods. Boats were continually passing from the ships to our shingle -wharf, and we saw preparations being made to warp the sloop off the -rocks, from which we concluded that she had not been, much damaged. -Nicky and I had hardly begun to consult upon our condition, when -we suddenly heard the voices of men in a suppressed tone, not far -from us in the thick underwood. As the speakers might be Spanish, we -ceased to talk, and lay close, burying our persons, as it were, in -the long coarse grass, and listening with all our ears. The distant -talking continued, but in what tongue we could not tell, for the wind -still blew in gusts, and ever and anon carried away the sound. At -length, just as we were despairing of making out who our neighbours -were, I felt something wet and cold glide from under my bare leg, -and turning sharply round, I saw the grass moving, and the green -glistening skin of a snake gliding over my flesh. Involuntarily, and -with a great shout, I started up. ‘It is all over,’ said Nicky; ‘we -are discovered.’ But in a moment a gruff voice hallooed— - -‘Who goes there?’ - -And we both joyfully cried out in reply, that we were friends and -comrades. Immediately there was a great rustling in the boughs, and -running up thither we presently found a remnant of our own company, -who grasped our hands, and could scarce speak for joy at seeing us. -The men who thus joined us were five in number: Ezra Hoskins, an -English seaman of Dover, called by us Stout Jem, not only for his -size and muscle, which were prodigious, but because of his boldness -and fearlessness of heart; then there was another Englishman, from -Newcastle, whose real name I know not, because I never heard him -called by any appellation but that of Black Diamond; and a Hollander, -a sturdy slow-witted fellow, from Helvoetsluys, near the Brill, whom -we called Meinheer; the other two persons were the Mosquito Indians, -Blue Peter and Jack, skilful strikers of fish and manatee, and very -attached, faithful fellows. - -You may be sure that we had much to tell each other of our -adventures. First, Nicky narrated our mischance in the Mangrove -Creek, from the devil-like snares of the crafty and cowardly -Spaniards. And then, Stout Jem told how, in the evening of the -previous day, the Indians being fishing towards the open sea, saw -the sloop working up with the last of the sea-breeze, but considered -her to be a friend, from one of the windward islands, come to load; -and how the Buccaneers, being thus thrown off their guard, had -hoisted lights upon the headland, to guide her after it fell dark. -It had certainly surprised them to see answering lights, as it -appeared, further up the lagoon, and they had set a good watch, and -were wakeful in consequence, not well knowing what to expect. As -the night wore on, and our canoe did not make its appearance, their -anxiety increased, and towards morning a Mosquito man, who had been -hunting manatee in the sedgy banks of the savannahs, came into the -settlement, and reported that he had heard the oars of boats pulling -in the Mangrove Channels, and that he had seen lights glimmering amid -the night-fog. It was now evident that there was something in the -wind, but they never reckoned on being attacked by such a force as -came against them. Besides, the strangers might be all French from -Tortugas, or St. Christopher’s, or Dutch from Curaçoa, and might not -exactly know how the old settlers would relish an intrusion in their -hunting-grounds. It was not until almost day, that our comrades saw -a great ship coming into the bay, being towed against the land-wind -or _terral_, which was then waxing faint, by her boats. A pirogue -went off to her, but not returning, those on shore concluded that the -arrival was friendly, and that their comrades had stayed on board -to carouse, and they were only undeceived upon the rising of the -sun, when they saw two Spanish men-of-war, besides the sloop, lying -in the bay, and were saluted with hot salvos of artillery. Seeing -their mistake, the Buccaneers, following their usual tactics, leaped -into their canoes and tried to board. But the Spaniards hove great -stones and cold shot into the boats, keeping up at the same time a -sharp discharge of musketry, so that the canoes being broken and -swamped, those who were not maimed or killed of their crews, were -fain to swim to land, where they were again attacked by a body of -Spaniards, who, with loud shouts, issued from the woods, proving how -skilfully the whole position had been invested. The Buccaneers, being -thus sorely discomfited, retreated into the cover of the brushwood -and trees, and maintained a distant fight, aiming chiefly at the -Spaniards who showed themselves on board the ships, and those who -emerged from the seaward-side of the huts. This lasted nearly all the -morning, when the weather becoming threatening, the Spaniards, who -were until then held as it were in check, determined to make a great -effort, and calling to their men ashore to take care of themselves, -opened a great fire upon the huts, the balls crashing through and -through them, and, at the same time, flinging fire-balls and other -combustibles, so that presently one-half of the settlement was in -flames, and the other demolished. Then the Dons landed in great -force, and were met by the remnant of our comrades, who fought -desperately. But the Spaniards having overwhelming numbers, finally -routed them, and drove them by small parties into the woods. It was -at the conclusion of this affray that the storm came on, and since -its abatement our comrades had been roving along the shore, seeking -any other survivors of the fight, but hitherto finding none. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -HOW THE DEADLY FEVER OF THE COAST FASTENS ON ME. - - -Such was the history of the treacherous Spanish attack which -destroyed the settlement of the Marmousette. Our first care was -to learn how the party we had met in with were armed, and great -was our delight to find that the Indians carried two guns apiece, -nearly all the muskets in the village having been brought into the -woods. Besides there was abundance of ammunition. After a short -consultation, it was determined to take the canoe, and although our -number would somewhat overload her, to cross to the other side of -the bay, where we had more security against being molested. Having -therefore carefully looked to our pieces, we clambered down the -bank, and standing by the canoe, unanimously invested Stout Jem with -the command of the expedition. As the Indians used the paddles most -dexterously, they were set to work to propel us, and with Stout -Jem for steersman, we set out. On our way I began to experience a -drowsiness, which I had before felt, but immediately checked. Now, -however, the sensation, amounting indeed to one of impending stupor, -began again to overpower me. My chin fell upon my chest, and I had -little snatches of disturbed sleep, in which curious confused ideas, -and odd combinations of words and things, seemed to float into my -brain, and which, when I started up again, which I would do every -minute, fled away like phantoms, so that I could not for my life -remember what I had been dreaming of the moment before. All this -time I was inwardly urged to speak, I seemed to have nothing to say, -but still something forced my tongue and lips to move, and all at -once I called out— - -‘Is that a black corby on the thorn-bush near the boat’s grapnel?’ - -At this extraordinary speech, the Englishmen in the canoe turned -sharp round to me, and Stout Jem asked what I meant. At his voice all -the dreamy sensations left me, and I felt myself blushing up to the -roots of my hair, and wondering what I had said, for I remembered not -a word. - -‘Here,’ said Stout Jem, kindly, ‘swallow this, my good boy;’ and he -held me a great flask of spirits. ‘You have been breathing over-much -marsh fog on an empty stomach, but you’ll live to pay off Jack -Spaniard yet.’ - -I took the flask and held it to my head, when suddenly the greasy -leathern bottle appeared to swell and lengthen, until it seemed a -puncheon which I held. A curious nervous feeling came crawling over -my limbs, and my breath grew thick, and my eyes dim. The first taste -of the brandy banished these sensations, and the cordial marvellously -restored me. - -‘You must eat somewhat when we go ashore,’ said Nicky. ‘I am -ravenous; and then we will consult on what we can do to take our -revenge.’ - -‘No, no; no eat,’ said Blue Peter, the Mosquito Indian; ‘sleep mosh, -sleep good, smoke pipe, and sleep cool and long.’ - -But I felt so much better that I fully intended to make a good -dinner. We landed in one of the bushy coves which abound in the frith -of the Marmousette, and which could not be seen by the Spaniards -on the other bank. Stout Jem then despatched the Indians to hunt, -and ordered the rest of the party to aid in building a hut. Nicky -and myself, however, were so weak from want of food, that we were -excused; and the Dutchman having some biscuits and smoked beef in his -pocket, generously gave us enough to make a good meal. Meantime, -Stout Jem, Black Diamond, and Meinheer, were actively at work. They -had two hatchets, and their long knives, and with these they felled -and prepared sufficient wood for their purpose, driving stakes -into the earth, and interweaving leafy branches, with the skill of -experienced foresters. Nicky and I were then set to work to pull -a quantity of coarse long grass, which grew upon the beach, for -beds; and one of the Mosquito men returning, he kindled a fire, and -began to cook the hind quarter of a fine boar which he had shot in -the wood. Meantime, I was plucking the grass, sometimes sitting by -the seaside, for I felt weak and ill. The food I had eaten was no -refreshment. My temples throbbed strangely and my skin was fevered -and dry. Then these horrible wandering thoughts began to come again, -and I squeezed my head with my hands, as though I could thus drive -them out. Sometimes I thought I felt again the hot marsh vapour -sickening the air; then the sea-breeze fanning me, I would tear the -clothes from my chest, and put back my long dank hair to let the -blessed cool wind play freely on me, and cool my seething blood. - -All at once I saw, under the shade of a genipa tree, a tall stout -man, who stood motionless, and watched me. Deeming him a Spaniard, -I would have shouted out, but my tongue refused to obey me, and -turning hot and dry, rattled as it were against my teeth, while no -sound but a low hiss could I form. Still the figure stood there; -and now I saw a glimmer as of a naked weapon which it held. The sun -being now setting, his rays came slanting down, and one of these -quivering through the trees fell full upon the face of the stranger, -and I saw that it was Walshe, with his great eyes glaring at me, -just as they glared when the shark rose in the mangrove canal, and -pulled him down beneath his crunching teeth. I stood trembling, -and trying to pray. The features were livid and blue, and the eyes -sunk and expressionless, yet horribly bright. Just at this moment -one of the last puffs of the sea-breeze shook the trees around, and -the sunlight falling in a different stream, and chequered by other -branches upon the appearance, the face gradually seemed to change. -Feature after feature melted away, until the agonized countenance of -the unfortunate seaman was gone, and, instead of it, there remained -the massive features and pensive gravity of my preserver on board the -Frenchman—Wright. Just then the weapon, which I had formerly observed -to glitter, moved, and I saw the figure heave up a great broad axe -on one hand, and point to it with the other. It was, indeed, the -regicide, with the emblem and the instrument of his deed. - -Making a sudden effort, I burst the leaden bonds which seemed to -confine me, and with a strange courage rushed forward. As I did the -phantom grew dim and dimmer, and when I placed my hand upon its -breast, I felt but the gnarled bark of the genipa tree, whilst the -axe, at the same instant, seemed to become a branch with clustering -foliage dancing in the wind. I grew directly sick and faint. - -‘Oh, my God!’ I murmured, ‘I am going mad! My brain is whirling, -and my eyes make me see things which are not and so I sank upon the -ground, and sobbed. Presently, I was somewhat better, and I manned -myself. ‘It is but a feverish attack,’ I thought. ‘I will return and -try to sleep.’ It was, however, with some difficulty that I arrived -at the hut. My limbs felt as if loaded with lead, and the pain of -an intense headache went like hot iron wires into my brain. When I -reached our half-finished abode, I saw everything through a sort of -haze, and the voices at my ear appeared to come from miles away. I -was soon placed, lying upon bundles of grass, in the windward side -of the hut, and after that I remember little more of what happened -during three nights and three days. Only I know that my sufferings -were very great; that my mind appeared to ramble as though it were a -disturbed spirit or ghost flitting all over the world. Now, I would -seem to be far away on the pleasant coast of Fife. The sun would -shine, and the corn rustle and the yellow broom by the burnie’s -banks smell sweet in the summer’s breath. But I could enjoy nought. -I was as it were seared, and the sources of pleasure dried up. I -saw the forms of people I loved, but I could speak to none. I saw -my mother sitting on a sandy knowe, resting her head upon her hand, -and looking over the blue sea. But when I would embrace her, there -came darkness and pain, and the vision vanished. Then, perhaps, in -my delirium, I would fancy I was at sea; sometimes it was in the old -fisher-boat, the Royal Thistle. No wind would stir, the sky would be -glowing like a heated copper globe, and the boat would lie moveless -as though nailed to the unstirring sea. Suddenly my father’s eyes -would look into mine with a long wan stare, and so would we sit -glaring at each other, like famishing and despairing beasts, while -months, and years, and ages, would appear to come and go and bring -no change. Anon, the mood would alter. Then I was on board the old -brig, Jean Livingstone, with a merry breeze and a blithesome crew. -The bonny crags of St. Andrew’s Bay would seem under our lee, with -the ruined towers of abbeys and churches rising over the green links, -and fading from our sight, as we worked gallantly seawards. But the -scene would straightway change to a furious storm in a mid-winter -night, with the foam of the sea and the snow-flakes flying together. -Then round the light of the binnacle there would crowd ghastly -faces, staring into mine—faces with shaggy antique beards like the -ancient sailors of Sir Patrick Spens, long, long sleeping in the wild -North Sea; and so surrounded by these fishy eyes of hapless drowned -mariners, I would feel the good brig seem to founder beneath my feet, -so that I would start struggling up from my bed of grass, crying out -that I was drowning—that the boiling waves were choking me! - -This was my seasoning fever, as they called it; and, though it -did not last long—thanks to the good treatment and the medicinal -herbs of the Mosquito men—it left me passing weak and helpless. I -recovered my reason all at once, as one waking from the stupor of -deep sleep. My hair had been cut close, and my head was tied round -with freshly-plucked plantain leaves, constantly drenched with water. -I lay upon blankets, none of which we possessed when I was taken ill, -and my linen was reasonably clean and fresh. The wattled hut was -open to the breeze on every side, and as it contained but one bed -more, I guessed that it had been given up for my use and that of my -partner, Nicky, as indeed it had. Looking around, I saw several pots, -pans, baskets, and boxes scattered about, from which I concluded that -the Spaniards had departed, and that my comrades had been able to -recover some of the wreck of their property from the ruins of their -habitations. And this, indeed, I found afterwards to be the case. - -I was too weak at first to call out, and so remained in silence, -enjoying a delicious languor, and cool and moist from head to -foot. The fever had thoroughly left me, and I felt thankful and -devoutly glad. Presently I distinguished the well-known smell of -the smouldering fire of the boucan floating into the hut, and soon -afterwards, Nicky, with bare arms and grimed hands, entered; his eyes -sparkled when he saw me so much recovered, and presently calling the -rest together, they all shook hands with me, and told me to be of -good cheer, for I had fore-reached on the marsh fever, and would soon -be quite hearty. And so, indeed, it was. I grew very hungry, and, -being well fed, regained my strength fast, so that, two or three days -after the fever left my blood, I was abroad sniffing the cool breezes -of the sea. - -Except two men—both French—who had joined when I was ill, none of the -survivors of our original party had turned up; some of them had no -doubt been made prisoners by the Spaniards, others might have started -off along the coast to the eastward, as, indeed, many previously -intended; but we feared that upwards of one half of our comrades -were either captives, who would be forced to labour in the mines of -Cuba, or had already—and the fate of these latter was more to be -envied—died with their wounds, in front, giving battle to the Spanish -robbers. - -Being little able to work for some time after my recovery, and the -rest of the party being engaged in the usual toil of hunting wild -cattle, and preserving the meat by the boucan, it was often my -habit to take the canoe and proceed in her down towards the mouth -of the bay, so as to enjoy the fresh and briny breeze which came -from the north-west across the ocean. To make these expeditions more -pleasant, I prepared a mast with a small lug sail, such as the canoe -could bear, and I could manage with ease. Almost my first trip, -when thus provided, was to the scene of the late contest. I found -nearly every trace of a settlement destroyed. The rude jetty was -all but demolished, and over the ruins of the shattered huts, great -crops of luxuriant herbage had grown, from which I often started -snakes and venomous insects, such as centipedes and scorpions, who -delighted to make their nests in the holes and crevices which they -found in abundance amidst the ruins of our huts. On a sweet spot of -green-sward, under the shadow of a great spreading tree, there were -rows of little mounds, very green. Here our poor comrades lay buried. -The Spaniards, it seems, had interred their dead, and on their -departure, which happened on the day after I was attacked with fever, -all our party had gone across the bay, and laid the dead Buccaneers -beneath the mould. Upon the bark of the great tree I was at pains to -carve a deep cross; for, though the symbol in Europe be the mark of -a corrupt and idolatrous church, still I felt that in the wilderness -it might bear a truer and a wider meaning, and point out to future -strangers that the mounds beneath the tree covered the graves of -Christian men. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE BUCCANEERS TIRE OF THE LIFE ON SHORE, AND DETERMINE TO GO AGAIN -TO SEA. - - -Searching about the place I often discovered little matters, which -I stored in the canoe and brought to our new settlement, such as -axes and hammers, harpoons for striking fish, fragments of cordage, -rope and canvas; and twice I dug up from the ruins, boxes containing -seamen’s clothes, which were very welcome to us all; in one of these -trunks I discovered some Spanish books, including a grammar and -dictionary, and of these I hastened to avail myself, inasmuch as I -saw that a knowledge of this language might soon be of the greatest -service to me. Neither did my companions grudge that I thus applied -much of my time to study, for none of them knew more than a few words -of Spanish, and they were quite aware of the advantage of having one -at least of that party conversant with that tongue. - -Thus, time passed away tolerably pleasantly. The season for the -arrival of the ships expected to load with the boucan prepared for -them at the village on the east side of the bay, having passed, and -none of them appearing, we concluded that stragglers from our old -company had succeeded in making their way to Jamaica, Tortugas, and -other islands, and had informed the merchants and planters there of -the attacks of the Spaniards, and the utter ruin of the settlement, -adding, very probably, that they were the sole survivors of the -massacre. It, therefore, became a question with us what to do. The -Frenchmen were for journeying along the coast to the westward, and -then watching an opportunity to go across to Tortugas; but Stout Jem -told them they might do so if they pleased, but he would prefer an -island where his own countrymen had something to say in matters, an -opinion which the rest of the English, as well as the Dutchmen and -the Indians, who do not love the French, joined in very cordially. -The Frenchmen, who, to do them justice, were very good fellows, on -this gave up their proposition and swore that they would follow Stout -Jem to the death. - -‘Say you so, my boys?’ cried the Dover mariner. ‘Then so be it; and -what I propose is this. Here be nine stout men of us, for I count the -Indians as good as white blood. Our peaceful trade in beef and hides, -hath been ruined by these accursed Spaniards, so I vote for the sea -again.’ - -This proposal meeting with a clamour of approbation, Stout Jem flung -aloft his hat. - -‘We have had enough of the shore this bout, mates,’ quoth he. ‘I want -to hear the wind whistle through tarry ropes again, and feel a stout -ship dancing under my feet.’ - -‘Yah, yah,’ said the Hollander. ‘We zaal be Zee Roovers once more;’ -and all the company flung up their hats like our leader, and swore -that they would take deep vengeance on Jack Spaniard. For my part, -I was well pleased, for I felt I was a sailor, and that I had no -business to be following a hunter’s life ashore. I had not very much -taste for shooting bullocks, and still less for breaking them up, -cooking and storing them; and, although I had always cheerfully taken -my turn to watch the boucan fire, my mind would often stray away upon -the ocean, and I would pant for the fresh sea-breeze, and the dash of -the foaming brine. As for my comrade, Nicky, he was that easy kind of -going man, that he seemed to care very little whether he was on land -or sea. He worked, ate, drank, sang and slept, and then rose merrily -next day to go through the same routine. But Stout Jem, who was the -life and soul, as well as the captain of our party, was a sailor all -over. He had been many years in the Caribbean sea, was a good pilot, -understood every current, and every indication of the weather; and -moreover, knew by heart every buccaneering trick for easing of their -cargoes the treasure-ships of the Dons. - -But before we could go to sea, we must have a vessel; and saving the -canoe, which was hardly fit for a cruiser we were as unprovided as -though we lived on the top of a mountain. There was nothing therefore -for it, as we could not go in a ship to the Spaniards, but to wait -until the Spaniards should come in a ship to us, that is to say, -in such a small ship as we could master, and afterwards manage. We -might indeed have not found much difficulty in entering an English -privateer, many of whom we knew were hovering on the coast; but being -acquainted with each other well, we preferred in the first place to -capture such a small craft as we could man, afterwards making such -additions to our crew as might from time to time be resolved on. In -the meanwhile, we continued to hunt and prepare the flesh of wild -cattle and boars, so that we should have a good stock of provisions -when we were ready to go to sea. - -Being, as I have said, always fonder of water than land, I often -induced the Mosquito Indians to allow me to go with them in their -canoe, when they went to strike fish and manatee. Generally the -Indians permit no one to accompany them in these expeditions, and -if they are forced to allow a white man into the canoe, they will -purposely miss their aim at every fish or animal they strike, and so -return empty handed. However, I being a great favourite with Blue -Peter, who had indeed saved my life in the fever; and losing no -opportunity, by such petty gifts as I had it in my power to make, of -showing my gratitude, he made no objections to my accompanying him -and his comrade in many of their expeditions. - -We used to start before sunrise, Blue Peter in the bows of the canoe, -and Jack in the stern, both paddling quickly, while I sat amidships -in the bottom. No Europeans I ever saw can paddle so silently, -swiftly, and surely as the Indians on the Mosquito coast. They hold -the shaft of the paddle almost upright, never touching the gunwale -therewith, or splashing rudely in the water. On the contrary, the -broad part of the paddle dips as clean as a knife, and the canoe -glides with a perfectly smooth and rapid motion, so that, did you -not observe how fast the water ripples by, you would hardly think -you were moving at all. When pursuing the manatee, our usual game, -the head of the canoe was turned up the creek, to the higher banks, -where the shore was sedgy and low, where the mangroves reared their -dismal groves, and where, the water gradually becoming brackish and -muddy, there is found floating and waving from the banks, the long -narrow-bladed grass on which the manatee loves to feed. The creature -we hunted is a harmless beast, like a great seal. It is a misfortune -for himself that he has tender white flesh, tasting like veal, and -that his skin makes very good thongs and straps, which the Buccaneers -use for divers purposes. Were it not so, he might float unmolested -in the warm muddy water, nibbling the streaming grass, as the lazy -current carries his heavy form slowly up and down the mangrove -canals, twinkling his little pig-like eyes, and anxiously jerking his -great stupid-looking head, if a cayman rolls with a splash from the -muddy bank into the river, or a squatting flock of wild-ducks rise -with a whirr from the sedgy surface of a neighbouring pool. - -But the poor manatee, being good to eat, must submit to be harpooned -and eaten. When we came to the feeding-ground which he loves, the -Indians would paddle with double caution, and Blue Peter, who was -the striker, would carefully examine his harpoon, and see that it -lay convenient to his hand. The spear used for capturing the manatee -is about eight feet long. The iron barb, a heavy and sharp piece of -metal, is attached to the thicker end, and to the other is fastened -a circular knob called the bobwood, round which is wound a strong -line, one end of which is fast to the bobwood, the other to the iron -of the harpoon. When the weapon is flung, the barb alone sinks into -the creature’s flesh, the staff coming unloosed from the iron, and -the line rapidly unwinding from the bobwood, as the stricken creature -dives in its agony and fear. The Indians then paddle after the staff, -and having seized it, gradually wear out the strength of the game, -and kill it. - -I shall not soon forget the first manatee hunt I saw. We embarked at -early dawn, and glided silently along the green shore, from which the -mist of the night was lifting and rolling in white clouds far up the -mountains. After long skirting the mangrove wood, we turned from the -main channel into a narrow creek, slipping along in perfect silence. -Listen as I would, I could not even hear the water at the canoe’s -bow, her mould was so perfect, and so steady the strokes which -propelled her. The drip of the water from the paddles, as they were -lifted, alone made a slight tinkling sound. The sea-breeze had not -yet begun to blow, and the sun came down scorchingly upon the tangled -wood and the green water, the surface of which glanced like bright, -clear oil. Presently Blue Peter laid his paddle noiselessly down, -and took up the harpoon. I looked anxiously ahead. Clustered round -the trunk of a vast mangrove, which rose up out of the water, there -was a tangled heap of soaking grass and weeds. The kneeling Indian -crouched as if he were a graven image of ebony or bronze, and I saw -the floating weeds move, and heard a grinding, spluttering sound, as -of a cow grazing. Then the Indian moved a finger of his left hand, -which he had kept outstretched; his comrade at the stern saw the -sign, and a peculiar sweep of the paddle sent the canoe slantingly -towards the weeds. As she diverged from her course, Blue Peter stood -erect, and raising his right arm, with all the muscles swelling out -like knots and lumps of iron, darted the harpoon, as it appeared to -me, into the centre of the moving weeds. Instantly there was a great -splash and plunge, and the canoe rocked upon a wave, which scattered -the floating herbage, so that I saw disappearing in the water the -broad brown back of a creature as large as a cow. Blue Peter, the -instant he struck, sank again upon his knees, and snatching up -the paddle, prepared to move. Meantime I could see nothing of the -harpoon, for it had been carried under water. The Mosquito men then -talked to each other in their own tongue, pointing to the direction -in which the manatee appeared to have dived, and then began to -paddle lustily. About five minutes might have elapsed, when Blue -Peter exclaimed, ‘Ho!—there!’ and pointed. I, looking in the same -direction, descried the staff of the harpoon seeming to fly along the -surface of the water, the round bobwood throwing up a foam two feet -high. Then the Mosquito-men pulled hard in chase. I could never have -thought that their gaunt, brown bodies had so much strength in them. -The muscles of their naked arms and chests strained and swelled, the -paddle-shafts cracked, and the canoe seemed at every stroke to be -lifted out of the water. Still they did not gain upon the harpoon -towed by the manatee, but, on the contrary, rather lost, so that -I began to fear that we would never see either harpoon or quarry; -but, on a sudden, the motion of the former stopped, and it floated -tranquilly upon the water. The manatee, being fatigued, had sunk to -the bottom, and lay there. We now paddled carefully up, and Blue -Peter caught the staff, and began to pull upon the line. Immediately -that the wounded creature felt the smart, it started again. I saw -the line vibrate and stretch out in a direction abeam of the canoe; -but, in a moment, Jack, who held the steering-paddle, swept the -bows round in the direction taken by the manatee, while Blue Peter -fastened the line to the prow of the canoe. There was a jerk or two, -though not so much as I expected, and straightway we began to move -ahead, Peter crouching in the bows, signing to Jack how to steer. -For near a quarter of an hour did the wounded beast drag us through -the water, sometimes so swiftly that the foam whizzed past us—anon -changing his course so suddenly, that had not the canoe been steered -with perfect skill, he would have dragged us under water. Then, his -strength beginning to ebb from him fast, we hauled upon the line, -and gradually closed with our prey, whose blood was now reddening -the water. I pitied the poor creature, as he put his head above the -surface, and grunted and moaned after his fashion, but he was soon -out of his pain. Slipping alongside of the carcass, Blue Peter passed -his long knife around its throat, and after one or two struggles and -plunges, the manatee turned over upon its back, dead. We towed him -ashore, and securing him to a tree, presently paddled off in search -of more game of the same sort. - -But upon the whole, I better loved our fishing expeditions than the -hunt of the manatee. The poor defenceless brute always inspired me -with pity. There is a meekness about his face which moves one. He -makes no attempt to turn to bay or show fight, but is slaughtered as -unresistingly as a calf, and the haunts he loves are the muddy and -unwholesome canals among the mangrove swamps. But in spearing fish we -often rowed down the bay to the rocky points and ledges of reef which -formed the outermost horns of the lagoon. There the clear, blue sea, -white spangled by the merry strength of the sea-breeze, stretched -illimitably out, and the everlasting surf flung aloft its clouds of -sparkling spray, high up among the rocks, now and then giving the -bushes a taste of the savour of brine. It was in the still pools and -channels, formed by breakwaters of rock, that the canoe was then -navigated. Let the sea-breeze be blowing, and the surging swells be -tossing in, as hard and fast as they might, there was always calm -water behind the reefs—so calm and so clear! I might think that I was -looking into the swirlings of our trout-pool in the Balwearie Burn, -but for the bright, jagged coral, and the strange sea-weeds at the -bottom, and the still stranger fishes floating, as it were, in pure -mid air, but a fathom down beneath the keel of the canoe. Gliding -over these translucent waters, sometimes scraping the battered side -of our skiff against the rough coral edges; sometimes receiving a -sparkling shower of spray when a bigger wave than ordinary burst -upon the outside reef, the Mosquito men were in their glory. Blue -Peter stood erect in the bow, his black, flashing eyes fixed on -the water as though he would note every scollop in the edge of the -jagged sea-weed, or every wavy ridge on the bed of white sand, and -his long thin fish-spear darting occasionally down into the flood -to be straightway drawn, bending and quivering, back with a noble -fish, writhing and floundering, impaled upon the barbs. Always upon -these expeditions I kept a good look-out seaward, and often mounted -pinnacles of rock that I might have the better view. Once or twice I -saw a sail, apparently set on board a small vessel, slipping quickly -down to the westward, or beating painfully to windward; but the barks -were too far at sea for me to make out aught of their character or -country. - -During this period of my sojourn in Hispaniola it was our custom to -spend the evenings together in the principal hut—that which was -first constructed, and which was of an ample bigness. Here, seated -round a great chest, which served for a table, we smoked our pipes, -drank pretty deep draughts of the rich palm wine, and told in turn -stories of our lives and adventures. The hut being only wattled, -and that very imperfectly, the strong land breeze blew through and -through it, causing the flame of our solitary lamp to waver and -flicker, and not unfrequently putting it out altogether. We sat -upon bundles made of our clothes, or heaps of dried grass, and -must, in sooth, have appeared a parcel of strange ragamuffins, with -our faces burnt to mahogany colour by the sun; our hair and beards -long, tangled, and matted; and our clothes, being coarse doublets -and short jackets, cut in uncouth shapes, and often red and greasy -with the blood and fat of the animals which it was our business to -kill. Stout Jem, being reckoned the head and commander of our party, -sat on a kind of settle for a throne, and the rest of us crowded as -near the great chest as we could, the two Mosquito men excepted, -who commonly sat apart squatted on their hams, and speaking to each -other softly in their own tongue. Sometimes we would play dice on -these evenings, not for money, of which we had none, but for the -carcasses of the cattle which we had killed and flayed; but as the -play was always fair and the dice true, it was generally found that -no one either lost or gained much in the long run. It was, however, -the storytelling nights I loved the best. Many of the tales then told -were indeed very vulgar and common, and unworthy of being recorded, -turning solely upon butcheries of the Spaniards at sea, and upon -great seasons of debauch, after a successful cruise, in Tortugas -or Jamaica. Not a few tales were also told of ghosts and omens, -and such extravagances, which the superstitious nature of sailors -causes them to believe and to hearken greedily to. I heard many such -histories both at this time and afterwards, and I design to insert -one here, not because I think it at all credible, but because it is a -very good specimen of the histories of ghosts, phantoms, and other -supernatural appearances which were current among the Buccaneers. -This story was told by Stout Jem very solemnly, and listened to with -no less eagerness; and in recounting it I will endeavour to put the -matter into the narrator’s words, of which, for an uncultivated -seaman, he had a good flow. Stout Jem called his history ‘The Legend -of Foul-Weather Don,’ and to it I will devote the next chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE LEGEND OF FOUL-WEATHER DON. - - -Stout Jem told it thus:— - -‘My story, mates, is a strange one, and I say not whether it be true -or false. I heard it in the middle watch, one fine night, slipping -down the coast of Porto Rico, and the seaman who told it to us, said, -that when he was a boy he sailed with the man to whom the thing -happened, in a big ship which hailed from Bristol. That the spirits -of the dead walk the world—ay, and sail the seas—is a thing I cannot -say nay to. I cannot tell you that I ever saw anything of the sort -myself, but credible mariners and grave and sober men have assured -me of things which have made my marrow creep, and the hair stand up, -all bristling out of my flesh. Well, then, about this story. The man -to whom the adventure happened, was by name Ned Purvis, a mariner. -It must be nigh sixty years ago since he sailed out of the port of -London, on a trading voyage to the coast of Guinea. Purvis was then a -younker, there being little better than a year since he had followed -the sea, and this was his first voyage abroad; he having undertaken -it in the ship of his uncle, a good old man, of a mild disposition, -and well loved of the crew. As for Ned Purvis, he was a reckless, -ruffling blade, that cared neither for man nor devil, when his blood -was up, and who thought but little of the glimmer of a drawn cutlass, -or the flash of a pistol, in a quarrel. But as I told you, mates, the -old man, the captain, was mild of speech and of heart, and greatly -loved his nephew, and thought much of the lad’s spunk and wild -spirit. So they sailed southerly, as became navigators, bound as they -were to traffic for spices and rich oils and gold with the blacks of -Africa. - -‘Having lost sight of England, they had prosperous winds and pleasant -weather, and nought occurred until the seventh day from that in which -they saw the last of the white cliffs. Then they were just moving -through the water and no more, for the breeze was but a puff, and -the sun going down, when all of a sudden they saw a boat with a man -in it, so close aboard that you might toss a biscuit into her. It -was curious, mates, that almost all the men on deck saw her at once, -when she was, as it might be, alongside; and yet no one had seen her -approaching. But strange as that was, comrades, it was not so strange -as the cut of the boat, and, for that matter, the cut of the man in -her. The stem and stern of the craft were very high, and ended in -curled bits of carved wood. Her gunwale, too, was all carved and -sculptured, in such a way as you may have seen the pulpits and choirs -of cathedrals and abbeys, and such buildings in England and France, -and the Low Countries, being very artificial work done with gravers -and chisels. - -‘Ned Purvis remembered afterwards, when he saw a great Spanish -painting of Christopher Columbus, landing on his second voyage upon -the island of Hispaniola, that the admiral sailed in a barge, carved -and ornamented after the fashion of that of which I am now telling -you. And the man, mates, looked as old as his boat. He had on a high, -conical hat, with a feather in it, and he wore a grave coloured -doublet, of an old fashion, with slashes in the arms, and brocaded -flowers embroidered thereon. Round his neck was a stiff ruff. He had -red stockings, and great bunches of ribbon in his shoes. The face of -this strange person was severe and grave. He had no moustachoes, but -a thin peaked beard which fell over his frill. Every now and then he -smiled with a strange, wild expression, which was that of a bitter -sneer; and his eyes shot a sparkling light, which was stony and -cold, and from which men turned their heads, as if by instinct. Well, -then, the captain, when he saw this queer cruizer, seemed fascinated, -and gazed upon him, as you may have seen small birds on the boughs -gaze at snakes, whose eyes glitter out of the grass beneath, and -presently the man in the boat waved his arm, as a signal to those on -board to take him in. Well, no one stirred but Ned Purvis, and before -the old captain could prevent him, Ned flung a rope to the stranger, -who straightway caught hold of it and mounted on deck. - -‘“Where is your captain?” says he, in a hollow harsh voice. - -‘The old man comes forward, as pale as a corpse, and, quoth he— - -‘“In the name of God, what want ye on board my ship?” - -‘Now, at the name of God, Ned Purvis thought that the strange man -started and shook: but he replied not, only taking the old captain by -the hand, pointed to his boat, which was towing astern. - -‘“Men,” said the old mariner, faintly, “he will not be denied; get -his boat aboard.” - -‘But the crew slunk together in a body, and murmured to each other, -but put not a hand to rope or tackle. Then Ned Purvis stood forward. - -‘“Who are you?” said he, “and why should we take you or your boat -aboard?” - -‘“You yourself asked me,” quoth the strange man; “you flung the rope; -but for that I should have floated past you. I never come, but where -some one welcomes me.” - -‘Now, at this, Ned Purvis confessed that he felt like a great sinner, -and all the men turned round and looked first at him and then at the -stranger. But Ned plucked up courage, and determined to give them all -bold words. So he walked up to the stranger, and said— - -‘“Well, I did heave you a rope; no true-hearted mariner would see -a man adrift upon the ocean, and not offer him rescue. I care -little what you be. If you are our fellow-creature, we have done -but our duty in saving you; if you be not, why, we are honest men -here, having no crime upon our consciences, and we defy the devil -and all his works. Come, shipmates, lend a hand, and heave the old -gentleman’s barge aboard. It’s the captain’s orders, and orders must -be obeyed.” - -‘And so, after a little grumbling and murmuring, the boat was hove -aboard and placed between the masts. There was neither food nor water -in her, and her bottom was as foul with barnacles and sea-weed as if -she had drifted ten times round the world. Meantime, the stranger -and the captain went below, and the men stood in a group round the -cabin, but they could hear nought of what took place there, and -presently they retired to their usual posts. Well, Ned Purvis was in -the first watch, and when it got dark he was standing leaning against -the main-chains, wondering at the strange event of the day, when the -captain touched him on the shoulder. - -‘“Nevvy!” says the old man, “know you whom you have brought aboard -into this ship?” - -‘“Why, uncle,” answered Ned, somewhat taken aback at this address, -“ought we not to take aboard any man we find starving in a boat upon -the ocean, more than a week’s sail from land?” - -‘“Ay, Nevvy,” quoth the old captain, “any man, but not any phantom; -it is more than a hundred years since the passenger you brought on -board this unhappy ship was a man!” - -‘“Do you know him, then, uncle?” says Ned; “have you ever seen him -before?” - -‘“Ay, boy,” replied the old mariner; “once, when I was a youth, he -boarded a ship in which I sailed, as he did ours to-day.” - -‘“And what did he?” asked the young sailor, his heart fluttering -within him. - -‘“Raised storms,” said the elder Purvis, solemnly; “raised a tempest -such as I never saw before, and had hoped, until now, never to see -again.” - -‘“Then, in the name of God,” says Ned, clenching his fists, “as I -brought him on board, I’ll pitch him overboard, and I’ll begin with -his boat first.” And so saying, he began to make fast a tackle to the -curled prow. - -‘“Hold, hold!” said Captain Purvis; “he must go by his own free will, -or he will not go at all.” - -‘“But who—who, in the devil’s name, is he, uncle?” shouted Ned. - -‘“He is a restless phantom—a wandering, unquiet spirit,” says the old -seaman, with his voice trembling, and his grey hair all dank with the -cold sweat. “He was a cruel captain of Spain, who, holding a high -command in Hispaniola, wrought great cruelties to the natives, and -even to his fellow-countrymen, amassing thus a great treasure, which -he buried in one of the small keys or desert islands of the Western -Indies, to wait an opportunity of conveying it to Spain: at length -this seemed to have arrived, and in a stout vessel he set sail for -the treasure island; but on the voyage a terrible fever fixed upon -him, and having partially recovered, he found his memory so gone that -he could not recal to his mind any signs by which he knew either the -island, or the part of it where the treasure lay. Notwithstanding, -however, he would continue to cruize for weeks and weeks among the -cluster called the Virgin Isles, to the east of Porto Rico,—never -sleeping, so they said who sailed with him, but always standing on -the highest yard, gazing wistfully for his treasure he had buried. -At length his crew lost patience, and insisted upon returning to -Hispaniola; at this he fell into furious fits of rage, but at last, -they being obstinate, he swore a solemn oath that, dead or alive, he -would sail the sea until his treasure was either found and spent, -or placed for ever beyond the reach of men. And then, ordering them -to put out a boat, stepped on board, and they left him floating, an -hundred years ago, just as we found him this afternoon.” - -‘“But he has been seen since,” quoth Ned, after a pause, for he did -not know what to think of this story. - -‘“Twice that I know of,” said his uncle, “and once, I tell you, I saw -him, and he came on board and brought tempest with him; they called -him ‘Foul-Weather Don’ and learned men say he must keep his oath, in -the spirit, if not in the body, and that he will have no rest till -the terms of it be fulfilled.” - -‘“So he brought bad weather, did he?” said Ned, musing. - -‘“For the three weeks he was on board,” says the old man, “the blast -never lulled, and the sea ran higher than the mainyard.” - -‘“And what did he do all that time?” cries Ned, again. - -‘“He sat in the great cabin,” replied the uncle, “with his back -against the rudder-case, and never spoke word nor broke bread.” - -‘“How did he leave you?” was Ned’s next question. - -‘“He rose one evening, just in the twilight, and ordered the captain -to put his boat into the water, though none of us thought a boat -would live in such a sea, and none built by man’s hand could. But -that one”—and the old sailor pointed to the sea-worn craft, with her -bottom one bed of weed and barnacles—“but that one floated like a -duck upon the great breaking seas; and presently, with grave courtesy -and farewell gesture, Foul-Weather Don stepped to the gangway, and -from thence on board his skiff. We saw him once or twice rising on -the tops of the great seas, and standing up in the boat with his -hands clasped, as one praying; then boat and all disappeared, and we -saw him no more. The next hour the gale broke, the sea went down, and -we were again enabled to lay our proper course.” - -‘“And what is Foul-Weather Don doing in the cabin just now?” says Ned. - -‘“Sitting with his back against the rudder-case,” answered Captain -Purvis; “and see—look there!” the old man added, and he pointed to -the east, “look at that bank of clouds rising from the ocean—there’s -the gale coming. Before midnight Foul-Weather Don will have all his -winds blowing about him.” - -‘With this, mates, Ned Purvis walked away forward, and pondered long -and deeply. The rest of the crew were whispering in groups upon the -forecastle, and the poor old captain was standing wringing his hands -beside the magic boat. So presently Ned spoke to two or three of the -men, and they shook hands with him and promised to stand by him. Then -he went down to his berth and took out a great pistol, and carefully -examined the lock and cleaned it; afterwards he opened his chest, -and produced from it a bright Spanish dollar; this he hammered into -a round ball, and with it, instead of a leaden bullet, he loaded the -pistol. So presently, armed in this fashion, he came on deck, the men -following him by ones and twos, and marched right to the door of the -great cabin. His uncle met him at the door. “What do you want here?” -quoth the old man; “take my advice, and let him alone.” - -‘“No,” says Ned, “I brought him here, and I’ll make you rid of him;” -and so saying, he put the old man aside, and entered the cabin. It -was almost dark, but the light from the binnacle came down through -the sky-light, and showed the strange passenger sitting there, as the -captain had described, with his back to the rudder-case. - -‘Ned Purvis marched heavily in, and the phantom, or whatever it was, -looked up at him, and so they remained for more than a minute staring -into each other’s eyes. The men were watching them over each other’s -shoulders at the door. - -‘“Foul-Weather Don,” says Ned at last, as bold as steel, “you’re more -free than welcome.” - -The spectre took no notice. - -‘“I hove the rope to you,” says Ned, “and I thought I was doing an -act of duty by my fellow-creature. But now, I hear, that there’s no -living blood in your veins, and that you roam the ocean, bringing bad -weather on the mariners you fall in with. That may be true, or it may -not. If not, say so, and say who you are. If you be a shipwrecked -man, you are welcome here; but if not, men have told me that a silver -bullet can wound even a ghost, and if you do not speak in time, by -God, there is a rare chance now of testing the truth of the saying. -Answer!” - -‘And Ned cocked the great pistol and levelled at the strange -passenger. The figure never moved a muscle of its wan stern face. - -‘“Take the dollar and my blessing with it, then,” shouted Ned, and he -drew the trigger. - -‘The pistol exploded, and for a moment the cabin was so full of -smoke, that they could not see what execution had been done. When the -vapour cleared a little off, Foul-Weather Don was standing up, his -stony eyes giving out their cold sparkle, more horribly than ever. - -‘“You gave me your benison,” he screeched out, “I give you my -malison; and the executors and the tokens of it will follow you night -and day, until either my fate or yours be accomplished. If you do not -believe me, go on deck, look over either quarter, and see if I do not -speak sooth.” - -‘These, mates, were the very words of Foul-Weather Don; for I have -got all the conversations which relate to the matter by heart, as -they were told to me. And so Ned and the rest of them being terribly -startled, tumbled up on deck, one tripping up the other in their -hurry; and the first thing they did was to stare into the sea, where -the phantom had told them to look, when sure enough they saw the -fins of two great blue sharks, awful monsters in size, keeping way -steadily with the ship; and just as Ned came on deck, they gave a -sort of frisky plunge in the water, as much as to say, “There _you_ -are—very good; and here _we_ are.” - -‘To make a long story short, mates, before midnight, such a gale was -blowing from the eastward, that there was nothing for it but to put -the ship before the wind; and not only that day, but that week, and -for three weeks after that, did the hurricane, for it was little -else, continue, blowing the ship entirely out of her course, until -at length, the captain and crew knew that they had sailed from near -the coast of Africa to the coast of America, and that if the wind -did not soon take off, they would be run plump ashore, either on -the continent or one of the islands. Meanwhile Foul-Weather Don, -as before, never rose from the cabin, nor broke bread nor spoke -word. Indeed, if he were talkative, he had no one but himself to -hold converse with; for captain, quartermaster, mates, and all, -lived forward, and gave up the cabin to the phantom passenger. But -Foul-Weather Don was not the only thing which stuck to the ship. The -sharks kept way with her as steadily in the thundering gale as in -the light breeze. The crew could see them occasionally, ploughing -along in the troughs of the sea, one on each quarter, and keeping -their places as exactly as if they were towing after the ship. Well, -all hands got low and mopish. The old captain was fairly unmanned; -and even Ned Purvis, dare-devil as he was, began to quail. At last, -they knew by their reckoning, and by the look of the sky towards -sundown, that they were approaching the land, and that one way or -the other their fate would soon be settled. So one evening, the men -were gathered in groups, watching the signs of the sky, and pointing -out to each other right ahead the warm coloured clouds which sailors -know hang over the land. The weather looked as wild as ever; the scud -above flew even faster than the waves below; and you should have seen -the battered look of the craft as she went staggering along, under -a rag of canvas, which was becalmed every moment in the troughs of -the sea. Indeed the ship looked almost a wreck. Her bulwarks had -been washed away long ago, the hatchways were all battened down. Out -of three boats she had carried, only one was left, being strongly -lashed to the deck, while the sea-battered skiff of Foul-Weather -Don, although there was not so much as a rope yarn to make it fast, -had never budged for all the great seas, which had been for weeks -rolling over and over the decks, so that the men were obliged to lash -themselves to ringbolts, and to the masts, and never could light a -fire, or wear a stitch of dry clothing. - -‘Well, as I was saying, the poor fellows were holding on as well as -they could, and wondering where the ship and they themselves would be -to-morrow by that time, when the two seamen, who were taking their -turn at the helm ropes, gave a loud shout, and the rest turning -about, saw Foul-Weather Don standing upon the deck. - -‘“He’s going—he’s going,” whispered old Captain Purvis. “The Lord -hath preserved us in his great goodness.” - -‘Well, Foul-Weather Don looked eagerly about as if he expected to -find his treasure island, and then he mounted the rigging—all the -crew holding their breath and watching him—and gazed from the maintop -long and sadly. At length, he made a sort of motion of despair, and -came down to the deck, where he stood wringing his hands. All at -once he turned to Captain Purvis, and motioned for his boat to be -hoisted into the sea. In a minute, mates, the tackles were manned, -and they let the skiff go smash into the water, with a surge that -would have burst another boat into staves. But only the devil, mates, -could swamp a craft like that; she floated alongside as light as a -well-corked bottle. - -‘“Haul your wind, when the elements will allow you,” says the Don, -quite solemnly. - -‘“Thank you for nothing,” quoth Ned Purvis. “I should think we would, -when you have brought us across the ocean against our will.” - -‘But the spectre replied not a word, and seemed to glide rather -than to clamber over the ship’s side into the boat. When he was -fairly aboard, Ned Purvis bellowed out, “Take your sharks with -you, Foul-Weather Don, they are fitter companions for you than for -Christians.” - -‘But there was no reply, and in a minute the phantom and his boat -glanced away from the ship’s side, and the last the crew saw of -her was a black speck with a figure in it, in the very crest of a -breaking wave. Just as this happened, and they were beginning to -breathe freely, one of the men shouted “Land!” and sure enough the -next time they rose upon a sea, they saw right in the glare of the -setting sun the dusky coast line of an island. In an hour after, -the gale broke, lulling fast, so that before midnight they had -courses and stay-sails on the ship, she lying-to with her head to the -eastward. You know, mates, that in hot countries it is up wind, up -sea, down wind, down sea, so that by sunrise the next day there was -nothing but a great smooth swell to show that a gale had just swept -across the wide Atlantic. The first thing Ned Purvis did when he came -on deck to take the morning watch, was to look over the quarter, and -he confessed afterwards that his heart felt sick when he saw the two -blue sharks still alongside swimming close to the surface. The other -seamen saw the creatures too, and they looked at Ned, and whispered -among themselves. - -‘Well, you may be sure that, after such a run as the ship had had -across the Atlantic, she wanted refitting, and the crew wanted -vegetable food, and rest; so that when the usual trade wind came to -blow, and they found from one or two fishing canoes that they were -amongst the most northern of the Windward islands, they cruised -about, looking for a convenient beach to land at, and to refresh -themselves. All this time, mates, the sharks kept their places as -steadily as the very masts. Ned fished for them in vain. He even -baited the hook with the choicest pieces of pork and beef aboard, but -they would not as much as push the morsel with their snouts. “No, -no,” said the men, when they saw this; “the creatures have their -orders, and they obey them.” Then Ned tried the harpoon, but though -he had often speared porpoises and dolphins, he could not make a hit -at the sharks; either the ship lifted or lurched, or the ravenous -animals glided aside, or the water made the spear glance; but, -however it was, Ned confessed that he could not even scratch their -dingy backs. - -‘Upon this, there was little but black looks and murmuring words in -the ship. Poor old Captain Purvis was at his wit’s end, and the crew, -although they used to love poor Ned, now began to look at him as -though he were a Jonas, and Ned knew it. - -‘“The curse,” said the men, “is following us in a visible shape. -There can be no good luck for ship, or crew, or cargo, with such a -couple of attendants swimming astern.” - -‘Well, Ned tried hard to laugh it off, but he could not succeed, and -his arguments were of as little avail. “Why,” he would say, “they -can’t jump aboard, messmates; the ocean is theirs as well as ours, -and if a cat may look at a king, I don’t see why a shark may not look -at a ship.” - -‘But though he spoke in this tone, I can tell you that Ned was but -ill at ease himself. Well, this lasted three days, and all that time -they were cruising about among the islands, looking for a place which -would be snug to anchor in, and out of the way of Spanish ships. On -the third day, when the ship was about a league from a small sandy -isle or key, the men noticed that the sharks came closer to her than -ever, as if they were getting more and more watchful of their prey. -This made the pot boil over, and the boatswain and three-fourths of -the crew went to the captain in a body, and said that Ned must leave -the ship that hour, for that he was a doomed man, and that a doomed -man made a doomed ship. There was land close to, they said. Mr. -Purvis would get plenty of water and provisions, and he might soon -get his passage off in another ship, but whether he did or not, he -must go ashore now. Old Purvis tried to argue the thing, but the men -would not hear his words, and in the middle of the hubbub, Ned comes -forward, frankly, and says— - -‘“Messmates, I have brought misfortune on the ship, and spoiled the -voyage; I am willing to land.” - -‘On hearing this, Captain Purvis wished to follow his nephew, but -they would not let him because he was the only good navigator they -would have, after Ned went away, in the ship. So, presently, the -remaining boat was launched, and beef, and biscuit, and water, -sufficient for two months at least, were put in her, with a musket, -and ammunition, and a shovel, that Ned might have the means of -digging for water. When the boat shoved off, the sharks followed, -on which Ned, pointing to them, shouted to his uncle to be of good -cheer, for they would meet again, and that the ship was now free -of bad omens. The boat landed in a little cove, and Ned stepped on -shore with his gun in his hand. The men placed his provisions and -the shovel upon the beach, and shook hands with him; and as they -rowed back to the ship, they gave him a cheer for his stout heart. -Well, when they were gone, Ned began to look around him, and truly -he was alone in a desolate place. Most of the island appeared to be -sand, upon which, in some places, there were great banks of Bahama -grass growing, and about a rood from him there was a little hill, -with bushes in it, and one very old tree at the top. What rejoiced -Ned, however, was to see plenty of turtles sleeping on the sand, and -numerous birds. Well, he lived here nigh a fortnight, sleeping under -a rock in a sort of cave, which was cool and pleasant, and looking -out in vain for a ship. All this time the sharks kept cruising along -the shore, and Ned used to amuse himself by flinging great stones on -them from the top of rocks rising out of the sea. One day, however, -having climbed the little hill, and sat down under the tree, he -observed a curious thing. The tree, which must have been dead near a -century, and which was all covered with moss, had several withered -branches, to which cross pieces of wood had been rudely fastened, -but in such a way that, unless you looked very closely, you would -have thought that such was the natural growth of the tree. But at two -hours, or thereby, after noon every day, these branches cast shadows -as of six crosses, all in a circle on the sand. It was after Ned -observed this that he climbed the tree, and found that the crosses -were artificial. Then all at once it struck him that they were meant -for marks, and then he thought that something might be buried there. -Well, mates, off he goes for his shovel, and sets to work at once. -It was hot work digging in that climate, but he very soon scraped -the lid of a great chest made of ironwood, and bound with hasps and -clasps of metal. - -‘“By all the stars,” quoth Ned, “who knows but this is Foul-Weather -Don’s treasure-chest.” - -‘Mates, I believe it was. Ned soon wrenched the lid off, and there -he saw great ingots and rough lumps of gold, and precious stones, -just as they were dug up from the mines in Cuba and Hispaniola by the -Indians for the Spaniards. There they had lain for a hundred years, -and no man the wiser or the better. - -‘“Aha,” says Ned, “I would fain have you in England, but what am I to -do with you here?” - -‘However, he made shift to carry the wealth, lump by lump, down to -his cave near the sea; then he brought the box, and stowed the gold -as before, covering all over with loose sand. The very next morning, -mates, Ned, on awaking, saw a small bark—he did not know what she -was—becalmed, not a mile from the shore, waiting for the sea-breeze. -So he mounted a rock, fired his gun, waved a handkerchief, and -shouted. Presently, a boat pulled off from the bark, and Ned went -down to the cove to meet her. There were a couple of men in the boat, -of what nation I know not, but the vessel to which they belonged -was a turtler, from one of the large windward islands—Martinico, I -believe. So Ned told them that he had been marooned for striking -the quartermaster of the ship in which he sailed, and asked them if -they would give him a passage to any port where he could ship for -England. So the turtlers consulted together, and asked him if he had -wherewithal to pay his passage. Upon which Ned, who cared nothing -at all for money, took them into his cave, and showed them the -treasure-chest. At the sight of it the turtlers stared, as well they -might, and most readily agreed to take off Ned and his gold at once. -The three set to work, and presently the boat was loaded almost to -the water’s edge with riches. The turtlers went about like men in a -dream, and they were only roused from a sort of stupid bewilderment -when they had rowed the boat out of the cove and found her so heavy -that they feared she should be swamped by the heave of the sea. - -‘“Lord!” says one of them, “see there; if the boat were to fill and -go down. Did you ever see more fearful monsters?” - -‘And sure enough there were Ned’s old friends swimming on each side -of the boat, as though they were appointed the guardians of the -treasure. However, no accident happened, and as they neared the -turtling ship, the sailors cried out that they were coming on board -with treasure enough to buy a kingdom. - -‘You may think for yourselves, mates, how the entire crew of the -bark, which carried about half-a-dozen men, received their freight. -Ned told the simple truth as to how he had got it, and the turtler, -immediately that the sea-breeze came, stood away for Martinico, the -two sharks following as usual. Gold, mates, is a thing that makes -demons out of men. The big chest stood upon the deck, and the crew -hung round it, and would hardly work the ship. Presently they began -to handle and weigh the lumps, and dispute about their value. Ned -saw that a storm was brewing, and fearing that he would be stabbed -or flung overboard to the sharks astern, so as to be no bar to a -distribution of the wealth, stood forward and said that they were -as much entitled to the gold as he, for if he had found it, they -had given him the means of turning it to use. Well, at this speech -they professed great satisfaction, and swore that Ned was an honest -man and a good comrade, and that as he said, so it would be done. -But it was clear that they all distrusted each other. Ned saw them -whispering and caballing, and once or twice he observed a man -concealing a knife in his garment, so that the haft came handy to his -grasp. All this time the sharks were following steadily in the wake, -and Ned did not like the look of the weather, for great black clouds -were gathering in the sky. Still the men were looking sourer and -sourer at each other, and gradually drawing off into two parties, one -on each side of the chest, the twain watching each other warily. Ned -tried to remonstrate with them, and told them that they ought to take -in sail, for the weather looked threatening. But they ordered him -to mind his own business, and said, they had not taken him on board -to be captain over them. So Ned sat on the weather-bulwark, looking -very uneasily to windward. Mates, you have all seen a squall in these -seas, and you know how it comes. The weather getting very thick, the -men forming each group began to whisper, and then, all at once, as if -they had made up their minds, they gave a loud shout, and made a rush -at the box; as they did so, they drew knives and snicker-snees, and -cut and chopped at each other, struggling and cursing over the chest. -Ned saw the blood splash down on the gold, and he rushed forward to -separate them, crying out, “Madmen that you are—look out for the -squall first and fight afterwards.” - -‘But it was too late, mates. The sky got black, and with a loud -roar the squall came, tearing up the sea before it, and in the very -centre of the flying foam Ned swore he saw Foul-Weather Don, with -his arms stretched forth, as if in triumph. In an instant the blast -struck the sails, heaving the turtler bodily on her broadside, and as -she lurched over, the heavy box of gold fetched away with a mighty -surge, and went crashing through and through the frail bulwark, and -then with a great plunge down to the bottom of the ocean, there to -lie, mates, even until the day when the sea shall give up its dead! -All this passed in a moment, and the next instant the ship, as -though relieved by having cast forth the guilty gold, righted with -a heavy roll, which sent the seamen sprawling across the deck, with -their knives in their hands, and bloody gashes in their faces and -limbs. The squall was over, and the sun burst out; Ned rushed to -the lee-beam, and saw, just where the gold had fallen into the sea, -the bottom of a boat all covered with barnacles and sea-weed, which -he knew well. She seemed now saturated and rotten with water, for -the charm was off her, mates; and while Ned gazed at her, she went -gradually down into the great depths of the sea, and the sharks sunk -out of sight with her. As they disappeared, Ned felt a heavy load -leave his heart, and he thought that he had got cheaply rid of it, -even at the expense of the gold. The curse was taken off him, and he -rather surprised the turtlers, who were standing looking very like -fools, by cutting a set of capers on the deck. The first thing they -did was to try for soundings, but the line ran out every fathom, and -the lead touched no bottom. So they lengthened the cord with every -piece of loose rope in the ship, but the sea appeared unfathomable. -The gold was sunk in a gulf from which no power of man could raise -it; and so at length, mutually cursing and blaming each other, they -wore the ship round, and stood back to pursue their turtling cruise. -From that time to this, mates, no mariner has ever seen Foul-Weather -Don. Ned Purvis got safely back to England, and, as I informed you -already, he told this tale, aboard the Bristol ship, to him who made -it known to me. Regarding its truth, I leave every man to judge for -himself.’ - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - THE AUTHOR, WITH SUNDRY OF HIS COMRADES, SET OUT FOR THE CREEK - WHERE HE LEFT HIS BARK, AND THERE BRAVELY CAPTURE A SPANISH - SCHOONER. - - -Nearly a month passed away since the evening on which I listened to -the story of Foul-Weather Don, and no ship had yet passed within -a dozen miles of the mouth of the bay. So all hands began to grow -very impatient, and divers schemes were proposed, such as shifting -our quarters to some other point of the coast, where we might have -better luck. It was then that I, for the first time, called to mind -the boat which I had left in the creek, where I first landed on the -island. Now, as I had heard many stories of buccaneers putting to sea -in boats or canoes, and boarding and capturing Spanish vessels, it -occurred to me, that if we could get possession of the Frenchman’s -skiff, we could divide our party between it and the canoe, leaving -ample room for the stowage of provisions and water for a cruise. -This scheme I imparted to Stout Jem, by whom it was received with -approbation. We were nine in number, well armed, and therefore of -quite sufficient force to capture any Spaniard, not a man of war, -which we were likely to fall in with. It was therefore resolved that -Le Picard, one of our Frenchmen, Blue Peter, and Nicky, should start, -under my guidance, for the cove to the westward, and if we found the -boat, should navigate her round the coast to the bay, where the rest -of the party would be prepared with provisions and water, ready to -stow on board, so that, in company with the canoe, we could put to -sea at once. No time was lost in putting the scheme into execution. -Meinheer, who knew something of sail-making, cut out a small square -sail or lug, which we were to carry with us, and which would suit the -boat, it being easy for us to cut and fashion a mast and yard after -we had found her. We also carried a good-sized keg for water, and a -small quantity of beef and cassava bread, trusting chiefly, however, -to our guns for our subsistence. - -We set out by moonlight, intending to sleep during the heat of the -day; and after an hour’s trudge through the wet grass and bushes, -which were quite drenched with the copious dews, passed the spot -where lay the Buccaneers who had been hanged by the Spaniards. -Truly our poor comrades slept in a tranquil resting-place—a spot of -greenest grass, with feathery palms overhead, bending and rustling -in the night wind. We stopped to rest, when the sun rose, until the -sea-breeze should set in, watching its coming from beneath a thick -mango-tree, whence we could look down upon the blue sea beneath. -After the land-breeze flickered and failed, there was a pause, during -which the sun shone with blistering power. Then, far off, on the -glassy surface of the sea, came the dark belt of roughened water, -streaked with white, which proclaims the daily return of the brisk -north-westerly trade, and in half an hour more, it was whistling -through the bushes in half a gale of wind. We dined this day by the -little runnel where I had killed the duck, and then travelled until -sunset, when we encamped in our blankets, well worn out by our long -day’s march. The journey to the cove was fatiguing, but performed -without any particular adventure. We sometimes saw wild cattle, and -heard the cry of wild dogs, and I observed, when we got glimpses of -the sea, numerous great brown pelicans, flapping heavily over the -water, somewhat like the cranes on our own coasts, and often diving -down with a splash into the sea after the fish, which they mark -from a great height. In the afternoon of the second day, I reckoned -that we could not be far from the cove, but the exact spot was -difficult to hit, as the general appearance of the coast hereabouts -was very similar, and the tangled growth of underwood prevented us -from always keeping so close to the edge of the sea-cliff as we -otherwise should have done. We had trudged along all the afternoon, -keeping a sharp look-out, and sometimes forcing our way with our -great knives through the creepers and brushwood, so as to be able to -gaze down the iron-bound sea wall to where the great driving swells -were rising and sinking upon the rock, and foaming furiously over -every projecting peak and pinnacle of stone; when, having stopped -to hold a consultation—for I was now becoming very fearful that we -had overshot our mark—we all suddenly heard the report of a musket -or fowling-piece, fired not far off. This terribly disconcerted us, -for we knew that the cove could not be distant, and we feared that -the secret of its existence was not known to me alone. However, we -withdrew into the thicket, where we could not well be discovered, and -lay close. In the course of the next hour, we heard three shots fired -from different points around us, and discoursed eagerly as to whether -they were probably Buccaneers, or Spaniards who were hunting in the -neighbourhood. At all events, we now despaired of recovering the -boat, inasmuch as the great chance was that the hunters had landed in -my cove, as I called it, and would, of course, appropriate the skiff, -if she still lay there, to their own purposes. - -While we were talking lowly among ourselves, Blue Peter, the -Mosquito-man, suddenly started up on his knees, and told us to -listen. We did so, very intently, and presently heard a rustling and -a snapping of dry twigs in the wood, but although we looked with all -our eyes, we could see nothing. - -‘Tush!’ says Nicky; ‘you are a fool, Peter! and take a wild pig for a -Spaniard.’ - -But the Indian seized his piece, cocked it, and suddenly levelling -it, fired, before we could prevent him. - -‘Hush!’ quoth he, very earnestly—‘hush! and we will be safe.’ - -‘Safe!’ said Nicky. ‘Why, if they are Spaniards, they will be down -upon us in a twinkling.’ - -‘No,’ replied the Mosquito-man—‘no, no! They shooting all round: -think my gun one of their camarados—eh?’ - -‘The man is right,’ said Le Picard. ‘But what, in the name of the -diable, have you fired at?’ - -‘Me show you!’ said Blue Peter; and he crawled into the underwood -so circumspectly, that one scarcely heard a rustle, and presently, -returning, flung the body of a huge dog among us. - -‘A Spanish blood-hound!’ exclaimed Nicky; and we all recognized the -fawn colour, with grim, black muzzle, and the great muscular limbs -of the animal. But to put all question aside, the creature wore a -leather collar, with a brass plate, on which was inscribed the name, -‘Manuel G. Alcansas,’ so it was quite clear, that we were surrounded -by a hunting party of the enemy, and that, had it not been for the -keen eye of the Indian, who observed the blood-hound, and shot it -almost when it was in the act of giving tongue, we should probably -have been massacred. We were all tolerably startled, and, after a -hurried consultation, agreed that we might as well lie close where we -were, as attempt to shift to less dangerous quarters, as by moving -we might unwittingly run into the very jaws of death. At last we -decided to climb up certain trees, the branches whereof interlaced, -Blue Peter having first cut the throat of the dog, and scattered the -blood copiously around, so that it would embarrass and destroy the -scent of any other hound which might pass that way. He then flung the -body up into the branches of a tree. Not long after we heard a voice -hallooing loudly, as we supposed for the slain dog, and some other -shots were fired at a distance. However, the sun sank and the stars -shone down through the leaves, and we still remained unmolested. -Making ourselves as comfortable as our position would permit, we -munched our supper, of which, however, we could eat but little, for -we suffered much from thirst. Fortunately, there was water enough in -the keg to afford us a few mouthfuls a piece, but we were afraid to -straggle abroad in search of more. With the grey dawn we were afoot, -cautiously exploring the locality, and I had much ado to restrain a -sudden burst of exclamation when I recognised the little hill, to -the top of which I had climbed to look around, after scrambling up -the precipitous banks of the cove. I now knew whereabouts we were, -almost to a yard, and carefully guiding the rest, and taking great -heed to make no noise, we made our way to the top of the very scaur -or ravine, up which I had crept from the water. It was not easy, -however, to make out whether the cove was empty, for the morning -was yet dim and grey, and the trees grew thick below. We proceeded, -however, moving in single file along the edge of the rock, which, -as the reader remembers, was thickly covered with wood, such as -bushes and parasitical plants, with great trees growing out of the -rifts and cracks in the cliff, and bending over the water so that -the branches of those on both sides interlacing, quite canopied -the still deep sea beneath. As we clambered on by the edge of the -precipice, a sound suddenly struck my ear with which I was too well -acquainted to be easily deceived—it was the flap of canvas. Nicky -heard it as well as myself, and we all paused. The land wind was -just beginning to die out, and only came in heavy dank puffs down -from the hills. We waited for the next gust; it shook the dew from -the branches in a great sparkling shower, and gave a great rustle, -as it were, down the ravine, in the middle of which, we again heard -the flap of canvas, and a rattle as of reef points against a sail. -Being guided by the sound, we proceeded a few paces onwards, and then -coming to a comparatively clear bit of ground, we crawled upon our -bellies to the edge of the cliff, and through the trees and boughs -saw a small vessel with two masts, of the class called schooners, -beneath. She was moored in the very centre of the cove, very snugly, -being made fast by four hawsers, two a-head and two astern, to the -trunks of trees growing near the water on either bank. She had two -boats in the water, floating by her main chains, and one of them -I immediately recognised to be the object of our journey. Here, -then, was the vessel to whom the hunters, whose guns we had heard, -evidently belonged: and, indeed, without other evidence, Nicky and Le -Picard knew enough about the fashion of those seas to be sure that -the schooner was Spanish built, she being, possibly, a fishing vessel -from Cuba, although what she did on the coast here, we could not well -imagine. The question now, however, was how we were to act? Thinking -themselves, no doubt, in security, there was not a single man awake -upon deck; but several stout fellows were lying asleep under canvas -and tarpaulins upon the forecastle. Presently, after we had gazed -our fill upon the schooner, Nicky asked our opinion as to whether -it would be possible to clamber down to the water’s edge, and make -off with both boats before the crew awoke. But Le Picard thought the -risk too great. Besides, he argued, when they miss the boats, they -can chase us out to sea in the schooner, where we would infallibly be -taken. While they were talking, I was turning over another plan in my -own mind. - -‘Instead of taking the boats,’ quoth I, ‘why should we not take the -ship?’ - -At this they all started, and reminded me that we were but four men, -whereas the Spaniards might well be a dozen; and they had dogs, too, -fierce bloodhounds, of which Le Picard, in particular, professed a -great horror. - -‘Look you,’ quoth I, ‘this is my plan. Yesterday the Spaniards were -hunting ashore, and to-day it is very like that they will renew -their pastime, leaving, perhaps, only one man, or perhaps not even -that to take charge of the schooner; for you see that she is moored -very safely, and with her bows pointing down the creek so as to be -ready for a start. Now, look at her rigging; see, her jib can be -hoisted in a moment, and her fore and mainsails can be set merely by -letting go the brails, and running aft the sheets; for you observe -that the gaffs are already hoisted, therefore the schooner is ready -for sea. Now I know, in a general manner, the direction of the cove -below. It runs for a little way parallel to the coast, and then turns -to the right, and so opens up into the sea. What is there to prevent -us boarding the schooner when she is left almost, if not quite, -undefended, and so carrying her away?’ - -They all applauded this design, and the more we talked of it the -better it seemed to be. The schooner was a trim-looking vessel, such -as the Spaniards can build very well, and we judged from her shape -that she was exceeding fast as well as easy to manage. Besides, -the greater length of the cove running westward, what puffs of -sea-breeze traversed it would be in our favour, and although there -would necessarily be some risk when we had passed the elbow, and came -to get the ship out in face of the swell, yet we determined at all -events to make the experiment. Nothing venture nothing have, so we -shook hands gaily, and thanked our stars for such a slice of good -luck. - -As in many other adventures, the first and most difficult duty which -we had to perform was to wait, so we ensconced ourselves in thick -bushes, where we could see without being easily discerned, and -watched the Spaniards as keenly as hawks do larks. The sun was above -the horizon about half-an-hour, when a man issued from the cabin, -and tapped the deck loudly with a handspike. At this summons the -sluggards on the forecastle began to stir themselves, and to crawl -forth, one by one, yawning from under the sails, and presently three -or four bloodhounds, who seemed to have been sleeping among them, -came whining and stretching themselves from their warm nests. The man -who had wakened the rest, then went round the schooner, and appeared -to examine the state of the moorings. The aspect of things seemed -to satisfy him, for he went below, and presently the crew had their -breakfast, which they ate on deck—a couple of bowls of cocoa, or some -such beverage, being carried aft to the cabin. Soon after this, we -observed, with great delight, a number of muskets and pistols brought -on deck, at the sight of which, the grim bloodhounds yelped and -bayed. The captain, as we called him then, appeared again; and after -a long discourse, carried on with a great deal of gesticulation, the -whole crew gathering round and handling the arms, the bloodhounds -were fed, and the skiff—my skiff—hauled alongside, no doubt to convey -the hunters on shore. The captain then seemed to be giving orders to -one of the crew, a stout fellow, who wore a great striped woollen -cap and had a long unsheathed knife in his girdle, and then the -whole party, excepting the fellow with the knife and cap, tumbled -into the boat, the bloodhounds leaping in along with them, and rowed -towards the extreme head of the creek. The Spaniards numbered about a -dozen, without including a boy whom they had with them, and of course -weighed down the skiff until her gunwale was almost at the water’s -edge. We were for a little time in some perturbation, lest they -should chance to come our way. We heard them shouting, and laughing, -and crashing through the boughs, as they made their way up the steep -banks of the creek, and then the boat came floating down again to -the schooner, with the boy paddling her. Meantime, the man with the -striped cap had disappeared in a little cook-house or caboose, from -the funnel of which a smoke began to rise; and the boy, having made -fast the boat, went aft to the cabin, and presently returned with -the bowls, which we had seen carried thither, empty. Now, as we had -seen but one man come out of this cabin, and as breakfast had been -served there for two, we considered that there were three persons -left in charge of the ship, but that one of these was probably sick -or disabled. While we were making these observations, the reader -may be sure that we also listened attentively, in order to find out -in what direction the hunting party had proceeded; and presently, -hearing shouts and the reports of guns very faintly, and gradually -becoming more so, until they were no longer audible, we congratulated -ourselves that the hunters were out of the way, and that so far, our -task would be easy. - -The next point was, how to get on board the schooner so suddenly -and so quietly as to leave those in charge of her no opportunity of -giving an alarm. First we thought of swimming, but Le Picard was not -skilful at this exercise; and, besides, we saw the backs and snouts -of several caymans, moving about in the water. Then Nicky proposed to -swing ourselves aboard, by means of the warps, fixed to the trees; -but on close examination, we found the banks so precipitous, that -it would be very difficult to make our way to the ropes, without -giving an alarm. We were thus in considerable perplexity, fearing our -scheme would miscarry in the very outset, when I observed a means -whereby we might, although at some risk, accomplish our end. I have -said that the cove or creek was so narrow that the branches of the -great trees, growing in the refts of the rock on either side, met -and interlaced, and from these branches hung perpendicularly, like -great ropes, many long tendrils or withes, very tough and strong. -Now, as it chanced, one of these depending from a stout branch, -swung close by the fore-top-mast head of the schooner, dangling -indeed to the cross-trees. I pointed this out to my comrades, and -they all agreed that it would be very possible to clamber out upon -the bough, and slide down the withe into the rigging; but that the -deck must be clear when we made the attempt, otherwise we could not -fail of being discovered. It was fortunate, therefore, that the man -with the striped cap continued in the cook-house, where we heard him -clattering amongst pots and pans, and concluded that he was preparing -a meal for the men ashore. But, as Nicky said, when one cooks a -dinner, one never knows who may eat it. The boy remained about the -deck for some time, but at length went into the cabin, and, staying -there, we concluded to make the venture. Fastening our guns across -our shoulders, we again shook hands, and vowed to stand by each other -to the death. Then we crept cautiously along, until we came to the -tree, from which sprang the great branch, which we looked to be the -first stage of our journey to the schooner’s deck. This tree grew -about a fathom beneath the edge of the rock, but it was easy to swing -ourselves down to it, by the matted vegetation, which clung to the -face of the stone. Then, one after another, we crawled out upon the -bough, which shook a little, but bore us bravely. The schooner was -now right below, and not a living thing stirring on her decks. I was -the first man, and Nicky was at my heels. The Indian came next, and -the Frenchman brought up the rear. All of us whites being sailors, -the feat was not difficult; and as for the Mosquito man, he could -climb like a cat. Having satisfied myself that the withe was well -attached to the bough, I first twined my legs round the former, -and then grasping it, slid easily down, until my feet touched the -cross-trees of the Spanish schooner, and in a moment my comrades were -clustering around me, no alarm being as yet excited. After pausing -a moment, to get firm grips of the stays, I gave the word, and the -whole four slid like lightning down the ropes, hand over hand, as -sailors say, and came with a great bounce upon deck together. Le -Picard instantly leaped to the cook-house, and the Spaniard coming -out at the same moment, the Frenchman dealt him a blow with the -butt-end of a heavy pistol, which flung him backwards, quite stunned -upon the deck, while Nicky and I ran to the cabin, meeting at the -threshold, the boy, and a comely woman, very dark, and with the -blackest eyes I ever saw, who directly set up a great shriek of -dismay. - -But Nicky and I, pointing to the cabin and drawing forth pistols, -made them understand that they must go below and be silent, as they -valued their lives. The boy slunk back directly, and the woman turned -to a livid paleness, and, swooning away, would have fallen down the -ladder, but we supported her and laid her on the cabin floor; then, -directly running on deck, we shut down the hatch. All this hardly -occupied a moment; and, seeing Le Picard and Blue Peter cutting the -warps forward, we drew our knives, and, working with good will, soon -severed the tough piles of hemp, aft, and the schooner was unmoored. -We waited a moment with great impatience, to see if she would drift, -but, remaining stationary, we ran up the jib, and slackened the -brails of the mainsail, so as, without actually setting the sail, to -expose a good breadth of canvas, but it hung idly; the sea breeze -had not yet set in, or if it had it did not reach us in the depths -of the creek. We therefore flung a long line into the lightest of -the two boats alongside, and Blue Peter and Nicky leaping into it, -pulled with all their strength for the elbow at which the creek -tended seawards, and made the line fast to a tree there, while Le -Picard and I hauled upon the warp, and soon saw that the schooner -was obeying the impulse thus given to her, and slowly moving through -the water. In a twinkling, our comrades leaped on board again, and -added their strength to ours, all of us working with clenched teeth -and breathless eagerness. Just then, turning to look at the wounded -Spaniard, who was sprawling upon the deck, I felt a breath of cool -air on my face, the jib-sheet rattled, the light canvas swelled out, -and in a moment the mainsail moved out of its sleepy folds, and -the warp upon which we were hauling slackened. The schooner felt -the puff, and I ran aft and took the helm, steering her in close -by the starboard shore, which, when we turned seawards, would be -the weather side of the cove. The mingled trees and rocks seemed -to glide away from us. I looked over the side, and saw the bubbles -rippling in the transparent water; and as I lifted my head again, I -started with delight to feel the first heaving of the schooner, as -she began to meet the lazy swell. The elbow, or turn of the creek, -was not more than the length of the schooner ahead of us, and my -three comrades all ran to the bows to watch the depth of water, and -shouted that we might graze the rocks. Therefore I ported my helm, -so as to send the vessel close in, and just as we slowly opened the -corner I put the tiller hard down, and being fortunately a very handy -craft for steering, she gradually swung round, and we all uttered -a shout together as we saw, at the end of a short rocky passage, -the open sea, streaked with the white bars of breaking waves. But -we were not out yet: almost immediately on rounding the point of -the creek a gust of the sea breeze struck us on the starboard bows, -making the jib rattle and flap like thunder, and directly the head -of the schooner fell off towards the rocks on the leeward side. The -Frenchman exclaimed that we must take to the boats after all, but -Nicky answered him, “Yes—but only to carry a warp to the rocks at the -mouth of the creek!” No sooner said than done. Another line was flung -into the skiff, and Nicky and the Indian went with three strokes -to the weather extremity of the creek. Here the surf was beating -violently, coming with great lashing surges round the corner of the -cliff, and causing the water to rise and fall more than a fathom -with every undulation of the sea. Here was a jagged pinnacle of rock -beaten by the waves, which every now and then burst right above it; -over this the Indian with great dexterity cast a loose hitch of the -line, while we on board, running to the schooner’s bows, hauled upon -it as before. It was lucky for us that the sea-breeze only blew -up the ravine in uncertain puffs, and that the place was full of -counter-currents, and eddies of air, which first filled our sails -one way and then another, as we heaved and rolled upon the broken -swells which dashed from side to side of the channel. We worked at -the warp like desperate men, as, indeed, we were. Every now and then -a sudden toss of the water would fling us back; but then the counter -reflection of the seas from the opposite wall of rock would jerk us -forward, and we soon found that we were gradually making our way -towards the mouth of the cove, keeping so close to the weather side, -that every now and then the masts, when flung over to starboard, -rattled among the bushes overhead, and sent down showers of leaves, -which would fly in uncertain whirls and dives amongst the rigging. -At last, the decisive moment came. In a minute we would be hove upon -the leeward entrance of the cove, or be out clear at sea. I ran again -to take the helm. Le Picard and the Indian, running to the weather -fore-chains, gave a last surge upon the line by way of a launch. The -schooner’s head plunged into the trough of the sea, not a fathom from -the rocks, and as she rose—her bows drew beyond the shelter of the -cove—the full blast of the sea-breeze caught her jib—and her head -swung gain to leeward. - -‘Help her with the foresail, comrades!’ I shouted. They had -anticipated me—the Indian letting go the brails, and then helping -the whites to draw aft the sheet. The sail surged and flapped so as -to shake the schooner to her very keel, and the great sheet-block -jerked madly to and fro with bounds which would have dashed through a -strong wall. But still, though they could not yet master the canvas, -the schooner was not insensible to its lifting power, and I felt her, -as she rose with her broadside to a great clear sea, gather way, and -start as it were from under me. There was just a moment of terrible -suspense. The masts bent to leeward until their trucks were within a -couple of fathoms of the lee promontory. You could almost leap on the -great rough masses of wet stone, which lay close abeam, and then in a -moment the schooner rose to another sea, all three sails now bellying -to the wind, and once more hove clear of the land, although I saw -through the clear water a glimpse of reef under our counter, which -the keel must have scraped, and although the head of the mainmast -actually tore away the projecting branch of a great prickly bush -which was waving and dancing in the wind. - -We were drawing our first deep breath after our peril when I heard -a great shout above me, and starting round, I saw between me and -the sky the figure of a man standing with a gun upon the very verge -of the precipice which formed the line of coast. He directly fired -his piece, and set up a loud outcry to his comrades, three or four -of whom directly joined him, and fired a volley at us which did no -damage. So we jumped up on the taffrail rail, and waving our hats, -gave them a loud cheer, and told them that if they wanted their -schooner, they might swim after us, and then we would consider the -matter. They made violent gestures, but the sea-breeze blowing so -freshly, carried back their voices, and we knew not what they said. -Carrying on as we best could with our ill-set sails, until we had -made a good half mile offing, we luffed the schooner up into the -wind, and with some trouble, got the canvas properly extended; then -pulling the helm hard down, we got the jib-sheet to windward, and so -lay to, dancing and surging merrily upon the sea. - -And now we shook hands again, and embraced each other cordially. Here -we stood on the deck of a fine schooner—our own by lawful capture -from our enemies—and we thought of the surprise we would give our -comrades in the bay. But the first thing to be settled was the fate -of our prisoners, and we determined very unanimously that they must -be put on board one of the boats, and left to find their way to the -shore, Nicky only stipulating that if the lady should take a fancy -to him, she should be allowed to remain on board. With some laughing -at this proposition, we opened the cabin door, and called to our -captives to come on deck, which they did, pale and trembling, for -they seemed to expect no less than instant death. Nicky would be -gallant to the lady, and to that end made her profound salutes, and -spoke some gibberish, which he said was very good Spanish, for an -expression of his admiration of her charms; but she never ceased -crying out for ‘her husband—her husband,’ and begging, in the name -of all the saints, to be put ashore. The boy, being more collected, -managed to inform us—I, with my scanty knowledge of Spanish forming -but a poor interpreter—that the schooner was called Nostra Senora -del Carmine—that she had come to catch tortoise and to hunt wild -cattle along the coast, it being the opinion of the citizens of -Havannah, to which she belonged, that the late expedition had -routed out all the privateersmen and hunters on the northern shore -of Hispaniola. We then directed our attention to the man who had -been acting as cook, and who, having partially recovered from his -blow, was sitting up and looking very scared and foolish. However, -his wits—if he had any—were still abroad, and we could not make him -understand any of our questions; only when he was shown the boat with -a couple of oars, and we pointed to the shore, and made as though -we would push him over the side, he comprehended fast enough, and -presently he and the boy got into the skiff belonging to the ship, -and the lady, who had somewhat recovered her spirits, followed them, -taking some clothing with her, and hiding her face as much as she -could in a black veil. Although the sea was rough, they had a good -boat and a favourable breeze, and we did not stand on our way until -we saw them fairly into the shelter of the cove. Then we shifted the -helm, let go the weather jib-sheet, and so began to plough our way to -the eastward against wind and sea. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THEY RETURN WITH THE PRIZE TO THE MARMOUSETTES, AND NICKY HAMSTRING -SHORTLY RELATES HIS HISTORY. - - -The wind blowing steady, the ship was easy to manage, so we speedily -set to rummage our prize. Going into the hold, we found that she had -little aboard save some campeachy-wood and some cocoa-nuts, and a -couple of old brass guns, of about six pounds calibre, which seemed -to have been put there for ballast. In the cabin was a good store of -powder and lead for casting bullets, which was exceedingly valuable -to us, and several long-barrelled muskets in good condition. The -best part of the prize, however, was her storeroom, as it contained -a great quantity of rope, canvas, and other things appertaining to -the use of a ship. We also found a tool chest and a medicine chest, -both of which were very welcome to us. In navigating the schooner, -we, of course, divided ourselves into two watches—the larboard and -the starboard watch, Nicky and I having the one, and Le Picard and -the Indian the other. We also reefed our sails so as to have the ship -snugger, and the better prepared for squalls should any happen. We -made good progress that night when the land-breeze blew, and hoped -next day, by evening, to observe the headlands of the Marmousettes. -Catching sight, however, soon after sunrise, of a sail close in -shore, and not wishing, in our weak condition, to be overhauled, we -stood away directly to sea, so that, by noon, only the blue mountain -ridges of Hispaniola were visible. In the afternoon we put about -ship, and made again for the land. This long stretch caused us to -lose much time, so that we had another night’s navigation before us -ere we could work up to our bay. Nicky and I had the mid-watch. It -was a glorious night. We were running five or six knots, with the -cool land-breeze sighing in our sails. The heaven was one vault of -stars, and, lying on deck wrapped up in folds of old canvas, while -Nicky held the tiller beside me, I fixed my gaze upon the Southern -Cross, that beautiful cluster of stars which shines only in the -tropics, and which, appearing in the solemn and thoughtful night, -always caused me to feel that I was in a strange part of the world, -even more than the curious animals, and plants, and men, which one -sees daily and ordinarily about one, when abroad. And yet, beautiful -as the constellation was, methought it had less charms than the -Plough, and the bright belt of Orion circling about the polar star, -which I used to gaze upon in the long night-watches at home. As I -thought of these, I thought of the old fisher-boat tossing upon the -wild bay of St. Andrew’s, or lying stilly at her grapnel in the mouth -of the Balwearie burn, while my mother and I sat with our palms -mending nets upon the sand-hill in the sun. I think I would have -been a great day-dreamer had I not led such a stirring life as kept -my muscles busier than my brain; but on these quiet clear nights, -aboard ship, when all was still, save the steady murmur of the -wind, and the monotonous plunge of the vessel, as she breasted the -ever-rolling seas—in these nights there is a witchery upon me, and I -love to let my fancy carry me away, and surround me with old faces -and old times. So now, being in this mood, I dreamed and dreamed -with my eyes open, persuading myself that I was on board the Jean -Livingstone again, and that we were jogging along the rocky coast -of Forfar, until I actually started up, and looking at the shore to -windward, thought that I could discover in the shimmer of the moon -the tall white rock we called the Lady of Arbroath. - -‘Nicky,’ says I, being in this mood, ‘do you ever think of home?’ - -‘That do I,’ he responded, ‘and hug myself that I am not there.’ - -‘But is there no old place,’ quoth I—‘no old face you would wish to -look on again?’ - -‘Not a bit of it,’ he replied, ‘I am too happy here. We have a good -ship, we have staunch comrades, we have prospect of wresting plenty -of doubloons and pieces of eight from those rascally Spaniards. We -have Jamaica, with all its taverns, and its dice, and its wenches, to -help us to spend them; and besides all these, why, we have at this -moment a steady land-breeze, which is sending us along at five knots, -and a glass of good brandy, after a good supper, to keep out the -marsh fever. What more can any man want?’ - -‘Perhaps,’ quoth I, ‘you were not happy at home?’ - -‘You have hit it there,’ replied my comrade. ‘No. My father was -a stout king’s man—why he was so, I know not, for I am sure the -king never did much for him. But poor dad got what brains he had -knocked out at Naseby, and some time after my mother married old -Ephraim Crotch, as bitter a Puritan as ever wore cropped hair and -ass’s ears. Now I, being a youth of spirit, did in no ways take -to my father-in-law—on the contrary. Well, I mocked his slang, and -mimicked his snuffle. Many a time did he lay his staff across these -shoulders—augh! they ache even now! The old frump—I hate the thought -of him!—often hath he turned me out of doors, to sleep in the fields. -Then have I peeped in at the lattice, and seen old square-toes snug -in the chimney ingle. “Ha!” thought I, “my father’s bones would -rattle in their grave could he but look in, and see you in his old -oaken chair, whelp of the Barebones breed!” So you may believe that -our house was a pretty place for bickering. I loved all that my -stepfather hated. He said that music was devil’s screeching—ergo, -I played the viol and the tabor till they were broken on my head. -He denounced all diversion, swore that rope-dancing was a subtle -device of the evil one, and that the bowling-alley was the highway to -hell—ergo, did I frequent fairs and jovial meetings, where the bowls -trundled, and wrestled many a fall, and grinned through many a horse -collar. I promise thee, Will, I was not made for a Puritan, and so, -at length, they having, by an ordinance of old Noll, hewed down our -Maypole, I e’en laid a good thick splinter thereof across the back of -my reverend stepfather, and marched from Cornwall for ever and a day.’ - -‘To London, no doubt?’ quoth I. - -‘Even so,’ he said, ‘but there I found neither gold nor silver in -the streets, and I lived for some months a very unedifying vagabond -sort of life, knees and elbows being generally very bare, and -stomach generally very hungry. At length, being hard driven, I e’en -enlisted, though it went hard against my conscience, under Old Noll. -Such drilling, such fighting, and such psalm-singing. The sergeant’s -ratan was never off our shoulders, except when he was exhorting us -in the pulpit, or standing on a horseblock, calling the royalists -sons of Agag. So, this going on for some time, and I trying in vain -to become a saint, for which I had not sufficient bad qualities, I -e’en took leave to desert; and because the land was too hot to hold -me, I became a mariner and went to sea. But at sea, Will, I saw one -great sight, I saw the king land on the beach of Dover, and having -long observed that seasons of rejoicing are seasons of hospitality, -I treated my ship as I had done my regiment, and followed the -royal train up to London. That was indeed a march. All the country -flocked to the road to see the king come back to his own again. It -was nothing but eating and drinking, and up caps, “Huzza for King -Charles, and to the devil with the Rump!” Well, on Blackheath, near -London, was drawn up my own old regiment. ‘Gad, the sun was on my -side of the hedge now, for there stood our sergeant as grim as -Beelzebub in the sulks, and I having many pottles of wine in me, gave -a tug to his grizzled moustache, and asked what he thought of me for -a son of Agag now. I warrant you Old Ironside used his halberd with -very little discretion by way of reply, and so I came away with a -bloody cockscomb. But all was one for that. Wine was a great balm, -and I applied it plenteously; being indeed in a very loyal state of -drunkenness for certain days, I know not how many, until, having a -little recovered, I found myself in the filthy hold of a ship with -other ragamuffins; some sober and weeping, some drunk and singing, -and some ill with the small-pox and jail fever, raving and dying. -Then I presently understood that all this goodly company was bound on -a voyage to the plantations in Barbadoes—we having, it seems, signed -articles to that effect, in consideration of certain small sums of -money, which they told us we had received, and spent in drink very -jovially, and as became stout-hearted fellows. I made a bold attempt -to escape by knocking down the sentry at the hatchway, but all I -gained by the proceeding was a pair of very heavy irons, which were -put on near the Tower, and which were not knocked off until we were -three days’ sail from Barbadoes. There I landed, and, being duly -sold, was set to labour with sundry other companions in misfortune -amongst the sugar-canes. In a few months I was one of a very few -survivors, but being very weak and sickly from two fevers which I -had, I was not very sharply looked after, and so I managed, without -much difficulty, to smuggle myself on board a small bark bound for -Jamaica, where I joined the “Brethren of the Coast,” and have lived a -reasonably jolly life ever since.’ - -This was Nicky’s story, and an adventurous one it was. While I was -thinking of it, he began again— - -‘No, no—no England for me, while there are Spaniards to fight, good -ships to sail in, and stout fellows to drink with in these bright -Indian seas.’ And therewith, having taken a good draught of brandy, -he burst out singing: - - ‘Take comfort, pretty Margery, and swab away your tears, - Your sweetheart, Tom, has sailed among the gallant Buccaneers, - So dry your eyes, my Margery, your Tom is true and bold, - And he’ll come again to see you, lass, with glory and with gold, - For his comrades are the stoutest and the bravest in the land, - And there’s ne’er a Don came out of Spain will meet them hand to - hand. - - So-ho! for pike and sabre cut, and balls about your ears, - ’Tis little he must care for these, would join the Buccaneers! - - ‘The man who lies at home at ease, a craven heart has he, - While there’s wild boars on the hills to hunt, and Spaniards on the - sea; - So look alive my stately Don, for spite your thundering guns, - Your shining gold we’ll make our own, and eke your pretty nuns. - We’ll spend the first, and love the last, and when we tire ashore, - ’Tis but another cruise my boys, and back we come with more. - - So-ho! for pike and sabre cut, and balls about your ears, - ’Tis little he must care for these, would join the Buccaneers!’ - -‘Silence, silence, Nicky!’ said I, laughing; ‘you will awaken the -watch below.’ - -‘So be it,’ quoth he; ‘to listen to such a song is better than sleep. -’Tis a rare good one, and a rare fellow made it in Tortugas, one -night when we were melting the last pieces of eight remaining after a -cruise on shore. But you put me out. Hear the last verse— - - ‘What though to peace in Europe, the Dons and we incline, - The treaty seldom has much force—to the south’ard of the line. - Here’s wassailing and fighting, the merriest of lives, - With staunch and jovial comrades, with sweethearts and with wives. - We sweep the green savannahs, we storm the Spanish walls, - And we’re kings upon the water, by the grace of cannon balls. - - Then ho! for pike and sabre cut, and bullets round your ears, - ’Tis little he must care for these, would head the Buccaneers!’ - -Next morning, after being becalmed as usual in the interval between -the land breeze and the regular trade wind, we kept pretty close -in with the coast, looking anxiously for our bay, and we even -feared that we had overshot our mark; but about noon the well-known -rocks became visible, and presently thereafter we dashed up the -Marmousettes, wondering what our comrades would take us for. There -was no English flag aboard; but thinking that the folks ashore would -recognise the cut of the boat sail which we carried along with -us, we hoisted that to the mainmast head, and with this strange -standard flying approached the beach. We could see no change in the -bay, and hoped to find our friends all well. Presently, as we were -rounding a wooded point, and just opening the huts, a musket was -fired ashore among the trees, and we heard the loud, hoarse voice of -Meinheer shouting that a strange ship was in the bay. At this moment, -doubling the little cape I speak of, and furling up our sails as -well as we could, we descried the whole of our party running about -in great commotion upon the beach, shouting to each other, loading -their pieces, and hammering their flints. Thereon, we all gave a -great cheer together, and showed ourselves conspicuously above the -bulwarks; on which, we being immediately recognised, they answered -our cheer with loud exclamations, and, running to the canoe, came -alongside just as our anchor fell three fathoms deep upon the white -sand. - -‘What ship is this?’ exclaimed Stout Jem, who was the first to leap -upon deck. - -‘She was the schooner Nostra Senora del Carmine,’ I replied; ‘but now -she is a bold privateer, and will, I hope, never hear a Spanish name -again.’ - -Then we related all the particulars of the schooner’s capture, and -informed our comrades what a clever sea-boat she was, and how we -thought that, were she well manned, we could not have a more proper -ship for our purpose. And then we moored the schooner carefully, and -Stout Jem inspected her both below and aloft very minutely, being -exceedingly well pleased at the quantity of stores which were on -board, and also at the smart appearance and weatherly look of our -prize. So all the company being in high spirits, we set to work at -once to victual the schooner, having ample supplies of provisions at -hand, and into her we of course transferred what clothes and property -of the kind we had saved from the attack upon the first settlement; -and having finished our task by nightfall, the whole party embarked, -and we towed the schooner to the middle of the bay, where we -anchored, and Stout Jem then proclaimed that he meant to hold a grand -sailing council upon deck. This is a ceremony always in use amongst -the buccaneers, and at these consultations they settle the articles -of the voyage, and assign to every man what his share shall be of the -total amount of booty which may be captured. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - THE BUCCANEERS PRESENTLY SET SAIL IN THE SCHOONER FOR JAMAICA, WITH - A RELATION OF THE EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED THERE. - - -Behold us, then, seated in great conclave under an awning, which it -was Stout Jem’s first precaution to have spread, as, the berths in -the schooner being close and stifling, we desired to sleep in the -open air. In such a case, the stretching of an awning preserves a -crew from the fall of the unwholesome dews, and from the rays of the -moon, which, mild and beautiful as they are, yet, by some hidden -power, swell and distort the features of such as sleep with their -faces unprotected from the baneful light. A sea-box put upon deck -served as a table, and we sat on chests and coils of rope round it. -The night was beautiful and serene. The land-breeze just murmured -aloft, the sleeping water of the bay was dotted with the twinkling -images of the stars, and all around the dusky hills flung their -forest ridges high into the balmy air—wreaths of mist and vapour, -like broad white ribbons, showing where the rich alluvial valleys and -ravines clove the sweep of the wooded uplands. - -Two or three lanterns stood upon the chest, glimmering on the pans -and pipkins wherein we held our punch, and the fiery red sparks -beneath every man’s face gave note that we all loved to fortify -our frames against night air by wholesome pipes and tobacco. So, -presently, Stout Jem addressed us pretty nearly in this fashion: - -‘Well, mates, we sit on the deck of our own craft, lawfully won from -those misbegotten Spaniards, by four brave men of our own party. Now, -as the capture was made before we are afloat, the vessel, by the laws -of the coast, belongs to our comrades who took her, and of course -they must be paid duly, when the prize-money comes to be overhauled. -Meantime, the question is, shall we straightway go to sea?’ - -On this we all shouted—‘Yes, yes; a cruize, a cruize!’ - -‘Good,’ continued Stout Jem, ‘I say, with you, a cruize. That being -settled, there are other matters to consider. Here are no guns, -either calivers, arquebusses, culverins, or falconets. To make booty -of the rich Spanish galleons without cannon, is like trying to eat -a lump of bull-beef without teeth. The two brass guns below may do -in their way. For these we have, however, no carriages; and besides, -we want a piece of far heavier metal. Another matter is, that on -board here we have neither a surgeon nor a carpenter, although both -we and our ship are likely to meet with plenty of hard knocks; and -furthermore, to make a cruize successful—and as the old falconers -were wont to say—to fly at game of the first head, we must have more -men. Jack Spaniard does not always leave his ships defenceless, -and his galleons have rows of teeth which bite sharply. My counsel -therefore is, that we stand for Port Royal in Jamaica. On the way we -may chance upon a something worth picking up, and once arrived there, -we can fit out in good style, and take on board what men we please. -Besides, there we can have a French commission, or Letter of Marque, -the French being now at war with the Spanish. I know that the Dons -have hung many of our brave comrades with their commissions about -their necks, but still I approve of doing all things regularly and in -order. Now, then, you have heard my advice—what do you say to it?’ - -We replied, with great acclamations, that he had spoken very justly; -that we had all confidence in his counsels, and that we created him -captain of the expedition. After some further discussion, I was named -quartermaster, I being a more experienced sailor than many older men; -and to Stout Jem, or, as we now called him, Captain Jem, was given -the charge of the larboard, and to me the charge of the starboard -watch. This done, we re-christened the schooner—dashing a bottle of -spirits upon her bows—and calling her the ‘Will-o’-the-Wisp.’ We lay -quietly at anchor that night, and weighing before dawn, the last of -the land-wind carried us clear of the bay, and when the sea-breeze -struck us next morning, we up helm, veered away the sheets, and stood -away along the coast bound for Jamaica. - -How vast is the difference between beating to windward in a small -vessel against a rough sea, and flying gaily on before wind -and waves! Cape and headland, and bay and creek, appeared and -disappeared, as the nimble Will-o’-the-Wisp went bounding on, kicked -as it were by every foaming sea which rolled behind her. You may -be sure that we kept a good look-out for the former owners of the -schooner, as we ran just past the entrance to the cove, but no human -form could we descry among the rocks and woods. Not very far to -leeward, we however observed a boat, with a small clumsy sail, making -her way along the coast; and, approaching a little nearer, I soon -guessed that she was the boat of the Spaniards, which we had given -up to them, and that they were probably risking the chances of a run -to Cuba. To satisfy our curiosity, however, we kept slightly away -and a cry soon overhauled the little craft. She had but four men in -her, including he who seemed to have been the captain, and the woman. -Their sail was a clumsy thing, made of hides and scraps of canvas, -and useless for any other purpose than to drive before the wind. As -we approached them, the captain got up and hailed us very vehemently -in Spanish. The purport of his discourse, as I gathered it, being -whether, after robbing him of his ship, we meant to run down and sink -the boat. A movement of the tiller soon made him easy on that point, -and he sat down doggedly, with his teeth clenched, scowling at us. -The woman clung to him convulsively, and the three men lay stretched -in the bottom of the boat, only showing their tangled hair and black -eyes above the gunwale. Captain Jem, who as he was a brave man, was a -kind one, told me to ask whether they needed any food or water, which -I did; but the Spaniard only waved his hand impatiently, muttered -somewhat about ‘_Perros Inglesos_’ English dogs; and one or two of -the men clenched their fists at us over the side of the boat. All -this, however, we could well afford to take in good humour. - -‘Well,’ quoth Captain Jem, ‘if they are well victualled, so are we; -and if they won’t say aught to us, we have little that I know of -to say to them. So, cast loose your brails, my sons, and let’s be -jogging.’ - -The sails, which had been partially furled, were accordingly reset, -and in half an hour the boat was a speck on the horizon to windward. -We ran through the strait which separates Hispaniola from Tortugas, -near enough to the latter coast to see that there were long stretches -of flat rich land washed by the sea, and high mountains beyond. -We also saw a great many sails of small boats and barks coasting -along, and innumerable canoes fishing. That same night we passed the -north-eastern part of Hispaniola, and, directing our course towards -the south-east, sailed straight for Jamaica. In the afternoon of -the next day we sighted at a great distance the longest outlying -point of Hispaniola, and in twenty-four hours thereafter, descried -Cape Morant, in Jamaica; and coasting along the southern shore, -which lies hereabouts, very rich and flat, with great peaks, called -the Blue Mountains, in the distance, we descried at nightfall the -glimmer of distant lights, which we knew to be those of Port Royal. -Here is the principal harbour in the island—a very commodious and -safe one—formed by a deep indentation in the land, like a gulf, and -sheltered by a long spit or bank of sand, called the Palisades, on -which the surf beats vehemently, while within the water is like a -mill-pond. There is but one entrance, and that well fortified; and -the town of Port Royal is built just beyond the inlet or passage from -the sea. Although it was near midnight when we anchored outside, -resolving not to enter until we had daylight to help our pilot, a -canoe presently came alongside of us, manned by a couple of negroes, -who were fishermen and pilots, and who offered us abundance of fish -and fruit very cheap. These men managed their canoe like thorough -seamen, and one of them we retained to take us in as soon as the -sea-breeze should blow next morning. - -This fellow wore coarse canvas trousers, a striped shirt, and a great -straw hat, and grinned and showed his white teeth, and rolled his -eyes, and clattered in his gibberish fashion to all on board. - -‘Oh, me de best pilot in all Port Royal,’ he would say; ‘take in a -king’s ship, big enough to put dis schooner in him pocket, and never -rub him keel. No, no, massa, Dick Canoe,’ for so he called himself, -‘de best pilot in all de island, and bery much esteem and respect by -all de merchants, officers, and gentlemen privateers.’ - -On asking him for news, he told us that many privateers were in the -harbour, and that their crews having had reasonably good luck in -an expedition to the main, were spending their money in the usual -fashion ashore; information which pleased us the more, as we would -probably have our pick and choice of good men. So next day we ran -in among very intricate sand-banks, which lie at the mouth of the -harbour, and presently saw the houses of Port Royal, with hundreds -of artificers labouring to construct forts and bastions and such -works around them, disposed so as to command the entrance to the -harbour completely. Inside, in the smooth water, rode many brave -merchant ships and certain smaller barks, which, I believe, had often -brought destruction upon the Spanish towns of the main; but these -last seemed empty, except a negro or two left in charge of them, all -hands being carousing on shore. We dropped our anchor in a suitable -place, and cast lots who should remain on board to take charge of the -schooner, while the rest went into the town. The die fell upon Black -Diamond, and the Mosquito men stayed on board voluntarily, intending, -however, to put off in a canoe during the day to strike fish upon -the sand-banks and the little islands near the Palisades. Captain -Jem, Nicky, and myself went ashore in the pilot’s canoe, meaning to -make the necessary arrangements for the further prosecution of our -voyage. We found Port Royal very bustling and busy. As I have said, -the people were occupied in building great fortifications, under the -direction of officers in the English uniform, some of the workmen -being, as we heard, criminals, others negro slaves, and the rest -free labourers, either white or black. On the beach, great crowds of -negroes were rolling down casks to the water’s edge, or along the -wharfs, where the boats of the ships in the harbour were awaiting -them; these labourers being generally naked except a pair of light -drawers and a tattered shirt, and shouting, and chattering, and -laughing to each other, while the white drivers, who walked amongst -them with great broad-brimmed hats, very often interrupted their -conversations with a smart crack of the whip, and a harsh order to -labour on. Passing through these busy crowds, and amongst great -heaps of goods, such as bales and casks just landed from England, -and masses of shipping stores, over which grave merchants and -supercargoes were busy with pen and ink, comparing invoices, bills -of lading, and what not, and wrangling about qualities and freights, -we emerged among the houses of the town, which were in general mean, -and but of one story, built indeed commonly of wood, with shingle -roofs, which rattled in the sea-breeze, and often sheltered by orange -trees covered at once with fruit and bright flowers, and mangoes with -their heavy foliage, and tamarinds, with branching feathery leaves, -and long waving pods. The houses had great open casements and covered -galleries, called jalousies, with pillars, round which many gaudy -creeping plants clung. Here there were great stores, with all manner -of commodities, and there, vast taverns, from the open windows of -which we could hear loud roaring songs in French and English, and a -great clatter of glasses; and now and then, when the noise somewhat -lulled, the rattle of dice. The streets, which were very narrow, -dusty, and irregular, were crowded with groups of half-drunken seamen -and their trulls, gangs of negroes carrying great baskets of fruit -and vegetables on their heads down to the harbour, with planters upon -horseback, who rode along scattering the crowd right and left, and -bullock-carts, which creaked and rumbled by, laden with kegs of sugar -or rum, and drawn by oxen, all slavering at the mouth, and seeming -half dead with dust and heat. Through these crowded and smothering -streets, Captain Jem, who was our leader, pushed along with the air -of a man who knew his business and could do it. He was often stopped -and accosted by his acquaintances, many of whom professed themselves -surprised to see him, as they heard that he had been murdered by the -Spaniards in Hispaniola. - -‘What! Stout Jem, still in the land of the living?’ said one man, a -very tall personage, burnt almost black by the sun, wearing great -moustaches, and having a hanger fixed to a broad leathern belt—‘what! -Stout Jem again! Why, my lad, we drank a rousing glass to thy memory -no later than the night before last, at Nance Finlayson’s on the -quay. We heard that the Spaniards had sent thee from Hispaniola to a -hotter place still.’ - -‘No, no, Captain Archemboe,’ quoth our commander; ‘they tried, but -having failed, we mean to have our revenge.’ - -‘What! and you have left the wild bulls and are for the sea again? It -doth thee honour, man. Hunters are but gentlemen butchers after all. -The sea, sir—the sea, with a tight ship, and tight lads for a crew, -and reasonable good luck among the galleons—that, sir, is the field, -and these be the chances for gentlemen! They tell me that Davis hath -come in from the main after a very good cruise, so now I am bound -shoreward to see my ancient friend, who, I warrant thee, will screw -gold out of the Spaniards, though he squeeze them till it distil at -each pore. I give you good day—I give you good day!’ - -And so, calling to an attendant negro, this formidable gentleman -passed on. Captain Jem told us that his name was Crashaw, and that -he had been a valiant buccaneer under Mansneldt, but was now retired -from the sea, and very rich. He cultivated considerable plantations, -and had shares in many privateers. Our object was, however, first -to see a person of Captain Jem’s acquaintance, who was an old man, -a money-lender and usurer, and a sort of agent for many of the -buccaneers, as it was necessary that we should obtain certain stores -upon credit before setting out upon our voyage, and this old man -was in use to serve privateers in such matters. Accordingly, we -presently came to a long, rambling sort of house, in which was a -great open store, full of goods of all kinds, while vast masses of -ship furniture and implements, such as stones, anchors, boats, and -the like, lay under sheds around. There were many seafaring people -viewing the property, and chaffering with the clerks and workmen -who sold the goods. But Captain Jem passing through them into the -store, amid the bows and congratulations of many there, we followed -him through a small door and sundry passages into a distant room, -within which we heard a rustling of paper, and presently, Captain -Jem pushing open the door, we found ourselves in the company of an -aged man, with long white hair, a thin face, and very bright grey -eyes, who was seated at a desk, he wearing a dirty, greasy doublet, -all ink-stains, and loose pantouffles, or breeches, much too big for -him. Upon sight of Captain Jem, he got up hurriedly and shook him -very cordially by the hand, saying, like the other, that he never -thought to have seen him again, for that the Spaniards were reported -to have made but short work of all the English and French hunters -on the northern coast of Hispaniola. Upon this Captain Jem told him -how we had captured a very fine Spanish vessel, and designed to put -to sea again directly; but that in the meantime he must furnish us -with sufficient stores and ammunition, and so become a partner in the -enterprise. The old man at first shook his head. - -‘Look ye,’ said he, ‘little is done now-a-days save by fleets. My -good friend Captain Morgan, a very brave man, and wise in those -things, ever recommends union. The Spaniards’ treasure-ships commonly -sail in squadrons, and heavily armed; and their towns along the coast -are very securely guarded, so that there is usually hard fighting -before these be come at. However,’ quoth he, ‘I have great confidence -in you, Ezra Hoskins—or Stout Jem, as I hear they call you—and -provided your crew be such as I approve of, why I will stand the risk -of loss in the venture, being well assured that you and your men will -do their best for me and for themselves.’ - -At this, Captain Jem re-assured the old gentleman very warmly, and -then it was settled that he should come aboard the ship that evening, -to see what might be wanting, and how many guns we could stow. After -this he ordered refreshments of spirits and tobacco, and while we -were smoking, he called a young clerk, and writing a short letter, -gave it him, with instructions that he was to carry it at once to the -jailor of the town prison, who would thereupon bring Alonzo Peres -before us. The old man, observing that we looked inquiringly at each -other, told us that a vessel, in which he had no mean share, being -cruising in the Gulf of Darien, had fallen in with and captured a -Spanish Barco del Aviso, or packet-boat, which had, however, as -usual, thrown her despatches overboard in a sealed leaden case. But -the captain of this barco proving, when made a prisoner, a cowardly -fellow who would reveal all he knew of the movements of the richly -laden ships belonging to his countrymen, the English had kept this -man a prisoner on board, while they dismissed his comrades in a -piragua, intending to get all the information they could out of him. - -‘Therefore,’ quoth our old gentleman, who I found was called -Pratt—‘therefore, we will have him here, and examine him. The bark -which took him has gone to the Pearl Islands on the Mosquito shore, -and perhaps he can give some information which may guide you on your -cruise.’ - -So presently the Spaniard was brought in pinioned, and led by two -men. He was a very big man, but with scowling and mean features; -and by his air and complexion, he seemed to have been lying weeping -in the straw of his dungeon. On seeing us, he immediately began, in -the Spanish language, to pray, in the name of all things holy, that -we should dismiss him, and let him go back to the mainland to his -daughter Paquitta, whom he loved very dearly, pitiably exclaiming -that he was a poor man, who had been ruined; still that he wished the -English no harm, and would pray for them for ever, if they would only -let him go. - -But Pratt cut him short in his lamentings, and proceeded to ask, in -Spanish, which he spoke very fluently, a great number of questions, -as to the trade between Carthagena and Old Spain, and as to when -certain richly-laden ships—the names whereof Pratt had at hand in a -great register—would sail out of that port. To all this the Spaniard -replied very amply and humbly, and said, in particular, that a large -ship, in which was embarked a considerable quantity of pieces of -eight, and silver plate to a much greater amount, but he could not -say exactly how much, would probably be ready for sea, and put out in -about two mouths’ time. This ship carried, he informed us, a private -venture, and would not have convoy. Moreover, she was old, and a -very slow sailer, and that the merchant who freighted her was the -more confident that she would escape, inasmuch as it was reported and -believed in Carthagena, that all the buccaneers were upon the point -of joining their strength in Jamaica, and landing about Porto Bello, -with the intention of crossing the isthmus, and making a descent upon -Panama and the shores of the South Sea. This account the traitor -confirmed with abundance of oaths, calling upon us to believe him the -more, inasmuch as, quoth he, ‘I have now no reason to tell you a lie; -I stand in your power, and if you hear more certain news, which is -likely, and it contradict what I have said, why I am in your hands to -work your will on!’ And with that the pitiful-hearted creature began -to sob and weep again. Truly, I had never seen so small a soul in so -big, lusty, and goodly a body. - -Having made his disclosures, Pratt told the Spaniard that he should -no more go to prison, but live there in his house, and if all turned -out to be true as he had stated, that he would have his liberty, -and, it might be, a reward beside. So he being dismissed, we talked -the thing over, and determined to propose to the crew a cruise on -the Darien coast, and perhaps to look into the Gulf of Venezuela. -We then took leave of Mr. Pratt with many courtesies, and returned -towards the beach. On our way hither, we heard a great tumult and -clamour, and, turning down a narrow lane into the street from whence -it proceeded, saw, what was to me a new and strange sight. In an -open space, which partially commanded the sea, and backed by a great -tavern with verandahs and galleries, was assembled a crowd of people, -men and women, white, brown, and black, drinking, smoking, dicing, -and swearing. There were tables and huge benches scattered about, -and sitting on these in every attitude, or lying on the ground, not -being able either to sit or stand, were the people of this strange -company. In the centre of the carousing place, was a great cask with -the head knocked out, and from it a half-drunken seaman, with a -face of leering shyness, was drawing forth wine in a broken bucket, -and pouring it into the glasses, mugs, and pipkins, held out to him -on all sides. Most of the men were white seamen, and they sprawled -over the tables and benches, with tobacco pipes in their mouths, -and waved their glasses, and sang loud catches and songs, in which -the shrill screaming voices of the women rose above their hoarse -bawling. Most of these women seemed of the sort which frequent the -streets in Wapping, and rob the seamen; others were half-bloods, -being mulattos; or mustafees—that is to say, three-parts Indian; -or quadroons—that is to say, three-parts white. But they were all -dressed in flaunting gauds, and the sparkle of jewellery flashed -upon their brown skins, as they flung their arms about, and rattled -dice, or swallowed liquor like the men. Every now and then a brawl -would arise, and knives would straightway glitter in the air, and -loud thick voices would shout out oaths and exclamations in English, -and French, and Low Dutch. But the general feeling of the revellers -being pacific, the combatants would be straightway torn asunder, and -perhaps flung upon the ground, to the danger of their bones; after -which, the orgies would proceed as before; the men would rush in -staggering groups up to the cask, or would produce their dice again, -or greasy packs of cards—a species of gambling we learned from the -French—and set themselves to play, some with great gravity and in -silence, others shouting and yelling as luck turned for or against -them, and all of them tossing about handfuls of gold and silver, such -as dollars and doubloons, as though the money had been dirt; until, -perhaps, a party would break out into a loud roaring song, all curses -of the Spaniards, which heating them to the highest pitch, they would -start up, the women with them, hallooing and screaming like fiends, -and capering and jumping, tossing over benches and tables upon the -ground, and at last drawing forth, and brandishing their hangers, and -firing their pistols in the air! - -In the very midst of this riotous assemblage, a man, not very -sober, but not very drunk, got upon the top of an empty cask, he -being supported at the legs by the same Crashaw we had met, and -bawled out in a thundering voice that he was going to sell certain -commissions to cruise against and capture Spanish vessels, and -that those gentlemen privateers who designed shortly to go to sea -again, would do well to hearken, and if possible purchase, as the -commissions would be sold very cheap, and their product would be -spent in wine, to be drunk out at that present sitting by all the -honourable company. At this announcement there was a general uproar -of approbation, and Captain Jem, plucking my sleeve, said, that -hero might be matter which concerned us, and, having whispered that -the man on the cask was Captain Davis, of whom Crashaw had spoken, -we made our way through the throng, who indeed received us very -cordially, everywhere holding up full glasses of wine and brandy, and -pressing us to drink. Meanwhile Davis recognised Captain Jem, and, -jumping down from the cask, bade him welcome. Seats were immediately -procured for us, by the summary process of flinging their former -occupants on the ground, and we lit pipes and jingled glasses, like -the rest; although I do not know a more disgusting thing than when -a sober man comes into the company of many who are drunken, and has -yet, in a certain degree, to conform to the humour of those about -him. From Davis, Captain Jem at once procured such a commission as he -thought we wanted. I did not see what mighty good the document could -do us; but it seems to have been a fancy of our commander’s, and for -the paper we agreed to pay a couple of doubloons, for which we gave -an order upon Mr. Pratt, which was immediately sent into the tavern, -and shortly re-appeared in the shape of an additional keg of wine, -although that in the cask was not yet, by any means, consumed. But -when the Buccaneers saw the fresh liquor, they flung their lighted -tobacco-pipes into the old cask, and then, with drunken glee, drew -forth great mugs and glassfuls, with which they besprinkled each -other, and at last upset the cask, treading, trampling, and dancing -in the spilt wine, until they had churned it into red mud. - -You may be sure that we were anxious enough to get away from these -mad revellers, who, after the foolish fashion of too many sailors, -both abroad and at home, were spending, in a few hours or days of -insane debauchery, the money which they had risked their lives for -months to obtain. At first, they were not willing to let us go, -insisting that since we had paid for the additional keg of wine, we -should bide the drinking of it out; but upon our telling them that -we were busily engaged in fitting out a privateer, and that the Blue -Peter would speedily be hoisted at the fore, they consented to let us -depart—first drinking success to our cruise in great bumpers, with -cheering and firing of pistols, and almost every man shouting out -some advice, as to whither we ought to proceed. Here was one bawling -out in favour of the Mosquito Coast; and there another screaming that -most booty would be found to the eastward of the Gulf of Venezuela. -At length, we got free, and devoted ourselves for some days to -preparing the schooner, internally, for the accommodation of a larger -crew than she had ever before carried. - -There was no lack of hands, for Captain Jem was known as a commander, -and as soon as we hoisted the Blue Peter, seamen came off in great -numbers and applied to ship with us. Captain Jem personally examined -all claimants, and when they passed his scrutiny successfully, it -was for those who already formed the crew to receive or reject them. -In this way, in a couple of days we were well manned by thirty-six -stout seamen, including our original party. Except two Frenchmen -and one Dutchman, all the new part of the crew was English. Our -boatswain was a short, square-shouldered, powerful man, who had once -commanded a ship, and was a good West-Indian pilot. His name was -John Clink. We had also a good carpenter, and what was of almost as -great importance, a surgeon, esteemed very skilful, a young Scotsman, -like myself, bred in the University of Glasgow, and very eager in -prosecuting researches into the natural history and productions of -the teeming islands and continents of the West. The surgeon’s name -was Wood. Meantime, Old Pratt had come on board, and after inspecting -the schooner, presently sent four guns, with a great quantity of -ammunition, and near sixty stand of musketry, with boarding-pikes, -cutlasses, and hangers in proportion. We also carried a great boat -which took up almost all the space between the masts, and we slightly -altered the rigging of the schooner, setting up square foretopsails -and foresails, so as to make her handier going before the wind. Our -victualling being now completed, and all things ready for sea, we -had, as is usual among Buccaneers, a general meeting of the crew to -determine and sign articles. A paper of indenture was drawn up by -Mr. Pratt, and to it we all affixed our names, or our marks. First, -the indenture stipulated that the terms upon which the voyage was -to be undertaken, were ‘no prey, no pay.’ Then it was provided, -that all the booty obtained, of whatsoever nature, should be flung -into one general stock, nobody whatsoever keeping anything back for -himself, but acting fairly and honourably to his comrades; out of -this common fund all were to be paid in due proportion, considering -their station on board, or their share in the venture. First came the -proprietors of the ship, who were three—being Le Picard, Nicky, and -myself, for they did not count the Indian. A certain proportion was -awarded to us, in the capacity which I have mentioned, and another -proportion to Mr. Pratt, calculated by the value of the sea-stock, -&c., wherewith he had supplied us. Then the salaries of the captain, -the quartermaster, the boatswain, the carpenter, and the surgeon -were fixed, and certain sums were determined upon, to be given in -compensation for the different species of wounds which we might -receive. These compensations were upon the following scale, and -they applied alike to all the ship’s company. The loss of a right -arm, six hundred pieces of eight, or six slaves; of a left arm, -five hundred pieces, or five slaves; for a right leg the same; for -a left leg, four hundred pieces of eight, or four slaves; for an -eye one hundred pieces of eight, or one slave; and for a finger the -like sum. As for the proportion of pay, the captain had as much as -five ordinary seamen, and the quartermaster, or master’s mate, which -was my station, that of two. The rest of the crew shared equally, -and two boys whom we had on board drew the pay of one able-bodied -man. Furthermore, it was stipulated, that each mariner, without any -distinction of rank, should be daily entitled to two full meals of -the ship’s stores, besides what game or fresh meat we might fall in -with, and the indenture concluded by reciting that all those who -signed it by name or mark, did thereby take a solemn oath, not to -hide or conceal from their comrades the slightest article of value -which they might become possessed of, but to fling all, without let -or drawback, into the common fund. This document was committed to the -care of Mr. Pratt, and a copy made by one of his clerks, which was -deposited in the main cabin, and of free access to all. It was then -proclaimed that next morning, on the setting in of the sea-breeze, -which, on the southern side of the island, is favourable for leaving -the coast, we would weigh anchor and stand off upon our voyage—so -all was bustle and hurry—the schooner being surrounded by fleets of -canoes, selling vegetables, fruit, and such wares, to be added to the -sea stock of all who were minded to purchase them. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -OF THE DEATH OF AN OLD FRIEND. - - -About sunset, Captain Jem came up to me, and inquired whether I had -any final business to settle ashore, in which case he could spare me -a couple of hours, but no more. I replied, that I had no reason for -quitting the vessel, when all at once, the thought of my preserver -on board the French felucca, Wright, flashed upon me. I remembered -how he had told me, that he lived in Jamaica, at Port Royal in all -probability, and I reproached myself for not having before thought -of inquiring after him. So I proceeded on shore at once, and went -straight to Mr. Pratt’s, who I imagined would be likely to give me -the information of which I stood in need. Nor was I disappointed. -Mr. Pratt, indeed, knew no person of the name of Wright, but he -had frequently seen the man to whom my description must apply, and -whose real name was Blagrove. ‘He lives,’ said Mr. Pratt, ‘in great -retirement, dwelling in a small hut on the outskirts of the town, and -cultivating, with two or three negroes, such a small plantation, as -suffices to supply him with the necessaries of life.’ - -Mr. Pratt then, at my request, called a negro lad, and ordered him -to be my guide to Blagrove’s dwelling; adding, however, that the -old Cromwellian lived in such solitude, and hated the faces of -strangers so cordially, that he doubted whether I should be admitted. -Determined, however, to make the experiment, I set off, the negro -preceding me with a lantern. After clearing the town we had a rough -and rugged walk, through trees and plantations, and deep Guinea -grass, already drenched with dew. Fire-flies sparkled in every bush, -and the hum of innumerable insects, and the harsh croaking of frogs -in the swamps and ditches, made a melancholy music. At length we -descried a distant light gleaming amid trees; at the sight of it, the -negro stopped, and pointing, said, ‘Dat Massa Blagrove’s house!’ at -the same time making as though he would return. - -‘Well,’ said I, ‘do you not intend to come on and light me to the -door?’ - -The negro suddenly fell upon his knees. ‘Oh, Massa, please not -insist; let Juba go back, now. Massa Blagrove terrible man, Obeah -man, no like oder white buccra; live all alone by himself, wid -Fetish. Oh, most great heaps of Fetish.’ - -Now, at this time I did not understand the negro at all. I knew not -what he meant by Obeah or Fetish, but I afterwards found that the -gloomy life and austere manners of the old Republican, had caused the -negroes to believe that he was a sorcerer, or being of supernatural -powers, and that they dreaded above all things being obliged to enter -his grounds after dark. Seeing Mr. Pratt’s negro, however, in a state -of visible terror, at the idea of proceeding further, but having no -time to stay to investigate the cause, I took the lantern from his -hand, and told him to remain where he was until I came back. This he -promised to do, but I had hardly advanced two paces, when I heard -him scampering away through the rustling grass as fast as his legs -could carry him. I called after the fugitive, but he gave no reply, -so after muttering a curse upon his cowardice, I consoled myself by -the reflection that he would be likely to get a sound flogging from -Mr. Pratt for returning without the lantern, and then slowly advanced -towards the light, which yet glimmered through the trees. I was not -long in ascertaining that it shone from the rude window of a wattled -hut, over which the branches of a great tree waved and rustled in the -land wind. Having found the door, I knocked repeatedly, but received -no reply, and as I stood listening, I thought I heard the sound -of smothered moans. Thereupon I lifted the latch—the door was not -otherwise secured—and entered. The cottage consisted of but one room, -very rudely furnished. Hoes and spades, and such like implements, -lay in the corners. There was a massive oaken table in the centre of -the room, and at one end of it stood the candle, whose light I had -seen from without. Hanging from the roof, close to the table, was -a sort of rude curtain of canvas, which screened off a portion of -the chamber, and from behind this curtain I heard the moaning come -again: after hesitating for a moment I stepped forward and removed -the drapery. Upon a low bed, without any curtains, his head and chest -supported by a bag, such as that in which seamen keep their clothes, -lay Wright, or Blagrove—now, alas, a dying man. He was terribly -wasted, as though by fever or ague; his grey eyes so sunken that they -seemed to gleam from the bottom of dark holes, and his features were -shrunk and distorted, for the fingers of Death were pressing them. -The sick man took no notice of me, so that I could mark a large Bible -in which he seemed to have been reading, and which had fallen from -his pithless hand upon the bed. - -‘Mr. Wright,’ I said. He replied not a word. - -‘John Blagrove,’ I repeated. - -He started, and said feebly, ‘I am he—who calls?’ - -‘Leonard Lindsay,’ I replied, ‘the Scots mariner, whom you aided to -escape from the ship of Montbars.’ - -‘Lindsay—Lindsay!’ he muttered, ‘I know not that name.’ He paused, -and then said loudly and clearly, ‘Death—my voice is for death. He -hath most foully betrayed his great trust, and the blood of the -saints crieth against him. By what law, sayest thou, shall we put him -to death? Even by that which gave Jericho and its people to the sword -of Joshua, the son of Nun.’ - -Listening to this, I saw that the mind of the dying man was running -upon the great action of his life, and forbore to disturb him. But -presently the delirium fit seemed to pass away, and he stirred -restlessly, and muttered that he was athirst. I looked round the -cottage, and finding a pitcher of water and a mug, held the latter -to his lips; when he had drunk he seemed revived, shut his eyes for -a moment, and then, opening them, fixed his gaze upon me, and smiled -faintly. - -‘I know you now,’ he said; ‘how came you here?’ - -Feeling that his time was but short, I hurriedly replied, that having -arrived at Jamaica from Hispaniola, I had heard that he resided here, -and had lost no time in coming to see, and thank him. - -‘You will see the last of me, then,’ he murmured; ‘I told you I -should rest in the wilderness, and I am fast going to that long home.’ - -I asked him if he had not had proper medicines and help in his fever. - -‘No,’ he replied, ‘none; I did not wish to live. I left myself in the -hands of God. He has called my soul, and I obey the summons as firmly -as I can.’ - -‘But surely,’ quoth I, ‘you require help—attendance?’ - -‘None,’ says he—‘a man can die alone. When I felt the delirium coming -on, yesterday, and knew that my hour was at hand, I called together -my four slaves and gave them their liberty. They went singing and -shouting away, and I remained here waiting for the last moment with -contrition, and prayer, and praise.’ - -After this he was silent for a long time. Then he said, ‘Once I was -a judge at a great trial, now I go to be judged for my judgment. -Then, I did that which I believed to be right and good. I am of the -same mind still. Before an hour, I shall know whether my voice spoke -justly or no.’ - -A very dismal silence succeeded. Blagrove was sinking very fast. -When I took his hand it was cold and wet, and his breath began to -come in flutterings and gaspings. While I watched him, the light, -which burned in a rude iron candlestick, suddenly flickered and went -out; and, except for the glimmer of my lantern, we were in darkness. -Indeed, it was very terrible. The great branches of the tree overhead -groaned as they swayed with the night wind, and sometimes hit the -roof with a loud rattle; the dismal croak of the frog sounded -incessantly; and the goat-sucker whooped his loud hollow note from -the forest. As I watched the dying, I suddenly heard the lattice of -the window shake, and, turning round with a start, saw a hideous -black face, crowned with a curly mass of grey hair, laid close -against the coarse thick glass. My heart beat, and my blood curdled -as I gazed. In a moment, however, the face was withdrawn, and I was -vainly attempting to persuade myself that the vision I had seen was -fancy, when, by the uncertain light of the lantern, I observed the -latch of the door move. The cold sweat came out upon me again as the -door opened, and a hideous apparition entered. It was that of a very -aged negro woman. Her face had that peculiar blackness which marks -those negroes actually born on the Guinea coast; and it was, so to -speak, a perfect mass of huge wrinkles and skinny folds, through -which her white teeth appeared with a ghastly conspicuousness. The -principal part of her dress was an old dingy blanket; and round her -neck was hung a cord, upon which shreds of cloth, birds’ feathers, -pellets of clay and stones with holes in them—the shells of eggs, and -fragments of broken bottles were strung. This uncouth being advanced -slowly into the hut, holding up in both hands a sort of graven image, -or idol, made of a block of wood roughly carved, and stuck over with -such scraps of offal and filth as composed her own rude necklace. -I was so absorbed in a sort of compassionate horror, that I had no -power to prevent her approach, but rather shrank from her—the hag -looked so fearful and witch-like. So she proceeded to the very side -of the bed—Blagrove, meanwhile, having his eyes shut and his hands -clasped, as though in secret prayer—and then suddenly dropping on her -knees, she raised her hideous idol before the face of the dying, and -said, in a harsh grating voice: - -‘Buccra dying—buccra pray to Obi.’ - -Coming to myself at these words, I dashed forwards, wrenched the idol -from the hands of the idolatress, and flung the hag back towards the -door. She turned upon me with the fury of a wild cat. - -‘What for you here?’ she said; ‘he is Obeah man, me is Obeah woman. -Obeah men and women pray to Obi. It is one great Fetish.’ - -For reply I walked to the door, and, opening it, flung the idol forth -into the night. When I turned again, the hag was affixing a bunch of -parrot feathers to the bed. - -‘I set Obi for him,’ she cried; ‘I set Obi for you. De Fetish hab -kill him—de Fetish will kill you.’ - -Blagrove at this started up in bed—‘I am getting blind,’ he said, -faintly; ‘what voice is that?’ - -‘De voice of Mammy Koromantee—of de Obeah woman,’ said the hag; ‘de -moder of Paul, your negro, dat you set free. Paul say you die; I -bring Obi for you to pray to—Obi great.’ - -‘Lindsay, Leonard Lindsay,’ gasped Blagrove, ‘come close to -me—quick!—I am choking. Keep her away, fling down the strange -god—fling Dagon from the high places.’ - -I now supported his head, and saw that the great change was at hand. - -‘Mary, Mary,’ he said faintly; ‘I come, Mary, my wife.’ - -There passed a spasm over his face, and then his head hung heavy -and dead across my arm. Immediately, the negress raised her voice, -tremulous with age, and began to chant a sort of song—perhaps it was -a dirge, in her own tongue. - -‘Go,’ said I, interrupting her lament—‘go to Mr. Pratt’s, and tell -them that Blagrove is dead; they will return with you, and I will -give you money.’ - -‘You gib me money,’ said the negress, quickly; ‘oh, den I go to Massa -Pratt’s, and I find Obi when de daylight come.’ - -With this the hag bustled out as speedily as her old limbs would -bear her, and in less than an hour Mr. Pratt and some of his people -arrived. I paid the old woman her guerdon, and was glad to be -relieved from my melancholy post—Mr. Pratt assuring me that all -needful attention would be bestowed upon the dead. As for the woman, -he said that she was more than half crazed with age and infirmity; -but that in coming to the hut he believed that, after her own -fashion, she had meant kindly. She was reputed by the negroes to -be an Obeah woman, or witch, and the scraps of feathers, rags and -egg-shells wherewith she had adorned herself were the means by which -she wrought her spells and incantations. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -THE BUCCANEERS SAIL FOR THE SPANISH MAIN, AND ARE CHASED BY A GREAT -SHIP OF WAR. - - -In an hour after these events, I was on board the ‘Will o’ the Wisp,’ -greatly to the relief of Captain Jem, who feared, from my long stay, -that some evil had befallen me; and with the first puff of sea-breeze -in the morning, we were gliding past the point of the Pallisades out -into the open ocean, on my first buccaneering voyage. As the sun -rose into a cloudless sky, the merry trade-wind freshened until it -tore up the tops of the long swells into ridges of rolling foam, and -caused the schooner to careen gaily over, so that the water buzzed, -and gushed, and gurgled in the lee-scupper holes. Then my spirits, -which all night long had been heavy and depressed, rose with every -mile of sea which rolled between us and the land, and I felt as -elated and merry, bound upon a wild and venturesome expedition to an -unhealthy and little known coast, as when the ‘Golden Grove’ raised -her anchor from the sands of Leith, and I expected in due time to see -the hills of Italy and Greece. - -We had a fierce and wild-looking crew, wearing in their dress the -fashions of many lands; some were clad in jackets cut out of rich -brocades and stuffs captured from the Spaniards. Others had doublets -of hide. All wore moustachioes and beards, and carried great -broad-bladed knives stuck into girdles of leather, or neatly twisted -yarn. The experience of a few days showed us that we were manned by -active and skilful seamen, one or two who turned out inferior in -this respect being set to duties fitted for them, such as cooking, -serving out the provisions from the casks, and helping the carpenter -or sail-maker. Moreover, the men seemed tractable as well as handy -fellows, and were on very good terms with each other, and quite -delighted with the captain and the ship. To this there was but one -exception—a sailor from London, called Bell. This man was sullen, -sulky, and lazy, and Captain Jem having found him skulking from work, -upon one occasion, when the wind blew very fresh, and the whole crew -were on deck taking in sail, gave him so strong a hint with the flat -of his cutlass, that for some time, at least, there was no repetition -of the offence. - -On the third day, after losing sight of Jamaica, soon after sunrise, -we descried a great sail to windward. The weather was then almost -calm, and the swell trifling. Still the appearance of the sky was, -as we thought, threatening. The sun had risen of a fiery red, and -huge fleecy banks of vapour brooded over the ocean. The sail must -have been for some time in sight ere we had distinguished it from -the wreaths of white morning mist which here and there floated -over the water; but having made it out, we knew that so great a -spread of canvas must arise from a stately ship. Now, if she were -an Englishman, a Frenchman, or a Dutchman, we had nothing to say to -her, whereas if she were a Spaniard, she must be either an exceeding -rich merchantman, in which case it was our business to speak her as -fast as possible, or she was a man-of war, in which case, we could -hardly pack too much canvas upon the schooner to get her out of such -a dangerous neighbourhood. However, the ship had the weather-guage of -us; she would bring down the sea-breeze with her, and all we could -do was to lie idly upon the swell, watching her motions. For myself, -I climbed to the schooner’s main-topmast, with the best perspective -glass we had on board; and I had not been long there before I could -plainly perceive that our big neighbour had felt the power of the -sea-breeze, for she rose fast, spreading her great sheets of canvas -out, like wings, and coming directly down upon us. - -Captain Jem then hailed me eagerly from the deck, asking whether she -looked like a merchant ship or a frigate. At first, I could give -little satisfaction to his questions, as the stranger was coming -directly towards us; but presently, whether from bad steering or not -I am unaware, she gave a sheer to starboard, and lifting that moment -upon a swell, I saw that she carried a great broadside of heavy guns, -with a very high poop, rising I am sure forty feet above the water, -and all encrusted, as it were, with galleries and carved windows, -after the fashion in which the Spaniards build their men-of-war. -Upon this intelligence, we prepared for immediate flight. We were -to leeward, and so had nothing for it but to run before the wind. -As yet, however, only those little puffs or airs called by sailors -cat’s-paws, the precursors of the coming wind, were stealing over the -great shiny backs of the smooth lazy swells, whereas the Spanish -frigate, for such we doubted her not to be, was in the midst of -roughened water, and rolling two great ridges of white foam, from -beneath her bows. How we cursed the chance which condemned us to -lie idle on the ocean, when a formidable enemy was swooping down -upon us, with a wind which made his heaviest canvas surge, and his -stout masts bend and creak. Meantime, however, we prepared to set -studding-sails, and indeed hoisted them to be ready for the first -of the coming breeze, at the same time, by the help of a sweep or -great oar swinging round the head of the schooner in the direction -which circumstances compelled us to take. This manœuvre was instantly -observed on board the great ship, for she straightway fired a cannon, -and hauled up the gorgeous ensign of Spain to her main-topmast head, -where it streamed forth in all its red and yellow glory. The next -moment a bright spout of flame flashed from the Spaniard’s bows, -and the ball came skipping along the sea, making its last plunge -not a quarter of a mile from us. But almost at the same moment our -sails flapped and surged, then steadily swelling out, the schooner -began to slip through the water. Seeing this, the Spaniards fired -again and again; but without effect. Meantime, we were hard at work, -setting every stitch of canvas we could get to draw, and presently -we had quite enough of wind for the safety of our spars, the breeze -driving before it that heavy pelting shower, which often falls soon -after sunrise, and which sailors call the Pride of the Morning. The -‘Will-o’-the-Wisp’ was now careering along at her full speed, rolling -heavily before the great following surges, which would often rise in -white foam, hissing and glancing round her stern, and then melting, -as it were, from beneath her, would sweep on, while the schooner -plunged heavily down into the trough, her sails flapping like thunder -in the lull, and then tearing and struggling, as though they would -drag the masts out of the keel as the vessel was hove high again -on the crest of the next following wave. Still the large ship was -gaining upon us fast. A schooner is a species of vessel unfitted -to scud before a brisk gale, like a square rigged ship, although in -beating up to windward, we would most likely have the advantage. -However, we spread every inch of canvas we could stretch out, and -Captain Jem and myself both stood by the tiller. In an hour from the -commencement of the chase, the Spaniard was not a mile astern of us; -and truly, if the great ship had been a friend, she would have been a -gay and a gallant sight—with her brave tall masts, and great sheets -of canvas, which rolled from side to side, like a tower which totters -in an earthquake, and her vast bows, all carved and encrusted with -ornaments and devices, which would now plunge deeply into the brine, -and then rise with the sea water pouring and flashing down, amid the -sculptures and images of saints and long moulded and fretted ledges -and serpentine projections of carved wood, which extended in gracious -undulations on either side of the cut-water. But we had little mind -to admire the cunning work of the Spanish artificers, although, -unhappily, every moment we saw it plainer and plainer. Our men began -to look pale and troubled, and spoke in whispers to each other, and -some of them lay sullenly down upon the deck. Meanwhile, Captain Jem -and I consulted together in a low voice, and presently hit upon a -plan which would give us, at all events, a last chance. - -‘Nicky Hamstring,’ said Captain Jem, ‘show the Don a sight of the -flag which Sir Francis Drake carried against the great Armada.’ - -At this bold speech, the men seemed to pluck up a little. - -‘What, boys!’ quoth brave Jem; ‘you do not mean to stretch out your -throats to the Spaniard’s whittles?’ - -‘Where is the use of preaching?’ cries one of the men. ‘If we don’t -strike and heave-to, he will give us the stem, run his ship crash -over us, and send us to the bottom before we can say a prayer.’ - -Captain Jem pulled out a great pistol and cocked it. - -‘That was George Bell’s voice!’ he shouted. ‘Hark ye, you snivelling -cur, say but another syllable of striking or heaving-to, and I’ll -send you to hell with the word upon your lips. Comrades,’ continued -the captain, raising his voice, ‘is it fit that brave men and staunch -should listen to a hen-hearted skulk like the man who spoke?’ - -‘No, no!’ cried the whole of the crew, ‘no striking; let the Dons do -their worst.’ And at that moment the ensign of St. George fluttering -up to the main-topmast head, we greeted it with a cheer, the echo of -which came back from the broad sails of the Spaniard. - -‘Now, men,’ said Captain Jem, ‘be steady and sharp, and in ten -minutes we shall have the big ship’s weather-guage.’ - -Several moments passed in perfect silence, broken only by the roar -of the sea around us, and the great plunges of the Spanish ship, as -she came careering and wallowing over the waves. We looked back, and -saw her bows clustered with men, and standing upon the bowsprit, with -his arm round a stay, we could discern the figure of an officer, with -a very brave uniform, and holding a trumpet in his hand. Presently -this officer passed his trumpet to a man who stood by him, and who at -once hailed in good English. We all heard his words, for they echoed -loudly between the sails of the two ships. - -‘Surrender,’ he said, ‘or we will run the frigate over you.’ - -‘Stand by your sheets, men,’ said Captain Jem, softly; ‘and never -fear for all I do, that we are going to run our necks into Spanish -hemp this cruise.’ - -‘Do you surrender?’ hailed the Spaniard once more. - -There was now not a hundred feet between the man-of-war’s jib and our -taffrail rail. It was fearful to see the great ship, like a moving -steeple, rushing down upon us, and, despite of myself, I felt my -teeth grinding against each other. I looked back once more, there was -the mighty prow, clustered with men, frowning above us, and ploughing -the sea into a great furrow of foam. That ship could crush our -schooner as a rock would smash a pipkin. - -Yet no muscle quivered in Captain Jem’s face. All at once he sung -out, sharp and quick— - -‘Nicky, strike the flag.’ - -The Spanish man-of-war rose upon a great sea, heaving her bows out of -the water almost to her keel. The next moment she would be crushing -down bodily upon our deck. Just then the red-cross ensign disappeared -from the mast-head, and Captain Jem, turning round, took off his hat. -The officer on the bowsprit of the great ship immediately shouted, -and as he spoke the vast bows gave a sudden sweep to the port or -larboard side, almost shaving our taffrail as they grazed past. - -‘Now, then!’ roared Captain Jem, ramming down the tiller hard a port. -‘Sheets, boys, mind your sheets—in with them—in with the larboard -sheets. Hurrah, boys, hurrah! show the Don that he must shut his -claws quick, or we will slip through his fingers.’ - -The words had not been spoken when the Will-o’-the-Wisp flew round -like a top, in the opposite direction to that of the Spaniard, -plunging down into one tremendous sea, taking tons upon tons of the -glancing green water over her weather bow, and then lying over to the -wind, until the washing seas rose up to the very centre of her deck. -Of course the studding-sail-booms snapped like pipe-stems, and the -sails they supported burst away and floated down to leeward. But for -this we cared very little. - -‘If the spars stand it we’re safe,’ shouted the Captain to me. - -I looked aloft, the schooner was almost on her broadside, the sea -pouring over and over us in great curling volumes of blinding spray, -flashing up high into the rigging, and drenching the surging, tearing -canvas. This lasted but for a moment. There was a lull, the schooner -righted in the water, plunged heavily at one or two seas, and then, -although carrying a fearful press of sail, shot gaily away to -windward. We looked astern. The Spaniard had been utterly discomfited -by our manœuvre. After diverging from her course just enough, as -she thought, to save us from being run down, she had been obliged -to keep before the wind, being afraid, with all her sail, to try -the desperate experiment of luffing up, and was now a good mile to -leeward, her crew busily employed in getting in all her light canvas, -evidently with the intent of following up the chase. - -‘Now, boys!’ called out the captain—‘we have not shaken off the Don -yet. He has had a taste of our quality, but he will be after us -again. So while he is amusing himself to leeward yonder, let us get -in a reef or so, the schooner will make better way through the water -than when she is dragged down by too great a show of canvas.’ - -So presently the Will-o’-the-Wisp’ was under suitable sail, working -hard to windward. Captain Jem was right in saying that the Spaniard -meant not to give up his prey after one baffled swoop, and in a -brief space he was close hauled upon the same tack with ourselves, -careening down to the wind, until we sometimes expected to see him -turn over bodily. It was lucky for us, that, heeling over so much, -he could not bring his guns to bear upon the schooner. Once or twice -he fired a cannon, but the ball must have passed far above us. Our -own pieces were too small for us to return the compliment, across a -mile of sea, with any chance of hard hitting; besides, it was our cue -to trust rather to our legs than our teeth, and to mind our canvas -rather than our guns. - -All that long and anxious day did the Spaniard stick to our skirts. -Had the breeze been lighter, we would have left him hand over hand, -but the strong wind, and great tumbling seas, often bore us bodily -to leeward, while the Spaniard burst through and through them with -mighty plunges. Such a wind and sea, I repeat, could not but be of -great advantage to the bigger and heavier ship. Thus it came to pass -that when the sun touched the western waves, the Spaniard still held -his position about a mile to leeward of the schooner. We had run more -than one hundred miles since we hauled our wind, and still for all we -could see, we had neither lost nor gained an inch. - -The night came on, but the wind still howled unabatedly over the -far-spreading ridges of angry water. There was no moon, and great -patches of dusky clouds went scudding by between the ocean and the -stars. - -‘Now, my mates,’ quoth Captain Jem—‘we shall find out whether Jack -Spaniard’s eyes mark well in the dark. Let all lights be extinguished -in the ship, except the binnacle lantern.’ - -This order was speedily obeyed, and soon afterwards the binnacle -lamp was carefully screened, and at the same instant we lit a bright -lantern, and placed it conspicuously on our lee quarter. By this -manœuvre it is evident that the Spaniard, if he saw aught, saw but -one light, as though we carried no more. After this we tacked several -times, shifting the lantern so as to allow our pursuer a good view of -it, and make him believe that we were showing the light in bravado. -By this time it was nine o’clock and the wind was sensibly abating. -We could see naught of the Spaniard, although many a pair of eyes -were strained until they ached and throbbed with vain efforts to -make out the secret of his whereabouts. About ten o’clock, we were -upon the starboard tack, the schooner then laying a course which -would have brought her back to Jamaica. A good-sized cask was then -prepared, by eight twelve-pound balls being cast into it as it stood -on one end on deck. Then a sort of pole or spar, made out of an oar, -was fitted into the cask, being stepped as it were amongst the cannon -balls, and coming up through the opposite head of the cask, like a -mast through the deck of a ship. This apparatus being well secured -by stout ropes, was hove overboard, and slackening the lines, we saw -that it floated perfectly upright. The machine was then hauled in -again; the lantern which I have already mentioned, was made fast to -the top of the pole, and then the cask and all were carefully lifted -over the bulwark, and cast adrift upon the sea; while, at the same -moment, the tiller was put down, the schooner tilted gaily round -and filled upon the other tack, and in five minutes we were half a -mile away from the decoy beacon, which glimmered with an uncertain -light, as it rose rocking upon the ridges of the seas. In silence and -in darkness we kept our new course. Happily this was the gloomiest -period of the night. Lowering banks of cloud lay heavily upon the -eastern horizon, and the stars only glimmered occasionally through -the scud. The schooner was kept a little from the wind, so as to make -her sail her very best, and went careering, as though she bore a -light heart, across the waves. We saw or heard nothing of our enemy, -and by midnight we trusted that many a league of ocean rolled between -our gay schooner and the great Spanish man-of-war. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF THE UNKNOWN SHOALS AND THE DWARF PILOT. - - -That evening it chanced that I had the mid-watch, and so when the -dead of the night came, I took charge of the deck, and Captain Jem, -and all who were not upon duty went below. The weather was moderate, -with a steady breeze broad upon our larboard beam, as we steered -almost due south. I walked the deck for nearly three hours without -having occasion to give an order to one of the watch. I was weary -and exhausted, for the excitement of the chase had now gone off, and -as for the seamen around me, they were stretched out dozing here -and there upon the deck, and as we had a clear sea, and the wind -held very steady, I was loth to rouse the poor fellows up. There -was an old grey-headed sailor, whom we called Bristol Tom, at the -helm, and I sometimes listened to him as he crooned over ancient sea -ballads, which had been sung by the sailors of Sir Francis Drake, and -sometimes conversed with him upon the clever style in which we had -shaken off the Spaniard. So the night waned slowly away. Every ten -minutes or so I would go forward and cast a long look over the dull -sea, stretching away before us like a heaving sheet of lead, save -where here and there it was broken by a dullish white streak, where -a wave rose higher than common, curled, and broke. At length, it -wanted but half an hour to the time of my relief, and I sat down upon -the weather bulwark with my arm round the stay, and began, according -to my frequent custom, to build very gorgeous castles in the air. I -thought of the happy day when, having made prize-money sufficient in -these far-off seas, I would return to Scotland and hear again the -music which of all others was sweetest to the ear of my memory—the -voices of my kindred, and the whimpling and gurgling of the Balwearie -burn, as it trickled down the broomy knowes into the clear pools, -where, with a running noose made of horsehair, attached to the end -of a switch, I used to mark and catch the speckled pars. During my -meditations, it struck me once or twice that the motion of the sea -was changing; that the flow of the waves was not so uniform, and that -they jerked the schooner sharply as though she were ploughing a cross -sea. Thinking, however, that Bristol Tom might be nodding over the -tiller, I called to him to look sharp and steer fine, to which he -promptly replied, ‘Ay, ay, sir!’ and my spirit fled away again to the -bonny shores of Fife. All at once, a low, dull roaring sound, very -different from the sharp plunges of the schooner, and the seething, -hissing noise of the seas, as they burst in beds of foam from beneath -her bows, came floating on the night wind. - -‘Bristol Tom!’ I cried, sharply, ‘did you hear nothing like the roar -of surf?’ - -‘Lord love ye, sir,’ quoth the steersman, ‘there be no surf but where -there be land near the top of the sea, and hereabouts five hundred -fathom of line would reach no bottom.’ - -‘It must have been the wind eddying in the sail above me,’ I thought, -but I kept my ears cocked pretty sharply. - -Presently, I heard the sound again; there could be no mistake about -it. There was the hollow boom of great seas breaking over banks of -sand. I started up, and swung myself on the ledge of the bulwarks. - -Not a quarter of a mile on our weather bow I could see a great bed of -tumbling spray, which gleamed with a pale lustre in the dark. - -‘Breakers on the weather bow!’ I shouted. ‘Up, men, up! Keep her -away, Tom, keep her away. Call all hands!—stand by sheets and -brails—see all clear with the anchor.’ - -In a moment the deck of the schooner was alive with startled men, I -leaped forward, and flung myself on the bowspirit. - -‘Breakers right a-head!’ I screamed ‘Up with the helm—hard up.’ - -‘Breakers on the lee bow!’ sung out two or three voices at once. - -We were embayed. The white water tumbled and roared all around us: I -thought all was over, when right a-head I saw a space of dark sea. -This might be our salvation. - -‘Hold your luff!’ I shouted—‘hold your luff! but keep her well in -hand. So—steady.’ - -‘Steady!’ replied Bristol Tom, and the schooner shot through a narrow -channel—so narrow that the drifting foam of a great surge upon our -weather bow flew over us in a salt shower. By this time the whole -crew had tumbled out of their hammocks, and rushed upon deck half -awake, and calling out to know what was the matter? - -‘Down with your helm—hard down!’ I cried again. The schooner swept up -into the wind, and a great mass of foam seemed as it were to glide -from beneath her bows. - -‘Breakers a-head!’ sung out Nicky Hamstring’s voice as the direction -of the ship was altered. - -‘Keep her away again,’ cried Captain Jem and myself together. The -bows of the manageable little vessel receded fast from the wind, when -she sunk in the trough of the tumbling swell, with a jerk and a jar -which appeared to shake her very ribs. - -‘She has struck!’ cried half the crew at once. But the next sea -hove the ship buoyantly aloft; the wind came down with a heavy -puff; she bent over before its influence, and for near five minutes -rushed madly on amid the broken water which flashed and glanced upon -either side of us; now, by a sudden twitch of the rudder, and a -rapid jibbing of the sails, avoiding a reef, or spit of sand which -lay directly across her course—anon, running along a belt of white -water, until, mayhap, a sudden bend of the reef caused us to whirl -the schooner right into the wind’s eye again, and try to beat slowly -up the tortuous channels, expecting every moment to be flung with -a crash upon a ledge of coral rocks. All this time the men were -working to clear the anchor, and just as the schooner was hove into -the wind to weather the corner of a long shallow point of breakers, -our moorings were let go, our sails sharply brailed up, and we had -soon the satisfaction of finding that we rode easily to our anchor in -about eight fathom water, with a great labyrinth of sand-banks and -low ledges of rock around. - -All this appeared to us like a dream; ten minutes before we had been -ploughing along the open ocean, not dreaming that there lay land -within three hundred miles of us, now we were in the midst of an -immense and unknown shoal, and a flaw of wind, or a shift in the set -of the currents which must traverse its intricate channels, might -fling us on a bank of sand or rock, on which we would leave the bones -of ship and men. - -Of course, our first business was to make our moorings as secure as -possible. The Mosquito men, who have keen eyes, both by night and -day, pointed out a dark lump upon our starboard bow, which we soon -made out to be a low lying rock, and accordingly manning our light -boat, we speedily carried out a warp, which we made shift to secure -round a jagged projection of the reef, all clustered over with -oysters and sea-weed. - -Meantime, Captain Jem, with Bristol Tom, and myself, and sundry of -the oldest mariners, retired into the great cabin to examine the -maps and charts. We certainly did not know the exact position of the -schooner, for in the hurry of yesterday’s chase, no observation -had been taken, but this we knew that no shoal or island, indeed no -soundings at all, were laid down in our charts, near which we could -possibly be. - -‘No, comrades,’ quoth Captain Jem, ‘here be rocks and banks, shoals -and sands, which no mariner hath up to this time reported; although, -mayhap, many a brave seaman hath found his long home amongst them.’ - -We looked long and earnestly to the east, before the blessed light -came out upon the ocean. At length the dawn grew pale in the sky, -then a red, warm glow brightened above the waves; the thin night -mists rolled away; the sea-birds came shrieking and clanging from -their nests and holes, and we, truly, saw a lonely and desolate -sight. All around the schooner, for miles and miles, was a pale -greenish sea, laced, as it were, with bars and streaks of surf, which -spread around like open net-work, and dotted here and there with -great smooth banks of bright sand, and low, long reefs like jagged -walls, rising now and then into a higher point of precipitous rock -which showed, perhaps, some eight or ten feet above the level of the -surf. The blue sea formed the framing of this dismal picture. As -for the Spaniard he was nowhere to be seen, and, sooth to say, we -thought or cared little about him. In regard to our own position, -it was a miracle how we had by chance attained it; when I mounted -the rigging and saw the great chaos of banks and spits of sand, -and white belts of tumbling surf, through which we had reeled and -staggered, as it were, blindfolded, without in the least knowing our -course or the direction of the channels, I felt as if a miracle had -been accomplished in our favour. Having got safely in, however, the -question was now how to get safely out again, and so having called a -council upon the deck, it was determined that the schooner should be -made as snug as possible at her moorings, while the shallop, which -was our smallest boat, went out to survey the shoal, and if possible -hit upon a safe passage to the open sea. - -After breakfast, this plan was put into execution, and the charge of -the boat was intrusted to me. The day was fine, the sea-breeze cooled -the air. We put into the shallop some beef, biscuit, and a beaker -of water, and rowed off in very tolerable spirits. Our first intent -was to trace the route by which the schooner had arrived at her -present anchorage; but the attempt soon bewildered us; one man was -confident that we had passed to windward of this bank, while another -maintained that we had run under its lee. Here was a reef which our -bowman remembered to have observed perfectly well, while he who -pulled at the stroke oar was equally confident that the schooner had -never passed within a mile of it. We therefore gave up the idea of -taking the ship out as we brought her in, and set to work to discover -another passage into blue water. But sure such a hopeless range of -shoals, banks, reefs, and dangerous points of rock, never bewildered -poor mariners; sometimes we thought that we had hit upon a channel, -but just as we were upon the point of finding our way clearly into -the open ocean, a few specks of white water only seen when the sea -fell into a trough at that place, would stretch across the route, and -reveal the fact, that a ledge of pointed and pinnacled reef barred -the way. Then the currents and sets of the tide puzzled us greatly, -washing up one channel and down another, and boiling round the rocks -in such a puzzling whirl of eddies and counter-eddies, that our boat -was nigh stove more than once upon the sharp coral reefs. At length, -after pulling the best part of the day, and landing upon many of the -rocky plots, we made our way, with weary muscles and aching hearts, -to the schooner, to report our ill success. We found that they had -moored the vessel very snugly—that in case of accidents they had got -the launch into the water, and that she lay in a snug little sandy -cove, well sheltered from the swell, and, at half ebb, locked up, as -it were, in a clear pool, like a shallow caldron. - -The afternoon passed away very dully. Captain Jem sent the small -boat out again, with a fresh crew, to look for turtle and sea-birds; -and it was determined that, next day, both the boats should start -upon an exploring expedition. The turtling party soon returned with -half-a-dozen fine turtles, and a great quantity of oysters; they had -shot several ducks, but the greater quantity of birds they saw were -noddies and sea-gulls, which they did not care to disturb. - -About an hour before sunset, the men were lounging under the -awning which we had set, fore and aft, some of them fishing in the -clear water beneath us, when, on a sudden, there was a great cry -of astonishment raised; and looking up from the chart which I was -studying, I saw a strange little man, so small, he might almost be -called a dwarf, deliberately climbing over the taffrail. A dozen -of our seamen rushed to lay hold of him, but he waved his hand, as -though there was no necessity for violence, and jumped lightly down -on deck. - -‘Where is the captain of this ship?’ quoth he, in a strange -shrill cracked voice, and speaking English with a slight foreign -accent. At this moment, Captain Jem came out of the main cabin and -stared heartily, as indeed we all did, to see so unexpected and -strange-looking a visitor. The creature—who was so queer and dwarfish -a man, that, as I gazed upon him, I thought of old-world stories -of Brownies and uncanny men of the moors—could not have been above -four feet high. He had very broad shoulders, and such long muscular -arms, that they looked like fore legs of an ape. His face was big and -broad, but not by any means ugly. He had light blue twinkling eyes -and long fair hair, and a beard of a flaxen colour. The little man’s -dress was as strange as himself. He wore a broad hat, made of great -ribbons of strong green sea-weed, very neatly plaited and wrought. He -had a linen shirt, not of the cleanest, with a cloth cloak hanging -round his loins, and bound with a broad belt of similar sea-weed to -that which formed his hat, while on his legs, which were very short -and thick, he wore a pair of coarse canvas drawers. His great brown -splay feet were bare. When I say that this strange-looking apparition -had a sort of necklace of coral, mixed with small pieces of gold and -silver money hung round his neck; that his ears were weighed down -with big silver rings; and that in his hand he carried a paddle, with -a broad blade at each end, I have fully described to the reader the -stranger who now advanced towards Captain Jem, pulling off his hat, -and making a very polite bow. Not to be behindhand in good breeding, -Stout Jem was nothing loth to return the salaam; after which, he -asked the little man how the devil he had come on board. - -‘Look over the side and you will see,’ quoth the dwarf. We all -rushed to the bulwark, and there sure enough was a light canoe most -beautifully constructed, floating, as it appeared, on the very top of -the water. - -‘Well, sir,’ quoth Captain Jem, ‘you seem a countryman of the most of -us here, and you are very welcome. I can’t help, however, thinking -that you must have dropped from the moon. Mayhap you are the man in -it.’ - -The dwarf waved his hand very impatiently, as who should say, a truce -with your idle jeers, and then quoth he very solemnly—‘I am a pilot.’ - -At this we all listened greedily enough. - -‘Well,’ says Captain Jem, ‘I can’t say that we are not in want of -one. But whereabouts may we be? Is there land nigh; and what do you -call these rocks and sands?’ - -‘There is no land that I know of nigher than New Providence,’ -answered the dwarf, ‘and it lies a good hundred leagues to the -westward and southward; and as for these rocks and sands, I cannot -tell you their name, because they have got none.’ - -‘Then what ships come hither that you act as pilot for?’ asked I. - -‘None at all,’ replied the little man, very briskly. ‘There is -nothing to take ships hither, unless it be a few turtle, and these -they can get in far less dangerous places.’ - -At this we all stared at each other, and the men murmured that the -dwarf was mad; and Bristol Tom whispered that mayhap the creature -had been marooned—that is, deserted—upon these rocks, and that he -had lost his reason. After a short pause, however, the dwarf-pilot -resumed his discourse. - -‘There never was a ship,’ quoth he, ‘which came to these shoals but -stayed there. There be plenty of room for a navy to lie on these -sands and reefs, and then the first gale of wind that comes, smashes -them faster than e’er a ship-breaker in Limehouse.’ - -Captain Jem now began to lose patience, so he cried very wrathfully. - -‘If you talk more riddles to us, little man, God smite me! but I will -run you up to the yard-arm by the breech of your galligaskins, and so -dip you into the brine, as men serve a mangy monkey!’ - -‘Nay,’ answered the dwarf, ‘I came on board to help you out of a -scrape. You are discourteous, so get you to sea as you best can.’ - -‘Well, well!’ replied Captain Jem, ‘I was in the wrong; but tell us -frankly, man, what you are, and how you come to live amongst these -accursed shoals?’ - -‘What I will do for you is this,’ quoth the dwarf—‘and I will do -neither more nor less; I will pilot your ship out to sea, and I will -ask nothing for it, but that you make me rid of you without loss of -time.’ - -‘Why,’ quoth I, ‘you must be very fond of solitude to propose -anything of the sort; and if you obstinately refuse to tell us what -you are, or what you do here, how can we trust the ship and all our -lives to your management?’ - -‘You will have me on board,’ said the dwarf, ‘and I give you free -leave to hang me up by the neck, not by the breech, if I as much as -scrape a barnacle from the bottom of the schooner. - -This proposition certainly looked reasonable. - -‘What will you do, when we get to sea?’ asked Bristol Tom. - -‘What is that to you, old man?’ quoth the dwarf; ‘go your ways, and -leave me to go mine. I warrant I should have had more wit than to -come blundering in here against my will.’ - -‘So you landed here on purpose?’ says I. - -‘Whether I did or no,’ says the dwarf, ‘is nothing to you. Do you -want a pilot, or do you not?’ - -Here, Captain Jem whispered to me that there might be more in this -scene than met the eye, and that we should do well to secure the -strange pilot who crowed so smugly. I assenting, the captain tipped -the wink to half a dozen of the crew, who thereupon advanced towards -the little man. But he was sharper than we, for, observing what we -intended, he made but two jumps, one upon the bulwark, and the other -into the canoe below, the bottom of which I thought would be driven -out by his weight; but not a bit of it—the little bark-built skiff -gave a great surge, and then floated tranquilly a couple of fathoms -from the side. - -‘Call you that seamen’s hospitality?’ says the little man, grinning. - -Captain Jem flew into a great rage. ‘Get your muskets, men,’ he -cried; but directly after, controlling himself, he directed us -to give chase in the shallop, and bring back the pilot by force. -Anticipating this order, I leaped into the boat, and calling out for -four young men, who were the best rowers and the most muscular and -long-winded fellows in the schooner, they jumped into the shallop -with great glee, just as the dwarf, thinking he might as well have a -start, dipped his paddle into the water and glided away. We were soon -in chase, straining at the oars with right good will, and sending -the shallop dancing at a great rate through the sea. Meantime our -shipmates on board the schooner mounted into the rigging that they -might observe the race the better, and encouraged us with abundance -of cheers and exhortations not to spare our muscles. We brought the -boat gradually to its full speed, the canoe being then only a dozen -or so fathoms a-head. The dwarf was kneeling in the bottom of his -craft, striking the water alternately on either side with the broad -double blades of his paddle. Of course he had his back towards us, -but he went, as the Spaniards phrase it, ‘with his beard upon his -shoulder,’ that is to say, constantly looking back, with a provoking -grin upon his face. We soon found that if we caught the gentleman at -all, it would not be until after a hot chase and a long one. But we -gave a shout and buckled to our work in good earnest. Meantime, the -dwarf seemed to keep ahead almost without an effort—his light vessel -skimming the very surface, while our heavier shallop was driving -the sea into tiny ridges of foam, and leaving a wake of dancing -agitated water. So, encouraging my men to pull long and strong, and -steady strokes, we flew at a great rate through the intricacies of -the shoal, speedily leaving the schooner far behind. It must have -been a brave sight for a spectator to see—the light canoe, with its -strange rower, spinning along, followed through all its windings and -doublings by the shallop, impelled by cracking oars and straining -muscles. Now and then we would cross bays and creeks only partially -sheltered from the swing of the sea, the canoe jumping as it were, -over the broken and sweltering waves, like a cork upon the parchment -of a beaten drum, while the shallop would plunge, and jerk, and -thrash, amid the cross surges, taking them on board over the larboard -and starboard gunwales at once. Still, I think we would have caught -the dwarf, nervous as was his arm, and swift as was his boat, had it -not been for the rapidity with which he could wheel her round and -round, following the crooked channels, and threading the narrow and -intricate passages of the shoal, while he managed all the time to -keep the canoe at great speed. Of course our boat was not so handy. -Our utmost endeavours would not always suffice to keep her clear of a -spit of sand, or to alter her course in time to avail ourselves of a -shortcut into which the canoe would suddenly diverge. At length, my -men began to show symptoms of distress; they panted at their toil, -and, looking over their shoulders, began to murmur that there was -no use in chasing the devil. All this while, the pilot had never -ceased his impudent grin, and he seemed to be as fresh as when he had -started from the side of the schooner. At length, we found ourselves -in a pretty long open passage, with impassable barriers of reefs on -either hand. The canoe was not more than a few fathoms ahead, for as -we had flagged in our efforts, so had the dwarf relaxed in his. I -thought that now was the time for a grand push, and shouting to the -men that the game was in our hands, the brave fellows made a great -rally—the ashen staves of the oars cracked, the water buzzed and -foamed, and in a moment the boats were not more than a few feet apart. - -‘Huzza, we have him now!’ I shouted. - -The men pulled like devils, the dwarf worked hard with his paddle; -but nothing could keep before us in such a chaise—foot by foot, we -overhauled the canoe. - -‘Three strokes more, comrades, and he is ours.’ The men shouted, but -the breath had hardly left their lips when—crack!—the bows of the -shallop went smash upon a submerged spit of sand. The men were flung -higgledy-piggledy, head over heels, sprawling into the bottom of the -boat, while a couple of oars snapped like pistol shots. We had run -upon a bar which crossed the passage, some six inches under water. -The canoe, thanks to her light draught, had floated over it unhurt, -and was now lying a few yards a-head—the abominable little dwarf -grinning more furiously than ever. - -‘If we had a musket in the boat, you should laugh on the wrong side -of your mouth,’ I shouted, gathering myself up and wiping my nose, -which was bleeding famously. One of our men caught up a broken shaft -of oar and hurled it at the canoe. The little man, who was as quick -as light in his movements, parried the missile with the broad blade -of his paddle, and called out— - -‘Ho! ho! pretty fellows to think of taking a ship out to sea without -a pilot, when they can’t row a boat without running their noses -against a post.’ - -The answer to this was a simultaneous salute from all the fragments -of the broken oars, one of which, despite his adroitness, gave the -little man a very tolerable thwack across the shoulders, upon which, -not choosing to risk the consequences of another broadside, the -dwarf called out— - -‘Good night; you had better pull to the schooner if you don’t want to -sleep among the noddies and the boobies. Ho! ho!—good night.’ - -He then coolly paddled off, whistling. To have attempted to -follow him would be sheer nonsense. We had our wings, as it were, -clipped, and if we could not catch the canoe with four fresh men -and four oars, there was little chance of overhauling him with -four wearied men and two oars, so we addressed ourselves to get -back to the schooner. The chase had lasted nearly an hour, and -upon looking around we saw the mast of the ‘Will o’ the Wisp’ at -a distance which somewhat startled us. There was a flag flying at -her main-topmast-head which we supposed was a signal of recall. We -therefore began to retrace our course, manning the remaining oars -double. - -‘I hope we may make the schooner, Will Thistle,’ said Edward -Lanscriffe, one of the boat’s crew. - -‘So do I,’ said Paul Williamson, who tugged at the same oar with him; -‘it would be ill sleeping among desert rocks and sands, and them -haunted too.’ - -‘Haunted?’ said I, ‘what do you mean? Haunted by whom?’ - -‘By whom but the dwarf who paddled that canoe,’ answered the bowman, -a sailor from Penzance. - -‘Why,’ quoth I, ‘do you think he is anything but a man like -ourselves—only, perhaps, for the matter of that, a trifle shorter?’ - -All the men shook their heads gloomily, and one of them replied— - -‘No, no; it is no mortal that lives alone amongst these reefs, and -refused the help of Christian men to carry him away from the middle -of the sea.’ - -‘That is over true,’ quoth Paul Williamson, ‘and greatly do I fear -that his coming boded no good to ship or crew. He ought not to have -been allowed on board.’ - -I tried to laugh at all this, but somehow I was startled and put -out of spirits myself, not that I much heeded the fancies of the -superstitious sailors, but the whole thing seemed to me so wild, -and strange, and uncommon, that I mused and mused hardly knowing -what to think of it. Meantime, we were making the best of our way to -the ship; of course our progress was slow, for we had to fish out a -channel amid the shoals, and the tide being then low, the task was -the more difficult. The accursed dwarf seemed to have led us into -the most puzzling nook of all the reefs. We rowed and poled, and -sometimes waded, dragging the boat along slippery ledges of rock, or -smooth banks of fine white sand; but the schooner was still separated -from us by a good couple of miles of rock, and sand, and sea, when -the sun went down, and in less than half an hour we were groping -in the darkness. The ship then fired a gun, and hoisted a light to -one of the mast-heads as a signal. The twinkle of this light was, -however, so faint, that had we not observed the lantern run up, we -might well have taken it for a star, and therefore I kept my eyes -steadily fixed upon the tiny spark, intending not to let it get out -of sight. Directing the men, therefore, how to row, and continually -bumping against points of rock and sand, we jogged on until, just -as we rounded a long belt of reef, along which we had been running, -the rush of a current of the young flood tide, which had just began -to set in, sheered the shallop’s bows violently round, bore us some -yards away out of our course, and then tossing us into a sort of -boiling caldron, or rather slight whirlpool, we were swung round and -round until our heads were giddy, and every idea of our proper course -gone. Pulling at last clear of this vortex, we tried to discover the -signal-light from the schooner, but in vain. The sky was now gemmed -with stars down to the very horizon, and we knew not where to look -for the guiding ray. It was then that I recollected how easily I -might have set the position of the schooner by the constellations, -but I had not thought of doing so, and now it was too late. The men -began to look startled, and one of them said, in a low voice— - -‘I told you so; no schooner for us to-night.’ - -‘Why do they not continue firing guns?’ I muttered, impatiently. -‘Come, boys, let us give them a cheer.’ - -The night was calm, and I thought our voices might be heard on board -the ship, so standing up, and putting our hands trumpet-fashion to -our mouths, we gave a long shrill halloo, and then listened intently. -For a moment we heard nothing but the surging of the currents as the -tide came washing along the channels of the reef, and the low sound -of the surf outside. But then was heard distinctly the answering -halloo. We shouted again, and shoved off in the direction of the -voice, making very good way, for we had struck a tolerably open -channel, along which the tide was setting fast. Presently we heard -the hail again much closer. - -‘Come, come,’ quoth I, ‘Paul Williamson, you will swing in your -hammock to-night, for all that is come and gone.’ - -‘Boat ahoy!’ said the voice a third time. ‘Sheer to port, and keep -along that belt of surf on your starboard beam. Have you caught the -dwarf?’ - -‘No, confound him!’ I shouted; ‘and we thought we should never have -got to the schooner again. Why did you not keep firing?’ - -To this no answer was given, and Edward Lanscriffe asked, in a -low tone, which of our comrades it was who had hailed. This was a -puzzler. We none of us knew the voice. - -‘Will-o’-the-Wisp, ahoy!’ I shouted. ‘Halloo!’ was the reply. ‘Why -the devil don’t you come aboard? Have you fallen asleep over your -oars?’ - -‘We can’t see,’ we replied, standing up, and peering into the -darkness. ‘Show a light, man—show a light!’ - -Immediately a lantern gleamed ahead of us. We pulled towards it. It -shone from a dark object. I was in the act of telling the men to lay -on their oars, when grit, grit, grit! the boat’s keel scrunched upon -the sand, and at the same time the lantern was extinguished. - -‘Ho! ho! Do you want a pilot? I think you do, indeed,’ exclaimed the -shrill, cracked voice we knew so well. - -‘The dwarf, by God!’ ejaculated Paul Williamson. ‘I told you so. It -is a demon, and we are bewitched.’ - -I was in a great rage. ‘You skulking vagabond,’ I shouted out, ‘wait -till daylight to-morrow, and we’ll see whether an ounce of lead won’t -catch that canoe of yours, quick as it is.’ - -To this there was no answer made, although we sat listening for near -ten minutes. What was to be done? We hardly knew; but anything was -better than lying idly where we were. The night breeze now struck -cold and chill; the men had been overheated at their oars, and -their teeth began to chatter. There was a very cordial response of -‘Amen,’ therefore, as I said, ‘I wish we had put a bottle of brandy -into the boat.’ For half an hour or so we pulled at random, the men -whispering and muttering to each other, when I saw a faint flash in -the distance, and presently heard the report of a gun. ‘There goes -the schooner, at length,’ I cried. The boat’s head was promptly put -into the proper direction, and we recommenced our weary pull with -something like energy. We must have been near the outward edge of the -shoals, for the surf thundered loud, and great broken swells often -came rolling past us in a multitude of uneven undulations. All at -once the confounded voice of the dwarf hailed us. - -‘You are going the wrong way, my brave fellows. If you expect to -reach the schooner on that course, you must pull the boat round the -world, and carry her over Asia.’ - -‘Never mind the spiteful creature,’ I said, in a low tone; ‘he is but -attempting to mislead us. It is his turn to-night; it will be ours -to-morrow, when the sun rises.’ - -Ten minutes more elapsed, then another musket was discharged, almost -due ahead. ‘See,’ I exclaimed, in great triumph; ‘we are keeping the -exact course; we shall be on board in a jiffey.’ - -Paul Williamson shook his head. ‘The schooner,’ quoth he, ‘is -anchored near the centre of the shoals, and you hear how heavy and -how near the surf is beating.’ - -I was somewhat troubled at this, I confess, but I saw nothing for it -but to pull on. So we did, until having coasted for some time along -a succession of rocks, on the opposite side of which the sea was -running heavily, we suddenly shot out from beyond their shelter, and -immediately the boat was hove up upon the crest of so high and long -a swell, that we all exclaimed at once, that we were out in the open -sea. Just then, the pernicious dwarf hailed again, his voice now -seeming to come from astern. - -‘You are better pilots than I reckoned,’ shouted the spiteful atomy, -‘only that when you would keep at sea you come ashore; and when you -would hug the land you start off right into the ocean.’ - -This time, at all events, he was clearly not deceiving us, so we -promptly pulled the boat about, and were soon in the comparatively -smooth water of the reef. One thing we now knew pretty well—the dwarf -was armed, for it must have been he who fired the muskets, and, -not doubting but that his optics were far more accustomed to the -darkness than ours, we thought it extremely probable that he might -amuse himself by plumping a shot or two into the boat. This was not a -comfortable idea to cherish, so I hailed at random— - -‘Pilot! pilot—ahoy!’ no answer. We repeated the summons a dozen of -times, but heard no sound save the heavy beat of the surf and the -wild cry of sea-birds. - -‘Why, the scoundrel has gone home to bed,’ quoth I; ‘and, to tell you -the truth, comrades, I think we may give up playing at blind man’s -buff for the night, and wait peaceably until we see the schooner in -the morning.’ - -This counsel was followed. We presently found a sandy cove, in which -we lay very snugly, and then, after setting a watch, dropped off to -sleep, weary, hungry, thirsty, and vexed. - -The day dawned, and we speedily discovered the schooner, about as far -off as she was when we lost sight of her after sundown, the evening -before. A pull of an hour brought us alongside, upon which there was -a great outcry to know whether we had caught the pilot, and why we -had not returned betimes. - -‘Why,’ quoth I, ‘we could not see you in the dark.’ - -‘There was a light all night at the main-topmast-head,’ says Captain -Jem. - -‘Yes, but we lost sight of it once, and then we could not tell your -lantern from a star. Why did you not fire?’ - -‘We were clearing away the bow gun,’ answered Captain Jem, ‘when we -heard you fire a musket.’ - -‘We fire! that was the dwarf. We had no musket.’ - -‘By the Lord!’ says Captain Jem, ‘I think we are all bewitched among -these cursed reefs, which no one ever saw or heard of before.’ - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -AT LENGTH THEY CATCH THE DWARF PILOT, AND HEAR STRANGE THINGS -TOUCHING A TREASURE. - - -Preparations were now again made in order to discover a way out. My -comrades would have me turn in and go to sleep, but I was too much -excited to hear of it; and, accordingly, after breakfast I was in -the shallop again, with four fresh men, including Nicky Hamstring -and Bristol Tom. We carried with us fragments of light wood and -great stones for sinkers, to buoy a passage for the schooner. There -was no need of lead or line, for we could see to the bottom of the -crystal water, even where it was many fathoms deep. We were thus -engaged great part of the day, and being now working with something -like method and regularity, we were making sensible progress in -discovering a channel, when, just as I was setting one of our buoys, -Nicky Hamstring grasped my arm, and whispered with a sort of gasp, -‘There—look there!’ - -I followed his eye, and started up with delight. A long bank of sand, -with ridges of coral, along which we had been skirting for some -time, terminated in one of the largest and highest rocks we had seen. -Indeed, when the tide was out, it seemed rather a rocky islet than a -rock; but what directed our attention to it was a deep cleft, into -which the sea ran, and in which, as in a cistern of water, floated -the bark canoe of the dwarf pilot. The shallop was close alongside -the sand-bank when we made this discovery, and Nicky and I leaped out -of her into the shallow water like a couple of madmen, and screaming -to our comrades to row for the little creek, we both scampered along -the dry hard sand towards the rock. - -‘You secure the canoe,’ I called to Nicky; ‘the owner is not far from -the nest; so, while Nicky went clambering along the steep shelves -to the cove, I climbed up the ledges of the rock, slipping down now -and then into cracks and hollows, which peeled my shins famously, -but very soon arriving at the summit, from which I caught sight of -the dwarf running with great speed round the base of the rock, and -immediately gave chase, shouting out to our friend to surrender at -discretion. But he took no notice, making as straight as he could -for the cove, whence, doubtless, he expected to get clear off in his -canoe. I seeing this, thought it unnecessary to risk my neck in order -to intercept him, and so clambered leisurely down the rock laughing -aloud, and calling to the dwarf that I had told him that our turn -would come with daylight. Meantime, the little man went skipping over -the rocks like a goat, never making a false step, until suddenly he -came in sight of the cove, within which the shallop by this time lay -alongside the canoe. Then he sent up a shrill cry of surprise, which -my comrades answered with a cheer, and stopping short, appeared to -pause for a moment, after which he made straight for a projecting -shoulder of the rock, round which he speedily disappeared. - -‘Never mind,’ quoth I; ‘take care of the canoe, and we shall soon -find him.’ So saying, I called upon Nicky and Bristol Tom to land, -which they did, making their way to the projection, round which the -dwarf had run, while I, following a steep cleft or split in the rock, -which ran from near the top of it, down to a white sandy beach on the -opposite side from the cove, descended rapidly. All at once, about -half-way down, my eye caught the flutter of canvas, and immediately -I discerned something like a tent, very snugly pitched in a nook of -rock, about a couple of fathoms above high water-mark, with a sort of -fence of barrels and boxes round it. - -‘Ho, ho!’ quoth I. ‘Here is the hermitage, at last.’ - -‘Stop!’ says the shrill voice I had so often heard, ‘stop there—as -you value your life!’ - -And thereon I descried the dwarf, with a long-barrelled Spanish gun -in his hand, which he was in the act of lifting to his shoulder. - -‘Stop!’ quoth he again; and being unarmed, I had nothing for it, in -prudence, but to obey. - -‘My friend,’ says I, ‘you may as well uncock that gun. Your canoe is -taken, as you saw. My comrades are upon the rock. The schooner is not -a mile off, and if you are fool enough to fire at me, hit or miss, I -warn you that it will be the last time you will ever pull a trigger.’ - -The little man paused a moment. ‘Let me alone, and I will let you -alone,’ he said. - -‘No, no,’ quoth I. ‘You paid us the first visit, and we must show our -good breeding by returning it.’ - -The pilot considered for a brief space, made a passionate gesture -with the air of a man deeply mortified, and then called out, at the -same time grounding his musket— - -‘Come on. I will do you no harm.’ - -So I descended and joined him, just as Nicky and Bristol Tom made -their appearance on the beach below, having run round the islet. By -this time we were close to the tent. - -‘Come in,’ says the dwarf; ‘I shall be more hospitable than you.’ The -habitation consisted simply of a dry cleft in the rocks, over which -a roof of canvas had been stretched, supported in the centre by a -pole. For furniture there was a hammock, not slung, but laid upon -the sandy floor, and a sea-chest, upon which lay a very complete -set of astronomical instruments, with paper, pens, and ink, and a -half-finished chart, which, appearing to be a plan of the shoals, -I laid violent hands on at once. There was some common household -stuff, such as knives, plates, and pots in a corner, and near them a -good-sized water barrel. - -‘Well, gentlemen,’ says the dwarf, very politely, ‘behold you in my -dwelling. What may be your pleasure?’ - -‘Our pleasure,’ said I, ‘is that you shift your dwelling for a brief -space, and sling your hammock on board the schooner.’ - -‘I protest against being thus unlawfully carried away,’ says the -little man. - -‘You are at perfect liberty to protest,’ said I; ‘but you must go on -board all the same.’ - -The pilot gave a curious sort of grin, but did not seem disposed -to resist our power. Nicky Hamstring then went to the top of the -rock, and hailed our comrades to bring the canoe and the shallop -round, which presently they did. Meantime I was considering within -myself, whether by a careful overhaul of the little man’s dwelling, -I might not be able to light on some clue to the motive—and it could -not be a common one—which seemed to bind him to these desolate -shoals. Resolving to take my own time and my own way in the search, -I directed my comrades to put the pilot into the shallop and row -aboard of the schooner, telling Captain Jem that I would follow in -the canoe, after a careful search of the tent. They started off -accordingly; the dwarf, who appeared to be in tolerable good humour, -notwithstanding his capture, taking my place in the stern-sheets, and -managing the tiller. - -As soon as they had disappeared, I commenced my inquisition. The -chart of the shoals was very skilfully constructed, and neatly put -upon paper, being very different, indeed, from the rude scrawls -which seamen commonly trace, of coasts and islands. No indication, -however, was to be observed of any harbour, or secure cove, the -existence of which might make the reefs a place of refuge. I noticed, -however, on the north-west corner of the shoals, a cross slightly -traced with a pencil. Putting the chart in my pocket, I searched -the hut thoroughly, raking up the sand which formed the floor; and -also prying into the casks and boxes which surrounded the tent. -These appeared to contain nothing save common coarse provisions. -The contents of the sea-chest were clothes such as sailors wear, -with one suit of a Spanish cut and fashion, in a pocket of which -I felt something hard. Examining more closely, I found the object -to be a small and old book, in the Spanish language, imprinted at -Granada, in the year 1507, and purporting to be the ‘Voyages and -Perilous Journeyings of one Vincente y Tormes, who sailed on board -the Caravel, called the Pinta, with the great Admiral Christopher -Colon, or Columbus, for the Discovery of the New World.’ Looking over -the contents of this volume, I found them to be accounts of divers -voyages made between Spain and the West Indies, written in very -bad and cramped Spanish, and containing but dry details of little -interest. - -I was about to lay the volume down, when I noticed that it came very -easily open towards the latter portion, as though that part had been -peculiarly studied, and looking more closely, I saw that a leaf had -been cut out. Towards the foot of the page preceding that which was -missing, was a chapter with a title as follows— - - HEREIN I DISCOURSE OF THE PERILOUS LOSS OF THE GREAT TREASURE - SHIP SANTA FÈ, AND OF MY MIRACULOUS ESCAPE, BEING THE ONLY ONE OF - THAT SHIP’S COMPANY WHO, THROUGH THE SPECIAL GRACE OF THE BLESSED - VIRGIN, WAS PRESERVED OUT OF A GREAT DANGER. - -Then followed the words of the narrative in this wise:— - -‘Now all things being in readiness, there was a great mass held, with -other needful ordinances and prayers to the saints; and so, on the -14th of June, we loosed from the city of Porto Bello, intending to -touch at St. Domingo, in the great Isle of Hispaniola, to receive -the tribute from the caciques, and so thence across the ocean to -Spain. But, alas, it fell out otherwise!—for being but six days at -sea, with contrary winds, which here do blow continually from the -north-west point of the compass, we did unhappily——’ - -This was the last line of the page; the following leaf being, as I -have said, torn out. The narrative recommenced upon the succeding -page with these words:— - -‘Thus—thus was I—all praise to the holy saints, particularly to my -patron St. Geneviève, and to the Virgin—rescued from my hopeless and -miserable condition, and carried home to Spain, I being very heavy -and desponding in that voyage, on account of the loss of all my -shipmates, so that I vowed never to tempt the seas again, but rather -to live on crusts and water ashore.’ - -From the remaining chapters, which were few, it would seem that the -author had kept to this resolution, for he narrated that he became a -water-carrier and a servant to a priest, called Pedro Vronez, to whom -he dictated the book. The perusal of what I have set down above, the -reader will possibly guess, gave rise to a startling train of ideas -in my mind, and putting the adventures of Vincente y Tormes in my -pocket, I jumped into the canoe, the Mosquito-men having taught me -the management of such cockle-shells, and was presently alongside the -schooner. - -Captain Jem was leaning over the side, fishing with a hook and line. - -‘Well, what have you found?’ quoth he, as if he did not think that my -search could have availed much. - -‘Pound!’ I echoed, clambering on board. ‘I have found what may well -make our fortunes.’ - -At these words, our comrades came running from all sides very eagerly. - -‘Where is the dwarf?’ quoth I. - -‘Oh, in the great cabin,’ replied the captain. ‘A sullen piece of -goods, I warrant you. He refuses to speak a word.’ - -‘Have him out,’ answered I; ‘and we will try to make him find his -tongue.’ - -And so, presently, Master Pilot was hustled forth upon the deck. - -‘Will you tell us,’ quoth I, ‘why you choose to live alone amongst -these grim rocks?’ - -The little man grinned, twisted his features, and answered never a -word. The crew looked on curiously. - -‘Once upon a time, there sailed a Spanish treasure-ship from Porto -Bello.’ - -The dwarf pricked up his ears, and all the blood went away from his -face. - -‘In which ship,’ I continued, ‘there was a mariner named Vincente -y Tormes. But the ship had not been six days at sea, going to -Hispaniola to receive the tribute of the Caciques, when it was lost -upon certain reefs, _with the treasure on board_, and Vincente -y Tormes of all the crew was saved, and carried to Spain, where -afterwards he became a water-carrier and servant to a priest, named——’ - -‘You need not trouble yourself to recite further,’ said the dwarf, -with a shrug of the shoulders. ‘You guess my secret. I thought none -of you had wit enough to pick the marrow out of that bone, but it -was all my own fault. I came on board this schooner, and in doing so -threw away, by one moment of folly, the fruits of years of labour -and danger. Dolt that I was!—what could it matter to me whether you -succeeded in blundering out, as you blundered in, or stayed here -until the first heavy blow smashed your ship to powder on these coral -reefs? It would have been all the same to me.’ - -Having made this speech with great bitterness, but in a perfectly -composed fashion, the dwarf sat down upon a coil of rope, and -shrugged his shoulders almost as high as the crown of his head. - -The crew were now all in a hubbub, for they comprehended, more or -leas, that there was the wreck of an ancient galleon upon the reef, -and they knew that silver and gold are metals which brine rusts not. - -‘I suppose,’ quoth the dwarf, ‘that you will give me a fair share of -the booty when we get it?’ - -This they all proclaimed that they were very ready to do, and one or -two of the more eager shook hands with the dwarf, who assumed a very -sour smile. - -‘Now, then,’ quoth the captain, when the tumult was a little abated, -‘tell us somewhat more about this, and rely upon it we will deal -justly by you. Who and what are you?’ - -‘Why,’ quoth the dwarf, ‘my story is of the shortest; my name is -Paul Bedloe, and I was born beneath the Peel of Douglas, in the Isle -of Man; my father owning a small craft, which plied to Liverpool—a -village on the Lancaster coast—I was brought up a sailor, but I liked -better to write and cipher than to handle ropes and furl sails; and -having, also, a great liking for geography and astronomy, I became a -very good navigator, and going to London, settled at Limehouse, where -I kept a school for teaching seamen the art of navigation. Growing -somewhat tired of this business, however, I went several voyages to -these seas with a captain who had been my scholar; and afterwards, -returning to Europe, I wandered through many countries, taking great -delight in Spain, where I found several interesting accounts left by -the first discoverers of America of their voyages. One day, in the -shop of a Jew in Cadiz, I discovered the book which you, sir’—turning -to me—‘doubtless, found in my chest. One leaf of that work had a very -particular interest for me, and from the time I first saw it, I have -kept it carefully on my person.’ - -With that the Manxman produced the missing page from his bosom. - -‘By the help of this,’ continued he, ‘I found out how the -treasure-ship, Santa Fè, had been stranded upon an exceeding great -shoal, and how a storm soon coming on, she had sunk in middling deep -water, between two ledges of rock. The ship’s company having deserted -her in boats, these were speedily swallowed up in the storm, save -that one in which Vincente y Tormes sailed, and which survived the -tempest, although it was driven far to leeward. The wind then taking -off, a calm followed, during which all the seamen in the boat, with -only the exception of Vincente y Tormes, perished miserably of hunger -and thirst. He was himself nigh dead, when a caravel descried and -picked him up; ultimately conveying him to Spain, where he settled, -and went no more to sea. You may judge,’ continued Paul Bedloe, -‘whether I have not given a fair account of the missing page;’ and, -handing the document to me, he continued as follows:— - -‘On reading what I have now stated to you, it occurred to me that, -in all the maps and charts which I had seen, no mention had ever -been made of any such shoals as that upon which the “Santa Fè” was -wrecked, and I concluded that no ship had ever fallen in with them, -save those which, like the Porto Bello galleon, had never returned -to tell the tale. Hence, I concluded, that it was very possible that -some fragments of the wreck might yet remain undisturbed, containing -boundless wealth. With much ado, and by spending nearly all which I -possessed in bribes, I got access to the documents in the archives -of the Minister of Marine of Spain, and there I found the loss of -the “Santa Fè” fully confirmed. She had sailed from Porto Bello, -and had never been heard of again. This entry, mark you, was before -the date of Vincente’s publication, while he, not having appeared -to contemplate the possibility of recovering the foundered wealth, -took no steps, and communicated with no one on the subject. After -this, I carefully examined Vincente’s narrative, and compared with -it the records of many voyages from Porto Bello and Carthagena to -Hispaniola and Porto Rico, so that, at length, I satisfied myself -that the shoals in question must, if they existed at all, be within a -circle of fifty miles in diameter. I next communicated with a brother -of mine in Bristol, touching the matter, and informing him that I -intended to proceed to the West Indies in search of the shoals, and -the wreck of the “Santa Fè,” conjured him, in case he heard from me -again, to have a ship ready fitted out, to sail for the longitude -and latitude which I would send him. I embarked at Cadiz, and landed -in Porto Rico, which island I suspected of being almost right to -windward of the shoals. Here I made acquaintance with a Welsh seaman, -to whom I partly communicated my projects; and with the help of a -negro and two Indians, very faithful attached fellows, we constructed -a great “Piragua,” victualled her very well, and put off to sea. We -cruised for a month with no success, and then were forced to run -for the Samballas Islands, off Darien, for more provisions. Putting -to sea again, after a three weeks’ voyage, we hit upon the spot we -sought for. The weather was then exceeding calm, and we could see -the bottom in the very deepest parts of the reef, so that on the -eighth day of our search, we actually descried the remains of a great -ship, wedged between two rocks, about five fathoms under water. Our -Indians were brave divers, and speedily brought up pieces of carved -wood, and two or three old-fashioned swords, which satisfied me that -we had hit upon the wreck of an ancient Spanish vessel; for when -we scoured the blades, we could read on them the word “Bilboa.” At -length, after tearing a great deal of the wreck to pieces, the divers -reported that they had come to many large chests, with great clamps -of rusted iron; and one of these being wrenched open, a small ingot -was seen lying just beneath the lid, which we soon found to be virgin -silver. On this, I stopped further proceedings, and wrote a letter -to my brother in cipher, such as we had agreed upon to use. This -letter, my comrades in the “Piragua” started away with, designing to -make Jamaica, and send it home by an English ship; while I, having -an ample amount of provisions, and having found great basins in the -rocks, which the rain filled with fresh water, determined to remain, -until the “Piragua” returned from Jamaica, to watch over my treasure, -and to study the best means of recovering it. In case of accident to -the “Piragua,” I had a canoe, with which, in moderate weather, I was -not afraid of reaching the land. I had been here just two months and -three days, when, on waking one morning, I saw your schooner. Such, -gentlemen, is my story from first to last.’ - -You may be sure that there was great acclamation at these tidings -of a ship-load of riches falling, as it were, into our mouths; but -Captain Jem, who appeared to have his doubts of Mr. Bedloe, ordered -his person, his chest, and hammock to be very strictly searched. -Everything found, however, confirmed the story. There were several -books upon navigation, and an old diary in which were entered divers -sums in dollars, reals, and maravedis, which appeared to have been -expended upon the Spanish officials at the office of marine. Besides -this, the draught of a letter, addressed to Master Richard Bedloe, -near the church of St. Mary, Redcliffe, in Bristol, corroborated a -great portion of the dwarf-pilot’s story; so that, upon the whole, we -began to believe him firmly. The ingot, he told us, the Welshman had -taken to Jamaica to be assayed. - -By the time that all these particulars had been ascertained, the -day was almost at an end, and it was determined that, with the dawn -next morning, both the boats should start to the wreck, provided -with due tackle, and having the Indians, who are excellent divers, -aboard. Paul Bedloe’s hammock was swung in the great cabin, and a -watch placed over him all night: but he appeared to sleep soundly, -and to be but little affected by the probable downfall of his golden -hopes. Indeed, so much was I struck with this, and so composed was -the dwarf in confessing the whole matter to us, part of which must at -all events be true, that I came to the conclusion that, despite of -all his pretended candour and frankness, the fellow intended to play -us a slippery trick after all; so that, confiding my suspicions to -my comrades, Mr. Bedloe was informed that, five minutes after he had -given any symptom of treachery, he would be dangling from the sprit -of the mainsail. To this intimation, the only answer he vouchsafed -was the old shrug of the shoulders. - -The night seemed long to many on board, and with the grey dawn the -boats were manned, Bedloe sitting beside the captain in the launch, -and directing the steersman. The dwarf told us that he would take -the boats to the place where the wreck lay, which was near the open -sea, by such a channel as the schooner could follow in. We therefore -laid down buoys as we went along, it being determined that as soon as -the launch reached the wreck, I should pull back in the shallop, and -navigate the ship to the scene of action. - -And now, behold us, with shout, and joke, and laugh, like men who -are to be speedily and marvellously enriched, pulling gaily for the -sunken El Dorado. The morning mist was rising slowly from the ocean; -the surf-ridges sparkled in the first glances of the hot sunlight and -the white and grey sea-birds wheeled and screamed joyously overhead. -The very rocks and sands bore a changed aspect in our eyes; instead -of forlorn and dreary shelves of crag and shingle lying desolately in -a far-off sea, we gazed upon them as the mystic beds of incalculable -wealth: ‘The sea,’ we said, joyfully, ‘may not give up her dead, but -she keeps a feebler clutch upon her gold. Courage, comrades, courage! -we shall divide the ingots which were melted for the treasury of Old -Castile.’ - -‘Why may there not be more than one single castaway ship lying -hereabouts?’ quoth our surgeon. And we echoed, ‘Why indeed?’ - -At this juncture I noticed Paul Bedloe start and turn pale, just -as he did when I told him his secret the day before. He recovered -himself, however, directly, and it was not until after events had -made me connect that start with the topic of conversation at the -moment, that I realized all its significance and meaning. - -A pull of less than an hour brought us to the spot where Bedloe -declared that the treasure of the Santa Fè lay hid. The shoal, to -the southward extremity, where we now anchored the boats, split into -two long branches or arms, having deep and sheltered water between -them. It was on the weathermost or eastern of these banks, among -spits of sand and jags of rock, that the remains of the ill-fated -ship lay. Making fast a grapnel to a point of coral, we allowed the -boats, under the pilot’s direction, to drift five or six fathoms to -leeward, until they floated in a rather deep channel, or hole, well -sheltered by the coral reefs from the motion of the sea. - -‘Now then,’ quoth Bedloe, ‘look beneath you.’ Immediately, we were -all bending over the gunwales of launch and shallop, and presently, -shading off the light with one hand, we saw, some five fathoms down, -wavering and quivering through the clear cold water, the mouldering -form of a ship of size. There lay the once graceful hull, bulged -and split by the rocks, the bows broken off altogether, the quarter -and stern firmly jammed in a crevice of the reef, and so uninjured -that we could distinguish the quarter galleries and the outlines -of the sculptured figures and medallions and carving. The deck had -been partially broken up, and two or three cannon lay half upon the -bulwarks, half upon the rocks. All three masts had been broken off -close by the board, and their stumps, like the rest of the wreck, -were encrusted with masses of shell-fish, and heaped, here and there, -with wavy bunches of slimy sea-weed. Fish of many sizes and forms -glided tranquilly between us and the foundered ship, and once or -twice we saw a great flat ray rise up from the dark recesses of the -hold, and glide like a plate of burnished copper along the deck. - -‘There, gentlemen,’ says Paul Bedloe, ‘you see I have dealt fairly -by you. You look upon the Santa Fè, which, more than one hundred and -sixty years ago, set sail from Porto Bello for Old Spain.’ - -So, rising up, we gave a great shout, which, in a minute, we -heard echoed by our comrades, whom we had left behind in the -Will-o’-the-Wisp. - -‘Will Thistle,’ says the captain, ‘bring up the schooner directly, -and for heaven’s sake, take care of her bottom against the reefs; we -may have a freight of price to carry home in it.’ - -So presently, having returned to the Will-o’-the-Wisp, and satisfied -the eager demands of those on board, we very soon cast off our -moorings, and the trade wind blowing steadily, we set our forestay -sail and mainsail and began to run down the channel towards the -launch. The way being well buoyed, and all hands working very -smartly, and keeping a bright look-out, there was no difficulty, and -little danger in making the run, and in less than an hour from the -time I had left the launch, the schooner glided into the fork of deep -water between the two tails of the reef, and then forging near the -edge of the weathermost bank we furled our canvas, and the anchor -plunged down, twelve fathoms to the bottom, sinking well into the -soft sand, which here formed good holding-ground. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -HOW THE DWARF TURNS TRAITOR, AND OF HIS FATE. - - -The launch lay at about a cable’s length distance, and Captain Jem -hailed me to shove off the shallop again, and bring a couple of -hand-leads, and some strong lines for the use of the divers, with -one block of the pig-iron which we had for ballast, and a good stout -rope attached to it. As we pushed off with these articles on board, -we saw the naked, dusky forms of both the Mosquito Indians, poising -themselves with their clenched hands above their heads upon the -gunwale of the launch, when, after swinging and swaying their bodies -for a moment or two, they sprang into the air together, and dived -head-foremost down. By this time, so great was the eagerness, that -half of the men were stripped as well as the Indians, and no sooner -had the latter disappeared, than near a dozen stalwart fellows leaped -overboard and dived after them. But our countrymen were none of them -skilful enough in the art to descend through five fathoms of water -and yet keep their eyes keenly open and their wits well about them; -and as the shallop rubbed sides with the launch, their black, sleek -heads and red, strained faces, began to appear puffing and blowing, -like so many grampuses, all round the boats, and crying out that the -water was too deep for them. One man alone, a slender, muscular -young fellow, a Frenchman, who had been used, when a boy, as he told -us, to dive from a pier, at Brest, for sous, alone brought up in his -clutch a mass of slushy sea-weed, grasped from the stump of one of -the masts. - -The Indians were, however, yet under water, and we were getting -uneasy about them, when we saw their dark forms shooting between us -and the foundered ship, and presently they stuck their black heads, -for all the world like seals, above the surface, holding up their -empty hands in token of their fruitless plunge. They had descended -through one of the hatchways into the hold, and groped about there as -they best could in the dim light, but except sheets of rotten canvas -and masses of rusted iron, they found nothing. Upon this, Bedloe was -immediately appealed to, as to the position of the precious coffers, -and he declared that they lay very deep indeed, almost at the keel of -the vessel, in the stern, having probably been stowed under the great -cabin. He had not been down himself, he said, as an asthma hindered -him from diving, but both of his Indians had crept through the deck -at the after hatchway, and he fully believed their report. - -We now prepared to institute a fuller search, and with that view, -making fast the great block of ballast-iron to the rope, we hove it -overboard. The ponderous lump of metal fell upon the high quarter -deck, and crashed through the rotten wood, into the cabin beneath, -starting whole shoals of flat-fish and eels, which glided and -wriggled away, and sending up to the surface a boiling volume of -thickened and turbid water, with little chips of wood, and ends of -rope, which, thanks to pitch and tar, had remained unsaturated with -moisture. We waited for a short time until the sea had cleared, and -then Blue Peter and his comrades fastened the two hand-leads round -their waists, leaving the other extremities of the lines attached -to them in our hands, and then going gently over the side of the -boat, grasped the downward leading rope and slid along it, just as -though it had been a back-stay, until they disappeared beneath the -shipwrecked vessel’s decks, we, of course letting out the lead-lines -as the divers proceeded. A moment of great anxiety followed, and -I observed that the dwarf instead of having his eyes fixed, like -most of us, upon the water, was looking about him very nervously, -fidgeting upon his seat, and moving and rubbing his fingers, and -biting his lips, as people do who fear detection of misdeeds. -Presently, the Indians again ascended to the surface, and again empty -handed. There were nothing like chests or coffers they said—only -casks, which being quite rotten, they had broken into and found them -full of flour, hard caked with the wet. There were also some old -fashioned carbines, a great grindstone, a quantity of rotten cables -and hawsers, a small brass cannon, and a great unnameable mass of -mouldering material, which stirred when it was trodden upon, and -blackened the water, so that, after a few moments, the Indians could -see no more. - -At this information, there were many threatening scowls cast upon the -Manxman, but he bore them firmly enough. - -‘Well, Paul Bedloe,’ says the Captain, ‘what say you to this?’ - -‘I presume your divers are not so expert as mine—that is what I say,’ -answered the little man, coolly enough. - -At this Blue Peter fired up. - -‘I say—dere are no coffers or treasure at all dere!’ exclaimed the -Indian: ‘and Massa Captain Jem here believe Blue Peter, who never -told him a lie—oh, never, not at all.’ - -‘Yes, Blue Peter, I do believe you,’ replied Captain Jem; ‘and if -the prisoner here be dealing falsely with us, on his own head be the -peril.’ - -This was the first time that the Captain had called Bedloe the -‘prisoner,’ and the little man started at the phrase, very -perceptibly, but he only said— - -‘I tell you what my Indians told me; and one of them brought up an -ingot of silver to prove that his words were true.’ - -I was, meanwhile, musing whether I should not try a dive myself. I -remembered that I had been tolerably expert at the exercise, when a -boy, and so, stripping and buckling a hand-lead to my loins, as I -had seen the Indians do to aid their descent, I plunged overboard -into the tepid sea, and grasping the rope, found that I descended -rapidly and easily, and that the water was so transparent, that I -saw above me the keels of the boats, and below me the form of the -cast-away ship, as clearly as though I gazed upon them through the -gloaming of a Scottish summer’s evening. It was a curious sensation, -that of clinging to the rope in the mid sea, with the water like a -mass of thick green air, wavering and gurgling about me, and the -indistinctly-seen forms of fishes gliding hither and thither, like -little opaque phantoms,—and as strange was the feeling when I placed -my foot, as though my body had no weight, upon the slimy deck, and -felt the feathery sea-weed rise upwards at the pressure, and cling -and wave about my legs. All this, of course, passed in a moment, and -in the next I had descended through the after-hatchway, and steadying -myself with my feet upon the lump of pig-iron, I had time to cast -a hurried, but observant glance around me. A considerable portion -of the deck had been torn away, or broken up, by the fall of the -pig-iron, and down the aperture came a dull greenish light, showing -the dim outline of great ribs of wood, and masses of timber-work, -bulged and broken, with fragments of the rock projecting, here and -there, through the crushed and splintered masses. Around me lay -piled up rotting casks, and the fragments of bulkheads, and the -smouldering remains of furniture. I saw the holes where doors had led -from cabin to cabin, sea-weed came waving through them. Shell-fish -clung in clusters to what had been the rudder-case, and to rusty -iron-work, which as I moved, upon the rotting wood and hemp, hurt my -feet. Sprawling along the wreck, and rousing slimy fish from their -lurking-places, I made my way to where I saw the sheen of glimmering -metal, and presently I clutched what was the brass box of a compass. -Then throwing off my leaden sinker, I burst my way out of a -quarter-gallery window, and rose rapidly to the surface, almost spent -for want of air,—holding the compass above my head. It was a minute -after I had breathed, before the loud ringing in my ears enabled me -to hear the shouts of my comrades. They had seen the glimmer of the -metal as I rose, and very naturally took the brass for gold; but they -were soon undeceived, and after I had been hauled on board, and had -time to examine my prize, I undeceived them still further, for I saw -a name and a date upon the implement. - -‘So, comrades,’ I exclaimed, ‘the little man is playing us false. -The Santa Fè must have been lost before the year 1507, and upon this -compass case is written, “Ericson. Amsterdam, 1645.”’ - -At this, there was a loud shout of wrath, and the seamen turned in -fury to the dwarf; but he preserved a wonderful boldness,—all the -nervous agitation was gone, and though he was pale, neither hand nor -lip quivered. - -‘This is not the wreck of the Santa Fè,’ thundered Captain Jem, ‘and -we were dolts to take it for such. Timber must have mouldered away -in half the time this vile dwarf would have us believe that the ship -beneath us had lain under water. But take care,’ and the captain -turned to Bedloe and shook him soundly,—‘take care how you trifle -with us, or, as you seem so fond of this wreck, by God, you shall lay -your stunted bones in it.’ - -Paul Bedloe seemed prepared for this burst, for he said very -calmly—‘I have told you what I know, and if you are deceived, it is -because I was beguiled myself. The Indians spoke falsely.’ - -‘And the ingot—the silver ingot!’ shouted half a dozen of the men. - -‘That I saw with my own eyes brought up from the water,’ replied -Bedloe; ‘and he who recovered it said that there was much more where -that came from.’ - -I looked hard into the dwarf’s eyes. He bore my gaze for a minute -steadily enough, and then tried to turn away. - -‘You have lied in your throat!’ I cried—‘you have lied, and you know -you have lied. There are two wrecks on the shoal.’ - -‘There may be a dozen for all I know,’ said the little man very -stubbornly; ‘you may drown me if you will, but that will not put you -nearer the treasures of the Santa Fè.’ - -Captain Jem paused and looked round upon the men, as though he were -collecting their thoughts. Just then, the boatswain hailed from the -schooner that the weather was getting very ugly to the southward. -We all looked up, and saw an ominous black cloud lying looming upon -the sea, its upper edges gilded with a lurid glow, as though edged -with red-hot iron. The regular trade wind, too, had ceased to blow, -except in faint sickly puffs, and the schooner began to rise and sink -upon great swelling undulations from the southward, so that loose -ropes and blocks shook and rattled, and the gaffs of the foresail and -mainsail swung to and fro with a creaking, wheezing sound. It was -clear that something unpleasant was brewing. - -‘Fasten a spare oar to the line,’ says the captain, pointing to the -rope which descended to the wreck, ‘we may as well buoy the place.’ -His directions were obeyed. - -‘Now, pull for the schooner. Lash that man’s arms there with a bit of -spun-yarn; he has brought it upon himself.’ And in a minute we were -safe on board, and the dwarf, who made no resistance, was thrust well -pinioned into the cabin. - -‘We have no time to trifle,’ said the captain; and so we all thought, -precious moments had been lost, without the symptoms of the weather -having been attended to. - -‘We were looking for the gold,’ said the captain. - -‘And we were looking at you,’ replied the boatswain. In ten minutes -the anchor was up, the boats hoisted in, the sails set double reefed, -and the schooner beating to the southward against heavy puffs of wind -and a great tumbling swell. Our object was to weather either of the -branches or horns of the shoal, then we could either scud or lie -to, having plenty of sea-room. What we feared was, that the force of -the squalls would strike us before we got clear of the fork in which -we were embayed. Meantime the sky was growing every moment of a more -lurid colour, as though the arch of heaven had been a great vault -of brazen metal, and the surf was breaking in awful surges upon the -reefs. - -‘Captain,’ says Bristol Tom, who was at the tiller, ‘we shall not -weather the point; the wind heads her every moment.’ And as he spoke, -the sails flapped like thunder, and a great swell lifted the schooner -and flung her bodily back a dozen fathoms. One of the men from the -forecastle cried at the same time that the wind was coming, for that -the sea was breaking white about a league away. - -‘We must run back through the shoal,’ says I. - -The captain paused a moment. ‘There is no other hope,’ quoth -he. ‘Fetch the dwarf on deck;’ and immediately Bedloe made his -appearance, and gazed anxiously at the weather. Captain Jem went -below. - -‘You offered to pilot us already,’ I said, ‘and you know the shoal -well. I have seen your chart of it. You must bring us through now.’ - -Captain Jem at this moment returned on deck, carrying two large -pistols. - -‘If the schooner as much as scrapes a ridge of sand,’ says he, and -he pressed the muzzle of one of the pistols so hard upon the dwarfs -forehead, that when he took it away there was a round blue ring left -above the eyebrow; ‘if the schooner as much as taps one oyster upon -the coral, you cease to live!’ - -‘That is no news,’ answered the dwarf, with the old shrug of the -shoulders; ‘if the schooner strikes we all of us cease to live. Pooh, -pooh, man! bullying avails not now. We are all of us more near being -drowned than I am of being shot. Put up your pistols.’ - -I declare I positively began to admire the dwarf. His cool courage -was heroic. Captain Jem turned all manners of colours, whistled, -grinned, then tried to appear stern; and at last stuck the pistol -into the waistband of his trousers, looking rather sheepish than -otherwise. Then there was a pause, which the dwarf broke by saying in -the old jeering tone— - -‘Well, captain, do you want a pilot?’ - -‘Do you undertake to run the schooner through these shoals into the -open sea to the northward?’ I replied. - -‘Why, I told you from the first I would run you into the open sea,’ -says the imperturbable Mr. Bedloe. - -‘Take charge of the schooner, then,’ quoth the captain. - -‘Unloose my arms,’ answered Bedloe. ‘I ought to have as good a chance -as the others.’ - -The captain hesitated. - -‘Wounds, man!’ cried the dwarf; ‘I give you my word of honour I am -not going to take the schooner from you.’ - -The cool impudence of the fellow was amusing; and so, stepping -forward, I cut the rope-yarns which bound him. - -‘Now, then,’ quoth he to Bristol Tom and the captain, both of whom -stood by the tiller, ‘look sharp for the pilot’s orders.’ - -The Manxman stepped to the weather-beam, looked earnestly to windward -and then aloft; after which he walked back whistling. The schooner -was labouring heavily upon the swells, and the sky getting wilder and -wilder. - -All at once, the man at the mast-head shouted—‘A sail!’ - -We were all of us startled at the news. - -‘Not the Spanish frigate, Johnson?’ said I. - -‘No, no,’ returned the seaman. ‘It is a sort of boat—a big canoe. I -can only see her when she lifts on the sea; but she carries a high -mast forward, with a small mizen astern, and she is edging in for the -side of the shoals. By God, sir, she is among them!’ - -I was standing by the dwarf as we heard this. He leaped upon the -bulwarks, clambered a few feet into the rigging, and then dropped -upon the deck, exclaiming:—‘The Piragua!’ - -‘What!’ says the captain, ‘your Piragua with the Indians and the -Welshman?’ - -‘That and no other,’ answered Bedloe. ‘You see, gentlemen, I have -told you no lies.’ - -‘The canoe is running for the lee of the large rock, where the dwarf -lived,’ cries the man in the rigging. - -‘Then, by the Lord, they are more in love with coral reefs and -sand-banks than I am!’ replied Captain Jem. - -‘I don’t know that they bean’t right, captain,’ cries the boatswain. -‘That rock is big enough to make a good shelter under its lee; and -there’s a little cove there, if they can make it, where the small -canoe was, where an undecked craft will be much snugger in such -weather as this than out in the open sea.’ - -I was of the same opinion as the boatswain, and so I could see was -Bedloe. All this time we continued head to sea, thrashing away at the -great surges, and just holding our own. - -‘Pilot!’ cried the captain, ‘why do you not run through the channel -at once, without waiting for the strength of the squall?’ - -‘Because, captain,’ answered the little man, very promptly—‘because -the wind comes in puffs, with lulls between; and neither I nor any -other man can take a ship through these banks unless he has her in -full command.’ - -This was so reasonable that there was no more to be said, and we -waited impatiently for the decisive minute. At length it came. A -heavy dank breath of air increased gradually but surely, until the -schooner careened over heavily before it. The horizon to windward was -becoming more and more obscured, the waves broke into white crests -round us, and Bedloe signed to put the helm up and keep the schooner -away. As the head of the ship fell off, and the sheets of the two -great sails tore and struggled as they were being eased off, the -pilot cried to Captain Jem that he would run the schooner close past -the rock where his tent was, for that the most direct channel lay by -it. Captain Jem told him that the ship was now under his charge; and -at the same time emphatically slapped the stock of the pistol in his -belt, as a hint that the charge was a responsible one. - -In less than five minutes, we were running fast among the breakers. -The squall was now blowing fiercely, with pelting rain, which mingled -with the flying brine, torn up from the foaming tops of the breakers. -The sea ran strange and broken in the channels of the reefs, jumping -and tumbling about, furrowed and rent by the fury of the wind, and -the cross sweeps of the great surges, which the lines of reef flung -into different directions, and often caused to sweep round and round -in great seething cauldrons of foam. Through this howling waste of -waters the schooner flew like a meteor, plunging along the white -tops of the seas, diverging now to one side, now to another, as the -skilful eye of the pilot directed; all her motions kept thoroughly in -hand, and leaving reef after reef, each avoided by a dexterous jerk -of the helm, lying foaming behind. - -We were now in the thick of the shoal. Ahead of us, and on the -starboard bow, the rock which had been the dwarf’s habitation, rose -blackly out of the water. I saw by the course that we were steering -that we would shave it closely, and I sprang into the fore-rigging to -keep a sharp look out. As I did so, I saw the mast of the ‘Piragua’ -rocking beyond the coral ledge—the canoe being evidently well -sheltered in the lee of the rock. The squall now grew heavier and -heavier, and on we drove in the thick of it, the sea flashing and -hissing around us. We were close upon the reef. I could have touched -the coral with an oar, as the receding wave poured down its jagged -ledges, when all at once Bedloe shouted with a voice, which, though -shrill, was as clear as a trumpet— - -‘Starboard—hard a starboard!’ - -I started round at the sound; and just at that moment, as the -schooner’s bow sheered to port, I saw the form of Bedloe, one instant -poised upon the bulwark, and the next projected by a desperate leap -into the air, and plunging amid the silvery tumult of the surges; -into which, however, the dusky form had not yet vanished, when -Captain Jem’s pistols flashed and exploded with two rapid reports. -Instinctively I turned ahead. The pestilent dwarf had by his last -order sought to wreck the ship. Before us lay a barrier of coral, -over which the sea poured, as a mighty river flashes over a weir. - -‘Port—hard a port—for the love of life—port!’ I roared. - -It was just in time; the schooner surged round from the reef, -struggling and plunging in the tempest, and then shooting along the -rock. We saw the piragua tossing on the broken water, and one of the -naked crew in the act of leaping overboard with a line, no doubt to -the aid of the dwarf, whose head, as he swam skilfully and strongly, -favoured by the eddy, rose every minute upon the tops of the uneven -and broken surges. - -A hoarse shout of rage burst, in one inarticulate cry, from every -one on board the schooner, but we had our own lives to look after. -Fortunately, we were now in the channel which I had been in the act -of buoying, when we discovered the dwarf’s retreat. My marks I could -not, of course, discern; but I well knew the general lie of the -reefs, and keeping my station in the weather-fore-rigging, I mustered -all my coolness to con the ship. We had a dozen of hair-breadth -escapes as we flew along. Very often the squall blew with such fury -that the whole surface of the sea, deep and shallow, was of the -same whiteness. Then a temporary lull would enable me to see the -whereabouts of the ledges and banks, which I had already surveyed, -so that I was enabled to shout my directions to Captain Jem with -something like confidence. But after all, it was terrible guess-work. -A sharp eye to watch, a skilful hand to work the ship, a steady heart -to keep that eye bright and that hand firm, were what we needed, and -that happily we possessed, so that after near half an hour, during -which we stood with hands clenched and teeth set, no man daring to -draw a full breath, we shot out from the bosom of shoals, and knew -from the heavy rolling of the swells that we were in deep water, and -in the open sea. - -Lucky for us, it was not until then that the full fury of the squall -came roaring down. The sky grew well nigh as mirk as midnight, and -the tempest hurtled through the air like the sweep of chariots and -mighty squadrons in the clouds. - -‘In with all! furl and brail—furl and brail!’ shouted Captain Jem. - -Happily, sail is easily taken off a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel. The -struggling and flapping sheets of canvas were rapidly secured, the -gaffs were lowered down upon deck, and the schooner was speedily -running under bare poles dead to leeward. The squall, meanwhile, -increased until it became almost a hurricane: the great waves were -beaten down flat by the sheer force of the wind. We rushed along, -the tempest whistling and howling in the rigging in the centre of a -roaring bed of foam, which the wind caught up and drove through the -air in clouds which almost blinded us. Presently, a blue flash of -forked lightning tore through the blackness of the sky, accompanied -by a fearful roar of thunder, and then flash followed flash, and -peal succeeded peal, until, what with the tumult of wind and sea, -the lashing of the rain, mingling with the brine, and the incessant -bellowing of the thunder, it was no easy matter to give or to hear -orders. As the rain poured down heavier and heavier, the fury of -the wind abated. Presently there were lulls, and the sea began to -rise and heave around. At length there fell upon us such a deluge of -rain, that had the hatches been off, I am confident that in half an -hour the ship would have foundered. The rain continued for some ten -minutes, and then the great clouds broke up, and rolled hither and -thither, showing streaks of blue sky, and cracks, as it were, through -which the sunlight came slanting down athwart the gloom, tinging -long strips of angry foaming water with its red fire. This was the -break-up of the tornado, which had not lasted, in its strength, more -than ten minutes, and, in an hour, we were under single-reefed sails, -beating up against a heavy sea for the shoals again. - -We had now leisure to converse upon the conduct of Bedloe, which -appeared to many of us to be strange and mad, but I saw a consistency -and a purpose in it all through. The great error the dwarf had made -was in coming on board of our ship; but I admired the cool candour -with which he had disarmed our suspicions by telling us so much -of what was true of his story, as soon as he imagined that I held -the clue to the secret. Furthermore, I did not doubt that, had it -not been for the appearance of the piragua in the nick of time, he -would have carried us clear of the banks, but knowing that she was -in the lee of the rock, and being well acquainted with the eddies -of the reef, he had determined, by one bold push, to drown us and -save himself. Opinions differed as to whether the piragua would -not have been driven from her shelter in the full force of the -hurricane, but there was only one sentiment as to the punishment -which Bedloe deserved, and which, if ever he fell into our hands, we -fully determined that he would receive. Meantime we were gradually -working up to the shoal, and an hour before sunset we saw the long -line of breakers, dotted here and there with dusky beads of rock, -stretching out amid the blue rolling seas. You may be sure that many -an eye was strained to make out the piragua. I got into the main-top -with the best glass in the ship, and although it was difficult to -make out anything with exactness, by reason of the violent motion -of the schooner, yet I was pretty well convinced that the canoe -was not under the lee of the ‘Dwarf’s Rock,’ as we called it; and, -furthermore, that the crew had not landed there, for the canvas of -the tent was torn, and streaming in tattered ribbons into the air. - -It was just before sundown that we learned the fate of the dwarf -and his comrades. A great wave rising between us and the broad red -disc of the sun as he set amid a streak of hazy vapour, we observed -a black object tossing on the very crest of the sea. We trimmed the -schooner’s course for this dim speck, and after losing and regaining -sight of it many times, at length made out that it was a boat or -canoe, waterlogged and abandoned. The sun was now beneath the -horizon—the speeding twilight of the tropics was waning fast away. -The stars were already glimmering, and the leaden-coloured sea, with -its great dusky opaque waves, rolled blackly and hoarsely around us; -when the schooner, plunging into a trough, swept within a couple -of fathoms of the wreck. It was that of a large piragua, bottom -upwards, part of her bows torn away, where she had crashed down upon -a reef. As we went plunging by, a surge from our bows splashed over -the piragua, and, rolling her round, as she wallowed log-like in the -water, we all recognised the drowned corpse of Paul Bedloe lashed -to the stump of the mast, his nerveless legs and arms jerking about -with the wash of the water, his blue eyes open and staring, like the -eyes of a fish, and his light hair now floating out when the sea rose -above him, and anon, when it subsided, settling down and clinging -round his white dead face. With the next heave of the sea the canoe -turned over as it lay when we first saw it, and then drifted away -down into the gathering darkness of the night. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - OF THEIR UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR THE SUNKEN TREASURE—WEARYING AT - LENGTH OF THE UNDERTAKING, THEY PURSUE THEIR COURSE—THE LEGEND OF - ‘NELL’S BEACON,’ OR THE ‘CORPUS SANT.’ - - -For three weeks and better did the ‘Will-o’-the-Wisp’ lie off and -on by the shoals. For three weeks the launch and shallop were -day by day employed searching and dragging the reefs, but we -found no treasure-wreck. The remains of the ship to which Bedloe -had conducted us were thoroughly searched, indeed the deck was -altogether torn up, and some trifling amount of Dutch coin, with -two good iron guns, and the small brass cannon were recovered, but -we gained no richer prize. Day after day, even when the glare of -the sun was at its fiercest, might our boats be seen floating along -the channels of the reef, two men at either bow, leaning over the -gunwale, so that their eyes were removed only an inch or so from -the water: but, save coral and sand, they saw nought besides. Still -I felt certain that the treasure lay upon the reefs, and we had -many disputes as to the possibility of the dwarf having managed, by -flinging certain fragments of rock, which we found upon the eastern -edge of the shoal, and each of which was the nucleus of immense -masses of clustering sea-weed, to hide the precious deposit from -strange eyes. We all agreed that little or nothing of the ship could -possibly be remaining; but, as it was likely that the treasure was -shipped in strong boxes either of iron, or secured with that metal, -it was quite possible that these lay in crevices of the rocks, their -great weight mooring them, and that the dwarf employed his leisure -time before our arrival in covering them with the sea-weed grown -stones of which I spoke. But all these opinions were but idle wind. -We knew not the truth. Some of the elder seamen would have it that -the whole was the work of the devil; that the dwarf was a demon who -haunted those lonely shelves to disturb and perplex poor mariners; -and in the evening, when we sat upon deck smoking and drinking in the -grateful twilight, many a dismal tale was rehearsed of phantoms of -the sea, and particularly of the unearthly creatures whom many of the -crew believed to dwell upon islands as yet unvisited by mariners, and -who try to scare away the human intruders upon their domains. - -However, we at length got heartily tired of our sojourn amid the -reefs, and the more so as we began to fear that we might miss the -rich ship from Carthagena. A council was therefore held, at which -we all agreed that we had wasted too much time already, seeking -for the dwarf’s treasure, and that the sooner the ship’s head was -turned to the southward the better. Accordingly, the next sunrise -saw the boats hoisted up, our anchor safely catted at our bows, and -the schooner running gaily upon her original course. We had rough -weather and heavy seas ere we made the Samballas islands, to which we -first intended to repair, and one stormy night I saw, for the first -time, the appearance of that strange light which is sometimes seen on -board ships at sea, and which the Spanish and Portuguese seamen know -as the ‘corpus,’ or ‘corpus sant,’ and which our sailors sometimes -call ‘Nell’s Beacon.’ The Spanish word seems to me to be clearly a -corruption of ‘corpus sanctum’—the holy body—they tracing the light, -which I believe to be nothing else than a mere harmless wandering -meteor, to some religious or sacred origin. The night that the corpus -sant appeared on board the Will-o’-the-Wisp was stormy and unsettled, -the sky being piled with gloomy clouds, and the wind strong and -gusty. I was sitting by the steersman, when, looking aloft, I saw -something like a greenish-blue glare flickering along the weather end -of the main cross-trees, just as if some one at a distance had been -flashing a dark lantern through the rigging. I was rubbing my eyes, -doubtful whether I had seen aright, when all at once the pale glimmer -appeared, as it were, to become concentrated on one spot at the very -end of the cross-trees, where it gleamed with a dim yet steady light, -like a star. - -The boatswain had the helm, and I pointed it out to him. - -‘Nell’s Beacon,’ quoth he; ‘I know it well. When it burns high up in -the rigging, then it is a good omen, and a sign of fair weather; but -when it descends upon deck and moves to and fro then it is time for -all who see it to bethink themselves of their sins.’ - -Meanwhile the other men of the watch having also observed the light, -began to congratulate themselves thereupon, only expressing fears -that it would descend to the deck, for which cause they watched it -very anxiously. Determined, however, to examine the thing minutely, -I climbed up into the rigging, and although the boatswain tried to -dissuade me, I got upon the cross-trees, and gazed upon the meteor as -closely as I would do at the flame of a candle. The meteor surrounded -the end of the spar upon which it appeared, gleaming with a sort of -pale glow, which was not flame, but rather like the light produced by -flame, sometimes having a very ghastly blue colour, like the blaze of -burning spirits, and anon turning of a greenish tint. Although the -wind blew strong, the corpus sant did not waver or flicker like a -flame, and I passed my hand through and through it, without feeling -inconvenience. During the time I remained aloft, the meteor was -becoming more and more dim, and soon after I had descended to the -deck it disappeared. The remainder of the watch we passed discoursing -upon this phenomenon. Some of the sailors said it was a sort of sea -glow-worm, and others that it was a jelly which shone; but neither -of these opinions is correct. Upon asking what the Spanish and -Portuguese sailors said of it, one Thomas Lomax, who had been twice a -prisoner in a ship of the former nation, told us that the tradition -of the Spaniards was to this effect:— - -A Spanish bark once set sail from Cadiz, bound for Sicily. They had -very calm weather, and they feared at last that their water would -run short. All the crew, therefore, made vows to St. Antonio, and -promised to place a silver candlestick upon his shrine if he would -send them a prosperous breeze. The captain of the ship alone refused -to join in their prayers, saying that St. Antonio could no more send -them a wind than a pig could see it, and vowing that at all events -if it were not so, the saint was a shabby fellow not to give poor -sailors a breeze without their having to rob their wives and families -to pay him for it. But day after day passed by, and the sails still -hung in unwinking folds from the lateen yards, and the reflection of -the ship could be seen in the sea as in a mirror. One evening, after -a very hot day, the air felt even closer than usual, and the captain -told the men that he must reduce still further their allowance of -water. That night, therefore, they redoubled their supplications to -the saint, and the captain who, by-the-by, was a Frenchman, redoubled -his abuse of him, swearing that St. Antonio could not muster as much -wind as would blow out a candle, far less urge on a ship. The words -had hardly been spoken when a great light shone upon the vessel, and, -running to the stern, they all saw St. Antonio, with a halo round his -head, coming walking upon the water towards them. At this they all -fell upon their knees, and even the French captain grew pale, and his -legs almost failed him. Meantime the saint walked upon the sea up to -the stern, and placing his hand upon the taffrail of the ship, said— - -‘This to confound thy unbelief, thou contemner of holy men and -things!’ - -At the same giving the ship what appeared to be a slight push, but -which flung her forward as if she had been a stone hurled from a -sling. The saint having performed this feat, instantly vanished, -and at the same moment a fearful storm, the like of which was never -seen by man, suddenly arising, drove on the ship with the same -rapidity as that which the hand of the saint had imparted to her. -Meantime all the crew were on their knees praying to the Virgin to -intercede for them with St. Antonio, and expecting nothing less -than instant death. But the ship continued to drive with unearthly -rapidity, although without injury, and beginning to take courage, -they observed, on looking about, a bright light burning upon that -part of the taffrail which the saint had touched with his hand. For -three days and three nights the miraculous storm lasted. The ship -flew through the water quicker than birds cleave the air, and the -supernatural nature of the tempest was made still more evident by -the fact that it was not general over the sea, but that within half -a cable’s length from the ship the ocean and the air were either -perfectly at rest, or a pleasant breeze was blowing, and vessels -were sailing with a fair wind in the opposite direction to that in -which the saint-cursed ship was driven. Still, however, the mariners -did not cease to importune St. Antonio for pardon, and the captain -was loudest in his prayers, and most lavish in his vows. At length, -at midnight on the third night, the light, which had never ceased -to burn, suddenly moved from its place, and flitting to the mast, -began to ascend it. As the meteor rose into the air, the fury of -the storm lulled. The mariners, seeing this, fell upon their knees -and put up loud thanksgivings. The light continued to rise until it -glittered upon the highest point of the rigging, to wit, the end of -the great lateen yard, where having remained steady for some time, -it gave a sudden bright flash, and then soared into the air, until -the gazers could distinguish it no longer amid the stars. The wind -then fell as suddenly as it had risen, and the strained ship again -floated tranquilly upon unbroken water. When the day dawned, the -crew saw land barely a league a-head of them, and a fishing-boat -coming off soon after, they learned that they were off Cape Epiphane -in the island of Cyprus, having traversed, in an incredibly short -space of time, almost the whole length of the Mediterranean sea. A -pleasant breeze, however, soon sprang up from the east, and having -obtained what water and stores they needed, they turned the ship’s -head westward, and arrived without accident at their port in Sicily, -where great honours were paid to the shrine of St. Antonio. From that -time to this, say the mariners of Spain, the light which the touch of -a holy body—a corpus sanctum—created, has never been extinguished, -but floats over the ocean, appearing now as a warning of approaching -death, anon as a harbinger of hope to mariners. - -This was the Spanish tale of the Corpus Sant, and I now asked for the -English legend of ‘Nell’s Beacon.’ - -‘Why,’ quoth the boatswain, ‘I never heard it told; but often I have -heard it sung both afloat and ashore, in the taverns at Limehouse or -Portsmouth Point, and aboard many a ship in many a sea.’ Thereupon, -all the watch desiring to hear the song, the boatswain, in a very -coarse gruff voice, chanted the following stanzas, which, rude as -they are, I put down just as I heard them:— - - -The Legend of ‘Nell’s Beacon.’ - - There are stormy seas do roll, - Which the boldest well may dread, - When the east wind whistles snell - On the cliffs of Beachy Head. - By that coast, tempest beaten, - On the sea-weed clustered stones, - Stout-hearted sailors many, - Have laid their weary bones. - - From the sandy shores of Eastbourne, - Nigh the rocks whereof I sing, - Sailed a brave and lusty seaman, - And his name was Richard King. - He was captain of a trading sloop, - Which voyaged unto the Seine, - And ’twas Beachy Head he always made - When he returned again. - - For there, from eve to dawning, - A beacon always shone - During the time, whate’er it was, - That Richard King was gone. - From the window of a cottage - That beam came, ever bright, - For there sat Nelly, Richard’s wife, - And trimmed the lamp all night. - - She trimmed it, for she knew - That her husband dear would gaze, - When the white cliffs loomed a-head, - For those love-enkindled rays; - And when he saw them flicker, - Through the darkness of the night, - He would straightways cry right cheerily - ‘There’s Nelly’s Beacon Light.’ - - But, ah! these long night watches, - They paled poor Nelly’s cheek; - Her eye was bright and fevered, - But her step grew slow and weak. - Her husband bent above her, - And she looked up in his face— - ‘I’m wearing fast away,’ quoth she; - ‘I go unto my place. - - But you are bound to sea, dear, - To the stormy Spanish shore; - Look, Richard, look upon your Nell, - You ne’er may see her more! - But watch when you return, dear, - You will know that I am dead, - If no light shines out to greet you - From the top of Beachy Head. - - ‘Yet death shall never part us, - For, if it lawful be, - My soul shall fly to you, dear, - Athwart the roaring sea; - But not a ghastly sheeted corpse - Shall I appal your sight, - You will see an airy Beacon, - And my soul will be the Light.’ - - The storm roared loud at midnight, - With sleet, and wind, and rain; - The struggling ship tossed wildly - On the rocky coast of Spain: - When suddenly the captain cried— - ‘Oh God, my wife is dead!’ - Upon the topmast gleamed a light— - The Light of Beachy Head! - - * * * * * - - Two score of years went slowly by, - And again the storm-blast blew, - Old Richard King, with long grey hair, - Spake cheerily to the crew. - ‘Oh look aloft, my gallant boys, - There’s hope within our sight, - A kindly spirit watches us— - There’s Nelly’s Beacon Light!’ - - But as he spoke, the Beacon - Came floating through the air, - The captain knew the sign—he knelt - In thanksgiving and prayer. - The tempest swept him from the deck, - But as he sunk like lead, - Above his forehead shone the light - Which gleamed from Beachy Head! - - And still in time of tempest - Does Nelly’s Beacon burn, - Sometimes it shines aloft to cheer, - Sometimes alow to warn; - But it reads us all this lesson— - True love is never dead, - The symbol shines on every sea - That shone from Beachy Head! - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -A KNAVE OF THE CREW PLAYING WITH COGGED DICE IS KEEL-HAULED. - - -Four days after leaving the reefs, we saw land ahead, and presently -were running in amid the clusters of the Samballas Isles. On every -side of us, these rich islands flung, as it were, their masses of -foliage into the sea; bushes clothing the rocks where such existed, -and at other points thick mangrove woods, the stems of the trees -often covered with oysters, growing far into the water. These forests -appeared to swarm with birds and beasts. We heard the loud screams -of thousands of unknown fowls resounding from the woods; and often, -as we skirted the shore, watching places where the trees did not -grow thick, we descried troops of monkeys going chattering along, or -herds of peccary and deer, breaking through the bushes. Sea-birds -also abounded. Great clouds of plovers flew, wheeling and circling -along the shore, and the white sandy beaches and the sea were dotted -with turtles basking in the sun, or lazily sleeping on the top of -the smooth water. The Samballas Islands are thinly inhabited by -scattered tribes of Indians, who subsist by hunting and fishing, -and are very willing to aid as guides or pilots to the English and -French privateers who put in here; so that the first canoe which we -saw made directly towards us, and the two Indians who guided it came -on board very readily, and were treated with brandy and wine, much -to their satisfaction. From them we learned that several privateers -had been lately in these islands, to careen and provision; and that -the Spaniards from Porto Bello and Carthagena, had sent a fleet of -armadilloes, as they are called, being small vessels of war, which -had swept all the channels between the islands, and had captured one -privateer, a tartan of four guns, commanded by Captain Coxon, having -surprised her in a creek where she was careening. We questioned -these Indians respecting the galleon which the Spanish prisoner -at Jamaica had told us of. They know that many rich ships sailed -annually from Carthagena to Old Spain, but could tell no particulars, -conjecturing, however, that if any vessel with a freight of price -were now fitting for sea, she would sail after the return of the -armadilloes to Carthagena, judging that they would have, for the -present, cleared the coast. This information, which jumped with our -own ideas, made us very anxious to take in what provisions we stood -in want of, and be off to the westward; and the same afternoon the -friendly Indians piloted the schooner into a very snug bay, where we -lay with trees all round us, except at one point where an opening -in the woods conducted to a noble savannah, whither we often went -to hunt. While we lay here, all hands were fully occupied. Upon the -beach, near the schooner, we erected a place for preparing boucan, -which we preferred to regularly salted meat: and of which Nicky -Hamstring, who had a natural turn for cooking in all its branches, -was appointed superintendent. Then the Mosquito men went daily in -their canoe, and struck turtle and manatee. Hunting parties, whereof -I generally made one, explored the woods and brought good store of -peccary and deer down to the boucan. We shot also the tender young -monkies, who often made my heart sore by their screaming and moaning -when they felt the lead, and by the pitiful way in which, when they -came by a broken bone, they would handle the useless limb, and grin -and weep with the pain. Besides these, we made food of the guanas or -yellow lizards, who live amid the branches, and love to bask in the -sun upon the topmost boughs, and also of a species of red land-crab, -which our men call soldiers, from their colour, and which run nimbly -about, generally at the roots of trees, hiding themselves quickly -in holes, and burrowing like rabbits. The Indians who conducted our -schooner into the bay, lived with others not far off, in smoky huts, -which were surrounded by patches of cleared land, wherein they grew -good store of yams and plantains, which they sold very willingly -for hatchets, saws, and such like implements, with powder and lead. -Meantime, while a great part of the crew were thus busy on shore, -Captain Jem, with the hands who remained on board the schooner, was -occupied in changing her appearance as much as possible; for we -knew that the Spaniards have no lack of spies either in Jamaica or -the other English islands, and we misdoubted that an account of the -schooner had been sent to Cuba, and from thence to the Main. We, -therefore, repainted the ship, making a great yellow streak from -stem to stern, with false ports, and also made a shift to alter, to -the eye at least, the trim of the ship, by placing false bulwarks -towards the stern, which heightening her from the foremast all the -way aft—the painted streak being made to correspond with the new -bulwarks—caused the schooner to have a clumsy look, as though she -were down by the head, in consequence of carrying an ill-stowed -cargo. We also changed the set of the masts, by putting heavy strains -upon the rigging; and lastly, we patched the sails, although they -were new and good, with old canvas; conducting our operations with -such good effect, that the crew swore to a man, that had they been -away for a week, they would never have recognised the schooner for -the ‘Will-o’-the-Wisp.’ - -Being at length in readiness for our cruise, we towed the ship out -of the little bay, and commenced beating to windward through the -islands, passing the isle called Las Sound, where the Buccaneers have -a legend, that the heart of Sir Francis Drake lies buried in four -caskets, of lead, of iron, of silver and of gold. I see no reason, -however, for believing that his heart was not in his body when -that was committed to the deep in the bay of Porto Bello, amid the -thunder of artillery, and the crash of the martial music, in which -the great admiral so much delighted. As we worked up against strong -westerly breezes, we met with several fleets of large canoes, laden -with sugar, hogs, yams, and corn, running before the trades; but as -we were now approaching Carthagena, we thought it most prudent to -let these piraguas pass by unmolested, hoisting Spanish colours, and -making as though we were a friendly trader. So in due time, we left -the westernmost of the Samballas keys to the leeward, and stood off -to the north-west, designing to make a long stretch out to sea, so as -to prevent any intelligence of our whereabouts being conveyed along -the main land to Carthagena. - -Towards the afternoon of the day on which we cleared the Samballas, I -having the charge of the deck, could not help noticing the miserable -plight of one Simon Radley, a young sailor, who was a very quiet -well-behaved fellow, and a favourite on board. When we left Jamaica, -he had been very well dressed in seaman fashion; but now, he was -clothed merely in rags, without a shirt, and his shoes were only bits -of canvas swathed round his feet, and very coarsely sewn together. -Besides all this, the poor fellow looked almost broken-hearted, and -went about his work very sadly, - -‘Simon Radley,’ quoth I ‘how came you in this plight? Have you -lost all your clothes? Surely if you have, your comrades will lend -you some, and you can make it up to them with the first of your -prize-money.’ - -Well, at first the fellow would answer never a word. At length he -muttered that he had been unlucky, very unlucky, but that it was -nobody’s fault but his own, and that he would be better off soon. I -insisted, however, on knowing what he had done with his clothes, upon -which, after a great deal of stammering and hesitation, he plucked up -his heart, and said broadly, that I had no business with his clothes, -and that, if he chose to wear a clout, or paint himself and go half -naked like the savages, it was nothing to me, or to any one else, so -long as he did his duty manfully. Just as he was speaking, up came -the boatswain, John Clink. - -‘Simon Radley,’ says the old fellow, ‘you speak like a fool. It -concerns us all, to see our comrades so bestowed as that they shall -have the best chance of keeping their health, and not turning sick -upon our hands. Now, I know where your clothes are, well. I have had -my eye on you for some days past. Your clothes are in George Bell’s -chest, with a good quantity of the clothes of the other men as well.’ - -‘Hush, hush,’ says Radley, ‘there is honour in these things. If they -are in George Bell’s chest, it is because they belong to him.’ - -‘But how?’ cries I. ‘Have you sold the clothes, Simon?’ - -‘Sold them—no,’ says Clink. ‘He has lost them, or been cheated of -them, at dice, with that fellow Bell, who is a sneaking vagabond, and -always skulking out of the way, whenever he is wanted.’ - -I remembered now that I had very often seen Bell playing dice with -others of the crew, but had taken no particular notice, such games -being very common among privateersmen. - -‘And so you have had bad luck, Simon?’ rejoined I. - -‘Bad luck,’ interrupted Clink: ‘yes, and most of those have bad luck -who play with George Bell.’ - -The conversation continuing, we gradually drew from Radley, that he -had played with Bell for all the ready money which he possessed on -leaving Jamaica, and lost it; that then he had played for a good -set of mathematical instruments, and lost them; that then he had -played for all his clothes, and lost them; and, although for some -time his shipmates had supplied him, that he had lost in succession -every article of clothing so given to him, in the same way; and -that, finally, he had played for and lost his chances of prize-money -during the whole cruize. All this the poor fellow told with great -reluctance, seeming to consider such disclosures as a breach of -honour; but on John Clink saying that, in his belief, Bell had been -a common sharper in London, and had bubbled poor Radley out of his -property, Simon grew very indignant, and swore that, if it were so, -he would have Bell’s blood. However, we pacified him, and made him -understand that before making any charge, we must have better proof. -George Bell at this time being below, and in his hammock, I called -up a number of the crew in succession, all of whom said that they -had played with Bell, and that they had never won anything; that if, -now and then, a cast of the dice was in their favour, yet that they -always rose the losers. Some of these men had had their suspicions -of Bell’s play, but as they had never compared notes, they were not -aware, until I questioned them, how very similar all their cases -were. They knew, indeed, that Simon Radley had been stripped, but -they were loath to accuse a shipmate of foul play. - -‘Why, then,’ quoth John Clink, ‘that fellow, Bell, must own about -half the property in the ship, if your tales be all true. This must -be looked into.’ - -‘With whose dice do you play?’ says I: and they all answered, that -generally it was with Bell’s for that several men who had brought -dice on board had lost them, they knew not how, but Bell had several -sets. This information increased our suspicions very much, and -desiring all hands to keep the matter to themselves, and by no means -to give a hint to Bell that he was suspected, I informed Captain Jem -of the whole affair. - -‘The snivelling, cur-hearted miscreant!’ quoth honest Captain Jem, -his plump red cheeks glowing with indignation. ‘I never saw anything -good in that fellow since he came on board. He is a pitiful skulk, -and never stirs out of his hammock except when he is driven. It was -he who counselled us to strike to the Spanish frigate, but if we -find him out in his roguish tricks his back shall so smart for it, -as shall cause him to think that his spine be stuffed full of pepper -instead of marrow.’ - -So it was determined that Bell should be closely watched, and the -dice which he was so fond of using, examined at the first convenient -opportunity. Nor had we long to wait for its occurrence. In a little -more than an hour, the suspected culprit came on deck, not thinking -any harm, and going to the cook-house returned with a portion of -boucanned pork, off which he made a very good dinner, with the help -of a clasp-knife, and then having washed down the meat with several -hearty draughts of brandy, he accosted my old friend Le Picard, and -asked him whether he would shake a wrist with him. Now Picard had -been also below and asleep, when the investigation into Mr. Bell’s -character had been going on, and the men having kept their own -counsel, Le Picard had no idea of what was in the wind. So presently, -they sat down and began to play upon the combings, or ledge of the -hatchway, Bell having produced the dice and dice-boxes. I watched the -suspected sharper very closely when the game was going on, and noted -his general sly down-cast look, and the small way which he opened -his eye-lids, always peering about him with suspicious blinking -eyes. Then, again, I observed his hand, which, although dirty and -tarry enough, was not the hand of a man who had been all his life -accustomed to handle ropes and marlin-spikes. Meanwhile, quite a -circle of spectators gathered round the players, a circumstance -not usual, as the stakes were trifling, but which Le Picard took -no notice of. Bell, on the other hand, looked often about him, and -seemed puzzled at the interest which so many of the crew took in the -matter. However, he said nothing, but played on, so far as I could -see very fairly, and the luck went from one to the other, as is usual -in the game. At last, Le Picard grew impatient. - -‘Come,’ quoth he ‘_Allons, mon camerade, jouons plus fortément._ Let -us play for a better stake.’ - -‘I am agreeable,’ replied the other, softly. - -‘_C’est bien, alors._ Let it be a double doubloon; I have not many -left.’ - -The Frenchman pulled out the piece of gold, and placed it on the -ledge of the hatchway. Bell, after some searching, real or pretended, -plucked another piece from his pocket, holding, as I observed, the -dice all the while in his hand. - -Captain Jem, who stood by me, did not fail to observe this as well as -I, and whispered to me that the fellow by this manœuvre might well -have changed the ivory. I nodded. - -‘A thunderstorm, or a single flash?’ says Bell, meaning, shall we -decide the game by one cast, or in a great many. - -‘Oh, one flash; short and sweet!’ quoth the French man. Both of them -rattled the dice and flung them forth. - -‘Trays,’ called out Le Picard. - -‘Sixes,’ exclaimed Bell; ‘the money is mine,’ and he grasped the gold -greedily. - -‘I will hold you doubles or quits,’ cried Le Picard, in true gambling -spirit. - -‘Well, if you want your revenge, I suppose I must not say no,’ -answered the other, in a quiet unobtrusive tone. - -The dice were again thrown, and this time the Frenchman had quatres, -and Bell, as before, sixes. Muttering a great oath, poor Picard -fished up the stakes from the bottom of his pocket, and was handing -them to the winner, when Captain Jem cried in a loud voice, ‘Stop.’ - -Both players looked up in surprise. - -‘Bell,’ said the captain, sternly, ‘hand me over that dice.’ - -‘Why, captain,’ quoth the other, in a cringing tone, getting suddenly -very pale, and looking quickly all about him; ‘why, captain, there -has been no foul play, I hope? We are gentlemen adventurers on board -this ship.’ - -And, with that, his hand stole slily towards his pocket, as if to -deposit there his winnings. Observing this motion, however, I grasped -his wrist and defeated his intention, the dice falling from his -fingers. At the same time, Captain Jem caught him by the collar of -his doublet, crying out— - -‘Why, thou booby, thine own words condemn thee; who spoke of foul -play but yourself? I only asked you for the dice, and you straightway -think you are accused of cheating.’ - -At this Bell looked sheepish enough, but presently recovering -himself, began to bully and curse, swearing that he was a gentleman -and a man of honour, and requesting to know by what right his dice -had been taken from him. - -‘Come here, Simon Radley,’ says Captain Jem, and Simon stood forth, -shaking his clenched fist at Bell. - -‘Have you not lost every farthing you possessed, as well as your -clothes and your chances for the cruise, to this man?’ says the -boatswain. - -Simon replied that it was so, and was entering into particulars, when -Bell burst out with a great affectation of scorn and indignation— - -‘A pretty fellow,’ quoth he, ‘to game with a gentleman, and then, -when fortune is adverse, to go and prate of your losses, and charge -your adversary with foul play! Go to, man! had I lost, I never would -have accused you of cheating. But you throw no dice with me again.’ - -‘No, that you may depend upon,’ answered Radley. - -‘Stay,’ cried Captain Jem, ‘we are going but rashly to work. Let all -the men here who have diced with George Bell hold up their hands.’ - -Thereupon, more than two-thirds of the crew made the sign. - -‘Good,’ replied the captain; ‘now, let those who have lost money, or -aught else to him, hold up their hands.’ - -Nearly the same number of hands were immediately displayed. Bell grew -yellow in the face, and glared about him with fierce spite. - -‘Good again,’ continued the captain; ‘Mr. Bell, I must congratulate -you; fortune has been very kind to you—very kind indeed. Now, let -those who have won money or aught else of George Bell, hold up their -hands.’ - -Two hands were raised, and their owners being interrogated, it -appeared that they had gained, one of them, not more than a couple of -groats, and the other merely a small rusty pistol, which had burst -the first and only time he had fired it, and against which he had -staked, being incited by Bell, a good perspective glass. - -‘So, then, gentlemen and comrades,’ pursued Captain Jem, ‘the case -stands thus: here are a score of you have played with this man; -and, although each man of that score ought to have had as good a -chance of winning as Bell, yet the fellow has beaten you all, one -after another; and the only winnings from him have been contemptible -matters not worthy speaking of.’ - -The crew here uttered a loud murmur of acquiescence, and some of them -began to threaten Bell with their fists. Still he tried to put a good -face on the matter, although his tongue faltered as he spoke. - -‘You are mistaken, gentlemen,’ he cried, ‘indeed you are; I will -take my Bible oath that I played fair; nay, if you do not believe -me, I am willing to give up all my winnings, and surely that ought -to satisfy everybody. But I assure you, comrades, if I were to be -hanged this minute, I would still say that you had no wrong from me. -I am incapable of cheating, gentlemen! I do not understand how to cog -dice, upon my soul; indeed, indeed I do not.’ - -‘That fellow’s tongue would hang him if there were but one rope in -the world,’ says the boatswain; ‘he was the first to talk of foul -play, and now he is the first to talk of cogged dice!’ - -‘We will soon settle that matter,’ says the captain, ‘and that by -splitting open the ivory.’ - -‘Oh, certainly, certainly, I agree to that,’ says Bell; ‘here are my -dice, sir,’ and he whipped out several cubes from his pocket. - -‘No, no,’ interrupted I, ‘never mind these; we will try the dice with -which you won the two doubloons e’en now.’ And one of the men having -fetched a hammer, I placed the morsel of ivory upon the ledge of the -hatchway. Upon seeing this, Bell went down plump upon his knees, and -raised a dismal howl. - -‘Ah, you can be penitent enough now, chicken-heart!’ says Captain -Jem; whilst I, having splintered the dice with a blow, we discovered -a small bent piece of lead, very neatly inserted in one of the -specks of the deuce side of the cube, not, however, drilled -perpendicularly into the ivory, but artificially deposited in a sort -of burrowing hole, running along just under the surface of that side -of the square. It was evident, that to prepare a dice in this fashion -required a hand very skilful and well accustomed to the work. The -men crowded round to see it, uttering furious menaces against the -convicted sharper, who never moved from his knees, but continued to -supplicate most piteously for mercy. - -‘Mercy!’ exclaimed Captain Jem; ‘mercy, forsooth. Thou art one of the -first privateersmen I ever heard of cheating his comrades, and thou -shalt smart for it, or I no longer command this schooner.’ - -‘Do not flog me—for mercy’s sake, do not flog me!’ the fellow bawled; -‘I cannot bear flogging—it will kill me—it will be murder if you flog -me. I was flogged once, and the doctor said it all but killed me;’ -and so, crying and howling, the pitiful creature cast him down upon -the deck, and bemoaned himself in the most abject misery of spirit. - -‘Flogged before,’ said the boatswain. ‘Ay, I warrant thee. Aboard -what ship?’ - -‘Aboard no ship at all,’ roared the culprit. ‘On shore. Oh dear!—oh, -dear!’ - -‘On shore,’ answered the boatswain. ‘At the cart’s tail I presume?’ - -‘Yes, yes,’ cried Bell; ‘but I give you my word of honour, sir—my -sacred word of honour, that I was not guilty then. It was another -man.’ - -‘Not guilty then,’ says Nicky Hamstring. ‘No; no more than you are -now, I dare affirm.’ - -The miserable devil gave no answer, but made as though he would catch -the legs of the men about him, and cling to them. In all my life I -never saw such a pitiful hound. - -‘Keel-haul the fellow,’ says one of the men, ‘and see whether the -brine won’t wash the roguery out of him.’ And the others joined in -the cry: ‘Yes, yes, keel-haul him.’ - -At this the culprit sat up upon the deck and looked earnestly in the -faces of the men through his tears. I do not think he understood what -keel-hauling meant. - -‘Anything,’ says he, whining like a hungry cat; ‘anything sooner than -flogging.’ - -‘Very good,’ says Captain Jem. ‘Be it so. Truly, on second thoughts, -it would be degrading hemp to put it to any other use about such a -scoundrel, except hanging him.’ - -Meantime, half a dozen of the men, in great glee at the anticipated -ducking, went about the preparations without loss of time. - -The punishment of keel-hauling, I premise, that we borrowed from the -Dutch. Its name describes its nature. The prisoner is fastened to -a rope led under the vessel’s keel, and hauled beneath her bottom, -as often as his guilt seems to require. It is evident that this is -a punishment the severity of which depends greatly upon the size of -the ship, and the frequency with which the process is repeated. To -be hauled under the keel of a great ship of war is a very different -thing from being hauled under the keel of a small sloop; but in -order to give the punishment its requisite severity on board small -craft, the culprit is often hauled all along the keel, being let -over the bows, and taken up at the stern; a process by which he is -sure to be at least half drowned and half scraped to death by the -rough barnacles and jagged shell fish which generally encase a ship’s -bottom. In the present case it was determined, however, that Bell -should undergo the easier mode of punishment, and be hauled from -bulwark to bulwark, but the dose was to be administered twice, giving -him a breathing-time between. Accordingly, by the help of a sounding -lead, first a thin line and afterwards a stout cord were conducted -under the ship’s keel, Mr. Bell watching the process with great -anxiety. - -‘What—what are you going to do with me?’ at length he cried, -beginning to comprehend the nature of his punishment. ‘You do not -mean to drag me under the ship?’ - -‘You have hit it my hearty,’ says the boatswain; ‘hit it to a tee. -Yes; we will give you an opportunity of inspecting the run of the -schooner, and if you fail to observe all its beauties the first time, -don’t break your heart, you will have another chance immediately -after.’ - -At this the cowardly animal began to howl and blubber again. - -‘You will drown me, you will; it’s murder. There were sharks about -the ship all yesterday. I will never come up alive! Have mercy on me! -I have a wife and family in England. I would rather be flogged than -put overboard. I would rather be flogged, indeed I would.’ - -At this moment Captain Jem came up. - -‘Rather be flogged, would he? A minute ago he sang another tune. -Why, you discontented thief,’ roared the captain, ‘you would not be -pleased even although we were to hang you. Come, men, bear a hand, -and have him overboard in a trice.’ - -Immediately, half a dozen stout fellows flung themselves upon the -miserable culprit. He roared, swore, and prayed, all in a breath, -kicked out with his legs and arms, and sought to bite and scratch -like a wild cat. But he was speedily mastered, his arms pinioned -securely, his ankles tied together, and the rope which ran under the -keel made fast under his armpits. He was then lifted and carried to -the larboard bulwarks, half a dozen men holding the end of the rope, -which passed beneath the keel and came up on the starboard side, -while two or three hands had charge of the continuation of the line, -so as to steady his descent in the first dive, and to pull him back -by in the second. - -All this time the vagabond never ceased to abuse and swear at us, -seeing that cries for mercy availed not. Captain Jem gave the word— - -‘Heave and pull,’ and instantly Mr. Bell went with a splash into the -sea, struggling for a moment on the surface, and then, as the men on -the starboard side hauled the rope, disappearing in the water. - -‘Rattle him round,’ says the captain. ‘He must not drown for all he -is such a villain.’ The men ran across the deck with the rope; there -was a surge and a jerk, when the poor devil struck the projecting -keel, but he was instantly dragged beneath it, and the next moment -he made his appearance on the larboard side, struggling, panting and -coughing up the water, his face all blue and bleeding from having -been scraped along the bottom, and his clothes torn by the jagged -shells of the barnacles. - -‘O, Lord!’ he gasped; ‘murder—it is—murder;’ and then the coughing -well-nigh choked him. - -‘Down with him again,’ cried the captain. The end of the rope which -had been before used as a guy was promptly manned, and Bell again -disappeared beneath the water, was again rudely jerked against the -keel, and then hauled up the side of the ship, and cast upon deck all -bleeding and insensible, with his hands blue and cramped, and his -limbs quite limp and motionless. By Captain Jem’s direction he was -held up by the legs, when presently he vomited up a great quantity -of sea water, and then began to stir and moan, with great fits of -coughing. His hands and legs were then released, and he managed to -sit up on deck, leaning against the mast, and looking as if he had -just wakened out of a dream. - -‘Let this be a warning to you, Mr. Bell,’ said the captain, ‘how -you play dice in future. I presume you will only stay in this ship -until you have a chance of going on board another. None of your own -property, however you came by it, will be taken away, but all that -you cheated your comrades of must be restored.’ - -Accordingly, Bell’s chests were opened, a general distribution took -place, and that evening Simon Radley appeared in his former attire. -As for the sharper himself, we afterwards learned that he had been a -well-known rogue in London, and after having been twice flogged at -the cart’s tail, had been tried for ring-dropping, and transported -to the plantations of Virginia, from which he managed to escape, and -after divers adventures in the West Indies—whereof the greater part -were more complimentary to his ingenuity than to his honesty—he had -shipped on board our schooner at Jamaica, as the reader has seen. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -WE CRUISE OFF CARTHAGENA AWAITING THE GALLEON, AND I FALL INTO THE -HANDS OF THE SPANIARDS - - -In three days after leaving the Samballas Islands, we had beat so -far to the norwest, that we counted upon being rather to windward -of Carthagena, and from nine to twelve leagues distance from the -coast. The west winds blow here with very little intermission, -the land-breeze being very slight when it does come, which is but -seldom. It was necessary now to determine exactly upon our mode of -proceeding, and this was the plan we adopted. The prize which we -expected was a private Patache, or treasure-ship, which, not waiting -the convoy of the great fleet which sails once in every three years -from the West Indies for Spain, intended, as we were informed by -Mr. Pratt’s prisoner, to risk the chances of the homeward passage -unprotected. Now, it was clear, that the first thing which we had to -do, was to ascertain whether the Patache, or galleon, was still in -Carthagena, and if so, when she would probably come out. Our next -care would be to keep to sea, and watch the coast and the harbour, -so as, if possible, to prevent the galleon putting off unknown to -us; while, at the same time, we managed so as to prevent any alarm -being excited upon the coast. With this view, we would, of course, -run in tolerably close with the land at nights, keeping further in -the offing during the day, and showing as little sail as possible. -But our first business, as I have said, was clearly to ascertain that -the mouse was actually in the hole; and that we might be sure, we -determined to venture well in towards the harbour that very night, -and, if possible, capture some small coasting craft or fisherman, -who could give us the information which we required. Accordingly, we -turned the schooner’s head to the southward, and ran along with a -pleasant breeze abeam. By sunset we saw the land; and so correct was -our reckoning, and so skilful our pilots, that John Clink and Captain -Jem, who knew the coast well, pronounced the hummock, on which we -were gazing, to be a high hill just behind the city of Carthagena, on -which there stands a cathedral, which boasts of a very rich shrine, -dedicated to the Holy Virgin, and of which more hereafter. Carthagena -itself is principally built upon a small sandy island in a bay. The -city lies upon the seaward side of the island, which is connected, by -a long wooden bridge, with the suburbs or faubourgs along the main -coast, the strait being, as may be supposed, a mere belt of shallow -water. Well, by ten o’clock, we saw the lights of Carthagena quite -plainly ahead of us; and afraid of venturing too near, we hove to, -and kept a good look out around us. But the sea was as shipless, -as though it heaved round a desolate island. The breeze was light -and fitful, and we lay tossing on the long swell, our bows plunging -deeply, and our gaffs and sails creaking and surging in perfect -solitude. One by one the lights on shore disappeared, as the citizens -went to bed, quite unwitting who was watching the gleam from their -casements; and, presently, the dusky line of the shore was unbroken -even by the twinkling of a single lantern. All at once, however, we -saw a bright glow begin to shine forth from the top of the hill which -I have mentioned. At first, we thought it a fire breaking out in a -large and lofty house; but, presently, I discerned that it was the -cathedral of _Nuestra a Senora de Papa_, lighted up for some night -service. It was very brave to trace the outline of the great arched -windows, all shining, as it were, with different-coloured fire, by -reason of the stained glass, covered with the figures of martyrs, and -angels, and saints; but when I was intently gazing at this glorious -sight, John Clink, the boatswain, suggested that we might well run in -closer. ‘For,’ quoth he, ‘all the people of the town will be at their -devotions, this place being the very Loretto of the West Indies.’ -The boatswain’s advice was followed, and we edged in with the land, -until we could hear the sound of the surf very distinctly, and made -out furthermore—the stars shining out somewhat—that there were -several large ships and many smaller craft in the bay. Not daring to -approach these too closely in the schooner, the shallop was got out -with little noise, and I was appointed to go in her to reconnoitre. -I made the men muffle their oars with canvas, and we agreed that the -schooner should show two lights, one above the other, for a space of -thirty seconds, every ten minutes, until we returned. I also took -a dark-lantern in the boat, and we pulled silently away from the -schooner towards the land. Presently the white glimmer of the surf -could be seen plainly, close ahead of us; and so we pulled leisurely -along the outer edge, making for that part of the bay where the -shipping lie, somewhat to the westward of the town. We paused on our -oars now and then, and listened very attentively for sounds of alarm. -But none came. There was a holy calm abroad upon the night, and the -stars shone down through the stirless air. The coast seemed like a -dark cloud lying on the water, except where, at its highest ridge, -the festival tapers gleamed from out the great cathedral. We sat as -men spell-bound, gazing on the beauty of it. Presently, it appeared -as though great folding doors had been flung open, a burst of light, -like a glory, streamed forth from what was a vision of pillars and -arches, and great gleaming aisles; and falling on the broad steps -leading to the portals, streamed over a dusky crowd of worshippers, -men and women, kneeling with almost prostrate forms upon the marble -ledges; and at the same instant, the mighty swell of a great organ, -and the deep peal of a thousand mingled voices, rose solemnly up, -overflowing, as it were, the very atmosphere, and mingling with the -dim surf-music, as though both sea and land would join their tones -in that great harmony. So, rude sailors as we were, we could not but -listen, and in our hearts, adore. It was a Latin chant the people -sung. Sometimes it fell so low, that we could hear but a faint and -distant hum. Anon it rose, and pealed, and rung so gloriously out, -that I could discern the very syllables of that mighty chorus, of -‘Jubilate, Jubilate, Jubilate. Amen.’ - -At length the organ ceased, and there was silence. - -‘Very well sung,’ said Simon Radley, who pulled the stroke-oar, ‘and -a very good psalm.’ - -Our solemn moods seldom lasted long. Howbeit, I was sunk in musing. -The grave and solemn season of a tranquil night invokes like -thoughts. I looked at our muffled oars, and thought how, darkling, -we skulked upon the water, watching for our prey; and, as I mused, -I could not help hearing, as it were, in my ears, the echo of a -hollow sing-song voice, the utterance of that good man, but somewhat -wearisome preacher, the Rev. Michael Wylieson, of Kirk Leslie, in -Fife, who loved to take for his text the verse which speaks of a -certain coming, as like unto the coming of a thief in the night. But -all this lasted only for a minute; I started up, crying— - -‘Pull, my men, pull—we’ve come to seek a rich galleon, and not to -list the droning of chests full of whistles.’ - -And so we stole cautiously on, until there rose, cutting the starry -skies ahead of us, the tall masts of several ships of price. Which -of these was the patache? We gazed and whispered, and while we -whispered, there suddenly rose, as it seemed from the water, not -a score fathoms ahead of us, a loud voice singing, in the Spanish -language, and presently we discovered a small dark object, like a -canoe, very low in the water, with the form of one man on board. As -we gazed, the figure moved and turned; then appearing to observe the -boat, the man stopped in his song, and bursting into a laugh, so that -one could discern he was a negro, called out to us in bad Spanish,— - -‘You may as good go home to your hammocks, the pisareros (that is a -kind of fish) will not bite till the tide turn, or the moon rises.’ - -‘All is well, he suspects nothing,’ I whispered; ‘let us make sure -of him.’ And so, as my comrades bent to their oars, I replied with a -sort of imitation of the song which the fisherman, for such he was, -had been singing, and at which he laughed again in his peculiar -manner. But his mirth did not last long. Just as the shallop came -with somewhat of a rude surge against the canoe, a couple of muscular -hands grasped the poor negro by neck and arm, while I said in -Spanish,— - -‘Not a cry—not a sound—if you value your life.’ - -Immediately the poor man was pulled—all trembling and gasping in -his bewilderment—into our boat, where he sat in the bottom, his -white teeth chattering, and his eyes gleaming and rolling, while he -sputtered out broken prayers in mingled Spanish and Latin. - -‘Now,’ said I, still speaking the former language, ‘answer truly what -is asked of you, and you shall come to no harm; but if you try to -deal falsely by us, your blood be on your own head.’ - -At this the poor fellow gasped out, that he would do anything, if we -would spare his life. I then questioned him concerning the galleon, -or treasure-ship, and he answered very readily that she was in the -harbour, being one of the vessels before us; that her freight was -well nigh aboard, and that she would sail in two days at farthest. -This was good news, and we hugged ourselves on our luck. - -‘Then they are not afraid of French or English adventurers in these -seas?’ I said. - -‘Surely not,’ answered the negro. ‘For a fleet of armadilloes hath -swept, as they think, the pirates clear away. So they conclude to set -out on the voyage to Old Spain without more ado.’ - -Having said this much, the negro appeared to bethink himself—and -bursting into great lamentations—besought us never to reveal that we -had heard aught from him; ‘otherwise,’ quoth he, ‘there is no death -so cruel my master would not put me to.’ - -But we bade him to be of good cheer, seeing that now his masters were -altogether changed, and he was in the service of brave privateersmen, -instead of skulking Spaniards; but that, indeed, if he proved a -gallant trustworthy fellow, and would give us all the information he -could, he was no man’s slave but his own master. On this he plucked -up a little, and said that if it would be a satisfaction to us, we -could row close up to the galleon, and view her, as the Spaniards, -being in fancied security, kept but slack watch; and, indeed, the -greater part of the crew had gone to the cathedral on the hill, to a -great High Mass. This was just what we wanted, but first there was a -small job to be done. Whispering to Radley, we grasped the gunwale of -the canoe, and by a vigorous push, surged the light shell-like thing -fairly bottom upwards. - -The negro looked on in consternation. ‘Why do you do that?’ he said, -at length. - -‘Look you, Pedro,’ for such was his name: ‘Look you, Pedro,’ says -I, ‘suppose both you and your boat disappear—what will your master -think to-morrow morning? a cockle-shell made of bark like that will -not sink, therefore you could not have foundered. A hurricane has not -carried you out to sea, because neither has there been, nor is there -likely to be, any hurricane—ergo, both boat and man have been somehow -spirited away. Such being the case, there must be enemies—pirates -you call them—on the coast; and there being pirates on the coast, it -would be mighty rash for the good galleon to sail. But then, Pedro, -when your worthy master sees the canoe bottom-upward, tumbled by -the surf upon the beach, the case will be different. An accident -has happened,’ he will say, “My poor Pedro, so faithful a slave, -and so profitable a fisherman, hath somehow, in his zeal to catch -pisareros, doubtless, overbalanced himself, and capsized this light -canoe. Woe is me, Pedro sleeps among sea-weed.” But Pedro sleeping -among sea-weed will not prevent the anchors of the galleon from being -lifted to her bows—you see.’ - -At this the poor fellow, understanding the device, looked up -pitifully in my face— - -‘I have a wife,’ quoth he, ‘and she will also think——’ Here his voice -failed him, and the honest creature began to whimper. - -‘Come—come,’ I broke in: ‘you may go back to your wife, Quashy, if -you like, after we have the galleon, but till then you are one of -us.’ I think the negro had sense to see, that whining would not make -his case any the better, for he dried up his eyes, and pointing -ahead, told us, that the ship riding nearest the shore was the -galleon. - -Slowly and cautiously we rowed, describing a great circle round to -seaward, so as to keep out of the way of the outermost ships. Their -lights fell in long rays across the water, and we could hear the -voices of the men aboard as they talked. Once we were hailed, and -I ordered Pedro to reply—saying we were fishermen returning from -catching pisareros, to have them ready for the early market—but -no one offered to interrupt us, until the shallop floated in the -shadow of the great carved quarter galleries of the galleon. The -ship appeared well nigh deserted. The lap of the water against her -sides, and the cheep of the rudder, as it moved a little way to and -fro in the calm, were all the sounds about her. Had there been but -a slight puff of wind from the shore we might have cut her cable, -boarded her, and fairly carried her away; but in a calm such an -enterprise was out of the question. So, we were preparing to push -off, well satisfied with our reconnoitring, when a light suddenly -fell upon the carved figure of a saint, which formed one of the stern -ornaments, and at the same time I could hear, though faintly, men’s -voices in conversation. It would appear that some one had entered -the great cabin with a light, and one of the windows being open, -advertised us of the circumstance. All at once it occurred to me -that, if I heard somewhat of the conversation, it was just possible -that I might pick up some information as to the exact time the ship -would sail, and the exact track she would follow; or perhaps the -vision of a rope left carelessly dangling from the quarter into the -water, had something to do with the notion. Catching the cord, I -found it firmly attached above, and so, communicating in a whisper -to the crew of the shallop my intention, I swung myself up, and -presently gained footing amid the great masses of carved work, being -wreaths and coronals of flowers, and graven figures and symbols of -war and peace, with which the Spaniards overload the sterns of their -ships, going to great cost for little utility; and then a slight -further exertion brought me into a gallery running round the great -cabin, and fenced in with a sort of massive and curiously wrought and -fretted railing. Then, crouching down, I crept to the window from -whence came the voices and the light. There was a carved saint very -handy, close by the casement, and favoured by his wooden holiness, -I looked securely into the cabin. It was very brave in its devices -and ornaments, and spacious in size. The ceiling was gilded until it -glittered again in the light of the great silver lamp which swung -above the table, and draperies and hangings of silk, all embroidered -and passamented with gold lace, depended both from starboard and -larboard, showing strangely beside the great ponderous breeches, and -the strong tackle of two cannons, which you might see peeping from -amid the silken bravery. The mizen-mast passed through this great -cabin, and it was incrusted as it were with small weapons—pistols -and daggers, most richly mounted and hilted—while below was a great -buffet, all set out with glimmering crystal and plate—flagons and -vases of burnished silver, and curiously-shaped goblets of sparkling -glass. But, although I had never seen such splendour on board ship, -or indeed, for that matter, anywhere else, I gazed with the greatest -interest on the two men who occupied this floating palace; they sat -on either side of the table, with a great crystal bottle, almost full -of wine, and two long-stemmed glasses, before them. One was rather -old and fat, with dark garments and grey grizzled hair. He had little -pig-like eyes, and a sly greasy-looking face, and was altogether not -pleasant to look on. But his companion was a handsome gaillard, as -you might see in a summer’s day, and most bravely dressed. He had -a very bronzed face, with jet-black moustaches, which were curled, -and oiled, and crisped; and hair flowing about his shoulders in -such dainty fashion as I warrant you cost the barber many an hour’s -labour; his eye was bright and flashing; his nose and mouth well cut; -and, altogether, his head would have been a fortune for a painter to -copy, only there was a leer about the eye, and a curl about the lip, -which gave the lie to whoso would say, ‘Here be a gentle cavalier.’ -Round his neck he wore great masses of lace, among which precious -stones glittered; his cloak was of the richest velvet; and the arm -which he stretched out to hold the drinking glass, showed a hand -daintily gloved and sparkling with rings. On the table before him lay -a rapier, sheathed and ornamented with ribbons, and beside it was a -great straw hat, or sombrero, looped up with floss of gold and silk. - -‘I would I were to see Madrid as soon as you,’ said the young -cavalier; ‘there is a balcony I would fain be under but now with a -mandoline,’ and, so saying, he set himself to hum, making as though -he were playing an instrument. - -‘Truly, Don José,’ answered the other, with a grating voice, ‘there -are balconies enough in Carthagena, rivals enough to be fought with, -and husbands enough to be deceived.’ - -‘Pshaw,’ said Don José, ‘colonial conquests give a man as little -credit as trouble. I warrant you, you would have me—as successful a -gallant as any at the court, be the second who he may,’ and here my -gentleman curled his moustaches, and leant back with an air of mighty -complacency,—‘you would have me waste time and incense on the female -savages of this pestilent corner of the world.’ - -‘Well,’ answered the old man, ‘you ought to have bridled your valour, -and not have drawn upon a gentleman in waiting in the precincts -of the Escurial. You have no one to blame for your banishment but -yourself. Zounds, for one, court-bred as you are, and a most learned -doctor in that grave science of etiquette which rules the king who -rules the double empire of Old and New Spain,—you showed yourself a -singular pattern of discretion.’ - -‘Who could help it, most grave and tricksy Senor Davosa?’ said the -other; ‘what blood of Old Castile would not have boiled over to -hear an upstart, who knows not the name of his grandfather, dispute -precedence with me—an Hidalgo of fifteen pure and unblemished -descents? By my faith—if I had any—were the guards not all the -quicker, the mushroom would speedily have been cropped from the -earth, and that, by this very piece of steel,’ and the speaker -touched his rapier. - -‘Well,’ answered the other, ‘I hope such are not the terms of the -memorial I am to carry home for you; if they be, I am likely to have -but a bootless errand.’ - -‘Fear nothing, man; fear nothing,’ cried Don José; ‘I know what -belongs to a memorial—I know how to tickle the ears of a king. The -parchment but sets forth in words that would move the mainmast of -this floating-box, which you merchants and seafaring people call -ship, my frenzied groupings and stumblings in this outer darkness, -where no sun of royalty shines to cheer or warm my forlorn spirit. -There are excellent phrases, man, excellent phrases in the thing; -until I invented them I never thought I had been so ill used. When I -read my own composition it affected me to tears—to tears, Davosa—as I -hope it will the king. And now, when do you sail? Be speedy, my good -dove, be speedy, and bring me back an olive branch as a sign that the -waters are abated.’ - -‘We count to weigh anchor to-morrow evening,’ replied the old -merchant. ‘The freight was long of coming, the mules here being but -slow-footed, otherwise we should scarce have tarried so long. Every -day brings more and more risk of these accursed pirates, French and -English, who so often mar our best ventures.’ - -‘What! fearful, after the last pair of candlesticks you have bestowed -on yonder lady, in her house upon the hill?’ - -‘Blaspheme not holy things,’ interposed the older man. - -‘Oh, I cry thee pardon, good Gull,’ replied the other; ‘I forgot -me you had as big a swallow as the rest. Ah, yes, to be sure, Our -Lady of the Hill! Verily, a valorous and a venturesome dame. It -was a brave device of señors the canons, that last miracle; a most -surpassing feat, truly. Here is a blessed image of the blessed -Virgin, dressed out as never was doll before; petticoats of cloth -of gold, I warrant me, and stiff, absolutely stiff, with diamonds, -pearls, rubies, and what not. Well! here comes an English man-of-war -into these seas—the “Oxford,” I think, they call her. Bah! how -these barbarous names stick in a gentleman’s throat; and so, by -misadventure, this man-of-war, this heretical “Ox—Ox—Oxford,” taking -fire, no doubt by reason of sparks from—from purgatory, to say -the very least of it—this man-of-war blowing up, what say señors -the canons? Down rush they from the shrine, all through the city, -clamouring, “A miracle! A miracle!” Straightway the most greasy and -gullible mob throng to the sanctuary—and what see they there? The -Virgin, the doll, that is, in its place behind the altar, but all -bemudded, all bedraggled, her gay clothes drenched with salt water, -the gold embroidery torn away in flakes, the diamonds, and pearls, -and rubies, all dropped and gone from stomacher and skirt; in fact, a -very mutilated memorial of her yesterday’s glory. Great ejaculations -of surprise and consternation! Mighty invocations to every saint -in and out of the calendar! Evidently, a most dread secret, a most -mighty mystery—a matter of holy wonder to the faithful!’ - -‘Don José! Don José!’ interrupted the old man, who had listened very -impatiently to this tirade; ‘the tongue is an unruly member. Take -heed what you utter. The holy office hath ears which hear afar, and -hands which smite afar. Who knows who may be even now listening to -you? For my part I would not breathe to myself what you have spoken -aloud, even were I alone in a boat fivescore miles from land.’ - -‘Good Señor Davosa, it is no more your vocation to be fearless, -than it is mine to be cowardly,’ replied the brisk gallant. ‘The -cobwebs of the holy office were spun to catch blue bottles, man, not -hornets. But I must tell you the story out. It is true, man, true, -every word of it, as the bills of lading you send with this galleon. -The people, then, wondered and worshipped, but could make nothing -of the matter. Not so the canons. By the soul of the Cid, but they -are dexterous fellows, the holy canons, and they caught the clue to -the secret in brief time.’ “See you, my brethren,” said the head of -the black cassocked brigands, “see you here. An heretical, a very -heretical and damnable ship, called the ‘Oxford,’ hath been clean -destroyed by fire, kindled no one knows how. Immediately after, -coming to say our early prayers, what find we? This sacred effigy -bedraggled and besmirched, as you see. How came this so? My brethren, -the thing shall be clear unto you. The burning of the ‘Oxford’ is a -very apparent and notable miracle. It was Our Lady’s hand held the -torch. In the darkness of the night, when no eye saw it, she left her -shrine. Many a league hath she walked over land and sea; as, indeed, -the state of her garments may well make clear unto you all. Doubtless -she hath scaled great mountains, and crested great waves, going with -speed, so as to return by daylight to this her temple. The proof -is very clear. The ‘Oxford’ hath perished; Our Lady hath spoiled -her clothes; therefore hath Our Lady clean destroyed the ‘Oxford.’” -And so, “Ave Maria Purissima,” shout the crowd, grovelling in their -credulity. But the best—the very cream of the joke is behind—good -Davosa, as thou shalt hear. “Good brethren and faithful,” quoth the -chief canon again, “it seemeth clear unto me, that after such a -miracle wrought in our favour, the least we can do—I mean you can -do—is to restore the gold, and the diamonds, and the pearls, and -the rubies, thus spoiled and lost by our good Lady. And look ye, it -may well be that you shall thus be clear gainers; for if our Lady -had not destroyed the ‘Oxford,’ mayhap the ‘Oxford’ would have -destroyed Carthagena, and thus would you have been all clean ruined -and undone.” So, “Gloria in Excelsis,” again shouted the poor fleeced -mob; and the image is to have new jewels, and the canons to have the -old ones, as well they deserved them for their ingenuity.’ - -And so saying, Don José drank off a full glass of wine, and leaned -back, laughing lustily. His comrade arose— - -‘That I have listened thus long to you, Don José,’ he said, ‘you -owe to personal courtesy, not to any sympathy with your heathenish -spirit, so full of unbelief and mockery. Have you any further -commands?’ - -‘No: none—none,’ answered the cavalier, still laughing. ‘But thou -knowest, Davosa, that in your heart, man—at the bottom of that cold -deep well you call a heart—you are laughing with me in very cordial -merriment.’ - -The old man rose up. ‘If you have no further commands,’ he was -beginning, when Don José, who had got upon his feet, and was assuming -his rapier and sombrero, while he repeated—‘No—none at all,’ suddenly -stopped, and said, laughingly— - -‘Hold—yes, one. You have heard of Don Octavio y St. Jago—every duenna -in Madrid knows him to her cost. Well, he and I are close friends; -I have writ to him. The letter is in the packet you hold; but one -material circumstance I have forgotten. It is an old paction between -us, that each should inform the other of all his love passages, so -that, as it were, we should mutually act as spurs to each other’s -gallantry, and so keep up our reputation.’ - -The merchant at this shrugged up his shoulders. ‘But,’ quoth he, ‘I -thought you deemed the ladies on this side the great ocean no better -than savages.’ - -‘Well, well, my good Davosa, and, if I did, know you not that -there may be, for once in a way, a certain savour and tastiness -about savagedom which speaks to the palate? Look you, the man -palled with nectarines and peaches may well pluck a bramble as he -loiters in the field. And so, pray find means to inform my friend -that there dwelleth in Carthagena a very ripe, and not altogether -untempting bramble, having the shape of a very innocent-hearted -and simple-souled damsel, who having rejected one or more of my -courtesies, put me in the mind to tame and humble her completely; -that unto this end I have gained over her mother, who is a widow and -also a fool, believing very firmly in the saints, and a great number -of other phenomena, myself among the number; and that—that—in fact -I shall impart to him the conclusion of the tale when we meet at -Madrid.’ - -The old man drily promised to observe the message, and then both -drunk to the success of the voyage. - -‘To-morrow evening, then, you turn your faces eastward?’ said the -cavalier. - -‘If there be but a breath to clear us of the land, I trust we may say -our vespers at sea,’ replied the merchant. - -‘And if there be but that same breeze,’ I whispered to myself, ‘you -may chance say your matins aboard the Will-o’-the-Wisp.’ - -Then as the couple walked towards the cabin-stairs, I lowered myself -into the shallop in safety, whispering to my comrades the good news I -had overheard. They could scarce refrain from shouting, but caution -overmastering joy, we pulled swiftly away. To some degree, however, -our good fortune had made us bold, and instead of rowing out straight -to sea, we made for the principal cluster of ships, as they lay in -the line of our progress towards the schooner. We had passed several, -when we suddenly heard the dash of several oars, vigorously pulled, -close aheap. - -‘Santa Maria!’ cried the negro, springing up, for he was terribly -frightened at being found with us, ‘Santa Maria—the guard-boat!’ - -And, true enough, just round the bows of a large tartan came a -great launch, impelled by six oarsmen, and with a glitter of arms -and lanterns shining out of her. Well, we had hardly time to gasp, -when, with a great clamour at our sudden appearance, and all her -crew starting up from their oars, the Spanish boat ran right into -the starboard quarter of the shallop, hitting us a blow, which well -nigh swamped the light craft; the Spaniards roaring out to curse -our stupidity in not having got out of the way. For all this, we -might have got clear off, they taking us, in the dark and confusion, -for one of their own boats, had not Simon Radley shouted out -involuntarily a great oath, cursing them for clumsy Spanish thieves, -that knew not where they rowed. At this, a Spaniard aboard, who, it -seems, knew the sound of our language, cried out—‘Los Ingleses—los -Ingleses!’ and straightway our enemies, yelling and screeching like -madmen, jumped up with intent to board us. Half-a-dozen pistol shots -went off in a minute, as I shouted to my small crew to pull for their -lives, and the boat started forward, scraping past the oars of the -launch. Just then we gave a loud hurrah, as Englishmen love to do, to -show their mettle. The bowman of the Spanish boat made a desperate -leap, alighting with a surge on the stern of our shallop. Even while -he was in the air, I started up to grapple with him. Our arms grasped -each other’s doublets. I felt his hot breath on my cheek. We stood -erect but for a moment, twining, as it were, around each other’s -limbs, and then both of us, linked with brawny muscles together, fell -splash into the sea, amid a great shout, which mingled in my ears -with the rushing and gurgling of the water, into which we plunged. -For a brief space I thought we must be drowned together, so desperate -was the clutch with which we clung round each other’s throats; but -rising in a minute to the surface, I found myself amid the blades of -the Spanish oars, and, so clinging to them, I fought with my foeman, -seeking to cast off his grip. At the same time I looked about for -the shallop, but she was not to be seen, having evidently got off -clear. And so, when the Spaniards grasped me to haul me into their -boat, I fought and struggled desperately, that the shallop might have -the greater start, in case they pursued her. At length, however, -being mastered, I was dragged into the guard-boat, just as, half -an hour before, the negro was dragged aboard the shallop, and cast -violently down on my face in the stern sheets, while my hands were -fastened behind me. This done, one of my captors gave me a kick, -and told me to sit up, which I did, in the centre of a circle of -ferocious-looking sailors and soldiers, who all began to question -me at once, with the most savage oaths and curses; to all of which -I replied never a word, but shook my head, as though quite ignorant -of the language. So presently, the officer in command, thinking, no -doubt, that it might be so, ordered silence, and then saying that -it was useless to chase the small boat in the dark, and that the -prisoner must be taken ashore, and given up to the alcaide, bade his -men stretch to their oars, which they did; and, presently, passing -close by the galleon, my old friend Davosa called out to know what -was the matter. The officer who steered answered, that they had come -upon an English boat lurking in the harbour, and had captured one of -her crew, and that he suspected there were more of the rogues not far -off. Then presently, coming to a quay or jetty, they forced me up the -slippery steps, and being guarded by two soldiers, each with a drawn -sword they marched me away. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -I AM TRIED AND TORTURED BY THE SPANIARDS. - - -My heart was sad enough and heavy enough, I warrant the reader, as -I turned my back upon the sea, and toiled through the dry hot sand -of the beach, followed by a group of the boat’s crew. There was no -one stirring in the town, only we heard the echo of songs, and the -jingle of glasses, from taverns or posadas, where drunken sailors -were carousing. Presently we passed through several very narrow -streets, not savoury by any means; for rotting garbage lay thick and -foul around, and overhead the far-projecting eaves, almost meeting -each other, seemed to have been built so as to keep the stenches -the better in. Once I heard the twangle of a guitar, or some such -instrument. This was as we passed a house, nearly hidden in orange -and other trees, and situated in a retired corner of an open space -amid gardens; and, looking for the musician, I saw beneath a balcony -the slender form of a young man, of just such a size and shape as my -gay cavalier Don José—that is to say, so well as I could judge in -the light of the newly-risen moon. But I had other fish to fry than -to attend to his love-making; for, to tell the truth, I felt by no -means certain that I would not be hanged for a spy. All the stories -of Spanish cruelty I had ever heard—and they were not a few—came up -into my head; and I think, when I called to mind the tortures they -ofttimes put their prisoners to, in order to make them reveal what -they knew of their comrades’ designs, I felt a greater sinking of -heart than even the idea of the halter gave me. But, notwithstanding, -my good Scots blood was but for a minute chilled; and then it rushed -with fiery force through all my veins, and involuntarily I raised my -voice, and made oath by all I worshipped, and all I loved, that they -might wrench my limbs out of me ere they got a word to their purpose. - -‘What does the rogue say?’ inquired the lieutenant, for such he was -who walked behind. My sentinels answered that I spoke somewhat in -an outlandish gibberish they could not understand; and presently, -seizing me by each shoulder, they turned down a great arched gateway, -beneath a long straggling house, with pillars in the front, and a -flag over the roof. Here were sentries, who challenged our party and -received the countersign, and then we entered a large bare room on -the ground floor, which was dimly lighted by but one lantern, placed -at a desk, where a soldier, whom I judged to be a sergeant, was -writing. Along the sides of this room ran a slanting ledge of wooden -boards, on which hard bed full a score of soldiers lay sleeping in -their _ponchos_, or loose cloaks. - -‘What springald have we here?’ said the sergeant, rising from his -writing, and flinging the full light of the lantern, which did not -cause any very great illumination, over me, as I stood, somewhat -pale, I daresay, and all dripping from my bath. But just at that -moment the lieutenant, who was my captor, entering, the sergeant -saluted after military fashion, and despatching one of his men, the -officer on duty presently walked in, having his uniform doublet -unbuttoned, and a silk napkin tied round his head, as though he had -been roused from an after-supper’s nap. - -The officers made each other very ceremonious bows, and then he of -the sea delivered me formally up to he of the land, as a person -unable or unwilling to give any account of myself, and captured -from a strange boat in the harbour, one of the crew of which, at -all event, spoke English. The word made quite a sensation in the -guardroom. The half-waking soldiers rolled off their benches, and -came scowling and muttering about—the sergeant, bestirring himself, -went to his desk, and from a clash of iron there I concluded, and -justly, that he was selecting his heaviest pair of handcuffs—and the -officer with the napkin round his head, who did not appear altogether -sober, crossed himself very religiously, and, cursing me for a -damnable heretic, ordered the men back, telling them that they would -see me much better when I came to be hanged. He then demanded whether -I understood any Spanish? to which interrogatory, as I had previously -determined, I replied that I did a little; and then, to their great -astonishment, I asked very fiercely whether Great Britain and Spain -were at war, that an English mariner was to be dragged out of his -boat while giving offence to none, forcibly bound, and taken to a -Spanish watch-house. - -‘_Madre de Dios_—here’s a goodly crowing,’ cried the officer of the -watch; ‘why, thou pernicious heretic and contemner of saints, thou -buccaneering and piratical rogue, for such I see thee with half an -eye, what business hast thou or any of thy pestilent countrymen to -sail these seas, which belong to His Most Catholic Majesty, the seas -of the Spanish Indies? I tell thee thou shalt be hanged, were it -for nothing else but rousing me from a comfortable doze; therefore, -bethink thee of thy sins, and that the more speedily, inasmuch as -their catalogue is, doubtless, long, and thy time as surely short.’ - -Having made this speech, the gentleman staggered slightly, and then, -recovering himself, looked round as if to say, ‘Who suspects that I -have taken too much to drink? if there be any, let him stand forth -and say so;’ then, shaking his head very gravely, he observed that -the world was getting wickeder every day, and added that he was much -concerned thereat. Here the sea lieutenant, as fearing a scandal, -broke in, and suggested that I should be at once taken before the -alcaide; but the sergeant, assuring him that that was out of the -question, inasmuch as his honour was then supping with his reverence, -the chief canon, and that, above all things, his honour disliked to -be disturbed at meal times—the captain of the guard interposed, and, -swearing that he respected the peculiarity of the alcaide, it being, -indeed, one in which he confessed himself a sharer, ordered the -sergeant to lock me carefully up until the morning, and to give me -the dirtiest cell and the heaviest irons, in honour of the Catholic -religion. Then, addressing me again, he said that I might make myself -easy, for he saw the gallows in my face; and so, taking the arm of -the naval lieutenant, he swaggered out. The sergeant then approached, -holding the irons; these consisted simply of two rings for the -wrists, connected by a chain about six inches long. There was no use -in resisting; so the cold, greasy-feeling metal speedily enclasped my -wrists, each ring locking with a smart snap. - -‘How came it that your comrades deserted you, friend?’ quoth the -sergeant, in rather an amicable tone. - -‘I will tell you nothing about my comrades,’ I replied; ‘I do not -want to be uncourteous, but you shall hear nothing from me on that -score.’ - -‘Hum!’ said the sergeant, ‘that is but a bad tone to take. We shall -see about that to-morrow. However, the thing is your own business, -not mine; so come along, and if you are used to lying hard, you can -sleep upon it.’ - -I followed my jailer, who really was not an uncivil man, through -several long passages, with great doors, studded like the doors of -tolbooths, with iron nails. The lantern cast a dim fickle glare in -these hot airless passages, and the cockroaches went whirring along, -dashing their horny bodies and buzzing wings against the glass -covering the light, and in our faces. - -‘Here is your quarters, my Buccaneer,’ said the sergeant, stopping -at a door nail-studded like the rest, and marked No. 15. ‘There are -worse rooms in the place, so you have to thank me for this. Your -countrymen are not always so civil when we fall into their clutches.’ - -I hastened to assure him that he was quite mistaken in that matter, -but he cut me short, and, unlocking the door, made a sign for me -to enter, saying that there was a chair on which I could sleep if -I had a mind. Then he locked the heavy door behind me with a great -clang and crash, and shot two or three bolts, after which I heard -his footsteps die away as he walked back to the guard-room. The -cell or dungeon in which I was confined was a narrow, bare room; -the door paved with flagstones and very filthy. This I ascertained -by the first step I took. I felt the walls; they were composed of -large roughly hewn stones, very strong and dungeon-like. Up in one -corner, close to the roof, and almost ten feet from the floor, was a -small window, barred with iron. Through this a ray of bluish-tinted -moonlight streamed down, and showed me the chair which the sergeant -spoke of. I dragged it into a corner, and sitting down with a heavy -heart, I began, for the first time since I was taken, to meditate on -my situation. I had never before sat a prisoner in a jail, and the -gyves felt sad and strange upon my wrists. How silent, and dismal, -and hot, the place was! what a change from the breezy deck and the -clattering voices aboard the ’Will-o’-the-Wisp.’ I listened and -listened until I almost thought I could distinguish the deep hoarse -tones of Stout Jem and Nicky Hamstring’s cheering laugh. Was I ever -to see them again? I had my doubts of it. For the present, at all -events, our enterprise was balked. The Spaniards would doubtless send -out a squadron of their armadilloes. The schooner would be forced to -leave the coast, and when or where, even supposing I was to get scot -free out of the hands of my present jailers, I could meet her again, -was but a discouraging question to put to myself. To-morrow I was to -appear before the alcaide, and perhaps his court was but a stage on -the way to the gallows. To be strung up and choked at the end of a -rope—faugh! why did I not die upon a bloody deck, amid the thunder of -our guns, and with the anthem of my comrades’ cheers ringing through -my brain? Or, why was I not to take up my rest like my father before -me in the sea, which was my home, swept over by a stifling wave in -some wild mid-watch, or calmly sinking with the sinking ship? These -were not pleasant subjects to ponder on, but they would flow into my -head as water drains into a leaky vessel. I tried hard, but vainly, -to keep them out. I tried to sing a jolly sea song I had often heard -my comrades chant most lustily: - - “Aloof! and aloof! and steady I steer, - ’Tis a boat to our wish, - And she slides like a fish, - When cheerily stemm’d and when you row clear! - She now has her trim, - Away let her swim. - Mackerels are swift i’ the shine of the moon! - And herrings in gales when they wind us, - But timing our oars, so smoothly we run, - That we leave them in shoals behind us— - Then cry one and all! - Amain! for Whitehall! - The Diegos we’ll board to rummage their hold, - And drawing our steel, they must draw out their gold.” - -The first verse of this song, called ‘Sir Francis Drake’s Triumph,’ -I got through. In the first line of the second my voice choked as -though there were churchyard dust in my throat. I got up and walked -to and fro in the cell. Through the window I could see the little -square patch of blue sky, dotted as full of stars as the door behind -me was full of nail-heads. Through the opening there floated the rich -smell of flowers and herbs wetted with the cooling dews of the night. -There was a garden, belonging, probably, to the alcaide, or governor, -behind my prison. I tried, why, I know not, perhaps my nervous -restlessness impelled me, to clamber up and look out, but my fettered -hands forbade. So, at length, thinking it wisest to attempt to -compose myself to sleep, I flung me down on the bench, and though the -chill of my wet clothes sent shudderings through me, I at length fell -off into a disturbed doze, dreaming confused and frightful visions, -which every now and then woke me up with a great start. - -In the morning I had some bread, stock-fish, and water for breakfast, -and was thereafter conducted before his worship the alcaide. The -chamber which was his court was a barely-furnished room, with a dais, -or raised step, on which was placed a long table. Behind it stood a -comfortable leather chair—the throne of justice. On one side of the -table there was a desk all strewed with papers, where sat the clerk. -There was no bar for the accused, who simply stood in the centre of -the floor, surrounded by his guards or jailers, while a few benches -round the walls furnished accommodation for the spectators. When -I entered, the alcaide seemed just to have taken his seat. He was -a burly, morose man; his swarthy face all torn and seamed by the -smallpox, and a blue scar rising up from one of his black bristling -eyebrows. He had great gold earrings, and his thick brown fingers -were gemmed with rings. The clerk, who sat near, next attracted my -notice. He was an old little man, and all his lean weasen face was -one pucker of wrinkles, out of which gleamed two greenish eyes, -sparkling like those of the ferret, as the creature fixes its long -front teeth in the jugular artery of its prey. As I gazed upon the -aspect of my judge, and his counsellor and assistant, I felt my -hopes of life and liberty oozing out of me at every pore. Two more -ill-looking gentlemen you might not find in a long day’s search. -The court was tolerably well filled with spectators, for the news -of an English pirate, as they called me, captured in the harbour, -had spread like wildfire, and I found myself the centre of a thick -mass of swarthy faces, and black gleaming eyes, and long curling -jet-black moustaches. The officer of the boat which had captured me, -was placed, out of compliment to his quality, upon a chair near the -judge, and close by him sat the military gentleman who had been so -certain of my being hanged when delivered to him over-night. This man -had very bloodshot eyes, and a fierce look; indeed, he seemed made -of the same kidney as the alcaide, to whom he frequently whispered, -in a hoarse, husky voice. The sergeant or the soldiers I did not see -at all. My jailers were mere ordinary turnkey-looking fellows, not -rougher or more brutal than most of their class. Just before the -proceedings commenced, who should enter but my old acquaintance, -for such I considered him, Don José! He made his way through the -crowd very cavalierly, and ascending the dais, was welcomed by the -dignitaries there, with whom he seemed tolerably well acquainted, -and presently had a chair brought him, and talked and laughed gaily, -until the alcaide hemming loudly, and settling himself in his seat, -the old ferret-eyed clerk took up his pen, and the court was formally -opened. - -‘Bring up the prisoner!’ said my judge, and I was moved forward -nearly to the table. - -The clerk peered at me with his green eyes. - -‘I think the fellow is like one of the gang of that notorious thief -and murderer, called Morgan. If so, the proceedings need not last -long; the individual called Morgan, and all his band, being already -many times condemned for murder, sacrilege, treason, and robbery -committed by them on the high seas, in the islands, on the main, and -elsewhere.’ - -It was the clerk who spoke thus, in a thin squeak, like the cheeping -of rusty iron. - -‘I said, when I saw him last night,’ added the army officer, ‘that -there was gallows written in the heretic’s face.’ - -‘Strong corroborative testimony that!’—said Don José, with a sneer, -which he seemed not to think it worth the trouble to conceal. ‘Worthy -alcaide, do you not think the case all but proved against the -prisoner? My most astute friend, Lopez’—here he bowed to the clerk, -who glanced back at him with wrathful eye,—‘and my warlike friend, -Guzman’—here he indicated the scowling officer—‘seem inclined to save -everybody, but the hangman, any trouble in the matter.’ - -The alcaide, whose perceptions appeared none of the quickest, looked -from one to the other of the speakers, with a grim smile, and then -asked whether I could talk Spanish; I answered I could; and so the -examination began. I told very truly my name and country; I said I -was a mariner on board a schooner, sailing under British colours. I -added, that I had been seized by an armed boat, and dragged out of my -own; that the assault had been made upon me and my boat, that there -was no law or justice for it, and that the Spaniards well knew. - -Now, although I took this tone, I was very well aware that it would -serve me nothing. For, although England and Spain were at peace, -yet so were never Englishmen or Spaniards to the south of the line; -whichever fell into the other’s hands smarted for it; and that all of -us knew right well, and I had made up my mind accordingly. - -‘Friend,’ quoth the spiteful clerk, ‘do not choke yourself with -big words, insomuch as we shall presently save you the trouble by -means of a gallows, which ever standeth in the court-yard, with a -convenient rope.’ - -‘I knew by his face it is what he would come to,’ replied Guzman. - -‘Truly, friend,’ said Don José, addressing him, ‘you have a very -pretty knack at the telling of fortunes—much serving to encourage and -support your fellow-creatures at a pinch.’ - -‘Silence!’ proclaimed the alcaide, ‘the course of justice must not -be interrupted.’ The little clerk made a bow, and Don José laughed -outright. - -‘Why did you enter in your boat the harbour of Carthagena?’ the judge -demanded. - -I said, that not recognising his authority to ask I should not answer -the question. - -‘Take down,’ said the alcaide, ‘that he denies the authority of the -king of Spain in this, his new empire.’ - -The clerk obeyed, with a sort of joyful chuckle. - -‘On what voyage were you bound?’ I was next asked. - -I remained mute. - -‘We shall make him find his tongue presently,’ grinned the clerk; -‘even though we should squeeze it out of his thumbs.’ - -I guessed the meaning of this hint, but still held my peace. - -‘Where was your ship when you came into the harbour?—speak, sir!’ -thundered the alcaide, ‘or it will be the worse for you.’ - -But I answered very quietly, but firmly, that these were matters on -which he could not expect me to give him any satisfaction. At this -the little ferret-eyed man grinned and rubbed his hands, after which -he took down my answer, very formally. - -‘Dost thou know—thou heretical rogue—that the very shadow of the -gallows is upon thee!’ cried the alcaide. ‘If thou valuest thy -life, at the rate of a brass maravedi, make a clean breast of it. -Confess—speak the designs of the pirates, thy comrades, and it may be -that we will have pity on thy youth; and instead of cutting short thy -days, send thee to labour for some lengthened space in the mines of -Darien.’ - -There was a pause after this alternative had been offered to me. Then -I collected my thoughts and spoke thus:— - -‘I am in your power, and I can make no resistance to your will, but I -pray the judge to consider whether he, a Spanish gentleman, being in -the hands of his enemies, would feel that he did right in betraying -staunch comrades for the sake of his own life. As to your threats, I -fear them but little; I am of a race having stout hearts and tough -sinews, and I tell you, Spaniards, that if I come to evil in your -hands, there will be those left behind me, who will dearly wreak my -death on all men of your nation, whom the fortune of war may fling -into their hands. I speak this not in idle braggadocio; I am young, -and it is hard for me to leave this world, in whom are many I love -well; but I will not save my life by turning a traitor from fear. -There have been Spaniards ere now in my power, and I let them go. -They had not even to ask their lives—they were granted freely. We -English and Scotch mariners love not to spill defenceless blood—we -rather fight with swords and pikes than with halters. But if you be -bent upon my death, I warn you again, that many a Spanish throat -will bleed for it, ere the bark in which I was a mariner see Jamaica -again.’ - -I spoke this with a warm energy, which surprised myself, and a better -flow of words than I thought I could muster in Spanish. Don José -struck his hand upon the table as I finished, and cried vehemently -out—— - -‘Well said, by the soul of a Cid! Pedro-y-Monte, you must not hang -this spark. It will do you no good, man. The youth hath a spirit, and -bears himself boldly. Pedro, you must let the fellow go. What, man! -he will not take Carthagena from you; I will insure that, although -my warlike friend Guzman may not feel himself justified in saying so -much, on behalf of his own valour.’ - -The officer so alluded to, turned rapidly from red to white, and -white to red. He mumbled and grumbled to himself, and then forced -out somewhat about its being known; that he, a simple soldier, could -not compete in word-sallies and figures of speech with so renowned a -courtier as Don José. He was interrupted by the alcaide, who said -that it was ever his pleasure to honour so honourable and great a -gentleman as Don José; but here was a matter in which he but spoke -the written words of the law, and these words said that the doom of -pirates was death. - -‘Yes, I grant thee,’ exclaimed my unexpected advocate; ‘but is the -youth a pirate? You go too fast, good Master Alcaide. Justice is -blind; but you see more than there is to behold!’ - -The alcaide, who evidently wished to keep well with Don José, and -who as evidently wished to string me up, began to get very red in -the face, and to mutter half-suppressed words of passion. Just then, -the ferret-eyed man whispered him at one ear, while Captain Guzman -possessed himself of the other. After listening for a few seconds, -the judge seemed to decide what he should do; accordingly, he hemmed -twice, and began in a loud pompous style— - -‘The court,’ he said, ‘hath been in an unseemly manner interrupted -by a noble person now present. Such irregularities cannot in any way -be permitted, even to the highest of the land; and it is therefore -craved that the noble person in question do refrain henceforth from -interrupting the course of justice.’ - -Don José, at this laughed scornfully, and flung himself back in his -chair, which he balanced upon the hinder legs, twisting and twirling -his moustache at the same time, with the air of a man who deems -his company vastly beneath him, and curling his lip as he did when -relating the miracle of Our Lady of the Hill blowing up the ‘Oxford’ -man-of-war. - -The wrinkled man next took up the speech. Peering with the bitterest -glances out of the corner of his blinking eyes at Don José, he -squeaked out, that those suffering banishment for offences committed -against the law, were not the most proper supporters of the authority -of his Majesty. - -The hidalgo answered, by removing his sombrero, and bowing, with a -wonderful air of mock gravity and condescension, to his reprover. -Then the examination recommenced: - -‘Did you not arrive with your comrades off this peaceful coast in an -armed ship, your intent being to kill, sink, burn, and destroy?’ the -alcaide next demanded, with ruffled brow, and a savage eagerness in -his speech. - -I remained mute. ‘Silence gives consent,’ said the clerk. Don José -shrugged his shoulders, and leisurely used a golden pick-tooth. The -clerk wrote down something, probably an entry, that I had confessed -that such were our intentions. - -‘Were you not taken in the act of playing the spy in the harbour of -Carthagena?’ roared the alcaide again. - -I still remained mute. What need was there of speech? The alcaide -and the clerk consulted together; then the former made a sign to one -of the turnkeys, who stood by me. The man nodded and withdrew. This -motion did not escape Don José, who forthwith rose up, and said very -briskly— - -‘Señor Monté, beware you do not somewhat transcend your commission. -I have not lost my interest at the court of Castile. That youth may -be a pirate, but you have in noways proved it. Besides he hath borne -himself both modestly and manfully. I am of a house which hath ever -protected the weak against the strong; and I swear, by your Lady of -the Hill, that if the youth come to wrong, you and your underlings -shall answer and abide the consequence!’ - -At this, there was a loud and threatening murmur among the -spectators; and the turnkeys, thinking that Don José might attempt -a rescue single-handed, gripped me tightly. As for the alcaide, his -grim and disfigured features grew white, and worked and grinned with -spite, while the little wrinkled man, shaking with rage, whispered -tremulously to his superior. In a minute the alcaide burst out. He -started off his seat, and with his fists clenched, and the shaggy -hairs of his moustache bristling for very passion, he roared out— - -‘A pretty thing—a pretty thing I that I am thus crossed and insulted -in my own court; that my warnings and reproofs are set at naught, and -I am threatened on the very judgment-seat! Caramba! Let those who do -so look to it. Who dare come between me and—’ - -‘And your prey, kite!’ said Don José, with the old bitter sneer -gleaming on his face. - -The alcaide foamed at the mouth, and bellowed rather than spoke. - -‘The pirate—the pirate shall die the death! I say it! Here prevail no -traitors’ counsels!’ - -‘Whoso says I am a traitor,’ cried Don José, ‘lies in his foul -throat, and I will push the words back into his lungs with my sword!’ -So saying, he advanced upon the judge. - -‘Guards—guards!’ screamed out the clerk. ‘Turn out the guards! Where -are the soldiers? Treason! The life of the alcaide is in danger!’ - -At the same time, the mob in the court, who had hitherto remained -passive, burst into loud execrations, and clenched fists and gleaming -knives were shaken at Don José. The latter drew himself up with that -majestic motion and gesture, which your high-bred Spaniard knows how -to assume, and curling his thin lip, and flashing his black eyes upon -the roaring crowd, stood, unmoved as a stone statue in the aisle of a -minster. - -Meantime, the alcaide entirely threw off all appearance of a judge’s -impartiality. - -‘Townsmen!’ he shouted, ‘are we to be insulted, spit on, and because, -forsooth, our contemner is a noble of Castile?—are we to cower as -meek as flogged hounds before his highness? I say the fellow before -us is a pirate. He is, at all events, an Englishman, which means the -same thing. He is a heretic and a buccaneer-spy, and he shall strap -for it. Holy Mother! shall we turn loose the rogue to prey upon our -vitals? I hate him—I hate his race! they have spoiled great ventures -of precious merchandise; they have captured ships I equipped; they -have harried treasures I amassed; they pillage and harass our lawful -trade; they intrude themselves on our coasts, and in our seas; they -have burnt Panama; they have taken Nicaragua; they have taken Santa -Maria; they have taken Gibraltar in Venezuela; they have raged and -thirsted for our blood; they are the enemies of our faith, and of our -nation; and so may my right hand wither, may my right arm wither from -socket to wrist, but those of the murthering pirates who come within -my grasp, shall go thieving no more! Said I well, townsmen—said I -well?’ - -This furious tirade was answered by a great shout from the people, -who crowded round me, cursing and flashing their broad-bladed knives -in my face. One fellow raised his arm to strike; I saw the swell of -the moving muscles, and the glitter of the poised knife, when Don -José, with one bound leaped from the dais, and scattering the crowd, -as a charge of horse scatters broken infantry, he dashed up the arm -raised to stab, and drawing his rapier, the mob fell back from him, -while he shouted in tones which rung like trumpet-notes—— - -‘Hounds that you are!—would you murder in cold blood an unarmed and -manacled man?’ - -There was dead silence for near a minute. ‘Alcaide of Carthagena,’ -continued my defender, ‘look well to yourself—what I have done, was -that the ends of justice might be served, and I will answer for my -acts. I can do no more—I leave this man in your hands—you shall be -answerable for your treatment of him. Make way there, and permit me -to go forth.’ - -Again the mob yielded a passage. ‘He speaks like a king,’ said one -fellow. ‘Truly, he hath the bearing of an emperor,’ murmured another. -And so, still holding his unsheathed rapier in his hand, his features -being calm and composed, save that there was on his forehead a slight -flush, and a hot sparkle gleaming in his eye, he passed through the -yielding crowd, who instinctively fell back before him—walking with -the port of a conqueror, who enters a fallen city—this man—a banished -libertine—but still a grandee in whose veins ran the haughty blood of -Old Castile! - -As Don José disappeared, I felt that it was all over with me. His -advocacy failing, I stood in a position much worse than before. I -was the cause that a friendship, or at least an intimacy, had turned -to a bitter enmity, and that the alcaide had been publicly insulted -on the judgment-seat. Therefore, I tried to compose my mind, so as -to withdraw it from things of the world, which already began to -seem like matters in which others might have an interest, but which -possessed none for me—like things, indeed, which were but dreamings, -wherein, to him who stands upon the last step of life, is nought, -save only deceitfulness and vanity. I was roused from this fit of -musing by the harsh voice of the alcaide, who, having now recovered -his composure, thought proper, perhaps, to smooth down somewhat of -his last oration. - -‘Despite,’ quoth he, ‘despite the ill-advised attempt of a noble -person, now gone forth, to bar the proceedings of this court, the -prisoner may depend upon it he shall receive just judgment at our -hands.’ - -The clerk grinned to himself, and bowed to his master, who called -upon him to read a decree of the court which it seems had just been -written. It was to this effect:— - -‘The accused, a Scots mariner, by name Leonard Lindsay, a buccaneer, -or pirate of the sort called Brethren of the Coast, unlawfully in -arms against his Most Christian Majesty, having refused to answer -certain interrogatories put to him in open court, it is decreed that -his examination be continued in private.’ - -By the hum which arose, and the broken words I could catch uttered -around me, when this decree was read, I was presently aware of its -real meaning. It signified interrogatory by torture. I clenched my -teeth, and made a great effort to show no sign—not even by the tremor -of a finger—of flinching. The turnkeys touched me on the shoulder, -and I walked mechanically out between them. We passed through divers -corridors, I taking but little notice, however, where we went, until -we arrived in a bare chamber; here there was a heavy table of plain -wood and one or two benches, but most part of the room was occupied -with some machines or apparatus, the nature of which I guessed, -but the forms whereof were concealed by a coarse linen cloth flung -over them. This cloth was stained with patches of blood. Beside the -table stood two men; one of them, a thin, mean-looking personage, -poorly dressed in a worn doublet, with a cold passionless face and -stony eyes. The other was portly and pleasant-looking, and seeing me -advance, eyed me from head to foot, saying at the same time, ‘Hum! a -goodly patient.’ - -‘_El medico_,’ whispered one of my conductors. He had no cause to -tell me of the profession of the doctor’s companion. Close behind me -came the alcaide, his clerk, and the ruffianly captain. The naval -gentleman was not there, and on the ferret-eyed man asking for him, -an attendant said that senor, the lieutenant, had been sent for in -haste from the harbour. Our group was now ranged in a circle, I being -opposite to the alcaide, the executioner standing on one side of -me, and the doctor on the other. The clerk carried an open book for -writing in, and a turnkey beside him held the ink-bottle. - -‘Accused,’ said the alcaide, ‘do you still refuse to reply to the -questions put to you in open court, and which shall now be rehearsed -by the clerk?’ - -I said I would not put him to the trouble of reading them—I would -tell nothing. - -‘Take off his handcuffs,’ said the magistrate. They were removed. The -executioner looked inquiringly at his patron. - -‘I am not a cruel man,’ said the latter, drawling out his words, as -though longer to enjoy my suspense and horror. ‘I would not wrench -thy handsome limbs so as to spoil their symmetry. No, no; gentle -means at first, Mr. Provost-Marshal—a squeeze or so on the nerve of -the thumb, no stout-hearted Buccaneer can complain of.’ - -Instantly the provost-marshal, as though he had anticipated this -commencement, whipped from his pocket a little instrument of iron. -It was a thumb-screw, a ‘thumbikin,’ as my countrymen called it, and -long was it remembered with curses in many a strath, and on many a -hill side, in my native land. For the dragoons of James Graham, of -Claverhouse, were wont to carry them in their pouches or haversacks; -and, many a long year after I had left the Spanish Indies, when I -talked to old Scotchmen about my adventures there, and told them of -the alcaide and the provost-marshal of Carthagena, they would reply, -‘Ay, ay, we know somewhat of such torments. Even here, in Scotland, -many a joint was wrenched, and many a bone splintered, of the men who -in the old troublous days stood staunchly up under the blue banner, -and bore faithful testimony for a broken covenant and a persecuted -kirk.’ - -But I must hasten with the tale of my own trials. - -‘Do your duty, provost-marshal,’ said the alcaide, gloating on the -accursed iron machine; ‘but let us have all things in moderation—one -thumb at a time; the prisoner cannot say that we have no bowels.’ - -Fortunately for me, as it turned out afterwards, the executioner -stood upon my left. He laid hold of the hand nearest to him with -cold, clammy-feeling fingers, which touched my flesh, to my thinking, -like small twining snakes or worms, and with great dexterity slipped -the iron apparatus upon my thumb, turning at the same time a screw, -so as to make it press tight. The next twist I knew would produce -torture. - -‘Accused,’ began the alcaide again, ‘if you choose to tell us what -you know of your comrades’ designs we will, even although your -obstinacy hath been great, proceed no further in this business; if -not, in the name of the law and the king I ordain the provost-marshal -to proceed.’ - -I said not a word, but drew a long breath, and nerved myself, trying -to fix and resolutely wind up my mind and body to endure. There was a -pause for a minute, and then the alcaide nodded. The provost-marshal -stepped forward, grasped my wrist with his left hand, and then, at -the same time looking steadily into my eyes, twisted the screw round -with a rapid wrench, and instantly a pang, a throb of pain horribly -keen, cut, as it were with a knife, from the thumb up the arm to the -shoulder-blade. I felt a hot flush come out upon my face, and then, -the first agonizing jerk over, a horrible tingling began, pricking -the limb as though myriads of red-hot needles had been thrust into it. - -‘Do you still refuse to answer the question?’ said the alcaide. I -bowed. He nodded, as before, and round again went the screw. This -time the agony was fearful. I ground my teeth, my knees shook, and I -felt the cold sweat start out in beads among the roots of my hair. -The involuntary desire to scream was almost overmastering, but I -curbed it with a mighty effort, swallowing down, as it were, the -anguish, by violent efforts of the muscles of the throat. All this -time the group who surrounded me preserved silence. There was a grim -smile upon the face of the alcaide, but the ferret eyes of his clerk -were gleaming with excitement, and his features were twisting with -very pleasure. The doctor and the provost-marshal behaved like two -men engaged in a perfectly-indifferent matter. - -Again the alcaide questioned me, again I made the same reply, and -again the provost-marshal wrenched round the screw. This time, amid -the slight squeak of the revolving iron, all heard the crackle of -the bone; the skin too, had given way beneath metallic pressure, and -a gush of black bruised blood spurted over the iron and the thin -fingers of the provost-marshal, and then dropped in thick plashy -globules upon the floor. Almost at the same instant a mist came up -before my eyes, and hid the fierce faces which surrounded me. I -tottered, and leant upon the surgeon, and a cold feeling of sickness -almost unto death gripped my very being, and seemed to stop the -fountains of life. It was the very depth of that suffering which drew -from me the only low shuddering moan I uttered. But hardly had the -sound escaped than there was a tramp of footsteps rushing into the -room, and a loud voice which cried— - -‘Señor the alcaide is wanted upon the beach; a schooner with English -colours set, which hath been hovering in the offing all the morning, -is standing in for the harbour, as though she would carry the galleon -even under the very guns of the batteries.’ - -And in an instant, as though to roar a chorus to the words of the -messenger, the heavy reports of great guns shook the ill-fitting -casements of the chamber; and a great and confused jangle of many -bells, and the echoes of a shouting crowd, came floating together -upon the air. I started up—the mist cleared from before me—even the -sense of pain and sickness left me, and looking with exultation on -the pale and scared faces of my tormentors, I shouted, ‘Huzza! for -the bold Brethren of the Coast! Courage, comrades! courage, and the -day is our own!’ - -‘Send the fellow back to his cell,’ said the alcaide, very hurriedly. -‘Captain Guzman, turn out your guard. We will finish with him when we -have finished with his comrades in the harbour. Perhaps there will be -more to deal with presently.’ - -‘The more the merrier,’ said the ferret-eyed clerk, and they shuffled -hastily out together. Meantime, the provost-marshal unscrewed his -thumbikin with as much coolness as he had adjusted it. My hand was -all bloody and swollen. The doctor looked at it, felt the thumb with -his fingers, and then said, ‘My good fellow, your comrades came to -your aid just in time; another wrench and that hand would be of small -use to you for the rest of your life.’ - -The provost-marshal, who was wiping the blood from his instrument, -smiled meaningly. ‘Why, good doctor,’ quoth he, ‘considering what is -like enough to be the extent of the youngster’s life, I do not see -the great hardship of disabling him.’ - -The doctor shrugged his shoulders, and walked out. The only turnkey -who remained clapped his hand on my shoulder, and I followed him, -binding up my lacerated hand with a kerchief. I was presently -conducted to the same cell as that which I had already occupied; but, -to my great astonishment, instead of shutting me in and leaving me to -my meditations, the man first cast a rapid glance up and down the -corridor, and then closing the door upon both of us, caught me by the -collar of the doublet, and whispered:— - -‘You have a good friend. Keep up your heart, and you may yet have a -chance for your life.’ - -The blessed words fell upon my ears like rain on parched herbage. - -‘Who—who is it? Of whom do you speak?’ I cried, eagerly. - -‘Of one who gave a shining doubloon to tell you so much; and he bade -me add, too, that you should hold yourself in readiness for a quick -journey.’ - -‘But, tell me,’ I interrupted—when we heard the voice of the -provost-marshal without, calling, ‘Lazarillo, Lazarillo, what keeps -you?’ The turnkey made but one bound of it to the door, locked the -cell with a clash, and hurried away, leaving me with an aching -hand, but a palpitating and a very grateful heart. All was not yet -over with me. I had still a right to the rays of the sun. The black -grave, which in my mind I had seen for the last hour continually -yawning before me, was gone. Most blessed of the moods of the heart, -Hope, slid again into my being, and sent the hot blood dancing -madly through my veins. I paced up and down the cell wildly. I -tried to leap at the barred window. The pain of my lacerated flesh -I remembered no more; and clenching both fists, I vowed that, once -without these walls, it was only a dead body which the Spaniards -would bring back. The roar of the conflict in the harbour, which -still continued, worked me up to the highest pitch of excitement. I -sought to distinguish, in fancy, between the guns of our enemies and -those of my friends; and every time I heard the sharp ring of the -smaller metal, which I concluded was fired from aboard the schooner, -I broke out in rhapsodies, calling upon the ball to fly truly home -to its mark, and to hit that pestilent alcaide or his ferret-eyed -clerk. At length I began to cool down, and get somewhat ashamed of -my fervour. Besides, the noise of cannonading abated—the reports of -the guns coming fainter and fainter, as if the fight were being -carried on more to seaward. From this I judged that the schooner -had been beaten off. Indeed, I could expect no other termination -of the attack, which, when I came to think of it in sober earnest, -appeared to me to be little short of madness, and I wondered how -Stout Jem had come to attempt it. From these matters I began to think -more reasonably of my own situation. I little doubted but that my -unknown friend was no other than Don José, who appeared to my mind -to be as singular a mixture of base and generous; qualities as a -man could be composed of. But how was he to help me? Was the mode -of escape to be by force or escalade? To cut the window-bars would -require a file, and to mount to them a ladder. Then, my left hand -was in a bad condition for either working or clambering, and even -should I succeed in making my way into the city, whither was I to go -next? I had no place of refuge, but the woods, and without arms or -ammunition, little hope of aught but a lingering death there, either -by starvation or wild Indians. Indeed, the more I mused, the more -gloomy after all my prospects seemed. - -The excitement at the first notion of escape thus passed away. My -wounded hand, although not altogether disabled, was very stiff and -painful, and I had not even the means of washing away the clotted -blood. So, sitting, in no merry mood, pondering, upon my bench, the -slow hot hours crept by. The sunlight came in a fiery stream where -the blue moonbeam had lain the night before. The buzz of insects and -the rustling of rich foliage, waved by the fresh sea-breeze, sounded -cheerily from without, and sometimes a puff, stronger than common, -would find its way into the hot cell, and play round my cheeks and -nostrils, bringing with it the cool, fresh savour of the ocean. - -It might have been about one o’clock, when the friendly turnkey -unlocked the door and entered, carrying with him a very fair dinner -of meat and roasted plantains, to which was added a small measure of -generous Spanish wine. I entreated him, all in a breath, to give me -more information touching my projected escape, and also as respected -the fate of the schooner. In regard to the latter affair, the man -said, he believed that the attack had only been a sort of a feint, or -bravado, and that, after some cannonading, a boat with a white flag -had put off from the schooner, which had thereupon ceased firing; but -the Spaniards not being willing to come to any truce with pirates -and sea-robbers, as they called us, had continued to fire upon the -boat, and a ball breaking the oars on one side, and very narrowly -missing the boat herself, those in her pulled round and back to the -schooner. A small squadron of armadilloes then got under weigh, and -the schooner had nothing else for it than to stand out to sea, the -armadilloes following her, and both exchanging long shots at each -other. This I afterwards understood to be a very fair account of the -enterprise, which was indeed undertaken only in the hope of wresting -me out of the Spaniards’ hands. But I had other friends at work, as -the reader will see. The turnkey, who was, or rather pretended to -be, in some agitation at the thought of the work which he had been -bribed to undertake, now told me that about two o’clock, at the hour -when most of the inhabitants of Carthagena are in use to take their -siesta, or day-sleep he would be with me again. - -‘You may be thankful,’ quoth he, ‘that you were not taken as -prisoner to the fort, where, indeed, there would be little chance -of escape, let you have what friends you might; but this is not a -regular prison, being only a sort of guardhouse, attached to the -alcaide’s mansion, for the convenience of keeping accused persons for -examination. Therefore, once out of your cell, and furnished with -the pass-word, you will have little ado in making your flight to the -woods, where you must shift for yourself—he who has paid me to peril -my place in the matter having no refuge to offer you.’ - -The reader may be sure that I exhausted myself in compliments and -thanks to my benefactor, whom the jailer obstinately refused to name, -but about whom there was in my mind no doubt whatever. Neither was I -in any great surprise, when I came attentively to consider the state -of matters, at the mode in which the affair was to be arranged, and -the easy compliance for some trifling bribe of the jailer. I called -to mind how often I had been told that, in almost all Spanish prisons -in the Indies, the jailers and magistrates were just as great rogues -as the thieves they dealt with. Nay, I had no doubt but that the -alcaide himself would have taken a bribe to let me go, as readily -as the turnkey, only he would have been very like to break his -engagement, and hang me after all; thus gratifying himself in both -ways. As it was, I considered that my chances were very good. The -turnkey did not at all seem to apprehend any interruption from his -comrades. ‘We live in very good intelligence,’ quoth he; ‘and none of -us cares to spoil the other’s game. There is but one man I dread, and -he, I hope, is out of the way. Curses on that sharp-eyed clerk of the -alcaide’s, he takes a pleasure in marring the best-laid schemes.’ - -But I swore within myself, that were I interrupted by this official, -he would have small chance of ever looking out of his ferret-eyes -again. I think the jailer understood what was passing in my mind, -although I spoke not, for he smiled meaningly, as he said, peering -into my face, with a curious expression on his own— - -‘And this clerk is but a weak slip of a man after all. I warrant you -a stout fellow would smash his brittle bones as easily as I would so -many pipe-stems. However, that is no business of mine. In half an -hour, Señor the Buccaneer, all will be ready.’ - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - HOW I ESCAPE FROM THE SPANISH GUARDHOUSE—AM CHASED BY BLOOD-HOUNDS - IN THE WOODS, AND HOW AT LENGTH I FIND A STRANGE ASYLUM. - - -The clock, from a neighbouring church, struck two. My cell-door -opened gently, and the turnkey appeared, carrying in his hand a -tolerable-sized bundle, which I eagerly assisted him to undo. It -contained a good suit, such as is commonly worn by Spanish sailors, -with stout leggings fitted for scrambling in the woods, and a -broad-brimmed and steeple-crowned felt hat. The doublet was tied -round my waist with a broad silk sash, and into this I stuck a -gleaming knife, similar to that carried by almost all Spaniards. But -when the turnkey produced, from under his doublet, a short-barrelled -carabine, or musquetoon—a _trabucco_, as he called it—with a fair -supply of shot and slugs, I burst out into exclamations of gratitude. - -‘Long live Don José!’ I cried. ‘I fear not the woods now; there is -life and food within this hollow iron.’ - -‘Look you,’ said the turnkey, ‘here be the words of the nobleman who -hath sent these. “Tell,” quoth he, “tell the Scots mariner, that as -he bore himself before the alcaide like one whose word and good faith -were dear to him, that I supply him with these weapons, upon his -solemn promise that he will use them only to procure himself food, -and that he will not turn them against any Spaniard, excepting only -strictly in the way of self-defence.”’ - -You may be assured that this reasonable pledge I gave with the utmost -readiness, and poising my musquetoon, and trying how it fitted to my -shoulder, I cried, gaily— - -‘Come—come! Despatch—despatch! good master jailer; your friends will -be rousing themselves from their siesta. Faith, man, were you as near -the gallows as I am every moment I linger here, you would pant to -hear the free rustle of the branches above you.’ - -All the while that the turnkey was helping me on with my new costume, -I kept thinking of where I should bend my steps as soon as I got -clear of Carthagena. It was very likely, I thought, that the schooner -would keep hovering upon the coast, still waiting for the galleon, -the sailing of which would no doubt be delayed by what had happened. -I considered, moreover, that the Will-o’-the-Wisp would be most -likely to ply to the eastward, so as to keep the weather-gauge of the -port she was watching, and that it was quite possible that she might -approach near enough the shore for me to make a signal, by kindling a -fire, or by any other means which might seem available, in order to -attract her notice. So I determined, as soon as I could get fairly -free of the town, to turn to the eastward and to descend again upon -the coast some eight or ten miles from Carthagena. - -‘Now,’ quoth the turnkey, ‘you will easily perceive that I am not -to be seen in this business. Your escape must appear to have been -effected by yourself, and it will be the more easy, inasmuch as the -lock on this door has seen much service, and is not difficult to -wrench off; especially when a man is provided with such a weapon as -this,’ and he handed to me a strong iron chisel, or rather short -crow-bar. - -‘Listen,’ he continued; ‘I will again lock you up. Let five minutes -elapse, then wrench open the door; take the two first turnings to -your left, the next turning to your right, the next to your left -again, and you are opposite the street. A sentry stands there. If -he be asleep, as is not unlikely, good and well. If he be awake and -challenge, reply, “Guarda Costa,”—that is the countersign. You must -then shift for yourself. Farewell, Señor Buccaneer, and if ever you -meet Don José fail not to tell him I behaved honestly by you, and -earned his doubloons well. You will not forget “Guarda Costa.” Adieu.’ - -The door closed on him; I waited in silence and with a beating heart. -It was a long five minutes which elapsed; but at its expiration, as -nearly as I could judge, I inserted the short crowbar between the -staple which held the bolt, and the lintel of the door. The wood was -crumbling and rotten, and the iron eaten with long gathering rust. -Gradually, as I applied my strength, the mouldy timber gave way -beneath the pressure, and the metal creaked and crackled. I could -have burst it off with one effort of my muscles, but I feared to -make a noise; and so, gradually working the point of the crowbar -further and further into the wreck of the dilapidated fastenings, -I increased the strain, until at length, with one long, steady and -vehement wrench, I tore the staples from the yielding wood. The metal -fell with a clash upon the floor; the door, which opened inwardly, -swung back; and I saw—the ferret eyes and the twitching visage of the -alcaide’s clerk, staring and grinning through the opening. - -I started back as though a demon had looked me in the face. The small -wrinkled and puckered features worked and twisted, and the eyes -gleamed so as to resemble nothing earthly. Then I saw the hand of the -clerk creep stealthily towards the bosom of his mean doublet, without -doubt to pluck therefrom a weapon; his lips moved, and the first -syllables of a cry of alarm had passed them, when I sprang forward, -and the grasp of my fingers round his meagre throat smothered the -words. All this took place in an instant. I dragged the wretch inside -the cell; struck to the door with a blow of my foot, and clutching -both his thin wrists in my left hand, gripped his throat with my -right, until the skin got blue and the eyes protruded all glaring and -bloodshot. I thought for a moment to strangle him as we stood, but as -I felt the weak struggles of the hapless creature, who writhed like -a child in my grasp, my heart softened. I released my hold upon his -throat. - -‘Were you strong and I weak,’ I whispered to him, ‘there would be -little pity shown. You are athirst for my blood, but Providence has -willed that you shall not be gratified. As I grant you mercy now, -show mercy to others.’ - -The clerk tried to speak, but only husky murmurs passed his lips. - -‘Lie there,’ I continued, ‘until your friends come to your rescue.’ - -With that I flung the man upon the floor, so as partially to stun -him, and then, with the aid of some ratline stuff, which sailors -go seldom without, and which was in the pocket of my old doublet, -I both bound and gagged him, not very completely, it is true, but -sufficiently, as I believed, to prevent any alarm being given until I -had got a good start. It was pitiful to see the impotent spite with -which the manacled creature writhed upon the ground, gibbering with -his speechless mouth, and flashing his green eyes as though he could -have shot blistering venom out of them upon me. But I had little -time to bestow upon the spectacle: with a quick step and a beating -heart I fled along the corridors. During my scuffle with the clerk, -the turnkey’s directions had never ceased to ring in my ears. The -two first turnings to the left, the next to the right, the next to -the left again. The silent passages echoed to my footsteps with a -hollow, ominous sound. There were many nail-studded doors, similar -to that of my own cell, on either side. As I made the last turning, -I had a glimpse, in the distance, of the guard-room into which I had -been at first conducted, and then, looking straight ahead, I saw -before me the narrow street, with its deep, dusty ruts, scorching, as -it were, in the hot sun. The passage terminated in a great gateway, -with pillars and a portico, and on the left side of the door stood -a sentry-box, painted white. Pausing for a moment to assume all -possible coolness, I walked steadily out humming the butt-end of a -Spanish sea-song, which the manners of that nation sing when heaving -the anchor to the bows. - -Just as I passed the porch I glanced at the sentry. He was a young -man; his features bronzed almost black with the sun, and wearing -silver earrings, glittering amongst his long greasy curls. The fellow -was sitting leaning against his sentry-box; his musket, with his -bayonet fixed, hung carelessly across his knee. As I strode by, he -half opened his sleepy eyes, and muttered mechanically as though -speaking in a dream. - -‘Guarda Costa,’ I said, carelessly. The man muttered something -again, and his chin fell upon his breast. Like a phantom I glided -up the hot and silent street. Not a soul was to be seen. The cloth -of outside blinds and the gay draperies hanging from balconies, -rustled in the cooling wind, while those thin slices of wood, forming -what are called in the Indies, ‘jalousies,’ clattered with a merry -rattle. Dogs lay listlessly stretched out in shady corners; bullocks, -harnessed to clumsy carts, lay chewing the cud between the shafts, -and two or three mendicants, as I judged them from their rags and -filth, were stretched beneath gateways and under pillars, where the -breeze came freshest. But the spell of sleep was everywhere. Midnight -in New Spain might bring the time of gallant assignation and joyous -revel, but the drowsy afternoon shone upon a city steeped in sleep, -even as though one of the mighty charms which I used to read of in -idle chronicles of old fancies, were abroad over the dreaming people, -one of those charms of glamour and gramarye of the days when Michael -Scott split the Eildon hills in three, and Thomas of Erceldoune was -courted of the faery queen! - -‘So, blessings on that good old Spanish custom, the siesta,’ I cried -to myself, as I sped along the deserted thoroughfare. Carthagena is -not large, neither is it fortified towards the land side. Very little -time had therefore elapsed until I found myself fairly beyond the -city, and running along a rough road, with great plenty of trees and -bushes on either side, and patches of fields, wherein grew the broad -brown-leaved tobacco plant, and here and there a hut, with a yam -garden about it, or the country house of a Carthagena merchant, with -prim terraces and avenues of limes, and fountains sparkling among the -leaves. These I ran past as speedily as possible; but there was no -appearance of aught stirring about them more than in the city. The -siesta was everywhere, ay, even in the great woods, which at length -I reached; the birds sitting motionless upon the branches, and the -beasts of the earth hiding in dens and holes from the fervid noontide -heat. The road which I had followed gradually disappeared, splitting -as it were into many little tracks made by hunters or other wanderers -in the woods. Around me there soon rose rocks and steep hills, and -the tangled underwood and the long grass made walking difficult. -However, I was in too great spirits to feel much weariness. Every -step I took was almost as a year added to my life. So, at last, when -I saw that I had really plunged fairly into the wilderness, I forced -my way amid the rank vegetation, tearing through brake and thicket, -and singing and shouting lustily in the fulness of my heart. The sun -was my compass, and by him I steered eastwardly. - -‘Ho! ho! Stout Jem,’ I cried to myself, ‘mayhap, we are but now -laying the same course; the gay schooner out upon the tilting sea, -and he that loves her well amid the shady woods and green savannahs -of the main. So we shall meet again, comrades—we shall meet again!’ - -In this merry mood I traversed several miles before I thought of -refreshment or of rest. It was just as my limbs began to ache and my -breath to come short, as I breasted a steep hill, that I came to a -fair fountain gurgling from a rift in a low mossy rock. It was not an -unknown well of the wilderness, for human hands had placed a doubled -leaf, through which, as through a spout, the living water ran from -the runnel, and tinkled out into a natural basin beneath. - -So here I sat me down and wiped the perspiration from my brow. It was -a lonely spot, and I wondered whose hands had plucked the leaf and -laid it in its place. From the basin I speak of, the water ran amid -rustling reeds, and great floating leaves, and gaudy flowers, until -it spread itself out into a shallow pool, half covered with greasy -scum, but elsewhere as clear as the air above it. In the centre of -the pool sat a little bird of the diver species, with the glossy neck -and the bright beady eyes which I love in water-fowl. He took little -notice of me, and I sat and watched him as he glided to and fro amid -the floating leaves and twigs which had fallen from the trees. While -thus occupied, I heard once or twice the distant bay as of a dog. - -‘Ho!’ thought I, ‘the siesta is over, and Señors the dogs are the -first astir.’ - -My eye fell upon the water-fowl again. It seemed disquieted, and -swam quickly to and fro, making a soft quackle, and jerking its -little head, as its kind do when listening. The bay of the dog -was heard again—it seemed to have come nearer—and, directly, the -water-bird, half swimming and half flying, beating the surface with -its wings as it went, took refuge in the thickest of the sedges -and disappeared. This little incident roused me. I started up and -hearkened. Again, the deep hollow echo of the hound’s bay struck my -ears. It was very different from the yelping of a woodman’s cur; and -the dogs of the Indians do not bark. Immediately a thought flashed -upon me—a ghastly—appalling thought: the Spaniards were upon my -track with bloodhounds! Almost instinctively I started up and fled, -stumbling as I went. I had a horror of these fiends of dogs, trained -to hunt men; and, as I flew along, I thought every moment that I -heard the savage creatures panting close behind me. After about ten -minutes’ quick running, I stopped, quite spent, to breathe, and, -listening for a moment, a faint sound of hallooing, and a burst of -baying, loud and long, came floating on the wind. I turned and fled -again, straining every nerve mechanically, although I knew but too -well that, fleet as was my foot, every time it touched the ground -it left the mark which guided the avengers. I, therefore, tried to -leap and double, and even got up into a tree and swung myself along -by means of the interlacing branches. But this was slow work, I -dropped to the ground, and ran again. All this time the voice of the -dog was sounding nearer and nearer behind me, and I wondered how -my pursuers could keep up with him, at the rate he was evidently -running. Nevertheless, I loosened the knife in my girdle and prepared -for the struggle. As I did so, I thought of my blunderbuss. Heaven! -I had left it behind in my first alarm at the well. The token would -have told the Spaniards that their four-footed guide was as sure as -it appeared swift. The baying of the accursed hound came close and -closer. Oh! how I envied the birds as they rose with a rustle and a -scream from the foliage, and soared away in the air, which leaves -no track to tell of who has left it. Covered with sweat and dust, -and reeling with fatigue, I ran almost at random. Twice I disturbed -glistening snakes, which coiled their spiral folds and flashed their -black eyes at me, and then glided away like slimy painted ropes -pulled by some unseen hand amongst the herbage. But at that instant -the bite of the labarri, or the hollow tooth of the rattlesnake, -had hardly more horror for me than the gripe of the crunching jaws -which were fast following on my track. By this time, the thunder -of the hound’s voice was so close that I involuntarily turned at -every step to see him make his appearance. The final moment came -at last. Crashing with a great rustle through a bed of yielding -bushes, sprang a huge, tawny dog, black and foaming at the muzzle. -The creature ran, cat-like, with his belly close to the ground, his -big, muscular limbs, showing as supple and slamp as a tiger’s, and -his broad deep chest, and great hanging ears, all speckled white -with flakes of foam. I looked for his master, but saw none; and, -gazing more closely, observed a leash round the creature’s neck, and -a broken leathern thong trailing beside him. This at once explained -the rapidity with which he had overtaken me—the animal having broken -away from those who led him, and it also sent a cheery flush of hope, -dancing through my brain. Oh, how I cursed my heedlessness in leaving -the carabine by the well! A handful of slugs would have stopped the -blood-hound for ever, and my pursuers deprived of their guide, could -seek me but at random through the woods. Could I manage him with the -knife?—that was the question. I had no long time to debate it. I must -either slay or be slain—there was no choice. I stopped, faced round, -tore off my doublet, and wrapped it, in thick and heavy folds, round -my left arm—shielding my wounded hand in addition, by grasping with -it the inside of my strong and stiff felt hat. Then clutching my -knife in my right, I knelt on one knee, and waited for the onset of -the blood-hound. - -I had, indeed, hardly assumed my position of defence when he was -on me. True to the instinct of his kind, he lifted neither eyes nor -nose from the ground—running, truly and steadily, by the scent, -until he was scarcely a couple of fathoms from me. Then, indeed, he -flung up his nostrils in the air, and suddenly seeing me, uttered -a loud splitting yell, champing at the same time the foam in a hot -shower from his jaws, and then, with a great scrambling bound, -furious and open-mouthed, pounced upon me, driving his teeth into -the folds of the doublet, which I held before me as a shield, and -dashing me, by the very force of his spring, over and over amid the -grass, scrambling and tearing the skin from my shoulders, with his -huge horny paws, and furiously shaking and riving the stuff of the -doublet which, luckily for me, was both thick and strong. For a -moment or two, I had no opportunity of using the knife, I could not -see where to hit. There was before me but a vision of great foaming, -tearing jaws, and flashing eyes, and struggling limbs—sometimes above -me—sometimes beneath, as we rolled over and over in the scuffle. But -at length, I had a chance; the broad muscular chest of the noble -creature was left, for a moment, unsheltered by his fore-legs, and -in a second I had driven the keen strong knife, through and through -his lungs, the handle smiting the dog’s breast with a hollow blow. -There was an immediate convulsion of the animal’s limbs. Letting -go his hold of my doublet, he flung his muzzle into the air, and -with a sound between a cough and a yell, threw up a hot sputtering -shower of blood. Quick as thought, my reeking knife was withdrawn, -and again and again plunged in up to the very hilt—the muscles of -the creature’s body—a moment before, all strained and tense as -iron bands—gradually collapsed—the fierce eyes turned, so that -the yellowish whites shone, with a grim glare into mine, and it -required but a slight effort to shake off the quivering and bleeding -creature, which as I rose trembling and panting from the fray—fell -heavily from my limbs, and lay gasping in its blood among the -grass. Truly, it was a noble dog, as large and more powerful than -the mightiest stag-hound, but its deep chest had uttered its last -bay, its giant limbs had run their last race. The life passed out -of the quivering flesh, as I stood and gazed at it. Then flinging -over my shoulders my doublet, all torn, and stained with blood -and froth, I addressed myself again to flight—thankful and joyous -for my deliverance. ‘Three good thrusts of this trusty steel,’ -said I to myself, sheathing my knife, ‘and the utmost spite of the -Spaniard has been baffled.’ I was reckoning without my host. Hardly -had the words escaped my lips, when, again, the accursed bay of a -blood-hound came floating in the wind. I paused and listened with -clenched teeth. For an instant, I hoped that it might be but the -dying growl of the animal killed. But, no, he lay stark, and the -foam was already cooling upon his jaw. Again and again, came the -ominous sound—I could not be mistaken. My pursuers had started with -at least a brace of dogs—and they were still following fast and hot -upon my footsteps. A shuddering chill passed all over me, and I felt -sick at heart—then I roused myself. ‘Perhaps,’ I argued, ‘the blood -of the dead hound will confuse the scent of the living one. I have -heard of such things.’ But afterwards I learned that the Spaniards, -seeing the body from a distance, had not allowed their four-footed -guide to approach it closely, but that leading him in a circle round -the carcase, the animal had again struck upon my scent—closer and -fresher than ever. Thus it was, that as I forced my way through the -thickets of bushes, and long rustling grass—I ever heard behind me -the hollow boom of that accursed creature, as he gave loud tongue, -and the distant hallooing as the Spaniards answered him with shouts -and execrations. Summoning my resources, I tried, as I ran, to call -to mind the legends of men chased with blood hounds—of which I had -heard in my childhood, and the means whereby they had baffled their -pursuers. For many such tales are told on winter nights by Scottish -hearths—of the bold moss-troopers of Teviot and Annan, and the wild -northern caterans beyond the Highland line. But my memory seemed -to have forsaken me. I could remember none of the devices which I -had so often admired—although it is possible that were I keeping -a calm mid-watch at sea, heaps of such stories would have flocked -unsummoned into my brain. So I did naught save press instinctively -forward—having little idea of the direction I was pursuing, and -indeed seeking only for the open glades and avenues of the forest, -through which I could make the better speed. But hope began again -rapidly to leave me. The waves roar not after a scudding bark, with -more unceasing tumult, than there arose behind me the clamour of my -pursuers. I winded and doubled—I ran north—then turned on my heel -and speeded in the opposite direction; but still, as a cock-boat -follows a ship to which she is made fast, through all her tackings -and veerings—so did my pursuers tread steadily in my track. I began -to grow desperate. Again, I drew my knife from its sheath, and -stopping, and leaning, panting, against a great tree, I made up my -mind to rest there—recover what strength I could, and sell my life as -dearly as might be. At that moment, I heard a low continuous sound—a -deep hollow boom echoing faintly in the wood. I listened intently, -and then started up, almost with the vigour with which I had began -my flight. I could not be deceived—what I heard was the roar of a -waterfall, and the sound in an instant brought, as it were, a vision -before my eyes. It was the vision of an old, iron-clasped book, which -we had at home at Kirkleslie. Its cover was thick parchment, its -leaves were brown with age, and the letters were strange and quaint. -This book my father had prized next to the Bible, and those which -treated of holy things, and often was it in his hands, both out at -sea and by the cosy ingle-nook in the stormy winter time. It was, -indeed, an ancient chronicle of the ‘Life and Death of King Robert -the Bruce,’ and at the same instant of time as I remembered it—one -sentence in particular loomed, as it were, before me, until I could -almost fancy I saw the very strange old letters quivering in the -sunshine. This was the sentence:— - - “And now the Kynge being sore pressed by the Blood-houndis of ye - traytour Lorne, ye whythe had followed him even from ye up gettynge - of ye sun, and beyinge come unto ane small rivere, did straighte - enter therynne, and in such mannerre pursue his flyghte, so that ye - living waterres washynge clean awaye ye scente of his footsteppes, - the blood-houndis were at faulte, and ye traytour Lorne was baffled - for that tymme. Thus did ye Kynge escape aue great dangere.” - -‘Fool as I was,’ I exclaimed, ‘not to have thought of the Bruce and -Macdougall of Lorne before!’ With new life and vigour, I pressed -forward in the direction of the waterfall. The noise came every -instant louder and louder upon my ear; and in a short space, I had -burst my way down a steep bank, and to the edge of a deep pool, or -cauldron, into which a large rivulet came thundering and foaming -down, through a deep chasm in the rocks above. I had little time to -admire the loveliness of the cataract; but rushing to the outlet -of the pool, I saw that the stream went dancing down a pebbly bed, -intersected here and there with low veins and ledges of rocks, like -weirs, over which the bright water flashed and foamed right merrily. -So, with a cry of joy, I bounded into the stream, and began rapidly -to splash my way downwards, running with almost frantic haste, -sometimes slipping and stumbling over the smooth slimy stones, -sometimes floundering into a deepish pool, scaring the fish, which -flew gleaming away, like wedges of burnished metal, to seek shelter -under the ledges of rock, or amongst the twisted roots of trees upon -the bank, among which the water frothed and gurgled. - -‘My great and fervent benison be upon water,’ I cried to myself. -‘It hath ever been my home, and now is it my refuge and my safety. -Thanks, thanks, good secret-keeping stream! Amid the merry music of -thy murmur, thou wilt never prate the whereabouts of the poor flying -mariner. Rush speedily on with me, fair and living waters, sweeping -my track fast downwards to the sea!’ - -With such-like rhapsodies, I relieved the fulness of my heart, as I -followed the stream, splashing down in its very centre. Sometimes -when a small waterfall interrupted its course, I had to scramble -ashore and make a brief circuit, but I soon took to the water again. -In about ten minutes after I had first entered the river, the bay of -the bloodhound ceased to be heard; but I distinguished the sound of -a clearly-blown horn or trumpet, and the report of one or two guns, -as though one party were making signals to another. Still I pressed -on, but more cautiously—watching the banks very narrowly, and at the -places where the stream flowed silently, pausing to listen with all -my ears. There was no alarm, and I began to grow very confident, -when all at once it occurred to me, as I glanced at the point of the -horizon to which the sun was now hastening, that I must be rapidly -returning either to Carthagena, or to some point very near it, upon -the coast, where, undoubtedly, this rivulet emptied itself into the -sea. This consideration at once arrested my footsteps; and creeping -among the roots of a tree, beneath an overhanging bank, I began to -muse upon what was best to be done. I did not doubt but that my -pursuers had fairly lost my traces, and that it would be a hard -matter for them again to find the scent. Indeed I considered that I -might very safely leave the water, and pursue my original westward -route amongst the woods; but then I was unarmed, excepting my knife, -and without even the means of lighting a fire how was I to live among -the forests and the wildernesses which stretched backward from the -coast? As I mused, a thought struck me. When first captured by the -Spaniards, I had several double doubloons, and a few pieces of eight -about me. This money I had been careful to preserve, and possessed -it still, save one of the doubloons, which I had given to my jailer, -as he bade me adieu. Why, then, thought I, should I not return to -Carthagena as soon as the night falls, and endeavour to purchase -fairly what I want? I speak Spanish sufficiently well. I am dressed -like a Spanish sailor. Why should I not, by a circuitous path, -reach the seaward part of the city, and making believe that I have -landed from a vessel in the bay, purchase what arms and ammunition -I require, not forgetting some food, and so leaving the town again -in the darkness, pursue my way westward? The more I thought of this -scheme, the more feasible did it appear. To be sure, there was a risk -of being taken, and perhaps hung; but if I plunged unarmed into the -woods, I had at least the certainty of dying a lingering death by -starvation, or of being murdered by the savages. Therefore, without -much ado, I decided upon braving the immediate danger, and purchasing -what I wanted in the town, from which I had so recently fled. With -this design, I began again to wade slowly down the river, thinking -to myself that if any one noticed the wet state of my garments, I -might easily account for it, by saying that I had but just now landed -in a small boat through the surf. My progress was of course but -slow; and several huts being built upon the banks of the stream, I -was obliged now and then to leave the water and take circuits round -about, keeping as much as possible in the shadow of the woods. I met, -however, with no interruption; and so, in about the space of an hour -and a half or thereby, I heard the sound of the surf. On gaining the -coast I found it to consist of considerable sand-hills, with many -small bays, and lines of breakers extending several cable-lengths -from the shore. The weather being moderate, however, the surf was not -violent. My first act was to creep to the top of one of the highest -sand-hills, and look anxiously to seaward. There were the sails of -one or two fishing-boats, and as many coasting craft of small burden -in sight, but nothing like our schooner; so I descended and began -to move to the eastward. Before I had taken many steps, however, I -recollected that Carthagena was fortified at its seaward extremities, -and I asked myself whether I could safely attempt to pass through -the line of defences. The countersign I knew, but it might have -been changed since my escape, or perhaps it only applied to the -guard of the alcaide’s house. While I was thus debating the matter -with myself, I suddenly saw floating in the shallow water near the -mouth of the small river a small boat or canoe, bottom upward, and, -running hastily towards her, found her to be no other than the negro -fisherman’s canoe, which we had upset the night of our unfortunate -reconnoitring expedition. I straightway determined to turn this piece -of luck to account, and, instead of proceeding by land, to paddle -round and disembark in any quiet corner of the bay. On righting the -canoe, I found she was but little damaged, and the paddles having -been secured by pieces of spun yarn, as is usual in the boats of -fishermen, were both ready for use. Therefore, without more ado, I -got into the boat and pulled her off to sea. There were not less than -three bars formed by the sea at the mouth of the stream, and the -breakers burst white upon them all. However, by watching my time, -and carefully attending to the run of the seas, I got over the inner -two very easily. On the outward bank the surf broke heavier, and -once or twice I expected to have had to swim for it. However, I had -better luck, the canoe was very lively, and danced like a cork on -the broken seas, so that at length I fairly made the smooth swell, -with a boat, however, half full of water. After baling her out I -began slowly to paddle eastward, the boat being impelled by the dying -powers of the sea breeze, and presently, just as the sun was dipping, -I opened the bay of Carthagena, and seeing an old slimy wooden jetty, -only used apparently by a few fishermen, I made for it. Truly, says -that brave man, (and also as brave a penman,) whom afterwards I -well knew, William Dampier, ‘Carthagena is a fair city open to the -sea.’ The level beams of the setting sun glowed upon the heaving -water, and upon the great Spanish ships, lying like piled castles, -with high forecastles and carved and galleried poops, slowly rocking -to the solemn moving seas; and shorewards, upon the bright line of -gaily-painted houses, with verandahs and balconies all fluttering -with tinted draperies; and the pinnacles of churches and convents, -from whence the evening bells came pealing out into the rich glowing -air. One or two small fishing-craft were slowly making for the beach, -and a canoe or two would now and then glide between the shipping and -the shore; but to my great comfort no one seemed to pay the slightest -attention to my humble self. Therefore, I made fast the canoe to the -jetty whereof I spoke, and which was all hung with nets put there -to dry, and walked, the more boldly as it was now grey dusk, into -the city, looking for some shop or store where I might be served -with the articles which I needed. The traders and merchants were now -beginning to close their warehouses, and so it behoved me quickly -to find a suitable shop. The streets in which I wandered being very -narrow and high, were all but dark; lights gleamed out of the houses, -shadowy figures moved upon balconies, and grave men with long cloaks -stood by doorways, talking in their sonorous tongue, and smoking -great pipes of tobacco. Still no one took notice of me, and I was the -more assured, inasmuch as I saw around me many seamen dressed as I -was myself, one or two of whom hailed me ‘comrade,’ and would have -taken me to be treated at the Posada. I moved, however, with a quick -stealthy step, keeping my eyes warily abroad, and at length, in a -small street or lane, found a low-roofed shop, or rather stall, quite -open to the thoroughfare, in which, in the middle of a collection of -fire-arms, and steel weapons of many kinds, sat an old, hook-nosed, -grey-headed man, with a very dirty face and great iron spectacles, -drinking a bowl of savoury cocoa, and at the same time dictating -to a little lad, dressed in a thread-bare fashion, some bills of -charges which the boy was writing in a great greasy account-book, by -the light of a single candle, which flared and flickered in the open -shop. The old merchant I concluded to be a Jew, and judged that so -long as I paid a good price for what I wanted, I would be asked no -questions which it might be inconvenient to answer. I, therefore, -entered the shop, and was about to speak, when the Jew, who had not -perceived me, suddenly raised his voice, and, addressing some one -whom I had not seen by reason of a pillar which supported the roof of -the shop, said— - -‘Not a pistole—not a maravedi! Father of Abraham! I think it is a -robber thou art. Here be your last bills of exchange, for which I -advanced thee money, returned dishonoured by the goldsmith at Cadiz. -Go thy ways—go thy ways; thou shalt have no gold here!’ - -Upon this discouraging address, a man in military attire rose -grumbling from a chest upon which he had been sitting, and at the -same time making as though he would draw his weapon on the merchant. -But the latter seemed little to heed this motion. - -‘Take thy lantern, Moses,’ he said to the boy, ‘and light out -this honourable cavalier, who hath found at last that impertinent -importunity doth not always unbutton a man’s pouches.’ - -The lad stepped with his light towards the spot where I stood, and -the would-be borrower following him, still muttering and threatening -the Jew with all sorts of vengeance as an unbelieving hound, who -would trample on the holy Cross—the latter cried out, ‘Hold up thy -lamp, Moses, and give the cavalier light enough to swear by.’ - -The boy waved his lantern with a grin, and the light flashing on the -soldier, I recognised in an instant the flushed and gross features -of the Captain Guzman, noways improved in expression by the little -scene in which he had no doubt been an actor. The recognition was, -unfortunately, mutual, for just as I recoiled back into the shadow so -as to allow him to pass, he roared out— - -‘Holy mother! the English dog of a pirate, who escaped to-day, -after half-throttling the alcaide’s clerk!’ And with these words, -he pounced upon me; but I was prepared, and striking him a blow in -the face, which, I hope, showed him every star in heaven, and a few -additional ones besides, dancing before his eyes, I closed on him, -and hurled him back into the shop, upsetting the Jew boy with a -crash over a pile of casks and bales, and immediately extinguishing -the light. Having paid this last attention to my friend, who was -so sure that I would come to the gallows with all speed, I took -to my heels incontinently, running at random. But Guzman, although -overthrown, was not stunned, and continued to bawl out clamorously, -to catch, or shoot, or stab the English pirate. The alarm was very -quickly taken up, and the whole street was in a commotion. However, -as every one was running about in the dusk, which already approached -to darkness, as well as myself, and as I shouted to secure the -English cutthroat as lustily as ever a Spaniard of them all, I was -more inclined to laugh than to be much alarmed at my mischance, when -a pestilent fellow, who had run out of a house in his shirt-sleeves, -grasped me by the arm, and earnestly besought me to tell him where -the heretic was. I replied that I had seen the rascal running down a -certain lane, to which I pointed, when the man, turning short round -upon me, and having most likely a good ear for his own language, -asked me, very abruptly, from what part of Spain I came. For all -reply, I made an effort, shook him clean off, and darted away. But -the fellow was as nimble as I was; he was at my heels in a trice, -shouting at the same time at the top of his voice, and pointing me -out to others as we ran. We had a hard race of it. Half-a-dozen times -I was grappled by willing hands, but my impetus in running enabled -me again and again to burst away, while, to distract attention, I -shouted and pointed ahead just as did my pursuers. All this, the -reader must conceive, passed with breathless rapidity. It was a -confused scene—narrow, gloomy streets, all sparkling with lights as -people rushed to doors and balconies, and echoing to the clamour of -voices and the tramp of footsteps, as the shouting crowd ran wildly, -jostling and tripping each other, and many of them swearing that -the English pirates had returned to the attack, and that there was -nothing but pillage and murder for Carthagena. Howbeit, in the midst -of all this confusion, I could not but be sensible that the man in -the shirt-sleeves and his original comrades had not lost sight of me -for an instant. Therefore I put forth my utmost speed; plunged from -street to street and lane to lane, fearing every moment that I would -run into what the French call a _cul-de-sac_; and, indeed, at length, -as I emerged from a confused cluster of narrow, winding streets into -a more open way lined with high walls, along which I ran, almost -spent with toil, and panting for breath, I heard a great shout of -triumph behind me, as though I was at length trapped, and looking -narrowly ahead, I saw a high wall with iron trellis-work at the top, -and over which ran the branches of trees, barring all passage. I was -close to the obstacle before I saw it in the dusk, and at the same -instant I became sensible of a small wicket-door, which, before I had -time to think, opened, and the forms of two ladies, dressed in black, -veiled and hooded, with lace and silk capes, stood before me. - -Hardly knowing what I did, I flung myself on my knees upon the -ground. They started back, and the younger, as I judged, uttered a -slight scream. - -‘Ladies,’ I gasped out, ‘I am an unfortunate Scots sailor; your -countrymen pursue me to kill me. Gentle ladies, save my life!’ - -Just as I said this the footsteps of the Spaniards echoed between the -high walls. - -‘Where is the English rascal?’ they cried; ‘he shall die the death!’ - -After a single whispered word, hastily passed between them, one of -the ladies bent towards me, started back, came forwards again, and -said in my ear, in a timid, fluttering voice: - -‘Rise, young man; and pass in.’ - -I sprang up and rushed through the wicket, which the ladies closed -again from the outside; then, couching breathlessly by the door, -I listened. In a moment I heard the gruff voices of my pursuers, -evidently asking the ladies whether they had seen me. What answer -was returned I could only guess at, from hearing the disappointed -exclamations and the retiring footsteps of the Spaniards. Then I -fell upon my knees, and called God to bless the kind hearts which -had saved a flying man from his deadly foes. I was in a garden. -The high wall seemed to shut out the clamour of my pursuers, which -had, however, doubtless, died away, as the search seemed to be -unsuccessful. Around me were rich trees and shrubs, and gaudy -flowers. Fresh from the tumult of a street scuffle, how peaceful a -spot it seemed! The fireflies shot amid the bushes like sparks from -anvils. The hum of the wings of night insects sounded like the low -breathing of Nature sleeping. The cooling dews fell balm-like upon my -hot, wet forehead. I sank back, leaning against the wall, exhausted -and utterly worn by the excitement, the pain, and the great fatigue -of the day. I felt, even before I had been ten minutes couched amid -the sweet smelling and clustering shrubs, a sweet lethargy come over -me, and stretching my overwrought limbs among the herbage, I fairly -fell into a deep, calm sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE FAMILY OF THE SPANISH MERCHANT. - - -I was wakened by some one flashing a lantern in my face, and hastily -starting to my feet, for I feared that I might have been discovered, -I found myself standing beside a personage well-stricken in years, -of grave but pleasant aspect, and soberly clad, as one of those old -decent serving men, who become, as it were, members of the family on -whom they attend. - -‘Fear for nothing, young man,’ said the servitor, seeing, I suppose, -the momentary flurry and tremor in which I was; ‘you are in a very -secure asylum. My good mistress, whom heaven preserve! is known for -her charity, and the Virgin directed the steps which led you here -to-night.’ - -This discourse, you may be sure, was very pleasant to me; and while -I was blessing my stars for my good luck, the old man, who was -sufficiently garrulous, went on praising his mistress and the Virgin -alternately, so that it became difficult to determine which he held -in the greatest respect. - -‘Not a lady is there, either in Old Spain or in New—the saints be -blessed for it! who hath even a tithe of my mistress’s virtues. So -was it indeed with her father before her, and so will it be with her -daughter after her; for I have well-known all three—albeit my young -mistress is not yet turned of seventeen. Notwithstanding, however, -she is already a most dainty and brave lady; her equal not being to -be found in any city or colony in the Main, for which I bless the -saints, and particularly Saint Gieronimo, who is indeed my mistress’s -patron saint, and would be mine also, were it not that I would -not venture to intrude upon his holy notice my poor concerns, his -attention being no doubt, fully taken up with those of my betters.’ - -Running on in this random way, the old man led me, while he talked, -through the garden towards the house. It was his lady’s pleasure, he -said, that I should eat a good supper, repose me in a good bed, and -that I should to-morrow be introduced to herself and her daughter, -they having, however, as I learned much to my surprise, already been -made acquainted with some portions of my story, and longing to know -the rest. As we spoke thus, we entered a wing of a handsome mansion, -pillared and porticoed all round, and having a flat roof, whereon -were set pots and tubs containing delicate flowering shrubs. We -traversed divers passages, through which the fresh night air freely -penetrated, and I could not but admire the delicate carving of the -polished wood which formed the wainscoting of the walls. At length we -entered a pleasant chamber, where was a bed, and a table well laid -out for supper. You may imagine that I played a very good knife and -fork, and the old steward or intendant, or whatever he was, bore me -company with rare good will. After supper, we drank some of the most -delicious wine to which I ever put my lips; and then, in answer to my -earnest entreaties, my companion informed me of the name and quality -of my preservers and hosts. - -‘You are not to suppose, Master Mariner,’ quoth he, ‘that you are in -the mansion of a grandee of Spain. Because, for many generations, -the family of the late Bartholomew Moranté were merchants, having -great possessions both in Old and New Spain, at Alicant, upon the -Mediterranean Sea, and on this side the ocean, at Havanna in Cuba, -and here at Carthagena. Now, the wealth of Señor Bartholomew, my -late master, who is with the saints, was so exceeding, that the king -would have made him a noble, but to this dignity Señor Bartholomew -did not in any way aspire. The first part of his life was very -fortunate; not a galley, not a caravel sent he out, but it returned -to him with the venture increased manyfold. But as he waxed old, -the saints, doubtless having a mind to try his faith, it was so -ordered that he experienced many crosses and losses, in such wise -indeed that he left Alicant, not having any longer the means to keep -up the brave state he had formerly supported, and came hither, and -settled in this house at Carthagena. But his ill-fortune—praise to -the saints, who, doubtless, took great interest in my late master, -seeing that they were pleased thus to afflict him!—his ill-fortune, -I say, following him, he was obliged to send away his agents at the -Havanna, and at length, his greatest bark, richly freighted, being -taken at sea, and all on board of her killed or sold into slavery, -by a French devil incarnate, whom they call Montbars, and whom may -heaven, in its mercy, cause to be eternally tormented—my good master -took to his bed, and we weeping all around him, and blessing the -saints, who, without doubt, had thus broken his heart, in order that -they might take him to themselves, the worthy Bartholomew Moranté -departed this life to enter into a better world where are neither -spoilers nor stealers, nor doth there happen any manner of trouble or -cross. His widow, whom still I serve, dwells here in this house, and -places great confidence in me, looking up, although I say it, to my -advice and counsels; for I am old in the world, and have seen much -appertaining to domestic service, and am also much enlightened in -visions by the holy saints, who are pleased to make my hours of sleep -as profitable to my good patroness as my times of waking.’ - -From this rambling discourse of the old gentleman, I saw plainly -of what kidney he was—to wit, a very honest-hearted simpleton, who -loved his mistress dearly, while she, if her steward spoke sooth, was -probably as simple-minded as himself. But, desiring to know somewhat -of the young lady, the serving-man broke out into raptures concerning -her innocence and her beauty. - -‘Her name,’ quoth he, ‘thanks to the saints! is Joseffa—Joseffa -Moranté—a rare brave name for a rare brave damsel. But she will -change it sometime, mayhap. Nay, very soon—if all go right, and the -saints will it.’ - -So saying, the old fellow began to smirk and nod, and look as wise -and as sly as he could, and then fell to chuckling to himself. - -‘The rarest match,’ he presently commenced again. ‘Her mother, -having as I said great confidence in me, consulted with me on the -matter. “Martin y Vesdras,” says she to me, “Joseffa is marriageable; -and here hath come a suitor well-favoured and marvellously -well-recommended, and a nobleman to boot. Thou wilt do well, Martin, -to see him; nay, hold converse with him, and report to me your -opinion.” - -‘But I, having no opinions save what the saints send me, went -straight to bed and dreamed upon the matter. Never had I a more -encouraging vision. Good Master Mariner, as I am a true man, St. -Gieronimo himself appeared at the foot of the bed, holding a wedding -ring, which he seemed to throw towards me with a very pleasant smile, -and so when I woke I actually found the symbol upon the coverlid.’ - -‘Truly,’ says I, ’ Martin, this was but little short of a miracle.’ - -‘Master Mariner,’ quoth the simpleton, ‘I rejoice to hear you say so. -So indeed think I, and so thinks my mistress, only——’ - -‘What,’ cries I, ‘does any one refuse to believe the token?’ - -‘Ay, verily,’ answered the old steward, ‘even Mistress Joseffa -herself, who is in noways inclined, at the present time at least, -to this wedding, and so she contends, half in mirth half in pretty -pettishness—the saints guard her!—that the ring is not a marriage -ring, but truly only one of the brass curtain rings which she sayeth -dropped upon my nose in the night, and gave me my dream. “Look you, -Martin,” says she, “the ring is plain, just like the other curtain -rings.” - -‘“But look you again, Mistress Joseffa,” says I, “all wedding rings -are plain, just like this ring.” - -‘But she, sir, in noways put down by my argument, answers, “Truly, -but wedding rings are also gold, and this is brass, Master Martin.”’ - -‘Well,’ says I, ‘how did you answer that consideration? Methought, it -pushed you home.’ - -‘Answer it,’ cried he, ‘I hope I know better than to dispute -obstinately with the daughter of my good mistress. No, Master -Mariner, I held my peace, as became me, being but a servant; yet I -do, nevertheless, steadfastly believe the vision, and I hope that the -saints will inspire the sweet Joseffa with kinder thoughts to her -suitor, who is truly a goodly man and an honest, and what is better -than both, favoured of St. Gieronimo.’ - -Then I, making inquiries of the steward as to the young lady’s -features and carriage, he answered that to-morrow my own eyes would -inform me better than his tongue, which could in no way do justice -to such a theme as the great virtues and loveliness of his charming -young mistress, whose single fault was that she laughed at the -wedding ring of St. Gieronimo. Soon after this, our conversation -broke off, the steward telling me he would be with me betimes in -the morning. I lay long awake that night, conjuring up visions of -Joseffa; at length, as sleep was coming over me, I heard, or dreamed -I heard, the low tinkle of a guitar, and a manly voice, as of a -serenader singing to it beneath an outside balcony. - -‘The favoured suitor,’ I murmured, half asleep; and forthwith began -to dream that I was his rival, and that Saint Gieronimo appeared -again to explain that he meant the wedding ring with a view to my -coming, and that Martin’s interpretation of the vision was quite -erroneous. - -The morning came, and I was ushered into the presence of my most -kind benefactors. They sat—the elder lady on a couch, the younger -on a footstool at her feet—in a great lofty withdrawing-chamber, -the walls and ceiling rarely carved, the floor of sweet-smelling -wood, highly polished, and almost as slippery as ice, and the whole -apartment darkened by blinds of a peculiar construction, which -excluded the heat, but allowed the fresh breeze to pass in freely. -As I advanced, the Señora Moranté held out her jewelled hand, which -I kissed very respectfully. She was a tall, stately-looking dame, -dressed in morning-robes, and her hair, which was beginning to turn -grey, covered with festoons of black lace, gracefully arranged, and -falling down upon her shoulders. But my eyes were, as the reader may -guess, fixed with a far more delighted gaze upon Joseffa. She was, -indeed, a beauty of the true Spanish mould. Her form vibrated, as -it were, with a graceful suppleness which made her every movement a -charm to see. Her oval face—lighted by eyes which alternately flashed -and melted—was beaming, sometimes with the joyous rapture of gaily -flushing spirits, sometimes, as it were, shaded by a grave expression -of pretty coquettish modesty and bashfulness. Her lips were full and -pouting, and every moment there came a merry smile upon them, with -a sudden arching of her dark eyebrows, which quite enabled me to -understand the sportive nature which laughed at poor Martin, with -his ring of St. Grieronimo. She bowed slightly as I advanced, and -then, flirting and twirling and shaking a fan made of gaily-coloured -feathers before her face, stole rapid glances at me; all the while -pouting her lips, and sometimes looking down to the ground, and then -starting up, and whispering and laughing softly in her mother’s -ear, or unto herself, playing all the while with one hand among her -long black hair—her white fingers glancing nimbly amid the glossy -clustering locks. - -The señora received me with a sort of goodnatured dignity, and -bade me sit on a low seat hard by. She then began to inspect me, as -I thought, as curiously as though I had been some sort of strange -animal, muttering to herself, and sometimes whispering her daughter; -to my no small embarrassment; all at once, she said— - -‘Young man, I fear me you are a heretic?’ - -I replied softly that I was of the religion of my fathers. - -‘But you are a pirate,’ she commenced again; ‘and you put our people -to death very cruelly, and you pillage our ships. See, what being a -heretic leads you to. Perhaps it was very weak in me to save you, and -I know not what father Anselmo will say when next I go to confession.’ - -I answered that, far away in Scotland I had a mother, who I was sure -would do for any poor hunted Spaniard what she had done for me, and -that, though we did not worship in the same fashion, yet that never -would my mother forget in her prayers the kind heart that had saved -her son.’ - -I spoke this very earnestly, for I felt what I said deeply, and -kneeling down, I took the señora’s hand again, and kissed it. She -paused a little time, and then asked, what made my countrymen and the -French so vengeful against the Spaniards. Now, this was an argument -which I had no will to enter into—seeing that such a debate could -but breed angry feelings on both sides; and so I endeavoured to -turn the matter off by saying, that it was the two nations, and not -individuals, who made war—on account of the heritage of the new world. - -‘But, señor,’ said Joseffa, and all my nerves tingled as I heard her -voice, ‘you are of a very cruel and vindictive nation; for when my -poor father’s great bark, the Trinidada, was taken, all the sailors -were struck down and murdered upon the deck.’ - -To this I answered, that I understood that the Trinidada had been -captured by Louis Montbars, a Frenchman; that I had myself been -prisoner in the hands of that captain; and that it was only by a -dangerous flight that I escaped being sold into slavery by him in the -isle of Tortugas. - -This revelation all at once seemed to alter the position in which I -stood in the favour of the ladies, who, up to that time, although -they had, as I understood, received a good report—but from whence -I could not guess—of my conduct before the alcaide—were yet partly -prepossessed against me, as a heretic and a pirate of that class -which had brought so much desolation on their house. So, presently, -they desired to hear somewhat of my adventures, which I told them -very faithfully—the narration occupying the greatest portion of the -day. While I sat speaking, my eyes often encountered the dark orbs -of Joseffa fixed on mine. Then would we both drop our glances to the -ground, and my voice, despite myself, would falter, and a red blush -would spring over the bright olive cheeks of the young Spanish lady, -and her feather-fan would flutter more violently than before. - -That day I dined with my hosts. In the cool of the evening I -walked with them in the garden; but at the board, and beneath the -orange-trees, I saw but one face and one form. In my sleep the -star-like eyes of Joseffa haunted me; her voice rang unceasingly in -my brain. When I ventured to take her hand, mine trembled as though I -were a palsied old man—when she left me, the salt of existence seemed -to have lost its savour. I went and came musing. I took no pleasure -in aught save what related to her. In short, I had fallen certain -fathoms deep in love. - -And, verily, it was not wonderful. I lived in a state of existence so -new, that it seemed to me, then, and seems to me still, a Dreamland—a -long, sweet unreal vision. Consider what I was—a rude mariner, -ever-brought up in the coarse company of rough and unpolished men, -with hands fit to swing a lead-line, or tie a reef-point; with a -voice good for hailing the fore-top in a gale of wind; but with -neither hands nor voice trained for the soft requirements of a lady’s -bower. - -I laugh, with a melancholy mirth, now, when I think of what my -uncouthness must have been. Here was I a rough and round sailor—a -fellow who had been kicked about in Scotch brigs, and buccaneering -small craft all my days—to whose tongue the lingo of the forecastle -came as my mother-speech; who had hardly slept but in a swinging -hammock—ate but of lobscouse and sea-pie—sang but roaring -sea-ballads, or thought but of storms and calms, and ships and rigs, -with now and then a waking dream of old boyish days, of the Royal -Thistle and the Balwearie Burn, or mayhap the memory of an ancient -Scots legend, or a warm gush of feeling when I pondered on my old -mother, by the ingle-nook in the fisher’s cottage, near Kirkleslie -Pier. Such was I then, such my very nature, body and soul, and yet -now did I find myself the lover of a gentle Spanish lady, walking -with her through garden bowers, communing with her under shady -verandahs, talking of things I hardly dreamt of even as lurking in -the bottom of my soul. And she neither jeered at my port, nor flouted -my rough speech. She loved to hear of my country, and when I told -her our gallant tales of the Bruce, of how he was crowned King of -Scotland, crowned not in an abbey, by no holy hand of priest, and -without the ancient symbol of the sovereignty of the realm, but in -a wilderness, with a circlet of gold hastily wrought out, and by -the hands of a famous heroine, dear to the heart and memory of a -Scot, for ever—the Countess of Marr—when, I say, I told such tales, -Joseffa would hang, as it were, upon my lips, and then saying that -Spain also had its great heroes and mighty men of old, would draw her -fingers strongly across the thrilling strings of her guitar, and with -flashing eye and widened nostril, sing the glorious ballads of her -nation, of the battles between the Spanish chivalry and the Paynim -Moors, of the conquest of Alhama, and the life and death of Diaz de -Bivar, the peerless Cid. - -And so flew weeks away. I know not to this day how the Señora Moranté -observed not what was passing in our minds. She had taken me into -great favour, and consulted me much upon family matters, and upon -her design to cross the ocean and return to Alicant; and often she -hinted mysteriously at the noble husband her daughter would espouse -after her return to Spain. This suitor I knew to be in Carthagena, I -knew he ofttimes visited the house. Yet, upon these occasions, the -mother managed somehow adroitly to receive him when I was not by. -From Joseffa I could learn but this, that the gallant favoured by her -mother was not loved by her; that she received him but to humour the -fancies of her parent, who was but a weak, though good kind of woman; -and finally, she said to me, in low tones, for her eyes were looking -closely into mine, and her breath was warm upon my cheek, - -‘Do not regard him—Leonard, my own sailor, I will marry only you.’ - -But a week before these sweet words were spoken, we had (the custom -is of Scotland) broken together a crooked coin. Joseffa wore one half -of it attached by a braid round her neck and next to her heart, and I -wore the other. - -So, as I have said, weeks flew by; sometimes I thought sadly of my -comrades, and wondered upon what seas the gallant Will-o’-the-Wisp -was sailing; but these were only passing moments. My life was a -long sweet dream, checkered only by such considerations as I have -mentioned, and by doubtings and misgivings touching the strange -suitor who persecuted Joseffa with his importunities. - -‘Tell me but his name,’ I would say; ‘bring me but face to face with -him; I ask no more.’ - -But she would reply, ‘Be tranquil, Leonard! You have my heart. My -mother loves me well, and it pleases her to nurse herself in fancies -which can never turn to reality. Before you arrived here, a ship -sailed hence to Spain; she must be now upon the ocean again, with her -bows hitherward. When that ship sails a second time, I trust well -that my mother’s eyes will be opened, and that what is now passing -will be remembered but as an idle cloud, which hath come and gone.’ - -But I was not satisfied. And so I applied very earnestly to Martin, -professing to consult him as to a vision with which the saints had -blessed me, touching the wedding favoured of St. Gieronimo. All I -could obtain from the old man was, that the cavalier, for certain -private reasons, wished that his visits should be kept secret until -the nuptials had actually been arranged. - -Now, all this appeared to me a most strange and needless complication -of a simple matter, and, calling to mind certain words of Joseffa, I -could not help wondering whether the cavalier held the same language -to the mother as to the daughter. The allusions to the persecution -which Joseffa was undoubtedly undergoing, out of deference to her -mother’s foibles and prejudices, coming probably to an end when a -certain vessel sailed for Spain, would seem to imply that in that -vessel would also sail her tormentor; and, pondering upon this -circumstance, a thought suddenly flashed upon me, which made me -certain I had caught a clue to the mystery. As all this came up into -my mind, my brow flushed and my blood boiled. - -‘Come what may of it,’ I swore, ‘the next time that this man crosses -the threshold, ’tis I who will receive him.’ I hided my time warily -and well. I watched; I lay in wait; not a motion of the old steward -or of the señora but I followed; and the next day I had my will. I -knew the mysterious suitor was in the house. I knew that the señora -had gone to summon her daughter, who, I also knew, would be long of -coming. Therefore, gathering up body and soul for the interview, as -I had done once before for the torture, I burst hurriedly into the -withdrawing room, and saw there, dangling his bonnet and playing with -his sword-knot, the man I had expected to see—Don José! - -Making a great effort, I composed myself, and stood firm, looking at -him, but not daring to allow my tongue to utter a sound. On his side, -Don José showed not the slightest emotion, only a dark shadow seemed -for a moment to pass over his face, but it went almost as soon as it -had come; and then, stepping up to me, he said, in such a frank, open -fashion, that I could hardly believe my ears: - -‘Hey, my old friend, the Scots Mariner! I am heartily glad to -see thee again. I knew that thou hadst found refuge in this very -hospitable mansion. And so, friend, thou hast doubled both upon -blood-hound and alcaide. It was very well done, man. I gave -thee a good character to the Señora Moranté, and I hope it hath -availed thee. But indeed the ladies lately told me, that thou wert -still here, behaving thyself most reasonably, for a pirate and -a heretic—nay, that, in sooth, thou wert getting to be quite a -favourite. A rare time for thee, Friend Buccaneer. How wilt thou like -sea-fare and sea-company, after such an interlude?’ - -‘Don José,’ said I, speaking in a low and tremulous voice, for very -passion; ‘it were best that you leave this house.’ - -‘Truly, friend,’ replied the cavalier—‘you are the least -hospitable person within it. What may be the meaning, I pray, of a -recommendation, which, in thy mouth, I find somewhat singular?’ - -‘Don José,’ I replied, ‘you have saved my life. It is now in your -hands again. I am a rough, untutored mariner, not skilled in your -courtly ironical phrase,—I say again, you must leave this house, or -I will drive you from it—you may return with officers and alguazils, -but at any rate, you will not return in the character which now you -falsely pretend to.’ - -‘My good man,’ said Don José, still playing with his sword-knot, -and, as he spoke, flinging himself on a sofa, and dangling his -legs gracefully—‘My good man, have you ever, in the course of -your buccaneering, come across a cut on the forehead from a well -wielded piece of steel? Because if so, at certain seasons, the brain -may still feel the smart. You ought to purge and bleed—my good -pirate,—purge and bleed.’ - -I was likely to lose my senses in reality at this cool effrontery, -and so, going up close to the Spanish nobleman, I said— - -‘Remember, Don Ottavio y St. Jago, who is known to every duenna at -the Court of Madrid—remember, your mutual bargain, and the message -which you sent your friend by the mouth of Señor Davosa, a merchant, -who has doubtless by this time sailed for Old Spain, on board of the -galleon.’ - -Don José started to his feet, as though a cannon-shot had been fired -close to his ear. His tawny features were flushed with a sudden -redness, and as he jumped up erect upon the floor, he drew his -rapier, as though an armed enemy had leaped suddenly upon him. As for -me, I thought it just as well to be run through where I stood, as to -be dragged again to prison—again tortured and finally hanged. So I -remained motionless, gazing upon him. He paused for a moment, with -his arm upraised, as though to strike, and then suddenly lowering -his weapon, he said—‘Have you nought wherewith to defend yourself?’ -I replied, that I was unarmed, as he saw, but that I was not afraid -of dying, that he had already given me life, and that now he might -himself revoke his gift. He seemed to pause again, to take inward -counsel. His face, from being flushed, grew suddenly pale, and his -features worked, and his lips quivered. At last he spoke— - -‘Eavesdropper!’ he cried, ‘you were lurking in your boat, beneath the -cabin galleries of the galleon.’ - -I answered, composedly, that I was no eavesdropper, but an adventurer -who sought, as is common in war-time, to obtain information as to the -designs of his enemy. He laughed scornfully, and then turning on his -heel, sheathed his rapier with a clash. In an instant, however, he -swung round again, with his fierce eyes all aflame. - -‘Ha!’ he exclaimed, ‘I see it—a rival. By all the gods, a rival! -A successful rival! Good!—a jest worth telling. The blood of Old -Castile against a tar barrel—and the tar the favoured fluid of the -twain.’ - -As he spoke thus—his hand again clutched the hilt of his rapier, but -he withdrew it, with a loud angry ‘Pshaw!’—and strode, fuming, up and -down the room. Then he paused, came close to me, and said— - -‘Most grateful mariner—most worthy pirate—a goodly return have -you made to the man who gave you liberty and life. Why! thou -heartless knave! were it not for me, you would long ago have swung a -hundred-weight of carrion from a gallows, and now this—this is the -gratitude thou showest.’ - -‘Yes, Don José,’ I said, vehemently, ‘it is. To save a gentleman from -committing a base action, is to make the worthiest recompence for a -favour he has conferred.’ - -The Spaniard looked at me from head to foot, raised his eyebrows, and -gave a slight whistle. - -‘Truly, a pirate of a most moral breed—he reproves incontinence, he -rebukes sin. Most righteous of Buccaneers, thou hast mistaken thy -trade. Turn priest, man. Ha! I daresay you heard me tell the story of -the diamond and pearls on the Virgin’s petticoat? Behold a career for -thee. Get thee to the Cathedral on the Hill. To rob gaping Spaniards -in a church is more profitable and more safe than to plunder fighting -Spaniards on the sea. Turn priest, man. I warrant thee the rarest -hand at the confessional.’ - -‘Don José,’ I answered, ‘promise me, on your honour, to give up -the wicked purpose with which you visit this house. You may then -betray me to my enemies, and I swear to you, that not a word of what -accidentally I overheard shall pass my lips.’ - -He turned impetuously to me. ‘You know me not, mariner,’ he cried, -vehemently. ‘Your life is safe for me. We Spaniards are not all of -us alguazils!—human bloodhounds! Go! You have crossed my path, and -chance has given you the advantage. But you have spoken well and -acted well. I do not blame you—I think well of you. Once I would -myself have done what you have done; nay, perhaps so would I still. -But, caramba! Why put myself in a heat about such a trifle. Win her -and wear her, man! The stakes are yours.’ - -Don José took two or three turns from one end of the apartment to the -other, I still remaining motionless where I had first addressed him; -then suddenly stopping, he said, ‘If ever in future years you visit -Madrid, seek me out, and I will be your friend.’ - -Just then, the Señora Moranté entered. ‘Don José,’ she said, ‘I have -looked everywhere for Joseffa, but——’ - -Here she observed me, and suddenly became silent. Don José went up to -her, and took her hand. - -‘Señora,’ he said, ‘you will think me fickle, but I have become -convinced, that in Joseffa’s hand, should I be fortunate enough to -secure it, I should find no heart. The saints would prosper no such -union, señora. What I say I have full warrant for believing. Señora, -adieu! Here is your persecuted Scotch mariner. Make much of him—he -is a leal man and true. I told you that I thought so, now I know it. -Adieu, señora. Adieu, my flower of pirates. May Heaven prosper thee! -Be moral—and a Buccaneer!’ - -And so saying, with a reverence the most graceful and profound, Don -José stepped gaily from the room. Oh, heart of man, what strange -wild tunes thou playest—what discords mingling with and marring thy -harmonies—what harmonies mingling with and attuning thy discords! -Courteous and rude, paltry and noble, magnanimous and base. A man can -be all these in an hour, in a breath, the grandest and the foulest -thing in nature! - -Now, that I have told at length the strange chances which brought -Don José and I face to face so often, and in such curious relations -to each other at Carthagena, I would fain pass quickly over the -story of my after stay in that city. The history leads to but a sad -ending. Often and often, since I left the Spanish main, in rough -dark middle watches, as well as in soft and balmy nights, when my -ship stole through a waveless and shining sea, have I flown in fancy -back to those bright days of hope and love—often have I meditated -and pondered, until the very image of Joseffa has seemed to waver -in the air and smile upon me, until the well-remembered tones of -her voice have sounded audibly in mine ear amid the dash of waves, -or the rustle of the swelling canvas. Sometimes crouching alone in -the rocking top, with straining ropes and surging sails around me, -I have peopled that airy platform with the household of the old -merchant’s dwelling at Carthagena. The señora Moranté has pleaded -with me, urging me that I should abandon my heresies and become -a true son of the ancient church—the prating Martin has told his -visions of angels and of saints, and Joseffa—Joseffa, who wore the -token of our love upon her heaving heart, has looked up with her dark -eyes and her smiling lips into my face. - -Vain phantoms all! the stately señora, the garrulous old steward, -Joseffa herself—the sea entombs them all! The crooked coin I gave my -love lies deep with her in caves which no line hath ever plumbed. The -ocean is the most inscrutable of sepulchres. I know not, and no man -knows, the place of their resting. The breeze was fair, and the sea -smooth, which bore from Carthagena the ship in which they embarked to -return to Spain. She was a stately merchantman, and as she left the -port cannon thundered and church bells clashed from echoing steeples. -Then spreading her fair white wings to the wind, and towering in her -pride over the fleet of small craft which joyously, with shout and -blessing, convoyed her out to sea—the good ship disappeared, holding -her steady course for home. Since that day, no man has seen her or -aught of her. No token of the ill-starred craft has been driven on -any coast, or picked up on any sea; no bottle or flask, carrying a -despairing message from dying to living men, has floated to any human -hand. The fierce fire may have seized on her—the starting of a plank -may have brought on the fatal leak. A sudden tornado may have crushed -her under the howling waters. Beaten and belaboured by a long-blowing -gale, she may at length have succumbed to the force of roaring winds -and seas. God only knows her fate. She never came to land. She -joined that mighty navy which rests, manned by bleaching bones, far -down beneath those good keepers of secrets—the waves and swells of -the ocean; those waves on which gallant fleets and living men ride -buoyantly, joyously, all unwitting and unthinking that, mayhap, a -mile below the keel, rise the topmasts of what was once a merrily -bounding ship, now peeping forth amid the green branches and slowly -waving boughs of those great forests which learned men say grow at -the bottom of the sea. - -Sleep well, Joseffa, in your mystic entombment! It was a long tryste -which we gave each other. When we parted we agreed to meet again in -Spain, and there, being married, you would have sailed with me to see -that Scotland of which we so often spoke. Man proposes—God disposes. -It was not to be so. Although years had gone by, and I knew well -that the ship which bore you had perished, still I kept the tryste -at Alicant. I stood upon the sea-stretching quay upon the day and -the hour we had covenanted. I kept the tryste as though it were a -duty of my faith; it was soothing to my spirit to do so: but not -even a shadowy phantom of my beloved flitted to my side. There were -loud voices and busy throngs around. It is in the silence and the -dusk of evening and of dawn that best we seem to see each other. And -even these moments, what are they?—Times of musing, idle phantasy. -People laugh at them and at me, and, perhaps, with reason. Who, -indeed, would believe, seeing the grizzled locks and weather-beaten -visage and horny hands of the man who is now captain of the Scotch -brig ‘Royal Thistle,’ why so called we know well—that he, that jolly -yarn-telling mariner—that tough old tangled lump of sea-weed—can yet -remember the day when the flush of loving blood was hot within him? -Who will credit that that pair of oozy, blinking eyes can yet see, -as it were, looking into them bright and loving human orbs, long ago -turned into pearls beneath the deep waters; and, finally, who will -conceive that that square-built, stout-paunched veteran of the ocean -was once a slim youth, with flowing love-locks, whom the voice of -beauty thrilled, whose tears, the well-remembered tones of that voice -will still provoke to flow? - -I have here shot a-head in my story, and anticipated other things. -Were I, however, to have persevered in narrating, point by point, -the adventures of my Buccaneer life, I should, perhaps, have left -the tale of my early love but half told. I have, therefore, thought -it better at once to make an end with that sad history. In a few -words—Joseffa and I were betrothed, and her mother blessed us. -Marriage then was impossible, for further claims against the father -were every day arising, and when all were finally adjusted, the -mother and daughter would be nearly as poor as myself. At length, -all such matters being settled, they sailed for Spain, as I have -narrated. Long before that time, however, I had quitted Carthagena, -after solemnly engaging to meet my betrothed in three years at the -city of her family, at Alicant. - -During that time I trusted well to amass treasures. The days whereof -I write were those in which a single lucky capture made a fortune—in -which one daring assault upon a Spanish battery might send the -conqueror rolling home upon ingots of Indian gold. God forgive us -if we were thieves and robbers of the sea; such we did not account -ourselves. The Spaniards loudly swore that no European banner but -their own should stream upon the trade-winds of the tropic—that no -Europeans but themselves should traffic with those golden regions of -the west. Upon this quarrel we fought, and—to the death. I never drew -trigger upon a Spanish ship, that I did not deem myself as helping to -unshackle the fettered enterprise of Protestant Europe. Why should -we not, as well as its first discoverers, share in the spoils of the -new world? The Spaniards held but inconsiderable portions of the -soil—islands lay desert, great stretches of continent were tenanted -only by handfuls of savages; but the Spaniard would keep all to -himself. We did not admit the claim, and hence arose the Buccaneers. -I said, that these adventurers ofttimes made a great fortune in a -day. In many cases, these masses of wealth were no sooner won than -they were lost. A week in Jamaica was quite sufficient to dissipate -the spoils of the luckiest cruize. What brave sabres won, cogged -dice lost; what gallant but foolish men amassed, at peril of their -lives, infamous women squandered on brazen orgies. Little indeed -of the wealth wrested by Englishmen from the Spaniards turned to -happiness and content in the captor’s grasp. Well was it said, by -an ancient Buccaneer, that gold ill-won by Spaniards, and ill-spent -by Englishmen, enriched the latter no more than the former; that in -the end the spoil slipped from the hands which grasped, as well as -from those which held it; and that after all the fighting—all the -suffering of these long wars—the yellow metal, for as much as it -benefited either party, might well have been left in the mines by the -Spaniards, or flung into the sea by the English. - -Still, as I have said, there were great exceptions to the general -rule, and of these I trusted to prove one. Therefore, when last we -saw each other—when last I felt Joseffa’s form clasped to mine, I -whispered in her ear, that I well trusted in three years at Alicant, -to come to her, not a poor-hearted fugitive, but a well-endowed -lover. And thus we parted. When I write these latter words I doubt -not but that I have penned all necessary to be said, to picture the -scene by those who take interest in such passages. We parted, and we -never met again! - -Interest had been made with the captain of a small coasting craft, a -good fellow, and a friend of Martin’s, bound eastward to the Pearl -Fishery, to take me along with him. Once at sea again, I trusted -speedily to find means to transfer me to a deck above which floated -the battle-banner of England. The Pearl fisherman sailed to join the -fleet by night. Nearly four months had by that time elapsed, since I -was captured in Carthagena harbour. Don José had obtained a reversal -of his sentence of banishment, and had sailed for Spain. Concerning -the alcaide and his clerk, I heard nothing; but Captain Guzman I -saw as, in the gathering darkness of the evening, I hurried to the -beach—lurking, like a troubled spirit, round the shop of the Jew -money-lender. - -Joseffa had wept upon my neck—her mother had blessed me—Martin had -told me of a special vision, in which St. Gieronimo had appeared and -promised to watch over me! - -‘God bless them all!’ I had not thought shame to weep in saying it. - -Another half-hour and the ocean was again beneath my feet. - -‘Hurrah, for a new cruize! Hurrah, for new shipmates! Hurrah, for the -riches of the ocean! Hurrah, for the pearl banks of the Rio de la -Hacha!’ - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -HOW WE SAIL TO JOIN THE PEARL FLEET, AND THE NEGRO DIVER’S STORY. - - -The night I sailed from Carthagena was as starry and still as that -in which I entered the bay. Negro fishermen, in canoes, again sung -rude ditties as they shot their lines for pisareros—the rigging of -stately merchantmen again cut with many dark and interlaced lines the -sparkling sky—and again, and for the last time, I heard the bells of -the rich Monastery of the Hill come pealing over the music of the -surf. - -The night-breeze was very faint and feeble, so ‘Out sweeps’ was -the word; and presently all the crew, myself among the rest, were -tugging at our great heavy oars, and slowly urging the small bark -out to sea. We were not alone upon the water—close to us, another -vessel of our own rig and size, and bound upon the same voyage, was -making head in the same way—the blades of her long oars sparkling -in the sea, and both crews singing and shouting cheerily to each -other. Every year there sails from Carthagena to the pearl banks -of the Rio de la Hacha, about a dozen or a dozen and a half small -vessels, called the Pearl Fleet. The greater part of the squadron had -already gone, with a man-of-war to guard them. We were laggards, but -Garbo, so the captain of our bark was named, trusted in a few days -to join his comrades upon the banks. The Pearl Fleet is composed of -small ships generally used for coasting. When I describe our craft, -called the Pintado, the reader will have a good notion of all. She -was, then, a two-masted vessel, of about thirty tons burthen, very -shallow, and of great beam. Her mould was beautifully designed, -sharp and wedge-like at the bows, with her sides towards the gunwale -gently curved, as it were, like the lips of a bell, so that let her -lie over before a smart gale, as much as she would, it was next to -impossible to capsize her. She was but partially decked, towards -the stem and stern, having an open space amidships, which was used -when fishing for heaping the oysters in. Her crew consisted of four -Spanish seamen, the captain, and two negro divers, of whom more anon. -Thus there were eight of us in all, and we lived stowed away as we -could best manage it, in the two little choky cabins, forward and -aft, there being no distinction made between captain and crew. My -up-bringing was not, as you may guess, much calculated to make me -squeamish about where I lived and where I lay, but I confess, that -the sweltering holes, all greasy and foul, with their brown swarms of -cockroaches, and every now and then their stray centipedes, in which -the Spanish sailors ate their garlic-smelling messes, and in which -they flung themselves down often in their wet frowzy steaming clothes -to sleep—I say these cabins were so horribly choky and miserable -that, day and night, I kept upon deck, although, from the sharpness -of the bark’s model forward, and the quickness of her pitch, she was -very wet. Indeed, when it blew stronger than common, we shipped so -much water, that we had to cover the open waist with a species of -grating on which tarpaulings were stretched tightly, otherwise we -would speedily have filled and gone down. The bark carried two tall, -slim masts, raking very much aft, and supporting a couple of large -lug or square sails, over which two broad, but low topsails, could be -hoisted. Round her decks, at stem and stern, was a low iron rail, but -no bulwark, so that the washing of the sea over us, in a breeze, was -almost incessant. - -Garbo, the captain, was a good fellow, and a prime seaman, and -he only on board knew that I was an Englishman, and what my real -intentions were. The rest of the crew were told that I was a mariner -of the Low Countries, who had also served in Spanish ships at home. -They were a wild-looking set of fellows, with short trousers, not -reaching much below the knee, broad leathern belts, in which were -stuck formidable knives, and round their heads they wore yellow silk -kerchiefs, over which they clapped broad straw hats during the heat -of the day. All of them carried crucifixes of a black wood ornamented -with gold, and if they did not pray much to the saints, at least -they swore sufficiently by them. The two negroes took no part in the -management of the ship, except it might be now and then lending a -hand to their shipmates when a rope required an extra strain. One -of them was very tall and gaunt, the other was short and stout. The -latter, who was called by some common Spanish name, which I forget, -was, or pretended to be, a Christian. He had a crucifix slung round -his neck by a bit of rope yarn, and gabbled away about the saints -like the European part of the crew. Further, he was quite ‘Hail -fellow, well met,’ with the Spaniards. He played a sort of wooden -drum, and sung strange uncouth songs of his country to them, and -sometimes he would mimic the manners and voice of some one of the -Spaniards very skilfully, and to the great delight of the rest. In -fact, he was a fat, little, good-natured, hearty soul, with a grin -almost always upon his black mug, and, except when he was asleep, his -chattering tongue never lay still. He would go gambolling about the -deck like an overgrown monkey, whooping, and grinning, and singing, -so that not a soul on board but he would set at last to laughing as -loudly as himself. His comrade was a man of a very different sort, -and him I would describe particularly. He was the blackest negro I -ever saw, not having anything of the brown copper colour which some -of that people and the Indians show. On the contrary, his skin was -of a most sooty black hue, without the least redness of tinge. I -have seen many big and strong men, but a vaster, a more gaunt, yet -sinewy form, than that of this black, saw I never. He was more than -six feet high; his great spreading shoulders were lumps of bone and -hardened muscle, and his huge chest rose and fell so slowly, that -he seemed to breathe but half as often as other men on board. His -limbs were immensely gaunt and spare, and nothing but his great -splay feet, which covered more than two streaks of the deck, could -support the pile of bone and sinew which they bore erect. The face of -the diver was most ill-favoured and lowering. It was a broad, flat -visage, like the face of a grim and grisly idol. Just under the low, -wrinkled forehead, two little pig eyes winked forth, half hidden by -the patches of eyebrow which scowled in hairy folds above them. The -corners of the fat blubber lips were drawn down with a most sour and -evil expression, and all round them, and on the chin, were ragged -sprouts of beard, like flakes of black wool stuck upon the grisly -visage. Such was the tall diver, who was called by his African name -of Wooroo. His speech was broken Spanish, which he did not speak half -so well as his countryman, the short negro. But, in truth, he seldom -spoke at all, being generally squatted on his hams in some remote -corner of the vessel, where he would pass hours muttering to himself. -He wore a pair of tattered old breeches, and upon his naked chest, -fastened round his neck, there lay a sort of amulet, or charm, made -of feathers, stuck through a ball of hard baked clay, crammed into a -rude wooden case full of uncouth carvings. He was a worshipper of Ob, -and this was his fetish. - -‘Look at that hangdog thief Wooroo,’ said Garbo to me the second -afternoon we were at sea. ‘That fellow has just two good qualities. -He is the best diver who ever went into the sea, and he is tractable -to me who am his owner. I took him from the mines among the -mountains, and the animal, after his sort, is grateful. For, in -truth, I believe that he is amphibious in his nature, and that the -water is as necessary for him that he may live, as is land, and, -perhaps, a little more so.’ In answer to my further inquiries, the -captain said that he was a slave, brought from the Guinea coast, -where of late a great many negroes had been delivered up bound by -tribes hostile to them, and sold to Spaniards, Englishmen, Frenchmen, -and others, who employed them in those sorts of work in the Indies, -which white men cannot perform and live. Soon after this, imagining, -from the sombre and brooding look of this savage, that he could if -he pleased tell us some story of his nation and of his captivity -which would be worth hearing, I communicated my thought to Garbo. -The captain laughed. ‘What can the savage have to say,’ quoth he, -‘but that some other savage fetched him a blow on the head with a -war-club, or battle-axe, and then sold him to some Spanish trader for -a cup of strong waters? But you shall be gratified: that is, if the -monster chooses to unloose his tongue.’ - -That night, the captain keeping the first watch, the weather being -clear, and we and our consort sliding slowly over the long swells -of the sea, the captain called the negro aft to where we sat upon -the deck. The savage came with his usual slouching gait and scowling -visage. - -‘Wooroo,’ quoth the captain, ‘we want to hear something about you; -where you were born, and how you came hither.’ - -The gigantic African only stared. - -‘Come, now,’ says Captain Garbo, ‘tell us your story, Wooroo—tell us -about what you were in Africa, and what you did there.’ - -The black at last opened his blubber lips, and replied, in broken -Spanish, which I may render into English thus: ‘What am me to you? -What you want hear about me for?’ - -‘Never mind that, Wooroo,’ says the captain, ‘if we have a fancy to -hear you speak. I will give you brandy, man.’ - -The eyes of the negro glistened, and Captain Garbo winking at me, -went on: ‘You shall be drunk, Wooroo; drunker than you ever were -before, Caramba! so drunk that you can’t lie flat even without -holding on by the mast.’ - -It was pitiful to see how the brute-man shook himself with pleasure, -and how his features worked. - -‘You make me very drunk—dead drunk?’ he grunted. - -‘As dead as though you were smothered in a brandy cask, you -two-legged hog,’ returned the captain; ‘and what’s more, you shall -have a draught to wet your whistle, and set your tongue loose at -once.’ So saying, the Spaniard disappeared down the narrow hatch, -and presently emerged, bearing a large leathern bottle, with three -drinking mugs, one of which he filled with hot, strong brandy; the -savage tossed it off and held out the vessel for more. - -‘No, no,’ said Garbo; ‘you shall not get drunk until we have the -story out of you. Come, heave a-head!—heave a-head!’ - -The black at this began to speak. First, he discoursed in a -monotonous tone, all the while eyeing the brandy, and evidently -thinking of it. But presently, as he proceeded, he warmed over the -tale, and spoke with emphasis, and often in a loud, fast tone, making -violent gesticulations with his black, brawny arms, until, at length, -as his excitement increased, he would, every now and then, burst -from the broken Spanish, in which he, no doubt, found it difficult -to clothe his thoughts, into his own tongue, a strange, husky -sputtering, rising, as it were, from his very stomach; but being -promptly admonished on these occasions that we were not savages, -and understood not the gabble of his coast, he would stop, ask for -a little brandy, and having drunk it, resume again his narrative in -such Spanish as he could speak. I will try to give in English some -imitation of his words; only the reader must remember that they -seemed doubly strange to me, hearing them, as I did, in the harsh, -deep tones of the savage, and marking his glistening teeth, and -white, staring eyeballs, and clenched fists wildly waved around while -he spoke. Somewhat in this fashion ran his tale. - - -The Story of the Negro Diver. - -‘I come from across the sea, and I am a slave. I dive into the -water, and I bring up shell-fish, with white stones, which Spaniards -worship. I am a great diver, and I can kill sharks with the sharp -knife I carry in my hand. I was born in a wood, near a river. I curse -them who carried me away. I make fetish to curse them. I ask the big -Spirit that lives in fever mists to torment them. They are not alive, -but bad wishes follow dead men to where they go. I helped to kill -them, but still they carried me away across the sea, and I am here! - -‘I was born in a wood near a river. The trees grew in the water, and -the slime of the water was oily at their roots. At night a hot mist -came—very damp. Sometimes no moon, no stars, shine through that mist. -It is the breath of the spirit of that land, and it kills strangers -who come from afar. In the woods it was very dark, the branches kept -the sun out; but near the river were huts, and round them corn grew -and maize, for there the trees were burnt with fire, and the sun came -hot—hot. My father was a warrior, and could slay his foes. He was -strong, and had a great fetish. His war-club was heavy, and his bow -was long, and his arrows hit the mark. My mother toiled, she reaped -and baked, she thatched the hut, she paddled the canoe, she was -strong. If she grew tired, my father lifted his war-club and then she -worked on. In the hut was a broad bed of leaves, also calabashes to -drink from, spears and clubs, and tools of iron. Also knives and an -axe, which white men made. Also a god of palm-wood, with a necklace -of wild beasts’ teeth. One hour from the hut, the brown river met the -sea: there was a bay there, and many huts. Where the river met the -sea were rocks: canoes could go from the salt-water to the fresh, -but not ships, because of the rocks, on which were white waves, very -fierce and high. In a big hut near the sea, the king lived, with -all his wives and slaves. He was a great king, and made war upon -other kings. My father went to these wars, but I stayed in the hut -at home. When I was yet little, I learned to dive and to swim, and -to paddle a canoe. I loved the water better than the woods. I loved -the brown river, and the sea which tossed, and heaved. If the waves -filled the canoe, it was nothing to me; I laughed and swam. If a -great root of a tree in the brown slimy river upset the canoe, it was -nothing to me; I laughed and swam. I did not fear the shark out in -the blue water; I could dive under him when he turned upon his back -to swallow me, and his teeth glistened in white rows. I did not fear -the muddy crocodile in the river, and in the silent creeks, black -and deep, which he loves: his back is hard, but his belly is soft, -and I could drive a knife into him, so that he would lash his scaly -tail and die. I tell you I could swim on the water like birds which -live there, and I could dive like the fishes which are beneath. My -father could swim and he could dive, but I could swim further and -dive deeper. My father called me the “Long-breathed,” and when ships -came to where the river joins the sea, I dived down from them, and -the mariners gave me cloth and nails. Then I was happy; I had enough -to eat, and oil to anoint me and make my limbs supple and strong, and -a fetish which was very good. - -‘Soon came a great ship to where the river met the sea, and the men -of our nation and the king went on board to trade. We had oil to -give them, and the teeth of great beasts, and the dust of gold all -glittering, which merchants brought from where the sun rises. But the -captain said to the king, I not want palm-oil, nor teeth, nor gold. -I want men, I want slaves, and I will buy them; not palm-oil, nor -teeth, nor gold. When the king heard this, he went to war, and the -warriors of my nation went with him. There was a battle, likewise -many huts burnt, but the captain gave the king guns, and he returned -with many slaves, men and women—for bows and arrows are not so good -to fight with as guns, which shoot thunder. Then the slaves were sent -on board the great ship, and the captain gave us strong drink, and -we were drunk and happy, and we said we would go to war and bring -more slaves. - -‘So afterwards this was our trade. I likewise went to war—I -likewise made slaves. We went many days from the sea, to where -there were other nations. We had guns, and they had but bows and -arrows, likewise lances, and clubs of wood which fire had hardened. -Therefore, many were killed, and many were slaves, and we kept them -until ships came, and then sold them, and they were taken away over -the sea; but we were rich and powerful, and had plenty of strong -drink, which we loved; though many died of it.’ - -‘As you will, Wooroo,’ says Captain Garbo, interrupting him, ‘if you -only get enough of it.’ - -‘Give some now,’ answered the negro. He drank off a small mugful, and -went on, with more and more animation, as follows:— - -‘Once a ship came, and she waited for slaves outside the rocks, -where the sea burst white. Then I had a hut and a wife, and slaves -of my own, and lived near where the king lived, and he knew that I -was a warrior, and exceeding skilful in the water. One night the -sky was black—black—and the sea moaned like a slave that moans for -his country and his wife, and there were sounds amid the branches -of the big trees; also birds sang strangely, and the frogs croaked -very loud from the marsh where they lived. Therefore, I knew that a -great wind was coming to the land, from far off in the sea; and when -I lay in my hut upon blankets, and listened, the storm blew loud, -and I heard the great noise of the waves. In the morning, the sun -was red in the sky, and I looked and saw the ship that was waiting -for slaves, and she was tossed upon the waves, and the white men -were waving their arms to us, who stood upon the shore. Not far from -the ship were great rocks, and we knew that if she struck upon such -rocks, she would break, and the white men would be drowned. But for -a long time she was safe, because heavy anchors and strong ropes -held her in her place: but the wind was great, and the ropes broke: -then the white men cried with a loud shout, and the ship struck upon -the rocks and was broken, and the white men drowned. In the night, -the wind went to sleep and the stars shone, and on the morrow the -sun was hot and bright upon the sea. So, soon we went to the broken -ship; there were great treasures there of iron and cloth, and powder, -which we dried, and casks of strong drink. There was more iron and -cloth, and strong drink, than we could get for many slaves, won at -many battles. Therefore we were glad that the rope broke, and the -white men were drowned, because we had all. After this, many ships -came, but great winds did not come, and we went to war, and my father -was killed; but for all the slaves we brought, we did not get so -much cloth, and iron, and powder, and strong drink, as we got when -the ship was broken, and the white men drowned. At this the king was -angry—I was angry: all the warriors of my nation were angry—and when -a great ship came again, the king went into the wood to an Obi man -that lived there, and asked him that he would make a fetish, so that -a wind would arise out of the sea, and break the ship, that we might -have all. The Obi man was good. He answered in these words—“I will -make a fetish and give it to Wooroo. Great ropes hold the ship, but -sharp knives can cut great ropes. Then a small wind will break the -ship upon the rock. The white men fire at canoe, if canoe go near the -ropes; but Wooroo a great diver—Wooroo a great swimmer—Wooroo has -a sharp knife—Wooroo can dive deep down below the sea, and cut the -ropes.” - -‘Then the king told me what the Obi man said, and I was glad, and -sharpened my knife, and waited for a wind. The men of my nation knew -it too, and we were glad, and said that the Obi man was wise. At -last a wind came strong over the sea, and rattled the boughs of the -forest, and the waves were white on the rocks. Then I went into the -sea to swim and dive and cut the ropes. The surf was wild, but I -am a great swimmer, and the surf could not drown me; and so I swam -away out from the coast. I swam long. When I sank down into the -valley between the waves, I could only see water—not land, nor the -ship. Thus I passed to windward of the ship. If they saw my head, -they thought it was a piece of wood, or a bird, or the head of some -creature that lives in the sea. At length I was near the ship, and I -saw the great rope from her bows going down into the water. I looked -what way the rope went—it was under me. I drew my knife—I took a long -breath—I dived. Down many fathoms I saw the rope; it stretched dimly -out in the green sea. I clutched it; it shook—it trembled. Sometimes -it slackened—sometimes it jerked out like an iron bar. I clung to -it. The sea heaved and twisted me round and round it; but the knife -was very sharp—my arm was very strong. The knife was half through -the rope, when there came a jerk through all its strands, and it was -torn asunder. One part was wrested out of my grasp, the other sank -slowly into the sea. I rose up to the surface. I was almost spent; -I swam faintly; I rested on the rolling sea. Then from the top of a -wave I looked at the ship; she was already near the rock, and her -side was to the waves. Men were in the rigging and among the ropes; -they strived to loose the sails, but they had no time. The ship -struck—the waves went over her—the masts fell—the crew were drowned! -As I swam to land, I heard the people of my nation—how they shouted -and were glad! That ship fared like the others—she broke, and we had -the spoil. The powder, the cloth, the iron, and all things which we -valued. Only three white men were saved, and we made them slaves. -We sent them up the dark river, and into the dark woods far from -the sea. They cried, and were in despair. They were sold to another -nation, and we had the riches and rejoiced.’ - -‘You infernal villain!’ cried Garbo. ‘The fellow talks of wrecking -ships and drowning men by his devilish treachery, as if the tale were -of building churches and saying masses.’ - -‘I say truth,’ replied the negro. ‘Give me more strong drink.’ The -captain shrugged his shoulders, and refilled the savage’s cup. The -barbarian, whose eyes now began to gleam like a wild cat’s, broke out -into a hoarse, guttural laugh, so savage and strange, that the watch -on the forecastle called out to know what the noise was. - -‘It is only Wooroo singing,’ answered the captain. ‘Go on, Wooroo.’ -The negro, who was now getting excited by his story and the drink, -needed no spurring. - -‘Ha! ha!’ he began, with that horrid laugh again. ‘Two ships come -after. Two times I sharpened my knife; two times I went into the sea; -two times I cut the great rope, and the ships struck the rocks and -were broken. Some of the white men were drowned. Those who were not, -we sold, and they were taken away, many days’ journey to the rising -sun, and there will be until they die, as I am, slaves. - -‘But we were wealthy and great. The king was powerful. He had more -carabines, more iron, and more cloth than any king before. Strong -drink ran amongst us like water in a river. We drank, we yelled, we -whooped, we flung brands from the fire among the huts, and they were -burned. Evil demons lived in those casks, and when we drank the fiery -drinks, they entered in unto us and made us mad, and no man knew his -brother. We fought among the burning houses, and the charred rafters -were wet with blood. At length there came a ship to which we had -already given slaves. We went aboard. I was on board with the king. -We went into the great cabin, and they gave us more strong drink. -They heard of four ships having been broken on the rocks hard by, and -they asked us how it was. We said that a wind came up out of the sea, -and that the ships were broken. They then asked us where the white -men were, and we said that they were all drowned in the sea. On that -they gave us more strong drink, and fires began to flash before our -eyes. It was sweet drink, sweeter than ever we had tasted, and we -drank greedily. The white men encouraged us, but they did not drink -themselves, and they talked, of the ships that were broken. But we -were getting mad, and we knew no more what we did. So the white men -said that, if the king’s people were cunning, many more ships would -be broken, and the king’s people would be rich. Then we fell into the -snare, because we were mad with the strong drink, and we yelled out, -and danced, and told the white men that they were but fools, and I -drew out my knife, and I said: “Look here. This knife cut the great -ropes that went down to the bottom of the sea, and the ships were -broken. I cut the great ropes. I have a strong fetish. I am a great -diver and a great swimmer.” After this I remember nothing, but that I -was asleep, and that I awoke. It was in a dark place, very hot, and -I could scarcely breathe. On my arms and legs were mighty chains. -I called out, and a voice answered me in the darkness. It was the -voice of the king, and he said, “I am chained, I know not where.” We -shouted, and screamed, and clanked our chains, and then when we lay -still, we felt the prison we were in move with a regular motion, and -we knew that we were in a ship upon the sea. So, white men came with -lanterns, and they told us we were slaves. We roared and howled at -them, and spit upon them, but our chains would not allow us to rise -and kill them. Therefore they laughed, and asked me if I would swim -and dive and cut the great rope that held the ship to the bottom of -the sea, so that the king’s people might be rich. First, we trusted -in our fetishes, but they did not help us; and the king said: “Once -go ashore, and me catch the Obi man, and send the tum-tum drum -through the wood, and the people come, and me burn the Obi man for a -sacrifice; me burn him with fire, and torment him till he die.” But -we did not go ashore—we were slaves. Then other slaves come, men and -women, and lay down in the dark with us. The white men were there -with whips and sticks, and they tormented us, until we lay so that we -were one great lump of human flesh. All through the ship, oh! there -was the heat, and the stench, and the sweat, and the roarings! There -was no light but from two little hatchways with gratings, and square -bits of light came down there; but I was far from them, and the air -I breathed was more foul than the mist fever that comes up out of the -swamp with the smell of the rotten mud.’ - -The poor devil told this part of his strange tale with a visible -shudder. He went on. - -‘The ship sailed away, and there were waves very rough, and the -slaves lay sick, rolling over each other, roaring and fighting to -get near the hatchways. But white men, with iron bars, struck them, -and drove them back. The white men struggled backwards and forwards, -and beat and slashed the slaves with iron bars and knives. They -carried lanterns at first, but the fire went out in the bad air and -the stench. The place was only as high as half a man; there were -hundreds and hundreds driven into it. The smoke of our bodies rose -out of the hatchways. We struggled and tore each other with hands and -teeth, because of the agony of sickness and smothering. We coughed, -and gasped, and panted, and dashed ourselves here and there in our -chains. Soon many died. The white men dragged out the corpses and -took them away. In our struggles, we kicked the dying beneath our -feet. Sometimes they clasped our legs, and tried to scratch or bite. -The corpses were cold and soft beneath us, and all around was slime, -and dirt, and air that was rotten, and one stench of corruption and -of death. - -‘In half a moon, more than half of the slaves were dead and thrown -overboard. The king was yet alive; when he came on board, he was -oily and fat, but now his bones were sticking out like knots and -splinters, and he was covered with sores, as a leopard with spots. -We lived on the flour of cassava and water. White men came down with -great baskets of it mixed, and we plunged in our hands and drew out -lumps of leaven, and ate. We did not now fight or struggle, but lay -and tried to sleep; we had more room, and five or six died every -day, because the stench had brought the fever spirit, and he sailed -with us in the dark hold. Then, one night when the white moon was -coming down the hatchway, the captain of the ship approached, and -turned his lantern upon us as we lay—the king and me—where they had -first chained us down. Then he began to ask where were the white men -who were carried off after the ships broke, to be slaves. But he -stopped and said to two sailors who were with him, “Take off their -chains and bring them on the deck; it is better to speak there in -the moonlight, than in this stench.” Our chains were taken off—we -climbed the ladder—we passed the hatchway—and we stood upon the deck. -The moon shone, as it shone above my hut—above the dark woods—above -the dark river—above my country; the breeze was sweet to taste, as -palm wine after bitter water. The white men slept upon the deck—the -ship went steady before the night wind which came over the sea. It -was good. The captain asked us again where the white men were slaves, -and we told him a moon and two moons and three moons from where -the dark river joined the sea. Then we said, that if he carried us -back the white men would be found, and he would have them, and we -would go ashore and we would make war and bring him many slaves and -never cut the great ropes again. The captain spoke to the two white -men who were with him, and very soon they took us down below, but -they did not chain us again; many other slaves were also unchained, -for all were very quiet; and when the white men struck them, or -cut their flesh with their knives, they only groaned or cursed in -their throats. I lay awake all that night, and the god that stood in -my father’s hut, with the necklace of wild beasts’ teeth, gave me -thoughts in my heart. I said to myself, we are slaves, but we may -be masters; only one watches at the hatchway—at night the wind is -small and the sea is smooth—the white men sleep in the moonlight—we -may arise and kill them, and have the ship and its riches. I thought -these things long to myself, and before the dawn I wakened the king -and told him, and we conversed in whispers; the next day we told -others, who were the stoutest men left, and who could speak the -language of our nation. Thus we agreed, and we searched for billets -of wood and spikes of iron, and bits of chains or fetters, to arm -ourselves. The night came again, and the moon shone again through -the hatchway. The wind was small and the sea smooth, and on deck the -white men slept in the moonshine. Then every man adored his fetish, -and called upon his god that he believed in, to help. I gave the -sign, which was a shout of war, such as we raised when we rushed upon -a sleeping village of our enemies to capture slaves. Then we all -rushed at the hatchway—we tossed aside the grating of heavy wood and -iron, as though it had been of the wattled hurdles which we planted -round our fields. We were free. We shouted—we climbed—we leaped—we -swarmed out in the moonshine. The white man who stood armed by the -hatchway had only time to fire his carabine among us. Then a score of -sticks, and iron chains, with handcuffs swung to them, split asunder -his head. In a moment he was overboard and sunk in the sea. The -white men were conquered. Some were asleep in hammocks, some on the -deck. With great shouts and screams we rushed at them. We tore them -from their beds. We dashed them on the deck. We slashed them with -the knives we found. We hove them overboard. And the sharks which -followed us from Africa, and were fat with the flesh of our fellows, -swallowed the white men also. Therefore we were the masters of the -ship, and it seemed a good slave; for when all the white men were -dead and gone, it sailed on, and the small wind blew, and the sea was -smooth, just as before. I looked then for the king, but he was dead. -The one shot which the white man fired struck him—the ball drove the -fetish of feathers, which was upon his breast, into his heart. He was -dead, and the sharks had him also. - -‘Then all my countrymen called out, and said that I was king in his -place, and that we must go back to Africa, to the deep forests and -the dark rivers, to their huts, and their wives, and their slaves, -to where the panther leaped and the crocodile swam, and the large -bats hung in clusters from the trees. So they led me to the helm, and -they said, “Steer us home.” There were clouds then over the moon, -and the night was dark. I said, “Wait until the morning, and I will -steer you home.” The morning came, the clouds passed away, the sun -rose, and the wind came fast over the sea. They said again, “Steer -us home.” But I looked around. I looked far and near. There was no -land, only water. As in the desert there is only sand; so round us -there was only water. It was the same on the right hand and on the -left. There was the sky and the sea, and that was all. How could I -steer them home? But if I said I could not steer them home, they -would kill me; therefore I took the tiller in my hand. I stayed by it -all day. Those who were the masters of the ship and of me, danced and -sung about the deck. Sometimes they asked when we would be at home. -I said, soon. They thought that I could conduct the ship to land. -They would not let me leave the tiller. They brought food there. I -slept there. I was afraid to move. I did not know the road home. Days -came and turned into nights, and nights into days again. The sun -rose out of the sea, sometimes on the right hand, sometimes on the -left; sometimes before us, sometimes behind us. We were wandering -upon the sea; a moon passed over us, and they said to me, “We are not -yet at home; there is no land, only water. Take us home, or we will -kill you, as you made us kill the white men.” Then I was sorry that -we killed the white men. The night after, the wind grew loud, and -the waves beat over the ship. I did not know what to do. The sails -were left as the white men had spread them. The ship was tossed. She -moaned, and groaned, and plunged deep into the waves. The sails made -strange noises, the masts reeled and bent as trees in a hurricane. -Then one by one they broke, and fell into the sea. The foam flew over -us all night. A great load of masts, and ropes, and sails lay upon -the decks, and from the decks they reached down into the sea. These -we cut asunder with hatchets, for they were pulling the ship down -into the depths; and when the morning came, the wind had gone away, -and the ship lay quite still. She had no masts, and no sails; and as -a man without legs cannot walk, so a ship without rigging cannot move -upon the ocean. - -‘And still all on board cried, “Take us home.” Then I said to them, -“We cannot go home, there are no sails; we must die here upon the -sea.” Then for the first time I left the helm. I knew one thing that -none else there knew—I knew where there was the strong drink.’ - -‘Ay, that I’ll be bound you did!’ said Captain Garbo. - -I watched, and when none saw, when it was dark, I took a great vessel -of strong drink, and also bread and meat, and went down with them -into the deep places of the ship. I went near the keel. I sat in -darkness, with beams around me, and ropes, and the rotten water that -flowed slowly in from the sea—and which moved with regular tides, -backwards and forwards, because of the ship rolling on the waves. -That water had the smell of the thick mud in the creeks among the -woods, after the rains, when the mists arise. It washed and gurgled -over the slimy wood, and also the rusty chains and nails which lay -at the bottom of the ship. There I ate and drank, and no one saw me. -I heard them howling up above, for they knew not where I was; but -they knew they were to die upon the sea. I stayed there drinking and -sleeping. The strong drink was good, it made me drunk; it made me as -if I was back again where the dark river joins the sea. When the jug -was dry I went for more. It was night, and a great wind was blowing -over the waves, and the ship rose up and sank down, like the first -ship that went upon the rocks and was broken. The people were running -on the deck—they were in fear; they said the sea was coming up over -the ship. I did not care; I knew where the strong drink was. I got -another jug, greater than the first, I also got some bread. As I -passed in the dark, I heard a man say to a woman, “In two days there -will be no food left.” I did not care; I went with the strong drink -into the secret place of the ship. There I lay among the ropes and -beams, and the stinking water which gurgled among them, as the waves -beat hard on the outside. It was like a cave in the woods: it was -like the den of the wild beasts. I burrowed in it like the crocodile -in his abiding place, among the weeds and the thick herbage which -grows by the creek. There I ate, there I drank—oh, much—much. The -strong drink was like fire in me, and like light to me; it showed me -my hut, where the river joins the sea; it showed me sun, and moon, -and stars, and the sky over the woods and the sea; it showed me the -deep waters where I paddled my canoe, and where I swam, and where I -dived. I shouted and sang war-songs, and those above thought that -the spirits of their enemies were exulting and were singing. When -the jug was empty I went on deck. Many days had come and gone away -into the past. The deck was full of people; they lay upon the planks, -they groaned and cried, they were starving, and they yelled out for -water, and for cassava, and millet, and maize, and rice. I went to -the secret place where were the strong drinks. Lo! there were no -more! Others found out the place, and took the drinks. I searched -everywhere, but there was nothing—not a drop—not a crumb. There was -no more food, no more drink—now we must die. I sat upon the deck, so -did all; no man or woman spoke: sometimes one moaned—that was all. -It was the same in the sunlight and the moonlight—when the air did -not move and when the wind was strong. I looked upon the sky, it was -always blue, there were no clouds from dawn-time to sun-setting: -there was no rain to cool our lips; our tongues swelled and our -throats were dry—as dry as the hole which the scorpion burrows in the -hot sand. The people died one by one. When, they died they lay upon -the deck where they fell; they rotted there amongst us, but we did -not move to throw them to the sharks. At last there were ten men and -women dead, to one man or woman living; then we spoke and we talked -who would die next. One said he would, and another, that he would. -When we die we fly back to Africa, and we said one to the other, -“If you die first, you say we are coming: you say we are flying -in the air behind you to Africa, to the dark woods and the dark -river.” Then I sent messages to my father, who was killed in war, -and to the king; I sent them by a young man who was very weak, and -whose eyes were glazed. He lay close by me. I watched him well. His -breath came longer and longer—then it ceased, as a branch you move -ceases gradually to swing—and the jaw dropped down. I said, “Ha! my -messenger has departed; I am glad.” That night there were but five -left. I was the strongest of the five, but I could not rise from my -seat amid the corpses. The breeze came fresh in the night; clouds -came with it, and out of the clouds rain fell. We held up our mouths -and we were refreshed. So, by means of the sweet rain, four out of -the five lived until the grey light came out and showed fogs hanging -on the water. The wind was small, and the sea smooth; and as the -sun climbed out of the ocean, the fogs rose up and melted away, and -we all gave a faint shout together, for not half an hour from us, a -great ship, with many sails, glided like a bird upon the sea. As we -looked, a canoe, with white men, came from the great ship, paddling -fast towards us, and soon the white men leaped up among the corpses -on the deck. They gave a great cry of horror when they saw all the -planks covered with bodies, some sitting, some lying, some piled up -upon each other in heaps—where fathers and sons, and brothers and -sisters, and husbands and wives, had died together—and they were -about to go back hastily into their canoe, but we all cried as with -one voice for water. Then they turned and beheld us, and after some -talking, they lifted us up and put us into the canoe, and rowed us to -their ship. So was it that we became slaves again. Then they spread -forth all sail, and our old ship, with its cargo of corpses, was left -drifting about on the sea. - -‘We had good food and good water; we grew stout again, lusty, and -strong. A moon passed away, and then we saw land, and a city of the -white men. The city was called Porto Bello. We were sold there. My -master took me up far into great mountains, where there was gold. The -gold was down in the earth. The slaves dug holes in the sides of the -steep hills. We crawled into these holes. We dug and hammered in dark -places under ground, and white men with whips lashed us if we stopped -to rest. But I longed and panted again for rivers and the sea. I grew -weak, and my arms were soft and thin, and a spirit whispered to me, -and I put earth and clay into my mouth, and swallowed them. Other -slaves did the same, and slowly they died, and flew back to Africa. -I wanted to die, and I ate much clay. I was very sick and weak, but -they flogged me with whips, until I crawled into the holes, digging -and hollowing under the earth for gold. At last—’ - -‘At last,’ said Captain Garbo, ‘you have got so far with your story, -that I may finish it for you. Being on a visit to see some of the -gold mines of Darien, the overseer of one of them told me that he -was losing almost all his negroes of the disease or superstition -peculiar, I believe, to those Africans and called ‘dirt-eating.’ -He pointed out to Wooroo there, as one of them who was dying the -fastest, and on my speaking to him, he told me what he has several -times repeated, that he was a great swimmer and a diver. So such -being the case, and being then, as now, much engaged in the pearl -fishery, I bought the fellow for a trifle, took him down to the -coast, and I am bound to say that a better hand under water never -plunged over a boat. As soon as he was afloat, he recovered his -health and spirits fast; and now, I suppose, there are not two men, -white or black, in the fleet, that the fellow could not grasp in -either of his hands, and smash their heads together.’ - -As soon as his master had interrupted him, and bade him cease -speaking, Wooroo lost all the look of intelligence and excitement -which had gleamed in his eyes. He sat like a brainless statue of -black wood. He had performed his task, and at length he held out both -hands towards the spirit-flask, and only muttered— - -‘Give me the wages you said—make me much drunk.’ - -Captain Garbo, without a word, filled a large measure with brandy, -and handed it to the savage, who rose with it, and walked to a corner -in the deep-waist of the ship. Passing there an hour after, I saw the -brute lying insensibly drunk, with the empty measure still grasped in -his hand. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -MY ADVENTURES AMONG THE PEARL FISHERS, AND MY ESCAPE FROM THE FLEET. - - -All this time we were beating gaily up to windward in company with -our consort, both boats proceeding at much the same rate, and -frequently hailing each other and sailing nearly alongside. On the -third day from that of our departure, we saw upon our right, towering -in great blue masses out of the sea, the high land of Santa Martha. -Mariners say that it is higher than the Peak of Teneriffe, and that -when the weather is very clear, there is a certain circuit of the -Caribbean sea, not far from hence, where, from the tops of a lofty -vessel, you may see at once the distant ridges of Hispaniola, the -Blue Mountains of Jamaica, and the Peak of Santa Martha upon the -main land. The next day, the coast line being far distant, and being -cloven, as it were, by the great river De la Hacha, which here comes -into the sea, we saw riding at anchor, in-shore from us, a squadron -of small ships. We being still well at sea, the water beneath was of -a deep blue; but where the Pearl Fleet, for such they were, lay, the -hue of the sea was a light green. It was as glorious an afternoon -as ever shone under the tropics, as bowling cheerily before the -sea-breeze, we ran down for our sister ships, they lying at their -anchors above the great bank of pearls. There were fourteen or -fifteen barks similar to our own, and at some distance was a stately -frigate, which protected them, lying-to. - -‘That is the convoy of the Pearl Fleet,’ said Garbo; ‘we must first -speak her, and she will allot our station on the bank.’ - -And, in fact, as he talked, the great maintop-sail of the Spanish -ship was filled, and her bows, falling off from the wind and pointing -to us, she moved slowly out to meet us. As she drew near, I could -not help thinking that she was the same vessel which had chased the -‘Will-o’-the-Wisp.’ At any rate, she had the same richly-carved bows, -full of figures of angels and saints, and the same goodly fabric of -rigging towering up against the blue sky. Presently, she hove-to -again, our small sails being becalmed under her lee, and Captain -Garbo, with two of his men, went aboard her in the small canoe which -the bark carried. As for myself, I did not care to trust my neck on -board a Spanish man-of-war. Indeed, I kept as much out of sight as -I very well could, pretending to be busy about a thousand little -matters on board the bark. I noted, however, that the Spaniard bore -twelve great guns upon either side, besides double batteries upon -forecastle and poop. Her high decks swarmed with men, who scrambled -over into her chains and out at her port-holes, and chatted with -the Spanish part of the bark’s crew, and mocked and gibed at Wooroo -as he sat upon his hams on the deck, taking no more notice of what -was said to him than the mast. Presently the captain returned with -a card in his hand, whereon was inscribed the station of the bark -upon the bank. Each boat had its own appointed place; and the frigate -was there not only to protect the fleet against Buccaneers, but to -enforce the rules which the Spanish government, to whom the fishery -belongs, lays down to be observed by the barks which prosecute it. -The pearl bank extends for a great many miles in length and one in -breadth, there being a deep channel about three or four leagues -broad between its inmost edge and the land. Our position was towards -the eastern extremity of the bank, and so we beat up towards it, -passing many of the anchored boats, who hailed us cheerily, and -asked what news from Carthagena. As we sailed along, we saw the -divers, all of them either Indian or negroes, standing often upon -the edge of the boats, poising their bodies for a moment, and then -plunging head-foremost down into the sea. Some of the fleet were -more deeply laden than others, that depending upon the number of -the oysters which chanced to lie scattered under each boat. As -soon as the cargo is made up, the pearl fisherman weighs, hoists -his lug sails, and runs in for the shore; but if the frigate fires -two guns, one close after the other, he must lie-to, until a boat -from the big ship comes and gives him leave to proceed. Although -the rule, however, is, that each boat fishes and sails for itself, -without attending to its neighbours, yet the convoy always tries as -far as possible to arrange matters, so that the fleet may sail in a -body to the shore, the frigate attending them to windward. If it be -suspected that there are Buccaneers upon the coast, the ordinary rule -is indeed altogether suspended, and no boat is permitted to weigh -anchor until the commodore fire a gun, and hoist a blue flag at his -foretop-gallant-mast head, when the whole squadron run gaily together -for the Ranchiera, as the pearl village is called, upon the banks of -the Rio de la Hacha. When we joined the fleet no danger was, however, -suspected, and by the time that we had taken our station, and let -the anchor splash from the bows, about half the barks, which were -deepest in the water, had weighed; and hoisting their brown patched -sails, scudded away before the last of the sea-breeze. As soon as it -became dark each boat hoisted a lantern to its mast-head; the frigate -showing two, one above the other, in the foretop-gallant rigging. The -night was calm and still. Every now and then we would hear the faint -sound of songs, coming over the water from distant barks; and, as -hour after hour passed away, it was marked by the clang of the great -ship’s bell. Meantime, on board our bark, we were busy preparing for -to-morrow’s fishing. The waist was cleared out, and the decks fore -and aft lumbered with the coils of rope and old canvas, flung aside -to make room for the expected overflow of oysters. Then the baskets -to be used in lifting them from the bottom of the sea, strong cages -of thick wire, all rusty and bent, were prepared; the tackle was -rigged, and lines were affixed to heavy pieces of lead, furnished -with handles for the divers to grasp, so as to sink the quicker to -the bottom. These preparations over, we cooked and ate our suppers -and turned in, leaving but one hand on deck for an anchor watch, as -sailors call it. - -‘Now,’ thought I, as, according to my custom, instead of crawling -into the little cabins, which were not much better than the hold -of the ship which had carried Wooroo from Guinea, I laid myself -down on deck, well muffled up in old sails, to keep the heavy dews -away—‘Now,’ thought I, ‘I have heard of kings and queens who slept on -beds whereof the curtains were heavy with pearls, all glittering in -their lustre above them, but here am I now, and here be a fleet of us -poor sea-tossed mariners sleeping upon a bed with more pearls beneath -and around us than there are in the treasuries and the thrones, and -on the royal bed-curtains to boot, of London, or Paris, or Madrid.’ -I know not whether the kings and queens whereof I have spoken slept -the better for the pearls above them; I know I slept well with pearls -below me, being indeed favoured, perhaps by St. Gieronimo, with a -vision in which I saw the ‘Will-o’-the Wisp’ suddenly appear in the -midst of the Pearl Fleet and engage the Spanish frigate, Stout Jem -himself fighting in single combat with the captain, and at length, -by one stout thrust, pinning him to his own mainmast; when, just as -I was about to spring forward to haul down the golden flag of Spain -from the man-of-war’s topmast, a loud voice, coming from real flesh -and blood lungs, smote my ear, and, starting up, I saw Captain Garbo -and the rest scrambling through the hatchways in their shirts, while -the anchor watch was shouting lustily that there was a strange vessel -rowing with sweeps through the fleet, and that he had even heard the -muttering of the voices on board of her. At this, I confess very -willingly, my heart made a leap into my mouth. Was my dream a true -vision—was Stout Jem, indeed, so near? We all held our peace and -listened, but we heard nothing. It was now quite dark. The night had -got cloudy, and there were neither stars nor moon. The air, too, -was quite still, and the tap-tap of the water against the ridges of -overlapping planks on the clinker-built side of the boat, as she -rocked slowly on the swell, was the only sound we could distinguish. -The lights of the other barks were gleaming on the dark ocean, and -the two lanterns of the frigate swayed slowly from side to side, as -though they were meteors playing among the stars. - -‘Tush, Pedro,’ said Captain Garbo,’ you fell asleep, man, and dreamed -you saw a ghost. You deserve to be dipped alongside, just to waken -you.’ - -But at that moment we all started, for suddenly there came over the -water a loud crash, as of two ships meeting, followed all at once -by a crackling volley of musketry, which glanced bright through the -darkness, gleaming in fiery streaks over the black oily-looking -water, and then, mingling with the reports of the fire-arms, a great -hearty cheer, such as Englishmen give when they leap upon the decks -of an enemy. By the flashes we saw that one of the largest and -heaviest laden of the pearl barks had been laid aboard by a very long -low-built boat with three raking masts, like those of the vessels -which the French call _chasse-marées_, and moved by a number of great -sweeps, which extended from her sides like the long legs of some huge -insect of the sea. - -‘The Pirates! the Buccaneers!’ screamed all our crew together, and -they rushed to haul down our lantern, so that we might the better -escape in the darkness. In the meantime, there was a great crashing -and scuffling, with heavy plunges in the water, as though men had -leaped or been thrown overboard, and then, in the course of a moment, -there was again silence, and the light of the captured vessel, for -such no doubt she was, disappeared. But on board of the rest of the -fleet there sprang up, as you may conceive, the strangest uproar. -Instead of hauling down their lights, as we had done, in less than -a minute the sea was all a-fire with the infinity of lanterns and -torches which they waved and flashed from rigging and deck, while -such a clamour of shouts, blowing of trumpets and conch shells, -beating of drums, and firing of muskets and pistols, I never heard. -It appeared, indeed, as if the pearl fishers imagined that they -would drive away their enemy by making a noise and hallooing; all -this, however, was done, Captain Garbo said, to alarm the convoy; -but, truly, they must have kept sleepy watch aboard of her, if they -did not hear the tumult of the first attack. But in the meantime -the great ship was aroused—a flash of red flame gleamed from out -her sides, showing for a moment boats full of men surging in the -water beneath, and her sails falling in great white patches from her -yards, as she prepared to give chace to the enemy. But these broad -sails were useless; not a reef point rattled against the canvas in -the great stillness of the night; but we heard the dash of oars and -distant shouts as the boats of the frigate pulled away from her among -the fleet. Meantime, the din on board the different barks subsided, -but we could see the crews as they ran to-and-fro upon the decks, -still carrying torches and lanterns, while every minute or two the -frigate fired a great gun, for what purpose I know not, only that it -seems as if Spaniards, like Frenchmen, seldom think they are doing -anything if they be not making a noise. But where, meanwhile, was the -Buccaneer rowboat, or galley? I strained my eyes through the darkness -in the direction in which I had seen her. Could she be an Englishman, -I thought to myself, and, if so, would it be possible for me to board -her? A light canoe floated alongside our bark, on which my eye fell -as these ideas rose up in my mind. But, when I reflected a minute, I -saw how mad would be any attempt to make my way in the darkness, and -amid pursuing boats, to the vessel, even although she might be, what -I had no certain means of knowing her—a friend. - -While I was pondering thus, Captain Garbo accosted me in a whisper— - -‘This is but a mad freak of your countrymen,’ he said, ‘for such I -judge them to be. They could not expect to carry off the bark from -the middle of a fleet, and without a breath of wind either.’ - -Just as he spoke, a jagged flash of lightning, which dazzled me, tore -right across the sky to the westward, and the loud crackling thunder -had not ceased to explode above us, when a heavy puff of wind, -bearing broad plashing rain-drops before it, struck our bark, and -made her swing round to her anchor like a weathercock. - -‘A squall,’ I cried out, ‘and the privateer knew it was coming. It -was that made them so bold.’ - -Just then a whole row of lanterns was run up to the gaff of the great -ship. - -‘See,’ said Garbo—‘a squall indeed. That is the signal for the recal -of all her boats.’ - -There was nothing which appeared to me very ominous in the look -of the night. I only expected a pretty sharp outburst of wind and -rain with thunder and lightning. And so, indeed, it proved, for in -less than five minutes from the first flash, a strong gusty wind, -driving before it a pelting rain, was whitening the sea around us, -and hissing and whistling through the few ropes which formed our -rigging, while the bark herself tore and plunged at her anchor, as -if she would have wrenched it out from its hold amid the oysters. In -a moment the flaming torches, shown from so many of the fleet, were -blown out or quenched; but the great ship, burning a bright light in -her main rigging, we saw her all lurid and blue in the glare, leaning -heavily over to the blast, her slanting yards dotted with the seamen, -who were taking in sail as fast as they had spread it forth. In a few -minutes again all around was darkness, except where the glimmer of -a lantern, tossing and tumbling as though a giant were flinging it -from hand to hand, showed where one of the Pearl Fleet was jerking -and straining at her anchor. The strength of the squall was not -alarming, but it tore up the sea upon these shallow banks into quick -cross-running and angry waves, and the rain was driven in our faces -so sharply that the drops struck like hailstones. - -‘The only thing I fear,’ said Garbo to me, as we stood holding on by -the foremast, ‘is for the frigate’s boats. There will be no great -damage to anything else.’ - -Just as he spoke, a man beside us shouted, ‘A boat! a boat!’ and -looking forth ahead, we saw, clearly relieved against the whiteness -of a breaking sea, one of the frigate’s barges coming tossing down -upon us, while, almost at the same instant, a couple of dark sails -shot, as it were, like dusky shadows into the faintly lighted circle -around us, illuminated by the half-dozen lamps which, in imitation -of the rest of the fleet, we had fixed to different parts of the -rigging, and then in a moment, as the vessel which bore the canvas -rose upon the crest of a sea, we all recognised the long, low galley -which had laid the pearl boat aboard. She was flying along close -hauled to the wind, the white foam beating in showers over her long -dusky form, and sometimes over the two patches of sails which she -carried. The boat of the frigate lay right athwart her track. There -were two loud shouts from those in the boat and those in the sailing -galley, then, in an instant, a straggling volley of musketry was shot -by the former. The flashes illuminated the sea, showing the sharp and -carved prow, ending in a serpent’s head, of the adventurous craft, -and the grim faces of a cluster of men, who waved their hands and -shook axes and cutlasses at the Spanish boat. Then there was a sudden -order, in English, on board the galley, ‘Port! Hard a-port! and give -them the stem.’ The bows an instant fell off from the wind, lifted on -a sea, and crushed down upon the doomed boat, driving her under water -like an eggshell, while, with a loud hearty hurrah, the Buccaneer -swept past us, not three fathoms from our bowsprit, and, in a moment, -disappeared in the night. - -‘A sail, close to astern,’ was at the moment sung out from the other -extremity of our craft. - -‘Never mind the sail astern,’ shouted Garbo. ‘Here—ropes, oars, -anything—there is a boat swamped ahead, and as he spoke, there -appeared the wreck of the man of-war’s pinnace, with some of the men -clinging to it, and others striking out amid the sea, and shouting -lustily to us for help. A dozen of lines were flung to them at once, -while the fat negro leaped overboard, calling to the struggling -mariners to fear nothing. Wooroo never moved an inch during the -whole affair, except to shake his woolly head when a heavier shower -of spray than ordinary fell upon him. The Spaniards, who could most -of them swim well, soon scrambled up our low sides, none the worse -of their ducking. Not a man was missing, thanks to the aid of our -little pearl diver, who had made directly for the wreck of the boat, -and very dexterously lashed a couple of ropes round the only two of -the crew who, either by being stunned in the collision, or from the -bewilderment and suddenness of the whole affair, were clinging for -life to the shattered boat, without having in the least the power of -helping themselves. Such a scene of outcry, and swearing, and hubbub -of all sorts, as the Spanish man-of-war’s men made when they got -aboard, I never saw. They ran from end to end of the craft, shouting -out, in the darkness, after the vessel which had run them down; -roaring, by all the saints, that they would be revenged upon her, -and that when the frigate caught her, they would not leave a French -or English throat uncut on board. As for me, I deemed it politic to -chime in with these declarations—to the great amusement of Captain -Garbo, who was a very good fellow, and kept my secret like wax. When -we had a little settled down—the squall having also fallen, and the -sea getting smoother fast—the captain called for the man who had -reported the sail astern, and asked him what like she was? - -‘Truly,’ said the mariner, ‘I can tell you not only what like she -was, but what she really was—the vessel being no other than the bark -which the Buccaneer laid aboard, and which no doubt she captured, for -both ships were lying the same course—one passing ahead and the other -astern of us.’ - -‘Ay,’ said the officer of the man-of-war, shivering in his cold wet -clothes, ‘it was the ship the scoundrels wanted, and there is no -denying but they have carried her off very cleverly.’ - -I was of the same opinion myself, and I could not but admire the -judgment of the Buccaneers in rowing into the centre of the sleeping -squadron, just before the outbreak of the squall, and then swooping -off with their prey, in the midst of the confusion which it created. -The weather soon cleared up. By midnight the stars were twinkling -forth, and the frigate having worked up near us, we hailed that the -crew of the pinnace were safe, and presently another boat coming on -board, carried them to their own ship. With the earliest peep of -the dawn I was at the mast-head of our bark. The fleet, with the -exception of the one spirited away, were riding at their stations. -The boats which had, yesterday evening, gone into the river with -their cargoes, were again standing out for the bank. The frigate lay -to windward—rising and falling on the froth-laced seas, with her -main-topsail flat to the mast—but elsewhere the ocean was sailless. -The Buccaneer and her prize, one of the largest and quickest vessels -of the fleet, had disappeared. - -That morning, we began our proper business of collecting pearls, the -method of which I will briefly describe. First, the fat negro went in -the canoe to several points round about the vessel, diving into the -water at each, and thus finding where the shell-fish lay thickest. -This having been ascertained, he placed a small buoy upon the spot, -and the bark was warped up to it. The iron-basket, which I have -mentioned, was then let down to the bottom of the sea, the depth of -which was hereabouts nearly five fathoms, or almost thirty feet. Then -Wooroo and his comrade prepared for their day’s work, by stuffing -their ears full of the down of the cotton-tree, without which, or -some similar precaution, divers frequently become deaf. They anointed -their limbs, too, with some sort of vegetable oil, and then taking -the sinkers of lead, which I have spoken of, in their hands, they -poised their bodies, standing upon the gunwale of the ship, and -keeping time, as it were, to her roll, flinging back their arms and -shoulders, and breathing deeply, so as to puff out their broad chests -with air. Wooroo, while so standing, looked like a great black image -of Strength. At length they leaped simultaneously, making but one -splash, and as the water settled over them, we could see their black -forms wavering and quivering, as it seemed, owing to the motion of -the sea, and then presently clinging to the projections of rock, all -tufted over with green sea-weed—in the rifts of which the oysters lay -thick. As soon, however, as they began to tear up the latter from -their beds, the water became so much mudded that we could not remark -the process. In the meantime, we hauled up both sinkers, which the -divers had let go on reaching the bottom, and placed them on the -gunwale, all ready for the next plunge. The little man came up to the -surface first—puffing and blowing. There was a sort of broad-stepped -ladder, with three or four rounds, which was let down into the water, -and upon one of which he sat to rest, basking himself in the hot sun. -Wooroo did not appear at the surface, until I began to think that he -would never come up at all—and said as much to Garbo. - -‘Drowned,’ said the good-tempered Spaniard; ‘that’s not the fate he -was born to. Caramba! that fellow’s lungs will hold as much air as -the biggest bellows that ever were puffed.’ And accordingly, after -an unconscionable space of time, the negro rose, and clung to the -ladder, his features appearing only a little swollen, and his vast -chest heaving a little faster, as the consequences of his plunge. As -soon as the basket was reported filled, it was drawn up and emptied -into the deep waist, and then let down again. In the course of the -day, another negro and an Indian, both expert divers, arrived from -the shore to help us, there being generally four divers to each boat. -Two cages were then let down together, and by nightfall, the bark had -half her cargo on board. - -In consequence, however, of the bold attack of the pirate, or -Buccaneer, the captain of the frigate determined that all the pearl -fishermen should proceed together to the shore, and from thence back -to the banks, sailing in a squadron; and as the greater number of -the boats had their full cargoes on board, we all weighed anchor -in company, stealing in slowly for the shore, upon a smooth sea -glistening in the starlight. It was a fair spectacle that small -squadron, with their white sails just sleeping in the light breeze, -and with the great frigate, her huge lanterns shining over her poop -like sea-beacons, and now and then belching forth a sheet of red -spouting fire, as an admonition to any of the faster boats, which -might appear to be inclined to take the lead of the rest, not to -break the order of sailing. As we glided along, the crews of the -barks often sang in chorus, the music being re-echoed and reflected -as it were between the many sails spread out, until it appeared as -if hundreds of choristers were joining in the burden. About midnight -we crossed the bar of the Rio de la Hacha, the frigate remaining -outside, and presently anchored near the shore, in a shallow bay, -where the water was brackish. The land hereabouts is low and sandy, -with abundance of thin-stemmed, narrow-leaved herbage, and few trees. -The town is a mere assemblage of huts, kept up for the purpose of the -pearl fishery, and inhabited by the Indians, being principally old -men, women, and children, who open the oysters, under the constant -superintendence of watchful Spanish overseers, who are there to -keep a sharp eye upon the pearls. Notwithstanding all their care, -however, they are very often cheated, and the most valuable pearls -hidden and conveyed away. I had often opportunities while on board -the fleet, and ashore in the ranchiera, or village, of seeing the -process of opening the oysters. These were brought from on board the -barks in flat-bottomed barges to the shore, whence they are carried -in baskets, upon the heads of the Indians, to a sort of store-pit, -or receptacle, into which they are flung. Close to this deposit are -ranged a great many narrow tables, each of them consisting only of -two rough planks set upon trestles, and shaded overhead by a roof -of withered grass heaped upon hurdles. All along the tables, on -one side, are ranged great lines of the Indian slaves opening the -oysters, while upon the other side of the tables, stand the Spanish -overseers, there being one overseer to every dozen or so of openers. -When an Indian finds pearls, either of the large or the seed sort, he -shouts out, and his superintendent immediately goes up to him, and -takes charge of the precious substances, which he is bound in turn to -give to the chief superintendent, who registers their size and value -in an account book. - -The slaves are principally fed upon the meat of the oysters, which -they prepare in a particular way, passing a string through a great -number of oysters in the manner of threading beads or decorations, -and then hanging the festoons thus made up to dry. They likewise -live upon manatee and the flesh of wild cattle, the ranchiera being -amply provided with hunters, whose business it is to supply such -stores. The slaves work from sunrise to sunset, with about three -hours intermission when the heat is the fiercest. They are a poor, -dogged, sullen-looking sort of people, with long straight black hair -and big cheek-bones. It is miserable to see them at their work, -crouching under the whips of the overseers, not daring to whisper to -each other nor to cease for a moment, but, bending down their heads -over the board, and, when they find a pearl, calling out in a low -whining tone to the overseer, who presently relieves them of it. I -have often, having found occasion to be sometimes on shore during the -day, sat upon a little sandy hillock, sheltered from the sun by a -sort of umbrella made of plaited grass, many of which the Spaniards -use, and gazed upon the scene. To seaward was the surf thundering -white upon the bar, and almost on the horizon the pearl barks, like -black specks, guarded by the big ship, as a little hamlet is by a -castle. On one side the river came shining down, amid a waste of -sand-banks and knolls, spreading out and slackening in its speed, as -it began to feel the near influence of the sea. On its banks vast -flocks of birds disported. The flamingos stood in red rows, drawn up -like soldiers. Great cranes waded in the shallow water, like men on -stilts. Ducks of many sorts flew by in long lines or in the shape -of wedges, with a brave old drake to lead the fleet; while small -water birds, which dive, floated upon the brownish river, sometimes -tipping down to the bottom with a saucy jerk of their spruce little -tails, and then coming up with a flutter and a quackle. By the -margin, fixed to posts and stakes, lay a fleet of canoes, and the -flat-bottomed boats which carried the oysters ashore; and here and -there, lurking among the sand-hills with his gun, you might descry -a Spanish sportsman, creeping along the shore to get a good shot at -widgeon or teal. Upon the landward side there stretched out in the -hot sun a wavy, sand-heaped shore, feathered here and there with a -palm, bending in the sea-breeze. The village, which was two or three -straggling streets of huts, built of wood and wattled branches, with -some roofs scattered here and there of tarred canvas, which sailors -call tarpaulin, supported upon stakes, boats’ masts, oars, and what -not, lay, as it were, roasting brown in the fierce glare of the -sun. A few black and stark-naked children played in the sand before -the doors, and a Spaniard or two, with their white linen jackets, -and broad straw hats, and red sashes tied round their middles, and -everlasting pipes of tobacco in their hands, would be sitting in the -shade, outside the long low hut which was the posada of the place, -drinking draughts of wine from gourds or cups made of cocoa-shells -mounted with silver, and playing cards or dice for shining dollars. -At one end of the village was a rude sort of fort, built of unhewn -stone, piled up and supported by a framework of stakes; it had no -cannon, but was loopholed for musketry, and was set all round with -sentry-boxes, in which Spanish soldiers dozed away the greater part -of the day and night. Above the ramparts or palisades, which were not -more than twelve feet high, and planted upon the roof of an inner -house, rose a flag-staff bearing the broad red and yellow banner of -Spain. In this fort, or stockade, lived the governor of the fishery, -the chief superintendent, and the captain of the convoy, when he was -ashore. All the pearls which were found were conveyed thither twice -a-day, and overseers were continually passing and repassing from the -great gate down to the opening tables, which stood in divers ranks -all round the central pit into which the oysters were flung. From -among those tables, half covered by their thin roofs of grass and -hurdles, and lined by the dusky rows of working slaves, continually -came the sharp crack of the whip, followed by a loud howl from some -poor wretch detected whispering to his neighbour, or pausing a moment -in his toil. Now and then an Indian would run hurriedly away from the -tables towards the village, that man having found and delivered up a -pearl above a certain weight, which entitled him to a holiday until -the next morning; while, again, perhaps a poor brown devil would -be walked off between a couple of the soldiers who attended at the -tables, and taken to the fort, there to be flogged to an inch of his -life for some offence given to the overseer of the board. - -Such, then, is a true picture of the pearl ranchiera, on the banks of -the Bio de la Hacha. Meanwhile, days, and weeks, and at last months, -slipped away, and I found myself no nearer my design of getting on -board an English ship than when I left Carthagena. I went off every -day in the pearl bark, and many an anxious look I cast to windward -for a sail. One or two I saw, but at a great distance, and they did -not seem inclined to come nearer. Indeed, the frigate being put upon -its mettle by the recent attack, the governor of the fishery having, -as I heard, rated the captain soundly for not keeping a better look -out—the frigate, I say, was very vigilant, generally keeping to -windward of the fleet; and when we remained all night at our anchors, -burning blue lights and other fireworks constantly, and having all -her heavy boats, with their crews armed to the teeth, rowing guard -through and around the squadron, from sundown to sunrise, like -most vigilant watchmen. Thus I did not think it probable that any -privateer, excepting, indeed, a ship of great size, would dare to -attack a fleet so guarded. So I considered myself almost as much a -prisoner as when in the house of the Señora Moranté at Carthagena, -and with as little prospect of speedy release. I panted for the -sound of my countrymen’s voices again, and often and often did I -start from my sleep, dreaming I heard Stout Jem’s hearty talk, or -Nicky Hamstring’s cheery laugh. Thus I got downhearted and mopish -enough, and often thought of purchasing from Captain Garbo, for I was -not—thanks to my friends at Carthagena—penniless, the canoe belonging -to the bark, and taking my chance in her to run down before the -trades to the Samballas. Indeed, the unpleasantness of my situation -increased day by day. Although I spoke Spanish reasonably well, and -put great restraint upon my speech, so as never to drop a hint or -a word which might betray my secret, I saw that I was suspected, -and two or three times I thought it best to retreat as rapidly as I -could from the lowering brows and fishing questions which the crews -of the other barks, and sometimes the soldiers on shore, received -me with. At length, one evening, when, much against my own will, -I had accompanied Captain Garbo to the posada, so many hints were -dropped about ‘spies,’ and ‘sailing under false colours,’ and so many -interrogatories were put to me, touching the Spanish ships in which -I had sailed, and the ports from which they set forth, that I made -up my mind to take the very first opportunity of leaving my present -comrades. Captain Garbo, who being a good deal heated by wine, must -needs defend me with great warmth, and tell many lies in his zeal, -each lie being, as is generally the case, quite inconsistent with -the other, made the matter worse instead of better; and half-a-dozen -times, just as the talk was turning upon something else, he would -start up, and flourishing a knife in his pot-valiancy, would threaten -that any man who said I was not a good comrade and a good fellow, -should brook the stab. Now, among the company was one man to whom -I took a special dislike, because he encouraged Garbo with all his -might to defend me, at the same time dropping hints that I stood -in need of the utmost eloquence which my protector could exert, -and all the time slily laughing in his sleeve at both of us. This -man was a squat, broad-shouldered little fellow, with a greasy, -threadbare doublet, and a cunning-looking weasen face, lighted up -by two bright winking eyes. He never seemed to me to sit a moment -in the same position, but was always shifting about and fidgeting, -and speaking here and there, to almost every one at once. This man, -whom the rest called Señor Peralta, was, they told me, a merchant -who came hither every year at the pearl season to purchase pearls -of the chief officer of the fishery. He had a large half-decked -piragua of his own, and was accounted by the Spaniards as a very -adventurous and clever fellow; and being liberal with his money, -and always ready to treat the commoner sort of men, as well as to -sing merry songs, and crack merry jokes over his liquor, this Señor -Peralta was quite a great personage in the ranchiera. The evening of -which I am talking, I often observed his eyes fixed with an intent -look upon me, and once or twice, as I judged, he made a sign with -his hands, but what he meant I could not for the life of me divine. -Next day, some accident—what it was I forget—prevented Captain Garbo -taking his bark out to the bank, and so having nothing to do, I went -wandering, low-hearted enough, among the sand-banks and knolls of -grass down by the sea. At length, seeing a comfortable shade formed -by some thick bushes, which kept off the sun, but let the sea-breeze -whistle through, I sat me down, and began to think upon my project -of obtaining a canoe, and chancing the run to the Samballas. While I -was thus musing, I suddenly started to hear a voice near me singing -softly; and I started again, and a thrill of pleasure went through my -veins, when I recognised the words of the song for English. Almost -afraid that I was dreaming, and fearing to awake, I listened while -the musician, who appeared to lie concealed among the bushes behind -me, sang with a clear, lusty voice these verses, which I remembered -to have heard in the playhouses in London:— - - ‘Sir Drake, whom well the world’s end knew, - Which thou did compass round, - And whom both poles of heaven once saw, - Which north and south do bound. - - ‘The starres alone would make thee knowne - If men were silent here; - The sun himselfe cannot forget - His fellow-travellere!’ - -The song being ended, I turned hastily round, exclaiming aloud—‘A -countryman—a friend!’ And at the same time the bushes being rustled -aside, out of them popped the grinning face of Señor Peralta! I -staggered back with wonder, while the pearl-merchant called out, in -good English— - -‘Truly a young bird, and to be caught with the veriest chaff! Why, -man, thou art a pretty dissembler indeed, when thou canst not hear -the butt-end of an old ballad of our country, without leaping and -bellowing like a moon-calf. I can tell thee, that had I been as -unwary, I should have danced from the end of a halter aboard yonder -frigate, long ago!’ - -By this time, I was recovered from my surprise, and running up to -Peralta, assisted him to scramble out of the bushes, beseeching him -at the same time to explain to me this mystery, and tell me what he -was. Before answering one word, however, he led me quite away from -the cover of the bushes, down to the seaside. ’Where I was hidden,’ -he said, ‘another can hide—the open beach keeps safer counsel.’ Then -sitting down upon a great stone—the surf almost coming up to our feet— - -‘I suspected you for an Englishman,’ quoth he, ‘the first day I saw -you. And last night I took the liberty of making myself quite sure. -I don’t think you liked the process. But I am an old hand in these -matters, and he must understand his business well, who makes me -believe falsely that what he seems he is. Now, just tell me candidly -how you came here, and perhaps I may help you to what I am pretty -sure you want, and that is a means of getting quit of our friends in -the ranchiera yonder.’ - -I acknowledged that he had divined my thoughts, as well as he had -penetrated my disguise; and so, in a few words, imparted to him some -outline of my story. He heard me out very attentively; and then says -he— - -‘If I were you, I would go to Jamaica, and claim my property.’ - -‘What property?’ I said, in amazement. - -‘Why,’ quoth he, ‘have you not heard of the fate of the Carthagena -galleon? She was taken two days’ sail from the coast by a privateer -schooner, which I understand to be no other than yours—the -Will-o’-the-Wisp. It was the richest prize that hath been captured -in these seas for many a year. The privateer sailed with her into -Port Royal, in Jamaica; and as you say that the captain is a -staunch-hearted fellow; and as Mr. Pratt, whom I know to be a very -honest gentleman, is concerned in the matter, I do not doubt but that -your share of the adventure, to which you are fully entitled, and -which must be very considerable, will be duly accounted for to you.’ - -This was great news indeed. I only lamented that I had not been on -board in the action, but the pearl merchant, who, it seems, had got -his information from those who had spoken with the mariners of the -galleon, after they landed on the main coast, being sent back in -their boats by the privateers—my pearl merchant, I say, told me that -the Spaniards having been boarded in the night, and when they were in -no posture of defence, had made next to no resistance, and that the -galleon had been very easily secured. Of course, this intelligence -made me doubly anxious to make my way to Jamaica, or to any port -where I could regain my comrades, and I eagerly asked my new friend -whether he could not put me in the way of getting thither. - -‘Why,’ says he, ‘if I could not, I shouldn’t have made myself known -to you at all, but the truth is, that I need your services as a -seaman. I have got a very large decked piragua—you may see her -masts as she lies there in the river—in which I have, as I may say, -sailed the whole Caribbean Sea. This trip, however, I have been -unfortunate, having lost a very good fellow—a negro—my prime seaman, -who died about a month ago of the small-pox. I have but two men -slaves of my own left with me, and I was thinking where I could get a -good fourth hand, who knew somewhat about the sea, when fortune sends -you to my aid.’ - -I protested my willingness to serve him, and we had a long discourse -together. He told me that he was an Englishman by birth, but that his -father was a Spaniard and his mother a Frenchwoman. Thus, he said, he -had learned from his earliest youth, a smattering of all the three -languages, and having lived long in London, Paris and Cadiz, in after -years, pursuing his craft of a jeweller and goldsmith, he had very -little difficulty, when need was, in passing himself off for a native -either of England, France, or Spain. For some years back he had been, -he told me, sailing about the West Indies, trafficking in precious -stones and gold. He had no fixed place of abode. - -‘Sometimes,’ quoth he, ‘I kneel very piously at mass, and make the -sign of the cross, in the great cathedral at Havannah—and then I am -as grave a Spaniard as the Cid. Again, I shall sing and dance at a -merry-making in Tortuga—and, there, credit me, I bear a heart as -light and as French as ever did the good king of Yvetot. Anon, I -shall drink and shout with our good friends, Archemboe, Davis, and -the rest at Port Royal, and not a bully of them all but shall swear I -am as bluff a Briton as jolly King Hal!’ - -I then intimated my hopes, that his trade so venturously conducted -was a profitable one. - -‘As for that,’ quoth he, ‘what with my poor efforts in the New -World, and the exertions of my good correspondents at divers courts -in Europe, I thank the stars that there is more than one imperial -regalia the wearer of which oweth me more, perchance, than he will -ever pay. But I am not exacting. When a sensible man deals with -kings, if he does not get money, he can always have money’s worth.’ - -This speech the pearl merchant, or jeweller, delivered with -abundance of nods and winks and shrugs, as though there were many -meanings in it, out of which I was welcome to take my own. Then he -whispered— - -‘If you would have gold cheap, know the miners. If you would have -pearls cheap, make much of the divers. Deal at the fountain—go to the -well-head—the well-head, my son!’ - -At this he laughed very complacently, and I thought it best to laugh -too, although for my life I could not fathom the meaning of the -riddling words which the man spoke, and which he accompanied with so -many expressive shrugs of the shoulders and grotesque leers, that I -was as much puzzled by what I saw, as by what I heard. All at once, -however, he broke off, and said, plainly enough— - -‘Now we know each other sufficiently for the present. My time for -remaining in this oystery part of the world will be over in two or -three days, and I presume that you will have no objections to ship in -my piragua, and take the chances of the sea to Port Royal?’ - -Of course I engaged to be ready at a moment’s warning, and we were -about to part, when he said suddenly— - -‘I have little to do this evening, and I suppose you have less. Come -and sup with me. Any one will show you the hut of Peralta, the poor -pearl merchant. Come at ten.’ These words he spoke with one of his -habitual leers and shrugs. I promised very readily, and then Señor -Peralta walked away demurely, counting his beads. - -I lost no time in communicating to Captain Garbo that I had now -an opportunity of shortly getting a passage to one of the English -islands. He was very desirous to know how I had managed it; but upon -that head I would give him no satisfaction. - -‘Well,’ quoth he at last, ‘so be it, Señor Lindsay; but I say, the -first time you and your comrades take a Spanish bark, be lenient to -my countrymen; be as merciful as you can to their goods and chattels -for the sake of old Manuel Garbo, the pearl fisher.’ - -At ten o’clock exactly I took my way over the sandy beach to -Peralta’s hut, which stood a little apart from the other buildings, -towards the landward extremity of the ranchiera. As I plodded along, -sometimes tripping over mounds of oysters; sometimes stopping to look -to seaward, where all the lights of the pearl squadron glimmered as -the fleet sailed towards the shore, I suddenly heard a loud outcry, -in which I could distinguish the yells of an Indian, and the gruff -voices of Spaniards high in oath, and who, I conjectured, from the -clash of arms, were soldiers. In a minute or two I saw faintly a -dusky group of people, whites and Indians, some of them carrying -lanterns, which gleamed on drawn swords and bayonets. The men bearing -them disappeared through the principal gate of the fort, and then -the Indians, who were left outside, raised the most pitiable cries -and howls, until they were threatened by the sentries, and told they -would be fired upon if they did not disperse. As I was somewhat late, -I did not stop to inquire into the cause of the tumult, but I judged -that it was probably occasioned by the arrest of an Indian who had -committed some crime; perhaps, as was very common, stolen or secreted -a valuable pearl. However, I did not think much of the matter, and -soon arrived at Peralta’s hut. It was a large house as compared with -most of its neighbours, fenced all around with walls formed of double -lines of strong tough stakes, the space between them being filled -up with stones gathered apparently from the sea beach. On knocking, -I was admitted by Peralta himself, who led the way into a small -room, with walls roughly built of wood and stone, through which the -starlight was shining at many cracks and crevices, and mingling with -the smoky glimmer of a great brass lamp. The place contained but the -most ordinary sort of furniture—a hammock hung in a corner, an oiled -bag for holding clothes, a table, and two or three small chairs, or -rather large stools. The table, however, was laid out for supper, and -showed a capital repast of fish, flesh, and fowl, while a couple of -flasks, with slim necks, and all cob-webbed and begrimed, as though -they had long lain deep in a well-stocked cellar, made a curious -contrast to the cracked crockery and wooden platters, and hacked and -broken knives and forks which lay beside them. - -‘You see,’ quoth Peralta, ‘that, though I may have dealings with -kings, I don’t by any means live in a palace. There are idle vanities -and substantial vanities, my friend. Diamonds and pearls, laces and -gildings, brocades and velvets, are of the former class; but good -meats to eat, and good wines to drink, are of the latter. Now you see -I am an admirer of the substantial vanities. I love to feed upon the -daintiest morsel, though it be picked up with a broken one-pronged -fork, and I love to drink the choicest vintage of Rhine or Rhone, -without at all caring whether I put my lips to a golden cup which -Benvenuto hath wrought, or to a calabash which Quako hath scooped -before supper.’ - -So saying, the pearl merchant started the cork from one of the -flasks, and I tasted certainly the most delicious draught which ever -tingled on my palate. - -‘Ha!’ quoth my entertainer, as I held out the empty cup to be -refilled, ‘you find that better than even the most skilful -compound of rye brandy and bilge water. _C’est bien alors_—you have -a palate, which I grieve to say many gentlemen of your kind and -profession possess not, preferring the hot strong drinks of Jamaica, -and Tortugas taverns, even, to such adorable nectar as this. Why, -man, hold out thy glass again, the grand Louis himself cannot fish -up a choicer flask from the most sacred crypt beneath the marble -pavements of Versailles.’ - -Talking in this way—relating to me strange anecdotes touching great -generals and statesmen, and even kings, with whom my host, to believe -his words, had held familiar converse, and the moral of all these -stories being, that the generals and statesmen and kings in question -were as stupid, and as easily to be gulled and laughed at, as mere -ordinary mortals—the supper and one of the wine flasks were soon -despatched. Then, placing the fragments in a corner, Peralta produced -a sort of purse or bag of filigree workmanship, in bright silver, -and which seemed to be the only thing of price in his dwelling—always -excepting the meats and wines—and taking from it some tobacco of most -delicate savour, we began to smoke and discuss the second bottle, -which was of a different kind from the first, the wine being of -a deep rich red tinge, and coming, as he told me, from Dijon, in -Burgundy. - -While we sat thus, my entertainer took almost all the conversation -to himself. He spoke of things new and strange to me: of the crown -jewels of mighty potentates pledged to rich Hebrews dwelling in the -filthy back lanes of the cities of Europe—in the Jewry of London, the -Judenstrasse of Frankfort, and the Ghetto of Rome. - -‘And your brave Christian goes past, stopping his nose for the -savours of fish fried in oil, and elbowing and jostling the -hook-nosed, shabby old men who make way, with many a ‘Give you good -e’en, my lord;’ and ‘Faugh!’ says he, ‘these stinking unbelievers; -why be they not packed bodily off to their holy city again’—and so -passes he by, to kneel, and cringe, and kiss the king’s hand; while -all the time—ha! ha! ha!—that very king is thinking and pondering in -his small mind how best he can squeeze the next subsidy out of his -faithful cities and towns, and so release the brightest jewel in the -regalia, now held in pawn by old Isaac, or old Jacob, or old Abraham, -the very dirtiest, raggedest, yellowest-skinned and hookedest-nosed -of the whole brotherhood—ha! ha! ha!’ - -The pearl merchant said this with so much gusto, and laughed with so -much glee, that I began to think he must be one of the fraternity -himself. He seemed to divine my thoughts, for, as if I had spoken -them, he, as it were, replied— - -‘No, no, no! Señor Buccaneer, although I have much traffic with the -seed of Abraham, I am none of their kindred; were I such, I would be -wiser than to come here to live in a sty on this scorching coast, -driving hard bargains for sick oysters.’ - -My entertainer then went on with his stories of European courts, -and I was listening with open mouth, as he told, with many a quip -and many a sneer, how, under the guidance of one Chiffinch, he had -one night passed up the back stairs at Whitehall to hold a secret -interview with Louise de Querailles, since Duchess of Portsmouth, -touching certain jewels which it was convenient to raise money upon -until there should come a remittance from the court of Versailles, -through Monseigneur Barillon, the ambassador of Louis; when all at -once there came a loud rap, accompanied by a shrill whistle, at -the door. Peralta started quickly up, but without appearing at all -discomposed, and opening the door with speed, a handsome fellow, a -mulatto, dressed like a sailor, bounded in, exclaiming at the same -moment, in a loud whisper: - -‘Juan and Blanco are both detected!’ - -Then seeing me, he stopped as suddenly as though he had been shot. -But Peralta speedily reassured him. - -‘Go on, man; go on. He who standeth there is my friend; he is one of -us. Go on. Have they confessed?’ - -‘All,’ replied the mulatto. ‘They first told the truth, and then a -great deal more than the truth, in hopes the better to save their -necks. I squeezed in with them into the fort, and heard it all. The -soldiers are coming. I heard the order given.’ - -Peralta stood still for a moment, and then said hurriedly, ‘Doth it -blow?’ - -The mulatto replied, that there was a light air only, from the -eastward. - -‘With the tide two hours on the ebb. That will do well. Disco is on -board the piragua?’ - -The mulatto nodded eagerly. Peralta turned to me—‘I suppose,’ quoth -he, ‘you have no objection to make a start of it this very hour?’ - -‘None, none,’ I replied; wondering with my whole soul at the meaning -of this strange scene. - -‘Follow me, then, and do as I do,’ replied Peralta. He swallowed his -last cup of wine, and smiled when he saw me copying his example to -the letter. Then, blowing the lamp out, we all three sallied forth -into the night, walking quickly but cautiously amongst the scattered -huts. I knew that it was no time for questions, so put none, though -I was almost bursting with curiosity. In a minute or two we heard -the measured tramp of soldiers advancing, and presently the clash -of their arms and the gleam of their lamps burst forth together as -they marched round the corner of a small street, followed by a great -many Indians. There was a hollow place close by where we stood, -with ridges of oyster shells on either side. Into this Peralta sank -suddenly, flinging himself flat upon the ground, while the mulatto -and I followed his example. In a minute the soldiers marched by, with -their attendant rout of Indians gabbling and chattering very eagerly. - -‘Now,’ quoth Peralta, ‘for the beach, and make as little noise as you -can in running.’ - -With these words off he set, going over the ground much faster than -to look at him I should have thought possible. However, the mulatto -and I kept close behind him, meeting nobody, although we heard a -distant tumult of voices in the ranchiera, and the tramp of people -running hither and thither. There were half a dozen skiffs and -canoes moored to as many stakes rising from a small slippery jetty, -and sheering backwards and forwards as the current of the ebbing -tide ran swiftly beneath them. Into the outermost of these skiffs -Peralta leaped as nimbly and steadily as if he had been a waterman -at Whitehall Stairs, we following closely upon his heels; but just -as we had, as by instinct, sat down to the oars, Peralta cried out -to us to hold, and then stepping back upon the jetty, very coolly -cast loose the painters of the whole of the remainder of the boats -from their fastenings, and gathering the ends of the ropes together, -as a coachman does his reins, he shuffled back again into the stern -sheets, casting off our moorings as he passed by, and then, with a -low chuckle to himself, we pushed off and rowed into the stream, the -squadron of boats following in our wake. - -‘Pull away, my good fellows,’ Peralta then said, taking an oar out of -one of the skiffs behind us, ‘I will steer you.’ Our course was down -the stream, and we swept along very rapidly, while, looking back, we -could see, by the lights which came dancing all down the beach from -the houses, that the Spaniards were in hard pursuit. In a minute more -a cluster of these lanterns shone upon the jetty, and instantly their -bearers raised a clamour and shouting that all the boats were gone. -Señor Peralta only laughed to himself. - -‘Well,’ he muttered in a moment or two, ‘it is a shabby way to leave -old friends, but needs must when the devil or an angry Spaniard -drives.’ - -All this time we were shooting swiftly down the river, the broad -surface of which, gleaming in the starlight, now began to heave and -undulate, as the swells of the sea, rolling over the bar, affected -it. As we pulled, Peralta, taking advantage of a great shout faintly -heard from the shore, hailed, ‘Disco! Disco, ahoy!’ - -A long shrill whistle was the reply, and, looking round, we saw the -low dusky form of the piragua, with her two high raking masts, and, -pausing on our oars, we heard the rush of the tide against her sharp -bows. - -‘Disco is all awake,’ said Peralta, and in a moment more we were -alongside and tumbling into the piragua, which, notwithstanding her -very considerable size, was so light as to rock violently as, one by -one, we leaped over her gunwale. - -Disco himself, a Mosquito Indian, as I judged him, appeared to have -been just aroused by the clamour on shore, and he asked eagerly what -the matter was. - -‘The matter,’ said Peralta, ‘is, that we must get to sea as soon as -we can. Thank God the breeze comes fresher—that puff quite ruffled -the water. Jenipa,’ this was to the mulatto, ‘jump forward and cut -the cable—no time for weighing. Disco, get a sweep or an oar out on -the larboard bows to cant her head round. Lindsay, bear a hand, my -man, and get the canvas upon her, or some of our friends ashore will -be swimming down upon us with their knives in their teeth.’ - -The coolness of Peralta was capital to see. Just as Jenipa’s knife -went with a cheep through the strands of the hemp, Disco’s oar dashed -into the water, and the stream catching the larboard bows of the -piragua, she swung round with her head towards the shore we had just -left, while Peralta, who worked as though he had been afloat all his -life, flung loose the foresail from the long supple bamboo yard, and -then both of us clapping on to the haulyards with all our might, the -light canvas, all dripping with the night dew, rose steadily to the -top of the mast, and then catching the faint puff of the sea breeze, -which has but little power when it blows in the night-time, the sail -swelled gracefully out, while Peralta, with the sheet in his hand, -leaped aft, catching hold of the tiller, and calling to us all to -get the mainsail upon the piragua. We were, as the reader may guess, -in no humour for trifling, and accordingly the big lugsail was very -soon hoisted by rapid jerks, up the mast, and when, after having made -fast the haulyards, and trimmed the sheet aft, I paused a moment -and looked round, I was quite bewildered. The breeze was hardly -sufficient to keep the wide sails sleeping. I heard no loud rushing -gurgle, such as a vessel makes travelling fast through the water; yet -the lights upon shore were flying by us as though we were borne on -horseback towards the sea—the great white flakes and stripes of froth -which had floated into the river from the bar, glanced past, showing -like light veins and streaks in dark marble—while the skiffs which -Peralta had cut loose were almost out of sight astern. - -I uttered an exclamation of wonder, at which Peralta laughed -pleasantly. - -‘Your Will-o’-the-Wisp may be fast, Señor Buccaneer,’ he said, ‘but -no craft that ever came off the stocks of European ship-builders will -sail with the boats which the Indians—savages we call them—can scoop -with rude tools out of a single glorious tree. Do we not move like an -apparition—a sea spirit? Let the Spaniards chase us in their clumsy -wooden boxes, the piragua will earn her right to her name though all -the navy of Old and New Spain were flashing in her wake. I call her -the “Ghost;” does not she glide like one fleeting to the sepulchre at -the first glimpse of the light of the morning?’ - -I looked at Peralta, beginning to suspect that the sudden flurry, -coming after the humming wine, caused him to vapour a little—but, if -it were so, he very soon came to himself. - -‘Hark!’ said Disco, ‘the surf on the bar.’ - -‘And see,’ added Jenipa, ‘the lights of the Pearl Fleet close to in -the offing.’ - -‘Forward, and look out, both of you,’ cried Peralta, sharply. ‘Keep -your eyes open on either bow.’ - -Meantime I crouched down by the steersman on the weather-quarter. -The lofty lights of the frigate were much further to sea than -the squadron she guarded. Indeed, the great ship cared not for -approaching too closely the many banks and spits of sand, which run -out from the bar, and over which most of the smaller barks could -float very well. The leading ships, however, appeared to be as close -to the bar on one side as we were on the other. - -‘Now,’ said Peralta, ‘grant that the stupidity of those fellows on -shore will keep them from making any signal to their comrades out at -sea.’ But the words were hardly out of his mouth, when the water and -the sky were lit up with a mighty flash, and the loud report of a -great gun—a small battery of which was planted before the fort—came -rolling down the river; and immediately afterwards a straggling -volley of small arms rattled all along the bank, as though the -soldiers were dispersed and running down towards the sea. By this -time, the white water on the bar was close ahead. - -‘Starboard—starboard. Keep her a little away, master, the channel is -on the lee-bow,’ cried Disco. The course of the piragua was altered -accordingly, and glancing ahead, I saw the streak of dark water, -leading to the open sea; at the same time that the fleet of pearl -fishers answered the alarm from ashore, by kindling torches, waving -lanterns, and shouting and blowing horns, just as they had done the -night that the privateer had swooped down in the centre of them, and -carried off one of the very best in his clutch. At this moment, we -having drawn clear of the sand hills on shore, the breeze freshened, -sweeping down the coast, heavy with the dew of the night air. The -light sails swelled stiffly out, the sheets tautened, the thin supple -masts swayed and creaked, and the few ropes which stayed them upon -the weather-side stretched out as rigid as iron-bars. And yet the -piragua flew by every swell which rolled in from the offing—not -plunging into the great green seas, and flashing the foam sparklingly -up into the air, but moving rather like a bird, which, with spreading -and far-stretched pinion, just glances over the sea, rather flying -than swimming—borne more by the winds than the waves. Truly, I had -never sailed in so wonderfully-fashioned a craft—so thin and slight -was her construction, that she appeared, as it were, to yield, and -bend, and quiver in the seas—but ever on, gaily and lightsomely, -she went, sliding, as it were, without noise and without shock, -leaping with a quick, buoyant, bounding motion, right over and over -the swells, which now, as the water shoaled upon the bar, began to -roll by us, white with milky foam. Verily, Peralta did well when he -likened his piragua to a noiseless gliding ghost. - -While I was still wrapped in amazement at the performances of the -canoe, she was flying across the bar in the very midst of the fleet -of pearl fishers. The whole thing passed over me like a vision—a -dream of flashing foaming water, plunging and dripping ships, with -their canvas flapping, and their booms, and yards, and ropes, -creaking and moaning, and rattling together—of fierce, eager faces, -and hurrying, dusky forms, running on the decks, leaping into the -riggings, flashing their torches and lanterns; shouting, yelling, and -hailing the piragua and Peralta to lie to, and put about—and some of -them flourishing glimmering knives and firing pistols in the air. - -All this, I say, appeared to pass by me like a vision, or a dream—and -it only lasted for a few brief moments—for the piragua, which was -steered in a fashion which made me look upon Peralta as a sailor -rather than a merchant, flew through the panic-struck squadron, who -could no more catch her, than they could the shadow of her tall -sails upon the water. Once, and once only, a heavy hook or grapnel, -attached to a stout line, was flung by a lusty arm, and lighted in -the piragua’s fore-rigging, but even before the rope had tightened, -Disco leaped to the spot, his knife flashed, the severed hemp fell -back into the sea, and the useless iron tumbled down into the bottom -of the canoe. The next moment we were fairly at sea, with the whole -of the squadron, save one or two loiterers, behind us. Just then the -frigate, who was a couple of miles or so in the offing, fired a heavy -cannon, and showed a number of lights, by which we saw swarms of men, -rushing from the high carved bulwarks into the rigging, as if they -designed to make sail in all haste. - -‘Ho! ho! ho!’ laughed Peralta. ‘Here comes the elephant chasing the -weasel, and the elephant thinks that the best way to begin the race -is to roar a little.’ - -And, indeed, any attempt of the big ship to follow us would have been -just about as hopeless a chase as that to which Peralta had likened -it. So, after firing a few more guns, whether with shot in them or -not we neither knew nor cared, she stood cautiously in for the bar of -the river, sending her boats before her, as we conjectured, to learn -the cause of all the uproar. Meantime we had struck a light, keeping -the lantern, however, well masked, and then setting the head of the -boat about nor-nor-west, that being as near the wind as we could lie, -and at the same time make good way through the water, we trimmed the -sails neatly, and cried, ‘Northward Ho! for Jamaica.’ - -For about an hour, during which time little was spoken, Peralta -held the helm. He then called us all round him, and apportioned the -watches in the ordinary seaman fashion—I being placed with Disco, -and he taking his turn of duty with Jenipa. This settled, we tossed -up whose watch should begin first, and it falling to the turn of -Disco and myself, Peralta gave me the helm, instructing me, as I was -not well acquainted with the management of piraguas, to call him if -the wind freshened so much as to seem to demand the taking in of a -reef. Then creeping beneath the half-deck, which extended from the -bows to abaft the foremast, he coiled himself up along with Jenipa, -and the pair went very quietly to sleep. During our watch, which -was tranquil, I tried to obtain some information from the Indian -touching the habits and pursuits of his master, and also relating to -the causes of our very sudden departure. But the fellow, although he -would talk glibly enough upon the weather, or the piragua, or the -manner of our escape, was as close as wax as regarded everything -else. Indeed, he reminded me very truly that I ought to know more -about the reason of our departure than he, having come from the -shore, while he had been sleeping on board the piragua. At that I -told him what I had heard from Jenipa, about Juan and Blanco having -been detected and taken to the fort, where they had confessed not -only the truth, but, as I had heard, more than the truth. The -Mosquito man merely shrugged his shoulders, and said he could make -nothing of it, although I saw very well, by the intelligent look -of the fellow’s face, as the binnacle lamp shone upon his bronzed -features, that he understood much more of the matter than he chose to -confess. Finding I could make nothing of the Indian, I set myself to -consider the whole affair, and putting Peralta’s hints about the way -to get pearls cheap, in connexion with what I had actually witnessed -and heard, I was not long in arriving at the conclusion, that, in all -probability, for every pearl which the merchant bought of the captain -of the fishery, he obtained another, and at a very considerably -cheaper rate, by dealing quietly with the openers themselves, to -which class I concluded that Juan and Blanco must belong. This -solution of the riddle seemed the more probable, when I remembered -much that I had heard touching the great number of pearls supposed -to be secreted by the Indians, in spite of the utmost vigilance of -the Spaniards. Jamaica sloops had, I knew, ere now gone to hover -near the Rio de la Hacha, having their agents and correspondents, in -various disguises, lurking upon the coast, and of course keeping up -communication with the Indian divers and openers; but the adroitness -and courage shown by Peralta in living as a Spaniard openly amongst -Spaniards, and supporting the character of a regular pearl merchant, -communicating with the captain of the fishery, while in reality he -was driving the best part of his trade by underhand dealing with -the Indians, conducted, no doubt, at great and constant risk of -detection and death; all this inspired me with no small respect -for the abilities and the nerve of the owner of the piragua. Then -I thought with what cool generalship he had conducted the retreat, -not losing a moment by delay, yet taking his measures with as great -composure and deliberation as if he were departing upon a pleasure -cruise. Afterwards, I began to wonder that I had not observed him, -when leaving the hut, take with him the amount of pearls which I -felt sure that he must have amassed; but a few minutes’ reflection -convinced me, from the perfect unconcern with which he had walked out -of the hut, not caring to pick up any one article of those strewn -about, that all the valuables which he possessed on shore, he carried -constantly concealed about his person. Indeed, in the matter of such -costly toys as pearls, or precious stones, a man’s own garments -formed by far the safest depository to be found in the ranchiera. - -While brooding over these things, the night passed silently away. -With the grey dawn, Peralta relieved me, and we crept in our turn -under the half-deck, and slept until the sun rose high into the -unclouded heaven, and the piragua was staggering along under reefed -canvas, bending over to the whistling trade-wind, and leaping from -sea to sea, like a hunted stag. During the day, little of note -occurred. Peralta avoided taking me further into his confidence, and -I had tact enough to see that I ought to refrain from seeming to -intrude upon his mystery. As I watched him, however, I often saw him -bite his thin lips, and wrinkle his forehead, and clench his hand, -as if distressing thoughts haunted him; and at last he broke out, -addressing nobody in particular, but speaking moodily to himself— - -‘Those poor fellows!’ he cried, ‘those poor fellows Juan and Blanco—I -would give every pearl the venture hath brought that they were safe -and sound in this piragua. The Spaniards will hang them; nay, indeed, -it may have been already done, and their bodies are swinging in this -same sea-breeze!’ - -Here Jenipa interposed very respectfully, and said that no effort we -could have possibly made would have sufficed to rescue the Indians, -and that we had nothing to reproach ourselves with on that score. - -‘No, no,’ said Peralta. ‘We could not have got them out of trouble; -but we have been the cause that they fell into it.’ - -He pondered for a minute. Then putting his hand into his bosom, he -drew it forth, the hollow of the palm filled with small pearls, all -glistening in the sun, like beads of frozen milk. Then he poured the -precious morsels from one hand to the other, the pearls pattering and -rattling like chips of shivered glass and pebbles, and began again to -speak, like a man who talks in his sleep. - -‘Ay,’ he cried, ‘and you will sparkle in the coronets of nobles, or -mayhap you will rise and fall on the white bosom of some peerless -beauty across the western sea. Little will she think how her -braveries have been won. Little will she think that the gems of her -adornment are but as coagulated drops of human blood. Red, red, you -ought to be, and not of that lying virgin whiteness—red, red, you -ought to be, as the guilt of him who hath purveyed you, and the blood -of the hapless men who, ere now, are doubtless but as lumps of brown -carrion—only good to feed the vultures and the crows!’ - -At this, I observed Jenipa and Disco exchange curious glances with -each other; but Peralta, after musing for a short space further, put -the pearls back into their hiding-place, and resumed, to a certain -degree, his usual manner. - -‘I doubt not,’ he said to me, presently, ‘but that your acuteness -hath taught you much of what last night you burned to know. The two -poor savages, of whom I spoke, were indeed my agents among their -brethren; and, thanks to their ingenuity and courage, many a rare -pearl hath come to my wallet, instead of the poke of their Spanish -task-masters. But all is over now. While I remained on shore, I -risked the danger borne by my confederates. Had it been within the -power of man to have saved them, I would have perilled limbs and life -to bring them off, but it fell out otherwise. What is writ, is writ. -Adieu, poor Juan and Blanco, and may you find the next world a better -one than this.’ - -Having pronounced this curious sort of funeral oration, Peralta -straightway resumed his former demeanour, and I never heard him -allude to the subject again. Meantime, we bounded merrily across -the ocean, masts bending, canvas swelling, and sheet and haulyard -cracking and straining; the blue heaven, with not a cloud to fleck -it, all a blaze of azure light and glory above, and the crystal sea -foaming, and tumbling, and gambolling beneath the swift piragua, -as, with dripping prow and polished sides, she tore away upon -her headlong course. My spirits, long drooping under captivity, -now came flushing back, sending the young hot blood tingling -through my veins. I leaped and danced about the piragua for very -cheery-heartedness—Peralta smiling slily at my antics—and sometimes -lifting up my voice, I sang an echoing chorus to the music of wind -and wave! ‘A day or two,’ I thought, ‘and I shall see, sleeping in -the smooth water landward of the Palisades, my gallant schooner, -which I love, and hear ringing from beneath her snow-white awning the -cheery voices of my old comrades, of Stout Jem, the true-hearted, and -Nicky Hamstring, the merry-minded!’ - -Alas! not so fast, Leonard Lindsay—not so fast! There are perils and -sufferings for you, by sea and land, ere you step upon English ground -again! - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -THE PIRAGUA IS PICKED UP BY A GREAT PRIVATEER, AND I FIND MYSELF -AMONG NEW SHIPMATES. - - -We were within a day’s sail of Jamaica. At the setting of the sun -we had seen, even from our low vessel, the distant outline of the -Blue Mountains. Peralta had the middle watch. I roused up about an -hour and a half before sunrise, and found the piragua heaving upon -smooth, oily swells, all unruffled even by a puff of wind. There was -a great dank mist around us, packing upon the water as thick as smoke -from a man-of-war’s broadside, and the very air seemed loaded with -chill damp. I walked up and down the small fore deck of the piragua, -trying, in my thin garments, to keep myself warm, and whistling for -a breeze to blow away to leeward the filthy fog, which seemed, as it -were, to enclose us round, and to cling and settle in its densest -volume about the piragua. Standing at the bows, I could not see the -stern, and as for the heads of the sails they were lost in the thick -opaque air. It was curious to gaze out upon the water as the black -looking undulations of the sea rolled under us, the mist seeming to -rise and fall with them, and sometimes boiling and eddying from the -motion of the waves, although not a breath of wind strayed over the -ocean. I might have been upon duty about half an hour, when I almost -leaped from the deck with amazement to hear suddenly, coming from -whence I knew not, but ringing shrilly through the thick air, a loud -cry or scream, like that uttered by a man in mortal anguish. - -‘Disco,’ I shouted, ‘did you hear that? What was that cry?’ - -But the Indian, instead of answering me, stood dumb and trembling, as -though struck with terror. Instantly the cry was repeated, and even -louder and more vehemently than before. - -‘It is a spirit,’ said the Indian. ‘It is some bad spirit of the fog. -It will come to us and kill us.’ - -But I heeded not the superstition of the ignorant creature, and -made but one bound to where Peralta lay sound asleep, clutching and -shaking him to arouse him, and telling him in the same breath that -there was either a ship or a boat close aboard of us in the fog. -The pearl merchant and Jenipa were upon their legs in a moment, and -for the space of about ten minutes we listened with all our ears, -but heard no sound, other than the flapping of our sails and the -creaking of the yards, as they rubbed and swayed against the masts. -It was odd that, although both Disco and myself heard the cry so -distinctly repeated, we neither of us could tell the direction from -which it appeared to come. Perhaps the fog affected sounds passing -through it. At all events, although we got out the oars, we knew not -in which way to row, so as to put as much sea as possible between a -ship which might very likely be an enemy, and which would certainly -be more than a match for the light piragua and her crew of four. All -this while the dawn was gradually brightening through the mist; the -fog, which before was of a pitchy darkness, becoming gradually of a -pale grey hue, and then lifting and opening here and there, so as to -show lanes, as it were, and patches of clear air, which, in the next -moment, would be again filled up by rolling masses of the vapour. -However, the mist was evidently thinning as the sun approached to -the horizon, and we watched warily to catch the first glimpse of our -unknown neighbour. Presently, the fog began to change its cold white -hue for a tinge or blush of warm and golden light, which appeared, as -it were, to penetrate and pervade the vapour, and by which we knew -that the sun had risen; while, at the same time, our glimpses into -the ever-shifting lanes and clear spaces continually being formed by -the motion of the seething wreaths and masses of vapour, becoming -every moment longer and clearer—Peralta, who was standing upon the -starboard gunwale of the piragua, suddenly exclaimed, in a low, -earnest tone: - -‘There! look there!’ - -We all turned round at once, and saw, not thirty fathoms from -us, the dusky broadside and towering rigging of a ship. She was -gracefully rocking upon the long seas, the mist all curling round -her, and floating, as it appeared, in blurring patches and masses -among her extended sails, so that the masts and all the fabric of -spars and canvas which they bore were half lost in the bewildering -vapour. We had no time, however, to make any very minute examination -of the stranger. She saw us as soon as we saw her, and half a dozen -men, clustering into the main rigging, shouted out, in French and -English, that we should pull the piragua alongside. I looked at -Peralta. He slightly shrugged his shoulders. ‘If there were but a -bladder full of wind,’ he said. - -‘Ho! the piragua ahoy!’ was now again hailed from the strange -ship—‘come alongside, d’ye hear, or it will be the worse for you.’ - -This threat had hardly been uttered, when, as if to back it, a cannon -was fired from the maindeck, and we heard the ball, with a loud -whistling hiss, pass above our masts. But the discharge of that gun -had an effect which seemed almost miraculous upon the fog, clearing -away, and, as it were, condensing and annihilating, by the shock of -the explosion the vapour all around—so that we saw, very plainly, a -goodly ship of three masts, carrying at least twelve cannons upon -a side, with topsails and top-gallant-sails spread, but the yards -braced clumsily, the canvas ill set, and much of the rigging in -a loose and disorderly condition—the jib indeed hanging in great -festoons down from the bowsprit—so that when the ship plunged by the -head, the canvas dipped into the sea, from which it would presently -arise, the water pouring from the belly of the sail as from a tub. On -board this disorderly-looking craft there seemed to be a great swarm -of men, who suddenly clustered upon the bulwarks and in the rigging -to gaze at us, and one of whom, a varlet with long unkempt hair and -torn and dirty linen doublet, suddenly screamed out— - -‘Why, comrades, never believe your eyes—if it be not Old Rumbold, of -Port Royal in Jamaica, and Heaven knows how many places besides. -What cheer, Old Rumbold?—Hast been a privateering in a bark canoe—or -chaffering with and cheating the honest Indians of the Main?’ - -Peralta seemed in no way put out by this recognition, for he -immediately took off his hat very gallantly, and called out that he -was heartily glad to meet with so many friends and gallant gentlemen -adventurers on the high seas. Upon which the men on board the ship -cheered lustily, and shouted to Peralta or Rumbold that he was an -honest fellow, and that he must come aboard, with all his people, -and that we should have a jovial cruise together. I watched the -pearl-merchant, and saw that he was in reality much concerned at this -unexpected stoppage of our voyage. - -‘Had it not been for that cursed fog,’ he whispered, ‘this would -not have happened. But these fellows are savages if their temper be -crossed. We must e’en row with the tide and humour them.’ - -Accordingly the piragua was speedily floating alongside the great -ship, and, following Rumbold, as I may now call him, I clambered up -the high sides. But what a sight did the deck present to me—a sailor -hitherto accustomed to orderly vessels. Strewn everywhere about were -great heaps of luggage and ship stores—trunks and mails mingled -with coils of rope, and masses of sails—buckets, boat anchors, -flags, handspikes, and what not—while, tumbled hither and thither -in this chaos, sprawled more than a score of drunken seamen, some -of them fast asleep and snoring, with empty bottles and glasses -still grasped in their hands—others, still sitting up, babbling and -singing, in maudlin fashion, over their liquor—or disputing fiercely -with thickened speech and bloodshot eyes. The relics of a feast lay -scattered over the decks, slippery with the wine and liquors spilt -upon them. There were broken glasses and empty flasks, the smashed -fragments of tobacco-pipes, divers dice-boxes, and packs of greasy -cards. But the principal object on which my attention dwelt was the -form of a stalwart, big-limbed sailor, who lay with his head resting -on the knee of a man who was tending a hurt upon his temples. Looking -more closely, I saw that the wounded man had received a desperate -slash with a knife, which had laid open the side of his forehead and -part of the cheek, narrowly missing the eye. From this gash the blood -was pouring fast, while the surgeon, for such he was, who tended the -wounded man, cleaned the ghastly cut, from time to time, with sponges -dipped in hot water, while he prepared his instruments to sew it up. -The patient was insensible, breathing hard and loud, and having his -glazed eyes open, and gleaming with a wild, vacant stare. As I gazed, -I immediately comprehended that it was the cry uttered by this man, -as he was wounded, which had alarmed us in the piragua, and looking -towards the bows, I saw a fellow, with his doublet-sleeve all bloody, -being marched off in custody by a group of his comrades—all high in -oath at the cowardly hound of a Portuguese, (as they called him,) who -had used his knife instead of his fists in a quarrel among friends. - -Meantime, Rumbold seemed to be heartily welcomed by the more sober -part of the crew, with the captain, as I judged him, at their head. -This captain was a long gaunt man, with a slouching gait, and lank -black hair falling straight down upon his shoulders. He had such a -squint that it was, as I afterwards knew, a common saying in the -ship about Le Chiffon Rouge—for such he, being a Frenchman, was -called—that no one could tell at any moment whether he was looking -forward or aft, up to the vane on the mast-head, or down into the -hold. This ill-favoured personage—for besides his squinting eye he -had an ugly hare lip, showing tusks which would not have been out -of place in the jaw of a boar,—this ill-favoured personage, I say, -protested loudly that his good friend Rumbold must positively sail -out the cruize with them—that he would not be denied—and that the -hills of Jamaica being in sight, for the mist had rapidly cleared -away with the rising of the sun, the two Indians could very well -carry home the piragua, while hammocks would be slung aboard for -the worthy pearl merchant and his friend—meaning me. The captain -was well seconded in these propositions by the chief mate, who was -an Englishman, a coarse, fat personage, with bristling red hair, a -ferocious expression, and a loud harsh voice. He was called Jerry, -and I soon found that he was the real commander of the ship; Le -Chiffon Rouge yielding to his judgment in all cases of emergency, and -the pair keeping very close together. Now, for my own part, I was -much puzzled to know the reason of this welcome, which was so much -warmer than we wished for. If the ship was a friendly one, why did -not she go her way and leave us to go ours, instead of detaining us -prisoners; for that was what the affair actually came to, on board. -I saw that Rumbold’s countenance was clouded, and that, although he -put a good face on the matter, he would have freely given a round -sum for a start of a league or so in the piragua. But wishing was -useless. The Indians, who continued in the canoe, were, to their -great astonishment, ordered to run for Port Royal, and to take word -that Mr. Rumbold had joined the good ship, ‘Saucy Susan,’ for a short -run down by the Mosquito coast, and that she might be expected in -Jamaica in a few weeks. By this time the morning trade-wind was -beginning to blow, and the piragua speedily crept away, wafted by its -first faint fannings. Then Jerry suddenly began to bestir himself— - -‘Here,’ he shouted, ‘here men, clear away the decks, fore and aft. -You, boatswain, get the yards braced, and put all things aloft -ship-shape and Bristol fashion. What! d——n my eyes, is the ship to -be always in this cursed mess? Here, you two boatswain’s mates, come -and kick these drunken hogs. Overboard with barrel and bucket. Draw -water, will you, and souse these fellows who are littering the deck, -soundly. Curse and confound me, but a parcel of wild Indians would -have more decency aboard ship! Doctor, how is that fellow’s skull? -We shall serve out the thief who cut him, presently. Come, men, look -alive there, or by all the devils dancing in hell, I’ll make you -feel the flat of my cutlass!’ - -At this energetic speech there was a general bustle on deck. About -half of the drunken fellows staggered to their feet, and began to -tumble about, half asleep, lurching and pitching against each other, -owing to the roll of the ship. - -‘Quick, will you there!’ Jerry roared; ‘get the buckets full, and -baptise these brandy kegs;’ pointing to the drunkards, who were still -sleeping. In a minute a dozen pails were over the ship’s sides, and -immediately, amid shouts of jeering and laughter, copious floods -of the cooling brine were dashed over the heads and bodies of the -snorers, who started up all bewildered, shouting and spluttering, -half-choked, and swearing at such scurvy treatment. However, in a -few minutes a wonderful transformation was effected—the decks were -cleared—those of the crew who had not sufficiently slept off their -debauch to be able to resume their duty, were tumbled down the -hatches to their hammocks—the yards were braced properly for the -course which we were lying—a steady-looking old seaman was at the -wheel, and the ‘Saucy Susan’ began to move slowly upon her course, -rising heavily to the seas, and butting at them with her great broad -bows as they came rolling past. - -Meantime, I kept alongside of Rumbold—to whom the captain was -explaining, with great gravity, that having last night taken a -small Spanish sloop, aboard which there was very excellent wine, -the greater part of the crew had been drunk all night, a thing, -he admitted, not very seamanlike: ‘But what then—what could he -do? _Messieurs les aventuriers_ would have their way.’ Presently, -however, stepping forward to confer with Jerry, who was certainly -bringing the ship into hand again, in the style of a man who knows -his business, Rumbold whispered to me: - -‘I know something of this ship. She is manned by the worst set of -rogues who sail from Jamaica. There may be some honest men aboard, -but both the Frenchman and Jerry, his mate, are as great rascals as -ever rode colt foaled of an acorn, and I doubt it not but that a -crew of their choosing will be found to match bravely.’ - -I inquired what he thought were the reasons which induced them to -detain us on board? - -‘Why, as to that,’ says he, ‘I doubt not but that some of the rogues -have a shrewd guess where I come from, and that I have pearls of -price about me. I hardly think they would rob me openly and divide -the booty in the face of day, but there are dozens of these cursed -jail birds who would think no more of drawing a knife across a -man’s weasand while he slept, if that would help them to filch a -brass-farthing’s worth, than I would of smoking a whiff of tobacco.’ - -Then Rumbold asked whether I recognised the young fellow who first -hailed him by name? and presently pointed him out, laughing and -talking to Jerry. ‘I know the rascal well,’ said the pearl merchant. -‘He hath nimble wits and nimble fingers. I warrant ’twas he first -tipped Jerry and the captain the wink in this matter. If it be so, -depend upon it that the three intend to keep the thing snug to -themselves, and share the plunder—that is, if they can get it.’ - -Our converse was broken up by the captain and mate walking aft -together. The vessel was by this time put into proper trim, and -standing on her course, with sails very well set, and swelling gaily -in the breeze. The mate looked to windward. ‘I think the weather -will hold steady,’ he said. Immediately, the captain shouted out to -the boatswain to call all hands, and, presently, in answer to that -shrill, sharp whistle, which penetrates down to the very keel of a -ship, the crew tumbled upon deck, most of them being by this time -sober enough, and trooped aft to the break of the poop, upon which -Le Chiffon Rouge and Jerry stood. The ship was then hove to, with -her broad maintop-sail laid to the mast, and Le Chiffon Rouge taking -off his three-cornered hat, as it was the custom of the captain of a -privateer to do when he addressed the whole crew, began to speak in a -smooth, plausible fashion, to this effect— - -‘Last night, gentlemen, as you well know, the “Saucy Susan” captured -a Spanish sloop, out of which we took what we wanted, and then -dismissed her. You cannot complain, any of you, that you had not as -much of the good wine which we found aboard the sloop, as you could -swill, with plenty of time and space to drink it in. But, gentlemen, -here hath an ugly accident turned out in your revelry, and which it -behoves me to inquire into. One of our honourable company hath drawn -his knife, and wounded a comrade, in his cups, and that, by all the -rules of privateersmen, must be punished. It is not that I much care -about a kick on the shins, or a box on the ears, given or taken when -the wine cup is full, and the dice-box rattling—but cold steel, -comrades, we must keep for the Spaniards, and not get into the habit -of polishing our knives against each other’s ribs.’ - -The crew applauded this address, which seemed reasonable enough; but -Rumbold whispered to me, that he would lay his life upon it that -either Le Chiffon Rouge, or Jerry, had some cause of spite against -the Portuguese; otherwise, said he, the whole ship’s company might -hack the flesh off each other’s bones without interference. - -‘Now then,’ continued the scowling captain, ‘some of you fetch Vasco, -of Lisbon, hither, and Doctor, do you bring up Shambling Ned.’ So, -in a few minutes, the Portuguese, with his hands tied behind him, -was hurried along the deck, and the wounded man came out of the -cabin, leaning upon the surgeon, and looking very pale, his blood -still clotted in jelly-looking masses among his long hair. Vasco, in -spite of his great name, seemed to me to be as hang-dog looking a -rascal as ever I saw, with a low flat forehead, and only one eye. He -was a lithe, slightly made young fellow, with a thin, ragged beard -and drooping moustache. When he was confronted with the captain -and Jerry, the latter cast a look upon him so full of hate and -spite, that I soon perceived that Rumbold was in the right in his -conjecture. The Portuguese never appeared to notice the wounded man -at all. - -‘Now, then,’ the captain began, ‘you, Shambling Ned, ‘tell us how -you came by that trench upon your forehead.’ - -But Shambling Ned, who was, as I have said, a stout seaman, but with -a hitch in his gait, from whence he obtained his nickname, gave but a -very confused account of the transaction. What between the quantity -of wine which he had drunk, and the quantity of blood which he had -lost, his wits appeared to be still gone a wool-gathering, and all -that he could say was, that he had been playing dice for small stakes -with the Portuguese, when they had a quarrel about a cast, and that -blows had passed; but who had struck first he really did not know; -that in the middle of the scuffle, however, when they were staggering -about among their comrades and tripping over the masses of goods and -stores which lay upon the deck, he suddenly saw a knife in the hand -of his adversary, and, almost at the same instant, he had received -the violent cut upon his head, from which the hot blood came pouring -down; that after that he knew nothing, until he was brought to -himself by the smart of the surgeon’s instrument sewing up the wound. - -The evidence of several of the seamen was then taken, but they all -gave different accounts; some maintaining that Vasco had begun the -fray, and others that Shambling Ned had first seized up a knife -himself, so that I saw very plainly that the whole affair was -the effect of a drunken squabble, in which one was probably as -much to blame as another. At last, however, the young man who had -recognised Rumbold, stood forth, and I saw very plainly the glance of -intelligence which passed between him and Jerry. - -‘Now for Tommy Nixon’s testimony,’said the captain; ‘and I warrant -that he will speak more to the purpose than these noddies there, -who seem to make no more use of their eyes than if they were boiled -gooseberries!’ - -So Nixon began to speak in a low, whining sort of tone, professing -great regret for the disturbance, and particularly that Vasco, whom -he said he loved as though he had been his own brother, should -have so shamefully outraged all the laws observed by gentlemen -adventurers. Still the truth was the truth; and if he must tell what -he knew, it was this, that Vasco having tried to cheat Shambling Ned -out of the piece of eight which they were playing for, and having -been reproached by the latter for his meanness, had straightway hit -Ned in the face; and that when Ned had risen to his feet to defend -himself, the Portuguese had immediately drawn his knife and struck -the blow, swearing at the same time that he would like to do as much -for every Englishman on board the ship. - -At this, the Portuguese, who had hitherto stood, with downcast looks, -listening to all the evidence, burst out in violent wrath, sputtering -vehemently forth his broken English, and almost screaming in his -excitement— - -‘That a lie—a lie, a lie!’ he shouted. ‘A lie, Nixon—Jerry tell you -say that—you liars both I—I no wish to stab my shipmates, but Jerry -hate me, and you Jerry friend—and you lie!’ - -There was a murmur among the men, for it was not difficult to see -that Jerry and Nixon had great influence over them, and many a -clenched hand was raised against the Portuguese, who, I believe, had -certainly cut open Ned’s head, not, however, with premeditation, but -in the scuffle and the heat of blood. Meantime, Nixon turned up his -eyes to heaven, and shook his uplifted hands, as who should say, -‘Patience—patience, friends, I can afford to bear the calumny.’ Not -so Jerry, however. His nature was different; and so, dashing down his -hat upon the deck in his rage, with his moustaches bristling, and his -flashing eyes fixed upon the culprit, he roared— - -‘Here be a pitiful hound of a Portuguese for you, who dare raise his -murdering arm to stab a freeborn Englishman, and then asperse the -witnesses of the cruel deed! If he remain unpunished for it, I leave -this ship, and I would advise all them who don’t take the part of the -white-livered scoundrel to do the same—that is, if they don’t want to -feel his murdering knife tickling their ribs!’ - -‘Jerry,’ cried out Vasco, all at once, ‘I know what you mean very -well. You no care for either blow or stab, that you no get yourself. -You stab Nickel, the Dutchman, in Tortugas; you shoot John Cox off -St. Christopher’s. You a pretty fellow to talk!’ - -But here Jerry interrupted him. ‘Now, then,’ he roared, ‘what are -you about there, that you don’t clap a marline-spike in the fellow’s -jaws? I suppose he intends to bully us out of the ship!’ - -Instantly half-a-dozen stout fellows threw themselves upon Vasco, who -still, however, contrived, before he was effectually gagged, to yell -out in broken sentences— - -‘Jerry—I say, Jerry—you do this because I prevent you marry my -countrywoman, who keep tavern at Tortugas, and tell her, you have -one, two, three wife already!’ - -But Jerry’s orders were speedily obeyed, and the Portuguese—with a -stout rope passed through his mouth, keeping the jaws wide open, -and made fast to the back of his head—could only grin and flash his -one eye upon his successful persecutor. Jerry was now in his glory. -His ugly face was all lighted up with the excitement of gratified -spite; and roaring to the men, that now they would teach a cowardly -Portuguese to lift his hand upon his betters he proposed that, as -a punishment for what he had done, Vasco should be made to run the -gauntlet, from the mizen-mast forward to the heel of the bowsprit -and back again. This proposal was received with acclamations by the -rest of the crew, most of whom were brutal fellows enough, and quite -under the thumb of Jerry, who, as I have said, was really captain, -though he pretended to be only second in command; and so, presently, -Le Chiffon Rouge, after whispering to his mate, ordered an old pair -of topgallant-sail haulyards to be cut up into lengths of about three -feet each. This was soon done, and then each man was armed with a -piece of the strong stiff rope, with which, of course, one could -strike as with a cudgel. The culprit eyed all these preparations in -sulky silence, and made no resistance, even when Jerry himself, with -a devil-like leer of delight in his eyes, tore off his doublet and -shirt, leaving his swarthy back bare for the blows which awaited it. - -‘That man,’ whispered Rumbold to me, indicating Jerry, ‘is as great a -fool as he is a brute. These Portuguese are not the fellows to forget -a scar marked upon their backs. Sooner or later, unless he have very -marvellous good luck, the knife which cut open Shambling Ned’s head -will make itself acquainted with Mr. Jerry’s inward anatomy also.’ -In this remark I very cordially agreed; but Jerry seemed to be under -very little uneasiness on the score, for he went joking about, -showing the men how to grasp the ropes, so as to lay on the most -vigorous cuts. The punishment of running the gauntlet is one which -its executors can make as light or as heavy as they choose; and in -the present instance the culprit did not seem, judging from most of -the faces around him, to have much to hope for; while those of the -crew who had, perhaps, given and received over many knife-slashes -themselves, to have any very great horror of the crime, stood too -much in awe of Jerry to favour the culprit. - -At length, all being in readiness, and the crew, to the number of -fifty-five, ranged in a double line, one on the larboard and the -other on the starboard side of the deck, the hands of the Portuguese -were tied behind him, and his ankles hampered so as to prevent his -taking but little steps. Then Jerry, whose duty it was, as mate, took -the poor devil by the ear, and, giving it a wrench, the Portuguese -shuffled on until he stood before the first man in the line. - -‘Now, Jack,’ said Jerry, ‘here’s the mark for you; let’s see what -pith you have got in your muscles.’ - -So the seaman addressed flourished his rope cudgel aloft, and then -brought it down upon the naked back of the Portuguese, with a blow -which echoed over the deck, and raised a broad white-coloured bar of -flesh, which started up from the shoulder almost to the loin. The -sufferer staggered under the weight of the stroke, and immediately -all his back, except just where the scourge fell, turned to a -burning red; but he uttered no sound. - -‘Very well struck, Jack,’ said the mate, and then dragged the -prisoner forward to receive the second blow. Ten minutes passed over -at least, before the Portuguese had got through one-half of his -punishment, by arriving in the bows of the ship; for Jerry prolonged -the torture by stopping to joke with each man before he struck, and -advising him to lay it on well. The whole scene was a very brutal -one, and I would gladly have left the deck if I could. There was no -escape, however, and I saw the poor wretch flogged up one side of the -ship and down the other, each blow given by the full strength of an -unwearied arm. When the prisoner had completed his miserable walk, he -was trembling all over; great drops of sweat were running down his -face, and his back, although the skin was not actually cut, was a -mass of ugly-coloured swellings. - -‘He will faint in a minute,’ said Rumbold, ‘and cheat Jerry of the -finishing stroke’ - -But, as if the mate had been aware of his danger, he hurriedly -flourished his scourge round his head, so as to give it the full -swing of his brawny arm, and then brought it down upon the sufferer -with a buffet which might have broken the spine of a bull, and which -drove the wretch who received it flat upon the deck, where he lay -stark and motionless. - -‘Well,’ said Le Chiffon Rouge, who, being captain, had not personally -interfered in the punishment, ‘it is to be hoped that Monsieur Vasco -hath had a lesson upon the disadvantages of drawing knives upon -comrades.’ - -‘And upon the disadvantages of making enemies of more powerful men -than himself,’ whispered Rumbold. ‘I dare say the fellow is a rascal, -but he was flogged, not for cutting open his shipmate’s head, but for -preventing the mate from getting a fourth wife.’ - -‘Here, men,’ roared Jerry, as he twitched up the head of the -prostrate man by the hair, and then allowed it to fall with a thump -upon the deck, ‘slush this carrion with a bucketfull of salt water, -and then tumble him down the hatchway. I warrant he don’t lie on his -back in his hammock for a month of Sundays.’ - -These orders were speedily carried into effect, and the Portuguese -having been taken below, the maintopsail was filled, and the ship -again stood upon her course. - -In the course of the day, Jerry and Nixon came up to me together, and -proposed, very civilly, that, as I was a sailor, I should join the -ship for the cruise; in which case, they told me, that I should have -my regular share of the prize-money as if I had been on board since -they went to sea, about three months ago. Of course I had nothing -for it but to agree to the proposal, although I loathed the whole -set among whom I had been thus so strangely thrown. ‘Oh,’ thought I, -‘things were different on board the “Will-o’-the-Wisp,” with Stout -Jem for a commander, and a hearty set of fellows under him, as honest -as they were brave.’ But there was no help for it, and so my name was -duly enrolled in the great book of the ‘Saucy Susan.’ - -This being done, I of course took up my quarters with the crew, while -Rumbold was accommodated in the great cabin. It was truly a virtuous -company in which I found myself enlisted, almost every second man -of them having left England after having made it too hot to hold -him. One young fellow, with a ready laugh and a quick eye, told me -that he had been thrice left for execution in Newgate, and was each -time saved by the interest of friends. At last he was sent to the -plantations, where he was purchased by a confederate, and set at -liberty directly. Another man told me, that he had broken half the -jails in England, and boasted that there never was smith made a lock -which he could not pick with a rusty nail. A third fellow had been -a foot-pad on Blackheath, and fled the country with the Hue and Cry -at his heels. There were many more who had been thieves and rogues -all their lives, having, indeed, been brought up to that business -in the streets of London, in which they had been, as it were, born, -and then allowed to run wild like young savages—their hands against -every man, and every man’s hands against them. By one of these men -I was told, that he never knew the name of either his father or -mother. The first thing he could remember was, that he used to fight -with dogs in Lincoln’s Inn Fields for garbage and bones. He slept -upon bunks in the streets in summer, and among the ashes in the -glass-houses in winter, until having amassed money by many fortunate -robberies, for, quoth he, ‘my street education made me sharp,’ he got -to live in White Friars, the Mint, and places of that kind, where he -cared little for either warrants or thief-takers. ‘I promise you,’ -quoth he, ‘the Lord Chief Justice cannot take a man there unless -he come backed by a company of musketeers.’ Another of our most -virtuous crew had been a highwayman, and used to infest Gradshill, -particularly after a ship had been paid off at Chatham, and the -seamen came swarming up on the London road to expend their money in -town debauchery. Having been apprehended sleeping in an inn on the -borders of Epping Forest, where it seems he sometimes lay in wait for -Cambridge scholars journeying past, a prosecutor was found to come -forward against him at Newgate in very curious fashion. He told me -the story himself. - -‘There were six of us,’ quoth he, ‘and they had suspicions against -all, but no witnesses. The fact was, that they knew very well that -we had walked Watling Street, and perhaps other roads also, but they -could find no one to prove it. So this was the plan the lawyers hit -on. They published a notice in the _London Gazette_, to say, that six -persons, reputed highwaymen, would be publicly exhibited in Newgate, -dressed in riding suits, and just as they appeared on the road, so -that any one who had been recently robbed might be able to tell -whether the thief was in the clutches of the law. So the day came, -and we were made, every man of us, to don our riding gear, and then -with boot and red doublet, pistols at our belts, and just a morsel of -crape dangling from our hats, we were paraded up and down the long -galleries, while a crowd of ladies and court gallants examined us -with their glasses, and joked and laughed and coquetted, and told us -to turn, first one way and then the other, and said, as each passed -by, “No, no, he is not the fellow who robbed me; bring up the next, -good master turnkey, and make him turn well round, so that we may see -his face to our satisfaction.” It would have been very well, however, -if all the remarks had been like these. But, one by one, my poor -companions were marked out and carried away. “Here be the very man -who eased me of my purse on Gadshill,” quoth a fat grazier of Kent, -and stout Tom Clinch was straightway taken to the hold.’ “O’ my life, -the rascal who stopped her ladyship’s carriage on Hounslow, and made -us all hand over watches and cash,” says a mincing carpet knight, and -the fate of brave Moonlight Dick was settled. Even thus our misdeeds -came home to us; so that in the space of an hour and a half I stood -alone, and then, the crowd of spectators beginning to disperse, I -had good hope that my lucky stars would prevail, and that I would -be allowed to go forth for lack of evidence. But alas! in the nick -of time, just as the captain of Newgate was thinking of turning me -adrift with a kick and an oath, up there trips a dainty gentlewoman, -whose face I knew in an instant, for I had said some few flattering -words in praise of the brilliancy of her eyes, and what not, to which -she listened nothing loath, while I conveyed to my own pouch a golden -locket she wore, filled with hair, which I warrant you grew never on -the bald head of her spouse, an old lawyer of Lincoln’s Inn. So she -stared at me very hard, while I twisted my features first one way and -then the other, now cocking my eye, now leering it, so that I saw she -was mightily puzzled. But just then old Diggory, the thief-taker, -fetched me a wipe over the chops; “Take that, you mumper,” says he, -“and keep your ugly face quiet till the gentlewoman decide.” But it -was no such easy matter for her to pronounce; and at length quo’ -my madam, as cool as an’ she had been in a raree-show, and wished -to hear the lion roar, “Make him speak, good master keeper, make -him speak, and I shall know the voice.” So says old Diggory, “Come, -Helter-Skelter Joe, you hear what the lady says, tip us a few tongue -flourishes.” So I commenced grumbling and snorting through my nose, -but it wouldn’t do. “Stow that,” says Diggory, “or we shall have -the hangman in with his cat-o’-nine tails.” Then I set to gabbling -in a high treble, like a dame of Billingsgate whose comrades had -stolen her fish,—but it was all in vain, they made me talk in my -own voice at last, and quoth the bona roba as soon as she heard the -patter, “Oh, good master jailer, it is the villain, indeed.” So I was -tried—condemned—left for execution, and I can tell you it took both -money and friends to prevent my going up Holborn Hill in a cart.’ - -There were others of the crew, however, more reputable characters, -so far as regarded actual roguery, but they were one and all a -devil-may-care set, without thought or morals, and only anxious -for plunder and debauchery. Several of them had been kidnapped, as -they told me, from Bristol, Norwich, Newcastle, London, and other -places. These were all of them youths under twenty, and two or three -of them had been, they said, sold by their parents. They had all -of them, however, managed, after serving for different periods, to -make their escape from Virginia, and to find their way into the -West Indian seas. They gave doleful accounts of their treatment in -the plantations—how they had been flogged and starved, and of the -great numbers who had died from fever and sun strokes. Those who had -been kidnapped frequently fared worse than the convicted felons, -because the former, being generally of tender years, were less able -to protect themselves than the old thieves and vagabonds who were -transported thither from the jails of England. The reader will easily -understand that a great number of the crew of the ‘Saucy Susan’ were -but very poor sailors, and clumsy fellows in blowing weather aloft. -Indeed, it was sometimes rare sport to see the boatswain and his -mates, armed with big rattans, thrashing the skulkers out of their -hammocks, and chasing them up to their duty from all the secret -holes and hiding-places in the ship; while Jerry would be storming -and raving on the poop, and swearing that he would shoot the last man -who got out on the yard in reefing topsails. Among these lubberly -rogues, however, there were a handful of prime sailors, chiefly -old men, who had swung in hammocks nigh half a century, and had -been tossed on every sea all round the world. The great fault they -had was, that not a single man of the whole lot would keep sober -if he had an opportunity of getting drunk. For all that, however, -Jerry was forced to depend upon these sailors, his ‘Mother Carey’s -chickens,’ as he called them, for the safe navigation of the ship; -knowing very well that, if the rest of the crew were but fresh -water seamen, they were as good, with cutlasses and boarding-pikes -in their hands, as the most daring veterans of the sea. With these -ancient mariners I chiefly consorted, we forming a company who kept -somewhat aloof from the rake-helly set we lived among, and during -the many calm midwatches I kept on board the ‘Saucy Susan,’ I picked -up many legends and tales of the sea from these old men, who had -passed long lives upon the face of the waters. I have already given -to the reader one story, as a sample of the kind of legends which -we Buccaneers loved to listen to, and I shall here add another of -the same sort, relating to a notion which was very common amongst -seamen of the time of which I speak, but which has now, I believe, -except with the most ignorant of the class, wholly died away. I mean, -the idea that particular capes or headlands running out into the -sea are haunted by evil demons, who hate ships to pass by, and who, -therefore, raise tempests to beat them back, and prevent them from -doubling the point, or spot of land in question. This belief, no -doubt, rose from the general stormy nature of the seas off capes and -outstretching tongues of land. The two great capes of the world—the -Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, many sailors believed to be haunted -by most powerful demons, and regarded the awful gales which blew, -and the fearful seas which run thereabouts, as nothing but the work -of these Cape devils, if I may call them so, not remembering that -the phenomena in question are simply the effect of geographical -position and the unchanging laws of the elements. However, I proceed -to my story, merely premising that the seaman who told it, and -who was an old mariner with a white beard, did devoutly believe -in all the extravagancies which I have just mentioned, as well as -in the fantastic tale which he told. I give it in rather better -language than the narrator made use of; his speech, indeed, being -much seasoned with forecastle expressions, not of the most delicate -nature. But it is worthy of a new chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE LEGEND OF THE DEMON WHO HAUNTS POINT MORANT IN JAMAICA. - - -Old Josiah Ward, for such was the name of my storyteller, recounted -the legend to about a dozen of us, as we sat in the lee of the -long-boat on the deck, the breeze blowing gently, and the ‘Saucy -Susan’ running slowly before it. Thus he spoke— - -‘Just one score of years after the great Christopher Columbus -discovered the New World, there sailed westward, across the Atlantic, -a ship, or rather galley, of strange make and fashion. She was very -long, shipmates, and floated low and deep in the water, but her prow, -all carved and fantastically wrought, rose up above her deck curved -like the neck of a swan, and ending in a great eagle’s beak. This -head and beak were of iron. At the top of both her masts, for there -were two, this galley carried broad, swallow-tailed pendants, quite -black, except that there were in the centre of each an eagle’s head -and beak of red colour, just like the head and beak at the prow. The -galley sailed marvellously fast, and the wind that bore her was ever -fair. Yes, shipmates, weeks and weeks rolled on, and not a mariner on -board her had need to start sheet, or tack,—and yet tempests swept -across her path, and the crew of the galley saw Spanish caravals -founder in the great waves, not a bow-shot from their ship, while -they were speeding over water ruffled only by a gentle breeze. And -the reason was, shipmates, that an enchanted wind filled the galley’s -sails, and before its breath the natural storms of the air could not -prevail. There was always, as it were, a spot of fair wind upon the -ocean, running rapidly westward, and in the centre of that spot, the -galley swept across the waves, going with sails and oars. - -‘The sailors who manned this strange bark were men of very fair -complexion, of light blue eyes and long flaxen hair, and the -language they spoke was the tongue of that far northern land—whence, -in the old days, came forth, each in his war-galley, the fierce -sea-kings—the Buccaneers of the North—shipmates, to plunder and -to spoil. These men were heathens and unbelievers—they worshipped -gods, called Odin and Thor, and each had a magic sword, the steel -of which was wrought by little demons who live under ground, and -in hollow places, which they scoop in great rocks and stones, and -where they forge such blades that no weapon, were it even welded by -the cunning makers of Damascus, could prevail against them. But the -strangest thing of all, comrades, was that the captain of this ship -was a woman—a woman of great stature, and fierce and lofty aspect. -Her name was Tronda, and she was a sorceress; she could make the -winds blow as she listed, and she had a crystal into which those -who looked could see the future. This Tronda, mates, was a witch of -great power, and she came from one of the northern islands, near that -huge whirlpool called Lofoden, which can suck great navies down into -the abysses of the sea. She wore a sea-green coloured tunic, with a -necklace of beads made of a pebble called adder-stone, which hath -strange virtues, and her head-gear was formed of the fur of the wild -cat. Likewise she wore a very broad girdle, on which were embroidered -strange words and letters in gold, and to it was attached a pouch, -in which she kept the charms and spells with which she conjured. -But her great power was over the elements, shipmates, for Tronda -was a witch of Lapland—that dreary coast of snow which mariners -skirt, sailing into the White Sea—and her name was known as a potent -trafficker in such powers as ordinary mortals possess not, and many -shipmen came to her and spoke her fair, and gave her money, and she -sold them fair winds to waft them on their course. But I have heard, -shipmates, that such was the nature of these unnatural breezes, that -they wrecked every seventh ship which sailed before them. Six would -go prosperously to their port, but the wind which the seventh had -purchased, would gradually swell and wax great and mighty, until it -became a hurricane, which tore sail and mast before it, and beat the -ill-fated ship down into the sea. - -‘It was by certain rhymes, comrades, that Tronda and the other -Lapland witches ruled the air, and made the storm-clouds fly as they -wished. I have heard that she would stand high on a rock, or upon the -poop of a ship, when the sea was calm below, and the summer air clear -above. Then would she toss her arms above her head, and kneeling -down, with her fair hair streaming over her shoulders, sing the magic -song, which brought forth clouds upon the heavens, and unchained the -wind, to rush over the howling sea. No one understood this song, but -its name was _Vard lokur_—and it was in an ancient northern tongue -called Lap, many words of which have power over the swart demons, and -dwarfs, and elvish workers in metals, who live under the mountains of -Finland and Jutland. - -‘Now, Tronda was a miser, and loved gold, and when mariners came to -her and told her legends about a new world lying to the west, far -across the ocean, and where the yellow metal and stones still more -precious glistened and shone, on every mountain and on every beach, -she said—“I, too, will depart and see that golden land, where there -is neither frost nor cold, but diamonds bright as icicles, and pearls -as white as snow.” Then she embarked in her galley, and raised a -magic wind, which bore her across the Atlantic, and at sunrise one -bright morning, she saw before her the land of the New World. But the -galley had not coasted far, when two caravals came forth and gave her -chase. The Spaniards knew little with whom they had to deal; Tronda -stood on the poop of her ship, and stretched her arms forth, singing -her magic rhymes in Lap, and straightway a squall came rushing down -from the land, and before the Spaniards could lower their sails, it -broke upon the caravals, and ships and crews sunk together in the sea. - -‘So, the fame of Tronda, the Lapland witch, that could sell winds, -was noised abroad all over the Indies. She never went ashore—but in -her galley, with the eagle’s beak, she cruised among the islands and -along the main. The Spanish captains often went aboard the galley, -and humbled themselves before the witch, and bought winds to carry -them from isle to isle, and port to port, each wind being purchased -with a lump of gold. When the Inquisition, which was established in -Cuba, heard of this strange trafficking, they sent caravals of war -to capture the sorceress, but her powers baffled all their skill. -Sometimes, she stilled the air, so that all the ships lay motionless -together. Then, just as the Spaniards would get out their boats to -row to the Norse galley, a gentle breeze would fan her sails, and -she would glide deftly away, while Tronda, who took a pleasure in -tormenting her pursuers, would stand upon the poop, worshipping her -strange gods, and singing her unlawful incantations. At other times, -she would raise mists, in the midst of which the Spaniards would -grope for days, firing guns, and ringing bells—so that, at last, -the ships of war gave up the chase, and returned to the Havannah. -But no one who sought Tronda to buy a wind, had ever any difficulty -in boarding her galley. She received all such with fair words and -courteous bearing, and gave them, in return for their gold, each a -large stoup, or jar, the mouth of it sealed with wax, bearing strange -figures and signs. This jar each captain took with him, and directly -the anchor was lifted, Tronda would instruct him to break the seal, -when immediately the fair breeze would fill the sails, and the ship -would move gaily on her way. So, by this traffic, Tronda amassed vast -riches, and every week the galley sunk lower and deeper in the water, -with its increasing freight of precious stones and gold. But it was -not alone fair and gentle breezes which the Lapland witch trafficked -in. She sold adverse winds and awful storms to the enemies of -luckless mariners. She sold calms, too, which haunted a hapless ship, -chaining her, as it were, to the unruffled sea, until, drop by drop, -the fresh water was drunk out, and the sailors died on the deck, or -cast themselves overboard in their raving delirium of thirst. And so -many a customer came to Tronda to buy prosperous winds for friends, -and wrecking tempests for enemies. The smug merchant purchased a fair -wind for himself, and a baffling breeze for his rival in the trade. -The love-lorn maiden bought a prosperous gale for her sweetheart’s -ship, and the jealous dame paid gold for a tempest to wreck the bark -of a faithless lover. - -‘Now, comrades, years moved slowly on, and the Norse galley was -so deep in the water with gold and precious stones, that, had it -not been for enchantment, she would have sunk outright. Then the -blue-eyed and long-haired mariners entreated Tronda that she would -allow them to look again upon the mountains and the Fiords of Norway, -and that she would raise a westerly breeze to carry them home across -the ocean. But the witch scoffed at their requests, giving them -foul words, and saying that she must have more gold. The chief of -the crew was a young man called Torquil, and he it was who sighed -most for home, because he had left a maiden there whom he loved, -and from whom he had been long parted. Therefore, after Tronda had -retired to the great cabin, where she lived alone, Torquil entered -it unbidden. It was quite dark, for the cabin was beneath the water, -and no light came down to it from the deck, but an ancient lamp of -bronze swung slowly from the beams overhead, and in this lamp burnt a -flame, although there was neither wick nor oil to feed it. The witch -was sitting in a great chair like a throne, and before her were -open boxes crammed with lumps of gold, which gleamed in the flicker -of the bronze lamp. On the table lay the magic crystal in which the -sorceress could see the future; and upon the high back of the antique -chair, in which she sat, perched two ravens, grey with age, both of -which uttered a low, hoarse croak as Torquil entered. - -‘“Mother,” he said, for all who spoke to the witch so addressed -her—“mother, I would go home to my own country; I long again to see -the face of my father and of my betrothed. Therefore, I bid you raise -a favouring westerly gale; for, if you do not, neither I nor one of -my comrades will put hand to rope on board this galley again.” - -‘With that the witch rose slowly to her feet. ‘Look you, Torquil -Randa,’ quoth she, ‘whoso in this galley disobeys my orders, the -elements, which are at my beck and bidding, shall overwhelm him.’ - -‘But Torquil stood erect, nothing daunted. “I know your powers, -mother,” he answered; “but as well be sunk in the sea as wander for -ever upon its surface, homeless and friendless. You heard what I have -spoken; I will not live longer away from kindred and home.” - -‘And so saying, the bold mutineer left the cabin. Tronda followed -him on deck, muttering her Lapland rhymes, and waving her arms aloft -in the air. As she did so, great banks of black clouds began to -rise from out the ocean, and the sea-birds flew round the masts of -the galley, screaming with affright. There was a dead calm in the -air, and it grew so hot that the mariners gasped for breath. The -bright tropic day, shipmates, seemed to be changing into night, and -the clouds got lower and lower until they appeared to rest upon the -topmasts of the galley. All this time the witch was kneeling upon the -poop, chanting her accursed rhymes, and Torquil was standing alone -beside the mainmast, for his comrades were terrified, and slunk away -from him as from a man under a curse. - -‘Suddenly the witch stopped, and shaded back from her eyes her long -flowing hair, gazing intently at the sky. In the next moment, a flash -of lightning—so bright that every one on board the galley, except the -sorceress, was dazzled and blinded by the glare—tore out of the dark -heavens; struck the main topmast of the galley; and with a crash, -like that of all the artillery in the world fired off in one salvo, -passed gleaming down the wood, shaking the ship as though she had -been lifted a hundred feet, and then allowed to fall splash into -the sea. The explosion was followed by a thick sulphurous smoke, -which seemed to come steaming up out of the inmost recesses of the -galley, and while the crew, blinded and almost choking in the yellow -sulphurous fume, were groping about the deck, they heard the loud -screaming laughter of the witch, followed by the croak of the ravens -from the cabin. - -‘At length the smoke or mist gradually cleared away, and as it did -so, and the men recovered their eyesight, they saw Tronda standing as -usual on the poop, with her old aspect of haughty command. Her first -words, comrades, were— - -‘“Fling that carrion into the sea, and take warning by the fate of -Torquil Randa how you dispute the will of such as I.” - -‘So the sailors advanced, all trembling, to the foot of the mainmast, -where lay the body of the man of whom the witch spoke. He had been -struck by the lightning, comrades, but there was neither scaith nor -scar upon his flesh, only on the forehead a small round blue spot. So -the mariners lifted up the body, and while it was yet warm plunged it -over the side. It sunk feet first, and as the head disappeared, the -crew thought that the dead face frowned. - -‘That night Tronda sat alone in her cabin, beneath the bronze lamp, -as she had done when her victim entered. The crystal lay upon the -table as before. All at once, the flame of the lamp flashed high up, -and then sank down into the bronze, so that the cabin was almost in -darkness, and the two ravens fluttered and croaked. Tronda lifted up -her head, and her livid face became as the face of a statue carved -out of blue and grey marble, for before her, standing as he had -already done that day, was the form of Torquil Randa, with the blue -spot upon his forehead where the lightning had struck it. - -‘There was silence for the space of a minute, and then the form of -Torquil spoke. - -‘“I am sent from the dead,” it said, “to give you a last warning.” - -‘“Return to those who sent you,” answered the witch; “I take no -warnings.” - -‘“I am bid to tell you,” said the spirit, “that the measure of your -iniquities is nearly full.” - -‘The witch of Lapland rose erect, and stood confronting the -apparition. - -‘“I have no fear of aught, either dead or living, spirit or flesh,” -she replied. “Get you gone, or I will call up the spectres of the -winds, who will chase you to the uttermost ends of the earth.” - -‘The figure of Torquil Randa gave a sad smile, and stretching forth -its hand, touched the magic crystal, which immediately crumbled into -black dust. “The powers which are given to me,” said the spirit, “are -greater than yours.” - -‘Tronda’s frame shivered as she saw this, but she lost no whit of -countenance, and looked her terrible visitant steadily in the face. - -‘“There will be given you one last opportunity,” the apparition said. -“Will you repent?” - -‘“No!” said the witch of Lapland. - -‘The figure of Torquil Randa grew less and less distinct, and as -it disappeared, the flame of the lamp brightened up again, and the -ravens, which had nestled at Tronda’s feet, flew back to their -perches on her chair. - -‘The next day, the galley meanwhile lying not far from Cape Tiberoon, -in Hispaniola, there came on board, in a small canoe, a Spanish girl, -who seemed, shipmates, to have hardly life in her to climb up the -low side of the galley. This girl was of a beauty rarely seen upon -the earth, but those who looked upon the bright red spot in her white -cheek, and the sickly flash of her black floating eyes, knew that -there was hardly a month’s life flickering in her bosom; so she went -slowly into the cabin, and fell upon her knees before the witch. - -‘“Mother,” she said, “I am dying fast, as you can see. I have -a lover, my betrothed. He is coming across the ocean to bid me -farewell. Oh, that I might live to see him! I have little gold, but -for what I have, grant him a fair breeze, that his ship may come to -land before I die, and that I may give up my spirit in his arms.” - -‘So saying, the Spanish girl held forth a piece of gold the size of -a walnut. Tronda had opened her mouth to speak, when a third woman -entered the cabin. She was a tall and haughty dame, and as she -observed the dying girl, a smile like that of a fiend passed over -her face. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes glanced with the fire of -deadly spite. The younger girl started back at her aspect, and then -sunk all trembling and sobbing upon the floor. - -‘Then the elder spoke thus— - -‘“I hate that woman. She is my rival. She has won from me the man -I love. I would prevent their meeting. She is poor, but I am rich. -This, for a wind which will keep back his ship, until she be no more.” - -‘With that, shipmates, the woman laid upon the table a lump of virgin -ore, as big as a cocoa-nut. The other girl said nothing, but still -held out her smaller offering. Tronda stood between them musing. -At last, she took the large lump, and dropped it into the great -chestfull at her feet. - -‘“You shall have a baffling wind,” she said to the jealous rival. The -poor girl, who was dying, rose feebly, and passed out weeping; the -crew let her down with careful hands into her canoe. - -‘But at the moment when Tronda had made her decision, the sudden moan -of a hollow sounding wind passed through the air, and the galley -rocked and laboured, as though an invisible hand had smote her. The -witch remained long musing in the cabin, until, hearing the dash -of oars, she rose and went on deck. The galley was deserted, the -whole crew, embarked in the boats, were pulling fast for the land, -while the horizon was again clouded as it had been when the witch -drew lightning from the heavens. Tronda mounted upon the poop, and -stretched forth her arms, to curse the faithless crew, when her eye -suddenly fell upon Torquil, standing as he had stood, beneath the -mainmast, when the levin bolt struck him. Then she forbore, and -remained with drooping head, gazing into the sea below. But what was -remarkable, was, that when the whole crew of the galley left her at -once, instead of rising, she sunk still deeper in the water; and as -a heavy swell began to lift and heave around, the ship rolled and -pitched with a strange sickly motion. - -‘Then came another portent. Tronda still stood upon the poop, when -she started to hear a sudden pattering of feet, and a squeaking and -scratching all around her. Immediately there poured forth from every -hatchway a whole legion of rats—young ones and old—brown and grey—all -of them making for the side of the vessel, and then plunging with a -loud shrill squeaking into the sea, which was speedily dotted with -their little heads, all swimming merrily to land. When the last had -leaped overboard, the figure of Torquil Randa glided softly aft and -confronted the witch. - -‘“Rats,” quoth the figure, “leave a sinking ship.” And, as he spoke, -the galley appeared to float in the water more heavily and deeply -than ever, while the swells rose in great rocking billows, and the -moan of a coming wind hurtled over the sea. Still Tronda confronted -the apparition with a lip which never quivered, and an eye which -never blinked. - -“My ancestors,” said she, “were champions and heroes; one of -them—Eric Westra—descended into the tomb of Sigismund, the sea king, -and bore from thence the bronze sepulchral lamp which burns beneath, -although it was guarded by monsters and potent spells. What art thou, -then, that one in whose veins runs the blood of such a hero, should -tremble and quake before thee?” - -‘But the apparition said— - -‘“I come from a power which is mightier than that of Odin and of -Thor, and I am commissioned to pronounce to thee the doom thou shalt -undergo as a punishment for thy wicked sorceries, even until the end -of time.” - -‘At that there rose a mighty wind, and the galley started away before -it. In vain Tronda bade the elements to cease their strife—in vain -she knelt upon the poop, and, with her drenched hair all streaming in -the tempest, sung her magic rhymes and screamed out her most potent -charms. The winds blew, and the clouds lowered, and the waves rose, -unheedful of her spells, and so at last she started up from the deck, -and cried in a lamentable voice— - -‘“Alas! alas! my power is gone from me, and the elements obey me no -more!” - -‘At these words there was a flutter and a croak, and the ravens, -flying from the cabin, soared up into the tempest-tossed air, -wheeling round and round the rocking masts of the labouring ship. - -‘“And you too,” said Tronda, looking up at them, “leave me!” - -‘The sentence, comrades, was no sooner spoken than the foul birds -darted off, each his separate way, and were speedily lost in the -darkness. Then the storm burst out with all its fury. Had it been a -bark manned by mortals, the galley would not have lived an hour in -that sea; but enchantment kept it afloat until it had finished its -destined course. For some space the Lapland witch and the figure of -Torquil Randa were the only forms visible in the ship. But as the -night fell, and the darkness grew intense, pale flashes of lightning -showed troops of phantoms upon the deck, who worked the ropes and -sails as mariners in a gale. These shapes, comrades, were the spirits -of the seamen whom Tronda by her incantations had drowned. But still -the witch stood erect and fearless through all this tumult of horror, -lifting up her unabashed forehead to the gale, and flashing all -around her wild grey eyes. The figure of Torquil stayed ever by her -side. - -‘At length, comrades, in the thick of the roaring tornado, with all -the gibbering ghosts dimly seen flitting on the deck amid the flying -spray and foam, there was shouted from the prows, in a voice which -boomed like the tones of a church bell, “Land.” - -‘At this the spectre of the Norse mariner turned to Tronda, and said— - -‘“Now hear your doom. From this time forth you will haunt the cape on -which we are driving; and there you will have power over the winds -which blow. Your evil nature, which is as a mighty devil within you, -will ever impel you to retard rather than to advance the course of -mariners; but yet, for every moment of time a ship is hindered on her -course, will you pass a year of torment, such as it is not in the -breast of man to conceive. And this shall last even to the day when -the sea shall give up its dead.” - -‘In a moment after, mates, the galley was crushed into splinters, and -not a vestige of her, or of her precious cargo of pearls, and jewels, -and gold, were ever seen by man. But Tronda, the evil spirit of Cape -Morant, still haunts that desolate beach and these stormy breakers, -and sometimes in wild mid-watches, the mariner has caught a glimpse -of her pale face and stony eyes, and floating locks, driving through -the scud of the storm, with her arms tossed above her head, as though -she were still singing the chaunt which raised wind and waves. I -never spoke, comrades, with those who saw her; but I have heard tell -of a sailor of Sir Francis Drake, who being, in a night of storm, -clinging to the end of the bowsprit furling a split sail, beheld the -ancient face of the hag, with her grey, fishy eyes, looking into his -own, and who came near letting go hold of the spar in his fright, -and tumbling into the boiling sea below. But he managed to make his -way, all pale and shaking, on board the ship, where he told what he -had witnessed; and certain old men of the crew said it was a most -evil omen, and that either the ship would be lost, or he who saw -the appearance would be drowned. Now, word being passed through the -ship of what had happened, it came to the ears of the stout-hearted -admiral himself; and presently Sir Francis appeared out of the main -cabin. - -‘“What is this I hear, men,” says he, “that one of you has been -frightened by a demon?” - -‘“It was the devil, Sir Francis!” said the sailor, by name James -Gilbert. - -‘“And what if it were?” quoth the admiral. “He is but a coward. If he -shows his face to you again, pluck the grisly fiend by the beard. The -devil fears all who do not fear him.” - -‘But for all these bold words of the admiral, the old sailors were -right. Before the ship had made Porto Bello, whither she was bound, -Gilbert was flung from the lee foretop-sail yard-arm into the sea. -After the first plunge, he never came to the surface, and the old -sailors knew that what had happened was in consequence of his having -seen the demon who haunts Point Morant.’ - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -WHAT HAPPENS ABOARD THE ‘SAUCY SUSAN’—AND THE ENDING OF HER AND HER -CREW. - - -Three days after we boarded the ‘Saucy Susan’ I was the look-out man -during a dark mid-watch. The wind was fresh, the sea high, and we -were plunging rapidly along; the sails straining and surging, and -the masts and rigging cracking with the pressure. I was standing on -the heel of the bowsprit, with my arm round the forestay to balance -myself, and occasionally ducking and stooping as I best could to -avoid the cold showers of brine which our sharp bows tore up, when -some one pulled my doublet, and, looking round, I saw Rumbold. - -‘Is there any one about?’ quoth he; ‘I want to speak to you -privately.’ But the breeze, although it blew strong, was steady, and -the watch lay dozing under the lee of the long-boat between the masts. - -‘My mind misgives me,’ says Rumbold, presently, ‘that they have a -design on me. That fellow Nixon watches every motion as a cat does a -mouse. I know that Jerry, Le Chiffon Rouge, and he, are aware that -I have pearls about me, and I go in constant dread. Did you see the -three rogues to-day, how long and how earnestly they talked, and what -sly glances they, every one of them, threw at me? It was ticklish -work living among the Spaniards at the Rio de la Hacha, but I warrant -you I feel never a bit more comfortable among my countrymen here.’ - -I inquired where Jerry, the Captain, and Nixon were? - -Rumbold replied, that they were all three drinking in the great -cabin, and that being pretty far gone, he had been able to slip out -to seek me. - -‘Now,’ quoth he, ‘I don’t intend that these rascals shall have my -pearls, if I can keep them—and what is more, I don’t intend that they -shall have them, even although I may not be able to keep them—they -shall go into the sea, which they came out of, first.’ - -I said, that surely the fellows would not murder him for his wealth. - -‘Well,’ he answered, ‘they would not murder, if they could steal -without it—but if they can’t, I do not suppose that a throat or so -cut, would make much difference.’ - -Upon this I replied, heartily shaking Rumbold’s hand at the same -time,— - -‘You helped me, at my time of need, among the Spaniards. Perhaps, I -can help you now—will you entrust the pearls to me?’ - -‘My good fellow,’ says Rumbold, with great eagerness, ‘that is -precisely the favour I came to ask of you.’ - -And with that, he fumbled in his bosom, and presently drew out a -sort of flat pouch, made of thin but tough leather, with straps -which buckled round the body. We both looked eagerly to see that -we were not observed, but not a soul could be seen stirring upon -deck. A lantern, swinging from the weather-foreshrouds, cast a dusky -gleam around upon the dripping bulwarks, and the wet and slippery -planks—but we were alone. - -‘Hush!’ says he, softly. ‘The pearls are in this pouch—there is a -good thousand pounds worth—strap the belt tightly round you, under -your clothes, the first time you have an opportunity. If you deliver -it up to me safely at Jamaica, a third of the profits shall be -yours—if anything happens to me, I make you my legatee—keep pouch and -pearls, and make the best of them.’ - -He had hardly made the transfer, when a shadow glided darkly between -us and the lantern. We both rushed aft as far as the foremast, and -pried eagerly about, but not a creature was to be seen. - -‘Bah!’ said Rumbold, ‘it was only the light, swinging with the -ship as she rolls.’ But my own belief was that some one had glided -across the deck, and mounted the weather-forerigging. I had not -time, however, to communicate my thoughts to Rumbold, when we heard -loud voices, and saw a glimmering of lights aft, and immediately -Jerry came forwards, walking not very steadily, although he had good -sea-legs, and clinging to the rigging, when the ship made a wilder -lurch than ordinary. - -‘Farewell—take care!’ exclaimed Rumbold. ‘I must not be seen here.’ - -So saying, he slid over to leeward, and crept aft, under the black -shadow of the sails. Meantime, Jerry approached, and taking the -lantern from the forerigging, grasped my shoulder, and asked me—in -a thick voice and with a hiccup—whether all was well? I replied -in the affirmative: upon which he steadied himself on the deck as -well as he could, and began to hum over a song to himself—sometimes -stopping to put the same question to me, half a dozen times over, -after the manner of a drunken man—when, all at once, the ship giving -a violent lee-lurch, he was pitched bodily against the bulwarks, -and at the same moment a heavy marline spike fell with a crash from -the rigging, tearing up white splinters in the deck. Had it not been -for that lucky lurch, that sharp and ponderous iron would have cleft -the mate’s head. All this happened in a moment, but the weapon had -hardly struck the deck, when Jerry bounded to his legs, and with a -tremendous oath, that there was treachery somewhere, called to me to -go aloft in the weather-rigging, while he took the lee. The danger he -had escaped seemed to have sobered the mate at once. I sprung into -the tightened shrouds, half bewildered at the thing, while Jerry -screamed to me, from the opposite rigging, to look sharp and take -care of a knife-thrust, for he was certain it was that villainous -Portuguese dog who had flung the marline spike. - -Up we both went into the rocking rigging. We climbed over the rail of -the foretop at the same moment, and I saw that Jerry held the barrel -of a small pistol between his teeth. - -‘The murthering rogue!’ he cried. ‘But he has made his last -cast—either he or I go down on that deck a dead man!’ - -We both looked up to the heel of the top-gallant mast. The white -canvas was tugging and straining upon the bending yard, and the loose -lee-rigging was rattling against the mast and sail. - -‘There he is—there’s the thief!’ Jerry roared, and we both sprang -into the topmast rigging. Holding on by the top-gallant yard, I -discerned a black figure, like a shadow, against the light-coloured -canvas. All at once I saw its arm move, something bright gleamed -through the air, and Jerry shouted— - -‘Devil confound him—he has sent his knife into my shoulder,’ and -immediately stopped, grasping the shrouds as though he feared to -fall. Knowing now that the Portuguese had no knife, I sprang rapidly -up the shrouds to grapple with him. Just then, a faint watery glimpse -of moonlight fell upon the ship, throwing a great shadow upon the -broad sails on the mainmast, and I saw above me, crouched upon the -yard, the form of Vasco—his grim face gazing at me, and his hands -clenched, as though he was determined to sell his life as dearly as -he could. The next moment, we had grappled together—neither of us -spoke—but the Portuguese attempted to seize my throat with his teeth; -I caught him however by his hair, and wrenched his head backwards, -while I sought to gripe his right wrist and so overpower him. But the -creature, although he had no strength to cope with me, was as lithe -and slippery as an eel, and suddenly striking me a blow between the -eyes, which made abundance of lights dance before them—I felt in a -moment his cold long fingers twining round my throat, and closing -upon my windpipe. In the instinctive struggle for breath, I let go -hold of his hair, and at the same instant, a sudden and tremendous -swing through the air, as the ship rolled violently below, made me -clutch the ropes about me, or I should have been flung off into the -sea, like a stone from a sling. At that moment the grasp upon my -throat relaxed,—and with a litheness and agility, which were like -the qualities of a monkey and a snake united in one creature—the -Portuguese slid, as it were, from me, upon the main-royal stay, -crawling and worming himself along towards the other mast. But Jerry, -who had by this time recovered the first faintness from his cut, -kept his eye steadily upon the rogue, for I calling out that he was -escaping to the mainmast, the mate replied—‘Ay, ay, I see him:’ and, -then, steadily taking aim, the explosion of the pistol re-echoed -loudly, from sail to sail, and the Portuguese suddenly dropping his -legs from the stay, hung to it by his hands only. - -‘Stand from under,’ shouted Jerry, ‘and allow the villain to drop -clear. He has stabbed me as he did Shambling Ned.’ - -Vasco uttered no sound, but he raised his legs again, seeking by a -mighty effort to recover his position upon the rope. His feet had, -indeed, touched it, when the muscles relaxed again, and he hung as -before by his hands, swinging dreadfully with the motion of the -ship. All this time, Jerry was clutching the forerigging, not having -moved since the knife of the Portuguese struck him. The watch upon -deck having been aroused by Jerry’s cries, and the report of the -pistol, were running to-and-fro with lanterns, and some of them were -ascending the rigging towards us, when Jerry roared out again— - -‘Stop—stop, every mother’s son of you, where you are till the fellow -falls, and then stand by to pitch him overboard.’ - -The Portuguese heard this, for he turned round his head to Jerry, and -I saw his white teeth, as the wretch grinned in his agony. The mate -answered this look with a loud laugh. - -‘Some of you there below,’ he cried, ‘go into the great cabin, bring -up a flagon of wine—and we’ll drink to the murthering dog’s speedy -arrival in hell.’ - -The Portuguese now let go hold of the rope with his right hand—and -then, as if to reserve his strength, hung for awhile with the left. I -did not think that the man would have had such endurance in him, but -he was of a light weight, and the muscles of his arms were strong. - -All this time he never uttered a sound. Jerry, too, held his peace, -and the crew below waited in silence, with their lanterns glimmering -on deck. There was something very solemn in all this—the struggling -and tossing ship—the rigid figures of the seamen—the silence, except -for the wind and waves, and the writhing creature waving in the air. - -At length, he uttered one loud shrill cry of mortal agony, which -echoed again and again between the sails, and immediately afterwards -dropped like a stone. I heard the heavy thump with which he crashed -down upon the deck. Descending as quickly as I could, I found that -Jerry, in spite of his wound, which was, however, only a flesh cut, -was standing over the Portuguese, who lay all doubled up where he -fell. - -‘Up with the hound, and over the side with him to the sharks!’ said -Jerry, in a low stern voice. Immediately the poor wretch was plucked -from the deck, and four sturdy fellows bore him to the bulwarks. He -gave no sign of life; but just as they heaved him up for the fatal -swing, the lanterns being all gleaming around, I saw him, his eyes -still shut, make the sign of the cross upon his forehead. He was, -therefore, still alive. - -‘One!’ cried Jerry. - -The four executioners, who seemed to like the job well, gave the -wretch a swing. - -‘Two, three!’ thundered the mate, and at the last word, Vasco of -Lisbon was hove a fathom from the ship’s side, into the boiling sea. -As he plunged down into the brine, every one heard for a moment, -and no more, such a cry as he uttered just before he fell from the -rigging. Then his voice was choked for ever. - -I could hardly deny but that the Portuguese merited his fate; but -the flinging overboard of a living man, without form of trial or -condemnation, seemed a hasty and cruel deed. Nevertheless, none of -the crew, except myself, appeared to be of that opinion, and most of -them said openly, that it was a very good riddance, and that whether -he had attempted the life of the mate or not, he was better in the -sea than the ship. As for Jerry, he had his wound, which was, as -I have said, a flesh cut on the shoulder, rubbed with brandy, and -seemed to think no more about the matter. - -When my watch was up, I went below in no merry mood; and, presently, -found an opportunity, while lying in my hammock, which swung among -near twoscore of similar sleeping places, to dispose of the pearls -as Rumbold had recommended. The grey light of the morning was coming -down the hatchway, and I had not yet slept, for the end of the -wretched Portuguese was still in my head, when there was suddenly a -great thumping over head on deck, and an outcry for all hands to turn -out and go to quarters. It is curious to observe, at this summons the -sudden rousing of all the sleepers in the ship—how in a moment, grim -heads start out of the warm blankets, and a whole legion of stalwart -naked legs come down together, from a score of swinging hammocks -upon the deck. But a sailor is soon dressed; and, accordingly, two -minutes had not gone by since I lay in my hammock, when I was at my -post, staring over the weather bow, at a small sloop, built very low, -and which seemed to sail very quickly, which was running along with -us, leaning over before the breeze, so that we could see almost the -whole of her decks, upon which about half-a-dozen of sailors were -running with sleepy scared looks, while the steersman was calling -out and gesticulating violently. Looking forth upon the sea, I saw -that a mist, almost as thick as that in which we had stumbled upon -the ‘Saucy Susan,’ was just lifting from the water, and driving -in vapoury volumes before the wind. It appeared that the mist had -partially dispersed just before all hands were roused up, and that -the look-out had directly spied the sloop, close to windward of us. -If there had been less wind and sea, our small friend would very -speedily have shown us his stern, for the sharp bows, and rounded -sides of the vessel were evidently formed for quick sailing; but the -heavy tumbling ridges of sea hove him so to leeward, that he had no -chance with a more powerful ship. Meantime, Le Chiffon Rouge mounting -into the weather-mizen rigging, trumpet in hand, hailed to the sloop -to surrender; and Jerry, in a breath, roared out to know if the guns -forward were all ready. - -‘She is a barco longo—a Spanish express boat, comrades,’ he shouted; -‘and we must overhaul her despatches before we part company.’ - -Still the captain of the sloop made no sign, standing very staunchly -by the steersman, and conning his ship. Once he motioned to the -latter to put the helm down, as if he intended suddenly to luff, and -go round on the other tack; but changing his mind, he glanced at our -sails, and continued his course. Le Chiffon Rouge again hailed the -sloop to surrender, but still without effect, and I observed that in -a temporary lull of the breeze she was beginning to draw away from -the ship. Then the bull-like voice of Jerry thundered out along the -deck—‘The first gun ready there—send your cold iron aboard of him!’ - -Josiah Ward was the captain of the cannon by which I was stationed. -His old dim eyes flashed up at the notion of a fray; and so, -stooping over the gun and sheltering the priming from the wind with -his trembling hand, he glanced warily along the mass of iron as it -pointed now up to the zenith, now down to the billows, according to -the motion of the ship, and at length suddenly dashed the burning -end of a rope, which served for a fusee, into the powder in the pan, -which flashed up, while the hollow iron belched forth its flame, -and started back with the explosion, the carriage cracking, and the -tackles rattling through the blocks, until the discharged cannon lay -near the centre of the deck, its grimed mouth yet hot and smoking. -The discharge was a lucky one. The ball tore a hole in the mainsail -of the sloop, and just then a gust flying heavily over the sea, the -canvas was rent from top to bottom with a loud harsh shriek, and blew -fluttering in rags out of the bolt-rope. - -‘Back the main topsail,’ cried Jerry. ‘The run is taken out of him.’ - -But just as the yard swung round, the captain of the sloop made -but one leap down into his cabin, the sky-light of which was open, -and directly re-appeared, carrying in his hand a small metal box -or casket. He had not taken a step upon the deck, when I heard the -report of a carabine from our ship, and the Spaniard leaped three -feet into the air, and fell in a heap upon the deck, above his burden. - -‘That is the despatch box,’ quoth old Ward. ‘He meant to fling it -into the sea, but Tommy Nixon was too sharp for him.’ - -Just then Le Chiffon Rouge hailed in good Spanish that if any one of -the crew of the sloop dared to meddle with the box, he would hang -every one of them up to the peak of their own vessel. At that the -Spanish sailors hastily retired in a body to the bows of the sloop, -and our stern boat being manned, was lowered dexterously into the -sea, a man standing at bow and stern to unhook the tackles as she -touched the water. Nixon had the command of the boat, and pulled -right aboard the sloop, the crew offering no resistance. The first -thing he did when he got on deck was to wrench the despatch box from -the grasp of the Spanish captain, who had been shot through the body, -and was dying fast. The poor fellow lay in his blood upon the deck, -coughing from time to time, and sputtering the thick gore from his -mouth. Meantime, Nixon had two of the Spanish sailors brought aft to -him, and after examining them, by means of one of his boat’s crew, -who spoke a little bad Spanish, he hailed that the despatch box was -all safe, and contained advices from St. Juan, in Porto Rico, to -Truxillo, under Cape Honduras, and that he would presently search -the cabin for further information. Meantime another boat had been -got into the water, and I was ordered to form one of the crew. Jerry -himself was in the stern-sheets, and presently we all leaped on board -the Spaniard. The first thing the mate asked for was the despatch -box. It was a very stout casket of lead and iron, but by means of a -heavy hammer and a marline-spike, which he brought with him, Jerry -very soon wrenched open the lid, and we, who were crowding about -him, soon saw a good packet of letters, and despatches of different -lengths, tied for the most part carefully with silk, and bearing huge -seals with manifold devices. - -Jerry straightway sat him down upon the deck, and while the rest -looked anxiously on, began with great coolness to peruse the -documents one by one. They seemed to be but of little interest, for -as he read, his brows darkened, and he crumpled up letter after -letter, and flung them overboard, where they were soon floating, like -so many white birds between the sloop and the ship. At length he -opened a paper, sealed with black and red wax, which he had no sooner -seen than he started up, crying, ‘Ha, this will do, even though there -be no other!’ And then stuffing the letters he had not read back into -the box, which he gave me to carry, he asked, in a sudden fierce -tone, of one of the captured Spaniards, whether there was an axe in -the ship? The man shrunk back from the question. - -‘Why, you fool,’ continued the mate, in broken Spanish, ‘I am not -going to chop off thy head with it; but I tell thee what, if the axe -be not forthcoming speedily, I may find means of making thee a head -shorter without it.’ - -So the weapon was duly produced. - -‘Now, Benjamin Mackett,’ says Jerry, addressing one of the first -boat’s crew, ‘I heard you boast the other night how speedily you -could fell a tree in Virginia. Take the axe, and prove thy words on -the mast of this sloop.’ - -At this the Spaniards, who guessed by the gestures which passed what -was to be done, set up very dismal lamentations, and began to conjure -us, by all the saints, to leave them the means of getting to land. - -‘You may get to land,’ replied Jerry, ‘very well under a jury-mast, -but I intend that you shall be some time about it, or we shall have a -score of pestilent armadilloes out swarming about our ears.’ - -In the meantime Mackett, who was a sturdy fellow as might be, -first applied the axe to the standing rigging, and in a very short -space the shrouds and stays, cut away from their fastenings at the -bulwarks, collapsed, as it were, round the mast, which, being thus -deprived of its supports, began to sway and work with the rolling of -the ship, creaking and cracking in its step. Then Mackett, flinging -aside his doublet, laid the broad bright axe to the wood with good -will. The white chips glanced about the deck, and in a few moments a -gash was cut so deeply into the mast that I expected to see it snap -short at every roll. - -Now,’ says Mackett, stopping in his work, ‘which side of the sloop -shall I send the mast over?’ - -‘Over any side, with a murrain to thee, so thou makest haste,’ -answered Jerry. - -Mackett watched the roll of the seas narrowly, and just as the -sloop lurched heavily, as a great ridge of water heaved up under -her keel, he struck the finishing blow with such good will that the -axe sunk a couple of inches into the wood, and with a crack like a -musket-shot, the mast, with all its appurtenances of rigging and -fluttering canvas, fell crashing into the sea, smashing to dust the -light bulwarks of the sloop, and causing it to careen heavily over as -the jagged and splintered end of the timber continued to rub and rasp -against the side of the vessel, impelled by the heaving of the swell. - -‘And now, Spaniards,’ said Jerry, ‘you may get to Truxillo as -speedily as you like, and give our compliments to the good folks -there.’ - -With that we all got into our boats again; most of the crew jeering -at and flouting the disconsolate looks of the Spaniards, as they -stood like men bewildered upon the deck of their crippled ship. -Before I went over the side, however, I raised the head of the -Spanish captain; the man was quite dead, and becoming stiff and cold -already. - -Our oars fell into the water, and the boats were speedily hoisted up -to the davits of the ‘Saucy Susan.’ Then Jerry, going aft, touched -his hat to Le Chiffon Rouge very ceremoniously, and presented him -with the casket of despatches and the particular letter which he had -read, the ship all this time lying to, but gradually drifting to -leeward of the ‘Barco Longo,’ which now exposed but little surface to -the wind. After a pretty long communion between these two worthies, -Le Chiffon Rouge ordered the boatswain to call all hands, and -presently the whole crew were grouped round the mainmast. Then the -captain, taking off his hat, began to make one of his usual speeches, -a part of his duty, in fact, which he appeared fond of, being of a -long-winded nature, and given to using fine words on such occasions. -The main points of what he now said were as follows:— - -The ‘Saucy Susan,’ as they all knew, was bound on a cruise to the -Mosquito and Honduras coast, but, happily, they were their own -masters, and could change their cruising ground as often as they -thought fit. Well, here were certain despatches newly captured from -the ‘Barco Longo,’ and as one of them related to a rich Spanish -ship which was shortly expected in these seas, the captain proposed -that it be read aloud in English, for the benefit of Messieurs the -adventurers, that, upon knowing the contents of the paper, they might -determine as they thought fit. - -The crew received this oration with signs of great satisfaction, -and one or two cried out, ‘Ay, ay, translate the Don’s patter, and -then we will consider.’ Upon this, Le Chiffon Rouge made a sign to -Rumbold, who came forward, and placed the important letter in the -pearl merchant’s hands. Rumbold looked at the manuscript, which was -written in a fair hand, and then read out very fluently as follows;— - - ‘From my House at Ferrol. - Upon such a date. - - ‘Good and trusty Manual— - - ‘You having been absent at the mines in Darien, when, in sadness - and sorrow, I returned to the main land in the long-boat of the - great galleon, reft of all the treasures which the ship carried, - by the hands of plundering heretics, who, for our sins, the saints - permit to infest the Indian seas, I was not able personally to let - you know the particulars of our misfortune, and indeed I had but - small time and less heart to write the story. You are aware that in - a few days after reaching Porto Bello, to which place we scudded - before the wind, which was boisterous, I found a quick ship sailing - unto Spain, and having taken passage in her, we were so favoured - as to avoid all pirates, flibustiers, and buccaneers, and sail - very prosperously across the Atlantic hither. But as touching the - Carthagena galleon, that was indeed a heavy loss, and I have made - it my petition to the king that he will cause representations to be - sent to their majesties of England and France touching the conduct - and bearing of their subjects in our Indian seas. The manner of our - capture was very sudden. Two days sail from Carthagena, we beating - to windward, a sail was descried an hour before sunset, but which - vanished before the dusk closed, so that little or nothing more was - thought of the matter. As is my wont, I retired early to rest, the - worthy captain of the galleon assuring me that all was well, and a - very good look-out kept from all parts of the ship. But truly, our - look-out must have been maintained with but sleepy eyes, for as I - was dozing, just after having heard midnight chime from the clock - in the great cabin, and looking half asleep half awake at the lamp - as it swung to and fro, and made strange glimmerings and shadows - upon the tapestries, I suddenly heard a tremendous outcry, and the - running of feet upon the deck above, and then, Manual, a volley of - musketry, and one of those savage ‘hurrahs’ which are the war-cry - of the English, followed almost on the instant by a shock which - made the great galleon tremble and surge from side to side. At that - moment there came flying down the cabin-stairs our friend Collado, - of the Hermitage Plantation, his face like unto grey ashes, and - exclaiming that we were ruined and undone, for that while the watch - on deck slumbered, being incited thereto by the calmness of the - weather, a pirate schooner had suddenly laid the galleon on board, - and that our good captain had fallen in the very volley I had just - heard discharged. - - ‘But even while he was speaking the uproar on deck was renewed. - I heard the grating and rasping as the sides of the two vessels - encountered when they rolled, and the fierce outcries and clash - of steel, and frequent pistol and carbine shots fired while the - pirates were clambering up our lofty sides and leaping upon - the deck. They were devils, Manual. No man could resist them. - They yelled and fought, and seemed to despise their lives; and - accordingly, in a moment, and ere I could even put on my garments, - in came the spoilers, rushing down the cabin stairs; a tall and - strong old man, naked to the waist, and with a handkerchief twisted - round his grey hair, leading them on, sword and pistol in hand. - Thus were we constrained to surrender. - - ‘Nevertheless, Manual, I must do our spoilers this justice: they - sought not to harm our persons, and were even (in their way) - courteous to us their prisoners. This I say specially of the - leader, who was of lofty and somewhat dignified aspect, and whom - they called “Captain Jem,” and sometimes “Stout Jem.”’ - -Here Rumbold made a pause, as if to cough, and glanced slily at me. -Oh, how my heart leaped as I listened. Honest, noble Captain Jem! -No prisoners but what would have mercy and courtesy at thy hands! -Rumbold continued— - -‘This old man presently desired to speak with me privately, and, -quoth he, “There was one of our crew captured by Spaniards at -Carthagena; tell me truly, is he dead or alive?” At this I bethought -me that there had been, indeed, an English prisoner examined at the -alcaide’s; for that strange man, Don José, had informed me of the -fact, and also that the Englishman behaved very boldly when put to -his trial; and this I told to the pirate captain, adding, that I -understood that he had made his escape into the woods, and, although -he had been seen in the streets of Carthagena at night, and hotly -pursued, yet that he had given all his followers the slip, and got -clear off, whither none knew. At this the old man wrung my hand in a -strange fashion, and whispering me, “I loved that young man as though -I were his parent,” added, “We make war upon you Spaniards, but we -are no thieves; therefore let each man of you take his clothes and -his private stock of money, and descend speedily into the boats. The -ship and cargo we claim, but not the private goods of passengers and -crew.” - -‘I give thee all these particulars, good Manual, because thou art -deeply interested in all which befalls me, and so thou wilt not find -them tedious. And so, presently, with sorrowful hearts we descended -into our boats, and saw the galleon and the schooner trim their -course for Jamaica. So far touching our disaster; now to another -matter.’ - -‘And the matter which concerns us most, shipmates,’ said Jerry. ‘Go -on, Mr. Rumbold.’ - -I give the latter part of the letter with all its details although -the information involved in it came at last to nothing. Nevertheless, -I think it right to recount at length the document which caused us -to change our plans, and indirectly led to the loss of the ship. The -letter then ran somewhat as follows.— - -‘And now, good Manual, our friend and correspondent, Juan Gramada, -of this town, designing speedily to send forth a goodly ship, bound -to Truxillo, and laden with wines, cloths, laces, and divers sorts -of goods proper for the Indian markets, I have advised him that he -should cause her to pause in her course at a certain barren cluster -of islets to windward of the Dutch possession of Curaçoa, and -considerably to the east of the usual cruising places of the pirates, -who, as I learn, do not often sail to windward of the Gulf of -Venezuela. These islets are called _Isles des Aves_, or Bird Islets. -I have landed upon them; they are not inhabited, save by countless -flocks of sea birds, and they are full of good harbours and creeks, -where a ship may commodiously ride at anchor. My advice, then, to -Juan Gramada, and he hath taken it, was to let his ship pause at -these islands, her captain having been there once before; and that, -in the mean time, you getting this letter, as I hope you will, about -a week or a fortnight after the ship sails from Spain, do dispatch an -agent in whom you can put trust in a good piragua, or small sailing -sloop, to the Isles des Aves, bearing intelligence as to whether -the seas westward be pretty clear, so as to make the run across the -Gulf of Darien as safe as possible. In case of your agent bringing -unfavourable or doubtful tidings, then the captain of Gramada’s ship -has instructions to direct the course of the vessel to any other port -in New Spain, or to the Havannah, as you may think fit, where the -wares can be disposed of to advantage.’ - -These were the chief points of the letter, the remainder being -devoted to private matters not of interest to any of us. But I -started again when I heard the name of the writer pronounced. It was -Pedro Davosa. - -When Rumbold had ceased reading, Jerry took up the word. ‘Now, -comrades,’ quoth he, ‘you have heard the news. What say ye, shall -we continue our course to the south-west, or is there enough in -that letter to make us haul our wind, and beat up for the Isles des -Aves? I tell you that a cargo such as the writer mentioneth is worth -looking for, and it may be that we shall in the mean time light upon -prey as valuable running down from the islands as we should have met -upon the coast of the main.’ - -Upon this, Josiah Ward, being one of the oldest men on board, gave as -his opinion that we ought to steer eastward for the Isles des Aves, -keeping not far from the mouth of the Gulf of Venezuela, a bay which -many Spanish ships were wont to enter and depart from. This seemed -to settle the matter. The main-topsail was filled, and the direction -of the ship altered from south-west to south-east, and then, with a -hearty cheer as an opening to our new cruise, we moved away, leaving -the Barco Longo, with her overthrown mast, sadly drifting on the sea. - -For three days we made good progress on our new course, descrying -occasionally small sails, but none we thought it worth while to -pursue. In the meantime Jerry was pleased to take much notice of -me, and often sounded me as to my relations to Rumbold. I deemed -it right, however, to give him but evasive replies. At length he -entreated me one evening to come and crush a bottle in the great -cabin, where he and certain others of the choicest spirits on board, -as he said, intended to drink success to the new venture of the Isles -des Aves. I was in no great humour for such festivities as I knew -prevailed on board the ‘Saucy Susan,’ but of course I could not but -signify my acquiescence. So, soon after it was dark that night, and -having seen that the watch on deck were sober, and that everything -appeared to be going on well, I repaired to the great cabin, where I -found the company assembled, and already pretty jovial. - -The cabin in question was but a filthy hole, close and stinking, -with the beams so low that none could stand upright in it, and the -furniture all broken and hacked in the drunken orgies which often -took place there. There were arms and coils of rope, and broken -boxes, and casks half full of provisions and liquors stowed away in -corners amongst dirty bedding, and heaps of sea clothes flung upon -them, all wet as their owners had descended from the deck. Upon the -present occasion the usual rank smell of bilge was overpowered by the -fumes of tobacco, which all the company smoked, some of them seated -at a table covered with mugs and glasses, the others where they best -could, on casks, and boxes, and hammocks, or lying on the floor, upon -which, for the convenience of those who had no better place, were -scattered lanterns, that they might see their liquor and light their -pipes the more readily. When I entered all the company were singing -lustily a chorus to a tune called ‘Ye Buccaneers of England,’ and -having at length finished the ditty, I made my way as well as I could -to Rumbold, and managed to get a seat beside him. The conversation -then went on, Jerry’s loud voice and sturdy oaths bearing conspicuous -parts in it. - -‘Doctor,’ quoth Le Chiffon Rouge to the surgeon, a lanky young -man, more than half fuddled, but who was discoursing learnedly to -his neighbour about the practice of phlebotomy as recommended by -Galen—‘is it good for Shambling Ned, who came by the cut from Vasco’s -knife, to drink raw rum.’ - -‘Shambling Ned,’ quoth the doctor, gravely, ‘hath a skull so thick, -that neither steel nor spirits can very easily reach the brain, and -therefore—’ - -‘Whoso says I have a thick skull,’ retorted the patient, starting up, -to the great surprise of the doctor, who had imagined him not there, -‘lies in his teeth, and as a testimony to what I say, I fling this -into them—’ - -With these words he dashed a pannikin of raw spirits right into the -doctor’s face, who started up, gasping and sneezing, and vowing -vengeance, but was straightway pulled down into his place again by -those about him, who comforted him by saying that brandy was not to -be quarrelled with in whatever way a man came by it. Just then the -highwayman, who had given me the account of his detection in Newgate, -and who was seated upon a high tub, over which he dangled his legs as -gracefully as he could, broke in as follows:— - -‘Why, stap my vitals! here be a parcel of cullies to call themselves -gentlemen, forsooth, and brawl in their cups, like so many mumpers of -Lincoln’s Inn. Take an example by me, bullies, who am the very flower -of courtesy, having been noted therefor on every heath round London. -For shame, gentlemen, for shame!’ - -‘Ho! ho! ho!’ laughed the doctor; ‘here be a footpad teaching us -politeness, and the rules of the most courtlike society.’ - -‘Footpad in your teeth, Master Doctor,’ cried the highwayman. ‘I -scorn the word. A rider, sir; a rider by moonlight, for the benefit -of my health and my pocket.’ - -‘I tell you, Harris,’ Jerry here broke in, his roaring voice bearing -down all before it—‘I tell you, Harris, he lied to you. Curse me! I -know the roadstead well. I ought to, for I groped in there in as dark -a night as ever lowered on this side of hell, and boarded a Spanish -bark that was at anchor, and made all the fellows leap into the sea -in their shirts. A rare sight, I promise you; like geese flying into -a mill-pond. Those who could swim got ashore, and those who couldn’t -were drowned; so that in some sort they were all provided for—ha! ha! -ha! send the brandy this way. Care killed a cat!’ - -‘And so you made the dons jump into the salt water in their night -gear?’ cried an old man, with a villanous looking face above a grey -beard, and whose name was Cole. ‘It was prettily devised; but not -such good sport as I have seen in the plantations. Od rot it, man! -that be the place for your true sportsman. Why, I mind me, about a -dozen years since, when there comes a cargo of cheat-the-gallows -birds from over the water in a ship of old Lumper’s, he that hath the -wharves by Rotherhithe, and behold you, some dozen of stout fellows -being drinking on board, and getting the latest news of the bona -robas down by Finsbury Pavement from old mother Black-i’-the-face, -who came over then for shoplifting in the Poultry,—says Silas Blood, -him who was killed in the Tortugas by Francy Doubledee, says he: -“How’s the scurvy aboard this time, captain?” “Scurvy!” quoth the -captain; “bad enough, I warrant thee. Here has been some dozen rogues -put aboard, just after the gaol fever—and measly salt pork down among -the bilge water there, plays the devil with them. Scurvy, say you? -they are more like lepers than anything else.” “By God! then,” says -Silas—he was ever a joking man, “they ought to be washed clean. Let’s -duck the lepers from the yard-arm.” “Well, captain, you know, the -rogues were not worth a sixpence to anybody; not a planter would buy -such scabby dogs. So we had them up on deck, and it was the rarest -sport, man, the rarest, since eggs brought forth chickens, to see the -ragamuffins all screeching and yelling when they were triced up to -the tackling and doused alongside, them being just all in a fever, -as you may say, out of the hot blankets. We got the bona robas out -of the fore hatch to see the game, and didn’t they shriek out for -laughing, as the scurvy dogs went lick down into the sea!” - -At the conclusion of this delectable tale, the old villain burst -out a laughing, rubbing his hands, which were shaking as though -with palsy, and chuckling with his toothless gums. It was relief to -turn from him to the highwayman, who was recounting stories of his -exploits. - -‘“—But, good Mr. Robber, says she,” so was he continuing, as I caught -his voice; ‘“but good Mr. Robber,” and she put her pretty face out -of the coach window, taking from it a dainty vizard all fringed -with lace of silk and gold, “leave me just one of the lockets, and -I promise thee that when thou comest to be hanged I will send thee -so gay a nosegay that all the pretty women from Holborn Hill to the -Oxford Road shall cry,” “Ay, I warrant you, he hath that from his -sweetheart!” And so I, shipmates, being the pink of gentlemen riders, -could not but assent with a low bow, saying, “Madam, here be two -miniatures, one set in gold, very massive and rich, and the other -only in very ordinary stuff; I will, out of my admiration for you, -leave you which you may decide on;” and with that I handed her the -twain. I wish, comrades, you could have seen her holding a portrait -of an old gentleman and a young gentleman in each hand: “Here be my -husband,” quoth she, “very richly set and preciously adorned; and -here be my lover, with no gold at all around him. Master Highwayman, -affection is dearer than gold; I give thee my husband, and I keep my -lover.”’ - -The highwayman’s story was even more applauded than old Cole’s -reminiscence of the plantations, and then drinking went on very hard, -Jerry, in particular, tossing off bumper after bumper of raw brandy, -and laughing and shouting verses of loose songs, so that he might -have been heard a league off. All the thorough brute in the man’s -nature was now becoming apparent. Most of the others were bad enough -in their liquor, telling such tales as I have given specimens of, but -Jerry swilled down his draughts of fiery spirits, and, as a dog which -hath so far derogated from his natural instincts as to get drunk -might do, merely roared and yelled, and caught at the men who sat -near him by the doublets, cuffing and shaking them, and shrieking out -that that was what he loved, and that they would all be drunk! drunk! -drunk! together! Of those who kept themselves soberest, I remarked -Tommy Nixon, who, I noticed also, gradually edging his way round to -Rumbold, who sat almost silent, his acute mind and far-extending -knowledge disdaining to clothe his thoughts in words, and cast them -before such swine. - -‘Master Rumbold,’ said the worthy Nixon, ‘do you love oysters?’ - -At that question I saw very well what the man was driving at, and -watched him narrowly—‘Because,’ he went on, ‘men say there are -delicious ones on the banks of the Rio de la Hacha! Perhaps you dived -and picked up a few during your recent voyagings in that half-decked -piragua, from the dangers of which we were so kind as to rescue thee.’ - -‘Truly,’ replied Rumbold, ‘if by oysters you mean pearls—’ - -‘Hush! speak lower,’ said Nixon; ‘thou art a sensible fellow, and -being a gentleman, knowest that thy passage on board the “Saucy -Susan” must be paid. As for me, I am not greedy, as all the world can -testify!’ and here he dropped his voice to a whisper. ‘None but the -captain, Jerry, and I, know aught. Let me make thy terms; it will be -the better for us all.’ - -‘Why, Tommy Nixon,’ said Rumbold, ‘I marvel that a man of thy -discretion should go forth with a handful of salt to put upon the -tail of an old sparrow like myself. Why, the pearls are all gone in -the piragua, and I trust that by this time my agent in Jamaica hath -them under very advantageous lock and key.’ - -Rumbold said this with such perfect coolness, and with so frank -an air of simple candour, that I hastily passed my hand inside my -doublet to feel if the leathern pouch were really there, or if I had -dreamed the whole matter. No, there was the precious burden, pressed -against my bosom. I looked warily at Nixon; he seemed disturbed and -vexed. - -‘’Twere better not trifle, Harry Rumbold,’ he made reply; ‘come, give -me a ransom, and I shall let you off the rest. I can twirl Jerry -round my thumb; he is only a strong animal and a good sailor, and -as for Chiffon Rouge, he is captain but for our own reasons. Pay me -a ransom, old Harry, and all shall go well with thee; come, only a -small handful of the seed pearls. Thou hast got them cheap, thou old -thief, thou knowest thou hast—come.’ - -‘I tell you,’ answered Rumbold, ‘I have not a pearl in my possession. -Search me an’ you like. You are too clever, Tommy Nixon, and you -cheated yourself when you took me aboard. Search me, man, and be -satisfied.’ - -Nixon and Rumbold looked stedfastly into each other’s eyes for the -space of a minute. The former, at length, muttered, as slowly as if -the words were dragged from him by some other force than that of his -own will, ‘That thou hast not a pearl in thy possession—that, Harry -Rumbold, will be seen!’ - -But just at this moment, a burst of discordant singing, led on by -the bellowing voice of Jerry, drowned in a moment all the clatter of -conversation, and the jingling and clashing of pannikin and glass. -What were the words or what was the air of the song, it would be -difficult to say, seeing that every man sang according to his own -peculiar liking; but Jerry’s voice rose above all, hallooing this -elegant stanza of a ditty common among certain of the Buccaneers— - - ‘Haul, cheerily, jades of Jamaica, - And trulls of Tortugas also, - The wenches have hold of the tow-rope, - And across the salt sea we do go— - Across the salt sea we do go, boys, - To the Sues and the Prues on the shore, - Where he hath no wife may find one, - And he who hath one may have more.’ - -‘Excellent, upon my reputation!’ shouted the highwayman; ‘Sedley -could not have made better, nor Tom D’Urfey either. Well did I know -both.’ - -‘Sedley! Tom D’Urfey!—who be they?’ roared the drunken mate. ‘That -song was made of a rare merry night, carousing in a burnt house -of Maracaibo, when the place was taken under stout l’Olonnais and -Michael le Basque. Here, more brandy; fill up, comrades. On your -feet—your feet! He who standeth not, saving only he be dead drunk, -will I cut down with my hanger. On your feet, I say, and do reason -to a pledge. Here’s to our next carouse on the Isles des Aves—on the -wines that come from Ferrol in old Spain. Huzza!’ - -And the sots upon the floor, staggering to their feet, waved -lanterns and flagons, and shouted and yelled with drunken voices—‘To -our next carouse in the Isles des Aves.’ - -‘Drink—drink, all of you—the liquor is free; it costs nothing,’ Jerry -continued, staggering as he rose from his seat; ‘drink, I say, or -I’ll cram an empty bottle down the gullet of every man that’s sober.’ -And, with a drunken hiccup, he seized a lantern, and, waving it round -his head, flung it to the other end of the cabin. - -The revellers shouted a furious chorus of applause. - -Meantime, the watch on deck, hearing the tumult, began to flock -below, when their comrades seized them, and, with maudlin caresses, -held up to them cups of drink, which they, nothing loath, swallowed -greedily down. All discipline seemed over and gone, for not a soul -was left upon the deck to tend the sails, to conn, or to steer. - -‘Comrades,’ cried Jerry, articulating with difficulty, ‘I -propose—that until the morning—the ‘Saucy Susan’—be left—(hiccup)—to -take care of—herself!’ - -Another loud chorus of approbation welcomed this proposition, the -shouting and laughter being followed by the usual outburst of -discordant singing and swearing. - -‘Here be what I like,’ vociferated the old sinner, Cole—‘here be -true merriment! Keep it up. Pitch him who shirks overboard after the -Portuguese.’ - -‘Even so,’ says the highwayman; ‘first to go down to the bottom of -the sea, and then to go down ever so far below that. The first part -of the journey cold and wet, egad, but the ending of it hot and dry -enough.’ - -‘Here’s a stave, bullies, here’s a stave that they sing in Bridewell -when the jades beat the hemp that hangs their fancy men. Give it -mouth, bullies—give it mouth!’ And here the miscreant, who had -boasted to me of having broken every gaol in England, sang, with a -mellow voice, for he was not yet quite drunk, having but just come -from the deck— - - ‘Up with your hammers, Bessy and Madge— - Up with your hammer, Sue; - Plait their cravats for Joe, Tom, and Jack— - Cravats they’ll grin grimly through! - Never hang head, girls, and never look glum, - Though they strap for it, all the three, - There’s stout fellows plenty are left in the world, - In spite of old Tyburn tree!’ - -I would the reader could see the great cabin with all the drunkards -in it, as now it appeared. Some sat in sodden solemnity muttering -to themselves; some rolled, cursing and fighting, on the floor; -others disputed and drank, trying, as it were, to outscream their -adversaries. The watch on deck, who had but newly come down, said -not much, but drank off great goblets of spirits, as if it were a -race who should be intoxicated first; and so, in good sooth, in a -very short space of time, the new comers were as madly drunk as -the original revellers. But in all the insanity of the excitement, -Jerry kept the lead. His face was all flushed and distorted with the -liquor, and he champed foam and saliva from his mouth— - -‘Here,’ he roared, ‘a health—to the—good fellows—who cry stand and -deliver—to the Dons. Bumpers, and no heel-taps! Huzza! up yees out!’ - -And following his example, all the rest drained their glasses, and -flung them in a volley over their shoulders. - -‘More honour—to that toast,’ hiccuped out the brutal man; and, -suddenly drawing two pistols from his belt, he fired them right and -left into the air. - -‘Huzza!’ shouted the others—‘huzza!’ and in a minute knives were -flashing, and, amid shouts and yells, the cabin rung to some half -dozen of pistol shots fired in imitation of the leader of the -debauch, in the midst of which a wild screech rose from the darkest -corner of the cabin, and Josiah Ward staggered out, his face all -blood, and fell at full length on the floor. - -‘Ho! ho!’ shouted Jerry, with an insane roar of laughter; ‘a bullet -found its billet. Caulk the shot-hole with the stopper of a brandy -flask; it will be better in a man’s flesh than in a bottle to-night.’ - -A scream of laughter answered this proposal, and some half-dozen of -the company getting up, either to aid or mock the wounded man, fell -in a heap, shouting and swearing above him. - -‘Nixon—Tommy Nixon—you don’t drink—Nixon—you thief—you are sober,’ -yelled Jerry. ‘There’s mischief in it—comrades! mischief! But here, -we’ll alter all that—bring hither that tub.’ - -The tub of which he spoke was an empty bucket, which rolled upon the -floor. It was immediately plucked up, and trundled along the table to -where he stood staggering at the head of it. - -‘Now fetch me them brandy-bottles,’ cries the mate. - -‘Go easy, go easy,’ says Nixon. - -‘Easy,’ retorted Jerry, in his passion; ‘thou art but a cur, Tommy -Nixon, to shirk the bottle in that fashion; but thy throat shall -scald for it—there.’ - -And at the last word the drunken villain caught up a flask of brandy -by the neck, and smashed it into the bucket. ‘There, and there, and -there,’ he shouted, dashing in bottle after bottle. ‘And now, Nixon, -since you wont drink brandy raw, you shall drink it burning, my son.’ - -In a moment, and before any one could interfere, the savage caught up -a candle, burning on the table before him, and flung it all alight -into the raw spirits. - -Rumbold and I uttered a cry of horror as the brandy flashed up in -a blue flickering blaze to the very ceiling of the cabin, but the -besotted company only shouted and cheered. - -‘Come, Tommy Nixon,’ roared the mate, ‘dip thy beak into that -snapdragon—come.’ - -And so saying, he grasped the man with both his brawny fists. - -‘Let go, let go your hold, you idiot!’ cried Nixon, ‘you will have -the ship on fire.’ - -‘And what’s that to me!’ shouted the infuriated man. ‘An’ you will -not drink, by God I shall souse thy head in the burning liquor.’ - -At these words they grappled, and yelling and cursing, they fought -for a minute or two, staggering backwards and forwards, when the -brute force of Jerry prevailing, he dragged Nixon up to the blaze, -and dashed him head first into the flame, falling himself on the top -of the struggling wretch, and upsetting the tub, which instantly sent -a flood of liquid fire surging all over the cabin. - -Oh, then, the oaths, the yells, the frantic strugglings, which filled -that hell upon the waters! Dozens of bottles had been already broken -or spilt, and their contents, surging about, had thoroughly drenched -the clothes of the wallowing brutes, who lay sprawling upon the -floor. The cabin was, in a moment, one blaze of flame, in which men -with their clothes and hair a-fire, and their faces livid and ghastly -in the glare, leaped and staggered, and sought to clamber on barrels -and casks, blaspheming, and screaming, and scuffling madly with each -other. - -‘Up, up!’ shouted Rumbold, ‘up for dear life!’ All that I have -described took place almost in the time that one sees a flash of -lightning. In a moment, without knowing how I had done it, I was upon -the deck, with my clothes and hair singed, but otherwise unscathed. -As I drew in the first blessed breath of the fresh cool night, a loud -explosion shook the deck under our feet, and we heard the tinkling -crash of the cabin windows as the glass was blown out of them. - -‘There went a powder flask!’ cried Rumbold; and then, as if the word -appalled him, he staggered back from me, crying— - -‘The magazine—the magazine—it is just beneath the floor of the cabin!’ - -What I did for the next moment I hardly know. It is only a vision, of -rushing to the davits where a quarter boat hung—of the rope flying -hot through my hand—of Rumbold searching frantically for oars on the -deck, while a blue flame streamed up through the sky-light and cabin -stairs, and the shrieks of the burning men mingled in the roar of the -fierce fire! - -But in that vision, I had one awful glimpse down into the cabin. May -I be enabled to forget what I saw! The masses of fat meat, the dry -bedding, the clothes scattered on the floor, masses of them being -drenched with spirits, were all flaming together, while the drunkards -rolled, roaring and scuffling, on the table and the floor, their -flesh actually scorching from the bones! I say no more on’t. Would I -could think no more on’t. - -Over the side went we with a single leap down into the surging boat. -‘Off, off—push off!’ And as the pinnace glanced away from the ship, -tongues of flame curled and roared out of the cabin windows all round -the stern. ‘Pull for life!’ We stretched to the oars like madmen, and -the boat flew over the water. The mizen-sail, which was as dry as -dust, for there was no dew, caught fire from the blaze, roaring up -from the sky-light, and in a minute, the scorching element ran all -aloft, blazing along the ropes, licking up the broad sails, making -the strong canvas tinder, and lighting up for miles and miles the -lone midnight sea! There! A bright sheet of red fire shot forth, as -if a volcano had burst out under the ocean, the glare showing us for -an instant, and no more, a vision of huge beams, and rent masses of -timber, flying out and upwards; and then—just as we heard the sound -of the explosion, not a loud sharp crack, but a smothered roar, which -made all the air shake palpably around us—down with a stately swoop, -fell the flaming mizen-mast into the sea! - -We sat in speechless horror—unable to move our oars. Then all the -fire, low and aloft, disappeared with a loud hiss, and a great white -cloud of steam rose boiling from the wreck, loud sounds of cracking -and rending timber coming forth from the vapour, mingled with the -gurgling rush of water pouring into and sucking down the shattered -ship. After this, the white smoke rose and floated like a canopy, -all above our heads, and we gazed and gazed, but saw nothing on the -midnight sea. - -‘They are gone—it is all over,’ said Rumbold. ‘Lord, have mercy on -their sinful souls.’ - -To this I solemnly responded, with my heart as with my tongue, ‘Amen! -amen!’ - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -THE FOODLESS BOAT AND THE ISLAND. - - -We sat, for a few moments after the catastrophe, in silence. Then -quoth I, ‘Let us pull back, there can be no danger now, and try -whether there be any floating wreck with any poor wretch clinging to -it.’ - -So we were soon, as nearly as we could judge, floating upon the exact -spot where the ‘Saucy Susan’ foundered. It was Rumbold’s opinion, -that the powder below the cabin had been so stowed, that the force -of the explosion when it took fire was downwards and laterally, -rather than upwards—and that the sides of the afterpart of the ship -had been actually driven asunder. In such case, of course, the sea -would pour like a whirlpool into her, and she would have gone down, -as had actually been the case, as though she were a lump of lead. -The mizen-mast, with a heap of scorched and blackened wreck floating -about, was the sole memorial left of the ‘Saucy Susan;’ the mast in -question having no doubt been broken by the force of the explosion, -and so saved from going to the bottom with the ship. We rowed for -hours and hours round the spot, returning often to the mast, as it -lay all blackened and scorched, weltering in the sea, but no other -piece of wreck could we see. Not a box, or cask, or spar, but seemed -to have gone right down into the awful depths of the ocean. There -was something curiously dreamlike in our situation. My mind seemed -wavering and flickering as I thought of what had happened. Sometimes -it would appear as though the debauch had taken place years and -years ago, so that I remembered it quite faintly. In another moment -I would deem that the orgy was roaring around me still. Then I would -see the livid faces and fiery hair of the drunkards so plainly that I -pressed my aching eyes with my hands to shut out the vision; and anon -I would deem that it must be all a nightmare, and that I was still -keeping the dreary mid watch upon the deck of the ‘Saucy Susan.’ But, -no; when under the pressure of such a thought, I started up, my feet -would slip on the uneven planks in the boat’s bottom, and I would -start to hear the plunges of the mizen-mast as it rolled and wallowed -beside us in the sea. - -And so the grey dawn came, and after it the sun, and we stood upon -the seats of the boat, and gazed anxiously all round. The ocean was -landless and shipless. The fresh morning breeze came merrily down, -curling the black summit of the swells and flecking the sombre sea -with white bars. The daylight, however, was a great relief, and we -sat and talked of the terrible event of the night before, like two -men telling each other sad dreams. - -‘We could have done nothing to save them,’ said Rumbold; ‘nothing. -Every man was mad drunk, except Nixon, and Jerry had him clutched -as though he were squeezed in an iron vice. They both went down, I -warrant you, grappling each other. Their bones are lying in the wreck -now, with their arms round each other’s necks, hundreds of fathoms -under the boat’s keel.’ - -I asked him what he thought of Nixon’s refusal to drink, which had -been the real cause of the mate’s mad freak and its consequences, and -Rumbold’s thoughts jumped with mine, when he said, that he nothing -doubted that Nixon had determined, if he could, to fell him, and rob -him of the pearls in the drunken riot. As he spoke this, I produced -the shining morsels from the pouch. Rumbold looked sadly at them. - -‘For these gauds,’ he said, ‘two poor ignorant Indians have very -probably been sacrificed, and now a whole ship’s company have gone -to the bottom of the sea. True, they were villains almost every -man, but the more need was there that they should not be hurried to -their last account with all their unrepented sins crimson on their -foreheads.’ - -After some more talk in this strain, we roused ourselves, and began -to converse of our own situation, which was bad enough, not having a -strip of canvas in the boat to make a sail, and what was much worse, -being without a morsel of water or food. By the best calculation -I could make, we were near the centre of the Caribbean Sea, about -half-way between Jamaica and Curaçoa. The regular trade-wind, blowing -nearly from the north-east, might drift us, if we went before it, -aided by the gulf stream, to somewhere about Cape Gracias à Dios, the -great headland, west of which the main-land trends away to form the -Bay of Honduras. Rumbold agreed with me as to our probable situation, -and we computed the nearest point at which we could hope to make -land, if we did not succeed in stumbling upon some of the small bushy -islands or keys which lie sprinkled nor-east of Cape Gracias—we -computed, I say, the nearest land that we could make without sails to -be about six hundred miles distant. - -‘Well,’ said Rumbold, ‘we must try to get there, that is all; so let -us set to work.’ - -Accordingly, in about two hours, we succeeded in setting, upon one of -the oars, a sort of tattered sail only adapted for going before the -wind, and patched out of our shirts, by tying the sleeves together. -Then pointing the boat’s head about west-south-west, as near as we -could judge by the sun, we set forth upon our almost hopeless voyage, -rowing at the same time to help the boat on, and going about four -knots an hour. - -‘Four knots an hour,’ said Rumbold, ‘and six hundred miles to be -sailed over; that gives one hundred and fifty hours or thereby, if -the wind keeps as fair as now, and we row night and day. Now, one -hundred and fifty hours make rather more than six days; add two days -more—that is a reasonable allowance for resting and times of calm—in -all eight days. Can a man live eight days without food, and, in this -climate, without water?’ - -‘No,’ says I, tossing aside my oar, and clapping—I confess it—my -hands to my face; ‘no, we are fools to try it. Better to jump -overboard at once among the sharks.’ - -‘Take up your oar, sir,’ says Rumbold, sternly; ‘God helps those -who help themselves. Work, sir, work. There are many chances before -us. Perhaps an English ship—at the worst, a Spanish ship; perhaps -an island with rain-water in the crevices of the rocks, and turtle -sleeping on the sandy beaches, and plenty of birds and eggs.’ - -The very words put new life into me, and we tugged away for a time -as cheerily as, under our circumstances, might be. The wind blew -so fresh that we feared it would blow our frail sail right before -it. The following seas hove us, as it were, from one to the other, -and we made better progress than we hoped for. But the heat of the -sun, as the day wore on, was terrible, and we began to thirst. At -night, by Rumbold’s advice, we washed our mouths with salt water, and -afterwards, finding a pebble or two lying in the bottom of the boat, -we sucked them to promote the flow of saliva, and keep our tongues -cool. We tugged at the oars, but very faintly, until late in the -night, and then we fell asleep over them. - -The second day was the same as the first—cloudless and hot. We -stripped, dipped our clothes in the sea, and then put them on -dripping; as soon as the hot sun dried them we plunged the garments -into the sea again. It assuaged our thirst a little, but our lips -and tongues began to swell, and turn to a horrid blackness. In the -afternoon we were hungry for a short space, and directly afterwards -sick at stomach, particularly Rumbold, who at length slipped down -into the bottom of the boat, where he lay moaning. That night we -suffered intensely from the cold, and our skins being irritated by -the salt water, every motion was painful to us. - -The third day several sea-birds swam near us, regarding us curiously, -just as the marrot had done me when I lay drowning, as I thought, -upon the spars of the ‘Golden Grove,’ in the Bay of Biscay. The -breeze blew very strong this day, with a heavy sea. Towards noon I, -standing on the thafts, holding on by the oar, which was shipped for -a mast, descried a sail at a great distance, but, losing it after a -few moments, said nothing. Rumbold, who had been by far the stoutest -hearted of the twain at starting, grew weak rapidly; and, as his -strength left him, his spirits drooped. He was, indeed, an older man -than I was, and perhaps naturally not of such a strong constitution. -He only rowed a little this day, and towards nightfall sank into a -sort of delirious state, and raved. - -The fourth day I felt I was in a hot fever, and so weak I could -scarce crawl. Rowing was now out of the question, and Rumbold and I -lay staring at the sky, and at each other, in the stern sheets. We -had suffered very little from hunger, but the thirst was terrible. -The night before I had dreamed troubled visions of wells and cool -clear pools, and, starting up, I had much ado to refrain from -flinging myself in my agony into the sea. Towards the afternoon -Rumbold said, with a sad smile— - -‘Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, drank dissolved pearls. Pity we have not -the means to make the beverage here?’ - -By sundown he was raving again. - -The fifth day the morning breeze was long of coming, and we watched -it, with longing eyes, ruffling the water astern. Rumbold lay silent, -as if worn out; his eyes had a glassy, fixed look, and there were -black rings under them. As the forenoon wore on, he pointed to the -water around, and I saw the black fins of sharks moving along with -the boat. - -‘They know when death is coming,’ he said. - -The sixth day Rumbold was alive, and that was all. He took my hand in -both of his, and whispered hoarsely, ‘I have no wife—and no child—no -one who will grieve—that is a great comfort at a time like this.’ - -Presently black clouds arose out of the sea to windward, and began -to spread over the whole firmament. I pointed them out, and besought -Rumbold to take heart. ‘Rain is coming,’ I said, ‘we will live to -reach the land yet.’ He shook his head, and his eyes grew more -and more fixed and glazed. ‘I told you—I made you my—legatee,’ he -muttered, with great difficulty; ‘think sometimes of the Peralta who -helped you from the Spaniards, or of the Rumbold who died with you -in the boat at sea.’ All this time the black clouds became heavier, -but still no rain fell. The air was like an oven, and the rude linen -sail drooped motionless about the mast. I took Rumbold’s head on my -lap; he was past speaking, but he looked up from time to time in my -eyes. At length I felt his heart flutter, and presently the beating -stopped. No change whatever took place upon his face, except that it -assumed that thin pinched look to which men’s features shrink when -death lays its hand upon them. He was dead—probably for some time -before I was certain of it. When I knew that it was so, I laid the -corpse gently down in the stern sheets. In half an hour the windows -of Heaven were opened, and the rain poured down in bucketfuls. Oh, -those blessed, blessed drops! I knelt, and with my mouth agape -swallowed them. I wrung the dripping sail above my wet lips. I licked -the water as it trinkled in large drops down the mast. I lapped it -up as it accumulated in the little inequalities and hollows in the -thafts of the boat. I had soon drunk my fill. The rain gave me fresh -strength, fresh spirits, fresh soul. But as for Rumbold, the cool -sweet water pattered upon his rigid face—the blessed rain drenched -his hair, and great drops ran down his hollow cheeks—but it was of no -avail. The manna fell not soon enough, and there lay the corpse, with -its white wet face staring starkly up to the sky! - -Towards night the rain-clouds broke up, and the sun came slanting -in golden bursts down upon the leaden-coloured sea. The breeze also -began to blow again—the well-drenched sail caught the first faint -puffs of the wind, and we moved forward—the living and the dead, -upon our dreary path. It was very terrible, all that long night, -to sit alone beside the corpse. The moon rose in all her glory, and -the ocean gleamed like molten silver about me. The white sail showed -before me like a pale phantom, and at my side lay the stark dead man, -with his damp pallid skin glistening in the moonlight. A dozen times -I made up my mind to fling the corpse overboard, but I saw those -horrible triangular fins, how they glided all round the boat, and -my heart failed me. At length, I stripped off Rumbold’s doublet and -covered his face with the cloth. - -The blackness of night faded at length—then came the grey dawn and -the red bright sunrise—the seventh I had seen since the ‘Saucy -Susan’ went down. I must have been in a half torpid state, for I lay -listlessly, with my face turned to the east, waiting for the breeze -to blow, and the morning was already becoming hot, when looking -languidly to see if the sail was properly set, I bounded forwards -from the stern-sheets, as though all the strength they ever possessed -had suddenly come back to my muscles. - -Land! yes—land! right ahead—not a mile from me—rocks, with the surf -white upon them—sandy beaches glistening in the sun—knolls all green -and bushy, and slopes carpeted with Bahama grass. Here and there a -feathery palmetta tree rising from the underwood, and clouds of gulls -and plovers, ducks and flamingos, pelicans and man-of-war birds, -sporting or resting in the air, on the water, or the land. I was -close to, as near as I could judge, a group of islets, the principal -one being surrounded by many smaller,—some of them indeed mere -rocks,—but rocks as I saw teeming with food, and brimming, as I did -not doubt, in all their crevices, with fresh, sweet water, from last -night’s rain. - -My heart melted within me, and I sank into the bottom of the boat, -and wept, and prayed, and gave thanks. Meantime, the sea-breeze -coming on to blow fresh, drove the boat quickly before it, and I -had enough to do—steering with an oar to avoid the coral reefs, and -spits, and banks of sand, between which I was hurried—and over -which the sea went flashing in thunder. Several times the keel of -the boat grazed the bottom, and we were swung round and round in the -eddies and counter-currents—but still she bore me safely on, until we -approached a fair sandy beach, on which the surf broke high. I could -see no better landing-place, so let the boat drive, and tied myself, -as well as I could, for I was more dead than alive, to an oar, that -I might have a last chance of reaching the shore. In a minute or two -the boat was in the broken water,—she rode over two or three fierce -crests of tumbling seas very gallantly, but then a heavier breaker -than common curling up astern of us, fell, as it were, down upon -the boat, and I found myself faintly struggling in the white frothy -water, which foamed, and buzzed, and roared in my ears, and down -into which, at length, losing all sense and consciousness, I sank—a -drowning man. - -When I opened my eyes again, I knew not where I was, or what had -happened to me. I lay in a sort of half-waking torpid state, being -dimly conscious that I was stripped and in a bed, and that above -me was a roof of wattled branches, and that dark figures of naked -men—Indians as I deemed, were moving about me. Then I felt a cup put -to my mouth, and some warm liquid, which seemed to revive and comfort -me, and flow, as it were, through my poor wasted limbs, warming and -refreshing them, was poured down my throat, my head being raised by -some one behind me for the purpose. But all this might or might not -be. For all I knew, it was a dream of delirium. I was too weak to -speak, and even to think,—consciousness forsook me again, and I fell -into a deep dreamless sleep. - -I returned again to sense and life. I was in a bed, a hammock, -laid upon a cool mat. There was a roof of wattled branches above -me, and there were Indians, two very old men, with grey hair and -grey beards flowing down upon their swarthy breasts, sitting beside -me. Furthermore, I saw that I was in a hut or cottage, artfully -contrived in a recess or split of rock; that part of the walls -were formed of the natural living stone, and part of very neat and -artificial wattle-work, quite wind and weather tight. The door seemed -to open at the end of the passage, leading upwards from the chamber, -which nestled, as it were, down between the rocks; and through this -door, I saw bushes and long grass waving in the wind. The light in -the hut was somewhat dim and grey, but I could see around me great -numbers of fishing lines, and bows, and arrows; and, looking more -closely, I saw in little cupboards, or niches, wrought out of the -rock, stores of provisions, with drinking-cups made from cocoa-nuts -and great shells, and rude clay-pots for cooking. But all the -attention I could bestow was taken up upon my hosts. They were so -like each other, that I supposed they were brothers; the same lank -grey hair, the same brown or chestnut hue of the skin, the same -rather flat noses, the same black eyes, so full of cheerfulness and -kindness, and so completely the same expression of face, that I could -positively see no difference betwixt their features. In all respects, -save one, the ornaments they wore were also the same. Each had a sort -of fillet of different-coloured pebbles, through which a string had -been passed, placed round his head, and a similar adornment round -his neck. Each also wore thin plates of gold dangling from his ears, -but in the fillet of one of them was fastened a wing feather of the -toucan; this was the mark by which I distinguished one from the -other. Their dress was very simple. It consisted merely of a sort -of bead-embroidered petticoat, or kilt, tied round the waist, and -reaching nearly to the knee, and a sort of mantle of strange-looking -fabric, very soft and fleecy, which, when they sat down in the hut or -cave, they allowed to fall from their shoulders upon the floor. - -While I gazed at these Indians, they conversed softly in a language -which I had never heard, but which was very soft and melodious. At -length, seeing my eyes open, and fixed upon them, both rose, and -standing over me, he who wore the toucan’s feather said, gravely, -and in excellent Spanish— - -‘Be of good cheer, stranger, for you are among friends.’ I was too -weak to do aught but take their hands in mine, and try to press -them to my breast. Presently the drink I had before taken was again -administered to me, and one of the Indians going forth into the open -air, returned with a savoury morsel of broiled fish. - -‘Eat, stranger,’ he said, in most sonorous Spanish; ‘eat, and be -refreshed.’ - -Thus these kind Indians fed me by degrees, and caused me to sleep -with soothing and stilling draughts, I eating, drinking, and -slumbering by turns; but all in moderation, so that at length I -was enabled to sit up in the hammock, propped against a chest, and -to falter forth my thanks, and ask how long I had been lying in -that dreamy state? They told me, nigh three days. I asked, if they -had found me upon the beach. They replied, the two often speaking -together, in a low chanting tone of voice: ‘Yes, they had, flung -there by the waves, and near me a broken boat.’ I think my eyes must -have told them what I intended for the next question, because, before -I had spoken it, the Indian who wore the feather said— - -‘And also the body of a white man. We buried him beneath a palm-tree, -when the moon was in the heavens and the air still. He sleeps well.’ - -Then the other took up the word— - -‘Truly he sleeps well; but you have been preserved; for which thank -the God of many names and many nations.’ - -This was towards dusk. When it grew dark the Indians lighted a torch -of resinous wood, which burnt bright and clear, and sitting by it, -with their cloaks or blankets wrapped round them, smoked gravely from -long pipes made of reeds, and drank, but very moderately, the rich -juice of the palm-tree—I meantime regarding them attentively, for I -was still so weak that to speak was a painful effort. At last, after -a long silence, the Indian with the feather, turning to me, said, -solemnly— - -‘I am called Buonahari, and my fathers were caciques.’ - -The other then said— - -‘And I am called Behecheco. I am the brother of Buonahari, born but -an hour after him. He is still a cacique, because our fathers were -caciques, and he is the eldest of our race.’ - -The first Indian again interposed— - -‘Our fathers were caciques of Guanhani, where first white men came. -Now, there are none of our people there, and the island is called St. -Salvador.’ - -The second Indian resumed— - -‘When we die, the race of the caciques of Guanhani will be no more. -We are the last; but still my brother Buonahari is a cacique, because -the blood of our fathers is the blood of caciques.’ - -I here touched my head where Buonahari wore the feather. He seemed -to understand the mute question, for he replied: ‘The feather of the -toucan is the crown of a cacique. If I die first my brother Behecheco -will take it from my head and wear it; when he dies no one will take -it from his head; it will lie flat and rot, because the caciques of -Guanhani are no more.’ - -At this point I became too far exhausted to listen to more, and the -Indians bade me sleep again. When I wakened in the night they were -still sitting beside the torch, singing, in their melodious language, -a low, mournful chant, which presently sent me to the land of dreams -again. The very next day, however, after a famous breakfast of fish -and fowl, for now the Indians allowed me to eat as much as I would, -and that the reader may conceive was not little, I managed to crawl -out of the hut and sit in the shade of wavy bushes, stirred by the -cool sea breeze. The abode was contrived, as I have said, deep in -a ravine of rocks, half clothed with bushes and rustling grass, -which were disposed partly, as I thought, by nature, and partly by -art, so as artificially to hide the entrance to the cave—for it -was rather that than anything else—from any except a very curious -and a very keen investigator. But presently the Indians returning -from fishing, they having left me still in the hammock, they led -me slowly and tenderly out of the ravine, and forth upon an open, -breezy space, a sort of terrace, amid the cluster of rocks in which -was their dwelling, and from which I could look down upon the greater -part of the island, which seemed to be some four or five miles in -circumference, uneven and rocky, with abundance of bays and creeks on -the leeward side, formed by smaller islets and natural indentations -in the coast of the greater. It was curious to observe, the trade -wind blowing strong, the space of smooth glancing water left in the -lee of the island, and tapering away towards the south-west. On the -windward side, the sea broke high upon the rocks, and Behecheco -informed me, that in stormy weather the salt spray flew over and over -the island from beach to beach. Among the bushes and trees there -fluttered and coo’d countless flocks of pigeons and other small birds -of brilliant plumage; and down by the shore, the fowls which wade and -swim dotted all the grey rocks, and glancing shingle beds, and fair -beaches of hard dry sand. - -I sat long enjoying the prospect, the Indians being gravely squatted -beside me; then I asked if there were other inhabitants of the isle -except themselves? - -They replied, ‘No. None else.’ - -‘Did not privateers sometimes come there?’ - -‘Ships of white men of divers nations sometimes come,’ replied -Behecheco; ‘but then we mostly hide closely in the cave. The sailors -land, and seek for turtle, and perhaps pigeons. Then they go away -again, and we come forth.’ - -I then prayed them to tell me how long they had lived in that -solitude, and from what land they came? Buonahari replied a follows:— - -‘Nigh two-score of years have passed away since we landed upon this -island in a canoe. We fled here from Hispaniola, where we were slaves -to the Spaniards. It was when we were slaves that we learned the -tongue in which we now speak to you. Still we know that you are not -a Spaniard, for your skin is too white, and your eyes are blue. You -are, perhaps, then, one of those nations which come from across the -ocean, and make war on the Spaniards?’ - -Having assented to this conjecture, the Indian resumed thus:— - -‘We were slaves in Hispaniola, my brother Behecheco and I. We dug -in the mines for gold. Our father and mother were also slaves—they -also dug in the mines for gold. Their father and mother were likewise -slaves, and they likewise dug in the mines for gold. So it was with -our family for five descents. We were slaves in Hispaniola. But when -our father and mother died, I said to my brother, “We are strong. We -know the ways of the mountains. We have found in the woods the plant, -which, strewed upon the path of a flying man, causes the bloodhound -to lose the scent. Let us be no longer slaves—let us flee.” As I -said, so we did. We fled from the mines. The Spaniards pursued us, -but the blood-hounds lost the scent, and we came to the sea. There we -hollowed a tree into a great canoe, according as the traditions of -our fathers had taught us—and in this canoe we put to sea, drifting -before the wind. We had water, and meal, and cassava, and fruits, -and in half a moon we saw this island and landed on it. Here we have -continued to live, and here we will die.’ - -I was much interested in this account, for I conjectured that the -Indians were descendants of the race of original inhabitants of -the Leeward or Lucayas group, now called the Bahama Islands, which -the Spaniards had first discovered, and from which they had, about -fifteen years after the first voyage of Columbus, inveigled a great -number of the inhabitants to make them slaves in Cuba and Hispaniola. -This I say was my conjecture, and it was speedily verified. - -‘I have said,’ continued Behecheco, ‘that the blood in our veins is -the blood of ancient caciques—the caciques of Guanhani. Though we -were slaves, we had that blood still. Our father told us so. His -father told him. We speak the old language of Guanhani, for it was -taught us in our childhood. We worship the old gods of Guanhani, for -we were instructed so to do in our childhood, and we could recount to -you the beautiful things of Guanhani, the trees and the rocks, the -rivers and the shores, the hills and the streams, the birds and the -beasts, although we never saw them. Our father, who taught us, never -saw them. His father, who taught him, never saw them. But ever from -father to son, and mother to daughter, there flows the knowledge of -what our race was once, and what land it ruled over. Now, alas! that -knowledge is to perish, even as water sinks in dry sand.’ - -I thought, as the Indian spoke thus, that both the brothers -experienced some kind of satisfaction in recounting to another -the secret, which would otherwise die with them, and thus keeping -it a little longer floating in the world. Presently, after their -accustomed fashion of alternate speaking, Buonahari chimed in— - -‘Our forefather, who came from Guanhani and Hispaniola, was the -son of him who was cacique in Guanhani, when the white men landed -upon it, and said, “Here is a New World.” Five years after he began -to reign, there came many ships with white men. Our forefathers -thought that the white men were gods come down from the sun, and -they honoured them, and feared them. Then said the white men—“Would -you see again your fathers and your mothers, who have died and gone -to the happy valleys—to the land of Coyaba—to that land where are -cool shades and delicious fruits—where the drought burns not up the -ground—and the hurricane tears not up the trees? If you would go -thither, come into our ships and we will sail with you to Coyaba, and -we will also see your departed friends.” So our forefathers believed -the white men, and went into their ships, and the white men did not -take them to Coyaba, but to Hispaniola and to Cuba, and made them -slaves to dig for gold in the mountains. Most of our forefathers died -there, and gradually the nation wasted away—but our family did not -come to an end, but went on, generation after generation, until we -were begotten, and with us our family will die, and the last of the -race of Guanhani will be taken from the earth.’ - -Both the old men spoke as though they had already outlived all sorrow -for their lot. Their words and gestures were grave and solemn, but -not mournful, for their trust was, that when they died, they would at -length go to Coyaba, and see again all their forefathers, those who -had been slaves in Cuba and Hispaniola, and those who had borne rule -in Guanhani. - -In about a week’s time I was quite restored, and daily went a -hunting and a fishing with my Indian hosts. I had told them my -story, to which they listened eagerly, and I had assured them, that -if, perchance, there should come to the island a ship manned by my -countrymen, and which might carry me away, that I would reveal to -none the secret of their habitation, but leave them undisturbed in -their solitary abode. I made them lead me also to where Rumbold -lay buried beneath the palm. It was a breezy, sunny spot, and upon -the turf I piled a little heap, or cairn of stones, such as, in -Scotland, where they are found heaped on dreary moors, and among lone -hills, are said by the country-people to mark the grave of a hero. -Weeks glided away thus. The old Indians were always the same—grave, -courteous, and kind. They fished, and set snares for birds, when -they wanted them for food, but killed none wantonly. They ever went -together, and with the same slow, stately step. Their talk was -almost always of Coyaba, and the friends who had gone before them, -and who they would meet there. In short, their demeanour and their -speech were those of men whose minds were set upon the things of -the new world into which they were soon to enter. The space between -them and death was short, and their eyes seemed to be able to look -beyond it, and to care little for what was on this side of the dark -river. Notwithstanding, however, I drew from them many traditionary -accounts of their people before white men had visited them; and one -night, in particular, I asked whether there had been handed down any -remembrance of the first white men who landed upon Guanhani—they -being, indeed, no other than Columbus and his followers. To this -question, Buonahari readily answered, that he had often heard from -his father the full account of that event, as it had been handed -down, and that, if I pleased, he would narrate it. Then, filling his -cup with palm-wine, and trimming the torch, which cast a sparkling -glow upon the rock-walls and wattled roof of the hut—the descendant -of the caciques began the tale. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW WORLD. - - -The name of my forefather, who reigned in Guanhani when white men -first came there was the same as mine, Buonahari. He was a good -cacique, and the people loved him; he ruled the island, and none -disputed his sway. Then there was great plenty in the land; the earth -bore her fruits, and the people subsisted upon them. There were no -fish caught with hook, or spear, or net; and no birds with snare or -arrow. The people ate only what grew—the fruits of the ground and the -corn, and about the hut of each man was the field of maize which he -cultivated. Then were the gods worshipped piously—the gods who sent -the good things the people enjoyed. There were songs and dancing -through all the land. The people met in the evenings, and lighted -great fires upon the altars, and then the young men and the maidens -danced, and the old men and their wives looked on, and the Bohitos, -that is, the priests and the bards, sang songs in praise of the gods. - -One night there was a great feast of singing and dancing before the -hut where my forefather, the cacique, dwelt down by the sea. All the -people of the village were there, for the cacique and the chief of -the Bohitos had caused proclamation to be made that every man and -every woman should come forth from their huts to dance and sing and -praise Zemi, the greatest of the gods. - -Now, when the night was dark, and the songs of the people were loud, -the chief of the Bohitos came to my forefather, the cacique, and said— - -‘Why are not all the young men at the festival?’ - -And the cacique answered, ‘They are at the festival; they have come -from the woods and the sea to praise Zemi.’ - -But the chief of the Bohitos answered, ‘Not so—look! there is a light -upon the sea.’ - -Then my forefather caused search to be made, but all the canoes were -drawn up upon the beach above the surf. Still there was a light upon -the sea. And the chief Bohito said— - -‘It is Zemi, who looks at our festival from the sea.’ - -At these words all the people were glad, and redoubled their songs -and their praise. Presently a flash of lightning, and a loud roar -of thunder, came across the water, and the chief of the Bohitos and -the people were troubled, for they thought that Zemi was speaking in -anger. And the Bohito said to my forefather— - -‘Saw you ever thunder and lightning so close to the ocean?’ - -And my forefather answered, ‘Never.’ - -Then sad thoughts and ominous whispers began to spread among all the -crowd; and the dances ceased, and the songs of praise died away, and -the fire went out that was kindled on the altar of Zemi. Still the -light burned bright upon the sea; and presently two lights shone; and -after that three. - -‘There are three gods watching us,’ said my forefather; but the -Bohito answered never a word. None went to rest that night, but -tarried sadly on the beach waiting the day. The darkness paled away, -and the people saw three mighty shadows on the sea. The grey of the -dawn brightened into the day, and the people saw, as it were, three -great houses on the sea—houses which floated, and which spread mighty -wings to the wind, and glided to-and-fro. - -At this the chief of the Bohitos was troubled, and all the people -were afraid, and kneeled down upon the beach, and prayed to Zemi; -when, behold, the houses on the sea thundered and lightened as -though they were black clouds in the air, and a great smoke rose -up from them, and came with the wind down to the beach, and the -people smelt an odour new and strange to their nostrils. But the -prodigies were not over—great canoes came forth from the floating -houses and approached the beach, and, rising from them upon the air, -there swelled a mighty strain of music and figures, with faces all -white, bearing strange weapons, which flashed in the sun, and clad -in glorious garments, whereof none knew the name, stood in the big -canoes, waving their arms and shouting in great joy. - -But one of the canoes came first, and on the prow of it was a man -of a figure so goodly that he seemed a god. He stood up towering -like a giant. There was glory on his forehead—there was holiness on -his forehead. His eyes flashed like the eyes of the chief of the -Bohitos, when Zemi enters into him and fills him. He waved in the air -a glittering sword. He stretched forth his arms, and his big voice -spoke tremblingly, and as if he knew not what it said. - -Nearer and nearer came the canoes. Then the man, who was as a god, -waved his sword, and they paused, and he alone walked, with a -glorious port, through the surf, which flashed beneath him, up upon -the dry sand, and there he knelt down, and prayed and wept! - -But in a moment more all the white men who followed him plunged -into the water and struggled to the land. First they knelt, as the -foremost of them all had knelt, and each kissed the sand; then they -knelt round about the leader, and sought to get near him to kiss his -hand or his foot, while he stood erect among them like a palm-tree -above weeds! - -This is a description of the cacique of the white strangers. He was -past the middle age, but erect as a sapling, and sturdy as a tree. -He had a thin, hard face, with a long hooked nose, and a mighty -forehead, marked with deep lines like furrows. His hair was very -short, and quite grey. He had shaggy eyebrows, and under them eyes -which pierced, and of a grey or ash colour. He had a scanty beard, -which hung in a peak from his chin, with very few hairs on the upper -lip. He was not tall, but handsome and strong. On his head he wore -a hat looped with golden chains and crowned with feathers, and his -garments were all glittering and glorious, and in his right hand he -ever held the naked sword! When the white strangers knelt to him, and -when my forefathers saw the grandeur and majesty of his face, they -felt he was a god, and they knelt likewise—the chief of the Bohitos -and also the cacique. So the white cacique stood erect above them all. - -Then the white men placed in the sand an upright stick with a shorter -stick crossing it, and all baring their heads, sang a loud song very -solemn and slow, looking up to heaven, and making a cross with their -fingers on their foreheads and their breasts. - -Meantime the cacique and the chief of the Bohitos advanced with fear -and trembling, and prostrated themselves before the great white -cacique. But he raised them with kind looks and gentle-sounding -words, and put into their hands treasures—bright flat stones, in -which whoso looked saw his own face looking back at him—and hollow -vessels like shells, but bright and glittering, which made merry -music when they were shaken in the hand. In exchange, the cacique and -the chief of the Bohitos gave what they had, maize and the cloth of -the cotton-tree. Presently, the white strangers touched the golden -plates which hung from our forefathers’ ears, and asked by signs -where the gold came from? and our forefathers pointed towards where -Cuba and Hispaniola lay across the sea. At this the white strangers -smiled to each other, and were pleased. The multitudes followed -them whithersoever they went, and when the even was come, and the -sun going down, the white men passed again in their great canoes to -the floating houses with wings, in which they lived on the sea. Our -forefathers accompanied them with songs and rejoicings in their small -canoes, and the great white cacique, standing high above the ocean, -waved them farewell, while the lightning flashed and the thunder -rolled from the floating house beneath him. - -And this is the story of the first coming of white men, as my -forefather, the cacique, who saw them, told it to my forefather, the -next cacique, who was carried by them a slave to dig for gold in -Hispaniola. - - - - -CHAPTER THE LAST. - -I MEET OLD FRIENDS. - - -Weeks passed slowly away. Twice a day, in the morning and the -afternoon, I mounted to the summit of the highest rock in the island, -looking anxiously round for sails, and there, by consent of the -Indians, who felt secure in their hiding-place, I piled up a great -mass of brushwood, ready for firing as a signal, in case of any -English vessel approaching. During these long solitary watches I -thought much of my life since I had been carried a prisoner to the -West Indies. I thought how many great dangers I had undergone, how -many narrow escapes I had made, and I began gradually to entertain -the idea whether, upon an opportunity offering, I had better resume -a buccaneering life, or set out across the Atlantic for home. I -said to myself, ‘I will not return penniless as when I went forth.’ -The pearls left to me by poor Rumbold were, as he said, worth fully -one thousand pounds, and I doubted not but that my share in the -booty captured in the Carthagena galleon, I owning one-third of the -schooner which took her, as well as being second officer on board, -would come to something very considerable. Here, then, were means -upon which I could at once return and bring happiness and wealth to -the firesides of Kirkleslie. I brooded over these things much. Lying -in the shade of my brushwood pile, watching the buzzing sparkling -insects which shot hither and thither in the air—the dragon-fly -poising his lithe body, and the brightly painted butterflies -flitting from flower to flower, I pondered and turned the question in -my mind. My old habits of castle-building came back upon me, and I -erected two splendid edifices upon the foundation of the subtle air. - -The first was of my lot if I remained in the West Indies, or joined -the bold adventurers who were pushing across the isthmus of Darien, -to launch upon a career of fortune in the South Sea. I pictured -myself the commander of a stout ship of war, nay, the admiral of a -fleet of stout ships of war, carrying fire and sword into Panama, -Payta, or Acapulco, capturing Spanish galleons by the squadron, and -dictating terms to the captive governors of overthrown cities. Then, -as I lay thinking, and watching the gorgeous proportions of this -air-painted dream, it faded away, and another and a humbler vision -rose; it represented the green fields and white beaches of the fair -coast of Fife—the straggling cottages of Kirkleslie—the pier of -whinstone, stretching forth seawards—the little rippling bay, where -the Burn of Balwearie poured its frothing waters into the brine—the -green bourocks of bent and waving grass, which surrounded it, marked -with their brown patches of dry herring nets, and the rocking boats, -riding to their grapnels in the bay. Then I saw approaching the shore -a stout brig, lofty in her rig and graceful in her form, and I saw -the fishers, and their wives, and their bairns, all running down to -the beach, and shouting, with joyful clamour, that here was come -Leonard Lindsay’s new brig, the Royal Thistle, fresh from the stocks -at Leith. - -And there was another consideration too. It is sad to remember it -now, but it was joyful to dream of it then. I had a long tryste at -Alicant, and I thought how proud I would be, in my own stout ship, to -carry my betrothed from her Spanish city to the northern home which -she had chosen and which she would love. - -If both of these plans were, in the ending, empty and vain, at least -one was built on a less airy foundation than the other. I determined -not to grasp at overmuch. I decided not to let go the substance for -the shadow, and at length I started up from the grass, and with a -heart light as that of a boy let loose from school, I shouted, ‘Home, -home! the rough winds and the rugged coasts of Scotland before all -these teeming lands and summer seas!’ - -Having once formed this resolution, I was miserable until I had the -means of putting it in execution. From the grey dawn to the grey -eve I sat upon my watch-tower on the hill; sometimes the Indians -accompanied me, and we talked touching the only subject on which -they cared to converse—the past glories of Guanhani, and the future -happiness of Coyaba. Sometimes I was alone, tossing restlessly upon -the turf in my impatience, wondering whether all vessels had ceased -to sail the sea, since I saw none,—plucking out my flint and steel -every quarter of an hour, to take care that all was ready for firing -the beacon at a moment’s notice; or noting any change in the slant of -the tradewind, which might cause a vessel to diverge from her course -between the islands and the main. Several times I attempted to patch -up the broken boat of the ‘Saucy Susan,’ which lay upon a sheltered -bit of beach, with the tide flowing in and out of her, but she was -injured beyond my powers as a ship carpenter to repair, and besides, -had she been afloat and sound, I had nothing of which I could make a -sail. The Indians possessed a canoe, but only fit for paddling. - -During these tedious weeks, I strained my memory in vain to make out -whether I had ever heard of such an island as that on which I stood. -In most of the maps of the Caribbean Sea, small specks of nameless -isles are laid down in great profusion all round Cape Gracias à Dios, -but I knew that these charts were, for the most part, to be little -depended upon, except as regarded the great islands and headlands; -and I remembered the labyrinth of rocks, islets, and reefs, in which -we found the dwarf pilot, and which were not even indicated in any -one chart we had on board the ‘Will-o’-the-Wisp.’ The Indians said, -that the time of ships coming hither was very uncertain; sometimes -two or three passed by in a moon, sometimes two or three moons passed -by during which the sea would be sailless; now a passing ship would -keep far off, so that her canvas would show not bigger than the wing -of a sea-fowl; anon she would anchor in the lee of the island, and -lie there for days, filling her water-casks from the rain ponds in -the hollows of the rocks, and allowing the men to scamper at large, -hunting pigeons and noddies, or searching for turtles’ eggs, all over -the island. - -But at length my happy moment arrived—the long-looked for came -at last. I ought to have mentioned, that the island upon the -windward-side was indented by a large bay, which stretched from one -extremity of the land to the other. In the centre of this bay, and -near the beach, were various rocky islets and sand-banks, amongst -which on arriving I had been driven, and upon each horn of the -crescent, long points of high and rugged rock jutted forth into -the sea, making that appear a deep bay which was in reality a mere -shallow coast indentation. My signal-post, as I called it, was near -the centre of the bay, and about a mile from each of the jutting and -rocky horns which I have mentioned; the hut of the Indians being -among the clefts and bushes beneath. - -I was wakened early one morning by the howl of the wind through the -trees and precipices above us, and, presently going forth, found -it blowing a hard gale right into the bay—the rocky islets before -the beach being only now and then to be seen like black specks amid -the foam. The gale increased as the day advanced, and about noon, a -tremendous breaker swept so high up the beach as to catch the wreck -of the ‘Saucy Susan’s’ boat, and fairly to drive it to pieces on the -shingle. The day was very dark and dismal, the clouds flying fast and -low, and the sea-birds making, in flocks, for the cover of the land. -The horizon from my look-out was only a few miles in extent, but -within it, the seas broke furiously, and the surf upon either horn -of the bay was grand to look at. In the afternoon, I wandered forth -alone upon the beach—the Indians, who did not relish such weather, -keeping snug at home—and remained for hours in a sheltered nook upon -the southern ridge of the bay, watching the great seas rolling in and -assaulting the rocks. - -The day was wearing away, and the sun was setting behind the island, -when I suddenly heard a shout to seaward. Starting up to my feet, I -saw about a cable’s length distant from the bluff, on the outside of -the bay, and a little to windward, a small sloop, showing but a rag -of sail, and struggling hard to weather the point. The bark, though -very small, was decked from stem to stern. Had it not been for that, -she would not have lived a moment in such a sea. As it was, she bent -over, so that I could see three men lying upon the slanting planks, -holding on to the weather-rigging, while the steersman, made fast on -the weather side to a staunchion of the light rail, which run round -the sloop, worked the tiller by means of blocks and tackling. It was -an even chance, so far as I could see, whether the sloop would beat -round into the bay, or be shivered upon the headland, and I rushed -as far out as I could upon the rocks to watch the catastrophe. On -she came, plunging and tearing over the seas, hove up aloft, so that -she was sometimes almost on a level with the ground I stood on, then -ducking into the trough, so that I could only see the top of her -tiny mainsail, with the spray of the next coming sea, torn up by the -wind, and pelting over and over it. The figures on board held on to -the weather-bulwarks, like grim death; but as she closed nearer and -nearer with the rocks, I saw two of them kick off their shoes, and -strip their doublets. A moment would now decide their fate. The sloop -was not half-a-score fathoms from the outermost point, over which -the sea boiled white. She sank heavily into a deep foaming trough of -sea, and her sail flapped in the lull. Up again, as though cast by a -sling! She leaped at the next surge—a blast which made me stagger -back on the rocks—almost tearing the mast out of her, and lifting -her, as it were, bodily over the furiously ridging and tumbling -water. The wave burst in milk-white foam beneath, the spray flying -round and over me, but from the very centre, as it appeared, of the -seething hissing mass of the rebuffed and broken billow, the gallant -little bark flew triumphantly round the rock, and into the bay. - -‘Hurrah,’ I shouted; ‘bravely done!’ - -The men on board caught my words, even through the roar of the surf. -He who was steering, and who had been hitherto crouching down, -watching the run of the seas, looked up. Could I believe my eyes? -Nicky Hamstring! - -‘Lindsay! Will Thistle! Hurrah!’ he shouted. - -‘Comrade—old comrade!’ I cried, making a speaking-trumpet of my -hands. ‘Beach her—run her right through the surf. High and dry—high -and dry!’ - -The sloop was already beyond hearing, but Nicky waved his hand. Up -goes the helm, round fly the bows of the bark towards the open white -beach of the bay, and shorewards she shoots, leaping from sea to sea! - -Leaping indeed from sea to sea, but not faster than I sprung from -rock to rock, and bank to bank, striving to be upon the beach -before her. It was a grand race. I saw Nicky’s crew leap up, as the -sloop, now upon an even keel, went scudding like a feather before a -hurricane. More sail—more sail! They are shaking out two reefs in the -canvas! They will drive her through the breakers in style! Away goes -the widened sheet higher and higher up the mast! See how it swells, -and tugs, and surges, as though it would pluck the craft out of the -water by the very roots, and drag and soar with her through the air! -I am running fast, but she heads me. See, Nicky is standing in the -stern, and again he waves his hand! Is it in token of hope, or of -farewell? A minute will end all. The sloop flies madly into the line -of breakers! A sea comes white over and over her! No! she is not -down; up she staggers on the crest of the following wave, pouring the -water from her sides, and her crew still clinging steadfastly round -the mast. On she goes—a dusky spot—a mere tossing morsel amid the -wallowing surf, but the brave mast still holds on, the stout canvas -still bears her onward, like a bird! There, down into the trough -once more, and now aloft again on the very shoulder of a breaking -sea, which has hove her up, as a strong man swings a child, and then -bearing her recklessly on, dissolves beneath her keel, in a tumbling -avalanche of creaming foam, in the centre of which the sloop is -carried triumphantly up, upon the wreaths of sea-weed at the very top -of high water-mark, and there, as the sea recedes, is left high and -dry! No Deal boatmen ever beached a galley more admirably after a -wild trip to the Goodwin Sands. - -The next moment I had both Nicky Hamstring’s hands in mine! Such a -meeting! It was as if he had fallen from the moon upon me! And what -a world of inquiries to put to each other. How had I come there? -How had he come there? For five minutes it was nothing but such -rapid question and answer! Then quoth I, ‘And Stout Jem, and the -“Will-o’-the-Wisp?”’ - -‘They cannot be five miles to windward,’ replied Nicky, ‘and running -the same course as we when we saw breakers ahead, and beat round into -the bay. The sloop is a Spanish craft we wanted to carry to Jamaica, -and we were in company with the schooner all day, until she split her -foresail; after which we got the start, and lost sight of her.’ - -By this time it was getting dark, the gale still blowing furiously. - -‘We none of us had the slightest idea of land within a hundred -miles,’ said Nicky. ‘I would to God that we had the means of giving -Stout Jem notice of what he is running on, while he has still a mile -or two of offing.’ - -I immediately remembered my beacon of piled brushwood, and thanked -heaven that I had collected it. But as we were all scampering up -the hill towards it, we met the two old Indians coming down to the -beach. From a snug place of espial they had seen the meeting between -Nicky Hamstring and myself, and rightly conjecturing that they had -nothing to fear from one who seemed so much my friend, they had come -forth to offer a refuge to the wrecked mariners. Accordingly, leaving -them to conduct two of the sailors whom I did not know, to the cave, -the third being no other than my old shipmate, Lanscriffe, who shook -hands with me heartily, he and Nicky and I were speedily standing -beside my beacon. It was now quite dark, and seawards we could descry -nought beyond the dull white belt of breakers. A light was speedily -struck, and in a minute after it was applied; the brushwood being -as dry as tinder, a bright blaze, torn and driven by the wind, rose -flickering up into the dark night, casting long rays of light over -the waving grass and bushes, and the white and tumbling sea. I had -made the pile of brushwood so large, that the beacon was nothing but -a great bonfire, and presently the two seamen we had left rejoined -us with the Indians, carrying between them a small tar barrel which -they had made shift to get at out of the stranded bark, the tide -having now ebbed considerably back from it. This was a grand addition -to our beacon, and, fed by the fat pitchy unguent, the blaze must -have been seen leagues away. That it was seen by those for whom we -lit it we soon had a satisfactory token, in the quickly following -flashes of several guns, fired by a vessel near a league off at sea. -Upon this we descended to the beach again. The Will-o’-the-Wisp, -for Nicky Hamstring did not doubt but it was she, presently ran up -lanterns to her main and topmast heads, and, in a few moments more, -she burned a flaring blue light, which showed the beautiful schooner -weltering through the seas close hauled under closely reefed fore and -mainsails, but, as we all hoped and believed, holding her own very -steadily. - -As we sat watching her upon the beach, Nicky Hamstring recounted to -me the particulars of the attack upon Carthagena harbour after I -had been made prisoner, and the subsequent capture of the galleon. -My share of the booty was, it seems, lodged in the hands of Mr. -Pratt, at Jamaica, and would be at once made over to me. To narrate -all the particulars of the cruise of the Will-o’-the-Wisp after I -quitted her, would be no part of my story, and I dismiss it by simply -stating, that so many and so great were the prizes which she took, -that not a man who sailed under Stout Jem but was, according to his -degree, enriched, and returned to Jamaica with money, and plenty of -it, in both pockets. - -Talking in this manner, the first part of the night wore away, and, -as it waxed late, the gale began to lull. You may be sure in all our -converse we never took our eyes from the schooner’s lights, which -rose and sank regularly upon the seas. But we were soon relieved -of our anxiety regarding her, by observing that she rather clawed -away from the shore than approached it, and we knew well that not -an eye would be closed aboard the schooner that eventful night. -About midnight the heavy clouds to windward began to break, and the -schooner burnt another blue light, by which we saw that she had a -reef out of her sails, and was standing on and off snugly enough, the -sea going down very fast. - -Thereupon we all retired to the cave, the Indians doing the honours -of their abode with such simple grace, that Nicky called them two -brown old gentlemen without clothes, and swore that he would run the -risk of being wrecked again to be so kindly tended. It was indeed a -happy meal! Lanscriffe and his comrades had gone down to the stranded -ship, and returned laden with good cheer, and every few minutes, as -we ate, and drank, and laughed, one of us would start up and run out -to see how the schooner fared, and come back with the news that the -wind was going down more and more, and that our friends were all -safe, a league from the rocks, and riding as snugly as though the -schooner were lying in a millpond. - -‘And all the old faces are still on board?’ quoth I. - -‘Every one of them,’ answered Nicky; ‘all our old party of the -Marmousettes in Hispaniola, from Stout Jem down to Blue Peter, and, -indeed, almost every man we shipped in Jamaica, including Mr. Bell, -who hath become such a reformed character, that it seems as if that -keel-hauling, which you remember, has had the most beneficial effect -in washing the roguery out of him.’ - -‘And the negro,’ says I; ‘the Spanish negro, we captured fishing for -pisareros off Carthagena?’ - -‘Oh! he was sent ashore with the sailors of the galleon, who, I hear, -landed at Porto Bello.’ - -‘There was,’ says I, ‘on board that galleon, one old man, a merchant—’ - -‘He who told Stout Jem that you had escaped from the Spaniards at -Carthagena—a grave and reverend old man,’ said Nicky. ‘He bore his -loss so tranquilly, that I thought, and others thought it too, that -he went over the side of the galleon into the boat with some of the -most precious parts of his goods concealed upon, his person. A sly -old fox, to be sure.’ - -To tell the truth, I was not sorry to hear this. - -‘We got enough from him as it was, Nicky,’ I said. - -‘Humph!’ quoth Nicky, ‘I must say we did.’ - -The grey dawn found the schooner anchored in the bay, and before -sunrise Nicky and I, having obtained the canoe of the Indians for the -purpose, leaped on board. - -I almost shook Captain Jem out of his hammock, into which, poor man, -he had only just turned, after seeing that all was safe with the -ground tackle, and that the weather looked settled. - -‘Captain Jem! Captain Jem!’ I cried; ‘you told the merchant on board -the galleon, that you loved me as a son, and here is your son come -back again to you!’ - -I will not try to reduce to words the shout of delight with which -the hearty old fellow jumped clean out of his hammock, and clutching -my hands in both of his, danced me round and round the little cabin. -It was a thorough welcome home, and almost induced me to falter in -my resolution of immediately returning to Scotland. But the feeling -lasted but for a moment. I loved my comrades, but I loved kith and -kin more, and now I had that to carry back to them which would bring -grateful tears to many an eye. - -And now my story is told. - -I have bidden a solemn farewell to the representatives of the blood -of the old caciques, and the ‘Will-o’-the-Wisp’ is under weigh, bound -direct for Jamaica, from whence I can easily procure a passage home. -Her buccaneering cruise, of which I saw so little, is ended. She lies -deep in the water, freighted with the spoils of the proud Spaniards, -who vainly swore that theirs alone would be the empire and the -treasure of the New World. Her merry crew will shortly be dispersed, -and never rock in hammocks in one ship again. Stout Jem is bound -for Europe, and mayhap we will go together. Nicky Hamstring, true -to his opinion, that the New World is a merrier one than the Old, -talks of enlisting under the banner of Captain Morgan, to march with -him across the mountains to the great South Sea. Each has his plans, -and every man’s plan is different from his neighbour’s. May they all -prosper! - -And now I bid my readers a kind good by! - -I have told them roughly, but truly, as much of my life as was the -‘Story of a Buccaneer.’ If they have found it stirring enough to -while away a leisure hour, I am content. But if from it they have -learned something of the real truth concerning Buccaneers, how the -order sprung naturally from the greed of the Spaniards to make a -monopoly of America—how the Buccaneers lived by sea and land—how -they hunted, and sailed, and made war—how there were good and bad, -honest hearts and rogues among them—in short, if they have learned -what manner of men the Buccaneers were, and what manner of lives they -led—then I shall be more than content; I shall think that I have -served the memories of my brave countrymen who sleep beneath those -western seas, and that I have given to the world some information, -not without its uses, touching an interesting chapter of our maritime -history. - - -THE END. - - -Woodfall & Kinder, Printers, Milford Lane, Strand, London, W.C. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - pg iii Added comma after: OF MY BOYHOOD, AND HOW - pg iv Added missing page number 89 - pg 6 Changed gallantly. At night-fall to: nightfall - pg 7 Changed leeward fore-topsail yardarm to: yard-arm - pg 14 Changed would not render up a marevedi to: maravedi - pg 16 Changed After which the quarter-master to: quartermaster - pg 38 Added period after: hate Jack Spaniard - pg 39 Changed spelling of: in the expedition in which l’Olonais to: - l’Olonnais - pg 43 Changed For the Sea, the mosquito men to: Mosquito - pg 76 Changed ‘“Ay, nevvy,” quoth the old captain, to: Nevvy - pg 90 Changed therefore of quite sufficent to: sufficient - pg 101 Changed which lay close a-beam to: abeam - pg 104 Changed I had the midwatch to: mid-watch - pg 109 Changed I hope, never bear to: hear - pg 137 Changed Will-o’-the Whisp to: Will-o’-the-Wisp - pg 142 Changed “Breakers on the weather bow to: ‘Breakers - pg 142 Changed all clear with the anchor.” to: anchor.’ - pg 142 Changed “Down with your helm to: ‘Down - pg 143 Changed great labyrinth of sandbanks to: sand-banks - pg 149 Changed “So you landed here to: ‘So - pg 149 Changed “Call you that seamen’s to: ‘Call - pg 152 Changed schooner if you don’t wan’t to: want - pg 152 Changed have been allowed on board.” to: board.’ - pg 156 Changed schooner in the morning.” to: morning.’ - pg 162 Changed “Where is the dwarf?’ to: ‘Where is the dwarf?’ - pg 167 Changed sprit of the main-sail to mainsail - pg 167 Changed dollars, reals, and marvedis to: maravedis - pg 168 Changed And we echood to: echoed - pg 168 Changed screamed joyously over-head to: overhead - pg 168 Changed glances of the hot sun-light to: sunlight - pg 169 Changed wavy bunches of slimy seaweed to: sea-weed - pg 171 Changed mass of slushy seaweed to: sea-weed - pg 172 Changed him very nervously, fidgetting to: fidgeting - pg 176 Changed Meantine the sky was growing to: Meantime - pg 177 Added letter e after: dwarf as we heard this. H - pg 191 Changed chapter heading DICE IS KEELHAULED to: KEEL-HAULED - pg 193 Changed towards the stern, which heightenng to: heightening - pg 208 Added period after: and there was silence - pg 212 Changed while below was a great beauffet to: buffet - pg 214 Added quote after: sign that the waters are abated. - pg 218 Changed trust we may say our vepsers to: vespers - pg 225 Changed Tomorrow I was to appear to: To-morrow - pg 225 Changed out a squadron of their armadillos. to: armadilloes - pg 229 Changed at the rate of a brass marvedi to: maravedi - pg 232 Changed in the harbour of Cathagena to: Carthagena - pg 232 Changed rescue single-handed, griped to: gripped - pg 233 Removed repeated word from: pirate shall die the the - pg 236 Removed repeated word from: and which shall shall now be - rehearsed - pg 242 Changed pretended to be, in some agitatation to: agitation - pg 244 Changed which I eagerly asisted to: assisted - pg 251 Changed track to tell of who has cleft to: left - pg 257 Added missing word in: I have landed from a vessel the bay - pg 263 Added missing chapter title: THE FAMILY OF THE SPANISH - MERCHANT. - pg 265 Changed devil incarnate, whom they call Mountbars to: Montbars - pg 266 Changed ‘Ay, verily,” to: ‘Ay, verily,’ - pg 267 Changed he answered that tomorrow to: to-morrow - pg 268 Changed arching of her dark eye-brows to: eyebrows - pg 272 Changed I will marry only you.” to: you.’ - pg 275 Changed “Eavesdropper!’ to: ‘Eavesdropper!’ - pg 277 Added quote after: everywhere for Joseffa, but—— - pg 280 Changed Spaniard would keep all to himseif to: himself - pg 280 Changed these adventurers oft-times to: ofttimes - pg 317 Changed from sun-down to sun-rise to: sundown to sunrise - pg 325 Removed repeated word from: even the the most skilful - pg 329 Changed Disco himself, a Musquito Indian to: Mosquito - pg 332 Added period after: firing pistols in the air - pg 334 Changed The Mosquitto man merely shrugged to: Mosquito - pg 341 Changed thickened speech and blood-shot to: bloodshot - pg 343 Changed short run down by the Mosquitto coast to: Mosquito - pg 346 Changed rules of privateers-men to: privateersmen - pg 348 Changed pitiful hound of a Portugee to: Portuguese - pg 349 Changed from the mizenmast to: mizen-mast - pg 349 Changed teach a cowardly Portugee to: Portuguese - pg 350 Changed and his ancles to: ankles - pg 361 Changed Tonquil entered it unbidden. to: Torquil - pg 362 Changed single quote to double after: and bidding, shall - overwhelm him. - pg 362 Changed “Look you, Torquil Randa,’ to: ‘Look you, Torquil - Randa,’ - pg 362 Changed “whoso in this galley to: ‘whoso in this galley - pg 372 Changed was that villainous Portuguee to: Portuguese - pg 381 Changed avoid all pirates, flebustiers to: flibustiers - pg 383 Changed and whom they called ‘Captain to: “Captain - pg 388 Added quote before: Well, captain, you know - pg 388 Added quote after: Oxford Road shall cry, - pg 391 Changed taken under stout L’Olonnais to: l’Olonnais - pg 392 Changed ‘Here be what I like,’ voicferated to: vociferated - pg 392 Changed shirks overboard after the Portuguee to: Portuguese - pg 397 Changed ‘Amen! am en!’ to: amen - pg 399 Changed Dios, the great head-land to: headland - pg 406 Added quote after: near me a broken boat. - pg 422 Changed Spanish craft we wanted to carry to Jamaics to: Jamaica - pg 424 Added hyphen to: cruise of the Will-o’-the Wisp - pg 426 Added quote after the letter o in: and the ‘Will-o-the-Wisp’ - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEONARD LINDSAY *** - -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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